South Africa: President Ramaphosa makes changes to Cabinet

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced changes to the National Executive during an address to the nation on Monday evening.

In his address at the Union Buildings, the President said that the purpose of the changes is to ensure that government is properly capacitated and directed to give effect to the commitments made in the State of the Nation Address and the Budget Speech.

He reiterated that all parts of government are focused on addressing issues that concern South Africans the most: load shedding, unemployment, poverty and the rising cost of living, including crime and corruption.

The president announced the establishment of two new Ministries - namely the Minister for Electricity and the Minister with specific responsibility for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.

Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is the new Minister in the Presidency responsible for Electricity, whose role it will be to deal with the immediate crisis of load shedding.

The President also appointed Maropene Ramokgopa as the new Minister in the Presidency with specific responsibility for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, who will focus greater attention on the performance of government.

Other changes to the Cabinet include the appointment of Paul Mashatile as the countrys new Deputy President, Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni and the appointment of Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma as Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities.

In his new role, Deputy President Mashatile replaces former Deputy President David Mabuza who resigned last week, while Ntshavheni replaces Minister Mondli Gungubele and Dlamini-Zuma replaces Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

We have said that the people of South Africa want action, they want solutions and they want government to work for them.

All members of the Executive have been directed to focus on those agreed actions that will make a meaningful difference now, that will enable real progress within the next year and that will lay a foundation for a sustained recovery into the future, the President said.

The President said that the changes are intended to fill vacancies that have occurred in the Executive and to direct government more effectively towards the areas that require urgent and decisive action.

I have sought to balance the need for new skills and capabilities to drive the agenda that we outlined in the State of the Nation Address with the important task of ensuring stability and continuity in the work of government, the President said.

More appointments made by the President are as follows:

- Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele, replacing Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.

- Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Thembi Nkadimeng, replacing Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

- Minister of Public Service and Administration, Noxolo Kiviet, replacing acting then Minister Thulas Nxesi.

- Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sihle Zikalala, replacing Patricia de Lille.

- Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Zizi Kodwa, replacing Nathi Mthethwa.

- Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, replacing Lindiwe Sisulu.

- Minister of Transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga, replacing Fikile Mbalula.

With respect to Deputy Ministers, the President made the following appointments:

- Deputy Ministers in the Presidency, Nomasonto Motaung and Kenneth Morolong.

- Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sisisi Tolashe.

- Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Pinky Kekana.

- There will be two Deputy Ministers for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Parks Tau and Zolile Burns-Ncamashe.

- There will be two Deputy Ministers for Water and Sanitation, David Mahlobo and Judith Tshabalala.

- Deputy Minister of Public Works, Bernice Swarts.

- Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, Dipuo Peters.

- Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises, Obed Bapela.

- Deputy Minister of Transport, Lisa Mangcu.

Addressing challenges

The President extended his appreciation to all outgoing Ministers and Deputy Ministers for their service to this administration and to the country.

I have instructed both new and existing members of Cabinet to act with speed and urgency to address the challenges that our country faces.

I expect them to fulfil their tasks with rigour and dedication, to adopt a zero tolerance approach to corruption wherever it exists, and to place the interests of the people of South Africa foremost in the work that they do.

This is the standard that I will hold them to and I have full confidence that they will meet it. We must waste no time and spare no effort in restoring the promise of South Africa, the President said.

While the new changes will result in an increase in the number of ministries in the short term, the President said that he has instructed the Presidency and National Treasury to develop a proposal to rationalise government departments, entities and programmes to ensure greater efficiency.

This work, which will result in the reduction of the number of Ministries, he said, will inform the configuration of government going into the next administration. SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-03-06. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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Imran Khan's PTI has claimed that he had not sought to meet army chief, Gen Asim Munir but as per sources, the former PM had reached out to him but was rebuffed, media reports said on Wednesday. Geo News programme "Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath" anchor Shahzeb Khanzada, citing unnamed sources, said that Gen Munir told businessmen meeting him on Monday night that Imran Khan sent him a message seeking a meeting, but he told the PTI chief that it was not his job as army chief to meet politicians, Geo News reported. The army chief asserted that the army "would neither interfere in politics nor would play any role in it", the anchor quoted the sources as saying. Gen Munir maintained that he would not interfere in political matters and the political leadership itself should resolve its issues. Participating in the programme, veteran journalist Hamid Mir said President Arif Alvi had tried to arrange a meeting between Gen Munir and Imran Khan, but the army chief told the President that he wants to stay away from politics. A day earlier, PTI leader and former Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhary had claimed that former Prime Minister Imran Khan "never made any request" personally or through his "representatives" to meet the army chief. --IANS vd ( 225 Words) 2023-03-08-21:04:05 (IANS)
New Delhi [India], March 8 (ANI/SRV): Symbiosis Law School, Pune, a constituent of Symbiosis International (Deemed University), in association with the Nani. A. Palkhivala trust, Mumbai organized the Nani A. Palkivala Inter Collegiate Elocution competition on 28th February 2023. The event was held in hybrid mode and was graced by dignitaries such as Prof. (Dr) Shashikala Gurpur, Fulbright Scholar, Director, Symbiosis Law School, Pune, Dean, Faculty of Law, SIU, Jean Monnet Chair Professor (EUC - Lamp co-funded by EU), Dr Aparajita Mohanty, Deputy Director at SLS, Pune, Dr Justice Shalini Phansalkar Joshi, a former Judge of Bombay High Court, having retired, with experience of more than three decades, Advocate Ranjeetsinh Pawar co-founder and partner of SRB-OJAS, a Pune based full-service law firm, and Dr Rupal Rautdesai, patent attorney and also a research advisor and visiting professor at SLS, Pune. Nani A. Palkhivala, a highly respected jurist and economist, was briefly introduced, along with the story of the trust named in his honor, established by M. V. Kamath. Palkhivala was recognized for numerous accomplishments, including his pivotal role in the Kesavananda Bharati Case, which centred on Constitutional Law and Fundamental Rights. The event honouring Nani A. Palkhivala began with the dignitaries lighting a lamp and inviting Prof. (Dr) Shashikala Gurpur to join them on the stage. Prof. (Dr) Shashikala Gurpur, Fulbright Scholar, Director, Symbiosis Law School, Pune, Dean, Faculty of Law, SIU, Jean Monnet Chair Professor (EUC - Lamp co-funded by EU) addressed the gathering and elucidated upon the idea behind the Trust and SLS Pune's recognition that led to collaboration between the Nani A Palkhivala Trust and the SLS-P. During her speech, Dr Gurpur discussed the history of the SLS Pune and the Nani A. Palkhivala Trust, reflecting on the life and achievements of Nani Palkhivala, including his childhood and the biography written by M.V. Kamath. She noted that Palkhivala was a well-respected philanthropist and public intellectual, contributing to institutions focused on public service and supporting legal education for underprivileged students overseas. Drawing from her own experiences as a resource person at the trust, Dr Gurpur stressed the importance of networking among law students and shared some of her own experiences as a toastmaster, which she found valuable for her own personal growth. The event, which was attended by students from various colleges in Pune, provided an opportunity for participants to network and share their experiences. In conclusion, Dr Gurpur emphasized the lasting impact of great souls like Nani A. Palkhivala on people's minds. With a total of 10 participating teams of law colleges in Pune and total prize money of Rs 10,000, the Elocution Competition featured three topics for the participants, namely: (i) Right to Privacy -- Though Fundamental, how feasible and enforceable in Today's Digital Age? (ii) Separation of Powers -- Is the Judiciary gradually treading into the domain of the Legislature? and (iii) The Law's Delays and Remedies for it. Participants were evaluated on several criteria, including their clarity of thought and coherence of their arguments. Dr Justice Shalini Phansalkar congratulated the participants and delivered a speech on the importance of elocution as an art that requires practice and audience engagement. She referred to CJI DY Chandrachud's speaking style and methodology and highlighted the fact that public speaking is a crucial skill for lawyers practising in courtrooms. Dr Rupal also spoke to the audience, reiterating the importance of effective speaking skills in real-life situations. Adv. Ranjeetsinh Pawar addressed the audience and spoke about the value of self-paced learning. Dr Aparajita Mohanty, Deputy Director (Academics), SLS-P announced the results of the competition, Nandini Ravishankar from MIT WPU School of Law, Pune, stood first and bagged prize money of Rs 5000, Atharva Dutt Pandey from New Law College, Bharati Vidyapeeth stood in second position and bagged Rs 3000, and the third position went to Samara Sahu from Symbiosis Law School, Pune with prize money of Rs 2000. The dignitaries presented certificates to the winners and congratulated all the participants. Dr Mohanty then concluded the event by delivering a vote of thanks. To know more visit https://www.symlaw.ac.in/ This story has been provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 8 (ANI/SRV): On the 24th of February 2023 at Hotel Taj Santacruz, Mumbai, Sapphire Connect made an endeavor to get in-depth insights on how the Indian BFSI sector is making strides in digital transformation with payments at the core and increase in the various cyber threats in the present and in the coming future in the BFSI institutions, by organizing The BFSI Connect Summit 2023. The event witnessed leaders from the BFSI industry such as IT leaders, Security Leaders, and Payment Heads. Our Guest of Honour for the event was Prakash Khandpal, Deputy Managing Director of Retail Banking, State Bank of India as he addressed the audience on 'What's more for payments space in India?' and R M Vishakha, MD & CEO, IndiaFirst Life Insurance as she addressed the audience on 'Reimaging BFSI Through Digital Transformation'. The financial services industry, particularly the banking industry, by its far-reaching and widespread operations in the country, has been pivotal for the improvement of the nation's economy. The country's economy is judged by how far the banking industry is fairing at a particular point in time. Also, every other establishment in the country requires a safe and reliable financial service as a facilitator to perform their (business) activities smoothly. The importance of banking services being a critical, infrastructure in the value chain makes it vital for banks to ensure the security and integrity of their financial services. In the next few years, financial services and, indeed all sectors of the economy, will be dramatically disrupted, primarily by greater customer empowerment and technology-driven innovation. With the increase in digitization in all banking aspects, including customer onboarding, transfers, and payments, collections, remittances, contactless payments, digital wallets, etc., the threats and attacks have also become sophisticated and prevalent. In recent years, BFSI companies have been leveraging technology to transform their operations, and this has led to significant improvements in efficiency, security, and customer experience. We have transitioned from using traditional payment methods like cash and checks to using digital payment methods. People can now make payments anytime, anywhere, and in any currency thanks to the development of payment systems like UPI, PayPal, and Apple Pay, which makes transactions quicker, more secure, and more practical. These new payment options do, however, bring with them new difficulties. Cybercriminals are continuously trying to find loopholes in payment systems to access sensitive data like credit card numbers and bank account information. As a result, it is crucial that financial institutions make investments in strong payment security systems that can shield their clients from online threats. During the summit, while talking about the payments industry, Cyril Mohapatra, Senior VP & Head of Digital Solutions, Delivery Group, IndusInd Bank said, "Payments are no longer looked at as a capital mechanism. It has now become an integral part of mechanism". Talking about how these real-time payments have evolved, K V Dipu, Senior President- Head Operations & Customer Service, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance said, "Realtime payments play a significant role in customer experience. Insurance companies have improved and changed the process of car insurance for better customer experience." Furthermore, during the panel discussion when asked about the role of technology in BFSI, Abhishek Sharma, Chief Digital Officer, L&T Financial Services said, "The BFSI Sector is focusing on using technology in solving problems related to its own business platform be it sourcing, be it underwriting, be it servicing, in all aspects technology is being increasingly used." On this Platform, Sapphire Connect felicitated and honored the accomplishments and achievements of forward-thinking leaders for encouraging them to keep contributing their valuable efforts for a safe and secured BFSI domain. Sapphire Connect unveiled the Coffee Table Book titled "India's Most Agile CIO's/CISO's/CDO's 2023", which aimed not just to celebrate but also to recognize the unending and meticulous determination of leaders to win every challenge like a true soldier. The partners for the first edition of BFSI Connect Summit were Associate Partners: ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, NI Network Intelligence, XM Cyber, Cynet | Vinca Cyber; Knowledge Partner - PwC India; Television Partner - ET Now; People Partner - Sapphire Human Solutions and Supporting Association - India Diversity Forum. Talking about the BFSI Connect Summit, Rishi Kapoor, Partner & Business Head, Sapphire Connect, said, "We know how the pandemic fast-tracked the BFSI sector in their digital endeavors and by redefining how customers want to engage with their banks. Digitization, on one hand, enables new value creation for customers by delivering on expectations across the value chain, on the other hand, it enables agility, security, and enhanced productivity. BFSI Connect Summit was one such event that bought leaders from the BFSI industry such as IT leaders, Security Leaders, and Payment Heads together who have a shared-success mindset and are constantly collaborating with customers, employees, ecosystem partners, governments, and the public by creating new opportunities for growth in a way that benefits all." This story has been provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV)
American media personality and businesswoman Paris Hilton has revealed some private details regarding her 2004 leaked sex tape. According to Fox News, a USA- based news outlet, in her memoir 'Paris: The Memoir', the pop culture icon shared that she was allegedly pressured to record the tape in 1999, despite persistently "making excuses" as he "kept pushing." In a recently published excerpt of her memoir, Hilton revealed that when at the age of 18, she encountered a man she refers to refer by the nickname 'Scum'. The socialite did not reveal the man's actual name but described their first meeting in detail. Hilton was famously in a relationship with Rick Salomon at the time. "He told me if I wouldn't do it, he could easily find someone who would, and that was the worst thing I could think of -- to be dumped by this grown man because I was a stupid kid who didn't know how to play grown-up games," Hilton alleged of Salomon, who was 10 years her senior. Fox News reported that the hotel heiress said that she was "tipsy and tired" and that she was informed the intimate film was "just for us." Hilton added that even prior to her relationship with Salomon, she "hated the idea of sex." "I avoided sex until it was absolutely unavoidable," she wrote. When the reality series 'The Simple Life' starring Hilton and Nicole Richie debuted in 2004, Hilton said there were several headlines claiming she was "sleeping around" which was "not the truth at all." "I did it. I have to own that. I knew what he wanted and I went with it. I needed to prove myself to him and to myself, so I got hammered and I did it," Hilton admitted, according to Fox News. Years later, Hilton received a call from her publicist informing her that a 37-second sex tape was circulating the internet. She pleaded with her ex-boyfriend not to distribute the footage. "I called my old boyfriend and begged: 'Please, please, please don't do this'. He sounded distant and cool, saying it was too late, it was already out there... He said he had every right to sell something that belonged to him - something that had a lot of financial value," she claimed of Salomon. After the release, Salomon sued Hilton for defamation, and she countersued him. As per Fox News, The Independent reported that the pair settled their suits out of court in 2005. (ANI)
Telegu Superstar Ram Charan is going through moments of special glory both in his personal and professional life. On the professional front, he is busy campaigning for his Oscar-nominated movie 'RRR' in the US. In personal life, Ram is all set to embrace parenthood. Amid his busy schedule, Ram took his wife Upasana Konidela on a babymoon trip recently. Upasana shared her joy with the world with an Instagram video. Sharing the video on Instagram, Upasana wrote, "Amidst all the hustle, Mr.C's time out for " us Sneak Peek #babymoon# Happy Holi...Ticking it off my bucket list." The video shows the couple enjoyed food, long drive and some quality time together. As Upasana mentioned, they also went for whale and dolphin watching. In one of the short clips, Ram is seen carrying loads of shopping bags. It seems the doting husband fulfilled all the wishes of his wife. https://www.instagram.com/p/CpfAuYtMaAa/ Actor Shriya Saran commented on the video saying 'Adorable.' Fans hailed Ram's balancing calibre. "This is called well-balancing Professional and Personal life," wrote one. "These two people making India jealous being the perfect beautiful couple in the world," another one wrote. Earlier, Upasana took to Twitter to address the speculations that they might be welcoming their first child in the US. Clarifying their position, 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." Ram, also, opened up about becoming a father on the daytime talk show 'Good Morning America.' 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." 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 Twitter, Suriya shared a screenshot which he captioned, "Voting done! #Oscars95."

https://twitter.com/Suriya_offl/status/1633395607091150849

Last year, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences which hosts the Oscars every year invited Kajol and Suriya amongst others to become a member of the Academy Class.

Suriya has been featured in many notable Tamil films like the 'Jai Bhim', 'Kaappaan' and 'Soorarai Pottru' among others.

He will be next seen in the periodic drama film which is tentatively titled 'Suriya42' and also stars Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley, and Kovai Sarala in pivotal roles.

The official release date of the film is still awaited.

The Oscars 2023 will be held on March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. The prestigious award ceremony will be telecasted in India on March 13 early morning.

It's a special year for India at the Oscars. This time around, not just one, but three significant Indian movies are competing for the coveted Oscars Awards 2023 nominations.

RRR is on the shortlist for Best Original Song for the dance song Naatu Naatu, which won the Golden Globe Award in the same category earlier this year.

Shaunak Sen's 'All That Breathes' has been nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film and Guneet Monga's The Elephant Whisperers for Best Documentary Short. (ANI)
Chronic stress can impact our behaviour, leading to problems like depression, reduced interest in things that previously brought us pleasure, even PTSD. Now scientists have evidence that a group of neurons in a bow-shaped portion of the brain become hyperactive after chronic exposure to stress. When these POMC neurons become super active, these sort of behavioural problems result and when scientists reduce their activity, it reduces the behaviours. The report was published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. Scientists at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University looked in the hypothalamus, key to functions like releasing hormones and regulating hunger, thirst, mood, sex drive and sleep, at a population of neurons called the proopiomelanocortin, or POMC, neurons, in response to 10 days of chronic, unpredictable stress. Chronic unpredictable stress is widely used to study the impact of stress exposure in animal models, and in this case that included things like restraint, prolonged wet bedding in a tilted cage and social isolation. They found the stressors increased spontaneous firing of these POMC neurons in male and female mice, says corresponding author Xin-Yun Lu, MD, PhD, chair of the MCG Department of Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Translational Neuroscience. When they directly activated the neurons, rather than letting stress increase their firing, it also resulted in the apparent inability to feel pleasure, called anhedonia, and behavioural despair, which is essentially depression. In humans, indicators of anhedonia might include no longer interacting with good friends and a loss of libido. In mice, their usual love for sugar water wains, and male mice, who normally like to sniff the urine of females when they are in heat, lose some of their interest as well. Conversely, when the MCG scientists inhibited the neurons' firing, it reduced these types of stress-induced behavioural changes in both sexes. The results indicate POMC neurons are "both necessary and sufficient" to increase susceptibility to stress, and their increased firing is a driver of resulting behavioural changes like depression. In fact, stress overtly decreased inhibitory inputs onto POMC neurons, Lu says. The POMC neurons are in the arcuate nucleus, or ARC, of the hypothalamus, a bow-shaped brain region already thought to be important to how chronic stress affects behaviour. Occupying the same region is another population of neurons, called AgRP neurons, which are important for resilience to chronic stress and depression, Lu and her team reported in Molecular Psychiatry in early 2021. In the face of chronic stress, Lu's lab reported that AgRP activation goes down as behavioural changes like anhedonia occur, and that when they stimulated those neurons the behaviours diminished. Her team also wanted to know what chronic stress does to the POMC neurons. AgRP neurons, better known for their role in us seeking food when we are hungry, are known to have a yin-yang relationship with POMC neurons: When AgRP activation goes up, for example, POMC activation goes down. "If you stimulate AgRP neurons it can trigger immediate, robust feeding," Lu says. Food deprivation also increases the firing of these neurons. It's also known that when excited by hunger signals, AgRP neurons send direct messages to the POMC neurons to release the brake on feeding. Their studies found that chronic stress disrupts the yin-yang balance between these two neuronal populations. Although AgRP's projection to POMC neurons is clearly important for their firing activity, the intrinsic mechanism is probably the major mechanism underlying the hyperactivity of POMC neurons by chronic stress, Lu says. The intrinsic mechanism may include potassium channels in POMC neurons that are known to respond to a range of different signals, and when open, lead to potassium flowing out of the cell, which dampens neuronal excitation. While the potential role of these potassium channels in POMC neurons in response to stress needs study, the scientists suspect stress also affects the potassium channels and that opening those channels might be a possible targeted treatment to restrain the wildly firing POMC neurons. Excessive activity of neurons is also known to produce seizures and there are anticonvulsants given to open potassium channels and decrease that excessive firing. There is even some early clinical evidence that these drugs might also be helpful in treating depression and anhedonia, and what the Lu lab is finding may help explain why. Lu hasn't looked yet, but she wants to further explore the role of these channels to better understand how stress affects them in POMC neurons and how best to target the channels if their findings continue to indicate they play a key role in exciting POMC neurons. Chronic stress affects all body systems, according to the American Psychological Association. Even muscles tense to keep our guard up against injury and pain. Stress can cause shortness of breath, particularly in those with preexisting respiratory problems like asthma. Longer term, it can increase the risk for hypertension, heart attack and stroke, even alter the good bacteria in our gut that helps us digest food. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health. (ANI)
By using artificial human skin, a research group from the University of Copenhagen has managed to block invasive growth in a skin cancer model. The study has been published in Science Signaling and looks at what actually happens when a cell turns into a cancer cell. "We have been studying one of the cells' signalling pathways, the so-called TGF beta pathway. This pathway plays a critical role in the cell's communication with its surroundings, and it controls e.g., cell growth and cell division. If these mechanisms are damaged, the cell may turn into a cancer cell and invade the surrounding tissue," explains Professor and Team Lead Hans Wandall from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Copenhagen. Under normal circumstances, your skin cells will not just start to invade the hypodermis and wreak havoc. Instead, they will produce a new layer of skin. But when cancer cells emerge, the cells no longer respect the boundaries between skin layers, and they start to invade each other. This is called invasive growth. Hans Wandall and his colleagues have been studying the TGF beta pathway and applied methods for blocking invasive growth and thus curbing the invasive growth in skin cancer. "We already have various drugs that can block these signalling pathways and which may be used in tests. We have used some of them in this study," explains Associate Professor and co-author of the study Sally Dabelsteen from the School of Dentistry. Hans Wandall and Sally Dabelsteen have worked together with Dr. Zilu Ye and Professor Jesper V. Olsen from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. "Some of these drugs have already been tested on humans, and some are in the process of being tested in connection with other types of cancer. They could also be tested on skin cancer specifically," she says. Artificial skin is the closest we get to real human skin The artificial skin used by the researchers in the new study consists of artificial, genetically manipulated human skin cells. Skin cells are produced on subcutaneous tissue made of collagen. This makes the cells grow in layers, just like real human skin. Unlike mice models, the skin model, which is another word for artificial skin, allows researchers to introduce artificial genetic changes relatively quickly, which provides insight into the systems that support skin development and renewal. This way they are also able to reproduce and follow the development of other skin disorders, not just skin cancer. "By using artificial human skin we are past the potentially problematic obstacle of whether results from tests on mice models can be transferred to human tissue. Previously, we used mice models in most studies of this kind. Instead, we can now conclude that these substances probably are not harmful and could work in practice, because the artificial skin means that we are closer to human reality," says Hans Wandall. The artificial skin used by the researchers resembles the skin used to test cosmetics in the EU, which banned animal testing in 2004. However, artificial skin does not allow the researchers to test the effect of a drug on the entire organism, Hans Wandall points out. Skin models like the one used here have been used by cosmetics companies since the mid-1980s. "We can study the effect focussing on the individual organ -- the skin -- and then we reap experiences with regard to how molecules work, while we seek to determine whether they damage the structure of the skin and the healthy skin cells," he says. (ANI)
Ernakulam District Collector, Renu Raj, on Tuesday said that the fire incident that occured at Brahmapuram Waste Plant on March 2 will be resolved in the next two days. "Firefighting operations are continuing in full swing. Measures are being taken to extinguish the ongoing smoke. At present, 30 fire force units and 12 Hitachis are being used to stir the garbage dump and pour water into it," Renu Raj said. Raj said that the Navy and Air Force helicopters have been deployed to pour water down to extinguish the fire completely at Brahmapuram waste plant which occured on Thursday. "Staff from nearby districts are also participating in these activities. The smoke issue can be resolved within the next two days," Renu Raj said. Officials said that a medical camp was also organised at Brahmapuram to check up on the health of fire and rescue officials and other persons who are at the spot. The fire occurred on March 2 and it is still not been extinguished completely. Indian Navy's helicopters with fire and rescue officials are operating at Brahmapuram to douse the fire now. Airforce's MI 17 V5 helicopter also joined operations on March 7. "Experts from the health sector are checking whether this smoke can cause health problems. But diseases caused by smoke have not been detected much. Similarly, no irregular increase in the number of patients arriving at the hospital was found. However, the elderly, children below 12 years of age and those with asthma should be cautious," Renu Raj advised. Meanwhile, Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed Ernakulam Collector and Pollution Control Board Chairman to physically appear before the Court on March 8 on the fire incident that happened at Brahmapuram Waste Plant. It also directed the Pollution Control Board to inform the measures taken over the fire incidents happening every year at the waste plant. (ANI)
After a full blown controversy erupted over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's recent speeches, the Congress has hit back at the BJP for distorting the statement which according to the Congress was giving pivotal position to Indian democracy. Spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said that the whole bunch of the BJP responding to Rahul Gandhi proves that he has rattled them and some out of job ex-ministers are distorting the facts as Rahul Gandhi never spoke about foreign intervention. Shrinate said contrary to what the BJP is saying Rahul said that this is our internal problem and the solution will also come internally. He gave a pivotal role to Indian democracy. According to the Congress Rahul said, "it's our problem and solution will come internally" when he was asked about a weakening Indian democracy. Former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad criticised Rahul Gandhi for his statement in which he allegedly asked for America and Europe's intervention to restore democracy in India. During his recent visit to London, Rahul Gandhi said at an event that the 'US and Europe are not doing enough to restore democracy in India' as they are 'getting trade and money' from the country. Slamming Rahul Gandhi during a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, Prasad said, "What happens to you when you visit abroad? All dignity, all decency, democratic shame, you forget everything. Now, when the people of the country neither listen to you nor understand you, you go abroad and lament that India's democracy is in danger." Prasad stated, "Rahul Gandhi is saying that speaking is not allowed in India but he kept on speaking a lot during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, abusing the PM. He gave a long speech in Parliament itself. Now what can be done in this that the people of India neither listen to him nor understand him." However Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad is doing what he and his Supremo do best --distort, twist, defame and lie with a straight face." --IANS miz/bg ( 352 Words) 2023-03-07-20:50:02 (IANS)
Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh on Tuesday sought the removal of Delhi Lt Governor V.K. Saxena over the 2002 Sabarmati Ashram assault case and also accused him of misleading the judiciary. "The nature of the case against V.K. Saxena is a serious one as he is charged with inciting violence and rioting at Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, a place that is synonymous with Mahatma Gandhi, an icon of peaceful protest and non-violence," he alleged. Singh said that the court had asked Saxena to appear before it on March 9 to present his side of the case. However, in response, he wrote a letter to the court stating that his position and responsibilities are greater than those of Governors and other LGs and therefore, he should be exempted from appearing in court, Singh said. He also said that he has appealed to the President to take note of this matter and direct the LG to take part in the proceedings of the court in this case. Singh said that a few days ago, the LG had refused to appoint Mukesh Goyal as the Presiding Officer of the MCD saying that an FIR is registered against him. Since there are many cases registered against Saxena, how can he continue to be the Lt Governor of Delhi, he asked. --IANS avr/vd ( 234 Words) 2023-03-07-22:00:03 (IANS)
In wake of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's questioning in New Delhi by the CBI in the alleged IRCTC 'land for jobs' scam, his party lawmaker Sunil Singh alleged that the probe agency is working like a member of the BJP. The questioning of Lalu Prasad Yadav and other members of his family is taking place with the view of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he said. "The central agencies are working as a member of the BJP. They are working more than common party members. BJP leaders should be ashamed of themselves for harassing a 78-year-old person who recently returned from Singapore after a kidney transplant and is recuperating in New Delhi. Why is the CBI in a hurry? Why has it not waited for some more time for him to become healthy and then ask the questions to him. Why is it harassing him at a time when doctors have asked him for extra precaution," the RJD MLC asked. He also asked why the CBI and other agencies have not registered a single FIR against BJP leaders in the last 9 years. "I am saying that if the investigation would take place, 80 per cent of the BJP leaders would be found corrupt. If raids would take place on these leaders, the agencies would find crores of rupees in their houses," he said. "When anyone joins the BJP, he becomes Raja Harishchandra and if anyone asks a question, he becomes Daku KharaK Singh," Singh quipped. He noted that the IRCTC case was registered during the second tenure of Manmohan Singh government and asked why the CBI has not concluded the case in more than 17 years. "It is a shame for the CBI. Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family should not be afraid of such raids and questioning. The situation is such that no one would take central agencies like CBI seriously," Singh said. --IANS ajk/vd ( 334 Words) 2023-03-07-22:18:04 (IANS)
An Assistant Engineer of Bihar's Irrigation Department was held in Gaya on Tuesday after he sent a letter to a Varanasi airport official threatening to blow up the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the PM's office, Gaya and Varanasi airports and other important places through drones. Gaya SSP Aashish Bharti said that the accused Vineet Kumar, in a bid to frame three persons, had sent a letter some 10 days ago. "Vineet Kumar, who was posted in Sheikhpura in the Irrigation Department, had some personal enmity with three persons. Accordingly, he wrote a letter and mentioned the name of the three persons, including a doctor and a teacher, and posted it to the Director of Varanasi airport," he said. "He had mentioned that the drone attack would take place on the day of Holi on March 8. He was arrested from Beldari Tola under Civil Lines police station in Gaya. We have also seized the original letter from his possession. He had sent the photocopy of the letter to the director of Varanasi Airport. The accused was involved in 6 more cases as well," the SSP added. --IANS ajk/vd ( 205 Words) 2023-03-07-22:24:01 (IANS)
Telangana Industries and Information Technology Minister K. T. Rama on Tuesday alleged that the Centre is penalising the state by not supporting its growth. Demanding that the Centre back performing states by offering them incentives, he said political affiliations should not define if a state will be supported or not. In his address at the annual CII event on 'Beyond India@75 - Accelerating Telangana Growth Momentum - Resilience through Competitiveness, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability', he said: "Unless we empower states, incentivise performing states and encourage non-performing states, we will be doing a great disservice to the ambition that we have set for ourselves." He said while India was a democratic country, not all states are treated equally. He also observed that each state is diverse and that diversity should be respected. "Who are we to tell people what to eat, what to wear and what to speak," he said. KTR, as the minister is popularly known, said the Hyderabad PharmaCity, which will be the largest pharma manufacturing cluster in the world, did not receive any support from the Centre. He said the state was also denied a bulk drugs manufacturing cluster, other manufacturing clusters, industrial corridors and others. Even though a special incentive was promised in the AP Reorganisation Act, nothing has been given to both the Telugu States of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, he said. KTR said that while initiatives like 'Make in India' are good, they have not progressed much beyond slogans. The Centre should empower performing states and incentivise such states, he reiterated. Many still feel that importing from China works out cheaper rather than making locally despite the import costs, distance and other factors, he said, adding: "We need to ask ourselves why making in China is cheaper, ask about our duty structures, about availability of raw material, about the road blocks we put for our entrepreneurs to compete with the rest of the world." The minister said that India would have achieved the targeted $5 trillion economy by 2022 if all Indian states grew at the same pace as Telangana. He said Telangana has set an ambitious target of taking the lifesciences sector value to about $250 billion, more than tripling from the current $80 billion, by 2030. He pointed out that the in 2020 the value of lifesciences sector was $50 billion and the state had set the target of doubling it by 2030 but as the value increased by $30 billion in two-and-half years, they were confident of reaching the $100 billion target by 2025. KTR said that Hyderabad now makes 35 per cent (about nine billion doses) of all vaccines made globally. This number will increase to 50 billion (14 billion doses) by the end of next year. Telangana also has 214 USFDA approved manufacturing facilities, the highest in the world, he said, adding that Telangana is expanding the Genome Valley and Medical Devices Park. The PharmaCity has potential to create employment opportunities for five lakh people. --IANS ms/vd ( 504 Words) 2023-03-07-22:36:03 (IANS)
Rajasthan minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, state minister Shakuntala Rawat & BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena on Tuesday met protesting widows of soldiers who lost their lives in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. They have been protesting outside Sachin pilot's residence demanding to meet Gandhi's family to put forward their demands. "It's our responsibility to respect the 'Viranganas'. Our govt has agreed to their demands," State minister Khachariyawas said. The women have been staging a dharna for several days in Jaipur. Police allegedly ill-treated women when they wanted to meet Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot over their demands. The protest is against the alleged non-fulfilment of promises made to them by the state government. The women were staging a dharna outside Sachin Pilot's residence on Tuesday. Minister Shakuntala Rawat said, "The government is standing in honour of the martyrs. Our government takes a soft approach towards the martyrs and their families. Our government has given the maximum package to the families of the martyrs". MP Kirodi Lal Meena, who was present at the protest scene, said that the police misbehaved with the widows. "The government should take action against guilty officers" "We'll remain in Dharna till we meet Gandhi's family. Sachin Pilot had assured us that he will make us meet Gandhi's family, but he went to Delhi. If not today then tomorrow, or the day after, he'll come to Jaipur & we'll stay here until our hearing is done: Manju Devi, wife of slain soldier Rohitash Lamba said. "This behaviour against women and especially widows of those who have sacrificed their lives for our country is punishable and unapologetic. The government will have to take strict action against the police and people involved in this," Pilot told reporters after meeting the women on Tuesday. The women sitting in dharna say that they hope that Sachin Pilot can make them meet Gandhi's family. They said that the Gehlot government of the state is not paying attention to their demands, so they want to convey their message to the Gandhi family. (ANI)
A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) led by Prof Davinder Kaur, Dept of Physics, IIT Roorkee, along with the National Physical Laboratory, India, have been able to fabricate two Semiconductor-Insulator-Semiconductor (SIS) heterojunctions based Near-infrared (NIR) photodetectors for Ultrafast photoresponse by direct current (dc) magnetron sputtering technique. The DC magnetron sputtering process involves a vacuum chamber containing the target material parallel to the target substrate. The vacuum chamber contains a high-purity inert gas such as argon that becomes charged when exposed to a pulsed DC current. The results demonstrate that SIS heterojunctions with an excellent carrier transport mechanism are potential candidates in next-generation ultrafast optoelectronics applications. The response time for both SIS n-MoS2/p-Si and n-MoS2/AlN/p-Si heterojunctions are found to be 0.3378 AW-1 and 1.865 AW-1 for visible radiations (532 nm) and 0.1245 AW-1 and 1.4743 AW-1 for NIR radiations (1064 nm), respectively. The response time (rise time and decay time) of the fabricated heterojunction decreased from 47.30 ms and 56.58 ms to 3.32 ms and 4.73 ms with the insertion of an ultrathin insulating AIN layer (plasma enhanced layer). This effort is a step before the new age of SIS heterostructure-based ultrafast-photovoltaic devices with the foremost carrier-tunnelling mechanism. Numerous photodetectors have been developed with a significant photoresponse and using inorganic, organic and perovskite materials such as Silicon (Si), Gallium arsenide (GaAs), Zinc Oxide (ZnO), among others. Most of these photodetectors have certain limitations, such as relatively slow or less detection range or complicated and harmful techniques have been employed for the fabrication. Over the last decades, two-dimensional (2D) materials-based photodetectors have been in demand due to their low cost, miniature size, high sensitivity, and large available surface area for detection. In recent times, researchers have been interested in 2D materials and Si/GaAs-based heterojunction devices due to their ultrafast response, lightweight, and cost-effectiveness. In such heterojunction-based devices, 2D semiconducting materials help in device miniature with fast carrier transport and the ordinary semiconductors can absorb the maximum part of the incident light. However, MoS2/Si and MoS2/GaAs hybrid-heterojunction-based photonic devices were fabricated, but the semiconductor-insulator-semiconductor (SIS) heterojunctions of 2D MoS2 thin films had not been explored. Krishna Kumar, Dept of Physics, IIT Roorkee, highlighted, "The photodetection parameters such as photocurrent, responsivity and response time have improved with the insertion of the insulating AIN layer. These results demonstrate that the heterostructure provides excellent opportunities for ultrafast photodetection application." Prof K K Pant, Director of IIT Roorkee, said, "Near-infrared photodetectors are a widespread and fundamental technology in many disciplines, from astronomy and telecommunications to medical sciences. This study proves functional and reliable to satisfy the new demands for wearable, cheap and flexible devices." Commenting on the importance of Ultrafast photoresponse in SIS heterojunction, Prof Davinder Kaur, Dept. of Physics, IIT Roorkee, said, "The study will pave the way for cost-effective, highly sensitive, and ultrafast photodetectors of significant interest for various applications in optical communication, imaging, military operations, metrology, and monitoring ecological events. Moreover, the underline current conduction mechanism in SIS heterostructure-based photodetectors could be more exciting and make them robust for futuristic photodetectors applications". (ANI)
"Pained by the passing away of Shri Indibor Deuri Ji. He made a rich contribution to the world of literature, culture and education. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted quoting PM Modi.

Deuri passed away on Tuesday morning at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). He was 77.

Born in April 27, 1945, he made significant contributions to education and literature in Assam. He was born in Shillong and he began his education there in 1950.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also expressed grief on the demise of Indibor Deuri.

"Saddened to hear of the passing away of prominent thinker, writer Indibor Deuri. This is an irreparable loss. I extend my deepest condolences to bereaved families of Deuri who had a profound impact on our society with his thoughtful writings," the Chief Minister tweeted. (ANI)
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday thanked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin for writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and raising his voice against the arrest of AAP leader Manish Sisodia by the CBI. Taking to Twitter, Kejriwal said, "Thank you so much Thiru Stalin. We are grateful for your support." On Tuesday, Stalin wrote a letter to PM Modi and said that he is saddened and disappointed over the arrest of Sisodia and that the latter has been made to undergo all pain and pressure depriving him of the constitutional guarantee. "One can notice a fact that in the last 9 years, the independence of investigating agencies has been robbed wherever the interest of the party in power at the Centre is involved," Stalin had noted in a letter to PM. MK Stalin had stressed the misuse of investigating agencies and constitutional offices and had said that the arrest of Sisodia will be remembered as 'Black Day' in the BJP regime at the Union. "I would like to remind you that misuse of investigating agencies and constitutional offices including that of office of Governor can never strengthen the vibrant democracy in India and the day of arrest of Thiru Manish Sisodia and terrorising the due process of law will be remembered as the Black Day in the BJP regime at the Union," his letter read. "I hope that you will agree that different ideologies and several political parties are the heartbeats of Indian Democracy. In the same stretch, the rule of law and personal liberty are the cornerstones of our criminal justice system. While it is so, I am saddened and disappointed to note that Manish Sisodia, the elected Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi has been arrested on trumped-up allegations and made to undergo all pain and pressure depriving the constitutional guarantee of Personal Liberty," the letter read. Stalun in his letter further added that atrocities such as raids on the leaders of the opposition parties, unseating of the elected governments by abusing the anti-defection law and unleashing the investigating agencies arrogantly to arrest opposition leaders or leaders of discomfort for the BJP are not only just misuse of power but they also remind the days of Emergency. CM M K Stalin had appealed to PM Modi to take all steps to uphold the residual reputation of the Premier Investigating Agencies and Constitutional offices during the last nine years of BJP rule at the Union, especially the office of the Governor and direct the release of Manish Sisodia unconditionally, who has been arrested by demeaning the due process of law and fundamental principles of our seven decades old Constitution. Sisodia was recently arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of GNCTD. Sisodia was arrested on February 26 in an ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of GNCTD. On Monday, Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court sent him to Judicial Custody till March 20. Special Judge MK Nagpal on Monday sent Sisodia to Judicial Custody for 14 days after noting that CBI didn't demand further Custody of him at this time, but it may be sought later if required. Sisodia has been allowed to have medicines prescribed in his MLC conducted by the CBI officials. He has also been permitted to carry a pair of spectacles, a diary, a pen, and a copy of The Gita during the judicial custody period. As requested by Sisodia's side, the court had also directed the Jail superintendent to consider the request of keeping the accused in the vipassana cell/ Meditation cell. The CBI during the hearing submitted that he has not supported the investigation, and the witnesses were terrified. "His party and leaders are politicizing the matter and that various important witnesses are to be examined," CBI had added. On the last date, the Court issued notice to CBI on bail moved by Sisodia and listed the matter for March 10, 2023. (ANI)
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) 90 Battalion celebrated Holi on Tuesday at Anantnag in South Kashmir. The celebrations began with a pooja performed by the priest, and was attended by DIG CRPF DP Upadhaya and other soldiers. The occasion was celebrated with Holika Dahan - a ritual that symbolises the victory of good over evil is performed. CRPF Jawans exchanged colours and distributed sweets. DIG CRPF DP Upadhya while speaking to ANI said, "I wish everyone on the occasion of Holi. This time Holi and Shab-e-barat fall on the same day. I feel this will help in the cause of unity of the nation and both religions will work for the country's development." DIG CRPF Upadhya further said, "I send best wishes to the people of Kashmir, CRPF soldiers and to my country people. God gives you happiness and helps you in your path of development. This will help us in becoming a strong nation." On asked about the morale of soldiers in the unit on being far away from homes, DIG stated that morale is high in the battalion. "We all are happy, the motivation of soldiers and high-ranking officials is very high. We are far from our homes but for whom ? In the service of the nation. We use social media to interact with our close ones. You can see soldiers from all religious communities celebrating. They are happy," he added. (ANI)
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has hit out against BJP which he said were disrespecting the widows of martyrs. In a note posted late on Tuesday night on Twitter, Gehlot accused BJP leaders of taking political mileage of the protest by martyrs of widows. This comes a day after relatives of three CRPF personnel killed in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack reached Congress leader Sachin Pilot's residence and demanded a meeting with the party high command, accusing the state government of not fulfilling promises made to them. Writing in Hindi, Gehlot posted on Twitter, "It is the responsibility of all of us to give the highest respect to the martyrs and their families. Every citizen of Rajasthan does his duty to respect the martyrs, but some BJP leaders are disrespecting them by using the name of the widows of our valiant martyrs to earn political mileage. This has never been the tradition in Rajasthan. I condemn it." Gehlot said that the widow of Hemraj Meena wants a third statue to be installed at a crossroads even as there are two other statues of the soldier installed at the premises of Government College, Sangod and in the park located in his native village Vinod Kalan. "Such a demand is not appropriate keeping in view the demands of other martyr's families," Gehlot said. The wife of Rohitash Lamba is seeking a compassionate appointment for her brother-in-law. "If the job is given to the brother of Martyr Shri Lamba today, then in the future the family members or relatives of all the martyrs may start putting undue social and family pressure to give the rightful job to them and their children to other family members. "Should we create such a difficult situation in front of the heroines (martyr widows) because the rules made at present have been made on the basis of past experiences only? How can it be justified to subjugate the rights of the children of martyrs and give jobs to other relatives? What will happen to the children of martyrs when they become adults? Is it right?" Gehlot further said that during his first tenure as chief minister in 1999, the Rajasthan government released the Kargil package for dependents of martyrs and it has been made more effective by increasing it from time to time. He said, "In the Kargil package, Rs 25 lakh to the martyr's wife and 25 bighas of land or housing board house (Rs 25 lakh additional if land or house not taken), a fixed deposit of Rs 5 lakh to the martyr's parents in the monthly income scheme, a public place to be named after the martyr and the wife or son/daughter of the martyr to be given a job." Gehlot further added that his government has made a provision that if the wives of the martyrs are pregnant at the time of their husband's death and don't want to do a job, then the job will be reserved for the child so that her future can be secured. As per the rules of this package, help has been given to the dependents of Pulwama martyrs. Probably no other state has such a package for martyr families. He reiterated his government and the state's stand on the matter of paying the much-deserved respect to the martyrs and their families and noted, "Rajasthan is the land of valiant heroes where thousands of soldiers have sacrificed their lives for the motherland. The people and the government here respect the martyrs the most. During the Kargil war, I myself went to the homes of 56 martyrs of Rajasthan and joined their families in grief." The women have been staging a 'Dharna' for several days in Jaipur and police allegedly misbehaved with them when they wanted to meet Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot over their demands. On Tuesday, a dharna was staged outside former deputy CM Sachin Pilot's residence. Pilot had on Monday written to Gehlot, demanding an inquiry into the alleged police misbehaviour with the widows. (ANI)
They were arrested from a hostel in Velankanni during a raid.

The arrested refugees were identified as Kanujan (34), Jenibarraj (23), Dinesh (18), Bhuvaneshwari (40), Dushyanthan (36), and Satheeswaran (32), they added.

On interrogation, the accused revealed that they were planning to escape to Sri Lanka in an illegal powerboat owned by one Selvam of Poombuhar area of Mayiladuthurai district, Tami Nadu.

It was revealed that they had left their camp for the last few days and had taken rooms at Velankanni.

They told the police that they had agreed to pay Rs 17 lakh rupees to Selvam to go to Sri Lanka.

Subsequently, the police confiscated Rs 17 lakh that had been paid to escape in the illegal boat.

Nagaipattinam Q Division police are investigating the 6 refugees for further details.

Further investigation is underway. (ANI)
Taking to Twitter, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Lots of colours; Meet and greet; sweetness this is Hindustan. It is the identity of our unique culture. Happy Holi to all of you."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his greetings to the citizens of the country on the occasion.

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said, "Best wishes for Holi. May the colours of joy and enthusiasm always shower in your life. Wishing you all a happy and colourful Holi!."

The festival of Holi which celebrates the spirit of inclusiveness and humanity heralds the onset of spring after winter in the Indian subcontinent. The festival marks the victory of good over evil and is celebrated on two days - Holika Dahan and Holi Milan. (ANI)
'BSF personnel and their families celebrate Holi with all might and colours today," said one of the officials.

The Khasa campus was drenched with colours. The personnel were seen singing and dancing along with their families.

One of the officials told ANI that the personnel celebrate every festival, including Holi with their families and the team. He also conveyed best wishes to the men at the border and their families.

"Like we celebrate the festivals together without any differences, another of our team is deployed at the borders keeping our nation's security in check", the official added.

In another event, The BSF jawans joined the families of bravehearts in celebrating Holi at Pathankot, Punjab.

The festival of colours is celebrated across India with zeal. People throw "gulaal" or dried colour on each other and sing and dance to mark the festival. On this day people celebrate the victory of good over evil and officially welcome the spring season. (ANI)
Two men arrested last week for trespassing inside Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's bungalow here last week hid inside the actor's makeup room for nearly eight hours, before being caught, police said. The duo identified as Pathan Sahil Salim Khan and Ram Saraf Kushwaha who claimed to have from Bharuch in Gujarat to meet the 'Pathaan' star were caught by security guards and handed over to police. A case of trespassing and relevant offences has been registered against them under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and the investigation is ongoing. The accused had concealed themselves inside the makeup room located in the third floor of Mannat, the actor's bungalow and the actor was shocked when he saw them. "Both the accused sneaked into Khan's Bungalow to meet him and kept waiting for the actor in his make-up room for about eight hours. They had entered at around 3 am and were caught at 10:30 am the next day," said police. Colleen D'Souza, the manager of Khan's bungalow, told police in her statement that the security guard called her at 11 am on February 2 to inform her that two people had manage to enter the bungalow. According to the FIR, the trespassers were discovered by Satish a staff from the housekeeping. "Satish took both of them from the make up room to the lobby and. Shah Rukh Khan was shocked to see strangers there. Mannat's guards handed over both of them to Bandra Police," the FIR stated. According to Mumbai Police, the trespassers entered Mannat's premises by scaling its outer wall. During the police enquiry, the men, aged between 20 and 22, claimed that they had arrived from Gujarat and wanted to meet the 'Pathaan' star. Meanwhile SRK is now preparing for his upcoming films 'Jawan' and 'Dunki'. (ANI)
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's personal assistant has been booked for allegedly misbehaving and threatening former Bigg Boss contestant and Congress leader Archana Gautam, said police on Tuesday. Archana Gautam's father Gautam Buddha had registered a case against Vadra's PA Sandeep Singh at Partapur police station in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh under sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and also under sections 3(1)(d) and 3(1) of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Her father in a complaint to police alleged that Sandeep Singh not only used casteist words to his daughter, but also threatened to kill her. "My daughter Archana Gautam was called to Raipur, Chhattisgarh, on February 26 by Sandeep Singh to participate in the Congress General Convention on the invitation of Priyanka Gandhi. My daughter asked for an appointment with Priyanka Gandhi but he refused and misbehaved with her. He also used casteist indecent language, humiliated my daughter and threatened to kill her in front of everyone on the convention stage. The video proof of which is available with the cameraman present there," her father told the police. Her further alleged that when her daughter met Priyanka Gandhi and said that she had been trying to meet her for a long time, then Singh threatened to put her in jail. "Due to this my daughter's mental condition has been deeply affected, as well as my daughter's reputation has been hurt. Such insulting casteist remarks in front of everyone deeply hurt me and my family. Sandeep has even threatened to put my daughter's family in jail and has also threatened to destroy my daughter's career," the complaint read. Meerut police officials said that the an FIR has been filed against Sandeep Singh based on the complaint of Archana Gautam's father. "Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's PA has been booked for allegedly threatening former Bigg Boss contestant Archana Gautam," Meerut SP Piyush Kumar Singh said. "Further probe into the matter is on," he added. (ANI)
Taking to Twitter, Dhami said, "Hearty greetings to all the people of the state on the occasion of Holi, the festival of enthusiasm and gaiety. I pray to Lord Badri Vishal that your life should be filled with the colors of happiness, prosperity and progress. #Holi2023"

Earlier on Tuesday, Pushkar Singh Dhami hosted a grand 'Holi Milan' function at the CM's residence.

CM Dhami drenched in the merriment of Holi was seen dancing to Pahari songs at the function.

It is not CM Dhami's first pre-Holi bash for this year, earlier on Sunday, CM Dhami celebrated the function with his mother and the local people at his residence in Khatima.

CM Dhami also took to Twitter to post a picture with his mother expressing his love and wrote, "Matri Devo Bhava Today at Nagra Terai, Khatima, applied Holi Tilak to 'Mataji' and seek her blessings. This affectionate blessing of Mother always gives me new energy to serve all the people of Devbhoomi."

The festival of Holi which celebrates the spirit of inclusiveness and humanity heralds the onset of spring after winter in the Indian subcontinent. The festival marks the victory of good over evil and is celebrated on two days - Holika Dahan and Holi Milan. (ANI)
After an earlier report from South Korea claimed that Samsung is restarting its own high-end CPU core development unit and will have custom processor cores by 2027, company representatives have refuted it, reported GSM Arena, a tech news-related website. According to the outlet, representatives from Samsung stated, "A recent media report that Samsung has established an internal team dedicated to CPU core development is not true. Contrary to the news, we have long had multiple internal teams responsible for CPU development and optimization while constantly recruiting global talents from relevant fields." The statement also said that Samsung will continue to collaborate with Arm to use its stock CPU cores in future devices, despite the fact that the British semiconductor maker has prohibited OEMs from making modifications to core designs. As per GSM Arena, the limitation will apply to all chips used by Samsung for its Galaxy smartphones - in-house Exynos, Qualcomm's Snapdragon or Dimensity and Helio by Mediatek. The earlier report that has been dismissed had claimed that the CPU cores would have been ARM-based initially for a 2025 launch and later by 2027, Samsung would create cores without borrowing ARM designs. All this stemmed from Samsung having really attempted this with a committed team in Austin, Texas. The project was known as Project Mongoose because, as it turns out, a mongoose is a snake-eating animal and a krait is a type of viper, and Qualcomm's cores are known as Krait. The Mongoose cores did function well; however, because of issues with heat generation and power efficiency, the project was abandoned in 2019, according to GSM Arena. (ANI)
Bihar Environment, Forest and Climate change minister Tej Pratap Yadav celebrated Holi at his residence in Patna. Tej Pratap Yadav was celebrating the traditional Lathmaar Holi. As per the visuals, Tej Pratap was seen dressing in an outfit which resembled Lord Krishna. He along with a woman was dramatizing the celebratory traditions and rituals of Lathmar Holi. He video-called Lalu Prasad Yadav in front of the media to seek his blessings on the Holi festival. Lalu Prasad Yadav through video call talked to the media and greeted Holi's wishes to the public. "I wish the people of our country a very happy Holi," Lalu said. Earlier Tej Pratap Yadav took to Twitter to send best wishes on Holi. "Happy Holi to all the people of Bihar and the People of India" He tweeted. In another tweet, Tej Pratap Yadav shared pictures from his official account where he was seen playing Holi and exchanging colours with people at his residence. Nationwide celebrations are going on in the country on the occasion of Holi. Earlier Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took to Twitter to send best wishes. "Greetings and best wishes on the festival of colours, Holi. Holi is a symbol of social harmony. May this holy festival of Holi bring new colours of happiness to the lives of the people of the state. This holy festival also signifies the victory of good over evil. Celebrate the festival of Holi with love, brotherhood and harmony" Bihar CM Nitish Kumar tweeted. On this occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav also greeted the public on Twitter. "On the auspicious occasion of the colourful festival of colours symbolizing the victory of good over evil and love over jealousy, may your life always be coloured with colours of joy and happiness. This is the wish. Hearty colourful wishes of Holi to all the countrymen." Tejaswi Yadav tweeted. Lathmar Holi is a unique ritual practised in Barsana village in Uttar Pradesh where women beat males with wooden sticks. Men sometimes tease the women to get their attention and then shield themselves from their beating. (ANI)
The shop owner and his family were present on the upper floor of the building and got stuck.

Reportedly, they had decided to jump from the terrace in panic to save themselves from the fire.

The emergency team reached the spot on time, and rescued all of them.

The fire that started on the ground floor at around 9 PM, rapidly spread to the first and second floors.

The smoke consumed the whole building including the lone staircase in no time, leaving the owner's family trapped.

The owner's family were stuck on the second floor, and were trying to jump off the terrace in panic when the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC)'s fire and emergency team reached to the spot, said officials.

"The emergency team rescued all four members of the family on time," they said.

The fire tenders from Lakadganj and Sakkardara fire stations reached the spot and managed to control the fire.

The family has been identified as Yogesh Narendra Pashile, aged 36, his wife Shruti Pashile, 27, and their two children - Astha Pashile, 5 and Kabir Pashille, 3, were rescued by the emergency team, they said.

The reason behind the fire is yet to be ascertained, officials added. (ANI)
Senior Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav on Tuesday criticized BJP and alleged the rival party was continuously misusing the central agencies against the opposition parties. Addressing reporters here Yadav said, "BJP continuously misuses the CBI, the ED and other institutions. There are several instances in which nothing has been found but still such actions are taken to defame opposition among the people". The SP leader further stated that there will be an increase in raids with Lok Sabha 2024 elections drawing close. "As the elections of 2024 draw near, there will be no opposition leader left who is not raided by income tax," He said. He pointed out that BJP needs to learn lessons from the past while drawing parallel comparisons between the current BJP and how Indira Gandhi treated the opposition. Yadav said "Indira Gandhi had made everyone go, even at that time there was no opposition leader left to campaign. When the elections came, Indira ji did not get any seat except the Chhindwara seat of Madhya Pradesh. These people do not want to learn anything from history. No one can stay in power by misusing power. You can stay in power by winning people's hearts. Threatening them, demolishing their houses, putting people close to them in jails, and encountering them this way people cannot be suppressed." The SP leader mentioned that there is no democracy left in the country and Samajwadi Party will fight to keep the democracy alive. In this regard, he said "It is not written in any law of India that if a person's name comes in a case, then that person's house should be demolished. Democracy is completely finished in the country." "Netaji Mulayam Singh Yadav had said that whatever struggle has to be done to keep democracy alive we should do it. No need to bow down before anyone. Dr Lohia also stated struggle in the fight against oppression is our slogan. If the urge is strong, we will fight even if we have to go to jail," he added. Speaking to reporters, Yadav also stated that police will kill one of Atiq Ahmed's sons in fake encounter as they are pressurized from the top in the Umesh Pal murder case. "When they are not getting actual culprits, they are under pressure from the top. They will kill whoever they can find...They nabbed Atiq Ahmed's two sons, one of them will be killed in a few days...You will see," said Yadav. "When our Constitution gives the fundamental right to live, then you cannot take someone's life. There is no other way than the legal way. People can be killed in encounters but after the arrest, if they are killed in encounters, then it is a punishable offence," he added. (ANI)
As the protests by the widows of soldiers who lost their lives in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack reached its tenth day, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirori Lal Meena attacked the Gehlot government for not fulfilling the promise. Meena also staged a protest outside Congress leader Sachin Pilot's residence on Wednesday. Talking to the media, BJP MP Kirori Lal Meena said, "Two state ministers came here on Tuesday. They accepted the demand of the widows of the Pulwama attack and said that their family members will be given government jobs. But, a few hours later, the Chief Minister changed the stance." "BJP is not doing any politics, we are only serving the people. The government has made huge promises, but it's been four years, and nothing has been done, because of which the widows are still sitting on protest," the BJP MP added. Earlier on February 28 also, Kirori Lal Meena had attacked the Rajasthan government on the issue. Talking to ANI, he had said, "Five soldiers were killed in action during the Pulwama attack, and for the last 5 yrs their brave wives have been making rounds to get compensation". "They were promised jobs but they didn't receive any. Schools, colleges and roads have not been named in honour of those killed in action. We want to make them meet CM here but police officials say we can not sit here," he added. On the other hand, Ashok Gehlot on late Tuesday night, attacked BJP accusing it of taking political mileage from the protest by the widows of the attack. Writing in Hindi, Gehlot posted on Twitter, "It is the responsibility of all of us to give the highest respect to the martyrs and their families. Every citizen of Rajasthan does his duty to respect the martyrs, but some BJP leaders are disrespecting them by using the name of the widows of our valiant martyrs to earn political mileage. This has never been the tradition in Rajasthan. I condemn it." Gehlot said that the widow of Hemraj Meena wants a third statue to be installed at a crossroads even as there are two other statues of the soldier installed at the premises of Government College, Sangod and in the park located in his native village Vinod Kalan. "Such a demand is not appropriate keeping in view the demands of other martyr's families," Gehlot said. Meanwhile, the women have been staging a 'Dharna' for several days in Jaipur and police allegedly misbehaved with them when they wanted to meet Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot over their demands. The have been protesting against the alleged non-fulfilment of promises made to them by the state government. On Tuesday, a dharna was staged outside former deputy CM Sachin Pilot's residence. Pilot had on Monday written to Gehlot, demanding an inquiry into the alleged police misbehaviour with the widows. "This behaviour against women and especially widows of those who have sacrificed their lives for our country is punishable and unapologetic. The government will have to take strict action against the police and people involved in this," Pilot told reporters after meeting the women on Tuesday. Rajasthan ministers Pratap Singh Khachariyawas and state minister Shakuntala Rawat had also met the protesting widows outside Pilot's residence. The women sitting in dharna say that they hope that Sachin Pilot can make them meet Gandhi's family. They said that the Gehlot government of the state is not paying attention to their demands, so they want to convey their message to the Gandhi family. (ANI)
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel of 110 BN on Wednesday celebrated the festival of colours, Holi, in the Letpora area in South Kashmir''s Pulwama. The jawans smeared colours on each other and danced to the Holi. CRPF personnel from all regions celebrated this festival as in forces no festival celebration is organised on the regional bases. The Holi festival also marks the arrival of the spring season and Holi is a festival of colours, symbolic of joy and victory of good over evil. While talking to ANI, Manish Yadav (CRPF officer) said that this festival is the symbol of victory of good over evil and the enemy also becomes a friend. They celebrate Holi together. "We are in Pulwama and the incident occurred at the same place where many jawans lost their lives in 2019. The jawans are very far from their families so we celebrate the festival with the same enthusiasm as others do all over the country. we are celebrating it like family so that jawans are away from stress," he said. He also further said that the local Kashmiris participated in the Holika Dahan on Tuesday night and they celebrated Holi altogether with the jawans. He also wished the whole country on the occasion of Holi, especially Kashmiri with messages of happiness and brotherhood. The jawans are out of their homes to serve the nation and the unit is the home for these jawans and officers. They celebrate all the festivals together in the unit to give a message of peace and love to the people of the country. The Son of a CRPF officer named Shresth shared his experience on Holi with the battalion. He said that the whole battalion shared the festival like a family and it was the same as his own native place. On asking about Kashmir, he said, "Kashmir is very beautiful and I enjoyed playing with the battalion. I keep on changing locations with my father but this place is the most beautiful place." While asking about the celebration from Yogesh Purohit Who is Commandant at 110 BN CRPF, said that they celebrate the festival altogether so that Jawans don''t feel alone in such situations when the whole country is in happiness and joy. "We provide all the facilities to jawans on the occasion of Holi like a family. Holi is the festival of peace and brotherhood and Jawans and locals are celebrating with brotherhood. The situation in Kashmir is getting normal and there is good coordination between the jawans'' and the local Kashmiris. Locals supported us a lot and celebrated Holi with us with great joy and happiness," he added. The jawans enjoy this day of holi with the unit which gives them the joy of the festival which they miss on this day at home. The locals also took part in this celebration to support the CRPF forces. This Battalion is situated at the same place where the Pulwama attack occurred in 2019. Many CRPF personnel lost their lives during the incident but now locals and CRPF celebrated holi in the same area to encourage the forces who are away from their homes. (ANI)
Some BJP leaders also joined the CM at his residence for the celebration. A grand event was organised at the Chief Minister's residence as part of the festival.

CM Chauhan sang 'phaag' during the celebration. He was also seen cheering for those singing and dancing at the event.

The CM was also accompanied by his wife Sadhna Singh and other family members.

In various events across the country, many political leaders were seen celebrating the festival of colours, Holi, at their respective homes.

They were seen singing and dancing drenched in colours along with their family and friends. (ANI)
The Minister was also accompanied by other family members.

Many political leaders across the country celebrated the festival of colours, Holi, at their respective homes. Some of them were seen singing and dancing drenched in colours along with their family and friends.

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan was seen singing 'phaag' and celebrating the festival of Holi at his residence in Bhopal.

Bihar Environment, Forest and Climate change minister Tej Pratap Yadav celebrated Holi in Patna. He was seen celebrating the traditional Lathmaar Holi at his residence.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday participated in Holi celebrations at Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur district.

"Everyone is celebrating the festival of colours together and there is neither a caste nor a class or regional divide," CM Yogi said.

The festival of Holi which celebrates the spirit of inclusiveness and humanity heralds the onset of spring after winter in the Indian subcontinent. The festival marks the victory of good over evil and is celebrated on two days - Holika Dahan and Holi Milan. (ANI)
Refuting allegations made by Aam Aadmi Party that Manish Sisodia has been lodged with dreaded criminals and murderers, Tihar jail officials on Wednesday said that the former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister has been assigned a separate ward for his security where the inmates are not gangsters and have maintained "good conduct". The officials denied the "aspersions" on Sisodia's lodgings as "unfounded". AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj earlier today claimed that Sisodia was lodged in Jail No.1 of Tihar, which he alleged is home to some of the most dreaded criminals and murderers. Bharadwaj alleged that the BJP was conspiring to kill his party leaders. Responding to the allegations, the prison officials said, "Manish Sisodia has been assigned a segregated ward keeping his security in mind. The ward of CJ-1, where he is lodged has a minimum number of inmates who are not gangsters and are maintaining good conduct inside the jail." They further said that the allocation of a separate cell to the AAP leader makes it possible for him to meditate or do other activities without any disturbance. "All arrangements, as per Jail Rules, are in place to ensure his safety and security. Any aspersions cast about his lodgings are unfounded," the prison officials said. Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26 in an ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD). The Special Judge MK Nagpal on March 6 remanded Sisodia to 14 days in judicial custody after noting that expiry of CBI custody in the case noting that the probe didn't demand further custody of him at this time, but it may be sought later if required. (ANI) Meanwhile, the court allowed Sisodia to have medicines prescribed in his MLC conducted by the CBI officials. Sisodia's lawyer sought the court's permission for him to carry a pair of spectacles, a diary, a pen, and a copy of The Gita during the judicial custody period. The court had granted the permission. As requested by Sisodia's side, the court also directed the Jail superintendent to consider the request of keeping the accused in the vipassana cell/ Meditation cell. (ANI)
Protest by families of CRPF personnel belonging to Rajasthan who were killed in the Pulwama terrorist attack entered the 10th day on Wednesday. The protestors staged a 'Dharna' outside Congress leader and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot's house today. Rajasthan minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, state minister Shakuntala Rawat and BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena on Tuesday met with protesting widows of soldiers who lost their lives in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. A delegation of BJP leaders under the leadership of Deputy Leader of the Opposition Rajendra Rathore is also scheduled to meet with the Governor today demanding his intervention. The widows staging the dharna alleged that the government had not fulfilled its promises and also demanded they need assurance in written. They also demanded action be taken against policemen who allegedly misbehaved with them. Earlier, Rajasthan CM attacked the opposition BJP in a note tweeted later yesterday for taking political mileage on the matter. Writing in Hindi, Gehlot posted on Twitter, "It is the responsibility of all of us to give the highest respect to the martyrs and their families. Every citizen of Rajasthan does his duty to respect the martyrs, but some BJP leaders are disrespecting them by using the name of the widows of our valiant martyrs to earn political mileage. This has never been the tradition in Rajasthan. I condemn it." In a special note shared on Twitter Gehlot counted the provisions for the next of kin of martyrs established during his government in the state. He said, "In the Kargil package, Rs 25 lakh to the martyr's wife and 25 bighas of land or housing board house (Rs 25 lakh additional if land or house not taken), a fixed deposit of Rs 5 lakh to the martyr's parents in the monthly income scheme, a public place to be named after the martyr and the wife or son/daughter of the martyr to be given a job." The women have been staging a 'Dharna' for several days in Jaipur and police allegedly misbehaved with them when they wanted to meet Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot over their demands. Pilot had on Monday written to Gehlot, demanding an inquiry into the alleged police misbehaviour with the widows. (ANI)
Union minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday participated in the Holi celebration organized at the residence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh here. "Hearty congratulations and best wishes to all of you on the occasion of Holi. Holi is a festival of colours that gives the opportunity to reduce differences between each other. Let us together celebrate the festival of colours," Anurag Thakur said while speaking to ANI. "We are moving forward under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Today, you can see how US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo is celebrating holi with us," he added. Earlier in the day, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, who is in India on an official visit, arrived at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's residence and participated in the Holi celebration. Speaking to ANI, Rajnath Singh said, "US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo has arrived here, she is a stalwart politician there. She wanted to enjoy Holi celebrations. So, I invited her here I wish everyone a very Happy Holi." Raimondo expressed happiness for joining people in the Holi celebration and said, "It's an honour for me to be here on such a holiday. I felt so welcomed by the Minister, it's fantastic. Happy Holi!" At Rajnath Singh's residence, apart from Raimondo, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Sports, Youth Affairs and Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur and BJP MP Manoj Tiwari were also present. "US and India are natural allies. We have a lot of good partnerships and coalitions that we are creating. The agenda is full of possibilities&we're working together for a safe, secure Indo-Pacific," said Union Minister Piyush Goyal at the Holi celebration where the US Secy of Commerce was also present. We're working together to secure resilient supply chains, to ensure critical minerals and semiconductors are available for countries that are trusted partners of each other. US-India is a strategic ally. We're expanding our relationship as 2 friends, trusted partners, he added. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju were also present on the occasion. The US Secretary of Commerce was seen dancing with union defence minister Rajnath Singh. Raimondo, who is on a 4-day visit to India, will participate in the Indo-US Commercial Dialogue and CEO Forum which will be held on March 10 2023. (ANI)
The police officials said that the reason for the collapse is yet to be ascertained.

According to police officials, the fire department received information at 3:05 pm. The fire department officials have reached the spot.

A rescue operation is underway and further details are awaited.

Earlier on March 1, a four-storey building collapsed after catching fire in north Delhi's Roshanara Road but fortunately, there was no loss of life, said police. (ANI)
Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the State assembly V D Satheeshan on Wednesday demanded that the Kerala government should declare a health emergency following the fire that broke out at Brahmapuram Waste Plant, claiming that the toxic smoke from the waste mound fire has created serious health problems for the people living in the vicinity. Smoke from the fire at the solid waste treatment plant of the Kochi Corporation that started on March 2 spread to surrounding region and can pose hazardous health issues the opposition leader said . Satheesan alleged that the government was not taking action in the matter. The smoke spread to not only Kochi but even the nearest districts. This, the Congress leader said it will cause serious health issues. He demanded the government declare a health emergency in the the affected place. The LoP claimed that various departments including health, local self-government and disaster management were inactive at Brahmapuram "The government should take action and effective implementation to cut the fire. But they are not taking any action. The LSGD, the health department, disaster management wing, and fire force are not taking sufficient action. The fire force is doing a lot of work but have been unable to douse the fire and had to seek help from the central government also. Otherwise, it will cause serious issues," Satheeshan said. "Now itself is a serious matter. Unfortunately, what the minister for Local Self Government Department (LSGD) answered in the assembly was not fact. Even the next day high court judge went for a morning walk and had serious breathing issues. There are people who have fainted. There are so many patients in the hospitals, the the government has to declare a health emergency," Satheesan said. The state Minister for Local Self Government Institutions M B Rajesh had in the Assembly said that that the situation at Brahmapuram was under control and there was no cause for concern or panic. However, Satheesan said that the government should declare a health emergency and take necessary steps in this regard. According to him, this is a clear case of corruption and the corrupt contractors are behind this. He demanded action against the corrupt people also. The State Government on Saturday held a meeting and decided to explore a flooding approach to extinguish the fire. An official statement from the State Government stated that the meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary of Kerala discussed the ongoing efforts and options available for extinguishing the fire. On Sunday, another meeting was held at Kochi by Kerala Health Minister Veena George and Law and Industries Minister P Rajeev with Ernakulam District Administration officials on this matter.On Monday, Congress workers today marched to the Kochi Corporation office as part of the protest seeking a High Court-monitored probe into the fire incident. (ANI)
The Prime Minister tweeted: "Highlights from a special day in the Northeast yesterday. Will be in Tripura today to attend the oath-taking of the new Government there."

PM Modi took part in the oath-taking ceremony of Manik Saha as the Chief Minister of Tripura on Wednesday.

PM Modi attended the oath-taking ceremonies of Conrad Sangma as Chief Minister of Meghalaya and Neiphiu Rio as the Chief Minister of Nagaland on Tuesday.

On Tuesday PM Modi was welcomed by Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Bharatiya Janata Party state president Bhabesh kalita at Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati.

The people of Guwahati were filled with euphoria as Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the city. People lined both sides of the streets through which the Prime Minister's convoy passed. Local artists also performed a folk dance.

"Joined the oath-taking ceremony of Neiphiu Rio Ji and his Council of Ministers. I am confident that this team, which is a blend of youth and experience, will continue the good governance trajectory of Nagaland and fulfil people's aspirations. My best wishes to them," the Prime Minister had tweeted. (ANI)
Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray faction leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday responding to a breach of privilege notice issued by the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker said that his "chormandal" remarks were directed only towards a specific group and not all MLAs and that he has not done anything or said anything with an intention to insult the state legislature. This comes days after Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar ordered an inquiry into the alleged "thieves" and the "house of thieves" remarks made by Raut . "I have been a Rajya Sabha MP and know the importance of Assembly, the statements were directed towards only a specific group (Shinde camp) and not all MLAs," Raut said told reporters. Earlier on March 1, BJP MLA Atul Bhatkalkar submitted a breach of privilege notice to Speaker Rahul Narwekar against Raut. Narvekar said he would inquire into the matter and adjourned the House for the day as chaos prevailed over Raut's remarks. The Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha was adjourned four times today during the ongoing budget session amid sloganeering. Raut while talking to the reporters in Kolhapur allegedly called the Vidhan Sabha a "Chor Mandal" and the MLAs as thieves and goons. "This is not a legislature but a band of thieves. What if we are removed from the post are we going to leave the party? Many such posts have been given to us by the party, Balasaheb had given them, and Uddhav ji has given them, we are not hawkers," Raut allegedly said. Mumbai BJP President and MLA Ashish Shelar while talking to the media expressed his displeasure over Raut's remarks and said that those who are thieves themselves view everybody as thieves. Shelar further said, "Sanjay Raut does not have any work, he just sits idle. In his free time, he just sits and watches movies and makes statements But this is an insult to the assembly, and all the members present here are also insulted." Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole said, "We do not support the statement of Sanjay Raut, the legal process that has to be done on this will happen, all the other MLAs also agreed with this." He said that the government itself created so much ruckus that the House had to be adjourned. "There are many topics in Maharashtra on which we have to discuss and seek answers from the government, but the government does not allow the house to run, so what can we do now, we hope that the government will answer all the questions of the opponents in the house," said Nana Patole. (ANI)
The meeting was held at the the State Guest House here.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Tripura BJP in-charge Sambit Patra, Mahesh Sharma, Mahendra Singh were present during the meeting.

BJP won 32 seats with a vote share of around 39 per cent in the recently held elections in the state. Tipra Motha Party came second by winning 13 seats.

The meeting comes within hours after Manik Saha was sworn in as the Chief Minister in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Vivekananda Maidan in Agartala.

Other than chief minister Manik Saha, eight other leaders, namely, RL Nath, Pranjit Singha Roy, Sushri Santana Chakma, Sushant Chowdhury, Tinku Roy, Bikash Debbarma, Sudhanshu Das, and Sukla Charan Noatia also took oath as ministers.

Manik Saha, a dental surgeon joined the BJP in 2016 after quitting Congress. He was made party chief of the state in 2020 and elected to Rajya Sabha in March 2022.

Saha, who led BJP to victory, was BJP MP until the change of guard took place last year. In 2022, Saha replaced Biplab Kumar Deb to steer the party in the Assembly polls amid a multi-cornered contest in the northeast state.

Earlier on Monday, Chief Minister-designate Manik Saha called on Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya to stake claim to form the government in the Northeast state.

On Monday, there was a general meeting of all the newly elected BJP MLAs who unanimously proposed the name of Manik Saha for the leader of the legislature party.

BJP returned to power in the state by winning an absolute majority.

According to the Election Commission of India, BJP won 32 seats with a vote share of around 39 per cent. Tipra Motha Party came second by winning 13 seats. Communist Party of India (Marxist) got 11 seats while Congress bagged three seats. The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) managed to open its account by winning one seat. (ANI)
Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party chief K Annamalai on Wednesday slammed Chief Minister MK Stalin for extending support to AAP leader Manish Sisodia who was arrested by the CBI, while also asking if allies DMK and Congress stand "divided" on the Delhi excise policy case. Annamalai said that the Congress terms the Delhi excise policy as a "big scam" while its ally in Tamil Nadu, DMK stands in support of the "tainted AAP Minister of Delhi". "Following DMK MP Thiru TR Baalu, TN CM Thiru @mkstalin has also spoken in support of Scam tainted AAP Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia. According to the Congress party, this is a "Big Scam". Pity that TN CM thinks otherwise," the state BJP chief tweeted. He asked if the reason behind extending support to Sisodia and other Opposition parties is to ensure their support when the probe agencies "knock their door" for the "embezzlement of public money". "Not sure why the Delhi Liquor Scam is sending shivers down the spine of DMK. And why are the allies, Congress & DMK, standing divided in this? Is the DMK afraid that law enforcement agencies would knock at their door on similar misuse of TASMAC (Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation)?" Annamalai tweeted. "Or is the DMK staging this fake cry to ensure the support of Scam tainted parties when Law enforcement agencies would question DMK for the embezzlement of public money & assets?" he added. The state BJP chief alleged that DMK "which seeded corruption in TN" would go to "any length" to stand for the people of "similar reputations". "Corrupt politicians make the rest look bad. DMK, a party which seeded corruption in TN & has shown remarkable consistency in looting people in the last five decades, will go to any length to support people of similar reputations across the country," Annamalai tweeted. Stalin on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding Sisodia's arrest alleging that his arrest will be remembered as the "Black Day in the BJP regime at the Union". "I would like to remind you that misuse of investigating agencies and constitutional offices including that of office of Governor can never strengthen the vibrant democracy in India and the day of arrest of Thiru Manish Sisodia and terrorising the due process of law will be remembered as the Black Day in the BJP regime at the Union," the letter to the Prime Minister read. "I hope that you will agree that different ideologies and several political parties are the heartbeat of Indian Democracy. In the same stretch, the rule of law and personal liberty are the cornerstones of our criminal justice system. While it is so, I am saddened and disappointed to note that Manish Sisodia, the elected Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi has been arrested on trumped up allegations and made to undergo all pain and pressure depriving the constitutional guarantee of Personal Liberty," it added. Meanwhile, Sisodia was arrested on February 26 in an ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of GNCTD. Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Monday sent him to Judicial Custody till March 20. (ANI)
The Janata Dal Secular on Wednesday targeted the BJP's 'double-engine government' in Karnataka and at Centre over forest fires in the state owing to dry spells, saying that the failure of the Basavaraj Bommai government inflicted huge losses on the state. The party, which ruled the state previous in alliance with the Congress, said it is the duty of the state government to put in place modern technology to contain forest fires. "Forest fires have been raging across Karnataka over the last few days. They cause harm to local communities and wildlife while also taking a heavy fiscal toll on the state. They make the surface hard that reduce water absorption & burn down regeneration, effectively degrading the ecosystem," read a tweet on the official handle of the JDS. "More than 70 per cent of forest in the state is dry deciduous, scrub & unwooded grasslands. The state has limited resources. It is the duty of the State government to enhance surveillance by roping in local communities. Modern technology must be in place to contain the fire," it added. The party claimed further that the BJP government allocated a mere Rs 13 crore in the state Budget for fighting forest fires, adding that of the amount set aside, Rs 3 crore are supposed to come from the Centre. They alleged further of the Centre's share of funds, only 25 per cent have been released, with just 3 weeks to go for the end of the financial year 2022-23. "Delayed release of funds from the Union government and failure to adopt modern methods have cost huge losses already. The @BJP4Karnataka government in the state has reserved a paltry annual budget of Rs 13 crore for firefighting," JDS tweeted further. "Of this, Rs 3 crore had to come from the Union government. As per the records, only 25 per cent of the funds has been released. Does the double engine government aware of the fact that only three weeks are left for the financial year to end?" the party added. (ANI)
The crew was led by Additional Railway Manager Kusuma Hariprasad along with other railway officers.

"International Women's Day was meaningfully celebrated by all the women staff of the department by performing all the operations of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Rajya Rani Express", said the officials.

In another event, all-women AC Accompanying Staff started working on Bengaluru-Chennai Shatabdi Express today. Kavitha, Vandana as Tech/AC, Raichel Ullaji and Kalpana as Helper/AC are included as all-women AC Accompanying staff in the prestigious Bengaluru Chennai Shatabdi express which left KSR Bengaluru today at around 11 AM.

The four women employees carried out strenuous operations like connecting the power supply (The Head On Generation Connection) from the loco to the power car before the departure of the train, reported the railway sources.

AC Accompanying duties will be carried out by women employees regularly hereafter, as stated by the railways.

The employees were given rigorous and committed training for the past 3 weeks for carrying out accompanying duties.

Previously, all four women employees nominated for accompanying duties were involved in maintenance activities for a very long period. (ANI)
This year's women's day theme is 'embracing equity'. Talking to ANI, the joint secretary of the Tibetan Women's Association, Lhamo Chunzum said their main goal is to ensure the oppressed group has access to the same achievements and resources as others.

"We all know the importance of equality but we must also recognise the importance of equity. So women's day gives everyone a chance to commemorate and raise awareness on women's rights and equality", she asserted.

Lhamo Chunzum also added, "Without gender equity today, a sustainable and equal future remains beyond our reach. Though we are celebrating International Women's Day today, our Tibetan sisters who are in Tibet right now are struggling so much to attend even to their basic human rights. So we're celebrating today with a very heavy heart."

As part of the event, a flash mob, Tibetan song and dance were held. Lhamo Chunzum also urged everyone to join them and show their solidarity and support for the Tibetan women "suffering" in Tibet.

Lhamo Chunzum also reminded everyone to embrace equity and spread it all around the world. (ANI)
The personnel were seen singing and dancing away from their families. The Jawans applied colours on fellow soldiers and danced to patriotic songs.

Holi was celebrated by the soldiers, standing tall at border areas, across the country today. Some celebrated with their family while some celebrated away from their home.

Earlier in the day, BSF personnel also celebrated Holi at BSF headquarters in Khasa, Punjab.

'BSF personnel and their families celebrate Holi with all might and colours today," said one of the officials.

The Khasa campus was drenched with colours. The personnel were seen singing and dancing.

One of the officials told ANI that the personnel celebrate every festival, including Holi with their families and the team. He also conveyed best wishes to the men at the border and their families.

"Like we celebrate the festivals together without any differences, another of our team is deployed at the borders keeping our nation's security in check", the official said. (ANI)
Seeking to set at rest speculations over his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Deb Barman said there was no discussion on an alliance with the ruling BJP the discussions broadly centered on the "interest of dopha" (indigenous people). Earlier on Wednesday, Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda held a meeting with newly sworn-in Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha and Motha Chief Deb Barman, among others, in state capital Agartala. Taking to Twitter, Pradyot said Union Home minister has started working towards a constitutional solution for the indigenous people of Tripura. "An interlocutor for this process will be appointed within a specific time frame. I thank the Home minister for understanding the genuine problems of the sons of the soil," he tweeted. "We successfully got our Bru people rehabilitated in our state after 23 years by signing the Bru accord and today, we started a major dialogue to ensure that the survival and existence of our indigenous people are safeguarded. Nothing about an alliance or entering the cabinet was discussed. Only the interest of our dopha (indigenous communities) was discussed," he added. Earlier, on March 2, Pradyot, whose party secured 13 seats in the Tripura Assembly polls, told ANI that the Motha MLAs will sit separately in the Opposition benches and won't ally with the Congress or the Communist Party of India (Marxist). "We are the second largest party and will serve as a constructive Opposition outfit as opposed to allying with the CPM or Congress. We will help the government if and when they need it," Deb Barma said. Deb Barman is also a scion of the erstwhile Tripura royal family. The BJP won 32 seats in the recently-held Assembly polls, accounting for 39 per cent of the total votes polled. Tipra Motha Party came second in the overall standings, winning 13 seats. Communist Party of India (Marxist) got 11 seats while Congress bagged a paltry 3 seats. The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) managed to open its account, winning one seat. (ANI)
Lashing out at the West Bengal government over the Adenovirus spreading among children in the state, Dr Manas Gumta, general secretary of the Association of Health Service Doctors alleged that the West Bengal government "underreported" the number of deaths caused by infection of the virus. "This we had seen earlier also during the time of Covid. The government is not fully transparent in reporting the number of deaths due to Adenovirus," Dr Gumta said. He also said that the infections due to Adeno or Covid are "internationally notifiable", which means the government or World Health Organisation are accountable to report it. Dr Gumta also said that the preparations, done by the West Bengal government [to tackle its spread] are inadequate and that it has not learned a lesson from Covid. "The preparations by the West Bengal government are inadequate. Earlier, due to the government's lack of preparedness in times of Covid, many people died, there was an oxygen crisis, ambulances fell short, and medicines and critical care unit (CCU) ward everything ran short," he said. "Now, Adenovirus has come after Covid, and the government has still not apprised us regarding preparations which are leading to children getting infected and scores of deaths," he added. The doctor raised concerns and said that the situation has now turned serious. "All the children are not getting beds in the hospital. CCU is not available to them, the overall situation has turned serious now," he said. "The reports of deaths that we have now [Not of the government], in that over 100 children have already died this means the situation has become tensed now," the doctor added. He said that out of 6-7 pediatric deaths, 30 per cent showed Adenovirus symptoms. However, to stop the spread of Adenovirus, Dr Gumta advised that Covid-appropriate behaviour would be helpful in stopping its spread. "The same precautions we took during Covid, like wearing face masks, washing hands with soap at regular intervals, avoiding crowded places, etc, are needed to prevent Adenovirus also," he said. (ANI)
Chennai Customs in a tweet said, "Based on Intel, 2 pax who arrived from Singapore by AI-347 and 6E-52 were intercepted by Customs on 07.03.23. On search of their baggage, gold totally weighing 6.8 kg valued at Rs 3.32 crore was recovered/ seized under the CA,1962. Pax were arrested and further investigation is on."

In a similar incident recently in Delhi, a Kenyan passenger was arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), for concealing bars of gold in an oxygen concentrator bag, officials said.

On the basis of Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) profiling, a Kenyan passenger arriving from Nairobi by EK516 on March 6, 2023, was followed discreetly by officers of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) customs from the flight gate.

According to officials, the passenger was a medical professional carrying a portable oxygen concentrator which was providing oxygen support to a critically-ill four months old infant who was visiting India with his parents for cardiac surgery.

On personal search, taking due care for the safety of the infant, seven bars of gold weighing 7 kg (approx) ingeniously concealed in the oxygen concentrator bag were recovered. (ANI)
The officials said that based on certain intelligence that a Narcotic substance is being smuggled into India by a passenger travelling from Addis Ababa to Mumbai, surveillance was mounted by a team of officers from DRI at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

"It resulted in the recovery of 7.6 kg of off-white powder which was ingeniously concealed in the false cavities made inside the trolley bag being carried by the suspect. The powder tested positive for the presence of Heroin. The illicit international market value of the contraband is about Rs 53 crore," said DRI officials.

The accused was produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrates (CMM) court that sent the accused to DRI custody till March 10.

Further investigation is underway as details are awaited. (ANI)
The deceased has been identified as Vikas Chandra (34), a resident of Swaroop Nagar Daulatpur Samaipur, the police said.

Vikas was taken to Maharaja Aggarsen Hospital, where he was declared brought dead, they said.

According to police, Vikas was going home after finishing duty at the CNG pump, Golden Park Jhuggi, New Rohtak Road, at around 4:00 pm today. Vikas stopped at a nearby shop to purchase some articles where a quarrel took place with nearby Jhuggi residents Karan and Arjun. The men were in a drunk state and they thrashed Vikas, killing him.

Legal action is being initiated and an FIR under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered, the police said. (ANI)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said the state Budget, which is to be presented on Thursday, will be women-centric and dedicated to middle-class people. On the Budget, which will be the first to be presented Shiv Sena-BJP government since the change of guard in the state last year, Shinde said the government will keep its promises to the people. "Tomorrow is our first Budget. We will be fulfilling our promises tomorrow. Everyone is anticipating what the Budget will hold for them. I can tell you that it will look to fulfill the needs and aspirations of women and the middle class. This governmetn of the Shiv Sena and the BJP is committed to working for the people," Shinde said. Speaking at an event at Mumbai's iconic Gateway of India, the CM also extended best wishes to women on International Women's Day. He said, "Today, we honoured women who work for the country in the cities and villages. Today is a day for our women, sisters and mothers." Shinde said the double-engine government was running at a fast pace. "I expect this type of support (from the Centre) in future too. Today is a day to celebrate women's empowerment," he said. Maharashtra's economy is likely to grow at 6.8 per cent during the financial year 2022-23 (April-March), as per the state's Economic Survey document for the current fiscal. During 2022-23, the agriculture and allied sector in the state is expected to grow by 10.2 per cent, the industry sector is expected to grow by 6.1 per cent and the services sector by 6.4 per cent, the document showed on Wednesday. The state government today tabled its Economic Survey document for 2022-23 in the Assembly. The annual document is prepared every year and presented in the Budget Session before the State Legislature. The present publication for the year 2022-23 is the 62nd issue. (ANI)
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Chhagan Bhujbal on Wednesday demanded the Maharastra government give financial aid to onion farmers. While talking to the media persons in Mumbai, "Maharashtra government must give financial aid to onion farmers. Gujarat govt is also giving them aid." He added, "If it is being claimed that Maharashtra is in very good financial condition, why financial aid is not being provided to the farmers?" He stated, "Additionally, NAFED should go to the markets directly and auction onions. This will at least raise the price by Rs 100-200 per quintal...If the govt doesn't help them appropriately, farmers may come onto the road and this will create a law and order situation." On Wednesday, the government directed its procurement agencies to immediately intervene in the market for the purchase of Kharif red onion and for simultaneous dispatch and sale to the consumption centres in the wake of reports of their falling prices in the mandis. It directed the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED) and the National Consumers Cooperative Federation of India Limited (NCCF) to procure onions from farmers. To address the challenges of falling prices, the government has a Price Stabilization Fund for the procurement and storage of onion as a buffer to keep the supply chain smooth during the lean seasons. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare on Tuesday evening said in a statement that NAFED in the last ten days purchased around 4,000 tonnes of onions at a rate above Rs 900 per 100 kg from the farmers directly. There were reports that the staple vegetable was fetching as low as Rs 1-2 per kg in Lasalgaon mandi -- India's largest onion market. NAFED, according to the ministry's statement, has opened 40 procurement centres where farmers can sell their stock and get their payment online. NAFED has made arrangements for the movement of the stock from purchase centres to Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi. The estimated production of onion during 2022-23 is around 318 lakh tonne, surpassing last year's production of 316.98 lakh tonne. "Prices remained stable due to consistency in demand and supplies as well export potential. However, the month of February saw a decline in prices of red onion, particularly in the state of Maharashtra where the modal rate dropped to Rs.500 -700/qtl. The experts attribute this fall due to overall increased production in other states, reducing the dependence on the supplies from the major producing district of the country i.e. Nashik," said the statement. Onion is sown in all the states, however, Maharashtra is the leading producer with a share of around 43 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 16 per cent, and Karnataka and Gujarat contribute around 9 per cent of national production. It is harvested thrice a year, with cropping seasons reported during Kharif, late Kharif and Rabi. The harvest of rabi is most important as it contributes nearly 72 -75 per cent of national production and is harvested from March to May months. The shelf life of the Rabi harvest is highest and stored worthy whereas the Kharif and late Kharif crop is for direct consumption and not store-worthy. "The timing of the harvest of onion across the country provides a regular supply of fresh/stored onion all over the year. But sometimes due to vagaries of weather, either the stored onion is spoilt or the sown area gets damaged leading to supply constraints and rises in the domestic prices." Last year, NAFED purchased 2.51 lakh tonnes of Rabi onion as buffer stock. "The timely and calibrated release ensured that the prices do not pick up abnormally. The stored onion was released all over the country, ensuring smooth supplies." This season too, it decided to keep 2.5 lakh tonnes as buffer stock. "The storage of onion is challenging as majority of the stock is stored in the open ventilated structures (Chawl) in the open fields and this storage has its own challenges. Therefore, there is a need for scientific cold chain storage which is under trial for the longer shelf life of onions. The success of such models will help in avoiding such kind of price jerks as witnessed recently. The market watchers also suggest consistency in export policy, as the same will ensure a better export market for the Indian onion," the ministry's statement said. (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya participated in Holi celebrations at his residence in Lucknow on Tuesday. Many people and party workers joined Maurya in the celebration of the festival of colours. Speaking to ANI while immersing in Holi celebrations, Maruya said, "We usually say 'please don't feel bad, it's Holi'. So on this occasion of Holi, let no one feel bad. We have just one wish this Holi -- it is to win 80 out of 80 (Lok Sabha) seats in UP (in the next general elections) so that Narendra Modi could return as Prime Minister by a handsome margin." Maurya said he was optimistic that the BJP will cross the 400 mark and storm back to power at the Centre. On Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remark on the "end of democracy in India" in London, Maurya said while democracy hasn't ended in India, the Congress certainly has. "There's nothing Rahul Gandhi can do now as the Congress cannot be saved. The 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' also ended in a spectacular failure. The recent poll results (in Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya) are further proof of where the Congress is heading," Maurya said. Maurya added, "Rahul, please don't feel bad, it's Holi and the BJP will come back to power again in 2024, winning all of the 400 seats. Narendra Modi will be the PM again." Signing off, Maurya also conveyed his best wishes to the people on Holi. (ANI)
Shafi, a native of Wayanad, was arrested by Customs Preventive Commissionerate at Kochi with 1487 grams of gold.

The Customs Preventive Commissionerate had received confidential information that Shafi, a cabin crew member of the Bahrain-Kozhikode-Kochi service, was bringing gold.

The aim was to wrap the gold around the hands and cover the sleeve of the shirt and pass through the green channel. He is being interrogated further, the officials said.

Meanwhile, two passengers, who arrived from Singapore, were arrested at Chennai airport on Wednesday for carrying gold weighing 6.8 kg valued at Rs 3.32 crores, Chennai customs said.

According to officials, the passengers arrived in Chennai from Singapore by AI-347 and 6E-52.

Chennai Customs in a tweet said, "Based on Intel, 2 pax who arrived from Singapore by AI-347 and 6E-52 were intercepted by Customs on 07.03.23. On search of their baggage, gold totally weighing 6.8 kg valued at Rs 3.32 crore was recovered/ seized under the CA,1962. Pax were arrested and further investigation is on." (ANI)
India's leading FMCG brand Britannia's Madurai unit is mulling an increase of its women workforce to 70 per cent by 2024, an official unit release stated. Located in Madurai's Nagari, Britannia's factory has over 900 women working with special privileges offered to women coming from the economically weaker segment. The company's Madurai unit has about 1,400 workers, 65 per cent of whom are women. The plan to restructure the company's workforce to increase women's contribution to 70 per cent by next year comes as the plant produces 190 tonnes of various food products per day. Madurai unit head, Suresh, detailed the functioning of the plant and highlighted the unit's inclination towards hiring women from the economically backward sections. He said, "The plant is operational 24/7 in three shifts and works with more than 65 per cent of women employees. We have ensured their utmost safety and security while working in the factory. Women from economically backward sections come to work in the factory." "The women by nature are much better when it comes to hygiene and that's more critical for a food factory. So we are ensuring to bring the right and safe product for the community by keeping more responsible people in operation" he added. Meena Priya, who has been working at the unit for 12 years, said, "I have been working here for 12 years. More than 900 women got an opportunity to earn a livelihood because of this factory." With over one lakh employees across 15 company-owned manufacturing plants, and with 35 contract and franchise units across India, Britannia Industries is looking to increase its female workforce to 50 per cent by 2024 from the current 41 per cent. "At a national level, Britannia aims to achieve a total diversity ratio of 50% from the current 41% by end of 2024, by increasing the participation of women in its workforce," the official release by the Madurai unit stated. (ANI)
The Aam Aadmi Party workers on Wednesday protested in Bengaluru in connection with BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa's son's bribery case and demanded the resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. The AAP workers who were led by state president Prithvi Reddy also called for the inspection of the offices and residences of all MLAs. This comes after the anti-corruption wing of Lokayukta nabbed sitting Karnataka BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa's son while he was receiving a Rs 40 lakh bribe on March 2. Addressing the workers during the protest at Freedom Park, Bengaluru, Reddy said that the matter should be investigated by CBI and ED. "Madal Virupakshappa's son was caught by the Lokayukta officials while accepting bribe. Crores of rupees were also found in the MLA's house. It is a serious matter that this amount of cash was found in the house of an MLA when the elections are just a few weeks away, and the source of the money and why it was kept should be investigated. A proper investigation should be conducted by CBI, ED, IT agencies on the case. The houses and offices of all the MLAs should be inspected soon, the illegal cash should be seized and the election irregularities should be curbed," he said. He accused the state government of backing the BJP MLA. "It is clear that the entire government is behind Virupakshappa, who went absconding for five days from the police and Lokayukta officials until he got bail in the court. Although many cases related to the 40 per cent commission scam of the BJP administration have come to light, it is a tragedy that CM Basavaraj Bommai has not taken action against anyone. Bommai should resign from the post of CM," the AAP leader said. "The most corrupt government in the political history of the state is the BJP government of CM Basavaraj Bommai. Under the Bommai administration, the development of the state has been completely neglected and only the BJP MLAs are developing," he alleged. Many leaders and activists including party leaders Satish Kumar, Ashok Mruthyunjaya, Channappa Gowda Nellore, Kalidasa Jonnala, Gopinath Naidu, Naari Srinivas, Anil Nachappa, Srinivas Reddy, Satish Gowda, Keshav Kumar, Shashidhar Aradhya participated in the protest. (ANI)
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav on Wednesday said that he does not know anything about the politics going on in Nagaland. His remarks came as an reaction to Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar decision that his party will not play the role of opposition in Nagaland and it accepts the leadership of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio in the state where BJP is NDPP's ally. "I don't know anything about the politics going on in Nagaland. As for what decision was taken in the meeting of Mahavikas Aghadi, I still don't know because I was not involved in that meeting," Bhaskar Jadhav said. However, there is no clarification if the NCP will be a part of the government or will only support the government from outside. The move is significant and is likely to have political implications in Maharashtra where NCP is in alliance with Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena. The move comes after the Nagaland unit of the NCP and the victorious 7 MLAs of the party opined to support the government in the "larger interest of the state". The step comes days after the party's national general secretary and Northeast in-charge Narendra Verma told ANI over the phone that the party was mulling putting forth a proposal for the post of the leader of Opposition in Nagaland Assembly. According to a release dated March 8 by Verma, the first meeting of the NCP Legislature Party took place on March 4 at Kohima. "In the said meeting there was a discussion on who is going to be the leader of the NCP Legislature Party, The Deputy Leader, Chief Whip, Whip and Spokesperson, the release said. Er Picto Shohe was decided to be the Leader of the NCP Legislature Party, P Longon as Dy. Leader of the NCP Legislature Party, Namri Nchang as Chief Whip, Y Mhonbemo Humtsoe as Whip and S. Toiho Yeptho as the Spokesperson, according to the release. "There was also discussion regarding whether the NCP is going to be part of the government or going to play the role of the main opposition party. The local newly elected MLAs & the NCP Local unit of Nagaland were of the opinion that we must be part of the government which is going to be headed by N Rio, Chief of (NDPP) Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party & Chief Minister of Nagaland in the larger interest of the State of Nagaland and our own good relationship with N Rio," the release said. The final decision was left to Sharad Pawar, who on Tuesday after listening to the North East in-charge, took the decision to accept the leadership of N Rio. "And subsequently he also cleared the proposed list of NCP Legislature Party Leader and his team," the release said. (ANI)
At a time when the education sector in West Bengal is daily hitting the national headlines for negative reasons after being saddled by the multi-crore teachers' recruitment scam, a proposal from an education outfit under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has come as a breather for the state education department. It is learnt that UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, one of the six educational institutes of UNESCO, has forwarded a proposal to West Bengal government with the intention of partnering with the state education department for the development of the education sector in West Bengal. "The state government has acknowledged and welcomed the proposal and written to the institute accepting the same. "Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself sent the acknowledgement reply," said a senior official in the education department. The official also said that a representative team from the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning is scheduled to visit the state shortly and hold a meeting with the Chief Minister, Education Minister Bratya Basu and the top officials of the education department. "A memorandum of understanding might be signed between the institute and the state government following the meeting," the official said. In 2021, Kolkata's Durga Puja made its place in the list of "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" of UNESCO. It was the first Asian festival to receive the prestigious recognition. Political observers feel that the proposal from UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning to partner with the education department will also provide the Trinamool Congress with a tool to counter the opposition's criticism of the state's education sector. UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning is a non-profit international research, training and information outfit promoting literacy, non-formal education and adult and lifelong learning. Its mission is to get all forms of education and learning, formal or informal, recognised, valued and made available for meeting the demands of the individual communities worldwide. --IANS src/arm ( 327 Words) 2023-03-08-20:08:03 (IANS)
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC and Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's daughter K. Kavitha on Thursday arrived in Delhi and said that she will be appearing before the Enforcement Directorate on March 11 after she was summoned by ED on March 9 in Delhi liquor policy case. In a series of tweets, BRS MLS hit out, alleging that certain political motives have been masquerading in the name of investigation. "As a law-abiding citizen, I'll fully cooperate with investigating agencies. I will appear at your good offices on March 11," she said in a statement. "...I have been summoned by ED to appear on March 9th in Delhi. However, due to the Dharna & prefixed appointments, I'll see legal opinions on the date of attending it," says BRS MLC K Kavitha. "I fail to understand as to why I have been summoned at such short notice. It seems that certain political motives have been masquerading in the name of investigation. I categorically say that I have nothing to do with the present investigation," she said in a subsequent tweet. "Being a social worker & having prior commitments, I had already planned my schedule for the upcoming week & the abrupt rejection of my request seems to be motivated by reasons best known to you, which demonstrates that it is nothing but "political victimisation," she tweeted. Earlier on March 8, The Bharatiya Rashtriya Samiti (BRS) came down heavily on the Centre after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned MLC K Kavitha in connection with its ongoing probe of the Delhi excise policy case, saying that the central probe agencies have become an extended arm of the BJP. Referring to the summons as "politically motivated", BRS leader Ravula Sridhar Reddy said that except ED and BJP, nobody really understands the case registered in connection with the new-withdrawn new Delhi excise policy. (ANI)
Following a surprise raid by the officers of the Bidhannagar Police Commiserate on Wednesday evening, unaccounted cash worth around Rs 4 crore was seized from a fake call centre in the Rajarhat-Newtown area on the outskirts of Kolkata. A police officer said that the exact amount seized was a little over Rs 3.82 crore. "Apart from the cash, gold and silver jewellery in substantial quantities as well as several high-end premium brand wrist watches were also recovered from the fake call centre. The valuation of the seized items is yet to be done," the officer said. Apart from that, four high-end premium vehicles were also seized from outside the call centre. The police have arrested six persons in this connection, out of whom two are residents of Liluah in Howrah district, two are from Maharashtra and one from Gujarat. The police suspect that besides running the fake call centre, the arrested persons were also involved in illegal hawala transactions. The officer said that through this call centre, these persons mainly targeted elderly citizens in different parts of the globe. "We suspect that the arrested persons are part of an international forgery racket. We will interrogate them to collect information on their partners and masterminds in this illegal trade," the officer said. --IANS src/arm ( 228 Words) 2023-03-08-21:26:04 (IANS)
"Everyone knows that MIM is the B team of the Bharatiya Janata Party. MIM is not a separate party. Whatever MIM does, BJP does not take any action against that party," Jadhav alleged.

However, the MIM leadership has not yet responded to the allegations till the filing of the report.

The remarks came after AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi recently said that if the regional parties come together, BJP can be defeated.

"In Telangana, BJP lost the 2014 and 2018 elections. This year also in December 2023 BJP will lose the Telangana elections again. Give us some credit for that," Owaisi said in February. (ANI)
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday welcomed obtaining financial assurances from India, China and the Paris Club. In a series of tweets, Wickremesinghe spoke about obtaining assurances from Sri Lanka's bilateral creditors and the importance of IMF funds for the island nation. Ranil Wickremesinghe said that he spoke with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen. He further stated that he and Sri Lanka's Central Bank Governor signed the agreement and sent it to IMF. He noted that a response from IMF is expected this month followed by funds from World Bank and Asian Development Bank. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Wickremesinghe stated, "I spoke with IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva & US Sec of the Treasury Janet Yellen. Letter of assurance from Exim Bank of China was received. I, together with the Governor of CB, signed the agreement & sent it to IMF--a response is expected this month, followed by funds from WB & ADB." Wickremesinghe's remarks comes after International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that Sri Lanka has received financial assurances from all major creditors and will hold a meeting on March 20 for the consideration of approval for the state level agreement for financing under an Extended Facility. He stressed that any violation of the agreement with the IMF could result in discontinuation of Sri Lanka's collaboration with all financial institutions. He stated that Sri Lanka needs IMF to lead agreed debt sustainability discussions with creditors. Wickremesinghe tweeted, "Any violation of the agreement with IMF could result in SL's collaboration with all financial institutions being discontinued. Annual payments of approximately Rs.6-7b of loans are due until 2029; thus, SL needs IMF to lead agreed debt sustainability discussions with creditors." Highlighting the importance of the IMF agreement, Wickremesinghe tweeted, "The agreement with the IMF is a crucial step in restoring our economy. It's not a question of whether we should or shouldn't go for it, but simply that we must." In a tweet, he said, "I've been heading discussions with IMF since mid-22 concerning SL's BoP, fiscal & foreign exchange crisis. We negotiated a staff-level agreement with IMF by September 22, & worked with India, China & The Paris Club to obtain their assurances last January." In a tweet, Sri Lankan President called on influential groups, political parties, voluntary organisations, trade unions, professionals and all the people to support country's economic reforms to move forward. He further stated, "If you disrupt the ongoing progress, the consequences will be dire, as unrest could lead to unprecedented woes." Wickremesinghe expressed gratitude to military and police for upholding peace by maintaining public order. He tweeted, "LKR is appreciating. If country faced a state of anarchy on July 9, we'd be in dire straits. I'm grateful to military & police for upholding peace--by maintaining public order,we've come so far to having fuel, power, & $ in reserves--we can't allow sinister forces to destabilise SL." He called on opposition to join him in stabilising the country's economy. Wickremesinghe said that he will table the IMF agreement in parliament upon approval. He thanked the country's National Assembly and President committees for their reports and Wickremesinghe tweeted, "I invite the opposition to join me in stabilising the economy. GDP should be evaluated by June. We can then accordingly decide on holding General and Presidential Elections. I will table the IMF agreement in parliament upon approval & house can approve or offer an alternative." He further stated, "I will submit a new draft on the Government's way forward and road map. After Parliament reaches an agreement, I will present long-and mid-term plans. I thank the National Assembly and Parliament committees for their reports. We were able to complete the work within eight months." IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva welcomed the progress made by Sri Lankan authorities in taking decisive policy actions and obtaining financial assurances from major creditors, including India, China and the Paris Club. Kristalina Georgieva tweeted, "I welcome the progress made by Sri Lankan authorities in taking decisive policy actions & obtaining financing assurances from all their major creditors, incl. China, India & the Paris Club. Look forward to presenting the IMF-supported program to our Exec. Board on March 20." On Tuesday, Deputy Ambassador of the Chinese Embassy in Colombo Hu Wei presented the Exim Bank of China's financial assurance letter to Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardena at the Presidential Secretariat. Sri Lankan President's Media Division tweeted, "The Deputy Ambassador of the Chinese Embassy in Colombo Hu Wei officially presented the financial assurance letter issued by the Exim Bank of #China to the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardena at the Presidential Secretariat today (07)." It further said, "Mr. Hu Wei revealed that large-scale companies are looking forward to visiting Sri Lanka in the near future to explore new #investment opportunities." Earlier in January, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India extended financing assurance to International Monetary Fund (IMF) to clear the way for Sri Lanka to move forward with an expectation of strengthening the island nation's position and ensuring that all bilateral creditors are dealt with, equally. (ANI)
US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price will step down from his role this month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in a statement. Price will continue to work directly for Antony Blinken at State Department. Ned Price began to work as a US Department of State spokesperson on January 20, 2021, according to the statement. Blinken said that Price started holding Department's daily press briefings within days of taking on the role, and has held over 200 briefings since then. "Ned began as Spokesperson on January 20, 2021. Within days of taking on the role, he restored the Department's daily press briefings, giving journalists the chance to regularly ask tough questions of our policy," Antony Blinken said in his statement. "Throughout the more than 200 briefings he has since held, he's treated journalists as well as colleagues and everyone else he interacts with respect," he added. In a statement, Antony Blinken said, "Ned's firm grasp of the policies underlying our messaging made him that much more effective in his role. On a personal level, I have constantly benefited from his counsel, as have so many members of the Department. Fortunately, I'll be able to continue to do that, as Ned will continue to serve at State, working directly for me." Antony Blinken said that Ned Price has helped the US government defend and promote press freedom around the world and modelled the transparency and openness that the US advocates for other nations. He noted that Price has been a face and voice of US foreign policy and performed with extraordinary professionalism and integrity. He also thanked Ned Price for his remarkable service. (ANI)
In a startling revelation of intelligence input, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns claimed that Beijing is still determining whether its potential invasion of Taiwan would be successful. He said that US intelligence shows that Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed his nation's military to "be ready by 2027" to invade Taiwan. However, he might be harbouring doubts about his ability to do so, given Russia's experience in its invasion of Ukraine - it is likely to intensify doubts among Chinese leader Xi Jinping and top military officials about the success of the Chinese military invading Taiwan. In a television interview that aired on February 26, Burns said, "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 does not mean that he has decided to invade in 2027 or any other year as well". "I think our judgement at least is that President Xi and his military leaders have doubts today about whether they could accomplish that invasion," he said. However, the US must take "very seriously" Xi's desire to ultimately control Taiwan, even if military conflict is not inevitable, he added. Burns said the support from the US and European allies for Ukraine following Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of that nation could be a potential deterrent to Chinese officials, but said the risks of a possible attack on Taiwan would only grow. "I think, as they have looked at Putin's experience in Ukraine, that has probably reinforced some of those doubts," Burns said. "So, all I would say is that I think the risks of, you know, the potential use of force probably grow the further into this decade you get and beyond it, into the following decade as well. So that is something, obviously, that we watch very, very carefully." Burns believes that since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the aid of the United States and Europe to Ukraine shows the solidarity of the West, which the Chinese Communist Party may also consider. "I do not think there is a foreign leader who has watched Putin's experience in Ukraine, the evolution of the war, more carefully than Xi Jinping. I think in many ways he was disturbed by what he saw," Burns said. He (Xi Jinping) was surprised by Russia's very poor military performance. I think he was also surprised by the level of solidarity and support for Ukraine in the West." Burns also said that not only the United States but also European allies are willing to bear a certain economic price in order to cause greater economic damage to Russia over time, "So I think all of this is to a certain extent. Xi Jinping is sober." The Taiwan issue is one of the factors causing tension in US-China relations. The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States is significantly increasing the number of troops deployed in Taiwan, more than quadrupling its current strength, to boost a training program for Taiwan's military. According to US officials, the United States plans to deploy 100 to 200 troops to Taiwan in the coming months; a year ago, the number was about 30. The additional garrison will expand a training program the Pentagon has been reluctant to make public as the United States seeks to give Taiwan the capabilities it needs to defend itself. The report also said that the expansion of training for Taiwan officers and soldiers by the United States and Taiwan shows that the United States is increasingly committed to helping Taiwan, a close partner, prepare for its defeat of the CCP's potential invasion. US officials say plans to expand the troop presence in Taiwan have been in the works for months, even before this month's balloon incident further soured USChina relations. In the balloon incident, a Chinese spy balloon was shot down by US warplanes over the coast of South Carolina after crossing US airspace. (ANI)
South Sudan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Akuei Bona Malwal has thanked India for its support and valuable advice given to his country He added that Juba is grateful for its friendship with New Delhi. Addressing the UN Security Council, Malwal said, "Allow me, President, to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the outgoing delegations of Kenya and India for their support and valuable advice offered to my country and our mission for the last two years," according to the video shared by Indian Counsellor Pratik Mathur on his Twitter account on Wednesday. "They serve on this council. We will be forever grateful for their friendship with the people of South Sudan," he added. Sharing the video of Malwal's address in UNGA on Twitter, Mathur said, "A friend in need, is a friend indeed. PR of South Sudan, the youngest @UN member state, making a special mention of our support and #friendship for the Global South at the #UNSC meeting [?]today." In the last week of January, Counsellor at India's Permanent Mission to United Nations reiterated India's strong support via UN Mission in South Sudan. "At @UNPeacebuilding Commission's meeting on South Sudan, Counsellor @PratikMathur1 expressed India's strong support via @unmissmedia (#India provides 2400+ peacekeepers) & bilaterally to support peace process & capacity building in #SouthSudan in the journey for peace," tweeted Mathur. Recently, India deployed an all-woman platoon of peacekeepers as part of the Indian Battalion to the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (on the border between South Sudan and Sudan). The Abyei Area is a border area between South Sudan and Sudan that has been granted "special administrative status" by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict (Abyei Protocol) in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the Second Sudanese Civil War. This is India's largest single unit of women peacekeepers in a UN mission since the deployment of the first-ever all-woman contingent in Liberia in 2007. (ANI)
US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, who is in India on an official visit, arrived at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's residence on Wednesday and participated in the Holi celebration. While talking to ANI, Raimondo expressed happiness for joining people in the Holi celebration and said, "It's an honour for me to be here on such a holiday. I felt so welcomed by the Minister, it's fantastic. Happy Holi!" At Rajnath Singh's residence, apart from Raimondo, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Sports, Youth Affairs and Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur and BJP MP Manoj Tiwari were also present. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju were also present on the occasion. The US Secretary of Commerce was seen dancing and beating the drum. Earlier in the day, the minister also extended greetings on the occasion on Twitter. "Hearty congratulations and best wishes to all of you on the occasion of Holi. A symbol of joy, gaiety and harmony, may this festival fill your life with new colours of success, happiness and good health," Rajnath Singh said in the tweet. Raimondo, who is on a 4-day visit to India, will participate in the Indo-US Commercial Dialogue and CEO Forum which will be held on March 10 2023. "During the visit, the US-India Commercial Dialogue and CEO Forum will be held on March 10th, 2023, to discuss cooperation in various sectors that could unlock new trade and investment opportunities between the two countries," according to the statement released by the US Department of Commerce. "Through the CEO Forum, the Commercial Dialogue, and IPEF, we are making excellent progress in bringing our countries closer together by creating new markets for trade, expanding those that already exist, and reinforcing our shared commitment to democracy," Raimondo said, ahead of her visit to India, in a statement. The Commercial Dialogue is a cooperative undertaking encompassing regular government-to-government meetings to be held in conjunction with private sector meetings, with an aim to facilitate trade and maximize investment opportunities across a broad range of economic sectors. The last India-USA Commercial Dialogue was held in February 2019. Since then, due to the pandemic and other factors, it could not be held. It is proposed to re-launch the Commercial Dialogue with a strategic outlook focusing on supply chain resiliency & diversification and new emerging areas, after a gap of three years. Earlier, India-US CEO Forum was soft-launched by the Indian Commerce & Industry Minister and US Secretary of Commerce on 9th November 2022 via video conference for which identified key priorities were increasing supply chain resilience, enhancing energy security and reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions, advancing inclusive digital trade and facilitating post-pandemic economic recovery, especially for small businesses. (ANI)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the progress toward gender equality is "vanishing before our eyes," and it will take 300 years to bridge that gap, according to the official release from the UN. While addressing the UN session of the Commission on the Status of Women on Monday, Guterres said, "It takes on even greater significance at a time when women's rights are being abused, threatened, and violated around the world. Progress won over decades is vanishing before our eyes." He also recalled the incidents where women's rights were taken away and said that in Afghanistan, women have been erased from public life. He further stated that in many other places, women's sexual and reproductive rights were rolled back. "In some countries, girls going to school risk kidnapping and assault. In others, police prey on vulnerable women they have sworn to protect. Gender equality is growing more distant. On the current track, UN Women puts it 300 years away," the UN Chief said. "Maternal mortality is increasing. One woman dies every two minutes during pregnancy or childbirth; most of those deaths are preventable," Guterres added. He further stated that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic had forced millions of girls to drop out of school. Meanwhile, mothers and caregivers were forced out of paid employment, and children were forced into early marriage, according to the release. From Ukraine to the Sahel, crisis and conflict affect women and girls first and worst. And at the international level, some countries now even oppose the inclusion of a gender perspective in multilateral negotiations, Guterres told the Commission on the Status of Women. The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. A functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), it was established by ECOSOC resolution 11(II) of 21 June 1946, according to the statement. Guterres said the international community must also create a safe digital environment for women and girls, outlining his third point. In this regard, the UN is working to advance a code of conduct for information integrity on digital platforms, aimed at reducing harm and increasing accountability. The Secretary-General stressed that promoting women's full contributions to science, technology and innovation is not an act of charity or favour to women, but a "must" that benefits everyone. "The Commission on the Status of Women is a dynamo and catalyst for the transformation we need. Together, let's push back against the push back on misogyny, and forward for women, girls, and our world," he said. (ANI)
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz hit out at former chief justice Saqib Nisar for what she said was facilitating Imran Khan to the prime minister's seat, Dawn reported. While addressing the workers' convention on Tuesday, Maryam Nawaz said that ex-CJP took away the "sadiq and ameen" (truthful and honest) certificate from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan. "Congratulations ... the one who gave the title of Sadiq and Ameen to Imran Khan withdrew the certificate. He (former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar) is saying that he did not declare Imran completely Sadiq and Ameen," Nawaz said. She was referring to Nisar's earlier statement when he said that the Supreme Court had not declared Imran Khan "sadiq and ameen" unreservedly and in all aspects of his conduct in its 2017 verdict in favour of the PTI chief. Maryam said that Nisar -- whom she labelled a "liar" -- had "put the fate of the nation in the hands of a narcotic user". "The person who is not in his senses was installed in the PM's office," Maryam said, terming Imran as the "biggest coward in the history of Pakistan". The PML-N leader accused Imran of hiding at his home for the past six months on "the pretext of being unable to move because of the plaster on his leg". "If I was a PTI follower, I would have died of shame," she said, adding that Imran's lawyers informed the court that their client cannot appear because he has become "handicapped". Maryam advised the PTI chief to "borrow some courage" from her father Nawaz Sharif. "The one who made fun of back pain, platelets and cancer is now listing medical conditions that I am shameful of even mentioning". The PML-N leader said that Khan was stuck in a conundrum and scared because the cases against him were legitimate. Maryam accused Imran of hiding his offshore company, the Toshakhana gifts and the foreign funding accounts. "He hid Rs55 billion not just from the public but also his cabinet". Currently, Imran Khan is linked in the Toshakhana controversy and was a case filed against him regarding this. The Islamabad Police, on Sunday, arrived in Lahore to arrest Khan. However, the law enforcement officers returned without an arrest as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf told them that he "wasn't home," as per news reports. On February 28, Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal issued Imran Khan a non-bailable arrest warrant for continuously failing to appear before the court in the Toshakhana case. Khan is accused of allegedly concealing details of the gifts in his assets declarations he retained from the Toshakhana, a repository where presents handed to government officials from foreign officials are kept, the Dawn reported. Officials are legally allowed to retain gifts if they pay a pre-assessed amount, typically a fraction of the value of the gift, Dawn reported. The Toshakhana case refers that Imran had not shared details of the gifts he retained from the Toshaskhana (during his time as the prime minister) and proceeded with their reported sales. (ANI)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday arrived in Ahmedabad on a state visit to India. The Australian Prime Minister who is on an official visit to India from March 8-11, was welcomed by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The Australian Prime Minister upon his arrival to India tweeted: "An incredible welcome to Ahmedabad, India. The beginning of an important trip for Australia-India relations." Prior to Albanese's arrival in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India eagerly awaits the arrival of the Australian Prime Minister. PM Modi said he looks forward to productive deliberations to further India-Australia bilateral relations. "India eagerly awaits your arrival! Looking forward to productive deliberations to further the India-Australia friendship. @AlboMP," PM Modi tweeted on Wednesday. Taking to Twitter, Albanese said that this trip demonstrates the commitment to deepen the links between the two countries, and to being a force for stability and growth in our region. Albanese on Wednesday tweeted, "Today I'm bringing a delegation of ministers and business leaders to India. Australia and India have a rich friendship, underpinned by our common interests, our shared democratic values, the bonds between our people, and an affectionate but fierce sporting rivalry." "At the kind invitation of Prime Minister @narendramodi, we will be visiting Ahmedabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. Trade with India presents Australian businesses and workers with tremendous opportunities for growth," he added. According to an official release, the first in-person India-Australia Annual Summit will take place during Albanese's visit. At the Annual Summit, leaders take stock of progress made on various initiatives under the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The summit lays the way forward on new initiatives and enhanced cooperation in a diverse range of sectors between India and Australia. The Summit was first held virtually on June 4, 2020, the release said. The visit comes after a series of high-level engagements and an exchange of ministerial visits between the two sides in 2022 and in 2023. The last visit by an Australian PM (Malcolm Turnbull) to India was in 2017. (ANI)
Markets, roads and bazaars in Pakistan's Mohmand tribal district on Tuesday remained closed as people took to the streets in large numbers against the prolonged power load-shedding, Pakistan-based Dawn newspaper reported. Load-shedding is the interruption of electric supply to avoid excessive load on the generating plant. According to Dawn, the protesters blocked the main Peshawar-Bajaur road in front of Ghalanai grid station. They complained that the duration of power load shedding in rural areas was increased up to 23 hours per day during the past few months. They also alleged that the supply of electricity to several remote areas of the district was suspended. The call for the protest was given by the 'Electricity Action Committee'. The members of the committee include Malik Nisar Ahmed Halimzai, Malik Mohammad Ali Shinwari, Fazal Hadi, Safdar Khan, Zahid Khan, Abdul Majeed, Ayaz Khan and Salamat Shah. People staged protests in all the major markets of Mian Mandi, Chanda, Ghalanai and Ekkaghund. Local political leaders and tribal elders while addressing the protesters, said that Warsak and Mohmand dams were built near the district but people of the area were deprived of electricity. They said that the Mohmand people were deprived of their constitutional and legal rights. They alleged that the natural resources of Mohmand were being usurped. The speakers said that people provided their land for Mohmand Dam at a very low price so it was the responsibility of Wapda authorities to give royalty to locals. They said that an uninterrupted power supply to the area should be ensured, according to Dawn. The protestors threatened to intensify their protest if their demands were not accepted. They said that they would stage a sit-in in front of grid stations. Some of the enraged protesters tried to attack the grid station in Ghalanai but local leaders stopped them. After a 10-hour protest, the executive engineer of Wapda and Deputy Commissioner Dr Mohammad Ehtishamul Haq held talks with the protesters. The officials assured the protestors that a committee would be formed to arrange negotiations with Tesco's chief for controlling load-shedding. After signing a written agreement with the officials, protesters dispersed peacefully. According to the agreement, Wapda will ensure a power supply for at least seven hours from all the feeders in Mohmand. Asian Lite International recently reported that in the past nine years, Pakistan has faced eight major power outages and the latest major power outage on January 23 serves as a warning of the dystopian future that awaits Islamabad. The people of Pakistan are caught in the middle, unable to understand why the country keeps failing to introduce structural reforms and if they will ever live in a country where there is not a constant threat of power breakdowns, gas outages, and water scarcity. The Ministry of Energy confirmed that the system frequency of the national power grid "went down" at 07:00 hours on January 23 morning and caused a "widespread" breakdown in the power system across the country. The power outage affected the entire Pakistan, including Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar, and Islamabad, reported Asian Lite International. (ANI)
In a joyful interview with Nova 937 radio, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that as many as 25 business heads would accompany him to India as the country is a massive market. 25 leading business people are going, the CEO of Wesfarmers, Fortescue and the chair of BHP, Rio Tinto, they're all on their way, he said in an interview with Nova 937. "Off to India. And 25 leading business people are going. The CEO of Wesfarmers from here, and Fortescue and the chair of BHP, Rio Tinto, they're all on their way," the Australian Prime Minister said in the interview. During the interview, he was asked if he would enjoy spicy food in India. To which the Prime Minister replied that the great thing about being an Australian is they eat all sorts of food. "We eat spicy food. I like hot food," he added. He recalled the days when he spent six weeks backpacking around India in 1991. He shared how he stayed in cheaper places and caught trains and went hitching. India is friendly and India has a very different culture, he said. He also recalled his 2018 visit to India when he had arrived as a part of a parliamentary delegation. He said that the previous two experiences, 1991 and 2018, were different and this time also it would be different. "I don't think I'll be wandering around in Connaught Place in the middle of New Delhi, being harassed to buy stuff. I think it'll be a little bit more protected," he said jokingly. Regarding International Women's Day, he named Penny Wong (Australian Foreign Minister) and Katy Gallagher (Australian Finance Minister) and other women in his cabinet and said that all of them are fantastic women. "Well, I'm taking Madeleine King (Minister for Resources of Australia) with me to India, as the Resources Minister, but it is so good that we have a Government that's actually representative of the population," he added. The Australian Prime Minister arrived in Ahmedabad, India on the evening of Wednesday where Albanese, along with PM Modi will watch day 1 of the final Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Ahmedabad. According to an official release, the first in-person India-Australia Annual Summit will take place during Albanese's visit. At the Annual Summit, leaders take stock of progress made on various initiatives under the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The summit lays the way forward on new initiatives and enhanced cooperation in a diverse range of sectors between India and Australia. The Summit was first held virtually on June 4, 2020, the release said. The visit comes after a series of high-level engagements and an exchange of ministerial visits between the two sides in 2022 and in 2023. The last visit by an Australian PM (Malcolm Turnbull) to India was in 2017. (ANI)
After a decade in Chinese President Xi Jinping's shadow, Li Keqiang is taking his final bow as the country's premier, marking a shift away from the skilled technocrats who have helped steer the world's second-biggest economy in favour of officials known mainly for their unquestioned loyalty to China's most powerful leader in recent history, the Voice of America (VOA) reported. After exiting the ruling Communist Party's all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee in October, despite being below retirement age, Li's last major task was delivering the state of the nation address to the rubber-stamp parliament on Monday. The report sought to reassure citizens of the resiliency of the Chinese economy but contained little that was new. The VOA reported that once seen as a potential top leader, Li was increasingly sidelined as Xi accumulated ever-greater powers and elevated the military and security services in aid of the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." Li's lack of visibility sometimes made it difficult to remember he was technically ranked No. 2 in the party. For most of his career, Li was known as a cautious, capable, and highly intelligent bureaucrat who rose through, and was bound by, a consensus-oriented Communist Party that reflexively stifles dissent. As governor and then party secretary of the densely populated agricultural province of Henan in the 1990s, Li squelched reporting on an AIDS outbreak tied to illegal blood-buying rings that pooled plasma and reinjected it into donors after removing the blood products, allegedly with the collusion of local officials, the VOA reported. The VOA reported that, while Li was not in office when the scandal broke, his administration worked to quiet it up, prevented victims from seeking redress and harassed private citizens working on behalf of orphans and others affected. But Li also cut a modestly different profile, an English speaker from a generation of politicians schooled during a time of greater openness to liberal Western ideas. Introduced to politics during the chaotic 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, he made it into the prestigious Peking University, where he studied law and economics, on his own merits rather than through political connections. After graduation, Li went to work at the Communist Youth League, an organization that grooms university students for party roles, then headed by future president and party leader Hu Jintao. The higher office soon followed. Among the largely faceless ranks of Chinese bureaucrats, Li managed to show an unusually candid streak. In a U.S. State Department cable released by WikiLeaks, Li is quoted telling diplomats that Chinese economic growth statistics were ''man-made,'' and saying he looked instead to electricity demand, rail cargo traffic and lending as more accurate indicators. The VOA reported, though no populist, in his speeches and public appearances, Li was practically typhonic compared to the typically languorous Xi. Yet, he largely failed to make effective use of the platforms he was given, unlike his immediate predecessors. At his sole annual news conference on the closing day of each congressional annual session, Li used up most of his time repeating talk points and reciting statistics. Throughout the upheavals of China's three-year battle against COVID-19, Li was practically invisible. Li, who hailed from a humble background, had been seen as Hu's preferred successor as president. But the need to balance party factions prompted the leadership to choose Xi, the son of a former vice premier and party elder, as the consensus candidate. The two never formed anything like the partnership that characterized Hu's relationship with his premier, Wen Jiabao -- or Mao Zedong's with the redoubtable Zhou Enlai -- although Li and Xi never openly disagreed over fundamentals. Meanwhile, Li's authority was being gradually shrunk, beginning with a reorganization of offices in 2018. While some may have wished Li had been more "influential or decisive," the ground was crumbling under his feet as Xi shifted more of the powers of the State Council, China's Cabinet, to party institutions, Cheng Li said. That shift to expanded party control is expected to continue at the current congress meeting on an even greater scale. At the same time, Xi appeared to favour trusted long-time brothers-in-arms such as economic adviser Liu He and head of the legislature Li Zhanshu, over Li, leaving him with little visibility or influence. His departure leaves major questions about the future of the private sector that Xi has been reining in, along with wider economic reforms championed by Li and his cohorts. His expected replacement, Li Qiang, is a crony of Xi's from his days in the provincial government, best known for his ruthless implementation of last spring's months-long COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai, the VOA reported. Li may be remembered less for what he achieved than for the fact that he was the last of the technocrats to serve at the top of the Chinese Communist Party, said Carl Minzner, an expert on Chinese law and governance at New York's Fordham University and the Council on Foreign Relations. (ANI)
A prominent Turkish human rights legal consultant, who had accused India of "war crimes against Kashmiri Muslims", has admitted that he paid one of the suspects in the European Parliament corruption scandal for "ethical lobbying services" that included resolutions condemning war crimes in Syria and Yemen, the Financial Times reported. Hakan Camuz's UK-based law firm Stoke White had last year filed cases against top Indian officials, accusing them of "war crimes against Kashmiri Muslims". The firm had put up a "legal appeal" against the Indian Army Chief and Home Minister to London's Metropolitan Police following an investigative report on alleged "war crimes in Jammu and Kashmir." Hakan Camuz said that two of his groups entered "consultancy contracts" with a company linked to Francesco Giorgi, the assistant of Pier Antonio Panzeri, a former MEP at the heart of the corruption scandal, for what he believed were "parliamentary services". Camuz told the Financial Times he only spoke with Giorgi and believed the company was legitimate. Camuz, who is not under investigation and is not accused of wrongdoing, said the agreed "services" included facilitating meetings with other MEPs, public events in Brussels, parliamentary questions and securing EU funding for his charitable causes. The Financial Times reported that Giorgi has admitted to helping his boss use a web of companies to disguise payments from foreign governments including Qatar and Morocco, according to evidence from the investigation seen by the FT. Camuz, a lawyer who has ties with the administration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said he was "shocked and appalled" by the case and denied any knowledge of wrongdoing by Giorgi and Panzeri. "The payments [from Camuz-related entities] were in return for petitions to condemn war crimes in Syria and the protection of refugees," the Financial Times wrote quoting Camuz, the lawyer who has good connections with the administration of Turkish President Erdogan. Giorgi also promised to help introduce resolutions condemning war crimes in Yemen, Camuz said. "Sadly, the results were very poor compared to what we talked about," he added. Italian prosecutors last week expanded the Belgian-led investigation into suspected corruption by opening a separate money laundering probe. The prosecutors are looking into payments worth almost 300,000 euros into Italian bank accounts held at Intesa Sanpaolo by a consultancy set up by Panzeri's accountant, according to documents seen by the Financial Times. According to a transcript of Giorgi's statement to investigators, the Milan-based company Equality Consultancy Srl was allegedly set up by Panzeri and Giorgi's associates in Italy as a vehicle for payments for their lobbying efforts. The company was placed into liquidation at the end of 2020 and finally shut down in June 2021, the Financial Times wrote in their report. Two of the three entities that paid the consultancy a total of EUR 75,000 are connected to Camuz, according to payment invoices seen by the FT. In 2019, The Radiant Trust, a "grant-making body" where Camuz is a trustee, was charged EUR 50,000 by Equality Consultancy. Camuz's London-based advisory company, Phronesis, which was renamed Stoke White in November 2021, was charged EUR 25,000. A separate Istanbul-based company was issued with two invoices totalling EUR 200,000 by the Italian consultancy company. The first invoice, issued at the end of 2018, came when Panzeri was still an MEP and chair of the EU parliament's human rights committee. There is no evidence the Istanbul-based company is linked to Camuz, as per the report by the Financial Times. Camuz said he is "devastated" by the allegations made by Giorgi and said he "was lied to". He is considering taking legal action against Giorgi: "[He] honey trapped us into thinking he was the perfect person with whom we can work with." "We made an agreement thinking we were talking to a legitimate entity who would help us raise awareness of cases we deal with," Camuz said. He and his partners had "no problem in paying for such services" as they were part of legal campaigns against human rights abuses in Syria and Yemen. Camuz said: "Francesco [Giorgi] approached me suggesting that he can help us do ethical lobbying services in Brussels at low cost which was very impressive because he was talking about helping war crimes victims and victims of human rights abuses," the Financial Times reported. Giorgi is charged with corruption, money laundering and partaking in a criminal organisation by Belgian authorities. He is now free with an electronic tag after cooperating with authorities. The Financial Times reported that Giorgi's boss Panzeri, who has been in jail since December, agreed to a plea deal with Belgian authorities in February, after admitting to receiving payments of up to EUR 2.6 million from the governments of Qatar, Morocco and Mauritania between 2018 and 2022. The Milanese company was set up by Panzeri's accountant Monica Rossana Bellini in 2018, when Panzeri was still a member of the European parliament, according to public records. A lawyer for Bellini in Milan, who is awaiting a decision this week on her transfer to Belgium after being arrested in January and released on February 10, did not reply to multiple requests for comment. Giorgi told Belgian investigators that in 2018 a Palestinian, who acted as an intermediary for the Qataris, advised him to call Camuz to support him in setting up a scheme to regularise payments for lobbying services, according to a transcript seen by the FT. At the time Giorgi was still working as assistant to MEP Panzeri, who left the EU parliament the following year and then set up the campaign group at the centre of the corruption scandal, Fight Impunity. "We made it look like the company [Equality Consultancy Srl] had offered services to Hakan's, of which I can't remember the name," Giorgi said, according to the transcript of his evidence. Camuz denied the allegation. Giorgi's lawyer did not respond to requests for comment. "I would never knowingly do anything illegal nor would I allow any illegal activity in any of the entities I am involved in," the Financial Times wrote quoting Camuz. In his testimony, Giorgi said his role in the scheme was to facilitate communications between Bellini, Panzeri's lawyer daughter Silvia, and Camuz, as the Italian women did not speak English. Camuz said he never knew Bellini nor Panzeri's daughter. "Giorgi said they were his staff and partners and I never questioned his own internal staffing details." Financial Times reported that Silvia Panzeri was briefly arrested with her mother, Maria Dolores Colleoni, in December. Belgian authorities dropped requests for them to be transferred to Brussels after Panzeri struck his plea deal. (ANI)
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel accompanied the Australian PM on his visit to the Ashram. During the visit, Albanese took a complete tour of the Ashram.

Australian PM Albanese on Wednesday arrived in Ahmedabad on a state visit to India.

The Australian Prime Minister who is on an official visit to India from March 8-11, was welcomed by the Gujarat Chief Minister Patel.

The Australian PM upon his arrival to India tweeted: "An incredible welcome to Ahmedabad, India. The beginning of an important trip for Australia-India relations."

Prior to Albanese's arrival in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said India eagerly awaits the arrival of the Australian Prime Minister. PM Modi said he looks forward to productive deliberations to further India-Australia bilateral relations.

"India eagerly awaits your arrival! Looking forward to productive deliberations to further the India-Australia friendship. @AlboMP," PM Modi tweeted on Wednesday.

Taking to Twitter, Albanese said that this trip demonstrates the commitment to deepen the links between the two countries, and to being a force for stability and growth in our region.

Albanese on Wednesday tweeted, "Today I'm bringing a delegation of ministers and business leaders to India. Australia and India have a rich friendship, underpinned by our common interests, our shared democratic values, the bonds between our people, and an affectionate but fierce sporting rivalry."

"At the kind invitation of Prime Minister @narendramodi, we will be visiting Ahmedabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. Trade with India presents Australian businesses and workers with tremendous opportunities for growth," he added. (ANI)
In a first, the Taliban government in Afghanistan, has sought the financially-suffering Pakistan to bear the expense of disarming and rehabilitating the banned outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) members and their families from Pak-Afghan border areas, reported Afghan Diaspora Network. Finally, the cat is out of the bag: Afghanistan has asked a financially depleted and bankrupt Pakistan for assistance in relocating Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members within Afghanistan. The Express Tribune reported that the Afghan Taliban have expressed their willingness to disarm the TTP and relocate members of the organisation from the Pakistan-Afghan border if Pakistan bears the cost of the proposed plan, the Afghan Diaspora Network said. This was recently revealed at a meeting of Pakistan's Central Apex Committee, held on February 24, to discuss the recent surge in terrorist attacks in the country as well as other security issues. The issue of the banned TTP and its safe havens across the border was one of the main topics on the agenda. A report published in Afghan Diaspora Network read, the proposal calls for the TTP fighters to be disarmed and relocated from the Pakistan-Afghan border areas. The Apex Committee was informed that the 'interim' government in Afghanistan had proposed a plan to control the TTP. The Afghan Taliban government, on the other hand, has asked Pakistan to fund the proposal and bear the entire cost of TTP rehabilitation. The Afghan Taliban had made a similar proposal to China to address China's concerns about the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, according to the Apex meeting. However, Pakistan has yet to respond to the Afghan Taliban's proposal, citing concerns that it will fail. Nonetheless, it was for the first time that the Afghan Taliban proposed disarming the TTP. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif presided over the meeting, which was attended by the chief ministers of the four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan, the AJK PM, senior cabinet ministers, the Army Chief, DG ISI, and other officials. The immediate context for this meeting was a delegation led by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's visit to Kabul on February 22, 2023 to share "irrefutable evidence" with the Afghan Taliban about the presence of TTP in the neighbouring country. A Pakistan Foreign Ministry press release states, "Matters relating to the growing threat of terrorism in the region, particularly by TTP and ISKP came under discussion. The two sides agreed to collaborate to effectively address the threat of terrorism posed by various entities and organisations". The purpose of the visit was to send a clear message to the Afghan Taliban that Pakistan would no longer seek talks with the TTP because the group had used previous peace efforts to regroup and target Pakistan. Some estimates place the number of TTP fighters in Afghanistan between 8,000 and 12,000, with the figure rising to 30,000 when family members are included. The Afghan Taliban reportedly suggested relocating the TTP at Pakistani expense during Defence Minister Khawaja Asif's recent visit to Kabul. The Pakistani delegation also included Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum, DG, ISI. Sensing a hardening of the Pakistani position, the Afghan Taliban proposed a new plan that included disarming the TTP and relocating their members from border areas within Afghanistan. Meanwhile, a statement issued by the PM Office said the Apex Meeting agreed that "the elimination of terrorism, economic recovery and political stability are interlinked". "Pakistan cannot afford internal insecurity. The need for national unity, unity, and collective struggle is urgent. To achieve these objectives, a national consensus must be formed, and obstacles must be removed," according to the statement. In other words, Pakistan is ironically concerned about recent terrorist incidents in Peshawar and Karachi, as well as other attacks that indicate an intensification of the TTP's campaign against the Pakistani state. Terrorist incidents, particularly those at the Peshawar Police Lines Mosque on January 30, 2023 and the Karachi Police Office on February 19, 2023, as well as the subsequent situation, were thoroughly reviewed at the Apex Committee meeting. Representatives from various institutions briefed participants on the overall security situation and anti-terrorist operations. Previously, Pakistan used the same actors under different names such as JeM and LeT to carry out attacks in J&K and the rest of India. These developments occur at a time when Prime Minister Sharif has stated that the government must "unwillingly" accept the strict terms of a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order to provide a lifeline to an economy in distress, Afghan Diaspora Network reported. "We have to accept the strict conditions of the IMF deal unwillingly," he said, adding that an agreement was still a "week, 10 days" away. Pakistan's dire economic situation has resulted in repeated requests to the IMF and other lenders to help it cope with low foreign exchange reserves and some sectors of the economy grinding to a halt. Pakistan has been negotiating with the IMF since early February 2022, with the goal of signing a staff-level agreement that will pave the way for additional inflows from bilateral and multilateral lenders. Once the agreement is signed, the IMF will begin disbursing funds from the $6.5 billion bailout agreed to in 2019. The Pakistani Prime Minister also stated unequivocally that the release of the next tranche would not end the country's economic woes. He then mentioned a much-needed loan from a friendly country, without naming China, and provided US$700 million to cash-strapped Pakistan without waiting for the IMF programme to be revived. The Afghan Taliban requesting money from Pakistan to re-locate the TTP within Afghanistan is sweet vengeance for Afghanistan. They will not only bake the cake, but they will also eat it. If this occurs, TTP cadres may join the Afghanistan Taliban, bolstering its forces. According to Afghan Diaspora Network, after telling Pakistan that the TTP was making the same demands as previous Kabul governments and that it would not help disarm the TTP, it has now found a way to squeeze Pakistan. Islamabad is unmistakably trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea. Pakistan, having burned their fingers in previous negotiations with the TTP, is now at a crossroads in their very existence. Will China also assist Pakistan in overcoming its difficulties? (ANI)
PML-N leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, has reffairmed that there will be no elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces until "wrong things done to Sharif" are righted and PTI chief Imran Khan is held accountable, reported Dawn. "There will be no elections until Imran Khan is held accountable. There will be no elections unless there is a level playing field," Sharif told PML-N workers at a convention in Sheikhupura. Sharif reiterated her position just days after President Arif Alvi set April 30 as the date for Punjab elections in accordance with a Supreme Court order. Further, according to the Dawn report, Sharif claimed that her father had been wronged and that it should be undone. "Elections will be conducted only after the scales of justice have been balanced," she said. She also hit out at former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar for claiming that he had not declared Imran Khan sadiq and ameen (truthful and honest) in all aspects of his behaviour. "A major character for conspiracy against Nawaz Sharif has confessed," Sharif said, referring to Nisar. According to Sharif, the former chief justice said he disqualified Nawaz Sharif in 2017 because some people thought it was necessary at the time. The conspirators against Sharif "are facing ignominy," she said, adding that Nisar would soon speak the whole truth. She also called out the PTI chief for repeatedly missing court hearings, saying he wouldn't be able to save his skin in the Toshakhana and prohibited funding cases for long. "Imran Khan claimed he couldn't go to jail because he was 72 years old. But if the 72-year-old can commit corruption, he must also go to jail," Sharif said. During her visit to Sheikhupura, two factions of the PML-N emerged -- one led by federal minister Javed Latif and other by federal minister Rana Tanvir Hussain. To assuage Tanvir's concerns, Sharif cut her two-day visit short and postponed her next Sheikhupura tour until the middle of this month. Tanvir has a close relationship with Nawaz Sharif, whereas Latif has a close relationship with Maryam Nawaz. Meanwhile, Saad Rafique, the minister for Aviation and Railways, on Tuesday said he was unsure whether elections would be held in both provinces. He told the reporters in Lahore -- that even those who have made the decision to hold the elections are unsure about this -- presumably referring to judges. He said that "they" claimed elections should be held in both provinces without a level playing field, but this was "impossible". Several PML-N leaders, including Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal, Attaullah Tarar, and Talal Chaudhry, are still adamant that polls can't be held "on the wishes of PTI Chairman Imran Khan." The PPP, on the other hand, is pressing ahead with poll preparations. The party is seeking applications from potential candidates in order to award tickets in the Punjab general election, the Dawn reported. (ANI)
"Happy Holi to my friend Prime Minister @narendramodi and the people of India! May the vibrant colors of this festival fill your lives with happiness, joy, and prosperity. Wishing you all a colorful and memorable Holi! #HappyHoli," Netanyahu tweeted on Wednesday.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met the American Jewish Committee delegation in New Delhi and discussed about the "sea change in India-US and India-Israel relationships since 2014."

"Glad to meet American Jewish Committee delegation on their visit to India. Discussed about the sea change in India-US and India-Israel relationships since 2014. Appreciate their sentiments and support, as also their working with Indian community organizations in the US," Jaishankar tweeted on Tuesday.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) is the leading global Jewish advocacy organisation. From city halls to Capitol Hill, at the UN and in world capitals, AJC works to impact policy and opinion on some of the most important issues facing the Jewish people.

Recently, Jaishankar discussed the strengthening of India's relationship with the US and Israel in a meeting with the delegation comprising the American Jewish Committee and the Indian diaspora.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu tweeted, "Just spoke with Indian PM @narendramodi about ways to strengthen the close relationship between #Israel and #India. Together we'll advance security & economic relations, with a focus on high-tech. Exciting times ahead!"

Israeli Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, recently said Prime Minister Modi's 'historic' visit to Israel in 2017 broke the ice between the two nations and the famous picture of him with ex-Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is one of the pictures that will stay as a symbol of how things are done. (ANI)
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Balochistan that killed nine policemen on Monday, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, the Tribune reported. Nine personnel of the Balochistan Constabulary were killed and 13 others were injured on Monday after a suicide bomber riding an explosives-laden motorbike struck a police truck on the Sukkur-Quetta Highway in the Bolan district, about 120 km from Quetta. The personnel were on their way back to Quetta after performing duties at the annual 'Sibi Mela' when the truck was targeted in the Dhadar area, the Tribune reported. "ISIS claims suicide attack in Sibi, Balochistan," tweeted Rita Katz, director of the SITE Intel Group that tracks Islamist extremists. Hospital officials said at least 7 policemen were wounded in the attack, the latest in a series targeting police personnel in Pakistan. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has strongly condemned the suicide attack, according to his spokesman. "He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a prompt recovery to those injured," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement. The Balochistan Constabulary personnel were returning from duty in Sibi Mela when they were targeted on Monday. The truck overturned with the intensity of the explosion. The bodies and injured personnel were shifted to Sibi where they were provided medical aid. Emergency was imposed in the hospitals of Quetta and Sibi. The attack came shortly after two Levies personnel were among six people martyred in three separate attacks in different areas of Balochistan, last week. The official sources said four coal miners were killed as armed men opened fire at a mine in the Khost area of Harnai. Three coal miners were also injured in the attack. The attackers managed to flee after spraying the mine with bullets. The injured coal miners were rushed to the district headquarters hospital in Harnai for medical treatment. An emergency was declared in the hospital to provide urgent medical treatment to the injured persons. (ANI)
The US State Department has announced nearly USD 26 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, for those people in Burma affected by ongoing violence, and for communities hosting refugees from Burma. With this new funding, the US' total assistance for those affected by the Rakhine State and Rohingya crisis has reached nearly USD 2.1 billion since August 2017, when over 7,40,000 Rohingya were forced to flee to safety in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, according to a press statement issued by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday, during the launch of the 2023 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis in Bangladesh. According to the official press statement, the new funding includes nearly USD 24 million for programs specifically in Bangladesh, providing life-sustaining support to nearly 9,80,000 Rohingya refugees, many of them survivors of genocide, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing, and support to nearly 5,40,000 host community members in Bangladesh. The assistance, according to Blinken, sees to it that children and young adults have access to education and vocational training, provides families with food and clean water, strengthens sanitation systems to prevent the spread of disease, supports the protection of Rohingya refugees' human rights and well-being, bolsters disaster preparedness, and helps combat the effects of climate change. The US urged other donors to contribute robustly to the humanitarian response and increase support to those driven from and affected by violence in Burma. The United States recognises the generosity of the government and people of Bangladesh and other countries hosting refugees from Burma in the region particularly given that this is the sixth year of this protracted crisis, according to the statement by Blinken. "We are committed to finding lasting solutions to this crisis, including the safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable return and reintegration of displaced Rohingya when conditions in Burma allow. An essential step in ending this crisis is ending the military regime's brutal repression of its people and agreeing to a pathway to an inclusive multiparty democracy. We commend our humanitarian partners for the lifesaving work they continue to do every day," read the US Department of State press statement. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk recently called for a coordinated regional approach to protect the thousands of desperate Rohingya who risk their lives by undertaking perilous sea voyages. "More than 2,400 Rohingya have sought to leave Bangladesh and Myanmar in 2022 alone, and I am deeply saddened that over 200 have reportedly lost their lives on the way. Recent reports indicate that overcrowded and unsafe boats carrying Rohingyas have been left to drift for days on end without any help," Turk said in a statement released by the UN Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. "As the crisis at sea continues, I urge countries in the region to put in place a coordination mechanism to ensure proactive search and rescue, the disembarkation of Rohingya refugees on their territories, and their effective protection," he added, noting that some States had already provided assistance. The High Commissioner for Human Rights called on countries in the region and globally to help Bangladesh support the over one million Rohingya refugees who have sought protection there since 2017. "Clearly, an urgent solution must be found to enable the voluntary return of all Rohingya, with full respect for their dignity and human rights as full and equal citizens of Myanmar," he added. (ANI)
The recent political upheaval in Kathmandu has changed for the worse for China as its hope for a prolonged time of influence was dashed by the resurgence of the pre-election five-party coalition led by the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center and the Nepali Congress (NC), reported The Diplomat. Since the formation of a new government in November, Nepal has seen a rise in Chinese political involvement. The post-election coalition saw the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) and Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Center, led by KP Sharma Oli and Puspa Kamal Dahal respectively, join together to establish the government with Dahal as prime minister. China appeared confident in reclaiming the political space it had in Nepal under Oli's control of the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), which was created by the merger of the CPN-UML and the Maoists and ruled until 2021. Following in the footsteps of former Ambassador Hou Yanqi, the new Chinese envoy Chen Song has been actively engaging with Nepal's political leaders since his arrival in January of this year, read a report published in The Diplomat. Some recent events include the Chinese embassy's announcement of Pokhara International Airport as a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on the eve of the airport's opening; the arrival of a technical team to carry out the feasibility study of the proposed Trans-Himalayan Railway Network; and Chen Song's brash press conference upon his arrival on January 8 at the airport. These lightning-fast actions reveal Beijing's desperate attempt to take advantage of the existence of a friendly administration led by Dahal. The upcoming presidential election is the focal point of Nepal's political upheaval, with Ram Chandra Poudel, a famous NC leader (vaguely referred to as "pro-West"), enjoying a clear expectation of victory. Poudel benefited from Dahal's decision to give his party's support, blowing up its partnership with the CPN-UML in the process. But, according to The Diplomat, Poudel's victory is expected to defeat China's attempts to appoint a "pro-Chinese" communist figure to the top position. Beijing's keen interest in Nepal's presidential candidate stems from its prior interactions with Bidhya Devi Bhandari when she served as president and the pleasant relationship it experienced as a result of her obvious proclivity towards China. This was demonstrated when Bhandari, in defiance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended a Global Security Initiative (GSI) gathering hosted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) last September. Nepal's policy of non-alignment with any security, military, or strategic alliances is violated by participation in the GSI forum, which promotes a new security plan put forth by China. Nepal has consistently declined to join the US-led Indo-Pacific Strategy and shied away from the BIMSTEC combined military exercise in 2018. China will still view the agreement among the new post-election alliance that Dahal will remain prime minister for the first two years as an opportunity to expand its engagements with Nepal, The Diplomat said. Nonetheless, Dahal will have a hard time freely managing international relations, given the ideological polarity within the coalition groups and their implications towards various geopolitical actors. The Nepali Congress is renowned for supporting a contentious infrastructure agreement with the United States under the previous administration. It has long been thought of as being more friendly towards India. Even Dahal, who is seen as being less inclined towards Beijing than Oli, is making an effort to keep balance among the geopolitical powers, The Diplomat said. Beijing is not inclined to relinquish its position in Nepal's political system in light of these events. China has made feeble efforts to strengthen its ties with other political parties, especially the Nepali Congress, despite the fact that it saw a closer relationship with Nepal's communist bloc as strategically advantageous for expanding its influence in that country. Liu Jianchao, director of the CCP's International Liaison Department, discussed the CCP's desire to strengthen ties with the NC during a four-day trip to Nepal in July 2022. He also expressed the CCP's willingness to strengthen strategic communication with the NC in order to promote inter-party relations through interactions, learning from one another, and mutually advantageous collaboration. Beijing's current strategy is to interact with any political forces that are a part of Kathmandu's ruling coalition in order to advance its broader strategic objectives. Although China will seek a path forward through Dahal, who will serve as both the current prime minister and the king-maker in the Parliament for the ensuing five-year period. And strengthening ties with the Nepali Congress, which won the most votes in the election held in November 2022, will continue to be Beijing's top priority. China's policy towards Nepal will continue to be influenced by its long-standing security concerns related to Tibet, Tibetan communities living in diaspora in Nepal, and Nepal's support for the One China policy. In order to achieve its overarching goal of coopting Buddhism throughout South Asia and Southeast Asia, China is expected to step up its soft diplomatic strategies, with a focus on Buddhist heritages throughout the northern bordering districts of Nepal and in Lumbini, the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautam. This also falls into Beijing's overarching plan to convince Nepal to accept the legitimacy of the Chinese government's choice for the Dalai Lama's successor in the future, The Diplomat reported. (ANI)
According to the Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is more likely than in the past to respond with military force to perceived or real Pakistani provocations. The report said the crises between India and Pakistan are more conderning because both are nuclear-armed states. However, Pakistan has a long history of supporting anti-India terrorist groups But, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is more likely to respond with military force to perceived or real Pakistani provocations, than it was in the past, the threat assessment report said. "Crises between India and Pakistan are of particular concern because of the risk of an escalatory cycle between two nuclear-armed states. New Delhi and Islamabad probably are inclined to reinforce the current calm in their relationship following both sides' renewal of a cease-fire along the Line of Control in early 2021," the Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community report said. It further said, "Pakistan has a long history of supporting anti-India militant groups, and under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is more likely than in the past to respond with military force to perceived or real Pakistani provocations." "Each side's perception of heightened tensions raises the risk of conflict, with violent unrest in Kashmir or a militant attack in India being potential flashpoints," it said. Interstate conflict, state instability, and other governance challenges pose direct and indirect challenges to US interests at home and abroad, and to its allies and partners. Rising tensions underpinned by intensifying strategic competition present numerous consequences for US and partners' national security. Countries' increased military operations across a number of geographic hotspots risk the possibility of inadvertent escalation and the potential for interstate conflict, the statement. Russia's war in Ukraine coupled with the Covid-19 pandemic has increased poverty, hindered economic growth, and widened inequality, raising the conditions that are ripe for domestic unrest, insurgencies, democratic backsliding, and authoritarianism. The war in Ukraine has demonstrated how interstate conflict affects not only the parties directly involved, but can have broader cascading security, economic, and humanitarian implications on a regional--and even global--scale. The following are a few of the potential conflicts between states that could spillover with repercussions that may require immediate U.S. attention, the Threat Assesment Report said. This annual report of worldwide threats to the national security of the United States reflects the collective insights of the Intelligence Community, which is committed every day to providing the nuanced, independent, and unvarnished intelligence that policymakers, warfighters, and domestic law enforcement personnel need to protect American lives and America's interests anywhere in the world. This assessment focuses on the most direct, serious threats to the United States in the upcoming year. (ANI)
Heruon launched its new breakthrough technology, Artemis, on Wednesday, at the Dubai World Police Summit Building. With its award-winning facial and object recognition technology, Artemis can detect Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals and can be adapted to detect Global System for Mobile communication (GSM). Dubai world police summit showcases the best talent globally in policing and security. The Commander of the Dubai police has brought together the leaders of the finest police forces in the world alongside cutting-edge technology. Unlike International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)-grabbers which usually require advanced high-level approval, Artemis does not need any special authorisation. But, it will indicate when an IMSI-grabber is needed. Artemis gathers significant amounts of information that assist in multiple ways when used with other Heruon technology. While addressing the event at the Dubai World Police Summit, Heruon CEO Francis Howard said, "It was gratifying this week to have so many compliments for our new technology from so many senior Police officers from around the world gathered at the World Police Summit in Dubai." Artemis will provide alerts of human activity which give rise to concerns such as monitoring individuals under observation, providing advance warning of individuals approaching sensitive or secure areas, identifying migrants in remote or marine border areas identifying movement in conflict zones. Artemis can support other technologies which identify drug smuggling at sea, provide more certain identification of persons of interest, penetrate criminal organisations and supply hard evidence for prosecution. Usable both indoors and outdoors, it can be deployed in multiple ways including on drones, cars, cycles or on foot. This ground-breaking technology can provide valuable assistance to law enforcement with potential savings in manpower costs. The World Police Summit provides an unparalleled platform to explore the current challenges facing police forces and the latest technological advancements, strategies, and innovations across the law enforcement and security spectrum. Hosted by Dubai Police, the summit is being held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 7 to 9 March 2023. (ANI)
Expanded military postures by both India and China along the disputed border elevate the risk of armed confrontation between the two nuclear powers, according to the Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community. This might involve direct threats to U.S. persons and interests, and calls for U.S. intervention, according to the US Intelligence Report. The report said that India-China relations will remain strained in wake of the countries' lethal clash in 2020, the most serious in decades. This comes despite the two countries engaging in bilateral border talks and resolving border points. Previous standoffs between India, and China have shown that persistent low-level friction on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has the potential to escalate swiftly, as per the US Intelligence Report. Amid the ongoing military standoff with China on the Line of Actual Control, defence intelligence agencies recently issued a solid advisory for formations to ensure that the troops are not using Chinese mobile phones. "Formations and units are to sensitise their personnel through various forms and channels to exercise caution with such (Chinese) mobile phone devices," the advisory issued by the defence intelligence agencies said. In the advisory accessed by ANI, the military spy agencies asked the formations to "discourage troops and their families from purchasing or using phones from countries hostile to India." The forces issued the advisory as there have been cases where malware and spyware have allegedly been found in Chinese-origin mobile phones by agencies, the sources said. The spy agencies have asked the units and formations to "carry out the transition to other phones against the phones" mentioned in the list attached to the advisory. The Chinese mobile phones available in the commercial market in the country include Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi, One Plus, Honor, Real Me, ZTE, Gionee, ASUS and Infinix. The spy agencies have been very active against Chinese mobile phone applications also in the past as multiple such applications were deleted from military personnel's phones. The 26th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held on 22 February 2023 in Beijing, marking the first in-person meeting since July 2019. The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary (East Asia) from the Ministry of External Affairs, while the Chinese delegation was led by the Director General of the Boundary & Oceanic Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas and discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining areas. The discussions were conducted in an open and constructive manner with the objective of restoring peace and tranquillity along the LAC in the Western Sector and creating conditions for the restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations. In accordance with existing bilateral agreements and protocols, the two sides agreed to hold the next (18th) round of the Senior Commanders meeting at an early date. They also agreed to continue discussions through military and diplomatic channels to achieve their objective. (ANI)
Price, whose replacement is yet to be announced, will continue to serve at the State Department, working directly for Blinken.

"Throughout the more than 200 briefings he has since held, he's treated journalists - as well as colleagues and everyone else he interacts with - with respect," Blinken said in a statement.

Within days of taking on the role of a spokesperson in January 2021, "Ned restored the Department's daily press briefings, giving journalists the chance to regularly ask tough questions of our policy".

Stating that Price's contributions will benefit the Department long after his service, Blinken said that he has helped the US government defend and promote press freedom around the globe and modelled the transparency and openness that the US advocates for in other countries.

Thanking Price for his "remarkable service", Blinken said that his firm grasp of the policies underlying our messaging made him that much more effective in his role.

Earlier, Price served in the CIA and was spokesperson of the National Security Council during Obama's administration.

--IANS mi/vd

( 212 Words)

2023-03-08-20:30:04 (IANS)
Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) Saurabh Kumar on Wednesday attended BIMSTEC Senior Officials' Meeting as well as participated in the East Asia Summit (EAS) Senior Officials' Meeting. Taking to social media and informing this MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted "Secretary East @AmbSaurabhKumar attended the BIMSTEC Senior Officials' Meeting hosted virtually by Chair Thailand today. SOM made important recommendations to strengthen BIMSTEC for approval at the 19th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting to be held tomorrow." BIMSTEC, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation, is a regional organization connecting South Asia and Southeast Asia. Established in 1997, this interregional body aims to improve economic cooperation among its member countries, which include India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. With a core objective to enhance economic ties, BIMSTEC is poised to usher in a new era of regional cooperation and pave the way for a more prosperous future for its member nations. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) celebrated its 25th anniversary on June 6 2022. Unlike the SAARC, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation has continued to organise summits and meetings of Foreign Ministers beyond 2014. BIMSTEC has hosted five conferences so far, but the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) has only convened one since its inception in 1997. It has now decided to hold regular summits every two years. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation grouping conducted its fifth summit on March 30, 2022, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The theme of the fifth summit is "Towards a Resilient Region, Prosperous Economies, and Healthy People." This reflects the current priorities of the member states and the efforts of BIMSTEC to help them deal with the economic and development consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The main outcome of the fifth summit was the adoption and signing of the BIMSTEC Charter, which formalises the grouping into an organisation comprised of member states that are coastal and dependent on the Bay of Bengal. The fifth summit also saw significant progress in the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation connectivity agenda, with leaders adopting the "Master Plan for Transport Connectivity," which lays out a framework for future connectivity-related activities in the region. "Secretary (East) @AmbSaurabhKumar participated in the East Asia Summit (EAS) Senior Officials' Meeting today, chaired by Indonesia (EAS Chair)," tweeted Bagchi. The East Asia Summit is the Indo-Pacific's prime forum for strategic dialogue at which all key partners meet to analyze political, security, and economic concerns faced by the Indo-Pacific. This forum possesses a major role to play in advancing closer regional cooperation. The East Asia Summit (EAS) is a regional forum organized every year by the leaders of, originally 16 nations in the East Asian, Southeast Asian, and South Asian regions, based on the ASEAN Plus Six mechanism. The Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar addressed the 17th East Asia Summit (EAS) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia held in November 2022. India's Vice President emphasized the role of the EAS mechanism in promoting free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific with freedom of navigation and overflight. (ANI)
The US intelligence community believes that Russia "probably does not want a direct military conflict with US and NATO forces, but there is potential for that to occur," according to the Annual Threat Assessment report of the intelligence community issued on Wednesday. Russia's unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine is a tectonic event that is reshaping Russia's relationships with the West and China, and more broadly in ways that are unfolding and remain highly uncertain. Escalation of the conflict to a military confrontation between Russia and the West carries the greater risk, which the world has not faced in decades. "Russian leaders thus far have avoided taking actions that would broaden the Ukraine conflict beyond Ukraine's borders, but the risk for escalation remains significant," said the report. There is real potential for Russia's military failures in the war to hurt Russian President Vladimir Putin's domestic standing and thereby trigger additional escalatory actions by Russia in an effort to win back public support. Heightened claims that the United States is using Ukraine as a proxy to weaken Russia, and that Ukraine's military successes are only a result of US and NATO intervention could presage further Russian escalation. Moscow will continue to employ an array of tools to advance what it sees as its own interests and try to undermine the interests of the United States and its allies. These are likely to be military, security, malign influence, cyber, and intelligence tools, with Russia's economic and energy leverage probably a declining asset. We expect Moscow to insert itself into crises when it sees its interests at stake, the anticipated costs of action are low, it sees an opportunity to capitalize on a power vacuum, or, as in the case of its use of force in Ukraine, it perceives an existential threat in its neighborhood that could destabilize Putin's rule and endanger Russian national security, added the US report. It further stated that Russia will continue to use energy as a foreign policy tool to try to coerce cooperation and weaken Western unity on Ukraine. Russia's state-owned exporter Gazprom cut off gas to a number of European countries after they supported sanctions on Russia, contributing to soaring natural gas prices. The US Intelligence Community report also said that Russia has used food as a weapon by blocking or seizing Ukrainian ports, destroying grain infrastructure, occupying large swaths of agricultural land thereby disrupting the yields and displacing workers, and stealing grain for eventual export. These actions exacerbated global food shortages and price increases. The report also alleged that Russia conducted malign influence operations in the 2022 US midterm elections and is using increasingly clandestine means to "penetrate the Western information environment." Moscow will also work to "strengthen ties" to Americans in media and politics as it works to carry out "future influence operations," the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in the latest edition of its annual assessment of worldwide threats to U.S. national security. The 2023 report came four months after the most recent midterm elections, where concerns about Russian influence efforts were more muted in comparison with the two previous presidential election cycles in 2016 and 2020. (ANI)
A massive great white shark weighing about 1,200 pounds was tracked off the coast of Florida this week. The shark, named Maple by OCEARCH, which tracks sharks, is 11 feet and 7 inches.

The great white was spotted about 43 miles off the coast of St. George's island on Monday, OSEARCH wrote on Facebook. Her arrival off the coast coincides with the time spring breakers will flock to the sunshine state.

Maple has been in the Gulf of Mexico for a few weeks but last year traveled up and down the East Coast, after first being tagged in Canada in 2021, OCEARCH tracking data shows. The organization first tagged Maple two years ago, and has continued to monitor her along with dozens of other sharks they have tagged.

She was named after the maple leaf, the emblem on Canada's flag. Maple has a wound on her left side, and researchers believe it was caused by a larger white shark that was trying to show its dominance with a non-fatal bite.

OSEARCH tagged Maple, who has a wound on her side, two years ago. / Credit: OCEARCH

Another great white, named Tancook by OSEARCH, has also been spotted near the northern part of the state in the Atlantic. The 715 lb. male was spotted off the coast of Jacksonville on Tuesday.

CBS News has reached out to OCEARCH for more information and is awaiting response.

Last March, a 12-foot great white was tracked off the coast of Naples after being spotted in the Florida Keys, OCEARCH said, according to CBS Miami.

Female great whites are bigger than males  and can grow up to 16 feet long, compared to males' 13 feet. Some great whites, however, can reach up to 20 feet, according to the Smithsonian.

With an uptick in travel to the state, spring may seem like an inopportune time for these sharks to visit Florida, but sharks typically move toward the shore in the spring and summer, according to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). They reach their peak in Florida between April and October.

Maple has spent many weeks in the Gulf of Mexico. / Credit: OCEARCH

"It's very important for people who visit Florida waters to be aware of their surroundings, understand the relative risks, and be educated on various shark issues such as behavior, biology and fisheries," said Brent Winner, a scientist for the FWC.

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While sharks may be more prevalent near Florida beaches as the weather warms up, FWC says humans are actually more dangerous to sharks: fisheries kill about 100 million sharks a year, while less than 10 humans are killed by sharks annually.

FWC says humans are actually 30 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to be bitten by a shark, and 99% of Florida shark attacks are not fatal.

Great whites not only live on the East Coast of the U.S., but also in the Pacific  from Alaska to California, Hawaii, and Mexico, according to NOAA.

Last month, a video of sharks thrashing in the ocean as they fed on fish went viral. The video, captured by Dillon May off the coast of Venice, Louisiana, showed the hungry sharks aggressively eating a bait pod near a fishing boat.

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One person is dead, and at least 41 people including dozens of firefighters were injured after a fire devoured a 7-story New York apartment building early Wednesday, fire officials said.

The four-alarm blaze broke out about 1:15 a.m. at the 95-unit complex on Bronx River Road in Westchester County just north of New York City and east of the New York and New Jersey state line.

When firefighters arrived they found flames shooting out windows of a first floor apartment, Yonkers Firefighters 628 deputy chief Joseph Citrone told USA TODAY.

Within minutes, he said, it spread to other apartments, forcing a mass evacuation.

Yonkers firefighters and mutual aid companies battle a 4-alarm fire at 671 Bronx River Road, early Wednesday morning, March 8, 2023.

"There were a lot of rescues last night and a lot of people hanging out of windows we had to grab," Yonkers Firefighters 628 Union President George Rocha said.

The fatality was a man whom firefighters found in a unit and moved outside to perform CPR, but they were unable to resuscitate him, Rocha said.

Firefighters also rescued several others, including a man hanging out a window of the fourth floor while others retreated from their apartments down fire escapes.

Live updates: Many questions after 2 Americans killed, 2 rescued in shootout, abductions in Mexico.

One person has died, and more than 20 people, including at least 14 firefighters and police, have been injured after a fire devoured a 6-Story New York apartment building on March 7, 2023.

35 firefighters, 6 civilians hospitalized

In all, 35 firefighters and and at least 6 residents were taken to the hospital to be treated for minor to major injuries, Citrone said.

One firefighter injured suffered a significant injury when he was hit in the face with the metal part of a hose line. He was taken to a hospital where he remained Wednesday morning, Rocha said.

Other first responders and residents suffered injuries including dehydration, exhausting, sprains and smoke inhalation, officials said

Crews remained at Yonkers fire late Wednesday morning

As of 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, crews remained on scene addressing hot spots, officials said.

Officials say the sixth-floor roof collapsed, and the building has suffered extensive water damage.

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Yonkers firefighters and mutual aid companies battle a 4-alarm fire at 671 Bronx River Road, early Wednesday morning, March 8, 2023.

More than 100 firefighters from Yonkers and the surrounding area were called in to battle the flames, Citrone said.

He said conditions have been difficult since an elevated parking garage has blocked trucks from getting close to flames, plus the cold and wind.

"The building is high and set back so to try and attack it from the road ... was a bit difficult," Rocha said.

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90 people displaced

The fire displaced 90 people, Rocha said.

The local Red Cross responded to the scene, he said, to assist the homeless.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Wednesday.

Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yonkers fire: New York apartment building blaze kills 1, injures many
Last Armenians and Assyrians of Malatya Flee City After Quakes

The Cavusoglu and Salkopru neighborhoods, where almost all of Malatya's Armenians and Assyrians resided, were heavily damaged by the major earthquakes that hit southeastern Turkey in February. In both neighborhoods with old buildings, 90 percent of the houses collapsed or are severely damaged.

Some 60 people from both communities lived in the neighborhoods before the quakes on Feb. 6. Four people lost their lives, and most survivors left the province.

In the first earthquake on Feb. 6, the Armenian Tabas family of 4 was trapped under the rubble in the Salkopru neighborhood. While the couple Ayda Tabas and Sami Tabas died under the rubble, their child Aleks Tabas, who was pulled out of the rubble by neighbors, died in the hospital.

On the morning of the earthquake, snowfall and freezing temperatures forced some earthquake survivors to enter their homes. Maryam Kabatas, one of these survivors, was caught in the second earthquake afternoon, and her dead body was pulled out from the rubble.

Tasharon Church was also severely damaged by the earthquake. Large cracks formed in the historic church's walls, which was built in the second half of the 18th century in Malatya's Cavusoglu Neighborhood. After being idle for a long time, the church was restored and opened for worship in 2021.

Yusuf Bayyigit, an Assyrian blacksmith master who moved his family out of Malatya after the two major earthquakes and returned later, said that the Armenian and Assyrian population in the city does not "exceed the fingers of a hand" (a Turkish idiom used for describing fewness).

Bayyigit stated that Malatya's Armenian and Assyrian population have been emigrating since the past and that the limited number of Armenians and Assyrians had to leave the city due to natural disasters.

He explained that their population was much higher in the past but decreased over time. Bayyigit stated that the Armenian and Assyrian populations had to migrate due to political developments in Turkey, the first time during World War I, the second time during the 1974 Cyprus Operation, and the third time during the 1980 military coup.

Yusuf Bayyigit, an Assyrian blacksmith, is staying in the city.

Bayyigit stated that they had sent their families to other places after the earthquake and said, "Unfortunately, this time, we were scattered like everyone else due to the quakes. We also lost some families. There is another person like me who sent his family to the city center after the earthquake; there are two of us left. We also have two families who settled in a village near Malatya. Apart from that, all the Armenian and Assyrian families living here took refuge with their relatives outside Malatya. Of course, this asylum is temporary. But I don't know how they will return later or if they will be able to stay when they come back. Most of the houses are destroyed, and the rest is inhabitable."

He concluded that "I wish there were more of us left, and we could rebuild our city together. I think even picking up a safe from the ground and putting it there is a service to the city."

English version by Can Bodrumlu.
Crews were planning to launch the first-ever fully 3D-printed rocket Wednesday from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. But just before 3:30 p.m., the launch was scrubbed.

Relativity Spaces Terran I rocket is 110 feet tall and uses fewer parts and is quicker to build than the traditional rocket.

The mission is named, Good luck, have fun.

The three-hour launch window opened at 1 p.m., but the launch was postponed several times before ultimately being scrubbed.

Officials said a temperature issue with the rockets liquid oxygen led to an automated launch abort.

Read: Up, up & away: 3 rocket launches planned for Floridas Space Coast this week

The team made an attempt to recycle and launch, but it just wasnt meant to be.

The next attempt window will be Saturday between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Meanwhile, SpaceX has two launches planned in the days ahead as well.

First, SpaceX plans to send a batch of OneWeb satellites into orbit at 2:15 p.m. Thursday.

Watch: NASA, SpaceX successfully launches 4 astronauts to ISS as part of Crew-6 mission

Then on Friday, SpaceX is set to launch a commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station.

The time of Fridays launch has not been released yet.

Channel 9 will monitor all three planned launches and will provide updates on Channel 9 Eyewitness News.

Watch: SpaceX completes successful static fire test of 33-engine Starship booster

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.
Bella Abzug, center. Associated Press

Beyond Gloria Steinem, there are other women who fought for equal rights in the '60s and '70s.

Some were organizers and worked in politics like Bella Abzug, Midge Costanza, and Shirley Chisholm.

Others were powerful writers who focused on feminism, like Audre Lorde and Susan Brownmiller.

While Gloria Steinem is one of the most famous feminists in American history and is often credited with furthering the women's liberation movement, she didn't work alone.

Gloria Steinem in 1970. Anthony Camerano/AP

Throughout the '60s, '70s, and '80s, women all over the country fought for equal rights, abortion rights, and LGBTQ rights. The women who fought on the frontlines used politics, organized events, and wrote powerful books in a fight to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which gives equal rights to all Americans regardless of sex, and to give a voice to the female experience.

This International Women's Day, here are 10 unsung heroes from the women's rights movement.

Betty Friedan became one of the most influential leaders of the women's liberation movement after she published her book "The Feminine Mystique."

Betty Friedan. AP

In 1963, Friedan published "The Feminine Mystique" after interviewing women around the US for five years. In the book, she described women feeling unfulfilled in their roles as mothers and wives. The book became an instant bestseller, sparking a new wave of women's rights battles and launching Friedan as a leader in the movement.

"Each suburban wife struggles with it alone," Friedan wrote in the book. "As she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffeured Cub Scouts and Brownies, lay beside her husband at night  she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question  'Is this all?'"

Three years later, she helped found the National Organization for Women and became its president. The organization mainly fought for equal employment for men and women.

Friedan continued fighting for women's rights throughout the liberation movement and into the '70s.

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Pauli Murray co-founded the National Organization for Women and coined the phrase "Jane Crow."

Pauli Murray. Bettmann / Getty

In 1965, Murray published and co-authored an article, "Jane Crow and the Law: Sex Discrimination and Title VII," in which she discussed the discrimination she faced while being the only Black woman in a classroom full of men at Howard University's law school. The term "Jane Crow" stuck and became a guiding principle for her and the women's liberation movement.

With Betty Friedan, Murray founded the National Organization for Women.

Bella Abzug was a famously outspoken leader in the movement and eventually became a congresswoman.

Bella Abzug. Associated Press

As a lawyer, Abzug was often on the frontlines during the women's liberation movement. She even helped Steinem organize the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971. That same year, she became a US congresswoman for New York.

During her campaign, her slogan was "This woman's place is in the House  the House of Representatives."

Amid the women's liberation movement, Shirley Chisholm ran for president of the United States.

Shirley Chisholm. AP Photo/ Richard Drew, File

Chisholm was a school teacher who ran for Congress in New York in 1968. When she won the seat, she became the first Black woman to be elected to Congress.

At the time she said, "I have no intention of just sitting quietly and observing. I intend to focus attention on the nation's problems."

In 1972, she launched a run for the presidency, which garnered national attention when the country was in open debate about a woman's place in the world. Although her bid didn't go far, she eventually served seven terms in Congress, during which time she fiercely advocated for women and people of color.

Jill Ruckelshaus was a Republican who worked with liberals to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.

Jill Ruckelshaus. Bettmann / Getty

Ruckelshaus was a Republican and a feminist  she was even called "the Gloria Steinem of the Republican Party," according to the Los Angeles Times.

Ruckelshaus fought for women's abortion rights and for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment throughout the '70s. She was often used to appeal to the Republican party as some members wanted to stop the ratification of the amendment. In 1980, to protest the party's stance, she led 4,500 supporters of the amendment as they marched past where the Republican National Convention was being held in Detroit.

Susan Brownmiller wrote a groundbreaking book about rape that made waves in the '70s.

Susan Brownmiller. Bettmann / Getty

In 1971, Brownmiller, a journalist and writer, helped organize a conference focused on rape with radical feminists. At that conference, she decided to do research into the subject, and in 1975, she published "Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape." When the book became a bestseller, people learned that rape should be considered a social issue.

She wrote that rape was a "conscious process of intimidation by which all men keep all women in a state of fear."

Kate Millett became a leading figure of the women's liberation movement when she published "Sexual Politics."

Kate Millett. AP

When Millett finished her doctoral thesis in 1970, she decided to publish it as a book known as "Sexual Politics." In just two weeks, the book sold 10,000 copies and launched Millet into the spotlight. Time called her "the Mao Tse-tung of Women's Liberation."

In "Sexual Politics," Millett criticizes the patriarchal world women are forced into without their knowing.

"It is interesting that many women do not recognize themselves as discriminated against; no better proof could be found of the totality of their conditioning," she wrote.

Gloria Watkins was an influential writer during the fight for equal rights. She called for a more inclusive feminism.

Gloria Watkins, also known as bell hooks. Anthony Barboza / Getty

Watkins used a pen name "bell hooks" to publish her first book "Ain't I A Woman," which took her 10 years to write, according to The New York Times. Published in 1981, the book "remains a radical and relevant work of political theory," as it explores the treatment of Black female slaves and how it has affected Black women in modern society, and how the white feminist movement excluded them.

"A devaluation of black womanhood occurred as a result of the sexual exploitation of black women during slavery that has not altered in the course of hundreds of years," Watkins wrote in the book.

As Watkins wrote more books throughout her career, she called for a more inclusive women's movement. Her books focused on the "exclusion of minority women from mainstream feminism, and how black women need to think more about loving and celebrating themselves instead of just surviving and the dominance of men in all women's lives," the Washington Post wrote in 1999.

During this time, Audre Lorde was a poet who also focused on bringing more inclusion to the larger women's movement.

Audre Lorde. Jack Mitchell / Getty

Lorde once described herself as a "Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet," according to the Poetry Foundation. Her collections of essays focused mainly on being a queer, Black woman and explored the ideas of feminism.

"Every woman has a well-stocked arsenal of anger potentially useful against those oppressions, personal and institutional, which brought that anger into being," Lorde said at the National Women's Studies Association Conference in 1981.

Lorde also joined the Combahee River Collective, which was a group of mostly Black lesbians who left the larger women's liberation movement because they felt it was not addressing their needs or interests.

As the first female assistant to the president, Midge Costanza became known as a trailblazing feminist and an LGBTQ rights activist.

Midge Costanza. Bettmann / Getty

After becoming close friends with Jimmy Carter, Costanza helped the future president build his presidential campaign in New York. When he was elected to the Oval Office in 1976, Carter appointed her as his presidential assistant  the first woman to ever hold the title.

While in that position, Costanza challenged Carter on social issues, including equal pay, abortion rights, and LGBTQ rights. Eventually, the press singled her out for being a dissenting voice in the White House and she resigned from her position in 1978.

Read the original article on Insider
Green Book, Crash, A Beautiful Mind and Braveheart are among the worst films to take home the Best Picture trophy (Universal/Bullseye/Fox)

To win a Best Picture Oscar, a film has to have something about it.

Only 94 films in history have been given this award. Theyre not voted on by the eccentric members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, who pick the Golden Globes, or by specialist groups of critics, but by the roughly 10,000 members of the Academy. That is to say, the choice is made by distinguished figures from within the industry.

Sometimes, though, they do still make some baffling choices.

By the time the Oscars roll around at the end of the awards process, a herd mentality tends to have set in.

When everybody has already voted at all the other awards shows for, say, The Kings Speech or The Shape of Water, the Academy members follow suit. Its rare for a Best Picture winner ever to be a complete surprise.

Nonetheless, a few questionable films have stolen glory that rightfully belonged elsewhere.

Read below to see the 10 worst winners of Hollywoods most prestigious award.

10. The Life of Emile Zola

Prestige counts at the Oscars. That is why a stodgy literary biopic like The Life of Emile Zola somehow won the main award at the 1937 Oscars. Its a solid and worthy piece of work, with a grandstanding performance from Paul Muni (under a lot of whiskers) as the campaigning French novelist. The idea, though, that it is one of the few truly great pictures of all time, as its own publicity suggested, is clearly idiotic.

9. Green Book

Viggo Mortensen in Green Book' (Universal)

Green Book told the true story of an unlikely friendship between a black classical pianist (Mahershala Ali) and his bigoted Italian-American driver (Viggo Mortensen). In an interview with The Independent in 2020, Mortensen argued: Its become a cliche to say, Is this movie going to be the Green Book of this year? Green Book has become a pejorative. He described the criticisms levelled at the film as hurtful, destructive as well as mendacious and irresponsible. Nonetheless, Green Book remains a ignominious winner: trite, saccharine, and problematic.

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8. Around the World in 80 Days

This was a perfectly amiable big-budget travelogue but you cant help but suspect its Best Picture Oscar was more to do with the marketing and hustling skills of its producer, Mike Todd, than with any brilliance in the filmmaking. It was directed by the Englishman Michael Anderson, previously best known for The Dam Busters, and featured David Niven as the intrepid traveller, Phileas Fogg, who bets he can travel all the way round the world in a little over two months.

7. Crash

Paul Haggiss Crash is a decent and well-meaning study of the consequences of racism and violence in contemporary LA. It was independently made and had a large ensemble cast, all giving heartfelt performances. However, Robert Altman had covered similar territory better in Short Cuts and the feeling persisted that it had won the Best Picture award because some Academy voters were determined not to give the Oscar to the gay-themed contemporary western Brokeback Mountain.

6. Chicago

All that Jazz: Renee Zellwegger in Kander and Ebb's musical 'Chicago' (Rex Features)

You rarely win an Oscar without a strong marketing campaign. The now disgraced distributor/producer Harvey Weinstein knew the secrets of getting Academy voters on his side better than anyone else in the business. Whether it was the Blitz-like approach to advertising in the trade press, or the timing of the awards screenings, or the way he kept the films stars in front of the media or his relentless courtship of the Academy members, he was arguably as important to the Oscar success of the so-so musical Chicago as any of the creative talent behind it.

5. A Beautiful Mind

Its not bad. Its a love story that touches on mental illness and mathematics (neither usually subjects that Hollywood embraces). Russell Crowe gives a fine performance as John Nash, the Nobel prize-winning boffin with the beautiful but unstable mind. Nonetheless, Ron Howards biopic isnt any kind of classic. It won its Best Picture Oscar in an unusually thin year.

4. Marty

Marty, the 1955 winner, isnt even the best version of its own subject matter. This story, scripted by the great Paddy Chayevsky, about an emotionally repressed Italian-American butcher from the Bronx looking for love, had already been made as a live TV drama the year before. In the small-screen version, Rod Steiger gave a superlative performance in the lead role. Ernest Borgnine in the film version cant help but seem like second best to anyone who saw Steiger in the same part. Whereas the puggish Borgnine makes Marty a figure of pity, Steiger turned him into a full blown tragic hero.

3. Out of Africa

Youll remember the pink flamingos and all those scenes of beautiful Kenyan landscapes that looked as if they were cribbed from a David Attenborough natural history documentary. You wont ever forget Meryl Streeps eccentric accent as the Danish baroness and author, Karen Blixen (I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong hills). This is mushy stuff, though, and hardly deserving of its Oscar.

2. Braveheart

Regardless of how accurate Braveheart was as history, it played into ongoing debates about devolution and Scottish independence (Rex Features)

This rousing, Scottish-set (but partly Irish-filmed) medieval epic is famous for its scenes of William Wallaces army in blue faces lifting their kilts and baring their bums. Regardless of how accurate this was as history, it played into ongoing debates about devolution and Scottish independence. The film also did its bit for the Scottish tourism business. Mel Gibson knows how to stage a battle scene. Whether that qualifies his film for a Best Picture Oscar is another matter.

1. The Greatest Show on Earth

From a vantage point 71 years on, the decision to give the Best Picture Oscar to Cecil B DeMilles circus epic in 1952 is truly baffling. British viewers who have seen it will almost certainly have done so on TV (where its 152-minute running time made it useful for filling in gaps in the schedule). It has a decent cast and some reasonable stunts but Academy voters were surely clowning around when they chose it over other nominees in the same year which have aged far, far better like High Noon and The Quiet Man.

Follow along with all the latest Oscars coverage from The Independent here.
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The biggest night in Hollywood is just around the corner, but this years Academy Awards are already cause for celebration. The Oscar nominations include several historic firsts this year, particularly with regard to Asian actors.

The ceremony marks the first time that four Asian actors are competing, across multiple acting categories, to take home a prized 8.5-pound golden statue of their own in the same year. Michelle Yeoh is nominated for Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once, while her co-stars Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu are nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. Additionally, Hong Chau received a Best Supporting Actress nod for her role in The Whale.



Those are just a few of the records that came out of this years Oscar nominations, with others being set by Hollywood living legends like Steven Spielberg , Cate Blanchett, Angela Bassett , and John Williams .

Dont miss the 2023 Academy Awards ceremony on March 12 at 8 p.m. ET live on ABC and streaming on FuboTV and Hulu.

Michelle Yeoh

Nomination: Best Actress

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At age 60, Yeoh is the first Asian-identifying woman nominated for Best Actress. She starred in Everything Everywhere All At Once as Evelyn, a Chinese immigrant in America who discovers an ability to connect with versions of herself in parallel universes. Merle Oberon, who was of mixed British and South Asian dissent, earned a Best Actress nomination in 1935 for her role in The Dark Angel, but she concealed her heritage for fear that discrimination could harm her Hollywood career.

You fluctuate between feeling very shocked and very overwhelmed with joy, but thinking, How can I be the first?, because I know of so many amazing actresses and actors where weve stood on their shoulders, Yeoh said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert . I would love to see that [become] a thing of the past, where this is a norm. That you see faces like ours up there being nominated and being given equal opportunity to play those roles.



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Ke Huy Quan

Nomination: Best Supporting Actor

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Ke Huy Quan, previously best known for his iconic child acting performances in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and The Goonies (1985), is now the first Vietnam-born actor nominated for an Oscar. His supporting role in Everything Everywhere All at Once also made him the first Asian male actor to win a SAG award .



Hong Chau

Nomination: Best Supporting Actress

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Hong Chau is the first actress of Vietnamese descent to receive an Academy Award nomination. She portrayed a nurse and friend to Brendan Frasers character in The Whale. Chau had been widely expected to receive an Oscar nod for her supporting role in Downsizing (2017) but was ultimately snubbed. She told The Independent : So now, when people ask how it feels to be nominated, its strange. I really feel nothing.

Ana De Armas

Nomination: Best Actress

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Ana De Armas is the first Cuban actress to be nominated for Best Actress, for her role as iconic real-life movie star Marilyn Monroe in the controversial biopic Blonde.



Angela Bassett

Nomination: Best Supporting Actress

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For her role Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Angela Bassett is the first actor to receive an Oscar nomination for a Marvel film . Bassett has previously earned a Best Actress nomination for portraying Tina Turner in Whats Love Got to Do with It (1993), making her just the fourth Black actress to receive multiple Oscar nominations, along with Whoopi Goldberg , Octavia Spencer , and Viola Davis .



Steven Spielberg

Nomination: Best Director

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Steven Spielberg once again demonstrated his incredible longevity with a Best Director nomination for The Fabelmans, extending his record as the only director with nominations across six different decades . He has received nine Best Director nominations across his career, including his first for Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1978).



John Williams

Nomination: Best Original Score

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Legendary composer John Williams already holds myriad Oscar records and is currently the most nominated living person with 53 nominations, including this years nod for Best Original Score for The Fabelmans. If he wins, he will become the oldest Oscar winner in history at age 91.



Cate Blanchett

Nomination: Best Actress

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Cate Blanchett has earned eight Academy Award nominations in her career, winning two for her roles in The Aviator (2004) and Blue Jasmine (2013). She could win another trophy this year for her lead role in Tar, but with the films Best Picture nomination, Blanchett has earned a rare distinction: She has appeared in 10 Best Picture nominees, the most of any actress.

In addition to The Aviator and Tar, Blanchetts Best Picturenominated films include Elizabeth (1998), the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Babel (2006), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Dont Look Up (2021), and Nightmare Alley (2021).

Leonardo Di Caprio has also appeared in 10 Best Picture nominees, while Robert De Niro holds the record among actors with 11 films.

Judd Hirsch

Nomination: Best Supporting Actor

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Judd Hirsch is the first actor to receive two acting nominations for performances released more than four decades apart . His Best Supporting Actor nod for The Fabelmans comes 42 years after his last nomination for Ordinary People (1980). At age 87, a victory would make him the oldest person to win in an acting category, edging out Christopher Plummer who was 82 when he won for Beginners (2011).



Other Oscar Nomination Records This Year
An 11-year-old student is accused of pouring bleach into her fifth-grade teachers coffee cup, New Mexico police said.

The teacher had briefly left the room on Feb. 28 when other students saw their Washington Avenue Elementary School classmate put the bleach into the cup, Todd Wildermuth, a spokesperson for the Roswell Police Department, said in an email to McClatchy News on March 8.

The teacher, however, did not drink the coffee, as the other students warned them about what their classmate had done, Wildermuth said.

The Roswell Independent School District did not immediately return McClatchy News request for comment on March 8.

A school resource officer from the police department arrived at the school after personnel learned about the incident, according to Wildermuth.

Wildermuth said police believe the student brought the bleach from a family members home where she was living.

Police issued the student and her guardian a juvenile citation, which charges the student with assault on school personnel, Wildermuth said.

The case will be forwarded to the Juvenile Probation Office, which will determine how to proceed with the case, according to Wildermuth.

Roswell is about 200 miles southeast of Albuquerque.

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First lady Jill Biden honored a group of 11 recipients of the International Women of Courage Awards ceremony Wednesday, recognizing their advocacy for womens rights, justice and peace in their respective countries.

Coinciding with International Womens Day, the event marked the first time the celebration has been held at the White House, with honorees gathering under the decorative chandeliers of the East Room.

Today, were here to tell girls everywhere the truth that they need to hear: Yes, you matter. Yes, you can make a difference, Jill Biden said. Thats why we wanted to bring the leaders were honoring today, and the stories that they share, to the biggest stage we could: The White House.

The first lady thanked each of the honorees for their bravery and encouraged men around the world to uplift the voices of women and support those female activists fighting for their rights worldwide.

As much as we need women who are willing to speak up, she said, We need more men who are willing to listen and act.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined the first lady in hosting the event, which has historically been held at the State Department.

This year, for the first time, we honor the awardees here at the White House. And that really is a reflection of just how highly President Biden, the first lady and this administration prioritize gender equality and human rights, Blinken said.

The 11 women honored this year were Zakira Hekmat of Afghanistan, Alba Rueda of Argentina, Daniele Darlan of the Central African Republic, Doris Rios of Costa Rica, Meaza Mohammed of Ethiopia, Hadeel Abdel Aziz of Jordan, Bakhytzhan Toregozhina of Kazakhstan, Sen. Datuk Ras Adiba Radzi of Malaysia, Brigadier General Bolor Ganbold of Mongolia, Bianka Zalewska of Poland and Yuliia Paievska of Ukraine.

The honorees are journalists, activists, political and military leaders, humanitarians and peacemakers in their countries, each risking their own safety and overcoming immense obstacles to promote human rights.

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Additionally, the Madeleine Albright Honorary Group Award, a new award honoring the first female former secretary of state, was presented to the women and girls protesting Irans state-sponsored violence against women following the death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in 2022.

It is fitting that this award recognizes not just one woman, but the bravery, the fortitude and collaboration of a whole movement, said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. To all the women and girls across Iran, know this: we will continue to stand with you in your fight for women, for life and for freedom.

The State Department has recognized more than 180 women from over 80 countries since the inaugural International Women of Courage Awards in 2007. Several honorees from 2021 and 2022 whose ceremonies were unable to be held in-person were in attendance at the White House Wednesday.

The 11 women honored this year will participate in the State Departments International Visitor Leadership Program, giving them each the opportunity to visit various parts of the country to meet with American counterparts.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A 14-year-old boy is accused of sucker-punching a Florida sheriffs deputy in the head, and the deputy punched him back when the teen resisted arrest, according to the Lee County Sheriffs Office.

The suspect is one of two teens accused of assaulting deputies at the Lee County Fair in Fort Myers, 130 miles south of Tampa, deputies said.

It happened around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, March 4, when a deputy responded to a disturbance call at the fair and faced a crowd of teens, officials said.

A male in a black hoodie, covering his face, walked up next to him ... then struck (the deputy) with a closed fist to the left side of the face, hitting his ear and facial area, an affidavit reports. At this point, (the deputy) grabbed the subject and escorted the subject to the ground (and) informed the subject he was under arrest for battery of a law enforcement officer.

It was when the 14-year-old resisted being put in handcuffs that the deputy delivered a closed handed strike to the side of his head, the report says.

Compliance was gained, the subject was handcuffs and force was discontinued, the affidavit reports.

The teen, who lives in Fort Myers, is charged with battery on an officer and resisting without violence, officials said.

It was during the teens arrest that a second deputy reported he was also punched in the face by someone in the crowd. That 17-year-old male continued swinging his fists at the deputy as he was being arrested, the affidavit reports.

The suspect, who lives in Fort Myers, was also charged with battery of an officer and resisting an officer without violence, officials said.

Due to the subjects being juveniles, their respective parents were notified, officials said.

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Gifts from women-owned brands to celebrate International Womens Day

 Recommendations are independently chosen by Revieweds editors. Purchases you make through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.

March is Women's History Month and today, March 8, we celebrate International Womens Day! It's a time to celebrate the accomplishments of women around the world. If youre shopping for a gift during this time, why not get in the spirit of the holiday and support a woman-owned business? After all, theres no shortage of amazing women-founded brands out there to choose from!

Make smart choices without hours of googling. Subscribe to The Checklist newsletter for expert product advice and recommendations.

In honor of International Womens Day, weve rounded up some of the best gifts from women-owned brands, including a cozy bathrobe, delicious cake, and beautiful throw blanket. Any of these options would make a wonderful birthday or even Mothers Day gift (thinking ahead!), or you can treat yourself to a little somethingjust because.

Best gifts for women: 50 best gift ideas for women in 2023

1. For self-care experts: Parachute Classic Robe

Best gifts from women-owned brands: Parachute robe

Parachute is an amazing woman-founded brand that makes top-rated bedding and bath linens, and its run by its founder and CEO Ariel Kaye. If youre shopping for someone who loves relaxing and pampering themselves on their days off, the Parachute Classic Robe is one of our favorite options for both men and women.

Weve tested the cult-favorite robe, and it definitely lives up the hypeits soft, plush, and delightfully cozy. Plus, it comes in a wide range of sizes and colors to suit anyone.

$109 at Parachute

2. For nail art enthusiasts: Olive and June Mani System

Best gifts from women-owned brands: Olive and June Mani System

Nail brand Olive and June was founded by Sarah Gibson Tuttle, and it actually started out as a nail salon in Beverly Hills. Today, the brand offers nail polish, press-on nails, nail art and more, and when we tested Olive and June, we loved the gorgeous polish colors and ease of application.

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While you cant go wrong with anything from the trendy brand, the Mani System is a great way to discover their polishesit includes six colors of your choice, as well as must-have tools like nail clippers, a buffer, clean-up brush and more.

$50 at Olive and June

3. For home chefs: Brightland Olive Oil

Best gifts from women-owned brands: Brightland Olive Oil

High-quality olive oil is a game-changer in the kitchen, and The Duo from Brightland is sure to become a favorite for any home chef. The brand was founded by Aishwarya Iyer, who was motivated to start Brightland after learning about prevalent problems in the olive oil industry, and the popular set includes the Awake and Alive oils. Awake delivers a bold and robust flavor thats ideal for sauteing, soups, and bread, while Alive has a smoother, grassy profile that lends itself to salads and hummus.

$74 at Brightland

4. For the skincare-obsessed: Glossier Milk Jelly Cleanser

Best gifts from women-owned brands: Glossier Milk Jelly cleanser

There are lots of women-founded skincare and makeup brands out there today, and one of our favorites is Glossier, which was founded by Emily Weiss. When we tested popular Glossier products, our reviewer fell in love with the brands Milk Jelly Cleanser, which she described as a revelation. The pH-balanced formula contains five different skin conditioners to keep your skin smooth and soft, as well as a mild cleansing agent that wont sting your eyes.

$19 at Glossier

5. For wine lovers: Une Femme The Callie

Best gifts from women-owned brands: Une Femme The Callie

You can raise a toast on International Womens Day with a glass of Une Femme The Callie Sparkling Rose. Une Femme was founded by Jen Pelka, and in addition to regular 750-ml bottles, the brand also offers adorable mini bottles of sparkling wine. The pretty pink Callie varietal is made from California grapes, and it has notes of ripe strawberry and rose petal, as well as rich red fruits like warm blackberries.

$32 at Reserve Bar

6. For anyone whos stressed: Calming Shower Steamers

Best gifts from women-owned brands: Calming Shower Steamers

The Calming Shower Steamers Gift Set will turn any shower into a relaxing spa-like oasis. Made by artist Lizzy Siman-Tov, these steamers fill your shower with soothing essential oil scents, such as lemongrass, grapefruit and lavender. They come in a pack of either five or 12, and it makes a thoughtful little gift for anyone whos having a tough week.

$28 at Uncommon Goods

7. For anyone who loves sleeping: Eberjey Gisele PJ Set

Best gifts from women-owned brands: Eberjey Gisele PJ set

The easiest way to elevate your bedtime routine is with a pair of luxurious PJs, and the best womens pajamas weve tested are the Eberjey Gisele PJ Set, which just happens to be from a woman-owned brand. This sleepwear set is made from super soft Tencel Modal fabric, and we love that its extremely well-made and flattering. The set comes in a wide range of colors, including fun limited-edition options, and there are both long- and short-sleeve variations available.

$128 at Eberjey

8. For the girl boss: Empowered Women Shirt

Best gifts from women-owned brands: Empowered Women Shirt

Not only does the Empowered Women Shirt have an inspiring message thats perfect for International Womens Day, its also from a woman-owned Etsy shop. Win-win! The T-shirt is made from 100% cotton, and it reads, Empowered women empower women. It comes in a wide range of unisex sizes, and you can choose from more than a dozen shirt colors.

$15 at Etsy

9. For plant collectors: Birds Nest Fern

Best gifts from women-owned brands: The Sills Birds Nest Fern

The Sill is one of our go-to destinations for high-quality plants, and the brand was founded by Eliza Blank, who started the business when she was just 26. If youre looking for a gift for a plant-loving friendor just want a bit of new greenery for your own homethe brands Birds Nest Fern is the way to go. It has fun textured leaves and doesnt require too much maintenance, and its also safe to keep around pets.

$78 at The Sill

10. For beach lovers: ChappyWrap Fair Winds Blanket

Best gifts from women-owned brands: ChappyWrap Fair Winds Blanket

ChappyWrap is run by mother-daughter duo Beth Haller LaSala and Christina Livada, and their high-quality throw blankets are perfect for anyone who loves being by the coast. The Fair Winds Blanket has a reversible sailboat-themed pattern, and the cotton-acrylic blend is jacquard-woven and will never pill or fuzz. Its 60-by-80-inch size is perfect for the couch, beach or boat, and it can be machine washed and dried for easy maintenance.

$135 at ChappyWrap

11. For dessert-lovers: Kosterina Olive Oil Cake

Best gifts from women-owned brands: Kosterina Olive Oil cake

Kosterina, which offers premium olive oils and other condiments, was founded by Katerina Mountanos, and if youre hunting for a sweet treat to gift someone special, the Kosterina Olive Oil Cake is a delectable choice. The 8-inch cake is light and fluffy, and its flavor is enhanced with the brands extra virgin olive oil. The cake ships fresh, and you can even select a gluten- and dairy-free option, if desired.

$38 at Kosterina

13. For the fashionista: Cuyana Small Zipper Pouch

Best gifts from women-owned brands: Cuyana Small Zipper Pouch

Your favorite fashion-lover will be able to keep their purse organized with the Cuyana Small Zipper Pouch, which is crafted from beautiful Italian leather. This brand was created by Karla Gallardo and Shilpa Shah, and today, its known for its high-quality leather bags. The Zipper Pouch is the perfect size for a phone, wallet, and beauty essentials, and it comes in a variety of pretty colors, with the option to add a monogram for added personalization.

$98 at Cuyana

13. For candle collectors: Roam Homegrown Lavender Driftwood Candle

Best gifts from women-owned brands: Roam Homegrown Lavender Driftwood Candle

Candles are always a great gift, and ROAM Homegrown is a woman-owned brand that offers luxurious handmade soy candles. The Oversized Lavender Driftwood Candle comes in a pretty matte glass vessel, and its 12.7-ounce size can burn for up to 65 hours. The candle has notes of lovely avenger with a woodsy undertone, and its scented with all-natural, phthalate-free oils for a stronger fragrance, no matter if its burning or cold.

$38 at Roam Homegrown

14. For new homeowners: Tushy Classic Bidet

Best gifts from women-owned brands: Tushy Classic Bidet

Did you know that Tushy, which makes our favorite bidets, was actually founded by a woman? Miki Agrawal started the brand in 2015 with the goal of making bidets more appealing and accessible, and we think its safe to say she was successful. The Tushy Classic Bidet 3.0 is quick and easy to install, and it doesnt require any special plumbing or electricity. It makes a perfect housewarming gift, and if you dont have one for yourself, you can bundle two Tushys for a discounted price.

$99 at Tushy

15. For cocktail drinkers: Kasama Rum

Best gifts from women-owned brands: Kasama Rum

You can elevate any mixed drink with the help of Kasama Rum, which was founded by second-generation spirits entrepreneur Alexandra Dorda. The small-batch spirit is made in the Philippines and aged for seven years in American oak barrels previously used for bourbon. The result is an easy-to-sip rum with notes of pineapple, vanilla, and sea saltyum!

$36 at Kasama

16. For eco-conscious shoppers: Papaya Reusable Paper Towels

Best gifts from women-owned brands: Papaya Reusable Paper Towels

Little eco-friendly swaps can make a big difference on your overall carbon footprint, which is why we love Papaya Reusable Paper Towels. The brand was founded by Rena Green and her husband, and its signature paper towels are made from a combination of cellulose and cotton. Each reusable towel can replace up to 17 rolls of traditional paper towels, and theyre 100% compostable when they reach the end of their life. Plus, they come in a variety of fun prints that will look great hanging in your kitchen.

$36 at Papaya

17. For the dog owner: Maxbone Go! With Ease Bundle

Best gifts from women-owned brands: Maxbone Go! With Ease Bundle

If youre shopping for a proud dog mom (or dad), the Go! With Easy Bundle includes everything they need for daily outings. Maxbone was founded by Parisa Fowles-Pazdro, and the best-selling bundle includes a cute harness, multi-function matching leash, and a handy leash pouch. The harness comes in sizes small up through extra-large, and there are seven fun colors to choose from, too.

$115 at Maxbone

The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews and more.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

This article originally appeared on Reviewed: Best gifts from women-owned businesses
Hialeah police found a body shoved halfway into a garbage bag, and they say they have a murder suspect in custody.

At 4:12 p.m. Monday, Hialeah police rushed to 420 W. 53rd St. to a 911 call about a dead man. Officers found the 19-year-old victim, whose identity has not been released, in the house with a bag over the upper portion of his body. Two spent casings from a bullet were found in the same room.

Thirty minutes later, police had a person of interest and found him. When the suspect, who police did not identify to the Miami Herald, was taken the station, he detailed what led to murder, police said.

The man said he was in an argument with the 19-year-old in the home when he pulled out a knife. The suspect told police he then pulled a gun and shot the victim twice in the face, officers said. After, he tried to put the victim in a black trash bag but was interrupted by people entering the house, police said.

Miami Herald News Partner CBS Miami identified the murder suspect as Willy Betancourt, 26, of Hialeah. As of Wednesday morning, Betancourt still remained in jail.
National Guard and military vehicles transfer U.S. citizens citizens kidnapped in Mexico to the U.S. STR/AFP via Getty Images

Two of the four Americans kidnapped last week in Mexico were found dead Tuesday.

The other two were rescued outside Matamoros, the border town where they were attacked and abducted just after crossing the border from Brownsville, Texas, in a minivan, USA Today and The Associated Press report. A Mexican military convoy returned the survivors to the United States.

Relatives said the four  Latavia "Tay" McGee, Eric James Williams, Shaeed Woodard, and Zindell Brown, all of South Carolina  went to Matamoros because McGee planned to get a tummy tuck from a cosmetic surgeon there, per the AP.

McGee was unharmed. Williams survived with a leg wound. Mexican authorities said the group was hit by gunfire from local drug cartel factions. A Mexican bystander was killed by a stray bullet.

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Haitham Al Ghais (R), secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), speaks at CERAWeek in Houston, Texas, the United States, March 7, 2023. On the theme of "Navigating a Turbulent World: Energy, Climate and Security," the influential global energy forum CERAWeek is held here from March 6 to 10, focusing on the dual challenges of meeting the world's growing energy demand while reducing emissions. (Photo by Chen Chen/Xinhua)

by Shangyou Nie

HOUSTON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Voices from the Global South are an integral part of the ongoing global energy forum CERAWeek as speakers from the developing economies gather together with other world industry leaders.

Their opinions have added timely importance as the world is facing harsher twin challenges of energy security and transition amid turbulence, observers say.

The five-day event kicked off on Monday under the theme, "Navigating a Turbulent World: Energy, Climate and Security."

More than 7,000 participants, including policymakers, industry leaders, company executives, investors and researchers from over 80 countries and regions, joined the forum, according to the organizer.

"It is necessary to ascertain how dependent finance can be made more reachable to the countries that need them," said Malaysia's Tengku Muhammad Taufik, president and group chief executive officer at Malaysia's state-owned energy firm Petronas.

Taufik said that small and medium-sized enterprises have to deal with harsh realities resulting from climate change, such as frequent flooding and record-high temperatures recently experienced in parts of Asia.

"We are not climate deniers. I want to put this on record. Eight out of 10 countries in ASEAN have got very ambitious nationally determined contributions targets," Taufik said, adding that the big challenge is to "put these aims in order and match them with real pragmatic actions."

The Russia-Ukraine conflict and the 2022 energy market volatility have added a "big catalyst to invest in renewable energy from the energy security point of view," rather than just "investing in renewables because of the sustainability," Liza Mustapha, executive vice president and group chief financial officer of Petronas, said in a separate panel.

She said the company attaches great importance to addressing the energy trilemma of energy security, affordability and sustainability.

There is a need for a "balanced view" on the energy transition in the developing economies since they "have people to feed," said Bharrat Jagdeo, vice president of Guyana, during the CERAWeek.

Even with 10 FPSOs (floating production storage and off-loading) operating offshore in Guyana, "we will be carbon negative," he told the audience.

"The world is hoping to get to carbon negative in 2050, but we are already there. Our forest area is bigger than England and Scotland combined," as a huge carbon sink, he said.

"We have a balanced strategy to develop our oil and gas industry, but we also have strong environmental credentials," he said, "People in Guyana have a legitimate aspiration to a better life."

Jagdeo said international investors are welcome to buy carbon credits in Guyana to back up the protection of Guyana's Amazonian rainforests. 

Delegates attend a session titled "Boom Time for Biofuels: New crops, new fuels, new markets" during CERAWeek in Houston, Texas, the United States, March 7, 2023. On the theme of "Navigating a Turbulent World: Energy, Climate and Security," the influential global energy forum CERAWeek is held here from March 6 to 10, focusing on the dual challenges of meeting the world's growing energy demand while reducing emissions. (Photo by Chen Chen/Xinhua)

Haitham Al Ghais (R, back), secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), speaks at CERAWeek in Houston, Texas, the United States, March 7, 2023. On the theme of "Navigating a Turbulent World: Energy, Climate and Security," the influential global energy forum CERAWeek is held here from March 6 to 10, focusing on the dual challenges of meeting the world's growing energy demand while reducing emissions. (Photo by Chen Chen/Xinhua)

Haitham Al Ghais (R), secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), speaks at CERAWeek in Houston, Texas, the United States, March 7, 2023. On the theme of "Navigating a Turbulent World: Energy, Climate and Security," the influential global energy forum CERAWeek is held here from March 6 to 10, focusing on the dual challenges of meeting the world's growing energy demand while reducing emissions. (Photo by Chen Chen/Xinhua)

Delegates speak at the session titled "Oil & Gas: Leading for the next decade" during CERAWeek in Houston, Texas, the United States, March 7, 2023. On the theme of "Navigating a Turbulent World: Energy, Climate and Security," the influential global energy forum CERAWeek is held here from March 6 to 10, focusing on the dual challenges of meeting the world's growing energy demand while reducing emissions. (Photo by Chen Chen/Xinhua)
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Two Rockview state prison inmates died since Friday, the state Department of Corrections wrote in statements released Wednesday.

Robert D. Williams, 40, of Lancaster County, died Friday after being found unresponsive in his cell, prison Superintendent Bobbi Jo Salamon said in a statement. He died at Mount Nittany Medical Center.

Andrew Yuhas, 61, of Luzerne County, died Monday. He was also found unresponsive in his cell and died at the hospital, Salamon said.

Their deaths are being investigated by state police at Rockview, as required by Pennsylvania policy. Autopsies for both men were completed Tuesday, Centre County Chief Deputy Coroner Judy Pleskonko said. Their cause and manner of death is pending.

Williams was serving a two- to 10-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in March 2020 to one felony count of retaliation against a witness and three misdemeanors in Lancaster County.

He spray-painted threatening messages on several buildings at Millersville University as a form of retaliation against a woman who testified against him in a previous criminal case, PennLive and other media outlets reported.

Williams was detained at the prison since October 2021.

Yuhas was serving a 16- to 32-year prison sentence. He pleaded guilty in June 1998 to 10 charges, including felony counts of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault.

A psychologist testified Yuhas planned the rapes, while a Luzerne County prosecutor described him as a sick and dangerous individual, The Times Leader reported.

Yuhas tearfully apologized before his sentence was handed down, telling a Luzerne County judge he never meant to hurt anyone. He was detained at the prison since March 2016.
An Olathe man, who authorities say led police on a high-speed chase down a runway at the Wheeler Downtown Airport last year, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to disrupting airport operations, according to the Department of Justice.

Efren Torres-Rodriguez, 35, pleaded guilty to disrupting an international airport, illegal possession of a firearm as a felon and an unlawful use of a controlled substance.

Kansas City police responded to calls of a suspicious Dodge Charger near an airport gate on Feb. 1, 2022. At the scene, officers said they found Torres-Rodriguez passed out in the drivers seat of the running car. They turned off the car and opened the door, waking Torres-Rodriguez.

But police said Torres-Rodriguez refused to leave the vehicle and drove away, crashing through the gate to the airfield. Officers pursued Torres-Rodriguez as he drove as fast as 100 miles per hour down a runway before driving onto a tarmac on the west side of the airfield. The Dodge Charger became inoperable when they say Torres-Rodriguez tried to cross over the airstrip into a grassy area.

Officers said thats when they removed Torres-Rodriguez from the vehicle and arrested him.

They reportedly found a bag in his pocket containing 4.6 grams of methamphetamine. Inside the car, officers also said they found a Glock .40-caliber semi-automatic handgun with an extended magazine, several rounds of ammunition and drug paraphernalia.

Torres-Rodriguez has previous felony convictions for felony possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm with a prior violent offense and robbery.

Officials said airport activities were significantly disrupted because of Torres-Rodriguezs actions. Operations were closed and planes werent allowed to land or take off for 40 minutes. Two aircrafts had delayed departures, one delayed arrival and remained in the air an additional 50 minutes, another canceled its flight and another didnt depart.

Officials said Torres-Rodriguez destroyed the gate and damaged the airport fence designed to keep trespassers and animals away from the runway. His actions, officials said, also endangered the safety of anyone at the airport.

He could face up to 30 years in federal prison without parole.
Atlanta police and construction personnel stand near damaged property at the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center in DeKalb County, Ga., Monday, March 6. More than 20 people from around the country faced domestic terrorism charges Monday after dozens of young men in black masks attacked the site of a police training center under construction in a wooded area outside Atlanta where one protester was killed in January.

ATLANTA  More than 20 people from around the country faced domestic terrorism charges Monday after dozens in black masks attacked the site of a police training center under construction in a wooded area outside Atlanta where one protester was killed in January.

The site has become the flashpoint of ongoing conflict between authorities and left-leaning protesters who have been drawn together, joining forces to protest a variety of causes. Among them: People against the militarization of police; others who aim to protect the environment; and some who oppose corporations who they see as helping to fund the project through donations to a police foundation.

Flaming bottles and rocks were thrown at officers during a protest Sunday at Cop City, where 26-year-old environmental activist Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, or Tortuguita, was shot to death by officers during a raid at a protest camp in January. Police have said that Tortuguita attacked them, a version that other activists have questioned.

A local connection:Bloomington woman facing terrorism charge from Atlanta protest

Almost all of the 23 people arrested are from states across the U.S., while one is from Canada and another from France, police said Monday.

Like many protesters, Tortuguita was dedicated to preserving the environment, friends and family said, ideals that clashed with Atlantas hopes of building a $90 million Atlanta Public Safety Training Center meant to boost preparedness and morale after George Floyds death in 2020.

Now, authorities and young people are embroiled in a clash that appears to have little to do with other high-profile conflicts.

Protesters who oppose what detractors call Cop City run the gamut from more traditional environmentalists to young, self-styled anarchists seeking clashes with what they see as an unjust society.

Defend the Atlanta Forest, a social media site used by members of the movement, said Monday on Twitter that those arrested were not violent agitators but peaceful concert-goers who were nowhere near the demonstration. A representative of a public-relations firm involved in the groups events said that it could not immediately comment.

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After Tortuguita" was killed in January, demonstrations spread to downtown Atlanta. A police cruiser was set ablaze, rocks were thrown and fireworks were launched at a skyscraper that houses the Atlanta Police Foundation. Windows were shattered. The governor declared a state of emergency.

On Sunday, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said at a midnight news conference, pieces of construction equipment were set on fire in what he called a coordinated attack at the site for the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center in DeKalb County.

Surveillance video released by police shows a piece of heavy equipment in flames. It was among several destroyed pieces of construction gear, police said.

Protesters also threw rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at police, officials said. In addition, demonstrators tried to blind officers by shining green lasers into their eyes, and used tires and debris to block a road, the Georgia Department of Public Safety said Monday.

Officers used nonlethal enforcement methods to disperse the crowd and make arrests, Schierbaum said, causing some minor discomfort.

Along with classrooms and administrative buildings, the training center would include a shooting range, a driving course to practice chases and a burn building for firefighters to work on putting out fires. A mock village featuring a fake home, convenience store and nightclub would also be built for rehearsing raids.

Opponents have said that the site would be to practice urban warfare, and the 85-acre (34-hectare) training center would require cutting so many trees that it would be environmentally damaging.

Many activists also oppose spending millions on a police facility that would be surrounded by poor neighborhoods in a city with one of the nations highest degrees of inequality.

Color Of Change, a civil rights organization, has been working alongside activists in Atlanta, and leaders have said the facility will only harm Black communities as a result of what they describe as the increased militarization of law enforcement.

This just takes up a lot of space in a Black community ... and it provides more access, more tools, and more resources to an institution that actually needs more accountability, Color of Change President Rashad Robinson told the AP by phone Monday.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has said that the site was cleared decades ago for a former state prison farm. He has said that it is filled with rubble and overgrown with invasive species, not hardwood trees. The mayor also has said that while the facility would be built on 85 acres, about 300 others would be preserved as public green space.

Many of those already accused of violence in connection with the training site protests are being charged with domestic terrorism, a felony that carries up to 35 years in prison. Those charges have prompted criticism from some that the state is being heavy-handed.

Lawmakers are considering classifying domestic terrorism as a serious violent felony. That means anyone convicted must serve their entire sentence, cant be sentenced to probation as a first offender and cant be paroled unless they have served at least 30 years in prison.

Meanwhile, more protests are planned in coming days, police said Monday.

Martin reported from Woodstock, Georgia. Associated Press writer Lisa Baumann contributed from Bellingham, Washington.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: 23 people from U.S., beyond arrested on domestic terrorism charges
Margot Robbie, Matthew Lillard and Ewan McGregor all make the cut (Warner Bros/LucasFilm)

There is, its fair to say, nothing more important to the movies than actors.

The right performance can tip a film into the realm of greatness; a bad one can doom an otherwise promising project to mediocrity or ridicule.

What would There Will Be Blood be without Daniel Day-Lewis at its centre? Would The Godfather still sparkle without Al Pacino and Marlon Brando?

These are not questions anyone is keen to know the answer to. The best performances are irreplaceable; they are key to the very essence of cinema.

But what happens when one good performance isnt enough to save a film? When a terrific performance is wasted on a substandard story?

From Anthony Hopkins to Leonardo DiCaprio, many of the finest actors working today have lent their talents to inferior projects. Sometimes they simply phone it in, but other times, they manage to shine despite the material.

Heres The Independents list of 23 secretly brilliant performances in bad films...

Phillip Seymour Hoffman  Along Came Polly (2004)

The late, great Phillip Seymour Hoffman was that rarest of things; an actor who brought depth to even the flimsiest of roles, from The Hunger Games Plutarch Heavensby to Mission: Impossible IIIs villainous Owen Davian. The critically lambasted romcom Along Came Polly may be the best example of this, however, as Hoffman delivering a coruscating comic turn that stole not just a scene but the whole film from under Ben Stiller and Jennifer Anistons noses.

Margot Robbie  Suicide Squad (2016)

One of the worst blockbusters in living memory, David Ayers supervillain dirge Suicide Squad was met with unanimous damnation from the critical community. Reviews were also unanimous, however, in their praise for Margot Robbies performance, with the Australian star later reprising the role in two subsequent movies.

Tom Hanks  The Ladykillers (2004)

The Ladykillers is rightfully considered the nadir of the Coen brothers otherwise pretty miraculously consistent filmography. But thats not at all down to Tom Hanks, who compellingly reinvented a role so brilliantly inhabited by Alec Guinness in the classic Ealing original. Unctuous, erudite and deeply sinister, the felonious band leader is a far cry from any other character Hanks has tackled; he devours the Coens typically sardonic dialogue with a grin.

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A not-so-serious man: Tom Hanks as Professor Goldthwaite Higginson Dorr in The Ladykillers' (Buena Vista Pictures)

James McAvoy  Split (2016)

M Night Shyamalans pulpy multiple-personality horror Split had plenty of issues, but James McAvoys showstopper performance wasnt one of them. Playing, essentially, eight characters in one is a tough task to pull off, but McAvoy manages it with theatrical aplomb.

Kristen Stewart  American Ultra (2015)

Though Kristen Stewart has been in a few of the best films of the last 10 years, shes still had her fair share of misfires. The 2015 stoner-thriller American Ultra was inarguably a misfire, as she played the girlfriend and handler of Jesse Eisenbergs amnesiac government sleeper agent. Its a bad film that never lives up to its larger-than-life premise, but Stewart turns in some remarkably good work here.

Peter Dinklage  Pixels (2015)

Theres almost nothing good to say about this insipid Adam Sandler video game comedy from 2015. But what little there is exclusively concerns Game of Thrones Peter Dinklage, who turns in an incongruously funny performance as obnoxious video game champion Eddie "The Fireblaster" Plant.

Peter Dinklage in the insipid 2015 gamer comedy Pixels' (Sony)

Thomas Hayden Church  Spider-Man 3 (2007)

Probably the worst Spider-Man film to ever grace cinemas, Sam Raimis trilogy capper was a torrid mess of plotlines, too many villains and bad haircuts. The films only sincere pathos comes from Thomas Hayden Church, who manages to somehow survive the carnage with his head held high, playing the tragically fated Flint Marko, AKA Sandman.

John C Reilly  Kong: Skull Island (2017)

On paper, Kong: Skull Island should have been a blast. It had a solid cast (including Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L Jackson, and John Goodman), an intriguing premise (King Kong during the Vietnam War) and the 104ft ape we all know and love. But the film was a major disappointment. The only saving grace was John C Reilly, whose brief appearance as a WWII pilot stranded on Skull Island after his plane was shot down felt like it was from another film entirely.

Uma Thurman  Batman & Robin (1997)

Uma Thurman knew how to pitch her performance better than anyone else in this despised 1997 superhero flick. In the role of fern fatale Poison Ivy, Thurman gives a performance of enjoyable camp extremity. To quote Janet Maslin in her contemporaneous review for the New York Times: As played by Uma Thurman, Poison Ivy is perfect, flaunting great looks, a mocking attitude and madly flamboyant disguises. Like Mae West, she mixes true femininity with the winking womanliness of a drag queen.

Uma Thurman as Dr Pamela Isley, AKA Poison Ivy, in Batman & Robin' (Warner Bros)

Michelle Pfieffer  Grease 2 (1982)

The original Grease has not endured the ravages of time with a whole lot of grace, and its reviled 1982 sequel has fared even worse. Nevertheless, Grease 2 had one living, breathing redeeming quality: its 23-year-old newcomer star Michelle Pfieffer, whose charisma and talents survived the stink of the whole schlocky affair.

Alan Rickman  Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

Kevin Costner may have failed to set Sherwood Forest alight with his role in the ropey Robin Hood adaptation Prince of Thieves, but the same cant be said for his co-star Alan Rickman. The Die Hard star gave an outstanding performance as the nefarious Sheriff of Nottingham. Was Rickman playing to type? Well, yes, but there was pretty much no one better at doing what he does here.

Martin Freeman  The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Forged in the afterglow of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jacksons Hobbit prequels were doomed to live in the shadow of their predecessors. But not many people were ready for quite how bad they were. Look past the dodgy CGI and over-egged plotting, however, and Martin Freeman was an inspired choice as a young Bilbo Baggins: no-one plays a genial, put-upon everyman (or should that be everyhobbit?) quite like him.

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' (New Line Cinema)

Max von Sydow  Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)

This skin-crawling 9/11 drama was criticised upon its release for being exploitative and trying to milk sentiment from real-life tragedy. Max Von Sydows performance was spared the knives, however, with the legendary Swedish actor giving a moving  and wordless  turn as an elderly renter. His efforts didnt go unacknowledged, and von Sydow was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

Phil Hartman  Jingle All the Way (1996)

Barring a few notable exceptions (such as The Simpsons and NewsRadio), the late Phil Hartman pretty much made a career out of radically outshining his co-stars. During his eight-year stint on Saturday Night Live, a low period for the shows reputation, Hartman was known as the glue. He didnt manage to hold all the cracks in the wretched holiday comedy Jingle All the Way together, but he was nonetheless an enjoyable, consistently funny presence, playing Arnold Schwarzeneggers smarmy neighbour.

Leonardo DiCaprio  The Great Gatsby (2013)

Baz Luhrmann was always an odd choice to adapt F Scott Fitzgeralds literary classic; his brand of cinema is one of bombast and flash. While Tobey Maguire was a pretty drab Nick Carraway, and the usually brilliant Carey Mulligan underwhelming as Daisy Buchannan, DiCaprio was perfectly cast as Gatsby, striking the right balance of insecurity, bluster and poignancy.

Boats against the current: DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby' (Warner Bros)

Anthony Hopkins  Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)

For an actor of the highest calibre, Anthony Hopkins has still been known to phone it in from time to time; when he receives a script, he reportedly marks certain pages with the letters NAR (No Acting Required). Hed have been forgiven for just dialling it in for this dismal Transformers sequel, but instead, hes unnecessarily compelling, playing a sagacious astronomer whos studied the history of Transformers.

Oscar Isaac  Sucker Punch (2011)

Even by director Zack Snyders own standards, Sucker Punch was something of a spiky, unpleasant misstep. The film, a fantasy about a woman who tries to escape a mental institution through a series of fantasy worlds, was savaged by critics. Oscar Isaac, not yet a name movie star, acquitted himself shockingly well, however, playing a despicable orderly at the facility.

Adam Driver  Star Wars: Episode IX  The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Theres much to detest about the final film in the so-called Skywalker Saga, from the dialogue and the lazy fan pandering, to the way in which it all but abandoned story arcs previously given to characters like Finn (John Boyega) and Rose (Kelly Marie Tran). Though his masked villain, Kylo Ren, is rushed through a slipshod redemption-by-numbers story, Adam Driver doesnt stop turning in good work, however. The force was certainly weak with this one, but Driver emerged from the wreckage with his reputation utterly unscathed.

Adam Driver as Kylo Ren in The Rise of Skywalker' (LucasFilm)

Ewan McGregor  Star Wars: Episode III  Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Driver wasnt the only actor who valiantly struggled to provide a good performance in a thoroughly bad Star Wars film. Ewan McGregors work as Obi-Wan Kenobi came under scrutiny throughout the first two of George Lucass maligned prequels, but by the third, he had well and truly found his footing.

Michael K Williams  Assassins Creed (2016)

Even by the metric of video game adaptations, Assassins Creed was capital-b Bad. Usually bankable actors like Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard were histrionic and laughable here; the plot and characterisation almost defy belief. But in the midst of this is The Wires Michael K Williams, delivering a typically classy turn as a Haitian Assassin called Moussa.

Florence Pugh  Black Widow (2021)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has lured a number of elite actors to its shores, from veterans like Robert Redford and Michael Keaton to younger stars like Michael B Jordan and Zendaya. In terms of up-and-comers, there are few better than Florence Pugh, who appeared as Yelena in the otherwise dreary 2021 blockbuster Black Widow. Pugh makes the films lead, Scarlett Johansson, pale in comparison, but the materials simply not up to snuff.

Matthew Lillard  Scooby Doo (2002)

Say what you will about the puerile 2002 movie adaptation of the classic kids cartoon Scooby-Doo, but you cant really fault the casting. Linda Cardellini, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr are all well-suited to the roles of Velma, Daphne and Fred respectively, but theyre not a patch on Matthew Lillard (Scream; Twin Peaks: The Return), whose big, swing-for-the-fences performance as the feckless slacker Shaggy Rogers is a masterclass in understanding the assignment.

Matthew Lillard as Shaggy Rogers in Scooby-Doo: The Movie' (Warner Bros)

Raul Julia  Street Fighter (1994)

The Addams Familys incomparable Raul Julia died tragically in 1994 at the age of 54, having suffered a stroke. While it may seem like a shame for his final major film to be as shoddy an effort as Street Fighter, Raul Julias performance in it is nothing short of a cult sensation. Playing the villainous M Bison, Julia is laugh-out-loud funny, a wonderful foil for a set of unworthy adversaries.
A 3-year-old is in critical condition after he was attacked by a group of dogs that belong to his family, Tennessee officials say.

Memphis police said the toddler was attacked around 5 p.m. on Monday, March 6, by at least five dogs, according to WMC. He was taken to Le Bonheur Childrens Hospital in critical condition and has been updated to critical but stable condition.

The toddlers father was charged with child endangerment following the incident, the police department told McClatchy News.

Memphis Animal Services will also charge the boys father with harboring dangerous/vicious dogs once he is apprehended, a spokesperson with animal services told McClatchy News.

Memphis Animal Services also cited the man for failure to maintain dogs, dangerous vicious dogs, dogs at large and rabies shots and tags, WATN reported. Animal Control took the dogs, which Memphis police described as pit bulls, after the attack.

The dogs are in a mandatory 10-day quarantine for rabies, the animal services spokesperson said. Once the dogs are released, their outcomes will be determined by a court.

Witnesses told WHBQ they heard the boy screaming before finding him in a field near his home. A driver who passed the scene stopped his car and pulled the dogs off of the child before police arrived, the witnesses said.

Bite marks all over the babys head, the face, the body. They had to put a trache (tube) in his throat so he could breathe, Paul McCorkle, a witness, told the outlet. They grabbed the baby and they were trying to bite him. They were biting him. If it wasnt for the good person who was in the car, they probably would have eaten him.

Neighbors said they are familiar with the vicious dogs, which have been a nuisance to the neighborhood, WMC reported.

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It's been a tumultuous spring semester in Dover.

Late January saw an explosive protest take hundreds of students out of class, filling a campus street in protest of public safety at Delaware State and the handling of sexual assault cases. Later, students stood, spoke, and cried in multiple town hall meetings that stretched for hours at a time. They demanded a safer campus. They demanded sexual assault reports be taken more seriously at their university.

This week another update comes in Delaware State's response  to the tune of $300,000.

The National Organization of Sisters of Color Ending Sexual Assault awarded the HBCU a two-year grant to assist in developing its sexual assault response and prevention program, first announced in late January in the wake of campus unrest. The "Safe Space Project" will be housed on DSU Downtown campus.

"The funding will be primarily used for DSU to support those students victimized by violence and sexual assault," said Gwen Scott-Jones, dean of Wesley College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, in a press release.

Dr. Eleanor Kiesel, left, Associate Dean of the WCHBS, is the principal investigator who successfully wrote the grant proposal, with the assistance of Kim Graham, the Director of the WCHBS Trauma Academy.

Also the chair of the university's new coalition aimed at these issues, Scott-Jones said the space will promote prevention, provide education, and organize outreach in the Delaware State community.

At a glance

What: The "Safe Space Project" is a physical location aiming to offer support to survivors of sexual assault, family members, allies and other advocates. The program will host a part-time, licensed mental health professional and coordinator, according to Delaware State, who will provide "culturally specific prevention and advocacy."

Where: Services will be based inside the universitys "Hope House" at 34 N. State Street, on DSU Downtown campus. This converted Dover home is currently used for a food bank, drug and alcohol use support groups and research  but these newly focused supports will be an addition.

When: It was difficult for the university to pinpoint when the Safe Space will be fully operational, with outfitting to do and personnel to put in place. Some activities and operations will likely open sooner than others, said Director of News Services Carlos Holmes, but "the Safe Space Project's use of the Hope House will begin as soon as possible."

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Holmes also confirmed the space will continue to be available after the two-year grant, as Delaware State has committed to fusing it with overall planning and programming for the Hope House.

So how did we get here?

Junior Dynah Mosley speaks on a megaphone, claiming campus police at Delaware State University are concerned more with students smoking cannabis than them getting sexually assaulted, during a protest at DSU on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023.

Students came out in protest on Jan. 18. University meetings followed that week and the next, each closed to the public and in one case having media escorted out of the auditorium. Students and family also attended the university's budget hearing Feb. 2 at Legislative Hall, calling for the same change on a new Dover platform.

Speakers called for:

More security across main campus and DSU Downtown

Education and awareness programs across the university and police

Increased counselors and experts available to students

Facility improvements, with students noting struggles with water and building security.

Student organizers said they also want the school to fortify the integrity of its Title IX process  increasing trust and transparency while treating cases as time-sensitive. This violence isn't unique to Delaware State, but the school saw 10 rapes reported in 2022, four other reports in January and another from a parent on Feb. 7. One family spoke out about feeling unsupported when her daughter reported an assault.

'Something's happening to my child':One survivor's family says it knows public safety culture at Delaware State, all too well

A Letter from DSU's president: 'It isn't what we say or think that defines us, but what we do' (Opinion)

University response has been rolling out.

The "Safe Space Coalition" was formed to focus on this work. Like several measures President Tony Allen announced, it joined promises to upgrade campus lighting and cameras, update the blue lights system, garner body cameras for university police and assess existing escort services and counseling hours. Allen did not give an exact timeline for the efforts.

The coalition is now comprised of parents, university personnel, community members and over 100 students across nine committees. The core coalition is aimed at improving campus safety through recommendations to the president.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: DSU secures $300K grant to support sexual assault response, prevention
POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA)  Four people are dead after two small planes collided in central Florida on Tuesday.

According to the Winter Haven Police Department, search and rescue crews responded to Lake Hartridge, about 50 miles east of Tampa, after the planes collided around 2 p.m.

(WFLA image)

(WFLA image)

(WFLA image)

(WFLA image)

It was an in-air collision and both planes immediately went into the water, Polk County Chief Steve Lester said. One plane sank 21 feet under the water.

According to investigators, one of the planes was a Piper J-3 Cub seaplane operated by Jack Browns Seaplane Base in Winter Haven. The other plane was a Cherokee Piper 161 fixed-wing plane operated by Sunrise Aviation in Ormond Beach on behalf of Polk State College.

The Polk County Sheriffs Office identified three of the four people who died in the crash. They include pilot Fairth Irene Baker, 24, of Winter Haven; Polk State College student Zachary Jean Mace, 19; and Randall Elbert Crawford, 67, from Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Im going to kill everybody: Woman recounts United passengers violent outburst

Deputies said they are working to confirm the identity of the fourth victim.

My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who were killed in todays crash. The NTSB and FAA will be investigating the cause and circumstances of the collision. Please keep the families in your prayers during this difficult and stressful time, Sherrif Grady Judd said.

Police were also asking residents to avoid a nearby boating ramp and to avoid boating in the area on Tuesday. The collision happened not far from the Winter Haven Regional Airport.

Details on what led up to the crash have not yet been released.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
An in-air collision involving two small planes in Florida has left all of its passengers dead.

The crash between a Piper J-3 Cub seaplane and a Cherokee Piper 161 fixed-wing plane occurred over Lake Hartridge, near the city of Winter Haven, the Polk County Sheriff's Office shared in a news release Tuesday.

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PSCO Chief of Staff Steve Lester shared with The Ledger that a dive team went out on the lake around 4:35 p.m.  after first receiving a call about the incident around 2:04 p.m.  and discovered one partially submerged plane's wingtip. At the time, the other aircraft was about 21 feet underwater.

Through the initial investigation, responders found the bodies of all four passengers on the aircrafts at the time of the crash.

"All four located persons are the only occupants of the planes. It is no longer a search and rescue operation, but a recovery operation," shared the PCSO in an update Tuesday night.

RELATED: Norfolk Southern Train Conductor Dies in Collision Involving Dump Truck in Ohio

The victims include Faith Irene Baker, 24, of Winter Haven, who was a pilot and flight instructor with Sunrise Aviation; and Zachary Jean Mace, 19, of Winter Haven, who was a Polk State College student in the same Cherokee Piper 161 plane.

Randall Elbert Crawford, 67, from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was flying on the Piper J-3 Cub. Deputies are working to confirm the identity of the fourth deceased person, who was also on the same flight as Crawford.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRfS_ODh730 2 planes collide near Winter Haven Regional Airport, police say WFLA News Channel 8 582K subscribers Subscribe 237 Share Download 20,774 views Mar 7, 2023 Rescue crews were called to Winter Haven Regional Airport Tuesday after two planes collided with each other.

WFLA News Channel 8

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"My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who were killed in today's crash. The NTSB and FAA will be investigating the cause and circumstances of the collision. Please keep the families in your prayers during this difficult and stressful time," added PCSO Sheriff Grady Judd in Tuesday night's update.

The Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Five Texas women who say they were denied medically necessary abortions filed a lawsuit against the state Tuesday, saying its strict six-week ban put their lives at serious risk.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the women by the Center for Reproductive Rights, includes detailed accounts of their experiences and mirrors what reproductive rights experts warned would happen if the government took control of medical decisions away from patients and their health providers.

The five women  Amanda Zurawski, Lauren Miller, Lauren Hall, Anna Zargarian and Ashley Brandt  were each pregnant when their doctors informed them that their fetuses were not viable or would be born with severe abnormalities. Even more urgently, they learned, their own lives were at risk because of the pregnancies.

But because of a 2021 Texas law banning abortions once cardiac activity can be detected in the embryo or fetus, they would not be allowed to receive abortions in their home state, forcing them to either proceed down a dangerous path or seek care several states away.

One of the most harrowing accounts in the lawsuit comes from 35-year-old Zurawski, an Austin woman who was nearly 18 weeks pregnant last August when her doctor diagnosed her with an incompetent cervix, meaning the organ had prematurely dilated and there was no possibility of her pregnancy resulting in a viable baby.

Amanda Zurawski, one of the plaintiffs, speaks outside the Texas Capitol on Tuesday.

Amanda Zurawski, one of the plaintiffs, speaks outside the Texas Capitol on Tuesday.

Those complications began to make her sick, but because she was still stable and the fetus had a heartbeat, the hospital told her the Texas ban meant there was nothing her doctors could do except wait for her to go into labor. Because there was a possibility she could deliver in the coming hours, doctors told her to stay within 15 minutes of the hospital  eliminating the option of traveling out of state for an abortion.

On her way home from a check-up with her obstetrician days later, Zurawski developed chills and started shivering, and by the time she got home, she had a temperature of 101 degrees and was not responding to her husbands questions  all signs of sepsis, the lawsuit lays out.

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It wasnt until doctors confirmed she was septic  a life-threatening reaction in the bloodstream to an infection  that the hospital agreed to induce labor on a baby that would die shortly after birth.

Her infection persisted, landing her in the intensive care unit and causing severe scar tissue to develop in her uterus and fallopian tubes. One of her fallopian tubes remains closed and non-functional. Because of the damage to her reproductive organs, her doctors have told her she will likely have to attempt in vitro fertilization to become pregnant again  a process thats often invasive, expensive and unsuccessful.

I love Texas, and it kills me that my own state does not seem to care if I live or die.Lauren Hall, plaintiff

Zurawski joined other plaintiffs outside the Texas Capitol on Tuesday after announcing their lawsuit.

What I needed was an abortion, a standard medical procedure, she said. An abortion would have prevented the unnecessary harm and suffering that I endured, not only the psychological trauma that came with three days of waiting but the physical harm my body suffered  the extent of which is still being determined.

The four other women in the lawsuit received similar news from their doctors mid-pregnancy and were all denied abortions because of the Texas ban. When it became clear their own health and lives were at risk, they were forced to travel out of state for abortions  three of them to Colorado and one all the way to Washington state. Doing so can cost patients hundreds or thousands of dollars in travel costs, and even then its not always an option, as Zurawskis case demonstrates.

Hall, who traveled to Seattle for an abortion after finding out that her non-viable pregnancy could cause her to hemorrhage, said she was scared she would not get proper care in Texas if that happened, and she had visions of herself bleeding to death on her bathroom floor.

I love Texas, and it kills me that my own state does not seem to care if I live or die, she said Tuesday at the state Capitol.

Anna Zargarian, one of the plaintiffs, wipes away tears outside the Texas Capitol as she recounts what happened to her when she needed an abortion.

Anna Zargarian, one of the plaintiffs, wipes away tears outside the Texas Capitol as she recounts what happened to her when she needed an abortion.

Though the Texas ban includes an exception for any life-threatening physical condition or serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function, Tuesdays lawsuit makes the case that the law may force hospitals  wary of lawsuits and prison time for abortion providers  to navigate a dangerously gray area and put off care until mothers are at deaths door.

[W]ith the threat of losing their medical licenses, fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and up to 99 years in prison lingering over their heads, it is no wonder that doctors and hospitals are turning patients away  even patients in medical emergencies like Amanda, Lauren M., Lauren H., Anna, and Ashley, the lawsuit says.

Vice President Kamala Harris extended her support to the plaintiffs on Tuesday and said she met with Zurawski to hear her story firsthand.

Many extremist so-called leaders espouse freedom for all, while directly attacking the freedom to make ones own health care decisions, Harris said in a statement. Like the overwhelming majority of Americans, the President and I believe women  in consultation with their doctors  should be in charge of their reproductive health care, not politicians.

Related...
Several of the plaintiffs suing Texas over its abortion ban. Rick Kern/Getty Images

Five women are suing Texas over its strict abortion ban, saying they were denied the procedure even though they were experiencing life-threatening pregnancy complications.

The lawsuit was filed Monday, with the backing of the Center for Reproductive Rights, and calls on officials to clarify the exceptions to the state's abortions ban.

The five women all said their fetuses did not have a chance of survival, and if they carried them they faced risks of hemorrhaging and infection. Under Texas law, in cases where there is risk of "substantial" harm to the patient, abortions can be done, but the suit says doctors refused to perform the procedure over fears of repercussions; Texas allows individuals to file lawsuits against doctors who provide abortions, which can lead to fines and prison time.

Four of the women who filed the lawsuit said they had to leave Texas to get their abortions. One woman, Amanda Zurawski, said she was only able to get an abortion after she developed blood poisoning. "My doctors could not intervene as long as her heart was beating or until I was sick enough for the ethics board of the hospital to consider my life at risk and permit the standard health care I needed at that point," Zurawski said during a Tuesday news conference.

Two Texas doctors also joined the lawsuit, with Dr. Damla Karsan saying in the filing that "widespread fear and confusion regarding the scope of Texas' abortion bans has chilled the provision of necessary obstetric care, including abortion care."

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Kindergarten teacher Olena Naumova was struggling to breathe as she sat in the back seat of a car driving through the streets of her hometown of Kherson on the morning of Aug. 23.

There was a tight plastic bag over her head and three Russian soldiers surrounded her.

Naumova knew she was in trouble: The 57-year-old actively participated in protests against the Russian occupation of Kherson in the early months of the war.

She went viral on TikTok for mocking the Russian soldiers and doing live streams from the streets of the occupied city, sharing the truth about what was happening there.

"You have said enough to be prosecuted," Naumova heard a Russian officer tell her after she was brought to a torture chamber that August day.

She was dragged there on trumped-up charges of "extremism." The Russian soldiers demanded for her to help them track down the underground resistance in Kherson and more "patriotic bloggers" like her.

For 11 days, Naumova was locked in a tiny basement cell with nothing but two chairs and a pile of garbage. She was threatened and interrogated multiple times. Russian soldiers once hit her in the face.

"To break my will was their main goal," Naumova told the Kyiv Independent. "But they couldnt do it."

As she was released under house arrest, Naumova went into hiding. She knew Russian soldiers couldnt let go of such an "outspokenly pro-Ukrainian person" so easily and would return to capture her again.

For over eight weeks, none of Naumova's loved ones, including her only son Mykola, had any idea whether she was even alive. "That was the price for my life," she says.

Naumova and numerous other Khersonians came out of hiding on Nov. 11, when the Ukrainian Armed Forces entered the city. Kherson, the invaders most significant gain, spent eight months under occupation before the Russian forces were forced to withdraw.

The kindergarten teacher rushed to the central square of her city, holding a Ukrainian flag. When she saw Ukrainian soldiers and her fellow Khersonians, Naumova couldnt hold back the tears: The ordeal was finally over.

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Yet the city paid a heavy price. Multiple torture chambers were discovered in Kherson following its liberation. Throughout the Russian occupation, local morgues in Kherson received about 700 bodies, nearly 100 of which bore the marks of violence. Mass burial sites were still being discovered there in late December.

'City of my heart'

Naumova's voice fills with love the moment she starts talking about Kherson, a southern Ukrainian city with a pre-war population of about 290,000 people. She calls it the city of her heart.

"It's a small, cozy city. It's very sunny and very warm, with green avenues and the broad Dnipro River, Naumova says. "People there are nice and friendly, with sincere smiles."

Naumova has cared for little kids as a kindergarten teacher for 36 years. In 2021, she developed a new passion  TikTok. She launched an account called "vyhovatel z humorom" ("teacher with humor") and began filming funny videos about her everyday life as a teacher.

"We used to film some things with the kids in the evenings," Naumova says. "Parents liked it, kids liked it too, and so did I, of course."

She never thought that one day, the entertaining content on her account would become the reason for her detention, as her hometown turned into a prison for Ukrainians.

"It felt as if we returned to the Soviet Union. The city froze," Naumova recalls the early days of the Russian invasion.

Russian tanks rolled into Kherson in early March, about a week after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion on Feb. 24. A brutal occupation ensued, resulting in many residents being suppressed, robbed, abducted, tortured, and killed.

Naumova says most residents stayed in Kherson, "holding on and supporting each other," despite the immense threat.

"We showed them that it was our land, not theirs."

Olena Naumova poses for a photograph as she paints walls in the halls of a kindergarten where she works as a teacher in Kherson, a southern Ukrainian city, in 2021. (Olena Naumova)

United, they fight back

Brave Khersonians used to gather in the city center to demonstrate to the Russian troops that they werent welcome in Kherson. Naumova says that up to 20,000 people watched her live streams from the protests.

"I attracted a large audience," she says. "But people werent interested in me. They were curious about the events in Kherson."

She says the first Russian soldiers that entered the city "pretended to be liberators" and claimed they wouldnt harm civilians. But the Russian national guard, Rosgvardiia, that came shortly after, "showed the true face of the Russian world."

The guardsmen tried to sow terror throughout the city. They used tear gas and stun grenades against the peaceful protesters, injuring them. "It was impossible to breathe and to see anything because of that smoke," Naumova recalls.

During one of the last rallies held that spring, Naumova became known as an active protester even outside Kherson. The video of her singing a patriotic song about Kherson went viral across Ukrainian media and was screened on national TV channels.

She knew Russians saw it too.

"I hid at my cousin's place for one week. I thought no one would be looking for me anymore," Naumova says.

Although locals could no longer protest openly after the crackdowns, Kherson's resistance evolved into sabotage and moved underground. Naumova, however, continued streaming from the streets of occupied Kherson until the end of May, when a Russian soldier tried to take her phone away.

She caught two Russian soldiers on camera as they bothered people waiting in line for humanitarian aid. When they noticed her filming, one of the soldiers rushed towards Naumova, trying to grab her phone. He was armed, she recalls.

"He tried to grab my hand and purse, saying I should come with him," Naumova says.

"I sternly told him that I wouldnt go with him," she continues. "I turned around and started walking away very calmly. But inside, I felt a volcano erupting."

She decided to stop live-streaming from the streets following that incident. Yet, Naumova found another way to be helpful.

Since there was little access to medicine and other essential goods in the occupied city, she began raising money to support the most vulnerable residents.

Naumovas TikTok followers from all over Ukraine sent donations that she distributed as cash or essential goods to retirees, single parents, caretakers of people with disabilities, refugees, and others in need. Ukrainians often asked Naumova to visit their loved ones in Kherson with whom they had lost connection.

She says many of those she visited "had tears in their eyes" when receiving her help.

Naumova says she raised a total of Hr 500,000 ($13,700) from early July until Aug. 17. Around that time, Naumova realized she was once again in danger.

Pink plastic bag

Naumova went live on TikTok three times per day, updating Ukrainians on the situation in Kherson. She often made fun of local collaborators and Russian propaganda, calling on the Ukrainian Armed Forces to liberate the city and kill the Russian troops.

In one update, she mockingly talked about how the U.S. HIMARS missile launchers filled the Antonivskyi Bridge with holes, making it impossible to drive over. The bridge, which once connected Kherson with Dnipros eastern bank, was a main route into the city for Russian combat vehicles and supplies  Russian forces destroyed it as they pulled out.

"They reminded me about all of that in the torture chamber," Naumova says.

On the morning of Aug. 23, she went live on TikTok as usual. But the stream was cut short when Naumova's dog started barking. Looking outside, she saw an old Soviet car and three Russian soldiers.

They searched her entire house, "from attic to basement," demanding to know where she hid her weapons and Ukrainian symbols.

They took the notebook in which Naumova kept a record of all donations, asked her to pack some water, snacks, and her phone into a plastic bag, and then put her in their car.

"Do you love Ukraine?" Naumova heard a Russian soldier asking.

"Ukraine is my homeland. Do you love yours?" she said in response.

"Very much," the soldier responded.

"So do I," Naumova said.

The soldier emptied the pink plastic bag she had packed and put it over her head. Naumova says she could barely breathe. The interrogation started as soon as they arrived.

"They started asking which other bloggers from Kherson are patriots like me, and I kept saying that I didn't know anything," Naumova recalls.

At first, a Russian soldier told her they didn't beat "women her age," only younger men and women. But then another soldier ran into the room, shouting: "Oh, there you are," and hit Naumova in the face.

"They were playing good cop, bad cop," Naumova says. "I decided to play dumb to survive."

When they studied her phone and notebook, the Russian troops accused Naumova of taking money from the Ukrainian military and refused to believe that Ukrainian civilians donated the money. Then, they started questioning her about her friends.

Naumova didn't participate in Kherson's underground resistance and only discovered that one of her friends did after the citys liberation.

The Russians threatened to torture Naumova with electricity while she tried to stall for time, hoping that her friends would find out that she got captured and hide.

Naumova was locked in a tiny basement cell with no windows or toilet later that day.

Olena Naumova (R) poses for a photograph with her fellow residents of Kherson on Nov. 11, 2022, the day Ukrainian Armed Forces entered the city and liberated it after eight months of Russian occupation. (Olena Naumova)

Air of freedom

For the first two days in captivity, Naumova had no food except the biscuits she brought from home. She says she had "bad hallucinations" after drinking the water Russian soldiers had given her and assumed that it contained narcotics.

They told her to put a plastic bag over her head every time they knocked on the door and did so multiple times a day "just for fun."

"It was some kind of sophisticated sadism," Naumova says. "They enjoyed breaking people physically and mentally and boasted of controlling the city."

One day, through a little hole in the wall, Naumova saw a man lying on the floor in a cell next to hers. It was her close friend Valeriy. He and his girlfriend were detained days after Naumova. His ribs were broken, and multiple teeth were knocked out.

During interrogations, Naumova learned that Russian soldiers had seen all her TikTok videos. They accused her of "extremism" and forced her to apologize to the Russian soldiers on camera for offending them.

"I have constantly been telling my followers that if I ever say something like that, they should know I was forced to say it at gunpoint," Naumova says.

Though they released her from the prison and put her under house arrest, Naumova knew it wasnt the end: By then, Ukrainian forces had already liberated a number of settlements in Kharkiv Oblast, revealing Russia's atrocities there during the occupation. Naumova knew that the Russians might conduct a purge upon retreating, killing all witnesses of their crimes. She decided to go into hiding once more.

She says she disappeared for eight weeks without informing anyone in her circle of her plans to not put them in danger. "I can't imagine what my loved ones went through."

Naumova's heart nearly stopped when on Nov. 11, she learned that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had entered Kherson.

"There was no electricity, no running water, and no heating in the city, but we were so happy," Naumova says, trying to hold back tears.

In one of her recent TikToks, Naumova said that even the air in Kherson had changed after liberation. She said that it felt like freedom.

"I want every Ukrainian to be able to breathe this air of freedom on our Ukrainian land," Naumova said.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Note from the author:

Hi! Daria Shulzhenko here. I wrote this piece for you. Since the first day of Russia's all-out war, I have been working almost non-stop to tell the stories of those affected by Russias brutal aggression. By telling all those painful stories, we are helping to keep the world informed about the reality of Russias war against Ukraine. By becoming the Kyiv Independent's patron, you can help us continue telling the world the truth about this war.
More than six months after her daughter Acey Morrison was killed in Rapid City, Edelyn Catches is still left without any answers from local law enforcement on the case.

Catches said she was made recently aware that Pennington County States Attorney Mark Vargo is now handling the case, but thats all she knows. She said shes struggled to get a response from him on the status of the investigation.

At the time of Morrisons death, the Human Rights Campaign estimated she was at least the 32nd trans or gender non-conforming person violently killed in 2022 in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Vargo told the Argus Leader the case remains under investigation and in the hands of law enforcement.

We will reveal when they have completed it, but I know that some of my staff have been updated on kind of where it sits in the investigative process, but I have not been read in on that, so I don't know exactly what that answer is, Vargo told the Argus Leader on Feb. 21. I know that they've been in communication with us. As of yet, (theres been) no decision made by law enforcement.

More:Remembering Acey Morrison, a Two Spirit person, for Transgender Day of Remembrance in 2022

Catches said she also hasnt heard back from Detective Cameron Ducheneaux, the investigator assigned to Morrisons case, on a regular basis, even though she tries to reach the investigator each week.

Officials with the Pennington County Sheriffs Office did not respond to calls and emails from the Argus Leader regarding this case. Brendyn Medina, with the Rapid City Police Department, confirmed the case is at the Pennington County State's Attorney's office.

Acey Morrison (left) and her mother Edelyn Catches (right) take a selfie together. Morrison will be honored in a Transgender Day of Remembrance service in Sioux Falls this Sunday.

'All of us know Acey. She would fight for her life'

Morrison, a 30-year-old Two-Spirit person, was shot and killed in Rapid City on Aug. 21, 2022. Media outlets in Rapid City have had few updates on her case. National news outlet BuzzFeed reported Morrison was killed after meeting up with a man from a dating app.

Catches said when family members saw Morrisons body, she had bruises on her arm and shrapnel up her neck. She said she disputes that Morrisons attacker was acting in self-defense.

Story continues

All of us know Acey. She would fight for her life, Catches said.

More:Legislature votes to kill 2 tax cut proposals tied to grocery and propert taxes

Last November for Transgender Day of Remembrance, Morrison was honored with a ceremony at Calvary Episcopal Cathedral in Sioux Falls, hosted by the Transformation Project, Sioux Falls Pride, Equality South Dakota, local advocates and Indigenous community members.

At that time, family members were still struggling to get answers from police on the status of the case and who, if anyone, was goin to be charged. Above all, they want justice for Morrison.

Acey Morrison (left) and her cousin Casey Morton (right) take a selfie together. Morrison will be honored in Sioux Falls on Nov. 20, 2022 in a Transgender Day of Remembrance service.

The information weve been told by the investigators and police department doesnt add up, Morrisons cousin Casey Morton said in November. I think its a hate crime. Its an MMIW (missing and murdered Indigenous women) issue, too. It hits so many different things. All these things are a factor of what couldve happened that night. Its sad to say, but we dont really know what happened."

More:How South Dakota is trying to address the missing and murdered Indigenous women crisis

Across the U.S., the total number of missing or murdered is unknown because no federal data base that includes tribal, state and law enforcement data exists, according to a 2021 Government Accountability Office report. In South Dakota, there are 62 missing Indigenous people, 35 of them women, out of 103 missing people, according to the attorney generals missing persons database as of Wednesday.

How can someone take someones life and not have to answer for it? Morton asked at the time.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Acey Morrison's family still doesn't know who killed her in Rapid City
A Jackson County jury has delivered a $600,000 verdict against the state of Missouri after a deputy warden claimed he faced retaliation after reporting discrimination at a minimum-security prison near downtown Kansas City.

Bryant Holmes is a 53-year-old Black man who worked for more than two decades at the Missouri Department of Corrections. He alleged in a 2018 lawsuit that Lily Angelo, a white woman who was his supervisor at the Kansas City Reentry Center in the West Bottoms, sexually harassed him at work. Holmes also alleged that Angelo discriminated against disabled employees and others who tried to take time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

The jury found in the states favor on three of Holmes claims: race discrimination, sex discrimination and retaliation. But it awarded Holmes $600,000 in compensatory damages for his claim of a hostile work environment.

Were grateful to the jury for providing an award that validated his experience in the face of wrongdoing by the Department of Corrections, said Chris Playter, one of the attorneys who represented Holmes.

Playter added that they will submit a request for attorneys fees later this week, which if approved could significantly increase the states tab on the case. (Because Holmes allegations occurred in 2015 and 2016, his case is not subject to a 2017 state law that caps the amount of damages a plaintiff can obtain against an employer for discrimination claims under the Missouri Human Rights Act. That cap is $500,000 for employers with more than 500 employees, such as the state.).

Madeline Sieren, press secretary for the the Missouri Attorney Generals Office, declined to comment on the verdict or whether the state would appeal. The state was represented in the lawsuit by attorneys Abbie Rothermich and Nicolas Taulbee.

Among other allegations, Holmes claimed that Angelo removed from a promotions list the name of an employee who had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. Holmes also claimed that, after an employee with a breathing disorder became a witness in a different discrimination lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Corrections, Angelo turned up the heat in the room where that employee worked and refused to allow them to use a fan.

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When Holmes objected to these and other actions by Angelo, he was transferred to a different corrections facility in St. Joseph, approximately 75 miles from his home in Belton, and not compensated for his extra travel time or mileage. He was also demoted from deputy warden to assistant warden.

In recent years, several lawsuits have loomed over the Kansas City Reentry Center, which is now called the Transition Center of Kansas City:

 Another deputy warden, Leesa Wiseman, was awarded $11 million last year in a jury trial over retaliation and a hostile work environment at the center.

 In 2020, Missouri was ordered to pay $2 million to Richard Dixson, an employee at the facility, over racial discrimination and hostile work environment claims.

 The state paid out just over $1 million in 2021 after a lawsuit involving corrections officer Shelley Gray was upheld on appeal. Gray attended a 2017 meeting at the facility in which Angelo directed employees to figure out how to stop employees from using Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave, according to court records.
A 65-year-old man politely robbed a Salt Lake City bank of $1, Utah police reported.

Please pardon me for doing this but this is a robbery. Please give me $1. Thank you, read the mans note to a teller, according to KSL

After receiving the cash at 10:33 a.m. on Monday, March 6, the man refused to leave until officers arrived to arrest him, a Salt Lake City police news release said.

He told officers he robbed the bank because he wanted to get arrested and go to federal prison, KTVX reported.

The man also told police that if he was released hed rob another bank and ask for more money to ensure he went to prison, according to the station.

He was arrested on a charge of robbery, police said in the news release.

Black Bart robbed stagecoaches  and wrote poetry. Inside the Wests oddest outlaw
Key Insights

Institutions' substantial holdings in A.G. BARR implies that they have significant influence over the company's share price

51% of the business is held by the top 9 shareholders

16% of A.G. BARR is held by insiders

To get a sense of who is truly in control of A.G. BARR p.l.c. (LON:BAG), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. We can see that institutions own the lion's share in the company with 66% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

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 A.G. BARR.

View our latest analysis for A.G. BARR

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About A.G. BARR?

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.

A.G. BARR already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see A.G. BARR's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

Story continues

Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. A.G. BARR is not owned by hedge funds. William Robin Barr is currently the largest shareholder, with 15% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 12% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 4.8% by the third-largest shareholder.

We did some more digging and found that 9 of the top shareholders account for roughly 51% of the register, implying that along with larger shareholders, there are a few smaller shareholders, thereby balancing out each others interests somewhat.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of A.G. BARR

The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.

Our information suggests that insiders maintain a significant holding in A.G. BARR p.l.c.. Insiders have a UK95m stake in this UK600m business. This may suggest that the founders still own a lot of shares. You can click here to see if they have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 15% stake in A.G. BARR. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand A.G. BARR better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with A.G. BARR , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

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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An 8-year-old girl from Vancouver, Washington, was recovered after being kidnapped in October 2018, said the FBI Seattle Division.

In February, Aranza Maria Ochoa Lopez was safely returned to the United States after being found in Michoacan, Mexico.

Mexican authorities were able to locate the girl and FBI special agents escorted her back to the U.S.

For more than four years, the FBI and our partners did not give up on Aranza, said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBIs Seattle field office. Our concern now will be supporting Aranza as she begins her reintegration into the U.S.

Aranza was kidnapped by her biological mother on October 25, 2018, from a Vancouver shopping mall. The FBI issued a Missing Person Poster and found out Aranza had been taken to Mexico.

Other investigating agencies included the FBIs Legal Attache in Mexico City, the Vancouver Police Department, Washington States Department of Children, Youth, and Families, Fiscalia General del Estado de Michoacan, and the Instituto Nacional de Migracion.

Due to concerns for her safety, no additional information was released.








Throughout history, women have played critical roles in the success of the U.S. military in both war and peace times.

Margaret Corbin famously defended Fort Washington in 1776 during the Revolutionary War and Cathay Williams disguised herself as a man to serve in the Civil War, but it wasnt until 1901 that women were allowed to serve in the military in any official capacity.

World War I was the first time women could join military service outside nursing and by the end of World War II, 350,000 women wore American service uniforms according to official archives.

In January 2013, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta lifted the ban on women in combat roles and gave the military two years to complete integration.

These female trailblazers are to thank for the roles women have in our armed forces today. But who are they? And how did they do it?

9 Inspiring Female Military Heroes

The list of inspiring female military heroes is long. Here are nine women in the military you (and your kids) might not know about, and now is the perfect time to learn.

Loretta Walsh

Loretta Walsh, the first American active-duty Navy woman, sworn in march 21st at Philadelphia as a Chief Yoeman in the United States Navy. (Bettmann Archive)

First woman to enlist in the U.S. Navy

The U.S. Naval Reserve Act of 1916 permitted "persons" to enlist in the Navy and on March 17, 1917, the first woman to enlist was Loretta Perfectus Walsh.

According to Navy records, Walsh was "the first woman to service in any of the U.S. armed forces in other than a nursing assignment" and was enlisted as a Yeoman(F), the title given to females.

Walsh was stationed at the Naval Shipyard in Philadelphia during World War I and, alongside more than 11,000 fellow women, received the same pay as men.

At the end of the war, Walsh was treated as a veteran, but died from tuberculosis on Aug. 6, 1925. She was 29.

Susan Ahn Cuddy

Susan Ahn Cuddy (Reed Saxon / AP)

First Asian American female officer in the U.S. Navy and first female gunnery officer in the U.S. armed forces

Lt. Susan Ahn Cuddy enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942. She initially applied for the Womens Reserve of the U.S. Naval Reserve (WAVES program), but was rejected because of her race, according to the Department of Defense. Undeterred, she reapplied and was accepted in December 1942.

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Cuddy went on to become the Navys first Asian American female officer, first Korean-born American female member and first woman gunnery officer, in charge of the ships guns and ammunition.

She would literally say she didnt experience racism through all these things, but in those days, to her, there was no choice, her son, Flip Cuddy, told TODAY.com in 2021. You just had to put up with it if you wanted to blaze a trail, which she did.

Cuddy died on June 24, 2015. She was 100.

Ann E. Dunwoody

Commander of the U.S. Arm Material Command, Army General Ann Dunwoody. (Alex Wong / Getty Images)

First female to serve as a four-star general in U.S. military

Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody joined the U.S. Army in 1974 and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Womens Army Corps in 1975.

Dunwoody became the first female battalion commander for the 82nd Airborne Division, an elite airborne infantry division and one of the most frequently deployed combat units, in 1992. Eight years later, she made history again as the first female general at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

In 2008, Dunwoody became the first female four-star general in U.S. military history.

"I have never considered myself anything but a soldier," Dunwoody said at the time of her promotion. "I recognize that with this selection, some will view me as a trailblazer, but its important that we remember the generations of women, whose dedication, commitment and quality of service helped open the doors of opportunity for us today."

After 38 years in uniform, Dunwoody retired in 2012.

Martha McSally

Lt. Col. Martha McSally stands with her A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. The colonel is the first female pilot in the Air Force to fly in combat and to serve as a squadron commander of a combat aviation squadron. (Donaldson Collection / Getty Images)

First American woman to fly in combat

Col. Martha McSally flew 2,600 flight hours, including over 325 combat hours, during her military career in the U.S. Air Force.

Women served as military flyers during World War II as Women Airforce Service Pilots, but the organization disbanded after the war. While women resumed flying, legislation from Congress in 1948 prohibited women from flying warplanes in combat.

In 1984, I was attending the U.S. Air Force Academy and told my first flight instructor that I was going to be a fighter pilot," McSally said in a 2006 interview. "He just laughed, but after Congress repealed the prohibition law in 1991, and I was named as one of seven women who would be put through fighter training, he looked me up and said he was amazed I had accomplished my goal.

In 2001, she successfully sued the U.S. Department of Defense in McSally v. Rumsfeld, which challenged the military policy requiring all female personnel serving in Saudi Arabia to wear a head-to-toe gown, known as an abaya, and its matching head scarf.

In 2010, McSally retired from the USAF after 26 years of service and went on to serve as a Senator for Arizona from 2019 to 2020.

Cathay Williams

Cathay Williams enlisted in the Army using the name William Cathay on Nov. 15, 1866. An Army surgeon examined Cathay and determined the recruit was fit for duty, thus sealing her fate in history as the first documented black woman to enlist in the Army even though U.S. Army regulations forbade the enlistment of women. She was assigned to the 38th U.S. Infantry during the Civil War and traveled throughout the West with her unit. (Alamy Stock Photo)

First Black woman to enlist in the U.S. Army and the only known female Buffalo Soldier

Growing up, Pvt. Cathay Williams worked as a house slave in Jefferson City, Missouri, but when the Union army took the city, captured slaves were used in military support roles, according to the National Park Service.

On Nov. 15, 1866, Williams enlisted in the U.S. Army as a man under the name William Cathay and was assigned to the 38th U.S. Infantry Regiment. She was the first Black woman to enlist in the U.S. Army.

After contracting smallpox, and once commanding officers discovering she was a woman, Williams was discharged in 1868. NPS reports Williams went on to join the all-Black military regiment known as the Buffalo Soldiers.

Williams died in 1893, shortly after being denied veteran healthcare benefits granted to those with prior military service.

Kristen M. Griest and Shaye L. Haver

Capt. Kristen Griest (R) and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver (L). (Jessica McGowan / Getty Images)

First two women to complete Army Ranger School

In 2015, Capt. Kristen M. Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye L. Haver became the first two women to complete U.S. Army Ranger School and earn their Ranger tabs.

Griest and Haver graduated from the notoriously grueling training of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point alongside 94 men on Aug. 21, 2015, in a class that began as 364 people (19 women and 381 men).

I knew how badly I wanted to go [to Ranger School] when I was a second lieutenant, before I became a platoon leader, Griest said during a press conference at the time. I was hoping to go to this course because it is the best training the Army can provide, and I wanted to have that training before I had a platoon.

One year later, Griest also became the Army's first female infantry officer.

In 2020, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg became the first woman to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol and an Honor Guard  led by Haver  took her body into the rotunda.

Diana Holland

General Diana Holland. (Stephan Savoia / AP)

First female commandant of cadets at the U.S. Military Academy

Inspired by her father's service, Brig. Gen. Diana Holland commissioned into the U.S. Army in 1990.

As a career engineer officer, Holland worked her way from platoon leader to battalion operations officer and in 2015, she became the first female commandant of cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.

I am very honored to be named the next commandant of the U.S. Corps of Cadets, Holland said at the time. Its a privilege to be part of the team that trains and develops leaders of character for our Army."

On July 11, 2019, Holland was promoted to major general, a rank pinned by her husband, James.

She is currently the 41st President of the Mississippi River Commission  the first woman to hold the position.

Jeannie Marie Leavitt

Brig. Gen. Jeannie M. Leavitt. (Daniel Knighton / Getty Images)

First female fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force

Maj. Gen. Jeannie M. Leavitt began her career in 1992 by entering the U.S. Air Force.

When restrictions for women flying combat missions were dropped in 1993, Leavitt became the Air Forces first female fighter pilot in the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle. Throughout her career, Leavitt has accrued more than 3,000 hours as a command pilot, including more than 300 combat hours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I just wanted to fly fighters. And at one point, I was asked by a general officer, he said, 'Now, you realize if you were to go fly fighters, you would be the first female fighter pilot for the Air Force,'" Leavitt told NPR in 2013. "And I said, 'Well, sir, I dont want to be the first, but if thats the terms of the deal Ill take it.'"

Leavitt is also the first woman to command a USAF combat fighter wing and was promoted to major general in 2019. A mom of two, she presently serves as the Department of the Air Force Chief of Safety.Throughout the month of March, TODAY.com is celebrating women across generations who have made history and continue to move the conversation forward by breaking stigmas, sparking dialogue and inspiring the next generation.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Alex Murdaugh, flanked by his attorneys, was sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the shooting deaths of his wife, Maggie, and son Paul. (Joshua Boucher / Associated Press)

Here in Los Angeles, thousands of miles from South Carolina, the obsession with the double-murder saga of the Murdaugh family has seemed slightly ridiculous to me.

Cable TV news channels pumped up interest, treating it as the trial of the century, as if proceedings against Alex Murdaugh, charged with murder in the shooting deaths of his wife, Maggie, and young adult son Paul, could recapture the ratings magic of the O.J. Simpson trial.

The Simpson case, which launched a thousand legal pundit careers, was a nation-jarring collision of race, celebrity, privilege and spectacularly over-the-top courtroom theatrics. Because of this  and the insanely slow-speed white Bronco chase that preceded Simpsons arrest in the death of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman  many Americans with absolutely no personal connection to the Simpson case had a deep emotional investment in its outcome.

But none of that applied to the Murdaugh trial, which featured an unsympathetic defendant, the scion of a South Carolina legal dynasty, who was a confessed drug addict and had admitted pocketing millions of dollars in judgments owed to his clients.

I turned on CNN one recent evening and saw host Laura Coates presiding over a sort of mock trial, with lawyer commentators sitting as prosecutors, defense attorneys and jurors. Ugh. I didnt even realize the corrosive Nancy Grace was still on TV until I saw a clip of her on Fox News spewing sensational theories about the Murdaugh case.

To me, Alex Murdaugh, who was found guilty on Thursday and sentenced Friday to two consecutive life terms in prison, seemed guilty from the get-go. I didn't see much suspense there.

And the theatrical strand of mucus hanging untouched from his nose as he wept on the witness stand a couple of weeks ago only reinforced my impression that his profession of innocence was an act. A normal person would have wiped his nose.

Jurors agreed that Murdaugh was acting.

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Yeah, juror Gwen Generette said Monday on NBCs Today show about Murdaughs crying. It wasnt genuine.

After a six-week trial, she and her fellow jurors took a mere three hours to pronounce him guilty. Big shock, I thought dryly. Several said they concluded he was guilty because his voice was heard on Pauls cellphone video recorded at the family's kennels minutes before Paul and Maggie were shot. Murdaugh had sworn he had not been on the premises, then later confessed hed lied about that because his opioid addiction made him paranoid.

It wasnt until after the sentencing that TV clued me in on why the Murdaughs were so compelling. I watched Netflixs three-part docuseries on the family. The tale of the Murdaughs may not have the racial or celebrity components of the Simpson case, but who doesnt love a story about the mighty falling under the weight of their own misdeeds, about powerful people behaving so very badly?

They were the law in this area, local reporter Michael DeWitt told the documentary makers Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason in Netflix's The Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. And at times, they were above the law. (HBO Max aired its own documentary, "Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty" in November.)

For generations, the Murdaughs embodied the privileged white justice system in rural South Carolina. They straddled the system, as prosecutors and as plaintiffs attorneys. The family owned the largest law firm in the area. They were cozy with law enforcement.

By the time the current youngest generation was old enough to get into trouble, the stench of entitlement had permeated the family. Paul may have come to a grotesque end at the hands of his father at age 22, but hed already played a part in the death of a classmate. Mallory Beach was 20 years old when she was thrown from his speedboat as he drunkenly piloted it home from a bar in 2019. Four other passengers survived; two of them were seriously injured.

At the time of his murder, Paul was awaiting trial on three felony counts of boating under the influence in connection with Beachs death. He was never arrested, never handcuffed and never jailed for his role in the horrific crash. State and local police at the crash scene didn't administer a sobriety test. (The hospital did, and found the 19-year-olds blood alcohol level was 0.28, more than three times the legal limit.)

His father and grandfather showed up at the hospital where his seriously injured friends were being treated and, according to the young crash victims in the documentary, tried to get them to lie about who was driving the boat when it crashed, and exhibited no concern for their well-being, nor even for the life of Beach, whose body was recovered from the water eight days after the crash.

That's not the end of it. This family's gothic history groans under its head-spinning weight.

In 2015, a high school friend of Buster, Alex and Maggie's elder (and now only surviving) son, was found dead on an isolated road. Stephen Smith's death was ruled a hit and run, but authorities have now reopened the case based on evidence they discovered in the course of the Maggie and Paul murder investigation.

In 2018, the familys longtime housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, died after falling down steps at the family hunting lodge, tripped by their dogs, the Murdaughs said. Alex engineered a multimillion-dollar insurance payout meant for Satterfields sons but has been charged with keeping most of it for himself.

Three months after his son and wife died, Murdaugh is alleged to have conspired with one of his former clients to shoot him and kill him, making it look like a random crime so his surviving son could collect $10 million in insurance. Alex has been charged in that case with conspiracy and filing a false police report.

The more I learn about the trail of devastation left in the South Carolina Low Country by one powerful family, the more I understand the publics fascination. Very few families are tied to this much pain and anguish. It is the stuff of nightmares  and blockbuster TV.

@AbcarianLAT

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
(Bloomberg) --

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Arif Naqvi, the founder of Abraaj Group that was once the Middle Easts largest private equity fund, lost his bid to challenge the UKs decision to extradite him to the US to face fraud and money laundering charges.

A London judge denied him permission to appeal a 2021 ruling that had said he should be sent to the US to face criminal charges. Naqvi requested for a review of the decision based on new evidence highlighting deteriorating prison conditions in the US.

The prison he would be detained at has sufficient measures in place to manage Naqvis mental health and the conditions have not materially changed since his extradition was ordered, the Judge Jonathan Swift said Wednesday.

Naqvi is facing charges in the US for concealing a liquidity crisis at his firm, while siphoning off hundreds of millions of dollars for his family. Pakistan-born Naqvi has consistently denied the charges. His lawyer said at an earlier hearing that he has an unshakable conviction is that he is entirely innocent of these allegations.

Despite the ruling, its unlikely Pakistan-born Naqvi will be headed to the US anytime soon as he still has avenues of appeal left open to take.

Founded in 2002, Abraaj became one of the worlds most influential emerging-market investors but collapsed after investigations into alleged mismanagement of money in its health-care fund. By the time of its collapse in 2018, Abraaj owed creditors over $1 billion. He faces as many as 30 years in prison in the US.

A lawyer representing Naqvi didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Student loan advocates are planning their next moves as President Bidens student debt relief plan hangs in the balance.

During the Supreme Court oral arguments for the proposal last week, the majority-conservative justices seemed skeptical of the administrations case, fueling panic for some borrowers.

But activists, who were always going to try to move beyond Bidens up-to-$20,000 forgiveness, say they are optimistic about the outcome of the case and already have plans to support borrowers following a potential greenlight ruling from the court.

Theres been so much chat about Plan B, and I think thats important. Just as importantly, we need a Plan A, Braxton Brewington, press secretary for the Debt Collective, told The Hill.

The most important step if the Supreme Court were in fact to let Bidens plan proceed is to getting borrowers the debt relief as soon as possible, an issue where Brewington said the administration stumbled at the beginning.

The problem with delivering student debt relief wasnt the legal authority. It was the swiftness in which it was carried out, which was not swift at all. And so weve been saying, you know, should the Supreme Court uphold student debt relief, the Biden administration needs to discharge peoples debts as soon as possible, he said.

Before the plan was halted by the courts, more than 25 million borrowers had filled out the application for relief, and 16 million had their applications fully approved and their information sent to their loan servicers to get the debt discharged.

Cody Hounanian, executive director of Student Debt Crisis Center, said those who have already received approval should be the first to get the relief as they have been waiting for months after ticking all the right boxes.

Step one, I think, is wiping the slate clean for those folks. And, related to that, continuing processing of all the applications that have been submitted, but havent been approved yet. So I think that those are the immediate first step that needs to be done, Hounanian said.

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Student debt relief advocates gather outside the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 28 as the court heard arguments over President Bidens student debt relief plan. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

The next step could be to lengthen the application period for the relief since the plan was halted for so long by the courts

If we get a ruling in June, and then we say that the application is going to close in December because they only had it open for like a year. Then weve dramatically shrunk the timeline in which people can apply for relief so that time needs to get extended, Brewington said.

Extending the timeline for the application would help those who had difficulties getting their applications in the first time around, an issue Hounanian says should be step 2 if the plan is declared legal.

Step two is to make sure that everyone who is eligible for this really, actually gets it, and thats going to require outreach, education, and you know, a strong message to the public that this is legal, that they will receive relief and that they should apply as soon as possible, Hounanian said.

Although a win at the Supreme Court would be a huge victory for student loan advocates, they are already looking beyond it.

Student loan advocates felt Bidens plan was a step in the right direction, but many of their goals have been overshadowed since the court battles over the caps on relief.

Millions of people, you know, even though $10,000 or $20,000 is like lowering their balance, its not actually lowering their monthly payment, which is why were still pushing  well, why would we still be pushing  for cancellation. I think thats really important, so well be pushing for more cancellations, Brewington said.

Activists and high-profile Democratic politicians including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) previously advocated for much more student debt relief, as high as $50,000 a borrower, before Biden announced his plan in August 2022.

Some activists and politicians go so far as to say all student loans should be forgiven.

Biden has previously said he would not forgive higher amounts of student debt, and that he didnt believe he would have the authority to do so as president.

I do think in this moment of economic pain and strain that we should be eliminating interest on the debts that are accumulated, No. 1. And No. 2, Im prepared to write off the $10,000 debt, but not [$50,000], Biden said on the campaign trail in 2021, adding he doesnt believe it could be done through executive action.

President Biden speaks about student loan relief at Delaware State University on Oct. 21 in Dover, Del. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)

Paco Fabian, communications and campaigns director for Our Revolution, is hopeful a big legal victory could change the administrations mind on how far the authority of executive orders can go.

A win at the Supreme Court will certainly sell the administration, and hopefully theyll continue charging forward to provide folks with real relief, Fabian said.

And the demands for activists dont stop with just debt cancellation. Their calls also include extending the pandemic-era student loan pause until the end of Bidens presidency, despite the president previously saying he wouldnt extend it again.

Brewington says until Congress decides to tackle the root causes of high student debt such as the cost of college, Biden should be considering pausing payments for longer.

I think well sort of, until that changes, continue to push Biden on executive action, who in our ideal world would say, Im canceling student debt, you know, or Im keeping student loan payments paused for the rest of my administration,  Brewington said.

Biden said student loan payments will resume 60 days after the Supreme Court makes its ruling on his debt relief plan or, at the latest, 60 days after June 30.

However, the president has previously said the student loan pause would not be extended past 2022 but then backtracked that cutoff.

At the end of the day, student loan advocates recognize the root problem for student loans is the cost of college.

Once there are student debt discharges, Brewington said it be the right moment to talk about funding tuition-free college.

I dont want folks to think that we have forgotten about addressing the root cause, which is the cost of college, Hounanian said, adding addressing the issue is a little more complex

He talked about past work advocating for the College for All Act and free community college but that it is a difficult issue to get bipartisan support for some of their suggested reforms.

I would like to think that its nonpartisan, unfortunately, we dont have many allies on the other side of the aisle with more conservative political beliefs that are standing with us right now. But I still remain optimistic, Hounanian said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Actor Nazanin Boniadi on Wednesday urged the world to back the protests in her native Iran calling for women's rights and political change, saying despots fear nothing "more than a free and politically active woman.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Forbes 30/50 Summit in Abu Dhabi, Boniadi told The Associated Press that she hopes people will sign a petition she's supporting accusing Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and Iran of committing gender apartheid with their policies targeting women.

These systems of oppressing women, of dehumanizing women, are based on strengthening and keeping these entrenched systems of power in place," she said. "So we have to legally recognize this as gender apartheid in order to be able to overcome it.

Boniadi, who as a young child left Tehran with her family for England following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has used her fame as an actor in the series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime and in roles in feature films to highlight what's happening back in Iran.

Since September, Iran has faced mass protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being detained by the country's morality police. In the time since, activists say over 500 people have been killed and more than 19,000 others detained in a security force crackdown.

The thing that is unprecedented is were seeing 12-year-old girls, schoolgirls, come out into the streets saying, 'We dont want an Islamic Republic," Boniadi said. "The courage that takes is astounding. And that courage has been contagious.

However, recent months have seen suspected poisonings at girls' schools in the country. While details remain difficult to ascertain, the group Human Rights Activists in Iran says at least 290 suspected school poisonings have happened over recent months, with at least 7,060 students claiming to be affected.

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It remains unclear what chemical might have been used, if any. No one has claimed the attacks and authorities have not identified any suspects. Unlike neighboring Afghanistan, Iran has no recent history of religious extremists targeting girls education. However, some activists worry extremists might be poisoning girls to keep them out of school.

The thing that ties us together is that (with) dictators and despots, theres nothing that they fear more than a free and politically active woman. And so thats why the crackdowns exist today in Iran ... as youre seeing with the chemical attacks on schoolgirls."

She added: "We have to come together. We have to unite. We have to find a way forward and end these atrocities against women.

___

Follow Malak Harb on Twitter at www.twitter.com/malakharb.
Editors note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.

AdventHealth plans to build a new health and wellness campus in southeast Orlandos Lake Nona community with a 120-bed hospital that may cost north of an estimated $75 million.

Read: Its not right: Homeowners feel abandoned after spending a fortune on solar systems they cant use

The Altamonte Springs-based nonprofit health system -- with $6.5 billion in Central Florida revenue -- filed plans with the city of Orlando to build a 250,000-square-foot hospital, a 50,000-square-foot medical office building and a parking garage.

Doug Harcombe, CEO of AdventHealths south market, which includes Osceola and Orange counties, told Orlando Business Journal construction should start on the new hospital this summer and be finished in late 2025. The general contractor for the project hasnt been chosen yet.

Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journals website.




The Biden administration is ping-ponging among a series of Trump-era immigration proposals as officials fret over the end of Title 42.

That pandemic immigration policy, enacted under former President Trump, has been central to the Biden administrations management of the border, but is due to end May 11, along with other pandemic emergency measures.

Apart from defending the use of Title 42 for nearly two years, the administration has carried out a program of extensive deportations to Haiti, proposed a rule that would severely limit who could request asylum in the United States, and  according to reports  is considering reinstating family detention at the border.

Both The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Department of Homeland Security officials are considering reinstating family separation to deal with the end of Title 42.

The reports have neither been confirmed nor denied by administration officials.

Im not going to go weigh in on rumors that are out there or conversations that are happening at this time. The Department of Homeland Security is certainly continuing to prepare for the eventual lift of Title 42, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday.

No decisions have been made. But weve been very clear with how the president wants to move forward  by putting forward a comprehensive immigration reform.

Deterrent measures roil immigration advocates

The specter of the family detention policy, a program that was greatly expanded in the Obama administration after the 2014 surge in asylum applicants, threatens to implode the already-strained relationship between the White House and immigration advocates.

At the core of tensions is the Biden administrations reliance on measures meant to dissuade migrants from attempting to reach the United States, such as family detention, Title 42 expulsions and other measures heavily favored under Trump.

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Those sorts of deterrent measures, say many Democrats and advocates, are not only cruel but they dont work.

Im alarmed by news reports that the Administration is considering reinstating family detention policies. Not only are these policies cruel and harmful to children, but they dont prevent families from traveling to the United States, said Rep. Bennie Thompson (Miss.), the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee.

If the reports are true, I strongly urge the Administration to reconsider this policy change and instead work towards implementing immigration policies that are humane, orderly, and in line with our American values.

The Department of Homeland Security failed to respond to detailed questions from The Hill.

The Biden administration has been rolling out Trump 2.0 policies for many months now, National Immigrant Justice Center Executive Director Mary Meg McCarthy said in a statement, pointing to a new proposal to enact further limitations on asylum, as well as to rely heavily on Title 42.

These cruel and inhumane policies are becoming this administrations legacy. President Biden has a choice to make: he can either continue to outdo his predecessor or respect the human rights of immigrants and asylum-seekers.

Senators push back on plan

Immigration reform advocates within the Congressional Hispanic Caucus were angered both by the substance of the proposal and by the lack of consultations with the group.

The lack of communication in immigration related policy decisions is an insult. It would be like making civil rights legislative ideas and thoughts without checking with the Congressional Black Caucus. Its not acceptable, said Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.).

Menendez also wondered why the administration would float a policy that Biden officials themselves nixed.

I think renewing family detention may have been internally floated for discussion. But this administration ended that form of detention, I cant understand for the life of me why they would bring it back, he said.

And the idea of reinstating family detention raised alarm bells even among Democrats, who publicly worried that the administrations first push to end Title 42 was premature.

I will just say this: Family detention was wrong under Trump, and it is wrong now. If anybody tries to implement it, Ill call it out, said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), who took flak from the left for criticizing the push to end Title 42.

It doesnt address the chaos at the border, and it doesnt fix our broken asylum system. Its the wrong way to do it. And we need to actually solve this problem.

Candidate Biden spoke against family separation

The Biden administration drew down family detention through 2021, and in December of that year it announced Immigration and Customs Enforcement was holding no more detainee families.

The end of the detention policy followed a campaign promise from Biden to enact a safe, orderly, and humane immigration system.

A policy that separates young children from their parents isnt a deterrent. Its unconscionable. A policy that traumatizes children isnt a bargaining chip. Its abhorrent, Biden said in 2018.

He offered a similar sentiment during the campaign.

Children should be released from ICE detention with their parents immediately. This is pretty simple, and I cant believe I have to say it, he tweeted in 2020.

Advocates warned a reversal on that front could be punishing in future elections.

Just like the asylum ban, this approach is bad policy and bad politics and cruel. It undermines the argument that Democrats are different when it comes to this issue; will never satisfy the GOP; dampens enthusiasm among key constituencies; and creates another host of problems as it relates to harms to kids and families, Vanessa Cardenas, executive director Americas Voice, said in a statement.

We hope the Administration rethinks this approach and instead focused on standing up more legal pathways and invest in community based support services.

While the Obama and Trump administrations use of family detention received pushback from immigration advocates from the get go, research and headlines piled up over time showing that minors who spend significant time in detention endure significant trauma.

Research on minors in U.S. detention centers largely mirrored similar studies on minors in Australian ones, which have comparable conditions.

That evidence and images of detained families helped solidify political opposition to the practice, which most of the administrations allies had thought to be fully defunct.

Rep. Lou Correa (Calif.)., the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee and an outspoken immigrant advocate, excoriated the administration for considering measures to stonewall migrants from seeking safe-haven in this country.

Correa also panned the administrations Title 42 reasoning for considering more deterrent measures.

Weve pushed for the end of Title 42 for over two years, leaving the Administration with ample time to prepare for its ending, said Correa. This method of preparation, if chosen, is immoral and unacceptable.

The potential reinstatement of family detention comes as administration officials say the number of those seeking to cross the border could reach 13,000 a day once Title 42 is lifted in May.

Still, like other measures weighed for alleviating pressure at the border, the resumption of family detention is likely to spur lawsuits.

How we choose to respond to the children and families fleeing violence and persecution who come to our border seeking safety says a lot about who we are as a nation. Putting children and their parents behind barbed wire to deter them from seeking safety should shock the conscience of every American who believes in fairness, safety, and basic human dignity for all people, Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement.

If President Biden moves forward with these plans, he will be putting vulnerable, traumatized immigrant children at risk. We will fight him every step of the way.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
One of the newest members of the pioneering Afghan girls robotics team wants the world to know that after the Taliban takeover, women in her homeland are still striving for their rights and thirsting for education.

The young woman, 19-year-old Afsana Ahmadi, also said she misses her dad, terribly.

When I left Afghanistan, it was the last time I saw him, she said in a Zoom interview with NBC News to mark International Womens Day.

Ahmadi, who hails from the city of Herat in western Afghanistan, said her father accompanied her to Kabul last summer and wept when she was evacuated to Qatar, where most of the team is now based.

He cried with me and told me that, Dear Afsana, never ever be hopeless and continue your path, she said. I really miss him.

Known at home as the robot girls, Ahmadi is part of an all-woman team that became a symbol of Afghan progress by taking part in competitions around the world where budding scientists show off their latest robotic creations.

Members of the Afghan all-girls robotics team with their robot in the practice area at the FIRST Global Challenge in Washington in July 2017. (Paul J. Richards / AFP via Getty Images file)

The team became famous in 2017 when the United States twice denied members visas needed to compete in the country. Then-President Donald Trump stepped in, and they were able to attend.

When the Taliban returned to power in 2021, most of the team fled to Qatar fearing that the arch-conservative Islamic regime would once again impose draconian rules that would bar women from attending school or work outside the home. The Taliban, which had initially said they had modernized during their 20 years out of power, soon began to make it impossible for women and girls to go to work and school.

The Taliban say they support the education and employment of women "within the bounds of Shariah," or Islamic law. The interpretation of Shariah varies widely, and some Afghans and experts accuse the fundamentalist Taliban of imposing archaic tribal traditions specific to the Taliban onto the rest of the country.

On Wednesday, foreign ministers from the United States, European Union and dozens of other countries released a statement saying, in part, that since the return of the Taliban, "Afghan women and girls have been denied access to secondary education, to higher education, to public and political spaces, and to employment opportunities."

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Ahmadi, who didnt leave for Qatar until 2022, lived for almost a year under the rule of the Taliban, which had previously been in power from 1996 to 2001.

So it was kind of shocking news for me and kind of going in a way that I dont know what to do, she said.

Fellow team member Sadaf Hamidi, 19, who left for Qatar in 2021, said she has gotten horrifying reports from her family about how the Taliban have changed life for women.

One of my sisters used to be a medical student, the other one was high school student, Hamidy said. But right now they have to stay at home and they cannot continue their education.  This is heartbreaking for me and for them.

Team captain Florence Pouya, 17, said they think constantly about the other girls in Afghanistan, who cannot even go to school. She said that motivates them to try harder.

We are not just the robotics team; we are not just building the robot, she said.

Raihana Sattari, from left, Marwa Shinwari and Heela Barakzai, members of an all-girl Afghan robotics team, assemble components in Qatar's capital Doha. (Karim Jaafar / AFP via Getty Images)

Ahmadi said that while the Afghan Dreamers were making their mark on the international stage, word of their scientific exploits reached her in Herat as the Taliban were making life harder for women.

It was like kind of a hope, she said. It was kind of a light like inside of you that pushed us to not surrender to the life. Continue, its not the end point.

Inspired by their example, Ahmadi was determined to join this amazing team, a younger generation of which was still operating in Herat. And after running through a series of interviews and tests, she made the team.

But as the Taliban tightened their grip, it became increasingly clear to Ahmadi that if she wanted to become a scientist, she would have to leave Afghanistan and say goodbye to everyone she knows and loves. And she would have to do so by herself.

No, I left the country alone, she said. So like the situation was difficult for girls to leave the country, and its still difficult to leave the country, you know, without a person that can accompany them.

For now, home is a compound in Qatar she shares with other team members.

Im so thankful for having this opportunity, Ahmadi said. At the same time, I do wish that my friends and all my classmates, they have this opportunity too.

Ahmadi said she has been in touch with family and friends and life in Afghanistan right now is clearly difficult.

But as a member of the robotics team, Ahmadi said they have been able to show the world that Afghan women are capable of doing amazing things.

I can be the voice of my friends and I can do something from here that can help them, she said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) on Wednesday said the White Houses communication on the disapproval resolution for Washington, D.C.s crime bill couldve been better.

The comments from Aguilar, the No. 3 House Democrat, come roughly one week after Biden said he would sign the GOP-led measure to block the Districts revised criminal code, an announcement that surprised and angered some House Democrats after the administration initially said it was opposed to the resolution.

The Senate is expected to pass the measure with bipartisan support on Wednesday, officially sending it to Bidens desk.

I think that the communication couldve been better from down the street at Pennsylvania [Avenue], Aguilar told reporters during a press conference in the Capitol. Ive said that I was disappointed, that holds true.

The House last month passed a resolution to block D.C.s revised criminal code which would, in part, eliminate most mandatory sentences and lower penalties for a number of violent offenses, including carjackings and robberies. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) vetoed the measure when it reached her desk, but the D.C. City Council overturned her veto.

A total of 173 House Democrats voted against the Republican measure to block that D.C. code revision, a position that they thought aligned with the Biden administration, which released a Statement of Administration Policy days earlier saying it opposed the measure.

But last week, Biden announced that he would sign the resolution should it land on his desk, sending shockwaves through the Capitol. The president in a tweet expressed concerns about the provision that would lower penalties for carjackings.

A number of House Democrats, including Aguilar, expressed disappointment with Bidens decision in the immediate aftermath.

The caucus chair on Wednesday defended his vote against the resolution, pointing to D.C.s home rule.

Many of us supported, many of us have taken a position that home rule is important, Aguilar said. Theres a lot of former mayors and former city council members that populate our side of the aisle and have long held [and] believe that the residents of Washington, D.C., deserve the opportunity to be represented. We support Washington, D.C. being a state, but from a home rule perspective well want to respect their right. So, you know, we made that vote with that in mind.

Story continues

Asked about House Democrats relationship with the White House  in light of the D.C. crime bill controversy and frustrations some members expressed on Monday after a report indicated that Biden is considering returning to holding migrant families in detention  Aguilar said it remains strong while noting that better communication is always possible.

I appreciate the desire to want to chip away at what has been a very unified relationship with the White House. I think that there can always  just like in any office, in any household  there could always be better communication. That is our message. We look forward to working with our colleagues, Aguilar said.

Where there are times where we need to have, you know, offline conversations to work to ensure that the communication is better, were gonna do that. Having honest conversations is exactly what we do with our friends and allies, he later added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Mar. 8Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and a bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill Tuesday that would give the Biden administration more power to regulate  and potentially ban  TikTok.

The White House has indicated it supports the legislation.

The Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act, or RESTRICT Act, would give the Secretary of Commerce more authority over transactions involving information and communications technology products that pose what the legislation calls an "undue or unacceptable" risk to U.S. national security.

The bill targets technology companies from China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela. However, during a Tuesday press conference about the bill, senators focused much of their attention on TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance.

Sullivan emphasized bipartisan skepticism of the Chinese Communist Party in the Senate during the press conference.

"What we need to be doing is bringing all instruments of American power and American policy to address the Chinese Communist Party challenge," Sullivan said. "That's military, that's energy, that's technology, that's our private sector, that's our commitment to liberty and democracy."

"I think this is a really important bill that fits one of the elements of our strategy on the tech side, particularly what they are doing to our citizens," Sullivan said.

Sullivan also noted that views on TikTok videos about the Willow project, a ConocoPhillips oil drilling prospect in Alaska, have spiked in the past week. Sullivan supports Willow and is among Alaska leaders pushing for the Biden administration to approve the project.

Sullivan said the surge could be the result of environmental groups' opposition to the project, but also suggested "maybe that's the Chinese Communist Party trying to influence young Americans."

Story continues

The bill's introduction comes just months after President Joe Biden signed off on a bill banning TikTok from federal devices, citing privacy and security worries. The state of Alaska banned the application from state-owned devices in January.

Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune have led efforts on the RESTRICT Act. Along with Sullivan, five Democratic and four Republican senators have also joined as co-sponsors.

Sullivan has previously raised concerns about risks TikTok could pose to privacy and national security as well as the influence it could have on young people. In a January letter, he pressed the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to hold a hearing looking into TikTok.

"The American people need to understand the ramifications of using this application," Sullivan wrote in the letter.
Alex Murdaughs new mugshot has been released by South Carolinas Department of Corrections, capturing the convicted killer smiling softly as he begins a lifetime behind bars.

As Murdaugh remains in the states custody, his defence attorney has spoken out to claim he has received hate mail after representing him in his high-profile murder trial.

Dick Harpootlian, who is also a state senator, said he had receieved messages calling him a piece of scum or hoping that he dies of rectal cancer.

His comments came the same day that the juror now known as egg juror released a statement asking to be left alone.

The woman hit headlines when she was dismissed from the panel hours before deliberations began because she had been caught speaking about the case to other people.

When she was excused, she sparked laughter in the courtroom as she asked for a dozen eggs to be returned to her from the jury room.

Now, four other jurors have spoken out about convicting Murdaugh of shooting dead his wife Maggie and son Paul.

They agreed that the key piece of evidence proving Murdaughs guilt was a damning cellphone video taken minutes before the murders.

Alex Murdaugh murder trial

Alex Murdaughs brother Randy reveals what he really thinks happened night of murders

Buster Murdaugh calls police after being harassed by media

Alex Murdaugh jurors revealed they werent fooled by killers tears

Conviction shines spotlight on mystery death of Stephen Smith

Murdaugh maintains innocence as hes sentenced to life in prison

Alex Murdaugh found GUILTY of murders of son Paul and wife Maggie

Moselles dark history

16:00 , Rachel Sharp

The Murdaugh family estate had a dark past before Maggie and Paul were killed there in June 2021.

Bordering the banks of the Salkehatchie River, 4147 Moselle Road consists of over 1,700 acres of land including a 5,275-square-foot house, a farm, a two-mile stretch of river  and of course the dog kennels.

Before the Murdaughs called Moselle home, the property was tied to another controversial family.

Story continues

It was the home of Barrett Boulware  a fisherman, suspected drug smuggler and Alex Murdaughs longtime friend and business partner who died in 2018.

An aerial view of the Moselle estate including the kennels and feed room

He and his father were arrested on drug smuggling charges in 1980 when investigators seized 15 tons of marijuana from a shrimp boat in the Bahamas.

The charges were later dropped when a key government witness died.

Boulwares name cropped up during the murder trial when jurors heard that Murdaugh had stolen $750,000 in insurance money from his friend when he was dying of colon cancer.

How a juror with a dozen eggs may have changed the verdict

15:30 , Rachel Sharp

The verdict in Alex Murdaughs high-profile double murder trial could have turned out to be very different  if it hadnt been for the actions of a juror with a dozen eggs.

The once-powerful legal dynasty heir was convicted on Thursday of shooting dead his wife Maggie and son Paul in a heinous crime at the familys 1,700-acre Moselle estate in Islandton, South Carolina, back on 7 June 2021.

The panel of 12 jurors deliberated for less than three hours before they unanimously found him guilty of all charges  two counts of murder and two weapons charges.

But the removal of a juror just hours before the deliberations got underway could have changed the course of the convicted killers fate, according to an insider.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the full story:

How did a juror with some eggs impact the Alex Murdaugh verdict so drastically?

Where will Murdaugh go to prison?

15:00 , Rachel Sharp

It is not yet clear where Alex Murdaugh will spend his days behind bars, but he is expected to land at one of South Carolinas seven maximum security prisons, which only house violent criminals.

Upon leaving sentencing, he was to be handed over to the custody of the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDOC) and taken to the Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia.

All male inmates are originally taken to this facility after sentencing, which is one of the states maximum security prisons.

Once there, he is expected to have a two-month evaluation including mental and physical health checks.

This evaluation  together with the inmate classification system  will be used to determine which prison Murdaugh will be sent to spend the duration of his sentence.

The evaluation process takes about 45 days, the SCDOC said in a statement following Murdaughs sentencing.

The maximum security options include: Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia; Broad River Secure Facility in Columbia; McCormick Correctional Institution in McCormick; Perry Correctional Institution in Pelzer; Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia; and Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville.

Infamous egg juror in Alex Murdaughs murder trial asks to be left alone

14:30 , Rachel Sharp

The juror who earned the infamous nickname of the egg juror in Alex Murdaughs double murder trial has released a statement asking to be left alone.

The woman, identified as juror 785 in South Carolinas so-called trial of the century, said that it is not her desire to speak publicly about the case and is requesting that the public and the media refrain from trying to contact her.

While other jurors have chosen to comment, which is their prerogative, that is not her desire at this time, her attorney Joe McCulloch said in a statement.

Given her public service for the weeks of trial, she earned through her public service the right to have her wishes respected. She wishes you to know that she took the juror oath and all of the subsequent courts instructions seriously and believes she followed them appropriately.

Read the full story here:

Infamous egg juror in Alex Murdaughs murder trial asks to be left alone

Murdaughs attorney reveals he has gotten hate mail over trial

14:00 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaughs defence attorney has revealed he has received hate mail after representing the now-convicted killer in his high-profile murder trial.

Dick Harpootlian, who is also a state senator, spoke about the case on the South Carolina Senate floor on Tuesday.

He claimed that he had been sent messages from people calling him a piece of scum or hoping that he dies of rectal cancer.

Not all of them wished rectal cancer on me, but most were fairly critical, he said.

Mr Harpootlian, who is also representing Murdaugh on his string of other alleged crimes  said he believes the people wishing him ill dont understand the criminal justice system.

While theyre very familiar with the Second Amendment, they apparently havent read the Fourth, the Fifth, the Sixth and the Eighth Amendments that [guarantee our freedoms] of ourselves and our property, he said.

You dont have to convince me youre innocent for me to represent you. Thats not the issue. The issue is, can the state prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt?

Once you decide that position, you are free to do what is in your clients best interest.

Why did Alex Murdaugh kill his wife and son?

13:30 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh will now spend the rest of his years behind bars after being sentenced to life in prison for the heinous double murder of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

The disgraced attorney was handed two sentences of life without parole on Friday in a case that has rocked the community in Hampton County, South Carolina, and captivated America for the best part of two years.

Jurors took less than three hours to reach their unanimous verdict, deciding that  beyond any reasonable doubt  Murdaugh killed his wife and son that fateful night.

On 7 June 2021, Maggie and Paul were brutally gunned down by the dog kennels on the powerful familys vast 1,700-acre Moselle estate.

Murdaugh shot his son, 22, twice with a 12-gauge shotgun while he stood in the feed room of the dog kennels  the second shot to his head blowing his brain almost entirely out of his skull.

After killing Paul, prosecutors said Murdaugh then grabbed a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle and opened fire on Maggie as she tried to flee. She was shot five times including twice in the head after she had fallen to her knees.

But why did he do it? Why did he slaughter his wife and son? What was his motive?

Why did Alex Murdaugh kill his wife and son? Heres the motive from prosecutors

Buster Murdaugh files police complaint about media

13:00 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaughs only surviving son Buster has filed a police report claiming that he is being harassed by members of the media.

In the police report, filed with Beaufort County Sheriffs office on Sunday, Buster complained about photos of him and his girlfriend Brooklynne White inside his Hilton Head home which appeared in the New York Post.

He said that the couple had reviewed ring camera video and noticed a suspicious grey Dodge Challenger outside the home on Saturday evening.

They believe the occupant took the photos.

Sometime later, Ms White told police the vehicle was following her.

Officers pulled over the vehicle for speeding and making an improper lane change and found the driver had camera equipment in the car.

They received a warning about a traffic violation.

Police said they would also increase patrols around Busters home.

Alex Murdaughs attorney makes bizarre  chicken-related  Twitter return

12:30 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaughs attorney has made a bizarre  and chicken-related  return to Twitter after he received a dressing down from the judge for his social media posts during the high-profile murder trial.

On Saturday, defence attorney Jim Griffin tweeted a photo of himself with his face in a wooden cut-out photo prop of a cowboy riding a chicken.

Walterboro, you were a gracious host. Happy Trails, he wrote.

The bizarre post marked his first since 18 February, when a tweet landed him in hot water with Judge Clifton Newman.

Read more here:

Alex Murdaughs attorney makes bizarre chicken-related Twitter return after trial

Egg juror asks to be left alone

12:00 , Rachel Sharp

The woman who became known as the egg juror has released a statement asking to be left alone.

The woman hit headlines when she was dismissed from the panel last Thursday  just hours before deliberations began and jurors returned a guilty verdict.

Judge Clifton Newman had announced that the female juror was being removed from the panel for discussing the case with at least three other people. She had also given her opinion about the evidence she had seen in the case.

After telling the defence and prosecution his decision in the courtroom, Judge Newman brought the juror in and told her she was being removed.

The woman then prompted some light-hearted relief in the courtroom when she was asked if she had left anything in the jury room.

A dozen eggs, she replied.

This sparked laughter from Judge Newman, the defence and the prosecution  and even Murdaugh  as court staff were instructed to go and collect her eggs from the jury room to return to her.

Now, the juror has released a statement through her attorney saying that she does not want to speak out.

Statement from the juror who was excused just prior to deliberations - from Joe McCulloch #alexmurdaugh pic.twitter.com/EPiF1b7sMG  Pretty Lies & Alibis (@PrettyLiesAlibi) March 7, 2023

The story of Alex Murdaughs spectacular fall from grace

11:30 , Rachel Sharp

Powerful South Carolina legal scion Alex Murdaugh became the centre of the states trial of the century over the brutal double murder of his wife and son.

But this is far from the only twist in a bizarre and sprawling tale of unexplained deaths, hitman plots and multi-million-dollar fraud schemes.

The Independents Rachel Sharp delves into the saga:

The story of Alex Murdaughs spectacular fall from grace

Who were the faces in the courtroom?

11:00 , Rachel Sharp

Dick Harpootlian

Dick Harpootlian, 74, was one of Murdaughs lead defence attorneys in his murder trial.

Prior to representing Murdaugh, he has had a long career as a prosecutor.

He has prosecuted several high-profile cases including the corruption trial of former University of South Carolina President Jim Holderman and the murder trial of serial killer Donald Pee Wee Gaskins.

As well as being a prominent lawyer, Mr Harpootlian is also a state senator, representing South Carolinas 20th district.

Jim Griffin

Jim Griffin, 60, was Murdaughs other lead defence attorneys in his murder trial.

Mr Griffin has also had a long career focused predominantly on working as defence attorney in white-collar crime cases.

Alex Murdaugh, Maggie Fox, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin talk while on a break during the trial

As well as the murder case, both Mr Harpootlian and Mr Griffin are representing Murdaugh in his slew of other charges including his financial fraud trial.

The duo  who like Murdaugh attended University of South Carolina School of Law  was also previously hired to represent Paul in the boat crash case.

Creighton Waters

Creighton Waters was the lead prosecutor in the murder case against Murdaugh.

As the chief prosecutor for the states grand jury, he has worked for the South Carolina Attorney Generals Office for more than 24 years.

His case against Mr Murdaugh was centred on the theory that the disgraced attorney killed his wife and son to distract from his string of alleged scandals and financial crimes that were on the brink of being exposed.

Prosecutor Creighton Waters questions witness Chris Wilson during the trial

Judge Clifton Newman

South Carolina Circuit Courts Judge Clifton Newman was the judge presiding over the high-profile murder trial.

He was first elected to the court by the South Carolina General Assembly in 2000 and was re-elected in 2021, with his term due to end in 2027.

Throughout the trial, the judge largely sided with the prosecution in a series of motions and objections  including allowing the state to bring evidence of Murdaughs financial crimes as a possible motive for the murders.

Judge Clifton Newman presides over Alex Murdaughs double murder trial

However, he also awarded some big wins to the defence  including ruling that several witnesses cannot bring evidence about the roadside shooting incident and that Maggies sister could not testify about Mr Murdaughs alleged affair several years ago.

The judge then did a u-turn on the roadside shooting testimony on 15 February, after the defence brought the incident up  paving the way for the state to also enter evidence.

VOICES: Will Alex Murdaugh remember what brought him down?

10:30 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh is now slated to spend the rest of his life in prison for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul. The astonishing murder trial delivered its final twist on Thursday evening when the jury returned its guilty verdict after less than three hours  a tiny fraction of the time they listened to unspeakably gruesome testimony about the killings.

While some of the 12 jurors may elect to reveal their identities and speak to the media in the coming days, as one already has, well likely never have a full picture of what happened in the deliberation room. But having followed the courtroom circus in the most minute detail from our New York newsroom, theres little doubt in my mind that the verdict hinged on one out of 75 witnesses: Murdaugh himself.

The Independents Megan Sheets writes:

Will Alex Murdaugh remember what brought him down?

Prosecutor Creighton Waters becomes overnight social media sensation

10:00 , Rachel Sharp

Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters has become an overnight social media sensation after he secured a conviction in Alex Murdaughs murder trial.

Mr Waters led the state to victory last week when Murdaugh was found guilty of all charges over his wife and sons killings.

After the jury reached its verdict, he launched a Twitter account for the first time  and has been delighting his new following ever since.

In his latest tweet on Tuesday, Murdaugh shared a clip of his fish tank, writing: Have a saltwater tank going without stop since 1993. The clownfish - was named for Jadaveon back in 2010. He is 12 yo. Wrasse is Zoko and Damsel is Sokka.

Have a saltwater tank going without stop since 1993. The clownfish - was named for Jadaveon back in 2010. He is 12 yo. Wrasse is Zoko and Damsel is Sokka. pic.twitter.com/1q7y6MkvFw  Creighton Waters (@CreightonWaters) March 7, 2023

Alex Murdaugh associate Russell Laffitte is denied new trial over financial fraud charges

09:30 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaughs associate Russell Laffitte has been denied a new trial on charges that he helped the convicted killer and financial fraudster steal millions from his law firm clients.

US District Judge Richard Gergel denied Laffittes request for a new trial on Monday  four days after Murdaugh was found guilty of killing his wife Maggie and son Paul in a brutal double murder which prosecutors said was motivated by the disgraced attorneys efforts to cover up his string of financial crimes.

Laffitte, the former CEO of Palmetto State Bank, was convicted in November of financial fraud charges in connection to Murdaughs alleged white collar fraud schemes.

His conviction came on the basis that he was Murdaughs co-defendant in his sprawling multi-million-dollar  and decade-long  schemes.

The Independents Rachel Sharp reports:

Alex Murdaugh friend Russel Laffitte is denied new trial on financial fraud charges

Who was the man in the yellow suit at Murdaugh trial?

09:00 , Rachel Sharp

Throughout the six-week trial, viewers of Alex Murdaughs double murder trial were often captivated by the so-called man in the yellow suit.

Chatter on social media repeatedly turned to Dr Wendell Butterfield, an 80-year-old man tasked with the security of Judge Clifton Newman who often sported eccentric, colourful outfits as he sat in the courtroom in Colleton County Courthouse.

Mandy Matney, a local journalist and podcast host who has followed the Murdaugh case for years, pointed out Dr Butterfields dashing yellow suit back on 2 March.

CHECK OUT THAT YELLOW SUIT, she tweeted.

Several other social media users commented on the outfit with one saying it brought the sunshine today as Murdaughs guilty verdict came hours later.

Dr Butterfield told The Daily Beast he was surprised to learn his outfit choices had made him the talk of the trial.

I had no idea that my suit choices were making quite a stir, he said. Its been surreal.

Interesting that the defense has attorney Maggie Fox sitting next to Alex Murdaugh today.

Also CHECK OUT THAT YELLOW SUIT. pic.twitter.com/wkI3amwugz  Mandy Matney (@MandyMatney) March 2, 2023

Alex Murdaughs brother Randy thinks he is not telling the truth about murders

08:30 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaughs brother Randy has broken his silence to reveal what he really thinks happened on the night that the disgraced attorneys wife Maggie and son Paul were gunned down in a brutal crime that shocked South Carolinas Lowcountry and captured the nations attention for the better part of two years.

Randy became the first family member of the disgraced attorney to speak out after the high-profile trial, where Murdaugh was convicted of all charges and sentenced to life in prison.

The 56-year-old admitted that he believes his sibling is not telling the truth about the 7 June 2021 killings.

He knows more than what hes saying, Randy told The New York Times.

Hes not telling the truth, in my opinion, about everything there.

The Independents Rachel Sharp reports:

Alex Murdaughs brother Randy reveals what he really thinks happened night of murders

What will happen to the Murdaughs Moselle estate?

08:00 , Rachel Sharp

In the months after the murders, Alex Murdaugh put Moselle on the market and it is currently under offer for a $3.9m bid from a mystery buyer.

The property was first listed in February 2022  eight months after Maggie and Pauls murders and five months before Murdaugh was charged with them  under a new name of Cross Swamp Farm.

It was later changed back to Moselle Farm.

According to the listing by the Crosby Land Co. of Colleton County, Moselle consists of 1,772 acres of an unusually diverse habitat with varying forest types and age class distribution.

The landscape includes productive pine plantations, open fallow fields, and mature stands of mixed pine/hardwood, those upland regions give way to the flat bottomland of the Salkehatchie River Basin, it reads.

A view from where Maggie Murdaugh was found at the Murdaugh Moselle property on Wednesday

The feed room where Paul Murdaughs body was found at the Murdaugh Moselle property on Wednesday

The property boasts over 2.5 miles of river frontage, offering freshwater fishing, kayaking, and abundant deer, turkey, and waterfowl populations.

The family home was built in 2011 and consists of four bedrooms and 3.5 baths, meaning it could easily be converted into a weekend hunting lodge with the capability to sleep up to 15 people, the listing reads.

This is truly a top-tier property, complete with all the improvements and amenities one would expect from a high-end sporting property with little or no deferred maintenance cost, it reads.

A buyer  said to be a local landowner  put in an offer in June 2022. But the sale was put on hold when Murdaugh was accused of trying to offload his assets to avoid paying up in a string of lawsuits he is facing, prompting a court to freeze his assets.

The hanger and dog kennels are seen where the bodies of Paul Murdaugh and Maggie were found at the Moselle property on Wednesday (AP)

VOICES: We knew the Alex Murdaugh case was complicated - but this is deeper than anyone could have expected

07:30 , Rachel Sharp

When Paul and Maggie Murdaugh were gunned down at their familys hunting estate in the summer of 2021, few people outside of their South Carolina community had heard their names before. Nationally, it was a shocking double murder of a mother and adult son who hailed from a wealthy family. But beyond that, the Murdaugh name held no significance.

In fact, the name itself sparked much discussion as true crime enthusiasts, curious members of the public and journalists new to the familys cases  myself included  toyed with the pronunciation. Is it Mur-doe? Or Mur-daw? I think it could be Mur-dock? Is the father and husband Alec or Alex? (Its pronounced Alec Murdock for anyone still unsure.)

But, as I began digging into the case in the days after the murders, it quickly became clear how much weight the name held in the local community.

The Independents Rachel Sharp writes:

The Murdaugh case was complicated - but this is deeper than anyone expected | Voices

How Alex Murdaughs son helped seal his guilty verdict from beyond the grave

07:00 , Rachel Sharp

Since birth, he enjoyed the privileges that came from being the heir to a local legal dynasty.

For a decade he got away with stealing millions of dollars from his law firm, legal clients and friends.

And for 13 months he evaded justice after murdering his wife and adult son in a brutal fashion on the familys estate.

But, in the end, Alex Murdaughs crimes caught up with him.

And it was his own son who unknowingly helped cement his downfall from beyond the grave with a damning 50-second cellphone video of a dog.

The Independents Rachel Sharp reports:

How a 50-second video of a dog brought down Alex Murdaugh

How Alex Murdaughs trial became a circus

06:15 , Rachel Sharp

Murder. A botched hitman plot. Mystery deaths. Millions of dollars of stolen money. Opioid addiction.

The case involving Alex Murdaugh appears to have it all when it comes to drama and plot twists.

Its then little surprise that his murder trial in Walterboro, South Carolina, captivated the public all across America in the weeks before the jury convicted him.

But it should then also come as little surprise that the high-profile case spilled out into a spectacle far beyond the testimony jurors heard in the courtroom.

During a dramatic six weeks in court, the trial was been rocked by a bomb threat, apparently obscene gestures and bad behaviour from the Murdaugh family members, a controversial GoFundMe account, a Covid-19 outbreak among jurors  and a dozen eggs.

How Alex Murdaughs murder trial became a circus

SLED vows to get justice for ALL of Murdaughs victims

05:15 , Rachel Sharp

South Carolina officials have vowed to get justice for all of Alex Murdaughs other alleged victims after he was sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

SLED Chief Mark Keel gave a brief press conference outside Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, moments after Murdaugh was handed the highest possible sentence over the 7 June 2021 slayings.

Today is not the end. Its the next step in a long road to justice for every person who has been victimised by Alex Murdaugh, he said.

Alex Murdaugh has rightfully been found guilty of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul. He was found guilty because he was guilty and as one of the witnesses said Paul was a little detective.

Chief Keel issued a warning that anyone who has assisted Murdaugh in his crimes should now know that justice will be sought.

His comments about a long road to justice pointed to the slew of other crimes for which Murdaugh is awaiting trial as state prosecutors and investigators believe the murders are only a fraction of the disgraced legal scions sprawling crime wave.

Beyond the murders, he is charged with 99 counts on more than a dozen indictments in a vast multi-million-dollar fraud scheme going back at least a decade.

Through the schemes, he allegedly stole at least $8.7m from settlements from dozens of legal clients he represented through his law firm PMPED.

Key revelations from Alex Murdaugh's trial

04:15 , Rachel Sharp

Legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty of the brutal double murder of his wife and adult son after a six-week trial in South Carolina.

Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were both shot dead at the familys sprawling 1,700-acre property in Islandton, South Carolina, on the night of 7 June 2021.

Murdaugh, 54, claimed that he returned home from visiting his elderly mother to find the victims bodies at the dog kennels on the land.

No arrests were made for more than a year, until  in July 2022  Murdaugh was charged with their murders. Nearly eight months later, Murdaugh was convicted on 2 March.

After six weeks of dramatic testimony at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, the jury took less than three hours to return a guilty verdict. Murdaugh was then sentenced to life in prison.

Here are the key revelations from the trial:

Key revelations from the bombshell Alex Murdaugh murder trial

Why was Alex Murdaugh convicted of murder? Heres what defence and prosecution argued over six weeks of trial

03:15 , Rachel Sharp

During the six weeks of Alex Murdaughs double murder trial, jurors heard hours upon hours of gruesome testimony about how his wife Maggie and son Paul were gunned down at the dog kennels of the familys sprawling 1,700-acre Moselle estate.

Two different guns were used in the 7 June 2021 attack  neither of which have ever been found.

Paul was ambushed by his attacker as he stood in the feed room of the kennels, being shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun.

The first shot struck his chest, while a second fatal shot tore through his shoulder, neck and head, blowing his entire brain out of his skull.

Just yards away from Paul, Maggie was shot five times with a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle, as she tried to flee her killer.

On 2 March, Murdaugh was found guilty of the murders after jurors deliberated for less than three hours.

Heres how the prosecution and the defence argued the case:

Alex Murdaugh: What the defence and prosecution argued over six weeks of trial

VOICES: Alex Murdaughs trial proves cameras dont belong in the courtroom

02:15 , Rachel Sharp

Its hard to look back on the Murdaugh trial and not think of experts who have warned about the dangers of inviting television cameras into the courtroom. Although defendants have a right to a public trial, the courts have yet to rule that they have a right to a televised trial, Ruth Ann Strickland, a former professor of Government and Justice Studies at Appalachian State University, wrote in 2009 for the Middle Tennessee State Universitys First Amendment Encyclopedia.

Federal judges, she noted, have generally rejected television and camera coverage of court proceedings, arguing that live television broadcasts, in particular, distract trial participants, prejudice trial outcomes, and thus deprive defendants of fair trials.

The Independents Clemence Michallon writes:

Alex Murdaughs trial proves cameras dont belong in the courtroom

WATCH: The moment disgraced attorney Alex Murdaugh is sentenced to life in jail

01:15 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaughs verdict could have been very different  if it wasnt for a juror with a dozen eggs

00:15 , Rachel Sharp

The verdict in Alex Murdaughs high-profile double murder trial could have turned out to be very different  if it hadnt been for the actions of a juror with a dozen eggs.

The once-powerful legal dynasty heir was convicted on Thursday of shooting dead his wife Maggie and son Paul in a heinous crime at the familys 1,700-acre Moselle estate in Islandton, South Carolina, back on 7 June 2021.

The panel of 12 jurors deliberated for less than three hours before they unanimously found him guilty of all charges  two counts of murder and two weapons charges.

But the removal of a juror just hours before the deliberations got underway could have changed the course of the convicted killers fate, according to an insider.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the full story:

How did a juror with some eggs impact the Alex Murdaugh verdict so drastically?

Who was Maggie Murdaugh?

Tuesday 7 March 2023 23:45 , Rachel Sharp

Maggie was Alex Murdaughs wife and the mother of their two sons Buster and Paul.

The 52-year-old met her husband when they were both students at the University of South Carolina.

She was shot five times with an AR-15-style rifle on the night of 7 June 2021.

According to testimony from the Murdaugh housekeeper Blanca Simpson, Maggie was concerned with the familys finances  and feared her husband was not being truthful with her about the extent of their situation.

Ms Simpson testified that Maggie had got upset and confided in her a few months before the murders, saying that the family was being sued for $30m in the boat crash lawsuit.

Alex and Maggie Murdaugh pictured together

Maggie told her that she felt Alex was not being truthful to her about the lawsuit... she said he doesnt tell me everything, testified Ms Simpson.

Maggies sister Marian Proctor testified that Murdaugh had an affair about 15 years ago  and Maggie found out about it.

While it was years ago and the couple worked through it, she said it bothered Maggie and she had brought it up again around the time of the murders.

She also revealed that the family knew about Murdaughs opioid abuse.

Alex Murdaughs attorney makes bizarre  chicken-related  Twitter return

Tuesday 7 March 2023 23:15 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaughs attorney has made a bizarre  and chicken-related  return to Twitter after he received a dressing down from the judge for his social media posts during the high-profile murder trial.

On Saturday, defence attorney Jim Griffin tweeted a photo of himself with his face in a wooden cut-out photo prop of a cowboy riding a chicken.

Walterboro, you were a gracious host. Happy Trails, he wrote.

The bizarre post marked his first since 18 February, when a tweet landed him in hot water with Judge Clifton Newman.

Read more here:

Alex Murdaughs attorney makes bizarre chicken-related Twitter return after trial

Buster Murdaugh files police complaint about media

Tuesday 7 March 2023 22:45 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaughs only surviving son Buster has filed a police report claiming that he is being harassed by members of the media.

In the police report, filed with Beaufort County Sheriffs office on Sunday, Buster complained about photos of him and his girlfriend Brooklynne White inside his Hilton Head home which appeared in the New York Post.

He said that the couple had reviewed ring camera video and noticed a suspicious grey Dodge Challenger outside the home on Saturday evening.

They believe the occupant took the photos.

Sometime later, Ms White told police the vehicle was following her.

Officers pulled over the vehicle for speeding and making an improper lane change and found the driver had camera equipment in the car.

They received a warning about a traffic violation.

Police said they would also increase patrols around Busters home.

Alex Murdaughs brother Randy reveals what he really thinks happened night of murders

Tuesday 7 March 2023 22:15 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaughs brother Randy has broken his silence to reveal what he really thinks happened on the night that the disgraced attorneys wife Maggie and son Paul were gunned down in a brutal crime that shocked South Carolinas Lowcountry and captured the nations attention for the better part of two years.

Randy became the first family member of the disgraced attorney to speak out after the high-profile trial, where Murdaugh was convicted of all charges and sentenced to life in prison.

The 56-year-old admitted that he believes his sibling is not telling the truth about the 7 June 2021 killings.

He knows more than what hes saying, Randy told The New York Times.

Hes not telling the truth, in my opinion, about everything there.

The Independents Rachel Sharp reports:

Alex Murdaughs brother Randy reveals what he really thinks happened night of murders

What we know about Buster Murdaugh:

Tuesday 7 March 2023 21:45 , Rachel Sharp

Buster Murdaugh is the eldest  and now only surviving  son of Maggie and Alex Murdaugh.

The 26-year-old stood by his father throughout the growing number of allegations against him  even after his arrest for the murders of his brother and mother.

Buster was also accused of buying alcohol for Paul before the 2019 fatal boat crash.

His name has also cropped up in connection with the mysterious death of Stephen Smith  a 19-year-old who was found dead at the side of a road in Hampton County in 2015.

Buster Murdaugh with his girlfriend during his fathers double murder trial

Buster supported his father in court every day of the murder trial but his apparently bad behaviour cropped up in the courtroom.

In court on the week of 6 February, Buster appeared to flip the bird at attorney Mark Tinsley as he took the witness stand about the boat crash lawsuit that he brought against Mr Murdaugh.

Judge Clifton Newman reportedly issued multiple warnings to several members of the Murdaugh family about their behaviour in court and they were moved to the back of the courtroom.

Sources told FITS News that when Buster was asked to move to the back of the courtroom, he allegedly kicked over a water bottle in anger.

The judge warned that he and other family members could be removed from court altogether.

Buster later took the stand in his fathers defence - but showed no emotion when the guilty verdict came down.

Why did Alex Murdaugh kill his wife and son?

Tuesday 7 March 2023 21:15 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh will now spend the rest of his years behind bars after being sentenced to life in prison for the heinous double murder of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

The disgraced attorney was handed two sentences of life without parole on Friday in a case that has rocked the community in Hampton County, South Carolina, and captivated America for the best part of two years.

Jurors took less than three hours to reach their unanimous verdict, deciding that  beyond any reasonable doubt  Murdaugh killed his wife and son that fateful night.

On 7 June 2021, Maggie and Paul were brutally gunned down by the dog kennels on the powerful familys vast 1,700-acre Moselle estate.

Murdaugh shot his son, 22, twice with a 12-gauge shotgun while he stood in the feed room of the dog kennels  the second shot to his head blowing his brain almost entirely out of his skull.

After killing Paul, prosecutors said Murdaugh then grabbed a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle and opened fire on Maggie as she tried to flee. She was shot five times including twice in the head after she had fallen to her knees.

But why did he do it? Why did he slaughter his wife and son? What was his motive?

Why did Alex Murdaugh kill his wife and son? Heres the motive from prosecutors

Who was Paul Murdaugh?

Tuesday 7 March 2023 20:45 , Rachel Sharp

Paul Murdaugh, 22, was the younger son of Alex and Maggie Murdaugh who, at the time of his death, was facing trial over the death of Mallory Beach, 19.

On the night of 24 February 2019, Paul was allegedly drunk driving the Murdaugh familys boat with several of his friends on board.

The boat crashed into some rocks and threw the passengers overboard.

Beachs body washed up on shore around a week later.

Paul Murdaugh pictured in mugshot for the boat crash

In April 2019, Paul was charged with three felonies over Beachs death including boating under the influence and was facing up to 25 years in prison.

Paul was shot twice with a shotgun  once in the chest and once in the shoulder.

Investigators in the boat crash case had no choice but to drop the charges when he died. Beachs family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Murdaughs  which was finally settled in January 2023.

Maggie Murdaugh was seeking a divorce, nail technician claims

Tuesday 7 March 2023 20:30 , Megan Sheets

Maggie Murdaughs nail technician has spoken out to reveal she was seeking a divorce from Alex before the murders.

The technician told CourtTV when she first heard Maggie had been killed she immediately suspected Alex, because Maggie had told her of plans to get a divorce.

She said that she spoke to investigators about that topic before the trial.

However, she said she believes prosecutors didnt call her to testify at trial because there was no way to prove what she claims Maggie told her.

Watch the interview:

Was Maggie Murdaugh seeking a divorce before she was murdered by her husband Alex Murdaugh?



Maggie's former nail tech tells #CourtTV's @ChanleyCourtTV,

yes, she was. So why didn't she testify? pic.twitter.com/Pbu5OvkoAE  Court TV (@CourtTV) March 7, 2023

Murders, million-dollar fraud and mystery deaths: The story of Alex Murdaughs spectacular fall from grace

Tuesday 7 March 2023 20:15 , Rachel Sharp

Powerful South Carolina legal scion Alex Murdaugh became the centre of the states trial of the century over the brutal double murder of his wife and son.

But this is far from the only twist in a bizarre and sprawling tale of unexplained deaths, hitman plots and multi-million-dollar fraud schemes.

The Independents Rachel Sharp delves into the saga:

The story of Alex Murdaughs spectacular fall from grace

Murdaugh avoided death sentence because of racial and class privilege, observers say

Tuesday 7 March 2023 19:56 , Megan Sheets

Observers have argued that Alex Murdaugh was able to avoid the death penalty because of his wealth, race, and family background, coming from a line of lawyers and prosecutors who presided in Hampton County for generations.

It is hard to ignore the fact that that the decision provided yet another example of racial and class privilege in the death penalty system, Austin Sarat, a death penalty expert and jurisprudence professor at Amherst College, wrote in USA Today.

Describing death row, Professor Sarat noted, Throughout U.S. history, it has been a place heavily populated by poor Black men.

In South Carolina, a state with a population thats two-thirds white, half of the 35 people on death row are Black.

During Murdaughs sentencing, Judge Clifton Newman pointed to similar ironies.

The Independents Josh Marcus has more:

Alex Murdaugh avoided death sentence because of racial privilege, observers say

Jurors prayed before finding Murdaugh guilty

Tuesday 7 March 2023 19:45 , Rachel Sharp

A juror in Alex Murdaughs murder trial has revealed more about what went down in the jury room in Alex Murdaughs murder trial.

James, who did not want to reveal his last name, told Law & Crime that the panel prayed before reaching their unanimous guilty verdict.

At 22, James is the same age that Paul was when he was gunned down by his father at the familys property.

He said that he is confident in the outcome of the case.

We all, I think, were very good at looking at all of the evidence and not jumping to conclusions but rather taking all of the evidence and seeing where it led us, he said.

We did have a few that were not on the same page, so we did like an anonymous vote, in the beginning, to see where everybody was at and make sure everybody was on the same page.

Once we found that out, we kind of just opened the floor for anybody, whoever had questions, and then we would talk through those. We had the evidence in the other room.

Three bodies, 1,700 acres and a whole lot of hogs: Inside Alex Murdaughs $4m Moselle estate

Tuesday 7 March 2023 19:15 , Rachel Sharp

Before returning a guilty verduct, jurors toured the Murdaugh familys Moselle estate, seeing for themselves where Alex Murdaugh gunned down his wife Maggie and son Paul back on 7 June 2021.

But thats not all jurors saw.

They also saw a place where another mysterious death took place just three years before the 2021 murders.

They saw a snapshot of the powerful and affluent Murdaugh familys life given the $4m property was the place they called home for several years.

And they might have even seen some of the estates wild hogs  whose existence has been an unusually common mention throughout the disgraced attorneys murder trial.

The Independents Rachel Sharp reports:

Three bodies, 1,700 acres and a whole lot of hogs: Alex Murdaughs $4m Moselle estate

What prison is Alex Murdaugh going to?

Tuesday 7 March 2023 18:45 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh was handed two consecutive life terms at his sentencing on 3 March, hours after the guilty verdict came down. The sentence will be served at one of the states seven maximum security prisons, which only house violent criminals.

Upon leaving the court, he was to be handed over to the custody of the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDOC) and taken to the Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia.

All male inmates are originally taken to this facility after sentencing, which is one of the states maximum security prisons.

Once there, he is expected to have a two-month evaluation including mental and physical health checks.

This evaluation  together with the inmate classification system  will be used to determine which of South Carolinas highest-security prisons Murdaugh will be sent to spend the duration of his sentence.

The evaluation process takes about 45 days, the SCDOC said in a statement following Murdaughs sentencing.

VOICES: Will Alex Murdaugh remember what brought him down?

Tuesday 7 March 2023 18:15 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh is now slated to spend the rest of his life in prison for the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul. The astonishing murder trial delivered its final twist on Thursday evening when the jury returned its guilty verdict after less than three hours  a tiny fraction of the time they listened to unspeakably gruesome testimony about the killings.

While some of the 12 jurors may elect to reveal their identities and speak to the media in the coming days, as one already has, well likely never have a full picture of what happened in the deliberation room. But having followed the courtroom circus in the most minute detail from our New York newsroom, theres little doubt in my mind that the verdict hinged on one out of 75 witnesses: Murdaugh himself.

The Independents Megan Sheets writes:

Will Alex Murdaugh remember what brought him down?

Prosecutor Creighton Waters delights new Twitter followers

Tuesday 7 March 2023 17:45 , Rachel Sharp

Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters has become an overnight social media sensation after he secured a conviction in Alex Murdaughs murder trial.

Mr Waters led the state to victory last week when Murdaugh was found guilty of all charges over his wife and sons killings.

After the jury reached its verdict, he launched a Twitter account for the first time  and has been delighting his new following ever since.

In his latest tweet on Tuesday, Murdaugh shared a clip of his fish tank, writing: Have a saltwater tank going without stop since 1993. The clownfish - was named for Jadaveon back in 2010. He is 12 yo. Wrasse is Zoko and Damsel is Sokka.

Have a saltwater tank going without stop since 1993. The clownfish - was named for Jadaveon back in 2010. He is 12 yo. Wrasse is Zoko and Damsel is Sokka. pic.twitter.com/1q7y6MkvFw  Creighton Waters (@CreightonWaters) March 7, 2023

Alex Murdaugh associate Russell Laffitte is denied new trial over financial fraud charges

Tuesday 7 March 2023 17:15 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaughs associate Russell Laffitte has been denied a new trial on charges that he helped the convicted killer and financial fraudster steal millions from his law firm clients.

US District Judge Richard Gergel denied Laffittes request for a new trial on Monday  four days after Murdaugh was found guilty of killing his wife Maggie and son Paul in a brutal double murder which prosecutors said was motivated by the disgraced attorneys efforts to cover up his string of financial crimes.

Laffitte, the former CEO of Palmetto State Bank, was convicted in November of financial fraud charges in connection to Murdaughs alleged white collar fraud schemes.

His conviction came on the basis that he was Murdaughs co-defendant in his sprawling multi-million-dollar  and decade-long  schemes.

The Independents Rachel Sharp reports:

Alex Murdaugh friend Russel Laffitte is denied new trial on financial fraud charges

Murdaugh murder trial viewers captivated by man in the yellow suit

Tuesday 7 March 2023 16:45 , Rachel Sharp

Throughout the six-week trial, viewers of Alex Murdaughs double murder trial were often captivated by the so-called man in the yellow suit.

Chatter on social media repeatedly turned to Dr Wendell Butterfield, an 80-year-old man tasked with the security of Judge Clifton Newman who often sported eccentric, colourful outfits as he sat in the courtroom in Colleton County Courthouse.

Mandy Matney, a local journalist and podcast host who has followed the Murdaugh case for years, pointed out Dr Butterfields dashing yellow suit back on 2 March.

CHECK OUT THAT YELLOW SUIT, she tweeted.

Several other social media users commented on the outfit with one saying it brought the sunshine today as Murdaughs guilty verdict came hours later.

Dr Butterfield told The Daily Beast he was surprised to learn his outfit choices had made him the talk of the trial.

I had no idea that my suit choices were making quite a stir, he said. Its been surreal.

Interesting that the defense has attorney Maggie Fox sitting next to Alex Murdaugh today.

Also CHECK OUT THAT YELLOW SUIT. pic.twitter.com/wkI3amwugz  Mandy Matney (@MandyMatney) March 2, 2023

Who were the key players in Alex Murdaugh murder trial?

Tuesday 7 March 2023 16:15 , Rachel Sharp

Disgraced legal scion Alex Murdaugh has been convicted of the grisly double murder of his wife Maggie and son Paul, who were found shot dead at the familys sprawling estate in Islandton, South Carolina, on 7 June 2021.

The husband and father  who comes from a long line of prominent attorneys in South Carolina  was accused of shooting Paul twice with a shotgun and Maggie five times with an AR-15-style rifle.

Prosecutors claimed that he was motivated by desperation to distract from his string of alleged financial crimes which were on the brink of being exposed.

For years, the Murdaughs reigned over the local justice system and mingled in powerful circles.

Now, the brutal double murders have brought to light a series of scandals surrounding Murdaugh including unexplained deaths, a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme and a botched hitman plot  in a sprawling saga that touches many across the lowcountry.

Heres some of the key players in the case:

Who were the key players in Alex Murdaugh murder trial?

WATCH: Craziest courthouse moments from the Alex Murdaugh trial

Tuesday 7 March 2023 15:45 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh jurors werent fooled by him turning tears on and off on the stand

Tuesday 7 March 2023 15:15 , Rachel Sharp

Jurors in Alex Murdaughs murder trial have revealed that they werent fooled by his ability to turn the tears on and off on the witness stand.

James McDowell, Gwen Generette and Amie Williams broke their silence about what went down in the jury room at the disgraced attorneys trial where the panel returned a unanimous guilty verdict in the double murder of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

Rather than convince the jury of his innocence, the three jurors told NBCs TODAY show on Monday that the killers decision to testify in his own defence was one of the key things that actually helped to prove his guilt.

The panel saw right through his manufactured tears when he broke down and sobbed on the stand speaking about his wife and son, said Ms Generette  with the trio all agreeing it was a mistake for Murdaugh to testify.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the story:

Alex Murdaugh jurors reveal they werent fooled by on and off tears on the stand

Murdaughs conviction shines spotlight on Gloria Satterfields death

Tuesday 7 March 2023 14:45 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaughs conviction for the murders of his wife and son has shone a spotlight on the 2018 death of Gloria Satterfield, the familys housekeeper of two decades who died in a mysterious trip and fall at the Moselle estate.

Satterfield worked for the influential Murdaugh family for more than 20 years when she was found at the bottom of the steps leading up to the familys home. She died weeks later from her injuries.

At the time, her death was regarded as an accidental fall  though her death certificate cited her manner of death as natural and no autopsy was performed.

Gloria Satterfield died in a trip and fall at the Murdaugh home in 2018

After her death, Murdaugh reached an agreement to pay her family $4m in a wrongful death settlement  but then allegedly stole the money as part of his fraud scheme.

On 15 September 2021, days after Murdaughs crime schemes were exposed, SLED announced it was reopening an investigation into Satterfields death.

In early 2022, officials announced plans to exhume her body.

It is not clear what evidence may have led investigators to do so  or where the investigation may be headed.

How Alex Murdaughs son helped seal his guilty verdict from beyond the grave with a 50-second video of a dog

Tuesday 7 March 2023 14:15 , Rachel Sharp

Since birth, he enjoyed the privileges that came from being the heir to a local legal dynasty.

For a decade he got away with stealing millions of dollars from his law firm, legal clients and friends.

And for 13 months he evaded justice after murdering his wife and adult son in a brutal fashion on the familys estate.

But, in the end, Alex Murdaughs crimes caught up with him.

And it was his own son who unknowingly helped cement his downfall from beyond the grave with a damning 50-second cellphone video of a dog.

The Independents Rachel Sharp reports:

How a 50-second video of a dog brought down Alex Murdaugh

Mother of Stephen Smith calls for justice after murder conviction

Tuesday 7 March 2023 13:45 , Rachel Sharp

The mother of a gay teenager who was found dead in mysterious circumstances in 2015 is calling for justice for his death after Alex Murdaugh was convicted of murdering his wife and son.

Stephen Smith, 19, was found dead in the middle of a road in Hampton County back in 2015. He had suffered blunt force trauma to the head and his car was left down the road.

His death was officially ruled a hit-and-run but the victims family  and investigators who worked on the initial case  have long doubted this version of events.

There have long been murmurings in the community that a Murdaugh boy may have been involved and the Murdaugh name came up 40 times in documents in the initial case, reported Live5News.

Just days after the murders of Maggie and Paul, SLED announced that the investigation into their murders had led them to reopen an investigation into Smiths death.

Now that Murdaugh has been convicted of killing his wife and son, Smiths mother Sandy is hoping she will finally get answers in her sons death.

This circus is over and now its time to bring justice for other people, Sandy Smith told The New York Post Sunday.

It is not clear what information came to light during the investigation into Maggie and Pauls murders and then prompted SLED to launch an investigation into Smiths death

In January 2023, SLED said it had made progress in the case but no other details have been released.

Will Alex Murdaugh appeal his murder conviction?

Tuesday 7 March 2023 13:16 , Rachel Sharp

Disgraced legal dynasty heir and convicted family killer Alex Murdaugh is already planning to appeal his verdict after a jury of 12 found him guilty of the murders of his wife and son.

Defence attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian held a feisty press conference outside Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Friday where they vowed to fight the murder conviction which has landed Murdaugh behind bars for life.

Mr Harpootlian said that they will be filing appeal documents within 10 days and vowed that they would appeal his conviction all the way up to the US Supreme Court.

Despite the verdict, Mr Harpootlian insisted Murdaugh is innocent and said that they had no regrets about putting him on the witness stand in his own defence.

Murdaugh had no choice but to testify in his murder trial because he had been made out to be a monster who stole from children, crippled people and others, he said.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Alex Murdaugh to appeal guilty verdict as defence gripes about case after sentencing

Alex Murdaughs verdict could have been very different  if it wasnt for a juror with a dozen eggs

Tuesday 7 March 2023 12:45 , Rachel Sharp

The verdict in Alex Murdaughs high-profile double murder trial could have turned out to be very different  if it hadnt been for the actions of a juror with a dozen eggs.

The once-powerful legal dynasty heir was convicted on Thursday of shooting dead his wife Maggie and son Paul in a heinous crime at the familys 1,700-acre Moselle estate in Islandton, South Carolina, back on 7 June 2021.

The panel of 12 jurors deliberated for less than three hours before they unanimously found him guilty of all charges  two counts of murder and two weapons charges.

Rachel Sharp reports:

How did a juror with some eggs impact the Alex Murdaugh verdict so drastically?

SNL cold open muddles Rupert Murdoch and Alex Murdaugh

Tuesday 7 March 2023 12:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Saturday Night Lives cold open poked fun at the legal troubles of two powerful figures this week  by hilariously muddling Rupert Murdoch and Fox News defamation lawsuit with Alex Murdaugh and his double murder trial.

The comedy sketch show featured a Fox & Friends spoof with cast members Mikey Day as Steve Doocy, Heidi Gardner as Ainsley Earhardt and Bowen Yang as Brian Kilmeade.

SNL cold open muddles Rupert Murdoch and Alex Murdaugh

Alex Murdaughs brother Randy reveals what he really thinks happened night of murders

Tuesday 7 March 2023 11:39 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaughs brother Randy has broken his silence to reveal what he really thinks happened on the night that the disgraced attorneys wife Maggie and son Paul were gunned down in a brutal crime that shocked South Carolinas lowcountry and captured the nations attention for the best part of two years.

Randy became the first family member of the disgraced attorney to speak out after the high-profile trial, admitting that he believes his sibling is not telling the truth about the 7 June 2021 killings.

He knows more than what hes saying, Randy told The New York Times.

Hes not telling the truth, in my opinion, about everything there.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Alex Murdaughs brother Randy reveals what he really thinks happened night of murders

ICYMI: Why did Alex Murdaugh kill his wife and son? Heres the motive presented by prosecutors

Tuesday 7 March 2023 11:15 , Namita Singh

Alex Murdaugh will now spend the rest of his years behind bars after being sentenced to life in prison for the heinous double murder of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

The disgraced attorney was handed two sentences of life without parole on Friday in a case that has rocked the community in Hampton County, South Carolina, and captivated America for the best part of two years.

Jurors took less than three hours to reach their unanimous verdict, deciding that  beyond any reasonable doubt  Murdaugh killed his wife and son that fateful night.

But why did he do it? More in this report:

Why did Alex Murdaugh kill his wife and son? Heres the motive from prosecutors

Key revelations from the Alex Murdaugh trial

Tuesday 7 March 2023 10:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Its a dramatic saga that now includes murder, a botched hitman plot, multi-million-dollar fraud schemes and a series of unexplained deaths.

The now-disbarred attorney denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.

After six weeks of dramatic testimony at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, the jury took less than three hours to return a guilty verdict. Murdaugh was then sentenced to life in prison.

Here are the key revelations from the trial:

Key revelations from the bombshell Alex Murdaugh murder trial

Three bodies, 1,700 acres and a whole lot of hogs: Inside Alex Murdaughs $4m Moselle estate

Tuesday 7 March 2023 10:15 , Namita Singh

The Moselle estate had a mysterious past even before Maggie and Pauls murders with ties to a suspected drug smuggler and a housekeepers fatal fall, reports Rachel Sharp:

Three bodies, 1,700 acres and a whole lot of hogs: Alex Murdaughs $4m Moselle estate

Buster Murdaugh calls the police on photographers following him days after father jailed

Tuesday 7 March 2023 09:45 , Namita Singh

Alex Murdaughs only surviving son filed a police complaint over the weekend about being harassed by national media reporters.

Murdaugh was convicted last week for murdering his wife Margaret and youngest son Paul.

In the report filed before Beaufort County Sheriffs office on Sunday, Buster Murdaugh informed them about pictures published in the New York Post showing him and his girlfriend inside his Hilton Head home.

More in this report:

Buster Murdaugh calls police on photographers following him days after father jailed

SNL cold open muddles Rupert Murdochs Fox defamation case and Alex Murdaughs murder trial

Tuesday 7 March 2023 09:15 , Namita Singh

Saturday Night Lives cold open poked fun at the legal troubles of two powerful figures this week  by hilariously muddling Rupert Murdoch and Fox News defamation lawsuit with Alex Murdaugh and his double murder trial.

Report:

SNL cold open muddles Rupert Murdoch and Alex Murdaugh

Murdaugh attorney makes bizarre  chicken-related  Twitter return

Tuesday 7 March 2023 08:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaughs attorney has made a bizarre  and chicken-related  return to Twitter after he received a dressing down from the judge for his social media posts during the high-profile murder trial.

On Saturday, defence attorney Jim Griffin tweeted a photo of himself with his face in a wooden cut-out photo prop of a cowboy riding a chicken.

Walterboro, you were a gracious host. Happy Trails, he wrote.

Alex Murdaughs attorney makes bizarre chicken-related Twitter return after trial

Whats next for Alex Murdaugh after guilty trial verdict and life prison sentence?

Tuesday 7 March 2023 08:15 , Namita Singh

Disgraced legal scion Alex Murdaugh will spend the rest of his life in prison after being found guilty of the brutal murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

The once-powerful attorney was convicted of two counts of murder and two weapons charges after a dramatic six-week trial of the century inside the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina.

Jurors took less than three hours to reach the verdict after hearing how he had gunned down his wife Maggie and son Paul on the familys sprawling 1,700-acre Moselle estate in Islandton, South Carolina, back on 7 June 2021. He continued to claim his innocence as he received two consecutive life sentences on 3 March.

More in this report:

Whats next for Alex Murdaugh?

Murdaugh testimony only confirmed his guilt, jurors say

Tuesday 7 March 2023 07:45 , Namita Singh

Alex Murdaugh didnt help his defense when he took the stand at his trial for the murder of his wife and son, three jurors said on Monday.

Murdaughs testimony only managed to cement what they were already thinking  that he easily lied and could turn on and off his tears at will, the jurors said on the NBC Today show.

The key piece of evidence in finding the lawyer guilty, they said, was a video on his sons cellphone that was shot minutes before the killings at the same kennels near where the bodies were found at their sprawling estate in rural South Carolina.

Alex Murdaugh is led to the Colleton County Courthouse by sheriff's deputies for sentencing in in Walterboro, Friday, 3 March 2023 (AP)

Murdaughs voice can be heard on the video even though he insisted for 20 months that he hadnt been at the kennels that night. Investigators didnt see the video for more than a year before advances in hacking enabled them to unlock Paul Murdaughs iPhone. They shared it with the defense ahead of the trial.

When he took the stand, the first thing Murdaugh did was admit he had lied to investigators about being at the kennels, saying he was paranoid of law enforcement because he was addicted to opioids and had pills in his pocket the night of the killings.The kennel video, that just kind of sealed the deal, juror Gwen Generette said.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours Thursday before finding Murdaugh guilty of killing his 22-year-old son, Paul, with two shotgun blasts and his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, with four or five rifle shots.

Why did Alex Murdaugh kill his wife and son?

Tuesday 7 March 2023 06:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Heres how the prosecution laid out the potential motive for the murders of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh.

Why did Alex Murdaugh kill his wife and son? Heres the motive from prosecutors

Buster Murdaugh calls police after being harassed by media

Tuesday 7 March 2023 06:14 , Namita Singh

Buster Murdaugh, the only surviving son of murderer Alex Murdaugh, has filed a police complaint over the weekend about being harassed by national media reporters.

Alex Murdaugh was convicted last week for murdering his wife Margaret and youngest son Paul.

In the report filed before Beaufort County Sheriffs office on Sunday, Mr Murdaugh informed them about pictures published in the New York Post showing him and his girlfriend inside his Hilton Head home.

He told the police that they reviewed Ring camera video and observed a suspicious grey Dodge Challenger lingering outside their house at 6.39pm on 4 March.

Buster Murdaugh, the son of Alex Murdaugh, listens as Alex Murdaugh's verdict is read at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, Thursday, 2 March 2023 (AP)

Buster said he and his girlfriend [Brooklynn White] reviewed Ring camera video from the residence and observed a suspicious grey Dodge Challenger outside the residence on Saturday evening, reported the Daily Beast citing police report.

Buster believes the occupant of this vehicle took the photo, judging by Busters position in the residence when the photo was captured. No other identifiable vehicle or suspect information was noted.

According to the report, police will deploy extra patrol cars around his resident, further advicing him to contact the sheriffs office if he or his girlfriend note anything suspicious outside.

Soon after, Mr Murdaughs girlfriend contacted the authorities, informing them about being followed by the media in a grey Chevrolet SUV.The suspicious car was followed by the police for speeding and making improper lane change.

The driver, with camera bag in passenger seat was released after being warned about the traffic violation.

Murdaugh jurors reveal why they werent fooled by his ability to turn the tears on and off

Tuesday 7 March 2023 04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Jurors in Alex Murdaughs murder trial have revealed that they werent fooled by his ability to turn the tears on and off on the witness stand.

James McDowell, Gwen Generette and Amie Williams broke their silence about what went down in the jury room at the disgraced attorneys trial where the panel returned a unanimous guilty verdict in the double murder of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Alex Murdaugh jurors reveal they werent fooled by on and off tears on the stand

How Alex Murdaughs son helped seal his guilty verdict from beyond the grave

Tuesday 7 March 2023 03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Since birth, he enjoyed the privileges that came from being the heir to a local legal dynasty.

For a decade he got away with stealing millions of dollars from his law firm, legal clients and friends.

And for 13 months he evaded justice after murdering his wife and adult son in a brutal fashion on the familys estate.

But, in the end, Alex Murdaughs crimes caught up with him.

And it was his own son who unknowingly helped cement his downfall from beyond the grave with a damning 50-second cellphone video of a dog.

How a 50-second video of a dog brought down Alex Murdaugh

Whats next for Alex Murdaugh?

Tuesday 7 March 2023 02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Disgraced legal scion Alex Murdaugh will spend the rest of his life in prison after being found guilty of the brutal murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

The once-powerful attorney was convicted of two counts of murder and two weapons charges after a dramatic six-week trial of the century inside the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina.

Jurors took less than three hours to reach the verdict after hearing how he had gunned down his wife Maggie and son Paul on the familys sprawling 1,700-acre Moselle estate in Islandton, South Carolina, back on 7 June 2021. He continued to claim his innocence as he received two consecutive life sentences on 3 March.

But this is far from the end of the scandals, criminal cases and unanswered questions surrounding Murdaugh.

Rachel Sharp explains.

Whats next for Alex Murdaugh?

Walterboro welcomes return to normality

Tuesday 7 March 2023 01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Walterboro native Danny Murdaugh is ready for his small South Carolina town to return to normal following the double murder trial of a distant relative that drew global attention and sullied his familys surname.

He lamented the circus brought to Walterboro by the six-week trial of Alex Murdaugh, which ended this week with the disgraced attorney sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of murdering his wife and son.

The spectacle altered life in Walterboro for over a month as an influx of locals, tourists and media flocked to the otherwise quiet downtown area to join the gripping trial.

After Murdaugh trial 'circus,' Walterboro welcomes normality

ICYMI: Murdaughs new mugshot released

Tuesday 7 March 2023 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh appears with a shaved head in a new mugshot released just hours after he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison for murdering his son and wife.

The disgraced legal scion attorney was sentenced to two consecutive life terms on Friday in South Carolinas Colleton County Court by Judge Clifton Newman.

Alex Murdaughs new mugshot released after life sentencing for murders of son, wife

Murdaughs attorneys say son Busters pleas wouldnt have made difference to sentencing

Monday 6 March 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Attorneys for convicted family killer Alex Murdaugh have explained why they decided against having his son plead for leniency during his sentencing.

Defence attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian held a feisty press conference outside Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Friday after their client was sentenced to two life sentences by Judge Clifton Newman. They vowed to fight the murder conviction but said that the sentencing was expected.

Busters pleas wouldnt have changed Alex Murdaugh sentence outcome, defence say

Watch: Murdaugh juror reveals how long it took to reach unanimous verdict

Monday 6 March 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh juror reveals how long it took to reach unanimous guilty verdict

Murdaugh's fast conviction sealed by his testimony

Monday 6 March 2023 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Prosecutors produced no direct evidence linking South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh to the killings of his wife and son, yet a jury took less than three hours to convict him  thanks, in large part, to the defendant himself.

It came down to just a couple of key pieces of evidence. And those were: the cellphone video ... that placed the defendant at the scene of the crime ... the defendants denial to law enforcement agents that he had been at the kennels with his wife and son that night, and then finally, his testimony on the stand, said Jessica Roth, a Cardoza School of Law professor who followed the trial.

The quick verdict suggests that despite weeks of testimony, dozens of witnesses and hundreds of pieces of evidence, the jury ultimately didnt see it as a complicated case, Roth added.

Murdaugh's fast conviction sealed by his testimony: experts

Murdaugh verdict could have been very different  if it wasnt for a juror with a dozen eggs

Monday 6 March 2023 21:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The verdict in Alex Murdaughs high-profile double murder trial could have turned out to be very different  if it hadnt been for the actions of a juror with a dozen eggs.

Rachel Sharp explains.

Did an Alex Murdaugh juror with a dozen eggs change the verdict?

SNL cold open muddles Rupert Murdoch and Alex Murdaugh

Monday 6 March 2023 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Saturday Night Lives cold open poked fun at the legal troubles of two powerful figures this week  by hilariously muddling Rupert Murdoch and Fox News defamation lawsuit with Alex Murdaugh and his double murder trial.

The comedy sketch show featured a Fox & Friends spoof with cast members Mikey Day as Steve Doocy, Heidi Gardner as Ainsley Earhardt and Bowen Yang as Brian Kilmeade.

Bevan Hurley and Rachel Sharp report.

SNL cold open muddles Rupert Murdoch and Alex Murdaugh

Why did Alex Murdaugh kill his wife and son?

Monday 6 March 2023 20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

What was Alex Murdaughs motive for the murders?

Heres what the prosecution argued:

Why did Alex Murdaugh kill his wife and son? Heres the motive from prosecutors

Walterboro welcomes normality

Monday 6 March 2023 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Walterboro native Danny Murdaugh is ready for his small South Carolina town to return to normal following the double murder trial of a distant relative that drew global attention and sullied his familys surname.

He lamented the circus brought to Walterboro by the six-week trial of Alex Murdaugh, which ended this week with the disgraced attorney sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of murdering his wife and son.

The spectacle altered life in Walterboro for over a month as an influx of locals, tourists and media flocked to the otherwise quiet downtown area to join the gripping trial.

After Murdaugh trial 'circus,' Walterboro welcomes normality

Why was Alex Murdaugh convicted of murder?

Monday 6 March 2023 19:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Heres how the prosecution and the defence argued the case:

Is Alex Murdaugh guilty of murder? Heres what the defence and prosecution argued

Key revelations from the Alex Murdaugh trial

Monday 6 March 2023 18:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty of the brutal double murder of his wife and adult son after a six-week trial in South Carolina.

Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, were both shot dead at the familys sprawling 1,700-acre property in Islandton, South Carolina, on the night of 7 June 2021.

Murdaugh, 54, claimed that he returned home from visiting his elderly mother to find the victims bodies at the dog kennels on the land.

No arrests were made for more than a year, until  in July 2022  Murdaugh was charged with their murders. Nearly eight months later, Murdaugh was convicted on 2 March.

Key revelations from the bombshell Alex Murdaugh murder trial

How Murdaughs son helped seal guilty verdict from beyond the grave

Monday 6 March 2023 18:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Since birth, he enjoyed the privileges that came from being the heir to a local legal dynasty.

For a decade he got away with stealing millions of dollars from his law firm, legal clients and friends.

And for 13 months he evaded justice after murdering his wife and adult son in a brutal fashion on the familys estate.

But, in the end, Alex Murdaughs crimes caught up with him.

And it was his own son who unknowingly helped cement his downfall from beyond the grave with a damning 50-second cellphone video of a dog.

How a 50-second video of a dog brought down Alex Murdaugh

Murdaugh didn't help his defense by testifying

Monday 6 March 2023 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh didnt help his defense when he took the stand at his trial for the murder of his wife and son, three jurors said on Monday.

Murdaughs testimony only managed to cement what they were already thinking  that he easily lied and could turn on and off his tears at will, the jurors said on the NBC Today show.

Jurors: Murdaugh didn't help his defense by testifying

Whats next for Alex Murdaugh?

Monday 6 March 2023 17:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Disgraced legal scion Alex Murdaugh will spend the rest of his life in prison after being found guilty of the brutal murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul.

The once-powerful attorney was convicted of two counts of murder and two weapons charges after a dramatic six-week trial of the century inside the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina.

Jurors took less than three hours to reach the verdict after hearing how he had gunned down his wife Maggie and son Paul on the familys sprawling 1,700-acre Moselle estate in Islandton, South Carolina, back on 7 June 2021. He continued to claim his innocence as he received two consecutive life sentences on 3 March.

But this is far from the end of the scandals, criminal cases and unanswered questions surrounding Murdaugh.

Rachel Sharp explains.

Whats next for Alex Murdaugh?

John Oliver has a message for OJ Simpson about the Murdaugh trial

Monday 6 March 2023 16:45 , Oliver O'Connell

John Oliver had a message for OJ Simpson during the latest episode of Last Week Tonight.

The comedian ran through the biggest stories of the previous week, one of which was the verdict in the Alex Murdaugh trial and addressed a video posted by Simpson regarding the trial.

Jacob Stolworthy has the story.

John Oliver tells OJ Simpson why people think hes an expert on Alex Murdaugh trial

Watch: Murdaugh juror reveals how long it took to reach unanimous guilty verdict

Monday 6 March 2023 16:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaugh juror reveals how long it took to reach unanimous guilty verdict

Murdaughs attorneys say son Busters pleas wouldnt have made difference in sentencing

Monday 6 March 2023 15:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Attorneys for convicted family killer Alex Murdaugh have explained why they decided against having his son plead for leniency during his sentencing.

Defence attorneys Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian held a feisty press conference outside Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina, on Friday after their client was sentenced to two life sentences by Judge Clifton Newman. They vowed to fight the murder conviction but said that the sentencing was expected.

Andrea Blanco reports.

Busters pleas wouldnt have changed Alex Murdaugh sentence outcome, defence say

Murdaugh attorney makes bizarre  chicken-related  Twitter return

Monday 6 March 2023 15:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Murdaughs attorney has made a bizarre  and chicken-related  return to Twitter after he received a dressing down from the judge for his social media posts during the high-profile murder trial.

On Saturday, defence attorney Jim Griffin tweeted a photo of himself with his face in a wooden cut-out photo prop of a cowboy riding a chicken.

Walterboro, you were a gracious host. Happy Trails, he wrote.

Rachel Sharp has the latest.

Alex Murdaughs attorney makes bizarre chicken-related Twitter return

Watch: Three jurors open up about deliberations

Monday 6 March 2023 14:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Three people on the jury for Alex Murdaughs double murder trial, James McDowell, Gwen Generette and Amie Williams, open up to @craigmelvin about the proceedings and the deliberations that led to a guilty verdict. pic.twitter.com/LCrgIODPsj  TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 6, 2023

Whats next for Alex Murdaugh?

Monday 6 March 2023 14:15 , Oliver O'Connell

This is far from the end of the scandals, criminal cases and unanswered questions surrounding Murdaugh.

Whatever the verdict had been in the murder case, Murdaugh was never walking out of court a free man, as he is being held on bond on more than 100 charges in cases including a multi-million-dollar fraud scheme and a botched hitman plot.

Heres whats next for the disgraced attorney:

Whats next for Alex Murdaugh?

Second juror says the panel prayed before finding Murdaugh guilty

Monday 6 March 2023 14:00 , Rachel Sharp

A second juror has now spoken out about what went down in the jury room in Alex Murdaughs murder trial.

James, who did not want to reveal his last name, told Law & Crime that the panel prayed before reaching their unanimous guilty verdict.

At 22, James is the same age that Paul was when he was gunned down by his father at the familys property.

He said that he is confident in the outcome of the case.

We all, I think, were very good at looking at all of the evidence and not jumping to conclusions but rather taking all of the evidence and seeing where it led us, he said.

We did have a few that were not on the same page, so we did like an anonymous vote, in the beginning, to see where everybody was at and make sure everybody was on the same page.

Once we found that out, we kind of just opened the floor for anybody, whoever had questions, and then we would talk through those. We had the evidence in the other room.

How Alex Murdaughs son helped seal his guilty verdict from beyond the grave

Monday 6 March 2023 13:30 , Oliver O'Connell

For a decade he got away with stealing millions of dollars from his law firm, legal clients and friends.

And for 13 months he evaded justice after murdering his wife and adult son in a brutal fashion on the familys estate.

But, in the end, Alex Murdaughs crimes caught up with him.

And it was his own son who unknowingly helped cement his downfall from beyond the grave with a damning 50-second cellphone video of a dog.

Rachel Sharp explains how.

How a 50-second video of a dog brought down Alex Murdaugh

Alex Murdaughs attorney makes bizarre return to Twitter

Monday 6 March 2023 13:03 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh's attorney Jim Griffin made a bizarre return to Twitter at the weekend after he came under fire for tweeting during the trial.

Mr Griffin shared a photo of himself with his face in a wooden photo prep of a cowboy riding a chicken.

Walterboro, you were a gracious host. Happy Trails, he wrote.

This came after his last tweet led to a dressing down from Judge Clifton Newman.

On 18 February, Mr Griffin shared a link to a The Washington Post op-ed titled: Alex Murdaugh trial reveals a sloppy investigation.

Judge Newman brought up the post in the courtroom, saying that his actions go against the spirit of the law and does not pass the feel test  and also comparing him to Kyrie Irving.

Mr Griffin had conceded that he would not tweet again  about the case or at all  until the trial ended.

Walterboro, you were a gracious host. Happy Trails. pic.twitter.com/OO3xz6LLVx  Jim Griffin (@lawyergriffin) March 4, 2023

Why was Alex Murdaugh convicted of murder?

Monday 6 March 2023 12:30 , Oliver O'Connell

During the six weeks of Alex Murdaughs double murder trial, jurors heard hours upon hours of gruesome testimony about how his wife Maggie and son Paul were gunned down at the dog kennels of the familys sprawling 1,700-acre Moselle estate.

Two different guns were used in the 7 June 2021 attack  neither of which have ever been found.

Paul was ambushed by his attacker as he stood in the feed room of the kennels, being shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun.

The first shot struck his chest, while a second fatal shot tore through his shoulder, neck and head, blowing his entire brain out of his skull.

Just yards away from Paul, Maggie was shot five times with a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle, as she tried to flee her killer.

On 2 March, Murdaugh was found guilty of the murders after jurors deliberated for less than three hours.

Heres how the prosecution and the defence argued the case:

Alex Murdaugh: What the defence and prosecution argued over six weeks of trial

What prison is Alex Murdaugh going to?

Monday 6 March 2023 12:00 , Rachel Sharp

Alex Murdaugh was handed two consecutive life terms at his sentencing on 3 March, hours after the guilty verdict came down. The sentence will be served at one of the states seven maximum security prisons, which only house violent criminals.

Upon leaving the court, he was to be handed over to the custody of the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDOC) and taken to the Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia.

All male inmates are originally taken to this facility after sentencing, which is one of the states maximum security prisons.

Once there, he is expected to have a two-month evaluation including mental and physical health checks.

This evaluation  together with the inmate classification system  will be used to determine which of South Carolinas highest-security prisons Murdaugh will be sent to spend the duration of his sentence.

The evaluation process takes about 45 days, the SCDOC said in a statement following Murdaughs sentencing.

Timeline of murders, financial fraud, unexplained deaths, arrest and conviction

Monday 6 March 2023 11:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Disgraced legal dynasty heir Alex Murdaugh has been convicted in a South Carolina courthouse of the murders of his wife and son.

Murdaugh, 54, was found guilty on 2 March of shooting Paul, 22, twice with a shotgun and Maggie, 52, five times with a rifle on the familys sprawling hunting lodge in Islandton on 7 June 2021.

He was arrested more than a year after the killings in July 2022 and charged with their murders.

In the 20 months since the brutal double murders propelled the Murdaughs onto national headlines, a series of other scandals, allegations and alleged crimes have also come to light.

Heres a timeline of the key moments in the case:

Alex Murdaugh: A timeline of murders, financial fraud, crime scene and conviction
Maya-Camille Broussard is a Chicago-based chef, author and social entrepreneur who believes people living with disabilities have a superpower. As a Black woman and a member of the deaf and hard of hearing community, Broussard started the bakery Justice of the Pies as an L3C (low-profit limited liability company) for social impact. She also runs workshops for elementary-age kids from lower-income communities in an effort to end food insecurities and has authored "Justice of the Pies, a cookbook that tells the stories of luminaries who strive for social justice and equity. In this Voices in Food story, Broussard explains the delicate balance between advocating for people with disabilities and allowing their independence.

I grew up in two separate single-parent households in the South Side of Chicago. When I was 1 year old, I fell down a set of stairs and suffered a concussion. My mom says this head injury probably caused my neuro-sensory loss. I didnt talk until I was 4 years old, and the doctor declared me deaf and dumb. But my mom was relentless in reading to me, so when I did start speaking, my spelling vocabulary was that of a third grader.

As a member of the hard of hearing community, I learn through visualization, and having a hearing loss has been a blessing in that I was able to develop a coping mechanism that allowed me to grasp information differently from everyone else. Because I grew up in a predominantly Black neighborhood, I learned to sharpen my wits and my senses early on. In our culture, we make your mama jokes and talk about each other, but not in a mean way. This helped me think about what I wanted to say and have good comebacks.

Besides bullying, I also experienced racism when I went to an all-girls high school. Hearing the N-word was common and it was disheartening to see that adults did not react to it. I felt that my teachers would not go above and beyond to help me. They would give the assignments verbally and I couldnt hear them as the bell was ringing. They wouldnt write the assignments on the board even when I asked them to. The Americans with Disabilities Act was still new back then and people were not advocating for people living with disabilities, especially invisible disabilities. My mom showed the school the act and had several teachers fired for not being in compliance. As a person living with a disability, I was upset and didnt even go to my high school graduation.

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In college, I studied theater because I enjoyed storytelling through dance, visual arts and food. I worked for a theater company and, for several years, I did outreach programs with inner city kids, teaching classes and finally opening my own art gallery showcasing Black artists. But in 2011, on Christmas Day, we had a flood and I lost everything. I couldnt recoup the losses, so I had to shut down the gallery.

I thought about how to continue to express my art but without having the overhead. So I started Justice of the Pies in 2014 in memory of my late father, who was a criminal defense attorney fighting for justice and also loved baking pies.

Almost half of the Black people shot down by police were living with invisible disabilities or mental illnesses.Maya-Camille Broussard

Now, food instability issues that started with my dad had also trickled down to me. My dad was an attorney, but he had a project mentality. He used starvation as a form of punishment. We often didnt have groceries at home and waited until he got paid by his clients to go shopping for food. In high school he gave me $1 a day for the bus and $1 a day for lunch. I could only get a bread bowl with soup for 95 cents and had to survive on water for the rest of the day. I was lucky that my moms home offered three square meals, but I understood how food insecurity affected adults and kids abilities to concentrate in school or care for after-school activities. So I dedicated my business to a cause that was personal to me.

In the beginning, I relied on selling my pies through farmers markets, which brought its own challenges. The way I communicate with people is by reading lips. If I have my head down slicing a pie or counting money, I cannot hear someone talking to me. I hear the background sounds first before I hear the person in front of me. Sometimes people try to get my attention and walk away and then call me names because they think I am rude, but I actually dont hear them.

And this can be perceived as much more than just poor customer service. I discovered, after the murder of George Floyd, that almost half of the Black people shot down by police were living with invisible disabilities or mental illnesses. Even police violence is a disability justice issue. That triggered me to become more vocal and start consciously educating consumers about how to not have misconceptions about people from the hard of hearing and deaf communities.

For people who dont know how to interact with the hard of hearing or deaf, I advise them to treat us normally. Accommodate someone with special needs only if they ask for it.Broussard

Now I try to let everyone know that people with disabilities have other needs. For example, it is hard for me to keep up with a conversation in a group of three or more. I do better one-on-one. But not on the phone. I dont have a phone number because I cant talk on the phone. Also, I prefer to use closed captions capability offered by Google Meet over using Zoom. I dont talk to customers, and my kitchen staff knows to tap me on the shoulder to get my attention instead of calling out my name.

When I was on the Netflix cooking show Bake Squad, it was hard for me to keep up with all the dialogue that is normal on a television set. But when I heard from parents with young children who have speech impairment or hearing loss that they watched me and were inspired by what I could achieve with my disability, it felt really good. I felt like I had a bigger purpose in life.

For people who dont know how to interact with the hard of hearing or deaf, I advise them to treat us normally. Accommodate someone with special needs only if they ask for it. Dont over-enunciate or speak slowly because that makes it harder for people like me, who read lips from across the room, to decipher. Also know that people like us can be very successful in business, because we come up with creative solutions and are keen on excelling.

As for me, people have told me that I am somewhat of a unicorn. I hit all the marks  I am disabled, Black and female, but I am not here to check the boxes. I want you to look at me as one of the people who are undermined but also strive for excellence.

Related...
Deadly supply. Due to the fact that Western companies continue to supply electronics to the Russian military-industrial complex, the Russian army continues to fire missiles at Ukraine.

Last fall, the Kremlin was busy restoring its combat capability. Active military operations, massive missile attacks, and sensitive losses in aviation forced the Russian leadership to think about how to fill up their stocks of high-tech equipment used in the creation of military materiel.

In Sept. 2022, U.S. political news outlet Politico published data which was obtained thanks to a leak from a secret Russian report. It was about the most necessary components for the creation of military equipment, which the Kremlin selected for itself. The list includes 106 different pieces of equipment, including microcircuits and chips from leading manufacturers such as Cypress Semiconductor, Marvell, Texas Instruments, and others.

After a while, the facts of deliveries of microelectronics to Russia were confirmed. So, in Nov. 2022, it became known that U.S. company Trimble Navigation continues to produce parts for the Russian GLONASS navigation system. And in December, the Royal Joint Institute for Defense Research said that in the seven months (including until Oct. 31), Western computer and other electronic components in the amount of at least $2.6 billion were shipped to Russia, including almost a third of which were used in Russian weapons systems.

Read also: Russian financial institutions still working in Ukraine  when will they finally leave?

In this way, the army of the Russian Federation actively uses Western products. For example, components from U.S. company Texas Instruments were found in the Russian Kalibr missiles, which are used to shoot at Ukrainian cities, and the parts manufactured by Cypress Semiconductor were found in the famous Iskander missiles.

In the opinion of military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko, such supplies are vitally necessary for the Russian military industry, because they allow for the restoration of lost military potential. According to data from Dutch open-source military analytical group Oryx, which specializes in military operations and weapons research, the Russian army has already lost almost 10,000 units of military equipment.

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"For example, we can talk about rockets," says Kovalenko.

It is no longer a secret that problems with the production of missiles, removing them from storage, as well as difficult logistics, force the Russians to extend the time between mass missile strikes every time. That is why Western components are so desired in Russia.

The data from the report of the International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR) and the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO), a Ukrainian independent organization within the framework of Transparency International, testify to the fact that microcircuits from leading manufacturers in Europe and the U.S. are ending up in Russia. Analysts also confirmed that components produced by Western companies were actively supplied to Russia via Hong Kong and Turkey over the last year.

Read also: Finnish energy company Fortum still buying Russian uranium fuel to power its nuclear reactors

Svitlana Musiyaka, head of research at NAKO, explains that after the full-scale invasion, Western companies did not reduce trade with Russia.

Imported microelectronics gets to the hands of Russian military equipment manufacturers through a complex network of subsidiary companies and distributors. Musiyaka named Harting, which continues to import electronic components to companies in the Russian Federation through Russian and Lithuanian divisions. In this way, the company has supplied goods to Russian enterprises the tune of more than $16 million since Feb. last year.

At the same time, Russian company Prosoft, which is the official distributor of Harting products, additionally delivered almost 900 batches of products from other leading companies  Trimble, TE Connectivity, Texas Instruments, and Infineon Technologies.

Other Western manufacturers also continue to cooperate with the Russians: in 2022, U.S. company Trimble sent products worth $2.4 million, and TE Connectivity  $1.8 million. The deliveries were made through suppliers in Turkey, Taiwan, Morocco, and India.

At the same time, Musiyaka claims that the components found in Russian military equipment are not considered military, so it cannot be reliably said that certain prohibitions were violated. The situation is complicated by obscure supply schemes through intermediaries.

However, doing business with an aggressor country after a full-scale invasion is wrong, notes Musiyaka. That is why the newest package of sanctions from the G7 and the EU included enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex that were not previously listed.

"On the other hand, it is necessary to conduct an additional analysis of how the Russians are trying to buy such valuable electronic components for them in order to introduce new sanctions," says Musiyaka.

Read also: Not a defeat, but a foreign occupation. How to deprive Russia of its imperial ambitions

And, of course, a responsible Western business must monitor carefully the chain of buyers through which their products go. As our report shows, the Russians who commit crimes against humanity are getting the electronics that allow them to continue their terrible war.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
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It looks like Denvers Stranahans distillery is making the most of having a corporate drinks daddy like Proximo Spirits, the company that owns major brands like Jose Cuervo and Bushmills. Over the past few years this has led to some very synergistic cask finishes, the latest of which is the new Diamond Peak whiskey which is finished in Cuervo tequila barrels.

More from Robb Report

Stranahans Colorado Whiskey was founded in 2004 and first released its whiskey two years later, making it one of the OG producers of American single malt (a category that is poised to finally get its own legal definition). The whiskey is made from a mashbill of 100 percent malted barley and matured in a variety of barrel types, mostly new charred American oak with a other casks used for secondary maturation. In 2022, the Diamond Peak range was reintroduced to the lineup as a series of whiskeys that will highlight different cask finishes selected by head distiller Owen Martin. Bushmills Irish Cask was the first, a four-year-old whiskey that spent an additional three years in single malt casks from that Irish distillery.

Last summer, a version of this new Diamond Peak expression was released as a distillery exclusive, a six to nine-year-old single malt aged in Cuervo casks for up to two and a half years. This new whiskey is an extension of that one, and the details vary a bit. Diamond Peak Batch #2 is a blend of whiskey aged from five to eight years that was initially aged in char #3 virgin American oak barrels. The whiskey was then put into casks that were used to age Jose Cuervo Reserva de Familia Extra Anejo Tequila for another two years. The extra anejo designation means that the tequila was aged for a minimum of three years, so these barrels were well seasoned before being filled with whiskey for this lengthy finishing period. We have not had a chance to sample the new Diamond Peak yet, but official tasting notes describe a peppery and floral nose, herbs and salted caramel on the palate and a creamy, malty finish with some agave character.

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Right now, Stranahans Diamond Peak Batch #2 (SRP $80) is available to purchase from the distillery and select Colorado retailers, but will roll out nationally in the coming weeks across the rest of the country. In the meantime, you can check out the rest of the Stranahans single malt lineup at ReserveBar, including the Bushmills Cask Finish release.

Buy Stranhans Core Lineup Now

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MEXICO CITY (AP)  When four Americans were kidnapped in the border city of Matamoros, authorities rescued the survivors within days, but thousands of Mexicans remain missing in a state long associated with cartel violence  some in cases dating back more than a decade.

Mexican authorities in Tamaulipas state quickly blamed the local Gulf cartel for shooting up the Americans minivan after they crossed the border for cosmetic surgery Friday. They found the Americans  two dead, one injured and one apparently unharmed  early Tuesday after a massive search involving squads of Mexican soldiers and National Guard troops.

By contrast, more than 112,000 Mexicans remain missing nationwide  about a tenth of them in Tamaulipas  in many cases years or decades after they disappeared. Although a convoy of armored Mexican military trucks extracted the Americans, the only ones searching for most of the missing Mexicans are their desperate relatives.

If these people had been Mexicans, they might still be disappeared, said Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, an associate professor at George Mason University.

The rescue of the Americans provoked a special kind of fury in Tamaulipas, a border state long dominated by the warring Gulf and Northeast cartels, where the Network of Disappeared activist group estimates that 12,537 people remain missing.

Delia Quiroa, from the nearby city of Reynosa, has been looking for her brother Roberto for nine years, ever since he was kidnapped by gunmen  probably belonging to the Gulf cartel, the same group blamed for abducting the Americans  in March 2014.

Despite carrying out their own searches and pressuring authorities to investigate, the family knows nothing about his whereabouts.

Quiroa said that the families of the missing celebrate and give thanks to God that they found these four U.S. citizens, but said we wish the government would search for our disappeared with the same zeal and diligence.

We feel complete indignation, desperation, anguish, impotence and grief, Quiroa said, because of authorities' failure to act when Mexican families suffer the disappearance of a relative.

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Volunteer search teams like Quiroa's often are forced to walk the deserts of northern Mexico with iron rods and shovels, looking for clandestine graves where the bodies of the relatives may have been dumped.

Authorities lack both the manpower, equipment and training  and many say, the will  to investigate the abductions, much less arrest or punish those responsible. Things are so bad that authorities aren't even able to identify tens of thousands of bodies that have been found.

Like everything else, the fact that Americans were involved in the most recent abduction may guarantee that Mexican authorities go after the killers. About two dozen suspects, most from the Juarez cartel, have been arrested in connection with the 2019 killings of nine U.S. citizens  women and children  in the western border state of Sonora.

It is unclear exactly what faction of the Gulf cartel may have abducted the Americans in Matamoros last week. The gangs go by colorful nicknames like The Scorpions, The Cyclones and The Troops of Hell. In Matamoros, Correa-Cabrera said, they are essentially all offshoots of the Cardenas clan, whose head, Osiel Cardenas Guillen, was arrested in 2003.

The gangs care little about innocent bystanders. In 2021, gunmen from factions of the Gulf cartel drove through the streets of Reynosa randomly killing 15 passersby just to intimidate their rivals.

The Mexican government claims that its hugs not bullets strategy  anti-poverty programs intended to reduce the number of recruits for drug gangs  has been working. The number of officially recognized homicides fell from 719 in 2020, to 707 in 2021 and 492 in 2022.

That, of course, doesn't count all of the disappeared people. But things are clearly not as bad as the dark days of 2010 and 2011 in Tamaulipas, when drug cartels massacred 72 migrants or dragged passengers off passing buses and killed hundreds who refused to fight each other to the death with sledge hammers.

Correa-Cabrera said the decline in killings and crimes in Matamoros in recent years may have been because the Cardenas clan re-asserted control.

It was clear that the Cardenas family had control of the territory and there was a peace, a sort of mafia peace in Matamoros, Correa-Cabrera said, until early this year when it appeared to break down.

At the start of this year, there began to be reports of a lot more extorsion by the same group that controls the city, said the professor, who previously taught at the then University of Texas-Brownsville just across the Rio Grande from Matamoros.

It is clear that the events have unnerved U.S. officials, who have to tread carefully given the nationalistic bent of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's administration.

The United States depends on the Mexican government to help control the influx of migrants from South and Central America but also watches helplessly as Mexican-made fentanyl flows across the border, causing about 70,000 overdose deaths in the United States each year.

In a rare criticism, U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar wrote in his Twitter account Tuesday that we are particularly worried about the control that the Gulf cartel exercises over an area known as the frontera chica, which is near Matamoros.

The Mexican government is likely to feel pressured to at least investigate those involved in the Americans' case.

"Cartel violence predated the (Lopez Obrador) administration, of course, but the policy of hugs not bullets is not yielding the promised results as evidenced by increasing violence, said Andrew Rudman, director of the Wilson Centers Mexico Institute.
More Americans now favor legal cannabis than legal tobacco, surveys show, signaling a sharp societal shift from an era when cigarette-smoking was legal pretty much everywhere and pot-smoking was legal absolutely nowhere.

Fifty-seven percent of American adults would support a policy prohibiting the sale of all tobacco products, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in a research brief last month.

A slightly larger majority, 59 percent, believe marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use, according to a Pew Research survey conducted in October. Another 30 percent approve of cannabis for medical use alone. Only 10 percent of the American public believes marijuana should not be legal at all.

The findings reflect growing public consensus that cannabis is safer than tobacco, which the CDC considers the leading cause of preventable death. Studies have found marijuana less addictive than cigarettes and marijuana smoke less harmful to the lungs, although doctors caution that cannabis still poses many potential health hazards.

Public health experts dont expect a national tobacco ban anytime soon. Instead, they hope rising anti-tobacco sentiment will drive federal regulation that makes cigarettes less addictive and less palatable to the young.

I dont know of anyone in my peer group thats in favor of banning tobacco, said Adam Goldstein, a professor and director of tobacco intervention programs at the University of North Carolina medical school. We went down that road with alcohol, he said, alluding to the nations failed 1920s experiment with Prohibition.

Recent years have seen a remarkable rise in public opinion toward marijuana, whose legalization as a product for recreational sale began with the passage of state measures in Washington and Colorado in 2012.

Societys retreat from tobacco has proceeded more slowly. In the Eisenhower 1950s, much of the nation embraced cigarettes as benign, nonaddictive and socially acceptable. Two-fifths of Americans smoked in 1966, when the first cautionary notes appeared on cigarette packs.

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The first public smoking restrictions appeared in the 1970s. The 1980s brought smokeless restaurants and airplane flights. In the 1990s and 2000s, states banned cigarettes in restaurants, bars and other public spaces. In 1995, the Food and Drug Administration declared nicotine a drug.

Today, every state but Wyoming restricts smoking in some or all public places and workplaces. All states impose excise taxes on cigarettes, and federal law prohibits their sale to people under 21.

Yet, tobacco remains legal in every state. Cannabis, by contrast, remains illegal under federal law.

Advocates and researchers fault the federal government for failing to follow the lead of states in legalizing and regulating cannabis, a move they say could help the industry promote education and safety and shed a lingering Wild West image.

That lack of action is really problematic, said Michael Sofis, director of research at Cannabis Public Policy Consulting, a group that works with states. Among other concerns, he said, it is almost impossible to get research funding on cannabis on the federal level.

State by state, the national prohibition against cannabis is eroding. Marijuana remains entirely illegal in only three states, Idaho, Kansas and Nebraska, according to the National Council of State Legislatures. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for recreational use. Thirty-seven states allow medical marijuana, and 10 more permit low-potency marijuana derivatives.

I think all states, within a short period of time, will have medical marijuana, Goldstein said.

The rehabilitation of marijuana in public opinion began around 1996, when California became the first state to legalize cannabis for medical use. Societal support for legal marijuana doubled from 25 percent in 1995 to 50 percent in 2011, just before the debut of recreational cannabis. The last Gallup survey, in 2022, found 68 percent of Americans supporting legal marijuana.

Even now, public opinion remains far from unanimous. Only half of conservatives and Republicans support full legalization, reflecting lingering resistance from the law enforcement community. Liberals and Democrats overwhelmingly favor legal cannabis, along with young adults.

Support for medical marijuana is closer to universal. Even people who are morally opposed to cannabis generally run into the issue of basic compassion, said Morgan Fox, political director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, the nonprofit advocacy group.

Public favor toward cannabis has risen apace with legalization: Many Americans support legal cannabis precisely because it is widely legal.

The fact that cannabis is broadly legal does not, of course, mean that it is entirely safe. Waves of studies have found both positive and negative health effects, and much work remains to understand its impact.

We have way more science and way more research that has been done on tobacco than has been done on cannabis, said Cathy Callaway, senior director of state and local campaigns at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

The decline of tobacco in American society mirrors the rise of cannabis, but in reverse.

More than 40 percent of American adults smoked until the early 1970s, Gallup polling shows. By 2022, the population of smokers had dwindled to 11 percent.

As public support for legal cannabis has waxed, approval for unrestricted tobacco has waned.

Since the mid-2000s, support for smoking bans in public places has risen from around 40 percent to 60 percent, according to Gallup data.

A much smaller share of the public, around 20 percent, told Gallup pollsters they think smoking should be totally illegal in a 2021 survey.

CDC researchers found much stronger support for tobacco bans in their survey, also conducted in 2021 and published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease.

Surveyors asked respondents whether they would support a policy to prohibit the sale of all tobacco products. Fifty-seven percent said they would somewhat or strongly endorse such a measure.

CDC researchers found majority support for a tobacco ban from men and women, young and old, college graduates and high-school dropouts and Americans of all races and ethnicities. They concluded that the findings can inform federal, state, and local efforts to prohibit all tobacco product sales, including menthol cigarettes.

Americas city councils and state legislatures are not racing to ban tobacco. Instead, much of the national debate focuses on flavored tobacco products, from the theory that mint- and menthol-flavored cigarettes and e-cigarettes entice children to smoke.

Several states and more than 360 communities have restricted or banned flavored tobacco products, according to the nonprofit Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

At least two cities, the Los Angeles suburbs of Beverly Hills and Manhattan Beach, have eliminated tobacco sales altogether.

The Biden administration has moved to leverage rising anti-tobacco sentiment by banning menthol cigarettes and limiting nicotine levels, the latter effort tailored to make smoking less addictive.

Three-quarters of Americans approve of moderating nicotine in cigarettes, according to Gallup polling, while the menthol ban has lower support.

The tobacco industry now acknowledges that cigarettes are dangerous and addictive, after decades of resistance. But the companies have protested the menthol ban and have signaled they will oppose nicotine caps.

We certainly know that the general public is supportive of tobacco-control policies, Callaway said. And we also know that the tobacco industry is going to fight us every step of the way.

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By Layli Foroudi

PONT-AUDEMER, France (Reuters) - Marching against Emmanuel Macron's proposed pension changes this week, Nathalie Hue said she couldn't imagine a worse president and felt a chance should be given to far-right politician Marine Le Pen.

"We haven't tried [her], he doesn't listen to us -- I don't see myself waking up at 5am until I'm 64," the 54-year-old pharmaceutical industry worker told Reuters as she walked with other protesters through the picturesque Normandy town of Pont-Audemer.

Around 1.28 million people took to the streets across France on Tuesday to protest against the government's plan to raise the pension age. It was the sixth day of nationwide demonstrations since January and drew the highest turnout so far.

There is growing concern in the corridors of power that anger and resentment over the deeply-unpopular proposal are playing into the hands of Le Pen, who is eyeing re-running in 2027, when Macron will have reached his second-term limit.

So concerned was Pont-Audemer's mayor, Alexis Darmois, that he told Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, in a letter seen by Reuters, that going ahead with the plan would push people "into the arms of populist opportunists that the far-right is overflowing with".

"We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that the Rassemblement National could benefit from this chaotic situation," Darmois, who supports the pro-Macron party Horizons, told Reuters.

SHIFTING RIGHT

Described by locals as the biggest protest in recent history, around 2,000 people from Pont-Audemer and its surrounding villages marched through the town, passing the now-closed foundry and traditional half-timbered houses.

The town sits in one of 83 mostly rural constituencies that voted through a far-right Rassemblement National (RN) candidate for the first time in the 2022 parliamentary elections, that saw Le Pen's party expand beyond the post-industrial north and its historical stronghold in the south-east.

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The Eure area, where Pont-Audemer sits, saw four out of five parliamentary seats going to Le Pen's party for the first time in 2022.

The local MP who rode that wave, Kevin Mauvieux, has himself shifted right, having been active with the Les Republicains party until 2020 when he left due to disagreements with the party's support for Macron.

"People feel the government doesn't care about them - that they are good for paying taxes and nothing else," said the 31-year-old, adding that the pension reform is the "the last straw" for people struggling with rising prices.

Anger over the pension changes has boosted support for Le Pen among the traditional right in the countryside, even if she hasn't been very vocal on the subject, said Guillaume Tricard, analyst for polling institute Cluster17.

"They are against the reform, like everyone else, (and) think Marine Le Pen is not that bad, not like her father," he said.

The RN, which proposes to keep the retirement age at 62 after 42-43 years of work, and cut it to 60 for those who started working early (before 20), is the most positively-viewed party when it comes to pension policy, according to a Cluster17 poll.

According to the same poll, left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI), which proposes retirement at 60 after 40 years of work, is second most positively viewed.

LUKEWARM WELCOME

The hostility of unions leading the anti-reform protests towards Le Pen's party means her officials do not easily take part in the demonstrations.

Unlike Le Pen, who has steered clear of the protests, Mauvieux placed himself front and centre of one of the previous Pont-Audemer protests. Before long, he was told by local CGT activists to leave.

"We told him he wasn't welcome, that we don't represent the same ideas," said Jean-Baptiste Simonin, a local CGT representative, adding that there is always the risk of the far-right taking advantage of the rising discontent.

But on Tuesday, Mauvieux managed to make an appearance again, even if he stayed at the back of the procession and didn't wear his tricolore sash.

On the side of the march, there is a sense that the party's strategy of "de-demonisation", which has seen Le Pen drop some of the most toxic elements the party is known for, such as anti-Semitism, is starting to work with voters.

Cheese seller Delphine Delaune says she didn't vote last year, but she might back Mauvieux next time.

"I know him, not well, but he's from round here," she said.

(Reporting by Layli Foroudi; editing by Michel Rose and Christina Fincher)
The police used force against protesters in the center of Tbilisi: batons, rubber bullets and water cannons. March 7, 2023

"According to some information coming from Russia, he has such conversations quite regularly," Reiterovych said.

He has two countries to which he would try to expand the aggressive war he is waging against Ukraine. These are Georgia and Moldova.

He thinks that maybe this will divert attention from Ukraine, make the EU and other partners react differently to these processes. Therefore, he could potentially do this.

Read also: Saakashvili slams Georgia for refusal to return missile systems to Ukraine

The expert said that although Russia's resources are now focused on the war in Ukraine, Putin may have enough strength to still stir up yet another crisis.

"The key point is not even this, but whether Georgia is currently able to resist  to resist both at the military level and, most importantly, at the political level," Reiterovych said.

This could lead to the Georgian military thinking one way and the government taking a different stance.

Read also: Prominent mineral water producer suspends operations in Georgia due to sanctions

Read also: UK defense ministry notes transfer of Russian forces from Georgia due to unexpected losses in Ukraine

There are no signs at this time that Russia plans to expand its aggression in Georgia, said Reiterovych, while noting the nature of the dynamically developing situation.

"If the processes in Georgia go in the direction of changing the pro-Russian government and it is clear that society will demand this change, Putin may make completely different decisions, he said.

These decisions will be made based on tactical rather than strategic considerations He may transfer certain forces there in order not only to destabilize the situation, but to try to establish control over this country."

The political scientist cautioned that this would require a lot of resources, but believes that Russia could try to assemble them.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
By Rajesh Kumar Singh

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A U.S. federal lawsuit to block JetBlue Airways Corp's purchase of Spirit Airlines has raised hurdles for future airline deals, making it harder for companies to pursue growth and manage costs.

The U.S. Justice Department's lawsuit on Tuesday comes at a time when U.S. carriers are struggling to boost capacity because of shortages of pilots and aircraft. They are also facing higher costs following a run-up in fuel and labor bills.

Mergers and acquisitions are a time-honored way for companies to both boost revenue and profit through cost cutting. But the DOJ lawsuit could send a chill through airline boardrooms, said Addison Schonland, partner at consulting firm AirInsight.

But the cost pressures are so onerous, airlines will have no choice but to keep kicking the tires on deals, he said.

"The hurdle has gone up clearly," Schonland said. "This is going to slow things down, but it won't stop it."

If the Justice Department scuttles the $3.8 billion JetBlue-Spirit deal, he said the two airlines may look at other ways to collaborate, including codeshare agreements in which airlines market and sell tickets on the same flight under their own name and flight number.

Some Democratic lawmakers are not in favor of a further consolidation in the industry on concerns it would harm consumer interests. American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines control 80% of the domestic market.

"Americans want more choices and lower prices for airline tickets, not another giant merger," U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren said on Twitter on Tuesday.

Any airline seeking a merger under the Biden administration will have to be "very careful" about its choices and the way it plans to create value for the traveling public, said Henry Harteveldt, founder of travel consultancy Atmosphere Research Group.

"The government has said that it is not going to rubber- stamp mergers," he said.

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The lawsuit against the JetBlue-Spirit deal was widely expected because of the Biden administration's crackdown on large deals between publicly listed companies, analysts said.

In fact, Spirit kept citing it as a risk when it initially spurned JetBlue's offers.

Yet the New York-based carrier refused to give up its pursuit of Spirit as it viewed the deal as a way to expand its domestic footprint. It tried to buy Virgin America in 2016, but lost out to Alaska Air Group Inc.

JetBlue has argued the Sprit deal, which would create the fifth-largest U.S. carrier with a market share of 9%, was good for competition and would allow it to better compete with the big airlines.

"By coming together, we will expand JetBlue's unique offering - where customers do not have to choose between a low fare and a great experience - to boost competition nationally," the airline said on Tuesday.

The Justice Department said the planned merger will result in "higher fares and fewer seats, harming millions of consumers on hundreds of routes."

(Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago; Editing by Ben Klayman and Matthew Lewis)
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade sit front row as their daughter walks in Paris Fashion Week.

No matter how old you get, theres no better feeling than making your parents proud, and Zaya Wade is doing just that. During this years Paris Fashion Week, the 15-year-old made her runway debut in Miu Mius 2023 Fall/Winter show. Wade wore an olive green dress and matching jacket paired with a brown leather handbag and shoes.

As the budding model strutted down the catwalk, her father, Dwyane Wade, and stepmother Gabrielle Union proudly sat front row. Both sporting all-black looks, the couple tried to contain their excitement as they watched their daughter dominate the runway.

The family took to social media after the show to celebrate the special moment. In a video posted on the former Miami Heat players Instagram story, Wade embraces his daughter in a tight hug while smiling from ear to ear. The proud father followed the story posts with a TikTok video titled POV: Hyping Zayas first runway debut, which showcased the models progressive rehearsals leading up to the big day.

Zaya Wade walks the runway during the Miu Miu Ready to Wear Fall/Winter 2023-2024 fashion show as part of the Paris Fashion Week on March 7, 2023 in Paris. (Photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Zaya took to Instagram with a simple slideshow post captioned debut@miumiu, under which she received many congratulatory comments from friends, family, and followers.

If I was in the crowd, you for sure gonna break that look & laugh, her big brother Zaire Wade commented.

To witness your grace is something @zayawade I am Proud of you, her father added under the post.

Its clear that Zayas parents are among her biggest supporters, especially after Unions moving speech at the NAACP Image Awards. Last month as the couple received the Presidents Award in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service, Wade and Union expressed their adoration of Zaya.

As your father, all Ive wanted to do is get it right. Ive sat back and watched how gracefully youve taken on public scrutiny. And even though its not easy, I watched you walk out of the house every morning. I admire how you handle the ignorance in our world [] As your father, my job isnt to create a version of myself that directs your future. My role is to be a facilitator to your hopes, your wishes, your dreams, said Wade during his speech.

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Union followed her husbands comments with an important message about the lack of support for the LGBTQ+ community. In a very passionate speech, she posed the question: will we fight for some, or we fight for all of our people?

Lets just name a couple of hard truths. The intersection of Black rights and the rights of the LGBTQIA, trans, and gender non-conforming people continues to be rough. Even as we demand equality at the top of our lungs, we consistently fail to extend our advocacy to protect some of our most vulnerable among us, she asserted.

The couple received the award for their advocacy work through platforms like The Wade Family Foundation, which provides relief to marginalized communities in need, helping to advance racial justice and LGBTQ equality.

We honestly dont approach this work as activists or leaders as much as we do this as parents. Parents who love our children and will do whatever the hell we can to keep them seen and secure, and safe. This is a conversation worth having in ways that can actually build bridges. That doesnt fan the flames of hatred or division. That doesnt enable lawmakers or justice systems to look the other way when Black trans people are under attack. They dont drive our young people to hate themselves or harm themselves.

Since Zaya came out as transgender in 2020, her father and stepmother have made headlines for doing the work to protect and celebrate the teen as she lives in her truth.

Being my full authentic self feels like freedom. Being out and open and truthful about who I am to myself and others is just freeing, Zaya told Logo in a 2022 campaign. Its a beautiful feeling to have and hold and to be able to share with the rest of the world.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. TheGrios Black Podcast Network is free too. Download theGrio mobile apps today! Listen to Writing Black with Maiysha Kai.

The post Another proud-parent moment as Zaya Wade makes her runway debut appeared first on TheGrio.
The Alfa Nero in Venice, Italy. VWPICS/Nano Calvo/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

An $81 million superyacht linked to a Russian oligarch is reportedly set to be auctioned off.

The 81.2-meter Alfa Nero has been linked to Russian chemicals magnate Andrey Guryev.

An Antigua and Barbuda government minister reportedly said the "abandoned" yacht risks becoming a "hazard."

An $81 million superyacht linked to a Russian oligarch is set to be auctioned off by the Antigua and Barbuda government, according to multiple reports.

The Alfa Nero was "abandoned" in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua, in February 2022, the month Russia invaded Ukraine, and risks becoming a "hazard" because it's not being maintained, information minister Melford Nicholas was reported as saying.

The US Department of the Treasury has linked the Alfa Nero to Andrey Guryev, a Russian oligarch who the department says is a "close associate" of President Vladimir Putin. Guryev was sanctioned by the US in August, by the UK in April, and by the EU in March 2022.

Guryev is one of Russia's wealthiest individuals with a net worth of $10.1 billion, according to Bloomberg. He founded PhosAgro, a leading Russian chemical company, per the Treasury department.

The 81.2-meter Alfa Nero was built by Oceanco and can accommodate 12 guests in six staterooms and 28 crew, according to Boat International. The yacht features a swimming pool and gym, among other amenities, per photos published by Boat International.

The Antigua and Barbuda government said the Alfa Nero will be auctioned off if its owner doesn't claim it within 10 days of sale notices being placed in the media, according to the reports.

The Antigua and Barbuda government didn't respond to Insider's request for comment.

The Guardian reported that Guryev has denied being the owner of the Alfa Nero. Insider was unable to reach Guryev for comment.

The Treasury department said in August that the Alfa Nero was a "blocked property" of Guryev's, and that he reportedly bought the yacht for $120 million in 2014.

Guryev served in the Russian government until 2013, per the Treasury department. The UK described Guryev as an "oligarch" when it sanctioned him in April.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasted House SpeakerKevin McCarthys decision to turn over January 6 footage to Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Carlson broadcasted selectively edited security footage of the January 6 riot on his highly-watched show on Monday evening in an attempt to portray the majority of those who broke into the Capitol as mostly peaceful and said  These were not insurrectionists. They were sightseers.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who has said she feared for her life on the day of the insurrection, told The Independent that Mr McCarthys actions made the Capitol less safe.

"It absolutely does," she said. "The fact that he handed that to one organization is completely unethical."

Ms Ocasio-Cortez serves as the number two Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on that committee who led the impeachment trial for former president Donald Trumps actions on January 6, condemned Mr McCarthys actions.

So turning over 10s of 1,000s of hours of footage for him for him to cherry pick a few minutes in order to take potshots at the January 6 bipartisan select committee was an outrage, he said. And I think it will be a career defining event for Kevin McCarthy.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell also condemned the broadcast.

Clearly, the chief of the Capitol Police in my view correctly describes what most of us witnessed firsthand on January 6, he told reporters on Tuesday.

Mr McCarthy said that he turned over the footage to the highly-watched Fox News host in the name of transparency, but said he hadnt watched Carlsons broadcast.

I didnt see what was aired, what I want to do exactly is give the transparency to everybody and everybody can make up their own [mind], he told reporters on Tuesday.
Goertek, one of Apple's largest acoustic products suppliers, said its vice-president Kazuyoshi Yoshinaga is leaving the company, in a surprise move that comes just days after his remarks about Apple suppliers exiting China made headlines.

In a stock exchange filing on Tuesday, Shenzhen-listed Goertek said Yoshinaga was leaving for "personal reasons", without providing details. The statement did not mention his recent comments about the supply chain, and there is no evidence to show that his resignation was related to the fact that he painted a gloomy picture for the future of the Chinese manufacturing sector.

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Yoshinaga was quoted as saying that Apple suppliers, including Goertek, have been moving manufacturing capacity out of China faster than observers had anticipated as US-China relations continue to deteriorate, laying bare the fact that China is losing some of its supply chain dominance to India and Vietnam.

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Goertek and Yoshinaga did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

Yoshinaga submitted his resignation on Tuesday and it came into effect immediately, according to the corporate statement. He does not own any shares of Goertek and will not have any role in affiliated Goertek entities after the resignation, the company added.

China's stringent Covid-19 restrictions and intensified US-China tech rivalry have rattled Apple's supply chain over the last three years. Cracks have started to appear in the sophisticated supply chain that took the US tech giant decades to build, as companies from Taiwan's Foxconn Technology Group to China's Goertek and Luxshare increase their investments in India and Vietnam, two of the largest beneficiaries of a realignment in the global supply chain.

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Last year, efforts by Foxconn's Zhengzhou plant to implement Beijing's zero-Covid curbs, while scrambling to churn out Apple's iPhone 14 orders, backfired, leading to violent clashes and a worker exodus that slowed production at the world's largest iPhone factory ahead of the holiday shopping season. The incident forced Apple to admit for the first time that its once reliable Chinese supply chain had failed to deliver.

Goertek makes AirPods for Apple. Photo: Handout alt=Goertek makes AirPods for Apple. Photo: Handout>

In the wake of the fiasco, Apple has reportedly been asking its mainland Chinese-based suppliers to speed up plans to set up factories outside China, but neither Apple or its Chinese suppliers, including Goertek, Luxshare and Foxconn, have publicly acknowledged doing so.

Yoshinaga's remarks were the first time that a key player in Apple's Chinese supply chain not only acknowledged the problems, but said the exodus was happening "far faster" than anticipated.

The Chinese government has not made any public comment on Apple asking its suppliers to set up factories elsewhere, but the country has just emerged from three years of strict Covid curbs and Beijing is looking to shore up a slowing economy, vowing to secure its supply chain.

The 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party held last year acknowledged the adverse impact from the pandemic and geopolitical tensions, but offered slogans such as "Building a resilient supply chain" and "Patch up the weak links in the supply chain" to try and remedy the situation.

According to earlier corporate filings, Yoshinaga, 55, joined the AirPods maker in 2015, bringing experience in "corporate strategy and transformation management", according to Goertek. His latest annual salary was 1.2 million yuan (US$173,000). Prior to Goertek, he worked for IBM. Yoshinaga graduated from Tongji University in Shanghai.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Anyone who has filled their gas tank this week in Scottsdale or other parts of Maricopa County is likely aware of a grim reality: Arizona gas prices are shooting skyward  again.

Last week the state's average price of a gallon of regular gas rose 10 cents from the prior week, more than any other state, according to AAA Arizona. The increase this week is even steeper, at 17 cents so far, with no sign of slowing.

The state average price for a gallon of regular fuel was $3.80 Wednesday, but that's an average that includes the $3.42 or so people are paying in Tucson and the eye-popping $4.09 average Scottsdale drivers are paying.

Everywhere in metro Phoenix is averaging more than $4 a gallon, or close to $65 for a 16-gallon fill-up.

Why are gas prices going up?

AAA cites an increase in gasoline demand for the price spike.

"The increase in gas demand, amid tighter supplies, has contributed to rising pump prices. If demand continues to grow, drivers will likely continue to see pump prices increase," according to AAA.

How GasBuddy can help you find cheap gas

If you find yourself driving through Douglas, Green Valley, Sierra Vista or Tucson you might find gas for less than $3.50 a gallon, according to GasBuddy.com, which recruits drivers to track and report prices.

But multiple stations with low prices listed on GasBuddy had higher prices when called to confirm Wednesday, indicating that the stations are raising prices quickly.

How does it compare to national prices?

Arizona has among the highest prices in the country. The national average price for a gallon of regular gas was $3.45 Wednesday, according to AAA, and also on the rise. The highest national average was $4.92 a gallon in California.

The highest price the national average has reached was $5.02 a gallon in June 2022.

Reach reporter Ryan Randazzo at ryan.randazzo@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4331. Follow him on Twitter @UtilityReporter.

Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Why did gas prices go up? What Arizonans should know
A homeowner in San Manuel, Arizona, came home after work to find a furry creature in her dog's bed  but it wasn't a pet. It was a bobcat, believed to have come through the home's unlocked doggie door.

The homeowner snapped a photo of the bobcat lounging in the bed and the Arizona Game and Fish Department shared the image on Twitter, warning residents not to handle wildlife like this themselves.

Officers with the department did arrive at the scene, but the bobcat had already escaped when they arrived.

A bobcat lounges on a dog bed in San Manuel home Mon. The homeowner, who found it upon returning from work, suspects it entered through an unlocked doggie door. The bobcat escaped before an officer arrived. Dont handle entrapped/hurt wildlife yourself. Call 623-236-7201 ASAP. pic.twitter.com/zcQFD4m08h  AZ Game & Fish Dept (@azgfdTucson) March 7, 2023

There did not appear to be a dog in the bed  just a blanket. These animals, however, are dangerous to small pets like dogs and birds.

Bobcats, which have tan coats and dark spots and look like small mountain lions, are common in all areas of Arizona, according to the department. They are prevalent in the Sonoran desert but also move to the outskirts of towns and cities, where they may find food.

They also live in many different habitats across the U.S.  from northern forests to coastal swamps in the Southeast and deserts in the Southwest, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. And according to the International Society for Endangered Cats Canada, bobcats live in every U.S. state except Delaware.

They are protected in 10 states, where hunting this species is regulated. While they are still often hunted for their skins, the change and loss of their habitats and being killed by farmers and ranchers is their main threat, according to the society.

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They can be hunted in Arizona with a valid hunting license, according to the department.

These animals usually grow to the size of a small to medium dog  12 to 30 pounds, and up to 24 inches tall and 36 inches long.

They usually walk around during sunrise or sunset and are often found in backyards, where they could find food like birds, rodents and even unattended small pets.

While they're normally alone, they can travel with their families and mates and defend about 12-square-mile territories and are often territorial  they often return to the same areas, even if captured and relocated. Therefore, removing things that attracted them to an area  like food  is key to preventing their return.

The department advises people who see bobcats near their homes not to panic, as they usually don't attack people. However, a bobcat with rabies may attack.

If a bobcat appears to be hyperactive or bites a person, there is cause for concern and animal control or the fish and game department should be called. If you are attacked, you should fight back.

The department also advises homeowners keep small pets protected inside or on leashes while outside  because even in an enclosed yard, they are not safe, as bobcats can jump up to 12 feet and over a fence. They also say not to feed the animals, because it could make them too comfortable with humans.

Family member of Mexico kidnapping victims describes shock, sadness

Rutgers star shares strong bond with mentor who helped him find basketball

Prince Harry and Meghan christen daughter as Princess Lilibet Diana
Jens Pattke/Wikimedia Commons

The Arizona attorney general filed suit on Tuesday to stop the Cochise County Board of Supervisors from handing its authority over elections to the county recorder, who has spread skepticism about the voting system.

The Recorder has unlawfully aggrandized his power, and the Board has unlawfully and almost completely offloaded its statutory duties over elections, the suit says.

The Agreement not only threatens the lawful administration and operation of elections. It also may threaten Cochise County residents right to know how and when their government is making consequential decisions that affect their right to vote.

In shifting all election duties to the Recordera distinct constitutional county officerthe Agreement says not a word about how or whether the public may still have access to deliberations on matters that the Board would normally consider in open meetings.

The move comes after a months-long imbroglio that began when the two Republicans on the three-member Board of Supervisors called the reliability of voting machines into question before the November midterms.

They then demanded an illegal hand-count of the ballots, and when a judge shot down their request and the election went ahead without any problems, they repeatedly failed to certify the results until a court intervened.

The two GOP members, Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd, also sued the countys longtime director of elections, Lisa Marra, for refusing to go along with their hand-count scheme.

Marra prevailed in court but subsequently quit her position. Crosby and Judd then voted to consolidate all authority for elections under recorder David Stevens.

Stevens is a close friend of Mark Finchem, a 2020 election denier who ran for secretary of statewhich would have made him the states top election officialand refused to concede when he lost in November.

According to Arizona Mirrors Votebeat, Stevens is a director of a nonprofit run by Finchem, the Election Fairness Institute, that posts untrue statements about elections on its website and says it will rely on researchers who have become known for spreading false claims of widespread election fraud.

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AG Kris Mayes explained the decision to sue the Board of Supervisors in a statement accompanying the complaint.

While counties may appropriately enter into cooperative agreements with their recorders to manage elections, Cochise Countys agreement steps far over the legal line. In addition to this broad transfer of power, I am deeply concerned this move might shield or obscure actions and deliberations the Board would typically conduct publicly under open meeting law, Mayes said.

Suing other public officials is not something I take lightlybut it is my job as Attorney General to bring action when public officials unlawfully exercise their power or act outside the confines of their authority.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP)  Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an education bill Wednesday that creates a new school voucher program, raises minimum teacher salaries and places restrictions on classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Republican governor and former White House press secretary, who took office in January, signed into law the 145-page measure that she's called her priority in this year's legislative session.

We've seen how the status quo condemns Arkansans to a lifetime of poverty, Sanders said in a signing ceremony in the state Capitol rotunda, surrounded by GOP lawmakers. We're tired of sitting at the bottom of national education rankings.

Many of the details of how the legislation will be implemented have to be worked out in the coming months, as officials write the rules for the voucher program and other aspects of the bill.

Over three years, the plan will phase in an education freedom account to pay for private- and home-schooling costs equal to 90% of the states per-student funding for public schools, which is currently $7,413. Its part of a renewed push for such voucher programs following the COVID-19 pandemic thats been fueled in part by fights over school curriculum.

The state Department of Education has projected that 7,000 students will participate in the program in its first year and 14,000 the following year.

Education Secretary Jacob Oliva said he planned to start to meet Friday with superintendents and school officials from across the state to get their input about how the rules for the voucher program and other aspects of the bill will be crafted.

I'm already hitting the ground running, Oliva told reporters after the bill was signed.

The voucher program was strongly opposed by Democrats and teachers' groups who have said it will threaten support for public schools and widen disparities around the state.

"LEARNS creates a tiered system to give some students better advantages than others," Democratic Sen. Greg Leding, the Senate's minority leader, said in a statement after the signing.

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Arkansas Education Association President Carol Fleming said schools face a great deal of uncertainty about their budgets and operations for the coming year without many of the details of the vouchers and other parts of the bill in place.

How will school districts be able to set forth policies for the upcoming school year when we still dont have the guidance and rules in place from the state Department of Education? Fleming said.

The bill raises minimum teacher salaries by 39% to $50,000 and follows calls from both parties to raise starting pay from one of the lowest in the country. It also calls for every teacher to receive at least a $2,000 raise in the coming school year.

Opponents have criticized the bill for eliminating the state-mandated salary schedule that sets pay ranges based on education and years of service. Removing that mandate could penalize veteran teachers, opponents said. The legislation requires districts to set their own salary schedules.

The legislation also prohibits classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation before fifth grade, similar to a Florida prohibition that critics have called the Don't Say Gay law. It also puts into law an executive order Sanders signed in January on classroom instruction of critical race theory.

Critics of the restrictions say they create confusion for teachers on what topics are allowed and on just how far the prohibition goes. They've also said the restrictions on gender identity and sexual orientation marginalizes LGBTQ people.

Oliva said the department planned to hold webinars and meetings with school officials about what that restriction entails, along with other parts of the legislation.

We will definitely be providing technical assistance and guidance to make sure everybody understands what this bill means, he said.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivers the Republican response to the State of the Union on Feb. 7, 2023, in Little Rock. Pool / Getty Images

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill into law on Wednesday that will scale back labor protections for children under 16.

Under the new law, children under 16 no longer have to get permission from the states Division of Labor to get a job, nor will they need to have their age verified or submit things like their work schedule for a permit. In addition to no longer needing to get a work certificate, children wont need their parents consent.

Sanderss communication director, Alexa Henning, told BuzzFeed News in an email that the permit was an arbitrary burden on parents to get permission from the government for their child to get a job.

All child labor laws that actually protect children still apply and we expect businesses to comply just as they are required to do now, Henning added.

But Seema Nanda, the US Department of Labors solicitor of labor, said in an email that its irresponsible to loosen child labor protections.

Federal and state entities should be working together to increase accountability and ramp up enforcement  not make it easier to illegally hire children to do what are often dangerous jobs, Nanda said. No child should be working in dangerous workplaces in this country, full stop. The FLSA and its child labor protections apply in all states and no state has the ability to limit these provisions. The Department has and will continue to vigorously enforce child labor protections across the nation."

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, companies across the nation have reported having trouble finding employees and some have started hiring children to fill the shortage. A pizza shop in Pennsylvania had a 14-year-old employee in 2021 who was making $9.50 per hour. A pumpkin patch in Missouri lowered the employment age to 14 in 2021, and a Burger King in Ohio offered to hire 14- and 15-year-olds. The idea that nobody wants to work anymore is decades old , but Republicans have clung to it over the last few years .

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Child labor laws are also loosening throughout the country. In Ohio, a bill was passed allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to work until 9 p.m. year-round. A bill was introduced in Minnesota that would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work construction jobs.

Since 2018, there has been a 69% increase in illegal child labor, according to the Department of Labor. In February, the department announced that it had found more than 100 children illegally employed at Wisconsin-based Packers Sanitation Services. The children ranged in ages from 13 to 17 and were working overnight shifts at 13 meat processing facilities in eight different states. The kids were exposed to hazardous chemicals while they were cleaning meat processing equipment, like back saws, brisket saws, and head splitters. Three children were injured while working for the company. Packers Sanitation Services paid $1.5 million in fines.

The child labor violations in this case were systemic and reached across eight states, and clearly indicate a corporate-wide failure by Packers Sanitation Services at all levels, Jessica Looman, principal deputy administrator of the Wage and Hour Division, said in a statement. These children should never have been employed in meat packing plants and this can only happen when employers do not take responsibility to prevent child labor violations from occurring in the first place.

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FORT STEWART, Ga. (AP)  Visiting with rank-and-file troops Tuesday in Georgia, the U.S. Army's top general had a young soldier dial up his father for a cellphone conversation in which he praised the man's son for enlisting.

You can be anything you want in the Army, Army Chief of Staff James McConville told 25-year-old Spc. Benjamin Soares and his dad on the other end of the phone. You can be all you can be.

If McConville's words sound familiar to the parents of the latest generation joining the military, they should. The Army is bringing back the Be All You Can Be slogan that dominated its recruiting advertisements for two decades starting in 1981.

A new ad campaign featuring the revived slogan was scheduled to roll out Wednesday. A nearly two-minute preview video for the campaign features soldiers jumping out of airplanes, working on helicopters, climbing obstacle courses and diving underwater. A voiceover says: We bring out the best in the people who serve, because America calls for nothing less.

The video ends with a sparse piano reprising the melody of the soaring jingle from the original Be All You Can Be ads that implored young Americans to find your future in the Army.

The trade publication Advertising Age once ranked Be All You Can Be among the 20 greatest ad campaigns of all time. In 2001, before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the wars that followed in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Army revamped its recruiting ads. Newer slogans included Army of One and Army Strong.

So why dust off Be All You Can Be after more than 20 years?

Why wouldnt you bring back success? McConville told reporters during his trip Tuesday to Fort Stewart, the largest Army post east of the Mississippi River.

The reason were bringing back 'Be All You Can Be,' I think it describes exactly what we want for parents and young men and women, McConville said. He added: I'm just like any other parent: I want my kids to have an opportunity to do great things in life, to have an impact, be part of something bigger than themselves, to have a purpose. And I dont think theres any better place than the Army.

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The new ad campaign comes as the Army tries to rebound from its worst recruiting year in decades. As U.S. military branches struggled to meet recruiting goals across the board, the Army fell 25% short of its goal of 60,000.

This year, the Army had set the ambitious goal of adding 65,000 new recruits, which Army Secretary Christine Wormuth has called a stretch goal.

The return of Be All You Can Be is just one aspect of a broader recruiting effort in which the Army is offering cash bonuses and accelerated promotions for young enlistees who exceed baseline requirements and successfully refer others to join.

McConville said he's hopeful the new ad campaign will help inspire new recruits.

We want to give everyone an opportunity to do one of the most important things they can in life, the general said. And I think theyll look back on their service and look back on it proudly.
WASHINGTON  U.S. Army officials on Wednesday said the 247-year-old military branch is experiencing its biggest recruiting challenges in decades and hopes a new plan will revive its ability to attract young people: a rebrand.

Or at least a reboot of the old slogan, "Be All You Can Be," which was used during the 1980s. Officials unveiled two new TV commercials as part of its rebranding for efforts that feature the actor Jonathan Majors.

"Frankly all of the military services are facing the most challenging recruiting landscape in decades," said Army Secretary Christine Wormuth. "So it is a perfect time to be launching our new brand."

She added, "I am super excited that we are bringing back a reinvented version of 'Be All You Can Be' because I think it really does speak to the many, many possibilities that the Army offers."

The U.S. spent nearly 20 years at war after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack, which drove a spike in military enlistments, until the U.S. formally withdrew from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, speculation has stewed about whether the U.S. might be drawn into the conflict, particularly if Russian President Vladimir Putin were to continue his quest into a NATO-allied country like Poland.

During an unveiling event, Wormuth said that all military services are facing the most challenging recruiting landscape in decades. She said the Army's new slogan is intended to "speak to the many, many possibilities that the Army offers."

Gen. James McConville said that people who do not have relatives in their family who have served in the Army may not realize that there are "endless possibilities."

"Your American soldiers are not only masters of combat arms but we have doctors, we have lawyers, we have logisticians, we have coders," McConville said.

Asked what can be done to close the gulf between the civilian and military worlds in terms of recruitment, Wormuth said the Army is working to increase its visibility.

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McConville said the military has become a "family business," with a high percentage of men who enlist having come from families with military experience.

"Now we need to get out into communities and get away from our bases and camps and make sure the American people, parents, teachers, and young men and women know about the opportunities that exist for success in the United States," he said.

Wormuth said the Army has set a "very ambitious goal" of 65,000 recruitments for this year  a jump from last year's goal of 50,000, The Army fell short of that goal, with 45,000 recruits last year.

Wormuth added that the Army is spending more on marketing for its recruitment efforts this year, with a $117 million budget.

The Army is also spending more on recruiting incentives such as bonuses that are targeted at military occupational specialties that tend to be more difficult to fill, and on its prep course for future soldiers, according to Wormuth.

"I think were going to need to keep doing that for a few years because you know, as I often say, we didnt get into this challenging recruiting landscape overnight in just a year," Wormuth said. And its going to take us I think, more than a year to get out.

Every branch of the U.S. military was struggling to meet its fiscal year 2022 recruiting goals, according to multiple U.S. military and defense officials. Numbers obtained by NBC News found both a record-low percentage of young Americans eligible to serve and an even slimmer fraction willing to consider it.

An internal Defense Department survey obtained by NBC News last year found that only 9% of those young Americans eligible to serve in the military had any inclination to do so, the lowest number since 2007.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The U.S. Army on Wednesday unveiled a rebranded campaign to bolster recruiting efforts as the military struggles to meet personnel goals, particularly among younger generations of Americans.

The Armys latest recruitment campaign brand has a focused interest on attracting the next generation of Americans to the branch based on the argument that an Army career leads to self-discovery and limitless possibilities.

The new campaign includes a tweaked logo design  the same gold five-star symbol, but without the box that the logo previously included, to suggest the sky is the limit  along with a return of the Army catchphrase Be All You Can Be, with a fresh look.

The Army is also now airing a commercial that promotes the idea of exploration and limitless discovery while tapping into the message of serving the nation and the U.S. Constitution.

Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said that, amid economic, political and social challenges in the U.S., the rebrand illustrates how service in the Army is grounded in passion and purpose.

Serving our nation is a calling, and one that is fundamentally hopeful, Wormuth said in a statement. We want a new generation of Americans to see the Army as a pathway to the lives and careers they want to achieve.

The Army, along with other branches, has struggled for years to meet recruiting goals. Last year, it was 15,000 recruits short of a recruiting goal of 60,000 people.

The military is struggling to compete in a strong civilian job market and among younger Americans who are less interested. At the same time, many youth are also not qualified for service because of obesity, mental health challenges and prior misconduct.

At a Wednesday brand launch, Army marketing officials said the multiyear process to relaunch a new brand began with the idea to emphasize the new campaign around the word possibilities.

After looking at multiple tag lines, the Army selected Be All You Can Be, which it previously used as a motto from 1980 to 2001.

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Maj. Gen. Alex Fink, the chief of Army marketing, said that military officials didnt reselect the phrase for nostalgia, but to reintroduce America to its Army.

We are reinventing Be All You Can Be to bridge the gaps of knowledge, relatability, culture and trust among our youth audience, Fink said. We expect this new brand will posture the Army as a place of possibilities where youth can find their purpose and also redefine what it means to Be All You Can Be for this new generation.

The Army is also rolling out two short films as part of the campaign, titled Overcoming Obstacles and Pushing Tomorrow, both of which include Creed III actor Jonathan Majors.

At the rebranded launch, Majors said his family has a history of military service and in his youth, he was inspired by the courage of his grandfather who served in the Army. The actor added that he was deeply honored to help with the campaign.

There was no better collaboration I felt for me, Majors said of helping with the rebrand. We are all in our ways trying to move this country forward.

More promotional content for the campaign is expected across television, print, digital billboards and social media platforms. The full campaign is set to tip off at the NCAA March Madness tournament later this month.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
ASHEVILLE - A public vote has elevated Western North Carolina to the top of several lists of bests, beating out competitors across the South.

Southern Livings seventh annual Souths Best Awards recognizes readers' favorite Southern destinations and experiences with categories including the Top 50 Southern small towns, cities, hotels, state parks and BBQ joints.

A few Western North Carolina winners made the top 10 cuts with several more earning recognition.

Asheville ranked No. 3 on the Souths Best Cities.

Blowing Rock ranked No. 5 for the Souths Best Small Towns.

The Best State Parks In Every Southern State list includes Chimney Rock State Park, located southeast of Asheville, ranked No. 8.

And an Asheville brewery claimed the title of the best brewery in North Carolina.

Best Southern cities

On the Souths Best Cities list, Asheville landed in the No. 3 position, under Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia.

Ashevilles Biltmore Estate and the Blue Ridge Mountains were mentioned as leading attractions, as well as its craft beer industry.

The Biltmore Estate, June 10, 2022.

In addition to the citys many breweriesyoud be hard pressed to find another region as richly steeped in the stuffits a hub for hiking as well as arts and culture, with several arts districts offering gallery and studio space for the citys creatives, Southern Living said.

The WNC city ranked higher than Atlanta, Nashville and New Orleans, and Greenville, South Carolina, which placed at No. 7.

Charlotte and Raleigh ranked 11th and 12th, respectively.

More:Asheville hotel, restaurant receive Forbes Travel Guide's 2023 Star Award

More:Asheville ranked #10 on list of Best Food Destinations in U.S. in 2023

Best Southern towns

On Southern Livings list of the Top 50 best Southern small towns, St. Augustine, Florida, ranked at No. 1 followed by Beaufort, South Carolina; Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Dahlonega, Georgia; and Blowing Rock, which ranked at No. 5.

Blowing Rock, located northeast of Asheville, is popular for what Southern Living described as its 4,000-foot cliff that overlooks a spectacular gorge, distant peaks, and dense forests.

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It also received mention as a one of the South's Best Tiny Towns with a population of 1,397.

The Souths Best Small Towns list continued with Fairhope, Alabama; Tybee Island, Georgia; and Sanibel, Florida.

Other North Carolina towns to make the list are Beaufort with a No. 11 ranking, Hendersonville at No. 12, and Boone made the cut at No. 45.

Best Southern state parks

Chimney Rock State Park earned the No. 8 spot on the list of the Best State Parks in Every Southern State, noted for its 315-foot spire of Chimney Rock, an ancient rock formation that offers breathtaking views.

After seeing the 75-mile views to Lake Lure and Hickory Nut Gorge, hikers can set off on one of the many trails around the Rock, including Hickory Nut Falls, where The Last of the Mohicans was filmed, and catch a glimpse of the areas peregrine falcons, Southern Living stated.

Alabamas Gulf State Park topped the list at No. 1 followed by Petit Jean State Park in Arkansas and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Florida.

Best Southern food, beer

Southern Living named Asheville's Highland Brewing Company as the South's Best Brewery in North Carolina.

Next year, Highland Brewing Company  touted as Ashevilles first brewery since Prohibition  celebrates its 30-year anniversary. Ahead of the milestone, the business is making improvements to its taproom at the S&W Market and main campus at 12 Old Charlotte Highway.

The Best Locally-Owned Restaurants In Every Southern State 2023 list named Angus Barn in Raleigh-Durham, ranked No. 8.

The Top BBQ by State includes Lexington Barbecue in Lexington, North Carolina.

More:Which Asheville restaurant ranks on Yelp's list of top pizzerias in all of US & Canada?

More to explore

Southern Livings 2023 Souths Best Awards winners were determined by readers votes in an online survey Southern Living developed and conducted on the publications website, SouthernLiving.com.

Southern Living editors then compiled the lists of nominations.

Southern Living's double issue, on sale March 17, will feature its Souths Best Award winners and NBC "Todays" Hoda Kotb, who is the first celebrity to grace the cover of the magazine.

The 14 Southern state participants were Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

The Souths Best Award winners will be highlighted in Southern Livings double issue, on sale March 17. NBC "Todays" Hoda Kotb is the first celebrity to grace the cover of the magazine. Inside, Kotb shares what she loves about New Orleans, which ranked sixth on the Souths Best Cities list.

The flip side of the issue showcases St. Augustine, Florida.

View the full lists at SouthernLiving.com.

Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville, WNC towns rank on 'Southern Living' 2023 South's Best lists
A crop of the cover of Chloe Gong's book Foul Heart Huntsman

io9 has highlighted the work of best-selling fantasy author Chloe Gong in the pastlast year, we announced and shared an excerpt from her adult debut, Immortal Longings, which is out in July. But Gong has another 2023 release: Foul Heart Huntsman, the second book in her Foul Lady Fortune duology following the adventures of an immortal assassin in 1930s Shanghai. Weve got the cover and an excerpt to share today!



Heres a description of the story:

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Winter is drawing thick in 1932 Shanghai, as is the ever-nearing threat of a Japanese invasion. Rosalind Lang has suffered the worst possible fate for a national spy: shes been exposed. With the media storm camped outside her apartment for the infamous Lady Fortune, shes barely left her bedroom in weeks, plotting her next course of action after Orion was taken and his memories of Rosalind wiped. Though their marriage might have been a sham, his absence hurts her more than any physical wound. She wont rest until she gets him back.

But with her identity in the open, the task is near impossible. The only way to leave the city and rescue Orion is under the guise of a national tour. Its easy to convince her superiors that the countryside needs unity more than ever, and who better than an immortal girl to stir pride and strength into the people?

When the tour goes wrong, however, everything Rosalind once knew is thrown up in the air. Taking refuge outside Shanghai, old ghosts come into the open and adversaries turn to allies. To save Orion, they must find a cure to his mothers traitorous invention and take this dangerous chemical weapon away from impending foreign invasionbut the clock is ticking, and if Rosalind fails, its not only Orion she loses, but her nation itself.



Heres the full cover, followed by the excerpt!

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Image: Margaret K. McElderry Books





January 1932



Ice had frosted over Rosalind Langs bedroom window, drawing a bizarre shape that resembled a broken heartthe anatomical kind, with half-severed arteries stretching into the corners. Its edges were starting to melt, though, thawing under the first sunny day they had had in a while and dripping rivulets of condensation down the glass.



Rosalind was watching the street below. She didnt know how they expected her to leave without causing a fiasco. The media had been relentless for weeks, different outlets flocking outside her apartment building hoping to be the first to snap a recent picture of Lady Fortune. Ever since she was discharged from the hospital and told to rest up, she hadnt left her apartment once, relying on Lao Lao to do the shopping and bring news from the outside. She hadnt needed the rest. As soon as they took the bullets out, her body had healed at supernatural speed, returning her to normal function. If it were up to her, she wouldnt be sitting idle, but her superiors had given her a very stern warning about needing to lie low. Today, she had been summoned in for a meeting at last to discuss their next steps. The papers had splashed her entire identity in the headlines: Lang Shalin, former Scarlet showgirl turned Nationalist assassinnot dead as the city had been left to believe, but wreaking chaos and killing merchants up and down the countrys coast for four years.

With Fortunes real face in the open, she could hardly continue her missions as per usual. She had been pacing her bedroom relentlessly these few weeks, drawing up plans and then tossing them out, knowing that she would be barred from acting upon them. She had already made the mistake of telling Jiemin that Alisa held Lady Hongs last vial, a show of good faith while she begged for them to go after Orion, and yet that had achieved nothing except sending the Nationalists on the chase after Alisa. She wasnt going to relinquish the remaining card up her sleeve.

I can help you get him back.

Find me in Zhouzhuang.

JM.

The note sat crinkled on her desk now. Its words were hardly legible after all her folding and unfolding, but it didnt matter. She had long memorized those three lines; night after night, when she stared at the walls blankly in her version of rest, the note would flash in her mind with every blink. Without even sleep for an escape, there was nothing for Rosalind Lang to do within these four walls but think and think and think.

How was she supposed to get to Zhouzhuang without directly going against the Nationalists? As frustrated as she was, they were still her employers, and she couldnt break away so rashly. Besides, what if it was a trap? What if she fled to the countryside only to find nothing but a dead end? She didnt even know what JM was supposed to mean. She didnt know anyone with those initials. A nurse at the hospital had inscribed this note after taking the message on the telephone. Anyone could have made the call. News had already broken about her identity by then. All someone needed to do was locate which hospital was plucking bullets out of Fortune and ask for the message to be passed along. Hellmaybe it was only a reporter who wanted to meet for the exclusive scoop.

Still this was better than nothing. The Nationalists had made it clear that they had given up on Orion Hong. He is a liability. There is nothing we can do except try to eliminate him.

He is one of your best agents, Rosalind had yelled at Jiemins retreating back when he came with instructions to stay put. How can you tell me there is absolutely nothing to be done?

He had paused at the doorway. Shaken his head sadly.

Even ifsomehowwe physically remove him from his mothers side, his mind has been altered to follow her every instruction. And if his mind is always going to be under her influence, we cannot trust him on our side ever again. Think of Hong Liwen as having perished in combat. Itll be easier.

A traitorous part of her wished Dao Feng was still here. He wouldnt have told her to stay put. He would have made a plan to rescue Orion. Except her handler had switched sidesor rather, her handler had been on the opposite side all along. The question of whether Dao Feng had truly cared for her or for Orion as his disciples was up for perpetual debate.

Damn you, Rosalind muttered beneath her breath. She wasnt sure who she was talking to. Dao Feng, maybe. Or the world at large for setting her in this role.

On the street below, a car started to pull up alongside the reporters, stirring interest in the crowd. A girl tumbled out from the passenger seat in a flurry of pink tulle, coming into the building with her key and slamming the door closed before any of the reporters could follow suit. Seconds later, there was the sound of heels clacking up the exterior stairs, then the apartment door opening too.

Saozi, you better be dressed already.

Rosalind was not dressed. You dont have to keep calling me that. I give you full permission to defy cultural terms of respectful fake kinship and use my name.

Phoebe Hong appeared at the bedroom doorway. She propped her hands on her hips. In stark contrast to Rosalinds lack of preparedness, Phoebe wore a rose-colored dress with a series of complex ribbons down the front, a blot of color suddenly bursting onto a monochromatic scene. She took in the sight before herRosalind perched at the edge of her messy desk, her hair spilling down her back and her legs bareand strode forward immediately.

Is that my brothers shirt? Phoebe demanded.





Excerpt from Chloe Gongs Foul Heart Huntsman reprinted with permission of Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Foul Heart Huntsman by Chloe Gong releases September 26; you can pre-order a copy here. Gong fans should also take note: the authors best-selling 2020 release These Violent Delights arrives in paperback for the first time on May 30, and according to the publisher it will contain never-before-seen content. You can pre-order a copy of that title here.





Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.





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ATLANTA (AP)  Democratic Georgia lawmakers, local officials and the NAACP are asking federal officials to investigate a health care system that closed hospitals in downtown Atlanta and a southern suburb, claiming Wellstar Health System has illegally discriminated against Black people and violated its tax-exempt status.

State Sen. Nan Orrock, an Atlanta Democrat, said Wednesday that she and others filed complaints Tuesday with the IRS and the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

WellStar should be held to account, Orrock said at a news conference at the Georgia Capitol. Wellstar should be required to repair the damage that its caused to this long-established system of care for the individuals formerly served by these facilities.

Based in suburban Marietta, Wellstar last November closed the 450-bed Atlanta Medical Center, a vital health care provider for many low-income residents, just months after closing the smaller Atlanta Medical Center South in East Point. Wellstar had operated both hospitals since 2016 after buying them and others from for-profit operator Tenet Healthcare Corp.

An email seeking comment was sent to a spokesperson for Wellstar. When the system closed the hospitals, it said it had spent more than $350 million to cover losses and make improvements at Atlanta Medical Center, losing $100 million in the year before closing. Wellstar said then that it tried and fail to find governments or others to help with sustainable solutions.

But local officials, including Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, angrily replied that Wellstar gave them no notice or chance to help. State and county officials pumped money into Grady Memorial Hospital  a publicly owned safety net hospital blocks away from Atlanta Medical Center  to try to take up the slack. The medical center's closure meant the loss of the city's only other emergency room besides Grady with a highest-level trauma designation and an obstetrics department where many babies were born.

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Now, officials want to make Wellstar pay, both legally and financially. Orrock said the nonprofit should make a payment similar to the more than $100 million in stock that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia gave to create the Healthcare Georgia Foundation in 1998 after a lawsuit over its conversion to for-profit status.

Wellstar knew what they were doing when they took their resources, leaving without looking back, laughing all the way," said Rep. Kim Schofield, an Atlanta Democrat. "Its disgusting, disrespectful, and Im going to send a message with all of my colleagues that it will not be tolerated.

The complaint to the IRS charges that while Wellstar performed a required community health-needs study under rules for nonprofit hospitals, it failed to implement a strategy to address those needs. Orrock and others cite a 2021 letter from the Atlanta Medical Center's advisory board saying management proposed and discarded a series of opaque and vague plans to improve operations and finances, showing a long-term lack of vision and clear direction.

The complaint to Health and Human Services alleges that Wellstar broke federal law by closing two hospitals that served primarily Black populations while continuing to operate hospitals that served richer, whiter people.

What were talking about is no more and no less than healthcare redlining on the part of Wellstar," Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said. "It means that theyve chosen where they will do business and not to do business based on the color of skin and the size of the bank accounts in the ZIP Codes where theyre located.

Pitts noted that Wellstar not only closed the hospitals, but closed or relocated physician offices, meaning patients now have long journeys if they want to keep their old doctors.

Like bandits, they swept up everything that comes along with the hospitals  the clinics, primary care doctors, the specialists, cardiologists, those who treat diabetes, high blood pressure, you name it  packed them up, and took them all away," Pitts said. "They have literally created a health care desert in central and south Fulton County.

Opponents also target Wellstar's negotiations to buy the Augusta University Health System, which operates two hospitals in Augusta. They particularly criticized Wellstar's acquisition of the rights to build a hospital in Augustas mostly white Columbia County suburbs, and the $105 million that the state is providing to buy a new electronic medical records system for the university's Medical College of Georgia, from which Wellstar would benefit.

You dont walk away, get yourself in the budget for a hospital over in Columbia County, and turn your backs, Orrock said.

___

Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jeffamy.
Atrium Health has won rezoning approval from the town of Cornelius to build its new hospital there.

On Monday evening, the towns board of commissioners voted to approve the rezoning for the long-planned project named Atrium Health Lake Norman. Atrium rezoned 35.6 acres at the southwest corner of Westmoreland Road and U.S. Highway 21 for the project, which was approved by state regulators in 2021.

ALSO READ: Novant and Atrium Health centers welcome first babies of 2023

Atrium Health Lake Norman calls for a first phase with a 200,000-square-foot hospital with 38 beds, along with 72,000 square feet of medical office space, according to a site plan available in town documents.

The approval was the last step in the process and we are both pleased and appreciative of the unanimous approval and support from the Town of Cornelius, an Atrium spokesperson said in a statement to the Charlotte Business Journal.

Read more here.

(WATCH BELOW: 2 Atrium Health employees forge lifelong bond over near-tragedy)








A 70-year-old Augusta man was sentenced to prison Tuesday for filing a false tax return for more than $100 million.

After a two-day trial, Julius Williams was found guilty of making a false statement and sentenced by Judge John Flythe to serve five years in prison, the maximum for the offense under Georgia law, according to a news release from the Augusta District Attorney's Office.

After 14 minutes, the jury delivered the guilty verdict, according to the release.

Alleged assault:Woman, 95, claims she was assaulted in the shower at Martinez seniors home

Stabbing:Grovetown man allegedly stabbed by sister after not allowing her to eat lasagna

How this happened

Williams filed a false 2017 tax return for $100,000,689 on March 15, 2019, according to the release. He then proceeded to repeatedly call the Department of Revenue demanding payment of his refund.

At trial, Williams took the stand and claimed he was acting righteously in Gods eyes, according to the release. Assistant District Attorney Kyle Davis used cross examination to remind him of the commandments against stealing and bearing false witness. Williams told the jury they would have to answer to God if they convicted him.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta man sentenced to prison for filing $100 million tax return
By Alasdair Pal and Byron Kaye

SYDNEY (Reuters) - One of Australia's top government bureaucrats on Wednesday demanded Russia crack down on the large number of cyber criminals operating in the country, saying their actions posed a threat to national security.

The comments come as Canberra reforms its cybersecurity policy following a raft of cyber attacks on some of the country's largest companies.

"The greatest density of cyber criminals, particularly those with ransomware, are in Russia," Michael Pezzullo, Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, told the AFR Business Summit in Sydney.

"They are not a rule of law country and the thought that you can apply conventional law enforcement disciplines ... is completely naive.

"We call on the Russian government to bring those hackers to heel."

A spokesperson for the Russian embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Australian government last month said it planned to overhaul its cybersecurity rules as well as set up an agency in Pezzullo's department to coordinate government investment in the field and help coordinate responses to hacker attacks.

The move follows a rise in cyber attacks since late last year with breaches reported by at least eight companies, including health insurer Medibank Private Ltd and telco Optus, owned by Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.

An attack on critical technology infrastructure was one of the greatest threats to Australian national security, Pezzullo said.

"A cyber attack could actually come unattributed...it could be a criminal act or it could be a proxy actor working with or on behalf of a state, or it could be a state," he said.

"The blurring and the ambiguity that it generates is a challenge just for policy, let alone regulation."

The United States and Britain sanctioned several Russians accused of cyber attacks last month, saying ransomware attacks have paralysed businesses, schools and hospitals.

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal and Byron Kaye in Sydney; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday he plans to meet with President Joe Biden in the United States following a trip to India this week, amid speculation the leaders will make an announcement about Australia's plans to build nuclear-powered submarines.

Albanese gave few details of the U.S. trip, saying there would be further announcements about the arrangements. Albanese is visiting India through Saturday.

U.K. officials said Wednesday that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will meet with Biden and Albanese in San Diego on Monday for talks on Australia's procurement of nuclear submarines under the AUKUS defense agreement among the three nations.

The White House confirmed the meetings in a statement released later Wednesday.

The previous Australian government infuriated France in 2021 by canceling a $66 billion contract for a French-built fleet of conventionally powered submarines and opting instead for nuclear-powered versions in a deal secretly brokered with the U.S. and Britain.

The deal came amid concern in Australia and the U.S. about Chinas increasingly assertive presence in the Pacific region.

Albanese has stood by the AUKUS agreement to embrace nuclear technology. An announcement on whether Australia will opt for a version of the U.S. Virginia-class or British Astute-class submarines is expected soon.

Albanese made the remarks Wednesday to reporters at Perth Airport before boarding his plane to India.

He arrived later Wednesday in Ahmedabad in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis home state of Gujarat at the start of his four-day visit.

Albanese paid tributes to Mohandas Gandhi, Indias independence leader, during a visit to the Sabarmati Ashram, which was one of Gandhi's abodes in India. Albanese later attended a cultural event related to the Hindu Holi festival at the state governors residence.

On Thursday, Modi and Albanese are scheduled to spend some time watching a cricket match between the visiting Australian team and its Indian rivals in Ahmedabad.

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Albanese will later leave for Mumbai, where he will visit Indias homemade aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, which was commissioned into the Indian navy in September. The two leaders will hold official talks in New Delhi on Friday.

Australia and India are important partners," Albanese said in Perth. "We share common values. We are both vibrant democracies. We have an interest in improving our economic relations."

He said India, along with Indonesia, would grow to be the third- and fourth-largest economies in the world, which presented an incredible opportunity for Australia.

___

Associated Press writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

___

Find more of APs Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
By David Brunnstrom and Renju Jose

WASHINGTON/SYDNEY (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden will host leaders of Australia and Britain in San Diego next week to chart a way forward for provision of nuclear-powered submarines and other high-tech weaponry to Australia, sources familiar with the plans said.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said before leaving on a visit to India on Wednesday he would visit the United States to meet Biden, but would not be drawn on plans for a summit with Biden and British Prime Minster Rishi Sunak to announce a way forward on the so-called AUKUS project.

Sources familiar with the planning said that trilateral summit would take place in San Diego on Monday to unveil new details of the 2021 AUKUS pact conceived as part of efforts to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region.

"I look forward to the continuing engagement that I have with the U.S. administration," Albanese told reporters before departure for India, without giving a date for his U.S. trip.

Australia's ambassador to the United States Arthur Sinodinos said last week that details of the submarine deal would be announced in mid-March, but the three governments have declined comment on the specific time and place.

San Diego is home to the U.S. Pacific Fleet and a source familiar with the planning told Reuters the trilateral summit could involve a visit to a submarine.

While the United States and Britain have agreed to provide Australia with the technology to deploy nuclear-powered submarines, the three allies have yet to say exactly how the capability will be transferred to Australia, which does not have a nuclear-propulsion industry.

AUKUS will be Australia's biggest-ever defense project and offers the prospect of jobs in all three countries, but it remains unclear whether it will involve a U.S. or a British-designed submarine, or a combination of both, or when the vessels will become operational.

Australian defence industry speculation has centered on Australia opting for a British design, while Sinodinos said there would be a "genuine trilateral solution".

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TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER CURBS

Despite an 18-month consultation period since AUKUS was first announced, questions remain over strict U.S. curbs on technology sharing needed for the project.

These are a particular concern for its so-called pillar two dealing with advanced technology programs such as artificial intelligence and hypersonic weapons.

British and Australian officials said last week work was still needed to break down bureaucratic barriers to technology sharing in pillar two and the top Pentagon official for Asia, Ely Ratner, referred to "antiquated systems" governing U.S. technology.

Ratner said these needed to be revised "and we're in the process of doing so."

A State Department spokesperson said Washington was "actively working to reexamine and streamline our processes to optimize our defense trade in the AUKUS context," and added: "We do not anticipate any challenges in implementing AUKUS due to U.S. export-control regulations."

However, despite political will for reform in the Biden administration, experts question how easy it will for AUKUS to avoid the attentions of mid-level State Department bureaucrats duty bound to protect U.S. defense technology.

Ashley Townshend, an Australian Defense expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank, said a new information-sharing agreement would be needed for the submarine program's implementation stage.

"I have no doubt that this will happen," he said. "But unless the agreement covers every single technology and defense service that the submarine program will involve, over the course of its lifetime, it won't be immune to bureaucratic and regulatory constraints."

Some experts believe the AUKUS announcement could include plans to station U.S. and British nuclear submarines in Australia to train Australian crews and fill a capability gap until the new Australia submarines are in service, which is not expected until about 2040.

Albanese will reach India later on Wednesday and will stay until Saturday in the first visit by an Australian prime minister since 2017.

(Reporting by Renju Jose and David Brunnstrom; Additional reporting by Kirsty Needham, Joel Schectman and Steve Holland; Editing by Edmund Klamann, Stephen Coates and Lincoln Feast)
Author and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison is the latest person to be honored with her own stamp by the U.S. Postal Service. Princeton University also held a ceremony to celebrate the stamp when it went on sale this week.

Morrison, who died in 2019, is best known for books like 1987's "Beloved," which won the Pulitzer Prize. She often wrote about themes of racism and mistreatment of African Americans.

In 1989, she became a professor at Princeton and in 1993 she became the first Black woman to be awarded the Nobel Price in Literature.

USPS chooses about 25 to 30 ideas for new stamps each year, even though they receive about 30,000 suggestions. Morrison was chosen because she has "made extraordinary and enduring contributions to American society," a spokesperson for USPS said, according to Princeton.

Author and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison is the latest person to be honored with her own stamp by USPS. The stamp features a 1997 headshot taken by Deborah Feingold. / Credit: USPS

Morrison's stamp, designed by art director Ethel Kessler, is a Forever stamp, meaning it will never expire  even if the price of stamps changes.

The stamp features a headshot of Morrison against a yellow background that was taken by Deborah Feingold during a 1997 photoshoot for TIME Magazine, according to Princeton.

Feingold said Morrison posed in several outfits against different backdrops, which she said could be tiring, "but Toni remained focused and present, her expression for every frame was one of kindness. I have never taken that photoshoot for granted. And standing in front of you today, I humbly admit that this is beyond an honor," she said at the ceremony.

Several friends and fans remembered Morrison at the Princeton ceremony  including former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, who wrote a letter and Oprah Winfrey, who provided a video message.

"Toni Morrison's books are in so many of our homes and abide in our hearts because she served as a catalyst for generations of readers over the years to understand the power of reading and words," said Winfrey, who often icluded Morrison's works in her book club and also starred in the film adaptation of "Beloved."

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Morrison has been honored with a stamp before. In 1993, the year she won the Nobel Prize in Literature, Sweden, where the prize is presented, created a stamp for her. And in 2000, the island of Palau also honored her with a stamp.

House panel holds first hearing on COVID-19 origins

New documents released in lawsuit against Fox News as lawmakers push back on Jan. 6 claims

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visits Ukraine
Barber-Scotia College was one the Charlotte regions most beloved historically Black colleges.

However, the college has been under a microscope since it lost its accreditation in 2004.

We do a compliance review on a regular basis, said David Thrift, the Cabarrus County tax administrator. A compliance in 2020 sort of started this current action that were discussing.

RELATED: Tax exemption could be pulled from Barber-Scotia College, Channel 9 learns

Now, Cabarrus County tax officials informed the schools administrators that tax exemption for 14 of the 24 parcels of land it owns has been denied due to not meeting statutory requirements for exemption.

Recognizing the property and the lack of use of some of the buildings, based condition, Thrift said.

The tax-exempt status was not only denied for the piece of land where the main building is located along Cabarrus Avenue. It was also turned down for the land that serves as an official welcome to the Barber-Scotia College campus.

Thrift sent Barber Scotias interim president a letter in December.

Documents: Tax exemption denial for Barber-Scotia College

It read, in part, that any educational institution receiving tax-exempt status for its properties must be wholly and exclusively used for educational purposes by the owner.

Based on a street review of the buildings and the condition of the buildings, we determined which, in my opinion, were wholly and exclusively used, and that was the basis for either the approval or denial, Thrift said.

The exemption was approved for only two parcels and part of a third, Thrift said.

The administration building, the library, which was open and being used, and the chapel. So those three buildings. I felt was currently in use, and the land associated with them, Thrift said.

The lack of complete tax-exempt status means that Barber-Scotia administrators could be on the hook for a $127,000 property tax bill, which is based on last years tax rates.

Story continues

Once the tax rates are set, we will create a tax bill, send them a tax bill, and then would be required as property owners, to pay that, Thrift said. If not, then it would be a property with a delinquent tax bill.

Since late last year, Channel 9 has made multiple attempts to interview Barber Scotias interim president. They have declined.

RELATED: Channel 9 waits for response from Barber Scotia College leaders on student enrollment

In early February, Channel 9 received a written statement, saying, in part:

Barber-Scotia College Administration is continuously committed to working with the city and county officials to help move the college forward for the purpose of educating all individuals. this is one of many small steps in progressing the college forward, back towards accreditation through, Knowledge, Truth, and Service to the communities we serve.

Barber-Scotia administrators said nine students are enrolled as online students this semester.

The school trying to continue educating students while also fighting to hold onto the campus.

In March, Barber-Scotia appealed 12 of the 14 the tax-exempt denials.

The appeal will go to the Board of Equalization and Review for a hearing to determine if the findings from the countys tax administrator will stand.

Cabarrus County officials shared the following statement about the appeal.

Barber-Scotia has requested an appeal of the tax emption denial to the Board of Equalization and Review for the parcel list below. Next step: We will send an Application for Hearing which is a form that must be filled out and submitted back to us within a 30-day window. That application will request a hearing and will be another opportunity to provide supporting documentation for the appeal. Once we receive that back, we will work to schedule a hearing before the Board.

VIDEO: Tax exemption could be pulled from Barber-Scotia College, Channel 9 learns
To find a multi-bagger stock, what are the underlying trends we should look for in a business? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. So when we looked at Bathurst Resources (ASX:BRL) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

For those that aren't sure what ROCE is, it measures the amount of pre-tax profits a company can generate from the capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Bathurst Resources is:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.14 = NZ$41m  (NZ$364m - NZ$63m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2022).

So, Bathurst Resources has an ROCE of 14%. In absolute terms, that's a satisfactory return, but compared to the Metals and Mining industry average of 10.0% it's much better.

Check out our latest analysis for Bathurst Resources

roce

While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you want to delve into the historical earnings, revenue and cash flow of Bathurst Resources, check out these free graphs here.

The Trend Of ROCE

The trends we've noticed at Bathurst Resources are quite reassuring. Over the last five years, returns on capital employed have risen substantially to 14%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 286%. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at Bathurst Resources thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

The Bottom Line On Bathurst Resources' ROCE

All in all, it's terrific to see that Bathurst Resources is reaping the rewards from prior investments and is growing its capital base. Astute investors may have an opportunity here because the stock has declined 26% in the last five years. With that in mind, we believe the promising trends warrant this stock for further investigation.

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If you'd like to know more about Bathurst Resources, we've spotted 3 warning signs, and 1 of them can't be ignored.

While Bathurst Resources may not currently earn the highest returns, we've compiled a list of companies that currently earn more than 25% return on equity. Check out this free list 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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Bees are buzzing ahead of schedule due to warm weather and high pollen levels, experts said.

Workers with local pest control companies said theyre getting calls for bee removals about one month earlier than in previous years.

Bees are collecting nectar earlier than usual this year with the early bloom, said Maryann Wood, president of the Mecklenburg County Beekeepers Association.

Big Apple bees: Swarm of bees take over NYC hot dog stand

That activity is good for producing honey, which will also be ready to harvest about a month ahead of schedule.

Swarms are happening earlier than normal this year, Wood said. They started in February. We started getting swarm calls. Last year, they started probably mid-to-late March.

Wood said this weeks upcoming cold snap shouldnt affect the bee population.

VIDEO: 7 Fun Facts About Bees
By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc has resumed its purchases of Occidental Petroleum Corp shares after a five-month hiatus, increasing its stake in the oil company to about 22.2%, a regulatory filing showed on Tuesday.

Berkshire paid about $355 million for 5.8 million Occidental shares between March 3 and March 7, according to the filing.

The purchases were the first Berkshire has disclosed since late September. It ended last year with a 21.4% stake.

In August, Berkshire won U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission permission to buy up to 50% of Occidental's common stock.

Buffett's company now owns about 200.2 million Occidental shares worth $12.2 billion, based on Tuesday's closing price of $60.85.

Those shares would generate about $144 million of annual dividends, following a 38% increase that Occidental announced last month.

Berkshire also owns $10 billion of Occidental preferred stock that throws off $800 million of annual dividends, plus warrants to buy another $5 billion of common stock.

Occidental ended January with about 900 million shares outstanding.

Berkshire began buying large quantities of the Houston-based company's stock about one year ago.

After its stake surpassed 20%, Berkshire adopted the equity method of accounting for its holdings, and now reports its share of Occidental's results with its own.

Accounting rules normally require the equity method above the 20% threshold, reflecting an assumption that the holder might exert significant influence.

Berkshire ended 2022 with $128.6 billion of cash and equivalents. It plans to keep a $30 billion cushion.

Occidental's share price more than doubled in 2022, benefiting from higher oil prices after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Though fourth-quarter profit was lower than analysts expected, Occidental said it planned to raise capital spending this year and could repurchase up to $3 billion of stock.

Berkshire also owns dozens of companies including Geico car insurance, the BNSF railroad, consumer brands such as Dairy Queen and Fruit of the Loom, and other stocks including Apple Inc.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Jamie Freed)
Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and 2024 presidential candidate Marianne Williamson. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Mike Jordan/Getty Images for SXSW

Marianne Williamson is challenging Biden for the 2024 nomination, running on a progressive platform.

Bernie Sanders told Insider that she'll run a "strong campaign and raise very important issues."

Sanders has said he supports Biden in 2024, but his praise for Williamson contrasts with other Democrats.

Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont offered tepid praise on Tuesday for Marianne Williamson's 2024 presidential campaign, telling Insider at the Capitol that he expected her to raise "very important issues" during the campaign.

Williamson  a self-help author, spiritual leader, and 2020 presidential candidate  is currently the only well-known Democrat to officially launch a presidential campaign. President Joe Biden is widely expected to announce a re-election bid, but has yet to officially do so.

Sanders has said he will support Biden if he seeks re-election, and told Insider on Tuesday that he doesn't "want to speculate" about Williamson's chances. But Williamson endorsed Sanders in 2020 after dropping out of the campaign, and he indicated a respect for her that other Democrats haven't shown.

"I know Marianne," said Sanders. "I'm sure she's going to run a strong campaign and raise very important issues."

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, by contrast, was firm in her support for Biden when asked about Williamson's campaign.

"I think that President Biden is going to be the Democratic nominee, and he's going to be re-elected," said Warren, saying she supported Biden because he's "accomplished a tremendous amount in the last two years, and he's got real momentum to keep on delivering for the American people."

Williamson announced her campaign to a packed room at Union Station in Washington, DC on Saturday, drawing applause from the crowd for her critiques about a "sociopathic economic system." While she made clear in her speech that she was glad to see Biden prevail over former President Donald Trump in 2020, she said that America still remains "six inches away from the cliff."

Story continues

"This country is drowning in information and starving for understanding," she declared during the speech.

Williamson's platform includes a host of progressive staples including universal healthcare, free childcare, a wealth tax, and creating a green economy.

But so far, Williamson's nascent presidential bid has been largely dismissed by most Democrats.

Asked about Williamson's campaign on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made snide references to a "crystal ball" and Williamson's "aura," prompting Williamson to issue a video statement arguing her campaign is about "substantive issues and policy."

A recent Morning Consult poll found that just 4% of Democratic voters say they would vote for Williamson if the 2024 election were held today, versus 77% who said the same of Biden.

Read the original article on Business Insider
U.S. Border Patrol agents patrol the Rio Grande by boat near the Mexican side of the river near Anzalduas Park, Friday, March 3, 2023, in Mission, Texas. | Joel Martinez, The Monitor via Associated Press

President Joe Biden is considering reinstating controversial immigration restrictions that detain migrant families who try to cross the border without documents, according to administration officials.

Biden promised during his campaign to take a more compassionate approach to the border following policies during former President Donald Trumps administration that some deemed harsh, according to The New York Times. Biden shut down the detention policies shortly after taking office.

During his tenure so far, families who were caught crossing the border were released with ankle bracelets and cellphones that can be traced and equipped with other tracking methods, rather than detaining them in a makeshift migrant prison, The Times reported.

What is Title 42?

Title 42 ends soon  a policy that turned away people who crossed the border undocumented during the COVID-19 pandemic as a health precaution. And the White House and the Department of Homeland Security are scrambling on how to approach immigration issues once Title 42 comes to an end on May 11.

Related

According to NBC News, more than 2.3 million people have been turned away from the border since it was invoked by the Trump administration in 2020.

No decisions have been made as we prepare for the Title 42 Public Health Order to lift, a Homeland Security spokesperson told CNN. The administration will continue to prioritize safe, orderly and humane processing of migrants.

What do Democrats, Republicans say about Bidens immigration plans?

Immigration advocates and more progressive Democrats have opposed the measure that would allow border agents to detain migrant families who try to cross the border illegally. Proponents of detentions say that it would discourage families from attempting to cross the border without documents.

It is heartbreaking to hear there could be a return to the Trump-era use of this practice, Leecia Welch told The New York Times. Welch was the lead lawyer who argued the 1997 Flores settlement  a settlement that sets a limit on the amount of time children can be detained in holding facilities.

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Some research has revealed a high risk of harm to children who are detained in border facilities. Medical consultants said one child lost a dangerous amount of weight and an infant suffered bleeding of the brain while being detained that wasnt discovered for five days. Former presidents Barack Obamas and George W. Bushs administrations also followed the controversial detention practices. Trump attempted to expand the practice and end limits on how long minors could be held but the attempts were ultimately blocked in court, with per The Times.

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This isnt Bidens first attempt at tackling the influx of people migrating into the U.S. In January, the administration rolled out a program that would allow 30,000 additional applicants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela to enter the U.S. if their application qualifies their entry. Those four countries are the countries that have the highest number of migrants attempting to come to the U.S. to escape war, poverty and uncertainty in their home countries.

According to Politico, Trump cut legal immigration in half during his tenure. Republicans continue to hammer Biden on his immigration approach, calling it too soft on immigration.

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CHICAGO  Chicagoans picked two mayoral candidates on the opposite ends of the Democratic Partys divide over policing, and its complicating President Joe Bidens political calculus about whether to pick a favorite.

The president wants to fund the police  and hes meddled in local affairs to elevate candidates and causes that help him project that Democrats care about tackling crime. He backed Karen Bass for mayor in Los Angeles over fellow Democrat, Rick Caruso  well after she supported hiring more cops. Biden also aligned himself with New York City Mayor Eric Adams tougher-on-crime approach and leaned on him as a Democratic messenger for that cause.

But in the nations third-largest city, Biden doesnt appear likely to endorse at all. And national heavy-weights are taking more time to jump in, if at all, as they try to weigh how it will play with Bidens reelection plans.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) supported Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot in last weeks election but hasnt announced anything about the April 4 runoff. Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and Sen. Dick Durbin havent weighed in on the race at all.

Some in the party say neither option is particularly compelling.

Most Democrats look at the two choices and in an extreme sense they are choices between a Republican and a socialist, said Pete Giangreco, a Democratic strategist and veteran of Illinois politics. Theres not a Joe Biden mainstream Democrat running for mayor of Chicago.

The race to oust Lightfoot focused almost entirely on the citys crime. And out of a field of nine candidates, Chicagoans last week picked Paul Vallas, a police union-backed former Chicago Public Schools executive, and Brandon Johnson, a progressive Cook County commissioner who has praised the defund the police movement.

Vallas has also been dogged by his past statements opposing abortion rights and his basic credentials of declaring himself a Democrat while some voters are turned off by the support Johnson is getting from the Chicago Teachers Union.

Story continues

Paul Vallas will say hes a lifelong Democrat and Brandon Johnson will say the same thing. But thats not what their records would show, Giangreco added, comparing the dilemma confronting politicians to one facing many Chicago voters who dont yet identify with either option. Theres nobody who meets their politics who made the runoff.

Neither Duckworth nor Durbins teams would say who or even if their bosses will endorse. Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley, who represents a portion of Chicago, said hes not sure who hell support. And Pritzker, like the others, wants to see the race further play out.

For Biden, Chicagos mayoral contest could influence his own political future, beyond setting a message about the partys larger approach to policing and big-city crime. Chicago is a finalist for the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Both Vallas and Johnson have said they would support the convention in Chicago. But as Biden nears a decision to run for reelection, hell have to factor how their records might prod divisions in the party and how easily Republicans can weaponize the politics.

There was a chance the president mightve endorsed in the mayors race in Chicago, where Bidens blessing would have been a bigger coup than in Los Angeles given its home to former President Barack Obama. The presidents advisers had been in contact with Lightfoots campaign as well as others leading up to last weeks election and her team specifically asked for his endorsement, according to a person familiar with the conversations.

Vallas has yet to face the kind of sustained attacks on his ideology that Bass opponent in the race  wealthy developer Caruso, a former longtime Republican  did.

And even the appearance of Biden wading in could help.

Johnson traveled to Selma, Ala., over the weekend for an event commemorating Bloody Sunday. Johnson didnt secure an endorsement, but he had a brief discussion, according to a person close to the campaign. Johnson was introduced to him by Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.).

A few national figures are stepping up. Reps. Jim Clyburn, whos fundraising for Johnson, and Jan Schakowsky are expected to endorse Johnson, the person knowledgeable about the campaign said.

As the candidates prepare for their first debate Wednesday, Biden himself is taking steps to appear stronger on crime.

He has already called for tens of billions of dollars to bolster law enforcement and crime prevention and is expected to seek more in his budget blueprint this week. Last week, Biden said he would not veto a GOP-backed bill to repeal changes local Washington, D.C., lawmakers approved to lower certain criminal penalties.

Congressional Republicans need to commit here and now to joining with President Biden  not obstructing him  in fighting the rising crime rate he inherited, Biden spokesman Andrew Bates said in a statement.

They should forcefully condemn their colleagues who are calling for defunding the FBI and the ATF, Bates said. And they need to get with the program on gun crime by finally dropping their opposition to an assault weapons ban. ... This isnt a game, its life and death.

In Chicago, Vallas push for stronger policing resonated with voters even as he took criticism in the deep-blue city for his ties to conservative-leaning outfits like Chicagos Fraternal Order of Police. He wants to see hundreds more police officers on the street, a view Lightfoot and other candidates swung to ahead of the first round of the election.

Defund is an issue, said Ron Holmes, a political strategist in Illinois who has worked on several statewide campaigns. But palling around with certain members of the FOP is an issue too, and therein lies the problem: They are both going to paint each other as extremists. So for those of us that didnt vote for either during the first round, its critical that we have a substantive campaign to see who will govern on behalf of the majority of Chicagoans.

Johnson, who is Black, has said his policy platform does not support defunding the police and instead calls for training and promoting 200 detectives. But his previous comments  including that defund isnt just a slogan. Its an actual real political goal  has spooked some national figures.

Theyre going to have to articulate and direct their message, Pritzker said of Johnson and Vallas last week. What is their primary message? And [is it] going to be, you know, focused on what are they going to do about education? What are they going to do about health care? What are they going to do about public safety? What are they going to do about creating jobs? Those are all important things that I dont think have been fully fleshed out by either one of those candidates.

Outside of the debate about public safety, Vallas team has sought to highlight past support hes earned from Democratic stalwart organizations, including groups that advocate for abortion rights and same-sex marriage.

Aides to Vallas, who is white, argue that his close associations and prior work with well-known Chicago Democrats will diffuse concerns about his political affiliation. And endorsements like the one he got last week from former Secretary of State Jesse White  who is Black, and long considered the most popular Democrat in Illinois  will do more to help him win than touting national figures, Biden included.

What we are focused on is the local support thats growing everyday and it's pretty diverse across the city, said Joe Trippi, a Democratic strategist and adviser to Vallas.

Trippi added, the defund charges against Johnson should repel Democrats from closing ranks around him. You do have someone who has talked about defunding and I just dont know why any national people would get into that debate, he said.

Jackson, who has also endorsed Johnson, acknowledged that Johnson needed to find a good answer to accusations from the right.

Hell have to make it clear, the spirit of it versus the actual words, Jackson said in an interview. Everyone knows we need safer streets. The spirit of it is to put more money into academic programs. In the short-term, we need to make sure were solving crimes. He stands for that.

There are issues that extend beyond crime and personal loyalty, and race is playing out in the contest a well. And now, Vallas and Johnson are both trying to attract voters and endorsements from the establishment Black wards that supported Lightfoot.

Illinois Reps. Danny Davis and Delia Ramirez also have endorsed Johnson, but Trippi argued that the former secretary of state's backing is far more important than any national figure.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Bidens support of a Republican resolution to block new District of Columbia crime laws has split members of his own party amid rising concerns about crime in the nations capital and other cities.

The GOP-led disapproval resolution is expected to easily pass the Senate on Wednesday with ample Democratic support. But most House Democrats voted against it last month, arguing as they have for many years that the District of Columbia should be able to govern itself.

The Democratic support for the resolution, which comes as murders have spiked over a number of years in D.C., is a shift for Biden and his party and could allow Congress to nullify the citys laws through the disapproval process for the first time in more than three decades.

A look at the politics and precedent of Wednesdays Senate vote on D.C. crime laws:

THE DISTRICTS NEW LAWS

The overhaul of D.C.s criminal code was approved late last year by the D.C. Council after years of failed attempts. It would redefine crimes, change criminal justice policies and rework how sentences should be handed down after convictions. It would also do away with mandatory minimum sentences for many crimes and reduce the maximum penalties for burglary, carjacking and robbery.

Mayor Muriel Bowser vetoed the overhaul in January, writing in a letter that she had very significant concerns about some of the bills proposals. She later proposed changes after the council overrode her veto. Anytime theres a policy that reduces penalties, I think it sends the wrong message, she said.

In 2022, there were 203 homicides in the district, about a 10% drop after years of steady increases. Homicides in the city had risen for four years straight, and the 2021 murder count of 227 was the highest since 2003. The citys police union said in a statement that changes would lead to violent crime rates exploding even more than they already have.

Washingtons criminal code hasnt been updated substantially since it was first drafted in 1901, and criminal justice experts say that Black people have been disproportionately affected by the criminal laws, similar to many other cities.

Story continues

GOP PUSHBACK TURNS BIPARTISAN

The new criminal code is set to take effect in October 2025. But to become law, it has to survive a 60-day review period during which Congress and the president could override it, thanks to a 1970s-era law called the Home Rule Act. Though Congress has imposed various limits on D.C. through spending bills over the years, the formal disapproval process hasnt been used since 1991.

As the new GOP majority in the House made rising crime rates a political priority, the House took up the resolution of disapproval last month and voted 250-173 to overturn the D.C. criminal code revisions, with 31 Democrats voting with Republicans. Most Democrats opposed the resolution, though, after the White House sent out a statement of policy opposing the legislation.

The White House did not explicitly say that Biden would veto the measure. But the statement said the White House opposed it and that the resolution is an example "of how the District of Columbia continues to be denied true self-governance and why it deserves statehood. While we work towards making Washington, D.C. the 51st state of our Union, Congress should respect the District of Columbias autonomy to govern its own local affairs.

Eyeing a Senate vote, Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., repeatedly criticized Biden and Democrats over the White House opposition.

Should we be softer on crime, like Democrats want, at the local, state, and federal levels? McConnell said in February. Or should we be tougher on crime, like Republicans and the American people want?

BIDENS PIVOT

As the Senate was expected to take up the bill, both Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., remained quiet. Then on a visit to a Democratic caucus luncheon last week, the president surprised senators by declaring that he would sign the GOP resolution if it reached his desk.

If you pass it, I will sign it, Biden said in the private meeting.

It was not only a pivot on the D.C. measure after his administration had opposed it, but a shift in Democrats longstanding position that the District of Columbia should govern itself, and that the federal government should not step in to change its laws.

Biden later tweeted that he supports D.C. statehood, but I dont support some of the changes D.C. Council put forward over the mayors objections  such as lowering penalties for carjackings.

ANGRY DEMOCRATS

Bidens move  coming weeks before he is set to announce his reelection campaign, and as Republicans have relentlessly criticized Democrats over city crime rates  infuriated some House Democrats who had opposed the measure after the White House initially opposed it.

We need to make sure the Senate understands the full effect of taking away local decision-making, particularly for the District of Columbia that does not have representation in that manner, said Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev.

Eleanor Holmes Norton, the districts nonvoting delegate in the House, said the criminal law overhaul was extraordinarily important and the result of years of work by lawmakers, criminal justice experts and nonprofits that deal with offenders.

D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson even announced the withdrawal of the law in a last ditch effort to thwart the Senate vote. But Democrats said the vote was on the House disapproval resolution, not the councils original transmission to the Senate.

Some Democratic senators signaled they would still vote against the resolution.

Any effort to go forward on this vote  its just a way to try to stomp on D.C., said Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

But Bidens support appeared to win over the majority of his partys Senate caucus  many of whom pointed out that Mayor Bowser had opposed it.

What weve heard from the mayor of D.C. is theres more work to be done, said Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who said she will vote for the GOP measure.

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin said he would support it because crime is just rampant all over the country,

On Tuesday, Schumer announced he would vote for it, too.

Im going to vote yes, Schumer told reporters. It was a tough question, but on balance I am voting yes.

___

Associated Press writers Ashraf Khalil and Stephen Groves contributed to this report.
By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden's fiscal 2024 budget plan would boost federal funding for childcare and early childhood education by billions of dollars, ensuring free preschool for all of the country's 4 million 4-year-olds, the White House said.

The proposal, which Biden will deliver to Congress on Thursday, revisits several items included in Biden's 2023 budget proposal that were removed during negotiations with Congress. Prospects for passage could be even harder this year, given Republicans' slim majority in the House of Representatives.

The White House argues that lack of access to affordable childcare is a key factor depressing women's participation in the workforce. It cited a Boston Consulting Group forecast that U.S. economic output could drop by $290 billion a year beginning in 2030 if critical care shortages are not addressed.

One recent poll showed that 55% of households experience difficulty finding childcare, with 21% citing challenges related specifically to cost, the White House said.

Administration officials said Biden would continue to push for higher spending on the nation's "care economy," but could also take executive action to push forward his agenda, such as last week's Commerce Department announcement that firms seeking funds from a $52 billion U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and research program will have to share excess profits and explain how they plan to provide affordable childcare.

Biden's budget is expected to include an expanded child tax credit that he has pushed for years, and other measures that would help working families, administration officials said.

Representative Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, welcomed the proposed increases in spending and Biden's renewed push on the child tax credit, saying she would work to make the tax credit permanent.

"Together, these programs will lower costs for working families and provide needed financial stability to the working and middle class, DeLauro said in a statement.

Story continues

Biden's 2024 proposal includes $22.1 billion for existing early care and education programs, up 10.5% from the 2023 enacted level, including $9 billion for federal block grants.

The White House said the higher level of funding, totaling some $400 billion over 10 years, would increase childcare options for 16 million more young children while lowering costs for parents.

The proposal also funds a federal-state partnership that would provide high-quality, free preschool, expanding access to all 4-year-olds, a dramatic increase from the estimated 1.6 million children now in preschool programs.

It drops Biden's previous request to fund universal preschool for 3-year-olds, choosing a more targeted approach this year, a White House official said.

The 2024 plan would boost funding for Head Start programs by more than 9% to $13.1 billion, with more than $500 million dedicated to boost pay for Head Start teachers and staff, the White House said. Higher federal funding for preschool would reach $200 billion over 10 years, it said.

The White House is betting that childcare programs, which are very popular with the public, could help boost Biden's approval ratings. The president is expected to announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential race this spring.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal in WashingtonEditing by Matthew Lewis, Robert Birsel)
The movement for a four-day workweek is gaining ground.

Dozens of U.K. companies just wrapped up the biggest pilot program to date, with more than 90 percent of firms saying they wouldn't go back to working five days a week. States and municipalities across the United States are considering ways to encourage more employers to give it a go.

Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post.

And last week, Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) reintroduced a bill in the House that would make the 32-hour workweek a national standard and lower threshold triggering overtime compensation for most employees.

The previous iteration of the bill did not get a hearing in committee last year and could have a tough path to floor time in a Republican-controlled House. But Takano is enthusiastic about its potential to help American workers. The bill has been endorsed by 4 Day Week Global, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), Service Employees International Union and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

"Workers across the nation are collectively reimagining their relationship to labor - and our laws need to follow suit," Takano said in a statement introducing the bill. "We have before us the opportunity to make common sense changes to work standards passed down from a different era."

Takano talked with The Washington Post about the push to reform the workweek and why it matters. Here are five questions posed, and his answers, lightly edited.

Q: Where did the motivation for this bill come from?

A: My staff and I had discussed introducing legislation in 2020 or 2021, but I delayed introduction of the bill because there was a lot of distraction, because of covid. I just felt that the country was anxious about what was going on with adapting to the reality of the pandemic, and I wanted to make sure I introduced the bill at a decent time.

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During the pandemic, the United States saw over a million of our fellow countrymen and women die. We became more conscious about the finitude we all have, and we saw a Great Resignation occur, especially among service workers in the restaurant industry. People began to get serious about what they really wanted to do in life, and people had more flexibility in their jobs. People like it and still want it.

Q: Is this the right time to rethink the workweek?

The post-pandemic moment is still a moment of openness to change, and until now we haven't really considered this kind of change seriously.

But the four-day workweek is something that's been introduced before: [former president] Richard M. Nixon, when he was a vice-presidential candidate, even said he thought this was something that was going to be inevitable. And this was two decades after the 40-hour workweek was codified into law.

What I'm finding is that there is consistent and sustained interest in this reform. It's not going away. When I've traveled to other advanced economies and labor workforces, this workforce issue of more flexibility and a better work life balance, it's a trend happening in other countries not just in the United States. It's going to take this collective reform among advanced economies to make this a reality.

Q: What are the benefits of a shorter workweek?

A: We've undergone tremendous technological change over the past few decades which has created more productive workers, but that productivity has not translated into better working conditions or hours in terms of the time people have to themselves.

As a society we can definitely make these decisions to change that work life balance and improve that work life balance so that health and happiness can all be increased without reducing how productive we are.

Q: What are the barriers to making the 32-hour workweek a reality?

A: Our biggest barrier is going to be: "How do we make sure we move to lesser hours but not less compensation? How is that going to work?"

I think it's very possible to say, if you're a coder working for a tech firm that's in AI or whatever - it's an intellectual occupation. I think people can get that increasing the number of hours you work doesn't necessarily increase your output. You can wrack your brain only for so long, and you could be open to the possibility that more time to yourself can equate to somebody who's just as productive.

Less obvious is how, if you have a production line, you're probably going to have to increase the number of people you have, if you don't want to pay overtime. How is it that we'll find a wage or compensation equilibrium that allows for 32 hours of work to be equivalent in pay to the 40 hours that were once worked?

How we make that shift in terms of hourly workers is a challenge, but I believe it can be done. I believe there are pathways to having that happen. One key factor is - besides working on the adjustment of the overtime rule, which is what my bill does - we also have to pay attention to the ability of workers to unionize to bargain for higher wages.

This reform has to coincide with other kinds of reforms so that we are moving compensation in the right direction.

Q: Would this expand access to flexible work?

A: The 32-hour workweek discussion is already occurring in certain sectors of the economy. It's occurring in the tech space. The California San Francisco Bay Area is seeing waves of interest. Panasonic went to a 32-hour workweek. Kickstarter is a company that has explored this and one of their executives is a cheerleader for this whole movement.

What we need to examine is how this can become the norm across the various workforces in America. Now of course, across sectors the ability to be that flexible is just not going to the be the same if you're someone who has to show up and punch the clock and be a carpenter or to be plumber. These are the sorts of things we need to engage with in a public debate and that's what my legislation will definitely do.

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Bill Gates and Phoebe Gates

Phoebe Gates is shutting down racist comments about her relationship.

The daughter of billionaire tech giant Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda Gates is experiencing backlash on social media.

The 20-year-old went public with her boyfriend, Robert Ross, in May 2022. The two Stanford students appear throughout each others social media, and the comments get ugly. Most of the online trolls fixate on the fact that Ross is Black. They even allude to the fact that he is dating Gates for her money and status.

Gates recently sat down with The Information, and the outlet asked her about going public with her relationship as an influencer. Her response was heavier than simply dealing with her 200,000 Instagram and 64,000 TikTok followers.

Its 2023. Im done being memed for being in an interracial relationship, she said.

Their first post dates back to October 2022, with the two pictured at a friends wedding. The second post is a moment in front of a fireplace during New Years Eve.

Further within the interview, Gates says the misconceptions and conspiracy theories about my family and my relationship with my boyfriend is the worst part of her social media popularity.

The post Bill Gates Daughter, Phoebe, Says Im Done Being Memed For Being In An Interracial Relationship In Response To Hate Comments appeared first on Blavity.

Gates also reveled she is aware that most of the attention she is getting, whatever negative or positive, is because of her last name.

Im pretty realistic that people start following me because of my family name, she said. And people probably find it funny to see my dad being a goof and playing.

She continued, People have a lot of preconceptions about me, so TikTok has been a chance for me to tell my own story and also use the attention my family name might bring to spotlight issues that are important to me, like womens health and sustainable fashion.

The Seattle, Washington native noted she wasnt even allowed to have a cell phone until she was 14 years old.

Gates welcomes the onlookers, no matter what made them follow her; she just hopes they stick around.

But once they follow me, they stick around, and I think some of that is because of the issues that I post about, like womens health. I like to bring audiences along to the events I go to, my life at college, whats front of mind for me, that kind of stuff.
OKLAHOMA CITY  Oklahomans gave a resounding "No" to legalizing recreational marijuana sales Tuesday, striking a blow against efforts to expand an industry beyond the state's current medical marijuana framework set up five years ago.

Over 61% of voters rejected State Question 820, which was criticized by some law enforcement, religious leaders and public school administrators in the closing weeks of the campaign as a step too far.

At its core, the state question would have legalized recreational sales to anyone 21 and older. Supporters sought to expand the law, which would have effectively decriminalized marijuana use and would have allowed persons to seek expungement of their criminal record for most marijuana-related convictions.

Instead, Oklahoma's marijuana laws will remain as-is, barring any significant changes considered by lawmakers this year.

Nation: Here's where marijuana laws stand in each state

Pot for pain relief? What cannabis can (and cant) do for chronic pain.

Oklahoma State Question 820 results

All 77 counties voted against the state question. It lost in Oklahoma County, the home of Oklahoma City, by just 36 votes.

How supporters, opponents are reacting

"We are obviously pleased with the results," said Pat McFerron, a campaign advisor for the No 820 campaign. "We think this sends a clear message that Oklahomans oppose the unfettered access to marijuana we have experienced under our so-called medical program. Voters clearly want to protect our children, crack down on organized crime, and improve the mental health of those in our state."

Yes on 820 Campaign Director Michelle Tilley said, I challenge our legislature, I challenge our governor, this in your hands now.

"This wasn't about legalizing marijuana. This was about keeping Oklahomans out of the criminal justice system," senior campaign adviser Ryan Kiesel told a crowd of supporters at the Yes on 820 watch party. "The other thing to keep in mind is that this is not the end of the effort to end prohibition in the state of Oklahoma. This is halftime."

Story continues

Recreational use could've boosted Oklahoma's cannabis industry

The legalization of adult-use recreational cannabis was expected to give a boost to the industry, which has been struggling with oversaturation of retail dispensaries and products they sell. Along with picking up new customers who don't have a medical marijuana card, the industry would have seen an influx of consumers from other states.

Before the election, the owner of a vertically integrated cannabis business told The Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network, that passing SQ 820 would help balance supply and demand.

"We'll be able to stretch our legs and be able to operate at capacity, if not close to it," said The Nirvana Group owner Arshad Lasi, in an interview last week before the vote. "We will be able to produce more products and utilize our facilities to their limit and to what they were designed to do."

Now, those dreams are up in smoke.

Voters cast their ballots on SQ 820 at the Millwood Field House for precincts 429 and 431 Tuesday, March 7, 2023

More: Many Americans arrested for marijuana won't find relief under Biden's pardon plan

Efforts to decriminalize marijuana use, expunge records

Taylor Thompson, who works as a public defender in Oklahoma County, said she supported the state question not only for herself as a medicinal user, but for the clients she sees still arrested and incarcerated for marijuana possession and use. She also sees clients denied housing and experiencing other barriers due to previous marijuana charges.

Nobody should be getting arrested for weed at this point, Thompson said at the Yes on 820 watch party Tuesday night.

Now that SQ 820 failed, Thompson believes that expungement of records pertaining to marijuana use and possession should be a legislative priority.

What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day.

Another supporter, Claire Frushour, said she was sad and disappointed about the results. She said she hopes this wakes people up who felt like they didnt need to get out and vote.

Oklahoma governor praises vote's outcome

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Attorney General Gentner Drummond both issued statements praising the outcome of the vote, reiterating their goals of cracking down on the black market and organized crime that sprang out of the state's medical marijuana industry.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma 820 vote results: State bill on recreational marijuana fails
Bindi Irwin attends the ceremony honoring Steve Irwin with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, April 26, 2018, in Los Angeles. Bindi Irwin opened up to her followers on social media about her struggles with endometriosis for International Womens Day. | Willy Sanjuan, Associated Press

Bindi Irwin, an Australian conservationist, recently opened up about her struggle with her endometriosis diagnosis.

Irwins post went up on International Womens Day and during Endometriosis Awareness Month in order to help other women who may be struggling with the same ailments, according to her caption.

Let this be your validation that your pain is real & you deserve help, Irwin wrote, per the BBC.

Related

What is endometriosis?

Johns Hopkins Medicine defines endometriosis as a condition where tissue from the lining of the uterus ends up outside of the uterus.

As the tissue grows outside the uterus, it causes pain during intercourse, as well as heavy or abnormal menstrual flow and cramps.

The Deseret News reported that 1 in 10 women suffer from endometriosis and that the condition has led to infertility for many women.

Related

How long has Irwin had endometriosis?

Many know Irwin as the daughter of the late Australian zookeeper and Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, but through this new revelation, people are getting a closer look at one of her personal struggles.

For 10 years Ive struggled with insurmountable fatigue, pain and nausea, Irwin said in a Twitter post. A doctor told me it was simply something you deal with as a woman and I gave up entirely, trying to function through the pain.

CNN reported that Irwin has had surgery for her condition and that doctors found 37 lesions that were very deep and difficult to remove.

Things may look fine on the outside looking in through the window of someones life, however, that is not always the case. Please be gentle and pause before asking me (or any woman) when well be having more children, Irwin continued in her post. After all that my body has gone through, I feel tremendously grateful that we have our gorgeous daughter. She feels like our familys miracle.
2C49E9K Bindi Irwin arrives on the red carpet for the 3rd AACTA (Australian Academy Cinema Television Arts) Awards.

Bindi Irwin has shared her experience of suffering endometriosis for the past decade to help tackle the stigma around the condition.

The TV star, 24, the daughter of late wildlife expert Steve Irwin, said she has undergone surgery, which found 37 lesions and a cyst, after suffering from insurmountable fatigue, pain and nausea for 10 years.

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes, according to the NHS website.

Posting a photo of herself in a hospital bed, she said she was not sure if she wanted to discuss her health publicly, but ultimately felt a responsibility to share her story for other women who needed help.

She wrote: For 10yrs Ive struggled with insurmountable fatigue, pain and nausea. Trying to remain a positive person and hide the pain has been a very long road.

These last 10yrs have included many tests, doctors visits, scans, etc. A doctor told me it was simply something you deal with as a woman and I gave up entirely, trying to function through the pain.

I didnt find answers until a friend @lesliemosier helped set me on a path of regaining my life. I decided to undergo surgery for endometriosis.

She continued: Going in for surgery was scary but I knew I couldnt live like I was. Every part of my life was getting torn apart because of the pain.

To cut a long story short, they found 37 lesions, some very deep and difficult to remove, and a chocolate cyst.

@seckinmds first words to me when I was in recovery were How did you live with this much pain? Validation for years of pain is indescribable.

The mother-of-one thanked her family and friends for encouraging her to find answers as well as praising the doctors and nurses who believed in her pain.

She said she is now on the road to recovery for which she is grateful.

Irwin, who has a daughter with her husband Chandler Powell, also told those who had questioned why she had cancelled plans or been absent that she had been pouring every ounce of the energy she had into her child and family.

Story continues

Things may look fine on the outside looking in through the window of someones life, however, that is not always the case, she said.

Please be gentle and pause before asking me (or any woman) when well be having more children. After all that my body has gone through, I feel tremendously grateful that we have our gorgeous daughter. She feels like our familys miracle.

Im aware of millions of women struggling with a similar story. Theres stigma around this awful disease. Im sharing my story for anyone who reads this and is quietly dealing with pain and no answers.

Let this be your validation that your pain is real & you deserve help. Keep searching for answers. www.endofound.org.

Irwin tied the knot with Powell, a former professional wakeboarder, at her familys Australia Zoo in Queensland on March 25 2020, hours before the country banned weddings attended by more than five people due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Their daughter, Grace Warrior Irwin Powell, was born on their first wedding anniversary.

They also said the names Warrior Irwin were in tribute to Irwins late conservationist father, known as the Crocodile Hunter, who died aged 44 in 2006 after being attacked by a stingray while filming for a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland.

What the experts say

March is Endometriosis Action Month, the annual event that aims to shine a spotlight on the gynaecological disease that affects one in 10 women.

There are about 1.5 million in the UK with the disease, says Faye Farthing, head of campaigns and communications at Endometriosis UK (endometriosis-uk.org).

It takes an average of eight years to get a diagnosis of endometriosis in the UK  a figure that hasnt changed in a decade  during which time, the disease may progress, Farthing continues.

Treatment and management of symptoms can include surgery, hormonal treatments and painkillers.

For those who have received a diagnosis, navigating exercise and pain can be a challenge, but there is some evidence that movement can help alleviate painful symptoms.

Farthing agrees that no matter what activity you choose, listening to your body is key: If in doubt, you should ask your GP, or another medical professional, such as a gynaecologist or endometriosis nurse specialist.

Particularly if youve had surgery, she says: Its really important to be careful with physical activity when recovering from surgery, so make sure you get advice from health professionals.
A Black couple has settled their lawsuit against the real estate company that estimated their house was nearly $500,000 more valuable when their white friend posed as its owner.

According to their civil complaint, the saga began when Tenisha Tate-Austin and Paul Austin decided to refinance their mortgage in 2020. The couple hired the firm Miller and Perotti Real Estate Appraisers to appraise their home in Marin City, an unincorporated community just north of San Francisco, and were told that it was worth $995,000.

That number seemed low to the Austins  and they were suspicious that their race had something to do with the potentially deflated value.

The couple then got a second appraiser to come and look at their home, but this time had a white friend of theirs pose as the houses owner. The friend was the only person present at the time of the inspection and replaced photographs of the Austins family inside the house with photos of her own family. This time, the couple said, the home was valued at $1,482,500.

The Austins case was a dramatic example of how an unfairly low appraisal can affect your ability to access a loan with good terms and build generational wealth, Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California (FHANC), which supported the Austins in the suit, wrote in a release following news of the settlement. Unfortunately, their experience is not unique.

There is a long history of racial discrimination in real estate in the US, with Black homeowners and homeowners in majority-Black neighborhoods seeing the values of their homes artifically deflated as compared with similar homes in whiter neighborhoods.

FHANC noted that, as of July 2019, 36 percent of Marin Citys residents were Black while just three percent of Marin Countys residents were.

Appraisers likely still view neighborhoods and relevant comps based on racial demographics, which is part of what what we believe happened in the Austins case, the FHANC statement read.

The Austins will be paid an undisclosed monetary sum as part of the settlement. The defendants will also be required to watch the documentary film Our America: Lowballed, an ABC News production about racism in American real estate that features the Austins story. Theyll also have to attend a training session on the subject in Marin County presented by FANHC.

Were glad that we can put this lawsuit behind us, Paul Austin said in a statement. Having to experience everything that came with receiving the lowballed appraisal was overwhelming. Being able to tell our story and knowing we had legal recourse helped. We want others to know that if you experience discrimination, you can go to your local fair housing agency so they can investigate your case and help you if you want to file a complaint.
Black Girl Magic Museum

The Black Girl Magic Museum, located in Dallas, has reopened its doors to continue giving Black women a safe space where they feel seen through an immersive experience.

Photo: Meme Urbane Photography

The post The Black Girl Magic Museum Is Here To Give A Safe Space And Remind Black Women Of Their Importance appeared first on Blavity.

Representation matters because when someone sees a person that looks like them being a trailblazer or in a position they aspire to be in, it breeds hope. And inspiring Black women is exactly what the founder, Dominique Hamilton, is striving to do with the BGMM. After noticing there wasnt a museum that catered to women of color, she created the museum so Black women can have a permanent space thats relatable, celebrates them, and leaves them feeling empowered.

Photo: Meme Urbane Photography

Photo: Meme Urbane Photography

I remember my first internship was at Walt Disney World and just being able to see a space where people could come and celebrate then going to other pop-up museums and feeling like, Wow, one thing missing in the market is black women,' Hamilton told Blavity. There was not a space at the time that existed where there was a celebration of black women and then to take it a step further, in the southern region you cant really find, outside of Atlanta, a space thats celebrating us in this compacity.

Photo: Meme Urbane Photography

Photo: Meme Urbane Photography

BGMM originally launched as a pop-up in Nov. 2020 in Dallas-Forth Worth metroplex and eventually went to Shreveport, Louisiana in March 2021. They closed the door to both locations in Sept. 2021 with plans to reopen in June 2022 but were unfortunately scammed which caused a few obstacles, but that didnt stop Hamiltons mission. The BGMMs new home for the next three years is a spacious suite within Red Bird Mall, which was intentionally picked.

When I chose the space [Red Bird Mall], it was because Oak Cliff is 80% African American, she shared. My moms a single parent and there were times we didnt have access to finer things so what I wanted to do was give our girls and our community something nice to come to and not put it so far away where its a burden or a barrier for them to be able to see. Our motto is if you can see it, you can believe it and you will achieve it, but if we have it so far out who are we really pouring into.

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Photo: Meme Urbane Photography

Photo: Meme Urbane Photography

Each exhibit in the museum highlights power players who impacted the culture along with honoring local Dallas celebrities whove made waves like Erykah Badu and hidden figures in the community to bring awareness to various topics. Visitors can expect to see more than 15 installations painted by local Black artists as a way to support talent in the area.

I always pick things that are uncomfortable. Just like with Breonna Taylor and Atatiana Jefferson, we always say we have the advocacy part for Black women, she said. When they were unfortunately killed, we highlighted that. And with Arlana Miller, that was one of the things that were close to me.

Hamilton continued, I have always dealt with depression and anxiety my whole life. And last year, unfortunately, I had suicidal ideations in March. And then when May came around and I heard about Arlina, I knew that was something I had to push forward because if Im suffering in silence, Im the friend thats always smiling and encouraging and no one knew that I was going back and forth with not being here anymore so I knew no other life could be taken without me moving forward and telling us we got to take off those masks and letting people know were not OK.

The museum is open Friday through Saturday and during the week BGMM partners with organizations to provide essential programs for the community. Local businesses can rent the space to host private events as well.

Were able to see what our community needs so we curate programming based on whatever community were in to be able to give back. One of the things we saw in [the Dallas] community was our girls need spaces to be able to talk about mental wellness, said Hamilton. So, we have a program launching in May that we will have workshops and after-school programming and through the arts be able to work on their mental wellness.

The BGMM is set to expand to New Orleans, Houston and Atlanta to reach more women. The Louisiana location will open the last week of June, just in time for Essence Fest. Hamilton disclosed how she chooses what cities she wants the museum to travel to.

We pick cities where we know theres a huge presence of Black women with post-secondary education because thats been our biggest support, she added. Our goal is to be able to become an anchor in certain cities. We dont want to be everywhere.

Honestly, when I first started I wanted to be but I realize with impact, you cant impact if youre everywhere and thats why we shifted from being a pop-up because you come and you leave and you just feel residue, Hamilton said. Our Black girls need safe spaces that are not just temporary. Thats my mission is creating space where its needed, being an anchor in the community and being able to offer programming outside of the space of taking pictures.

For anyone wanting to visit, you can purchase tickets online. Each ticket includes a sweet treat and popcorn so as youre taking your pics and learning your history youll be able to have sweet treats and snacks to take along with you.
The Ukrainian border guards held the frontier in the suburbs of the city of Bakhmut, killing eight occupiers and injuring 23 more.

Source: The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine on Telegram

Details: The Russian stormtroopers, with the support of artillery, multiple-launch rocket systems and cluster munitions, attacked the positions of the Ukrainian soldiers in the suburbs of Bakhmut.

The Ukrainian border guards used mortars and aerial reconnaissance in order to kill the attackers. They used small arms during combat encounters with the Russians.

The border guards held the defence line, killing eight occupiers and wounding 23 more.

Background: According to CNN, whose journalists spoke to a NATO military official, the Russian occupiers lost five times more soldiers in the battles for Bakhmut than the Ukrainian defenders.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
A six-year-old boy will not face any criminal charges for shooting his teacher at a Virginia elementary school, prosecutors have said.

Teacher Abigail Zwerner was shot and injured on 6 January at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, and the shocking incident led to the resignation of the schools superintendent and an assistant principal.

Newport News Commonwealths Attorney Howard Gwynn told NBC News that his office would not bring charges against the youngster and said that the prospect that a 6-year-old can stand trial is problematic.
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP)  The Arizona Coyotes opened the gates for a series of breakaways. Karel Vejmelka stopped all but one.

His save with two opponents bearing down in the second period changed the complexion of the game, sending the Coyotes to another big-scoring night against the St. Louis Blues.

Vejmelka stopped 40 shots, Travis Boyd had two goals and an assist in the third period, and the Coyotes beat the Blues 6-2 on Tuesday night.

His save in the second period on the 2-on-0, that was: Wow! Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny said. That was really a momentum changer for both teams.

The Coyotes got off to a shaky start, giving up a breakaway for the first of Pavel Buchnevich's two goals, but Vejmelka kept them in it with a series of spectacular saves.

Christian Fischer and Nick Schmaltz scored to give Arizona a 2-1 lead and Boyd put it away with his two third-period goals. Clayton Keller added a goal and two assists, and Lawson Crouse also scored to give the Coyotes 16 goals in three games against St. Louis this season.

That first couple minutes, not sure what we were getting ourselves into, but we regrouped really well and Veggie always (is good), Fischer said. It's easy to say, but almost every game were saying our goalies' names, but its true.

St. Louis didn't give its goalie much of a chance and had a hard time scoring in any situation. Jordan Binnington gave up six goals on 27 shots for St. Louis, which has lost eight of nine.

We have tons of chances. Breakaways, the power play, Blues coach Craig Berube said. Our power play didnt click good enough to win us the hockey game.

The Coyotes gave up 15 combined goals in their previous three games and found themselves in another hole against the Blues.

Arizona had two early icing calls during long shifts in its own end and Buchnevich took advantage of a breakaway, beating Vejmelka to the glove side for his 10th point in six games.

The Coyotes snapped out of it and scored midway through the first period when a pass by Connor Mackey caromed hard off the backboards to the other side of the goal. Fischer easily put it into an empty net with Binnington out of position.

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Arizona had more defensive breakdowns to start the second period, giving up a couple of breakaways. Vejmelka stuffed both, blocking Brandon Saad, then making a spectacular glove save on Robert Thomas on the 2-on-0.

When you do your goalie stuff, probably the whole bunch stands up there, Fischer said.

The Coyotes gave up another breakaway, this time while on a power play, but Vejmelka stopped Thomas again. Schmaltz scored before the power play ended, beating Binnington from a sharp angle on a cross-crease pass from Barrett Hayton.

Boyd made it 3-1 early in the third period, taking a short pass from Keller and flipping a backhander past Binnington.

Buchnevich scored midway through the third period, lifting a backhander over Vejmelka's stick shoulder. Boyd pushed the lead back to two goals by punching in a rebound for his first multi-goal game and 100th career point.

You always go into the game expecting to win, Berube said. We just havent played well enough or won enough games against non-playoff teams.

MULLETT MAGIC

The Coyotes have heard the jokes about Mullett Arena, their 5,000-seat temporary home until a permanent one can be built.

Small as it is, the Mullett certainly gives Arizona a home-ice advantage.

Well out of the playoff picture, the Coyotes are 15-11-3 at home.

Everybody early in the season was making jokes and everything about it, but I think at the end of the day, its a tough place to come in and play," Boyd said. "Our record speaks to that."

NOTES: Coyotes F Liam O'Brien did not play due to illness. ... St. Louis F Jake Neighbours missed his seventh straight game with an upper-body injury. ... Coyotes F Brett Ritchie has yet to join the team due to visa issues since being traded from Calgary on Friday in a deal that included his brother going to the Flames. ... The Blues are 2 for 34 on the power play in the past nine games after going 0 for 6 against Arizona.

UP NEXT

St. Louis: Hosts San Jose on Thursday.

Arizona: Hosts Nashville on Thursday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Youre invited to watch Spicy Hawaiian and Benjamin return to the ocean on Friday.

The two sea turtles, both rehabbed by the Brevard Zoo, are scheduled to be released at the Ron Jon Beach N Boards Festival on Friday at 4 p.m.

Zoo officials said juvenile green sea turtle Spicy Hawaiian arrived at its Healing Center at the beginning of the year after a boater found them floating in the Banana River. Officials said the turtle was suffering from physical overexertion.

Benjamin, also a juvenile green sea turtle, arrived at the Healing Center toward the end of December 2022 as the centers 100th patient of the year.

Read: Turtle named Spicy Hawaiian first Sea Turtle Healing Center patient of the year

Zoo officials said a recreational fisherman caught Benjamin at Jetty Park. After the

fisherman removed the hook from Benjamins tongue, officials found a second fishing line was coming out of the turtles mouth leading into the stomach.

Read: 15 sea turtles released after rehabbing in the Florida Keys

When staff arrived the following day, the line had come out of the turtles mouth on its own, but Benjamin was kept for observation.

Both turtles were deemed ready for release in time for Fridays event.

Although these turtles have differing rehabilitation stories, both were found sick or injured and brought to our Healing Center for care. Read more about their rehabilitation journeys on our blog: https://t.co/2ey6Csc9Go pic.twitter.com/2kuSY6u1Td  Brevard Zoo (@BrevardZoo) March 7, 2023

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.
Brian Laundrie appears in police bodycam footage after being pulled over with his girlfriend, Gabby Petito, during their road trip in Utah on Aug. 12, 2021.

Brian Laundrie appears in police bodycam footage after being pulled over with his girlfriend, Gabby Petito, during their road trip in Utah on Aug. 12, 2021.

Brian Laundries mother is defending a letter she wrote to her son in which she reportedly offered to help bury a body, claiming in court papers that the letter had nothing to do with Laundrie killing his fiancee and should not be admitted as evidence.

In a sworn affidavit filed Monday, Roberta Laundrie said she wrote the letter to her son months before his fiancee Gabby Petito went missing and was later found dead, and that her words are being taken out of context, according to a copy of the civil court document published by Tampa station WFLA.

While I used words that seem to have a connection with Brians actions and his taking of Gabbys life, I never would have fathomed the events that unfolded months later between Brian and Gabby would reflect the words in my letter, her court filing reads.

After she appeared in this police bodycam image, Gabby Petito, 22, was found strangled to death, and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, was found dead from self-inflicted injuries in a Florida wilderness preserve.

After she appeared in this police bodycam image, Gabby Petito, 22, was found strangled to death, and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, was found dead from self-inflicted injuries in a Florida wilderness preserve.

Roberta Laundrie defended her letter in response to a civil lawsuit by the Petito family against her family last year. It accuses the Laundries of knowing that their son killed his girlfriend in 2021 and still keeping quiet, even as a nationwide manhunt for Gabby Petito was underway.

An attorney for the Laundries has requested a protective order that would prevent the letter from being submitted as evidence in the Petitos lawsuit, WFLA reported.

Petito family attorney Pat Reilly said he read Roberta Laundries letter and that in it, she tells her son that shell bring a shovel to help bury a body and that the letters envelope reads burn after reading.

Who writes a letter to their adult son saying Ill help bury a body? Reilly remarked to WFLA. Its no surprise that she doesnt want anyone else to see it.

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In her court filing, Roberta Laundrie says she wrote the letter to her son before he and Petito set out on a road trip in July of 2021 and that she was appreciative that he had kept it.

The purpose of the letter was to reach out to Brian while he and I were experiencing a difficult period in our relationship, she states. Brian and I always had a very open and communicative relationship and in the months prior to the trip our relationship had become strained.

Roberta Laundrie said that she wrote burn after reading on the envelope in reference to the book Burn After Writing, which instructs readers to openly express themselves on paper and then burn the paper if they feel embarrassed by what theyve said.

She said that she joked about this book with both her son and Petito and that she was trying to connect with her son and remind him how much I loved him.

In the copy of her affidavit shared by WFLA, Roberta Laundrie does not address whether her letter to her son mentioned burying a body. She does state that there are phrases in her letter that were common in their circle of friends and family, used to describe who you could turn to in the most troubling times of your life.

Although a few of the words in the letter are being quoted by others as having a connection to this case, all of the words taken together and in the context of the reason the letter was written show that there is no connection, she states.

An attorney for the Laundrie family did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Related...
At 3 months old, even future kings of the savannah like to play.

In Senegal, a video of three cubs that would have hardly been imaginable a few years ago has given hope that the revered West African lion, which has been decimated over time, will be revived.

The U.S.-based wild cat conservation organization Panthera has released never-before-seen images of a lioness and three cubs spotted in February by a remote camera in the Niokolo-Koba National Park in southeastern Senegal.

In what Panthera describes as a "thrilling sign of recovery for the critically endangered West African lion," the video footage shows the big cat eating an animal carcass while her 3-month-old offspring try to imitate.

Panthera released images of a lioness and three cubs spotted in February by a remote cameras in the Niokolo-Koba National Park in Senegal. / Credit: Panthera/DPN/Everatt

They brandish their claws and fangs, testing them out on scraps of wood or their mother's hindquarters.

"This documentation of new lion life... indicates the remarkable recovery of a population on the brink of extinction", the organization said in a statement.

Panthera has since 2011 been working with Senegal's Department of National Parks on conservation efforts in the Niokolo-Koba park.

In that time, the number of lions in the park has risen from 10 or 15 to around 30, the organization said.

The West African lion is characterized by a narrow mane and bald appearance, and is genetically distinct from the African or Asian subspecies.

There are between 120 and 375 of them left, according to Panthera.

Revered to the point of being cited in the Senegalese national anthem, West African lions have been decimated by poaching and the gradual loss of their habitat.

Their historic range has shrunk by 99%, Panthera said, citing the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Florence, the lioness caught on camera, who is thought to be nine or 10 years old, has contributed to the population's recovery.

"When the history of Niokolo Koba's recovery is written, this moment will mark a turning point and Florence above all others will likely be recognized as the critical driver of West African lion recovery in one of this big cat's last strongholds," said regional director Dr. Philipp Henschel said in a statement.

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The cubs  two males and a female  pictured with her are believed to be her third litter since 2021.

Panthera said last year a lioness was spotted with porcupine quills in her face, which prevented her from feeding. Scientists and a veterinarian anesthetized the animal and removed the quills, "providing the young female with a second chance at life," the organization said.

According to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the population of lions in Africa continues to decrease. A 2015 study warned that lion populations in West, Central and East Africa could decline by as much as half by 2035.

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The daughter of the infamous BTK serial killer has called for people to leave Alex Murdaughs surviving son Buster alone.

Kerri Rawson told NewsNation that the 26-year-old son of Maggie and Alex Murdaugh is also a victim in the brutal murders of his mother and brother Paul and needs to be given space to process and grieve.

He needs to be respected right now. He needs time to process and grieve and when hes ready to talk, he will, she said.

We have to respect that he is a victim. He lost his mother and his brother in a violent and horrific crime and then sat in court for weeks and had to listen to details down to what happened to his brothers brains.

And then be on the stand and watch his father go on the stand and now his father has been sentenced to two life sentences.

Her comments come after Buster filed a police report claiming that he was being harassed by members of the media after his father was sentenced to life in prison for the brutal 7 June 2021 murders.

In the police report, filed with Beaufort County Sheriffs office on Sunday, Buster complained about photos which appeared in the New York Post, showing him and his girlfriend Brooklynne White inside his Hilton Head home.

The couple told officers that they had reviewed ring camera video and noticed a suspicious grey Dodge Challenger outside the home on Saturday evening.

Buster believes that the occupant of the vehicle took the photos which later ended up in the Post, the report said.

Sometime later, Ms White contacted the sheriffs office again to report that the vehicle was following them as they drove off Hilton Head.

Officers pulled the vehicle over for speeding and making an improper lane change and found the driver had a camera bag inside the car.

Buster Murdaugh filed a police report alleging media harassment. @KerriRawson tells @BrianEntin that people should leave him alone. "He needs to be respected right now. He needs time to process and grieve and when he's ready to talk, he will."#Banfield pic.twitter.com/SufMZCvkAr  NewsNation (@NewsNation) March 8, 2023

The driver received a warning about a traffic violation.

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The sheriffs office said they would also increase patrols around Busters home.

Buster has fallen under the spotlight as he supported his father every day at his trial for the murders of his mother and brother.

The 26-year-old took the stand in his fathers defence, telling jurors how Murdaugh was destroyed in the aftermath of the killings.

His testimony marked the first and only time he has ever spoken out about the murders or his fathers string of crimes.

As the daughter of serial killer Dennis Rader  also known as BTK  Ms Rawson empathised with Buster as a victim whose parent carried out a heinous crime.

I think right now people need to leave him and his family alone if they are not wanting to do media, she said.

Buster is clearly asking for respect and privacy right now.

Ms Rawson said there are differences between her experience and Busters.

The Murdaugh family was well-known in Hampton County, South Carolina, long before the murders, with three generations of the family reigning over the lowcountrys justice system.

Buster Murdaugh, the son of Alex Murdaugh, listens as Alex Murdaughs verdict is read out (AP)

I went through so much but my family wasnt prominent, she said.

Ms Rawson also pointed out that Murdaugh continues to claim his innocence  despite the damning evidence placing him at the crime scene.

By contrast, her father confessed to murdering his victims on the night of his arrest so we knew he was guilty.

Rader  who dubbed himself the bind torture kill killer in letters to the Kansas media  was suddenly arrested in 2005 for a string of murders, some of them before she was even born.

He confessed to killing 10 victims over the three decades and was sentenced to 10 consecutive life sentences.

While Buster is a victim of his mother and brothers murders, his fathers conviction has led to renewed speculation about a mysterious 2015 death of 19-year-old Stephen Smith.

Smith, an openly gay teenager who was a classmate of Busters, was found dead in the middle of a road in Hampton County back in 2015.

He had suffered blunt force trauma to the head and his car was left down the road.

His death was officially ruled a hit-and-run but the victims family  and investigators who worked on the initial case  have long doubted this version of events saying he appeared to have been beaten to death.

The BTK killer Dennis Rader

There have long been murmurings in the community that a Murdaugh boy may have been involved and the Murdaugh name came up 40 times in documents in the initial case, reported Live5News.

Just days after the murders of Maggie and Paul, SLED announced that the investigation into their murders had led them to reopen an investigation into Smiths death.

As Murdaugh was led out of Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro after being sentenced to life in prison on Friday, a bystander shouted that Buster is next for justice  an apparent reference to the Smith case.

Because we dont know his involvement anywhere else he is innocent until proven guilty and nothing has even been alleged or charged here, said Ms Rawson.

We have to respect that he is a victim, she said, adding that it is pure speculation at this point.

It is not clear what may have prompted SLED to launch an investigation six years on from Smiths death.

In January 2023, SLED said it had made progress in the case but no other details have been released.
A Burger King employee is accused of assisting two men in robbing the restaurant where he worked. Police say he tried to distract the manager by ordering a burger.

The robbery happened late Sunday night at the Burger King off Shorter Avenue in Rome.

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According to the police report, the manager saw an employee, who he identified as Derricus Wade, standing at the side door and Wade told him he was hungry and asked for a burger.

The manager said he let Wade inside the store and started cooking as Wade spoke to another employee as they were walking to the back.

That is when police say Wade let in two men wearing ski masks and gloves. The manager told officers one of the men pointed a gun at him and the employee and directed them toward the safe. Video shows the man grab the manager by the shirt.

TRENDING STORIES:

The manager opened the safe door and the men took around $1,500 from the bottom of the safe and placed it into a plastic grocery bag. The suspects then demanded the manager open the registers, placing $420.63 from the front register and $1429.77 from the drive-thru register into the bag.

In total, the suspects got away with nearly $3,500.

Before they left, the manager said the suspects demanded the security footage from the restaurant. He instead gave them four electronic boxes that controlled the food displays. Each box was worth $375 and were later recovered by police along with cellphones.

Officers arrested Wade and charged him with armed robbery. The other two suspects have not been caught.

Police say they are working to recover any fingerprints from the boxes and cellphones to identify the suspects.

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IN OTHER NEWS
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  A judge on Tuesday granted the state attorney general's request for 90 more days to review the case against a former San Francisco police officer who became the first in the city to be charged with an on-duty killing.

The top prosecutors request comes after San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced last month she planned to drop manslaughter charges against former officer Christian Samayoa who in 2017 fatally shot Keita ONeil, a carjacking suspect. Samayoa was on his fourth day on the job when he fired a single shot at O'Neil as he fled on foot.

Chesa Boudin, Jenkins predecessor, charged Samayoa with manslaughter and other charges after he took office in 2020, calling his decision historic. Boudin was part of a politically progressive wave of prosecutors committed to seeking restorative justice over mass incarceration. He was recalled from his post last year amid frustration and anxiety over the pandemic and viral footage of Asian seniors being assaulted in San Francisco.

Jenkins said in a February letter to Attorney General Rob Bonta that she intended to drop the charges against Samayoa because an investigation into Boudins handling of the case revealed internal conflicts. She said the charges were filed just before the statute of limitations for manslaughter was to expire and the warrant was signed by an investigator who had been assigned to the case days earlier  while the longtime lead investigator was on vacation.

She asked Bonta to review the case per ONeils familys wishes.

The judge's decision postpones the case's dismissal until June 5 when the parties will be back in court, the attorney general's office said.

ONeil's family has been pushing for state prosecutors to take over the case.

Im ecstatic. This is a great day, April Green, O'Neil's aunt, said outside the courtroom about the judge's decision Tuesday.

ONeil, who died at a hospital, was suspected of assaulting a California Lottery employee and stealing a van that belonged to the agency. Police said they chased the van and another SUV seen traveling with it to a public housing area. ONeil abandoned the stolen vehicle and started running toward the patrol car occupied by Samayoa, who was in the passenger seat, and his training officer.

Body camera footage shows Samayoa drawing his pistol while the cruiser was still moving. The video then shows him opening the side door and firing a single shot through the window as ONeil runs by in the opposite direction. ONeil, who died later at a hospital, was not armed.
An atmospheric river storm pumped drenching rains into the heart of California in January as blizzard conditions buried the Sierra Nevada in snow. (Randy Walker/Caltrans District 9 via AP)

SAN FRANCISCO  In the midst of an unrelenting winter that has already dumped near-record amounts of snow and rain on California, yet another "atmospheric river" is taking aim at the Golden State.

Unlike the recent series of cold storms that have blanketed lower elevations across the state with snow, the coming "Pineapple Express," which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines as "a narrow region of atmospheric moisture that builds up in the tropical Pacific," will arrive late Thursday with warmer air and a heightened risk of flooding.

WPC has initiated Key Messages for a winter storm set to deliver heavy rain & mountain snow to California late week. Expected impacts include (but are not limited to) treacherous travel in higher terrain & flooding from a combination of heavy rain & snowmelt. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/BEv7t1OyDV  NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) March 7, 2023

While mountain elevations above 6,000 feet are expected to receive multiple feet of additional snow from the storm, which will last into next week, elevations below 5,000 feet, such as the Sierra Nevada foothills, will see anywhere between 2 and 7 inches of rain. Warmer precipitation at those elevations will hasten snow melt, increasing the risk of flooding.

Temperatures in foothill towns like Grass Valley are expected to rise into the low 50s over the weekend, but not to levels that, even with the heavy rain, are likely to result in a catastrophic melting event.

Will there be a moderate to strong & warm #AtmosphericRiver storm this weekend in CA? Yes. Will there be flooding from hvy rain & snowmelt? Also yes, UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain tweeted on Tuesday. Do meteorologists and hydrologists, using the best available data at this time, expect a historic flood event? No.

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This latest deluge comes in a winter in which the state saw extreme drought conditions wiped from the map due to a parade of atmospheric river storms.

Extreme drought conditions have disappeared in California following a parade of winter storms. (U.S. Drought Monitor)

From late Dec. 2022 into Jan. 2023, a series of nine atmospheric rivers dumped a record amount of rain and mountain snow across the western U.S. and Canada, hitting California particularly hard, the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service said on its website. More than 32 trillion gallons of water rained down across the state alone, and the moisture also pushed into much of the Intermountain West.

While California's winter has so far been above average in terms of precipitation, the more atmospheric river events that occur before the arrival of the dry season will further aid drought relief, but could also pose more extreme flood risks.

If we get another couple of big storms, which looks like its possible, we could end up with a really wet year. The consequences of that depend on how we get the water and when we get it and where we get it, Peter Gleick, climate scientist and the founder of the Pacific Institute in Oakland, told Yahoo News.

This round of heavy rain and snow will affect the central and northern parts of the state, the National Weather Service said. After heavy precipitation falls starting Thursday, a second blast is expected Monday and Tuesday.

Showers continue to move across the area this morning. A warm, wet storm will bring major impacts to interior NorCal Thu - Sun with rain and flooding, high elevation snow, and wind. Another system could bring additional widespread precip early next week. #cawx#cawx pic.twitter.com/XWxJYTvNNE  NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) March 8, 2023

In historical terms, 2023 has not yet exceeded the all-time snowpack record in the Sierra Nevada, according to the University of California Berkeley's Central Sierra Snow Lab. But with heavy snow on the way this weekend and more systems on the horizon, this year appears likely to be one of the top four in recorded history.

We have had 10.6" (27 cm) of #snow over the last 24 hours at the lab. That brings our total to 603" (15.32 m) since Oct 1st. This is now the 5th snowiest year since the CSSL was built in 1946.



More snowfall in the forecast and it's likely it will be moving up!#CAwx #CAwater pic.twitter.com/j5Olp7JpC6  UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab (@UCB_CSSL) March 8, 2023

As for the coming days, the latest atmospheric river will have an impact on more than just the Sierra Nevada and its foothills. Heavy winds are forecast for a wide area that includes the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Coast, with downed trees and limbs expected that could disrupt power.
Photo: Michael M. Santiago (Getty Images)

Ever since the FDA announced in January that retail pharmacies could get certified to carry abortion medication, a number of chains, including Walgreens, said they would start the certification process. But, after pressure from anti-abortion activists and the threats of lawsuits from Republican lawyers, Walgreens quickly began to cave.

In February, 20 Republican state attorneys generaleven from states where medication abortion remains legalwrote letters threatening legal action should the pharmacy proceed with carrying the meds. On Thursday, the corporation announced it wont be following through on its initial embrace of the FDA process in those states.

Read more

In theory, this would get Walgreens out of the abortion game in states with active Republican attorneys generals. What it didnt count on was the pro-abortion response to its pullback. On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that his state will no longer conduct business with Walgreens or its subsidiaries after the pharmacythe second largest retail pharmacy chain in the countrysaid it will no longer pursue the qualifications necessary to distribute mifepristone.



California wont be doing business with [Walgreens]  or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts womens lives at risk, Newsom tweeted on Monday afternoon. Were done.

California won't be doing business with @walgreens -- or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts women's lives at risk.



We're done.https://t.co/OB10cYfm8H  Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) March 6, 2023

A direct response thats comforting in its quickness, I guess. But what exactly does a state not doing business with a retail pharmacy chain mean?

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An unnamed Newsom spokesperson told Reuters that all relationships between Walgreens and California are being reviewed. The spokesperson did not share how (or what) possible relationships would change.

Usually, when states take this kind of a stand, it has to do with traveling. For example, when Indiana passed a bill in 2015 that allowed companies to claim that their religion was infringed during legal proceedings, a number of states and cities announced a boycott on city-or state-funded travel to Indiana.

However, unlike travel expenses which are usually more of an action of solidarity, California has major pull in the healthcare space. The states massive economy is on pace to overtake Germany as the worlds fourth-largest economy. If it chose to cut Walgreens out of its state employee insurance plans, the impact would be, like the size of California, massive.

Per NPRs Emily Olson:

More than 13 million Californians rely on the states Medicaid program. Even if the state only cut Walgreens out of state employee insurance plans, the company might see a big financial impact: The state insures more than 200,000 full-time employees. Another 1.5 million, including dependents up to the age of 26, are covered by CalPERS, its retirement insurance program.

Beyond the state insurance program, Yahoo Finance reports that the state is looking to create a generic drug manufacturing strategy for Californians, which could be yet another potential cash cow.

Because the Supreme Court insisted on returning abortion issues back to the state, this is likely to be just the first of a series of states looking to make a point about how corporations choose to approach abortion. After all, if you wanted the states to be in charge, can you really get mad when states take a stand?

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California will not renew a $54 million contract with Walgreens in response to the company's decision not to dispense an abortion drug in states where Republican officials have threatened legal action against them, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.

The decision, which Newsom previewed in a tweet Monday, comes as the governor and lawmakers have taken broad measures in recent months to ensure abortion is available in California and to make the state a place where people from elsewhere can get the procedure following the June ruling by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.

"This is an attempt to call the question 'Which side are you on? Whose side are you on?" Newsom said in an interview with POLITICO ahead of the announcement. Are you going to just cower in the face of bullies? Are you going to just roll over?

Walgreens will no longer provide medications to inmates in Californias sprawling correctional system as a result of the decision. A planned renewal of the contract was scheduled to take effect May 1.

Newsom says this is just the first step in an exhaustive review of all of the states ties with Walgreens, some of which he may need to work with the state Legislature to terminate.

Walgreens has said it wont offer mifepristone in 21 states where Republican attorneys general have threatened legal action against pharmacies that provide the medication. All of those states have either banned abortion or have proposed legislation or pending court challenges that would prohibit distribution.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said Walgreens was premature in making its policy announcement even if the legal ground is uncertain in some states. They should wait until a judge weighs in and not pull this life saving and critical medication from millions of people, he said in a recent interview.

Walgreens, which said in a statement Wednesday that it was disappointed by Newsom's action, has faced criticism for saying it would not dispense the abortion drug mifepristone even in some states where it is legal but officials have threatened legal action.

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"Our position has always been that, once we are certified by the FDA, Walgreens plans to dispense Mifepristone in any jurisdiction where it is legally permissible to do so, including the state of California," the company said.

Walgreens says its being unfairly singled out by California, noting that other major pharmacy chains have not yet said how they will respond to threats from GOP state attorneys general on the dispensing of abortion drugs.

Walgreens is facing the same circumstances as all retail pharmacies and no other retail pharmacies have said that they would approach this situation differently, so its unclear where this contract would now be moved, the company said.

CVS, Albertsons, Rite Aid, Costco, Walmart and Kroger have not responded to POLITICO requests for comment.

Newsom said he was nixing the contract in part because Walgreens could not provide clear answers about its policy.

They were unwilling or incapable of doing anything more than repeating a statement that only reinforces the ambiguity," Newsom said. "That made me conclude theyre not serious about this, and we are.

Newsom's move also demonstrates his willingness to wield Californias financial might in an intensifying national battle over abortion access. The governor and legislative Democrats have already allocated hundreds of millions of dollars and enacted new laws to make California a sanctuary for abortion-seekers from other states.

Ironically, we're the size of 21 states populations combined, Newsom said, referencing the 21 states where Walgreens has told GOP state officials that they do not plan to dispense the pills. And likely, when the dust settles, well be the fourth largest economy in the world. So, we have, we believe, moral authority, but we also have formal authority and will exercise it in partnership with the Legislature, and in the absence of that, through executive action.

States have been on the frontlines of abortion policy struggles after the U.S. Supreme Court ended the federal right to the procedure. While California responded by aggressively expanding abortion access, Republican states have sharply restricted it.

Florida lawmakers this week introduced a bill that would ban abortions after six weeks. As national Democrats rebuked the proposal, California Attorney General Rob Bonta told Floridians repulsed by the despicable bill they would be welcome in California.
Comedian Eddie Izzard revealed in a podcast interview that she has added "Suzy" to her name. ( Scott Garfitt / Invision / Associated Press)

Eddie Izzard is embracing a new name  one the British comedian said she's wanted since childhood.

Speaking to Matt Forde for Tuesday's episode of "The Political Party" podcast, the British comedian opened up about how she identifies, her pronouns and her new name.

"Theres another name Im going to add in as well, which is Suzy, which Ive wanted to be since I was 10, said Izzard, who came out as transgender in 1985. So, Im going to be Suzy Eddie Izzard. Thats how Im going to roll so people can choose what they want."

The comedian said she'll keep her public name as "Eddie Izzard," which she decided to maintain for the recognition.

Izzard said she started thinking about other names after proclaiming that she uses she/her pronouns in 2020.

When Forde asked earlier in the podcast whether people "second-guess themselves" when it comes to the comedian's pronouns, Izzard quipped, "I make mistakes with my own pronouns."

The "Oceans Twelve" actor said she was thinking of changing her pronouns until she received an honorary degree at Swansea University in July 2019.

She recalled the ceremony when a chancellor referred to Izzard with she/her pronouns and listed her accomplishments.

"I was just sitting there having she/her pronouns in a speech about me hitting me," she said. "And I told [the chancellor] this after  it hit some positivity on me. It just felt amazing. And I said, 'Thank you for that.'"

"And so I wrote a statement, 'I prefer she/her, I don't mind he/him. No one can make a mistake," she added.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Photo: Instagram

This week, a student protest led by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of South Florida devolved into a tussle after campus police intervened, with videos showing four protestorsthree of them studentsbeing arrested. Not unlike the scores of other recent demonstrations at colleges across the state, Lauren Pineiro, a representative from the group, told Jezebel via phone call that the students were protesting Governor Ron DeSantis attempts to ban diversity and inclusion initiatives in schools outside of the office of Rhea Law, the universitys president.



We were only in there [the building wherein Laws office is located] for maybe two minutes before the Chief of Police, Chris Daniels, approached us and was immediately violent, Pineiro told Jezebel. Everything just kind of evolved from there.

Read more

The groups demands were simple, Piniero explained. First, they wanted the university to continue its search for a Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)an effort that was halted in the wake of DeSantis January announcement that he would defund Critical Race Theory (CRT) and DEI initiatives and push legislation to prohibit state schools from supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Then, the group asked that the university reinstate the DEI committee in the College of Arts and Sciences. (All six members of the committee resigned in 2020 after claiming they were being ignored by the administration.) Lastly, the students demanded the administration release a public statement outlining its commitment to protect diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and to condemn DeSantis attacks.

Black enrollment is declining, and is actually the lowest its ever been in the last 14 years, at 9.1 percent, Pineiro added, noting that its a central concern for the group. Records listed on the universitys website confirm the population has dwindled from 12 percent in the 2008-2009 school year, to 9.5 percent in 2021-2022, the last recorded school year. (Representatives from the university did not provide comment, instead directing Jezebels request to campus police.)

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According to Pineiro, the protest began in the Marshall Student Center, where speeches took place. Then, the students (reportedly 25) marched to the Patel Center for Global Solutions, where Laws office is located, for a peaceful sit-in.

Videos posted to social media appear to show officers assaulting protestors after they refused to leave the building until Law agreed to meet with them. Though campus police told ABC Action News that the students were the aggressors as they refused to leave the building after being instructed by officers, Pineiro begs to differ.

Its just kind of surprising that they met us with such force right from the beginning, Pineiro told Jezebel. We didnt really have a chance to leave and we tried to de-escalate.

They put their hands on most of the people thereespecially the women and trans people who were present, she added.

Posts on the SDS Instagram page say the protestors were brutalized by campus police for speaking out. When contacted for comment, Michael Lavelle, a representative for the campus police department, told Jezebel via email: One officer was pushed to the ground and suffered minor injuries, while other officers were also shoved by protestors. Protestors hit police with objects, including what officers believe was a video camera and a water bottle, and threw an unidentified liquid at officers.

Ultimately, arrests were made. Among those detained were Gia Davila, a 21-year-old USF student; Laura Rodriguez, a 23-year-old USF alumna; Jeanie Kida, a 26-year-old USF student; and Chrisley Carpio, a 31-year-old USF employee. The four have since been released on bail, but currently face charges of assault or battery of law enforcement officers. Pineiro said its the groups hope that the university will drop the charges.

This protest is one of many in the last six months in direct response to DeSantis culture wars. For several weeks, students at New College, a liberal arts college in Sarasota, have railed against the governor since he appointed six conservative members to the universitys board of trustees. Last month, students from the University of Florida, Florida State University, and the University of North Florida walked out of classes in protest of DeSantis audit of DEI initiatives.

We are also going to eliminate all DEI and CRT bureaucracies in the state of Florida. No funding. And that will wither on the vine, DeSantis said in January.

Meanwhile, Pineiro asserted the SDS will continue to push for their demands to be addressed: Were allowed to protest, especially in a school that we pay money to attend, so we really just want the school to stand with us in solidarity.

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Flag of Canada

Ottawa is understood to be negotiating a deal to supply Ukraine with hundreds of high-tech, Canadian-made drones the Ukrainians have identified as the only product on the market that satisfies all our operational requirements, the report reads.

Read also: Russia isn't actually ready for peace talks  Canadian intelligence

It is noted that back in summer 2022, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Yuliia Svyrydenko sent a letter to the Ministers of Defense and Finance of Canada, requesting 300 Teledyne R70 SkyRanger UAVs produced in Ontario.

Tactical drones play a key role on the battlefield, and Ukrainian-made drones have "serious limitations." In particular, they are vulnerable to Russian electronic warfare and have limited use at night and in bad weather conditions. A Canadian R70 Skyranger drone is equipped with a thermal imager, can intercept radio signals and detect chemical weapons use  some of the key capabilities Ukrainian troops need.

Read also: Ukrainians already being trained on Leopard 2 tanks from Canada, says Canadian Defense Ministry

The signals intercept capability of the R70, in particular, would be invaluable because it allows the drone to identify where enemy phones are, and can even identify individuals, the National Post notes.

If Canada agrees to transfer 300 of these drones to Ukraine, as well as to provide training for Ukrainian soldiers in their use and maintenance, it will cost Canadian state treasury around $115 million.

The request for drones was not a priority until recently but sources suggest that the Canadian Commercial Corporation, a Crown corporation mandated to help governments abroad access goods from Canada, is now engaged in the deal, the article said.

Canada's Department of Defense declined to comment on the progress of the drone deal and why Ukraine's request was left unanswered for so long.

Read also: The war will end with Ukrainian victory, US State Department says

We will continue to identify a variety of military assistance options to help Ukraine fight and win, said press secretary for the Department of National Defence, Daniel Minden.

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
Pune, India - (NewMediaWire) - March 8, 2023 - Absolute Reports Published a Report for Global "Cannabis Market" that provides crucial details on company opportunities, growth plans, trends, innovations, the competitive landscape in 2022, and the geographic outlook. Based on relevant market and regional segmentation, a thorough assessment of this worldwide market includes the historical analysis of this market (From 2017 to 2022) and develops reliable and approximative timeline estimations up to 2027.

What is the projected market size & growth rate of the Cannabis Market??

Cannabis Market Size is projected to Reach Multimillion USD by 2027, In comparison to 2023, at unexpected CAGR during the forecast Period 2023-2027.

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1. Does this report consider the impact of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war on the Cannabis market?



Yes. As the COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war are profoundly affecting the global supply chain relationship and raw material price system, we have definitely taken them into consideration throughout the research, and in Chapters, we elaborate at full length on the impact of the pandemic and the war on the Cannabis Industry

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Story continues

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Cannabis Market - Competitive and Segmentation Analysis:

2. How do you determine the list of the key players included in the report?



With the aim of clearly revealing the competitive situation of the industry, we concretely analyze not only the leading enterprises that have a voice on a global scale, but also the regional small and medium-sized companies that play key roles and have plenty of potential growth.

Who are the Key players and innovators in the ecosystem of the Cannabis Market?

Pharmahemp Medical Marijuana IRIE CBD FOLIUM BIOSCIENCES Aphria Inc. NuLeaf Naturals CBD American Shaman Aurora Cannabis Inc. Cannabis Science Inc. Mentor Capital Meadow Care Terra Tech Canopy Growth Corporation CV Sciences

Short Description About Cannabis Market:

The Global Cannabis market is anticipated to rise at a considerable rate during the forecast period, between 2023 and 2027. In 2022, the market is growing at a steady rate and with the rising adoption of strategies by key players, the market is expected to rise over the projected horizon.

The global Cannabis market size was valued at USD 12020.0 million in 2021 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 17.39% during the forecast period, reaching USD 31460.0 million by 2027.

Cannabis, one of the premium variants of cannabis, is used for recreational (psychoactive drugs) and medicinal purposes. It contains a maximum 30% of cannabinoids (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is a major psychoactive element.

The report combines extensive quantitative analysis and exhaustive qualitative analysis, ranges from a macro overview of the total market size, industry chain, and market dynamics to micro details of segment markets by type, application and region, and, as a result, provides a holistic view of, as well as a deep insight into the Cannabis market covering all its essential aspects.

For the competitive landscape, the report also introduces players in the industry from the perspective of the market share, concentration ratio, etc., and describes the leading companies in detail, with which the readers can get a better idea of their competitors and acquire an in-depth understanding of the competitive situation. Further, mergers & acquisitions, emerging market trends, the impact of COVID-19, and regional conflicts will all be considered.

In a nutshell, this report is a must-read for industry players, investors, researchers, consultants, business strategists, and all those who have any kind of stake or are planning to foray into the market in any manner.

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3. What are your main data sources?



Both Primary and Secondary data sources are being used while compiling the report.



Primary sources include extensive interviews of key opinion leaders and industry experts (such as experienced front-line staff, directors, CEOs, and marketing executives), downstream distributors, as well as end-users.Secondary sources include the research of the annual and financial reports of the top companies, public files, new journals, etc. We also cooperate with some third-party databases.

What segments are covered in the Cannabis Market?

The Global Cannabis Market is segmented into Product Types, Applications, Key players and Geography

What are the key factors driving the growth of the Cannabis Market?

Growing demand for Medicinal, Recreational, Industrial around the world has had a direct impact on the growth of the global Cannabis market

What are the upcoming trends of Cannabis market in the world?

What are the key regions in the global Cannabis market?

North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)

Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Russia and Turkey etc.)

Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam)

South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)

Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)

This Cannabis Market Research/Analysis Report Contains Answers to your following Questions

What are the global trends in the Cannabis market? Would the market witness an increase or decline in the demand in the coming years?

What is the estimated demand for different types of products in Cannabis? What are the upcoming industry applications and trends for Cannabis market?

What Are Projections of Global Cannabis Industry Considering Capacity, Production and Production Value? What Will Be the Estimation of Cost and Profit? What Will Be Market Share, Supply and Consumption? What about Import and Export?

Where will the strategic developments take the industry in the mid to long-term?

What are the factors contributing to the final price of Cannabis? What are the raw materials used for Cannabis manufacturing?

How big is the opportunity for the Cannabis market? How will the increasing adoption of Cannabis for mining impact the growth rate of the overall market?

How much is the global Cannabis market worth? What was the value of the market In 2020?

Who are the major players operating in the Cannabis market? Which companies are the front runners?

Which are the recent industry trends that can be implemented to generate additional revenue streams?

What Should Be Entry Strategies, Countermeasures to Economic Impact, and Marketing Channels for Cannabis Industry?

Customization of the Report

4. Can I modify the scope of the report and customize it to suit my requirements?



Yes. Customized requirements of multi-dimensional, deep-level and high-quality can help our customers precisely grasp market opportunities, effortlessly confront market challenges, properly formulate market strategies and act promptly, thus to win them sufficient time and space for market competition.

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Detailed TOC of Global Cannabis Market Insights and Forecast to 2027

Global Cannabis Market Research Report 2023-2027, by Manufacturers, Regions, Types and Applications

1 Introduction

1.1 Objective of the Study

1.2 Definition of the Market

1.3 Market Scope

1.3.1 Market Segment by Type, Application and Marketing Channel

1.3.2 Major Regions Covered (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Mid East and Africa)

1.4 Years Considered for the Study (2015-2027)

1.5 Currency Considered (U.S. Dollar)

1.6 Stakeholders



2 Key Findings of the Study



3 Market Dynamics

3.1 Driving Factors for this Market

3.2 Factors Challenging the Market

3.3 Opportunities of the Global Cannabis Market (Regions, Growing/Emerging Downstream Market Analysis)

3.4 Technological and Market Developments in the Cannabis Market

3.5 Industry News by Region

3.6 Regulatory Scenario by Region/Country

3.7 Market Investment Scenario Strategic Recommendations Analysis

4 Value Chain of the Cannabis Market

4.1 Value Chain Status

4.2 Upstream Raw Material Analysis

4.3 Midstream Major Company Analysis (by Manufacturing Base, by Product Type)

4.4 Distributors/Traders

4.5 Downstream Major Customer Analysis (by Region)

5 Global Cannabis Market-Segmentation by Type

6 Global Cannabis Market-Segmentation by Application



7 Global Cannabis Market-Segmentation by Marketing Channel

7.1 Traditional Marketing Channel (Offline)

7.2 Online Channel



8 Competitive Intelligence Company Profiles

9 Global Cannabis Market-Segmentation by Geography

9.1 North America

9.2 Europe

9.3 Asia-Pacific

9.4 Latin America

9.5 Middle East and Africa



10 Future Forecast of the Global Cannabis Market from 2023-2027

10.1 Future Forecast of the Global Cannabis Market from 2023-2027 Segment by Region

10.2 Global Cannabis Production and Growth Rate Forecast by Type (2023-2027)

10.3 Global Cannabis Consumption and Growth Rate Forecast by Application (2023-2027)



11 Appendix

11.1 Methodology

12.2 Research Data Source

Continued.

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Absolute Reports is the credible source for gaining the market reports that will provide you with the lead your business needs. At Absolute Reports, our objective is providing a platform for many top-notch market research firms worldwide to publish their research reports, as well as helping the decision makers in finding most suitable market research solutions under one roof. Our aim is to provide the best solution that matches the exact customer requirements. This drives us to provide you with custom or syndicated research reports.

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Evergreen Packaging, or the Canton Paper Mill, in Canton is seen from Park Street on Sept. 21, 2020.

The impending closure of a mill that has served as the economic and civic center of Canton for more than a century will have consequences far beyond town borders, the mayor has said.

Mayor Zeb Smathers, in a March 7 interview with the Citizen Times, said after learning of the planned summer shutdown of the paper mill, he contacted Gov. Roy Cooper and Congressman Chuck Edwards to ask for assistance.

The closure will directly affect roughly 1,100 workers at the Canton-based plant. Thee additional 200-300 employees of a satellite facility in Waynesville do not appear to be affected. Corporate officials shared the decision late March 6 with local managers, with word spreading quickly.

Smathers said the town was in a period of extreme mourning right now with workers trying to process the end to their jobs at which some have worked several decades.

Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers

"Our job is to love and to heal at this point, but then to quickly pivot to provide every single opportunity and resource for these men and women to find employment somewhere, whether that be in Haywood County or the region," he said.

The town and surrounding communities, including Cruso, still bear the scars of a devastating 2021 flood that cost lives, homes and businesses.

Smathers noted that 40% of the plant workforce actually comes from the east in Buncombe County, home to Asheville. As a university and law student in the Piedmont, Smathers said he saw the effects of the collapse of that region's textile and furniture industries and noted they had ripple effects, as the mill closure would likely have.

"This is a regional crisis. This is a state crisis," he said.

Cooper in a March 7 tweet, called the closure "a shocking, cruel blow to families who have depended for years on wages and business from Canton Mills."

"I talked with Mayor Smathers and my administration is all in to help find solutions and create new opportunities for Western NC," the governor said.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper stands in front of a row of muddied volunteers as he speaks to the press at BearWaters Brewing in Canton August 19, 2021, shortly fatal floods hit the region. (Photo: Angela Wilhelm/awilhelm@citizentimes.com)

Edwards, who was born in Haywood County and spent part of his life in Canton, said the mill has always been the town's "lifeblood."

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As someone who was born and raised there, I understand more than most that the mill is more than just a workplace  its a way of life. My staff and I have already engaged with state and local governments and organizations, as well as other businesses in our entire region, to help bring economic stability and opportunity to the families in Haywood County who are affected by this loss," he said.

The Illinois-based Pactiv Evergreen said the closure was part of "strategic actions to restructure its Beverage Merchandising segment and reorganize the companys management structure," according to spokesperson Beth Kelly.

Along with the Canton mill, Pactiv plans to shutter at the same time an Olmsted Falls, Ohio, plant. Kelly said the company would "continue to explore strategic alternatives" for the Waynesville facility and another in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

"We expect these strategic actions to position us to remain competitive in the liquid packaging market and gain additional synergies from the further integration of our businesses. These actions are consistent with our stated strategy of focusing on our core competency in converting to enhance and accelerate our position as the market-leading North American Food & Beverage packaging company," she said.

Kelly said the company, which sells food packaging and food service across North America to supermarkets, restaurants and other buyers, made the changes "with considerable thought for our employees, customers, shareholders and communities, and do not take these decisions lightly."

"The company recognizes the impact this will have on our colleagues and is committed to supporting impacted employees throughout this transition. We will provide severance benefits and offer outplacement services and other support to help impacted employees pursue new opportunities.

But residents who have connections to the mill reacted strongly to the news, many blaming Pactiv for upending their community and lives.

"Haywood County will never be the same ever again," said Traci Hoglen, whose husband, Jerry Hoglen, has worked in the plant 44 years and was two years from retirement.

"The employees at the paper mill deserved much more respect than this. It was the employees who saved that mill when Champion Paper decided to close before," Hoglen said in a social media post recounting when workers bought the mill in 2000 to save it and renaming it Blue Ridge Paper Mill.

"The employees held their heads high because They were not giving up. They gave up paid holidays, sick leaves and raises for many years," she said. Later the mill was sold and became one of Pactiv's plants.

More:$12 million for Canton Evergreen mill included in bill

More:Evergreen Packaging hearings on water discharge set for April 14

Hoglen said she was "disgusted and angry," and noted that her husband's son, brothers, nephews and cousins also work at the mill.

"Shame on you Pactiv-Evergreen Paper Mill! Shame on you!" she said, asking that people pray for those affected.

Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Canton paper mill closing 'regional crisis,' affecting WNC, Asheville
Carnival Cruise Line said Tuesday that "all indications" are a passenger died of a medical condition and that it continues to cooperate with authorities.

The passenger died Feb. 27 on a trip on the Carnival Sunshine to Nassau, Bahamas, the FBI said in a statement Sunday.

It said it was investigating the suspicious death of a female passenger who was unresponsive and was subsequently declared dead on the ship.

FBI spokesperson Kevin Wheeler said Tuesday that the agency's initial statement remains and that it had no other comment.

Carnival said in a statement Tuesday: "While we continue to cooperate with authorities, all indications pertaining to the death of a guest on board Carnival Sunshine suggest that it was a natural death due to a medical condition.

"We will defer to the FBI on any specific details which may possibly be released at a later date as we fully respect the investigative process, but our initial emergency medical response was appropriate and it appears that this was indeed a medical situation that sadly resulted in the death of a guest."

The Sunshine, which carries up to 3,002 passengers and 1,040 crew members, returned to Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday, the cruise line said.

The FBI said Sunday that investigators processed the womans room.

Carnival has said Bahamian officials would conduct an autopsy. The woman's body was taken off the ship at Nassau, and her husband also got off, it said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Continuing with the 1973 series on mysterious desert deaths are two Nov. 1, 1973, articles by Nancy Hamilton:

Fabens matron beaten before being killed

Late in the afternoon on Sept. 7, 1966, sheriffs officers and police were called to the parking lot at El Paso International Airport. There they saw the murder victim stuffed into the trunk of a 1966 gold colored Cadillac sedan.

The body was that of a prominent Fabens matron, Mrs. Ruth Gatis Holland, 63.

She had been bound and gagged and was attired in red slacks and a colorful print blouse. Mrs. Holland had been beaten, evidently with a fist, about the eyes and mouth. The body was wrapped in a blanket.

Mrs. Holland had been reported missing earlier in the day. Her maid came to work, found the house disturbed with dresser and desk drawer pulled and contents spilled about, and her employer was not there. Mrs. Hollands Cadillac was not there, and a strange car stood in the driveway.

More:Headless torso, Pattersons' disappearance among El Paso's unsolved cases: Trish Long

Strange car in driveway

Neighbors told investigators they had seen the strange car in the driveway the afternoon before. Mrs. Hollands car, however, did not show up on the airport parking lot until sometime between 10 a.m. Wednesday and 3:15 p.m. when it was found there.

The murderer was believed to have taken jewelry and cash from the house. His description came from the salesman for an auto dealer who had allowed a man to take a trial run in a new car the afternoon before the body was found.

The man was described as almost 6 feet tall, neatly dressed, with dark curly hair, a heavy beard growth that looks dark even when closely shaved.

He indicated he was employed at White Sands Missile Range, but the salesmans check there the next day, when the car was returned, indicated he had been given false information.

Nov. 1, 1973, FOUND IN TRUNK: The body of Mrs. Ruth Gatis Holland of Fabens, who had been reported missing the morning of Sept. 7, 1966, was found that afternoon in the trunk of her car in a parking lot at International Airport.

Dozens of leads, but no one turned up

Although officers checked out dozens of leads in the case, no one was ever turned up to prosecute. They had the same frustration with another of the murders that happened that week, the death of a young Army wife.

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Mrs. James Stephens was found strangled in her home, 2514 Federal Avenue, when her husband returned from night duty. No motive was found for the death of the 18-year-old expectant mother.

2 couples disappear; forged checks turn up in El Paso, other towns

Two Illinois couples, traveling by car to California, stopped in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They looked at souvenirs, bought some postcards, which they mailed to relatives, and ate lunch.

Mr. and Mrs. Albert Heberer of Du Quoin were traveling in the car of their friends, Mr. and Mrs. George M. Lorius of East St. Louis. They had left St. Louis on May 19.

They drove from Albuquerque to Quemado and stopped for gas.

The filling station operator remembered them when state police questioned him five weeks later.

Dallas police had found a car abandoned on a downtown street on May 28. Worried relatives of the two couples confirmed that it was the car they had been traveling in.

Simultaneously, a series of traveler's checks was turning up, signed in green ink and cashed at various points between El Paso and Dallas. The signature was a forgery of George Lorius'  although at times the writer had signed Guy Lorius with a fountain pen stolen from the man.

More:Trish Long: 1973 - Shootout at I-10 and McRae - Quick-thinking officer caught robber who mortally wounded bank president

Lorius' car overturned

With the cooperation of police along the trail evidently followed by the driver of the Lorius car, a description of a suspect was developed. He was described as a dark young man, about 22, with sharp features, his black hair combed down slick. On his forearm  probably the right arm  was a tattoo of six roses clustered around a cross with the words love and Mother spelled out.

On May 23, police learned, a nervous, thin-faced driver had overturned the Lorius car on U.S. 83 seven miles south of Socorro, New Mexico. Passersby helped him right the car. They noticed the tattoo.

An El Paso hotel register indicated a man of the description had signed in as James Sullevan and had an unusual amount of luggage. He cashed the first four traveler's checks here, then headed east through Texas. Others were cashed in more than a dozen towns.

The only one to question him about the traveler's checks was a filling station operator at Treat, so the young man paid in cash from a large roll of bills.

The driver was not heard from again.

More:El Paso once had local brewery

Burned luggage, clothing found

Nearly a month later, on June 29, two cowboys discovered the remains of burned luggage and clothing in the desert near Albuquerque. The items were identified as belonging to the missing couples. A card had the name Heberer on it.

Law officers were convinced the couples had met with foul play. But their bodies were never discovered. It was speculated that they might have been buried somewhere in the sand between Albuquerque and Gallup.

The disappearance so incensed Gov. Clyde Tingley of New Mexico that he personally led a posse of 200 men in a search for the bodies or other clues in the case. The search was fruitless.

One longtime student of the case, a former FBI agent, speculated in 1950 that the bodies could have been hidden in the gully-ridden area near Quemado. Investigators figured that the tattooed man might have had an accomplice who split the loot, then burned his share in the desert near Albuquerque.

Trish Long may be reached at tlong@elpasotimes.com or 915-546-6179.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Case of Fabens woman's body in car trunk baffled everyone: Trish Long
Central Japan - (NewMediaWire) - March 8, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) Central Japan is where the mysterious sphere-shaped object, which many nicknamed "Godzilla Egg," washed up on the beach last month. Coincidentally, another sphere concept was unveiled at a panel discussion hosted by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem Consortium, which was themed around regional innovation in Aichi, Nagoya, and Hamamatsu, fostered through co-creation. The new sphere-shaped logo announced after the session not only represents the geographical and industrial center of Japan's manufacturing excellence, but also depicts the open and welcoming culture of the region, which invites like-minded startups and entrepreneurs from all corners of the world.





The power of convergence

In a panel discussion dubbed "Region Innovation Knowing Who and How to Engage," PDIE Group Founder Christian Schmitz cited Tesla as an example of the type of innovation startup ecosystems are tackling today. "We need to realize Tesla only looks like a car" but is, in fact, "a convergence of different technologies." He said so to describe how the Central Japan region's spirited hardware manufacturing craftsmanship can evolve by connecting with startups specialized in new digital areas such as AI, big data, material science, and nano-technology, as well as emerging business models. In addition, Christian welcomed the fact that there are now increasing opportunities after the pandemic to meet face-to-face in networking or matching events, which fosters the convergence of talent.

Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, wrote that the "shift from simple digitization to innovation based on combinations of technologies is forcing companies to reexamine the way they do business." Citing the chairman's quote, Jonathan Soble said, "the means to connect and involve people is not limited to physical interactions." Jonathan is the Editorial and Communication Lead at the World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) Japan. Today "I see more and more people in Japan, both expatriate and Japanese moving away from Tokyo, but are remotely connected to Tokyo or even Australia." He concluded that anyone interested in the Central Japan region could be plugged into the ecosystem without constantly being on the ground. However, Jonathan continued by provoking the area to also transform the work culture, if not, at the very least, "should embrace that creative people (or startups) prefer a different workstyle and lifestyle" from conventional Japanese manufacturing companies or plants.

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A culture that embraces failure

Shinko Osada, a Board member of Future Design Shibuya, expanded on the cultural aspect, stressing the importance of defining the city or region as a brand before discussing the possibility of a cross-border ecosystem succeeding out of Japan. Based on her experience working behind the ongoing rebranding of Shibuya in Tokyo, she described how "the people make up the culture" and a sense of belonging, energy, and city pride were the key ingredients of what makes an appealing regional brand. "We need to connect and involve a diverse range of people" to raise awareness of the regional brand, which "attracts more people who want to take part" in evolving the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem.

Shinko continued that the region's culture also "needs to embrace failure," sharing how she faced many situations elsewhere of startups being asked to present a track record. "Innovation is an innovation because it has not been done before. If we can support those who throw themselves into uncharted territories, people worldwide will show interest in this region." Fortunately, the Central Japan region has been long known for its Yaramaika spirit, which means "Let's give it a try." Those who live in India might recall Satoshi Suzuki, the then-Japanese Ambassador to India, saying, "this spirit (Yaramaika) which comes from his homeland, is the second key to unlocking the potentials" of the development of the North Eastern Indian Region two years ago. Central Japan's new regional branding owes its open, diverse, and collaborative personality to this Japanese dialect popular in Hamamatsu, where the mayor is leading by example.

An open and energetic brand identity

The new official logo and branding for the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem will be applied beyond the consortium's website and LinkedIn account. The logo takes its cue from two facts. First, the region is geographically located roughly in the center of Japan. Second, the area has been the center of Japan's manufacturing excellence for centuries. The sphere circling the "C" is always open not closed, representing the region's vision to become a place where open innovation is born for entrepreneurs of all corners and its commitment to support them. Yuki Goto, who works in the Startup Support Department of Nagoya's Innovation Promotion Division, is enthusiastic about the new visual identity because it mirrors her desire. She wants "a diverse range of people beyond the locals to join and co-create the ecosystem with them" because it is a crucial driver in nurturing a thriving startup ecosystem. Venture capitalists in Tokyo already tell her they hear much about what's recently happening in Central Japan. "I'm excited because we're getting noticed," she said. Born and bred in Nagoya, Yuki started working at a local manufacturing company. However, she joined the public sector driven by her passion for helping companies pave a new path toward the future.

In addition, two shades of blue will be used as the primary brand color. First, the chic, down-to-earth Hanada Iro represents the area's traditional craftsmanship and merchant spirit not limited to heavy industry. The color is a variant of indigo dye, which the town of Arimatsu in Aichi is known for. The second, futuristic, brighter blue represents the energy of the new and younger generation and the innovation made possible by the area's famous optoelectronic industry. Glowing Plasma Blue a name coined for Central Japan's regional branding, shows the ecosystem's determination to lead the way toward Mobility 5.0 an uncharted territory yet to be defined. Makoto Kanemaru, Assistant Director, Startup Division, Bureau of Economy and Industry, Aichi Prefectural Government, mentioned that the number of startup companies PRE-STATION Ai houses quadrupled in the past year. PRE-STATION Ai is the precursor to Japan's largest incubation hub-to-be, STATION Ai. When asked what to expect in the next ten years, Makoto concurred that unless the region promotes a unique and ownable concept like mobility, "we will continue to be in the shadows of Tokyo's stature."

The region's positioning statement 'An Ecosystem Integrated with Manufacturing Excellence' is "a powerful statement that we can build on," Yutaka Yamazaki, Deputy General Manager Innovation Initiative Division of Central Japan Economic Federation, affirmed. Furthermore, Yutaka pointed out that, while more and more people use the innovation hub and co-working space Nagoya Innovator's Garage, the most significant change is, "I notice a sense of heightened urgency." Soon, the region can be considered part of a new Greater Tokyo due to the Maglev Shinkansen, which will connect Tokyo and Nagoya in 40 minutes. More than halving the time of what it takes today will open up a whole new world, bringing software startups in Tokyo closer to manufacturers of Central Japan, thus creating an even more diverse startup ecosystem.

About the Central Japan Startup Ecosystem

There are 371 startups in Central Japan, of which 150 are university-launched. An estimated 18.615 billion yen (as of July 2022) of funds have been raised, in addition to accelerator programs, financial support systems, and innovative university seeds. Furthermore, collaborative partnerships with STATION F, INSEAD, BLOCK71, Paris&Co, Bpifrance, Venture Cafe, Plug and Play, Israel Innovation Authority, Tsinghua University, China Medical University, National University of Singapore, The University of Texas at Austin, Stanford University, North Carolina State University, University of Nebraska and the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad attract a diverse range of entrepreneurs to the region. For more information, please visit https://central-startup.jp/en.

Scheduled to open in 2024, STATION Ai will be a world-first, top-notch global innovation center. The center will provide a one-stop, one-roof link to world-class startup support programs through liaison with leading-edge startup support bodies and universities. Please visit https://www.aichi-startup.jp/english/support/.

About the Central Japan region

In July 2020, Aichi prefecture, the City of Nagoya, and Hamamatsu City of Shizuoka became one of the four regional Startup Ecosystem Global Base Cities groups designated nationwide by the cabinet office. The GDP of this region is 44,093.2 billion yen (as of 2019), mainly attributed to key industries such as Automotive, Aerospace, Machine Tools, Production Machinery, Iron and Steel, Musical Instruments, and Photonics/Electronics. The region's mission is to positively impact society by bringing the future of mobility to our doorsteps as soon as possible. The 6,731 km2 area is currently home to 8.29 million people, out of which over 300 thousand are foreign nationals - and will be a home-from-home for entrepreneurs and startups who share the same will and passion. In addition, various chill-out activities such as surfing, hiking, camping, paragliding, and ski/snowboarding are easily accessible. At the same time, seasonal marathon events and Formula One races are also hosted in adjacent cities. Furthermore, the American Chamber of Commerce, Tokai Japan Canada Society, Chubu Walkathon & International Charity Festival, and Nagoya Vegan Gourmet Festival are opportunities to meet like-minded locals.

Media contact: CSC_PR@djeholdingsdrive.onmicrosoft.com


BAGHDAD, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Three Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in airstrikes while a security member was killed in a separate incident in the Salahudin province north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the Iraqi military said on Wednesday.

A force from the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service was sent at dawn to search IS hideouts that had been bombarded by Iraqi F-16 jet fighters the day before in the Balkanah Mountain in the northeast of the province, according to a statement issued by the Security Media Cell, a media outlet affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command.

The troops found three bodies of the extremist IS militants at the bombed hideouts, along with weapons and other equipment, it said.

In a separate incident, a security member was killed and another wounded on Wednesday when IS militants attacked a security outpost near the town of Tuz Khormatu in the eastern part of Salahudin province.

Over the past months, Iraqi security forces have conducted operations against extremist militants to crack down on their intensified activities.

The security situation in Iraq has been improving since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, IS remnants have since sneaked into urban centers, deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. 
(From left) Athena Lee and Dr Grace Su, co-founders of ZumVet. (PHOTO: ZumVet)

SINGAPORE  Trips to veterinary clinics can be expensive and time-consuming, not to mention the anxiety it causes in pets and owners. This can deter many busy pet owners from going to the vet, opting for a wait-and-see approach, sometimes until it's too late.

ZumVet founders and fellow cat lovers Athena Lee and Dr Grace Su saw an opportunity to provide pet tele-consultation services, offering convenience and cost savings. The duo first met when Lee onboarded Su, a former doctor with the Singapore General Hospital, onto the Doctor Anywhere tele-consultation platform  Lee was its chief executive officer then.

"You can tell your boss or colleagues that you aren't feeling well and need to see a doctor. With pets, you can't tell every boss that your cat had diarrhoea and that you needed to take the morning off to attend to that," Su said. "This is where both of us saw how a modality like video consultation or remote care could be especially important."

Last year, the company successfully raised about S$4.8 million in funding from investors to expand the business, which now has 20 full-time Singapore-based staff. It operates in Hong Kong and Indonesia as well.

The COVID-19 pandemic also served as a catalyst when ZumVet launched in October 2019. When the world was on lockdown, the business boomed. Charging lower than conventional vet fees helped too  ZumVet's tele-consultation fees currently start at S$35, while a traditional vet visit can cost up to S$100.

Told not to give up day job

When the pair first started out, they pooled together a sum of money  the amount of which they don't recall because "it wasn't anything that was significant"  to mainly develop an "inexpensive" app.

"Neither of us were full-time when we started. Additionally, we did have friends come in to pitch in and help. We were quite cognizant of the fact that we wanted it to remain quite small, so anyone we did bring in would be part-time, or they would be advisors. I'd say financially, it wasn't a big risk, and we were fairly careful about our spending," Lee said.

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Still, they faced objections, including from family and friends. "I think initially when we started, most people thought it was a good idea, especially when they thought it was more of a passion project. A lot of the objections came later when we were trying to scale it commercially," said Lee who went full-time in January 2020. Similarly, Su was told not to "let go of her day job" at the hospital  she too made the move to work full-time on ZumVet just months after its launch.

"Luckily, there was some revenue coming in from the get-go. The timing worked out quite well for us," Lee shared. Demand quickly outgrew supply and the duo spent many hours onboarding more clinics and getting more medication.

From boom to bust

But it wasn't always smooth sailing for them. After the lockdowns ended sometime in 2021, demand for pet tele-consultation services dried up. By focusing on a remote type of business model and spending time onboarding clinics and vets, the duo had not anticipated the challenge of retaining consumers who initially came so easily.

"We had no marketing team. We had no business development team. It was just up to Grace and me to get users to come on board, so we struggled quite a bit," said Lee. "Our products weren't optimised to onboard people through marketing channels. So it took us a little bit of time to upgrade the product, and from then, we started seeing growth again."

They also discovered that the business was a cyclical one with demand going through ups and downs during certain periods of the year. Operating as a lean two-person team also meant doing widely varied day-to-day responsibilities "jumping from something that can be super admin and detail oriented to something that's very big picture".

Su concurred, adding that the nature of the business and the way they were trying to grow it wasn't exactly traditional.

"It's not like setting up a brick-and-mortar shop, or waiting for customers to come in, or when the customer knows us, they are happy with our service. In various seasons or quarters, we would have a new vertical that we're working on and isn't doing well because it is brand new," said Su.

For instance, in 2022, they launched ZumVet's online store which offers a range of pet products from supplements and treats to accessories. A featured product is its vet-curated pet kit for new "pawrents" that retails at S$101.

New markets, different problems

The company also faces new challenges, such as navigating different cultural and compliance requirements, in trying to expand its operations into new markets. For instance, in Hong Kong, regulators are not as embracing towards the idea of pet telemedicine as compared to Singapore.

Additionally, Lee said that Southeast Asia is still culturally "immature" when it comes to pet care. "It's only been in the last one or two generations where you're starting to see people start to treat their pets as part of the family. What we realised is that a lot of pet owners would only come to us at a fairly late stage of a pet's condition," said Lee. Most pet conditions, according to Lee, are much cheaper and easier to treat if they are detected early.

How online tele-vet service ZumVet works. (PHOTO: ZumVet)

With the additional investment, the duo plans to "create an ecosystem where remote care can be an important part of end-to-end care for an animal". There are also plans to hire and train its own vet technicians and nurses to take on more house calls, and to collect samples for interpretation in the company's own system.

"We're also looking at ways to provide things like tele-triaging, tele-advice, and ongoing monitoring of chronic conditions. We also want to make medical records more accessible among different caretakers," said Lee.

In the long run, Su said that she "hopes to raise the quality of life and care for animals", while Lee said that she would like for ZumVet to have facilities and services that cater to geriatric pet care within the next "three to four years".

Don't be afraid

Looking back, Lee and Su agree that there was a lot of initial excitement when they first started out. The challenges came later when they were faced with scaling the business and answering to various stakeholders.

Thankfully, "we're getting into a groove and rhythm of how we're running the business, so we've also had more time to invest in how we're able to manage things in a healthier way", said Lee.

Similarly, Su says that having to overcome "the idea that we can do everything" was something that she has learnt, as well as learning to work with people who have skills and talents they don't have.

Ultimately, the duo has this piece of advice for aspiring women entrepreneurs: "Don't be afraid to do something that you set out to do... If you're sure of something, then there's no better time than now to do it".

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Office chairs sold at U.S. discount retailers and home goods stores have been recalled after consumer safety regulators said they can break and cause injuries.

The recall is being undertaken in cooperation with TJX Companies Inc., which sold the $60 to $70 chairs at Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods and Homesense stores, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

The recall covers nearly 82,000 chairs, it said, adding that 1,000 more may have been sold in Canada.

The CPSC said in a statement Thursday that it has fielded 12 reports describing the back of the chairs breaking or detaching from its base. Injuries from bruises to a concussion were reported in 10 of the cases, it said.

An office chair that is part of the TJX Companies Inc. recall. (Courtesy CPSC)

They came in white, black, gray, floral, pink, orange, navy, light blue, brown, mint and cream colors and were upholstered with velvet, linen, woven fabric or vinyl, the commission said.

They have labels that say ANJI GUOTAI Furniture Co. Ltd. and Made in China," it said. Affected product numbers, printed on hanging tags on the chairs, can be found on the commission's website.

Consumers can take the chairs, sold from June 2019 to December 2022, to any Marshalls, T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods or Homesense store for full refunds, the CPSC said. In the meantime, purchasers are asked not to use them.

Those unable to take them to TJX retailers can call a line set up by the company to get instructions about how to get full refunds, the commission said.

TJX Companies said in an emailed statement that "product safety is very important to us" and encouraged people with the chairs to participate in the recall.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A former Madison School District 12 superintendent says shes elated since prosecutors have dropped criminal charges filed against her in 2019.

Warletta C. Brookins was charged with theft of over $10,000 from a school and official misconduct but the Madison County States Attorneys Offices motion to have both of the charges dropped was approved by a judge on March 2.

Im glad that I have my life back, Brookins said Wednesday.

An audit review was conducted in connection with a grant from a state agency for the school district and the states attorneys office determined there was no offense to prosecute, according to Brian Brueggemann, a spokesman for Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine.

The charges were filed against Brookins in 2019 under Haines predecessor, Tom Gibbons.

Assistant States Attorney Bruce Reppert filed a motion that stated prosecutors had been preparing for a trial by interviewing expected witnesses and that information has come to the attention of the People not available at the time the Criminal Information was originally filed.

The motion didnt include details about the new information obtained by prosecutors.

As a result of these interviews, and further investigation based upon matters learned at the time of the recent interviews, the People have determined that, in the interest of justice, that the charges should be dropped, according to Repperts motion.

Brueggemann said the states attorneys office also will drop the charges against Brookins 48-year-old niece, Tanika L. Johnson, who was charged in 2019 with the same offenses lodged against Brookins.

Madison School District 12 Superintendent Andrew Reinking said Wednesday he was disappointed to hear that the charges were dropped against Brookins and that the school district would review the information from the states attorneys office.

Marie Nelson, the president of the Madison School Board, and Barney Mundorf, the school boards attorney, could not be reached for comment.

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Judge Ronald Slemers order to dismiss the charges was signed on Brookins 60th birthday.

What an awesome birthday gift, Brookins said.

Brookins, who resigned from the Madison School District in 2018, said she is retired and does volunteer work to help others.

Brookins, who was a reporter for the Belleville News-Democrat in the mid-1980s, has a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies from Loyola University in Chicago. She was hired to be the Madison superintendent in 2016.

Brookins previously served as superintendent of the Pembroke School District in Hopkins Park, Illinois, and was a teacher in East St. Louis School District 189.
Charles & Keith said that 20% of the profit of the purple Alia bag will benefit the UN Women's Storytelling for Gender Equality programme. (Photo credits: Charles & Keith/Twitter; Zoe Gabriel/TikTok)

Singapore-based Filipina teenager Zoe Gabriel has joined the International Women's Day (IWD) campaign for fashion brand Charles & Keith.

Gabriel, who went viral in January for describing the Charles & Keith bag gifted by her father as luxury, was tapped by the Singaporean fashion brand to be one of its models to support the United Nations Women's Storytelling for Gender Equity campaign, which falls on International Women's Day on Wednesday, 8 March.

Charles & Keith posted a photo of Gabriel holding a purple Alia bag, along with a short message from her, on 4 March.

Women are like flowers: our time and needs to grow may not always align, but that is okay. We are like fields of poppy and lakes of lotus  diverse and bold in our differences, beautiful in our own ways. This international womens day, let us celebrate with compassion. Let us celebrate equality through equity, the way flowers do, Gabriel wrote.

Promoting gender equality

Charles & Keith launched a special edition of one of its best-selling handbag styles, The Alia, in a purple hue in support of the UN Women's Storytelling for Gender Equality project. The colour purple is historically linked with efforts to achieve gender equality.

Charles & Keith believes that storytelling is a powerful tool for advocacy and promoting equality, and aims to support women's voices in the Asia-Pacific region through this partnership with UN Women.

The brand has pledged a donation of US$100,000 (S$135,000), including 20% of all proceeds from the special edition handbag, to fund the UN's gender equality programme.

Gabriel, a Filipina teenager based in Singapore, drew flak on social media after she shared in her TikTok account an S$80 bag she bought for herself and described it as a luxury item. However, the reaction of Charles & Keith was different  they were impressed by how she handled the situation, as Charles and Keith Wong, one of the founders of the brand, also came from humble beginnings.

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A few days after her post went viral, the Singaporean brand invited Gabriel for lunch, with the founders welcoming her to their headquarters for a tour. She then excitedly shared some of the gifts they gave her, with a note that read: We hope that it will remind you of this special moment where you inspired so many others to be kind, compassionate, and confident.

The Wong brothers founded the brand in 1990 after working at their parents shoe star. What started out as an outlet store at the old Amara Shopping Centre in Singapore grew into the big brand it is today.

Yahoo Southeast Asia tried to reach out to Gabriel who was unable to give a comment as she is still recuperating from a bout of food poisoning, according to her recent post on Instagram.

Marvin Joseph Ang is a news and lifestyle writer who focuses on politics, the economy, and pop culture. Follow him on Twitter at @marvs30ang for latest news and updates.

Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.
Chelsea moved to within a point of leaders Manchester United in the WSL (Simon Marper/PA) (PA Wire)

Chelsea closed the gap to Manchester United at the top of the Womens Super League to one point after they comfortably ran out 3-1 winners over Brighton.

Guro Reiten and Jess Carter scored twice in nine first-half minutes and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd sealed the three points 19 minutes from time, with Danielle Carters late strike for the visitors nothing but a consolation.

Emma Hayes defending champions have a game in hand over United and moved two points clear of Manchester City as the WSL title race hots up.

The hosts took the lead from the penalty spot when Sam Kerr was brought down inside the area by Zoe Morse and Reiten stepped up and dispatched from 12 yards.

The Blues quickly had a second when Jess Carter swept home at the near post.

Chelsea wrapped up the win on 71 minutes when Kerr unselfishly squared the ball to Kaneryd, who tapped home into an empty net.

Brighton continued to plug away and got a much deserved goal as Danielle Carter rounded off a counter attack two minutes from time.

Arsenal reignited their title hopes by ending a run of three league games without a win with a 2-0 victory over Liverpool thanks to first-half goals from Stina Blackstenius and Caitlin Foord at Meadow Park.

Arsenal, who clinched the League Cup at the weekend, were ahead through Blackstenius thumping effort from outside the box and into the roof of the net after 28 minutes.

Foord doubled Arsenals lead six minutes later when she was on hand to tap home a rebound after Blacksteniuss powerful shot was parried back into play by Rachael Laws.

Jonas Eidevalls side are fourth in the table, six points adrift of the leaders but with a game in hand over both Manchester clubs.
Rachael Blackmore returns to Cheltenham Festival looking to create more history after an astounding win in the Gold Cup in 2022.

As well as the Gold Cup, punters will be excited to take in the Champion Hurdle and plenty more Grade 1 races.

And British trainers will be out for revenge after taking a heavy beating to their Irish counterparts last year, conceding the Prestbury Cup 12 months ago with just 10 wins compared to 18 Irish victories.

The festival provides a massive 274m boost to the local economy, a study from the University of Gloucestershire has found.

Heres everything you need to know ahead of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival with the full race card for Day 1 on Tueday:

When is the 2023 Cheltenham Festival?

The 2023 Cheltenham Festival starts on Tuesday 14 March and runs until Friday 17 March. There are seven races each day, beginning from 1.30pm GMT and concluding at 5.30pm.

Cheltenham Festival Day 1: Race schedule and latest odds

Odds via Betfair

1:30 Supreme Novices Hurdle

Facile Vega 2/1

Marine Nationale 10/3

Impaire Et Pase 5/1

Il Etait Temps 6/1

Gaelic Warrior, Luccia 8/1

Tahmuras 10/1

High Definition 11/1

Diverge, Hunters Yarn 14/1

Chasing Fire 16/1

Inthepocket 20/1

Dark Raven, Doctor Bravo, Rare Edition 25/1

Colonel Harry, In Excess, Nemean Lion, Strong Leader 33/1

BAR 40/1

2:10 Arkle Chase

El Fabiolo, Jonbon 6/4

Dysart Dynamo 9/2

Saint Roi 8/1

Appreciate It, Banbridge 10/1

Final Orders 12/1

Sir Gerhard 14/1

Hallow Games 33/1

BAR 40/1

2:50 Ultima Handicap Chase

Corach Rambler, Into Overdrive 7/1

Nasalam 15/2

Fastorslow 8/1

Oscar Elite, The Goffer, Threeunderthrufive 10/1

Stumptown 11/1

Happygolucky 12/1

Beauport, Coeur Serein, Iron Bridge, Lord Accord, Monbeg Genius, Our Power, Remastered, Tea Clipper 14/1

Adamantly Chosen, Dunboyne, Next Destination, The Big Breakaway 16/1

Cloudy Glen, Empire Steel, Fanion D'estruval, I Am Maximus, Lifetime Ambition, Punitive 20/1

BAR 25/1

3:30 Champion Hurdle

Constitution Hill 1/3

State Man 11/4

Vauban 9/1

Epatante, Honeysuckle 14/1

Story continues

I Like To Move It 16/1

Echoes In Rain 20/1

Love Envoi 33/1

Sharjah, Zanahiyr 50/1

First Street, Pied Piper 66/1

Jason The Militant, Not So Sleepy 100/1

4:10 Mares Hurdle

Honeysuckle 2/1

Epatante 3/1

Maries Rock 3/1

Brandy Love 11/2

Echoes In Rain, Love Envoi 6/1

Queens Brook 8/1

Shewearsitwell 12/1

Telmesomethinggirl 16/1

West Balboa 25/1

Anna Bunina 33/1

BAR 50/1

4:50 Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

Tekao 4/1

Byker, Nusret 5/1

Risk Belle 6/1

Perseus Way, Sir Allen 8/1

Bad, Common Practice, Punta Del Este 12/1

Bo Zenith, Cougar, Jazzy Matty, Metamorpheus, Morning Soldier, Samuel Space, Zanndabad 16/1

Afadil, Jolly Nellerie, Might Mo Missouri Pont Audemer, Shared, Thetys 20/1

BAR 25/1

5:30 National Hunt Chase

Gaillaerd Du Mesnil Evens

Mahler Mission, Ramillies 6/1

Chemicle Energy, Churchstonewarrior 7/1

Minella Crooner, Mister Coffey 8/1

City Chief 10/1

Tenzing 20/1

Fakiera, Frontal Assault, Gold Cup Bailly, Idas Boy 25/1

Iron Bridge, Jon Snow 33/1

Cheltenham Festival race schedule

Four days, 28 races and action aplenty - heres the full schedule for Cheltenham in 2023 (All times GMT)

Champion Day  Tuesday, March 14

Supreme Novices Hurdle - 1.30pm

Arkle Challenge Trophy - 2.10pm

Handicap Steeple Chase - 2.50pm

Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy - 3.30pm

Mares Hurdle - 4.10pm

Juvenile Handicap Hurdle - 4.50pm

National Hunt Steeple Chase Challenge Cup - 5.30pm

Ladies Day  Wednesday, March 15

Ballymore Novices Hurdle - 1.30pm

Brown Advisory Novices Steeple Chase - 2.10pm

Coral Cup Hurdle - 2.50pm

Queen Mother Champion Chase - 3.30pm

Cross-Country Steeple Chase - 4.10pm

Grand Annual Handicap Chase - 4.50pm

Champion Bumper - 5.30pm

St Patricks Thursday  Thursday, March 16

Turners Novices Chase - 1.30pm

Pertemps Network Final Hurdle - 2.10pm

Ryanair Chase - 2.50pm

Stayers Hurdle - 3.30pm

County Plate Chase - 4.10pm

Mares Novices Hurdle - 4.50pm

Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup - 5.30pm

Gold Cup Day  Friday, March 17

Triumph Hurdle Jump - 1.30pm

Country Handicap Hurdle - 2.10pm

Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle - 2.50pm

Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase - 3.30pm

Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters Chase - 4.10pm

Mares Chase - 4.50pm

Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle - 5.30pm

How to watch the 2023 Cheltenham Festival?

Viewers in the United Kingdom will be able to watch the best action on ITV, with live coverage on the channel on each of the four days. Registered users can watch online via ITVX.

What are the odds for the Gold Cup (3.30pm, Friday 17 March)?

Galopin Des Champs 13/8

Noble Yeats 15/2

A Plus Tard 8/1

Bravemansgame 8/1

Stattler 8/1

Ahoy Senor 12/1

Conflated 12/1

Protektorat 16/1

Hewick 20/1

Minella Indo 20/1

Shishkin 20/1

Sounds Russian 25/1

All others 33/1 or higher

What are the odds for the Queen Mother Champion Chase (Wednesday 15 March, 3.30pm)?

Energumene 13/8

Edwardstone 15/8

Editeur Du Gite 6/1

Gentleman de Mee 10/1

Blue Lord 14/1

Nube Negra 25/1

Greaneteen 33/1

Funambule Sivola 40/1

Captain Guiness 50/1

Chacun Pour Soi 50/1

Coeur Sublime 66/1

What are the odds for the Ryanair Chase (Thursday 15 March, 2.50pm)?

Shishkin 11/8

Blue Lord 5/1

Fury Road 6/1

Janidil 7/1

Envoi Allen 12/1

French Dynamite 14/1

Conflated 16/1

Fakir Doudairies 16/1

Pic Dorhy 16/1

Ga Law 20/1

Haut En Couleurs 20/1

Hitman 22/1

Funambule Sivola 25/1

All others 40/1 or higher

What are the odds for the Stayers Hurdle (Thursday 15 March, 3.30pm)?

Blazing Khal 11/4

Teahupoo 7/2

Home By The Lee 6/1

Flooring Porter 7/1

Maries Rock 7/1

Gold Tweet 9/1

Ashdale Bob 14/1

Klassical Dream 14/1

Paisley Park 16/1

Asterion Forlonge 20/1

Buzz 20/1

Haut En Couleurs 20/1

Dashel Drasher 25/1

Sir Gerhard 25/1

All others 33/1 or higher
(Bloomberg) -- Chiles lower house unexpectedly rejected the governments flagship tax reform that would have created the nations first levy on wealth and aimed to finance a series of spending increases, dealing another severe blow to 37-year-old President Gabriel Boric.

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The proposal fell short of the 78 votes required to pass, with only 73 in favor. While the government can now present the reform in the Senate, dissent in the upper chamber is likely to be even stiffer than the Chamber of Deputies. Moreover, to insist on the same text, it would need the support of two thirds of lawmakers, instead of a simple majority.

The proposed tax increase was the basis for policies put forward by Boric to reduce inequality and boost social services, the issues that swept him to power just 12 months ago after years of social unrest. The vote was a surprise to the government, coming just days after Finance Minister Mario Marcel said he was convinced that the bill had enough support to pass.

Its an enormous failure by the government, said Mauricio Morales, a professor of political science at Chiles Universidad de Talca. Its inexplicable that the government hadnt negotiated the votes beforehand.

Chiles peso and swap rates traded mixed after the vote, while stocks edged higher as investors analyzed the implications for fiscal policy.

Heavy Blow

The government had no immediate way out of the dilemma.

This is bad news for people who wanted a fairer tax system, Marcel said after the vote. Its an issue of major importance for economic and social policy. We are not right now in a condition to define the next steps to follow.

The vote comes six months after Chileans rejected a new constitution that enshrined many of the social rights that Boric had built his election campaign around.

Story continues

If, at first, the completion of the governments program depended on the new constitution, and then on the tax reform, then the government wont be able to fulfill its program, Morales said. Its as simple as that.

The proposal aims to raise revenue equivalent to about 3.6% of gross domestic product. The text establishes a wealth tax on people whose capital exceeds US$4.9 million, with a variable rate ranging from 1% to 1.8%. It also eliminates some tax exemptions, increases income taxes for those who make more than US$5,300 a month, sets investment incentives and new mechanisms to penalize tax evasion. Lawmakers are debating a separate tax bill for the mining industry.

The wealth tax is one of the most controversial points. One of Chiles main business organizations, the CPC, has proposed raising the tax on corporate profits rather than introduce a wealth tax.

Chile has among the lowest tax rates on personal income among the 38 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and above the groups average on levies for corporate profits. Meanwhile, only Colombia, Mexico, and Ireland were below Chile in tax revenue as a percentage of GDP in 2021, according to data from the OECD.

(Updates with analyst comments starting in the fourth paragraph, finance minister comments in the sixth)

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SANTIAGO (Reuters) - The government of Chilean leftist President Gabriel Boric suffered a major setback on Wednesday after lawmakers refused to move forward with a proposed tax reform meant to finance key elements of the president's progressive agenda.

The tax reform aimed to ultimately collect up to 3.6% of gross domestic product and proposed a mining royalty, which is also being discussed separately.

With 73 votes in favor and 71 against, lawmakers dismissed the bill presented last July. It needed 79 votes to move forward.

The government can still try to move the initiative through the Senate, where it does not have a majority.

Finance Minister Mario Marcel expressed regret over the bill's rejection, and said he and Boric would discuss ways to move the government's agenda forward.

"We are not now in a position to define exactly what steps will be taken," he told a news conference. He called the rejection "an issue of the greatest political, economic and social gravity."

The expected added revenues were destined to fund future reforms in the pension and health systems, some of the key promises made by the government.

The proposed reform included adjustments for income tax, a wealth tax, the reduction of exemptions, measures against evasion, and greater spending on tax incentives.

(Reporting by Fabian Andres Cambero; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle and Leslie Adler)
With Washington and Beijing locked in a tense superpower rivalry, the United States faces a daunting task in discerning the intentions of leaders in a country where power is increasingly concentrated and surveillance widespread, former American intelligence officials said.

Reliable information about decision-making in China is in high demand in Washington amid fears Beijing could opt to arm Russian forces waging war in Ukraine or try to seize control of Taiwan by force.

But under President Xi Jinpings rule, China has become an elusive target for U.S. intelligence agencies, according to five former senior intelligence officials and congressional aides.

Xis tightening grip on power, his governments vast electronic surveillance apparatus, a crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong, and a strict three-year Covid lockdown have all made intelligence gathering exceedingly difficult, former officials said. Some of the officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic.

Moreover, the U.S. has yet to fully recover from a catastrophic setback in which a network of intelligence informants inside China was unmasked and dismantled.

The episode represented one of the most significant intelligence breaches in American history, NBC News previously reported. The Chinese penetrated clandestine communications and used that knowledge to arrest and execute at least 20 CIA informants, according to multiple current and former government officials.

It was a horrible, devastating loss to the intelligence community, a former intelligence official said. Lives were lost.

Top intelligence officials are due to testify Wednesday and Thursday at annual congressional hearings on global threats facing the U.S., and China will likely dominate much of the discussion.

Until even a decade ago, Chinas collective leadership, with power more diffused among different factions and individuals, offered up an array of possible intelligence targets and a more fluid political environment.

Story continues

There was a wider circle of people that intelligence agencies might target. Its a much more centralized, tight system now, said a former senior U.S. intelligence official familiar with the matter.

The risk of being surprised is greater.

The consolidation of power under Xi combined with three years of a stringent anti-Covid policy has made getting authoritative information out of the system very difficult, said Chris Johnson, president of China Strategies Group, a political risk consultancy.

Then, more broadly, the expansion of their surveillance and monitoring capability over the years makes that very, very challenging, said Johnson, a former senior China analyst at the CIA.

In short, he said, its a b----.

If Xi were to die suddenly, U.S. intelligence agencies likely would have no clear idea who might succeed him, former intelligence officers and analysts said.

Thats how closed the system is, because we simply dont know, said Dennis Wilder, who served as the CIAs deputy assistant director for East Asia and the Pacific from 2015 to 2016.

The inner ring is difficult to penetrate, said Wilder, now a research fellow for the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues at Georgetown University.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not respond to requests for comment.

When contacted by NBC News, the CIA referred to recent comments by William Burns, the agencys director. Asked in an interview last month with CBS News if the U.S. had a window into Xis thinking and decision-making, Burns said that was always the hardest question for any intelligence service in an authoritarian system where power is consolidated so much in the hands of one man.

Burns added that its something we work very hard at, and try to provide the president with the best insights that we can.

'Not a black box'

Some former intelligence officials and regional experts are more optimistic about Americas ability to read China, as they say Xi and other senior communist officials often state publicly the goals and objectives of the regime.

China is not an intelligence black box, one former national security official said. Far from it. In examining his speeches and directives, intelligence analysts have long assessed that Xi sought to displace the U.S. as the worlds dominant power and to replace the U.S.-led order with one reflective of Chinas values and interests.

Burns and other top Biden administration officials recently chose to publicly divulge intelligence reporting that suggested China was considering supplying weapons to Russia in its war in Ukraine.

CIA Director William Burns speaks at the agency's headquarters in Langley, Va., July 8, 2022. (Susan Walsh / AP file)

The disclosure shows there is some insight into what is going on in the upper echelons of the Chinese government, said Mollie Saltskog, a senior intelligence analyst at The Soufan Group, a global intelligence and security consultancy.

The initial intelligence suggesting that China was contemplating such a move was gleaned from Russian government officials, NBC News reported previously. U.S. officials then corroborated the information from other sources of intelligence and with allies, a current and former U.S. official said.

China has denied it is considering sending lethal aid to Russia, dismissing the U.S. accusation as disinformation.

U.S. officials say they have exposed and disrupted Chinese attempts at spying inside the U.S. over the past several years. The first Chinese intelligence officer to be extradited to the U.S., Yanjun Xu, was sentenced last year to 20 years in prison after he was convicted of economic espionage against GE Aviation and other aviation companies.

U.S. intelligence leaders have vowed to treat China as their top priority. In 2021, the CIA announced a new center focused on gathering intelligence about China. The China Mission Center will further strengthen our collective work on the most important geopolitical threat we face in the 21st century, an increasingly adversarial Chinese government, Burns said in announcing the move.

Designs on Taiwan

China has long refused to rule out seizing control of Taiwan by force if necessary, but some senior U.S. military commanders have warned that the Peoples Liberation Army is poised and even likely to launch an invasion within the next several years.

Some former intelligence officials and China experts disagree, arguing that there is a clear distinction between Chinas military capabilities and the intentions of its political leaders -- and that Xis plans remain uncertain.

The increasingly tough rhetoric from Washington runs the risk of pushing China into more aggressive action instead of preventing it, former officials said.

Chinas new foreign minister, Qin Gang, said Tuesday the U.S. and China are heading toward inevitable confrontation and conflict unless Washington changes course.

The intelligence challenge posed by China and the increasingly hostile atmosphere clouding U.S.-China relations underscore the need for more dialogue between the two superpowers to avoid an unintended collision, former intelligence officials said.

The Biden administration has cited the need to bolster Americas competitiveness and to rally allies and partners to counter China, but youve got to talk to the Chinese too, said Johnson, the former CIA analyst. Youve got to talk to them.

Communication channels, particularly between the Chinese and the U.S. militaries, have withered as relations have deteriorated. The breakdown in communication was on full display when a Chinese surveillance balloon traversed the U.S. last month, with the Chinese rebuffing a phone call from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Ely Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, called the lack of communication destabilizing and dangerous, and said that we think we both ought to be doing a better job of managing it.

These are the kinds of times that we need to be talking about what our intentions are, what our perspectives are, he said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
U.S. intelligence leaders told lawmakers Wednesday that the Chinese Communist Party remained the "most consequential threat" to U.S. national security, as President Xi Jinping consolidates power and his government takes steps to fuel divides both within the U.S. and between Washington and its allies.

Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee as part of the panel's annual hearing on worldwide threats, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said that Xi had "surrounded himself with like-minded loyalists at the apex of the Party Standing Committee," and continued to work toward solidifying China's status as a leading regional power as well as a major global power.

"The [Chinese Communist Party] is increasingly convinced that it can only do so at the expense of U.S. power and influence," Haines said.

While Xi's recent public remarks indicated a growing "pessimism" about Beijing's relationship with Washington, Haines said, he likely still believes China would benefit by "preserving stability in its relationship with the United States," she said.

"In brief, the CCP represents both the leading and most consequential threat to U.S. national security and leadership globally, and its intelligence-specific ambitions and capabilities make it for us our most serious and consequential intelligence rival," Haines testified in prepared opening remarks.

(L-R) FBI Director Christopher Wray, Director of the National Security Agency Gen. Paul Nakasone, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director William Burns and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier arrive for a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing concerning worldwide threats, on Capitol Hill March 8, 2023 in Washington, DC. / Credit: Drew Angerer / Getty Images

Haines appeared alongside leaders from the CIA, FBI, National Security Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency, which were also outlined in a written, unclassified report released Wednesday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Officials noted that Beijing had continued to "deepen" its relationship with Moscow while growing "increasingly uncomfortable" about providing Russia with meaningful assistance for its invasion of Ukraine.

Haines told the panel the intelligence community believed Russian president Vladimir Putin was now focused on "more modest military objectives for now," noting Russian forces were unlikely to make major territorial gains this year.

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But, she added, Putin had most likely calculated that "prolonging" the war could be the "best remaining pathway to eventually securing Russia's strategic interests in Ukraine, even if it takes years."

The ODNI's written report also said the Iranian regime sees itself "locked in an existential struggle" with the U.S. and its regional allies and will continue to threaten Americans, including former and current U.S. officials, "directly and via proxy attacks."

Iran has also "accelerated the expansion of its nuclear program" and has conducted "research and development activities that would bring it closer to producing the fissile material for completing a nuclear device" if it decides to, according to the report.

North Korea is another nuclear concern as its leader Kim Jong Un "almost certainly views" such weapons as a guarantee of staying in power, the report said.

TikTok, a popular video app used by tens of millions in the U.S., was not specifically mentioned in the report, but it has come under increasing scrutiny by lawmakers who cite national security concerns.

Wray told lawmakers the Chinese Communist Party could potentially use TikTok  which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance  to collect data on users, control software on devices or spread certain narratives.

"I would make the point on that last one in particular that we're not sure that we would see many of the outward signs of it happening, if it was happening," Wray said.

The annual worldwide threats hearings were held Wednesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee and House Intelligence Committee will hold their hearings on Thursday. Both will feature testimony from Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director William Burns, FBI Director Christopher Wray, National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul Nakasone and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier.

The hearings offer a rare opportunity for lawmakers and the public to hear directly from intelligence leaders, whose agencies do not offer regular press briefings and whose activities and budgets are partly or mostly classified.

Last year's assessment  which was released before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine  said "competition and potential conflict between nation-states remains a critical national security threat," citing increasingly belligerent signals from Beijing, Moscow, Tehran and Pyongyang.

Sen. Angus King, independent of Maine who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a briefing for reporters Tuesday that he had read this year's report and found it "sobering."

"My recommendation is, don't read it just before you go to sleep," King said.

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BEIJING (Reuters) - China logged 39.72 million entry and exit trips between Jan. 8 to March 7, according to National Immigration Administration data, showing the revival in travel after COVID-19 restrictions were dismantled.

The numbers were up 112.4% year-over-year.

Data showed 122,000 visas and residence permits for foreigners were issued by immigration administration agencies nationwide by March 7, up 33.1% from before the policy U-turn.

Chinese citizens flocked to travel sites and airports after the country re-opened its borders, allowing people to take advantage of travel after being cut off from the rest of the world.

During the recent Lunar New Year in late January holiday trips surged in the country.

The number of people entering and leaving the country hit 1.013 million on Feb. 25, exceeding one million in a single day for the first time since 2020, said the National Immigration Administration.

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Simon Cameron-Moore)
(Bloomberg) -- For decades, Chinas premiers were towering figures in Beijing. It was Zhou Enlai who toasted then-President Richard Nixon on his historic trip to the communist-led country while Zhu Rongji was the undisputed spokesman for economic reform in the late-1990s.

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When Li Qiang, 63, finally ascends to the premiers job Saturday, hell inherit a position greatly diminished in both political stature and direct authority. Perhaps no other office has lost as much under President Xi Jinpings efforts to consolidate power than the premier, which officially leads Chinas cabinet, the State Council.

Xi spent much of his first decade in power giving himself greater control over areas of policymaking that mightve otherwise been dominated by Premier Li Keqiang, 67. Even now, the National Peoples Congress in Beijing is wrapping up a massive restructuring expected to shift more traditional State Council policy areas to party organs.

The question is whether Li Qiangs long history with Xi, including a stint in Zhejiang province as the future presidents top aide, will let him play a greater role and restore the countrys No. 2 office to something resembling its former prominence.

The overhaul of the state is one more way for Xi Jinping to make sure he is controlling all the levers of power, which will leave little space for Li Qiang to operate independently, said Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief Asia-Pacific economist at Natixis SA. Closeness to Xi only means he will obey even more than Li Keqiang has ever done, she said.

Li Qiang, who isnt related to the outgoing premier, will get a chance to preview any policy plans in his first annual news conference after the parliamentary session ends Monday  his first chance to make extensive public comments since his appointment to the Communist Partys supreme body five months ago. Premiers usually take questions on a wide range of topics during the event, from financial reforms to US relations, helping to set policy for the year.

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Li Keqiangs pronouncement that reform would hurt like cutting ones wrist on the same stage a decade ago was a rare highlight in his otherwise low-key tenure, leading to short-lived excitement around Likonomics. Barely a year later, the official Xinhua News Agency portrayed Xi as the key driver of economic policy, crediting him in a magazine article for initiatives such as Shanghais free-trade zone.

In the following years, Chinas central bank shocked markets by suddenly devaluing the yuan  after the premier had repeatedly ruled out such a move. The partys Peoples Daily newspaper also published articles in which an authoritative person criticized the use of credit to boost growth, widely interpreted as an attack on the premiers stimulus efforts.

During Xis decade in power, the presidents name has been mentioned in the Peoples Daily more than six times as frequently as Li Keqiangs, according to a Bloomberg analysis. That compares with a 2-to-1 ratio during the previous decade when President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao were in charge.

Chinas shrinking premiership is part of a regression of the state in favor of the party under Xi, 69. Past leaders such as Jiang Zemin tried to present a government that looked like its international peers while they pursued investment from the West. They donned business suits and ties and established an orderly system to transfer power from one generation to the next.

But that deepened complaints about power struggles between rival sides of the Zhongnanhai leadership compound in Beijing, where the president resides in the southern court and the State Council occupies the northern end. Xi has sought to end that battle, abolishing term presidential limits, emphasizing the need for security and concentrating decision-making on the party.

Xis main tool has been creating party committees  so-called leading small groups  and giving them responsibility for everything from economic reform to cybersecurity. That process appears set to accelerate in the government overhaul taking shape during the National Peoples Congress.

The president is planning revive the long-disbanded Central Financial Work Commission and name his chief of staff, Ding Xuexiang, 60, to helm the body overseeing the $60 trillion financial sector, Bloomberg has reported. The commissions past leaders include Wen, the former premier.

Another close confidant of the presidents, He Lifeng, 68, is also expected to become a vice premier responsible for economic policy, as well as the party chief of the Peoples Bank of China, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The shift has raised questions about the governments ability to reverse policies seen as closely associated with Xi, especially after the countrys chaotic departure from his Covid Zero strategy last year. The elder Li had been seen as advocating a more growth-focused approach, even as Xi urged the country to hold the line against outbreaks.

Li Qiang, at the same time, was busy proving his loyalty to Xi as the partys top official in Shanghai, where he supported a controversial monthslong lockdown. He credited Xis guidance for helping the financial hub to win the battle against the virus.

Whether Li Qiang will use his position as Chinas second-most-powerful leader to soften Xis policies is unclear. The incoming premier was a leading advocate for accelerating the end of Covid curbs in the wake of a rare wave of protests against the policies last year, Reuters reported Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Policymaking will probably become more Xi-centric and less flexible, simply because of who is occupying the premiers role, said Christopher Beddor, deputy China research director at Gavekal Dragonomics. With Li Qiang, its clear that his function will be to turn Xis ambitions and inclinations into a policy agenda, not to provide a publicly contrasting emphasis or perspective.

Fundamentally, Beddor said, the role of premier will be only as powerful as Xi decides it should be.

--With assistance from Davy Zhu.

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Chinas power and ambitions for influence are bleeding into nearly every threat that U.S. intelligence agencies are tracking, and the Chinese Communist Party remains Americas top concern, the five directors of the most senior intelligence agencies told lawmakers on Wednesday.

Leaders of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the CIA, FBI, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency presented an annual summary of global risks to Americans.

In brief, the CCP represents both the leading and most consequential threat to US national security and leadership globally, said Avril Haines, director of ODNI, in her opening statement to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

And its intelligence-specific ambitions and capabilities make it, for us, our most serious and consequential intelligence rival.

Haines remarks are part of an intelligence community annual Worldwide Threat Assessment. The presentation of it allows the select group of Democrat and Republican lawmakers in the Senate and House to raise questions and concerns over assessments and priorities on work that is largely conducted in secret.

China wants to prevent spiraling relations with the U.S.

Chinese President Xi Jinping lashed out at the U.S. in a major speech to lawmakers on Monday, accusing Washington of trying to contain Beijing. But the U.S. intelligence community says Xi is actually intent on managing mounting pressures.

Despite this more public and directly critical rhetoric, however, we assess that Beijing still believes it benefits most by preventing a spiraling of tensions and by preserving stability in its relationship with the United States, Haines said.

He wants a period of relative calm to give China the time and stability it needs to address growing domestic difficulties, the intelligence head continued, saying the Chinese economy is slowing down because of structural issues like debt demographics, inequality, over reliance on investment and suppressed consumption.

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Still, Xis ambitions include pressing for unification with Taiwan and undercutting U.S. influence and will aim to drive a wedge between Washington and its allies and partners.

No love affair between China and Russia, despite deepening relationship

Even as China has supported Russia throughout its war in Ukraine  with diplomatic cover and economic support  Haines said there are key limitations on the binding ties between Beijing and Moscow.

I hesitate to characterize it as a love affair, Haines said.

China is growing uneasy with its support to Russia, the ODNI director said. That follows the Biden administrations public warnings that Beijing is thinking about sending lethal assistance to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

We see them in a situation in which theyve become increasingly uncomfortable about the level of assistance and not looking to do it as publicly as might otherwise occur, she said.

Without a major third country replenishing its artillery, and if Putin holds off on instituting a mandatory mobilization, Russian forces may shift from offensive operations to trying to hold and defend the territories it occupies in Ukraine, Haines continued.

And even as U.S. intelligence assesses that the Russian military is unlikely to recover enough this year to make major territorial gains, Putin is calculating that time is on his side and prolonging the war, may be his best remaining pathway to eventually securing Russias strategic interests in Ukraine, even if it takes years.

Frustrations over COVID-19, Chinese spy balloon and Havana Syndrome

While lawmakers applauded the intelligence heads for declassifying intelligence, in particular in warning the world over Putins plans to invade Ukraine, they pressed the top officials on the failures to identify the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic and the responsibility that China bears for the outbreak.

We know, as your statement says, that Beijing continues to hinder the global investigation [into COVID-19], resist sharing information and blames other countries. Those are not the actions of an innocent party, said Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

Collins line of questioning homed in on divergent assessments among intelligence agencies that equally favor two pandemic origin theories: that it was the result of natural transmission from an animal to human or was leaked from a lab in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

But Haines emphasized that the intelligence community remains divided, citing Chinese obstruction to investigate the source of the outbreak.

I share your frustration with the fact that China hasnt been more cooperative on this issue to provide intelligence that would be of use to the scientists and others who work on these questions, she said.

And Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) brought up the discovery and the military takedown last month of a Chinese spy balloon and other flying objects that are still unidentified, without referencing them by name, but criticizing the intelligence community as failing to prioritize these threats and risks.

As recent events have shown, we need more and better sharing between the intelligence community and our military and the stigmatization of the service members and personnel who come forward with this data is unacceptable, Gillibrand said.

The New York senator helped establish last year the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO), focused on increasing communication between the IC and military over unidentified aerial, marine and other phenomena which could pose a risk to U.S. forces, military bases or spying on sensitive U.S. facilities  and called for it to be fully funded at ODNI.

Can you make sure, because it was left off last year from both the [Department of Defense] and Intels budget, Gilibrand noted.

Gillibrand also raised concern over the intelligence communitys recent assessment that it could not identify a foreign adversary as responsible for mysterious health incidents affecting State Department, intelligence and other U.S. personnel, so-called Havana Syndrome since the first public cases to emerge among American diplomats working in Cuba.

I do concur with the assessment, but I also think our work is not done there, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency Lieutenant General Scott Berrier said.

TikTok doom and data concerns

Of major concern for lawmakers are debates surrounding efforts to ban the ubiquitous social media app TikTok  with its parent company Byte Dance based in China  over concerns that Americans data stored on the app is vulnerable to access from the Chinese Communist Party.

If you were to ask Americans, would you like to turn over all your data, control of your devices, control of your information to the CCP? Most Americans would say Im not down with that, as my kids would say, FBI Director Christopher Wray.

CIA Director Bill Burns added that failure to protect data privacy allows enormous opportunities for adversaries to spy, steal intellectual property, access sensitive technologies.

And Berrier, responding to a question over the imperative for the U.S. to be a leader in technological innovation as a counter to the threats posed by the CCP, said the Chinese are advancing very, very rapidly in every warfighting domain that exists, including cyber, space and military to include infantry and command and control.

They are making very, very rapid advances and the Defense Intelligence Agency is taking note of that and watching it very carefully.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
China wants to avoid an escalation of tensions with the United States and believes it benefits from a more stable relationship with Washington, even as it seeks to bolster its global economic and military power, U.S. intelligence chief Avril Haines told lawmakers on Wednesday.

Despite recent sharp criticism of the U.S. by Chinese President Xi Jinping, we assess that Beijing still believes it benefits most by preventing a spiraling of tensions and by preserving stability in its relationship with the United States, Haines, director of national intelligence, told a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

China is increasingly challenging the United States, economically, technologically, politically and militarily around the world and remains our unparalleled priority, said Haines.

Haines and other intelligence officials appeared at the hearing as part of an annual assessment from the intelligence community on global threats facing the United States.

Xis speech this week at a Chinese Communist Party congress, in which he accused Washington of trying to prevent Beijings rise, likely reflects growing pessimism in Beijing about Chinas relationship with the United States as well as worries about the trajectory of Chinas domestic economic development and innovation challenges, Haines said.

Xi also wants to message his populace and regional actors that the U.S. bears the responsibility for any coming increase in tensions, Haines said.

The Chinese Communist Party represents both the leading and most consequential threat to U.S. national security and leadership globally, Haines said, adding that Beijing was our most serious and consequential intelligence rival.

U.S. officials and China experts have voiced concern about a lack of regular high-level dialogue between Beijing and Washington, saying a breakdown in communications raises the risk of an unintended collision or crisis.

The intelligence communitys latest report on global threats , which was released earlier Wednesday, said Chinese leaders would look to try to divide the U.S. and its allies but also reduce friction with the U.S. when it suited Beijings agenda.

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As Xi begins his third term as Chinas leader, the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) will work to press Taiwan on unification, undercut U.S. influence, drive wedges between Washington and its partners, and foster some norms that favor its authoritarian system, the report said. At the same time, Chinas leaders probably will seek opportunities to reduce tensions with Washington when they believe it suits their interests.

To bolster its public image, China also is waging an increasingly aggressive campaign to influence U.S. opinion and policy makers, focusing on state and local officials who they believe are more pliable than their federal counterparts, the report said.

China has been laser-focused on achieving dominance in key technologies and the rivalry between Beijing and Washington will likely be shaped by which side was able to gain the upper hand in that technological competition, senators from both parties said at the hearing.

While America was focused for two decades on counterterrorism, China was racing to overtake the U.S. in a range of emerging and foundational technologies such as advanced wireless communications, semiconductors, quantum, synthetic biology, next-generation energy, artificial intelligence, and in key upstream inputs like critical minerals, said Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the Democratic chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

On Tuesday, Beijings new foreign minister said the U.S. and China are heading toward inevitable confrontation and conflict unless Washington changes course.

China has dismissed accusations from Washington that its considering providing lethal aid to Russia and charged the United States with stoking a potential conflict by selling fighter jets and other weapons to Taiwan.

Haines said there was deepening collaboration between China and Russia but did not say Beijing had made a decision to supply weapons and ammunition to Moscow.

China was increasingly uncomfortable about the non-lethal assistance it was providing Russia and appeared to be avoiding a high-profile public role, Haines said, without offering more details.

Asked by Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, about China possibly arming Russia, Haines said that is a very real concern and how much assistance theyre providing is something we watch very carefully and wed be happy to talk to you about that in closed session.

Russian forces are suffering ammunition and personnel shortages and morale problems, and it was unlikely Russia would be able to capture large swathes of territory this year, Haines said. But Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared ready to press on with the war, betting that his forces could prevail over the long term, she said.

We do not foresee the Russian military recovering enough this year to make major territorial gains, but Putin most likely calculates that time works in his favor, and that prolonging the war including with potential pauses in the fighting, may be his best remaining pathway to eventually securing Russian strategic interests in Ukraine, even if it takes years, she said.

Haines also warned that the effects of climate change would aggravate risks to national security and intensify or trigger domestic or cross-border geopolitical flashpoints.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Key Insights

China Yuchai International's estimated fair value is US$5.81 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

China Yuchai International is estimated to be 33% overvalued based on current share price of US$7.72

When compared to theindustry average discount of -12%, China Yuchai International's competitors seem to be trading at a lesser premium to fair value

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of China Yuchai International Limited (NYSE:CYD) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. 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 China Yuchai International

Crunching The Numbers

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. 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:

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10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (CN, Millions) CN706.6m CN341.3m CN190.5m CN132.8m CN105.5m CN90.9m CN82.7m CN78.0m CN75.3m CN74.0m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ -44.18% Est @ -30.30% Est @ -20.59% Est @ -13.79% Est @ -9.03% Est @ -5.70% Est @ -3.37% Est @ -1.74% Present Value (CN, Millions) Discounted @ 11% CN635 CN276 CN138 CN86.5 CN61.7 CN47.8 CN39.1 CN33.1 CN28.7 CN25.4

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = CN1.4b

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 2.1%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 11%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = CN74m (1 + 2.1%)  (11% 2.1%) = CN818m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= CN818m ( 1 + 11%)10= CN280m

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 CN1.7b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$7.7, the company appears potentially overvalued 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

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the 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 China Yuchai 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 11%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.555. 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 China Yuchai International

Strength

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Dividend is in the top 25% of dividend payers in the market.

Weakness

Earnings declined over the past year.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the American market.

Good value based on P/E ratio compared to estimated Fair P/E ratio.

Threat

No apparent threats visible for CYD.

Moving On:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it 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. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/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. What is the reason for the share price exceeding the intrinsic value? For China Yuchai International, we've compiled three relevant elements you should explore:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for China Yuchai International that you should be aware of before investing here. Future Earnings: How does CYD'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 American 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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Senate Intelligence Committee Hears Testimony On Worldwide Threats To The U.S.

(L-R) FBI Director Christopher Wray, Director of the National Security Agency Gen. Paul Nakasone, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director William Burns and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier arrive for a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing concerning worldwide threats, on Capitol Hill March 8, 2023 in Washington, DC. The leaders of the intelligence agencies testified on a wide range of issues, including China, Covid-19 origins, and TikTok. Credit - Drew AngererGetty Images

U.S. intelligence leaders on Wednesday outlined a dizzying range of national security threats facing America, while making clear that China ranked atop the list.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party represents both the leading and most consequential threat to U.S. national security and leadership globally, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the Senate Intelligence Committee at its annual hearing on the top threats to the nation. Its intelligence-specific ambitions and capabilities make it for us our most serious and consequential intelligence rival.

Lawmakers questioned Haines and the other top U.S. intelligence officialsCIA Director William Burns, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, and NSA Director Gen. Paul Nakasoneabout Chinas love affair with Russia, its economic and military espionage, its expanded control over global supply chains, and its lack of transparency over the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Read More: Why Spy Agencies May Lose Sweeping Surveillance Powers.

The hearing represents a rare annual opportunity for lawmakers to publicly grill the countrys top intelligence chiefs. Senators spent time questioning the officials on everything from the threat of nuclear war with Russia to white-supremacist violence to TikTok. The back-and-forth illustrated the striking shift in national-security priorities as the U.S. moves away from two decades of focusing on Islamic terrorism and wars in the Middle East to an increasingly complex web of technological and cyber threats, along with homegrown extremism.

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We can no longer just pay attention to who has the most tanks, airplanes or missiles, Sen. Mark Warner, the Virginia Democrat who chairs the committee, told colleagues, noting that the very nature of national security is undergoing a profound transformation.

Heres a look at the threats that lawmakers and top intelligence officials discussed.

China seeks to challenge the global order at the expense of U.S. power and influence

As Chinese President Xi Jinping begins an unprecedented third term, he will continue to work toward his vision of making China the preeminent power in East Asia and a major power on the world stage, Haines told lawmakers, adding that the ruling Chinese Communist Party is increasingly convinced that it can only do so at the expense of U.S. power and influence.

Read More: The Most Powerful Person In the World Is Chinas President.

Tensions flared between the U.S. and China last month when the U.S. shot down what they said was a Chinese surveillance balloon that violated American airspace, after which Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled his trip to the country.

Chinese leaders have also recently sharpened their rhetoric towards Washington, with Jinping alleging that U.S.-led encirclement and suppression is to blame for the countrys economic problems, and Beijings new foreign minister warning of inevitable confrontation and conflict. Even so, Chinese leaders still believe their country benefits most by preventing a spiraling of tensions and by preserving stability in its relationship with the United States, Haines said Wednesday.

TikTok screams of national security concerns

Senators spent considerable time questioning intelligence officials about the national security risks posed by TikTok, the Chinese-owned social video app used by more than 100 million people in the U.S. FBI Director Chris Wray said that the Chinese government could potentially use TikTok to control the data of millions of Americans, and use it as an influence tool to shape public opinion of the country were it to invade Taiwan.

The greatest threat facing America is not another country, said Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence panel, who accused TiKTok of seeking to collect our data, manipulate information, poison and feed garbage into the minds of millions of Americans. It is whether or not we have the ability and the willingness to accurately assess and appropriately adapt our foreign and domestic policies in this time of historic, revolutionary and disruptive technological, social, economic and geopolitical changes.

While the app went unmentioned in the intelligence communitys 40-page declassified report released Wednesday, TikTok is facing increased scrutiny in Washington. The White House backed a new bipartisan Senate bill this week that would give the Biden administration the power to ban foreign-based technologies that pose a national security threat, one of several legislative attempts to restrict the social app.

This is a tool that is ultimately within the control of the Chinese governmentand it, to me, it screams out with national security concerns, Wray said.

Theres still no consensus on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic

The U.S. intelligence chiefs acknowledged that their community continues to be divided over the origins of the COVID-19 virus. The ongoing debate over the pandemics origins was revived by a recent Wall Street Journal report that the U.S. Energy Department, which oversees a network of national labs, had assessed with low confidence that a lab leak in Wuhan, China, was the most likely origin.

Wray reiterated the FBIs assessment that the virus likely originated as a lab leak. Haines said there was no consensus on whether the pandemic started due to a lab leak or natural exposure to an infected animal.

China has not fully cooperated, and that is a key critical gap that would help us understand what, exactly, happened, she told the committee.

Russia is unlikely to make major territorial gains in 2023 as the war in Ukraine grinds on

President Vladimir Putin lacks the manpower or resources to turn the tide of the war in Russias favor, Haines said, calling the conflict a grinding attritional war in which neither side has a definitive military advantage. While Russian troops are making incremental progress in the eastern city of Bakhmut, she said, its not a particularly strategic objective.

We do not foresee the Russian military recovering enough this year to make major territorial gains, Haines told lawmakers. But Putin most likely calculates the time works in his favor, and that prolonging the war, including with potential pauses in the fighting, may be his best remaining pathway to eventually securing Russias strategic interests in Ukraine, even if it takes years.

Even so, the unclassified worldwide threats report notes that U.S. intelligence officials believe that while Moscow does not want a direct military conflict with U.S. or NATO forces, there is still a significant risk of escalation. Since heavy battlefield losses have degraded Russias conventional capabilities it has increased its reliance on nuclear weapons, the report says. There is real potential for Russias military failures in the war to hurt Russian President Vladimir Putins domestic standing and thereby trigger additional escalatory actions by Russia in an effort to win back public support.

White supremacist violence poses the most lethal threat to Americans

Racially and ethnically motivated extremists, including white supremacists and neo-Nazis, remain the most lethal threat to US persons and interests, according to the new report. These actors increasingly seek to sow social divisions, support fascist-style governments, and attack government institutions.

While this was not a new assessment, Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, took issue with what he called the politicization of the report. Are you serious? he asked intelligence chiefs, asking twice if they really believed racially motivated extremists posed a bigger threat to Americans than ISIS or Al Qaeda.

Read More: Inside the Biden Administrations Uphill Battle Against Far-Right Extremism.

Yes, Haines said. It simply is a question of how many people are killed or wounded as a consequence of attacks. Burns agreed: If you measure this in terms of your American lives lost or people who were wounded, I think those statistics bear that out.

I find this astonishing, Cotton responded.
China's trying hard to boost marriages and a flagging birth rate. Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images

China's cracking down on the custom of the "bride price" to facilitate marriages and boost birth rates.

The custom can be onerous for some as it could cost tens of thousands of dollars.

These betrothal gifts include cash, jewelry, cars, and even real estate.

China's trying out different ways to boost its birthrate and stem a demographic crisis  it's now targeting a customary practice that requires a man to pay his prospective in-laws a "bride price."

The issue even made it into the ongoing National People's Congress meeting in China. A delegate from the state-backed All-China Women's Federation proposed that authorities look into measures to curb expensive betrothal gifts, the women's rights organization said in a Wednesday statement.

A prospective bridegroom would give betrothal gifts  called caili in Chinese  to the family of his bride in a show of his wealth and sincerity. This tradition of paying a "bride price" has a long history in China and is viewed as the groom's compensation to the bride's family for raising a daughter.

Various provinces in China have recently started actively promoting a halt to what it deems to be unsavory practices.

On January 30, authorities in Daijiapu, a town in the southeastern province of Jiangxi, got 30 single women to sign a pledge resisting expensive betrothal gifts, media outlet The Paper reported on February 8.

In the central province of Hebei, authorities are "reforming" marriage customs, including clamping down on "unhealthy marriage customs"  such as expensive betrothal gifts and vulgar wedding games  People's Daily, the Chinese Communist Party's flagship newspaper, reported on January 19.

Beijing has long discouraged the practice of caili, the state-run China Daily said in 2015. Still, nearly three-quarters of marriages involve the custom of betrothal gifts, according to a 2020 survey of 1,846 China residents by Tencent News.

With 2022 data showing China's population started shrinking for the first time in six decades, state intervention in curbing betrothal gifts has returned with renewed fervor to facilitate marriages and boost birth rates. Having children out of wedlock is culturally unacceptable in China.

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The bride price custom has become onerous for some people as the groom's family could end up forking out tens of thousands of dollars in a country where the annual disposable income per person was 36,883 Chinese yuan, or $5,300, in 2022. This is because betrothal gifts  which are typically given after negotiations between the two families  can include cash, jewelry, cars, and even real estate, according to the Tencent News survey.

The financial strain is seen as a deterrent for marriages  especially in rural regions where there are more men than women due to China's one-child policy that was in effect from 1980 to 2015, leading some families of prospective brides to ask for exorbitant betrothal gifts, the South China Morning Post reported in April 2022.

China's desperate for more babies

China is also rolling out other incentives for people to have babies. For instance, the Chinese city of Hangzhou is giving a $2,900 grant to parents welcoming a third child this year. Some other cities are giving almost 30 days of marriage leave to boost the birth rate.

But, it'll likely take more than monetary incentives to get people to have kids.

Many Chinese millennials are not getting married in the first place due to a variety of reasons like costs and personal choices, Insider's Matthew Loh reported in April 2022.

"You need to go back to the things that have made marriage rates so low," Professor Stuart Gietel-Basten, who specializes in population policy at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, told Insider at the time. "If women are feeling: 'This is such a bad move for my career or my life that I'm going to push it back as long as possible,' then maybe that's a symptom of other challenges, blockages, or malfunctions in society," he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
BEIJING (Reuters) - China needs to improve its use of defence resources such as technology, supply chain and national reserves "to strengthen its army and win wars", President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.

Xi is commander-in-chief of China's armed forces and is due to be formally re-elected as president later this week.

Consolidating and improving "integrated strategic capabilities" is a new requirement set by the ruling Communist Party, Xi told representatives of the People's Liberation Army and the military police during the annual session of parliament, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Wearing a Chinese suit in army green colour, he reminded the military that it must be led by the party. Xi secured a precedent-breaking third term as party chief last year.

"China needs to better use defence science, technology and industry to strengthen its army and win wars," Xi said.

He asked national laboratories to accelerate their research in defence technology so that China would not have to rely on foreign countries.

He also said that industry supply chains must be more resilient and called for more infrastructure building and the setting-up of national reserves for defence purposes.

Xi did not specify what the "strategic risks", as he put it, were that the military needed to address.

China is taking an increasingly assertive stance towards the United States and other countries and has never renounced the use of force to take back Taiwan, which rejects Beijing's sovereignty claim over it.

(Reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Though there's no "smoking gun," experts called by congressional Republicans at the first national-level hearing into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic say the United States should continue investigating whether a Chinese lab accidentally released the virus that causes COVID-19.

Most international health experts have downplayed that possibility, instead preferring to focus on learning from the global response itself to the pandemic that has killed an estimated 7 million people worldwide. But a subcommittee formed after Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in January is examining theories that have been widely dismissed by the scientific community as racist conspiracies.

Where did COVID come from?

Determining the origins is politically sensitive because the investigations could further heighten U.S.-China tensions. Public health experts say international cooperation is key in fighting pandemics, and assigning blame could reduce future cooperation.

None of the witnesses called by the Republican-controlled House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic provided new evidence proving their contention that the virus came from a lab but instead cited events, grant proposals and other incidents as too coincidental to ignore.

The Biden administration plans to end both the COVID-19 national emergency and the public health emergency on May 11, 2023.

Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Department of Energy, which oversees some high-security labs of its own, concluded with low confidence the virus came from a lab leak in Wuhan, China. FBI Director Christopher Wray echoed that, saying a lab leak was "most likely" the source.

"This is not necessarily a smoking gun, but the growing body of circumstantial evidence suggests a gun that is, at very least, warm to the touch," testified Jamie F. Metzl, an international relations expert, commentator and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

House Republicans investigate COVID origins

Metzl joined virologist Dr. Robert Redfield, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and former New York Times science journalist Nicholas Wade, in pushing for further investigations into the possibility of a lab leak.

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Redfield was an early proponent of the lab leak theory. He and others have called for a global moratorium on gain-of-function research, arguing it's too dangerous under current structures.

In gain-of-function research, scientists deliberately alter a virus to test the effectiveness of vaccines or other treatments. Redfield argued oversight of such research should not be limited to scientists, and the broader community should decide whether it's worth the risks.

The CDC and the labs it oversees have themselves violated containment procedures hundreds of times, as USA TODAY reporting has shown, including a 2014 incident in which smallpox vials were moved between labs in a cardboard box.

A health worker administers a dose of COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic in Reading, Pa. On Friday, Feb. 3, 2023.

Redfield ran the CDC under President Donald Trump, who praised the Chinese government's pandemic response but also called the virus the "Kung flu," a label that many Asian American leaders accused of helping drive anti-Asian attacks nationally since the pandemic began.

Most experts say the pandemic probably started when an existing coronavirus naturally mutated and jumped from an animal to a human, possibly at a wildlife market in Wuhan. That's how other viruses, including MERS, SARS and Ebola, are believed to have started, in a process called zoonosis. But citing reports of respiratory illness among Wuhan researchers in fall 2019, the lab leak theory argues that scientists researching gain-of-function made the coronavirus more virulent and then accidentally released it.

Subcommittee chairman Rep. Brad Wenstrup, an Ohio Republican, noted that the two origin theories have sharply divided Americans and said he is committed to following the science. He also criticized Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, for pushing the health community to downplay the possibility of a lab leak.

Stopping the next global pandemic

Speaking at the request of the subcommittee's Democrats, Dr. Paul Auwaerter, of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, echoed many of Fauci's previous statements during the hearing and stressed the importance of global cooperation.

"We may never know conclusively where the COVID-19 pandemic originated. Making claims that cannot be supported sufficiently by available data fuels confusion and mistrust," he said. "But we can still learn valuable information from these investigations. And ultimately, we should use that information to prevent outbreaks and pandemics with environmental or human-based origins to avoid loss of life and severe societal disruption."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID lab leak theory for coronavirus debated by Congress
NANGAN, Taiwan (AP)  In the past month, bed and breakfast owner Chen Yu-lin had to tell his guests he couldn't provide them with the internet.

Others living on Matsu, one of Taiwans outlying islands closer to neighboring China, had to struggle with paying electricity bills, making a doctor's appointment or receiving a package.

For connecting to the outside world, Matsu's 14,000 residents rely on two submarine internet cables leading to Taiwan's main island. The National Communications Commission, citing the islands telecom service, blamed two Chinese ships for cutting the cables. It said a Chinese fishing vessel is suspected of severing the first cable some 50 kilometers (31 miles) out at sea. Six days later, on Feb. 8, a Chinese cargo ship cut the second, NCC said.

Taiwan's government stopped short of calling it a deliberate act on the part of Beijing, and there was no direct evidence to show the Chinese ships were responsible.

The islanders in the meantime were forced to hook up to a limited internet via microwave radio transmission, a more mature technology, as backup. It means one could wait hours to send a text. Calls would drop, and videos were unwatchable.

A lot of tourists would cancel their booking because theres no internet. Nowadays, the internet plays a very large role in peoples lives, said Chen, who lives in Beigan, one of Matsus main residential islands.

Apart from disrupting lives, the loss of the internet cables, seemingly innocuous, has huge implications for national security.

As the full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shown, Russia has made taking out internet infrastructure one of the key parts of its strategy. Some experts suspect China may have cut the cables deliberately as part of its harassment of the self-ruled island it considers part of its territory, to be reunited by force if necessary.

China regularly sends warplanes and navy ships toward Taiwan as part of tactics to intimidate the islands democratic government. Concerns about China's invasion, and Taiwan's preparedness to withstand it, have increased since the war in Ukraine.

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The cables had been cut a total of 27 times in the past five years, but it was unclear which country the vessels hailed from, based on data from Chunghwa Telecom.

Taiwan's coast guard gave chase to the fishing vessel that cut the first cable on Feb. 2, but it went back to Chinese waters, according to an official who was briefed on the incident and was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Authorities found two Chinese ships in the area where the cables were cut, based on automated identification system data, similar to GPS, which shows a vessels location.

We cant rule out that China destroyed these on purpose, said Su Tzu-yun, a defense expert at the government think tank, Institute for National Defense and Security Research, citing a research that only China and Russia had the technical capabilities to do this. Taiwan needs to invest more resources in repairing and protecting the cables.

Internet cables, which can be anywhere between 20 millimeters to 30 millimeters (0.79 inches to 1.18 inches) wide, are encased in steel armor in shallow waters where theyre more likely to run into ships. Despite the protection, cables can get cut quite easily by ships and their anchors, or fishing boats using steel nets.

Even so, this level of breakage is highly unusual for a cable, even in the shallow waters of the Taiwan Strait," said Geoff Huston, chief scientist at Asia Pacific Network Information Centre, a non-profit that manages and distributes Internet resources like IP addresses for the region.

Without a stable internet, coffee shop owner Chiu Sih-chi said seeing the doctor for his toddler son's cold became a hassle because first they had to visit the hospital to just get an appointment.

A breakfast shop owner said she lost thousands of dollars in the past few weeks because she usually takes online orders. Customers would come to her stall expecting the food to be ready when she hadn't even seen their messages.

Faced with unusual difficulties, Matsu residents came up with all sorts of ways to organize their lives.

One couple planned to deal with the coming peak season by having one person stay in Taiwan to access their reservation system and passing the information on to the other via text messages. Wife Lin Hsian-wen extended her vacation in Taiwan during the off-season when she heard the internet back home wasn't working and is returning to Matsu later in the week.

Some enterprising residents went across to the other shore to buy SIM cards from Chinese telecoms, though those only work well in the spots closer to the Chinese coast, which is only 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) away at its closest point.

Others, like the bed and breakfast owner Tsao Li-yu, would go to Chunghwa Telecoms office to use a Wi-Fi hot spot the company had set up for locals to use in the meantime.

I was going to work at (Chunghwa Telecom), Tsao joked.

Chunghwa had set up microwave transmission as backup for the residents. Broadcast from Yangmingshan, a mountain just outside of Taipei, Taiwan's capital, the relay beams the signals some 200 kilometers (124 miles) across to Matsu. Since Sunday, speeds were noticeably faster, residents said.

Wang Chung Ming, the head of Lienchiang County, as the Matsu islands are officially called, said he and the legislator from Matsu went to Taipei shortly after the internet broke down to ask for help, and was told they would get priority in any future internet backup plans.

Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs publicly asked for bids from low-Earth orbit satellite operators to provide the internet in a backup plan, after seeing Russia's cyberattacks in the invasion of Ukraine, the head of the ministry, Audrey Tang, told The Washington Post last fall. Yet, the plan remains stalled as a law in Taiwan requires the providers to be at least 51% owned by a domestic shareholder.

A spokesperson for the Digital Ministry directed questions about the progress of backup plans to the National Communications Commission. NCC said it will install a surveillance system for the undersea cables, while relying on microwave transmission as a backup option.

Many Pacific island nations, before they started using internet cables, depended on satellites  and some still do  as backup, said Jonathan Brewer, a telecommunications consultant from New Zealand who works across Asia and the Pacific.

There's also the question of cost. Repairing the cables is expensive, with an early estimate of $30 million New Taiwan Dollars ($1 million) for the work of the ships alone.

The Chinese boats that damaged the cables should be held accountable and pay compensation for the highly expensive repairs, said Wen Lii, the head of the Matsu chapter of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

Wang, the head of Lienchiang County, said he had mentioned the cables on a recent visit to China, where he had met an executive from China Mobile. They offered to send technicians to help. But compensation, he said, will require providing hard proof on who did it.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a faxed request for comment.

For now, the only thing residents can do is wait. The earliest cable-laying ships can come is April 20, because there are a limited number of vessels that can do the job.

A month without functional internet has its upsides too. Chen Yu-lin, the bed and breakfast owner, has felt more at peace.

It was hard in the first week, but Chen quickly got used to it. From a life perspective, I think its much more comfortable because you get fewer calls, he said, adding he was spending more time with his son, who usually is playing games online.

At a web cafe where off-duty soldiers were playing offline games, the effect was the same.

Our relationships have become a bit closer," said one soldier who only gave his first name, Samuel. Because normally when theres internet, everyone keeps to themselves, and now were more connected."

___

Associated Press video journalist Taijing Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.

___

Find more of APs Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
Chris and Lola Rock

Chris Rock Instagram

Chris Rock is keen on making sure his kids understand the value of consequences.

The comedian, 58, touched on a tense parenting moment in his recent live Netflix special, Selective Outrage, where daughter Lola Simone, now 20, got in trouble on a high school class trip to Portugal.

"Lola and four of her little white girlfriends decided they were bored," Rock said, explaining that the group snuck out and went drinking.

"Of course, they got busted. Rich white schools, they don't play that s----," he continued.

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Chris Rock LIVE: Selective Outrange. Chris Rock at the Hippodrome Theater in Baltimore. Cr. Kirill Bichutsky/Netflix  2023

Kirill Bichutsky/Netflix Chris Rock

RELATED: Chris Rock's 2 Daughters: Everything to Know

Rock  who along with Lola shares daughter Zahra Savannah, 18, with ex Malaak Compton-Rock  explained that the parents decided to lawyer up to deal with the incident, during which time he realized that the girls didn't seem to be taking the situation seriously.

"Lola is like, 'Daddy, stop it. You're so serious! I'll be back in school in no time,' " he recalled, explaining he then decided she needed to feel the consequences of her actions.

Rock said he then told Lola's dean, "I need you to kick my daughter out of this school."

Chris Rock daughters

James Devaney/Getty Zahra Savannah Rock, Lola Simone Rock and Chris Rock

"I need my Black child to learn her lesson right now before she is up on OnlyFans and some s---," he continued. "Please kick my child out."

The Saturday Night Live alum continued, "They kicked her out. They kicked them all out, but they kicked my child out first."

Rock made a point of saying that Lola learned from the incident and that she had to work hard to regain her footing in the aftermath. Today, she's studying culinary arts in Europe.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Central Intelligence Agencys future will be defined by America's ongoing technology race with China, agency director William Burns said on Wednesday during a Senate hearing.

Burns remarks followed the release of the Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, which pointed to China as the biggest national security threat facing America. The report cited Chinas robust use of cyber tactics to surveille Americans, its success at stealing intellectual property, and ability to acquire foreign technologies.

"I think the revolution in technology is not only the main arena for competition with the People's Republic of China, Burns testified. It's also the main determinant of our future as an intelligence service as well.

The CIA director was speaking during Congresss so-called Worldwide Threats hearing, also featuring other heads of the U.S. intelligence community, including National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul Nakasone, National Intelligence Director Avril Haines, Defense Intelligence Agency director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray.

The intelligence directors said Beijing poses a variety of threats to US interests, including using hackers.

If Beijing feared that a major conflict with the United States were imminent, it almost certainly would consider undertaking aggressive cyber operations against U.S. homeland critical infrastructure and military assets worldwide, the report said. Such a strike would be designed to deter U.S. military action by impeding U.S. decision making, inducing societal panic, and interfering with the deployment of U.S. forces.

The report pointed to Chinas expansion of technology-driven authoritarianism globally, citing its aggressive efforts to control and manipulate the free flow of content globally. It also asserted that China is almost certainly capable of launching cyberattacks that could take out critical infrastructure services, including against oil and gas pipelines, and rail systems.

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Mirroring how Beijings security apparatus collects a large amount of health data on its population, the U.S. intelligence agencies wrote that China had gathered U.S. health and genomic data through cyber breaches and the acquisition of U.S. companies.

Gen. Nakasone, the NSA director, testified China's cyber operations have grown more aggressive recently.

With regards to China we see an increasing degree of risk taking that they've undergone with regards to stealing our intellectual property, even increasing their influence operations, Nakasone said. These are concerning efforts for us.

(Reporting by Suzanne Smalley; Editing by Chizu NOmiyama)
A Cobb County inmate died in jail Wednesday morning after suffering from a seizure.

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The Cobb County Sheriffs Office said James Martin, 41, was taken into custody on March 3 for possession of methamphetamine. He told deputies that he was a heroin addict and had just binged the drug. He was put into the infirmary under observation.

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On Wednesday morning, he told staff that he wasnt feeling well and then had a seizure. Staff made attempts to save his life, including administering Narcan, but Martin died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

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Heroin, meth, fentanyl, and other opioids have tragically taken so many lives in Cobb County, causing irreparable harm to families, said Sheriff Craig Owens. The Marietta-Cobb-Smyrna Organized Crime Task Force Narcotics Unit works tirelessly to get these dangerous drugs off the streets.

Sheriff Owens also urges those seeking substance abuse support to call the Cares Warm Line at 1-844-326-5400, available from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigations has been asked to investigate Martins death.
Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse continued working together on "Riverdale" after splitting in real life in 2020. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Cole Sprouse spoke about dating "Riverdale" costar Lili Reinhart from 2017 to 2020.

Sprouse said the breakup was "really hard" but now, they're "good friends."

He also said that their relationship lasted longer than it should have because they worked together.

Cole Sprouse spoke candidly about his past relationship with "Riverdale" costar Lili Reinhart and admitted that they stayed together longer than they should have because they worked together.

"It was really hard for both of us, and that's OK," Sprouse said on the latest episode of the podcast "Call Her Daddy," hosted by Alex Cooper and released on Wednesday.

Sprouse and Reinhart met through their roles as on-screen love interests Jughead Jones and Betty Cooper on "Riverdale," based on characters from Archie Comics. The show premiered on The CW in January 2017 and will be ending with its upcoming seventh season, airing on Wednesday, March 29.

Sprouse and Reinhart were romantically linked the same year that "Riverdale" debuted on TV and became an instant hit.

Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart on "Riverdale." The CW

Breakup rumors persisted throughout 2019 and 2020. In August 2020, Sprouse put the speculation to rest by confirming that he and Reinhart broke up.

"Lili and I initially separated in January of this year, deciding to more permanently split in March," he captioned a photo of Reinhart that he posted on Instagram.

On the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, the former Disney Channel star said that working together on "Riverdale" post-split was difficult because "it didn't afford us the luxury of distance" to "overcome" their feelings for each other.

"I know we both did quite a bit of damage to each other, and that we're good friends now, which is awesome, Sprouse said. "We work really well together now. But I think that was exactly where we both needed to be."

The actor said that he and Reinhart's real-life relationship came about organically, and was a by-product of them relocating to Vancouver, Canada to film the teen drama.

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"We were in a foreign city working a very intense schedule, 14 hours a day, oftentimes 6 days a week, alone," he said. "And we really leaned on each other while also going through the elected trauma of this incredible overnight success."

Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse on season four, episode 19 of "Riverdale." The CW

Sprouse said there was also "a ton of criticism" and "a ton of expectation."

"And I think we did the best we could, really," he said. "I really do think we did and I'm very grateful in very many ways I was able to go through it with someone who was going through the exact same set of circumstances as me. But also, in very many ways, all the cliches about dating someone you work with are very true."

When Cooper asked if their relationship lasted longer because they were colleagues, Sprouse replied: "Absolutely."

"There was a lot of pressure towards other people, really," he said. "I think if I had loved myself a little more, I probably would have left a little earlier. But I just felt like I had to take care of a lot of people around me, which was not good for me. I probably should have exercised a bit more selfishness in that situation."

Sprouse said that his decision to be private about his relationships was a bit detrimental because people began speculating that he cheated on Reinhart. He was referencing being linked to model Kaia Gerber in April 2020, when, unbeknownst to fans, he and Reinhart already split.

"We didn't make a big deal when we split," Sprouse explained. "So afterwards, I was photographed as a single man dating other women and I think it caused people to think there was something dubious going on. I took a moral stance that I was never gonna talk about it, didn't need to be said. But I have realized now in hindsight that I probably should have said something almost right away."

Sprouse said that in choosing not to clear up the confusion, the rumors and gossip ended up "affecting me and my mental health quite a bit afterward."

Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse at the Met Gala in 2018. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Regardless, the "Friends" alum said that he doesn't really regret his past decisions.

When asked why he and Reinhart broke up, Sprouse said, "I won't go into that too much, but I will say it was mutual."

He then revealed that he was the one to end the relationship after Cooper called him out for describing the breakup as "mutual."

"I left," he said. "But to be honest, when you're in a relationship for that long and someone leaves, it's not like someone's like 'WHAT?' It's not a surprise. I don't like to say, 'Oh, I split.'"

"It was time," Sprouse added. "And I think in very many ways, this was right before COVID, so it also gave us the space, because we got locked down, which I think was good."

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cole sprouse call her daddy - Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Cole Sprouse is not afraid to look inward. On the latest episode of Call Her Daddy, Americas self-proclaimed podcasting Founding Father Alex Cooper sat down with the Riverdale actor to discuss a variety of topics, including his self-proclaimed mommy issues, his time on Disney Channel, and, of course, his highly publicized love life.

Sprouse, alongside his twin brother Dylan, made a name for himself as a child actor, starring as Ross Gellars son in Friends and in Adam Sandlers 1999 film Big Daddy, before landing their breakout role in the Disney Channel original series Suite Life of Zack and Cody. After taking a break from acting to attend college, Sprouse returned to the spotlight in the successful-in-spite-of-itself CW drama Riverdale, which completely revamped his acting career. During his appearance on the podcast, Sprouse reflected on his upbringing and how his early experiences and relationships impacted his views on fame and love. (He also lit a cigarette about 4 minutes into the podcast, which is already getting the meme treatment on Twitter and will most likely be an extremely difficult smell to get out of Coopers signature Boucle loveseats)

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The Sprouse twins were born in Arezzo, Italy, but their parents divorced before they were two years old, and afterward, the boys moved back to the states. While Sprouses mother was the first to get the twins into acting, her own mental health struggles and inability to manage their finances eventually led their father to take sole custody of the boys. While Sprouse called his dad his best friend and described their lasting bond, the actor acknowledged that his mothers personal demons led to the demise of their relationship, which remains incredibly strained today.

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In truth, she lost her mind, Sprouse said. I think it was the consequence of some weird alchemy of addiction and mental instability. Its probably the greatest wound in my life and also the greatest driving force for my continuing in this industry.

Sprouse also told Cooper that his early bouts of fame with Disney Channel were a golden ticket for their family financially but seriously impacted his ability to trust and be emotionally vulnerable in relationships. He described an encounter at 14 when he lost his virginity to a stranger which he said started him on a path of serial monogamy.

As Ive gotten older, what Ive really been trying to unpack is the distinction between my public and private life, Sprouse explained. My public life has been a mess of showing my awkward teenage years and all this sort of stuff to the world, and I think its a total natural consequence of my upbringing to feel a little nervous about vulnerability and connection when it came to romantic partnerships.

One of Sprouses most public relationships was with his Riverdale costar and on-screen love interest, Lili Reinhart, who starred as Betty Cooper. The two first confirmed their romance in 2017 but announced their break up in January 2020. While Sprouse originally called his split with Reinhart a mutual decision, pressure from Cooper  in the form of her calling bullshit led him to admit that the two did some damage to one another emotionally and that he was the one to ultimately leave the relationship. He also opened up about how having to continue working together impacted their split.

I think the work thing got difficult because it was hard to suspend all the way we felt about each other. And it didnt afford us the distance to really overcome that. I know we both did quite a bit of damage to each otherwere good friends now, which is awesome, Sprouse said. But to be honest, when youre in a relationship for that long and someone leaves, its not like someones like What?! Its not a surprise.

But throughout the episode, Sprouse maintained that even with all of the twists and turns, he wouldnt change anything about his life.

I have a very complicated relationship to the public, which is how much I let them in, and how much I dont let them in, he said. A lot of things probably should have been done differently in the past, but thats who I am, and its made me who I am now. So, I dont really regret it too much.

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Rare coin dealing can bring in a pretty penny, and its relatively easy to do. All you really need is ironclad patience and a keen eye for detail. Seasoned coin collectors are already well familiar with Wheat Pennies, a U.S. one cent coin issued from 1909 to 1958 that has an image of Abraham Lincoln on the obverse side and two stalks of wheat on the reverse side.

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But do they know exactly which variations could be worth $3,000 or even more, potentially? Lets explore.

1909-S VDB

Wheat pennies are, well not exactly a dime a dozen, but theyre pretty common. They go for about three to five cents a pop because theyre just nothing special in the world of rare coins. But the 1909-S VDB is a standout example of where things start to get quite interesting for Wheat Pennies.

In 1909, the U.S. Mint halted production of Indian Head pennies and began producing Lincoln cents. Victor David Brenner designed the new penny and put his initials V.D.B. to the reverse of the coin between the stalks of wheat. Only 484,000 coins were produced, which is what makes it so rare. You can easily spot this coin by making out the S (for San Francisco) under the date on the obverse and Brenners initials V.D.B. on the other side.

According to The Spruce Crafts, the 1909-S VDB sells from between $500 and $1,600.

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1909-S

Another example of things getting interesting for little old Wheat Pennies. The 1909-S. Heres the story with this one: After the Mints Chief Engraver Charles Barber saw Victor D. Brenners initials on the 1909-S VDB, he petitioned the Mint Director to have them removed.

His request was met, in Philadelphia, but there was only enough time remaining in the year to mint 1,825,000 coins, aka,1909-S coins. These coins arent as rare as 1909-S VDB coins, so they do not sell for as much. According to The Spruce Crafts, they go for between $70 and $370.

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1909-S Over Horizontal S

This valuable coin is the result of an error. Until 1990, mint workers used a small letter punch to apply the mint mark to the working die by hand. They could only be so precise. Dies that had mintmark mistakes on them were not scrapped but repaired, and errors were not always completely erased. Thats what happened with this coin. You can see faint remnants of the S that was punched horizontally instead of vertically.

The Spruce Crafts estimates that this coin goes from between $80 and $400.

1914-D

Sometimes you dont have to be that rare to be that exquisite. You just have to have barely made it out alive. Thats the case with the 1914-D Wheat Penny. It has a mintage of 1,193,000 coins, so, not very rare, but it has one of the lowest survival rates. Much publicity surrounded this coin, as it was launched on the 100th anniversary of Lincolns birth. Many people saved them, which took them out of circulation.

According to The Spruce Crafts, this coin has an estimated average value of between $150 and $3,000.

1917 Double Died Reverse

Heres where you can start making some serious money if your coin is in good enough shape. This coin is also the lucky result of an error in the manufacturing process when the mint craftsman made two impressions that were just slightly offset from one another. You can tell because both doubled images are raised when only one should be.

Look for deep doubling in the word trust and on the date. Using magnifying glass is recommended. According to The Spruce Crafts, this coin fetches anywhere from $160 all the way up to $7,500.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Collect Wheat Pennies? These Variations Could be Worth Up To $7,500
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Colleges are warning students about the "borg" trend, which involves mixing alcohol in a water jug.

College kids can end up drinking the equivalent of 17 to 40 shots while partying.

Mixing energy drinks or electrolytes can mask alcohol's effects, leading students to drink too much.

The borg  or "blackout rage gallon"  is a cocktail of water mixed with a fifth of vodka, electrolytes, and sometimes energy drinks in a gallon-size water jug that's become popular with college students. Videos of students drinking borgs are trending on TikTok, feeding its popularity on college campuses.

Borg, a mix of water with performance-enhancing drinks promising brain-boosting energy, gives Gen Z partygoers the illusion of a better-for-you way to drink alcohol. Some believe the hydration supplied by the water might slow intoxication and prevent a morning-after hangover, but health professionals warn it's just unhealthy binge-drinking wrapped in a new package.

I'm a doctor and a parent of two college and high-school-aged kids who are regularly reminded to make good choices as they head out for parties. In addition to keeping their Solo cups safe from spiking, I'll be warning them that caffeine and energy drinks mixed with alcohol can promote unsafe drinking. Last weekend, off-campus parties fueled by borg drinking led to 28 ambulance calls at the University of Massachusetts.

Kids should understand they need to keep track of both the volume of alcohol and the time it takes to consume it to avoid overdosing.

The risks of drinking 'borgs'

In one viral TikTok recipe, a cheery young woman ready to tailgate makes a borg with water and vodka mixed with Mio flavor enhancer. She tops off her colossal concoction with the sparkling energy drink Celsius, and a beverage called Liquid I.V., which is mostly pure cane sugar and electrolytes.

Some borgs contain a fifth to a half gallon of vodka, or the equivalent of 17 to 40 shots. That's far more than the what National Institute of Alcohol estimates can bring blood-alcohol concentration to 0.08%  five drinks for men or four for women consumed over two hours  the definition of legal impairment.

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Caffeine and stimulants like guarana, the highly caffeinated extract in Celsius, can mask the body's cues to drinkers to stop. Sugars and taurine, other common energy-drink ingredients, drive a dopamine high, making it even easier to drink past one's limits. Dopamine is the "feel-good" chemical released in the brain's reward center, triggering alcohol users to want more.

Most borg recipes add fruit-flavored powders or drops to mask the taste of alcohol. When sweeteners are used, inexperienced drinkers new to self-regulation are more likely to outpace themselves.

With names like Red Bull and Monster, performance drinks are branded to signal invincibility. They've gained appeal with younger people new to drinking, the age group targeted in marketing campaigns, to counter some of alcohol's negative effects like feeling depressed and fatigued. A 2018 nationally representative survey from the University of Michigan revealed that nearly half of college students and a quarter of 12th graders had mixed alcohol with energy drinks in the prior year. Mixing energy drinks and alcohol is more likely encourage binge-drinking and taking risks like drunk driving, fighting, or having unprotected sex.

With names like "Ruth Bader Gins-Borg," there's also the fun of ceremonially naming of your jug with a Sharpie. Videos on TikTok point out that your personal capped container will keep your drink safe from tampering, which is a real risk and may be one of the very few benefits of borgs. Some believe that the extra hydration and electrolytes will offset hangovers, but there's no clear evidence of that.

As a harm-reduction strategy, I would recommend kids switch their gallon jugs for a HydroFlask. Their smaller size will limit drinks  ideally a few shots and water  and what kids put in each refill may help them think more carefully about how to stay safe.

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Renee Benedetti, 40, was last seen at her boyfriend's North Side apartment in late January. The search for her is ongoing. Court records show Benedetti's boyfriend, Gene Scott, allegedly confessed to killing her.

Columbus police discovered a body while searching a Cincinnati-area landfill Wednesday but stopped short of indicating whether it was that of a missing Columbus woman whose boyfriend reportedly admitted to killing her and throwing her body in a dumpster.

Police would not confirm to The Dispatch whether the body was connected to the search for Renee Benedetti, a 40-year-old woman who was last seen in late January. Benedetti's boyfriend, 46-year-old Gene Scott, confessed to killing Benedetti earlier this year, according to court documents.

The discovery was made Wednesday at a Rumpke landfill located off of U.S. 68 in Brown County, near Georgetown, Ohio and southeast of Cincinnati.

Cmdr. Mark Denner, who oversees the Columbus police homicide unit, said more information would be released at a press conference on Thursday.

No information has been provided about what led Columbus police to go to the Cincinnati-area landfill.

What happened to Renee Benedetti?

Benedetti was last seen in late January at the North Side apartment she shared with Scott, who is currently being held without bail in the Franklin County jail in connection with a federal charge of illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

According to documents filed in the federal case against Scott, he reportedly admitted to killing Benedetti and dumping her body in a dumpster. Columbus police searched Scott's apartment on Feb. 1, finding multiple firearms, and Scott was arrested the following day in Kentucky.

Court records show Columbus police had searched Scott's apartment on the 4900 block of Arbor Village Drive in the Beechwold area for "evidence of murder."

Scott was not legally allowed to have a firearm after a 1998 conviction for felonious assault and aggravated robbery in Summit County. In that case, according to reports from the Elyria Chronicle Telegram at the time, the victim was found unconscious in a pool of his own blood, had two broken ribs and every bone in the man's face had been broken after he had been robbed and "left for dead." The man was in a coma for more than three weeks.

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Scott was sentenced to 18 years in prison in that case.

Columbus police said on Feb. 24 that Benedetti's case was considered a "suspicious death investigation."

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus police find body in Cincinnati-area landfill
Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson, left, made a tasteless quip about President Biden having cancer, but the lawmaker who was censured by the Texas GOP was Rep. Tony Gonzales for, among other heresies, backing a modest package of gun safety laws. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press; Bill Clark/ CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

Last weekend, the Texas Republican Party voted to punish one of its own.

Tony Gonzales, a two-term congressman from San Antonio, was censured for, among other things, backing a modest gun safety law after 19 children and two teachers were slaughtered at an elementary school in Uvalde.

The day after the party issued its condemnation, Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson appeared on Fox News (motto: Lying to viewers for fun and profit) where he cracked wise about the removal of a cancerous growth from President Bidens chest.

Biden is the cancer, the Amarillo Republican said. Hes what needs to be removed, not the lesion they found.

There has been no clamor among Texas Republicans to sanction Jackson for his callous and tasteless remark, and none is expected.

Together, the events  though unrelated  say a good deal about the state of our politics and, especially, the nature of the Trumpified GOP.

Forget basic human decency. What counts is pugnacity, acting out and blind, unswerving allegiance to the party line.

For years, Texas 23rd Congressional District  a behemoth sprawling hundreds of miles from El Paso to San Antonio  was among the most competitive in the nation.

Gonzales, a former Navy cryptologist who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, won a close race in 2020. He had an easier time of it when he sought reelection in 2022 after the lines were redrawn to give the district a somewhat more Republican tilt.

But its still competitive by Texas standards, and Gonzales performance suggests a lawmaker trying to navigate shaky political ground.

His district includes Uvalde and his vote for the gun law following the May 2022 massacre was hardly a radical response; all the legislation did was strengthen background checks, help states implement red-flag laws and boost funding for mental health and school safety. (A lead Republican negotiator was Texas senior U.S. senator, John Cornyn.)

If the measure came up again, Gonzales told reporters as the state GOP was weighing action against the congressman, he would double down in his support.

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Another of Gonzales heresies was voting in favor of legislation that codified same-sex marriage. It wasnt a tough vote, he told the Texas Tribune, noting the diversity of his district. If the Republican Party is gonna grow and thrive, we gotta be open to that.

Republicans used to call it the Big Tent, and everyone was said to be welcome inside.

But for extremists who have taken over leadership of the GOP in Texas and other states, the emphasis is no longer party-building. Its purges and purity tests.

By Gonzales count, hes taken nearly 1,400 votes in Congress and the bulk of those have been with the Republican Party.

No matter.

After Saturdays overwhelming vote to censure, the state GOP issued a statement accusing the lawmaker of a lack of fidelity to Republican principles and priorities and all but begged a challenger from his party to step in and take on Gonzales in 2024.

Never mind that someone more rigid and ideological might prevail in a primary but then very likely lose the House seat in November.

If Donald Trump and his devotees have shown one thing in the past few years, its that theyre not very good at winning competitive elections.

Ronny Jackson served as White House physician for five years under Presidents Obama and Trump, and its scary  given what hes revealed since  that anyone let him remotely near the Democrat.

The crass quip about Bidens cancer is the least of it.

Elected to Congress in 2020, the former naval officer has helped promote Trumps stolen-election lie  Jackson voted against certifying Bidens victory  suggested the spread of COVID-19 was part of a Democratic election plot, and offered groundless theories questioning the presidents mental and physical health.

None of which has hurt Jackson with voters in his overwhelmingly pro-Trump district; he won reelection in November with more than 75% support.

In Texas, you dont get censured for being too far right, said Cal Jillson, an analyst and political science professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, or for taking a loud, confrontational stance in favor of guns and against gay rights.

How about making fun of the president having skin cancer?

Our politics have descended to a level where thats not uncommon, Jillson noted, adding if that kind of boorish behavior drew more widespread condemnation there would be lots of people being censured very frequently.

Heres a better idea. If youd like to see more compromise and bipartisanship in Washington, vote for someone like Gonzales who shows a willingness to think independently, stand on principle and cross party lines to achieve a greater good.

And ship Jackson out to sea, where he belongs.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz: union-buster-in-chief? (Associated Press)

Few American companies strive to project as warm and welcoming an image as Starbucks, in its treatment of customers and workers alike.

That may have ended with a ruling last week by a National Labor Relations Board judge, who cited the coffeehouse chain for "hundreds of unfair labor practices" amounting to "egregious and widespread misconduct demonstrating a general disregard for the employees' fundamental rights."

Administrative Law Judge Michael Rosas' ruling related to the company's response to an organizing drive by Starbucks Workers United, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union, in Buffalo, N.Y.

Starbucks is the poster child of union-busting in the United States.

Starbucks Union official Gary Bonadonna Jr.

That region became the epicenter of a movement that has now held successful union votes at 289 of the company's roughly 9,000 locations.

One would have to look far and wide for as uncompromising a condemnation of union-busting as the 218-page ruling issued March 1 by Rosas, or the extraordinary remedies he ordered from the company.

These include mandates that Starbucks rehire scores of Buffalo-area workers Rosas found to have been fired for union activities, restoring back pay to many more whose hours were cut, allegedly for participation in or support of the unionization drive, and the reopening of at least one location allegedly shuttered to hobble unionization.

Most remarkably, Rosas ordered Chief Executive Howard Schultz and Denise Nelson, the company's senior vice president for U.S. operations, to read out (or have it read out in their presence) a 13-page statement detailing workers' unionization rights, all the ways they were violated and all the remedies he specified.

The notice must also be posted in every Starbucks store where it can be seen by employees, whom the company invariably describes as "partners."

This is strong medicine for Schultz, who is in his third stint as CEO. (He's stepping down from that role this month but will remain on the board.) After resisting an invitation to appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Schultz agreed to appear when committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) threatened to seek a subpoena. Schultz's testimony is scheduled for March 29.

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The company has maintained that Schultz hasn't been involved in union issues at Starbucks, but that's nonsense. The anti-union stance at Starbucks must be laid at his door. As we reported in April, after becoming "interim CEO" in March 2022 he made himself the face and voice of the company's ferocious counterattack on the unionization drive.

Schultz appeared in videotaped town hall presentations and put his name to written communications to workers and managers. There and in group meetings with workers around the country, he repeatedly characterized unions as a menace to the companys economics and culture.

Outside labor unions are attempting to sell a very different view of what Starbucks should be, he wrote in an open letter posted on the companys website April 10. Employees supporting unionization are colluding with outside union forces. ... I do not believe conflict, division and dissension  which has been a focus of union organizing  benefits Starbucks or our partners.

Starbucks has also hired Littler Mendelson, a law firm that boasts of guiding companies in developing and initiating strategies that lawfully avoid unions.

These include advising management on precise and compliant messaging to employees ... that may include informational signs and posters, home letters, meeting materials, testimonial videos, social media postings, handouts and campaign websites.

Rosas' ruling is subject to review by the National Labor Relations Board, which has a Biden-appointed Democratic majority and a Biden-appointed general counsel, a powerful administrative post, after years in which it was under the sway of a worker-hostile Trump majority and general counsel.

The order can be appealed by Starbucks, which has said it will seek to "obtain further legal review." Rosas' ruling applies to 20 Buffalo-area locations and one in Rochester, N.Y.

What's fascinating about the ruling is how the judge laid out the road map of methods, from subtle to naked, followed by employers determined to bust unions in the modern age. Many of these are disguised as agreeable efforts to foster cooperation and collaboration between management and employees, but they're illegal nonetheless.

The company told me by email, We believe the decision and the remedies ordered are inappropriate given the record in this matter and are considering all options to obtain further legal review.

Judging from Rosas' descriptions, Starbucks followed the union-busting playbook to the letter. Union-busters advise managements to paint the unions as outsiders," say that theyll disrupt the smooth working of the company or even drive it out of business, and that unions will make it impossible for workers to deal directly with management.

The company "blitzed the Buffalo market with an extraordinary number of corporate officials, managers and others" who staged "listening sessions" with groups of local employees to solicit their views about adverse working conditions and pledging, sometimes only implicitly, to rectify them, Rosas observed. Schultz personally participated in some of these meetings.

Superficially, these appeared to be responsible queries by management. But none of them had occurred before Buffalo workers announced the first unionization drive with a tweet and open letter Aug. 23, 2021, addressed to then-CEO Kevin Johnson.

The letter shifted the ground beneath management's feet, for NLRB standards hold that soliciting grievances or promising benefits during a union campaign is illegal because that "improperly influences employees' choices" and can be "timed to discourage union support," Rosas wrote.

Starbucks also announced a company-wide pay increase; because that came after the open letter, Rosas judged it "coercive," especially because employees at the listening sessions had complained about pay.

The company took less covert steps to quash union activity. Some union advocates were fired or had their hours cut. Some stores where employees demonstrated clear union sympathies were closed, temporarily or permanently.

Supervisors worked inside the stores to an unprecedented extent, leading workers to believe they were under surveillance for union activities.

Some of the company's actions seemed to be wholly cynical. After workers at one store complained of its being chronically understaffed, management inundated the location with new and transferred workers. That created overcrowding behind the counter and operational chaos, while reducing the incumbent workers' share of tips and reducing the percentage of the store's pro-union vote.

The company's efforts "had their intended effect," Rosas noted, pointing to the sharp decline of union support at one store where 16 employees had signed union authorization cards in the first week of the organizing campaign, but only eight were still supporting the union by the time votes were counted.

After successful union votes at several stores, Starbucks slow-walked contract negotiations. Accordingly, Rosas ordered the company to start contract bargaining at three stores, including the one where he found that the anti-union campaign had undermined union support.

Rosas' ruling underscores the difficulty of union organizing. Corporate managements have a multitude of ways to discourage unionization, not always through threats.

Timely wage increases, for example, can be terrifically effective at diluting unions' appeal because they can be made to look like expressions of pure corporate benevolence, when they're really stratagems aimed at depriving employees the long-term voice on workplace conditions that they can seldom achieve except through collective bargaining.

It's tempting to see the organizing success of Starbucks Workers United as a herald of worker power and the NLRB ruling as a sign that the regulatory tide has finally turned in labor's favor.

But that would be a mistake. Management still holds most of the cards, abetted by anti-union federal laws such as the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947.

Although union membership increased last year by 273,000 to 14.3 million, the union membership rate fell to 10.1% from 10.3% in 2021.

And it would only take a turn of the presidential electoral wheel in 2024 to convert the National Labor Relations Board from a protector of collective bargaining rights back into a sedulous guardian of management prerogatives.

It may be true, for the moment, that "Starbucks is the poster child of union-busting in the United States," in the words of Starbucks Workers United official Gary Bonadonna Jr. But the fight is not nearly over.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., on Tuesday said it was a mistake that then-President Donald Trump did not bomb meth labs in Mexico after he had reportedly asked his defense secretary about the possibility in 2020.

One of the things we learned post-Trump presidency is that he had ordered a bombing of a couple of fentanyl labs, crystal meth labs, in Mexico, just across the border, and for whatever reason the military didnt do it, Comer said on Fox and Friends on Tuesday. I think that was a mistake.

In his book, A Sacred Oath, published last year, former Trump Defense Secretary Mark Esper alleged that Trump in 2020 asked him about the possibility of launching missiles into Mexico to destroy the drug labs and wipe out the cartels, The New York Times reported. The then-president maintained that the United States involvement in a strike against Mexico could be kept secret, Esper alleged.

Esper reportedly said Trump floated the idea during the summer of 2020, when he was unhappy about drug trafficking across the southern border.

Trump did not return NBC News' request for comment when the revelations in Esper's book were reported. He refused to comment on the matter in a statement to CBS's "60 Minutes" last May. NBC News did not independently confirm Esper's account in the book, which the Times reported had undergone a standard Pentagon security clearance process. The Times also reported that Esper had sent his writing to generals, Cabinet members and others with an eye toward accuracy and fairness.

Comers remarks come as Republicans have accused President Joe Biden of taking a lax approach to migrants and the trafficking of drugs, such as fentanyl, through the southern border. The Biden administration is considering restarting the controversial policy that detains migrants who enter the country illegally with their children, NBC News reported Monday. President Joe Biden stopped the policy, known as family detention, shortly after he took office.

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Comer aired his grievances with the U.S. handling of border security during his appearance on Fox News.

One of the things that the Oversight Committee has learned about the Mexican government during its investigation on border security is that they meet with these drug cartels the way that the United States meets with the Chamber of Commerce or labor unions, Comer said. This is wrong, and the U.S. needs to completely reverse its policy against Mexico and take a firm stance against all the crimes being committed in Mexico.

The Oversight Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing Wednesday titled, Force Multipliers: Examining the Need for Additional Resources to Disrupt Transnational Crime at the Border and Beyond.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has noted the invaluable contribution of Ukrainian women to the victory over the Russian aggressor.

Source: Zaluzhnyi on Facebook



Quote: "A Ukrainian woman today  who is she?

A defender who risks her life for the sake of her homeland. A volunteer who provides invaluable assistance around the clock. A doctor who heroically saves lives.

A teacher, thanks to whom young Ukrainians will remember the DNA of our nation. She is also a company executive, athlete, lawyer, designer, journalist or successful representative of any other profession.

A mother who asks God for protection for her child every second. A wife who is waiting at home. Or being waited for at home. A daughter who is proud of her parents and has become a reliable support for them.

Every day you make an invaluable contribution to our victory. Each of you on your own front. I am grateful for your dedication on the front line and reliable home front."

Background: 8 March is International Women's Day.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces has posted a video showing defenders of Bakhmut being decorated with military awards.

Source: Syrskyi on Telegram



Details: The Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces has posted footage of his visit to defenders.

Quote from Syrskyi: "We will kill all enemies! We will win! Glory to you. Because you are there now, and there is no place hotter than here, near Bakhmut."

         , ,    .   Telegram  pic.twitter.com/0jaaeh7sXo     (@ukrpravda_news) March 8, 2023

Details: He noted that he decorated the soldiers with military crosses and a new award for the Ground Forces, which "is awarded for valour, courage and heroism for the first time".

Background:



Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, visited the units defending the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast on 5 March and stated that the fighting for the city had reached its peak.

Earlier, Syrskyi visited Bakhmut on 25 February and 3 March.



On 6 March, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting of Supreme Commander-in-Chief to discuss the latest developments in Bakhmut.

Syrskyi and Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, spoke in favour of continuing the defence operation and further strengthening of Ukrainian positions in Bakhmut.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
(Reuters) -Commonwealth Bank of Australia said on Wednesday its Indonesian unit, PT Bank Commonwealth (PTBC), had been hit by a cyber incident.

The incident involves unauthorised access of a web-based software application used for project management, and the bank's Australian systems were segregated from PTBC systems, CBA said, confirming that the unit's services will operate as usual.

Cyber attacks against Australia from criminals and state-sponsored groups have jumped recently, with a government report equating the assault to one attack every seven minutes.

In Australia, at least eight companies have reported cyber attacks in the last few months, the largest being health insurer Medibank Private and Optus, the local unit of Singapore Telecommunications.

Shares of CBA dropped about 0.9% to A$98.04, in line with the broader market down nearly 1% on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Harshita Swaminathan and Riya Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
Merle Oberon, Haing Ngor, and Michelle Yeoh

Merle Oberon in <em>The Dark Angel</em>, 1935; Haing Ngor in <em>The Killing Fields</em>, 1984; Michelle Yeoh in <em>Everything Everywhere All at Once</em>, 2022 Credit - Everett; Warner Brothers/Getty Images; A24/Everett

True to the name of her film, actor Michelle Yeoh, star of Everything Everywhere All at Once, is winning everything, everywhere these days. And she is breaking ground left and right. She is only the second Asian woman to win a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical/Comedy). The first Asian woman to win the award, Awkwafina, won it just three years ago, in 2020. Now with the upcoming Academy Awards on March 12, Yeoh is the first Asian woman to be nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. Asian actors earned a record four nominations in the major acting categoriesYeohs co-stars Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu and The Whales Hong Chauwhile Daniel Kwan, along with his co-director Daniel Scheinert, is up for Best Directing.

There is, however, a slight distinction to be made here: Yeoh, who is of Malaysian Chinese descent, is the first openly Asian woman to be nominated for the Best Actress award, but not the first Asian woman to be nominated.

The first Asian woman to be nominated for Best Actress was Merle Oberon in 1936, for The Dark Angel. The Mumbai-born actor, who was of mixed race and did not promote her Asian heritage, played white women in her film roles. More than eight decades later, Yeoh has said that wants to be seen as a role model for Asian women everywhere. In her speech accepting the Screen Actors Guild Award on Feb. 26, she said, This is not just for me, this is for every little girl that looks like me.

Heres what to know about the history of actors of Asian descent at the Oscars, from Oberons hidden identity to 2023s groundbreaking year.

Read more: Crazy Rich Asians Kicked Down the Door. Now Asian Americans Are Fighting To Stay in the Room

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From passing to yellowface

Fredric March and Merle Oberon in The Dark Angel. John Springer Collection/CORBIS/Corbis/Getty Images

In The Dark Angel, Oberon played a white woman in the middle of a love triangle with her two childhood friends who are World War I soldiers. In a line from a 1935 Picture Play profile that now reads as particularly revealing, she said, Its easier for me to be something which I am not than it is to act myself. While her performance received rave reviews, the Oscar that year ultimately went to Bette Davis for Dangerous.

She was passing, Monica Sandler, a historian of Hollywood at the University of California, Los Angeles, says of Oberons career playing non-Asian roles. Shes an example of someone who was hiding her identity, was able to get parts in the industry specifically because she was hiding her identityIf she had been openly Asian at that time, she would not have been able to have any leading roles. The love triangle in The Dark Angel, she argues, would have been particularly scandalous had Oberons character been Asian because you could not have a romantic relationship between two people of two different races in movies during that period of time.

Hollywood did, however, reward white actors who played Asian characters onscreena practice of using makeup to change ones appearance known as yellowface. One famous example from this period is German actor Luise Rainer winning Best Actress for The Good Earth, the 1937 film adaptation of the Pearl Buck classic. As Sandler sums up this milestone, the Oscars had never rewarded an Asian person but they did reward a person for playing Asian.

Bucks novel has generated criticism over the years. Some dont think the author, a white American who grew up in China with a missionary family, painted a realistic picture of life in China. The criticism of Buck [is] essentially that she took Asian culture and made it white, and then it became relatable to people, argues Sandler. The Asian characters in the book have been criticized for being oversimplified and portrayed as victims who need a Western outsider to come and save them. That was a widely shared view among white Americans, reinforced in the years to come when China would become a U.S. ally during World War II.

But even back then, there were film critics who wondered why a Chinese actor wasnt playing a Chinese character. As Picturegoer writer Max Breen wrote in 1938, Could not a normally inscrutable Chinese woman have done, with far less effort, all that Luise Rainer did in that film?

Limited roles and gradually improving representation

Stephanie Hsu as Joy Wang, Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Quan Wang and Ke Huy Quan as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Allyson RiggsA24

But Breens comment did not account for the lack of opportunity for Asian actors at the time. When Asian women did get cast in Hollywood movies, the options were scant and often stereotypical. An Asian woman did play a part in The Good Earth, but as a mistress to the lead actor Paul Muni, whom he leaves when decides to stay with his wife. Sandler also singles out Anna May Wong, the most prominent Chinese American actress of her era, who was mostly offered roles as secondary characters who were villainous or sex objects. In fact, Wong was supposed to play the leading female role in The Good Earth but lost the part to Rainer. Buck wanted an all-Chinese cast, but the producers didnt think that would appeal to American audiences, according to the Museum of Chinese in America.

Fast-forward to the late 1990s, and Yeoh was a star in Asia, starring in Hong Kong action films, but facing limited options in Hollywood films. Despite gaining traction as a Chinese secret agent who jumps off a skyscraper in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997, she turned down Hollywood film parts repeatedly for the next three years because she refused to play any roles that perpetuated stereotypes about Asian women. Even after she starred in the Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), it was not until 2022 with the release of Everything Everywhere All at Once that Yeoh experienced widespread recognition of her talents by the Hollywood mainstream.

Read more: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Proves Michelle Yeoh Has Always Been Criminally Underrated

Yeohs success comes in the context of a broader fight for Asian representation in Hollywood which has seen both progress and setbacks in recent years. Whitewashing remains an issue; Asian and Asian American entertainers slammed the 2017 film Ghost in the Shell for casting Scarlett Johansson in the lead role of the film adaptation for a Japanese manga narrative. Actor George Takei balked at Tilda Swinton playing a Tibetan character in Doctor Strange (2016).

Awkwafina stars in The Farewell, written and directed by Lulu Wang. Courtesy of A24

But there have been breakthroughs, too: In 2018, TIME lauded Crazy Rich Asiansin which Yeoh plays the protective mother of a groomas the first modern story with an all-Asian cast and an Asian American lead in 25 years, since The Joy Luck Club in 1993. In 2021, Marvel released its first Asian-led superhero film, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, while comedies like The Farewell and Always Be My Maybe were hailed for their relatable depictions of Asian American characters. And at the 2021 Oscars, Yuh-jung Youn won Best Supporting Actress for Minari, becoming the first Asian actor to win an acting Oscar since 1985 when the Cambodian actor Haing Ngor won for The Killing Fields.

Read more: The Crucial History Behind Yuh-Jung Youns Oscar Win

The Oscars have also seen some strides when it comes to Asian and Asian American filmmakers behind the camera. Ang Lee was the first director of Asian descent to win Best Director, for Brokeback Mountain, in 2006; he won it again for Life of Pi seven years later. Bong Joon-Ho won for Parasite in 2020, and Chloe Zhao won for Nomadland in 2021making her not only the first Asian woman to win the prize, but also the first woman of color.

On a broader level, authentic representation of Asian stories on-screen can lead to a better understanding of Asian stories off-screen. One recent poll showed 58% of Americans couldnt name a famous Asian American public figure. As Yeoh told TIME in 2022, her fans tell her that her career has the power to uplift the entire Asian community, They come up to me and they say, Youre doing it for us.
All that whinging from the GOP about Hunter Biden and his supposed influence peddling across the world may actually lead to a piece of legislation with a real shot of making it into law, as surprising as that may be.

Lawmakers in the US House of Representatives are considering legislation, according to Axios, which would put new rules in place dictating which family members of elected officials will be required to submit financial disclosure forms, opening up a window into the previously opaque wall that protected family members of DCs elite from scrutiny.

The legislation has another purpose as well: To deal with the evolving row over classified documents that began with a shocking FBI raid of Mar-a-Lago and has since consumed both Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence as well.

It would streamline and reform the process by which presidential records are turned over to the National Archives following the end of a presidents term in office; the bill is meant to put safeguards in place to prevent the further (allegedly) accidental retention of classified materials by former elected officials.

What the bill would not do, however, is address the issue of overclassification, or overly broad classification of federal government documents and records, which has been raised as a concern by many in the wake of the documents scandal.

Its unclear whether the processes that comes into play in the legislation being pursued by James Comer, head of the House Oversight Committee, and his ranking Democratic colleague Jamie Raskin would have prevented Donald Trump from retaining classified materials and other presidential records at his Mar-a-Lago abode, given that it is known that unlike Mr Pence and Mr Biden, he resisted attempts by the National Archives to recover the materials once they were discovered.

Still, its a sign that Democrats and Republicans will be able to work together on some isolated issues even as the lower chamber is now governed by a GOP majority which is likely to be a graveyard for much legislation sponsored by either side.

Republican members of Congress have vowed investigations into Hunter Biden and the presidents finances, even as the younger Mr Biden has not yet been credibly accused of committing any wrongdoing.

A previous hearing touted by the GOP as an opportunity for them to hold big tech CEOs accountable for the supposed censorship of conservative views on their platforms ended up being a disaster, with Republicans eliciting no confessions from their witnesses and instead simply taking turns angrily harranguing their guests (to subsequent denials).
PATERSON  The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office late Wednesday released the names of the Paterson police officers involved in the fatal shooting of violence intervention specialist Najee Seabrooks.

Two Paterson Police officers assigned to the department's Emergency Response Team, Anzore Tsay and Jose Hernandez, fired their weapons and struck Seabrooks in what became the conclusion of an hours-long negotiation on Friday, the attorney general's office said. Tsay and Hernandez discharged their weapons at approximately 12:35 p.m. Friday in an apartment inside 20 Mill St. where Seabrooks had barricaded himself.

Seabrooks was later transported to St. Joseph's University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 12:51 p.m. Friday.

Three other officers, Hector Mendez, Qiad Lin and Mario Vdovjak, used "less lethal force" during the encounter, the attorney general's office said.

Participants in a rally for Najee Seabrooks march towards the Paterson Public Safety Complex on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Najee Seabrooks, a member of the violence intervention group the Paterson Healing Collective, was fatally shot by Paterson police after a standoff while he was barricaded inside his home.

Citing apparent threats to the officers involved, the attorney general's office had not previously released the names. Authorities had not provided further information about those alleged threats, but activists expressed doubts about the legitimacy of the AGs explanation.

I think that excuse is not justified, said Zellie Thomas, leader of Patersons Black Lives Matter group. Whats justified is the anger of the death of a peacemaker, whats justified is the anger about the lack of transparency, whats justified is the anger because this keeps happening.

Subscriber exclusive:Anger, frustration over shooting grow as family member faces new hardship

More:Najee Seabrooks: What the Paterson Healing Collective's director said in his memory

'He cried out for help'

Meanwhile, Seabrooks colleagues at the Paterson Healing Collective told the City Council on Tuesday night about phone conversations and text message exchanges they had with their friend in the hours before he was fatally shot by police.

Also, Seabrooks cousin, Nicole Anthony, told the council that Seabrooks himself had made the 911 call that brought police to his home on the morning he was killed.

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He called yall for help, Anthony told the council. He was a threat to himself. He was not a threat to police.

He cried out for help, and when you came to help him, you murdered him, Seabrooks cousin said.

Casey Melvin and Teddie Martinez of the Paterson Healing Collective told the council that Seabrooks contacted each of them asking them to come to his home on Mill Street.

He said, Theyre trying to kill me, bro, come here now, Melvin said.

Melvin said he arrived soon afterward and sent Seabrooks a text letting him know he was there.

He said, Come up, Melvin said.

But Melvin said the lieutenant in charge of the scene, Lt. Louis Spagnola, would not allow him inside. During the council meeting and at a rally Tuesday night, Melvin and Martinez blamed Spagnola for Seabrooks death.

Najee Seabrooks

It remains unclear what precipitated Seabrooks mental health crisis that day. The attorney general's office, which is handling the investigation, has not disclosed any details about why police were sent to his home or what happened while they were there. High-ranking city officials have said privately that Seabrooks was wielding multiple knives and moving toward police officers at the time he was shot.

But his friends and family members said the officers should not have fired their guns because they were wearing protective riot gear and equipped with a shield.

Anthony said the police should have used different tactics."

Where was the Mace? she asked. Where was the flash bombs? Where was the Taser?

During Tuesdays council meeting, Seabrooks father spoke to the crowd in a phone call from Northern State Prison, where he is serving a 45-year-sentence.

Youve got to stand up for my son, said Willie Seabrooks II, the son of a longtime Paterson police detective who had been employed as a corrections officer before getting arrested in a hostage incident in 2006.

Please dont let them sweep this under the rug, Seabrooks said of his sons death, before asserting that he himself had been wrongly convicted of crimes he didnt commit.

Subscriber exclusive:Najee Seabrooks death is latest controversy over police role in mental health crises

Community grieves:Najee Seabrooks rally draws more than 250 after fatal police-involved shooting in Paterson

Activists seek body cam footage

Meanwhile, activists have been demanding the release of the body camera recordings for the police officers who were involved in Seabrooks death.

Paterson Press last Saturday had filed public records requests with the City of Paterson for those videos, as well as for the recordings of all 911 calls and police radio transmissions during the Seabrooks incident. The city has not yet responded to those requests.

Mayor Andre Sayegh on Wednesday afternoon issued a statement calling for the release of the body camera recordings.

We want the truth and that's why I am asking for the immediate release of the body camera footage of this tragic incident, Sayegh said.

When asked why the city itself hasnt released the videos in response to the Paterson Press request, the mayors staff said Paterson is abiding by the attorney general's guidelines that wont allow the city to release recordings in police lethal force cases.

Lawyer CJ Griffin, one of New Jerseys leading champions of government transparency and freedom of information litigation, filed the public records request in the Seabrooks case that prompted the attorney general's office to say there were alleged threats against Paterson police.

Griffin said it was very rare for the attorney general's office to withhold the names of police officers in response to record requests. In one such denial, Griffin sued the state and won, saying the courts rejected security concerns as the reason for withholding the names. Griffin was not satisfied with the information that the attorney general's office provided on Tuesday.

Its been several days, and no official information has been given out  just what unnamed sources have selectively wanted to tell the press, Griffin said earlier in the day about the Seabrooks probe. The community is mourning and protesting, demanding an explanation. The delay is painful.

Griffin said the state provided an explanation for not releasing the officers names.

Release of information identifying the involved officers will jeopardize their safety and may jeopardize investigations in progress, the attorney general's office said. A particularized actual threat was made against law enforcement officers. Accordingly, disclosure of their identifying information would not only be harmful to a bona fide law enforcement purpose but also to the public safety.

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Najee Seabrooks: NJ AG won't release police numbers
Momentum appears to be building in Congress for banning TikTok in the U.S.

Momentum appears to be building in Congress for banning TikTok in the U.S.

Indias government banned TikTok in 2020, becoming the first country to do so, in what government officials described as a targeted move to ensure safety and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace after a deadly border clash with China.

Now, almost three years later, the U.S. is inching close to considering similar actions against the popular platform owned by Chinese company ByteDance over its ties to Beijing and national security concerns.

TikTok is extremely popular in the U.S., with over 100 million users  and topped 1 billion users worldwide in 2021.

But momentum against the platform has been building in the U.S.

Chinese companies and those operating within China are required by law to share data with its government if requested, which proponents of a ban have said could force TikTok to pass on U.S. users private data to Beijing.

All of these things are in the hands of a government that doesnt share our values, and that has a mission thats very much at odds with whats in the best interests of the United States, FBI Director Christopher Wray said in early December. That should concern us.

TikTok seemed to confirm such worries later that month when it revealed that it fired staff in China and the U.S. after they were found to have accessed the data of two journalists and other U.S. users, according to The Washington Post.

The company has long argued Americans information is safe and said that it is working with U.S. company Oracle to further safeguard the app.

We have not provided U.S. user data to the CCP, nor would we if asked, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew wrote in a letter to senators in June, referring to the Chinese Communist Party, which rules the country.

Meanwhile, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States reportedly has been negotiating a deal with TikTok to allow the company to continue to operate in the U.S. while also mitigating the perceived risk to national security. But a deal has not been reached so far.

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Growing Calls To Ban TikTok In The U.S.

The White House now seems to be focused on legislation coming out of Congress  a move that could potentially strengthen the Committee on Foreign Investments position in its negotiation with the company, according to The New York Times.

Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) on Tuesday introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at curtailing companies that can be misused by foreign actors. The bill aims to enable the Commerce Department to mitigate foreign threats to information.

The bill, titled Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology, or RESTRICT, Act, was endorsed by the White House, which had also reviewed a draft version, The New York Times reported. National Security adviser Jake Sullivan called on Congress to act quickly.

This legislation would empower the United States government to prevent certain foreign governments from exploiting technology services operating in the United States in a way that poses risks to Americans sensitive data and our national security, Sullivan said in a statement.

While the RESTRICT Act does not specifically target TikTok, it seeks to give the government more power to act against companies that are deemed a risk to U.S. users. That could include banning the companies.

In terms of foreign technology coming into America, weve got to have a systemic approach to make sure that we can ban or prohibit it when necessary, Warner said on Fox News Sunday while previewing the bill.

That means TikTok is one of the potential companies the bill could affect, the senator added Sunday.

TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter told CNN a possible U.S. TikTok ban would effectively be a ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion-plus people who use our service worldwide.

The White House has already ordered federal agencies to remove TikTok from government devices by the end of this month, citing security concerns.

The House Foreign Affairs committee approved a bill introduced by its chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) last week that would grant President Joe Biden more power to outlaw the app in the U.S. using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. The bill must be approved by the full House and Senate.

Sources told The Financial Times that TikToks future will depend on how its CEO performs in a hearing before the House energy and commerce committee later this month.

If the U.S. moves forward with banning TikTok, it could look to India as an example.

Why Did India Ban TikTok?

India provides an important precedent and a blueprint for other countries to follow in banning TikTok, Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, said earlier this year.

Indias strong leadership has been informative and helpful as we have debated banning TikTok in the U.S., Carr told The Economic Times in an interview published in early January. For those who argue that there is no way to ban an app, India is an example of a country that has done it and done it successfully.

Indias Ministry of Information Technology in June 2020 announced it was banning 59 Chinese-made apps, including TikTok, saying that they posed a danger to the country. It has since gone on to outlaw even more Chinese companies.

The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures, the ministry said in a statement at the time.

The action came following a border dispute between India and China that turned deadly, killing 20 Indian soldiers.

TikTok was very popular at the time the government decided to impose the ban, boasting over 200 million active monthly users in the country.

What Has The Impact Of The Ban Been In India?

Indias TikTok ban by no means stopped the rapid growth of short-form video content in the country.

On the contrary, the sudden ban supercharged the segment, according to Bloomberg, which in 2021 estimated the social media video market in India could be worth $20 billion.

The TikTok ban seems to have accelerated the rollout of short-form video features on existing platforms, including Metas Instagram Reels and Alphabets YouTube Shorts. It also led to the creation of domestic companies like Moj, which has received funding from Alphabets Google.

We charged like bulls and launched Moj in 30 hours, Ankush Sachdeva, the co-founder of Mojs parent company ShareChat, told Bloomberg about how TikToks ban prompted the new platform.

Instagram launched Reels in August 2020 after a monthslong trial in Brazil. And YouTube launched Shorts in India in September 2020, six months before it introduced the service in the U.S.

The decision to ban TikTok in India affected the companys staff in the country.

The social media giant reportedly decided to lay off its remaining workforce in India in February, after it was made clear operations wouldnt restart given the governments continued hostility toward Chinese apps, a source told Indias Economic Times.

Indias abrupt ban of TikTok could also raise concerns for international companies looking to do business in the country, according to Amit Jangir, co-founder of Karbon Card, a Shanghai-based fintech startup.

Im afraid that a lot of overseas investors will now be reluctant or hesitant given that policy changes can be so drastic, Jangir told Insider in 2020.

What Are The Concerns Around Banning TikTok?

A TikTok ban would certainly receive pushback in the U.S.

One of the strongest criticisms against a potential U.S. ban is that it would represent a form of economic protectionism, said Caitlin Chin, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In other words, it would send a message that the U.S. is promoting U.S. companies at the expense of others.

There is already evidence that could be a direct outcome.

Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, on Monday saw its shares rise by 9.5% after Warner previewed his bill and an additional 5% on Tuesday following the announcement of the legislation.

Meta, which would be one of the biggest beneficiaries of a TikTok ban, reportedly paid a GOP consulting company last year to create a campaign promoting claims that TikTok is dangerous for children and society at large, according to internal emails reviewed by The Washington Post.

Chin told HuffPost a U.S. ban could potentially set a precedent for more countries to increasingly turn to protectionist actions that could potentially risk further fracturing the internet.

Instead of promoting free data flows, this will pretty much do the opposite, Chin added.

Critics of a ban have argued it could infringe on users First Amendment rights.

Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, has criticized both Warners bill in the Senate and McCauls House bill.

Unfortunately, the Senate bill is a roundabout route to the same bad place reached more directly by the House bill, Leventoff said in a statement.

If the [Commerce] Secretary uses this newfound power to ban TikTok or other communications platforms without evidence of overwhelming, imminent harm, it would violate our right to freedom of expression, Leventoff continued.

A ban would have to be tailored to a specific threat under the First Amendment, Chin explained.

Theres no direct evidence yet that the Chinese government has yet used TikTok as a vessel for either propaganda or surveillance, Chin said, adding that other platforms, including U.S. ones, are already engaging in that type of action.

Chin said the U.S. has very few regulations on data protection and content moderation and that a TikTok ban wouldnt make Americans safer.

Many mobile apps, not just TikTok, are collecting very similar types of data, which could also very easily end up in the hands of the Chinese government, Chin said.

U.S. Efforts To Restrict TikTok In The Past

Former President Donald Trump began his efforts to effectively ban TikTok via executive order in August 2020 and again in January 2021. But the push failed in court, leading Biden to rescind the orders in 2021.

MIT Sloan School of Management professors Keman Huang and Stuart Madnick warned in the Harvard Business Review about the disruption that the proposed ban could cause to international trade.

The abuse of national security threat is snowballing and leading to an escalating trade war that could disrupt world trade, they wrote in August 2020, following Trumps Aug. 6 executive orders.

They pointed to the historical example of the Smoot-Hawley Tariffs in the 1930s.

While the objective behind the tariffs was to safeguard farmers who had suffered during the Great Depression, the move backfired as U.S. trade partners retaliated and imposed greater tariffs in return.

In general, there are rarely winners in trade wars, and probably not in cyber trade wars, Huang and Madnick concluded.

How U.S. Users Have Reacted On The Platform

Many U.S. TikTok users have been closely following the news developments around a potential ban, with some calling on their audience to follow them on other platforms like Youtube and Instagram.

Related...
California Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, front, joins Gov. Gavin Newsom at a school event in Cameron Park, Calif., in 2019. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

For the record:

5:15 p.m. March 9, 2023: A previous version of this story stated that Connie Leyva was a former member of the state Assembly. Leyva served in the state Senate.



When California children were stuck at home in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and schools reopened unevenly across the state, raising equity concerns, frustrated parents demanded action from Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.

But unlike other states, where superintendents were leading the charge, it was Gov. Gavin Newsom who steered the pandemic response in California, negotiating with teachers unions and setting guidelines for schools. Meanwhile, Thurmond was criticized for a lack of action.

Now, two years after the governor and legislative leaders devised a multibillion-dollar plan to safely reopen schools, lingering COVID-19 frustrations could add momentum to a decades-long debate about the role of California's superintendent of public instruction.

Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) has introduced legislation that would require California's superintendent to be appointed by the governor instead of elected by voters, in what he called a "good government" policy that could add power and influence to an office that oversees nearly 6 million public school students.

McCarty said that Thurmond has "admirably" led the state's schools and has been "an effective voice," but that's not enough, calling the role "nothing more than an education cheerleader."

"The public saw crystal clear during the pandemic that what school districts and parents and educators thought the superintendent can do is not the reality," McCarty said. "They're very limited in their statutory authority."

The success of Assembly Constitutional Amendment 9  which would require voter approval because it would change the state Constitution  would add California to a list of 38 states where superintendents are appointed rather than elected.

Thurmond opposes the bill, and the politically influential teachers unions that endorsed him are poised to do the same.

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If approved by two-thirds of the Legislature and by voters on the ballot, the bill would go into effect in 2027 after Thurmond's final term has ended. The measure would prohibit an election for superintendent from being held in 2026. The potential appointee would "serve at the pleasure of" the governor, with confirmation required by the state Legislature, according to the bill.

Thurmond, a former Democratic state lawmaker, cruised to reelection last year with more than 60% of the vote against his Republican opponent Lance Christensen despite controversy during his first term, including a staff turnover problem amid toxic workplace allegations. His decision to quietly hire a friend living out of state as a top official in 2021 led to at least two resignations in the California Department of Education.

Thurmond said in a statement that ACA 9 would "take away the selection from the voters and strip away an independent voice for education."

McCarty, who serves on education committees in the state Legislature, said he is not interested in the role of superintendent himself.

Superintendent of public instruction, the only nonpartisan position among California's eight statewide constitutional officers, has long been described as toothless and ceremonial.

The superintendent oversees operation of the California Department of Education, but local school officials control much of what happens in the 1,000-plus school districts, and in many ways, the governor and the Legislature have more power over education policy. The State Board of Education acts as a policymaking body as well, adopting textbooks and academic standards.

Debate over whether the role should be an elected or appointed position has been ongoing for decades. "Once again, the issue of how the State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall be chosen is making news on the political front in California," stated a report published by the California Assembly in 1963.

Heather Hough, executive director of Policy Analysis of California Education, a nonpartisan research center at Stanford University, said it makes sense that the chaos of the pandemic has brought this debate back into the public domain  a time in which more scrutiny was on the office of the superintendent than she's seen in her decades of policy work.

"I think the pandemic really brought it into view for the public in a way that it wasn't before, how there isn't a lot of positional authority in that role, which then does call the question: why do we have an elected official if that position doesn't have the ability to lead associated with it?" she said. "The way it's constructed in California now is largely an administrative position."

Supporters of the superintendent being an appointed post say that politicians should not seek out the position but qualified school administrators.

Being appointed by the administration could create a better guarantee of "wide-scale change," said Megan Bacigalupi, executive director of California Parent Power, a statewide advocacy organization launched at the height of the pandemic focused on transparency in schools.

"Now, there's a disconnect between the two offices, and that's a disservice to California students," she said.

Malia Vella, deputy superintendent for the California Department of Education, said that Thurmond has been a productive superintendent, pointing to legislation he has sponsored regarding issues like universal preschool and additional school counselors. Vella said he played an important role in supporting schools during the pandemic, including fighting for access to COVID-19 tests.

That work would be "curtailed," she said, if future superintendents are appointed rather than elected.

"I think the legislative and budget process works best when you have an independently elected official whose sole focus is on education," Vella said.

California Teachers Assn. spokesperson Claudia Briggs said the union has not formed an official position on the bill yet but noted that it has opposed similar attempts in the past, "not wanting to take that choice away from parents and voters."

California Federation of Teachers President Jeff Freitas said, "We support democracy in our public education system."

ACA 9 would allow the governor to choose how long a superintendent serves; currently, the position is limited to two four-year terms like other statewide constitutional officers.

Connie Leyva, a former Democratic state senator, has expressed interest in running for state superintendent in 2026. Now executive director of KVCR, an NPR station in the Inland Empire, Leyva said she is undecided if she will run but is staunchly opposed to McCarty's bill.

"In a time when we need more civic engagement and need to strengthen democracy, why would we take an elected position away and make it appointed? It makes no sense to me," she said. "I always feel that appointments lend themselves to be rife with political favoritism."

Delaine Eastin, a Democrat who served as state superintendent from 1995-2003, said ACA 9 would diminish an independent role in a state where education commandeers at least 40% of the budget each year. The superintendent should act as a stronger advocate for public school students, not a soldier for the governor, she said.

"If any constitutional officer should be elected other than the governor, it should be the [superintendent of public instruction]," she said. "I really do believe that the superintendent needs to be somebody who is a voice for the children and their education and not just going along to get along with the governor."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
(Bloomberg) -- The number of high-containment labs around the world conducting potentially risky scientific research is surging, despite a lack of global agreement on how to make sure they're safe.

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There are 69 so-called Biosafety Level 4, or BSL-4, facilities designed to study dangerous infectious pathogens in operation, under construction or planned worldwide, according to Global Biolabs, a tracking project run out of Kings College London and George Mason University in Virginia. About a decade ago, there were only 25.

These are the labs in which workers wear moonsuits and handle deadly viruses and organisms, monitored by highly sophisticated security systems.

Scientific safety has re-emerged as a high-stakes global issue in the weeks since the US Department of Energy suggested it had intelligence showing a lab leak was the most likely origin of the Covid-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, Congress held the first of what are likely to be a series of hearings on the matter. China has rejected the idea of a lab leak, and the scientific consensus remains that the pandemic began when the coronavirus leapt from animals to people.

Health scares  from the 2001 anthrax attacks to outbreaks of SARS, Ebola and Zika  have prompted numerous countries to pour enormous sums of money into building these types of labs. More facilities than ever are handling, and in some cases genetically enhancing, infectious pathogens. BSL-4 labs can now be found in more than 25 countries. They are frequently located in cities, where a loose virus or harmful organism could potentially spread quickly.

BSL-4 labs are expensive. In the US, it can cost as much as $1.25 billion to build one, and simply maintaining security in such a facility can run more than $2 million a year, experts say. But cost hasnt been a deterrent. A dozen new BSL-4 facilities have been announced since the start of the pandemic, with most being constructed in Asia, from India to the Philippines. Theres also been a surge in the construction of labs that have fewer security measures, called BSL-3, where risky pathogens can also be handled. Data on the number of these labs globally doesnt exist.

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For decades, scientists from the US, China, Russia, Canada and Europe have swapped ideas for standardizing safety and security amid biolab building booms. At least 15 organizations have helped develop guidelines for the proper handling of viruses and bacteria, but the problem is none of the groups have the authority to make sure theyre implemented.

Nobody wants lab accidents, said Gregory Koblentz, director of George Masons biodefense graduate program and a co-leader of the Global Biolabs project. Unfortunately this issue has become politicized and polarized. Thats because the people with the loudest voices have had the microphone.

What global cooperation did exist unraveled during the pandemic, which has killed more than 6.8 million people worldwide. A group of scientists once met regularly to work toward improving international lab safety, but the meetings have stalled during the pandemic. Things have kind of been on a hiatus, said James Le Duc, who was formerly the head of one of the USs largest biocontainment facilities and has attended the meetings.

Read more: Did Covid-19 Come From a Lab? The Last Scientist in the Wuhan Lab Speaks Out

The debate around the origins of Covid has made it hard for scientists to collaborate in ways once considered normal. Before the pandemic, the US National Institutes of Health funded research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a leading world center for coronavirus research. China is home to three BSL-4 labs and one more thats planned.

The idea that Covid began with a lab leak was contested early on by the international scientific community, but it quickly found support from Republicans in the US. Last month, FBI Director Christopher Wray said in an appearance on Fox News that the pandemic was most likely the result of a lab leak in China.

On Wednesday at the Congressional hearing, US lawmakers questioned the benefits of high-risk biological research. Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, who has said a lab leak is more likely than any other scenario, demanded a moratorium on research that enhances a pathogens ability to spread or make people sick, while a Johns Hopkins infectious disease expert called for bolstering US public health by constructing more BSL-4 facilities.

Highly secure labs are meant to ensure safe conditions for risky studies. Research in which scientists make biological agents more potent, and possibly more harmful, can be used to understand future mutations of viruses and build better vaccines. The downside is these super-pathogens can escape the lab if theyre not handled with sufficient safety practices in place.

High-containment labs are the foundation of our pandemic preparedness, said Gerald Parker, director of the pandemic and biosecurity policy program at Texas A&Ms Bush School of Government and Public Service. He spent more than 30 years working in the federal government on global health and national security. Its typically being done for the right reasons, but it has to be done correctly.

Poor Visibility

For all the noise about the China lab-leak theory, the US government has little visibility into high-risk research being done within its borders.

Last year, Boston University researchers sought to study the omicron variant by combining parts of it with the original strain of Covid. Their findings caused an uproar: Some scientists accused the BU lab of inadvertently creating a more dangerous version of the coronavirus.

US regulators said they werent aware of the study and asked for clarification about government grants involved, because that kind of funding would have allowed them to review BUs work. However, while federal money was used to buy equipment, it didnt fund the study itself. The work was done in a BSL-3 facility, which was subject to oversight from a university committee and the Boston Public Health Commission, the university said. In essence, the US government had no authority over the research, even if the work did potentially end up spawning a more infectious or more deadly form of Covid. For its part, BU said it was done safely.

All we see is the stuff that gets published, Koblentz said. Is it the tip of the iceberg?

The White House has made improving lab oversight a priority. And a group of federal advisers have finalized new guidance for monitoring studies where bacteria or viruses are made more lethal.

Practicing scientists who would lose more autonomy over their research say this goes too far, said Filippa Lentzos, director of Kings College Londons graduate program in science and international security, who runs the Global Biolabs project with George Masons Koblentz. But I dont think this goes far enough.

The NIH says the US governments oversight is comprehensive, pointing to regulation around federally funded research. But there are blind spots when it comes to privately funded research  the kind done by BU and by drug companies. In the 1970s, the NIH wanted to regulate research manipulating DNA pioneered by scientists who would go on to start the biotech company Genentech. If the NIH guidelines are necessary to protect the public in federally funded research, it is clear they are necessary for privately funded research and application as well, Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Jacob K. Javits wrote in a letter to then-President Gerald R. Ford in 1976.

But industry groups were concerned with protecting propriety information and future patents, according to an NIH report. Efforts to create regulations that would have applied to universities and drug companies ultimately failed in Congress.

Global Shortcomings

International oversight is even worse. Reporting of the whereabouts of BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs is spotty, and the designations carry little weight. There are no consequences at the global level for lab accidents, or processes in place to determine how theyre dealt with if they occur.

The fact that we have to rely on academics to count how many there are in the world is telling, because theres no requirement for countries to declare that they have these facilities, said Andrew Weber, the former assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical and biological defense programs in the Obama administration.

In this vacuum, nations are self-policing. Only one country with a maximum-containment facility, Canada, has laws governing dual-use research that could be used for good or for harm, according to Global Biolabs. China, meanwhile, which isnt a part of any high-profile biorisk management networks, enacted its own biosecurity law in April 2021, some of which focuses on responsible laboratory conduct.

Other countries are also moving ahead despite the lack of consensus on security. Among the nine countries that have announced plans to build labs in the wake of the Covid outbreak, five will build their very first BSL-4 facilities such as Brazil, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Singapore and Spain, according to Global Biolabs.

Theyve become an item of national prestige intended to demonstrate scientific prowess, Weber said.

Yet because of the Covid origins debate, many experts arent willing to engage on the subject of international high-containment lab oversight. Even the World Health Organization wouldnt initially answer questions about efforts to bolster lab safety without seeing prompts ahead of time so as to avoid miscommunication due to the obvious complexity and also sensitivity of the subject, Kazunobu Kojima, a member of the WHOs Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention branch, said by email.

Kojima later said that the WHO is continuing to work on global standards in coordination with all member states. A feasible approach, he said, could be to launch discussions on how nations can regulate their safety and security. That would shift the responsibility for enforcement back onto each country. There arent any plans to create an international body that could step in if something goes wrong.

Russia is taking advantage of the mounting geopolitical tensions and leveraging the language of biolabs as a threat. In August 2021, Vladimir Putins government announced that it would create 15 BSL-4 laboratories around the world by 2024 in an effort dubbed National Sanitary Shield. Russia vowed to meet its targets by expanding an existing network of labs, both inside and outside the country, in places like Guinea and Vietnam. The Global Biolabs project hasnt included these in its count of planned labs because they dont appear to be materializing. But Russias posturing alone shows just how charged the prospect of having these labs has become.

In the face of this global labs arms race, its more important than ever that we amass a coalition of the majority of the countries in the world to fill these gaps in biosafety and security, Weber said. The problem is, international cooperation looks impossible today.

(Adds new details on a Congressional hearing about the origins of the pandemic beginning in the fourth paragraph.)

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Former President Donald Trump and his strongest supporters used the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last week to rail against U.S. aid to Ukraine, spotlighting how the war is emerging as a wedge issue in the upcoming Republican primary election.

Trump, his former White House strategist Steve Bannon, and Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) used the annual gathering of conservatives to lambast the Biden administration for continuing to send weapons and humanitarian dollars to Kyiv.

While aid to the embattled country is widely supported by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and by several White House hopefuls, top contenders including Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) have taken a more protectionist stance and indicated a willingness to cut Kyiv off.

Youre going to have World War III, by the way. Were going to have World War III if something doesnt happen fast. I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III, Trump said Saturday during CPACs keynote speech just outside Washington, D.C., in National Harbor, Md.

A little more than a year after Russias unprovoked attack on Ukraine, the U.S. government has given nearly $80 billion to Kyiv, including more than $32 billion in lethal aid.

Such help has received wide bipartisan backing, including from Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and former Vice President Mike Pence, the latter of whom has called for Washington to double down on support for Ukraine. Pence in February stressed that there can be no room in the leadership of the Republican Party for apologists for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.

But Trump, who turned GOP foreign policy on its head during the 2016 presidential race, has spent his political career haranguing so called forever wars, first referring to the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan and other terrorist groups across the Middle East and Africa.

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Once Trump entered the White House, he pressed for a more America First, isolationist stance that supported a curtailed foreign and military presence and focused instead on pressing domestic issues, a view that many Republicans began to share.

Now, Trump along with his supporters have turned their eyes to the Biden administrations support to Ukraine, appearing to tap into a growing softening of public backing for the country the longer the war drags on.

In a final-day CPAC straw poll, some 79 percent of responders said they disapprove of the U.S. giving billions of dollars in aid to help Ukraine, with 61 percent who strongly disapprove.

That comes less than a month after a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that less than half of U.S. adults, about 48 percent, say they favor the U.S. providing weapons to Ukraine, down from 60 percent in May 2022.

Also skewing the GOP message toward isolationist ideology at CPAC was the notable silence from others on the topic of Ukraine.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley both of whom have advocated for keeping aid to Ukraine running as a national security interest  declined to touch the subject in their addresses.

Others who may have offered alternate views chose not to show up to CPAC altogether, including DeSantis, Pence, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R).

While DeSantis hasnt outright called for Ukraine to be cut off, he has warned of so-called blank-checks, last month telling Fox News: I dont think its in our interest to be getting into a proxy war.

The trepidation to wade into the topic has left the door wide open for far-right voices to link the U.S. focus on Ukraine to inaction on domestic matters.

Bannon at CPAC said that every Republican who supports the war in Ukraine should be turfed out.

Greene took time in her speech to falsely claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wants Americas sons and daughters to go die in Ukraine.

I think the U.S. should be pushing for peace in Ukraine instead of funding and continuing a war that seems to be escalating and putting the entire world at risk of world war three, Greene said Friday during CPAC, according to The Guardian.

And Gaetz questioned U.S. support for the embattled country, saying he is against American taxpayers having to foot the bill for Ukraine.

Why should Americans have to pay the costs for freedom elsewhere when our own leaders wont stand up for our freedom here? Gaetz told the audience.

Whether the GOP divide makes a difference come electoral voting, however, remains to be seen.

Historically, foreign policy has not been a deciding factor in a national election when the country is not at war.

Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute told The Hill that the jury is still out as to whether Ukraine will become an issue on the campaign trail.

I cant imagine that the serious people in the race or considering would allow the likes of Bannon, Greene and Gaetz to set the criteria for what makes good foreign policy, Pletka said.

Certainly, I dont see a scenario in which Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo or Mike Pence will allow this sort of . . . isolationism to go unopposed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
WASHINGTON  A rare Senate vote Wednesday to block Washington, D.C., criminal code reform is a political fight dressed up as a policy debate.

Democrats and Republicans alike are using the moment to appear tough on crime or defend the autonomy of city residents and renew a progressive push for statehood in the nation's capital.

President Joe Biden is now in the political crosshairs of a conflict partially created by his own handling of the issue.

Some Democrats say they didn't know he was going to sign off on the GOP-led resolution to block a city council effort opponents say will soften crime laws. But Biden's position could help him and battleground state Democrats, who were targeted in 2020 and 2022 as being soft on crime amid escalating crime rates in blue cities across the country.

"Clearly thats whats going on. Democrats who are supporting it dont want to appear soft on crime," Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., told USA TODAY.

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What's in the D.C. criminal code overhaul? The city's revision is the first in a century and lowers or eliminates some penalties. It lowers the maximum jail time for carjacking and robberies. It eliminates most mandatory minimum sentences and expands jury trials for misdemeanors.

Who supports and opposes it? Republicans oppose the overhaul, along with Democrats facing close elections, Biden and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, though she also opposes Congress making decisions for the capital city's more than 700,000 residents.

Why is Congress voting on a D.C. law? Washington, D.C., is not a state, and Congress has the right to oversee the district and overturn city legislation, according to the U.S. Constitution. But it is rare for Congress to fight with the city over local government decisions, and it hasn't done so for at least 30 years.

What is the latest update in the crime bill fight? City Council Chairman Phil Mendelson told the Senate on Monday that he was pulling revisions to the crime code after the president and Democratic senators said they would vote against them. But the Senate said it would continue with the vote Wednesday.

Why are lawmakers in Congress voting against D.C. laws? Republicans leading the effort, and the Democrats joining them, say they are concerned about rising crime in the district. So far this year there have been 215 assaults with a dangerous weapon, 95 carjackings and 38 homicides, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. That marks a 76% increase in carjackings, a 24% increase in property crimes and a 17% increase in homicides.

Story continues

Monday change: Biden pressure prompts D.C. to cancel sentencing reform law as GOP portrays Dems as soft on crime

Previous coverage: Joe Biden says he will sign bill overriding D.C.'s new crime law that reduces sentences

'Statehood for D.C. is long overdue'

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-MD, is seen during a House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing Feb. 8, 2023 in Washington. As the ranking Democrat on the committee, he has led the fight against the GOP effort to block local D.C. legislation on criminal code reform.

Raskin, the ranking member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, led the floor fight against the resolution to block the city's criminal code overhaul.

The resolution ultimately passed the House 250-173 on Feb. 9, with support from 31 Democrats, on the same day Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., was assaulted at her apartment building in Washington.

Raskin didn't support the bill because he says it tramples on the rights of residents in the district  which has a larger population than some states  and where people pay more taxes per capita than any state in the union, he said. Washington, D.C., residents have all the responsibilities of citizenship and should be respected as such, he said.

"Why is Congress overthrowing local laws? We shouldnt be acting like the largest city council in the country," Raskin said.

His vote against the House resolution didn't mean he agreed or disagreed with the D.C. council's criminal code revisions. He said it meant he believed in city residents' right to self- determination.

As when Republicans voted against D.C. statehood, it's a "profound affront to hundreds of thousands of taxpaying citizens, draftable citizens," Raskin said.

Many social justice and civil rights activists share that view.

"Even more significant than the content of the crime bill is the fact such a bill is before Congress at all," Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, said in a statement to USA TODAY. "The citizens of the District of Columbia should have the same right or self-determination as every other American. Washington, D.C., has made tremendous strides under Mayor Muriel Bowser and does not deserve to be treated as a colony by the United States Congress. Statehood for D.C. is long overdue."

'Crazy crime law' and 'voting with the president' : Senate Dems to vote against D.C. reform

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., heads to the chamber for a vote during a lunch with Senate Democrats and President Joe Biden, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, March 2, 2023. He said he will vote with Republicans and other Democrats to block criminal code reform passed by the D.C. city council.

As the Senate prepares to take up the Republican-led effort Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and some moderate Democrats up for reelection in 2024 say they will support it.

I will vote to repeal the absolutely crazy crime law passed by the DC City Council and I expect many of my Senate colleagues  Democrats and Republicans  will join me in voting for this resolution," Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said in a statement to USA TODAY.

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., a top Biden ally who supports D.C. statehood, is also backing the bill.

"First and foremost, we have to be focused on public safety no matter where it is, no matter what jurisdiction you're talking about," Casey told MSNBC host Symone Sanders. "So that's the fundamental reason why I made the determination to support this measure."

Sen. John Tester, D-Mont., said he is "voting with the president" to block the code revisions.

Democratic Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Patty Murray of Washington, Mark Kelly of Arizona, Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Angus King of Maine also said they will vote to block the revisions.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is also among the Democrats who will vote yes.

Comments from Bowser and city council chairman Phil Mendelson suggest "the D.C. crime bill is not ready for prime time," Kaine told reporters Monday. "I'm giving them a chance to get on the same page."

Sen. Dick Durbin sees 'mixed signals' from the White House on D.C. crime bill

Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) arrives for a US Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing to examine the Justice Department on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 1, 2023.

The No. 2 Democrat, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, hasn't said how he will vote.

Durbin told reporters Monday that the White House has sent "mixed signals" about Biden's position on the crime bill.

"They gave a signal that led the House Democrats to take a certain action, and the president then took a different position when he came to the Senate. Speaks for itself," Durbin said.

Biden told Senate Democrats at the Capitol Thursday that he would sign a resolution to block changes to the D.C. criminal code, but he did not share that information the night before when he met with House Democrats in Baltimore.

White House defends Biden's position on D.C. crime bill

President Joe Biden talks to reporters after a lunch with Senate Democrats on his upcoming budget and political agenda, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, March 2, 2023.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated Monday that Biden would sign the congressional legislation to override D.C.s criminal code revisions if it makes it to his desk.

When asked why the Biden administration hadn't notified the mayor about Bidens position, Jean-Pierre said the White House is in constant communication with Bowser and her office.

Bowser told NBC News she learned from news reports about Bidens plans to sign legislation overturning the citys criminal code. Even though Bowser opposed the councils rewrite, Bowser opposed congressional intervention, calling it an indignity.

Biden "wanted to make sure that he delivered for the 700,000 residents of D.C. in a way that was protecting the residents here, Jean-Pierre said in response to Bowsers objections. "This was brought to him. This is not something that we put forward."

Contributing: Joey Garrison

Candy Woodall is a Congress reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at cwoodall@usatoday.com or on Twitter at @candynotcandace.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Congress is fighting Washington DC criminal code reform. Why?
By Stefania Spezzati and Elisa Martinuzzi

LONDON (Reuters) - At the grandiose Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel, Credit Suisse hosted its top clients in October amid growing doubts it was still in the securities trading game after a series of high-profile blunders.

From BlackRock to CBOE Global Markets, investors and trading firms were treated to fireside chats with guests such as former U.S. President George W. Bush, networking by the lavish hotel's beachside pools, and fine dining. But it wasn't long before the mood turned sour, according to an executive at the three-day conference.

As the sun rose in Florida on day two, back in London, the Swiss bank's managers were unveiling their latest restructuring plans - and the global securities trading business being showcased in Miami was in the crosshairs.

Scarred by a $5.5 billion hit from the unravelling of U.S. investment firm Archegos in 2021, a retreat from the hedge fund business and unprecedented client outflows, Credit Suisse said it needed billions in capital and planned to spin off the bulk of its investment bank, sending its shares into a tailspin.

At the Fontainebleau hotel, Credit Suisse bankers were puzzled by the announcements, and concerned about their jobs being on the line, said the executive, who declined to be named.

In subsequent weeks, some of those bankers were let go while others, such as Doug Crofton, then head of global equities for the United States, left to join rivals.

And a spectacular downfall for what was once a key revenue generator for Switzerland's second-biggest bank ensued, as some clients and investors pulled back, said two people with knowledge of the matter who declined to be named.

Since then, Credit Suisse has struggled to convince investors its overhaul will put the bank on firmer footing - and how it will reorganise securities trading is a big piece of the puzzle.

"No business is viable when its revenues vanish and expenses continue," said Peter Hahn, emeritus professor of banking and finance at The London Institute of Banking & Finance. "Cost-cutting and efficiency can improve the profitability of a leading or even marginal business, but not a failing business."

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In response to questions from Reuters for this article, a spokesperson for Credit Suisse in London said: "We never comment on rumours or speculation."

OTHER OPTIONS?

In a sign of investor angst, Harris Associates, one of Credit Suisse's biggest shareholders in recent years, said this week it had sold its stake. Its chief investment officer, David Herro, told the Financial Times that he lost patience with the bank's strategy to stem persistent losses and a client exodus.

Under the overhaul unveiled by Chief Executive Ulrich Koerner in October, trading would in future serve the needs of the bank's wealth clients - its main focus - and also work with CS First Boston (CSFB), its newly created investment bank.

Trading, which accounted for 26% of the bank's revenue in recent years, would make up about 15% of sales in its new, streamlined form at the revamped Credit Suisse by 2025, it said.

Credit Suisse latest results showed, however, that revenue from buying and selling stocks and bonds slumped by 88% in the last three months of 2022 from a year earlier.

The decline in equities trading was particularly brutal. In the three months through December, revenue plummeted 95% to 18 million Swiss francs ($19 million).

Koerner told analysts in February that some of the losses at the investment bank were related to "intentional de-risking", without elaborating.

The bank has set up a non-core unit where it will park some unwanted activities to wind down or sell, but it remains unclear which assets or portfolios will be moved.

(Graphic: Credit Suisse goes off piste, https://www.reuters.com/graphics/CREDITSUISSEGP-OUTLOOK/klvygdbrgvg/chart.png)

But keeping the equities business in its streamlined form has not been the only option the bank has considered, according to one of the people with knowledge of the matter and a third source, who declined to be named.

As Credit Suisse worked on its turnaround plan last autumn, executives informally considered selling some parts of the equity business though the option was not formally reviewed by the board, the two people said.

The option wasn't pursued partly because managers thought it would be difficult to find buyers, they said.

The complexity of extricating the technology platforms that allow equity trading and then integrating them at another bank was another factor in Credit Suisse's decision to hold off, the people said.

Credit Suisse declined to comment.

Now, the fourth-quarter slump will make it harder to convince investors the bank should stick with the business, said Hahn at The London Institute of Banking & Finance.

By comparison, revenue from equities trading at five major Wall Street banks only fell 10% on average in the same period.

'A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE'

Even after Credit Suisse stopped financing hedge funds following the Archegos implosion in March 2021, the equities business remained a key part of its investment bank revenue.

Credit Suisse profits in equities by making a cut on large volumes of shares it trades on behalf of clients, and by structuring derivatives, or complex financial products, which are often sold to more sophisticated wealthy customers.

The plunge in fourth-quarter revenue included a sharp decline in derivatives, according to the two of the people with knowledge of the matter, as customers shunned Credit Suisse after its credit rating deteriorated.

In November, S&P Global Ratings downgraded the bank's long-term rating to one step above junk, following revisions on some ratings from other credit agencies.

The downgrades damaged the bank's ability to lure clients who instead looked for what they considered to be safer and more attractive alternatives, three equities traders who structure derivatives at rival lenders said.

The equities market is dominated by big U.S. banks such as JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs with the means to invest consistently in the business and new technology.One option Credit Suisse is considering is to move its equities research to CSFB, Reuters reported.

CSFB aims to become a "super boutique" with as much as $3.5 billion in revenue by advising on deals including initial public offerings. CSFB would benefit from working with Credit Suisse's equities bankers to find buyers for shares.

Slimming down the equities business would draw a further line under Credit Suisse's investment bank ambitions.

"There are key question marks around the importance of the equities business given it requires huge scale to make it economically viable," said Thomas Hallett, an analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods.

"The group is stuck between a rock and a hard place."

($1 = 0.9409 Swiss francs)

(Additional reporting by Oliver Hirt, Noele Illien and Sumeet Chatterjee; Editing by David Clarke)
Carnival Cruise Lines said Tuesday that the woman who died aboard one of its ships last month likely died from natural causes. The announcement comes one day after the FBI said it would be investigating the woman's "suspicious" death.

"While we continue to cooperate with authorities, all indications pertaining to the death of a guest on board Carnival Sunshine suggest that it was a natural death due to a medical condition," the cruise line said in a statement Tuesday.

"We will defer to the FBI on any specific details which may possibly be released at a later date as we fully respect the investigative process, but our initial emergency medical response was appropriate and it appears that this was indeed a medical situation that sadly resulted in the death of a guest," Carnival added.

Crew members and medical staff on Carnival's Sunshine ship, which was traveling from Charleston, South Carolina, to Nassau, Bahamas, responded to an unresponsive female passenger on Feb. 27, the FBI said Monday. Medical personnel attempted life-saving measures, but the woman was pronounced dead on the ship, the FBI said.

Officials have not disclosed the identity of the passenger or an official cause of death. The incident remains under investigation.

The FBI said it investigates "suspicious deaths" of U.S. citizens as well as "certain crimes on the high seas."

New details emerge about kidnapping in Mexico after 2 Americans killed, 2 rescued

Mexico's medical tourism attracts Americans to travel to risky areas

U.S. reportedly considering reinstating detention of migrant families
SAN LUIS, Cuba (AP)  A neighbor lent him a house to dry leaves, and he had a little fertilizer saved, so he plucked up the courage to plant. Now, Hirochi Robaina can hardly believe the resulting miracle.

Robaina, one of the most recognized tobacco producers in Cuba, marvels as he walks through the intense green of plants that have grown more than a meter (three feet) high in the Pinar del Rio region.

Six months after Hurricane Ian devastated 80% of the regions tobacco infrastructure, farmers are trying to recuperate from the disaster. And though theyll produce less than in past seasons, they say they'll still be able to harvest the leaves for premium hand-rolled cigars, one of the Caribbean nations key exports.

Not a single tobacco house was left standing. There were no warehouses, there was no tree left, Robaino told The Associated Press, remembering how the storm left the region at the end of September. Everything broke and at that moment I did not believe it was possible to plant.

Robaina, 46, is heir to a grandfathers estate that is so famous that a cigar brand bears his name: Vegas Robaina. At the beginning of October, Robaiana was resigned to planting only beans and vegetables  something, at least, but a waste for land that can produce some of the finest export tobacco.

But then he changed his mind and decided to try planting tobacco to maintain the family tradition of a century, he said, showing his tobacco over two hectares (about 5 acres)  or about 30% of what he had at this time in 2022.

Ians impact added to an already intense economic crisis in Cuba, where the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) dropped 11% in 2020.

Many farmers dont remember ever having lived through the kind of destruction brought by the hurricane. In the fall, they had doubted they would even be able to plant any tobacco this season. It requires special care, application of fertilizers at precise moments, irrigation, cloth to cover the plants and drying houses for the leaves.

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With winds of more than 200 kilometers per hour (125 miles per hour), Ian crossed the island from south to north to the west, devastating the Pinar del Rio region where 80% of the islands tobacco is produced including almost all of its tobacco for export.

Five people in Cuba died overall and 30,000 were evacuated. Thousands of utility poles fell. Entire communities were without electricity, water, and telephones for weeks. Rice, corn, sweet potato and fruit crops were destroyed.

Some 10,000 tobacco drying houses were toppled. About 33,000 tons of stored leaves were lost, according to authorities.

Private tobacco producers have been meeting with authorities since last fall to secure commitments for the state to help settle debts and pay for materials to rebuild tobacco drying houses. Help also has come from fellow tobacco producing nations Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, and producers also chipped in to help each other.

Reiniel Rojas, a 33-year-old farmer who has been cultivating premium tobacco for ten years, planted 13 hectares (about 30 acres) around La Coloma thanks to the fact that he was able to finish his drying houses.

The recovery was quick, Rojas said.

Rojas got seeds from a colleague to plant. Robaina received four chainsaws from producer friends from other countries and his cousin lent him the drying house, while he loaned some fertile land to two other farmers.

Nature also helped by withholding plagues of caterpillars or fungi, so demand for pesticides was low.

A tobacco house costs a producer around $20,000 at the official exchange rate. A good harvest, with the delicate work of a whole year, can pay a farming family up to $50,000 dollars, farmers told the AP.

The figure is not small for Cuba, where a state salary in the city amounts to about $200 a month at the official rate in the limited official economy, but would be only about $29 in practical terms for most Cubans in the broader, informal economy.

Enrique Blanco, agricultural director of Tabacuba, part of the state-owned Cubatabaco company that regulates and manages tobacco, told the AP that this years plan for tobacco planting already is down to about 9,500 hectares (23,000 acres)  down from an initially planned 15,000 (37,000).

There will be some 2,100 hectares (5,200 acres) of premium leaves grown under the cover of fabric, with which the country hopes to cover the coming export demand, Blanco said.

------ Andrea Rodriguez is on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ARodriguezAP
Ukrainian military in the area of Bakhmut

Officials noted that Kyiv can still deploy additional troops to Bakhmut, as well as withdraw its forces from the city.

It may well last another month, or the Ukrainians could decide to leave within a week, CNNs sources said.

Read also: Ukrainian journalist explains significance of Ukrainian generals regularly visiting Bakhmut

They could withdraw to prepare defensive lines which they have to the west of Bakhmut.

They have shown previously that they are very adept to withdrawing when they need to, or when they feel they need to, the officials added.

Read also: Ukraine repels over 100 attacks on Bakhmut in last 24 hours as Russia continues assault

According to the report, Bakhmut doesnt hold any operational strategic significance" for either Russia or Ukraine, but the December trip of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the city has politicized the situation.

They acknowledged that Russia had "taken territory" on the Bakhmut axis, but stated that the indicated territory was an open area and "there were no Ukrainian defensive lines there."

Earlier on March 8, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Bakhmut could fall in the next few days.

Read also: Support for Ukraine must continue for as long as it takes, NATO chief says

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian military leadership was united in the decision to continue with the defense of the city, adding that losing Bakhmut would expose critical logistical hubs in Donetsk Oblast to Russian assaults.

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
Singapore - (NewMediaWire) - March 8, 2023 - With the rapid growth of the global cryptocurrency market, more and more individuals and businesses are realizing the importance of providing the cryptocurrency industry with supreme quality educational resources and networking possibilities. Crypto Expo Dubai is organized by Hqmena, it is an important opportunity for participants to discuss industry trends, establish in-depth exchanges, and jointly discover new business opportunities with top investors and leaders in the cryptocurrency industry.

Crypto Expo Dubai 2023 will be held in Dubai Festival City, United Arab Emirates on March 8th and 9th, 2023. It is sponsored by many industry leaders such as ABX.IO, EVEST, OKX, Bybit, JPEX, BitMart, Polygon and other sponsors. Besides, the organizer also invited more than 60 well-known speakers from more than 30 cities around the world to share their insights on cryptocurrency, Metaverse, blockchain, DeFi, Web3, multi-chain and other emerging cryptocurrency innovations and trends. At that time, more than 100 crypto companies will participate in the expo, and the scale is expected to reach 10,000 attendees.

As one of the silver sponsors of this summit, DefiLabs has made sufficient preparations. DefiLabs is a decentralized financial investment and wealth management platform founded by Mr. Yurii Gromov in 2021. It is committed to helping investors achieve above-average market returns by investing in a series of high-growth and well-managed portfolios. DefiLabs creatively combines DeFi underlying technology with artificial intelligence, and realizes profits through AI trading. In the past two years of operation, it has generated the expected results of high returns and stable income.

DefiLabs plans to fully communicate with the local community during the summit to discuss the latest blockchain industry development, market trends and technological integration directions, such as IoT technology, artificial intelligence, big data, 5G communication and network security, etc. All of these technologies will come together at the Expo, providing attendees with an excellent opportunity to learn about the ecosystem in a structured way.

DefiLabs will also participate in discussions on several major topics that most participants are interested in: current trends in cryptocurrency investment and trading, the most popular cryptocurrencies in the market, the regulatory system of the cryptocurrency industry, and how cryptocurrency payments are applied in daily life, the development and changes of stablecoins and NFTs, etc.

For the entire industry, this is undoubtedly an extraordinary worldwide event. Here, we will discuss the finest digital currency products and services with tens of thousands of traders and investors and learn about the latest developments in cryptocurrencies. Following the industry trend, we can figure out how it changes the world and comprehend the crypto era.

Contact Information

Yurii Gromov



DefiLabs



support@defilabs.farm



https://defilabs.farm/
The continued quest to legalize weed in Delaware cleared its first hurdle of the legislative session on Tuesday when House lawmakers voted to legalize adult possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana.

The bipartisan vote, 28-13, showed significant gains in support of legalization. Two Democrats  Reps. Bill Bush and Stephanie T. Bolden  who previously had not supported legalization voted for the bill on Tuesday.

House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf was the only Democrat to vote against it. Three Republicans, including House Minority Leader Mike Ramone, also voted yes.

BACKGROUNDCould this be the year Delaware legalizes recreational marijuana? What you need to know

This is the second time the House passed a similar version of this bill. It was ultimately stymied by Gov. John Carney, who vetoed the bill last session after it passed in the Senate. When the House attempted to override his veto, several Democratic lawmakers who initially voted to legalize backed off and ultimately supported the governor.

As the bill now makes its way to the Senate, where it is expected to pass, the looming question is if Democrats have the political support this time around to override another possible Carney veto. The moderate Democrat, who is in the final years of his second term, has previously stated his position has not changed.

Delaware continues to be one of the last Democratic-controlled states to not legalize recreational marijuana. New York, New Jersey and Maryland have all done so in recent years.

James Baldus of Pike Creek holds a sign in support of legalizing recreational marijuana at a rally outside of Legislative Hall in Dover on Tuesday, June 7, 2022.

Whats in the bill?

House Bill 1 would remove all penalties for possessing 1 ounce or less of marijuana for those ages 21 and older. This legislation required a simple majority of 21 votes. As of now, marijuana is decriminalized in Delaware.

The second bill, HB 2, would create a framework to regulate the growth, sale and possession of weed. Lawmakers say marijuana would be regulated and taxed the same way alcohol is. This legislation requires a three-fifths vote because it deals with revenue and taxation. This is expected to be voted on soon.

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Delawareans would buy marijuana from a licensed retail marijuana store. The bill would allow for up to 30 retail licenses to be distributed within 16 months of the legislation going into effect. The process will be competitive, with prospective retailers being rewarded for providing good salaries and benefits and hiring a diverse workforce.

What continues to be the opposition?

A majority of the Republican House caucus continues to be against legalization, citing unknown health concerns and roadway safety.

Former Medical Society of Delaware President Dr. Richard Henderson, who briefly spoke on behalf of Republicans, vocalized the organizations opposition to legalization. He was also wary of the impact this could have on the brain development of young people.

We're not ready for this yet, said Rep. Ruth Briggs King, R-Georgetown, during floor debate. When we're talking about public health, public safety over public pleasure or public preference, I will always choose to go for what I think is a more safe and prudent route which is why I cannot support the bill today.

House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, presides over session in Dover's Legislative Hall during in Jan. 2020.

Schwartzkopf, the House speaker, has been vocally against legalization for some time. He told Delaware Online/The News Journal last year that he had significant concerns about how the state will measure intoxication levels regarding driving. Schwartzkopf worked as a police officer for 25 years.

He has previously supported the idea of creating a recreational marijuana industry if the substance was first legal in Delaware.

I'm not naive, the speaker said last year. I know it's going to pass eventually. I just can't vote for it.

Key takeaways from the vote

The vote on Tuesday showed growing support for the measure, previously from Democrats who have expressed hesitancy. The additional support will be key if Carney once again vetoes the legislation.

Rep. Ed Osieniski, the bill sponsor, has said he believes he has the votes this year to override a veto, citing the addition of several progressive lawmakers.

Ramone, the House Minority leader, praised Osienski on Tuesday for his incredible job in shepherding this legislation over the past five years. He specifically noted how it was important to him that this legislation will no longer penalize anyone over the age of 21 for possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana.

Rep. Ed Osienski

Zoe Patchell, the executive director of Delaware Cannabis Advocacy Network, said she was pleased to see Republicans acknowledging the human and economic toll to cannabis prohibition. It was clear to Patchell that some lawmakers finally voted with the will of their constituents.

We're guardedly optimistic going into the second portion of this fight, she said. And we're just hoping that the same lawmakers that supported HB 1 will also support HB 2.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware marijuana: Lawmakers vote in favor of legalizing weed
Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) are lobbying federal agencies to provide East Palestine, Ohio-area farmers resources to test and monitor their soil and livestock.

The lawmakers said in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday that they were requesting resources from the departments to assist the local agricultural industry in the region, where a train derailment last month sparked an environmental and public health disaster.

As the emergency removal phase is ending and efforts are turning to long-term remediation, we are hearing from farmers and agricultural producers who are concerned about the impacts of the derailment and associated release of hazardous materials on their livelihoods, the lawmakers wrote in their letter to the heads of the two departments.

The senators cited the approaching start of the 2023 planting season, saying that farmers were questioning whether the derailment in February will have an impact on the safety and viability of their crops.

The request comes as federal officials have said that its monitoring of air and soil quality as of the end of February showed a low probability for the release of dioxins for the incident.

But the EPA has also ordered Norfolk Southern, which owned the train that derailed in East Palestine, to test directly for dioxins in the area. The agency said in a release last week that if dioxin levels were found to be elevated, it would require Norfolk Southern to clean up the area.

The lawmakers said that regardless of the results of the soil and air testing in the area, there will be consumers that are hesitant to purchase produce and materials from local farms, urging the federal government to review what disaster assistance it can offer.

Regardless of the results of any testing and guidance on the safety of crops and products there are those consumers that will still be apprehensive or refuse to purchase agricultural products from the region due to fear of contamination from the incident, the letter said. As such we ask that you begin reviewing what authorities in terms of disaster assistance that could be deployed to address the situation.

The Hill has reached out to the EPA and USDA for comment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla.  Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Tallahassee Tuesday to open Floridas 2023 legislative session  but his sights were set on a much larger stage.

DeSantis delivered the annual State of the State address to the GOP-dominated Florida House and Senate, a speech that came against the backdrop of a national book tour, planned trips to early presidential primary states and inescapable buzz surrounding an expected 2024 presidential bid  likely officially launching after the states two-month legislative session.

We rank number one in the nation for education freedom. We rank number one in the nation for parental involvement in education, DeSantis told lawmakers, using the start of his roughly half hour speech to compare Florida to the rest of the nation. We rank number one in fourth grade reading and math amongst all large states. And we have the number one higher education system in the country.

While DeSantis has brushed off questions about his political ambitions, hes checked many of the boxes that White House hopefuls seek to accomplish as they gear up for a national campaign.

As Floridas legislative session begins this week, DeSantis will head to Iowa and is planning trips to Nevada and New Hampshire. Those visits come after DeSantis held a series of campaign-style events to hype his new book, "Courage to be Free."

Hes has also come under increased attacks from Donald Trump as the former president focuses on the Florida governor as the biggest obstacle to getting the 2024 Republican nomination. DeSantis has noticeably lost weight, another common feature of politicians planning high profile future runs. Trumps insults, at times, have centered on DeSantis physical appearance.

DeSantis couldnt ask for a better runway for a national Republican primary than Florida. The Republican-dominated Legislature over the past two years has handed him almost anything he wanted as he has ascended through the national conservative ecosystem and appears poised to continue the trend.

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Both Florida Republican House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo opened their speeches Tuesday by praising DeSantis, which has become common among the states Republican leaders.

Our governor is truly Americas governor, Passidomo said. He has defended our conservative values, challenged the individuals and institutions who pose threats to others, and introduced innovative solutions to better our state. It is often said that states are laboratories for democracy. Under the leadership of Governor DeSantis, Florida is more than a laboratory, we are the model.

DeSantis used his speech to highlight his policy portfolio, which is largely defined by culture war-infused fights. That includes urging lawmakers to expand Floridas Parental Rights in Education bill, known by opponents as Dont Say Gay, which bans instruction of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms up until third grade. Legislators want to broaden the ban until eighth grade.

About a half-dozen bills lawmakers are proposing are inspired by DeSantis hard-right agenda, including mandating that teachers use pronouns that match those assigned to their students at birth, ban gender studies in the states higher education system and prohibit gender-affirming care for trans minors under 18.

Its sad that we have to say this, but our children are not guinea pigs for science experimentation and we cannot allow people to make money off mutilating them, DeSantis said.

Attending the State of the State speech was Chloe Cole, an 18-year-old who has referred to herself as a former trans kid, and who has spoken to state legislatures across the country in support of banning gender-affirming care.

Both state and national Democrats quickly released a slate of press releases and fact checks blasting DeSantis, a rapid response effort thats ramping up as Democrats prepare to do battle with DeSantis heading into the 2024 presidential election cycle.

Ron DeSantis is set to deliver his State of the State address today -- where he will unveil his extreme wish list for the upcoming Florida legislative session as he continue his desperate chase for the MAGA base, the Democratic National Committee said in a statement.

Unexpectedly, GOP lawmakers on Tuesday also proposed a six week abortion ban just minutes before DeSantis delivered his State of the State address even as the states previous 15 week abortion ban is mired in legal challenges and is awaiting a Florida Supreme Court hearing. The proposed six-week ban, which has the support of legislative leaders, includes language tying its effective date to a ruling by the conservative-leaning state high court. If the court upholds the law, the six-week ban could take effect if passed, but it would not if the 15-week ban is found to be unconstitutional.

The new proposal includes exemptions up to 15 weeks for rape and incest if the victim provides documentation that they were victimized. That can include things like police reports, court records, or restraining orders.

DeSantis told reporters after his State of the State speech that he thought the exemptions were acceptable but kept his comments brief.

I have not seen what is filed, but I think that in the discussion that I had heard them [lawmakers] having, they were recognizing [the challenge to the 15 week abortion ban] was pending and that whatever they do this year would be basically only in effect if that case was resolved in a favorable way, DeSantis said.

Pilloried by Dems

Democrats immediately railed against the proposal and cast DeSantis as extreme for supporting the measure. Democrats nationally used the same technique in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, and it was credited, in part, with helping Democrats enjoy a much more successful 2022 midterm than predicted.

Each of us should be free to live our lives with dignity and to make the decisions that are best for our lives, families and communities, said state Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat who previously worked for Planned Parenthood. No one wants Ron DeSantis in the exam room with us; personal medical decisions should be between me, my family, my doctor, and my faith. Not politicians.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday also told reporters that elected officials like DeSantis espouse quote, freedom for all, unquote, while directly attacking the freedom to make ones own health care decisions. Their rhetoric doesnt come without consequences here.



But in the wake of midterm elections that saw Republicans dominate in Florida and build legislative super-majorities, Democrats have largely acknowledged there is little they can do to slow down DeSantis agenda.

And DeSantis does not appear poised to ease up.

We will stand strong. We will hold the line. We wont back down, he said to conclude his speech, before borrowing a line made famous by former President Ronald Raegan. And I can promise you this, you aint seen nothing yet.
A Russian Su-25 fighter jet was shot down on 6 March by the Spartan Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine.

Source: Department of information and communication of Eastern operational-territorial unit of the National Guard of Ukraine; Press service of National Guard

Details: It is reported that on Monday, 6 March, at 01:10, as a result of the combat work of a crew with a Piorun MANPADS (man-portable air defence system) in Donetsk Oblast near Bakhmut, the National Guard shot down a Russian Su-25 fighter jet at a distance of up to four kilometres.

Quote from Division Commander aka Partizan: "The enemy fighter jet was covering the infantry advancing on our defensive line from the air. The MANPADS crew opened fire and shot down the Russian armoured attack aircraft. We saw through the thermal imager that the aircraft was hit and went down, the fate of the pilot is unknown."

Quote from the man-portable air defence system operator: "We worked out the target from the Piorun, hit the aircraft and it began to change its flight direction. It was manoeuvring from the southeast to strike our positions, but after being hit, it changed its trajectory and began to make a sharp turn to the east, after which it fell behind the line of contact."

For reference: According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian occupying forces have lost 303 aircraft in the war against Ukraine from 24 February 2022 to 8 March 2023.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Dole Packaged Foods is making Disney's Dole Whip treat available in grocery stores. Nancy Luna

The Dole Whip soft-serve cup is an iconic treat made famous by Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Disneyland, alone, sells hundreds of thousands of the frozen treats each year.

Dole Packaged Foods said it is making its Dole Whip treat available nationwide in grocery stores.

It's common for Disney fans to wait in long snaking lines to buy the theme park's famous Dole Whip. The pineapple frozen treat can be found in several locations throughout the Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World in Florida.

But, soon, it will be available to everyday grocery shoppers.

Dole Packaged Foods, the maker of the iconic Dole Whip, announced plans on March 3 to make the frozen treat available in supermarkets nationwide. The tropical dessert will be available in three flavors  pineapple, mango, and strawberry.

Dole did not say which grocery retailers would be getting the frozen products.

Disneyland makes various versions of the Dole Whip treat. Nancy Luna

The Dole Whip is a legacy food item at Disneyland in Anaheim. The Disneyland Resort told the Orange County Register in 2016 that it sold nearly 1 million cups of Dole Whip yearly. The frozen treats are so popular that Disneyland created The Tropical Hideaway in 2018 to address demand. The food stand sells the original treats  Dole Whip and the Dole Whip Float  and several new concoctions, such as the Strawberry Dole Whip Sundae and a Chile-Mango Whip. To help reduce lines, Disneyland also launched mobile order-ahead for the treats in 2019.

Disney officials did not return an immediate request for comment.

Besides Disney parks, the Dole Whip has been sold in a limited number of Southern California ice cream shops over the years, including Joe's Italian Ice in Anaheim. Amazon sells a Dole soft-serve mix online.

Not surprisingly, versions of the soft-serve treat can be found in food shops in Hawaii, according to Yelp. It can also be found at Disney rival Universal Studios.

The treat is so popular that dozens of copycat recipes are online, including a version posted on the website of food celebrity and cookbook author Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman. It says: "Consider this copycat recipe the happiest treat on earth."

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- A dispute over $3 million worth of jewelry allegedly from Saudi Arabia is set to present another headache for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro when he returns home from his US vacation.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Brazils national comptroller on Tuesday started probing the case, which involves a cache of jewelry  including a diamond necklace, earrings and a watch made by the Swiss brand Chopard. Bolsonaros former Energy Minister Bento Albuquerque confirmed over the weekend that his delegation brought the items into the country  now run by leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva  as a gift from the Saudi government to Bolsonaro and his wife, Michelle, without declaring them to customs agents.

The countrys federal police also launched an investigation at the request of the justice ministry.

The case came to public attention on March 3 when newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo reported that Brazilian customs officials seized jewelry found inside a suitcase carried by an aide to Albuquerque as they returned from an official trip to the Middle East last October. Brazilian law requires travelers to declare goods worth more than $1,000 for tax purposes, but Albuquerques team failed to do so.

Public outrage has been growing in Brazil as details of the case emerge. Brazilian officials arent allowed to keep most valuable gifts they receive, and have to place them in public collections maintained by the state. The investigation will seek to discover whether Bolsonaro or his associates were attempting to smuggle the jewelry into Brazil, and if they sought to shield the gift from entering the presidents official collection, which would make it government property, according to the justice ministry. Potential money laundering crimes will also be considered, according to Justice Minister Flavio Dino.

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(Tweet translation: Federal police launches inquiry to investigate attempt by Bolsonaro government to bring jewelry worth millions into the country without declaring it to customs)

Bolsonaro on March 4 denied wrongdoing, telling a gathering of conservatives in the US that he neither asked for nor received the gift. Michelle Bolsonaro said on social media that she didnt know about the jewels. Albuquerque said he didnt know what the boxes his team brought into Brazil contained. An official with the Saudi Foreign Ministry reached by Bloomberg News said Riyadh is investigating the reports and gathering all the facts and plans to issue a formal statement soon.

Retrieval Attempts

Officials from Bolsonaros government attempted to retrieve the jewelry at least eight times between October 2021 and December 2022, when his term came to an end, according to Estado. Brazilian authorities are currently holding the jewels in a safe box, its customs agency said in a statement.

Federal police are investigating another case from the same trip, when a man entered Brazil with jewelry also made by Chopard. He was not stopped by customs and the box of items was eventually delivered to the presidency, according to Estado.

Bolsonaros lawyer in Brazil on Tuesday said the president has acted according to the law, declaring all the gifts intended for personal use he received during trips abroad.

Yet the probe will create another potential legal headache for the right-wing leader who left Brazil in late December, just days before Lula took office.

Read More: Bolsonaro Says Mission Isnt Over as US Conservatives Fete Him

Bolsonaro is already facing investigations into whether he attempted to plan a coup with some of his closest allies, some of whom have been arrested. Authorities are probing his unproven claims about the integrity of Brazils electoral system in a meeting with foreign ambassadors. He is also under scrutiny over whether he incited the Jan. 8 insurrection attempt in which his supporters raided Brazils congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace in an effort to topple the Lula government.

Bolsonaro has said he will return to Brazil in March to lead the conservative opposition to his leftist rival. His wife was scheduled to launch those efforts this week with a political trip sponsored by Bolsonaros Liberal Party. But the party suspended the plan after the scandal broke.

Lulas government has said that Bolsonaro should come home and face the various court cases involving him, and set an informal deadline for him to do so by April. Flavio Bolsonaro, a senator and one of the former presidents sons, said on Tuesday that his father would return on March 15. But he corrected himself minutes later, saying the date isnt set yet.

Bolsonaro has not faced formal charges in any of the cases against him.

--With assistance from Sam Dagher.

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Three years after Breonna Taylor was shot and and killed in her apartment, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland released a blistering report Wednesday finding that the city and its police department have violated the constitutional rights of its citizens, particularly Black people.

Garland also announced Louisville has agreed in principle to forge a consent decree that will be enforced by a federal judge who will monitor the citys progress in adopting reforms.

The department, for years, "has practiced an aggressive style of policing that it deploys selectively, especially against Black people, but also against vulnerable people throughout the city," Garland said during a press conference at Metro Hall. "LMPD cites people for minor offenses, like wide turns and broken taillights, while serious crimes like sexual assault and homicide go unsolved.

"Some officers demonstrate disrespect for the people they are sworn to protect," he said, adding the department found incidents of officers calling Black people monkey, animal and boy.

The 90-page report from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice found LMPD:

Uses excessive force, including unjustified neck restraints and unreasonable use of police dogs and tasers

Conducts searches based on invalid warrants.

Unlawfully executes warrants without knocking and announcing.

Unlawfully stops, searches, detains and arrests people during traffic and pedestrian stops.

Violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech critical of policing.

Discriminates against people with behavioral health disabilities while responding to crises.

The report also offered 36 remedial measures it says LMPD should adopt on serving search warrants and other areas identified as deficiencies.

Garland said the police's behavior erodes trust in the department and is an affront to the people of Louisville, who deserve better and to officers who respect the law and Constitution.

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DOJ police department investigations:Are Department of Justice investigations a path to police reform or 'a war on cops'?

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg promised to cooperate with the DOJ.

To those people who've been harmed, on behalf of our city government, I'm sorry, said Greenberg, who took office two months ago. You deserve better.

The investigation spanned the years 2016 to 2021, when Greg Fischer was mayor. He issued a statement Wednesday defending his administration and noting that federal officials lauded his "proactive leadership."

"Todays findings  paired with those from the independent audit by Hillard Heintze that I initiated in 2020  presents Louisville with an opportunity to be a national leader and a model in building a truly just public safety system. I believe good police officers will welcome this report as an opportunity to more easily meet the oath they swore to protect and serve our community and improve their daily job performance and profession."

Consent decrees in other cities have placed police departments under federal review for as long as 10 years.

The report was the culmination of an investigation announced 23 months ago.

Garland said investigators interviewed hundreds of police, citizens, clergy, defense lawyers, judges and others, and reviewed thousands of hours of police body camera videos.

Garland noted LMPD has already instituted some reforms, such as banning no-knock searches.

But he and his deputies said LMPD continues to stop drivers, especially Black motorists, on pretexts and is twice as likely to search them as whites.

They also are twice or more likely to be stopped for having only one working headlight or excessively tinted windows.

Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said consent decrees have dramatically reduced use of force by police in Seattle, Albuquerque and Baltimore.

Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for Civil Rights, said in the wake of Taylors death and subsequent national protests, Americans across the country are demanding greater accountability and reforms for law enforcement.

People in Louisville deserve constitutional policing, she said. They deserve policing that is fair and non-discriminatory.

Clarke outlined a bleak picture of how the Louisville police department operates and how elected officials charged with overseeing the department failed to do their jobs as well.

She said, for instance, Louisville police selectively targeted Black people compared to their white counterparts.

Our investigation found that the police department and city government failed to adequately protect and serve the people of Louisville, breached the public's trust and discriminated against Black people through unjustified stop, searches and arrests, she said.

The investigation found that Black residents were disproportionately impacted for various infractions such as loitering and traffic stops, in which federal officials said they were 50% more likely to be searched than white drivers.

This pattern of racial discrimination fuels distrust and impedes the community's confidence in LMPD and their law enforcement operations, Clarke said.

DOJ indictments in Breonna Taylor case:Experts predict who has the edge, the feds or the charged officers

The FBI also has been investigating Taylors killing separately. The DOJ also has charged several Louisville officers in separate cases since 2020, including four former LMPD personnel in early August on charges either of lying on the warrant obtained to search Taylors home, obstructing investigators or  in the case of ex-Detective Brett Hankison  firing bullets that entered a neighboring apartment.

Taylors mother, Tamika Palmer, previously tweeted that I cant wait for the world to see Louisville Police Department for what it really is, in response to the DOJs announced investigation.

Breonna Taylor fact check:Separating the rumors from the facts

No officers were directly indicted and prosecuted by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Camerons office for Taylors death, though several were later fired or submitted resignations. Hankison was charged at the state level in 2020 with wanton endangerment for firing bullets that went into an apartment neighboring Taylor's that was occupied by three people, and a jury acquitted him in March.

City officials estimated in 2021 that reforms at LMPD prompted by the DOJ investigation could cost Louisville up to $10 million annually, and the city directed some federal American Rescue Plan funds to that area. The changes have already included a new Accountability and Improvement Bureau at LMPD and launch of an early warning system for officers after years of delays.

Interim LMPD Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel vowed to make the department the most "trusted, trained and transparent" in the United States.

Greenberg, in an apparent reference to the city's rate of murders and other crimes, said: "We need our officers to solve crimes while treating people with dignity and respect."

He called the report a "painful picture of our department's past" and promised to change "how we recruit, train and manage our more than 1,000 officers."

Reporter Billy Kobin contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Breonna Taylor case: DOJ releases investigation into Louisville police
Abused for years by her ex-husband who broke all of her teeth, Marwa has retreated into hiding with her eight children after being told her divorce had been revoked.

Marwa was one of a small number of women who, under the previous US-backed government, were granted a legal separation in Afghanistan, where domestic abuse is widespread.

When Taliban forces swept into power in August 2021, her husband claimed he had been forced into the divorce and persuaded local commanders to order her back into the marriage.

"My daughters and I cried a lot that day," Marwa, 40, whose name has been changed for her own protection, told AFP.

"I said to myself, 'Oh God, the devil has returned.'"

The Taliban government adheres to an austere interpretation of Islam and has imposed severe restrictions on women's lives that the United Nations called "gender-based apartheid".

Lawyers told AFP that several women, in the immediate months after the Taliban seized power, have reported being dragged back into abusive marriages after being told by local commanders that their divorces had been annulled.

The Taliban authorities say this is not an official government policy. AFPs investigation revealed that isolated cases like these happened during the aftermath of the countrys takeover.

For months Marwa endured a new round of beatings, locked away in the house, with her hands broken and fingers cracked.

"There were days when I was unconscious, and my daughters would feed me," she said.

"He used to pull my hair so hard that I became partly bald. He beat me so much that all my teeth are broken."

Gathering the strength to leave, she fled hundreds of kilometres (miles) to a relative's house with her six daughters and two sons, who have all assumed fictitious names.

"My children say, 'Mother, it's okay if we are starving. At least we have got rid of the abuse,'" said Marwa, sitting on the cracked floor of her bare home, clasping a string of prayer beads.

"Nobody knows us here, not even our neighbours," she said, fearing her husband would discover her.

Story continues

- 'Islam permits divorce' -

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan says that violence against women in Afghanistan is widespread.

"Globally, 1 in 3 women have experience physical or sexual violence, mostly by an intimate partner," the mission said in a statement in November 2021.

"Afghanistan has one of the highest rate of violence against women globally, with nine out of 10 women experiencing at least one form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime."

Divorce, however, is often more taboo than the abuse itself and the culture remains unforgiving to women who part with their husbands.

Under the previous US-backed government, divorce rates were steadily rising in some cities, where the small gains in women's rights were largely limited to education and employment.

Women once blamed their fate for whatever happened to them, said Nazifa, a lawyer who successfully handled around 100 divorce cases for abused women, but who is no longer permitted to work in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

As awareness grew, women realised that separating from abusive husbands was possible.

"When there is no harmony left in a husband and wife relationship, even Islam permits a divorce," explained Nazifa, who only wanted to give her first name.

Under the ousted regime, special family courts with women judges and lawyers were established to hear such cases, but the Taliban authorities have made their new justice system an all-male affair.

Nazifa told AFP that five of her former clients have reported being in the same situation as Marwa.

Another lawyer, who did not want to be identified, told AFP she recently witnessed a court case where a woman was fighting against being forcefully reunited with her ex-husband.

She added that divorces under the Taliban government are being granted when a husband was a classified drug addict or has left the country.

"But in cases of domestic violence or when a husband does not agree to a divorce, then the court is not granting them," she said.

The Taliban authorities insist divorce is allowed according to sharia.

A nationwide network of shelters and services that once supported women has almost entirely collapsed, while the Ministry of Women's Affairs and the Human Rights Commission have been shut.

- 'Knock on the door' -

Sana was 15 when she married her cousin, 10 years older than her.

"He would beat me if our baby cried or the food was not good," she said as she prepared tea on a gas stove at a home where she has been living in secret.

"He used to say that a woman does not have the right to talk."

With the help of a free legal service project she won a divorce from her husband in court -- but her relief was shattered when local officials came knocking.

Threatened with losing custody of her four daughters, she returned to her ex-husband who by then had also married another woman.

She escaped after he announced the engagement of her daughters.

"My daughters said, 'Mother, we will commit suicide,'" Sana said.

She was able to gather some money and escape with her children, and with the help of a relative found a one-room house, furnished only with a gas stove and some cushions for sleeping.

"Whenever there's a knock on the door, I fear that he's found me and come to take the kids away."

- Ordeal for children -

A Taliban official told AFP the authorities would look into such cases where previously divorced women had been forced to return to their ex-husbands.

"If we receive such complaints, we will investigate them according to sharia," said Inayatullah, spokesman for the Taliban supreme court, who like many Afghans goes by one name.

When asked whether the Taliban regime would acknowledge divorces granted under the previous government, he said: "This is an important and complex issue."

"The Dar al-Ifta is looking into it. When it arrives at a uniform decision, then we will see," he said, referring to a court-affiliated institution that issues rulings on sharia.

For Marwa and her daughters, who survive by sewing clothes, the trauma has left deep psychological wounds.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to get them married," said Marwa, looking at her daughters.

"They tell me, 'Mother, watching how bad your life has been, we hate the word husband.'"

ash-lsb-est-jd/ecl/mel/kma
Bindi Irwin has shared her experience of suffering endometriosis for the past decade to help tackle the stigma around the condition.

The TV star, 24, the daughter of late wildlife expert Steve Irwin, said she has undergone surgery, which found 37 lesions and a cyst, after suffering from insurmountable fatigue, pain and nausea for 10 years.

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes, according to the NHS website.

Posting a photo of herself in a hospital bed, she said she was not sure if she wanted to discuss her health publicly, but ultimately felt a responsibility to share her story for other women who needed help.

She wrote: For 10 years Ive struggled with insurmountable fatigue, pain and nausea. Trying to remain a positive person and hide the pain has been a very long road.

These last 10 years have included many tests, doctors visits, scans, etc. A doctor told me it was simply something you deal with as a woman and I gave up entirely, trying to function through the pain.

I didnt find answers until a friend @lesliemosier helped set me on a path of regaining my life. I decided to undergo surgery for endometriosis.

She continued: Going in for surgery was scary but I knew I couldnt live like I was. Every part of my life was getting torn apart because of the pain.

To cut a long story short, they found 37 lesions, some very deep and difficult to remove, and a chocolate cyst.

@seckinmds first words to me when I was in recovery were How did you live with this much pain? Validation for years of pain is indescribable.

The mother-of-one thanked her family and friends for encouraging her to find answers as well as praising the doctors and nurses who believed in her pain.

She said she is now on the road to recovery for which she is grateful.

Irwin, who has a daughter with her husband Chandler Powell, also told those who had questioned why she had cancelled plans or been absent that she had been pouring every ounce of the energy she had into her child and family.

Story continues

Things may look fine on the outside looking in through the window of someones life, however, that is not always the case, she said.

Please be gentle and pause before asking me (or any woman) when well be having more children. After all that my body has gone through, I feel tremendously grateful that we have our gorgeous daughter. She feels like our familys miracle.

Im aware of millions of women struggling with a similar story. Theres stigma around this awful disease. Im sharing my story for anyone who reads this and is quietly dealing with pain and no answers.

Let this be your validation that your pain is real & you deserve help. Keep searching for answers. www.endofound.org.

Irwin tied the knot with Powell, a former professional wakeboarder, at her familys Australia Zoo in Queensland on March 25 2020, hours before the country banned weddings attended by more than five people due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Their daughter, Grace Warrior Irwin Powell, was born on their first wedding anniversary.

They also said the names Warrior Irwin were in tribute to Irwins late conservationist father, known as the Crocodile Hunter, who died aged 44 in 2006 after being attacked by a stingray while filming for a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland.

What the experts say

March is Endometriosis Action Month, the annual event that aims to shine a spotlight on the gynaecological disease that affects one in 10 women.

There are about 1.5 million in the UK with the disease, says Faye Farthing, head of campaigns and communications at Endometriosis UK (endometriosis-uk.org).

It takes an average of eight years to get a diagnosis of endometriosis in the UK  a figure that hasnt changed in a decade  during which time, the disease may progress, Farthing continues.

Treatment and management of symptoms can include surgery, hormonal treatments and painkillers.

For those who have received a diagnosis, navigating exercise and pain can be a challenge, but there is some evidence that movement can help alleviate painful symptoms.

Farthing agrees that no matter what activity you choose, listening to your body is key: If in doubt, you should ask your GP, or another medical professional, such as a gynaecologist or endometriosis nurse specialist.

Particularly if youve had surgery, she says: Its really important to be careful with physical activity when recovering from surgery, so make sure you get advice from health professionals.
"I like to have fun with my outfits," says stylist Sophie Lopez. "I'm not that serious of a person, so my outfits generally are not that serious either." (Angella Choe / For The Times)

I'm more of a style stylist rather than a fashion stylist, Sophie Lopez explains. I like personality in outfits, rather than a full head-to-toe runway, even though that's amazing too. In working with her clients, whove included Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Yalitza Aparicio and Goldie Hawn, Lopez is searching for a vibe," an identity  whatever it is that makes them human.

Lopez started off styling indie and rock bands: Muse, the Klaxons. It was through rock star Matt Bellamy that Lopez met Kate Hudson, now her most regular client. And it was because of Hudson that Lopez left London, her birthplace, and moved to L.A. 10 years ago to do the whole Hollywood red-carpet thing. Lopez shares how nervous she was when Hudson asked her to style her for the Venice Film Festival. Lopez chose a blush, fully beaded Versace gown  "sexy and elegant"  which is still one of her favorite looks to this day. This year, she will be styling Hudson for the Producers Guild and Hollywood Critics Assn. awards, and will be back at the Oscars.

Sophie Lopez in her studio, wearing a Rejina Pyo blouse, Hojsberg pants, Jennifer Fisher hoops and Balenciaga shoes. (Angella Choe / For The Times)

Sitting on the lime-green couch in her studio, Lopez describes her role as that of an editor: paring down an outfit until it tells the right story. She takes great delight in this whittling down, in clearing out the mess until you see clearly. She does this to her studio on the day I visit, arranging things with intention: the glass container with neatly wound spools of white, red, pink and black string. The corner for her painting tools  the wide brushes, a basket full of tubes. The thick monographs on Andy Warhol, Magritte and Cezanne arranged on top of baby pink, blue and orange filing cabinets. The book on Cartagena, Colombia, the country where her family is from and where she spent many childhood vacations. Whether its her clothes, paintings, books or living room, Lopez sees it all as interconnected, as her specific, personal taste. Its kind of a style, you know.

Elisa Wouk Almino: We're in your studio space. Tell me a little bit about the process. What happens here?

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Sophie Lopez: I planned it so that you'd come on a day when it looks nice. I mean, we work in here  the process is not very glamorous; this is where all the unglamorous stuff happens. I have a team that I work with who are amazing. And usually, when we're in here, the door is constantly ringing because we're getting deliveries. Clothes and samples arriving. Most of the time, it looks like absolute chaos in here. There are boxes everywhere. There are bags everywhere. There are shoes everywhere. And all of that needs to be hung up, packed up, steamed, ready to be transported to a fitting, packed up again, unpacked at the fitting, brought all back here, then packed all back up and returned. It's a lot of manual heavy lifting. The fabulous stuff  you probably see that on Instagram  is 5% of the job. This is the 95% of the work.

EWA: What are the kinds of things that you obsess over in your styling work?

Lopez wearing Rejina Pyo and Balenciaga shoes. For Lopez, what matters is "personality in outfits." (Angella Choe / For The Times)

A corner of Sophie Lopez's Los Angeles studio. (Angella Choe / For The Times)

SL: I'm a bit military style in the way we organize things. I love labels. I love Post-Its, markers, stickers. If we're packing for junkets, everything is labeled, photographed; there's a document. It's part of my process because it helps me think clearly. There's a bunch of clothes on the rack, and they're all labeled, so that we know what needs to be altered, what doesn't need to be altered  it's all color-coordinated. Whatever brings you joy, you know? That kind of just turns me on.

EWA: How would you describe your style?

SL: Optimistic. I like to have fun with my outfits. I'm not that serious of a person, so my outfits generally are not that serious either. I love to play around with unexpected color combinations. And that's in everything I do  from looking at art books, like I love Wes Anderson's color palettes. I look at things like that, and then I'll be inspired by those things and try to create combinations that I like.

Lopez finds inspiration in cinematography. "I have scenes from films that are literally imprinted in my mind," she says. (Angella Choe / For The Times)

Lopez loves looking at art books for color inspiration. Here, she wears a Rejina Pyo blouse, Mango skirt and Arteana shoes. (Angella Choe / For The Times)

EWA: What makes a client or subject interesting to you?

SL: Its something about them. For example, Yalitza [Aparicio], who I worked with  I loved her story. I hunted Yalitza down when one of my friends had told me about Roma; they'd seen it very early on, maybe at Toronto or Cannes. And he told me her story, how she wasn't an actress and then she was kind of street cast for this role, and I loved that story. People that I find inspiring, usually I seek out to work with. I like people that also have courage  because it's scary  but I like girls that have courage on the red carpet, that don't want to play it too safe.

EWA: What do you think makes a red-carpet look?

SL: The thing is, sometimes the coolest looks are not the ones that are the big, big giant ballgowns. A lot of the time, honestly, it's the girl. It's the confidence. Sometimes I think that that is more than anything. And that's why you've got to be careful as a stylist that your client is comfortable in what they're wearing, in terms of if it's something that they feel good in and not something that you've forced them to wear. Because sometimes I feel like if they have doubt, that comes across on the red carpet. There's nothing worse than when you go out and you're not feeling confident in your outfit; you've got to go out there and own it. A lot of the time, it's kind of an attitude. Someone like Zoe Kravitz, she doesn't have to put it all on. She stands there with such confidence and presence that anything looks amazing. Kate is like that as well.

"Sometimes the coolest looks are not the ones that are the big, big giant ballgowns. A lot of the time, honestly, it's the girl," says Lopez, who wears a Rejina Pyo outfit and Gray Matters egg mules. (Angella Choe / For The Times)

EWA: What does the awards season typically look like for you?

SL: Every awards season is different because it just depends on what clients you have. I don't have a lot of clients, so I'm not on every season. This one is kind of a moderate one. There was one year when I had two nominees, that was insane  that was Yalitza and Marina [de Tavira], the "Roma" girls. That awards season, by the time it was over, I felt I had been run over by a train. It was so intense. It was multiple looks a day, every day.

EWA: Youve named film as a source of inspiration for your work. What is it about cinema, or Hollywood fashion, that excites you?

SL: I do always notice the cinematography and colors  I'm somebody that looks at the overall image, not just my part. I have scenes from films that are literally imprinted in my mind, like Tim Burtons "Edward Scissorhands," and the colors that the women wear on that street; they're in these 60s, citrusy [outfits]  everything is so precise. I have screenshots of those scenes because I love the way they look and the color balance in all of it. I love the wardrobe in "Casino," less Michelle Pfeiffer's wardrobe, I love Robert De Niro's wardrobe  all the pastels, the tailoring, just obsessed.

"Color seeps into everything  you can see the studio looks this way, my outfits look that way," says Lopez. (Angella Choe / For The Times)

EWA: What do you want to be known for as a stylist? What do you feel is your signature?

SL: Color seeps into everything  you can see the studio looks this way, my outfits look that way. If I was to paint something, it would look that way. I don't paint well, but I paint; I studied art back in the day. I always dreamed of having a creative space that was industrial  it looks exactly like this. This is better than I imagined, actually, when I was starting out. I can shoot here, I have all setups for photography, I have setups to paint. Everything has a little area, so that I can just get weird sometimes by myself. As much as I'm a stylist, I'm more like a creative overall. Fashion is where I ended up, but I feel like I could have easily done something else too. It would always be creative.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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Valero Energy's US$137 share price signals that it might be 30% overvalued

Analyst price target for VLO is US$156, which is 48% above our fair value estimate

How far off is Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. There's really not all that much to it, even though it might appear quite complex.

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. 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 Valero Energy

The Method

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$8.53b US$5.80b US$4.24b US$3.43b US$3.00b US$2.75b US$2.61b US$2.53b US$2.50b US$2.49b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x6 Analyst x5 Analyst x3 Est @ -18.97% Est @ -12.66% Est @ -8.24% Est @ -5.15% Est @ -2.98% Est @ -1.47% Est @ -0.41% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 9.8% US$7.8k US$4.8k US$3.2k US$2.4k US$1.9k US$1.6k US$1.4k US$1.2k US$1.1k US$975

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$26b

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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 (2.1%) 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 9.8%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = US$2.5b (1 + 2.1%)  (9.8% 2.1%) = US$33b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$33b ( 1 + 9.8%)10= US$13b

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 US$39b. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of US$137, the company appears potentially 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

The 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 Valero Energy 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 9.8%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.303. 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 Valero Energy

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Dividends are covered by earnings and cash flows.

Weakness

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Oil and Gas market.

Opportunity

Good value based on P/E ratio compared to estimated Fair P/E ratio.

Threat

Annual earnings are forecast to decline for the next 3 years.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. 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. Why is the intrinsic value lower than the current share price? For Valero Energy, we've put together three pertinent elements you should further examine:

Risks: Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Valero Energy you should know about. Future Earnings: How does VLO'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. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the NYSE 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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Consumer advocates cheered Tuesday after receiving word that the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit to block the merger of JetBlue and Spirit Airlines, a move industry analysts had predicted since the merger was announced in July.

Administration officials laid out their concerns, including that the merger would lead to fewer flight options for customers and higher ticket prices.

Companies in every industry should understand by now that this Justice Department will not hesitate to enforce antitrust laws and protect American consumers, Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

JetBlue has argued the merger will make the airline industry more competitive, introducing a 5th large airline to challenge Delta, United, Southwest and American, which combined control about 80% of the market. Executives said an additional large carrier would pressure the four to lower their rates.

READ: Up, up & away: 3 rocket launches planned for Floridas Space Coast this week

However, its the acquisition target  Spirit  that put its deal in the crosshairs. In markets like Orlando, Americas largest ultra-low-cost carrier often offers the lowest available fares to compliment its rock-bottom customer service rating.

For round-trip flights from Orlando on June 17, for example, Spirit undercut JetBlues prices on many routes the two compete in, with the exception of major northeast destinations JetBlue has long tried to dominate.

On a previous check back in July, for flights in September, Spirit offered lower fares on all routes.

READ: Historical markers commemorating womens suffrage installed in Orlando

Advocates say consumers should expect ticket prices to rise upwards of 21% if Spirit disappeared, particularly in its home state of Florida where it has long sent many of its planes, and in Orlando, where it has the second biggest presence of all airlines.

Fares are going to go up, Bill McGee, an analyst with the anti-monopoly American Economic Liberties Project, said. Anyone that says that these two carriers are going to merge with all the expenses of a merger and theyll offering the fares that spirit offers, thats just not true.

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The mergers cheerleaders, though, include Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, who says the proposal is good for the Sunshine State thanks to an agreement she helped author.

READ: Family sues Airbnb after toddler dies from alleged fentanyl exposure

That agreement would mandate the newly combined company add 500 net jobs to the Orlando area within five years, and increase its ticket offerings to 150% above the current combined selection within seven years while protecting some routes.

The agreement did not mention prices.

I am proud to take action to bring thousands of airline jobs to Florida communities, while also ensuring that Florida will see an unprecedented increase in affordable flights, Moody said.

READ: Prevention & symptoms: 9 ways to protect yourself from the rare but deadly amoeba in Florida

McGee, a former airline worker who lost his job in a merger, predicted the deal would fall apart over time.

Its sort of fighting a two front war with the Department of Justice, he said, referencing an ongoing lawsuit over a deal JetBlue struck with American Airlines, I say its an uphill battle.

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.
More than two months after Tyre Nichols was severely beaten by officers from the Memphis Police Department's SCORPION Unit, the Department of Justice said it is creating a "guide" for mayors and police chiefs across the country to follow.

Separately, the DOJ confirmed that it will be conducting the review of MPD's specialized units that Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis requested in early February.

The guide, which will be written by the DOJ's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), will focus on how to create policies for specialized units, like the SCORPION Unit, as well as how to review the tactics, training, supervision, accountability and transparency for the units. SCORPION stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhods.

Multiple Memphis police officers kicked, pepper sprayed and beat the 29-year-old Nichols on Jan. 7. He died three days later.

"In the wake of Tyre Nichols' tragic death, the Justice Department has heard from police chiefs across the country who are assessing the use of specialized units and, where used, the appropriate management, oversight and accountability for such units," Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a Wednesday press release. "The COPS Office guide on specialized units will be a critical resource for law enforcement, mayors and community members committed to effective community policing that respects the dignity of community members and keeps people safe."

RELATED:Many predicted Memphis would burn after Tyre Nichols. Here's how protestors defied expectations

EXPERT ANALYSIS:Experts say these are the key challenges prosecutors will face in the Tyre Nichols case

This guide will be separate from the review Strickland and Davis in early February requested from the DOJ. That review will focus on the policies and practices of MPD's specialized units.

Once that review is finished, the DOJ's findings will be publicly released, the press release said.

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The requested review of MPD's specialized units will look at department policies, practices, training, data along with processes related to MPD officers' use of force and de-escalation.

State lawmakers, clergy and local activists called for the DOJ to open a pattern or practice investigation into MPD in mid-February, which would take a deeper look at the entire department. The review requested by the city is a step below a full-fledged pattern or practice investigation.

Pattern or practice investigations look to see if regular stops, searches or arrests by police violate the Fourth Amendment, along with searching for signs of discriminatory policing or constitutional rights violations, including First Amendment violations.

Nichols, an avid skateboarder who worked for FedEx, was pulled over in the evening hours of Jan. 7 for what police said was a traffic violation, although top MPD officials later said there was no evidence to suggest Nichols had violated any laws.

He was pulled from his car, taken to the ground and pepper sprayed. When he jumped up to run from officers, now-former Officer Preston Hemphill fired his Taser at Nichols.

Nichols pulled off his jacket and continued running.

"I hope they stomp his ass," Hemphill could be heard saying on his body camera footage that was publicly released.

Nichols, who was running to his mother's house, was caught by other officers less than 100 yards from her home.

Officers proceeded to punch, kick, pepper spray and hit Nichols with a baton while he called out for his mother. Eventually, officers dragged him to the side of a squad cruiser as other police walked around the scene.

Nichols was taken to St. Francis Hospital in critical condition, where he died Jan. 10.

This story will be updated.

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: DOJ to create guide for specialized units after Tyre Nichols' death
The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Wednesday issued a scathing report of its investigation into the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD), finding that the department and the local government have engaged in a pattern of discriminatory behavior against Black citizens.

The DOJ report said the police department and Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government have regularly used excessive force, conducted searches without valid warrants, used no-knock warrants, discriminated against Black people in law enforcement activities and taken other actions that violate the Constitution and federal law.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a press conference that the polices conduct was unacceptable and heartbreaking. He said it destroys the trust that is necessary for a police department to have from its community.

Louisville Metro and LMPD exist to serve the community and keep people safe. Most Metro employees and LMPD officers are dedicated public servants who work hard to promote public safety. But Louisville Metro and LMPD fail to ensure that all employees uphold the federal constitutional and statutory rights of people in Louisville, the report states.

The DOJ launched the investigation in April 2021, in the aftermath of the death of Breonna Taylor, an African American woman who was killed in 2020 by police following a no-knock warrant being executed at her apartment.

Garland said the city has reached an agreement with the Department of Justice to address the issues that the report has found. One of the terms agreed upon is the appointment of an independent monitor to oversee the departments conduct.

The DOJ found that the LMPD has selectively used an aggressive style of policing against vulnerable people throughout the city, specifically against Black individuals. The report states that some officers in the department have shown disrespect in throwing drinks at pedestrians from their cars, insulting people who have disabilities and calling Black people monkeys, animal and boy.

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The police were also found to have issued citations to people for minor offenses, like making a wide turn and having a broken taillight, while investigations into serious crimes like homicide and sexual assault went unresolved.

The DOJ found that misconduct from officers often was unaddressed within the department, and some police leaders have defended the conduct.

Supervisors routinely overlook or even defend obviously excessive force, search warrants clearly lacking probable cause, unjustified no-knock entries, failures to document traffic stops in Black neighborhoods, and unnecessarily harsh treatment of people with disabilities, the report states.

The DOJ acknowledged that the police department and city government have taken some steps to address improper conduct, like banning no-knock search warrants, starting a pilot program to send behavioral health professionals to some 911 calls and expanding community-based violence prevention services.

These changes took place in the aftermath of widespread protests that were held after Taylor was killed in her home.

Three officers came into the home where Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, slept at night on March 13, 2020. The officers believed her ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, was using the apartment as a place to keep drugs and money, but none were found.

Walker believed the officers were intruders and opened fire at them, and the police fired back and hit Taylor multiple times, killing her.

The city reached a $12 million settlement with Taylors family for her death, but a grand jury declined to bring murder or manslaughter charges against the officers involved in executing the warrant. One of the officers was charged but acquitted of three charges of wanton endangerment for blindly firing his gun.

The DOJ did charge four officers involved in the incident with federal civil rights violations in August based on allegations that they falsified documents that they filed to obtain the search warrant.

DOJ officials repeatedly emphasized at the press conference that their investigation and findings were not based on any individual incident but a long history of behavior.

They said they were deeply troubled by the conduct that they discovered, but the city can continue to move in the right direction following the the departments conclusions.

Today marks a new day and a new chapter for the people of Louisville, Assistant Attorney General for the DOJs Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke said, according to a department press release.

The report recommended three dozen measures for the department and city to take to address the issues, including better enforcement of the force-related accountability mechanisms, requiring body cameras to be consistently activated and reviewed, and mandating documentation of all police stops, regardless of whether they result in a citation or arrest.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg (D) said at the press conference that hearing the details of the report brings back a lot of painful memories, both from 2020 and long before that.

Our city has wounds that have not yet healed, and thats why this report, this moment, are so important and so necessary, he said. We have to understand and come to terms with where weve been, so we can get to where we want to be.

Updated at 12:28 p.m. ET

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday it will review the Memphis Police Department, including its use of force and de-escalation tactics, in the wake of Tyre Nichols' death following a police beating.

Police video from multiple angles showed Memphis police officers hitting him in the face, kicking him and striking him with a baton following a traffic stop for alleged reckless driving Jan. 7. Nichols, 29, died three days later.

Multiple Memphis police employees have been charged in connection with the beating, and Police Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis has said her office has found no proof to substantiate the claim of reckless driving. Charges also have been filed against Memphis fire department employees, but it is not clear what the exact charges are. Details are expected to be released at a later date.

People attend a candlelight vigil for Tyre Nichols in Memphis on Jan. 26, 2023. (Scott Olson / Getty Images file)

Memphis officials asked for the review, which will also include probing the departments specialized units, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn J. Davis requested this review, which will cover policies, practices, training, data and processes related to MPDs use of force, de-escalation and specialized units, it said.

Following the probe, the Justice Department will issue a public report about its findings and recommendations.

Its Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, known as COPS, will conduct the review. The Justice Department also said Wednesday, separate from the review of Memphis police, COPS will produce a guide for police chiefs and mayors across the country to help them assess the appropriateness of the use of specialized units as well as how to ensure necessary management and oversight of such units, including review of policies, tactics, training, supervision, accountability, and transparency.

Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in the statement: In the wake of Tyre Nicholss tragic death, the Justice Department has heard from police chiefs across the country who are assessing the use of specialized units and, where used, appropriate management, oversight and accountability for such units. The COPS Office guide on specialized units will be a critical resource for law enforcement, mayors and community members committed to effective community policing that respects the dignity of community members and keeps people safe.

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Widespread fallout for responding agencies

News of the Justice Department's probe came on the same day Memphis was expected to release additional video and audio from the beating.

Ben Crump, the family's attorney, said neither he nor Nichols' relatives had seen the footage.

Hours after the Justice Department's announcement and Crump's statement, a Tennessee court ordered that no video, audio or records related to the citys administrative investigation be released until all sides have reviewed the information.

Nichols' death, which led to protests around the country and renewed calls for police reform, has had widespread ramifications for the agencies involved in his traffic stop, beating and subsequent medical care.

Five police officers  Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith  were fired and charged with second-degree murder, two counts of official misconduct, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, one count of official oppression and one count of aggravated assault.

All pleaded not guilty last month to the charges.

The five former officers were members of the department's Scorpion unit, which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods. The vaunted anti-violence unit launched in November 2021 when the citys murder rate was soaring and the community was calling for action. The specialized unit was disbanded in January amid intense scrutiny following Nichols' death.

Preston Hemphill and another unnamed officer were relieved of duty.

The fallout from the January incident also impacted the Shelby County Sheriffs Office. Two deputies who arrived on the scene after Nichols beating were suspended without pay, the sheriffs office said last month. The deputies, Jeremy Watkins and Johntavious Bowers, were suspended without pay for five days for violations of department policy, the sheriffs office said.

Our investigation was thorough and complete. I am satisfied that the discipline given to these deputies is appropriate and just, Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said in a statement.

Watkins responded but never told dispatch or a supervisor, he did not keep a body-worn camera recording, and he did not note on a daily log that he went there, disciplinary records say.

Bowers did not notify dispatch or a supervisor that he responded to the site of the traffic stop, the documents in his case say. He also did not keep his camera activated, according to the documents.

Fire department personnel charged and fired

Memphis Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Sink on Tuesday announced the conclusion of the city's investigation into Nichols' death, saying additional employees have been charged.

Four Memphis Fire Department personnel were charged, she said at a presentation before the City Councils Public Safety Committee.

Three of the employees were fired, Sink said, and one was suspended.

The three fired employees were previously identified as EMTs Robert Long, JaMichael Sandridge and Lt. Michelle Whitaker. The fire department said in a statement that they were found to have violated multiple department policies and protocols in their response to Nichols.

The fourth employee has not been publicly identified.

The citys investigation also resulted in charges against 13 police employees; charges against two of them were ultimately dismissed, Sink said.

Seven of them were fired, three were suspended, and one retired before a hearing could be conducted, she said.

A committee member questioned whether any officer who struck Nichols was still employed by the department. Sink said one of the suspended officers did place hands on Nichols legs.

But that was not a strike or an assault, she said. He received a suspension as a result of his involvement.

During Nichols' funeral, Vice President Kamala Harris called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which among other provisions in the bill would end qualified immunity, a judicial doctrine that protects police officers from civil lawsuits. Advocates of the bill believe it will increase police accountability.

We should not delay and we will not be denied. It is nonnegotiable, she said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Protesters are once again voicing their concerns about the new Atlanta Police Department training facility in DeKalb County.

Channel 2s Elizabeth Rawlins was at Woodruff Park, where protesters gathered after hitting the streets earlier Wednesday afternoon.

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There was a heavy police presence downtown as people held signs and passed out pamphlets.

Demonstrators have been in more than a year-long conflict with Georgia law enforcement agencies over the proposed police and fire training facility, which is set to be built in an urban forest on the south side of Atlanta and DeKalb County. Protests have recently gotten more violent after the death of a protester, who the GBI says shot and severely injured a Georgia State Patrol trooper earlier this year.

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Over the weekend, protesters threw fireworks and Molotov cocktails at police guarding the site and set construction vehicles on fire. Twenty-three people were arrested, most charged with domestic terrorism.

Opponents say the training facility will destroy one of the countrys largest urban forest and promote the militarization of police. Supporters insist it will provide officers the space they need to train and the tools they need to better engage with the co

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Pamphlets that protesters passed out on Wednesday urged Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens to cancel the lease and also called out companies they think are disrespecting the community.

I think collectively, we need to all come together and come up with some sort of compromise, supporter Shenna James said.

Eva Ramirez said her friend was one of the people arrested over the weekend.

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During that process, she was tased and arrested and shes now being charged with domestic terrorism, Ramirez said. Right now, we are just trying to cover as much outreach as we can.

On Tuesday, a judge denied bond for all but one of the protesters arrested over the weekend.




Dupo police officer Patrick Carrier came home from the hospital Tuesday accompanied by a long police procession and a rousing welcome more than a week after he was shot in the line of duty.

Its a good day for us in Dupo. The officer who was injured on duty was brought home today. This is good news, an excited Mayor Jerry Wilson said about an hour after the procession ended.

Carrier, 49, who has served as a police officer for 12 years, was shot in the shoulder by a homicide suspect on the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 26. Carrier had responded to a call about a shooting on McBride Avenue in unincorporated St. Clair County near Dupo, authorities have said.

Darryl T. Mantz, 46, had been fatally shot, police said.

The suspect, Reginald O. Allen, 40, died of a self-inflicted gunshot. His body was found by police Sunday night in his garage off McBride Avenue near where Carrier was shot. An AR-15 rifle was found next to Allen.

Mantz and Allen were acquaintances and had worked together rehabbing homes. Police have not released a motive.

The procession home from the hospital

Police officers from across the region formed a long procession from the hospital in St. Louis and escorted Carriers ambulance back home to Dupo in Illinois on Tuesday.

The procession crossed the Jefferson Barracks Bridge from Missouri into Illinois. Flags from the Columbia Fire Department and Prairie Dupont Fire Department hung across the bridge.

An enthusiastic crowd that included Dupo village board members, residents and the mayor welcomed the officer back to town.

The local school let the children out so they could witness the procession. Mayor Wilson said he saw many happy faces and big smiles in the crowd.

He deserved a full police escort. Seeing him come home made it a great day in Dupo, Wilson said.

Asked for an assessment of the officers progress, Wilson said the officer has to recuperate and heal.

He will have to have some therapy, too. He will have all of the time he needs to totally be ready to return to the police department, Wilson said.

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The mayor talked about the danger of police work.

The men and women who do this job put their lives on the line every day, he said. We have to show them how much we appreciate what they do to keep our communities safe.

Last week, in a Facebook post, Donna Wright Carrier thanked everyone for supporting her husband and family.

My family and myself as well as Patrick wanted to take a moment today to say how overwhelmed and how full (our) hearts are by the outpouring of love and support and kind words from all of you over the past few days, she wrote.
Ukrzaliznytsia

The banks board of directors plans to consider the loan project at a meeting on May 10, 2023.

The loan consists of EUR 100 million ($105 million) for emergency financing of Ukrzaliznytsia capital investments, and another EUR 100 million for capital structure support.

Read also: Ukrzaliznytsia to receive $25 million grant from World Bank

It is expected that half the loan will be secured by G7/EU donor guarantees in case local commercial structures cannot guarantee risk coverage mechanisms.

The loan is designed to assist Ukrzaliznytsia increase cross-border capacity with the EU to help eliminate border crossing jams, as well as to repair sections of track damaged due to Russias full-scale invasion.

Read also: Ukrzaliznytsia agrees on two-year postponement of Eurobond payments

The funding will allow Ukrzaliznytsia to not only restore key railway corridors with EU borders, but also to purchase rolling stock to help expand the capacity of those corridors.

As reported, Ukrzaliznytsia made a UAH 10.8 billion net loss in 2022.

At the end of January, Ukrzaliznytsia signed an agreement with the owners of two issues of Eurobonds worth $895 million to postpone repayment for 24 months.

It was also reported that Ukrzaliznytsia will receive a $25 million grant from the World Bank.

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 Maria Martinez

BERLIN (Reuters) - When Spanish Economy Minister Nadia Calvino found out she would be the only woman lined up for a photo call to promote the high-profile Madrid Leaders Forum last May, she walked out.

"We can no longer consider it normal that 50% of our population is not present," said Calvino, who months earlier had vowed to not attend events where she was the only woman, in protest at the lack of female representation in economics and business.

There seems to be a lot to celebrate on International Women's Day in the field of economics. Women head the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, the U.S. Treasury and the European Central Bank. However, more broadly women remain a small minority in a field that is still seen by many as being dominated by men in suits and churning out policy divorced from the real world.

"The pervasive underrepresentation of women in economics is systemic and structural," Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman to head the World Trade Organization, told Reuters. "It is not just a matter of fairness but one of long-term global prosperity."

The Women in Economics Initiative seeks to advance gender equality in the discipline. According to its 2022 Index, women represent from 10% to 24% of the top global positions in economics, covering academia and the private and public sectors.

"There are no women in the textbooks and most big names in economics are men," said Sandra Kretschmer, economics researcher and member of the Women in Economics Initiative.

Friederike Welter is the head of the Bonn-based Institute for Small and Medium Enterprises (IfM) - the so-called "Mittelstand" sector key to Germany's export successes.

She said the lack of women in top economic roles in itself discouraged other women to choose the field as a career.

"When I became head of this institute, automatically we had way more applications from women," said Welter, who was appointed ten years ago and is now considered one of Germany's leading economists.

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Janet Yellen, the first woman to head the Treasury and chair the U.S. Federal Reserve, makes frequent reference to the issue. At a banknote printing event last December she said more progress was needed.

It all starts early on. At university in both the U.S. and Germany women represent about a third of those studying economics.

The reasons are complex. Economics entails a lot of mathematics and analytical thinking and there is a cliche that men are better at those, which can make women reluctant to choose this discipline, said Katharina Wrohlich, leader of the Gender Economics research group at the German Institute DIW.

Guido Friebel, from the Goethe University Frankfurt, said another factor could be the culture. "There is an extremely competitive culture in economics, it's aggressive," he said.

Later, there is a "leaky pipeline" between junior and senior ranks. While 40% of the positions are filled with women at the PhD level and the level of assistant professors and lecturers, the share of women falls to 27% at the senior level, according to a global study by Goethe.

That has led to an over-concentration on some subjects at the expense of others. Women and men tend to have different research interests, said Alisa Weinberger, economics researcher at Goethe. Women are doing more research in health, labour and education, while men focus on economic theory, macroeconomics and finance.

"We need more women choosing economics as a major, but we also need to keep these young women in the field," Goethe Professor Nicola Fuchs-Schuendeln said. "Greater diversity would diversify the questions we ask as social scientists."

In the higher ranks of the public sphere, only one in 10 central bank governors is a woman and only 15% of finance ministers, the index of the Women in Economics Initiative shows.

Women have held just 12% of the top jobs at 33 of the biggest multilateral institutions since 1945, and more than a third of those bodies, including all four large development banks, have never been led by a woman, a study showed this week.

The World Bank is taking a proactive approach to create a more positive environment and remove obstacles for female economists, said Kathleen Beegle, lead economist in the Human Development Team of the bank's Development Research Group.

"Studies show women economists face a variety of hurdles in the profession, such as a lack of role models and a hostile work culture," she said. The World Bank's Research Group arranges mentoring opportunities and offers home-based work options to accommodate family care responsibilities, Beegle said.

Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, said in an event on Tuesday that more needed to be done.

"There are incredible opportunities that are wasted if women are left to the side of the economic road," she said.

(Reporting by Maria Martinez. Additional reporting by Andrea Shalal, Belen Carreno and Emma Farge. Edited by Mark John and Rosalba O'Brien)
The suns sets behind the Santa Monica Mountains in a view from Eagle Rock along the Backbone Trail in Topanga State Park. Wouldn't it be nice to have a later sunset from November to March? (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Every March, its the same old thing. On the second Sunday, we set the clocks forward an hour to begin daylight saving time (or increasingly, our smart devices do it automatically) and then spend the next few days slightly discombobulated and wondering why we still practice this odd ritual.

By the time the following Sunday rolls around, our disturbed schedules have adjusted and we forget about the week of missed appointments or bad sleep. At least until the first Sunday in November, when we do the same thing in reverse to return to standard time.

Lets do something different this year. After the time shift on Sunday, lets not forget how ridiculous it is to follow this twice-a-year ritual, created for a purpose few remember (something about farmers? Or kids walking to school?). Let us remember this foolishness and call on elected officials to end this outdated tradition and allow Americans to stick to one time year-round.

The good news is that many of our leaders in Washington have already voted in favor of ending the clock switching. Last March, just two days after the clocks moved forward an hour, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act authored by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) that would have kept the U.S. on permanent daylight saving time. Who says theres nothing that Republicans and Democrats can agree upon? (Some senators later admitted they didn't realize they were doing so, according to Buzzfeed News.)

But the momentum was halted after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) failed to bring the legislation up for a vote in the House. Boo.

Rubio reintroduced the bill last week, and Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Florida Republican, is carrying the House version. Perhaps this year, with political polarization deeper than ever, new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) will see the wisdom in passing this bipartisan bill and show that his leadership can produce more than political sideshows.

There's no guarantee that all Democrats will play along, but those from states, including California, that have shown strong support for repealing the law ought to. In 2018, a majority of California voters approved Proposition 7, supporting an end to clock-switching. And at least 18 other states, including Florida, have passed resolutions or otherwise indicated the same preference.

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And two U.S. states long ago jettisoned the idea of daylight saving time: Arizona is the only continental U.S. state that refuses to join the time shift tradition, thus ensuring that no one outside the state knows what time it is in Phoenix. (Adding to the confusion, the northeastern corner of Arizona within the Navajo nation does recognize daylight time.) Hawaii doesnt observe daylight saving time either, but thats more practical because its southerly location means the length of daytime doesnt fluctuate much from season to season.

There's a growing call to end the switch for health reasons, as moving the clock back and forth abruptly upsets our circadian cycles, and can mean bad patches of sleep after each switch. And a few studies have suggested there's a connection between poor sleep as a result of the time change and increased traffic accidents and heart attacks.

The U.S. adopted uniform daylight saving time more than a half-century ago in part to conserve energy, which didn't happen in any meaningful way. It's a tradition whose time is up.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Walgreens announced it won't sell abortion medication in 20 states, only half of which have full bans on abortion. (Associated Press)

When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced earlier this year that it would allow drugstore chains to sell mifepristone, the highly regulated first drug taken in a two-drug regimen for medication abortion, Walgreens and other pharmacy chains eagerly stepped up and said they would go through the required certification process.

But after attorneys general in 20 Republican-led states wrote an ominous letter to Walgreens' executive vice president reminding her of abortion laws and warning  questionably  that it was illegal to mail abortion pills in the U.S., the company told several news outlets that it would not sell in those states. The company received a similar letter from Kansas Atty. Gen. Kris Kobach  and wrote back saying it wouldnt sell the drug in Kansas.

Walgreens insisted in statements in recent days that once it was certified, it would sell the abortion pills in states where it was legal.

But the retailer's statements to the general public conflict with what it has told those conservative states. Abortion  including medication abortion  is legal in half of the 21 states that wrote to Walgreens and later received assurances the retailer would not sell in those states. And most of those states where its legal allow people to take abortion medication outside of a providers office  which means Walgreens can sell in those states. In the rest of those states abortion is banned with limited exceptions or, in one case, unavailable because there is no abortion clinic.

The one thing that all the 21 states have in common are elected officials hostile to abortion rights.

It would be understandable if Walgreens officials put out a statement saying their hands were tied in the 10 states where abortion is banned. But instead the pharmacy chain caved to political pressure, and that is despicable.

No wonder California Gov. Gavin Newsom exploded on Twitter on Monday, declaring, California wont be doing business with Walgreens  or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts womens lives at risk. Were done. It's still not clear whether the state of California can be done with Walgreens, and what it might mean for government-subsidized prescriptions. The relationship is more complicated than Newsom's statement suggests, but we certainly understand his frustration.

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In a post-Roe era when states are trying to restrict abortion, including medication abortion, which is more easily available than a surgical abortion, its outrageous for a drugstore chain to be in any way connected to thwarting access. Abortion care is healthcare, and that should be Walgreens primary concern.

It also sets a dangerous example that could induce more people to try to bully businesses into taking away peoples right to healthcare. In states where abortion is precariously available and constantly under attack, chains like Walgreens are lifelines for pregnant people with limited resources to travel to a clinic.

When Walgreens capitulated to Kobach's letter warning the company not to send mail-order mifepristone into Kansas  where access to medication abortion is under attack  and assured him that it would not sell the drug at all in the state, the attorney general chortled in a news release that Walgreens decision was a significant victory for the pro-life cause and for womens health. Medication abortion is extremely safe. This was nothing more than a political scare tactic  and the fact that Walgreens fell for it is deeply disturbing.

Shame on Walgreens executives who have rewarded years of support from customers with a cold shoulder just when they need help most. This spineless betrayal has already caused the company's stock to dip amid understandable calls for boycotts. Walgreens should reverse course, take back promises made to antiabortion politicians and loudly affirm that the chain will indeed sell mifepristone in every state where abortion is legal.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
By Idrees Ali

CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin travelled to Egypt on Wednesday to tell Cairo it wanted to deepen security and other ties but was concerned about human rights in country where activists say government critics are regularly rounded up.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who as army chief led the 2013 ouster of Egypt's first democratically elected president, has cracked down on political dissent, including liberal critics and Islamist opponents.

Rights groups say tens of thousands of people have been detained, with many held in pre-trial detention for long periods.

"I fully expect him to bring up human rights, respect for fundamental freedoms," said a senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Sisi says Egypt's security is paramount and the government promotes human rights by providing basic needs such as jobs and housing.

The United States has long provided Egypt with large amounts of military and other aid, ever since the Arab world's most populous nation signed a peace deal with neighbouring Israel in 1979. Cairo has remained a close regional ally of Washington.

But Washington has withheld small amounts of military aid to Cairo, citing a failure to meet human rights conditions, and advocacy groups have pushed for more to be held back.

"Egypt shouldn't get a blank check from the United States when it continues to violate basic human rights, and I hope Secretary Austin will use this opportunity to convey that message to President Sisi," U.S. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy told Reuters.

U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged to put human rights at the heart of his foreign policy and rights advocates have pushed Washington to get tougher on Sisi.

But some current and former U.S. officials say the United States can only take limited steps against Egypt and other allies on rights issues if it wants to avoid rival powers gaining influence.

"They would simply, probably out of necessity, move toward Russia or China or whoever else they considered to be a substitute for the United States and then their interest in trying to adhere to international human rights standards would be less," said Michael Mulroy, a former Pentagon official.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by Edmund Blair)
Elon Musk has apologized after publicly mocking a Twitter employee with a disability who was uncertain if he had been laid off by the social media company. Musk questioned the work performance of the former employee, Haraldur Thorleifsson, and said that he had done almost no work for the past four months.

Thorleifsson, who goes by "Halli," opened his work computer last Sunday and found that he had been logged out. Thorleifsson tweeted Musk on Monday saying that he failed to get a response from Twitter's HR department, and hoped to get clarity about whether he was still employed at the company.

Dear @elonmusk  9 days ago the access to my work computer was cut, along with about 200 other Twitter employees. However your head of HR is not able to confirm if I am an employee or not. You've not answered my emails. Maybe if enough people retweet you'll answer me here?  Halli (@iamharaldur) March 6, 2023

Musk responded in a tweet, asking "what work have you been doing?" Thorleifsson replied with a list of his tasks, noting that he saved the company $500,000 on a software-as-a-service contract, among other things. Musk doubted his responses and replied: "pics or it didn't happen." Musk also questioned Thorleifsson's value at the company and said he was using his disability as an excuse. Thorleifsson clarified in a tweet that he has muscular dystrophy.

"The reality is that this guy (who is independently wealthy) did no actual work, claimed as his excuse that he had a disability that prevented him from typing, yet was simultaneously tweeting up a storm," Musk said in a tweet. "Can't say I have a lot of respect for that."

The reality is that this guy (who is independently wealthy) did no actual work, claimed as his excuse that he had a disability that prevented him from typing, yet was simultaneously tweeting up a storm. Cant say I have a lot of respect for that.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 7, 2023

While the exchange was going on, Thorleifsson said he was informed that he was no longer employed at the company.

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Thorleifsson, who lives in Iceland, joined Twitter in 2021 when the social network acquired his startup Ueno. He has been recognized by the United Nations for leading a charitable effort to build 1,000 ramps around Reykjavik.

After facing backlash, Musk had a change of heart and called the situation a "misunderstanding."

I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful, Musk said in a tweet. He is considering remaining at Twitter.

I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful. He is considering remaining at Twitter.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 7, 2023

The exchange isn't the first time that Musk has publicly mocked Twitter employees. Last November, the Twitter CEO used a sarcastic tweet to mock Twitter staff he'd fired for criticizing him. In another instance, he said one former employee had "a tragic case of adult onset Tourette's" after she criticized him in a series of tweets.

Hundreds of former Twitter workers are taking legal action against the social network, with some alleging discrimination against women and disabled employees.

The latest jarring situation comes as Twitter has been struggling to stay online. On Monday, the social network experienced a significant outage. Just a few days before that, many parts of the social network, including the timeline, were broken for users all over the world. Last month, Twitter started showing users that they were over their daily rate limit, while another bug was preventing people from following other users. After Musk took over Twitter last October and fired thousands of employees, many feared that the social network would slowly fall apart.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk said he's optimistic about the future for the company. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Twitter CEO Elon Musk said the company has "a shot" at becoming cash-flow positive next quarter.

Twitter has been hit by declining advertising revenues since Musk's acquisition.

Musk said the social-media platform is working to improve ad spend on the platform.

Despite being hit by declining advertising revenues, Twitter CEO Elon Musk said the social media platform has "a shot" at being cashflow-positive the next quarter.

"It's been a very difficult four months, but I'm optimistic about the future," Musk said at a live streamed Morgan Stanley conference in San Francisco on Tuesday. He was interviewed by Michael Grimes, the head of global technology investment banking at Morgan Stanley.

Musk, who acquired Twitter for $44 billion in October, said Twitter got hit by a "massive decline in advertising" due to the cyclical nature of the business and by "political" reasons. Musk did not elaborate on these comments.

However, Musk did say it was "startling" how poorly monetized Twitter is. He added Twitter earns 5 to 6 cents per hour even though users spend a total of 130 million hours of their time per day on the platform. Twitter is now working to serve "relevant and useful" ads to users and aiming to get ad spend up to 15 to 20 cents per hour, he said.

Musk's comments followed a Friday The Wall Street Journal report that Twitter's revenues and adjusted profits slumped 40% in December as advertisers avoided the social media platform after Musk's chaotic acquisition of the company.

After Musk's takeover of Twitter, he instituted sweeping changes to cut costs, including mass layoffs and scaling back on employee benefits like free lunches  which he said cost $400 per meal because there was hardly anyone in the office at the time  but the claim was later disputed by a former employee who said the company spent $20 to $25 for each person per day for breakfast and lunch.

Musk had said in November 2022 that Twitter was losing $4 million a day.

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Musk is working to ways monetize Twitter

Musk said on Tuesday Twitter cut non-debt expenditures to $1.5 billion from a projected $4.5 billion in 2023  in part, by cutting its cloud services bill by 40% and by shutting one data center. The company also faces annual interest payments of about $1.5 billion on the $13 billion debt incurred for the acquisition deal, he added.

Twitter doesn't release its earnings publicly anymore because it's a private company. It reported a 2% increase in advertising revenues to $1.08 billion for the second quarter of 2022  which was the company's last earnings release before Musk's acquisition. Despite the rise, the ad revenues missed Wall Street expectations of $1.22 billion, per Refinitiv. Twitter also posted a net loss of $270 million in the quarter, reversing a $65.6 million profit in the same period a year earlier.

Musk is now working to ways monetize the platform. Twitter introduced the Blue subscription program in November 2022 to generate revenue for the social media platform. The program costs $8 a month in the US if purchased via a web browser, and more if purchased via the Apple and Android app stores.

About 290,000 users globally were paying for Twitter subscriptions as of mid-January, The Information reported on February 6. This is expected to contribute $28 million in annual revenue this year, per the media outlet.

Musk said in February he plans to appoint a new CEO for Twitter near the end of 2023. He added Tuesday at the Morgan Stanley conference he expects to take a few years to build a management team at the company.

Twitter and Musk did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Elon Musk, for once, is sorry.

A day after publicly attacking a disabled former Twitter employee, Musk reversed course and issued a rare apology.

The odd spectacle started when that employee, Haraldur Halli Thorleifsson, a prominent designer, grew frustrated after being locked out of his work computer for nine days with no word from Twitters human resources department. Fearing he had been laid off as part of recent job cuts, he turned to Twitter to directly ask its ownerMuskto clarify his work status.

Musk happened to see the tweet and quizzed Thorleifsson for some basic information. Eventually, Thorleifsson said HR contacted him and finally shared that he had indeed been laid off.

But shortly after, in a public conversation with another person, Musk adopted a cruel tone, criticizing Thorleifssons work and ridiculing his effort on the job. In doing so, Musk referenced Thorleifssons disabilityhe has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchairin a possible violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act that prohibits employers from disclosing any employees disabilities.

The reality is that this guy (who is independently wealthy) did no actual work, claimed as his excuse that he had a disability that prevented him from typing, yet was simultaneously tweeting up a storm, Musk wrote. Cant say I have a lot of respect for that.

But late Tuesday, after intense public backlash and the potential for a lawsuit over the potential ADA violation, Musk backtracked.

I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful, Musk wrote.

Musk added that he had spoken by video call with Thorleifsson, who lives in Iceland, and said that he is considering remaining at Twitter. Thorleifsson did not immediately comment on Twitter about Musks apology or whether hes interested in returning to work for him.

Thorleifsson sold his startup, Uneno, to Twitter in 2021 and, as part of the deal, joined Twitter. He is open about his disability and initially responded to Musk by detailing the impact of it on him and how he had managed to work at Twitter nonetheless.

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In a thinly veiled criticism of Musk, Thorleifsson also wrote: You had every right to lay me off. But it would have been nice to let me know!

Then Thorleifsson got down to business and addressed Musk about the financial considerations of being laid off. Would Musk, among the worlds richest people, honor Thorleifssons contract or try to avoid payinganother dig at Musk, who has allegedly failed to pay rent for offices and stiffed laid off employees of promised compensation.

Let me know if you are going to pay what you owe me?" he said. "I think you can afford it?

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

More from Fortune:






(Bloomberg) -- The US Federal Trade Commission plans to depose Elon Musk as part of its probe into Twitter Inc., the social media platform that Musk bought for $44 billion last year, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The FTC late last year deepened an investigation into Twitters privacy and data security practices in the wake of the companys takeover by Musk, Bloomberg reported last year. The deposition of Musk would mark an escalation of that investigation.

The FTC has pummeled Twitter with document requests, asking the company to turn over communications related to its recent layoffs, Musks leadership and other topics, according to the congressional report. The agency is also asking for documents related to the so-called Twitter Files, a project in which Musk gave outside journalists access to internal Twitter information.

The information about the investigation comes from a report released Tuesday by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, which provides insight into the FTCs response to Musks Twitter takeover.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the FTCs plans.

A shameful case of weaponization of a government agency for political purposes and suppression of the truth! Musk posted on Twitter Tuesday.

FTC spokesperson Douglas Farrar said in a statement that it should come as no surprise that career staff at the commission are conducting a rigorous investigation into Twitters compliance with a consent order that came into effect long before Mr. Musk purchased the company.

The FTC in the three months after Musks acquisition sent over a dozen letters to Twitter. The House Judiciary Committee Republicans in their report claimed the outreach shows that the agency has been attempting to harass the company.

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Twitter is currently under a consent decree with the FTC, meaning the agency is supposed to conduct oversight of the companys privacy practices. Many of the layoffs under Musk have hit employees charged with protecting privacy and security on the social media platform.

--With assistance from Leah Nylen and Kurt Wagner.

(Updates with FTC response, in seventh paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
If Tesla wants to build a cheaper, more affordable EV, it's going to need to invest in better battery technology. Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Tesla wants to make lower cost electric vehicles, as a key part of its plan to fend off challenger.

But it needs to invest in low-cost, cutting-edge battery tech to see that vision through.

A mineral research firm says Tesla is not doing enough to control the costs of its batteries.

Elon Musk's ambition to sell 20 million Tesla vehicles per year by the end of the decade is no joke. So it was strange that its long-awaited plans for a low-cost electric vehicle was a complete no-show during the launch of Tesla's latest master plan in Texas last week.

A cheaper Tesla would be a surefire way of enticing a new crop of would-be customers. Instead, Tesla's CFO said at the event that it would focus on Silicon Valley's very much en vogue trend of "efficiency" to come up with the $175 billion that it needs to make the necessary investments to hit its 20-million-cars-per-year target.

Musk himself teased at a Morgan Stanley conference this week that there's a "clear path" to "a smaller vehicle that is half the production cost of the Model 3," Tesla's cheapest vehicle with a starting price at around $43,000.

Still, given Tesla's delivery of roughly 1.3 million vehicles last year, it clearly has a long way to go to hit Musk's goal. Where exactly should it start if it wants to get more efficient? Perhaps with the most expensive EV component of all: batteries.

"To truly build a sustainable low-cost EV, a number of cost controls need to be implemented across the supply chain," said Benchmark Mineral Intelligence CEO Simon Moores. "None more so than batteries and this wasn't showcased enough by Tesla at Investor Day."

Batteries, the rechargeable workhorses of EVs that quite literally power the whole thing, depend on a critical mix of metals, with perhaps none more critical than lithium. The trouble is, record high lithium prices and a sprawling supply chain that stretches back to China has made battery cost controls a headache for Tesla.

If Musk is serious about delivering EVs that everyone can afford, he'll need to get serious on bringing the costs of batteries down. Failure to do so risks ceding the market to hungry competitors. But if it can pull it off, Tesla has a clear path to expansion.

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A big problem for Tesla is the high cost of Lithium

Though Tesla used last week's event to introduce new measures to support its bid to produce low-cost EVs last week  such as a new $5 billion Tesla gigafactory in Mexico  it didn't meaningfully discuss plans to reduce the high costs of its raw materials for batteries, namely lithium.

Moores told Insider that Tesla's next gen EV will need to make use of a particular type of lithium known as lithium iron phosphate (LFP)  a form of the metal that can be used to produce lower-cost, safer batteries.

Tesla has committed to LFP technology, confirming that almost half of its vehicles produced in the first three months of 2022 were LFP-based. There are, however, a few problems with this approach. Musk himself said at the Investor Day event that though "there's enough lithium in the United States to electrify all of Earth," the limiting factor is transforming the metal into battery-grade materials.

The US is one of five countries alongside China housing the largest reserves of lithium, but its production output is ranked extremely low. China, on the other hand, owns 99% of the LFP market, said Paul Guedes, director of capital markets at Nano One Materials, a lithium-ion battery manufacturer in Quebec.

The growing portion of Tesla's LFP vehicles have, in part, been the result of a deal it struck with Chinese battery supplier CATL in 2020. This may be part of the reason Musk spent a portion of earnings calls last year and Investor Day encouraging listeners to get into the lithium-refining business.

Its competitors are also in the same boat. General Motors is investing $650 million into lithium mining company Lithium Americas to build a factory in Nevada. Ford announced earlier this year that it's building the first LFP battery plant in Michigan for $3.5 billion.

In Canada, Nano One Materials, which works with Volkswagen and recently secured a contract with an undisclosed American car manufacturer with global distribution, bought one of the biggest LFP plants outside of China that is based in Montreal to commercialize its technology.

This is all particularly interesting given that lithium prices have been at all time highs: data from Benchmark shows an exponential increase in lithium carbonate prices, rising from $7,508 per ton in January 2020 to an all time high of $70,957 per ton in January. Musk tweeted that it is at "insane levels."

Tesla and the rush for lithium

A lack of supply chain controls hinders efforts to produce low-cost EVs. Locking in "long-term raw material prices" is something Moores sees as key if Tesla is serious about controlling the cost of the battery.

The company started to take steps towards taking control of lithium supply into its own hands. In 2020, Tesla made a multi-year deal with Australian miner Piedmont Lithium, which has a site in North Carolina.

The EV maker is also counted as a customer of Albemarle, a lithium miner and processor based in Nevada, and Kansas-based Compass Minerals. During its investor day, Tesla announced that it plans to start outputting lithium from a refinery at its Texas gigafactory later this year.

However, Moores said that lithium carbonate "won't be sourced" from the Texas facility given its focus on producing lithium hydroxide, a higher-performance form of the metal that is irrelevant to its ambitions to produce low-cost EVs.

Guedes told Insider there's a security element to all of this, too. He said Tesla is trying hard to secure resources and its supply chain partners so that it has a steady stream of lithium for its batteries to produce the number of cars its promised investors.

Oliver Chapman, CEO of supply-chain specialist OCI said it could take five to ten years to develop lithium mines to meet the needs of the EV industry.

"Planned demand for lithium will increase faster than supply for a few years before supply catches up," he told Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider
By hugging yourself today, you can show solidarity with women across the world on International Women's Day.

To celebrate the event, people are being asked to embrace themselves  as a public show of their pledge to embrace equity, which is this year's International Women's Day theme  and share the image on social media, video and elsewhere.

By doing so, participants "encourage others to help forge an inclusive world," the International Women's Day website rea

"The aim of the IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme is to get the world talking about 'Why equal opportunities aren't enough'," the website reads. "People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action."

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What (and when) is International Womens Day?

Observed annually on March 8, International Womens Day celebrates the global social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, according to the event website.

The day also calls for action to advance gender equality.

Desiree Gallisch in Germany shows support ahead of #IWD2023 & steps forward to #EmbraceEquity & be part of a global narrative aimed at bringing positive change for #women everywhere Groups worldwide are mobilizing communities via important conversationshttps://t.co/yvAXmQnnxd pic.twitter.com/lf1G5g8Ymb  Women's Day (@womensday) March 5, 2023

When was International Womens Day first celebrated?

International Womens Day emerged from womens rights movements in the U.S. and other industrializing countries during the early 1900s.

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The Socialist Party of America declared the first National Womens Day in 1909. It would be observed on the last Sunday of February until 1913.

The following year, at the second International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, Denmark, the idea of an International Womens Day was proposed and approved. The event was observed on March 19, 1911 in several European countries, with rallies and events calling for womens right to vote and an end to gender discriminations.

Since 1914, March 8 has been the fixed date for International Womens Day; it was moved to be in line with Russian women who celebrated the day on February 23 on the Gregorian calendar. The United Nations first recognized International Womens Day in 1975.

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Participants in an International Women's Day demonstration march in 1977 in New York City.

How do we celebrate International Womens Day?

You can join in many in-person events across the U.S. including a 25th International Women's Day Breakfast in Boston and the Chicago Financial Women happy hour networking celebration event.

There are many virtual ones available, too, including:

You can search for events on the International Women's Day website.

Last years campaign theme #BreaktheBias focused on individual and collective biases against women that fuel gender inequality.

What is the theme for International Womens Day 2023?

This years theme is #EmbraceEquity, which draws a distinction between equity and equality.

"If we give everyone the exact same thing, expecting that will make people equal, it assumes that everyone started out in the same place  and this can be vastly inaccurate because everyone isn't the same," the website reads.

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International Women's Day is not just about women, the organizers note. "We can all challenge gender stereotypes, call out discrimination, draw attention to bias, and seek out inclusion," the website suggests. "Allies are incredibly important for the social, economic, cultural, and political advancement of women."

The campaign asks that people show their support for this years theme by striking the embracing pose with their arms hugging their shoulders and to post selfies on social media with the hashtags #IWD2023 #EmbraceEquity.

People can also submit their selfies to the International Womens Day website.

What colors do you wear on International Womens Day?

People have traditionally worn purple on International Womens day.

Purple, along with green and white are considered the colors of International Womens Day, according to the website. These colors have roots in the United Kingdoms Womens Social and Political Union from the early 1900s.

Contributing: Orlando Mayorquin.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.

What's everyone talking about?: Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: International Women's Day 2023: This year's theme, how to participate
Mark Dixon, CEO of flexible office company IWG, said that employees don't want to go back to traditional office settings after the pandemic. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

The CEO of a flexible office company told CNBC that employees don't want to go back to the office.

He said commuting into traditional business hubs is a "complete waste of time and money."

His comments come as conflict between companies and workers persists over return-to-office policies.

While major companies like Meta, Amazon, and Google continue to assess remote-work policies and office costs, one CEO isn't sugar-coating the way employees feel.

"There's this assumption that people like commuting into a central business district," Mark Dixon, CEO of flexible office company IWG, told CNBC. "They don't. It's a complete waste of time and money and they don't want to do it."

As companies that went fully remote during the pandemic have begun to request workers return to the office, there's been conflict over in-person mandates.

Starbucks' corporate employees have recently pushed back against the company's return-to-office policy, which requires working at least three days per week from the office. Amazon employees are divided on the company's mandate, which will require employees to go to the office at least three days a week starting in May.

Dixon, who founded his flexible office company in 1989, told CNBC that he believes this resistance to return-to-office policies will create a "shock" for the commercial real estate industry  especially as major tech companies evaluate the costs of their office spaces.

Amazon has done just that. After laying off thousands of workers earlier this year, the tech company has paused construction on its second headquarters in Virginia.

Google and Meta, which have both conducted layoffs over the past few months, have recently downsized their office footprints in cost-cutting measures. In February, Google asked some of its employees to share desks, leaving some office buildings empty. Meta decided against renewing its leases on two New York office buildings last year.

Dixon says these real estate reassessments can lead to opportunities  especially for companies like his.

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He told CNBC that he envisions offices working like "a network of petrol stations," affording workers the opportunity to work anywhere. Dixon's company IWG now has over 3,300 offices spanning over 120 countries, according to IWG's website.

"[You can] drive anywhere in the country," Dixon said. "Work will be like that. You will find places to work everywhere, we network them all together and make them easy to use."

Read the original article on Business Insider
It's common for many investors, especially those who are inexperienced, to buy shares in companies with a good story even if these companies are loss-making. But as Peter Lynch said in One Up On Wall Street, 'Long shots almost never pay off.' Loss-making companies are always racing against time to reach financial sustainability, so investors in these companies may be taking on more risk than they should.

In contrast to all that, many investors prefer to focus on companies like Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY), which has not only revenues, but also profits. Now this is not to say that the company presents the best investment opportunity around, but profitability is a key component to success in business.

View our latest analysis for Occidental Petroleum

Occidental Petroleum's Improving Profits

Strong earnings per share (EPS) results are an indicator of a company achieving solid profits, which investors look upon favourably and so the share price tends to reflect great EPS performance. So a growing EPS generally brings attention to a company in the eyes of prospective investors. It is awe-striking that Occidental Petroleum's EPS went from US$2.12 to US$13.80 in just one year. While it's difficult to sustain growth at that level, it bodes well for the company's outlook for the future. This could point to the business hitting a point of inflection.

Careful consideration of revenue growth and earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT) margins can help inform a view on the sustainability of the recent profit growth. The good news is that Occidental Petroleum is growing revenues, and EBIT margins improved by 20.5 percentage points to 37%, over the last year. Ticking those two boxes is a good sign of growth, in our book.

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. To see the actual numbers, click on the chart.

Of course the knack is to find stocks that have their best days in the future, not in the past. You could base your opinion on past performance, of course, but you may also want to check this interactive graph of professional analyst EPS forecasts for Occidental Petroleum.

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Are Occidental Petroleum Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

We would not expect to see insiders owning a large percentage of a US$55b company like Occidental Petroleum. But we are reassured by the fact they have invested in the company. Notably, they have an enviable stake in the company, worth US$118m. This comes in at 0.2% of shares in the company, which is a fair amount of a business of this size. So despite their percentage holding being low, company management still have plenty of reasons to deliver the best outcomes for investors.

It's good to see that insiders are invested in the company, but are remuneration levels reasonable? Well, based on the CEO pay, you'd argue that they are indeed. Our analysis has discovered that the median total compensation for the CEOs of companies like Occidental Petroleum, with market caps over US$8.0b, is about US$13m.

The Occidental Petroleum CEO received US$11m in compensation for the year ending December 2021. That is actually below the median for CEO's of similarly sized companies. While the level of CEO compensation shouldn't be the biggest factor in how the company is viewed, modest remuneration is a positive, because it suggests that the board keeps shareholder interests in mind. It can also be a sign of a culture of integrity, in a broader sense.

Is Occidental Petroleum Worth Keeping An Eye On?

Occidental Petroleum's earnings per share have been soaring, with growth rates sky high. The sweetener is that insiders have a mountain of stock, and the CEO remuneration is quite reasonable. The strong EPS improvement suggests the businesses is humming along. Big growth can make big winners, so the writing on the wall tells us that Occidental Petroleum is worth considering carefully. We don't want to rain on the parade too much, but we did also find 2 warning signs for Occidental Petroleum (1 is potentially serious!) that you need to be mindful of.

Although Occidental Petroleum certainly looks good, it may appeal to more investors if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see insider buying, then this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying, could be exactly what you're looking for.

Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.

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



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

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Eric Deters, a suspended Northern Kentucky lawyer running for governor, was convicted on three misdemeanor counts Wednesday.

Eric Deters, a Republican candidate running in Kentucky's gubernatorial race, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges related to a truck chase that occurred after a teenage nephew flipped him off near a family farm in Northern Kentucky.

The Kenton County Attorney's Office said Deters pled guilty to two counts of harassing communications and a single count of menacing, all misdemeanors.

He also faced a charge of criminal trespassing, but that count was dropped, court records show.

Deters' plea came after the prosecution rested its case in a bench trial before Judge Douglas Grothaus in Kenton County District Court, prosecutors said.

He was sentenced to a total of 270 days in jail, prosecutors said, however the court conditionally discharged the sentence for the next two years.

Conditional discharge is similar to probation, though it's imposed when the court decides a defendant should follow conditions set by the court but that probationary supervision isn't necessary.

In early October of last year, Deters chased his nephew with his truck throughout the Kenton County farm belonging to his brother and then sent harassing voicemails and texts to his sister-in-law, according to a criminal complaint and citation.

Deters, a suspended attorney, filed to run for governor as a Republican in late 2021. He regularly posts videos on political topics and criticizes opponents on his Eric Deters Show" YouTube channel.

In response to a text message from The Enquirer requesting comment on his plea and how that might impact his run for governor, Deters wrote: "Doesnt (sic) hurt me one bit!"

Deters also sent The Enquirer a video of himself discussing the case while driving. In the video, he said prosecutors did not agree to the plea, adding he "just pled directly to the judge and took my chances."

He said that after listening to the prosecution's case he believes he is guilty. "I was angry at what happened and I did want to scare him," Deters said, referring to his nephew.

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"I want to put this entire thing behind me," Deters said. He added that his misdemeanor convictions "do not affect, (in) any way, shape or form, my ability to be elected governor."

The Louisville Courier Journal contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Eric Deters, Kentucky governor candidate, convicted of menacing
Eric Deters, a suspended Northern Kentucky lawyer running for governor, was convicted on three misdemeanor counts Wednesday.

Eric Deters, a Republican candidate running in Kentucky's gubernatorial race, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges related to a truck chase that occurred after a teenage nephew flipped him off near a family farm in Northern Kentucky.

The Kenton County Attorney's Office said Deters pled guilty to two counts of harassing communications and a single count of menacing, all misdemeanors.

He also faced a charge of criminal trespassing, but that count was dropped, court records show.

Deters' plea came after the prosecution rested its case in a bench trial before Judge Douglas Grothaus in Kenton County District Court, prosecutors said.

More on KY lawyer Eric Deters:'Totally lacking in merit': Judge dismisses Eric Deters' libel lawsuits against attorney

He was sentenced to a total of 270 days in jail, prosecutors said, however the court conditionally discharged the sentence for the next two years.

Conditional discharge is similar to probation, though it's imposed when the court decides a defendant should follow conditions set by the court but that probationary supervision isn't necessary.

In early October of last year, Deters chased his nephew with his truck throughout the Kenton County farm belonging to his brother and then sent harassing voicemails and texts to his sister-in-law, according to a criminal complaint and citation.

Deters, a suspended attorney, filed to run for governor as a Republican in late 2021. He regularly posts videos on political topics and criticizes opponents on his Eric Deters Show" YouTube channel.

DOJ investigation of LMPD:'Disrespect for the people': Merrick Garland issues scathing report into LMPD practices

In response to a text message from The Enquirer requesting comment on his plea and how that might impact his run for governor, Deters wrote: "Doesnt (sic) hurt me one bit!"

Deters also sent The Enquirer a video of himself discussing the case while driving. In the video, he said prosecutors did not agree to the plea, adding he "just pled directly to the judge and took my chances."

Story continues

He said that after listening to the prosecution's case he believes he is guilty. "I was angry at what happened and I did want to scare him," Deters said, referring to his nephew.

"I want to put this entire thing behind me," Deters said. He added that his misdemeanor convictions "do not affect, (in) any way, shape or form, my ability to be elected governor."

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky governor candidate, Eric Deters, convicted of menacing
(Bloomberg) -- One of the European Unions strongest critics of a massive US climate law is warning that Washingtons subsidies and Chinas policies are drawing billions of dollars of clean-tech investments away from the bloc.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The EUs internal market authority said that the American law will build a new industrial ecosystem and poses a danger to Europes competitiveness  and identifies more than $25 billion of company spending heading to the US and China  in its initial assessment of the law seen by Bloomberg.

The EU is still working through how to respond to Bidens huge climate law, which will offer as much as $369 billion in handouts and tax credits over the next decade for clean energy programs in North America. The assessment mentions companies such as Tesla Inc. and Volkswagen AG, which are prioritizing investment in the US due to the IRA.

Europes competitiveness and resilience is in danger, according to the document. It also warns that the subsidies the US distributes to the industry dangerously distort competition and investment decisions.

The possible divestments from the EU to North America and China are mostly based on publicly available information, as well as bilateral discussions with the industry. It acknowledges that though many of the announcements have been made since the adoption of the IRA, not all of them are necessarily a direct consequence of the legislation or will come to fruition. In some cases, its not clear that increased investments will lead to lower engagement in the EU, the document also says.

The EUs tough stance on the IRA has ebbed in recent weeks, with other officials suggesting that the EUs own incentives are equal or greater than some of the benefits offered in the US law.

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The IRA is an opportunity to green the US economy, but we have some advantages vis-a-vis the US that we need to emphasize, Frans Timmermans, the EUs green deal chief, told reporters last month in Strasbourg, France. The EU provides an amount that is at least comparable to the amount of money that the Americans are putting on the table, he said.

Much of the EUs response is now mostly focused on better use of existing pots of money, easing regulations and extending the financing frameworks that had been put in place to tackle the energy crisis provoked by Russias war in Ukraine.

Tesla said last month that while it has started assembling battery systems at its Model Y plant outside Berlin, its focusing on the US for cell manufacturing because of the IRAs tax incentives. Europes top car producer Volkswagen warned in December that soaring energy costs are making battery-cell production practically unviable and that investment will go elsewhere.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is also expected to announce an agreement that would see the US and EU work together on access to minerals and critical raw materials used in batteries and electric vehicles when she meets Biden March 10. The aim of the agreement would be to allow European firms to access some of the IRAs benefits.

The assessment was drafted early last month by a team run by the EUs internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton, an outspoken critic of the law. The document cites the findings of a survey of top European industry executives that showed that in the second half of last year the level of confidence is at record lows and below what was observed at the beginning of the Covid pandemic.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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(Bloomberg) -- European Union defense ministers gave their support to a plan to speed up production and deliveries of ammunition to Ukraine, pledging to jointly procure shells and mobilize the blocs budget.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The ministers agreed at a meeting in Stockholm that industrial ramp-up is key, European Commissioner Thierry Breton said in a tweet after the talks ended. EU defense industry needs to move into an economy of war mode, Breton added.

The European Commission, the EUs executive body, last week circulated a three-track plan, proposing to immediately transfer ammunition to Ukraine, particularly 155mm artillery rounds, from existing stocks or pending orders. It also called for aggregating orders to European industry and pledged to propose measures to cut back on red-tape or other bottlenecks hindering the industry from ramping up output.

The meeting of defense ministers, as an informal gathering, was not empowered to take a decision on the plan. That will be up to EU leaders meeting in Brussels on March 23-24.

The next weeks and months, but mainly weeks - we are talking about weeks, will be critical because the military situation on the ground is very difficult, Josep Borrell, the EUs foreign policy chief, said after the discussions.

Borrell said that his proposal entails 1 billion ($1.1 billion) for the immediate supply of ammunition from existing stockpiles, and another billion for joint procurement of additional shells. The funds, which will come from the European Peace Facility, will use up much of a previously agreed 2 billion boost for the fund. Borrell added that if member states want to continue using it, they will have to agree on additional financing.

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Before the talks began, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said his country urgently needs artillery ammunition in large quantities, and a draft EU proposal to use 1 billion to buy shells wont suffice. We need one million rounds and approximately that would cost four billion, Reznikov told reporters in Sweden. We need more.

Polands Defense Minister Mariusz Baszczak said that his counterparts agreed on the need to expand the scope of ammunition sizes to also cover post-Soviet equipment used by the Ukrainian army. This will be not only 155mm ammunition for howitzers, but also about 120mm for Leopard or Challenger tanks, through 125mm for the tanks from the T-72 family, but also 152mm for the post-Soviet equipment, he said.

The EU proposal for sending ammunition to Ukraine is important and necessary, but one cant avoid the fact that over the next few weeks and months well have to grapple with shortages, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said as he arrived for the gathering.

Pistorius said that right now we need to find stocks jointly and to deliver whatever we can  to supply within the context of our own defense capabilities and the capacities of the alliance. He added there was also a need to see how quickly industry can scale up production.

--With assistance from Alberto Nardelli, Patrick Donahue and Natalia Drozdiak.

(Updates with Borrell remark in sixth paragraph, ministers)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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BRUSSELS (AP)  Insufficient checks and safeguards on how EU member countries spend a massive aid program designed to help them bounce back from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are creating possibilities for fraud and mismanagement, the bloc's financial watchdog warned on Wednesday.

The European Court of Auditors warned of an accountability gap in protecting the European Union's financial interests as the 27 member states use 724 billion euros ($763 billion) to reinvigorate their economies, which took the biggest hit since World War II during the coronavirus crisis.

With such large amounts at stake, it's imperative that EU taxpayers' money is adequately protected, ECA President Tony Murphy said.

Member states have to set up strict plans on how to use the funds and target future-oriented sectors promoting the green and digital transition of their economies, amongst others. The ECA however laid bare how such targets and milestones of the program should be better checked by the EU's executive Commission, especially once they are rolled out. So far about 20% of the grants and loan program have been paid out.

Sometimes, it said, the Commission has no way of fully checking whether the information from the member states on how they spend the money is accurate and does not allow for abuse.

There is a gap in terms of the assurance the Commission can provide for the EUs main pandemic recovery fund and a lack of accountability at EU level, Murphy said. This represents a serious risk to EU financial interests.

Citizens will only trust new ways of EU funding if they can be sure that their money is being spent properly, he added.

And it is not only citizens  often the trust of member states on how others spend joint funds only goes that far too.

The massive fund to confront the EU's biggest recession in its history is partly based on common borrowing and is to be used as loans and grants primarily by the countries hit hardest by the crisis. EU member states taking up loans together, sharing debt and spending it in a spirit of solidarity was long unthinkable within the EU.

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That is an another reason why the ECA wants to counter any inappropriate spending, since, it said in a statement, it is widespread in other EU spending programs.

The auditors acknowledged that EU authorities acted fast in setting up such a vast system at short notice, especially considering the need to turn the economic fortunes of many member states around.

All too often, the bloc has been accused of being far too slow to react to pressing events and getting lost in intricate rule-making while a crisis was raging at the same time. This time, even if acting in a relatively short period of time, as the auditors noted, the Commission is left wanting to be able to verify whether everything will be well spent and has to rely too much on national checks.

The Commission has little verified information through its own work as to whether and how these national checks are carried out. Without assurance that these rules are complied with, there is a lack of accountability at EU level, the ECA report said.

The COVID-19 program runs through 2026 and any remarks in the report can still be taken on board to improve assessment.
Humane Inc., a startup founded by former Apple executives, announced it has raised $100 million in the latest round of investments and has partnered with OpenAI  the creator of the widely popular ChatGPT tool.

In a news release, the company said the latest round of investments was led by Kindred Ventures which included significant participation from SK Networks, Microsoft, LG Technology Ventures, and Volvo Cars Tech Fund, among others.

Humane Inc. was founded and is operated by husband and wife duo Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, who both served as directors of Apples human interface team and operating system until their departure in 2016.

The duo shared on Wednesday that it will collaborate with OpenAI to integrate its artificial intelligence (AI) technology into Humane devices to provide their service at a larger scale to customers.

Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, was one of the few early investors to join the new round of financing for Humane.

Our first device will enable people to bring AI with them everywhere. Its an exciting time, and weve been focused on how to build the platform and device that can fully harness the true power and potential of this technology, Chaudhri said in a statement, noting that hes extremely proud to work with partners and collaborators on his new startup.

We are at the beginning of the next era of compute, and believe that together we can begin the journey to fundamentally reshape the role of technology in peoples lives, Chaudhri added.

The news comes as Microsoft announced earlier this year that its new premium messaging service, Teams Premium, will be powered by OpenAIs ChatGPT chatbot. The company also announced it will invest billions of dollars in OpenAI as part of a third phase of a partnership between the two companies.

ChatGPT  which launched in November  is a free tool that automatically generates human-like reponses to users queries in a way that is more advanced than previous technology.

The new innovative technology has raised the concerns from many parents and educators recently, with some saying that students could use that ChatGPT platform to cheat on assignments. Schools in New York City and Seattle have since banned the tool over those concerns.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
WORCESTER  A former U.S. Postal Service worker was sentenced to three years probation with six months confined to her home in federal court Wednesday for stealing packages in Gardner that totaled over $90,000 in cash.

Roberta Feliz, 34, of Fitchburg, was also ordered to pay $85,565 in restitutions.

Feliz pleaded guilty to one count of theft of mail by an employee of the U.S. Postal Service in April 2022.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Feliz was employed as lead sales and services associate with the Gardner Post Office. Between February and July 2020, Feliz stole over $90,000 in cash deposits that were mailed from a tractor supply company to its bank.

Feliz was observed on surveillance camera removing envelopes from the postal service floor into the employee locker area or the womens restroom.

In August 2020, Feliz was approached by law enforcement after she took a control package containing cash from the postal floor into an office, removed money from the envelope and hid it in an unused desk. Feliz admitted to stealing packages from the tractor supply company and stated that she used the money to pay off debt and sent some to family overseas.

The prosecution asked U.S. District Judge Timothy S. Hillman for 10 months in prison with three years supervised release.

Joan M. Fund, Feliz's lawyer, requested home confinement for her client. Fund said her client clearly regretted her actions and referenced Feliz using the money to pay for utilities and support family in the Dominican Republic.

Feliz addressed the court, holding back tears as she apologized the postal service, the business, her family and friends and to the court for her crimes.

"There is no excuse for what I did. I am truly sorry," Feliz said.

Hillman said he had a different sentence in mind prior to Feliz's address, but he found that her words showed sincere remorse and understanding of her actions.

"It tells me I'm not going to see you again," Hillman said.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Ex-Gardner postal worker Roberta Feliz on probation for $90K theft
Stephen Byrne, a former top executive at what was South Carolinians giant electric utility SCANA, was sentenced to nearly 15 months in federal prison and hit with a $200,000 fine Wednesday for a crime connected to the now-defunct companys multibillion-dollar V.C. Summer fiasco.

Byrne had earlier pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy, a charge that meant he conspired with others to hide the extent of cost overruns and other malfeasance at the proposed V.C. Summer nuclear plant in southern Fairfield County, which from 2015 on was way behind schedule.

Byrnes conviction and looming prison sentence was yet more proof of SCANAs downfall from prestigious New York Stock Exchange market darling and South Carolina business icon to failed company due criminal conduct  not mismanagement or incompetence.

He is the last of the former SCANA executives to be sentecned to prison.

In 2021, another former SCANA top official, former CEO Kevin Marsh, pleaded guilty to criminal conspiracy charges linked to the cover-up of the real problems at the nuclear site. He was sentenced in February 2021 to two years in prison and a $5 million fine.

Byrne and Marsh were accused of hiding the companys perilous financial condition in the years around 2015 due to cost overruns and other problems at the nuclear site. To have revealed the real conditions would have not only put the project in jeopardy, but threatened the price of the company stock, which was well-regarded at that time.

An official from the nuclear construction arm of Westinghouse Electric Corp., which was hired to oversee and manage the building up of the nuclear site also was snared by an FBI investigation into questionable financial activities at the site.

In June, 2021, former top Westinghouse official and site project director, Carl Churchman, pleaded guilty May 2021 in federal court to making a false statement to an FBI agent during its investigation of the failed nuclear project.

Churchman falsely told an FBI agent that he was not involved in communicating how the project was going to SCANA officials.

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In fact, Churchman  who was managing the project for Westinghouse  was communicating with colleagues from the Westinghouse Electric Corp. through multiple emails in which they discussed the viability and accuracy of (completion dates) and thereafter, he reported those dates to executives of SCANA and Santee Cooper during a meeting held on Feb. 14, 2017, according to a charging document in his case.

SCANA, a Fortune 500 publicly traded company whose business lineage traced back to 1846, was one of the crown jewels of South Carolinas economy.

But the failure of its overpriced, bungling effort to build two nuclear reactors at its plant in Jenkinsville led to multiple lawsuits and mounting financial troubles. Eventually the company was absorbed by Dominion Energy.

SCANAs downfall is perhaps the most costly business failure in state history.

As problems mounted at the construction site in southern Fairfield County, Bryne because part of a conspiracy that engineered a cover-up to hide the extent of the publicly traded companys financial problems caused by the nuclear projects difficulties, according to charging documents in his case.

Through intentional misrepresentations, Byrne and others deceived regulators and customers, documents said. In so doing, Byrne and the others kept the stock price inflated and the investors in the dark.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Akhmat Kadyrov and Vladimir Putin

Kadyrov has been seen to be becoming increasingly overweight with a visibly swollen face, suggesting significant health problems, German newspaper Bilds Russia service reported on March 3.

Read also: Chechen warlord Kadyrov also wants to create his own private military company

First of all, there is indeed information that something is wrong with his kidneys, that its quite serious, Ponomarev said.

Secondly, there is information that Kadyrov is spending a lot of time in Dubai now and is solving certain financial issues there. But this may be related to his uncertainty about the future of Russia and the Putin regime. I think this is even more likely than the issue of his illness or something else.

Read also: Chechen warlord Kadyrov reportedly having health problems

The recent meeting between Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Kadyrovs eldest son, 17-year-old Akhmat, sparked rumors this might be a casting for a new Chechen leader.

But Ponomarev said he doubted that was the case.

As for Kadyrov Jr., it cant be a casting because hes too young, Ponomarev said.

Putin didnt break the law even with (Ramzan) Kadyrov when the latter was too young to become the president of Chechnya.

Alu Alkhanov simply held the seat for Kadyrov for two years until the latter turned 35. So, I dont believe that such a violation will happen in the future.

Read also: Putin afraid of Kadyrov, Ukraines top security official says

But its very useful for Kadyrov himself, as he demonstrates to Chechnya and to everyone else his closeness to Putin, who meets with his family. Its a typical Caucasian signal.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
By Jody Godoy

(Reuters) - Former U.S. Congressman Stephen Buyer denied trading on inside information he learned as a consultant to T-Mobile US Inc ahead of its $23 billion merger with Sprint, as he took the stand at his criminal trial on Wednesday.

Buyer was a Republican from Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1993 and 2011 before working as a corporate consultant.

He is accused of using client information to buy Sprint stock before the telecommunications company was acquired by T-Mobile in 2018, and to trade ahead of another client's impending merger.

Testifying in federal court in New York City Buyer, who was also a lawyer and retired U.S. Army Reserves colonel, denied trading on inside information about either company, saying he had relied on public research.

"I acted boldly and decisively and bought," he said.

Former U.S. Congressman Stephen Buyer arrives for his insider trading trial in New York

He said in court that he concluded Sprint stock was undervalued and the company was poised for a merger after reading an analyst report from April 2018 that said major Sprint shareholder SoftBank had recently increased its stake in the company by hundreds of millions of dollars.

Prosecutors allege Buyer learned from a T-Mobile executive that the company was in merger negotiations with Sprint before he started trading Sprint stock.

Buyer made more than $100,000 from the Sprint trades, and more than $200,000 on stock in Navigant Consulting Inc, which he purchased before the company was acquired by Guidehouse in 2019, prosecutors say.

The trial will resume on Thursday.

(Reporting by Jody Godoy in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
By Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Australia is expected to buy up to five U.S. Virginia class nuclear powered submarines in the 2030's as part of a landmark defense agreement between Washington, Canberra and London, four U.S. officials said on Wednesday, in a deal that would present a new challenge to China.

The agreement, known as the AUKUS pact, will have multiple stages with at least one U.S. submarine visiting Australian ports in the coming years and end in the late 2030's with a new class of submarines being built with British designs and American technology, one of the officials said.

U.S. President Joe Biden will host leaders of Australia and Britain in San Diego on Monday to chart a way forward for provision of the nuclear-powered submarines and other high-tech weaponry to Australia.

China has condemned the effort by the Western allies, who are seeking to counter China's military buildup, pressure on Taiwan and increasingly muscular deployments in the contested South China Sea.

Two of the officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that after the annual port visits, the United States would forward deploy some submarines in Western Australia by around 2027.

In the early 2030's, Australia would buy 3 Virginia class submarines and have the option to buy two more.

AUKUS is expected to be Australia's biggest-ever defense project and offers the prospect of jobs in all three countries.

Australia has an existing fleet of six conventionally powered Collins-class submarines, which will have their service life extended to 2036. Nuclear submarines can stay underwater for longer than conventional ones and are harder to detect.

The officials did not elaborate on the planned new class of submarines, including offering specifics about production locations.

The Pentagon referred queries to the White House, which declined to confirm details about any upcoming announcement. The British Embassy in Washington did not comment directly on the Reuters report but repeated an announcement from London that British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would travel to the United States for further talks on AUKUS.

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The Australian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Under the initial AUKUS deal announced in 2021, the United States and Britain agreed to provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines as part of joint efforts to counter the increasing threat posed by China in the Indo-Pacific region.

But a deal between the three countries on how specifically to achieve that goal had not been ironed out.

The U.S. Congress has been briefed several times in recent weeks on the impending AUKUS deal to garner support for the legal changes needed to smooth out technology transfer issues for the highly protected nuclear propulsion and sonar systems that will be aboard Australias new submarines, a congressional source said.

Over the next five years, Australian workers will come to U.S. submarine shipyards to observe and train. This training will directly benefit U.S. submarine production as there is currently a labor shortfall for shipyard workers the U.S. needs to build its submarines, the source said.

It is unclear how the upcoming announcement might affect the U.S. Navy's expectations for its own submarine acquisitions in coming years.

The Navys 30-year shipbuilding plan released last year forecast submarines being produced at a rate of 1.76 to 2.24 per year and forecast the fleet grow to between 60 to 69 nuclear attack submarines by 2052, according to the Congressional Research Service.

General Dynamics Corp, which makes Virginia class submarines, has 17 of them in its current backlog delivering through 2032.

To date no party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) other than the five countries the treaty recognizes as weapons states - the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - has nuclear submarines.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart and Steve Holland; additional reporting by Mike Stone, Jonathan Landay and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Don Durfee and Stephen Coates)
HOUSTON (AP)  Next months scheduled execution of a Texas death row inmate, whose attorneys say gouged out both of his eyes  each a separate incident  because of severe mental illness, was delayed by a judge on Tuesday.

Andre Thomas had been set to be executed on April 5, sentenced to death for fatally stabbing in March 2004 his estranged wife Laura Christine Boren, 20, their 4-year-old son Andre Lee and her 13-month-old daughter Leyha Marie Hughes, cutting out the hearts of the two children.

He later told police God had instructed him to commit the killings and that he believed all three were demons. The killings of Boren and her children shocked Sherman, a city of about 45,000 residents 65 miles (105 kilometers) north of Dallas.

State District Judge Jim Fallon on Tuesday issued an order withdrawing the execution date. Fallons decision came after Thomas lawyers had requested additional time to prepare for a court hearing to review his competency.

The Supreme Court has prohibited the death penalty for the intellectually disabled, but not for people with serious mental illness. However, it has ruled that a person must be competent to be executed.

We are confident that when we present the evidence of Mr. Thomass incompetence, the court will agree that executing him would violate the Constitution, Maurie Levin, Thomas attorney, wrote in a statement. Guiding this blind psychotic man to the gurney for execution offends our sense of humanity and serves no legitimate purpose.

His attorneys have said that after he gouged out the second eye, he ate it to ensure that the government could not hear his thoughts.

More than 100 faith leaders and others had earlier asked Gov. Greg Abbott to stop the 39-year-olds execution.

J. Kerye Ashmore, with the Grayson County District Attorneys Office, which prosecuted the case, said the faith leaders and others calling for clemency for Thomas are not fully informed about the case and have not read any reports or evaluations about his mental state.

Story continues

None of these people know anything about the case. They are parroting what the defense has told them, Ashmore said.

Fallons order gives Thomas attorneys until July 5 to file their motion asking that the inmates competency be reviewed before his execution can proceed. If Fallon decides Thomas lawyers have presented sufficient evidence to go forward, experts will be appointed to examine him, and other evidence will be reviewed by the judge before he would make a decision.

Were willing to do that. Were willing for that process to happen and let the judge make the decision. Thats all we want, Ashmore said.

Levin called Thomas one of the most mentally ill prisoners in Texas history, adding that he is not competent to be executed, lacking a rational understanding of the states reason for his execution.

Ashmore said hes reviewed records that would seem to indicate Thomas knew about his execution date and that hes aware that hes in prison because he killed his estranged wife and her kids. ___ Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter at https://twitter.com/juanlozano70.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  A former executive utility who gave rosy projections on the progress of two nuclear power plants in South Carolina while they were hopelessly behind will spend 15 months in prison for the doomed project that cost ratepayers billions of dollars.

Ex-SCANA Corp. Executive Vice President Stephen Byrne apologized in court Wednesday, saying he thinks about how he let down customers, shareholders, employees, taxpayers and his family almost every day.

The two nuclear plants, which never generated a watt of power despite $9 billion of investment, were supposed to be the crowning achievement of my life, Byrne said. But I failed.

Byrne is the second SCANA executive to head to prison for the nuclear debacle. Former CEO Kevin Marsh was sentenced to two years in prison in October 2021 and released earlier in March after serving about 17 months.

Two executives at Westinghouse, which was contracted to build the reactors, are also charged. Carl Churchman, who was the company's top official at the Fairfield County construction site at V.C. Summer, pleaded guilty to perjury and is awaiting sentencing. Former Westinghouse senior vice president Jeff Benjamin faces 16 charges. His trial is scheduled for October.

Both defense lawyers and prosecutors agreed to delay Byrne's prison sentence until he testifies at Benjamin's trial to make sure he is honest and helpful.

But that isn't in doubt. Prosecutors said Byrne was the first executive to come to investigators after the project was abandoned in July 2017. His careful notes taken in every meeting of who spoke and what was said saved the government years of work unraveling the lies, prosecutor Winston Holliday said.

They are the handwriting of an engineer," Holliday said.

In all, Byrne met with state and federal agents 15 times, sometimes for entire days. He walked them through what happened from the 2008 proposal to build the plants that led to a state law allowing the utility to raise rates so much of the risk fell on customers, to the final desperate meetings in 2017 when it was obvious the project was dead.

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His cooperation led U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis to agree with the defense and prosecution recommendation of a 15-month prison sentence, a $200,000 fine and $1 million in restitution. Federal sentencing guidelines suggest a maximum five-year sentence for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.

Byrne, 63, told state regulators in 2016 that construction of the plants would finish in time to get more than $1 billion in tax credits vital for SCANA and its subsidiary South Carolina Electric & Gas to afford the project. The goal was to reassure shareholders and others that the project, which leaders knew was hopelessly delayed and over budget, was on track.

But unlike other executives, whose sin was greed and wanting to line their own pockets with bonuses, Holliday said Byrne's sin appeared to be pride.

I genuinely believe as an engineer he wanted to build this thing," Holliday said.

The first words Byrne said in court were I'm sorry. He has been a nuclear engineer all his life and said he regrets the role he played in stifling the growth of nuclear power in the United States because the SCANA debacle showed the projects are too expensive and unwieldy.

I failed the nuclear industry as well. What we hoped would be a nuclear renaissance  we put the brakes on it, Byrne said.

Since losing his job in 2018, Byrne has been building houses with Habitat for Humanity. His lawyers said he took classes to be an electrician at a technical college so he could better help the organization.

It is my fervent hope that when I retire I can go on to live a quiet life and no one in here ever hears from me again, Byrne said.
Opponents of Pastor Greg Locke Censor His Riveting New Documentary, 'Come Out In Jesus Name' New film follows a diverse group of demon-slaying preachers as they begin to spark the most important awakening in church history, in theaters March 13







Watch the new Official Trailer here



NEWS PROVIDED BY

Locke Media

March 8, 2023



NASHVILLE, March 8, 2023 /Christian Newswire/ -- Censorship of dissenting opinions is all the rage these days, and controversial Pastor Greg Locke is a popular target. Several websites that share Christian content are now rejecting advertisements for Locke's new film, Come Out In Jesus Name. Why? Because of misinformation that is 50% lie and 50% error.



Locke's highly anticipated film is in theaters March 13, but thanks to these unwarranted cases of censorship, some Americans won't even learn of it. The film's online trailer has been viewed more than one million times, more than 500 church leaders registered to attend an exclusive screening of the film, and nearly 500 guests attended the worldwide premiere of the movie on March 4 in Nashville, producing rave reviews. Theaters are selling out all across the nation, and more dates will soon be added.



What makes the ongoing censorship efforts especially disturbing is that no one is protesting the content of the film, rather Pastor Locke's past controversies, and something Locke said (or didn't say) more than a year ago. Locke was teaching on the subject of demonic attacks during a Global Vision Bible Church livestream, and within minutes the Twitter-sphere and other social media platforms went wild with an early slanderous mis-quote by several of his most vocal detractors.



One website has launched a new petition soliciting signatures to remove the movie from all theaters. In a particular social media post, a detractor resurrected the slanderous accusation, writing, "One of the preachings of the debated film's protagonist, Pastor Locke, is that autism spectrum and similar disorders are the result of demonic possession," (emphasis added). In reality, Locke stated the exact opposite.



In the livestream sermon of question, Locke was making a Biblically correct point about the potential results of demonic oppression, not possession. After drawing an illustration of a parent's questioning after their child had been diagnosed with Autism, Locke said:



"Are you telling me my kid's possessed? No. I'm telling you your kid could be demonized and attacked but your doctor calls it autism." (Emphasis added) The terms demonized and attacked are Biblical words that point to oppression, not demon-possession.



"The point Pastor Locke was making, was that mysterious conditions are often misdiagnosed, and that many of these could be the result of demonic attacks that can only be healed through prayer and other Biblical means. It's that simple," said Wayne Caparas, the producer of the film and the leader of Locke Media. "To paraphrase, Pastor Locke clearly said, 'No. If your kid has been diagnosed with Autism, I am not saying he is demon-possessed. I'm saying your doctor might be misdiagnosing your kid, who might actually be under a demonic attack.' Contextually, this is the only meaning any honest person can take from Pastor Locke's straight-forward statement," Caparas said.



In an especially relevant moment in the film, Locke says, "God used controversy. He used the media. He used all of it to grow a massive-sized platform. But it was never about the controversy. It was never about the politics... God built our platform for deliverance." While Locke will likely continue speaking out about controversial issues, he and his team are seeking to put to rest this manufactured controversy designed by people who are willing to lie simply to silence him.



"What makes this lie especially egregious, is the fact that Pastor Locke made the statement in hopes of bringing healing, both physical and spiritual, to people who have been diagnosed with autism," says Caparas. "It's heartbreaking that people are allowed to publish lies on social media that may deter these people from seeking healing in Jesus' name. But that's one of Pastor Locke's motivations to make this film. The message of deliverance can no longer be silenced with lies."



About The film:

Pastor Greg Locke took a 180-degree turn from his mainstream religious traditions and led his church to the brink of revival. He and a diverse group of unconventional preachers then began to spark the most important awakening in church history  through the most unlikely means  by casting out demons.



The highly anticipated riveting new documentary, Come Out In Jesus Name, follows the beginnings of their epic journey from a small church in Tennessee to a global deliverance ministry. Knowledge is power, and in Come Out In Jesus Name, Locke and the team show Christians how to defeat the enemy and get delivered and set free.



Come Out In Jesus Name features Greg Locke, Tai Locke, Isaiah Saldivar, Alexander Pagani, Vladimir Savchuk, Daniel Adams, Mike Signorelli, Leon Du Preez, Henry Shaffer, Chiara Clark, and Hudson Locke.



The film is executive produced by Greg Locke, produced by Wayne Caparas, and directed by Eddie Lamberg and Tim Romero.



For tickets and more information, visit ComeOutInJesusName.com or Lockemedia.org.



Rating: NR

Running Time: 90 minutes



Greg Locke is the Founding and Lead Pastor of Global Vision Bible Church in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, just outside Nashville. The social media firebrand, who has one of the largest platforms in the country, is the author of the No. 1 Bestselling Spiritual Warfare Series and host of On Point with Pastor Greg Locke. He is a popular revivalist and speaker in churches and political circles alike.



Locke Media produces broadcast-length news and teaching shows for a broad range of audiences, podcasts, and documentary films that deal with issues found at the front line of the global spiritual battle. Come Out In Jesus Name is the first in a series of feature length films Locke Media has in the works.



SOURCE Locke Media



CONTACT: media@lockemedia.org



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An exotic, alligator-like reptile was recently discovered by a fisherman in a Pennsylvania park, according to wildlife experts and WPVI.

Police officers were called to FDR Park in South Philadelphia, where they called in Animal Care and Control Team Philly to help rescue the creature, according to the animal control service provider.

When animal rescuers with ACCT Philly arrived, they found a caiman that officers had tied up with police tape, WPVI reported.

Caimans, which are amphibious carnivores related to alligators, are native to Central and South America, according to Britannica. They typically live along bodies of water.

We are grateful to our Animal Protection Officers Don and Connor for getting him safely and humanely and ensuring that no one was hurt, ACCT Philly said in a March 5 Facebook post.

The caiman, which has since been named Cay man, was taken to hang out in an ACCT Philly office  so that he doesnt scare our small critters. His stay will be short lived, as a rescue organization is planning to take him in.

ACCT Philly believes the caiman was abandoned by someone who was trying to raise the non-native reptile as a pet.

It measured 3 feet long, and they can reach 5 feet long as adults, WPVI reported.

Its huge, and with very big teeth, ACCT Philly executive director Sarah Barnett told the outlet.

If you are struggling to keep your pet, or have decided that having an animal who will grow to be 5 feet long, live up to 40 years, and requires a minimum small studio apartment that is half water (kept at a minimum of 70 degrees) was not the wisest decision you made, please DO NOT simply release them, the organization said on Facebook.

Abandoned reptiles will have a tough time adapting to life in Pennsylvania, experts said, and they are harmful to the native ecosystem. It is also illegal to abandon animals in the state.

If you have an animal you cannot keep, ACCT Philly asks you to reach out to them for help.

Story continues

Volunteer stole alligator egg or hatchling and raised it for 20 years, Texas zoo says

Lethargic alligator pulled from lake in NYC. Mystery remains of how it got there

Owner abandoned alligator in plastic bin, NJ shelter says. Now its getting a new home
The City of Memphis this afternoon will release around 20 hours of additional footage from the scene where Tyre Nichols was beaten by multiple Memphis police officers on Jan. 7.

The footage, along with accompanying charging documents, is being released a month after the initial body camera footage was released. That footage showed officers kicking, pepper spraying and beating Nichols, who died Jan. 10.

Here's a summary of what you can expect:

When will be the video be released?

Sometime after 3 p.m. Wednesday, the city will release around 20 more hours of footage from the police killing of Tyre Nichols. This additional footage comes as the Memphis Police Department's internal investigation concludes.

Which officers are facing charges?

Five Memphis police officers -- Tadaraius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith, Demetrius Haley and Desmond Mills Jr. -- are already facing criminal charges for second-degree murder.

What happened to others who were investigated?

In total, 13 Memphis police officers were investigated: Seven were fired, three were suspended and two had their internal charges dismissed. One officer retired, but the recommendation for that person was termination. Four additional Memphis Fire Department employees are facing internal charges. Three of those employees were fired on Jan. 30. A fourth employee was suspended and ordered to attend remedial training. According to City Attorney Jennifer Sink, every officer that assaulted Nichols was part of the first round of terminations and charges.

Will we learn anything new in the additional video?

As of Wednesday morning, it's unclear if anything new will be learned the night Nichols was beat to death. One looming question may possibly be answered: Why did police pull Nichols over to begin with?

Return to The Commercial Appeal this afternoon for full coverage

The CA will review all 20 hours of the footage as well as the charging documents and publish summaries of what the footage contains.

Micaela Watts is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal who covers issues tied to access and equity. She can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Tyre Nichols: What to expect from the release of additional footage
On the afternoon of 8 March, a massive fire broke out in the occupied Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia Oblast; the Russian Guard and the military were involved in extinguishing it.

Source: Ivan Fedorov, Mayor of Melitopol, on Telegram; Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti

Details: Around 14:20, Fedorov reported on an explosion in Enerhodar and published photos.

The Russian mass media, referring to the occupying "authorities" of the city, reported a fire on an area of 4 hectares on the embankment. According to the occupiers, the fire is spreading along the power lines that feed the city and the pumping station. In addition to rescuers, the Russian Guard and the military were involved in extinguishing the fire.

The Russians accused the Armed Forces of Ukraine of using drones with incendiary ammunition.

Reference: It is only allowed to use incendiary ammunition on military targets if they are far from civilians.

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

The incident in Bryansk which happened last week is a consequence of Putin's attack on Ukraine. Before Russia started this war, none of the Russian nationalists had the determination to take up arms and start fighting, to call for the overthrow of Putin's regime and to seize power by military means.

Read also: Incident in Bryansk Oblast part of transformative processes in Russia, Ukrainian intel says

We remember that this has happened before in Russian history. And this happened in the 20th century, when in 1914 the Russian Empire was one of those that started World War I. And in 1917, a revolution occurred: all over Russia, bands of armed men who participated in the war began to seize power under the leadership of various leaders - leftists, rightists, anarchists, monarchists, and so on. Perhaps history repeats itself, as the classics said, but on a new level.

About the chronology. Let's recall an interesting moment. On Feb. 28 of this year, Putin spoke to the board of the FSB. This is his alma mater, the environment in which he was formed as a personality - KGB, FSB. So: Putin's texts in this case are prepared very carefully, and every word and every instruction is important. This speech was short, but Putin gave it a special emphasis  he even emphasized that the special task of the FSB and units of the FSB border troops is to provide cover and protect the border precisely on the Ukrainian-Russian section. And, probably, here he had in mind the entire length of the border.

And now, a day after these instructions, on March 2, when Putin warned that there could be terrorist attacks, hostage taking, attacks on civilians, on critical infrastructure facilities, events are taking place. And the assessment that the Kremlin gave them through Putin's mouth, that this was a terrorist act, looks like a preparation that was really prepared in advance.

It is important to understand that this assessment is one phenomenon, and what actually happened is another one.

Story continues

Read also: Russia's second big offensive: What Putin is betting on - a simple explanation

I have a version that the information was so impressive to the Russian special services that they simply decided to use this blank to impose their version of events and at the same time make everyone forget more quickly what really happened there.

Then Putin said that these are people who set themselves the task of depriving Russia of its historical memory, history, traditions, and language. This list is evidence that the truth is so terrible and unbearable for the Russian authorities that they need to find some excuse, to tell the biggest unimaginable lie. According to Goebbels, when the most incredible lie is told to a society which is policed, under control, where there is a monopoly of power over the sources of information, it will be perceived as the most plausible version. So they took this terror attack as stock.

Perhaps they themselves realized that somewhere there is a ghost of 1917: that there are Russians who are ready to take up arms and provide an example that this government should be overthrown by armed force. They could perceive it as a wake-up call, because I will remind you that until March 2, almost all Russian opposition forces did say that "we will reconcile by peaceful means." There were statements about the environment that "we will federalize" Russia, that there will be a number of states or a number of subjects of the federation or confederation - it doesn't matter. But no one called to take up arms and overthrow Putin's power by military means. That's exactly what they did on March 2. A little known Russian volunteer corps.

But for the FSB, with its institutional memory that still stretches back to the tsarist guard, it reminded them of the year 1917, when a revolution broke out in Russia during World War I and the Bolsheviks seized power by force of arms. And then Lenin and Trotsky were called agents of German intelligence who want to destroy Russia.

This testifies to a huge fright in the FSB.

This testifies to a huge fright in the FSB. They would really like to forget about this incident as soon as possible. Because with their paranoia and persecution mania, they could have thought that if they didn't do it, if they didn't label this incident as terrorism, if they didn't force everyone to forget it faster, then somewhere it might unwittingly cause a counter-reaction in other regions of Russia.

And since the FSB is overextended now by controlling the society, in order not to allow any dissidence, hunting those who are against the war, it may not have the time and thus sleep through any real violent armed actions against state authorities. They are afraid of this most of all now.

The Russian "ultra-patriotic community" immediately started chanting that war should be declared - "call a spade a spade, let's declare war." Let's not forget that these are Soviet people, a Soviet type of thinking, formed back in the days of the Soviet Union. Voenkors, members of the State Duma are preparing a certain media environment in which Putin's words will be heard not sensationally, not radically, but routinely. They are preparing their media environment, society for the fact that Putin can really declare war.

They are preparing people that Putin could say this, announce this, and it would not sound unexpected, radical, not to raise questions in society.

Regarding the war. Let us recall Lenin's article, which he wrote in 1914, where he claimed that the task of the Bolsheviks was to turn this imperialist war into a civil war. And now the FSB, the Kremlin also think, are afraid that this "special military operation" will turn into a special Russian revolution, into a civil war: Russians against foreign Russians, foreign Russians against Russians, poor against the rich, true Russian nationalists against Putinist fascists.

They think (from the point of view of the FSB) that the appearance of this investigation about Putin's palaces, about his wife Kabaeva, his children, his luxurious life on the anniversary of the start of the war and this incident in the Bryansk region, when they called on the Russians to overthrow the Putin regime by armed force, are the links of a chain. To show that Putin is a tsar who is not real, who is incapable, thinks only of himself, cares only about himself, his children are from different women, he is detached from life and is not capable of ruling Russia, that his clique illegally and forcibly keeps Russia under his rule. And that's why they should be overthrown. Because the king lost his legitimacy, broke down and so on.

And they think that this is informational preparation for the beginning of a rebellion or a revolution. And that this incident in the Bryansk region is only the first hint that there really is some attempt, either within the country independently or with the support of foreign special services, to turn the war against Ukraine into a civil war in Russia. This is what they fear.

Read also: Three options for the future of Russia

And that is why they are trying to intercept the information thesis that there will be no civil war, but there will be a real war against Ukraine, against the collective West. That is, efforts will be directed in the informational plane in order to prevent the spread of the thought and idea that in Russia, not a peaceful, but rather an armed revolution and uprising is possible.

Such an idea can provoke a spontaneous involuntary protest in Russia.

There are certain signs of why they are afraid of this, why they are also preparing for it. In February, Rashid Nurgaliev was appointed first deputy secretary of the Security Council of Russia. He is a former interior minister. He was pulled out of some kind of retirement, out of mothballs, for what? It is a signal that there will be a new curator in the domestic power vertical, who ran the Ministry of the Interior at a time when Russia was fighting internal threats, including the Chechen resistance across the country. So, they also see that there are some real signs that stricter control is needed along the lines of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB inside Russia.

The FSB fears that radicalization will affect the most educated, most radical part of Russian society. That it may affect mainly young people or even old people who, being highly educated, will compare Putin's secret railway with another railway.

When was the first railway in Russia built? To Tsarske Selo! Between one tsar's palace in St. Petersburg and another palace in Tsarskoe Selo. Also a special railway. People will draw parallels in Russia between this. We simply do not fully understand this Russian cultural context. But there, about the 20th century, about the tsarist regime, about the revolution, the role of Bolshevism, the role of monarchists, republicans, the 1990s, about the shelling of the parliament - it's all alive. This is all being discussed in certain circles. This is the first point

Secondly: let's not forget that there are still explosions in different areas of Russia. It is not always and only drones, but also human efforts. In the summer of last year, a wave of arson struck military commissariats in various regions across Russia.

Read also: Russia should cease to exist within current borders, says NSDC secretary

In various regions, the FSB reads information about how people violate the draconian measures aimed at suppressing the truth about the war. They see this picture in different regions. They understand that these are signs of a certain protest movement, a certain social environment, which under certain conditions can be radicalized to the extent that people can take up arms. The only question is how they will get these weapons, who will organize them.

And that is why this Russian volunteer corps is an extremely alarming call, in fact a wake-up call for Putin's Russia, which says that dozens of people can appear who can seize power in a separate territory and successfully resist the repressive apparatus in Russia.

If this happens in several regions, it will be a total disaster. As soon as such a mutiny or armed action achieves minimal success, it begins to spread on social networks, and then the FSB will be afraid that the domino principle will happen, that this process will start. And that the first minimal success will encourage other people to take up arms or even without arms to attack the same authorities, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and seize power. And go all the way to the overthrow of the Putin regime.

That is why they are so scared now. Therefore, they try to use the very first way - to break this topic with information. True, they have a small toolkit, that is, to talk about the war, about something else, so that people do not think about palaces, about a king who is not capable of anything, who is destroying the Russian state. Because the main message is that Putin is not strengthening the Russian state, he is destroying it. In order to not destroy it, it is necessary to destroy him. This may be the theme of the Russian revolution in the 21st century.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
2B53NT2 EY (previously Ernst&Young) logotype visible from the street - Mateusz Szymanski / Alamy Stock Photo

EY has shelved a crucial vote on breaking itself up after a backlash from partners dealt a blow to radical plans to separate the Big Four firm's consulting and accountancy arms.

The firms leadership sidelined plans to put the break-up proposal to a vote after a meeting of US partners on Wednesday, The Telegraph understands. Its UK partners will be updated on Thursday.

The voting rules were set to vary by country, but in the UK, the firm is required to persuade 75pc of partners to back the plan.

The firm's senior leadership has repeatedly pushed the vote back but was expected to ballot partners in April or May.

The decision marks a climbdown by EYs senior leadership, which strongly encouraged other partners to back the split.

A spokesman for EY said: "As part of our deliberation and due diligence in connection with the proposed transaction, we are engaging in a dialogue with the largest EY country member firms to determine the final shape of the transaction.

"This transaction is complex and will be the roadmap for the re-shaping the profession, so it is important we get this right. We remain committed to the strategic rationale that underpins Project Everest and believe that a deal can and should be done."

The plan would allow EY to publicly list its advisory division or sell a partial stake in the 312,000-strong firm in a move that would result in huge payouts for partners, echoing the floats of Goldman Sachs and Accenture in 1999 and 2001 respectively.

EY proposed the split amid severe pressure from regulators worldwide over concerns around conflicts of interest at the Big Four firms.

EY, Deloitte, KPMG and PwC have been heavily rebuked by regulators in the UK and US over a perceived lack of independence in their audit divisions because of the fees they also earn from advisory work.

In the UK, the Big Four have already been forced to start ringfencing their audit and consulting arms in a bid to reduce conflicts of interest following major corporate collapses at the likes of Carillion and BHS.

Story continues

The Financial Reporting Council has given the firms a deadline of 2024 to operationally split their audit arms from the rest of their advisory businesses.

A decision on the move has already been held up for months due to disagreements over how billions of dollars of liabilities should be split regulatory issues in certain countries, including China.

Last year, The Telegraph revealed that senior staff at EY were seeking to defect to rival firms in a sign of growing internal strife over its proposed break-up.

In July, EY held a briefing on the proposed split for its UK partners at the five-star Royal Lancaster hotel near Hyde Park in west London.

Hywel Ball, chairman of EY UK, said in September that views expressed in that meeting showed that partners were proud that EY was the first Big Four firm to try a split, adding: Well redefine the profession in the coming years."

At the time, he said: We believe the creation of two strong, independent businesses would help us to better meet the needs of our clients; create compelling careers for our people; and serve the public interest by providing greater choice in the market and a global response to regulatory concerns.

The Big Four are also facing regulatory pressure in the US. In March, the Securities and Exchange Commission launched a probe into conflicts of interest at the major audit firms that could undermine their ability to conduct independent reviews of company accounts.

Deloitte, KPMG and PwC have all said they have no plans to engineer a similar split of their advisory and audit arms.
The claim: Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman announced his resignation

A March 3 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a photo of Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and a headline about his supposed resignation.

"BREAKING: John Fetterman RESIGNATION Announcement," reads the headline.

A similar Instagram post was liked more than 1,000 times in three days before it was deleted.

Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks

Our rating: False

There is no evidence that Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, has announced his resignation. He was recently hospitalized with depression, but his staff has kept him updated on Senate business.

No evidence Fetterman announced his resignation

There were, as of March 6, no credible reports of Fetterman's resignation, or any such announcement on his Senate website or his verified social media accounts.

The headline first appeared on a website called "The Times of America." While the headline claims to reveal a "resignation announcement," the story only calls for his resignation, offering no evidence or even a reference to that already happening.

Fact check: Less than half of John Fetterman's votes were mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania race

In mid-February, Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed hospital to "receive treatment for clinical depression," according to a statement on Twitter from Adam Jentleson, his chief of staff.

Fetterman is recovering from a stroke he suffered in May that required him to use closed captioning to help him communicate, as USA TODAY previously reported.

A Feb. 28 statement from Joe Calvello, Fetterman's communications director, says Fetterman is "doing well, working with the wonderful doctors and remains on a path to recovery."

A March 6 post on Twitter by Jentleson shows Fetterman in a meeting "discussing the rail safety legislation, Farm Bill and other Senate business."

FILE - Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., walks to a motorcade vehicle after stepping off Air Force One behind President Joe Biden, Feb. 3, 2023, at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia. On Thursday, Feb. 16, Fetterman's office announced that the senator had checked himself into the hospital for clinical depression.(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro recently told NBC News he expects Fetterman to come back to the Senate and serve for a good long while.

Story continues

Shapiro made a similar comment to The Philadelphia Inquirer, saying Fetterman is "going to get the help that he needs  and do a great job for the people of Pennsylvania as their senator for a long time."

It would be up to Shapiro to appoint a temporary replacement if Fetterman were to resign, but Shapiro told the Inquirer he hasn't received any pressure from other Democrats to ask Fetterman to step down.

And if I did, I would dismiss it immediately, Shapiro said.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: No, John Fetterman hasn't announced his resignation
By Josh Ye and Julie Zhu

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China has announced plans for a national data bureau, describing it as part of an effort to coordinate data resources in the country and to achieve a vision of "digital China" conceived by President Xi Jinping.

Its formation, which is part of a sweeping government reshuffle, is set to be voted by on China's legislature on Friday.

Here's what we know, and don't know about the new bureau:

WHAT IS THE BUREAU IS BEING SET UP TO SUPPORT?

Xi's vision for a "digital China" aims to see the country populated by smart, internet-connected cities and data treated alongside labour and capital as a key factor to drive the economy and help China compete more effectively globally.

While not as well known internationally as his other initiatives such as the Belt and Road, the topic of a digital economy has repeatedly come up during meetings of Chinese leaders over the past decade. Some local media reports say Xi first mentioned the term in 2012.

Since 2014, several cities including Shenzhen and Shanghai have launched data exchanges that allow information sets from coal trading volumes to company credit ratings to be traded.

Such efforts, however, have been considered fragmented and talk of a more unified approach has emerged in recent months.

In December, China's top leadership published an outline of how China should develop basic data systems and utilize the country's data resources. Last week, they unveiled a new plan that aims for the country to lead digital development globally by 2035.

"In retrospect, recent developments were clearly building toward the inauguration of this new agency," analysts at Trivium China said in a note on Tuesday.

WHAT MAY THE BUREAU BE RESPONSIBLE FOR?

The plan submitted to parliament was scant on detail, saying the bureau would be responsible for "coordinating the integration, sharing, development and application of data resource" and promoting the construction of smart cities.

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One person familiar with China's regulatory thinking said the new bureau will create rules for data property rights, circulation, pricing and trading, an effort that could benefit data-rich companies, at least financially, such as the big internet giants.

Citic Securities analysts said in a note on Tuesday they believed the bureau's formation meant that "China will accelerate the development of the data factor market within the country."

Areas to watch include big data infrastructure, data processing, the digitization of government data as well as data encryption, they added.

WILL THE BUREAU HAVE REGULATORY POWER?

Analysts say no, upon first read. The bureau will be run by the state planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), rather than the country's internet watchdog, the Cyberspace Administration of China.

"The new agency seems to be more on the 'data productivity' side, to make and develop data as a strategic strength for China," said Michael Tan, a Shanghai-based partner of law firm Taylor Wessing. "That also explains why CAC remains and this new agency belongs to NDRC."

The CAC has in the past six years rolled out new cybersecurity, data and privacy laws that govern how organizations should handle and transfer data domestically and abroad.

ARE OTHER COUNTRIES DOING ANYTHING SIMILAR?

Last year, the World Economic Forum said that India, Colombia and Japan were exploring similar data exchange concepts but not much detail has been available.

Europe has raised the issue of where data is hosted and processed as a matter both of sovereignty and security and in 2020 launched cloud computing platform Gaia-X as an alternative to U.S. cloud computing providers.

(Reporting by Josh Ye and Julie Zhu in Hong Kong; Additional reporting by Josh Horwitz in Shanghai; Editing by Brenda Goh and Christian Schmollinger)
LONDON (Reuters) - The British government is under pressure to reform the help it provides with childcare costs that are among the most expensive in the world, in order to help get more parents back into work.

There is a range of existing support available. Below are some additional options that have been suggested, and the possible costs involved.

INCREASE FUNDING TO CHILDCARE PROVIDERS FOR FREE HOURS

Private childcare providers are struggling to make ends meet, in part due to the shortfall in funding available from the government to cover the cost of providing 15 free hours a week to all 3- and 4-year-olds in England, and some 2-year-olds.

Business lobby group the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) is among those who have called on the government to increase funding for the existing system so it reflects the true cost of providing the service.

Boosting the funding to match the level provided to nurseries run by local authorities would require an additional 2.4 billion pounds ($2.9 billion) a year, the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank estimates.

LOWERING THE AGE FOR FREE HOURS

Lowering the age at which government-funded hours of free childcare are provided, to close the gap between the end of parental leave after a baby is born and the age of 3, when most help kicks in.

Making the 15 free hours currently offered to some 2-year-olds universal would cost 0.9 billion pounds a year, the IPPR estimates, while extending this to under 2s would also cost 0.9 billion pounds for 15 hours a week.

It estimates that making the offer of 30 hours a week universally available to 3- and 4-year-olds at the improved rate of funding for nurseries would cost 1.1 billion pounds a year.

EXTENDING AVAILABILITY OF FREE HOURS

The free hours are currently only available 38 weeks a year, in line with school terms, even though most private childcare providers are open for 51 weeks a year.

The IPPR says expanding the availability of free hours for 3- and 4-year-olds to 48 weeks would cost around 1.3 billion pounds a year.

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EXTENDING SCHOOL WRAPAROUND CARE

The school day for children aged 4 and over usually runs for 6.5 hours a day, from roughly 8.45 a.m to 3.15 p.m., with some schools offering activities before and after those hours during term time. Funding for such wraparound care could be expanded.

The IPPR estimates a full scheme to cover the hours from 8 a.m.-6 p.m., delivered across primary schools in England, would cost around 7.6 billion pounds a year, although as many already have such provision it says the marginal cost would be lower.

PROVIDE UPFRONT SUPPORT TO THOSE ON LOWEST INCOMES

Those on Universal Credit social security payments are entitled to support with childcare costs which is paid in arrears.

The CBI is among those who have called on the government to change the system so the money is paid upfront, to remove the problem of prohibitive childcare costs stopping parents taking on more hours, or working at all.

REDUCE CHILDCARE RATIOS

Under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss, the government held a consultation on reducing the child-staff ratio for 2-year-olds from 1:4 to 1:5, a change it said could reduce the cost of childcare by 40 pounds a week for a family paying 265 pounds.

This idea was unpopular with parents and providers who said it would lower the quality of early years care and education. The government has not yet published a response to the consultation, and media have reported Sunak has scrapped the plans.

($1 = 0.8344 pounds)

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Catherine Evans)
By Milagro Vallecillos

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - The amount of cargo passing through the Panama Canal is expected to shrink this fiscal year, the canal's top authority said on Wednesday, with experts warning lower volumes could hurt Panama's economy.

Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vasquez said the institution forecasts just 500 million tonnes of goods passing through the 50-mile (80-km) trans-oceanic waterway in the 2023 fiscal year, some 10.3 million less than the previous forecast.

Vasquez blamed the slowdown in part on Russia's war in Ukraine, fears of a global recession and lower commercial activity in China.

The canal is losing out on traffic from ships that once carried fuel and gas from the U.S. to Asia, but now go to Europe and bypass the Panama Canal, Vasquez said at a conference.

"We are losing approximately two daily transits of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels ... We have partially compensated for this drop with higher prices," Vasquez said.

The number of tonnes passing through the canal reached 518 million in 2022 and 516 million in 2021, according to official data.

Nicolas Vukelja, former president of Panama's maritime chamber, told Reuters the cargo will decrease around 4% compared to the entity's best years, which is "worrying" for the canal's income.

"This is going to affect the economy of our country," Edgar Urrutia, president of the Logistics Business Council, told Reuters, adding the canal's additions to government coffers will decrease.

(Reporting by Milagro Vallecillos; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle and Sandra Maler)
LAKE CITY, S.C. (AP)  The violent kidnapping of four Americans in a Mexican border city shook families across the Carolinas as they agonized for days while waiting to learn whether their loved ones survived a cosmetic surgery road trip that turned deadly.

Questions about the attack persisted Tuesday as officials reported two dead and sped the two survivors, both natives of Lake City, South Carolina, to U.S. soil. Relatives sought details, and federal investigators pledged to investigate how Latavia Burgess, Shaeed Woodard, Eric Williams and Zindell Brown wound up in the crossfire of Mexican drug cartels, as captured on video that was later shared online.

I just want them to come home," Zalandria Brown, Zindell Brown's older sister, said Monday night. "Dead or alive, just bring them home.

Brown said her brother, who lives in Myrtle Beach, and two other friends accompanied Burgess to Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, where she was believed to have a scheduled tummy tuck surgery.

The four were as close as brothers and sister after growing up together in a small town in South Carolinas Pee Dee region, she said. They planned to split driving duties on their way to the medical procedure. Still, she said her brother had expressed misgivings about possible danger.

Family members who were initially unaware of the trip were left anxious and confused as information trickled in from relatives and news reports. Zindell Browns grandmother Marie Singletary said Monday night that she had been in denial since his sister told her that day of the abductions. Her grandson had not mentioned the trip when they last spoke about two weeks ago.

Similarly, the family of Eric Williams remained largely in the dark. Sylvia Williams, his mother, said her son had not mentioned the trip when they talked by phone about a week ago. She did not think he had ever traveled outside of the United States before.

By Tuesday afternoon, she said she had yet to receive any official updates. She learned about the surgery while watching the news. And she had not heard that the Mexican government reported two of the American travelers died.

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Jerry Wallace, Williams' cousin, said he had lost his appetite and was struggling to sleep due to worry, and officials should have been more forthcoming with the family.

Its really something just trying to just wait and hear whats going on and not hearing nothing, Wallace said, rubbing his hands.

Robert Williams said he, too, did not know his brother was going to Mexico until the abductions hit the news. The brothers, whom he described as fairly close, are from South Carolina but now live in the Winston-Salem area of North Carolina. Williams called his brother easygoing and fun-spirited and said he likely did not consider the trip dangerous.

When he finally learned late Tuesday afternoon that his brother had survived, Robert Williams said he was relieved.

I look forward to seeing him again and actually being able to talk to him, Williams said.

Ill just tell him how happy I am to see him, Williams added, and how glad I am that he made it through and that I love him.

Sheriff TJ Joye of Florence County, South Carolina, said federal investigators are leading the investigation and added that he has never encountered such a case in his 38 years in law enforcement.

Lake City residents said it is not uncommon for people to travel as far as Florida or Mexico for similar procedures.

Local, state and federal lawmakers expressed support for the victims' families Tuesday.

Republican Congressman Russell Fry, who represents South Carolina's 7th District, tweeted that his office had been in contact with one of the families after hearing the heartbreaking news.

Lake City Mayor Yamekia Robinson offered her condolences in a brief afternoon public statement in which she deferred questions to the U.S. State Department.

And state Rep. Roger Kirby led a moment of silence on the South Carolina House floor. Kirby said information on the unbelievable and senseless" killings seemed fairly limited and called for his hometown of Lake City to rally around the families.

It's a time for us to all stick together and support these families and keep our prayers ongoing for the safe return of the two hostages, Kirby told The Associated Press.

___

Travis Loller reported from Nashville, Tennessee. James Pollard is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Thermal burnt skin on hand (left) and distraught woman leaning head against wall (FILE PHOTOS: Getty Images)

SINGAPORE  A family of three were all sentenced to jail on Tuesday (7 March) for physically abusing their maid.

Grab driver and part-time mover Tan Huat, 70, his wife Tan Ai Tee, 68, and their 46-year-old daughter Tan Pei Ling were jailed for three weeks, nine months and 20 months respectively.

According to CNA, the maid, Heni Rahayu, had a heated iron pressed on her, hot liquid splashed on her and multiple other instances of physical abuse.

Her plight came to light on 23 July 2020, when a neighbour called the police after hearing sustained shouting from midnight to around 5.45am. Rahayu was taken to the hospital and suffered multiple injuries including facial bruises and burn marks.

Tan Huat was also fined $500 in compensation for one charge of voluntarily causing hurt to a maid. His wife was given a $2,500 compensation order after admitting to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt with an instrument for cutting, while their daughter was also ordered to pay the victim $20,000 in compensation after pleading guilty to two charges.

How the abuse started

Rahayu, an Indonesian national, was first employed by the family in January 2020 and worked in their Ang Mo Kio flat. She was required to finish her chores before sleeping and usually worked from 6am till between 2am and 4am the next day.

Inept in English, she was able to communicate with Tan Huat only in Bahasa Melayu. After about a week of work, Rahayu told Tan Huat of her desire to return to the maid agency as she felt that Tan Ai Tee and Tan Pei Ling were dissatisfied with her work performance.

Several violent incidents followed, with Ai Tee knocking the maid's head with her fist and hitting her with a plastic pail as she failed to meet her housework standards. Pei Ling also began hitting the victim with items like a plastic chair and a metal pole.

Tan Huat also slapped the victim twice on the mouth, ordering her to reply his wife and daughter when they were talking to her.

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Rahayu subsequently kept the abuse from the women from Tan Huat, as she felt he would not be able to help her. She also did not seek help from other family members like Pei Ling's brother and son, due to her inability to communicate with them.

She was not granted any days off and was not allowed to leave the flat on her own, and was also unable to contact her maid agency as she was banned from having a mobile phone.

Final incident

On 23 July 2020 at about 2.30am, Rahayu was not allowed to sleep till she finished her household chores. Feeling hungry and sleepy, she went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.

Angry at the victim for stealing coffee, Pei Ling splashed the hot coffee at Rahayu and threatened that she would not be allowed to sleep or eat if she did not finish ironing all the clothes by 5am. Later that morning, Pei Ling burnt Rahayu on the arm with a heated iron.

A neighbour called the police at 5.46am after suspecting that his neighbour was ill-treating their maid. He claimed he heard the employer constantly shouting at the maid, who was still mopping the floor at midnight.

The police arrived shortly after and the maid was taken to the hospital.

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The family of an Horry County grandmother who was kidnapped and murdered in 2021 is suing the in-vehicle security system, claiming its technology might have prevented her death.

Mary Ann Elvington, 80, didnt show up to church on March 28, 2021.

In an attempt to locate her, Elvingtons children called an operator with Onstar and pleaded to give them the location of their mother. The company wouldnt, the lawsuit filed at the beginning of this month says.

A spokesperson for Onstar declined a request for comment, pending the lawsuit.

Elvington spent that afternoon driving around Marion County with Dominique Brand, who held a loaded shotgun pointed at her, according to police.

Brand entered the home of Elvington in Nichols and kidnapped her, an indictment detailed. Brand forced Elvington to drive him in her car to Lake Waccamaw, North Carolina, and then back to Lakeview, South Carolina.

Elvingtons body was found behind Mt. Zion AME church, about 10 miles away from her car.

In September, Brand was convicted of kidnapping and murdering Elvington, but he has not yet been sentenced. According to the Horry County Solicitors office, Brand could receive a sentence of up to life without the possibility of parole or death on all counts.

Brands sentencing was scheduled for this week, but has been delayed because the judge is awaiting the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in Lora v. United States, which deals with consecutive sentences.

Brand, 29, of Marion County, is listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, and is being sued for intentional wrongful death.

The lawsuit states that Onstar had technology available to locate Elvingtons car, and had a duty to assist in life-threatening emergencies.

According to the lawsuit, Onstar placed a three-way call to Elvingtons vehicle. Elvington confirmed she was in the vehicle, but she did not know where she was and did not know her general location or destination.

When asked whether she would pull over and contact law enforcement, Elvington didnt respond, which is when Onstar discontinued aid, the lawsuit says.

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Harold Elvington, a son, repeatedly asked Onstar to provide law enforcement with his mothers location. They refused, the suit claims.

The Nichols Chief of Police contacted Onstar the same day, informing the company of the urgent circumstances and requested the location, according to the suit. Onstar refused to give law enforcement Elvingtons location.

How and why Brand and Elvington ended up in the car together is still unknown. Family who spoke to the Sun News in 2021 theorized at the time she was trying to get him out of the house to protect any family that might come by.

Elvingtons family is suing Onstar for negligent wrongful death, alleging that Onstar had a duty to provide emergency services, based on the subscription services Elvington paid for.

The lawsuit is asking for actual and consequential damages.

Pierce Sloan Kennedy & Early Law, the firm representing the family in this suit, declined a request for comment made by The Sun News on Tuesday afternoon.
For some, its a reward. For others, its a punishment.

The tequila worm divides alcohol connoisseurs as the wiggly little prize at the bottom of a bottle.

What started as a marketing trend for mezcal, an alcohol made from agave but different from tequila, has grown to be a global phenomenon. Friends would pass around the bottle, getting drunker and drunker, and whoever got the last sip of mezcal also had to bite into the worm floating at the bottom.

Its become prominent in pop culture, too. In Poltergeist II: The Other Side, the father of the family becomes possessed by a demon after swallowing a mezcal worm in the last sip of a bottle of tequila. The worm later leaves the fathers body, becoming a giant, tentacle-like monster.

But in a new study, published in the scientific journal Zoological Science on March 8, scientists confirmed that not only is the worm not found in tequila, its actually not a worm at all.

Mexican entrepreneur Jacobo Lozano Paez is thought to have been the first maestro mezcalero or mezcal master to place larvae in bottles as a marketing strategy, to enhance the flavor and color of the drink, the study authors said.

Notably, none of these mezcal brands are tequila, as authentic tequila never includes a worm, they continued.

The wiggly specimen was identified as an agave redworm moth larvae using DNA testing from the worms found in mezcal bottles from 2018 to 2022.

The researchers bought bottles of mezcal that contained the larvae from distributors across North America and from distilleries in Oaxaca, Mexico. The larvae were removed from the bottles and placed in a mason jar where they could be photographed and their DNA could be extracted.

The researchers said alcohol can degrade DNA over time, so of the 21 worms collected, only 18 could be used.

The DNA was compared to 63 different species of insects that the researchers had on their short list, taken from species of worms that have been known to be consumed in Mexico. Many species have similar larval stages, and many look like the larvae floating in the alcohol.

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The results showed that all 18 larvae were from the same species, Comadia redtenbacheri, or the agave redworm moth.

Adding larvae to Mexican beverages and foods (salts, garnishes, powders, etc.) is driven by health benefits and by beliefs that these larvae contain aphrodisiac properties, according to the study.

But the demand for the little grubs has put pressure on their native populations.

Unfortunately, wild-caught larvae are becoming less common, and gatherers are having to travel further to find them, the study said.

Scientists said that some researchers are trying to find a way to grow the larvae in captivity, which can be done more effectively for the mezcal industry now that the exact species has been identified.

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SPRING VALLEY  The five who were killed in an early-morning fire Saturday and those injured were all related, according to information from the Guatemalan Consulate in New York City. They were originally from Jocotan, a town in Chiquimula, Guatemala, and lived on the second floor of the multi-family home.

The young boy who died in the blaze, along with his 2-year-old sister who survived, were born here and were therefore citizens of the U.S.

Meanwhile, as of Monday evening, all five people who had been hospitalized have been released, said Ramon Soto, an assistant to the Rockland County Executive. He said they remain confused and overwhelmed by the tragedy, especially the mother of the two children, one who survived and one who perished.

Five Spring Valley residents died in a fire on March 4, 2023. From left: Maria del Carmen Gonzalez Quizar, 29; Carlos Anibal Interiano Gonzalez, 13; Rudy Alfonzo Climaco Interiano, 27, and his son, Darwin Isai Climaco Diaz, 4; and Anastacio Diaz Climaco, 34.

Those who died are:

Carlos Anibal Interiano Gonzalez, 13, a student at Chestnut Ridge Middle School. His father, 34, was hospitalized from the blaze.

Darwin Isai Climaco Diaz, 4, a U.S. citizen. Darwin's mother, 25, was hospitalized, along with a 2-year-old sister. The Consulate reported that they have since been released.

Rudy Alfonzo Climaco Interiano, 27, the father of young Darwin. His partner and toddler daughter  Darwin's mom and sister  survived.

A memorial set up at the scene of a fatal fire on Lake St. in Spring Valley March 6, 2023. Five people died in the fire.

Anastacio Diaz Climaco, 34, a cousin of Rudy Climaco and another male resident who was injured in the fire.

Maria del Carmen Gonzalez Quizar, 29.

The consulate described the adults' status as "an irregular migratory situation."

Spring Valley: Electrical issues likely sparked the fatal fire, authorities say. What we know

Fatal fire: Red Cross brings free fire alarms, emotional support, to neighborhood

Spring Valley: Fatal fire leads to inspections; violations found at next-door houses

The adults worked in local restaurants, Soto said.

Soto said the consulate sent representatives to Spring Valley on Saturday, and the survivors went to New York City to meet with Guatemalan officials on Tuesday so they could get replacement documents, like passports. Everything they had was destroyed; the remains of the building was torn down hours after the fire.

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Irma Lemus, an accountant with a business in Spring Valley, is coordinating the fundraising for the families. "I know these people very well, I know the family," Lemus said. She is also from the same town in Guatemala.

A GoFundMe, "Tragedia de Familia Guatemalteca," has been established.

While the family has been offered help from the consulate to bring the bodies back to Guatemala, Soto said that the final resting place for Darwin and Rudy Climaco will likely be in the U.S.

That's because Rudy's partner, Darwin's mother, would likely not be able to return to the U.S. if she traveled to Guatemala for the funeral. "They don't have status in the United States," Soto said. That way, "the family ... can stay close to him."

Soto hopes the hundreds of churches and businesses in Spring Valley will step up to help.

Nancy Cutler writes about People & Policy. Follow her on Twitter at @nancyrockland.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Fatal fire in Spring Valley kills 5 extended family from Guatemala
Anthony Fauci says he doesnt really know if the Covid-19 pandemic was caused by a Chinese lab leak.

Dr Fauci made the comments to CNNS Anderson Cooper a week after FBI Director Chris Wray told Fox News his agency thought it was the most likely explanation.

Cooper asked Dr Fauci if the FBI and the Department of Energy, which has also stated that a lab leak is a likely explanation, were right in their assessments.

Well, its very tough to tell that, Anderson, because theyre talking about information that they have that we dont have privy to. So we dont really know, said Dr Fauci.

They have made opinions on low confidence from the Department of Energy and moderate confidence, I believe, from the FBI. So, I dont think theres a really correct and verifiable answer to your question. It just still remains unknown at this particular point.

Cooper then asked Dr Fauci if it was actually important to work out the origins of Covid-19.

We know from study  well, it is, Anderson, because you want to make sure that, whichever of those alternatives it is, that we do whatever we can to prevent it from happening in the future, because we have had outbreaks before, he replied.

I mean, we had SARS-CoV-1, which was clearly shown to go from a bat to a civet cat to a human. And if theres a possibility, which there is, certainly  we havent ruled it out  of there being a lab leak, there are things that you can do to prevent the recurrence of these things.

For example, the data showing that it might be a natural occurrence would make you want to be very careful about the animal-human interface, and make sure that we have strict regulation of bringing animals into wet markets.

And he added: If it turns out to be a lab leak, you want to be very much more stringent in the controls of the experiments that you allow to be done. So, it is relevant to understand.

Whether or not we ever will know, Anderson, Im not sure. But it certainly is important to know.

Data says that 1.13 million Americans have died from Covid since the beginning of the pandemic.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Three days after federal agents searched former President Donald Trumps Florida home for classified documents, FBI Director Christopher Wray emailed bureau workers urging them to tune out criticism from those who dont know what we know and dont see what we see.

The work was done by the book, the director wrote in his Aug. 11 email. We dont cut corners. We dont play favorites.

The internal message was an acknowledgment of the unprecedented nature of the search and the subsequent pummeling the FBI had endured from Trump and his supporters. It also was a recognition that the FBI was navigating a moment so fraught that the normally taciturn Wray felt compelled to address employees about the ramifications of the investigation.

The pressures on Wray and the FBI have grown since then and are only likely to intensify. In its long history, the FBI has rarely been at the center of so many politically sensitive investigations. Agents are simultaneously examining the retention of classified documents by Trump and President Joe Biden. They also are scrutinizing efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election before the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.

The inquiries, overseen by Justice Department special counsels, are unfolding in a hyperpartisan environment as the 2024 presidential election nears and as Congress conducts its own investigations of the FBI. All the while, the bureau has been subjected to regular attacks from Trump, his supporters and influential right-wing pundits, with the former president saying FBI misfits are less credible than Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In an interview with The Associated Press this week, Wray acknowledged the FBI was enduring tough times. But he played down the impact the noise had on day-to-day work, insisting the opinions he most valued were those of the people we do the work for and those we do the work with.

I look not just at the one or two investigations being discussed breathlessly on social media or cable news but at the impact that were having across the board to protect the American people, he said.

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Adding to the tension: Republicans are using their newly minted House majority to investigate the investigators, accusing the FBI of abuses ranging from unfairly targeting Trump to suppressing free speech. They have highlighted disputed, uncorroborated whistleblower complaints against supervisors that the FBI for privacy reasons says its constrained from fully responding to.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a Wray critic and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told the AP last week he supported rank-and-file agents but was concerned about the leadership.

For Wray, the turbulence is more a continuation of a recent trend than something new.

He was appointed by Trump in 2017 after the chaotic firing of his predecessor, James Comey, and as the FBI investigated ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign. Furious over that probe, Trump lashed out at Wray for the remainder of his term and openly flirted with firing him.

Wray ignored the verbal assaults, adhering to a keep calm and tackle hard mantra that he has repeatedly conveyed to agents but that can seem incongruous with a climate that is decidedly not calm. His approach did not change as the FBI initiated investigations involving the current and former presidents.

Were not well-served by wading into the fray, taking the bait and responding to every breathless allegation," Wray told the AP. So we will continue to push back and correct the record when we appropriately can. But as long as Im director, were going to follow the FBI's long history and tradition of letting our work do the talking.

The AP talked to about two dozen current and former FBI officials for this story. Most spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss FBI matters publicly. Many of those interviewed said they were distressed to see the FBI entangled in politics, lamenting not only the barrage of attacks the bureau faces but also Justice Department policies and actions, such as a memo directing the FBI to address threatening rhetoric at school board meetings, that they believe have injected the FBI into the partisan fray and invited criticism.

Some who are personally supportive of Wray and respect his approach to the job contend he and the FBI could more forcefully punch back against false narratives and do better in explaining its work and decision-making to the public. That is a complicated calculus for the FBI given that Comey was widely criticized for public statements about the Hillary Clinton email investigation, an experience that is a cautionary tale for the more circumspect Wray.

Greg Brower, who worked with Comey and Wray when he was the FBIs top liaison to Congress, said he believes Wray strives to do what's right without regard to pressure and was unlikely to adapt his style to satisfy critics. Though not inclined to second-guess Wray, he said it could be argued that Wray's conventional style should be modified for unconventional times and that aggressive pushback was needed to prevent false narratives from taking hold.

It does appear sometimes that the narrative that the bureaus opponents are creating, the very often false narrative, it takes on a life of its own and becomes reality for all intents and purposes. It causes the bureau to be completely mischaracterized in a way thats hard to undo, Brower said.

Joshua Skule, a former top agent, echoed that assessment, saying truth is decaying in our society. To combat that, you have to overcommunicate, in the field office and from headquarters.

Though the attacks arent always rooted in facts, the perception matters because regardless of how the Trump and Biden investigations are resolved, the FBI and Justice Department will have to persuade the public that the investigations were done thoroughly and professionally.

The partisan environment magnifies self-inflicted wounds that have damaged the FBI's credibility, making it more difficult to counter conspiracy theories and questionable narratives.

The recent indictment of an ex-FBI counterintelligence official accused of working for a Russian oligarch gave FBI critics fodder. The FBI came under pressure at a congressional hearing last week over a leaked field office memo that warned of potential Catholic extremists, a document Attorney General Merrick Garland called appalling and said had been withdrawn. And older errors during the Trump-Russia investigation, including bungled wiretap applications targeting a Trump aide, continue to shadow the bureau years later.

We take those to heart each and every day, FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said about the Trump-Russia mistakes in a separate interview.

The inherent tripwires of politically explosive investigations were manifest last summer, when some in the FBI resisted the idea of serving a search warrant at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, believing a more cautious approach was better and that the Trump team was entitled to more time to cooperate, according to a person with knowledge of the talks. The Washington Post earlier reported the disagreements.

In the days after the search, as U.S. officials warned of an alarming spike in threats against the FBI, a 42-year-old Trump supporter attacked the FBIs Cincinnati field office. No FBI employees were harmed; police killed the gunman.

Wray said he tries to communicate as much as he can about the FBI's work, including about the Chinese espionage threat or other priorities, but no matter how much he does so, the focus is on the manufactured controversies of the day or the one or two cases that get all the attention.

He believes a key part of his job is to step up outreach to his 38,000-member workforce. Besides the message after the Mar-a-Largo search, he held an employee town hall in December, taking questions about public perception of the FBI, agent safety and allegations of politicization.

He also frequently visits the bureaus 56 field offices to speak to agents and local law enforcement. Last month, he went to Norfolk, Virginia, where he discussed violent crime prevention and national security issues. But national politics intruded even there.

During a news conference with local journalists, Wray was asked whether the recent and intense public scrutiny of the bureau was impeding investigations. He offered a rosy take, saying that though he understood the concern, the FBI was humming along and growing like gangbusters.

At the end of the day," he said of the workforce, they're not doing it to attract popularity contests on social media or to win the adoration of pundits.

_____

AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
Stablecoins could have a place in the U.S. financial services sector if appropriate regulation is put in place, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said on Tuesday at a hearing before Congress.

See related article: U.S. Congress, not the SEC, will set cryptocurrency regulations, says Blockchain Association

We dont want to stifle innovation, Powell said during his semiannual report to the Senate Banking Committee. We dont want regulation to stifle innovation in a way that just favors incumbents and that kind of thing.

What weve been doing is making sure that regulated financial institutions that we supervise and regulate are careful (and) are taking great care in the ways that they engage with (the) whole crypto space and that they give us prior notice, Powell added.

Powell also reiterated the central banks same activity, same regulation principle. People are going to assume when they deal with something that looks like a money market fund, that it has the same regulation as the money market fund or a bank deposit, and so stablecoins need some attention in that respect, he said.

In January, four senior officials in U.S. President Joe Bidens administration called for Congress to step up efforts to regulate the cryptocurrency market.
Courtesy of Prerak Patel

In an incident that seems ripped from the viral focus group sketch from I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson, US vehicle safety regulators are investigating complaints from drivers of Teslas 2023 Model Y SUV that the car doesnt have a good steering wheel that doesnt fly off while youre driving.

In a document posted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, the agencys Office of Defects Investigation said it received two complaints about the electric vehicle.

Courtesy of Prerak Patel

The regulators said both vehicles that experienced the issue were missing a retaining bolt that attaches the wheel to the steering column  a tiny but crucial mechanism that ensures the car would have a great steering wheel that doesnt whiff out the window while driving.

Officials estimate their investigation covers more than 120,000 cars from the model year.

One of the complaints came from New Jersey resident Prerak Patel, who told BuzzFeed News hed been driving with his family on a highway on Jan. 29 just five days after purchasing his Model Y when the steering wheel suddenly detached.

He said that luckily the road was straight and there were no cars behind him in the left lane in which he was driving, allowing him to pull over safely.

It was a horrible experience, Patel said. I am happy that it will be investigated and hope no one experiences what I did.
Rescued refugees and migrants stand aboard a boat at the town of Paleochora, Crete, following a rescue operation - Costas Metaxkis/AFP via Getty Images

A fisherman accused of helping to steer a rusty vessel packed with migrants from Egypt to Greece has been sentenced to 280 years in prison after being found guilty of people-smuggling.

The Egyptian man, named as H Elfallah, had faced an even more draconian punishment  a jail term of 4,760 years, based on 10 years for every migrant he had allegedly helped bring to Europe.

The 45-year-old was one of nearly 500 migrants on board the former fishing boat in November last year when it sailed across the Mediterranean.

Mr Elfallah and his 15-year-old son had hoped to reach Greece and then the UK, where another son is applying for asylum.

After the dilapidated vessel started drifting helplessly in rough seas and strong winds, it was rescued by a Greek coastguard patrol boat, which towed it to the port of Paleochora, in Crete.

Police arrested seven of the migrants, accusing them of helping to steer the battered vessel.

One of them was Mr Elfallah.

Accused of smuggling 476 people, he faced a maximum sentence of 4,760 years under a Greek law introduced in 2014.

He was found guilty at a trial in Crete earlier this week, but the court took into account his reasons for helping to steer the ship and gave him a lesser sentence of only 280 years in jail.

'Outrageous criminalisation'

Human rights groups have condemned his conviction as outrageous, saying he was forced to use his sailing skills because of the conditions.

They said it was common for professional traffickers to entrust the job of navigation to migrants, so that the smugglers themselves did not have to be on board and risk arrest once they arrived in Europe.

We strongly condemn this outrageous criminalisation of people on the move, said a spokesman for Borderline Europe, a human rights organisation supporting migrants and refugees.

How on earth do European authorities believe that people can come in a boat without someone piloting it?

The fisherman could not afford the thousands of euros that traffickers charge for passage across the Mediterranean.

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In exchange for a cheaper price, he and his son agreed to do some chores, said the Borderline Europe spokesman.

During the voyage, those chores extended to helping steer the large vessel travel towards Crete.

Mr Elfallah had been made a scapegoat and unfairly treated like a criminal, said the humanitarian organisation.

Heavy prison sentences

This is just the latest case of a migrant being given a heavy prison sentence for helping to steer a boat or dinghy towards Europe while claiming either that they were forced to or did so reluctantly.

Hanad Abdi Mohammad, a Somali, was accused of smuggling and sentenced to 142 years in jail after arriving in Greece in 2020. He said he was compelled to do so after a smuggler threatened him with a gun.

Two Afghans who said they helped steer their vessel after traffickers abandoned them in the Aegean between Turkey and Greece were given 50-year prison terms after being found guilty of smuggling.

Our prisons are full of asylum seekers who drove a boat, Dimitris Choulis, a Greek human rights lawyer, told the Associated Press. This is absurd.
People sing, dance and throw colors at each other to celebrate Holi festival in Hyderabad, India on March 6, 2023. The festival will be observed on March 8, but the festivities start almost a week in advance. It is celebrated across India to welcome good harvests, warm weather, and the defeat of evil.

Hindus across much of South Asia  and in Greater Columbus  are celebrating Holi, the festival of colors, this week. The holiday starts on Tuesday, on the full moon of the Hindu month of Phalguna, and continues until Wednesday night.

Holi is a festival of harmony, said Bishun Pandey, 67, president of the Bharatiya Hindu Temple in Powell and a mathematics professor at Ohio State University. This is the day that we forget about any animosities we have, and we become friends  we meet, greet, play and eat together.

Here are five things you should know about the holiday.

1. The story of Holi is about devotion, but also playfulness

Holi refers to the demoness Holika, and her death. Hindus believe that Holika was the sister of Hiranyakashyap, a demon-king who terrorized the world and ordered everyone to worship him. However, Hiranyakashyaps son Prahlad, a devotee of Lord Vishnu, refused.

As retribution, Hiranyakashyap asked Holika to help him kill Prahlad by entering a blazing fire while holding him on her lap. According to a common account, Holika thought she would be protected by a magic shawl, but it blew off and saved her nephew instead, showing the power of Prahlad's devotion to Vishnu.

In much of India, Holi celebrates the playful and child-like demeanor of Lord Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu. But the festival varies regionally, and is sometimes associated with Lord Shiva and his wife Parvati, or with Lord Rama and his wife Sita, according to Pandey.

Bishun Pandey is president of the Bharatiya Hindu Temple in Powell and a mathematics professor at Ohio State University.

2. More than a color fight: celebrating with food, song and fire

On the first night of Holi, many Hindus burn effigies of the demoness Holika made out of firewood or straw.

The next day, people play-fight with family members and neighbors using water balloons, squirt guns and colorful powders, which they smear on each others faces and clothing.

Pandey said that when he was growing up in a village in northern India, neighbors would sing devotional carols together in the streets.

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Mridula Gupta, 44, a Dublin resident who is originally from Nepal, said the holiday holds memories of special foods from her childhood.

We went to different houses to get their blessings and eat  we ate dahi vada (deep-fried lentil balls served in yogurt), mutton, and puwa (cardamom-infused pancakes) in bulk, said Gupta, who is also hosting a local Holi celebration this year.

March 7, 2023: A man celebrates Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, in Prayagraj, in the Uttar Pradesh, India.

3. Holi is associated with spring and new beginnings

Holi is celebrated according to the Hindu lunisolar calendar. Thus, the date varies from year to year in the Gregorian calendar, but in general it coincides with the beginning of spring  a time to celebrate the end of winter and the start of new life.

4. Its a time to break social conventions

Holis association with playfulness brings together people from diverse walks of life, according to Pandey.

Caste, creed divisions broken. Anybody goes to anybody's home, Pandey said. And this day, basically anybody can throw color on anybody.

In parts of India, some also celebrate by consuming bhang  a spicy milk drink infused with cannabis.

5. Holi goings-on in central Ohio

Hindu communities in central Ohio are putting on several events to celebrate Holi this year.

Several temples are hosting special services.

In Powell, the Bharatiya Hindu Temple is holding a Holika ceremony and color-throwing event for congregants on Tuesday evening.

Likewise, the nonprofit Gujarati Mandal of Central Ohio is selling tickets for a Holi festival that will be held at Westerville Central High School at 3 p.m. on April 8.

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: Five things you should know about the Hindu festival of Holi
From left: Center for Reproductive Rights attorney Molly Duane; plaintiffs Lauren Hall, Amanda Zurawski, Anna Zargarian, and Lauren Miller; and Nancy Northup, the president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, on Tuesday at the Texas Capitol. Acacia Coronado / AP

Five women are suing Texas after the states laws prevented them from getting medically necessary abortions. The lawsuit , which was filed Monday in Travis County, also includes among the plaintiffs two Texas doctors who say they can no longer provide their patients with necessary care because of the states abortion ban.

State Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Texas Medical Board, and its executive director Stephen Brint Carlton were named as defendants in the lawsuit, along with the state of Texas.

The lawsuit is being filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of the five women, and its seeking that Texas confirm that doctors can perform abortions on pregnant people if they in good faith believe its necessary to save their life or protect their health. The Center for Reproductive Rights claims the lawsuit is the first example since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in which people are suing for harm caused by being denied an abortion.

No one should be forced to wait until theyre at deaths door to receive healthcare, Nancy Northup, the president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said during a news conference on Tuesday.

Northup also said that the overturning of Roe v. Wade, which previously granted the right to an abortion nationwide, has resulted in a healthcare crisis across the nation.

It is now dangerous to be pregnant in Texas, she said. Doctors and hospitals are turning patients away, even those in medical emergencies. Patients are being denied necessary, life-saving obstetrical care.

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Texas has nearly completely banned abortion, and doctors who perform abortions can be sentenced up to life in prison . Texass abortion ban makes exceptions if the life of the pregnant person is in jeopardy. Nationwide, many pregnant people have reported doctors who are afraid they will lose their medical license or be put in jail if they perform abortions.

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Abortion pills are also at risk of being banned in Texas. In November, an anti-abortion group filed a lawsuit seeking an emergency order to have the FDA remove its approval of mifepristone, a medication that is used to cause an abortion, and would take it off the market at a national level. The federal judge has yet to rule on it.

On Tuesday, the five women spoke in front of the Texas Capitol about the complications with their pregnancies and what it was like to be told they couldnt receive an abortion despite the threats to their lives.

Amanda Zurawski, one of the plaintiffs in the suit, said that at 18 weeks of pregnancy she experienced prelabor rupture of membranes. She said she was denied an abortion in Texas until she was diagnosed with sepsis; she still spent three days in the ICU, and the infection caused one of her fallopian tubes to permanently close, making it more difficult for her to have children in the future.

I cannot adequately put into words the trauma and despair that comes with waiting to either lose your own life, your childs life, or both, Zurawski said. For days, I was locked in this bizarre and avoidable hell.

Lauren Hall, another woman listed in the lawsuit, said she was told at 18 weeks pregnant that her baby wouldnt be able to grow a skull. The doctor told her she could either wait to miscarry or get an abortion outside of Texas, she said, but if she chose abortion, they would not be able to send her records or make a referral for a doctor. Hall ended up flying to Seattle to get an abortion.

I love Texas, and it kills me that my own state does not seem to care if I live or die, Hall said.

Northup said the Texas Constitution protects life, liberty, equality, and the right to be free from sex discrimination.

These rights are guaranteed to every Texan and they do not disappear because they are pregnant, Northup said. Right now, abortion bans are exposing pregnant people to risks of death, illness, and injury, including the loss of fertility.

The Texas Medical Board did not immediately return BuzzFeed News requests for comment.

Attorney General Paxton is committed to doing everything in his power to protect mothers, families, and unborn children, and he will continue to defend and enforce the laws duly enacted by the Texas Legislature, Paxtons press secretary said in an email to BuzzFeed News.

More on this
Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Insider surveyed six flight attendants on their thoughts about controversial airplane etiquette.

The majority said it's perfectly fine to recline your seat back, especially on longer flights.

The one thing they almost all agreed on: please don't take your shoes off on the plane.

Now that everyone's flying again, it's time to revisit one of the most polarizing debates in travel: to recline or not to recline your plane seat.

An unnerving surge in unruly passenger incidents combined with the industry's claustrophobia-inducing legroom means reclining your seat may risk a kick in the back or a mid-air argument  and the internet is constantly divided over who's in the right.

But if there's anybody who can settle the age-old debate, it's flight attendants.

Five out of six flight attendants interviewed by Insider all agree: you have the right to recline. Some have chosen to remain anonymous or omit the name of their airline due to their employer's media policy, but Insider has verified their positions.

"It's definitely not rude to recline your seat," Andrew Kothlow, a flight attendant and co-creator of the "Two Guys on a Plane" blog, told Insider. "I personally think it's rude to believe that a person will not try to get as comfortable as possible if the option exists to them  especially on a long flight."

"I do understand there might be certain circumstances where a passenger may want the seat in front of them in the upright position, like while eating a meal, but I think in general, passengers should be allowed to use the features of the seat that they paid for," Kothlow's partner Rich Henderson, who is also a flight attendant at a major US airline, said. "Telling a passenger that they can't recline their seat is like saying they can't use their tray table."

All but one Delta flight attendant said reclining is perfectly acceptable airplane etiquette.

"In first class, reclining your seat isn't so rude because there's space to recline, but reclining in the main cabin of the plane is," the flight attendant told Insider. "I guess partially reclined seats is okay."

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Leysha Perez, a regional flight attendant, offers a compromise for the people-pleasers out there: if you do recline, return your seat to its upright position during meal service.

"When you're eating your food, you're going to be sitting up anyway, so it would be good etiquette to bring your seat up while you're eating," Perez said.

'For the love of all things wear shoes'

A woman's bare feet propped up on the business class cabin for Iberia Airlines. Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

But the passenger etiquette the flight attendants demonstrated more concern toward was their boldly bare-footed customers  and for good reason.

"I've seen passengers walk around the plane with their shoes off," Perez said. "It's not water that you're seeing on the bathroom floor sometimes, it's probably bodily fluids that you're walking in."

"For the love of all things, wear shoes," one flight attendant at a major US airline told Insider. "Walking throughout the aircraft barefoot or even with socks is disgusting."

As for other hygiene considerations for your close-quarter journeys, the Delta flight attendant said it's considerate to shower and apply deodorant before flying  but recommends taking it easy on the perfume.

Beyond wearing footwear, several of the flight attendants said their best fashion advice for passengers is to dress in layers, as cabin temperatures can get chilly and not all planes have blankets available.

"Dress for the journey, not the destination," Henderson said. "Whether you're going to the Swiss Alps or the Caribbean, you're going to want to wear clothing that you can layer for different climates."

"It drives us crazy when people get on the plane wearing shorts and tank tops, and then complain that it is too cold," another flight attendant added.

While the golden days of traveling in suits and dresses may be long gone, several flight attendants still advised against wearing overly casual or inappropriate clothing like bathing suits or beach cover-ups.

"Leave the pajamas at home," Henderson told Insider. "You never know who you might run into while traveling."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Florence Pugh attending the UK premiere of A Good Person (Ian West/PA) (PA Wire)

Florence Pugh donned a dramatic black outfit with billowing sleeves as she stepped out onto the red carpet for the premiere of her latest project, A Good Person.

The 27-year-old actress, who has become known for her unapologetically daring outfits, opted for a pair of high-wasted tailored houndstooth trousers, which she paired with a high-neck black top embellished with a sequined pattern at the London premiere.

Pugh completed the outfit with a pair of long black gloves, which extended up to her forearms and featured bows which dropped to the floor, as well as black ribbons woven into her hair which was slicked back in an updo.

The actress is no stranger to the red carpet and here we look back at some of her boldest looks to date

Never one to shy away from a bright colour, Pugh was luminescent at the recent EE Bafta Film Awards.

She wore an orange strapless gown by French fashion house Nina Ricci, made up of layers of tulle and paired with black platform shoes.

Pugh channelled the boudoir fashion trend for the British Independent Film Awards, wearing a pale pink lingerie-inspired slip gown from Rodarte, paired with a sheer pink tulle cape.

Valentino is Pughs go-to designer on the red carpet. She wore a black tulle dress from the French fashion house studded with silver for the Venice Film Festival red carpet last year.

This look was all about making a statement: the dress had oversized sleeves, a dramatic train, and was completely sheer except for a bodysuit underneath.

Pughs stylist, Rebecca Corbin-Murray, described her 2022 Baftas look on Instagram as business at the front, party at the back.

The black Carolina Herrera minidress had long sleeves and a statement pink bow trailing to the floor on the back.

For the London premiere of Marvel film Black Widow  where she places Yelena Belova opposite Scarlett Johansson  Pugh amped up the glamour in a black Miu Miu ensemble with a midriff cut-out, crystal-encrusted lacing, wet look hair and edgy pink make-up.

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Pugh chose an unusual teal colour for her first Oscars in 2020, where she was nominated for the best supporting actress award for her role in Little Women.

The Louis Vuitton dress featured a tiered skirt, V-neckline and belt around the waist  all topped off with a glittering diamond and topaz necklace.

Pugh wore a creation from experimental Belgian designer Dries Van Noten for the 2020 Baftas: a black minidress with a bright pink satin cape overlaid on top, with bubble shoulders and black ribbon ties.

Pughs outfit to the 2020 Critics Choice Awards was anything but understated. She wore a silver bejewelled column dress by Prada, paired with diamond drop earrings and a sleek updo.
A Florida Keys man was booked into county jail Tuesday after deputies say he told a local attorney he planned to kill a judge.

Alexander Michael Sardinas, who lives in the Upper Keys area of Tavernier, remained in jail Tuesday night on a charge of threatening with death or serious bodily harm to a judge. The 40-year-olds bond information was not immediately available.

According to a Monroe County Sheriffs Office arrest report, Sardinas rode up to the attorney on his bicycle in a Tavernier business parking lot around 8:30 a.m.

Carrying a bottle of wine, he told her he recognized her from her working with 16th Circuit Court Judge Luis Garcia and that he was going to kill that [expletive slur toward Hispanic people], according to the report.

He also made a gun gesture with his hand, pointing it to his head, the attorney told deputies, according to the report.

The attorney told deputies Sardinas said that Garcia sent his father to prison for four years for stealing barbecue sandwiches and Gatorade, the report states.

The attorney reported the incident to the sheriffs office. A deputy caught up to Sardinas about two miles away. According to the arrest report, Sardinas uttered, without prompting that Garcia needs to read the Bible.
Legislation approved by Republican state lawmakers in Florida outlaws abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, a measure that will effectively eliminate access for most abortion care across the US South.

Abortion is effectively outlawed in more than a dozen states, mostly in the South, following the US Supreme Courts decision to strike down the constitutional right to abortion care last June.

Florida already banned most abortions at 15 weeks of pregnancy, but the latest measure joins anti-abortion restrictions in neighbouring states and across the deep South, including near-total bans in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, as well as a six-week ban in Georgia. The number of out-of-state abortion patients in Florida rose 38 per cent in 2022 compared to 2021, according to the states Agency for Health Care Administration.

Governor Ron DeSantis signed the latest bill into law shortly after the states Republican-controlled legislature passed the measure on 13 April.

Mr DeSantis, who signed the states 15-week ban into law last year, previously pledged to sign any great life legislation in the current legislative session .

Across the country, pregnant people are being pushed to the brink of death because they cant get an abortion, said Elisabeth Smith, director of state policy and advocacy at the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Yet Florida lawmakers have rushed this dangerous ban through the legislature with no concern for their citizens and how it will harm them, she said in a statement shared with The Independent on 13 April.

The proposal will strand Florida residents in a vast abortion desert and force patients to travel more than 1,000 miles for legal access to abortion care, she said.

No one should have to face that, and many people will not be able to make that journey, she said.

Florida lawmakers spoke out against a near-total abortion ban on 29 March. The legislation passed on 13 April, and Ron DeSantis is expected to sign the bill into law (AP)

Restricting access in Florida would prevent not just the nearly four million Florida women of reproductive age from accessing abortion care after six weeks, but would also impact the nearly 15 million women of reproductive age who live in states across the South with abortion bans and would no longer be able to rely on Florida as an option to access care, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

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Politicians like Governor DeSantis espouse freedom for all, while directly attacking the freedom to make ones own health care decisions, Ms Jean-Pierre said in a statement on 7 March.

Many pregnant patients are not aware they are pregnant at six weeks, and as a result, this bill means many pregnant people will never have the option to have an abortion, according to Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates.

But with the states additional 24-hour mandatory delay for abortion care and requirements that patients attend two appointments, even patients who realize they are pregnant before six weeks may be unable to access abortion care before they run out of time, Ms Goodhue said.

The latest proposal has nothing to do with what is best for Floridians and everything to do with Ron DeSantis ambition to be president and what he thinks Republican primary voters want, she added.

Compounding restrictions for abortion acre is an ongoing federal litigation over the future of mifepristone, a widely used abortion drug that is used in more than half of all abortions. A federal judge appointed by Donald Trump sought to revoked the US Food and Drug Administrations long-standing approval of the drug, and the US Department of Justice is appealing the case to the US Supreme Court.

Republican Lawmakers in Florida have kicked off the 2023 Legislative Session with the filing of an extreme 6 week abortion ban.



See my statement below and here: https://t.co/b7yRBNqAK8 pic.twitter.com/lve3Gabzoo  Rep. Anna V. Eskamani  (@AnnaForFlorida) March 7, 2023

Democratic state Rep Anna Eskamani, a former Planned Parenthood patient and employee who now represents a district that includes Orlando, said the bill demonstrates a complete disregard for the women of our state and for our collective freedoms.

As weve already seen in other states, a six-week ban is extreme, dangerous, and will force millions of people out of state to seek care and others will be forced into pregnancy, she said in a statement on 7 March. Most people do not even know they are pregnant until after six weeks, so this six-week ban might as well be a complete ban.

The latest Florida proposal  introduced on the first day of the legislative session  includes exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest up to 15 weeks of pregnancy, but a patient must have a copy of a restraining order, police report, medical record or other court order or document as proof.

Legislation would also prevent state funds from supporting a patient who leaves the state to seek an abortion.

Sweeping anti-abortion restrictions across the deep South and neighbouring states  including total bans in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia  means that access in the South is limited to Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina, where the states Supreme Court struck down a similar six-week ban earlier this year. Abortion providers in that state also do not perform abortions past 14 weeks of pregnancy.

Democratic state Rep Fentrice Driskell, Floridas House minority leader in the GOP-controlled legislature, condemned the DeSantis administrations anti-abortion agenda in response to his state of the state address on 7 March.

Women in Ron DeSantis Florida are now less safe and will be forced to live under what effectively will be an outright abortion ban, she said in a statement on 13 April. As we said over and over, six weeks is before most women even know theyre pregnant, and its long before many tests for the viability, safety, and health of both the mother and fetus.

Decisions about abortion care should be between a woman and her doctor, family, and faith, she added.

She does not need Tallahassee politicians invading her right to privacy and taking that right away.

This story was first published on 7 March 2023 and has been updated with developments
A stripper on Floridas Gulf Coast was arrested last month after being accused of assaulting her ex-boyfriend with a wad of rolled-up dollar bills.

According to a police report from the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office, deputies went to Baby Dolls, a club in Clearwater, just before noon on Feb. 26 for a domestic violence call.

READ MORE: Florida woman accused of attacking boyfriend at bar

The man, 34, told officers that he had walked across the stage to speak to a co-worker when his ex, a 29-year-old woman, took a large amount of rolled up money and purposely threw it, smacking him in the back of the head.

READ MORE: Florida strip club opens after Hurricane Ian in a tent

The stripper and the man, a security guard at the club, had been dating for six months and separated seven days before the incident, according to the report.

The woman was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery and criminal mischief.

The alleged attack did not draw blood, the report notes, but the mans medical condition wasnt made clear.

According to Pinellas County court records, the stripper was released from jail on no bond and ordered to avoid contact with her ex.

READ MORE: They were pulled over for tinted windows in Florida, then came the body cavity search
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A foiled multimillion-dollar heist at Chile's largest airport left two dead on Wednesday morning, highlighting concerns of rising crime in the Andean nation.

Footage widely shared on social media shows a shootout between robbers and officials from Chile's DGAC aviation agency below a LATAM Airlines plane at the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Santiago.

Authorities said one robber and a DGAC airport security official died during the attempted robbery.

At La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago, Deputy Interior Minister Manuel Monsalve told reporters about 10 robbers entered the airport early Wednesday in three vehicles after tying up a security guard.

"There was an intense exchange of gunfire," Monsalve said, noting that security officials "foiled a robbery by a highly organized, highly armed and probably very well-planned robbery."

The plane, which had arrived from Miami, was carrying $32.5 million to be transported locally by security provider Brinks.

Raul Jorquera, general director of the DGAC, told reporters that no passengers were at risk during the encounter, and that the robbers had "high capacity firepower" to steal the money.

Organized crime in Chile has spiked in recent years, including elaborate train heists and multimillion dollar robberies at the country's main seaport.

(Reporting by Natalia Ramos and Alexander Villegas; Editing by Richard Chang)
Following the shooting death of 20-year-old Clark Atlanta University student, Jatonne Sterling, the university initiated Mental Health Week for students and postponed midterm exams.

Last Tuesday, Atlanta police rushed to a parking lot near the Clark Atlanta campus and found the body of Sterling.

A few days later, police arrested and charged a 25-year-old man in connection with the murder. Police said Sterling got into the car with the suspect Keontay Holliman-Peoples and the third man and got into a dispute. At some point, Atlanta police say there was an exchange of gunfire.

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

It was a very sad situation, said student, Dinah Cobb.

Since the recent shooting mindsets are just not where they need to be at, Student, Xzavier Boykin told Channel 2s Audrey Washington.

In a statement, Clark Atlanta University President George T. French, Jr., PH.D. wrote in part:

It will be beneficial to pause our busy schedules in order to begin to heal as a community and remember why Clark Atlanta University is here. Were here for one another to persevere and grow through difficult times.

TRENDING STORIES:

University officials told Channel 2s Audrey Washington that throughout the week students will be able to attend different wellness and counseling sessions.

Actually Im about to go to one today, Boykin said. Its just gonna be like an open space for people to talk, relax, and things like that so Im going to be participating.

More security will also be on hand for any student concerned about safety.

I think that is the right thing to do, said Boykin.

President French said midterm examinations will be held after spring break.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
By Brendan Pierson

NEW YORK (Reuters) -The former chief executive of Rochester Drug Co-operative was sentenced to more than two years in prison on Wednesday for conspiring to distribute opioids illegally, in the first criminal opioid trafficking case against a drug wholesaler and its executives.

U.S. District Judge George Daniels sentenced Laurence Doud, 79, to 27 months at a hearing in Manhattan. Daniels said Doud's crime was serious and "motivated solely by profit," but that the government's requested sentence of 15 years was more than needed.

Daniels ruled that Doud may remain free on bail while he appeals his conviction to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

"Laurence Doud cared more about his own paycheck than his responsibility... to prevent dangerous opioids from making their way to pharmacies, drug dealers and people struggling with addiction," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement.

Robert Gottlieb, one of Doud's attorneys, called the sentence "very thoughtful and appropriate."

Gottlieb had argued during the sentencing hearing that Doud should avoid jail entirely because he did not intend drugs to be sold illegally.

Doud himself, before being sentenced, told the judge that he had "no desire to see anyone be hurt."

"I recognize what a lousy job I did," he said. "I am forever sorry for the problems that have occurred because of this."

Rochester Drug Co-operative (RDC), Doud and another executive were charged in 2019 with conspiring to distribute illegal narcotics and accused of ignoring clear red flags that the drugs were being sold illegally, such as large bulk orders of pills and payments in cash.

Doud was convicted in February 2022. The other executive, Chief Compliance Officer William Pietruszewski, pleaded guilty and testified against Doud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on March 29.

RDC, which filed for bankruptcy in 2020, agreed in 2019 to pay $20 million to settle criminal and civil charges related to its opioid sales.

More than half a million people died from drug overdoses in the United States in the period from 1999 to 2020, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Bill Berkrot)
Former Fox host Gretchen Carlson is joining the pile-on against her old network after its star opinion host Tucker Carlson predictably used exclusive access to security footage from January 6 to falsely depict the attack on Congress as a peaceful protest.

Ms Carlson, who bears no relation to her former colleague, furiously denounced the network and criticised the channels journalists for covering Mr Carlsons remarks and the resulting backlash as if they are somehow unattached from the situation.

Notably, her criticism comes just days after Media Buzz host Howard Kurtz revealed on air that Fox bosses have banned him and others from speaking about the $1.6bn defamation lawsuit the network faces for its platforming of the lies that led to the attack.

This is Fin bs  have your straight news anchor call out total fabricated lies and an injustice to the American public by promoting lies via Tucker Carlson and pretend its not your network, said Ms Carlson.

She added: WTF.

This is Fin bs  have your straight news anchor call out total fabricated lies and an injustice to the American public by promoting lies via Tucker Carlson and pretend its not your network. WTF - https://t.co/ObqCO6lBWK  Gretchen Carlson (@GretchenCarlson) March 8, 2023

Her former coworker has been revealed as trying to play both sides of the issue; private texts sent by Mr Carlson have now been made public as part of the aforementioned lawsuit his company faces  and in them, a different Mr Carlson emerges. In the texts, the pro-Trump primetime cheerleader is seen as desperate for his party to move on from the former president, gives no stock to his conspiracies about the 2020 election, and even refers to one of Donald Trumps lawyers as liars.

On air, however, he has sought this week to depict the violent attack on Congress as anything but. Despite the serious injuries suffered by police, including one officer who suffered two strokes and died shortly after the attack, the Fox host described the invading rioters as meek while deriding responding officers as nothing more than tour guides while playing footage of police attempting to verbally dissuade rioters from continuing their criminal actions.

His words have earned condemnations from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, and a number of his GOP colleagues. The head of US Capitol Police also denounced Mr Carlsons words in a letter on Tuesday.

Absent from the wave of criticism is House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, newly elected to his position and facing the prospect of presiding over an unruly caucus with only a single-digit majority in the lower chamber. The Speaker dodged questions about whether he approved of Mr Carlsons depiction of January 6 on his show this week, claiming to have not watched the opinion hosts show himself despite having been the one to approve giving Mr Carlson the exclusive.
The candidate who former Rep. Mark Meadows handpicked to replace him in Congress, after he became former President Donald Trumps chief of staff, pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to a campaign finance charge.

Lynda Bennett, 65, of Maggie Valley, appeared in federal court in Washington, D.C., accused of knowingly taking $25,000 from a relative and doing so in another persons name.

Federal authorities said Bennett borrowed $25,000 from a family member, saying she needed the money for personal expenses because she had to spend so much on her own campaign, then deposited the money into her personal account and loaned a total of $80,000, including the $25,000, to her campaign. She did not report that it was a third-party contribution, and the amount far exceeded the $2,800-per-election limit set by federal law and just crossed the threshold to make it a felony charge.

Bennett pleaded guilty to accepting contributions in the name of another person.

The FBI Field Office in Washington, D.C., investigated the case.

Bennett could have faced six months to a year in prison, but the state and her attorney are asking for her to be sentenced only to probation. District Judge Christopher Cooper said he has not made a decision. Sentencing is set for June 20.

Kearns Davis, an attorney with Brooks Pierce, represented Bennett.

Lynda is grateful for the support of her family and friends, and glad to move on to the next step in the process, Davis said Wednesday following the hearing.

The campaign finance violation happened in December 2019, when Bennett ran to represent North Carolinas 11th Congressional District against former Rep. Madison Cawthorn.

Bennett obtained the most votes in the initial Republican primary election, but Cawthorn, who was 25 at the time, forced her into a runoff. He won with 65.8% of the votes.

After winning the general election, Cawthorn quickly became a nuisance for his Republican colleagues on Capitol Hill, finding himself in numerous controversies throughout his tenure from calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a thug to publicly accusing his colleagues of snorting cocaine and participating in orgies.

Cawthorn lost his reelection in 2022 to Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards.
A former UPMC employees lawsuit against the healthcare giant claims Western Psych staff mistook his disability for an alcohol or drug impairment and injected him with an antipsychotic against his will.

Aaron Diamond, a former charge nurse for UPMC Western Psychs eating disorder unit, filed a lawsuit against UPMC, Western Psych and two employees for an alleged incident in March 2021 in which he said he ended up being involuntarily committed and then was coerced into resigning.

He is claiming a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, false imprisonment, assault and battery and invasion of privacy.

In the lawsuit, Diamond said he has impairments and disabilities that affect his speech and that he fully disclosed them to UPMC when he was hired. He said his disabilities did not prevent him from doing his job.

On the day of the alleged incident, Diamond said he started his shift and immediately became aware of a patient who was not receiving proper medical care and attention. He said many of the other patients were emotionally distraught because the patient wasnt being attended to properly, so he took immediate, urgent steps before the patient suffered a severe, possibly fatal reaction.

Diamond said he resolved the issue and calmed the other patients.

Diamond said he was angry and frustrated, but remained professional in all of his actions and immediately reported the event to several employees, including his supervisor. He said that because of his disability, his speech and communication were affected.

Diamond said he was asked to meet with various employees, including his supervisor, and he thought it was to talk about the incident that occurred. Instead, he said they started to ask about his mental condition, implying that he was unstable and that he was impaired by drugs or alcohol. Diamond said he was not impaired and that his speech was impacted by his disability.

His supervisor asked him to submit a blood sample and Diamond refused, according to the complaint.

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Diamond asked for a union representative and was refused, he alleges. Diamond said he wanted to take a short break and get some fresh air and asked to take a 10-minute break, which was declined, according to court documents.

Diamond got on the elevator and was immediately joined by his supervisor and other staff, according to the complaint. He attempted to go to the ground floor to take a break when another employee pushed the button for the fifth floor, which is used, among other things, for people deemed a security risk, according to the complaint.

As Diamond attempted to use the stairs, he was surrounded by staff, including his supervisor, who prevented him from leaving. He said his employee security badge was ripped off of him and his keys were forcibly taken from him.

He said an employee asked him to take an antipsychotic medication used to sedate mental health patients. When he refused, he said his supervisor said he would be restrained.

When Diamond again refused, he said multiple employees put their hands on him and forcibly restrained him, then injected him with an antipsychotic medication, according to the complaint.

He said he was then forcibly placed on a hospital gurney in a restraint, then lost consciousness, according to court documents.

While he was unconscious, he said one of the employees made an application to officials to subject him to an involuntary emergency mental health evaluation or 302.

Diamond said while he was involuntarily committed, he was subjected to invasive testing and treatment, including blood draws, CT scans, an EKG, a mental health examination, and a full exam of his unclothed body. He said he was falsely diagnosed during the commitment because of medical personnel observing symptoms related to his disability.

At the end of the examination, a doctor found that he did not qualify for involuntary commitment, according to the lawsuit.

Diamond said he continues to suffer from severe physical, mental and emotional distress from the experience. He said that even though he was never disciplined and was called back to work, he was convinced by representatives of his union to apply for, and collect short-term disability benefits, and then coerced to resign his position, causing great monetary losses.

He is suing for damages for pain, suffering, medical expenses, lost income and attorneys fees.

UPMC sent the following response to Channel 11:

We believe the claims alleged in this lawsuit are without merit and we intend to defend them, but due to pending litigation we cannot discuss the details of the individual complaint.

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A 911 caller reported screams as four dogs mauled a man working on a Jurupa Valley property to death, California authorities reported.

Deputies found the man dead at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, March 7, after arriving at the property, the Riverside County Department of Animal Services said in a news release.

The man was working on the property, a home converted into a business, while the owner was away, the release said. He had done previous work on the property without incident.

When the owner returned home, he surrendered the dogs to authorities to be euthanized, the release said. They are described as three Belgian Malinois and a Cane Corso.

No further information on the man killed was available.

This is a tragedy and our thoughts go out to this gentlemans family and loved ones, Animal Services Director Erin Gettis said in the release.

Jurupa Valley is a city of 105,000 people about 50 miles east of Los Angeles.

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Four people died Tuesday after two small planes collided over Lake Hartridge in Winter Haven, Florida, authorities said.

After hours of searching, the Polk County Sheriff's Office late Tuesday night identified three of the four people who died in the crash as Faith Irene Baker, 24, of Winter Haven; Zachary Jean Mace, 19, of Winter Haven; and Randall Elbert Crawford, 67 of Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Baker was a pilot and flight instructor with Sunrise Aviation and was on a Cherokee Piper 161 aircraft with Mace, a student at Polk State College. Crawford was aboard a Piper J-3 Cub aircraft.

Investigators have yet to identify the fourth person, who was aboard the Piper J-3 Cub. The Sheriff's Office said crews have switched from a search and rescue operation to a recovery operation.

FLORIDA AIRPORT CRASH: 2 people dead after aircraft crashes, catches fire at Florida airport

The sheriff's office said the four people were the only occupants of the two planes that collided over the lake in central Florida at about 2 p.m. Tuesday. The lake is located just east of the Winter Haven Regional Airport.

The sheriff's office received a 911 call at 2:04 p.m. reporting two small planes had a mid-air collision over Lake Hartridge, said the sheriff's office chief of staff Steve Lester.

One partially submerged plane's wingtip could be seen from the lake shorefront as a dive team went out to the lake Tuesday afternoon. Lester said the second plane was about 21 feet underwater.

NEVADA MEDICAL PLANE CRASH: 5 people, including patient, killed after medical plane crashes near Stagecoach, Nevada

The sheriff's office said the Piper J-3 Cub was a sea plane operated by Jack Brown's Seaplane Base in Winter Haven. The Cherokee Piper 161 fixed-wing plane operated was by Sunrise Aviation out of Ormond Beach on behalf of Polk State College.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.

Polk County Sheriff Underwater Search & Recovery Team head toward the search area where an aircraft crashed into Lake Hartridge after colliding with another aircraft this afternoon in Winter Haven Fl Tuesday March 7,2023.There has been one confirmed fatality and divers are searching for the other plane which sank.Ernst Peters/The Ledger

TEXAS SMALL PLANE CRASH: 4 Tennessee church members dead, pastor injured after small plane crash in Texas

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Polk State College 'devastated' by student's death

Polk State College is offering mental health support on campuses, by phone and virtually after one of its students died in the crash, the school said in a Tuesday statement.

"Our Polk State College family is devastated by this tragedy," Polk State President Angela Garcia Falconetti said in a statement. "We extend our deepest condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues."

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd asked the public to "keep the families in your prayers."

"My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who were killed in today's crash," Judd said in a statement.

Tuesday night, the Sheriff's Office asked boaters to avoid Lake Hartridge as authorities continue to investigate.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Winter Haven, Florida, plane crash: 4 killed after mid-air collision
(Bloomberg) -- Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch agreed in a deposition that he gave Donald Trumps son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner a preview in 2020 of a Joe Biden campaign ad, the latest sign of unusually close ties between the network and the former president.

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Murdoch, questioned under oath in a voting-machine companys $1.6 billion defamation suit against Fox News and its parent, initially denied providing the preview until he was shown an email in which he told Kushner he will send it, according to excerpts of his deposition made public late Tuesday.

Do you think it is appropriate for someone in your position to give a heads up to the opposing campaign about what the ad of the opposing campaign will show before it is public? Justin Nelson, a lawyer for Dominion Voting Systems Inc., said at the deposition.

I was trying to help Mr. Kushner, Murdoch said during the deposition, which took place in January in Los Angeles. Hes a friend of mine.

The exchange was included by Dominion in hundreds of pages of evidence as the company seeks a court ruling granting it total victory on its defamation claims without a trial. Dominion, which was falsely accused on-air of rigging the election against Trump, argues its reputation was seriously damaged by the conspiracy theory and that Fox knew it was bogus but aired it anyway.

Dominion argues communications between Murdoch and Kushner are part of a mountain of evidence that Fox at the time had a cozy relationship with Trump. The former presidents allies, including Rudy Giuliani, appeared on Fox for weeks to spread the conspiracy theory without presenting any evidence.

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Fox disputed that Murdoch gave Kushner nonpublic information.

Mr. Murdoch forwarded an already-publicly available Biden campaign ad which was available on YouTube and had even run on public airwaves, Fox said in a statement Tuesday. Dominion has been caught red handed again using more distortions and misinformation in their PR campaign to smear Fox News and trample on free speech and freedom of the press.

Dominion said it stands by its filing.

Advise on Debate

Murdoch also agreed during his deposition that he discussed with Kushner his assessment of Trumps performance in his first debate with Biden, which was moderated by Foxs Chris Wallace, according to the filing.

Sir, as the next debate approached, you told Mr. Kushner that it was really important that Trump must not look like a bully, right? Nelson asked Murdoch.

Im sure, Murdoch responded. Look, I just want to say this: That was advice from a friend to a friend. It wasnt advice from Fox Corporation or in my capacity at Fox.

Murdoch disagreed that his communication amounted to giving advice to Trump.

No, Murdoch said. I only remember myself being horrified at Mr. Trumps behavior in the first debate.

Murdoch also agreed when Dominions lawyer said the executive tipped off Kushner that more stuff on Biden was coming, hopefully before the debate, a potential reference to an upcoming New York Post story about Hunter Biden.

More Distortions

Separately on Tuesday, Fox News filed exhibits that shed more light on its arguments in the case, including the networks claim that Dominion hasnt really been hurt financially by Foxs reports on the conspiracy theory. Fox also made public excerpts of evidence that it says shows Murdochs statements were taken out of context by Dominion in an earlier court filing by suggesting hed said words that were actually spoken by a lawyer.

We already know they will say and do anything to try to win this case, but to twist and even misattribute quotes to the highest levels of our company is truly beyond the pale, Fox said in a statement.

Fox also filed what it described as evidence that commentator Maria Bartiromo  who hosted a TV appearance by former Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell, one of the architects of the conspiracy theory  pushed back on statements made by her guest and repeatedly advised viewers that the claims would need to be proved in court. Bartiromo unsuccessfully tried to have Dominions chief executive officer on her show to give the companys side of the story, according to Fox.

The network also filed part of the deposition of TV host Bret Baier, who testified that he never believed the election was rigged and that he tried to tell both sides of the story.

Didnt see the evidence of it, Baier said. Had experts telling me that that was not the case. We put all the statements that Dominion had on the air. I even asked to have Dominion people on the show, to no avail, but I tried.

Fox, which has sought to distance Fox Corp. from Fox Newss reports during the litigation, also filed a portion of Murdochs deposition in which the executive said he never talked to any of the hosts about the Dominion allegations, including Lou Dobbs, whose show was canceled in 2021.

I dont think Ive ever met Mr. Dobbs, Murdoch said.

The evidence filed Tuesday expands on filings by Dominion last month that said Murdoch had testified that the networks popular commentators went beyond mere reporting and endorsed Trumps claim that the election was rigged, even though Murdoch said he was immediately skeptical of it. The earlier filings also showed that a slew of Fox personalities and executives knew the conspiracy theory was bogus even as the network was broadcasting the claims over and over in the weeks after the election. Fox host Dana Perino described the theory at the time in texts and emails as total bs, insane and nonsense. Sean Hannity sent a text message saying Powell was a Fing lunatic.

In its Tuesday filing, Dominion provided more detail of text messages that were sent between Fox opinion hosts who were critical of the news side of the network and its decision in 2020 to call Arizona for Biden, which hurt ratings.

I think the three of us have enormous power, Laura Ingraham said in a text to Hannity and Tucker Carlson. We have more power than we know or exercise.

Read More: Fox News Pushed 2020 Election Conspiracy Hosts Called Total BS

Dominions suit is scheduled for trial in April, but each side has asked the judge to grant it a final victory without putting the case to a jury, based only on the strength of its evidence.

Fox argues the allegedly defamatory broadcasts are protected by the First Amendment because Dominion cant prove the reports were broadcast with actual malice  with knowledge they were false or with reckless disregard for the truth.

The case is Dominion Voting Systems v. Fox Corp., N21C-11-082 EMD CCLD, Delaware Superior Court (Wilmington).

Read More: Murdochs Grip Wavers, Casting Shadow as Trump Runs Again

(Updates with detail from Foxs depositions.)

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Donald Trump (L) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin shake hands before attending a joint press conference in Helsinki, on July 16, 2018. YURI KADOBNOV/AFP via Getty Images

Fox News edited out remarks by Trump when it replayed an interview with him.

In the part excluded, he said he could have let Russia have parts of Ukraine.

Trump has long drawn criticism for his refusal to criticise Russia.

Fox News cut out comments by former President Donald Trump in which he said he would have considered letting Russia have parts of Ukraine as part of a peace deal between the nations.

In an interview on Fox News host Sean Hannity's radio show on Monday, which is not broadcast by Fox, Trump revealed how he would try and broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine in the wake of Russia's invasion last year.

Trump has claimed he can quickly bring an end to the war as he seeks election again in 2024.

In the interview, he boasted of how Russia would not have dared to launch an attack during his presidency, and added: "I could have negotiated. At worst, I could've made a deal to take over something, there are certain areas that are Russian-speaking areas, frankly, but you could've worked a deal."

The Daily Beast's Justin Baragona reported that when Hannity played excerpts from the interview later that day on his prime time Fox News show, the part where Trump suggests he may have backed an agreement handing parts of Ukraine to Russia was edited out, with the excerpt cutting out after Trump says "I could've negotiated."

Fox pointed Insider to the fact that the Trump comments were part of a 22-minute radio interview on a separate platform that was edited down to a 2 minute clip as part of the usual editorial process.

Russia annexed swaths of east Ukraine and the Crimea peninsula in 2014, two years before Trump became president, and last year launched a wider invasion aimed at toppling the Ukrainian government in Kyiv.

The annexations and invasion have been condemned as illegal by the international community, and Ukraine says that the only conditions under which it would negotiate were if Russia withdrew from its territory.

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Trump last year praised Putin for being "smart" in seeking to invade Ukraine, and declaring large swaths of it "independent" as a prelude to illegally annexing it.

Trump has long drawn criticism for his refusal to criticise Russian aggression, as well as his comments about its authoritarian president, Vladimir Putin.

As president, he famously sided with Putin at a 2018 summit in questioning his own intelligence agencies' assessment that Russia had meddled in the 2016 election. He was impeached in 2019 over allegations that he threatened to withhold military aid to Ukraine unless it dug up dirt on his political rival Joe Biden.

For two years, Trump was investigated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller amid claims he had conspired with Russia to win in 2016. Mueller found insufficient evidence to substantiate the claim.

Trump has also repeatedly threatened to withdraw from NATO, the defense treaty that forms the main Western bulwark against Russian aggression.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- A growing divide between Republican leaders in the House and Senate played out in public view Tuesday over Fox News controversial airing of security video from the Jan. 6 insurrection.

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Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who has long aggravated Donald Trump, called Foxs decision to air select footage it received exclusively from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy a mistake. McCarthy, an ally of the former president, stood by his decision.

McConnell on Tuesday brandished a memo from US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger, who fired back at Fox News and host Tucker Carlson, calling his decision to selectively air portions of the video he received from McCarthy offensive and misleading.

Clearly, the chief of the Capitol Police, in my view, correctly describes what most of us witnessed first-hand on Jan. 6, McConnell said.

Asked if McCarthy had made a mistake in providing Carlson with the video, McConnell didnt answer, but added: It was a mistake, in my view, for Fox News to depict this in a way thats completely at variance with what our chief law enforcement official here at the Capitol thinks.

McCarthy on Tuesday night defended his decision and said that he condemned the riot on Jan. 6.

Each person can come up with their own conclusion, McCarthy said. I just wanted to make sure we had transparency.

In his memo, Manger describes an opinion program that he said had cherry-picked from the calmer moments of our 41,000 hours of video.

Carlson began showing the video on his program Monday night.

Manger, who became chief after the insurrection, criticized as most disturbing what he called the downplaying of Officer Brian Sicknicks death a day after the riot.

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Carlson broadcast snippets of the footage in a way that downplayed the violence carried out by supporters of then-president Trump as both houses of Congress gathered to certify Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 election.

Manger, in the memo, added that the opinion program never reached out to the department to provide accurate context.

Carlson showed images of Sicknick walking inside the Capitol, apparently after confronting rioters. They knew he was not murdered by the mob, but they claimed it anyway, Carlson said.

He was referring to the House committee that investigated the insurrection, and news reports.

But Manger countered that version. Had Officer Sicknick not fought valiantly for hours on the day he was violently assaulted, Officer Sicknick would not have died the next day, he wrote.

Sicknick died Jan. 7, 2021, after suffering two strokes, the Washington, DC, chief medical examiner determined. He had been sprayed with a chemical substance outside the Capitol during the early hours of the riot. His family has asserted struggles with the rioters contributed directly to his stroke.

Manger also attacked the way in which the video was used to insinuate that some Capitol Police officers assisted the rioters and acted as if they were tour guides. The chief explained that those officers were doing their best that day to use de-escalation tactics to get demonstrators to leave the US Capitol building.

Representative Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who chaired the Jan. 6 committee, condemned the release of the security video.

It is a dereliction of duty for Kevin McCarthy to give Tucker Carlson carte blanche access to sensitive U.S. Capitol security surveillance footage from one of the darkest days in the history of our democracy, Thompson said in a statement.

And Representative Jerry Nadler, a New York Democrat, tweeted that Carlsons attempt to manipulate the Jan. 6th insurrection as a peaceful gathering is a master class in delusional, revisionist history.

--With assistance from Erik Wasson.

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By Trevor Hunnicutt and Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday that Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson "is not credible," after the right-wing commentator showed footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol that portrayed rioters as peaceful.

"We agree with the chief of the Capitol Police and the wide range of bipartisan lawmakers who have condemned this false depiction of the unprecedented, violent attack on our Constitution and the rule of law  which cost police officers their lives," White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said in a statement.

"We also agree with what Fox News's own attorneys and executives have now repeatedly stressed in multiple courts of law: that Tucker Carlson is not credible," Bates added.

The Biden White House has tread carefully in its criticism of Fox's coverage of the 2020 election and its aftermath in the past, sometimes citing the Hatch Act that prevents administration officials from speaking about campaign-related matters.

Carlson has defended his decision to run the footage, saying it was needed for transparency.

"Anyone could look at the tape and decide what he or she thinks of it," he wrote in a piece on the Fox News website late on Tuesday.

In Monday's coverage, Carlson argued that only a small number of those who illegally entered the Capitol as Congress was attempting to formally certify President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral win were "hooligans," and said the overwhelming majority were not.

"They were peaceful, they were orderly and meek. These were not insurrectionists, they were sightseers," he said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday accused House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy of helping Fox News stoke conspiracy theories by providing the videos used by the cable network to depict the rioters as peaceful.

McCarthy said he had no regrets about his decision to release the footage, adding that it was done in the interests of transparency.

Story continues

A Fox News spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

Supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress was certifying the outcome of the 2020 elections.

Five people including a police officer died during or shortly after the riot and more than 140 police officers were injured. Then-Vice President Mike Pence, members of Congress and staff ran for their lives amid the chaos.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Kanishka Singh in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
PARIS (Reuters) - Iran has sentenced Franco-Irish citizen Bernard Phelan to 6.5 years in prison for "providing information to another country", his sister said in a statement, adding that her 64-year-old brother was at risk of dying in custody.

Ties between France and Iran have deteriorated in recent months with Tehran detaining seven French nationals in what Paris has said are arbitrary arrests that are equivalent to state hostage taking.

One of those, Iranian-French academic Fariba Adelkhah, was released, but it is still unclear how much longer she will have to stay in Iran before returning to France.

"The Franco-Irish citizen Bernard Phelan has just been sentenced to 6.5 years in prison in Iran for having provided information to an enemy country," Caroline Phelan said in a statement.

"He had been promised an early release for health reasons before this was cancelled."

Phelan, a tourism consultant, was detained in early October as anti-government protests spread across the country.

France has demanded that local authorities provide him urgent medical care due to a heart condition.

His sister said his eye sight had now worsened and that he was at risk of dying.

A spokesperson for Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs said the government was extremely concerned about the case, especially given Phelans ill health.

Iranian judicial authorities and the French foreign ministry did not immediately comment.

Phelan's sentence comes just days after a second French national, Benjamin Briere, who has been held since May 2020 after being sentenced to eight years, was cleared of all charges and ordered to be released from prison, his lawyer said in a statement on March 2.

However, he has since remained in custody without a reason given for his ongoing detention.

In recent years, Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards have arrested dozens of dual nationals and foreigners, mostly on charges related to espionage and security.

Rights groups have accused Iran of trying to extract concessions from other countries through such arrests. Iran, which does not recognise dual nationality, denies taking prisoners to gain diplomatic leverage.

(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Christina Fincher)
Liberov published photos of Da Vinci taken in the last days of his life

Da Vinci, a battalion commander of the 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade, was killed in action near the town of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, at the age of 27.

The shelling occurred before his very eyes, Liberov said in a post on Instagram on March 7.

Read also: Ukrainian journalist explains significance of Ukrainian generals regularly visiting Bakhmut

The photographer recalled stories of his friend.

The day before yesterday, right before my eyes, you drove a tank into an enemy landing site, and after that, you led people to storm (the enemy positions), Liberov wrote, posting the soldiers last photos.

And they followed without thinking because they trusted their commander, he wrote.

The next day, you put out a full tank of burning fuel with one bucket of water with your bare hands, at a time when everyone was afraid to even come close to it. Hero of Ukraine. The best of the best. Warrior. Friend. Legend.

The photographer recalled Da Vincis last moments.

Read also: More than hell. What is going on in Bakhmut and how long will the defense last?

It happened right before our eyes. The shelling. You told us to stay in shelters. Explosions, lots of explosions. The shouts (were heard) in a minute: Doctor! Doctor! Da Vinci!

Everyone believed that the doctors would be able to save the life of the Ukrainian hero.

We believed until the end, Liberov said.

We prayed until the end. You were the bravest, the most determined of anyone we knew. You seemed immortal. Well be proud to have known you until the end of our days. Heroes never die.

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 Ali Kucukgocmen

ANKARA (Reuters) - Two parties in Turkey's main opposition bloc said they would support talks with the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) on backing their challenger to Tayyip Erdogan in elections on May 14, despite concern it would deter nationalist voters.

The Nation Alliance of six opposition parties from widely varied backgrounds named Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP), as their candidate this week.

A victory in the first round, which would require more than 50 percent of the vote, is unlikely however without support from the HDP, widely seen as playing a kingmaker role in the votes that could end Erdogan's two-decade political reign.

Polls suggest it will be tight race for both the presidency and the parliament.

HDP co-leader Mithat Sancar called on Monday for talks "about principles" with the bloc that may pave the way for the party to support Kilicdaroglu.

A senior party official from the alliance had told Reuters on Tuesday that HDP support may deter voters from the nationalist IYI Party and the Islamist Felicity (Saadet) Party.

However, Birol Aydin, a spokesperson for the Felicity Party, told broadcaster Haberturk that Kilicdaroglu should speak with the HDP.

IYI Party leader Meral Aksener said she would not object to other parties establishing dialogue with the HDP but would not join discussions herself.

Two other alliance parties, DEVA Party and Future Party, would also welcome talks with the HDP, sources told Reuters.

The HDP had said it would field its own candidate along with a different alliance of left-wing and pro-Kurdish parties but it is now re-evaluating that decision.

Turkey's Constitutional Court is hearing a case aimed at closing the HDP over alleged ties to Kurdish militants, which the party denies. In campaigning, Erdogan will likely play up alleged links and the HDP's opposition role, analysts say.

(Additional reporting by Orhan Coskun; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Georgia Representative Ginny Ehrhart has to stop blocking people from her official government Facebook page.

Ehrhart, a Powder Springs Republican who represents part of Cobb County, allegedly removed comments and blocked people she did not agree with from her Facebook page, according to the judges ruling.

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In 2020, Biedermann, who used the pseudonym Tom Alfred online, filed a lawsuit against Ehrhart claiming she was infringing on his First Amendment right to free speech.

Biedermann testified that he commented on a post Ehrhart made in October 2019 about her bill that would criminalize some surgeries on transgender children.

He says his comment, which opposed Ehrharts bill, was removed from the post. He says that over the next few days, several others of his comments were removed.

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Biedermann says he was then blocked from interacting with her Facebook page.

Federal judge J.P. Boulees ruling goes on to say that there are at least 60 people who have been blocked by Ehrhart, some of whom are political rivals who acknowledge her use of social media blocking. Those 60 people have congregated into a group called #BlockedByGinny.

Boulee ruled that Ehrhart would have to stop unconstitutional viewpoint-based blocking and to restore Biedermanns access to her Facebook page.

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Biedermann v Ehrhart by Jennifer Smith on Scribd

IN OTHER NEWS:
The father of Gabby Petito has shared a message for the families of the victims of the Idaho college murders during an appearance on Banfield on NewsNation.

Joe Petitos daughter was killed at the age of 22 as she was on a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, the main suspect in her death, who later died by suicide.

Mr Petito appeared on Banfield to speak about his campaign working to aid victims of domestic violence, according to Newsweek. During the interview, he was asked about the recent killings in Idaho.

Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, were stabbed as they were sleeping in November in Moscow, the home of the University of Idaho.

Bryan Kohberger, a 28-year-old ex-PhD student in criminology at Washington State University, has been arrested and is set to stand trial for the deaths of the students.

Mr Petito was asked what he would say to the Idaho parents.

He said having a great support network was important and that his network consisted of his wife Tara Petito, Gabbys mother  his ex-wife Nichole Schmidt, and her husband Jim Schmidt. It has been reported that the two families moved in together as they handled the loss of the 22-year-old.

Gabby Petito's father, Joe, joins @BrianEntin to discuss Bill 117 in Utah. It introduces a "lethality assessment" for police to use when responding to domestic violence calls. Petito says he would like to see that change implemented across the country.#Banfield pic.twitter.com/j4gZrVYHfm  NewsNation (@NewsNation) March 7, 2023

Host Brian Entin said, Ive covered a lot of tragedies lately, including what happened in Idaho, among a bunch of others unfortunately, and I just always think of you guys and what you went through and how youve kind of come out of it on the other side.

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I know that doesnt make the pain go away, but [youre] trying to help others with the work youre doing. And I know you talk to these other families. What do you say to these other families that go through these sorts of things? he asked Mr Petito.

Mr Petito responded: Im fortunate, I have a great support system with Tara, Niki, Jim, friends, and family as well. We talk all the time, and that is really important. And we try to stress that to people that we talk to, making sure that theyre not alone and that they have the support and all the stuff that they need to navigate through these waters.

These are, you know, painful, hard ways to navigate ... So when you have a group of people gather, holding each other up, that helps a tremendous amount, he added.

Mr Petito went on to discuss Utah state bill 117, which is set to require police to fill out a lethality assessment form when handling cases of domestic violence.

A number of questions have to be asked about the perpetrator to understand the risk that a victim may die.

Questions include if the perpetrator has made death threats towards the victim previously, if weapons have ever been used, if they attempt to control the life of the victim, and if the perpetrator has ever been suicidal.

Mr Petito was asked if he thinks Gabby may be alive today if such a law had been in place before her death.

We do feel that way, he said, adding that he hopes the law may become put in place nationwide.

Police bodycam footage shows that officers spoke to Gabby Petito during her trip with Brian Laundrie after witnesses said they had seen him beating her. But the officers chose not to detain Laundrie and appeared to believe Ms Petito when she said the altercation had been her fault and that she was the one who started the violence.

The Petito family are suing the Moab Police Department for their handling of the incident as well as the parents of Laundrie, claiming that they knew where her body had been buried and that they didnt share that information.

Laundrie was the main suspect in the killing of Ms Petito, going on the run and dying by a self-inflicted gunshot wound before he could stand trial.
A Tallapoosa, Georgia man has been indicted on nine counts of capital murder and two counts of corpse abuse.

Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes is accused of killing Sandra Vazquez Ceja, 29, and her son, Omar Gallegos Vazquez, 14.

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According to the Associated Press, Pascual-Reyes is accused of kidnapping Cejas 12-year-old daughter and holding her against her will at the same location where her mother and brother were killed and dismembered.

In a statement, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said Pascual-Reyes sexually assaulted the girl.

According to the Montgomery Advertiser, the girl, who is not being identified by name, chewed through restraints that tied her to a bed where she was given drugs and alcohol to keep her incapacitated.

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After she escaped, a driver stopped along a country road, picked her up, and alerted authorities, which led to a search of the home where she lived with her mother and brother, and the discovery of the remains.

If convicted, Pascual-Reyes could be sentenced to death or a sentence of life imprisonment for each of the nine charges of capital murder.

The punishment for the abuse of a corpse ranges from one to 10 years.

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A 28-year-old man is now behind bars after officers seized thousands of dollars worth of illegal drugs.

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The Hall County Sheriffs Office and the Oakwood Police Department began investigating a drug trafficking incident.

Oakwood officers responded to the intersection of Mundy Mill Road and Mathis Drive in Gainesville on Feb. 28.

Authorities said a pickup truck was in the roadway and not moving.

Police said they found nearly 155 grams of suspected heroin inside the truck.

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The driver was identified as Samuel Lopez of Flowery Branch was taken to the hospital for evaluation and later arrested on March 1. Hes charged with trafficking heroin.

Hall County investigators said the heroin has a street value worth $23,000.

Lopez is currently behind bars without bond at the Hall County Jail.

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A Georgia woman found herself in hot water after allegedly stabbing her brother over a love of pasta.

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Columbia County deputies were called to the 400 block of Millwater Court in reference to a domestic situation.

Prior to deputies arriving, dispatch got a call from the victim, Earnest Hardwick, who said his sister, Brilena Hardwick, stabbed him.

Earnest Hardwick also told deputies that he had locked himself in the laundry room while calling 911.

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According to the incident report, Earnest Hardwick and Brilena Hardwick began arguing over dinner. After several minutes passed, Brilena Hardwick allegedly started yelling at Earnest Hardwick, and told him, just hit me in the head with the stove door.

When asked why they were arguing, she said he would not allow her to get the lasagna out of the refrigerator, the report states.

She told authorities she allegedly blacked out for several minutes after arguing with her brother and saw a knife in her hand and Earnest Hardwick running to the laundry room with a wound in his back.

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A witness told deputies that she saw Brilena Hardwick take a knife and stab her brother in his back at least once.

He was taken to a local hospital. Officials have not given an update on his condition.

She was arrested and taken to the Columbia County Detention Center. Shes charged with aggravated assault and possession of a firearm or knife during the commission of a crime.

IN OTHER NEWS:




By Jake Cordell

TBILISI (Reuters) -Police in the Georgian capital Tbilisi used tear gas, water cannon and stun grenades late on Wednesday as they moved to break up the second straight day of protests against a "foreign agents" law which critics say signals an authoritarian shift.

Hundreds of police converged on streets around the parliament building in a bid to disperse the protesters. Unlike clashes on Tuesday night, there were no signs of demonstrators throwing petrol bombs or stones, although at least one police car was overturned.

Tear gas billowed down Tbilisi's central Rustaveli Avenue, where parliament is located, forcing at least some of the thousands of demonstrators to move away.

The interior ministry said 77 people had been detained after the Tuesday protests which started when lawmakers approved a first reading of the law, which requires any organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from overseas to register as "foreign agents" or face substantial fines.

The ruling Georgian Dream party say it is modelled on U.S. legislation dating from the 1930s. Critics, including President Salome Zourabichvili, say it is reminiscent of a law Russia has used to crack down on dissent and could harm Georgia's chances of European Union membership.

Zourabichvili, speaking to CNN, urged authorities to refrain from using force and portrayed Georgia as a victim of aggression by a Russia she said was determined to maintain influence in the Caucasus region.

"Clearly, Russia is not going to let go very easily but Russia is losing its war in Ukraine," she said. Both Georgia and Ukraine were once part of the Russian-dominated former Soviet Union.

The EU last year rebuffed Tbilisi's attempts to become a candidate for membership, saying it needed to speed up changes in areas such as the rule of law.

RULING PARTY RIFT

Protests restarted on Wednesday afternoon with a march down Rustaveli Avenue to mark International Women's Day, which is a public holiday.

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"It's very clear that more and more people realise that this is scary and they should fight for their future," said journalist Mikheil Gvadzabia, 24.

Thousands gathered in front of parliament as evening set in, carrying Georgian and European Union flags as well as the flag of Ukraine and shouting "No to the Russian law" and blocking traffic.

"We cannot let our country become pro-Russian or a Russian state, or undemocratic," said software engineer Vakhtang Berikashvili, 33.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Georgians for waving his country's flag, saying it showed respect.

"We want to be in the European Union, and we will be. We want Georgia to be in the European Union, and I am sure it will be," he said in a video address.

Footage of smaller protests in the Black Sea resort city of Batumi, Georgia's second largest, were also shared online.

The draft law has deepened a rift between Georgian Dream, which has a parliamentary majority, and Zourabichvili, a pro-European who has moved away from the party since being elected with its support in 2018.

She pledges to veto the bill if it reaches her desk, though parliament can override her.

Critics say Georgian Dream is too close to Russia and has taken the country in a more repressive direction. Georgian society is strongly anti-Moscow following years of conflict over the status of two Russian-backed breakaway regions, which flared into war in 2008.

Georgian Dream Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday said the law would help root out those working against the interests of the country and the powerful Georgian Orthodox Church. He criticised Georgia's "radical opposition" for stirring up protesters.

(Additional reporting by David Chkhikvishvili and Ben Tavener in Tbilisi; writing by Jake Cordell and David Ljunggren; editing by Mark Trevelyan, Gareth Jones and Grant McCool)
By Sabine Siebold and Riham Alkousaa

STOCKHOLM/BERLIN (Reuters) -Western allies on Wednesday warned against reaching premature conclusions on who was responsible for blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines, with Germany suggesting the attack could also have been a "false flag" operation to blame Ukraine.

A New York Times report, citing intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials, said on Tuesday a pro-Ukrainian group may be behind the blasts that became a flashpoint between the West and Russia after last year's Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The report, while not pointing to any official Ukrainian involvement, comes at a time when Kyiv is urging its Western allies to ramp up supplies of high-end weapons to drive back Russian forces as the war enters its second year.

"There are ongoing national investigations and I think it's right to wait until those are finalised before we say anything more about who was behind it," said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Investigations continue into what caused the Nord Stream pipelines, supplying Russian energy to Europe, to rupture and spew bubbles of natural gas into the Baltic Sea last September. Western countries believe the explosions were deliberate but have not concluded who was behind them.

Russia, which has previously blamed the West, seized on the news on Wednesday to demand a transparent investigation in which it also wants to participate.

A separate report by Germany's ARD broadcaster and Zeit newspaper said on Tuesday the operation to place explosives on the seabed was carried out by six people, five men and one woman, who used forged passports.

They transported explosives on a yacht rented from a German charter company by a Poland-based firm owned by Ukrainian citizens, according to the report and prosecutors.

"We have to make a clear distinction whether it was a Ukrainian group, whether it may have happened at Ukrainian orders, or a pro-Ukrainian group (acting) without knowledge of the government," German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday.

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"But I am warning against jumping to conclusions," Pistorius said on the sidelines of a summit in Stockholm.

Pistorius said earlier the likelihood was "equally high" that it could have been a "false flag operation staged to blame Ukraine".

Germany, meanwhile, confirmed its investigators had raided a ship in January that may have been used to transport the explosives used to blow up the pipelines.

But a statement by the federal prosecutor said there was no reliable information yet on motives or perpetrators, including on whether the attack was state-sponsored.

"There is no suspicion against employees of the German company that rented out the ship," it added.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters: "As long as investigations into Nord Stream blasts are ongoing, we can not draw conclusions."

UKRAINE PLAYS DOWN CONCERNS

The New York Times said there was no evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy or other Ukrainian government officials had played any role in the attacks.

Also in Stockholm, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said the media reports were a "little bit strange" and had "nothing to do" with the Ukrainian government.

"It's like a compliment for our special forces," he joked. "But this is not our activity."

Reznikov said he was not worried about the prospect of the media reports weakening support for Ukraine. Pistorius batted away a similar question about Western support as "hypothetical".

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested the media reports were a coordinated bid to divert attention and questioned how U.S. officials could assume anything about the attacks without an investigation.

"The very least that the Nord Stream shareholder countries and the United Nations must demand is an urgent, transparent investigation with the participation of everyone who can shed light," Peskov said.

The U.S. intelligence review suggested those who carried out the attacks opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin "but does not specify the members of the group, or who directed or paid for the operation", the New York Times wrote.

"Officials who have reviewed the intelligence said they believed the saboteurs were most likely Ukrainian or Russian nationals, or some combination of the two," according to the New York Times report.

Investigators founds traces of explosives on the yacht, which the group took from Rostock, Germany, on Sept. 6, according to ARD and Zeit. They also reported that intelligence indicated that a pro-Ukrainian group could be behind the attack, but German authorities have not yet found any evidence.

Reuters could not independently verify the information.

Russia last month gave the U.N. Security Council a draft resolution which - if adopted - would ask U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to set up an international investigation.

(Reporting by Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray, Lidia Kelly, Mark Trevelyan, Riham Alkousaa, Kirsti Knolle; Writing by Matthias Williams and Nerijus Adomaitis; Editing by Nick Macfie, Alexandra Hudson and Mark Potter)
Sen. Cory Booker and Rep. Ayanna Pressley. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sen. Cory Booker urged the Treasury Department to support their "Baby Bonds" legislation.

The bill would give babies $1,000 at birth, with additional contributions each year depending on family income.

They argued it would advance racial equity and ensure financial security at birth.

Two Democratic lawmakers want to put every American on the right financial track  at birth.

On Wednesday, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker sent a letter, first viewed by Insider, to the Treasury Department's chair and vice chair of its Advisory Committee on Racial Equity (TACRE), Michael Nutter and Felicia Wong, respectively  and they urged the two officials to support their "Baby Bonds" legislation.

Last month, the two Democratic lawmakers reintroduced the American Opportunity Accounts Act, which would give every child a savings account of $1,000 at birth, also known as Baby Bonds. The account would receive additional deposits each year depending on the child's family income, and when the child turned 18, they would be able to access the funds.

"This policy would provide every child in America with unprecedented opportunity for financial security," Pressley and Booker wrote in their letter.

"The impact would be transformative: at a cost of approximately $60 billion annually, less than 10 percent of what we currently spend to subsidize wealth-building through the tax code, we can give every American a stake in our economy and agency over their future," they added.

Pressley and Booker emphasized how their legislation would help advance racial equity. They cited reports from Columbia University and Morningstar that found Baby Bonds would "substantially" close the racial wealth gap. For example, the Morningstar report said that "the median Black family in our sample with a child turning 18 has 94% less wealth than the median white family, and the median Hispanic family has 88% less wealth. When we introduce baby bonds, this gap narrows to 71% for Black families and 67% for Hispanic families."

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Along with Pressley and Booker, other Democratic lawmakers have been stressing the benefits of Baby Bonds over the past year. In December, the Joint Economic Committee  led by Democratic Rep. Don Beyer  released a report on the benefits of the policy, and how it would help Americans invest in higher education or start a business, building wealth later in life.

"The transition to adulthood is a challenging time for everyone. Ensuring that children can enter this defining stage of life with a nest egg would open up a world of possibilities and provide new pathways to building wealth," Beyer said in a statement.

While support for baby bonds at a federal level has mainly been from Democratic lawmakers, Republican-led states like Iowa and Wisconsin have introduced similar proposals, which Booker and Pressley said shows "growing momentum and support for this legislative proposal across the country, paving the way for eventual federal passage."

Even former President Donald Trump appears to be on board with the idea  Politico reported that Trump wants to encourage population growth by implementing "baby bonuses" as part of his presidential platform.

"When it comes to racial justice, we cannot afford to wait," Pressley and Booker wrote. "Baby Bonds is exactly the type of bold, comprehensive program necessary to advance racial equity in the economy and address acute disparities for communities of color."

Read the original article on Business Insider
WASHINGTON (AP)  Its a major international mystery with global consequences: Who was behind the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines last year in the Baltic Sea?

The answer has broad implications for European energy security but could also threaten Western unity over backing Ukraine in defending itself from Russias invasion. Or, it might shatter Russian and Chinese attempts to fix the blame on a hypocritical West.

Yet, nearly six months after the sabotage on the Russia-to-Germany pipelines, there is no accepted explanation. And a series of unconfirmed reports variously accusing Russia, the United States and Ukraine are filling an information vacuum as investigations into the blasts continue.

A look at the pipelines and whats known about the explosions.

WHAT ARE THE NORD STREAM PIPELINES?

The pipelines, known as Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, are majority-owned by Russia's state-run energy giant Gazprom and used to transport natural gas from Russia to Europe under the Baltic to their termini in Germany.

Nord Stream 1 was completed and came online in 2011. Nord Stream 2 was not finished until the fall of 2021 but never became operational due to the launch of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022.

WHY ARE THEY CONTROVERSIAL?

Both pipelines bypass existing routes that go through Ukraine, meaning not only that Ukraine loses income from transit fees but is unable to directly use the gas they carry.

Of perhaps greater concern to the West, the pipelines were seen as a move by Russia to gain further, if not almost complete, control over Europe's energy supplies. Many in the West fear that Russia will use energy as a political weapon against European countries as it has done in the past with former Soviet states.

Despite those concerns and over the objections of the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations, the German government under former Chancellor Angela Merkel moved ahead with the construction of the Nord Stream 2 project. The Biden administration waived sanctions against German entities involved in Nord Stream 2 after securing a pledge from Germany that it would allow backflows of gas into Ukraine and would act to shut the pipeline down should Russia try to use it to force political concessions.

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After Russia's Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine, Germany withdrew permission for Nord Stream 2, which had not yet come online.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PIPELINES?

First, Gazprom halted gas flows through Nord Stream 1 on Sept. 2, 2022, citing issues related to European sanctions imposed against Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Three weeks later, both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 were hit by explosions that rendered them inoperable and caused significant leaks of gas that was idle in the pipelines. Some have said the blasts caused the worst release of methane in history, although the full extent of the environmental damage remains unclear.

The depth of the pipeline and the complexity of using underwater explosives lent credence to the idea that only a state actor with the expertise to handle such an operation could be responsible. But no one claimed responsibility.

In the immediate aftermath of the explosions, U.S. officials suggested Russia may have been to blame while Russia accused the United States and Britain of being behind them. Investigations by European nations, including Denmark, through whose waters the pipeline travels, and Germany have yet to yield conclusive results.

WHAT THEORIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED?

After months of few developments in the probes, American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, known for past exposes of U.S. government malfeasance, self-published a lengthy report in February alleging that President Joe Biden had ordered the sabotage, which Hersh said was carried out by the CIA with Norwegian assistance.

That report, based on a single, unidentified source, has been flatly denied by the White House, the CIA and the State Department, and no other news organization has been able to corroborate it. Russia, followed by China, however, leaped on Hersh's reporting, saying it was grounds for a new and impartial investigation conducted by the United Nations.

On Tuesday, though, The New York Times, The Washington Post and German media published stories citing U.S. and other officials as saying there was evidence Ukraine, or at least Ukrainians, may have been responsible. The Ukrainian government has denied involvement.

Germany's Die Zeit newspaper and German public broadcasters ARD and SWR reported that investigators believed that five men and a woman used a yacht hired by a Ukrainian-owned company in Poland to carry out the attack. German federal prosecutors confirmed that a boat was searched in January but have not confirmed the reported findings.

WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR THOSE FOUND RESPONSIBLE?

The implications of a determination that Ukraine was behind the explosions are not entirely clear. It's unlikely it would result in an immediate loss of Western support for Ukraine in the war with Russia, but it might dampen enthusiasm for future assistance if it was found that Ukraine or its agents carried out such an operation in European waters.

A determination that the United States or a proxy was responsible would give Russia and China additional leverage to go after the U.S. and its allies as hypocrites in their demands for the rule of the law, sovereignty and territorial integrity to be respected.

A finding that Russia was behind the explosions would lend weight to Western claims that Moscow is in flagrant breach of international law and willing to use energy as a weapon against Europe.

There is no indication of when the European investigations will be complete  and it seems improbable, given the animosity and mistrust surrounding the Ukraine conflict, that its findings will be universally accepted.

___

Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed.

This story was first published on March 8, 2023. It was updated on March 9, 2023 to correct the spelling of Seymour Hershs last name.
An artists conception shows Stoke Spaces reusable second stage, equipped with a regeneratively cooled heatshield. (Stoke Space Illustration)

Kent, Wash.-based Stoke Space says its won the go-ahead to take over the Florida launch complex where John Glenn began the trip that made him the first American in orbit in 1962.

Thats the upshot of the U.S. Space Forces decision on Tuesday to allocate Space Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to Stoke Space for use as a launch operations center.

We are over the moon excited by this opportunity, Julia Black, Stoke Spaces director of launch operations, said in a news release. To be trusted with the reactivation of the historic Launch Complex 14 is an honor, and we look forward to adding to its well-distinguished accomplishments for Americas space program.

Space Launch Delta 45, which manages Cape Canaverals launch facilities, said the allocation is part of a new Space Force strategy to maximize the use of excess launch property and the Eastern Range extending from the Florida Coast.

This first round of pad allocations focused on small-class launch vehicles, and Stoke Space wasnt the only beneficiary. Launch Complex 15, which supported the Titan missile program from 1959 to 1964, went to ABL Space Systems. Phantom Space and Vaya Space will use Launch Complex 13  which played a role in early Atlas launches, and more recently in SpaceX rocket landings.

Launch Complex 14 was the site for John Glenns historic liftoff and for the three Mercury-Atlas missions that followed. After Mercury, it was used in support of the Gemini program  but became inactive after 1966. The sites original blockhouse was restored and converted into a conference center and occasional tourist stop in the 1990s.

Jennifer Thompson, Stoke Spaces head of marketing, said Tuesdays announcement came as something of a surprise. Were already talking about how to preserve this site and its historical significance while building it out to support the future of space, she told GeekWire in an email.

Stoke Space CEO Andy Lapsa said the opportunity to reactivate this site is a profound responsibility that our entire team holds in the highest regard.

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As we bring LC-14 back to life and carry its legacy into the future, we will be sure to do so in a way that preserves its existing history and pays homage to those who came before us, Lapsa said.

Stoke Space was founded in 2019 by Lapsa and Tom Feldman, both of whom previously worked for Jeff Bezos Blue Origin space venture. Their company aims to develop a fully reusable two-stage rocket, starting with the upper stage.

In addition to its 21,000-square-foot engineering and manufacturing headquarters in Kent, Stoke Space has a 75-acre rocket test facility in Moses Lake, Wash.

Rocket engine tests have been proceeding for now in Moses Lake. Upcoming technical milestones include a vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing Hopper flight of the upper stage, analogous to the hopper tests that SpaceX conducted for Falcon 9 rocket prototypes in 2012-2013, and for Starship prototypes in 2019-2021. Stoke Space plans to start its hopper tests in Moses Lake later this year.

Launch Complex 14 is most likely to come into play when Stoke Space is gearing up for full-up flight tests. The timetable for orbital launches hasnt been announced  and the development of a brand-new rocket typically takes longer than anticipated.

Stoke Spaces relatively rapid rise has been fueled by a $9.1 million seed funding round, followed by a $65 million Series A funding round that was led by Bill Gates Breakthrough Energy Ventures in late 2021. The company has also brought in research grants from NASA, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Air Force.

Weve updated this report with further details about Stoke Spaces plans for rocket testing, and a fresh figure for the acreage of the companys Moses Lake testing facility.

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The Google Pixel Buds Pro inside their egg-shaped charging case.



The size and shape of the Pixel Buds Pro case makes them very easy to comfortably slip into a pocket.

Theres good news for all those folks who picked up the last version of the Pixel Buds Pro. Googles finally catching up to Apple and announced it will add spatial audio to its flagship earbuds devices. Unfortunately for all those folks who went for cheaper options, less expensive buds like the Pixel Buds A-Series still wont get any 3D audio experience.



Google community manager Stefanie Frederick announced on the Googles Pixel Buds support page that spatial audio should start rolling out to Pixel Buds Pro users automatically on Tuesday. The company said that, by next week, the feature should be available for all Pixel Buds Pro users. For those who dont know, spatial audio is supposed to help user immersion by adding a sense of depth to sounds. With the head tracking capability on some of these high-end earphones, the audio should also reposition according to the orientation of your noggin. The effect can be hit or miss depending on the listeners preferences.

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Gizmodos Andrew Liszewski quite liked the Pixel Buds Pro when he tried them out last year. But there have been issues with spatial audio on non-Samsung Android devices. Gizmodos own tests of Google spatial audio on the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 showed there were still some kinks to work out for the audio feature on third-party devices. Those buds featured two settings, one fixed and one geared toward head tracking, though at the time it did not seem on par with Apples spatial audio offerings.

Well need to do some testing to see how well spatial audio works on Googles proprietary hardware versus any other device. In any case, only certain kinds of audio work if you want to get the full experience. Google said youll need content that works with 5.1+ surround sound. This means you should be able to watch most modern movies and TV with spatial audio enabled, but your mileage may vary based on what youre watching. For instance, Netflix requires a premium subscription to access spatial audio.

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The Google Pixel 6 and 7-series phones are already built to incorporate spatial audio and head tracking, according to the company.

Googles not the only company to update its earbuds with spatial audio. Samsung added the feature in a January update to its Galaxy Buds 2. Apples been on the ball for a while with spatial audio, having included the 3D audio experience in its $250 AirPods Pro back in 2022. The fourth iteration of the Pixel Buds Pro are $50 cheaper than Apples offering, but whether it can beat Apple with its multiple spatial audio profiles feature is still up in the air.

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Google's annual developer conference will return on May 10th. The search giant announced the date on Tuesday afternoon after internet users quickly solved the teaser puzzle Google shared in the morning. As with last year's conference, I/O 2023 will take place in front of a "limited live audience" at the historic Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. Google has not held an I/O anyone can pay to attend since before the pandemic. In 2020, the conference was canceled, like many other in-person events that were scheduled to take place that year. One year later, Google held the event at its Mountain View campus, with the in-person audience mostly limited to company employees.

Excited that this year's #GoogleIO will be on May 10, live from Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View and online at https://t.co/sWxfPsVvJi pic.twitter.com/QtNXE6wjl5  Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) March 7, 2023

The good news is that Google will publicly steam the event. I/O 2023 will open with a keynote from CEO Sundar Pichai, followed by on-demand developer sessions that will be available to watch on YouTube and the I/O website. More so than in past years, there will be a lot at stake at I/O 2023. It's likely Google will spend a significant portion of the event playing up its latest AI advances and innovations, and with good reason. The recent announcement of Bard did not go according to plan after the chatbot shared incorrect information about the James Webb Space Telescope. Google needs to show it won't be outdone by rivals like OpenAI.
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc.'s Google said on Wednesday it will launch a T$300 million ($9.8 million) fund over the next three years to help boost the Taiwanese media's continuing operations and digital competitiveness.

Google has come under pressure in some countries to negotiate commercial deals and pay news publishers for their content, though not in Taiwan.Google said it will pay local publishers through what it calls a "Taiwan News Digital Co-prosperity Fund" to strengthen their digital publishing capability.

The fund will help Taiwan local media "hone digital skills, gain expertise and support the sustainable development of Taiwan's news industry", the company said. "Even while Google faces many challenges in the overall international environment, Taiwan remains a crucial global stronghold," Tina Lin, managing director of sales and operations at Google Taiwan, told reporters in Taipei. Google said Taiwan's media industry has been facing major competitive challenges in adapting to the digital age, pointing out that advertising revenues for traditional media outlets have dropped 70% from 2003 to 2020. The initiative marks the latest effort by the internet giant to develop mechanisms to support and compensate regional news providers whose content appears on Google, as it faces the prospect that governments may impose regulations to require such mechanisms.

An Australian law giving the government power to compel Google and rival Meta Platforms to negotiate content supply deals with media outlets has largely worked, according to an Australian government report in late 2022.

(Reporting by Faith Hung; Editing by Ben Blanchard and Sonia Cheema)
This week, Google and clean-energy developer Sol Systems have unveiled a new approach to pairing clean energy with community investment  spend money upfront to make homes more energy-efficient so they can use clean energy more effectively.

Thats the purpose of the seed funding that Google and Sol Systems are providing to North Carolinabased Roanoke Electric Cooperative, South Carolinabased Santee Electric Cooperative and Aiken Electric Cooperative, and the nonprofit Sustainability Institute of South Carolina. Each of these groups will receive a modest pot of funding to help lower-income households finance the costs of basic home repairs and renovations that, once complete, will make them eligible for energy-efficiency assistance programs.

This most recent round of funding is part of a broader investment that Sol Systems and Google have structured to finance the deployment of 225 megawatts of solar and 18 megawatts of battery storage across North Carolina and South Carolina. This utility-scale solar power will supply Google with renewable energy credits in a part of the country where relatively little carbon-free electricity is available advancing Googles goal of procuring round-the-clock clean energy for its data centers and nudging down carbon emissions in those states.

Corporations have become the biggest driver of new clean energy projects in the U.S. But as Adaora Ifebigh, Sol Systems director of impact, pointed out in a Monday interview, adding clean power to the grid is most helpful when paired with energy-efficiency improvements for the customers using that clean power.

"Energy efficiency is the low-hanging fruit that really sets people up for the benefits of lower-cost solar power, she said. Significant efficiency retrofits can halve energy use and carbon emissions in many homes, especially in older homes that have deferred maintenance needs. Those savings are particularly helpful for lower-income residents who pay a disproportionate amount of their monthly income on energy bills.

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The problem, she said, is that many of the people who could benefit most from those savings cant participate in energy-efficiency assistance programs because their homes have other problems that need to be fixed before efficiency upgrades can be made. Those can include leaky roofs, damaged floors, excessive moisture buildup, mold, faulty electrical wiring and other issues that can render homes ineligible to receive federal weatherization assistance.

About 20 percent of families cannot participate in weatherization due to insufficient home repairs, Ifebigh said. Solar power is a good thing, but if homes are not safe and efficient, thats power going down the drain.

Bryan Cordell, executive director of the Sustainability Institute of South Carolina, agreed that the dearth of funding for these kinds of pre-weatherization repairs is a barrier to his organizations efficiency efforts. The North Charleston, South Carolinabased group offers efficiency upgrade grants and services to help low-income households in the coastal Lowcountry region it serves, many of them facing a persistent energy burden problem, he said.

Were in a hot, humid environment, were running air conditioners constantly during the summer, and we have a lot of older building stock, with most homes at least four decades old. A lot of these homes have structural problems  leaky roof; floors or walls that need to be repaired; plumbing problems.

Funding for pre-weatherization home repairs is tight in the Lowcountry region, and only about 100 homes per year can get assistance, compared to the thousands that need it, he said. There were so many homes we were having to walk away from, knowing there were so many things that needed to be fixed.

Cathy Davison, chief financial officer for Roanoke Electric, described a similar conundrum for the Upgrade to $ave program the electric cooperative operates for its 14,500 members in northeastern North Carolina. This pay-as-you-save program is structured differently from the Sustainability Institutes program, in that it funds the cost of efficiency upgrades via monthly charges on electric bills. It also guarantees to provide at least 20 percent savings compared to prior bills and is open to renters and to customers with low credit scores, she said.

Roanoke Electric has carried out 1,200 projects through this program since its 2015 launch, Davison said. But homes with repair needs so severe that they are considered health and safety issues are not eligible, she added. The funding from Google and Sol Systems will allow the co-ops program to serve an additional 20 members  about a quarter of the total targeted for its pre-weatherization program this year.

Ifebigh, who formerly served as senior manager of research and development engagements for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, noted that energy burdens are higher in rural areas served by cooperatives compared to the national average. Cooperatives serve 92 percent of the countrys persistent poverty counties, defined as counties where poverty rates have been above 20 percent for at least 30 years.

How clean energy investments could spur community (and corporate) benefits

As member-owned entities, co-ops are also better positioned than outside funders to determine how best to spend money like the investment that Sol Systems and Google are bringing to the table, according to Ifebigh.

Cordell noted that many of the communities that the Sustainability Institute serves are leery of government promises of aid. It only takes a couple of conversations with community-based partners to understand that, in these communities, a lot of things are promised, and few are delivered, historically, he said.

Andrew Williams, Sol Systems vice president of policy and corporate affairs, highlighted the importance of earning community buy-in to make the most of the locally focused impact investments that are becoming a more important part of many corporate clean-energy deals.

We as solar developers do not know what is best for a community were developing solar in or will invest in, he said. Anyone can write grants. But its very different when youre working with a community that can identify their key issues.

Pairing solar investments with energy efficiency isnt a new idea. Many rooftop solar developers and lenders bundle the two services, particularly those aimed at serving lower-income customers. Community-solar developers, which make clean energy available to people for whom rooftop solar is not a viable option, are increasingly building community efficiency investments and economic development considerations into how they structure projects.

Similarly, a growing number of clean-energy developers and buyers are making public commitments to integrating community impacts into their investment decisions.

Developer Enel Green Power, for example, has created what it calls its Premium Offer that assists clients that sign power-purchase agreements with Enel in structuring community investments as part of their clean power agreements and tracking their impact in terms of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for use in environmental, social and governance targets.

Clean-energy buyers are developing their own measures, as with the Beyond the Megawatt Initiative of the Clean Energy Buyers Institute, the nonprofit research arm of the Clean Energy Buyers Association, a group of corporate clean-energy buyers including Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Walmart. The initiative targets community investments to improve energy resiliency, equity and environmental sustainability for corporate clean energy investments like Amazons 2.7-gigawatt commitment last year.

The Clean Energy Buyers Institutes data indicates that community investments provide intrinsic value to the companies making them, from helping to improve consumer perceptions and attract skilled employees, to being linked to stronger corporate financial performance.

Dawn Lippert, CEO of Hawaii-based nonprofit investor Elemental Excelerator, agreed that community investment, when made as part of a broader commitment from companies to engage with and learn from the communities theyre investing in, creates better projects that are more resilient in the face of supply-chain disruption, more likely to attract workers, and more likely to be welcomed by the communities in which theyre located.

We see a real need to bridge private, government and grassroots entities to drive meaningful change, she said. Elemental Excelerator has developed what it calls a Square Partnerships model to guide effective engagements that include community partners in the financing structure from the start.

This weeks announcement with Google is the second community-impact investment for Sol Systems, which is operating and building more than 1.5 gigawatts of solar projects in the U.S. In 2021 it signed a deal with Microsoft to invest at least $50 million in community organizations as part of an agreement to finance, develop and operate a 500-megawatt portfolio of solar projects for the software giant. Funding recipients to date include nonprofits Grid Alternatives, Groundswell and Appalachian Voices.

These community investments represent a relatively small fraction of the cost of building the solar farms that spurred them. In North and South Carolina, the solar and battery systems are being constructed by Pine Gate Renewables, with Sol Systems representing Google, serving as its tax-equity syndicator and managing and operating the solar and battery assets over the next five and a half years.

Utility installations of clean energy have been outpaced by corporate procurements of clean energy in the U.S. over the past five years, rising from 3.5 gigawatts in 2017 to 19.9 gigawatts in 2022, according to data from BloombergNEF. Meanwhile, U.S. energy-efficiency investment has remained relatively flat over the same period of time, according to data from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

Will the massive growth in U.S. corporate clean-energy investment help bolster energy-efficiency investment? For now, it remains an open question. One of Sol Systems goals for its community investments on behalf of Google in the Carolinas is to track the data on participation, economic-development impacts, and energy and environmental benefits, Ifebigh said.

Sol Systems will also be analyzing what she called the magnifier effect of its investments, she said. The idea is that pre-weatherization work may lay the groundwork for residents to not only invest in energy efficiency but also to make the switch from less efficient heating and cooling systems and appliances to cleaner models, such as replacing inefficient fossil gas or electric resistance heating with high-efficiency electric heat pumps.

Providing access to financing for underlying repairs that make efficiency upgrades possible allows you to take care of critical health and safety issues, she said. Then you move on to the next phase.


This unvetted bill risks creating more harmful unintended consequences than solutions, said New York Congressman Gregory Meeks.

House Republicans aim to ban TikTok and other social media platforms they say pose a risk to national security, however, this could have a devastating impact on Black creators and entrepreneurs.

During the pandemic, many people flocked to social media as a way to cope with a new normal and to connect with family, friends and strangers around the world.

The TikTok logo is displayed outside a TikTok office on Aug. 27, 2020, in Culver City, California, in this file photo. A new White House-backed bill aims to give the U.S. government the power to ban social media apps seen as a threat to national security. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

According to Forbes, in 2020 TikToks users increased by 75% with millions of Americans downloading the app. In recent years Black Americans have relied on the platform to promote their businesses or their talents, garnering millions of followers and earning anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.

However, if some members of Congress have their way, Black creators livelihoods could be at stake.

On Tuesday, a number of bipartisan senators introduced the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act to grant the U.S. government power to ban apps like TikTok. The White House has backed the bill and in a statement obtained by theGrio, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said this was a step in the right direction to prevent future national security risks. The statute would prevent certain foreign governments from exploiting technology services operating in the United States, said Sullivan.

This comes just days after the House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced a vote to grant President Joe Biden the power to sign the Deterring Americas Technological Adversaries (DATA) Act into law which would ban the use of TikTok nationwide and the use of other foreign-owned apps.

House Republicans argue that Tiktok is collecting users personal data and spying on Americans through the social media app. According to The Guardian, House Republican committee chair Michael McCaul called TikTok a spy balloon in your phone, referencing the Chinese balloon that the U.S. shot down last month when it entered the nations airspace.

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On the contrary, House Democrats including Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY 5th District) voted against the bill. In a statement obtained by theGrio, Meeks said, that he is deeply concerned with the GOPs efforts to ban the app.

Before we take the unprecedented step of banning an app used by over 100 million Americans, harming our national security and infringing on their freedom of expression and speech, Congress must first adequately consult with the Administration and other stakeholders, he said.

He added, The Republicans rush to pass this hastily drafted measure, without the text even being made available to the public for review, is disappointing, and the American people deserve better.

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) speaks during the America Competes Act event in the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 4, 2022. In response to the Deterring Americas Technological Adversaries Act, Meeks said he is deeply concerned with the Republicans efforts to ban TikTok. (Photo by Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images).

On Feb. 27, the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the House Foreign Affairs Committee opposing the statute. The ACLU said that the bill was vague and overbroad and would violate the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans who use TikTok to communicate, gather information, and express themselves daily.

Jenna Leventoff, ACLU senior policy counsel, spoke with theGrio and said banning TikTok would not solve the GOPs privacy concerns.

TikTok is not the only app that collects consumer data. U.S.-based apps and social media platforms collect the same data, she said.

She continued, China could still have access to data even if we were to ban TikTok. So, I think in this situation, banning the app is not necessarily solving the problem, but it is violating the First Amendment rights of people across the country.

Meeks said that if the app is banned it could also be detrimental to the U.S. economy.

This unvetted bill risks creating more harmful unintended consequences than solutions, including damage to the U.S. economy and to the economies of our allies and partners, which this bill, as drafted, targets, he said.

At this time, the bill is headed to the House floor and will need a majority vote in the House and the Senate to be enacted into law. In the meantime, the future of TikTok hangs in the balance and could soon leave some Black creators unemployed.

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The post GOPs bill to ban TikTok could harm Black creators appeared first on TheGrio.
California Governor Gavin Newsom reportedly took a personal trip to Mexico in the wake of the states devastating blizzards.

Gov Newsom travelled to Baja California, Mexico, between 2 March and 5 March, according to a statement provided by his office to Fox News.

Record amounts of snow have fallen in parts of southern Californias mountain ranges since extremely rare blizzard warnings were issued in late February.

In the San Bernardino Mountains and San Gabriel Mountains, east of Los Angeles, there have been mammoth amounts of snowfall in high-elevation communities.

As much as 10 feet of snow has fallen in some parts and residents told The Independent that they were struggling to dig out and get access to basic necessities after two weeks.

A number of homes have collapsed under the weight of snow, and many residents have gone days without power and faced gas leaks and storm-related fires.

I think the response took way too long and unfortunately, theres probably some casualties that were going to find. I think that it could have been avoided or handled better, Cierra Lavarias, a resident in the mountain community of Crestline, told The Independent.

Gov Newsom declared emergencies in 13 California counties on 1 March.

A person walks near a snow berm on 6th March after a series of winter storms dropped more than 100 inches of snow in the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California (Getty Images)

The governor was pictured on a visit to the Diablo Canyon Power Plant on 2 March at Avila Beach in California. The Democratic leader was next pictured during a meeting in Sacramento with emergency response officials on 5 March where he received an update on the winter storms and the states disaster response and relief efforts

The Independent has contacted the governors office for comment on his trip to Mexico.

Critics have slammed the trip on social media with some commentators drawing comparisons with Republican Senator Ted Cruzs vacation to Mexico in February 2021. Millions of people in Senator Cruzs home state of Texas were left without power after the grid collapsed during devastating winter storm Uri while he visited Cancun. At least 210 people died due to the conditions.

Californians are trapped in their homes without power. More storms are on the way. And Governor Newsom has just left the state for personal travel tweeted California Republican Congressman Kevin Kiley last week.
(Bloomberg) -- Greece aims to restart its railways by the end of March following the countrys worst-ever train crash last week that killed 57 people and is sparking a political backlash against Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

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Rail employees have been on strike since the crash, while other workers including civil servants, teachers, ferry crews and bus drivers walked off their jobs Wednesday.

The Greek government will proceed with a significant upgrade to the safety level of the countrys rail network, the new transport minister, Georgios Gerapetritis, told reporters in Athens Wednesday. Several new measures will apply until a national electronic monitoring system is fully installed, including the requirement to have two station masters at each rail station, increased funds for the whole rail network and a reduced timetable for the time being or even fewer stops, he said.

The aim is to restart the rail network as soon as possible once the government secures these necessary safety conditions, probably by the end of month, the minister said. If we had a complete electronic control system, the accident would most likely not have happened, Gerapetritis said, who was given the transport portfolio after his predecessor resigned following the accident.

A week after the tragedy, public anger is mounting over the causes of the accident, which occurred when a passenger train traveling from Athens to Thessaloniki and a freight train collided at high speed on the same track in the Tempe valley of central Greece.

We demand, together with all workers and the people, that the policy of privatizations be put to an end and that the real reasons for the murderous crime of Tempe be found, Adedy, the umbrella organization for public sector labor unions, said in a statement announcing the 24-hour strike.

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The collision ignited a fire with the temperature in burning car reaching as high as 1,300C (2,372F). Many on board and among those killed were students returning to their places of study following a long holiday weekend.

The crash has raised questions about how the Greek state functions amid claims that the country hasnt upgraded its rail network in line with European Union requirements.

In Greece of 2023, it is not possible for two trains to run on opposite sides of the same track without anyone noticing, Mitsotakis said in a public apology on Sunday in a post on his Facebook page. He reiterated though that the accident was triggered by a human error by saying that we cant, we dont want and we shouldnt, hide behind it.

The train accident adds to the pressure Mitsotakis is facing following disclosures last year that the countrys national intelligence service spied on the leader of Greeces opposition socialist Pasok party, and a reporter investigating powerful business figures.

The Greek premiers term ends in July. Before the deadly event, Mitsotakiss center-right New Democracy party consistently led in polls and the premier was expected to call an early election. No new polls have been published since the accident.

A first ballot will take place under a straightforward proportional representation system, making it hard to have a single-party government with the probable need for a second general election around a month later. That vote will happen under a semi-proportional system that makes it easier to shape a government.

Following contacts between Mitsotakis and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Germany will send a team of experts to Greece who will further investigate the accident and make proposals for changes, Gerapetritis said.

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ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Tens of thousands marched Wednesday in Athens and cities across Greece to protest the deaths of 57 people in the country's worst train disaster, which exposed significant rail safety deficiencies.

Labor unions and student associations organized the demonstrations, while strikes halted ferries to the islands and public transportation services in Athens, where at least 30,000 people took part in the protest.

More than 20,000 joined rallies in Thessaloniki, Greeces second-largest city, where clashes broke out when several dozen youths challenged a police cordon. Twelve students from the citys university were among the dead in last week's head-on crash between two trains.

Police fired tear gas in the southern city of Patras, where a municipal band earlier played music from a funeral march while leading the demonstration. In the central city of Larissa, near the scene of the train collision, students holding black balloons chanted No to profits over our lives!

The accident occurred on Feb. 28 near the northern Greek town of Tempe. A passenger train slammed into a freight carrier coming in the opposite direction on the same line, and some of its derailed cars went up in flames.

A stationmaster accused of placing the trains on the same track has been charged with negligent homicide and other offenses, and the country's transportation minister and senior railway officials resigned the day after the crash.

But revelations of serious safety gaps on Greeces busiest rail line have put the center-right government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the defensive. He has pledged the government's full cooperation with a judicial inquiry into the crash.

This is more than a train collision and a tragic railway accident. You get the sense that the country has derailed, Nasos Iliopoulos, a spokesperson for Greece's main left-wing opposition party, Syriza, said.

Senior officials from a European Union railway agency were expected in Athens as part of promised assistance to help Greece improve railway safety. The agency in the past publicly highlighted delays in Greece's implementation of safety measures.

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Safety experts from Germany also were expected to travel to Greece to help advise the government, Greece's new Transport Minister George Gerapetritis said.

I, too, express my anguish and heartbreak over what happened in Tempe. This is an unprecedented national tragedy, which has scarred us all because of the magnitude of the tragedy: this unjustified loss of a great number of our fellow human beings, Gerapetritis said.

He acknowledged major omissions in safety procedures on the night of the crash. Strikes have halted all national rail services since the collision.

Wednesdays protests were also backed by striking civil servants associations and groups marking International Womens Day.

Subways ran for a few hours in Athens to allow people to get to the demonstration. The strikes also closed state-run primary schools and had public hospitals operating at reduced capacity. ___ Thanassis Stavrakis in Athens and Costas Kantouris in Thessaloniki, contributed.
A bill that would have set statewide targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was blocked by a tie vote in its first New Mexico Senate Committee, after facing opposition from oil and gas and other industry leaders.

Senate Bill 520, the Clean Future Act, was sponsored by Sen. Mimi Stewart (D-17) and would have codified into law benchmarks for reducing air pollution already in place via an executive order issued in 2019 by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The bill would put the requirements into law, meaning they would stay in place regardless of changing administrations.

More:Will New Mexico lawmakers fully fund oil and gas oversight in State's budget bill?

If it passed, SB 520 would require greenhouse gas emissions in the state be reduced by 50 percent, compared with 2005 levels, by 2030, then 75 percent by 2040 and 90 percent by 2050.

After 2050, the bill New Mexico would also achieve net-zero carbon emissions, meaning there would be more, or equal amounts of greenhouse gases removed from the air than was released via direct emissions.

The Oil Conservation Divisions (OCD) authority would also be expanded if SB 520 had passed, requiring the division  New Mexicos chief compliance agency overseeing oil and gas operations  to respond to environmental and climate change concerns.

More:Here's what to know about New Mexico's wildfire bills considered by lawmakers this year

Present state statute defines the OCDs authority regarding emissions as only reducing waste of natural resources.

A citizen voices their supports for a senate bill in front of the Senate Conversation Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, at the New Mexico State Capitol building.

The Senate Conservation Committee Tuesday voted 4-4 on a do pass motion, preventing it from advancing further.

The Committee also deadlocked earlier in the meeting on a 4-4 vote to table the bill, with Sen. Joseph Cervantes (D-31) the lone Democrat siding with Republicans on both votes.

More:Bill tightening oil and gas rules in New Mexico passes committee, opposed by industry

He expressed reservations for the language of the bill, arguing certain clauses like a requirement the bill be enacted using traditional knowledge lacked clear definitions and that the bill contained no way of enforcing its requirements.

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He said the bill as written read more like a memorial than an actual policy-creating bill.

Theres no accountability in here at all, Cervantes said. What happens if we dont do this? Theres a bunch of standards in here and if you dont meet them, theres no consequences. Were giving you our hope and our dream, and our T-shirt slogan and bumper sticker, but were not really telling you that if you dont do this anything is going to happen to you.

More:Oil and gas air pollution, climate change targeted by New Mexico Senate bill

Stewart said the bill was meant to establish standards that could later inform accountability regulations tied to reducing pollution.

She said SB 520 was a needed first step in taking on the environmental impacts of New Mexicos industries, and their contributions to climate change.

I dont believe you can even talk about accountability unless you have standards, she said. Thats what this is about. Until we can agree on the standards that were trying to reach, why even bother talking about accountability?

More:Bill to block nuclear waste project in New Mexico gaining momentum in State House

Environmental groups voiced support at the meeting for the bill, albeit arguing it would necessitate more funding for environmental agencies, while representatives from oil and gas and other industries were opposed.

Sen. David Gallegos (R-41) of Eunice said SB 520s requirements would hurt businesses like the fossil fuel companies that largely define the economy of the region of New Mexico he represents.

This could push businesses in many sectors out of New Mexico, Gallegos said, and into neighboring states like Texas which he said were easier to work with.

More:New Mexico Senate considering bill to enshrine renewable energy development in state law

If we continue to hurt our state and people move outside of the state and region, do we believe we will still be able to reduce their emissions? Gallegos said. To me, it looks like were trying to harm their business by putting so much on their back. And if they move to Texas, I dont think we resolve the emissions issue.

Regardless of other states, Stewart said the State should focus on what it can do within its policy reach within New Mexico to address growing pollution.

I believe that its important that we take care of business in New Mexico, she said. We have more emissions than almost any other state. I think its important that we all try to work on cleaning up our air and cleaning up these emissions that we have.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Greenhouse gas reductions blocked in New Mexico Senate
The wife of one of two survivors of a deadly Mexico shooting and kidnapping says shes glad her husband is alive but heartbroken for the other two families who cant say the same.

Eric Williams and LaTavia Washington McGee survived the trip to Mexico that killed two other people, according to officials and family members.

The group of four Americans  all childhood friends  came under attack in Mexico on Friday as they were in the country for a medical procedure for one of them, according to authorities and family.

A fifth person was along for the trip from South Carolina. That traveler but got out just before the group reached the border, because that person didn't have the documentation needed to cross into Mexico, a law enforcement official told NBC News on Wednesday.

That fifth person could be seen riding with the group, in video taken by Williams.

And of the four who did cross the border, two were later found dead before Williams and McGee were returned Tuesday to the United States, Mexican officials said.

Latavia Washington McGee and Eric Williams. (WMBF; Courtesy Michelle Williams)

All of them have known each other all their lives, Williams wife, Michelle Williams, said. Theyre childhood friends.

The two who died have been identified by family members as Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown.

The groups minivan was fired upon in Matamoros in the state of Tamaulipas, which across the U.S.-Mexico border from Brownsville, Texas, and armed men took them in a vehicle, the FBI has said.

A law enforcement official with knowledge of the matter has said that cartel gunman may have targeted them in a case of mistaken identity.

Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios Mojica said Tuesday that when it comes to this interaction it seems it was confusion, but an investigation is ongoing.

The Americans are from South Carolina and were driving to Mexico so they could all share in the driving duties, relatives said. McGees cousin, Aliyah McCleod, said they were going to Mexico so one of them could get a medical procedure.

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The U.S. State Department warns Americans not to travel to Tamaulipas due to organized crime and kidnapping.

Michelle Williams said she first learned something was wrong Sunday.

I didnt know anything until Sunday morning when the FBI came, she said. Everything just seemed so surreal to me. At first, I thought it was like a scam.

Williams is from South Carolina but he and other relatives now live in North Carolina, his old brother Robert said.

Hes a fun-loving guy, Robert Williams said. Hes somebody who has a zest for life. And he wants to make your life better, put a smile on your face.

Robert Williams last saw his brother around three weeks ago, and had no idea he was in Mexico, but was relieved that he's back in the U.S.

Only thing I know is that hes alive, Robert Williams said. And thats the most important thing.

Tamaulipas state Gov. Americo Villarreal said at a Tuesday news conference that the four were found that morning in a wooden house close to an area called La Lagunona in Matamoros.

A 24-year-old man from Tamaulipas was found guarding the victims and arrested, he said.

Villarreal said their captors moved the four Americans to various locations on the days before they were found.

A Mexican citizen, a 33-year-old woman, was also killed by a stray bullet, Villarreal said.

The FBI on Tuesday called it a horrific and violent attack and said that it, along with the State Department, Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies continued to investigate to find out the facts of what occurred.

We will do everything in our power to identify, find, and hold accountable the individuals responsible for this attack on American citizens, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
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When FBI agents knocked on Michelle Williams door on a Sunday to announce her husband had been kidnapped in Mexico, she thought it was a scam.

Ms Williams didnt even know that her spouse Eric Williams had planned to go to Mexico. But as agents explained that Mr Williams and his life-long friends LaTavia Tay McGee, Zindell Brown and Shaeed Woodard were ambushed and kidnapped by armed men as they arrived in Matamoros on 3 March, unreal fear settled in.

I just knew he was going somewhere to help two friends, Ms Williams told WBTW. Friday morning, he texted me and I texted him back immediately. He didnt respond. He didnt respond to our son either, so Im going to assume thats when they were ambushed.

Mr Williams and Ms McGee survived the terrifying abduction, but by the time Mexican authorities rescued them from a stash house on Tuesday (7 March), their friends had died before their eyes. Ms Williams says that although she is relieved her husband made it out alive, she cannot fathom what pain he is feeling.

All of them have known each other all their lives, Ms Williams told NBC. Theyre childhood friends.

A member of the Mexican security forces stands next to a white minivan with North Carolina plates and several bullet holes (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Ms McGees mother said her daughter only suffered minor injuries but noted that it will likely take her a long time to recover from the trauma she experienced after seeing her two friends perish.

I got my daughter and shes alive, Barbara McLeod Burgess told WPDE. She watched two of them die. They [died] in front of her.

A testament to their close friendship, the group was travelling from South Carolina to help share driving duties with Ms McGee, who planned to undergo a tummy tuck procedure in Matamoros. But on their way to the plastic surgeons office, they got lost and were eventually caught in a shootout.

Mexican army soldiers prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Matamoros, Mexico (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Shocking video recorded by a witness purportedly showed the terrifying moment the group is forced out of their van and led to the back of a pickup truck on 3 March. US and Mexican authorities believe a cartel is behind the kidnapping, most likely the Gulf drug cartel, which dominates the Matamoros area.

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As loved ones of the slain victims await for the bodies to be repatriated, the two survivors continue to recover in Texas before they return to South Carolina.

Zindell Brown described as loving son and brother

Before the tragic news, Zindell Browns sister had held onto hope that her brother was among the two people revealed to have survived the kidnapping in an early Tuesday press conference by Mexican authorities.

My brother is still alive and he is coming home! I still have strong faith!! Im keeping the faith, she wrote on Facebook.

This is like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from, sister Zalandria Brown told the Associated Press. To see a member of your family thrown in the back of a truck and dragged, it is just unbelievable.

Zindell kept saying, We shouldnt go down, she added.

(Zindell Brown)

His family have since created a GoFundMe account to raise money for a second autopsy and funeral costs.

We are still working with the authorities to understand when Zindells body will be released and sent to us here in South Carolina, Zalayna Grant, Browns sister, wrote in the description of the page.

From there, we were told that we may have to pay for a second autopsy ourselves. As a family, we are not prepared for all of the unexpected costs due to this sudden tragedy.

Brown was remembered as a loving son, brother, uncle and friend.

We hope to give him the goodbye that he deserves. Our family is grieving and we appreciate any prayers and support from the community during this time, Ms Grant added.

Shaeed Woodard had joined cousin on tummy tuck trip

Shaeed Woodards aunt Betty McGill said in an interview on Tuesday that he and Ms McGee shared a bond beyond friendship: They were cousins.

Ms McGill described the slain man as someone who was quiet but always down to help his friends and loved ones.

Its just shocking, Ms McGills son Hakquan Burgess told NewsNation. Its like, I cant believe it.

Shaeed Woodard was identified as one of the four Americans kidnapped (Facebook Shaeed Woodard)

The survivors and deceased victims were found at a stash house guarded by Jose Guadalupe N, 24, who has been arrested and charged in the case, Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villarreal told a press conference.

Mexican authorities announced on Wednesday that the autopsies on Woodard and Browns bodies were finalised and that they were coordinating with US officials to repatriate the remains.

Sources close to the investigation believe that the group was mistaken for drug smugglers by the cartel, according to CNN. No ramson was requested by the kidnappers, Mr Villareal said.

LaTavia Tay McGee had previous procedure in Mexico

Surviving kidnapping victim LaTavia McGees mother Barbara Burgess told ABC News she was worried about her daughter going to Mexico.

Ms Burgess said she warned Ms McGee it might not be safe to visit Matamoros, an area that is on the US State Departments Level 4: Do not travel list.

But her daughter, who had travelled to Mexico in the past for a medical procedure, brushed off her concerns telling her: Ma, Ill be okay.

An American woman, abducted in Mexico last week, sits inside an ambulance after she was found alive in Ejido Longoreno (AP)

Ms Burgess last heard from Ms McGee on the morning of 3 March when she called to say that they were just 15 minutes from the cosmetic surgeons office where she was scheduled to have the procedure that day. She never heard from her daughter again.

The family then found out about the kidnapping through a harrowing video posted online.

We recognised her and her blond hair, Ms McGees aunt Mary McFadden told CNN.

A Red Cross worker closes the door of an ambulance carrying two Americans found alive after their abduction in Mexico (AP)

Ms McGee is now back in the US. On Tuesday, she was examined at a hospital in Brownsville, Texas where she spoke with her mother.

In pictures of the rescue shared by the AP, she was captured inside an ambulance in a rural area east of Matamoros called Ejido Longoreno.

According to her mother, Ms McGee witnessed her friends die.

Eric James Williams

Mr Williams brother Robert Williams said that he is not sure when he will be returning to South Carolina, but he is glad his brother is alive.

Hes a fun-loving guy, the brother told NBC. Hes somebody who has a zest for life. And he wants to make your life better, put a smile on your face.

Mr Williams suffered gunshot wounds to his leg and is now recovering in hospital.

The kidnappings have been decried by American officials, who have vowed to get justice for the victims.

Eric James Williams is recovering in a hospital in Texas (Family Handout)

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday that any attacks on American citizens under any circumstances were unacceptable.

We remain committed to applying the full weight of our efforts and resources to counter them, Ms Jean-Pierre said.

Meanwhile, the State Department has advised Americans not to travel to Tamaulipas due to the risk of crime and kidnapping.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the FBI San Antonio Division at 210-225-6741 or to submit tips anonymously online here.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  Kansas City has reached a settlement with one of the gun dealers it accused in a lawsuit of contributing to surging violence in the region by ignoring evidence that firearms were being sold illegally.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a statement Wednesday that the settlement is an important step in reducing the flow of illegal guns into our city.

The lawsuit filed in 2020 alleged that gun trafficking creates a public nuisance in Kansas City, which has one of the highest homicide rates in the U.S.

The city was joined in the lawsuit by gun safety advocates Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund, which touted the suit as the first of its kind against the gun industry in more than a decade.

Under the settlement, CR Sales Firearms' insurance carriers will be required to pay $150,000 in damages to the city. The Independence gun shop also will face extra monitoring and be required to train staff on how to identify a straw purchase, which is when someone who can legally purchase a gun buys one to sell it to someone who cant legally possess guns.

Online court records show that the store was dismissed from the suit Friday. Under the settlement, the shop denies the allegations and makes no admission of liability. The store's attorney declined to comment further.

According to the suit, the gun trafficking ringleader was James Samuels, a former Kansas City firefighter who has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for illegally selling guns.

The lawsuit also alleges that Nevada-based gun manufacturer Jimenez Arms, several local gun dealers and individuals illegally sold or transferred guns to Samuels without doing background checks or determining if the buyers had licenses to carry guns. The companies ignored obvious evidence that Samuels was breaking federal gun laws, according to the lawsuit.

Jimenez Arms filed for bankruptcy but then rebranded itself as JA Industries before federal officials revoked its license last year.

Two other gun dealers also were named in the suit. One agreed to relinquish its federal firearms license, and the second is no longer in business, Everytown said.

Guns used in crimes often make their way from the legal market to the illegal market via gun trafficking and straw-purchasing," said Alla Lefkowitz, of Everytown Law, a team of litigation lawyers for Everytown for Gun Safety. "The industry has an important role to play in preventing such diversion."
Two parents charged in the death of their infant son were sentenced on Tuesday.

Two New Hanover County parents charged with killing their infant son through neglect were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter this week and sent to prison Tuesday.

The first-degree murder trial of Christopher Madry and Lindsey Johnson began last week at the New Hanover County Courthouse in Wilmington. After deliberations, jurors found Johnson and Madry guilty of lesser charges  involuntary manslaughter and two counts of negligent child abuse causing serious bodily injury. In addition to the baby who died, his twin brother was also malnourished, according to court records.

Madry was sentenced to serve between 9 and nearly 14 years. Johnson was sentenced to serve 7 to 12 years.

According to the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office, on Aug. 9, 2020, Madry called 911 to report he was driving his 8-week-old son to the hospital because the child was cold to the touch and bleeding from the nose.

Dispatchers told Madry to pull into a church parking lot to let deputies help him. EMS workers took the baby to the hospital, where died later.

Previous coverage:What to know as trial begins for New Hanover parents charged in death of infant son

An autopsy noted the twins tested positive at birth for suboxone, a drug used to treat opioid withdrawal. The cause of death was found to be pneumonia, with contributing factors being hypothermia and malnutrition. According to the autopsy, the child weighed 5.46 pounds when he died, less than half a pound heavier than weight at birth.

Deputies found the infant's twin brother, who was also cold to the touch, according to reports from the sheriff's office. That child survived after being taken to the hospital.

Before the trial, both parents originally faced charges of first-degree murder, and two counts of felony child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury, which allegedly happened between July 1, 2020 and Aug. 19, 2020.

In addition to prison terms, each is ordered to not have any contact with the surviving child during incarceration and post-release supervision.

Story continues

STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the areas latest news by signing up for the StarNews newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram.

Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at cjjordan@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New Hanover parents sentenced in connection with son's death
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  James Harden has been ruled out of the Philadelphia 76ers game Tuesday in Minnesota due to left foot soreness.

Harden played 39:32 and had 14 points and 20 assists in a win a night earlier in Indiana. The 33-year-old guard is averaging 21.9 points and a league-high 10.8 assists in 48 games for Philadelphia this season.

A tendon strain in his right foot caused Harden to miss 14 games earlier this season, but he had played in 39 of the past 41 games.

Tobias Harris (left calf contusion) and P.J. Tucker (back spasms) were listed as questionable but are in the starting lineup. Tyrese Maxey is starting in place of Harden. ___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Handout/Courtesy of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have unilaterally declared their daughter Lilibet to be a princess, despite the fact that the palace has not publicly endorsed the title.

Their children are legally entitled to be known as princes and princesses based on a rule that the grandchildren of the monarch are thus titled.

However, the palace has notably declined to use such titles on its official channels, and the palace has long refused to be drawn out on how the Sussex children would be styled.

Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Wont Be HRHs. Meghan and Harry Are Reportedly Furious.

There has been speculation that the unwillingness to acknowledge the children as prince and princess was linked to the collapse of the relationship between the couple and the royals.

The couple now appear to have run out of patience and have instead put it up to the royals to explicitly deny the children the titles if they so wish.

In an announcement Wednesday morning, the Sussexes said their daughter had been christened Princess Lilibet Diana.

However, Lilibet still appears as Miss Lilibet Mountbatten Windsor on the official royal website, and her older brother, Archie, appears as Master Archie.

Rumors are circulating that this may now be changed, indicating that the palace will accept the legitimacy of the titles, but the fact it is having to be done in response to the Sussex announcement will likely infuriate the palace's old guard.

The palace was contacted for comment Wednesday but has not responded.

A palace source, however, confirmed the use of the title was accurate and said the website would be updated in due course.

In a statement to People magazine, a spokesperson for the couple said, I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor.

People reported that the Sussexes invited King Charles, Camilla, Prince William, and Kate to the ceremony, but none of them showed up.

Prince Williams office said it could not comment on private invites.

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People said there were between 20-30 guests at the gathering, including Meghans mother, Doria, and Lilibets godfather, Tyler Perry, who brought a 10-person gospel choir that sang Oh Happy Day at the ceremony.

Royal expert Duncan Larcombe, the former royal editor at The Sun, told The Daily Beast, The Sussexes dared the palace to contradict them. Its a very uncompromising move.

A friend of King Charles told The Daily Beast, The kids are entitled to the titles by convention. Its just rather amazing that Harry and Meghan want to inflict them on their children, given the extent of their disappointment with the institution.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Hayden Panettiere appears at the world premiere of "Scream VI" on Monday in New York City. (Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images)

As "Scream" movies go, it all started with a phone call.

But this was a phone call Hayden Panettiere actually wanted.

It wasn't Ghostface on the line, looking for a kill, but rather the man behind the iconic horror villain himself, "Scream" writer-creator Kevin Williamson. He was calling to persuade her to reprise her role in "Scream VI," the filmmaker told People at the movie's world premiere Monday.

Panettiere had a starring role in the 2011 film "Scream 4" as Kirby Reed, a high- schooler in Woodsboro who struggles to survive amid another Ghostface massacre. At the end of the movie, as she lay in a pool of blood after being stabbed, viewers were unsure of Kirby's fate.

Her character did not return in last year's "Scream," sparking further questions about Kirby. During filming of the fifth film, Panettiere even called the production, asking to return, she said Monday on "Good Morning America."

"I actually called them ... when they were doing Scream 5 and I was like, 'Without me?! Wait. Hold on. I might still be alive, and I could come in handy,'" Panettiere said.

However, leading up to the sixth film, which hits theaters this week, it was the production team that came calling for her. But Williamson had difficulty tracking down Panettiere, who had taken time off from acting. She had moved from L.A. to Nashville.

"No one knew where she was, because she had just sort of moved out of L.A.," Williamson told People. He was able to reach friends in Nashville who were able to quickly connect the two.

"They said, 'Give me five minutes,' and in five minutes, I was talking to her by phone," he said.

Once on the phone with Panettiere, Williamson offered up a conversation with "Scream VI" directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.

"Absolutely, have them call me right away," the "Heroes" alum told Williamson.

In "Scream VI," Panettiere's Kirby is known as the sole survivor of the recent Woodsboro massacre. She is now a special agent with the FBI who is called in to help address Ghostface's new slew of murders in New York City.

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Panettiere said she sees similarities between herself and Kirby, Women's Health reported Monday. After the birth of daughter Kaya with retired pro boxer Wladimir Klitschko in 2014, Panettiere struggled with postpartum depression, which she publicly spoke about. She admitted herself to treatment facilities for her depression and subsequent addiction to alcohol and had to give up custody of her child.

She has that human trauma, and its changed her," Panettiere said about her "Scream" character. "Thats something I can obviously relate to.

Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera, who both starred in the fifth Scream film, will also reprise their roles, along with Courteney Cox. Cox's Gale Weathers, a reporter and author, has remained a main character in the franchise since Wes Craven's original in 1996.

Neve Campbell, who carried the franchise for five movies as Sidney Prescott, will be notably absent. Campbell cited a pay dispute as the reason for her departure. She said that her gender played a factor and that Paramounts offer did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.

As a woman in this business, she told People in August, I think its really important for us to be valued and to fight to be valued.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The healthcare provider for the Sebastian County jail, where Larry Price Jr., 50, died in a malnourished state of health in 2021 is the same health provider in Oklahoma jails where neglect of inmates has been alleged.

Turn Key Health Clinics LLC. is named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed against Sebastian County in the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.

A jury trial date has been set for Jan. 8 before Judge P.K. Holmes III.

Price Jr. died in the Sebastian County jail in August 2021. He was arrested in 2020 after pointing his fingers like a gun in the police station lobby, according to police. He could not make bail and his weight dropped. The family alleges he was not provided mental health care.

Turn Key is the current health provider for the Sebastian County Detention Center.

Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, more than 100 Oklahomans are languishing in county jails while awaiting court-ordered mental health treatment, according to a federal class-action lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma against two state mental health officials, according to a report by Oklahoma Watch.

Turn Key was named as a defendant in a 2020 case filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma by the estate of Caleb Lee, 25, who died in the Tulsa County jail in 2017.

Courts found the four plaintiffs described in the lawsuit incompetent to stand trial and ordered their transfer to the Oklahoma Forensic Center in Vinita, where they were to receive mental health treatment before their criminal cases could proceed. The lawsuit alleges all remain in county jails for prolonged periods that far exceed constitutional limits.

A spokesman for Oklahoma City-based Turn Key provided a statement from a company official about inmates who are waiting for court dates. Turn Key attorneys have stated there is no evidence of neglect or wrongdoing on their part.

Danny Honeycutt, Turn Key chief administrative officer, "Turn Key's role leaves us without the ability or authority to shorten the wait for individuals seeking transport to a state facility for competency restoration, but we support and encourage efforts to shorten that wait, and we are committed to providing the best service for people while they are in our care."

Story continues

DOJ oversight at jail

The Sebastian County jail has been under past federal oversight in the past by the U.S. Justice Department over allegations of civil rights violations.

Price Jr.'s family alleges he suffered from mental illness when he was denied care and waited a year for a court date without being able to make $100 bail.

Sebastian County Sheriff Hobe Runion stated the death remains under review, but there have been no findings of wrongdoing by staff.

Hank Balston, an attorney representing Price's family, said Price was malnourished when he died.

Price weighed about 180 pounds when he went to jail. Records show he weighed 120 pounds when he died.

The photos filed with the federal lawsuit showed the disturbing loss of weight.

More:Photos of inmate's body in Sebastian County jail included in federal lawsuit

According to Sebastian County Sheriff Hobe Runion, Price Jr. died of COVID-19. Runion released a statement after the lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas in Fort Smith on Friday, Jan. 13.

More:Who was Larry Price Jr. ?

Price Jr. grew up in Fort Smith. Price Jr. went to school at Howard Elementary, Southside Elementary, Trusty Elementary, Darby Jr. High School, and Northside High School. Price Jr. always battled mental illness. He was in and out of board and care, mainly in Oklahoma cities such as Howe and Vinita, family members stated. He struggled with mental illness as an adult and had a number of run-ins with the law.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: The health provider in the Sebastian County jail death reviewed
Dame Helen Mirren said that life doesn't stop after 60 on ITV's Lorraine. (ITV)

Dame Helen Mirren has shared some wisdom on what its like to be a role model for women of a certain age.

The 77-year-old actor, who is currently starring in the new DC film Shazam! Fury of the Gods, as well as the Yellowstone prequel 1923, said that life doesnt stop [after 60] and creativity doesnt stop.

Passion doesnt stop, and energy doesnt stop, unless you decide to stop it, the Calendar Girls actor told ITVs Lorraine. [You just need] to be self-motivated really and to never give up. And find enjoyment, if it is possible, in your life.

Read more: Helen Mirren proves ages is just a number when it comes to having fun with fashion

As you get older, you understand the struggles that people go through  either physical struggles or financial struggles. And life is tough, very tough and very demanding. And therefore all the more reason to maintain your energy as far as you can and your health as far as you can.

The actor also told host Lorraine Kelly that growing out her hair in her seventies has been quite radical.

She added that she hasnt had long hair since she was in her twenties, and decided to start growing it during the first wave of the Covid pandemic in 2020.

Helen Mirren says her long hair is 'quite radical'. (Getty Images)

Youre not supposed to have longer hair after a certain age. But during Covid, I started growing my hair, and I havent had long hair since I was in my twenties. And it sort of grew and grew, and I couldnt be bothered to cut it basically, she continued.

Read more: Helen Mirren left 'embarrassed' during tea with Queen when she couldn't remember how to ask Prince Philip to 'pass the milk'

Then I thought, You know what? Its pretty cool, I think Ill stick with it for a little while. It will come off eventually, but Im kind of enjoying it. Its quite radical.

The actor appeared on the chat show to promote Shazam! in which she plays the demi-god villain Hespera.

I have done very diverse things in the past two years, and thats what makes my life so fun, she laughed. To go from doing 1923 to doing Shazam. It is really what we enjoy as actors, jumping into these different worlds.

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Read more: Helen Mirren reveals the two unlikely household items she loved in lockdown

Mirren also explained that she broke her pinky finger while performing one of her own stunts on the film, which she now affectionately calls her Shazam finger.

Lucy Liu, Dame Helen Mirren and Rachel Zegler at the UK premiere of Shazam! Fury of the Gods. (Getty Images)

The comments come after Mirren attended the Shazam! London premiere on Tuesday, wearing a vibrant pink cloak, next to co-star Lucy Liu who wore a bright yellow gown, and Rachel Zegler who wore a black off the shoulder dress.

Watch: Stars brave cold to walk Shazam red carpet
Helvetia Holding (VTX:HELN) Full Year 2022 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: CHF10.6b (down 15% from FY 2021).

Net income: CHF575.0m (up 19% from FY 2021).

Profit margin: 5.4% (up from 3.9% in FY 2021). The increase in margin was driven by lower expenses.

EPS: CHF10.60 (up from CHF9.17 in FY 2021).

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

Helvetia Holding EPS Beats Expectations

Revenue was in line with analyst estimates. Earnings per share (EPS) surpassed analyst estimates by 7.8%.

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 7.7% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 6.0% growth forecast for the Insurance industry in Switzerland.

Performance of the Swiss Insurance industry.

The company's shares are up 3.8% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

It's still necessary to consider the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Helvetia Holding, and understanding it should be part of your investment process.

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



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

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, confirmed the christening of their daughter, Lilibet, and stealthily shared that she would be using her new royal title. (Peter Dejong / Associated Press)

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have christened their 21-month-old daughter, Lilibet Diana, at their home in Montecito, Calif., a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed Wednesday.

"I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3, by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev. John Taylor," the spokesperson wrote in a Wednesday statement to The Times.

According to People, which was first to report the christening, members of the royal family, including Harry's father, King Charles III; stepmother, Queen Camilla; brother, Prince William; and sister-in-law, Catherine, were invited to the small and intimate ceremony but did not attend.

After months of confusion about their children's royal titles, the Sussexes' announcement marks the first time their second-born child has publicly used the princess title. Lilibet, who was born in June 2021, was technically not a princess at birth because she was not the granddaughter of the monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, at the time. However, when her son Charles acceded the throne after the queen's September death, Lilibet gained the right to the title, the BBC reported. King Charles III's ascension also placed Harry fifth in the line of succession, following his elder brother, Prince William, and William's three young children.

According to Newsweek, Buckingham Palace also confirmed that Harry and Meghan are entitled to describe Lilibet as a princess and their 3-year-old son, Archie, as a prince since their grandfather became King Charles III. However, the royal family's website listing the line of succession has not yet been updated to reflect the new titles, instead listing the children by their full names: Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor and Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.

While fans of Harry and Meghan applauded the "casual," mic-drop use of the princess title, criticism was just as swift given the couple's 2020 decision to step back as senior royals and their subsequent revelations about the royal family in their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview, Netflix docuseries and Harry's merciless memoir "Spare."

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Dan Wootton, a host on GB News and a high-profile critic of the Sussexes, tweeted that it was "baffling" that the couple referred to their daughter as a princess in the announcement.

"They hate everything about the institution of the monarchy and are trying to bring it down, yet still want to push it on their very Californian daughter," Wootton wrote.

Baffling that wretched Harry and Meghan refer to their daughter Lilibet as Princess in the announcement of her christening.

They hate everything about the institution of the monarchy and are trying to bring it down, yet still want to push it on their very Californian daughter.  Dan Wootton (@danwootton) March 8, 2023

The spokesperson did not comment on the criticism of the Sussexes' use of the title when reached Wednesday by The Times.

During their March 2021 interview with Winfrey, the former "Suits" star, who was pregnant with Lilibet at the time, revealed that they had upsetting conversations with the royal family about the titles and the extension of security for the couple and their biracial son, as well as concerns about the color of his skin.

Relations have continued to appear contentious since, further exacerbated by the Sussexes' candor and the palace's reactions.

Just last week, Harry and Meghan were "requested to vacate their residence at Frogmore Cottage" in Britain, suggesting a further fraying of ties with the royal family amid preparations for the May 6 coronation of his father, the Associated Press reported.

The cottage is on the Windsor Castle grounds west of London and was the couple's main residence before they gave up royal duties and moved to Southern California. The Sun tabloid reported that Charles started the eviction process Jan. 11, the day after the publication of Harrys merciless memoir.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A hiker injured while climbing stairs on an illegal Hawaii trail was rescued, officials said.

The man was hiking the Stairway to Heaven Trail in Kaneohe with two others when he got injured and could not go down the trail, the Honolulu Fire Department said in a March 6 news release.

The trail, a nearly 4,000-step staircase known as the Haiku Stairs, was closed to the public in 1987 and is considered extremely dangerous, according to the travel website Only in Your State.

A rescue crew arrived by air and was lowered to the hiker, the fire department said.

Rescuers assessed the mans condition before airlifting him out of the area to a nearby landing zone, according to the fire department. The other hikers were also taken to the landing zone.

Though the stairs are illegal to climb, it hasnt stopped people from climbing them, Travel + Leisure reported. As a result of soaring security costs, the Honolulu City Council voted to remove the stairs in September 2021.

We recognize the interest the stairs have to certain community groups, however issues such as trespassing, personal injuries, invasive species and overall safety of the public cannot be ignored, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi told KHON2. Fundamentally, it is inappropriate to have a high-use tourist attraction entering through this residential neighborhood, which lacks in the capacity to provide appropriate facilities or parking.

While hiking the staircase is illegal, there is a longer hiking route that takes visitors to the top of the mountain and stairs, according to the travel website Denny and Nikki.

The trail is long and strenuous but offers amazing views of the Moanalua valley, the website said.

Kaneohe is about 10 miles northeast of Honolulu.

Hiker calls for help on dark Hawaii trail. Rescuers say to remain in place for night

Stranded hiker inundated by incoming waves rescued from California beach, video shows

Loud sounds lead lost hiker to safety after 18 mile trek through Death Valley maze
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced solidarity with the protesters in Georgia and stressed that Ukraine wants Georgia to become an EU member.

Source: Zelenskyys video address

Quote: "I want to thank everyone who has been holding Ukrainian flags in the squares and streets of Georgia these days. I want to thank you for our national anthem, which was heard in Tbilisi. This is respect for Ukraine, and I want to express my sincere respect for Georgia.

There is no Ukrainian who would not wish success to our fellow Georgia. Democratic success. European success.

We want to be in the European Union, and we will be. We want Georgia to be in the European Union, and I am sure it will be. We want Moldova to be in the European Union, and I am sure it will be. All of the free nations of Europe deserve this."

Background:

The Georgian parliament unexpectedly passed a law on "foreign agents" in the first reading, similar to Russian legislation aimed at limiting Western influence. This sparked spontaneous protests and clashes near the countrys parliament, during which police sprayed tear gas and later used water cannons to disperse the rally. More than 60 people were detained.

The opposition then vowed to move to daily protests "until victory". Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili supported the protesters.

On 8 March, a new large rally gathered in front of the parliament in Tbilisi, where the Ukrainian national anthem was played.

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






[Source]

Over 1,000 dead dogs were found piled on top of each other on the grounds of a house in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea.

Police are investigating a man in his 60s who took in abandoned dogs and starved them to death.

The decayed carcasses of the dogs were first discovered by a resident in the Yangpyeong neighborhood, where he stumbled upon a house full of dead dogs as he was trying to locate his own lost dog on Saturday.

According to local media, the dogs were placed in cages, sacks and rubber containers on the houses yard.

More from NextShark: 'Anti-sex beds' from Tokyo Olympics to be reused for COVID-19 patients

The rotten bodies of the canines created a layer on the ground as more dead dogs were stacked to add more layers.

Only four dogs, which were suffering from malnutrition and skin disease, were rescued from the house. All four are currently under treatment at a clinic, with two of them in critical condition.

The county of Yangpyeong reportedly plans to clear the carcasses within the week.

More from NextShark: South Korean teen becomes world's youngest billionaire

According to animal rights activists, the man was allegedly paid by dog breeders to get rid of dogs that were past the breeding age or no longer commercially attractive.

The Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth alleges that the man was paid 10,000 won (approximately $7.60) per dog since 2020 to take care of them.

Under South Koreas Animal Protection Act, individuals who kill an animal by purposefully failing to feed them are subject to up to three years in prison or up to 30 million won (approximately $23,000) in fines.

More from NextShark: Veteran actor Kim Young-ok, called South Korea's 'National Grandma,' tests positive for COVID-19

Cases of animal abuse in the country have reportedly been on the rise, and incidents of animal abandonment have risen by around 40,000.

Warning: The video below contains images of dead animals. Viewer discretion is advised.

More from NextShark: K-Pop Stans Reportedly Troll Trump Campaign Rally With Fake Ticket Reservations
Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they try to storm the US Capitol surrounded by tear gas in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

House Republicans have launched their first January 6-centric investigation of the 118th Congress.

Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk is spearheading the latest oversight project.

Loudermilk said he's interested in "following the facts, not a particular political narrative."

House Republican leaders are following through with an anticipated probe into the select committee panel that recommended prosecuting Donald Trump for the January 6, 2021 riot, tasking Rep. Barry Loudermilk with digging back into the sore spot.

The Georgia Republican's job, as the newly minted oversight subcommittee chairman on the House Administration Committee, is to highlight the "security failures" GOP leaders insist had more to do with the deadly siege at the US Capitol than anything the embattled former president said or did at the preceding "Stop the Steal" rally.

"The Subcommittee on Oversight is dedicated to following the facts, not a particular political narrative," Loudermilk wrote in an email to Insider, adding that he's determined to figure out "what really happened on January 6 so we can ensure it never happens again."

Loudermilk said elsewhere that reexamining the exhaustive work done by the January 6 select committee members and staff as well as any personal biases would be part of the process because they took a different tack.

"I think they looked more on the political side of it," he told CNN.

Two years after the devastating attack on Congress, Republicans have been swept back into January 6-related news cycles by converging House priorities.

The mission to turn every House committee into an investigative arm focused on bringing down President Joe Biden  a strategic maneuver Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz called for last summer  already has House oversight chiefs like Judiciary chair Jim Jordan and Oversight chair James Comer jockeying for attention.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy stirred the pot a few weeks ago by giving scandal-plagued Fox News personality Tucker Carlson access to Capitol Hill security footage that the right wing commentator has used to try and whitewash the 2021 riot  a rewriting of history Capitol Hill police chief Thomas Manger condemned in an open letter.

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House Republicans took their first swing at redirecting blame for January 6 in late December, issuing a report that faulted former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and congressional security forces for the entire ordeal.

Loudermilk, who fought back against the select committee's subpoena, recently unveiled a web portal to gather tips, anonymous or otherwise, from anyone who feels like they have relevant information to share.

House Administration staff did not immediately respond to requests for comment on how many submissions have come in so far. But an aide said they'll "see where the facts lead."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is working with House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) to schedule a trip for members of Congress to visit the Washington, D.C., jail where Jan. 6 defendants are being held.

Greene, who has previously toured the jail where those charged with crimes relating to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack are held, is leading the effort.

A letter to start the process of scheduling the visit is expected to be released on Thursday, both Greene and Comer said. Greene added the letter will probably be addressed to multiple people so the group can let them know that were coming.

Comer said that he is working with Greene on the letter just as he would with any other member of his committee on matters they are interested in.

Were going to be addressing the human rights abuse, such as the fact that theyve been held in solitary confinement up to 23 hours a day, denied the ability to see their families, Greene said, also alleging non-working toilets and issues receiving medical treatment.

Greene and some other Republicans have long decried the conditions at the D.C. facility and questioned why the defendants are being held without bail.

Last year, around three dozen Jan. 6 detainees requested to be transferred to the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, alleging black mold in the facility and worms in their food.

Asked about the trip in a press conference on Wednesday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said he did not know whether there would be a trip and turned focus to committees looking at some of these agencies that abused their power.

News of the planning surfaced as Fox News host Tucker Carlsons Monday airing of Jan. 6 Capitol security footage, provided to him by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), sparked bipartisan outrage on Capitol Hill. Carlson downplayed the violence on Jan. 6 and described it as mostly peaceful chaos.

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Greene has praised Carlsons airing of the footage but said the Fox News program did not rev up her push for a visit to the jail, which she says she has been working on since the last Congress.

Greene visited what she called the patriot wing of the D.C. Department of Corrections in November 2021, taking a tour and speaking directly with Jan. 6 defendants. Her office at the time said she was granted access to the location following months of requesting access with letter and letter and call after call.

She said she has tried to return to the jail many times since her initial visit  sending a number of letters to the mayors office  but was unable to secure access.

Comer is not sure if he will attend.

Its not high on my list. Well see what my schedule looks like, Comer said.

But other Republicans are expected to accompany Greene when she can schedule a visit.

I will tell you, she started talking to people yesterday about it, and there are a lot of members that have expressed an interest in going with her to that prison  more than I would have first anticipated, Comer said.

The trip will be open to any member of Congress, Democrat or Republican, Comer said.

Hopefully, the Democrats on the committee will come. I think everybody should go there, Greene said.

In a statement on Wednesday, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the ranking member of the Oversight Committee, suggested that the GOP effort to visit the D.C. jail was an attempt to lionize the Capitol riot.

The treatment of detained individuals in facilities across the country is an important subject for Congressional oversight. Thats why last Congress Oversight Democrats pressed for answers on the deteriorating conditions at Rikers Island in New York, for example, Raskin said in a statement. Our GOP colleagues sudden and selective sympathy for January 6 insurrectionists reflects their continuing effort to lionize the violent attempt to overthrow the 2020 presidential election.

Despite organizing the effort and previously visiting the institution, Greene said she does not keep in contact with the Jan. 6 defendants because she does not believe that would be appropriate.

I dont get involved with them, I dont talk to them, Im not involved in their cases because I dont believe thats the appropriate role for me, Greene said when asked how many Jan. 6 defendants she is in touch with. So I dont share fundraisers or anything like that, or any, in any way, so I dont know them personally. But they send letters to my office, people reach out, people tell me a lot of things about it.

 Updated 9:05 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
House Republicans are ramping up work on a comprehensive plan to revamp cryptocurrency regulation, a key lawmaker in the effort said Wednesday.

What's happening: GOP members of the House Financial Services Committee have started to float smaller, more targeted crypto proposals that may get a vote later this month. But Rep. French Hill, the Arkansas Republican who leads the panel's digital assets subcommittee, said in an interview that the longer-term plan is to go bigger.

Were working on a comprehensive regulatory framework that goes beyond the bills," Hill said. "We're going to spend March and April in a significant effort on listening to stakeholders in the digital assets arena [and] considering other legislative proposals. So that'll be our principal work plan for the next two months."

Why it matters: It's unclear what the committee will propose, but the effort comes as federal banking and markets regulators ramp up enforcement of traditional financial regulations in the crypto space. Digital asset firms are urging Congress to carve out a specialized rulebook for crypto, as some jurisdictions like the European Union have started to do.

The recent crackdown by U.S. agencies will be the focus of a subcommittee hearing that Hill will lead Thursday. It will feature testimony from Paul Grewal, chief legal officer of the U.S.-based crypto exchange Coinbase.

"Europe, the U.K., Australia and Singapore  just to name a few  are putting in place regulatory frameworks that are creating high standards for crypto, Grewal said in prepared remarks. It is truly a race to the top, and the U.S. is already behind.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell, testifying on Capitol Hill this week, suggested it would be a good idea for Congress to weigh in. Hill pressed him on it Wednesday.

"I do think it would be important for us to have a workable legal framework around digital activities," Powell said Tuesday. "That is important, and something Congress in principle needs to do because we can't really do that."

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Hill dropped some possible hints Wednesday about the GOP's direction on a crypto regulation plan.

During the hearing, he asked Powell if a U.S. digital asset framework would help banks, brokers and custodians understand how they could participate in the market safely. He also asked if it should preserve the role of state regulators in overseeing the industry.

Republicans signal crypto support: Thursday's digital assets subcommittee hearing will showcase a handful of Republican-led crypto bills that are generally supportive of the industry and its customers. The legislation may get a committee vote at a markup planned for March 28.

Im not sure that well mark them up there, but were talking about it, Hill said. We may have some other ones introduced, so we may have some other priorities.

The bills include proposals that would express congressional support for blockchain tech and digital assets, exempt blockchain developers from some reporting and licensing requirements and scale back tax reporting requirements for crypto firms.

The Senate: Senate Agriculture Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who has floated her own crypto regulation plan, said Wednesday she has "had some conversations" with her House counterparts.

"There's certainly, I think, a general belief that this is an area that needs to be regulated, so [as] to protect consumers," she said.

Asked whether she expected lawmakers to reach agreement, she replied: "I'm actually optimistic. I think the hard part is the farm bill."
A House hearing on COVID-19s origins on Wednesday unraveled almost immediately as Democrats decried one of the GOPs witnesses: Nicholas Wade, the author of a 2014 book that made outrageous, racist claims about Black people being more prone to violence and Jewish people being more financially successful because of their genetic makeup.

Wade, a British author and former New York Times science writer, wrote a book called A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History that waswidelydenounced by the scientific community for misrepresenting research into human population genetics.

One passage from his book reads, Populations that live at high altitudes, like Tibetans, represent another adaptation to extreme environments. The adaptation of Jews to capitalism is another such evolutionary process.

In another passageabout Africans economic conditions, Wade wonders whether variations in their nature, such as their time preference, work ethic and propensity to violence, have some bearing on the economic decisions they make.

Wednesdays hearing had barely begun when Rep. Raul Ruiz (Calif.), the top Democrat on the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, denounced Wade as a dangerous and extreme pick by Republicans to feature in a hearing supposedly focused on facts and science.

I was alarmed to see someone who wrote a book applauded by white supremacists, said Ruiz, noting that former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke praised Wades book on his radio show in 2014.

[Wade] claims that certain populations have been slower to experience an evolutionary change he has described as the transformation of a populations social traits from the violent, short-term, impulsive behavior typical of many hunter-gatherer and tribal societies into the more disciplined, future-oriented behavior observed in other populations, he said.

The California Democrat said he wrote to the chairman, Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio), earlier Wednesday urging him to disinvite Wade from the hearing, so as not to give legitimacy to a man of such discredited, unscientific and harmful views.

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His participation hurts the credibility of this hearing, added Ruiz, with Wade sitting right in front of him. These views ... have no place in a hearing examining the origins of a pandemic that has disproportionately and overwhelmingly harmed communities of color.

Nicholas Wade, the author of a 2014 book that was widely denounced by the scientific community for misrepresenting research into human population genetics, was one of the House GOP's witnesses in a hearing on COVID's origins.

Nicholas Wade, the author of a 2014 book that was widely denounced by the scientific community for misrepresenting research into human population genetics, was one of the House GOP's witnesses in a hearing on COVID's origins.

Wenstrup briefly tried to defend Wade by noting he is the former editor of Nature and Science magazines, and moved on to say he expected witnesses to stick to the topic at hand, COVID-19.

But in his introductory remarks, Wade lamented that his book was becoming a gigantic distraction in the hearing and said Ruizs claims about it werent true.

This was a determinedly non-racist book, said Wade. It has no scientific errors that Im aware of. It has no racist statements. It stresses the theme of unity that we are all variations on the same human genome.

I have nothing to be ashamed of in my book, he added.

Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) displays a poster with a quote on it from former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke, praising the work of Nicholas Wade, whom the GOP invited to testify on COVID's origins.

Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.) displays a poster with a quote on it from former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke, praising the work of Nicholas Wade, whom the GOP invited to testify on COVID's origins.

Ruiz later asked Wade if he knew that Duke had praised his book. A staffer held up a poster behind Ruiz that featured a passage from Dukes website stating that Wade had essentially embraced the scientific racial truth that Duke had been advocating for years.

When my book first came out, Mr. Ruiz, I think the extreme right wing thought it would help their cause, said Wade. But they very soon dropped referring to it because when they actually read it, as many people who talk about my book have not, they found that

David Duke did read your book, interjected Ruiz. In fact, he had a whole radio talk show about it and described it in detail. And he did endorse your views.

As Wade was testifying in the hearing, at least one anthropological geneticist on Twitter begged to differ with his claim that his book rests on science.

Jennifer Raff, author of The New York Times bestseller Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas, tweeted that she reviewed Wades book when it came out 10 years ago and shared a link to her review for anyone interested in what a fellow geneticist made of it.

Wades book is all pseudoscientific rubbish, Raff wrote in her 2014 review on HuffPost, because he cant justify his first and primary point: his claim that the human racial groups we recognize today culturally are scientifically meaningful, discrete biological divisions of humans. This claim provides a direct basis for the whole second half of the book, in which he makes speculative arguments about national character. In other words, the entire book is a house of cards.
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan received a somber and serious review on Wednesday as the House Foreign Affairs Committee opened its public probe of the 2021 military evacuation from the country.

Lawmakers heard powerful stories from those on the ground during the chaotic two-week evacuation, those based in the U.S. who did everything in their power to help Afghan allies seeking to flee, and those still working to get those left behind safely out of the country.

It was often referred to like Schindlers List. If youre on the list, you made it out alive. If you werent, you didnt, said Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas), nodding to the tens of thousands of allies and families still left in Afghanistan.

What happened in Afghanistan was a systemic breakdown of the federal government at every level, and a stunning, stunning failure of leadership by the Biden administration.

The committees first look at the withdrawal was told almost entirely from the veteran perspective  a move that left Afghan communities feeling unrepresented but that focused heavily on concern over the U.S. commitment to Afghanistan and continuing the work to aid those citizens.

Scott Mann with Task Force Pineapple and France Hoang with Allied Airlift 21 spoke of tireless efforts to provide intel to alloys seeking to get to the gates and organized charter flights out of the country.

Hoang, who himself evacuated as a child during the U.S. exit from Vietnam, said citizens stepped up to address a gulf turning to every digital tool at our disposal.

It was unreal at times to get requests  and Im not the only person on this panel that has received these requests  from congressional offices, from executive-level agencies, from high ranking officials asking for help evacuating their allies. Me, us, private citizens received requests from our own government to assist what is essentially a governmental function. So it was humbling. It was terrifying. It was at times stupefying, he said.

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Mann said the government backed away from a military promise.

The U.S. government may not have had the backs of our Afghan allies, but our veterans did, Mann said.

This whole thing has been a gutting experience. I never imagined I would witness the kind of gross abandonment followed by career preserving silence of senior leaders  military and civilian.

Peter Lucier with Team America Relief, which sought to help Afghans leave during the evacuation, said the organization is now working with a list of 70,000 still in the country who still wish to exit.

Its not too late. Were going to talk a lot today about all of the mistakes that were made leading up to that, but urgent action right now will save so many lives. Theres so many people that so many organizations work with today, and its not too late to take swift action to assist those, he said.

The panel was also urged to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would provide a pathway for Afghan evacuees to remain in America after their temporary two-year status ends this August, and would help those still seeking to come to the U.S. as well.

We just do not have immigration pathways that are available to Afghans. I get asked every single day for somebodys help for an immigration option, and they do not exist. The Afghan Adjustment Act would at least serve this population to allow them to be here and to live in American safely, freely and with all that comes with that, said Camille Mackley, executive director of Immigrant Arc.

The panel also heard the emotional account from Tyler Justin Vargas Andrews, a Marine sniper who identified who he believes was the suicide bomber that killed 13 U.S. military members and countless Afghans in setting off a blast near the gates of the Hamid Karzai International Airport.

We asked if we could shoot. Our battalion commander said, I dont know. Myself and my team leader asked very harshly, Well, who does? he said.

Vargas was hit in the blast, losing multiple organs and two of his limbs, ultimately needing some 44 surgeries to recover from the injuries.

He described looking down to realize his arm was shredded and abdomen had been torn open, remaining awake as he was later dragged to safety.

He broke down crying in recounting how his life was saved by a colleague, expressing frustration at never being contacted by the military to give his account of the breakdown that day.

The withdrawal was a catastrophe in my opinion and there was an inexcusable lack of accountability and negligence. The eleven Marines, one Sailor, and one Soldier that were murdered that day have not been answered for, he said.

Some lawmakers spoke directly to that sacrifice.

Thank you for your bravery. We were briefed on the dangers that would occur in our classified briefings. The most dangerous part of the war, they say. And you were there. And some of your lives will never be the same, Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass.)

But youve saved, youve helped 120,000 people during that very difficult situation. It could have been better, but you did it.And that shouldnt be lost as we look at everything else.

Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) spoke of how he still finds himself reevaluating numerous decisions he made while serving.

Whether somebody believes we should or should not have withdrawn, it is evident to everybody that it should not have been done in the manner in which it was done. But this administration is perfectly comfortable not being haunted by the losses that took place, he said.

Lawmakers also spent time debating missteps in the 20 year war and the ultimate withdrawal.

Democrats spent the hearing pushing for a broader look at the war.

We must acknowledge that there were mistakes along the way. And as a result, many Afghans who supported the American War effort over the past 20 years continue to see pathways to emigrate to the United States, said Rep. Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the committee.

As in most things, context matters. The evacuation did not happen in a vacuum. A culmination of policy decisions informed and influenced the events of August 2021 and continued to shape how we navigate ongoing relocation and diplomatic efforts today.

But many Republicans laid the blame for the evacuation with President Biden.

Lets be clear: if we knew we were leaving at the beginning of the Biden administration based on the Trump administration then where was the plan? Where was the plan to properly evacuate? said Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.)

We may well not have had a choice to leave, but how you leave is a choice.

Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), himself an Afghanistan vet, complained that Biden didnt mention Afghanistan or the evacuation in his State of the Union, saying that for those who have been involved, the war is not over.

Ive never been more proud of my fellow Americans and veterans as I am with this group. But Ive also never been more disgusted with my own government, he said.

This was a callous, cold-hearted, incompetent episode on the part of this administration and it is not worthy oftheir sacrifice.

Updated 4:38 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(Bloomberg) -- House Republicans are insisting that a US Treasury Department official answer questions under oath next week about why the agency hasnt turned over documents regarding President Joe Bidens family.

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The demand signals a potential showdown over congressional access to so-called suspicious activity reports on foreign banking and other business transactions by Hunter Biden and other Biden relatives.

We are done with the excuses and calling on Assistant Secretary Jonathan Davidson to answer questions under the penalty of perjury next week, Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer said Tuesday night. Bidens Treasury Departments obstruction will soon compel us to use the power of the gavel to obtain these documents.

There was no immediate responses to requests for comment from both the Treasury and the White House over the demand that Davidson sit for a private interview on March 14.

Comer wants the reports  which are used by banks to flag what they deem dubiously large transactions  as part of his panels inquiries into the familys overseas dealings. That investigation is just one of several into the Bidens that Republicans have either started or are planning since their party gained control of the House in January.

The demand for Davidsons deposition comes after Comer and the committee previously wanted  and expected  him to testify at a public hearing on Friday. But he told the panel in a letter Monday that he wouldnt appear, a committee spokesman said. That hearing is now scrapped.

In a Jan. 11 letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Comer had requested all suspicious activity reports generated in connection to Hunter Biden, the presidents younger brother James Biden and his wife, Sara, as well as associates of Hunter Biden.

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But Davidson responded in a letter last month to Comer that he needs more details about why the panel is seeking such highly sensitive information. Without acknowledging whether such reports on the Bidens exist, he also advised that improper disclosure of such information can undermine the executive branchs conduct of law enforcement, intelligence, and national security activities.

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House Republicans launched a new ad blitz on Wednesday to highlight some Democrats votes on the Washington, D.C., crime bill that has caused a riff within the party.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) announced Wednesday that the new ad campaign will target 15 House Democrats  including Reps. Abigail Spanberger (Va.), Steven Horsford (Nev.) and Susan Wild (Pa.)  who voted against the GOP-led resolution of disapproval that would block the implementation of the law.

President Biden said on Thursday that he would not veto the Republican-backed resolution, a move that provoked outrage from House Democrats who voted against it to show support for D.C.s home rule.

Murderers given reduced sentences. Carjackers given slaps on the wrist by pandering politicians. Not just the DC City Council, the ad campaign begins. 173 House Democrats voted for reduced sentences for violent crimes. So crazy even President Biden wont support the anarchy.

Whats next? Defund the police, it continued.

In an ad targeting Spanberger directly, the narrator concludes with, Tell Abigail Spanberger to keep Virginia families safe.

If implemented, the new D.C. crime bill would eliminate most mandatory sentences and lower penalties for a number of violent offenses, including carjackings and robberies. It would also expand the requirement for jury trials in most misdemeanor cases.

The D.C. City Council passed the bill in January, but it was vetoed by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D). The council then voted to override the veto with a 12-1 vote, leaving the bill up to Congress.

If Biden were to veto the bill, Republicans would decry that the president was soft on crime.

The bill, which was backed by 31 House Democrats, is set to be voted on in the Senate on Wednesday, where it will likely pass with bipartisan support.

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

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Republicans and Democrats showed no sign of surrendering their partisan positions after a briefing on the nation's $31 trillion debt on Wednesday, the day before President Joe Biden is due to unveil his 2024 spending plan.

Biden said his proposal will cut the nation's deficit by nearly $3 trillion over 10 years, though it relies on tax increases to do so while Republicans are pushing for sharp cuts to domestic spending.

The closed-door meeting for House of Representatives members was meant to establish a common set of facts for the debate from the director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Phillip Swagel, who has warned that the federal debt will surpass the size of the U.S. economy within the next decade if no steps are taken.

"It's important for members of both parties to get the information and be able to process it together," said Republican Representative Mike Lawler. "We're not always going to agree, obviously. But frankly, I think that's part of the problem in Washington. There's not enough opportunity to do these things together."

Republicans hold a majority in the House, while Biden's fellow Democrats control the Senate.

The CBO presentation laid out 17 options for reducing the deficit, several of which contained either new or higher taxes. Those with the biggest deficit-reducing potential were new consumption and payroll taxes, and new limits on tax deductions, each of which could cut the deficit by as much as $2.3 trillion-$3 trillion over a decade.

Spending cuts would have significantly less impact, the CBO said, according to a copy of its presentation posted online.

The White House said Biden's budget plan is expected to extend the life of the Medicare healthcare plan for Americans age 65 and older, by raising the Medicare tax on those earning over $400,000. The budget plan would also raise taxes on billionaires.

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The Republican-led House Budget Committee is expected to follow up in coming weeks. It has been looking at $150 billion in cuts to nondefense discretionary programs for 2024 that would reset spending to fiscal 2022 levels and save $1.5 trillion over a decade by holding spending increases to an annual 1%.

"It's my hope that Republicans will release their budget sooner rather than later, so we can have a thoughtful discussion about alternatives," the top House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, said as he emerged from the meeting.

The emergence of the two budgets is seen as the starting gun for negotiations between Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Biden over spending for fiscal 2024, which begins on Oct. 1.

But after hearing the CBO presentation, McCarthy ruled out new taxes as a way to address the U.S. fiscal position.

"I do not believe that raising taxes is the answer," McCarthy told reporters.

"We could find common ground. It won't be new taxes," he said. "Raising taxes in a low-growth economy like this will only hurt us more and put us into recession."

The stakes of talks between Biden and McCarthy are elevated this year as the federal government is expected to hit the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling by summer. Failure to act by then could trigger a potentially disastrous default.

McCarthy wants Biden to agree to spending cuts before his narrow Republican House majority would agree to raise the debt ceiling. Biden insists that Republicans must agree to a "clean" debt ceiling increase without a preliminary deal on spending.

TRADING BLAME

Each party blames the other for the country's fiscal position. Republicans say spending under Biden has added to the national debt, while Democrats point to tax cuts for businesses and wealthy individuals that were passed under former President Donald Trump and cost the budget $2 trillion in revenue.

Biden and McCarthy last met over a month ago at the White House, and the speaker said he hoped Wednesday's meeting with Democrats would spur the president to move forward on talks.

Neither Biden's proposal nor the one that House Budget Committee Chair Jodey Arrington is preparing would result in a balanced budget.

In a blog post this week, Swagel said Congress could "nearly stabilize" the growth of federal debt by reducing deficits by an average of $500 billion a year for a decade-long savings of $5 trillion, a sum that dwarfs the combined 10-year savings proposed by Biden and Arrington.

Overall, CBO projects that annual deficits will average $2 trillion between 2024 and 2033, approaching pandemic-era records by the end of the decade.

"Republicans and Democrats alike know that we have to do something about the deficit," said Democratic Representative Veronica Escobar. "The difference in approach is the issue here."

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone, Daniel Wallis, Matthew Lewis and Leslie Adler)
Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California wades through reporters on the way to the House floor. Kent Nishimura /Los Angeles Times via Getty Image

House Republicans are reportedly preparing for how to prioritize debt in the case of a default.

Currently, the country is creeping ever closer to a catastrophic debt ceiling default over the summer.

But neither party is negotiating, as Democrats demand Republicans' plan to prevent default.

As the US creeps ever closer to a devastating debt default, which would immediately spiral the country and likely the world into a financial crisis, Republicans aren't preparing to negotiate  they're preparing emergency measures.

As The Washington Post reported on Wednesday, Republican lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee will hold a panel on Thursday to discuss debt prioritization, in which the government would prioritize paying certain obligations over others should the US default on its debt.

Per the GOP legislation, known as the Default Prevention Act, the government would be able to continue borrowing money to cover existing obligations, along with ensuring federal benefits like Social Security don't lapse.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has previously slammed the idea of debt prioritization, saying in January that "a failure on the part of the United States to meet any obligation, whether it's the debt holders, members of our military, or to Social Security recipients, is effectively a default."

"I will also say that Treasury systems have all been built to pay our bills, to pay all of our bills when they are due and on time and not to prioritize one form of spending over another," she said.

The US is facing yet another debt ceiling crisis, as the country is just months away from being unable to pay off the spending it's already authorized. If the debt ceiling is not raised, it could be financially catastrophic, Yellen has said.

"This economic catastrophe is preventable. The solution is simple: Congress must vote to raise or suspend the debt limit," Yellen said in February. "It should do so without conditions. And it should not wait until the last minute. I believe it is a basic responsibility of our nation's leaders to get this done."

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Even a very short default would mean one million jobs lost, and send the US into a mild recession at the end of the year, according to a Moody's Analytics analysis. A prolonged breach would mean 7 million jobs lost, and stock prices tanking by a fifth  wiping out $10 trillion in household wealth.

While President Joe Biden is expected to unveil his federal budget in Philadelphia on Thursday, Democrats are still waiting for Republican lawmakers to release their formal plan to raise the debt ceiling. They have floated various spending cuts they could support in a potential debt limit deal, but with the US as soon as 4 months away from a default, Democrats have been urging the opposing party to stop talking about negotiations and move forward with a plan to prevent default.

"Republicans have said they will release a plan, they say they want spending cuts... What is the holdup," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. "Speaker McCarthy: It is now March 7th. The debt ceiling X Date is fast approaching. Stop dodging and show us the Republican plan."

McCarthy has said he wants to continue negotiating with Biden over the debt ceiling  but the president has insisted it's not a matter to negotiate, and each day without a formal plan is a day closer to a financially devastating default.

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DNA editing has the capacity to treat many diseases, but how to do this safely and equitably remains unclear. KTSDESIGN/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

The Third International Summit on Human Genome Editing, a three-day conference organized by the Royal Society, the U.K. Academy of Medical Sciences, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences and Medicine and The World Academy of Sciences, was held this week in March 2023 at the Francis Crick Institute in London. Scientists, bioethicists, physicians, patients and others gathered to discuss the latest developments on this technology that lets researchers modify DNA with precision. And a major topic at the summit was how to enforce research policies and ethical principles for human genome editing.

One of the first agenda items was how to regulate human genome editing in China in light of its misuse in 2018, when scientists modified the DNA of two human embryos before birth to have resistance against HIV infection. The controversy stems from the fact that because the technology is relatively early in its development, and its potential risks have not been reduced or eliminated, editing human embryos in ways they could pass on to their own offspring could lead to a variety of known and unknown adverse complications. The summit speakers noted that while China has updated its guidelines and laws on human genome editing, it failed to address privately funded research  an issue other countries also face. Many countries, including the U.S., do not have sufficiently robust regulatory frameworks to prevent a repeat of the 2018 scandal.

We are a biochemist and a geneticist who teach and conduct research in genomics and ethics at the Rochester Institute of Technology. As in our classrooms, debate about genome editing continues in the field.

What is genome editing?

The human genome typically consists of 23 pairs of chromosomes made of approximately 3.2 billion nucleotides  the building blocks of DNA. There are four nucleotides that make up DNA: adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G) and cytosine (C). If the genome were a book, each chromosome would be a chapter, each gene on a particular chromosome would be a paragraph and each paragraph would be made of individual letters (A, T, G or C).

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One can imagine a book with over 3 billion characters might need editing to correct mistakes that occurred during the writing or copying processes.

Genome editing is a way for scientists to make specific changes to the DNA in a cell or in an entire organism by adding, removing or swapping in or out one or more nucleotides. In people, these changes can be done in somatic cells, those with DNA that cannot be inherited by offspring, or in gamete cells, those containing DNA that can be passed on to offspring. Genome editing of gamete cells, which includes egg or sperm, is controversial, as any changes would be passed on to descendants. Most existing guidelines and policies prohibit its use at this time.

How CRISPR works

In 2012, scientists published a groundbreaking study demonstrating how CRISPR, or Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, can be used to accurately change specific DNA sequences.

CRISPRs natural origins are as a kind of immune response for bacteria. Bacteria that can be infected with viruses have evolved mechanisms to combat them. When a bacterium is infected with a particular virus, it keeps a small piece of the viral DNA sequence called a spacer in its own genome. This spacer is an exact match to the viral DNA. Upon subsequent infection, the bacterium is able to use the spacer to recruit a scissorlike protein called Cas9 that can sever new viral DNA attempting to integrate into the bacteriums genome. This cut to the genetic material prevents the virus from replicating and killing its bacterial host.

After this discovery, scientists were able to fine-tune the system in the lab to be highly precise. They can sever DNA from a variety of cells, including human cells, at a specific location in the genome and subsequently edit it by adding, removing or swapping nucleotides. This is similar to adding or removing letters and words from a book.

This technology has the potential to treat diseases that have genetic origins. One of the summits sessions covered CRISPRs ongoing experimental use to treat patients with sickle cell anemia and beta-thalassemia, two blood disorders caused by mutations in the genes. Notably, genetic modification to treat sickle cell anemia and beta-thalassemia involves editing somatic cells, not germline cells. But as the summit speakers noted, whether these likely expensive therapies will be accessible to the people who need them most, especially in low- and middle-income countries, is a problem that requires changes to how treatments are sold.

Ethics of human genome editing

Many questions remain concerning the safety of genome editing, along with its potential to promote eugenics and exacerbate inequities and inequality.

A number of the summits sessions involved discussion on the ethics and regulation of the use of this tool. While the landmark 1979 Belmont Report outlined several ethical pillars to guide human research in the U.S., it was published before human genome editing was developed. In 2021, the World Health Organization issued recommendations on human genome editing as a tool to advance public health. There is no current international law governing human genome editing.

There is still a debate regarding how to use this technology. Some people equate genome editing to interfering with the work of God and argue that it shouldnt be used at all, while others recognize its potential value and weigh that against its potential risks. The latter focuses on the fundamental question of where to draw the line between which applications are considered acceptable and which are not. For example, some people will agree that using genome editing to modify a defective gene that may lead to an infants death if untreated is acceptable. But these same people may frown upon the use of genome editing to ensure that an unborn child has specific physical features such as blue eyes or blond hair.

Nor is there consensus about what diseases are desirable targets. For example, it may be acceptable to modify a gene to prevent an infants death but not acceptable to modify one that prevents a disease later in life, such as the gene responsible for Huntingtons disease.

The potential for positive applications of human genome editing is both numerous and tantalizing. But establishing informed regulatory legislation everyone can agree on is and will continue to be a challenge. Conferences such as the human genome editing summit are one way to continue important discussions and educate the scientific community and the public on the benefits and risks of genome editing.

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: Andre O. Hudson, Rochester Institute of Technology and Gary Skuse, Rochester Institute of Technology.

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Andre Hudson receives funding from the National Institutes of Health

Gary Skuse has received funding from the National Science Foundation.
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Hungarian ruling party lawmakers visiting Finland and Sweden could not confirm a date for the Hungarian parliament's pending ratification of the two Nordic countries' NATO admission, the leader of the delegation said on Wednesday.

Sweden and Finland applied last year for membership of the transatlantic military alliance after Russian forces swept into Ukraine. All 30 NATO members must ratify the applications, and Hungary, as well as Turkey, have held back their approvals.

"This is a promising beginning, which however does not suggest when and what the decision will be made," Csaba Hende, Hungary's Deputy Speaker of the House representing the ruling Fidesz party told Reuters after meeting Finnish lawmakers in Helsinki.

"It takes normally five to six weeks for a proposal to go through parliament's decision-making mechanism. This is not a rule, this is a customary proceeding," he added.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party has said it intends to back the ratification, but Hende said he would still need to work more to address concerns some of his fellow parliamentarians have.

"What I'm working for is to have majority behind (the ratifications)," he said. Hungary's ruling party has a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Hungary's ratification process has been stranded in parliament since July, and in February Orban accused Finland and Sweden of spreading "outright lies" about the quality of democracy and rule of law in Hungary.

Hende said some Hungarians had been offended by what he called allegations of a lack of democracy in Hungary by Nordic Members of the European Parliament.

Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Matti Vanhanen said the Hungarian delegation had not set any conditions for ratifying the Finnish NATO bid.

"They fully acknowledged that Finland meets NATO's membership criteria and they will process Finland's NATO membership solely on criteria related to NATO membership," Vanhanen told reporters.

(Reporting by Anne Kauranen in Helsinki, additional reporting and editing by Krisztina Than in Budapest and Alex Richardson)
(Bloomberg) -- UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt is planning to reform pension tax rules in his budget next week in a bid to cut the number of doctors quitting the National Health Service.

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Hunt is preparing to alter the design of a system which mean doctors face higher tax bills when their pension pots grow beyond certain limits, two people familiar with the matter said. The chancellor is concerned the rules are fueling drop-outs from the NHS, with senior doctors retiring earlier or reducing their workload to avoid the charges, according to the people, who requested anonymity discussing unpublished plans.

The changes would help the government tackle labor inactivity  one of Hunts top priorities in the March 15 set-piece as he seeks ways to boost economic growth. They would also contribute to addressing a chronic staff shortage in the NHS thats left some hospitals near breaking point after three years of a pandemic and a brutal flu season. In the 12 months through June, more than 40,000 NHS employees in England left the service.

Current pension rules are discouraging some senior doctors from staying in the NHS, because of a 1.07 million ($1.27 million) lifetime tax-free allowance for total pots and a 40,000 annual limit on tax-free pension saving. When these thresholds are exceeded - a common occurrence for senior doctors on the NHSs defined benefit pension program - tax charges are incurred, which encourages some doctors to either retire or cut the hours they work.

A report by Parliaments Health and Social Care Committee last year said its a national scandal that senior medical staff are being forced to reduce their working contributions to the NHS or to leave it entirely because of NHS pension arrangements.

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Hunts options under consideration include increasing the annual 40,000 limit and abolishing the lifetime allowance, according to the people familiar with the matter. No final decisions have been made and the plans remain under review, they said.

The British Medical Association, the doctors trade union, has been lobbying Hunt to take action on the issue, describing it as a pensions tax trap. They want Hunt to scrap the annual and lifetime allowances for doctors, among other reforms.

The Treasury did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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(FILES) In this file photo taken on October 25, 2022 Britain's re-appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt reacts as he leaves after a meeting with Britain's newly appointed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street in central London. - Britain's finance minister jeremy Hunt dismissed "gloom" over its recession-threatened economy, on January 27, 2023 and vowed to tap into Brexit opportunities and tackle rampant inflation to boost growth during a cost-of-living crisis. He laid out the Conservative government's growth plan in London's City finance district, following recent criticism from the business community -- and insisted that the nation was not in decline. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images) - DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

Britain's biggest investors fear that Jeremy Hunt is poised to delay a crucial tax break until the autumn in a move that would put a wave of private sector spending at risk.

Business leaders are concerned that the Chancellor will wait until later this year before unveiling a permanent replacement for the so-called super-deduction, an incentive to invest that is due to expire at the end of the month.

Although Treasury sources insisted on Wednesday night that businesses will be offered help in next week's Budget, executives are concerned that any new measure will only be temporary and a permanent solution will be kicked into the long grass.

It came as Sir Nigel Wilson, the boss of blue-chip financial services company Legal & General, described the UK as a "low growth, low productivity" economy, hampered by high regulation and low wages.

Under the super-deduction  an emergency measure put in place following the Covid crisis  businesses can cut their tax bill by 130pc of the value of qualifying investment.

Mr Hunt is considering a proposal that would reduce this to 100pc. However, the Treasury has balked at the 11bn upfront cost of this policy and the potential for it to be abused. The Resolution Foundation think tank has suggested the plan would eventually pay for itself by driving up investment and increasing productivity.

Business groups and the leaders of some of Britain's biggest companies have held talks with Downing Street officials in recent days. Whitehall is asking experts about the potential design and cost of tax relief options, as well as their likely investment impact.

The Treasury has stressed there is little scope for tax breaks, with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) expected to downgrade the UK's growth prospects when it published its latest economic forecasts next week.

Sources have indicated that Mr Hunt may opt for temporary measures or a roadmap towards permanent capital allowances rather than an immediate replacement for the super-deduction.

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It came as a series of City grandees warned that Britain will enter a period of terminal decline unless Mr Hunt takes immediate steps to incentivise investment.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said that the looming "double whammy" of a corporation tax rise from 19pc to 25pc and the end of the super-deduction has already sent a chill through UK boardrooms.

The CBI, British Chambers of Commerce and Institute of Directors have all warned of the consequences of not replacing the super-deduction, alongside companies including BT, Siemens and Virgin Media.

Sir Martin Gilbert, chairman of fintech business Revolut and co-founder of Aberdeen Asset Management, said that a strong intervention by Mr Hunt is needed.

He said: "We've really got to try and get the economy back on a growth agenda by encouraging investment. And if we don't, I think the decline will continue.

"The tax burden is just getting too high. And there is no plan for growth. Unless we get one, we'll just keep slipping further and further behind other countries."

Mr Wilson, of Legal & General, said: 'We'd like to invest a lot more here in the UK, but a combination of regulation and policy has made it very difficult to do that over the last 20 to 30 years.'

Sir Philip Hampton, a former chairman of Glaxosmithkline and RBS, said he understood the need for fiscal discipline by Mr Hunt but warned that this could not be at the detriment of growth.

He said: "You can't keep trying to raise huge amounts of tax from the rich. The country as a whole, including its people, are going to be as economically successful as its businesses are. So if you don't sort out the prosperity of business, then the population as a whole does not prosper."

Separately, Rishi Sunak is poised to spend up to 800m building a new supercomputer amid fears Britain is falling behind in the race against China and the US for artificial intelligence.

The newly formed Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has submitted plans to Mr Hunt for funding to support investment in a powerful new computer.
A concerted push to allow Idaho to use a firing squad for inmate executions left out a key collaborator  the agency charged with carrying out the states death sentences.

House Bill 186 is premised on the belief that Idahos death penalty has become toothless. State officials say drugs to perform lethal injections  the only permitted execution method in Idaho  are unobtainable. A Senate panel is expected to take up the firing squad bill in the next week after House lawmakers overwhelmingly passed it Friday.

But the proposed law came as a surprise to state prison officials. They learned of the effort to restore the firing squad just days before it was publicly announced, Idaho Department of Correction spokesperson Jeff Ray said.

Its not uncommon for us to learn of legislators proposals until shortly before or even after they are introduced, Ray told the Idaho Statesman by email. Being consulted about the impacts of a potential policy change doesnt imply ownership. What we own is the responsibility to implement the laws passed by lawmakers.

Over prior objection from IDOC Director Josh Tewalt about the concept, Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, proposed the legislation, which would bring back the firing squad after it was removed from Idaho law in 2009. Attorney General Raul Labrador also was personally involved in helping draft the bill, Emily Kleinworth, spokesperson for his office, confirmed to the Statesman.

Idahos prisons chief did not attend to testify at last weeks hearing before Skaugs committee, which advanced the bill with a heavy majority for a full House vote. But during last weeks House floor debate of the bill, Skaug cited correspondence he received from Tewalt.

Absent an actual alternative method of executions, a de facto moratorium on capital punishment exists since the current law is unenforceable, Tewalt wrote, according to Skaug. Should the Legislature choose to adopt firing squad as an alternate method, the Idaho Department of Correction will develop policies and procedures to ensure it is implemented with professionalism, respect and dignity for everyone involved or impacted by this solemn process.

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This same time last year, Tewalt argued against the firing squad while providing testimony for another execution-related bill that became law.

I dont feel, as the director of the Idaho Department of Correction, the compulsion to ask my staff to do that, Tewalt said before the House committee, to which Skaug was a member. I would suggest that viewing alternative methods of execution as an easier path or as a path to reduce litigation or make executions more likely is going to have the inverse result.

AG political stunt creates friction

Last week on the House floor, Skaug, an attorney and former Ada County deputy prosecutor, assured lawmakers that the attorney generals office determined the bill does not violate the U.S. Constitutions Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment. Labrador, who acts as the states legal representation, recently left Skaugs private law firm after about three years when voters in November elected him the states attorney general.

The advantages are less litigation, and, most importantly, we will be able to follow the rule of law by completing valid judgments of conviction that have been imposed for the death penalty, LaMont Anderson, a deputy attorney general who is the offices longtime chief of capital litigation, testified last week before Skaugs House committee.

Two days after the bills introduction, Labrador, a former Idaho Republican congressman, publicly announced that he secured a new death warrant for longtime death row inmate Gerald Pizzuto. His execution by lethal injection is scheduled for March 23.

The attorney general sought the death warrant because he was following Idaho code, Kleinworth said by email. We sympathize with IDOC and their critical role in administering executions.

Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador was helped draft a bill with Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, to make a firing squad Idahos backup execution method. (AP Photo/Kyle Green)

Ray didnt respond to a request for an interview with Tewalt from the Statesman. But Labradors action caught Tewalt off-guard, according to emails between the prisons director and staff for Gov. Brad Little obtained by the Statesman through a public records request.

The press release appears to have been sent before I was in possession of the warrant, Tewalt wrote to Jared Larsen, the governors policy adviser and prisons liaison, explaining Labradors decision raised safety issues for prison staff. Ill be reaching out to the AGs office in hopes we can coordinate more closely next time.

In the press release, Labrador acknowledged prison officials lacked the lethal injection drugs needed under Idaho law to execute Pizzuto. The attorney general implored lawmakers in his statement to provide the state with another means of execution.

In a statement posted to Twitter, Robert Dunham, former executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Death Penalty Information Center, called Labradors obtaining of a death warrant for Pizzuto a political stunt intended to create a fake emergency to push legislators to approve the pending execution-by-firing-squad bill.

An emergency clause would put the firing squad bill, should it clear the Legislature and Little sign it, into effect on July 1. The Department of Correction estimated the cost to revamp the facility needed to execute an inmate by firing squad at $750,000, but have yet to detail a possible timeline for build-out.

Little reiterated to the Statesman last month his support of capital punishment. But he noted a desire to perform executions in the most dignified and humane manner that creates the least amount of stress for corrections officers.

ACLU, opponents condemn bill

On the House floor, Skaug appealed to fellow lawmakers sense of justice in pitching the alternative execution method. The state never executed a death row inmate with a firing squad, but lacking a way to secure lethal injection drugs, Skaug said not only is the method more humane, it was likely to face fewer court challenges.

I realize that this is a heavy thing to think about, Skaug said during floor debate. But this is the law of our land and we have to carry out the executions as a matter of law, or its like any other law we pass and then we dont carry it out. This must be carried out for the sake of the victims, who are no longer with us, and the families of the victims, and for the rule of law we all hold true.

Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, right, speaks with Sen. C. Scott Grow, R-Eagle, at a watch party in Boise for Idaho Republican candidates on election night, Nov. 8, 2022.

House lawmakers passed the bill in a 50-15 vote. Republicans made up all 50 supporters, while five GOP members joined Democrats in opposition.

The ACLU of Idaho condemned the bill and its House passage. Leo Morales, the organizations executive director, told the Statesman in a phone interview that defeating the proposed law is a top priority this legislative session, given the ACLUs fundamental opposition to capital punishment.

Every method of execution carries an intolerably high risk of extreme pain and torture, Morales said, and there is no method of killing a human being that is consistent with our constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment.

Rep. David Cannon, R-Blackfoot, a criminal defense attorney, was one of the five House Republicans to oppose the bill. He said he believed issues around acquiring lethal injection drugs would be resolved, and balked at the amount of taxpayer money needed to develop Idahos ability to execute by firing squad.

I foresee a fairly likely scenario where we pay for, build, maintain and pay for maintenance over an extended period of time, Cannon said, and perhaps never put that facility to use, and that gives me pause as a fiscal conservative.

Idaho would become the fifth state in the U.S., including neighboring Utah, to approve a firing squad as a backup execution method. Tennessee also is presently trying to pass a similar bill.

South Carolina was the last state to add the firing squad, in 2021. The law is stuck in legal limbo, after the states supreme court kicked it back to a lower court to review whether prison officials have worked hard enough to find lethal injection drugs. The lower court ruled last fall that the states alternative execution methods of a firing squad or electric chair were unconstitutional.

Rev. Hillary Taylor, executive director for South Carolinians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, testified during the House committee hearing last week against Idahos comparable plan.

Take it from me. If this bill passes, it will only bring frustration to your state legislature and your judicial system, Taylor said, detailing the public money spent on a firing range facility it cant currently use. My state wasted the average teachers salary for one year to create a facility it cant even use yet  and may never be able to use at all.

Rep. Lauren Necochea, D-Boise, assistant minority leader in the Idaho House of Representatives, advocated against a bill that would return the firing squad as a backup execution method if it becomes law.

Meanwhile, the four Idaho House Democrats who debated against the bill focused their arguments on the brutality of a firing squad, if the method is even legal. Rep. Lauren Necochea, the House assistant minority leader, for example, pointed lawmakers back to the 2009 law that passed almost unanimously to repeal Idahos firing squad, based on possible constitutional challenges.

When people commit atrocities, they have to account for those. Thats why we have the justice system, said Necochea, D-Boise. But we need a system thats also humane and operates within the bounds of our constitution. I actually believe that rather than bringing expediency to our executions, this new option could ensnare us in lengthy litigation and probably more delays in carrying out death sentences.

Rep. Colin Nash, D-Boise, an attorney, put it more bluntly.

I dont trust the government to maintain my sidewalks; I dont trust the government with the death penalty in deciding who lives or dies, he said. There is no dignified way to take another persons life, and I cannot in good conscience ask our state employees to carry this out.

This story has been updated March 8 to include additional comments from the Idaho attorney generals office.
A house of money in a hole with central heating pipes_heat pumps.jpeg

In the wake of Kwasi Kwartengs mini-Budget I watched my brokerage companys turnover drop by 80pc in a few hair-raising weeks. I admit, I was one of those wondering if the mortgage market turmoil was an extinction-level event for the sector.

Lending rates soon hit 5pc, buy-to-let rates went to 6pc and specialist lenders were knocking on the door of 10pc.

Thankfully, the new year has seen some stability.

Committed buyers are still there and chains are holding firm and transactions are completing. The housing market is catching its breath.

But there is something hiding in plain sight, it is the elephant in the room; the smoking gun: buy-to-let. The last buy-to-let purchase we did was on Oct 14th. What once may have accounted for 20pc of our business is now suddenly rarer than a housing minister with more than 6 months on their CV.

If you are thinking of entering the buy-to-let market in London you will probably need a 50pc deposit to even start the conversation with a mortgage lender. Throw in additional stamp duty, EPC certification and a raft of legislation and regulation and then suddenly Bitcoin might start to look like a more stable bet.

If you are already a landlord and you have a mortgage that is due to reset at some point this year, you might want to think about getting a mortgage broker (or maybe a counsellor) on speed dial. What was once a profitable business has rapidly become break even at best, and for many, loss making overnight.

It is not uncommon to see the mortgage payments for investment properties now remortgage from low rates of 1.5pc to be met with rates starting at 5pc. Furthermore, lenders background stress tests are now hammering nails into coffins so hard it is drowning out landlords calls for help.

Whether it is a house to live in or a place to rent out, we are talking about the homes of millions of families and individuals across the country. There is a huge systemic shock building up due to the Bank Rate moving from 0.1pc to 4pc in a little over 12 months.

So, to those of you with your fingers on the trigger, I say this: erring on the side of caution might actually help save the day and with it, the finances of millions of people.

Martin Stewart is the founder of London Money, a mortgage brokerage
KYIV (Reuters) -An International Monetary Fund mission was scheduled to start policy discussions with the Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday, the IMF's resident representative to Ukraine said.

The representative, Vahram Stepanyan, said the IMF team would be led by Gavin Gray, the IMF mission chief for Ukraine.

"An IMF mission, led by Gavin Gray, starts policy discussions today with the Ukrainian authorities on a potential Fund-supported program," Stepanyan said in a brief statement that provided no further details.

Ukrainian officials have said they hope to agree a $15-billion multi-year program with the IMF, in what could be the largest loan package for the country since Russia's full-scale invasion a year ago.

Ukraine's central bank said it hoped for a four-year program that would be structured in two stages - during the war and after the war.

"We aim to reach an agreement with the IMF mission on the program for extended financing during March and submit the agreement for the consideration of the IMF's board of directors," central bank governor Andriy Pyshnyi said in a statement.

"We are determined to have a productive discussion and search for common solutions."

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Olena Harmash; Editing by Timothy Heritage)
F2DYX6 Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station. - Alamy Stock Photo

Some things never change. Take the weather. For a country for whom the weather is a national obsession we remain remarkably ill-equipped to cope whenever it turns.

Other parts of the world seem to function perfectly well in far worse conditions than Britain ever endures, yet this country always sounds like it is on the verge of imminent economic and social collapse as soon as the mercury dips into low single figures.

True, the Met Office is predicting the coldest night of the year with the temperature forecast to drop as low as -15C on Tuesday evening but thats only in some sheltered Scottish Glens.

In Manchester, the temperature is expected to be -1C, in London a balmy 2C, and though heavy snow is anticipated in some parts of the UK, the south of England and the Midlands are tipped to get between two to six centimetres. Its hardly the stuff of emergencies. Yet you can be sure of widespread chaos and panic.

Meanwhile, parts of America remind us of what biblical storms really look like. In California some people have run out of food, gas, even insulin and baby formula after being trapped in their homes for a week following as much as ten feet of snowfall.

And yet it is with crushing inevitability that as the country braces itself for a cold snap, Britains creaking back-up coal power plants are being used for the first time, in anticipation of possible blackouts as people stay at home with the lights and TV on, and the thermostat cranked up.

National Grid sought to play down the move, stressing that the risk of blackouts was low and characterising the addition of extra capacity as "prudent".

Fine but that sort of misses the point. The fact that whenever there is a sudden surge in demand for power, the Grid is forced to scrabble around for back-up generation, and the best it can do is to return to coal, is a shocking indictment of the Governments ongoing failure to do anything to improve energy security.

We have been assured repeatedly that the war in Ukraine was a wake-up call for the West when it came to energy resilience.

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Yet, with the one year anniversary of Russias invasion having been and gone, there is little, if any evidence, to suggest that Britain is in a markedly better place than it was when Vladimir Putins tanks rolled over the border.

Our energy policy remains a total disaster. We want to get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 but that means building more renewables. In defiance of its own targets, the Government says we need more fossil fuels in the short-term to improve energy security because green projects take too long to build.

So we need both yet seem incapable of doing either because a windfall tax on the oil and gas giants, as well electricity generators, discourages investment across the entire energy spectrum.

Frances Total, Harbour Energy and Norways Equinor are pulling back from the North Sea because of the Chancellor's tax grab, and it is thought Shell is dragging its feet on proposals to develop the 2bn Cambo field for the same reason.

Separately, the bosses of some of the biggest power providers including EDF, Orsted, and RWE, have warned that the Treasurys decision to penalise the industry with even more punishing taxes than their carbon-heavy rivals puts tens of billions of pounds worth of green investment at risk.

Dirty or green, these are all projects that would reduce Britains reliance on natural gas imports from around the world but no one wants to invest here, a trend that is about to be supercharged by the pull of Joe Bidens green deal.

Earlier this week, the boss of BPs American operations said that the promise of billions of dollars in lucrative tax breaks under the Presidents new climate law made the US the most lucrative place in the world for green hydrogen development.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (L), wearing a Sizewell C-branded hi-vis jacket, reacts during his visit to EDF's Sizewell B Nuclear power station in Sizewell, eastern England on September 1, 2022. - Outgoing British Prime Minister Johnson on Thursday promised A700 million for the Sizewell C nuclear power station project during his final major policy speech. (Photo by CHRIS RADBURN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CHRIS RADBURN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) - CHRIS RADBURN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

If its not Jeremy Hunts tax grab that is preventing the UK from becoming more independent, it is red tape. Warnings from the boss of Scottish Power that the sclerotic planning system could jeopardise Britains massive natural advantage in wind power will resonate with chief executives from other industries.

Keith Anderson says although it only takes two years to build an offshore wind farm, bureaucratic delay means it takes us more like 10 years  a quite shocking statistic.

The situation wouldnt be half as bad if we were better at building nuclear power plants able to provide a steady supply of baseload energy but were not  the last time Britain built one was Sizewell-B in 1995. The next, in Hinkley, Somerset, wont see the light of day until 2027 at the earliest but there are fears it could be delayed until 2036.

Perhaps it doesnt matter. The country doesnt even have a grid capable of handling more electricity. There are parts of London where it is impossible to build new homes because the Grid has run out of capacity to support them.

Swathes of our power supplies were built in the post-war years. Without new connections, more pylons, underground copper cables, and interconnectors, the threat of outages wont go away.

Meanwhile, if the answer, as Labour insists, is Great British Energy, then we truly are doomed. Shadow energy secretary Ed Milliband is currently on a tour of Britain to promote the benefits of a new, publicly owned clean energy company, where he was last seen imitating Bob Dylan in a field on the outskirts of Mansfield.
MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's money laundering laws will apply to trade in cryptocurrencies, the federal government said in a notification dated March 7.

The exchange between virtual digital assets and fiat currencies, the exchange between one or more forms of virtual digital assets and the transfer of digital assets will be covered under money laundering laws, the notification said.

The safekeeping or administration of virtual digital assets and the participation in financial services related to the offer and sale of virtual digital assets will also be covered, the notification added.

India is yet to finalise legislation and regulations surrounding cryptocurrencies even as the country's central bank has cautioned against their use multiple times.

The Reserve Bank of India has said that cryptocurrencies should be banned as they are akin to a Ponzi scheme.

Extending India's money laundering rules to cryptocurrencies will give authorities greater authority in monitoring the transfer of these assets beyond the country's borders.

The Narendra Modi-led administration, as part of its leadership of the G-20 forum, has been pushing for a wider global agreement on dealing with the risks brought on by cryptocurrencies.

(Reporting by Nikunj Ohri; writing by Ira Dugal; Editing by Savio D'Souza)
A Woman Rises from the Dead Amidst the Coffeyville Revival

Coffeyville Regional Medical Center (Photo by Jim Linzey: March 8, 2023).



NEWS PROVIDED BY

Military Bible Association

March 8, 2023



COFFEYVILLE, Kan., March 8, 2023 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by James F. Linzey: Amidst the Coffeyville revival, a medical doctor testifies of a woman rising from the dead in an Emergency Room when an Assembly of God pastor laid hands on her and prayed over her.



Landon D. Vinson, M.D., who works in the Emergency Department at Coffeyville Regional Medical Center (CRMC), has been witnessing to colleagues of the miracle he witnessed of God raising a woman from the dead in the Emergency Room. Now, he is telling it to churches. Rev. Randy DePriest, pastor of the First Assembly of God of Coffeyville, Kansas, who is a key leader in the Coffeyville revival, witnessed the miracle when he was called upon by the medical staff to console the woman's husband. DePriest invited Dr. Vinson to tell First Assembly of God of the miracle that they witnessed.



On a recent Sunday morning, Dr. Vinson accepted the invitation to speak. He stated, "I've seen hundreds of people at the end of their lives. I am confident of being able to determine if someone was about to die or when they were 'gone.' That's part of the job description." During the height of the Covid pandemic, a woman was 'down' and was taken to the emergency room in Coffeyville. She was receiving CPR when she was brought into the emergency room and was given CPR for an entire hour after arriving. But she had died.



"We did get her heart beating again, but essentially the only thing keeping her heart going were shots of adrenalin in her bloodstream and putting her on a ventilator." Dr. Vinson said, "From a medical standpoint, she wasn't alive. She was what we call 'brain dead.'" He described to the congregation the numerous ways medical officials determine a person has died. In this instance, they found no signs of life. The woman's eyes were fixed and dilated; she showed no gag reflex, and her limbs showed signs of mottling, all which precede the onset of rigor mortis. Dr. Vinson, his staff, and the husband decided to remove her from life support.



Feeling hopeless, as the husband's last resort he did the only thing he knew to do. He asked for someone to call Pastor Randy DePriest to come and pray. Dr. Vinson said, "Sure. We'll wait for the pastor to get here." Dr. Vinson thought that he and the nurses would simply wait for the pastor out of respect for the woman and her husband. Once Pastor DePriest arrived, he began to pray. During Dr. Vinson's meeting with the congregation, he said, "We began to pray over her. My head was bowed. There was a nurse in the room. Maybe just a couple minutes into the prayer, a machine began sounding an alarm. I thought I would just turn it off so it would not be distracting. When I looked up, spontaneous breath began coming back. I saw a hand moving on this woman."



As Pastor DePriest prayed over her, he began to ask her questions. She started nodding her head and responding. "This made no sense to me because she did not have any sign of life," Dr. Vinson said. He continued, "We had taken her off all medications. We had given her four medications to keep her heart going. Those were all turned off. But now her blood pressure was strong. It was going through the roof. She was blinking her eyes. I leaned down and asked, 'Can you hear me?' She nodded her head 'Yes.' I asked, 'Do you want us to keep going and fight?' She aggressively shook her head 'Yes.'"



Dr. Vinson said, "That was the first true miracle that I've ever seen. It was a very humbling moment. I kept hearing God saying, 'That is my child. I decide who lives.'" It hit home for Dr. Vinson that medical doctors, and perhaps people in general, often think they are in control and call the shots. But Dr. Vinson told the congregation, "No! God will have the ultimate decision."



Pastor Randy DePriest came to the stage stating, "I had the easy part. I didn't spend three and a half hours with the patient as Dr. Vinson did. When I walked into ER, I didn't know that there was no sign of life. Sometimes because of what you might know, you limit God."



When DePriest arrived, the staff asked him to console the husband since the wife was clinically dead, and they began removing all life support. But they did not inform DePriest of any of this. It was then that DePriest asked, "Before I see the husband, could I go see the patient so I could have an idea of who I'm talking about with the husband?" This pastor remembered, "The prayer of faith shall heal the sick and if they've committed any sin they shall be forgiven." The medical staff permitted him to do so; thus, he went in and laid his hand on her shoulder. He did not know her condition, or that she was clinically brain dead. He called her by name, and said, "This is Pastor Randy, and I've come to pray for you." Her eyes opened, and he asked, "Can you hear me okay?" She nodded, "Yes."



Then Pastor DePriest said, "Do you know Jesus Christ as your Savior?" Again, she nodded "Yes." He continued, "That's great news. Today we're going to do what scripture says. Where two or three agree, touching anything, and believing in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, asking Him, it shall be done. So I'm asking God to restore your health and to heal you. Does that sound alright?" Again, her reply was, "Yes." One of the last things he told the congregation was, "As I prayed that prayer of faith, I didn't know that in the other room, there were big changes in the monitor."



As the woman began responding, Pastor DePriest described how two nurses quickly left the room to prepare her for sedation since she was becoming agitated from intense pain. DePriest noted when the medical professionals returned to transfer her from Coffeyville to another hospital for possible surgery, observation, and recovery, that she was fighting to remove herself from the gurney they had placed her on.



As Dr. Vinson wrapped up his testimony at First Assembly of God, he described how he told a nurse, "This was a miracle." As the nurse was drying her eyes, Vinson attempted to find reasons in his medical books for the occurrence, but God said, "This is my doing." About James F. Linzey, D.D.

James F. Linzey received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical Studies at Vanguard University of Southern California (1979), a Master of Divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary (1983), and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Kingsway Theological Seminary. He hosted Operation Freedom television and radio programs worldwide on the baptism with the Holy Spirit. He authored The Holy Spirit, A Divine Appointment in Washington, DC, and with Charisma author Verna M. Linzey (his mother) co-edited Baptism in the Spirit by his father Stanford E. Linzey, Jr. He is the chief editor of the Modern English Version Bible translation.



Watch Dr. Vinson share about this miracle here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r67U5JrDd0Q&t=1070s



SOURCE Military Bible Association



CONTACT: James F. Linzey, 760-855-3905, militarybibleassociation@gmail.com



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www.militarybibleassociation.com



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The juror who earned the infamous nickname of the egg juror in Alex Murdaughs double murder trial has asked to be left alone.

The woman, identified as juror 785 in South Carolinas so-called trial of the century, said that it is not her desire to speak publicly about the case and is requesting that the public and the media refrain from trying to contact her.

While other jurors have chosen to comment, which is their prerogative, that is not her desire at this time, her attorney Joe McCulloch said in a statement.

Given her public service for the weeks of trial, she earned through her public service the right to have her wishes respected. She wishes you to know that she took the juror oath and all of the subsequent courts instructions seriously and believes she followed them appropriately.

The statement added that the juror now wishes freedom from contact and harassment and asked that efforts to contact her at home and at her place of work come to an end.

Her attorney said he has also notified and requested the assistance of the Colleton County Sheriffs Department over the matter.

The female juror hit headlines when she was dismissed from the panel last Thursday  just hours before deliberations began and the jury reached a unanimous verdict of guilty in the high-profile trial.

Moments before the defence delivered its closing argument  and after the juror had sat through six weeks of trial testimony  Judge Clifton Newman announced that she was being removed from the panel for discussing the case with at least three other people. She had also given her opinion about the evidence she had seen in the case.

After telling the defence and prosecution his decision in the courtroom, Judge Newman brought the juror in and told her she was being removed.

The woman then prompted some light-hearted relief in the courtroom when she was asked if she had left anything behind in the jury room.

A dozen eggs, she replied.

Alex Murdaughs legal team speaks to media outside the Colleton County Courthouse after sentencing (AP)

This sparked laughter from Judge Newman, the defence and the prosecution  and even Murdaugh  as court staff were instructed to go and collect her eggs from the jury room to return to her.

Story continues

She was replaced by an alternate.

Ultimately, the final 12 spent less than three hours deliberating before convicting Murdaugh of the brutal murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul on the familys Moselle property back on 7 June 2021.

Murdaugh, 54, was then sentenced by Judge Newman to life in prison the following day  and is currently behind bars in South Carolina.

After the verdict was handed down, a source told FITS News that the removal of the so-called egg juror could have changed the course of the disgraced attorneys fate.

The juror had already indicated that she would have found Murdaugh not guilty  and that she could not be swayed in her decision, the source said.

She was dug in. She said he was not guilty and there was nothing anyone could do to change her mind, they said.

Another added that she would have hung the jury.

Four jurors have now spoken out since the verdict, revealing that a damning cellphone video which placed Murdaugh at the scene of the murders was key to his conviction.

The video, taken by Paul on his cellphone at 8.44pm, filmed a dog inside the kennels on the grounds of the Moselle estate.

Off-camera, three voices are heard: Paul, Maggie and Alex Murdaugh.

During dramatic testimony, multiple witnesses identified Murdaughs voice in the footage.

Minutes later  at around 8.50pm  Maggie and Paul were brutally gunned down.

Alex Murdaugh is sentenced to life in prison for murders (AP)

The bombshell video not only placed Murdaugh at the scene  but also exposed his lies about his alibi that night.

Since the 7 June 2021 murders, he had claimed that he had never gone to the dog kennels with his wife and son that night.

He claimed that he had stayed at the family home, napped on the couch and then driven to visit his mother at his parents home in Almeda.

When he drove home, he claimed he went down to the kennels, placing a dramatic 911 call claiming to have discovered the bodies of the two victims.

In a dramatic two days in the courtroom, Murdaugh finally confessed on the witness stand that he had spent the last 20 months lying about his alibi that night  but he continued to plead his innocence in Maggie and Pauls murders.

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

Murdaughs conviction marks the latest twist in the saga of the man who was once the powerful heir to a South Carolina legal dynasty.

His family had reigned over the local justice system for almost a century, with three generations of the family all serving as the solicitor in the 14th Judicial Circuit solicitors office.

The murders of Maggie and Paul shocked the Hampton County community but also brought to light a series of scandals surrounding Murdaugh including a multi-million dollar fraud scheme, a botched hitman plot and a series of other unexplained deaths.
A nearly 1-year-old girl who was diagnosed with a life-threatening liver condition shortly after birth was able to meet the woman who saved her life.

Tricia Terao-Murphy said her daughter Emma, who will turn 1 on March 17, appeared healthy at birth but was soon after diagnosed with biliary atresia, a condition in which the ducts, or tubes, that carry bile from the liver are blocked and bile continues to build up, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The cause of biliary atresia is not known, but it is often diagnosed after the infant develops jaundice, according to the NIH, as was the case with Emma.

"As far as we knew she was born healthy and everything was going well, but we kind of realized that she was looking a little jaundiced and she was having a little bit of trouble gaining weight," Terao-Murphy said in a video shared by Cleveland Clinic, where Emma was treated. "One day we just decided to take her into urgent care just to make sure that it was just the lighting in our house and, you know, a mother's mind, but unfortunately, it didn't pan out that way."

Because of the continuous accumulation of bile, biliary atresia can lead to liver damage, including permanent scarring of the liver, according to the NIH.

In Emma's case, doctors determined she would need a liver transplant.

Last November, an anonymous donor stepped forward and donated a piece of her liver to Emma, who was just 7-months-old at the time of the transplant.

PHOTO: Lori Seitz donated part of her liver to 1-year-old Emma Murphy. (Cleveland Clinic)

Doctors at Cleveland Clinic performed the living donor surgery using a relatively new laparoscopic procedure that required only a few small incisions.According to Cleveland Clinic, only about 5% of people who undergo a liver transplant receive the organ from a living donor.

A living donor is able to donate just a part of their liver because the remaining liver regrows to its normal size and capacity within a few months, and the donated portion of the liver also grows and restores normal liver function in the recipient.

Story continues

Terao-Murphy said that because Emma's donor was anonymous, she and her husband wondered who the person was who had saved their daughter's life.

MORE: Daughter donates part of her liver to save her critically ill dad

"We had talked about who we thought it could be. Is it a male or female? Is it somebody who had a transplant recipient in their family?" she said. "We still are blown away by the fact that somebody out there, and there are many people out there now, that could just, out of the kindness of their heart, risk going under the knife to try to save another person's life."

Emma's donor was Lori Seitz, a stranger to the Terao-Murphy family who became a second-time donor when she gave a piece of her liver to Emma.

PHOTO: Lori Seitz donated part of her liver to 1-year-old Emma Murphy. (Courtesy The Murphy Family)

Two years prior, in 2020, Seitz donated her kidney to her brother, who needed a lifesaving transplant after doctors found a cancerous mass on one of his kidneys.

"I had no clue at that time what anything would be, what to expect," Seitz said in a video shared by Cleveland Clinic. "I just knew that my brother could pass away because of the issue that he had, and I would do anything and everything to make sure that was not going to happen if at all possible."

Seitz said that while she was in the hospital recovering from the kidney transplant, she decided she wanted to donate again.

MORE: Daughter surprises dad by being his kidney donor

"I got to see how well [my brother] was doing with the new organ and it was just an amazing experience for me and I said, 'Well, I'm going to try to donate my liver,'" Seitz said. "When I found out that I was able [to donate], it was a blessing to me, that I knew that I would be able to save another person's life with just mine."

Last month, Seitz got to meet Emma and her family for the first time, and Seitz was able to hold the infant who now has a piece of her liver.

PHOTO: Lori Seitz donated part of her liver to 1-year-old Emma Murphy. (Cleveland Clinic)

One week after their first meeting, Seitz and Emma reunited again to celebrate Seitz's birthday, on Feb. 14.

PHOTO: Lori Seitz donated part of her liver to 1-year-old Emma Murphy. (Courtesy The Murphy Family)

Seitz's birthday falls on Valentine's Day and National Donor Day, a day to raise awareness of organ, eye and tissue donation, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration, the federal agency that oversees organ donation in the United States.

Currently, over 106,000 men, women and children are on the waiting list for an organ or tissue donation, according to the HRSA.

Editor's note: This was originally published on March 8, 2023.

Infant meets woman who saved her life by donating a piece of her liver originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
Michael Holman told his police colleagues that they were not going to believe the story he was about to tell them, of how he came to possess the credit card of a murdered woman.

It was Dec. 19, 1980, weeks after Patricia Jeschke, 31, did not show up for her secretary job at the St. Joseph Public Library and her mother crawled through her bedroom window and found a crime scene.

Holman, 22, admitted to a captain and a lieutenant interrogating him that he tried to use Jeschkes credit card to buy $630.43 worth of photography equipment at a store in Kansas City, Kansas. The purchase was attempted  and rejected  on Nov. 13, shortly after Jeschkes nude body was found on the floor of her apartment along North Riverside Road in eastern St. Joseph.

But Holman denied killing Jeschke. The alibi he gave went like this:

The day before, the patrolman said, he picked up a woman named Mary, had sex with her at a motel just yards from Jeschkes apartment and, as he was walking back to his truck on Riverside Road, stepped on a purse in a ditch. In it, he said, he found the card he would try to use to buy a camera lens. He punched a hole in it, removing the ia from Patricia, and wrote Patrick on the back. He said he threw the purse, and the rest of its contents, in a dumpster.

Holmans interviewers wanted to know more about Mary so they could verify his account, but he could not provide additional information. They asked him to draw a diagram of the inside of the motel, but he refused, according to their handwritten reports. After being allowed to meet with his uncle, a fellow officer, Holman stopped talking. He wanted his lawyer.

Holman became a suspect late in the investigation and was listed last by detectives on an index of 201 leads. By then, Buchanan County prosecutors had already charged two people in Jeschkes strangulation: Joseph Wabski, 44, who was known to police, and 20-year-old Sandra Hemme, a patient at the St. Joseph State Hospitals psychiatric ward who went by Sandy.

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But days after charging Wabski, prosecutors dropped the capital murder case against him. They proved him innocent and verified his air-tight alibi with records showing he was at a halfway house in Topeka at the time of the killing.

That left just Hemme, who had claimed in some of her many and conflicting statements to police that Wabski stabbed Jeschke and choked her with pantyhose.

Sandra Hemme, center, can be seen during a family visit in prison in 2022.

Lawyers with the New York-based Innocence Project now are trying to free Hemme, arguing that newly discovered evidence proves she is innocent. Hemme, who recently turned 63, has spent more than 42 years in prison.

The only evidence connecting Hemme to the killing, her attorneys say, were her wildly contradictory and factually impossible statements extracted from detectives.

And the jury that convicted Hemme in 1985, they added, never heard damning evidence withheld by state officials that implicated Holman, who they described as a corrupt officer.

I think I stabbed her

By the time Hemme ended up in St. Joseph, she had been in and out of hospitals across Missouri for psychiatric treatment.

Hemme started smoking marijuana when she was 8 or 9. She first attempted suicide at 13, when she tried to overdose on cocaine, according to court records. After fights with her father, who was a part-time constable for the Odessa and Concordia police departments, she recalled, he would handcuff her and take her to the station.

She spent much of 1973 to 1980, the year of Jeschkes murder, in institutions. Her symptoms included hearing voices. At the St. Joseph hospital, she was medicated with drugs so powerful that she was unable to hold her head up straight, her lawyers said.

Sandra Hemme as a teenager.

It was there that detectives first visited Hemme on Nov. 28, 1980  about two weeks after Jeschke was found dead. One of the detectives, Steven Fueston, saw Hemme was mentioned in a report about an unrelated disturbance involving a knife and thought she should be interviewed, he later testified. By then, detectives working long hours had interviewed way over 100 people.

The chief of medical staff allowed the detectives to see Hemme. They did not take a statement from her then, but Fueston showed Hemme a photograph of Jeschke, who was last seen alive as she drove home from work on the evening of Nov. 12. He asked if she knew her. She said Jeschke may have given her a ride that day. Hemme thought they might have gotten high together.

Fueston and an investigator with the prosecutors office returned to the hospital three days later and took Hemmes first statement. Like the others to come, it was not recorded with audio or video.

Hemme said she left the hospital at 1 p.m. Nov. 12, which was against medical advice. She was fairly high, having sniffed lighter fluid. A man, Joe, and a woman, who called herself Pat, pulled over in a car as she was walking in St. Joseph. She asked them for a ride to Concordia, in Lafayette County, where her parents lived. The man, who had a thick black mustache like Groucho Marx, said they could take her as far south as Dearborn, between St. Joe and Kansas City.

The pair dropped Hemme off at that exit before heading back north. It took her several more rides to get to Concordia. Two days later, Hemme said, she returned to the hospital.

Hemmes story ended without a mention of murder. That changed the next day, when detectives returned to interview her again.

This time, Hemme said Joes last name was Wabski and described him as having a full beard. He talked about human and animal sacrifices. They drove to a house and, as Hemme sat in the car smoking cigarettes, Wabski took Pat inside. Wabski came out in a hurry, with blood on his hands.

I killed that fing b, Wabski declared, threatening to kill Hemme, too, if she said anything.

The St. Joseph apartment, where Patricia Jeschke was found dead in 1980, can be seen on an afternoon in 2023.

Hemmes account evolved the next day, when officers picked her up at the hospital. They wanted to know if Hemme could direct them to Jeschkes apartment, which Fueston testified she did. Decades later, Hemmes lawyers would say the police were the ones who drove her there.

When they arrived, Hemme started recounting the day of the killing, according to police. Wabski picked her up alone, she said. He drove to Jeschkes apartment and, for the first time in Hemmes telling, said he was going to kill that b.

In her most graphic version yet, Hemme described witnessing Wabski murder Jeschke. She claimed Wabski grabbed Jeschke by the neck and struck her in the face. Hemme tried to stop him, but he pushed her arm away. Wabski attempted to rape Jeschke, then stabbed her repeatedly.

Detectives, however, realized days later that Wabski could not have been there. He was more than 70 miles away.

Confronted with that information, Hemme fidgeted somewhat in her chair, Fueston later testified. Sometimes, she explained, she wants to hurt herself or others; in the same breath, she said she did not know if she killed Jeschke. She mentioned once trying to stab a man in Baltimore. The hospital was not helping her, she told police; she thought she was going to go crazy.

By Dec. 10, 1980, almost two weeks after she was first visited by police, Hemme was sitting in the prosecutors office and telling authorities that she, alone, violently took Jeschkes life. Writing Wabski out of her narrative, Hemme said it was Jeschke who picked her up that day. At the apartment, Hemme lost it and confronted her. She believed she had a hunting knife.

I think I stabbed her with it, Hemme said. I dont know. I dont know.

Afterward, Hemme said she hitched a ride to 6th Street in Kansas City, where she ditched Jeschkes purse near Interstate 70. She made her way to Concordia, staying the night with her parents. The next day, she claimed, she discarded the knife at a battlefield park in Lexington.

Officers searched both areas for the items, but found nothing.

From jail, Hemme penned a letter to her mother on Christmas Day. She was innocent, she wrote, but might as well plead guilty. She was in pain with a bleeding ulcer. She was tired and wished she were dead. She asked her mom to raise her young daughter.

Let her know her mommy didnt kill that lady, she wrote.

The guilty plea

Months later, on April 10, 1981, Hemme appeared before the Honorable Fred Schoenlaub to plead guilty to capital murder.

Prosecutor Mike Insco confirmed his office would not seek the death penalty in exchange for Hemmes plea.

Schoenlaub wanted Hemme to explain, in her own words, what happened the day Jeschke was killed.

Well, I killed Pat, you know, said Hemme, then 21. I stabbed her in the head and I choked her, you know, and I hit her a couple of times in the head. I dont know why.

It was, she added, like she was watching it instead of doing it.

Hemme described herself that day as intoxicated. Schoenlaub listened carefully and noticed she expressed some doubt about what she did before and after the killing.

I really didnt know I had done it until like three days later, you know, when it came out in the paper and on the news, she said.

Hemme, however, could not provide enough evidence for Schoenlaub. He announced he was rejecting her guilty plea, saying the case would go to trial.

Insco asked for a recess. If Hemmes mind clears, Schoenlaub said, he would reconsider.

About 15 minutes later, Hemme was back in court. Asked by the judge if her memory was better now than it had been 20 minutes earlier, she said it was.

The front page of the St. Joseph News-Press on the evening of April 10, 1981, the day Sandra Hemme pleaded guilty to capital murder.

Hemme then said Jeschke picked her up that day and, once at the apartment, she attacked her. The judge inquired: Why?

To kill her, Hemme said.

Why did you want to kill her? Schoenlaub asked.

Drug dealings and so forth, she replied.

What do you mean, drug dealings?

Sales of drugs, you know, Hemme answered, and cheated out of a little bit of money.

Hemme said she stabbed Jeschke, strangled her with a pantyhose and, after Jeschke died, tied her up with a phone cord. She called it a spur of the moment type of thing.

Insco said Hemmes statements matched perfectly with the prosecutions evidence. This time, Schoenlaub accepted her plea.

To those who loved Jeschke, the idea that she would owe Hemme drug money was ludicrous. She did not use drugs and was described as very straight-laced.

Hemme was taken to Renz Correctional Center, a then-prison farm near Jefferson City, to begin her life sentence. It wouldnt be the last time her case drew scrutiny.

Flawed conviction thrown out

Nearly two years later, Hemme was back in court with a new lawyer, Larry Harman.

Harman was trying to get Hemmes guilty plea thrown out by showing Dale Sullivan, her previous attorney, was ineffective. One of his witnesses was Hemmes father, who testified that Sullivan said if Hemme felt guilty, she should plead guilty.

When Hemme took the stand, she said Sullivan and Insco told her what to say during the 1981 court recess. She claimed the prosecutor told her to mention the phone cord because it would show premeditation, and that Sullivan said to tell the story in a way that sounded more believable.

Sullivan did not have a defense and could guarantee Hemme would be sentenced to die if she went to trial, she said. He told Hemme she was just as guilty because she was there and could get the same sentence even though I didnt do it, she testified. She was wrongly told she would be out within 13 years, that life without parole for 50 years was window dressing for the victims family.

Sullivan, who died in 2020, denied making those statements. Insco was not asked about the court recess at the time. The Star could not reach him for comment.

In her version of events at the hearing, Hemme said she watched the murder as a bystander and placed three men at the scene. Unlike before, none of them was Joseph Wabski.

Judge Frank Connett denied Hemmes motion. But in 1984, the Missouri Court of Appeals overturned Hemmes fatally flawed conviction, finding Sullivan ineffective and saying he failed to request a mental examination for her. There were no known witnesses to the killing, the judges noted, and the only description of the states evidence came from Hemme herself.

When Hemme stood trial in 1985, her words again would be the only evidence against her.

The new trial

The prosecutions first few witnesses took jurors back to the day Jeschke, a somewhat shy but friendly 1971 Missouri Western graduate, was found dead.

Jeschke had recently revived an interest in her Catholic faith and attended classes at St. Francis Xavier Church. But she missed the one on the evening of Nov. 12.

Her mother got a call the next morning from the librarys director, saying Jeschke did not arrive at work. She and her husband drove to their daughters one-story duplex, where her car was parked outside. No one answered as they knocked on the locked doors.

After climbing through a window, Jeschkes mother found her on the floor. A pillow covered her face, blood pooled around her head. Detectives found no evidence of forced entry.

In a one-day trial devoid of physical evidence and eyewitnesses, most of the six hours of testimony came from detectives who interviewed Hemme, then 25, and read her statements to the jury.

But even in her statements, Hemme was anything but consistent. One time, she said she knew about the murder because of extrasensory perception  or, as it is also known, the sixth sense.

And of course, Pat was still at work at 5 p.m., the time that the defendant was telling you that this murder was taking place, isnt that correct? her trial lawyer, Robert Duncan, asked about one statement.

It was, a detective acknowledged.

While Hemme previously claimed she killed Jeschke over drug dealings, prosecutors did not mention it. They instead contended her motive was her uncontrollable urge to harm people.

Two of the last things the jury heard were not about Hemme, who is white, but about Michael Holman, who was Black and died at age 57 in 2015.

Duncan, who did not call any witnesses in Hemmes defense, told the jury about Holmans attempt to use Jeschkes card at the Western Photographic Store in KCK. He also told them about a hair found on Jeschkes bed sheet that exhibited microscopic characteristics similar to that of Holmans.

The possibility that this head hair originated from Michael Holman cannot be eliminated, but neither can it be conclusively said that it came from Michael Holman, Duncan said, reading from facts that prosecutors agreed were true.

Michael Holman in an undated photo.

In his closing arguments, Duncan said nothing tied Hemme to the ghastly crime besides her statements. Her stories kept getting better and better throughout her nine police interviews. He called holes in the prosecutions case big enough to drive a 747 airplane through. He took aim at Holman, saying there was far more evidence to convict him.

Patrick Robb, the assistant prosecutor who tried the case, countered that Hemme had played a cat-and-mouse game with detectives before she came clean. She knew details only the killer could, he argued. On the hair, he said the first officer at Jeschkes apartment that day was also Black.

Following three and a half hours of deliberations, the jury of eight women and four men returned a verdict in State of Missouri vs. Sandra Hemme: Guilty.

One of the things the jury did not hear was that a man named Bobby Cummings wrote to Hemme while she was in jail, asking if she remembered hitchhiking in his car on the afternoon of the killing. Or that in a police interview, Cummings said he was the one who drove her to the Dearborn exit.

Patrolmans mysterious role

Shortly after Hemme was found guilty, Holmans own convictions were laid out in a St. Joseph Gazette story under the headline, Ex-officer had mysterious role in Hemme case.

Days after the murder, the newspaper reported, Holman was arrested for collecting theft insurance on a truck that was not actually stolen. He lost his job. He was picked up again days later for possessing stolen property, including a rifle taken from a home.

A sketch of the truck drawn by a St. Joseph police detective.

Holman spent a year in prison and, once out, was charged with breaking into a house in north St. Joseph, according to the Gazette. He later did time for stealing in Nebraska. Eventually, he landed at the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City when his probation was revoked.

During the murder investigation, detectives tried to corroborate Holmans alibi.

Fueston went to the motel where Holman said he had sex with Mary. But the manager did not recall anyone named Mary staying there Nov. 12.

The detective showed photos, including one of Holman, to the manager and a nearby gas station attendant. Neither recognized anyone in the lineup.

Fueston, who retired as a sergeant in 1999, told The Star he thought Hemme was guilty, but also called it well within the realm of possibility that Holman was involved. If Hemme were released from prison, he added, it wouldnt bother me in the slightest.

The evidence against Holman, though, was more extensive and significant than previously known, Hemmes lawyers argued in a petition they filed in February in Livingston County, where she remains imprisoned at the Chillicothe Correctional Center.

Besides the credit card and bed sheet hair, Harman, who was Hemmes attorney between 1981 and 1984, could not recall other information that might tie Holman to the crime. But he recently was told that a unique pair of Jeschkes gold, wishbone-shaped earrings were found in Holmans apartment in 1980  months before Hemme pleaded guilty.

The patrolmans wife told St. Joe police she had never seen them before. Jeschkes father, however, recognized the earrings as ones he had bought for his daughter at a Montana gift shop. He identified them in the presence of the police chief at the time, James Robert Bob Hayes.

Hemmes lawyers say the undisclosed earrings amount to intimate physical evidence linking Holman to Jeschke. And, they contend, the earrings undermine Holmans excuse for why he had Jeschkes credit card.

The attorneys laid out other evidence in their court filing. Witnesses, they said, also saw Holmans pickup truck  the one he admitted he falsely reported stolen  near Jeschkes apartment that day.

The hair in Jeschkes sheets, it turned out, did not match Vernon Burris, the only Black officer called to the murder scene, according to FBI analysis.

And while none of the prints recovered came from Hemme, her lawyers wrote, Holman could not be excluded as the source of latent palm prints discovered at the scene.

Records show the FBI informed local police in 1981 that clearly and completely recorded prints of Holman, and several other possible suspects, were needed for conclusive comparisons.

Despite the FBI request, there is no indication that the St. Joseph Police Department sent any more finger or palm prints belonging to Holman or any other alternate suspect for definitive analysis, Hemmes attorneys wrote.

The St. Joseph Police Department

No one on the force at the time remains employed there. Todays police department had no comment on the case.

Mentally ill and vulnerable

Harman, the former Hemme lawyer, said he believes the police took advantage of Hemmes mentally fragile state when they interviewed her.

Im not saying they deliberately took a statement from her to frame an innocent person, he wrote in a 2022 affidavit, but her mental frailty was obvious enough that they should have known to be more cautious.

Harman went on to serve as Clay County prosecutor, a special assistant Missouri attorney general and a circuit judge for 26 years. The system, he said, failed Hemme.

In multiple respects, the system should have done a better job protecting someone so young, mentally ill and vulnerable, he wrote.

In the 1970s, a man falsely confessed to murder in St. Joseph. It now sounds familiar

Hemmes statements show she was trying to appease her interrogators, her current lawyers say. But she was only able to provide details, they said, after police showed her photos of Jeschkes injuries.

Judith Edersheim, a forensic psychiatrist, recently determined that Hemmes underlying psychological vulnerabilities increased the likelihood that she falsely incriminated herself. Her report also noted that Hemme is a survivor of physical and sexual violence.

Across the U.S., false confessions have contributed to the wrongful convictions of 400 people, according to the National Registry of Exonerations.

One of them, a Missouri man named George Allen Jr., had schizophrenia. He spent 30 years in prison after police physically and psychologically coerced him into confessing to raping and murdering a St. Louis woman. He was freed in 2013 when DNA cleared him.

Former top cop: Hemme is innocent

Lloyd Pasley, who was a senior member in St. Joes detective division in 1980, recalled telling Hayes, the police chief, that interviewing Hemme would not produce anything credible.

In a recent affidavit, Pasley said he believed Hemme gave details based on leading questions or other forms of unintentional suggestion.

Pasley, now 91, was one of the officers who interrogated Holman. But Hayes took him off the case after the interview, he remembered. The investigation into Holman ended after just four days. But as far as Pasley knew, no one ever confirmed his whereabouts that night.

About two decades later, Hayes was sent to prison for involuntary manslaughter after he fatally shot his neighbor in 1997. He died in 2010.

Pasley worked at the department on and off for about 40 years, including twice as interim chief. He suspected that a man killed Jeschke during a burglary. She lived alone, yet her toilet seat was up.

In his affidavit, Pasley declared publicly, for the first time, that he believes Hemme is innocent and played no role in Jeschkes slaying.

I believe the evidence points to Michael Holman as the sole perpetrator of Patricia Jeschkes murder, he added.

When Holman was investigated for insurance fraud, a service weapon he had reported stolen was discovered in his storage unit, Pasley wrote. But before Pasley found out about it and could send it for testing, the gun was cleaned and put back in service.

I have always wondered if that pistol could have been the blunt object Mr. Holman used while killing Ms. Jeschke, he wrote.

Sitting at his kitchen table last week, Pasley said he was not alone in his belief that Holman was the killer. A lieutenant, who has since died, was also convinced of it. Now, Pasley said, he is trying to help right a wrong.

She should be freed, he told The Star.

Jeschkes close friend, Nancy Barmann, also always believed Holman had something to do with the killing. In an affidavit, she said she does not understand why he was never held responsible.

Jane Pucher, a senior staff attorney at the Innocence Project, said instead of investigating a fellow officer, the police zeroed in on Hemme, who could not have been more vulnerable to police suggestion and coercion.

It was clear that Sandy had no reliable information about this crime but she was an easy target, Pucher said.

Ryan Horsman, the presiding judge of the 43rd Circuit Court, has been assigned to Hemmes case. An initial hearing is set for July 10.

If Hemme is ultimately exonerated, her prison term will mark the longest known wrongful conviction of a woman in U.S. history.
James Gorman, CEO of Morgan Stanley, realized COVID might be "The Big One" after meeting with a sniffly Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia. SAUL LOEB / Getty Images

James Gorman, CEO of Morgan Stanley, met with the Saudi crown prince at the onset of the pandemic.

The young royal kept sneezing during the meeting  and Gorman's fear of a deadly pathogen began to grow.

The following is an excerpt from "Crash Landing: The Inside Story of How the World's Biggest Companies Survived an Economy on the Brink."

James Gorman nervously eyed the gold-plated tissue box.

He was in the royal palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, seated to the right of the country's crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. It was early March 2020, and the Morgan Stanley CEO was on the second leg of a three-day trip through the Middle East to visit with clients and dignitaries.

The United States had just reported its first death from COVID-19 a few days earlier  a man in his 50s in Washington State. There appeared to be an outbreak of cases at a long-term care facility near Seattle, and there were pockets of cases in California, Illinois, and Massachusetts, too.

Life was continuing mostly as normal, though, in America. It hadn't occurred to Gorman to cancel the trip.

Globe-hopping was central to the role of any modern CEO, especially on Wall Street, where bankers lined up to advise governments on modernizing their economies and investing their money. These trips also provided a window into global trends that was hard to get even from New York, the crossroads of global capital, and in early March, such windows were hard to come by.

Gorman's first stop had been Kuwait, where a security officer had put a temperature scanner to his forehead before

"Crash Landing" by Liz Hoffman. Penguin Random House

clearing him to enter the building for a meeting with executives from the emirate's sovereign wealth fund.

The check had rattled Gorman

The emirate had been through Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), another type of coronavirus that had struck the Saudi peninsula in 2012. (MERS was extraordinarily lethal, killing four in ten people who caught it  deadlier than smallpox  but turned out not to be particularly contagious and petered out on its own.)

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Given their recent experience with a deadly virus, Gorman took the caution of his Kuwaiti hosts as a sign that the West was underestimating the dangers of this one.

By the time he landed in Saudi Arabia two days later, Gorman was spooked enough to let the protocol officers at the royal palace know he wouldn't be shaking hands. They asked whether he was sick. "No," he said, "just concerned."

He had mostly managed to stick to his plan of limited physical contact, though the Saudi energy minister insisted during a brief meeting on draping his arm around the lanky CEO and leaving it there.

And now, as Gorman chatted with the controversial 34-year-old crown prince about ways Saudi Arabia could diversify its economy and reduce its reliance on oil, the young royal kept sneezing. Each time he did, he grabbed a tissue from an ornate gold-clad box that sat on a marble table next to a vase of freshly cut white tulips, then dropped the wadded tissues into a wastebasket that sat on the floor between the two men's knees.

Gorman had already been iffy about taking the meeting; Saudi Arabia was a fast-growing economy and was using its oil riches to become a key player in global finance and investments, but the murder of a Washington Post journalist in 2018  pinned by U.S. intelligence squarely on the young crown prince  had tarnished its reputation in the West.

Now, as the pile of tissues grew, so did Gorman's angst

As he left the palace, he shared his concerns with Franck Petitgas, head of Morgan Stanley's international business, who had accompanied him on the trip. "This could be the big one," Gorman mused.

The Big One. Pharmaceutical executives and public health experts had been warning for years of a deadly pathogen, a superbug perfectly evolved in ways big and small, conniving and accidental, to do maximum damage.

That trope was a popular vein of inspiration for Hollywood, which tapped pandemic storylines in hits like the 1990s classic Outbreak, inspired by the bestselling book The Hot Zone, in which a deadly tropical fever sweeps the globe, carried by a monkey captured in an African jungle and sold to an exotic pet store. Ebola, the closest thing in real life to that fictional virus, had flared up in the mid-2010s in Africa, killing more than eleven thousand people and sowing panic as photos of bloodstained hospital floors and funeral pyres were distributed across global news services.

But tropical diseases like Ebola simply kill their victims too quickly to go global. Those who don't die are rendered too sick to venture out to restaurants or movie theaters or other communal gathering places where they might infect others. And these diseases are mostly blood-borne, which means that only close contact with bodily fluids can spread them.

The real threat, public health experts warned, was far more mundane: a virus that spread through the air or casual touch, something resembling the seasonal flu.

It would look more like the SARS virus that had emerged in China in the mid-2000s than anything cooked up in a Hollywood studio. It wouldn't go to the trouble of liquefying organs or shredding blood vessels. It would instead set down roots right where it entered the body  in the lungs  and wreak a slower, quieter havoc there. Early symptoms would resemble any of the thousands of viruses that are typically dismissed as a bad cold.

And rather than the near-certain death that fictional bogeyman pathogens promised, The Big One would live in the mortality sweet spot that terrifies virologists. It would kill enough of its victims to cause alarm in the halls of public health departments but would leave most of them alive and even ambulatory, with a high enough viral load to be infectious but well enough to go about their daily lives.

Such a middle ground might well be a biological quirk, a mutation in a strand of genetic code. But it would be an evolutionary triumph. Viruses have a single-minded purpose: to spread. Killing a host too quickly is counterproductive.

Liz Hoffman Penguin Random House

As March 2020 arrived, Covid-19 seemed to tick each of those boxes

One early scientific study, from February, had pegged the mortality rate at 5.25 percent, about half as deadly as SARS and 50 times more lethal than the typical winter flu.

That was squarely in the virological sweet spot. The virus had hopped international borders with ease and eluded a lockdown by the Chinese government  admittedly belated, but far more drastic and strictly enforced than anything that would likely be achievable in less authoritarian countries.

A few days later, Gorman landed back in New York, where life seemed to be continuing as usual

He dined at Elio's, a white-linen Italian joint on the city's Upper East Side, with three other couples, including the Australian consul general in New York and his wife, who were in town for an event the next day at the consulate, where Gorman would be receiving the Order of Australia, the country's highest civilian honor.

When asked months later about the last normal thing he had done  his last untroubled outing in what would, in the grim tongue-in-cheek-speak of the pandemic, become known across America as "the before times"  he would mention this dinner.

Excerpted from Crash Landing: The Inside Story of How the World's Biggest Companies Survived an Economy on the Brink by Liz Hoffman. Copyright  2023 by Liz Hoffman. Excerpted by permission of Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House. All rights reserved.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Leticia Graham, right, rides the bus to Glendale, where she works at a shopping mall. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

In her small studio apartment in Westlake, Leticia Graham stared at her tablet as the courtroom on her screen filled with people like her: renters facing eviction. With mounting panic, she realized she was supposed to have been there in person.

She had little saved for a new apartment and knew losing her case would leave her homeless.

But like a majority of renters in eviction court, she did not have a lawyer, and the judge was explaining that she had made crucial mistakes as the clock ticked on her trial, which was scheduled for that day. It was her only shot at staying longer in her home.

Contrary to what she believed, the judge said, a county eviction moratorium did not prevent her from being evicted. That was a mistake being repeated by renter after renter in the county's eviction courts. And since Graham did not have a car and was appearing remotely, she would not be able to present evidence, other than her word, to win her case.

Graham, 36, had little saved for a new apartment and knew losing her case would leave her homeless. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Ms. Graham, the judge said to Grahams image on the screen, you're in a serious spot right now. You need to catch the bus, you need to run out there  you need to get to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse.

"I close at noon. You need to be here well before then," the judge added.

Graham put on her running shoes, stuffed a thick stack of receipts and bank records into her backpack and ran to the bus stop on the corner, arriving just as the doors to the No. 16 bus to downtown were closing.

She hadn't prepared much of a case. She owed thousands in rent that was not covered by the limited COVID-19 pandemic relief she had managed to secure. But she was desperate for more time  time to work more hours at her retail job, to save enough for an inevitably higher monthly rent, to get back on solid ground after the pandemic left her jobless and in a spiral of depression.

"I'm not going to fold," she told herself as the bus made its way toward downtown.

Graham walks from the bus stop to her job at a retail store in Glendale. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Eviction cases in Los Angeles County never fully stopped in the pandemic, but they slowed to a few hundred filings a month. Since May, as protections have lifted, theyve returned to pre-pandemic levels of more than 3,000 per month. Kyle Nelson, a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA who has been compiling the numbers, expects they will increase even more, to about 5,000 per month, as protections continue to expire.

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Graham's case is similar to the type of case that Nelson and others believe will flood the courts  renters who fell thousands of dollars behind on rent during the pandemic and don't earn enough money to pay it back.

Once they're filed, eviction cases move quickly compared with the typically sluggish pace of civil court  at times they are decided in a 10-minute trial before a judge. Renters rarely have lawyers, while landlords almost always do.

Day after day, tenants show up in court with a false impression of how the system works. Some, like Graham, believe that pandemic-era renter protections will keep them from being locked out of their homes. Often, they believe they can simply explain their side of the story and the judge will understand, only to find themselves fumbling as they navigate complex rules of evidence and other legal procedures, combined with labyrinthine local and state housing laws that are challenging even for lawyers and judges to track.

On that day in February, Graham's eviction was one of about two dozen eviction cases  about half of them trials in front of the judge  that were scheduled in Department 91, on the sixth floor of the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown. Similar numbers of people file into three other eviction courtrooms in the downtown courthouse and several others scattered across the county.

Graham gets ready for work at her studio apartment in Westlake. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Graham shares her studio with her two cats, Yoda and Jordan. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Expediency was critical to clear the docket for the next day's wave. In quick spurts, Judge Alison Mackenzie called renters and their landlords to the table in front of the courtroom and repeatedly urged them to come to a settlement. An agreement, she said, would let them maintain a little control over what was going to happen.

A tenant might secure a few more weeks to stay in their home, or, at minimum, ensure that their evictions did not become public and visible to future landlords (which happens once a judgment is entered and can make it even more difficult to find affordable rentals). Landlords might gain assurance that tenants would leave on a certain date or that they would pay back some of what they owed.

"Let's be solutions-oriented," Mackenzie told Graham that day, urging her to try to come to an agreement with the landlord.

Along with Graham's case, there was a young man in black jeans whose landlord threatened to pursue him in small claims court if he didnt immediately hand over his keys, a tenant who called in sick the day before, only to have the trial go forward with a judgment against him, and a couple who agreed to move out within weeks in exchange for their eviction remaining hidden from public view.

Graham, 36, had gotten her real estate license in the months before the pandemic and was learning the ropes of the business, trying to build a clientele by guiding well-to-do renters at an agency in Brentwood when the pandemic shut everything down.

The open houses came to a halt and she retreated to the studio on Rampart Boulevard that she shares with her two cats, Yoda and Jordan. She stayed close to her family with video calls, but they were far away, in El Paso.

A calendar inside Graham's apartment marks her February eviction court date. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

On the wall across from her bed, in a room that doubles as living room and bedroom, she hung a poster reminding her: "Believe in yourself." But the isolation was painful, and she fell into a deep depression for months that made it difficult to go outside  in a neighborhood where, as a single woman, she had never felt fully safe.

She applied for and secured COVID rent relief but discovered that it wouldn't cover all of the months she had been unable to pay  she was still about $2,300 behind.

In May, she began working part time at a clothing store in Glendale, taking the bus one hour each direction, arriving home just before midnight and earning just slightly more than the $1,150 monthly rent. Then in November, she returned home to a three-day notice taped to the door. She had 72 hours to pay the back rent or leave.

"If you fail to perform or otherwise comply, Landlord declares the forfeiture of your Rental/Lease agreement and will institute legal proceedings to obtain possession," it read.

When she didn't make the deadline, the trial was scheduled for February.

The morning of her trial, she woke up feeling confident. Just a couple of weeks earlier, county officials had extended their eviction moratorium through the end of March. Graham, who watches the evening news religiously, saw multiple stories explaining that under the moratorium landlords cannot evict low-income tenants who say they could not pay rent because they were harmed financially by COVID-19.

Graham was prepared to leave her studio apartment, but she wanted more time to save money. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

But as Mackenzie repeatedly explained to renters in her courtroom, "it's more complicated than that."

The protections apply for nonpayment of rent due between July 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023, due to a COVID-19 financial hardship for households with income at or below 80% of the area median income. In addition, tenants need to have experienced a substantial loss of monthly household income of at least 10%.

But landlords are not barred from filing eviction cases; the moratorium simply gives tenants a defense to use when a case is filed. To take advantage, they need to understand how to navigate the court system and properly present evidence on their own behalf. Graham, like most of the renters in court without lawyers, didn't know any of that.

By the time she arrived in court about 10:30 a.m., she had resigned to leaving the apartment but was determined to fight to stay longer so that she could save for a new home.

"I would end up homeless if I had to move out by the end of February," she said. "I don't have a place to stay."

The judge called her case and urged Graham and Benjamin Taylor, the lawyer representing the landlord, to go into the hallway and try to work out a deal.

Graham wanted to remain in the studio, paying rent, until July 1, more than four months  an impossibly long time in eviction court, where, when tenants negotiate for more time, it's often a matter of weeks not months.

Graham gets ready for work. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

In the afternoon, Graham and Taylor returned to the courtroom and Taylor explained that they had not been able to come to a settlement. Graham was asking for too much time.

"I can do the bench trial this afternoon," the judge said. But she urged them to try one more time. Soon they returned again, still without an agreement.

"I still need more time," Graham repeated. "You can see Im trying to get on my feet."

"Thats not going to be a legal defense," the judge replied.

She urged Graham and Taylor to continue negotiating.

"If we go to trial and you lose, youre out," Mackenzie said. "I really think you would prefer to find a solution."

"Can I have a chance to speak to the property owner?" Graham asked after more back-and-forth. "I dont think they understand the full spectrum of whats happening on my end."

"They dont have the full story," she added later. "I live there by myself. Im trying to get back on my feet."

Mackenzie told Graham that the amount of time she was asking for was unreasonable. But, she added, "if you think you can get ahold of this owner, fine. Otherwise Im ready to go at 2:30 p.m."

Outside in the hallway, Graham paced back-and-forth on the phone with the property owner's representative. In a 20-minute conversation she told her story  all of the things she was not able to fully explain in front of the judge  how she'd applied for rent relief but didn't realize it wouldn't cover all of the unpaid rent she accumulated during the first year and a half of the pandemic, how she'd been working since May and had paid since then but was only making enough to make ends meet month to month, how if she were evicted now she would be out on the street.

"I just need more time," she told him again and again.

Eventually, he agreed.

When Graham returned to face the judge, the courtroom that had been bustling with eviction cases throughout the day was quiet and empty except for Taylor, the bailiff and the clerk.

Mackenzie returned to the bench, and Taylor explained that they had reached an agreement.

As long as Graham paid the rent every month, she could stay in the apartment until the end of June. If she did not, she would be locked out. The judge set a follow-up hearing in July.

"Hopefully youre going to do everything you need to do so that date I will dismiss the whole case," Mackenzie said. "It will be like this never happened."

Graham leaves her apartment in Westlake. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Graham walked out of the courtroom and headed to the bus stop. She had earned a reprieve that was far more than most others in her position and she still faced an uphill battle: four months to work more hours, to try to get back into real estate again, to save thousands of dollars and move into a place that would probably cost hundreds more per month than her current studio.

None of it was certain. But in that moment, as she got back on the bus, she felt proud. Confident in herself.

Later, she would think about how the pandemic had upended her life, about the stress and panic and depression that had overwhelmed her, and she would remind herself that she survived.

"We've been through the fire now," she thought. "Let's get to something better."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Eliza Anderson, Deseret News

Wednesday is International Womens Day. Heres a look back at what Jesus said about women in the Bible.

In the canonical New Testament, Jesus has a number of interactions with women. Women are present at every stage of Jesus life and he speaks about them positively. While the New Testament has many examples of Jesus speaking about women, there are three prominent tropes: women as disciples, women as witnesses and women who anointed Jesus.

Women as disciples

The opening of Luke 8 reads, Soon afterward he went on through one town and village after another, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herods steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who ministered to them out of their own resources.

Here, Jesus identifies Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna and many others as his followers who ministered to people with him.

Jesus identified women as disciples in other places. In Matthew 12:49, the text reads, And pointing to his disciples, he said, Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.

Jesus message about discipleship was that everyone can follow him.

Women who anointed Jesus

The gospels include two stories of women anointing Jesus.

The anointing by a repentant woman

This episode only occurs in the gospel of Luke. The gospel author wrote, And a woman in the city who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisees house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment.

The women then anoints Jesus feet and Jesus tells a parable to Simon. After forgiving the womans sins, he said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go in peace.

The anointing by the women at Bethany

A woman at Bethany anoints Jesus in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and John.

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In the gospel of John, Martha served dinner while Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus feet, and wiped them, with her hair. After she anointed him, Judas Iscariot asked why the perfume wasnt sold to give to the poor.

Jesus responded, Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.

Women as witnesses

Women were the first witnesses to the resurrected Christ.

A messenger from God told Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, He has been raised from the dead. Then, while the women rush out of the tomb, they meet Jesus, who tells them to tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me.

The gospel of Luke contains a similar episode.

Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary mother of Jacob/James and other women with them saw two men in dazzling clothes. These messengers communicated that the Son of Man has risen from the dead and they rushed to the eleven apostles to tell them this. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. Peter went to the tomb to confirm this.

Biblical scholar Barbara Reid wrote, Narratively, the women at the cross, burial, and empty tomb are the crucial link to the crucified and buried Jesus, whose tomb is empty. The women are also the connection back to Galilee, providing the necessary link for remembering what Jesus told the disciples there.
The First Relief Society Meeting a painting by Lynde Mott of Lehi. She has done a series of paintings of women in Nauvoo. | Lynde Mott, Deseret News archives

Wednesday is International Womens Day. Latter-day Saint women were at the forefront of the publishing industry in 19th-century American history. Heres a look back at the history of the first Latter-day Saint womens newspaper.

Twenty-two year-old Louisa (Lula) Greene Richards was a budding author who had already penned several poems for the Salt Lake Herald when Edward Sloan approached her about becoming editor of a womens paper (Womans Exponent) in 1871.

Before accepting the offer, Greene Richards consulted with Eliza R. Snow and her great uncle Brigham Young, according to The Church Historians Press. Young assigned it to Greene Richards as a mission even though the paper was independent from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (although the writers often fiercely defended the church in its pages).

The Womans Exponent included a number of articles about Latter-day Saint beliefs as well as defenses of plural marriage. The paper also included articles about ideas, culture and politics, especially on issues like womens suffrage, social reform, morality, the economy and religious freedom.

Previous to the Womans Exponent, Greene Richards had edited a weekly paper called Smithfield Sunday School Gazette. This handwritten newspaper had the motto Remember Thy Creator in the Days of thy Youth and included literary endeavors and illustrations alike.

Latter-day Saint women have a history of being prolific writers and the history of the Womans Exponent is no exception. Heres a brief history of that newspaper.

Announcing the Womans Exponent

The paper was then announced in an April 1872 edition of the Salt Lake Herald as the Womans Exponent and the first issue ran on June 1, 1872. The two significant reasons the paper was started were mentioned in the announcement of the paper.

These Utah Relief Society women believed that they were engaged in the practical solution of some of the greatest social and moral problems of the age, and a powerful interest is manifested throughout the United States, and, it may be said, the entire civilized world, to learn from reliable sources the views honestly entertained by them on these questions.

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Louisa (Lula) Greene edited this first issue of the Womans Exponent (18721914), a newspaper produced twice a month by and for Mormon women. The contents included womens personal essays, short stories, poems, reports on the suffrage movement, articles o | IRI

But they also thought that the press maligned them and so they wanted to speak for themselves. As editor Greene Richards later wrote, the paper was An honest exponent of the views of the women of Utah. Poems, editorials and news articles populated the pages of this newspaper, which was also known for a strong commitment to womens rights, especially the right to vote.

Throughout its pages, the newspaper also included stories about Latter-day Saint women becoming students of medicine and theological discourses.

Related

Louisa Greene Richards as editor

The first issue of the Womans Exponent was edited by Greene Richards. Articles in the first issue included an overview of some national news alongside poems about homemaking, parenting, Relief Society updates and more. Snow wrote one of the first articles in the paper and Greene Richards included a salutation, noting that many had already subscribed to the newspaper.

Already appearing in the first issue was a column that persisted for most of the papers history with differing degrees of regularity: Household Hints. This column offered tricks and tips on everything from how to clean to recipes for the family to enjoy.

Greene Richards also began the papers advocacy for suffrage early. While women had the right to vote in Utah at the time (it would be later taken away), in the Aug. 1, 1872, edition, Greene Richards ran a short editorial named Why Women Should Vote.

In a later issue, an author who called herself G. wrote about the necessity of women obtaining an education. She wrote, But woman should consider that for her as well as for man, there is no end, no stopping point to be found in the acquirement of knowledge.

Advice for other women often appeared in the paper. In a short article called In middle life, Celia Burleigh wrote, In middle life we hesitate to sit in judgment upon any one; we read slowly and reverently the untranslated scripture of anothers heart; but in youth we are confident, and assign motives and intentions as glibly as children pretend to read nursery tales which they have learned by rote.

Throughout her five years as editor, Greene Richards edited, wrote and published a significant amount of material. During this time, some of the other articles that were published included a discourse on science and religion asserting that the two worked together in truth, a speech of Snow reiterating how Brigham Young taught that some women should obtain medical educations and many different reports from the Relief Society as well as womens achievements.

The paper also published reports from the National Womans Suffrage Convention along with details of how Utah women could get involved. Suffrage leaders like Elizabeth Cady Stanton would later publish articles in the Womans Exponent.

A program from a womens suffrage march that was held in March 1913. | Library of Congress

Theological aphorisms and discourses alike found their way into the paper. On June 15, 1877, one author wrote, Genuine neighborly love knows no distinction of persons. It is like the sun which does not ask on what it shall shine or what it shall warm, but shines and warms by the very laws of its own being.

On Aug. 1, 1877, Greene Richards had announced her retirement from the paper. She wrote, My general health is good, but my head and eyes need recruiting, and I have decided to humor them. I have also decided that during the years of my life which may be properly devoted to the rearing of a family, I will give my special attention to that most important branch of Home Industry. She assured her readers that she would continue to contribute.

Emmeline B. Wells as editor: I believe in women, especially thinking women

After Greene Richards stepped down as editor, Emmeline B. Wells became editor until the dissolution of the paper.

Wells was born in Massachusetts, according to the Churchs website. She was baptized in a frozen-over brook when she was 14 and she made the trek to Utah. Wells submitted her first article to the Womans Exponent in 1873 and by 1875, she was an associate editor.

Emmeline B. Wells | Deseret News archives

Later the fifth general president of the Relief Society and an outspoken advocate for womens suffrage, Wells spent decades as the editor of the Womans Exponent.

One of the most significant changes that Wells made was the masthead itself. Underneath the title of the newspaper, Wells added The Rights of the Women of Zion, and the Rights of the Women of All Nations in November 1879. During her tenure as editor, Utah women had lost the right to vote due to the federal government disenfranchising them via the Edmunds-Tucker Act. They later got the vote back.

Per Utahs Womens History, Wells wrote several articles fighting for womens suffrage. She maintained friendships with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton through her advocacy. Publishing articles on suffrage as well as later encouraging women to run for public office was a significant part of her tenure as editor.

Wells continued the work of Greene Richards and published 37 years worth of articles and poems that gave women a voice in the public sphere.

Regular contributors to the paper started emerging such as Emily H. Woodmansee, who wrote many poems including A Mother in Zion. Woodmansee is likely best known for the hymn As Sisters in Zion. A later article described her work, Her themes are mostly religious and her style lofty.

The last issue of the Womans Exponent was published on Feb. 1, 1914. Wells wrote in her Heartfelt Farewell: The paper has always stood for high ideals, both in the home, in the state, and in the Church; desiring above all things the welfare of the people at large. ... It has surely performed a mission in the midst of Zion for the women of Zion, holding as it does within its leaves the history of their work.

This final issue also included an article named Early Literary Women of Utah written by Wells daughter Annie Wells Cannon. This article detailed how the pioneers established a newspaper, the Deseret News, and how several women published in that newspaper among others. The women first listed are Eliza R. Snow (called our first literary woman), Emmeline B. Wells, Hannah. T King and Sarah E. Carmichael.

Many more women are mentioned in the article. Cannon concluded, The paper has been the medium through which many of the Utah writers first came to public attention, both men and women, and has formed in its service the medium through which nearly all those mentioned in this article have expressed their best thoughts.

BYU Library has digitized every issue of the Womans Exponent, making it so that you can explore it for yourself.

The Aftermath

Wells was general Relief Society president at the time of the dissolution of the paper. She served in that calling for the rest of her life. Following the Womans Exponent, The Relief Society Magazine was the official publication of the Relief Society until 1970.

The Womans Exponent is still considered today one of the most important contributions of Latter-day Saint women to public life.
The Million Women Rise march demanding an end to male violence against women and children ahead of International Women's Day in London, 5 March 2022. (Getty Images)

A global day celebrating the achievements of women and raising awareness about womens inequality is still crucial. Marked annually on 8 March every year, International Womens Day (IWD) helps lobby for women and fundraise for female-focused charities.

Women make up nearly half (49.5%) the global population and there is no doubt that progress has been made in terms of equality over the last century. But across the world, women and girls are still left behind in political, economic and social terms.

According to organisations such as The United Nations and UNESCO, more than two-thirds of the worlds 796 million illiterate people are women, it is estimated that 60% of chronically hungry people are women and around 130 million girls are out of school worldwide.

So, here's a reminder of why IWD is still so important.

Read more: International Women's Day: Fascinating figures show the truth about a woman's life

When did International Women's Day start?

When 15,000 women marched through New York City in 1908 demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights, it sparked a movement that is still impactful across the globe today.

A year later, the first National Womans Day (NWD) was observed across America and in 1910, a woman named Clara Zetkin, who was the leader of the Womens Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany suggested the idea of an International Womens Day.

German communist leader, socialist and staunch feminist Clara Zetkin (1857 - 1933) photographed in 1924. (Getty Images)

In February 1911, the first every IWD was honoured in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland and more than one million women and men attended IWD rallies campaigning for womens rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.

In 1913, IWD moved to March 8th and it has been celebrated on that day ever since in more than 100 countries. It has even been made an official holiday in over 25 countries.

Members of the National Women's Liberation Movement marching to mark International Women's Day in London in 1971. (Getty Images)

Who organises International Women's Day?

IWD does not belong to one specific group, organisation, network or charity. It belongs to groups everywhere across the world.

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Feminist Gloria Steinham, once said: "The story of womens struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist, nor to any one organisation, but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights."

What colours are used for International Women's Day?

The three colours purple, green and white symbolise IWD and originated from the Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU) in the UK in 1908  the original union of the suffragettes.

At the time, Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence, editor of the weekly newspaper, Votes for Women, explained: "Purple as everyone knows is the royal colour, it stands for the royal blood that flows in the veins of every suffragette, the instinct of freedom and dignity white stands for purity in private and public life green is the colour of hope and the emblem of spring."

Read more: How modern day feminism became fractured

British suffragette Lady Emmeline Pethick-Lawrence (1868 - 1954) addressing a crowd in Trafalgar Square in 1908. (Getty Images)

Women participating in the "Purple Ride" feminist women's bicycle protest on International Women's Day on March 8, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. (Getty Images)

What's the theme for International Women's Day 2023?

Campaign themes over the years have included: #ChooseToChallenge, #EachforEqual, #BalanceforBetter, #TheGenderAgenda, and last year's #breakthebias. Whether it is deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead and achieve equality. In 2020, the UN reported that almost 90% of people are prejudiced towards women globally.

The theme presented by the International Women's Day hub this year is #EmbraceEquity. The aim of the campaign is to "get the world talking about why equal opportunities aren't enough  people start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action".

The 2023 theme presented by UN Women is 'DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality'. Some 22% of women make up the number of artificial intelligence workers globally. A worldwide analysis of 133 AI systems across industries found that 44.2% demonstrate gender bias.

Another survey of women journalists from 125 countries found that 73% had suffered online violence in the course of their work.

Read more: Statements on the red carpet: 6 times celebrities made a sartorial stand for women

Why do we celebrate International Women's Day?

Because its still one of the most important days of the year, for many reasons. For example, UN research showed COVID-19 may well have put sex equality back by 25 years with women doing more domestic chores and family care than they were before the pandemic.

In terms of the gender pay gap, median hourly pay for full-time employees was 8.3% less for women than for men in April 2022, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Median pay for all employees (both full and part-time) was 14.9% less for women than for men in April 2022.

The UK Parliament House of Commons Library explains: "Because a larger proportion of women are employed part-time, and part-time workers tend to earn less per hour, the gender pay gap for all employees is considerably larger than the full-time and part-time gaps."

In terms of government positions, as of 1 January 2023, there are 31 countries where 34 women serve as heads of state and/or government, according to UN Women. At the current rate, gender equality in the highest positions of power will not be reached for another 130 years.

The figures for violence against women in the UK for 2022 make for stark reading too. In the year ending March 2022, almost half (46%) of adult female homicide victims were killed in a domestic homicide (84), according to ONS. Of the 84 female victims, 81 were killed by a male suspect.

According to Rape Crisis, the highest ever number of rapes within a 12-month period was recorded by police in the year ending September 2022 at 70,633.

As well as helping to highlight these dangers, disparities and ongoing works in progress, the global day also celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

Watch: 'We are tired:' MP makes powerful speech about the toll of male violence on women

How you can mark International Women's Day this year

For this IWD, women across the world are being asked to strike the IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity pose (arms wrapped across shoulders, like a 'self-hug') to show solidarity.

"When we embrace equity, we embrace diversity, and we embrace inclusion."

You can also browse what events are on, from festivals and summits, to walks and lunches.
A 22-year-old man who entered Burbank High School through an unlocked door attacked three teen girls before being caught, California police reported.

The Glendale man slipped into the school through a door from the student parking lot on Monday, March 6, Burbank police said in a news release.

He sexually assaulted a 14-year-old in a restroom and inappropriately touched two other girls, ages 14 and 17, police said.

After a struggle in the restroom, the man fled before being apprehended by school employees, the release said.

He was booked on charges of kidnapping and sexual assault, police said. Formal charges will be filed by the district attorneys office.

The Burbank Unified School District takes this incident very seriously and will cooperate fully with the police investigation, Superintendent Matt Hill said in a statement. We are also conducting an internal investigation into this matter. Keeping our students safe is of the utmost importance.

The investigation is continuing. Police ask that anyone with information call 818-238-3210.

Burbank is a city of 105,000 people about 10 miles north of Los Angeles.

65-year-old robs a bank of $1 and asks to go to prison, Utah cops say. Thank you

Four dogs maul worker to death as 911 caller reports screams, California officials say

Parents hid body of 16-year-old son they said ran away, Arizona sheriff says
One simple way to benefit from the stock market is to buy an index fund. But many of us dare to dream of bigger returns, and build a portfolio ourselves. Just take a look at Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX), which is up 98%, over three years, soundly beating the market return of 44% (not including dividends). However, more recent returns haven't been as impressive as that, with the stock returning just 2.0% in the last year , including dividends .

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.

See our latest analysis for Chevron

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.

Chevron was able to grow its EPS at 129% per year over three years, sending the share price higher. This EPS growth is higher than the 25% average annual increase in the share price. So one could reasonably conclude that the market has cooled on the stock. This cautious sentiment is reflected in its (fairly low) P/E ratio of 8.82.

The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

We know that Chevron has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Chevron the TSR over the last 3 years was 127%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

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A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that Chevron shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 2.0% over the last year. Of course, that includes the dividend. Having said that, the five-year TSR of 12% a year, is even better. Potential buyers might understandably feel they've missed the opportunity, but it's always possible business is still firing on all cylinders. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Chevron better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Chevron .

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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Photo: Contributed

The ad stares up at me, accusingly.

I dont remember pulling the phone out of my pocket, or clicking on the app. But I know what I was doing the moment before. I had just stepped away from the desk, away from the computer and away from (yet another) half-written, half-baked, soon to be abandoned post.

Writers block had reared its hideous head. It looked less like a blank screen and more like a thousand false starts. Like a loss of conviction.

I turned toward my favourite distraction, an online marketplace, mindlessly mining the dopamine-rich combination of shopping and unpredictable rewards, avoiding advertisements which seemed to occupy more and more of my screen.

But this ad was effective, stopping my thumb mid-swipe:

Hate writing blog posts? it asked.

No!... I just...its just... its been a while. The defensive response in my mind trailed off.

I read on.

The advertisement was for automated blog posts, generated by artificial intelligence. If I wish, an exchange could be arranged. I part with some money, some key words, general direction and desired tone, and the AI chat bot will make a post that is intelligible, the exact length I desire and even laden with my favourite phrases.

If the program is intelligent enough, and I give it enough raw data to work with, it may even sound... just like me.

Anxiety over content creation could be a thing of the past. No more half-written posts, no more writers block. Pure productivity. Or so the advertisers promised my soul.

There is truth to that promise of productivity. The number of AI-created, or assisted, projects in this world are increasing drastically and set to explode exponentially.

You are no doubt familiar with the widespread breakthroughs of artificial intelligence programs in recent months. Images created on programs such as DALL-E 2 and Stable Diffusion are widely shared on Discord, Facebook and Instagram.

Open AI chat programs, such as Chat GPT and Bard AI, are answering questions and completing requested tasks in natural sounding language. Already these most complex AI programs are remarkably accessible, but soon they will be even more so, integrated fully into the worlds largest search engines.

There is a lot of discussion, sound reasoning and wild conjecture about the near future that is being shaped by AI right now. But one thing is undeniably truethe toothpaste is well and truly out of the tube. Were not going back. We cant.

In addition to the widespread AI-created images on social media, AI art is being used in film, architecture, and fashion. As Im writing this, Chat GPT is credited as co-author to more than 200 books listed on Kindle. AI narration is being promoted by Apple Books, set to create instant audiobook equivalents for each written work uploaded.

Soon, it will be impossible for high school teachers and university professors alike to discern what papers are written the old fashioned way rather than AI-assisted (or even wholly composed).

This is perhaps where AI programs are poised to be most utilized, those banal and everyday projects we'd rather not labour at. The program that transcribes workplace meetings and then turns that transcription into meeting minutes and lists actionable items. The school essay on the merits and drawbacks of such and such. An AI-narrated audiobook in a distinct vocal tone rather than hours spent in front of a microphone. Even an easily compiled blog post, for when you hate writing blog posts.

But do I? Do I hate the reality of writers block? The hours spent trying to write something meaningful without success? Deleting pages of previous written material when you come to the unsettling conclusion that its just not good enough? Yeah, I hate that.

Does the student hate the hours researching and note-taking, the hard work of understanding themes and synthesizing data? I know I have.

Does the author hate all the hours spent reading aloud material theyve already picked over and edited a hundred times, only to find a new turn of phrase that sounds forced or awkward? Im certain they must.

But Im not ready to automate these tasks, either.

Its important to note Im not a technophobe. I am writing this post on a computer after all, not typing on a typewriter or scribbling the letter forms by hand. And I appreciate that if I wanted to record by dictation and transcription, it would make me no less an author.

Advances in technology and automation always disrupts, always displaces and also creates new, unforeseen possibilities. I can hardly imagine how many brilliant creations will come forth from people who have never felt talented enough to write a song, paint a picture or craft a story.

I am as entertained as anyone at the bizarre and beautiful visual creations being created and shared. I am both fascinated and unnerved by how human sounding AI created essays can be. Along with the (very real) fear of job losses and downsizing, is a potential increase in workplace productivity I dont think even the most forward-thinking of us can adequately get our head around.

If these tools are enabling and amplifying the work we want to do, then we should all raise a glass in celebration. The world needs more imagination, more stories, more art. But if these tools are used primarily for outsourcing and automating our lives, we should consider what the true personal cost might be.

As Henry David Thoreau so accurately perceived, the cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run. The long run is the caveat here. The immediate exchange is incredibly appealingdecreased effort for increased efficiency and productivity. The longer exchange is much more hidden.

There is so much life buried in the mundane, monotonous or (even) despised elements of our work and play. Consider the way that seemingly unrelated and independent pieces of information can give way to larger themes when studying. When listening to recorded audio, we can hear the difference between words that are merely read aloud, and the almost tangible sense that the orator is creating and safeguarding a sacred, shared space for the listener. Our greatest artists illustrations always reveal something of themselves, not only the scene they are trying to produce.

Whats being undervalued in these discussions is process. An outsourced, automated, quicker process may be the aim of companies and their advertisers, but the individual may want to consider the value of process.

I know that each time I sit down to create a thing, it never reveals itself all at once. I dont know how an AI program would help me with this, as much as it irritates and perplexes me. I know the way a good question stays with me, gnaws at my awareness. Like Im trying to complete a second hand jigsaw puzzle that Im not even sure I have all the pieces to.

But I also know that frustration and curiosity are strange bedfellows, and I pay more attention when I can feel that Im missing something. I also know the pure joy of discovery, that moment of clarity when you uncover what has been hiding in plain sight the whole time.

So, no. I appreciate the offer, but I wont be outsourcing even the most infuriating aspects of my writing, or my life.

I recognize I could have created hundreds of generated essays in the span of writing this one. I dont doubt that those essays would have been entirely readable, maybe even humorous, intelligent and wise or that my productivity could be so much greater.

But it wouldnt be worth the cost. Not in the long run.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Former President George W. Bush waves as he takes the field to participate in the ceremonial first pitch to recognize the 21st anniversary of Patriot Day before a baseball game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers in 2022.

An Iraqi man who lived in Columbus admitted in federal court Wednesday to plotting to assassinate former President George W. Bush for starting the Iraq War.

Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab, 52  who had lived in an apartment in Columbus' Northland area and in Indianapolis after arriving in the U.S. in 2020  pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Columbus to one count of attempting to provide material support to terrorists.

U.S. District Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King presided over the hearing after Shihab asked last month for a judge who was not appointed by Bush.

Shihab's case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson, who was appointed by Bush in 2004. Federal magistrate judges are appointed by a majority vote of judges in their respective courts.

Related:Iraqi man accused of plotting to kill George W. Bush wants a judge not appointed by Bush

In pleading guilty, Shihab admitted to the charging document, which stated he told an informant he was part of a group overseas seeking to assassinate Bush and that his role in the plot was to conduct surveillance on Bush's residences and offices and to obtain firearms and vehicles.

Shihab faces up to 15 years in prison, and he could be deported afterward because he is not a citizen. No date has been set for his sentencing.

When Shihab was arrested last May, law enforcement officials said Bush was never in real danger because Shihab unwittingly told his plans to confidential informants for the FBI between November 2021 and April 2022. The plot included the intention to smuggle at least four Iraqi nationals into the country to kill Bush.

Past reporting:Ohio man allegedly linked to assassination plot against former President George W. Bush

Related:Iraqi who lived in Columbus waffles on plea in plot to kill ex-President George W. Bush

Shihab's plan

The FBI, in the original complaint filed against Shihab, alleged he planned to smuggle Iraqi nationals across the Mexican border in exchange for thousands of dollars per person.

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"Shihab advised (the confidential source) that they wished to kill former President Bush because they felt that he was responsible for killing many Iraqis and breaking apart the entire country of Iraq," the complaint stated.

In subsequent discussions with the informants, the complaint stated Shihab said he "wanted to be involved in the actual attack and assassination of former President Bush and did not care if he died as he would be proud to have been involved in killing former President Bush."

Shihab met with an informant at a hotel in Columbus last March, according to the charging document, where the informant presented him with sample firearms and law enforcement uniforms  including an M-16 rifle and a U.S. Border Patrol uniform, according to the earlier complaint.

The charging document also stated Shihab traveled with one of the informants in February 2022 to the former president's residence and the George W. Bush Institute, both in Dallas, where he recorded cellphone video of the buildings and surrounding area.

jlaird@dispatch.com

@LairdWrites

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Iraqi in Columbus pleads in court to plotting to kill George Bush
Bernard Phelan - HANDOUT/AFP

An Irish man in failing health has been sentenced to six and a half years in prison in Iran for spying after being detained by Tehran since October.

Bernard Phelans family said he was given the sentence for providing information to an enemy country, a charge which the 64-year-old denies.

They urged Irelands government not to reopen an embassy in Iran, while Mr Phelan, a dual French citizen, is being held.

Iran is holding an estimated 17 Western nationals, most of them with dual nationality, to use as levers in what has been dubbed hostage diplomacy.

In January, Tehran executed Alireza Akbari, a British-Iranian, for spying despite British government warnings to spare his life.

Alireza Akbari - AFP

Mr Phelan, a Paris-based travel consultant, has a heart condition and chronic bone and eyesight issues but Iran has refused to release him on humanitarian grounds.

His sister Caroline Masse-Phelan said: Bernard is ailing now and hes on death watch. Time is running out.

Theyre potentially going to open an Irish embassy in Iran, she told broadcaster RTE.

We would say how can we normalise any communication with Iran while they have locked up an innocent Irish citizen in one of their prisons?

In a video calling for his release, his 97-year-old father Vincent said he feared he would not live to see his son again.

Mr Phelan and his father Vincent - AFP

Mr Phelan is from Clonmel, County Tipperary, but grew up in Blackrock, County Dublin.

He has visited Iran regularly since 2017 and promoted it as a tourist destination.

He was arrested on October 3 in the city of Mashhad during the anti-government protests that saw millions take to the streets.

He was hauled off the road, bag over his head, Ms Masse-Phelan said, describing him as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Bernard Phelan - AFP

He was accused of taking photographs of police officers and a burnt mosque.

Conditions inside Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad are cramped, with 16 people sharing a cell.

The Irish foreign affairs service said it was extremely concerned by the case and was engaging with the Iranian authorities.

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Mr Phelan was travelling on his French passport when he was arrested. He later went on hunger strike but has ended that protest against his incarceration.

French officials have previously said they were extremely worried about his poor health in jail.

Iran increased Belgian national Olivier Vandecasteeles sentence for spying and other offences from 28 years to 40 years in jail and 74 lashes in January.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian, was held for six years on espionage charges before being released in March last year after the UK paid a decades-old 400 million debt.
By Idrees Ali

CAIRO (Reuters) -U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's meetings with Israeli leaders have changed locations within Israel and his arrival has been slightly delayed due to protests against a government plan to overhaul the Israeli judiciary, a U.S. official said.

The change in the Thursday meetings was made at the request of the Israeli government, the official said on Wednesday, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"Israeli officials insisted the meeting location be changed and said they had concerns about planned protests near the Ministry of Defense headquarters," the official told Reuters during a stopover by Austin in Egypt for talks.

The Pentagon said Austin's meetings had been relocated from Israel's defense ministry to near Tel Aviv airport.

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Israeli cities for the ninth straight week on Saturday against a plan by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government to overhaul the country's court system.

Saturday night's demonstrations in Tel Aviv and other locations began peacefully. However, footage released by police later showed protesters breaking down barriers in Tel Aviv and igniting fires as they blocked roads. Police sprayed water cannons at the protesters.

The marches have attracted huge crowds on a weekly basis since early January, when Netanyahu's government took aim at the Supreme Court.

The protesters oppose legislation sponsored by Netanyahu and his right-wing and religious allies that would limit Supreme Court powers to rule against the legislature and the executive, while giving lawmakers decisive powers in appointing judges.

The intensity of the protests has heightened since March 1 when Israeli police fired stun grenades and scuffles broke out in Tel Aviv during a nationwide "day of disruption.

Israeli forces raided a refugee camp in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, killing at least six Palestinian gunmen, including a Hamas member suspected of shooting dead two brothers from a Jewish settlement near the village of Huwara.

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U.S. officials said Austin will bring up his concern about rising tensions in the West Bank.

"He (Austin) will also be quite frank with Israeli leaders about his concerns regarding the cycle of violence in the West Bank and consult on what steps Israeli leaders can take to meaningfully restore calm before the upcoming (Jewish and Muslim) holidays," a senior U.S. defense official said on condition of anonymity.

Last week, the United States demanded that Netanyahu repudiate a call by his ultra-nationalist finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, for Huwara village to be "erased" - a comment that Netanyahu on Sunday called "inappropriate." The U.S. State Department has called Smotrich's comment "repugnant."

(Reporting by Idrees Ali; editing by Peter Graff and Mark Heinrich)
JENIN  Israeli forces stormed into a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday, killing at least six Palestinian militants in the latest in a series of deadly military raids carried out in broad daylight.

Israel said troops targeted and killed a Hamas operative responsible for gunning down two Israeli brothers last month. Palestinian armed groups later said that all five of the other fatalities were also militants and members of either Hamas, Islamic Jihad or the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

As Israeli forces laid siege to a house inside the camp, NBC News saw large crowds gathered at the camp entrances and set tires aflame to try to block the raiding forces exit. Israeli helicopter gunships and drones circled overhead, only sometimes visible through the plumes of black smoke billowing over the city.

At least three Israeli troops were wounded in the raid, Israeli police said.

Two Israeli drones also crashed in Jenin during the fighting. It was not immediately clear if they were shot down or malfunctioned.

Mohammad Shtayyeh, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, called the raid a massacre and appealed to the Biden administration to do more to stop Israeli incursions into Palestinian cities.

Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels prime minister, praised his country's troops.

Our brave warriors operated surgically in the heart of the murderers den, he said. I praise them and send recovery wishes to the wounded from among our forces. As I say again and again, time and time again: Whoever hurts us  his blood is on his head.

Birds fly as smoke plumes billow during an Israeli army raid in the Jenin camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank on March 7, 2023. - Israeli troops killed six Palestinians in Jenin on March 7, including an alleged militant accused of killing two Israelis. The Palestinian health ministry said six men had been killed, one aged 49 and the rest in their 20s, in clashes that the army said included soldiers launching shoulder-fired rockets amid ferocious gunfire. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh / AFP - Getty Images)

Mohammad Shtayyeh, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, called the raid a massacre and appealed to the Biden administration to do more to stop Israeli incursions into Palestinian cities.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is set to arrive in Israel on Wednesday. He's expected to reinforce the Biden administrations pleas for Israel to scale back its West Bank raids, while encouraging the Palestinian Authority to do more to confront militant groups.

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Barely months in, 2023 has already seen some of the worst violence in the West Bank, Israel and Jerusalem in two decades. More than 60 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops so far  around half of them militants, according to a tally by the Associated Press. Palestinian attackers have killed 14 Israelis and foreigners, according to the news agencys records.

The northern city of Jenin was the site of one of bloodiest battles between Israeli forces and armed Palestinian groups during the Second Intifada, the wave of violence that lasted from 2000 to 2005.

Today, the Jenin refugee camp is a largely ungoverned space. Palestinian security forces rarely enter the camp and have largely ceded control of its densely packed alleyways to armed groups.

The Israeli military said the target of Tuesday's raid was Abdul Fattah Kharushah, a 49-year-old fighter from the Hamas militant group. He is suspected of having killed Hillel Yaniv, 21, and his younger brother Yigal, 19, in an ambush as they drove through the town of Hawara on Feb. 26.

Kharushah was surrounded in a house inside the Jenin camp and killed when Israeli forces fired rockets at the building, the Israeli military said.

The killings of the Yaniv brothers sparked a series of attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the Hawara area, killing at least one Palestinian.

Hours before the Jenin raid, an Israeli settler armed with an axe attacked a Palestinian family in their car as they pulled out of a supermarket on Hawaras main strip.

At the wheel was Omar Idrees, a 27-year-old nurse, along with his wife, his elderly parents and his 2-year-old daughter, Tia. Idrees told NBC News he managed to reverse the car away from the attacker but only after the assailant had sprayed a chemical irritant into the car and hit his father in the head with a rock. The elderly man is still in hospital.

Idrees laughed bitterly when asked if he believed Israel would find the man who attacked his family and prosecute him.

Of course not, he said. Who is protecting us? Who? Which government protect Palestinians? No one, its just talking. No one is protecting Palestinians.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
By Emily Rose

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - To mark International Women's Day, thousands of Israeli women formed human chains on Wednesday to protest the right-wing Israeli government's planned judicial overhaul that would drastically limit the powers of the courts.

Several sectors of Israeli society have joined in weekly protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to limit the Supreme Court's ability to rule against the legislature and the executive, while giving lawmakers decisive powers in appointing judges.

The women's group joined the ongoing protests dressed clad in red, lining the popular Tel Aviv beach-front promenade, clapping and chanting "democracy." Demonstrators at previous women's protests have dressed in red cloaks and white bonnets, mimicking the popular Handmaid's Tale television show and novel which depicts a dystopian reality whereby a brutal ultra-religious regime have stripped women of their rights.

"It's supposed to be a happy day that we celebrate our rights but now we need to protest again," protestor Moran Katzenstein told Reuters at a demonstration in Jerusalem. "We all wear red and we show that we are drawing a red line and we will not allow this government to harm our rights."

Waving signs that read "harming women's rights, not on our shift" and "women's struggle," protesters demonstrated against the legislation, which Netanyahu proposed with his right-wing and religious allies last month.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday said a compromise in the government's judicial overhaul plan could be imminent, but opposition leader Benny Gantz told Reuters at the women's demonstration in Tel Aviv that they would not negotiate until the legislation is halted.

"Agreements can be reached, compromise on democracy we cannot reached," Gantz said.

Women clad in red lined the popular Tel Aviv beach-front promenade, clapping and chanting "democracy."

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"We feel that every step of this reform is going to hurt women and take women's rights back," said Adi Agasi-Shafir in Tel Aviv.

"We are going to be deprived of all the rights and achievements that we managed to get so far, it's really dangerous and we're not willing to accept that," Agasi-Shafir said.

(Reporting by Emily Rose; Editing by Josie Kao)
Whiskey drinkers have heard about the angel's share, the portion of the liquid magically lost in the distilling process. What many haven't heard about is the whiskey fungus, an ugly byproduct of that process.

But familiarity about the fungus is growing thanks to a recent lawsuit, which resulted in a work stoppage at one of Jack Daniel's operations in south-central Tennessee.

As whiskey ages in barrels in a distillery's warehouse, fumes sneak out of the barrels  evaporating that legendary "angel's share" of 1%-2% lost from the barrel. Those emissions attract a strain of fungus, called Baudoinia compniacensis, which feeds off the ethanol and spreads through the air to nearby buildings, trees, plants and other objects.

A property owner in Lincoln County, Tennessee, filed a lawsuit against the local government officials seeking relief from the whiskey fungus, arguing that Jack Daniel's parent company Brown-Forman has not followed the required processes to build and expand a barrelhouse operation on the site.

A county chancellor, or judge, on Feb. 24, ruled that Jack Daniel's must stop work on one barrelhouse, located a few miles southwest of the distiller's Lynchburg, Tennessee, headquarters in neighboring Moore County. Jack Daniel's operation there has 92 barrelhouses storing more than 2 million barrels.

Since work began in 2018 on Jack Daniel's barrelhouse project in Lincoln County, six have been completed. Zoning and planning officials must approve an amended site plan before work there can restart on the seventh, the judge ordered.

But what has gotten all the attention is the whiskey fungus. Even the BBC and The New York Times have covered this case.

Whiskey fungus shown on a street sign and a swing set near The Manor at ShaeJo in Lincoln County, Tennessee, and the home of Christi and Patrick Long.

What is the problem with whiskey fungus?

For starters, whiskey fungus is an eyesore. Around distilleries, "these fungi grow luxuriantly, producing thick, confluent, crust-like colonies indiscriminately on nearly every surface, causing extensive aesthetic damage," researchers wrote in the journal Persoonia: Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi in 2016.

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It wrecks patio furniture, house siding, almost any outdoor surface," the lead author of that study, James Scott, a professor at the University of Toronto told The New York Times. "Ive seen trees choked to death by it. It is a small mercy that it does not also appear to have a negative impact on human health.

Scott said he was not aware of any research looking at the potential health risks from the fungus.

When Christi and Patrick Long bought the Tennessee property in 2021, they knew two Jack Daniel's barrelhouses were nearby and they had heard about the black mold.

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The Manor at ShaeJo in Lincoln County, Tennessee, shown in the foreground, co-owned by Christi Long, and the neighboring Jack Daniel Distillery barrel house operation.

"We knew there was some level of it," Patrick Long told USA TODAY. "But it wasn't to this point where  that's too much risk. We were told it gets on the roof, maybe on the side of the house and you cleaned it off. We had no idea that it actually kills vegetation and trees and it pretty much sticks to everything."

The couple have a wedding and party event center there  Christi Long is the listed co-owner  and they spend about $10,000 annually pressure washing and cleaning the fungus off affected areas.

When the Longs saw more barrelhouses being built in April 2022, they began talking with county officials. Their check of county records found no building permits and no site plans for beyond two barrelhouses.

"Don't get me wrong, we definitely have seen damage today" from whiskey fungus, Patrick Long said. "But come to find out they're going to build 20 (barrelhouses) within a mile of us, and they are huge."

Does whiskey fungus happen anywhere else?

Back in the 1870s, the black fungus was documented in Cognac, France. Subsequently, it's been found worldwide at distilleries making scotch, whiskey, scotch, vodka, brandy, and rum in Canada, Europe, Scotland, Japan, Korea, the Caribbean, and South America.

The fungus is also found in and around food processing companies and bakeries, and dams, Jack Daniel's said in a statement to USA TODAY. "While we are accustomed to microflora, we appreciate that some may not like how it looks and the inconvenience it may present. Based on the information available, we believe it is not harmful to individuals or their property."

Other residents in Tennessee and Kentucky, where distilleries are present, have filed lawsuits over whiskey fungus.

Local residents in York, Maine, recently asked city officials to investigate the spread of "whiskey fungus" from the local Wiggly Bridge Distillery, which is looking to expand.

Whiskey fungus shown on a tree near The Manor at ShaeJo in Lincoln County, Tennessee, and the home of Christi and Patrick Long.

What will happen at the Jack Daniel's site in Lincoln County, Tennessee?

The Longs say they are not against Jack Daniel's development but want the distiller to provide filtration to prevent the whiskey fungus spread.

Their lawsuit also asks that Jack Daniel's be required to follow the traditional planning and zoning process. Their attorney, Jason Holleman, said an additional lawsuit including more property owners could result, asking for a halt to work at the other six barrelhouses because those weren't properly approved.

Officials said Jack Daniel's project had been grandfathered in by Lincoln County Mayor Bill Newman, as an incentive to get the distiller to come to the region, court documents show. But, notes Christi Long, "our court case shows they are not grandfathered in."

Lincoln County officials had not responded to a request from USA TODAY for an update on the situation.

Jack Daniel's said in a statement to USA TODAY it followed all the regulatory process required in building the barrelhouses.

As for filtration of the ethanol fumes, Jack Daniel's says that's not currently possible. "Existing independent and government research shows that there is no reasonably available control technology to prevent ethanol emissions without significantly adversely affecting the taste and quality of Jack Daniels or any other aged whiskey," the company said.

Inside one of the barrel houses at the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jack Daniel's whiskey fungus: Lawsuit leads to partial work stoppage
A second suspect has been arrested in connection to the death of a 20-month-old baby who police say died of fentanyl intoxication.

Tyeon Ford, 23, was arrested March 5 during a traffic stop on Old Middleburg Road.

Carlida Miller, 32, was arrested on Feb. 27. Both suspects are charged with manslaughter and evidence tampering.

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Charged with manslaughter and evidence tampering

Read: Fight against Fentanyl

The baby died in December at a local hospital.

According to a study by the nonprofit, Families Against Fentanyl, fentanyl deaths among children are on the rise.

The study showed that children younger than 14 are dying of fentanyl poisoning at a faster rate than any other age group.

Action News Jax spoke with Mike McCormick with the Florida Poison Control Center.

Read: Bill to exclude fentanyl test strips from drug paraphernalia

While the Poison Control Center isnt working this case, McCormick told us it only takes a little bit of fentanyl to kill anybody. An amount the size of the tip of a pen can do it.

It takes just two milliliters of fentanyl on average to kill a person, and thats a full-size person, he said.

They (opioids) hit a receptor in the brain and it tells your body that everything is okay. So much so, that your lungs stop working, he said.

Millers arrest report confirmed that she and Ford are the victims parents.

The report also said Ford admitted to having drugs in the house and keeping them within reach of children.

After the child died, and the couple left the hospital, police say they returned to their house and got rid of any drug evidence.

Miller is expected to appear in court March 22, and Ford is expected in court March 28.

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Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited's (SGX:J36) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to $1.60 on 10th of May. This will take the dividend yield to an attractive 4.3%, providing a nice boost to shareholder returns.

See our latest analysis for Jardine Matheson Holdings

Jardine Matheson Holdings' Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

A big dividend yield for a few years doesn't mean much if it can't be sustained. Before making this announcement, Jardine Matheson Holdings' dividend was higher than its profits, but the free cash flows quite comfortably covered it. Healthy cash flows are always a positive sign, especially when they quite easily cover the dividend.

According to analysts, EPS should be several times higher next year. If recent patterns in the dividend continue, we could see the payout ratio reaching 30% which is fairly sustainable.

Dividend Volatility

The company has a long dividend track record, but it doesn't look great with cuts in the past. The annual payment during the last 10 years was $2.50 in 2013, and the most recent fiscal year payment was $2.15. The dividend has shrunk at around 1.5% a year during that period. Generally, we don't like to see a dividend that has been declining over time as this can degrade shareholders' returns and indicate that the company may be running into problems.

Dividend Growth Potential Is Shaky

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to evaluate if earnings per share is growing, which could point to a growing dividend in the future. Jardine Matheson Holdings' EPS has fallen by approximately 35% per year during the past five years. Dividend payments are likely to come under some pressure unless EPS can pull out of the nosedive it is in. Over the next year, however, earnings are actually predicted to rise, but we would still be cautious until a track record of earnings growth can be built.

Jardine Matheson Holdings' Dividend Doesn't Look Sustainable

Overall, this is probably not a great income stock, even though the dividend is being raised at the moment. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

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It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. For example, we've picked out 3 warning signs for Jardine Matheson Holdings that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Is Jardine Matheson Holdings not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.

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



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

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Re. Malcolm Roberts letter Find right person for the job and John Skae's letter Competence over ethnicity (both Castanet, March 7)

These are two of the letters posted on Castanet, criticizing the possibility of having an Indigenous person leading the RCMP.

I understand many people disapprove of any decision approved by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

To these two letter-writers concerned with having an Indigenous person appointed head of the RCMP, you need to understand there are many First Nations, Metis and Inuit people within that police organization.

I guess these two writers are unaware First Nations, Metis and Inuit people not only have the knowledge passed by elders, many have finished high school, college and university.

Here is a bit of wokeness, you are living in the ancestral and unceded territory of the syilx - Okanagan people.

L. Busch
Jenna Ortega spoke about her real-life friendship with "Wednesday" costar Emma Myers.

"I don't think I've ever been so protective of somebody," she said. "I think about her all the time."

Ortega added that she and Myers "get along so naturally" and she's "easily comfortable around her."

Jenna Ortega said that she's fond of her "Wednesday" costar Emma Myers and thinks about her often.

"I don't think I've ever been so protective of somebody," Ortega said on the latest episode of the podcast "Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard," released on Monday. "I think about her all the time. I only ever want to make sure she's OK and good."

"Wednesday," which debuted on Netflix in November, stars Ortega as the titular Addams Family character, Wednesday Addams.

Upon being sent to attend Nevermore Academy, a school for outcasts, Wednesday gets paired to live with Enid Sinclair (Myers), a bubbly werewolf and foil to the main character's dark, dead-pan demeanor.

Over the course of the first season, Wednesday warms up to her roommate and the pair become close friends.

Jenna Ortega as Wednesday and Emma Myers as Enid on season one of "Wednesday." Courtesy of Netflix

On the podcast, Ortega said that she bonded with Myers and her "Wednesday" costars while filming the show in Romania and feeling isolated from her friends and family back home.

"We get along so naturally," the "Scream" star said of Myers. "I'm so easily comfortable around her. I used to wake up every day in Romania and before I was even conscious, I would do voice memos and I would sing her a new song every day, talking about how beautiful and wonderful she was and how she was gonna have the best day ever. I've never had that desire or urge for anybody else."

Ortega said she had a similar rapport with Percy Hynes White (Xavier Thorpe) and Georgia Farmer (Aja x Petropolus), who lived in the same apartment building as her at the time of filming.

"They would wait for me after I wrapped shooting to go for walks, or they would cook me dinner, or they would clean apartments," she said. "We mothered each other, so whenever someone was busier, like going through something, we were there."

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"She's a sweetheart," Ortega added of Myers. "She's a real person. All three of them are. Friends that I made there are kind of my only friends at the moment."

Emma Myers as Enid Sinclair and Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams on "Wednesday." Netflix

Myers has also spoken about her off-camera relationship with Ortega in various interviews recently.

"Jenna is very much like Wednesday," she told Variety in January. "But because I'm not much like Enid, we don't have the same dynamic in real life  me poking at her constantly, her brushing me off. We get along so well, I love Jenna. She's one of my closest friends. I think we have a different dynamic off-screen, but I still don't think it's any less important or deep or beautiful than Enid and Wednesday's."

And in an interview with Popternative, Myers gushed about Ortega being "a generous scene partner.'"

"Jenna is amazing to work with because for a character that's so deadpan and monotone and really not supposed to be showing very much, you can read every emotion and every thought she has in her eyes. She gives you so much," Myers said.

Read the original article on Insider
On the left: Jenna Ortega in March 2023. On the right: Barack Obama in August 2022. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP; Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Netflix

Jenna Ortega said she had a crush on Barack Obama and wanted to become the first female president.

"I had phases where I clung to something and then made it my entire personality," she told Elle.

"To this day, I'm still obsessed with Obama," Ortega added.

Jenna Ortega said that her mom didn't take her acting aspirations seriously at first because her crush on former President Barack Obama made her want to become a politician.

"I had phases where I clung to something and then made it my entire personality," said Ortega, 20, in a cover story for the April 2023 issue of Elle, released on Tuesday.

Writer Hunter Harris, who interviewed the "Wednesday" star, noted that the star's mom "laughed" when she said she wanted to be an actor "only because just two weeks before, her daughter had told her she had a huge crush on Barack Obama and wanted to become the first female president."

Despite having various phases of interest, the "Scream" star added, "To this day, I'm still obsessed with Obama."

Jenna Ortega in November 2022. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

Ortega's desire to pursue acting turned into a full-fledged career, beginning with small roles in the 2010s.

As a child star, she played the younger version of Gina Rodriguez's titular character on the CW series "Jane the Virgin" and starred on the Disney Channel sitcom "Stuck in the Middle."

In recent years, Ortega's become one of the most recognizable young actors. She played Ellie Alvarez on season two of "You," starred alongside Jennifer Garner in the 2021 Netflix film "Yes Day," joined the "Scream" franchise as Tara Carpenter in 2022, and appeared in the thriller film "X."

Ortega's role as Wednesday Addams on the breakout Netflix teen series "Wednesday" led to a spike in Ortega's popularity.

She also received nominations at this year's Golden Globes and SAG Awards for her performance as the iconic character.

Ortega will reprise her role for the upcoming second season of "Wednesday" and return as Tara for "Scream 6," in theaters this Friday.

Read the original article on Insider
Watch: Jeremy Kyle said Meghan Markle should be "thrown down a well" on his TV show

Jeremy Kyle has been challenged on air after he suggested Meghan Markle should be "thrown down a well".

The 57-year-old talk show host  whose series The Jeremy Kyle Show was cancelled by ITV in May 2019  is currently co-presenting The Talk on TalkTV and was discussing Prince Harry and his wife with royal commentators Kinsey Schofield and Emily Andrews.

Andrews suggested the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could make better use of their time doing charity work in South Africa, than making public complaints about the way they have been treated.

Read more: Jeremy Kyle reveals daughter was taken to hospital after spider bite

She said: "If you really want to perform a service for charity, go to Lesotho, it is safe there.

"Go and build wells, build a school and go and teach English..."

Kyle interrupted: "Throw her down one."

Andrews responded: "No, no! Do not do that Jeremy Kyle."

Jeremy Kyle was challenged on air by Emily Andrews for his Meghan Markle comment. (Talk TV)

Earlier in the discussion Schofield suggest Prince Harry and Markle had exposed themselves to criticism by giving so many interviews and public statements.

She said: "People are done with the whingefest, they are done with the crying. The way these people use victimhood as currency, I think culturally we are tired of it.

Jeremy Kyle suggested Prince Harry should throw Meghan Markle down a well. (Alamy)

"It's going to end soon, so they better get out of it what they can as the American people are really getting tired of their complaining and crying."

Kyle added he felt they were: "Taking the Mickey."

The outspoken TV presenter's comments come after he said Jeremy Clarkson deserved forgiveness for his own violent words about Markle.

Jeremy Kyle suggested Meghan Markle should be 'thrown down a well'. (Talk TV)

Kyle said on his show: "There's no doubt Clarkson's column crossed the line... I'm not defending what Jeremy Clarkson wrote at all, I just don't see why one mistake has to mean automatic cancellation."

The Clarkson's Farm star and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire host publicly apologised following the reaction to comments he made about the duchess in his newspaper column.

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He wrote in the comment in The Sun, which has now been taken down, that he hates the Duchess of Sussex "on a cellular level" and lies in bed "grinding his teeth", unable to sleep as he's consumed by thoughts of her.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been the target of much public criticism. (Getty Images)

He also said he fantasises about Markle being made to parade through the streets of Britain while crowds "throw lumps of excrement at her".

Read more: Royal Family refuses to condemn Jeremy Clarkson over 'hateful' Meghan Markle column

Clarkson has since said in a statement: I really am sorry. All the way from the balls of my feet to the follicles on my head. This is me putting my hands up. Its a mea culpa with bells on.

Watch: Jeremy Kyle protests against barbecue ban during heatwave
International television host and journalist Noel Walker set out to explore the connection between Black American history and reggae month, which originated in Jamaica and is widely celebrated in the Caribbean and diaspora. Unbeknownst to most, February is when both Black History Month and Reggae Month are celebrated.

Music is a universal language that unites people of the diaspora. Although people come from different geographical locations, at our core, they are one. From the food they consume to the rhythms that move through their bodies when a fire song is played, both cultures are very similar.

Walker shares her findings while investing the connection between both celebrations on The Evolution of Reggae Music and Black History, which is now live on theGrio TV. The host and journalist visited five iconic locations in Kingston, Jamaica to tell the story of Reggaes impact on global Black history.

Ive always been a champion of cultural anthropology, truly immersing myself in the cultural environments and homelands to better understand how we differ and how we are the same, Walker said.

Noel Walker interviewing Gabre Selassie. Courtesy of Noel Walker

Travel Noire had a chance to catch up with Walker to learn more about her connection to Jamaica as a Black American, why its crucial to connect Black American history and reggae music, and her favorite spots in Kingston.

Travel Noire: When was your first time visiting Jamaica?

Noel Walker: 2015 was the first year I visited Jamaica. I headed there to stay with a friend in Kingston. Lord knows I have no idea what kind of love affair this would turn into between me and Jamaica, but it just made sense.

Going into every single establishment and seeing Black leaders, workers, customers or clients everywhere really made me purge for a while and reassess life, my perception of the world and parallel universes. I didnt know a place like this really ever existed.

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TN: What made you fall in love with the island?

NW: The freedom I felt in my skin as a Black person.

We underestimate how much micro-aggressions, passive aggression and navigating life as a person of color really has taken a toll on our mental and spiritual wellness. I unlocked a new level in Jamaica pertaining to Black people. I was so intrigued that people really got to live in a space without racism. On top of that, the food was even better seasoned than soul food.

I loved being so close to the beach and river, parks, waterfalls, and nature, [and] yet, still having city life in Kingston. I was like yeah, this is my place.

Noel Walker on set with Marcia Griffiths

TN: Can you tell us about your connection to reggae music?

NW: Honestly, it took me a second to tap into that frequency.

Growing up, I would go to parties in New Jersey, my hometown. I used to hate the reggae segment. I wanted to hear the Jersey club music because that was the most fun to dance to.

Once I stayed local in Kingston and began to understand, my mind and body started to pick up things. It was crazy, like an awakening. Once I fully tapped into the frequency of the music, the dance moves, the lyrics, and the dialect, it was better than anything else. I became so passionate about this music experience as a Black woman.

Reggae really speaks to the soul. Dancehall speaks to more out-of-body experiences, and I love both.

TN: Why was it important for you to team up with theGrio TV to explore the connection between Black History Month and Reggae Month?

NW: It was important because I know that people are unaware of Reggae Month. They arent aware of the interrelatedness between the two. All people need is a connection. Im providing that bridge. Its my niche and my little pocket to connect Black Americans and Caribbeans in more ways other than our skin color.

I dont think people think about Black protest music when they think of reggae nowadays. Thats a missing link for the youth because history hasnt been taught properly. This is music that spoke out against our own Civil Rights wars, apartheid in South Africa, the Gulf War, and the Vietnam War. This music directly results from Marcus Garvey UNIA and the Garveyism movement, the most prominent Black American Nationalist movement. This is the music of Rastafari. This is music for the soul and the betterment of mankind.

Courtesy of Noel Walker

TN: What are you most excited about for viewers to learn from this special?

NW: How we affect each other because this happened, particularly the UNIA, reggae music was birthed there, its a never-ending cycle. Lets stop the separatism that has gone on too long.

We are one.

TN: Where are your top spots in Kingston to go for amazing music and vibes?

NW: Right next to Dub Club is SkyLine Levels, which is another spot where live music is performed. Then, for dancehall, Tac Bar is pretty trendy on Friday nights. You can hear all the tunes.

This article has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
The track and its former owner lost a lawsuit last year that, with a recent addition by a judge, will cost them more than $28 million.

A $22 million judgment against the Durhamtown Off Road Park that a jury rendered nearly a year ago was significantly increased last week when a judge added $6.42 million more.

Greene County Superior Court Judge Amanda Petty granted a motion by the plaintiffs on March 2 to add the attorneys fees along with an additional $68,000 in expenses to the jurys verdict, according to court documents.

The jurys original judgment was rendered during a trial in May 2022 in a wrongful death suit brought against Durhamtown and former owner Robert M. McCommons.

Debra Ann White, the wife of 47-year-old dentist Dr. Adam White, who was killed in September 2019 when hit by falling tree while riding his dirt bike at the park, had sued the business.

In an interview in March 2022, McCommons said his attorneys have advised him not to comment on the lawsuit.

New ownership:Former Durhamtown off-roading resort in Greene County reopens under new owner

Wrongful death:Durhamtown Off Road Park in Greene County hit with $22M wrongful-death verdict

The park is a massive off-road facility on 6,750 acres of land outside Union Point. The facility was closed in January 2022, but officials announced it reopened three months later under new ownership as Georgia Off-Road Adventures.

The White lawsuit was back in Greene County Superior Court last week, when lawyers representing McCommons and his business filed documents asking the judge to dismiss the verdict and retry the case or dismiss the jurys verdict in favor of the defendant, according to Render Freeman, the Duluth attorney representing the White estate.

The judge denied the motion.

Freeman said he then filed a motion that the judge add attorneys fees to the judgment based on a rule that allows us to ask for that.

We offered to settle the case in August of 2020 for $10 million. They rejected that and we got a verdict of $22 million, Freeman said. When you beat your offer by that kind of gap, a judge can add attorneys fees.

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The judge amended the original judgment on March 2 by adding the new fees and expenses for a total judgment of $28,492,826, Freeman said.

The defendants have indicated they will appeal the verdict to the Georgia Court of Appeals, according to Freeman. They now have 30 days from the time the new order was filed to file an appeal with the higher court.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Judge increase judgment amount in Durhamtown ATV lawsuit verdict
Nearly two dozen people accused of coordinating a violent attack on police officers defending the proposed site of an Atlanta police training facility will remain in jail after a judge denied them bond.

Channel 2s Michael Seiden was inside the courtroom as attorneys for the defendants argued that they be released.

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The 23 defendants charged with domestic terrorism were looking to get out of jail and go home, but the judge didnt feel comfortable releasing everyone, especially since only two of them have ties to Georgia.

The judge listened to their lawyers for most of the afternoon. The mother of one 26-year-old man from Connecticut even testified on her sons behalf when the judge asked if she would make sure he gets back to court.

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I will accompany him myself, Kate Early said, promising that her son was not at risk of committing a crime if hes granted bond.

Pete Johnson, the Chief Assistant District Attorney in DeKalb County, laid out why the group should remain in jail.

You had to make a concerted effort to go there, Johnson said. This group changed their clothing into all black out clothing. They had shields. They had bags of rocks. They had fireworks. They had Molotov cocktails.

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The judge ended up siding with prosecutors, denying bond for all but one of the people charged with domestic terrorism.

Thomas Jurgens, a staff attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center, was granted a $5,000 bond after prosecutors determined that he was only there as an observer and not a participant in the violence.

Given the fact that he is a bared attorney, his claim at this point, hes a legal observer I cant stand here and say theres evidence he threw something, the judge said.

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Earlier Tuesday, Seiden reached out to Governor Brian Kemps office looking to find out if he planned on activating the National Guard in light of Sunday nights attack. A spokesman for his office sent Channel 2 Action News the following statement:

The governor and senior state leadership continue to monitor the situation carefully. Thanks to state and local law enforcements dedication and quick action, the situation was brought under control in a timely manner. Law enforcement remains at the ready to address any issues of violence or unrest.

Dekalb officials confirmed Tuesday that organizers who hosted the two-day music festival that led to the attack did not have a permit and never even applied for one.
Julia Roberts at the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards in January.

Julia Roberts at the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards in January.

Shakespeare in Love was the set of Julia Roberts discontent. Or at least according to the films producer, Ed Zwick.

The My Best Friends Wedding star, then 24, was initially attached to star in the 1998 period comedy as Viola de Lesseps, according to an essay written by Zwick that was published in Air Mail over the weekend. The part eventually went to Gwyneth Paltrow, who won an Oscar for the role.

But Paltrow wouldve never scored that early career accomplishment if Roberts hadnt abruptly quit, according to Zwick, causing the project to shut down and $6 million in sunk costs.

I bear her no ill will, Zwick wrote of Roberts in his essay. She was a frightened 24-year-old [when the film went into production in 1991]. I wasnt much older, trying to act the grown-up as I watched the Globe Theatre [set] torn down. And with it my dreams of grandeur.

Roberts did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment on Zwicks account.

Despite leaving Shakespeare in Love, Julia Roberts went on to win a Peoples Choice Award in 1998 for Favorite Motion Picture Actress and a Best Actress Oscar in 2001 for

Despite leaving Shakespeare in Love, Julia Roberts went on to win a Peoples Choice Award in 1998 for Favorite Motion Picture Actress and a Best Actress Oscar in 2001 for "Erin Brockovich."

Zwick said that Roberts early involvement in Shakespeare in Love was what secured funding from Universal.

The mere possibility of having the Pretty Woman wearing a corseted gown got the studio excited enough to cough up the dough, he wrote.

Roberts then traveled to London for chemistry reads with a crop of yet-to-be-discovered young actors for the role of William Shakespeare, Zwick said.

I remember: Hugh Grant, Rupert Graves, Colin Firth, Sean Bean, Jeremy Northam, he wrote of the actors who auditioned for the role. Julia found fault with all of them: one was stiff, another wasnt romantic, and so on.

Zwick says he was most excited for Roberts to read with Ralph Fiennes. But his chemistry read with Roberts was a disaster, according to Zwick.

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Ralph Fiennes and Julia Roberts at the Tony Awards in 2006.

Ralph Fiennes and Julia Roberts at the Tony Awards in 2006.

Even as Ralph did his best to elicit the famous smile, Julia barely acknowledged him, Zwick wrote. Im not suggesting she was deliberately sabotaging, but it was a disaster nonetheless. I tried to catch Ralphs eye to apologize as he left, but he couldnt get out of there fast enough. After he was gone, I turned to Julia, awaiting her reaction. He isnt funny is all she said.

According to Zwick, the problem was that Roberts was set on having Daniel Day-Lewis play the role, but he was already committed to 1998s In the Name of the Father. But Roberts was intent on pursuing him regardless, Zwick said, and even sent him two dozen roses with a note that read: Be my Romeo.

Day-Lewis eventually turned down the offer, and the next two weeks of casting went badly, Zwick recalled.

Zwick said he finally talked Roberts into reading with Paul McGann.

On the morning of the test, Julia emerged from makeup, looking radiant in full period costume, Zwick wrote. But once she began to say the words, something was wrong. There was no magic. The problem wasnt the script. Or Paul McGann. It was Julia. From the moment she began to speak it was clear she hadnt been working on [her British] accent.

Gwyneth Paltrow won the Oscar for Best Actress in 1999 for her role in Shakespeare in Love.

Gwyneth Paltrow won the Oscar for Best Actress in 1999 for her role in Shakespeare in Love.

Zwick wrote that he could sense that Roberts felt discomfort about the bad chemistry read, but also made the tragic mistake of underestimating her insecurity.

Having only recently been catapulted to the dizzying heights atop the Hollywood food chain, she must have been terrified to fail, he wrote.

Zwick said he never got the opportunity to to talk her off the ledge because, when he called her hotel room the next day, he was informed that she had checked out. Zwick wrote that later that day, he found out from Roberts manager that she had flown back to the States and was quitting the project.

Ive never spoken to Julia again, Zwick wrote. Instead, Ive observed from afar as her work grew in depth and stature.

After the shakeup, Shakespeare in Love was eventually produced by Miramax and by disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein, who unsuccessfully tried to remove Zwick from the project.

Fiennes actor brother Joseph Fiennes eventually nabbed the role of Shakespeare.

Paltrow  who says she had to deal with Weinsteins predatory behavior scored the role originally given to Roberts.

But the making of Shakespeare in Love continued to be messy after Roberts departure, according to Zwick. To read his essay in full, head over to Air Mail.
Larry Householder, former Ohio Speaker of the House, leaves the Federal Courthouse after the first day of jury deliberation in his public corruption trial in Cincinnati on Wednesday, March 8. Householder is accused of orchestrating a pay-to-play scheme that traded nearly $61 million in Akron-based First Energy donations for legislation.

After seven weeks of trial, the dozen jurors in a massive public corruption trial began deliberating Wednesday morning.

"Take whatever time you desire," U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Black told them.

More:Prosecutor says Householder led pay-to-play scheme; defense calls it 'nothing burger'

Jurors went home Wednesday without reaching a verdict.

The 12-member jury includes eight white men, two white women, one Black man and one Black woman.

Federal prosecutors accuse former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder of orchestrating a pay-to-play scheme that traded nearly $61 million in Akron-based FirstEnergy donations for legislation: a $1.3 billion bailout for two nuclear plants called House Bill 6. A chunk of that money funded an effort to protect House Bill 6 from a referendum to block it.

Ex-Ohio Republican Party chairman Matt Borges is accused of participating in the criminal enterprise and paying a bribe to obtain insider intel from the referendum campaign.

Larry Householder (right), former Ohio Speaker of the House, leaves the Federal Courthouse after the first day of jury deliberation in his public corruption trial in Cincinnati on Wednesday, March 8.

What is racketeering conspiracy?

Householder and Borges are accused of racketeering conspiracy, punishable by up to 20 years in prison. They have pleaded not guilty. Jurors must determine whether prosecutors proved four elements beyond a reasonable doubt:

A criminal enterprise existed.

The enterprise engaged in interstate commerce.

Householder and/or Borges were associated with or employed by the enterprise.

They conspired to participate in the enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity. That means at least two offenses, such as bribery, honest service fraud, extortion and money laundering.

The law doesn't require that the agreement be explicit. It can be expressed through winks and nods.

Previous coverage of Householder case

Podcast:Ohio corruption case: Winks, nods, texts and more can prove bribery

More:House Bill 6 corruption case: Who is John Kiani?

More:On the witness stand, Householder spars with federal prosecutor

More:Ohio corruption trial: Ex-Ohio GOP chair Borges solicited insider intel, operative says

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More:Republicans testify against Householder; Prosecutors call his attorney 'aggressive'

More:Fights over dates, details, bias. How the Householder team challenged witnesses.

More:Householder never repaid political consultant for Florida home repairs, legal bills

More:'It was like a war zone out there:' House Bill 6 referendum hit unprecedented opposition

More:Lobbyist: DeWine got $3M from FirstEnergy but Householder 'went to war' for them

More:House Bill 6 trial: Ex-lobbyist details quest for insider info: 'I wasnt going to write bribe'

More:House Bill 6 trial: Householder attorney questions FirstEnergy's hold on GOP speaker

More:FBI: FirstEnergy's dark money paid for Householder's Florida home repairs, bump in salary

More:FBI: Ex-Ohio GOP leader Borges wrote $15K check, sought intel about anti-House Bill 6 effort

More:House Bill 6 trial: FirstEnergy counted on Matt Borges to influence Ohio AG Dave Yost

More:Ohio corruption trial: Hard push for House Bill 6 by Householder, FirstEnergy

More:Prosecutors: Dark money lit the way for Larry Householder's return to power in Ohio

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jury deliberations begin in Larry Householder, Matt Borges case
The Justice Department will launch an investigation into the Memphis Police Department in response to Tyre Nichols' death.

The investigation will focus on the police department's use-of-force and de-escalation policies, and will take a broader look at specialised police units  like Memphis's now-defunct SCORPION unit  across the US.

Nichols died days after police officers beat him and failed to quickly provide him medical treatment following a traffic stop.

"In the wake of Tyre Nichols's tragic death, the Justice Department has heard from police chiefs across the country who are assessing the use of specialized units and, where used, appropriate management, oversight and accountability for such units," Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement.

She said the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services would release a report following the Justice Department investigation, and that the report should serve as a guide for law enforcement and elected officials.

"The COPS Office guide on specialized units will be a critical resource for law enforcement, mayors and community members committed to effective community policing that respects the dignity of community members and keeps people safe," she said.

In Memphis, the SCORPION unit was intended to specifically target street crime. However, a New York Times report found that the group of approximately 40 officers was feared in the community and known for handing out brutal beatings, often aimed at Black men.

The review was requested by the mayor of Memphis and the city's police chief, according to CNN.

In addition to the review, law enforcement is expected to release more video captured the night Nichols was beaten by five now-former Memphis Police Department officers. The city has concluded its internal investigation into the footage and will release it on Wednesday.

The officers were fired in the wake of Nichols' death and have since been arrested on numerous charges, including second-degree murder.

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Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr. each are charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

Two other Memphis police officers have been fired since the initial five were charged.

Shelby County prosecutor Steven Mulroy told CNN he did not believe that there would be further arrests resulting from the internal investigation. He previously told the network that his office would wait until the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation wrapped its investigation before bringing any further charges.
Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber (nee Baldwin) in 2021. Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

A crowd at Justin Bieber's performance at Rolling Loud chanted insults about his wife Hailey Bieber.

It was the latest development in ongoing drama with Hailey Bieber, Selena Gomez, and Kylie Jenner.

Gomez has since announced she's taking time off from social media, because "this is a little silly."

Concertgoers at Justin Bieber's surprise performance at Rolling Loud over the weekend could be heard hurling insults about his wife Hailey Bieber.

"Fuck Hailey!" chanted members of the crowd on Saturday.

It was the latest development in an ongoing drama surrounding Hailey, Selena Gomez, and Kylie Jenner.

Gomez got the ball rolling when she posted a series of videos to her TikTok and Instagram Stories on February 21. She mimicked saying, "My name  my name is Bella Hadid" in her first video. But the video caption read, "I wish I was as pretty as Bella Hadid," according to Women's Health. That was followed by another video where Gomez said in her own voice, "Instead, this is me. I laminated my brows too much."

Jenner posted a picture of herself to her Instagram Stories nearly three hours later with the words, "this was an accident ?????" atop her eyebrows. Followers interpreted her post as mocking Gomez and her eyebrow gaffe on TikTok.

Hailey, meanwhile, posted a TikTok featuring herself, Kendall Jenner, and Justine Skye lip-syncing to the words, "I'm not saying she deserved it, but I'm saying God's timing is always right." Although she deleted the post, others have since reposted it, suggesting the TikTok clip was somehow targeting Gomez, because the musician dated Justin on and off from 2010 to 2018. (Hailey married Justin in September 2018.)

On February 22, commenting on a video in which a TikTok user speculated that Kylie had thrown shade at Gomez, the cosmetics mogul wrote, "this is reaching. no shade towards selena ever and i didn't see her eyebrow posts! u guys are making something out of nothing. this is silly."

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"Agreed @kyliejenner," Gomez replied, according to Hollywood Life."It's all unnecessary. I'm a fan of Kylie!"

All the online drama seemed to take a toll on Gomez, who announced a day later via TikTok live that she was taking time off from social media.

"I'm going to be taking a second from social media 'cause this is a little silly," Gomez explained. "And I'm 30. I'm too old for this. But I love you guys so much, and I will see you guys sooner than later. I'm just going to take a break from everything."

Read the original article on Insider
Photo: B.C. Legislature

The provincial government announced new legislation Tuesday to help with wage transparency.

Once passed, the legislation will require employers to post wage or salary ranges on all publicly advertised jobs. It will also stop employers from asking about applicants' previous compensation.

Employers will also be unable to punish employees who choose to share their pay information with job applicants or coworkers.

They will also be required to post public reports on their gender wage gap. This requirement will start being phased in on November 1, with B.C.s largest employers having to make the change first. Crown corporations with over 1,000 employees and the B.C. Public Service Agency will need to implement the new reporting requirement this November.

Each November more employers will be required to post reports on their wage gap. The last phase will happen November 2026 when employers with 50 or more employees will need to begin posting those numbers.

The government will have more details and regulations about the reporting requirements for employers, available this fall.

Kelli Paddon, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, says equal work deserves equal pay.

Today, were taking the next step  all employers need to be transparent about what people are being paid to close the pay gap between men and women, says Paddon.

The legislation aims to help close the gender wage gap in this province. In 2022 B.C. women earned 17% less than their male counterparts, according to Statistics Canada.

The provincial government says the wage gap disproportionately impacts Indigenous women, non-binary people and women of colour.
A juvenile was shot Wednesday afternoon near Visible Music College in Downtown Memphis.

At about 1 p.m., Memphis police arrived at the 200 block of Madison Avenue, where officers found a male shooting victim, according to Memphis Police Department.

The juvenile arrived at Regional One Hospital in critical condition, MPD said.

Officers detained two suspects on the scene, MPD said. MPD has not publicly identified the victim or two detained.

Police say this investigation is ongoing.

This is the third juvenile shot in Memphis in about 24 hours, according to MPD.

Around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday, officers found four people shot, including one child, at the 2100 block of Labelle Avenue. MPD said the juvenile was taken to Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in non-critical condition.

Memphis news:Gun violence killed another Memphis kid. How experts are trying to help those who survive

Crime in Memphis:Memphis restaurants are fed up with crime. Here's how they're fighting back.

The 16-year-old boy was released from the hospital, MPD said on Wednesday.

Police said two of the other victims were sent to Regional One in critical condition and one was sent to Methodist University Hospital in non-critical condition.

At 4:19 a.m. Tuesday, police responded to a shooting at the 1200 block of Carrolton Avenue where officers found a male juvenile shot. The boy was transported to Regional One Hospital in critical condition.

Police have not released the identities of the victims in Tuesday's shootings. Police said both shootings are ongoing investigations.

Dima Amro covers the suburbs for The Commercial Appeal and can be reached at Dima.Amro@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @AmroDima.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Juvenile shot in Downtown Memphis; third child shot in 2 days
A Wichita man who pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer during the Capitol riot was sentenced Wednesday to 20 months in prison and two years of supervised release.

Michael Eckerman also is required to pay $2,000 restitution for the nearly $2.9 million in losses the government said were suffered as a result of the riot.

The sentence was handed down by Judge Christopher R. Cooper in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the toughest one imposed among the five Kansans sentenced to date in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

Eckerman, 39, was charged in 2021 with three felonies  civil disorder; assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; and obstruction of an official proceeding  and five misdemeanors. He pleaded guilty to the assault charge in November, and the government agreed to drop the other charges.

He faced a maximum eight years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. The government requested a sentence of 24 months incarceration along with three years of supervised release and $2,000 in restitution.

In a letter to the judge filed with Eckermans sentencing memorandum last week, Eckermans wife, Sarah, pleaded with Cooper to consider giving her husband probation. She said he had a stellar work ethic, lives for his family and is very involved with our children and their school activities and sports.

I cannot fathom my childrens father away from them, she wrote. I know he made a poor choice and our family has suffered immensely from itI know he feels deep remorse for the choice he made.

The government laid out its case against Eckerman in its sentencing document, saying that in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, he tried to recruit friends and family members to join him at the pro-Trump Stop the Steal rally in Washington, D.C., telling them that something epic and historic was going to happen.

Eckerman traveled from Wichita to Washington on Jan. 5, 2021, with his cousin, the document said. At their hotel, they met three people from New Hampshire who, along with another new friend they met from Missouri, attended the rally together the next day. Afterward, they all marched to the Capitol.

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Michael Eckerman of Wichita is shown in this photo outside the nations Capitol on Jan. 6. Eckerman is charged with assaulting a federal police officer and other crimes in connection with the invasion of the Capitol that day.

Around 2 p.m. on Jan. 6, the document said, Eckerman and two of the others saw rioters assaulting officers on the West Plaza of the Capitol. As they filmed the activity, Eckerman  wearing a tactical vest and neon gloves  moved closer, encouraging the rioters and yelling that the officers were traitors to the country, according to the filing.

Eckerman also witnessed a rioter spray an orange chemical irritant, likely bear spray, directly at MPD Officer A.Athe spray hit Officer A.A. directly in the eyes, temporarily blinding him and requiring him to retreat from the scene.

Eckerman saw rioters use metal bike rack barricades as ladders to scale Capitol walls and witnessed police deploy canisters of chemical irritants in an attempt to disperse the crowd, the document said. He later told a friend that they threw bombs bro it was crazy that tear gas terrible. He texted another: that gas hurt, I wont lie. Still, the government said, he did not leave the grounds.

At 2:24 p.m., Eckerman and two of his companions ignored the blaring security alarms as they walked past broken windows that other rioters were climbing through, the sentencing document said. Then the three entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing doors, which also had a broken window.

The government said Eckerman was involved in three breaches of police lines during the 20 minutes he was inside the Capitol, including just outside the House chamber as members of Congress were sheltering inside. He forcibly facilitated one breach himself, the document said, by pushing his way to the front of a standoff between protesters and a small group of Capitol Police officers who were guarding a stairway.

Shortly after rioters warned the officers that they were about to breach the line, Eckerman pushed USCP officer K.Y. and knocked him off balance, causing him to fall and resulting in a gap in the police line, the sentencing document said. After the officer was knocked to the ground, another rioter then sprayed him in the face with a fire extinguisher.

Rioters, including Eckerman and his two companions, then surged through that gap and climbed the now accessible stairs, the document said, allowing the mob to penetrate the second floor of the Capitol and further complicate police efforts to protect the building and its occupants.

Eckerman also entered a sensitive area of the Capitol, the document said, where he took celebratory photos  including a selfie in front of a portrait of George Washington.

After leaving the building, the three lingered outside and continued to take photos and videos, despite hearing rioters shout that someone had been shot, the governments filing said.

In one of those videos, Eckerman bragged about his assault on police, stating, I went all the way in, knocked over six copsand they shot that girl, the document said.

Eckerman returned to Kansas the next day, it said, and the group exchanged text messages expressing elation at what they did at the Capitol.

For example, on January 8, Eckerman texted the group: Awesome time it was history; This is going down they all must pay; and Stay strong you are all heroes to me, the sentencing document said. The group shared photos and videos of confrontations with police, it said, including Eckermans involvement in the conflict between rioters and 18 officers prior to breaching the Capitol.

The group also shared conspiracy theories suggesting that the Capitol riot was in fact a covert operation orchestrated by former President Trump and his supporters to trap and reveal traitor politicians, who would be arrested and executed imminently, according to the document.

Similarly, the group advised each other to be prepared for a military coup and/or civil war to reinstate President Trump.

In one chat, the document said, Eckerman embraced the idea of a civil war between Trump supporters and opponents, stating, Yeah they are moving fast lets hope the military is on our side and Trump pulls the card, and Its crazy but what a time to be alive.

The government said Eckerman has no criminal history apart from the Capitol riot case. It said, however, that his aggressive behavior in support of his political views wasnt limited to what happened on Jan. 6. Ten days before the riot, the document said, he got in a confrontation over a mask mandate.

In a text thread with friends, his wife wrote, me and Michael almost got arrested tonight, to which Eckerman responded, these mask Nazi can suck a duck, the filing said. It said that Eckerman later clarified that duck was a typo and he meant the male anatomy.

Michael Eckerman, holding an assault rifle and wearing a tactical vest, stands next to his wife.

Eckerman also used intimidation tactics during frequent protests at U.S. District Court in Wichita while armed with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle, the document said. And in one text message thread discussing whether to protest and open carry at the state Capitol, Eckerman shared an image in which he was carrying an AR-style rifle, saying that he and his wife were always ready.

Indeed, text messages recovered from Eckermans cell phone suggest he is an expert of sorts in firearms and ammunition, as friends and co-workers frequently sought his opinion on whether to acquire a particular gun or set of ammunition, the document said. His phone also yielded numerous photographs of AR-style semiautomatic rifles and a handgun assembled with scopes, red-dot sights, and extended magazine clips.

A search warrant conducted on Eckermans residence in connection with the Capitol riot case similarly revealed two AR-style semi-automatic rifles, a shotgun, several loaded extended AR magazines, and several boxes of ammunition, the governments filing said.

In his sentencing memorandum, Eckerman asked for leniency, saying he was not a flight risk or a danger to the community.

Moreover, he is not in need of supervision as he is a very mature and responsible individual who does not have any drug or alcohol problems or mental illness issues, wrote his attorney, Richard Stern.

Eckerman is a terminal manager at Yellow Freight in Wichita, Stern wrote, overseeing multiple facilities across the state and supervising 50 people. He said sentencing Eckerman to jail time would severely impact his family.

Mr. Eckerman is the main financial support for the family of five as he has a wife and three children, Stern said. He is currently employed and his income is very much needed by the family to maintain the family home as well as the needs of the children.

The document included letters from several family members, friends and co-workers. All painted a much different picture of Eckerman than that of the government.

James L. Welch, retired Yellow CEO, said Eckerman was a very devoted family man who excelled at his job and was level-headed, calm and honest when dealing with employees.

His uncle Donny Eckerman described him as a dedicated father and husband who provides for his family, is involved in all his childrens activities and is the glue that keeps our family together.

Michael understands he made a mistake, Michael is very compassionate about his beliefs and wants only the best for his wife and childrens future, he wrote. However, he got caught up in the moment and made a poor decision and deeply regrets it.
Kansas City has reached a settlement with a local gun store that includes a $150,000 payment and will require the shop to implement training to prevent straw purchasing and participate in a monitoring program.

The settlement comes after a lawsuit filed in 2020 in Jackson County alleged a group of firearm businesses formed a trafficking ring that provided guns to known felons.

Todays settlement is an important step in reducing the flow of illegal guns into our city, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a statement. As we work to save the lives of Kansas Citians  fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, grandparents, and sadly, children reducing the flow of illegal guns will remain a priority.

Violence prevention advocates are taking a more tempered approach in their response to the case, noting that while gun violence is out of control in Kansas City, its too early to say whether such litigation will have an impact on the problem.

The suit took aim at a gun trafficking scheme led by James Samuels, a former Kansas City Fire Department captain, who was sentenced in 2021 to six years in federal prison for illegally selling dozens of guns. But it went beyond him, claiming Nevada-based manufacturer Jimenez Arms and several local gun dealers were also responsible.

According to the lawsuit, three local gun stores aided the scheme: CR Sales Firearms, Conceal & Carry and Mission Ready Gunworks.

CR Sales Firearms, in Independence, is the only one of the three still in business, according to records from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The settlement agreement says the stores insurer will pay $150,000 in damages to the city. The business will also provide training to identify straw purchasing and gun trafficking to sales staff, video record all firearms sales and transfers, and impose a maximum of two handgun purchases or transfers per month for new customers. An independent monitor will be able to make unannounced site visits and access customer profiles as well as write an annual report on their findings which will be shared with the city through 2027.

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If the store violates the terms of the agreement, the company can be taken back to court.

As part of the settlement, CR Sales Firearms denies the lawsuits allegations and makes no admission of liability. An attorney for the store declined to comment.

Everytown Law, a branch of the national nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety, filed the suit alongside the city.

Gun stores have the ability to save lives by enforcing strong policies and procedures to prevent gun trafficking, said Alla Lefkowitz, senior director of affirmative litigation at Everytown Law. Guns used in crimes often make their way from the legal market to the illegal market via gun trafficking and straw-purchasing. The industry has an important role to play in preventing such diversion. Were pleased that the City and the gun shop have settled this case in a way that will prevent illegal gun purchases and gun trafficking.

According to the lawsuit, the gun stores facilitated the illegal transfer of dozens of guns to and from Samuels.

Jimenez Arms guns were frequently (and disproportionately) recovered at crime scenes in the Kansas City, the lawsuit also said.

Jimenez Arms filed for bankruptcy in 2020 and acquired a license to start a new manufacturing company under the name J.A. Industries. The city, Everytown and the State of Illinois sued the ATF for granting a license to J.A. Industries and in March 2022, the federal agency issued a notice of revocation. A hearing on the license was held and a ruling by the ATF is pending, said John Ham, a spokesman with the ATFs Kansas City Field Division.

According to a Federal Bureau of Prisons database, Samuels was released in January. His sentence was reduced through the First Step Act, a bill signed by former President Donald Trump in 2018, aimed at decreasing the federal prison population.

Rosanna Smart, co-director of RANDs Gun Policy in America initiative, said in recent years, Missouri has been off the charts in terms of the gun violence problem and really in need of solutions. Filing a lawsuit was an interesting approach, she said. But because similar litigation isnt common, not much research exists to examine its impact.

It doesnt mean its not effective, I think we just dont know, Smart said. I think its a big open question.

In the time since the lawsuit was filed, Kansas City has suffered its deadliest and second deadliest years on record for homicides. In 2020, the city recorded 182 killings, followed by 171 last year. So far this year, there have been 25 homicides, of which 92% were a result of gun violence, according to data from the Kansas City Police Department.

Rosilyn Temple, founder of KC Mothers in Charge, said the gun problem in Kansas City is out of control.

At this point in time, I dont think we even need these stores in our community that sell guns, Temple said. Our homicide rates are so bad every year.

Damon Daniel, president of AdHoc Group Against Crime, said he hopes the lawsuits settlement sets a precedent for other gun stores to take more responsibility as it relates to who they sell it to.

More broadly, Damon said he supports stricter laws when it comes to background checks and permits. But he added, We have legislators that just dont understand the issue related to gun violence, not only here in Missouri, but in America, period.
A Kansas City man admitted in federal court Wednesday to illegally possessing a firearm converted into a machine gun, which was used to kill an off-duty firefighter in October.

JaVon Taylor, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing a machine gun after Anthony Santi, 41, was shot during an altercation outside an Independence gas station on Oct. 6.

Taylor possessed the Glock .40-caliber handgun, which had been converted into a machine gun, despite having previous convictions for robbery and marijuana distribution charges, according to federal prosecutors with the Western District of Missouri.

Federal law prohibits anyone convicted of a felony from owning firearms or ammunition.

The 23-year-olds plea comes months after the Jackson County Prosecutors Office declined to charge the woman who shot Santi, saying she was protected under a Missouri self-defense law.

The shooting

Santi was shot around 2:30 p.m. Oct. 6 outside a gas station on 11100 East U.S. 40 Highway in Independence, according to previous statements from police.

Taylor was reportedly arguing with a clerk that day about not having the cigars he wanted when Santi intervened and allegedly asked the 23-year-old to leave. Taylor then jumped away from Santi and began to threaten him, court documents indicate.

Surveillance video captured the men taking their argument outside, when Taylor allegedly grabbed the gun out of his SUV. The two struggled over the weapon before Santi put Taylor in a headlock.

A woman then got out of the SUV and grabbed the gun, attempting to stop the fight, according to prosecutors. Security video showed she eventually shot Santi in the back, killing him.

Taylor was taken into custody following the incident, and officers searching his vehicle found the machine gun, a broken extended magazine, and a 15-round magazine. The 23-year-old told police he had bought the gun off the street for $500, according to federal prosecutors.

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Stand your ground

The Jackson County Prosecutors Office announced after the shooting that it would not press charges against the woman, citing Missouris stand your ground self-defense law.

Once outside, the facts specifically demonstrate that the shooting female fired a single shot in defense of the man who was being strangled, a release from the office reads.

Video and an account from a witness suggest that Taylor was unable to talk or breathe, prosecutors say. The witness noted Taylor began to turn purple, and the woman holding the gun allegedly begged Santi to stop.

The witness believed that he heard the victim of the shooting say to the man he was choking, Im killing you, the prosecutors office said.

Because of the evidence codified in the law, the release stated, prosecutors were required to decline the case.

According to Santis obituary, the 41-year-old joined the Kansas City Fire Department in 2011 as a firefighter and EMT. His daughter was the light of his life.

Taylor is facing a sentence of up to 25 years in federal prison without parole. He remains in federal custody without bond.

His sentence hearing is scheduled for Aug. 3.

The Stars Andrea Klick and Anna Spoerre contributed to this report.
Keanu Reeves promotes John Wick: Chapter 4 at Cineworld Leicester Square on March 6 in London. (Photo: Jeff Spicer/WireImage)

Just when you thought actor Keanu Reeves, he of not only action movies like John Wick, The Matrix and Point Break, but also romantic comedies such as Something's Gotta Give and Always Be My Maybe, had hit his limit of being delightful, he goes and does this.

Over the weekend, he had a funny reaction to the news that German scientists have named newly discovered compounds after him, because they're so effective at killing: "Hi, thank you," Reeves wrote on Reddit, via the Lionsgate account, during a AMA event. "They should've called it John Wickbut that's pretty cooland surreal for me. But thanks, scientist people! Good luck, and thank you for helping us."

As many people noted on social media, it is a statement that can only be read in the voice of his Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure character, Ted.

The "help" Reeves referred to is what the compound  keanumycins  can potentially do. Experts are optimistic that it will be able to destroy fungus in crops and fungal infections in people, which is huge.

"The lipopeptides kill so efficiently," Sebastian Gotze, the lead author of the study explaining the molecule told Phys.org, "that we named them after Keanu Reeves, because he, too, is extremely deadly in his roles."

Reeves was also asked during the event whether he had ever regretted turning down a role.

He responded that he did not. However, he added, "but I did always want to play Wolverine."

There was some of the kindness we're used to seeing from the actor, too.

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For instance, at one point, he responded to a question about the first pet he had ever had: a guinea pig named Carrot when he was 5 or 6. "He was a sweetie-pie," Reeves wrote.

When he was asked what drives him to be so compassionate, he had a simple answer: "We dieand we all need all the help we can get."

Reeves will be back on movie screens Friday, when John Wick: Chapter 4 arrives in theaters.
Keke Palmer has dropped a trailer for an upcoming documentary she directed titled Big Boss.

On Tuesday, the actor shared the trailer in an Instagram post, writing that the documentary is a musical narrative that chronicles my experience in the music industry.

I cant wait for you guys to watch the film and hear the album, the actor said. She is set to release the documentary, and an accompanying album, this month.

The Big Boss trailer features clips of Palmer as a child during her journey pursuing a career in music, TV and film.

I dont need to be accepted by the cool kids... Palmer says in a voiceover in the trailer before adding, I just need to be accepted by me.

Palmer told British Vogue in July 2022 that the documentary would mark her directorial debut. She also described the album as a collection of different vibes.

The Emmy winner has had a longstanding acting career, with her breakthrough role at age 12 in 2006s Akeelah and the Bee. She is also a celebrated music artist, releasing her debut album, So Uncool, in 2007.

Palmer paid tribute to her debut album last year by recreating Bottoms Up, a track off the album. Bottoms Up 2.0 was a fun little trip down memory lane, the actor told Nylon in April 2022.

I entered the music industry at a young age and had the opportunity to write a song with my sister for my first album, So Uncool, she said. It was a song that the OG fans loved. They still sing it to me wherever I go, tag me in the dances they create to it on social media, and add it to all their throwback playlists. So, I thank them!

Last month, Palmer welcomed a baby boy, Leodis, with boyfriend Darius Jackson.

In an Instagram video last week, the Nope actor discussed the challenges of parenthood, writing that raising a kid takes a village.

Related...
An audio recording of then US House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is played during an investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Kevin McCarthy provided footage of the Jan. 6 Capital riot to Tucker Carlson.

The Fox News host is using it in a bid to portray the violent protest as peaceful.

At the time of the riot, McCarthy appealed to Donald Trump to call off the mob.

As rioters stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, then House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pleaded with Donald Trump to call his supporters off.

According to accounts of the conversation, McCarthy was furious at Trump and shocked by the unfolding violence, at one point exclaiming: "They're trying to fucking kill me!"

But in the months and years that followed the riot, McCarthy's position has dramatically shifted. As one of the most powerful Republicans in Congress, he has played a key role in seeking to downplay the event.

On Monday, that campaign reached a new level when Fox News host Tucker Carlson broadcast portions of Capitol surveillance footage handed to him by McCarthy after his election as speaker in the new GOP-controlled House.

The violent event, in which Trump supporters stormed the Capitol as Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election was being certified, has been the focus of several conspiracy theories.

Carlson has argued the footage "does not show an insurrection or a riot in progress", but rather "mostly peaceful chaos". After seeing Carlson's clips, Twitter CEO Elon Musk accused lawmakers of "misleading the public."

Carlson's depiction, however, clashes with what is known about the event.

Police officers were brutally beaten by rioters as they stormed the Capitol, while lawmakers, including McCarthy, fled fearing for their lives. Five officers died after the event, including several by suicide. Three protestors died in medical emergencies and one was killed by a law enforcement officer.

Winston Pingeon, a former Capitol Police officer, criticized Carlson for falsifying the violence of the day.

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"I wish Tucker and Elon would talk to me or any Capitol police officers before spewing garbage/ cherry picked footage, ignoring all the obvious and unprecedented violence," wrote Pingeon.

For his part, McCarthy has defended his decision to release the tapes, telling The New York Times last week that he had "promised" he would make the footage public. He again defended the decision in remarks to reporters Tuesday, saying it was in the interests of transparency.

Insider contacted a McCarthy spokesperson for comment, but without reply.

Political calculations are likely among the core factors in McCarthy's decision.

"It helps McCarthy solidify his speakership among the right, especially those who held their vote out," Ron Bonjean, a veteran Republican strategist, told The New York Times. "It shows to conservatives that he's providing complete transparency, and that's what Republicans have wanted for a long time."

McCarthy was elected as House speaker in January after a grueling battle to persuade holdout Republicans on the party's hard right to back him. He only succeded in winning their support after making a series of sweeping concessions.

Among his most relentless critics was Carlson, whose show is viewed by millions of the GOP's core supporters, and who is seen by some as a party kingmaker.

Hard-right Republicans had long demanded that McCarthy release the full tapes of the attack, with some having sought to portray the rioters as unfairly imprisoned and persecuted.

In choosing Carlson as his outlet of choice for the tapes, McCarthy opens himself up to the accusation that he is complicit in the host's alleged bid to undermine the facts about the riot.

Backing Carlson's attempts to rewrite the history of the riot, whose terror McCarthy personally experienced, may win him a reprieve from the GOP's far right, but it will likely worsen the partisan divides that have torn American politics apart.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photo Illustration by Erin OFlynn/The Daily Beast/Bernard Gotfryd/Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division

You know whats about to be served up when the first two words of an opinion piece criticizing teachers and their unions are Derek Chauvin, the police officer who murdered George Floyd.

In The Liberal Case Against Public Unions, Philip K. Howard deploys a barrage of empty right-wing rhetoric to claim unions use brutal tactics to achieve their demands and that they "enforce a culture of entitlement in which employees are ostracized if they strive to do more than a bare minimum. Tell that to teachers as they arrive at school early to give students extra help or head to their second job after the school day ends.

Allow me to make instead a factual case for teachers unions, from empowering teachers professionalism to their association with higher student achievement, to their creation of a more just and fair society.

The Liberal Case Against Public Unions

Research shows that teachers unions are positively associated with student achievement. Researchers Eunice Han and Jeffrey Keefe found that this effect is particularly strong for Hispanic and Black students. And economists Eric Brunner, Joshua Hyman, and Andrew Ju have found that districts with strong teachers unions increased spending on public education, which leads to larger increases in student achievement.

Howard claims that unions get officials elected so they can demand a pay-off at the bargaining table. Really? Try walking in our shoes for a few days. The pay-off my union bargains for is to improve teaching and learning conditions and to reduce the teacher pay penaltythe gap between teachers compensation and their non-teacher college-educated counterparts that hit a high of 23.5 percent in 2021.

Teaching has always been a complex and demanding job. After the onset of the pandemic, teachers worked harder than ever. They managed remote, hybrid, and in-person instruction. They covered classes for colleagues suffering from COVID, often for weeks. They helped students recover academically, socially, and emotionally.

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UTLA teachers protest outside Bravo Medical Magnet High School in Los Angeles Wednesday, October 19, 2022. David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images

Yet Howard and other critics blame disruptions to learning on teachers and their unionsnot a deadly pandemic that has killed 1 million Americans and left more than 200,000 kids orphaned. The critics dont blame unequal access to technology, or economic and social inequity, nor the last presidents chaotic response to the virus, nor the officials who failed to upgrade ventilation and enact other health and safety measures in schools.

Even before the pandemic, nearly 300,000 teachers were leaving the profession each year. The pandemic, political culture wars, and unending gun violence have made this era the toughest in modern times. Teachers are twice as likely to face job-related stress compared to other working adults. Amid a dire and growing teacher shortage, its significant that teacher unions have a beneficial effect on teacher support and retention.

The rights we possess as citizens in a democracy dont have to disappear when we enter the workplace. Take due process. In education, it is the simple idea that a teacher should not be dismissed or disciplined without a good reason that pertains to the work they do as a teacher. Without due process, employees can be fired at any time for any reason or no reason at all.

Teachers Unions Need to Adapt, Just Like the Rest of Us

The problem is not that educators have too many rights. More often, its that teachers have too little support and trust to do their best for their students. Its being required to teach lockstep to a pacing calendar, even if students need more time. Its getting in trouble for allowing students to continue a debate over two days instead of one. And, too often, its not being heard, or even asked, about decisions that affect teaching and learning. As labor lawyer Richard Casagrande has said, tenure laws are not a gift to teachers. These laws empower teachers to teach well.

It is worth noting that teachers earn tenure by demonstrating competence over a period of up to three years or longer. I have forcefully and consistently argued that tenure is a guarantee of fairness and due process, not an excuse for managers not to manage, not a cloak for incompetence and not a job for life. If someone cannot teach, after they have been prepared and supported, they should not be in our profession. Due process provides a fair and efficient procedure for this.

Unions do far more than protect workers from arbitrary or unjust treatment. In addition to fighting for educators to be paid in accordance with the important work they do, my union also fights for what students, their families, and their communities need. The Detroit Federation of Teachers recently negotiated a home visit program to combat low student attendance. The Boston Teachers Unions contract includes $100,000 each year to support students experiencing homelessness. Many of our local unions are fighting for the conditions to support the social and emotional health of students, including the creation and expansion of community schools.

Heres Why a Court Struck Down Floridas Dystopian Stop WOKE Act

Meanwhile, the culture wars incited by politicians trying to further their careers show no signs of abating. Extremists have made disgusting claims that teachers are grooming and indoctrinating students. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has burnished his far-right credentials by pushing legislation like the so-called Dont Say Gay law and the Stop WOKE Act.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkins first act in office was to sign an executive order to root out critical race theory from the states education system even though it wasnt taught; he even started a tipline for parents to report teachers. Many teachers are scared to allow discussions of complex topics that help prepare students for a healthy democracy. History teachers worry whether they can teach slavery, reconstruction, or civil rights. Add all this to the case for teachers right to a union.

Perhaps the simplest and strongest argument for unions and collective action is that together we can accomplish things that would be impossible on our own. Individuals can be powerless to effect change, but working together has a multiplying effect that can tilt the balance of power. Make no mistake: That is what many people with political and economic power are afraid of. And that is why workers rights to belong to a union are under unceasing assault.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Gov. Kim Reynolds has named a native Iowan and think tank vice president to be the new director of the Iowa Department of Education.

Chad Aldis will start as the department's director on March 15, Reynolds announced in a news release Wednesday.

He will replace departing Department of Education Director Ann Lebo, who announced last month that she would resign and explore new opportunities.

Chad Aldis

Aldis is the vice president for Ohio policy at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, where he began working in 2013. In that role, he has testified to the state's Legislature in favor of private school choice and about school funding, charter school accountability and graduation requirements, according to his biography.

Before that, he served as the executive director of School Choice Ohio and has worked at the Florida Department of Education and for the Walton Family Foundation.

Aldis is a 1990 graduate of Clinton High School and attended the University of Northern Iowa before transferring to the University of Mississippi to earn a bachelor's degree in economics, according to the release. He later received a law degree from Florida State University, the release states.

"Like many Iowans, I owe much to the great public education I received. We need to make sure that today's students have the same opportunities to pursue their dreams," Aldis said in the news release. "That starts with all students leaving high school with the reading, math, and civics knowledge and skills to prepare them for either college or a career."

In the news release, Reynolds emphasized that Aldis's career "has been focused on education reform," pointing to his efforts in Ohio to help change the state's high school graduation requirements, state report cards and charter school laws.

Chad is the type of leader we need at this pivotal time for Iowas education system, Reynolds said in the release. His unique perspective will help lead reform within the department and across our schools so that every Iowa student  regardless of what school they attend  receives a quality education that prepares them to be successful in life."

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More:Jubilant Kim Reynolds signs Iowa's seismic 'school choice' bill into law. What it means:

Earlier this year, Reynolds signed a sweeping "school choice" law that will allow every Iowa family to access up to $7,600 per student to pay private school costs like tuition and fees.

She's also pursuing a host of other changes to Iowa's education system, including changing school regulations, requiring high schoolers to pass a U.S. citizenship exam to graduate and prohibiting schools from teaching about gender identity in kindergarten through sixth grade.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Kim Reynolds appoints Chad Aldis as Iowa education department director
Photo: Contributed

Its time for a change of taste

After almost 150 columns, Im switching things up. Its still the same Okanagan Taste, but with some fresh ingredients.

Much of the musings here for the last few years have been about what to sip, from wines to ciders to cocktails to the occasional beer, and where to sip them.

Before I moved back to the Okanagan from several big cities around Canada, my career was rooted in arts and culturewith pit stops in post-secondary education and, in fact, I came back to work in cultural tourism.

That was not meant to be. But it doesnt mean it cant be reinvented and revised.

Theres much to explore in the Okanagan, and after 15 years immersed in the exploration of one flavour of the valley, Im going back to my roots in arts and culture, and Okanagan Taste is shifting to covering performers, artists, theatre, books, music, bands, movies, an occasional night on the town, and sometimes a night in to watch what everyone is streaming and experiment with gourmet popcorn.

First up? Combine a bit of the old (a sip of wine) with something new at Grizzli Winery in West Kelowna this weekend as it welcomes its new spring art rotation in the Grizzli Art Gallery, located inside of the winerys 20,000-square-foot tasting room.

Photo: Contributed Acrylic artist Elizabeth Flesher is one of the artists whose work will be displayed at the "In Her Eyes" display at Grizzli Winery.

The exhibition, In Her Eyes, displays the works of four Okanagan artistsabstract artist Maggie Kozina, acrylic artist Arlene Buick, mixed media artist Alice Tunnell and acrylic artist Elizabeth Flesher. This exhibit is about embracing individual perspective and seeing a story through someone elses lens.

The official launch party is March 11 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m, and as you peruse the art youll be serenaded by the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra Quartet. Included in a silent auction are four special pieces of art donated by the artists themselves, with proceeds going to the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra.

There is no charge for admission, but you must RSVP.

After that visual art experience, its volunteering and taking in shows at Pentictons Ignite the Arts Festival, running at multiple venues from March 24 to April 2, a 10-day celebration split into a community week and a festival weekend.

Events include the unveiling of the Penticton Art Gallerys Mini Mural project in partnership with Cannery Brewing, the Lake to Lake Art Walk, in partnership with the Penticton and District Community Arts Council, the Confluence Conference in partnership with Enowkin Centre, a Children and Youth Song Writing Camp in partnership with the Penticton Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, and a Parade for No Reason.

And after that, maybe Ill sit down with a chef or two. Follow along and find out.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Protests have intensified in Atlanta, Ga., over plans to build a new police training center, resulting in recent violence at the site dubbed Cop City.

Thirty-five people were detained by police on Sunday after what the Atlanta Police Department called a group of violent agitators clashed with authorities, and 23 people were charged with domestic terrorism over the incident.

Heres what you need to know about the protests:

What are the protests about?

Protesters are demonstrating against the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, a training campus for officers that would include a shooting range, a nature trail and a mock village for cops to practice raids.

The $90 million, 85-acre project was approved by the Atlanta City Council back in 2021 and is in part an effort to improve morale, retention and recruitment for Atlanta law enforcement, according to the projects description from the nonprofit Atlanta Police Foundation.

The protesters represent a variety of interests. Some are against the militarization of police, while others are against the environmental impact of construction on the forested land on which the new facilities are set to be built.

The demonstrations against the police training center come against the backdrop of major protests in Atlanta more than two years ago after the brutal killing of George Floyd at the hands of police  which spurred many to leave the force, as reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

How have the protests played out?

Protests against the planned site have been going on since it was announced. Authorities fatally shot a man who injured a state trooper during an attempt to clear out the site back in January, and demonstrations cropped up in downtown Atlanta later that month, near the Atlanta Police Foundation.

Protests escalated further on Sunday when, according to police, individuals dressed in black used the cover of a peaceful protest to conduct a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers.

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The protesters entered the construction area for the training center and began to throw large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails and fireworks at police officers, and ultimately destroyed multiple pieces of construction equipment by fire and vandalism, according to a release from the department.

How have police responded?

Atlanta Police Department chief Darin Schierbaum called the most recent incident a very violent attack aimed at police.

This was a very violent attack that occurred this evening. Very violent attack. This wasnt about a public safety training center, this was about anarchy and this was about the attempt to destabilize, Schierbaum said.

Additional protests are reportedly planned for the coming days, and police say theyre prepared to respond with a multi-layered strategy that includes reaction and arrest.

This movement is resisting unbridled police authoritarianism & racist brutality. The Atlanta Police are out of control. They call in Georgia State Patrol as their shocktroops. They have killed a protestor, attacked a music festival, and charged dozens with domestic terrorism, posted Defend the Atlanta Forest, a social media site used by members of the movement.

Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and a number of other groups have called for the domestic terrorism charges against those detained over the weekend to be dropped.

How have politicians responded?

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) declared a state of emergency in January after protests over the activists death during the clear-out attempt.

Kemp said after Sundays violence that domestic terrorism will NOT be tolerated in this state and that law enforcements bravery should be celebrated in their response to this weekends violence.

Following the January protests and the death of the activist, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens affirmed the city supports the right to peaceful protest but said they would not tolerate violence or property destruction.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has blamed Antifa for the incident and, on Tuesday, introduced a resolution to declare the group as a terrorist organization.

Last weekend, Antifa rioters firebombed the future police training facility in Atlanta. Antifa has been terrorizing Americans for years, and its time to end the lawlessness, Greene said on the House floor.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Kentucky Republican candidate for governor Eric Deters plead guilty to menacing his nephew as well as harassing communications on Wednesday.

Deters was first charged in October with menacing, harassment and trespassing after a run-in with his nephew on a Northern Kentucky farm. He disputed wrongdoing shortly after the incident.

According to Drew Harris, chief prosecutor for the Kenton County Attorneys Office, Deters was sentenced to 270 days in jail for three misdemeanor counts  one count of menacing and two of harassing communications  but the court discharged his sentence for the next two years. Per Link NKY, Deters would face jail time if he violates a protective order or tries to contact his nephew, brother, or sister-in-law within two years. He also cant publicly disparage his family to the media.

In a video posted to social media, Deters recounted the proceedings of his court trial on Wednesday.

I decided to plead guilty to menacing and harassing communications because... I believe I was guilty. I admitted to the police officers that I did want to scare him, Deters said.

The conflict began when Deters nephew, a juvenile, flipped him off near his driveway on Oct. 3. The criminal complaint filed by the nephew alleges that Deters then proceeded to chase his nephew, identified as J.D. in the report, later sending harassing texts and voicemails to his sister-in-law, the juveniles father.

A witness saw Deters, 59, following J.D., both of whom were driving, in his truck as closely as two feet behind him.

Deters said his nephew had previously acted like he was going to swerve and hit my wife when she was walking and repeatedly rev his engine.

Harris said in a release Deters behavior was inappropriate and criminal.

The Kenton County Attorneys Office is dedicated to seeking justice on behalf of victims who are wronged by criminal acts, regardless of who the perpetrator is, Harris wrote. Mr. Deters conduct in this case was inappropriate and criminal under Kentucky law. We are pleased that justice was served today for the victims involved.

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Deters is one of several Republicans vying for the nomination for governor in a field that includes attorney general Daniel Cameron, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft, Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles and Auditor Mike Harmon, among others.

When contacted by the Herald-Leader, Deters decried the lack of media attention on his campaign relative to his legal troubles. His comments were expletive-laden.

He said he hate(s) the f***ing media.

Im the oldest candidate, I got the best resume of every f***ing candidate, Im the only non-career f***ing politician, Ive written five f***ing books, I am smart, Im the best speaker, best debater. I mean, it is insulting how you guys are treating me. But you know what? Its okay, because Im gonna f***ing remember it.

In his campaign for governor, Deters has attempted to carve out a lane to the right of much of the pack. Unlike many other candidates with the resources Deters has available to him  he told the Herald-Leader he spent $400,000 on a single mailer that went across the state  he has been critical of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky. Deters has also taken the position that recreational marijuana should be legalized in Kentucky.

In his video to supporters, he assured them that his guilty plea would not affect his pursuit of the governors chair.

I was angry at what happened and I did want to scare him, so I decided to go and plead guilty to it. These are misdemeanors, theyre not felonies. They do not affect in any way shape or form my ability to be elected governor or run for governor, Deters said.
Members of the Liut (Fury) Assault Brigade of Ukraines National Police, which is part of the recently established Offensive Guard, are currently training at one of the training grounds in Kyiv Oblast. The Kyiv Oblast State Administration shared photos from the training.

Source: Kyiv Oblast State Administration

Details: The Kyiv Oblast State Administration said that there are several women among the brigades newcomers. During peacetime, some were doctors, some were entrepreneurs, and one was a mixed martial arts practitioner.

Dmytro Nazarenko, Acting Head of the Kyiv Oblast State Administration, and Andrii Niebytov, Head of Ukraines National Police, were present during the training. They observed practical classes on shooting and tactical medicine and a class on the theory of weapon handling.

The training consists of three phases: general military, specialised, and group work.

Quote from Nazarenko: "In Kyiv Oblast, [new members] are actively joining all eight Offensive Guard brigades. Before joining the countrys defence forces, each newcomer undergoes a medical examination and a training course. I have personally observed this process in action in the Liut (Fury) Brigade. I was reassured that the volunteers are highly motivated and physically fit."

More details: The Kyiv Oblast State Administration said that Ukrainian citizens can join the National Guards, National Police and State Border Guards Service brigades  Stalevyi Kordon (Steel Border), Chervona Kalyna (Red Guelder Rose), Liut (Fury), Rubizh (Boundary), Spartan, Kara-Dag (named after a mountain in Crimea), Burevii (Storm) and Azov  choosing among them one that they feel particularly drawn to.

The oblast state administration also shared the addresses of the Kyiv Oblast Administrative Services Centres, where volunteers can sign up to join the brigades.

Background: In early February, Ukraine announced the creation of eight assault brigades as part of the new Offensive Guard set up in preparation for the liberation of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts, and Crimea, from the Russian occupation.

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






 Read the full article on Motorious

Its a real problem

Car theft has spun out of control in far too many metropolitan areas in the United States and other countries, but one of those hotbeds is Las Vegas, Nevada. Per a local report, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police say so far in 2023 1,485 cars have been stolen or broken into. Thats in just two months. Keep in mind the Las Vegas metro population is just 2.8 million.

Find out which cars some insurance companies refuse to cover here.

The year-over-year data shows a 40% increase in car theft for the area, so thats not encouraging at all. One man told a local reporter he had two of his cars stolen out of his garage. We assume the thieves defeated the garage door opener, which believe it or not isnt hard to do, then helped themselves. This is why we tell people to manually lock their garage door track at night.

That local report detailed out how one car repair shop has been scrambling to repair stolen cars. The owner told a reporter he gets calls every day for stolen, trashed vehicles. He counsels people concerned their ride might be next to install an alarm or a kill switch. Thats not bad advice.

While it would be great if the justice system did more to curb the car theft trend and other crimes sweeping the nation, there are other things you can do. Dropping a GPS tracker or a couple in your vehicle is a good idea. If youre an Apple user, AirTags are cheap and can be concealed just about anywhere, plus theres a method to remove their speaker.

Some feel a steering wheel lock helps, although weve seen thieves get past those quickly. Parking in a garage at night and securing the track is smart. Installing cameras with motion alerts is also wise. Ultimately, you should double check your insurance coverage and see what you would be facing if someone stole your car. Sadly, this is the reality too many people are living with these days.

Source: KTNV

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The Last of Us fans are in tears over a sweet message Pedro Pascal wrote his co-star Bella Ramsey when the pair wrapped filming on the HBO drama.

Pascal and Ramsey star as Joel and Ellie respectively on the popular video game adaptation, which concludes with episode nine this weekend.

Since the series release, fans have obsessed over Pascal and Ramseys real-life friendship.

In an interview ahead of the series last year, Ramsey told USA Today: I shot for a whole year, which is quite a long time when youve only lived for 19 years.

Pedro wrote a little card to me at the end, saying, How interesting that something so huge and life-changing should happen so early in your life and so late in mine. I thought it was a really sweet observation and I just had the best time.

The quote has recently resurfaced on social media as fans express their adoration for the actors.

In a TikTok with more than two million views, a fan shared the clip with the caption: I am not emotional, you are. We need to protect Pedro at all costs.

In a short clip shared by HBO Maxs official Twitter account this week, Pascal explains: Bella Ramsey plays Ellie, I call her Bellie and shes my blessing. It was a match made in heaven, and I love her.

Ramsey adds in the clip: Our relationship has definitely developed as Joel and Ellies relationship has. Were good buddies.

Bella retweeted the clip, writing: HOW I MISS YOU I really really miss you. My Pedge.

HOW I MISS YOU I really really miss you. My Pedge. https://t.co/bYmNl3RAe8  Bella Ramsey (@BellaRamsey) March 6, 2023

The two shared an unlikely connection, both appearing in Game of Thrones  though, their characters never interacted. Pascal played Oberyn Martell, who died at the hands of The Mountain in season four, while Ramsey played Lyanna Mormont in the sixth, seventh, and eighth seasons.

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Ramsey, who identifies as non-binary, previously said she shared many conversations with her super supportive co-star regarding sexuality and gender.

Pascal has been an outspoken LGBT+ ally since his younger sister came out as trans in 2021.

Earlier this week, The Mandalorian star shut down a paparazzo who repeatedly asked him about The Last of Us LGBT+ themes.
President Joe Biden is not expected to seek significant new Covid funding as part of his forthcoming budget proposal, the latest sign that the White House is preparing to wind down its emergency response operation later this year.

The move comes as Biden has insisted that the public health crisis is under control, and amid a broader administration shift toward new priorities aimed at bolstering the post-pandemic economy and lowering consumer costs.

The White House proposal, which is scheduled for release Thursday, is expected to drop a call Biden made last year for tens of billions of dollars to fuel the ongoing crisis response, including purchasing more vaccines and treatments, three people familiar with the matter told POLITICO.

The budget may also leave out the administrations prior request for new funding to jumpstart research aimed at developing the next generation of Covid vaccines and therapeutics. Health officials are currently discussing whether theres existing money that can be reallocated toward the project.

The White Houses Office of Management and Budget declined to comment, and the people familiar with the matter cautioned that the details of the budget proposal were not finalized and could still change.



Even if the White House renewed its funding request, it would have faced a highly uncertain path forward. House Republicans have pledged to scale back the governments Covid response, and even among Democratic lawmakers theres little enthusiasm for continuing to fund the effort.

But the waning focus on Covid still represents a notable shift for an administration that once believed its success in ending the pandemic would define Bidens presidency. The White House in its first months prioritized spending hundreds of billions of dollars to distribute vaccines, develop new treatments and bolster the nations public health apparatus.

Biden also made Covid a centerpiece of his first two budget proposals. He argued it was critical to fund government programs capable of responding swiftly to Covid and any future pandemic threats.

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And top White House officials spent much of last year pleading with Congress to allocate as much as $22.5 billion toward its ongoing pandemic operations, warning that the dwindling funding risked crippling its ability to combat dangerous new variants.

But those requests were stonewalled by Republicans skeptical of the need for additional Covid funding. The extended stalemate forced the White House to pare back its ambitions and accelerate preparations to shift responsibility for purchasing and distributing vaccines and treatments to the private sector later this year. The administration is now unlikely to need additional money to buy more shots and therapies, with officials calculating they should have enough on hand to meet demand until it hands the job off to private insurers.

A White House budget proposal is traditionally viewed as little more than a presidential wish list. But last years Covid funding fight has left officials convinced there is little appetite on either side of the aisle in Congress for continuing to make the pandemic response a top federal priority, the people familiar with the matter said  even against the persistent backdrop of more than 2,000 Covid deaths a week.

The White House is instead expected to use its budget to highlight a series of proposals designed to build out other health programs, in an effort to sharpen Bidens contrast with House Republicans hes accused of wanting to gut major parts of the nations safety net.

The administration earlier this week detailed a plan to extend Medicares solvency by raising taxes on people making more than $400,000 and expanding the programs new authority to negotiate the price of certain drugs.

Biden is also likely to renew his call for making enhanced Obamacare subsidies permanent, two people familiar with the matter said, as well as for implementing a policy that would extend health coverage to low-income Americans in states that have refused to expand Medicaid.
pixdeluxe / Getty Images

A pair of U.S. senators who are pursuing a bipartisan proposal to reform Social Security aimed to calm fears late last week that their plan will lead to reduced benefits for recipients.

Social Security: Romney Asks Why 25% Drop in Funds Isnt in Bidens Budget

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The senators  Republican Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Independent Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats  are leading a group of legislators in a proposal to reform Social Security on several fronts.

As previously reported by GOBankingRates, their ideas include raising the full retirement age to 70 from 67. They also have proposed creating a sovereign-wealth fund to help pay for Social Security. The fund could be funded with $1.5 trillion or more in borrowed money.

Another option is changing the formula that calculates monthly Social Security benefits from one based on a workers average earnings over 35 years to a formula based on the number of years spent working and paying into Social Security.

These proposals come amid heightened talk of reforming Social Security before the programs Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund runs out of money. That could happen as soon as 2032, according to one estimate, leaving the program solely reliant on payroll taxes for funding  which might cover only about 75% of benefits.

Take Our Poll: Do You Think the US Should Raise the Medicare Tax on High Earners To Help Save the Program?

Many Social Security advocates strongly oppose raising the full retirement age, equating such a move as a cut in benefits.

Cassidy and King looked to quell those fears in a joint statement issued on March 3. In response to what they called incomplete and somewhat alarmist reports regarding the proposal, the senators said their goal is to preserve and protect the retirement security of all Americans now and long into the future.

The Social Security fund will be insolvent in less than a decade, the statement said. If Congress chooses to do nothing, current law requires painful 24% cuts to benefits and a daunting future for fulfilling our promises. If we come together now, we can preserve and protect the retirement security of all Americans now and long into the future.

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Cassidy and King said that conversations are ongoing regarding their plan, and they will provide further details when they have a fully developed plan. But they did offer a peek at a couple of possible elements.

There are dozens of considerations being weighed to protect Social Security, including locking early retirement at 62, an ironclad protection for lower-wage workers, and seeking avenues to increase benefits immediately, the joint statement said. Under what we are discussing, millions would immediately receive more, and no one would receive less.

The wild card is whether their plan even makes it to a Congressional vote. They might have a hard time convincing Democrats and even some Republicans to sign on to a higher full retirement age.

And as NBC News noted, President Joe Biden and many Democrats prefer addressing the funding shortfall through new revenues, while many Republicans favor reduced spending.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Latest Social Security Proposal Would See Millions Receive More, and No One Would Receive Less
Update, March 13:

SEIU Local 99 announced over the weekend that it plans to hold a 3-day unfair labor practice strike to protest what it characterizes as harassment from LAUSD. The union will announce dates for the strike this Wednesday at a joint rally with the teachers union, UTLA. An FAQ on UTLAs website says its members are preparing for full solidarity once the [strike] dates are announced. The rally will take place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Grand Park in front of L.A. City Hall. In addition, the LAUSD school board will meet Tuesday to discuss the labor negotiations in a special closed-session meeting.

The union representing LAUSDs 30,000 school bus drivers, custodians, and other service workers took another step closer to a strike yesterday in a move that could lead to a shutdown of the nations second largest school district.

We are canceling the extension of our current union contract, said SEIU Local 99 executive director Max Arias at yesterdays school board meeting. This includes the no-strike provision.

The announcement follows a string of threats issued by Local 99 leaders in recent months, each one bringing the union closer, at least rhetorically, to a work stoppage.

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A representative for a coalition of 47 organizations also addressed the negotiations, presenting the board with a letter urging its members to address the historic underinvestment in a group of workers  namely women of color  who have consistently demonstrated their commitment to the students and families of Los Angeles.

In December, service workers rallied in front of LAUSD headquarters. In January and February, the union held a strike authorization vote, which passed with 96% support. Now, by canceling the contract extension and its no-strike provision, the union opens the possibility a strike could occur even sooner than anticipated.

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We do not take this decision lightly, said Arias.

Ana Teresa Dahan, managing director of GPSN, spoke on behalf of the 47 organizations.

We want to encourage an equitable resolution and believe in the Superintendents leadership to make that happen said Dahan, quoting from the letter.

The letter praises Local 99s in-person work early in the pandemic and its advocacy to end willful defiance suspensions and increase K-12 arts funding. Other signatories include Educators for Excellence Los Angeles, The Los Angeles Trust for Childrens Health, and the Los Angeles Urban League.

The unions presence at the board meeting was part of a district-wide action on Tuesday  informational picketing at nearly 300 schools  calling attention to alleged unfair labor practices. In documents filed with the state labor board, the union alleges a variety of obstruction and intimidation tactics from district administrators during last months voting period to authorize a strike.

One charge describes a principal who, by continually popping into the staff lounge, would not allow union members to confer in private. Another describes an official who placed boxes in front of a bulletin board holding voting information.

In a statement Wednesday, LAUSD said it was disappointed in SEIUs decision to cancel its contract extension, acknowledging a strike would cause a significant disruption to instruction, and would adversely impact our entire system.

A strike protesting these tactics  an unfair labor practice strike  could be called at any time.

The unions other weapon, an economic strike, can only be called once the states negotiating procedure has been exhausted. The union has moved closer in that direction as well.

Arias said state-facilitated mediation has failed, leading to the step of fact-finding, during which a three-member panel reviews each sides arguments and produces a non-binding recommendation.

The district has made some movements I want to commend them on, Arias said in an interview, adding that during recent negotiations, LAUSD agreed to expand health benefits for teaching assistants and after school workers.

But, he added, they havent come close to meeting the unions core demand of a 30% wage increase as well as an hourly bump of $2, the latter proposed with the unions lowest-paid members in mind.

The average annual salary for union members is $25,000, and many are living paycheck to paycheck.

Three board members on Tuesday  Nick Melvoin,Tanya Ortiz Franklin, and board president Jackie Goldberg  wore purple, the color of SEIU. LAUSD superintendent Alberto Carvalho showed up late, missing Local 99 president Conrado Guerreros two minutes of comment, which highlighted members work to prepare sack lunches and maintain facilities during the early pandemic.

How soon LAUSD forgets, Guerrero said.

When Arias made his announcement, some board members looked surprised, but Carvalho appeared unfazed, moving only to lift a small glass coffee mug to his lips.

Local 99 has the backing of United Teachers Los Angeles, whose board voted in January to support the service workers if they struck by not crossing the picket line.

On March 15, Local 99 and UTLA will hold a joint rally at LA City Hall.
A 16-year-old from Lawrence is facing several charges after police caught him trespassing on the High School campus with a firearm on Monday.

Authorities believed the teen did not intend to harm anyone at Lawrence high school and there was no safety threat to the campus.

Upon searching the 16-year-old, a firearm was located in his jacket and he was immediately placed in custody without incident.

He faces several firearms-related charges, as well as trespassing on school grounds.

The close collaboration between Lawrence Police and Lawrence Public Schools is an essential piece of ensuring a safe, healthy learning environment for the entire school community, and both parties will continue working together to implement the best available public safety practices in the interest of students, staff, and families, according to police.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Photo: pixabay

British Columbians looking to stargaze in the upcoming months will want to mark their calendars for an awe-inspiring meteor shower this spring.

This year's Lyrid meteor shower may produce an impressive display in local skies since the moon will only be six per cent illuminated at its peak, offering near-perfectly dark conditions for optimal viewing, according to Space.com.

The Lyrid meteor shower is one of the oldest recorded meteor showers and is created by the debris of Comet Thatcher, which is expected to be visible from Earth in 2276.

Former H.R. MacMillan Space Centre Astronomer Rachel Wang told V.I.A. in a previous interview that residents can expect to see "10 to 15 meteors (in a dark sky, with good seeing conditions)."

While residents won't see as many shooting stars as they would during the famously productive Perseid shower -- which can see numbers as high as 100 meteors per hour -- they may be able to see "fireballs."

The American Meteor Society adds that the Lyrids usually lack persistent trains, but they can produce "fireballs." A fireball "is another term for a very bright meteor, generally brighter than magnitude -4, which is about the same magnitude of the planet Venus as seen in the morning or evening sky."

The Lyrid shower takes place between April 16 and April 25 and will peak on the night of April 22.

Lyrid meteor shower hunting tips in B.C. for 2023

To fully enjoy the spectacle, here are a few tips for meteor hunting:
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  Jury deliberations began Wednesday in the trial of three men accused of murdering rising rap star XXXTentacion during a 2018 robbery outside a Florida motorcycle shop after the alleged gunman's attorney argued that DNA evidence proves his client and another man are innocent.

Attorney Joseph Kimok gave the final defense closing argument in the trial of three men accused of first-degree murder, telling jurors that while the artist struggled with his killers before being shot and DNA was found on the body and on a stolen necklace, it wasnt from his client, 28-year-old Michael Boatwright. Nor was it from accused second gunman Trayvon Newsome, 24, or accused getaway driver and ringleader Dedrick Williams, 26.

Whoever (XXXTentacion) struggled with is not in this courtroom, Kimok told jurors as the four-week trial neared its conclusion. The DNA proves that someone not named Michael Boatwright or Trayvon Newsome participated in this murder.

A fourth man, Robert Allen, pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder and testified against his former friends. Attorneys for all three men say he is lying about their clients' involvement in the slaying and robbery, which netted $50,000. They also say Broward County sheriff's detectives botched the investigation, failing to consider other possible suspects including Canadian rap star Drake, with whom XXXTentacion had an online feud.

Lead prosecutor Pascale Achille in her rebuttal argument Wednesday admitted that Allen is not a perfect witness, that he has previous felony convictions, but co-conspirators in murders rarely are.

Plans hatched in hell do not have angels for witnesses, she said.

Achille said that while detectives never found the guns, masks and money, only Williams was arrested within days of the shooting, giving the others time to hide any evidence. She said the lack of DNA evidence linking the defendants to the killing is irrelevant  that fact does not exclude them. She said much more importantly, cellphone data shows the defendants were together near the motorcycle shop at the time of the slaying and that Bluetooth data puts them in the SUV used by the shooters at that same time.

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During her primary closing argument Tuesday, Achille played surveillance video from the motorcycle shop and elsewhere that she says backs up Allen's testimony. She also played cellphone videos the defendants allegedly took hours after the killing that showed them smiling and dancing as they flashed handfuls of $100 bills.

Boatwright, Williams and Newsome all face mandatory life sentences if convicted. Prosecutors did not seek the death penalty. While the three are being tried together, the jury has to decide separately on each and could convict just one or two. The jurors deliberated for about an hour Wednesday before adjourning. They will resume Thursday.

XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Onfroy, had just left Riva Motorsports in suburban Fort Lauderdale on June 18, 2018, with a friend when his BMW was blocked by an SUV that swerved in front.

Surveillance video showed that two masked gunmen emerged and confronted the 20-year-old rapper at the drivers window, and one shot him repeatedly after a 45-second struggle. They then grabbed a Louis Vuitton bag containing the $50,000, which XXXTentacion had just withdrawn from the bank. They then got back into the SUV and sped away. The friend was not harmed.

Prosecutors say the three defendants and Allen set out that day to commit robberies and went to the motorcycle shop to buy Williams a mask. There they spotted the rapper and decided to make him their target.

Prosecutors say Allen and Williams went inside the motorcycle shop to confirm it was him. They then went back to the SUV they had rented, waited for XXXTentacion to emerge and ambushed him, according to prosecutors.

The rapper, who pronounced his name Ex ex ex ten-ta-see-YAWN, was a platinum-selling rising star who tackled issues including prejudice and depression in his songs. He also drew criticism over bad behavior and multiple arrests, including charges that he severely beat and abused his girlfriend.
Suspended Los Angeles City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas, shown in 2020, is accused of steering contracts to USC in exchange for special benefits for his son, Sebastian Ridley-Thomas. (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

At the start of the corruption trial of suspended Los Angeles City Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas, jurors on Wednesday heard conflicting portraits of the onetime power broker.

His defense attorneys cast Ridley-Thomas as a lifelong public servant who represented the poorest communities of L.A. County and relied on USC, the largest private employer in his district, to help meet the social and health needs of his most vulnerable constituents.

But to federal prosecutors, Ridley-Thomas was a conniving operator eager to "monetize" his position and conceal a sexual harassment investigation into his son, Sebastian, then a state Assembly member. To preserve the familys political brand, the elder Ridley-Thomas helped engineer his son's abrupt resignation from the Legislature, supposedly for medical reasons, and squeezed USC for favors to benefit his son, including a professorship and a scholarship, they say. Prosecutors allege he also routed $100,000 through USC's social work school to boost his son's nonprofit.

In exchange, prosecutors contend, Ridley-Thomas steered county contracts to USC's financially troubled social work school as part of a corrupt scheme with its then-dean, Marilyn Flynn.

This case is about power, privilege and lies, Assistant U.S. Atty. Thomas Rybarczyk told jurors during his opening statement. He promised that during the next month of trial, they would see and hear testimony of Ridley-Thomas abusing the power of his office" and the lies he told to cover it up.

Wearing a dark suit and burgundy tie, Ridley-Thomas, 68, watched quietly behind black frame glasses, occasionally whispering to his legal team. His wife, Avis, sat in the front row, while friends and supporters filled some of the courtroom's pews.

Ridley-Thomas is defending against a 19-count indictment that accuses him of bribery, conspiracy, and honest services mail and wire fraud. If convicted, the charges carry up to decades in prison.

The accusations in the case stem from his time on L.A. County's Board of Supervisors, when he was one of five people that oversee a $30-billion annual budget and vote on contracts for child welfare, mental health and other public services. The alleged scheme centers on votes Ridley-Thomas made on contracts and agreements related to the Department of Children and Family Services; training programs for probation employees; and remote mental health treatment for at-risk youths, among others.

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Ridley-Thomas' defense attorney, Galia Amram, leaned into the complexities of being a county supervisor as she flatly denied the elaborate corruption alleged by prosecutors.

You just heard a story that you were asked to believe  the story of Mark Ridley-Thomas selling his vote," Amram said in her opening statement. That did not happen."

Instead, she said, Ridley-Thomas had established legitimate partnerships with USC leaders long before any alleged conspiracy, including with Flynn and then-President C.L. Max Nikias. The contracts at the center of the case, Amram said, were the result of complicated and tedious work among various Ridley-Thomas aides, USC and the staff of other L.A. County offices.

Amram suggested that a sloppy investigation had dwelled on the inner workings of USC while neglecting to understand the nuances and processes of the county's vast bureaucracy.

A supervisor cannot just do whatever they want, Amram told the jury. A supervisor cannot just sign a contract on behalf of the county. Theres a process.

Showing a flowchart of contracts being reviewed by staff, lawyers and the county chief executive before going to the Board of Supervisors, Amram asked jurors to consider: Did any of this not happen? Was any of this skipped over?

The trial is expected to last until early to mid-April and feature testimony from former USC administrators and professors, political consultants to Ridley-Thomas and officials from across L.A. County. Its unclear whether Ridley-Thomas will testify before the jury of eight women and four men.

One of the main witnesses for the prosecution, John Clapp, testified Wednesday afternoon about the admission of Sebastian Ridley-Thomas to USC's social work program.

Flynn, the dean, had made the decision to admit Sebastian and award him a scholarship, but the younger Ridley-Thomas had "never completed the application or sent his transcripts," Clapp wrote in an email shown to jurors. Such an occurrence was without precedent, Clapp testified.

Clapp, who was the second-in-command of the social work school, was shown a letter to Sebastian Ridley-Thomas confirming his hiring. Despite the letter stating that faculty had recommended hiring Sebastian, Clapp testified, "I don't believe any of the faculty were aware of this."

"Was that unusual?" asked Assistant U.S. Atty. Lindsey Dotson.

"Yes," Clapp replied.

Later in the spring of 2018, Flynn pushed to get a remote mental health contract amended in a way that would provide $8 million a year in revenue. Clapp said that at one point, Flynn told him "good news": The contract would be secured.

"She said something to the effect of, 'but I had to do a little favor to get it,'" Clapp testified. "She winked at me at the end."

Earlier Wednesday morning, former USC administrator Brenda Wiewel said she delivered a confidential letter to Ridley-Thomas office on Flynn's behalf in 2017. To prosecutors, the letter outlines the crux of a quid pro quo between the dean and the lawmaker at a time when Flynn needed government contracts to prop up the financially troubled social work school.

"The letter spelled our her agreement with the defendant," Rybarczyk said.

But Ridley-Thomas' defense attorney countered in her opening statement that the letter was proof of something else: that the government had no inkling of how the lawmaker or his staff handled the letter, because no one on the politicians staff had ever been interviewed by investigators.

The government made choices about who to talk to and who not to talk to, who to ignore and who to pay attention to, Amram said.

The outcome, she suggested, was a case that was heavy on misconduct by USC, with scant understanding of Ridley-Thomas' side or his intent.

Nothing the government told you was illegal  if it was done in good faith, Amram said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Graduates participate in their commencement ceremony at USC on May 13, 2022. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: Nicholas Goldberg's column, "Suddenly, 'I flunked algebra' is a ticket to success," celebrates mediocrity while bashing higher education with the weaponized "elite" label.

I did my graduate work at USC and taught there as a lecturer in computer science at the end of my career. I was an official at every graduation, dressed in my flaming red gown.

It never failed that some parents and grandparents came up to me and thanked me for what I did. Often, their child was the first in their family to go to college. I still get letters from my students; many are from minorities, telling me about their successes.

USC gives scholarships to students who are accepted and can't afford the exorbitant tuition. I'm sure some patronage occurs, but elitism is not the full story.

David Wilczynski, Manhattan Beach

..

To the editor: I taught special education in a Los Angeles Unified School District middle school for more than 10 years. Our kids had learning disabilities of every type, but what about 90% also had were major behavioral issues.

The first time I really connected with my kids was the day I told them I had been a terrible student and had not even finished high school. That I was often disruptive and had been kicked out of two high schools. That I had gone on to get a GED and then taken classes at a community college.

My students were always stunned when I told them this. They said they'd never had a teacher who admitted to being less than perfect all their school years.

I told them, bluntly, that I didn't believe a word of it. I didn't believe every one of their teachers was never tardy or never failed to turn in an assignment or never talked back.

We all got along beautifully, and a great many of them learned to modify their behavior and went on to regular classes.

Anne Beaty, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: So LAUSD Board Member Jackie Goldberg, UC Board of Regents Chairman Rich Lieb, Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Biden, among many others, offer their academic disinterest and failures in support of a "growing sense that the old markers of achievement may not be as significant as we thought they were."

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I was recently treated for prostate cancer by one of the top surgeons in the world. Thankfully the surgeon did not consider dropping out of high school and obtaining a GED (Goldberg), scored higher than the bottom 2% in math on the SAT (Lieb), could read well in grade school (Newsom) and had am undergraduate grade average higher than 1.9 (Biden).

Kevin H. Park, Oklahoma City

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A Walgreens store in San Francisco on March 7. (Bloomberg via Getty Images)

To the editor: Gov. Gavin Newsom's threatened boycott of Walgreens over its decision not to sell the abortion drug mifepristone in 20 states catapults him to the level of vindictiveness of his nemesis, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. He wildly tosses darts at the board of socially repressive policies of Republicans, hoping one will stick.

Newsom failed to do his homework on whether he even has the power to implement a boycott of any consequential financial impact. His motto should be, "When they go low, we go lower."

His relentless reactive jabs against conservative Republicans feed right into the narrative of his enemies. If Newsom is so irked by the policies of conservative Republicans nationally, he should just run for national office already.

His brand of moral superiority is becoming tiresome to many Californians, even if his positions align with our political views.

Steven Lutzer, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: I was a Walgreens pharmacy customer. At 76 years old, I am way beyond needing to get the abortion pill, but its absolutely unconscionable for Walgreens not to offer it to patients in red states.

I've had two abortions in my life, one illegal and one legal, and I wish I had access to safe abortion pills at the time.

Even though Walgreens in California still offers the pills, for now, I took my business to a local pharmacy. I wish I had done so earlier: There was better customer service, no long waits on the phone, and finally no reams of receipts.

Carolyn Young, Glendale

..

To the editor: No one should be shocked by Walgreens' ill-considered decision to relegate patient health to the bottom of the queue. It has previously demonstrated its "fire, ready, aim" business model in spectacular fashion.

Mesmerized by the sales pitches of the now-convicted former heads of Theranos, Walgreens executives spent tens of millions on an untested blood testing machine that it discovered didn't work. The ensuing litigation produced a full, damning picture of Walgreens' corporate credulousness and incompetence.

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Given this highly publicized embarrassment, it's hardly surprising that Walgreens has decided to retreat to a cave rather than risk the bright light of controversy. Ironically, its decision to shrink from its duty to its customers may elicit event greater debate and criticism.

Mark Steinberg, Los Angeles

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The sculpture of U.S. presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln towers over the Black Hills at Mount Rushmore, near Keystone, S.D. Scott Olson/Getty Images News via Getty Images

Theres about US$430 billion on the line for 40 million people in the Supreme Courts upcoming decisions on student debt forgiveness.

But for President Joe Biden, the extent of the executive branchs power is also at stake.

In August 2022, Biden announced that the U.S. Department of Education would cancel federal student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 a year. The plan was designed to blunt the continuing financial hardships student loan borrowers suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By executive action, the president determined the secretary of education would cancel $20,000 of debt for borrowers who were Pell Grant recipients and $10,000 for others through the 2003 Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act, or HEROES Act. It empowers the federal government to change student loan programs in response to national emergencies.

President Joe Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona explain student loan debt forgiveness to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Aug. 24, 2022. Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images

But the state of Nebraska and six others challenged the program in federal court, claiming in part that its an overreach that violates the separation of powers. A second lawsuit, this one brought by two students, argued that the secretary of education did not have the authority to establish the plan and asked the federal court to set it aside. Both cases are now before the Supreme Court.

The Biden administration argues that none of the plaintiffs have suffered actual injuries and are not the proper parties to sue. But if the Supreme Court disagrees, it will then decide whether the administration followed the correct procedures in adopting the plan and whether executive power covers an expansive debt cancellation plan. The answers will rest on fundamental principles regarding how the Constitution divides power between Congress and the president.

The Conversation asked Derek W. Black, a legal scholar who specializes in constitutional law and education, to describe executive power and its role in the legal battles over student debt forgiveness.

1. What authority does the Constitution give the president and his administration?

The Constitution divides power among the three branches of government to ensure none of them has too much. There is the legislative branch, made up of both houses of Congress; the executive branch, composed of the president, vice president, the presidents cabinet and federal agencies, including the secretary of education and the Department of Education; and the judicial branch, which includes federal district courts, courts of appeal and the Supreme Court.

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Congress enacts legislation, sets taxes, authorizes public expenditures and establishes substantive policies and rules.

The executive administers and enforces that legislation. In many instances, legislation also authorizes agencies to make certain lower-level policy decisions  either through regulations or executive action.

And the judicial branch determines whether the legislature or the executive breached constitutional or statutory rules in carrying out their duties, including whether they violated anyones rights or exceeded the scope of their authority.

2. Can the president determine how government spends money?

Only Congress can appropriate money. Congress passes appropriations bills each year that authorize a specific level of funding for federal projects and agencies. The Department of Education, for instance, receives a specific dollar amount every year to spend on all of its programs.

Theres no freewheeling authority for the executive branch to spend however much money it wants. Theres no provision in the Constitution for that. The president has no power to tax anyone, nor any power to spend money, except for the taxes and spending that Congress has authorized for the president and his various agencies.

With the student loan forgiveness program, the president wants the secretary of education to waive students debt and assume responsibility for paying off loans with money that Congress has not yet appropriated.

3. Does the executive branch have the authority to forgive debt that students owe?

Yes, but there are caveats. The president and other members of the executive branch, such as the secretary of education, can forgive debts only when Congress authorizes it. One 2007 law established the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which permits the secretary of education to forgive student loans after debt holders work in public service jobs for 10 years. The HEROES Act gives the secretary of education the power to waive or modify student loans during times of emergency.

The current cases do not call into question the public service program. Instead, they challenge the emergency program.

Supporters of the Biden administrations student debt relief plan stand in the rain in front of the Supreme Court the evening before the court heard arguments about the plans constitutionality. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images News via Getty Images

4. If the executive branch has the authority to forgive student debt, why are the plaintiffs suing?

It is really about the scope and details of the secretary of educations power, rather than a general question of whether he has power.

The problem is that Congress, in the emergency debt relief law, explicitly gives the secretary power to waive or modify student loans during times of emergency, but it does not specify a cap for the loan amounts the secretary may waive or modify. Nor does Congress set aside a chunk of money necessary to cover all the potential loans the secretary might modify or waive.

The question is whether Congress can give the executive branch what amounts to a blank check to spend on student loan forgiveness.

The administration argues that because Congress didnt place any limit on the secretary of educations waiver and adjustment power, the secretary can adjust or cancel as many loans as he wants, and Congress has implicitly agreed to pick up the tab.

The plaintiffs are saying that Congress didnt intend to give the executive such wide power to adjust and waive student loans, because that would mean practically unlimited spending power for the executive branch.

5. How has the Courts approach to executive power changed over time?

Executive power was relatively limited until the 1940s. The Supreme Court rejected attempts by Congress to delegate power to the executive branch.

But in an increasingly complex world where good policy depends on expert analysis and evolving facts, Congress is ill-positioned to deal with some issues. Congress could know, for instance, that air pollution is bad, but determining exactly how much particulate in the air is too much  or, for that matter, which particulate is harmful  is beyond Congress capabilities.

So, Congress began delegating important policy questions to the executive branch. Over the past century, the Supreme Court has largely permitted that delegation.

But the current Supreme Court is concerned about increasingly expansive executive power that upsets the balance of power between Congress and the president. This Supreme Court often requires very specific statutory support when the executive branch takes sweeping action on issues of major significance  what legal scholars call the major questions doctrine. The Supreme Court will not, as Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in 2001, uphold broad executive power based on vague terms or ancillary statutory text because Congress does not  hide elephants in mouseholes.

This doctrine, of course, lies at the center of the student debt relief cases, with the Biden administration emphasizing that the law specifically grants the secretary of education power to waive and modify loans. The challengers argue that the administration is trying to pull an elephant out of a mouse hole, because Congress never imagined debt relief of this scope or under these circumstances.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation is trustworthy news from experts, from an independent nonprofit. Try our free newsletters.

It was written by: Derek W. Black, University of South Carolina.

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I have no current affiliations to disclose. I did, however, volunteer with the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team in 2008.
The flag of Lithuania

A state of emergency has been in effect in Lithuania since the migration crisis on the border with Belarus. The state of emergency decree, which is approved by the parliament, provides for more stringent procedures for issuing all documents to Russians and Belarusians  as a result, applications for these documents are denied.

Read also: Russian A-50 AWACS plane damaged in Belarus is beyond repair, Ukrainian official says

The decree also prohibits Russian citizens from entering Lithuania  except for diplomats, dissidents, employees of transport companies, family members of EU citizens, as well as Russians with a residence permit or long-term national visas issued by Schengen Area countries.

Read also: Putin signs decree on conscripting foreign citizens

Currently the state of emergency in Lithuania is valid until March 16, but there is a chance it wont be extended if the country's parliament passes a separate law on migrants. As a result, the sanctions against Russian and Belarus citizens will lose their force and would require a separate introduction.

Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Jovita Neliupsiene told BNS that the aim of the initiative is to create a "national sanctions regime". It wont apply to legal entities, since the decision on economic sanctions is made at the EU level.

Read also: Lithuania preparing new military aid package for Ukraine

The Lithuanian government has appealed to the country's parliament with a request to consider this issue as a matter of urgency.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who was on the House select committee that probed the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, weighed in on and welcomed potential plans by House Republicans to investigate Jan. 6 for themselves now that they control the lower chamber.

If @HouseGOP wants new Jan 6 hearings, bring it on. Lets replay every witness & all the evidence from last year, Cheney said on Twitter.

But this time, those members who sought pardons and/or hid from subpoenas should sit on the dais so they can be confronted on live TV with the unassailable evidence, the former lawmaker added.

Cheney was vice chairwoman of the Jan. 6 panel during Congresss last legislative session, which concluded with criminal referrals against former President Trump, recommending the Department of Justice investigate him for inciting an insurrection, conspiracy to defraud the country, conspiracy to make a false statement and obstruction of an official proceeding.

Republicans expressed ahead of Novembers midterm elections their intent to conduct their own Jan. 6 probes if they gained control of the House. The GOP failed to take the Senate, but secured the lower chamber and is reportedly mulling new probes into the incident and the Democrat-led panel in which Cheney participated.

Renewed talk of potential new GOP probes comes after Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) controversially gave access to thousands of hours of video footage from Jan. 6 to Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

An outspoken critic of Trump, Cheney was ousted from her House seat during last years midterm cycle, defeated in Wyomings GOP primary by a Trump-backed challenger. She was one of just 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 riots and drew the ire of the former president for her stance.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Longtime Fox Corp. lobbyist and former Biden aide Danny OBrien is leaving the media giant to become executive vice president and head of U.S. corporate affairs at Qcells, a South Korean solar energy company. OBrien, who led government relations at Fox since November 2018, previously served as chief of staff to then-Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) and Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.).

His departure comes as Fox News faces a perilous defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems  and as clean energy companies push for funding from the Biden administration.

Robin Juliano joined Cornerstone Government Affairss lobbying team. Juliano most recently served as Democratic staff director on the powerful House Appropriations Committee under Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.). She previously was a senior policy adviser on then-President Obamas National Economic Council.

Courtney Ryan and Lucas West joined the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association as vice presidents of government affairs. Ryan comes from the Credit Union National Association, where she was director of advocacy, and previously was deputy executive director and finance director of House Majority PAC, the top super PAC for House Democrats. West most recently served as a senior policy adviser for Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.), who chairs the House Financial Services Committees subcommittee on digital assets, financial technology and inclusion.

The Center for American Progress brought on Alondra Nelson as a distinguished senior fellow. Nelson, who recently left the White House to return to the Institute for Advanced Study as a professor, previously served as acting director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Elevate Government Affairs hired Tyler Hardy as a vice president. Hardy was a longtime aide to Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), most recently serving as his deputy legislative director.

Walmart hired Katie Mercer as a senior manager for federal government affairs. Mercer most recently was a senior adviser for public policy at the Society for Human Resource Management and previously served as legislative director for Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.).

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Procter & Gamble hired Christina Lotspike as director of government relations. Lotspike most recently was senior federal affairs manager at Instacart and previously was vice president of technology and transportation advocacy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Lobbying World documents the top lobbying hires in the nations capital every week. Send tips to Karl at kevers@thehill.com.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Robert Urban, right, Tuscarawas County assistant prosecutor, addresses the court during the sentencing of Tabbetha D. Perez. She appeared Tuesday in Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court before Judge Michael Ernest.

NEW PHILADELPHIA  A Canton woman has been sentenced to six years in prison for supplying drugs to her brother, which resulted in his death.

Tabbetha Perez, 36, learned her punishment Tuesday from Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Judge Michael Ernest for corrupting another with drugs and aggravated trafficking in drugs. Corrupting another with drugs is furnishing drugs to another person and causing serious physical harm to that person.

More on Perez:Nevada robbery and kidnapping victim: I am a survivor

She is already serving a two-year sentence on unrelated drug charges.

"Here we are again on another tragic tale of life and death in the drug culture," Assistant Prosecutor Robert Urban said in presenting the state's case.

On April 18, 2021, she and her brother, Jesse A. Mencer, 40, took drugs at the same time at a home in New Philadelphia. Both overdosed. According to Urban, Perez regained consciousness after three doses of Narcan but her brother died.

Perez, who appeared in court through a video link, said she was sorry for what happened. "I lost my best friend. I lost my brother," she told Ernest.

Tabbetha D. Perez listens to Judge Michael Ernest during her sentencing Tuesday on drug-related charges in Tuscarawas County Common Pleas Court. Perez and her brother both overdosed after taking what they thought to be cocaine. Perez was revived but her brother died.

In imposing the sentence, the judge said, "This is the worst case scenario of corrupting another with drugs and trafficking in drugs where in the end someone dies as a result of these activities."

Her also ordered Perez to pay $2,586 in restitution to the Tuscarawas County Sheriff's Office. While this case was pending, Perez fled to Nevada, Urban said. The $2,586 was the amount it cost the sheriff's office to bring her back to Ohio.

Reach Jon at 33-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Tabbetha Perez sentenced in death of her brother, Jesse Mencer
Photo: The Canadian Press Rural Municipalities of Alberta says the total of unpaid taxes from the oilpatch keeps rising despite the industry's boom. Pumpjacks pump crude oil near Halkirk, Alta., June 20, 2007. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal

Unpaid municipal taxes from the Alberta oilpatch keep rising despite the industry's boom, the province's rural communities say.

"This is the worst ever," said Paul McLauchlin, president of Rural Municipalities of Alberta, which released the data Tuesday. "We've got a serious problem."

The group says energy companies now owe towns and villages in which they operate a total of $268 million. That's up more than six per cent from last year and up 261 per cent since 2018, when the association began keeping track.

As well, the rate of nonpayment is increasing.

McLauchlin said there was $53 million left unpaid in 2022 and $38 million in 2021.

The growing tax debt is occurring at a time of record profits in the industry. McLauchlin said nearly half the unpaid taxes are due from operating companies.

"You've got the highest commodity prices in a generation, free cash flow like no one's ever seen. You think that people would pay their bills."

It's the third year the municipalities have released a tally of unpaid taxes.

Previously, the provinces United Conservative Party government told the Alberta Energy Regulator that it "may" use factors such as tax arrears in ruling on whether to allow transfers of energy assets. Municipalities can submit statements of concern on applications for licence transfers if the companies involved have unpaid taxes.

Municipalities can also attach liens to property if taxes go unpaid.

McLauchlin said that's no longer enough.

"I don't think you can use kid gloves to deal with this. I don't think 'nudge, nudge, please pay' is working," he said. "You need to use regulation and you need to use enforcement."

Municipal Affairs Minister Rebecca Schulz said the province is aware of the survey results and agrees with the Rural Municipalities of Alberta that the problem of unpaid oil and gas taxes to rural municipalities is unacceptable.

She said the government is consulting with industry, municipalities, and landowners to explore options to ensure taxes are paid as a condition of license transfer.

"The vast majority of companies operating in Albertas energy sector pay their local property taxes but some have not, leaving municipalities with hard decisions about raising taxes for other taxpayers or cutting services," Schulz said in a release Tuesday night.

"We will be in contact directly with delinquent companies, reminding them of their tax responsibilities."

Jay Averill, spokesman for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, said the industry knows it needs to pay its taxes.

"The revenues generated from industry to municipalities play a significant role in maintaining quality of life for rural communities," he said in a statement.

"(The association) also acknowledges that we continue to see the lagging effects of a multi-year downturn for the oil and gas sector. We are committed to continuing to work with the province's liability management system."

Last March, when the municipalities released their 2021 total, a spokesman for Alberta Energy Regulator said the agency is working with municipalities and the province to find solutions but can only implement government policy.

But McLauchlin calls the regulator "complicit" in the problem. He said many of the remaining tax deadbeats, most of which are not members of industry associations, are companies so marginal the regulator is afraid to crack down on them and force them to close their doors before they've cleaned up their wells.

Those wells would then go to the Orphan Well Association, which already has a backlog of unremediated wells that has forced the Alberta and federal governments to bail it out.

McLauchlin said the tax tally and the growing environmental liability of unreclaimed wells on the Alberta landscape are linked.

"(The regulator) uses surface payments and property tax to prop up companies that shouldn't be operating," McLauchlin said. "That's why they're not enforcing it.

"If they were, (the companies) wouldn't meet their environmental responsibilities and these companies would go into some level of receivership."

In 2020, the federal government provided $1 billion for well cleanup in Alberta. The province also requires operators to remediate a certain percentage of their wells every year and has introduced programs that allow the industry to concentrate their cleanup efforts in one area to improve efficiency and reduce cost.

But environmental liabilities continue to grow. Alberta needs to figure something out, McLauchlin said.

"What are we doing here? What's our plan?"
The Louisville, Kentucky, city government and police department conducted practices that violated the Constitution, according to a new investigation released Wednesday by the Department of Justice.

The Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government and the Louisville Metro Police Department had patterns of unlawful practices, Attorney General Merrick Garland said during a press conference in Louisville on Wednesday. The DOJ investigation, the results of which Garland announced Wednesday, was launched after Louisville police officers shot and killed Breonna Taylor in 2020. That shooting sparked nationwide protests and calls for police reform.

In its report, the DOJ had reasonable cause to believe that the city government and police department engaged in "a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law."

Police officers forcible and violent entry into a persons home strikes at the heart of the constitutional protection against unreasonable government intrusion, the report stated. But Louisville Metros and LMPDs unlawful conduct did not start in 2020.

Some of the LMPD's unconstitutional practices included unjustified neck restraints, unreasonable uses of dogs and tasers, unlawful searches without knocking or announcing or searches with invalid warrants, unlawful practices during traffic and pedestrian stops, and discrimination against Black people and people with behavioral health disabilities, among other patterns.

The report also found the Louisville Police Departments response to sexual assault and domestic violence were deficient. These deficiencies included the LMPDs responses to sexual assault and domestic violence allegations against officers.

Officers called Black people monkeys, animal and boy and insulted people with disabilities, Garland said. He added that officers were seen videotaping themselves throwing drinks at pedestrians out of their cars.

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This unacceptable and unconstitutional conduct erodes the community trust necessary for effective policing," Garland said. "It is also an affront to the vast majority of officers who put their lives on the line to serve Louisville with honor. The Justice Department will work closely with Louisville Metro and LMPD to negotiate toward a consent decree and durable reforms that protect both the safety and civil rights of Louisvilles residents.

The DOJ said Louisville Metro and LMPD fully cooperated in the investigation and agreed to resolve the departments findings through a court-enforceable consent decree with an independent monitor. The DOJ will host a virtual community meeting on Wednesday at 7 p.m. to discuss the findings.

The investigation did not look at specific instances or individuals but rather looked holistically at the departments, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said during the press conference.

People in Louisville deserve policing that is constitutional, fair and non-discriminatory, Clarke said. Our investigation found that the police department and city government failed to adequately protect and serve the people of Louisville, breached the publics trust, and discriminated against Black people through unjustified stops, searches, and arrests.
WASHINGTON  The Louisville Metro Police Department and the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro government engaged in a pattern of unconstitutional behavior by routinely using excessive force, conducting searches based on invalid warrants and unlawfully discriminating against Black people in enforcement activities, a wide-ranging federal investigation found.

Breonna Taylor (Family photo)

The review, conducted by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, also found that police violate the rights of those "engaged in protected speech critical of policing" and that some officers used racial slurs about Black citizens. The city has reached an agreement in principle to resolve the constitutional violations found by federal investigators, the Justice Department said.

The report is similar to those issued in several other cities, including Ferguson, Missouri, after the death of Michael Brown in 2014. The Trump administration backed away from federal investigations into unconstitutional policing, and the investigation into Louisville was announced early in the Biden administration, in 2021.

The Louisville investigation came in the aftermath of the botched police raid that led to the death of Breonna Taylor in March 2020. Four Louisville officers were federally charged in August in connection with Taylor's death. DOJ's pattern-and-practice investigation was not a criminal probe, but rather looked at broader, systemic issues in the police department.

"Breonna Taylor was a symptom of problems that we have had for years," one Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) leader told federal investigators. The report said that police officers' actions "do not happen in a vacuum" and noted that "segregation, poverty, and violence" affected policing in the racially segregated city. The police department, which is 81% white, was charged with patrolling neighborhoods that were predominately Black.

The report notes that officers "have difficult jobs" and said that the LMPD and Louisville/Jefferson County Metro government "have not given officers and other employees the support and resources they need to do their jobs effectively and lawfully," and that they had "deficient training, substandard facilities and equipment, and inadequate support for mental health and wellness."

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"For years, LMPD has practiced an aggressive style of policing that it deploys selectively, especially against Black people, but also against vulnerable people throughout the city," the report states. "LMPD cites people for minor offenses, like wide turns and broken taillights, while serious crimes like sexual assault and homicide go unsolved."

"Some officers demonstrate disrespect for the people they are sworn to protect," the report continues. "Some officers have videotaped themselves throwing drinks at pedestrians from their cars; insulted people with disabilities; and called Black people 'monkeys,' 'animal,' and 'boy.' This conduct erodes community trust, and the unlawful practices of LMPD and Louisville Metro undermine public safety."

Political bias was baked into LMPD, the report found. One July 2018 department document said the extremist Three Percenters group believe law enforcement has been handcuffed by politics and want to help us do what they think is right, and adopted the Three Percenters' description of themselves as patriotic citizens who love their country, their freedoms, and their liberty.

In a press conference Wednesday morning, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said he and Louisville Metro Police interim Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel "are taking action to reform and improve how our police department operates."

The U.S. Department of Justice is demanding that we take action. The people of Louisville are demanding that we take action," said Greenberg, who along with Gwinn-Villaroel was sworn-in in January 2023.

Gwinn-Villaroel said the LMPD are committed to working "collaboratively and earnestly with all necessary parties" to find solutions., saying, "This is a challenging and pivotal point for our city, our department, and our officers."

Kentucky state Rep. Keturah Herron, a Democrat who pushed for Breonnas Law, which restricts the use of no-knock warrants in the state said a review of Louisville police practices was a long time coming.

The things that are found in this investigation are things that the community has been saying not since Breonna Taylor, but for decades in Louisville, Herron said. To be able to finally get some type of acknowledgment that LMPD has been terrorizing the black community specifically but then also those with disabilities  its a relief. But this is really now where the work starts over again.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Nearly five years after plainclothes officers shot and killed Breonna Taylor, an unarmed Black woman, during a botched search warrant raid in her Louisville home, the Justice Department found the Louisville Metro Police Department broadly "engage[d] in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law."

That conclusion, published Wednesday, comes after two years of DOJ investigations into the LMPD, prompted by Taylor's death and the broad social and racial justice protests it sparked. The 90-page document covers a number of ways the department, and the Louisville government at large, allowed unlawful conduct to "continue unchecked," writing that for years, "LMPD has practiced an aggressive style of policing that it deploys selectively, especially against Black people, but also against vulnerable people throughout the city."

Among the investigation's findings:

LMPD uses excessive force, including unjustified neck restraints and the unreasonable use of police dogs and tasers.

LMPD conducts searches based on invalid warrants.

LMPD unlawfully executes search warrants without knocking and announcing.

LMPD unlawfully stops, searches, detains, and arrests people during street enforcement activities, including traffic and pedestrian stops.

LMPD unlawfully discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities.

LMPD violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech critical of policing.

Louisville Metro and LMPD discriminate against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to them in crisis.

Calling his department's findings "unacceptable and unconstitutional," Attorney General Merrick Garland said the behavior "erodes the community trust necessary for effective policing" in a brief statement.

"To those people who have been harmed: on behalf of our city government, I'm sorry," newly elected Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said, following the release of the investigation report. "You deserved better."

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As the Justice Department noted, Louisville has spent more than $40 million to resolve police misconduct claims over the past six years, although it has also "not waited to make changes" such as banning the controversial "no-knock" warrants that were used at Taylor's home, and dispatching mental health professionals on certain 911 calls. However, the department concluded, "much work remains to ensure that the city and its police department comply with federal law." To that end, the DOJ has recommended several steps the department can take to stem its pattern of violations, including revising its use-of-force policies and training, and adjusting its methods for obtaining and executing search warrants.

Wednesday's report is separate from the ongoing federal civil rights case against the officers involved in Taylor's death.

On Twitter, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) reacted to the department's findings, saying the report only confirmed "what we already know about too many police departments: they unlawfully discriminate against Black people and people with disabilities."

"I'm thinking of Breonna Taylor now," Bush added. "She should be alive today."

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A sign shows the Louisville Metro Police headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky on Oct. 25, 2021. Luke Sharrett for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Louisville Metro Police officers tased a man so many times, his horrified children asked if he was dead.

The Department of Justice probe found the vicious tasing traumatized the children.

The officers were responding to a domestic violence call and "escalated the encounter," according to the findings.

Louisville police officers tased a man so many times, his "traumatized" children cried out asking if he was dead, according to the shocking results of a Department of Justice probe.

The investigation found that the officers were responding to a domestic violence call involving a knife. But when they arrived on the scene, there was no fight occurring.

According to the DOJ, "Officers made no attempt to investigate what had happened, but rather walked up to the man and immediately told him, 'Put your hands up here.'"

When the man calmly asked why, officers did not answer and instead grabbed him, putting the man on the ground and tasing him three times.

The report alleges: "They gave no warning before deploying the taser and gave the man no opportunity to comply in between the tasings."

After the man screamed, begging the officers to stop, the officers handcuffed him.

The DOJ investigation says the man's five children were in the house and cried out: "Is he dead? Is my daddy dead?"

The man later told officers he would have complied if officers had asked to talk to him.

The incident was reported in a DOJ investigation published Wednesday after a years-long investigation into the Louisville Metro Police Department following the death of Breonna Taylor at the hands of police.

The probe found numerous horrifying incidents of police abuse and constitutional violations, including one instance in which a cop admitted he "beat the shit" out a drunk woman but was never disciplined. According to the DOJ, in most of the "problematic incidents" reviewed, "supervisors reviewed the conduct at issue but failed to identify the misconduct."

The police department released a statement from Interim Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel in response to the DOJ investigation, saying it "will continue our efforts in improving public safety in Louisville and making LMPD the premiere police department in the country."

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Gwinn-Villaroel added that the "process of reform is complex and will require sustained effort."

"Improvement will not occur overnight and will require clear goals and objectives. To this end, we are committed to work collaboratively and earnestly with all necessary parties," the statement read.

Read the original article on Insider
A new report by the Department of Justice determined that the Kentucky police department responsible for the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor unlawfully discriminates against Black people, among other findings.

The report, released Wednesday, found that the Louisville Police Department uses excessive force, uses invalid warrants to conduct searches, unlawfully stops people and violates the rights of people engaged in protected free speech critical of policing.

The DOJs two-year investigation began following the killing of 26-year-old Taylor by Louisville police officers, who knocked her door down while executing a drug search warrant. Taylor was fatally shot by police after her boyfriend fired a shot at the officers as they came through the door. Last year, a Louisville officer pleaded guilty to falsifying the warrant that led to the deadly shooting.

Louisville police officers were also using neck restraints in circumstances that are not justified, the department wrote.

The department found that officers were using neck restraints even while it was prohibited by department policy.

In one incident, officers responded to a call of an elderly Black man who was dancing in the street. Officers arrived to the scene and within seconds grabbed the man and pulled him down by his neck. One of the officers sat on the mans head and neck while they were trying to handcuff him for nearly 30 seconds.

Then, officers turned him over and one of them pressed their knee on his neck for nearly two minutes as witnesses watched, the report says.

They are objectively unreasonable where a person is already restrained or poses no danger to others. Our review shows that LMPD officers resort to neck restraints even against people who are not resisting, or people who have already been handcuffed or otherwise subdued, the Justice Department wrote.

Protesters react to a grand jury indicting one officer involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor on Sept. 23, 2020, in Louisville.

Protesters react to a grand jury indicting one officer involved in the shooting of Breonna Taylor on Sept. 23, 2020, in Louisville.

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The DOJ found that Louisville police underreported certain types of uses of force after reviewing a sample of 2,217 incidents of less lethal force reports from January 2016 to Oct. 9, 2021.

Some of the examples of less lethal force included officers deploying canines, in which the DOJ found officers were setting police dogs on people who posed no threat, and allowed dogs to keep biting even after people surrendered.

One member of the canine unit told the justice department that training was not a priority of the unit for years.

LMPDs dogs sometimes will not release a person even after their handler orders them to do so, requiring the handler to pull the dog off of the person being bitten. A dogs failure to release upon command calls its training into question. Using an improperly trained dog is reckless and will likely lead to excessive force, the DOJ wrote.

After reviewing 38 closed internal investigations of officer-involved shootings from 2016 to 2021, officers fired their weapons in 28 of them. The last 10 involved civilians firing at an officer without the officer firing back.

Failures of leadership and accountability have allowed unlawful conduct to continue unchecked, the report says. Even when city and police leaders announced solutions, they failed to follow through. In LMPD, officer misconduct too often goes unnoticed and unaddressed. At times, LMPD leaders have endorsed and defended unlawful conduct. A street enforcement unit that violated LMPD policy and federal law has been repeatedly rebranded, but never disbanded.

The report also notes that the city of Louisville has paid out more than $40 million in the past to resolve claims of police misconduct.

Related...
New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman talks about her book "Confidence Man" during a stop on her promotional tour. Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

NYT's Maggie Haberman cautioned against people who are writing Trump off.

Haberman said that the former president is diminished but he still remains a political force.

"I do think that he is stronger than people think," Haberman said on a recent podcast.

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman said it is clear that Donald Trump's political power has waned, but it is far too early to write off the former president either in the 2024 GOP primaries or in the general election.

"He's not nothing but he's not what he was, and that makes measuring what he is now very hard in terms of his strength," Haberman told former top Obama advisors David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs on their "Hacks on Tap" podcast.

Haberman and former top Democratic operatives agreed that it is far too early to project that Trump would lose the GOP nomination to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or would be unable to oust President Joe Biden in a general election. DeSantis, who has amassed significant popularity, has yet to announce a campaign neither has Biden. Biden has been clear that it's his intention to run for reelection.

"I think that anybody who says, 'he's done' that is clearly a mistake," Haberman said of those who are dour on Trump's chances.

Trump has called Haberman "like my psychiatrist" and the veteran Times reporter wrote a lengthy biography about the former president. She ticked off a list of reasons why Trump remains a formidable force in the GOP, including his committed base of supporters even if that support has eroded.

"I think the number of people who would stay home is not as great as people envision," she said. "I do agree that his base is incredibly durable."

Haberman added out that even after the January 6 Capitol riot, a segment of the Republican Party remains behind Trump.

"All of these national events, sort of like January 6 and then the hearings about that day and Trump's efforts to cling to power, have not had some broader Nixon-era bipartisan impact, which was obvious that it was going to be that way because the country is too bifurcated and politics are too bifurcated" she said. "But I do think that he is stronger than people think."

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Nodding to Axelrod and Gibbs' respective circles, Haberman said Democrats should be weary of hoping for Trump as the GOP nominee, the exact scenario that played out in 2016 before Trump's shocking upset.

"There are plenty of Democrats that you and I know that are rooting for Trump to be the nominee, because they think he will be the easiest for President Biden to beat," she said. "I would not make the statement that gets made to me all the time, "Trump can't win another national election.' I don't know that to be true, no one does."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Two years after facing backlash for a recipe labelled as "pho," Gerard faces accusations of cultural appropriation for another Vietnamese dish. Halfbaked Harvest / Instagram

Tieghan Gerard, the food influencer behind Half Baked Harvest, is under fire for cultural appropriation.

Gerard shared a "25 Minute Ginger Sesame Banh Mi Rice Bowls" recipe. Commenters pointed out that "banh mi" means "bread" in Vietnamese.

It's not the first time the influencer has been accused of misappropriating Asian food.

Tieghan Gerard, the cook behind the popular food blog Half Baked Harvest, is under fire for misappropriating a Vietnamese recipe. This is not the first time Gerard has been accused of misrepresenting Asian food.

On March 7, Gerard shared a recipe for "25 Minute Ginger Sesame Banh Mi Rice Bowls" to her Instagram account of 5.2 million followers. Quickly, commenters pointed out that Gerard's "Banh Mi Rice Bowl" was an oxymoron: In Vietnamese, banh mi (pronounced "bun-mee" and was mispronounced by Gerard as "bon-my") means bread.

"The concept of a Banh Mi rice bowl simply doesn't make sense," one commenter wrote. "Why not call it 'Vietnamese-Inspired Rice Bowl' or 'Sweet and Spicy Rice Bowl'?"

"As someone who is Vietnamese, this is super disappointing," another commented. "Not only did you pronounce it wrong, but I don't see how this represents a Banh Mi bowl at all!"

Commenters asked Gerard to "acknowledge the mistake" and employ a "growth mindset" to cultural sensitivity, nodding to her 5.2 million followers: "You have a platform, make it right."

"This really sucks I literally make several of your recipes a week, but it's really disheartening you haven't responded to any of these comments questioning your pronunciation or misrepresentation," a commenter wrote.

Gerard has yet to publicly address concerned comments, and her followers have grown frustrated by her silence. Some said they unfollowed Gerard because they feel she lacks self-awareness and accountability. Comments are also pouring in that accuse the influencer of deleting their critical comments.

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Criticism can also be found underneath the original recipe that she first shared to her website on March 1 where Gerard seems to be only responding to positive feedback. One fan wrote that she is "ignoring the comments of Vietnamese followers even as [she] peddle[s] their culture."

Fans seem particularly exasperated by the foodie because it's not the first time she's been accused of butchering Asian food.

In February 2021, Gerard faced backlash for whitewashing another Vietnamese dish. Gerard shared a noodle soup recipe entitled "Weeknight ginger pho ga (Vietnamese chicken soup)," per Buzzfeed News, that she advised could be prepared in "under an hour."

Followers at the time were once again frustrated and disappointed by the lack of research and misrepresentation. Pho, an iconic Vietnamese dish, is labor and time-intensive, often requiring broth to be prepared for hours, if not days, in advance. In response to the backlash, the recipe was renamed "Easy Sesame Chicken and Noodles in Spicy Broth."

"I think what I want from her despite the fact that she changed the name [of her recipe] is any sense of acknowledgment that this was a learning opportunity for her," follower Stephanie Vu told Buzzfeed News at the time.

A woman named Rachel Rock also told the outlet at the time that she'd been blocked by the influencer after resharing criticism.

Two years later, as Gerard's Instagram account has grown by more than 2 million, it's uncertain how Gerard will face these new accusations of cultural appropriation. So far, Gerard has made no public acknowledgment. Gerard did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
By Mei Mei Chu, Rozanna Latiff and A. Ananthalakshmi

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's anti-corruption agency on Thursday said it would charge former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin with multiple counts of corruption, a move that he called political persecution.

The charges come just three months after Muhyiddin lost a closely fought general election to Anwar Ibrahim, and are likely to increase political tensions in Malaysia, which has seen four prime ministers since 2018.

Muhyuddin will be charged under laws related to abuse of power and money laundering in a Kuala Lumpur court on Friday over an economic recovery project launched by his government, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said.

Muhyiddin denied accusations of wrongdoing and described them as political vendetta. He was briefly arrested on Thursday before being released on bail.

Speaking to reporters, Muhyiddin said he would face seven charges on Friday.

"I stress that I am not guilty and I will face all charges against me in court... This action is political persecution because they fear the strength of Perikatan Nasional," Muhyiddin said, referring to his opposition alliance.

The allegations come ahead of regional elections to be held in six states by mid-year, with his coalition expected to pose a strong challenge to Anwar's alliance.

Prime minister for 17 months between 2020 and 2021, Muhyuddin is the second Malaysian leader to be charged with crimes after losing power. In 2018, Najib Razak faced multiple graft allegations over the multi-billion dollar corruption scandal at state fund 1MDB and has been since been jailed.

Malaysian politics has been in a flux since Najib lost elections in 2018, bringing to an end an uninterrupted rule by the UMNO party that had governed for more than 60 years since independence.

Anwar himself served jail time for corruption and sodomy before he became prime minister, charges he insists were politically motivated and designed to keep him from power.

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Muhyiddin and his party have faced graft investigations since losing the national election in November, with the party's bank accounts frozen by the anti-graft body and two leaders charged with bribery over the economic project.

One of those, Wan Saiful Wan Jan, said the Anwar government was aiming to cripple the opposition with the crackdown.

Anwar's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier on Thursday he said he has not interfered in graft investigations involving Muhyiddin and any decisions on charges would be made by law enforcement authorities.

"To say that there is a political motive behind this... is not right," Anwar said, according to state media Bernama.

(Writing by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Ed Davies, Kanupriya Kapoor, Martin Petty)
A passenger accused of attacking a flight attendant with a broken spoon and trying to open an emergency door allegedly tried to attack guards at the jail where he is being held.

Francisco Torres, 33, of Leominster, Massachusetts, allegedly attacked two guards at the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island, sources told ABC News.

The suspect was charged with one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon on the flight from Los Angels to Boston.

Video recorded by a fellow passenger showed a man identified as Mr Torres threatening to kill every man on this plane and goading anyone to stop him.

Authorities say that 45 minutes before the flight landed in Boston on Sunday, a cockpit alarm went off indicating that an emergency door had been deactivated.

Court documents state the handle was found to have been moved from fully locked a quarter of the way to unlocked and the emergency slide arming lever had been moved to the disarmed position.

A flight attendant secured the door and emergency slide before reporting the situation to the captain.

Another flight attendant then reported that the suspect had been seen near the emergency door and had tampered with it, and when confronted he asked if any cameras had recorded him doing so.

Federal prosecutors say that the flight attendant notified the captain that the suspect was believed to be a threat to the flight and that he should land the aircraft as soon as possible.

Mr Torres is then accused of getting out of his seat and approaching two flight attendants before allegedly trying to stab one of them with a broken metal spoon.

Court documents state that the employee was hit on the neck three times by the suspect.

Passengers then tackled Torres and he was restrained with the assistance of flight crew. Torres was immediately taken into custody upon the flights arrival to Boston, prosecutors state.

If convicted Mr Torres faces a maximum prison of life behind bars, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

Mr Torres was being held in Rhode Island pending a bail hearing on Thursday.

The US Attorneys Office for the District of Massachusetts declined to comment when contacted by The Independent.
The man arrested for shooting a 16-year-old boy to death denies having anything to with the murder and says he does not have the gang ties that Gwinnett police say he does.

Dennis Calzadilla, 20, was arrested in the death of Jose Daniel Martinez, whose body was found behind an abandoned home in Lawrenceville last Wednesday. Police said the home is covered in MS-13 gang graffiti.

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

Channel 2s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson was at the Gwinnett County Jail Tuesday, where Attorney Doug Rohan said that police made a mistake in arresting his client, Calzadilla, who has no criminal record.

My client has nothing to do with any gang, Rohan said. They are looking at a gang problem in Gwinnett. And theyre looking for ways to solve it. And I think theyve missed the mark.

Officers with the gang unit disagree.

TRENDING STORIES:

We feel that we have a very solid case to connect the suspect here to gang activity, one officer said. Were doing high-impact patrols in areas where gangs are prevalent or where there is gang activity.

Either way, Calzadilla wont be getting out of jail any time before his court date.

Meanwhile, the victims mother, Jilsai Ramirez, said nothing has been the same since someone shot and killed her son, who was a student at Berkmar High School.

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That was the most devastating thing that ever happened to me, she said. I cannot think about those words that the officer spoke, that they found him dead, she said.

Ramirez said it was supposed to be another school day, but when she went in his room to wake him up, her son wasnt there.

Police have not released a motive for the murder, but Martinezs mother said her son knew the suspect before his death.

He was the last person who saw him, Ramirez said.

Calzadilla remains in jail with no bond.
Dr. Willard Wigan MBE from Birmingham makes the worlds smallest handmade sculptures in history, from his recreation of the Hollywood sign to his rendering of Queen Elizabeth. Hes earned two world records for his microscopic masterpieces, the smallest of which are carved out of his own hair strands and invisible to the naked eye.
A 54-year-old man is facing charges for a February bank robbery after allegedly stealing $1,000 from a Leawood bank, in the latest in a string of alleged bank thefts.

Troy Allen Robbins was charged with aggravated robbery for allegedly walking into the Chase Bank in the 4700 block of West 119th Street and slipping the teller a threatening note, according to documents filed in Johnson County District Court.

Johnson County prosecutors say Robbins has been convicted for three previous bank robberies, and was under federal supervision at the time of the most recent incident.

Robbins allegedly walked up to a teller around 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 23 without a mask or gloves, court documents state. The note he allegedly gave demanded cash in $50 and $100 bills and claimed he had a gun and would shoot.

The teller told Leawood police she hit a robbery dispense button twice and gave the man the cash.

Another employee told officers she watched the exchange on a live video feed from a neighboring office and heard Robbins say, Ive got a gun, I want hundreds, and Give me some more money.

The teller told police the suspect asked for his note back before leaving. Authorities believe Robbins left the scene in a gray Ford Fusion that had been stolen from a Gladstone dealership. The defendant allegedly took the vehicle for a test drive and never returned it.

A license plate reader picked up the stolen vehicle with its dealership tags still attached on Town Center Drive and Nall Avenue not long after the robbery. Robbins had left his identification at the dealership after driving away with the truck, according to court documents.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation was immediately contacted and became involved in the investigation, prosecutors say.

Robbins was found at Ballys Casino in Kansas City a short time later and arrested by Kansas City police. He was charged the following day.

Robbins remains in Johnson County Jail on $250,000 bond.
The 49-year-old man found dead from a gunshot wound in a parked vehicle in the Town of Grafton Saturday morning has been identified as Laeng Sanavongsay, authorities say.

Sanavongsay had a last known residence in Texas, according to a news release from the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office.

The victim was found in a vehicle on March 4 at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Highway C south of Tallgrass Drive by an on-duty deputy patrolling his area.

The vehicle was in a rural area with a farm field on the east side of the road. Authorities believe the area was chosen for its remoteness.

The preliminary cause of death is a gunshot wound, and the death is being investigated as a homicide, according to the release.

The Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office is working with state partners and has reached out to federal partners to assist in the investigation. No other information is available, according to the sheriff's office.

The sheriff's office is seeking any information regarding the vehicle or any other vehicles or people that were traveling with it on Friday night, March 3.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office at 262-284-7172.

Contact Alex Groth at agroth@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @grothalexandria.

More:Ozaukee County officials are considering adding a new bus service. Here's what you need to know.

More:A proposal allowing limited access to artist Mary Nohl's home in Fox Point has narrowly advanced

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Man found dead in Town of Grafton was from Texas, Ozaukee Sheriff says
Police in Utah say a bank robbery suspect politely demanded $1 from a teller, then waited in the lobby for officers to arrive because he wanted to go to prison.

Donald Matthew Santacroce, 65, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on a robbery charge, the Salt Lake City Police Department reported.

"Please pardon me for doing this but this is a robbery. Please give me $1. Thank you," Santacroce wrote in a note he handed to a Wells Fargo branch teller, according to a police booking affidavit obtained by local outlet KSL.

When the teller gave the man a dollar and asked him to leave, Santacroce told the teller to call police, the affidavit continues.

"The man, later identified as Donald Santacroce, took the money and refused to leave the bank," police wrote in a news release.

An alligator egg was taken from a zoo 20 years ago. The now 8-foot reptile has returned, authorities say.

Whiskey fungus lawsuit: Whiskey fungus sparks work stoppage at Jack Daniel's site as property owners file lawsuit

Employees moved out for safety

"Donald sat down in the bank lobby and waited for police to arrive. While waiting for police, Donald made a statement to the victims that they are lucky (he) didn't have a gun because it was taking the police so long to get there. At this point the branch manager said she ushered all of her employees into a back room for their safety where she locked the doors," the affidavit obtained by KSL continues.

When police arrived, they said they arrested the suspect who was later booked into the local jail.

No injuries were reported.

"Donald said he had done this because he wanted to get arrested and go to federal prison. Donald stated that if he gets out of jail, he will rob another bank and ask for more money next time trying to get the desired result of going to federal prison," according to the affidavit.

Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man robs bank for $1 in Salt Lake City, Utah, waits to be arrested
UPDATE @ 2:44 p.m.:

One man was taken to the hospital after being shot in the head in Springfield early Wednesday morning.

Springfield Police and medics responded to reports of a man shot in the 500 block of Mead Lane around 3:48 a.m., according to Springfield Police Dispatch.

>>No risk to public health after Norfolk Southern train derailment in Clark Co.

Theres a guy going up and down the road saying that we was just shot, a 911 caller told dispatchers.

When police got on scene, they found a man with a gun shot wound to the head, according to an incident report.

Police say the man was talking when they arrived at the scene.

The man was taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center. From there, he was flown to Miami Valley Hospital. His condition is unknown at this time.

Were working to learn if any arrests have been made.








A former manager of a Walmart in northern Illinois has been arrested months after police say she stole more than $100,000 from her store, reports say.

Melissa Vanderwall, 47, was working as a night manager for a Walmart in Joliet when she left the store on Nov. 27 with $135,988 in cash, WGN reported.

She emptied money from cash recyclers that are used to restock the stores cash registers, according to Patch.com. Vanderwall then abruptly ended her shift and exited the store with the money in a shopping bag, the news outlet reported.

Surveillance footage captured Vanderwall stealing the money and a warrant was issued for her arrest, according to WJOL.

Court records show Vanderwall was taken into custody on Tuesday, March 7. She reportedly turned herself in.

She was charged with theft and burglary and was jailed on a $100,000 bond, records show.

Joliet is about 45 miles southwest of Chicago.

Manager spent $1.5M using churchs credit card for guns, travel and cars, feds say

Bank manager steals cash directly from vault in $439,000 Missouri fraud case, feds say

Buffalo Wild Wings manager takes off from restaurant with bags of cash, Florida cops say
valentinrussanov / Getty Images

The debate over Social Security reform has largely been framed as a partisan one, with Democrats more apt to maintain the status quo and Republicans more apt to push for fiscal changes to the program. But like many things in the nations capital, that take is not entirely accurate.

Social Security: Proposal for $2,400 Extra in Checks Expanded and Reintroduced in Congress

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

Within the last week, two U.S. senators who normally side with Democrats have indicated a willingness to take a look at areas where Social Security can be tweaked to put it on more secure financial footing.

One of them is Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine who caucuses with Democrats and is working with Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana on a bipartisan plan to make Social Security more financially stable. The other is Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat and key Senate swing vote who last week suggested he is also open to Social Security changes  as long as they dont involve cuts to the program.

I just think: Is there a better program? Is there a better way younger people can invest and have something for retirement?' Manchin told Fox Business. [The] only thing Im telling you Im not going to discuss is cutting Social Security and Medicare for those people that are receiving and have been depending on it, that have worked hard and earned it. Now with that, you have to look at everything. How do you sustain what you have?

After some initial backlash to those comments, Manchin spokesperson Sam Runyon told USA Today that Manchins record on protecting Medicare and Social Security is crystal-clear, and he reiterated his continued support for both programs when speaking to (Fox host) Neil Cavuto today.

Meanwhile, Machins website says Social Security and Medicare are off the table in the debt limit discussions.

Social Security has come under increased scrutiny due to worries over how the program will be funded in the future. As previously reported by GOBankingRates, Social Securitys Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund is expected to run out of money as early as 2032. When that happens, the program will be solely reliant on payroll taxes for funding, which might cover only about 75% of benefits.

Story continues

Lawmakers have put forth various proposals to address the problem. These typically involve some combination of raising the full retirement age, cutting monthly benefits and increasing Social Security payroll taxes.

Last week, King and Kennedy put forth two more ideas. One is to create a sovereign-wealth fund that could be funded with $1.5 trillion or more in borrowed money. If the fund fails to generate an 8% annual return, both the maximum taxable income and the payroll tax rate would be increased to ensure Social Security stays on track to be solvent for another 75 years.

Another idea is to change the formula that calculates monthly Social Security benefits from one based on a workers average earnings over 35 years to a formula based on the number of years spent working and paying into Social Security.

Take Our Poll: Are You Concerned the US Debt Ceiling Issue Will Endanger Social Security?

Discover: 20 Ways To Increase Your Savings and Retire With Peace of Mind

Any of these ideas would require bipartisan support to make it into law. The Republican-controlled U.S. House would need to approve legislation, and so would the Senate, where Dems hold a razor-thin edge. Then President Joe Biden would need to sign the legislation.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Manchin Says There Is a Better Program Than Social Security and Medicare
[Source]

A Japanese manga author who said he has "absolutely zero" drawing talent is set to launch a science fiction manga title entirely drawn by artificial intelligence.

The author, who uses the pseudonym Rootport, used the viral AI tool Midjourney to create "Cyberpunk: Peach John," Japans first fully AI-drawn manga.

In an interview with AFP News Agency, Rootport spoke using a cat avatar to protect his identity. He shared that it took him "a minute or so" to generate images for the storys main antagonist, using text prompts such as "pink hair," "Asian boy" and "stadium jacket."

VIDEO: The author of a new sci-fi manga in Japan admits he doesn't have drawing talent, so turned to artificial intelligence to create the images. More from NextShark: Cedar tree in Japan bears uncanny resemblance to Totoro from Studio Ghiblis My Neighbor Totoro All the contraptions and creatures in "Cyberpunk: Peach John" were intricately rendered by Midjourney, a viral AI tool pic.twitter.com/WyB5ZDu0l0  AFP News Agency (@AFP) March 7, 2023

More from NextShark: New Girl actor, WWII vet Ralph Ahn dies at 95

The 37-year-old writer, who purportedly has experience developing manga story plots, was able to complete the art for his over-100-page book in just six weeks. He noted that such an effort would require at least a year for a skilled artist to finish.

"It was a fun process, it reminded me of playing the lottery," Rootport was quoted as saying.

The book, to be released by publishing house Shinchosha on March 9, has sparked discussions over the impact of AI on jobs and copyright in Japan's multi-billion-dollar comic book industry.

More from NextShark: 'Old Enough': Japanese TV show about toddlers navigating the real world alone debuts on Netflix

Some lawmakers in Japan have expressed concerns over the rights of the original artists as such tools create art by sourcing large amounts of copyrighted material from the web without permission.

Story continues

Netflix recently faced backlash online after releasing a Japanese animated short that used AI-generated backgrounds, with critics condemning the short films creators for not hiring human animators.

One of the most prominent critics of AI-produced art is Japanese animation director Hayao Miyazaki, who expressed his disdain for the medium in a 2016 NHK documentary series by Kaku Arukawa.

More from NextShark: H.E.R. set to play Belle in new ABC special celebrating 30-year anniversary of Beauty and the Beast

I am utterly disgusted. If you really want to make creepy stuff, you can go ahead and do it. I would never wish to incorporate this technology into my work at all.  I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself. I feel like we are nearing the end of times. We humans are losing faith in ourselves.

Despite the concerns, Rootport defended the AI image generators and commended them for paving the way for people without the artistic talent to make inroads" in the manga industry.

Manga artist Madoka Kobayashi, who has been in the industry for over three decades, similarly considers AI to be a great companion rather than a threat.

While Kobayashi avoids directly using or copying from computer-generated images, she says AI can "help me visualize what I have in mind, and suggest rough ideas, which I then challenge myself to improve."

Famed mangaka Eiichiro Oda, creator of the manga series One Piece, also recently asked AI to provide inspiration for the next installment of his series.
Two Americans were dead, two were back in the U.S. and many questions remained unanswered Wednesday after a bizarre shooting rampage, abduction and rescue in a Mexican border city.

Irving Barrios, attorney general in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, said that no ransom was demanded after Friday's assault and that a preliminary investigation indicated the U.S. travelers were victims of mistaken identity. They were found Tuesday around 8 a.m. in a shack outside Matamoros, Barrios said.

A suspect standing guard over them, identified only as Jose Guadalupe N., 24, was arrested. Authorities were searching for others involved, and the FBI has offered a $50,000 reward for their arrest.

The mother of one of the survivors told ABC News her daughter was in Mexico for the cosmetic surgery known as a "tummy tuck.'' U.S. and Mexican authorities continued to investigate the incident.

"Investigation and intelligence work continues to capture those responsible," Barrios tweeted. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland vowed that the Justice Department would be "relentless in pursuing justice" on behalf of the Americans.

Americo Villarreal, governor of Tamaulipas, said the four Americans had crossed into Mexico 2 hours before the shootout erupted in Matamoros. The cartel moved the hostages around to try to evade teams sent to rescue them, Villarreal said.

WHAT IS NEXT FOR MATAMOROS?: With 2 Americans dead, the cartel-scarred Mexican border town ponders its future

Matamoros, a cartel-scarred Mexican border city, wonders what's next

The attacks highlight how abductions, killings or other violence can plague a Mexican community but draw little public outcry when they involve Mexicans or migrants. And with details about the Americans' deadly venture still scarce, it was unclear how either law enforcement or regular travel could be affected by the case going forward.

Story continues

To have cartel gunmen shoot and kidnap Americans without provocation seems like a departure from their modus operandi, said Brendon Tucker, who lived and worked in Matamoros in 2019 helping asylum-seekers through an advocacy agency.

"I would be absolutely blown away if they were targeted on purpose," Tucker said. Cartels "are going to do everything in their power not to put their foot in the ant pile that is the United States government. ... There is no way for a cartel to have done this for it to be beneficial to them." Read more here.

 Chris Kenning, Rick Jervis and Kevin Johnson

Opinion: Mexican drug cartels are terrorizing Americans. Here's how the US needs to fight back.

Will killings, abductions discourage travel to Mexico?

With its warm climate, beautiful beaches and proximity to the U.S., Mexico is a popular tourist destination for many Americans. But some people may be reconsidering their travel plans after the events of the past week.

Nearly 29 million Americans traveled to Mexico in 2021, according to data researcher Statista. About 75 American citizens died by homicide in Mexico that year, according to the most recent U.S. State Department statistics.

"Im sure people will have some pause after such a graphic and horrible incident," said Gabby Beckford, a Seattle-based travel influencer who took a two-month excursion across Mexico last year. "This will remind me not to be lax about my safety precautions and to always be mindful of my surroundings." Read more here.

 Kathleen Wong and Terry Collins

Convoy whisked surviving Americans back to US

The surviving Americans were returned to the U.S. on Tuesday, crossing the border back into Brownsville, Texas. The convoy of ambulances and SUVs was escorted by Mexican military Humvees and National Guard trucks with mounted machine guns. One of the survivors, identified as Eric Williams, 38, had been shot in a leg. The other survivor was identified as Latavia McGee. She was unharmed.

Barrios said the bodies of the two deceased Americans  identified by authorities as Shaeed Woodard, 33, and Zindell Brown, in his 20s  remained in Mexico pending autopsies to determine the time and cause of death.

TIMELINE FOR CHAOS: Retracing the steps of a violent kidnapping after 2 Americans found dead in Mexico

A Red Cross worker closes the door of an ambulance carrying two Americans found alive after their abduction in Mexico last week, in Matamoros, on March 7, 2023.

Victims' families say the Americans went to Mexico for surgery

Barbara Burgess, McGee's mother, told ABC News her daughter was going for tummy-tuck surgery. Burgess said she had warned her daughter not to go, but McGee told her: "Ma, I'll be OK."

Robert Williams, Eric's brother, told The Associated Press that he and his brother are from South Carolina but now live in the Winston-Salem area of North Carolina. Williams described his brother as easygoing and fun-spirited.

He didnt know his brother was traveling to Mexico until after the abduction hit the news. From looking at his brothers Facebook posts, Williams said, he believes his brother did not consider the trip dangerous but "thought it would be fun."

When told that his brother was among the survivors Tuesday, Williams said that when they meet, Ill just tell him how happy I am to see him, and how glad I am that he made it through, and that I love him.

VICTIMS IDENTIFIED: 2 kidnapped Americans found dead in Mexico, 2 survivors have returned to the US

How did the abductions unfold?

The Americans crossed the border in a minivan with North Carolina license plates, according to Mexican officials and Special Agent Oliver Rich, who is in charge of the FBI's San Antonio Division. The unidentified gunmen opened fire before the four Americans were placed in a pickup and rushed away. A 33-year-old woman about a block and a half away was killed by a stray bullet, Barrios said.

A video posted to social media Friday showed men with assault rifles and body armor loading the four people into the bed of a white pickup in broad daylight. One was alive and sitting up, but the others appeared either dead or wounded. At least one person appeared to lift their head from the pavement before being dragged to the truck.

A woman driving in Matamoros who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal told The Associated Press she witnessed what appeared to be the shooting and abduction.

All of a sudden (the gunmen) were in front of us, she said. I entered a state of shock, nobody honked their horn, nobody moved. Everybody must have been thinking the same thing: If we move they will see us, or they might shoot us.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Americans' abductions in Mexico updates: 2 dead and 2 returned to US
Self-help author Marianne Williamson couldnt help but be miffed at the laugh that White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre had at her expense on Monday.

So on Tuesday, she criticized Jean-Pierre on Twitter for speaking so derisively and in such mocking terms about someone who is running for president of the United States, and as a woman.

It all started when a reporter asked the press secretary if President Joe Biden was frustrated that Williamson had declared her candidacy rather than giving him a clear field for the Democratic presidential nomination.

In true spin-doctor fashion, Jean-Pierre attempted to minimize what, if any, threat Wililamson might present to Bidens reelection chances by casually dismissing the premise of the question.

Were just not tracking that, she said, before tweaking Williamsons New Age sentiments. If I had a, whats it called? A little globe here, a crystal ball, then I can tell you, a Magic 8 Ball, whatever. If I could feel her aura. I just dont have anything to share on that.

Although reporters in the room laughed at Jean-Pierres shading, Williamson didnt find it funny based on the video she posted Tuesday on social media.

Williamson claimed she was so sad to see Jean-Pierres commentary and claimed the reference to crystal balls and auras was off-base since shes never spoken or written about either topic.

Although the author said Biden was a nice man, she said she felt Jean-Pierres banter was a sign that the White House doesnt share my commitment to the high ground.

She also claimed that Jean-Pierres comment was meant to push her out of the conversation.

This is not just about me. Theyre not just telling me to get away, flick her off like a mosquito, she said. Its is about you. Its about anyone who, first of all, I think, has faith and takes faith seriously  or is it just about any woman who speaks out of turn?

They might think its a joke, but theres nothing amusing about people going bankrupt from medical debt or children going to bed hungry. https://t.co/HPTVA01siVhttps://t.co/EmrTEkYkn1pic.twitter.com/HK0TUPFT3s  Marianne Williamson (@marwilliamson) March 7, 2023

Although Williamson told Yahoo! News in 2019 that her image as a crystal woo woo lady has no relation to reality, she did suggest creating a Department of Peace when she ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.

Story continues

In the 2020 primaries, Williamson rarely polled higher than 1%. She dropped out in January 2020.

Of course, Twitter users had thoughts about Williamsons video.

I dont think, I know you are a joke. Will you harness love by grifting. Why not use your millions in the bank to feed the children and help people with medical debt. https://t.co/D1HHI3R2VVpic.twitter.com/IS08MkLj4j  Candidly Tiff (@tify330) March 7, 2023

Debt and poverty are not a joke, Crystal Dingbat, but you are. You are being paid to get on stage during the debates and make Democrats look like brainwashed hippies. Give it up. https://t.co/XYMz2Goqqj  Jim Stewartson, Antifascist, Mike Flynn is Q (@jimstewartson) March 7, 2023

The same woman who compared the Vice Presidents supporters to the Proud Boys (particularly me) is calling for the President to corner his Press Secretary (Black Woman). If this woman doesnt go away. https://t.co/Szfq3Sx3Is  The Chanteezy Is Real  (@iamchanteezy) March 7, 2023

Democrats, liberals, and left-adjacent folks who seem to be taken in by the grifter @marwilliamson  Look into the dangerous anti-science & anti-vaccine beliefs she's espoused.



Ms. Williamson is a YET ANOTHER quack brought to us by Oprah, much like Dr. Phil & Dr. Oz. https://t.co/4do0ZBHYF1  Jesse Dollemore (@Dollemore) March 7, 2023

Related...
YouTube/Comedy Central

Marlon Wayans isnt buying Tucker Carlsons attempt to whitewash the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters as sightseersjoking during a guest hosting gig this week on The Daily Show that all the Fox Host proved was that you can make anything look better by not showing the bad part.

Sightseeing my Black ass, Wayans added as the audience erupted into laughter. If you have to punch a cop on your way in, youre not sightseeing. You fight seeing.

On Monday and Tuesday night this week, Carlson aired some never-before-seen footage shot inside the Capitol on Jan. 6  video that was handed over to him by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as part of a deal with his partys far-right flank.

Despite the myriad scenes of violence contained in the 40,000 hours of footage he was given, Carlson was intent on painting the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol building that day as peaceful, noting: These were not insurrectionists, they were sightseers.

But Wayans wasnt about to fall for Carlsons vision of a kindler, gentler insurrection. How come they never show 9/11 planes taking off? he asked as a way of driving his point home.

Even more disturbing to Wayans? That one of the rioters featured in Carlsons segment appeared to be dutifully cleaning up after his fellow trespassers.

Thats a straight-up psychopath, he said. I bet this guy goes to the orgies and does Wordle.

For more, listen and subscribe to The Last Laugh podcast.

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Photo: The Canadian Press This illustration released by Instacart depicts the grocery delivery company's app which can integrate ChatGPT to answer customers' food questions.

Even if you havent tried artificial intelligence tools that can write essays and poems or conjure new images on command, chances are the companies that make your household products are already starting to do so.

Mattel has put the AI image generator DALL-E to work by having it come up with ideas for new Hot Wheels toy cars. Used vehicle seller CarMax is summarizing thousands of customer reviews with the same generative AI technology that powers the popular chatbot ChatGPT.

Meanwhile, Snapchat is bringing a chatbot to its messaging service. And the grocery delivery company Instacart is integrating ChatGPT to answer customers' food questions.

Coca-Cola plans to use generative AI to help create new marketing content. And while the company hasnt detailed exactly how it plans to deploy the technology, the move reflects the growing pressure on businesses to harness tools that many of their employees and consumers are already trying on their own.

We must embrace the risks, said Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey in a recent video announcing a partnership with startup OpenAI  maker of both DALL-E and ChatGPT  through an alliance led by the consulting firm Bain. We need to embrace those risks intelligently, experiment, build on those experiments, drive scale, but not taking those risks is a hopeless point of view to start from.

Indeed, some AI experts warn that businesses should carefully consider potential harms to customers, society and their own reputations before rushing to embrace ChatGPT and similar products in the workplace.

I want people to think deeply before deploying this technology, said Claire Leibowicz of The Partnership on AI, a nonprofit group founded and sponsored by the major tech providers that recently released a set of recommendations for companies producing AI-generated synthetic imagery, audio and other media. They should play around and tinker, but we should also think, what purpose are these tools serving in the first place?

Some companies have been experimenting with AI for a while. Mattel revealed its use of OpenAIs image generator in October as a client of Microsoft, which has a partnership with OpenAI that enables it to integrate its technology into Microsofts cloud computing platform.

But it wasnt until the November 30 release of OpenAIs ChatGPT, a free public tool, that widespread interest in generative AI tools began seeping into workplaces and executive suites.

ChatGPT really sort of brought it home how powerful they were, said Eric Boyd, a Microsoft executive who leads its AI platform. Thats changed the conversation in a lot of peoples minds where they really get it on a deeper level. My kids use it and my parents use it.

There is reason for caution, however. While text generators like ChatGPT and Microsoft's Bing chatbot can make the process of writing emails, presentations and marketing pitches faster and easier, they also have a tendency to confidently present misinformation as fact. Image generators trained on a huge trove of digital art and photography have raised copyright concerns from the original creators of those works.

For companies that are really in the creative industry, if they want to make sure that they have copyright protection for those models, thats still an open question, said attorney Anna Gressel of the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton, which advises businesses on how to use AI.

A safer use has been thinking of the tools as a brainstorming thought partner that wont produce the final product, Gressel said.

It helps create mock ups that then are going to be turned by a human into something that is more concrete, she said.

And that also helps ensure that humans don't get replaced by AI. Forrester analyst Rowan Curran said the tools should speed up some of the nitty-gritty of office tasks  much like previous innovations such as word processors and spell checkers  rather than putting people out of work, as some fear.

Ultimately its part of the workflow," Curran said. "Its not like were talking about having a large language model just generate an entire marketing campaign and have that launch without expert senior marketers and all kinds of other controls.

For consumer-facing chatbots getting integrated into smartphone apps, it gets a little trickier, Curran said, with a need for guardrails around technology that can respond to users' questions in unexpected ways.

Public awareness fueled growing competition between cloud computing providers Microsoft, Amazon and Google, which sell their services to big organizations and have the massive computing power needed to train and operate AI models. Microsoft announced earlier this year it was investing billions more dollars into its partnership with OpenAI, though it also competes with the startup as a direct provider of AI tools.

Google, which pioneered advancements in generative AI but has been cautious about introducing them to the public, is now playing catch up to capture its commercial possibilities including an upcoming Bard chatbot. Facebook parent Meta, another AI research leader, builds similar technology but doesn't sell it to businesses in the same way as its big tech peers.

Amazon has taken a more muted tone, but makes its ambitions clear through its partnerships  most recently an expanded collaboration between its cloud computing division AWS and the startup Hugging Face, maker of a ChatGPT rival called Bloom.

Hugging Face decided to double down on its Amazon partnership after seeing the explosion of demand for generative AI products, said Clement Delangue, the startup's co-founder and CEO. But Delangue contrasted his approach with competitors such as OpenAI, which doesnt disclose its code and datasets.

Hugging Face hosts a platform that allows developers to share open-source AI models for text, image and audio tools, which can lay the foundation for building different products. That transparency is "really important because thats the way for regulators, for example, to understand these models and be able to regulate, he said.

It is also a way for underrepresented people to understand where the biases can be (and) how the models have been trained, so that the bias can be mitigated, Delangue said.
A Massachusetts man is significantly richer after his wife recently urged him to search their home for an old Mass Cash ticket after reading about an unclaimed prize that was nearing its expiration.

John Butler, of West Roxbury, is the winner of a $100,000 Mass Cash prize, coming forward Monday to claim victory in the March 2022 drawing, just 11 days before it was due to expire, the Massachusetts Lottery commission announced this week.

Butler purchased the eventual winner before traveling to Florida last year, placed it in a drawer, and never checked the ticket until last week when his wife told him about a news story she had seen about the expiring prize.

Man visiting Massachusetts for birth of his 4th grandchild wins $4M scratch ticket prize

We are thrilled that Mr. Butlers wife saw the Lottery announcement in the news about the unclaimed ticket! What a great reminder to keep your tickets in a safe place and always make sure to check them, said State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, Chair of the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission. You will never know when you might be as lucky as the Butlers.

Butler says he plans on putting his winnings toward home improvements.

He purchased his winning ticket at the Star Market on Providence Highway in Dedham. The store has received a $1,000 bonus for its sale of this winning ticket.

Mass Cash and other draw game prize winners have one year from the date of the drawing to claim prizes. Lottery prizes that expire become part of the net profit that the Lottery returns to the Commonwealth for distribution to all 351 cities and towns.

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Donald Trump versus Twitter. Silhouette of angry American President in conflict with Chinese social network Twitter. Logo of company on blue screen in background



Donald Trumps account was recently unbanned on Twitter, though hes been restricted in posting due to an ongoing deal with his company Truth Social.

Twitter has seen its share of political bot campaigns, but since spring 2022 theres been a long-running, highly prolific bot campaign proliferating through Twitter to support former President Donald Trump. Even if you first thought its just the Russians again, a new report suggests these fake accounts were created a little closer to home.

A report from Israel-based social analysis company Cyabra provided to Gizmodo said several massive Twitter bot farms have been recently created to drum up support for Trump and lambaste his prospective opponents for the Republican Presidential nomination, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.

Read more

The companys research shows the bot farm was created within the past 11 months solely to heap praise on Trump while ridiculing his potential political opponents, especially those likely to challenge him in 2024. According to the Cyabra researchers, a regular conversation on sites like Facebook or Twitter will attract between 4% to 8% of fake accounts. In many of these conversations surrounding Trump, that was up to between 20% and 40%. Over a quarter of the interactions for pro-Trump officials like Reps. Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz on Twitter came from bots, according to the report. Its far, far more than left-wing accounts experience like Sen. Elizabeth Warren or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

When and where were these pro-Trump bot farms created?

The company researchers found there were three massive bot farms established in April, October, and November of last year. These interconnected bot farms were likely created in the U.S. Whats more, all these fake accounts were extremely pro-Trump and attacked anybody who made any negative mention of the former president.

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Some of the ultra-MAGA accounts cited by Cyabra were created long before the bot farms were reportedly first created, but the company showed how their prolific Pro-Trump, anti-opponent tweets were getting picked up massively by bot accounts. Supposed bot accounts cited by Cyabra were created in October and retweets peoples pet pics then interspaces it with retweets complaining about traitors like former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo or former House Speaker Paul Ryan.

The attacks go beyond just the 2024 presidential race. There are a number of other bot accounts that remain prolific in right-wing circles. The report noted that even more accounts spreading antagonism toward Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy were inauthentic profiles.

AP cited Cyabra engineer Jules Gross as the first to discover the bot farms after noting that many of the accounts cited in the report were created on the same day. Gross and their company went through the different bots to see if they posted about a variety of subjects and posted any original material. Bots, in most cases, do the opposite, and based on Cyabras research there could be hundreds of thousands of these fake accounts trawling places like Twitter and Facebook.

Are these pro-Trump bots still active?

Gizmodo found that most, if not all, of the accounts cited by Cybara as bots were still active as of reporting time. Despite Twitter owner Elon Musks stated priority to eliminate bots, there does seem to be a whole lot of them stalking the platform. Worse, there are several obvious bot campaigns linked to illicit arms dealers on Telegram. Its at this point we would reach out to Twitter for comment, but since Musk axed the companys public relations team, we will not likely hear back.

Theres a big question whether astroturfing Twitter is actually an effective means of changing public opinion. Despite there being ongoing efforts on behalf of Russia to target conservatives with misinformation, a recent study found there was no meaningful relationship between exposure to the Russian foreign influence campaign and changes in attitudes, polarization, or voting behavior.

What follows is more detailed look at the major politicians being promoted or called out by this latest bot offensive.

Former President Donald Trump

Photo: Anna Moneymaker (Getty Images)

Cybara said it searched through Twitter for conversations surrounding Trump and the 2024 election. Of the posts that researchers identified as being pro-Trump, 64% were bots. Among those fake profiles talking about Trump, close to three quarters were spreading content supporting the ex-president.

These accounts regularly reply to supposedly real accounts, oftentimes just blasting Trump 2024 slogans into the ether, but doing so does have a marked effect of driving the Twitter conversation, or at least skewing perspectives of how much support Trump may have on the platform.

Former Gov. Nikki Haley

Photo: Anna Moneymaker (Getty Images)

Even before Haley fully announced her planned run for president in 2024, bots were out and about. The report said 11% of conversations about Haley on Twitter were advanced by bots. Of those found to be fake, nearly three quarters of them were calling Haley a RINO or Republican In Name Only. Anti-Haley content created by real-life humans is also being proliferated widely.

Gov. Ron DeSantis

Photo: Mario Tama (Getty Images)

Everybodys (nobodys) favorite meatball DeSantis is being similarly targeted by bots, despite him not officially announcing his candidacy for president. In Twitter conversations surrounding the Florida governor, 15% of those tweets regarding him, Trump and the 2024 election contained bots. Even more curious, nearly 70% of those fake profiles were promoting that DeSantis should instead shack up with Trump as his running mate, rather than going it alone.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy and former Rep. Paul Ryan

Photo: Drew Angerer (Getty Images)

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy went through the wringer to get nominated to his leadership position back in January. McCarthy had to reportedly capitulate to many of the most extreme far-right members of his party.

According to the Cybara report, the Twitter bots were active around that chaotic time and kept comparing McCarthy to former House Speaker Paul Ryan. A quarter of those conversations surrounding Ryan came from fake accounts, most of which were created all on the same day. The bots kept equating McCarthy to Ryan, with messages saying both were the opposite of what we need.

Sen. Chuck Schumer

Photo: Drew Angerer (Getty Images)

Of course, the bots arent just after Republicans, and one person subject to their ire is Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. According to Cyabra, 17% of conversations on Twitter and 22% on Facebook were being generated from fake profiles. The company found six separate bot campaigns that targeted news articles and press releases featuring the top Democrat from New York.

Even more curious, close to a third of negative comments about Schumer were made by bots.

Sen. Mitch McConnell

Photo: Kevin Dietsch (Getty Images)

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been more outspoken in his critique of Trump. Of course, it took the ex-presidents ouster before the GOP mouthpiece could start taking potshots at the former party leader. Hes become even more critical of Trumps place in the party after the recent midterms did not go as well as hoped. But according to the Twitter bots, McConnell is definitely a traitor to the party. Cyabra found that 34% of McConnells Twitter account interactions were made by bots. Of those bots, 94% of them used that traitor line with obscene regularity.

President Joe Biden

Photo: Win McNamee (Getty Images)

Both Trump and Biden have been caught in a wave of criticism for their handling of classified documents. Trump is currently facing a criminal investigation for housing classified documents in his Mar-a-Lago home, while Biden has been under the microscope for classified documents found at his home office in Delaware.

Yet Biden is catching much more flack online for his mishandling of documents thanks to bots. The report notes that 93% of posts made by the bots were harshly criticizing Biden for mishandling the docs. These bot farms have apparently tried to create an outsized critique of the president for the faux pas while trying to minimize Trumps long-running scandal. The report shows nearly half of the retweets from Rep. Jim Jordan and Sen. Marsha Blackburns critique of Bidens document handling were from bots. An account tied to the Republican National Committee posted an ABC poll about mishandling the docs, and nearly 60% of retweets were by, you guessed it, bots.

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A longtime Republican campaign aide who accused American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp of sexual battery came forward publicly on Wednesday after a judge ruled he couldnt pursue his claims anonymously.

Carlton Huffman gave an interview to The Washington Post and said he plans to amend his lawsuit to include his name once the judge enters the order.

Schlapp has vehemently denied Huffmans claims.

Im not backing away, Huffman told the Post. Im not going to drop this. Matt Schlapp did what he did and he needs to be held accountable.

Huffmans lawsuit alleges Schlapp was aggressively fondling his groin while the two drove back from a restaurant to a hotel on Oct. 19 after attending an event to support Herschel Walkers Republican Senate campaign in Georgia.

The complaint accuses Schlapp of battery and goes on to allege that he and his wife, Mercedes Schlapp, defamed Huffman after news reports about his allegations surfaced.

When the suit was first filed, an attorney for the Schlapps criticized the request for anonymity and said it demonstrated that the accusers agenda was to harm the Schlapp family.

The plaintiff has not established I think the heavy burden of establishing both a concrete need for secrecy and identifying the consequences that would likely befall him if forced to proceed in his own name, said Alexandria Circuit Court Judge Lisa Bondareff Kemler, according to the Post.

The Hill has reached out to attorneys for the Schlapps and Huffman for comment.

In his interview with the Post, Huffman acknowledged years-old racist writings on a WordPress blog, which included glorifications of the Confederate flag and posts criticizing diversity and non-European heritage.

Huffman left a job as a policy adviser in the North Carolina House Speakers office in January after one month, according to his LinkedIn, after the blog resurfaced.

That was an ugly chapter of my life that I am personally ashamed of, Huffman told the Post. That is not who I am anymore.

The development comes days after the conclusion of the Conservative Political Action Conference, Schlapps organizations flagship annual event.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Grace Tompkins, who's a biostatistics PhD candidate in Waterloo, Ont. but is from Truro, N.S., put 100 hours into crocheting a Maud Lewis-inspired sweater. (Photos via @graces.handmades/Instagram)

A Nova Scotian-born woman went viral on social media after she crocheted a sweater inspired by folk artist Maud Lewis.

Grace Tompkins, a 26-year-old from Truro, N.S. who's currently a biostatistics PhD candidate in Waterloo, Ont., said she wanted to create a piece that brought her closer to home.

The University of Waterloo student created a baby blue and bright green mock neck sweater, featuring a design inspired by Lewis's 1955 painting, "Three Black Cats."

"I think, for me, it's sentimental. I'm Nova Scotian but I'm living away from home right now," she told Yahoo Canada. "I'm just drawn to that piece. I love cats, I love greenery  it's just a perfect a painting for me.

"To put it on a sweater was kind of like taking a piece of home around with me."

Tompkins said she has a print of "Three Black Cats" in her living room that she sees "pretty much every day." After completing a tapestry referencing Keith Haring's 1989 "Heart of Heads," she said she believed it'd be easy to translate Lewis's famous artwork into yarn.

While Tompkins put around 100 hours into finishing the sweater, she said she's thankful for all the support people have shown her on the project, which she started in December 2022.

"My daughter sent me this as a message and I love it so much. I adore Maud Lewis's work, so simple and happy and pure. This is fantastic!" someone wrote on Instagram.

"Both of my late grandmothers loved Maud Lewis; Grammie had several original Maud's and Nana was a prolific knitter (who sewed, embroidered, crocheted). This post made me ache to be able to show them your gorgeously crafted sweater. They would have loved it. Thank you for this," a Twitter user added.

"Wow...crazy good! They should be selling these at the Nova Scotia Art Gallery," another person tweeted.

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"Wonderful. You are so creative and you did a wonderful job. I just love it," a TikTok user commented.

"The way my jaw dropped! This is beautiful!" another TikTok user raved.

Tompkins shared that she picked up crocheting as a hobby while quarantining due to the COVID-19 pandemic in winter 2021.

"I started doing these things called 'No Statistics Saturdays' because I was just constantly doing work, and I needed a better worklife balance and less screen time," she explained. "I wanted to try something that did not involve a screen in front of me."

Tompkins said her mom typically knits small things like dish towels in the evenings, so she went into a closet of her mother's knitting supplies and found a crochet hook that was left after her sister tried using it.

"The rest is history," Tompkins said. "My first project, I went right into it, zero to 100, tried to make a sweater. It was horrendous. It did not fit. It's actually horrible, but I kept it as a keepsake."

Now, Tompkins said she uses crochet to "turn off at the end of the day," and that it's a hobby she finds "peaceful and therapeutic."

"It's been a really good way to deal with stress and shut off from the world for a little bit," she added. "Even though it's solo craft, I don't find it isolating."

She said she often crochets with her roommate and she recently began meeting with local crafters in Waterloo at a monthly hangout.

Tompkins admitted she wasn't expecting the "degree of love" she saw after her Maud Lewis-inspired sweater went viral online.

"It's incredible. I definitely did not expect this and I wish I was a little more prepared for it," she said. "It's been so wonderful to share this craft. Hopefully someone else will see this and think that they can try something new.

"To be called an artist is so bizarre to me because I was never the artist in my family, that was always my sister."

While Tompkins isn't currently selling any of her sweaters, she said it's something she's working on. If she were to begin selling, she said her biggest issue is that she's one person, already with little spare time, who would be taking on these 100-hour projects.

Currently, she's updating the pattern to hopefully make the piece more soft and quicker to produce. She also hopes to get the pattern tested, meaning people with other body types can follow the pattern and give her feedback.

Tompkins said she has full permission to make and sell these sweaters and to release a pattern. She's talking with the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia to sell the pattern and, potentially, sell stock of the sweater.

Going forward, she's looking to create more pieces, and possibly even create pieces for an auction to donate to charities like the Arthritis Society Canada.

"I'm just trying to figure out the logistics because it's a lot for one person who's not doing this full-time," she said. "I understand the demand, I wish I could make 1,000 of these overnight. But for now, I'm focusing on the pattern and hopefully other makers can help me."

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Youre not imagining it: people everywhere are carrying fanny packs again. It's been quite a while  we really haven't often seen these convenient carrying vessels out in the wild since the '80s. But all of a sudden people are opening their eyes to just how practical these little pouches are  especially for traveling. It makes total sense  you can fit all your daily touring essentials in these hip packs, all while keeping them close for convenience and safety. Of course, Amazon is staying on trend with an offer: one of the internet retailers most popular fanny packs  the Maxtop Large Crossbody Fanny Pack  is on sale for $13 (was $20).

MAXTOP Maxtop Large Crossbody Fanny Pack $16 $20 Save $4 This nylon fanny pack has dimensions of 14.3"x 5.9" x 3.5" and four zipper pockets so you can carry all your essentials hands-free. $16 at Amazon

This fanny pack has won over more than 30,000 five-star fans  and whats not to love about a bag with four zippered pockets? With dimensions of 14.3 x 5.9 x 3.5 inches and a belt length of 20 to 50 inches, it can hold more than youd expect and works for a variety of body types. Whats even more unexpected is that shoppers are going absolutely wild about it, regardless of how they feel about fashion.

I was so resistant to get a fanny pack because I associate them with the 80s and the cool kids making fun of people wearing fanny packs, admitted a five-star fan. I bought it for a trip to Universal saying I will probably not even wear it cause I dont wanna look lame BUT, dangthis little thing is crazy cool! Dare I saysexy!?!? I feel like the king of the world in this thing, its got thick straps so its not uncomfortable at all. Its not bulky, it's actually sleek and form-flattering. It hugs my hips in just the right spots so I could hide it under a hoodie if I wanted to.

The question isn't "What can you fit in there?" it's "What can't you fit in there?" (Photo: Amazon)

Vacation essential

Not surprisingly, many shoppers use this fanny pack for traveling. It lets them keep their belongings close  either around their waists or worn as a crossbody bag. But the real draw is just how much you can fit in this hip pack.

"This fanny was like Mary Poppins suitcase," wrote a delighted tourist. "I could keep putting more and more in and it always fit. We took it to Orlando for all the parks and got four phones, a wallet, travel sunscreen, keys, a vape, chapstick, and hand sanitizer!! And I could get on the majority of the rides with it. (Some rides dont let you have ANYTHING)"

I bought this fanny pack for my trip to Hawaii, reported a savvy traveler. I used it EVERYWHERE. It was my go-to purse. I even used it during the plane ride. It has different compartments and it actually seems to be somewhat waterproof based on what I noticed. Its so cute and sturdy. I freaking love it. I use it now when going out and about still, and I bought my sister one as well!

Disney Bare necessities

This hip-pack is a favorite among Disney enthusiasts. While it can hold all the bare necessities, it can be really useful in unexpected inconveniences.

"Perfect for carrying the minimum necessary for my trip to Walt Disney World resort," shared a happy sightseer. "This came in handy during the several rainstorms where the pack was easily accessible under my poncho. So much easier than a purse or backpack!"

"Perfect for my trip to Disney!" wrote another amusement park visitor. "Everything I needed was easily assessable and I could wear it on almost all the rides!"

MAXTOP Maxtop Large Crossbody Fanny Pack $16 $20 Save $4 This nylon fanny pack has dimensions of 14.3"x 5.9" x 3.5" and four zipper pockets so you can carry all your essentials hands-free. $16 at Amazon

If you have Amazon Prime, youll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

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(NewsNation)  Four Americans who were kidnapped in Mexico over the weekend were natives of South Carolinas Lake City, the mayor has confirmed.

Lake City Mayor Yamekia Robinson, in a news conference Tuesday, offered condolences to the family of the two people who were killed after they were caught in the crossfire of rival cartel groups in Matamoros, Mexico.

Its been a very tough few days, Robinson said Tuesday during an appearance on NewsNation: Rush Hour. We have been trying to keep the family, the community close with prayer.

Kidnapped Americans: Sen. Graham proposes military action

The other two Americans who survived the kidnapping are back in the United States receiving medical care, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

The FBI had reported Sunday it was searching with Mexican authorities for the missing Americans, who had been kidnapped Friday. A relative of one of them said Monday they had traveled together from South Carolina so one of them could get a tummy tuck from a Matamoros doctor.

Tamaulipas Gov. Americo Villarreal said the bodies of the two deceased will be turned over to U.S. authorities after forensic evidence is collected at the Matamoros morgue. He added that the wounded American, Eric Williams, had been shot in the left leg, and the wound was not life threatening.

Our community is very closely knitted, so when one hurts we all hurt, Robinson said. I want the families to know that we are with them through this.

You can watch Robinsons interview in the player above.

NewsNation writer Stephanie Whiteside contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy speaks to reporters outside of his office in the US Capitol Building on March 7, 2023 in Washington, DC. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

McCarthy rejected an invitation from Zelenskyy to visit Kyiv.

Zelenskyy invited McCarthy to show him how US aid is being put to use in the war against Russia.

"I don't have to go to Ukraine or Kyiv to see it," McCarthy said.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's invitation for him to visit Kyiv amid growing concerns over GOP pushback to continued aid to Ukraine.

McCarthy also reiterated that he does not support providing Ukraine with "blank checks."

"Let's be very clear about what I said: no blank checks, OK? So, from that perspective, I don't have to go to Ukraine to understand where there's a blank check or not," McCarthy told CNN on Wednesday. "I will continue to get my briefings and others, but I don't have to go to Ukraine or Kyiv to see it. And my point has always been, I won't provide a blank check for anything."

President Joe Biden recently visited Kyiv, and McCarthy's predecessor, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, went to the Ukrainian capital last May.

McCarthy's comments came after Zelenskyy called for McCarthy to visit Ukraine in order to see how US aid is being used in the ongoing war against Russia.

"He has to come here to see how we work, what's happening here, what war caused us, which people are fighting now, who are fighting now. And then after that, make your assumptions," Zelenskyy said in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

Though congressional Republicans have generally been supportive of US security assistance to Ukraine, there is a vocal group of GOP lawmakers allied with former President Donald Trump who are fervently against providing more aid. This includes Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who have made it no secret they want US aid to Kyiv to stop immediately.

"I think the US should be pushing for peace in Ukraine instead of funding and continuing a war that seems to be escalating and putting the entire world at risk of World War III," Greene said at CPAC last Friday, per The Guardian.

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Greene's stance on the issue is linked to Trump's "America First" foreign policy approach. Trump was highly critical of US aid to other countries during his presidency and often pushed for Washington to be less involved in global affairs.

Trump's first impeachment was also linked, in part, to his dealings with Ukraine. He pressured Zelenskyy to launch an investigation into unsupported allegations of corruption against then-presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. At the time, Trump froze vital military aid to Ukraine as it fought a war against Kremlin-backed rebels in the eastern Donbas region. The fight in the Donbas was in many ways a precursor to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.

The former president's approach to Ukraine has continued to influence how Republicans loyal to him have responded to Russia's unprovoked invasion.

Trump, who praised Russian President Vladimir Putin's justification for invading Ukraine as "genius" and "savvy," has suggested that the Biden administration's support for Kyiv, particularly the provision of weaponry, risks sparking World War III. According to Trump, who is running for president again in 2024, it would be easy for him to end the war in Ukraine  but he's offered little to no details on how he would accomplish this.

Meanwhile, recent polling suggests that support for continued aid to Ukraine has also diminished among Republican voters. The divide over support for Ukraine in the GOP has been a growing point of concern for Ukraine and was a driving factor for Zelenskyy's risky trip to Washington in late 2022.

The US has provided billions in aid to Ukraine in recent years, including more than $32 billion in security assistance since Russia invaded. That assistance has included vital weapons and equipment such as HIMARS rocket artillery and Abrams tanks.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.) was sworn into the House on Tuesday, officially making her the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress.

McClellans swearing-in brought the chamber to full capacity  435 members  for the first time since September 2019, according to FiveThirtyEight. The number remained shy of 435 for months because of vacancies caused by deaths and resignations.

McClellan won a special election in Virginias 4th congressional district last month, putting her on track to become the first Black woman elected to Congress to represent the Old Dominion. She filled the seat previously held by the late Rep. Don McEachin (D-Va.), who died in November after a battle with colorectal cancer.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy administered the oath of office to McClellan on the House floor Tuesday night. The new congresswoman delivered remarks from the House floor  surrounded by members of the Virginia delegation  shortly after, discussing the influence her parents had on her path to serving in government.

I grew up listening to their stories of their childhood during the Depression, coming of age during World War II and its aftermath, and raising a family through the tumult of the 1960s and 70s, she said of her parents. They saw the best of government in the New Deal, they saw the worst of government in Jim Crow.

Their stories and a love of history that they spark in me, taught me at a young age that at its best, government is a force for helping people and solving problems. At its worst government is a force that oppresses some for the benefit of a few, she continued. Their stories sparked a desire to dedicate myself to making government by, of and for the people actually work for the people, solving problems and making their lives and communities better.

The congresswoman also paid tribute to her predecessor, saying that she was succeeding but could never replace McEachin. She called him a friend, mentor and colleague whom I served with in the Virginia House of Delegates, and succeeded in the Senate in Virginia.

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I stand on his shoulders, she added.

In an interview with The Hill last month, the then-congresswoman-elect said her victory in the race made her my ancestors wildest dreams.

To be the first Black woman from Virginia, the birthplace of both American democracy and American slavery and massive resistance, is poetic justice, she added.

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), the dean of the Virginia delegation, on Tuesday said McClellan will continue making history with her steadfast commitment to the 4th congressional district, fighting for their voices to be heard in this chamber.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has temporarily closed its hospital in Cite Soleil, in Haiti's capital, after gang violence threatened the safety of patients and staff, a spokesperson for the group told Reuters Wednesday.

This comes amid escalating violence from heavily armed gangs who last week expanded their territory to cover new areas both in the capital Port-au-Prince and nearby towns, forcing several schools to shut their gates as kidnappings also increase.

Field communication manager Alexandre Marcou said the closure leaves Cite Soleil, an impoverished neighborhood on the outskirts of the capital, with just one privately run hospital and another MSF operation which is reducing operations.

"We are living scenes of warfare just meters (yards) from the establishment," Vincent Harris, an MSF medical advisor, said in a statement.

"Our hospital has not been directly targeted but we have been a collateral victim of the fighting since the hospital found itself on the frontline."

Marcou said a child who was on oxygen had died in a security room, where patients are sent for protection from gunfire around the building. A 70-year-old man had also been found shot across form the hospital as he tried to cross the street.

"Because of the territorial conflicts, one of the groups decided crossing was forbidden, so the reaction was a bullet," he said.

Earlier this year, an MSF-backed public hospital just south of the capital also closed its doors after a patient was killed by a bullet as he left the emergency room.

Around Port-au-Prince, MSF continues to operate a center for trauma and bullet wounds and survivors of sexual violence, which a United Nations report said gangs were using en masse to instill fear.

It also operates mobile clinics, emergency centers for serious accidents, clinics for pregnant women and babies, and cholera treatment centers, though Marcou said the outbreak, which began in October, was seeing a decline.

"We are not leaving Haiti," said Marcou, stressing the closure was temporary and MSF planned to increase its work if needed, although it could not keep operations open if staff and patients are not safe.

(Reporting by Harold Isaac and Sarah Morland; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle and Sandra Maler)
Memphis authorities have concluded their investigation into the actions of police officers and fire department members in the fatal January arrest of Tyre Nichols, a top Memphis law enforcement official said Tuesday.

Jennifer Sink, who is the chief legal officer for Memphis, said during a meeting of the city councils Public Safety Committee that the police and fire departments conducted administrative investigations to determine if any of their members violated department policies in their involvement with Nichols arrest and death.

At this stage, the investigation has been concluded, she said.

Sink said officials are uploading about 20 hours of video and audio from police footage as soon as Wednesday afternoon.

She said records related to charges that have been filed in the administrative investigations will be released. She said the charges and disciplinary decisions will be made public on Wednesday, and the remaining files will be posted after necessary redactions are made.

Sink said officials investigations led to 13 police officers and four fire department members facing administrative charges.

In the investigations into the 13 officers, Sink said seven officers were fired, three were suspended, two had charges dismissed and one retired instead of being fired. In the fire department investigations, three members were fired and one was suspended, she said.

Outrage followed the release of surveillance and body camera footage captured during the Jan. 7 arrest of Nichols, a 29-year-old Black motorist. The video showed Nichols being brutally beaten, pepper-sprayed and hit with a stun gun during the incident.

Nichols was taken to a hospital and died a few days later on Jan. 10.

Five Black officers who were involved in the incident were subsequently fired from their positions and charged with second-degree murder. Other officers and fire department officials were also terminated from their positions for their roles in the situation.

An investigation determined the three fire officials failed to provide adequate care to Nichols after they arrived on the scene.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Photo: .

One of the most adorable critters roaming through the B.C. wilderness has an unexpected appetite -- for flesh.

Snowshoe hares, beloved for their ivory fur and the way they effortlessly bound across deep snow, appear quite innocent-looking, with big, dark eyes and a quintessential, twitching "bunny" nose.

But the forest dwellers aren't strictly herbivores, unlike their rabbit cousins.

Indeed, these alabaster buns opportunistically dine on whatever they can get their mouths on, which typically includes a range of vegetation during the spring and summer and bark in the winter.

Dr. Stan Boutin, a biology professor at the University of Alberta, told V.I.A. that snowshoe hares will scavenge meat but that "it is rare and they don't hunt live animals."

Trail camera recordings and photographs also show the animals engaging in cannibalistic acts. That's right -- the beguiling, ivory bunnies will scavenge hare corpses when they are hungry. They have also been recorded dining on the flesh of their main predator, the Canadian lynx, which National Geographic characterizes as an "ironic twist on natural selection."

In other words, you won't have to worry about an agile hare leaping onto Fido from behind during your next hike; the critters simply take advantage of easy meals when they come across them. They also aren't very big, weighing an average of two to four pounds and measuring about 16 to 20 inches long, according to the Nature Conservatory of Canada (NCC).

What makes the snowshoe hares a unique species in Canada

While they resemble rabbits, snowshoe hares have some unique traits, most notably their "large snowshoe feet" that help them traverse deep snow with ease. They are distributed across B.C.'s conifer forests, but are rarely spotted in the southern part of the province, said Boutin, who added that it is also "unlikely that they would ever be seen in [Metro Vancouver].

The hare population size can also increase 40- to 50-fold with population peaks every decade, he noted.

The Government of the Northwest Territories notes that lynx and snowshoe hare populations are closely intertwined. When hare populations peak, "lynx eat little else and take about two hares every three days." As the hare population drops, the lynx population sees a steady decline.

But snowshoe hares have one important defense against predators.

The animals' coats change to white in the winter, allowing them to blend in with their frosty surroundings. Once the snow melts, they turn a light brown or grey colour.

While you might spot more than a few white rabbits hopping around the Lower Mainland -- Jericho Beach is home to many of them -- these aren't of the snowshoe variety and most of them are pets that people have released into the wild.

The abandonment of domestic rabbits into the wild is a criminal act under the Criminal Code of Canada and an offense under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. While rabbits are smart, sociable little beings who make awesome pets, potential guardians should be aware of the commitment involved when adopting one.
(Reuters) -Opko Health Inc said on Wednesday it signed a deal with Merck & Co Inc potentially worth up to $922.5 million for its experimental Epstein-Barr virus vaccine.

Shares of Opko rose as much as 24%, before paring gains to trade 9.4% higher at $1.16.

Merck will take over the clinical and regulatory activities related to the vaccine, as well its commercialization once the drugmaker files a joint application with Opko unit ModeX Therapeutics to test it in humans, the company said.

Opko will receive an upfront payment of $50 million and is eligible for milestone payments of up to $872.5 million, plus royalties, on global sales.

There is currently no vaccine for the Epstein-Barr virus, which is the leading cause of mononucleosis, or mono, commonly called the "kissing disease".

(Reporting by Aditya Samal in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)
Facebook and Meta chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg: Meta released LLaMa to a limited number of researchers in February but it was leaked. Photo: Andreas Gebert/Reuters

Meta's rival to ChatGPT has been leaked online and is now available for download. Yahoo Finance investigates how much it differs from Microsoft and Google's AI alternatives.

In February, Meta (META) unveiled LLaMA, their memorably-named Large Language Model competitor to Microsoft's ChatGPT and Google's Bard.

At the time Mark Zuckerberg's tech-firm stated that they would only give researchers access to the artificial intelligence application, so as to "maintain integrity and prevent misuse".

Meta's initial release statement said: "To maintain integrity and prevent misuse, we are releasing our model under a noncommercial license focused on research use cases, and access to the model will be granted on a case-by-case basis to academic researchers."

Read more: How ChatGPT could lead to 'mass unemployment'  The Crypto Mile

However, someone has now leaked Facebook/Meta's Large Language Model alternative to the public via fringe online messaging platform 4Chan.

After the leak, developers have taken the new chat-bot app out for a test drive, so what do we know so far?

So far Meta's offering in the AI gold-rush to create the ultimate 'automated companion' for our journeys throughout cyber-space is similar in style to ChatGPT and Bard, with an ability to generate human-like responses to prompts and questions.

According to popular AI newsletter The Neuron, "early testers are saying that LLaMA isn't as good as the models powering ChatGPT.

"That's mostly because ChatGPT has anchored people to chat, and LLaMA wasn't taught how."

Read more: Microsofts Bing is the first threat to Googles search dominance in decades

On machine learning platform Hugging Face, one developer inquired, "anyone know how to get going with LLaMA?"

Another platform released the code for LLaMA, on the popular website Github. Where developers had quickly used Meta's code to introduce 'ChatLLaMA', made by Nebuly, which was described as having a training process that was 15 times faster than ChatGPT.

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After the leak was detected Meta sent a takedown notice to Hugging Face, citing legal issues.

Metas LLaMa weights leaked on torrent and someone put up a PR to replace the google form in the repo with it  pic.twitter.com/Hu2EUH6jmm  Amjad Masad  (@amasad) March 3, 2023

Meta's Chief AI Scientist Yann LeCun has also claimed that although LLaMA is a smaller AI model that uses less parameters than rivals it will be just as powerful, if not more, than other leading language models.

Rivals ChatGPT and Google's Bard are trained following the scaling law, which attests that the more parameters the model has access to, the better the result.

However, a paper released last month by Meta artificial intelligence researchers claimed that "although it may be cheaper to train a large model to reach a certain level of performance, a smaller one trained longer will ultimately be cheaper at inference".

Read more: Microsoft's ChatGPT investment could create 'game-changer' AI search engine

Within artificial intelligence technology, 'inference' explains how an AI model can use the data that it has been trained on to understand new information that it has never been exposed to before. In application, this gives the AI the ability to make decisions and evolve its understanding when fed fresh data.

According to AI news outlet The De-Coder, Meta's alternative to ChatGPT "is more compact and faster and is even said to be on par with Googles PaLM-E model".

Google's PaLM-E combines language, speech and robotics, but has not yet been released.

What are Large Language Models?

Large Language Models (LLMs) have captured mass media headlines across the globe since the release of OpenAI's ChatGPT in November, which has received investment from Microsoft (MSFT) to the tune of $10bn (8.3bn).

ChatGPT now has over 100 million users, the fastest application to mass adoption on record, and Microsoft has stated that the new technology will operate as a user's 'co-pilot' as they navigate the web.

Read more: How to master using the new AI tool ChatGPT

Large Language Models allow 'artificial intelligence' to generate content on request via a trawl of large data sets, in a matter of seconds.

These generative-AI tools can produce haiku, jokes, corporate emails, business plans, fix computer code, write academic essays and even pieces of original fiction in the style of any writer you want, from Joyce and Dostoyevsky, to Shakespeare.

Microsoft and Google (GOOG) are competing to build the best models to boost their search engines.

Watch: How ChatGPT could lead to 'mass technological unemployment' - The Crypto Mile

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Facebook/Latavia McGee

A South Carolina woman who was kidnapped while in Mexico for a tummy tuck made it out alive without serious physical injurybut the psychological trauma from the terrifying ordeal may take considerably longer to heal.

Latavia McGee, 35, and three others were ambushed last Friday by gunmen two and half hours after driving across the U.S. border into Matamoros. The four were hit with a barrage of gunfire before being forced out of their white minivan at gunpoint and thrown into the bed of a white pickup truck, action captured on video by a passerby. Over the next several days, the groups captors shuttled them from place to place at least three times in an attempt to create confusion, according to Americo Villarreal, the governor of Tamaulipas State.

On Tuesday morning, Mexican forces descended on a small wooden shack in a rural area east of Matamoros. There, they found a shaken but unharmed McGee, a mother of six, along with Eric James Williams, who had been shot three times in the legs. Williams wounds were not life-threatening, officials said. However, McGees first cousin, Shaeed Woodard, and friend Zindell Brown were both dead.

She watched them die, Hakquan Burgess, who is also a first cousin of McGees, told The Daily Beast on Wednesday.

In an interview with Myrtle Beach, South Carolina ABC affiliate WPDE, McGee's mom, Barbara Burgess, said she was able to speak to her daughter by phone at the Brownsville, Texas hospital where she is recovering.

She was crying because her brother got killed and she watched him die, Burgess told the outlet. She watched two of them die. They died in front of her.

(Hakquan Burgess told The Daily Beast that he, McGee, and Woodard grew up together and consider each other to be more like siblings. McGee traveled last year to Matamoros, a popular medical tourism destination for Americans, without incident, he said.)

https://www.facebook.com/EnlaceMxNoticia/photos/1733648773737250

Williams cousin Jerry Wallace also said Williamswho had never been outside the U.S. beforewas, like McGee, extremely rattled.

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Hes just upset about his friend getting killed right in front of him, which anybody else would be with the stuff he went through, Wallace told the New York Post.

After news broke that McGee was safe, another relative, Jihad Abdul Jami, felt relief. He told The Daily Beast he and his family were grateful to have her coming home. But that wave of optimism was tempered by sorrow over the loss of Woodard.

It didnt end the way we had hoped, but it could have been worse, Jami said.

The car in which four Americans were traveling when they were ambushed. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril

Jami said that Woodard had two older brothers and was a quiet, yet funny soul that never bothered anyone. He said his younger cousin's calm personality made his violent death all the more shocking.

Thats why its hitting everyone even harder, because he was the gentle giant, Jami said.

Matamoros is home to the violent Gulf drug cartel. Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios said at a press briefing that the foursome may have been the victims of mistaken identity.

Following Tuesdays rescue, Hakquan Burgess told The Daily Beast he was shocked by the news of the kidnapping, describing it as feeling like a movie or something.

Mexican police arrested a 24-year-old Mexican national identified as Jose Guadalupe N, who had been standing guard over the four hostages, according to Barrios. It is unclear if he is affiliated with the Gulf Cartel, but Barrios said authorities are searching for several others believed to have been involved.

The storage shed where authorities found the bodies of two of four Americans kidnapped by gunmen. REUTERS/Daniel Becerril

Photos from the rescue scene, published online by EnlaceMx Noticias, showed police removing what appeared to be wrist restraints from McGee. In a video shared by the outlet, Williams could be seen being treated in an ambulance, receiving oxygen but apparently alert.

The three had accompanied McGee on the trip to help with the driving and offer support, according to reports. A fifth friend also made the trek to Texas but was turned away at the border, NBC News reported, citing a law enforcement official. That person has not been identified.

Browns mother, Christina Hickson, said she was unaware her son was headed for Mexico, but had she known, she would have tried to stop him.

When I found out, he was en route in Mississippi, Hickson told WPDE. ... I would have never allowed them to get in that truck.

As it happens, Zindell Brown had also been concerned about traveling to Mexico, his sister Zalandria told the Associated Press.

Zindell kept saying, We shouldnt go down, she said.

Browns family is now raising money for his funeral and a potential second autopsy via a GoFundMe campaign, which a company spokeswoman confirmed to The Daily Beast was set up by another sister, Zalayna Brown. The fundraiser, which had raised $1,015 by Wednesday afternoon, said the family was not prepared for all of the unexpected costs due to this sudden tragedy.

A U.S. State Department travel advisory warns Americans against going to Tamaulipas state at all, cautioning, Do not travel due to crime and kidnapping.

Organized crime activityincluding gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assaultis common along the northern border and in Ciudad Victoria, the State Department website reads. Criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Mexicos violence is no joke  and the recent kidnapping and killing of U.S. citizens proves it.

The violence is nothing new for Mexicans left to pick up a trail of bodies during the past two decades.

But Americans have mostly been left alone in that raging war, seemingly because the cartels know that messing with U.S. citizens is bad for business.

Last Friday, people on both sides of the border were stunned when four U.S. citizens were snatched at gun point when they crossed the border into Matamoros in the state of Tamaulipas just across from Brownsville, Texas.

Now we know that two of them were killed and a third was injured. On Tuesday, the two Americans found alive were transported back to the United States.

No human should face this kind of violence

A member of the Mexican security forces stands next to a white minivan with North Carolina plates and several bullet holes, at the crime scene where gunmen kidnapped four U.S. citizens who crossed into Mexico from Texas, Friday, March 3, 2023. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the four Americans were going to buy medicine and were caught in the crossfire between two armed groups after they had entered Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, on Friday. (AP Photo)

Images of the shooting and abduction in broad daylight  and the subsequent search that led authorities to discover the two bodies  are a grotesque display of the impunity that reins in Mexico and how Americans tiptoe around those dangers.

Details are still scant about the Americans trek into Mexico.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had said it appeared the kidnapping was a case of mistaken identity. He quickly mobilized various law enforcement sectors to find them, prompting Mexicans to lament that he doesnt do that for his own people caught in the cartel wars.

Today, the Big Three US broadcast networks (CBS, ABC, NBC) featured prominently the news out of Mexico in their evening newscasts.



 This is a VERY rare occurrence. pic.twitter.com/9GgABvW19j  Jose Diaz Briseno (@diazbriseno) March 7, 2023

Mexican officials said they arrested a 24-year-old who was guarding the house where the Americans were held but wouldnt say whether he was linked to organized crime.

Tamaulipas attorney general Irving Barrios Mojica told media outlets that the Gulf Cartel operates in the region.

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A drug war also has been raging on the region, prompting the U.S. to recently issue a travel advisory.

Details will keep emerging, and Mexico better get to the bottom of this horrific crime. No human being should face that kind of violence.

We can't ignore Mexico's drug problem

Americans are understandably shocked and horrified.

Mexico is Americas main economic trade partner, and tons of U.S. citizens flock to the southern border for cheaper doctors visits and medicine.

This kidnapping is more than alarming. Its a wakeup call to stop ignoring the horrific violence raging south of the border and dismissing it as Mexicos problem.

And no, this doesnt mean the U.S. should invade Mexico militarily, as some conservatives propose, or that the border must be shut completely.

Its time to stop polarizing the border and the drug trafficking just to score political points and get serious about pooling resources to combat these problems.

Our lives depend on it.

Elvia Diaz is editorial page editor for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter, @elviadiaz1.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Americans kidnapped in Mexico is a wakeup call
A Miami Beach police officer on trial for using excessive force during the arrest of a Maryland tourist in a hotel lobby following a police chase was found guilty Wednesday of simple battery, a misdemeanor that could land him behind bars for up to a year.

Jurors took less than two hours to convict Officer Kevin Perez  the first officer to face trial following the July 2021 arrest of Dalonta Crudup  for kicking and punching Crudup as he lay face-down on the lobby floor of the Royal Palm Hotel with his hands behind his back.

Perez, suspended without pay since the videotaped and violent detainment of Crudup by almost two dozen officers gained international attention, left the courtroom quickly after the verdict without saying a word. The officers attorney Robert Buschel said he intends to file a motion asking the judge to dismiss the verdict before the April 21 sentencing.

Naturally, were disappointed, Buschel said. We hoped the judge would have a direct verdict of not guilty. Were going to ask the judge to do that as a matter of law.

The motion could carry some weight. During the trial Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Alberto Milian made the unusual move of dropping the charge from a felony, which could have carried a five-year sentence. The judge said the state failed to prove serious bodily injury to Crudup, a requirement for a felony charge. He also left the door open to dismissing the case entirely before the officers sentencing, telling jurors several times during the trial that under the law police could use any force they deem necessary to subdue a fleeing felon.

READ MORE: Unexpected twist: Judge lessens charge against Miami Beach cop in hotel lobby scrum

Crudup, 26, was a reluctant and far-from-perfect witness. He only agreed to testify after being subpoenaed and granted immunity for his upcoming trial on fleeing and eluding police during his arrest. During Perezs trial, Milian granted the defense the right to discuss a pair of arrests of Crudup in Washington, D.C., and Kentucky that happened after his Miami Beach arrest and remain pending. He wasnt in the courtroom when the verdict was read.

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During closing arguments Wednesday, Assistant Miami-Dade State Attorney Joshua Novak said the case was about the beating of an unarmed, handcuffed Black man.

This was premeditated violence and he delivered it on Dalonta Crudup, Novak told the jurors.

Buschel, as he did during most of the trial, barely mentioned Perez and instead focused on Crudup, the claim by police that he hit an officer with his motor scooter, and the charges pending against him.

READ MORE: Trial set for Miami Beach cop charged with beating tourist who struck cop with scooter

This, one hundred percent, was the lawful arrest of a violent criminal, said Buschel, who went on to say, Mr. Crudup enjoyed a nice week in Miami sponsored by the prosecution.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle called the jury verdict a clear statement against the use of excessive force in making an arrest.

The arrest

The five-day trial that ended in Perezs conviction came about after a minor incident on a Collins Avenue street corner ballooned into an all-out chase for a man on a motor scooter and his eventual videotaped beating while surrounded by more than 20 cops.

Perez and four other officers were charged with taking part in the rough arrest.

Police said the whole thing began after Crudup drove his motor scooter over an officers foot. But state prosecutors argued it started a few minutes before that, when Crudup almost fell off his scooter on Collins Avenue and Ninth Street in front of three friends and three police officers. Crudup said when he got up, both friends and the police were laughing at him. He admitted to giving police at the scene the finger, then riding off.

Crudup drove off heading north toward the Royal Palm at 1545 Collins Ave. But before he got there, police on bicycles kept showing up as he made his way up an alley. One of the officers threw his bike forward attempting to stop Crudup. Another officer testified that during the chase Crudup road his scooter over his foot, though Crudup denied that when he took the stand during the trial.

As Crudup neared the hotel, a large white SUV forced him off the road. He abandoned the scooter and ran into the hotel elevator. But before the door closed an officer caught up to him, weapon drawn, and ordered him to the ground. Hotel surveillance video seemed to confirm that Crudup obeyed the police orders. Officers, though, testified he put up a fight as almost two dozen cops showed up and surrounded him.

While Crudup was on the ground, prosecutors said, Perez kicked him, picked him up by his arm while he was handcuffed and slammed his head to the ground, gashing his chin and creating a pool of blood.

During the rebuttal of Buschels closing argument, Assistant State Attorney Sandra Miller-Batiste told jurors the focus needed to be on the actions of the officer, not Crudups actions or history.

Hes not the one whos on trial. The person on trial is Kevin Perez. I urge you not to forget that, she said.

Three other Miami Beach police officers have upcoming trials pending from Crudups arrest. A fourth, Sgt. Jose Perez, avoided a felony charge by retiring.
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

Michelle Yeoh has deleted an Instagram post spotlighting a Vogue article titled Its Been Over Two Decades Since Weve Had a Non-White Best Actress Winner. Will That Change in 2023? after a bit of controversy broke out online.

While most of the article shines a light on the lack of representation at the Academy Awards, one paragraphincluded in Yeohs initial Instagram carouseltargets Cate Blanchett. Blanchett and Yeoh are in a tight race for Best Actress heading into the Oscars this Sunday, competing for their performances in Tar and Everything Everywhere All at Once, respectively.

Detractors would say that Blanchetts is the stronger performancethe acting veteran is, indisputably, incredible as the prolific conductor Lydia Tarbut it should be noted that she already has two Oscars, says the Vogue piece, reshared in a now-deleted post on Yeohs Instagram. A third would perhaps confirm her status as an industry titan but, considering her expansive and unparalleled body of work, are we still in need of yet more confirmation?

Instagram

The article continues: Meanwhile, for Yeoh, an Oscar would be life-changing: her name would forever be preceded by the phrase Academy Award winner, and it should result in her getting meatier parts, after a decade of being criminally underused in Hollywood.

This share on Yeohs Instagram came just hours before Oscars voting was set to close at 5:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The actress deleted the carousel just as folks were starting to react online were starting to call her out for being messyor, in certain cases, defend her actions.

Michelle Yeoh posting that was a little messy, but will I be supporting her if thats what she felt like she had to do to get a win for Asian actors? Yes I will pic.twitter.com/3gA0yPRmsw  alex   (@nothnghppens) March 7, 2023

Oh no Im sure all the Academy voters sure had Michelle Yeoh instagram post notifications on Im shaking in my boots pic.twitter.com/Rov634Y3bj  paul meeks-martin (@paulswhtn) March 7, 2023

This. Michelle Yeoh shared an article that was nine slides long about systemic racism in the industry and in The Academy - written by someone else! - and if youre only paying attention to ONE slide and not the broader point of the piece, youre missing the forest for the trees. https://t.co/40rR2MZ5tH pic.twitter.com/GkXVaHVTrw  Zoe Rose Bryant (@ZoeRoseBryant) March 7, 2023

The post may have been deleted because its a potential violation of the Academys campaign rules. In no. 11, References to Other Nominees, Part B reads: any tactic that singles out the competition by name or titles is expressly forbidden. While Yeoh didnt write these words, its unclear if any tactic means sharing criticism from other publications.

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This rule came into play earlier this year when To Leslie got a nomination for Andrea Riseborough, another Best Actress nominee. The Academy conducted a review of campaign procedures after the surprise nom, discovering social media and outreach campaigning tactics that caused concern.

Though the Academy didnt comment on what exactly raised eyebrows, they may be referencing a since-deleted Instagram post from the official To Leslie account which, once again, blasts Blanchetts performance in Tar.

As much as I admired Blanchetts work in Tar, my favorite performance by a woman this year was delivered by the chameleon-like Andrea Riseborough in director Michael Morris searing drama about a mom at the final crossroads in her life after shes lost everything due to her drinking, the caption read, citing a blurb from the Chicago Sun-Times.

Michelle Yeoh and The Academy did not immediately respond to The Daily Beasts request for comment on this story.

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LANSING, Mich. (AP)  Michigan's Democratic-led House approved legislation Wednesday that would repeal the state's right-to-work law that was passed more than a decade ago when Republicans controlled the Statehouse.

Repealing the law, which prohibits public and private unions from requiring that nonunion employees pay union dues even if the union bargains on their behalf, has been a top priority for Democrats since they took full control of the state government this year.

This bill is not about making history. It is about restoring the rights of workers from whose work weve all benefited, Rep. Jim Haadsma, a Battle Creek Democrat, said on the House floor prior to the vote.

Supporters of the repeal, who poured into the gallery above the House chambers, cheered loudly as the legislation passed along party lines late Wednesday. Legislation restoring the states prevailing wage law, which requires contractors hired for state projects to pay union-level wages, was also approved by the House.

Both bills will need to pass the state Senate before being sent to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for final approval.

A $1 million appropriation was attached to both bills prior to the House vote that Republican House Leader Matt Hall said would make them referendum-proof. Michigan law says the power of referendums does not extend to bills with appropriations attached.

Whitmer previously wrote in a government accountability plan that if a non-appropriations bill has a dollar amount added to circumvent the peoples right to a referendum," she would veto it.

The House Labor Committee advanced the repeal, in addition to the legislation that would restore the state's prevailing wage law, early Wednesday as supporters and opponents of the bills packed the main committee room and three overflow areas. The committee allowed just over an hour of testimony, predominately from supporters of the repeal, before voting to advance the bills.

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We don't want the government telling two private parties what they can agree to in negotiations, said Jonathan Byrd, president of the South Central Michigan AFL-CIO. That is what right-to-work does.

Whitmer commended the committee for putting Michigan workers first, saying in a statement that working people should always have basic freedoms in the workplace without interference from the government.

House Republicans argued in the committee that the public showed its support of right-to-work when voters rejected a 2012 constitutional amendment that aimed to protect the right to organize and bargain collectively. They also complained that the bills were being rushed through and that more debate was needed.

Haadsma, who chairs the House Labor Committee, said the committee had to accomplish this today so we can accomplish this by spring break, referring to the Legislature's two-week break that begins March 23.

When the Legislature passed the right-to-work legislation in 2012, thousands of union supporters descended on the Capitol to protest. The law dealt a devastating blow to organized labor in a state that had played an important role in the growth of the U.S. labor movement, though unions have lost significant power in the region over the past decade.

The year before, neighboring Wisconsin under Republican Gov. Scott Walker proposed all-but ending collective bargaining for most public workers. It sent off weeks of protests that grew to as large as 100,000 people and led Democratic state senators to leave the state in a failed attempt to stop the bills passage.

Four years later, after he had said he wouldnt go after union rights of private sector workers, Walker signed a right-to-work law for Wisconsin.

___

Associated Press writer Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.
This year's Microsoft Ability Summit is underway and the company has revealed its latest advancements for accessibility and disability inclusion. First, it's bringing an accessibility assistant to Microsoft 365 ( formerly Microsoft Office ). The aim is to help people produce content that's more accessible.

The assistant will offer suggestions on how to prevent and correct accessibility issues, along with what Microsoft calls "better defaults" and "real-time remediation." The assistant follows an accessibility checker in Visual Studio. On a similar note, Microsoft has released a guidebook ( PDF ) to help people design products with cognitive diversity in mind.

Later this year, there will be 3D-printed attachments for the Surface Pen  they're already available for the Business Pen and Classroom Pen 2. According to Microsoft, the grips can make the pens easier to hold for those with limited mobility so they can use the peripherals on their Surface devices.

Elsewhere, Microsoft detailed more accessibility-minded updates that are built on the Azure platform. The Seeing AI app recently added a feature to help blind users and those with low vision to make their way through a building with the guidance of spatial audio cues.

Azure Cognitive Services for vision will be employed to automatically add alt-text descriptions and captioning on LinkedIn as well. Microsoft notes that more than 40 percent of LinkedIn posts have at least one image. While automatically generated descriptions won't be perfect, they're better than having no alt text at all.
Mike Epps performs a 2021 comedy show at Atlanta's State Farm Arena. (Robb Cohen / Invision / AP)

Police confiscated a gun Sunday from Mike Epps at the Indianapolis International Airport after the actor and comedian said he forgot he was carrying the weapon in his carry-on luggage. Epps was not arrested during the encounter.

According to a police report from the Indianapolis Airport Authority, an officer conducted a firearms investigation and found a .38-caliber revolver in Epps' backpack at a TSA checkpoint. Epps told the officer he was in town for a comedy show at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse and forgot the gun was in his bag.

A representative for Epps did not immediately respond Wednesday to The Times' request for comment.

The police report states that the Smith & Wesson revolver was loaded with four rounds of Hornady .38 special ammo  none under the firing pin. After speaking with Epps, conducting a license check and seizing the weapon, authorities advised the comic on how to get his firearm back after the case goes through the court system.

The Indianapolis Airport Authority noted that information about the incident was sent to the Marion County prosecutor's office, which will determine whether to file charges.





Epps is currently on a comedy tour of the United States that includes stops at Oakland's Oakland Arena (May 6) and Inglewood's Kia Forum (May 7) in California. The tour is scheduled to conclude May 28 in St. Louis, Mo.



The "Upshaws" actor is also soon set to appear in "I'm a Virgo," a comedy series about a 13-foot-tall man from Oakland starring Emmy-winning "When They See Us" actor Jharrel Jerome. The show will begin streaming on Amazon Prime Video this summer, according to Variety.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A federal judge struck down a Missouri law that blocked state and local officials from enforcing federal gun laws as unconstitutional this week.

Judge Brian Wimes, who was nominated by former President Obama, sided with the Justice Department in ruling the law violates the Constitutions Supremacy Clause, which deems federal provisions the supreme law of the land that trump state laws.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) in June 2021 signed into law the Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA), which declared limitations on gun transfers, firearm registrations and other federal regulations unconstitutional.

Wimes, in granting the federal governments summary judgment motion, opined that federal law preempts the state provision, and he ruled that SAPA is unconstitutional in its entirety because its other sections would be rendered meaningless if the law was only partially struck down.

SAPAs practical effects are counterintuitive to its stated purpose, Wimes wrote. While purporting to protect citizens, SAPA exposes citizens to greater harm by interfering with the Federal Governments ability to enforce lawfully enacted firearms regulations designed by Congress for the purpose of protecting citizens within the limits of the Constitution.

The judge further ruled that other portions of SAPA are independently unconstitutional because they violate the doctrine of intergovernmental immunity, which restricts states from discriminating against the federal government.

The provisions include those that blocked state and local officials from enforcing federal gun laws and prohibited state law enforcement agencies from hiring individuals who have previously enforced those laws for the federal government.

These enforcement schemes are likely to discourage federal law enforcement recruitment efforts, Wimes ruled.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) appealed the decision on Wednesday and asked Wimes to stay his decision until the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules on the case.

Story continues

The Hill has reached out to the Missouri attorney generals office for comment.

Updated at 1:14 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Intangible cultural heritage workshops contribute to China's rural revitalization drive

People's Daily Online) 10:27, March 07, 2023

China has set up intangible cultural heritage workshops in the past few years, which have protected and inherited the valuable cultural legacies, while contributing to the country's rural revitalization drive.

Over 2,500 workshops for intangible cultural heritage techniques have been established by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the National Rural Revitalization Administration, among which 1,400 are located in once poverty-stricken areas, covering over 450 counties lifted out of poverty and 85 counties identified as vital to national rural revitalization.

Photo shows the workshop for Xiabu cloth in Zhongyi township of Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County, Chongqing. (Photo/Chongqing Municipal Culture and Tourism Development Commission)

Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality and east China's Shandong Province together established a workshop for Xiabu cloth, a traditional hand-woven linen material made of ramie and hemp fibers, in Zhongyi township of Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County, Chongqing. Clothes made of the fabric are believed to keep the wearers cool in the summer. Since it was established four years ago, the workshop has helped 180 needy households increase their income, with its products being sold to overseas markets. The successful business mode has been replicated in many counties and districts of Chongqing and Bama Yao autonomous county in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Yang Yuanju, who once lived a hard life, joined the workshop in 2019. She learned the weaving techniques very quickly, and could earn 40,000 ($5,790) to 50,000 yuan a year.

The rural workshops have not only enabled women in rural areas like Yang to work at their doorsteps, but also brought hope to the elderly and people with disabilities. A weed painting workshop in Huaiyang district, Zhoukou city, central China's Henan Province has offered training courses to 803 people with disabilities, long-term job opportunities to 96 of them, and helped nearly 100 households with people with disabilities shake off poverty. Apart from offering jobs to 10 physically handicapped people, an oil-paper umbrella workshop in central China's Hunan Province provided work opportunities for eight septuagenarians.

Traditionally, products of intangible cultural heritages had limited patterns, whose aesthetic values may not satisfy consumers. But today's workshops, with the aim of reaching domestic and foreign markets, combined the traditional cultural legacies with modern elements to make them more fashionable, winning recognition from consumers.

Long Luying, an inheritor of Miao embroidery in Shibing county, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Guizhou Province, established a workshop, but her products did not sell well in the early days. After participating in a training program for intangible cultural heritage inheritors initiated by Tsinghua University, Long and her son combined the embroidery techniques with modern elements, and invited designers who returned from Italy and France to their teams. Their products, including ties, scarves, shawls, clothes of the Miao ethnic group were well received. By the end of 2021, the workshop had six branches with a total of 1,297 employees, and an annual output of nearly 30 million yuan.

Wazao village in Hunan Province, where a traditional fish noodle originated, enjoyed widespread acclaim after a local food company set up a fish noodle workshop there. Taking advantage of the success of the workshop, the village developed tourism, and became a hot tourist attraction, receiving over 200,000 visitors a year.

"Intangible cultural workshops, which integrate the cultural legacies and relevant industries, injected more impetus into the countryside, and strengthened the internal driving force for the rural areas," observed Qiu Huanguang, head of the School of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development of Renmin University of China.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
Photo: The Canadian Press Marc Garneau answers a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020. Liberal MP Marc Garneau, who once served as Canada's foreign affairs minister, confirmed he is resigning his seat. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Liberal MP and former cabinet minister Marc Garneau is resigning after 15 years in politics.

He did not answer questions this morning about why he's stepping down, telling reporters he wanted to speak to colleagues at the party's caucus meeting first.

Garneau, who was federal transport minister for about five years before serving as foreign affairs minister in 2021, says he will make a speech in the House of Commons later today.

He represents the Montreal constituency of Notre-Dame-de-GraceWestmount and was first elected to the House of Commons in 2008.

Garneau was one of the first six Canadian astronauts and became the first Canadian to fly to space in 1984.

He also led the Canadian Space Agency from 2001 to 2005 before entering politics.
A Missouri state lawmaker put a Republican colleague on the spot over an anti-LGBTQ bill that would prohibit teachings about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools even more than the Florida law nicknamed Dont Say Gay.

Rep. Phil Christofanelli, a gay Republican, challenged Rep. Ann Kelley on the House floor last week over the logic of the bill she sponsored, wondering if it would also prohibit teaching about heterosexuality, which is a sexual orientation.

Im just going to read you the language in your bill, Christofanelli said, pointing to a section that stated no classroom instruction relating to sexual orientation or gender identity shall occur.

You mentioned George Washington. Who is Martha Washington? Christofanelli asked.

His wife, Kelley answered.

Under your bill, how could you mention that in a classroom? Christofanelli continued.

Kelley replied, To me, thats not sexual orientation.

So its only really certain sexual orientations that you want prohibited from introduction in the classroom, Christofanelli shot back.

MO State Rep. Phil Christofanelli (R) criticizes fellow GOP Rep. Ann Kelley's anti-LGBT school bill.



PC: Who is Martha Washington?

AK: [George Washington's] wife.

PC: With your bill, how could that be mentioned in the classroom?

AK: That's not sexual orientation.

PC: Really? pic.twitter.com/3usn7LUg6Q  Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) March 6, 2023

Kelley argued that she planned to improve the language of the bill.

Lady, I didnt introduce your bill, Christofanelli interrupted. And I didnt write it; you wrote it. And so Im asking what it means. Which sexual orientations do you believe should be prohibited from Missouri classrooms?

We all have a moral compass. And my moral compass is compared with [the] Bible, Kelley said.

Story continues

You said that you didnt want teachers personal beliefs entering the classroom, but it seemed a lot like your personal beliefs you would like to enter all Missouri classrooms, Christofanelli pushed back.

In the end, Kelley was not able to answer the question about whether children could be taught about Martha Washington under the language of her bill, replying: I dont know.

Kelleys House Bill 634, introduced on Feb. 23, would prohibit instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in public and charter schools through the 12th grade. Its one of the latest pushes for anti-LGBTQ legislation by Republican lawmakers in state legislatures around the country, part of a surge in conservative-driven discriminatory rhetoric against the community.

The bill is more extreme than the widely panned Dont Say Gay law enacted in Florida last year, which prevents similar instruction in kindergarten through the third grade and dictates that any such teaching be age appropriate in the grades above third.

Last month, Kelley drew attention when she proposed a dress code that her fellow women in the Missouri House of Representatives slammed as ridiculous. The amendment, which was adopted, says women must wear jackets with their outfits.

Related...
There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. One common approach is to try and find a company with returns on capital employed (ROCE) that are increasing, in conjunction with a growing amount of capital employed. This shows us that it's a compounding machine, able to continually reinvest its earnings back into the business and generate higher returns. Although, when we looked at MMIS Berhad (KLSE:MMIS), it didn't seem to tick all of these boxes.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

Just to clarify if you're unsure, ROCE is a metric for evaluating how much pre-tax income (in percentage terms) a company earns on the capital invested in its business. To calculate this metric for MMIS Berhad, this is the formula:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.16 = RM8.7m  (RM62m - RM8.9m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2022).

So, MMIS Berhad has an ROCE of 16%. On its own, that's a standard return, however it's much better than the 12% generated by the Semiconductor industry.

Check out our latest analysis for MMIS Berhad

roce

While the past is not representative of the future, it can be helpful to know how a company has performed historically, which is why we have this chart above. If you want to delve into the historical earnings, revenue and cash flow of MMIS Berhad, check out these free graphs here.

What Does the ROCE Trend For MMIS Berhad Tell Us?

When we looked at the ROCE trend at MMIS Berhad, we didn't gain much confidence. Around five years ago the returns on capital were 36%, but since then they've fallen to 16%. Given the business is employing more capital while revenue has slipped, this is a bit concerning. This could mean that the business is losing its competitive advantage or market share, because while more money is being put into ventures, it's actually producing a lower return - "less bang for their buck" per se.

Story continues

Our Take On MMIS Berhad's ROCE

We're a bit apprehensive about MMIS Berhad because despite more capital being deployed in the business, returns on that capital and sales have both fallen. Investors haven't taken kindly to these developments, since the stock has declined 24% from where it was year ago. Unless there is a shift to a more positive trajectory in these metrics, we would look elsewhere.

One more thing: We've identified 3 warning signs with MMIS Berhad (at least 2 which are a bit concerning) , and understanding them would certainly be useful.

If you want to search for solid companies with great earnings, check out this free list of companies with good balance sheets and impressive returns on equity.

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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Decades after a mother found her teenage daughter stabbed to death in her own bed, Colorado police said they are still looking for answers.

On the 37th anniversary of her death, the Colorado Springs Police Department renewed its request for information about the death of 15-year-old Melissa Riedell in a March 7 social media post.

Melissas mother last spoke with her over the phone about an hour before returning home to their apartment to find her with a knife in her chest on March 7, 1986, according to a Colorado Bureau of Investigation cold case file.

She had planned to pick her up and take her to visit a friend, according to police.

Investigators said they did not find any forced entry and the door was locked when her mother arrived. Additionally, there was no sign of struggle or that Melissa had been sexually assaulted.

An autopsy showed a ligature mark around Melissas throat, however, investigators said they did not find the instrument used. Melissas body also had multiple stab wounds.

Police said they interviewed numerous friends, associates, neighbors, and members of the victims family and collected evidence from the scene at the time.

Forensic testing was done on several items of evidence during the initial investigation and continues as this technology advances, police said.

Police asked for anyone with information about Melissas case to call 719-444-7000.

Lady in the fridge was a mystery for 27 years. Body now identified as California mom

Man called 911 to say wife died by suicide in 1983, cops say. He later became a suspect

DNA links man to slaying of woman found in cornfield 43 years ago, California cops say
More than 100 Democrats are standing behind President Bidens embattled student loan forgiveness plan as it faces a fight for its future at the Supreme Court, sending a letter of support to the White House.

We write to express our strong support for your efforts to provide student loan relief to more than 40 million low-to-middle-income borrowers as they recover from the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic, the lawmakers, led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), said in the letter.

Students and families from working- and low-income backgrounds should not be punished for pursuing an education and developing skills needed for a 21st-century economy, they wrote.

The support from Democratic lawmakers comes as the legality of Bidens student loan forgiveness plan  which would provide up to $20,000 in debt forgiveness for Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 for others  was argued in front of the Supreme Court. The courts decision will determine whether the administrations plan can continue.

Six Republican-led states are challenging the plan before the Supreme Court. While the oral arguments in the case have already concluded, a decision on the future of the plan is expected sometime in May or June.

The Democratic lawmakers said in their letter that they were confident the administration would prevail in court, arguing that it is within the presidents administrative authority.

Given that your Administrations debt relief plan falls squarely within your administrative authority, we expect the legal challenges to the plan will fail, and 40 million Americans will be able to have their debts reduced or eliminated as they return to repayment, they wrote.

Opponents of the plan have argued that Biden went well outside of his authority to cancel the debt, saying it is an egregious government overreach.

But dealing with student debt was a campaign promise that the president made good on, as the Democratic party grappled with a number of options, including the possibility of fully canceling student debt, to keep their commitments.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Hundreds of people onboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship fell ill, per the CDC. James D. Morgan/Getty Images

More than 300 people became sick on one of Princess Cruises' ships, the CDC said.

Princess Cruises said it was a "mild gastrointestinal illness" likely caused by norovirus.

The CDC said those affected had symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.

More than 300 people on board one of Princess Cruises' ships fell ill and suffered from vomiting and diarrhea, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.

The cruise on the Ruby Princess lasted for a week, starting on February 26 and finishing on Sunday in Galveston, Texas, the CDC said in an investigation report.

In a statement to Insider, Princess Cruises described the sickness as a "mild gastrointestinal illness." The company said it was likely caused by norovirus, a stomach bug that causes vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and stomach pain.

The impacted passengers and crew had symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea, per the CDC's report.

The CDC said 284 passengers  out of a total of 2,881  reported feeling unwell during the trip. That equated to nearly 10% of all passengers on the cruise.

Out of 1,159 crew members, 34  or around 3%  reported being sick during the voyage, the CDC said.

Princess said it immediately went through the sanitization procedures to prevent the spread of the virus, including disinfecting door handles, elevator buttons, and railings.

Unwell passengers isolated themselves in their rooms until they weren't contagious, and everyone was encouraged to use their own bathroom in their cabin, the company added.

Crew members also collected passengers' stool samples to send to a laboratory for pathogenic identification, the CDC said.

The Ruby Princess was disinfected again in Galveston before it departed for its next voyage, Princess said. The ship is now on a weeks-long cruise around the Caribbean and is scheduled to return to Galveston on Sunday.

Norovirus is very likely to spread when people are in close proximity, such as on a cruise ship, Dr. Purvi S. Parikh, an infectious diseases doctor at NY Langone, told Insider's Amber Middleton.

COVID-19 outbreaks occurred on many cruise ships during the pandemic. The CDC said in December 2021 it had to investigate 38 ships and observe an additional 48 ships amid COVID-19 outbreaks.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photo: NASA

Weve been capturing space-based images of Earth for nearly three-quarters of a century, but these eight views of Earth are each profound in their own way.



Images of Earth from space are now so commonplace that its hard to fathom the pre-spaceflight eraa time when people were forced to use their imaginations instead. The first suborbital images of Earth were cause for celebration, but we could scarcely imagine what was to come. Within a few years and decades, we were snapping pics of Earth from the Moon, a neighboring planet, and from deep within the solar system.



Read more

The first view of Earth from space



A view of Earth taken during a sub-orbital flight of a V-2 rocket in 1946.

Hard to believe, but this photo of Earth, captured on October 24, 1946, was taken 11 years before the Soviet Union launched Sputnik to low Earth orbit. Our first view of Earth as seen from space, sadly, came from a camera mounted to a modified V-2 rocket (yes, the same V-2 rocket used by the Nazis to terrorize Britons during the Second World War). Launched from the White Sands Missile Range in White Sands New Mexico, the Project Hermes V-2 No. 13 rocket flew to a maximum height of 65 miles (105 km), from where it took a photo five times higher than the previous record.



The first view of Earth from the Moon



Image: NASA

NASAs Lunar Orbiter 1 was the first spacecraft to capture a view of Earth from the vicinity of the Moon, which it did on August 23, 1966. The orbiter took the image during its 16th lunar orbit, transmitting the photo to NASAs tracking station at Robledo De Chavela near Madrid, Spain.



Earthrise

Photo: NASA

This iconic view of Earth, with the rugged lunar landscape in the foreground, was captured on December 24, 1968 during the crewed Apollo 8 mission to the Moon. Said NASA astronaut Jim Lovell at the time: The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth.



Story continues

The Blue Marble



Image: NASA

This is one of the most recognizable photos of Earth. Taken by the Apollo 17 crew on December 7, 1972, it shows our home planet in all its majestic glory. The NASA astronauts were heading home at the time, snapping the photo at a distance of 18,000 miles (29,000 kilometers). Africa and Madagascar can be seen in the frame, along with the Arabian Peninsula and Antarctica.



A view of Earth and the Moon in isolation



Photo: NASA/JPL

NASAs Voyager 1 spacecraft took this parting shot of Earth and our Moon on September 18, 1977. Its our first view of the two celestial bodies in isolation within a single frame. Voyager 1 was 7.25 million miles (11.66 million kilometers) from Earth at the time. The image was constructed from three photos, while the brightness of the Moon was enhanced for clarity.



The farthest view of Earth from space



Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Voyager 1's famous Pale Blue Dot, taken on February 14, 1990, remains the farthest view of Earth ever taken by a spacecraft. The NASA probe was 3.7 billion miles (6 billion kilometers) from the Sun at the time. Writing in his book Pale Blue Dot, Carl Sagan famously wrote: Look again at that dot. Thats here. Thats home. Thats us.

The Pale Blue Dot image taken by Voyager 1 spacecraft in 1990, showing Earth as a tiny bright speck surrounded by darkness.



Dubbed the Pale Blue Dot, this Voyager 1 image from 1990 is the farthest view of Earth ever taken. This enhanced version of the image was released in 2020.

The first image of Earth as seen from another planet



Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/Texas A&M

Behold the first image taken of Earth from the surface of another planet. NASAs Spirit rover took the mosaic photo from Mars in early 2004.



Earth and the Moon as seen from the surface of Mars



Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Curiosity one-upped the Spirit rover by capturing a view of both Earth and the Moon, which it did on January 31, 2014. The image, captured by the NASA rovers Mastcam, was taken around 80 minutes after sunset, at which point Earth was the brightest object in the sky. The Red Planet was 99 million miles (160 million kilometers) from Earth when the image was taken.



Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech

By zooming in and adding some background darkness (see annotated image above), the Moon could also be seen. A human observer with normal vision, if standing on Mars, could easily see Earth and the moon as two distinct, bright evening stars, according to NASA.

Earth, the Moon, Mars, and Venus as seen from Saturn



Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI

This epic mosaic image was captured by Cassinis wide-angle and narrow-angle cameras on July 19, 2013. The NASA probe was so far at the time898 million miles (1.46 billion km)that Earth and the Moon appear as a single dot.



Annotated view of Mars, Venus, and Earth/Moon.

An annotated view of the image shows the location of Mars and Venus, along with Earth and the Moon. The bright dot to the left is Saturns moon Enceladus, while the bright dot at bottom-left is another Saturnian moon, Tethys. In total, at least 15 celestial objects or phenomena are visible in the frame, which NASA stitched together from 323 images.



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Click here to read the full article.
Michele Eve Sandberg/Shutterstock

Vice President Kamala D. Harris holds the distinction of being the first female vice president of the United States and the first person of color to hold the office.

Discover: How Rich Is Former President Donald Trump?

Learn: 3 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000

She was elected Senator in 2017, representing the California Democratic Party. While holding her U.S. Senate seat, she served on numerous committees. As a senator, she was an outspoken advocate for various causes, including improving maternal health care, the anti-lynching bill and advancing immigrant rights.

In 2020, Harris was President Joe Bidens running mate. She campaigned for the Democratic nomination and, following a successful election, was sworn in as vice president on Jan. 20, 2021.

While Harris has expressed her intent to run alongside Biden in the 2024 elections, she is considered by some to be a potential front-runner for the upcoming presidential election if he chooses not to run.

Birthdate: October 20, 1964

Net worth: $6.75 million to $15.29 million

Source of income: Vice presidential salary, book royalties

Career highlight: Current United States Vice President

How Much Is Kamala D. Harris Worth?

According to the White Houses 2021 financial disclosure report, Harris net worth is estimated to be between $6.75 million to $15.29 million. This includes both the assets and liabilities in her name as well as those in the name of her spouse, Douglas Emhoff, whom she married in 2014.

Earnings

Her annual salary as vice president is reported to be $235,100. She earns most of her income from book royalties from her 2019 book The Truths We Hold, earning a total of nearly $326,000 for the year 2021 alone. She also earned $130,000 in royalties for Superheroes Are Everywhere.

Harris 2021 joint income tax return with her husband, Douglas Emhoff, also reports a total combined income of $1.65 million.

Story continues

Investments

Aside from her income, Harris holds a diversified portfolio of stocks and bonds, including Vanguard, iShares and BlackRock funds.

In 2021, the total value of Harris and her spouses investments was estimated at around $2.25 million to $5.29 million. Additionally, she and her husband have between $1.5 to $3 million in cash, for a total of $3.75 million to $8.29 million.

Harris owns multiple real estate properties in California, including a home in Brentwood, Los Angeles; a condominium in Oakland, California; and a townhouse in Washington, D.C. According to Zillow, the three homes are estimated to have an $8 million combined value.

Including investments, cash, and real estate, Harris is estimated to have between $11.75 million and $16.29 million in assets.

Liabilities

Harris 2022 annual disclosure showed several liabilities that were paid off, including a commercial loan, promissory note, line of credit, and mortgage for a personal residence that was sold. These liabilities totaled $1.65 million to $6.35 million but were not included in Harris net worth calculation because they were reported as paid off.

She does have one existing liability of $1 million to $5 million for a personal residence mortgage.

2024 Campaign

Harris has been vocal about her intent to run for a second term as vice president for the 2024 election alongside Biden.

How Much Money Has She Raised?

Reports have shown that in the period between 2020 and 2021, Harris was able to raise a total of approximately $7.9 million. Nearly 74% of the funds raised were attributed to small individual contributions of less than $200. Around 25% of the campaign funds were from large individual contributors.

Additionally, only $75,287 was raised from PAC contributions. Harris did not self-finance at all.

Harris supports Bidens DISCLOSE Act, which is against the use of dark money on political campaigns. Harriss campaign has focused heavily on grassroots fundraising, which is evident from the impressive total she has been able to raise.

What Are Her Core Policies?

Alongside Biden, Harris pushed to provide free vaccination for all Americans. She also has a strong focus on civil rights, criminal justice reform, immigration reform, and economic equality.

In February 2023, Harris addressed the issue of climate change at Georgia Tech. She highlights the current administrations Clean Water Act, which aims to ensure all Americans have clean drinking water. Harris also encourages the nation to invest in sources of renewable energy while continuing to research new technologies for sustainable energy.

How Her Fiscal Policy Could Impact You

Harriss fiscal policy focuses on creating job opportunities for Americans, increasing wages, and protecting small businesses from becoming bankrupt during economic downturns.

She has proposed raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and increasing taxes on large corporations while providing tax breaks to small businesses.

In 2019, she was also a proponent of the LIFT (Livable Incomes for Families Today) the Middle Class Act, which proposed the creation of a $3,000 tax credit for families with children under six years old and those earning less than 100% of the federal poverty line. Harris has also called for increased investment in infrastructure to create good-paying jobs.

Overall, Harris views on fiscal policy aim to create more opportunity and security for American families while ensuring businesses remain profitable. By focusing on job creation, wages, and small business protection, Harris looks to provide greater stability for the U.S. economy.

Kamala D. Harris Potential Future Earnings

At 58 years old, Kamala Harris has years ahead of her in politics and her potential earnings are difficult to predict. However, her current position as the vice president puts her in a viable position to be in the running for a future presidential bid. Should she win a future presidential election, Harris would earn an annual salary of $400,000 in addition to other benefits such as a housing allowance and travel reimbursement.

Additionally, if Harris chooses to leave elected office, she has the potential to increase her lifetime earnings significantly thanks to additional book deals and speaking fees. In the four years between his time as vice president and being elected president in 2020, Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, earned about $16.7 million from speaking fees and a book deal.

According to CNN, former Vice President Mike Pence signed a two-book contract with publisher Simon & Schuster worth between $3 million and $4 million. Since leaving the White House, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama also have inked deals with Netflix and Spotify for an undisclosed amount.

Kamala D. Harris Background

Kamala Harris was born on Oct. 20, 1964, in Oakland, California, to a Jamaican-American father and an Indian mother. She attended Howard University, where she double majored in Political Science and Economics. Afterward, Harris earned her law degree from the University of Californias Hastings College of Law.

Before she was elected vice president in 2020, she was the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017 and served as U.S. senator for California from 2017 to 2021.

Key Points to Know About Harris

U.S. Vice President Kamala D. Harris has an estimated net worth of $6.75 million to $15.29 million.

Her earnings are primarily derived from her vice-presidential salary of $235,100 and book royalties of over $325,000 in 2021. She and her spouses combined income on their 2021 tax return was $1.65 million.

Harris holds investments in stocks and bonds plus cash assets worth an estimated $3.75 million to $8.29 million.

Along with her spouse, First Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Harris owns three real estate properties with an approximate value of $8 million.

Harris has been vocal about her intent to run for a second term as vice president for the 2024 election alongside Biden.

Harris raised approximately $7.9 million of campaign funds in 2020 and 2021.

Jami Farkas and Sam DiSalvo contributed to the reporting for this article.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Much Is Vice President Kamala Harris Worth?
Geothermal energy pioneers also want to extract lithium from Cornwall's waters - eye35 / Alamy Stock Photo

The race to develop cleaner energy has sent engineers in several directions: out to sea to plant wind turbines, to the desert to plant solar panels, and into the laboratory to try and develop nuclear fusion.

At an industrial site in Cornwall, however, they are looking in another direction: deep underground.

Private company Geothermal Engineering has drilled more than three miles underground near Redruth, tapping into water at temperatures of up to 180 degrees centigrade.

It plans to harness that heat to generate electricity for the national electricity grid and warmth for nearby homes.

It would be the first deep geothermal power plant in the UK, when up and running as planned in 2024.

Geothermal Engineering has now raised 15m to get the project over the line, 12m of which is coming from Kerogen Capital, the private equity firm.

The $2bn [1.6bn] asset manager has been best known for its investment in oil and gas, but is pushing into lower carbon sources and has a dedicated clean energy division, CelerateX.

Its investment into Geothermal Engineering comes amid a wider global push into deep geothermal energy as part of efforts to replace fossil fuels and cut carbon emissions.

Companies are rapidly developing new ways of drilling and extracting the warmth from deep underground, raising hopes deep geothermal could move from the niche into the mainstream.

I think it can be very significant, says Michael Liebreich, energy expert and chairman of Liebreich Associates, who is also chairman of the advisory board of deep geothermal developer Eavor.

I think there's always been a strong understanding that it's a big opportunity - the challenge is how do you get it out, and how do you get it out economically.

Deep geothermal currently makes a tiny contribution to the global energy system, with projects generally providing heat and electricity for small, local communities.

The complications, risk and expense of drilling deep underground and drawing out warmth has held the industry back, with little reason to invest heavily when other, competitive sources of energy are plentiful.

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That equation is changing, however, because of efforts to diversify away from oil and gas, with billions of pounds now flowing into finding cleaner energy solutions and the price of carbon emissions going up in several economies.

Global concerns over energy security this winter after Russias war on Ukraine rocked oil and gas markets is also focusing minds on new solutions.

The current situation  characterised by highly volatile oil and gas prices  provides renewed opportunities for geothermal energy to further develop as a strategic alternative in electricity generation, heating and cooling worldwide, Irena, the International Renewable Energy Agency, said in a report last month.

New drilling techniques, including some developed through the natural gas fracking boom in the US, are also helping to push the industry forward.

In the US, for example, Quaise Energy is developing a new technique which uses super high energy laser beams to drill through hard rock deep underground.

The company says the radical new approach should enable them to reach depths of up to 20 kilometres and temperatures up to 500 degrees celsius.

The technology was developed by scientists working on nuclear fusion at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Carlos Araque, chief executive and co-founder, says he wants to build clean electric generation and heat distribution plants within a short distance of every major population and industrial centre on the planet.

In June, Quaise Energy raised $52m from companies including Techint Group, the Argentine conglomerate, and Safar Partners, US technology venture fund.

Before setting up Quaise, Mr Araque worked as a technology development manager at Schlumberger, the oilfield services company.

He is not alone in seeing the potential for assets and expertise from the fossil fuel industry to be redeployed.

In the oil and gas heartlands of Texas, oil and gas companies including Chevron and Halliburton have signed up to the new Texas Geothermal Energy Alliance.

"We've been drilling oil and gas wells for so long in Texas  over 1 million wells  that we have all this data about what's below the surface," Barry Smitherman, a former regulator in Texas, told S&P Global Platts last year. That can inform geothermal developers about where to concentrate."

Meanwhile, in Europe heat is being extracted from an abandoned oil well in Kiskunhalas, Hungary, in a project officials hope could be replicated.

In South Wales, officials have been exploring whether water swirling through disused coal mines could be used to heat local homes.

Some investment is also coming from the fossil fuel sector. BP and Chevron have both backed Alberta-based Eavor.

Its approach involves using the geothermal warmth to heat water it pipes underground  acting like a large radiator  without needing to extract water from deep underground.

Eavor has just dug the worlds deepest geothermal lateral in the world  we are really pushing the limits of drilling capability, adds Mr Liebreich.

Geothermal is not without its problems: The process is energy intensive. In many cases, carbon dioxide dissolved in low quantities in water will also need capturing and sent back into the ground.

Geothermal drilling near Cornwalls Eden Project had to be halted in March 2022 owing to seismic activity.

The UKs banned natural gas fracking industry has argued geothermal drillers are treated unfairly given seismic risk.

However, the push away from fossil fuels gives geothermal a second impetus: electric car batteries need lithium, which can be extracted from geothermal waters at the same time as the heat.

In the UK, Geothermal Engineering is using a binary power plant.

Hot geothermal waters are piped from deep underground and used to heat a second fluid using a heat exchanger. The secondary liquid is used for steam to drive a turbine to produce electricity. The geothermal fluid is sent back underground.

Dow0091453Weekend; Beautiful park runs; Pix show the park run at the Eden Project, near St Austell, Cornwall.Pic Jay Williams 14-09-19 - JAY WILLIAMS

Once that project is up and running, the company wants to build a fleet of small power stations around Cornwall.

Much will depend, however, on the outcome of an upcoming government auction to secure its electricity prices, where geothermal will compete against other technologies.

Ryan Law, Geothermal Engineerings chief executive, estimates the cost of generating electricity from the plants could be in the region of 100 per MWh, which is far more expensive than offshore wind and other technologies.

As well as power supplies and heat, it also wants to extract lithium from the geothermal waters, and has been testing the viability with various approaches.

Law says an announcement should be made on that front in the next couple of months.

It's a very exciting sort of development for us and potentially huge for UK PLC," he says.

Weve taken it step by step to try and get the solutions right, so that when we do produce lithium then we have meaningful quantities.

He and Kerogen Capital, which is taking a majority stake, argue its investment fires the starting gun on a wider deep geothermal energy industry in the UK.

Right beneath our feet, weve got the potential to heat every home in the UK with geothermal, says Jason Cheng, chief executive of Kerogen Capital.

It's been a niche industry, but now it's set to scale."
This isn't the first time Gary Lineker has come under fire - Nick Eagle

Gary Lineker has criticised Rishi Sunak, railed against Brexit and mocked high-profile Tories despite warnings from BBC managers to stay away from current affairs.

Mr Lineker, the corporations highest-paid presenter, came under fire on Tuesday after comparing the Governments migration policy to Nazi Germany.

He claimed the language used by Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, on illegal Channel crossings was not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.

Here, we look at his other political interventions in recent years, and times he has been slapped down by BBC chiefs and even his own colleagues.

March 7

Mr Lineker voiced agreement with a Twitter user who said the Government could stop the boats tomorrow but they dont want to. They would rather have the optics and language of invasion to enrage their flagging base.

February 28

Responding to Mr Sunaks comments about Northern Ireland having access to the Single Market, Mr Lineker, who backed Remain, wrote: This is sensational. Not a hint of irony. Quite brilliant.

This is sensational. Not a hint of irony. Quite brilliant.  https://t.co/27PHZ6nr9u  Gary Lineker  (@GaryLineker) February 28, 2023

February 27

The day before, he had written: So were getting Brexit done again.

See were getting Brexit done.again.   Gary Lineker  (@GaryLineker) February 27, 2023

February 23

Mr Lineker mocked Therese Coffey, the Environment Secretary, who suggested citizens unable to find tomatoes could eat turnips instead.

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He invoked the downfall of Liz Truss, whose short-lived premiership was compared to the lifespan of a lettuce, by asking: Do turnips outlast lettuces?

February 22

Giving his personal view on the removal of Shamima Begums citizenship, he wrote: She was a child. Manipulated and groomed. This feels very wrong.

She was a child. Manipulated and groomed. This feels very wrong. https://t.co/6et1q6ikl6  Gary Lineker  (@GaryLineker) February 22, 2023

February 20

Mr Lineker shared a video arguing that illegal immigrants who arrive on small boats should be allowed to contribute, work and take care of their family by being granted citizenship.

The tweet he shared read: So why cant we let them? Why leave them to fester in a hotel with the far-Right screaming abuse at them? Give them legal status and get them going.

February 15

On Formula 1 banning its drivers making political statements, Mr Lineker wrote: Well played Lewis Hamilton. No point having a huge platform if you don't use it for good. Free speech and all

February 15

Mr Lineker made another dig at Brexit while in an airport arrivals queue.

He wrote: Another monster queue at customs at a European city next to deserted lanes for EU members. The delights of Brexit.

Gary Lineker has previously been found in breach of BBC impartiality rules for a tweet - Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

February 12

Mr Lineker shared a link to a podcast by Marina Purkiss, the Left-wing activist and commentator, who branded Lee Anderson, the deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, 30p Lee in a jibe over his past comments around food bank use and families budgeting.

February 7

Mr Lineker mocked Mr Andersons elevation to a major Conservative role, writing fantastic appointment with two laughing emojis.

February 7

Mr Lineker retweeted a post by Nadia Whittome, the Labour MP, about BP profits and the need for a windfall tax.

Mr Lineker asked: How do they [the Government] get away with this avarice?

When someone wrote because people keep voting for them, he replied: Indeed.

January 26

On water pollution, he retweeted a Liberal Democrat list of Tory MPs who voted against an amendment on sewage.

He asked: Why on earth would you do this?

January 21

Mr Lineker labelled trophy hunting sickening, as he shared a petition to ban it.

January 14

Mr Lineker retweeted a post calling Ms Braverman utterly devoid of sensibility after an exchange between the Home Secretary and a Holocaust survivor.

January 2023

Michelle Donelan said the BBC should be conscious of recent comments made by Mr Lineker.

The then culture secretary was speaking to The News Agents podcast about remarks Mr Lineker had made on the same show about the World Cup in Qatar and racism in America.

There is a problem with impartiality and the BBC, they would say that they've recognised that themselves, she said.

October 2022

Mr Lineker hit out at the Home Office after the second refugee he took into his Surrey house faced 18 months of hell in the UK's asylum system.



He revealed that the 26-year-old man was caught up in a military coup and able to escape 18 months of imprisonment, only to be "treated like s***" in Britain.

October 2022

The BBC found that Mr Lineker had breached its impartiality rules over a comment he made about the Conservative Party having Russian donors.

Mr Lineker had shared an article about Ms Truss, then foreign secretary, urging Premier League teams to boycott the Champions League final in Russia, with the comment: And her party will hand back their donations from Russian donors?

The BBC is under pressure to sack the star after his comparison to 1930s Germany - Simon Stacpoole/Offside

October 2022

Mr Lineker criticised James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, after he suggested LGBT football fans attending the World Cup in Qatar should be respectful of the host nation.



Mr Cleverly had urged fans to respect the culture of the host nation, where homosexuality remains a crime.



Responding to his comments on Twitter, Mr Lineker said: Whatever you do, dont do anything Gay. Is that the message?

September 2022

Tim Davie, the BBC's director general, said that reigning in Mr Linekers tweeting was a work in progress.

He told a parliamentary committee: Im very supportive of Gary. I think he is a brilliant presenter.

It is a work in progress in terms of where he draws the line. We have had a conversation and I think he understands the guidelines.

August 2022

Neil Henderson, a senior BBC journalist, questioned whether Mr Lineker had a contract allowing him to breach BBC impartiality after he tweeted about sewage being pumped into the sea.



Mr Lineker had written: As a politician how could you ever, under any circumstances, bring yourself to vote for pumping sewage into our seas? Unfathomable!



Mr Henderson later deleted his tweet and apologised.

October 2020

Mr Lineker claimed he had spoken to Mr Davie, the BBC's director-general, quite a few times in recent weeks and that he was perfectly happy with his conduct on social media.



His comments came after new guidelines and training were announced by the BBC to ensure the highest possible standards of impartiality among staff at the broadcaster.

September 2020

Mr Lineker appeared to joke about the BBCs plans to change its social media rules.

Think Ive got it: no more than six people that work with the BBC can tweet together in a pub after 10pm, he wrote.

Think Ive got it: no more than 6 people that work with the BBC can tweet together in a pub after 10pm.  Gary Lineker  (@GaryLineker) September 29, 2020

2018

In 2018, he was criticised by Jonathan Agnew, a BBC cricket broadcaster, after he posted a string of tweets about Brexit.

Mr Agnew wrote: Gary. You are the face of BBC Sport. Please observe BBC editorial guidelines and keep your political views, whatever they are and whatever the subject, to yourself.



I'd be sacked if I followed your example. Thanks.

October 2016

Mr Lineker hit out at critics claiming that certain child refugees at a Calais camp look considerably older than 18, prompting him to post on Twitter: The treatment by some towards these young refugees is hideously racist and utterly heartless. What's happening to our country?

In response to criticism over that tweet, he added: Getting a bit of a spanking today, but things could be worse - Imagine, just for a second, being a refugee having to flee from your home.

Must say though, I'm rather chuffed to have been called a 'luvvie'.
Former President Donald Trump, left, and Rupert Murdoch, right, in a composite image. Getty Images

New court documents reveal internal Fox News execs dealing with Trump's election fraud claims.

In an email, chairman Rupert Murdoch discussed having prime-time anchors acknowledge Biden's win.

A joint statement would "go a long way to stop the Trump myth that the election stolen," he wrote.

New court documents revealed in the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit against Fox News showed how network executives, including chairman Rupert Murdoch, privately acknowledged its reporters had gone "too far" in supporting the "Trump myth" of election fraud.

In a January 5, 2021 email sent to Suzanne Scott, CEO of Fox News, Murdoch wrote:

"It's been suggested our prime time three should independently or together say something like 'the election is over and Joe Biden won. We are all disappointed, but it happened. We love America and have to turn the page. We will now be the loyal opposition criticizing every liberal mistake the new administration makes. Their declared policies on domestic and foreign policies are naive at best, or worse, retreads of the failed Obama years. And first, let's wear masks and unite to defeat the COVID plague.'"

He added: "Not those words, but a refinement would go a long way to stop the Trump myth that the election stolen. And the basis of his 2024 campaign."

Despite his private acknowledgment that Trump's election fraud claims were a "myth," Murdoch did not require his network to stop circulating the information, instead, he appeared to wonder why other networks were lambasting the conservative outlet.

In another email to Scott, sent on January 21, 2021, Murdoch wrote: "Still getting mud thrown at us! Is it 'unarguable that high profile Fox voices fed the story that the election was stolen and that January 6th an important chance to have result overturned'? Maybe Sean and Lauren went too far. All very well for Sean to tell you he was in despair about Trump but what did he tell viewers?"

In a statement to Insider, representatives for Fox said passages from the filing were taken "wildly out of context" in an attempt to "smear" the network.

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"Thanks to today's filings, Dominion has been caught red handed again using more distortions and misinformation in their PR campaign to smear FOX News and trample on free speech and freedom of the press," a Fox spokesperson said in an email to Insider. "We already know they will say and do anything to try to win this case, but to twist and even misattribute quotes to the highest levels of our company is truly beyond the pale."

Murdoch acknowledged in a deposition excerpt  made public last week  that Fox News hosts publicly endorsed the "false notion of a stolen election," while privately trashing Trump, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and acknowledging that Joe Biden had won the presidency.

"They all knew. All the way from Rupert Murdoch on down to the show producers, they knew what they were saying was not true, that it was actually a lie. And they did it anyway," Angelo Carusone, president of the watchdog group Media Matters, said in an interview with Democracy Now, adding: "And I feel like, you know, the trail of evidence here is so overwhelming that I think Fox is in some real legal trouble."

Dominion Voting Systems is seeking $1.6 billion in damages over Fox's claims that alleged the company helped rig the 2020 presidential election in favor of Biden.

Representatives Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photo: The Canadian Press The Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, in Pickering, Ont., is seen Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020. A Canadian engineering giant whose work includes critical military, power and transportation infrastructure across the country has been hit with a ransomware attack. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

A Canadian engineering giant whose work includes critical military, power and transportation infrastructure across the country has been hit with a ransomware attack.

The Department of National Defence says Black & McDonald reported the attack last month, but the company has refused to publicly confirm the incident.

The Defence Department and Ontario Power Generation, which also confirmed the attack, say there is no evidence that it compromised sensitive or secret information about their sites and operations.

But cybersecurity expert Terry Cutler says the attack is worrying since any secret data held by Black & McDonald about its work with the military and other clients could have been stolen.

The firm says it has delivered a large range of electrical and mechanical engineering services to federal, provincial and municipal utilities and departments in recent years.

It has provided logistical and building support to Canadian military bases, worked on nuclear power plants and other power stations and held contracts with the Toronto Transit Commission and Halifax airport.
Emmanuel Odunlami - PA

A music industry manager was stabbed to death for a designer watch which his assailants thought was worth 300,000, but may have been fake, a court was told.

Emmanuel Odunlami, 32, had been out celebrating his birthday near St Pauls Cathedral in London when he was targeted by three robbers on May 1 last year, the Old Bailey heard.

The gang were allegedly tipped off about the watch by a security guard who had been hired for an event at the Haz restaurant Mr Odunlami visited that night.

The security operator, Kavindu Hettiarachchi  who was later found to have a collection of fake high-value watches at his home  told the attackers that the victim was wearing a Patek Philippe Nautilus watch which, if real, was worth between 90,000 and 300,000, a trial heard.

Mr Hettiarachchi, 30, from Harrow, is on trial charged with participation in the robbery and manslaughter, alongside the alleged attackers: Louis Vandrose, Jordell Menzies and Quincy Ffrench. Mr Hettiarachchi denies the allegations.

Vandrose, 26, from Thornton Heath, Menzies, 26, from Kilburn, and Ffrench, 27, from Tottenham, have pleaded guilty to robbery and Menzies has also pleaded guilty to manslaughter. They deny murder.

The victim, known to friends as Jay, worked in the music industry managing a number of performing artists.

On the day of his death, he had driven to the City of London in his grey hatchback Mercedes to celebrate his birthday with friends, having organised tickets for a 1,400 table.

Duncan Atkinson KC told the Old Bailey: Sadly, as it was to turn out, he liked expensive brand watches. At the time when he was fatally attacked, he was wearing a Patek Philippe Nautilus watch.

If real, such a watch could be worth anything in a range from 90,000 to 300,000.

It is believed the deceaseds watch may not have been genuine, but was treated as genuine by those who sought to take it.

As the event drew to a close at around 11pm, Mr Hettiarachchi was caught on camera filming outside the venue and calling Mr Vandrose, the court was told.

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Mr Vandrose and Mr Menzies were then driven by Mr Ffrench in a white Mercedes with altered number plates from north-west London, the court heard.

A security operator told the attackers that the victim was wearing a Patek Philippe Nautilus watch which, if real, was worth between 90,000 and 300,000

Jurors were told the security operator had filmed the victim and his high-value watch and then appeared to type something into his phone.

Mr Odunlami was then ambushed by Mr Menzies, Mr Vandrose and Mr Ffrench, who kicked him to the floor and inflicted a fatal stab wound with a flick knife, the prosecutor told the court.

Mr Ffrench was then seen on CCTV bending down and grabbing the watch, and audio on the footage captured him shouting got it, the court heard.

Single stab wound to the heart

Mr Atkinson told the jury that Mr Odunlami tried to stand up after the attack, which was witnessed by his friend, David Manuel.

The prosecutor said: The deceased got up, but had sustained a single stab wound to his heart, and he soon collapsed on the pavement.

As he did so he said to his friend, Mr Manuel, Im gone.

Members of the public tried to save Mr Odunlami but he was pronounced dead at the Royal London Hospital just after midnight on May 2 2022.

A fifth defendant, Antonios Kfoury, 21, is accused of perverting the course of justice by lying to police about his friends alleged crime and encouraging others to do the same.

The trial continues.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  If you're not told you are fired, are you really fired? At Twitter, probably. And then, sometimes, you get your job back  if you want it.

Haraldur Thorleifsson, who until recently was employed at Twitter, logged in to his computer last Sunday to do some work  only to find himself locked out, along with 200 others.

He might have figured, as others before him have in the chaotic months of layoffs and firings since Elon Musk took over the company, that he was out of a job.

Instead, after nine days of no answer from Twitter as to whether or not he was still employed, Thorleifsson decided to tweet at Musk to see if he could catch the billionaire's attention and get an answer to his Schrodingers job situation.

Maybe if enough people retweet youll answer me here? he wrote on Monday.

Eventually, he got his answer after a surreal Twitter exchange with Musk, who proceeded to quiz him about his work, question his disability and need for accommodations (Thorleifsson, who goes by Halli, has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair) and tweet that Thorleifsson has a prominent, active Twitter account and is wealthy" and the reason he confronted me in public was to get a big payout. While the exchange was going on, Thorleifsson said he received an email that he was no longer employed.

Late Tuesday afternoon, however, Musk had a change of heart.

I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful, he tweeted. He is considering remaining at Twitter.

Thorleifsson did not immediately respond to a message for comment following Musk's tweet. In an earlier email, he called the experience surreal.

You had every right to lay me off. But it would have been nice to let me know! he tweeted to Musk.

Thorleifsson, who lives in Iceland, has about 151,000 Twitter followers (Musk has over 130 million). He joined Twitter in 2021, when the company, under the prior management, acquired his startup Ueno.

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He was lauded in Icelandic media for choosing to receive the purchase price in wages rather than a lump sum payout. That's because this way, he would pay higher taxes to Iceland in support of its social services and safety net.

Thorleifsson's next move: Im opening a restaurant in downtown Reykjavik very soon, he tweeted. Its named after my mom.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a message for comment.
Community activist Najee Seabrooks. (Paterson Healing Collective)

PATERSON, N.J.  More than four days after Najee Seabrooks was shot and killed by Paterson police during a mental health crisis, his loved ones expressed outrage at a vigil Tuesday evening in Seabrookss hometown of Paterson, N.J. In a tragic twist of irony, the 31-year-old father of a little girl worked as a violence intervention activist to keep the most at-risk youth in his community safe, but became a victim of violence himself.

He did everything he could to serve his people, Seabrookss best friend, Terrance Drakeford, said at the event, held outside the offices of the Paterson Healing Collective (PHC), a group dedicated to providing support for survivors of violence, where the two worked together.

Upwards of 300 members of the community and constituents from anti-violence groups statewide gathered as temperatures dropped to bone-chilling levels. Following the prayer vigil, the group marched two blocks down the street to City Hall to hold a second demonstration on the steps outside where city leaders were meeting to discuss how the city would move forward.

Residents of Paterson, N.J., and anti-violence activists from around the region gather on the steps of Paterson City Hall on Tuesday in support of Seabrooks. (Marquise Francis/Yahoo News)

There was anger, frustration and passion emanating from attendees as speeches intertwined with chants of Justice for Najee, No justice, no peace and Stop police brutality in the Black community.

We want justice, Drakeford said. We want whatever that comes with this.

The shooting

The shooting last Friday followed a standoff between Seabrooks and police that lasted more than four hours, according to Paterson Press. Police had responded to calls of a mentally disturbed person in his home, and when they arrived at the scene Seabrooks had allegedly barricaded himself inside the apartment. After prolonged negotiations, police claim, Seabrooks let officers into his home and then charged at them with a knife. According to the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office, two officers fired their weapons at Seabrooks, striking him. He was later pronounced dead at St. Josephs Regional Medical Center in Paterson.

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On Wednesday, the attorney generals office released the names of the officers who deployed their weapons: Anzore Tsay and Jose Hernandez. Both were members of the emergency response team.

Officials say they could not deploy their Tasers because Seabrooks had broken pipes in the apartment and started a small fire that left significant amounts of water on the floor, making the use of the electrical device too dangerous.

The police was here for hours trying to calm him down and bring him out of the apartment, but he decided to turn the apartment on fire, Councilman Luiz Velez told NBC New York. Paterson police did not respond to several requests for comment from Yahoo News.

Seabrooks, center, with his friend Terrance Drakeford, left, and an unidentified man at a Paterson street festival. (Paterson Healing Collective)

But those who knew Seabrooks best are skeptical of the police account of what happened and are urging the immediate release of body camera recordings of the incident so the public can see for themselves what took place.

We want full transparency, the names of all the officers released and body camera footage released, Seabrookss brother Eli Carter said Tuesday.

Seabrooks had contacted members of the PHC during his crisis, but police refused to let them intervene. Law enforcement said they could not allow civilians to involve themselves in crisis prevention and shot Seabrooks only after he wielded a knife and moved toward the officers. Officials told Paterson Press that one of Seabrookss relatives who works as a police officer in another city was brought to the scene to try to deescalate the situation.

I keep playing Friday over and over in my head, Liza Chowdhury, project director of the PHC, said Tuesday, fighting back tears. Police refused to let us intervene despite helping more than 250 residents throughout this city. I pleaded with them, and I know if they let us intervene he would still be alive. ... He called us to help.

Teddie Martinez, violence interventions coordinator for the PHC, said he also pleaded with police to allow him to help on Friday, but to no avail.

We train the officers [on deescalation tactics], and how ironic they didnt let us help, Martinez said. All I said was, 'Let me see his face and Ill go.' They wanted to make it their show.

A demonstration in Paterson on Tuesday in support of Seabrooks. (Marquise Francis/Yahoo News)

The state attorney generals office is currently investigating the shooting.

Any loss of life is a tragedy, and we express our deepest condolences to the family, loved ones and friends, and colleagues of the decedent, Dan Prochilo, a spokesperson for the attorney generals office, told Yahoo News. Our office is committed to thoroughly, fairly and independently investigating fatal police encounters.

Prochilo added that the office will make all information available, including video, when the investigation is complete.

Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh has been quiet since Fridays shooting, according to local residents. On Saturday he issued his only statement on the incident, welcoming the attorney generals review and saying that prayers and condolences are with Mr. Seabrooks [sic] family, friends and our impacted community. When contacted by Yahoo News, his office shared the same statement, adding that it had no further comment at this time.

During one of the speeches Tuesday night, an attendee shouted, Where is the mayor? He knocked on my door to vote for him during election time, but I dont see him here!

Community distrust in Paterson leadership

For many critics in the community already on edge following Seabrookss killing, each passing day with no additional information only adds to the angst and frustration.

In Memphis, they fired the cops within two weeks, Larry Hamm, chairman of the Peoples Organization for Progress, a social justice advocacy group, said, referencing Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man fatally beaten by Memphis police following a traffic stop in January. If they had let the Paterson Healing Collective intervene, he would be alive today.

How many Black men need to be killed before they take us seriously? Councilman Michael Jackson said before entering a City Council meeting where only 20 residents were allowed inside.

Seabrooks was allegedly shot and killed by Paterson police last Friday. (Marquise Francis/Yahoo News)

The Black Lives Matter chapter in Paterson has presented a list of demands for the city, which include the immediate release of police body camera footage of the incident and placing the officers involved in the shooting on administrative leave. The group, spearheaded by leader Zellie Thomas, also demands a restructuring of the citys police department that would include creating a civilian complaint review board to investigate allegations of police wrongdoing in addition to investing more money in community groups that give Paterson residents positive outlets.

We have to open up peoples eyes that police officers are not the only solution to crises, Thomas told Yahoo News, noting that conversations about actual change come to a halt once the conversation about the reallocation of police funding comes up. The Paterson Police Department represents more than 16% of the citys budget, receiving more than $43 million last year, which is more than double the percentage that New York City allocates to its police department.

History of Paterson police violence

Seabrookss death isnt the first case in which Paterson police have come under scrutiny for their handling of people having a mental health crisis. In January 2019, 27-year-old Jameek Lowery died after consuming illegal drugs and expressing feelings of paranoia before being repeatedly struck by police officers trying to restrain him on an ambulance gurney. A lawsuit filed by Lowerys family cites at least three other instances  two of them fatal  since 2012 in which Paterson police shot individuals experiencing mental health episodes. There was also the death of 25-year-old Thelonious McKnight, who was killed in late 2021 while fleeing police.

Hamm believes that the issue of race cannot be ignored. Paterson has just over 157,000 residents, made up of 87% Black and Hispanic residents and 8% white residents, according to the latest census data. Meanwhile, 1 in 3 Paterson officers are white, while about 62% are Black or Hispanic.

There is a different way that they treat Black people in distress from white people in distress, Hamm said.

Julio Cortez/AP

Michael Mitchell, an assistant professor of African American studies and criminology at the College of New Jersey, told Yahoo News that the need for transparency is urgent.

It is no secret that the Paterson Police Department is inundated in a legitimacy crisis due to the citys toxic cop culture, he said in an email, pointing to a recent Paterson police corruption case. Therefore, the urgency in releasing publicly the body worn camera footage from the police emergency responders involved cannot be overstated. A time lag in transparency only exacerbates community distrust in the institution publicly funded to protect and serve them.

Police intervention with mental health crises under scrutiny

While many mental health advocates believe that officers need additional training to deal with individuals experiencing mental health crises, other advocates say police should not be involved at all unless the person is armed and an immediate threat to others. They say police are simply unqualified to handle the nuances of such situations.

In New Jersey, Mitchell notes, the pilot program ARRIVE Together, which pairs police with mental health professionals during crisis calls, is showing promise, and Gov. Phil Murphy recently announced a $10 million investment in expanding the program statewide.

It is critical that police agencies and officers understand and operate under the recognition that you cannot respond to every person the same, Mitchell said. There can be no one size fits all approach to policing, especially when dealing with individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.

Last year a three-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number, 988, officially launched, allowing anyone witnessing or experiencing a mental health crisis to call, text or chat to talk to someone. But a Yahoo News report found that many states did not have the resources to adequately staff and support the line.

Najee Seabrooks. (Courtesy of the Paterson Healing Collective)

Over the last few years, several cities, including New York, Chicago and Denver, have launched programs that replace police response with mental health emergency responders and have seen success. But critics argue that the movement exists in far too few places and is expanding far too slowly.

In Paterson, progress on the implementation of a task force has been inconsistent at best.

Mayor Sayegh introduced a citizens deescalation task force in December 2021, but, according to Thomas, the group has never met and has not rolled out a single new regulation.

This task force was supposed to be able to research best practices and best policies for officers to be equipped with deescalation practices and policies, and over a year later, that deescalation task force still has not met, Thomas said. What if that task force had met and was already researching some of the things that we are proposing now and implemented it? It could have saved his life.

Seabrookss legacy

According to those who knew him best, Seabrooks will be remembered by the community as someone who would do anything for those in need. His family started a GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses and create a trust fund for his daughter.

His mother, Melissa Carter, told the CBS News local affiliate in New York that her son loved his city so much that he gave of himself in spite of his own personal circumstances.

He planned toy giveaways, he donated, he had homeless drives, Carter said. All he wanted to do was help the community.

_____

Cover thumbnail photo: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
PATERSON  With a vigil, a rally and a march, more than 250 protesters expressed their outrage Tuesday night over the fatal police shooting of violence intervention specialist Najee Seabrooks.

Dozens of people from Newark and Trenton joined angry Patersonians in the series of protests in the citys downtown area over what activists called the senseless shooting of a 31-year-old man going through a mental health crisis.

In a vigil outside the Paterson Healing Collective offices where Seabrooks had worked, Trenton pastor Charles Boyer proclaimed that the Paterson police have blood on their hands from decades of snuffing out Black lives."

We need to see the Paterson Police Department taken over by people who have a heart for Black people, said Boyer, founder of the Salvation and Social Justice group in Trenton.

Participants in a rally for Najee Seabrooks march on Market Street towards Paterson City Hall on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Najee Seabrooks, a member of the violence intervention group the Paterson Healing Collective, was fatally shot by Paterson police after a standoff while he was barricaded inside his home.

Newark activist Larry Hamm asserted that Seabrooks was the latest casualty in a disproportionate number of police killings of young Black men.

Subscriber exclusive:Anger, frustration over shooting grow as family member faces new hardship

If he was white, hed be alive today, Hamm proclaimed.

After the first rally, demonstrators walked to City Hall and later marched on Paterson police headquarters three blocks away.

Participants in a rally for Najee Seabrooks outside of Paterson City Hall on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Najee Seabrooks, a member of the violence intervention group the Paterson Healing Collective, was fatally shot by Paterson police after a standoff while he was barricaded inside his home.

At police headquarters, there was a series of temporary metal fence barriers blocking access to the buildings entrance. Some people in the front line of marchers kicked down the first metal barrier. That prompted police officers gathered in the headquarters vestibule to put on riot helmets, and a confrontation seemed imminent.

But the marchers moved no closer to headquarters and the helmeted cops remained inside the vestibule. Gradually the crowd dissipated.

Earlier:Paterson fatal shooting: New details emerge; BLM demands restructure of police department

Protesters on Tuesday demanded the termination of the officers involved in the shooting and the release of body-camera recordings of the incident.

Seabrooks was shot last Friday after barricading himself in his Paterson apartment. A standoff that lasted more than four hours ensued, and officials have said Seabrooks was wielding two knives at the time police shot him.

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Participants in a rally for Najee Seabrooks outside of Paterson City Hall on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Najee Seabrooks, a member of the violence intervention group the Paterson Healing Collective, was fatally shot by Paterson police after a standoff while he was barricaded inside his home.

Paterson Healing Collective members at the rallies repeated their previous assertions that they pleaded with police to let them speak with Seabrooks.

The police refused to let us help our brother in arms, said Liza Chowdhury of the Paterson Healing Collective, asserting that Seabrooks would not have been killed if her group was allowed to intervene. Hed be right here, and we wouldnt have to do none of this shit.

Many speakers talked of the need to hold public officials accountable for Seabrooks death.

My advice to the power structure of this city is if youre too scared of making the necessary changes, move out the way, said the Rev. Weldon McWilliams IV, a Paterson pastor.

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press.

Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Najee Seabrooks rally held after Paterson NJ police shooting
Shortly before midnight on a summer night, six police officers arrived at a home in Nampa. A man pointed a gun at them from inside. And within 5 seconds, officers fired roughly 45 rounds at him.

Documents of an investigation from the Canyon County Sheriffs Office, obtained by the Idaho Statesman through a public records request, described in detail the moment that led to the June 2021 police shooting. Richard Bigby-Garcia was shot in the thigh after he led an officer on a pursuit and pointed a gun at police.

The Canyon County Sheriffs Office led the Critical Incident Task Force into the shooting, and the investigation was forwarded to Adams County Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Boyd. In a December 2021 letter to Canyon County Prosecutor Bryan Taylor, Boyd said that the six officers involved in the shooting were legally justified, and that no criminal charges would be filed.

The office released over 150 pages roughly a year and a half after the shooting, and over a year after officers were cleared of wrongdoing.

The documents also named the six Nampa police officers who shot at Bigby-Garcia: Cpl. Christopher Kennedy, Arther Correa, Jeremy Miller, Kyle Ferrari, Rodger Holscher and Shane Witt. At least two other officers at the scene  Ian Cole and Erika Grajeda  did not fire their guns. No officers were injured.

Police chase lead officers to Nampa home

At around 11:30 p.m. on July 7, 2021, Cole attempted to pull Bigby-Garcia over in downtown Nampa, according to interviews with Canyon County sergeants Bailey Wilson and Mark Taylor. Cole said that during the short pursuit, Bigby-Garcia failed to pull over, was at one point driving at speeds of 60 to 65 mph, and pointed an AR-15 at him.

At any given moment, Im going to have to shoot this guy or hes going to shoot me, Cole told Wilson, recalling his thoughts as he pursued Bigby-Garcia.

Bigby-Garcia crashed through a wooden privacy fence, parking and fleeing into his two-story Nampa home.

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Multiple units arrived and noticed Bigby-Garcias girlfriend, Maurina Releford, in Bigby-Garcias pickup truck and asked her to head toward police, according to the Critical Incident Task Force report. Bigby-Garcia then came out of the back door and yelled at the officers with a gun in his hand, officers said in the report.

Bigby-Garcia went upstairs to the west window and, according to several officers who were interviewed, began smashing out the windows. Some officers also said theyd heard the distinct sound of an AR-15 being racked.

Shortly afterward, some officers said they saw a muzzle flash from the window as if Bigby-Garica had fired his gun, while others said they heard a shot come from the direction of the residence.

The eight officers didnt agree on whether Bigby-Garcia ever fired his gun, according to a narrative written by Wilson. Cole said he never saw Bigby-Garcia shoot his weapon.

The six officers fired roughly 45 rounds at Bigby-Garcia and the home. Grajeda in an interview with the Canyon County Sheriffs Office characterized the number of shots fired as a s--t ton.

A total of 19 bullet holes were located on the west side of the home, according to the CITF report, which matched the positions of the officers who fired their guns. The north and south doors of the home were also destroyed by the explosive breach.

It wasnt until four hours after the shooting that medical professionals were able to assess Bigby-Garcia, according to the report. He had been shot in the left thigh.

Negotiators were able to talk to Bigby-Garcia on the phone but said he was speaking in circles and wouldnt surrender or leave the home, according to the CITF report. The negotiations went back and forth for several hours.

By 2:21 a.m. the Canyon County Critical Incident Task Force was activated and by 3:24 a.m. Nampas Tactical Response Team  which was already on the scene  attempted to use explosives to breach open the door to the residence, but it failed. Police then attempted a second breach and were successful.

Bigby-Garcia was then taken to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise around 4:30 a.m. before being booked into the Canyon County Jail.

Several officers in the reports noted that they had previous interactions with Bigby-Garcia and were aware he likely had several firearms. Over half-a-dozen firearms were located in Bigby-Garcias home and pickup truck, though some were owned by his girlfriend, according to the CITF report.

Bigby-Garcia suffered from psychotic break, girlfriend says

Bigby-Garcia spent more than a year in jail before taking a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in exchange for the additional felony  attempting to elude or flee a police officer in a motor vehicle  to be dismissed. A misdemeanor resisting or obstructing arrest charge was also dismissed.

Third District Judge Davis VanderVelde sentenced Bigby-Garcia to five years in prison with the possibility of parole after four years in 2022, according to prior Statesman reporting. He could be released by June 2025.

Bigby-Garcias public defender, Abigail Thiry, during the October sentencing said he suffered PTSD from the shooting and has a history of mental health issues.

I have a lot of clients who spend time in custody, Judge, and a lot of that is wasted time, Thiry said in October. They really havent been doing much, frankly, besides playing cards and tacking on jail phone calls. But Mr. Bigby-Garcia is the exception to that. This is something where I saw a marked difference in Richard.

Releford told police after the shooting that Bigby-Garcia had been suffering from a psychotic break for several weeks, and that he didnt know his own name.

In an initial interview with Bigby-Garcia, he denied being involved in the incident. He said that someone in Nampa is essentially a body double of him, and that if anyone believed he was involved that it must have been his imposter.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned on Wednesday that the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, where government troops have tried to dig in, may fall to Russian forces in the coming days.

And over the last weeks and months, we have seen fierce fighting in and around Bakhmut, and what we see is that Russia is storming in more troops, more forces and what Russia lacks in quality, they try to make up in quantity, Stoltenberg said ahead of a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union.

They have suffered big losses, but at the same time, we cannot rule out that Bakhmut may eventually fall in the coming days, he added of the city in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region.

Stoltenberg said the capture would not be a turning point of the war but a reminder to allies that they should not underestimate Russia.

He also said that NATO members should continue to support Ukraine, and that they should focus on ramping up ammunition stockpiles, saying that he welcomes NATO members who have signed new contracts with the defense industry to address any ammunition issues.

This is an issue that NATO Allies have addressed for some time, he said. And we are now going to agree new guidelines, new requirements for stockpiles of ammunition, ensuring that we both can replenish our own stockpiles, but also to continue to provide support to Ukraine.

Russia leaders claimed on Wednesday that they are in full control of eastern Bakhmut, where Russian mercenary group Wagner has spearheaded a six-month effort to take the city. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said that his group controls all districts east of the Bakhmutka River.

The Institute for the Study of War also wrote on Tuesday that Russia has likely captured the eastern part of the city, but added that Russia likely does not have enough resources to advance past Bakhmut.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed that his country will continue to defend Bakhmut and told CNNs Wolf Blitzer in an interview airing Wednesday night that the city is tactical for Ukraine.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Russian military has too many deficiencies -- including heavy casualties and an inability to replenish weapons and ammunition -- to make major territorial gains in Ukraine this year, the top U.S. intelligence official told a Senate committee Wednesday.

Avril Haines, the Director of National Intelligence, also cited leadership problems and low morale among the troops as obstacles for the Kremlin in its "grinding, attritional war."

Russia won't be able to continue its current offensive in the coming months unless it implements another draft and finds a source for a large amount of ammunition, Haines said, And consequently, they may fully shift to holding and defending territories they occupy.''

Haines also said China's partnership with Russia has limitations but is getting stronger despite the international reproach the Kremlin has received for invading Ukraine.

"We don't see them becoming allies the way we are with allies in NATO, but nevertheless we do see increasing (cooperation) across every sector," she said.

A threat assessment report released Wednesday by intelligence agencies said Russia does not want conflict with the U.S. and NATO, but that further military losses may prompt President Vladimir Putin to escalate the war to enhance his domestic standing.

Ukrainian servicemen move towards the front line near the city of Bakhmut, on March 8, 2023.

MISSILES MAKE RUSSIAN JETS 'WORTHLESS': Russian student imprisoned for 'fake news': Live updates

Developing:

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Kyiv on Wednesday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on extending an agreement that allows Ukraine to export grain from Black Sea ports and permits Russia to export food and fertilizers.

Representatives of Finland and Sweden will meet with Turkish officials at NATO Headquarters on Thursday to discuss a path forward to full NATO membership for the two nations. Turkey wants Stockholm and Helsinki to take a tougher line against groups Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames for a 2016 coup attempt.

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Fearing the tables may eventually be turned on Americans, the Pentagon is standing in the way of the Biden administration cooperating with the investigation into Russian atrocities in Ukraine launched by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the New York Times reported.

Ukraine will receive more than 20 of the Leopard 2 tanks promised by European countries in the coming weeks, Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. Pistorius added that 18 of them would be coming from his country and three from Portugal.

MAPPING AN INVASION: Mapping and tracking Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Mystery surrounds identity of soldier apparently executed on video

The identity of the Ukrainian soldier apparently executed in an unverified video that has circulated on social media remains a mystery, and it only broadened Wednesday.

The Ukrainian militarys general staff said Tuesday his name was Tymofii Shadura, but added the identification was based on preliminary information. Shadura had been missing for just over a month after disappearing during fighting in the Bakhmut area.

On Wednesday, a regional army command identified him as Oleksandr Matsiyevsky, citing his mother and fellow soldiers. Ukrainian journalist Yurii Butusov cited the same sources on a Facebook post in saying it was Matsiyevsky, adding that fellow members of the 163rd battalion visited his mother and got confirmation.

In the unauthenticated 12-second clip, an unarmed, uniformed man is seen standing in a wooded area and smoking a cigarette. Someone off-camera is heard speaking in Russian. The man then says, Glory to Ukraine and is hit by gunshots, falling into a shallow hole in the ground. A voice then says, Die and an expletive in Russian.

The video has evoked outrage across Ukraine, including from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who vowed Monday: "We will find the killers.

Ukraine denies a role in Nord Stream pipeline explosions

Ukraine on Wednesday denied reports that a pro-Ukraine group was involved in blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea last year.

German media outlets, including the daily newspaper Die Zeit, reported investigators were able to largely reconstruct how the pipelines from Russia to Germany were sabotaged in September. Five men and a woman are believed to have used a yacht hired by a Ukrainian-owned company in Poland to carry out the attack.

The New York Times also reported Tuesday that U.S. officials reviewed intelligence suggesting a pro-Ukrainian group was linked to the blasts.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov described the claim as "a compliment for our special forces, but this is not our activity.

Germanys defense ministry voiced caution over media reports, and Russia also expressed doubt about them. The Kremlin dismissed the reports as a ruse, saying the U.S. was likely behind the blasts.

Pipes in the Nord Stream 1 and uncompleted 2 undersea gas lines from Russia to Germany were destroyed in the explosions. Russia had already cut off gas to Nord Stream 1, and it's not clear whether Germany will want to repair it given the strained relations with the Kremlin.

NATO chief says Russia could take Bakhmut in 'coming days'

Russia may soon seize the eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut, but it would not mark a major turning point in the war, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday. Stoltenberg said Russia is trying to overwhelm the area in and around Bakhmut with more troops despite taking massive casualties.

"What Russia lacks in quality, they try to make up in quantity," Stoltenberg said. "They have suffered big losses, but at the same time, we cannot rule out that Bakhmut may eventually fall in the coming days."

The owner of Russia's Wagner Group mercenary squad, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed Wednesday that his troops have extended their gains in the Donbas region city. Even Ukraine's daily military report issued Wednesday noted that "in the direction of Bakhmut, the Russians continue to advance, attempts to storm the city of Bakhmut continue."

Ukraine Defense Ministry official Hanna Malyar, however, dismissed suggestions that Bakhmut would soon fall.

"There are a lot of expert opinions now," she said. "But we can see from the situation that no matter how many predicted what will happen there, Bakhmut is still standing."

Feds may seize of U.S.-made $25 million jet

Federal officials at Task Force KleptoCapture have gotten court permission to seize a $25 million Russian-owned Boeing passenger jet.

The task force said the plane's owners were violating U.S. sanctions. KleptoCapture is a United States Department of Justice unit created in 2022 that enforces sanctions on Russian oligarchs in response to the Ukrainian invasion.

The plane is a private business jet version of the Boeing 737 models flown by Southwest, United and other airlines, and has left and entered Russia at least seven times in the past year, federal officials said. The sanctions ban the plane's owners, PJSC Rosneft Oil Company, from taking it into Russia because it was made in the United States.

While federal officials have successfully seized yachts, bitcoin and other assets from Russian oligarchs, its ability to seize the plane remains uncertain: Officials said last they knew, the plane was in or on its way to Russia.

- Trevor Hughes

Ukraine defense chief wants more ammo, tanks to create 'armored fist'

Ukraine needs more air defense power and a million rounds of ammunition to drive back the Russian invasion, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said. Speaking at a meeting with EU defense ministers in Stockholm, Reznikov also emphasized the importance of more tanks to create an "armored fist" for a spring counteroffensive.

Western allies have supplied numerous tanks and ammunition to Ukraine, and Germany promised a week ago that it would significantly increase ammunition production. Contracts signed by NATO allies to produce more ammunition have improved the outlook for Ukraine, Stoltenberg said, adding "there is an enormous demand out there."

The EU plans to provide Ukraine with more than $1 billion worth of ammunition from its stocks, but Reznikov said that's about one-fourth the cost of the million rounds of artillery shells his country needs, according to the German DPA news agency.

Stoltenberg said NATO has supported Ukraine with about $158 billion in military, financial and economic aid since the start of the war, $68 billion of that coming in military assistance.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine Russia war updates: Who blew up Nord Stream pipelines
State Department spokesperson Ned Price will step down from his role as press secretary this month after more than two years on the job, the department announced Tuesday.

Ned has helped the U.S. government defend and promote press freedom around the globe and modeled the transparency and openness we advocate for in other countries. His contributions will benefit the Department long after his service, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Price will transition to a role working directly for Blinken. Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel will take over as the departments press secretary in the interim.

Price, who held more than 200 briefings during his tenure, was the longest-serving press secretary within the Biden administration. Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki left the administration last May, and former Pentagon press secretary John Kirby moved over to a White House role last year.

As the face of the State Departments communications team, Price communicated the administrations positions on a slew of major foreign policy issues, including the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in August 2021 and Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Price previously worked from 2006-2017 as a CIA and National Security Council staffer during the Obama administration.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Ngozi Fulani discussed stepping back from her charity whilst on Good Morning Britain. (Good Morning Britain/ITV)

Buckingham Palace has appeared to criticise the charity boss at the centre of a royal race row after she appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Wednesday to discuss the abuse she experienced after speaking out.

Ngozi Fulani revealed she has resigned from her post as CEO of Sistah Space due to the backlash to the incident.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson has claimed that after a reconciliation meeting in December, it was agreed that no further media comment would be made.

Fulani and a senior member of the royal household  Lady Susan Hussey  were embroiled in a racism scandal last November after an interaction at a reception hosted by the Queen Consort to raise awareness of violence against women and girls.

At the reception, Lady Hussey  who was at the time Lady of the Household  repeatedly asked Fulani where she was really from.

Fulani went public with her experience and Lady Hussey stepped down from her honorary position.

In December, the two women took part in a reconciliation meeting in which Hussey is said to have apologised for the hurt she caused.

During her appearance on GMB, Fulani announced that she was temporarily stepping down so the charity can continue with its work providing support to women of Caribbean and African descent who are victims of domestic violence, undisturbed by controversy.

'I don't see what is so hard to say I'm sorry.'



Were joined exclusively by Ngozi Fulani, founder of @Sistah_Space for the first time since the former Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen - Lady Susan Hussey asked her where she was "really from." pic.twitter.com/EhGqA0u10O  Good Morning Britain (@GMB) March 8, 2023

She also expressed her displeasure that the palace has not apologised to her privately, and claimed that the palace did not intervene when she experienced abuse after going public.

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Who are they apologising to? If youre sorry tell me youre sorry, if youre not it speaks for itself.

If you have to ask somebody for an apology, its not an apology, the campaigner also said.

The Sistah Space charity has suffered, directly suffered as a result. When you think that this was supposed to be for violence against women and girls, because of this incident the violence has been directed to me. The palace hasnt intervened, I think they could have.

However, Fulani said she did not regret going public with what happened to her

Listen, Im about discussing and making aware violence against women and girls and Ill go anywhere at anytime to fight that cause. I didnt expect for that to be directed at me at all.

Lady Susan Hussey was a lady-in-waiting for Queen Elizabeth for decades and was retained as Lady of the Household by King Charles. (Getty Images)

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson responded by saying that after the reconciliation meeting in December, a joint statement was issued, in full agreement with Ms Fulani.

They went on to say that it was recognised that no malice had been intended by Lady Susan.

"In the statement following the incident, a number of pledges were made by the Palace which have all been honoured  including enhancing Diversity and Inclusivity programmes."

The spokesperson added: For the avoidance of any doubt, we are sorry for the incident that took place and apologise for the distress and difficulty it caused to Ms Fulani."

When Lady Husseys comments were first made public they were swiftly condemned by Prince William  Husseys godson  whose spokesperson said it was right she had stepped down from her position in the royal household.

The spokesperson said at the time: I was really disappointed to hear about the guest's experience at Buckingham Palace last night.

"Obviously, I wasnt there, but Racism has no place in our society. The comments were unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect.
Photo: The Canadian Press Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones attends a press conference in Etobicoke, Ont., on Wednesday, January 11, 2023.

Jones says the province is looking "closely" at British Columbia's plan to make prescription contraception free. CANADIAN PRESS/Tijana Martin

Ontario's health minister says the province is looking "closely" at British Columbia's plan to make prescription contraception free.

B.C. announced in its budget last week that it would spend $119 million over three years to fund prescription contraception.

That will include most oral hormone pills, contraceptive injections, copper and hormonal intrauterine devices and subdermal implants, along with so-called Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill.

The Opposition NDP in Ontario asked Health Minister Sylvia Jones today if the province will follow suit and Jones said she is "looking closely" at what B.C. has proposed.

The NDP proposed having prescription contraception covered by the provincial health plan OHIP in last year's election and says it would be one way to make life more affordable.

Jill Andrew, the party's critic for women's social and economic opportunity, says it's vital to lowering barriers to reproductive health care.
Nick Cannon

UPDATE: Nick Cannons controversial new show, Whos Having My Baby? is actually not a real show, much to the relief of the internet read more here.

Previously reported:

Nick Cannon has now turned his extensive baby-making skills into a game show, hosted by Kevin Hart.

ET Online wrote that Cannon has announced the upcoming E! game show, Whos Having My Baby With Nick Cannon. Cannon is the judge of women contestants who, apparentlywant to have his child.

The post Nick Cannons Show, Whos Having My Baby With Nick Cannon, Has People Confused: Is This Real? appeared first on Blavity.

Cannon is taking the humor about his love life to the max, not just with the show, but with how hes promoting the series on Instagram. He wrote on his Instagram account, Were expectinga new show on E! with a baby bottle emoji.

Fans online reacted to the upcoming series with understandable confusion.

aye who tf cleared that nick cannon x kevin hart show, wrote one commenter. wtf?!

aye who tf cleared tht nick cannon x kevin hart show wtf?! pic.twitter.com/QYlSokxtbp  Dani. (@iamdannii_) March 7, 2023

Is this real? Wtf? wrote another Twitter commenter.

Is this real? Wtf.  JD (@JohnDepierro) March 7, 2023

Even though E! has retweeted it, my mind REFUSES to believe Nick Cannons new show about finding another baby mama is real, wrote another Twitter user, with another person writing, Who asked for this??? Who??? Terrible idea. Not even remotely interested in watching this.

Even though E! has retweeted it, my mind REFUSES to believe Nick Cannons new show about finding another baby mama is real.   L E A (@_MissLeandra) March 7, 2023

Who asked for this??? Who??? Terrible idea. Not even remotely interested in watching this.  pic.twitter.com/6YJLVUlUH1  Tia (@TIA_thebestmom) March 7, 2023

People in Cannons Instagram comments section also questioned the validity of the show, with one person writing, Seriously? Or is this an early April fools joke?

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Another person also echoed the same sentiment, writing, This is a joke this is not a real show. Another wrote, This is for the new season of Real Husbands of Hollywood right?

I feel like this was a well constructed prank, added another fan.

Well see if its a real series or just an elaborate joke once Cannons new show hits the airwaves this spring.
By Camillus Eboh

ABUJA (Reuters) - A Nigerian judge on Wednesday refused a request by one opposition candidate who lost last month's presidential election to stop the electoral body from reconfiguring a voting system for state elections on Saturday.

Opposition challenger Peter Obi of the Labour Party said a reconfiguration will destroy the evidence for his case after he lost the presidential election to the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party, Bola Tinubu.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asked the court for an order to reconfigure its Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) that uses fingerprints and facial recognition which was previously used for the presidential vote for governorship election on March 11.

Obi and Atiku Abubakar of the People's Democratic Party have said the result of the presidential election was fraudulent and vowed to challenge it in court.

Justice Haruna Tsamani refused the request of the Labour Party and Obi, saying "it will amount to tying (INEC's) hands from performing their duties."

Nigerians will return to the polls on Saturday to elect state governors across the country, two weeks after the disputed presidential election, with the main focus on the race to lead Lagos, the country's wealthiest state.

Election observers from the European Union, the Commonwealth and other bodies reported a range of problems during voting and counting, including failures in systems designed to prevent vote manipulation.

In Nigeria, elections are generally challenged at the Appeals Court, which sits as a tribunal.

There have been numerous legal challenges to the outcome of past Nigerian presidential elections but none has succeeded.

(Reporting by Camillus Eboh in Abuja; Writing by Chijioke Ohuocha; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Nike revealed new senior leadership shifts late Tuesday afternoon as Whitney Malkiel, VP/GM of womens, has decided to leave the company, effective March 13.

In a statement on Tuesday, Heidi ONeill, president of Consumer and Marketplace at Nike, thanked Malkiel for her contributions to the brand. Whitney played a significant role in leading our womens business over the last three years and in her more than 20 years at Nike, ONeill said.

More from Footwear News

Malkiel stepped into her role as VP/GM of Nikes global womens business right in the thick of the pandemic. In an interview with FN last year, Malkiel reflected on her career with the company.

I had an opportunity to be at the city level in New York closest to the consumer, Malkiel said at the time. I worked in three geographies, and for the last eight years, I worked at the global level. Ive had the opportunity to move between functions. Thats given me empathy for everyone up down the value chain, she said.

With Malkiels departure, Amy Montagne, currently VP/GM of Asia Pacific and Latin America (APLA) will transition to fill Malkiels role. At the same time, Cathy Sparks, currently VP of Nike Direct for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), will transition to lead the APLA geography as VP/GM of APLA.

Montagne, an 18-year Nike veteran, previously held the roles of VP of global mens, VP/GM of global categories and VP/GM of global merchandising. She has also held positions of increasing responsibility in North America, running, womens training and sportswear. Prior to joining Nike, Montagne held roles in allocation, planning and merchandising at Gap Inc., Mervyns and Walmart.

Amy Montagne - Credit: Evie Lane

Evie Lane

Montagne also spent time leading the womens category for four years. That was an impactful time for me. It pushed the point of listening to the athlete and what shes asking for, said the executive in an interview with FN last year.

As for Sparks, the 25-year Nike veteran previously held the roles of VP/GM global Nike Direct stores, VP Nike Direct retail concepts, VP NA Nike stores, GM emerging markets DTC and GM Korea DTC. Sparks started at NikeTown Portland as a store athlete, and has held positions of increasing responsibility across four geographies.

These changes will further build on our strengths and underscore our commitment to accelerate our womens business, invest in our geographies, and further grow our top talent, added ONeill. We remain committed to transforming Nike faster to define the marketplace of the future and unlock the next phase of growth.
Three years after 23-year-old Amanda Grazewski disappeared from a home in Derry, New Hampshire, there are still no leads in the case.

But her family is not giving up.

What has it been like the last three years wondering what happened to her? I asked Joan OConnor, Amandas aunt.

Just the unknown, not knowing what to expect. Its really 50-50.

Did foul play happen? Was she human trafficked? No one knows, OConnor said.

Amanda Grazewski was a single mother who struggled with addiction and homelessness, but in March 2020, to her family and friends, it appeared things were getting better for Amanda.

But something dramatically changed on St. Patricks Day 2020.

Amanda Grazewski disappeared from an apartment in a house at 18 Birch Street in Derry, New Hampshire.

Its believed she arrived there with three or four other people at about midnight on March 17th.

By morning she was gone.

But Amanda left behind her purse, a bag of clothes, and her cellphone

She did own a laptop, but that was never found. And the people there were using her phone, Joan OConnor said.

Does that tell you anything? I asked.

It tells me its suspicious.

Joan OConnor reported her niece missing to Derry, New Hampshire Police.

Right now, Amanda is one of 73 missing people in the Granite State.

On this third anniversary of Amandas disappearance, Joan OConnor wants to do whatever it takes to get Amanda off that list of missing people.

She wants Amanda home.

We need to help find her. And hopefully well get that done, OConnor said.

The family of Amanda Grazewski is offering a $2,000 reward for information.

If you can help, contact Derry, NH Police at 603-432-6111.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
A centrist political party that has some Democrats concerned about the potential for it to play a spoiler role has made the ballot in Arizona in 2024.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) said in a statement on Tuesday that the No Labels Party surpassed the minimum requirement for signatures to be placed on a ballot and has qualified as a party for federal, statewide and legislative races in the 2024 primaries and general elections in the state.

As Secretary of State, I am committed to supporting county election officials to ensure that they are prepared for this new addition to the states list of parties and any other changes to the 2024 ballot, he said.

The Democratic think tank Third Way criticized No Labels in a memo released earlier on Tuesday, insisting that it would only play a spoiler for Democratic candidates and does not have a conceivable way to win an election.

The memo, which was first reported by Politico, states that No Labels plan to put forward a unity ticket in the 2024 presidential election would only lead to former President Trump being reelected. It states that the group is serious, as it is also seeking to make the ballot in other battleground states like North Carolina, Florida and Nevada and has already made the ballot in Colorado.

No Labels said on its website that the unity ticket would be an insurance plan if Democrats and Republicans both choose unreasonably divisive presidential nominees.

The memo notes that most of the states No Labels includes as part of its path to victory in the 2024 presidential election voted for President Biden in 2020.

The Hill has reached out to No Labels for comment.

Arizona Democrats could already be facing a divided electorate for its 2024 Senate race following Sen. Kyrsten Sinemas (I) decision in December to leave the Democratic Party. She said at the time that the move would provide a place of belonging for people across the country and state who are tired of partisanship and is a reflection of who she is.

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Sinema has not officially said whether she will run for reelection in 2024, but Rep. Reuben Gallego (D-Ariz.) has declared his candidacy for the Senate seat. Gallego has been a critic of Sinema well before Sinemas decision to leave the party, and would be running to her left if she chooses to run too.

Some early polling of hypothetical three-person matchups with Gallego, Sinema and a Republican candidate have shown Gallego leading by several points.

Politico reported that a national Democratic strategist said party operatives are feeling agita about the potential effect of No Labels, but no one knows how real it is yet, though.

No Labels told Politico that its polling has shown that its ticket would gather support from both parties equally. It said it would not put forward its own candidate but make sure a launching pad exists for a third-party candidate if both the Democratic and Republican candidates are not appealing.

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

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Norfolk Southern Chief Executive Alan Shaw will apologize on Thursday at a U.S. Senate hearing over the Feb. 3 derailment of an Ohio freight train carrying hazardous materials and pledge to improve safety, according to testimony seen by Reuters.

"We wont be finished until we make it right," Shaw says in written testimony ahead of his appearance before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. "I am deeply sorry for the impact this derailment has had on the people of East Palestine and surrounding communities."

His testimony says that to date the railroad has committed to reimbursements and investments of more than $20 million, but emphasizes that is only a start.

"This is a down payment. I am going to see this through. There are no strings attached to our assistance," Shaw's testimony says.

Norfolk Southern has been under fire after a number of derailments of its trains, particularly one it operated in East Palestine, Ohio, that caused cars carrying toxic vinyl chloride and other hazardous chemicals to spill and catch fire.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) both announced new safety probes of the railroad Tuesday after the death of a conductor in Cleveland, Ohio, when a train was struck by a dump truck.

The NTSB said given the number and significance of recent Norfolk Southern accidents it was opening a special investigation and "urges the company to take immediate action today to review and assess its safety practices."

Following the East Palestine derailment, some of the town's 4,700 residents have reported ailments such as rashes and breathing difficulties and fear long-term health effects. No deaths or injuries were reported after the accident.

Debra Shore, a regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will tell lawmakers at the hearing that about 600 homes had been screened for air quality and vinyl chloride or hydrogen chloride detected.

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"Every time a train whistle blows, they are reminded of the trauma visited upon them by Norfolk Southern," she said in her written testimony for Thursday's hearing.

Shaw pledged to "clean the site safely, thoroughly, and with urgency."

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Director Anne Vogel will tell the committee that her agency "will not stop until the science definitively shows that the residents of East Palestine are safe in their beautiful community."

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Deepa Babington)
The countrys major freight railroads were becoming more dangerous even before the train wreck in East Palestine, Ohio, that sparked a chemical fire and weeks of political controversy.

Norfolk Southern Corp., whose train derailed in East Palestine a month ago, had the biggest increase in its accident rate over the last 10 years, rising nearly three times as fast as the industry average, according to an analysis by POLITICOs E&E News of Federal Railroad Administration data.

"Clearly, more commonsense regulations are needed to prevent disasters from happening, said Mike Schade, a leader of the advocacy group Toxic-Free Future, which advocates for safer chemicals policies. And we now have a major environmental disaster on our hands as a result."

Norfolk Southern's accident rate jumped 80.8 percent between 2013 and 2022, to 3.658 accidents per million miles traveled, from 2.023. Norfolk is one of seven "Class 1" railroads. Overall, the group had 27 percent more accidents, a rate of 3.067 accidents per million miles traveled, up from a rate of 2.415 in 2013.

The increased accident rate comes as the chemical industry predicts a rise in the amount of chemicals that will be shipped by rail, trucks and other forms of transportation.



Meanwhile, on Tuesday the National Transportation Safety Board announced a special investigation into Norfolk Southerns "safety culture" after the railroad had its third serious accident in just over a month.

Another Norfolk Southern train derailed Saturday in Springfield, Ohio, and a conductor for the railroad was killed Tuesday by a dump truck as a train was moving through a steel mill in Cleveland, the company said.

The conductor, 46-year-old Louis Shuster, was a father and an Army veteran who had worked at the railroad since 2005, according to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.

The NTSB is concerned that several organizational factors may be involved in the accidents, including safety culture, the safety board said in a news release.

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The American Association of Railroads argues that the safety data E&E News reviewed includes minor collisions that happen in train yards and that the number of main line incidents like the one in East Palestine has been dropping.

If you were going to look at the main line accidents  2022 was the lowest year in history overall, Mike Rush, the trade groups senior vice president of operations and safety, said in an interview.

Norfolk Southern, whose CEO is due to testify in a Senate hearing Thursday, declined to comment on the federal safety data but said in a prepared statement that the company is committed to safety.

We diligently monitor our trains and infrastructure to identify potential hazards, and we invest approximately a billion annually into maintaining our infrastructure every year, the statement said.

About 19 percent of U.S. chemical output travels by rail, according to AAR. The bulk  57 percent  moves by truck, and the remainder by ships, barges and pipelines.

Trucks by far have the highest incident rate.

Of all transportation incidents involving hazardous materials in 2022, trucks were responsible for nearly 94 percent, according to Bureau of Transportation statistics. Trains were responsible for a little more than 1 percent.

Truck accidents have been rising, along with other road accidents, for a variety of reasons, including speeding and distracted driving, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

"The road safety is nowhere near as good as rail safety, said Nicholas Little, the director of railway education at Michigan State University. There's less chance of a vehicle-to-vehicle accident  and, also, there's less habitation around the tracks, because it's not just freeways that the trucks will be going on, they'd be going on local roads, as well."

But not every chemical is suitable for rail transportation.

How chemicals are transported usually depends on the quantity needed and location of its final destination, Little said. And when rail accidents do happen, the potential for greater environmental damage is larger because trains can carry much bigger quantities of chemicals than trucks, he said.

"Even the biggest highway truck only carries a quarter of the volume that a railcar can carry, Little said.

The FRA data includes derailments, collisions between trains and other on-rail problems. The numbers cover only the first 11 months of 2022.

Looking strictly at on-rail accidents, three of the freight railroads  Norfolk Southern, CSX Corp. and Union Pacific Corp.  had higher rates over the last 10 years.

Norfolk Southern had one of the lowest accident rates in 2013 and now has the second highest behind Union Pacific, which averaged 4.359 collisions per million miles last year.

The accident rate didn't appear correlated to the amount of freight on Norfolk Southern's system. The company's revenue ton mileage, a metric based on the revenue from one ton of freight shipped over one mile, rose from 2013 to 2018, before falling during the pandemic and bouncing back in the last two years, according to securities filings. Overall, the company had about an 8 percent drop in revenue ton miles over the last decade.

The accident rates at Union Pacific, CSX and Norfolk Southern are far lower than they were in the 1970s and '80s. But they also show a stark contrast to the other four Class 1 railroads  BNSF, Canadian National, Kansas City Southern and Canadian Pacific  where accident rates fell between 5 percent and 65 percent over the last decade.

Political oversight

To date, the bulk of the congressional investigations and other political fallout have focused on the Transportation Department and Environmental Protection Agency, not on the rise in accident rates across the industry.

Politicians from both parties have called for stricter safety standards, although its unclear if the proposals would have prevented the Ohio wreck.

The 149-car train derailed shortly before 9 p.m. on Feb. 3 just outside East Palestine, a town of about 4,700 that sits near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. An automated system detected an overheated wheel bearing on one of the cars, which triggered an alarm.

The crew was trying to stop the train when a section of it derailed. Thirty-eight cars left the tracks and several of them caught fire.

Some of the cars contained hazardous chemicals, including vinyl chloride and other chemicals. Vinyl chloride, which is used to make common types of plastic, is a carcinogen that creates poisonous gases when it burns, and it also poses an explosion risk.

Three days after the train derailed, local and state officials decided to release the vinyl chloride into a trench and conduct a controlled burn, rather than risk a larger explosion. No one was killed or seriously injured, but the fire sent up a plume of black smoke that left residents complaining about lung irritation and foul odors.

EPA has tested air quality in more than 500 homes, while state officials test the local water system; they have found no hazardous chemical levels. Independent tests by Texas A&M University found high levels of chemicals in the air, which could lead to health problems if the levels persist.

Norfolk Southern announced a series of safety improvements Monday, including assessing how frequently its hot bearing detectors are spaced and testing a new type of hot bearing detector and a new type of acoustic sensor. The company is also developing new technology to search for track defects and is working with the rest of the rail industry on setting standards for when hot bearing detectors should trigger an alarm.

Norfolk Southern and the other six major railroads announced last week that theyre joining a program that allows employees to confidentially report close calls among trains without fear of retaliation.

Safety advocates have used the wreck to call for tighter regulations on rails, calls that have been echoed by several officeholders and by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Since the accident, DOT has announced "targeted track inspections" for routes known to carry hazardous materials and issued a safety advisory for certain aluminum tank car covers, a part that is now known to have melted during the Ohio crash.

Republicans on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee have announced hearings into Buttigiegs handling of the wreck, including when he knew about the derailment. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia asked Buttigieg for information about the adoption of a more modern braking system, known as electronically controlled pneumatic brakes.

The system allows engineers to activate the brakes simultaneously on every car in a train, which could help trains stop more quickly and smoothly. The conventional air brakes on most trains use an air hose that connects the locomotive to the freight cars, so it transmits the braking signal more slowly than an electronic signal.

Republican Sens. J.D. Vance of Ohio and Marco Rubio of Florida sent a letter to Buttigieg asking about both the length of the train and the number of crew members on board. Last week, the two senators were part of a bipartisan group that introduced a railroad safety bill.

Long trains, short crews

The Federal Railroad Administration defines a train with 150 or more cars as very long  one more than the train that derailed in East Palestine.

A 2019 report by the Government Accountability Office said the number of long trains on the rails was increasing and said crew training is particularly important for their safe operation.

The FRA is currently writing rules that would require two-person crews on more freight trains. The industry has resisted the idea, saying that personnel decisions should be made by the companies and arguing that automation can safely reduce the number of crew members.

Automated trains have been operated safely in other countries, including in Australia, where theyre used to transport long trains of iron ore, said Allan Zarembski, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Delaware who specializes in railroads.

All the proposed solutions come with benefits and drawbacks, Zarembski said. Using electronically controlled brakes would improve a trains stopping power, but it costs more than conventional air brakes. And the system would have to be widely adopted because railroads often haul carloads of hazardous materials mixed with other freights cars.

Electronically controlled braking systems are at the top of the list for suggested safety improvements on freight trains, said Little, of Michigan State University. But when you're dealing with over 1.6 million rail cars that are in operation, it's a very, very big task."

Michael Gorman, a rail consultant and faculty at University of Daytons school of business administration, echoed industry concerns, warning of unintended consequences of poorly thought-out legislation."

Expensive rail safety improvements would create a higher cost of shipping and could turn businesses away from trains and toward the more accident-prone trucks, Gorman said.

Right now, we're in reaction mode, and overreaction is likely to be the results, Gorman said.

In a 2015 report on rail safety that was written to help the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection cope with an influx of trains carrying crude oil, Zarembski made a series of recommendations.

Some of the steps are mundane, including slower speeds through populated area, while others are high-tech, such as more frequent use of automated track inspections. None of them were new ideas at the time, Zarembski said.

I havent seen anything revolutionary coming down the pike  thats being ignored by the railroad industry thats an obvious no-brainer, he said.

I think the process is going to continue to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary.
The internet has formulated another viral topic of discussion, and this time, North West and Bronx rapper Ice Spice are the in the middle of it. If you follow North and Kim Kardashians TikTok, youre keen to see Norths big personality and obsession with Ice Spice.

The post North West Appears As Ice Spice In Viral TikTok For Heroes And Heritage Day At Her School appeared first on Blavity.

North dressed like the drill artist with a curly orange Afro on Monday after the rapper visited Kim and North over the weekend.

In the TikTok video, North appeared dressed in a curly orange wig, a replicated Powerpuff girl Ice Spice chain and a white velour sweatsuit with a studded bottom. North and one of her close friends reenacted a previous TikTok moment between North and Ice Spices in-person encounter. The two friends lipsynched to a remix of Spices hit single in ha mood.

Several onlookers were perplexed by Norths new appearance. Masika, a reality TV personality, was finally able to respond and explain. The outfit was for a Womens History Month school assignment, and North chose to dress as Ice Spice.

Today is heroes and heritage day at their school, she wrote in the comments of @theneighborhood Instagram post. Students are invited to participate in a spirit-wear day inspired by Februarys Black History Month, Marchs Womens History Month, and World Languages Week Students are encouraged to dress in clothing celebrating their heroes or heritage.'

From a lab coat representing a prominent scientist to culturally authentic attire to a jersey of an admired athlete She chose Ice Spice, its really not that deep yall. SMH, Masika continued.

On the surface, the video is innocent; North is like many other 9-year-olds wanting to emulate their favorite artists or actors looks, but some online feel otherwise. The TikTok clip carried over onto Twitter, where later, Kanye West began trending. Fans tweeted in support of Kanye, claiming they now believe he was correct in fighting against Kardashian allowing North to use TikTok after watching Norths re-enactment of Spice.

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One fan retweeted an old rant from West, writing Kanye was right. In the reposted clip, Kanye explains that as Norths father, he has a right to step in and protect his daughter from outside factors like social media and television.

Father, I know yall dont respect fathers, and the idea of family and the media tries to promote something. I said I am not allowing my daughter to be used by TikTok to be used by Disney. I have a say so, Kanye said.

The other argument stems from viewers not agreeing with the lyrics in the background of the video claiming its too grown. Some fans deliberating in Twitter threads argue that had the TikTok video featured the clean version of In ha Mood maybe people would be less outraged. While other viewers supported the cute and entertaining cosplay calling it innocent and claiming North is that girl.

No matter how you feel, its evident that North is a member of the spice cabinet, and her mom fully supports it. Kardashian wasted no time inviting Ice Spice to California to chill with her daughter and friends  and it was such an adorable moment.

On March 4, Ice Spice, North, Ryan, and a few other friends made TikTok videos together lip-singing Ice Spices latest singles throughout the Calabasas mansion. The clips will make you giggle as its apparent that Spice and the girls were having a blast throughout the house.

In February, North shared a hand-drawn portrait of her favorite artists on TikTok and gained Ice Spices attention. Spice told TMZ she found the drawing so cute and gave props to North for the love and support. Thank you, North, deemed her so talented. Following Spices visit, North created a second drawing featuring the Bronx native with straight hair from a fashion week photo.

After criticism on social media, Norths Ice Spice cosplay videos were removed from the Kim and North TikTok account. Still, its great to see North tap into her creativity, artistry and individuality, no matter what outside viewers think.
AKRON, Ohio  The National Transportation Board is opening a special investigation Tuesday into the safety practices of one of the nation's largest railroad corporations following several accidents, including last month's toxic train derailment and the death of a train conductor.

Citing "the number and significance of recent Norfolk Southern accidents," the NTSB said on Tuesday it will begin a broad look into Norfolk Southern's "organization and safety culture." The investigation will be the first of its kind within the rail industry since 2014.

The NTSB said it has deployed investigative teams to five significant accidents involving Norfolk Southern since December 2021. Three of the incidents were in Ohio in just over one month this year.

The board also urged the company to take immediate action to review and assess its safety practices, with the input of employees and others, and implement necessary changes to improve safety.

The announcement comes the day after NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said a final report on the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment and hazardous materials spill could take more than a year to complete. Homendy has previously said the East Palestine derailment was "no accident" and that it was "100% preventable."

EAST PALESTINE DERAILMENT: Headaches, coughing, burning of the skin: Symptoms Ohio residents have experienced after toxic train derailment

LAWMAKERS CALL FOR TRAIN SAFETY: Second Norfolk Southern train derailment in Ohio shines congressional spotlight on rail industry

A worker keeps watch near the East Taggert Street railroad crossing as cleanup from a Norfolk Southern derailment continues on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 in East Palestine.

Five significant accidents involving Norfolk Southern

The NTSB said it is concerned that several organizational factors may be involved in the accidents, including safety culture. In just over one year, the agency has sent investigative teams to five significant accidents:

On Dec. 8, 2021, an employee for National Salvage and Service Corp. assigned to work with a Norfolk Southern team replacing track was killed when the operator of a spike machine reversed direction and struck the employee in Reed, Pennsylvania.

A Norfolk Southern trainee conductor was killed on Dec. 13, 2022, and another conductor was injured, when the lead locomotive of a Norfolk Southern freight train struck a steel angle iron protruding from a gondola car on another Norfolk Southern freight train that was stopped on an adjacent track in Bessemer, Alabama.

On Feb. 3, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine. The derailment resulted in a significant fire and hazardous materials release.

A 2.55-mile-long Norfolk Southern freight train derailed near Springfield, Ohio, on March 4.

On March 7, a Norfolk Southern employee was killed during a train movement in Cleveland.

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As part of the special investigation, the NTSB said it will also review the Oct. 28 Norfolk Southern derailment in Sandusky. Another Norfolk Southern train derailed in Ravenna Township in Portage County on Oct. 2.

MORE: Federal investigators have new concerns about equipment in East Palestine train derailment

Norfolk Southern's response

The NTSB investigation follows Norfolk Southern's announcement on Monday that it would add more sensors along railroad tracks to spot overheating bearings and move to upgrade safety measures on its system.

In the Feb. 3 East Palestine incident, the NTSB said it appears a bearing in a rail car failed, causing a derailment that involved cars containing vinyl chloride, a flammable chemical used as a precursor to many plastic products. An evacuation order was issued for the area around the derailment site, and the chemicals were released from the cars into a trench, where they were burnt off.

Following the death of a train conductor Tuesday, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw pledged to hold companywide safety briefings on Wednesday  one day ahead of when he is scheduled to testify in Congress at a hearing on the East Palestine derailment.

Moving forward, we are going to rebuild our safety culture from the ground up, Shaw said in a statement. We are going to invest more in safety. This is not who we are, it is not acceptable, and it will not continue.

Mar 7, 2023; Columbus, OH, United States; State Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel (left) of Columbiana County and State Rep. Lauren McNally of Youngstown speak in support of an act that would require companies transporting hazardous chemicals on rail lines to submit that information to the areas they are traveling through by rail. Mandatory Credit: Brooke LaValley/Columbus Dispatch

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Ohio train derailment: NTSB to investigate Norfolk Southern accidents
Photo: The Canadian Press Arthur Masse leaves court at the Law Courts building in Winnipeg, Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Closing arguments in the trial of a retired priest accused of assaulting a First Nations woman while she was a student at a former residential school are expected to begin this morning in Winnipeg. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Brittany Hobson

A Winnipeg judge is left to decide whether a young girl was assaulted in the bathroom of a residential school more than 50 years ago based on the memories of the now-adult woman and the 93-year-old retired priest accused of committing the act.

The two-day judge-alone trial wrapped up Wednesday for Arthur Masse who is charged with one count of indecent assault against Victoria McIntosh from when she attended the Fort Alexander Residential School north of Winnipeg sometime between 1968 and 1970.

McIntosh and Masse were the only witnesses called to testify.

The question of memory accuracy came up when Manitoba Court of King's Bench Justice Candace Grammond heard closing arguments from the Crown and George Green, Masse's lawyer.

Green argued the burden of proof falls heavily on McIntosh's testimony, "that is hard to discharge on the word of one person."

He added that given the nature of the allegations, passage of time and inconsistencies in McIntosh's testimony, the court cannot deem her a reliable witness.

"Ms. McIntosh's evidence standing on its own falls short on proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt," he said.

GRAPHIC WARNING: The following details may disturb some readers.

McIntosh recounted details of the alleged assault during her testimony on Tuesday. She told the court she was in the bathroom at the school when she heard someone enter. Masse could frequently be seen entering the student bathrooms while he worked at the school, McIntosh told court.

She said she recognized it was Masse because of his collar.

McIntosh testified Masse held her against a wall in the bathroom using his forearm while he used his other hand to "fondle" her above her clothing. Before she was able to get away, Masse kissed her quickly and roughly on her face, she told court.

The First Nations woman said the alleged assault lasted approximately a minute and afterward Masse told her not to tell anyone.

"I was scared and nauseated at the same time. I slipped away from him and I ran out of there," she told court.

McIntosh first reported the assault to police in 2015 two years after a meeting regarding a residential school settlement claim triggered memories for her. She admitted she tried to forget Masse's name but she always knew what happened to her.

Masse testified that he did not assault McIntosh and said he has no recollection of interacting with her when she was a student.

Green said the court is relying on evidence from someone who was a child at the time of the assault and that McIntosh's testimony isn't without inconsistencies.

He pointed to conflicting statements made when McIntosh first reported the assault to police and her testimony, including the omission of Masse kissing her when she spoke to police in 2015.

Green also questioned why the Crown didn't present any other evidence including expert witnesses or other former students who could have spoken about the claims against Masse.

He said his client testified in a "straightforward manner."

"Evidence is what you expect for a 93-year-old person trying to remember," Green said.

"Court has no reason to question his credibility and sincerity in telling the truth."

Crown attorney Danielle Simard said the court should be concerned about the "unevenness" of Masse's memory of that time.

Masse has a selective memory and deflected his responsibilities during the time in question, said Simard. The priest testified that as a school administrator, he did not have much interaction with students.

Simard called the notion there would be other students to testify "highly speculative." She also pushed back claims McIntosh was dealing with repressed memory.

"To suggest that (McIntosh) lost it and regained it is just inaccurate," Simard said. "(McIntosh) made reasonable concessions. She did not exaggerate or embellish."

Green suggested McIntosh is using the allegations and the case, "as a public pedestal to advocate for Indigenous issues."

Outside the courthouse, McIntosh refuted the claims, saying it took her several years to get to a place where she could speak about what happened to her.

"I always knew in the back of my mind that it was going to come forward some way," she said.

The judge has reserved her decision until March 30.

The Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program has a hotline to help residential school survivors and their relatives suffering trauma invoked by the recall of past abuse. The number is 1-866-925-4419.
On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced it is opening a special investigation into rail firm Norfolk Southern, which counts the East Palestine train derailment among its recent woes. The NTSB will investigate the companys safety practices.

The move comes shortly after a company conductor was killed Tuesday after being struck by a dump truck at an industrial facility in Cleveland. Days earlier, another company train derailed in Springfield, Ohio, though no hazardous materials were onboard.

Norfolk Southern has come under intense scrutiny for the East Palestine derailment, which saw toxic chemicals spilled in the small town. Agency officials such as EPA administrator Michael Regan, politicians such as former president Donald Trump, and environmental activists such as Erin Brockovich have all visited the town. Residents have complained of health issues and fear the worst for the future.

The NTSB is concerned that several organizational factors may be involved in the accidents, including safety culture, read the agencys statement. The NTSB will conduct an in-depth investigation into the safety practices and culture of the company. At the same time, the company should not wait to improve safety and the NTSB urges it to do so immediately.

Three company incidents the NTSB mentioned in the statement have resulted in the death of an employee. The agency normally investigates individual incidents, making the launch of a broader, special investigation against Norfolk Southern all the more significant.

Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw explained in a statement that the company will cooperate with the NTSBs investigation.

I called together every member of our management team this afternoon to emphasize the urgency of finding new solutions. Tomorrow we will hold safety stand-down briefings reaching every employee across our network, Shaw said.

Moving forward, we are going to rebuild our safety culture from the ground up. We are going to invest more in safety. This is not who we are, it is not acceptable, and it will not continue, he added.

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Ohio governor Mike DeWine noted last week that he expects the company to cooperate in creating a multimillion-dollar fund that will take care of East Palestine residents for years to come. If they dont cooperate, legal measures will be taken, DeWine explained.

Shaw is set to face Congress for the first time since the disaster on Thursday. He will testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

More from National Review
A police officer was arrested after being accused of assaulting a woman at a bar and pointing his weapon at a bartender, according to Maryland officials and local media reports.

Larry Worsley, a Baltimore police sergeant, was arrested following a dispute over his restaurant bill, a spokeswoman for the Baltimore Police Department told McClatchy News.

The Public Investigation Bureau (PIB) is aware of the case and he currently has his police powers suspended, the spokeswoman said, adding that no further information is available at this time.

Its not clear if Worsley has retained an attorney.

The incident occurred on Sunday, March 5, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Worsley, 40, had been drinking at a West Baltimore bar that evening and became noticeably intoxicated, the outlet reported, citing charging documents.

He was then seen assaulting an unidentified female that he was accompanied with inside the bar, police said, before he grabbed and twisted another womans arm, the Baltimore Sun reported.

Later, when a bartender told Worsley to pay his bar tab, police said he drew his gun, pointed it at the employee and said, Im not paying for (expletive), according to CBS Baltimore. It was later discovered that the weapon, a Glock, had one bullet in the chamber and 13 in the magazine, police said.

Police said Worsley then left the bar while dragging a woman by he hair and holding the gun in his hand, the outlet reported.

Police arrested Worsley that evening, according to WMAR 2 News. He has been charged with first- and second-degree assault, theft and firearm violations.

Worsley was previously suspended in 2018 after he was charged with driving under the influence, according to the Associated Press.

Girls basketball coach had inappropriate contact with students, Georgia cops say

College student among 4 killed when planes collide and sink into Florida lake, cops say

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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Federal authorities said Wednesday they are dropping all investigations into Puerto Ricos lone zoo where various species have died, saying the decision came after reaching an agreement with local officials to transfer the animals to sanctuaries on the U.S. mainland.

The announcement angered many activists who have long fought to have the U.S. territorys government held responsible for the deaths and ill health of animals reported for more than a decade at the Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo in the western town of Mayaguez.

We cannot change what happened in the past, U.S. Attorney Stephen Muldrow said. Animals died.

However, he stressed that going to court would only delay the transfer of the zoos remaining animals, which number some 300 and range from a tarantula to a lone elephant.

The wellbeing of the animals is the number one priority, Muldrow said at a press conference.

He added that violations at the zoo spanned many years, with different administrations not being able to guarantee the wellbeing of animals.

He said it was an institutional problem as well as a lack of resources: There was no intentional damage to the animals.

But activists say ending the federal investigations means impunity prevailed and that no justice will be served for the animals that died or fell ill.

We were demanding that the federal government do its job: investigate violations, said Christian Rios, an attorney and president of an animal rights commission at Puerto Ricos Association of Attorneys. This leaves a bad taste in our mouths.

In the past decade, a government-appointed committee noted two pumas died and raised concerns about an underweight chimpanzee, a rhinoceros named Felipe that was limping and a lack of shelter for animals including a kangaroo and a porcupine.

In January, an American black bear named Nina who had stopped eating died from a heart attack at more than 20 years old. Black bears can live up to 35 years in captivity.

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Meanwhile, officials last week had to euthanize a puma that was diagnosed with cancer, Muldrow said.

He said nearly all the animals will be transferred within the next six months, noting that two eagles were already removed because the zoo was not licensed to care for them, and that two owls and two anacondas also have been transferred elsewhere within the island.

Earlier this month, Pat Craig, executive director of The Wildlife Animal Sanctuary in Colorado and Texas, told The Associated Press that the organization would take in up to 50% of the zoos animals.

However, its still unknown where certain animals, including the lone elephant named Mundi, would end up. Muldrow said officials are trying to find an elephant sanctuary since theyre a social species and should be kept in groups.

The zoo, which opened in 1954, has remained closed since hurricanes Irma and Maria battered Puerto Rico in September 2017.
The state of Ohio is starting a new dashboard to better track and report data on overdose deaths.

Gov. DeWines office said this is an expansion of smaller dashboards which only covered 18 counties within the state. The new dashboard will follow every county.

Researchers used the data collected to help reduce overdoses and opioid misuse, according to a media release.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Montgomery Co. reports surge of drug overdoses this New Year holiday

Gov. DeWine said expanding this across all of Ohio will better help communities battle this public health crisis.

The dashboards report on 55 opioid-related measures including:

overdose deaths

high-risk prescribing

overdoses treated in emergency departments

naloxone units distributed by Project DAWN

individuals receiving and being continuously enrolled in treatment

EMS events involving naloxone administration

For more information on the dashboard click here.
By Adrian Portugal

POLA, Philippines (Reuters) - Resorts in a Philippine province known for world-class beaches and dive spots are reeling from the impact of an oil spill just off the coastline, as tourists cancel reservations during what is supposed to be peak season.

Authorities are racing to recover a tanker that sank off Oriental Mindoro province carrying 800,000 litres (211,338 gallons) of industrial fuel oil when it suffered engine trouble on Feb. 28 in rough seas.

"We are saddened because all the tourists that booked us for the summer season and the upcoming Holy Week have already cancelled," said Marino Enriquez, a resort manager in the town of Pola.

"The effect is very extensive because there are no visitors arriving for vacation or to unwind, nobody is renting our cottages because of restrictions on swimming, there is nobody checking in since there is a stench, and the sand is filled with oil," said resort caretaker Rocela Lasac.

Volunteers have had to endure noxious fumes and use buckets to clean up beaches blackened by the spill, which experts have said threatens 36,000 hectares (88,958 acres) of coral reef, mangroves and sea-grass. Restrictions have been imposed on swimming and fishing in the affected area.

Restoring the beaches to their original pristine beauty will take several months while the clean-up is underway, authorities said.

Environmentalists were also worried about the oil spill's potential impact on marine life and on the livelihood of fishermen.

"The marine protected areas where the fish lay eggs, if those are destroyed we will lose the fish reserve in our ocean," Earth Island campaign manager and analyst Robert Medrano said.

(Editing by Karen Lema, Kanupriya Kapoor)
Oklahoma City Police have arrested a man in connection with a homicide that occurred more than a year ago near Jones.

Kody Melendrez, 32, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the shooting death of Donnell Smith, 28 on Jan. 3, 2022.

Melendrez is being held in the Oklahoma County jail on $10 million bond.

Police said they responded to a shooting at a business in the 9800 block of Spencer-Jones Road just after 1 p.m. Jan. 3, 2022.

More:Why an Oklahoma City man is suing the police chief, other officers after 5 traffic stops

They learned Smith had been in an argument in a parking lot, where he was shot. Suspects fled the scene.

Smith was transported by private vehicle to a Midwest City hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma City police arrest man in connection with 2022 homicide
(Reuters) - A ballot measure to legalize recreational use of marijuana for adults in Oklahoma and establish an excise tax on cannabis sales in the state appeared headed for a resounding defeat at the polls on Tuesday, according to state election returns.

With the overwhelming majority of precincts reporting, just over 62% of voters had cast ballots against the recreational pot legalization measure known as Question 820, compared with nearly 38% who supported it, the state's unofficial results showed.

The vote came nearly five years after Oklahoma voters approved legalizing cannabis for medical purposes.

The measure would have made it legal for adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to an ounce of marijuana, and to grow as many as six mature cannabis plants for personal use.

It also would have placed a 15% tax on sales of all recreational marijuana products, with revenues divvied up between municipalities and the state's general fund, public education grants and substance abuse programs.

The existing state medical marijuana authority would have been tasked with regulating and licensing commercial cannabis businesses.

In addition, individuals already convicted of low-level marijuana offenses that the measure proposed to make legal could have sought re-sentencing or have their records expunged.

As of this year, 21 other U.S. states have fully legalized marijuana for adults, according to a Reuters tally, but cannabis remains classified as an illegal narcotic under federal law.

Advocates of liberalized marijuana laws argue that criminalization of low-level possession squanders law enforcement resources and disproportionately affects people of color. Taxing cannabis, they argue, would generate millions of dollars in new state revenues.

Opponents say legalizing pot can lead to increases in crime, automobile and workplace accidents and a rise in drug use among children.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
Oklahoma voters sharply rejected a ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana Tuesday, a defeat that came almost five years after voters had easily approved the legalization of medical marijuana.

With almost all precincts having reported, the vote on State Question 820 was 62% opposed and 38% in favor.

We think this sends a clear message that Oklahomans oppose the unfettered access to marijuana we have experienced under our so-called medical program. Voters clearly want to protect our children, crack down on organized crime and improve the mental health of those in our state, said Pat McFerron, a spokesperson and pollster for Protect Our Kids No 820.

The campaign was a relatively low-key affair, though, as the vote was pushed back from the November 2022 date marijuana proponents had been hoping for to March, where the initiative was the sole item to be voted on in many places.

Supporters of legalized recreational marijuana saw that placement as one of the main obstacles to its approval.

With a March special election and no other issues on the ballot, we knew from the beginning this would be an uphill battle, said Brian Vicente, a lawyer and a steering committee member for the pro-legalization group Yes on 820.

Michelle Tilley, the groups campaign director, said it was only a matter of time before Oklahoma joined 21 other states in approving marijuana for recreational use.

With a March special election and no other issues on the ballot, we knew from the beginning this would be an uphill battle.Brian Vicente, steering commitee member for the Yes on 820 pro-legalization group

There are almost 400,000 Oklahomans  thats almost 10% of our population  using marijuana legally; there are many thousands more using marijuana acquired off the illicit market, she said.

A two-tiered system, where one group of Oklahomans is free to use this product and the other is treated like criminals does not make logical sense.

Proponents touted the prospect of additional tax revenue for the state from expanding the marijuana market and the fairness of allowing people with minor convictions in marijuana cases to have them expunged.

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Opponents, led by former Republican Gov. Frank Keating, a onetime FBI agent, pointed to problems with the existing medical marijuana regime as well as fears that legalizing recreational marijuana would bring more crime and environmental problems.

Legalization advocates held a decisive edge in cash for the campaign, raising $3.2 million through the end of 2022 and airing broadcast TV commercials in the closing weeks. The anti-legalization side, according to its pollster Pat McFerron, was expected to spend only about $250,0000 and concentrate on satellite and cable TV ads.

Ethan McKee, vice president of Mango Cannabis, weighs marijuana flowers at an Oklahoma City dispensary on Feb. 28.

Ethan McKee, vice president of Mango Cannabis, weighs marijuana flowers at an Oklahoma City dispensary on Feb. 28.

But the backdrop was in many ways unfavorable to marijuana advocates. In November, four Chinese nationals were found shot to death at a farm in rural Kingfisher County in a crime that made headlines statewide and that law enforcement officials said showed the potential pitfalls of a larger cannabis industry.



In addition, there had been growing and bipartisan consensus that regulation of medical marijuana, which was approved in a similar statewide vote by a 57% to 43% margin in 2018, had not kept up with the industrys explosive growth. Oklahoma has nearly three times as many licensed cannabis dispensaries and almost as many licensed grow facilities as California, despite the latter having 10 times Oklahomas population and having already legalized recreational marijuana years ago.

Gentner Drummond, Oklahomas Republican attorney general praised the vote Tuesday, saying, Regardless of where one stands on the question of marijuana legalization, the stark reality is that organized crime from China and Mexico has infiltrated Oklahomas medical marijuana industry.

The recreational marijuana measure voted on Tuesday would have allowed sales to residents 21and older and taxed them at 15%. Proceeds from the taxes would have been split among schools, drug treatment programs and state and local governments. It also would have allowed for the expungement of minor marijuana-related criminal convictions.

According to the pro-legalization advocates, about 4,500 Oklahomans are arrested annually over small amounts of marijuana. Ryan Kiesel, a senior adviser to Yes on 820, said expungement of criminal records must still be fought for.

We have thousands of families being torn apart and thrown into chaos every year because a mom or a dad has a small amount of marijuana that would be legal in 21 other states and legal in Oklahoma for medical card holders, he said.

Ahead of the vote, Drummond told the Tulsa-based Black Wall Street Times he was willing to look at making expungement easier.

If it does not pass, I do think in the spirit of criminal justice reform, marijuana possession and consumption should be addressed. And there should be a mechanism considered by the legislature that Im happy to administer toward the expungement of those things, he said.

Correction: An earlier version of this article identified Gentner Drummond as a Democrat. The attorney general is a Republican.

Related...
Oklahomans on Tuesday voted to reject legalizing recreational marijuana in the state.

State question 820 was projected to be shot down, according to The Associated Press  with nearly three-quarters of ballots counted, more than 63 percent had voted against it in the special election.

The proposal would have made Oklahoma the 22nd state to legalize recreational cannabis use for adults, greenlighting Oklahomans age 21 and over to purchase and possess up to one ounce of marijuana, eight grams or less of marijuana concentrates and marijuna-infused products, plus up to 12 marijuana plants.

Oklahomas Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt opposed the state question, along with other state legislators in his party. Meanwhile, the states American Civil Liberties Union and criminal justice reform advocates pushed for a yes vote.

The state voted to legalize medical marijuana back in 2018, becoming the 30th state to do so.

The Associated Press contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Oklahoma voters overwhelmingly rejected recreational marijuana legalization at the ballot on Tuesday, hitting the brakes on whats become the countrys wildest weed market over the last five years.

The Associated Press called the contest with roughly two thirds of precincts counted and the petition failing by a more than 20-point margin.

The states booming medical program  with roughly 12,000 licensed businesses and nearly 400,000 enrolled patients  wont be immediately impacted by the election defeat.

But many marijuana legalization advocates fear that the outcome will embolden state lawmakers who have long been wary of the freewheeling medical program to step up their efforts to put stricter limits on the marketplace.

The anti-revolutionary forces want to return Oklahoma to their dream of this bygone era, said Lawrence Pasternack, a legalization advocate whos written extensively about the states weed experiment. They see marijuana as anathema to that dream.

The rejection of the Oklahoma referendum marks the latest ballot failure for legalization advocates in recent months. Voters in Arkansas, South Dakota and North Dakota defeated legalization referendums in November, while voters in Maryland and Missouri approved adult-use legalization petitions.

Oklahoma voters backed medical marijuana legalization by a double-digit margin in 2018, despite overwhelming opposition from elected officials, health care groups and business interests.

The medical program doesnt require a pre-existing condition to qualify, so pretty much anyone can get a medical card. There were also initially no limits on business licenses, and they cost just $2,500. But last year lawmakers implemented a two-year moratorium on new licenses that took effect in August.

Legalization supporters touted the potential economic benefits of full legalization, particularly the tax windfall that would come from out-of-state shoppers from Texas and other neighboring states.

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They emphasized that passage of the referendum would allow people with cannabis-related criminal convictions to have their records expunged, as well as enable people serving time for those charges to petition to have their sentences reduced or scrapped.

But the referendums backers faced serious headwinds from a constant stream of law enforcement raids on illegal grows over the last two years. In addition, there were some headline-grabbing crimes associated with weed farms, most notably the quadruple murder of four Chinese nationals in November.

An opposition campaign chaired by former Republican Gov. Frank Keating relied heavily on law-enforcement officials to make the case that recreational legalization would open up the state up to even more criminal behavior and endanger kids.

There are now 37 states with comprehensive medical programs, while 21 states allow anyone at least 21 years old to legally possess weed.
1535 N. Pulaski Road is no ordinary Chicago building. Modeled after 17th- and 18th-century Spanish Baroque style architecture, rising two stories with an ivory-colored, terra-cotta facade, the Pioneer Arcade building in Humboldt Park was once a hub for indoor recreational fun, a bowling and billiards hall that was operational for about 80 years.

Now, the buildings ornate outsides have disguised its hollow insides since the early aughts, with more vacant years likely to come as redevelopment plans have stalled.

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The proposed project for the site is in jeopardy as Chicagos Department of Housing has twice rejected the Hispanic Housing Development Corp.s request for a financial letter of support to receive $1.5 million in low-income housing tax credits from the Illinois Housing Development Authority to construct 61 rental units of affordable senior housing.

Without city support, the organization might have to leave a $6 million grant from Housing and Urban Development on the table, as well as the potential for an additional $24 million in federal rental subsidies to help the developer maintain affordability for the proposed building over a period of 40 years.

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The development corporation received a deadline extension from July 2023 to July 2024 from HUD for when it has to break ground on the project, and the group can receive only one more extension before the five-year time limit.

We are dead in the water with the project, said Hipolito Paul Roldan, president and CEO of the Hispanic Housing Development Corp. We dont know whether HUD would give us another extension on top of this, given the city has not expressed interest in supporting (our project).

The $6 million grant came from HUDs Section 202 funding, money that is earmarked for supportive housing for low-income elderly residents. For HUDs fiscal year 2020 funding round, 37 projects out of 132 applicants were selected for grants totaling around $150 million, with the Hispanic Housing Development Corp.s project the only one in Illinois.

A rendering for the development of senior housing at the Pioneer Arcade building. (Eric Roldan/UrbanWorks Architecture)

The Hispanic Housing and Development Corp. a Chicago-based midwestern affordable housing developer focused on Latino neighborhoods  purchased the Pioneer Arcade building in 2005 and received the HUD grant in 2021, with Chicagos Department of Planning and Development pledging its support in a letter to HUD.

In the May 2021 letter, the city called the project an anchor for its community and an integral part of the Citys Invest South/West efforts in Humboldt Park.

The development corporation needs low-income housing tax credit funds  tax credits set aside for developers of affordable housing  to help raise the bulk of the capital required for the project in the private market, as its virtually impossible to do so without it, Roldan said.

The Pioneer Arcade building also falls in one of the citys many tax increment financing districts, where developers can make infrastructure and other community improvements by tapping into funds pooled together by neighborhood property taxes. According to the city of Chicagos website page on the Pulaski Corridor TIF, where the Pioneer Arcade is located, development priorities in the area include land assembly initiatives, rehabilitation efforts, and public works improvements that facilitate traffic flow, and enhance public transit amenities.

Over the past few years, the city has included the Pioneer Arcade redevelopment in various Invest South/West informational and promotional materials.

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Down the street from the Pioneer Arcade building is the former Pioneer Bank building, which secured financial support for a $53 million development project as a part of the citys Invest South/West initiative. In the citys neighborhood context section in the Pioneer Bank request for proposal overview from April 2021, the Pioneer Arcade building redevelopment is referred to as transformative, with the restoration of both the arcade and bank buildings bringing vibrancy back to the North and Pulaski intersection and ensure that affordable housing is maintained so local residents can stay in the neighborhood.

A person crosses the street near the former Pioneer Bank building on March 2, 2023, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

And as recent as the citys three-year Invest South/West update from November 2022, the Pioneer Arcade redevelopment is highlighted in the pages on development plans in Humboldt Park along the North Avenue corridor.

William Bill Smiljanic-Perez, a board member of Humboldt Park community group Noble Neighbors, thinks Invest South/West is falling short of its goals when it comes to redevelopment of the Pioneer Arcade building.

For almost a decade, we have labored to push back gentrification moving west of The 606 and the displacement of our most vulnerable neighbors, yet the city is blocking development of deeply affordable housing for longtime Humboldt Park senior citizens in need, Smiljanic-Perez said in a statement. It doesnt make sense!

In an email to the Tribune, Chicago Housing Commissioner Marisa Novara said, Until such time as Congress funds housing one can afford as an entitlement, affordable housing developers will receive more nos than yeses in state and local funding rounds. This round of applications to the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) is no different: the state received 19 requests for developments within Chicago, while they typically have the resources to support approximately three.

The office of Mayor Lori Lightfoot declined further comment.

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One of the developments that did receive a letter of support from the Department of Housing was the Pioneer Bank restoration project, according to a department spokesperson. The Pioneer Bank redevelopment requested $1.5 million from the state in low-income housing tax credits.

Roldan said he will ask for another extension from HUD, but he doubts his organization will be granted one.

What can we offer HUD in terms of comfort that we will persuade the city to fund the thing when they have turned us down twice already? Roldan said. HUD needs some credibility that the city is going to step up.  We are running out of time, and we are running out of excuses.

Given a preliminary designation as a historic landmark late last year, with official designation potentially on the horizon as a proposal was submitted to City Council in January, the Pioneer Arcade is slated to keep its facade and preserve its interior during the restoration process.

Development of the Pioneer Arcade began in 1924 with a price tag of $350,000 on what was then called Crawford Avenue.

A Tribune article from June 22, 1924, states that plans for the Pioneer Arcade building from architect Jens J. Jensen say the building will be one of the most elaborate recreation buildings in the city. The writer reported that the Pioneer Arcade would have four shops on the ground floor, with a main floor lobby leading into a billiard room fitted with 35 tables and an elaborate staircase leading to a lounge area abutted with 20 bowling alleys and room for 600 spectators.

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Looking north on Crawford Avenue, later renamed Pulaski Road, toward North Avenue on Feb. 28, 1928, in Chicago. (Swain Scalf / Chicago Tribune)

It was last a bowling alley, Pioneer Lanes, under ownership of entrepreneur and champion bowler Luis Gonzalez before it was sold to the Hispanic Housing Development Corp., according to the buildings final landmark designation report from December.

The development corporation ran into problems renovating the project from the start, with the 2008 financial crisis hitting shortly after the purchase of the property, which the company initially intended to develop as affordable housing units for purchase. The project still wasnt off the ground by the time the pandemic hit, which further delayed its progress, Roldan said.

With its hard-to-miss grandiose facade coupled with boarded-up storefront windows at the site that once housed Two Pals Lunch and the Arcade Barber Shop, the Pioneer Arcade continues to collect dust as its redevelopment fate remains in limbo.

Around the block, Roldans organization has developed a 72-unit senior affordable housing building on the southeast corner of Pulaski Road and North Avenue. The building was completed about a decade ago and is at 100% occupancy, with the waitlist closed in an effort to curb expectations that people could get a unit before a few years, Roldan said.

Whenever we finish a project, we may have 100 units and 800 families apply, Roldan said. I think (the Pioneer Arcade redevelopment) is important to the community because of the substantial need.

Henry Birdsong, a 67-year-old resident in the Pulaski and North building, said he sees this need firsthand.

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We have so many people out here on the streets because there is not enough affordable housing, said Birdsong, who has lived in his apartment for about seven years and works as a security guard for a condominium. A loss of this project would speak for itself: The community just doesnt have the housing for seniors (who are) low-income.  We badly need a senior building.

Chicago Tribunes Marianne Mather contributed.

Correction: A previous version of this story included an incorrect amount for how much the Hispanic Housing Development Corp. sought in low-income housing tax credits for the Pioneer Arcade project. The error has been corrected.

ekane@chicagotribune.com
LITTLE EGG HARBORThe search of a house on Harvest Way that was heavily damaged by fire Monday afternoon led to the discovery of the body of a man inside the home, authorities said.

Firefighters were called to the blaze about 1:45 p.m.

The investigation of a fatal fire at 5 Harvest Way in Little Egg Harbor continues Tuesday, March 7, 2023, the day after the fire destroyed that home and damaged two adjacent ones.

The body of the victim, who has not been identified, was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River for a post-mortem examination, authorities said.

More:Roosevelt woman facing eviction draws SWAT team, then home bursts into flames, killing her

The investigation of a fatal fire at 5 Harvest Way in Little Egg Harbor continues Tuesday, March 7, 2023, the day after the fire destroyed that home and damaged two adjacent ones.

The Arson Unit of the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, the Ocean County Sheriffs Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Little Egg Harbor detectives, the Ocean County Fire Marshals Office and the Ocean County Medical Examiners Office are investigating.

Details will follow when they become available, authorities said.

This is a developing story.

Ken Serrano covers breaking news, crime and investigations. Reach him at 732-643-4029 or at kserrano@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Man found dead in Harvest Way home in Little Egg Harbor hit by fire
Federal aviation authorities have opened an investigation of a close call between two planes at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport in February.

Heres what to know:

What happened on the runway?

Takeoff and landing: On Feb. 16, an Air Canada Rouge A-321 was cleared for takeoff on Runway 14 as an American Airlines B-737 was cleared to land on the same runway, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a social media post.

Danger averted: The NTSB said that danger was averted when the American Airlines crew self-initiated a go-around. A go-around is an aviation term for when pilots decide to abort a landing during the planes final approach to the runway.

Where were the planes coming and going from?

The two flights: The Air Canada flight was bound for Toronto, Canada, and the American Airlines flight was incoming from Charlotte, North Carolina, the agency said.

What about the investigations?

From NTSB and FAA: A preliminary report on the incident is expected in two to three weeks, the NTSB said Tuesday. The Federal Aviation Administration is also investigating the incident.

How close of a call?

Aborted landing: The planes were about 3,100 feet apart when the American Airlines crew aborted the landing, the FAA said in a statement to media outlets. No other information was provided.

Reaction: Rick Piccolo, president and CEO of Sarasota Bradenton International Airport, declined to comment on the incident Tuesday. Its an air traffic issue; we have no jurisdiction, he said, referring questions to the NTSB, the FAA and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Security guards stand in front of the closed Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan on Jan. 11, 2020, the day Chinese authorities said a 61-year-old man had died from a respiratory illness believed to have been caused by the novel coronavirus. (Noel Celis / AFP via Getty Images)

Recent reports that Department of Energy and FBI officials think the COVID-19 pandemic originated with a so-called lab leak appear to have provided all the evidence many require. As a scientist who has led or contributed to several peer-reviewed studies that tell a very different story, Ive looked on with amazement at the growing divide between what the science shows and what much of the public  and a minority of the intelligence community  believe. But Ive also watched with understanding for those who still suspect a lab leak because I started there myself.

The nucleus of all lab leak conjectures  they are not a single hypothesis but a wide range of sometimes mutually exclusive speculations  was famously captured by the comedian Jon Stewart . Oh, my God, theres a novel respiratory coronavirus overtaking Wuhan, China  what do we do? Stewart said during a June 2021 appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Oh, you know who we could ask: the Wuhan Novel Respiratory Coronavirus Lab. The disease is the same name as the lab!

Stewart didnt have the name right, but he was referring to the work of the Chinese scientist Shi Zhengli, whose lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology does indeed study SARS-related coronaviruses from horseshoe bats, the ultimate reservoir of both the original SARS virus and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The month before Stewarts tirade, Science published a letter by me and several other scientists arguing that lab leak hypotheses must not be prematurely dismissed. The letter dramatically shifted the debate about where COVID came from; two weeks later, the Biden administration announced a 90-day intelligence community review of the pandemics origins.

While the intelligence community did its work, I set about my own. Though I considered a lab leak plausible, I nevertheless thought a zoonotic origin  a jump from animal to human  to be considerably more likely. Around the same time, the likelihood of a natural origin was bolstered by a paper from scientists in China and Britain proving that live specimens of mammal species previously found to harbor SARS viruses had been sold at markets in Wuhan just before the onset of the pandemic.

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A scientists job is to kick the tires of a hypothesis  to try to falsify it. I tabled all my other research to try to falsify the hypothesis that the pandemic began at one of those markets, the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, where many of the earliest known COVID patients worked.

First I investigated the possibility that Shis lab had possessed a virus close enough to SARS-CoV-2 to be its progenitor. Shi had collected what was at the time the closest known relative of the pandemic virus, known as RaTG13, from a mine in Yunnan province.

I asked Nature to request that Shi publish several SARS-related coronavirus sequences that had been reported in the journal. Within days, she provided them. The result: no smoking gun; they were all much more distantly related to SARS-CoV-2 than RaTG13.

Next I set out to answer another key question: Were so many of the earliest known COVID cases linked to the Huanan market simply because that was where people were searching for them? It had been suggested that the market was the first place where cases were detected because China was focused on markets with live animal sales such as those where SARS appears to have emerged.

This turned out to be dead wrong. No such surveillance of live animal markets occurred in Wuhan prior to the pandemic. Astute doctors recognized the new viral pneumonia before an epidemiological link to the Huanan market emerged. Before that association was made, more than half the early cases diagnosed had a clear link to the market  a huge share for a workplace with about 1,500 employees in a sprawling city of 11 million. Also, both of the earliest two lineages of SARS-CoV-2, designated A and B, appeared to be geographically linked to the market, as I wrote in Science in November 2021.

But would mapping the residences of the earliest known patients cast doubt on the hypothesis that the market was the epicenter of the pandemic? I found a way to identify most of these locations by overlaying different low-resolution maps from a World Health Organization report. I then teamed up with Kristian Andersen of the Scripps Research Institute, who was leading an independent study of spatial patterns within the Huanan market, and we assembled a large, international team of experts.

We found that the earliest known COVID cases lived much closer to and more centered around the Huanan market than could be explained by chance. Crucially, this was true even of patients who reported that they hadnt worked at the market, shopped there or knowingly been in contact with anyone who did.

A more scattered distribution of early cases throughout the city would have suggested that the virus was already widespread in December. But the pattern clearly showed that it was only then beginning to bleed into the community surrounding the market and didnt spread more widely across the city until later.

Our analyses linked the market not only with lineage B, which had already been found there, but also with lineage A, which had not. Just before we first reported these findings in February 2022, George Gao and his colleagues reported that lineage A was indeed present at the Huanan market before it was closed. This shows that the Huanan market wasnt simply the site of a superspreader event, which would have amplified only a single lineage.

Within the market, meanwhile, the surfaces of stalls that sold live mammals or meat were more likely to have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 just after the site was closed. One stall riddled with positive samples from surfaces associated with animal sales, including a metal cage, had been visited years earlier by my co-author Eddie Holmes of the University of Sydney, who had photographed raccoon dogs there. The same species was among the market animals that tested positive for the SARS virus in 2003.

A highly technical companion study led by UC San Diegos Jonathan Pekar and Joel Wertheim, along with UCLAs Marc Suchard, Andersen and me, drew on over 700 of the earliest SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences. The evolutionary trees of these sequences, combined with epidemiological information, shows that the ancestors of lineages A and B almost certainly jumped into the human population separately. We also found that the establishment of these two lineages probably involved about five jumps into individual humans, most of which fizzled out before taking hold. Molecular clock analyses indicate that the lineages shared common ancestors that existed around mid-December 2019, corroborating the epidemiological and geographic evidence that the outbreak was largely restricted to the neighborhoods around the Huanan market at that point.

The two studies, which were published in Science following peer review last July, provide overwhelming, unrefuted scientific evidence that the virus that causes COVID emerged at least twice at the Huanan market, likely between mid-November and early December of 2019. And while it may strike some as odd that the virus jumped twice in the same market, research on mink farms and the pet trade shows that when SARS-CoV-2-infected animals are in close contact with humans over a prolonged period, multiple interspecies jumps are inevitable.

And as we showed using cellphone-based mobility data, the Huanan market is an exceedingly unlikely location for the worlds first large cluster of COVID cases unless it was also where the virus emerged. There are hundreds if not thousands of other places where hypothetical lab leak cases could have initiated human-to-human transmission  bars, restaurants, schools, shopping malls  some with a hundred times the traffic of the Huanan market. Even one such event at Huanan is deeply improbable; fold in the strong evidence for two lineages emerging at the market, and the link to the wildlife trade is unavoidable.

Remarkably, some recent reporting suggests that the Energy Departments new low confidence lab leak conclusion may point to an entirely different lab near the Huanan market, the Wuhan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which would directly contradict all the speculation surrounding the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

There is now a large body of peer-reviewed scientific research consistent with a zoonotic origin of this pandemic. However, there is no credible, peer-reviewed research pointing to a lab leak. Had the evidence gone in the other direction, Id be reporting that. But it hasnt.

The evidence in favor of a lab leak consists fundamentally of discredited talking points. The lack of a positive sample from an animal sold at the Huanan market, for example, supposedly undercuts the market-origin hypothesis. But not a single relevant live animal was tested there before the market was closed.

Lab leak proponents cling to the contention that the presence of a lab that studies viruses and the emergence of a coronavirus pandemic in the same city cant possibly be coincidental. But my colleagues and I showed in 2021 that this virus wasnt going to emerge just anywhere in China: It took a city. Simulations indicate that when a virus with the properties of SARS-CoV-2 jumps into a human in a sparsely populated rural area, it will fail to cause an outbreak 99% of the time. But take that same virus into a huge city like Wuhan, and about a third of animal-to-human transmissions will result in an epidemic.

We should instead be asking: What is the chance that a big Chinese city like Wuhan would have a lab doing the kind of research that has come under suspicion? The answer is, the vast majority of the biggest cities in China have labs involved in such research. If COVID had emerged in, say, Beijing, there would be no fewer than four such labs facing suspicion.

I remain open to any and all evidence supporting a laboratory origin of the pandemic. So far, we have no such evidence.

Michael Worobey is a professor and the head of the department of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A teacher and student work together on a laptop in a classroom

When I was the principal at Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy in Chicago, I secured major upgrades to the schools technology infrastructure, including new devices, computer labs and faster internet to enhance students learning. To my surprise, few teachers took advantage of these new tools. Some saw the enhanced technology as a slight on their teaching abilities, while others lacked the skill and confidence to make meaningful use of it. Still others were comfortable using the technology in powerful ways and willing to support their colleagues, but there was no expectation that they should. What my teachers were missing was a schoolwide vision for the use of technology and the support to use it meaningfully.

Digital equity has gained much attention over the last three years of the pandemic. But its more than setting a device in front of a child or improving access to broadband. Though skilled educators are the key to unlocking the potential of technology in the classroom, 50% of schools say the steep learning curve for teachers regarding the use of technology is a moderate or large challenge, and half of teachers say a lack of training is a huge obstacle.

Truly delivering on the promise of digital equity means equipping teachers with the tools and training to confidently and effectively use technology. Heres a roadmap to achieving that, based on what we at Digital Promise have learned through our research and close work with school and district leaders.

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School staff need support in using available technology effectively. Leaders set the vision for their school, and that includes how technology is used to enhance teaching and learning. Long before the pandemic, there was a need to better integrate technology into education, especially for students in underserved communities; the pandemic only accelerated that shift. Now, principals must be able to set a vision for their schools use of technology, identify gaps in digital skills among their faculty and work with teachers to close those gaps.

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At Brooks College Prep, my team and I communicated the rationale behind the focus on technology and created a committee to give teachers an opportunity to learn from and with their peers. Once the vision and expectation around technology were set, and teachers successfully deployed technology in their classrooms, student outcomes soared. Not only did we see a 21% increase in students reaching all four ACT College Readiness Benchmarks, we were also recognized for having the highest year-to-year growth on the average ACT composite score (21.8 to 23.2) in the city of Chicago. In 2018, the school was given Blue Ribbon distinction by the U.S. Department of Education, the first high school on the South Side to earn such an award.

Related: Ex-Teachers Mission: Making Sure Ed Tech Really Works in the Classroom

School and district leaders must provide high-quality professional development. Strategies for designing personalized professional development can include micro credentials  digital badges that teachers can earn to demonstrate their abilities in a particular digital skill, such as creating digitally inclusive and accessible learning experiences. Micro-credentialing allows educators to focus their professional development on the skills they need or want to improve and then validates their growth in that area.

Digital Promise worked with the Kettle Moraine School District in Wisconsin to reframe how professional learning happens in the district. Teachers assessed their own strengths and gaps in their technology proficiency, using the results to set goals and benchmarks for their learning. They then demonstrated their competencies through samples of their own work, student assignments and personal reflection, all evaluated by their peers. This kind of district-level commitment to high-quality professional development can help educators at any level of proficiency feel supported through personalized, meaningful learning.

School and district leaders can share with teacher preparation programs what they need from graduates. Heres an ideal scenario: A teacher enters the classroom on Day 1 having already experienced how technology can be used effectively for learning. The teacher has prepared a clear plan for implementing those practices with students and can hit the ground running. Educator prep programs can make that a reality for their graduates. This matters particularly for schools that struggle to attract and retain teachers, such as those with high numbers of children of color and students living in poverty, and schools in rural districts.

School and district leaders can advocate for educator prep programs to redesign their curriculum to meet the needs of students and districts in the digital age and to consider adopting teacher educator technology competencies. The University of Michigan, for example, now uses a competency-based curriculum that reflects the International Society for Technology in Educations standards for teachers. To receive the certification, teachers must demonstrate mastery of digital skills through projects such as planning and executing a 30-minute webinar for parents and students. The universitys graduates have skills and practice in engaging students and school communities using technology even before they enter the classroom.

Prepare students to be the workforce of the future. When students are taught effectively using technology and their teachers model how to leverage it in meaningful and impactful ways, they are better prepared to deploy it themselves. This matters because there is a strong correlation between digital skills and earnings. The National Skills Coalition reports that only 10% of workers with limited to no digital skills are in the top 20% of earnings. Future job opportunities, economic mobility and, perhaps most importantly, personal fulfillment are on the line here when it comes to helping students become digitally proficient.Teachers are key to getting them there. As I learned when I was a principal, an investment in teachers powerful use of technology is just as much of an investment in student learning as providing them with the latest technology. From prep programs to the classroom to the district office, there are opportunities at multiple points in teachers careers where they can gain the training and professional development needed to equip them with the knowledge, ability, and confidence to create technology-supported, personalized learning for all their students.
Protesters clash with Israeli security forces at the entrance to the Palestinan village of Hawara on March 3. (Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images)

When my maternal grandmother was around 7 years old, she was nearly the victim of a pogrom. It was the late 1930s. Europe was a stretched rubber band, soon to snap. My grandma was visiting family in a small Polish town. One day, the non-Jewish inhabitants wielded knives and sticks as they pursued Jews. My grandma ran, closed the blinds, hid and waited.

Ive heard this story of the pogrom in two related contexts. First, as proof of antisemitism  even absent Nazi compulsion. Second, as part of the need for a state where Jews can be safe.

Last week, Jewish settlers conducted a pogrom of a Palestinian village named Hawara. They set fire to houses and cars. They threw stones. In one sickening video, the settlers pray with the village smoking in the background, as if their violence honors God rather than desecrating holy commandments and the rule of law alike.

I have never felt so ashamed to be Israeli. I have never felt as angry as I did watching these settlers pervert past Jewish victimhood into a right to harm innocent people, contorting Jewish practice into their colonial ambitions to create a carte blanche for abuses.

While the settlers actions were extreme, they cannot be categorized as fringe. Not when Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said afterward that Hawara should be wiped out by the state of Israel. Not when National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir legitimizes illegal settlements and speaks of crushing enemies one by one. Like the Trump years in the United States, government actions and statements, no matter how unrepresentative of popular will, still carry the weight of institutional endorsement.

My grandma just celebrated her 92nd birthday. She resides in Haifa at an assisted living facility. When I speak with her, she is despondent at the state of the country  settler pogroms, racist government officials and a judicial coup being led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Yet she is insistent that Jews must still have a country.

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The antisemitism my grandma experienced in her youth has not gone away. Globally and in the United States, hatred of Jews is rising, seen recently in antisemitic fliers in Maryland, Montana and Ohio and a plot to kill Jewish elected officials in Michigan. Anti-Jewish hate crimes in California are at a record high.

This is only part of the heartbreak. At a time when Jews feel less safe in our communities, Israel no longer feels like a safe option. As countries around the world trend toward autocracy, Israel is part of the data set rather than an exception. But most of all: seeing that some members of a group that has experienced so much persecution can brazenly inflict pain on others.

In a lecture he gave at Stanford in January 2007, the late Israeli author Amos Oz spoke about the nature of dreams.

Israel, he said, is a fulfillment of a dream, perhaps it is a fulfillment of many dreams. As such it is flawed by definition and has the sour taste of a disappointment. Oz said this isnt about the nature of the state of Israel, but about the nature of dreams.

I disagree. Because national dreams, like personal choices, are not projectiles whose trajectories are set at the moment of release. They are hulking tankers, whose weight leaves them vulnerable to inertia but can nevertheless be steered. Israel will always be flawed in some ways. But it does not have to be flawed the way it is today.

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis are protesting against autocracy and racism, and for democracy, equal rights and common dignity  for a better Israel. Where were you in Hawara? they chant to the security forces. They hold up banners depicting Netanyahu as Crime Minister.

They understand that right now, to love Israel is to denounce it. That external threats such as Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah cannot destroy Israel the way that Jews can internally. American Jewish leaders, some of whom have been historically reticent to publicly criticize Israel, should fight for an Israel they can be proud of, not just the one that exists now.

My late grandfather from my fathers side escaped near-certain death as a teenager when he was deported to Siberia by the Soviets. Soon after, the Nazis murdered 90% of the Jews in his native Lithuania. He eventually escaped the gulag, spent a few years in postwar Germany and moved to Israel in 1949.

In the weeks before he died, my dad asked him what Israel meant to him for one of my class writing projects:

In one word  mine.

And in two words? my dad asked.

That I feel like my fate is in my own hands, that Im not a foreigner.

My grandfather found a new home in Israel. He felt a sense of personal self-determination  a freedom from the historical forces that yanked him from Lithuania to the gulag  made possible by the collective self-determination of a nation.

His wife, my other grandmother, recently celebrated her 90th birthday. Shes gone to the recent protests with other family members. Because right now, Israel is betraying my late grandfather. It is betraying the memory of past Jews and the prospects of future ones. And it is betraying Jews in Israel and Jews abroad.

So, shame on the settlers, on Netanyahu, on Ben-Gvir, on Smotrich, on their hundreds of thousands of supporters and the seething hatred they espouse. To deal with these racists and autocrats, we must learn from our experience with antisemites and show no compromise, tolerance or legitimization of their policies and actions. We must fight and shame them, for as long as it takes.

Nadav Ziv is a writer whose work includes essays about Judaism, antisemitism and Israel. @nadavsziv

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Michael Knowles on a TV set in 2022. At CPAC last weekend, Knowles said that in "dealing with transgenderism" it was "all or nothing." (Jason Davis / Getty Images)

When far-right commentator Michael Knowles announced from the Conservative Political Action Conference stage this past weekend that transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely, Rolling Stone ran the headline CPAC Speaker Calls for Transgender People to Be Eradicated, under the banner GENOCIDAL MANIA. But hours later, after Knowles threatened multiple news outlets with libel suits, Rolling Stone editors changed that headline to CPAC Speaker Calls for Transgenderism to Be Eradicated, and put GENOCIDAL in scare quotes  which is fitting because editors are scared of lawsuits.

Knowles pretends to claim transgenderism and transgender people are two different things, and he was careful to use the ism. He said, There can be no middle way in dealing with transgenderism. It is all or nothing.

Lets not overthink this. Had he said, Judaism must be eradicated, or had he proclaimed an all or nothing solution for homosexuality, nobody would mistake the murderous intent of such a message. The story would have earned a front page headline in every major newspaper in the U.S. and beyond. (Which I hope will someday be the case when it comes to threats of trans genocide from a major political party.)

For the record, trans people have existed throughout history in every culture, which has been exhaustively documented. By turning trans existence into an ism, conservatives are attempting to misrepresent a struggle for equality as a culture war.

The campaign against Black history is another attempt to turn one groups existence into an ism. Critical race theory is taught as an upper-level elective in some law schools, not to children in public schools. In reality, when Floridas Ron DeSantis and other Republican governors ban CRT they are banning the teaching of basic historical facts  such as the details of slavery, the events leading to the Civil War, what happened during Reconstruction, Jim Crow and the Civil Rights movement. (You know, the kinds of things on posters during Black History Month.)

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The state of Florida has also banned discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity through the third grade, and inappropriate instruction beyond that  lest queer and trans children feel safe enough to come out. When DeSantis says Florida is where woke goes to die, hes going after people. Again, the propaganda strategy is to turn some humans into a problematic idea  wokeism  and then eradicate the ism.

Its also the legal strategy. While the gaslit GOP base is attacking drag queens, trans people and LGBTQ nightclubs, its leaders are introducing anti-trans bills in state legislatures at a dizzying pace  more than 410 in the first three months of 2023, according to the Human Rights Campaign  targeting trans people, particularly trans kids.

Its worth remembering that during the first six years of Hitlers dictatorship more than 400 anti-Jewish decrees and regulations were issued, according to the Holocaust Encyclopedia. Many were national laws, but state, regional, and municipal officials, acting on their own initiatives, also promulgated a barrage of exclusionary decrees in their own communities. Was the legislation anti-Jewish or anti-Jew? Does it matter, given what happened next?

Heres a piece of good news: That Rolling Stone headline now reads, CPAC Speaker Calls for Eradication of Transgenderism  and Somehow Claims Hes Not Calling for Elimination of Transgender People. The updated story features Erin Reed, a trans writer and legislative researcher  and needless to say the scare quotes are where they belong, around the ism.

Heres one ism we ought to be citing: fascism. We should have been using it for years to describe whats transpiring, yet few people in the national media choose it, opting instead for blunted substitutes like anti-democratic or extremism or ultra-MAGA. Im wondering how the majority of Americans can see clearly where things stand when news sources employ mealy-mouthed euphemisms instead of the right word: fascism.

Maybe national media outlets are cautious about deploying this ism, lest they be branded extreme, or lose audience. Or maybe they are saving it for the right moment, lest they become the boy who cried wolf. If so, now is the time. When a political party calls for the eradication of a group of people, thats fascism.

Diana Goetsch is the author of the memoir This Body I Wore, a 2022 best nonfiction selection of the Washington Post.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
An Oregon man employed some creative thinking by attaching his phone to a drone to get cell service after becoming stranded on a snowy road in Willamette National Forest, authorities said on Facebook.

The motorist was trying to travel across a remote road in the forest when his vehicle, which was not equipped for snowy conditions, got stuck, the Lane County Sheriff's Search and Rescue said. He soon realized he did not have any cell service and couldn't call for help, the office said.

Authorities said the man "made several smart decisions" that helped save his life  the most innovative being the idea to attach his cell phone to a drone he had with him. He then wrote a text to a friend detailing the situation and his location, hit send and then launched the drone several hundred feet into the sky, the sheriff's office said.

"The increased elevation allowed his phone to connect to a tower and send the message, which resulted in our teams being deployed and assisting him out of his situation," the search and rescue authorities said.

A reenactment set up by authorities of how the stranded motorist used his drone. / Credit: Lane County Sheriff's Search and Rescue

In addition to the drone trick, authorities said the man was smart to stay with his vehicle, as stranded motorists are more likely to survive if they stay in or near their car rather than wandering off.

In another welcome twist, when rescuers got to the motorist, they spotted and rescued another person who had been stuck in the snow for multiple days, the office said.

While this specific episode had a happy ending, the sheriff's office warned people not to travel on the forest roads  which are not maintained for winter  except with a group of "well-equipped vehicles." Even then, the office said, it's important to make sure somebody not on the trip is aware of your plans, where you intend to go and when you plan on being back so that they can contact authorities in case of any problem.

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Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Cats Pajamas/Wonder Killer

This years Best Animated Short contest at the Academy Awards should be a no-brainer.

Thanks to the Academys tendency to avoid libidinous submissions, though, the category is a bit trickier to predict. Sara Gunnarsdottirs hilarious, inspired My Year of Dicks should take home the trophy. But when has the Academy ever preferred horny, adult-oriented filmslet alone in the Best Animated Short category?

When Disney and Pixar are out of the questionneither studio is in competition this year for the awardthe Academy tends to prefer hokey shorts made for children. Such has been the case with recent winners like 2016s Bear Story and 2014s Mr Hublot, two films that prioritized animation over storytelling. This years line-up of nominees follows suit, mostly made up of work boasting gorgeous animation with little-to-no story at play.

Here Are All the 2023 Oscar Nominations

That being said, the previous two winners in this category (The Windshield Wiper and If Anything Happens I Love You) managed to blend complex stories with innovative artistic techniques. Hopefully, when Academy voters watched My Year of Dickswhich offers warped visual styles with a compelling coming-of-age talethey were gobsmacked by the same innovation they saw in those prior winners.

Unfortunately, My Year of Dicks may be too provocative for Oscars voters. As boring and saccharine as The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse may be, itll likely appeal to a wider range of Oscar voters than its biggest competitor. The sweeping, blink-and-youll miss it The Flying Sailor also has a shot, thanks to impressive hand-painted explosive sequences of a sailor soaring through the air.

Below, we unpack the five Oscar-nominated animated shorts, where to watch them, and their likelihood of taking the trophy home on March 12.

An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It

This shortplease dont make me type that all out againdoesnt exactly live up to its zany title, but its not half-bad. An Ostrich Told Me is certainly attention-grabbing: Shot like a lower-quality Wallace and Gromit short, this stop-motion comedy follows a tired worker, who realizes his entire life is a lie.

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The real innovation behind An Ostrich Told Me is why, exactly, the man thinks his life is a lie. We see the story play out as a frame-within-a-frame; behind the main scene, hands move to adjust stop-motion figurines. The man suspects his life is fake after he sees clay faces falling apart and empty closets leading to used clay parts. Simple and witty, An Ostrich Told Me probably doesnt have a shot at taking home the Oscar because its not as polished as its competitors. Still, its still one of the better stories of the bunch.

An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It is streaming for free on Vimeo.

The Flying Sailor

Coming in at under eight minutes, The Flying Sailor is the shortest short of the bunchbut it still packs a punch. The movie follows the true story of a sailor who was sent flying into the stratosphere after the 1917 Halifax Explosion, who tumbled back down to Earth and somehow lived to tell the tale.

Theres little to no plot hereits a sailor flying up, cruising around the skies, and then flopping back downward towards the blastbut that doesnt mean The Flying Sailor is boring. In fact, the lack of plot offers a brilliant peacefulness to the short. The sailor contemplates the fragility of his life while soaring around in the fiery clouds, spinning around like a ballerina as the clothes are torn from his body. The blend of hand-painted shots and CG animation makes the style stand out. If the Academy were to award a short that wasnt My Year of Dicks, The Flying Sailor should take the cake.

The Flying Sailor is streaming for free on YouTube.

Ice Merchants

In every line up of five, there will always be a middle-ranking nominee. Ice Merchants fits perfectly into that third-best spot. Quietly charming but slightly forgettable, Joao Gonzalezs short tells the story of a father and a son traveling to the depths of the universe to sell ice. Every day, the father-son duo barrel to the bottom of a valley, holding each other tight while a parachute billows behind them in their dive to earth. They live at the top of the mountain, where frigid temperatures allow them to create ice for the humans below.

The story is quick, efficiently told through tender moments falling through the sky, with snow and love swelling around the two characters in hues of red, gray, and white. The animation, which resembles penciled doodles of distant memories and dreams, is bolstered by a captivating score produced by Gonzalez himself. Though theres nothing wrong with Ice Merchants, and the animation is surely enchanting, a simple story makes it more forgettable than its fellow nominees.

Ice Merchants is streaming for free on YouTube.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse

Though The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse is certainly the most cloying, boring short in the category, its also probably the most likely to win the Oscar. With a doofy, blindly hopeful storyline about love and acceptance, and lackluster animation in the vein of Netflixs 2015 uninspiring adaptation of The Little Prince, is perfect Academy bait.

The Apple TV+ film recreates the Ted Lasso message without any wittiness, regurgitating the Love one another! jargon with no actual wit. A boy struggles to find his way around a snowy landscape, so hes aided by a cake-hungry mole, an evil-turned-good fox, and an insecure horse. Voice performances from Tom Hollander, Idris Elba, and Gabriel Byrne elevate the milquetoast story, but dont bother to sit through all 30 minutes of this sermon for acceptance. Of all the nominees, this is the one that doesnt deserve its nomination.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse is streaming on Apple TV+.

My Year of Dicks

Reminiscent of Aubrey Plazas underappreciated coming-of-age comedy The To Do List, My Year of Dicks follows the true story of a teenage girl trying to lose her virginity. Pamaka Pamela Ribon, who wrote the comedic memoir of the same namespends an entire year flirting with the worst people on the planet: boys. All she wants to do is get laid! But how can she do that when one guy is a vampire, another a Nazi skinhead, and the most viable option is her best friend?

My Year of Dicks twists its animation genre into whatever feels right for the dick of the moment, from mocking French Impressionism to drafting up a fairytale world in Japanese anime form. The story is riveting; Ribons memoir could be a full-length rom com or TV series with fluid style, a la Prime Videos Undone. But this quippy half hour, told in five separate chapters, works just as well. My Year of Dicks is not only the best of this years animation category; its also one of the most originally conceptualized, engrossing films of 2022.

My Year of Dicks is streaming on Hulu.

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Jimmy Kimmel has a plan if anyone decides to rush the stage to slap him for telling a joke at this weekend's Academy Awards ceremony.

"Well, I size them up, and, if Im bigger than they are, I beat the s--- out of them on television. And if its the Rock, I run," Kimmel joked to The Hollywood Reporter.

The comedian and late-night star will host the Oscars for the third time on March 12, nearly a year after actor Will Smith approached the stage at the 2022 Oscars to slap presenter Chris Rock after Rock told a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Jimmy Kimmel hosts The 90th Oscars on March 4, 2018. (Ed Herrera / Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

Kimmel had already been through his own Oscars scandal before he made the decision to return to this years ceremony: When he hosted the ceremony in 2017, La La Land was mistakenly given the best picture award.

Yeah, we got knocked down the list, Kimmel said of the now far-less-shocking moment. Its disappointing in a lot of ways. If youre gonna be part of a f---up, it might as well be the biggest f---up ever. Being part of the second-biggest f---up doesnt carry as much cachet.

Still, Kimmel has every intention of addressing the slap during the March 12 broadcast  because, really, how can he not?

Well, whatever I say about it, its going to have to be great, right? Because so much has been said and theres so much focus on it. I obviously dont want to make the whole monologue about that, but it would be ridiculous not to mention it, he told THR.

After Smith approached the stage to strike Rock in 2022, he returned to his seat, where he yelled at Rock. Smith was later allowed to take to the stage to give an emotional speech when he won the best actor award for his performance in "King Richard."

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences later apologized for being "unprepared" to handle the incident, and banned Smith from its organization's events for 10 years.

After remaining mostly silent about the slap for nearly a year, Rock finally addressed the incident in his new Netflix comedy special, Chris Rock: Selective Outrage, last weekend.

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I got smacked at the f------ Oscars by this motherf---er, and people are like, Did it hurt? It still hurts, Rock told the audience. I took that hit like Pacquiao.

The comedian went on to accuse Smith of practicing selective outrage, and suggested that Smith was actually angry with his wife, and not with him.

Everybody who really knows, knows that I had nothing to do with that s---. I didnt have any entanglements, said Rock, referring to the term Pinkett Smith used to describe a relationship she said she'd had with another man during a separation from Smith.

She hurt him way more than he hurt me," said Rock. "Everybody in the world called him a b----. I tried to call the motherf---er, I tried to call that man and give him my condolences, he didnt pick up for me.

Everybody called him a b----. And who does he hit? Me.

Rock later said that despite celebrating Smiths successes for decades, he now finds himself viewing the historical drama Emancipation just so he can watch the actor, who plays an enslaved man, get whooped.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
LANSING  The Michigan AG's Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit has issued two felony charges against an Ottawa County man for threatening gun violence over the course of his appeal in a separate case against the state.

Daniel Callahan of Fruitport, was arrested March 4 and charged with false report or threat of terrorism and using a computer to commit a crime maximum, both 20-year felonies.

Threats of terrorism against our state residents cannot go unaddressed, said Attorney General Dana Nessel. Those who violate our laws intended to protect the operations and safety of those who administer our judicial system will be held accountable by my department.

While before the Michigan Court of Appeals in Grand Rapids for a separate case in mid-February, Callahan expressed frustration with the state government by asking, on record, What is it going to take, somebody to get shot before the state acts on it?

Several days later, Callahan filed a pleading in the same case, stating if the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court didn't act "lawfully," they and other entities would earn a "future performance award for MSU Stage Act 2, West Michigan, 2023."

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In his self-represented case against the state, Callahan voiced frustration with a variety of county and state officials, and others, for their actions following allegations and criminal charges filed against him.

Callahan is currently out on bond awaiting trial. He will return to the 61st District Court for a probable cause conference on March 14.

 Contact editor Cassandra Lybrink at clybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @CassLybrink.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Ottawa County man charged after threatening courts with 'MSU Stage 2'
A mob supporting U.S. President Donald Trump breaks into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Who ya gonna believe, me or your own eyes.

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That old, popular quote has been attributed in one version or another to a variety of funny men, according to the Quote Investigator website.

Ill settle for the video clip on YouTube in which Chico Marx utters the line in the classic 1933 Marx Brothers comedy, Duck Soup. Hes disguised as Groucho in the scene.

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Anyway, that old movie line came to mind as I watched a more recent moment of confusion: Fox News host Tucker Carlsons release Monday of never-before-seen footage from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters, which Carlson describes at one point as mostly peaceful chaos.

News accounts were more likely to describe it as a deadly insurrection. But Carlson insists, Everything about that phrase is a lie.

Very little about Jan. 6 was organized or violent, he says, which immediately reminded me of all the times I have heard from Carlson and his fellow TV conservatives lambaste news media for noting that most of the Black Lives Matter protesters also were peaceful. Sometimes, it appears, fairness and balance depend on whose windows are getting broken.

I only find it darkly amusing that the right wings ferocious demands for strict law and order, especially regarding hoodlums who attack police, remarkably soften when confronted with cases of such lawbreaking by fellow right-wingers.

The crowd was enormous, Carlson said. A small percentage of them were hooligans. They committed vandalism. You have seen the footage of them again and again. But the overwhelming majority of them were peaceful. They were orderly and meek. These were not insurrectionists. They were sightseers.

Right. Tell that to the police officers who were attacked  and their families.

Advertisements featuring Fox News personalities, including Tucker Carlson, center, adorn the News Corp. building in New York in 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty)

These were not rioters, Carlson said. They were people who wandered over from a political rally.

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Approximately 140 police officers were assaulted Jan. 6 at the Capitol, including about 80 from the U.S. Capitol Police and about 60 from the Metropolitan Police Department, according to the Justice Department.

The siege left five dead, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who suffered strokes and died of natural causes a day after being attacked at the Capitol, according to the citys chief medical examiner. Two other officers who were on duty that day later died by suicide.

More than a thousand defendants have been arrested in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia in connection with the riot. About 326 defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, the Justice Department reports.

That includes about 106 individuals who have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.

Remember how right-wingers mocked those of us in the media who truthfully describe the Black Lives Matter protests as being mostly peaceful?

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Forgive me if I now return the mockery when Carlson, among others on the right, try to turn the Capitol invaders into a cheerful group of happy-go-lucky tourists,

Democrats, among others on Capitol Hill, are outraged over Carlsons exclusive access. They fear Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthys favor to Carlson could compromise critical security secrets at the Capitol, although that horse seems to have left the barn.

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger on Tuesday ripped into offensive and misleading conclusions in Carlsons commentary during the footage broadcast Monday night. The Fox News host cherry-picked from calmer moments of our 41,000 hours video, Manger said, leaving out much of the mobs assaults on police with fists and bear spray.

Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, said on a conservative news radio show that he never felt threatened by the pro-Trump mob. But under questioning, he said would have been concerned if the mob had been made up of Black Lives Matter or antifa protesters.

Nothing racist about that, he insisted later. Apparently he just feels threatened by the way some people look. I could tell him different, but whos he gonna believe? Me or his own minds eyes?

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cpage@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @cptime
WORCESTER  An Oxford man has been sentenced to 14 months in prison for false representation of a social security number and theft of government funds.

The office of U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins announced Richard Diaz-Montero, 44, was sentenced March 1 by U.S. District Judge Mark Mastroianni.

More:Oxford man admits to stealing person's identity to obtain tax refund, driver's license

Diaz-Montero was also sentenced to three years of supervised release following his incarceration and was ordered to pay $39,698 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

According to Rollins' office, Diaz-Montero filed a fraudulent tax return in another person's name in 2016 and cashed a federal income tax refund issued in another person's name in March of that year.

In May 2018, Diaz-Montero is alleged to have used the social security number of that same person to obtain a state driver's license.

Diaz-Montero was charged in August 2020. He pleaded guilty last month.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Richard Diaz-Montero sentenced for falsely obtaining tax refund
Police

A pair of teens were arrested in late February after a string of armed robberies had both Avondale and Phoenix police looking for them.

Around 6:17 p.m. Feb. 28, Avondale police responded to the Sportsman's Warehouse at the Gateway Crossing shopping center for reports of an armed robbery, Avondale police said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the statement, one of the suspects, identified as 19-year-old Arturo Garcia Ibarra, fired off a round during the robbery, but no one was injured. Police did not release what, or how much was stolen.

Ibarra, alongside 18-year-old Ira Isaiah Martinez Jr., fled the scene before officers arrived.

Avondale police said while they were conducting their investigation, they learned that Ibarra and Martinez were both in Phoenix police custody for a separate, unrelated incident.

According to court documents, the teens committed six armed robberies over the course of two days, one of which, seeming to have led to the Phoenix police arrest, occurred the same day as the Avondale one in a parking lot near North 75th Avenue and West Encanto Boulevard.

Court documents state that victims claimed Ibarra and Martinez pointed a handgun at them and threatened to shoot before stealing $20 from them.

According to court documents, Martinez admitted to being present during the robbery but said Ibarra was the one who did it.

The two men have since been booked into Maricopa County Jail with Ibarra facing two counts of armed robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of endangerment, one count of possession of a weapon by a prohibited person and one count of unlawful discharge of a firearm.

Martinez faces one count of armed robbery with a deadly weapon.

No other information had been released.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Teens wanted in Avondale arrested in Phoenix during robbery spree
By Mubasher Bukhari

LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani police lobbed tear gas shells and baton-charged supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan in clashes which injured several on both sides on Wednesday, a government minister and his party said.

The clashes erupted in the eastern city of Lahore ahead of a Khan's planned rally to kick-start his election campaign, but which the government then banned.

The former premier has been demanding snap polls since he was ousted in a parliament vote of confidence last year. His successor has rejected the demand and stated elections would be held as scheduled later this year.

Khan was shot and wounded at one of his own political rallies last year.

Wednesday's rally was banned owing to a threat to the law and order situation as there were International Women's Day gatherings in the area, provincial information minister Amir Mir said, adding supporters attacked the police when they were ordered to disperse.

"In retaliation, police used water cannons, tear gas and batons to disperse them," Mir told Reuters. He said at least seven police officials were injured. Twelve workers of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were arrested, he added.

Khan's aide Shafqat Mahmood said several of the workers were injured in the clashes, which, he termed, "fascist tactics."

Live TV footage showed the police using extensive teargas shelling on several spots around Khan's Lahore home, with a couple of the workers seen bleeding.

Khan, who has been embroiled in several court cases since his ouster, is wanted in court on March 13 to defend charges that he unlawfully sold state gifts misusing his office from 2018 to 2022.

His party called off the rally after the clashes.

(Writing by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
May James/Reuters

Ngozi Fulani, the charity CEO who was repeatedly asked where she was really from by a senior lady-in-waiting at a Buckingham Palace reception, said she did not receive a personal apology from the palace after the incident and that abuse has been directed at her since she went public with the claims. She said the palace did not act to try and help stop the abuse but could have done so.

Fulani added that the pressure had forced her to step down as chief executive of the charity Sistah Space, which supports women and girls of African heritage facing violence. She said dealing with the fallout from the incident had cost the charity a fortune.

Her claims, made Wednesday on Britains top morning show, Good Morning Britain, were met with unusually firm pushback from Buckingham Palace, which said both public and personal apologies were made to Fulani by the palace and by the lady-in-waiting herself, Susan Hussey, in a face-to-face meeting.

'I don't see what is so hard to say I'm sorry.'



Were joined exclusively by Ngozi Fulani, founder of @Sistah_Space for the first time since the former Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen - Lady Susan Hussey asked her where she was "really from." pic.twitter.com/EhGqA0u10O  Good Morning Britain (@GMB) March 8, 2023

Hussey resigned from her official role in the wake of the affair but has since been quietly rehabilitated by the palace and recently attended a memorial service officially on behalf of Princess Anne.

Speaking on International Womens Day, Fulani criticized the official statement of apology issued after the incident, saying: Who are they apologizing to? When you make this apology to everybody, I dont know who youre apologizing to. If youre sorry, tell me youre sorry. If youre not, it speaks for itself.

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Im just making the point so that everybody understands. I dont see that it is so hard to say, Im sorry.

You sent me the invitation so you know how to find me. You know how to say sorry.

Fulani had accompanied a friend to a Buckingham Palace reception, hosted by Queen Camilla, to highlight violence against women and girls last November.

She later shared details of a shocking exchange with Hussey, who is Prince Williams godmother and was a close friend of the queen.

Where are you from? she asked Fulani.

When Fulani said she was from Sistah Space, the staff member replied: No, where do you come from?

Fulani says she answered that the organization is based in Hackney in northeast London. No, Hussey allegedly replied, What part of Africa are you from? Fulani said she explained that she was born in the U.K. and is British, but Hussey reportedly continued to press: No, but where do you really come from, where do your people come from?

Fulani says she again explained that she is a British national and that her parents came to the U.K. in the 1950s.

Oh, I knew wed get there in the end, youre Caribbean! Hussey allegedly replied.

No, lady, I am of African heritage, Caribbean descent, and British nationality, Fulani said she answered.

Fulani says she was left feeling violated by the exchange, her account of which she then published on social media.

Prince William Will Keep Calm and Carry Onand Not Address Royal Racism Scandal, Friend Says

Fulani met with Hussey at Buckingham Palace in mid-December, and King Charles office subsequently said: At this meeting, filled with warmth and understanding, Lady Susan offered her sincere apologies for the comments that were made and the distress they caused to Ms Fulani."

The palace appeared dismayed Wednesday by Fulanis fresh assertions and said the palace had made clear the comments made by Lady Susan were deeply regrettable, adding, Lady Susan immediately expressed her sincere apologies, and stepped aside from her honorary role. These apologies were reiterated in person at a meeting in December, filled with warmth and understanding.

The palace noted pointedly that after the December meeting both sides had agreed that no further media comment would be made.

The palace added: For the avoidance of any doubt, we are sorry for the incident that took place and apologise for the distress and difficulty it caused to Ms Fulani.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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By Jeffrey Dastin

(Reuters) - Palantir Technologies Inc has won a contract to sell up to $99.6 million worth of software to the U.S. Department of State for monitoring the health of the diplomatic corps, the company told Reuters ahead of a Wednesday announcement.

The U.S. data analytics firm said the project - Axiom - would help the Bureau of Medical Services respond faster to any health crises faced by the embassy staff and their families.

The bureau has sought software to record health incidents, predict risks, manage medical-evacuation missions and handle other tasks, according to a government document.

The news reflects how Palantir is aiming to secure government deals beyond the military and intelligence work central to its business, even as analysts have said such opportunities are being delayed by the U.S. budget scrutiny.

Last month, Palantir reported its first profitable quarter, during which sales grew faster on government business rather than revenue from the private sector partly due to economic uncertainty.

Palantir told Reuters the State Department has already paid the company $10 million as part of the purchase agreement, and it will book the remaining value over the next five years.

The Denver, Colorado-headquartered company said the deal continues a pilot dating back to 2021 and other State Department work since 2017.

(Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in Palo Alto, Calif.; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
NABLUS, West Bank (AP)  Palestinian security forces on Wednesday fired tear gas canisters and flash grenades at angry Palestinian protesters during a funeral for a militant in the occupied West Bank. It was a rare encounter that highlighted deep public dissatisfaction with the Palestinian self-rule government.

Palestinians gathered in the northern West Bank city of Nablus for the funeral of Abdul Fattah Kharushah, a 49-year-old Hamas militant killed in an Israeli raid Tuesday. Kharushah had been wanted for killing two Israeli brothers in the nearby town of Hawara. It was the latest bloody raid into the flashpoint Jenin refugee camp, leaving five other Palestinians dead and over two dozen wounded.

Wednesday's funeral procession through Nablus spiraled into chaos after the mourners began to chant against the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank. The PA has long drawn resentment for its security cooperation with Israel, which allows its security forces to crack down on its Islamist rival, the Hamas militant group.

Traitors! the crowds shouted at the Palestinian security forces. Spies!

According to Palestinian security spokesman Talal Dweikat, Palestinian forces intervened when a group of Hamas supporters interrupted the procession and grabbed the shrouded body, almost dropping it. The group turned the funeral into a protest against the PA, Dweikat said, instead of cursing the (Israeli) occupation that has committed crimes against our people.

Palestinian security forces unleashed tear gas on the crowds, sending mourners running in all directions, and returned Kharushah's body to the ambulance. They also prevented anyone from raising Hamas flags, even as Kharushah's body remained covered in one. There were no reports of casualties.

The Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority is a fierce rival of Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip from President Mahmoud Abbas' forces in 2007. Attempts at reconciliation have repeatedly failed.

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The scenes from the funeral sparked condemnations from across Palestinian society. Hamas in particular seized on the chance to denounce the PA's use of force against its own people. Many Palestinians see the rule of the 87-year-old Abbas as increasingly autocratic, with the authority clamping down on critics, civil society organizations and democratic advocacy.

The suppression of the funeral procession in Nablus ... marks a new moral failure added to (the PA's) dark record of oppression and abuse of our own people," Hamas said.

Further exposing the divisions tearing at Palestinian society, Fatah delivered its own condemnation of Wednesday's mayhem, accusing Hamas of sedition and creating strife at a funeral that opened with a military salute and should have been a unifying occasion.

The infighting comes at a time of heightened violence in the West Bank, where many young Palestinians disillusioned with the PA are taking up weapons against Israel's open-ended occupation. Support for new armed groups that claim no links to any Palestinian party is growing. Under pressure from Israel and the United States, the PA has sought to rein in the fledgling militias but risks further inflaming the public.

Already this year, Israeli military raids have killed at least 70 Palestinians, about half of them militants, according to an Associated Press tally. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have killed 14 people, all but one of them civilians.

Settler violence against Palestinians has also surged in the West Bank, with a mob attack on Hawara after the killing of the two Israeli brothers last month  the worst such rampage in recent memory. Settlers torched dozens of homes, businesses and cars and assaulted Palestinians, leaving one dead and others wounded.

In the southern West Bank city of Hebron, prominent Palestinian activist Issa Amro said Wednesday that Israeli settlers attacked his house, hurling wine bottles, breaking into his backyard and overturning chairs and tables. A video of the incident appeared to show Israeli soldiers initially standing by and watching the settlers bombard Amro's house with stones. The Israeli army described the video as partial and said soldiers had arrested the settlers for further questioning.
Paris Hilton has opened up about her decision to terminate a pregnancy at the age of 22. Presley Ann/Getty Images for LACMA

Paris Hilton has opened up about her decision to terminate a pregnancy at the age of 22.

She wrote about her abortion in her new book, "Paris: The Memoir."

"Choosing to have an abortion can be an intensely private agony that's impossible to explain."

Paris Hilton has opened up about her decision to terminate a pregnancy at the age of 22.

In an excerpt from her forthcoming autobiography, "Paris: The Memoir," published by Time Tuesday, the hotel heiress said it happened just before the first season of her reality show, "The Simple Life," premiered in 2003 and launched her into the public eye.

"I was having a wild-child moment, and it was sort of glorious," Hilton wrote of that time in her life in the memoir, which will be released on March 14.

However, it "all came crashing down" when she and her boyfriend of two years, Jason Shaw, realized she was pregnant.

"It was like waking up on the ledge outside a 40th-floor window. I was terrified and heartsick," she wrote. "The hormones sent my ADHD symptoms spiraling. Everything I knew about myself was at war with everything I'd been raised to believe about abortion."

"No one can ever know how hard it is to face this impossible choice unless she's faced it herself," Hilton continued.

Hilton added that she was lucky that she had Shaw, a former Tommy Hilfiger model, who she described as a "lovely, down-to-earth guy," to support her decision when she realized that she "wasn't in the right place to make any sort of commitment."

Hilton, pictured with boyfriend Jason Shaw in 2002, said she wasn't ready to become a mom at the time. Theo Wargo/WireImage

"It had nothing to do with him or a baby," she explained. "I just wasn't capable of being honest or loyal or whole."

"Trying to continue that pregnancy with the physical and emotional issues I was dealing with at the time would have been a train wreck for everyone involved," she wrote, referencing the trauma she endured after attending Provo Canyon School, a residential treatment center for teens.

"At that moment, I was in no way capable of being a mother," she continued. "Denying that would have jeopardized the forever family I hoped to have in the future, at a time when I was healthy and healed."

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Hilton went on to describe how fortunate she felt to be able to have autonomy over her body, but admitted "choosing to have an abortion can be an intensely private agony that's impossible to explain."

Seemingly referencing the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last year after nearly 50 years of legal abortion, she added: "The only reason I'm talking about it now is that so many women are facing it, and they feel so alone and judged and abandoned."

"I want them to know that they're not alone, and they don't owe anyone an explanation. When there is no right way  all that's left is what is. What you know you have to do. And you do it, even though it breaks your heart."

"I know I wouldn't have this life if I hadn't made that difficult choice in my early 20s," the excerpt concluded. "Women need to control their reproductive destiny. We need to know ourselves, trust ourselves, and know what's right for us  and when  and stay in the driver's seat."

Hilton, who is now 41, announced that she had welcomed her first child named Phoenix Barron Hilton Reum with her husband Carter Reum via surrogate in January of this year.

"Paris: The Memoir" will be released on March 14.

Read the original article on Insider
Editors Note: Content warning - This story contains details about the sexual assault of a child. If you know or suspect that anyone under 18 is being sexually or physically abused, call the Texas child abuse hotline at 1-800-252-5400. To learn more about how to identify signs of child abuse or neglect, click here.

A Wichita County grand jury has indicted Paul Andrew Coleman on charges of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a child and Indecency with a Child through Sexual Contact.

No caption

The indictments stem from allegations about incidents in October and November of 2022.

Coleman was the pastor of Good Samaritan Outreach Ministries on East Carolina Street. Police said the victim was an 11-year-old who made an outcry at Patsy's House Child Advocacy Center.

According to affidavits filed in the case, Coleman pulled the the child's pants and underwear down and assaulted them. The child said Coleman threatened to kill them if they told anyone about the incident. The child said encounters happened at the church and at Coleman's house.

Coleman was arrested in December and remains in the Wichita County Jail in lieu of $300,000 bail.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Pastor indicted for sexual assault of young girl
A Florida pastor is accused of sexually assaulting one of his church members after inviting her to his home for a spiritual revival ceremony, according to the Osceola County Sheriffs Office.

Pastor Eddy Noelsaint of the Eglise Evangelique De La Restauration church is accused of attacking the same woman twice, the sheriffs office said in a March 6 news release.

Pastor Noelsaint lured a female member of his church to his home in Kissimmee by telling her he was going to perform a spiritual revival. The promise of the revival was based upon religious norms for her while she was in her home country of Haiti and was part of the practice of her church, the sheriffs office reported.

During the revival, Pastor Noelsaint gave the church member tea and unidentified pills. These narcotics made the church member sick and placed her in a weakened state. Once she was feeling the effects, the Pastor sexually battered her.

Noelsaint approach the woman again months later with an offer to help her find an apartment, officials said. He arranged for the two to meet with a third person to help in the search, the sheriffs office says.

When she arrived, no one was there except for Pastor Noelsaint. He then violently attacked and sexually battered her, the sheriffs office says.

Investigators did not reveal how they learned of the two incidents, but detectives interviewed Noelsaint and found him evasive to answering questions, officials said.

Detectives persisted and he confessed to the prior sexual encounters with the church member, the sheriffs office said.

Noelsaint was arrested Feb. 28 on two counts of sexual battery of a person 18 years of age or older, records show. Bond was set at $100,000.

The Sheriffs Office asks if anyone else has had similar encounters with Pastor Eddy Noelsaint to contact our office immediately, the sheriffs office says. His church is located at 2160 N. Hiawassee Road, Orlando, Fl 32818.

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Legend has it St. Patrick cleared all the snakes from Ireland by standing on a hilltop and driving them into the sea. However, researchers have determined there were no snakes in Ireland during this time. (BestReviews)

You might think green has always been associated with Irelands patron saint. Youd be wrong.

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide, especially in Ireland and North America. People generally wear green on this holiday, and some will even pinch you if you don't. Still, many don't know why we wear green on St. Patrick's Day or how this tradition originated.

St. Patrick's Day origins

The holiday is named after the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick was a missionary who spread Christianity throughout Ireland in the fouth century. Over time, St. Patrick became a legendary figure. One popular legend has Patrick explaining the concept of the Holy Trinity  one God in three beings  by showing an unbeliever a shamrock, with three leaves but only one stalk.

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St. Patrick's Day was originally celebrated in Ireland with religious services and feasts. In the 1700s, Irish immigrants began spreading the holiday throughout the United States, and over time it became more a celebration of Irish culture.

St. Patrick's Day and the color green

Green was considered a lucky color in Irish folklore, associated with growth and prosperity. Still, according to many sources, most depictions of Saint Patrick show him wearing blue. In fact, when Britain's King George III created the Order of St. Patrick in the late 1700s, its official color was sky blue.

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There are numerous reasons people wear green on St. Patrick's Day. Some believe the tradition began in the United States. Ireland is known as the Emerald Isle due to its sprawling green landscapes, and many associate the holiday with a green shamrock. For these reasons, Americans began wearing green when celebrating St. Patrick's Day.

According to Irish folklore, wearing green makes you invisible to leprechauns. The story suggests these mythical creatures would pinch anyone they could see, which is why people pinch each other if they aren't dressed in green on St. Patrick's Day.

There is also a cultural significance to wearing green. In the 17th century, Ireland was colonized by the English. The English treated the color green as a sign of rebellion and forbade it by law. Wearing green in secret became a way for the Irish to express pride in their identity.

Easy ways to wear green on St. Patrick's Day

Green T-shirts: Many companies sell green St. Patrick's Day-themed T-shirts around the holiday. Some are plain, whereas others feature beloved characters and fun designs.

Many companies sell green St. Patrick's Day-themed T-shirts around the holiday. Some are plain, whereas others feature beloved characters and fun designs. Beaded necklaces: Plastic beaded necklaces, or Mardi Gras necklaces, are an easy, affordable way to avoid being pinched on St. Patrick's Day. Often, you can purchase these in sets of 10 or more.

Plastic beaded necklaces, or Mardi Gras necklaces, are an easy, affordable way to avoid being pinched on St. Patrick's Day. Often, you can purchase these in sets of 10 or more. Shamrock pins: If you want a minimalist approach, consider attaching a green shamrock pin to your shirt.

If you want a minimalist approach, consider attaching a green shamrock pin to your shirt. Green hats: Sites like Amazon have various green hats, including some with shamrocks.

Sites like Amazon have various green hats, including some with shamrocks. Green sunglasses: You can wear green sunglasses as long as you don't mind seeing everything in shades of green.

Best St. Patrick's Day green clothing

Hycredi Shamrock Sunglasses: available at Amazon

These feature a metal frame and adjustable nose pads. The lenses are made of durable plastic.

"The Mandalorian" Green St. Patrick's Day T-Shirt: available at Amazon

This has a fun design featuring Grogu, aka Baby Yoda, from the "Mandolorian." The green Grogu comes on shirts in 10 colors and six sizes.

Disney Minnie Mouse Green Shamrock Shirt: available at Amazon

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Disney fans will love this shirt's exciting design. The green shamrock is available against 10 colored backgrounds, including black, white and yellow. Many reviewers said it was comfortable and made with high-quality materials.

Amscan St. Patrick's Day Plaid Fedora Hat Set: available at Amazon

This stylish hat features a green plaid design and comes with matching bowtie and beaded clover necklace. It's durable, and one size fits most.

"SpongeBob" St. Patrick's Day T-Shirt: available at Amazon

This shirt has a fun play on words and features a fan-favorite character from Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob's pal Patrick Star. It's available in five colors, including grass green, olive green and heather gray.

Alma St. Patrick's Day Light-Up Fedora: available at Amazon

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This flashy hat is covered in sequins and has built-in lights. Many reviewers said the lights work well, although there are a few reports of people receiving hats with broken lights.

GiftExpress Green Beaded Necklaces: available at Amazon

This set comes with 12 necklaces, so you'll have enough for your family and friends. They are affordable, and many reviewers said they were impressed with the vibrant color.

Best way to learn more about St. Patrick

"St. Patrick's Day" by Gail Gibbons: available at Amazon

This paperback children's book teaches readers about the patron saint and the holiday's origins. Many reviewers said their children enjoyed it. Each page has a fun illustration.

Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.

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Cody Stewart is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

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The Florida Board of Dentistry revoked the dental license of Charles Stamitoles Monday, preventing him from practicing dentistry in the state of Florida.

The board's final order came after the Florida Department of Health (DOH) filed an administrative complaint against Stamitoles for two misdemeanor battery charges he faced in Pensacola.

"The violations set forth in the Administrative Complaint warrant disciplinary action by the Board," the final order stated. "Therefore, it is hereby ordered and adjudged ... Respondent, Florida Dentistry License Number DN 10168 is revoked."

The DOH complaint references two misdemeanor battery cases for which of Stamitoles is currently serving jail time.

Dr. Charles Stamitoles

No contest plea:Pensacola dentist Charles Stamitoles pleads no contest to 6 misdemeanor battery charges

Conviction:Jury convicts Pensacola dentist Charles Stamitoles in first battery trial

The first complaint relates to a Dec. 16, 2020, incident where Stamitoles patted a female patient's breast while she was in the operating chair and complimented her physical appearance. The second count in the complaint outlines that Stamitoles asked a female patient about her sexual activity and dating life.

"(Stamitoles) told patient J.J. that she 'drove him crazy' and expressed an interest in engaging in a sexual relationship with patient J.J.," the complaint states. "(Stamitoles) told patient J.J. that he found her to be 'sexy' and beautiful."

The board ultimately found he violated Florida Statute 466.027, which states that "the dentist-patient relationship is founded on mutual trust," and that "sexual misconduct in the practice of dentistry means violation of the dentist-patient" relationship.

Florida's Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo previously barred Stamitoles from practicing on female patients in a June 23, 2022, emergency order laying out the restrictions.

"Dr. Stamitoles' employees are already aware of his deviant behavior, and this has not hindered him from his inappropriate conduct," the emergency order noted. "Therefore, nothing short of the immediate restriction of Dr. Stamitoles' license to practice as a dentist on female patients will protect the public from the dangers created by Dr. Stamitoles' continued, unrestricted practice of dentistry."

Story continues

Surgeon General involved:Pensacola dentist barred from seeing female patients; pleads not guilty to sexual battery

Pending felony:Dentist accused of sexual battery by multiple women arrested again for felony battery

After an Oct. 26 trial in one of his battery cases, Stamitoles was sentenced to nine months in Escambia County Jail. Stamitoles later pleaded no contest on Jan. 20 to his remaining six battery charges.

Escambia County Judge Kristina sentenced Stamitoles to 60 days in county jail on Jan. 28 for each of his four battery charges after the plea. She ordered the sentences for two of the counts to run concurrent to his nine-month sentence, and for the sentences on the remaining two counts to run consecutively, effectively making Stamitoles' jail sentence approximately 13 months.

Stamitoles still faces one felony count of battery after allegedly grabbing a 74-year-old patient's face "while putting his face about six to eight inches in front of her face and told her to look into his eyes." Stamitoles then told her that he can help her with her teeth and allegedly kissed her on the forehead.

He also faces a felony perjury charge after lying to a judge about why he violated his release agreement by traveling to Mobile, Alabama. He initially told the judge he traveled to help his son, but he allegedly violated the agreement to go buy a car with his wife.

Stamitoles's next court date is March 22.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola dentist Charles Stamitoles license revoked by Dentistry Board
The Pensacola man charged with attempting to kidnap an 11-year-old girl from her bus stop in 2021 pleaded no contest to his charges and will spend the next 15 years in state prison.

Circuit Judge John Simon sentenced 32-year-old Jared Stanga to 15 years in Floridas Department of Corrections for his first-degree felony kidnapping charge.

"Well, Mr. Stanga what you have is serious charges and, frankly, the state described it appropriately  it was a brazen attempt to kidnap a child," Simon told Stanga prior to levying his sentence. "I understand you entered a plea ... and frankly that's justified in this case. I mean, 7 o'clock in the morning you apparently went to that bus stop with the intent to kidnap that child."

Mom speaks out:'She's a smart cookie,' blue slime caught suspected kidnapper

Stanga arrested:30-year-old Pensacola man arrested in attempted kidnapping at bus stop, faces several charges

After Stangas 15-year prison term is over, he is sentenced to two years of community control followed by three years of probation for a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Simon sentenced Stanga to time served for his misdemeanor battery charge.

According to court documents, Stanga faced a maximum penalty up to 30 years in state prison; however, as part of the plea agreement, Stanga and the State Attorneys office agreed to cap his maximum sentence at 15 years.

Simon also told Stanga he is no longer to have any contact with persons under 18 years old except his 3-year-old daughter.

What happened during the May 18, 2021 kidnapping attempt?

The 11-year-old girl, who is now 13, was sitting alone at her bus stop at the corner of Old Corry Field Road and Perdido Street when surveillance shows Stanga pull up and park next to the girl.

Video shows Stanga exiting his vehicle and running toward the girl with a knife, grabbing the girl by the neck. Prosecutors say he was trying to kidnap her.

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After a brief struggle, the video shows Stanga retreat to his vehicle and the girl run back home. Escambia County Sheriffs deputies found Stanga roughly eight hours later.

Following Stanga's arrest, Escambia Sheriff Chip Simmons says the department received reports from the same girl two weeks prior regarding Stanga approaching her. Simmons also said it's likely Stanga watched her for several weeks.

Society has gotten to a point where we have to keep an eye on our children, Simon said during a press conference following the kidnapping attempt. Simply going to school where a child can learn, they shouldnt have to worry about their safety, or their parents shouldnt have to worry about their safety.

Frankly, you deserve prison," Simon said at the time, "and thats what youre going to get.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola man Jared Stanga sentenced in 2021 attempted kidnapping
iStock; Rebecca Zisser/Insider

A new review of mask studies is generating buzz about whether masks work to prevent COVID.

The review doesn't draw any major conclusions  but people are using it to say mask mandates failed.

Mask studies have become a Rorschach test that people use to validate preexisting beliefs.

Masks. They're annoying. They're partisan. They're passe.

And do they even work to keep people healthy?

A new review of mask studies by the prestigious Cochrane Collaboration suggests they only perform so-so.

The review caused a media frenzy about the face coverings that have been such a central and political feature of our lives for the past three years.

In fact, even some of the researchers performing the review took this lackluster finding as a ringing indictment of COVID-era mask mandates.

"There's no evidence that they do work." Tom Jefferson, a University of Oxford tutor who co-authored the review, said in a recent interview.

That's not strictly true. We have a lot of evidence about what masks can and can't do  and this new review has been taken wildly out of context.

The new review looked at 78 research papers  but most weren't about COVID

This new research roundup, out January 30, is the latest update to a 16-year-old Cochrane Systematic Review designed to assess whether "physical interventions"  including masking and handwashing  help limit the spread of respiratory viruses.

Cochrane is one of medicine's rock star publications  designed only to evaluate the most up-to-date, well-designed trials, with the ultimate goal of promoting better evidence-based decision making in healthcare. But the researchers didn't actually draw firm conclusions about whether masks work or not.

"We are uncertain whether wearing masks or N95/P2 respirators helps to slow the spread of respiratory viruses," the authors wrote. "The results might change when further evidence becomes available."

There were 15 years of different studies included in this mega review of 78 research papers  six pertained to COVID, but many more were about flu. Some covered masks, while others assessed the impact of handwashing and gargling on disease transmission.

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Perhaps most importantly, several mask studies included in the new review didn't require anyone to actually wear a mask  rather, researchers just handed masks out to some people, and not others, to see if disease rates were better when masks were available (they were.)

The review left out real-world examples of masks working

There were also some important COVID-era mask studies that weren't included in this review because, even though they were well-designed, they weren't randomized-controlled trials  which some consider to be the gold-standard in medicine.

But these studies are also instructive.

Take the two COVID-positive Missouri hairstylists who coiffed 139 clients. All wore masks; no one got sick. Or the COVID outbreak aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, where the masked medical personnel suffered fewer cases. And many studies of large school districts across the US  from Georgia to Massachusetts, show that where masks are worn, COVID case rates are consistently around 30-40% lower.

We have decades of evidence showing masks can block out viruses

Rizky Zulfi Anwar and Aan Herlambang/Insider

Physically speaking, we know masks and respirators can work well to prevent bad stuff from entering people's noses and mouths  whether the threat is a virus, smoke from a fire, coal dust, or mold spores.

High-quality masks have already been used for decades to help mitigate  but not entirely prevent  the spread of highly-infectious pathogens including measles and tuberculosis.

During the pandemic, lab workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) double-masked dummies with surgical and cloth masks and discovered that strategy reduced COVID transmission from one face to another by up to 96.4%.

"There are inviolable laws of nature that we can rely on," Linsey Marr, an aerosol scientist at Virginia Tech who studies how viruses move through the air, told Insider. "Filtration of particles by masks is a physical process that has laws."

The real problem with masks is you

A woman improperly wears her face mask. Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images

When worn diligently by individuals, masks can be a good tool for blocking viruses.

But they're not a silver bullet. And, let's be honest: no one can wear their mask all the time.

Healthcare workers take their masks off to eat in break rooms, where COVID spreads from coworker to coworker. Friends and family gather for intimate events including funerals and birthdays, where closeness is important.

"Even the most conscientious person," said Dr. Don Milton, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Maryland, "is going to have some failures" when it comes to wearing their mask.

One huge study included in the review looked at masks in a real-world setting: in villages across Bangladesh comprising more than 300,000 people. Some wore masks, and some didn't. The villages with the most diligent mask-use saw reductions in COVID of about 12%.

The study authors insist that's something to celebrate. "We didn't get 100% of people wearing masks  we got 40%," one of the Bangladesh study authors, Ashley Styczynski, previously told Insider. "It wasn't everybody. And yet, we still were able to measure an effect."

At the end of the day: Don't trust anyone with a simple assessment of masks

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Think of masks like condoms for your face. They're tools that can be used to prevent infection. But they're not going to prevent outbreaks, or even curb them, all on their own.

In fact, in 2014, Cochrane published a similar systematic review on condoms. They found that programs promoting condom use didn't have a significant impact on HIV transmission, but this wasn't taken as evidence that condoms "don't work." The authors endorsed these programs to improve people's knowledge of STDs  even though they won't force everyone to put a condom on every time they have sex.

In other words, condoms, like masks, should be but one part of disease prevention efforts.

In March of 2020, we wrote about how face masks weren't a perfect solution to the spread of the novel coronavirus. In two years, lots of new studies have been done, and the same advice still holds.

Any pundit or scientist trying to give you a clear answer about whether masks definitely work  or fail  in the face of complicated, thorny, and nuanced evidence, should be treated with the utmost skepticism.

Read the original article on Insider
(This March 7 story has been refiled to update the format of the first charT)

By Nell Mackenzie

LONDON (Reuters) - The percentage of women holding senior positions at European hedge funds has more than halved since 2021, according to a report on Wednesday by data provider Preqin.

Commenting on the report, Megan Tobias Neely, a former hedge fund analyst, academic and author of "Hedged Out: Inequality and Insecurity on Wall Street", said the COVID pandemic and upheaval in markets had seen the industry fall back on old habits.

"Any perception of instability and people rely more on close ties in their network. During uncertain times, people do business more with people who look like them," she told Reuters in an interview.

"Men will do business with men, networks become segregated racially and in terms of nationality."

The percentage of women holding general and limited partner roles in hedge funds in Europe has fallen to just 8% in 2023 from 17.4% in 2021, according to Preqin data.

Senior women in hedge funds https://www.reuters.com/graphics/GLOBAL-HEDGEFUNDS/gdvzqmeqypw/chart.png

The proportion of women in the hedge fund industry elsewhere in the world has dropped too, to 16.30% from 18.8% in North America, and to 18.9% from 21.2% in Asia over the same period.

Of the 10 countries with the highest percentage of women holding senior positions at hedge funds, Hong Kong comes top with 17.3%, while Brazil has the lowest proportion, with 7%.

Female senior employees at hedge funds https://www.reuters.com/graphics/GLOBAL-HEDGEFUNDS/lgpdkoewxvo/chart.png

The United States ranks fifth, with 12.9%, behind Hong Kong, Bermuda, France and Canada. Roughly 12% of UK hedge fund employees are women, according to the data.

"When women in the industry engage in the same social behaviour as men and act aggressively, and this is something that is prided on, they get push-back," Tobias Neely said, adding one of the challenges for women and people of colour working in the hedge fund industry was that they are perceived as riskier than their white male counterparts.

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Women with portofolio manager roles in EU https://www.reuters.com/graphics/GLOBAL-HEDGEFUNDS/zjvqjygkgpx/chart.png

This year, women still make up only 21.3% of the overall number of employees working at all levels in the alternative investments industry, which includes private equity, venture capital, private debt, real estate, infrastructure and natural resources, the report showed.

(Reporting by Nell Mackenzie; Editing by Mark Potter)
Bethany Mandel is grateful shes not growing up in 2023.

The cultural commentator and mother of six is fairly sure that her tomboy, teenage self would have fallen prey to the gender madness being promoted in schools and online.

If I were growing up now, between the school closures and gender ideology stuff, I would have cocooned myself in my room, gotten on Tumblr or TikTok, and come out as God only knows what, she said.

Mandels new book, Stolen Youth: How Radicals Are Erasing Innocence and Indoctrinating a Generation is enough to make any adult reader grateful they grew up before the education system was entirely captured by progressive gender and racial ideology.

Mandel and her co-author, New York Post columnist and mother Karol Markowicz, relay the stories of confused kids who have emerged from the isolation of Covid and the ideological pressure cooker of modern public education as people their parents dont recognize.

Mandel spoke to one mother whose daughter spiraled into a mental-health crisis during Covid lockdowns. The girl was suicidal and self-harming, so her parents sought psychological help. They enrolled her in the only facility they could find that would accept new patients during the pandemic. No visitation was allowed, so the parents only saw their child (masked) on Zoom.

When the girl reunited with her parents, they noticed the clinician was prodding her to say something. Finally, the girl confessed to her parents that she was non-binary. After bringing her to the clinic for medical help for severe anxiety and depression, the parents were shocked and dismayed to find their child was now confused about her gender as well. A significant number of kids came out of the program claiming to be a different gender, according to the book.

Desperate for support, the parents asked their daughters school to keep her off screens because they believed social media precipitated her depressive episode. Instead of respecting their plea, the school changed the childs name without her parents knowledge or permission, Mandel said.

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These parents looked to experts to help their daughter and at every turn, they were worked against, she said.

Schools are enabling the descent to gender insanity for many adolescents, and for those hours when kids are out of school, social media is there to pick up the slack. Throughout the pandemic, teenagers marinated in dark corners online, spending hours on TikTok and watching pornography. Children were denied social interaction and academic stability by the education system, and then they were left to their own devices . . . literally.

This generation of girls, when theyre lost, they latch onto an ideology that says the discomfort that youre feeling physically is a manifestation of your gender identity, she said. It directs these girls to be maimed permanently, whether hormonally or surgically.

And its spreading like wildfire, she said.

Ordinarily, girls would figure out these uncomfortable feelings with time, alongside guardians who would explain that body disorientation is a natural, normal part of puberty  but no longer.

Parents who were exposed to their childrens curricula during Covid remote schooling and began to question the wisdom of introducing complex themes around sexuality and gender were met with resistance. But the genie wont go back in the bottle.

They cant unsee what they saw, Markowicz added.

Weve traced a lot of wokeness to activism in schools and cutting out the parent. They must do it through secrecy because its unpopular, she continued. If parents wanted it, this wouldnt be a big deal. They cut the parents out of the childs life, and this is all by design, so they can implement their new religion to your children.

Desensitizing kids to sexuality in their early years will have far-reaching consequences that we cant yet comprehend, the pair warn, turning to another anecdote from the book about a young girl who was too scared to speak out about how uncomfortable she felt having a male counselor in her cabin at summer camp.

She learned and internalized the lesson that talking about sexuality and asking questions and being nervous are punishable and make you a bad person, Mandel said. That little voice inside of you while youre growing up as a woman is so important. Were teaching a generation of girls to ignore that voice. Were going to see safety implications for an entire lifetime.

More from National Review
Pharrell Williams launched his auction house JOOPITER in October. Getty/Jeff Kravitz; Getty/Robyn Beck; Getty/Scott Gries

Pharrell Williams launched his own auction house, JOOPITER, in October.

The site's first auction, which closed in November, fetched $5.25 million in sales.

Drake and Kim Kardashian appear to be among the stars who purchased items.

In October last year, Pharrell Williams launched his own online auction house, JOOPITER.

The site's first auction, which Pharrell named "Son of a Pharoah," saw the N.E.R.D. frontman sell 52 of his old items, including jewelry, clothes, and other collectibles.

The auction closed in November having fetched a total of $5.25 million in sales, according to Robb Report.

Given the hefty fees it took to win some of the lots, it will come as no surprise that a number of celebrities got involved in the bidding.

Take a look below at which stars managed to get their hands on some of Pharrell's possessions.

Drake

Drake and Pharrell wearing N.E.R.D. chain. YouTube/Drake; Getty/Alexander Tamargo

Drake can be seen rocking a number of items that appear to have come from Pharrell's auction house in the music video for his single with 21 Savage, "Jumbotron Shit Poppin."

In the video, which was released in January, the Canadian rapper flexed a brain pendant chain that sold for $150,000, a dual skateboard pendant that fetched $103,000, and, a 14-karat, diamond-encrusted N.E.R.D. pendant chain that sold for $2.2 million.

It isn't just jewelry Drake appears to have bought from Pharrell, however.

In the "Jumbotron Shit Poppin" video, he also made sure the cameras got a shot of him playing a gold-plated Sony PSP, which was sold by Pharrell in November for $19,375.

Kid Cudi

Pharrell played a major role in the production of Kid Cudi's sixth studio album "Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin'," producing three songs and featuring on two.

To show his love for The Neptunes star, Cudi appears to have purchased a white gold N.E.R.D. brain pendant chain for $720,000 from him.

The "Day 'n' Nite" rapper wore the piece when he attended the Critics Choice Association's 5th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema and Television in December.

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Kim Kardashian

According to the New York watch website HODINKEE, Kim Kardashian was spotted wearing Pharrell's old Casio G-Shock watch while filming an episode of "Carpool Karaoke" with James Corden last week.

The 14-karat white gold watch, which is emblazoned with white, cognac, yellow, and black diamonds, sold on JOOPITER for $73,750 in November.

Small change for a billionaire.

Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean appears to have bought Pharrell's old Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch. Getty/Angela Weiss; Instagram/blonded

Frank Ocean rarely posts anything to his Instagram (his feed is currently completely empty), but in December he shared a snap to his story of him wearing a super-rare Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watch that appears to have once been owned by Pharrell.

Audemars only produced 150 of the watch when it was first released in 2002, and made further unique iterations at later dates for its "most important clients," according to JOOPITER.

"This is one of those 14," reads the lot description. It sold for $218,750 in November.

Though the identity of the buyer has not been confirmed by Williams, the watch's distinctive teal components of its tourbillon suggest it was Ocean.

Neither JOOPITER nor Ocean's representatives immediately replied to a request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
Phoenix police.

Phoenix police are investigating a Wednesday morning police shooting in central Phoenix.

Officers responded to a call around 5 a.m. about a man acting "erratic" inside a business in the area of 27th Avenue and McDowell Road, according to Phoenix Police spokeswoman Sgt. Melissa Soliz.

The first officer to arrive at the scene approached the unidentified man and they walked outside the business where the man began to attack the officer, Soliz said. The officer then used his stun gun on the man, Soliz added.

The man continued to fight the officer who lost control of his stun gun with the man still attacking the officer, which led to the police shooting, Soliz explained.

Other officers arrived at the scene and the wounded man was taken to the hospital where he is in "serious but stable" condition, according to Soliz.

Detectives are looking through surveillance video and the officer's body worn camera was activated during the incident, Soliz said.

At least four Phoenix Police shooting deaths in two weeks

This is at least the sixth incident within the last two weeks where a Phoenix police officer fired at someone during a suspected crime. In four of these incidents, a person died by police shooting.

An off-duty Phoenix officer on Saturday at a Walmart Supercenter at 35th and Southern avenues missed when shooting at a man who police said aimed a gun at the officer and a store employee after being suspected of shoplifting.

A 47-year-old man on Feb. 23 was killed by officer gunfire after police said he pulled a gun on them the area near 27th Avenue and Adams Street. On Feb. 24, a 36-year-old man was fatally shot by an officer in the area of Seventh Street and Bell Road during a DUI investigation when the police say a man tried to grab a gun in his truck.

A 42-year-old was shot and killed Monday by police on a shooting call near 43rd Avenue and Encanto Boulevard after he reportedly grabbed a handgun from his waistband. Also on Monday, an officer fatally shot a 40-year-old man who police said was ignoring commands after being found home near 41st Avenue and Alta Vista Road with a knife in each hand, kneeling behind a mother of three who later died from suspected stab wounds.

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"We are very aware of how many officer-involved shootings we've had. This is something that  it's concerning. Our officers do respond to calls every day, all day that could potentially end up in officer-involved shootings or violent," Soliz said. "It's important to note that, that a lot of these incidents do end up peaceful or we're able to use less-lethal tools to come to a conclusion to these events."

Phoenix Police Chief Michael Sullivan is taking these police shooting "very seriously," Soliz said.

A six-month analysis by The Arizona Republic revealed police statewide not only shot people more times in the first half of 2021 than they did in the same time span the last two years, but more of those shootings were fatal.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man hospitalized after police shooting in central Phoenix
Lightning strikes on the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Fernando Braga)

Not everyone can look outside their window and have a direct view of a wonder of the world. But thats the reality for Rio de Janeiro resident Fernando Braga.

The Brazilian lives with his wife and kids and a direct view of the nearly 100-foot Christ the Redeemer structure, which portrays Jesus Christ with his arms open wide.

But Bragas view isnt the reason he went viral a month ago. It was his determination as a photographer, capturing a stunning time-lapse video and screenshots of lightning striking the sculpture, after more than 30 attempts.

It was unbelievable at first. Like a dream come true, since I was trying for a long time. At that moment, I was expecting to get some lightning around the frame, but not like this one, Braga told Yahoo News.

The Christ the Redeemer monument sits atop Mount Corcovado in Rio in the Tijuca Forest National Park, a rainforest within the citys boundaries.

The breathtaking sight was caught during a flash storm that rocked the Brazilian coast on Feb. 10. The bolt of lightning struck the statue's head, making it the perfect moment to catch fire on social media.

Notably, the Christ the Redeemer monument, the biggest representation of Jesus in the world, is more than 2,000 feet above Rio.

Photography for me is just a hobby. I love to spend my spare time photographing," Braga said. "At home, I have a really nice view of Christ the Redeemer, so I took a lot of photos of it. In sunsets, sunrise[s], with the moon, the sun, airplanes, helicopters, birds, etc. ... So I decided to get one with lightning too.

Social media reaction

Bragas photo lit up social media. He made several posts on Instagram and Twitter but the most popular one garnered more than 171,700 likes and over 3,200 comments on Instagram.

I wasn't expecting that much reaction, since technically, this is not a difficult kind of photo, he said.

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His post includes three photos, one a close-up with lightning striking the head of the statue, illuminating it like a halo.

I am completely in awe of this.. , wrote @sweetygrace2.

@Barbaramarchon said FOTOS PERFEITAS! To arrepiada!, which translates to PERFECT PICTURES! I got goosebumps.

Fantastic shot  Hello from the USA, said @wanderingnotlost88.

User @hen_ry5463 added: God has sent the world a message!!

Fun facts about Christ the Redeemer

According to Britannica, the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro commissioned the statue and proposed that it be built atop Mount Corcovado so that citizens could see it from anywhere in Rio. The idea was first suggested in the 1850s, but it wasnt until 1921 that the church introduced the proposal.

Construction started in 1922, and a ceremony to lay the foundation stone of the base was held on April 4 of that year.

Polish-French sculptor Paul Landowski created the statue. Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa built the statue in collaboration with the French engineer Albert Caquot. Romanian artist Gheorghe Leonida created the statues face, according to enjoytravel.com.

The website continues: The original sketch was of Christ carrying a large cross in one hand and a globe in the other. The statue earned the nickname Christ with a ball. In the end, after surveying the land, a design was decided upon of Christ with his arms wide open in an Art Deco style.

Construction was completed a little less than 10 years later, and it was dedicated on Oct. 12, 1931. Weighing 635 metric tons, it is the largest Art Deco statue in the world.

In 2007, people from all over the world voted Christ the Redeemer onto the list of the New Seven Wonders of the World, through a campaign launched by the Swiss-based New7Wonders Foundation. With hundreds of millions of votes, it made the cut, from 21 finalists.

A symbol of Christianity across the world, the statue has also become a cultural icon of both Rio de Janeiro and Brazil, the foundation said.

The monument, made of reinforced concrete and soapstone, is accessible by train or car. It now has elevators and escalators to reach its feet, but previously, the only option for visitors was to climb the 220-step staircase.

Lightning strikes are not uncommon

Lightning quite frequently hits Christ the Redeemer, reinforcing Bragas point that it was not a difficult shot. Lightning rods have been installed to divert strikes that could damage the statue. In fact, lightning struck right before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, damaging the statues head and a fingertip. Officials rushed to repair it before the first game kicked off in Rio.

I just want to say that people who try to take lightning photos [should put their] own safety first. I was shooting at home. ... Protection and safety should always be [a priority]. Once you get that, give it a try! It's really not difficult to take some great shots, Braga said.
UK Defence Intelligence has stated that the release of footage of the Russian Defence Ministers visit to Ukraine was a response to the visit to the front line by Yevgeny Prigozhin, Head of Wagner Group PMC.

Source: European Pravda; UK Defence Intelligence on Twitter

Details: The reports state that on 4 March 2023, the Russian Ministry of Defence released a video of a rare visit to Ukraine by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

There is a realistic possibility that this was partially in response to recent footage of the owner of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, visiting his fighters on the front line, UK Defence Intelligence believes.

Wagner is in a high-profile dispute with the Russian Ministry of Defence, and Shoigu is likely sensitive to being compared to Prigozhin, UK Defence Intelligence emphasises.

The report states that the only deployed Russian field commander shown in the video was Colonel General Rustam Muradov. It is notable that Muradov is responsible for the Vuhledar sector of Donetsk Oblast, where several assaults have failed in the last three months.

UK Defence Intelligence remarks that until recently, the Russian command likely saw a breakthrough at Vuhledar as a critical way to achieve an operationally significant breakthrough in Ukraines lines. Russian planners are likely facing the dilemma of attempting another Vuhledar assault or supporting intense fighting further north near Bakhmut and Kremina.



Background:



Earlier, UK Defence Intelligence reported that the Ukrainian defence of Bakhmut continues to degrade forces on both sides.

Western intelligence estimates Russia's losses in recent months in the battles for the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast to be 20,000-30,000 mercenaries from the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC).

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Co-owner and pastry chef Hsing Chen, left, and her husband Doug Psaltis, co-owner and chef, at their restaurant Andros Taverna on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago on April 4, 2022. Andros Taverna won the Chicago Tribune 2022 Readers' Choice Food Award for Best Restaurant. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Doug Psaltis and Hsing Chen, the couple behind Andros Taverna in Logan Square, plan to open Asador Bastian in the next few weeks. The two-story project is located in the Flair House, a historic River North townhouse.

While their first restaurant looked to Greece for inspiration, this time they hope to explore the asadores, or grill houses, of San Sebastian, Spain. Psaltis, who previously ran RPM Steak by Lettuce Entertain You, explained that the format will be slightly different from most American steakhouses. This is a place where we share a steak, Psaltis said. Its not like, Who is going to get the 36-ounce rib-eye?

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Chen said that the sense of balance extends to the sides and dessert. We want to serve the best quality products in moderation, Chen said.

Psaltis is particularly excited to serve a distinctly Spanish beef cut called txuleton, a very thick bone-in rib steak. (If youre interested in learning more, I highly recommend looking up the cut on YouTube, if only to appreciate how happy the Spanish chefs look while grilling it.) Like Andros Taverna, theyll also be importing fresh fish from markets in Barcelona and Athens.

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Most of the meat and seafood will be cooked on a massive charcoal grill that was custom-made for them in Europe. It was modeled on some of the great asadores in Spain, Psaltis said. Along with a large area to grill food, it has multiple shelves, allowing the cooks to use it much like an oven.

Chen, who heads the pastry program, said she even plans to use the grill. Because the live-fire grill is such an integral part of the menu, Ill incorporate that into the desserts, Chen said. There will be smoked milk, which they use in Spain. Shes also created a collection of small desserts she hopes to serve at the downstairs bar, along with some classic options in the upstairs dining room. Up (in the dining room) well have some tableside service, like a rum cake that we slice to order, along with a refreshing granita, Chen said.

While overseen by Psaltis and Chen, the kitchen will be run by chef Christian Eckmann, a Chicago native, who has also worked in Spain. I met him originally when he was in San Sebastian working at Arzak, which is one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the country, Psaltis said. Eckmann also worked at the now-closed Ambria in Lincoln Park.

The restaurant is in the Flair House (214 W. Erie St.), a River North townhouse built in 1883. It gained notoriety thanks to Lee Flaherty, who purchased the property in the 1960s and used it for his marketing agency, Flair Communications. According to Psaltis, its a location the couple knows well. Hsing and I have lived in this neighborhood for the last 12 years and walk past it most days, Psaltis said.

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Though the building has a storied reputation, once construction began the crew realized that the building needed an immense amount of work. As with most restorations, you break down one wall and you find a lot more walls that need to come down, Psaltis said. We found that the brick behind the facade was really a hodgepodge with mud. Its not as you would build it today. So when it got down to it, the facade stayed, and everything else has been rebuilt.

The two worked with David M. Sullivan Inc., a New York-based design firm, to create a space that evoked the old chophouses of Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th century. We went back and forth on the word chophouse because its maybe been bastardized in some ways, Psaltis said. But our inspiration came from the classic Chicago chophouses and the asadores from Spain.

Guests will enter by stepping down into the more casual bar area, which seats 35. A 55-seat dining room is on the second floor and will be reservation-only. Though some items, such as Chens small dessert bites, will only be on the bar menu, the two arent making a huge distinction between the two spaces. Our answer to almost any request will be, Yes. Psaltis said.

Although the space is still under construction, they hope to open Asador Bastian within the next two to three weeks.

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Its about boutique beef and premium products, Psaltis said. Quality without any compromise.

Asador Bastian plans to open in March at 214 W. Erie St. asadorbastian.com

nkindelsperger@chicagotribune.com
(Reuters) -Piedmont Lithium Inc's shares rebounded from early losses on Wednesday sparked by comments from short seller Blue Orca Capital, which alleged that mining licenses in Ghana obtained by a company it invested in were through what appeared to be "textbook corruption".

In 2021, Piedmont invested $100 million in Atlantic Lithium to secure spodumene - high-purity lithium ore - from Atlantic's mine in Ghana. Piedmont has a spodumene supply agreement with electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc.

Shares of Piedmont were last up 3.2% after falling as much as 6.6% on the report.

Blue Orca alleged that Atlantic obtained key Ghana mining licenses by making secret payments and promises of payments to the immediate family of a high-level politician in Ghana. Reuters could not immediately verify Blue Orca's allegation.

The short seller said it does not believe that authorities in Ghana will ratify Atlantic's mining licenses "tainted by corruption", based on precedents in the country and around Africa.

Piedmont and Atlantic Lithium did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.

Piedmont, which is currently valued at roughly $1 billion, in January amended its deal with Tesla to supply spodumene concentrate, a key raw material for making batteries, to the EV maker through 2025.

Founded in 2016 in Australia, Piedmont moved its headquarters to North Carolina in 2021 in hopes of developing a mine that would be one of the largest U.S. lithium mines. However, the project has been delayed due to concerns from local residents and reviews from state regulators.

Piedmont officials told Reuters last year that the company's first steps in securing lithium supplies would likely then be in Canada or Ghana.

(Reporting by Arunima Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
Airplanes. Illustrated | Gettyimages

Over the past few months, several airplane passengers have been injured due to significant in-flight turbulence. A passenger on a business jet was killed when the plane encountered "severe turbulence" while traveling from New Hampshire to Virginia. In a similar incident, seven passengers on a commercial Lufthansa flight were hospitalized after running into "clear-air turbulence." In December, 36 people were injured during turbulence on a Hawaiian Airlines flight. "These kinds of incidents might be getting more common" as the climate changes, CBS News reported.

How does climate change affect turbulence?

As extreme weather becomes more common due to a changing climate, weather-related turbulence will become more common. "Severe weather increases chances of turbulence, and due to climate change, these kinds of incidents will only continue to grow," Taylor Garland, spokesperson for the Association of Flight Attendants, told CBS News.

But the results of at least one study suggest changes in the jet stream and high-altitude wind speeds are also making for bumpier rides. A 2019 research paper published in the journal Nature found that "climate change is causing more instability in the jet streams and making wind speeds faster," as NPR summarized succinctly. Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, and the co-author of the 2019 study, also found that wind shear, which The Washington Post describes as "the degree to which wind speeds vary at different altitudes," has increased by 15 percent since 1979. When wind shear is high, "those differences in wind speeds create atmospheric disturbances much like rippling, if not raging, waves in a surging river," the Post adds. "It certainly implies more turbulence," Williams said.

Specifically, flights are more increasingly running into what's known as "clear-air turbulence."

What is 'clear-air turbulence'?

This kind of turbulence is "completely invisible to the naked eye, to the radar, to satellites," Williams told NPR. "The only information we have about it, really, is when a plane goes through it." This makes clear-air turbulence "one of the most dangerous kinds of turbulence," he said, because it takes everyone on board by surprise, leaving no time for safety measures that might prevent injuries. It was clear-air turbulence that caused the Lufthansa flight to unexpectedly drop 1,000 feet while traveling from Texas to Germany.

Story continues

Researchers and aviation industry experts are working to better understand and predict the phenomenon.

Has turbulence caused more severe injuries on flights lately?

While "accidents on aircraft carrying passengers or cargo are uncommon," The New York Times says that "turbulence accounted for more than a third of such aircraft accidents from 2009 to 2018," per a report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The agency found that most of the accidents resulted in "one or more serious injuries but no aircraft damage." Most of those seriously injured were not wearing their seatbelts at the time.

According to Federal Aviation Administration data, 146 passengers and crew were seriously injured by turbulence between 2009 to 2021. Still, the Post says it "is harder to determine from available data" whether turbulence is affecting flights more often.

Williams' research, however, predicts that by 2050, pilots can expect to encounter twice as much severe clear-air turbulence.

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Planned Parenthood in Manhattan on April 16, 2021 Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images

Planned Parenthood is facing yet another racial discrimination lawsuit, this time by a current top executive at its New York chapter.

Samuel Mitchell Jr., a Black man who is chief operating officer at the Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, alleges in the suit that he was subjected to disproportionately frequent background checks and stereotypically racist terms like "angry" and "out of control." Mitchell, who has a "disabling neurological condition which causes him to stutter and stammer" in stressful situations, according to the complaint, also accused the defendants of mocking his Southern accent and referring to his disability in a discriminatory way.

Filed in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, the lawsuit names PPGNY and four white women who hold executive and board positions  Wendy Stark, Andrea Hagan, Anne Davis, and Gillian Dean  as defendants.

Since he was hired as interim COO in September 2021, Mitchell was subjected to a "campaign of discrimination" to undermine his authority at work and his ability to perform his job, the lawsuit claims. The alleged conduct laid out in the complaint was "spearheaded and orchestrated" by Hagan, an executive board member, and "encouraged" by chief medical officer Dean and associate chief medical officer Davis. The discrimination, according to the lawsuit, "intensified" when Stark was appointed president and CEO in August 2022.

Mitchell also accused PPGNY of failing to take any action after repeated complaints about their alleged behavior.

Jacquelyn Marrero, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, said the organization "categorically denies the spurious allegations" from Mitchell, calling him a "recent addition to our executive team." (Mitchell moved into a permanent COO role in April 2022.) "Our top priority for our team members is a safe, diverse and equitable workplace that supports our mission to provide access to reproductive health for all," Marrero said.

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Hagan, Dean, Davis, and Stark did not respond to separate requests for comment.

Mitchell, whom the lawsuit says is the only Black man in the organization's executive leadership team, says that he was forced to undergo more background checks than younger, white women employees.

In October 2021, when Hagan, the board treasurer, found out that Mitchell was an ordained pastor, several board members allegedly insinuated that Christians and pastors like Mitchell "were not welcome to work for PPGNY" and attempted to paint his church as anti-abortion "in a particularly invasive attempt to terminate plaintiff's employment," the lawsuit states. The lawsuit did not name Mitchell's church or denomination, and his lawyer did not respond to a request for clarification.

After Mitchell complained about their alleged conduct, he says the organization failed to reprimand them, further emboldening their behavior, according to the complaint. Instead, the suit says, Mitchell was "disproportionately and excessively" monitored and micromanaged, and mocked for his Southern drawl and pronunciation in a meeting.

The lawsuit also states that as COO, Mitchell was passed over for the role of interim CEO, causing him to lose out on a $13,000 bonus.

During a September 2022 meeting, Mitchell's subordinate, a younger white woman, presented a report on his behalf as he was "unable to do so due to the effects of plaintiff's disabling condition," the lawsuit states. His colleagues later allegedly said that the woman was a "much better communicator" than him. "These comments were in direct, discriminatory reference to the symptoms of Plaintiffs disabling condition," the complaint says.

Mitchell's experience at the organization is not unique, the lawsuit claims, citing previous reporting about allegations of racism at Planned Parenthood, including from a story published by BuzzFeed News.

The complaint also mentions another lawsuit filed by Nicole Moore, Planned Parenthood's former director of multicultural brand engagement, who alleged a pattern of anti-Black racism and attempts to silence her for raising concerns about the treatment of Black employees, which then led to her firing. The Southern District of New York has referred the case to mediation, which is required by the court.

More on this
Thousands of Georgians protested against the law on foreign agents, adopted by the parliament in the first reading

The protesters were detained under to Article 166 (minor hooliganism) of the Criminal Code of Georgia, and Article 173 (disobedience to the legal request of a law enforcement officer), said the agency.

Read also: Russia must leave occupied Georgian territories after defeat in Ukraine, Georgian president says

The department also opened several criminal cases under Articles 353 and 187 in connection with violent incidents. They did not release the number or the names of those detained.

In order to restore public order and foil violations of the law, the police were forced to gradually apply proportional force and special means of coercion provided for under the Law of Georgia On Policing, based on necessity and after the appropriate warning, reads the statement.

Up to 50 police officers were injured, says the statement, because of protesters violent actions, with several requiring surgery or still in hospital. Members of the public were also injured during the protests, the agency added.

Meanwhile, the former leader of the United National Movement, Nika Melia, has announced new large-scale protests scheduled for March 8 on Rustaveli Avenue, near the Parliament building in Tbilisi.

Read also: Georgias foreign influence law incompatible with EU values and standards, says Borrell

Well start gathering on Rustaveli Avenue at 3 p.m. (1 p.m. Kyiv time), Georgian television channel the Mtavari Arhi quoted him as saying.

And this will repeat every day until the entire Rustaveli Avenue becomes Georgian, not Russian. Until we win.

On March 7, the Georgian parliament passed the new law on transparency of foreign influence in a first reading, which is in fact a copycat law one previously adopted in Russia.

The law, which is supported by the ruling Georgian Dream party, requires any organization that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents, under penalty of fines.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has said she would veto the bill, but Georgias parliamentary majority has enough votes to override the presidential veto.

Story continues

Mass protests kicked off in the capital city Tbilisi on March 7 amid the parliaments move. Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters.

At the same time, Zurabishvili expressed her support for the demonstrators.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Police are asking for the publics help in identifying two people suspected of stealing from an elderly person in Kettering.

Kettering Police Department posted photos of two suspects on their social media and said the two are suspected of a theft offense involving an elderly victim on March 1.

>> Dayton police still investigating deadly February hit and run; Asking public for information

Information about what the two are suspected of taking and where the theft happened was unavailable.

Anyone with information on the suspects is asked to contact Detective Jung at 937-296-2460.












Police are investigating after a man was shot in broad daylight Wednesday just feet away from a playground.

Police arrived at a home on Thetford Avenue at approximately 10:38 a.m., a Boston Police spokesperson told Boston 25 News.

Responding officers found a person suffering from gunshot wounds. The victim was transported to a local hospital.

Their wounds are considered non-life-threatening.

Video from the scene showed a large home roped off with police tape not far from a playground. Detectives were also spotted collecting evidence near a white sedan with Pennsylvania plates that was parked outside.

No additional information was 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
A police officer working an undercover narcotics operation in Miami was shot in the head area during a traffic stop Wednesday  the fourth Miami-Dade officer struck by gunfire in the past seven months.

The officer transported to Jackson Memorial Hospitals Ryder Trauma Center was talkative and expected to survive, police said. But the shooter, a passenger in the car, according to police, took off on foot and hadnt been taken into custody as of early Wednesday night.

Police from several agencies responded to the scene, cordoning off a large area near Northwest Fifth Avenue and 43rd Street during the busy rush hour. Police said the driver was in custody. Several police sources said the officer who was shot is Darrion Washington.

While conducting a narcotics investigation, one of my detectives was cowardly ambushed and shot from behind by a subject that is still at large, Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo Freddy Ramirez said on Twitter. This is the fourth time I am at the hospital after an officer is attacked, I am tired of it. These attacks will not be tolerated.

Ramirez said the full weight of the law would be used against anyone trying to harbor the suspected shooter. He said the injured officer was an 18-year veteran and that the bullet didnt penetrate the officers skull. He described the shooter as wearing a tan shirt and having a medium build.

Miami-Dade Police officers shut down and cordoned off the area of Northwest 46th through 41st Streets and Northwest Second Avenue in Miami after a Miami-Dade police officer was ambushed during a narcotics investigation, shot and rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospitals Ryder Trauma Center on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

Police sweeping the neighborhood for the shooter blocked off streets from Northwest Second to Sixth Avenues and Northwest 39th to 46 Streets.

During a press conference at Jackson, where doctors were working on the injured officer, Ramirez said the officer was about to make an arrest when he was approached from behind and shot.

This is when the community needs to step up as they always do, Ramirez said. If he did it to us, he could do it to you.

Steadman Stahl, president of the South Florida Police Benevolent Association said the officer never had a chance to fire his weapon.

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Luckily, St. Michael is on his side and he should be released soon, Stahl said. The streets are crazy out there. There are some really bad guys that want to do harm and were not going to surrender the streets to them.

Washington is the fourth Miami-Dade police officer shot since August.

An attack on an officer is an attack on the community.

I will use every available resource to find this subject. We will not rest until he is found. I am asking the community, if you have any information on the subject, please come forward. This subject is armed and dangerous.  Alfredo "Freddy" Ramirez III (@AFreddyRamirez) March 8, 2023

The series of police shootings began Aug. 15, 2022, when Robbery Intervention Detail Detective Cesar Echy Echaverry was killed in a shootout in Liberty City with a suspected armed robber who also died during the exchange of gunfire. The shooter had escaped a police barricade and ditched his car and took off on foot. Police chased him.

Miami-Dade Police officers shut down and cordoned off the area of Northwest 46th through 41st Streets and Northwest Second Avenue in Miami after a Miami-Dade police officer was ambushed during a narcotics investigation, shot and rushed to Jackson Memorial Hospitals Ryder Trauma Center on Wednesday March 8, 2023.

Then on Nov. 5, a 17-year veteran named Damian Colon was shot in the back of his head by an ex-girlfriend after he returned home. The officer was off-duty. Police said the woman tracked him using GPS on his vehicle. Colon survived and is still recovering from his injuries. The woman was charged with attempted murder.

The next month on Dec. 6, another RID detective was shot in the face during a traffic stop. His name was never released and he recovered quickly. The man accused of shooting him, Gabriel Gongora, was caught after a brief pursuit and has been charged with attempted murder.
Streetsboro police and school officials are warning parents after a Streetsboro Middle School student reported Monday that he was a victim of a growing online threat to kids known as sextortion.

Streetsboro Police Lt. Richard Polivka said Wednesday that the boy was in contact with someone he believed was a girl through an app. He sent her sexually explicit photos of himself, then was threatened into paying for $200 worth of gift cards before he told his mother about the situation.

"He did the right thing. He told his mother," said Polivka.

Polivka said police are investigating, but sextortion cases are difficult.

"We're not assuming this right now, but oftentimes, these individuals are outside the country," he said. "And so it will not be surprising if that turns out to be the case. But in the meantime, we're going to be subpoenaing information, IP addresses and potentially identifying information from the Internet companies that were involved, both from the app and from the Internet providers. We'll request IP information and try and trace it down as best as we can. And if it's someone that's local, and someone that we would be able to have jurisdiction over, of course we prosecute them to the extent that we could."

'A new level of sickness':Kent man sentenced for extorting kids worldwide for nude photos

In a joint media release posted on the police department's facebook page Tuesday evening, Police Chief Tricia Wain and Streetsboro School Superintendent Michael Daulbaugh issued a warning about sextortion in connection with this incident.

What is sextortion?

Sextortion typically involves an adult pretending to be the same age as younger victims to get them to share explicit photos or videos of themselves on camera.

The emerging crisis is primarily affecting adolescents and teens, who make frequent use of Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or other social media platforms.

"To date, we are aware of at least three students who have been targeted," states the release.

Story continues

One of those victims was Streetsboro High School senior James Woods, who died by suicide in November after he was a victim of sextortion.

Sextortion is a nationwide epidemic and is increasing in frequency.

Parents of children who are victims are encouraged to contact the Streetsboro Police Department at 330-626-4976 or their local police agency and screenshot any information or images still remaining on the phone.

"The family of the current victim, along with the Woods family, want everyone to know about sextortion and are encouraging parents and guardians to make sure they are checking their childrens social media accounts to make sure they are safe," the release states. "It is also critical that we take time to encourage our students that if they are a victim of sextortion or any other crime, they have to have the courage to share this information with their parents or the trusted adult in their life. Regardless of how embarrassing or 'big' the mistake may be, families can work through any problem together."

Streetsboro to hold Mental Health and Safety Summit

The Streetsboro City School District will hold a Mental Health and Safety Summit on May 10. The intent of the summit is to educate district parents on internet safety and other mental health-related topics. The Woods family will be the keynote speakers for the evening.

Other breakout session topics are being finalized, but will be relevant to parents of all grade levels. The event will be free to everyone and child care will be provided while parents attend this event.

Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Streetsboro police say sextortion scheme targeted middle school boy
As the world celebrates International Women's Day on Wednesday, there's new cause for concern: More women are feeling dread, worry and burnout and are facing worsening financial pressures, even as inflation continues to ease, new polling shows.

Two of the top three concerns for women are inflation and the economy, according to a survey from Gender on the Ballot  a collaboration between the Barbara Lee Family Foundation and the Women & Politics Institute at American University and Benenson Strategy Group.

The economy was a political cudgel Republicans attacked Democrats with during the 2022 midterms and will likely be another line of attack in the battle for control of the White House and Congress in 2024.

Stay in the conversation: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter

The survey, released on Wednesday and shared early exclusively with USA TODAY, comes after surging inflation led to soaring prices last year, ongoing concerns of a recession, and a debt limit crisis brewing in Washington.

Despite the financial pressure, 78% said women political leaders understand the challenges they're facing and 74% said women leaders would help solve the nation's challenges.

"If the election were tomorrow, or even today, what we can say from this research is that women are telling us that they're more likely to vote with their wallets," said Amanda Hunter, executive director of the Barbara Lee Family Foundation.

Inflation woes: Fed will hike interest rates higher if strong job growth, inflation continue, Fed governor says

Economy concerns and financial struggles

Concern about the economy remains high for women, with 60% saying they are pessimistic about the economy. Nearly half of women, 47%, said they are anxious or worried about how things are going in the U.S..

Only 20% of those surveyed said they were hopeful.

More than half of all women, 56%, said their financial situations worsened in recent years, a six percentage point increase from last year and a 17 percentage increase from 2021.

Story continues

Women have had to resort to drastic measures because of their finances: 67% cut back on going out to restaurants, 48% cut back on groceries and 18% delayed or canceled preventive health screenings.

Women are struggling to afford groceries, according to new polling released Wednesday.

Younger women face higher financial struggles

Nearly 40% of younger women said they can make ends meet each month but struggle to pay or save for unexpected expenses; 20% of young women said they struggle to make ends meet each month and sometimes come up short.

Betsy Fischer Martin, executive director of the Women & Politics Institute, said the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout from the 2020 presidential elections have both contributed to the feelings of dread and financial difficulties .

"This poll will be instructive for consultants and candidates running on how to thread that needle and how to advocate for things. But also in a way that can restore some of the hope and change that we saw so much a decade ago," Martin said.

Burnout even more pronounced for moms and women of color

An overwhelming number of women, 60%, said they are more burnt out than usual. This is an 11 percentage point increase from 2022.

But for mothers and women of color burnout is more pronounced. Nearly 70% of moms with young children are burnt out, a 29 percentage point increase over last year.

For Black women, 56% said they were burned out, a 19 percentage point increase from 2022.

What is burnout?:It starts with work and while self-care can help, it isn't just your problem to solve

Women in political office

Despite the 118th Congress' record number of women in office, 63% of women still said there are too few women in elected office.

Running for office: Women face gender bias even when running against another woman, report shows

Interestingly enough, 85% of those surveyed believe there will be a woman president in the next 20 years. Yet choosing a woman for president in 2024 is important for only 42% of participants.

An overwhelming majority of women, 74%, like the idea of having more women in political office. Yet what matters most to them is party affiliation, not the candidate's gender.

Trust in elections

Half of the women surveyed said the 2024 presidential election will be more important than most, an eight percentage increase from the 2022 midterm elections. Yet only 55% of Republican women trust the results of national elections and only 66% trust in local elections. .

There remains large discrepancies between Republican women's college education levels and electoral integrity. Of the 45% of Republican women who do not trust national elections, 79% are non-college educated.

'It's time to clear the path to equality': Senate revisits Equal Rights Amendment after 40 years

Abortion still an important topic

After the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year, 56% of women said they are less likely to support a presidential candidate who is opposed to abortion.

And roughly a third of Republican women said they are less likely to support a 2024 candidate who opposed abortion.

A little over half of participants, 53%, said they personally support a person's right to abortion and believe it should be legal and available. That figure drops to 23% for Republican women.

Abortion fallout: US abortion bans violate international law, 200 human rights groups say in letter urging UN intervention

Nearly half of all Democrats, 49%, said abortion rights are a top priority for them and want to see a push to improve abortion access.

The survey included 811 online interviews nationwide from Feb. 3  8, 2023 among registered women voters, with an over sample of women age 18-25. The margin of error is 3.4%.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: American women face these big challenges daily, survey shows
A Poughkeepsie man pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder in the shooting death of another man last summer.

Dutchess County Chief Assistant District Attorney Matthew Weishaupt said Devin A. Taylor, 26, pleaded guilty before County Court Judge Edward T. McLoughlin to second-degree murder, a felony, in connection with the death of Darren J. Villani on Aug. 9, 2022.

Taylor also pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a felony, in the Oct. 2, 2022 shooting at the Courtyard by Marriott in the town of Poughkeepsie, in which a parent of a Marist College student, Paul Kutz, was killed.

Taylor was only charged with criminal possession of a weapon in that case, for having a loaded .223-caliber rifle with no serial number. Another suspect, Roy Johnson, was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in that case.

Villani was found lying in the road on Mansion Street next to his car with a gunshot wound to his chest around 1:45 a.m. on Aug. 9, 2022. He was taken to MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie, where he was pronounced dead.

Taylor faces 22 years to life in prison for the murder charge and a concurrent seven-year prison sentence for the weapon possession charge.

Contested site: Dutchess reverses decision to locate homeless shelter at 26 Oakley St.

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McLoughlin scheduled sentencing for April 19. He ordered that Taylor continue to be held without bail at the Dutchess County Jail, pending sentencing.

Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation of the shooting of Villani, including the city and town of Poughkeepsie police, Dutchess County's sheriff's and district attorney's offices, state police, the FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York. The investigation is continuing.

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record, Poughkeepsie Journal and The Journal News/lohud. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @mikerandall845

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Guilty plea to August murder, connection to Marriott killing
In the first year since the start of the pandemic when restaurants and bars were able to (mostly) operate without (major) interruption, Chicagolands food industry injected a jolt of creativity into its latest and greatest concepts.

For our 2023 Critics Choice Food Awards, what stood out the most wasnt necessarily the foods or drinks themselves (although, dont get us wrong, those are decidedly award-worthy all on their own) but the spirit of the people who make that magic happen, day in and day out. In a grueling industry still finding its way through the pandemic, their stories stay with us, long after the last bite of the night.

Our eight winners this year span far and wide  from fantastic pho in a suburban strip in Bloomingdale, to fine dining redefining the Bronzeville neighborhood on Chicagos South Side. But they all have something in common: A drive to put some good into the world, whether it be through a humble slice of pizza or by raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to help people in Ukraine, Ethiopia or their own backyard.

As always, this is just the start of our annual Food Awards  now its your turn. Our Tribune Readers Choice Food Awards launch today, as well, and you can nominate your favorite places in 12 categories through March 15. After that, come back to vote daily for the finalists you want to win through March 31. Well announce the winners of the Readers Choice Food Awards online and in print April 26.

Check out our Critics Choice winners below, then head to chicagotribune.com/FoodAwards2023 to nominate the places that wowed you in 2022.

Best restaurant making waves: Bronzeville Winery

Wine bottles above the bar at Bronzeville Winery. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

As weve said before, there is nothing like Bronzeville Winery  not just around Chicago, but anywhere.

Co-owner Eric Williams recalls a story that captures this idea to a T, recounting an emotional experience between a Cameroonian band member and his family at the South Side restaurant.

He started playing a song from Cameroon, and the mom started doing this African dance, and she was going around the restaurant, he says.  And the whole restaurant started dancing. I never had seen that happen, it was like white people, Black people, South Side  everyone was just so festive.

[ Review: At Bronzeville Winery, a young chef leaves a searing legacy on the South Side of Chicago ]

Co-owners Eric Williams and Cecilia Cuff at Bronzeville Winery. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Nearing its one-year anniversary in April, Bronzeville Winery has asserted its identity as the place for such moments, ones that couldnt happen any other place in the city, Williams says.

Co-owner Cecilia Cuff says its not just neighbors who are hungry for this kind of space. Its also the team of workers behind Bronzeville Winery who crave the opportunity to flourish amid customers who look like them and in a neighborhood in which they have a stake.

Weve recently started getting more servers who (previously) had to leave their communities and make money and come back, she explains. Now theyre saying, I can make as much money at Bronzeville Winery on the South Side and I can ride my bike to work or walk to work, rather than go and commute to the West Loop or downtown. So that feels really good to be able to provide that opportunity.

And with a staff thats found its groove, theyve expanded into more offerings, like an incredibly popular Sunday brunch that debuted a few months ago: Ive never had so many pastors text me  theyre like, Im coming in right after they get out of church, Cuff says.

Executive chef Dondee Robinson has introduced flatbreads and fire-roasted chicken to the menu. In the coming months, Cuff and Williams are looking forward to launching their first house-made wine, creating a fresh menu for summer with a reiteration of their seared watermelon as a vegan nigiri, and continuing to provide one-of-a-kind memories.  Lauryn Azu

4420 S. Cottage Grove Ave., 872-244-7065, bronzevillewinery.com

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Best new old-school pizza: Kims Uncle Pizza

Brad Shorten, from left, and Cecily and Billy Federighi at Kims Uncle Pizza in Westmont. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Ed Marszewski and Bradley Shorten both grew up working in pizzerias in a suburb southwest of Chicago, but neighborhoods and years apart.

They didnt meet until Eat Free Pizza, a pop-up project created by Shorten with his best friends (and now a married couple) Billy and Cecily Federighi. Through twists and turns worthy of a K-drama, the partners first opened Pizza Fried Chicken Ice Cream in the Bridgeport neighborhood (now closed), then took over the pizzeria where Marszewski once worked. It was last owned by Kim Sinclair, a lifelong friend of Eds mother, Maria Marszewski, a fellow Korean American businesswoman, and namesake of Marias Packaged Goods and Community Bar.

Kims Uncle Pizza in Westmont became the unlikely home to the best new old-school thin-crust Chicago-style tavern-cut pizza last July, with obsessions rooted in craft and history.

[ Review: Kims Uncle Pizza is everything you want in a neighborhood pizza joint ]

The stunning signature pizza holds a custom sausage made by Makowskis Real Sausage Co. (founded in 1920) and hot giardiniera from J.P. Graziano Grocery (1937) on a crust inspired by Pats Pizza and Ristorante (1950), then baked beautifully in the inherited Faulds oven made in 1954.

The sausage and giardiniera tavern-style pizza at Kims Uncle Pizza in Westmont. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

A congratulatory call to the pizzeria was interrupted when its Super Bowl preorders opened up and the online ordering system shut down  on National Pizza Day, no less.

When we took over the former Uncle Petes Pizza in Westmont, our goal was to stay true to an original old-school pizzeria, with a modern twist, they said by email later. To be honored with this recognition confirms our efforts didnt go unnoticed.

When asked what advice they might give fellow old-school pizza makers?

We just believe that classic never goes out of style.  Louisa Chu

207 N. Cass Ave., Westmont; 630-963-1900; unclepizzawestmont.com

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Best homecoming: Rubis Tacos

Gilberto Ramirez and Maria Landa, front, with their children Rubi, Gilberto and Evelyn Ramirez-Landa and granddaughters Kailani, 2, and Camila, 3, at Rubis Tacos in Pilsen. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Selling tacos at the Maxwell Street Market has always been family business for Evelyn Ramirez-Landa. She can remember cutting lettuce, onions and cilantro as a preteen back when her parents first sold food from their stand, Rubis Tacos.

If you were standing around with your hands in your pockets, you needed something to do, she recalls.

The Ramirez-Landa familys taco stand  named after Ramirez-Landas younger sister, Rubi  served some of Chicago best tacos at Maxwell Street on Sundays for 23 years. With charcoal-cooked al pastor, freshly made corn tortillas and the magic touch that could only come from using grandmas recipes, it wasnt rare to see lines at the stand stretch a half-block.

When COVID-19 hit, Maxwell Street Market shut down, and the family-run business was denied many of the grants that helped brick-and-mortar restaurants stay afloat. The Ramirez-Landa family sold takeout orders of tacos, quesadillas and pozole from their Albany Park home, until a DishRoulette Kitchen microgrant helped them secure affordable space in a shared kitchen in September 2021.

It was hope, Ramirez-Landa says. We were going to have our first place to run a restaurant.

[ Review: After 25 years, Rubis Tacos finally has a permanent home for one of Chicagos best tacos ]

There was much to learn: labeling ingredients, cooking on a flattop, storing food in a walk-in. And there were plenty of fears too: Ramirez-Landa remembers wondering if people would want to eat Rubis throughout the week instead of at their once weekly stand.

The answer, it seems, is a clear yes: long lines and old employees have returned to Rubis, and now, the only concern is whether their new home is big enough.

Business is amazing. We imagined big, but its really great, Ramirez-Landa says. There are weekends where we cant keep up or we need more space.

The trompo al pastor at Rubis Tacos in Pilsen. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

As the fixed location and spreading recognition brings in new customers, its also brought back many old regulars. Sometimes, they stop to chat, Ramirez-Landa says. Some even tear up.

They saw how hard we worked, out in the cold, in the summers, she says.

And with Rubis now on solid ground (physically and otherwise), who knows how much more the restaurant will grow. Maybe Rubis will someday move into a larger space. Maybe Ramirez-Landas own children  a 3-month-old and a 3-year-old  will join the family effort one day.

Its been a blessing to be able to work alongside my parents and grow this to where we are now, she says. I cannot wait to see my daughters or my niece behind the register or cooking.  Jake Sheridan

1316 W. 18th St., 773-318-9526, rubischicago.com

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Best suburban Vietnamese visit: PhoLicious Kitchen

The signature banh mi Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023 at PhoLicious in Bloomingdale. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

If youd asked me five years ago where to find great Vietnamese food in Chicago, Id have sent you straight to a stretch of Argyle Street near the Red Line CTA stop.

Great options still abound on the pedestrian-friendly street, but over the past few years, exciting new Vietnamese restaurants started popping up further afield, including the delightful Sochi Saigonese Kitchen in Lakeview.

But I was still a bit shocked to encounter PhoLicious Kitchen in suburban Bloomingdale. First-time restaurateurs Jeine and Jon Tran were born in Vietnam, but met after their families moved to the west suburbs of Chicago. Wanting to stay close to their parents, they couldnt think of a better place to open their passion project.

[ Review: The best banh mi in Illinois is made at suburban, immigrant-owned PhoLicious ]

Not that it was easy; theyve worked tirelessly to improve their recipes, traveling back to Vietnam, along with other places with large Vietnamese populations, including Australia, California and Texas. The bread for the banh mi sandwiches alone took Jeine Tran two years to develop. It was time well spent, as the rolls are impressively crackly, yet outrageously light and supple at the same time. Considering its name, the shop also dishes out some phenomenal pho, made with broth that takes 16 hours to cook.

Youd think serving great banh mi and pho would be enough, but after chatting recently with Jon Tran, its clear they arent done. Along with head chef Phong Nguyen, theyve continued to add new items to the menu, and have plans to host even more ambitious dinners as they share their love of Vietnamese cuisine with everyone they meet.  Nick Kindelsperger

369 W. Army Trail Road, Ste. 24, Bloomingdale; 630-283-0955; pholiciouskitchen.com

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Best at bridging generations: Nine Bar

Jones Wang, Jennifer Wang, Lily Wang and Joe Briglio at Nine Bar in Chinatown. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Lily Wang and Joe Briglios bar began as a Lunar New Year pop-up at her parents restaurant on the South Side of Chicago.

Before long, Nine Bar would dramatically transform Jennifer and Jones Wangs Moon Palace into the first craft cocktail bar in Chinatown, bridging generations not only within the business, but among older diners and newer drinkers too.

The most rewarding thing that my parents and Joe and I share with bridging that generational gap is when one of their old customers, who theyve been serving for decades, comes in and realizes that things have changed, but theyre open-minded, Lily Wang says. Theyll check out the bar and then have a great time. Thats exactly what we want.

[ Review: Nine Bar, the first craft cocktail bar in Chicagos Chinatown, offers food and drink for generations ]

The General Jones chicken wings and the Cheating Death cocktail at Nine Bar in Chinatown. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

What the customers want may be a Cheating Death cocktail, an Old Fashioned-inspired drink they served during the first pop-up. Perhaps order it paired with General Jones wings, Wangs fathers crispy, sweet and spicy classic from Moon Palace, which continues as a counter up front, where her mother acts as bouncer early in the evening to the bar hidden behind what looks like a kitchen door.

Briglio thinks its important for his younger generation to be open-minded too.

Theres a lot to learn within the exchange, he says. It doesnt need to be such a clash of generational ideas. Theres a lot to be learned on both sides thats rewarding.  L.C.

216 W. Cermak Road, 312-225-4081, ninebarchicago.com

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Best new Texas-style barbecue: Mels Craft BBQ

Mel Thillens at his restaurant Mels Craft BBQ in Park Ridge. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Texas-style barbecue has been influencing local pitmasters for years, but in 2022, it felt like the freeway-size floodgates officially opened. Suddenly, everyone was serving fat slices of slowly smoked brisket on metal trays with sauce always on the side (if there was any sauce at all), from Black-owned spots on the South Side to halal-friendly options in the west suburbs.

Few put in quite as much effort as Mel Thillens did with Mels Craft BBQ in Park Ridge. His barbecue journey took more than 20 years, starting with simple cookouts for friends before he became infatuated with the barbecue scene in Central Texas. What theyve been doing in Texas over the past 15 years has been phenomenal, Thillens says. Its drawn all of the people from all over the country. Thats what happened to me.

Mel Thillens slices brisket at Mels Craft BBQ in Park Ridge. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

As I noted in my enthusiastic review, Mels has a purposefully short menu, so Thillens can focus on each cut of meat. The result is brisket with an astonishingly tender and juicy profile, which also has a delicate smoke aroma lingering around the edges. But hes also serving top-notch pulled pork and ribs, along with the impressively tender smoked turkey.

Even though Texas remains his top inspiration, that doesnt mean Thillens cant pick up ideas from all over the country. Even in Texas, people are looking elsewhere for inspiration, like the whole-hog barbecue that Rodney Scott is serving in the Carolinas, Thillens says. Since opening, he has added a few new dishes, including a Nashville hot chicken sandwich thats smoked instead of fried, along with a burger that also spends time in the smoker.  N.K.

24 Main St., Park Ridge; 224-985-3461; melsbbq.com

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Best does-it-all-and-more bakery: Sugar Moon Bakery

Dina Cimarusti, owner of Sugar Moon Bakery in Logan Square. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Few bakeries in Chicago are drawing the lines of customers that Sugar Moon Bakery does each week.

Despite the bakery marking its second year, the hype hasnt died down. It still pains Dina Cimarusti, the pastry-chef-turned SFX makeup artist-turned-bakery owner behind Sugar Moon, to turn away hopeful customers who trek from across Chicagoland for a taste of pastries like her famed chocolate chip tahini cookies.

People are so sweet about it, and instead of getting upset with us, they just congratulate us, she says. Theyre like, Good for you. Thats awesome. 

[ Review: Sugar Moon, an experimental baking studio, makes one of the best caramelized crust pizzas in Chicago ]

Cimarustis charge now is to delicately balance making sure Sugar Moon remains the neighborhood small-batch experimental baking studio she envisioned it to be, while embracing the media attention and keeping up with the demand of sold-out pastry cases.

Since shes hired on a few more hands  part-time bakers who help her prep during the week, plus more front-of-house help  the throngs of adoring fans are a little bit more manageable. Its hard to keep up with demand because we have such a small space, she says. We have like one single deck oven.

Dina Cimarusti prepares brioche dough, Feb. 22, 2023, at Sugar Moon Bakery in Logan Square. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

This year, Cimarusti hopes to install another freezer in the storefront to stock take-and-bake pastries such as her uber-popular cinnamon rolls and scones, so disappointed customers wont leave completely empty-handed.

She also visited Italy last fall to find inspiration and see where her grandparents grew up. Playing with Italian flavors in her baking is something she wants to do more. And now shes keeping the menu more consistent: In the beginning, I was changing things out almost every three weeks, she says. And now we try to keep the same menu for at least a month or two, or through a whole season.

In February, Sugar Moon collaborated with home-based pizza baker Billy Zureikat  aka Tripping Billy  to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The bakery sold pizzas topped with sausage and J.P. Graziano giardiniera, and mushroom and spinach.

Shes grateful for the chance to express herself creatively, and that their work has been so well received. She knows how tough the industry can be for some bakers. But Cimarusti says she recognizes she also needs a break now and then. Im still trying to figure out this like work and life balance for sure, she says. Its difficult. But shes confident she can find the perfect mix, one ingredient at a time.  L.A.

3612 W. Wrightwood Ave., sugarmoonchicago.com

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Best way to make change: Chicago Chefs Cook

The Chicago Chefs Cook leadership team, from left, Jodi Fyfe, founder of Paramount Group and Eden, Tony Priolo, partner at Piccolo Sogno, Sarah Stegner, chef and co-owner of Prairie Grass Cafe, Darren Gest, Deloitte consulting partner, and Eda Davidman, sponsorship lead and community outreach, on Feb. 28, 2023 at Eden in Avondale. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

When Piccolo Sogno chef and co-owner Tony Priolo saw the news of Russia invading Ukraine in early 2022, he reached out to his friend and Prairie Grass Cafe co-owner Sarah Stegner.

He really wanted to help. I think all of us were having those same emotions, Stegner says.

The two chefs reached out to dozens of contacts across Chicagos restaurant community. In the end, 72 chefs from the city and suburbs answered the call, inspired by the developing humanitarian crisis, and they formed Chicago Chefs Cook. They locked down event space at Navy Pier. They called attention to their charity dinner. And then did what they do best: cook.

By the time the plates cleared, the group had raised $621,934 for World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that provides meals in disaster areas, including Ukraine. The response amazed the people leading the charge, including Priolo, Stegner, philanthropist Eda Davidman, Deloitte partner Darren Gest, and later, Eden and Paramount Group owner Jodi Fyfe.

Hey, were doing something really good here, lets just keep going, Priolo recalls thinking.

Chicagos chefs did just that.

Chefs Cook hosted another event in September that raised money for a health care-focused charity assisting women and children in Ethiopias war-torn Tigray region, inspired and led in part by Tigist Reda, chef and owner of Demera Ethiopian Restaurant. The group then returned a week later with an event raising money for humanitarian efforts supporting Puerto Rico after a devastating hurricane.

The organization paid $850,000 to charities after the three events, but Chicago Chefs Cook isnt done yet. The group is set to cook March 20 to raise money for earthquake relief in Turkey (styled as Turkiye in the country itself) and Syria, and is also hosting a birthday bash for legendary local restaurateur Ina Pinkney on April 26 that will raise money for Green City Market and kid-focused food education nonprofit Pilot Light.

This is about the voice of the chefs community speaking up, Stegner said. You need to take action.  J.S.

To buy tickets for Chicago Chefs Cooks upcoming events, visit linktr.ee/chicagochefscook.

Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.
The Presidents Office of Ukraine states that Ukraine had no motive to blow up the Russian Nord Stream gas pipe near the coasts of Denmark and Sweden, while it was Russia who had an obvious motive.

Source: Mykhailo Podoliak, advisor to the head of the Presidents Office of Ukraine, on the air during the national joint 24/7 newscast on Wednesday, 8 March, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine

Quote: "Did Ukraine have motives? Of course, it did not. Firstly, it would not have reduced the resource capabilities of Russia. Second, it would not have required Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory. And it would definitely not have changed the course of the war. Instead, if Ukraine had done something like this back then, it would have resulted in a massive information attack against us and the European communities. This could have made everything harder for us as our partners would have been disappointed."

Details: Herewith, Podoliak believes Russia has an obvious motive for the blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

Quote: "Just remember the frantic pace at which the price of a thousand cubic metres of Russian gas was growing. Russia was constantly provoking breakdowns and accidents at the Nord Stream-1 in order not to fulfil its obligations under the contracts. The Russian media was constantly publishing material about the end of Europe. It was an element of pressure

In order to put pressure on them (the Western allies of Ukraine  ed.) and weaken the support of Ukraine, Russia conducted all these campaigns. When it did not manage to blackmail Ukraine and its allies with conversations and propaganda, an explosion occurred. The motive is clear."

Details: Podoliak added that the explosion at the Nord Stream gas pipelines occurred after the effective counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kharkiv Oblast and a corresponding increase in the Western military aid for Ukraine.

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In addition to this, there is a very close coordination between the Ukrainian intelligence and the intelligence of its partners; therefore, it is impossible for the intelligence services of the partner states not to know about Ukraines preparation for some large-scale action.

Quote: "Our intelligence services communicate with one another in many directions. It is impossible for them to miss the signs of preparation for some large-scale actions. This (the blowing up of the Nord Stream gas pipelines  ed.) is one of those large-scale actions that could have changed the course of the war if the accents had been wrong."

More details: Podoliak also pointed out that The New York Times article only provides links to anonymous sources, does not analyse the motives, and uses the phrase "pro-Ukrainian group" with no specification about the members of the group, their goals, etc.

Quote: "In order to analyse this or that incident, you have to understand the motives of the parties involved  their objectives, their possible benefit, etc."

Background:

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






By Kylie MacLellan, Ben Makori and Hannah McKay

CLITHEROE, England (Reuters) -Last year, mother-of-two Louise Sharples found herself turning down a new job she knew she would love because when she added up the cost of full-time childcare for her young daughters, it was more than she would have earned.

After 12 years as a charity shop manager, Sharples, 35, has now taken what she views as a step back in her career, moving to a part-time but slightly better paid cleaning job until her children are older.

A childcare bill of around 800 pounds ($963) - covering four days a week of nursery for 18-month-old Sunnie and wraparound school clubs for 4-year-old Lola - leaves her with around 100 pounds of her wage at the end of the month.

"I'd love to work more hours," Sharples told Reuters at the home in northern England she shares with her children and web-developer husband. "There is no incentive to, because it all just goes to childcare.

"I am thinking what am I doing, why am I working?"

She's not alone. A survey of 24,000 parents published this month by campaign group Pregnant Then Screwed found 76% of mothers who pay for childcare say it no longer makes financial sense for them to work.

The Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP) think tank has estimated that around 1.5 million British mums would work more hours if childcare permitted.

With more than 1.1 million jobs unfilled in Britain, finance minister Jeremy Hunt has been trying to persuade older workers to return from early retirement to ease a tight labour market.

Business groups and researchers argue that acting on childcare in his March 15 budget would do more to unlock greater economic growth.

NOT WORKING

According to children's charity Coram, the average annual price for full-time nursery childcare in England for a child under two was more than 14,000 pounds in 2022.

That makes Britain's childcare among the most expensive in the world, according to the OECD, taking up nearly 30% of the income of a couple with two young children.

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Only Switzerland and New Zealand rank higher, spending 33% and 35% respectively, while in Sweden the figure is just 5%. The OECD average stands at 12%.

Most childcare for under-5s in England is provided by private companies. The government offers some support, including funding 15 free hours a week for 3- and 4-year-olds, while those on the lowest incomes are reimbursed up to 85% of their costs, although they have to pay upfront.

The government says it has spent more than 20 billion pounds in the last five years helping with the cost of childcare. But providers say the funding does not fully cover the cost of the free hours, leaving many on the brink of financial collapse.

With energy and food bills surging, many have either had to raise fees further or close. Data from education watchdog Ofsted showed the number of childcare providers in England fell by 5,400 in the year to August 2022, an 8% drop.

Lauren Fabianski, head of campaigns and communications at Pregnant Then Screwed, said childcare and early years education should be seen as infrastructure.

"Parents cannot work without good quality, affordable childcare," she said. "We have to see the government invest in this in order to get more women back into the workplace."

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

Proposals include lowering the age at which children receive free hours, expanding the number of weeks a year they apply, and boosting funding per hour.

While such reforms would cost billions of pounds a year just as the government is trying to bring down its budget deficit, proponents argue that investment in childcare pays for itself.

The CPP estimates that if the 1.5 million mothers who want to work more were able to, it would result in at least 9.4 billion pounds in additional earnings a year, boosting economic output by more than 27 billion pounds, or around 1% of GDP.

A report in December by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) think tank and charity Save the Children estimated that universally accessible and affordable childcare from six months to the end of primary school at age 11 would provide returns of around 8 billion pounds a year in additional tax contributions and reduced social security spending.

"We also know there are longer-term economic benefits ... to not seeing that loss of talent across our labour market," Rachel Statham, an associate director at the IPPR and one of the report's authors, told Reuters.

World Bank data shows the labour force participation rate among women in Sweden was around 7 percentage points higher than the UK in 2019.

Other countries have started to act. In 2021, Canada announced a C$30 billion investment over five years to help bring down average daily childcare fees to C$10. It has forecast a boost to real GDP of as much as 1.2 percent over 20 years.

VOTE WINNER?

With a British election expected next year, the opposition Labour Party views childcare as a key battleground.

The government is reported to be considering reforms, but has not announced any plans.

Labour, which leads in opinion polls, has pledged to "transform childcare", including fully funded breakfast clubs for every primary school in England.

"Childcare unlocks not just the potential of children, but also the potential of parents," Labour leader Keir Starmer said last month. "Childcare is central to our plans."

Pregnant Then Screwed found 96% of families with a child under 3 were likely to vote for the political party with the best childcare pledge, and Sharples is among them.

"It is my biggest issue," she said. "If a particular party was to promise that childcare would be at the forefront of their changes, my ears would prick up."

($1 = 0.8306 pounds)

(Additional reporting by Gerhard Mey; Writing by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Catherine Evans)
Participants in the OC Pride Parade carry an oversized Progress Pride flag as the event begins along in Santa Ana in June 2022. (Paul Rodriguez / For The Times)

A month after the Huntington Beach City Council voted to stop flying a rainbow flag from its City Hall, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has taken the opposite stance.

The five-member board voted unanimously Tuesday to fly the Progress Pride flag at county offices daily this June in honor of LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

Lindsey Horvath, supervisor for District 3, said the "deliberate exclusion of the flag" by local cities  presumably referring to Huntington Beach  was "disturbing and troubling" to the community.

"As the LGBTQ+ community is under attack," Horvath said in a tweet, "LA will stand loudly & proudly in support of our community. Period."

The motion was co-authored by Horvath and board Chair Janice Hahn.

Referencing anti-LGBTQ+ bills passing "at an alarming rate" nationally, Hahn said: "In the largest county in the nation, LGBTQ+ residents have the unwavering support of their government."

Hahn paid homage to former San Francisco County Supervisor Harvey Milk, who was California's first out gay man elected to public office and who commissioned the first Pride flag in the 1970s.

The updated Progress Pride flag, designed in 2018 by Daniel Quasar, adds more colors to the rainbow. Five new colors, featured in a chevron on the left side of the flag, represent LGBTQ+ people of color and the trans community, Hahn said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Toby Melville/Reuters

Fresh off his tone-deaf dismay at being forced to move into a tiny, five-bedroom home comes the revelation that Prince Andrew is furious over his brothers decision to disrespect him by banning him from wearing the flowing ceremonial velvet robes of the chivalric Order of the Garter at the Coronation.

The brewing row, reported by The Mirror, recalls the standoff between Andrew and the royals at the funeral of Prince Philip, when Andrew sought to wear his vice admiral uniform, even apparently going to the extent of getting a new one made by his London tailor. He remains a vice admiral because of his service in the Royal Navy.

Andrew was stripped of his royal roles as the Virginia Giuffre case unfolded but retained some military associations, and so is, strictly speaking, entitled to wear the military uniform at official events.

However, the royal family, especially Charles, were not at all keen for him to do so. On the occasion of Philips funeral, the queen ultimately stepped in and ordered all royal men to wear tail-coated morning suits for the ceremony.

During the queens funeral, Andrew also wore a black suit, while his siblings all wore military uniforms.

Lucky Prince Andrew Wont Actually Be Made Homeless by King Charles

The latest row involves his position as a member of the Order of the Garter, an elite club of just 24 members, based on chivalric principles, nominated by the monarch. It comprises former prime ministers, senior royals, and other worthies.

Andrew, who paid a settlement to Giuffre but has denied remembering ever meeting her, was not expelled from the order by his mother. However, the royals have sought not to highlight his continued membership. His attendance at Garter events has been problematic ever sincejust last year he was pulled from a public procession of members at the last minute.

Garter members get to wear extravagant headpieces topped with ostrich feathers, ermine collars, and flowing velvet robes on so-called collar daysimportant dates in the royal calendar (of which the Coronation is, of course, one.)

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Now, The Mirror says, Charles is contemplating telling Andrew to just wear a dark suit on his big day.

Their source said he had been left completely in the dark over his role and required dress.

The royal insider said, Andrew is furious. Hes already not playing a part and now he feels he is being disrespected and dictated to over something he is fully entitled to (wear).

Charles has reportedly opted to not wear traditional silk stockings and breeches at his Coronation, and will instead wear a military uniform.

The Mirror said Buckingham Palace did not comment.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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A nighttime traffic stop on a Maryland highway led to a sudden shootout and a deadly police chase, troopers said.

The incident began when a state trooper pulled over the driver of a Toyota Prius on a highway in Wicomico County around 10 p.m. on March 6, according to a police press release. Two other people were in the vehicle as well.

While the trooper approached the side of the car, the driver, a 23-year-old man, pulled out a gun and shot him multiple times, police said.

The trooper, a nearly two-decade veteran of the state police, fired back at the car, which sped away into the night, police said.

Soon after, police from a nearby town located the Prius in a rural neighborhood and followed it into a residential area.

Upon reaching a dead-end street, the driver tried to turn around but instead crashed into two cars and a tree before coming to a stop.

Police surrounded the vehicle and observed (the driver) alone in the vehicle and slumped over the wheel with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. A gun was found inside the car, they said.

Several hours later, two men believed to be the cars other occupants were picked up by police in a neighboring town following a 911 report, police said.

The injured trooper was taken to the hospital and later released. He was then placed on administrative leave, as is procedure.

The incident remains under investigation, police said.

School bus driver attacks 5- and 6-year-olds while driving them home, NH cops say

Mom and her 3-year-old in car full of kids killed in hit-and-run crash, WV cops say

DNA from tooth helps identify remains found in remote Oregon woods years ago, cops say
By Pavel Polityuk and Andriy Perun

KYIV/ZOLOCHIV, Ukraine (Reuters) - Russia fired a huge wave of missiles across Ukraine on Thursday as people slept, killing at least nine civilians and knocking out power in an attack Kyiv said included six Kinzhal hypersonic cruise missiles, one of Moscow's most valuable weapons.

The mass strikes on targets far from the front were the first such wave since mid-February and shattered the longest calm since Moscow began an air campaign against Ukraine's civil infrastructure five months ago.

They also briefly forced Europe's biggest nuclear power plant off the grid.

"The occupiers can only terrorise civilians. That's all they can do. But it won't help them. They won't avoid responsibility for everything they have done," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, describing strikes that hit infrastructure and residential buildings in ten regions.

Russia's defence ministry said it had carried out a "massive retaliatory strike" as payback for a cross-border raid last week. It claimed to have hit all its intended targets, destroying drone bases, disrupting railways and damaging facilities that make and repair arms.

Villagers in Zolochiv in Ukraine's western Lviv region carried a body in a black plastic bag over the rubble of a brick house completely destroyed by a missile. They put the body into the back of a white van with another. A dog lay curled up on a carpet in the ruins.

Oksana Ostapenko said the house belonged to her sister Halyna, whose body was still buried under the rubble with two other family members.

"They still haven't found them. We were hoping that they're alive. But they're not alive," she said.

Another civilian was reported killed by the missiles in the central Dnipro region. Three civilians were separately reported killed by artillery in Kherson.

Moscow says such hits are intended to reduce Ukraine's ability to fight. Kyiv says the air strikes have no military purpose and aim to harm and intimidate civilians, a war crime.

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In the capital Kyiv, a seven-hour alert through the night was the longest of Russia's five-month air campaign.

"I heard a very loud explosion, very loud. We quickly jumped out of bed and saw one car on fire. Then the other cars caught on fire as well. The glass shattered on the balconies and windows," said Liudmyla, 58, holding a toddler in her arms on a Kyiv street near wrecked cars.

"The child got scared and jumped out of bed," she said. "How can they do this? How is this possible? They are not humans."

HYPERSONIC MISSILES

Moscow confirmed it had used hypersonic Kinzhal - Russian for dagger - missiles in Thursday's attack. Ukrainian officials said it was the first time they had faced so many of the weapons, which Ukraine has no way to shoot down.

The White House said that the barrage was "devastating" to see and Washington would continue to provide Ukraine with air defence capabilities.

Russia is believed to have just a few dozen Kinzhals, which fly many times faster than the speed of sound and are built to carry nuclear warheads with a range of more than 2,000 km (1,200 miles). In his speeches, President Vladimir Putin regularly touts the Kinzhal as a weapon for which the transatlantic NATO alliance backing Kyiv has no answer.

Ukraine said the attacks had knocked out power in various places including to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, severing it from the grid and forcing it onto emergency diesel power to prevent a meltdown. It was later reconnected to Ukraine's energy grid, operator Ukrenergo said.

The plant, which Russia has held since capturing it early in the war, is near the front line and both sides have warned in the past of a potential for disaster. Moscow said it was safe.

U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi appealed for a protection zone around the plant.

"Each time we are rolling a dice. And if we allow this to continue time after time then one day our luck will run out," Grossi told the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors.

Kyiv, the Black Sea port of Odesa and Kharkiv were all hit. Targets stretched from Zhytomyr, Vynnytsia and Rivne in the west to Dnipro and Poltava in central Ukraine, officials said.

UKRAINE FIGHTS ON AT BAKHMUT

On the battlefield, the week has seen an apparent shift as Ukraine has decided to fight on in Bakhmut, a small city that has borne the brunt of a Russian winter offensive in the bloodiest fighting of the war.

Moscow says Bakhmut is important as a step to securing the surrounding Donbas region, a major war aim. The West says the ruined city has little value and Russian forces are sacrificing lives to give Putin his only victory since sending hundreds of thousands of reservists into battle at the end of last year.

Ukraine had appeared likely to withdraw from Bakhmut, but commanders now say they are inflicting enough damage on Russia's assault force to justify staying and fighting on.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia's Wagner private army which has led the fighting in Bakhmut, said on Wednesday his forces controlled all of the city east of a river through it.

Moscow, which claims to have annexed a fifth of Ukraine, says it launched its "special military operation" a year ago to combat a security threat. Kyiv and the West call it an unprovoked war to subdue an independent state.

(This story has been refiled to remove extraneous words in paragraph 18)

(Reporting by Reuters bureaux,; Writing by Peter Graff, Alexandra Hudson, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
The heads of the House Progressive, Asian Pacific American and Hispanic caucuses urged President Biden on Tuesday to reject the reinstatement of a policy assigning migrant families to detention centers.

Democratic Reps. Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), who leads the Progressive Caucus; Judy Chu (Calif.), who leads the Asian Pacific American Caucus; and Nanette Barragan (Calif.), who leads the Hispanic Caucus, said in a statement they are deeply concerned about reports that the Biden administration might bring back the family detention policy to try to deter people from migrating illegally.

We should not return to the failed policies of the past. There is no safe or humane way to detain families and children, and such detention does not serve as a deterrent to migration, they said. We strongly urge the administration to reject this wrongheaded approach.

The New York Times reported on Monday that officials familiar with discussions said the administration might return the policy of detaining families that cross the border without authorization that gained national attention during the Trump administration.

Democrats and immigrant advocates slammed the Trump administration for the policy, and Biden ended it once he took office. But the Biden administration has faced mounting criticism over its handling of the situation at the U.S. southern border, with record numbers of migrants coming into the United States.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on the reports that the administration may bring back the policy at a press briefing on Tuesday.

She pointed to the expected end of Title 42, a COVID-19 pandemic-era policy that allowed officials to expel illegal migrants more quickly, once the COVID-19 public health emergency ends in May and emphasized that the administrations approach to the issue is to promote legal ways for migrants and increase border security.

The caucus chairs said in their statement that they agree with a statement that Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas made in saying, A detention center is not where a family belongs, in 2021.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
NEW YORK (AP)  A U.S. prosecutor displayed grisly crime-scene photos as he urged a jury Tuesday to impose the death penalty on a proud terrorist who killed eight people in a vehicle attack in New York City in 2017, while defense lawyers insisted death was not the answer.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Houle told jurors that defendant Sayfullo Saipov, 35, chose to violently smash and crush his victims, who were defenseless and included a child with his Halloween day truck attack.

She reminded jurors of the horror of the day by showing them gory pictures of the dead, some with clothing torn away, and by reminding them of the tearful testimony of their family members and some of the 18 individuals who suffered injuries but survived.

It is brutal to look at these photographs. But it is important, Houle said.

The images affected one man sitting among families of the victims so strongly that he appeared to lose consciousness, leading the judge to interrupt Houle's closing long enough for an ambulance to be summoned. The man later walked into the ambulance.

A defense lawyer, David Patton, told jurors in closing statements in federal court that death was not the answer for his client, a Uzbekistan citizen.

In his closing to the same federal jury that convicted Saipov in January, defense lawyer Patton said a death sentence was not necessary, especially since a decision against death would mean his client would spend of the rest of life in extreme isolation at the nations most secure federal prison in Florence, Colorado.

I know he committed a horribly, horribly violent crime, Patton said.

Before the summation had resumed, Patton requested a mistrial over the prosecutor's images, citing traumatic imagery so dramatic that it so affected a man, the husband of an FBI agent, who was sitting among victims' families. Patton said a woman seated nearby also seemed to have been affected by the images.

The judge denied the request at a trial that has featured numerous days of testimony by emotional witnesses and gruesome images and videos from the killing scene.

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Houle said the death penalty was appropriate because of choices made in planning the attack and carrying it out, choices of Sayfullo Saipov, a proud terrorist.

He chose to come to this country and then fight for an enemy, the prosecutor said. In our system of justice, the highest punishment is reserved for those who commit the most heinous crimes.

Prosecutors said at a trial that resulted in guilty verdicts against Saipov in late January that Saipov admitted to FBI agents that he carried out the attack on behalf of the Islamic State group and would have continued to the Brooklyn Bridge to kill others if he had not crashed his truck and been shot by a police officer.

Patton suggested that if left alive, Saipov may 10 years from now, maybe longer, question what he had done, just as his closest relatives said they hoped would happen if he lived.

Now maybe he won't, his lawyer said, If he doesnt, he will still die alone in prison."
Protestors took to the streets of downtown Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon to oppose the controversial APD training facility set to be built in DeKalb County.

The march that started around 12 p.m. is calling for Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens to stop the construction at the facility.

A music festival at the site over the weekend turned into chaos when more than 100 protestors changed into black clothing and entered the construction area and began to throw large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails and fireworks at police officers. It ended with 23 people arrested and charged with domestic terrorism.

Channel 2s Richard Elliot was in downtown Atlanta when demonstrators left Woodruff Park and marched through the area. The group paused to protest outside the Georgia Pacific building and then the AT&T Long Lines building before returning to the park.

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

Dozens of Atlanta police officers and Fulton County sheriffs deputies kept a close eye on the protestors in case it turned violent like Sundays demonstration.

Other than showering the police with insults, protestors were completely peaceful.

I mean, theyre peaceful enough. Theyre not bothering anybody, Kelly Williams said.

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Law enforcement on scene Tuesday simply watched and made sure protestors stayed on the sidewalk to keep themselves and drivers safe.

Georgia State University Yasmine Jackson told Elliot that she doesnt mind the protest as long as its peaceful.

I feel like its very empowering. I love to see peaceful protests. I always like to see peaceful protests, she said.

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Some of the protestors said they planned an arts festival at the site of the facility.

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IN RELATED NEWS:
The nominations have been tallied, and its time to start casting those votes  for the mayoral runoff, sure, but just as importantly: For the 2023 Readers Choice Food Awards.

Over the past week, more than 900 nominations came pouring in for our 12 categories, from Best New Restaurant to your favorite Chicago-style barbecue, nonalcoholic drinks, suburban restaurant and more.

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Now weve narrowed it down to five finalists in each category  and 10 for Best New Restaurant  and voting begins Friday and runs through March 31. Readers can vote daily for their favorites, and then check back April 26 to see who wins it all.

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[ Critics Choice Food Awards: From pizza to pho, our picks for the best in Chicago dining for 2023 ]

As with last year  the first time we introduced the nomination period  we took a few things into account when selecting the finalists: If nominations come from the restaurants themselves, or if the same person appeared to submit multiple nominations through different emails, we factored that into our decision.

If you missed it earlier this month, check out our Critics Choice Awards, featuring our picks for the best in Chicago dining in 2023, from pizza to pho. Want to see which of your favorite spots have won in the past? Weve got a searchable map with every winner since 2011.

Best of luck to our worthwhile finalists, and may the most delicious morsels win.

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >

Businesses can download a media kit with promotional assets to encourage patrons and fans to vote in the Readers Choice Food Awards.

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If the voting form does not load below, try refreshing, or click here to vote.

This years categories include:

Best New Restaurant: Your favorite spot to open in 2022. Best Chicago-Style Barbecue: Rib tips and links? Sign us up. Best Nonalcoholic Drink Menu: Whether its NA beer, spirit-free cocktails or a mix of nonalcoholic sippers, which Chicagoland spot has the best to offer? Best Sandwich: Slap something between two pieces of bread and call it a day. Best Plant-Based Food: Your favorite spot for vegan and vegetarian bites. Best Diner: Old-school, new-school or somewhere in between. Best Steak: Which spot sets your heart a-sizzlin? Best Suburban Restaurant: Because great dining doesnt end at the city limits. Most Impressive Cult Following: Do they have lines around the block? A devoted social media audience? This will be a true battle of the fans. Best Next-Gen Asian Restaurant: Which contemporary dining destination knocks your socks off? Best Sweet Treat: Whether its a perfect dessert to finish an ideal dinner, or a baked goods emporium, whats the best item in town to satisfy that sweet tooth? Best Late-Night Haunt: Bonus points if everybody knows your name.

archeung@chicagotribune.com

Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.
Georgian police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse thousands of protesters who rallied after a Russian-inspired foreign agents draft law was passed in its first reading in Georgia's parliament on March 7.

To become law, the bill has to pass second and third readings. Given the results of the initial vote and the backing by the ruling Georgian Dream party, the legislation is expected to pass the parliament.

The law on transparency of foreign influence would require organizations that receive over 20% of funding from overseas to register as foreign agents.

The Russian foreign agent law obliges organizations funded from abroad oras expanded in July 2022anyone perceived by the Kremlin to have fallen under foreign influence to register as a foreign agent. The law subjects them to strict financial audits and requires to publish all content under a disclaimer that its being distributed by a foreign agent, but is often used as a way to target groups and individuals critical of the government.

Many non-governmental organizations have criticized the legislation saying that it violates international human rights law.

The foreign agents bills seek to marginalize and discredit independent, foreign-funded groups and media that serve the wider public interest in Georgia, said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

They clearly aim to restrict critical groups and crucial media, violate Georgias international obligations, and would have a serious chilling effect on groups and individuals working to protect human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.

The U.S Embassy in Georgia said that the legislation is incompatible with the people of Georgias clear desire for European integration and its democratic development and called March 7 a dark day for Georgias democracy.

In a video address from the U.S., Georgias President, Salome Zourabichvili, said she supports the protesters and promised to veto the controversial law on foreign agents, reports Mtavari.

Earlier, the Georgian parliament overruled a presidential veto on the wiretapping law, which was criticized by human rights activists.
Lawmakers from both parties have failed  twice  to give the Space Force its own Space National Guard, which they say the new service needs in order to draw on skilled personnel, just like the Army does with the National Guard.

Now, supporters of creating the Space Guard have mounted a fresh pressure campaign with a revised pitch to win over the Biden administration and other opponents: it's not as expensive as you think.

Its the latest round in a cross-party turf war that pits members of Congress and National Guard leaders against fellow lawmakers and an administration wary that standing up a separate Space Guard  which would see some current members of the Air National Guard transfer over to the new service  will result in more expensive bureaucracy.

Lawmakers from seven states and one U.S. territory that contain National Guard units with military space missions are banking that this year they'll sway the administration and skeptical senators that a Space National Guard is the best way to provide part-time forces to the fledgling Space Force. But they still have a high hurdle to clear.

Advocates are aiming to convince cynics the true cost is much lower than administration estimates that drove the initial opposition. Theyre also banking on a long-delayed report from the Air Force that outlines how to best structure the space guard and reserve mission. And one top proponent is making the case directly to the Space Forces top officer.

"I think momentum is building," Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) said in an interview. He argued that the current structure, in which members of the Air National Guard with space-related duties would stay in the Air Guard, is "not workable in the long term."

The Space Force has a complex mission, which includes keeping an eye on missile warnings, monitoring space launches and detecting nuclear detonations. So it will likely rely heavily on part-time personnel, who bring high-tech experience from their day jobs and who don't want to commit to the military on a full-time basis. But those weekend warriors are now in the Air National Guard, an arrangement that proponents of a new outfit argue complicates training and staffing of the Space Force.

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Several prominent lawmakers from both parties support creating a separate Space Guard. Crow and Colorado Republican Doug Lamborn, who chairs the House Armed Services panel that oversees military space issues, are reintroducing a Space Guard bill, while Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) are spearheading legislation in the Senate. National Guard brass are also on board. Several state Guard leaders have publicly called for the shift and Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Daniel Hokanson supports the move.

The White House and the Pentagon arent sold, however, and neither is much of the Senate, as many prefer to wait and see what Air Force and Space Force leaders propose.

Crow plans to make his case directly to Space Force brass. The Colorado Democrat said he's spoken to Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman about the issue several times, including at the Munich Security Conference last month.

"We're going to follow up," Crow said. "He agreed to take a meeting with me to discuss it."

Fear of a budget blowup

The biggest hurdle for proponents  which includes space-heavy states such as Colorado, Florida, California and Hawaii  is convincing the Biden administration that creating a new Guard branch out of the current space missions housed in the Air National Guard wont be as expensive as they fear.

Administration officials strongly oppose creating a separate Space National Guard, the White House declared last July, citing the additional overhead that would come with a new component.

The Congressional Budget Office assessed the costs of creating smaller and larger models for a Space National Guard in a 2020 report.

A smaller Space Guard  based on transferring 1,500 personnel from existing Guard units with space missions in Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Guam, New York, Ohio and Wyoming  would result in $100 million in additional annual operating costs, the nonpartisan scorekeeper assessed.

The CBO also examined a larger model in which a Space National Guard is a size proportional to the Air National Guard relative to the active-duty Air Force, and could have a presence in every state and territory. CBO estimated doing so would balloon the hypothetical organization to 5,800 personnel.

The nearly $500 million annual price tag is a figure that OMB cited when arguing against creating the organization. The nonpartisan analysis group is not currently working on an update to the 2020 report, a spokesperson said in a statement.

That sticker shock is a concern that mired a push to create an active-duty Space Force years ago. But Space Guard advocates say the hefty price tag doesnt accurately capture their plans.

"I think there is a substantial misunderstanding about what it is we're trying to achieve here. We're simply trying to grandfather in the existing states and territory that have Space Guard and reserve components into a Guard, Crow said. We're not trying to create a new Guard infrastructure in every state. And that seems to be what OMB thinks we're trying to do.

Proponents, including the National Guard Bureau of the United States, argue the costs are wildly overstated, with some advocates arguing the actual cost could even be as low as $250,000 and would not require any new facilities.

Organizational disconnect

Supporters contend that, just like other branches, the Space Force needs its own part-time cadre to draw the personnel it needs to fully carry out its mission.

Lawmakers also argue that the Space Force won't truly be on par with other military branches while its Guard personnel continue as part of the Air National Guard, which they warn would undermine training, recruiting and funding.

Feinstein said doing so will fix an "organizational disconnect" between active-duty and Guard personnel in the Space Force.

"A Space Force National Guard would save money because otherwise we will eventually have to replace the capabilities we have in the Guard today with new units created from scratch inside the Space Force," Feinstein said in a statement. "A Space National Guard should have been created when Space Force was created."

Air National Guard units that are conducting space missions have an unusual relationship with the Space Force. While they fall under the Air Forces command structure, the personnel receive operational tasking orders from the Space Force.

The arrangement makes it difficult for these Air National Guard personnel to get appropriate training because that is overseen by a different service, said Lt. Gen. Michael Loh, head of the Air National Guard and former Colorado adjutant general.

I can't right now send them to basic military training with the Space Force [the service] they would actually be going off to combat with, Loh told reporters last year at the Air & Space Forces Association annual Air Warfare Symposium.

But opponents consider the move a power play by Guard and state leaders, and even some leaders who see a Space Guard as inevitable aren't convinced it's needed just yet.

On top of the potential cost, they contend a Space Guard would mean extra bureaucracy and overhead when the Space Force was intended to be as streamlined and cost-effective as possible when it was created.

Space Force brass, meanwhile, haven't publicly endorsed the concept, instead floating a hybrid model that draws on both active-duty and reserve guardians.

Senate skeptics

Some on the Armed Services Committees are waiting to see the Space Forces proposal before choosing sides. The service is expected to submit a proposal for a reserve component as part of the fiscal 2024 budget request.

"There's a little bit of hesitancy without a solid, solid plan to impose the entirety of the [National Guard Bureau] structure on top of such a small and agile service, said one congressional aide, who was granted anonymity to discuss the debate.

Plan or none, the debate is expected to play out again in annual defense policy legislation. Senate Armed Services Chair Jack Reed (D-R.I.)  whose support is needed for a Space Guard proposal to pass the upper chamber  isnt swayed yet. Instead, Reed says hes waiting to see what Saltzman and Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall recommend.

I don't sense the movement, Reed said of senators supporting a Space Guard. But we really haven't brought it up."

Only one of Feinstein and Rubios eight cosponsors, Florida Republican Rick Scott, sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

House Armed Services is likely to approve a Space Guard as part of its version of the National Defense Authorization Act, as it has done with little controversy over the past two years. But even House leaders who support the concept arent sure the time is right for a full-fledged Guard.

Decorating the Christmas tree

House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said hes fine with Crow and Lamborns proposal being included when the committee considers the defense bill in the spring, but said congressional leaders would ultimately make a call based on whether the Space Force agrees.

"This is one of those things that I want the Space Force to have what they need, but I'm gonna let them do it at their pace, Rogers said. I think it's inevitable that it's going to happen. I just don't think it's gonna happen right away."

Its unclear so far what the Pentagon will recommend or if top brass will ultimately come around to agree with a standalone Guard branch.

Saltzman stuck to the Pentagon line that a dedicated Space National Guard isnt currently needed during his Senate confirmation last September. He reiterated the services stated goal of a hybrid model that includes full and part-time guardians in a single component.

And the argument over how best to train, equip and supply part-time talent to the Space Force may get overshadowed by other more heated space debates on Capitol Hill. The Colorado and Alabama delegations are engaged in a political slugfest over the fate of the permanent headquarters of the U.S. Space Command.

But a slow and steady buildup could win again if the most vocal advocates of the newest military branch arent anxious to move ahead with a separate Guard.

It's like a Christmas tree. You start with just the tree. Then you start adding lights and then you start adding decorations, Rogers explained. We just put the tree up that first year and what we have done subsequently has just been layering on things. And that's always the way I've envisioned the Space Force growing."
Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik/Pool via Reuters

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov thinks there may be some nefarious conspiracy against him that allowed horse thieves in the Czech Republic to kidnap his treasured stallion.

The warmonger on Wednesday took time out from gushing over Russian President Vladimir Putin and calling for death to satanists in Ukraine to set the record straight on Zazou, the horse that Czech police say was snatched from a stable over the weekend.

In a post on Telegram, Kadyrov lamented that his poor horse had now been victimized twicefirst in 2014, when Zazou took the first heinous blow from the democratic West upon himself when he was added to a list of sanctioned assets.

The beautiful and noble animal has now suffered a second time, he said, due to a suspicious plot by unknown forces.

Today it turns out that Zazou was stolen by unknown people. How is that possible? Was he being kept on some remote farm so they could take him so easily? Where is the security? Where are the gallant police with democratically efficient and advanced investigative methods? he whined.

He went on to dispute reports that Zazou was worth about $18,000, insisting the prized horse is actually worth no less than $10 million.

I dont believe in coincidences. The horse thieves are unique somehow: stupid enough to steal a sanctioned horse and cunning enough so that the police do not find them. I do not believe it, he said, fretting over the stallion falling into the wrong hands.

Beleaguered Russian Commanders Now Babysitting Boss Kids in Ukraine

Kadyrovs concerns over his horse come amid growing speculation that his 17-year-old son is being groomed to eventually replace him. News broke earlier this week that Akhmat Kadyrov met personally with Putin for the first time, a meeting that in many ways mimicked the elder Kadyrovs own first meeting with Putin before he was appointed first deputy prime minister of Chechnya.

Kadyrov said Putin told his son about his grandfather Akhmad Kadyrov, Ramzan Kadyrovs predecessor who was assassinated in 2004. The Russian leader is said to have told the teen Kadyrov to be proud of his grandfather and to continue on the path that he had begun.

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REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

A group of Russian troops sent to Ukraine to fight for the Kremlins new territory is threatening to raise absolute hell over what they describe as pointless suicide missionsand theyve made clear theyre willing to turn their weapons on members of their own team if necessary.

The draftees from Kaliningrad have already appealed directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin to complain of ancient weapons, lack of training, and people dying for nothing. In a video released publicly earlier this week, they shamed top military brass by saying there appears to be no battlefield strategy whatsoever and declaring that this is no way to fight a war.

Now, a video has leaked capturing the aftermath of their complaints. In a five-minute clip released by the independent outlet Ostorozhno, Novosti, the men can be seen surrounding a commander sent out from Kaliningrad and warning him they will put up a fight if they are not heard.

You can jail us all! How many years is it, 5, 7, 10? We dont give a fuck! one soldier yells after the commander tries but fails to convince them to obey orders and storm Ukrainian positions.

The troops say they were never meant to be part of assault teams but were instead assigned as members of territorial defenses. The Kremlin-backed proxy troops fighting in occupied Donetsk, they say, send them on suicide missions while they themselves run away or sit around away from the gunfire.

Youve Been Screwed: Russian Inmates Rebel and Flee From Commanders

They shout that theyd rather go to jail than go on guaranteed-to-fail assault missions for who knows what.

Did you see that puddle of blood here? That person was sent to storm [Ukrainian positions], so he pulled the trigger, because he knew where he was headed, one soldier says. Do you want suicides here?

After the commander responds that theyve presented a weak argument for not obeying orders, they warn that they will use force.

No one is going on this storm. You can fucking jail us all. And if someone tries to trick us and say we supposedly arent going there and then they throw us on the frontline, it will be a shitshow, it wont be forgiven, we will just go head to head against them, one soldier says.

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Honestly, were ready for that, he says, asking the entire group: Is everyone ready for that?

Yes, yes! Everyone! the group responds in unison.

We are so fucking angry after the deaths of our friends well walk on foot, well leave by taxi. Fight your fucking self! the apparent leader of the group says.

He goes on to tell the commander that several other soldiers had been taken away, apparently after also protesting conditions.

They came at night. What is that? Is it 1939? NKVD? Black ravens? he said, referring to the Soviet secret police rounding up enemies in night-time raids.

This latest uprising by draftees is just the most recent of many as the Russian war machine finds itself running out of men to use as cannon fodder. And in a particularly ironic twist, more and more of the same young Russian citizens that Putin claimed to be trying to protect from outside forces with his full-scale invasion are now being sacrificed for the sake of his conquest of Ukrainian land.

Previously, the Donetsk and Luhansk draftees were used as expendable materials, but now its the Russians, military analyst Kirill Mikhailov told iStories of the mounting conflict between Kremlin-backed troops in Ukraines occupied territories. They cannot fight any other way. If the approach doesnt fundamentally change, which I doubt, then Russian draftees will keep dying this way.

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By John Revill and Oliver Hirt

ZURICH (Reuters) -A concert cellist linked to Vladimir Putin moved millions of francs through Swiss bank accounts without proper checks, Swiss prosecutors said on Wednesday in a trial of four bankers accused of helping him.

Prosecutors alleged that Sergey Roldugin, a close friend of the Russian president, deposited millions of francs in Swiss bank accounts between 2014 and 2016.

The four bankers - three Russians who worked in Zurich and one Swiss - appeared at Zurich District Court on Wednesday and denied charges of lacking diligence in financial transactions. They cannot be identified under Swiss reporting restrictions.

The hearing was adjourned with a decision due to be given on March 30.

The prosecution told the court the bankers failed to do enough to determine the identity of the beneficial owner of the funds. Sums of around 30 million Swiss francs ($31.84 million) were involved in the case, said public prosecutor Jan Hoffmann.

Roldugin was named the owner of two accounts opened at Gazprombank Switzerland in 2014.

This was despite the musician, who appears on Switzerland's list of sanctioned Russians, having no listed activity as a businessman.

Roldugin was among scores of members of Putin's inner circle sanctioned by the West, including Switzerland, after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Reuters has approached his representatives for comment.

The case highlights how people like Roldugin were used as "strawmen", the indictment seen by Reuters said, a way to hide the true owners of money.

"All the evidence runs contrary to Sergey Roldugin being the real owner of the assets," prosecuting lawyer Hoffmann told the court.

"The bankers have not followed the rules and should therefore be punished," he added.

Defence lawyer Bernhard Loetscher said doubts about the identity of the true owner were "not enough from a criminal law point of view," for a conviction.

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It was also "plausible" that Roldugin was rich because he was a friend of Putin, Loetscher said.

His position as a favourite of the Kremlin meant he could benefit from beneficial financing and unsecured loans to build his wealth, the defence said.

Prosecutors are seeking suspended sentences of seven months for each of the bankers.

QUESTIONS ABOUT PUTIN'S ASSETS

There is little trace of Putin's assets.

"It is well known that ... Putin officially only has an income of 100,000 Swiss francs, and is not wealthy, but in fact has enormous assets which are managed by persons close to him," the indictment said.

Reuters has asked the Kremlin for comment on Putin's relationship with Roldugin and about his own wealth and assets.

Putin has in the past said that Roldugin is a friend, a brilliant musician and benefactor who has honestly earned some money from a minority stake in a Russian company.

The Kremlin has previously dismissed any suggestion that Roldugin's funds are linked to the Russian leader as anti-Russian "Putinophobia". Putin's finances are a matter of public record, says the Kremlin, saying he has regularly declared his assets and salary to Russian voters.

GODFATHER

The bankers in the case did not carry out sufficient checks to see if Roldugin was the true owner of the assets in question, the indictment said.

"At the time of the opening of the account it was reported in various articles ... that Sergey Roldugin was a close friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin and godfather of his daughter," it said.

Other red flags were ignored, and the defendants did not attempt to clarify the plausibility of Roldugin being the real owner of the assets, or the money's origin, it added.

Only Roldugin's professional activity as a musician was listed in bank documents, making his ownership of the assets "in no way plausible", the indictment said.

In Switzerland, banks are obliged to reject or terminate business relationships if there are doubts about the identity of the contracting party.

($1 = 0.9421 Swiss francs)

(Reporting by John Revill; editing by Angus MacSwan, Alex Richardson, Raissa Kasolowsky, Mark Heinrich and Jane Merriman)
Kelli Mosteller, director of Harvard University Native American Program (Courtesy photo)

Harvard University has a reputation that precedes it: Founded in 1636, Its one of the oldest institutes dedicated to higher learning in the United States, and ranked as the most prestigious university in the world.

But throughout Indian Country, Harvards legacy also includes its racist attitudes towards Native Americans resulting in the second-largest (after UC Berkeley) collection of Indigenous human remains and their burial objects in the countryat least 6,162 individuals and 13,615 of their burial artifacts, according to a federal database.

In the past several years, the institutionincluding the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology where the ancestors are kepthas begun to turn towards its history. In March 2019, a descendant of enslaved individuals sued Harvards Peabody Museum, claiming it was profiting by using photos of her ancestors on the cover of a $40 anthropology book. Six months later, Harvard President Larry Bacow announced an initiative on Harvard & the Legacy of Slavery that culminated in a 130-page report released in April 2022, and a $100 million pledge to study and atone for its extensive ties with slavery of both Black and Indigenous people.

One aspect of the original mission of Harvard College was to educate (and convert) Native students alongside white classmates, the report reads. In the 1640s, the fledgling Colony was in the throes of an economic crisis, and the College was on the edge of collapse: Christianizing Indigenous people opened up vital new avenues of financial support.

In January 2020, Peabody Museum staff discovered the remains of 15 formerly enslaved people of African descent in its museum collection. It is still working to repatriate them, along with the thousands of Native ancestors.

In July 2022, Harvard brought on Kelli Mosteller (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) to direct the universitys Native American program, which was instituted in the 1970s to help with Indigenous student enrollment and support. Mosteller has a Ph.D. in Native American history from the University of Texas at Austin, and more than 12 years of experience facilitating repatriations for her tribe as a NAGPRA and tribal historic preservation officer.

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When I applied and interviewed, in my interview, I said, You all have a really bad track record, and a terrible history, Mosteller told Native News Online. Everyone said We know, and we are actively trying to change that, and that's why we want you to come.

In her role as director of the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP), Mosteller works to recruit and retain Native students, support Indigenous students culturally and academically on campus, and promote university-wide engagement with Indigenous issues. This year, 331 Harvard students self-identify as Indigenous, Mosteller said. Of them, her department is heavily engaged with about 140 students.

Mosteller replaced outgoing director Shelly Lowe (Dine), who was selected by President Biden in October 2021 to lead the federal cultural agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Native News Online spoke with Mosteller on her new role, why premiere institutions like Harvard have such large collections of ancestral human remains, and how she dealt with the university's recent additional findings of hair clippings taken from Native children at boarding schools.

In your opinion, why has one of the leading institutions in America been one of the worst offenders of NAGPRA?

They have one of the largest collections. You cant get around that. For a very long time, Harvard was actively collecting, but they were also taking on entire collections from other institutions that were deaccessioning. So, the sheer number is one thing.

Another is that for a very long time, they were very concerned about following the letter of the law. NAGPRA is one of those laws that has had a few amendments over the years that has made it to where you don't have so many gray areas. Harvard is guilty offor a very long time (following) the strictest letters that they could. Also, they just didnt have an adequate number of staff. They recently (doubled their staff when they) brought on four more staff members to help with (NAGPRA).

What has changed?

I would say that in the last five or six years, there's been a real change.

For so long, not just Harvard, but many institutions made the academic argument that human remains further research. Theyre not doing that anymore.

We have an incoming president, Claudine Gay. She will be inaugurated as Harvard president this summer. Just days before her announcement was made that she'd be president, she made the statement that human remains do not belong on museum shelves. They do not belong here. They need to go back.

So from the incoming president, to the executive director of the museum, Jane Pickering, to everyone on the NAGPRA Committee, nobody is making that argument anymore.

I think it took a lot of change in the attitudes of people at the highest level. It took commitment to funding it properly. It took some shaming, also.

How has your experience as a NAGPRA officer for your tribe informing your work at Harvard? Are you assisting with repatriation?

Im actually on a few different committees. I am on the Harvard NAGPRA Advisory Committee, which is chaired by (Professor of History) Phil Deloria. There are a handful of us on the committee that work with the staff from the Peabody Museum to make sure that NAGPRA consultations are staying on course. We meet every other month and really look at: what's the progress of consultations, what kinds of repatriations are coming up, what collections do we need to make sure that due diligence is being done to consult with tribes? (The NAGPRA Committee) really keeps several sets of eyes on that repatriation process.

I am also on the Human Remains Return Committee, which is a newly formed committee that was put together after the release of the Legacy of Slavery report. They really took a hard look at the collections both at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, or the Warren Anatomical Museum, and they discovered that they had the remains of more than 15 individuals that were known to be enslaved at the time they passed away, or were likely to have been enslaved. These (individuals), of course, fall outside of NAGPRA, because they aren't Native. But we are working with the museum and the university to do the proper research to try to make affiliations between these individuals and their descended communities and figure out how we get these ancestors back to the communities that they belong with so that they can be properly taken care of.

This has new challenges to it, because NAGPRA doesn't dictate this. We use NAGPRA as a framework, but of course with NAGPRA you have tribal government on the other end that you're doing consultation with. In these cases, there's no government on the other side. It may sometimes be individuals, or it may be a set of families or it may be an organization.

Are you involved in the repatriation process for the Woodbury Collection Harvard recently discovered that includes 700 hair samples taken from Indian boarding school children?

Those fall under NAGPRA, so they do get dealt with under my participation as a member of the NAGPRA Committee.

The Woodbury Collection was absolutely devastating. I started in July, and we learned of and started helping our students understand and process the Woodbury collection in November. I had not been employed very long when we learned about this, and had to figure out not only how to work with tribes, of course, but we have students on campus who likely could have family members with hair in the collection.

We had to be very mindful about the fact that this is hard on every Native person, but our students, in particular, are in a space where they need a lot of attention and care, so (we) made sure their needs were met.

In what ways were those needs met?

It was almost like a triage. We were emailing very regularly with our students. We set up a space where we had medicines. We would smudge regularly.

We brought in some former staff and faculty members who have training as mental health professionals. We had the Native staff members who work at the museum come, so that if students had technical questions, there was someone here who is Native who understands how sensitive this is and can answer those questions. You have all these questions about: why would someone do this? We were helping with the museum in their work reaching out to all of the tribes.

It was the number one thing on our agenda for weeks. Every single day, we had to assess what the needs were that day, and be ready to respond to themalso all while we were processing this ourselves.

How do you reconcile with your role in this process?

I did not pull punches in my (job) interview. I said: Here's the things that we have to be able to talk about. Here's the things that you have to be able to tell me that you're working towards. Im not wanting to harp on the past if you're telling me that your goal and your commitment is to do the right thing moving forward.

They were able to make those assurances to me, and I can tell you being here now, every single thing that they said that they would do, theyre living up to. Even this whole experience with the Woodbury Collection, it has been a really interesting experience as someone who, seven months before, would have been the one on the other side of that phone call.

There's been a few times where (the museum staff has a plan), and when they are hearing from the tribes that that's not what they want, (Peabody staff) is changing their plans. This is consultation in action, this is how it is supposed to happen.

There are so many more Native voices in this decision making process now that things are happening with a lot of attention and care and thinking about the spirit of NAGPRA, not just the letter of the law of NAGPRA.

I know Harvard has a terrible history, and they know they have a terrible legacy, but I have faith that we're moving in the right direction because I'm on the ground, watching us do the work everyday, trying to right that history.

What do you say to Indigenous community members who remain distrustful of Harvard?

I would say: I understand, because I was on the other side of the table for so long. It wasn't just Harvard, but Harvard is a leading actor in this.

I am so sick of university after university, museum after museum, having all these promises and then (finding additional collections). Its (been) 30 years (since) NAGPRA passed, why are we still finding things?

What I would say to those skeptics is that you believe what you see as Harvard and as the Peabody continue to do really good consultation, as they continue to do repatriations. They recently repatriated a canoe. (But) we dont deserve to be patted on the back.

Believe what you see. Continue to follow through on this university and other universities obligations to fulfill NAGPRA. Know that there are Native people at the table who are doing this from the inside, but stay the course and keep watching. Its that attention that is going to keep NAGPRA advancing and being held up as the legal standard that it is.

About the Author: "Jenna Kunze is a staff reporter covering Indian health, the environment and breaking news for Native News Online. She is also the publication's lead reporter on stories related to Indian boarding schools and repatriation. Her bylines have appeared in The Arctic Sounder, High Country News, Indian Country Today, Tribal Business News, Smithsonian Magazine, Elle and Anchorage Daily News. Kunze is based in New York."

Contact: jkunze@indiancountrymedia.com
Rachel Lindsay made history in 2017 as the first Black lead of The Bachelorette. Viewers of the now 20-year-old ABC reality series watched Lindsay, who worked as an attorney at the time, meet and fall in love with chiropractor Bryan Abasolo.

Lindsay's season remains the most recent season that saw the show's lead actually say I do to the man who received her final rose.

In 2019, Lindsay and Abasolo tied the knot in a beautiful destination wedding in Cancun and are still happily married today.

After becoming one of the biggest names in Bachelor Nation, Lindsay announced in a 2021 New York Magazine article that she was officially cutting ties with the franchise. In her first-person essay, she wrote that the franchise viewed her as a token.

Rachel Lindsay (Craig Sjodin / ABC)

Since putting the show behind her, Lindsay has repeatedly gone viral for her red carpet interviews as an on-air correspondent for Extra. She also co-hosts the podcast Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay, where the two discuss trending topics and Black culture, and she breaks down the latest news involving Bravos reality television shows on The Ringers The Morally Corrupt Show podcast.

Recently, the modern day Renaissance woman decided to add "author" to her list of titles.

In 2022, she released her nonfiction book Miss Me with That: Hot Takes, Helpful Tidbits and a Few Hard Truths, a collection of essays about her life and past relationships.

A year later, Lindsay published the book Real Love, on sale March 7. Rather than mine her experiences for essays, she used them to inform a fictional love story.

In an interview with TODAY.com, the Dallas native opens up about the inspiration behind Real Love and why she hopes it will help people understand the decisions she made on The Bachelorette and post show.

'Real Love' was inspired by a question Lindsay asks herself: What if she hadn't gone on 'The Bachelorette'?

What if Rachel Lindsay hadn't become the bachelorette? It's a question she asks ponders frequently. She can imagine the road not taken: A career as an attorney, the life in Dallas she left behind.

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In that crossroads, Lindsay says she found the perfect place to begin a novel.

Real Love tells the story of Maya Johnson, a woman who has the chance to become the face of a reality show  and turns it down. Instead, she focuses on landing her dream job as the youngest-ever female director at her investment firm. Maya intends to stay on the the path that she and her parents imagined for her.

The books title is the name of the fictional series, which is similar to The Bachelorette. After declining going on Real Love, Maya watches her friend, Delilah, accept the role and embark on her televised journey to find love.

While seeing Delilah take a risk and spending more time with her care-free sister, Ella, Maya begins to question if she should diverge from her seemingly picture-perfect life.

Although Real Love is a work of fiction, Lindsay tells TODAY.com it's in conversation with her previous book of essays, Miss Me with That.

Its like the other side of the story, she explains. I wanted to write my book of essays because I wanted to take control over my story for the first time ever. I feel like Im very misunderstood and I wanted people to understand (with Real Love) that I almost said no to going on The Bachelor, which changed the entire trajectory of my life.

Lindsay makes clear she is not her protagonist, despite experiencing similar scenarios.

"Some of the things that she does go through are similar to me and shes very based off me. You see her afraid to take a leap of faith, too afraid to step into the unknown. And even though her perfect life plan is shaky, she still decides to continue in that way because thats what shes known. Thats what she has pretty much been groomed and prepared her entire life for, she says.

Before she was cast on Nick Vialls season of The Bachelor, Lindsay thought she was living the life she was supposed to, just like Maya. I was with the guy that I said I was going to be with and yet I still didnt feel fulfilled. I almost stayed in that life. as unhappy as I was, Lindsay recalls.

Lindsay says the novel allowed her to tap into her creative side

While writing Real Love, the media personality says she crafted a romance novel about self-discovery that takes the reader on a roller coaster ride.

The 37-year-old credits a high school boyfriend for igniting her creative writing genes. He introduced her to poetry and the power of song lyrics, making her feel liberated.

But after her creative awakening, she decided to choose a more practical career path.

I went to college and then I was in law school, she shares. I stifled my creativity and I never felt free as I did in those years when I was tapping into that.

Maya, like Lindsay, attempts to suppress her artistic side in Real Love." Other characters, like Ella and Delilah, seem to share personality qualities with Lindsay, too. But between the three of them, Lindsay says that the pre-Bachelorette version of herself most closely resembled Mayas people-pleasing mentality.

I was Maya. And Im happy to say was, she says. In the past, she wanted to be more like Ella, who eagerly welcomes new opportunities and adventures. Today, Ella mirrors the way Lindsay approaches life.

Lindsay hopes 'Real Love' teaches readers and fans to be fearless

Lindsay predicts that fans who buy her novel thinking it will be solely about reality television or includes behind-the-scenes secrets about The Bachelorette are going to be surprised.

The attorney says she intentionally wrote the book with the fictional reality show is in the background, not the center, of the story.

You met me on television, she says. But I lived a life 32 years before that. Theres so much more to me.

She shares that Real Love gives a glimpses into her background, upbringing and  in her words  why Im so outspoken and why I cant just shut up.

She adds, Im not as harsh and rough as people think I am. Im a lot more sensitive.

She hopes 'Real Love' gives insight into why she chose Bryan Abasolo

The Extra correspondent hopes that through Maya readers will understand her better and her connection with Abasolo.

Everybody knows that my decision  choosing Bryan over Peter (Kraus)  was super controversial, she says. When I tried to explain why I was emotional about sending Peter home, no one wanted to believe me.

She says reading Mayas story will help people realize why she struggled on The Bachelorette with being in a relationship that wasnt going anywhere.

One of the messages she conveys in Real Love is to be fearless and to trust yourself, just like she did with Abasolo. Those themes set up the novels unexpected ending, which Lindsay teases, does not fit the template of a romance novel.

Abasolo and Lindsay in 2018. (Ray Tamarra / Getty Images)

'Real Love' is also inspired by her 'controversial' decision to pick Bryan Abasolo

Lindsay reveals she added multiple Easter eggs in Real Love that reference her relationship with Abasolo.

Delilah pursues a suitor on Real Love that isn't exactly a fan-favorite, not beloved by her friends or the audience.

Any member of Bachelor Nation will see a clear connection between Delilahs decision and Lindsays season of The Bachelorette.

Although Lindsay presented Abasolo with the first impression rose (making him an early frontrunner), many viewers became invested in her connection with another contestant named Peter Kraus. After an emotional breakup with Kraus in the finale, the episode ended with Abasolo, who received somewhat of a villainous edit on the show, proposing to Lindsay.

When her season concluded, social media users criticized Lindsays decision and some Bachelor Nation pundits questioned Abasolo as well.

The former reality television star says Delilahs actions in the book were, absolutely a nod to how people viewed (my relationship with Bryan) and what was really true.

One of the things that my mom said to me before I left was to trust my gut, she says. Although she followed her moms advice, her parents challenged her when she introduced them to the final three contestants in Episode Nine of her season.

During the show's requisite meet-the-family episode, she remembers having a conversation with her parents during which she echoed their advice back to them.

"'You told me to trust my gut. You have to trust me, the decision that Im making with love and this decision for my life,'" she recalled saying.

There was more to her connections that her parents and the viewers did not see at the time. She points out that filming on The Bachelorette lasts all day but is edited down to two-hour episodes per week. That means there's a lot we don't see.

I got to know Bryan in a way that the audience didnt, she says. I fell in love with Bryan. Theres certain things that I needed to hear from him.

She adds, And yall definitely werent in the fantasy suite. So I knew Bryan in a certain way.

Rachel Lindsay and Bryan Abasolo (Emma McIntyre / Getty Images )

'Real Love' also touches on her being the 1st Black bachelorette

Without giving too much away, Lindsay also refers to another scene in her book where one character makes a comment about the type of typical lead that should be featured on Real Love.

Lindsay says the interaction is similar to what she endured being the first Black lead of a popular franchise.

I wanted to have Real Love be of importance in the book without focusing too much on all the issues that Ive experienced or others have experienced on reality TV, she says. (But) absolutely, the moment in that is a nod toward it.

She already knows one person who will definitely enjoy the Easter eggs: Her husband. But, she isnt sure he is going to read her book.

RACHEL LINDSAY, BRIAN ABASOLO (ABC)

I dont think Bryans into any of the things that I do, she jokes. Not my podcast. Not my book. I dont know if its a fear of what Im going to say.

She continues, He has not read it. He should because I think he will see a couple nods to him in the book.

To those who do dive into Real Love, Lindsay is looking forward to them discovering a new side to her and continuing to follow her journey outside of Bachelor Nation.

Who knows what Im going to do next, she says. I hope I keep shaking things up.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
[Source]

Sony Pictures Classics has picked up the worldwide rights to Randall Parks directorial debut film, Shortcomings.

The movie, which premiered at this years Sundance Film Festival in January, is based on Adrian Tomine's 2007 graphic novel of the same name.

In a statement on Tuesday announcing the acquisition, Sony Pictures Classics praised "Shortcomings" for its relevance.

Its modern ideas about racial and sexual politics, its caustic humor, and authentic voice will resonate with todays moviegoing audience. It will be our privilege to work with Randall and our friends at Topic Studios, Tango, Imminent Collision, Picture Films, and Roadside to bring this story to audiences everywhere. More from NextShark: 'Elden Ring' Game of the Year acceptance speech interrupted by stage crasher

Shortcomings follows the story of struggling filmmaker Ben (Justin H. Min), who begins to reconsider what he wants in life after his girlfriend, Miko (Ally Maki), moves to New York for an internship.

Sherry Cola plays Alice, Bens queer best friend with a serial dating habit.

Commenting on the deal with Sony Pictures Classics, Park, 48, said he was honored to be a part of their rich legacy of independent filmmaking.

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"Thank you to Michael [Barker] and Tom [Bernard] for embracing our story about flawed, complex human beings, who happen to be Asian American, just trying their best. Please do not change your logo anytime soon," he added.

Hieu Ho, Park and Michael Golamco served as the films producers under their production company Imminent Collision.

Tomine, an Eisner-winning cartoonist and a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, penned the script and served as an executive producer.

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Other cast members include Tavi Gevinson, Debby Ryan, Sonoya Mizuno, Timothy Simons and Jacob Batalon of the Spider-Man films.

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Rather than trying to get to the bottom of how the pandemic began, Representative Raul Ruiz (D., N.M.) spent his allotted time during Wednesday mornings hearing on Covids origins berating one of the witnesses over a book he wrote ten years earlier on the human genome, implying that the book was motivated by racism.

Ruiz, the ranking Democrat on the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, used his opening statement and much of his first round of questioning to argue that his Republican colleagues had compromised the panels efforts to investigate Covids origins by calling Nicholas Wade as a witness.

Todays hearing marks a concerning step down the path of letting extremism get in the way of an inquiry that should be led by science and facts, Ruiz said.

As the Republican chairman of the committee pointed out when introducing him, Wade has edited the two most prominent science journals in the world, Nature and Science, and led the New York Times science coverage for years. In his current role as an independent journalist, Wade established himself as one of the foremost authorities publicly examining the possibility of a lab leak and calling for a thorough and transparent investigation into Covids origins.

Wade also authored the 2014 book A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History, which examines the genetic basis of race and how varying environments shape human development.

Wades work on that book should disqualify him from being called as a witness in the hearing, despite his decades-long career and expertise, Ruiz argued.

When House Republicans announced this hearing with their slate of hand-picked witnesses, I was alarmed to see someone who wrote a book applauded by white supremacists, Ruiz said, explaining that he sent a letter to his Republican colleagues insisting that they disinvite Wade, so as not to give legitimacy to a man of such discredited, unscientific and harmful views. These views are dangerous and have no place in a hearing examining the origins of a pandemic that has disproportionately and overwhelmingly communities of color in the United States.

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Wade used the beginning of his opening statement to counter Ruizs characterization of his book, accusing him of parroting untrue claims about the book popularized by academics seeking to discredit him.

This was a determinedly non-racist book, it has no scientific errors that Im aware of, it has no racist statements and it stresses the theme of unity that we are all variations on the same human genome, Wade said. My book was vigorously attacked by obscurantist academics who want everyone else to believe that there is no biological basis to race. And my book was as welcome to them as pictures of the earth from space are to flat-earthers.

I have nothing to be ashamed of in my book. Its the only place you can now read about what the genome says about human races and I hope that Mr. Ruiz if he reads it will be pleasantly surprised to find it says none of the things he says it says, he concluded.

Asked by Ruiz whether Wade was a valuable witness, Robert Redfield, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was unequivocal in his praise for the veteran science journalist.

I do think that Nicholas Wade  and Ive followed his work over thirty years  is an outstanding science reporter and contributed substantially both in natural science and, of course, leading the New York Times.

Representative Kweisi Mfume joined Ruiz in smearing Wade as a racist, claiming that Wades theory about Covids origins are steeped in racism.

Im a bit appalled that this hearing now gets layered over with the issue of race in a very strong way with the presence of Mr. Wade. And Mr. Wade I have read your book and Im appalled by it, Mfume said.

Youve got an opinion, which is fine, but its steeped in this theory that minorities are so genetically different that they are culpable in some sort of way and I dont like that at all, he added.

The Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis was originally created in April 2020 under the leadership of then-speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) to give congressional oversight of the Trump administrations handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, after Republicans regained control of the House in 2023, it was renamed the Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic and charged with investigating the origins of Covid-19. It is currently chaired by Brad Wenstrup (R., Ohio).

More from National Review
[Source]

A tigress and three cubs were captured on camera in a 20-second video uploaded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on Thursday.

The wildlife conservation nonprofit noted that the video was taken in western Thailand only a few months ago.

In the video, the tigress leads her cubs through a forest as they emerge from behind a large boulder and pass the hidden camera.

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Recorded in Thailands Upper Western Forest Complex  one of the two locations in the country where wild tigers continue to roam  the video was captured by camera traps set up by the WWF and Thailands Department of National Parks. These traps are used to both monitor the endangered species and capture evidence to support conservation efforts.

Only 148-189 wild tigers are believed to remain in Thailand, World Wildlife Fund reports.

Dr. Rungnapa Phoonjampa, WWF-Thailands senior project manager, expressed their excitement at the discovery:

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Ive seen many camera trap videos of tigers, but this one really stands out, its beautiful.. Many people are giving their time and effort into protecting Thailands tigers, such as the dedicated ranger teams and conservationists, and its so rewarding to see this kind of video. It motivates us to keep going!

Although Thailand was once home to over 100,000 tigers in the 1990s, their numbers quickly dropped due to habitat loss and poaching.

Before the end of the century, Thailand made a commitment to protect its tigers, Royal Thai Embassy reports. In recent years, the country has seen a growth in the number of tigers, making it the only Southeast Asian country where there has been population growth.

More from NextShark: Chinese basketball star apologizes following backlash over sexist taunt

WWF bills itself as the worlds leading conservation organization, collaborating with people in almost 100 countries, including Thailand, to "conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth.

More from NextShark: Netizens name Elon Musks viral Chinese doppelganger Yi Long Musk
China's national legislature holds 2nd plenary meeting of annual session

Xinhua) 08:08, March 08, 2023

The second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) held a plenary meeting Tuesday to hear work reports of the Standing Committee of the 13th NPC, the Supreme People's Court (SPC) and the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), as well as an explanation on a reform plan of the State Council institutions.

Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Han Zheng, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi attended the meeting.

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the 13th NPC Standing Committee, delivered a report on the work of the 13th NPC Standing Committee to the meeting.

Chief Justice Zhou Qiang delivered the work report of the SPC and Procurator-general Zhang Jun delivered the work report of the SPP.

State Councilor Xiao Jie explained the plan on reforming the State Council institutions to the lawmakers.

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), delivers a report on the work of the 13th NPC Standing Committee at the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

Li Hongzhong presides over the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), delivers a work report of the SPC at the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

Zhang Jun, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), delivers a work report of the SPP at the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

Chinese State Councilor and Secretary-General of the State Council Xiao Jie explains a plan on reforming the State Council institutions to national lawmakers at the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

The second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan)

The second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

Deputies to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) walk towards the Great Hall of the People for the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

Deputies to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) walk towards the Great Hall of the People for the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

Deputies to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

The second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

Deputies to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) sit in on the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) as non-voting participants at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

The second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan)

Deputies to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua)

Deputies to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Jinhai)

Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) sit in on the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) as non-voting participants at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The sun sets on Garrison School in October in Jacksonville, Illinois. The U.S. Department of Education has opened a civil rights investigation to determine whether children enrolled there have been denied an appropriate education because of the practice of referring students to law enforcement. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

The U.S. Department of Education has opened a civil rights investigation into a tiny Illinois school district for students with disabilities to determine whether children enrolled there have been denied an appropriate education because of the practice of referring students to law enforcement for misbehaviors.

The investigation was initiated Feb. 13, two months after the Tribune and ProPublica reported how the district, which operates a therapeutic day school for students with severe emotional and behavioral disabilities, turned to police to arrest students with stunning frequency.

An Education Department spokesperson said its Office for Civil Rights does not discuss details of open investigations. But in a five-page letter dated Feb. 24, federal investigators requested numerous records from the Four Rivers Special Education District, including details of every student discipline incident for the past two school years at Garrison School in Jacksonville.

For each incident in which police were summoned, investigators asked for the reason police got involved, an accounting of how much classroom time was missed and how that time was made up, and records of any communication with parents.

This investigation is a collaboration between ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune. Subscribe to the Chicago Tribune

The district, which also provides special education services to students in nearby school districts, was given 15 days to respond and was directed not to destroy any records.

I emphasize that at this time OCR has reached no conclusion as to whether the District has violated any law OCR enforces, wrote Catherine Lhamon, assistant secretary for civil rights at the Education Department, in opening the case. Results of the departments review will have a direct and positive impact on students at Four Rivers, she wrote.

A hallway of classrooms at the Garrison School in Jacksonville. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

In recent years, Garrison administrators called the police to report student misbehavior every other school day on average, the Tribune and ProPublica found. Staff members routinely asked to press charges against the children  some as young as 9  and officers arrested them.

No other school district  not just in Illinois, but in the entire country  had a higher student arrest rate than Four Rivers, according to the most recent federal data that has been made public. That school year, 2017-18, half of all Garrison students were arrested. The school has fewer than 65 students in most years.

The ProPublica-Tribune investigation found that Garrison students had been arrested at least 100 times in the past five school years, including five students in the first 12 weeks of this school year. Officers typically handcuffed students and took them to the Jacksonville police station, where they were fingerprinted, photographed and placed in a holding cell.

There have been no student arrests since Nov. 15, when school administrators called police on a student who had spit at staff members. He was arrested for aggravated battery, records show. The next day, reporters visited the school for a board meeting and asked questions about Garrisons approach to discipline, including its reliance on police. School officials said they had begun to make changes.

Guidelines for detaining children are posted above temporary evidence lockers in a room where the Jacksonville Police Department brings students after their arrest. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

I think its long overdue, a parent named Lena said of the federal attention on Garrison. I want some kind of change for that school and the students still in there. I want them to find out everything that was done; I want somebody held accountable for all the crap that people are put through there.

[ Read our full investigation with ProPublica, "The Price Kids Pay" ]

One of Lenas sons attended Garrison until September, when he was arrested at school and his parents decided to withdraw him. Her stepson was a student there in 2019 until she had him transferred to a private school. (When including the last name of a parent would identify the student  and in doing so create a publicly available record of the students arrest  ProPublica and the Tribune are referring to the parent by first name only.)

Although the civil rights office often launches investigations in response to a complaint, the Education Department said it initiated the Garrison case on its own.

Probably from the media attention, Four Rivers Director Tracey Fair told district board members at a meeting in late February when she briefed them on the investigation. A recording of the meeting was provided to ProPublica and the Tribune by Jacksonville news radio station WLDS.

Fair, who has overseen Four Rivers since July 2020, did not respond to reporters requests for comment. But she told the Tribune and ProPublica previously that administrators call police only when students are being physically aggressive or in response to ongoing misbehavior.

Tracey Fair, director of the Four Rivers Special Education District, attends a board meeting at the Garrison School in November. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Records obtained by the news organizations, including 415 of the police incident reports that employees fill out every time they involve law enforcement, detailed instances when staff called police for a range of misbehavior, from disobedience to damaging a filing cabinet to shoving staff members. About half of the calls to police were for students who had run away from school, but those incidents rarely led to an arrest.

The school called police on a 12-year-old who was running the halls, cussing staff and on a student who broke a desk in the hallway after he was told he couldnt use the restroom and left the classroom anyway, school records showed. Both students were arrested.

Education Department investigators are focused on whether school workers discipline students for behavior related to their disability  something explicitly prohibited by federal law  and fail to educate and support those students, according to the letter notifying Fair of the inquiry.

Investigators also asked for records detailing the reasons that students were transferred to Garrison. Students, some of whom have autism, ADHD or other disorders in addition to their other disabilities, are supposed to stay at Garrison only long enough to get the skills and education they need to succeed, then transfer back to their home schools.

Concern about the students at Garrison has also prompted a separate inquiry by Equip for Equality, the federally appointed watchdog for people with disabilities in Illinois. In February, an attorney for the group sought the names and contact information of parents or guardians of Garrison School students, citing probable cause to suspect educational neglect, i.e. that students with disabilities enrolled at Garrison School have been harmed by the school.

The Equip for Equality letter, citing Tribune and ProPublica reporting, noted that the school had no curriculum for teaching social and emotional skills even though students are placed there because of their emotional and behavioral disabilities. It also referenced incidents that former students had described to reporters, including a teenager who reported being placed in a seclusion room for misbehavior and another student being denied access to the restroom.

After Four Rivers provided parents contact information to Equip for Equality, the organization mailed letters and flyers to current Garrison School families inviting them to reach out to an attorney with the group.

We want to be able to help families and help the students get what they are entitled to. And we want to listen to what parents needs are and what students needs are, said Olga Pribyl, vice president of the special education clinic at Equip for Equality. We want to help them get back what they lost for educational opportunities for their children.

The groups efforts are focused on current Garrison students, but Pribyl said she also hopes to hear from former students who may have been denied educational services.







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There have been signs of change at the small school. The Garrison principal, Denise Waggener, plans to resign effective June 30, and the school is looking to hire another social worker and behavior management specialist, board members were told at their meeting last month. Waggener did not respond to a request for comment.

The school added an on call social worker in November to respond quickly to classrooms when students are upset or struggling with their behavior. In the past, a crisis team of four aides would respond and could remove the student from class, sometimes putting them in a seclusion space or physically restraining them. Amy Haarmann, who is serving as co-principal until June, told the board the new social worker approach could help us become a little more therapeutic.

She said the number of crisis situations has decreased and no students have been arrested since the social worker was put on call. Jacksonville police have issued three municipal citations to Garrison students since Nov. 15, two for fighting and one for disorderly conduct, Jacksonville Police Chief Adam Mefford said Tuesday. Police were not called to the school at all in February, he said.

A police vehicle is parked outside Garrison School after responding to a call on Nov. 15, 2022. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Other efforts to make the school more therapeutic and less punitive are being funded in part by a $635,000 federal grant through the Illinois State Board of Education. The grant is meant to fund training for staff to help students with their behavioral and mental health needs and reduce the reliance on punitive discipline.

Following the reporting by ProPublica and the Tribune, a team from the state board of education visited the school one day in December but did not mandate any changes. They confirmed an overreliance on police and said they plan to send a representative to monthly meetings with school leadership to discuss ways to help support students. The agency also connected school officials with education experts from universities in the state.

Michelle Prather, whose daughter Destiny graduated from Garrison in 2021, said shes glad investigators are looking at the school. She said she believes an overhaul is needed.

They need to shut it down or get new workers, she said, for the sake of students. I dont feel like they get fair treatment and theyre actually learning. The teachers are not doing what they need to do.







This story is a collaboration between the Tribune and ProPublica.






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.
Relativity Space will be attempting to make history with the first launch of the 110-foot-tall Terran 1 rocket tomorrow afternoon. The company, which was founded in 2016 by Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone, is best-known for its innovative 3D printing technology: Terran 1 is 85% 3D-printed by mass, and that even includes the rocket engines. The company's made big bets and has even bigger ambitions, with Relativity CEO Tim Ellis echoing SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's Martian ambitions.

Our long-term mission remains that we want to help build an industrial base on Mars and help make humanity multiplanetary," Ellis told TechCrunch.

The company's made a lot of headlines over its seven-year history. Here are the top 10 moments from the TC archives.

We wrote about Relativity for the first time back in 2017, when the company only had 14 (!) full-time employees. We note that the company wants to drive the cost of rocket launches down ten-fold using its 3D-print process.

Relativity landed a multi-year contract from the U.S. Air Force to operate rocket launch facilities at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida -- the very site from which Relativity hopes to launch Terran 1 tomorrow.

TCs Darrell Etherington spoke to CEO Tim Ellis about the economics behind Relativity Space, just a few months after the company raised $140 million. (TC+)

Riding high on momentum, Relativity announced its new digs: a massive warehouse-style building in Long Beach, California.

The company announced the massive raise in November 2020, which was shortly followed by an aggressive expansion in workforce, facilities and, well...everything.

Relativity finally revealed what comes after Terran 1: Terran R, a much larger and even more ambitious 3D-printed rocket -- with full reusability.

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Less than a year after closing on $500 million, the company managed to raise another $650 million to scale the development of Terran R.

Relativity boosted its footprint by a factor of 10 with a new 1 million-square-foot facility in Long Beach.

We broke news last year that Relativity inked a huge deal with British satellite constellation operator OneWeb, plus that it had $1.2 billion in firm Terran R launch contracts -- contracts that the company managed to land before sending even a single rocket to orbit.

Relativity announced new plans with startup Impulse Space, founded by SpaceX's former CTO of propulsion, to land a spacecraft on Mars as early as 2024 (yes, you read that right).

The story has been updated to reflect that Relativity was founded in 2016, not 2015.
The burned remains of a woman whom police suspect was murdered by her husband were found in rural Fresno County, Fairfeld police said Tuesday.

Anu Anand Hobson, 53, of Fairfield went missing Feb. 13 and was reported missing two days later, police said on social media.

Her husband, 61-year-old Gregory Grant Hobson, was arrested Feb. 16, police said.

Fresno County Sheriffs deputies assisted in the search for her remains, which were found on Friday, according to Fairfield police.

Deputies were asked to search Kamm Avenue about a mile east of Interstate 5, a Fresno County Sheriffs spokesperson said.

The remains will be transferred to the Solano County Coroners Office, police said.

Gregory Hobson was charged with one count of murder and is scheduled for arraignment on Thursday, police said.

Fairfield is about 50 miles southwest of Sacramento, and about 180 miles from Fresno.
London, United Kingdom --News Direct-- Kavango Resources PLC

(Click the url above if you don't see a NextGen Newswire video)

A review of the mineral exploration potential of the Ditau Project, Botswana, has been carried out for Kavango by Dr. Hamid Mumin, Professor and Former Chair of the Department of Geology at Brandon University, Manitoba, Canada (the "Review"). The Review has identified a possible high potential Banded Iron Formation hosted Lode Gold model at the Ditau Project.

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

 Kavango previously recognised a 100m thick "Zone of Interest" from 293m to 393m, in diamond drillhole DITDD004 at Ditau. This included anomalous gold values (announced >>> 14 October 2022).

 Dr. Mumin assessed drill logs, core photography, and assays from DITDD004.

 Dr. Mumin has identified the likely presence of a large alteration system within a very thick Banded Iron Formation ("BIF") that he considers exhibits excellent gold potential.

Figure 1 - Example of highly altered & structurally deformed Banded Iron Formation at 306m depth in Hole DITDD004, indicative of a possible Lode Gold System

 Dr. Mumin concludes "this is a new and very exciting opportunity for Kavango".

o He explains "The reason iron formations are so important in the formation of world-class lode gold deposits is that the presence of abundant iron forms a type of chemical trap for gold."

 The BIF intersected by DITDD004 is very thick (>100m) and open at depth.

o The intersecting structure, which is the source of fracturing, brecciation, sulphidisation, gold, silver, copper, and arsenic, appears also to be large.

o These factors combined could, in Dr. Mumin's opinion, have led to a significant gold mineralising event.

 Dr. Mumin adds that "due to the overall robustness of the current discovery, the chances of finding economic grades in the Ditau discovery area is considered very good."

Brett Grist and Jeremy S. Brett, Executive Directors of Kavango, stated,

"Dr. Mumin's report represents a significant potential breakthrough for Kavango on the Ditau project. We didn't find carbonatites as we had intended, but we are certainly delighted with the potential for a large Banded Iron Formation hosted Lode Gold system. Such systems can be capable of hosting a multimillion-ounce gold deposit.

Story continues

Encouragingly, the BIF we encountered in Hole DITDD004 ran from 293m to end of hole at 393m. This is a very wide intersection that is open at depth. This suggests potential for a possible large-scale Lode Gold system.

We look forward to verifying this ore deposit model with Dr. Mumin on the Ditau project, via the prudently recommended detailed drill core re-logging, petrology and geochemistry ."

KEY FINDINGS OF DR. MUMIN's REPORT

Dr. Mumin has identified the probable presence of a large alteration system within a very thick Banded Iron Formation ("BIF"), that he considers exhibits excellent gold potential. He has indicated that his interpretation is contingent on his direct examination of the drill core, so far having only been able to review drill core photos, logging and available assays. He recommends that the BIF hosted Lode Gold deposit model needs to be investigated very seriously, subject to his review of physical drill cores.

Figure 2 - Strong response from magnetic pencil used over the 100m thick BIF encountered in DITDD004.

In summary, the main conclusions of Dr Mumin's report are:

 Examination of the drill logs, core photography, and assays from diamond drillhole DITDD004 at Ditau leads to interpretation that this hole has intersected a BIF hosted Lode Gold System. Dr. Mumin suggests that this presents a new and very exciting opportunity for Kavango.

 The BIF is very thick (>100m) and open at depth. The hole was stopped in brecciated BIF. The intersecting structure, which is the source of fracturing, brecciation, sulphidisation, gold, silver, copper, and arsenic, appears to also be large. Both the BIF and structures extend beyond the length of the current drill hole, as the hole was stopped in disrupted BIF. These factors combined could, in Dr Mumin's opinion, have led to a significant gold mineralising event.

Figure 3 - DITDD004 stopped in disrupted BIF, which remain open at EOH beyond 390m. This opens the possibility for a significant gold mineralising event.

 He comments that "the overall thickness of the BIF, the extent of structural disruption, which continues beyond the BIF, and degree of alteration plus sulphidation are all very significant. Taken into consideration along with the highly anomalous gold, silver, copper and arsenic values, these rocks are as close as is possible to definitively indicating that this is part of a Banded Iron formation (BIF) hosted Lode Gold system."

He states that " due to the overall robustness of the current discovery, the chances of finding economic grades in the Ditau discovery area are considered excellent."

Figure 4 - Further example of alteration and structural deformation observed throughout the 100m "Zone of Interest" from 293m to 393m EOH.

The anomalous mineralisation seen at Ditau he suggests could be analogous with the Tiriganiaq, Normeg and Wesmeg deposits in Canada, thus giving an indication of scale potential.

 Dr. Mumin comments that this is excellent news for Kavango and opens up the potential at Ditau for Kavango to other ore deposit types in the district that were not previously considered.

NEXT STEPS

 Drill core samples and thin sections from work previously carried out at Ditau have been couriered to Dr. Mumin, in order for him to verify his proposed exploration model.

 In addition to this, and under the direction of Dr. Mumin, around 200 additional assays are being undertaken, focussed on the gold- and silver-bearing intervals, using non-destructive neutron activation analysis ("INAA").

 Also, up to 24 samples are being sent from Botswana to Canada for additional petrology work, to complement those already completed by Petrolab in 2022.

 Kavango's COO, Brett Grist, has significant gold exploration experience gained in Australia, Mali, Ghana, and DRC, and is supervising additional drill core sampling and logging in light of the new model.

 Kavango has applied for additional licence areas adjacent to the Ditau property, to secure ground that could also be relevant to this new ore deposit model.

Background on Hamid Mumin Ph.D., P.Eng., P.Geo., FGC:

Dr. Mumin graduated from Geo-Engineering, specialising in mineral exploration, and then completed an M.A.Sc. in Economic Geology, both at the University of Toronto. He earned his Doctorate degree and Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Western Ontario, examining gold deposits along the Ashanti Gold Belt, Ghana, and conducting studies on the origin and distribution of gold in lode deposits at Carlin, Ashanti and in laboratory synthesis.

He worked as a mine, exploration and research geologist for Noranda and was the Chief Geologist and Site Manager during the exploration and feasibility stages of the Bogosu Gold mine, Ashanti Gold Belt, Ghana.

Dr. Mumin joined Brandon University in 1995 and teaches Mineral Deposits, Exploration and Mining Geology, Mineralogy, Geochemistry, Tectonics and Field Geology. He consults to industry and has managed exploration projects in the Northwest Territories, Ontario, Manitoba, British Columbia and in Peru. His principal interests remain exploration and sustainable development, and the geology, mineralogy and origin of mineral deposits. He is a Professional Engineer, Past President for Geoscientists Canada and a member of several Canadian and International Professional Societies. He is extensively published on Gold and IOCG ore deposits.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF ARTICLE 7 OF REGULATION 2014/596/EU WHICH IS PART OF DOMESTIC UK LAW PURSUANT TO THE MARKET ABUSE (AMENDMENT) (EU EXIT) REGULATIONS (SI 2019/310) ("UK MAR"). UPON THE PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, THIS INSIDE INFORMATION (AS DEFINED IN UK MAR) IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.

This Presentation contains forward-looking statements which are identified by words such as may, could, believes, estimates, targets, expects, intends and other variations of such words that Involve risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements include statements regarding the future development of the Ditau project, including cost and timing estimates.

These statements are based on an assessment of present economic and operating conditions, and on a number of assumptions regarding future events and actions that, at the date of this Presentation, are expected to take place.

Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements because of a number of factors, including uncertainty in estimating mineral resources due to the preliminary stage of the Companys assessment of its projects, actual demand, price fluctuations, the ability to produce and transport products profitably, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, operational problems, political risks, economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions, industry competitors and activities by governmental authorities such as changes in taxation or regulation. The Company cannot and does not give any assurance that the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this Presentation will actually occur and investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend to update or revise forward-looking statements, or to publish prospective financial information in the future, regardless of whether new information, future events or any other factors affect the information contained in this Presentation, except where required by law. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risk factors that could cause the Companys actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or anticipated in these statements.

The technical information contained in this announcement pertaining to geology and exploration have been read and approved by Hamid Mumin Ph.D., P.Eng., P.Geo.. Dr Mumin has sufficient experience that is relevant to the exploration programmes and geology of the main styles of mineralisation and deposit types under consideration to act as a Qualified Person as defined under the Canadian National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Contact Details

Ben Turney

+1 207-374-2212

bturney@kavangoresources.com

Company Website

https://www.kavangoresources.com/

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/new-report-highlights-large-scale-gold-potential-at-kavangos-ditau-project-895017271
The first bill introduced in a new session of Congress can be an important symbol of political priorities and values. For the Republicans who took over a slim majority in the House of Representatives, then, the main priority is eliminating an $80 billion appropriation to the IRS that includes hiring 87,000 employees to crack down on tax evaders, a move that could raise $180 billion for U.S. coffers during the next 10 years.

The proposed measure  nicknamed the "Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act"  passed the House on Jan. 9 on a party-line vote of 221 to 210.

That soon was followed on the same day by a bill to abolish the IRS and replace federal taxes with a 30% national sales tax in a measure called the "FairTax Act of 2023."

For help strategizing your investments and financial needs around such legislation, consider matching for free with a vetted financial advisor.

Potential Problems

For Bob Lord, a tax lawyer for 35 years, the move was too much.

"We just saw House Republicans kick off the 118th Congress with a bill to reverse increases in the IRS budget aimed specifically at ramping up enforcement efforts against the top 1%, who are estimated to evade $163 billion per year in federal taxes," Lord wrote in an opinion column posted at TheHill.com. "Of all the country's many problems, they felt that the absolute most important thing worth their attention was helping wealthy tax dodgers escape detection."

The long-standing animus of the GOP to the IRS ramped up in 2010 when the IRS was tasked with enforcing provisions of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, and grew into outrage in 2013 when the IRS scrutinized the tax-exempt status of Tea Party-inspired conservative political groups trying to organize as 501(c)(3) non-politically focused charities. During his 2015 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, Sen. Ted Cruz (R, Texas) proposed abolishing the agency altogether.

But Lord and others have cast Republican efforts to hobble the tax collecting agency as a strategy to protect the party's political donors and to pursue the goal of limiting the federal government's effectiveness.

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"Republicans have this theory that the best government is either no government or very small government," John Koskinen, commissioner of the IRS from 2013 to 2017 told The New York Times. "To the extent that you deny the government the ability to collect taxes that are owed, you limit the ability of the government to expand its operations."

Lord, the tax attorney, also is a senior advisor on tax policy for the Patriotic Millionaires, a 13-year-old nonpartisan organization of high-net-worth individuals seeking to restructure the American tax system so that wealthy people pay a greater share of their income in taxes. He charges that the philosophy of limited government and supply-side economics (also called "trickle-down economics") is simply a smokescreen to protect tax cheats.

"Republicans have actively undermined measures to help the IRS identify rich tax dodgers, measures to expand audits of rich tax dodgers and penalties to discourage tax dodging by the rich," Lord wrote. "Coddling the rich in that manner has nothing to do with limited government or supply-side economics."

IRS enforcement actions against wealthy taxpayers have continually decreased from 16% of Americans making more than $5 million a year in 2010 to about 2% in 2019. Meanwhile, the audit rate of lower-income taxpayers increased from 7.9% in 2020 to 12.7% in 2022, according to TRAC, a nonpartisan research center with the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

Lord's conclusion is stark. The introduction of new IRS budget cuts in the "Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act" and the outright elimination of the tax agency in the "FairTax Act of 2023" reveal one obvious Republican goal: "Protecting the rich from taxation is the end, not the means."

The Bottom Line

Republicans recently passed a series of bills focused on taxes. One eliminates the recent expenditure for hiring thousands of new IRS agents, while the another seeks to apply the IRS entirely. Some experts, though, think these bills only serve to help rich people and tax cheats.

Tax Tips

A financial planner can help you figure out any tax questions you have. Finding a financial advisor doesn't have to be hard. SmartAsset's free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you're ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Use SmartAsset's income tax calculator to get a sense of what you may owe.

Photo credit: iStock.com/designer491, iStock.com/Perawit Boonchu

The post These Republican Bills Want to Make Tax Cheats Richer appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR)  A group of Republican lawmakers wants to prohibit fellow members in the House of Representatives who are found guilty of financial or campaign finance fraud from profiting off their fabrications.

Rep. Anthony DEsposito (R-N.Y.) introduced legislation, taking aim at Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.).

This legislation is about ensuring that elected officials who break the publics trust are held accountable for their wrongdoings, DEsposito said.

The bill would bar Congressional members convicted of certain offenses from profiting off of book deals and media appearances.

No one should be able to profit off of lying to the American people and swindling their way into the peoples house, DEsposito said.

DEsposito said his proposal will make sure there isnt a benefit to betraying voters.

You should not be able to turn it into a payday, DEspostio said.

Several other Republicans are joining on to the legislation, and even though Santos name isnt on the bills, they say hes the reason.

George Santos is a scam artist and we New York Republicans are here to stop him, Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) said.

Both LaLota and Rep. Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.) said Santos lies are easy to see.

And we New York Republicans can smell a scam from a mile away and George Santoss scam absolutely stinks, LaLota said.

I know what integrity is and George Santos doesnt have any, Williams said.

DEsposito said he and his colleagues have spoken with leadership and they are confident their bill will make it to the floor. Santos hasnt commented publicly and wasnt available for comment.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The search for dozens of missing people continued Wednesday after deadly landslides hit the Natuna islands in Indonesia. The landslides have killed at least 15 people, Reuters reported, with at least 42 still trapped in houses.

On Monday, torrential downpours around the Serasan village in Natuna caused mud from the surrounding hills to fall onto houses. National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari said that rescuers recovered dead bodies after the landslide, which was estimated to have been about 100-200 meters (328-656 feet) long. Muhari cautioned that the death toll may continue to rise.

Indonesia National Disaster Management Agency chief Suharyanto said that eight people were pulled out from the landslide alive, yet injured, and were rushed to nearby hospitals, the Associated Press reported. Three were in critical condition, with no update on their condition as of Wednesday morning, local time.

Rescue efforts, Muhari added, have been stunted due to "difficulty accessing the affected areas," which includes downed communications lines and poor weather. The remote island village is located at the edge of the South China Sea and is susceptible to rough waters.

On Wednesday, soldiers were joined by police and volunteers on the search for the missing, and Muhari stated that two helicopters and several vessels were en route from Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, and other islands, bringing along more responders along with relief supplies such as blankets and food. Excavators and other heavy equipment have yet to arrive to the landslide site, forcing responders to travel by boat, vehicle and on foot.

In addition to the missing, the landslides displaced more than 1,200 people, who are currently staying in shelters and evacuation centers.

Seven-day rainfall estimates via NOAA CMORPH2 satellite data. Purple indicates far in excess of two feet (~700 mm), where Serasan is located. Seven-day rainfall estimates via NOAA CMORPH2 satellite data. Purple indicates far in excess of 2 feet (~700 mm), where Serasan is located.

Dozens of landslides and reports of flooding throughout Indonesia, a chain of 17,000 islands in Southeast Asia, have been a result of seasonal rains and high tides. AccuWeather Meteorologist Isaac Longley stated that approximately about 4-06 inches (100-150 mm) of rain fell across the Serasan region between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning, local time. NOAA satellite-estimated precipitation images showed well over 2 feet (700 mm) of rain in the last week.

Story continues

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"That's certainly enough to cause flooding and landslide issues, especially with the rain falling in a short period of time and over areas with steep terrain," Longley said.

Serasan Island in Indonesia was hit with heavy rainfall to begin March, resulting in a deadly landslide that left at least 15 dead and dozens more missing.

Longley added that "it appears the worst might be over for (the Serasan) region" in terms of rainfall, but extra rain may persist throughout the week.

"There will still be daily chances for showers and thunderstorms going forward, especially later in the week and during the weekend, when there can be another 1-2 inches of rain or so," he said.

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.
Passengers aboard a boat off the coast of Spain recently reported seeing a distressed whale entangled in fishing gear. When officials investigated, they discovered something stranger.

The Spanish Civil Guard dispatched a ship to assist the whale, which was reportedly floundering near a beach in Valencia, about 200 miles southwest of Barcelona, according to a March 6 news release from a local oceanarium.

Upon getting close to the massive cetacean, which measured about 55 feet, biologists determined that it suffered from severe scoliosis. The creatures spine was contorted at what appeared to be a 140-degree angle, and it struggled to swim.

The cause of the animals extremely curved vertebrae is not known, researchers said.

And due to the whales size and its position in the open ocean, researchers were unable to attach a tracker to its body to further study it.

Officials and biologists followed the distressed creature for several hours before it swam away from the coastline.

Because of its poor condition, it could make a reappearance along the shore in the coming days, researchers said.

Officials did not state which species the whale belongs to.

It is very sad to see, Gina Lonati, a marine biologist in New Jersey, told McClatchy News over email. To me, it looks like a fin whale (the second largest species of whale), based on the light coloration of its lower right jaw.

Not only does the whale have severe scoliosis, but it also appears extremely thin (evident by the way its body appears sunken in behind its head and the fact that you can make out the outline of its vertebral column), Lonati said. I imagine that it is having a very hard time catching food due to its impaired swimming ability.

Whales, unlike people, are not believed to spontaneously develop scoliosis, according to a 2021 study published in the journal Nature.

Several reports on cetaceans with scoliosis exist, however all cases have a clear cause which is mostly of traumatic origin, e.g. following ship collision, the study states.

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An estimated 20,000 whales are killed every year as a result of collisions with ships, according to 2021 research from Friends of the Sea, a nonprofit organization. Most are never found since their bodies sink to the bottom of the sea.

Some of those whales, including the North Atlantic right whale and the humpback whale, were hunted to the brink of extinction and are now considered endangered, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Python escaped and ended up behind refrigerator  in someones 29th-floor apartment

Ancient sphinx statue unearthed in Egypt depicts a Roman emperor, experts say

Monumental settlement  over 6,000 years old  uncovered in France, study says
Cambridge, United Kingdom - Vivid International / EyeEm

The average spare room earned its host 2,400 last year as households turned to tourism to meet rising mortgage and utility bills.

A typical private room lets for 55 a night in the UK, according to analysis by holiday rental website Airbnb, but hosts in sought-after city hotspots have earned almost double the national average.

Cambridge was the most lucrative city for spare rooms in 2022, where hosts earned an average of 4,500 a year by sharing their property, according to Airbnb. Homeowners in the rival university city of Oxford earned a typical annual income of 4,100 from their spare rooms. Hosts in London made 3,500 on average.

Private rooms in Belfast, Edinburgh and Exeter earned their hosts between 3,200 and 3,400 last year. The average income from a spare room in Bath was 3,100.

Homeowners who let out a furnished room in their main home qualify for an automatic 7,500 tax-free allowance on any rental income and tenants can also use the scheme if they rent out a room to a lodger. The allowance is halved to 3,750 each if the rental income is shared jointly.

More than a third of hosts rely on income from their spare room to afford mortgage, utility and living costs, the report said.

It comes amid a resurgence in demand for holiday rentals in the UK. In January demand for holiday lets in Britain was 13pc higher than in 2019, the last normal year of travel before the pandemic, according to analysis by data firm AirDNA.

Bookings made for the six months between February and July this year are already 30pc higher than the same period in 2022 and 45pc higher than in 2019.

The number of people offering their homes to holidaymakers has also increased, with available listings rising 16pc in January compared with the same month in 2019, despite higher demand.

But homeowners hoping to cash in on a tourism boom should first consult their mortgage lender. Not all banks and building societies allow borrowers to rent out their home or a spare room  a recent survey of 2,000 mortgage borrowers by Airbnb found 40pc had been prevented from hosting by their banks rules.

Residential mortgage offers often include a clause stating the property cannot be let out in any form without the lenders explicit permission. Failing to inform the bank before letting a property would breach the terms and conditions of the loan.

Others lenders will only allow the property to be shared for up to 90 nights or if it is a second home.
Tucker Carlson, left, and former President Donald Trump, talk while watching golfers on the 16th tee during the final round of the LIV Golf Invitational at Trump National in Bedminster, N.J., July 31, 2022. (Seth Wenig/AP)

NEW YORK  A defamation lawsuit is revealing scornful behind-the-scenes opinions by Fox News figures about Donald Trump, including a Tucker Carlson text message declaring, I hate him passionately.

Carlsons private text comments were revealed in court papers at virtually the same time the former president was hailing the Fox News host on social media. Trump said he was doing a great job in presenting excerpts of U.S. Capitol security video of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection  though Carlson used the video to produce a false narrative of the attack.

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The documents are coming to light at a time of increased tension between Trump and Fox, the dominant media force appealing to conservatives, as he campaigns to regain the presidency.

Voting machine manufacturer Dominion Voting Systems is suing Fox News for $1.6 billion, claiming the network broadcast false claims that the company was responsible for fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The case is to go to trial this spring, and a trove of documents related to Foxs actions after the election are being publicly released in advance.

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A common theme emerging from the internal documents and depositions is that Fox executives and hosts doubted the election claims being peddled by Trump and his allies, but aired and emphasized them anyway. Fox was growing concerned about a decline in viewership as Trump supporters turned away from the network after it  correctly  called Joe Biden the presidential winner in Arizona on election night.

The exchanges include Carlsons text conversation on Jan. 4, 2021, with an unknown person, in which the prime-time host expressed anger toward Trump.

Carlson said that we are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights and that I truly cant wait.

Carlson said he had no doubt there was fraud in the 2020 election, but that Trump and his lawyers had so discredited their case  and media figures like himself  that its infuriating. Absolutely enrages me.

Federal and state officials, courts, exhaustive reviews in battleground states and Trumps attorney general found no widespread fraud that could have changed the outcome of the 2020 election, although Trump continues to falsely state that the presidency was stolen from him.

Addressing Trumps four years as president, Carlson said, Were all pretending weve got a lot to show for it, because admitting what a disaster its been is too tough to digest. But come on. There really isnt an upside to Trump.

In another text exchange more than a month earlier, Carlson denigrated Trumps business abilities: Trumps talent, he said, is to destroy things. He could easily destroy us if we play it wrong.

Publicly, Fox viewers heard very different views, such as a 2017 exchange with colleague Greg Gutfeld in which Carlson agreed that Trump was the greatest president that ever will be. On his show in 2019, Carlson said Trump had fought as hard as he could to make sure everyone in America was treated equally under the law.

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You can say what you really believe in public, Carlson said then. Youre an American citizen. That is your right. Trump could lose in 2020, he added, but hell be a genuinely great president.

Fox, in response to the court exhibits quoting Carlson that were released late Tuesday, said that Dominion has been caught red handed using more distortions and misinformation in their PR campaign to smear Fox News and trample on free speech and freedom of the press. We already know they will say and do anything to try to win this case, but to twist and even misattribute quotes to the highest levels of our company is truly beyond the pale.

Carlson has continued rolling out security video from the Capitol attack, footage handed to him by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. For that, Trump said on his social media platform, congratulations to Tucker Carlson on one of the biggest scoops as a reporter in U.S. history.

The selective release of the footage to sway the historical account has drawn criticism, including from Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday called on Fox to stop spreading election lies, which he said was eroding trust in American democracy.

Foxs founder, Rupert Murdoch, has a complex relationship with Trump: I was not close to him, Murdoch said in a deposition in the libel lawsuit.

Indeed, though Murdoch acknowledged talking to Trump occasionally, he said he also sought inside information from Sean Hannity, one of his networks primetime hosts, because Hannity was the closest person at Fox to Trump.

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Following Trumps loss in November 2020, Murdoch despaired of the presidents behavior.

The real danger is what he might do as president, Murdoch wrote in an email to a friend that month. Apparently not sleeping and bouncing off walls! Dont know about Melania, but kids no help.

But Murdoch told his networks officials that he also didnt want to antagonize Trump: He had a very large following, and they were probably mostly viewers of Fox, so it would have been stupid, Murdoch said in a deposition in the Dominion case.

In separate questioning in the case, Murdoch acknowledged that he believed the 2020 presidential election " was not stolen.

On social media recently, Trump was critical of Fox when other court papers released in the Dominion case made clear that a number of the networks executives and personalities privately believed the election fraud claims were bunk.

Trump and his team also have accused Fox of giving his latest campaign for the presidency little attention and favoring a potential challenger for the GOP nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Fox and Trump have long had a complicated relationship. While he frequently has used the network to reach its audience, he also has been furious at a perceived lack of loyalty, most prominently after the 2020 election.

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In a fiery speech at the Conservative Political Action Committee last week, Trump ally Steve Bannon complained that Fox had disrespected the former president.

Youve deemed Trumps not going to be president, Bannon said. Well, we deem youre not going to have a network.

On Saturday afternoon, Fox News aired Trumps speech to CPAC in its entirety.

Riccardi reported from Denver. Associated Press writers Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta, Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix, Gary Fields and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington and Jennifer Peltz in New York contributed to this report, as did news researcher Randy Herschaft in New York.
Oleksiy Reznikov

The minister expressed confidence that the full details of the incident would be established during the official investigation.

For me, this is a rather strange story that has nothing to do with us, he said.

Read also: Russian warships, submarines spotted near Nord Stream gas leak sites, reports CNN

I think that an official investigation by the appropriate authorities will reveal all the details. It would be a certain compliment to our special forces, but those were not our actions, Reznikov said.

U.S. newspaper the New York Times reported on March 7 that a pro-Ukrainian group might have been behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, citing U.S. officials who have seen new U.S. intelligence and who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A sharp drop of pressure was recorded in the Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 on Sept. 26, and the next day there were reports of the same problem with Nord Stream 1.

Read also: Nearly simultaneous leaks in Nord Stream undersea gas pipelines could be sabotage

Both pipelines travel along the bottom of the Baltic Sea near the shores of Sweden and Denmark. Neither were operational at the time, but both were filled with technical gas.

The incident took place at a depth of about 70 meters near the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea  outside Denmarks territorial waters but in its exclusive economic zone.

Three large leaks from the pipelines were later discovered. Then, on Sept. 29, the Swedish Coast Guard reported a fourth gas leak.

Poland and Ukraine have blamed Russia for the explosions. The Kremlin, in turn, has denied involvement and in turn blamed the Anglo-Saxons  a common Kremlin euphemism for the English-speaking Western nations.

Read also: Swedish investigation confirms sabotage of Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines

The underwater explosions that occurred along the route of the pipelines were obviously artificial and not geological in nature, concluded Swedish National Seismological Center SNSN professor, Bjorn Lund.

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In November 2022, Swedens security service confirmed that it had found remnants of explosives near the pipelines.

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 Richland County sheriffs deputy described Wednesday how she continues to struggle with daily pain, neurological damage and potentially early onset arthritis after being hit by a car driven by a fleeing suspect.

I will carry this experience with me for the rest of my life, Deputy Sarah Merriman said in Richland County General Sessions Court Wednesday, adding she may need hip replacements.

Merriman testified during a hearing to determine if 17-year-old Jamon Chetham, who is charged with attempted murder in her assault, could be released before trial.

Judge Debra McClaslin denied the defenses motion to reduce Cheathams $150,000 bond or to change the status of his confinement.

I think hes lucky he got a $150,000 bond, because if hed appeared in front of me I would have given him no bond, McClaslin said.

Cheatham, who Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott once held up as a poster child of a broken catch and release system, has been jailed in the juvenile wing of the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center since deputies say he struck Merriman with a stolen car in August 2022. He was allegedly fleeing an arrest.

Merriman was crushed between two cars and suffered a fractured hip, a concussion, a cut to her head requiring stitches and an abrasion to her leg.

After spending two months on crutches, Merriman said she has been able to return to work at the departments SWAT team and with her K9, Rudy.

I get a daily reminder of what my body cant do, Merriman said.

Defense attorney Hope Demer, who represented Cheatham, expressed sympathy for Merriman, but urged the court to remember that Cheatham stands before you an innocent man. Hes barely a man, Demer said. He is still a child.

Cheatham was not trying to harm Merriman, Demer said, and in fact he likely did not see the deputy when he reversed the the car he was driving into her.

Demers motion asked that Cheathams bond be reduced to a more attainable $50,000. She also asked that if he were to be released on house arrest with an ankle monitor that he be able to go to work and help support his family.

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These changes were fiercely opposed by Lott, who also appeared in court.

This suspect nearly killed one of my deputies and he should remain in jail while he awaits trial, Lott said in a statement. We know that an ankle monitor and house arrest does not deter crime.

Although he doesnt turn 18 for another two months, Cheatham has been charged as an adult, meaning his case is being heard in general sessions court. When he turns 18, he will be transferred to the adult wing of the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center.

Cheatham appeared shackled in court, in a red Alvin S. Glenn jumpsuit. His mother, Martha Miller, spoke briefly and asked the judge to consider releasing her son before the trial.

I guarantee he has learned his lesson, Miller said, choking up as she described his three younger siblings who looked up to him and how he got a high school certificate at 16. Miller lives in Orangeburg, where Cheatham is from.

He loves to work, he loves people. He deserves a better life, Miller said.

Lott disagreed with that assessment, pointing to Cheathams lengthy juvenile record, which could not be disclosed, but that McClaslin considered in making her ruling.

This is someone who doesnt need to be in our community, Lott said.

In advocating for changing her clients condition, Demer pointed to the notorious conditions inside of the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, describing it as an incredibly dangerous place for anyone, particularly for a child.

I have lost track of the number of clients that I have had whove been assaulted, whove been stabbed inside of Alvin S Glenn, Demer said.

The state was represented by Assistant 5th Circuit Solicitor Paul Walton, who played surveillance and body camera footage from the incident. They showed how on Aug. 9, 2022, Merriman suffered serious injuries to her head and body after Cheatham allegedly struck her with a stolen car.

Merriman was responding to a report of a stolen vehicle in the Dentsville area, according to a statement released by the sheriffs department. Video footage showed deputies surrounding a white 2014 Ford Focus sedan, which had pulled into a parking spot in front of Fast Cash Pawn at 6908 Two Notch Road. Merriman exited her cruiser seconds before the Ford quickly reversed, crushing the deputy between the two cars.

Deputies apprehended Cheatham at the scene, while Merriman was rushed to the hospital in the back of another deputys car. In court, she remembered being unable to open her eyes from the pain.

Cheatham was charged with attempted murder, failure to stop for blue lights, committing a hit-and-run, and possession of a stolen vehicle.

At a press conference in August, Lott criticized the courts decision to grant a $150,000 bond for Cheatham.

A groundswell of bipartisan support appeared to emerge in the legislature to toughen South Carolinas bail laws. In October, state Sens. Brian Adams and Dick Harpootlian announced that they were exploring legislation to make it harder for repeat offenders to obtain bond.

I do criminal defense work, everybody is entitled to their bond, said Harpootlian, D-Richland. But its a problem thats plaguing the entire state.

That effort seems to have come to fruition. On March 1, the South Carolina House of Representatives passed House Bill 3532, which would automatically revoke bond for individuals charged with certain violent crimes, weapons offenses, or crimes against children while out on bond for another violent offense.

Under the new bill, people convicted of committing a violent crime while out on bond for a separate charge would face an additional mandatory sentence of five years in prison.

It follows Gov. Henry McMaster decision to sign an executive order in October ordering the Department of Insurance to crack down on bondsmen who fail to report individuals who violated their bonds.
A South Carolina judge has granted a Rock Hill teen immunity from prosecution in one killing, but not a second, in an April 2022 incident.

Lawyers for Ahmik Coleman, 18, argued in an October 2022 hearing that it was appropriate to apply South Carolinas Protection of Persons and Property act, commonly known as the states stand your ground law.

The lawyers said Coleman should not face prosecution in the deaths of Kamran Brevard, 16, and Evanta Hart, 17, court records show.

Omarian Small, 16, also was killed in the incident almost a year ago.

Judge Eugene Griffith, in an order that gives details of the shootings, ruled that Coleman met the legal standard for immunity from prosecution in the death of Brevard -- but not in the death of Hart. The Herald has obtained a copy of Griffiths order.

Coleman no longer can be prosecuted for Brevards death. However, murder and weapons charges remain pending against Coleman in Harts death, according to court records, prosecutors, and Colemans lead lawyer.

Sixteenth Circuit Public Defender B.J. Barrowclough, who is Colemans lead lawyer, told The Herald he sought immunity in both shootings.

We are sorely disappointed because we believed he deserved immunity for both cases, Barrowclough said.

Some of the shooting incident was recorded from across the street by a doorbell camera on Gist Road, Griffiths order states. The video shows what Griffiths order describes as an ambush and shootout that lasted less than 40 seconds.

Griffiths order cites details on the doorbell video, testimony from Coleman, and Rock Hill police.

The shooting incident

Coleman testified in the October 2022 hearing that he shot Brevard and Hart, according to Griffiths order. Coleman said he did so only after he and two other teens were first shot at by Hart, Brevard, and third man.

Griffiths order says Coleman and two teens were sitting in a car outside Colemans home. Coleman, who was wounded during the shooting, and another teen in the car returned fire, the order states.

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Brevard and Hart were wounded during the shooting.

Small was in the car with Coleman. A third teen in the car with Small and Coleman fled the scene and does not face charges.

The video shows that Coleman exited a BMW car and returned fire toward males at the rear of the car. Coleman initially ran away, then returned.

The video shows Coleman come back to the rear of the car and approach Brevard, who was closer to the passenger side of the vehicle, Brevard was trying to get back on his feet, Griffiths order states.

Hart was moving but was not getting back to his feet, the order states.

Coleman testified that when he exited and shot at the males at the rear that he was terrified, Griffiths order states. He testified that he initially ran away from the BMW and was very afraid. Because of his disorientation and fear, he then ran into a parked car on the street. When he turned back to the scene he saw one of the teenagers trying to get back up. He returned to the car and shot him in the head because he was afraid and it appeared to him that the two males were still armed and intended to continue the ambush. He testified that he shot the other teenager on the ground because he was still afraid.

SC self defense law

The order issued by Griffith states four elements must be established by a defendant to justify the use of deadly force as self-defense.

The order states those four elements are:

1) The defendant was without fault in bringing on the difficulty;

2)The defendant...actually believed he was in danger of losing his life or sustaining serious bodily injury, or he actually was in such imminent danger;

3)If the defense is based on the defendants actual belief of imminent danger, a reasonable prudent man or ordinary firmness and courage would have entertained the same belief;

4)The defendant had no other probable means of avoiding the danger of losing his life or avoiding the danger of losing his own life or sustaining serious bodily injury than to act in this particular instance.

Griffith ruled Coleman and his lawyers met the first two elements for both cases.

The uncontroverted evidence was the ambush was a surprise, thus unprovoked, Griffith wrote in the order. The ambush was exactly that, an armed attack on three unsuspecting males with all the shots fired from the rear of the car. Thus, the defendant was not at fault in bringing on the difficulty and he was in immediate danger.

Griffith said the analysis of the case turns on what Coleman perceived to be happening as he fled and returned to the car.

Grifth wrote Colemans testimony was consistent with the video and Coleman felt his life was in danger concerning Brevard who was allegedly getting up, meeting prongs 3 and 4 of the requirements concerning Brevard.

But Coleman did not prove by a preponderance of the evidence that he was entitled to take the life of Hart, Griffith wrote in the order.

The court found Hart was making very little effort to regain his standing position, Griffith wrote.

South Carolina law allows a person to protect himself.

The law states: A person who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and who is attacked in another place where he has a right to be, including, but not limited to, his place of business, has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his ground and meet force with force, including deadly force, if he reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily injury to himself or another person or to prevent the commission of a violent crime.

Juveniles and guns

It is illegal for anyone under age 18 to possess a handgun in South Carolina. The judges order stated that four guns were recovered by police, but one additional gun remains unaccounted for.

It remains unclear where the juveniles obtained the weapons.

All three victims who died were shot multiple times, the order states. At least 12 bullets were recovered in the car, Griffiths order states.

Ballistic testing on the recovered bullets and weapons remains ongoing.

What happens now?

Charges against Coleman in connection with Harts death remain pending. Coleman, who was 17 at the time of the shootings, is charged as an adult, court records show.

A charge of murder in Smalls death against a 16-year-old girl remains pending in Family Court, prosecutors said. Prosecutors previously filed court documents seeking to have her tried as an adult, but that process remains ongoing.

A murder charge against the third man, Christavious Xavier Jiquian Caldwell, in the death of Small remains pending, prosecutors said. Caldwell, 21 at the time of arrest, allegedly was with Hart, Brevard and the girl as part of the shooting, the order states.

No court dates have been set in the remaining cases against all three defendants.
When Judge Clifton Newman banged his gavel March 3 - sentencing twice-convicted murderer Richard "Alex" Murdaugh to two consecutive life sentences - justice was served and the victims of his grisly violence were given a voice.

But it was only two small drops of justice in a gaping void of pain and suffering, as multiple alleged victims of Alex Murdaugh's violence, lies, alleged theft and manipulation still cry out for peace, answers and closure.

In a shocking rural Southern scandal that will echo from the South Carolina Lowcountry around the country for years to come, and has shaken up the legal and law enforcement communities of this area, Murdaugh has taken lives, confessed to stealing millions, wrecked his family's dynasty and utterly disgraced his ancestors' century-plus old law firm.

Yet Murdaugh, despite the "overwhelming evidence" and the conviction, still denies having a hand in the murders.

Murdaugh has begun paying - day by day, year by year at Kirkland Correctional Institution in Columbia - for spilling the blood of his wife, Maggie, and younger son, Paul, on the fateful night of June 7, 2021. Meanwhile, their families, friends, and even other victims still cry out for truth, answers and justice.

Here are just a few of the names of the many alleged victims of Murdaugh.

A simple memorial marks the final resting place of Paul Terry Murdaugh, believed slain by his father, Alex Murdaugh. Paul was a USC Gamecocks fan and had attended college there.

Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, gunned down "in their prime"

State prosecutors believe that Maggie and Paul were gunned down so violently by Murdaugh because the crime was an attempt to make it appear as if it were the work of angry vigilantes connected to a 2019 wrongful death suit involving the family.

During the highly publicized and widely followed trial, often graphic and heart wrenching testimony was presented, describing the horrid and seemingly impossible nature of their wounds - multiple point-blank shots, entire organs destroyed by bullets designed for wild boar, brains lying on the ground almost intact.

This photo ran with the obituary announcing the deaths of Maggie Murdaugh and her youngest son, Paul.

Paul was killed first at deadly close range, then Maggie was shot at gunpowder-burn range while she was "running to her baby," said lead prosecutor Creighton Waters of the S.C. Attorney General's Office.

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Family and friends who testified described Paul as a loyal friend who loved the outdoors, and Maggie as a "girl's girl" who loved the beach, shopping and remodeling her home, but as the mother of boys came to love the things they loved. Both were cut down "in their prime," Waters said.

A graveside memorial to slain mother and wife, Margaret "Maggie" Murdaugh includes Bubba the yellow lab, a rambunctious family pet who loved to chase chickens and, in a way, was instrumental in convicting Maggie's husband, Alex, in her murder.

During the trial, as people learned more about Maggie and Paul, many made a visit to their gravesites at the Hampton Cemetery to pay their respects and leave flowers.

A photo of Gloria Satterfield taken not long before her death in 2018.

Gloria Satterfield, beloved family employee, betrayed

Gloria Satterfield had worked for Alex and Maggie Murdaugh for years. Testimony during the double murder trial revealed that she helped raise Paul and that he loved her like a mother.

When Satterfield fell at the Murdaugh home, Moselle, in February 2018, and suffered deadly injuries that would later lead to her death, Murdaugh betrayed her trust, her legacy and her children by orchestrating an insurance fraud scheme in which he has admitted to stealing millions - and not giving one penny to her two sons.

A young Gloria Satterfield.

Mallory Beach

Mallory Beach was ejected from a boat owned by Murdaugh and allegedly piloted by Paul Murdaugh in Beaufort County waters in the early morning hours of Feb. 24, 2019.

Paul was charged with felony boating under the influence, and Murdaugh, along with other parties, was the target of a March 2019 wrongful death suit.

The logo for a charity started in honor of the late Mallory Beach, who died after a controversial boat crash in 2019.

According to the suit, Murdaugh allegedly encouraged and condoned underaged drinking in his family and on his property, and allowed his underaged son to operate family vehicles and watercraft while intoxicated. Photos and videos entered as exhibits in this ongoing lawsuit support allegations that Murdaugh even participated and drank with the minors.

That trial is expected to be heard on Aug. 14 in Hampton County.

Scores of other financial victims await justice

In addition to murder and drug charges, Murdaugh was indicted in connection with a decade-long, multi-county, multiple-victim financial crime spree in which he allegedly stole more than $8.7 million. During the trial, and in taped conversations with state police, Murdaugh has admitted multiple times to stealing money.

According to the South Carolina State Grand Jury charges, Murdaugh stole from family, friends, partners, and clients who trusted him. He allegedly stole from the living, from the paralyzed, from the injured and the grieving, and even the dead.

The stolen funds represented money that these people desperately needed for medical expenses, burial expenses, and normal living expenses after experiencing something traumatic in their lives. Murdaugh didnt just steal money from these victims, he robbed them of their trust, their security, their hope, their chance for a better tomorrow.

Below is a list of all known financial victims, according to attorneys and state indictments. This list may be incomplete, as this is a complex case, and there may be other victims not yet named by law enforcement, or who havent come forward.

Allendale County - Arthur Badger; The Estate of Donna Badger; Deon Martin.

Colleton County - Manuel Santis-Cristiani; Christopher Anderson; Estate of Sandra Taylor

Orangeburg County - Thomas L. Moore

Beaufort County - Jordan Jinks; The Estate of Blondell Gary

Hampton County - Gloria Satterfield; Tony Satterfield, Brian Harriot, and the Estate of Gloria Satterfield; Sandra Manning; Johnny Bush; Jamian Risher; Randy Drawdy; Hakeem Pinckney; The Estate of Hakeem Pinckney; Natasha Thomas; Alaynia Spohn; Hannah Plyler

Corporate victims - Murdaugh stole from his boyhood friend and fellow attorney, Chris Wilson, and the Wilson law firm. He also stole from his brother, partners and employees at PMPED, the family law firm founded by his great-grandfather, Randolph Murdaugh Sr. Finally, Murdaugh stole from insurance companies such as Nautilus and Lloyd's of London.

Stephen Smith's senior quote in a Wade Hampton High School yearbook.

Are there other alleged Alex Murdaugh victims?

Stephen Smith's body was found on a rural Hampton County road in the summer of 2015. While there has been no conclusive evidence presented publicly tying Smith's homicide to Murdaugh or his family, the S.C. Law Enforcement Division opened a new investigation into his death in July 2021 "based upon information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh," said SLED in 2021.

That death remains under investigation.

Help us out. This is a complex case, and if our report overlooked any Murdaugh victims please call it to our attention by emailing the author at mdewitt@hamptoncountyguardian.com.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Alex Murdaugh saga: Remembering the alleged victims
Gov. Ron DeSantis. CHENEY ORR/AFP via Getty Images

Ron DeSantis weighed in on a bill that would require bloggers to register with the state.

"That's not anything that I've ever supported," DeSantis said on Tuesday.

He added that he doesn't "control every single bill that has been filed or amendment."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says a proposed law that would require bloggers writing about him to register with the state isn't something that he's "ever supported."

"That's not anything that I've ever supported. I don't support it, I've been very clear about what we are doing," DeSantis said of the bill during a press conference on Tuesday.

The governor added that "every person in the legislature can file bills."

"The Florida legislation, 120 of them in House and however many, the 40 in the Senate, they have independent agency to be able to do things," DeSantis said. "Like, I don't control every single bill that has been filed or amendment, so just as we go through this session, please understand that."

DeSantis was referencing S.B. 1316, a bill introduced in the Florida Senate on February 28 by GOP lawmaker Jason Brodeur.

If passed, the bill would require any blogger who writes about DeSantis  and is paid for their work  to register with the state and file monthly reports. It would also apply to bloggers who write about Florida's lieutenant governor, a cabinet officer, or any member of the Florida legislature.

Brodeur said in a Twitter video on March 5 that "voters have a right to know when somebody is being paid to advocate."

"What is the difference between a paid blogger who writes about state government, or a paid lobbyist who advocates in state government?" Brodeur said.

The bill has received rebukes from civil rights organizations like the ACLU. Representatives for the ACLU's Florida chapter told Insider the bill is "un-American to its core" and a violation of the First Amendment.

The proposed legislation has not yet been put to a vote. A spokesman for DeSantis told Insider on Friday that the governor's communications office is "reviewing the bill."

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"As usual, the governor will consider the merits of a bill in final form if and when it passes the legislature," the spokesman told Insider on Friday.

In a statement to Insider on Thursday, a DeSantis spokesman confirmed that the governor will continue to consider every bill if and when it reaches his desk, and will take the appropriate action after.

Brodeur did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
RuPaul  the Queen of Drag  has decried a recent onslaught of political tactics targeting the drag and trans communities.

Though Ru didn't mention any politicians or bills by name, he shared an impassioned Instagram video Wednesday, days after conservative Tennessee governor Bill Lee signed into law legislation that severely restricts certain drag shows and bans gender-affirming care for trans youth in the state. The Emmy-winning RuPaul's Drag Race host criticized the move as one mounted by bullies targeting vulnerable people in American society.

"'Hey, look over there!'  a classic distraction technique, distracting us away from the real issues that they were voted into office to focus on: jobs, healthcare, keeping our children safe from harm at their own school," Mama Ru said in the video, referencing Drag Race winner Jaida Essence Hall's iconic quote from the season 12 political debate challenge with Jeff Goldblum. "We know that bullies are incompetent at solving real issues. They look for easy targets so they can give the impression of being effective. They think our love, our light, our laughter, and our joy are signs of weakness, but they're wrong, because that is our strength. Drag queens are the marines of the queer movement. Don't get it twisted and don't be distracted. Register to vote so we can get these stunt queens out of office and put some smart people with real solutions into government.

"By the way," he finished, "a social media post has never been as powerful as a registered vote." He then linked to a donation page for the ACLU's Drag Defense Fund, created with Drag Race production company World of Wonder, which gives users the option to donate money to help the organization fight for LGBTQIA+ rights.

In late February, state lawmakers voted 77-16 to move the legislation to Lee's desk, and he signed it into law on March 2. The bill prohibits adult-oriented performances, including "male and female impersonators," from public property and in the presence of children, regardless of the nature of the show  including the popular family oriented Drag Story Hour readings, which aim to promote acceptance among kids. It is not a total ban on drag performances, though members of the drag community have spoken out about the measures as a potential segue into further restrictive laws around the country.

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RuPaul's Drag Race

MTV/World of Wonder 'RuPaul's Drag Race' is expanding to 90-minute episodes on MTV

"I am deeply upset and saddened to hear about the drag ban in Tennessee. The state [proposed] this bill to protect children from seeing anything explicit, when in fact, it is a mask used to hide the discrimination toward the LGBTQ+ community and the desire to erase drag. Public indecency is already illegal in Tennessee, this is yet another awful attempt at trying to take away our rights," Drag Race season 15 contestant Aura Mayari  who was born in the Philippines but ultimately settled in Tennessee before joining the show  exclusively told EW in February, noting that the bill "wrongfully targets our trans community" beyond drag artists. "People come to our shows to have a good time and to escape the cruel reality of life. Drag brings joy and inspiration to all audiences. Drag changes people's lives and that's what pushes me to continue fighting for our community."

Alongside Aura, Tennessee natives and fellow Drag Race alums Eureka and Jaidynn Diore Fierce also spoke out against the bill in exclusive statements to EW, with their voices joining a growing number of entertainers who've slammed the restrictive measures. On season 3 of HBO's docuseries We're Here, Eureka also endured similar political pushback from the town council in St. George, Utah, who met to discuss concerns over "sexual-related issues" while Eureka, Shangela, and Bob the Drag Queen planned a drag show near public children's spaces, like the St. George Children's Museum and the Town Square Park.

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7 winner and Chicago Broadway star Jinkx Monsoon criticized the political tactics on social media, tweeting that "ours is a revolution of love, empathy, and truth."

"You can't ban those things. We will fight this battle the way our predecessors did: with grace, compassion, and throwing a brick if we have to," Jinkx tweeted.

Bob  winner of Drag Race season 8  stressed that "if you watch Drag Race, Pose, Legendary, Dragula, etc. you need to make your choice heard. These anti trans/ anti drag bills are actually starting to make their way through, and after that have taken down trans and nonbinary people... GAY BOYZ, YOU'RE NEXT!! Trust and believe."

If you watch Drag Race, Pose, Legendary, Dragula, etc. you need to make your choice heard. These anti trans/ anti drag bills are actually starting to make their way through, and after that have taken down trans and nonbinary people. . . GAY BOYZ, YOU'RE NEXT!! Trust and believe.  Bobbiana (@thatonequeen) March 7, 2023

Memphis entertainer Bella DuBalle resisted the laws in a speech at a February performance.

"This is an attempt to erase drag in Tennessee. This bill will further harm trans people who are literally just living their f---ing lives," she said in a video shared to her Instagram page. "Pride began to commemorate the events of Stonewall. Back in Stonewall, we weren't allowed to do drag. It was criminalized. So, what happened when the cops came in and tried to beat us down? We picked up them bricks and set them packing. The original Pride was a riot, and, if this year, we need to remind them that we will fight for our liberation, we will raise our bricks high again and let them know that we will not go quietly."

In June 2022, drag performers representing all corners of the industry, from Drag Race (Alyssa Edwards, Denali) to The Boulet Brothers' Dragula (Maxi Glamour), also hit back at a Texas bill that would've banned minors from attending drag performances.

"Kids are future rockstars, they're future painters, future museum curators or even future art critics. It's important they grow up in a world where art is all around them," Maxi wrote at the time. "Because in the future they'll be the ones keeping it alive."

Subscribe to EW's Quick Drag podcast for recaps of RuPaul's Drag Race, including reactions with the cast, special guests, and more.

Related content:
Rupert Murdoch, shown in 2015, is the chairman of Fox Corp. (Amanda Edwards / WireImage)

While Fox News guests and anchors presented former President Trump's false allegations that voter fraud led to his loss in the 2020 election, network boss Rupert Murdoch didn't believe a word of it.

Deposition testimony released Tuesday showed Murdoch, the chairman of Fox Corp., did not buy into any of the theories pushed by Trump's legal representatives and surrogates on his conservative news network.

Fox News is being sued by Dominion Voting Systems in a $1.6-billion defamation suit that alleges the network deliberately lied about fraud claims to boost its ratings. Murdoch was deposed in the case Jan. 19.

A transcript showed that when Murdoch was asked by Justin Nelson, one of Dominion's attorneys, if "the 2020 election was not free and fair" the mogul's answer was, "No."

"Do you believe that Joe Biden was legitimately elected president of the United States?" Nelson asked.

Murdoch said yes.

"It's incorrect that the election was stolen from President Trump; correct?"

"It was not stolen," Murdoch replied.

"Do you believe President Trump was a sore loser?"

"Yes," Murdoch replied.

Murdoch gave the same negative response when asked about the various charges made against Dominion by guests and anchors who appeared on Fox News.

Dominion was wrongly accused by Trump's team of using its machines to manipulate votes to throw the election to Joe Biden. Trump representatives also said without evidence that the Denver-based voting machine maker was controlled by the Venezuelan government.

Fox News maintains that its reporting and commentary was protected by the 1st Amendment because allegations presented by a sitting president are newsworthy, even if false.

Dominion will have to prove to a Delaware court that Fox News acted with malice by recklessly disregarding the truth in reporting on Trump's claims and the false allegations against Dominion.

Dominion's motion for summary judgment  which cites deposition testimony and internal communications at Fox News  notes how executives, producers and anchors raised concerns about what Trump-supporting guests and anchors such as Maria Bartiromo, Sean Hannity, Jeanine Pirro and former Fox Business Network anchor Lou Dobbs were saying about the false claims.

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In his deposition, Murdoch admitted that Dobbs, Bartiromo and other hosts fueled the unsupported allegations against Dominion.

Many described statements by Trump's lawyers Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani as "nuts" and "crazy."

But they continued to appear on the network to promote falsehoods in the weeks leading up to the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, when Trump supporters attempted to stop the electoral vote count.

In his depositions, Murdoch acknowledged that he had the power to keep Giuliani and Powell from appearing on Fox News, but he chose not to. Murdoch said that he was mindful of antagonizing Trump-supporting Fox News viewers who were angry over the result of the election. Fox News was the first network on election night to call Arizona for Joe Biden.

Trump had a very large following, and they were probably mostly viewers of Fox, so it would have been stupid, Murdoch said in his testimony.

A jury trial is set for April 17.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
President Joe Biden; Donald Trump. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Associated Press

Rupert Murdoch told Jared Kushner his team said Biden's ads were more creative than Trump's.

The email exchange, from September 2020, was included in new Dominion court documents.

Dominion is suing Fox News for defamation related to election fraud claims involving the company.

Fox News chief Rupert Murdoch warned Jared Kushner that President Donald Trump's advertisements ahead of the 2020 election may not have been on par with Joe Biden's.

The September 2020 email exchange between Murdoch and Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and adviser, was included in newly released court documents in a defamation lawsuit filed against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems.

"Jared, Know you are spending less on tv than Biden. However my people tell me his advs are a lot better creatively than yours," Murdoch, who founded Fox News, wrote in an email to Kushner about six weeks before the election. "Just passing it on."

Kushner responded by saying the Trump campaign had some "new creative" coming and that he would personally be reviewing their content "every week until the end as the real money is starting to be spent on TV and Digital to move voters universes and turn out the base voters."

In a follow-up email, Murdoch told Kushner their new Sunday ad was "an improvement" but that one of Biden's was "extremely good," adding: "Or I think so! Will send it."

In a statement provided to Insider, a spokesperson for the Fox Corporation said the ad Murdoch was referencing had already been publicly shared on YouTube weeks prior and had aired on TV before he flagged it to Kushner.

"Dominion has been caught red handed again using more distortions and misinformation in their PR campaign to smear FOX News and trample on free speech and freedom of the press," the statement said.

Dominion, an election technology company, is suing Fox News for defamation, claiming the network helped spread election-fraud conspiracy theories about the company. Fox has dismissed the claims and sought to have the lawsuit thrown out.

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In a filing that was released last week, Dominion accused Murdoch of sharing "confidential information" with Kushner ahead of 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 (providing Kushner a preview of Biden's ads before they were public)," lawyers for Dominion wrote.

Fox at the time said Dominion was "mischaracterizing the facts."

Experts previously told Insider's Madison Hall and Jacob Shamsian that if the allegations were true Murdoch could be hit with fines by the Federal Election Commission, as providing that information to the Trump campaign could be seen as an "in-kind" donation that wasn't reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider
On Jan. 4, 2021, Fox News host Tucker Carlson was done with Donald Trump.

"We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly cant wait," he texted an unidentified person.

"I hate him passionately. ... I cant handle much more of this," he added.

By this time, Fox News was in crisis mode. It had angered its audience when it correctly said Joe Biden had won Arizona in the presidential election. Executives and hosts were worried about losing viewers to upstart rivals, most notably Newsmax.

The private comments were a far cry from what Carlson's viewers were used to hearing from the stalwart conservative host on his prime-time show every night.

Were all pretending weve got a lot to show for it, because admitting what a disaster its been is too tough to digest, he wrote in another text message, referring to the "last four years." But come on. There isnt really an upside to Trump.

The revelation is in hundreds of pages of testimony, private text messages and emails from top Fox News journalists and executives that were made public Tuesday, adding to the trove of documents that show a network in crisis after it alienated core viewers by reporting accurately on the results of the 2020 presidential election.

A judge unsealed the documents, along with parts of some employee depositions, as part of Dominion Voting Systems $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News.

The messages are blunt and, at times, profane, as hosts and top executives panicked about how to boost their ratings as Trump refused to acknowledge his defeat. The depositions, meanwhile, offer the broadest picture yet of how executives including Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch allowed baseless conspiracy theories to flourish on air.

In a statement, Fox News accused Dominion of dishonestly portraying key figures' internal communications.

Thanks to todays filings, Dominion has been caught red handed using more distortions and misinformation in their PR campaign to smear FOX News and trample on free speech and freedom of the press," the statement said. "We already know they will say and do anything to try to win this case, but to twist and even misattribute quotes to the highest levels of our company is truly beyond the pale.

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Smaller snippets of the exchanges were referred to in two Dominion briefs made public in a Delaware court last month, when Dominion sought a summary judgment ruling from the judge and opposed Fox News' motion asking the judge to dismiss the case.

Dominion's briefs previously revealed that top figures at Fox News privately blasted election fraud claims as "crazy" and "insane," even as the network aired them on television, and that top boss Murdoch considered some of Trump's voter fraud claims to be bulls--- and damaging yet acknowledged in a deposition that he did nothing to rein in hosts who were promoting the bogus claims in the days after the 2020 election.

The emails, texts, and deposition testimony speak for themselves. We welcome all scrutiny of our evidence because it all leads to the same place  Fox knowingly spread lies causing enormous damage to an American company," a Dominion spokesman told NBC News.

Dominion, a voting machine company, sued Fox News in March 2021, alleging it caused "severe damage" by giving oxygen to conspiracy theories it knew were false, including bogus claims that Dominion equipment was used to rig the 2020 election for Biden, that it was tied to the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and that it bribed U.S. government officials.

Tensions between Trump and Fox News have escalated in recent months as more revelations have come out and as Murdoch's media empire has featured Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a possible 2024 rival. Steve Bannon, a former White House official and longtime Trump ally, has in essence declared war on Murdoch and Fox. Trump has also been going after them in messages on his Truth Social platform.

Fox News has said it was "proud of our 2020 election coverage, which stands in the highest tradition of American journalism," and it argued that the Dominion lawsuit is designed only to garner headlines. Dominion argues that the First Amendment does not allow media outlets to broadcast conspiracy theories they know are false.

As the dominant media company among those viewers dissatisfied with the election results, Fox gave these fictions a prominence they otherwise would never have achieved. With Foxs global platform, an audience of hundreds of millions, and the inevitable and extensive republication and dissemination of the falsehoods through social media, these lies deeply damaged Dominions once-thriving business, the 441-page lawsuit says. Fox took a small flame and turned it into a forest fire.

Here are some of the key highlights:

Murdoch worried Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham 'went too far'

In his email to Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott on Jan. 21, 2021, the day after Biden was inaugurated, Murdoch discussed the heat he was getting from GOP senators for stories suggesting the election had been stolen.

Still getting mud thrown at us! Murdoch wrote. Maybe Sean and Laura went too far, he continued, referring to prime-time hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham.

He also asked Scott whether it was unarguable that high profile Fox voices fed the story that the election was stolen and that January 6th an important chance to have the result overturned.

Scott punted the request to a group of executives, noting please send specifics.

Six hours later, Irena Briganti, the Fox News executive in charge of communications, responded with more than 15 pages of transcripts of examples.

In an email the day after Joe Biden's inauguration, Fox Corporation Chairman Rupert Murdoch wondered if some Fox News hosts

Prime-time hosts were furious at the news division for its accurate election call

In a group text chain from mid-November, Hannity, Ingraham and Carlson complained about their news colleagues and the networks decision to call Arizona in favor of Biden. Fox News was the first network to do so, and the call was accurate.

Why would anyone defend that call, Hannity asked.

My anger at the news channel is pronounced, Ingraham said later in the exchange.

Carlson piped in, saying: It should be. We devote our lives to building an audience and they let Chris Wallace and Leland [expletive] Vittert wreck it. Too much.

Wallace and Vittert were Fox News hosts and anchors at the time.

Maria Bartiromo said she would not refer to Biden as the president-elect on air

In text messages with Bannon on Nov. 10, 2020, Fox News host Maria Bartiromo said, "Omg I'm so depressed. I can't take this," and lamented how upsetting it was to watch the "world move forward."

"I want to see massive fraud exposed. Will he be able to turn this around," she added, referring to Trump. "I told my team we are not allowed to say pres elect at all. Not in scripts or in banners on air. Until this moves through the courts."

"You are our fighter," Bannon later replied. "Enough with the sad ! We need u."

Biden was projected the winner of the presidential race on Nov. 7.

Murdoch predicted Trump would soon be 'irrelevant'

In an email to former Fox executive Preston Padden 20 days after the election, Murdoch said he believed the network was "navigating" everything "pretty well."

"And losing tons of viewers - but not leadership yet! Just have to hold our nerve and up our game! In another month Trump will be becoming irrelevant and we'll have lots to say about Biden, Dems, and appointments - so far pretty dull," he predicted.

Murdoch's name is redacted, but the email was mentioned and attributed to him in previously released briefs.

Fox News executive observes: 'It's remarkable how weak ratings make good journalists do bad things'

In a conversation with Fox News journalist Chris Stirewalt on Dec. 2, 2020, about a month after the election, Bill Sammon, who was then the network's managing editor, lamented the state of the place they worked.

"More than 20 minutes into our flagship evening news broadcast and we're still focused solely on supposed election fraud  a month after the election. It's remarkable how weak ratings make good journalists do bad things," Sammon said.

Stirewalt added: "It's a real mess. But sadly no surprise based on the man I saw revealed on election night."

Sammon replied, "In my 22 years affiliated with Fox, this is the closest thing I've seen to an existential crisis  at least journalistically."

Stirewalt later said he believed they were "losing the silent majority of viewers as we chase the nuts off a cliff."

A month after the 2020 election, Bill Sammon, who was then a top executive at Fox News, said the network was having an

Carlson on Trump: 'I hate him passionately'

Carlson, one of Fox News' top hosts, made it clear on Jan. 4, 2021, that he was getting fed up with Trump. In a text exchange with an unknown person, Carlson said: "We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly can't wait."

"I hate him passionately. I blew up at Peter Navarro today in frustration," he added, referring to the former Trump administration official. "I actually like Peter. But I can't handle much more of this."

He wrote in another text message: "That's the last four years. We're all pretending we've got a lot to show for it, because admitting what a disaster it's been is too tough to digest. But come on. There isn't really an upside to Trump."

Carlson, however, has complained about how reporters appear to "hate Trump with an all-consuming mania," as he did in a segment on Oct. 30, 2020.

Murdoch wondered whether Pence would pardon Trump

In an email Jan. 12 to Paul Ryan  the former House speaker from Wisconsin who served on Fox Corp.'s board  and his son Lachlan Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch talked about the fallout from the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

"Just talked at length with Suzanne Scott," he said, referring to the Fox News CEO. "Everything changed last Wednesday. She thinks everyone is now disgusted and previous supporters broken hearted."

Murdoch also said Trump was now in serious trouble.

"His businesses now ruined!" he said. "Who is going to throw a party at one of his golf clubs or hotels? Let alone a tournament. So he has more than just legal problems, bad though they are. The brand is now poison! Who wants Ivanka's fashion lines, jewelry, etc?!"

Murdoch even wondered whether Trump could resign and have Vice President Mike Pence pardon him.

Rupert Murdoch said that Trump's troubles were

Fox Corp.: Murdoch never shared unaired Biden ad

The newly unsealed documents call into question whether Murdoch did in fact share unaired Biden campaign ads with the Trump campaign through Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, as a Dominion filing last week claimed.

In his sworn deposition, Murdoch both denies and admits to having shared campaign ads with the Trump campaign before they were public. In emails released as exhibits, Murdoch promises to share an ad timed for a football game. It is unclear whether he is talking about an aired or an unaired ad.

Mr. Murdoch forwarded an already-publicly available Biden campaign ad which was available on YouTube, a Fox Corp. spokesman, Lauren Townsend, said in an email to NBC News.

Two groups filed complaints with the Federal Election Commission against the Trump campaign and Fox Corp. over the alleged ad sharing.

Fox lawyer warned Hannity was 'getting awfully close to the line'

Two days after the 2020 election, Hannity was making Fox Corp. lawyer Viet Dinh nervous.

"Let's continue to buckle up for the ride for next 24 hours," Dinh wrote in an email to other top executives. "Hannity is getting awfully close to the line with his commentary and guests tonight."

Social media posts from 'angry conservatives' hammer Fox News after the election

The week after the election, Fox Corp. Senior Vice President Raj Shah sent around a memo about the state of the Fox "brand"  and it showed that the network was taking a severe hit from its conservative audience.

"This week we continued to see extremely high levels of conservative discontent towards Fox News, both on social media and in the pro-Trump commentariat," read the weekly report on Nov. 13. "Roughly half of the top 100 tweets and a third of the top 100 Facebook posts mentioning Fox News were from angry conservatives criticizing Fox or threatening to boycott the network. Both Donald Trump and Newsmax have taken active roles in promoting attacks on Fox News, including by pushing leaked footage and false reports about Fox News talent."

The report included a graph showing Fox News' net favorability among its viewers that week  with a trend line dropping dramatically.

Fox News' favorability scores dropped in the week after the election. (Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit exhibits)

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The US Intelligence Community believes that Russia currently lacks the ammunition and troops to make significant territorial gains in Ukraine in 2023, so it may switch to a strategy of holding and defending its existing positions, prolonging the war.

Source: Avril Haines, Director of US National Intelligence, said during a Senate hearing on 8 March, as reported by European Pravda, citing The New York Times

Details: As she states, after the recent setbacks on the battlefield, Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun to realise the problems facing Russian troops and may adjust his strategy in the short term.

Quote: "Even as the Russian offensive continues, they are experiencing high casualty rates. Putin is likely better understanding the limits of what his military is capable of achieving and appears to be focused on more limited military objectives for now," Haines said.

Details: As the Director of National Intelligence states, Russia may choose to continue the war in Ukraine, even if it means long offensive-action pauses, as the best chance to achieve its strategic goals.

Haines also stated that, in addition to troop losses, Russia is facing critical morale issues and ammunition shortage.

"If Russia does not initiate a mandatory mobilization and identify substantial third party ammunition supplies, it will be increasingly challenging for them to sustain the current level of offensive operations in the coming months," she predicted

"And consequently, they may fully shift to holding and defending territories they occupy. In short we do not foresee the Russian military recovering enough this year to make major territorial gains," Haines said

Background: On 8 March, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the Ukrainian defence of Bakhmut may fall into Russian hands in the coming days. Still, it would not necessarily be a turning point in the war.

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Rupert Murdoch introduces Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during the Herman Kahn Award Gala, in New York, Oct. 30, 2018. (Mary Altaffer/AP)

NEW YORK  Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch said under oath that he believes the 2020 presidential election was free, fair and not stolen, according to court filings released Tuesday in a voting machine companys defamation lawsuit over Fox News coverage of former President Donald Trumps false election fraud claims.

In sworn questioning in January by lawyers for Dominion Voting Systems, Murdoch was asked, Do you believe that the 2020 presidential election was free and fair?

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Yes, he replied, according to a transcript.

The election was not stolen, he said later.

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The transcript and other material released Tuesday expand on earlier disclosures that paint a portrait of behind-the-scenes doubt  or outright dismissals  of Trumps voting fraud claims, even as the network gave them airtime. In excerpts of Murdochs questioning released earlier, he acknowledged that he didnt stop various Fox News commentators from promoting baseless claims from Trump allies that the election was stolen, even though he could have.

He also acknowledged that some of the networks hosts  Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo, Jeanine Pirro and Sean Hannity  at times endorsed the false claims.

Dominion is suing Fox News for $1.6 billion, saying the network crippled the companys business by broadcasting false claims from Trumps lawyers that Dominion had changed votes in the 2020 election.

Fox says Dominion is inventing its claims of lost business and has cherry-picked and misrepresented remarks by Fox hosts and leaders to paint a picture of a company that threw truth aside to keep its audience.

Dominion has been caught red-handed using more distortions and misinformation in their PR campaign to smear Fox News and trample on free speech and freedom of the press, the company said in a statement Tuesday, complaining that to twist and even misattribute quotes to the highest levels of our company is truly beyond the pale.

Federal and state election officials, exhaustive reviews in battleground states and Trumps attorney general found no widespread fraud that could have changed the outcome of the 2020 election. Nor did they uncover any credible evidence that the vote was tainted. Trumps allegations of fraud also have been roundly rejected by dozens of courts, including by judges he had appointed.

Under questioning, Murdoch said he doubted any massive fraud had occurred and said then-Attorney General William Barrs statement on Dec. 1, 2020, that there was no significant voter fraud just closed it for me.

Murdoch even worried about Trump, telling a friend in an email that the commander-in-chief was apparently not sleeping and bouncing off walls!

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The real danger is what he might do as president, Murdoch added in the message, as he recalled under questioning.

Still, Murdoch defended his networks coverage of Trumps claims of fraud, even as he privately bemoaned them.

This was big news, Murdoch said. The president of the United States was making wild claims, but that is news.

He acknowledged he has kept certain guests from appearing on Fox News and even intervened with on-air talent. He barred Trump adviser Steve Bannon, he admitted, because I just see him as a fringe character. Murdoch pointedly said he did not watch Dobbs show on Fox Business News and resisted entreaties from Trump to move Dobbs to the more widely viewed main news channel.

Some of the networks biggest stars also privately expressed disbelief in the claims made by Trump allies, but aired the claims anyway. Sydney Powell is lying, Fox News host Tucker Carlson said in a text to a producer, referencing one of the attorneys pushing the claims for Trump. Host Laura Ingraham texted Carlson that Powell is a complete nut.

Murdoch called her a crazy, would-be lawyer in another email to a friend, he told Dominions attorneys.

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The latest material in the Dominion case came as another voting-technology company that is suing Fox News trained new focus on Murdoch and Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch, saying they played a leading role in airing false claims that the companys technology helped steal the 2020 presidential election from Trump.

The company, Smartmatic, said in a filing Monday that the Murdochs, as the ultimate authorities at the networks corporate parent, were front and center in the decision to cover and facilitate the disinformation campaign published by Fox News after the 2020 U.S. election.

Fox News and Fox Corp. didnt immediately comment on Smartmatics claims, which came after a New York appeals court dismissed Fox Corp. from the lawsuit but let it proceed against the news network, as well as Bartiromo, Pirro and Dobbs. Smartmatics new filing reasserts claims against Fox Corp., supporting them with the new allegations against its top leaders, the Murdochs.

As in the Dominion case, Fox News has responded to Smartmatics lawsuit by saying it was simply reporting on newsworthy claims made by the president and his attorneys. The network notes that its hosts at times asked the lawyers about evidence to support their claims, which was never provided.

After Smartmatic demanded a retraction, Fox News ran an interview with an election technology expert who shot down the fraud allegations.

Like Dominion, Smartmatic contends that Fox News got behind the bogus voting-fraud narrative to win back pro-Trump viewers who turned to rival conservative news outlets after Fox, correctly, declared on election night that Biden had won Arizona.

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Associated Press writers Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta; Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix; Gary Fields in Washington, D.C.; and Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report.
Veteran of the ATO, people's deputy Roman Kostenko

Commenting on the possibility of a Russian retreat in view of the alleged removal of valuable equipment from Enerhodar and the Zaporizhzhiya Nuclear Power Plant, Kostenko told NV that we do not see that the occupiers are preparing to retreat. On the contrary, theyre preparing defenses and defend themselves.

Read also: Diplomatic efforts to remove Russian troops from Zaporizhzhya NPP fail so far, energy minister says

Kostenko posited that it could simply be regular Russian looting  a war crime.

It often happens with them, he said. There is a rotation of units, and those who go on vacation also do some looting, so that somewhere later they can send it home from the occupied territory or (somewhere) with access to Russias borders.

The lawmaker noted that the liberated part of Kherson Oblast was still very dangerous.

Read also: Russia pulling manpower to south of Ukraine, preparing to make them a barricade on the front

The enemy is standing along the Dnipro River, he said. They even pulled up equipment there. And with their artillery and observation posts, they are constantly inflicting damage on the civilian population, (while) trying to find some of our military facilities to also shoot, Kostenko said.

He also said that the Russians are aware of how strategic the Zaporizhzhya area is for the Ukrainian army.

I know that they heavily mined the entire territory in front of them, Kostenko said.

They pulled up their reserves there after leaving the right bank of the Dnipro River and are on the defensive. Therefore, I personally cant say anything about a retreat. We see that theyre still standing. If theres a retreat, it will only be under pressure from us.

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
Russian Yars ballistic nuclear missiles on mobile launchers roll through Red Square during the Victory Day military parade rehearsals on May 6, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

Russia's military losses in Ukraine will leave it reliant on "asymmetric" options, the US intel director said.

Russia will need to rebuild for years to pose a substantial conventional military threat, she added.

Other US officials have made similar comments about Russia's future as a military power.

Russia's high losses and wasted resources in Ukraine have made it less of a traditional military threat and will leave it reliant on "asymmetric" options such as nuclear weapons, cyberattacks, and space technology, and other countries like China, the US intelligence director said Wednesday.

At a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said Russia "has suffered losses that will require years of rebuilding and leave it less capable of posing a conventional military threat."

As a result, Haines said, "Russia will become even more reliant on asymmetric options such as nuclear, cyber, space capabilities, and on China."

She also noted that Moscow will have future trouble operating as a leading power both in Eurasia and "on the global stage" because of both its weakened status as a military power and global backlash against Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine a little over a year ago.

Russia's strategic failures in Ukraine, from botched strategies to substantial casualties, estimated to be nearing 200,000 killed or wounded, have been well documented since the beginning of its invasion. Putin has made repeated nuclear threats as his invasion struggles to achieve its objectives, and his threats of using nuclear weapons have received widespread attention and condemnation. As recent as late February, Russia suspended its participation in a major nuclear arms control pact with the US, leaving potential for expanded arsenals and the start of a "dangerous new nuclear era."

Discussions on Russia's relationship with China have also been ongoing, including speculation that Beijing might be considering sending lethal aid to Russia. The US and other partner nations have warned of "consequences" if Beijing takes that step. China has in turn criticized the West for its provision of weapons to Ukraine.

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Though Beijing claims to be neutral in the war, experts say that China does not want to see Putin lose the fight or emerge humiliated by its outcome. China "doesn't want the war to drag on with all the attendant instability, but it doesn't want Russia to lose or the regime to collapse," Susan Thornton, former acting assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the State Department, recently told Insider.

But Thornton also said that Beijing doesn't want to get too involved in the war and doubts that China would provide weapons to Russia. "But there are a lot of Chinese companies and it's a big country  things can happen, and if there are shipments, they will be detected and things will get worse," Thornton added.

Haines' comments on Wednesday echo the sentiments of other US officials on Russia's status after its war in Ukraine. In late February, a top Pentagon official told lawmakers Russia had lost the war and will emerge from war in Ukraine a "shattered military power."

The official, Colin Kahl, the under secretary of defense for policy, said last November that Russia will "emerge from this war weaker than it went in."

And top military experts have offered similar assessments. "Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been a strategic defeat. So far, the Kremlin has not been able to achieve its strategic-level objectives, and it has incurred significant costs. Russia's military is going to have to be rebuilt," George Barros, a military analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, told Insider in September.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Russian leaders claimed on Wednesday that their forces control eastern Bakhmut, a city in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region that has been under siege for six months.

Russian Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said that his group has taken full control of the eastern part of the city, The Associated Press and Reuters reported. He said the mercenary group, which has led the Russian offensive into Bakhmut for the last six months, controls all districts east of the Bakhmutka River.

The Russian forces surrounded the city on three sides, leaving only a narrow route leading west that has been targeted by Russian forces, according to the AP. The Institute for the Study of War wrote on Tuesday that Russia has likely captured the eastern part of the city, but noted that Russia likely lacks the necessary resources to push past Bakhmut.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has promised that Ukraine will continue to defend Bakhmut, telling CNNs Wolf Blitzer in an interview airing Wednesday night that the city is tactical for Ukraine. He noted that if Russia took Bakhmut, it would give Moscows forces an open road to push farther west into the Donetsk region.

Prigozhin has complained of a lack of ammunition from Moscow and has also lost a significant number of soldiers and armor. He warned on Saturday that if his group retreats from Bakhmut, Russias whole front line would collapse.

The mercenary group leader has publicly feuded with Russian generals, and is banking his reputation on the outcome of the battle in Bakhmut. He also questioned whether his troops were being set up to be scapegoats if Russia loses its war with Ukraine.

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Soviet soldiers on the attack in Stalingrad in February 1943. RIA Novosti archive, image #44732/Zelma

Russia and Ukraine both say Bakhmut, a city in Ukraine, is the site of their deadliest fighting.

The cost in lives on both sides appears disproportionate to the city's actual strategic value.

An expert on Russia's military likened it to Stalingrad, but without the same level of significance.

What if Stalingrad hadn't been named after Josef Stalin?

If that city hadn't been identified with Adolf Hitler's archnemesis, then perhaps the fuhrer wouldn't have been quite so obsessed with capturing it  or at least not so obsessed as to lose 300,000 soldiers and any chance Nazi Germany had of winning World War II.

But Stalingrad was still an industrial city, a major-inland port on the Volga River that was a vital transportation artery for Soviet war production and home to a half-million people. Thus capturing or holding Stalingrad had some strategic value.

What exactly is the value of the city of Bakhmut?

Destroyed buildings in Bakhmut on February 27. AFPTV/AFP via Getty Images

It is one of many cities in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region. Before Russia's invasion last year, Bakhmut had a population of just 71,000. It has a well-known winery, and a couple of highways pass through it.

But is Bakhmut an objective worth 30,000 Russian casualties and thousands of Ukrainian casualties whom Kyiv can ill afford to lose?

Western analysts are struggling to understand why both sides are pouring enormous resources  and prestige  into the Battle of Bakhmut.

"Both sides have really been going at it there," Dara Massicot, a senior policy researcher at the Rand Corporation think tank, said during a recent symposium.

"They've taken a lot of casualties. They've expended a lot of ammunition," Massicot added. "It's like becoming like a Stalingrad except for without the importance of Stalingrad."

Soviet assault troops in Stalingrad in 1942. Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-R74190

Capturing Bakhmut would "give the Russians a launch point from which to drive northwest along the E40 highway to Slovyansk, or north to the town of Siversk," according to The Washington Post.

But to what end? "Russian forces have tried and failed to take these cities in the past," the Post said. Ukraine has already dug trench lines behind Bakhmut, so any Russian attempt to exploit the capture of Bakhmut would be hindered or blocked by fresh Ukrainian defenses.

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Hitler may have been fixated on capturing Stalingrad because it was named after Stalin, but the Kremlin may be fixating on Bakhmut because of internal rivalries.

Instead of the regular Russian soldiers whose performance in Ukraine has been disappointing, the siege of Bakhmut has been waged largely by the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary organization with deep ties to the Putin government.

Much like the Red Army's penal battalions in World War II, Wagner is using convicts as cannon fodder to wear down the Ukrainian defenders with haphazard attacks  launched with the threat of execution for those who retreat or surrender  and then sending in better-trained contract soldiers to finish the job.

A Ukrainian medic runs through a partially dug trench on the frontline outside Bakhmut on March 5. John Moore/Getty Images

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to hold Bakhmut, warning that losing control of the city would give Russian forces an "open road" to other Ukrainian cities.

But why that city in particular? Ukraine would not lose the war if Bakhmut falls, as it is likely to now that Russia has captured most of the city and has almost cut the Ukrainian defenders' supply lines. In fact, there are indications that Ukrainian forces may already be withdrawing.

"If the Ukrainians decide to reposition in some of the terrain that's west of Bakhmut, I would not view that as an operational or a strategic setback," Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters Monday. "I think it's more of a symbolic value than it is a strategic and operational value."

War can be like children fighting over a toy: sometimes one side covets an objective simply because the other side wants it.

Ukrainians at a humanitarian aid center in Bakhmut on February 27. DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images

For Russia, the failure to defeat Ukraine outright was humiliating, and Wagner's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, likely sees victory as necessary to triumph in his feud with Russia's military leadership.

For Ukraine, now determined to recover all the land captured or annexed by Russia, denying Bakhmut to the enemy would provide a psychological boost, while ceding any territory could be a political and psychological setback.

Perhaps both sides should heed the lessons of Stalingrad.

While the battle is remembered as a crushing Nazi defeat, the Germans captured 90% of the city and Soviet troops were left clinging to a narrow sector along the Volga. Without Operation Uranus  the surprise Soviet counteroffensive that encircled Germany's sixth Army in November 1942  the city would have eventually fallen.

Yet the Soviet Union would have kept fighting had Stalingrad been captured. Nazi Germany lost an entire army at Stalingrad and still had the strength to continue fighting for another two and a half years.

Bakhmut will eventually offer one side victory and the other defeat, but it won't end the war.

Michael Peck is a defense writer whose work has appeared in Forbes, Defense News, Foreign Policy magazine, and other publications. He holds a master's in political science. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, left, met with his then-Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in March 2022 in Huangshan. STR/CCTV/AFP via Getty Images

China is considering sending weapons, ammunition and drones to Russia, according to information the Biden administration declassified at the end of February 2023.

Chinas military aid would directly support Russias war in Ukraine.

This public disclosure, emerging less than a month after the U.S. navy shot down a Chinese balloon that allegedly was being used for spying purposes, further heightened existing tensions between the U.S. and China.

It also comes as Russia is facing mounting costs in its war on Ukraine  both financial and in human lives.

These setbacks have pushed Russia to seek help where the government can find it.

Russia has tried to secure weapons and other military support from allies such as North Korea and neighboring country Belarus. Russia has also turned to neutral countries like India and China to whom it can sell its oil and gas and bring in more money.

China has not publicly announced a decision to give military aid to Russia.

I am a scholar of international relations whose work focuses on the increasing competition between the U.S. and China. Based on my research, Im certain Russia would welcome any assistance China would offer. Chinas decision about whether to get involved in the Ukraine war will be carefully calculated, factoring in potential long-term benefits, risks and the influence of Western powers.

But I think that Chinas choice in supporting Russia or not chiefly comes down to two considerations: how the Ukraine conflict will affect Chinas overall growth in world politics, and its interest in invading Taiwan.

Russias Sergei Lavrov sits across the table from Chinas Qin Gang in March 2023 while in New Delhi for a meeting of foreign ministers from the worlds largest industrialized and developing nations. Russian Foreign Ministry Press/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Chinas official stance

Massive military aid to a struggling army is not cheap. The U.S. spent over US$75 billion on aid to Ukraine in 2022. But despite the costs of war, China is considering supplying Russia military hardware for a few reasons.

Economically, Chinas interests in Russia include money, energy and trade opportunities.

During the Cold War, the U.S. successfully drove a wedge between the two countries. However, after the Cold War, Russia and China grew closer and became economically interconnected.

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Since Russia first launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, China has appeared to maintain a pro-Russia neutrality. That is, China is officially neutral and not contributing to the conflict, but its government officials are still echoing Russias war narrative and propaganda, while ignoring what Ukraine is telling the world.

China has criticized Western interference in the war. It has also proposed a peace plan for the conflict  which does not actually call for Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine.

So far, China has stopped short of sending military aid to Russia. Reversing course would be a substantive departure from Chinas previous policy of official neutrality.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reviews a military guard with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in 2018. Greg Baker/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

A common adversary

Russian success in Ukraine would align with Chinas goals of reshaping global politics and power, and could help facilitate Chinas own rise as an economic and military leader.

In February 2022, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. They issued a joint document calling for reshaping global politics. The lengthy statement details shared values and a vision for a world without the United States as a major leader, and where China and Russia gain more control and influence.

Chinas and Russias foreign ministers met on March 2, 2023, and Chinas government released a statement that reiterated this point, saying that the two countries have maintained sound and steady development, setting a new paradigm for a new type of major-country relationship.

Political scientists and human rights scholars do not consider Russia or China to be democracies or politically free. But both countries have lauded their own traditions of democracy and say they stand opposed to a world where the U.S. asserts its version of democracy and human rights as the only option.

Chinese military helicopters fly nearby Taiwan in August 2022. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

The Taiwan factor

Another reason China may want Russia to succeed in Ukraine is that a Russian victory would give China more external support in any plans to overtake Taiwan or other territories. Taiwan is an island off the coast of China that claims independence, but China maintains it is simply a breakaway province that it wants to regain control over.

If Russia had won the Ukraine war as quickly as it initially planned, this might have paved the way for China to attempt a similar invasion of Taiwan. But there was no quick victory.

Yet a prolonged Russia-Ukraine war may present a new kind of opportunity for China in Taiwan by diverting U.S. money, military resources and attention away from the island.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang argued on March 7, 2023, that because the U.S. sells weapons to Taiwan, this justifies China selling weapons to Russia.

Some critics have noted that U.S. aid to Ukraine makes it harder for the U.S. to justify defending Taiwan if China attempts to overtake it.

While China invading Taiwan appears unlikely in the short term  and some experts say such a move would be disastrous for China  both the U.S. and China have a vested interest in the fate of Taiwan and the surrounding region.

The U.S. and China have made recent moves to establish more military presence in the South China Sea region. China has increased its display of military force surrounding Taiwan. The United States recently announced it would deploy troops and military equipment in the Philippines, a strategic military base that is close to Taiwan.

Western pressure

In the past few months, the Biden administration and other Western powers have warned China that it should not get involved in the Ukraine conflict.

In March 2023, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz publicly warned China that there would be consequences if it gets involved.

Given that China has not yet officially stepped forward to support Russia, these efforts appear successful.

However, research has shown that countries intervene in conflicts when they think their interests may be affected and when they can make a difference. This could be a factor that pushes China to become more involved in Russias battle.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. If you found it interesting, you could subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

It was written by: Michael A. Allen, Boise State University.

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Michael A. Allen has previously received funding from the Minerva Research Initiative, the Department of Defense, and the Army Research Office. These organizations funded part of the work mentioned here. The views expressed here are the author's only and do not represent the views of any outside funder.
Irakli Kobakhidze

What about the Maidan and what did it help Ukraine achieve?, he asked. They lost Crimea and most of Luhansk and Donetsk, the continuation of all this is the war that goes on in Ukraine today.

Read also: Georgias foreign influence law incompatible with EU values and standards, says Borrell

The Maidan protests of 2013-2014 were prompted by government violence against pro-European Union protestors. They escalated into a popular revolt against the pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled the country after his security forces massacred more than 100 people in the center of Kyiv in late February 2014.

Kobakhidzea comments came after MEP Viola von Cramon remarked that the dispersal of the protests in Tbilisi reminder her of Ukraines Maidan Revolution in 2013-14.

Georgias Yanukovych is in prison, and his name is Mikheil Saakashvili, Kobakhidze quipped.

We will not act according to the agenda of the radicals, the agenda of Viola von Cramon, but in accordance with the interests of Georgian society, he said.

Read also: Five dead and five injured in mass shooting in Georgia

Read also: More than 100,000 bank accounts opened by Russians in Georgia since September partial mobilization

Kobakhidze stated that the ruling Georgian Dream political party carries the truth for the benefit of society. He blamed the radical opposition for misleading observers to the intent of Georgias law on foreign influence in the parliament.

He called statements that the adoption of the law on foreign agents will negatively affect Georgias EU bid speculations.

I repeat, once again, the campaign related to the connection of this draft law with the status of a candidate is of a speculative nature, he said.

On March 7, the Georgian parliament supported the draft law on foreign agents in the first reading, a copycat law of one previously adopted in the Russian Federation.

The law, backed by Kobakhidzes Georgian Dream party, requires any organization that receives more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad to register as foreign agents, or face fines.

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The countrys president, Salome Zurabishvili, has said she will veto the bill, but the parliamentary majority has enough votes to override a presidential veto.

Mass protests are ongoing in Tbilisi. The police have used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the demonstrators.

Zurabishvili continues to support the protesters.

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Oleksii Danilov

Read also: A-50 aircraft damaged after explosion in Machulishchi flies off to Russia for repairs  Belarusian Hajun

In Machulishchy, a thing happened to a Russian plane that helped guide missiles at our cities, Danilov said.

Thanks to this aircraft, they attacked the civilian population. According to our information, Belarusian partisans have seriously damaged the aircraft.

While Danilov asserts the plane is currently out of order, Russia claims they damage can be quickly repaired.

But given that Russia is under sanctions, we dont think they will succeed (in repairing the aircraft), the secretary added.

That caused such an inadequate reaction from Lukashenko (the dictator of Belarus). His behavior is startling. We'll observe how events unfold. We are ready for any development of the situation.

Read also: Belarusian partisans release video of their drone landing on Russian AWACS plane

The Russian Air Force A-50U 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.

Read also: Lukashenko alleges Ukrainian terrorist detained after attack on plane at Machulyshchi

Alexander Azarov, head of Belarusian opposition initiative BYPOL, said that the attack was carried out by Belarusian partisans.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has suggested that the Russian forces lack the mechanised forces necessary to advance beyond Bakhmut.

Source: ISW

Details: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on 7 March that the hypothetical Russian capture of Bakhmut would provide Russian forces an "open road" to Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, and other critical settlements in Donetsk Oblast.

However, ISW continues to assess, however, that Russian forces lack the capability to exploit the tactical capture of Bakhmut to generate operational effects, and will likely rapidly culminate following the capture of Bakhmut.

Russian forces additionally likely lack the mechanised forces necessary to advance beyond Bakhmut, and the tactical "assault detachments" used in assaults against the city are likely unable to conduct manoeuvre warfare.

Recent Russian advances within urban areas of Bakhmut demonstrate that Russian forces can secure limited tactical gains with infantry-led frontal assaults.

Additionally, Russian forces likely lack the mechanised forces necessary to exploit the roads (which are likely highly fortified) west of Bakhmut.

As ISW has previously assessed, Russian forces would have to choose between two diverging lines of advance after capturing Bakhmut.

Russian forces could attempt to push towards Kostiatynivka (about 20 km from Bakhmut) or could push northwest along the E40 highway towards the Slovyansk-Kramatorsk area in northwestern Donetsk Oblast (about 40 km northwest of Bakhmut)

As ISW suggests, degraded Russian forces would likely have to prioritise the pursuit of just one to have any chance of success  though Russian commanders have repeatedly stretched their forces too thin across multiple axes of advance throughout the invasion of Ukraine.

It was noted that Ukrainian forces have also heavily fortified both of these routes, which are supplied by numerous ground lines of communication (GLOCs) running deep into the Ukrainian rear, and any Russian attempt to advance down these roads would likely be "highly costly".

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"Russian forces remain unlikely to secure more than a tactical victory following 10 months of assaults," the report said.

Key Takeaways from 7 March:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on 7 March that Russian forces will have an "open road" to capture key cities in Donbas.

Russian forces likely lack the mechanised forces necessary to advance beyond Bakhmut, and the tactical "assault detachments" used in assaults against Bakhmut are likely unable to conduct manoeuvre warfare.

Russian forces have likely captured the eastern part of Bakhmut following a controlled Ukrainian withdrawal as of 7 March.

Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu reiterated boilerplate rhetoric seeking to deter further Western military aid to Ukraine.

Shoigu additionally outlined long-term and likely aspirational efforts to restore and expand the Russian officer corps.

Russia exchanged 130 Ukrainian prisoners-of-war (POWs) for 90 Russian POWs on 7 March.

US Air Force General James Hecker confirmed that the US has provided Ukraine with Joint Direct Attack Munition Extended Range (JDAM-ER) kits.

Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks along the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line.

Russian forces continued ground attacks along the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line.

A Russian source claimed that Ukrainian forces attempt to conduct operations across the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast.

Russian federal authorities continue to place the onus of solving mobilisation issues onto Russian regional authorities who then absolve themselves of ongoing Russian command issues.

Russian occupation authorities continue to import employees from various Russian law enforcement agencies to staff vacancies in occupation administrations.

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The number of cases of residents eviction from their private houses by representatives of the local Russian-appointed "authorities" has increased in the temporarily occupied city of Kreminna, Luhansk Oblast.

Source: General Staff of Ukrainian Armed Forces

Quote: "A sharp increase in cases of residents eviction from their private houses by representatives of the local occupying sham 'authorities' with the support of the invading military personnel for additional accommodation of newly arrived representatives of the Russian Armed Forces is reported in the city of Kreminna, Luhansk Oblast."

Details: There has also been a dramatic increase in dissatisfaction with the leaderships actions among those conscripted into the Armed Forces of Russia.

The General Staff reported that the main reason for this is the increasing number of cases of using those Russian soldiers, who had been pre-trained to serve in the ranks of support units and had no combat experience, as assault troops.

This leads to a dramatic increase in casualties, and the "behind-the-contact-line servicemen" do not agree to face certain death.

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Russian state TV host Olga Skabayeva pounced on a UK news cycle about eating squirrels. Anadolu Agency/Contributor via Getty / Anton Gerashchenko/Twitter / Insider

A Russian TV host claimed that the UK is eating squirrels over Ukraine war-related food shortages.

The claim appears to stem from unrelated reports advocating eating grey squirrels.

Grey squirrels are an invasive species in the UK, and groups want to preserve native red squirrels.

A Russian state TV host suggested this week that people in the UK are being forced to eat squirrels because their country is spending so much money on military aid to Ukraine.

"Today it was revealed that some restaurants in once-Great Britain will be serving squirrels," Olga Skabayeva said on Russian news show "60 Minutes," per a translation by Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko.

"In view of the fact that there are plenty of animals in the parks, so why not eat them, bearing in mind the food shortage [in the UK]," Skabayeva said in the video.

She added: "They [the UK] are not backing down from the decision to help [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, to supply weapons. That is, they will eat squirrels, but still supply howitzers."

Skabayeva is one of Russia's most prominent propagandists, as Insider's Michell Mark previously reported, and frequently advocates extreme positions on the war in Ukraine.

The UK has been one of Ukraine's earliest and most prominent backers since Russia's invasion in February 2022, supplying training and military and humanitarian aid. It has committed $2.7 billion worth of military aid as of February 2023.

The UK is also experiencing shortages of some imported fresh fruit and vegetables, which has been variously attributed to global weather patterns, electricity prices and Brexit red tape.

But Skabayeva's comments appear to stem from reports of nature conservation efforts that have no stated relationship to Ukraine or, indeed, the UK's food supplies.

Skabayeva seized on a completely unrelated UK news cycle, which focused on efforts of a small nature conservation group in south-west England. The Exmoor Squirrel Project hit the headlines in early March with a proposal to put grey squirrel on the menu of some local restaurants.

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The group campaigns to preserve the country's native red squirrels, which are endangered due to competition by grey squirrels, considered a non-native invasive species.

The group's remarks were reported in numerous news outlets  all in relation to efforts to cull grey squirrels without waste.

"There's no waste there. They'll be put to some good use instead of being put in a hole in the ground," the group's acting manager, Kerry Hosegood, told the BBC in late February.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A man was pronounced dead following a traffic crash that caused his vehicle to be engulfed in flames early Wednesday on the West Side in the West Humboldt Park neighborhood, officials said.

Shortly after 2:30. a.m., a white Chevy Traverse was traveling at a high rate of speed north in the 1100 block of Cicero Avenue when it struck an Acura MDX in the rear and it went up in flames, police said.

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The driver of the Acura was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other driver was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition.

Citations were pending, and the major accidents investigation unit was investigating.

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Meanwhile, on Tuesday afternoon, another fiery crash happened when a stolen Kia struck a Dodge Durango, causing it to veer into a West Pullman home, officials said.

Shortly before 5:30 p.m., officers responded to a crash in the 11500 block of South Racine Avenue where a Durango veered into a home and became engulfed in flames.

Witnesses at the scene said someone wearing all red exited the Kia and fled.

Two people were taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, and a male passenger in the Kia was taken to Roseland Community Hospital where he was listed in good condition, police said.

Police were investigating.
Fighters of the Wagner Group, a private military company financed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, appear to be losing the support of the Russian Armed Forces.

Source: CNN, citing Western officials

Quote from the Western officials: "Part of Wagners desperation, Prigozhins rather emotional outburst is because he sees himself as not only running out of human resource, but now he is also running out of Russian artillery support to provide an offset these losses."

Details: Death rates among Wagner fighters "have been significantly higher than of the Russian Armed Forces," they added.

Officials also said Bakhmut "doesnt hold any operational strategic significance" for either Russia or Ukraine, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's trip to Bakhmut in December has politicised it.

They acknowledged that Russia had "taken territory," but said that the area they captured was "open ground" and not an urban or built-up area, and that there were no Ukrainian defensive lines there.

The Western officials said Ukrainian forces are surrounded by three sides but can still get forces in and out of Bakhmut.

Quote from the Western officials: "It may well last another month, or the Ukrainians could decide to leave within a week. They could withdraw to prepare defensive lines which they have to the west of Bakhmut."

"They have shown previously that they are very adept to withdrawing when they need to, or when they feel they need to."

Background:

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the Ukrainian defence of Bakhmut may be defeated in the coming days, but this will not necessarily be a turning point in the war.

Western intelligence estimates Russia's losses in recent months in the battles for the city of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, at 20,000-30,000 mercenaries from the Wagner Group; about a third of them may be dead.

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Russian forces are confiscating grain from local farmers on the territory of occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Quote: "Grain crops from the neighbouring and district farms are brought to the local hangar by order of the so-called Russian occupation administration in the village of Ulianivka, Vasylkivskyi district, temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

The occupiers simply confiscate grain under the guise of buying it at significantly reduced prices."

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(Reuters) - Russia's Wagner group has taken full control of the eastern part of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, its founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Wednesday.

Reuters could not independently confirm the report which, if true, would mean Russian forces control close to half of the city.

"Units of the private military company Wagner have taken control of the eastern part of Bakhmut," Prigozhin said in a voice recording on the Telegram messaging platform of his press service.

"Everything east of the Bakhmutka River is completely under the control of Wagner," he said.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the report. Last Friday, Prigozhin said his forces had the city "practically surrounded", though the mercenary boss has appeared to issue premature claims of territorial gains in the past.

Prigozhin's forces have led the assault on the city but he has clashed repeatedly with Russia's defence ministry, complaining that his men have been starved of the ammunition they need.

In a separate video posted on his Telegram channel later on Wednesday, standing in front of a tank with explosions raging in the background, Prigozhin called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to "take the old people and children" out of the battered city.

Russian forces have been trying to seize Bakhmut for months in what has become possibly the bloodiest battle of the year-long war.

If Russian forces do capture the city it will become their first significant territorial gain since last summer.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday the seizure of Bakhmut would seriously weaken Ukraine's defences and allow Russia to mount further offensives across the Donbas - the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk which Russia says it is fighting to "liberate".

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin downplayed the strategic importance of the city on Monday, saying its capture would represent only a symbolic victory and would not turn the tide of the war.

Zelenskiy has said Ukraine will continue fighting for Bakhmut amid talk of a possible Ukrainian withdrawal. Prigozhin said on Tuesday he saw no signs Ukraine was pulling its forces out of the city.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Jake Cordell; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Mark Trevelyan)
A 20-year-old Sacramento man on Tuesday was sentenced to three years, four months in prison for unlawfully making ghost guns and advertising the firearms for sale in Snapchat videos, federal prosecutors said.

In October, Andrew Jace Larrabure-Tuma pleaded guilty to unlawful dealing and manufacturing firearms. Juan Manriquez of Antioch, Larrabure-Tumas co-defendant, has pleaded guilty to unlawful dealing in firearms and is scheduled to be sentenced May 16, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office in Sacramento.

On Sept. 28, 2021, federal and state investigators served a search warrant at Larrabure-Tumas apartment. There, the investigators found what appeared to be a firearm manufacturing operation.

Federal prosecutors said Larrabure-Tuma, who could not legally purchase a gun in California, ordered online kits for privately manufactured firearms, commonly known as ghost guns. He ordered the kits from Polymer80, a licensed firearms manufacturer based in Sparks, Nevada.

Larrabure-Tuma put the guns together and then sold the guns he had manufactured, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

The investigation into Larrabure-Tuma began July 28, 2021, at a Safeway grocery store parking lot in Pollock Pines, where he unknowingly met with a confidential informant working for the Western El Dorado Narcotics Enforcement Team.

At that El Dorado County parking lot, Larrabure-Tuma sold the informant a disassembled AR-15-style gun and a full-auto switch designed to convert the firearm to a fully-automatic weapon. Details of the illegal gun sale were included in an affidavit filed in federal court on Oct. 8, 2021, by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The same informant on Aug. 4, 2021, bought a fully-automatic machine gun, along with 3.5 grams of cocaine from Larrabure-Tuma at the same Safeway parking lot, according to the affidavit. Five days later, a detective from the narcotics team found two videos Larrabure-Tuma had recently posted on his Snapchat account that showed him firing a Glock-style handgun several times out the side of the drivers side window of his blue Ford Mustang near Bonetti Road in El Dorado County.

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On Aug. 12, 2021, Tuma told the informant he had a gun connection in Antioch  who was later identified as Manriquez  who sells rifles, pistols and machine guns, according to the filed affidavit.

Federal investigators said Manriquez later that month sold nine guns to an undercover ATF agent, including a Glock 30S .45 caliber pistol that had been converted to a machine gun and a Glock-style ghost gun.

Several weeks after the investigation into Larrabure-Tuma began, investigators arrived at his apartment with the search warrant and a warrant for his arrest. The investigators found at his home partially completed firearms, firearm kits made by Polymer80, firearm parts, tools for manufacturing and finishing firearms, firearm accessories, completed firearms, and ammunition.
Sacramento police officers on Tuesday afternoon were investigating a shooting that seriously injured one person in the South City Farms neighborhood.

The shooting was reported shortly after 2:45 p.m. along 38th Avenue, between 28th Street and Franklin Boulevard.

Officers arrived at the scene and found a male with gunshot wounds, according to the Sacramento Police Department. The person struck by gunfire suffered serious injuries and was transported to a hospital.

Authorities sealed off the area and closed the road as officers continued to investigate the scene.

Shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sacramento police said officers had identified and detained all involved individuals and there is no longer an active perimeter.

The Police Department did not release any further details, including how many people were detained or any suspect description.
Sacramento Republican activist and Jan. 6 Capitol Riot defendant Jorge Aaron Riley pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single felony count of obstructing an official proceeding, making Riley the third of four area residents to accept plea deals related to the insurrection.

Riley, 45, had faced a five-count indictment that charged him with disorderly conduct, entering a restricted area and demonstrating in a Capitol building, stemming from his actions during the riot when he allegedly entered then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosis office.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta set sentencing for Sept. 6.

Obstruction of an official proceeding carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, as well as potential financial penalties, the Justice Department said in a news release following the plea. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Riley was arrested Jan. 19, 2021, in Sacramento after returning home following the Capitol Riot, which erupted when protesters supporting then-President Donald Trump unsuccessfully attempted to halt the Electoral College certification of Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 presidential election.

During the riot, Riley entered the Capitol along with other protesters, then bragged about his actions in a video interview later posted online, according to an FBI affidavit.

We breached over there I think, the affidavit quotes him as saying. We broke windows, we went into the door, we pushed our way in, and then we just kept going further and further.  We went into, there was like a corridor building.

We pushed our way to Nancy Pelosis office ... and then we were sitting in there yelling f--- you, Nancy Pelosi.

The FBI says Riley posted more than 150 photographs, videos and written posts online between Jan. 6 and Jan. 8, 2021, including one stating, Hey Were storming the Capitol. ... What are you doing?

Riley was corresponding secretary of the California Republican Assembly, as well as president of its Sacramento chapter, until he was asked to resign two years ago.

Two months after his arrest, the Sacramento Republican Assembly group honored Riley for his long service on the groups board, presenting him with a trophy and congratulating him for serving 11 years on the executive board including being elected to 6 terms as president!

His plea leaves Sean Michael McHugh as the only Sacramento-area resident still facing charges in the Jan. 6 riot. McHugh, who remains in custody in Washington, D.C., and faces a 10-count indictment, is scheduled to go to trial in April.
SHS child protections - Credit: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images

Sarah Huckabee Sanders is off to a furious start as governor of Arkansas. Shed signed over 140 bills into law in less than 50 days on the job, as of the end of February, taking on pressing issues like what constitutes an adult-oriented performance. The number keeps increasing, with Sanders this week signing a new law rolling back restrictions on child labor.

The law means the state will no longer have to verify the age of children under 16 before they take a job, which means 14- and 15-year-olds would be able to work without a special permit. The states Republican-controlled Senate voted 24-9 last Thursday to send the bill to the governors desk. There is no reason that anyone should have to get the governments permission to get a job, said state Sen. Clint Penzo, who sponsored the bill, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

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Sanders spokesperson Alexa Henning said the governor believes is the states previous child labor regulations were arbitrary as well as burdensome and obsolete.

The new law comes as the Biden administration promised to crack down on child labor violations days after a New York Times investigation exposed the extent to which migrant children are employed in dangerous jobs across the United States. Child labor violations have quadrupled since 2015, according to data from the Department of Labor.

Arkansas isnt the only state that wants to make it easier for employers to hire children. Iowa, Ohio, and Minnesota are also considering bills that would loosen restrictions. The bill in Iowa would allow 14-year-olds to work in meatpacking plants. The Department of Labor announced last month that Packers Sanitation Services had paid $1.5 million in fines for illegally employing over 100 children to clean meatpacking plants on overnight shifts.

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Sanders will also have children in mind when she signs a sweeping education overhaul package the states legislature passed on Tuesday. The law would create a new school voucher program, and also prohibit teaching about gender identity or sexual orientation before the fifth grade  as well as impose an across-the-board ban on teaching what the state calls critical race theory and what others call a full description of U.S. history.

Im ready to sign it into law tomorrow and end the failed status quo that has governed our education system for far too long, Sanders said in a statement. Every kid should have access to a quality education and a path to a good paying job and better life right here in Arkansas.

Shes certainly not lying about wanting kids to have jobs.

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Sarah Huckabee Sanders touted her endorsement from former President Donald Trump to help win the Arkansas governor's mansion, but although Trump reportedly has asked her to return the favor for his 2024 White House bid, Sanders so far has kept publicly silent.

With his reelection bid underway, Trump asked Sanders for her endorsement in a phone call "weeks ago," according to the New York Times. The Times reported Sanders replied she wouldn't yet do so and hasn't weighed in publicly since.

Trump, for his part, denied asking for her endorsement on Sunday on his Truth Social media platform, saying he never asked Sanders for her endorsement, while taking credit for her political success.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump walks with White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders as they leave the White House to board Marine One, Oct. 9, 2018, in Washington. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

"I give endorsements, I don't generally ask for them," Trump posted. "With that being said, nobody has done more for her than I have, with the possible exception of her great father, Mike."

Trump's spokesperson and Sanders' office had not responded to ABC News' requests for comment as of Tuesday afternoon.

Sanders, the longest-serving White House press secretary under Trump, followed in the footsteps of her father, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, to become the first father-daughter governor duo in the nation.

Thank you President Trump for hosting an amazing event for my campaign last night! pic.twitter.com/oOSWXC1avu  Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) April 10, 2021

But it was serving in Trump's White House that propelled Sanders to become a household name herself.

Some of Trump's most enthusiastic supporters, such as Steve Bannon, are questioning why Trump hadn't seen more endorsements. Bannon and Sanders worked together in Trump's White House until he was removed from his position as chief strategist in Aug. 2017.

"Sarah ... are you listening?" he said on his podcast "The War Room."

PHOTO: Former President Donald Trump attends the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, Mar. 4, 2023. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

In an interview in January on "Fox News Sunday," Sanders declined the opportunity to endorse Trump and said her focus was on serving Arkansas, not 2024.

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"My focus right now has been on 2022, winning the election in November, preparing through transition and getting ready to take office, as I did this past week. I love the president. I have a great relationship with him. I know our country will be infinitely better off if he was in office right now instead of Joe Biden," Sanders said. "My focus isn't on 2024."

MORE: Despite opposition, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders the latest Republican to push 'school choice'

The Arkansas state legislature on Tuesday is expected to pass Sanders' landmark legislation, the LEARNS Act, which imitates elements of Florida's education policy enacted under Gov. Ron DeSantis -- thought to be Trump's closest competitor in 2024. Sanders also tapped DeSantis' education secretary Jacob Oliva to bring Florida's plan to Arkansas as it's unclear if she could be waiting for another candidate to endorse.

According to an Axios report on Tuesday, Sanders is among four women Trump is currently considering as vice presidential pick. The others include South Dakota Kristi Noem, Gov. former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the most high-profile of Trump's announced challengers, and Kari Lake, who has not conceded the race for Arizona governor.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders reportedly declined to endorse Trump originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
HAMPTON  SAU 21's Joint Board recently solidified its leadership team, extending the contracts of three of those who guide the school districts of North and South Hampton, Hampton Falls and Seabrook, and Winnacunnet High School.

When you have good people, you need to hold onto them, said Hampton Falls School Board member Jill Swansey, chairwoman of the Joint Board. We wanted to support that team strongly.

Meredith Nadeau

Swansey said SAU 21's four-member leadership team is in the middle of developing a strategy called Portrait of a Learner, which the Joint Board wants to ensure is completed and implemented across all districts. To do that, she said, continuity is important, especially in an SAU thats seen upheaval over recent years with considerable turnover.

The Joint Board voted unanimously to extend the contract of Superintendent Meredith Nadeau until 2027. Nadeau took over the reins in 2021, the third to do so following Robert Sullivans retirement in 2018.

Im excited to dive more deeply into the work here, Nadeau said. I feel like this year, since the pandemic, the energy is shifting.

Hampton Beach Ocean Boulevard makeover:Here's a look at proposed changes to roadway

An educator for 25 years, Nadeau came to SAU 21 after serving as superintendent at SAU 13 in Madison and Tamworth. Prior to that she served as superintendent for Newmarket and Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Her experience includes years in education in the Granite State as a middle school English and special education teacher, assistant principal, principal, and director of student services and instruction.

Nadeau said like the medical field, stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on education, among staff, students and parents. But working on the new Portrait of a Learner strategy, which defines what communities want for their children, has been energizing, she said.

Nadeau said balancing five monthly school board meetings, budget sessions, meetings with district principals and all the other aspects of education is challenging, but one she and members of SAU 21's leadership team coordinate successfully.

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According to Swansey, she reached out personally to Nadeaus colleagues and found their reaction to SAU 21s superintendent was overwhelmingly positive.

Nadeau gives high praise to the school boards of each district for their dedication to doing what they feel is best for the children and families they are elected to serve. That kind of commitment from the boards, said Nadeau  the mother of two teenage girls  provides positive reinforcement for the long hours of work.

Nadeau, 53, is a New Hampshire native, who graduated from Merrimack Valley High School. She went on to Bowdoin College, earning a bachelors degree in English, then her masters in special education and educational leadership from UNH. She is currently completing her doctorate at Boston University.

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Matthew Ferreira promoted to SAU 21 assistant superintendent

For seven years, Matthew Ferreira served SAU 21 as its business administrator, but the Joint Board elevated his job description and position to assistant superintendent of finance and operations.

According to Nadeau, the new title attests to the extensive role Ferreira has played over the seven years he has been at SAU 21, helping to develop and keep track of all of the financial issues for five multi-million dollar school districts, as well as the SAUs own budget.

Matthew Ferreira

Last year, the Joint Board extended Ferreiras contract for four years, according to Nadeau, which spoke to how highly members value his role, an assessment Swansey confirmed.

We looked at what Matt was expected to do (under his previous job description) and what he actually delivers, and it was so much more, said Swansey, adding the Joint Board unanimously approved what they considered a well-deserved promotion.

Ferreira is the only member of SAU 21's leadership team who began his career in the private sector, spending 13 years in corporate America after earning his bachelors degree in business management from Bentley University.

However, the call to use his financial skills in the field of education was too strong to ignore, Ferreira said.

I was surrounded by educators, he said. My father was a superintendent, my mother, my sister are teachers, my wifes a school psychologist.

Ferreira found one of the few colleges offering a curriculum focused on the business aspect of education, getting his masters from Wilkes University in school business leadership, then earned his doctorate in transformative leadership from the University of New England.

Ferreira said he enjoys working with his colleagues, who he said coordinate well together.

What makes it so great is that every community is so different, Ferreira said. That makes it exciting for me. Theyre really great people here. People who really care. They come together and look to see whats best for their students.

More:Hampton selectmen reject Logans Run food truck at North Beach

David Hobbs contract also extended

At their last meeting, the Joint Board also voted unanimously to extend David Hobbs' contract to 2026. SAU 21's assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction, and assessment, Hobbs' current contract would have expired this year.

Swansey praised Hobbs for his efforts with the Portrait of a Learner strategy development, saying he reached out to the communities for input.

David Hobbs

Hobbs has extensive experience in SAU 21, serving in such positions as a classroom teacher, department leader, and technology and curriculum coordinator. He was a member of the adjunct faculty and taught at UNHs Graduate School of Education, as well.

Hobbs was a recipient of the Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical, conducting a project that promoted digital literacy in the classroom.

He received his bachelors degree from Colgate University and earned his master's and doctorate degrees in education from the University of Montana.

The fourth member of SAU 21's hierarchy, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services Mary Toomey is still working under the conditions of her current contract, which will not expire until next year, according to Swansey.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: SAU 21 Superintendent Meredith Nadeau gets contract extension until 2027
The dyeing of the Chicago River commences, as seen from the 39th floor penthouse ballroom at the Royal Sonesta hotel, on March 12, 2022, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Chicagos Irish Catholics will be walking on thin, green ice if they want to eat corned beef on St. Patricks Day.

The Archdiocese of Chicago will not be granting parishioners a general dispensation on the March 17 holiday from the obligation to abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent.

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However, the archdioceses decision comes with an exception.

Catholics who find themselves at an event where meat is served in celebrating St. Patrick may in good conscience substitute the general rule of abstinence with another form of penance or a significant act of charity that benefits the poor, the archdiocese wrote in a news release announcing the commutation.

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Catholic law empowers bishops to grant the faithful dispensations temporarily lifting or modifying church rules whenever he judges that it contributes to their spiritual good.

For dozens of bishops across the country this year, that means signaling to parishioners that they can partake in carnivorous consumption during the typically meat and beer-filled feast. Bishops in New York, Milwaukee and even Peoria have granted St. Patricks Day dispensations allowing the faithful to chow down, though many other dioceses have rejected the general dispensations.

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Chicagos bishops have granted the gastronomical grace in the past. In 2017, the last time that St. Patricks Day fell on a Friday, Cardinal Blase Cupich offered a general dispensation, asking Catholics who took it to substitute for another form of penance for the Lenten Friday abstinence.

[ [Dont miss] Corned beef sandwiches are back at Steingolds, plus 25 more of the best in Chicagoland ]

In 2006, when Cardinal Francis George offered the city a general dispensation, the Tribune wrote that the archbishop of Chicago has granted the dispensation as far back as anyone with the archdiocese can remember.

But the decision t isnt without precedent. The Archdiocese of Chicago instructed the faithful to fast and abstain in 2018 when Valentines Day fell on Ash Wednesday, urging parishioners to celebrate their date night a day early instead.

For many Irish Americans, the tradition of eating corned beef with cabbage, potatoes and carrots on the oft-raucous holiday is all but a sacrament.

But even more important, the archdiocese noted in its statement, is the need to take seriously the Catholic obligation to observe abstinence on Lenten Fridays. The practice offers the faithful a way of uniting themselves with Jesus, the archdiocese wrote.

That should not be undervalued as we reflect on his sacrifice on the cross for the salvation of the world in this holy season.

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jsheridan@chicagotribune.com
LONDON (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on Tuesday said increased engagement with Syria might pave the way for its return to the Arab League as ties thaw after more than a decade of isolation, but it was currently too early to discuss such a step.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud reiterated that consensus was building in the Arab world that isolating Syria was not working and that dialogue with Damascus was needed, especially to address the humanitarian situation there.

"An engagement in order to address these concerns is necessary. And that may well lead eventually to Syria returning to the Arab League et cetera. But for now, I think it's too early to discuss," he told reporters in London.

Syria was largely isolated from the rest of the Arab world following Assad's deadly crackdown against protests that erupted against his rule in 2011.

The Arab League suspended Syria's membership in 2011 and many Arab countries pulled their envoys out of Damascus.

But Assad has benefited from an outpouring of support from Arab states following the devastating earthquake on Feb. 6, which killed thousands of Syrians.

Algeria hosted the first Arab League summit since before the COVID-19 pandemic in November, though Damascus stayed away after Algeria failed to persuade other Arab states to end Syria's suspension.

Saudi Arabia will host this year's Arab League summit. Asked whether Syria would be welcome, Prince Faisal said: "I think it's too early to talk about that."

"But I can say that ... that there is a consensus building in the Arab world, that the status quo is not tenable. And that means we have to find a way to move beyond that status quo."

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) speaks with members of the media at the Capitol last month. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Rep. Adam B. Schiff's effort to bolster his progressive credentials in preparation for his statewide bid for Sen. Dianne Feinstein's U.S. Senate seat has hit some resistance on Capitol Hill.

On Monday, the Burbank Democrat withdrew from consideration to join a coalition of progressives in Congress after his application became divisive among the groups members.

Schiff has faced questions about his progressive bona fides, considered a must-have these days for any statewide candidate in California.

He applied in January to join House and Senate Democrats' most liberal group, the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the CPC, said the timing of the application  as he begins his campaign for Senate against two other members of the group, Reps. Katie Porter of Irvine and Barbara Lee of Oakland  became an issue.

We have two very progressive members who have been in the progressive caucus for some time, Jayapal said, referring to Porter and Lee.

When Schiff was elected to Congress, he was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of Democratic centrists. He left the group several years ago.

He is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, which touts economic growth and fiscal responsibility. Several members of Congress are aligned with both the New Democrat Coalition and the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Jayapal declined to speculate about whether the application  which would have gone before the CPC's executive board and then its full membership  would have been successful.

It was great that he recognized that [his application] would be a divisive thing to do and he withdrew it, and so I appreciate that, Jayapal said. He has a progressive record. His questionnaire was fine. But I think the timing with the Senate race just bring questions around it.

Lee is a member of the CPC's executive board. Three other Californians in the group's leadership, Reps. Mark Takano of Riverside, Jared Huffman of San Rafael and Jimmy Gomez of Los Angeles, have endorsed Schiff.

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Schiff was encouraged to join the group in the last Congress "but deferred until the completion of his Jan. 6 committee responsibilities," said his spokeswoman Lauren French.

"Adam is proud to be a progressive," French said. "After hearing from his colleagues that some were attempting to make his joining this session political, Adam decided to withdraw from consideration until he joins the U.S. Senate."

Schiff has been criticized by far-left Democrats for his record, including opposing progressive caucus budgets and formerly accepting corporate PAC money. He will not accept corporate PAC dollars for his Senate race, his campaign says.

Lee has consistently had one of the most progressive voting records in the House.

The voting records of Porter and Schiff have tracked slightly more closely ideologically, according to GovTrack.us.

In 2019 and 2020, in a ranking of 436 members who sat in the House  with 436th having the most liberal voting record  Porter ranked 359th and Schiff was 367th. Lee was the most liberal at 436th.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks to supporters before signing a bill that creates education savings accounts in January 2023. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

Arizona lawmakers decided in late 2022 that the state will pay tuition, related education expenses or both for children at any school parents select, including private and religious schools.

Its the latest step in an effort to provide public funds for private schools that in Arizona began in 2011. And that step was taken along what I have discovered to be a familiar route.

As an education policy researcher, I wanted to understand why these voucher programs are becoming more common despite evidence they do not improve, and may even impede, students educational achievement. Rather than put the question of whether to use public money for private schools before voters, advocates for choice almost always want state legislatures to make the decision instead. That may be because a careful look at the efforts suggests that if it were up to voters, school choice proposals would rarely succeed.

Lawmakers in Iowa, West Virginia and New Hampshire all recently passed plans similar to Arizonas. In 2022, Michigan advocates  led by former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos  chose to petition legislators to approve such a plan for over a million children, rather than seeking a public referendum on the issue.

Private and religious schools have traditionally been prohibited from receiving taxpayer dollars. But since private school-choice programs began in the 1990s, 32 states and the District of Columbia have adopted 76 school voucher or voucherlike programs that allow families to send their children to private schools at public expense, according to the pro-voucher group EdChoice. Additionally, 45 states and Washington, D.C., have charter school programs, which are publicly funded but privately managed.

But of those 121 programs, only two have been approved by voters. The issue has been brought to referendum in various states 16 times since Michigan first voted on it in 1978 and has been rejected 14 times. In 2012, Georgia voters enabled state lawmakers to authorize charter schools, and Washington state voters barely passed a charter school initiative they had rejected twice before.

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Parents interest growing

Parents are taking advantage of those opportunities. There are 50 million public school students in grades K-12 in the U.S., of whom 3.4 million attend charter schools. About 5.5 million students are in private schools. The numbers are proportionately small, but growing.

For instance, from 2000 to 2016, the U.S. Department of Education reported the number of students in charter schools increased more than fivefold.

Pressure on public schools

Advocates for public schools argue that when public money is spent on private schools, it [siphons] off students, resources and funding from public schools.

But supporters say voucher programs usefully pressure public schools to improve under threat of losing enrollment and funding.

And still others emphasize distinctions between different types of choice programs, regulations and funding schemes. For instance, some people support publicly funded charter schools as options within the public school system, but do not support vouchers allowing families to take tax dollars to help pay for private schools.

Referendums failed

The process by which these programs have become law started in 1978 in Michigan with petitions and referendums, but they largely failed. That 1978 proposal sought a statewide referendum to create vouchers and got on the ballot but was rejected by a 3-to-1 margin. A very similar Michigan petition drive in 2000 failed by a similarly large margin. Referendum efforts in 2000 in California, and one in Utah in 2007, also failed.

As a result, more recent efforts aim to go through the legislature  even if laws that have passed have also been overturned by referendums later.

For instance, a 2017 Arizona law would have allowed students to use taxpayer dollars at private schools. But before it could take effect, a petition drive gave voters a chance to overturn the law, which they did in 2018, by a two-thirds majority.

In 2022, state lawmakers passed an almost identical bill, and as he had in 2017, Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, signed it into law on July 7, 2022. A second petition drive to reverse it failed to round up nearly 120,000 signatures before the legal deadline, and the law took effect.

A new effort in Michigan

But in 2022, a new petition drive arose, backed by former U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, a Michigan native and former state Republican Party chair. Instead of asking voters to approve the idea, however, it used a provision of Michigan law that meant the petition positioned legislators to pass the law themselves.

That process sought to preempt another referendum on school choice, as well as a likely veto from Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

When voters flipped control of the Michigan Legislature from Republican to Democratic in November 2022, DeVos group withdrew its petition, effectively killing the proposal.

The next time a school choice program is put before lawmakers, its worth asking whether the program would pass if it were put before voters. History shows the answer is usually a resounding no.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation is trustworthy news from experts, from an independent nonprofit. Try our free newsletters.

It was written by: Christopher Lubienski, Indiana University.

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Christopher Lubienski 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.
NEW YORK (AP)  A defamation lawsuit is revealing scornful behind-the-scenes opinions by Fox News figures about Donald Trump, including a Tucker Carlson text message declaring, I hate him passionately.

Carlson's private text comments were revealed in court papers at virtually the same time the former president was hailing the Fox News host on social media. Trump said he was doing a great job in presenting excerpts of U.S. Capitol security video of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection  though Carlson used the video to produce a false narrative of the attack.

The documents are coming to light at a time of increased tension between Trump and Fox, the dominant media force appealing to conservatives, as he campaigns to regain the presidency.

Voting machine manufacturer Dominion Voting Systems is suing Fox News for $1.6 billion, claiming the network broadcast false claims that the company was responsible for fraud in the 2020 presidential election. The case is to go to trial this spring, and a trove of documents related to Fox's actions after the election are being publicly released in advance.

A common theme emerging from the internal documents and depositions is that Fox executives and hosts doubted the election claims being peddled by Trump and his allies, but aired and emphasized them anyway. Fox was growing concerned about a decline in viewership as Trump supporters turned away from the network after it  correctly  called Joe Biden the presidential winner in Arizona on election night.

The exchanges include Carlson's text conversation on Jan. 4, 2021, with an unknown person, in which the prime-time host expressed anger toward Trump.

Carlson said that we are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights and that I truly can't wait.

Carlson said he had no doubt there was fraud in the 2020 election, but that Trump and his lawyers had so discredited their case  and media figures like himself  that it's infuriating. Absolutely enrages me.

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Federal and state officials, courts, exhaustive reviews in battleground states and Trump's attorney general found no widespread fraud that could have changed the outcome of the 2020 election, although Trump continues to falsely state that the presidency was stolen from him.

Addressing Trump's four years as president, Carlson said, We're all pretending we've got a lot to show for it, because admitting what a disaster it's been is too tough to digest. But come on. There really isn't an upside to Trump.

In another text exchange more than a month earlier, Carlson denigrated Trumps business abilities: Trump's talent, he said, is to "destroy things. He could easily destroy us if we play it wrong.

Publicly, Fox viewers heard very different views, such as a 2017 exchange with colleague Greg Gutfeld in which Carlson agreed that Trump was the greatest president that ever will be. On his show in 2019, Carlson said Trump had fought as hard as he could to make sure everyone in America was treated equally under the law.

You can say what you really believe in public," Carlson said then. You're an American citizen. That is your right." Trump could lose in 2020, he added, "but he'll be a genuinely great president.

Fox, in response to the court exhibits quoting Carlson that were released late Tuesday, said that "Dominion has been caught red handed using more distortions and misinformation in their PR campaign to smear Fox News and trample on free speech and freedom of the press. We already know they will say and do anything to try to win this case, but to twist and even misattribute quotes to the highest levels of our company is truly beyond the pale.

Carlson has continued rolling out security video from the Capitol attack, footage handed to him by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. For that, Trump said on his social media platform, congratulations to Tucker Carlson on one of the biggest scoops as a reporter in U.S. history.

The selective release of the footage to sway the historical account has drawn criticism, including from Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday called on Fox to stop spreading election lies, which he said was eroding trust in American democracy.

Foxs founder, Rupert Murdoch, has a complex relationship with Trump: I was not close to him, Murdoch said in a deposition in the libel lawsuit.

Indeed, though Murdoch acknowledged talking to Trump occasionally, he said he also sought inside information from Sean Hannity, one of his networks primetime hosts, because Hannity was the closest person at Fox to Trump.

Following Trumps loss in November 2020, Murdoch despaired of the presidents behavior.

"The real danger is what he might do as president, Murdoch wrote in an email to a friend that month. Apparently not sleeping and bouncing off walls! Dont know about Melania, but kids no help.

But Murdoch told his networks officials that he also didnt want to antagonize Trump: He had a very large following, and they were probably mostly viewers of Fox, so it would have been stupid, Murdoch said in a deposition in the Dominion case.

In separate questioning in the case, Murdoch acknowledged that he believed the 2020 presidential election  was not stolen.

On social media recently, Trump was critical of Fox when other court papers released in the Dominion case made clear that a number of the network's executives and personalities privately believed the election fraud claims were bunk.

Trump and his team also have accused Fox of giving his latest campaign for the presidency little attention and favoring a potential challenger for the GOP nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Fox and Trump have long had a complicated relationship. While he frequently has used the network to reach its audience, he also has been furious at a perceived lack of loyalty, most prominently after the 2020 election.

In a fiery speech at the Conservative Political Action Committee last week, Trump ally Steve Bannon complained that Fox had disrespected the former president.

You've deemed Trump's not going to be president, Bannon said. Well, we deem you're not going to have a network.

On Saturday afternoon, Fox News aired Trump's speech to CPAC in its entirety.

___

Riccardi reported from Denver. Associated Press writers Christina A. Cassidy in Atlanta, Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix, Gary Fields and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington and Jennifer Peltz in New York contributed to this report, as did news researcher Randy Herschaft in New York.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Philippe Bosse

Scream ran out of meta inspiration right around the conclusion of 1997s Scream 2; and yet, like a typical horror franchise, it hasnt subsequently had the good sense to lie down and die.

Resurrected last year with its original stars in tow by Ready or Not directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, the confusingly titled Screamthe series fifth entrydid little to update the trademark self-referential formula that was pioneered by Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson.

Once again, it offered up a story that took aim at itself, a requel (i.e., sequel-reboot), that melded the old with the new. As it turned out, in this scenario, the fans were now the true villains! Although given the films lack of scares and imagination, they also proved to be the victims.

Nonetheless, with a $140 million global box-office haul, Scream confirmed the enduring viability of endlessly returning to the slasher well. Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin are thus back with Scream VI (in theaters on Mar. 10), whose main twist involves taking a page out of the Friday the 13th playbook by relocating from the sleepy suburb of Woodsboro, California, to the bustling streets of Manhattan.

Its a wink-wink homage that feels like another act of desperate derivation designed to keep the IP afloat. That impression is exacerbated by the films dreary announcement that these proceedings are operating according to franchise rules, whichper know-it-all Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown)means that everything is going to be bigger (it isnt), will be the opposite of the last time (nope), and can feature the deaths of its heroes (ha!).

Philippe Bosse

Since the Scream films have always both copied and subverted their predecessors, Scream VIs blather about franchises sounds fresh when, in truth, its just more of the same. The snake continues to eat its own tail. Here, at least, that's in glittering New York City, where Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Wednesdays Jenna Ortega) presently live and attend school at Blackmore University, with Mindy and her twin brother Chad (Mason Gooding).

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Sam is seeing a therapist in order to grapple with the lingering trauma of being maiden Scream killer Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich) daughter and having killed her boyfriend Richie (Jack Quaid) and his partner Amber (Mikey Madison) at the end of the last sequel. Moreover, shes upset that Tara finds her protectiveness overbearing and that a portion of the Internet believes she was the real culprit behind Richie and Ambers homicidal spree.

While Tara wants to move on from the past and live a normal life, Sam understands that Ghostface trouble is forever, and shes therefore not very surprised to hear TV news reports about the slaying of their cinema studies professor Laura (Samara Weaving).

In the films by-the-books murderous opener, Laura is felled by a Ghostface, who reveals himself to be one half of a duo planning to kill Sam and Tara, only to then fall victim to another identically masked fiend. Its a funhouse of maniacs wielding giant blades and employing voice boxes to conceal their identity, and it takes no time for Sam and Tara to be attacked, resulting in an expertly staged showdown in a bodega during which Ghostface temporarily trades in his butcher knife for a shotgunone of the few elements in Scream VI that isnt rehashed from prior installments.

Champions: New Woody Harrelson Movie Takes Warm and Fuzzy to an Intolerable Level

That encounter is one of two standouts, alongside a later subway-car centerpiece, in which the protagonists find themselves packed in with passengers who, in many cases, are wearing Ghostface (and other classic-horror) Halloween costumes. Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin know how to build and execute a suspenseful sequence.

James Vanderbilt and Guy Busicks script, however, is woefully light on invention. Case in point: the twentysomethings are joined by Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), the latter of whom has become an FBI agent something that seems so unbelievable, its a relief when Gale herself mocks this development. Fans clamoring for cameos from the dismal Scream IV may delight in seeing Panettiere, but to put her in the films own franchise terms, shes akin to this series Ant-Man (or, more accurate still, its Wasp), and merely functions as another bland potential suspect.

Speaking of which, Scream VI stuffs itself full of secondary characters who are either bloodthirsty psychopaths or red herrings, including Sam and Taras sex-positive roommate Quinn (Liana Liberato), Chads nerdy virgin roommate Ethan (Jack Champion), Sams down-the-hall lover Danny (Josh Segarra), Mindys girlfriend Anika (Devyn Nekoda), and Quinns NYPD detective father Bailey (Dermot Mulroney).

Philippe Bosse

All of them act suspiciously and yet none of them are particularly interesting, and the revelation that this unhinged Ghostface has established a lair in a derelict movie theaterdecorated with memorabilia from the preceding sagas, including each killers maskcomes across as a half-hearted attempt to keep the materials movies-referencing-movies spirit alive. Alas, it doesnt, nor do verbal shout-outs to giallos and Dario Argento or a briefly spied clip of Jason Vorhees on TV.

As far as next-generation stars go, Barrera and Ortega are a charismatic and formidable pair, even if Sams tormentborn from her fear that she may enjoy murder as much as her dearly departed dad (who once again visits her in visions)is less than convincing, especially considering that Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin have no intention of truly turning things on their head.

Philippe Bosse

Scream VIs finale solidifies its overriding conventionality, resorting to tepid bombshells and even flatter bad-guy exposition that neuters any flickering verve. The fact that multiple characters who suffer grievous wounds wind up surviving in borderline-magical fashionthe better to keep them around for prospective follow-upsonly further proves that the films talk about reinvention and mortal stakes is so much hot air.

Worst of all, this sixth chapter boasts not a single genuinely unnerving jolta consequence of tepid writing as well as the familiarity of Ghostfaces tactics, which have long since become their own genre cliches. As a result, the smartest move made in Scream VI is the one that goes unseen: stalwart heroine Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) opting to take a vacation rather than play another rotely gruesome whodunnit game.

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Scream VI breaks new ground for the iconic horror franchise by being set in New York City. There, the four young survivors of Scream (2022), played by Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Mason Gooding, have relocated in the hope of avoiding more interactions with Ghostface.

"This film takes place right on the heels of the last one," says Tyler Gillett, who co-directed Scream VI with Matt Bettinelli-Olpin. "It finds the survivors having moved to New York together to try to deal with, escape, move on from the events of the previous movie. They move to the big city because what kind of bad thing could happen in the city? Surely Ghostface won't show up. And then Ghostface shows up!"

Ghostface in Scream VI and Jason Voorhees in 1989's Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

Philippe Bosse/Paramount Pictures; Everett Collection 'Scream VI' and 'Friday the 13th Part VIII'

Scream is not the first horror franchise to have its villain show up in the City That Never Sleeps. As the name implies, 1989's Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan featured a certain Mr. Voorhees visiting Times Square, even if most of the film takes place on a boat headed to NYC rather than the big city itself.

Scream VI executive producer Chad Villella reveals to EW that the new movie's behind-the-scenes team did check out the eighth Friday the 13th film before shooting the sixth Scream in Montreal.

"Oh, we definitely studied it, and we wanted to make sure that we didn't have a boat in this!" says Villella. "We wanted to be in the city, in the lived-in part of New York, that was very important to us. Obviously, being in a city is a scary thing. With Woodsboro, you're able to be isolated very easily, but in a city, you could be surrounded by millions of people and still feel very alone. That's exactly what we wanted to capture with this one."

Scream VI hits theaters March 10.

Pick up a copy of Entertainment Weekly's Ultimate Guide to Scream, available online

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If theres one thing were supposed to take away from Scream VI, its that this meta horror series is officially a franchise now. Of course, the idea that it wasnt already would certainly be news to Paramount executives. Any series that lasts long enough to spawn six movies is a franchise in the literal sense of the word. But up to this point, the Wes Craven-created property had gone to great lengths to differentiate itself from the slasher franchises it loves to lampoon.

Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street and all of their ilk are the poster children for quantity-based filmmaking. They exist in worlds where continuity is nonexistent, supporting characters come and go without ever being missed, and the bad guy can never be definitively killed. Theres never been a serious attempt to wrap up the overarching narrative  and you know theres never going to be  because the franchise is bigger than any one actor or director. Those movies are going to keep coming out until the heat death of the universe, and loyal fans will keep seeing them out of sunk costs and the possibility that a bold filmmaker can turn a cheaply made sequel into a diamond in the rough (looking at you, Jason X).

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Theres no denying that the Scream movies come awfully close to matching that description, but theyve always been able to toe the line without crossing it. Up to now, each sequel has used a self-referential framing device to justify its own existence: Scream 2 mocked horror sequels, Scream 3 explored the way trilogy endings differ from their predecessors, Scream 4 poked fun at the prevalence of remakes, and last years Scream made a convoluted attempt to comment on elevated horror and reboots that bring back legacy characters.

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Those narrative devices offered a shred of plausible deniability against charges that the Scream series was just an endless assembly line of slasher whodunnits. Anyone who felt like using semantics to defend the series could plausibly make the claim that changes to the horror movie ecosystem necessitated each of the four sequels.

No more. While Scream VI still features its share of meta humor, it leaves no doubt that this universe is now fleshed out enough to support an infinite number of sequels that arent parodies of industry trends. And the films ability to shine without the involvement of Craven (who died in 2015) is a clear sign that the Scream series can afford to lose any of its key players if its smart about replacing them.

Scream VI - Credit: Philippe Bosse

Philippe Bosse

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gilletts tenure at the helm of the franchise got off to a rocky start when their 2022 reboot clearly lacked Cravens wit and visual panache. But their second Scream film sees them stepping out of Cravens shadow entirely, proving that theres plenty of room for new filmmakers to put their own spin on the series.

The last Scream movie was an obvious reset for the franchise. The self-described re-quel brought back fan favorites like Courteney Cox and David Arquette, but it primarily focused on introducing a new generation of stars to fight Ghostface. That film saw two horror junkies attempting to film their own remake of the fictional Stab movies by initiating a new set of murders in Woodsboro. While the killers were eventually caught, survivors like Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara (Jenna Ortega) Carpenter and Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) Meeks-Martin were traumatized for life.

Scream VI picks up right where that left off, following the two sets of siblings to New York City after they made the all-too-rational decision to leave town after the killing spree. Now theyre trying to adapt to life as college freshmen, but it quickly becomes clear that they cant just run from their Ghostface problem. Sam has become the subject of a brutal online harassment campaign because a conspiracy theory claimed that she was the actual killer in Woodsboro. And Tara is trying to break free of her overprotective sister, who wont let her out of her sight. When a film studies professor gets stabbed to death by a guy in a Ghostface mask, they know its only a matter of time before the latest movie-obsessed killer comes for them. Their only recourse is to find him first.

Of course, it wouldnt be a Scream movie without characters using their knowledge of real horror movies to protect themselves. As they begin to narrow down the list of suspects, it dawns on them that theyre living in a full-fledged franchise now. That means that many of the old rules that characters have used to survive previous installments are useless. Everyone is on edge once they realize that anyone can die at any moment  romantic leads and fan favorite characters arent safe anymore. The only thing left to do is brace themselves for a bigger, bloodier face-off with their new assailant.

The college setting allows the young leads to take center stage, freeing up the legacy characters to add color at all the right moments without having to carry the film. (If it wasnt obvious already, its time to acknowledge that Coxs Gale Weathers is one of the best human characters that the horror genre has ever produced. The idea of a grifty investigative journalist who will do anything to monetize her proximity to tragedies becomes more plausible with each passing film, and Cox flawlessly alternates between genuine competence and sleazy opportunism.)

Scream VI - Credit: Philippe Bosse

Philippe Bosse

And more than anything, its just really fucking fun. The set pieces are bigger, the killer reveal is twistier, and the film actually uses its New York setting to its full advantage. (Unlike the abysmal Jason Takes Manhattan, which devotes the majority of its runtime to the boat ride that took Jason Voorhees to Manhattan and treats his actual time in the city like an epilogue.) While the camerawork sometimes falls short of the formalism that Craven spent a lifetime honing, this film zips along with the energy of something that was clearly made in the 2020s. The whole movie is living proof that the franchise has plenty of gas left in the tank and that we should all be excited about the inevitable Scream VII.

Without spoiling anything about who survives the latest film, it goes without saying that almost everyone will outgrow this franchise eventually. Characters will be killed off, actors will distance themselves from the slasher world in search of bigger roles, and directors like Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett will eventually move onto other projects. But if theres one thing that the Scream franchise has taught us, its that theres always someone new waiting to put on the mask. If they keep making em like Scream VI, the future is as bright as it is bloody.

Grade: B+

Paramount will release Scream VI in theaters on Friday, March 10.

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A second person has been arrested after a shooting at a Machesney Park bar last month.

The Winnebago County Sheriff's Office announced Derek Graham, 21, of Rockford, is being held in the Winnebago County jail without bond.

Graham is accused of shooting someone in of Onyx Bar & Grill Feb. 25.

Graham is the second person to be arrested in the shooting.

Jimmie Lee Rogers, 31, was taken into custody Feb. 27. Police said Rogers was involved in an altercation, was escorted out of the bar, later returned with a gun and opened fire.

Onyx shooting: Rockford-area man arrested, charged with attempted murder

A total of four people were shot with one person suffering serious injuries, according to police.

Rogers faces multiple charges, including attempted murder. Graham also faces multiple charges, including aggravated battery with a firearm, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, aggravated discharge of a firearm, resisting arrest and a felon in possession of a firearm.

Police said Graham was also wanted on a warrant for armed robbery that was issued by the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Authorities are still investigating the shooting.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Second arrest made in shooting at Onyx Bar & Grill last month
Toni Morrison's legacy lives on.

On Tuesday, March 7, the United States Postal Service unveiled its new forever stamp of Morrison at a dedication ceremony held at Princeton University in New Jersey.

The latest forever stamp celebrates the amazing life and legacy of the late novelist, who was the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature.

At the ceremony, fans got to see the forever stamp, which shows Morrison smiling while crossing her hands in front of a yellow background. According to Princeton University, the photo was taken by Deborah Feingold in 1997 for Morrison's Time magazine photo shoot.

This image released by the USPS shows a forever stamp featuring Nobel laureate Toni Morrison. (USPS / AP)

A letter from former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama was also read at the unveiling and was presented to Morrison's family.

It read, "Were honored to join Toni Morrisons family and everyone gathered here in celebrating one of the worlds greatest storytellers. Toni told fundamental truths about our country and the human condition. But she didnt just reflect what was true. She helped generations of Black Americans reimagine what was possible. Thats why we return to her stories again and again, finding new meaning each time.

Morrison was known for highlighting the Black experience in America. In her first novel, "The Bluest Eye," she wrote about an 11-year-old girl who struggled to see her beauty as a dark-skinned African American girl.

In "Beloved," Morrison's 1987 novel, she wrote about a formerly enslaved woman who ends up killing her own baby to prevent the child from going through the same experiences she did growing up.

Morrison's acclaimed work, which spoke to the various mistreatments of African Americans in society, was one of the reasons she was chosen to be featured on the forever stamp.

Toni Morrison speaking at Harvard's Sanders Theater in Cambridge, Mass. on March 9, 2016, as part of the Charles Eliot Norton Lectures. (John Blanding / Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Morrison is someone who has made extraordinary and enduring contributions to American society, a spokesperson for the U.S. Postal Service said in a statement, according to Princeton.

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Pritha Mehra, USPS chief information officer and executive vice president, who served as the dedicating official, added, "One of the goals of our stamp program is to raise awareness and celebrate the people who represent the very best of our nation. Its a privilege to represent the 650,000 men and women of the Postal Service, as we honor Toni Morrison with one more tribute  our new stamp that will be seen by millions and forever remind us of the power of her words and the ideas she brought to the world.

Morrison's forever stamp can be purchased at post offices nationwide, online at usps.com, and by phone at 1-800-STAMP-24 (1-800-782-6724).

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Former Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy is seen at the Leighton Criminal Court Building in Chicago on March 7, 2023, before giving testimony in the Clifton Lewis case. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

In January 2012, then-Chicago police Superintendent Garry McCarthy emailed the police force about charges in the killing of Officer Clifton Lewis, but he also sought to debunk a rumor, he testified Tuesday.

After Lewis was killed while working off-duty as a security guard at a West Side convenience store in December 2011, a rumor circulated throughout the force that Lewis was killed in a case of mistaken identity, McCarthy said. The rumored reason for the slaying was that Lewis switched shifts with someone else, who was the real target of the shooting.

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Somebody brought it to my attention ... that there was a rumor regarding fact that this was such a coldblooded, fast-moving murder, that it was a hit, not necessarily a robbery attempt, McCarthy said.

Chicago police Officer Clifton Lewis. (Chicago Police Department)

Two masked men fatally shot Lewis while he was working at the M&M Quick Foods in the 1200 block of North Austin Boulevard in what prosecutors have alleged was a botched robbery. Prosecutors charged three men in the killing, Tyrone Clay, Alexander Villa and Edgardo Colon. Clay and Villa were accused of shooting Lewis. Colon was allegedly their getaway driver.

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In a hearing Tuesday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, the city faced off against attorneys for the defendants over allegations that the Chicago Police Department failed to turn over evidence in response to subpoenas in the case that has become subject of increasing scrutiny.

The defense attorneys have asked Cook County Judge Erica Reddick to levy sanctions and hold the Chicago Police Department in contempt of court, and called McCarthy, who was fired in 2015 after the release of video of the killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, as a witness Tuesday. McCarthy is now chief of the Willow Springs Police Department.

McCarthy said he wanted to quell misinformation about the case, which is why he included the mention of the rumor in the email.

But defense attorneys argued that the email was an indication that other theories of the crime were not turned over to the defense.

Alternative theories were not tendered to us. Tips were not tendered to us, said Marijane Placek, an assistant public defender representing Clay.

Throughout the hearing, which went into the evening, city attorneys objected to lines of questioning from defense attorneys, arguing that whether authorities involved in the Lewis case acted in bad faith was beyond the scope of the hearing, which they said was meant to ascertain whether the city failed to comply with subpoenas.

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An attorney representing the city argued that the Police Department has been working diligently to respond to the defense subpoenas despite being underresourced.

The case has been dogged by allegations of police and prosecutorial misconduct. Defense attorneys have accused police officers of coercing confessions and prosecutors of hiding evidence. The three men accused in the case have maintained their innocence.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 52 Tamara Tucker sits for a portrait next to a painting of her late fiancee, Chicago police Ofcr. Clifton Lewis, at her home on the West Side Feb. 15, 2023, in Chicago. Lewis was fatally shot on Dec. 29, 2011. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

In January, the Cook County states attorneys office assigned new prosecutors, referencing pending motions of prosecutorial misconduct but noted that the motions have not been ruled on. Prosecutors have denied the allegations.

Defense attorneys have argued in recent weeks and months that they are struggling to obtain documents from police and prosecutors. Reddick last month ordered police to go to the outer limits in searching and returning materials related to the case.

Colon was previously found guilty in the killing in 2017, but an appellate court threw out the conviction three years later, saying his constitutional rights were violated when police continued questioning him after he indicated he wanted a lawyer. He is out on bond waiting for a new trial.

Clay has been in jail for more than a decade without going to trial while attorneys have argued over whether his videotaped statements should be shown to a jury. His attorneys have said he couldnt waive his Miranda rights due to limited intelligence and verbal comprehension. A Cook County judge and an appellate court agreed that the statements should be thrown out.

Villa was convicted in 2019 but he has not been sentenced and has a pending motion for a new trial.
The Boston Police have safely located 10-year-old Christopher Ayala Mejia from East Boston.

CANCEL - BPD Missing Person Alert: 10-Year-Old Christopher Ayala Mejia of East Boston has been safely located. https://t.co/bjSWz1hblu  Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) March 8, 2023

Police say Ayala Mejia went missing around 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday at the ODonnell School on Trenton St. in East Boston.

Christopher is described as a Hispanic male with brown hair and brown eyes.

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.

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Booker has introduced a package of bills that would end cruel labor practices in U.S. prisons, plus tackle fair pay and workplace discrimination on behalf of incarcerated individuals.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker has introduced a package of bills that would end cruel labor practices in U.S. prisons and tackle fair pay and workplace discrimination on behalf of incarcerated individuals.

In a statement obtained by theGrio, Booker proposed that the four bills  the Fair Wages for Incarcerated Workers Act of 2023, Correctional Facilities Occupational Safety and Health Act, Ensuring Work Opportunities in Correctional Facilities Act and Combating Workplace Discrimination in Correctional Facilities Act  would address inhumane and unacceptable prison labor conditions in Americas correctional facilities.

The Democratic senator believes these bills would end unfair and abusive labor policies.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) has introduced a package of bills that would end cruel labor practices in U.S. prisons and tackle fair pay and workplace discrimination on behalf of incarcerated individuals. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery except as a punishment for crime, but this language has enabled and expanded the exploitation of incarcerated people in our countrys prisons, he said.

Bookers prison reform legislation would ensure that incarcerated individuals are deemed employees and would require correctional facilities to routinely report workplace safety and labor conditions to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration.

Beth Schwartzapfel, a reporter for the Marshall Project, told theGrio that being an incarcerated individual is a dehumanizing experience and that Bookers legislation would be life-changing.

People dont have access to basic human needs, she contended. People dont have access to their loved ones in any regular way. People dont have access to their humanity in a way. The culture of prison is such a machismo sort of posturing, violent place that is all about survival.

Other parts of Bookers effort would ensure that incarcerated individuals are paid a livable wage and would provide resources for inmates to seek employment and educational opportunities while behind bars. He said that more than half of incarcerated people work while carrying out their sentences.

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Because fair labor standards are virtually nonexistent in U.S. prisons, incarcerated people are often compelled to work in abusive and unsafe conditions, said Booker. They work for little to no pay, on average making between 13 and 52 cents per hour in most jobs.

Schwartzapfel told theGrio that if incarcerated individuals are paid a livable wage, it could prevent recidivism and would benefit the nations economy.

If you have enough money in hand that you can put a down payment on an apartment or that you can buy a car so that you can actually drive to job interviews or that you can actually take a job that you can get to without public transportation  it just creates a better circumstance for people to do better, she said.

When people are desperate, thats when laws get broken, Schwartzapfel said, [but] when you release people from prison with enough money like a cushion to settle back into society, you eliminate the incentive to continue to break the law.

Bookers proposals also aim to protect incarcerated individuals civil rights and prevent them from falling victim to discriminatory practices. For instance, the senator advocated for having the phrase refusing to work removed from the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate behaviors list, which is often used to justify why a prisoner should face harsh consequences.

If they refuse to work, he said, they face retaliation by correctional officers and have limited avenues under federal law to fight for their civil rights.

The senators package of bills is backed by several organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the Brennan Center for Justice and the National Employment Law Project.

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

The post Sen. Cory Booker aims to make prisons safer, add livable wage for inmates appeared first on TheGrio.
Two Senate Democrats on Tuesday filed a bill that would allow beneficiaries of humanitarian immigration programs to work in Congress.

Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced the American Dream Employment Act, which would allow holders of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to work paid jobs in the Capitol.

Our government should be as diverse as the people we represent, and that includes the Dreamers and TPS holders who are part of our communities and who are working legally in Nevada and across the country, Cortez Masto said.

My legislation will give them a voice in our government by allowing them to directly shape the laws that impact them and their families.

Beneficiaries of either program are allowed to live and work in the United States, but not in Congress or in the federal government  except as unpaid interns or through contractors.

I have met hundreds of Dreamers who are giving back to their communities as teachers, nurses, engineers, civil rights advocates, and more, Durbin said. Many Dreamers and TPS recipients are dedicated to public service, and it makes no sense to deprive Congress of this talent pool.

The legislation is also supported by the Congressional Hispanic Staff Association (CHSA).

Dreamers and TPS holders contribute to the rich fabric of our nation and their experiences and skills should not be left out of the policy making process. The Halls of Congress should mirror the diversity of our nation, and like other Americans, they deserve to have the opportunity to work in Congress, said Brian Garcia, communications director for the CHSA.

DACA allows Dreamers  undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as minors  to live and work in the United States. DACA was first instituted in 2012, and only Dreamers who have lived in the United States since 2007 are eligible.

TPS allows foreign nationals from certain designated countries to remain in the United States and work as long as the administration maintains their home countrys TPS designation.

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Countries are designated for TPS when they undergo severe man-made or natural disasters. TPS designations can be as long as 18 months, but administrations can extend those designations an unlimited number of times.

Somalia, for instance, was first designated for TPS in 1991, and in January 2023 Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas redesignated the country for another 18 months.

That means there are scores of Dreamers and TPS holders who have grown up and lived a majority of their lives in the United States, in many cases without having ever left the country after their initial arrival.

Neither DACA nor TPS holders are eligible to apply for a different immigration status without first leaving the United States in a process that could take years or make them subject to bans on reentry to the country.

Still, many beneficiaries of either program go through educational and placement programs that land them in public service jobs.

Ive had the pleasure of working with some DACA recipients. They have been interns in my Senate office, and they bring invaluable knowledge and skills to the table, but they dont get paid, Cortez Masto told The Hill.

Its all volunteer because federal law for some reason is preventing them from being able to be paid and have those opportunities in Congress. I just think its unacceptable.

Immigration bills in a divided Congress are long-shot prospects, but certain areas of immigration reform have proven to have more bipartisan support.

Durbin joined with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), for instance, to once again introduce the Dream Act, which would allow Dreamers to apply for conditional permanent residency.

I look forward to talking with my Republican colleagues to get them to understand and get their support, why it is beneficial to have our Dreamers, TPS recipients who can legally work in this country working in our offices as well. Theres a way that we can do it that benefits this country really long term, and so Im looking forward to having those conversations, Cortez Masto said.

But Cortez Masto added that politics could get in the way of bipartisanship.

What I think is frustrating to me is when I talk to some of my Republican colleagues, they get it. Theyre willing to help Dreamers, they claim. Theyre willing to help, not only Dreamers and TPS recipients  they get it  but thats behind closed doors, she said.

And then when we look at legislation to actually move forward, theyre not there yet, because unfortunately, there are some in leadership that want to use the border and conflate that with Dreamers as some sort of political blunt force against Democrats. Its outrageous.

Cortez Masto, who has at times broken with immigration advocates to call for stricter border security measures, said her experience as the attorney general of Nevada informs her view of securing the border.

Thats the first thing. One of the first things I did when I got here was talk to our Border Patrol, say, What do you need? But that to me is separate from this workforce thats already here  that has grown up in our communities that wants to stay and be the central part of a workforce that we need. We can do both of these things.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted in favor of former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to become ambassador to India, sending the nomination to the full Senate for a vote.

The panel approved the nomination by a vote of 13-8 on Wednesday, with Republican Sens. Todd Young (Ind.) and Bill Hagerty (Tenn.) joining all of the committees Democrats in voting in favor of Garcetti.

President Biden first nominated Garcetti to become ambassador to India in July 2021, and the Foreign Relations Committee initially signed off on him in January 2022. But his nomination has been in limbo for a year following allegations that Garcetti knew about sexual misconduct that one of his former top advisers committed and did not take any action to stop it.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released a report on the situation in May, concluding that Garcetti was likely aware of the allegations that his former chief of staff, Rick Jacobs, sexually harassed a Los Angeles police officer.

Grassleys office said in a release that the investigations findings contradict what Garcetti testified at a nomination hearing before the committee.

Garcetti said at the time in response to the report that he strongly disagreed with its findings and expressed optimism about being confirmed by the full Senate.

A report that the city of Los Angeles commissioned had previously found that Garcetti had not engaged in any improper conduct in relation to the allegations against Jacobs.

Garcetti never received a full vote of the Senate before the end of the congressional session in January, and Biden renominated him immediately at the start of the current session.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) announced last month that he would place Garcettis nomination on hold and delay the committees confirmation hearing, saying he would not turn a blind eye to absurd nominations.

Politico reported that Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), the chairman of the committee, said he is optimistic that the full Senate will confirm Garcetti.

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He got two Republican votes today. I would think that he would find a pathway forward on the floor to be supported, he said. Assume that its just a question of getting him time on the floor. Nominations take up time when they have to be voted out through the whole process.

Young told Politico that the country has a national security imperative to have an ambassador to India in place and the U.S. cannot wait any additional time.

Spectrum News reported that Garcetti said he is honored to be Bidens nominee for the role and pleased for the committee to have approved him again.

Im grateful to everyone on the Committee for their consideration, and look forward to a floor vote soon, so I can begin serving our critical interests in India, he said.

Laura Kelly contributed to this report.

 Updated 3:47 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's nomination for ambassador has been dogged by accusations of sexual harassment in his office. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted Wednesday to advance former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's nomination to be ambassador to India.

Garcetti's nomination will now go to the full Senate, though it's unclear when Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) will schedule a floor vote  and whether Garcetti has enough votes to be confirmed.

I am honored to be President Bidens nominee for this important post, and pleased that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has once again approved my nomination on a bipartisan vote," Garcetti said in a statement.

Most Republicans on the Foreign Relations panel opposed Garcetti's nomination Wednesday, a contrast to last year, when Garcetti and other nominations sailed through without any stated objections.

Two Republicans voted in favor of Garcetti on Wednesday, which bodes well for his final confirmation, according to Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), who chairs the committee.

"I would think that he would find a pathway forward on the floor to be supported," Menendez said. "It's just a question of getting him time on the floor. Nominations take up time."

Wednesday's business meeting was postponed more than a week after Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) placed a hold on the nominations of Garcetti and others.

In a statement announcing his hold, Rubio had accused Garcetti of ignoring "credible sexual assault accusations in his prior office" and called other nominations before the committee "absurd."

Garcetti's nomination has been dogged by accusations that he either knew or should have known that his former senior advisor, Rick Jacobs, 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.

Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) released a 23-page report last year that found it was extremely unlikely that Garcetti didnt know about his aides alleged behavior.

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Vulnerable Senate Democrats whose seats are up for reelection in red states in 2024 told The Times last week that they hadn't looked into the nomination and were unsure how they would vote.

But Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she was "impressed" with Garcetti's knowledge of India after the two met privately last week. She remains undecided but left the door open to casting a key swing vote in his favor.

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) threw her support behind Garcetti.

Senate Democrats have a 51-49 majority over Republicans, and a majority of senators would need to support Garcetti's nomination to send him to New Delhi as the U.S. ambassador to India.

Earlier this week, Federal Communications Commission nominee Gigi Sohn withdrew her nomination after Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) announced he would vote against her.

Other nominees before the panel Wednesday included Richard Verma to be deputy secretary of State for management and resources; Stephanie Sanders Sullivan to be representative of the U.S. to the African Union; Michael Alan Ratney to be ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Geeta Rao Gupta to be ambassador at large for global women's issues; L. Felice Gorordo to be U.S. alternate executive director of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development; Richard L.A. Weiner to be U.S. director of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; and Leopoldo Martinez Nucete to be U.S. executive director of the Inter-American Development Bank.

Times staff writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed bipartisan legislation on Wednesday to repeal the Iraq and Gulf War military force authorizations, which are still in effect years after the conflicts ended.

The bill, sponsored by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), passed on a 13-8 vote in the committee.

Kaine said the 1991 Gulf War authorization and the 2002 Iraq War authorization are decades behind the U.S., but they remain on the books and can technically be misused by a sitting president.

Congress has a constitutional and moral responsibility to repeal them so that future presidents cant use these authorizations as a blank check to send servicemembers into harms way, Kaine said in a statement.

The Gulf War ended in 1991 after a brief U.S.-led military campaign in Kuwait and some parts of Iraq. And former President Obama pulled U.S. troops out of Iraq in 2011, bringing an end to the 2003 invasion.

Attempts to end the authorizations for the use of military force (AUMF) for the Gulf War and the Iraq War have been introduced several times before in Congress, including an effort last year that got snagged in congressional business.

There are some signs the AUMF repeals are now picking up steam. A companion bill was introduced in the House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has vowed to back the legislation once it comes to the floor.

In a tweet last week, Schumer said we need to put the Iraq War behind us once and for all.

And doing that means we should repeal the legal authority that initiated the war to begin with, the senator wrote.

In a Wednesday statement, Young said he was encouraged by todays vote.

Later this month, we will mark the 20th anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Today, Iraq is a partner of the United States and critical to efforts to counter Iran, Young said. Repealing these outdated AUMFs will demonstrate Americas commitment to Iraqi sovereignty.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
An amended form of the Senate version of House Bill 1020, a bill to overhaul the court system within Jackson, passed the Mississippi Senate on Tuesday, one day before the deadline for it to move forward or die.

The bill, which differs drastically from its extremely controversial House counterpart, would create five temporary appointed judge positions within the Hinds County court system. It would also expand the jurisdiction of the state-run Capitol Police to include all of Jackson.

A number of changes were made compared to the version that passed the Senate Judiciary A Committee last month.

Language requiring Jackson Police and Capitol Police to enter a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on how they would work together within the same jurisdiction was changed to say that the two departments can do so, adding that the Hinds County Sheriff's Office may be included as well.

This change was important to Jackson lawmakers, as the previous version that required an MOU stipulated that if one could not be reached disputes would be decided by the state Department of Public Safety, which already oversees Capitol Police. Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, said those changes were made after speaking to Jackson officials, including those on the city council. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba had said he would not sign an MOU if the city was forced into it.

"Both the strike all and the amendment that's before you is the result of many conversations that have happened, many of those have been with the Jackson Senate delegation. I personally have had conversations  with a number of the Jackson City Council members, and so these reflect those discussions," Wiggins said.

Another important change removed funding for additional assistant district attorneys, funneling those funds instead to the state crime lab. Wiggins said that was in response to Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens saying the day before that he would rather the money go to the overworked crime lab.

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"Yesterday, there was a meeting here at the capitol and the district attorney of Hinds County said he didn't want the money for the DA's, that he would rather it go to the crime lab," Wiggins said.

Whether Owens really said that quickly became a matter of controversy. Wiggins pointed to a quote published in the Clarion Ledger where Owens called for more support for public defenders, Jackson Police and the crime lab.

"I met with my team last night and we discussed the bills, all of the bills, and I've got to tell you, representative, were not interested in a bill that advances our interests as an office but limits other systems that we depend on," Owens said Monday.

Members of the Jackson delegation quickly contacted Owens from the Senate floor, and he told them that he does need more assistant district attorneys, in addition to needing "a state crime lab that works."

"I just got off the phone with our DA, and what he told me is, quote, 'I desperately need those ADA's.' I don't know what was said that gave you or anyone else the impression," Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, said. "I just got off the phone with him and he said otherwise in that phone conversation."

According to Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, Owens' comments on Monday, were an acknowledgement that only helping the district attorney's office would do little to solve backlogs, not a request to take needed resources from his office and move them to the crime lab. Blount read out directly from the newspaper story Wiggins had referenced.

"What he said in the paper is that he opposes the bill because 'the bill does not address many of the root causes of delays in the local legal system like the funding of the public defender's office, the state crime lab and the Jackson Police Department.' I want everybody to be very clear that our district attorney is grateful for the help that we gave him last year, he's doing a good job and he's asking for that funding and those prosecutors to be continued so he can work on the crime problem in Hinds County and do his job," Blount said.

A further change eliminated insurances that Hinds County would receive an additional elected judge in the near future. The previous Senate version of the bill would have created a new elected judge seat in 2026, the same year the five temporary appointed judges would be eliminated. The new version instead instructs the court to report data to the legislature so that it can better decide whether an additional elected judge is truly necessary.

Horhn thanked Wiggins for his work on changing the bill from the House version, but said it is still the wrong way to address crime and court backlogs.

"It is vastly improved from where it started, but it is still a snake," Horhn said.

Wiggins said he expects this bill to go to a conference committee, where the two versions will be debated and negotiated on by members of both chambers.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: HB 1020 passes MS Senate, faces likely future of conference with House
Amid an increasingly contested debate over whether to ban TikTok, a group of bipartisan senators proposed on Tuesday to create a process by which the U.S. government can decide whether to stop the Chinese social media app from operating in this country.

The U.S. government has already been in negotiations with TikTok over how to protect the data of users in the U.S. But Republicans  led by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.  have proposed legislation to ban TikTok entirely from the U.S. That bill gained the support of Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats, last month.

And Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the powerful chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has been growing increasingly concerned about the way that the Chinese government seems to be using TikTok to conduct a slow-burn propaganda campaign against the U.S. population of users, which he said numbers about 100 million mostly young people for roughly 90 minutes a day.

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner talks to reporters while introducing the Restrict Act with, from left to right, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Sen. Michael Bennett, D-Colo., Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, on Tuesday. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Warner has said he is more concerned with the way the Chinese government may be influencing TikTok to give young users in China videos advancing science, supporting the environment, supporting the Communist Party, while what we get in America and the rest of the world is kind of the crack version.

A Warner spokesman told Yahoo News that he had grown impatient with the Biden administrations negotiations with TikTok.

But it was unclear how the legislation introduced Tuesday by Warner and co-sponsored by Sen. John Thune, R-N.D.  along with a group of Democrats and Republicans  would speed up the process of bringing resolution to a confounding problem.

While Republicans are increasingly bullish about simply banning TikTok, Democrats are stuck in between national security concerns and the reality that many of the voters they want to reach in the next election are highly active on the platform.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., co-sponsored the bill but told reporters at the press conference called by Warner that his grandchildren, who are in their early 20s, had pleaded with him not to get rid of TikTok. They said please be careful what you do here, because its a way we communicate and we all enjoy it, Manchin said.

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Sen. Marco Rubio, a proponent of a ban on TikTok. (Ricky Carioti/Washington Post via Getty Images)

And Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo  who under this legislation would be in charge of the process to review whether to take action against foreign-owned companies  was even more plain-spoken about the political problem posed by Tik Tok, in a recent interview with Bloomberg News.

Passing a law to ban a single company is not the way to deal with this issue, Raimondo said. The politician in me thinks youre going to literally lose every voter under 35, forever.

A Republican senate staffer told Yahoo News that during the 2022 election, Democrats were active on TikTok trying to engage voters, while Republicans were largely absent. And the Washington Post reported recently that the Biden White House is looking for ways to communicate with voters through TikTok and other platforms at a time when it is increasingly hard to reach Americans through traditional ways of advertising and political messaging.

Civil liberties groups have also voiced opposition to a TikTok ban.

But President Bidens national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, praised the Warner-Thune bill.

The TikTok app logo. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

This legislation would provide the U.S. government with new mechanisms to mitigate the national security risks posed by high-risk technology businesses operating in the United States. Critically, it would strengthen our ability to address discrete risks posed by individual transactions, and systemic risks posed by certain classes of transactions involving countries of concern in sensitive technology sectors, Sullivan said.

But one foreign policy analyst said the White House supports the Warner-Thune bill because it slows down the process of moving toward a ban on Tik Tok.

Theres a reason the White House supports this legislation: They don't want to ban TikTok. This bill gives them a gigantic loophole to avoid doing so, tweeted Michael Sobolik, a fellow in Indo-Pacific studies at the American Foreign Policy Council, a right-leaning think tank.

The Restrict Act would require the Secretary of Commerce to establish procedures to identify, deter, disrupt, prevent, prohibit, and mitigate transactions involving information and communications technology products in which any foreign adversary has any interest and poses undue or unacceptable risk to national security, according to a summary distributed by Warners office.

Appearing on CNBC Tuesday morning, Warner said that his bill was less about TikTok and more about creating a modern framework that can take on software, hardware, mobile apps that pose a national security threat.

Sen. Joe Manchin discussing the Restrict Act at a news conference on Tuesday. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

But at the press conference later, Thune made sure to point out that the bill ultimately could lead, I would add, to banning platforms like TikTok.

Warner, on two occasions at the same press conference, pointed out that the U.S. intelligence community would need to share more information about the threats posed by TikTok to the public so were not just asking the public to trust us.

Its going to be incumbent upon the government to show its cards in terms of how this is a threat, Warner said.

Warner will have an opportunity to make this case directly to U.S. intelligence agency leaders on Wednesday, when he chairs a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing where they will hear from the leaders of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Security Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Seth Rogen name checked both "The Green Hornet" (2011) and "The Interview" (2004) while discussing negative reviews of his work. Columbia Pictures, Columbia Pictures

Seth Rogen spoke about the effects of negative reviews on the "Diary of a CEO" podcast.

"It is devastating when you are being institutionally told that your personal expression was bad."

He spoke about harsh criticism towards two of his own films, "The Interview" and "The Green Hornet."

Seth Rogen wishes film critics knew how much their words hurt sometimes.

During an appearance on Steven Bartlett's "Diary of a CEO" podcast Monday, Rogen, who recently starred in Steven Spielberg's Oscar-nominated "The Fabelmans," spoke about his experience of self-doubt and how reading harsh criticism from film reviewers can be "devastating."

"It hurts everyone, very much," he admitted. "I think if most critics knew how much it hurt the people that made the things that they are writing about, they would second guess the way they write these things."

"I know people who've never recovered, honestly  years, decades of being hurt by this. It's very personal."

"It is devastating when you are being institutionally told that your personal expression was bad," he continued. "That's something that people carry with them, literally, their entire lives and I get why. It fucking sucks."

The conversation then moved on to "The Green Hornet" (2011), which Rogen starred in as well as co-wrote and produced. The movie received negative reviews upon its release and currently holds a 44% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The actor said: "For 'The Green Hornet,' the reviews were coming out and it was pretty bad and people just kind of hated it. It seemed like a thing people were taking joy in disliking a lot."

The Green Hornet (2011), which Rogen starred in as well as co-wrote and produced, received a lot of negative reviews upon its release. Columbia Pictures

"But it opened to like $35 million, which was the biggest opening weekend I'd ever been associated with in any capacity so it also did pretty well. So it was a funny thing. That's what's nice sometimes. You can grasp for some sense of success at times," Rogen said.

However, Rogen said that it was "more painful" to face the criticism of his controversial comedy "The Interview" (2014), which he starred in and co-directed with longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg.

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While he considered "The Green Hornet" more of a "conceptual failure" rather than a creative one, he said that when it came to his humorous imagining of the assassination of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, "people treated us like we creatively failed, which sucked much worse."

The actor explained the negative reaction hit much closer to home because "people were taking joy in talking shit about it and questioning the types of people that would want to make a movie like that."

Rogen said that he has generally gotten better at dealing with harsh criticism in the two decades since he's been working as an actor, producer, and writer, but still finds the run-up to a new project's release "stressful."

"Any opening weekend and any time I have a thing coming out, it sucks because it's just stressful," he said. "It's like birth, which is just an inherently painful process, even though it is maybe bringing something beautiful into the world, it is a painful act."

"When I was younger I really did not have as much perspective as I do," he added. "Now, I do not carry it with me as much as I used to."

Read the original article on Insider
A lightbox with cheers and patriotic appeals on the streets of Sevastopol

Taras Berezovets, a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer and political analyst, in an interview with Radio NV on March 7, recalled how Razvozhayev published a post that caused quite a stir in social networks in Crimea.

Read also: Spring offensive planned, 250,000 Russian estimated lost, Sevastopol explosions

Commenting on the explosions heard across Sevastopol, the gauleiter (Nazi political governor  ed.) wrote: "This is a lie. Have a nice day".

Explosions are heard quite often, not only in Sevastopol, but also in northern and central Crimea. The number of residents in occupied Crimea dreaming of leaving has skyrocketed, Berezovets said.

Generally, the mood is alarmed. Anxiety is growing very significantly against the backdrop of the economic problems that have hit occupied Crimea very hard, the political scientist said.

All public statements from the occupation authorities assure that Crimea is preparing for the upcoming tourist season. At the same time, there is video of trenches being built in western Crimea, good quality ones, built right on the beach where people used to swim.

Read also: Explosions again rock Sevastopol in Ukraines Russian-occupied Crimea

Read also: Ukrainian-made drones carry out unprecedented attack on Russian warships in Sevastopol

According to Berezovets, some people have left the peninsula fearing for their own safety, especially families of occupation administration and the Russian military.

"Razvozhayev himself (there was a scandal in Sevastopol) took his wife and family to Cyprus," Berezovets said.

Although he said that everything is calm, he stayed with a dog with a strange politically incorrect name  Snow.

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov said that Russian citizens who illegally moved to the occupied Crimea should leave the peninsula after its de-occupation.

The head of Ukraines Defense Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov previously predicted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would return to the occupied Crimea by the end of spring.

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The National Resistance Center, a Ukrainian government civil defense organization, reported on Jan. 2 that Kremlin puppet Razvozhayev had sent his children and property to Cyprus.

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 former manager at the Cook County Land Bank Authority pleaded guilty Wednesday to using straw buyers to fraudulently purchase and resell blighted properties and secretly setting up a property management company that raked in more than a million dollars in ill-gotten maintenance fees.

Mustafaa Saleh, 36, of Woodridge, entered his guilty plea to one count of wire fraud during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood, which also served as his first court appearance. He faces up to about 3  years in prison under preliminary sentencing guidelines.

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In addition to the potential prison sentence, Saleh was ordered to forfeit about $173,000 in profits that the scheme pulled in. Wood set a sentencing hearing for June 22.

The plea comes nearly two years after the Tribune first reported in June 2021 that Saleh had been named in a subpoena sent by prosecutors to the Land Bank Authority asking for records as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the program, which was formed to promote economic development in blighted communities thats also been the subject of controversy.

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Land Bank Authority employees are prohibited from purchasing a property from the agency unless it would be used for the employees primary residence.

Over a five-year period beginning in 2016, Saleh used straw buyers to purchase six properties from the agency on Salehs behalf, then redeveloped, resold or otherwise used the properties for Salehs financial benefit, his plea agreement stated. The properties were in Chicago and the suburbs of Oak Lawn and Midlothian.

Saleh also admitted in the plea that he formed a property maintenance company, Evergreen Property Services, and directed another individual to pose as its owner. Over the next three years, he caused the Land Bank Authority to contract with Evergreen and pay more than $1 million for property maintenance services.

County records show Saleh left the agency in 2019.

On May 18, 2021, three days before the subpoena was issued, Saleh was interviewed by federal law enforcement agents and falsely stated that he had never collected the proceeds from the sale of any (Land Bank) property, his plea stated.

Salehs attorney, Christopher Parente, noted to the judge Wednesday that while Saleh was admitting guilt, he indeed did all the work described in the plea agreement. Its not a typical fraud scheme, in my opinion, Parente said.

After Saleh was charged last year, the Land Bank spokeswoman issued a statement saying it cooperated fully with the investigation and that the agency, board members, executive directors and other staff were victims of this crime and never the subject or target of this investigation.

According to the biography he had on the Land Banks website, before working at his county post, Saleh had previously worked as a portfolio manager for Galaxy Properties where he oversaw residential and commercial assets and managed property maintenance, facility projects, and new construction projects.

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When he filed for bankruptcy in 2015, however, Saleh didnt mention any work for a Galaxy Properties. Instead, he said in the sworn paperwork that he was a sales manager at Galaxy Furniture, a discount furniture store in the 3400 block of West Montrose Avenue, where he earned about $2,600 a month.

Afternoon Briefing Daily Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >

Saleh, who said hed previously worked as a taxi driver, listed more than $3,000 in back taxes owed to the IRS as well as tens of thousands of dollars in outstanding student loans and credit card debt. The bankruptcy was discharged several months later, records show.

The Land Bank Authority, which was established in 2015, has received plaudits for the work it does to restore properties in distressed neighborhoods by acquiring vacant, abandoned, foreclosed and tax-delinquent properties to prepare for sale to rehabbers and developers.

But it has also been the source of scrutiny and controversy. County leaders commissioned an outside audit into the Land Bank, released in 2020, that determined the agency needs to do more to avoid conflicts and ensure its selling land to qualified buyers.

Not long after the audit was made public, Cook Countys independent inspector general also issued a report saying the Land Bank lacked policies and procedures designed to specifically and adequately administer the buying and disposition of properties from the countys scavenger sale, and had purchased so many properties that the agency was precluded from effectively managing them.

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The land bank has also been criticized by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas for taking properties off the market, slowing potential development in blighted areas.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
Several people are facing charges following a large fight at Rivers Casino early Monday morning.

State and Pittsburgh police were called to the casino on the North Shore around 1:15 a.m. and found multiple people in a physical fight, which they broke up with security, according to a report.

Brianna Grabowsky, 26, of McKees Rocks, punched a trooper in the face while trying to hit another woman who was involved in the fight, Saida-Amira Witherspoon, 44, of Pittsburgh, troopers said.

James Lamont Domek, 33, of McKees Rocks, was involved in the fight and left before speaking to state police, according to the report.

Darnel Robert Hall, 33, of Pittsburgh, was taken to the security office and punched the wall several times. He was taken into custody and requested medical attention for his hands. He was taken to a medical facility and cleared for confinement in the Allegheny County Jail, according to the report.

Grabowsky, Witherspoon, Domek and Hall all face charges, troopers said.

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Carillon Tower Advisers, an investment management company, released its Carillon Eagle Growth & Income Fund fourth quarter 2022 investor letter. A copy of the same can be downloaded here. Following three difficult quarters, the market, as defined by the S&P 500 Index, rebounded well in the fourth quarter, rising 7.6%. For the full year, the market returned -18.1%. The fund delivered positive returns in the quarter. In addition, you can check the top 5 holdings of the fund to know its best picks in 2022.

Carillon Eagle Growth & Income Fund highlighted stocks like Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) in its Q4 2022 investor letter. Headquartered in San Ramon, California, Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) engages in energy and chemicals operations. On March 7, 2023, Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) stock closed at $164.03 per share. One-month return of Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) was -3.51%, and its shares lost 1.35% of their value over the last 52 weeks. Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) has a market capitalization of $312.751 billion.

Carillon Eagle Growth & Income Fund made the following comment about Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) in its Q4 2022 investor letter:

"Energy performed well during the fourth quarter, with the sector up about 23%. Investors returned to the sector after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) signaled it would reduce production. Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) reported strong quarterly results while buying back stock, paying a healthy dividend, and maintaining a strong balance sheet."

Pipeline in industrial district

Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 57 hedge fund portfolios held Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) at the end of the fourth quarter which was 66 in the previous quarter.

We discussed Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) in another article and shared the list of large-cap stocks hedge funds are dumping. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q4 2022 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
If you love investing in stocks you're bound to buy some losers. But the long term shareholders of Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE:FIS) have had an unfortunate run in the last three years. Unfortunately, they have held through a 53% decline in the share price in that time. And more recent buyers are having a tough time too, with a drop of 32% in the last year. Unfortunately the share price momentum is still quite negative, with prices down 14% 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.

With that in mind, it's worth seeing if the company's underlying fundamentals have been the driver of long term performance, or if there are some discrepancies.

View our latest analysis for Fidelity National Information Services

To quote Buffett, 'Ships will sail around the world but the Flat Earth Society will flourish. There will continue to be wide discrepancies between price and value in the marketplace...' One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

Fidelity National Information Services saw its share price decline over the three years in which its EPS also dropped, falling to a loss. This was, in part, due to extraordinary items impacting earnings. Since the company has fallen to a loss making position, it's hard to compare the change in EPS with the share price change. However, we can say we'd expect to see a falling share price in this scenario.

You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

It's probably worth noting we've seen significant insider buying in the last quarter, which we consider a positive. That said, we think earnings and revenue growth trends are even more important factors to consider. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on Fidelity National Information Services' earnings, revenue and cash flow.

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What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. In the case of Fidelity National Information Services, it has a TSR of -51% for the last 3 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

We regret to report that Fidelity National Information Services shareholders are down 30% for the year (even including dividends). Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 6.9%. 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. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 6% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 1 warning sign with Fidelity National Information Services , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on 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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Sharon Stone soared to global stardom as a femme fatale in the 1992 erotic thriller Basic Instinct. Now, decades later, she's opening up about the aftermath of the film  and that famous leg-crossing scene.

I lost custody of my child, Stone, 64, said on this weeks episode of the Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi podcast. When the judge asked my child  my tiny little boy, Do you know your mother makes sex movies? This kind of abuse by the system, that it was considered what kind of parent I was because I made that movie.

People are walking around with no clothes on at all on regular TV now, she added. And you saw maybe like a sixteenth of a second of possible nudity of me  and I lost custody of my child.

Stone shares son Roan, now 22, with her ex-husband, journalist Phil Bronstein. The former couple divorced in 2004 after six years of marriage. In 2008, Stone lost physical custody of Roan. According to an AP story at the time, a judge ruled Bronsteins San Francisco home was more stable and structured.

Sharon Stone in

On the Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi podcast, Stone said the ruling landed her in a hospital.

I ended up in the Mayo Clinic with extra heartbeats in the upper and lower chambers of my heart, she revealed. It broke my heart.

Stone is also mom of sons Quinn, 16, and Laird, 17.

Roan filed court papers in 2019 to add Stone to his name, and is now legally known as Roan Bronstein Stone.

Sharon Stone and her son Roan Bronstein at the 21st GQ Men of the Year Award on November 07, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. (Franziska Krug / Getty Images for GQ Germany)

This isn't the first time that Stone has spoken out about the after-effects of "Basic Instinct. In 2021, she recalled to "The New Yorker" how the film took a toll on everybody, including director Paul Verhoeven.

(He) ended up in the hospital  his sinus thing ruptured, and he couldnt stop having a nosebleed, said. "There was a tremendous pressure on that set.

Now people walk around showing their penises on Netflix," she continued. "But, in the olden days, what we were doing was very new. This was a feature film for a major studio, and we had nudity, sex, homosexuality, all these things that, in my era, were breaking norms.

Related video:

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Ukrainian women are fighting, collecting and delivering aid to the hottest spots on the front. They take risks, and sadly often give their lives in doing so. They are an example of courage for the entire world. We have collected the stories of some of the defenders and volunteers who have been killed in the course of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Each of them fought for the freedom and independence of Ukraine.

The article has been prepared exclusively for Ukrainska Pravda by the Memorial remembrance platform, which tells the stories of civilians and fallen Ukrainian soldiers who have been killed by the Russians. To report information about Ukraines losses, please fill in these forms: for fallen soldiers and civilian victims.

Valentyna Pushych, defender

Saved hundreds of wounded people

Valentyna Pushych, 41, from Kyiv, gave up her job as a manager in an international transport company to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. She had been saving soldiers on the hottest fronts since 2016. She was shot on 27 February 2022 near the city of Brovary, Kyiv Oblast, while on her way to pick up an injured defender. She left a mother and a daughter.

"She always achieved what she set out to do, ever since she was a child. She always dreamt of being useful to people, of her life not being wasted," Nina Berenok, Valentynas mother, recollects.

Valentyna Pushych with her daughter

Source: family archive

Valentyna dreamed of becoming a doctor, but she didnt get into medical school. Instead, she qualified as a seamstress and worked in a factory. Then she got a position as a manager in an international transport company and started a correspondence course with a psychology professor. She was also raising her daughter. In 2016, she decided to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"She said she would be more valuable there than in Kyiv. She talked with her daughter every day  she was ten years old at the time," Valentynas mother recounts.

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"Valias boss was understanding about her decision to join the army. He even offered to keep paying her wages, but she said, Better help our boys. He did actually send aid after that," says Oksana Feshchenko, a volunteer soldier.

Valentyna served in the 72nd Separate Mechanised Brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians. She went to Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast a few months after joining them, at a time when fierce battles were ongoing in that area. She received the alias "Romashka" ["Daisy" in Ukrainian  ed.].

"She understood all the processes within literally a few days, and no one would have believed that she was a newbie," recollects Oksana Korchynska, a volunteer who was Valentynas roommate there.

Valentyna mastered the profession of combat medic very fast

Source: friends archive

Valentyna was good at organising the work. When the chief medic in the battalion proved to be incompetent, Valentyna took charge of that persons responsibilities.

"Everything was always in perfect order in her car and her medical organisers. That is essential in order to provide very rapid assistance. I would have never thought she was not a medic before," says Taras Popadiuk, a volunteer medic from the Hospitallers voluntary medical battalion who was also in Avdiivka at that time.

"This was a woman with a capital W. She worked around the clock. She was always ready. Shed open the windows because she was afraid of not hearing in time that an injured soldier was being brought in," adds Olena Snitsarenko, a defender.

Valentyna Pushych got injured soldiers out of the most critical spots. Together with a driver, she could carry a soldier on her back for 1 kilometres. Once she managed to get an injured person out under fire when he had shrapnel from a rocket-propelled grenade in his face.

"Valia realised in time that the bulletproof vest was supporting the shrapnel and stemming the bleeding. Because of that, she and the driver managed to stabilise the injured man. The surgeon was taken aback and even fainted. He hadnt seen such complex injuries before. The soldier endured a long and difficult treatment, but he survived. Valia kept in constant touch with him," says Oksana Korchynska.

Friends say that Valentyna never feared anything. The lives of her comrades-in-arms were always her first priority, so she would rush to save them no matter how dangerous it was.

Valentyna with her comrades-in-arms

Source: friends archive

"She was very compassionate and sympathetic. When I saw how she reacted to the first soldiers deaths, and it caused her great personal pain, I couldnt imagine how Valia would be able to work with the wounded. But there turned out to be a fierceness in that fragile body. She saved hundreds of outstanding people. Many of them went on to become commanders or deputy commanders of battalions. Unfortunately, a lot of them were killed after the full-scale invasion started," Oksana Korchynska recounts.

Valentyna really loved the soldiers, and the feeling was mutual. She always stood up for the soldiers interests and confronted everyone openly when she witnessed injustice.

"If she thought some decision was unfair, she never kept quiet. Some of the commanders were even slightly afraid of her because of that," Korchynska says.

"Before I knew Valentyna, one of the guys started thanking me: You saved my life Valiusha, Romashka. He thought I was her. Later, I realised how kind and pure-hearted she was. It was amazing how she was like that after seeing so much sorrow. When she told anyone off, she did it humanely, without humiliating them," Oksana Feshchenko recollects.

For rescuing soldiers during the fierce battles in Avdiivka, Valentyna was awarded the Order for Courage, Third Class. However, she did not go to the awards ceremony, as she did not want to leave her comrades-in-arms.

In 2018, Valentyna decided to take officer training courses and sign a contract for another five years. Oksana Korchynska tried to dissuade her, saying it would be better for her to spend some time with her daughter. But Valentyna was resolute. She said she would serve as long as she could  in memory of her fallen brothers-in-arms.

On 27 February 2022, Valentyna came under fire while on her way to pick up a wounded man. She was killed, along with the driver.

Valentyna Pushychs grave

Source: Inna Varenytsia for Left Bank (Livyi Bereh)

The last time Nina Berenok spoke to Valentyna was an hour before that. A little later, Valentynas daughter called her. Her brothers-in-arms answered the phone and told her that her mother was dead.

Valentyna was buried in Kyiv at the Forest Cemetery. Due to the problematic situation at the fronts, only the very closest people to her were present to pay their last respects.

"Valia lit up peoples lives  she was a true warrior of light. Over the years, she and I have only met in the war, but these meetings, for me, were full of warmth. Each of us patriots want the army to be made up of people like Valia. This is a painful loss for the whole of Ukraine. People should remember how much she did," says Oksana Korchynska.

Valentyna Pushych was posthumously awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, Third Class.

Ilona Kurovska, volunteer

Delivered aid to occupied villages

Ilona Kurovska on New Year's Eve 2022

Source: family archive

Ilona Kurovska, 45, the former director of the Institute of Legislation of the Verkhovna Rada [the Ukrainian Parliament], organised the delivery of aid to the village of Klavdiievo-Tarasove in the Bucha district of Kyiv Oblast at the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion. She was killed on 24 March 2022 when her car ran over a mine. Her body was found on 2 April, after the liberation of Kyiv Oblast.

Ilona's mother, Iryna Kurovska, says that she first noticed her daughters compassion when she was only two.

"I heard my child screaming. I ran to see what had happened, and she was holding the gate to stop some drunk passer-by from coming in," Iryna recalls.

Ilona with her grandparents

Source: family archive

At school, Ilona was an excellent student who would be awarded a certificate of achievement at the end of each academic year. She often used to sing "Oi u luzi chervona kalyna" ["Oh, the red guelder-rose in the meadow", a Ukrainian folk song - ed.] with her mother.

"When she was in eighth grade (Year 9), even before the declaration of independence of Ukraine, she found some blue and yellow ribbons and wove them into her braids," says Iryna Kurovska. "I was working in the District Executive Committee, and the manager called me and said, What is your daughter doing? Tell her to take them off. I came home and said, Ilonochka, I'm in trouble at work. She said, I'll never take them off."

After leaving school, Ilona studied history at Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Later, she also gained a degree in economics. She defended her PhD and doctoral theses in the field of international law. She received her doctorate on 1 February 2022. In the last year of her life, she was the director of the Institute of Legislation of Ukraines Verkhovna Rada.

Valentyna Osadcha had known Ilona since 2011, when they both became deputy chairs of the Peryiaslav-Khmelnytskyi District State Administration.

"She was very professional and meticulous. When she took something on, she would carefully study every detail. Work occupied a significant part of her life  her working day could last 15 or 20 hours. She was selfless in training other employees," Valentyna recalls.

Valentyna says Ilona Kurovska had many friends and was decent and fair.

"You could call her in the middle of the night and not be afraid of judgment. Ilona helped me escape domestic violence and became a role model for fighting for the things that matter. She used to feed a lot of stray dogs because she considered it the responsibility of every person," her friend says.

Ilona Kurovska was very fond of animals

Source: family archive

In her spare time, Ilona loved to draw and sing. At 35, she fulfilled a childhood dream and learned to play the violin.

"Recently, she had wanted to adopt a child. She was planning to meet with a mutual friend who had experience of adoption to ask about how it works. She dreamed of giving someone love, tenderness and care," says Valentyna.

The beginning of the full-scale invasion did not come as a surprise to Ilona Kurovska. She had said long before that Ukraine had not responded robustly enough to the Russian aggression of 2014, so there would be another offensive.

"It's still hard to discuss her in the past tense," recalls Alina Rymar, another of Ilona Kurovskas colleagues. "She was always principled and purposeful. She tried to be as useful as possible wherever she was. So when the invasion began, she knew that she would be in the centre of events."

On the first day of the invasion, Ilona arrived in Klavdiievo-Tarasove, a village where she had spent a lot of time with her grandparents as a child. On the fourth day of the full-scale war, when the town was entirely occupied, she organised territorial defence. Food, helmets and medicine were carried past enemy posts. She accompanied civilians who wanted to leave the occupied territory through fields and forests.

"The kitchen was our headquarters, and the radios were working around the clock. The building shook from explosions, and there was no water or electricity. I asked my daughter to leave because it was frightening," Ilonas mother recalls. "She flat-out refused, saying, Ill get you out, but as for me, this is my job. Of course I stayed as well."

Ilona Kurovska was always at the centre of things

Source: family archive

Iryna Kurovska says that Ilona was courageous until the very last. She would smile and say, "These are our adventures." She was unstoppable.

Iryna last talked to her daughter on 21 March, when Ilona was setting out to deliver medicines and baby food to her fellow villagers.

"I remember this clearly: she made the sign of the cross and read a prayer before getting into the car. After that, I didnt hear from her again," Iryna says.

Later it turned out that on 24 March, Ilonas car drove over a mine and exploded. Territorial defence fighters found her after Kyiv Oblast was liberated. Another volunteer, aged 24, was killed in the car with Ilona. She was trying to apply a tourniquet to save him before she died.

Ilona Kurovska was buried next to her grandparents graves in her village. Her mother says that local people, together with the Oblast Military Administration, Defence Intelligence and the Security Service of Ukraine, have petitioned the Office of the President to award her the title of Hero of Ukraine, but so far, there have been no developments.

Ilonas friend Valentyna Osadcha believes a street should be named after Ilona.

"In the village where she delivered aid to prevent her fellow villagers from dying of cold and hunger. The Institute of Legislation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine could also bear her name. Someone who sacrificed her life to help others should be remembered forever," Ilonas friend says.

Viktoriia Yaryshko, volunteer

Helped Kherson residents during the Russian occupation

Viktoriia Yaryshko tirelessly helped the residents of Kherson

Source: friends archive

Viktoriia Yaryshko, 39, volunteered in the Kherson Oblast office of the Red Cross in the city of Kherson, helping parents with young children during the Russian occupation of the city. She was killed by Russian shelling on 15 December 2022 while distributing bread to local residents. She is survived by her mother, her husband and their two children: a daughter, 17, and a son, 12.

Liudmyla Berezhna, Viktoriias mother, says that her daughter wanted to help others from a young age.

"Her kindergarten teacher used to say, All the other kids get up and go after their meals, but Vika [short for Viktoriia - ed.] would stay behind to help clear away the dishes. Then in first grade, Vikas teacher would ask me, How did you raise Vika so well? She is very kind and always helps everyone. Later people would tell me, Shes as good as gold. She will do anything she is asked to do. My mum taught me to be kind to people, and I passed this on to Vika."

After leaving school, Viktoriia studied to be a pastry chef for a year, but then she decided to train as an artist, working with wood paintings. She made a living making and selling souvenirs, leading workshops at Zeleni Khutory Tavrii [Tavriias Green Hamlets, a local history centre - ed.] and teaching crafts at a local school. She often slept only four hours a night to stay on top of everything. Her friends say that she dreamt of launching her own business, something creative.

A doll Viktoriia made

Source: family archive

Mykola Taranenko, commander of the VLAD emergency response volunteer battalion, had known Viktoriia for 16 years. He was a karate teacher when she worked in tourism, and they met on a joint outing. Later he was the person who introduced Viktoriia to the Red Cross.

"She was always smiling. Never complained. It was impossible to get her to talk about her own problems. Shed just say, Everythings fine. She worked too much and couldnt keep still for a moment," Mykola Taranenko recalls.

Under the Russian occupation, Ukrainian schools were banned, and Viktoriia refused to collaborate with the occupation regime. She started volunteering in the spring of 2022.

The national Red Cross committee provided funding, and Kherson volunteers would buy food and other items from Ukrainian producers and distribute them to local residents. They brought in medicines from the Ukrainian-controlled territories. They organised first-aid training courses, always in small groups to avoid attracting unwanted attention from the occupation forces.

Still, Russian soldiers came to the Red Cross office and took pictures of the volunteers documents. They wanted to show they knew who the volunteers were and what they were doing.

"At one point, Viktoriia wanted to evacuate children, even though it was extremely difficult. The occupiers came to search her home twice; they were looking for something in her neighbourhood. Then she changed her mind: she decided to stay here and keep helping on the ground," recalls Viktoriias friend and fellow volunteer, Nataliia Shatilova.

Viktoriia adored children and quickly established a rapport with them. Her first priority was helping families with babies. She also led workshops for kids with autism to offer them some psychological support.

"We called her the nappy fairy. She was a guardian angel for families with young kids," Nataliia says.

Viktoriia was overjoyed when Kherson was liberated. She moved into the Red Cross offices with her children when the Russians started shelling the city.

The Red Cross volunteers grew very close during the Russian occupation

Source: Viktoriias friends archive

"Those who lived through the occupation together were no longer just colleagues, but family. We spent a lot of time together and cared for each other so as not to get discouraged. We all knew the risks we were taking. Viktoriia knew that too, but she was a warrior. Stubborn and determined. She could ask her family or close friends for advice, but shed make all her decisions herself," Nataliia explains.

The last time the two friends spoke was on 15 December, an hour before Viktoriia's death. Viktoriia had managed to give Nataliia and another friend a photo of them together in a homemade frame with the word "Love" on it. Viktoriias friends left for another assignment, and Viktoriia stayed near the office to distribute bread to local people. On days like this, up to a thousand people would gather outside the Red Cross office.

"A little over an hour later, I saw I had a lot of missed calls. And when I called my colleague back, she said, Something terrible has happened. We were bombed. Vika was killed. Unfortunately, she was not wearing a helmet, and she received a fatal shrapnel wound to her head," Nataliia Shatilova says.

An elderly man who was queuing for bread was also killed, and three others were wounded. At the time, Viktoriia's children were in the shelter that belonged to the Red Cross office, so they did not witness their mother's death. But they found out soon enough.

The city was also heavily bombed on the day of Viktoriia's funeral. Everyone in the funeral venue had to wear body armour. A projectile struck nearby, and two people were killed.

Viktoriia's mother took her grandchildren to a resort in the town of Truskavets for three weeks. The children now live with their father.

The gift Viktoriia gave to her friends an hour before she was killed

Source: Viktoriias friends

"Everything at home reminds me of her," says Viktoriia's mother, Liudmyla Berezhna. "Everywhere I look, I start crying. The children try not to talk about it to me so that I don't get upset."

Today, Viktoriia is remembered not only by her family and colleagues, but also by the people she had been helping for months. The volunteers have applied to the Oblast Military Administration for Viktoriia to receive some posthumous recognition.

"We need to tell the stories of people like her; we need to remember them. We are writing the modern history of Ukraine right now. Its important that its not just dates, that it includes memories of our heroes," says Nataliia Shatilova.

Viktoriia Kiiashchenko, defender

Saw the defence of Ukraine as her duty

Viktoriia Kiiashchenko joined the army because of her devotion to Ukraine

Source: family archive

Viktoriia Kiiashchenko, 38, joined the Ukrainian army in 2020 because she considered it her civic duty. During the full-scale invasion, she served at a checkpoint in the city of Volnovakha in Donetsk Oblast. She was killed in a Russian airstrike on 15 March 2022.

Viktoriia was born in the city of Rubizhne, Luhansk Oblast. Oriental dancing had been her hobby since she was a child.

She graduated from Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University and received a Masters degree at Taras Shevchenko Luhansk National Teacher Training University. She worked at the Rubizhne Industrial and Teacher Training College. There she met her future husband, Oleh Kiiashchenko. The couple moved to the town of Zolote, Luhansk Oblast, where Viktoriia worked as a guidance counsellor at a vocational lyceum.

"She was always cheerful and positive," her husband recalls. "She danced and sang at every opportunity. However, she was persistent  everything had to be the way she wanted it to be."

Viktoriia with her husband Oleh

Source: family archive

In October 2020, Viktoriia decided to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine. She signed a three-year contract with the 46th Separate Airmobile Brigade. She let her husband know about this by inviting him to come to her swearing-in ceremony. Even before the full-scale invasion, Viktoriia had taken on duties at a checkpoint in Volnovakha.

Liudmyla Kolesnichenko had served with Viktoriia since November 2020. The two of them became friends.

"She was a patriot. She wanted to live in Ukraine, not in Russian-occupied territory. For her, service was also a test of her own strength," Liudmyla recalls.

It was not difficult for Viktoriia to live under martial law. On the contrary, she woke up earlier than everyone else, at 4 am. Every day she did her makeup and styled her hair  it was important to her. She liked to learn new things, especially how to use weapons, so she never missed a class. No matter how hard it was physically, she followed orders.

"When she had to run, she would run. She kept saying, Ill learn, Ive got this. Military service was good for her  she became even prettier and improved her fitness levels," her friend says.

Sometimes male soldiers would say things like, "Ladies, why are you being recruited at all, why did you come here?" Viktoriia would retort, "Why did you?" She wouldnt tolerate any arrogance from the "old-timers", who sometimes made fun of the newcomers. Yet she was sociable and had many friends in the brigade.

Viktoriia often asked after her friend's daughters and dreamed of having children of her own in the future.

Friends Liudmyla and Viktoriia

Source: Liudmyla Kolesnichenko

In mid-February, Liudmyla decided to resign from military service, but she kept in touch with Viktoriia.

"When the full-scale invasion began, I asked her to quit, not to risk her life. She said that she was very scared because of the constant air raids and shelling. But she firmly rejected the idea of leaving. She assured me that she would stay with her unit to the end. I was amazed at her courage," Liudmyla says.

The two friends agreed to call each other on 14 March, but the connection was down. And the next morning, her comrades-in-arms informed Liudmyla that Viktoriia had died. A Russian plane dropped a bomb on the building where the soldiers were living. Viktoriia was killed along with five others.

A few minutes before her death, Viktoriia had said, "Im so afraid to go to the checkpoint  there is so little left of it after the shelling." One of her comrades-in-arms then decided to take her shift. This saved his life.

The defender was buried at Krasnopilske Cemetery in the city of Dnipro on the Avenue of Glory.

Viktoriia Kiiashchenko was posthumously awarded the Order for Courage, Third Class.

Viktoriia did not want to leave her position despite heavy shelling

Source: family archive

Vita Sahnik for Ukrainska Pravda



Translated by Myroslava Zavadska, Yuliia Kravchenko, Olya Loza and Oxana Hart

Edited by Teresa Pearce
The Boone County Sheriffs Office had identified a suspect in the killing of 16-year-old Carol Sue Klaber, whose body was found in a roadside ditch in June 1976.

A 46-year-old murder investigation into the death of a Northern Kentucky teenager has been solved, according to the Boone County Sheriff's Office.

Officials said Thomas Dunaway, originally of Park Hills, Kentucky, is believed to have killed 16-year-old Carol Sue Klaber in 1976. Dunaway was 19 years old at the time of the killing, though he died in December 1990 at the age of 33.

What happened to Carol Sue Klaber?

Klaber left her parents' Fort Wright home around 5:30 p.m. on June 4, 1976, to have dinner at Zino's Hyde Park Restaurant, according to a 1977 Cincinnati Post article.

She'd gone bike riding earlier that afternoon and a neighbor said that she returned with a young man who was driving a two-tone car, the article states. She went into her home, came out several minutes later, got into the man's car and they drove off together.

Klaber's body was discovered the next day in a ditch along Chambers Road about one-and-a-half miles east of U.S. Route 25 near Walton, Kentucky, the article states.

She was beaten and strangled, with police at the time saying evidence pointed to her being killed at a different location. Officials say there was also evidence of sexual assault.

Klaber was a junior at Dixie Heights High School, where she played violin in the school's string ensemble, the Post reported. She was described as being "popular with her classmates."

How was Dunaway identified?

Investigators submitted DNA evidence from the crime scene to a third-party company, Othram Inc., for genealogy testing, officials said. That company was able to build a comprehensive DNA profile and produce leads for investigators to follow.

The company notified the sheriff's office in January that its genealogy investigation was complete and detectives were able to positively identify Dunaway through a follow-up investigation, officials said.

Since the sheriff's office launched its cold case unit in 2017, detectives had previously ruled out two other potential suspects, officials said.

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Did Dunaway have a criminal past?

Detective Coy Cox said Dunaway had been on a six-month crime spree and that he had a pattern of committing crimes and ditching the cars he'd driven at the time those crimes occurred.

Dunaway was convicted of murder in another Boone County killing that happened a little more than six months after Klaber's death, according to Cox.

Officials said 19-year-old Ronald Townsend was found with several gunshot wounds on Dec. 17, 1976. He died four days later.

Cox said Dunaway was later arrested, confessed, pleaded guilty and was ultimately sentenced to life in prison in connection with Townsends killing, though he was released just seven-and-a-half years later.

Klaber and Townsend were both left in plain view just inches from the roadway, Cox said, adding the locations where they were discovered are just less than six miles apart.

Investigators discovered Dunaway was AWOL from the U.S. Army when Townsend was shot. He'd enlisted nine days after Klaber's body was found and was sent to Fort Knox, south of Louisville, before being sent to Fort Carson, Colorado.

Dunaway bought a two-tone 1973 Chevrolet Monte Carlo in May 1976, Cox said. As soon as he got to Fort Carson, Dunaway traded the Monte Carlo for an orange Chevrolet Vega.

Detectives investigating Townsend's murder issued an attempt to locate for Dunaway and the Vega, officials said. On Christmas Eve 1976, he was arrested in South Carolina on charges of arson and possession of an illegal firearm.

Law enforcement in South Carolina found Dunaway burning a Chevrolet Impala and he had a sawed-off shotgun, Cox said, adding investigators learned Dunaway traded the Vega for the Impala.

How did Dunaway know Klaber?

Though investigators aren't entirely certain how Dunaway and Klaber knew each other, Cox said Dunaway lived half a mile from Devou Park, where Klaber would often ride her bike.

The detective said Klaber was a "very social person" and she would often talk to people there. That's possibly how they met, Cox added.

He said the two also attended Erlanger/Elsmere Schools when they were younger and it's possible they knew each other from their time in the district.

What happens with the case now?

Though Dunaway can't be posthumously indicted, Boone County Commonwealth's Attorney Louis Kelly said, a formal letter has been submitted by prosecutors stating that he would've been charged with murder in connection with Klaber's death were he still alive.

Klaber's older brother, who was the family member to identify her body, was notified that detectives identified the suspected killer after more than 40 years, Cox said.

Dunaway's remains were exhumed so his DNA can be entered into a national database, officials said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Investigators ID suspect in 1976 cold case of slain NKY teenager
HOLLAND TWP.  Police are investigating a report of shots fired in Holland Township.

Deputies from the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of multiple shots fired with a residence struck shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday, March 8, in the parking area of an apartment complex off Black River Drive.

Upon arrival, deputies learned an altercation took place in the parking lot and multiple shots were fired. Several of them struck one of the units in the complex. It's not believed the unit was the intended target. There were no reported injuries and no suspects have been taken into custody.

Subscribe:Get all your breaking news and unlimited access to our local coverage

The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ottawa County Sheriffs Office at 616-738-4000 or Silent Observer at 877-887-4536.

 Contact editor Cassandra Lybrink at clybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter @CassLybrink.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Shots fired, residence struck at apartment complex in Holland Township
(NEXSTAR)  What do you think of when you think of shrimp scampi? Depending who you ask, that term can mean many different things  or even sound like complete gibberish.

While the dish is seemingly a staple of Italian-American cuisine, youre unlikely to see shrimp scampi listed on dinner menus in Italy. And one of the main reasons is because of its name.

Its widely believed the scampi refers to the style of cooking the shrimp  and this usage is typically accepted  though its not totally technically accurate. The word scampi is Italian for a type of small crustacean akin to a mini lobster. Theyre similar to shrimp, but scampi  also known as Dublin Bay Prawn, langoustines, or Norway Lobster  arent typically found in oceans near the U.S.

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If you consider the name shrimp scampi literally, it doesnt make much sense; its like saying shrimp lobster, Faye Levy wrote in the Los Angeles Times back in 1997.

So how did shrimp get into the equation?

Levy further explained: Its usage probably began when Italian chefs in the United States substituted shrimp in a recipe that normally called for scampi and probably referred to it as shrimp prepared scampi-style.

Nephrops norvegicus, known as the Norway lobster, Dublin Bay prawn, langostine or scampi. (Getty Images)

Cooked langoustines on a plate (Getty Images)

All in all, a scampi-style dish is pretty simple, using ingredients such as butter, garlic, white wine, and lemon juice.

Per some Italian traditions, scampi may not even be served with pasta.

Back in 2007, New York Times food reporter Melissa Clark demonstrated her classic shrimp scampi recipe, which she noted can be served with pasta. Clark said she prefers to pair the dish with crusted bread, which is used to dab up the sauce. Clark further explained in NYT that an Italian recipe for scampi dating back to the 1970s made no mention of pasta, and called for only three ingredients: prawns, olive oil and garlic.

Markys, a gourmet grocer specializing in caviar and seafood, explained in a blog post last summer that while the origins of shrimp scampi may remain unknown, the dish is much older than most might think. A preparation dating back to 1770, from British cookbook writer Hannah Glasses world-famous The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, may be the very first in published writing, according to Markys. Glasses recipe called for only butter and lemon.

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In France and the United Kingdom, where scampi are mostly called langoustines, a popular preparation is in a pasta-free bouillabaisse.

These states have the largest gender pay gaps, study finds

Over the years, people have taken to social media to post their surprise about being served shrimp scampi sans pasta.

Yall ever order shrimp scampi and it came without pasta?????? one Twitter user asked last February. Meanwhile, this February, another Tweeter wondered bluntly: Why the **** did my shrimp scampi come without pasta?

Confusion aside, shrimp scampi remains a crowd-pleaser across the U.S.  NYTs Clark posited that scampis versatility may in fact be part of its charm, explaining that cooks can interpret the dish as they like.

What could be more authentic than that? she asked.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Teamsters President Sean OBrien got into a heated argument with Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) during a Wednesday Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on union busting tactics.

OBrien told Mullin he was out of line after the GOP senator said that the union leader was sucking the paycheck out of workers to earn his salary, which was roughly $193,000 in 2019.

Dont tell me Im out of line, Mullin responded. You need to shut your mouth.

Mullin, who owned non-union plumbing companies before selling his majority stakes in 2021, accused union leaders of engaging in intimidation tactics in an effort to unionize his company so they could pay themselves exorbitant salaries.

We hold greedy CEOs like yourself accountable, OBrien responded. You want to attack my salary, Ill attack yours. What did you make when you owned your company?

Mullin  who had a net worth ranging between $31.6 million and $75.6 million in 2020, according to personal financial disclosures analyzed by Oklahoma newspaper Tulsa World  said that he kept his salary to around $50,000 to invest more money into his company.

You mean you hid money, OBrien said, prompting visible outrage from Mullin.

Mullin finished his remarks by stating that hes not anti-union but believes that workers shouldnt have to pay union dues if they dont want to.

In 2013, the Office of Congressional Ethics alleged that then-Rep. Mullin received more than $600,000 in outside income from his companies, which is well above the congressional limit. The House Ethics Committee closed its investigation into Mullin in 2018 and ordered him to repay $40,000 to one of his businesses.

Wednesdays hearing, hosted by committee Chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), focused on anti-union tactics by large companies such as Starbucks, whose CEO Howard Schultz recently agreed to testify before the committee later this month after a subpoena threat from Sanders.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Jackie Wilson is flanked by his wife, Sandra, left, and daughter Candice Wilson after a news conference outside the Leighton Criminal Court Building Oct. 2, 2020. His murder case was abruptly dropped after allegations that a Cook County prosecutor lied under oath. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

Two former Cook County prosecutors have been indicted by a grand jury on charges of perjury and official misconduct in connection with a complicated, decades-old case of a man who alleged torture after he was accused in the killing of two cops in 1982, according to a special prosecutor who was assigned to investigate the matter.

Lawrence Oliver, a former federal prosecutor and lawyer for Boeing, made the announcement Wednesday afternoon at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, another chapter in a 40-year saga that involved slain Chicago police officers, allegations of torture by police working under notorious ex-Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge and accusations that a Cook County assistant states attorney had a relationship with a witness and perjured himself.

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The grand jury returned indictments against Nick Trutenko and Andrew Horvat, who are accused of wrongdoing in connection with a witness against Jackie Wilson, Oliver said. Wilson, along with his brother Andrew, was arrested and charged with murder in the fatal shootings of Chicago police Officers William Fahey and Richard OBrien in 1982.

Wilson never received a fair trial in any of those trials, Oliver said.

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Trutenko is charged with perjury, official misconduct, obstruction of justice and violating a records act, while Horvat is facing charges of official misconduct, according to the indictment which was unsealed on Thursday.

An attorney for Horvat released a statement Thursday calling the indictment a travesty of justice.

An Illinois appeals court twice overturned Jackie Wilsons murder convictions, and when special prosecutors tried the case a third time, it blew up spectacularly in 2020. Special prosecutors assigned to try the case in lieu of the Cook County states attorneys office suddenly dropped charges after allegations surfaced that Trutenko, who originally prosecuted Wilson and was called as a defense witness in the 2020 trial, lied under oath.

Special prosecutor Lawrence Oliver, a former federal prosecutor and lawyer for Boeing, gives an update on the case of Jackie Wilson at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on March 8, 2023. (Shanna Madison / Chicago Tribune)

A judge later that year officially declared Wilson, who has said he was tortured into a false confession by detectives working under Burge, innocent after he had served more than three decades behind bars.

I think today served as another important chapter in Jackie Wilsons quest for justice, said Elliot Slosar, an attorney for Wilson.

Slosar said the indictment sends clear message to prosecutors that they will be held accountable for misconduct.

A statement from the Cook County states attorneys office noted that Trutenko was fired after the incident and said it takes allegations of misconduct seriously and, in the wake of this incident, has taken additional steps to improve and increase the ongoing training of staff.

In 2021, a Cook County judge assigned Oliver as a special prosecutor tasked with looking into the alleged perjury by Trutenko, as well as the legal and ethical nightmare posed by assigning assistant states attorneys to represent Trutenko as a trial witness and the states attorneys office as a whole.

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Trutenko, who prosecuted Wilson in his 1989 trial, testified as a defense witness that he had a close friendship with a key witness from Wilsons 1989 trial  William Coleman, who was reputed to be an international con man, liar and fugitive. Because William Colemans whereabouts were unknown at that time, transcripts of his previous testimony against Wilson were read into the record at the trial.

But Trutenko took the stand and said Coleman was still alive. Furthermore, he said he had not discussed Coleman with the special prosecutors handling Wilsons case, which was untrue, according to those prosecutors. When they heard the alleged perjury, they dropped the charges against Wilson altogether.

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Trutenko was represented by then-Cook County prosecutor Horvat, who subsequently left the prosecutors office. The special prosecutors who tried Wilson had said Horvat had warned them against asking Trutenko any questions about Coleman.

Oliver said Trutenko had a 30-year friendship with Coleman, a jailhouse snitch who testified against Wilson in his second trial. Because no one could locate Coleman, Wilson was deprived of his right to question the testimony of an undisputed career con man, Oliver said.

Nick Trutenko was well aware of efforts to locate William Coleman and didnt say a word, Oliver said. Jackie was not able to fully and effectively cross examine (Coleman).

Though Horvat was newer to the case, Oliver said the prosecutor was complicit in the attempts to conceal Trutenkos relationship with Coleman. The indictment alleged that Horvat asked a special prosecutor not to ask Trutenko about his relationship with Coleman and failed to disclose that Trutenko had concealed information about his relationship with Coleman.

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A statement released by Horvats attorney Terry Ekl said the former prosecutor was assigned to provide legal advice to Trutenko, and accused the special prosecutor of criminalizing the central tenet of the legal profession  the attorney-client privilege.

Oliver said the grand jury found no further wrongdoing.

mabuckley@chicagotribune.com
German industrial company Siemens Mobility plans to build its eastern U.S. rail-car manufacturing center in Lexington, creating 506 jobs and investing $220 million.

ALSO READ: National homebuilder NVR adding manufacturing jobs in region

The company won approval on Tuesday from the North Carolina Economic Investment Committee for an incentives package totaling about $16.8 million.

In addition, incentives from Davidson County and the city of Lexington come to another $16 million.

Keep reading here.

(WATCH BELOW: New company to revitalize shuttered plant in Chester County, bringing nearly 200 jobs)




By Raphael Satter

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A serious breach at a healthcare administrator serving the U.S. House of Representatives has potentially exposed the personal data of hundreds of lawmakers and their staff, top representatives and a senior Congressional official said in letters circulated on Wednesday.

One of the letters, which the House's Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor (CAO) sent to members of Congress and which Reuters saw, said a "significant data breach" at DC Health Link had potentially exposed the personal information of thousands of enrollees.

"Currently, I do not know the size and scope of the breach," Szpindor wrote, although she said the Federal Bureau of Investigation had told her that the "hundreds of Member and House staff" had been affected.

"At this time, it does not appear that Members of the House of Representatives were the specific targets of the attack," she added.

The CAO's office confirmed the breach and said it was "deeply concerned." DC Health Link said in a statement that "we can confirm reports that data for some DC Health Link customers has been exposed on a public forum."

It did not name the forum but said it was working with investigators and law enforcement. The FBI did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Another letter sent on behalf of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and shared with Reuters said the breach came from a "cyber hack" and that lawmakers and their families in both parties had been hit, calling the incident an "egregious security breach."

Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike released statements saying they were investigating.

The Committee on House Administration said on Twitter that its chairman, Republican Bryan Steil, was working with the CAO to protect members' personal data. His Democratic counterpart, Democrat Joe Morelle, said in a statement that the "cause, size, and scope of the data breach impacting the DC Health Link still needs to be determined by the FBI."

News of the breach was first reported by a Daily Caller journalist on Twitter.

(Reporting by Raphael Satter. Additional reporting by Eric Beech. Editing by Bill Berkrot and Josie Kao)
Representative Mark Green (R., Tenn.), chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, introduced legislation on Wednesday aimed at compelling Hollywood movie studios to pledge never to edit films to comply with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) demands.

If passed, the Stopping Communist Regimes from Engaging in Edits Now (SCREEN) Act would prevent the government from collaborating with production houses working with Chinese companies and require American filmmakers receiving federal help to report prior movies that were edited to satisfy the CCP.

My legislation will create the incentive for more Hollywood studios to take a stand against Communist China, Green said during his speech introducing the bill. Its intolerable to think that Hollywood would allow their films to be dictated by a foreign regime.

Sleeping with the enemy has become all too common in Hollywood. And while my SCREEN Act wont stop movie studios from getting into bed with the Chinese Communist Party, it will ensure the State Department isnt footing the hotel room bill, Representative Green told National Review.

China will stop at nothing to turn the world against the U.S., and that includes waging a massive propaganda war. We must be vigilant in countering the CCPs lies. https://t.co/KCHZeOpZO9  Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) March 7, 2023

The Tennessee lawmaker first introduced the SCREEN Act last March in the wake of revelations that Top Gun: Maverick, the summer blockbuster of 2022, had been edited to appease the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Producers of the Top Gun sequel had reportedly bowed to CCP pressure and agreed to remove Taiwanese and Japanese flag patches from Mavericks famous bomber jacket.

The incident was one of many Green cited in a 2022 op-ed touting the importance of insulating Americas film industry from foreign influence. According to Green, black American performers had also been removed from Star Wars and Dune promotional movie posters in China to appease CCP sensibilities.

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In 2019, Abominable, a kids movie produced by DreamWorks Studios, include a map of China showing the 9-Dash Line, a contested area of the South China Sea unilaterally claimed by the Peoples Republic that includes the Spratly and Paracel Islands.

Dreamworks' latest animation movie "Abominable" shows 9 dash line in China map. You know, I've always felt @Dreamworks animations were abominable. pic.twitter.com/vQH11FFP2n  China Uncensored (@ChinaUncensored) October 14, 2019

Film studios regularly request technical assistance from the federal government when producing high-budget films, particularly those involving the military. Green believes that assistance gives the federal government leverage over the studios.

American studios shouldnt be creating CCP propaganda and if they choose to do so, they shouldnt be receiving help from the U.S. government to do it, Green said on Wednesday.

More from National Review
Ukrainian military on the Krab, January 17, 2023

This is the first confirmation that the Asian country has officially agreed to, at least indirectly, supply the Ukrainian military.

"We reviewed all the documentation and possible issues inside DAPA (Defense Acquisition Program Administration) ... then made the decision to give our export license to Poland," director of the Europe-Asia division of the International Cooperation Bureau, Kim Hyoung-cheol, told Reuters.

Read also: Poland delivers Krab self-propelled artillery to Ukraine

Previously, officials in South Korea refused to comment on the AHS Krab issue.

Last year, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin accused Seoul of transferring weapons to Kyiv, a claim President Yoon Suk-yeol denied, citing difficulties in his country's legislation. The head of DAPA decides what to export, but also requires the consent of the president.

Read also: Polish Krab howitzers are prepared for deployment to front lines  Reznikov

"We obviously think South Korea should be doing more, and we have been communicating that to the Yoon administration regularly," a Western diplomatic source told Reuters in Seoul.

The Krab self-propelled tracked gun system is a howitzer manufactured by Polish company Huta Stalowa Wola. It is built using a South Korean K9 Thunder chassis, a British BAE Systems AS-90M Braveheart turret, a French Nexter Systems 52-calibre long gun, and a Polish WB Electronics' Topaz artillery fire control system.

After Russia's full-scale invasion, Warsaw delivered 18 Krabs to Kyiv, while other countries agreed to order dozens more.

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
Southwest Airlines is upgrading its computer system and turning to Amazon Web Services (AWS) to help develop its new tech. The airline that had so many problems over this past holiday season is turning to Seattle-based Amazon to modernize.

Southwest was criticized for its antiquated systems that failed and stranded thousands of passengers across America in late December.

Southwest Airlines top execs did apologize for the airlines performance in December and did so before a special hearing in Congress earlier this year. At the time SWA initially blamed the weather before admitting its computers were inadequate.

AWS and Amazon are part of the airlines plan to enhance its info-tech systems. Lauren Woods, SWAs Chief Information Officer, said it did develop its own tech, but now AWS will make it easier for passengers to, for instance, use the website and app for bookings.

As our preferred cloud provider, AWS will offer solutions that are critical in our drive to modernize our operation, equip our employees with the tools they need to serve our customers, and improve our reliability, Woods said. With the help of AWSs leading cloud technology and expertise, we will launch improved digital solutions, responsive customer support, and streamlined operations as we deliver on our digital transformation initiatives.

Woods admitted that SWAs general work method was to build and develop its own tech as the airline came up through the ranks of the airline business. That trend is now clearly changing, and Woods admitted that part of that change is turning to AWS.

We were used to building our own special capabilities and apps to meet our unique needs, although SWA was leading the market with our own time perf and customer satisfaction we also had critical apps that were increasingly inflexible and could not change to meet our customers needs, Woods said.

SWA also said AWS will provide and develop systems for things like gate assignments, ground operations, flight operations, and aircraft maintenance.

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During the December meltdown, SWA tech could not manage its own flight crews. Southwest does have a significant presence in the market for Western Washington  so any improvements would impact passengers who fly from SEA.

Shaown Nandi is the Director of Technology for Industries and Strategic Accounts at AWS and spoke to KIRO 7 about the contract and work with SWA. He said that AWS has worked with other airlines and is excited to be working with Southwest. He said cloud computing would allow SWA to be able to scale up and down.

Nandi did admit that airlines deal with a lot of unforeseen circumstances, including weather, he said cloud computing should help SWA or any airline respond.

According to Amazon, Nandi leads solutions architecture, customer solutions, optimization, and prototyping for AWSs Industries business. He said work with Southwest is going on now and while it could take time, he believes things will move faster for SWA this time since the airline isnt just building this all up themselves.
The top Democratic senator responsible for overseeing the airline industry said Wednesday that Southwest Airlines is withholding information from her committee about how it's handling refunds for customers caught up in its December holiday meltdown, where some 16,000 flights were canceled.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, has been seeking details from Southwest since February, including how many passengers were involved, how many were issued cash refunds versus vouchers for future flights, how many were rebooked and when the airline plans to upgrade its internal systems that caused the debacle. And while Southwest has provided some information, Cantwell says it hasn't been enough.

"We still need Southwest to be more forthcoming with information about refunds," Cantwell said Wednesday, following a meeting with Southwest CEO Bob Jordan. "The follow-up meeting today brought some information up but we still want more information from them.

"We had constituents where it basically took every ounce of us intervening to get refunds. We want a sense of how many more people are there like that," she said. She added later that she isn't interested in "proprietary information."



Jordan, who was speaking at an industry luncheon in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, said he and Cantwell had a "good meeting" and pledged that his staff will "go deeper" to satisfy her concerns.

"I don't want to go through the details. It was a private meeting," Jordan told reporters after the lunch. "And I shared a lot of information with her about where we are in our process. We have time with a senator and her staff, I believe, on Friday, to talk further and understand -- go deeper in terms of the numbers. And I'm hopeful for progress there."

Jordan said that "basically anybody" who dealt with flight issues between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2 was "basically refunded or [we] gave you a travel credit." He said that as "a gesture of goodwill" Southwest gave out free tickets to many passengers affected by delays and cancellations and that the airline is reimbursing customers who had to buy another airline ticket, stay in a hotel, buy a meal or buy a taxi.

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"We are covering all those expenses," Jordan said, adding that the total cost was "hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars." (The airline said in January it has so far lost $220 million and that it expects more to come due to the residual effects of reimbursements and refunds owed to passengers.)

Southwest plans to release a comprehensive report this month on what led to the meltdown. Jordan said Wednesday that an internal investigation and external investigation by the consulting company Oliver Wyman are "wrapping up" and should be made public in a few weeks.

Cantwell also added that the fallout from the scheduling meltdown "is going to be a big part of" a major aviation policy bill lawmakers are working on, which is due in September.

"Obviously the public is very disgruntled over this issue of cancellation fees and timelines," Cantwell said. "Here's one of the biggest examples of the flying public being let down so we want to know what are the resolutions to this. Did they get their expenses reimbursed and did they get a refund? Or did somebody just shove some frequent flyer miles at them? So we're just digging a little bit more to get those answers."

The Transportation Department is also investigating the matter.
Adorned in a dress patterned with stars and crescent moons, the latest Barbie Role Model doll is Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock, a space scientist and presenter of BBC's The Sky at Night.

For International Women's Day, Mattel is making dolls of seven women worldwide who work in STEM, to encourage young women to join the field.

"I hope my doll will remind girls that when you reach for the stars, anything is possible," Aderin-Pocock said in a BBC interview. "These subjects are just too important to be left to the guys because through science, you can literally change the world."

Aderin-Pocock was born in London and got her PhD in mechanical engineering at Imperial College. In an interview with Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity, she talked about being an 8yearold who hated school after getting diagnosed with dyslexia. While she struggled with reading and writing, science intrigued her.

Since then, she has worked on the Gemini telescope in Chile, the James Webb space telescope, was honored in 2009 as member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and recently named chancellor at University of Leicester.

Barbie Celebrates International Womens Day by Encouraging More Girls to See Themselves in STEM

Mattel aims to honor more women in STEM with dolls

According to the American Association of University Women, women make up only 28% of the STEM workforce. And by showcasing multiple successful women in STEM, Mattel hopes it will spark children's interest.

Barbie is dedicated to showcasing women who are role models from all backgrounds, professions, and nationalities so that girls around the world can see themselves in careers that might not always seem as accessible, said Lisa McKnight, executive vice president and Global Head of Barbie & Dolls, Mattel.

The following women from all over the world are on the list:

Susan Wojcicki, Former CEO of YouTube, United States

Anne Wojcicki, Co- Founder and CEO of 23andME, United States

Janet Wojcicki, Professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology at the University of California, San Francisco, United States

Katya Echazarreta, Electrical Engineer and science show host, Mexico

Prof. Dr. Antje Boetius, Marine Researcher and Microbiologist, Germany

Yinuo Li, Co-Founder of ETU Education, China

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All the women will be mentioned in a special episode of the digital Barbie series "You Can Be Anything," which features conversations with female role models.

International Women's Day 2023

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Women in STEM: Maggie Aderin-Pocock gets Barbie Role Model doll
Michael Blann/Getty Images

A Spanish court ruled that a man owed his ex-wife $215,664 for 25 years of unpaid housework.

The payment was calculated using Spain's minimum monthly professional wage.

Her lawyer said it's a victory for all women who have labored in the "shadows" of their husbands.

Ivana Moral, 48, did all of the household chores during her marriage to her now ex-husband. And a Spanish court says she ought to be paid for it.

In a decision that became public on Tuesday, a court in Velez-Malaga, southern Spain, ruled that Moral should be paid 204,624.86 ($215,664) by her ex-husband in compensation for unpaid housework during their 25-year marriage.

The groundbreaking ruling means that she will receive the equivalent of Spain's minimum monthly professional wage for the years they were married.

Moral, who divorced her husband in 2020, will also receive a monthly pension of 500 ($527).

The ruling said that Moral performed all of the house chores "exclusively" during their marriage, which included contributing "punctually" to the family gym business, Euronews reported.

It also said that Moral was owed the compensation because she was "deprived of any possible career due to her exclusive dedication to the home and family," adding that the unnamed man exponentially increased his assets throughout their marriage, per Euronews.

According to the i, the man was able to buy a Porsche, a Range Rover, BMW motorbikes, and a 173-acre olive oil farm with the earnings from the family gym business. The Spanish newspaper NIUS reported that the olive farm brings in up to $4,000 ($4,215) for the ex-husband each month.

Meanwhile, Moral couldn't even afford to buy her daughters a set of workbooks, she told NIUS.

When the couple first entered into the marriage in 1995, Moral had signed a separation of goods agreement, per the i. This agreement meant that her husband would split their home and common possessions with her, but hold onto his wealth.

Initially, Moral was awarded half their house but no money in the divorce, the i reported.

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"The reason I decided to speak to the media is I wanted women to know that we can claim for housework when there is a separation of goods agreement," Moral said in an interview with the publication.

Moral's lawyer, Marta Fuentes, told the newspaper that the ruling was a victory for women who have labored in the "shadows" of their husbands.

Fuentes added: "So he could get on in his career, she [Moral] stayed at home to look after the children... She was his shadow, working behind [him] so he could rise professionally and become someone."

Read the original article on Insider
If the election that unseated Lori Lightfoot tells you anything, it should tell you that Chicagoans dont believe in our political system. The majority of registered voters decided not to cast a ballot because they fear the system will fail them again. The candidates they believe in are competing against wealthy special interest groups and biased media networks.

This is why we need public financing of campaigns and online voting to bring about new leaders who are truly in it for the people.

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For too many years, Chicagoans have been lied to during campaign season, and so residents significantly distrust politicians. For too many years, we have increased the police budget when we should have re-funded the communities. Its time for communities to get the tangible results theyve been longing for, or elections will continue to be counterproductive to our progression.

[ Kam Buckner: The next mayor of Chicago has a reform mandate ]

The next mayor of Chicago must be prepared to retire the old ways and old systems of politics. Families have been crying for safer streets, quality schools, affordable housing, clean air, clean water and food access for too long. These are human rights, and it is going to require us to take down certain systems and create new ones if we ever want to achieve these goals.

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Take, for example, the creation of a city-owned bank. Weve allowed banks to redline communities for many years, and we still allow billions of tax dollars to be deposited in their institutions with no return of investment into our constituents.

If we create a public bank and invest in homeownership, small business owners, public housing development and more, the profit from those lower interest loans is an investment back into our city. Whereas private banks invest in private prisons, fossil fuel industries and immigration detention centers.

We also need to create a redevelopment authority similar to the land bank but better run with more democracy. This would allow Chicago a vehicle to create mass development opportunities for our vacant lots and existing buildings throughout the city. For too long, aldermen have used their prerogative over city property in their wards; an authority would allow us to take control and streamline access to properties for community developers.

The most important job of the next mayor is to make sure young people have opportunity; that is true public safety. Our city should be a youth-topia. Schools should be sustainable and open throughout the day and on weekends with programs for students and parents.

We need to institute trade and tech hubs around the whole city. We need to make sure there is a pipeline to the 50,000 manufacturing jobs that are currently open. When young people get off track, we should have a youth intervention department that will give interventionists resources to put them back on track. Our kids are smarter than Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. Lets make sure they all can fulfill their fullest potential in our city.

The next mayor needs to explore a lot of other great ideas Ive talked about during our campaign to make sure that everyone has basic human rights.

These ideas range from the city having city-owned grocery stores, to a green jobs program for replacing our 390,000 lead service lines, as well as investing in a block club infrastructure program and a year-round apprenticeship program for youths ages 13 to 25. In addition to this, we should give away the first license for businesses for free and create a city app that lists available job opportunities across Chicago. Its also important to hold police officers accountable and not continue to inflate the Police Departments budget when it gives us no results.

During the lead-up to the runoff, I hope the candidates focus on the issues and not on the division that weve seen for the last four years. We need to put an end to identity politics because Black and brown communities suffer at a disproportionate rate. Its time to hit the ground running and get our city back working.

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We need a mayor who is going to have the three important bones to bring our community true investment: the wishbone, the jawbone and the backbone. The wishbone is for all of the great ideas we want to implement. The jawbone is for eloquently putting these ideas on center stage.

Finally, the most important is the backbone  because none of it matters if you are not willing to be radical enough to make these things happen.

I am laser-focused on who, like me, has the three bones to create a future we can all believe in. And no matter who becomes mayor, he should learn from the last two. Dont test the backbone of the people.

JaMal Green is a community activist and entrepreneur.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
WASHINGTON  State Department spokesperson Ned Price will step down from his post this month to take on a policy-focused role in the department.

Price, the department's spokesman since the first day of the Biden administration, will shift to a position working directly for Secretary Antony Blinken.

Price, who also served as spokesperson at both the CIA and the National Security Council in the Obama administration, says the new policy job is a return to where his career began.

I started as a public servant as an analyst at the CIA, and I ended up in this job because of a series of accidents, fateful accidents, Price said. I have loved being in this line of work for the past several years. And one of the things I love most about it is the connection to the policy.

Correspondents have praised Price for restoring the daily on-camera press briefings, a practice that was halted during the Trump administration.

It offers an opportunity for press from around the world to question the foreign policy of the United States, often critically, and requires the State Department to defend it, Shaun Tandon, a correspondent with Agence France-Presse and president of the State Department Correspondents' Association, said in a statement congratulating Price on his new role. It is a tribute to the health of American democracy."

Blinken, in a statement, praised Prices firm grasp of the policies underlying the State Departments messaging that made him that much more effective in his communications role.

Vedant Patel, who has served as principal deputy spokesperson at the State Department since last June, will assume the responsibilities of spokesperson after Price steps down on March 17. Prices permanent successor has yet to be announced.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Maryland leaders are ramping up pressure for President Biden to selected Prince Georges county as the new site for the FBI headquarters, saying the search criteria was updated to favor Virginia instead.

Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer (D) called the selection process not fair in a press conference on Wednesday, because the search criteria in choosing a site heavily weighed how close the site was to Quanticos FBI Academy. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), state officials, members of Congress and senators all echoed Hoyers sentiment, and declared that Maryland deserves to be selected as the new site for the building.

All were asking was a fair and transparent process and one where a thumb is not being put on the scale to unfairly disadvantage a community that has already been historically disadvantaged, Moore said on Wednesday. And we know that with a fair process, Maryland will prevail.

Moore also wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post on Wednesday calling for the Biden administration to build the FBI headquarters in Maryland. He claimed in the piece that moving the headquarters to Maryland would help uplift the Black communities in the state and help close the racial wealth gap.

Congress had directed the General Services Administration (GSA) in 2022 to choose a site for a new FBI facility as expeditiously as possible from one of the three choices from the 2016 selection process: Greenbelt, Maryland, Landover, Maryland and Springfield, Virginia. Since then, Maryland leaders have banded together and they made their case to the GSA on Wednesday as to why Prince Georges county should be chosen for the next site.

The agency published five sets of criteria in September for selecting a new location for the FBI headquarters, including how well the site serves the FBI mission, like the proximity of the site to the FBI Academy in Quantico and the Justice Department, transportation access, site development flexibility, promoting equity and sustainable siting and the overall cost.

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Each category was weighted differently, but the Maryland leaders said that they should all be weighed equally.

The group of Maryland state leaders said that both of the Maryland sites meet all five criteria if the the proximity to Quantico criteria is not as heavily weighted.

Maryland Lieutenant Gov. Aruna Miller pointed out that both Maryland sites have easy public transportation options, and said that the Greenbelt location provides a direct route to both Reagan National Airport and downtown Washington D.C.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D) also added that the costs of building the site in either of the Maryland sites is more affordable to taxpayers than the site in Springfield, Virginia. He noted that one of the sites in Maryland is also free to the federal taxpayer because of contributions from the state and county government.

When it comes to cost, there is no dispute, Van Hollen said. The Virginia costs  the cost of the Springfield site is far higher, way higher than the Maryland sites.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Ukrposhta is transferring postmens to electric bicycles

"At Ukrposhta, wed like to have not only happy, but also modern postmen, so were launching a pilot project called Mail Carriers on Electric Bikes," Smelyansky said.

Read also: Ukrposhta to issue new Weapons of Victory postage stamps, donate part of sales to Ukrainian Army

E-bikes are convenient for traveling around the mountainous areas of Zakarpattya and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts in western Ukraine, and moving faster along the long streets of detached housing neighborhoods of Dnipro or Kharkiv.

"We will try different formats and models (2- and 3-wheeled) to be sure that we can deliver quickly and conveniently, and with GPS tracking," Smelyansky wrote.

Read also: Ukrposhta swaps 1 million new LED bulbs for old ones under Ukraine-EU program

Given that we plan to provide all mail carriers with laptops and POS terminals, we have not forgotten about USB charging.

The e-bikes will have sufficient room for carrying parcels, candy, and newspapers, said Smelyansky.

Earlier, NV reported that Ukrposhta would start handing parcels without prior ID verification.

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The contaminated soil that has arrived in Indiana from the train wreck in Ohio does not contain any harmful levels of dioxins, a toxic chemical that can cause cancer, according to results from sampling ordered by the Governor.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb announced last week that he was directing his administration to conduct testing of the hazardous waste that had arrived at an Indiana landfill  three shipments of contaminated soil arrived last week. The state said it was working with a third-party laboratory, Pace Labs out of Minnesota.

Initial samples were taken on March 4 and testing began that same day. Pace Labs completed and shared the results, Holcomb announced in a release Wednesday evening. While some levels of various types of dioxins were tested, the report says that none of the amounts detected exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's treatment standards.

"These results indicate that the material tested does not contain any harmful levels of dioxins when compared to acceptable levels established by the EPA," Holcomb said in the release.

The landfill operated by Heritage Environmental Services Wednesday, March 1, 2023, before the public meeting held by Heritage Environmental Services at the Russellville Community Center in Russellville, Ind. The landfill has already taken in three truckloads of contaminated soil from the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio and expects more in the coming days which has Roachdale and Russellville community members concerned.

The hazardous waste landfill, which sits 40 miles west of Indianapolis and is operated by Heritage Environmental Services, is not permitted to receive certain hazardous waste streams that contain dioxins, according to a company official. But it can accept dioxins that are naturally occurring or in wastes at trace amounts below specific levels, Heritage vice president Ali Alavi told IndyStar.

These results demonstrate that the landfill is lawfully permitted to dispose of that material at its site, Holcomb said in his release. He added that the state has informed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as Heritage of the results.

Toxic chemicals: EPA temporarily stops hazardous waste coming to Indiana landfill for additional testing

The EPA also agreed to pause shipping any further waste to an Indiana landfill until further testing can confirm there are no harmful levels of dioxins in the soil still at the site of the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.

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Dioxins are a chemical compound that takes a long time to break down once they are in the environment, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They are "highly toxic" and can cause cancer, reproductive and development problems as well as damage to the immune system, as listed on the EPA website. Dioxins can be produced through industrial activities as well as through combustion processes and then attach to dust particles.

Holcomb said the state will have Pace Labs continue to test any future loads that may arrive in Indiana from East Palestine to confirm none of the materials contain harmful levels of dioxins.

Holcomb and other state officials  including U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, Attorney General Todd Rokita and Congressman Jim Baird  have expressed concerns and raised oppositions to the waste coming to Indiana. Those worries have been echoed by area residents, who have said they are uneasy about the waste coming to their community.

A law enforcement officer watches the crowd as community members ask questions Wednesday, March 1, 2023, during a public meeting held by Heritage Environmental Services at the Russellville Community Center in Russellville, Ind. The landfill operated by Heritage Environmental Services has already taken in three truckloads of contaminated soil from the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio and expects more in the coming days which has Roachdale and Russellville community members concerned.

Call IndyStar reporter Sarah Bowman at 317-444-6129 or email at sarah.bowman@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook: @IndyStarSarah. Connect with IndyStars environmental reporters: Join The Scrub on Facebook.

IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Test results ordered by Holcomb show no harmful levels of dioxins
Police are looking for a man charged in a deadly head-on crash that took the life of a father of four last month in Statesville.

Investigators said Gabino Hernandez Nunez was driving a 1995 Honda Civic on East Broad Street on Feb. 24 when he crossed the center line and hit an oncoming 2007 Honda Civic.

Nunez and the other driver were taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. Two passengers in the 1995 Honda were airlifted to Atrium Health Carolina Medical Center.

ALSO READ: Seventh arrest made in Statesville shootings that left girl dead, 2 boys hurt

Nunez was under the influence and impaired at the time of the collision, and he was charged with driving while impaired, police said. Speed also factored in as a significant part of the investigation, authorities said.

Two days later, one of Nunezs passengers, Juvencio Mata Carbajal, died in the hospital from his injuries.

After Carbajals death, Nunez was also charged with felony death by motor vehicle, two counts of felony serious injury by motor vehicle, no operator license, and reckless driving to endanger. But police said they have not been able to find Nunez after he was hospitalized.

Now, Carbajals family is mourning the 31-year-old father to four young children. His funeral was held Wednesday in Iredell County.

Im hoping they find him, said his brother Brandon Carbajal. They bring him to justice and he takes punishment for his crimes.

ALSO READ: MEDIC: 1 hurt, students okay after head-on crash involving CMS bus in south Charlotte

Family members told Channel 9s Dave Faherty they had no idea about the incident until hours after the wreck. Carbajals mother said she drove around looking for her son for five hours before learning about the crash. She fought back tears as she spoke with Faherty.

He loved his kids, his family. They meant everything to him, Patricia Hernandez said.

Carbajals family shared photos of him with Faherty, saying they are heartbroken. His mother and family members are hoping for an arrest in the case.

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Im just asking everybody if they see him, please let somebody know, Hernandez said. Get in contact with the police, me -- Ill call the police or whatever that I need to do -- and just let them know his location, so that he can be found.

Police are still trying to find Nunez. Anyone with information about where he may be is asked to contact the Statesville Police Department at 704-878-3406.

VIDEO: Driver accused of nearly hitting 2 students at bus stop in Statesville bonds out, sheriff says
The author at a favorite getaway. A mental health break has become a new favorite destination.

The author at a favorite getaway. A mental health break has become a new favorite destination.

I dont think I can do this, I squeaked out to my husband as we were three days away from packing our bags and making the usual trip west to see his family. I thought of the 12-hour car ride with my exuberant 6-year-old and our geriatric dog, and my chest tightened.

This was not my typical response. I am usually the first one in the passenger seat, with my out-of-office reply on, ready for a break and some distance. That distance doesnt exist anymore.

As a clinical social worker specializing in maternal mental health who has worked in this field for over 15 years, I now always have one ear on the news and politics, listening for how the world is going to affect me and my clients. Its been a hard time for women caring for their families and for mental health workers, who have seen an increase in distress in their offices. Three years into this pandemic/post-pandemic, it is not quieting down. It is ramping up.

What my clients and myself have been up against for this extended period of time is bringing me to my knees. For my clients, taking the plunge into parenting can be a crisis in itself, and then you add COVID, formula shortages, limited reproductive rights, chronic illness and medication shortages, and you get a crisis on top of a crisis.

I have had clients who have had to travel miles for an abortion. I have clients waiting patiently to become parents who have to wait months to see a specialist. A father who had to drive over an hour to pick up antibiotics for his chronically ill child. A mother grieving a stillbirth who had to conduct her telehealth appointment from her car, as she is home again with her sick oldest child. Women who have only experienced parenthood under the umbrella of this pandemic with limited support and resources. I truly feel for these families because this is not how you should start this already challenging road of parenting. The dam is breaking. We can take only so much.

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And then there are the ones who are the helpers of this crisis. The doctors, nurses, teachers and mental health professionals who have been supporting as they walk the same road as their patients. The ones who said, Ill take care of myself later when things get better, but the later is not happening.

We have doubled our staff at our practice, and the phone keeps ringing. We are in a mental health crisis at a time when providers are still depleted. We have let our own needs go far too long.

Earlier during COVID, I was worried about my clients. Now I am worried about us. We have to make decisions that benefit our mental health now or we wont make it. And as I thought about our impending family vacation, I knew what I needed was space, silence and to not be responsible for anyone elses needs.

So despite feeling selfish and guilty, I made a decision that would benefit me, give me a reprieve. I helped pack the bags, waved goodbye to my boys and had a quiet house to myself.

Im aware, of course, that it is an immense privilege to be able to do this, to have a partner who can and will share the childcare, to be able to take time away from my work and to be able to send my family away on vacation at all.

What did I do with this precious time? I popped into a yoga class, where I ended up hanging out in childs pose the whole time because thats what I needed. I took long walks and binge-watched Emily in Paris. I connected to my people who understand the need for my quiet. I reached out to family who didnt judge my decision but gave me permission. I googled therapists who see therapists. I did absolutely nothing.

I contemplated how I can have some control in my world, of my own time, when the outside will more than likely stay the same. I had the brain space to write this little piece for you out there who might feel the same. I chose myself for my family.

Did I feel selfish and guilty? Yep, sure did. Did I worry about my son needing and missing me? Of course, but I needed to be OK more. I also know these feelings of selfishness and guilt are irrational. My son will be fine without me. My husband is willing and up for the task. I come from the suck it up generation, and I tend to just grit my teeth and get through it. But I have been gritting my teeth so long that my jaw is breaking. Its not working for me anymore. I love my profession too much to put it at risk.

I know also that even having this time off is a privilege. Everyone should be able to step away from their work, but not everyone can. Not everyone has a partner, or one who shares the load. Not everyone can send their child away on a vacation when they are feeling depleted.

Even for me, a few days arent going to solve the problem. I need to keep doing this for more than one week out of the year so I can be present in my roles for the long haul. I need to put out the fire every day with more simple, doable, recharging tasks, to continue to set boundaries with my inner self-critic who says there is more to do.

And I must give myself grace in parenting my child during these stressful times, despite grieving for what working and parenting looked like in the Before.

I can be utterly grateful to get this time in the first place and still ask for more of it. Over and over again. And I can continue to help pack up that 6-year-old as my husband heads west, maybe every year.

The dog and I will be happy at home.

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PARIS (Reuters) - Stellantis said on Wednesday it had reached a preliminary agreement with South African authorities to build a production site, its first in the country, by the end of 2025.

Under the deal, the new plant will be set up in one of South Africa's special economic zones, the Franco-Italian carmaker and local authorities said in a joint statement.

"The manufacturing site in South Africa will be a new building block in our industrialization strategy that includes the plan to sell one million vehicles in the region by 2030 with 70% regional production autonomy and will bring us closer to our customers' needs in the region," Stellantis Middle East and Africa (MEA) Chief Operating Officer Samir Cherfan said in the statement.

Stellantis, the world's third largest auto manufacturer by sales and the owner of brands including Fiat, Peugeot, Citroen and Jeep, currently has nine plants in its MEA region, which groups 80 countries including Turkey and Pakistan.

The new plant is expected to produce vehicles for both the local market and for export, a spokesperson for the carmaker told Reuters.

Stellantis earlier this month announced an agreement with its Turkish partner Koc Holding aimed at further expanding their local joint venture Tofas.

(Reporting by Dina Kartit and Gilles Guillaume; writing by Giulio Piovaccari; editing by Tassilo Hummel and Mark Potter)
Steve Bannon worked to console Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo in the aftermath of Donald Trumps defeat in the 2020 presidential election and urged her to run for Sen Chuck Schumers seat in New York.

The messages between Mr Bannon and Bartiromo was made public this week as part of Dominion Voting Systems $1.6bn defamation lawsuit against Fox News for its coverage following the election, and show Bartiromos anguish at Mr Trumps political demise.

I am watching the world move forward. & its so upsetting steve, Bartiromo wrote to Mr Bannon on November 10, 2020 in messages first reported by Mediaite. I want to see massive fraud exposed. Will he be able to turn this around. I told my team we are not allowed to say pres elect at sll (sic). Not in scripts or in banners on air. Until this moves through the courts.

Seventy-one million voters will never accept Biden, Mr Bannon wrote back. This process is to destroy his presidency before it starts. IF it even starts.

Bartiromo reiterated her despair at Mr Trumps defeat, telling Mr Bannon that she was scared and sad.

Maria Bartiromo (Getty Images for Women's Forum o)

You are our fighter, Mr Bannon replied. Enough with the sad! We need u.

Mr Bannon then told Bartiromo that he and elements of the far right movement aligned with him were eyeing the television host to make a run against the Democratic Senate leader in 2022.

We want you to run against Schumer, Mr Bannon said. This is your moment.

Ultimately, Bartiromo did not choose to make a foray into electoral politics. She instead continued her television career with Fox, frequently peddling election denialism. The Republican nomination for US Senate in New York instead went to another former television personality, Joe Pinion, who lost to Mr Schumer by a substantial margin.

The lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems has shed substantial light both on how Fox News worked to sow doubt about the legitimacy of the 2020 election and how members of Mr Trumps circle worked to do the same.

In the messages with Bartiromo, Mr Bannon laid out a strategy for holding onto or reclaiming power in the country. Most of it didnt happen.

1. We either close on Trumps victory or delegitimize Biden 2. Win both seats in Georgia 3. Win back house in 2022 4. Elect u to the senate 5. IF we dont close on Trump victory now have trump declare for 2024 the day after taking back House and your win in Nov 2022, Mr Bannon wrote.
[Source]

South Korea's top prosecutor ordered prosecutors in the trial of Jeong Myeong-seok, the leader of a religious movement called the Jesus Morning Star (JMS), to make sure he is punished for his past actions.

South Korean Prosecutor-General Lee One-seok called for strict punishment for Jeong, who has been behind bars since his arrest on rape and molestation charges in October 2022, after being briefed by the Daejeon District Prosecutors Office on Jungs trial on Monday.

Lee also stressed the importance of protecting and supporting the victims.

Lees order came days after Netflix premiered In the Name of God: A Holy Betrayal, a documentary in which Jeong was one of the subjects.

More from NextShark: California sheriffs office recruit killed in freeway shooting a month before graduation

The eight-part Netflix documentary looks into four self-proclaimed Korean prophets who led cult-like religious movements in South Korea.

In a 2017 report, ABC Australia noted that JSM, which was founded in South Korea in 1978 but also set up a branch in Australia in 1997, would often target tall, attractive women to become Jeongs spiritual brides.

The victims were reportedly required to cut ties with the outside world and live in a communal home with other female victims, who were encouraged to have sexual intercourse with Jeong to purify them.

More from NextShark: California AG to look into Navy veterans death while in police custody after DA clears officers

Jeong fled South Korea after being accused of rape in 1999. He was arrested in 2008 and imprisoned for 10 years for raping three female followers while overseas between 2003 and 2006. He was released in February 2018.

Peter Daley, an Australian, provided insider details to ABC Australia in 2017, revealing that the cult invited him to a function at their compound.

Daley, who came to South Korea to teach English in 2003, revealed that, while Jeong was not present at the gathering, his brother was there in his place.

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More from NextShark: Man stole more than $23,000 from his ex-girlfriend by using her phone's facial recognition

The church seemed to really put importance in beautiful women. The leader wasn't there... but his brother was there and he was surrounded by an entourage of women that looked like they had just stepped out of a magazine. I thought this is strange for a church to focus on.

He also revealed the details of the videos he unearthed, showing four or five naked women dancing and chanting Seonsaengnim [teacher], we love you!"

Another scene also depicts a woman licking a photo of the cult leader before placing it on her crotch, the report described.

More from NextShark: South Korea says new history textbooks in Japan distorts facts about World War II sex slavery

Jeong was arrested in October 2022 on charges for the quasi-rape of two female followers from Hong Kong and Australia.

In Korean law, quasi-rape is defined as sexual intercourse that occurs when a person is unconscious or unable to resist.

Netflix and South Korean broadcasting company MBC, which also served as the documentary's producer, won the injunction filed against them by JSM requesting the networks halt the airing of the series.

One of the victims, who identified herself as Olivia, told News.com.au following Jeongs arrest last year that the cult leader sexually assaulted her when they visited the groups headquarters in Wolmyeongdong, located in South Koreas Chungnam province, in 2018, the year he was released.

Olivia, a former member of the cult from Melbourne, revealed that she was 27 at the time of the incident, while Jeong was 73.

In her account, Olivia said Jeong indecently touched her twice and sexually touched her three times during a trip funded by the church and attended by overseas followers in July 2018. She was also allegedly made to undress in front of the cult leader and wear an outfit he provided. Olivia recounted that he touched her genitalia during that moment.

"[They] told me that this is my blessing, he [Jeong] is my spiritual husband, then hes my physical husband, so why cant he do that [sexual acts]? Thats what a normal wife and husband do, I should feel blessed and thankful," Olivia said members told her when she tried to raise awareness of the situation.

Olivia also recalled two other incidents, one that occurred in a man-made tunnel in Wolmyeongdong called The Cave and another at an undisclosed location, where she was given a pair of pajamas and, as she was trying them on, he knelt and kissed her genitalia.

The victim said Jeong sexually assaulted her two more times before she left South Korea.
[Source]

A group of students gathered last week to protest against the proposed Philadelphia 76ers arena plan.

On March 3, the Students for the Preservation of Chinatown (SPOC) took to 36th and Walnut Streets to demand the removal of real estate developer David Adelman and Sixers co-owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer from the board of trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton School and Penn Medicine.

Dozens of students also called on the university to stray from corporations that are financing the arena and to issue a statement in support of the Chinatown communitys opposition.

Kaia Chau, the cofounder of SPOC, said that students saw Penn to be complicit in the gentrification and displacement of communities of color, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

More from NextShark: Korean War vet, 91, has been on a 70-year search for Japanese woman he says was his first love

"This is the most tangible way that students can get involved: challenging their university, especially when your university, like Penn, is one of the most influential institutions in Philadelphia," she said.

The 76ers arena plan, which was announced in July last year, was proposed to occupy 10th and Market Streets, with developers hoping to revitalize the area's economy.

More from NextShark: This Asian face: The artist behind the #StopAsianHate illustrations

However, the proposal was immediately met with criticism from the Chinatown community, who cited concerns surrounding displacement, gentrification and the loss of Chinese culture in the area.

Leaders previously announced the official formation of the Chinatown Coalition to Oppose the Arena, and members of the Jewish community have also stood in solidarity with Chinatown residents.

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Last month, No Arena in Chinatown Solidarity activists created a music video to encourage public opposition to the proposed Philadelphia 76ers arena plan.

More from NextShark: Shohei Ohtani donates $150K Home Run Derby paycheck to LA Angels support staff

View this post on Instagram A post shared by No Arena in Chinatown Solidarity group (@nacsphilly)

The Sixers have released a statement in response to the multiple protests, according to CBS News.

Firstly, the arena will not be built in Chinatown; this project will be built in the Fashion District at Market East, a location that was once the center of commerce for Philadelphia for 100 years, on a site that has been a mall for nearly 50 years. Furthermore, in addition to committing $50 million to improve, strengthen and enhance communities around Market East  the largest community benefits agreement in the history of our city  and create jobs for Philadelphians across the city, we have been aggressively pursuing solutions to improve commerce, transit, safety, cleanliness and vibrance, to what has historically been one of the most important hubs in all of Philadelphia, but one that has been struggling for years.

However, many activists and Chinatown residents have voiced concerns that the arena would still negatively impact the community even though it is not directly in Chinatown.

You can be a block away and still have a major impact, Harry Leong, the president of the Philadelphia Suns, previously told CBS News. When you push the community members out whether businesses, whether residences, then you destroy the culture of the community. The culture comes with the people.
On March 1, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about the legality of President Joe Bidens student debt relief plan. Given the normal schedule followed by the Supreme Court, we shouldnt expect a final decision until at least June.

But on Monday, CNN already was hard at work seeking to impugn the legitimacy of the ultimate decision. In an analysis describing the financial status and educational experiences of the nine justices, commentator Devan Cole paints a picture of privilege. These men and women receive a salary between $274,000 and $299,000 a year before other lucrative revenue streams. They all went to either Harvard or Yale University (except for Justice Amy Coney Barrett), and most received significant scholarships during their undergraduate and law school studies.

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Cole uses these facts to launch a preemptive assault. These justices experiences differ widely from the majority of those who stand to benefit from the student debt relief program. They rose on the wings of advantage. Those the debt relief program is designed to help suffer the chains of misfortune, prejudice or other inhibiting factors. Thus, in Coles view, if the justices rule against the program, they do so because they simply dont understand or sympathize with the plight of the downtrodden.

This attack is exceptionally weak because it is entirely beside the point. The justices arent considering whether the relief plan is just, fair or wise. They arent assessing the plight of those with federal student loans. Instead, the Supreme Court took the case to consider if the Biden administrations plan is legal.

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The background principle involves the separation of powers that undergird our constitutional republic. Of the many ingenious features of the American political system is the division of the lawmaking, law-enforcing and law-adjudicating functions of the national government into distinct branches. The framers constructed our government this way to make it more effective by dividing up tasks, as well as safer by keeping all power out of the hands of any one institution.

The president, vested with executive power, is entrusted to see that laws are faithfully executed. In this case, Biden claims he is acting faithfully according to Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act, also known as the HEROES Act. For good reason, several justices appeared skeptical that the Biden administration rightly read this law to enable the kind of debt cancellation in question. Originally passed to relieve those fighting for our country in Iraq and Afghanistan, the law now also permits the modifying or waiving of student loans in connection with a national emergency.

Assessing the legality of the student relief plan against the text of the HEROES Act has nothing to do with the social and economic status of the judges. It has everything to do with the rule of law. If the Biden administration has misread and misapplied this statute, it has engaged in lawmaking rather than law enforcement, thereby violating the constitutional separation of powers. Given the text of the law, it likely should be voided as beyond the scope of the HEROES Act.

Cole implies that the Supreme Court should uphold the debt relief program essentially on identity or policy grounds. For the justices to do so would decide the case on policy grounds  determinations of the plans fairness or necessity. Such considerations matter greatly, and decisions about them must be made by the national government. The court, however, isnt the place for that decision any more than the executive branch. The Supreme Court doesnt exist to enact its own will but uses judgment to apply the will of the lawmaker to the case before it.

Ultimately, since the Constitution grants lawmaking power to the legislative branch, it falls to Congress to make these kinds of determinations. That power, by the way, stems from the people themselves, who hold the sovereign authority to make their will into law via Congress and the legislative process the Constitution established for it. In that context, Congress can and should weigh the fairness of debt relief in relation to students, creditors and taxpayers. They then should make laws based on that assessment. The court should respect this function and demand the same of the president.

When the court releases its opinion on the student debt relief cases, Americans would do well not to be distracted by arguments like this one from CNN  its an attack that misunderstands the role of the court and the presidency, thereby undermining the rule of law. Our Supreme Court deserves blame or praise based on one thing: whether it properly does its job of interpreting and applying the law.

Regardless of how much money we make, what schools we attended or what debt we incur, its the fair and equal application of law that is the true means to our good.

Adam Carrington is an associate professor of politics at Hillsdale College in Michigan.

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By Eduardo Baptista and Greg Torode

BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) -China needs the capability to shoot down low-earth-orbit Starlink satellites and defend tanks and helicopters against shoulder-fired Javelin missiles, according to Chinese military researchers who are studying Russia's struggles in Ukraine in planning for possible conflict with U.S.-led forces in Asia.

A Reuters review of almost 100 articles in more than 20 defence journals reveals an effort across China's military-industrial complex to scrutinise the impact of U.S. weapons and technology that could be deployed against Chinese forces in a war over Taiwan.

The Chinese-language journals, which also examine Ukrainian sabotage operations, reflect the work of hundreds of researchers across a network of People's Liberation Army (PLA)-linked universities, state-owned weapons manufacturers and military intelligence think-tanks.

While Chinese officials have avoided any openly critical comments about Moscow's actions or battlefield performance as they call for peace and dialogue, the publicly available journal articles are more candid in their assessments of Russian shortcomings.

China's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment about the researchers' findings. Reuters could not determine how closely the conclusions reflect the thinking among China's military leaders.

Two military attaches and another diplomat familiar with China's defence studies said the Communist Party's Central Military Commission, headed by President Xi Jinping, ultimately sets and directs research needs, and that it was clear from the volume of material that Ukraine was an opportunity the military leadership wanted to seize. The three people and other diplomats spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss their work publicly.

A U.S. defence official told Reuters that despite differences with the situation in Taiwan, the Ukraine war offered insights for China.

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"A key lesson the world should take away from the rapid international response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine is that aggression will increasingly be met with unity of action," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the topic's sensitivity, without addressing concerns raised in the Chinese research about specific U.S. capabilities.

STARLINK GAZING

Half a dozen papers by PLA researchers highlight Chinese concern at the role of Starlink, a satellite network developed by Elon Musk's U.S.-based space exploration company SpaceX, in securing the communications of Ukraine's military amid Russian missile attacks on the country's power grid.

"The excellent performance of 'Starlink' satellites in this Russian-Ukrainian conflict will certainly prompt the U.S. and Western countries to use 'Starlink' extensively" in possible hostilities in Asia, said a September article co-written by researchers at the Army Engineering University of the PLA.

The authors deemed it "urgent" for China - which aims to develop its own similar satellite network  to find ways to shoot down or disable Starlink. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.

The conflict has also forged an apparent consensus among Chinese researchers that drone warfare merits greater investment. China has been testing drones in the skies around Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy that Beijing has vowed to bring under its control.

"These unmanned aerial vehicles will serve as the 'door kicker' of future wars," noted one article in a tank warfare journal published by state-owned arms manufacturer NORINCO, a supplier to the PLA, that described drones' ability to neutralise enemy defences.

While some of the journals are operated by provincial research institutes, others are official publications for central government bodies such as the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence, which oversees weapons production and military upgrades.

An article in the administration's official journal in October noted that China should improve its ability to defend military equipment in view of the "serious damage to Russian tanks, armored vehicles and warships" inflicted by Stinger and Javelin missiles operated by Ukrainian fighters.

Collin Koh, a security fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said the Ukrainian conflict had provided impetus to long-standing efforts by China's military scientists to develop cyber-warfare models and find ways of better protecting armour from modern Western weapons.

"Starlink is really something new for them to worry about; the military application of advanced civilian technology that they can't easily replicate," Koh said.

Beyond technology, Koh said he was not surprised that Ukrainian special forces operations inside Russia were being studied by China, which, like Russia, moves troops and weapons by rail, making them vulnerable to sabotage.

Despite its rapid modernisation, the PLA lacks recent combat experience. China's invasion of Vietnam in 1979 was its last major battle  a conflict that rumbled on until the late 1980s.

Reuters' review of the Chinese journals comes amid Western concern that China may be planning to supply Russia with lethal aid for its assault on Ukraine, which Beijing denies.

TAIWAN, AND BEYOND

Some of the Chinese articles stress Ukraine's relevance given the risk of a regional conflict pitting China against the United States and its allies, possibly over Taiwan. The U.S. has a policy of "strategic ambiguity" over whether it would intervene militarily to defend the island, but is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

U.S. Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns has said that Xi has ordered his military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027, while noting that the Chinese leader was probably unsettled by Russia's experience in Ukraine.

One article, published in October by two researchers at the PLA's National Defence University, analysed the effect of U.S. deliveries of high-mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) to Ukraine, and whether China's military should be concerned.

"If HIMARS dares to intervene in Taiwan in the future, what was once known as an 'explosion-causing tool' will suffer another fate in front of different opponents," it concluded.

The article highlighted China's own advanced rocket system, supported by reconnaissance drones, and noted that Ukraine's success with HIMARS had relied on U.S. sharing of target information and intelligence via Starlink.

Four diplomats, including the two military attaches, said PLA analysts have long worried about superior U.S. military might, but Ukraine has sharpened their focus by providing a window on a large power's failure to overwhelm a smaller one backed by the West.

While that scenario has obvious Taiwan comparisons, there are differences, particularly given the island's vulnerability to a Chinese blockade that could force any intervening militaries into a confrontation.

Western countries, by contrast, are able to supply Ukraine by land via its European neighbours.

References to Taiwan are relatively few in the journals reviewed by Reuters, but diplomats and foreign scholars tracking the research say that Chinese defence analysts are tasked to provide separate internal reports for senior political and military leaders. Reuters was unable to access those internal reports.

Taiwanese Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said in February that China's military is learning from Russia's invasion of Ukraine that any attack on Taiwan would have to be swift to succeed. Taiwan is also studying the conflict to update its own battle strategies.

Several articles analyse the strengths of the Ukrainian resistance, including special forces' sabotage operations inside Russia, the use of the Telegram app to harness civilian intelligence, and the defense of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

Russian successes are also noted, such as tactical strikes using the Iskander ballistic missile.

The journal Tactical Missile Technology, published by state-owned weapons manufacturer China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, produced a detailed analysis of the Iskander, but only released a truncated version to the public.

Many other articles focus on the mistakes of Russia's invading army, with one in the tank warfare journal identifying outdated tactics and a lack of unified command, while another in an electronic warfare journal said Russian communications interference was insufficient to counter NATO's provision of intelligence to the Ukrainians, leading to costly ambushes.

A piece published this year by researchers at the Engineering University of the People's Armed Police assessed the insights China could glean from the blowing-up of the Kerch Bridge in Russian-occupied Crimea. The full analysis has not been released publicly, however.

Beyond the battlefield, the work has covered the information war, which the researchers conclude was won by Ukraine and its allies.

One February article by researchers at the PLA Information Engineering University calls on China to preemptively prepare for a global public opinion backlash similar to that experienced by Russia.

China should "promote the construction of cognitive confrontation platforms" and tighten control of social media to prevent Western information campaigns from influencing its people during a conflict, it said.

(Reporting by Eduardo Baptista in Beijing and Greg Torode in Hong Kong; additional reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart in Washington. Editing by David Crawshaw.)
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak departs 10 Downing Street, London - Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Rishi Sunak is poised to spend up to 800m building a new supercomputer amid fears Britain is falling behind in the race against China and the US for artificial intelligence.

The newly formed Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has submitted plans to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt for funding to support investment in a powerful new computer.

Supercomputers are considered critical for artificial intelligence research, climate change modelling and the science of drug discovery, performing trillions of operations each second.

However, a review prepared for the Government on the future of computing, published on Monday, warned Britain had slipped down the world rankings in terms of its high performance capacity.

Britain had been ranked third for supercomputing power in 2005, but had since slipped to 10th, behind Russia and France.

On Monday, Mr Sunak announced plans to provide funding for a new exascale supercomputer facility in Britain, the most powerful type of modern computer. However, officials declined to comment on how it would be funded.

On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported DSIT, which is led by Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan, had submitted proposals to No11 asking for up to 800m in funding for the promised computer. A government spokesman did not immediately comment.

It is unclear whether that funding will be agreed in time for next weeks budget. The science department has asked for new money to fund the computer, but the Treasury is said to be keen to find the cash from existing funding arrangements.

The Future of Compute review warned Mr Sunak that Britain risked falling behind in computing, jeopardising its prowess in artificial intelligence research.

The review said: The UK has great talent in AI with a vibrant start-up ecosystem, but public investment in AI compute is seriously lagging.

It added that the kind of system the UK should be building would be equivalent to the Frontier computer recently built in the US. This machine, the worlds most powerful supercomputer, is based in Tennessee and cost around $600m.

Matt Clifford, chair of the taxpayer-funded Advanced Research and Invention Agency, an 800m tech fund, told The Telegraph earlier this week he believed the UK would need to invest billions of pounds in computer infrastructure over the next decade.
Second grader Caroline Carlson made her teacher Jaime Deigh's day when she showed up to school dressed as her on "Superhero Day." (Photo: Bentonville Schools)

A young girl in Arkansas is letting the world know that not all heroes wear capes.

It all began on March 3, when Jaime Deigh arrived to work at R.E. Baker Elementary school, where she teaches second-grade. It was the last day of Spirit Week, and students across the district were set to read the final chapter of Almost Super by Marion Jensen, about two middle grade brothers in a family of superheroes, which they had been reading the entire week.

The final reading day was celebrated district-wide as "Superhero Day," Deigh tells Yahoo Life, and students were encouraged to "come dressed as your favorite superhero."

When she arrived to class that Friday, Deigh was tickled to see an array of fun characters like Wonder Woman and Spider Man, but one particular outfit stood out: that of her student, Caroline Carlson, who came dressed as her for Superhero Day.

"It just felt amazing to see," she says of 8-year-old Carlson, who decided to nix the traditional "cape and mask" and instead opt for Deigh's classic look: a denim jacket over a bright-colored spirit shirt (something that was not a complete surprise for the teacher, as she and Carlson's mom, Cortney, had coordinated their outfits the day before).

For the young student, deciding on who her favorite superhero is was a no-brainer.

"Heroes don't have to have a cape or mask to be a superhero. They're just trying to change the world," Carlson tells Yahoo Life. "Ms. Deigh is a great teacher. She doesn't just teach us 'teacher stuff.' She also teaches us how to be kind and responsible, and to be a good leader."

The school's principal snapped a photo of the adorable moment and later shared it on the school district's Facebook page, where it won the hearts of parents and teachers in the area and soon made the local news.

Carlson and Deigh's story has since made an indelible mark at the school.

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"Teachers are quiet heroes," a representative from Bentonville Schools tells Yahoo Life. "The relationships they nurture now stay with children for decades. We're proud of Jaime and Caroline for so beautifully articulating what education truly means in Bentonville."

Carlson says the "biggest lesson" Deigh has taught her is to simply, "spread goodness."

"I define a superhero as someone that can help people, who can really help them understand how to be a really good person," she says. "Ms. Deigh does that. She teaches us that you have to be kind to earn respect. It's about kindness."

Deigh, who's spent the majority of her career as "the only teacher of color in the school," says Superhero Day proves that kindness and mentorship are colorblind.

"For my students to look at me like they look at everybody else, it was just a special moment," she says. "It shows that, all the things we see going on in the world, it doesn't matter. If you're good to someone, you never know the impact you're making on someone."

That's a lesson Deign learned from her own mother, who she credits as a "real-life superhero."

"She was the first graduating class in my hometown to graduate from a non-segregated school [in Georgia]," she says of her mom, who ultimately inspired her to become a teacher. "She taught me that it doesn't matter where you come from, or what you do. You can be anything that you want to be."

Carlson's mom applauds teachers like Deigh for helping kids understand important lessons about life that stretch beyond reading, writing and arithmetic.

"She comes home and tells me all the things that, as a parent, I know I should be teaching but they're reinforcing it at school: lessons about kindness and respect and how you treat people," Cortney tells Yahoo Life. "It's really impactful, and it means so much to me."

For superhero Deigh, however, it's all in a day's work.

"I take on my classroom as if these are all my children and I'm their mom," she explains of her method. "We spend eight hours a day together, and so, I try to teach them that whether it's here or when you grow up, you have to be a difference maker. In every choice that you make, you have to decide what difference is going to make a positive difference in the world or a negative difference in the world."

"I also teach them to be problem solvers," she adds. "Pencils are made with erasers for a reason. If you make a mistake, you can erase it and start over. As soon as you become difference makers, you're going to make mistakes, but just remember the life lessons that are taught to you."

Carlson is certainly reaping the rewards of such lessons: "Just be yourself," she advises other kids who are searching for the "superhero" in themselves.

Deigh hopes their story can serve as a lesson for other teachers as well.

"Don't give up," she advises them. "Start every day brand new, Our jobs are not easy. Remember to laugh and remember why you started this career in the first place. And remember to take care of yourself. That is a biggie! We cannot care for kids and be the teacher that they need you to be if we don't take care of ourselves."

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here.
An arrest has been made after a man suffered life-threatening injuries in a shooting in Lynn late Tuesday night.

Officers responding to a report of shots fired in the area of 119 Lewis Street shortly before 10 p.m. found a 46-year-old man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Lynn Police Department.

The victim was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital. There was no immediate word on his condition.

The alleged shooter, a 48-year-old man, was taken into custody at the scene.

The names of those involved in the incident havent been made public.

Police are expected to release additional information at a later time.

An investigation remains ongoing.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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The woman accused of killing University of Missouri student Samuel M. Clemons, 21, in January has entered her plea.

More: Details emerge after 20-year-old Columbia woman arrested for murder

Emma Rose Adams, 20, charged with second-degree murder, armed criminal action, tampering with evidence and corpse abandonment, all felonies, pleaded not guilty Tuesday before Boone County Division 2 Judge Jeff Harris, waiving formal arraignment.

The next hearing in her case is scheduled for April 10.

Clemons mother contacted University of Missouri Police for a welfare check Jan. 10 after not hearing from him since the prior day. Police traced Clemons' movements through information received from the ride-share app Uber. When police arrived at Clemons's last known location at Bentley Court, they encountered Adams.

More: Police identify Bentley Court murder victim, suspect has hearing arranged for February

Police would go on to find Clemons body on a smoldering mattress in a backyard fire, though it is alleged he was killed when he was stabbed by Adams in what she says was self defense.

Adams is held on a $1 million cash-only bond at the Boone County Jail.

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Plea entered by suspect in MU student's alleged murder
Witnesses heard swimmers in an Arizona lake crying for help before rescuers found their capsized kayak and later their bodies, authorities said.

People first heard the swimmers struggling in Lake Pleasant at about 7:45 p.m. Sunday, March 5, near the Roadrunner Campground, the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office said in a news release.

Once rescuers got to the lake, they found only the swimmers inflatable kayak and two different shoes, deputies said.

They searched the water that night, stopped, then began looking for the swimmers again the next day.

On March 6, rescuers found the body of 28-year-old Christopher Govoni 55 feet underwater, deputies said.

The body of Rogelio Ortiz, 24, was found 100 feet away from Govoni, deputies said. He was also found 55 feet deep in the lake.

Investigators said their bodies were about 600 feet from the shore, and it appears they had been trying to swim to it after the kayak capsized.

They drowned before making it, deputies said.

The kayak wasnt damaged, detectives found, and they continue to investigate.

Lake Pleasant is about 50 miles north of downtown Phoenix.

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Putin called Roldugin his close friend

Prosecutors say Roldugin received millions through Swiss bank transfers without any proper bank checks between 2014 and 2016, despite being under sanctions.

The bankers are accused of lacking due diligence in conducting financial transactions and failing to establish the identity of the beneficiary of the funds.

Read also: Kyiv rents lower than Lviv, Swiss bank freezes Russian assets, inflation slows in Ukraine

The bankers  three Russians working in Zurich and one Swiss citizen  denied the charges against them at the court hearing. Their names cannot be revealed due to a Swiss publication ban.

Read also: Switzerland rejects request from Spain to re-export anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine

Read also: Germany asks Switzerland to allow ammo exports to Ukraine

According to reports, Roldugin had two accounts at Gazprombank Switzerland in 2014. They received millions of francs from Russia. Both accounts were closed in 2016.

The musician himself claimed that he was certainly not a businessman and was not the owner of the millions, the indictment says.

The prosecutors' document states that the Kremlin uses people like Roldugin as strawmen to hide the real owners of the accounts. They add that Putin officially has an income of 100,000 Swiss francs ($106,283) a year. At the same time, his inner circle manages huge assets.

Media note that the cellist has at least five offshore companies, and he is part of Putin's financial structure.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -China said on Wednesday it was "seriously concerned" by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's "transit" plans and had asked Washington for clarification, amid reports she will meet U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in the United States.

McCarthy plans to meet Tsai in the United States in coming weeks, two sources told Reuters on Monday. That could be instead of the Republican Speaker's anticipated but sensitive trip to the democratically governed island claimed by China.

McCarthy on Tuesday confirmed plans to meet Tsai in the United States this year and stressed this did not preclude a later visit to Taiwan, Bloomberg news agency reported.

Taiwanese presidents, including Tsai, have a record of travelling through the U.S. en route to other countries, usually for a day or two, though the U.S. government has generally avoided meeting senior Taiwanese officials in Washington.

Taiwan's presidential office, in a brief statement responding to what it said were media enquiries about Tsai's overseas visits, said "transit arrangements" had been in place for many years, though it did not directly mention the United States.

"At present, various departments are communicating and preparing for relevant plans, and the planning of the related itinerary will be explained in a timely manner after the plan is finalised," it added, without elaborating.

Speaking in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said they were "seriously concerned about the news".

"We have lodged solemn representations with the U.S. side and asked them to clarify," she added.

China is firmly opposed to any form of official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan, she said, adding: "No one should underestimate the strong determination of the Chinese government and people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"The real threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is the separatist forces of Taiwan independence," Mao said.

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China has rebuffed calls for talks from Tsai since she took office in 2016, believing her to be a separatist.

China has never ruled out using force to bring Taiwan under its control. Taiwan's government says the People's Republic of China has never ruled the island and so has no right to claim it, and that only its 23 million people can decide their future.

Taiwan is a constant source of friction between Beijing and Washington. China's foreign minister said on Tuesday Taiwan was the "first red line" that must not be crossed in Sino-U.S. relations.

China staged military exercises around Taiwan in August following a visit to Taipei by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The United States has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

(Reporting by Liz Lee and Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Yimou Lee in Taipei; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Robert Birsel & Shri Navaratnam)
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Mike Gallagher.

WASHINGTON  The push to regulate foreign-owned technology platforms like TikTok over national security concerns is receiving bipartisan support within Wisconsins congressional delegation.

But proposals on just how the government should address those perceived threats have differed.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin on Tuesday joined a bipartisan group of senators in sponsoring a bill that would give the government more authority to regulate and potentially ban communications technology and social media platforms from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba that could create data and security risks.

Meanwhile, Green Bay Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, who chairs the new select committee on China, has repeatedly called for a nationwide ban of TikTok, the popular video-sharing app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, and introduced legislation to ban the app and others like it from companies based in the same six countries that lawmakers have described as adversarial.

The recent proposals underscore the bipartisan support in Congress and among Wisconsins delegation in Washington for cracking down on the reported threats posed by technologies that can be influenced by foreign governments like the Chinese Communist Party. They also reflect the varying viewpoints on Capitol Hill on specific measures to address the security concerns.

The scope of this problem is far wider than one single company, Baldwin said during a press conference Tuesday, referencing TikTok. While many of these technologies and platforms are popular, especially with our young people, we also know these products have the potential to endanger American users and threaten our entire national security.

The Senate bill introduced Tuesday by U.S. Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., and John Thune, R-S.D., and co-sponsored by Baldwin and a bipartisan group of nine other senators would require the Secretary of Commerce to establish a process to review, prevent and mitigate information and technology transactions that pose undue risk to the country.

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Lawmakers on Tuesday emphasized that the bill, called the RESTRICT Act, would not target a specific platform like TikTok and rather would establish a risk-based process that would allow the government to adapt to the rapidly changing technology and threat environment. The legislation would go beyond social media to cover technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum computing and e-commerce but could still lead to bans on apps, including TikTok.

In my view, we do need an approach that does away with this Whack-A-Mole with this particular technology and with adversarial nations and come up with a more systemic process to examine these risks and act on them, Thune said.

Tuesdays bill comes amid a ramped-up effort from Congress to ban TikTok, which intelligence officials and lawmakers including Gallagher have said can be used to spy on users and promote propaganda.

(TikTok officials have maintained that U.S. user data is stored in the U.S. and is not shared with the Chinese government. U.S. lawmakers, however, have argued TikTok could be compelled under Chinese law to turn over user data for its more than 1 billion users.)

Last week, the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted along party lines on a separate bill that would effectively ban TikTok and impose sanctions on companies tied to the Chinese-owned app, with some Democrats warning of unintended consequences.

The group of senators at Tuesdays press conference repeatedly emphasized the bipartisan support for the bill  it is sponsored by six Democrats and six Republicans  and indicated they believe it has a good chance to pass both chambers.

The White House quickly endorsed the legislation and called for its passage.

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in a statement said the bill "would strengthen our ability to address discrete risks posed by individual transactions, and systemic risks posed by certain classes of transactions involving countries of concern in sensitive technology sectors."

"This bill presents a systematic framework for addressing technology-based threats to the security and safety of Americans," Sullivan said.

Gallaghers office said it was reviewing the legislation and could not immediately comment on the bill.

Baldwin, for her part, called social media and certain technologies powerful tools that can be beneficial but warned that is not always the case.

It is our job to ensure reasonable guardrails are in place to protect public safety, especially when it comes to foreign-owned entities that could weaponize American data, Baldwin said.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tammy Baldwin joins push to expand TikTok, foreign tech crackdown
People's congress system displays tremendous vitality, strength

Xinhua) 08:10, March 08, 2023

The second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan)

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The people's congress system has been brought into full play in the past five years and displayed tremendous vitality and strengths in practice, according to a report submitted to the National People's Congress (NPC) on Tuesday.

The system serves as China's foundational political system that underpins the governance system and capacity, read the work report of the 13th NPC Standing Committee at the end of its five-year term.

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the 13th NPC Standing Committee, presented the report to a plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC.

According to Li, a highlight of the work of the national legislature was adopting the amendment to the Constitution at the first session of the 13th NPC in 2018.

The past five years have seen the Standing Committee ensuring the implementation of the Constitution and upholding its authority and sanctity.

As part of the efforts, the Standing Committee revised the Electoral Law and submitted the draft revisions of the NPC Organic Law to the NPC for deliberation, to optimize the organizational and electoral systems of people's congresses and their operating mechanisms.

The draft amendment to the Legislation Law submitted to the ongoing annual session for deliberation is expected to improve the legislative system and mechanism and enhance the quality and efficiency of legislation.

In addition, the top legislature has maintained the constitutional order in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) by enacting the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong SAR and adopting a decision on improving the electoral system of Hong Kong SAR, which have fully demonstrated the central government exercises overall jurisdiction over the SAR and provided a strong legal foundation for Hong Kong's entry into a new stage.

In promoting high-quality development, the Standing Committee formulated a raft of laws, including the milestone Civil Code. The Foreign Investment Law and the Hainan Free Trade Port Law were enacted to support a new round of high-standard opening up.

Legislative work in environmental protection was stepped up to promote ecological advancement, with the Law on the Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution, the Law on the Prevention and Control of Noise Pollution and the Wetland Conservation Law formulated over the past five years.

With these legislative efforts, the Standing Committee improved the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics and made good laws to promote development and ensure good governance, Li said.

During the period, the national legislature enacted 47 laws, revised 111 ones, and passed 53 decisions on legal questions and other major issues.

Regarding fulfilling the duty of oversight, the report said that over the past five years, the Standing Committee heard and deliberated the first comprehensive reports on the management of state-owned assets, the first report on financial work, and the first work report by the National Supervisory Commission. It also conducted the first special inquiries into the work reports of the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

In the course of exercising oversight, the Standing Committee ensured that the powers of all state organs and their employees were subject to oversight and checks.

While carrying out inspections into the implementation of laws, the Standing Committee introduced third-party evaluations and adopted various measures like random inspections, unannounced visits, big-data analysis, and questionnaire surveys. It also delegated local people's congresses to do inspections nationwide.

During inspections into the implementation of laws concerning environmental protection, nearly 900,000 questionnaires were gathered, according to the report.

The Standing Committee has set a plan for the legislative work this year, saying that it will draw up the legislative plan for the next five years, enhance oversight over state-owned asset management, and step up training deputies.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
In the aftermath of Turkeys devastating earthquake, 78 people have been arrested  not necessarily as scapegoats of the tragedy but because they are accused of sharing provocative posts on social media.

Twenty have been placed in pretrial detention, and hundreds of others face legal proceedings.

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These arrests, in combination with the Turkish governments outrageous blocking and throttling of social media access right at the peak of the response effort, have drawn renewed attention to the countrys draconian and restrictive social media law, which lawmakers passed last fall.

A government-decreed Twitter outage on Feb, 8, confirmed by the monitoring service Netblocks, lasted about 12 hours before service resumed. According to state media coverage, Turkish authorities had held a meeting with Twitters head of policy on disinformation and the need for content takedowns before allowing access.

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The government claimed it needed to cut off access because of misinformation. One source quoted by Reuters said it had to be done because some accounts were sharing untrue claims, slander, insults and posts with fraudulent purposes. Another government official denounced  ironically in a Twitter post  the politically motivated disinformation campaigns and provocations.

Of course, Turkish citizens understand very clearly that the purpose of these arrests and access restrictions is to silence criticism of the leadership and to curtail freedom of expression.

In Turkey, with a population of approximately 85 million, there are about 53 million smartphone users. Turkey is one of the most active nations in the world on social media. Yet this basic freedom is under assault.

The Turkish government has repeatedly demonstrated that it has little tolerance for independent expressions of opinions, ideas and thoughts, especially if they run counter to government policy. From suppression of nonaligned media outlets, often under spurious accusations and false charges, to the filing of court cases alleging slander and defamation, to the periodic blocking of social media outlets, the current regime has worked diligently to muzzle independent voices and ensure that the only viable sources of news and information are those that toe the government line.

[ Stephen Franklin: Earthquake survivors in Turkey face more tragic times as nation approaches economic collapse ]

In October, the ruling party and its allies in parliament forced through a new media law. This added a new article to the Turkish Penal Code that calls for one to three years of imprisonment for any person who publicly disseminates untrue information concerning the internal and external security, public order and public health of the country with the sole intention of creating anxiety, fear or panic among the public.

The law is sweeping in its scope. It grants the government wide-ranging powers to regulate the internet and force compliance on the part of social media companies to remove content deemed harmful by the government and to surrender user data related to such content. Failure to comply with such requests can lead to either a throttling or a complete blockage of service to the Turkish market.

Content moderation is a legitimate challenge faced by many nations, especially where online extremism and radicalism result in very concerning acts of terrorism, violence and insurrection. But the way the Turkish censorship law is constructed, the sole authority to decide what is offensive is vested in the ruling party, with zero independent oversight or citizen participation. As such, flagrant abuses of these powers are only to be expected.

A car drives past collapsed buildings in Antakya, Turkey, on Feb. 20, 2023. (Yasin Akgul/Getty-AFP)

Opposition leaders have been sharply critical of this law. Meral Aksener, leader of the IYI Party, has mocked President Recep Tayyip Erdogans attempt to exert total control over the countrys internet, asking if he intends to replace Facebook with AKbook, referring to the ruling party.

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Aksener has been outspoken about the need to roll back laws that hinder or prevent the free expression of ideas and about the need to craft internet legislation that protects basic democratic rights and values for the people of Turkey.

In contrast to the creeping authoritarianism and pivot away from the West under the AK Party, Aksener and the IYI Party represent Turkish voters who remain interested in reviving the countrys bid to join the European Union. Their goal is to bring Turkish laws, values and standards in line with the countrys long and proudly held democratic identity.

Under Aksener, the IYI Party has joined other parties opposing Erdogan in the upcoming election and adopted a multipoint plan that balances the regulatory role and obligations of government with the freedoms necessary to develop an open and democratic society, in particular as it relates to how Turkish citizens use the internet.

The plan also calls for free and open access to an uncensored internet, and social media platforms would have limited regulation so as to remain accessible to all of Turkish society. Citizens would not be punished for posting their views or opinions online, and access to the internet would be viewed as a basic human right.

Under the oppositions plan, internet companies that follow all applicable laws for taxation and licensing would find initiatives similar to those found in the EU available to them in Turkey. These companies would feel safe and free to invest in the development of online opportunities in the country  which would contribute to employment, innovation and growth.

Under the current governments social media law, citizens are not being protected from disinformation. They are having their access to critical information curtailed, which the leadership believes will make them less informed, less engaged and less interested in protecting the democratic process. This is an existential threat to the future of the country.

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Duggan Flanakin is director of policy research with the nonprofit think tank Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
Have any travel plans coming up? If your spring calendar is starting to fill up with weekend getaways, now is as good a time as any to finally swap out that worn-out giant tote or duffel bag for something a little more chic. Target shoppers swear by one bag in particular  the A New Day Athleisure Soft Weekender Bag  and it's finally back in stock.

It's not hard to see why hordes of shoppers (and TikTokers, too) are obsessed with the bag. It's available in three neutral colors  black, olive green and caramel  as well as a ruched white check print. You don't sacrifice function for beauty, either: The bag can hold up to 25 pounds and has pockets on both the inside and outside (including space for your cell phone, so you're not trying to fish it out of the bottom of your bag). It comes with a detachable shoulder strap for easy carrying, though you can use the attached handles if you prefer or sling them over the handle of your rolling suitcase for easy maneuvering.

It's the perfect travel companion. (Photo: Target)

Plan on using it on your next flight? It's the perfect size for a carry-on and easily fits into overhead compartments. It's light, too  just under one and a half pounds.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of all, though, is that it's a dream to clean. Spill some coffee on it? Scuff it on something on your way to your gate at the airport? Just wipe it clean. So easy!

"This bag worked so well for our trip to Europe," a shopper. "It was kind of like a Mary Poppins bag. So much stuff went in it and it fit so perfectly on my small carry-on luggage. So glad I found it!"

"Love this bag!" added another. "Soft, holds a ton and I get so many compliments when I use it!"

"You need to buy this bag!" chimed in a third. "This bag is THE perfect personal item for planes when you have a carry on....This bag fits under the airplane seats and allows for so much extra space. I put my purse, toiletry (which is quite large) bag, leather jacket, vitamins, headphones, chargers, and jewelry in this bag and still had room to spare."

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who has been prodding the White House to drop its pick to head up the Federal Aviation Administration, on Wednesday floated simply elevating the current acting head of the agency  Billy Nolen, a former airline pilot who previously led the agency's safety organization.

Cruz, the top Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee that is vetting Biden pick Phil Washington, speculated that Nolen, who is serving as acting administrator, would likely win swift bipartisan support for the role if nominated by the White House. Washington, who led transit agencies for two decades before becoming the CEO of Denver International Airport in 2021, has faced Republican criticism over his relative lack of aviation experience.

Cruz has been relentless in pushing against Washington, especially during a time when the FAA is facing a worrying spate of close calls on runways across the country.

"A point I would like to make to my Democratic colleagues on this committee, do you think Phil Washington could come anywhere close to Acting Administrator Nolen's knowledge? I think the answer is no," Cruz said, after asking Nolen to spell out his long career as a pilot. "I think it's clear that Phil Washington is not going to have the votes. I think a nominee like Acting Administrator Nolen would receive widespread bipartisan support and could get confirmed quickly."



At one point during the hearing Nolen made it clear that he isn't angling for the job.

"I do believe that Phil Washington is fully qualified, I support the president and I support the nomination," Nolen said.

During the hearing, Senate Commerce Democrats circulated a letter pennedby three former top FAA officials  none of whom were pilots  voicing their support for Washington. It was signed by former FAA Administrators Michael Huerta and Jane Garvey, and former Acting Administrator Linda Daschle, who all served under Democratic administrations, saying that Washington "has the the necessary experience to be administrator."

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The FAA has gone through a difficult period and Mr. Washington offers a fresh perspective for setting a new course, Huerta, Garvey and Daschle wrote. Having a 30,000-foot view does not require getting a pilots license.

Beyond Cruz, some Democrats on the Commerce Committee are not fully convinced. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) said she hasn't yet decided on the nomination and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) also raised concerns about Washington's experience during his nomination hearing last week. While some Republicans vocally oppose Washington, not everyone agrees with Cruz. Aviation Subcommittee ranking member Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) said he's also undecided.

Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) argued on Wednesday that Washington's lack of ties to the aviation industry will assist ongoing congressional efforts to ensure that the FAA is fully independent from the airlines and aircraft manufacturers it regulates, particularly after the Boeing 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019.



"I think this notion of running a large organization with transportation background is really important because there's some things here you're trying to change culturally," Cantwell said. "I definitely think he doesn't represent the status quo and sometimes you get people with very long aviation careers and they're the ones who basically go along with the system we're trying to change."

Cantwell hasn't announced a committee vote on Washington's nomination  a sign that Democrats may not be aligned.

Senate Democrats largely did not weigh in on Washington's nomination last Congress, when he faced questions over lawsuits and search warrants related to his time leading the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. But after the White House renominated Washington in January, Cantwell announced her support and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Washington's confirmation a priority after a FAA computer system meltdown led to the first nationwide grounding of flights since September 11, 2001.

"With recent events, including airline troubles and last weeks tech problem, this agency needs a leader confirmed by the Senate immediately," Schumer said in January.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and conservative personality Michael Knowles. Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images; Jason Davis/Getty Images

Conservative personality Michael Knowles called for the eradication of "transgenderism" in a CPAC speech.

Knowles previously co-hosted a podcast with Ted Cruz for nearly two years.

Cruz repeatedly refused to say whether he agrees with that idea, calling it "silly politics."

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas repeatedly refused to say whether he agrees with his former podcast co-host that "transgenderism" must be "eradicated."

"I think the extreme left's ideology has been very harmful," Cruz initially told Insider on Tuesday before boarding an elevator in the Capitol building.

Minutes later, Insider posed the same question to Cruz again, prompting him to dismiss the question as "silly politics."

"I get that you have a story you want to write," Cruz told Insider. "But let me tell you this: when you write a story about the young children who have their genitals mutilated, and they're rendered permanently sterile from radicals who removed their reproductive organs in the interest of radical ideology, then I'm happy to answer your other questions."

"But until you write that story, it's just silly politics that you're playing," he added.

In a Saturday speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland, conservative media personality Michael Knowles  who previously co-hosted a podcast with Cruz for nearly two years  called for the eradication of what he describes as "transgenderism," arguing that it "isn't true."

"There can be no middle way in dealing with transgenderism  it's all or nothing," said Knowles, who co-hosted "Verdict with Ted Cruz" from the show's inception in January 2020 until it was purchased by iHeartMedia in October 2022. "For the good of society, and especially for the good of the poor people who have fallen prey to this confusion, transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely."

"Transgenderism" is itself a largely derogatory term mostly used by opponents of transgender rights to dehumanize transgender people.

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An influential figure on the right and a competitive presidential candidate in 2016, Cruz is typically willing to directly answer questions from reporters and offer his positions on all manner of issues.

But the senator has repeatedly declined to answer reporters' questions about Knowles' comments, opting instead to criticize the media for the way the comments were portrayed. Following Knowles' CPAC speech, critics accused him of making genocidal comments, arguing that he had essentially called for the elimination of transgender people.

Knowles has since argued that he was instead referring simply to the phenomenon of people undergoing gender transitions.

"Quite clearly, I'm saying I don't want to kill these people, I want to help them," said Knowles, who went to argue that transgender people must be required to identify by their sex on official government documents and be prohibited from using the bathroom of their preferred gender.

Knowles has since accused several media outlets of libelous behavior for saying he had called for the eradication of transgender people, prompting Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah to publicly back him up.

"The press is being silly and deliberately taking him out of context," Cruz told Insider when first asked about the issue on Tuesday.

But even so, Knowles' comments go well beyond what most Republican lawmakers have articulated.

While the GOP has put forward legislation at both the federal and state level to ban transgender people from participating in sports, prevent them from using the bathroom of their choice, or block minors from receiving gender-affirming care, there's been relatively little sign of a broader effort to prevent people from transitioning altogether.

However, former President Donald Trump has pledged to sign an executive order instructing federal agencies to "cease all programs that promote the concept of sex and gender transition at any age."

Read the original article on Business Insider
[Source]

A 17-year-old has been charged with multiple felonies in connection with the fatal shooting of a Chinese food delivery worker in Bridgeport, Connecticut, over the weekend.

Justin Castro, whose case was transferred to adult court, is accused of gunning down 36-year-old Jiabin Lin in the area of Boston and Palisade Avenues at around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Lin, who was from Flushing, New York, worked for Yummy Yummy Chinese Restaurant. He was making a delivery when Castro allegedly shot him multiple times in the back.

Residents blamed the violence on young gangmembers.

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You got these little young kids thats gangbangers and theyre able to get guns and a lot of it has to do with the young generation. They dont care about hurting anyone. They don't care about killing anyone, resident Eugene Dawson told News 12 Connecticut.

Castro has been charged with murder, murder-commission of felony, first-degree attempted robbery, carrying a pistol without a permit, assault on a police officer and interfering with a police officer, as per WFSB.

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He remains held on a $3 million bond.

Hes not a monster, hes a baby. Hes not a monster, said Castros mother, Tonge Clemons, according to the Connecticut Post.

Li, who was pronounced dead at the scene, had no known next of kin in the U.S. Police said his family members in China have been notified.

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This Heat Map Shows Asian American Reported Hate Crimes Across the Country
DETROIT (AP)  U.S. investigators suspect that a Tesla was operating on an automated driving system when it crashed into a firetruck in California last month, killing the driver and critically injuring a passenger.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday it has dispatched a special crash investigation team to look into the Feb. 18 crash in Northern California where emergency responders had to cut open the Tesla to remove the passenger. Four Contra Costa County firefighters had minor injuries.

The probe is part of a larger investigation by the agency into multiple instances of Teslas on Autopilot crashing into parked emergency vehicles that are tending to other crashes.

The $1.4 million ladder truck was damaged in the crash on Interstate 680. The truck was parked to shield a crew clearing another accident, fire officials said.

The driver of the the 2014 Tesla Model S was declared dead at the scene.

NHTSA is investigating how Teslas Autopilot system detects and responds to emergency vehicles parked on highways. At least 15 Teslas have crashed into emergency vehicles nationwide while using the system.

Authorities said the truck had its lights on and was parked diagonally on northbound lanes of the freeway to protect responders to an earlier accident that did not result in injuries.

The fatal accident occurred around 4 a.m., and it took several hours to clear the freeway. The firetruck had to be towed away.

The Model S was among the nearly 363,000 vehicles Tesla recalled in February because of potential flaws in Full Self-Driving a more sophisticated partially automated driving system.

The recall, to be done with an online software update, is aimed at correcting possible problems at intersections and with speed limits.

Despite their names, Tesla has said both systems are advanced driver assist systems and that human drivers must be ready to intervene at all times.

Messages were left Wednesday seeking comment from Tesla, which has disbanded its public relations department.
HUNTSVILLE, Texas (AP)  A Texas inmate convicted of fatally stabbing his estranged wife and drowning her 6-year-old daughter in a bathtub nearly 14 years ago was executed on Tuesday.

Gary Green, 51, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. He was condemned for the September 2009 deaths of Lovetta Armstead, 32, and her daughter, Jazzmen Montgomery, at their Dallas home. Greens attorneys did not file any appeals seeking to stop the execution.

A Buddhist spiritual adviser chosen by Green stood beside the death chamber gurney at the inmate's feet and said a brief prayer. Green then apologized profusely when asked by the warden if he had a final statement.

I apologize for all the harm I have caused you and your family, Green said, looking at relatives of his victims who watched through a window close by. We ate together, we laughed and cried together as a family. I'm sorry I failed you.

He said he took two people that we all loved, and I had to live that while I was here.

We were all one and I broke that bond, he continued. I ask that you forgive me, not for me but for y'all. I'm fixing to go home and y'all are going to be here. I want to make sure you don't suffer. You have to forgive me and heal and move on. ... I'm not the man I used to be."

Instead of inserting the IV needles in each arm, prison technicians had to use a vein in Greens right arm and a vein on the top of his left hand, delaying the injection briefly for Green, who was listed on prison records as weighing 365 pounds (165 kilograms).

As the lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital began, Green was thanking prison administrators, chaplains and all the beautiful human beings at the Polunsky Unit, the prison that houses Texas' condemned men. Then he took several quick breaths, which evolved into snores. After nine snores, all movement ceased. Several of the victims' relatives hugged and briefly cried.

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He was pronounced dead 33 minutes later, at 7:07 p.m.

Ray Montgomery, Jazzmens father and one of the witnesses, said recently that he wasn't cheering for Greens execution but saw it as the justice system at work.

Its justice for the way my daughter was tortured. Its justice for the way that Lovetta was murdered, said Montgomery, 43. He and other witnesses did not speak with reporters afterward.

In prior appeals, Greens attorneys had claimed he was intellectually disabled and had a lifelong history of psychiatric disorders. Those appeals were rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court and lower appeals courts.

The high court has prohibited the death penalty for the intellectually disabled, but not for people with serious mental illness.

Authorities said Green committed the killings after Armstead sought to annul their marriage. On the day of the killings, Armstead had written two letters to Green, telling him that although she loved him, she had to do whats best for me. In his own letter, which was angry and rambling, Green expressed the belief Armstead and her children were involved in a plot against him.

You asked to see the monster so here he is the monster you made me. ... They will be 5 lives taken today me being the 5th, Green wrote.

Armstead was stabbed more than two dozen times, and Green drowned Jazzmen in the homes bathtub.

Authorities said Green also intended to kill Armsteads two other children, then 9-year-old Jerrett and 12-year-old Jerome. Green stabbed Jerrett but both boys survived.

Told (Green) because were too little to die, and we wont tell anybody about it, Jerrett told jurors in testimony about how he convinced Green to spare their lives.

Josh Healy, one of the prosecutors with the Dallas County District Attorneys Office that convicted Green, said the boys were incredibly brave.

Green was an evil guy. It was one of the worst cases Ive ever been a part of, said Healy, now a defense attorney in Dallas.

Montgomery said he still has a close relationship with Armsteads two sons. He said both lead productive lives and Jerome Armstead has a daughter who looks like Jazzmen.

They still suffer a lot, I think, said Montgomery, who is a special education English teacher.

Greens execution was the first of two scheduled in Texas this week. Inmate Arthur Brown Jr. is set to be executed Thursday.

Green was the eighth inmate in the U.S. put to death this year.

He was one of six Texas death row inmates participating in a lawsuit seeking to stop the states prison system from using what they allege are expired and unsafe execution drugs. Despite a civil court judge in Austin preliminarily agreeing with the claims, four of the Texas inmates including Green have been executed this year. ___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter at https://twitter.com/juanlozano70.
Walmart's decision to close all of its Portland, Oregon stores drew a tweet from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The mayor of Portland, Oregon, replied to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's tweet about Walmart leaving the city.

Mayor Ted Wheeler pointed out that theft at retailers is a national problem.

Walmart has said its closing stores this year for many reasons and hasn't called out retail crime.

The mayor of Portland, Oregon, hit back against an accusation from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that Walmart is leaving the city because of crime.

On Sunday, Abbott, a Republican, tweeted a link to an article about Walmart's decision to close its last two stores in Portland. The closures, which Walmart first disclosed in late February, will affect 580 workers who are currently employed at the stores. The story noted that Walmart considered various factors in making the closures, including the stores' financial performance. An accompanying video segment quoted a shopper complaining about shoplifting at the store.

Abbott commented on the article, saying, "This is what happens when cities refuse to enforce the rule of law."

Mayor Ted Wheeler replied on Monday, referring to "dozens of Walmart stores that have closed in Texas in recent years."

"The retail industry is changing and retail theft is a national issue," he added. Wheeler, a former Republican, now affiliates with the Democratic Party.

Mayor Ted Wheeler (@tedwheeler) March 7, 2023

Walmart has routinely shuttered stores over the last several years, including in 2016, when it closed 28 stores in Texas because they were too close to other Walmart locations. This year, the retailer is closing more stores, from Portland to Washington, DC.

Theft at retailers has received more attention as trade groups have reported an increase in crime in the last few years. They say that the problem isn't individual shoplifters but organized retail crime that involves multiple thieves taking large quantities of goods from stores.

Walgreens, for instance, has had to deal with groups of people taking beauty products from its stores, CFO James Kehoe said on an investor call in January 2022.

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But one year later, Kehoe told investors that theft rates had dropped in 2022. He added that the company "cried too much" about organized retail crime initially.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon told CNBC in December that Walmart would close stores and raise prices unless theft at its stores slowed down.

One store in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is set to close this week. A Walmart spokesperson told Insider: "There is no single cause for why a store closes."

But shoppers at the store said that shoplifting had become a problem at the location in recent years. The spokesperson did not comment specifically on whether crime at the store factored into the closure decision.

Read the original article on Business Insider
[Source]

The son of a Thai billionaire is accused of terrorizing and assaulting a woman he met on a dating app in Nonthaburi province, Thailand.

The 22-year-old man, identified as Khittiphot, allegedly beat the 28-year-old woman during sex and sadistically bit her legs, fingers, face and genitalia, leaving wounds and bruises all over her body.

Khittiphot also allegedly threatened the woman to send thousands of baht to his bank account, according to police.

The victim reportedly met Khittiphot  the Indian American son of a billionaire hotel owner in Chiang Mai  on a dating app on March 1.

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According to Rattanathibet Police Station Superintendent Thanamet Wichitjariya, officers were sent to the womans condo after he received a call from her claiming that she had been attacked.

Police found Khittiphot and the woman arguing outside of her condo.

She told police that Khittiphot had been threatening her since the first day they met. When she told him about going to the police, Khittiphot allegedly responded, You think the police can touch me?

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The woman claimed that she could not escape her condo for several days due to Khittiphots threats and physical attacks.

On Monday, she filed a complaint against him at the Rattanathibet Police Station.

Khittiphot has since denied biting the 28-year-olds genitals.

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However, he reportedly admitted to squeezing her out of jealousy. He also claimed that her legs were bruised because they hit the edge of the bed during sex.

As for the assault during sex, I didnt rape her and I was not that sadistic. She got bruises on her legs from hitting them off the edge of the bed. Her body is bruised because I found out she has a child and an ex-boyfriend, so I told her straight that Im still young and Im jealous, so I squeezed her arms and legs. As for sex, its sadistic. Western sex is already like this. I didnt do anything that was too much. I did not assault her and I didnt imprison her. We went to a liquor store in Rangsit together like a normal couple. As for the assault, if some things I did were wrong then Ill admit it. But the parts where I wasnt wrong, I wont admit it. As for biting her genitals, I never did that. I am prepared to pay for her treatment and pay for the damages to get this over with.

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In his statement, Khittiphot also noted that he has spoken to his father and will communicate with the police, adding that he will admit his wrongs.

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The victim hopes Khittiphot will be prosecuted to prevent him from hurting other women. She also warned women about the dangers of meeting people from dating applications.

Dont believe everything someone tells you on a dating app, she said.
Last week, an 18-year-old was charged with fatally shooting a Chicago police officer following an exchange of gunfire in the citys Gage Park neighborhood. On Thursday, funeral services are scheduled at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel for that fallen officer, 32-year-old Andres Mauricio Vasquez Lasso.

At a news conference last week about the shooting, Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, If you see an officer tonight, or the next day, or the day after that, thank them for their service.

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Lightfoots choice of words was both apt and striking.

For anyone paying attention, it had a timely implication that police officers should be seen by those who benefit from their protection more as military veterans and active-duty servicepeople are viewed. Its hardly uncommon to be boarding an airplane behind someone in a military uniform, or wearing a veterans cap, and hear someone say thank you for your service.

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[ Wife of slain officer Andres Mauricio Vasquez Lassos posts tribute to him ahead of funeral this week ]

That sentiment of gratitude for those who defend our freedom is now generally held by the vast majority of Americans of all political opinions.

For many on the left, it was not always that way.

Most radical progressives in the 1960s and 1970s were avowedly anti-military. The experience of being a returnee from a foreign war was vividly expressed in movies such as Born on the Fourth of July. Verbal attacks on members of the armed forces so common some 50 yeas ago reflected opposition to the wars being fought, often derided as state-sanctioned murder or even genocide, and existing merely to support the nations so-called military-industrial complex.

Even as late as the 1980s, nuclear disarmament was a sacred cause on many college campuses, and, even then, servicemen and women often were seen as impediments to the pacifistic cause.

But all of that has shifted. First, Americans slowly learned to separate the soldiers from the decision makers sending them into battle. They began to understand you could support the first group and be skeptical about the decisions of their generals and civilian bosses. Second, as Dominic Tierney noted in an article in The Atlantic last fall, we now have seen the rapid rise of liberal hawks, enthusiastic supporters of militarily aiding Ukrainians in fighting off Russian President Vladimir Putin and fully supportive of what progressives increasingly consider to be just wars.

Tierney attributed this seismic shift partly due to the inherent, progressive-friendly nature of the military (the epitome of big government, with egalitarian wages, socialized medicine and the best government-run child care system in the country) and partly due to fallout from the presidency of Donald Trump, who liked to view the military as his private security force obliged to do his bidding.

[ Letters: I cant imagine what it must be like to be a police officer ]

When the military resisted Trump on Jan. 6, 2021, and at other crucial moments, citing matters such as their obligation to the Constitution and the military Code of Honor, they endeared themselves to progressives, even as Trump fumed.

Now progressives are expressing a new gratitude for an institution that understands the value of diversity, cares about the rule of law, Tierney wrote, and was willing to stand up to Trump when the future of democracy was most in danger.

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All of that begs the question: Why have the police not benefited from the same shift in progressive thinking?

Part of the answer lies in simple proximity. Americans are rarely staring down the barrel of a soldiers gun but are more likely to be in a confrontational situation with police officers at some point in their lives. Part has to do with the more insular police culture lagging military culture when it comes to diversification and other aspects of necessary changing with the times. The military has no equivalent to powerful police unions, which are widely invested in the status quo.

But some of this is due to old-fashioned branding. The military has more sophisticated recruiting operations and bigger budgets, which have also served to tell its story and bolster its reputation. The military more effectively appeals to patriotism where police departments typically find it hard to promote themselves due to their local management and orientation.

Most importantly, the military has far better communicated the truth that those who rely on protection should appreciate those who go to work and put their lives on the line. There are far more emotional Facebook videos of soldiers returning to their families than you see of police officers safely arriving home at night.

But it does not have to be this way. Police must better embrace transparency, update procedures and improve their relationships with those they serve in tangible ways, and that goes far beyond merely swaying perception. So stipulated.

But Lightfoot was also right. We should routinely thank police officers for their service, just as we do members of the military. Especially at a moment when members of the Chicago Police Department are mourning the loss of one of their own.

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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.
The Federal Trade Commission is stepping up its investigation into some of Twitters most controversial decisions since Elon Musk took over the company last fall. That includes the companys mass layoffs and the launch of Twitter Blue, as well as the companys dealings with journalists involved with the so-called Twitter Files, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal.

At issue, is Twitters 2022 settlement with the FTC over its use of deceptive ad targeting. Along with a $150 million fine, the company at the time agreed to a comprehensive privacy and information security program, as well as other strict measures meant to protect users privacy. But theres been widespread concern from lawmakers and others that Twitter has not adhered to those requirements under Musks leadership.

Now, The Wall Street Journal reports that the FTC has sent at least a dozen letters to Twitter since last fall in an effort to get more information about the companys handling of layoffs, Twitter Blue, the Twitter Files and other issues. The agency is also reportedly trying to depose Musk as part of the inquiry. The House Judiciary Committee also released a report about the FTC's inquiries to Twitter.

The report isnt the first suggestion that Twitter may have run afoul of the regulator since Musks takeover. The FTC previously said it had deep concern following the departures of key privacy and security executives. Lawmakers and others have also raised concerns about the hasty rollout of Twitter Blue, which reportedly launched without a proper privacy or security review, a requirement of Twitters FTC settlement.

Likewise, as Bloomberg pointed out last year, the settlement also requires Twitter to limit internal access to Twitter users data. Security experts have questioned whether Musks decision to hand over reams of internal documents and grant journalists access to internal systems could violate its obligations with the FTC.

In a tweet, Musk called the FTCs actions a shameful case of weaponization of a government agency for political purposes and suppression of the truth. Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee also criticized the agencys investigation as harassment.
Tesla electric cars charge at a Supercharger. George Rose/Getty Images

Tesla opened up some of its exclusive Supercharging stations to rival electric vehicles.

But the cords are designed for Teslas, meaning that owners of some other cars need to use two spaces.

Tesla plans to grant other EV owners access to at least 3,500 of its chargers by the end of 2024.

After years of teasers, Tesla has begun opening up its vast, exclusive network of Superchargers to drivers of other electric vehicles in the US.

There's just one kink that Elon Musk hasn't ironed out: The charging cables, which were designed for Teslas, aren't long enough to comfortably accommodate some other cars. It means non-Teslas have had to park awkwardly to plug in. Or worse yet, park in the wrong spot, blocking off two charging stalls instead of one.

Early this month, Tesla opened a handful of its roughly 1,700 US charging stations to non-Tesla vehicles. It accomplished this rather elegantly, by retrofitting what it calls a "Magic Dock," an adapter that automatically attaches to let Chevrolets, Porsches, BMWs top up. (Tesla designed its own charging connector, while the rest of the industry uses a different standard.)

EV owners flocked to the stations to test them out, with many marveling online at the seamless process. But they also noticed a glaring flaw in the plan. All Teslas have their charging in the same spot on the back-left corner of the car. Superchargers themselves  and the surrounding parking spots  are designed to accommodate Teslas only.

That poses a problem when other electric cars, which may have their charging ports elsewhere, try to charge up.

For example, when tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee took his Rivian truck to a Tesla station in New York, he had to park in the wrong spot  effectively blocking another charging stall  in order to plug in. The same happened when Electrek, an electric-car blog, brought a Chevrolet Bolt to a Supercharger.

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In a recent YouTube video, Dave Conner, of the automotive channel Out of Spec Reviews, charged a Genesis GV60 electric SUV at a Tesla station while taking up two spots. He noted that the situation could pose problems, particularly during times when chargers are in high demand.

"People are going to start to get upset here with the fact that Tesla has delivered this Magic Dock station capability, but they haven't thought through the logistics as far as how people are going to charge," Conner said.

In a video on his State of Charge YouTube channel, Tom Moloughney could barely get Tesla's cable to reach the charging port of his Ford F-150 Lightning, but succeeded (while blocking an extra space) after repositioning his vehicle extremely close to a bollard in front of the parking space. He spoke with a Lucid Air owner at the same location who said he would have had to "crash my bumper into the charging station" to top up at one of the standard stalls, so he chose the lone Supercharger off to the side that was positioned differently.

Tesla owners sometimes experience long lines at charging stations, particularly during popular travel times. Ford, Chevy, and Hyundai owners clogging up Superchargers could frustrate Tesla owners further if the company fails to roll out a fix before deploying Magic Docks to more locations. The simplest solution, it seems, would be to add longer cables that can reach the charging ports on more vehicles.

Last month, the White House announced that Tesla would open up at least 3,500 of its fast-chargers to vehicles from other manufacturers by 2024, a boon for EV owners who currently rely on an inconsistent patchwork of charging providers. The move allows Tesla to access some of the $7.5 billion in federal funding set aside for improving charging infrastructure.

Are you a Tesla or other EV owner with thoughts to share? Contact this reporter at tlevin@insider.com

Read the original article on Business Insider
By Dina Kartit

(Reuters) - Violence and threats towards women still act as a deterrent to their involvement in politics, the U.N. gender equality organisation said, despite more women holding office.

Data showed that the number of women in political leadership posts, both in government and in parliament, has improved overall, though, some regions such as the Middle East and North Africa lagged far behind.

"Continued violence and threatsonline and offlineagainst women leaders, candidates, and voters blight the potential for their voices and knowledge to bring the change that is so urgently needed for economic and social recovery," U.N. Women Executive Director Sima Bahous in a statement.

"Full democracy needs the equal participation of women in all its processes," the U.N. body added in its report on Tuesday, ahead of International Women's Day.

As of Jan. 1, 17 out of 151 nations (11.3%) have had women as heads of state (monarchy-based systems excluded), and 19 out of 193 countries (9.8%) as heads of government, improving from a decade ago when figures stood at 5.3% and 7.3%, respectively.

Of all regions, Europe ranked first with 16 countries led by women.

Women accounted for 22.8% of cabinet members worldwide as of Jan. 1.

The highest proportion was in Europe and North America, followed by South America and the Caribbean. Women's representation was the lowest in Central and Southern Asia and the Pacific Islands (excluding Australia and New Zealand), where there were no women in cabinets in nine countries.

The organisation's data also showed the global average number of women in national parliaments had inched up to 26.5% as of Jan 1., from 25.5% a year ago.

European Union statistics office's data published on Wednesday showed that women across the EU held 32.7% of all parliamentary seats in July 2022, while in the rest of the world, Rwanda, Cuba and Nicaragua had more women than men in parliament.

The region grouping the Middle East and North Africa remained at the bottom of the regional ranking with fewer than 18% of female members of parliament, the U.N. Women's data showed.

(Reporting by Dina Kartit; Additional reporting Diana Mandia; Editing by Alison Williams)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP)  A social media campaign urging President Joe Biden to reject an oil development project on Alaska's remote North Slope has rapidly gained steam on TikTok and other platforms, reflecting the unease many young Americans feel about climate change.

The #StopWillow campaign has garnered more than 50 million views and counting, and it was trending in the top 10 topics on TikTok, as users voiced their concerns that Biden wouldn't stick to his campaign promises to curtail oil drilling.

Its just so blatantly bad for the planet, said Hazel Thayer, a climate activist who posted TikTok videos using the #StopWillow hashtag.

With all of the progress that the U.S. government has made on climate change, it now feels like theyre turning their backs by allowing Willow to go through," Thayer said. "I think a lot of young people are feeling a little bit betrayed by that.

At the same time, Alaska Native leaders with ties to the petroleum-rich North Slope support ConocoPhillips Alaska's proposed Willow project. They have pushed back, saying the Willow Project would bring much-needed jobs and billions of dollars in taxes and mitigation funds to the vast, snow- and ice-covered region nearly 600 miles (965 kilometers) from Anchorage.

The Alaska Native mayors of two North Slope communities  Asisaun Toovak, of Utqiagvik, the nations northernmost community formerly known as Barrow, and Chester Ekak, of Wainwright, about 90 miles (144 kilometers) to the southwest  penned an opinion piece for the Anchorage Daily News in support of the project.

In the debate, the voices of the people whose ancestral homeland is most impacted have largely been ignored," they wrote. "We know our lands and our communities better than anyone, and we know that resource development and our subsistence way of life are not mutually exclusive.

Bidens decision on Willow will be one of his most consequential climate decisions.

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Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who fought the Willow project as a member of Congress, has the final decision on whether to approve it, although top White House climate officials are likely to be involved, with input from Biden himself. The White House declined to comment Tuesday.

Climate activists are outraged that Biden appears open to the project, which they call a carbon bomb, and would risk alienating young voters who have urged stronger climate action by the White House as he approaches a 2024 reelection campaign.

Willow's critics include the Pueblo Action Alliance, which is where Halaand's daughter, Somah Haaland, has worked. The Western Energy Alliance, an oil industry trade organization, claims that creates a conflict of interest for the secretary. Interior spokesperson Melissa Schwartz denied any conflict.

Alaskas congressional delegation  including Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, who is the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress  backs the project and met with top officials at the White House last week.

With a decision anticipated soon, attention to Willow is growing online.

The projects nature-themed name is making it easier for the topic to gain traction on social media than other oil projects with more technical-sounding names, said Cassidy DiPaola, spokesperson for People Vs. Fossil Fuels, a coalition of groups pressing Biden for an end to fossil fuel projects. A petition on change.org had more than 3 million signatures by Wednesday, making it the third most-signed petition in the company's history, it said.

Young voters felt like this was betraying the climate goals they had set forth, said Tyler Steinhardt, a vice president at Pique Action, a company that produces social media and mini-documentaries about climate solutions.

The proposed Willow project is within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, an area the size of Indiana, though about half of the reserve is off limits to oil and gas leasing under an Obama-era rule reinstated by the Biden administration last year.

Its also where subsistence hunters harvest caribou, seals, fish and bowhead whales to supplement extremely high food costs in rural Alaska, where for example a 24-ounce bag of shredded cheese can cost $16.99.

ConocoPhillips Alaska said Willow, one of the biggest oil fields to be proposed in Alaska in decades, could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day, or about 1.5% of the total U.S. oil production. It could also help fill the 800-mile (1,287-kilometer) trans-Alaska oil pipeline, which is running at about a fourth of the peak capacity in the 1980s, when more than 2 million barrels a day flowed through the line from the North Slope to Valdez for shipment.

In oil-friendly Alaska, there have been visible shows of support for the project.

The Alaska Legislature unanimously passed a resolution last month in support of the project. Local governments and Alaska Native corporations on the North Slope also back the project. Union leaders  a major Biden constituency  support it.

The Alaska Native mayors said in their opinion piece that the project is expected to generate $1.25 billion in taxes for the North Slope Borough to pay for basic services like education, fire protection and law enforcement. Another $2.5 billion is expected for a grant program that will provide other improvements like a new recreation center for youth and community programs in Wainwright.

Its time for Washington, D.C., to listen to the voices of Alaska Native communities on the North Slope and approve Willow without further delay or deferral, Toovak and Ekak wrote.

Not all elected officials on the North Slope favor the project, however,

Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, the mayor of Nuiqsut, the community that would be closest to the Willow project, said she worried about the effect to her community's subsistence lifestyle.

There are many who would like to say everybody in Alaska supports oil and gas development, she told The Associated Press last month. Well, for our village, this development is in the wrong area ... We oppose it."

___

O'Malley reported from Philadelphia, and Gutierrez reported from New York. Associated Press journalists Matthew Daly in Washington, D.C., Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska and Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana also contributed to this report.
eyeshadow

Spate, one of the leading trend forecasting companies in the industry, recently revealed that #eyeshadowstick on TikTok has become a top-rising makeup trend with 13.7M views in addition to an astounding increase of 126.7%.

Inside the Trend

The eyeshadow stick trend has been taking over TikTok with users sharing their best tips and tricks for using the innovative product. Beauty fanatics are raving about the convenience of a long-lasting, smudge-proof eyeshadow that requires no brushes or sponges to achieve an intense, blended look.

Many TikTok users are creating some of the most daring and dazzling looks on the platform. From subtle daytime shades to vibrant, glittery hues, people cannot get enough of the trend. Beauty influencers have also been jumping on board with tutorials and reviews showcasing how easy it is to use.

Lime Crime Launches Bold, New Eyeshadow Sticks

Recently, Lime Crime presented its latest product offering, Electric Slide Eyeshadow, and Brush Sticks. The new products are available in eight different shades: six vibrant shades and two neutrals. Even better, they retail at $14 each, making them an affordable option for the savvy spender.

The new Lime Crime products are supercharged with creamy eye color that provides immaculate blendability and a lasting payoff. You can use them alone or as a base for extra staying power. And each eyeshadow stick comes with a built-in brush that you can use to achieve your desired look as well. The best part? All Lime Crime products are 100% vegan and cruelty-free!

TikTok Eyeshadow Sticks: Our Top Picks

TikTok eyeshadow sticks have taken the beauty community by storm, and it looks like they are here to stay. The perfect blend of convenience and creativity have made eyeshadow sticks a must-have item in every beauty lovers collection. So if you are looking to take your look up a notch, here are our top picks:

Lime Crime  Electric Slide Eyeshadow and Brush Stick

Photo Credit: Lime Crime via Amazon

The Lime Crime Electric Slide Eyeshadow and Brush Sticks are dual-sided, making them highly versatile. Each stick allows you to achieve full-color impact by applying it all over your eyelids or creating a graphic eyeliner look. Blend and diffuse the shadow with the built-in brush before it sets for effortless application!

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Give yourself a warm glow with this creamy, lightweight golden-beige eyeshadow from Julep. Featuring more than 30 highly pigmented shades of Matte, Shimmer, and Metallic available in the collection, you can mix and match according to whatever mood or occasion comes up! This creme-to-powder shadow stick applies smoothly onto lids without any mess before it dries into a crease-proof powder finish that refuses to budge!

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LUXAZA  Metallic Eyeshadow Stick Set

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Whether you need a charming smoky eye look or something simple for daily wear, the LUXAZA metallic eyeshadow sticks are a steal! Each set includes three colors that can be used alone or blended together to create stunning looks sans annoying clumping, skipping, or smudging.

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e.l.f.  No Budge Shadow Stick

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Express yourself with the No Budge Shadow Stick from e.l.f.! This decadent, creamy formula delivers long-lasting and vibrant pigment without smearing or creasing. With it, you can create a wide range of beauty combinations to wear as both an eyeshadow or liner. Not to mention, it lasts all day long without fading away.

It comes with a convenient built-in sharpener that makes maintaining it super easy! Furthermore, because e.l.f. products are crafted from 100% vegan ingredients, which makes for the perfect buy for the conscious shopper.

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Clinique  Chubby Stick Shadow Tint

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Are you searching for intense pigment? Look no further than the Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint. This light, creamy color applies effortlessly and is ideal for layering to contour your look with depth or highlight certain areas of your face.

Plus, its formula can accommodate people with sensitive eyes and who wear contacts. Just apply a single layer for a subtle sheen or two to three layers to create something bolder.  Try to experiment with multiple shades as this product has endless possibilities.

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The post TikTok Eyeshadow Sticks: Inside the Fastest Growing Beauty Trend appeared first on 21Ninety.
TikTok announced on Wednesday that it will be implementing a new security measure in Europe called "Project Clover," which is intended to strengthen existing protections for user data  and perhaps address concerns in the face of political pressure.

The company says the new policies will be implemented throughout the remainder of the year, and into 2024.

"Over 150 million people across Europe come to our platform every month to express themselves, learn new hobbies or skills and grow their business," read a press release by TikTok's vice president of government relations in Europe, Theo Bertram. "With such scale comes significant responsibility  building trust by ensuring the safety, privacy and security of our community and their data is critical."

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) (L) is joined by Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) to introduce the Restrict Act at the U.S. Capitol on March 07, 2023 in Washington, DC. In reaction to software built in countries hostile to the United States, including TikTok, the new legislation would allow the Commerce Department to take action on suspected foreign spying risks in artificial intelligence, fintech, quantum computing and e-commerce. / Credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

According to the social media platform, "Project Clover" will enhance existing data security measures by implementing "security gateways that will determine employee access to European TikTok user data and data transfers outside of Europe." The gateways will be overseen by a third-party security company in Europe, with more details on this independent verification system to be announced.

The platform is placing a renewed emphasis on local data storage, opening two new data centers in Ireland and Norway, in addition to an existing data center in Ireland. The operational cost of the centers is over $1.2 billion each year.

TikTok has been been facing increased scrutiny in the West over security concerns, as officials express mistrust about the platform and its Chinese parent company. The European Parliament, European Commission and the EU Council have all imposed bans on TikTok on staff devices; the app has also been banned on U.S. government devices.

In the U.S., lawmakers are considering legislation that would ban the platform nationwide.

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FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday reaffirmed to lawmakers that TikTok poses a national security and privacy concern, potentially collecting and controlling the data of millions of Americans and swaying public opinion.

Wray, who was testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on worldwide threats, agreed with lawmakers that TikTok, which is owned by Chinese-based company ByteDance, has the ability to collect information on American citizens if it wanted to.

Wray was responding to questions raised by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who also wanted to know whether the social media platform could also promote narratives on the app that pit Americans against each other.

For instance, he asked the director whether TikTok could push for videos arguing why Taiwan belongs to China and why the U.S. should not intervene.

Wray said although that is a possibility, it could be difficult to see the outward signs of it happening if it was happening.

Wray also noted that China does not have clear lines between the public and the private sector.

In this April 14, 2021 file photo, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks during a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Saul Loeb/Pool via AP)

He alluded that the main concern driving this issue is that under Chinese laws, private companies, like ByteDance, could be required to comply with requests from the government for access to data from social media apps such as TikTok.

I think the most fundamental piece that cuts across every one of those risks and threats that you mentioned, that I think Americans need to understand, is something thats very sacred in our country: the difference between the private sector and the public sector, Wray told Rubio.

Thats a line that is nonexistent in the way the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] operates, he added.

Rubio then asked if the U.S. should refrain from banning the app because it is popular among users under the age of 35 despite the concerns raised by lawmakers.

Wray said, Not from my perspective.

I guess my point is that just to tie it all up, [TikTok] is a substantial national security threat for the country of a kind that we didnt face in the past, Rubio said before moving on to the next topic.

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The hearing came a day after Democratic senators introduced a bill intended to give more power to the federal government to regulate or ban technology tied to a foreign adversaries such as TikTok.

The legislation, known as the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act, is sponsored by Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and John Thune (R-S.D.).

Just last week, the White House issued an order requiring all federal agencies to remove TikTok from government devices within 30 days, citing security risks the app poses to sensitive government data.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias works in his office on Jan. 10, 2023, at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. Giannoulias, whose office also serves as the state librarian, introduced a bill in the Illinois General Assembly aimed at discouraging public libraries from banning books. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

SPRINGFIELD  Legislation aimed at discouraging public libraries from banning books has been introduced in the Democratic-controlled Illinois General Assembly amid largely partisan battles around the country over what books and school curricula are suitable for children.

The bill was initiated by Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who joined a nationwide Democratic chorus criticizing officials, mostly in red states, for trying to get libraries to remove books, often because of LGBTQ content.

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Giannoulias, whose office also serves as the state librarian, downplayed the role partisanship plays in his proposal, saying that many librarians Im sure are Republicans.

I have no idea, nor do I care, said Giannoulias, who once sat on the board of the Chicago Public Library. We view this as protecting our libraries. Theyre under assault the likes of which they have never seen. They are being thrown into the mix of a political battle, and were trying to give them cover by helping them, by codifying this into legislation.

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The legislation, which has the backing of Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, would allow the secretary of states office to deny state grants to public libraries, including those in schools, that dont adhere to the American Library Associations Library Bill of Rights, which holds, among other things, that materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

As an alternative, libraries could develop a written policy to prohibit the practice of banning specific books or resources, the bill states.

Some states controlled by Republicans have taken just the opposite approach. The Indiana Senate last week passed a measure that would make it easier for law enforcement to prosecute teachers if material deemed obscene ends up in possession of a minor. A similar measure was recently enacted in Missouri, leading educators to pull titles from school library shelves, according to published reports.

One opponent of the Illinois measure is State Rep. Dan Caulkins, a Decatur Republican who said the legislation takes away local control.

Parents know best, school boards know best, library boards know best what their communities want and need, said Caulkins, part of a far-right group of House Republicans informally known as the Eastern Bloc. And for the state of Illinois again, here we go, the radical Democrats are pushing an agenda trying to force their woke ideology on more conservative parts of the state.

The secretary of states office said libraries could only lose the grant funding if they pull books from their shelves due to partisanship or discrimination. Guidelines for what that means are still being developed. But the office would not interfere with a librarys selection process for books to include in its collection.

If books are selected on a local level, we need to trust those librarians, respect the decisions they make and adhere to the guidelines that they already have in place, Deputy Secretary of State Scott Burnham said in an email.

The measure is sponsored in the House by state Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, a Democrat of Naperville, who said book bans have been particularly discriminatory against groups of people who are already marginalized in American society.

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Whether theyre part of the LGBTQ community or their race or ethnicity, those are the books that are being targeted by right-wingers to be banned, she said. We absolutely want to be doing everything possible to stand up for the librarians and stand up for the students and children and all library patrons to be able to access the materials that they should be able to access in a public library.

Cynthia Robinson, executive director of the Illinois Library Association, said that while most libraries likely already have a process in place to hear complaints about books on their shelves, the bill will ensure that libraries will be prepared to handle such challenges.

That is something that we think will be positive out of this legislation. It will get libraries to be prepared beforehand, said Robinson. If you dont have a policy, you dont have a process. And if you have that in place, then everybody who is involved will know what to expect, what the steps are, as opposed to just making it up as you go or treating things differently.

During fiscal year 2022, the secretary of states office under Jesse White awarded over $62 million for 1,631 grants to Illinois libraries, an office spokesman said. In the previous fiscal year, nearly $68 million in grants was awarded, up from just over $36 million in fiscal year 2020.

By June 30, the end of fiscal year 2023, the secretary of states office estimates that it will have awarded more than 1,400 grants totaling close to $56 million.

If the measure becomes law, enforcement could be an issue. Giannoulias said his office performs regular audits of how its grant funding is used, although there are limited resources to monitor libraries.

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Well establish a more formal audit process if we need to, Giannoulias said. But for now, we do feel pretty confident about the audit process and the administrative rules.

In 2021, nationally, there were 681 attempts at book bans involving more than 1,600 books, the most since the Chicago-based American Library Association began tracking the statistic about two decades ago, according to the secretary of states office, citing the associations figure.

While research has shown that most book banning in recent years has occurred in states that lean Republican, like Florida, Texas and Tennessee, there were 67 attempts to ban books in Illinois in 2022, up from 41 the year before, according to the associations data cited by Giannoulias office.

"Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe is held as a selection of banned and challenged books are seen during Banned Books Week 2022, at the Lincoln Belmont branch of the Chicago Public Library on Sept. 22, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

According to a report from PEN America, a New York-based literary advocacy group, Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe was the most frequently banned book nationwide, prohibited at 41 U.S. schools districts from July 2021 through June 2022, for its illustrations of sex acts in a nonfiction story about the author dealing with gender identity and relationships with family and friends.

In June of last year, the high school board in Downers Grove, which falls within Stava-Murrays district, unanimously voted to keep Gender Queer in its libraries even after a group of parents and some members of the far-right Proud Boys group raised concerns over the book.

In west suburban Riverside, some people earlier this year unsuccessfully tried to get the book banned from the local library. But there was strong support for keeping the book available.

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I dont believe theres any reason to ban a book said Courtney Greve Hack, a trustee for the Riverside Public Library. I dont believe in censorship, period. And I think that most people who are involved in libraries, whether theyre a staff member or an elected trustee, feel the same way.

All told, the PEN report stated, local officials around the country banned more than 2,500 books by more than 1,200 authors, 290 illustrators and 18 translators from July 2021 through June 2022. These bans happened in 138 school districts in 32 states, according to the report.

While Illinois wasnt close to being among the states with the most book bans, according to the report, Giannoulias said hes heard from librarians who have never felt so threatened and under attack.

As the states librarian, my job is to ensure that Illinois residents have access to reading and learning material at their local libraries, he said.

jgorner@chicagotribune.com
Bravo

Tom Sandoval is now apologizing for the affair that has lit up gossip blogs and elevated reality-TV drama to a new level of attention.

I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone Ive hurt through this process, Sandovals note, posted on Instagram, began.

In a series of reports that created a seismic shift in tabloid culture, Sandoval, who stars on Bravos Vanderpump Rules, became embroiled in a cheating scandal with his co-star. Sandoval had been in a relationship with a cast mate, Ariana Madix, but a bombshell report revealed a months-long affair with fellow cast member, Raquel Leviss. (Leviss had also been implicated in relationship drama concerning other cast members.)

The scope of the scandal elevated from reality-TV curiosity to mainstream attention thanks to the fervor of Bravo fans shock. Sandovals public apology is a testament to that.

Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana, he wrote. I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly."

The Instagram post also read: I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us. I feel really horrible about that. My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving families and friends.

Fans of the show who were shocked and gutted by the recent events will likely parse the next sections of his apology for particular meaning.

My love for Ariana was stronger than any camera could ever have captured, he wrote. Some of our best times together were never filmed. The same goes for some of our biggest struggles. I wish things happened in a different order and our relationship was not severely tarnished, and that it ended with the same respect for her that it began with. I owed Ariana better.

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This Is Our Brangelina: The Vanderpump Rules Scandal Just Changed Celebrity Gossip Forever

His statement ended: I am beyond sad that it ended the way it did. The choices I made hurt so many people. I acted in a way that clashes with who and how I want to be. I will continue to reflect and work on myself. I have work to do. I always have, and I always will.

Updates to this story are fast and furious. Bravo is currently filming the casts reactions to this news, including scenes with Sandoval and Leviss. Reports indicate that, as one might expect, those efforts are exceedingly dramaticSandoval has allegedly threatened to stop filming and Leviss may have fled Los Angeles.

Welcome to the new world of celeb gossip.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.

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Well, what we did we really expect? It should surprise no one that the State of Florida  mainly Attorney General Ashley Moody  wants to see Crosley Green complete his life sentence and die in prison.

After all, the state correctly argues in a filing to the Middle District Court in Orlando, Green has run out of appeals.

To recap, in 2018 a federal court ruled that prosecutors violated Green's constitutional rights by not disclosing notes taken during a meeting with the two responding officers the night Charles "Chip" Flynn and his girlfriend Kim Hallock were supposedly carjacked. Flynn was killed by a single gunshot to his chest. The officers believed Hallock, not Green was responsible. The federal court vacated Green's conviction.

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 Crosley's lawyers learned the U.S. Supreme Court would not hear the case. Green 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 state (naturally) appealed and the lower court's ruling was overturned. Green was allowed to leave prison in 2021 while the appellate process was ongoing. Now, after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider the case, the state wants Green behind bars once more. His conviction stands.

"The terms of Greens release expired with the conclusion of the appeal in the Eleventh Circuit and he should surrender himself forthwith. Alternatively, this Court must now rescind its order granting release," the state writes in its four-page filing. "Alternatively, Respondents respectfully request this Court to expeditiously enter its order rescinding Greens release and return him to the custody of the Florida Department of Corrections so that he can complete the remainder of his lawfully imposed sentence."

Lawfully imposed sentence. Was it though? Didn't both the Middle District Court and the 11th Circuit rule that notes that were not shared with Green's defense in his 1990 trial should have been? Yes, but the 11th went on to say the materials did not matter.

I guess there is no gray area. No ambiguity. The notes wouldn't have mattered. There's no chance a juror would have voted differently had they known the two responding officers requested a meeting with prosecutor Chris White for the purpose of telling him they believed Green to be innocent and instead Flynn's ex-girlfriend to be responsible for the shooting?

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Handwritten notes taken by prosecutor Chris White in 1989 that first responders suspected Kim Hallock and not Crosley Green of killing Chip Flynn.

If Green's defense attorney used that information to plant the seed of doubt in just one juror's mind then Green might never have spent more than 30 years in prison. But the courts have ruled and the state is eager to exact its pound of flesh. Because that's what the law says. The state will get Crosley Green's last breath.

I can't help but to think of Victor Hugo's classic "Les Miserables," and its' antagonist, Police Inspector Javert, who follows the law to its letter leading to his own demise. He never stops to wonder if the laws themselves are just as he pursues a man for decades who broke parole after serving 20 years in prison for stealing bread.

When confronted with the idea of kindness, Javert says: "Kindness disorganizes society. Good God, it is easy to be kind, the difficulty is to be just."

More:Torres: Arguing for Crosley Green to remain free is easy | Opinion

It doesn't matter that there are multiple reasons to suggest Green is likely innocent and that he has already served three decades or that he refused to take a seven year-plea deal because he said he wouldn't admit to something he didn't do or that he has been eligible for parole for years but that would necessitate him admitting his crime.

"I tell my first-year students when they come in, and they don't believe me, but I tell them innocence is not grounds for an appeal," University of Florida Law Professor Kenneth Nunn said recently. "The fact that you did not commit the crime is not a reason for you to go to a higher court and say 'overturn my conviction.' There has to be an error that the lower court made for the higher court to come back and overturn that case. I think most people will agree that's a flaw in our so-called justice system  that we are not concerning ourselves with the fundamental question of whether a person deserves to be in prison or not."

Nunn said that what appellate courts look for are these errors, technicalities, and that's what makes Green's case so compelling: innocence plus technicalty.

File: Crosley Green gets emotional talking about his sister who died while he was in prison. (Photo: MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY)

"All they are looking at is technicalities," Nunn said. "But guess what? Here's a man (Green) who had a technicality in his case. Mr. Green's attorneys never saw that piece of paper. The case Brady v. Maryland says clearly that favorable and material evidence has to be disclosed. The 11th Circuit, which heard this case, got the law wrong. It was clearly wrong. That piece of paper should have been turned over."

The numerous other issues with this case, including a prejudiced photo lineup, a junk-science dog track, four witness recantations and no physical evidence tying Green to the crime, among others, have been well-documented.

Also well documented is Green's record in rison and since being released in 2021. That's pretty amazing, though not as amazing as the prison warden writing and signing an affidavit on Green's behalf supporting his efforts and stating that he wished all of this inmates were like Green or the two corrections officers who testified years ago on Green's behalf as he fought to come off of death row.

More:U.S. Supreme Court denies Crosley Green

And then, of course, there are the two responding officers, retired from the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, who continue to support Green and testify to the fact they believed Green had nothing to do with the crime.

It's coming up on 33 years, including 20 on death row. It seems excessive given all the issues with this case, not to mention the likelihood that Green is innocent. But none of that matters as long as the state collects its due.

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: No surprise, state wants Crosley Green back in prison | Torres
Brahim Diazs goal earned AC Milan a first leg lead (Getty Images)

Tottenham host AC Milan knowing they may need a deep run in Europe to produce a positive season.

With the future of Antonio Conte, who is set to return to the touchline on Wednesday night, far from certain beyond seasons end, Spurs pursuit of a long-awaited trophy will rely on a Champions League success that seems unlikely.

AC Milan arrive in London ahead in the tie after winning their home leg thanks to an early goal from Brahim Diaz, and are also looking to bounce back from weekend league disappointment.

Manager Stefano Pioli is dealing with a couple of forwards doubts but will be confident of securing a place in the last eight.

Heres everything you need to know ahead of the second leg.

When is Tottenham vs AC Milan?

The second leg of the Round of 16 tie between Tottenham and AC Milan is due to kick off at 8pm GMT on Wednesday 8 March at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on BT Sport 1, with coverage on the channel from 7pm GMT. Subscribers can stream the action via the BT Sport app or website.

Team news

The return of manager Antonio Conte to the touchline could provide a boost for Spurs, and the Italian has a decision to make at right back: Emerson Royal has been in improved form but Pedro Porro produced an encouraging performance against Wolves. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg should return in midfield after missing the first leg through suspension, a timely boost given Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissoumas injuries, but Eric Dier will miss out after receiving another yellow card in the first leg in Milan.

Stefano Pioli will be closely monitoring the fitness of Milan first-leg matchwinner Brahim Diaz, who has been dealing with a knee strain. The Spaniard is hopeful of being available, and could be back in the starting side alongside Rafael Leao, who missed out on the defeat against Fiorentina due to suspension. A late concern is the health of Olivier Giroud - the striker has come down with flu-like symptoms, according to reports in Italy, and did not train on Monday.

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Predicted lineups

Tottenham XI: Forster; Romero, Lenglet, Davies; Royal, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Kulusevski, Son; Kane

AC Milan XI: Maignan; Kalulu, Kjaer, Tomori; Saelemaekers, Krunic, Tonali, Hernandez; De Ketelaere, Giroud, Leao

Odds

Tottenham win 19/20

Draw 3/5

AC Milan win 3/1

Prediction

There is no away goals rule, which means a Tottenham win by a single goal will take this to extra time and possibly penalties. Tottenham 2-1 AC Milan a.e.t (2-2 on aggregate, Spurs progress on penalties)
Spurs return to London needing to turn around a first-leg deficit (Getty Images)

Antonio Conte is set to return to the Tottenham dugout as his side look to turn around a first leg deficit against AC Milan.

An early goal from Brahim Diaz was all that separated the teams in Milan, leaving the encounter intriguingly poised.

Both teams are in hit-and-miss league form, with the visitors beaten by Fiorentina on Saturday and Spurs stumbling against Wolves.

With both clubs out of their domestic cups, too, a place in the Champions League quarter finals and a deeper continental run should appeal greatly.

Heres everything you need to know ahead of the second leg.

When is Tottenham vs AC Milan?

The second leg of the Round of 16 tie between Tottenham and AC Milan is due to kick off at 8pm GMT on Wednesday 8 March at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on BT Sport 1, with coverage on the channel from 7pm GMT. Subscribers can stream the action via the BT Sport app or website.

Team news

The return of manager Antonio Conte to the touchline could provide a boost for Spurs, and the Italian has a decision to make at right back: Emerson Royal has been in improved form but Pedro Porro produced an encouraging performance against Wolves. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg should return in midfield after missing the first leg through suspension, a timely boost given Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissoumas injuries, but Eric Dier will miss out after receiving another yellow card in the first leg in Milan.

Stefano Pioli will be closely monitoring the fitness of Milan first-leg matchwinner Brahim Diaz, who has been dealing with a knee strain. The Spaniard is hopeful of being available, and could be back in the starting side alongside Rafael Leao, who missed out on the defeat against Fiorentina due to suspension. A late concern is the health of Olivier Giroud - the striker has come down with flu-like symptoms, according to reports in Italy, and did not train on Monday.

Predicted lineups

Tottenham XI: Forster; Romero, Lenglet, Davies; Royal, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Kulusevski, Son; Kane

Story continues

AC Milan XI: Maignan; Kalulu, Kjaer, Tomori; Saelemaekers, Krunic, Tonali, Hernandez; De Ketelaere, Giroud, Leao

Odds

Tottenham win 19/20

Draw 3/5

AC Milan win 3/1

Prediction

There is no away goals rule, which means a Tottenham win by a single goal will take this to extra time and possibly penalties. Tottenham 2-1 AC Milan a.e.t (2-2 on aggregate, Spurs progress on penalties)
Its no secret that Tracee Ellis Ross has impeccable talent and has found success on her own terms.

The post Tracee Ellis Once Addressed Her Black-ish Pay Gap Publicly: I Wanted To Be Compensated In A Way That Matches My Contribution appeared first on AfroTech.

Ross made her mark in Hollywood first as Joan Clayton for eight seasons on the beloved show Girlfriends, which even landed her two NAACP Image Awards.

Since then, we have come to love Ross for her involvement in ABCs popular series Black-ish, in which she played Dr. Rainbow Johnson starting in 2014. The show, which centers on an upper-class Black family, aired for eight seasons and stood out for being extremely authentic, said co-creator and producer Kenya Barris, per Business Today.

Ross has positive recollections of her time on the show, describing her involvement as incredible.

Almost 20 years of my life dedicated to these incredible roles. Bow Johnson and Joan Carol Clayton. It literally makes my lungs expand, Ross expressed to Variety. I feel amazing about it.

However, there was a time  specifically in 2018  when Ross was looking to ensure her contributions on Black-ish matched the effort she was putting into the role.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tracee Ellis Ross allegedly would not appear in as many episodes if her pay did not match her male co-star Anthony Andersons pay.

The outlet also claimed that the network was negotiating a new contract that would raise her salary. However, the outlet stated it would not necessarily equal the checks being cleared to Anderson, as he also served as an executive producer.

When the news began swirling, Ross caught wind and public addressed the pay gap in question while providing clarity on the claims.

The words and thoughts that were in the original article that started this public conversation were not mine; there were never any threats. I wish I would have been called by the reporter to confirm that, she wrote in a statement posted on Twitter at the time.

Story continues

In the statement, Tracee Ellis Ross did confirm there was truth to her seeking fair compensation sometime during the fourth season.

There has been a lot of conversation and speculation the last few days regarding my Black-ish salary. I was in a renegotiation, like

many actors find themselves in during the fourth season of a successful show. I wanted to be compensated in a way that matches my contribution to a show that I love for many reasons, including the opportunity it allows me to reshape what it is to be a fully realized Black woman on TV, Ross explained, according to Elle.

Having had my renegotiation become a public conversation was awkward, but Im grateful for the outpouring of support, Ross continued. Im truly thankful that important conversations are taking place about fighting for womens worth and equality, and tightening the pay gap in every industry.
Trump administration CDC Director Robert Redfield told a congressional committee Wednesday that his former colleague, Anthony Fauci, and former National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins froze him out of discussions on Covid-19s origins.

The accusation came during a politically charged hearing Wednesday of the House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic and stoked Republican claims that Fauci in early 2020 promoted the view that an infected animal spread the virus to humans to divert attention from research the U.S. sponsored at Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology.

It was told to me that they wanted a single narrative and then I obviously had a different point of view, Redfield told representatives.

Redfield said Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the time, and Collins left him out because Redfield suspected the coronavirus had leaked from the Chinese lab.

Fauci, who was not at the hearing, dismissed Redfields accusation as completely untrue.

No one excluded anyone, he told POLITICO after the hearing.

And the idea of saying that he was not wanted there because he had a different opinion  there were several people on the call who had the opinion that it might have been an engineered virus, said Fauci, who retired from his government post at the end of last year.

Collins, who is now a science adviser to President Joe Biden, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He has previously said he shares Faucis view that the virus likely came from nature, but that a lab leak was possible.

Redfield thought the highly infectious nature of the virus distinguished it from other coronaviruses and made it unlikely to have evolved naturally, he told representatives.

Fauci and others said it most likely came from a natural spillover from animals, as was the case with other coronaviruses, such as SARS and MERS, Redfield said.

The former CDC director said he later found out he was excluded from a Feb. 1, 2020, conference call with Fauci and Jeremy Farrar, a U.K. scientist who at the time led the Wellcome Trust, and other conversations that resulted in the publication of an article in Nature in March 2020 dismissing the possibility of the virus originating in a lab. Farrar is now the World Health Organizations top scientist.

Story continues

Fauci told POLITICO he was not involved in the drafting of the article.

But Republican representatives at the hearing accused Fauci of having orchestrated it to deflect attention from U.S. funding research at the Wuhan lab.

I think Dr. Fauci and Dr. Collins got caught with their hands in the cookie jar. They got caught supercharging viruses in an unsecured Chinese lab, said James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.

Fauci has repeatedly denied that the NIH financed so-called gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab. That research aims to make viruses either more lethal or more transmissible or both to find ways to combat them.

Some Democratic representatives at the hearing warned that accusing Fauci of ill motives would further erode trust in government health officials, threatening public health.

I want the facts, but I hope and say to my colleagues on the other side: We cannot go down a dangerous path by pushing unfounded conspiracies about Dr. Fauci and other long-serving career public health officials, said Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.).


Donald Trump has reportedly been trying out some new nicknames for Ron DeSantis as he eyes the Florida governor as his key Republican rival in the 2024 White House race.

The former president  who is known for giving his political foes derogatory monikors  is said to be mulling possibilities including Ron DisHonest, Tiny D and Ron DeEstablishment for Mr DeSantis, Bloomberg News reported.

While Mr DeSantis is yet to announce his bid for the presidential race, Mr Trump is strongly considering picking conspiracy theorist and failed Arizona governor candidate Kari Lake as his running mate, according to Axios.

In other Trumpworld happenings, Ivanka Trump has asked for a delay in bringing the $250m fraud lawsuit against her, her brothers, her father and their familys eponymous real estate company to trial.

Her lawyers argue the fraud complaint does not contain a single allegation that Ms Trump directly or indirectly created, prepared, reviewed, or certified any of her fathers financial statements.

Other individuals were responsible for those tasks, they added.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump is praising Fox News host Tucker Carlson for airing footage of the January 6 Capitol riot falsely depicting it as a peaceful process.

Key points

Ivanka Trump throws brothers and father under bus in New York fraud suit

Trump mocked over half full CPAC crowd

Fact check: Trumps lies at CPAC

Trump says criminal charges wont derail his 2024 bid

Rupert Murdoch and Fox News sued for sharing Bidens ads with Trump campaign

Trumps new nicknames for Ron DeSantis revealed

11:01 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump has reportedly been trying out some new nicknames for Ron DeSantis as he eyes the Florida governor as his key Republican rival in the 2024 White House race.

The former president  who is known for giving his political foes derogatory monikors  is said to be mulling possibilities including Ron DisHonest, Tiny D and Ron DeEstablishment for Mr DeSantis, Bloomberg News reported.

Story continues

But, Mr Trumps favourite still continues to be Ron DeSanctimonious  a name he tried and tested at a rally in November.

Last month, a report said that he was also said to be considering the name Meatball Ron  something he quickly took to Truth Social to deny.

While Mr DeSantis is yet to announce his bid for the presidential race, Mr Trump is strongly considering picking conspiracy theorist and failed Arizona governor candidate Kari Lake as his running mate, according to Axios.

DOJ reaches 1,000 January 6 arrests more than two years after Capitol attack

10:15 , Oliver O'Connell

At least 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the attack on the US Capitol more than two years after a mob fuelled by Donald Trumps false election claims breached the halls of Congress to forcibly disrupt the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

The US Department of Justice notes that roughly one-third of all defendants are charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement, including more than 100 people charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious injury to an officer.

Roughly 140 officers with the US Capitol Police and Washington DCs Metropolitan Police Department were injured in the attack.

Alex Woodward reports on the latest figures.

More than 1,000 people arrested in connection with January 6

Who does Trumpworld want to replace Mike Pence?

09:15 , Oliver O'Connell

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) concluded on Saturday with a speech from former President Donald Trump, still considered the heavy favourite (especially by this crowd) for the 2024 GOP nomination.

But while Republicans attending the three-day Trumpfest at Marylands National Harbor were certain of who should be at the top of the ticket  even breaking out into chants of Trump! Trump! during a speech by his competitor, Nikki Haley  they were far less certain about who the former president should pick as his running mate should he secure his partys nomination.

John Bowden and Eric Garcia filed this report from CPAC.

CPAC veepstakes: Who does Trumpworld want to replace Mike Pence?

Fact checker spots at least 23 lies in Trump CPAC speech

07:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump made at least 23 false statements during his CPAC speech over the weekend, a fact check has found.

CNNs Daniel Dale noted that this was far from the total, adding that the speech was full of wildly inaccurate claims.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Trump sparks outrage as fact checker spots at least 23 lies in CPAC speech

ICYMI: Trump launches 3am Truth Social rant at Rupert Murdoch

06:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Former President Donald Trump was up late into the night  or perhaps very early in the morning  seething at FoxCorp founder Rupert Murdoch over the continued fallout from the massive lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems.

John Bowden has the details.

Trump launches new 3am Truth Social rant at Rupert Murdoch

DeSantis is engaging in fascism, says Florida Democrat

04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost criticised his home state Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, saying the potential Republican presidential candidate is engaging in fascism.

The freshman Democratic congressman, who is currently the youngest member of the House of Representatives, spoke on CNN with Jim Acosta about Mr DeSantiss plan to ban the use of preferred pronouns and gender studies in the state of Florida.

He isnt acting on education, we have to be clear, Mr Frost said. Hes acting on scapegoating vulnerable communities due to his failures.

Eric Garcia has the story.

Ron DeSantis is engaging in fascism, says Florida Democrat

Trump insists CPAC speech was packed after mockery over empty seats

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump went on the defensive bright and early on Monday morning as he chafed over coverage of his speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington DC over the weekend.

The former president contended that you couldnt get into the building as he insisted that seating for his speech was filled and that his supporters had flocked to CPAC to see him.

John Bowden reports.

Defensive Trump insists CPAC speech was packed after mockery over empty seats

Voices: Trumps new Jan 6 song is as bad as youd expect. Its also dangerous

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Ahmed Baba writes:

On Friday at midnight, Donald Trump dropped a new song with the J6 Prison Choir. No, thats not an Onion headline. That just happened. Who needs SNL when we have reality?

According to Forbes staff writer Zach Everson, Trump, in partnership with former Trump Admin official Kash Patel and former Fox News Host Ed Henry, collaborated with January 6 insurrectionists awaiting trial in a DC jail.

Ill save you time. The song is as bad as youd expect.

Read on:

Trumps new Jan 6 song is as bad as youd expect. Its also dangerous

CPAC: We asked conservatives at CPAC what woke means

01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The fact is that conservatives dont like the concept of woke these days.

Many struggle to define the concept, as Eric Garcia discovered at CPAC over the weekend.

We asked conservatives at CPAC what woke means. Their replies were revealing

Voices: Why Donald Trumps CPAC speech proves he is a problem for the GOP

00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Noah Berlatsky writes:

In his keynote CPAC speech, Donald Trump once again demonstrated why his leadership of the Republican Party has led to electoral loss after electoral loss. His rambling speech was unlikely to appeal to anyone not already firmly ensconced in the conservative bubble. When he did settle into a coherent statement, it was more often than not a vicious attack on his Republican rivals.

Read on:

Donald Trumps CPAC speech proves why he is a problem for the GOP

Trump mocked for half full CPAC event

Tuesday 7 March 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has been mocked by Chris Christie over the poor turn out at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) over the weekend.

The annual conservative event this year was witness to guests lobbing a number of casual attacks against transgender Americans, jokes at their expense and even thretening to strip them of their healthcare and remove them from public life.

Former president Trump, in his keynote speech at the event, said the 2024 presidential elections were a final battle and that we no longer have a country if he lost.

Arpan Rai reports.

Donald Trump mocked for half full CPAC event: Its TPAC, Trump PAC

Fox libel defense at odds with top GOP presidential foes

Tuesday 7 March 2023 22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Fox News is on an unlikely collision course with two leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination over the rights of journalists.

In defending itself against a massive defamation lawsuit over how it covered false claims surrounding the 2020 presidential election, the network is relying on a nearly 60-year-old Supreme Court ruling that makes it difficult to successfully sue media organizations for libel.

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, two favorites of many Fox News viewers, have advocated for the court to revisit the standard, which is considered the foundational case in American defamation law.

Read on:

Fox libel defense at odds with top GOP presidential foes

Trump vows retribution and will stay in 2024 race if he faces criminal charges

Tuesday 7 March 2023 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump is vowing to stay in the 2024 presidential race even if he is indicted in any of the multiple criminal investigations bearing down on him.

Absolutely, I wouldnt even think about leaving, the former president told reporters ahead of his speech at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, speculating that being the target of a criminal indictment could even enhance his poll numbers.

During his remarks, Mr Trump vowed to take revenge against Democrats, the media, and even fellow Republicans who opposed him.

John Bowden and Josh Marcus report.

Donald Trump vows retribution and will stay in 2024 race if he faces charges

Jan 6 rioters on the run after removing ankle monitors

Tuesday 7 March 2023 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Two Capitol riot defendants are being sought by the FBI after going missing.

A Florida woman disappeared before she was set to stand trial on Monday after being charged in relation to her actions during the insurrection in Washington, DC on January 6, 2021, when supporters of former President Donald Trump attempted to violently stop Congress from certifying President Joe Bidens 2020 election victory.

Last week, a Washington federal judge issued bench warrants for the arrest of Joseph Hutchinson III and Olivia Pollock following the revelation that they had tampered with or removed the ankle monitors used to track them, according to the Associated Press.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Two Jan 6 rioters are on the run after removing ankle monitors

Ex-Trump aide Hope Hicks meets Manhattan prosecutors

Tuesday 7 March 2023 06:55 , Stuti Mishra

Former senior adviser to Donald Trump, Hope Hicks, was spotted entering the Manhattan district attorneys office yesterday in a signal of a possible escalation of the investigation into the former presidents alleged involvement in hush money payments to a porn star during his presidential campaign.

Prosecutors from district attorney Alvin Braggs office have been presenting evidence to a grand jury since January, with Ms Hicks being the seventh witness to meet with them, the New York Times reported.

It remains unclear whether she was simply answering questions or will be asked to testify before the grand jury.

Mr Trump has labelled the investigation a witch hunt, and it is unknown whether the district attorney will seek an indictment against him.

Hope Hicks served as White House Communications Director under Trump administration (AP)

Five takeaways from CPAC and what it means for the 2024 race

Tuesday 7 March 2023 06:31 , John Bowden

The latest Conservative Political Action Conference outside of Washington DC proved that former President Donald Trump remains firmly in control of the Republican Party going into the 2024 election.

CPAC 2023 was the first in the nations capital since the Covid-19 pandemic began. The gathering has long been a cattle call for potential Republican presidential nominees and other rising stars in the party. And it sets the tone for what conservatives will likely focus on in the next election.

Eric Garcia dives in to what we can learn from the conference:

Five takeaways from CPAC and what it means for the 2024 race

Five takeaways from CPAC and what it means for the 2024 race

Tuesday 7 March 2023 04:31 , John Bowden

The latest Conservative Political Action Conference outside of Washington DC proved that former President Donald Trump remains firmly in control of the Republican Party going into the 2024 election.

The latest CPAC gathering was the first in the nations capital since the Covid-19 pandemic began. The gathering has long been a cattle call for potential Republican presidential nominees and other rising stars in the party. And it sets the tone for what conservatives will likely focus on in the next election.

Eric Garcia breaks down what we can learn from this years Trumpfest:

Five takeaways from CPAC and what it means for the 2024 race

Defensive Trump insists CPAC speech was packed after Chris Christie led mockery over empty seats

Tuesday 7 March 2023 03:31 , John Bowden

Donald Trump went on the defensive bright and early on Monday morning as he chafed over coverage of his speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington DC over the weekend.

The former president contended that you couldnt get into the building as he insisted that seating for his speech was filled and that his supporters had flocked to CPAC to see him.

In reality, any delays getting in to the massive Gaylord hotel and convention centre were likely caused by the security screenings put in place by the US Secret Service  while the main ballroom notably filled up moreso than it had for smaller-name speakers like Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley, it was far from a standing room only event like the rallies Mr Trump became known for in 2016 and, to a lesser extent, in 2020.

Read more in The Independent for an exclusive on-the-ground look into CPAC 2023:

Defensive Trump insists CPAC speech was packed after mockery over empty seats

Brick suits, lawsuits, insults and pillows: The otherworldly atmosphere at CPAC

Tuesday 7 March 2023 02:31 , John Bowden

Where else on earth but the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) can you see a pillow salesman treated like royalty, with his own security detatchment? Or see Sebastian Gorka, former White House official, yelling at The Bulwarks Tim Miller that he was f***ing fake news and should go to hell?

Take a trip to National Harbor, Md, and catch up on the rage that infects the right-wing media sphere following Donald Trumps unsuccessful attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

Read more:

The otherworldly atmosphere at CPAC as Trump waits in the wings

Russell Brand rails against Rachel Maddow, MSNBC and Fox News propaganda in viral rant

Tuesday 7 March 2023 01:31 , John Bowden

Actor Russell Brand ranted against MSNBC and claimed that the left-leaning network is an equal source of propaganda to Fox News, the conservative news network which now faces a massive defamation lawsuit over amplifying Donald Trumps election lies in 2020.

The episode of Real Time with Bill Maher on which Mr Brand made his remarks aired on Saturday evening, after which the clip was spread widely around social media, largely by conservatives celebrating Brands comments.

Read more:

Russell Brand rails against Rachel Maddow and Fox News propaganda in viral rant

Michelle Obama reveals why she was uncontrollably sobbing after Donald Trumps inauguration

Tuesday 7 March 2023 00:31 , John Bowden

Michelle Obama has reflected on former US President Donald Trumps Inauguration Day and revealed why she was sobbing after it.

The former first lady discussed her and her husbands, former President Barack Obama, time in the White House during the first and upcoming episode of Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast.

Learn more in The Independent:

Michelle Obama reveals why she was sobbing after Donald Trumps inauguration

Marjorie Taylor Greenes Happy Purim message greeted with reminders of antisemitism scandals

Monday 6 March 2023 23:30 , John Bowden

Marjorie Taylor Greenes Happy Purim message was greeted on Twitter Monday with reminders of her past statements which have drawn accusations of antisemitism.

The Jewish holiday commemorates Jews from Persia being saved from annihilation following a decree put in place by Haman, an Achaemenid Empire official. The story was outlined in the Book of Esther, the third book of the Jewish Tanakh  the Hebrew Bible.

Ms Greene is one of a handful of members of Congress who have met publicly with Nick Fuentes, one of Americas most infamous white nationalists. She has defended her presence at his past events by claiming she did not know who he was.

Read The Independent for more:

Marjorie Taylor Greenes Happy Purim message greeted with scandal reminders

Oversight committee Republicans wont sign Democrats letter denouncing white supremacy

Monday 6 March 2023 22:32 , John Bowden

Democratic members on the House Oversight Committee asked their Republican colleagues to sign a two-sentence statement that plainly rejects white supremacy, white nationalism, and a far-right conspiracy theory that suggests politicians are intentionally seeking to displace white Americans by loosening immigration.

All 26 Republicans on the GOP-led committee have signalled that they will not sign the statement, which a committee spokesperson characterised in a statement to The Independent as a distraction.

Some Republican members of Congress (to varying degrees) have been accused of using rhetoric similar to that espoused by Great Replacment theory advocates in their own anti-immigration messages. The accusation has drawn strong backlash from some of those same Republicans, like House Republican caucus chair Elise Stefanik.

Alex Woodward has more:

Oversight GOP wont sign Democrats statement denouncing white supremacy

Ex-Trump campaign chairman agrees to pay $3.15m to settle case over failure to report foreign bank accounts

Monday 6 March 2023 21:29 , John Bowden

Former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has agreed to pay $3.15m to settle a lawsuit brought by the US Department of Justice.

The case stems from Mr Manaforts failure to report the ownership of bank accounts in other countries in a timely fashion. Its just the latest legal snafu Mr Manafort since he was pardoned by Donald Trump for crimes uncovered during the Mueller investigation.

The DOJ sued Mr Manafort last year in US District Court in Southern Florida for $2.9m, alleging that he did not report money he made from his consulting work in Ukraine in 2013 and 2014 that was deposited into bank accounts opened on his behalf in Cyprus, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and the United Kingdom.

Read more:

Paul Manafort agrees to pay $3.15m to settle case with Department of Justice

Ron DeSantis is engaging in fascism, says Florida Democrat

Monday 6 March 2023 21:00 , John Bowden

Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost criticised his home state Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, saying the potential Republican presidential candidate is engaging in fascism.

The freshman Democratic congressman, who is currently the youngest member of the House of Representatives, spoke on CNN with Jim Acosta about Mr DeSantiss plan to ban the use of preferred pronouns and gender studies in the state of Florida.

He isnt acting on education, we have to be clear, Mr Frost said. Hes acting on scapegoating vulnerable communities due to his failures.

Eric Garcia has more:

Ron DeSantis is engaging in fascism, says Florida Democrat

Trump launches new 3am Truth Social rant at Rupert Murdoch

Monday 6 March 2023 20:31 , John Bowden

Former President Donald Trump was up late into the night  or perhaps very early in the morning  seething at FoxCorp founder Rupert Murdoch over the continued fallout from the massive lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems.

Testimony and evidence uncovered by the lawsuit and made public as a result has been astonishingly embarassing for Mr Trump, who continues to insist that the 2020 election was stolen from him even after failing to produce any hard evidence in his multiple legal fights to overturn state results and his own attorney admitting that his team didnt have any to speak of.

Read more:

Trump launches new 3am Truth Social rant at Rupert Murdoch

CPAC veepstakes: Who does Trumpworld want to replace Mike Pence?

Monday 6 March 2023 20:00 , John Bowden

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) concluded on Saturday with a speech from former President Donald Trump, still considered the heavy favourite (especially by this crowd) for the 2024 GOP nomination.

But while Republicans attending the three-day Trumpfest at Marylands National Harbor were certain of who should be at the top of the ticket  even breaking out into chants of Trump! Trump! during a speech by his competitor, Nikki Haley  they were far less certain about who the former president should pick as his running mate should he secure his partys nomination.

Kari Lake, former candidate for governor, won the events veepstakes poll with just 20 per cent of the vote. The Independent spoke with prominent Republicans who attended the conference and heard their thoughts on Donald Trumps selection of a new running mate.

CPAC veepstakes: Who does Trumpworld want to replace Mike Pence?

Trump's deputy national security adviser says he won't support his old boss in 2024

Monday 6 March 2023 19:36 , John Bowden

One of Donald Trumps former top deputies has just revealed that he will not support the former president in 2024.

Matthew Pottinger, former deputy White House national security adviser, revealed his thoughts about his ex-boss running a third time during a Washington Post interview.

"Well, I'm likely to support other candidates this time around," he said.

Trump scorches Larry Hogan after ex-governor says he wont run in 2024

Monday 6 March 2023 19:00 , John Bowden

Donald Trump had nothing nice to say about Larry Hogan, the popular former Republican governor of Maryland, on Monday after Mr Hogan released a statement announcing that he would not seek the presidency in 2024. Mr Hogan had been strongly hinting at a run for months.

Too bad Larry Hogan, the RINO Former Governor of Maryland, is dropping out of the Presidential Race. While he didnt stand a chance, he would have been fun to practice on! Mr Trump quipped on Truth Social.

Polls showed Mr Hogan, despite his popularity at home, winning only a few per cent of the vote in a hypothetical 2024 GOP primary matchup against Mr Trump and other candidates.

Donald Trump mocked for half full CPAC event: Its TPAC, Trump PAC

Monday 6 March 2023 18:00 , John Bowden

Donald Trump has been mocked by Chris Christie over the poor turn out at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) over the weekend.

Mr Christie, the one-time presidents former ally, reacted to the event in an interview on ABCs This Week on Sunday.

You saw the scenes at CPAC, that room was half full, said the former New Jersey governor.

What got him upset on January 6th? The crowd size. What got him upset on January 20th 2017? The crowd size. He measures that as an example of his own power and own authority, and I dont think he has it anymore, Mr Christie added.

Read more:

Donald Trump mocked for half full CPAC event: Its TPAC, Trump PAC

CPAC speaker sparks alarm with call for trans people to be eradicated

Monday 6 March 2023 17:16 , John Bowden

Michael Knowles of the Daily Wire sparked widespread condemnations and disgust on Saturday with his anti-trans rhetoric made during his speech at CPAC.

If [transgenderism] is false, then for the good of society, transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely, he said.

John Knefel of Media Matters called it eliminationist, genocidal rhetoric. Adam Vary of Variety urged people to pay attention. This is genocidal. That is not hyperbole or alarmist; this rhetoric is calling for the eradication of a group of people for who they are.

Mr Knowles, through a spokesperson, has since denied that he was speaking about violence against individuals, though he did not explain how eradicating transgenderism could be done without eradicating transgender people.

Read more:

CPAC speaker sparks alarm with call for transgenderism to be eradicated

Brick suits, lawsuits, insults and pillows: The otherworldly atmosphere at CPAC

Monday 6 March 2023 16:00 , John Bowden

Where else on earth but the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) can you see a pillow salesman treated like royalty, with his own security detatchment?

Take a trip to National Harbor, Md, and catch up on the rage that infects the right-wing media sphere following Donald Trumps unsuccessful attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

Read more:

The otherworldly atmosphere at CPAC as Trump waits in the wings

CPACs sea of empty seats: Trumpworld celebs address half-empty ballroom

Monday 6 March 2023 15:00 , John Bowden

If the audience of CPAC 2023 was evidence of one thing, it was the increasingly rightward tilt of both the American Conservative Union which hosts the event, as well as the broader GOP activist base.

What could have been a massive big tent gathering of DC Republicans and their nationwide grassroots allies instead appeared to be more of a muted affair held to celebrate the glory of Donald Trump and his dominant but still incomplete segment of the Republican Party.

The split was evident in the crowd sizes at the event on Friday, when many big-name speakers including Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo, Donald Trump Jr., and others were slated to speak. All of the above spoke to half-empty ballrooms which struggled to reach the same tenor and excitement of your average Trump rally.

John Bowden has more from the ground at CPAC:

Trumpworld celebs address half-empty CPAC as mainstream Republicans shy away

SNL cold open slays Fox News over Dominion defamation lawsuit

Monday 6 March 2023 14:00 , Rachel Sharp

Saturday Night Lives cold open went after Fox News over its conspicuous silence about damning revelations in a $1.6bn defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems.

Internal communications and sworn depositions in the court battle have revealed that Foxs star anchors and executives knew that Donald Trumps false 2020 election fraud claims were bogus.

Since the allegations were made public in unsealed court filings last week, Fox News has barely acknowledged them.

Read the full story here:

SNL cold open slays Fox News over Dominion defamation lawsuit

Larry Hogan rules himself out of 2024 race

Monday 6 March 2023 13:30 , Rachel Sharp

Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has ruled himself out of the 2024 race, after saying that he will not go head-to-head with Donald Trump.

The Republican, who has become one of the partys fiercest critics of Mr Trump, wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times that he will not challenge the former president.

I would never run for president to sell books or position myself for a Cabinet role, he wrote.

I have long said that I care more about ensuring a future for the Republican Party than securing my own future in the Republican Party. And that is why I will not be seeking the Republican nomination for president.

While he said he appreciated all those around the nation who have for many years encouraged me to run for president, after eight years of pouring my heart and soul into serving the people of Maryland, I have no desire to put my family through another grueling campaign just for the experience.

Rupert Murdoch and Fox News sued for sharing Bidens ads with Trump campaign before they aired

Monday 6 March 2023 13:00 , Rachel Sharp

Rupert Murdoch and Fox News parent company are being sued over claims that they shared campaign strategy from Joe Bidens 2020 presidential run with Donald Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner.

The suit filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) by progressive activist group Media Matters on Friday alleges Fox made an illegal contribution to the Trump campaign when they shared his opponents ads before they had aired on the network.

(Foxs) actions are not only an egregious violation of the (Federal Election Campaign) Act and the Commissions regulations, but also a nefarious attempt by people in power to operate a press entity as a political organisation, in blatant disregard of the rules that govern our elections and democracy, Media Matters CEO and president Angelo Carusone writes in the filing, which was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

The Independents Bevan Hurley has the full story:

Rupert Murdoch and Fox News sued for sharing Bidens ads with Trump campaign

WATCH: The five most bizarre lines from CPAC

Monday 6 March 2023 12:30 , Rachel Sharp

VOICES: Donald Trumps CPAC speech proves why he is a problem for the GOP

Monday 6 March 2023 12:00 , Rachel Sharp

In his keynote CPAC speech, Donald Trump once again demonstrated why his leadership of the Republican Party has led to electoral loss after electoral loss. His rambling speech was unlikely to appeal to anyone not already firmly ensconced in the conservative bubble. When he did settle into a coherent statement, it was more often than not a vicious attack on his Republican rivals.

The combination is a looming nightmare for the GOP. Trump has no vision for the future himself and is determined to torch the party if it attempts to move on from him. The media loves Democrats in disarray stories, but Trump makes it clear that there is an almost limitless potential for Republican dysfunction in 2024.

Noah Berlatsky writes for The Independent:

Donald Trumps CPAC speech proves why he is a problem for the GOP

Fact check: Trumps lies in CPAC speech

Monday 6 March 2023 11:50 , Rachel Sharp

During Donald Trumps speech at CPAC over the weekend, he continued to spew a series of lies.

A CNN fact check tallied up at least 23 falsehoods covering topics including crime, the war in Ukraine, the border wall  and of course the 2020 election.

I won the second election, OK, won it by a lot. You know, when they say, when they say Biden won, the smart people know that didnt [happen], he claimed.

Of course, Mr Trump did not win the 2020 election. He lost by more than 7 million votes.

Other lies included his claim that he completed the construction of the border wall between the US and Mexico  something which is irrefutably untrue.

Donald Trump vows retribution and will stay in 2024 race if he faces criminal charges

Monday 6 March 2023 11:40 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump is vowing to stay in the 2024 presidential race even if he is indicted in any of the multiple criminal investigations bearing down on him.

Absolutely, I wouldnt even think about leaving, the former president told reporters ahead of his speech at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, speculating that being the target of a criminal indictment could even enhance his poll numbers.

During his remarks, Mr Trump vowed to take revenge against Democrats, the media, and even fellow Republicans who opposed him.

In 2016, I declared: I am your voice, he told the crowd. Today, I add: I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed: I am your retribution.

The Independents John Bowden has the story:

Donald Trump vows to stay in 2024 race if he faces criminal charges

Trump wins huge majority in CPAC 2024 straw poll

Monday 6 March 2023 11:35 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump was the overwhelming winner of the CPAC 2024 straw poll on Saturday, taking 62 per cent of the vote at the gathering of his loyalists on the Potomac.

The result was a predictable certain; the three-day Trumpfest was little more than a gathering of Trump campaign and former administration personnel and many attendees were draped in Trump campain attire, official or otherwise.

The former presidents team immediately blasted out the results of the straw poll to their supporters, writing that Mr Trump had dominated the field.

Read the full story here:

Trump wins huge majority in CPAC 2024 straw poll as DeSantis trails in distant second

Trump is mocked over half full CPAC crowd

Monday 6 March 2023 11:27 , Rachel Sharp

Donald Trump is facing mockery over the half full crowd which showed up to hear him speak at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Sunday.

Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor and onetime close ally of Mr Trump, poked fun at the size of the crowd who attended the former presidents speech at the weekend.

You saw the scenes at CPAC, that room was half-full, Mr Christie said on ABCs This Week. The reason I dont think the rallies are going on I dont think the rallies would be nearly as big as they were before.

He added: There are lots of indicators here, that hes not what he used to be, in most respects, youre talking about and so were going to see how that plays out.

Mr Trump gave a headline speech at CPAC, where he spewed his election lies and vowed to stay in the 2024 race even if he is criminally charged.

Yet, the room was not even close to full capacity.

Mr Christie has become a vocal critic of Mr Trump.

The two men were once close allies with Mr Christie working on the former presidents 2016 and 2020 campaigns before their relationship soured.

Monday 6 March 2023 11:22 , Rachel Sharp

Welcome toThe Independents liveblog where you can find all the latest developments in Trumpworld.

Justice Department notes 1,000 January 6 defendants milestone

Monday 6 March 2023 23:00 , John Bowden

The Department of Justice on Monday marked an important milestone into the investigation into the January 6 attack on Congress. The agency has now charged 1,000 people with crimes stemming from the riot.

Speculation continues to persist about whether Donald Trump or his inner circle will face any charges resulting from the attack as well.
Sen. Jim Mehlhaff, R-Pierre, and Sen. Brent Hoffman, R-Sioux Falls, listen to House debate on SB 146. Hoffman sponsored 146 which would change sentencing guidelines for violent offenders.

Anyone who listened to last weeks debate on Senate Bill 146  often referred to as truth in sentencing  might think victims have no idea how long criminals will stay in prison before theyre paroled.

Rep. Jon Hansen, R-Dell Rapids, said when a sentence comes down, you think, wow, OK, we have some measure of justice for whats been done to me or to my family.

And then a few years later  you find out that that person who you thought was going to be in prison for 10 years is now going to be walking your streets again, Hansen said. Its almost like a re-traumatization.

Hansen wasnt the only one to hit that particular note in the House of Representatives, where SB 146 passed 53-17 on its way to the governors desk.

This is a deception on the public, the very people we are supposed to protect, said Rep. Mary Fitzgerald, R-Spearfish.

Parole can be complex and confusing, but the reality isnt quite so dire. The justice system has multiple backstops meant to ensure victims can understand when a defendant is eligible for parole, can check on changes to eligibility as the months and years pass, and are informed when an inmate is about to be released or face a parole board hearing.

Rhetoric vs. reality

We always work with our victims, said Minnehaha County States Attorney Daniel Haggar, who helped write SB 146 with its prime sponsor, Sioux Falls GOP Sen. Brent Hoffman.

Haggar and other prosecutors consult with victims as they build cases against defendants. Large offices like Haggars employ victim-witness assistants who communicate directly with victims at each stage of a case.

During plea agreement negotiations, Lincoln County States Attorney Tom Wollman said his staff will let victims know approximately how many years of actual prison time a sentence might bring if the defendant takes the deal.

After the sentencing, he said, the victim is once again given a rundown of probable prison time and parole dates. The figures are not exact, but I think we do our best to describe the actual time a defendant will sit, Wollman said.

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Its tough for us, because it was always a ballpark figure, Wollman said.

Thats where SB 146 comes in. Prosecutors like Wollman and Haggar support truth in sentencing not because victims are blind to the reality of parole, but because the complexities of the parole system make it all but impossible to offer certainty in conversations with them.

Initial parole dates arent set until after an inmate lands in prison, for example. The Department of Corrections calculates it based on the crime committed, the inmates criminal history and individual needs for programming, such as chemical dependency or mental health treatment.

That initial date can be pushed back if an inmate misbehaves. It can also come sooner under some circumstances, based on good behavior and program completion.

As several lawmakers pointed out, inmates who follow the rules neednt see the parole board to walk away from the prison. Thats by design  the idea being that inmates who want to avoid a parole hearing will work harder on their rehabilitation programs  but the reality of that moving target can be frustrating for victims and the prosecutors who work with them.

It starts to get hairy when you get into the good behavior and those earned discharge credits, Haggar said.

Electronic resources

Haggar and Wollmans teams arent the only source of parole information for victims. The state of South Dakota maintains two electronic resources: a State Automated Victim Notification system (SAVIN) that anyone in the state can use to track inmate parole dates, releases, new arrests and the like, and an offender locator on the Department of Corrections website that lists parole status.

Tony Mangan, spokesman for the Attorney Generals Office, said there are 3,832 people signed up to track specific cases through the SAVIN system. A total of 8,710 people have registered to SAVIN since its launch a little over nine years ago.

In practice, Haggar said, none of those tools offer the peace of mind that SB 146 does. If Gov. Kristi Noem signs the bill, people convicted of any of 13 major violent crimes would be ineligible for parole. Those convicted of any of 10 others would be required to serve 85% of their sentences before release.

The moving target of the current parole system is a source of anxiety for victims, Haggar said, but the bill will help ease that anxiety.

Thats good for victims, because what they want to know is how long will I feel safe? Haggar said.

Judges previously calculated parole dates

Prosecutors are legally obligated to keep victims informed if they request information. A voter-passed crime victims bill of rights called Marsys Law, which passed in 2016, ensures that much.

There were laws in place to help victims keep track of sentences before that, as well. The SAVIN system was built after the Legislatures passage of an adult criminal justice reform package in 2013. And until 2011, judges were required to calculate and announce a defendants estimated parole date from the bench. Former Gov. Bill Janklow pushed that requirement in the mid-1990s under the banner of truth in parole.

Lawmakers voted to repeal that law with 2011s House Bill 1020. Rep. Jon Hansen and Sen. Jean Hunhoff, R-Yankton, both voted for that repeal, and they both voted for truth in sentencing this session.

In the House Judiciary Committee in 2011, on which Hansen served, Assistant Attorney General Max Gors told lawmakers that the bench calculations were problematic for judges, inmates and the Department of Corrections, in part because of the myriad considerations that factor into a parole date.

Defendants would bring incorrect estimates from a judge with them to prison, where their actual parole date would be calculated.

Inmates come in and say, Well, the judge said Id get out in 25% and you say its 60%, said Gors, who has since died. What would you say? Well, the judge didnt know you had three prior convictions from out of state or this, that or the other thing.

Instead of offering a bill to improve the parole date calculations, Gors asked lawmakers to repeal the rule. Lawmakers sided with Gors, voting unanimously for repeal with no committee debate and scarcely any debate on the House or Senate floor. No lawmaker voted against it in 2011.

Hansen told South Dakota Searchlight last week that he didnt recall the bill, which appeared during his first year as a lawmaker.

The 2023 proposal is an improvement, its supporters say, in part because it sidesteps thorny issues of parole date calculation and victim requests for notification, at least for violent crimes, and focuses only on mandatory sentence lengths. Wollman said that some of the comments on the 2023 truth in sentencing bill missed the point of the bill. The value of SB 146 for victims, he said, is that it delivers a level of certainty that previous efforts have not.

Judges might start imposing lighter sentences to make up for the lack of parole, he said, but at least those sentences will be all but impossible to misinterpret.

What this does is bring clarity to our sentences and what they mean, Wollman said.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: What will truth in sentencing mean for South Dakota crime victims?
The Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to an accelerated hearing schedule for the states appeal of a downstate judges ruling that struck down a state ban on certain high-powered semi-automatic firearms and high-capacity ammunition magazines.

The high court will hear oral arguments on the matter during its May term, according to an unsigned order issued Tuesday.

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The state requested an expedited schedule after Macon County Judge Rodney Forbes ruled Friday that the ban, passed by the Democratic-controlled legislature and signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in response to the mass shooting at Highland Parks Fourth of July parade, violates the equal protection and special legislation clauses of the Illinois Constitution.

The scope of the ruling remains in dispute. The attorney for Republican state Rep. Dan Caulkins of Decatur, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, contends that under well-established Illinois authority, Forbes decision means the ban is void, as if the law never existed, and is unenforceable in its entirety, in all applications.

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Pritzker and Attorney General Kwame Raoul, both Democrats, argue that it only applies to Caulkins and the lawsuits other named plaintiffs  a local pawnshop, its owner and a group of area gun owners.

The attorney generals office said the circuit court ruling is not binding on other judges the way an appellate or Supreme Court ruling would be.

Caulkins attorney, Jerrold Stocks, on Tuesday declined further comment on the issue.

Our focus is on the next step of this litigation which will be expedited, Stocks wrote in an email. All stakeholders in the subject matter may benefit by the expedited appeal.

Were pleased that the Supreme Court has agreed to hear this case quickly and we are confident this law will be upheld, Pritzker spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh said Tuesday in a statement.

In addition to placing the matter on its May calendar, the Supreme Court gave the state until March 20 to file its written argument, with a response due by April 13.

Separately, the high court is set to hear oral arguments next week on a law that was set to take effect Jan. 1 that would end cash bail in the state, another landmark measure approved by the Democratic legislature and signed by Pritzker.

The Caulkins case is just one of several ongoing legal challenges to the ban on guns defined in the law as assault weapons.

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The Supreme Court last month agreed to consolidate three related cases brought by failed Republican attorney general candidate Thomas DeVore but declined to include the Caulkins case.

The state also is defending the law against a group of federal lawsuits brought in the U.S. Southern District of Illinois, and the law has been added to a legal challenge of a recent Naperville ordinance banning the sale of similar weapons in the west suburb.

Signed by Pritzker hours after it was passed by legislators in early January, the state law immediately banned the delivery, sale, import and purchase of guns designated as assault weapons.

Starting next year, people who possess guns covered by the ban must either register them with the state or face a misdemeanor for a first offense and a felony for subsequent offenses.

dpetrella@chiagotribune.com
Fox News host Tucker Carlson mocked the criticism he received on Tuesday from congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle, including Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), during the second night of his prime-time show focusing on the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

Theyre all on the same side. So its actually not about left and right. Its not about Republicans and Democrats. Here, you have people with shared interests.The people who, underneath it all, have everything in common are all aligned against everyone else, Carlson said.

McConnell in a press conference earlier Tuesday said he wanted to associate himself with the opinion of the chief of the Capitol police about what happened on Jan. 6, referring to Police Chief J. Thomas Manger, who said that Carlsons Monday night show was filled with offensive and misleading conclusions about the Jan. 6 attack.

Carlson used security footage to argue on his Monday night show that the violence on Jan. 6 was mostly peaceful chaos. The network said 3.6 million people watched Carlsons show on Monday, a notable bump from the 3 million the host typically averages per weeknight.

Schumer said on the Senate floor earlier in the day that Carlsons show was one of the most shameful hours weve seen on cable television, calling on Fox News and its owner Rupert Murdoch to tell Carlson to not air more security footage.

You dont often see the Senate Majority Leader openly call for censorship on the floor of the Senate, as if that was totally normal and didnt contradict the spirit and the letter of the First Amendment. But, of course, it does, Carlson said. But whats really happening, or what youre seeing, is hysteria  the overstatement, the crazed hyperbole, the red-in-the face anger. What is that? Outrage? Of course, its fear. Its panic.

Carlson additionally name-checked GOP Sens. Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Mitt Romney (Utah), who had also criticized his Monday night show.

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One thing we learned today is that theyre all in agreement with each other, he said, lumping them in with Democratic critics.

They kind of outed themselves. They sort of showed their membership cards of whatever club this is to the public. So keep a list. If you want to know whos actually aligned, despite the illusion of partisanship, we found out today, Carlson said.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) had granted Carlson exclusive access to a trove of around 44,000 hours of Capitol security footage from Jan. 6, but told reports on Tuesday evening that he did not watch Carlsons show on Monday night.

McCarthy said that he did not regret giving Carlson access to the footage in wake of the criticism.

I said at the very beginning, transparency. And so what I wanted to produce for everybody is exactly what I said. The people could actually look at it and see whats gone on that day, McCarthy said.

Fox News declined to comment earlier Tuesday on the bipartisan criticism the networks top host faced.

Carlson claimed that as far as he knew, no media organization in the country pressed to see the actual tape, the Jan. 6 surveillance footage. Attorney Charles Tobin sent a letter last month on behalf of 10 media organizations, including ABC, Axios, CNN and CBS, requesting access to the footage, and media organizations have pushed since 2021 for access to video exhibits from Jan. 6 cases.

Carlson also on Tuesday aired footage of a sit-down interview with Tarek Johnson, a former Capitol Police officer, who weighed in on why the force was largely unprepared for the attack.

Johnson was pictured wearing a Make America Great Again hat on Jan. 6, which he told Carlson he put on out of self-preservation and to more easily navigate the crowd.

The former officer said he was working in the Senate that day, seeking to sound the alarm for supervisors, yet he received little response when he asked for direction over the radio.

The person that I thought was going to authorize the evacuation didnt do it. I wanted to get those members of Congress out as quickly as I could, Johnson said on the show.

Throughout the segment, Carlson references Yogananda Pittman, then the head of the intelligence service, faulting her for failing to respond to Johnsons call.

Johnson doesnt focus on Pittman in the clips shown during the segment, but he has mentioned her in previous interviews with other news outlets, something that prompted a response from USCP.

The former employee you interviewed was part of Uniformed Operations, not Intelligence and Protective services. It is baffling why this former employee is attacking Pittman, who was not in his chain of command. For example, officials in Uniformed Operations who were inside the Capitol addressed his request to evacuate the rest of the Senate, responded to the scene, and provided direction, USCP said in a statement to NPR earlier this month.

Carlson also describes Johnson as a Biden voter, but the former officer told NPR he voted for former President Trump in 2016.

Pittman, who was promoted to chief of the force shortly after the attack, is no longer with the agency, but has been blamed for leading a service that failed to fully distribute the intelligence collected in the days before the attack, a failure also seen at other intelligence outlets.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump. Jason Koerner/Getty Images and Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Fox News host Tucker Carlson bashed former President Donald Trump in private, per new court filings.

Newly released texts show Carlson telling a confidant in 2021 that he hated Trump "passionately."

They also reveal how Carlson fantasized about not having to cover Trump after the latter's 2020 loss.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson privately fantasized about not having to cover President Donald Trump after the 2020 election, saying that he hated Trump "passionately," text messages from a court filing show.

The texts were released on Tuesday as part of Dominion Voting Systems' court evidence in its $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News.

These texts were sent on January 4, 2021, two days before the Capitol riot. They appear to show Carlson and an unnamed confidant excoriating Trump. This stands in stark contrast to how Carlson subsequently promoted Trump's baseless election-fraud claims on-air.

"We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights," Carlson wrote, per Dominion's filing. "I truly can't wait."

"I want nothing more," the unnamed person replied, per the court documents. "It does feel very close. I imagine things will get nice starting around mid-February."

"I hate him passionately," Carlson replied immediately after, per the filing. "I blew up at Peter Navarro today in frustration. I actually like Peter. But I can't handle much more of this."

Navarro, a former Trump advisor, publicly admitted in January 2022 to devising a scheme to overturn the 2020 election. He was indicted by a grand jury in June for contempt of Congress after he defied a subpoena from the House January 6 committee.

Carlson in the text exchange showed personal support for Trump's baseless 2020 election fraud claims, writing he had "no doubt there was fraud." But he said Trump and the lawyers who allied themselves with him  Lin Wood and Sidney Powell  had "discredited their own case."

"It really explains why the left wins so much," Carlson's confidant wrote, per the filing. "They have Marc Elias and lawyers from every major firm. We have Lin Wood and Powell."

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"That's the last four years. We're all pretending we've got a lot to show for it, because admitting what a disaster it's been is too tough to digest," Carlson replied, per the filing. "But come on. There isn't really an upside to Trump."

In a general statement to Insider on Dominion's Tuesday filing, a Fox News spokesperson claimed that Dominion's Tuesday filing took messages from Fox journalists and executives out of context.

"Thanks to today's filings, Dominion has been caught red-handed using more distortions and misinformation in their PR campaign to smear Fox News and trample on free speech and freedom of the press," the spokesperson said.

Dominion's ongoing lawsuit against Fox alleges that Fox executives permitted its hosts and guests to push baseless narratives about the 2020 election, even though they knew these claims were false.

Representatives for Fox News and a spokesman for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment on Carlson's Trump texts.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Fox News. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

New emails and texts released in Dominion Voting System's case against Fox News highlighted internal strife.

The three prime-time hosts, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, and Sean Hannity, felt sidelined after the Arizona call.

"We are officially working for an organization that hates us," Ingraham texted the two hosts in November 2020.

New emails and texts released as a part of Dominion Voting System's defamation lawsuit against Fox News revealed how top hosts panicked and felt sidelined after the network correctly called Arizona for Joe Biden on election night 2020.

On Tuesday, a new series of internal emails, private texts, and depositions helped illuminate the internal rifts between Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham, Sean Hannity, and their coworkers after the network called Arizona for Biden.

The transcripts were released Tuesday as part of Dominion's 1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, which claims that the network gave prominence to the election-fraud claims as a tactic to revive viewership as ratings dropped after President Donald Trump's loss.

In a text thread included in Tuesday's filing, the three hosts lamented that Fox's election decision desk director Arnon Mishkin made the call, and bashed other colleagues who defended it.

"We are officially working for an organization that hates us," Ingraham texted Hannity and Carlson on November 16, 2020, according to court documents. "Why would anyone defend that call," Hannity responds. "I'm disgusted at this point."

In the text thread, the hosts strategize as to how to push back against the stance the network took in officially recognizing Biden's election victory.

"I think the three of us have enormous power," Ingraham adds. "We have more power than we know or exercise."

"The first thing we need to do exactly what we want to do," Carlson writes in the thread. "That's the key."

By January 2021, according to the new filings, network chief Rupert Murdoch emailed Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and said, "It's been suggested that our prime time three should independently or together say something like 'the election is over and Joe Biden won. We are all dissapointed but it happened. We love America and have to turn the page.'"

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Murdoch was also quoted from his depositions in the case, agreeing that he "seriously doubted" any claims of widespread election fraud pushed by the Trump camp.

The transcripts have further pulled the curtain back on Fox News leaders in the wake of the 2020 election and the conspiracy theories that spread afterward.

Last week, Dominion released new filings which included deposition excerpts and claims that Murdoch gave former Trump advisor Jared Kushner confidential information about Joe Biden's strategic moves in the lead-up to the 2020 election.

Dominion Voting Systems opposed Fox News' move to throw out the lawsuit in a new filing last week, in a high-stakes case set for an April trial.

A Fox News spokesperson told Insider, in part, that Dominion's legal team took Fox News comments out of context.

"Thanks to today's filings, Dominion has been caught red-handed using more distortions and misinformation in their PR campaign to smear FOX News and trample on free speech and freedom of the press," a Fox News spokesperson told Insider in a statement on Tuesday. "We already know they will say and do anything to try to win this case, but to twist and even misattribute quotes to the highest levels of our company is truly beyond the pale."

Dominion manufactures and sells electronic voting hardware, software, and voting machines, and was repeatedly targeted with conspiracies in the wake of the 2020 election.

In the company's lawsuit, Dominion claimed that Fox News "sold a false story of election fraud in order to serve its own commercial purposes, severely injuring Dominion in the process."

Two months later, Fox News filed to dismiss the motion, and by December 2021, a judge had rejected Fox's motion.

Read the original article on Business Insider
TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian civil society groups on Wednesday accused the interior minister of incitement after he said some journalists, activists, politicians, business people and union members were traitors.

The organisations include Tunisia's main labour union, the UGTT, and the Journalists Syndicate, as well as the Human Rights League, the transparency group iWatch and the Social and the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights.

Interior Minister Toufik Charfeddine said on Tuesday that "journalists are mercenaries and traitors ... businessmen, trade unionists and parties have sold the country and allied themselves against the Tunisian people ... they are traitors".

The civil society groups said in a joint statement they held Charfeddine responsible for journalists and activists' safety, adding that his language was reminiscent of threats made by the autocratic government that was ousted in a 2011 revolution.

Tunisian authorities have in recent weeks detained prominent opposition figures including politicians, judges, the head of the main independent media organisation and a leading businessman seen as critical of President Kais Saied.

Saied seized most powers in 2021, shutting down the elected parliament and moving to rule by decree before writing a new constitution that he passed last year in a referendum with low turnout.

The president's critics accuse him of a coup that has undone the democratic gains of the 2011 revolution. Saied says his actions were legal and needed to save Tunisia from chaos.

(Writing by Angus McDowall; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
By Can Sezer and Jonathan Spicer

KAHRAMANMARAS, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan could have relied on strong voter backing from Cigdemtepe and other villages and towns across southeast Turkey in the past, but a huge earthquake and a slow rescue response has made once loyal support more uncertain.

There are signs his AK Party (AKP) is increasingly aware that it cannot take past votes for granted, as officials talk of accelerating rebuilding plans before elections in May, which may prove the toughest of Erdogan's more than two decades in power.

"This whole village has voted AKP even though no one knows why," said a truck driver in Cigdemtepe, which is perched above cotton and garlic fields in Kahramanmaras province, a region where whole urban centres were destroyed.

"The earthquake definitely changes our opinion because the first responders and tents were very late to arrive," he said.

How big a challenge Erdogan faces is difficult to determine, given the lack of polling in the region. In addition, the opposition has dithered before finally agreeing on a candidate to challenge Erdogan, unsettling voters, while experts say those affected by the quake could swiftly change their minds.

But Reuters interviews with nearly 30 residents in the past week in Kahramanmaras, Adiyaman and Gaziantep - provinces where white tents dot the landscape of buckling or collapsed buildings - suggest political loyalties, even among once diehard Erdogan backers, are shifting.

"My mind is completely changed," said a student in rural Kahramanmaras, who like others was reluctant to give their name. "We breathe AKP here but this earthquake changed everything for us. These people don't know what they are doing."

The deadliest disaster in Turkey's modern history devastated cities and towns and killed tens of thousands of people a month ago, mostly in a conservative stronghold that has heavily backed Erdogan and the AKP for two decades.

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While only a tiny sample of the 14 million people affected by the earthquakes in southeastern Turkey, the opinions of those interviewed shed light on how these mostly rural and working class voters could affect presidential and parliamentary polls.

Many resented years of permissive AKP construction policies that allowed up to eight-storey concrete apartments to be built - thousands of which were destroyed in the tremors.

Some were irked by what they saw as insensitive statements by political leaders including Erdogan, who asked for forgiveness last week for a response to the earthquake that could have been faster, while some others ridiculed the government's plan to rebuild the region in just a year.

But people also struggled to imagine voting for opposition parties and their newly-named candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

The AKP has ruled Turkey with little serious electoral challenge since 2002, and party insiders told Reuters they are aware of the anger among their voter base in the southeast but confident a combination of swift rebuilding and a confused opposition will deliver victory.

One party official said they would "re-direct" residents' focus to efforts to rebuild and stress no one but Erdogan could do this quickly. Another said they would showcase reconstruction in an area where 227,000 buildings collapsed or face demolition.

Pollsters have mostly avoided surveying those in the disaster zone, while national surveys found the AKP has maintained its support. They point to a tight election contest despite a cost-of-living crisis that had gripped Turks long before the magnitude 7.8 quake and aftershocks brought more criticism of the government.

UNCONVINCING OPPOSITION

The centrist opposition bloc finally on Monday named former civil servant Kilicdaroglu, leader of the Republican People's Party (CHP) since 2010, as its candidate.

The region voted 65% or more for the AKP and its nationalist ally the MHP in the last election in 2018. Many residents told Reuters that opposition parties were late to name a candidate and that they would only support one with nationalist roots, such as Ankara mayor Mansur Yavas - who is slated to be one of Kilicdaroglu's vice presidents should he win.

One construction materials trader in Adiyaman, a city of 650,000 whose downtown is a wasteland of crumbled concrete, laughed at the idea of Kilicdaroglu as president.

Umur, a young accountant in the city, said he intended to cast his first-ever ballot for the opposition but only if the candidate was "a low-profile and effective person like Yavas".

'NOT WISE TO HOLD ELECTIONS'

Officials briefly floated the idea of delaying elections - before backtracking and pressing ahead with a date of May 14, a decision some find hard to comprehend.

"It is not wise to hold elections in May. People hurt, we still hurt," said Mahmut, an insurance worker in the town of Besni, where after the quake he said he could hear his cousins under the rubble for two days before their voices stopped.

Erdogan's request for forgiveness had been poorly received, he said, adding he normally votes for the MHP.

"There are many who want to vote for the opposition...and I could too, but I wouldn't vote for Kilicdaroglu because he has not won a single election," he said.

Mehmet, 52, a construction subcontractor living with his wife and child in a tent in Adiyaman, said "everyone" votes for Erdogan as president and he would too, but he would punish the AKP party by voting for the MHP.

Mehmet Ali Kulat, chairman of MAK polling company, said based on previous earthquakes survivors tend to blame the government at first, then later back whomever rebuilds homes.

There are only about 55 buildings in Igdeli, where villagers erected their own tents and intend to rebuild themselves.

"The government of the past 20 years is not working for the people," said 70-year old farmer Mehmet. "I don't believe the opposition is up to the task either. But we need fundamental change."

(Additional reporting by Orhan Coskun in Ankara; Writing by Jonathan Spicer, Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate committee backed legislation on Wednesday to repeal two authorizations for past wars in Iraq, paving the way for a possible vote in the full Senate before the 20th anniversary of the last invasion by American troops.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 13-8 to approve a bill to repeal the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force, or AUMFs, against Iraq, the latest attempt to reassert Congress' role in deciding to send troops into combat.

Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said the full Senate could vote on the legislation in the next few weeks. That would coincide with the 20th anniversary of the March 19, 2003, invasion of Iraq.

Senator Tim Kaine, a leader of efforts to repeal old AUMFs, said it makes no sense to have the authorizations on the books.

"Iraq was an enemy in '02," he told Reuters in a telephone interview. "Increasingly, they are a security partner. We work with Iraq to defeat ISIS and continue to guard against terrorist activity."

Lawmakers have been arguing for years that Congress has ceded too much authority to the president over whether troops should be sent into combat, by passing and then failing to repeal broad, open-ended war authorizations that presidents have then used for years to justify military action around the globe.

For example, Republican then-President Donald Trump said the 2002 AUMF provided legal authority for the 2020 killing in Iraq of senior Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.

Under the Constitution, Congress, not the president, has the right to declare war.

The measure's chances of becoming law were unclear. Despite support from members of both parties in both the Senate and House of Representatives, there is also significant opposition.

Republican Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called for a replacement, written in consultation with military commanders, before repealing existing AUMFs.

"Piecemeal repeal of those Iraq authorities is not a serious contribution to war powers reform," McCaul said in a statement.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; editing by Grant McCool)
The Twitter logo at their offices in New York City on 12 January, 2023 (Getty Images)

Twitter no longer has a presence on the dark web after the company allowed its Tor onion service certificate to expire.

The platforms onion service allowed people to access Twitter through the dark web - a section of the internet that is only accessible through specialist web browsers like Tor.

Other mainstream websites that host their services on the Tor browser include BBC, Facebook, Deutsche Welle, Radio Free Europe and Reddit.

The Tor version of Twitter was launched last year in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine as an anti-censorship tool. Twitter was among several sites banned by Russia in retaliation to the platform placing restrictions on state-owned media like RT and Sputnik.

The dark web service meant that people could log in and visit Twitter anywhere in the world, even in Russia and other countries where it was banned.

It also provided an extra level of privacy for Twitter users who did not want to have their online activity tracked by governments, companies or hackers.

The onion site is no longer available seemingly with no plans to renew. The Tor Project has reached out to Twitter to look into bringing the onion version of the social media platform back online, a spokesperson for the Tor Project said in a statement.

People who rely on onion services for an extra layer of protection and guarantee that they are accessing the content they are looking for now have one fewer way of doing so safely.

Software engineer Alec Muffett, who helped launch the service, said at the time that the Tor version would provide greater privacy, integrity, trust, and unblockability for people all around the world who use Twitter to communicate.

Following the expiry of Twitters Tor certificate, Mr Muffett offered his help to restore the service.

Remediating this is a reasonably straightforward, cheap, and politically popular aspect of the extant Twitter service, running on a small docker tier, he tweeted, tagging Twitter CEO Elon Musk.

Im happy to advise any Twitter engineers who would like to fix it.

The expiration of Twitters Tor onion website comes after Mr Musk laid off thousands of workers following his takeover last year, leaving roughly 1,300 employees at the company of an original 7,500.
Visiting Twitter's Tor onion website will now show you a warning that its certificate has expired, and pushing forward will just send you to an error page. The Tor Project, the non-profit org responsible for maintaining software for the Tor network, has confirmed to The Verge that Twitter's onion site "is no longer available seemingly with no plans to renew." Pavel Zoneff, the group's communications director, said: "The Tor Project has reached out to Twitter to look into bringing the onion version of the social media platform back online. People who rely on onion services for an extra layer of protection and guarantee that they are accessing the content they are looking for now have one fewer way of doing so safely." It's worth noting, however, that you can still access Twitter on a Tor browser.

Twitter launched its Tor service in 2022, shortly after Russia blocked its people's access to the website. A Tor service allows you to circumvent censorship and gives you the capability to visit an online destination even when it's supposedly restricted in your country. It also protects you from surveillance, thanks to its anonymization features that encrypt your traffic. You can use it anywhere, but it is perhaps especially helpful to people living in countries with more stringent censorship laws, including North Korea and China.

The company has yet to announce whether it has any plans on reviving its Tor service. Alec Muffett, who helped Twitter's engineers adopt Tor services last year, told The Verge that the people within the company he interacted with "are all gone." He added that he's pretty sure it's going to stop working totally "unless Elon [Musk] takes an interest."

Musk, who purchased Twitter later in 2022, has laid off thousands of workers since he took over, including employees who supported his vision for the website. CNBC reported back in January that only 1,300 personnel were left from the 7,500 people who were working for Twitter before it changed hands. Seeing as Musk seems to be focusing on monetizing Twitter at the moment, and there are barely any employees left at the company, its Tor service may remain unavailable for a long time, if not for good.
SPRINGFIELD  Following reports of abuse, neglect and other mistreatment of residents at a downstate mental health center, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday laid out his plan for improving conditions at the facility while also providing many residents an opportunity to move elsewhere.

Pritzkers plan includes repurposing the Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna over a three-year period in partnership with the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, and expanding support for residents and their families to pursue opportunities for community-based living while continuing to invest in provider capacity.

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The governors office didnt exactly say how many residents would be moved from Choate, and the Illinois Department of Human Services, which manages Choate and other state-run treatment centers, didnt immediately provide that information Wednesday morning.

But the governors office said most of the estimated 270 residents will have the opportunity to transition into community-based settings or other state-run facilities to receive care.

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The transformation at Choate moves Illinois in closer alignment with nationwide, research-informed best practices, advances the states commitment to equity and the civil rights of people with disabilities, Pritzkers office said in a statement. It also reflects the states legal duty to ensure residents with disabilities have a full opportunity to live in the least restrictive environment of their choosing.

An investigation last year by ProPublica, Capitol News Illinois and Lee Enterprises found that Illinois State Police had launched at least 40 criminal probes over the past decade into alleged employee misconduct at the Choate facility.

Employees there have been charged criminally more than a dozen times over the years on allegations that include everything from beating up residents to forcing a resident to drink a cup of hot sauce. Workers have also been cited for not reporting abuse and obstructing investigations and lying to state police.

The governors plan calls for new safety enhancements at not only Choate, but across all other state-run developmental centers. The plan also calls for the appointment of a new statewide chief resident safety officer.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois called Pritzkers plan a good first step at improving conditions at Choate, but said it hopes it is an initial step toward the ultimate closure of all state-run developmental centers in Illinois.

We fully support the smooth transitioning of people out of Choate who are living with developmental and intellectual disabilities. These individuals need to reside in the community, in the least restrictive setting possible, Heidi Dalenberg, managing legal director for the ACLU of Illinois, said in a statement. While this transition moves forward, we will continue to monitor efforts to ensure the ongoing safety of those who remain at the facility.

One of Illinois largest state employee unions said it was extremely concerned about the fate of residents and the employees who make Choate home for them under Pritzkers plan.

AFSCME will work to protect the jobs of Choates dedicated and compassionate employees, and our union will continue our close alliance with the Friends of Choate family group to ensure that no resident is forced out of their home without their consent, Roberta Lynch, executive director for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, said in a statement.

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Last month, Republicans in the General Assembly decried the Democratic governors handling of Choate given the systemic mistreatment of residents, and laid out their own plan to address the long-standing issues.

The GOP proposals ranged from additional surveillance cameras to adding employees who are better trained to work with the mentally and developmentally disabled residents of the facility. The lawmakers also wrote a letter to their cohorts in the Democratic supermajority calling for legislative committee hearings to discuss the problems.

In response to the GOPs criticism, Pritzkers office last month said his administration had taken steps to address the issues at Choate that include more training for staff, as well as an ongoing effort to install indoor and outdoor cameras, an increase of about a half dozen security workers and an increased management presence in living areas and professional staff presence after hours, among other steps.

The Pritzker administration previously has laid blame on budget cuts to social services under his predecessor, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.

At a Wednesday news conference in Springfield, Pritzker said underfunded and neglected conditions at Choate and similar DHS facilities in the years before he took office have continued to negatively affect operations during his tenure. But the second-term governor insisted that his administration has been working to make improvements, while acknowledging not everything thats been done has gone well.

Its not like weve sat around, Pritzker said. All along we have been trying to make the changes that are necessary, and obviously some of them have been ineffective.

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And so were making transformational change now and this is a big change from the past and its taken us four years to build up the funding.

The situation at Choate is one of several issues the Pritzker administration has faced over its handling of state social service agencies.

An auditor generals report last year blamed Pritzkers Public Health Department for failing to adequately respond to a COVID-19 outbreak at a state home for veterans in LaSalle that led to the deaths of 36 residents. And child-welfare advocates have repeatedly criticized the administrations oversight of the Department of Children and Family Services, which has come under fire for failing to find appropriate placements for children.

jgorner@chicagotribune.com
Ukrainian military protects the sky from unmanned aerial vehicles

Defense forces recorded the flights of two enemy UAVs in the north of Sumy Oblast at around 10 p.m.

Read also: Russians attack towns and villages in Sumy Oblast with mortars

One of them was shot down, the administration said. There is no information about the fate of the second drone.

Dubbed flying lawnmowers due to their distinctive rotor engine sound, the Iranian drones are relatively small and are able to fly low, making it more difficult to be spotted by radar. Vulnerable to machine-gun fire from the ground during the day, Russia now launches them almost exclusively at night.

On March 6, Russia launched 15 Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 suicide drones at Ukraine, with Ukraines defense forces knocking out 13.

Read also: Mobile air defense units are created in Kyiv  photo report

The air force said that attack was also carried out from the north, namely Russia's Bryansk Oblast. It was recently reported by Ukraines military that Russia had established a new launch site in the Russian Oblast, which borders Ukraines Chernihiv Oblast.

The air force said the new site was likely established to make it easier for Russia to attack the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. The closest part of Russian territory to the city of Kyiv is the southwest of Bryansk Oblast  a little more than 200 kilometers away.

Shahed-131 and Shahed-136 flying bombs have cruising speeds of 150 km/h and 200 km/h, meaning they could make the journey from their launch site to targets in Kyiv in an hour to an hour and 20 minutes.

Read also: Russian invaders changing tactics in missile attacks, says NSDC head

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia hopes the shorter flying time because of the closer launch site will make it more likely that more of the drones will evade air defenses and reach their targets.

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
Tyson Fury has rejected a purse split of 60-40 in the favour of the winner of his fight with Oleksandr Usyk, the latters promoter has said.

Fury and Usyk are expected to clash this year to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion, but Furys promoter Frank Warren said this week that negotiations have hit a roadblock of sorts.

Now Usyks promoter Alex Krassyuk has suggested that Furys monetary demands are the reason for the delay.

Discussing negotiations around the fight, Krassyuk told Talksport on Wednesday (8 March): We are not asking for a figure, we are asking for a split, and probably the split doesnt work well if someone is asking for a figure. I can definitely say that its not our party.

We have said that we want this fight to happen as much as possible, and we are in the position to share whatever the fight generates. If it generates a lot, then we are happy to share it; if it doesnt, it is what it is.

We initially agreed for 50-50, but then Tyson was asking for some bigger money. So, we made it clear that we are ready to go 60-40, but the winner takes 60. That was our latest offer.

When asked if Fury had turned down the offer, Krassyuk said: Yes, exactly.

Maybe someone wants to avoid the danger and to stay in a comfortable position, he added. I dont know and I really dont care.

Normally when a fighter does not want to take a fight, he asks for something impossible so it doesnt take place. On the other side, Im really optimistic.

Oleksandr Usyk (left) and his promoter Alex Krassyuk (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Wire)

[But] maybe Tyson is not ready yet; maybe hes is not ready mentally, maybe hes not ready physically. Whatever, I dont know, and we dont really care.

We want to make it happen. If he doesnt want it, we cant make him want it.

Ukrainian Usyk last fought in August, outpointing Anthony Joshua for the second time in 11 months. With the victory, the 36-year-old retained the unified heavyweight titles that he took from Joshua in their first fight.

Meanwhile, Fury last competed in December. The Briton, 34, stopped compatriot Derek Chisora late in their trilogy bout to remain WBC champion.

Both Fury and Usyk are unbeaten, and a fight between the pair would crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 2000.
The Biden administration is planning to stop requiring negative COVID-19 tests from passengers flying from China, a senior administration official confirmed Tuesday, ending a restriction authorities revived some two months ago.

Officials are planning to end the requirement on Friday, a source familiar with the decision said.

The Washington Post first reported news of the decision.

In late December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had announced that it planned to resume requiring travelers to prove they had tested negative for the virus before flying to the U.S. from China, Hong Kong, and Macau. That had come in the wake of the country relaxing its so-called "zero COVID" policy, leading to a surge in cases.

At the time, the CDC urged Americans to "reconsider travel" to China over reports that the healthcare system there had been overwhelmed. They also ramped up efforts to sequence tests from volunteers on arriving flights from China, in response to fears that a new variant could emerge from the massive wave of infections across the country.

Since then, authorities in China have declared victory over the virus, state media reported last month. Many countries have also moved to wind down their restrictions on arriving Chinese travelers, from Japan to Italy.

Variants sequenced and reported by Chinese health authorities and scientists have been all descendants of Omicron variants, similar to those seen abroad.

The Biden administration now has evidence that COVID-19 cases and deaths are declining in China, sources familiar with the move said, and also has a better understanding of the surge.

The CDC's airport surveillance has also reported sequencing a handful of COVID-19 cases in arriving international travelers from China, according to data posted to the GISAID database. All have been Omicron variants. The airport variant surveillance effort will continue to monitor flights from China among other countries, sources said.

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Federal health officials have defended their decision to require negative COVID-19 tests on arriving international travelers. However, officials acknowledged it would not prevent all cases from entering the country.

A CDC study published last month analyzing data from the original U.S. testing requirement, which applied to all arriving international travelers, suggested it could halve the number of COVID-19 cases arriving in the country.

"Certainly, pre-departure testing is leaky and won't prevent all new variants coming into the U.S. that we're trying to slow transmission there," the CDC's Henry Walke told a panel of the agency's advisers in January.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he has no plans to visit Ukraine after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy extended an invitation, CNN reported on Wednesday.

In an interview with CNN set to air on Wednesday, Zelenskiy asked McCarthy, a Republican, to see the situation in Ukraine firsthand.

"Mr. McCarthy, he has to come here to see how we work, whats happening here.... Then after that, make your assumptions," Zelenskiy said in the CNN interview.

The United States has extended nearly $32 billion in aid to Ukraine since Russian troops invaded on Feb. 24, 2022, but some far-right Republicans have balked at sending more.

Asked about Zelenskiy's invitation, McCarthy told CNN he did not need to travel to the country and would get information in other ways.

"I will continue to get my briefings and others, but I dont have to go to Ukraine or Kyiv to see it," he told the television network.

McCarthy's position has been that he backs Ukraine but that House Republicans, who took control of the chamber in January, will not provide "a blank check" for U.S. assistance to Kyiv.

The invitation came as the United States wrestled with a budget deficit and the prospect of possibly hitting its debt limit in coming months. Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden is set to unveil his budget proposal on Thursday.

Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv last month to show U.S. solidarity with Ukraine one-year after the conflict began as have other top U.S. officials and some members of Congress.

(Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Photo: Swedish Coast Guard (Getty Images)

Several weeks after a journalist accused the U.S. government of being behind the Nord Stream pipelines destruction, sources within the government are telling the New York Times that a pro-Ukrainian group is actually responsible for the brazen act of international sabotage.



To reviewlarge stretches of the natural gas pipeline known as the Nord Stream unexpectedly exploded last September, in what some speculated was the single largest release of methane in history. A conduit for cheap Russian energy exports that ran through the Baltic sea to Germany and broader European markets, the Nord Stream was, at the time of the explosion, a topic of tense negotiations between Russia and EU officials. After the explosion, officials in the German government expressed the belief that the project had been intentionally sabotaged, and later investigation seemed to suggest that, yes, the pipeline had been intentionally destroyed. The next question, of course, was who was to blame.

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For a while, some U.S. and European officials pointed the finger at Russia itself. However, critics were quick to point out that it didnt make a whole lot of sense for Russia to blow up its own moneymaker. The Nord Stream had been viewed as a key tool of influence for Russia, and it was using the energy project as a way to exert influence over EU countries, while it also advanced its campaign of aggression against Ukraine (to which the EU was opposed). Russia subsequently accused others of sabotaging the projectnamely the British and the U.S.

After a few months, speculation about the cause of the explosion died down and the topic fell out of the news media spotlight. That is, until February, when longtime reporter Seymour Hersh penned a piece on his Substack that claimed the Biden administration was responsible for the explosion. According to Hersh, the White House explicitly authorized a mission to destroy the pipeline using Navy divers. The divers used an annual NATO exercise, BALTOPS, as a cover to drop divers to plant remotely triggered mines near the energy project, according to Hersh. The Pulitzer Prize winner alleged that the plan to destroy the pipeline involved months of negotiation and planning:

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Bidens decision to sabotage the pipelines came after more than nine months of highly secret back and forth debate inside Washingtons national security community about how to best achieve that goal. For much of that time, the issue was not whether to do the mission, but how to get it done with no overt clue as to who was responsible.

Hersh, who has been a journalist since the early 1960s and has broken and reported on droves of groundbreaking stories (including the My Lai massacre, for which he was awarded a Pulitzer), has been criticized by some for his lack of transparency about how he came into his information about the Nord Stream explosion. Hersh used at least one anonymous source, who claimed to have direct knowledge of the operational planning of the mission.

Now, several weeks after Hershs piece was published, the New York Times has put forth its own reporting, which includes comments from anonymous U.S. officials. Those officials say they believe that, in fact, a pro-Ukrainian group was responsible for the attack on the Nord Stream pipeline. This claim is based on new intelligence that suggests the culprits were some sort of rogue saboteur group not thought to have ties to the Ukrainian government or its military. Unfortunately, that appears to be about all these unnamed U.S. officials know. The Times reporting highlights how little there is to glean from these speculations, except thatas the sources told the newspaperno American or British nationals were involved. The Times reports:

U.S. officials said there was much they did not know about the perpetrators and their affiliations. The review of newly collected intelligence suggests they were opponents of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, but does not specify the members of the group, or who directed or paid for the operation. U.S. officials declined to disclose the nature of the intelligence, how it was obtained or any details of the strength of the evidence it contains.

The Times also reports that U.S. officials saidthat explosives were planted with the help of experienced divers but those divers apparently dont work for any military or intelligence services.

As to the New York Times reporting, top Ukrainian officials have responded by disavowing the claims. Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the Head of the Ukrainian Presidents Office tweeted on Tuesday: Although I enjoy collecting amusing conspiracy theories about Ukrainian government, I have to say: Ukraine has nothing to do with the Baltic Sea mishap and has no information about pro-Ukrainian sabotage groups.

Proponents of the theory that the U.S. was behind the pipelines destruction point to comments made by Biden himself and other top administration officials in the lead up to the pipelines destruction. During a press conference in February 2022, when questioned about the project, Biden responded: If Russia invades...there will no longer be a Nord Stream pipeline. We will bring an end to it. When a journalist pushed for clarification and asked the President how the U.S. could end the pipeline when it was under German control, Biden merely replied: I promise you we will be able to do it.

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By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to overturn recent changes to Washington's laws that lowered penalties for some crimes, as Democrats' support for self-governance in the nation's capital takes a back seat to public-safety concerns.

The 81-to-14 vote marks only the fourth time that the U.S. Congress has overturned a law passed by the District of Columbia, whose 700,000 residents do not have representation on Capitol Hill.

The measure has already passed the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, and Democratic President Joe Biden said last week that he would not veto it.

Biden and many of his fellow Democrats say the District of Columbia should be a state that sets its own laws, free from interference from Congress, but they have also battled accusations that they do not take crime seriously.

Opinion polls show the U.S. public is broadly opposed to "defunding the police" and other criminal-justice reforms that gained prominence after several prominent police killings of Black Americans in 2020.

Washington's city council lowered penalties for burglary, carjacking and some other crimes as part of a broad overhaul of its criminal code, prompting criticism from the police chief and prosecutors and a veto from Mayor Muriel Bowser, which the city council overrode.

A spike in carjackings and an assault on Democratic Representative Angie Craig has stirred concerns about crime in the city in recent years.

Police statistics show that homicides and gun crimes in Washington have nearly doubled since 2017, though crime has fallen overall.

City council members say their law is the result of years of compromise and say the reduced penalties for crimes like carjacking and robbery reflect the actual sentences imposed by judges.

But that argument has gotten little traction on Capitol Hill, where Republicans who represent rural areas have often clashed with leadership of the overwhelmingly Democratic city.

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Washington's city council, sensing defeat, withdrew its crime overhaul on Monday in an unsuccessful attempt to head of the Senate vote.

Though Congress rarely overturns D.C. laws, it routinely inserts provisions into spending bills to exert control over local affairs. Lawmakers have banned needle exchanges and public funding for abortions and prevented the District from setting up laws to regulate the sale of marijuana, which residents legalized for recreational use in 2015.

(Reporting by Andy SullivanEditing by Tomasz Janowski and Diane Craft)
By Daphne Psaledakis and Arshad Mohammed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Iranian officials and companies over accusations of serious human rights abuses, stepping up pressure on Tehran over its crackdown on protests as Washington marks International Women's Day.

The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on two senior Iranian prison officials it accused of being responsible for serious human rights abuses against women and girls.

Washington also put sanctions on Iran's top army commander, a senior official in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and an official tied to the Iranian government's efforts to block internet access. Also hit with sanctions were three Iranian companies and their leaders who have enabled law enforcement repression, according to the statement.

The step marks the 10th round of such U.S. sanctions since Tehran's crackdown on protests that began after Mahsa Amini, a woman from Iran's Kurdistan region, died in September in the custody of the morality police who enforce strict dress codes.

The protests by Iranians from all walks of life mark one of the boldest challenges to the ruling theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran accuses Western powers of fomenting the unrest, which security forces have met with deadly violence.

"The United States, along with our partners and allies, stand with the women of Iran, who advocate for fundamental freedoms in the face of a brutal regime that treats women as second-class citizens and attempts to suppress their voices by any means," U.S. Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in the statement.

"We will continue to take action against the regime, which perpetuates abuse and violence against its own citizens -especially women and girls," Nelson added.

The Treasury said it acted in concert with the European Union, Britain and Australia to mark International Women's Day.

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Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wednesday's move freezes any U.S. assets of those targeted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.

(Reporting by Rami Ayyub, Arshad Mohammed and Daphne Psaledakis; writing by Susan Heavey and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Will Dunham)
Rep. Mary Miller receives applause from her fellow Republicans after switching her vote for speaker to Rep. Kevin McCarthy during the fourth day of elections for House speaker at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty)

The allure of Chicago green on St. Patricks Day is apparently enough for downstate Republican U.S. Rep. Mary Miller to overcome her fears of a city she has described as a war zone.

Miller  a second-term congresswoman from Oakland, a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus and a disciple of former President Donald Trump who is backing him for another White House bid  has scheduled a March 17 fundraiser at the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago.

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[ Days after Naperville native was sworn in, US Rep. Mary Miller criticized for invoking Hitler during Washington speech ]

Miller is seeking contributions ranging from $250 for attending a reception to $2,900 for dinner and a photo at her late afternoon-early evening event, according to an invitation to the event. Checks are to be made payable to Millers Victory Committee.

Miller and her husband, state Rep. Chris Miller, have been controversial figures in state politics. Mary Miller faced criticism only days after taking office when during a speech in Washington she said that Hitler was right about political indoctrination of the youth for future success. She later apologized but blamed others for twisting her words.

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That speech came a day before the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection attempt at the U.S. Capitol. Chris Miller attended the Save America Rally, where Trump spoke and helped instigate the deadly but unsuccessful attempt to overturn the Electoral Vote count that formally made Democrat Joe Biden president.

In a social media video, Chris Miller said Trump supporters were engaged in a great cultural war to see which worldview will survive. Whether we will remain a free people under free market capitalism or whether they will put us under the tyranny of socialism and communism and dangerous Democrat terrorists.

The Democrat-led Illinois House approved a resolution condemning Miller for standing with the insurrectionists but a legislative inspector general investigation concluded that his remarks did not constitute conduct unbecoming a legislator.

Chris Miller has been a co-sponsor of legislation calling for Chicago to be separated into its own state and has led separatist rallies in downstate communities.

[ US Rep. Mary Millers white life comment is latest controversy in her short two years in Congress ]

Mary Miller, who was born and raised in Naperville, was endorsed by Trump last year in her primary victory against five-term Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis of Taylorville. At a rally near Quincy last year, she thanked Trump for appointing Supreme Court justices who led to the court reversing Roe v. Wade and called it a historic victory for white life. Campaign aides said she misspoke and meant to say, right to life.

Miller has held fundraisers at Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Shes also featured far-right U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado at fundraising events.

In a Twitter post in July 2021, she said, Under Democratic leadership, Chicago has become a war zone with no relief in sight. She followed up a month later with a tweet saying: One of the first things people think of when they hear, Illinois is CHICAGO CRIME. Our state (like other BLUE states!) has failed us.

In March of last year, she posted the front page of a gun-rights publication that included a photo of her and Boebert outside the U.S. Capitol holding a sign that read, The Second Amendment Caucus.

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She tweeted: President Biden and the Democrats want to defund the police, take away your Second Amendment right to self-defense, and then watch as crime skyrockets in cities like Chicago. As a member of the #2A Caucus, I will always work to protect the right to keep and bear arms!

Millers Victory Committee raised and spent nearly $243,000 in the midterm election cycle with almost half of its spending transferred to her main campaign account. She also transferred more than $52,000 to an allied political action committee she controls, the Faith in America PAC, and more than $30,000 to the House Freedom Fund, the PAC of the House Freedom Caucus.

Contributions from Millers Faith in America PAC included $2,900 to Boebert, $2,000 to Greene and $5,000 to the campaign of newly elected New York U.S. Rep. George Santos, who has faced criticism over falsehoods he has spread about his resume and background.

Millers Victory Committee also paid $15,740 to Trumps Mar-a-Lago Club in April of last year for event rental and catering for a fundraiser, the FEC records show.

rap30@aol.com
The UKs choice for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 has been leaked.

A day after tickets for the event sold out in less than 34 minutes, the music star set to perform on behalf of the country in Liverpool later this year has been selected.

While odds named Bird and Rina Sawayama as favourites, its being claimed that Mae Muller will go down in history as the UKs next Eurovision entrant.

The BBC is yet to confirm who will perform, but has said that an announcement will be made on Zoe Balls Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Thursday (9 March). The Mirror first reported the news.

Muller, who is 25, generated fans after supporting Little Mix on tour in 2019. The London-raised singer has amassed more than six million streams on Spotify for songs including Close and Better Days.

Eurovision week kicks off on Monday 8 May, with semi-finals taking place on Tuesday 9 and Thursday 11 May. The grand finale will then take place on Saturday 13 May.

Tickets went on sale on Tuesday (7 March) at midday for all three televised shows, as well as six previews. The events will be taking place at the ACC Liverpool arena.

Mae Muller will reportedly be the UKs 2023 Eurovision entrant (Getty Images)

It is taking place in Liverpool after the UK stepped in to host the competition for reigning champions Ukraine.

After fans hoping to get tickets for the 2023 event failed in their attempts, Rylan, who has been a commentator for the semi-finals since 2018, shared an upbeat message with fans.

He wrote on Twitter: Congrats if you got tickets! If not dont worry, the Euro Village is gonna be amazing. #Eurovision is gonna take over the whole city. See you soon Liverpool.

The Independent has contacted BBC for comment.
Typhoon fighter jet

Read also: SBU seizes assets of Russian businessman who funded Russian aircraft, missile tests

He clarified that the plan would be to transfer decommissioned Typhoon aircraft, which are no longer used by UK armed forces.

Would it not be possible to supply those (Typhoons), if not directly to Ukraine, to one of those of partner nations which could release MiG-19, Su-24, or one of the other platforms available around the world, The Mirror quotes Courts.

Read also: How Ukraines soldiers are mastering NATO weapons in UK

Notably, former UK Defense Minister Mark Francois supported the idea and mentioned that one squadron of Typhoon jets is currently gathering dust at a UK air base.

He said the decision could unlock the supply of MiGs and F-16s, which Kyiv is particularly eager to receive.

Rather than having them gathering dust in a hangar, even if it took a while to deliver them, why couldnt we make a political signal, offer them six of those Typhoons that are sitting in a hangar doing nothing, Francois added.

Read also: Zelenskyy meets with European Parliament chief Metsola in Lviv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Ukraines allies to provide the country with modern aircraft, during a meeting with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London on Feb. 8. In response, Sunak announced plans to start training Ukrainian pilots and marines.

Kyiv also made an official request for jet fighters from the Netherlands.

Read also: Zaluzhnyi meets with US, UK, Polish military commanders

After concluding his European tour on Feb. 9, Zelenskyy said that some positive decisions (in regards to fighter jets) were made behind the scenes.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's markets regulator and police have swooped on suspected illegal crypto cashpoints (ATMs) across east London as authorities step up attempts to disrupt unregistered businesses deemed high risk for consumers.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which last month launched a similar crackdown in the northern English city of Leeds, said on Wednesday it was reviewing evidence gathered from "a number of sites" and might take further action.

The inspections were conducted under money laundering regulations, which allow officers to enter premises without a warrant, observe activities, seek explanations about documents or information and take copies.

Crypto ATMs (CATMs) allow people to buy or convert money into cryptoassets. But no CATM operators are registered with the FCA, which means any operating here breach British anti-money laundering regulations.

The FCA, which has long warned consumers that cryptoassets are unregulated and that investors should be prepared to lose all of their money, told CATM operators last year to shut the machines down or face further the investigation.

CoinATMRadar, a website that allows users to search for CATMs globally, put the number of these cashpoints in Britain at more than 270 in 2020. It is now showing only 19 locations; 12 in London, six in Birmingham and one in Manchester.

Reuters was unable to establish whether this was down to operators shutting down or because they no longer advertise their existence online.

"It is very possible that they are going under the radar," noted Marcus Sotiriou, an analyst at crypto brokerage Globalblock. "But there is also definitely an element of fear and uncertainty about what the FCA is going to do next."

(Reporting by Kirstin Ridley, additional reporting by Elizabeth Howcroft, editing by Louise Heavens)
The Met Office has issued a severe two-day amber weather warning for snow as the wintry weather looks set to worsen.

The warning stretches from Nottingham to just south of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and will remain in place between 3pm and 12pm on Friday.

Power cuts are likely and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected, the Met Office said.

Forecasters also warned of more delays to travel, including cancellations of rail and air travel, while it said there was a good chance rural communities face being cut off.

It comes after heavy overnight snowfall caused significant travel disruption across the UK today.

Flights from several airports have been hit by delays, including at Bristol Airport which temporarily closed for snow clearing operations.

At least 27 flights due to depart from the airport on Wednesday morning have been affected, while several arrivals have been diverted to Birmingham.

Schools across the UK will remain closed on Wednesday due to heavy snowfall, with parents advised to check the local authoritys websites for the latest information.

Key Points

'Severe amber warning for snow issued as power cuts likely

Coldest night of year so far as temperatures drop to -15.2C

Disruptions due to snow, ice to continue

Rural communities likely to be cut off due to weather

Bristol Airport suspends flights due to adverse weather conditions'

'Severe amber warning for snow issued as power cuts likely

14:53 , Emily Atkinson

The Met Office has issued a severe two-day amber weather warning for snow as the wintry weather looks set to worsen.

The warning stretches from Nottingham to just south Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and will remain in place between 3pm and 12pm on Friday.

Heavy snow is likely to cause significant disruption on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, the Met Office said in an update this afternoon.

AMBER Met Office warning now issued for Pennine region into N Midlands for the snow expected tomorrow and into Friday.



10-20cm widely

30-40cm locally#snow | #uksnow pic.twitter.com/mlexXneQ50  Simon King (@SimonOKing) March 8, 2023

What to expect:

Travel delays on roads, stranding some vehicles and passengers

Some delays and cancellations to rail and air travel are likely

There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off

Power cuts are likely and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected

Story continues

In pictures: People play in the snow on the Dunstable Downs in Bedfordshire

14:20 , Emily Atkinson

(PA)

(PA)

(PA)

Revealed: When and where it will snow in the UK this week

13:50 , Emily Atkinson

Snow and ice warnings have been issued across parts of the UK this week with up to 10cm of snow expected to settle in Scotland.

Yellow weather warnings have been put in place with power outages and travel disruption likely as the band of freezing weather kicks in.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued Level 2 and Level 3 Cold Weather Alerts for the whole of England.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain has the details:

Revealed: When and where it will snow in the UK this week

Bristol Airport reopens

13:10 , Emily Atkinson

Bristol airport reopened at 10.45am after it temporarily closed for snow clearing operations with morning flights cancelled.

The airport has said there is ongoing flight disruption, however.

Watch: Animals enjoy snow day at Whipsnade Zoo

12:40 , Emily Atkinson

How to drive in snow and ice

12:10 , Emily Atkinson

The current heavy snow across the UK means drivers are facing icy roads and treacherous conditions.

The gritters are out but motorists are still being advised against making unnecessary journeys and to proceed with extreme caution when setting out proves unavoidable.

Joe Sommerlad has the details:

How to drive in snow and ice

Network Rail advisers passengers to check journeys

11:40 , Emily Atkinson

Network Rail is advising passengers to check their journeys in advance due to the Met Office warnings, but a spokesperson said there has been no significant weather-related disruption on the lines so far.

The warnings for Wednesday cover northern and eastern Scotland until 10am, and Northern Ireland and southern England until 9am.

Latest images: Snow covers the M5 carriageway

10:50 , Emily Atkinson

(PA)

(PA)

(PA)

Kinbrace temperatures further plummet

10:31 , Emily Atkinson

The coldest overnight temperature of the year has dropped a further 0.2 degrees to minus 15.4C, according to the Met Office.

A reading of minus 15.2C was recorded at Kinbrace in the Highlands on Tuesday night, and the temperature in the area has since decreased further, the national forecaster said.

The temperature at Kinbrace has since dropped a little further to -15.4 Celsius this morning



Certainly a morning to wrap up warm   Met Office (@metoffice) March 8, 2023

Train travellers warned to expect disruption due to wintry weather

10:06 , Emily Atkinson

Snow and ice is expected to affect train journeys in many parts of Britain until Friday 10 March, National Rail has announced.

Passengers have been advised to check that their complete journey is possible before travel.

At present, Southeastern services are most affected by the adverse weather, with services disrupted on the Hastings, Sole Street, Bromley North, Bromley South, and Hayes lines.

Joanna Whitehead reports:

Train travellers warned to expect disruption due to wintry weather

Bristol airport cancels flights amid Arctic blast

09:45 , Emily Atkinson

Bristol Airport has cancelled all early morning flights today (Wednesday 8 March) due to snow and adverse weather conditions.

A statement on its Twitter account reads: The Bristol Airport teams are working hard on snow clearing operations, but as the snow continues to fall, flight operations have been suspended until 1100.

Passengers are advised to contact their airline for specific flight information prior to travelling to the airport and please take extra care.

Joanna Whitehead has more:

Bristol airport cancels flights amid Arctic blast

09:30 , Emily Atkinson

This mornings snowfall has been well documented across social media, with footage of snow-capped rooftops and wintry panoramas dominating our feeds.

Here are some of the top posts so far:

Police urge motorists to avoid driving due to very dangerous conditions

09:10 , Emily Atkinson

Wilshire Police has urged motors to avoid all but essential journeys after heavy snowfall overnight created very dangerous driving conditions.

Posting at 3.30am this morning, police said:

Very heavy snow overnight is making driving conditions very dangerous. If your journey is not necessary please do not drive. #staysafe pic.twitter.com/JDw9oRGIK7  Wilts Specialist Ops (@WiltsSpecOps) March 8, 2023

Coldest night of year so far as temperatures drop to -15.2C

09:05 , Emily Atkinson

The UK has braved its coldest night of the year so far, with temperatures dropping below -15C in the Scottish Highlands as snow blanketed parts of London.

Thermometers at Kinbrace in the Highlands gave readings of -15.2C overnight on Tuesday, the Met Office said  the lowest the mercury has dropped all year.

A blast of Arctic air means that sleet and snow is expected across southern England and south Wales on Wednesday, while scattered snow and hail showers will impact Scotlands northern coasts as the cold snap intensifies.

Andy Gregory has more:

Coldest night of year so far as temperatures drop to -15.2C in UK

Watch: Snow piles across Hampshire as arctic blast hits UK

09:00 , Emily Atkinson

In pictures: Swimmers brave freezing conditions King Edwards Bay, near Tynemouth

08:50 , Emily Atkinson

(PA)

(PA)

Mapped: Where will snow fall in the UK today

08:40 , Emily Atkinson

More sleet and snow are expected across southern England and south Wales on Wednesday while scattered snow and hail showers will impact Scotlands northern coasts as the Arctic blast intensifies.

The Met Offices early morning radar showed an area of rain moving in from the south and west which was starting to turn increasingly to sleet and snow as it pushed north and east.

The conditions, which have been attributed to an Arctic blast, are expected to bring more snow and ice throughout the UK, the Met Office said.

Thomas Kingsley takes a look at the latest maps:

Mapped: Where will snow fall in the UK today

Best in Snow: Heavy snowfall blankets Britain

08:20 , Emily Atkinson

Snow covered fields surround Alnwick Castle in Northumberland (PA)

Snow settles on Glastonbury Tor (PA)

A woman pulls a child on a sledge through the snow beside the beach huts at Blyth, Northumberland (PA)

Goathland train station in North Yorkshire blanketed in snow (PA)

Rural communities likely to be cut off due to weather, says Met Office

08:00 , Emily Atkinson

The Met Offices chief meteorologist has warned the weather could cut off rural communities in the north and impact travel over the next few days across southern England and south Wales.

A number of national severe warnings for snow and ice were issued, with the Met Office saying further warnings, or updates to the current warnings, are very likely.

Matthew Lehnert said: Snow, ice and low temperatures are the main themes of this weeks forecast, with the UK under an Arctic maritime air mass.

Snow could lead to some travel disruption, with a chance some rural communities in the north could be cut off.

The focus for the snow moves to southern England and South Wales tomorrow and some may wake up to a few centimetres of snow, with the south coast and far south-west likely to see a mix of rain and sleet. Further snow and hail showers are also expected along northern coasts, especially in northern Scotland.

He added: During the afternoon, a further spell of sleet and snow is likely to develop across southern England and South Wales which could cause travel disruption into the evening. The impact of lying snow and ice on untreated surfaces may have an impact on Thursday morning travel.

Bristol Airport suspends flights due to adverse weather conditions'

07:30 , Emily Atkinson

Please be advised that due to adverse weather conditions at Bristol Airport, flight operations have been suspended until 0800. Passengers are advised to contact their airline for specific flight information prior to travelling to the airport and please take extra care. pic.twitter.com/b7cKPTdQH4  Bristol Airport (@BristolAirport) March 8, 2023

Snow spells to continue in Wales, Midlands, East Anglia

06:53 , Vishwam Sankaran

The Met Office has warned that spells of snow will affect parts of Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia and southern England today with snow increasingly likely to turn to rain in the far south later.

While it is expected to be clearer in the north at night, some snow showers are also expexted in the far north, the weather service said.

On Thursday, the rain is expected to spread north and turn to snow over Wales and other parts of England, it noted.

 #Snow and ice warnings have been issued for tonight and Wednesday



 If you're making a journey, leave yourself extra time and prepare for delays



Details of the warnings in your area can be found here  https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs



Stay #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/CkrgIsWibc  Met Office (@metoffice) March 7, 2023

Conditions may worsen over the week and thick snow could cover several areas.

Disruptions due to snow, ice to continue

06:20 , Vishwam Sankaran

Disruptions caused by freezing temperatures, snow and ice across the UK are likely to continue on Wednesday, according to the Met Office.

The weather service had already issued a yellow warning for snow and ice for parts of the Midlands, much of Wales and the southeast, including London as Arctic air sweeps across the UK.

An area of rain has spread in from the south and west overnight, with this increasingly falling as a mixture of sleet and wet snow away from the coasts 



Stay #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/8biBXFBoWg  Met Office (@metoffice) March 8, 2023

The Met Office has warned that there is a small chance of travel delays and stranding of some vehicles and passengers due to the continued snowfall in parts of England, Ireland and Scotland.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not backing down from Bakhmut, instead promising to reinforce the town and deny Russia a foothold in the eastern Donetsk region. In an interview with CNNs Wolf Blitzer set to air Wednesday night, Zelensky said Bakhmut has strategic value and defending it would ensure Russia cannot push further west in the Donetsk region. This is tactical for us, Zelensky said, according to early comments published by CNN. We understand that after Bakhmut they could go further. Zelensky met with his top commanders on Monday, and the Ukrainian leaders unanimously decided they would continue to hold Bakhmut. This comes as Russian troops, led by mercenary company Wagner Group, aggressively close in on Ukraines defenders in the center of the city. Ukraine has inflicted heavy casualties on Russia, which has thrown troops at Ukrainian defenses in a pressure campaign, but time could be running out for a controlled retreat and clinging to the town might end up costing Kyiv. Still, Zelensky told CNN he wants to deny Russia a symbolic victory after Moscow has suffered a year of setbacks in Ukraine. Bakhmut has taken on a heightened level of significance for both sides in Russias six-month siege to take the town, becoming both a symbol of Ukrainian resistance and a potential war prize for Russia. While its operational value is in question, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said during a military conference call on Tuesday that Bakhmut is a major defense line for Ukrainian troops in Donbas. Its control will help develop a further offensive deep into the Ukrainian armys defenses, Shoigu said, according to Russian state-run outlet TASS. Meanwhile, the salt and gypsum mining town has seen some of the worst of the fighting  reduced almost entirely to rubble from artillery and gunfire.
Maksim Ziaziulchik, a Belarusian citizen who was sentenced to 10 years for mercenary activities in January this year, has been handed over to Russia by Ukraine as part of a prisoner exchange on 7 March.

Source: Belarusian service Radio Liberty



Quote: "Belarusian citizen Maksim Ziaziulchik is likely to be among the 90 Russian soldiers held captive in Ukraine, who were handed over on 7 March in exchange for 130 Ukrainian soldiers."

The outlet claims that Ziaziulchik is the second man on the right behind the man in the black jacket

Background:

On 18 January 2023, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv handed down a sentence to a citizen of Belarus and representative of the Belarusian secret services, Maksim Ziaziulchik. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for mercenary activities. He went to fight against Ukraine as part of the Russian private military company Redut.

At the end of September 2022, Ziaziulchik was captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine near the village of Yatskivka, Lyman district, Donetsk Oblast.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) notes that the detainee immediately tried to pass himself off as an "ordinary" fighter and thus wanted to hide his affiliation with the Belarusian secret service. However, SSU military counter-intelligence officers "cracked" the offender and obtained information from him about his tasks.

According to the court materials, the accused man pleaded guilty at the hearing and said that he regretted his illegal actions.

Previously:

On 7 March, another exchange of captured soldiers between Ukraine and Russia took place as a result of the negotiation process; Kyiv brought back 130 defenders in exchange for 90 Russians.

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(Bloomberg) -- Several Ukrainian cities came under fire from Russian missiles early Thursday morning. As in previous assaults, energy facilities have been among the key targets, Ukrainian officials said.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Russia is likely to downgrade its ambitions in Ukraine for the time being to hanging onto territory seized after the start of its invasion, US intelligence chiefs told a Senate committee.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the possible fall of the city of Bakhmut in the coming days wouldnt indicate a turning point in Russias war against Ukraine. We must continue to provide support to Ukraine, Stoltenberg said before a meeting with European Union defense ministers in Sweden.

Ukraine continues to defend Bakhmut, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said when asked about the NATO chiefs comments during a press conference.

Key Developments

EU Urges Faster Joint Purchases of Artillery Shells for Ukraine

UNs Guterres, Zelenskiy to Discuss Black Sea Grain Deal

Pentagons Budget to Seek Big Increases for Weapons Buying, R&D

Cyberattacks Are Just One Part of Hybrid Warfare: QuickTake

Putin and Saddam Hussein Have a Lot in Common: Leonid Bershidsky

(All times CET)

Cities Come Under Fresh Missile Attacks (5:25 a.m.)

Ukrainians awoke to a fresh wave of Russian missile attacks on Thursday morning and sirens were heard in many parts of the country.

Kharkiv, the second largest city, and the surrounding region were hit by at least 15 strikes on critical infrastructure and private homes, local governor Oleh Synehubov said on Telegram.

The railroad company Ukrzaliznytsia said about 15 trains out of more then 90 were running with delays Thursday morning because of Russian attacks on energy facilities. A number of railroad areas across the country are out of power, the company said on Telegram.

Story continues

Kyivs mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko, confirmed explosions in Holosiyivskiy district, without providing further details.

Zelenskiy Praises Protesters in Georgias Capital (9:16 p.m.)

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked protesters in Tbilisi, Georgias capital, who held Ukrainian flags and sang his countrys national anthem.

We want to be in the European Union  and we will, he said. We want Georgia to be in the European Union, and I am sure it will be. We want Moldova to be in the European Union, and I am sure it will be. All the free peoples of Europe deserve this.

The US and the European Union have condemned Georgias government for pressing ahead with a draft law targeting foreign agents that sparked violent clashes between police and protesters.

US Sees Russia Reducing Its Goals in Ukraine for Now (8:11 p.m.)

President Vladimir Putin would have to find outside suppliers of ammunition and impose a mandatory national mobilization if Russia is to advance in its year-old invasion, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the Senate Intelligence Committee Wednesday in presenting an annual assessment of worldwide threats to the US.

We do not foresee the Russian military recovering enough this year to make major territorial gains, Haines said. Putin is likely better understanding the limits of what his military is capable of achieving and appears to be focused on more limited military objectives for now.

Read the full story here.

Ukraine Continues to Defend Bakhmut, Deputy Defense Minister Says (6:27 p.m.)

So far, Bakhmut is standing, Malyar, the Ukrainian deputy defense minister, said.

Replying to the comment by NATOs Secretary-General Stoltenberg that Bakhmut may fall within days, she said that while the grueling fighting exhausts Ukraine it also drains forces from Russia.

For us, its very important to exhaust the enemy, so all this makes its own sense, she said.

Ukraines GDP Decline Slows in February, Economy Minister Says

The economy shrank near 26% in February from the same period last year according to preliminary data, Economy Minister Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on the website.

This compares to an estimated 32% decline in January, according to Svyrydenko. Economic activity gradually began to recover and the business mood improved as the energy deficit shrank and power cutoffs became shorter from mid-February. Reconstruction in liberated territories and the relocation of farmers from frontlines to safer areas also helped to offset economic decline.

UNs Guterres Visits Kyiv as Crop-Export Deal Talks Continue (3:00 p.m.)

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Ukraine for talks with Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday on issues which included grain exports, nuclear security, and mitigating impact from the Russias war.

I want to underscore the critical importance of the rollover of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Guterres said during a press conference with Zelenskiy in Kyiv.

The deal allowing to export grain from some Ukrainian ports is set to expire March 18 and can be extended if no side seeks to terminate or modify it, though a renewal is yet to be confirmed.

Ukraine Will Evacuate Dozens of Children From Bakhmut (2:20 p.m.)

About 40 children will be re-located with a family member, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on television. The evacuation of children had been encouraged in all areas of fighting, but was made obligatory for Bakhmut during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

They are among fewer than 4,000 civilians still in Bakhmut compared with a population of about 70,000 before the invasion, including about 12,000 children, according to Vereshchuk.

The issue of children in Russias war has become particularly charged. Last month, The School of Public Healths Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University said at least 6,000 Ukrainian children aged from 4 months to 17 years had been placed in political reeducation camps in Russia and occupied Crimea, with some later adopted or sent to foster families.

Bakhmut Could Fall to Russia Shortly, NATO Chief Says (1:30 p.m.)

Stoltenberg said Russia has suffered major losses in the battle for Bakhmut but is deploying more troops, trying to use quantity as a way of making up for a lack of quality.

They have suffered big losses but at the same time we cannot rule out that Bakhmut may eventually fall in the coming days, the NATO secretary general said, referring to Russia. Therefore, it is also important to highlight that this does not necessarily reflect any turning point of the war and just highlights that we should not underestimate Russia and should continue to provide support to Ukraine.

Mother of Wagner Group Founder Wins Appeal Against EU Sanctions (12:05 p.m.)

Violetta Prigozhina was targeted in February last year through her association with her son, whose mercenary group has played a key role in President Vladimir Putins increasingly all-encompassing war effort. The EU General Court, the blocs second-highest tribunal, on Wednesday annulled her inclusion on the list.

Even if Prigozhin is responsible for actions undermining the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, the link between mother and son is based solely on their family relationship and is therefore not sufficient to justify her inclusion on the contested lists.

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Ukrainian soldiers fire a self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions near Bakhmut - Libkos/AP

Ukraine needs one million shells urgently to fight back against Vladimir Putin's forces, the countrys defence minister has said.

Oleksii Reznikov said his country's armed forces need the one million 155-millimetre and 105-millimetre shells "as soon as possible" to save Ukrainian lives.



The total equates to around 90,000-100,000 artillery rounds per month and would cost around 4 billion euros ($4.22 billion).

Mr Reznikov added that air defence systems, tanks and ammunition are among other priorities he will raise during a meeting with EU defence ministers today.



It follows claims by Russia's Wagner Group that they have taken "all the eastern part" of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian town where fighting has raged for weeks.

03:02 PM

Today's liveblog is closing

Todays live blog is closing. Here is a roundup of the days main events:

The Ukrainian government was not involved in the sabotage last year of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, the country's defence minister said Wednesday.

Western media reports on the blowing-up of the Nord Stream gas pipelines are a coordinated bid to divert attention and Russia is perplexed that US officials can assume anything about the attacks without an investigation, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

The UN Secretary-General arrived in Ukraine's capital Kyiv hoping to drum up support for the grain export deal struck between Ukraine and Russia last year.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut may fall into Russian hands in the coming days following months of intense fighting.

At least 100 Russian soldiers have been killed over the last 24 hours amid heavy fighting in Bakhmut, the Ukrainian military has claimed.

Georgia was gearing up for fresh protests on Wednesday, a day after police used tear gas and water cannon against thousands of demonstrators in the capital Tbilisi demanding a controversial "foreign agents" bill be axed.

02:48 PM

Zelensky thanks Guterres for visit to Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres for meeting in Kyiv today.

Story continues

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres shake hands - REUTERS/Alina Yarysh

Mr Zelensky shared a video clip of their meeting, alongside the caption:

Right now, Ukraine is at the forefront of not just a struggle, but a real war for all the principles on which international life is based. Right now, it is Ukraine that is defending the goals and principles of the UN Charter. Hence, it is now and in Ukraine that the future of the UN and the global role of the United Nations are being decided. I personally thank the secretary general, his team and the United Nations as a whole, who share our view of the need to protect universal values and the international order.

02:27 PM

Republican House Speaker declines invitation to visit Ukraine

Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has rejected an invitation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to visit his wartorn country to see the extent of the destruction inflicted by Russia.

Mr Zelensky made the invitation on Tuesday in response to Mr McCarthy's comments on US aid to Ukraine. Mr McCarthy has said that he supports Ukraine, but does not back a blank check.

Mr McCarthy, he has to come here to see how we work, whats happening here, what war caused us, which people are fighting now, who are fighting now. And then after that, make your assumptions, Mr Zelensky told CNN.

I think that Speaker McCarthy, he never visited Kyiv or Ukraine, and I think it would help him with his position."

When told of Mr Zelenskys invitation, Mr McCarthy said he has no plans to visit, adding that President Joe Biden was too slow in his efforts to aid the country.

Some Republicans in the House of Representatives have been calling for an end to further aid to Ukraine.

02:08 PM

UN chief slams 'shocking' video of killing

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called a viral video that apparently showed a detained Ukrainian soldier being shot dead after speaking a pro-Ukraine slogan "shocking".

"The recent shocking images of a Ukrainian soldier apparently being summarily killed is yet another tragic reminder that the laws of war must be strictly respected," Guterres said during a visit to Kyiv.

01:59 PM

Ukraine and UN chief call for Black Sea grain deal extension

Ukraine's president and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Wednesday for the extension of a deal with Moscow that has allowed Kyiv to export grain via Black Sea ports during Russia's invasion.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said after talks with Guterres in Kyiv that the Black Sea Grain Initiative was necessary for the world. Guterres underlined the importance of the deal to global food security and food prices.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres meet in Kyiv - Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The 120-day deal, initially brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July and extended in November, will be renewed on March 18 if no party objects.

Russia has signalled that obstacles to its own agricultural exports need to be removed before it lets the deal continue.

01:36 PM

Watch: Russian troops refuse to obey orders in Ukraine

Russian soldiers released a video stating they are refusing to obey commands from superiors. Russia's Wagner Group has claimed to have taken "all the eastern part" of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian town where fighting has raged for weeks.

Pressure has been mounting on Ukrainian troops trying to hold the town against Russian soldiers hoping to capture it no matter the cost.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner chief and Kremlin ally, said in an audio message released by his press service that "Wagner units have taken all the eastern part of Bakhmut, all that's east of the Bakhmutka river" which bisects the town.

Ukraine has not yet commented, but president Volodymyr Zelensky has said the army is intent on defending Bakhmut and warned that Russians would have an "open road" into eastern Ukraine if the town was captured.

01:04 PM

One million rounds of ammunition needed by Ukraine

Ukraine needs one million rounds of ammunition in order to beat down Vladimir Putins invading troops, the countrys defence minister has claimed.

Oleksii Reznikov said Ukraine needs the one million 155-millimetre and 105-millimetre shells "as soon as possible".

The total equates to around 90,000-100,000 artillery rounds per month and would cost around 4 billion euros ($4.22 billion).

Mr Reznikov added that air defence systems, tanks and ammunition are among other priorities he will raise during a meeting with EU defence ministers today.

"Priority number one is air defence systems - and also ammunition, ammunition, and again ammunition," so that Ukraine can be prepared to launch a counteroffensive, he said.

The equipment needs to be supplied as quickly as possible in order to save lives, Mr Reznikov continued.

12:46 PM

Putin presents bouquets on Women's Day

President Vladimir Putin presented flowers to a female war correspondent and medical workers from Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine on Wednesday in a Kremlin ceremony to mark International Women's Day, thanking them for their achievements at what he called a challenging time for the country.

"Nothing is impossible for you," Putin said in a speech to a group of women who were then invited to step up and accept bouquets from him as trumpet fanfares sounded.

"You can be tender and feminine and at the same time very strong. You always strive for fairness, you do everything to ensure that life in the family, society and the country unfailingly improves," the president said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) attends a state medal award ceremony at the Kremlin Palace, on the occasion of International Women's Day - Kremlin Press Office / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Alluding to the war in Ukraine, Putin told the group: "Now, when Russia is again faced with direct threats to its security and sovereignty, we see many examples of valour and determination, courage, readiness to stand up for the truth, protect people and the very future of our state."

Earlier, in a video published by the Kremlin, he issued special thanks to female military personnel, saying their courage amazes even the "most hardened fighters".

12:13 PM

Bakhmut may fall 'in coming days'

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned Wednesday that the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut may fall into Russian hands in the coming days following months of intense fighting.

"We can not rule out that Bakhmut may eventually fall in the coming days," Stoltenberg told reporters in Stockholm on the sidelines of a meeting of EU defence ministers.

Ukrainian soldiers are seen in the BTR military vehicles on the road in near the Bakhmut frontline - Marek M. Berezowski/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

11:54 AM

At least 100 Russian soldiers killed in Bakhmut over last 24 hours

At least 100 Russian soldiers have been killed over the last 24 hours amid heavy fighting in Bakhmut, the Ukrainian military has claimed.

Spokesman Serhiy Cherevatyi said on Ukrainian television that 72 combat assaults and 102 Russian shellings took place in the area on Tuesday.

Despite this, Russia was "not allowed to move on and achieve any tactical victories, he continued.

Mr Cherevatyi said that the Russian paramilitary group Wagner was suffering heavy losses.

"They were literally cannon fodder for eight months... they were used in such an extensive primitive way to deplete our units, to constantly put pressure on our defence," Mr Cherevatyi said of Wagner.

Wagner is reinforced by units of airborne troops, mechanized units and artillery and aviation, he added.

11:32 AM

Zelensky sent video message by Wagner chief

The chief of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner has sent a video message from inside the city of Bakhmut to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Yevgeny Prigozhin hit back at Ukrainian reports that Wagner was suffering heavy losses in the battle for Bakhmut.

"We will conquer this frontier with dignity," he said.

"The [Russian] Defense Minister has told you that after capturing Bakhmut, the operational space will open. And the world has not yet faced the Russian army, which is well prepared, with those units that have not yet entered into battle, with all possible modern weapons, intelligence, ideally prepared," Prigozhin continued.

"They are waiting for their time. Right after the opening of the operational space by PMC Wagner after Bakhmut. Then the whole world will shudder."

11:09 AM

MOD shares latest intelligence update

The UK Ministry of Defence has released its latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine.

The illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine is continuing.



The map below is the latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine  08 March 2023.



Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/yPyknNR3WC



 #StandWithUkraine  pic.twitter.com/adUPveecZC  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) March 8, 2023

10:50 AM

Ukraine in pictures

Here is a round-up of the latest pictures from Ukraine:

Ukrainian drone bomb falls inside Russian tank hatch - @72.brigade.best/Newsflash

A woman places a container of food atop the grave of her son in the soldier's section of a cemetery in Kharkiv - John Moore/Getty Images

Ukrainian soldiers in a trench under Russian shelling on the frontline close to Bakhmut, Donetsk region - AP Photo/Libkos

Olga Shulga with her son Myroslav ride in the car during an evacuation by Ukrainian police, in Avdiivka - AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

MSF workers carry a man on a stretcher into a MSF medical train that evacuates patients from near the frontline of the fighting to safer areas, at the train station in Pokrovsk - AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka

10:24 AM

War will have 'devastating' consequences for Russia's economy, says IMF

Russias economic outlook beyond 2023 is quite devastating, the International Monetary Funds managing director has said.

When you take our projections over a medium term, what they mean is Russia[s economy] shrinking by at least 7 per cent, Kristalina Georgieva told CNN.

Ms Georgieva added that Russias economy will suffer over time due to workers emigrating, access to technology being cut off and sanctions on the countrys energy industry hitting.

Despite Russia managing to direct some of its oil sales beyond European markets towards China and India, this will not have a lasting impact on the countrys economy, she said.

We dont see Russia in any way benefiting from what they have caused to Ukraine and to themselves.

09:49 AM

Kremlin says Nord Stream attack reports are 'coordinated'

Western media reports on the blowing-up of the Nord Stream gas pipelines are a coordinated bid to divert attention and Russia is perplexed that US officials can assume anything about the attacks without an investigation, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

The New York Times, citing intelligence reviewed by US officials, reported on Tuesday that a pro-Ukraine group - likely made up of Ukrainians or Russians - was responsible for blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines that run under the Baltic Sea between Russia and Germany last September.

Germany's ARD broadcaster and Die Zeit newspaper said the attack was carried out by five men and one woman who rented a yacht and used false passports.

"Obviously, the authors of the attack want to divert attention," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the state RIA news agency, adding that the information had been planted.

"How can American officials assume anything without an investigation?"

"The very least that the Nord Stream shareholder countries and the United Nations must demand is an urgent, transparent investigation with the participation of everyone who can shed light," Peskov said.

09:28 AM

UN believes video of Ukrainian soldier's killing 'may be authentic'

The UN Human Rights Office said Wednesday it believes that a viral video showing what it called the apparent execution of a captured soldier after saying "Glory to Ukraine" may be authentic.

"We are aware of this video posted on social media that shows a Ukrainian soldier hors de combat apparently being executed by Russian armed forces. Based on a preliminary examination, we believe that the video may be authentic," a spokeswoman told AFP.

A Ukrainian serviceman smoking a cigarette before being shot - UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SER/AFP via Getty Images

09:01 AM

UN chief in Kyiv to shore up grain deal

The UN Secretary-General has arrived in Ukraine's capital Kyiv hoping to drum up support for the grain export deal struck between Ukraine and Russia last year.

The agreement, negotiated and implemented by the UN and Turkey, must be renewed by March 18, but there is concern that Russia may reject it.

Antonio Guterres announced his one-day visit to Kyiv at short notice, after travelling to Poland on Tuesday.

Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said he would "discuss the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in all its aspects, as well as other pertinent issues" with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

08:55 AM

EU needs to prioritise existing funds for buying Ukraine shells, Borrell says

Existing European funds will need to be prioritised for procuring ammunition for Ukraine before any decision on fresh funds can be expected, the European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Wednesday.

"The first thing to do is to use what we have. If member states are ready to provide more, I will be happy. But today let's be realistic and pragmatic, and discuss about the things that can be adopted today," Borrell said before a meeting with EU defence ministers in Stockholm.

Meanwhile, Estonia's Defence minister Hanno Pevkur said: "When we bring this fresh money, then this will also increase the capacity of the industry. Which is what we need anyway also for the future, that the European industries are capable of producing more shells."

The ministers will discuss plans to speed up the supply of 155 millimetre ammunition to Ukraine, which is pleading for more such artillery shells to fight Russia's invasion, and to order more munitions together.

08:35 AM

Nord Stream sabotage 'not our activity', says Ukraine

The Ukrainian government was not involved in the sabotage last year of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, the country's defence minister said Wednesday.

"This is not our activity", Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told reporters in Stockholm ahead of a meeting with EU defence ministers, in response to a report in The New York Times that US officials had seen new intelligence indicating a "pro-Ukrainian group" was responsible for the sabotage.

08:21 AM

More on Wagner Group's 'gains in Bakhmut'

Here's some more on the claim by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia's Wagner Group, that his troops have taken the eastern region of Bakhmut, a key Ukrainian stronghold.

Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on Prigozhin's claim.

However, the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think-tank that closely monitors the fighting in Ukraine, said in its latest analysis that Russian forces have likely captured the eastern part of Bakhmut, east of the Bakhmutka River, following a controlled Ukrainian withdrawal from eastern Bakhmut as of March 7.

The Wagner Group has spearheaded Bakhmut that has lasted for six months and reduced the town with a pre-war population of more than 70,000 to a smoldering wasteland.

Russian troops have enveloped the city from three sides, leaving a narrow corridor to the west.

08:15 AM

Violent clashes in Georgia over Russia-style 'foreign agents' law

Georgia was gearing up for fresh protests on Wednesday, a day after police used tear gas and water cannon against thousands of demonstrators in the capital Tbilisi demanding a controversial "foreign agents" bill be axed.

The law would impose registration requirements on media and NGOs with ties abroad and has been described as "Kremlin-inspired" because it is strikingly similar to a 2012 law adopted by Russia that allows authorities to crack down on NGOs, media outlets and others deemed "foreign agents".

The demonstration on Tuesday took place after Georgian lawmakers gave their initial backing to the draft law, which would threaten the country's bid to join the EU.

A fight reportedly broke out at one point among lawmakers. Others blocked both entrances to the parliament building, chanting: No to Russian law!

Read more here

Protesters face off with riot police during clashes in front of the Georgian parliament - STR/AFP via Getty Images

08:12 AM

In pictures: Fighting takes its toll in Bakhmut

Ukrainian soldiers fire a self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions near Bakhmut - AP Photo/Libkos

A Ukrainian soldier looks out of an APC near Bakhmut, the site of the heaviest battles in Donetsk region - AP Photo/Libkos

Resident Velyka Novosilka in the city of Vuhledar, a strategic rail and road hub frontline south of Bakhmut - Ignacio Marin Fernandez/Anadolu Agency

08:07 AM

EU plans to ramp up production of ammunition for Ukraine

The European Union is set to centralise defence spending in a Covid-style push to produce ammunition for Ukraine, according to a confidential document seen by The Telegraph.

Thierry Breton, the EU commissioner for the Internal market, said the bloc had to shift to a wartime economy model to prepare for a high-intensity conflict with Russia for years to come.

European sources said the initial version of the plan for joint procurement, which will be discussed by EU defence ministers at a summit in Stockholm, Sweden, on Wednesday excludes purchases of British weapons and munitions.

British officials have previously warned that an EU-first arms policy could threaten Nato standards.

Read more here

08:00 AM

Was Russian defence ministry video an affront to Wagner Group?

Here's the UK Ministry of Defence's latest intelligence update on Ukraine.

On March 4, the Russian Ministry of Defence released a video of a rare visit to Ukraine by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

The MoD said: "There is a realistic possibility that this was partially in response to recent footage of the owner of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, visiting his fighters on the front line.

"Wagner is in a high-profile dispute with the Russian Ministry of Defence and Shoigu is likely sensitive to being compared to Prigozhin."

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 8 March 2023



Find out more about Defence Intelligence: https://t.co/akaFr7xgND



 #StandWithUkraine  pic.twitter.com/VtkeZyXoj1  Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) March 8, 2023

07:43 AM

Berlin warns against hasty accusations after Nord Stream reports

Germany's defence minister Boris Pistorius warned against premature accusations on Wednesday after a media report said that intelligence reviewed by US officials indicated that a pro-Ukrainian group was behind last year's attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines.

"It may just as well have been a false flag operation staged to blame Ukraine, an option brought up in the media reports as well," Pistorius told public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk in an interview.

"The likelihood for one or the other is equally high," he added. Pistorius was speaking in Stockholm where EU defence ministers are meeting.

Related: Nord Stream pipelines 'blown up by pro-Ukrainian group', says US

07:40 AM

Belarus 'developing new military doctrine'

Belarus's defence ministry has been tasked with developing a new military doctrine that would respond to the "escalation of global political tensions", Russian news agencies have reported.

Although not directly involved in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko allowed Moscow to use his country's territory to launch the war and send Russian troops to Ukraine.

Russian agencies, which cited the Belarusian Security Council's resolution ordering the doctrine, would not provide details on what the new military guide might involve.

The document orders that "in the context of the escalation of global geopolitical tensions" the implementation of measures "aimed at protecting independence, territorial integrity, sovereignty and the constitutional order from external and internal threats", TASS agency reported.

The Belarusian Security Council has also instructed the defence ministry to finalise the draft law on forming a new voluntary territorial defence within a month.

In February, Lukashenko ordered the formation of the militia of between 100,000-150,000 volunteers.
By Pavel Polityuk

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine's president and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Wednesday for the extension of a deal with Moscow that has allowed Ukraine to export grain via Black Sea ports during Russia's invasion.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said after talks with Guterres in Kyiv that the Black Sea Grain Initiative was "critically necessary" for the world, and the U.N. chief underlined its importance to global food security and food prices.

The 120-day deal, initially brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last July and extended in November, will be renewed on March 18 if no party objects.

Russia's demands, however, have not yet been met, a Turkish diplomatic source said, adding that Ankara was "working very hard" to ensure the deal continues.

Top U.N. trade official Rebeca Grynspan, who travelled with Guterres to the Ukrainian capital, will meet senior Russian officials in Geneva next week to discuss extending the deal, a U.N. spokesperson said.

"I want to underscore the critical importance of rolling over the Black Sea Grain Initiative on 18th March and working to create the conditions to enable the greatest possible use of export infrastructure through the Black Sea in line with the objectives of the initiative," Guterres told reporters in Kyiv.

Russia, which lifted a blockade of three Ukrainian Black Sea ports under the deal, has signalled that obstacles to its own agricultural exports need to be removed before it lets the agreement continue.

To help convince Russia to allow Ukraine to resume its Black Sea grain exports, a three-year deal was struck last year in which the U.N. agreed to help facilitate Russian food and fertilizer exports.

SANCTIONS

Western powers have imposed tough sanctions on Russia for its invasion of neighbour Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year.

While Russia's food and fertilizer exports are not subject to sanctions, Moscow says restrictions on its payments, logistics and insurance industries are a "barrier" to such shipments.

Story continues

"Russia's concerns, or the rather the difficulties that it is facing, have not been overcome yet. But Turkey is doing its part for an agreement between all parties," the Turkish diplomatic source said.

Ukraine and Russia are both major global suppliers of grains and fertilizers. Before the war, Ukraine was the world's fourth-largest corn exporter and fifth-biggest wheat seller, a main supplier to poor countries in Africa and the Middle East that depend on grain imports.

Ukraine has so far exported more than 23 million tonnes of mainly corn and wheat under the deal, according to the United Nations. The top primary destinations for shipments have been China, Spain, Turkey, Italy and the Netherlands.

Zelenskiy said he and Guterres, who was visiting Kyiv for the third time since the invasion, also discussed security issues and the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, which is occupied by Russian forces.

Guterres said security around the Zaporizhzhia plant in southern Ukraine was vital and that the U.N. was trying to help.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog has monitors at what is Europe's largest nuclear power station and has been pressing both sides to establish a demilitarised "safe zone" around it.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk, Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York; Editing by Timothy Heritage and Grant McCool)
Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson greets his supporters during his election victory celebration at the Marriott Marquis Chicago hotel on April 4, 2023. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

The powerful Service Employees International Union Local 1 threw its support behind Brandon Johnson on Wednesday as businessman Willie Wilson endorsed Paul Vallas, the latest jockeying for support by the two mayoral candidates ahead of the April 4 runoff election.

Brandon is an organizer, a teacher, a Cook County commissioner and a longtime community activist, and most importantly for me and my union, he is one of us, Local 1 President Genie Kastrup said.

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Wilson, who also ran for mayor but didnt advance past the first round of voting last week, declared at a dueling news conference that Vallas is the best person for this job and for this moment in time.

Crime is high.  We do not need defunding of police officers, Wilson said, referencing Johnsons previous support for reallocating the departments resources. If anything, we need to give raises and support them.

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Alluding to the citys history of racial politics, Wilson said he believes Vallas can bring people together and urged residents not to be divided between Black and white. He also criticized Johnson as being beholden to the Chicago Teachers Union.

We have to look at a situation (where), would he have control of it? I dont think so but, nevertheless, our kids today are graduating from school today ... and cant even read or write. Period, Wilson said. A lot of them cant even tie their shoes up. Thats today. Not yesterday, today.

Vallas accepted Wilsons endorsement and indirectly addressed his comments.

I didnt expect Willie to talk about schools too much but at the the end of the day, every child deserves quality educational opportunities regardless of their ZIP code, regardless of their income, and clearly if were going to address the underlying causes of crime in our community long term, weve got to in large part address it by providing critical educational services to children so we can connect them to the workplace, Vallas said.

SEIU Local 1s endorsement gives a boost to Johnson, who already has backing from the powerful teachers union and is expected to vie for support from other labor organizations that went for candidates who were knocked out of the running last week.

Kastrup said the chapter declined to endorse until now because it had many friends in the first round. And now that Local 1 is all in, she hinted at but did not specify a windfall of campaign contributions coming Johnsons way.

The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, Kastrup said.

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Vallas, a former CEO of Chicago Public Schools who has the endorsement of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, will also likely make a play for more labor support.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 88 Gov. J.B. Pritzker, left, greets Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson at the governor's downtown Chicago office on April 7, 2023. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 106 After marking his ballot, Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas heads to the ballot box to cast his vote at Healy School in the 11th Ward on Election Day, April 4, 2023. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

SEIU has been a formidable presence in recent Chicago elections, easily topping the list of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkles biggest donors in her unsuccessful 2019 run for mayor at more than $3.6 million in total contributions. The union also gave more than $3.3 million to the failed 2015 mayoral campaign of Jesus Chuy Garcia, who was then a Cook County commissioner. Now a congressman, Garcia ran again this year but came in fourth and did not make the runoff.

This most recent cycle, SEIUs political funds have dropped more than $1.2 million to Johnson since the Local 73 and SEIU Healthcare endorsements. Local 73s members work in schools, government and other social services, while Healthcare represents hospital, nursing home, home care and child care workers.

SEIU support could be critical for Johnson, who needs to raise money for expensive television ads and turn out voters to defeat the better-funded Vallas.

Wilsons endorsement could also be critical for Vallas, who needs to continue building support in the Black community. Wilson endorsed Mayor Lori Lightfoot in 2019, helping her build ties among African American voters on the South and West sides. Vallas has spent the past week attempting to build support from Black elected officials and community leaders, rolling out endorsements from Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, Ald. Roderick Sawyer, 6th, and Ald. Walter Burnett, 27th.

Vallas will encounter significant headwinds as a white man running on a law-and-order platform, and hes likely to face resistance from the citys Black political establishment as officials try to coalesce behind Johnson in the runoff. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle endorsed Johnson this week.

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Although Wilson suggested he was open-minded about supporting Johnson, his relationship with Vallas runs deep. Over the past year, Vallas and Wilson both ran to Lightfoots right as pro-police, law-and-order candidates and were the only people in the field to pursue an endorsement from the controversial Fraternal Order of Police.

In addition to their shared political leanings, Vallas and Wilson formed a bond over their shared grief as having lost sons. Wilsons son Omar was murdered in 1995 while Vallas son Mark died after a battle with addiction. Their friendship formed when Wilson unexpectedly showed up at the funeral.

I didnt know him at that point. He did not know me. I went there to make sure I let him know I have been through that and I wanted him to know I cared, I was empathetic with him, Wilson previously told the Tribune.

Vallas said he was touched that Wilson came to his sons funeral. He compared his relationship with Wilson to the classic 1958 film The Defiant Ones, about two escaped convicts on the run. After they lost the 2019 mayoral campaign, Vallas and Wilson went to a Bulls game together.

Johnson also picked up an endorsement Wednesday from the Illinois chapter of the environmental group Sierra Club.

Commissioner Brandon Johnson stands out as the candidate with the most equitable vision for the climate and environmental justice crises Chicagoans face today, and Sierra Club is proud to endorse him for mayor, Sierra Club Illinois Director Jack Darin said in a release.

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Tribune reporter A.D. Quig contributed.
Key developments on March 7:

Despite Russia throwing more Wagner mercenaries into Bakhmut, Ukraine decides not to withdraw from the city.

Russian forces will have an "open road" to seize other critical settlements in eastern Ukraine if they capture Bakhmut, President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN, reiterating his bid to continue the city's defense. On March 6, Zelensky stated that a decision was made not to withdraw from Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast.

"This is tactical for us after Bakhmut, they could go further. They could go to Kramatorsk, they could go to Sloviansk," Zelensky said in an interview from Kyiv. "That's why our guys are standing there."

Ukraine reinforces the troops currently defending the eastern city from Russia's relentless attacks.

According to the March 7 British Defense Ministry's update, Ukrainian forces have 'likely stabilized' their defense perimeter in Bakhmut.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on national television on March 7 that 4,000 civilians, including 38 children, still remain in Bakhmut.

On March 7, the government ordered a mandatory evacuation of families with children from front-line settlements.

According to the Ministry of Reintegration, a parent or legal guardian must accompany children evacuated from active combat zones. Parents are not allowed to refuse, the official decree reads.

Hero of Ukraine killed in action near Bakhmut

Dmytro Kotsiubailo, commander of the First Mechanized Battalion "Da Vinci Wolves" and Hero of Ukraine, was killed in action near Bakhmut, Zelensky reported on March 7.

"He has been defending our independence and the dignity of our people since 2014. One of the youngest heroes of Ukraine," Zelensky said in a video address.

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Kotsiubailo (call sign Da Vinci) became one of the youngest Ukrainian servicemen to receive the Hero of Ukraine national title in 2021. He was killed at the age of 27.

"For more than nine years, Ukrainian heroes have been fighting for the future of Ukraine. Peace and relative safety in the rear towns is their feat. Our confidence in the victory of Ukraine is their stability and strength," added Zelensky.

Dmytro Kotsiubailo, commander of the First Mechanized Battalion "Da Vinci Wolves" of the 67th Mechanized Brigade, was killed in action on March 4, 2023, near Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast. (Dmytro Kotsiubailo)

Ukraine attempts to identify POW allegedly executed by Russia

On March 6, a video was shared online in which an unarmed man in a military uniform with a Ukrainian flag on it appears to be shot dead by multiple rifle bursts after saying "Slava Ukraini (Glory to Ukraine)," a Ukrainian national salute.

The source of the video is currently unknown, and neither the shot man nor the shooters have been identified.

Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said that Ukraine launched an official investigation into the alleged summary execution of an unarmed prisoner.

The video has sparked nationwide outrage, with Ukrainians flooding social media with their reactions, condemning the execution and saluting the bravery of the man in the video.

Two versions have emerged regarding his identity.

Ukraine's 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade has tentatively identified the man as its serviceman who went missing near Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast on Feb. 3.

Shortly after their statement on March 7, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces presented the same version in their own post, but added that final confirmation would come after an investigation.

Almost simultaneously, another version emerged.

Ukrainian journalist Yurii Butusov asserted on March 7 that the soldier was, in fact, someone else  serving in the 163rd Battalion of the 119th Territorial Defense Brigade.

According to Butusov, he has spoken to the soldier's comrades. They identified the soldier and said his mother had also recognized him in the video.

Prisoner swap

President's Office Head Andrii Yermak reported 130 soldiers, including four women, were released from Russian captivity on March 7.

Most of the released soldiers were defending the now-occupied port city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine, according to Yermak.

As the Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories reported, 1,464 service members and 132 civilians were freed from Russian captivity in 2022.

On March 6, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets informed that an 8-year-old boy had recently been returned to Ukraine from occupied territories. He also stated, citing the National Information Bureau, that 307 children have been returned home.

Ukraine has identified around 14,000 children forcefully deported to Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The actual number of children kidnapped by Russia is expected to be higher.

Russia's continued attacks

Russia attacked four Ukrainian regions over the past day  Kharkiv, Kherson, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts  killing one and injuring 11.

Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that Russians shelled settlements in Kharkiv, Kupiansk, and Chuhuiv districts.

Four residential buildings and a fire station were damaged in Kozacha Lopan village near the Russian border after Russians opened fire with multiple rocket launchers.

An educational institution was damaged in Lyman, Donetsk Oblast.

According to Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko, one person was killed, and seven were injured in Donetsk Oblast over the past 24 hours.

According to Kherson Oblast authorities, Russian forces attacked the region 65 times over the past 24 hours, using almost 360 shells from mortars, as well as multiple-rocket launchers, artillery, tanks, and drones.

Four people in Kherson Oblast were injured as a result of the attacks.

Russian forces shelled multiple settlements as well as the positions of Ukrainian forces 109 times in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Officials received 26 reports of damage to residential buildings and infrastructure.
During his visits to Bakhmut, Sirsky listened to the reports of unit commanders about the state of affairs in the Bakhmut area

Ukrainian Armed Forces Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi has visited Bakhmut three times in the last 10 days. Commander of the Special Operations Forces Brigadier General Viktor Khorenko was also seen recently in the frontline town.

Read also: At meeting with president, Zaluzhnyi and Syrskyi support continuation of defense operation in Bakhmut

"Firstly, the Ukrainian command, Ukrainian generals visit the front line quite often, unlike Russian generals who avoid appearing on the front line altogether," noted Tsaplienko.

They do visit, but not as often as Ukrainian senior officers.

He emphasized the morale boost these visits provide soldiers.

Read also: Ukraine repels over 100 attacks on Bakhmut in last 24 hours as Russia continues assault

"When soldiers see that generals are with them, they fight, realizing that their task is important, that their lives are important, and that the generals are not afraid to risk their own lives. This is very important," the journalist said.

Secondly, according to Tsaplienko, to properly plan operations, generals need to see everything with their own eyes.

Read also: Ukrainian forces conduct counteroffensive near Bakhmut, NYT reports

"When you see the situation on a map, it's one thing, but if you see the situation when the enemy is 700 meters away, it's a completely different feeling," the reporter said.

According to him, this is the only way for generals to understand the problems that soldiers face.

"You see their readiness," said Tsaplienko. You see the factors that are usually included in the military calculation, such as the number of troops and armored vehicles, but does not reflect combat readiness, motivation, military mindset, and cohesion.

These are all factors that you can only see when you are directly in the hot spot. That's why our generals travel there so often.

Colonel General Syrskyi visited the units defending Bakhmut and the outskirts of the Donbas town on March 5. While there, he said that the fighting had reached the highest level of intensity.

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Previously, Syrskyi visited Bakhmut on March 3 and Feb. 25.

Read also: Ukraine Ground Forces commander Syrskyi arrives in Bakhmut

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According to Oleg Katkov, Ukrainian pilots can be introduced to Western systems that increase the efficiency of Soviet aircraft at an airbase in the USA

Katkov believes that the pilots are being trained at the Davis-Monthan air base, home to the U.S. Air National Guard Reserves Command Test Centre.

Read also: US examining ways to install advanced Western missiles on Ukrainian jets, media report says

This is a very well-known air base in the U.S., and it is quite unique, said Katkov.

It is involved in the modernization of the aircraft fleet of the U.S. National Guard, which has a much smaller (technical and financial) resource than the U.S. Air Force, he said.

Only pragmatic modernization allows the Command Test Center to maintain the National Guards aging aircraft fleet at a high level. That is, to be as efficient as possible with minimal funds, the expert notes.

Read also: Ukrainian Air Force confirms arrival of Ukrainian pilots in US for testing

This suggests that it is likely that the United States is attempting to find ways to modernize the Soviet MiG-29, Su-27, or Su-24M planes used by the Ukrainian Air Force, in addition to the already announced training of Ukrainian pilots, Katkov believes.

Ukrainian pilots arrived there (Tucson air base) to master new (Western) systems that can increase the efficiency of (Soviet) aircraft, Katkov said, adding that this may be one of the goals of training Ukrainian pilots.

It is a pragmatic approach that allows Ukraine and its partners to bypass the political hesitation of Western allies to provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and to overcome the six-month wait to train Ukrainian pilots and aviation engineers on new Western aircraft.

Katkov explained that the value of Western fighter jets lies not so much in the airframe of the aircraft, but in its weapons and tech systems, such as sighting and radar.

There are quite complicated ways to adapt even Soviet machines to Western weapons, said the expert.

Read also: Ukraine to get two or three types of Western fighter jets, one as main one, Reznikov says

Given that Ukrainian military engineers, with the help of Western specialists, managed to integrate the U.S. AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missile under the wing of the Soviet MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters last summer, their ability to make additional adaptations is plausible.

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Katkov believes that Western systems that could improve the efficiency of Soviet fighters could include Litening and other advanced precision targeting systems.

Speaking abstractly, if you install a series of systems from Western fighters on an Su-27 or MiG-29, he said, then it is actually a 4+ generation aircraft that can fight against the Russian aviation and (there is a) certain way to change the situation both on air and on the ground."

Earlier it was reported that two Ukrainian pilots arrived in Arizona to train on flight simulators and test their skills to determine how long it will take to train Ukrainian pilots to fly Western aircraft, particularly F-16 fighter jets.

Ten more Ukrainian Air Force pilots are expected to arrive this month.

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  The U.N. cultural agency on Wednesday expressed concern about the suspected poisoning of thousands of schoolgirls across Iran and called for investigations.

Thousands of students across hundreds of mostly girls' schools have reported being sickened by toxic fumes in incidents going back to November. There have been no fatalities.

It remains unclear what chemical might have been used, if any. No one has claimed the attacks and authorities have not identified any suspects. Unlike neighboring Afghanistan, Iran has no history of religious extremists targeting girls' education.

UNESCO urges thorough investigations and immediate actions to protect schools and facilitate the return of affected students, the agency tweeted.

I am deeply concerned about the reported poisoning of schoolgirls in Iran over the past three months. This is a violation of their right to safe education, UNESCO head Audrey Azoulay said.

Iranian officials say they are investigating the incidents, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for anyone found responsible to be severely punished.

But authorities have also further tightened restrictions on independent media, arresting journalists, activists and others for speaking about the alleged poisonings. That has made it difficult to determine the scope and nature of the crisis.

Iran was already heavily restricting media amid waves of anti-government protests in recent months that were sparked by the September death of a young woman who was detained by the morality police. Iran's clerical rulers force women to dress conservatively and cover their hair in public but have never objected to women's and girls' education.

Some Iranian officials have suggested, without evidence, that the protests and the allegations of poisoning are part of a foreign conspiracy to foment unrest. Videos circulated online appeared to show teachers protesting over the suspected poisonings in several cities on Tuesday.

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Irans Interior Ministry meanwhile announced arrests in six provinces linked to the suspected poisonings. But its statement focused on an individual accused of making a video that was sent to hostile media and said three others were active in recent protests.

Iran has described some of the alleged poisonings as episodes of hysteria.

The World Health Organization documented a similar phenomenon in Afghanistan from 2009 to 2012, when hundreds of girls across the country complained of strange smells and poisoning. No evidence was found to support the suspicions, and WHO said it appeared to be a mass psychogenic illness.
The new United Nations human rights chief voiced "grave concerns" on Tuesday over conditions in Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, urging Beijing to take "concrete steps" to address its recommendations for the regions.

Volker Turk, delivering his Global Update speech in Geneva, said that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has "opened up channels of communication with a range of actors" in China on issues including "the protection of minorities" in Tibet and Xinjiang.

He reiterated the issues the office documented under his predecessor Michelle Bachelet last year - "notably large-scale arbitrary detentions and ongoing family separations" - saying that the OHCHR "has made important recommendations that require concrete follow-up".

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"We also have concerns about the severe restriction of civic space more generally, including the arbitrary detention of human rights defenders and lawyers; and the impact of the national security law in Hong Kong," said Turk, an Austrian diplomat who succeeded Bachelet in October.

In the final moments of her tenure, Bachelet released a long-awaited report on human rights conditions in Xinjiang, accusing Chinese authorities of committing serious violations, which "may constitute crimes against humanity".

Beijing - which had sought to block the report's publication - denied all charges, accusing the office of being politically motivated, and vowing to stop cooperating with it.

Turk's remarks came a day after an independent body of experts assembled by the UN stoked fresh concern about human rights in China.

After extensive talks with Chinese diplomats and officials, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) published a review on Monday that flagged "reports of the discriminatory character of severe, systematic, vast and undue restrictions on a wide range of economic, social and cultural human rights".

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The committee raised concerns over the suppression of the linguistic and cultural rights of minorities in China, including "the targeting of predominantly Uygur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Hui, Turkic-speaking peoples".

Government signage depicting ethnic minority residents reading the constitution near Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on March 19, 2021. Photo: AP alt=Government signage depicting ethnic minority residents reading the constitution near Kashgar in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region on March 19, 2021. Photo: AP>

It also cited "reports of the large-scale campaign to eradicate Tibetan culture and language, as well as the general undermining of the linguistic identity of ethnic minorities by the assimilation policy of the state party, known as sinicisation".

Concerning Hong Kong, it recommended that authorities there "immediately provide all due process guarantees of human rights defenders, civil society actors, journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers working on human rights and others working to defend economic, social and cultural rights, including access to independent and effective legal representation at every stage of the proceedings".

The Hong Kong government quickly lodged a "strong objection", saying the report trafficked in "distorted narratives".

Officers from various forces march in Hong Kong next to a banner supporting the national security law on July 1, 2020, during a commemoration to mark the anniversary of the city's handover from Britain. Photo: AFP alt=Officers from various forces march in Hong Kong next to a banner supporting the national security law on July 1, 2020, during a commemoration to mark the anniversary of the city's handover from Britain. Photo: AFP>

"The committee selectively believed, and made sweeping statements based on certain false information and distorted narratives regardless of the truth, and made one-sided and flawed comments on the human rights situation in Hong Kong in the so-called concluding observations," the government said in a statement.

Activists welcomed the report.

"The CESCR has provided yet more evidence highlighting the gravity of the situation for Uygur and Turkic people. This is the proof that China has failed to whitewash its genocidal policies at the UN," said Dolkun Isa, president of the World Uygur Congress.

Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang addressed the human rights council by video link, questioning the universality of these rights and contending that each country should determine whether to recognise them.

"The practices of lecturing and finger-pointing at other's human rights while ignoring and competing to solve one's own serious human rights problems should be rejected," Qin said.

In his address on Tuesday, Turk also chastised parts of the West for their human rights conditions.

"People in the United Kingdom are currently experiencing a cost of living crisis that may result in the largest drop in living standards on record. Racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected," he said.

In the United States, he said, "people of African descent are reportedly almost three times more likely to be killed by police than are 'white' people".

He cited the "brutal death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis" earlier this year, a case which stood out "not just because of the severity of the violence caught on tape, but because it was followed by immediate action to prosecute the officers involved".

Activists hold signs addressing the Tyre Nichols case at a city council meeting in Memphis, Tennessee, on February 7. Photo: AP alt=Activists hold signs addressing the Tyre Nichols case at a city council meeting in Memphis, Tennessee, on February 7. Photo: AP>

Generally, he noted, "only a fraction of such cases lead to those responsible being brought to justice".

Turk touched only briefly on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, focusing on the "civilian casualties and destruction of a shocking magnitude ... and the war's impact on fuel and food prices".

He did not criticise Moscow for instigating the conflict, but said he would address the issue in more detail on March 31.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has arrived on a visit to Ukraine.

This was announced by his spokesman Stephane Dujarric, answering questions from the dpa news agency, as reported by European Pravda with reference to Tagesschau.

The UN Secretary General arrived in the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, at night.

During his third visit to Ukraine since the beginning of the war, the 73-year-old Guterres will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to negotiate the continuation of the grain deal.

The contract for the export of Ukrainian grain through the Russian-controlled Black Sea expires on 18 March, and the UN is insisting on another extension.

Earlier, media outlets reported that Ukraine has started online negotiations with partners regarding the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, aimed at ensuring that Kyiv can continue supplying grain to world markets.

The initiative was launched last July and was extended in November, with the mediation of the United Nations and Turkiye. It expires on 18 March, unless an extension is agreed upon.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkiye, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said on Sunday that Ankara is making a lot of efforts to extend the grain deal.

Russia has stated that they will agree to the extension of the Black Sea Grain Agreement only if the interests of their own agricultural producers are taken into account.

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U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived in Kyiv overnight to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and discuss extending the Black Sea Grain Initiative, according to Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

The renewal of the Black Sea Grain Initiative is critical, given that Ukraine is one of the world's top grain exporters. The deal was first signed in July 2022 to unblock Ukrainian grain exports amid Russias invasion of the country.

The deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, is due to expire on March 18th. As signatories of the agreement, both Ukraine and Russia must agree to renew it. However, Russia has threatened to back out of the deal if their conditions are not met.

(The) Russian side stressed that continuing the package agreement on grain is possible only if the interests of Russian agricultural and fertilizer producers in terms of unhindered access to world markets are taken into account, the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement cited by Reuters on March 1.

However, the U.S. and Europe did not target Russian grain and fertilizer exports by sanctions imposed after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on March 5 that his country was also working hard to renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative that has allowed Ukraine to export grain from three ports in southern Odesa Oblast, according to Reuters.




Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)

Dogs have been humanitys stalwart companions for tens of thousands of years. Unfortunately, not every dog is as genetically healthy as they deserve to be, thanks largely to our meddling. Over the past few centuries, human-guided breeding has split dogs into hundreds of distinct breeds, based on specifically desired physical characteristics. And sometimes, these characteristics, or the inbreeding needed to create them, can lead to a high risk of health problems.

Scientists, animal welfare advocates, and some breeders have long been trying to bring attention to the plight of these less-healthy dogs. And while there are many in these communities who believe that its still possible to steer breeding practices in a positive direction, at least some countries have recently taken action to heavily regulate or effectively ban the breeding of certain dogs. Some organizations have also launched public outreach efforts to discourage the buying and selling of specific breeds.

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Of course, every dog alive today is a good boy or girl worthy of being part of a family. But for people who are or might one day be interested in letting a dog occupy their home and heart, here are some breeds known to be less healthy than others.

French Bulldogs

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)

Their health risks: Frenchies belong to a group of canines known as brachycephalic dogs. These dogs have a much flatter muzzle and skull than other breeds, making them more susceptible to breathing problems, among other health issues. A study last December found that Frenchies in particular were more likely to develop 12 out of 32 common disorders than non-Frenchies, including narrowed nostrils, skin infections around their wrinkly faces, and difficulty giving birth. Some breeders have recently also gone out of their way to breed hairless French bulldogs, a designer dog trend that alarmed many veterinarians, since the lack of hair would likely raise their odds of sunburn or other skin problems.

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Bernese Mountain Dogs

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)

Their health risks: Bigger dogs are generally more likely to have a shorter lifespan and a greater risk of health problems than smaller breeds. And these lovable goofs are sadly no exception. Bernese mountain dogs and other large breeds are known to be more vulnerable to canine hip dysplasia, a deformity in how the hip develops that can eventually lead to chronic arthritis. They also belong to an ancestral group of canines known as mountain dogs, and a 2020 study found that these breeds may live three to four years shorter on average than other dogs. An increased risk of early death remained even after taking size into account.

English Bulldogs

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)

Their health risks: Like their French counterparts, English bulldogs are a brachycephalic breed with more than their fair share of issues. Aside from a shorter lifespan and breathing problems, a recent study found that theyre much more likely to develop so-called cherry eyesa condition that causes a protruding red mass to form in the corner of the eye, which then raises the risk of infections. This February, a court decision in Norway ended the breeding of English bulldogs within the country.

Great Danes

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)

Their health risks: Great Danes are another large dog susceptible to hip and other skeletal problems. But even compared to many other hefty breeds, Danes have a short lifespan, with the average Dane living between 8 and 10 years and many only until age 6. Their brief existence and higher risk for cardiovascular disease has apparently even led some vets to nickname them the heartbreak breed.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)

Their health risks: At first glance, Cavalier King Charles spaniels may not look as recognizably unhealthy as some other breeds, such as a constantly panting bulldog. But theyre also brachycephalic, and they have their own laundry list of elevated health risks. In particular, most spaniels will inevitably develop mitral valve disease, which causes the valve to not close properly, allowing blood moving through the heart to sometimes flow backwards. The condition often leads to other heart problems, including heart failure, and its considered to be the breeds leading cause of death. The Cavalier King Charles spaniel was the other breed beside the English bulldog that Norway decided to ban this year.

Irish Wolfhound

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)

Their health risks: Irish wolfhounds may have the shortest life expectancy of any breed around, perhaps due to their very large size. Pet owner surveys have found that while some may live up to 13, their average age of death is 6 to 7. Their most common cause of death, by a wide margin, appears to be cancer, followed by cardiovascular disease.

Pugs

Image: Shutterstock (Shutterstock)

Their health risks: Pugs, in this writers humble opinion, are some of the most beautifully tragic creatures in the world. But their ever-wrinkled faces and flattened skulls make them prone to a bevy of health issues, including labored breathing and skin fold inflammation that can lead to nasty skin infections. They also often cant walk right, and they can develop a neurological condition thats become so synonymous with the breed that its known as pug dog encephalitis. There has been some debate about whether the breeding of these pugs should be banned as well, but a small community of breeders have also started to outcross pugs with other dogs in an effort to create healthier retropugs that resemble what they used to look like centuries ago.

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Four South Carolina residents were shot at and kidnapped in Mexico in broad daylight last week, but was that an isolated incident or a common problem?

Well, the U.S. State Department has a do not travel advisory for the specific area they visited, if thats any indication of the danger.

Latavia Tay Washington McGee drove with Zindell Brown, Shaeed Woodard and Eric Williams to Mexico on Friday when they were shot at and kidnapped on Friday, Mexican officials reported. Both Brown and Woodard were killed.

McGee and Williams were later found alive, though Williams had been shot in the leg, Mexican officials reported.

The four had traveled to Mexico for McGee to have a medical procedure. Specifically, they had driven to the city of Matamoros in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexican officials have said.

How dangerous is Tamaulipas, Mexico?

The U.S. State Department has Tamaulipas listed as subject to its do not travel advisory because of the threat of crime and kidnapping. Its one of six Mexican states with the designation  the harshest travel advisory level the department issues. The travel advisory levels range from level 1, meaning exercise normal precautions, to level 4, recommending no travel.

Organized crime activity  including gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault  is common along the northern border, according to the state department. Criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments.

The state department adds that heavily armed members of criminal groups often patrol areas of Tamaulipas and operate with impunity.

Local law enforcement has limited capacity to respond to incidents of crime, the state department says.

Tips for traveling to high-risk areas

If you do intend on traveling to a high-risk area, the state department has tips it recommends you follow before embarking.
Visitors begin to gather around a food truck at an outdoor party at a church in Aurora in 2018. Aurora is currently looking at changes to its ordinance regulating food trucks in the city. (David Sharos / The Beacon-News)

An Aurora City Council committee Tuesday recommended amendments to the citys ordinance regulating food trucks.

The changes reflect discussions that have been going on between City Council members, city staff, community members, restaurant owners and food truck owners since November, and ended up in what city officials said was a compromise on where and how mobile food vendors can operate in the city.

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Were not going to make everybody happy, said Guillermo Trujillo, Auroras deputy mayor, who has been involved in the discussions. But everybody will be on the same page, everyone will understand the rules, which is what were trying to do.

By recommending the changes, the five aldermen on the Rules, Administration and Procedures Committee moved it ahead to the March 21 meeting of the councils Committee of the Whole. At that meeting, the entire council will get to weigh in on the changes, and Ald. Edward Bugg, 9th Ward, Rules, Administration and Procedures Committee chairman, predicted a lively discussion there.

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This could be amended still yet, said Ald. Ron Woerman, at large, a committee member.

Alex Voigt, deputy chief of staff in the mayors office, said the final draft that came before the committee was a compromise between some of the changes originally proposed by city staff.

She pointed out that the original discussion about newer and clearer food truck regulations started because of comments City Council members received from both traditional restaurants and community members.

The City Council approved a moratorium on any new licenses for mobile food vendors that expires March 28. Bugg pointed out that the city should get the new licensing procedure in place so the moratorium can be lifted by then.

The draft amendments recommended by the committee Tuesday were changed from regulations aldermen originally discussed. Those changes came from discussions between the city and food truck owners.

One change came in how many days food trucks can operate in one place. City staff originally sought to limit the number of days in a row a food truck can be in one location, but the new rules say a truck can stay in one location indefinitely, and can operate seven days a week.

But the regulation also says the truck must move after it closes for the day, and come back and set up the next day. Voigt said that came from a consensus of opinion that they have to move because it is mobile.

Another change is that while the new rules would limit trucks to operating between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. in residential areas - for instance, during private party events - there would be no limitation on how long a truck could stay open in other areas.

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Given the unique nature of their business, if they would like to operate early in the morning or later in the evening, there would be no restriction, Voigt said.

The draft recommended Tuesday keeps in a requirement that food trucks must operate outside of 100 feet from a brick and mortar restaurant, measured property line to property line. Food truck operators said by measuring it that way - and not from the front door to the truck - it would preclude a lot of possible locations for the trucks.

But the new draft also includes a process by which a food truck owner could appeal that, in cases in which existing restaurants are OK with the trucks location.

Deb Lang, assistant corporation counsel, said the appeal process is similar to one liquor store or bar owners can use to appeal their locations.

They can come to us, everyone is notified, and it gives the vendor due process, she said.

City Council members and city staff agreed that a food truck could stay in its location during the appeal process.

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One location for food trucks that would be eliminated in the new rules are gas stations, which is restricted in federal fire safety codes, officials said.

Some City Council members said by forcing the food trucks to move from their location each day, it would be a hardship because the trucks would have to be stored in a location properly zoned for them. Those can be hard to find, said Ald. Scheketa Hart-Burns, 7th Ward.

They would like to know, how can they find out if an area has been approved, Hart-Burns said.

Voigt said a food truck operator can find a location, then ask the administrator who licenses food trucks to see if that spot is zoned properly for the food truck to be stored.

While not everyone was completely happy with the draft moved forward Tuesday, a packed house of food truck operators stayed around and talked to City Council members after the committee meeting about what else could be done.

Also, four food truck operators have agreed to form a committee - sort of like a food truck association - to be a liaison between food truck operators and the city. The truck operators said they would help other operators to comply with the law, and find locations.

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Ald. Emmanuel Llamas, 1st Ward, said he has been upset with the characterization by some that the city is targeting food trucks for special regulation, and that operators were not given a chance to comment.

Thats why we did surveys and had special meetings just for you, he said. Were all trying to work together. Food trucks are good, restaurants are good. Were just trying to find a balance.

slord@tribpub.com
By Jack Queen, Helen Coster and Dawn Chmielewski

(Reuters) -Fox Corp Chairman Rupert Murdoch said that hosts Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham maybe went too far in their coverage of voter fraud claims, according to an email in a trove of exhibits in Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit against Fox unsealed on Tuesday.

Dominion sued Fox News Networks for $1.6 billion in 2021, accusing the cable TV network of amplifying debunked claims that Dominion voting machines were used to rig the election against Republican Donald Trump and in favor of his rival Joe Biden, who won the election.

The reams of documents that became public on Tuesday offer a window into Foxs internal deliberations as it covered the 2020 presidential election, alienating some viewers by being the first network to project that Biden would win the crucial state of Arizona.

The documents show top executives down to show-level producers and hosts discussing concerns about the networks reputation and casting doubt on the plausibility of Trumps claims of election fraud.

More than 6,500 pages were released on Tuesday, although the full extent of the evidence is not clear as many filings are heavily redacted.

Fox has defended its coverage, arguing claims by Trump and his lawyers were inherently newsworthy and protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The network said in a statement the documents show Dominion using distortions and misinformation to smear Fox News and trample on free speech.

The unsealed exhibits contain evidence underlying both parties dueling motions for summary judgment, filed last month, in which they seek rulings in their favor to avert a trial.

In one exhibit, Murdoch emailed Fox News President Suzanne Scott on Jan. 21, 2021, asking: Is it unarguable that high profile Fox voices fed the story that the election was stolen and that January 6th an important chance to have the result overturned'? Maybe Sean and Laura went too far. All very well for Sean to tell you he was in despair about Trump but what did he tell his viewers?

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In an earlier exchange with Scott, Murdoch wrote that it had been suggested to him that the network's primetime hosts say something like "the election is over and Joe Biden won," according to Tuesday's filings. Murdoch told Scott that some version of this would "go a long way to stop the Trump myth that the election stolen."

According to Dominions unsealed filings, Murdoch emailed a friend that the notion state legislators could change the election outcome - an idea then gaining traction on the right - sound ridiculous. Thered be riots like never before.

Stupid and damaging," Murdoch continued, referring to a news conference by then-Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani. "The only one encouraging Trump and misleading him. Both increasingly mad. The real danger is what he might do as president.

These exhibits and other material included in Dominion's summary judgment motion are part of the voting machine companys effort to prove the network either knew the statements it aired were false or recklessly disregarded their accuracy. That is the standard of actual malice, which public figures must prove to prevail in a defamation case.

Fox has said that Dominions extreme interpretation of defamation law would stop the media in its tracks" and chill freedom of the press.

Foxs exhibits include more context of testimony and messages that it says Dominion cherry-picked and misrepresented in its summary judgment filing.

For example, Fox cites additional testimony by Fox Corp co-chairman and CEO Lachlan Murdoch, who said under oath that he was concerned but not overly concerned by declining ratings after the election.

Dominion has alleged Fox continued to push the stolen election narrative because it was losing viewers to right-wing outlets that embraced it.

In another exhibit, Fox News host Hannity - quoted by Dominion as saying he did not believe Trump lawyer Sidney Powells claims for one second during a deposition - went on to say that during the interview he was giving her time to produce evidence but stopped having her appear on-air after she failed to deliver.

A Dominion spokesperson said in a statement that the "emails, texts, and deposition testimony speak for themselves. We welcome all scrutiny of our evidence because it all leads to the same place - Fox knowingly spread lies causing enormous damage to an American company.

The trial, set to begin on April 17, is slated to last five weeks.

(Reporting by Jack Queen and Helen Coster in New York; Additional reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Editing by Stephen Coates and Noeleen Walder)
Kentucky politicians and activists are responding to the U.S. Department of Justices investigation, finding probable cause that the Louisville Metro Police Department has violated federal laws and the Constitution.

The investigation was launched in April 2021, more than a year after Louisville police shot and killed Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman and emergency room technician. The DOJs findings were released Wednesday, when officials said they found evidence of illegal and racially biased police practices within the department.

During a press conference Wednesday in Louisville, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the investigation revealed that LMPD and Louisville Metro Government violated the First and Fourth Amendments, the Civil Rights act of 1964, the Safe Streets Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Following the findings of the investigation, LMPD and the DOJ are entering into a legally binding consent decree to work toward resolving the issues with in the department.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, who is only months into his first term in office, said there are infuriating examples of abuse cited in this report  particularly cases against Black and brown members of our community, and women and children, abuses by the same people who were supposed to protect them.

He called the reports findings unacceptable, inexcusable and a betrayal of the publics trust.

Louisville police violated constitutional rights, DOJ finds. Consent decree coming

Cameron, Beshear release statements on investigation

Kentucky Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron took to social media to share a statement which largely supported law enforcement.

Cameron handled a grand jury investigation into Taylors death. The state-level investigation resulted in charges for one officer, Hankison, but he was ultimately found not guilty on wanton endangerment charges.

Cameron was accused of misrepresenting the findings of the grand jury assembled to weigh whether any charges should be filed against the Louisville police officers involved in Taylors death. Three unnamed grand jurors and other concerned citizens filed an impeachment petition against Cameron in January 2021.

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The vast majority of Kentuckys law enforcement community protects & serves the Commonwealth with dignity & honor, & I am thankful to these brave men & women who put their lives on the line day in & day out to keep our communities safe, Cameron tweeted Wednesday. We hope that the U.S. Department of Justices work with Louisville Metro and city officials will help address lingering concerns & better allow law enforcement to keep people safe.

My statement regarding the results of DOJ's investigation into Louisville Metro:



The vast majority of Kentuckys law enforcement community protects & serves the Commonwealth with dignity & honor, & I am thankful to these brave men & women who put their lives on the line (1/2)  Attorney General Daniel Cameron (@kyoag) March 8, 2023

day in & day out to keep our communities safe. We hope that the U.S. Department of Justices work with Louisville Metro and city officials will help address lingering concerns & better allow law enforcement to keep people safe. (2/2)  Attorney General Daniel Cameron (@kyoag) March 8, 2023

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear tweeted that the DOJs findings were concerning.

My hope is that everyone in Louisville will come together and see the findings of this report as an urgent opportunity to take intentional steps for positive, lasting change, he wrote. I believe the DOJ findings can help achieve the goal of ensuring public safety and protecting everyones rights.

A statement from Gov. Andy Beshear: pic.twitter.com/SrErFiquqh  Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) March 8, 2023

Louisville activism group: Systemic changes are still needed

The 490 Project, a Louisville-based activism group, said it was not surprised by the reports findings and it confirmed what they already knew. However, they are still calling for more transparency from the mayors office after the report was released.

While we are grateful that the Department of Justice has acknowledged what we have long known to be true, this simple acknowledgment will not serve to prevent future violations of constitutional rights or reduce police violence in our city. For any meaningful change to happen, systemic changes in how we address violence must occur, the group said in a press release.

The group said change begins with transparent negotiations on the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between Louisville Metro Government and the River City Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).

Unfortunately, Mayor Greenberg has already stated that these negotiations will be kept behind closed doors, despite years of the community demanding otherwise, the group said. Allowing for transparency in the CBA process, as Mayor Greenberg promised on the campaign trail, is a critical part of ensuring that we stop LMPDs repeated violation of individuals constitutional rights.

It is not too late for the Mayor to bring transparency into this process  he has the authority to bring community observers to the negotiating table. All he has to do is act.

The 490 Project said it will explore the possibility of intervening in the consent decree toward these goals.

Community involvement in any agreement involving the FOP, whether it be a consent decree or the CBA process, requires community input to be transparent and bring real, needed change to Louisville, the release said.
By Francois Murphy

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.S. and Europe's top powers on Wednesday expressed alarm at Iran having produced a tiny amount of uranium enriched to 84% purity, very close to weapons grade, and said Iran must explain how it happened.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog found uranium particles enriched to up to 83.7% at Fordow, a site dug into a mountain and the second place where it is continuously enriching uranium to up to 60%. Weapons grade is around 90%.

The so-called spike is large but it remains unclear whether it was accidental. It happened in two interconnected cascades, or clusters, of centrifuges that the watchdog recently found Iran had made substantial changes to without notifying it beforehand as it should have.

"With respect to the detected particles of uranium enriched to 83.7 percent, all Board members should be gravely concerned by this alarming development," a U.S. statement to a quarterly meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation Board of Governors said.

"Iran must provide full and immediate cooperation with the IAEA to clarify what happened and facilitate all appropriate verification and monitoring measures deemed necessary by the Agency so that any future occurrence is promptly detected. Iran must ensure that such an incident never occurs again."

It added that "the fact that these new developments occurred in a heavily fortified facility that was originally built covertly only deepens our concerns".

The United States and Europe's top three powers - Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3 - have refrained from pushing for a resolution condemning Iran at this board meeting but they made clear they could act at a future session.

The last quarterly board meeting in November passed a resolution ordering Iran to urgently cooperate with a years-long IAEA investigation into uranium particles found at three undeclared sites.

Iran assured IAEA chief Rafael Grossi last weekend that it was prepared to provide further information to that long-stalled investigation. Iran and the IAEA issued a joint statement on Saturday outlining that pledge that went into few details.

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"The E3 are especially alarmed by the recent sampling at Fordow," the European powers said in a statement made to the board on Tuesday evening and published on Wednesday.

"This unprecedented enrichment at up to 83.7% U-235 is an extremely grave escalation," they said, adding that it "brings Iran dangerously close to actual weapons-related activities".

(Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Toby Chopra)
MiG-29

Read also: Ukraine requested 128 F-16s from United States

It is noted that the AIM-120 missiles are designed for Western-made jet fighters like the F-16.

The effort, if successful, could be part of a solution to Kyivs need for additional firepower and air defenses, as both Ukraine and Russia prepare for major offensives this spring, the article reads.

The integration of the AIM-120 with MiG-29 could be the first time the United States allows Ukraine to launch air-to-air missiles from aircraft. However, the process is fraught with difficulties, Politicos sources claim.

Read also: Poland wants coalition to transfer MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine  PM Morawiecki

Not only must the missile physically be fitted onto the aircraft, it must also talk to the aircrafts radar, the sources said.

To fire a shot, first the aircraft radar gives the missile a target, and guides the missile until it is close enough to find the target on its own.

Read also: US Attorney General arrives in Ukraine with unannounced visit

They explained that the main problem is that the U.S. and Soviet systems are far too different in design, making the missile and aircraft unable to "communicate" with each other easily.

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
Russia could shift to a strategy of holding and defending existing positions as it lacks the ammunition and troops to make significant territorial gains in Ukraine in 2023, Avril Haines, the director of U.S. national intelligence, said on March 8, cited by the New York Times.

According to Haines, after recent setbacks on the battlefield, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has begun to realize the challenges Russian forces are facing and may adjust his strategy in the short term.

Moscow may choose to prolong the war against Ukraine, even if it means long delaying offensive actions, as the best possibility to achieve its strategic goals, Haines told the Senate Intelligence Committee.

"Even as the Russian offensive continues, they are experiencing high casualty rates," the top intelligence official said, as quoted by NYT. In addition to personnel losses, the Russian military reportedly suffers from critical morale problems and ammunition shortages.

"If Russia does not initiate a mandatory mobilization and identify substantial third-party ammunition supplies, it will be increasingly challenging for them to sustain the current level of offensive operations in the coming months," added Haines.

She also said Russia was making "incremental progress" in the embattled city of Bakhmut in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, but it was not a "particularly strategic objective."

Haines' words echoed recent remarks by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that the fall of Bakhmut would not be a significant setback for the Ukrainian military.


NEW ORLEANS (AP)  California cannot ban the importation and sale of crocodile and alligator products, a federal judge has ruled, in a victory for the state of Louisiana, which challenged the ban along with businesses in multiple states.

Federal law controls trade in those products and preempts California from barring trade in them, Chief U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller in Sacramento, California, wrote in a ruling dated Tuesday.

Mueller had already blocked enforcement of the law while lawsuits challenging it played out in her court. Plaintiffs included businesses based in California, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Montana and Wyoming.

The California ban had covered products made from alligators and two species of crocodile  Nile and Saltwater. All can be sold legally under international treaty and U.S. federal law.

Mueller rejected arguments that California was only seeking to regulate activity within the state. California is not regulating crocodile takings with its borders, she wrote. Nothing in the record suggests crocodiles reside in California, migrate into California or have been introduced into California.

According to the court record, the Nile crocodile is listed as threatened and some species of saltwater crocodile are threatened or endangered.

The American alligator is no longer threatened or endangered  there are now an estimated 2.9 million in Louisiana in the wild or on farms  but it's treated as threatened because alligator products can be difficult to tell apart from products made from endangered crocodiles.

Louisiana argued in filing the suit that the economy surrounding alligators has played a key role in bringing back the American alligator population and is an important factor in protecting wetlands and other species besides alligators that depend on the wetlands.

Louisiana said that because most of the states coastal habitat is privately owned, the state does not have direct control over how it is managed. But the alligator industry provides economic incentives for landowners to take steps to protect marshlands that serve as habitat for the alligators.

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Conservationists noted those similarities in arguing to keep the California ban, saying that products from threatened and non-threatened species are so nearly identical that traffickers can easily disguise illegal products.

But Mueller, nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama in 2010, said federal law and regulations spelling out how and when skins and other products from the animals can be imported, exported and sold cannot be preempted by California.

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said Mueller's ruling helps preserve the state's successful alligator conservation efforts.

State officials have long held that careful wildlife management, together with alligator farming, have led to a recovery of the state's alligator population from fewer than 100,000 five decades ago. The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries estimates the value of alligators harvested in the wild or farm-raised at $245 million annually.

"The alligator trade has directly led to the resurgence and conservation of the American alligator as well the protection and maintenance of their natural wetland habitat, Landry said in a news release Wednesday. Californias ban would have completely disrupted the entire supply chain  not only decimating the industry and our wetland protection programs, but also removing over $100 million from Louisianas annual economy.

An attorney for California did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
A former Big Rock lay pastor has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for child sexual assault, officials said.

Mark Rivera, 50, of Winfield, was sentenced this week by Kane County Judge John A. Barsanti.

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Rivera was found guilty by a jury in December 2022, according to a news release from the Kane County States Attorneys Office. Rivera was found guilty of two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, court records show.

Prosecutors said on multiple occasions between June 2018 and May 2019, Rivera sexually assaulted a victim, who was younger than 13 years old and that he knew. Rivera was at the time a lay pastor at the Anglican Church of North America in Big Rock, according to the release.

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In addition to the prison term, Rivera must register for life as a sex offender. He receives credit for 1,134 days served at the Kane County jail and on electronic home monitoring.

mejones@chicagotribune.com
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Biden administration is preparing to relax COVID-19 testing restrictions for travelers from China as soon as Friday, according to two people familiar with the decision.

The people, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the administration has decided to roll back the testing requirements as cases, hospitalizations and deaths are declining in China and the U.S. has gathered better information about the surge.

The restrictions were put in place on Dec. 28 and took effect on Jan. 5 amid a surge in infections in China after the nation sharply eased pandemic restrictions and as U.S. health officials expressed concerns that their Chinese counterparts were not being truthful to the world about the true number of infections and deaths. The Washington Post was first to report on Tuesday about the expected administration move.

At the time, U.S. officials also said the restriction was necessary to protect U.S. citizens and communities because there was a lack of transparency from the Chinese government about the size of the surge or the variants that were circulating within China.

As part of its response, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this year expanded genomic surveillance at several U.S. airports, collecting voluntary samples from passengers aboard hundreds of weekly flights from China, and the testing of wastewater aboard airplanes. The Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance Program will continue to monitor travelers from China and more than 30 other countries.

The rules imposed in January require travelers to the U.S. from China, Hong Kong and Macau to take a COVID-19 test no more than two days before travel and provide a negative test before boarding their flight. The testing applies to anyone 2 years and older, including U.S. citizens.

It also applied to people traveling from China via a third country and to people connecting through the U.S. as they go on to other destinations. Anyone testing positive more than 10 days before the flight can provide documentation showing theyve recovered from COVID-19 instead of a negative test result.

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It has been left to the airlines to confirm negative tests and documentation of recovery before passengers board.

China saw infections and deaths surge after it eased back from its zero COVD strategy in early December after rare public protests against a policy that confined millions of people to their homes and sparked protests and demands for President Xi Jinping to resign.

But as China eased its strict rules, infections and deaths surged, and parts of the country for weeks saw their hospitals overwhelmed by infected patients looking for help. Still, the Chinese government has been slow to release data on the number of deaths and infections.

The U.S. decision to lift restrictions comes at a moment when U.S.-China relations are strained. Biden ordered a Chinese spy balloon shot down last month after it traversed the continental United States. The Biden administration has also publicized U.S. intelligence findings that raise concern Beijing is weighing providing Russia weaponry for its ongoing war on Ukraine.

Earlier Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang warned that Beijing and Washington were headed for conflict and confrontation if the U.S. doesnt change course.

Qins comments came a day after Xi in an unusually pointed speech said that Western countries led by the United States have implemented all-round containment, encirclement and suppression of China.

White House officials sought to downplay the hot rhetoric from Beijing.

There is no change to the United States posture when it comes to this bilateral relationship, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. The president believes those tensions obviously have to be recognized, but can be worked through."
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is set to end on Friday mandatory COVID-19 tests for travelers from China, joining other countries in dropping the requirements, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters.

Last week, Japan dropped a requirement that everyone take a test for the virus upon arrival from China. The source told Reuters the United States would continue to monitor cases in China and around the world. The U.S. decision was reported earlier by the Washington Post.

The CDC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The United States in early January joined India, Canada, Italy, Japan and other countries in taking new measures after Beijing's decision to lift stringent zero-COVID policies. It required new air passengers 2 and older to get a negative result from a test no more than two days before departure from China, Hong Kong or Macao.

China was battered with a surge in COVID-19 cases after it abruptly abandoned its zero-COVID policy in early December, unleashing the virus on its 1.4 billion population. In February, China's top leaders declared a "major victory" over COVID, claiming the world's lowest fatality rate, although experts have questioned that data.

The United States in December expanded its voluntary genomic sequencing program at airports, adding Seattle and Los Angeles.

The source told Reuters Tuesday the CDC would keep that program, known as the Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance Program (TGS), which asks travelers to volunteer to help with early detection of new variants.

TGS will continue to monitor flights from the China and regional transportation hubs, as well as flights from more than 30 other countries, the source said.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Edmund Klamann and Gerry Doyle)
U.S. officials have unveiled the latest round of sanctions on Iran over its governments violence toward women and girls amid protests happening around the country.

In a news release, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Treasury Department has implemented sanctions on multiple Iranian officials, company presidents, security leaders and companies for their role in the crackdown on anti-government protests in the country.

Many of those protests have been against laws requiring women in Iran to wear head coverings.

The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Director General of Prisons in Alborz Province Ali Chaharmahali and Head of Orumiyeh Central Prison Dariush Bakhshi for their roles, saying that both men were complicit in the mistreatment of inmates in their custody by security forces. This mistreatment included rape, torture and other methods of degradation, according to the U.S. government.

The department also sanctioned Mahdi Amiri, the Cyberspace Affairs deputy of the Prosecutor Generals Office of Iran, for acting on behalf of an entity that has engaged in censorship or other activities that prohibit, limit, or penalize the exercise of freedom of expression or assembly.

The Iranian Army Commander in Chief Sayyed Abdolrahim Mousavi and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, Habib Shahsavari, also were hit with sanctions. Treasury said IRGC forces under the command of Shahsavari allegedly detained and tortured individuals at the corps detainment facilities in West Azerbaijan Province and that military personnel under the control of Mousavi reportedly fired machine guns at protesters in November 2019.

Blinken also said in his statement that the department was imposing sanctions on multiple companies and their CEOs for providing equipment and goods to the Law Enforcement Forces of Iran (LEF), Irans national police force, and for providing security and protection services under the supervision of the LEF.

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The United States remains deeply concerned that Iranian authorities continue to suppress dissent and peaceful protest, including through mass arrests, sham trials, hasty executions, the detention of journalists and the use of sexual violence as a means of protest suppression, Blinken concluded in his statement.

Together with allies and partners around the world, we continue to take action to support the people of Iran in the face of these and other human rights abuses by the Iranian regime.

Iranian authorities have cracked down on waves of protests in recent months sparked by the death of a 22-year-old Iranian national Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody last month after being arrested by authorities for improperly wearing her hijab, which violated Irans strict rules on female dress.

Protesters have been calling for an end to violence and discrimination toward women in the country and in some cases the overthrow of the current government.

Aminis death and the women-led revolt have also garnered international attention, with countries including the U.S. condemning Iran for its treatment of women and the deadly tactics it has used to disperse demonstrators.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX)  A man accused of robbing a Salt Lake City bank of $1 on Monday said he wanted to be locked up in federal prison, according to Salt Lake City Police.

Donald Matthew Santacroce, 65, now faces one charge of robbery, a second-degree felony.

On March 6, police say Santacroce approached bank tellers at a Wells Fargo and presented a note stating, Please pardon me for doing this but this is a robbery. Please give me $1.00. Thank you.

Police say the tellers agreed and gave Santacroce $1 before asking him to leave. Santacroce reportedly told the tellers he was not leaving and that they should call the police.

Man charged after eating stolen chips dropped by thief, police say

According to the affidavit, Santacroce sat down in the bank lobby and waited for police to arrive. While waiting, he allegedly told the victims that they are lucky he didnt have a gun because it was taking so long for the police to get there.

The branch manager then reportedly ushered all of the employees into a back room for their safety and locked the doors.

Police arrived soon after and took Santacroce into custody.

Santacroce allegedly gave officers the $1 he stole from the bank, admitting to the crime and stating that he did so because he wanted to get arrested and go to federal prison, the affidavit states.

Additionally, Santacroce told police that if he gets out of jail, he will rob another bank and ask for more money next time so that he can be sent to federal prison, the affidavit states.

Records show Santacroce was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. Last week, Santacroce was also arrested in the southern portion of the state during a DUI and careless driving investigation, according to local reports.

Real or fraud? How the winner of a large Powerball jackpot is confirmed

News of Mondays robbery calls to mind a similar incident in 2011, during which a North Carolina man robbed a bank of $1 in an attempt to go to prison to receive health care, ABC News reported at the time. Another similar robbery took place in California the following year, by a homeless man seeking shelter and medicine in jail, the San Diego UnionTribune reported.

Salt Lake Police did not disclose if they had learned of Santacroces motive for wanting to go to prison.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Bravo/Google Maps

Despite being a Vanderpump Rules fan whos never stepped foot on the West Coast, Im fully aware that the Bravo shows featured restaurants are basically West Hollywood landmarks. Since at least 2013, when the show premiered, fans and other celebrities have flocked to Lisa Vanderpumps various dining establishments, most notably its home base SUR. The hope is that theyll bump into Vanderpump, her husband/business partner Ken Todd, and/or the shows famously messy cast.

Now an Earth-shattering cheating scandal, involving original cast member Tom Sandoval, is threatening to change that for at least two establishments associated with the reality series: Tom Tom Restaurant and Bar and the newly opened Schwartz & Sandys Lounge, both of which the 39-year-old co-owns with close friend and fellow castmate Tom Schwartz.

This Is Our Brangelina: The Vanderpump Rules Scandal Just Changed Celebrity Gossip Forever

Following the shocking revelation last week that Sandoval had cheated on his longtime partner (and castmate) Ariana Madix with newer cast member Raquel Leviss, fans flooded the restaurants Yelp pages and social media accounts with angry comments. Things got so bad, apparently, that Schwartz & Sandys posted a statement on its Instagram on Sunday, asking fans to consider the restaurants other staff. In his first public response to the affairbefore he released a formal apology to MadixSandoval shared a letter on his Instagram, urging aggrieved commenters to leave his businesses alone. (This did not go over well.)

Fans havent stopped at spamming, though. If theres one thing Bravoholics are good at doing, its demonstrating their political power as an extremely vocal, Very Online community, whether it's demanding that a Real Housewife be fired for offensive remarks or making Andy Cohen apologize for mishandling a topic at a reunion. Likewise, in another act of virtual mobilization, fans have been announcing their own boycotts of Sandovals restaurants, in solidarity with Madix (and against cheaters), and urging others to follow.

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This particular backlash is, indeed, fascinating and rather unique. Rarely do controversies on Bravo prompt fans to leverage their purchasing powerusually just their eyeballs or social-media follows. At first glance, many of these calls for a Sandoval boycott on Twitter can read like hyperbole or just wishful thinking. Upon further inspection, I discovered that many of the users disavowing all things Sandoval arent even located in Los Angeles, according to their bios. However, The Daily Beasts Obsessed managed to get in touch with several Tom Tom and Schwartz & Sandys customers, who say theyre officially withdrawing their support in the wake of the cheating scandal.

Im beyond over The Toms. I say we boycott Tom Toms and Schwartz and Sandys. Those two huge egos need a wake up call #PumpRules pic.twitter.com/MbwYv4MU0m  Nancy (@nannyp9) March 4, 2023

Sounds like Schwartz is still Team Sandoval lmaoooo.



Imagine if he had been this loyal to his wife. And Katie has never even come close to being as terrible as Sandoval and Raquel. FUCK SCHWARTZ.



BOYCOTT SCHWARTZ AND SANDOVAL. #PumpRules  Saturn (@RealitySaturn) March 8, 2023

People boycott brands all the time for being immoral, Katie Mackenbrock said, about her decision to boycott Sandovals restaurants. People didn't want to deal with Balenciaga after the kid thing or Adidas with Kanye. I think, after 2020, that reckoning has become a lot more common with our age group.

Mackenbrock, a Vanderpump Rules fan since Season 1, lives right up the street from Tom Tom in West Hollywood and would visit the spot regularly. She also recently started patronizing Schwartz & Sandys, which opened this past November in Franklin Village.

I definitely went there for the ambiance and potential cast sightings there, Mackenbrock said. You definitely don't go to those restaurants for the high-quality cuisine and amazing cocktails.

Mackenbrock can personally relate to the scandal, she said. She recently left a nine-and-a-half year relationship, nearly the same amount of time as Sandoval and Madixs, in an unfortunate and humiliating way. Understandably, Sandovals indiscretions have put a bad taste in her mouth. Yet she claims she had qualms with him before the most recent news of his infidelity with Leviss.

Vanderpump Rules Cheating Shocker Is Breaking the Internet

Ive always been horrified at the way Tom Sandoval thinks it's okay to speak to other women, like how he screamed in Katie [Maloney]s face for all these years, Mackenbrock said. But I mean, everyone's kind of saying his main redeeming quality was Ariana.

Still, Mackenbrock understands that, for many customers, Sandovalin addition to Schwartzwas the main, if not only, draw.

Were literally only going there for the personality of the Toms, she said. Lisa Vanderpump said their personalities are why [she] partnered with them, not their business skills.

When I went, we were all so excited, fellow fan Aimee Perez, who would frequently visit Tom Tom and Schwartz & Sandys with her friends, said. We were like, This is what we came for. We had a reservation for like a month. And Sandoval was the whole reason we [were] here. Now all that is gone.

For those unfamiliar with Tom Toms origins, Vanderpump approached Sandoval and Schwartz in Season 5 of the show to partner with her and Todd on a new restaurant that would be built around the pairs likeness. Its become somewhat of a jokeand a point of contention on the showthat, despite use of their names on the marquee, they each only own a five-percent stake in the restaurant. Schwartz & Sandys, which the Toms opened with Greg Morris instead of Vanderpump, is seen more as the pairs own individual venture; its unclear what percentage of that eatery they own.

Sex and the SUR: The Slow, Painful Death of Vanderpump Rules

Maria Steinberg, another former Tom Tom patron, agreed that visiting the restaurants was primarily about an overall fan experience. She even admits that she was more attracted to the restaurant for its Vanderpump lineage than Sandovals involvement.

I didnt really care to see Sandoval at Tom Tom, said Steinberg. He was never my cast member. The reason I was drawn to Tom Tom is because its like the baby brother to SUR.

Now that image is tainted because both Toms look extremely sneaky, deceiving, and disingenuous, Steinberg continued. I refuse to support a business that is built around an image and brand of two men that exemplify those qualities on a huge platform.

Bravo

It goes without saying that this is far from the first incident of cheating to occur amongst the Vanderpump Rules cast. The specifics of this scandal make it a lot more surprising, however, including the way Sandoval was positioned as one of the shows rare heroes. In previous seasons, Schwartz has also been accused of cheating multiple times during his marriage to cast member Katie Maloney.

And for the past year, Schwartz has been criticized by fans for making out with Leviss fresh off his divorce, which well see play out on this current season. Sandoval was also accused of sleeping with another woman while he was with Madix during a trip to Miami in Season 3, a claim he vehemently denied.

Now that Sandovals confirmed his latest misdeeds, the duos combined reputation as capital-A adulterers has become too much for certain customers to swallow.

I don't support cheaters, said Jasmine Flores, another Tom Tom customer who plans to boycott. They're both cheaters. Schwartz would cheat on Katie all the time, too.

Bravos Wildest Cast Drama Is Now Happening onPodcasts?

One Reddit user, who announced they were boycotting Sandovals businesses in r/vanderpumprules, had a more political argument, claiming that the reality stars behavior conflicts with their ideals as a feminist.

That is straight up the most brutal kind of mental abuse, and I would never support that, they wrote of Sandovals infidelity, in a direct message.

The user told me that they were mainly a regular at Vanderpumps restaurants Pump and SUR, but they were planning on visiting Schwartz & Sandys eventually. That plan has changed.

I assume I support businesses that I would not if I knew more about the owners, which is something I've pondered previously, they continued. If I know someone is abusive in their actions and/or beliefs, I'm just not going to do it.

Abuse is an arguably dicey term to describe the unfolding controversy. While we can assume Madix was hurt once she discovered the news, we dont know how Sandovals deception manifested in their relationship over the six months that he was allegedly sneaking around with Leviss. For the most part, weve been taught to consider most cases of infidelity involving consenting adults as acts of dishonesty and betrayal, rather than someone misusing their poweralthough, these arent always mutually exclusive behaviors.

When explaining why she plans on staying away from Sandovals restaurants, Steinberg made a similarly controversial comparison.

A man that can deceit the person he sleeps next every night is capable of much worse, said Steinberg. Would you support a bar that had the name Harvey Weinstein? Thats how I look at it. Men who use their power to deceit and manipulate should not be given any remorse.

Cheating is not an automatic gateway to the sort of abusive behaviors displayed by convicted sex criminals like Weinstein. But Steinberg and the Reddit users remarks lead to a relevant question about the level of severity with which fans are treating this scandal and the language used to discuss the matter.

Consumers obviously have the right to spend and withhold their dollars wherever they want. But should a typically private matter be treated as an ethical issue on par with sexual misconduct or the comparisons Mackenbrock made to Adidas and Balenciagias various scandals? (That said, folks have deemed the latter as overblown, right-wing panic at this point.) Or does our decade-longand, you could argue, parasocialrelationship with Sandoval through a reality show complicate that?

Cheating Vanderpump Rules Star Admits She Has an Unhealthy Addiction to Love

The patrons I talked tos answers to these questions varied. But they all reiterated that its impossible to separate Sandovals charming, nice guy persona from the experience of dining in one of his restaurants. Overall, it seems that Sandovals primary offense is pulling a bait-and-switch, forever tainting customers once-joyful experiences with his businesses.

Its unclear whether or not the ongoing controversy will materially affect Sandovals restaurants in a substantial way. As much as customers seemed repelled by Sandovals actions, it could also lure a lot of fans who simply want to gawk at the chaosif and when he is willing to show his face at his restaurants again.

For fans who have decided to boycott though, Sandovals pleas to consider the other staff dont really seem to be working.

Bravo

It's really unfortunate for the rest of the staff, Mackenbrock said. But unfortunately, that's what happens when you go into a partnership with a celebrity. A celebrity is your brand. When the celebrity messes up, people don't want to support that celebrity anymore.

I understand that there are staff and people that have nothing to do with it, Perez said. I feel bad. But whats the point of me going there? If I see Tom Sandoval there, I'm going to throw my shoe at him.

Itll be interesting to see how long this feeling lasts, based on how Sandoval proceeds in the coming months and whether fans will ever be able to forgive him. Well also have to wait to see how the scandal unfolds on Vanderpump Rules itself.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Vanderpump Rules stars Raquel Leviss and Tom Sandoval have issued an apology to Ariana Madix amid allegations of their affair.

In a statement posted to Instagram on 8 March, Leviss apologised for my actions and choices to co-star Ariana Madix, who was in a relationship with Sandoval for nine years until their recent split.

I want to apologise for my actions and my choices to Ariana, my friends and the fans so invested in our relationships. There is no excuse, I am not a victim and must own my actions. I deeply regret hurting Ariana, the statement read.

The 28-year-old reality star explained that she will be using the fallout of the cheating scandal to reflect on her own actions, including seeking counselling for her patterns of codependency and addiction to being and feeling loved.

She continued: I have sought emotional validation through intimate connections that are not healthy without regard for my own well-being, sometimes negatively affecting others and often prioritizing the intimate connection over my friendships. I am taking steps to understand my behaviour and make healthier choices.

In the statement, Leviss went on to say that she doesnt expect sympathy, understanding or forgiveness from her fans and fellow cast members: Right now I must focus on my own health and well being and as I strive to be a better person moving forward, I will prioritise my mental health and learn from my mistakes.

Despite the apology, Leviss also pointed out that she has also been physically assaulted, lost friendships, received death threats and hate emails in addition to having had my privacy violated.

On Tuesday 7 March, Raquel Leviss took legal action against her Vanderpump Rules co-star, Sheana Shay  days after rumours circulated that Shay allegedly got physical with Leviss after learning of the cheating scandal. In documents obtained by People, Leviss reportedly filed a restraining order against Shay in Los Angeles Superior Court.

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The reality star has also sent a legal notice to her fellow cast members warning them not to share a video of an intimate FaceTime call between Leviss and Sandoval, which she claims was recorded illegally and without [her] permission, according to People. Lawyers also noted that the distribution of the video would be a violation of California law, which makes it illegal to disseminate nonconsensual pornography.

The video in question was allegedly discovered by Madix on Sandovals phone, which led Madix to confront her then-boyfriend about the cheating scandal last Wednesday. Meanwhile, Tom Sandoval has shared a second social media statement about the scandal, this time apologising to his partner of nine years.

I want to first and foremost apologise to everyone Ive hurt through this process, he wrote on Tuesday. Most of all, I want to apologise to Ariana. I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly.

I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us. I feel really horrible about that, he continued. My biggest regret is that I dishonoured Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving families and friends.

The Schwartz & Sandys Lounge co-owner went on to express that he wished the fallout of the cheating scandal happened in a different order and that his relationship with Madix was not severely tarnished, and that it ended with the same respect for her that it began with.

I owed Ariana better, he said. I am beyond sad that it ended the way it did. The choices I made hurt so many people. I acted in a way that clashes with who and how I want to be. I will continue to reflect and work on myself. I have work to do. I always have, and I always will.

On Friday March 3, TMZ reported that restaurateur and bar owner Tom Sandoval had engaged in a six-month long affair with his Vanderpump Rules co-star Raquel Leviss. In the wake of the scandal, Ariana Madix ended her relationship with the TomTom Restaurant & Bar co-owner after nearly 10 years.

That same day, sources later confirmed to People that Madix, 37, had found a selfie video that was sexual in nature from Leviss on Sandovals phone Wednesday night. She reportedly discovered that Sandoval had been cheating on her with Leviss when she was attending her then-boyfriends concert for his cover band, Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras. During the performance, a racy video sent from Leviss appeared on Sandovals phone, which prompted Madix to uncover their history of inappropriate texts.

One source told Page Six that Sandoval and Leviss had been communicating inappropriately for months and that the pair now want to be together. Another claimed that Madix was blindsided by the cheating and noted that she feels betrayed by Leviss, whom she considered a friend.

Following news of the cheating scandal, both fans and fellow cast members of Vanderpump Rules took to social media to share their unfiltered reactions to the cheating scandal. Several people also began boycotting Schwartz & Sandys Lounge  the restaurant and bar which Sandoval owns with his co-star, Tom Schwartz.

Sandoval was then forced to make his first statement about the cheating scandal to Instagram, asking fans to direct ur anger towards me and not his businesses or business partners. However, the initial apology received much criticism for having no mention of Madix.

After news broke, cameras quickly began filming to capture the fallout from the cheating scandal. The drama will reportedly play out in season 10 of Vanderpump Rules, which is currently airing on Bravo.

Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix  who began dating in 2014  first met working as bartenders at Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpumps restaurant, SUR. The pair were one of the main couples on the Bravo reality show, which follows the lives of the employees at SUR Restaurant and Lounge in West Hollywood.

Vanderpump Rules, which premiered on Bravo in 2013, is currently airing its tenth season on Wednesdays at 9pm ET.
A Cincinnati Police officer was transported to an area hospital after a vehicle hit them Tuesday.

>> TRENDING: One person taken into custody in Springfield SWAT investigation

Cincinnati Police investigators and medics were dispatched near the intersection of Main Street and East Fifth Street at around 9 p.m. on reports of an officer struck by a vehicle, WCPO reported.

The officer was on foot before being injured; however, the department did not disclose what the officer was doing prior to the incident, a spokesperson said.

The officers condition is currently unknown. The Cincinnati Police Department also has not released the identity of the law enforcement agent.

News Center 7 reached out to Cincinnati Police for more information.

Cincinnati Police led the investigation into the crash.

Police have not said if the driver will face any charges.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Active-service members and veterans provided firsthand testimony Wednesday about the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, describing in harrowing detail the carnage and death they witnessed on the ground while imploring Congress to help the allies left behind.

Former Marine Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews testified to Congress about the stench of human flesh under a large plume of smoke as the screams of children, women and men filled the space around Kabuls airport after two suicide bombers attacked crowds of Afghans.

The withdrawal was a catastrophe in my opinion. And there was an inexcusable lack of accountability," said Vargas-Andrews, who wore a prosthetic arm and scars of his own grave wounds from the bombing.

I see the faces of all of those we could not save, those we left behind, Aidan Gunderson, an Army medic who was stationed at Abbey Gate, testified. I wonder if our Afghan allies fled to safety or they were killed by the Taliban.

The initial hearing of a long-promised investigation by House Republicans displayed the open wounds from the end of Americas longest war in August 2021, with witnesses recalling how they saw mothers carrying dead babies and the Taliban shooting and brutally beating people.

It was the first of what is expected to be a series of Republican-led hearings examining the Biden administrations handling of the withdrawal. Taliban forces seized the Afghan capital, Kabul, far more rapidly than U.S. intelligence had foreseen as American forces pulled out. Kabuls fall turned the Wests withdrawal into a rout, with Kabuls airport the center of a desperate air evacuation guarded by U.S. forces temporarily deployed for the task.

The majority of witnesses argued to Congress that the fall of Kabul was an American failure with blame touching every presidential administration from George W. Bush to Joe Biden. Testimony focused not on the decision to withdraw, but on what witnesses depicted as a desperate attempt to rescue American citizens and Afghan allies with little U.S. planning and inadequate U.S. support.

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America is building a nasty reputation for multi-generational systemic abandonment of our allies where we leave a smoldering human refuse from the Montagnards of Vietnam to the Kurds in Syria, retired Lt. Col. Scott Mann testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

He added, Our veterans know something else that this committee might do well to consider: We might be done with Afghanistan, but its not done with us.

Vargas-Andrews sobbed as he told lawmakers of being thwarted in an attempt to stop the single deadliest moment in the U.S. evacuation  a suicide bombing that killed 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. servicemen and women.

Vargas-Andrews said Marines and others aiding in the evacuation operation were given descriptions of men believed to be plotting an attack before it occurred. He said he and others spotted two men matching the descriptions and behaving suspiciously, and eventually had them in their rifle scopes, but never received a response about whether to take action.

No one was held accountable, Vargas-Andrews told Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, the chairman of the committee. No one was, and no one is, to this day.

U.S. Central Commands investigation concluded in October 2021 that given the worsening security situation at Abbey Gate as Afghans became increasingly desperate to flee, the attack was not preventable at the tactical level without degrading the mission to maximize the number of evacuees. However, that investigation did not look into whether the bomber could have been stopped or whether Marines on the ground had the appropriate authorities to engage.

Defense Department spokesman Lt. Col. Rob Lodewick said Wednesday that the Pentagon's earlier review of the suicide attack had turned up neither any advance identification of a possible attacker nor any requests for an escalation to existing rules of engagement governing use of force by U.S. troops.

McCaul has been deeply critical of the Biden administration's handling of the withdrawal. What happened in Afghanistan was a systemic breakdown of the federal government at every level, and a stunning failure of leadership by the Biden administration, he said.

Last month, U.S. Inspector-General for Afghanistan John Sopko concluded again that actions taken by both the Trump and Biden administrations were key to the sudden collapse of the Afghan government and military, even before U.S. forces completed their withdrawal in August 2021.

That includes President Donald Trumps one-sided withdrawal deal with the Taliban, and the abruptness of Biden's withdrawal of both U.S. contractors and troops from Afghanistan, stranding an Afghan air force that previous administrations had failed to make self-supporting.

The report blamed each U.S. administration since American forces invaded in 2001 for constantly changing, inconsistent policies that strived for quick fixes and withdrawal from Afghanistan rather than a steady effort to build a capable, sustainable Afghan military.

The witnesses testifying Wednesday urged action to help the hundreds of thousands of Afghan allies who worked alongside U.S. soldiers and who are now in limbo in the U.S. and back in Afghanistan.

If I leave this committee with only one thought its this: Its not too late, said Peter Lucier, a Marine veteran who now works at Team America Relief, which has assisted thousands of Afghans in relocating. Were going to talk a lot today about all the mistakes that were made, leading up to that day, but urgent action right now will save so many lives.

One of those solutions discussed Wednesday would be creating a pathway to citizenship for the nearly 76,000 Afghans who worked with American soldiers since 2001 as translators, interpreters and partners. Those people arrived in the U.S. on military planes after the withdrawal and the government admitted the refugees on a temporary parole status as part of Operation Allies Welcome, the largest resettlement effort in the country in decades, with the promise of a path to a life in the U.S. for their service.

Congress began a bipartisan effort to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would have prevented Afghans from becoming stranded without legal residency status when their two years of humanitarian parole expire in August. The proposal would have enabled qualified Afghans to apply for U.S. citizenship, as was done for refugees in the past, including those from Cuba, Vietnam and Iraq.

But that effort stalled in the Senate late last year due to opposition from Republicans.

If we dont set politics aside and pursue accountability and lessons learned to address this grievous moral injury on our military community and right the wrongs that have been inflicted on our most at-risk Afghan allies, this colossal foreign policy will follow us home and ultimately draw us right back into the graveyard of empires where it all started, Mann, the retired green beret, said to lawmakers.

___

Associated Press reporter Tara Copp contributed to this report.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Aidan Gunderson said the quote starting with I see the faces, not Tyler Vargas-Andrews.
Views from inside Orland Ale House as a robbery of a Brink's truck takes place outside March 4, 2023. (Tom McMullen)

The FBI released new details and photos Tuesday from the armored car robbery that occurred near an Orland Park bar during a busy bar crawl event Saturday afternoon.

At about 2:15 p.m. Saturday, a Brinks vehicle was robbed outside the Xfinity store, 14225 S. 95th Ave., according to a news release from the FBI. The Xfinity store is next to the Orland Ale House, where videos showed customers taking cover as the robbery unfolded.

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During the robbery, three people, all holding semi automatic pistols, got out of an SUV driven by a fourth person, according to the FBI. The three people forced the driver on to the truck and took what was inside, officials said.

The four men then drove off in the SUV, according to the FBI.

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The FBI released this photo of person they say was involved in the robbery of a Brink's vehicle Saturday in Orland Park. (FBI)

The FBI released this photo of person they say was involved in the robbery of a Brink's vehicle Saturday in Orland Park. (FBI)

The FBI released this photo of person they say was involved in the robbery of a Brink's vehicle Saturday in Orland Park. (FBI)

The FBI released this photo of person they say was involved in the robbery of a Brink's vehicle Saturday in Orland Park. (FBI)

Tom McMullen, the owner of Orland Ale House, said Saturday was the Orland Park Irish Trolley event where four trolleys drove to six bars, including Orland Ale House, for a bar crawl.

The bar crawl started at 1 p.m., so by the time the robbery took place, Orland Ale House had about 70 people inside and 20 people on the patio, McMullen said.

McMullen said his two daughters were working at the bar Saturday and one of them yelled out about a robbery right outside.

My general manager and I told everyone go into the cooler, the restroom, behind the bar, go to the kitchen. Crouch down, out of sight, McMullen said.

The robbery unfolded in 10 minutes, McMullen said. He called police, and the police arrived to the scene as the getaway car drove off, McMullen said.

The Orland Ale House is on the edge of a round-a-bout so the getaway car could only go in one direction, McMullen said. The car drove toward the nearby Marianos and then likely took a nearby side street to get to La Grange Road, he said.

Police closed the round-a-bout after the robbery, McMullen said, so the trolley on the bar crawl couldnt make it to Orland Ale House for about two hours.

The trolleys didnt want to come down because they didnt know what the situation was, McMullen said.

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Diana Butcher, the owner of Mari Lous Fine Jewelry, which is next door to the Xfinity store, said she was working Saturday and noticed a car flying by, which was odd because the businesses are located in Orland Park Crossing, a shopping center. Understandably, business slowed down the rest of Saturday as police investigated, she said.

It did get a bit slower for us, but they had a job to do, Butcher said. I was glad they were there and doing their job.

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Given the number of people who were participating in the bar crawl and the other shoppers enjoying the outdoor mall, Butcher said its a good thing no injuries were reported.

Im glad no one was hurt, Butcher said.

McMullen said he was shocked that the robbery took place because the area is generally very safe.

Nothing like that has ever happened here, McMullen said.

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The Brinks vehicle is being processed for evidence by police and the FBI, Orland Park police Cmdr. Ken Rosinski said, so Brinks officials havent had a chance to go through the vehicles logs to determine how much money was taken.

In a statement, Brinks officials said the employee driving the truck was not hurt but declined to share more information because the investigation is ongoing.

The FBI asks anyone with information about this robbery to call 312-421-6700 or email tips.fbi.gov.
(Courtesy of Veuve Clicquot Bold Woman Awards 2023)

The French luxury wine and spirit company Veuve Clicquot has announced its annual shortlist of influential women entrepreneurs.

On Wednesday (8 March), International Womens Day, the brand announced this years roster of women in business taking new approaches to fashion, finance, investment and manufacturing, for the 51st year in a row.

Veuve Clicquot has repeatedly expressed its long-standing commitment to female leadership. Madame Clicquot, known as the Grande Madame of champagne took over the reins of the company aged 27, after her husband, the brands owner, passed away.

Taking inspiration from Madame Clicquots legacy, the company now aims to champion women in business and recognises outstanding female leadership through its Bold Woman Award, which has been running since 1972.

Previously, the awards have recognised notable trailblazers including Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, the inventor of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid vaccine; Jo Whitfield, CEO of Co-Op Food and the late Iraqi-British architect Dame Zaha Hadid.

Among the finalists for this years Bold Woman Award is Tessa Clarke, the co-founder and CEO of Olio, a waste-busting app network allowing local people to connect and give away their unwanted items instead of throwing them away. Last month, the app reached 7 million users and has been used to share more than 92 million portions of food.

Elsewhere on the Bold Woman shortlist is Claire Hornby, the founder of British clothing brand ME+EM, and Louise Hill, the co-founder of GoHenry, a pre-paid debit card and financial education app that provides tools to children and young adults about money.

Another category is The Bold Future Award, which recognises up-and-coming leaders in the fields of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Izzy Obeng, the founder and CEO of non-profit Foundervine (Courtesy of Veuve Clicquot)

Izzy Obeng, the founder and CEO of Foundervine, a non-profit which strives to remove social and economic barriers to innovation, has made the shortlist. Meanwhile, Victoria Prew, the founder and CEO of clothes rental service HURR has also been recognised for her commercial innovation.

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Karen Scofield Seal, the person behind Oceanium, a startup that develops innovative materials and food products from seaweed for environmental and social benefit, has been shortlisted for her fundraising for various wildlife and climate charities.

Karen Scofield Seal, the CEO and co-founder behind Oceanium (Courtesy of Veuve Clicquot)

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on Wednesday 31 May. Judges on the panel include Pip Jamieson, founder of The Dots; Sian Westerman, co-chair at British Fashion Council Trust; and Naomi Kerbel, former global head of TV and radio at Bloomberg.

Along with the shortlist, Veuve Clicquot has highlighted the barriers that women entrepreneurs face in the UK often revolve around lack of funding. Its research has found that the UK has one of the larger entrepreneurial gender gaps worldwide, which is the difference in the number of male and female-owned businesses.

Read The Independents Influence List for International Womens Day 2023 here.
The majority of refugees from the war in Ukraine are women and children (AFP/Getty)

International Womens Day is intended to be a moment to celebrate, but how can we summon a sense of celebration when we see our rights being eroded. Women are enduring shocking inequalities in countries around the world.

Day after day, I witness a world of intolerable injustices through my work at The Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation  the organisation I founded in 2005  from the endless violence inflicted on women and girls through rape as a weapon of war, sexual assault, honour killings, dowry burnings, acid attacks, intimate partner violence, trafficking, genital mutilation, and women murdered at the hands of violent men.

Globally, almost one in three women have been subjected to physical or sexual intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or both, at least once in their lives. According to the UN, in 2020, 81,000 women and girls were killed  58 per cent by an intimate partner or a family member. Thats one woman or girl killed every 11 minutes in their home.

That is added to the unequal distribution of resources preventing women and girls from realising their potential and exercising their rights to education, land ownership, equal pay and respect. And not forgetting the onslaught on womens bodies, from maternal death to period poverty, or the objectification of womens bodies in the media. The list goes on.

As a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, I have lived long enough to witness progress gained on the one hand, yet lost on the other. I could cry when I hear of the generations of women in Afghanistan who are being denied access to education, healthcare, and the most basic civil and political rights. Just this week, we learnt of more than 1,000 girls being poisoned to force them out of school in Iran. All of this while crimes against humanity are being committed in Nicaragua, the country of my birth, where relentless and brutal violence against women continues unabated.

I am gravely concerned by the increasing frequency and magnitude of humanitarian emergencies we are seeing, as climate chaos and conflict unfold worldwide. Women and girls are almost always affected in unique and disproportionate ways.aa

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Take the refugee crisis resulting from the terrible war in Ukraine: 86 per cent of those forced to flee Ukraine to other parts of Europe are women and children. Around the world, more than 150 million more women than men experienced hunger in 2021, including in east Africa, which is in the throes of a food crisis. And UN figures indicate that 80 per cent of people displaced by the climate crisis are women.

Like many, I was devastated to see the destruction in Turkey and Syria last month. Even before the earthquake, 60 per cent of the population of northwest Syria had been forced to leave their homes. The majority of these people are women and girls.a

Natural disasters leave millions homeless, with women and girls at increased risk of exploitation and abuse as a consequence  including sexual violence, trafficking, and child marriage. When swathes of the population are stripped of their security, their shelter or their means to feed their families, women and children are all too often exploited. And when help is needed at home, or the cost of survival becomes too great, girls education is among the first casualties.a

Yet women are largely absent from the decision-making tables at a national and international level, even though these decisions affect us the most.aFor example, at the Cop27 climate summit in Egypt, just seven out of the 110 world leaders present were women. Two-thirds of delegation members at recent Cop summits were male. Women are simply not given an equal opportunity to have their voices heard.aaAround the world, male leaders are stifling womens voices. Governments are cracking down on freedom of speech and the right to protest, and they are holding women back.a

Why? Women prove time and again that they are the right people to lead. Take Amran from Somalia, who is building latrines for displaced women in an effort to prevent them from being raped  as is all too common  while they go to the toilet outdoors. Or Ame from Bangladesh, who has developed an early-warning system for the island-dwelling women of her community at greatest risk of losing their homes to floods. Or Nada from Yemen, who mobilised the women of her community to rebuild the road to their village after it was destroyed in the countrys conflict. Or Daria from Ukraine, who fled her home in Kyiv and has spent the past year helping other refugees who have fled to Poland.

If youre searching for something to celebrate this International Womens Day, celebrate the women across the world who are making a difference in the homes, streets, shelters and camps devastated by crises. Because there you will find the female leaders, piecing together the families and communities broken by disaster.

I have participated in Care Internationals #Walk4Women podcast, to elevate the voices of Amran, Ame, Nada, Daria, and other women on the frontlines of some of the worlds most urgent crises. Im happy to lend my voice to highlight the injustices they have faced, and celebrate their inspiring achievements. These women are an inspiration, give us hope, and restore our faith in humanity.a

I encourage you to Walk4Women wherever you are, while you listen to the podcast and the voices of women who are leading in crisis. Together we can support a womans right to lead, and celebrate the unbreakable female spirit emerging from the horror of war, the dust of the earthquake, the receding floodwaters, and the carnage of drought.

Bianca Jagger is the founder and president of The Bianca Jagger Human Rights Foundation
Women tend to be more willing to share power, knowledge and resources (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

I once met a female herbalist in rural Liberia. She took me around her village and showed me the plants she used to create medicines for everything from excessive bleeding to lung infections and pregnancy support. She had healed hundreds of people for miles around.

Doesnt that engender envy? I asked. To have that kind of power in a small community can be dangerous, surely?

She said: Oh, I dont make the medicines for them. I simply show people how to identify the right plants and tell them how to prepare the medicines. They then take their healing into their own hands. I give them the power. If I had done it all myself, I would have been accused of witchcraft a long time ago and probably killed or exiled.

Thankfully, women who have power no longer get burnt as witches in our country, but my point about the herbalist is that sharing her knowledge and giving others agency had healed hundreds whilst simultaneously protecting her and her family.

Its the kind of power-sharing we need from the top of our institutions down. Power, when it is in the hands of so many people who are soaked in the self-obsessed egotism of patriarchy, is not shared. They want that power for themselves and, once in possession of it, refuse to give it up.

Women tend to be more willing to share power, knowledge and resources in order to support a wider community, and in order to survive.

Recently Ive met many women, hopeful candidates for political roles, whose principles remind me of that herbalist. All they want to do is improve the tools of survival that we all need, to ensure that the sharing of resources takes place at every level in order that we all may thrive.

They want to empower others to pick up the guiding reins, and to help them drive towards more accepting, understanding, compassionate and kind power structures  locally and globally  from their own council chambers to the boardrooms of Westminster.

I dont think all men are power-crazed egotists. But I observe a lot of men in power behaving in just that fashion, and there are far better examples of leadership in women.

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Only 5 percent of women have global leadership roles. Recently, one of them, Jacinda Ardern, referred to her success as being due to her team of 5 million. What other leader has ever referred to the entire citizenship as their team in that way?

Crucially, she wasnt afraid to be driven by empathy.

It is clear that we need more leaders like her, and to find them, we are going to have to support women at the grassroots of our democratic processes.

So today I call on you all to locate and support women who are seeking election. Or to tell that brilliant woman you know that you would support her  financially, and emotionally, and practically  if she were to run for election.

Women who face the most difficulty in participating in this process are often from working-class backgrounds, or are disabled, or are women of colour. Their experiences of living within systems that dont see them or make adequate space for them is an invaluable resource that our local and central government needs if it is to make better systems that work for everyone.

Emma Thompson is a donor and supporter of FundHer and ElectHer
Ukraines border crossings are still lined with posters warning female refugees of the dangers they could face (AP)

War disproportionately affects women and girls. It is a universal, horrible truth.

Even when the guns go silent the devastating impact of conflict will always continue to unfairly rage through the lives of women and girls more so than men.

This is such a recognised fact that in 2000 the United Nations Security Council adopted a landmark resolution acknowledging this and warning of the inevitability of gender-based violence like rape. The resolution also pointed out that while war is almost exclusively started by men, women are rarely at the negotiating table.

The sad truth is that after a year of President Putins bloody invasion, Ukraine is no exception to this grim global truth. And this is not just being felt by Ukrainian women and girls but also by women and girls throughout the world because of the devastating impact Moscows war has had on the global economy and supply chains.

In Ukraine, the UN has repeatedly warned that the war and the subsequent mass displacement it caused has significantly increased the risk of domestic violence, trafficking and exploitation.

Almost immediately after we saw Europes largest refugee crisis in generations unfurl, sex rings began picking off vulnerable women as they escaped to what they thought was safety.

Ukraines border crossings are still lined with posters warning female refugees of the dangers they could face.

The economic impact of the war is also devastating. Ninety per cent of the 7.9 million people who are internally displaced within Ukraine are women. That means they are losing their income in disproportionately high numbers and so living in destitute conditions.

All through that they are also at risk of rape at the hands of Russian soldiers and their proxies. The European Union has even sanctioned particular Russian commanders over systematic sexual violence.

The Ukrainians have said Russia has used the rape of its women as a weapon of war. The testimonies I have gathered over the last year have been chilling.

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In October I spoke to Olga, a 50-year-old call centre operator at the fire department in Balakiya, a small town in northeast Ukraine that had been under Russian occupation for months.

She was arrested alongside several other women for being pro-Ukrainian. Held in a police station the Russians had commandeered, she spent her nights hearing the screams of women being gang-raped by Chechen soldiers in the interrogation room one floor above her tiny cell.

I could hear them shouting come on, you have a go next, she told me quietly. They threatened all of us with rape during the day but the torture and violence always took place at night.

This echoed other stories in other areas that were also occupied for several weeks.

Last summer, one Ukrainian woman called Maria I met in Trostyanets, about 200km northwest of Balakiya, told me the soldiers abducted her husband, who is still missing today, and then tried to rape her. The only reason they gave up was because of a disability she had, she explained.

The devastation of the war has rippled well past the borders of Ukraine. A September UN policy paper found that this war had induced such high global price hikes and supply shortages that it has widened the gender gap for food security throughout the planet.

That means women in vulnerable areas like the Middle East (that relies on grain and food exports from Ukraine) have had to reduce their food intake more so than men.

This has subsequently seen alarming increases in women being forced to exchange sex for food and survival. It has seen a surge in early marriage and forced marriages.

And so, even if the war stops tomorrow  the aftershocks of this will continue to ripple.

Thats not to say that in Ukraine women are passive victims. According to Ukraines deputy minister of defence Hanna Maliar, there are 50,000 servicewomen in the armed forces, and 5,000 of them are on the front lines.

She believes that Ukraine today has one of the higher percentages of women in its army, compared to Nato member states.

It seems obvious to me that this would be the case, but people are often surprised to learn that I have met several female soldiers, frontline medics and activists who have been disappeared and tortured by Russians, and women leading some of the most dangerous evacuation missions to rescue civilians from the worst of the fighting.

It makes sense  women are fighting for their survival. It is not an exaggeration to say the war in Ukraine is a war on women and girls globally.

And the damage has been done. Even if Russia withdraws today, even if its missile launchers are silenced, the impact of this devastation will continue to be felt for a generation of women to come.
Election 2023 Oklahoma Marijuana

Supporters light up joints after the vote Yes on State Question 820 watch party at the Tower Theatre in Oklahoma City, on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Oklahoma voters on Tuesday rejected the legalization of recreational marijuana, following a late blitz of opposition from faith leaders, law enforcement and prosecutors. Credit - Nathan J. FishThe Oklahoman/AP

Oklahoma voters dealt a resounding loss to marijuana legalization on Tuesday: With over 95% of votes in, nearly 62% of voters came out against expanding legal cannabis to include recreational use, compared to 38% supporting it.

The decision in Oklahoma comes after ballot measures in three other statesNorth Dakota, South Dakota, and Arkansasfailed in the 2022 midterm elections. Its a reminder that recreational marijuana still faces powerful headwindsespecially in conservative states.

Despite the setbacks, marijuana legalization advocates still believe that time and public opinion are on their side. In other states, including Arizona and Missouri, voters initially voted down recreational cannabis legalization before voting in favor of it years later. Weve been used to losing for many years, and its something that we dont forget, says Morgan Fox, political director at NORML, a nonprofit which advocates for marijuana legalization. Were gonna see support continue to grow, and we have seen and grow over the past decades.

Meanwhile, opponents of cannabis legalization say that their victory in Oklahoma is a sign of the strength of their movement. Luke Niforatos, an executive vice president at Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), which opposed the legalization measure, said that his fellow organizers see this as a signal to be more ambitious, such as by pushing to get the repeal of marijuana legalization on the ballot in other statesand pushing for reforms, such as limits on marijuana potency, with an aim of having the marijuana industry treated like tobacco.

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I think were reaching a fever pitch in terms of the harms of these new marijuana products and the overreach of the industry, says Niforatos. I think what were seeing is a backlash to industry overreach, a backlash to an industry that is targeting kids with child friendly products, an industry that is advertising everywhere, just like Big Tobacco did. I think people in Oklahoma were really sick of that.

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Marijuana legalization had major factors working against it not only in Oklahoma, but also in the states that rejected legalization in 2022. One major obstacle is that these states are overwhelmingly conservative. While support for marijuana legalization has increased over time across demographics, Republicans and other conservatives are less likely to support marijuana legalization, especially recreational marijuana. An Oct. 2022 Pew Research Center poll found that 45% of Republicans supported the legalization of recreational marijuana, while 39% supported only medical legalization, compared to 59% of all U.S. adults polled who support the legalization of recreational marijuana, and 30% who supported medical legalization only.

What made the vote in Oklahoma more difficult, says Fox, is that it was conducted during a special election, when older and more conservative voters are more likely to turn out. And conservative leaders vocally opposed that measure. That included not only Governor Kevin Stittwho said the decision to vote down legalization was the best thing to keep our kids safe and for our state as a whole on Tuesday but also the Oklahoma Faith Leaders activist group and the Oklahoma Farm Bureau. The Farm Bureau described the ballot initiative as a threat to rural communities, blaming the marijuana industry for creating a strain on our rural electric and our rural water utilities. The Faith Leaders also claimed that the marijuana industry has led to foreign nationals, including Chinese, Mexicans and Russianspurchasing Oklahoma farm land illegally, bringing in labor and sex trafficking.

Niforatos said that by polling of voters in Oklahoma, his organization found that concerns about cartels growing marijuana was particularly compelling to voters. However, he said the top message was the risk of secondhand smoke for children, including an ad that claimed the bill stinks to high heaven.

In Oklahoma, the marijuana industry may have also been a victim of its own success. After medical marijuana was legalized in 2018, the state didnt impose a cap on licenses, and acquiring a license and setting up a business is cheaper than in other states that have legalized cannabis. In Niforatos view, the Oklahoma program made it easy to buy marijuana for Oklahomans to buy for recreational purposeseven though that remains illegal in the state. As new businesses flooded the state, they outpaced the number of compliance officers, Fox said. The state later passed a two-year moratorium on new licenses for growers, dispensaries, and processing companies. They made a lot of mistakes during implementation and through enforcement, Fox said of Oklahoma. And I think that that has certainly resonated with voters. But thats something that advocates in Oklahoma can learn from.

Niforatos says that his organization now feels ready to be going more on the offensive by working to regulate the industry in Oklahoma, and working to rescind legalization more broadly. Most American states have not legalized marijuana, he said. The President of the United States is against the legalization of marijuana, and neither major party has the legalization of marijuana in either of its platforms. So we are very far away from anything being inevitable.
Volkswagen is dealing with one of the risks of tying important car features to paid services. The brand is making its Car-Net connected emergency service free for five years for most 2020 to 2023 model year vehicles after a carjacking in the Chicago suburb of Libertyville. The thief stole a mother's Atlas SUV with her two-year-old son still inside, but police couldn't persuade a VW representative to reactivate Car-Net (a trial period had expired) and help track the car's location without paying $150. Deputies had already located the car and the child by the time a detective paid the fee.

The free Car-Net access will last for five years after sale or June 1st, 2023 (the effective date of the offer), whichever is later. It takes effect as soon as an owner creates a myVW account and accepts the relevant terms of service. Combustion engine models get automatic crash notices, emergency aid, stolen vehicle location and anti-theft alerts, while ID.4 buyers get the crash notification and emergency assistance features. The 2020 Passat sedan doesn't include Car-Net.

Customer experience Senior VP Rachel Zaluzec describes the response to the theft as a "process failure." VW is investigating what happened and will take actions to "make it right for the future," the executive adds.

The representative's response isn't necessarily typical of connected emergency services. GM's OnStar, for instance, explains that it will "immediately" contact police and start tracking a car's location in the event of a carjacking or kidnapping. In less urgent situations, OnStar will start tracking a stolen car when it verifies the owner's police report.

The incident comes as more automakers are moving car features to subscriptions, including previously one-time purchases like performance upgrades and heated seats. There's no mystery behind the strategy  this creates a steady stream of revenue that lasts long after a car reaches a customer. In the case of emergency services, however, it potentially complicates attempts to help owners who may be in life-threatening situations.
Walgreens is the second-largest pharmacy provider in the country (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

When Governor Gavin Newsom announced this week that California would no longer do business with Walgreens, most reacted with surprise. While retweeting a CNN story about the pharmacy giant choosing not to distribute the abortion pill mifepristone in 20 states, Newsom wrote: California wont be doing business with Walgreens  or any company that cowers to the extremists and puts womens lives at risk. Were done.

It was action without a warning shot, and it clearly took the pharmacy giant by surprise. Walgreens  which, for any Brits and New Yorkers keen to join the boycott, shares a parent company with Boots and Duane Reade  operates nearly 600 stores in California and is the second-largest pharmacy chain in the United States. It is responsible for around 10 per cent of the pharmacy market in the west coast state. That means that taking a stand against Walgreens would be costly for the company, but also potentially for Californians themselves. The state is huge  the most populous in the country, with the third-largest landmass after Alaska and Texas  and many in rural locations known colloquially as healthcare deserts rely on supersize Walgreens stores to access in-network medication. Because of the companys size, it is able to accept most health insurance plans versus a local pharmacy on an isolated small-town street.

Pulling all business with Walgreens may, then, have the unintended effect of cutting off some Californian womens ability to access the abortion pill altogether.

Yet it remains unclear what California no longer doing business with Walgreens actually means. Newsom has been cagey about details, and his spokesman Brandon Richards told CNN that his team is currently reviewing all relationships between Walgreens and the state. Its hard to imagine the forced closure of over 600 stores going ahead. Its possible that doing business refers to pensions or sharing in California-specific innovations. The state recently announced that it plans to make its own insulin as a solution to keeping costs down for diabetics. If that comes to fruition, and insulin for $35 or less per month becomes the norm in the state as opposed to the usual $200-plus co-pay for privately insured citizens at the moment, then cutting Walgreens out of the deal could drive thousands away from the stores almost immediately.

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Mifepristone is used for abortions conducted in under 8 weeks gestation (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Whats most bizarre about Newsoms statement is that Walgreens didnt see it coming. Just days earlier, it had responded to pressure from Republican politicians from jurisdictions where abortion is both legal and illegal by agreeing not to distribute mifepristone in any of their 20 states. On 1 February, the attorneys general of states where abortion has been effectively outlawed, like Kentucky and Texas, co-signed a letter alongside colleagues from other states  such as Alaska, Montana, Iowa and Florida  where abortion remains legal. The letter was sent to Walgreens and competitors including CVS, Rite Aid and Walmart, and purported to concern the protection of women and children. It effectively threatened the pharmacies with numerous legal actions if they continued to sell mifepristone. The message was clear: We intend to make this hard for you.

In late February, Walgreens was the only company to publicly respond to the pressure. In a letter dated 17 February, a letter from the Walgreens Boots Alliance was released to all of the signatories stating: Walgreens does not intend to dispense mifepristone within your state and does not intend to ship mifepristone into your state from any of our pharmacies. If this approach changes, we will be sure to notify you. To many peoples surprise, this letter didnt exclude the attorneys general who had written from states where the abortion pill remains legal. It looked very much like Walgreens was throwing women to the dogs at the first sign of trouble.

Perhaps Walgreens didnt imagine that liberals would be as strident in their blowback as conservatives were in their pressure campaign. Or perhaps the pharmacy simply doesnt have a strategy to deal with the fallout of Roe v Wades overturn, even months down the line. Either way, they released a statement in the wake of California Governor Newsoms announcement that directly contradicted what theyd said days earlier. We want to be very clear about what our position has always been: Walgreens plans to dispense mifepristone in any jurisdiction where it is legally permissible to do so. Once we are certified by the FDA, we will dispense this medication consistent with federal and state laws. Providing legally approved medications to patients is what pharmacies do, and is rooted in our commitment to the communities in which we operate, the company wrote in a statement on March 6th. The Independent approached Walgreens for further explanation and was directed back to the statement on the Walgreens website. Requests for further clarification, considering that the statement directly contradicted what was said in the letter days earlier, were ignored.

Whether or not Walgreens is backpedaling, enough damage has clearly already been done. Filmmaker Michael Moore addressed the controversy in his popular Substack newsletter on 5 March with a simple headline: Boycott Walgreens, a pharmacy that stands with anti-abortion extremists against the rights of women. #BoycottWalgreens began trending on Twitter. Walgreens stock began to plummet. Stories on social media began to proliferate about people cancelling their Walgreens accounts or clogging up the companys inboxes and phone lines with angry missives. People began reminding each other that the typical Walgreens customer, as well as the typical Walgreens employee, is female. By this point, it was 8 March: International Womens Day. Few could imagine an organisation finding itself in a worse PR bind for the biggest female-centred day of the year. Walgreens became central to the celebrations in the worst way possible  as an example of how collective action by women can be used to take sexist corporations down.

What is perhaps the most concerning about Walgreens initial caving to the pressures of Republican attorneys general is the fact that many of those politicians were attempting to directly subvert democracy. Kansas is a pertinent case in point. The ruby-red state ran a referendum not long after Roe v Wades overturning by the Supreme Court, in August 2022. It was widely expected that Kansans would vote in that referendum to overturn the state constitution and make abortion illegal. This was the first state to test the waters after SCOTUS decision. Anti-abortion campaigners expected to declare the results as proof that the moral majority agreed the procedure should be illegal.

But thats not what happened. Instead, in an unexpected twist, 59 per cent of Kansans voted no on an amendment that would have banned abortion in the state. The victory went to the Biden administration instead, who released a triumphant statement about the importance of allowing women to make their own healthcare decisions. It seemed that far-right campaigners on the issue had forgotten why a huge proportion of Americans  especially in rural states like Kansas  vote Republican. These Republican voters are not necessarily evangelicals; in fact, they are more often than not libertarian-minded people whose main concern is keeping the government out of their business. And bringing in rules about what women can do with their own bodies in the privacy of their own homes really smells like bringing the government into their business.

Kamala Harris holds up a map showing the inconsistency of abortion access in the US after the overturn of Roe v Wade

Mifepristone is an abortion pill that works when a woman has been pregnant for eight weeks or less. Different to Plan B, it ends an early pregnancy by cutting off progesterone and opening the cervix (Plan B, sometimes known as the morning-after pill, is not an abortion pill and instead works to prevent implantation before a pregnancy occurs.) Around 80 per cent of abortions in the US are performed at this early stage, many of which can be conducted at home by taking mifepristone. Despite Republican horror stories and Trumpian lies about abortions being conducted at birth, just 4 per cent of abortions are carried out after 16 weeks, and most of those are because of an immediate health danger to the mother or the sad finding that a fetus has a condition incompatible with life.

Importantly, mifepristone is also prescribed by doctors to women who are experiencing a miscarriage. It helps to clear the uterus of any debris from a failed pregnancy that could lead to serious infection and potentially fatal sepsis.

Put simply, when access to mifepristone is politicised and then made difficult, people die. That Walgreens treated the issue so flippantly in the first place is a red flag  and is probably enough for a lot of its customers to never shop there again.
(AFP via Getty Images)

Jamie Lee Curtis wants music concerts to start happening during the day.

The Freaky Friday actor thinks musicians should start a trend and begin matinee performances for those who want to go to bed early.

Curtis made the comments while being interviewed on the red carpet at the Independent Spirit awards on Saturday 4 March.

Mommy goes to bed early, said the actor toThe Hollywood Reporter on why shed declined an invite to an Oscars nominee dinner.

Cause 7:30 is gonna be nine before we get food, and you know what? Theres nothing good happening with me after nine oclock. Nothing. Zero!

Then the actor made her pitch for musicians: I am gonna just say this now as a taunt and as a suggestion. U2: do a matinee. Coldplay: do a matinee. What about a 12 noon concert, Coldplay? What about it?

Bruce Springsteen: do a f***ing matinee! Youre old! Why wouldnt you let me come see you, Bruce Springsteen, in your glory days  pun intended  and do it at noon or one oclock? two oclock! two oclock matinee! she said.

Jamie Lee Curtis (Getty Images)

Theatre in New York, two oclock! said the Everything Everywhere All At Once star.

I will come and hear your five-hour concert, Bruce, at two oclock, and Im gonna be home and in bed by 7:30.

Later, in an interview with Today, the actor furthered her sentiments.

Why are there no matinees? questioned Curtis.

For instance, I love Coldplay. I would love to go see Coldplay. The problem is, Im not gonna go see Coldplay if they start their show at nine oclock and theres an opening act. I want to hear Coldplay at 1pm.

I think if we filled a stadium with people who want to see matinee of Coldplay, I think we would start a trend, she added.
It was only posthumously that some of Zeldas stories were finally credited solely with her name (Shutterstock/Amazon/Vintage Classics)

Sometime in the early 1970s, Frances Scottie Fitzgerald decided to hunt through her parents secret treasures. The daughter of Zelda and F Scott Fitzgerald was in her fifties when she went up to her attic in Washington on the trail of her literary roots. Rummaging among the scrapbooks and albums, she found a pair of dusty toy soldiers that her father had bought for her in Paris, and a handful of Christmas ornaments peeling here and there. But perhaps most revealingly, there were the lavishly painted paper dolls her mother Zelda had made for her as a child  a jaunty Goldilocks, an insouciante Red Riding Hood, an Errol Flynn-like DArtagnan  that, 40years later, had barely faded.

It is characteristic of my mother that these exquisite dolls, each one requiring hours of artistry, should have been created for the delectation of a six-year-old, Scottie later wrote of Zelda Fitzgerald, who died 75 years ago on Friday. Zeldas abiding legacy may be as the wild-eyed, jazz-age socialite once referred to by her husband as Americas first flapper, but these delicate paper dolls, so painstakingly crafted out of pleated wallpaper and Belgian lace, offer us a more nuanced and complex image of her.

Too often over the last century, this wife and muse has become so enmeshed in other peoples narratives  boom-and-bust antics such as frolicking fully clothed in the fountain at the Plaza, for instance  that, at times, her own contributions have been lost. Some may be familiar with her first and only novel, Save Me the Waltz  an auto-fictional account of her metamorphosis from a spirited Southern belle to a woman stymied by social norms  but her vivid short stories, articles and letters are just as significant, if curiously lesser known. And yet, in spite of these achievements, it was only posthumously that some of her stories were finally credited solely with her name.

Zelda shuttled in and out of mental institutions for most of her thirties and forties; her quest for autonomy was never a linear one. I want to live some place that I can be my own self, Zelda appealed to her husband Scott in 1933. This was three years after she was first admitted to a psychiatric facility on the shores of Lake Geneva, and thirteen years after his debut novel, This Side of Paradise, catapulted the young couple to fame and intermittent fortune during the roaring twenties. Perhaps it is this desire for sovereignty that best encapsulates the bright flashes of creativity that became such a driving force for Zelda over the course of her life.

I think Scott said, When her flame burns brightest its hotter than mine, says Judith Mackrell, author of Flappers: Six Women of a Dangerous Generation, as we discuss her writing. Like me, Mackrell was drawn to Zelda through her words, so alive on the page, like lavishly painted paper. Zelda is a shooting star. She blazed so brightly and briefly, there was an extraordinary force of character and talent... Mackrell tails off. You hesitate to call it genius because it was so damaged. In Zeldas life and work, the relationship between dispossession and reclamation is a powerful one  but a brittle one, too.

It was around the time of her breakdown, in 1930, that Zelda began writing girl sketches for an American magazine called College Humor; short stories that displayed an instinctive and original impressionistic style. The far-away lights from buildings high in the sky burned hazily through the blue, she writes in A Millionaires Girl, like golden objects lost in the deep grass, and the noise of hurrying streets took on that hushed quality of many footfalls in a huge stone square.

It is the sharpness of her wit, and the strangeness of her prose, that pulls you into Zeldas sensory world: an inner sanctum that was deeply misunderstood at the time. Zelda was diagnosed with schizophrenia in the autumn of 1930, but posthumous analyses now lean towards bipolar disorder as a more probable explanation for her many fluctuations. Her mind and her senses were so acute sometimes, Mackrell muses on her complex psychology, before placing her in proximity to modernist pioneer Virginia Woolf: That blurring of those lines, between reality and the unconscious, made [Woolf] the extraordinary, receptive writer that she was  and Zelda, too.

In Flappers, Mackrell makes note of Zeldas restlessness: an agitated quality that ebbs and flows in her stories, too. The fictions that Zelda began to write were in some ways variations of her own story, Mackrell writes. In each she portrayed a different woman whose attempt to fulfil herself was blocked by some essential failure of nerve, or by the constraint of her husband.

These fictional obstructions become more entangled with real-life biography when one learns of the circumstance in which her stories were originally published. At the time, magazine editors made it a condition that Scotts name  a more bankable entity  appear on her stories as co-author. In one instance, her name was stricken completely. Zeldas A Millionaires Girl, deemed too good for College Humor by Scotts agent Harold Ober, was sold to The Saturday Evening Post for $4,000 instead of $500, but only if Zeldas authorship was omitted. I really felt a little guilty about dropping Zeldas name from that story, Ober wrote to Scott at the time  but I think she understands...

Zelda Fitzgerald photographed in 1931 (Everett/Shutterstock)

How to acknowledge this glaring betrayal without turning the rest of their story into a patriarchal caricature? On the one hand, the Great Gatsby author could be both generous with his time and encouraging with his words. Yet on the other, his compassion was often conditioned by the trajectory of his own work. In 1922, Zelda was asked by Scotts friend, the humorist Burton Rascoe, to write a satirical review of Scotts latest novel, The Beautiful and Damned, for the New York Tribune. It seems to me that on one page I recognised a portion of an old diary of mine which mysteriously disappeared shortly after my marriage, and also scraps of letters which, though considerably edited, sound to me vaguely familiar, she teased. Mr Fitzgerald  I believe that is how he spells his name  seems to believe that plagiarism begins at home.

It was a sharply funny review that demonstrated the unique qualities of her voice. It was also a tongue-in-cheek jibe at the ways in which that voice could, from time to time, stimulate her husbands. When Zelda gave birth to their daughter Scottie in 1921, sozzled on anaesthesia, she babbled  to everyone and no one at all: I hope its beautiful and a fool  a beautiful little fool. All readers of The Great Gatsby will instantly recognise this quote as one of the novels defining lines, voiced by the diaphanous Daisy Buchanan.

He trusted her literary judgement and acted on her criticisms. But Zelda was never his collaborator, Matthew J Bruccoli, Scotts biographer, levelled at the Zelda partisans in the early 1980s. Which, yes, may be true. But what cannot be denied is the input she gave  and the input that he took. As time went on, Zelda would increasingly wrestle with the ways in which her words fed a narrative she didnt own.

F Scott, Zelda and Frances Scottie Fitzgerald dance in front of a Christmas tree in Paris (Getty)

I want to write and I am going to write, she insisted to Scott, just under a year after her autobiographical novel, Save Me the Waltz, was published in 1932. It was based on the same marital events that Scott drew upon for his own novel, Tender is the Night, which followed two years later. That she managed to write it over a whirlwind period of just six weeks, while she was a hospital patient in Baltimore, speaks volumes to the strength of Zeldas spirit and the gutsiness of her resolve.

At the time, Zeldas literary attempt to understand herself, with what Bruccoli would later call her lavish synaesthesia, left readers bewildered. Critics swiped at it  and the novel sold poorly. Yet when an edition resurfaced in London in 1953, British reviewers changed their tune significantly. The Times Literary Supplement, for instance, called her prose powerful and memorable with qualities of earthiness and force.

Tragically, Zelda would never get to read these words. Five years previously, in 1948, a fire had torn through the North Carolina hospital in which she was a patient on the fifth floor. With her death at just 47 came a new wave of critical reappraisal  and, alongside it, a surge of theories that sought to reclaim her alongside so many other misunderstood women of the past. I think its important to separate Zelda from all the gossip, all the urban myth that surrounds her, Mackrell says of this revisionism. But also, to separate her from the feminist myth-making, that impulse to cast her as a victim of history and a victim of Scott  I think that denies her an agency of choice.

Like the paper dolls she made, there is a strength to be found in her fragile hand. Zeldas autonomy, so fiercely fought for, was always expressed on the page.
The Pierce County Prosecuting Attorneys Office has determined a sheriffs deputy lawfully fired an AR-15 at a 70-year-old who reportedly threatened to kill himself and aimed his revolver at police while laughing from a rocking chair during a standoff nearly two years ago.

In a letter to Sheriff Ed Troyer on Tuesday, deputy prosecutor Kelly Montgomery deemed the shooting justified and surmised the heavily intoxicated man was attempting to goad police into a so-called suicide by cop on his front porch southwest of Buckley on April 15, 2021, according to a copy of the letter provided by the Prosecuting Attorneys Office.

A Pierce County Force Investigation Team probe led by Tacoma police detective Jack Nasworthy concluded a single rifle round fired by deputy Christopher Trask struck a front porch railing and then hit resident Robert Hawk in the chest, Montgomerys letter said. Hawk survived.

The day of the shooting, Pierce County deputies responded to a report made by Hawks stepdaughter that he was intoxicated, armed and had threatened to shoot her husband, according to the letter. The husband had retreated from Hawks mother-in-law unit and opted against calling 911 in hopes Hawk would calm down on his own.

Hawk, a retired Boeing employee with no criminal history, was airlifted to the hospital in stable but critical condition, according to information released by PCFIT. Court records do not show he was charged in connection to the incident.

Sheriffs Department spokesperson Sgt. Darren Moss said Trask has since returned to duty full-time.

Trask, hired as a deputy in February 2016, declined to make a statement to PCFIT, according to Montgomerys letter. The memo indicates investigators did not speak to Hawk.

A close look at the timeline of this incident over a 36-minute period shows law enforcements efforts to de-escalate a volatile situation, and also shows Mr. Hawks actions to escalate the situation, perhaps in an attempted suicide-by-cop, Montgomery wrote.

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Montgomerys letter gives the following account of the shooting:

Hawk was reportedly drinking outside his accessory dwelling when his stepdaughters husband confronted him about his alcoholism and decided to block in the older mans truck to keep him from driving. Hawk threatened to shoot the man in the head if he didnt move the car.

The husband reported he was fearful because he knew Hawk had access to a revolver that hed purchased after the family took away his other guns. After he retreated to the main house, he saw Hawk with the pistol and heard him say, You better move that truck.

Hawk drank from a rocking chair on his front porch while his stepdaughter and her husband texted about what to do. She decided to call 911.

Two Pierce County deputies arrived just before 2 p.m. and spoke with the family. Hawk was on his front porch about 80 yards from the main house. The woman told police not to shoot Hawk, and they reassured her theyd attempt to de-escalate the situation.

Shortly thereafter, four other deputies, including Trask, and Buckley Police Chief Kurt Alfano arrived. Trask parked his patrol SUV in the backyard for cover and attempted to speak with Hawk over a loudspeaker. Hawk had not answered calls to his phone previously.

While Trask spoke, Hawk continued rocking in his chair and did not respond to commands to surrender. He also did not respond to his stepdaughter when she asked him to give himself up. Police initially could not see a weapon in Hawks hands.

About 30 minutes after police arrived, Hawk began yelling toward the deputies and appeared to be gesturing for them to come over. He said he couldnt get out of his chair, and several minutes later he put his hands in the air, telling deputies to come to him.

Soon after, Hawk went inside his residence and told deputies to go ahead and shoot him. Then he returned to his rocking chair with another drink.

At about 2:44 p.m., Hawk told deputies, The only way Im walking away from this is if you come talk to me, and put his revolver up to his head. .38, Hawk replied when deputies asked what he was holding.

Hawk refused to drop the gun and said he was going to kill himself.

A few minutes later, Hawk allegedly smiled and laughed as he trained his revolver on the deputies, then singled out one officer.

The deputy reported his ballistic shield didnt cover his full body and he was vulnerable to gunfire, so he started shifting to use the house as cover.

At the same time, Trask fired his rifle at Hawk, who moaned and said, That hurt. Hawk set his gun on a side table, leaned back and appeared to exhibit breathing problems. A team of deputies approached Hawk from behind a shield to give him medical attention.

Hawks stepdaughter reported hearing deputies say, Dont point that at your head, and then a single gunshot. It had been just shy of an hour since police had arrived.

Upon admission to the hospital, Hawks blood-alcohol level was measured at .28, more than three times the legal limit to drive.

Deputies found Hawks revolver contained four live bullets and one spent cartridge but could not determine when he might have fired it. Only Alfano, the Buckley chief, reported hearing a bullet travel over deputies heads as Trask fired.

Mr. Hawk told the deputies that he was a 13-year vet and that he respected law enforcement. This statement could be interpreted as an apology to law enforcement for what was about to occur, Montgomery wrote. Mr. Hawk next placed the gun to his head, but he did not pull the trigger. Mr. Hawk then escalated the situation as he waved the gun at officers while smiling. Mr. Hawk did not pull the trigger; but he told the officers that he wanted to die. 

Waving the gun in the direction of the officers did not draw gunfire from them. Understanding this, Mr. Hawk made a deliberate action that would effectuate a prompt response, Montgomery wrote. ... There was no reasonably effective alternative to using deadly force to stop Mr. Hawks deadly threat.
Chinese judiciary pledges to serve Chinese modernization

Xinhua) 08:12, March 08, 2023

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese courts and prosecuting agencies will strive to serve Chinese modernization, particularly the country's high-quality development, Chief Justice Zhou Qiang and Procurator-general Zhang Jun said Tuesday.

Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), delivers a work report of the SPC at the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

A justice system with modernized capacity will contribute to Chinese modernization and provide powerful judicial services for building a modern socialist country in all respects, Zhou said when delivering a work report of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) at the ongoing session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC).

The country's high-quality development needs high-quality judicial service, Zhou added.

The SPC plans to issue guidelines to improve business environment for the private sector. Chinese courts will take resolute actions to protect legitimate property rights and interests of private businesses and entrepreneurs, according to the SPC report.

Judicial policies will be upgraded in terms of property rights, market access, fair competition and social credit to facilitate the development of a national unified market, while judicial protection of intellectual property rights will be intensified and actions taken to contain monopoly and unfair competition. Courts will also better serve the country's higher-level opening up by building the capacity of foreign-related justice system.

Zhang Jun, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), delivers a work report of the SPP at the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

When reporting the work of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) at the NPC session on the same day, Zhang also pledged that prosecuting agencies will fully leverage the rule of law to facilitate high-quality development.

Serious economic crimes will be punished to the full extent of the law, and prosecuting agencies will support innovation-driven development and enhance protection on intellectual property rights, Zhang said.

Both courts and prosecuting agencies have made notable progress in serving the country's economic development over the past five years, in terms of business environment, economic security, market competition and higher-level opening-up.

From 2018 to 2022, wrong verdicts of 209 major criminal cases involving property rights had been corrected, and 290 business operators acquitted.

"All enterprises were treated equally no matter whether they are state-owned or private, domestic or foreign-funded, small or big," Zhou said.

During the same period, courts across the country concluded 95,000 foreign-related commercial cases and 76,000 maritime cases. A total of 10 special courts were established to handle international commercial disputes.

China prosecuted 13,000 people over crimes concerning the rights of trademarks, patents, copyrights and commercial secrets in 2022, a 51.2-percent rise from 2018, according to Zhang.

Over the past five years, a total of 621,000 people were prosecuted over disruption of market and economic order, up 32.3 percent from the previous five years.

Prosecuting agencies also endeavored to protect the legitimate rights of both Chinese and foreign parties when handling more than 20,000 foreign-related criminal cases in the five years.

High-quality development in China is in great need of supports and services from judicial agencies, and the agencies should also continue streamlining and reforming themselves, said Tang Weijian, a professor with the law school of Renmin University of China.

"I believe that the prospect for socialist rule of law in China will have a brighter future, and so is Chinese modernization," said Tang, also a deputy to the 14th NPC.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Crestwood

Incarnation Parish, 5757 W. 127th St.: Parish Lenten mission at 7 p.m. March 13 to 15. Msgr. John Canary also will speak at all weekend Masses March 11 and 12. Awakened to Gods Love is the title of the program March 13, which includes exposition of the sacrament. Growth in Gods Love is the name of the program March 14, which offers Lenten reconciliation. Extending Gods Love is the title of the program March 15, which includes Mass. Canary, who mainly ministered to forming seminarians and supporting priests, retired as vicar general of the archdiocese. He now dedicates his time to the Joseph and Mary Retreat House, providing retreats and spiritual direction and celebrating sacraments. Information: incarparish.com or 708-597-3180.

Flossmoor

Flossmoor Community Church, 2218 Hutchison Road: Pray Without Ceasing 24-hour fast and prayer experience from 6 a.m. March 10 to 6 a.m. March 11 in the sanctuary. Church doors will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. March 10. It will be led by the Rev. Dawn Pirani Brumfeld. The fast and prayer journey is designed to begin a conversation with God asking for peace, abundance and love for the church, the community and individuals. Sign up for a 30-minute slot to join the pastor. Interactive prayer stations will be offered to help guide prayers and focus participants in a Lenten discipline, as well as a labyrinth. Prayer partners will be available. This hands-on prayer experience includes activities for children. Information: www.fccfaithful.org/pray-without-ceasing or 708-798-2800.

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Homewood

St. John Neumann Parish, 17951 Dixie Highway: 34th annual Lenten fish fry from 4:30 to 8 p.m. March 10, 17, 24 and 31 in Fr. Sayers Hall, the school gym. Alaskan pollock dinners cost $10 for adults and $7 for children 12 and younger and seniors 60 and older; additional pieces of fish can be bought. An eight-piece shrimp dinners cost $12. Spaghetti or herbed butter noodle dinners cost $6. Boxes of curly fries only cost $4. Beer, wine and soda will be sold. Information: sjnhomewood.org or 708-798-0622.

Oak Lawn

First United Methodist Church of Oak Lawn, 100th Street and Central Avenue: Soup and bread supper from 5 to 7 p.m. March 11. Soups, dessert and fellowship will be featured. Everyone is welcome. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $6 for children younger than 12 and free for little ones. They are available in advance at the church office and will be sold at the door. Information: 708-423-1170.

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Pilgrim Faith United Church of Christ, 9411 S. 51st Ave.: Game night fundraiser from 4 to 6 p.m. March 11. Themed baskets will be auctioned off by the youth. Basket winners will be announced at 5:30 p.m. After the event, 10% of the money raised will be given to Feed My Starving Children, where the youth will be volunteering in May. The Christian nonprofit organization uses donations to pay for meals packed by volunteers and distributed around the world. Information: 708-422-4200.

Mokena

St. Johns United Church of Christ, 11100 Second St: Blood drive from 2 to 7 p.m. March 21 with Versiti Blood Centers. Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are welcome. Make an appointment online at tinyurl.com/btxbpkvh. Information: 708-479-5123 or 800-7TO-GIVE.

Tinley Park

Trinity Lutheran Church, 6850 W. 159th St.: Christian writers group is accepting new members. It meets at 7 p.m. the second Monday of the month. Its open to those with a story to tell and who need a creative outlet to express their faith. Information: www.tics.org or 708-532-9395.

Whats going on at your place of worship? Let us know by sending us an email including time, date, place and public contact information at religion@southtownstar.com.
The mother of a missing 11-year-old Cornelius girl asked a relative to help smuggle them, according to newly released warrants.

Madalina Cojocari was seen walking off a school bus on Nov. 21, 2022. Her mother, Diana Cojocari, last saw her at their Cornelius home on Nov. 23, but her mother didnt report her missing until Dec. 15 -- 22 days later.

In a search warrant dated Feb. 14, investigators said they interviewed one of Diana Cojocaris distant relatives. He said Diana and her mother asked him if he would help Diana with smuggling her and Madalina away from the home. The relative said Diana told him she was in a bad relationship with her husband, Christopher Palmiter, and wanted a divorce.

PREVIOUS STORIES:

Police said on Feb. 10, Cornelius detectives and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation agents reviewed Diana Cojocaris phone records. They discovered she had extensive communication on Dec. 2 with that relative who police interviewed.

Investigators said they reviewed the relatives phone records as well and found multiple calls to phone numbers belonging to unidentified targets involved in ongoing T3 drug/narcotic trafficking investigations.

T3 or TIII in this context means wiretap, Channel 9 has learned.

Police said they used an SBI K-9 to sniff around a Green 2008 Toyota Prius belonging to Diana Cojocari. The K-9 alerted investigators to the drivers side door of the car on Feb. 10. Police said the dog is trained to alert any and all narcotics.

The detective who applied for the warrant said she believed a search of the home might find drugs and/or money, which could help lead to information about Madalinas disappearance.

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MORE PREVIOUS STORIES:

The second warrant was an application dated Feb. 13 to search Diana Cojocaris car, which is being held in a secure location by the Cornelius Police Department. The second warrant specified that the detective believed the car may hold physical evidence of narcotics, drug paraphernalia, and/or evidence of trafficking.

Authorities seized the following items from the car:

Moldova Agroindbank debit card belonging to D.Cojocari found in center console Madalina Cojocari Romanian and Moldovan passports found in center console Diana Cojocari Romanian Passport found in center console Miscellaneous education certificates and work documents found in center console

No further information was included in the warrants.

The search for Madalina expanded into western North Carolina on Jan 6. Law enforcement sources told Channel 9 they came in contact with Diana Cojocari in a rural part of Madison County. A deputy came in contact with Cojocari at a pull-off area on U.S. Highway 25 near Lonesome Mountain Road, sources said.

Cornelius police said Madalinas mother, Diana Cojocari, made a trip to Madison County in the weeks between when Madalina was last seen and the day she was reported missing.

In January, Diana Cojocari and Christopher Palmiter each were indicted by a grand jury on the charge of failing to report the disappearance of a child to law enforcement.

(WATCH PREVIOUS BELOW: Law enforcement returns to home of missing Cornelius girl Madalina Cojocari)




First lady Jill Biden, and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken are set to honor 11 woman leaders from around the globe at the White House today on International Women's Day.

The International Woman of Courage Awards ceremony is in its 17th year and recognizes those who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equity and equality, and the empowerment of women and girls, in all their diversity  often at great personal risk and sacrifice, according to a State Department news release.

This years event honors women from countries captured by crisis, including Yuliia Taira Paievska, Ukrainian medic, who last year spent three months in pro-Russian captivity after her capture near the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol in south Ukraine.

Other honorees include an indigenous rights leader from Costa Rica, an Ethiopian journalist covering gender-based violence in the country, a doctor who grew up under Taliban rule in Afghanistan and now advocates for Afghan refugees in Turkey and the women of Iran who have led uprisings against the governments repressive laws against women, the State Department said.

Coverage of the award ceremony begins today, at 2 p.m. ET and will be livestreamed by USA TODAY.

International Women's Day 2023: What to know about the day and how to #EmbraceEquity

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Watch International Woman of Courage Awards Ceremony at White House
The Atlanta Police Department is asking for your help to find the suspect seen in the video and photo.

Police said the man is wanted for aggravated assault.

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On Feb. 24, the suspect shot at an occupied vehicle in the parking lot of an apartment complex on 3041 Landrum Drive SW.

As a result of shooting at the vehicle, the suspect shot into one of the apartments.

In the video, you can see the suspect running.

Crime Stoppers Atlanta is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the suspect.

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If you have any information on the suspect, it can be submitted anonymously to the Crime Stoppers Atlanta tip line at 404-577-8477 or online.

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On the most recent episode of Native Bidaske (Spotlight), Native News Online Publisher and Editor Levi Rickert welcomed Emmy award-winning filmmaker Jhane Myers (Blackfeet & Comanche), who spoke about the success of her recent feature film, Prey.

The movie  a prequel to the hit Predator movie series  features an Indigenous heroine and was filmed in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As lead creative producer, Myers was on the set to ensure the authenticity of Native culture depicted in the film.

It's really important because we're telling our own stories, Myeers said. People don't see us in that way. Because usually the story was made, maybe, in somebody's mind, and it's a fantasy, and it's not doesn't have that degree of authenticity. And I always say that Prey gets an A for authenticity, because we had so many authentic things, even though it was a Predator movie.

Prey was recently nominated for a Producers Guild Award, a Critics Choice Award and won a Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing.

Myers also discussed working on LaDonna Harris: Indian 101 and PBS American Masters 2019 feature on Pulitzer prize winner N. Scott Momaday, Words from a Bear.

Myers other filmmaking includes working on 1883 (Paramount); The Wilds (Amazon); Monsters of God (Plan B/TNT); Magnificent Seven (MGM/Columbia Pictures); Wind River (Weinstein Co.); The Lone Ranger (Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films); and Apocalypto (Icon Ent./Touchstone).

Watch the full interview below.

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
The culminating event of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August of 2021 was the horrific attack on Kabul Airports Abbey Gate. The explosion killed 13 U.S. service members and at least 170 Afghans. It also maimed countless more, including 45 service members like Tyler Vargas-Andrews.

The U.S. Marine Corps sergeant was one of six witnesses to testify Wednesday in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The witnesses described widespread government failure and carnage which saw American soldiers and Afghans butchered as the military tried desperately to evacuate U.S. personnel and allies from Taliban-controlled Kabul.

In emotional testimony Wednesday, Vargas-Andrews described harrowing scenes he witnessed during those final days.

A sniper living out of an airport tower, Vargas-Andrews saw thousands of people approach the airport attempting to leave Afghanistan  mothers carrying dying infants, others suffering from heat exhaustion.

Countless Afghans were murdered by the Taliban 155 yards in front of our positionWe communicated the atrocities to our chain of command and intel assets but nothing came of it, Vargas-Andrews said, adding that some who were turned away tried to kill themselves on the protective razor wire, thinking it merciful compared to the Taliban torture that they faced.

On August 22, the sergeant and his fellow service members reported to the chain of command that the enemy performed an IED test run. Days later, they received intelligence of IED threats and a detailed description of a suspected suicide bomber and his companion. On August 26, Vargas-Andrews and others spotted a pair at Abbey Gate matching the description exactly and they requested permission to engage.

The response: Leadership did not have the engagement authority for us. Do not engage,' he explained, adding that they waited and waited for a response that never came.

Eventually the individual disappeared. To this day, we believe he was the suicide bomber, he said.

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Plain and simple, we were ignored, explained Vargas-Andrews. Our expertise was disregarded. No one was held accountable for our safety.

Later that day, the explosion came. Vargas-Andrews lost an arm and a leg as well as internal organs. He has had 44 surgeries to date.

No one wanted to hear his post-blast report, Vargas-Andrews said. For him, the withdrawal was a catastrophe and there was an inexcusable lack of accountability and negligence.

The Trump administration had previously negotiated a deal with the Taliban directly, excluding the Afghan government in a controversial move. The deal set in place fighting restrictions between the two sides, provided for the release of thousands of Taliban prisoners, and promised a full withdrawal of NATO and U.S. troops in exchange for counterterrorism guarantees from the Taliban.

Biden decided to follow through on his predecessors commitments. U.S. withdrawal saw a quick collapse of the Afghan government and bloodshed as the Taliban advanced.

U.S. Army specialist Aidan Gunderson was another service member affected by the explosion.

I was born one year before 9/11. For 20 years of my life we were at war, and there I was watching the enemy take over the countrys capital, Gunderson explained.

To him, other service members, and Afghan war allies, the war is far from over. Gunderson said he will relive those final days  and the stench of iron and death in the air  for the rest of his life.

America is building a nasty reputation for a multigenerational systemic abandonment of our allies that we leave a smoldering human wreckage from the Montagnards of Vietnam to the Kurds of Syria, explained retired lieutenant colonel David Scott Mann.

The prevailing image of that month remains the shocking footage of a man clinging to the outside of a U.S. military jet as it departed, plunging to his death.

We might be done with Afghanistan, but its not done with us, Mann added.

According to Francis Hoang, executive chairman of Allied Airlift 21, private charter companies had to step in to evacuate Afghan allies and their families when the U.S. military failed to do so.

Hoang, who was himself evacuated from Saigon, Vietnam when the U.S. withdrew from that war, explained that over 80 percent of the Afghans who stood by the U.S. military, at great risk to themselves, have been left behind.

On August 27, several private companies including Allied Airlift organized a desperate journey through Taliban-controlled territory for hundreds of Afghan allies and Americans on six buses. When the buses reached Mazar-i-Sharif, the private companies spent 3 weeks hiding the allies and Americans through the generosity of American donors until a privately-chartered flight could be organized. More than 350 people were on that September flight, including 128 Americans and 152 children. All are presently safe and free in America.

This whole thing has been a gutting experience. I never imagined I would witness the kind of gross abandonment followed by career-preserving silence of leaders, military and civilian, explained Mann.

He said 73 percent of Afghan war veterans say they feel betrayed by how this war has ended, adding that he thinks were on the front end of a mental-health tsunami.

We fought and we bled to build for 20 years an Afghan special operations forces capacity and while I know the meta-narrative is that the security forces withdrew, didnt fight, the reality is that the Afghan Special Ops did 95 percent of fighting and fought to very end. Most of them ran out of bullets. Many of them were overrun, Mann explained.

I believe that could have been a responsible antibody to violent extremist groups with a small footprint that advise and assist and I believe we could have maintained that, he said, explaining that pulling support and maintenance hamstrung the special operations forces from doing what they do best.

Mann added that what the U.S. is now left with is 27 violent extremist groupsnow operating on former NATO security bases with Taliban top cover.

More from National Review
Matcha martinis are giving espresso martinis a run for their money, but what are they? (Photo: Illustration by Ron Keebler)

The espresso martini has reigned headlines (and happy hours) for years. Regaining popularity from its 90s fame, in 2020 the caffeinated cocktail's mention in U.S. restaurant reviews was up nearly 300%. In 2022, the espresso martini succeeded the classic Manhattan in the top 10 list of most-ordered cocktails at U.S. bars, according to research firm CGA by Nielsen IQ, so when another caffeinated beverage comes on the scene, it's strange to think the beloved espresso martini could be replaced. Enter the matcha martini.

Matcha is a type of powdered green tea with Chinese origins; matcha leaves are ground into a powder and mixed into a drink rather than steeping the leaves and removing them from tea. Since the entirety of the leaves are digested, the health community celebrates matcha for its variety of benefits, including its rich antioxidants and less jittery caffeine boost.

But matcha-drinking goes beyond your morning coffee shop order: TikTokers have been consuming matcha as more than just a tea or latte. Videos of the trending #MatchaMartini have climbed to 4.3 billion and counting on the social media platform.

TikToker Nasim Lahbichi first posted an iteration of the matcha martini in November 2022, sharing the idea of a matcha-based martini came from a friend who loved the idea of espresso martinis but hated espresso's flavors. "I figured if one caffeinated beverage could become an iconic cocktail, why not another with even more health benefits and a palatable flavor profile?," explains Lahbichi.

Kelly Pettit also shared her version of a matcha martini at the end of last year. The creator says she was inspired to create the recipe as "matcha is a more subtle, less-caffeinated and earthy substitute for espresso."

"I think people are interested in exploring healthier options for their favorite things," Pettit tells Yahoo Life of the unexpected popularity of her TikTok, "and really, what's not to love about a beautiful, delicious, green martini?"

Story continues

Three months into 2023, it's safe to say matcha martinis are trending. In fact, Lauren Wonn says she first heard about matcha martinis from TikTok. "[My friend] wanted to try this drink and they didn't offer it at the bars we went to, so I got super tunnel-visioned and made it for my group of friends and everyone loved it," says Wonn about her matcha martini. "Growing up Asian, I've grown to really like matcha so this is a fun take on the espressotini. It's also a bit sweeter and my recipe only uses one other liqueur (creme de cacao) so it's a little less strong."

While the TikTok community is just catching on, matcha cocktails have been on menus for years across the globe. Natalie Migliarini, the content creator behind Beautiful Booze, says she first tried a matcha martini at Mixology Salon, an eight-seat bar in Tokyo, while on a trip to Japan in January 2020. "I really loved the flavor profile of the cocktail," recalls Migliarini of the drink, a blend of vodka, passionfruit, vanilla and matcha tea sourced from Kyoto. "It was more complex than a typical matcha martini with the addition of passion fruit and vanilla. I also loved that they prepared the matcha in front of me at the bar."

Does a matcha martini give you as much caffeine as an espresso martini?

According to the USDA, one-ounce of espresso contains 64 milligrams of caffeine, while Healthline says when prepared the standard way, matcha contains between 38 to 88 milligrams per two ounces. When divided to the one-ounce comparison with espresso, using Healthline's breakdown, one-ounce of matcha contains 19 to 44 milligrams of caffeine, meaning no, it does not give you as much caffeine as an espresso martini.

Will a matcha martini give you the same energy for a long night out?

Even though matcha contains less caffeine than espresso, it is still a caffeinated substance, so imbibers will gain a caffeine boost. Gary Gruver, beverage director for Marriott global operations, says the boost will be "more gentle," which is another reason people may prefer it to espresso. "[It] comes in easy, and leaves your system less dramatically without the crash," says Gruver. "Think: it gives you a moderate boost for the night ahead without the bookend spikes."

Still, Gruver adds a note of caution: "Moderation is key; too much matcha tends to make you nauseous as matcha is an ingested medium, where espresso is brewed."

Does the matcha make it better for you? And how?

In theory, matcha is better for you than espresso. "It stabilizes blood sugar and lowers stress in the mind and body alike," says Gruver. Matcha is also packed with antioxidants, which some believe promote the brain, heart and liver health, adds Ben Chesna, beverage director for Himmel Hospitality Group. "It also helps cognitive performance, but combining it with alcohol surely counters some of the health benefits," Chesna says.

The matcha martini may not replace the espresso martini any time soon, but it's increasing in popularity thanks to TikTok. (Photo: Nasim Lahbichi)

Will matcha martinis replace espresso martinis?

"Not a chance," declares Gruver, explaining that at his bars and restaurants, the espresso martini is having its second golden era of reign. "Behind the margarita and an old fashioned, it's the number three cocktail that is selling," he says.

Matcha has been around for awhile and has yet to replace coffee in the mainstream cafe. Gruver furthers that, as with any matcha drink, high quality matcha is required, which many bars don't have access to. "I love matcha," adds Migliarini, "but it has to be done correctly to taste good and be balanced with the right ingredients, especially in cocktails."

Ready to try a matcha martini at home? Just as the espresso martini has its riffs utilizing various spirits as bases, there are many ways to make the boozy green drink. Gruver and Chesna share their recipes below.

Classic Matcha Martini

Courtesy of Ben Chesna

Ingredients:

2 ounces vodka

1/2 ounce Irish cream liqueur (Chesna recommends Bailey's)

1/4 ounce matcha

Instructions:

Put all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker, shake vigorously and strain into a chilled martini glass. The finer the strainer the better, as matcha can get clumpy. You want the cocktail frothy but not with lumps. If you want a richer style drink, a splash of cream will add to the texture and flavor.

Matcha Libre

Courtesy of Gary Gruver

Ingredients:

2 ounces tequila (Gruver recommends Casamigos Blanco)

3/4 ounces amaretto liqueur (Gruyer recommends Disaronno)

1 1/2 ounces matcha-infused oat milk (made by combining 2 tablespoons of matcha and 750 milliliters of oat milk)

1/4 ounce simple syrup

Small pinch of salt

Instructions:

Shake all ingredients with ice, then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a tiny pinch of matcha powder.

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Lifes newsletter. Sign up here.
A bipartisan group of senators introduced a sweeping bill Tuesday that would allow the federal government to regulate and even ban foreign-produced technology, including TikTok.

The bill, the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act, or RESTRICT Act, would give the secretary of commerce broad power to regulate tech produced by six countries that have adversarial relationships with the U.S.: China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela.

The White House endorsed the RESTRICT Act on Tuesday, calling it a systematic framework for addressing technology-based threats to the security and safety of Americans.

While the bill doesnt cite TikTok by name, the senators who introduced it repeatedly touched on fears that TikTok, a social video app owned by the Chinese company ByteDance thats wildly popular in the U.S. and around the world, gives Beijing a steady stream of information about its users.

It is widely acknowledged that TikToks a threat to our national security, Sen. John Thune, R-N.D., said at a news conference. Thune, a member of Republican leadership and a senior member of the Commerce Committee, is sponsoring the bill with Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner, D-Va.; the legislation has 10 co-sponsors, five from each party.

Im particularly concerned about TikToks connections to the Chinese Communist Party, which repeatedly, repeatedly spies on American citizens, Thune added.

Brooke Oberwetter, a spokesperson for TikTok, said in an email that the Biden administration already has the power to oversee the app through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS, and that a blanket ban would be counterproductive for U.S. interests.

We appreciate that some members of Congress remain willing to explore options for addressing national security concerns that dont have the effect of censoring millions of Americans, Oberwetter said. A U.S. ban on TikTok is a ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion-plus people who use our service worldwide.

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Oberwetter noted that TikTok had negotiated a deal with CFIUS that the Biden administration has been reviewing for six months.

But the bills implications go beyond TikTok. Its designed to let the federal government pre-empt situations in which technology produced in any of the six authoritarian countries named in the bill becomes popular in the U.S., as was the case with the Russian antivirus company Kaspersky, which is banned on federal computers, and the Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturers Huawei and ZTE.

The bill doesnt explicitly say how a ban would take effect. Warner said at Tuesdays news conference that it gives the secretary of commerce a series of tools to mitigate, divest, up to and including banning, technology that would harm the U.S.

The tools apply to technology that could be used to interfere in elections, that is designed with deceptive intent or that could otherwise present a national security risk, the bill says.

The legislation comes in a widespread U.S. crackdown on TikTok. The White House has instructed all federal employees to delete it from their work devices before the end of the month after Congress passed a ban on the app on government devices late last year. A number of state governments have already banned it on work devices, and some universities have blocked students from accessing the site on school Wi-Fi.

Like most phone apps, TikTok has access to and collects substantial user data, which the company says helps improve their experience. The company has had to acknowledge at least one episode in which access to that data was abused. It admitted in December that some employees had spied on journalists location data in an attempt to identify which of its employees were speaking to the media.

Despite broad bipartisan support for some sort of crackdown on TikTok, some senators expressed reservations about a narrow approach that doesnt address data security in a comprehensive way, including regulating the data brokers operating in the U.S. that scrape Americans data and sell it, including to foreign companies or entities.

While it is sensible to restrict TikTok on government phones and government interests and the like, if thats all you do, the big winners are these sleazy private data brokers who will move right in and pick up all of that, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in an interview Tuesday.

America needs a comprehensive policy that starts closing the gaps, Wyden said.

Many privacy experts say that while TikTok is a threat to Americans privacy, its not unique in that regard. Chinas prolific cyberspies routinely hack Americans data. The U.S. has no major data privacy law, and an entire industry of data brokers buys, sells and trades Americans private information.

Caitriona Fitzgerald, the deputy director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, a think tank, said TikTok represents maybe 2% of the problem when it comes to Americans privacy.

Without the coverings of privacy law in the U.S., there are millions of apps that are collecting and abusing Americans data, she said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
[Source]

The White House has expressed its support for a new Senate bill that would grant the Biden administration power to ban TikTok nationwide, urging Congress to pass it quickly.

The bipartisan legislation, authored by Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Sen. John Thune (R-SD), does not specifically target the Chinese social video app. Rather, it would allow the Commerce Department to identify, impose restrictions on or ultimately block foreign technologies that pose a national security threat.

Aside from China, the RESTRICT Act  which stands for Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology  warns against technologies from Russia, North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela.

Warner, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement:

More from NextShark: AI-created images of Pikachu are the farthest thing from kawaii

We need a comprehensive, risk-based approach that proactively tackles sources of potentially dangerous technology before they gain a foothold in America, so we arent playing Whac-A-Mole and scrambling to catch up once theyre already ubiquitous.

Former President Donald Trump first sounded the alarm on TikTok and the national security risks it poses.

In an August 2020 executive order, he outlawed transactions between U.S. citizens and TikToks Beijing-based parent company, Bytedance, saying:

More from NextShark: 95-year-old Chinese astronomer's gender equality speech gets over half-billion views in 2 days

TikTok automatically captures vast swaths of information from its users, including Internet and other network activity information such as location data and browsing and search histories. This data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans personal and proprietary information  potentially allowing China to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage.

Story continues

In June 2021, Biden revoked Trumps order  among others focused on TikTok and WeChat  and replaced them with one that sets criteria for evaluating the risks posed by apps linked to foreign adversaries.

By the end of 2022, he approved the No TikTok on Government Devices Act  first introduced in 2020 by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO)  effectively banning the download and/or use of the social video app on government-issued devices.

More from NextShark: Man is hailed a hero after he catches young boy in freefall from his third-story room in China

The RESTRICT Act widens the scope of a potential TikTok ban to all U.S. citizens.

In a statement, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan welcomed the legislation and urged Congress to pass it quickly.

This legislation would empower the United States government to prevent certain foreign governments from exploiting technology services operating in the United States in a way that poses risks to Americans sensitive data and our national security We look forward to continue working with both Democrats and Republicans on this bill, and urge Congress to act quickly to send it to the Presidents desk. More from NextShark: Human rights journalist in Vietnam sentenced to 9 years imprisonment for 'conducting propaganda'

Other legislation targeting TikTok and similar apps are underway.

Just last week, the House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced a bill that would require penalties or a nationwide TikTok ban if an assessment confirms that U.S. user data has been knowingly transferred to any foreign person working for or under the influence of the Chinese government.

In December 2022, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced a bill that would ban U.S. transactions by social media companies that are based in or under the substantial influence of U.S. adversaries. He said in a statement at the time:
(Bloomberg) -- The White House endorsed a bipartisan bill that could give the president authority to ban or force a sale of TikTok, support that could hasten passage and break a deadlock over how to address privacy concerns around the popular Chinese-owned app.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The bill introduced Tuesday would give the president the ability to force the sale of foreign-owned technologies, applications, software or e-commerce platforms if they present a national security threat to US users. It doesnt mention Beijing-based Bytedance Ltd.s TikTok by name, but the video-sharing app, which has about 100 million users in the US, is the clear target.

We look forward to continue working with both Democrats and Republicans on this bill, and urge Congress to act quickly to send it to the presidents desk, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

This is the first time the Biden administration has weighed in on legislation to deal with the app, which the White House says pose national security risks. Critics of TikTok say it allows the Chinese government access to data and viewing trends of the roughly 100 million Americans  as well as users globally  who have made it one of the worlds most popular apps.

At the same time, the administration wants to avoid the legal challenges that beset former President Donald Trumps push to ban TikTok and Tencent Holdings Ltd.s WeChat messaging app. Trump ordered those products banned from app stores in 2020, but a federal judge blocked the order, arguing that it would violate free speech rights.

These risks are not going away, and unfortunately our tools to date have been limited, Senator Mark Warner, the Virginia Democrat who is one of the bills cosponsors, said at a briefing Tuesday. We are going to create a new set of authorities.

Story continues

Read More: One TikTok Bill Has the Most Support Right Now. Heres Why.

James Lewis, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said that the Trump deal was thrown out of court in less than 30 minutes. This administration has thought carefully about how to do something that will stand up in court. Being able to say, Congress passed a law that gives us this authority really helps.

It strengthens their hand in any future battle either to negotiate with TikTok or to negotiate with the court, Lewis added.

It was unclear how the bill introduced by Warner and John Thune, the Senates No. 2 Republican, might affect a separate national-security review of TikTok. That review, led by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, or Cfius, was meant to come to an agreement addressing concerns surrounding US user data. But that process appears to have stalled.

TikToks opponents in Congress have rejected the companys assurances that its Chinese owner doesnt have access to US user data, including viewing patterns and geolocation. In addition, reports that TikTok promotes or hides certain content has raised questions about whether Chinese authorities could influence what content American users see.

TikTok has presented a security plan called Project Texas that pledges to insulate the companys US operation from Chinese influence. The plan includes an independent board of directors to oversee data security, third-party vetting and a partnership with Oracle Corp. to store user data and audit the platforms algorithms.

TikToks Response

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, TikTok spokeswoman Brooke Oberwetter said in a statement Tuesday. We have been waiting for Cfius to finalize our agreement for over six months now, while our status has been debated in public in a way that is divorced from the facts of that agreement and what weve achieved already.

The backlash has had TikTok waging an all-out charm offensive globally for months. To drum up goodwill and defend its data protection and content moderation policies in Washington, executives have enlisted lobbyists to engage with more than 100 congressional offices. In the second quarter of last year, TikTok spent $2.1 million on lobbying on issues including childrens privacy, content moderation and antitrust  the most to date.

In comments that may have presaged the Biden administrations support for the approach in the Warner bill, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in an interview last month that its dangerous business to pass a law to outlaw a particular company. I think its probably more thoughtful to say, These are the kinds of risks were worried about, from these categories of companies and were going to enable some department to run a process to assess the risk and take action.

Warners bill would still need to go through a Senate committee, and its unclear where the measure ranks among Chuck Schumers priorities. As Senate majority leader, he determines whether it would come to the floor for a vote. It would also need to pass the House of Representatives, where several lawmakers have their own bills that would explicitly ban the app.

Anti-China sentiment crosses party lines in Congress, and a number of senators from both parties said Tuesday they were aligned on taking action against TikTok. Republican Marco Rubio of Florida has said flat-out that its time to ban TikTok for good.

Were very united on this topic, Senator Dan Sullivan, an Alaska Republican, told reporters. He said the US needs to bring all aspects of American power and policy to the China challenge.

(Updates with James Lewis comment, starting in seventh paragraph.)

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Two unidentified volunteers with Alsip-based Sertoma Centre pack donated items Tuesday, March 7, 2023, after the close of the International Housewares Association's Inspired Home Show at McCormick Place in Chicago. - Original Credit: International Housewares Assoc. (International Housewares Association)

Volunteers this week mobilized to accept donations of housewares from a major trade show at Chicagos McCormick Place Convention Center.

Tinley Park-based Together We Cope and Alsip-based Sertoma Centre are among five organizations that benefit from goods donated by vendors from The Inspired Home Show, presented by the International Housewares Association.

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The pandemic forced organizers to cancel shows in 2020 and 2021. The event returned last year at about half capacity as operations began to resume after the pandemic, said Leana Salamah, a vice president with the housewares association.

This show felt a lot more complete, she said. A lot more people were able to participate and help us get back to full strength.

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The show opened Saturday and wrapped at 3 p.m. Tuesday, when an army of volunteers flooded the floor of North Americas largest convention center and began packing and removing donated items.

They go from booth to booth, Salamah said. They accept the product, they pack it all up, they wrap it. Its a lot of work.

This years trade show featured about 1,600 exhibitors from 120 countries and drew about 30,000 visitors, she said. It was the annual events largest turnout since 2019, when donated items helped raise about $100,000 for Sertoma Centre.

Sertoma Centre, 4343 W. 123rd St., Alsip, supports people with disabilities by offering life skills training, employment and a wide range of mental health services. Organizations may give donated goods to people they serve or resell them and use the proceeds to benefit their missions.

Volunteers with Alsip-based Sertoma Centre gather Tuesday before collecting and packing items donated by vendors. (International Housewares Association)

A lot of these nonprofits have their own resale shops where they will actually sell the products to the public, Salamah said.

Together We Cope operates a thrift store and food pantry at 17010 Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park. The thrift store has been closed since a November fire damaged the facility but is expected to reopen soon.

Together We Cope offers food, shelter, clothing and referrals for people temporarily experiencing homelessness and helps them regain self-sufficiency. The organization recently said in a social media post that 65 volunteers were needed to work from about noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday to transport donated items.

This extraordinary opportunity allows Together We Cope to provide items to our families in crisis, the organization said. Hundreds of additional products will be sold in our resale shop.

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Efforts to reach representatives of both organizations for comment Wednesday were unsuccessful. Automated replies indicated personnel were busy handling the donated items.

The housewares market accounts for about $30 billion in U.S. sales annually and nearly $100 billion worldwide. The Inspired Home Show attracts International Housewares Association members who are retailers and manufacturers of products. The event is not open to the general public.

This is where they come in the first quarter of every year to identify and source products that theyre going to stock and sell to consumers for the whole rest of the year, Salamah said. These products will start to show up on shelves in the summer, the fall and all the way through the holiday season.

Vendors from all over the world display wares at hundreds of booths. Products are often shipped well in advance of the show. It could be impractical for vendors to take products home with them, so businesses developed relationships with local charities to accept items as donations.

Two men move boxes and materials used Tuesday to pack items donated by vendors at The Inspired Home Show presented by the International Housewares Association at McCormick Place in Chicago. (International Housewares Association)

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The industry overall is very charitable and wants to give back, Salamah said. This stuff is heavy and it can be expensive to ship it back.

Merchandise includes kitchen gadgets, copper pots, furnishings and decorations.

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In addition to Sertoma Centre and Together We Cope, three other organizations that benefit from home show donations are The Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity Restore Chicago and Plainfield-based K9s for Veterans, an organization that provides service dogs to help military veterans affected by post-traumatic stress syndrome.

This year a K9s For Veterans client was among about 300 volunteers who helped with Tuesdays effort to move donated goods, Salamah said.

A lot of folks who find their lives improved by the activities of these organizations then come back in and volunteer for them in order to kind of pay it forward and help other people, she said.

Ted Slowik is a columnist for the Daily Southtown.

tslowik@tribpub.com
The White House on Wednesday batted down suggestions from some Republican lawmakers to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist groups in the wake of the deadly kidnapping of four Americans, arguing it would have minimal benefits.

Designating these cartels as [foreign terrorist organizations] would not grant us any additional authorities that we dont really have at this time, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing with reporters. The United States has powerful sanctions authorities specifically designated to combat narcotics trafficking organizations and the individuals and entities that enable them. So, we have not been afraid to use them.

She noted that the Treasury Department has taken a series of actions sanctioning various Mexican companies and individuals connected to the drug trade in recent months.

Last October, the department sanctioned transporters involved in the Sinaloa cartels drug trafficking operations, sanctioned multiple individuals and entities last month who were part of the meth and fentanyl trade, and last week targeted eight Mexican companies linked to timeshare fraud on behalf of the CJNG, a Mexico-based cartel that traffics fentanyl and other drugs.

Jean-Pierres defense of the administrations strategies came in the wake of a violent incident just south of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Four Americans were kidnapped by armed men last Friday after crossing the border for a trip to get a medical procedure. Two of the Americans were found dead on Tuesday. The two others arrived back in the U.S. on Tuesday and began receiving medical treatment.

The White House has called the killings unacceptable and said the administration is working with Mexican officials to learn more about the incident.

Republicans have responded by calling for a tougher approach to the drug trade in Mexico.

Advocates argue that designating a group as a foreign terrorist organization would provide additional resources for prosecution and give greater authority to freeze financial assets.

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Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) spoke Wednesday about legislation that would classify certain Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations, describing them as a national security issue. Graham said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) would join forces on the measure, and he suggested at least some Democrats would be involved.

An FTO designation is the highest designation you can give a criminal terrorist enterprise thats not a nation-state, Graham said, citing nine different cartels that he argued would warrant the designation.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
With the release of the White Paper on Singapore's COVID-19 response, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the pandemic was "a very complex and wicked problem on a grand scale". (FILE PHOTOS: Yahoo News Singapore)

SINGAPORE  The Prime Minister's Office has published a White Paper on Wednesday (8 March) on a review of the Singapore government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It outlined eight areas in which the city-state did well in relation to responses from other countries, as well as six areas where it could have better handled the pandemic situation. It also identified seven lessons for future pandemics and other national crises.

Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong told CNA that COVID-19 has been a very complex and wicked problem on a grand scale, and has required the government to operate in the fog of war.

We made our best judgment at that time, but of course, with the benefit of hindsight and what we know today, we probably could have handled certain situations differently," he said.

The White Paper will be debated at the next sitting of Parliament on 20 March.

WHERE SINGAPORE HAS DONE WELL

1. Keeping healthcare system resilient

Different levels of care facilities were created. Hospitals converted wards to isolation beds while less-ill patients went to community care and recovery facilities.

2. Successful nationwide vaccination campaign

To secure timely access to vaccines, Singapore signed advance purchase agreements and made early down payments on promising candidates such as Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. By August 2021, 80 per cent of the population had been fully vaccinated.

3. Ensured supply chain resilience

The government maintained the supply of essential goods through measures such as pre-emptive stockpiling and securing sea shipping. Emergency procurement measures were activated, while port and land links were kept open for the flow of goods.

4. Supported businesses, jobs and workers

The government introduced temporary relief measures including rental rebates, bridging loan programmes, and deferment of loan repayments. Some 165,000 jobs were saved via the Jobs Support Scheme, which paid a portion of workers salaries.

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5. Supporting the vulnerable

Temporary assistance schemes were started such as the Temporary Relief Fund, COVID-19 Support Grant, and Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme. Moves were taken to protect the vulnerable elderly residents in nursing homes against the virus.

6. Kept education going

During the Circuit Breaker period, all schools went to home-based learning. After that critical period, home-based learning remained a feature of curriculum time.

7. Maintained effective communication

Information was made through channels like the regular press conferences and a dedicated Gov.sg Whatsapp channel. The government also stepped up efforts to counter misinformation, scams and foreign influence operations.

8. Rallied the nation

The government called on existing partnerships with stakeholders from the public and private sectors to respond to demands and changes on the ground.

Migrant workers wearing face masks at a quarantined dormitory building in Singapore. (FILE PHOTO: Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images)

WHERE SINGAPORE COULD HAVE DONE BETTER

1. Outbreak in migrant worker dormitories

The Government did not move quickly enough to conduct early and better surveillance of dormitories, given their communal living conditions, or to detect and isolate infected individuals. And rather than ease movement restrictions for migrant workers after most of them had been vaccinated and boosted, the government instead acted out of an abundance of caution. This took a toll on their mental well-being.

2. Border measures

Singapore enacted progressive border closures at the start of the pandemic, and during the Delta variant wave. Instead, it should have tightened border measures more aggressively the moment there were signs of the virus spreading, even at the risk of overreaction.

3. Mask policy

At the start of the pandemic, the government said face masks were not needed, but it was subsequently made mandatory a couple of months later. The public viewed this as a U-turn, which affected public trust. The government could have been less definitive in its position on mask-wearing before it learnt how easily the virus spread.

4. Contact tracing data

The use of the TraceTogether as well as SafeEntry took several months to get into gear, as TraceTogether at first did not cover people without smartphones. The programme suffered another setback when it was disclosed in Parliament that TraceTogether data could be used in police crime investigations. This contradicted earlier assurances and caused much public unhappiness.

5. COVID-19 rules and safe management measures

Some rules and safe management measures were overly calibrated, needing to be changed frequently as the situation evolved. They became confusing and frustrating for the public.

6. Transition to endemicity

Singapore raised the idea of COVID-19 becoming endemic in May 2021, but over the second half of 2021, tightened and relaxed measures repeatedly as the Delta variant caused cases to surge. People became frustrated when they did not see the new strategy materialise. Teething issues also beset the rollout of the Home Recovery Programme, as people did not know when to recover at home and found it hard to get answers.

A notice warning people not to gather in groups larger than five to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Singapore. (FILE PHOTO: Roslan Rahman/AFP via Getty Images)

LESSONS LEARNT FROM PANDEMIC

1. Balancing precision and ease of implementation

The government needs to better establish upfront which dimension to prioritise in each phase of dealing with the pandemic. The crisis response should strike a balance between precision and ease of implementation, should not "let the perfect be the enemy of the good".

2. Strengthen resilience as economy, society, nation

Singapore should maintain access to key resources by building buffers, invest in critical systems and capabilities to marshal resources, and enhance the adaptability of its infrastructure and workforce.

3. Deepen engagements, partnerships

The government should deepen engagements and strengthen partnerships with the people and private sectors to harness their strengths. It must develop an eco-system to support and nurture these relationships in peacetime.

4. Expand healthcare capacity

Singapore strengthen its public health expertise and organisational capabilities, especially in communicable disease control and management.

5. Be better in leverage science and technology

Singapore needs to invest in data engineering capabilities and interoperable systems across the government, in order to support future pandemic crisis management and response.

6. Strengthen crisis planning and management

The range of baseline scenarios for pandemic planning will need to be broadened.

7. Shaping national psyche

Singapore should consider how else public communications could be leveraged to shape the national psyche in support of important shifts during a crisis.

Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.
Marketing in Web3 is going to look a whole lot different than just launching a newsletter, according to newcomers Dispatch.

There are a lot of brands and companies exploring Web3 and how they can use technologies that are available on top of the blockchain, and our goal is to make it easy for those companies to transition from Web2 to Web3, Dispatch head of product Sean Spector said in an interview with Decrypt at this years NFT Paris event.

Launched last year, Dispatch markets itself as a full-stack marketing, messaging, and ad tech tool specifically tailored for Web3.

Incubated by IEX Group, which also owns the exchange that was founded to mitigate the effects of high-frequency trading and made famous in the book "Flash Boys" by Michael Lewis, the New York-based company is building out a way to simplify Web2 businesses transitioning to the new world of Web3, while offering a new way to engage with customers.

Like a Blur: Tensor Plans Massive Airdrop for Solana NFT Traders

Onboarding businesses to Web3, according to Spector, also means talking to brands that already have successful playbooks on how to leverage social media tools like Instagram and Facebook according to the firm's goals.

We see Web3 as the next prong of that: how do you make tools for brands to access Web3 just as it would be the next social media network and then provide analytics, infrastructure, and messaging tools, Spector told Decrypt.

Speaking to what aspects of Web2 companies might want to apply to Web3 and what wont work, the first thing Spector points to is the long-time established way of communicating with customers via newsletters.

Imagine you are a brand in Web2, or you are a small startup trying to find a market. How do you do that? You create an email subscription list so that when someone comes to your website, they add their email and now they are opted in to get notifications from you. Does this work like Web3 yet?

According to Spector, no, not really.

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Tokens: the 'social graph' of Web3

Dispatch offers a solution for that, enabling brands and token issuers to communicate directly with the wallet addresses connected to their communities via non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

This lets companies open a direct line with communities, eliminating the need for email addresses and other platforms built with Web2 consumers in mind.

We really see tokens as the social graph of Web3, said Spector. Theres a brand or a project, and theres a contract, and then people who opt-in, and buy the token or mint the token, become part of that project. Now, that's their channel for opt-in distribution.

Big Brands Must Be 'as Crypto-Native as Possible' Entering NFT Space: Gmoney

Brands are drawn to blockchains open database architecture, Spector said. That can help products with big secondary markets overcome the struggle to engage with customers.

"My ability to understand who my customer is is limited by the people who check my store," Spector said. "But with the rise of the secondary market, how do I continue to engage with the customer who is loyal to my brand if I have no data on it?"

Blockchain, he explained, gives businesses the "next level of data that lets you stay in touch with the customer beyond the initial purchase."
Ukraine MiG jet Russia invasion war Europe weapons defence - Danil Shamkin/NurPhoto via Getty Images

US military officials are reportedly exploring whether Ukraines Soviet-era fighter jets can be armed with Western air-to-air missiles that could allow them to shoot down Russian warplanes at long range.

The AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles have already been sent to Ukraine for use in the Nasams air defence systems donated by its allies, but could provide a serious boost for Kyivs air forces if they can be integrated with its fleet of MiGs.

With Iranian-made drones raining down on Ukrainian cities, US officials are concerned that Kyiv is running out of weapons to defend itself from Russian air attacks, and equipping its warplanes with the Western missiles is seen as a creative solution to that problem, Politico reported.

The latest versions of the missile have a range of almost 100 miles, which could help to level the playing field against Russian jets armed with sophisticated weapons that out-range anything currently in Ukraines arsenal.

Engineers have already successfully equipped Ukrainian jets with AGM-Harm air-to-surface missiles.

Donated by the US, the missiles home in on enemy radar signals and played a key role in Ukraines lightning counter-offensives last summer, allowing Ukraines air force to devastate Russias air defences.

Ukraines defence minister warned the European Union that its plan to buy one million artillery shells wont be enough to fuel Kyivs fight against the Russian invasion.

At a meeting in Stockholm, Oleksiy Reznikov told his EU counterparts that Ukraines armed forces need at least 100,000 155mm rounds each month to ease critical battlefield shortages.

European defence ministers gave the green light to a plan to centralise the blocs defence spending in order to purchase one million shells by the end of the year, at a cost of 4 billion (3.5 billion).

However, Mr Reznikov said the plan would not meet Kyivs needs, adding: We need one million rounds and approximately that would cost four billion. We need more.

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According to the three-point plan, the European Commission will use 1 billion (890 million) from its existing budget to incentive member states to immediately transfer munitions from their stockpiles to Ukraine.

Josep Borrell, the EUs top foreign diplomat, said that Brussels would commit a further 1 billion with the aim of using joint procurement to replenish up to 90 per cent of national stocks.

The next weeks and months, but mainly weeks  we are talking about weeks  will be critical because the military situation on the ground is very difficult, he told reporters.

The Ukrainian minister has previously appealed for deliveries of at least 250,000 shells a month from EU member states.

On average, Ukraine fires about 110,000 155mm artillery shells every month  a quarter of the amount used by Russias forces  but needs more than 350,000 to carry out a successful counter-offensive, according to Mr Reznikov.

Poland called for the EUs joint purchasing of weapons to be extended to help Ukraine with ammunition for recently-donated German Leopard 2 tanks, as well as older Soviet-era models.

Brussels sees the shift to a wartime economy model as crucial for maintaining support for Ukraine in the long term.

Ministers hope by using its joint procurement model for artillery shells the bloc can emulate the successes of its efforts to ramp up European coronavirus vaccine production.

The EUs plan is likely to be given an official sign-off when the blocs leaders hold talks in Brussels later this month at a European Council summit.

Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, urged the alliances members to build on their 65 billion (58 billion) military support for Ukraine, which is more than the UKs total annual defence budget.

He said: This is particularly important to ramp up production of ammunition. This is now a war of attrition, which is a battle of logistics. This is about getting the supplies, the ammunition, the fuel to the front line, to the soldiers.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW)  The wife of one of the four Americans kidnapped in Mexico last week is thankful hes alive but is heartbroken for the families of the two who were found dead.

Michelle Williams, the wife of Eric Williams, told Nexstars WBTW she didnt know where he was going, just that he was going to help two friends. She said the FBI showed up at her door on Sunday to inform her of what happened.

I didnt hear from him after Friday, she explained. Friday morning he texted me and I texted him back immediately. He didnt respond so Im going to assume thats when he was ambushed.

Michelle said the whole incident has been surreal. She explained the feeling she got when she found out her husband was still alive and at a hospital in the United States.

I had a sense of relief, she said. Because I havent slept since Sunday. My heart is breaking for the other two families that dont get to say the same.

The group wasnt doing anything illegal, Michelle noted, citing social media rumors. And I highly doubt they thought this couldve happened to them.

Mexican governor says kidnapped Americans found: 2 dead, 1 wounded

Zindell Brown, another kidnapped American, is from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and has family members living in the Pee Dee, according to the Associated Press. Officials have not said which two were killed.

Lake City, South Carolina officials said all four kidnapping victims are native to the area. In a news briefing Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Yamekia Robinson issued a statement offering condolences to all of the families involved but directed all questions to the U.S. Department of State.

Authorities have said Zindell Brown, Latavia Tay McGee, Shaeed Woodard and Eric Williams were kidnapped in an area of the country dominated by factions of the powerful Gulf drug cartel. They were traveling in a white van with a North Carolina license plate, and entered the city of Matamoros from Brownsville, at the southernmost tip of Texas.

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Zalandria Brown told the AP that Zindell and two friends were with a third friend who was going to Mexico for a tummy tuck cosmetic surgery.

Tamaulipas Gov. Americo Villarreal said the four were found in a wooden shack, where they were being guarded by a man who was arrested. Villarreal said the captive Americans had been moved around by their captors, and at one point were taken to a medical clinic to create confusion and avoid efforts to rescue them.

The two dead will be turned over to U.S. authorities following forensic work at the Matamoros morgue in the coming hours, the governor said.

The U.S. citizens were found in a rural area east of Matamoros called Ejido Tecolote on the way to the Gulf coast known as Bagdad Beach, according to Tamaulipas state chief prosecutor Irving Barrios.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The crime scene where gunmen kidnapped four US citizens who crossed into Mexico from Texas on Friday. AP

The wife of one of the Americans kidnapped in Mexico said she didn't know he was headed there.

"I just knew he was going somewhere to help two friends," she told WBTW in a story posted Tuesday.

Four American friends were abducted last week by armed men after crossing the border.

The wife of one of the four Americans shot at and kidnapped by gunmen in Northern Mexico in a deadly encounter after the group crossed the border said she had no clue that her husband was headed into the country.

Michelle Williams, the wife of Eric Williams, told WBTW in an interview published Tuesday that she knew only that her husband was helping out two friends.

"I didn't know that he was traveling to Mexico. I just knew he was going somewhere to help two friends," the wife told the news outlet.

Eric Williams, along with his friends Zindell Brown, Latavia McGee, and Shaeed Woodard, traveled from South Carolina to Mexico last week so that one of the friends could get a tummy-tuck procedure, family members have said.

The group was abducted Friday after driving a white minivan into Matamoros, Mexico, near the Rio Grande and the southern US border with Brownsville, Texas, the FBI has said.

"Shortly after crossing into Mexico, unidentified gunmen fired upon the passengers in the vehicle," the FBI said, adding that the four friends were then "placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men."

Two of the Americans  identified by CNN as Woodard and Brown  were later found dead, while Eric Williams and McGee were found alive Tuesday.

"I didn't hear from him after Friday," Michelle Williams told WBTW. "Friday morning, he texted me, and I texted him back immediately. He didn't respond. He didn't respond to our son either, so I'm going to assume that's when they were ambushed."

Meanwhile, Zalandria Brown, Zindell Brown's sister, told The Associated Press that her brother was worried about crossing the border.

"Zindell kept saying, 'We shouldn't go down,'" the sister told the news outlet in a phone interview.

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"This is like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from," she told the AP. "To see a member of your family thrown in the back of a truck and dragged, it is just unbelievable."

A US official told CNN that investigators believed a drug cartel mistook the Americans for smugglers.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The wife of an American tourist who survived the horror kidnapping by a notorious Mexican drug cartel has revealed that she didnt even know he had left the US.

Eric James Williams and his friend Latavia Tay McGee were rescued from a drug cartel stash house on Tuesday, four days after they were kidnapped by armed gunmen in Matamoros, Mexico, while on their way to a tummy tuck clinic.

Their two friends Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown were killed in the horror attack.

Mr Williams wife Michelle has now spoken out to reveal that she hadnt even known he was going to Mexico  and a border city largely ruled by the Gulf drug cartel.

I didnt know that he was travelling to Mexico, she told WBTV. I just knew he was going somewhere to help two friends.

Michelle said that she had last heard from her husband on Friday morning when he texted her.

She said she replied to his message immediately but got no response.

Now, she believes that was when he and his three friends were ambushed and kidnapped by the suspected gang members.

He didnt respond. He didnt respond to our son either, so Im going to assume thats when they were ambushed, she said.

I highly doubt they thought this could have happened to them.

Now, she said Mr Williams and Ms McGee are recovering in a hospital in Texas after suffering non-life-threatening gunshot wounds to his legs.

Eric James Williams is recovering in a hospital in Texas (Family Handout)

He was shot three times in the legs during the attack and underwent surgery while Ms McGee appeared to be unharmed.

Michelle told CNN that she and their 11-year-old son had been able to speak to Mr Williams on the phone from the hospital where he was emotional about the deaths of Woodard and Brown.

To him, the two men were like his own brothers, she said.

Mexican officials are now carrying out autopsies on the bodies of Woodard and Browns bodies before they will be repatriated to the US.

The horror abduction began on Friday when the group of four American friends travelled from South Carolina to Matamoros for Ms McGee to undergo a tummy tuck procedure.

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When the group crossed the border in their white minivan, they appeared to get lost and struggled to find the clinic.

Not long later, they were ambushed and shot at by a group of armed gunmen.

Disturbing video footage showed the four victims then being bundled into the back of a pickup truck by the attackers.

The video showed one person sat upright and moving while the other three were dragged limply into the vehicle. One of the victims being dragged did show signs of life by lifting their head.

The stash house where the US citizens were found in Mexico (REUTERS)

Mr Williams North Carolina divers licence was found left behind at the scene of the abduction.

Officials believe the attack was the work of a drug cartel who mistook the victims for Haitian drug smugglers.

The incident sparked a huge international effort to track down the medical tourists, with the FBI offering a $50,000 reward for their return and for the arrest of those responsible.

On Tuesday, the victims were finally tracked down to a stash house along a rural area east of Matamoros called Ejido Longoreno on the way to the local beach known as Playa Baghdad.

A suspect  identified as 24-year-old Jose N  has been arrested over the fatal kidnapping.

Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villarreal said at a Tuesday evening press conference that the suspect had been tasked with making sure the victims didnt escape.

Throughout the four-day ordeal, officials believe the victims were moved multiple times to evade authorities.

Several US officials pointed to cartel involvement in the incident with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying that the Biden administration remains committed to disrupting transnational criminal organizations including Mexican drug cartels and human smugglers.

The car in which four Americans were kidnapped by gunman (REUTERS)

We remain committed to applying the full weight of our efforts and resources to counter them, she said at a press brieding on Tuesday.

Right now, our immediate concerns are for the safe return of our citizens, the health and well-being of those who survived this attack, and the support which must be rendered to the families of those who need it.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he was sorry the fatal incident happened on Mexican soil.

We continue to work every day towards peace and are very sorry that this has happened in our country, he said on Tuesday.

We send our condolences to the victims friends and family and the American people. And we will continue to work towards peace.

The border city of Matamoros, based in the state of Tamaulipas, is largely controlled by the Gulf drug cartel, with violence and migrant smuggling rife.

The US State Department is advising Americans not to travel to Tamaulipas due to the risk of crime and kidnapping. The region is on the Level 4: Do Not Travel list.
Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown announced the Department of Commerces National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has given Wilberforce University over $2 million as part of the Connecting Minority Communities (CMC) Pilot Program.

The money will be used to fix the gaps in broadband internet access and connectivity at the university, according to a release from Senator Browns office.

This investment will help ensure Wilberforce University has the tools and resources to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to advance their careers, said Brown. It will not only support faculty and students, but will also lead to more technological development and economic growth in the region.

>>Its unacceptable; Ohio Senator calls for legislation after latest train derailment in Springfield

A number of new amenities will be available to students including:

The project activities will expand broadband internet access on campus.

Create hybrid classrooms by upgrading the equipment and devices available for student and teacher use.

Create new IT positions to support technological upgrades.

Provide Chromebooks to students.

Open the campus library to members of the community where they can utilize campus broadband services.

The CMC Pilot Program is a part of the Biden administrations Internet for All initiative, which aims to make high-speed internet affordable and reliable for every American.




Public domain explained: Why are iconic characters getting horror makeovers? (Disney/Jagged Edge/XYZ Films)

Winnie the Pooh, the Grinch, and Bambi are all getting horrifically family unfriendly movie makeovers thanks to public domain, a legal loophole that is proving to be a godsend for low budget filmmakers.

Most characters and stories  known in the movie industry as intellectual property (IP)  are protected by copyright laws, but only for a fixed period of time. However, what happens when they fall into the public domain, and can be shared or used without permission or fee? The length of copyright varies from country to country, but in the UK and USA, a property enters public domain 95 years after first release or 120 years after creation.

Read more: Winnie The Pooh gets twisted horror movie makeover

Although theres an argument that public domain is good for creative freedom  just look at the countless adaptations of Sherlock Holmes  not everyone agrees. Every year, more and more properties enter the public domain, which can lead to legal troubles, unwanted parodies, and your favourite franchises being ripped off by poor imitations looking for a quick buck.

As new slasher movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey lands in UK cinemas, here is everything you need to know about the new wave of public domain films.

The future of public domain and what happens to your favourite franchises, explained in 12 points

Winnie-The-Pooh first appeared in 1928 and the stories are available in around 50 languages around the world. (AFP via Getty Images)

2022 was a big year. Major IPs fell into public domain on January 1, 2022. The big ones include Ernest Hemingways The Sun Also Rises and Dorothy Parkers Enough Rope, and A. A. Milnes Winnie the Pooh. Silent films starring the likes of Buster Keaton and Greta Garbo joined them alongside over 400,000 sound recordings.

Visiting the Hundred Acre Wood. Characters appearing in Milnes Winnie-the-Pooh from 1926 entered the public domain. Disney acquired the rights in 1961, and its now the highest-grossing media franchise of all time with $73.7 billion in revenue.

Bouncing into difficulties. Tigger didnt appear until 1928s The House at Pooh Corner, so cant be used until 2024. Only Milnes 'classic' Pooh is in PD, meaning the red t-shirt version made iconic by Disney is still under copyright.

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Read more: Bambi to get horror makeover

A promotional still for Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey. (Jagged Edge Productions)

Blood and Money. Rhys Frake-Waterfields Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, which will be released this week, is a horror movie that has nothing to do with Disney. Frake-Waterfield told Yahoo he was careful to only base his Pooh on the 1926 version.

PD is a lawless place. A lack of policing means anyone can create anything they want. Disneys family-friendly image doesnt fit with the horror of Blood and Honey, while it might also be possible to create pornographic knock-odds of works without being able to file for copyright infringement.

Copyright complications. The 1976 Copyright Act (becoming effective in 1978) makes things more complicated. US law can extend copyright for 70 years from the authors death. There are also circumstances where copyright protects a property for 120 years if it was done anonymously or as work for hire.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (Disney/Park Circus)

Creativity is king. Public domain allows for creativity, with West Side Story being based on Romeo & Juliet or Disney greats like Beauty and the Beast (1991) and Frozen (2013) coming from public domain works. Without Dickens A Christmas Carol being PD, wed never have The Muppets Christmas Carol.

The Grinch turns evil in The Mean One. (XYZ Films)

Youre a mean one. Steven LaMortes The Mean One is a horror twist on How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The Grinch shouldve entered PD in 2014, but due to current copyright law, that wont be until at least 2053. The Mean One is marketed as a parody and doesnt refer to its lead as 'the Grinch'.

Fritz Lang's Metropolis was released in 1927 (U.F.A/Alamy)

The legend of Metropolis. Fritz Langs Metropolis goes into public domain this year. As one of the most famous films of all time, Metropolis was filmed and registered in 1925. Due to the Copyright Act of 1909 only protecting it for 28 years, it was previously PD from 1953 until 1996.

Mickey Mouse made his debut in 1928's Steamboat Willie. (Walt Disney/Everett Collection)

Mickey takes his gloves off in 2024. Its nearly 95 years since Mickey Mouse appeared in Steamboat Willie. UCLA School of Laws Daniel Mayeda told The Guardian you can use the original design of Mickey in 2024, but if people think its from Disney due to an association with the character, it could violate trademark.

Daniel Craig as James Bond in Skyfall. (MGM)

Shaken but not stirred. In Canada, Ian Flemings books entered PD on January 1, 2015. The author died in 1964, but due to lengthier restrictions in the USA and UK, James Bond is still under copyright. Only the books are in the public domain, meaning movie aspects like Blofeld having a white cat cant be used.

Is anything safe from PD? Were still a long way out from being able to re-film Game of Thrones season eight, but in some distant future, Marvel characters created by Stan Lee will be up for grabs. You could eventually rewrite Harry Potter and outright state Dumbledore is gay from the first chapter.

Watch a trailer for The Mean One
Whats Speak Out?

Speak Out allows readers to comment on the issues of the day. Email Speak Out at speakout@southtownstar.com or call 312-222-2427. Please limit comments to 30 seconds or about 100 words and give your first name and your hometown.

The man charged in the shooting death of Chicago police Officer Andres Mauricio Vasquez Lasso had a serious previous contact with police. In July, the 18-year-old was arrested after he ran from a stolen car that contained two guns used in a shooting. As is the policy of Cook Countys woke States Attorney Kim Foxx, he was charged with a misdemeanor that later was dismissed. Shouldnt Foxx attend the young officers wake and explain to his wife and child why this violent person was free to commit more crimes?

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Christine, Evergreen Park

SH in Park Forest was asking why do all the people who dont live in Chicago criticize Chicago? Well, its very simple, if Chicago sneezes the suburbs catch cold. My question is how come the people are continuously moving from Chicago into the suburbs and not the other way around? Theres a reason for that, and I feel you know the answer.

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Tom, Burbank

To Tom from Garfield Ridge, you speak about the Democrats lies. Well, nothing can compare to the proved and fact-checked king of the liars and head of the Republican Party, Donald J. Trump. In fact, the entire party is just filled with nothing but lies. George Santos, anyone. I dont think hes a Democrat.

JK, Tinley Park

I get a laugh every time I read about how the Democrats keep trying anything possible to discredit Trump. Now the Justice Department wants to sue him for Jan. 6. Lol. Its amazing that the top secret documents supposedly found at Trumps home quieted down after some were found at Bidens. These leeches are doing nothing but wasting taxpayers money on all these witch hunts. If they had anything solid on Trump he would be in jail already. Trump 2024.

Tom, Garfield Ridge

Sundays Speak Out contained contributions from Tinley Park, Evergreen Park, Orland Park and Burbank raging about Brandon Johnson and Lori Lightfoot. Interesting enough, despite the fact that the Southtown covers the South and Southwest sides of the city, there were no contributions about politics in Chicago from city residents. So, if what goes on in the city of Chicago concerns these contributors so much, move there. Then you can vote youre angry hearts out in every election.

George, South Side
Chris Rock backstage before presenting at the 94th Academy Awards. Al Seib/Getty

Audience member Fely Yigle was heavily featured during Chris Rock's latest Netflix comedy special.

The 21-year-old took to TikTok to bask in her newfound fame  and to answer critics who thought she was laughing too hard at some of Rock's questionable jokes.

"The negative feedback came from the fact that people just didn't like Chris Rock," she told Insider.

A woman who was heavily featured in the audience of Chris Rock's Netflix comedy special laughing uproariously took to TikTok to celebrate her moment in the sun  and to answer her critics.

21-year-old college student Fely Yigle, who goes by @lifeof.fay on TikTok, shared a semi-viral video on Sunday joking about her appearance in the special "Selective Outrage," wearing the same purple top and hair clips that she wore to the taping. While her TikTok was in good fun, she's now having to answer viewers who thought she was laughing too hard at some of Rock's most testy jokes.

Yigle told Insider she attended the event on March 4 with a group of seven friends, one of whom had received an invite from a coordinator tasked with filling seats at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre. When the group was seated "literally right in the front row," the thought entered Yigle's mind that the camera might glimpse her.

"I didn't think it would be on us as much as it was," she said.

When she walked out of the theater, fellow audience members approached her to tell her that the camera had panned to her on numerous occasions during the live broadcast. People watching at home also noticed. One person on Twitter joked that the cameraman had a crush on her.

On TikTok, Yigel joked about basking in her newfound fame. She's seen lipsyncing to the popular soundbite, "So how does this work: Do I call LA or do they call me?"

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While her TikTok was mostly met with compliments, she also received some pushback, given that Rock's set stoked adverse reactions on social media. In one act, the comedian responded to Will Smith slapping him at last year's Oscar's by joking that he watched "Emancipation," the historical thriller wherein Smith plays a runaway slave, in retaliation to see Smith being physically abused.

Some saw it as a triumphant settling of the score, while others felt that Rock went too far. His special was also accused of dabbling in misogynoir with jokes about Meghan Markle and Jada Pinkett Smith, calling the latter a "bitch" and a "predator."

"He traded in colorism, saying Meghan Markle hit the light-skinned lottery," the columnist Elizabeth Wellington wrote in The Philadelphia Inquirer. "His gratuitous use of the N-word made me wince. He referred to Will and Jada as B-words countless times. It got really nasty."

The widespread criticism against Rock is why people on TikTok pressed Yigle about her reactions.

"Amazing acting cuz baby ain't no way that laughter was real cuz that special was horrible," reads the top comment on Yigle's TikTok, with 1,200 upvotes. "But you look absolutely beautiful!"

In follow-up videos, Yigle shrugged off criticism that she was "laughing too hard." As a political science student, she said, Rock's "policitally-framed jokes" can help "make the truth more digestible." She later told Insider that while her fits of laughter weren't fake, it was "maybe a little too extra," as she knew the cameras were there.

"I think more of the negative feedback came from the fact that people just didn't like Chris Rock," Yigle added. "So they were shocked that I was laughing so much. But I was, like, it's a comedy show."

Since posting on TikTok, she said people specifically have asked for her thoughts on Rock's comments towards Black women.

"He didn't really talk about Black women as much as a whole," Yigle told Insider. "He talked about specific ones  and Jada being one of the people that was involved in everything that happened."

In the end, she said, she came for a good laugh, and she did just that.

"I did not come to watch a presidential campaign or a debate," she concluded on TikTok. "I came to laugh  so I did not take anything that he said seriously."

Read the original article on Insider
A woman still has shrapnel in her body a year after an officer fired his handgun in her direction as her close friend struggled with police, a federal lawsuit filed in New York says.

An officers bullet struck Chassity Wades right thigh above her knee before exiting below her pelvis in Beacon on Feb. 27, 2022, according to a complaint filed one year after the shooting.

Wade says Fishkill Police Officer Joseph DiPalma recklessly fired his gun and disregarded her safety as her friend, who was also shot, was having a mental health crisis that day. The shooting put her in a wheelchair for a month, according to the complaint.

Now Wade is suing DiPalma and the Town of Fishkill, the complaint shows. She demands a trial by jury.

McClatchy News contacted the town and the Fishkill Police Department for comment and did not receive an immediate response.

A grand jury investigation determined DiPalma and other officers involved that day were justified in their actions, according to Mid Hudson News, which first reported Wades lawsuit.

What led to Wade getting shot?

On Feb. 27, 2022, Fishkill police officers, including DiPalma, were responding to a dispute between a mother and her son at an apartment complex in Beacon, the complaint says.

At about the same time, Wade was inside her apartment with her close friend Michael Becerril who began experiencing a mental health crisis, according to the complaint.

Becerril grabbed a knife and began harming himself before running out of Wades apartment with the knife, prompting her to follow him to calm him down, the complaint says.

As Wade ran down the street after Becerril, she screamed for help as DiPalma and Officer Joseph Hurtado were nearby, according to the complaint. Wade says she pulled on Becerril and they both fell down to the ground as he dropped the knife.

At this point, Becerril no longer had the knife, was otherwise unarmed, and did not pose an imminent threat of death or serious physical injuryboth Hurtado and DiPalma knew this, the complaint says.

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Hurtado tased Becerril, who then tried walking away before Hurtado tripped him, according to the complaint.

As Becerril fell, DiPalma was running up a nearby hill and began shooting indiscriminately in the direction of the falling Becerril and (Wade), who was still on the ground, the complaint says.

DiPalmas bullets hit both Wade and Becerril, she says.

Becerril charged at DiPalma, knocked him down and grabbed his gun after he was shot, according to an indictment obtained by the Poughkeepsie Journal that charges him with attempted second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Those details are not included in the complaint.

Becerril was hospitalized for the gunshot wound and ultimately apologized for how he acted that day and didnt fault the officers for the shooting, according to Mid Hudson News. He pleaded guilty to menacing a police officer with a firearm and faces up to three years and six months in prison, the outlet reports.

Meanwhile, Wades complaint says that in shooting at Becerril, DiPalma didnt take precaution to avoid shooting (Wade).

As a result, Wade felt excruciating pain after she was shot  pain that persists to this day  and needed emergency medical treatment, the complaint says.

She might need surgery to remove the remaining shrapnel in her body from DiPalmas bullet, according to Wade.

Wade faults the Town of Fishkill for not adequately training police officers on how to respond to mental health crises or instances of self harm.

Wade is suing on several counts, including battery and negligence.

On June 22, 2022, a Dutchess County Court grand jury decided criminal charges against DiPalma and other officers werent warranted, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Fishkill is about 70 miles north of New York City.

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A female inmate is one of 13 people charged in May with running a scheme to get at least $2 million in mainly pandemic-related unemployment benefits. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

A woman serving life in prison for murder admitted Wednesday that she played a leading role in a scam by inmates and others to use stolen identities to secure state unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Natalie Le DeMola, 38, pleaded guilty to federal charges of bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud.

She is one of 13 people charged in May with running a scheme to get at least $2 million in mainly pandemic-related unemployment benefits, in some cases using the stolen identities of California prison inmates.

From June to September 2020, DeMola admitted, she used the names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers of detainees and others to make fraudulent applications for unemployment benefits that were meant for people who lost jobs because of the pandemic.

DeMola acknowledged that she also applied for benefits for herself despite knowing she was ineligible.

The California Employment Development Department approved DeMola's fraudulent applications and issued bank debit cards that co-conspirators used to withdraw cash from automated teller machines in Los Angeles and other parts of California, prosecutors say.

When coronavirus lockdowns upended the U.S. economy in March 2020, Congress approved trillions of dollars in rescue money, including more than $888 billion in unemployment benefits, but with minimal protections against fraud.

At least $60 billion of that money has been lost to fraud, and just a small fraction has been recovered.

One of DeMola's co-defendants has pleaded guilty to bank fraud. The eleven others have been offered plea deals, Assistant U.S. Atty. David C. Lachman told U.S. District Judge John F. Walter.

DeMola, originally of Corona, was a teenager when she, her boyfriend and an acquaintance conspired to kill her mother in April 2001, according to court records.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Women listen during the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

Historian Vicki Crawford was one of the first scholars to focus on womens roles in the civil rights movement. Her 1993 book, Trailblazers and Torchbearers, dives into the stories of female leaders whose legacies have often been overshadowed.

Today she is the director of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection, where she oversees the archive of his sermons, speeches, writings and other materials. Here, she explains the contributions of women who influenced King and helped to fuel some of the most significant campaigns of the civil rights era, but whose contributions are not nearly as well known.

An activist in her own right

Coretta Scott King is often remembered as a devoted wife and mother, yet she was also a committed activist in her own right. She was deeply involved with social justice causes before she met and married Martin Luther King Jr., and long after his death.

Scott King served with civil rights groups throughout her time as a student at Antioch College and the New England Conservatory of Music. Shortly after she and King married in 1953, the couple returned to the South, where they lent their support to local and regional organizations such as the NAACP and the Montgomery Improvement Association.

They also supported the Womens Political Council, an organization founded by female African American professors at Alabama State University that facilitated voter education and registration, and also protested discrimination on city buses. These local leadership efforts paved the way for widespread support of Rosa Parks resistance to segregation on public busing.

Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King work in his office in Atlanta in July 1962. TPLP/Archive Photos via Getty Images

Following her husbands assassination in 1968, Scott King devoted her life to institutionalizing his philosophy and practice of nonviolence. She established the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, led a march of sanitation workers in Memphis and joined efforts to organize the Poor Peoples Campaign. A longtime advocate of workers rights, she also supported a 1969 hospital workers strike in South Carolina, delivering stirring speeches against the treatment of African American staff.

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Scott Kings commitment to nonviolence went beyond civil rights at home. During the 1960s, she became involved in peace and anti-war efforts such as the Womens Strike for Peace and opposed the escalating war in Vietnam. By the 1980s, she had joined protests against South African apartheid, and before her death in 2006, she spoke out in favor of LGBT rights  capping a lifetime of activism against injustice and inequalities.

Women and the March

While Scott Kings support and ideas were particularly influential, many other women played essential roles in the success of the civil rights movement.

Take the most iconic moment of the civil rights struggle, in many Americans minds: the Aug. 28, 1963, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, at which King delivered his landmark I Have a Dream speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

As the 60th anniversary of the march approaches, it is critical to recognize the activism of women from all walks of life who helped to strategize and organize one of the countrys most massive political demonstrations of the 20th century. Yet historical accounts overwhelmingly highlight the marchs male leadership. With the exception of Daisy Bates, an activist who read a short tribute, no women were invited to deliver formal speeches.

Members of Carmel Presbyterian Church donating money for the March on Washington. Carl Iwasaki/The Chronicle Collection via Getty Images

Women were among the key organizers of the march, however, and helped recruit thousands of participants. Dorothy Height, president of the National Council of Negro Women, was often the lone woman at the table of leaders representing national organizations. Anna Arnold Hedgeman, who also served on the planning committee, was another strong advocate for labor issues, anti-poverty efforts and womens rights.

Dorothy Height stands with Martin Luther King Jr. in November 1957. Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images

Photographs of the march show women attended in large numbers, yet few historical accounts adequately credit women for their leadership and support. Civil rights activist, lawyer and Episcopalian priest Pauli Murray, among others, called for a gathering of women to address this and other instances of discrimination a few days later.

Hidden in plain view

African American women led and served in all the major campaigns, working as field secretaries, attorneys, plaintiffs, organizers and educators, to name just a few roles. So why did early historical accounts of the movement neglect their stories?

There were women propelling national civil rights organizations and among Kings closest advisers. Septima Clark, for example, was a seasoned educator whose strong organizing skills played a consequential role in voter registration, literacy training and citizenship education. Dorothy Cotton was a member of the inner circle of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, of which King was president, and was involved in literacy training and teaching nonviolent resistance.

A civil rights marcher exposed to tear gas holds an unconscious Amelia Boynton Robinson after mounted police officers attacked marchers in Selma. Bettmann/Getty Images

Yet womens organizing during the 1950s and 1960s is most evident at local and regional levels, particularly in some of the most perilous communities across the deep South. Since the 1930s, Amelia Boynton Robinson of Dallas County, Alabama, and her family had been fighting for voting rights, laying the groundwork for the struggle to end voter suppression that continues to the present. She was also key in planning the 50-mile Selma-to-Montgomery march in 1965. Images of the violence that marchers endured  particularly on the day that came to be known as Bloody Sunday  shocked the nation and eventually contributed to the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Civil rights activist Amelia Boynton Robinson attends an awards ceremony in New York in 2011. Marc Bryan-Brown/WireImage via Getty News

Or take Mississippi, where there would not have been a sustained movement without womens activism. Some names have become well known, like Fannie Lou Hamer, but others deserve to be.

Two rural activists, Victoria Gray and Annie Devine, joined Hamer as representatives to the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, a parallel political party that challenged the states all-white representatives at the 1964 Democratic Convention. A year later, the three women represented the party in a challenge to block the states congressmen from taking their seats, given ongoing disenfranchisement of Black voters. Though the congressional challenge failed, the activism was a symbolic victory, serving note to the nation that Black Mississippians were no longer willing to accept centuries-old oppression.

Many African American women were out-front organizers for civil rights. But it is no less important to remember those who assumed less visible, but indispensable, roles behind the scenes, sustaining the movement over time.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation is trustworthy news from experts, from an independent nonprofit. Try our free newsletters.

It was written by: Vicki Crawford, Morehouse College.

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Vicki Crawford 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.
A group of Texas women are suing their state government over its abortion ban, saying the legislation which enacted it is too vague and left doctors unable to provide necessary care to protect their health as well as the health of their fetuses.

The suit was filed by five women who sought abortions after the Texas ban went into effect and were denied despite the risk and harm that their pregnancies posed to their health and that of their fetuses or future children.

Under the Texas state law, no pregnancy in which a fetal heartbeat may be detected can be aborted. The law does not include exceptions for cases of incest or rape. The law states all abortions are criminalized as such unless the mothers life is in danger without specifying when the procedure can be performed, leaving many doctors at a loss for when to intervene.

The plaintiffs, who also include two Texas OB/GYNs, are being represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights. This is the first lawsuit in which individual women are suing a state over harm they experienced due to abortion access being limited by the law.

One of the plaintiffs, 35-year-old Amanda Zurawski, was in the second trimester of her first pregnancy when she was diagnosed with a condition known as cervical insufficiency, which occurs when the cervix ruptures prematurely and is a common cause of late miscarriages.

According to Zurawski, multiple physicians informed her that the loss of her pregnancy was inevitable once her fetal membrane broke.

I asked what can be done to ensure the respectful passing of our baby and what could protect me from a deadly infection now that my body was unprotected and vulnerable, Zurawski said in a press conference Tuesday. My health care team was anguished as they explained there was nothing they could do because of Texass anti abortion laws.

Zurawski eventually developed sepsis as she waited, in her words, to become sick enough for a hospital ethics board to permit an abortion or for doctors to no longer be able to detect a fetal heartbeat.

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What I needed was an abortion, a standard medical procedure, Zurawski said. An abortion would have prevented the unnecessary harm and suffering that I endured, not only the psychological trauma that came with three days of waiting, but the physical harm my body suffered, the extent of which is still being determined. I needed an abortion to protect my life and to protect the lives of my future babies that I dream and hope I can still have someday.

Fellow plaintiff Lauren Miller, 35, became pregnant with twins in 2022. She has a 19-month child as well. During a 12-week ultrasound appointment, Miller learned there were abnormalities with one of the twins who was later diagnosed with Trisomy 18 or Edwards Syndrome. The vast majority of fetuses diagnosed with this condition do not survive to full-term.

Miller said that while doctors sought to counsel her on the options available for the twin diagnosed with Trisomy 18, whom she referred to as Baby B, they would have to stop speaking mid-sentence out of fear of bringing up abortion.

After speaking with multiple doctors and genetic counselors, we kept arriving at the same points: Baby B will die, its just a matter of how soon, and every day that Baby B continued to develop he put his twin and myself at greater risk, Miller said.

Despite the complications with her pregnancy, Miller considers herself lucky because she had connections with out-of-state doctors as well as family members to look after her child.

We had the time and the money to make the journey but layers of privilege should never determine which Texans can get access to the health care they need. Politicians in Texas are prohibiting health care that they dont understand. They could do something but theyre not. And its killing us, Miller stated.

The plaintiffs are asking that the exceptions to Texass abortion ban be clarified and that the law be found unconstitutional when it applies to pregnant people with emergency medical conditions. They are also asking that Texas be barred from enforcing the abortion ban as well as its related disciplinary actions.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
ISTANBUL (AP)  Women in Turkey braved an official ban on an International Womens Day march in Istanbul, demonstrating for about two hours before police used tear gas to disperse remaining protesters and detained several people.

Thousands converged on a central neighborhood Wednesday for a protest that combined women's rights with the staggering toll of the deadly quake that hit Turkey and Syria a month ago.

Organizers had been forbidden  for the second straight year  from marching down the popular Istiklal pedestrian avenue in Turkey's biggest city where Women's Day marches were held since 2003. Police blocked demonstrators' access to the avenue. An Associated Press journalist saw officers detain at least 30 people and use tear gas after the group ended their demonstration at 2100 local time (1800 GMT).

Local authorities banned the march, saying the area was not an authorized demonstration site. They also claimed the march could provoke segments of Turkish society, lead to verbal or physical attacks, be misused by terror groups and threaten national security  as well as curtailing freedom of movement in the cultural and tourist area.

Metro stations in the vicinity were closed.

Lale Pesket, a 28-year-old theater student, said that was unfair.

We are not harming anyone, but unfortunately, we are faced with police violence every time, she said. "Our only concern is the emancipation of women, we want free spaces in a world without violence and better economic conditions, especially for women.

Protesters held banners reading we are angry, we are in mourning for the more than 46,000 people who died in Turkey in buildings widely considered unsafe and the hundreds of thousands left homeless in the Feb. 6 quake.

One banner read control contractors, not women, referring to contractors who are accused of ignoring building regulations and contributing to the devastation.

Living as a woman in Turkey is already difficult enough and one of the reasons we are here is ... the earthquake ... and the people who were left under the rubble, 23-year-old university student Gulsum Ozturk said.

Protest organizers also slammed the government for withdrawing from a European treaty  signed in 2011 in Istanbul and named after the city  that protects women from domestic violence, and endangering the lives of millions of women.

Turkey's We Will Stop Femicides Platform said 328 women were killed by men in the past year.
Fake virtual identities are nothing new. The ability to so easily create them has been both a boon for social media platforms -- more "users" -- and a scourge, tied as they are to the spread of conspiracy theories, distorted discourse and other societal ills.

Still, Twitter bots are nothing compared with what the world is about to experience, as any time spent with ChatGPT illustrates. Flash forward a few years and it will be impossible to know if someone is communicating with another mortal or a neural network.

Sam Altman knows this. Altman is the co-founder and the CEO of ChatGPT parent OpenAI and has long had more visibility than most into what's around the corner. It's why more than three years ago, he conceived of a new company that could serve first and foremost as proof-of-personhood. Called Worldcoin, its three-part mission -- to create a global ID, a global currency and an app that enables payment, purchases and transfers using its own token, along with other digital assets and traditional currencies -- is as ambitious as it is technically complicated, but the opportunity is also vast.

In broad strokes, here's how the outfit, still in beta and based in San Francisco and Berlin, works: To use the service, users must download its app, then have their iris scanned using a silver, melon-sized orb that houses a custom optical system. Once the scan is complete, the individual is added to a database of verified humans, and Worldcoin creates a unique cryptographic "hash" or equation that's tied to that real person. The scan isn't saved, but the hash can be used in the future to prove the person's identity anonymously through the app, which includes a private key that links to a shareable public key. Because the system is designed to verify that a person is actually a unique individual, if the person wants to accept a payment or fund a specific project, the app generates a "zero-knowledge proof" -- or mathematical equation -- that allows the individual to provide only the necessary amount of information to a third party. Some day, the technology might even help people to vote on how AI should be governed. (A piece in the outlet IEEE Spectrum better spells out the specifics of Worldcoin's tech.)

Investors eager to be in business with Altman jumped at the chance to fund the outfit almost as soon as it was imagined, with Andreessen Horowitz, Variant, Khosla Ventures, Coinbase and Tiger Global providing it with $125.5 million. But the public has been more wary. When in June 2021, Bloomberg reported that Altman was at work on Worldcoin, many questioned its promise to give one share of its new digital currency to everyone who agreed to an iris scan. Worldcoin said it needed to be decentralized from the outset so it could deliver future currency drops as part of universal basic income programs. (Altman has long predicted that AI will generate enough wealth to pay every adult some amount of money each year.) From Worldcoin's perspective, the crypto piece was necessary. Yet some quickly deemed it another crypto scam, while others questioned whether a nascent startup collecting biometric data could truly secure its participants' privacy.

Altman later said the press owed to a "leak" and that Worldcoin wasn't ready to tell its story in 2021. Now, reorganized under a new parent organization called Tools for Humanity that calls itself both a research lab and product company, the outfit is sharing more details. Whether they'll be enough to win over users is an open question, but certainly, more people now understand why proving personhood online is about to become essential.

Everything everywhere all at once

Alex Blania. Image Credit: Marc Olivier Le Blanc

It was in 2019, as Altman was leaving famed accelerator Y Combinator to become the CEO of OpenAI, that he began interviewing people to lead a new organization he'd been imagining. The first founder he brought into the fold, Max Novendstern, was a former investment associate at Bridgewater Associates and worked previously for a money transfer startup called Wave; the second founder who Altman brought on, Alex Blania, had been studying theoretical physics at the California Institute of Technology and the Max Planck Society.

By early 2021, Novendstern had moved on to launch another startup. Blania stayed, however, becoming Worldcoin's CEO.

Blania told me recently of Novendstern's departure that he is "just incredible zero-to-one, very creative" but "not as operational as the company needs to be" at this point. Altman meanwhile has told me that he's not "day-to-day involved" but thinks "super highly" of Blania's now 120-person team, which collectively aims to create the "largest financial and identity system globally and make it fully privacy preserving and inclusive," says Blania.

It's a tall order. Currently, the outfit says it has 1.2 million users; to be truly effective, it needs more than a billion more, including people resistant to the idea of biometric technologies and all things crypto-related.

Altman -- who remains on the board of Worldcoin -- knows it's a lot to overcome. At an evening event I hosted in January, he told the audience that the "need for systems that provide proof of personhood and the need for new experiments with wealth redistribution and global governance of systems" is growing because of developments in AI, but he also called Worldcoin an "experiment" that he is "very glad" is running.

Further, while Altman suggested that privacy concerns around Worldcoin were misguided, he also recognized that same evening that they might be insurmountable. "To me personally," he'd said, "the amount of privacy you give up to use Facebook or something versus the amount of privacy you give up for a scan of your retina and nothing else -- I'd much rather have the latter. And many people won't want that, and that's fine. But I think more experiments about what problems we can solve with technology in this new world, like, [it's] great to try that stuff."

Blania, with much more riding on Worldcoin's success than Altman, seems determined to execute on the company's early vision, and one of the biggest hurdles to overcome is getting enough people in front of the "orbs" that are central to Worldcoin's approach.

Right now, the orbs are "everywhere from universities in Kenya to shopping malls in Lisbon," says Blania, who says it takes just 60 seconds currently for one to capture a high-definition iris scan. But penetration is far from where it needs to be.

Worldcoin has plans to solve this, Blania says, offering that in Lisbon, for example, where "less than 5%" of residents have had their irises scanned, users may eventually receive coupons or "access to certain loans" or even single-player games, enticing more users to make time for an iris scan.

A bigger driver of adoption will be the changing nature of the internet, Blania suggests. "It's a very long road that we have to walk down, and yeah, it's going to take a while," he says. "But even a year from now, it's not just going to be 'people' on Twitter offering scammy crypto giveaways" that are recognizable straightaway as bots. "Instead, imagine that you spend 10 hours a day on the internet and after you close your laptop, you have no idea if maybe you talked for five hours to neural networks of different forms and shapes and wasted your time. It will be terrible."

In the meantime, Worldcoin is also embarking on an enterprise strategy that could be the most promising, and lucrative, way for Worldcoin to gain momentum. Indeed, a spokesperson for the company says Worldcoin is about to launch an SDK so that developers can program to its API and incorporate its tech into their own apps or platforms as a way to verify that their users are humans and to ensure a user can perform a particular action only once.

Stranger at the gate

And the applications for Worldcoin could continue to expand over time -- if all goes as planned. Chris Dixon of Andreessen Horowitz reportedly once told Blania: "This is super interesting tech, but I think you dont understand what a big deal it actually is.

Nevertheless, critics continue to doubt the company's lofty objectives and its tech. One outstanding question is how people will use the actual Worldcoin currency they are given, and Blania doesn't have a very satisfying answer at this point. "Due to regulatory considerations and that the token is not intended to be available in the U.S., Im not in a position to speculate on how the token may potentially be used," he says.

As for those skeptical of the potential of cryptocurrencies for boosting financial inclusion or enabling universal basic income, Blania suggests that critics are too focused on Worldcoin's cryptocurrency instead of how its products complement each other to validate people as unique, then enable them to do things like send and receive funds.

In the meantime, a more immediate concern about Worldcoin's approach is that because biometric authentication is a one-time process, there is no ongoing link between users and their World IDs. Asked if a key generated by Worldcoin can be sold or disposed of in any way people want, Blania acknowledges that "no system is perfect" and that "it will never be possible to completely prevent this," but he adds that "we expect impersonation to become very hard."

As with every nearly every startup, Worldcoin faces another kind of outside challenge, too: competitors. It definitely has some.

On this point, Blania doesn't appear concerned, saying he expects that entrants taking different approaches to proof of personhood may fall away naturally over time.

While Worldcoin's orbs are "a little bit out there," he acknowledges, they give the company an advantage over platforms that try to solve the same problem fully online because of how rapidly the online world is changing. Says Blania, "I fundamentally believe they're just going to get ripped apart by the next generation of [large language] models [off which ChatGPT was built] that are going to come out over the next 12 to 24 months, because neither digital content nor intelligence will be good enough to discriminate [who is or isn't human] anymore. You will need something that bridges to the physical world," he adds. "Everything else will break."
Relativity Space launched the world's first rocket that's almost entirely 3D printed.

The company developed the world's largest metal 3D printers to make its Terran 1 rocket.

It hopes the launch will put it on track to beat Elon Musk's SpaceX to Mars by 2024.

Relativity Space launched the world's 3D printed rocket on March 22, 2023.

Though the rocket failed to reach orbit, it did pass some important milestones on its maiden voyage.

"It was, at least from my perspective, a stunning success, especially with all the variables that they had," Brendan Rosseau, a teaching fellow of space economy from Harvard Business School who wasn't involved in the launch, told Insider.

"They're turning a lot of heads, they're really exciting," he said.

The 3D printed rocket is the brainchild of Relativity CEO Tim Ellis, a former engineer at Jeff Bezos' space startup, Blue Origin.

Here's how Ellis plans to take on his former boss and Elon Musk's SpaceX by disrupting the rocket-manufacturing industry.

Terran 1 is the world's first 3D printed rocket.

Terran 1 lifting itself off from the launchpad. Trevor Mahlmann/Relativity Space

Terran 1 is Relativity Space's first functional rocket model. It's also the world's first 3D printed rocket.

85% of the rocket was printed using huge 3D metal printers. The 20,500-pound rocket stands 110 feet high and 7.5 feet wide.

The rocket uses nine custom-built engines to boost it off of the ground and will be able to carry a payload to a low earth orbit of about 2,800 pounds.

The rocket successfully lifted off on March 22, at around 11:25 p.m. ET. Though it didn't reach orbit, it did pass some important milestones to prove the 3D printed structure is viable for flight. You can watch the launch below:

"It's amazing to see how well it performed given that it was the first test launch," Rosseau, from the Harvard Business School, said.

Terran 1 cleared "key points" to prove the 3D printed structure can work, but failed to reach orbit

Terran 1 streaming through the sky. Trevor Mahlmann/Relativity Space

The rocket was able to travel far enough that there was no chance of debris falling on the launchpad  passing a technical threshold known as three sigma.

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It also survived MaxQ, which is when the pressure on the rocket's structure is at its highest.

Those are two "key moments we're looking to get past on this first flight to definitively prove during flight the printed structures could survive anything we threw at it," Ellis told Insider before the launch.

Still, the rocket, which was not carrying a commercial payload, failed to reach orbit. It successfully separated its first and second stages, but something went wrong shortly after.

"It looks like for the second stage, they couldn't quite get that ignition going, which is always a tricky part," Rosseau said, adding: "That handoff between first and second stage is always challenging when you're trying out a new rocket,"

The upper stage failed to reach orbit, at about three minutes into the flight.

"No one's ever attempted to launch a 3D printed rocket into orbit, and, while we didn't make it all the way today, we gathered enough data to show that flying 3D printed rockets is viable," Relativity test program manager Arwa Tizani Kelly said in a live stream of the launch.

"Obviously I think they would've loved to get to orbit," Rosseau said.

The rockets are built by the world's largest 3D metal printers.

The Stargate 3 printer putting together a piece of Terran 1. Relativity Space

In order to print such a big object, the first step for Relativity Space was to design 3D metal printers that could build a whole sections of a rocket.

The printers, called Stargate, need to print the rocket in about 1,000 pieces. The biggest pieces they're printing are about 20 feet tall, said Ellis.

Here's Relativity's third iteration of the printer putting together a stage of the rocket:

"The largest printers that existed when we started the company could only do about a single cubic foot," said Ellis.

"What Relativity had to do was invent the world's largest metal 3D printers."

The pieces are then joined up by a machine "that's very similar to a 3D printer but it ends up, joining those pieces together again without fixed tooling," said Ellis.

The Terran R, which will dwarf Terran 1, is due to be the biggest-ever 3D printed rocket.

A rendering shows what Terran R would look like next to Terran 1. Relativity Space

Though Terran 1 is Relativity's biggest rocket to date, it's relatively small compared to SpaceX's Starship, for instance. Starship aims to carry 150 metric tons into orbit, then return to Earth to be reused.

But for Ellis, the Terran 1 launch is just a step toward his real goal, to build a much bigger rocket called Terran R.

Terran R is also meant to be reusable and should carry 20,000 kilograms of payload. That's about the same as SpaceX's Falcon 9.

It should also be at least 95% 3D printed.

The company is planning to launch this rocket in 2024. This is the rocket Ellis wants to send to Mars.

Though it's still being developed, Ellis is confident it will be put together quickly. AEON R, the engine that will propel the second stage of the rocket forward, has already been tested, he said.

"That was a blank sheet of paper about a year and a half ago," he said.

"So to go from a blank sheet to build the first full of the engine, which we just completed, and then already doing engine component testing at full scale is quite incredibly fast," he said.

Relativity wants to beat Musk's SpaceX to Mars.

An artist's impression of Terran R leaving Earth. Relativity Space

Relativity has teamed up with Impulse Space, founded by former SpaceX propulsion CTO and co-founder Tom Mueller, to set an ambitious timeline for its products: it aims to send TerranR to Mars by 2024.

If it succeeds, Ellis would beat Elon Musk's SpaceX to the red planet, and the mission would be the first-ever commercial mission to Mars.

"2024 is a hyper-aggressive date, there's no question," said Ellis.

"But our pace of execution on TerranR has been quite rapid," he said. "I think that is gonna be key to our ability to execute as fast of a timeline as we can."

Under the agreement with Impulse Space, the payload, a Mars rover, must be delivered by 2029 at the latest, said Ellis.

"I think a big sign that we're committed to this mission and definitely going to make it happen," he said.

Relativity Space wants to be for rockets what Tesla was for electric cars, says Ellis.

Tim Ellis, CEO of Relativity Space. Relativity space

Ellis said his eureka moment came while working at Jeff Bezos' space firm, Blue Origin, as an executive.

Looking around the factory floor, he said, he realized that the company was upheaving the rocket business, but one thing hadn't changed much: the assembly line.

"I saw that we had this giant factory full of fixed tooling, building a whole rocket one at a time by hand with hundreds of thousands to millions of individual piece parts," Ellis told Insider.

"That's really why I started the company to 3D print a whole rocket," he said.

Ellis decided he would disrupt the rocket business by putting metal 3D printers at the core of the manufacturing process.

"The way you have to design for a nearly entirely 3D printed rocket is very different," he said.

"For us, starting from scratch and keeping true to this vision of part-count reduction, designing from the beginning for 3D printing, has led us really leapfrog a lot of other people in this space," he said.

The idea quickly gained a lot of support, of at least $1.3 billion dollars, not least from Mark Cuban, who reportedly responded within five minutes to Ellis' pitch email with $500,000 of the company's seed round.

Ellis says he's revolutionizing the rocket-making industry with his approach.

"It's more similar to what Tesla did with the shift from gas internal combustion engines to electrification, where they realized that you can't just take batteries in electric motors and shove them into a Ford or a Nissan on a traditional manufacturing line," he said.

The printers are flexible, quick, and smart.

Metal 3D printers are shown on location in Relativity Space's building in Long Beach, California. Relativity Space

The printers can put together a rocket in 60 days, according to Relativity Space's website. Competitors will take between one and two years to build a rocket, per the website.

Because the printers are so quick, it's easier to test different versions of the rocket, which is one reason why Relativity's development has been so quick.

The printer also learns from its mistakes, said Ellis.

"While it's printing, we're collecting many gigabytes and even terabytes of data per print," he said.

"We're also using data science and starting to use machine learning and other more sophisticated data-science techniques in order to have the printers learn from their own prints," he said, adding: "Essentially the printers and the process that the team is going through are getting smarter the more hours we print across our increasingly large fleet of printers."

That also helped the company develop its own aluminum alloy.

"That would only be possible because we're 3D printing. So it's a very integrated process between the design of the rocket and the design of the materials and 3D printers," said Ellis.

The rocket's engine, called AEON, is also 3D printed.

An AEON rocket engine being tested in a static test. Relativity Space

Relativity Space also designed rocket engines that are entirely 3D printed.

These engines are called AEON 1 and AEON R, AEON VAC. They all use a mix of liquid oxygen and liquid methane to propel themselves.

Terran 1 has nine AEON 1 engines powering its second stage. You can see the engines being fired here:

The company has recently launched its Stargate 4, its most advanced printer yet.

Relativity Space's new printer Stargate 4 can print huge components vertically. Relativity Space

To scale up its production, Relativity Space recently released the latest iteration of its printer, called Stargate 4.

"That is brand new, or at least publicly brand new  it's been in development for a while now," said Ellis.

The difference is that this printer prints horizontally. "That will let us build significantly longer and larger single-piece sections with fewer joints," he said.

It should be able to print objects up to 120 feet long and 24 feet wide. It's also much faster  about 7 to 12 times faster than its predecessors.

The printer is a big part of being able to print Terran R, said Ellis.

Asked if the main goal is to print a rocket in one piece, Ellis said it could be possible, but probably would be impractical.

"Once you get to Terran R scale, you're talking about a vehicle that's well over 200 feet tall. You actually gain iteration speed and build speed by having multiple printers working in parallel," he said.

Ellis sees his race to Mars as more of a collaboration than a competition.

A photo montage shows SpaceX's Super Heavy booster next to Elon Musk, pictured n Berlin, Germany. SpaceX; Britta Pedersen-Pool/Getty Images

Though Ellis is keen to keep to his competitive deadline to get to Mars, he sees the competition as more of an opportunity for collaboration than a hindrance.

"As far as SpaceX goes I'm absolutely a fan of what they're doing. In fact, them landing rockets and docking at the International Space Station seven years ago when they were a 13-year-old company is one of the things that inspired me to start Relativity," he said.

SpaceX's upcoming planned Starship launch is a big part of NASA's plan to return to the moon, and ultimately Mars.

"It's really important they'll succeed and I do think they will succeed," said Ellis.

Rockets are only one of the products Relativity wants to build. Once it can demonstrate it can bring a payload to Mars, the next step is to bring its printers there.

"It was very clear somebody had to be the second company to join this mission, and that somebody also would need to build an industrial base on Mars. And I think that's gonna be built with 3D printers," he said.

"At first that may be spare parts and other small replacement components for things that break down once you're there. But I think it'll also start to really build out a lot of the food storage, water storage, other industrial equipment that you need initially to sustain kind of the early seeds of people there," he said.

This launch taught the company lessons it'll use to make its bigger rocket.

Terran 1's first stage successfully passed its firing tests. Relativity Media

Ellis, now in his early thirties, told Insider before the launch he was ready to see his first rocket take flight.

"People are quite pumped, especially given this is such a unique launch with so many firsts, for not just Relativity, but for the industry," he told Insider before the launch.

Among the firsts tested in this launch were the first launch of a 3D printed rocket and the first flight test of methane-oxygen fueled engines.

Though Terran 1's launch is a "huge moment for us," Ellis said, the company will now focus its efforts on building Terran R.

"It's really key that we're proving the 3D printing technology works in flight," he said.

"We will take those lessons learned and then transition those into Terran R," he said.

Correction: March 8, 2023  An earlier version of this story misstated the number of engines on the Terran 1 rocket's first stage. There are nine, not eight.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- Chinese lawmakers on Friday unanimously voted to give Xi Jinping a third term as president, completing his quest for continued supreme power to lead the worlds No. 2 economy.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The National Peoples Congress also installed former anti-graft chief Zhao Leji to chair the top legislative bodys standing committee. The NPC gave the vice presidency to Han Zheng, who replaces Wang Qishan.

More votes and appointment are expected this weekend, with former Shanghai party secretary Li Qiang, a close ally of Xi, set to be appointed as Chinas premier Saturday.

On Sunday, a new set of Xis top economic officials are expected to be confirmed, including the next central bank governor, the finance minister and new vice premiers.

What to Know:

Click to view full text of government reorganization plan in Chinese

Click here to read more on this years NPC, which ends on March 13

What to watch out for this year (video)

A QuickTake explainer on the NPC

Insights on incoming officials, NPC delegates

Key Upcoming Events:

Key NPC/CPPCC events that have been announced so far include:

March 11-12: Delegates will decide on the countrys next premier and ministers, including central bank governor. Li Qiang is expected to replace Li Keqiang as the new premier when the decision is announced on March 11. Vice premiers and state councilors will be appointed on March 12 along with ministers and the PBOC governor

March 13  NPC closing session, during which delegates will vote on government work reports, and Xi will deliver a speech. New premiers press conference likely to follow

Latest developments: (Time-stamps are local time in Beijing):

Only One Official Got a No Vote at Xis Coronation (12:42 p.m.)

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Li Hongzhong has built a reputation as the Chinese official most eager to heap praise on leader Xi Jinping. Now he has a new distinction: the only nominee to receive a no vote this year for a leadership role in the countrys legislature.

Li, who also sits on the 24-member Politburo, received one abstention and one vote against his bid to become one of 14 vice chairpersons on the Standing Committee of the National Peoples Congress. The other 13 nominees for the position, as well as one for secretary-general of the legislatures top body, got unanimous support from Chinas 2,952 lawmakers.

Xis Casual Chats Show Closeness With New Leaders (11:45 a.m.)

Xi Jinpings casual chats with his top lieutenants on Chinas most high-profile political stage provided fresh evidence to theories of the strong chemistry among the countrys new leadership team.

Xi was spotted speaking with presumptive premier Li Qiang for more than 10 minutes on the Great Hall of the Peoples main rostrum as voting got underway to give him an precedent-breaking third term as president. The 69-year-old leader repeatedly nodded as Li, his one-time personal secretary, spoke during the National Peoples Congress session.

US-China Downward Spiral Raises Fears of Conflict (11:00 a.m.)

China and the US have locked themselves into a new cycle of recriminations, provoking fresh worries that the worlds two biggest economies are heading down a path that could one day lead to the once unthinkable: the possibility of open conflict.

The latest back-and-forth started Monday, when President Xi Jinping said in a speech that China was the victim of comprehensive containment and suppression by western countries led by the US. Two days later, US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines called Xis remarks the most public and direct criticism that weve seen from him to date  and she responded in kind.

Xis Cements Effort to Consolidate Power (10:58 a.m)

Xi Jinping won the vote in the National Peoples Congress 2,952-0, officially giving him five more years in power and demonstrating his unrivaled grip over the ruling Communist Party. He also won unanimously in 2018, the same year China abolished constitutional provisions that wouldve barred him from a third term.

The annual legislative gathering reappointed Xi as chairman of the Central Military Commission, a post that makes him chief of the worlds the biggest armed forces in terms of active personnel.

China NPC Approves Govt Reorganization Plan (9:12 a.m.)

Chinas National Peoples Congress approved a plan to reform the institutions of the State Council, the Xinhua News Agency reports.

New Premier in Spotlight (6:00 a.m. Thursday)

When Li Qiang, 63, finally ascends to the premiers job Saturday, hell inherit a position greatly diminished in both political stature and direct authority. Perhaps no other office has lost as much under President Xi Jinpings efforts to consolidate power than the premier, which officially leads Chinas cabinet, the State Council.

The question is whether Li Qiangs long history with Xi, including a stint in Zhejiang province as the future presidents top aide, will let him play a greater role and restore the countrys No. 2 office to something resembling its former prominence.

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Chatter is growing around the possibility of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) launching a 2024 presidential bid as he seeks to bolster his national profile.

Youngkin has inserted himself into the national spotlight in recent weeks as other potential GOP contenders, including fellow Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) of Florida, journey outside of their states to test the presidential waters. Last week, Youngkin made an appearance on CNBCs morning show Squawk Box and will participate in a live town hall on CNN on education, a hot-button issue for the GOP primary base. The governor also met with donors in New York last week.

The visits come as recent polling has shown good news for Youngkin on the presidential front. A Roanoke College poll released last week showed the governor with a 57 percent approval rating, while President Bidens approval sits at 38 percent. Among Independent voters, Youngkin beats the president 54 percent to 35 percent.

And Youngkin is touting what he says is his administrations success in the blue-leaning swing state.

Were driving our economic development, Youngkin said in the CNBC interview last week. Were driving education to a new place and raising the ceiling and the floor. Were making sure that law enforcement is supported, not demeaned. And were doing it in a successful way in a state that truly is purple.

When asked whether he was considering a 2024 run, Youngkin told the network that he is focused on Virginia right now.

I do think the reason why people are asking this question of me is because the issues that Im dealing with in Virginia are the same issues that the nation is dealing with. And were winning, the governor said.

While political observers interpret Youngkins media blitz as a sign he considering jumping into the 2024 arena, those close to him also emphasize that hes stumping for Virginias highly contested state legislature elections this fall.

This session just ended Feb. 22, so if you look back at last year he kind of did a similar thing where when the session is over, hes able to go and fundraise, said one Virginia operative close to Youngkin. There are elections in Virginia this year that I anticipate the governor will be very active into help win the state Senate.

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But Youngkin is not publicly ruling out a bid.

At any time hes had the capacity to shut this down, said veteran Virginia political analyst Bob Holsworth. And it would be more popular in Virginia if he did so.

Only 42 percent of GOP respondents said Youngkin should seek their partys nomination, according to the Roanoke College poll.

That same poll and other surveys also show Youngkin trailing former President Trump, as well DeSantis, who is mulling a run and bolstering his public profile as well.

Thirty-nine percent of Republican respondents in Virginia said Trump was their first choice for president, while DeSantis came in second with 28 percent. Youngkin clocked in a distant third at 6 percent.

How he would fare in a bare-knuckled brawl that youre going to have in which Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are in the middle of, its going to be tough, Holsworth said.

There is also the question of what lane Youngkin would occupy in a primary battle.

Youngkin was able to appeal to both the GOPs conservative base and independent voters in Virginia, leading him to victory in 2021.

Hes kind of in what I would call the MAGA-light wing, Holsworth said. His positions are quite conservative. Hes very socially conservative, but at the same time he does have a business background and he does have a different style and demeanor, which is why hes popular in Virginia. Hes not in peoples faces.

Thats a direct contrast to DeSantis, who has faced questions from some critics as to whether his direct conservative brand could hurt him in a general election.

If you take a look at the candidates across the country, often times they have the same, basic philosophical beliefs but its a question of style and personality, said Saul Anuzis, a Republican strategist. I think Glenn Youngkin is a calm, rational, thoughtful conservative that many people will relate to.

In an interview with The Associated Press last month, one of Youngkins top political strategist Jeff Roe said the state of the 2024 race was two-person contest between Trump and DeSantis. However, Roe said that if Youngkin were to decide to run, he will make a lane for himself.

In the meantime, Youngkins allies are working to promote his policies and initiatives, including his tax plans to double the standard deduction, slashing the corporate tax rate and lowering the top-income tax rate in Virginia.

The governor has also ramped up his anti-China rhetoric, a characteristic common to those either running for president or considering a bid. In January, he called on the General Assembly to draft legislation that would block dangerous foreign entities with ties to the Chinese Communist Party from purchasing farmland in Virginia.

Even when the governor was bunkered down in Richmond during session getting bills through and things like that, folks nationally were still talking about him, the operative close to Youngkin told The Hill.

And while Youngkin has a record of accomplishments that would be attractive to a conservative base, he has faced more hurdles legislatively than DeSantis, who has both chambers in the state legislature under his partys control.

[Youngkin] wants to articulate most of the same policy positions, theyre not that different, Holsworth said.

He cant control the Democratic Senate, who in fact have no fear of him, he continued. They reject his policies at every turn on that front, so thats kind of a challenge.

In fact, Virginia Democrats have criticized Youngkin for upping his national presence, accusing him of being opportunistic.

From the outset, hes treated Virginians as though theyre just a stepping stone on his self-interested road to higher political office, said Liam Watson, press secretary for the Virginia Democratic Party.

But this wont necessarily matter for Republican voters who are exploring their options.

I would bet that nine out of 10 of our candidates that are currently out there are within 95 percent the same from a policy perspective, Anuzis said. Really its going to be a function of style and winnability and ability to attract the voters that are necessary.

We didnt do as well as we thought we were going to last time around, so I think winnability is going to be a big factor going forward.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Lunches offered to seniors over 60 throughout Lake County by Catholic Charities are more than a meal. In some ways they are like a social gathering with camaraderie and friendships formed which go beyond the lunches.

I like it, said Dorothy Bulls of Waukegan. Everyones friendly. I meet nice people. I live alone and this is a blessing.

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They bloom into other social engagements that keep our seniors socially active and engaged, added Susan Tangney, the supervisor of congregant meals for Catholic Charities in Lake County.

When the coronavirus pandemic stopped nearly all social gatherings nearly three years ago, Tangney said the meals became containerized. People drove through the site, got their meals and went home. It remained that way until November, 2021.

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Participants at Catholic Charities senior lunch get their meals at Foss Park District in North Chicago. (Steve Sadin / Lake County News-Sun)

After nearly eight months of drive through service, Tangney said the seniors began to lunch together but the meal came in a container. All COVID-19 protocols imposed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health on aging were followed.

Prepackaged meals continued for nearly 15 months until February this year when participants were served a hot meal with a variety of sides and dessert as they socialized with each other.

Bulls was among a group of regulars who enjoyed the second live gathering with served meals of Catholic Charities senior lunches at the Foss Park District in North Chicago Tuesday partaking of a meal, socializing and solving puzzles.

This is very important, said Donna Kalinoski of North Chicago. It keeps most of us going. I didnt like those TV dinners, she added referring to nearly three years of containerized meals. It gives us a chance to get out and do something.

Donna Kalinoski takes a dessert. (Steve Sadin / Lake County News-Sun)

Christine Tyler of Waukegan was sitting at another table with Mary Reese of Waukegan and Reeses daughter, Rochell Reese of Gurnee. Tyler said she is glad the meals are served now and do not come out of a container.

This meal is really good, Tyler said. Its much better than when they gave it to us prepared.

The Reeses said they also enjoy the socialization and activities which also keeps bringing them back. They are among those who have made new friends there and gather with them on other occasions.

Getting ready for lunch are (from left) Mary Reese, Christine Tyler and Rochell Reese. (Steve Sadin / Lake County News-Sun)

It keeps your mind active, Mary Reese said. You communicate with people and have good conversations. We make a lot of good friends. We talk over things and play games.

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Like Trivial Pursuit, added Rochell Reese.

Tangney said before the pandemic there were more than 800 participants in the program. It dwindled when the lunches were distributed in drive through fashion and then served in containers. Now there are over 300 people partaking and the number continues to grow.

Foss Park District is one of six locations in Lake County. Tangney said the others are the Island Lake Cafe, Maravelas Banquets & Catering in Ingleside, Lake Villa Township center in Antioch, the Schreiber Center in Fox Lake and Hanul Family Alliance in Buffalo Grove.

Maravelas caters all the meals. Tangney said some locations offer lunches each week. Foss Park District is twice a month. Participants must be 60 though younger spouses are welcome. While there were puzzles to solve at the tables Tuesday, some of the time there are speakers.

While there is no charge, Tangney said a donation is requested and $7 is suggested. However, no one is turned away.

Ive gotten a slip of paper with a flower drawn on it, Tangney said. If you have to replace your tires, those things happen.
Student Loan Borrowers And Advocates Gather For The People's Rally To Cancel Student Debt During The Supreme Court Hearings On Student Debt Relief

Rahna Epting speaks as student loan borrowers and advocates gather for the People's Rally To Cancel Student Debt During The Supreme Court Hearings On Student Debt Relief on in Washington, DC., on February 28, 2023. Credit - Jemal CountessPeople's Rally to Cancel Student Debt/Getty Images

More than 26 million Americans who applied for loan forgiveness are in limbo, awaiting the Supreme Courts response to Bidens loan forgiveness plan after oral arguments were heard on Feb. 28.

Most legal experts expect that the plan will likely be struck down, leaving the $1.6 trillion owed in student loans by some 45 million people intact. Either way the Supreme Court rules, borrowers will be expected to begin paying back their student loans within 60 days of the decision, which is when the pandemic-era moratorium on student debt repayment will end.

Some 33 million Americans are going to face student loan payments again for the first time in three years. And without debt forgiveness, the bills will likely be bigger than most expected them to be. People want to be able to move on. They want to be able to see that [forgiveness] reflected on their balances, says Persis Yu, Deputy Executive Director at the Student Borrower Protection Center, a student loan advocacy group.

Advisers tell TIME that borrowers should take a proactive approach before student loan debt payments restart. The good news is that borrowers whose loans are held by the federal government have several options if they cant afford to make their payments.

Here are some ways to alleviate your student loan debt once payments resume this summer.

Know what type of loan and servicer you have

Before borrowers make any decisions about possibly changing their payment plan or applying for a forbearance or deferment, advisors suggest that borrowers first research their options and reach out to their loan servicer.

Information about the type of loan you have and who your loan servicer is can all be found on a borrowers account on studentaid.gov. Logging into their account is really important because during the payment pause there was a shift in federal student loan servicers, and so some borrowers may see that they actually have a new servicer now, Kyra Taylor, an Attorney at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), a nonprofit that advises on consumer issues for vulnerable communities, says.

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Borrowers should ensure all contact information is up to date on both their loan servicer and education department accounts so they can stay up to date with ongoing changes and regulations for student loans.

Advisors say the most reliable tool for figuring out their payment alternatives is the Education Departments loan simulator. Borrowers should be able to walk through their options onsite and with their servicer.

If they want a second opinion, nonprofit credit counselors at organizations like the National Foundation for Credit Counseling can help walk borrowers through their options.

Consider enrolling in an income-driven repayment plan

The first line of action when struggling to make student loan payments is to consider an income-driven repayment plan.

Income-based repayment plans are programs meant to aid borrowers who are facing financial hardships. The Education Department calculates how much a borrower can afford to pay based on their salary and family size. In certain instances, your monthly payments may be as low as $0 per month.

Under the current standards, borrowers who make qualifying paymentspayments that are full and on-timewill have their student loan debt forgiven after 20 to 25 years, regardless of how much money is owed in your balance.

That could soon change for the better for borrowers.

In January, the Education Department announced proposed revisions to their existing Revised Pay As You Earn Repayment (REPAYE) Plan, one of four income-driven repayment plans offered. Borrowers who earn $15 per hour or less would qualify for a $0 monthly payment, under the amendments.

Other borrowers with undergraduate loans would pay just 5% of their discretionary income, instead of the existing 10% charge under current regulations. The Education Department is also proposing changes to the way they calculate discretionary income that would allow borrowers to pay lower monthly payments. Discretionary income is the leftover income people have after considering rent and other necessities.

The changes would also decrease the timeframe for loan forgiveness from 20-25 years to 10 years if you borrow less than $12,000.

The other nice thing about income driven repayment is that its kind of like a safety net. In the event that life goes a little haywire, says Taylor. Because the monthly repayment amount is anchored in the borrowers income, if they have a drop in income for any reason, because of a job change, health issue, etc., they can recertify their income and that could lower their monthly payments if their income goes down.

There are currently four income-based repayment plansREPAYE, PAYE, IBR AND ICR though the Department of Ed previously said it might phase out some of these plans. You can check if you qualify for an income-based repayment plan here, or consult with your loan servicer.

One-time account adjustment

Last year, the Education Department announced a one-time account adjustment that applies to borrowers enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan and eligible public service loan forgiveness (PSLF) borrowers. The PSLF program allows people who are employed by a U.S. federal, state, local, or tribal government or not-for-profit organization to be eligible for forgiveness after making 120 qualifying monthly payments.

Under the initiative, the Education Department said it would retroactively review borrowers loan payment histories to add more months towards their payment count. This means that borrowers will receive credit towards forgiveness even when they made partial or late payments, or for months in forbearance or deferment.

Borrowers who have 20 or 25 years of accumulated time in repayment do not have to currently be enrolled in an income-driven repayment plan to receive credit in the one-time account adjustment. However, they do have to have direct loans, or consolidate their federal student loans into a direct loan by May 1 to receive the full benefit of the adjustment.

The adjustment is automatic, meaning borrowers do not need to do anything to see the changes applied to their accounts.

Forbearance and deferments

Forbearance allows borrowers to temporarily pause their student loan payments, or make smaller payments, for a certain period of time. Advisers warn, however, that forbearance probably wont allow a borrower to make progress on paying off their loans because interest will increase debt on their accounts during the pause.

I always warn consumers that you dont really want to take advantage of these options if you can afford to repay because what happens during those periods of forbearance is that the interest continues to accrue on the loans and the balances grow, Barry Coleman, Vice President of Program Management and Education at the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, says.

Borrowers have to apply for a forbearance via a form with their loan servicer. Forbearances will be granted for no more than one year at a time.

Advisers warn that borrowers should first exhaust their ability to reduce their payments under an income-driven repayment plan before ever considering a forbearance.

Deferments are similar to forbearances in that borrowers can postpone payments, though under this program interest will not accrue for subsidized federal loans. (Interest will accrue on unsubsidized loans, which werent given based on financial need.) Similar to forbearances, you have to request a deferment from your loan service provider or apply through the Department of Educations website.

Deferments are granted a year at a time, for a maximum of three years. The federal government has specific deferment programs that vary by eligibility and type of loan. You can check for the different types of deferments here.

What to do if youve defaulted on your loans?

If youve missed payments for 270 days, your loans automatically go into default.

Defaulting loans can pose serious consequences to borrowers, including resulting in the garnishment of borrowers social security, tax refund, and wages.

The other thing about federal loans is that theres no statute of limitations, so that collection can go on indefinitely until you pay off your debt, Taylor tells TIME. If you can get out of default, most borrowers really want to get out of default because those financial consequences are so severe.

Borrowers can move out of default by consolidating their federal loans into a new loan, or enter into a rehabilitation agreement over a nine month period, Taylor tells TIME. Borrowers can only consolidate or rehabilitate their loans once.

However, borrowers who defaulted on their loans can become re-eligible for student aid benefits and get out of default through the Fresh Start Initiative, a program launched in 2022 that offers benefits, including being eligible for federal grants and loans if you want to return to school to finish your degree, or start a new one. Borrowers would also become eligible for other loans, like mortgages, under this plan.

Its available to people who defaulted before the pandemic began and it enables them to call the default management group and to say, please remove my loans from defaultand [borrowers can] be back in good standing when repayment restarts, says Coleman. He suggests borrowers start making efforts to leave default now.

Fresh Start will remain in effect until one year after the payment pause ends.

Special circumstances

Some borrowers are eligible for certain loan discharges if their school misled them or engaged in other misconduct. A borrower defense discharge, for instance, is available to borrowers who believe that their school misled them or lied to them about something that was central to their decision to enroll, according to the Department of Education. It could be misleading them about the program itself, the employment rates of graduates, salaries of graduates, [and more], Taylor says. Borrowers must submit an application to be eligible for this type of forgiveness.

If youre a student whose university closes while you are currently enrolled, on a leave of absence, or soon after you withdraw, you can also apply for a closed school discharge. Contact your loan servicer or check eligibility requirements here for more information.

If you have suffered an injury that makes you permanently or totally disabled, you are also eligible for a discharge of your federal loans. Information on whether you qualify can be found here.
Valeriy Zaluzhnyi with foreign colleagues

According to the message, the meeting was attended by:

Read also: Support for Ukraine must continue for as long as it takes, NATO chief says

 General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Commander of the Allied NATO Armed Forces in Europe  Commander of the US Armed Forces in Europe;

 Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Chief of Defense Staff of Great Britain;

 Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Rajmund Andrzejczak;

 Commander of the Ukrainian Security Assistance Group, Lieutenant General Antonio Aguto.

Thank you for a very informative and direct conversation, Zaluzhnyi wrote.

First of all, I informed about the situation on the battlefield. The Eastern axis received the most attention. In particular, the course of events in Bakhmut.

Read also: Russia loses up to 30,000 invaders while trying to take Bakhmut, says Western intel

The commanders discussed the supply of arms and ammunition to Ukraine. As Zaluzhnyi emphasized, strengthening Ukraines air defenses and transferring long-range weapons remains extremely important. The training of Ukrainian troops by Kyivs international partners was also discussed at the meeting.

Read also: At meeting with president, Zaluzhnyi and Syrskyi support continuation of defense operation in Bakhmut

On March 4, Zaluzhnyi met with Chief of Defense Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces, Gen. Wayne Eyre.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Russian forces will have an "open road" to seize other critical settlements in eastern Ukraine if they capture Bakhmut, President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN, reiterating his bid to continue the city's defense.

"This is tactical for us after Bakhmut, they could go further. They could go to Kramatorsk, they could go to Sloviansk," Zelensky said in an interview from Kyiv. "That's why our guys are standing there."

The report comes a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address to Ukrainians that there was consensus between him and Ukraine's top military leadership that Ukrainian forces should continue to hold the city.

Citing unnamed sources in the Ukrainian government, Bild reported on March 6 that Zelensky and Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi disagree on how the military should handle the situation in Bakhmut.

The battle for Bakhmut, a city in Donetsk Oblast, has been raging for the past seven months. The Russian military is attempting to increase its grip over the entirety of the oblast, around half of which it currently occupies.

Zelensky also told CNN that "Russia needs at least some victory  a small victory  even by ruining everything in Bakhmut, just killing every civilian there," adding that if Russia can "put their little flag" on top of Bakhmut, it would help "mobilize their society to create this idea they're such a powerful army."

Around March 2, Russian forces reportedly destroyed the only paved bridge still under Ukrainian control, and with the coming of spring, muddy unpaved roads are "likely" making Ukraine's resupply efforts more difficult.

Despite a recent claim by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Russian state-backed mercenary Wagner Group, that Bakhmut is "practically surrounded," Zelensky insisted this is exactly what Ukraine aims to avoid.

"We have to think about our people first, and no one should be surrounded, encircled  this is very important," he said, as quoted by CNN.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on March 6 that Bakhmut had more "symbolic" value than a "strategic one" for the Ukrainian military, and he predicted that Ukraine's potential withdrawal from the city would not cause any major setbacks in the war.
On a second day of mass protests against Russian-inspired "foreign agents" draft law, Georgian demonstrators tried to besiege the parliament after a call from one of the rally's organizers, according to local media outlet Interpressnews.

Thousands of demonstrators crowded on Tbilisi's central Rustaveli Avenue, where parliament is located, shouting "No to the Russian law," Reuters reported on March 8.

Some tried to dismantle metal barriers installed near the parliament and threw stones and other objects at the building's windows.

Riot police used water cannons, tear gas, and pepper spray to disperse the protesters, forcing them to retreat. Interpressnews reported injuries among the protesters but didn't specify how many people were wounded.

The protests erupted after the "foreign agents" draft law was passed in its first reading in Georgia's parliament on March 7. The law on "transparency of foreign influence" would require organizations that receive over 20% of funding from overseas to register as "foreign agents."

The law critics say it is similar to Russia's legislation, which was widely used to suppress dissent, and could harm Georgia's chances of joining the European Union.

Georgia's President, Salome Zourabichvili, said she supports the protesters and promised to veto the controversial law on "foreign agents," reports Mtavari.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the Georgian protesters who rallied with Ukrainian flags late on March 8, expressing "sincere respect for Georgia."

"There is no such Ukrainian who would not wish success to our friendly Georgia We want to be in the European Union - and we will. We want Georgia to be in the European Union, and I am sure: it will be," Zelensky said in his evening address.


President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced a new meeting of the National Defence and Security Council of Ukraine dedicated to implementing the new sanctions concerning those "who are trying to weaken the state".

Source: video address of Zelenskyy

Quote: "We are preparing new and quite fair steps against those in Ukraine who are still trying to weaken the state and undermine the power of our society.

Shortly, the next sitting of the National Security and Defence Council will take place, and there are corresponding draft sanctions decisions.

The internal security of Ukraine is also a top priority."

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a meeting with the military and intelligence to discuss the contact line and the upcoming battle for Donbas and the entire occupied territory.

Source: Zelenskyys video address

Quote: "I held a meeting with the military and intelligence. The contact line, our defence, the battle for Bakhmut and the whole of Donbas. This is the priority.

We are doing everything we can to ensure that our tactical steps work for the strategic goal of Ukraine's success in the battle for our country's entire temporarily occupied territory."

Details: Zelenskyy thanked "every soldier, everyone who defends the positions, everyone who repels assaults, everyone who helps those who are fighting next to them with their fire".

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Amherst County prides itself on providing quality education excellence at all levels and is the home of Adult and Career Education of Central Virginia (ACE) located in Madison Heights. The program serves the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell and the city of Lynchburg.

The office is located at the Amherst Education Center next to Monelison Middle school. The program manager has been Dr. Luke Saechao since 2014. He ensures the program is staffed with dedicated licensed professional teachers, tutors, and volunteers to operate a successful program serving the regions adults 18 years and older or those ages 16-17 and have been released from compulsory attendance.

In todays competitive work environment, only the best candidates are hired. Often, adults find they need to improve their education if they do not complete high school, upskill to be promoted, or pursue another career. The most basic jobs require a high school diploma or equivalency to advance. The General Education Development (GED) certification serves as a high school equivalency, thus meeting that need.

The Amherst GED classes are taught at the Amherst Education Center on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. All ACE GED prep and English Language Acquisition (ELA) classes and services are FREE, with open enrollment, which means a student can start any time.

Pre-registration can be completed on the ACE website (www.centralvaadulted.com). Still, with open enrollment, a prospective student can set up an appointment with the teacher to attend class and complete the registration. Each student takes a series of tests to determine the appropriate study plan to complete the GED requirements as quickly as possible. The study plan is customized to the individuals current realities and time available for attending classes and studying.

Some adults may find attending classes impossible and prefer a total self-study program like the National External Diploma Program (NEDP), a distance learning education program. The study plan relies on life skills and experiences and is competency-based instead of a series of standardized tests like the GED. An NEDP Assessor is available for necessary meetings in an advisory capacity. When the program is completed, the student earns an adult high school diploma from Amherst County Public Schools.

Statistically, adults with high school diplomas or equivalencies are more likely to be employed. They can experience incremental earnings of $8,600 annually, which equates to more than $258,000 more in a work cycle of 30 years. Increased earnings improve the family, the neighborhood, and the overall economy.

One of the major services provided by ACE for Amherst County is a program designed for foreign-born residents that need to improve their English language. ACE entered a partnership with First Baptist Church of Monroe in January to provide a classroom and teacher support volunteer. The current class is taught on Monday evenings from 4:15 to 6:45.

As participation increases, expansion is possible. The church is conveniently located to serve the approximately 800 foreign-born residents. Of the foreign-born population, approximately 350 speak English less well. English is necessary to improve communication skills such as reading, writing, listening, speaking, and comprehension at work, at their childs school, and shopping and functioning in the community.

The class teaches vocabulary, conversational speaking, writing, and comprehension. Some of the countys foreign-born population have advanced degrees from their native country but need assistance to maximize their work opportunities. The program is recommended for all adult family members.

The Monroe ELL class is taught by Ms. Jennifer Tenbusschen a dedicated professional educator with undergraduate and graduate degrees in linguistics with focus on English Language Acquisition. Her eight (8) years of teaching includes several major universities. This is her second year with ACE, teaching ELL in Amherst County and Lynchburg.

In addition to the foundational skills and the GED, NEDP, and ELA, ACE offers Integrated Education and Training (IET) programs. IET programs are fast-paced and include basic education skills to fill academic gaps and soft skills for work readiness. Contextualized instruction is also included to prepare participants for the technical training that leads to industry-recognized certifications. These IET classes concentrate on in-demand fields, furthering ones career path.

Graduates can often gain immediate employment with higher pay rates. One class currently in high demand and very popular is the Commercial Drivers License (CDL). The CDL classes, when completed, provide a Class-A license, and recent graduates have gained immediate employment. For details, check the ACE website www.centralvaadulted.com or call (434) 528-6494.
Nearly two dozen students at the Empowerment Academy on Thomas Road in Lynchburg had the opportunity to gain a new perspective on the role of police in the community after graduating from the Teen and Police Service Academy, or TAPS, program.

TAPS is a 12-week academy where police officers come into the classroom at the academy on Thomas Road and deliver presentations about issues that are of importance to young people, said Owen Cardwell, who is University of Lynchburgs Rosel Schewel distinguished professor of education and human development and co-director of the center for education and leadership.

I have been amazed at the growth that Ive seen in these young people and hopefully we have made a pathway for a better understanding between the police and the young people that have gone through this, Cardwell said Tuesday.

The academy is an alternative education environment that provides high school students an intimate instructional setting, according to its website. The academy helps students with credit recovery, SOL support or specialized academic assistance. The academy first began in 2016 and the school has had more than 100 graduates to date, according to Kacey Jefferson, principal at the Empowerment Academy.

Jefferson said students can apply to be in the academy and their guidance counselor or administrator at their base school provides them with an application.

The Empowerment Academy I feel was a perfect program to start with, because our teens traditionally do not have a positive connotation. Theyre typically seen as misfits or unsuccessful, and they believe and buy into that belief, Jefferson said. So this program was perfect because its about having crucial conversations and building meaningful relationships to make them successful.

Lynchburg Police Lt. J.T. Campbell coordinated the police portion of the partnership. Campbell said its bittersweet seeing students finish the program because its been a fun time.

Weve enjoyed working with this group, very proud of all of them, just giving us their attention for 12 weeks. We consider that in and of itself to be an accomplishment and its been just a good opportunity, Campbell said.

Lynchburg Police Officer Allen Kittrell was an instructor who presented topics to the students. One topic was mental health, including different methods students can use if they have a mental health crisis or a traumatic experience.

Kittrell said the purpose of the TAPS program is to build a good, fruitful relationship with the students.

That can truly make a difference in their lives and our lives in that community, Kittrell said.

Dasani Jones, a junior at the Empowerment Academy, described the program as learning fun.

Jones said she liked how the officers presented topics and showed videos, making the presentations interactive.

I liked how they [officers] engaged and tried to reach out and give information, Jones said.

Junior Grace Acevedo said the mental health portion of the program stood out to her.

The conversations about it and how they [officers] went through the experiences themselves, Acevedo said.

TAPS began in Texas. Cardwell said the purpose of TAPS is to reduce the social distance between police and the youth.

He said he was introduced to the program several years ago when he met a developer of TAPS, Everette Penn.

Cardwell brought the program to Richmond when he lived there and then to Lynchburg as part of Good Gangs, a program founded in Texas to empower youth to become leaders in their generation through self-discipline, personal development and collective interdependence.

The program is a part of the Lynchburg Tomorrow initiative at the University of Lynchburg, which was launched in 2021 as a collaborative project to bring together nonprofit organizations, agencies, schools, government, businesses and citizens to help with areas of need in the city.

Jefferson, the academy principal, said the partnership came about through conversations with Cardwell and Derrick Brown, director of student services at Lynchburg City Schools. The idea was first introduced to her several months ago and Jefferson said it was a perfect match.

Out of 32 students total in the Empowerment Academy, 21 participated in TAPS. All students were invited to participate, but some couldnt because of their schedules.
A Japanese court on Tuesday sentenced a woman to 11 years in prison over the 2011 murder of her mentally ill husband with the help of their son, a former doctor indicted for the alleged consensual killing of a terminally ill woman.

The Kyoto District Court found Junko Yamamoto, 78, guilty of killing her 77-year-old husband Yasushi at an apartment in Tokyo by unknown means in collusion with her son Naoki, 45, and his acquaintance Yoshikazu Okubo, a 44-year-old doctor.

In handing down the ruling, presiding judge Hiroshi Kawakami said the defendant had for years shunned her husband, who had been hospitalized for treatment of his mental illness.

The judge said that she contacted a crematorium ahead of time at her son's instruction, and convinced the hospital in central Japan's Nagano Prefecture to discharge her husband based on false information.

His death some seven hours after leaving hospital could not be considered natural, the court said, ruling he was killed. ...continue reading
Bencao Gangmu, or Compendium of Materia Medica, a medical encyclopedia compiled by Li Shizhen, a Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) herbalist and pharmacist, has been transformed into a stage play, with science-fiction elements.

The eponymous production, premiered in January in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, was mainly created by children and teenagers of QFun Theater, a children's experimental theater troupe in China. The young members of the troupe wrote the script in nearly 30,000 Chinese characters, as well as composed original songs and choreographed dance pieces for the play.

In their rendition of the ancient Chinese text, the story begins with a futuristic world, where a virtual reality game is developed to help people deal with all kinds of crises. In one game setting, the players are teleported to the Ming era, where they witness the creation of the medical classic.

Xu Xihao, a teenage member of the troupe known as Haohao, is one of the scriptwriters and stage managers of the production.

"I joined QFun Theater in my sixth grade at school, learning the concepts of theater, and how to perform freely and authentically," he says. "It took me more than two years to come to this point, when other young members and I independently created the play."

Prior to the project, he had performed in QFun Theater's other productions, such as Flowers in the Mirror, a play adapted from the eponymous Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) fantasy novel and performed entirely by children.

The troupe is dedicated to producing plays from Chinese literature seen from children's viewpoints, targeting social issues such as bullying, prejudice and parent-child relationship.

The new production, coproduced by the troupe, the China National Traditional Orchestra and Guangzhou Opera House, is different from previous productions as it has been written by children, and mixes theater with folk music and kung fu.

It marks the first collaboration of QFun Theater and the youth folk music ensemble affiliated with the China National Traditional Orchestra.

Young instrumentalists from the folk ensemble performed live during the play with erhu (a two-stringed bowed musical instrument), pipa (a four-string plucked lute) and drums that reenact the ambiance of ancient China.

Following this collaboration, the orchestra and QFun Theater created a youth theater troupe affiliated with the orchestra, aiming to integrate traditional music with theater, and tell Chinese stories from the perspective of children and teenagers.

Zhao Cong, head of the orchestra, says members of the folk ensemble beamed with joy when they dressed in futurist outfits and performed onstage.

"It's extraordinary that children are inspired to transform our ancient classics into contemporary narratives, and promote the stories," Zhao says.

At the youth theater troupe's launch ceremony in Beijing on Feb 19, themed "bringing Chinese stories to the world", the troupe's new productions and tour plans for the year were announced.

The young members of the newly established theater troupe performed excerpts from Compendium of Materia Medica at the event, as well as poetry recital of A Spring Morning and choir song Looking for the Moon.

"Art can help children open up their imagination, and I hope there will be a place where children's creativity can be inspired and exercised. Therefore, we jointly established this youth theater troupe," says Zhao.

"In the past, our orchestra played folk songs and Chinese classical music. Now, we want to tell Chinese stories to the world."

The new troupe plans to take the play Compendium of Materia Medica on a tour to Turkmenistan, France and the United Kingdom, as well as major cities in China this year. The troupe's new original play The Book of Odes, incorporating traditional music, acrobatics and magic tricks, will also be produced this year.
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Ghana and Cote dIvoire are hosting US Africa military command AFRICOM drill bringing together 29 countries in view strengthening the capacities of armies of the participating countries to tackle terrorism and extreme violence.

The drill began on March 1st and will run through March 15th. Around 1,300 soldiers from 29 countries mostly from West Africa.

The participating nations are Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Libya, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Togo, Morocco, Tunisia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom and United States.

Dubbed Flintlock Africa, the maneuver intends to strengthen the ability of key partner nations in the region to counter violent extremist organizations, collaborate across borders, and provide security for their people, while respecting human rights and building trust with civilian populations. The robust participation of African and international partners reflects a mutual commitment to countering malign activity and violent extremism throughout the Sahel and West Africa region, the command said.

Last year, Cote dIvoire hosted Flintlock 2022, with more than 400 participants from ten nations. This years iteration aims to continue reinforcing the collective ability of allied and partner nations to address key security challenges.

Flintlock is the commands premier and largest annual special operations exercise on the continent and started in 2005.
Qatar and Burkina Faso signed Tuesday a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in which the Gulf country through its Fund for development (QFFD) will back education in the West African country to the tune of $3 million.

Olivia Rouamba, the Burkina Faso top diplomat signed the MoU on behalf of the African country.

Per the deal, Education Above All, a Qatari foundation will liaise between the two sides.

Burkina Faso has been dogged by several years of insecurity caused by terror groups and bandits. The situation has caused the external and internal displacement of populations most of whom are women and children.

Over 6, 383 schools have been closed nationwide due to the insecurity. Over one million pupils and 32.174 teachers have been affected and cannot return to class. Khalifa Bin Jassim Al-kuwari, head of the QFFD urged Burkina Faso to quickly summit projects deemed tailored for the situation.

The Fund also signed MoUs in education with Liberia and Senegal.
United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, has described as dire the situation of human rights in Eritrea where the UN official indicates that many youth are facing forced conscription.

Nashif, addressing the Human Rights Council, warned that serious violations of peoples basic freedoms in Eritrea have continued and show no sign of improvement.

A previous report by the UN Human Rights office dating from 2021 detailed Eritrean Defense Forces (EDF) troops have attacked civilians and carried out extrajudicial killings and executions in impunity and accountability. Authorities rubbished the report.

Several families in the African country were reportedly evicted from their properties and forced to live outside their homes, if they did not hand over or surrender their missing family members or relatives, while many youths are living in hiding, sometimes even living in forests, trying to escape massive conscription.

Nashif called on authorities to align the military service with international obligations regarding human rights. Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker, the Special Rapporteur for the situation of human rights in Eritrea also informed the council that many Eritreans who remain arbitrarily detained, and some disappeared, in secret prisons, for more than two decades.

These include 16 journalists, including the Swedish-Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak, last seen over 20 years ago, making them the longest detained journalists in the world, Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker told the Council. The Special Rapporteurs update to the rights forum also noted that there is no information about former members of the Eritrean Government known as the G-15, who have been detained since 2001.
Hundreds of Sub Saharans have called for the boycott of Tunisian products in reaction to treatment of Sub Saharan migrants in the North African country following racial statement made by leader Kais Saied.

Several people from Sub-Saharan countries took to social media for the boycott with some hashtag calling to boycott Tunisian goods and products.

The call targets products including butter, oil, pasta, cucumbers, dates and hygienic products. The call has been confirmed by the President of Tunisia Africa Business Council (TABC), Anis Jaziri, Sunday in a statement. Jaziri in a Facebook post indicated some sub-Saharan countries have blocked some Tunisian products in retaliation.

Blockade of Tunisian goods in some African ports, cancellation of orders and even markets, campaign to boycott Tunisian products in some African countries, redirection of patients to other destinations, return of dozens of students in their countries yet in legal situation, cancellation of travel of several sub-Saharan businessmen, cancellation of missions, fairs, forums  Great concern of thousands of Tunisians who work throughout Africa! These are the findings collected from economic operators by our crisis unit during the weekend. Time is running out, Tunisia must act quickly and correctly, the post said.

Over 180 Sub-Saharan nationals have left Tunisia since Saturday after reports of a crackdown on foreigners, mostly Sub Saharans. President Kais Saied has accused Sub-Saharan migrants of being used by a third party in view of modifying Tunisias demography.

The comments stirred condemnation at home and abroad with critics branding the remarks as racist.
France 24, a French state-owned TV network, continues its orchestrated hostile campaign against Moroccos territorial integrity by broadcasting a false report unfairly accusing the North African Kingdom of exploiting the Sahara resources.

In its program In 5 minutos on the Moroccan Sahara issue, Natalia Plazas of Spanish channel of France-24 reproduced the lies of the Algeria-backed polisario separatist group accusing Morocco of exploiting and granting licenses to companies to finance its occupation of the region.

Several countries have expressed their support for Morocco, says the French channel, noting that many of their firms are operating in the region and exploit its resources, including Spain, France and Germany.

According to France-24 network, Spain has supported the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara in exchange for increased control by Rabat of migrants seeking to reach Spain via the cities of Ceuta and Melilla.

The TV channel cites the sufferings endured by the Sahrawi population sequestered in the Tindouf camps by the Polisario armed militia in Algerian territory, without making any reference to the comfortable living conditions enjoyed by the Sahrawis living in the Moroccan Sahara which is witnessing a major social and economic development as confirmed by several international NGOs and foreign officials.
The Arab Ministerial Committee on Iran has reiterated its solidarity with Morocco in the face of the interference of the Iranian regime and its ally Hezbollah in the Kingdoms internal affairs.

A statement issued by the Committee at a meeting it held in Cairo stressed that the arming and training by Iran of separatist elements of the polisario Front threaten the territorial integrity, security and stability of Morocco.

These dangerous and unacceptable practices are part of the continuity of the destabilizing approach of the Iranian regime towards regional security and stability, the statement said.

The Committee also expressed deep concern over the sectarianism fueled by Iran in Arab countries, including its support and arming of terrorist militias and the resulting chaos and instability in the region.

These moves are likely to threaten Arab national security, and consequently hinder regional efforts for a peaceful resolution of the problems and crises in the region.

The committee met on the sidelines of the 159th ordinary session of the Council of the League of Arab States, held at the level of foreign ministers, under the chairmanship of Saudi Arabia.

Besides political, economic, social, legal, financial and administrative issues, the Palestinian question tops the agenda of Councils meeting with debates on the development of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the implementation of the Arab Peace Initiative, and Israeli violations in the occupied city of Al-Quds. Arab water security and the theft of water by Israel in the occupied Arab territories, and the occupied Syrian Arab Golan are also on the agenda.

The meeting will discuss the activation of the joint Arab action and the draft agenda of the 32nd ordinary session of the Arab Summit, which will be held in Saudi Arabia.

The event will also focus on Arab affairs and national security, including a peaceful solution to the Libyan-Egyptian border dispute and the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, as well as an Iraqi memorandum on supporting Iraqs rights to preserve the water resources of the Tigris and Euphrates basins.
The Algerian regimes political hypocrisy has been exposed again. Openly, the rulers express their hatred for Israel and describe Tel-Aviv as their arch-enemy, but in reality they are trading with Israel under the table.

These secret commercial ties, hidden from the public by the Algerian junta, may be just the tip of the iceberg, leaving many wondering whether there are other classified dealings.

In 2022, Israels imports from Algeria reached $21.38 Million, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade, the worlds most comprehensive global trade data platform.

The UN database publishes detailed global annual and monthly trade statistics by product and trading partner for use by governments, academia, research institutes, and enterprises.

Data compiled by the United Nations Statistics Division shows that Israels imports from Algeria stood at $15 million in 2021 and nearly $10 million in 2020. What a scandal!

Israel imports from Algeria inorganic chemicals, precious metal compound, isotope, hydrogen, rare gases, leather products, animal gut, harness, travel goods, clothing accessories

Officially, Algeria does not recognize Israel, boycotts it and voices publicly its animosity towards it. However, behind the scenes, the ruling junta is trading with Israel and selling it Algerian goods.

When Morocco restored ties with Israel in 2020 within the frame of the Abraham accords brokered by Washington, the Algerian regime launched a smear campaign against the North African Kingdom, known for its tolerance and coexistence tradition.

Yet, secretly, the Algerian rulers are having business with Israel, revealing the extent of their sickening hypocrisy, and making them global laughing stocks.
Trade turnover between Russia and the European Union grew 2.3 percent in 2022, reaching its highest level since 2014, RIA Novosti reported citing data from the Eurostat.

Exports of goods from Russia to the EU in 2022 increased by a quarter and reached 203.4 billion euros, 230 million less than the historical maximum in 2012 (203.6 billion euros). In the meantime, exports from the EU to Russia fell by about 38 percent to 55.2 billion euros, the lowest since 2005. This did not affect the fact that total trade turnover between the EU and Russia grew by 2.3 percent over the previous year to 258.6 billion euros.

Since the beginning of the special military operation of Russia in Ukraine, EU countries have introduced packages of sanctions against Russia. Kirill Logvinov, Russia's acting permanent representative to the EU, said that European restrictions have hit mutual trade hard, but trade flows have not completely dried up. However, as sanctions come into force, the volume of trade between the two sides will decrease.
Buckle opened Tuesday morning at its new location in Heartland Flats at District 177.

The business had been located inside the former Platte River Mall, but has moved to the new building at the entrance to District 177. Manager Danielle Mooney said she is looking forward to serving the stores guests in a more convenient location.

Were extremely excited by the location being right up front by the road, Mooney said.

She said being inside the mall over the last 2 years of construction has been difficult, but the new digs are front and center near the entrance.

People coming into town from the interstate to find something to eat or to find a hotel or whatever, Mooney said, theyre going to see our big sign first.

Mooney has been the store manager since February 2018 after starting with the company as a teenager at the North Platte store. She worked part time after school and then moved to Lincoln, where she advanced into management.

She said the store will carry the same products as before and increased its supply in preparation for the reopening.

With a new location, we just want to be sure we will be ready, whether it be new guests or guests who havent shopped with us for a while, Mooney said. Well be ready.

Parking in front of the store adds a new convenience for customers, she said.

We also have a reservation app that they can utilize, Mooney said. Say its their lunch break and they dont have a ton of time, they can utilize that reservation app, they can drive right up to that front door, and well have all their product pulled for them.

She said if customers dont have time to try on the items, they can take it home and bring back what doesnt work.

The store is hoping to add a few more employees to its staff as well.

We are always open to bring in that top talent that were looking for, Mooney said. New networks bring in new people, and just with that influx of what were anticipating, were looking to help the guests the best we can.

The clothing styles carried by The Buckle cover everyone from mature guests to youth.

We carry down to a size 5 on the youth side and we go up to 5X on the mens side, Mooney said. Were trying to accommodate for every lifestyle.

The styles cover the gamut from West Coast to professional, western to grungy, she said

Were trying to service every single guest we possibly can, Mooney said. Its not only casual, but that high-end casual that we offer that professional guest. 

The hours for the store will be the same, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

The store is hosting its Spring Brand event until the end of March. Guests will receive a free reusable bag with a $75 qualifying brand purchase. Prizes include a $1,000 wardrobe giveaway.
The Opelika Police Departments hero dog, K9 Bane, is about to get some new body armor. Bane gained fame last year when he placed third in the Law Enforcement and Detection category of the American Humane Hero Dog Awards.

Now the Belgian Malinois is set to receive a new bullet and stab protective vest, also known as a ballistic vest, thanks to a charitable donation from the non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.

VIK9s is a nonprofit organization that donates protective vests to law enforcement canines across the country, said Opelika Assistant Police Chief Kasey Brown.

The body armor is specifically made for, and custom fitted to, individual K9 officers. The armor is made in the U.S. and is National Institute of Justice certified.

Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. began in 2009. The charity has since provided more than 4,970 vests to K9s in all 50 states at a value of $6.9 million. The nonprofit works in partnership with ballistic vest manufacturers to donate new vests to K9s.

Funding for the vests comes through both private and corporate donations. According to the Opelika PD, while a single donation of $985 will sponsor one vest, each vest has a value from between $1,744 to $2,283.

In the case of Bane, Brown said he reached out to Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. and nominated the Opelika hero dog for a ballistic vest several months ago.

A donation from a Durham, N.C., resident named Helen Pavilonis made the vest possible. Pavilonis donation was completely separate from the Opelika police. Brown said she had no connection to Opelika PD and that all contact with the department has been from members of Vested Interest in K9s.

However, because of Pavilonis sponsorship, the vest will be embroidered with the sentiment: This gift of protection provided by the Pavilonis Family.

So far, Bane is the only dog in the department to be nominated for one of the new vests. However, that doesnt mean that other K9 officers cant also receive their own at some point.

No other K9s will be obtaining donated vests at this time, Brown said. But we are not opposed to others who wish to donate vests or equipment to our canine unit.

Bane and his handler, Detective Jacob Taylor, became better known in 2022 when the K9 was first selected as a finalist for the American Humane Hero Dog Awards. Bane was one of three dogs from across the country who competed for the top spot in the Law Enforcement and Detection Dog category.

So basically, he did a courageous act, and others also thought it was courageous, Taylor said at the time. So, they nominated me for the award. I wasnt expecting to go this high in the contest, but thats how it played out.

That courageous act came when Bane saved multiple police officers from a driver who had two outstanding felony probation warrants through the Lee County Sheriffs Office. The man tried to escape from the police. He reportedly tried to make a break for a wood line where he could shoot at the police officers with a gun.

However, within four seconds, Bane had latched onto the mans right arm and took him down. Upon review of video from the chase, law enforcement said they saw where the man had pulled a gun just before Bane grabbed him.

He saved a lot of people, Taylor said regarding his canine partner.

While Bane ultimately didnt win the Hero Dog awards  that went to a K9 from Kenosha, Wis., named Riggs  Brown remains complimentary of both his four legged and two legged officers and their training.

It was an honor to be in the top three police K9s in the country and is a testimony to OPD canine handlers and trainers, Brown said. Also, Banes placement in the competition is a direct result of the quality of training offered by Alabama Canine Law Enforcement Officers Training Center, Inc.

Bane is expected to receive his new ballistic vest in eight to 10 weeks.

For more on Vested Interest in K9s, visit www.vik9s.org
Crude oil prices moved up today after the U.S. Energy Information Administration estimated an inventory draw of 1.7 million barrels for the week to March 3.

This compared with a build of 1.2 million barrels for the previous week. At 478.5 million barrels, crude oil inventories are 7 percent above the five-year seasonal average.

The latest estimate follows a string of substantial inventory builds that have pressured prices and that the EIA blamed on production underreporting from the industry and crude oil blending. To remedy matters, the agency said it would amend its surveys and change the way it accounts for blended crude.

Meanwhile, the EIA estimated a draw in gasoline stocks of 1.1 million barrels, which compared with a decline of 900,000 barrels for the previous week.

Gasoline production averaged 9.6 million barrels daily last week, which compared with 9.7 million barrels daily a week earlier.

In middle distillates, the EIA estimated an inventory increase of 100,000 barrels for the week to March 3. This compared with a modest build of 200,000 barrels for the previous week.

Middle distillate production averaged 4.5 million bpd last week, which compared with 4.6 million bpd a week earlier.

Meanwhile, the EIA has forecast that U.S. crude oil production will hit 12.44 million barrels daily this year, rising by 590,000 barrels daily. Production growth next year, however, is seen much weaker, at 190,000 bpd to 12.63 million barrels daily.

As regards demand and supply, the oil market appears to be well balanced for the time being, according to industry executives, who gathered this week in Houston for the CERAWeek industry conference.

However, this balance is precarious and could be easily disturbed due to limited global oil production spare capacity and the possibility for production disruptions related to the war in Ukraine.

"There is very small spare capacity available so small changes in supply have impact," said Anders Opedal, the chief executive of Norwegian energy giant Equinor, as quoted by Reuters. "It is easy for the market to move in either direction."

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Lithium-ion is having a bad day  or year. In fact, depending on the source, years might be more appropriate. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) has powered batteries for portable consumable electronics, electric vehicles (EVs), and other products for over two decades. But now, with Tesla cars and millions of other products using the technology, the potential hazards are much more apparent. So while the surging lithium price remains problematic, countries like the U.S. also see the batteries as a major fire risk.

Almost every day, theres a report of an electric vehicle catching fire somewhere around the world. Given the companys designation as a market leader, fires involving Teslas often make the front pages. For instance, in California, spontaneous battery combustion recently caused a car to catch fire. According to firefighters, the vehicle needed almost 6,000 gallons of water to put out.

A few days ago, Ford Motor Co. suspended production and halted shipments of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup. The move came after a battery caught fire during a test drive in Michigan. Ford continues to investigate the cause of the blaze. However, until they get to the bottom of things, F-150 Lightning production will remain offline.

Lithium Price Now Part of a Bigger Problem for Automakers

The car industry has long been aware of the problems concerning lithium-ion batteries. However, industry leaders mainly focused on high costs, limited cycle count, and aging-related issues. Now they need to add spontaneous combustion to that list.

It would not be far-fetched to say li-ion batteries are losing popularity due to these fires. However, in reality, its just one more thing automakers have to deal with. High costs remain the major issue, as lithium  also known as white gold  continues to enjoy sky-high prices due to surging EV sales. Indeed, Elon Musk personally raised concerns over rising lithium costs just a few months ago.

Costs aside, automakers have had to contend with the environmental impact of lithium-ion for years now. It seems the more they position their product as green, the faster people point out the potential problems of li-ion battery disposal. The fact that these batteries are now getting a reputation for overheating and causing fires is only the icing on the cake for EV critics.

Just a few days ago, the New York Fire Department sounded the alarm on the dangers of Li-ion batteries. This came after the city saw as many as 22 fires in the first two months of 2023. The department even posted a video of a fire started by an electric skateboard. Elsewhere, other fire departments are grappling with the same issue. Many do not even have standard procedures for putting out such fires. After all, most experts say li-ion battery fires are still too new for there to be a consensus on the fastest way to deal with them.

That Was the Ugly: Now the Good and Bad From China

As if that werent enough of a headache, new developments from China will cause even more worries for lithium buyers. The global lithium supply is about to experience a new disruption due to shutdowns in Yichun City. The city lies in Chinas Jiangxi province, which accounts for around a 10th of the worlds lithium supply. Unfortunately, it currently faces sweeping closures due to an environmental investigation.

According to the Yicai newspaper, the Chinese government has ordered that lithium ore-processing operations in Yichun shut down amid a probe for alleged environmental violations. The investigation adds uncertainty to a lithium market where prices have just begun petering off. So those companies hoping for a price break may not want to celebrate just yet.

Adding to the issue is the fact that the battery industry in China is on the cusp of a price war. According to a news report in 36Kr, CATL was actively considering a battery price reduction plan for key car companies, though this did not include Tesla. CATL even proposed a price reduction requirement of about 10% to its raw material suppliers. The report stated that the plan would come into play in the 3rd quarter once all the agreements were in place.

CATLs move targeted only important customers like Li Auto, NIO, Huawei, and Zeekr. It set the proposed price of lithium carbonate at 200,000 yuan ($29,053) per metric ton. However, the car companies that sign the agreement must agree to purchase about 80% of their battery volume from CATL. The current price per ton of battery-grade lithium carbonate is about 470,000 yuan. Therefore, this represents a huge opportunity for those companies that sign on.

New Research Could Improve Lithium Battery Potential

Amidst all the doom and gloom comes a slightly more optimistic development. U.S. researchers recently announced they had developed a lithium-air battery with a solid electrolyte. The researchers claimed they could potentially increase the batterys energy density fourfold over todays lithium-ion batteries. Moreover, during tests, the prototype achieved an impressive 1,000 charge and discharge cycles.

Leading the project were the Illinois Institute of Technology and the U.S. Department of Energys Argonne National Laboratory. According to a release on the projects findings, the new battery utilizes a solid electrolyte made of a ceramic polymer material, carrying relatively inexpensive elements in nano-particle form. Meanwhile, a lithium anode and a cathode with an air-permeable structure complete the cell structure. The researchers claim the battery is suitable for use in electric cars, trucks, and planes. The development should bring cheer to the Biden administration, which has a policy to strengthen domestic supplies of critical elements, including lithium.

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Back in the 1970s, the U.S. was a leading lithium producer. Not long after, however, processing moved overseas. Fortunately, the U.S. still has the fourth largest global lithium reserves, although the country only mines and processes around 1% of global lithium. Its hoped that the governments policy on critical elements will soon add more domestic production capacity to fuel the clean energy transition.

MetalMiner Insights offers a full suite of battery metal prices, forecasted price movements and correlation analyses. Schedule a demo.

By Sohrab Darabshaw

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The issue of how to reconcile the energy transition with energy security is taking center stage at one of the world's biggest annual energy conferences this week. At the CERAWeek in Houston, the top oil and gas executives share the industry's view of the current state of the global energy systemthe world needs oil and gas and will need fossil fuels for decades to come.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine scared the world into what a lack of oil and gas could bring about to economies and society, it seems that many investors and industry observers have come to acknowledge that the energy transition cannot replace fossil fuels overnight. Oil and gas will be necessary to advance the transition  by helping the manufacturing of wind turbines or solar panels for example, or by generating for major energy companies cash needed for increased investments in low-carbon technologies and solutions.

"Energy Trilemma"

Unlike a few years ago, everyone in the oil and gas industry is now talking about decarbonization and net-zero emissions. But unlike in 2021, ESG considerations are not top of the agenda2022, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the price spikes in gasoline and power prices, upended the debate. The energy transition narrative, from the industry's point of view, became part of the 'energy trilemma' as BP's chief executive Bernard Looney has put itdelivering secure and affordable energy when and where it's needed while raising investments in renewables and other low-carbon energy solutions.

According to analysts, there is a broader understanding among the public and governments that until a clean energy system is ready, oil and gas will continue to play a prominent role in global energy supply and, like it or not, we are stuck with fossil fuels for our current energy needs. Right now, fossil fuels account for just over 80% of global energy supply. Related: Barclays Slashes Brent Oil Price Forecast To $92

"There's a much broader push for decarbonization globally, and there's also a much broader realization that we are 'stuck' with hydrocarbons until we can achieve that decarbonization," Dan Pickering, founder and chief investment officer at Houston-based Pickering Energy Partners, told The Wall Street Journal.

"A bunch more people are saying it's going to take time," Pickering added.

Supermajors Warn Of Price Spikes In A Disorderly Transition

Saudi Arabia, the world's top crude oil exporter, has been warning for years that the rush to ditch fossil fuels and the reluctance to invest in new supply would create shortages in oil and gas while the world still needs them.

Now the top executives of the biggest international oil and gas firms are joining Saudi state oil giant Aramco in calling for an "orderly" transition in which people should get secure and affordable energy supply they currently need and they currently get from fossil fuels.

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investment, if outright biased against the oil and gas industry, is a threat to energy affordability and energy security, Amin Nasser, the chief executive of the world's largest oil firm, Saudi Aramco, said last month.

"If ESG-driven policies are implemented with an automatic bias against any and all conventional energy projects, the resulting underinvestment will have serious implications. For the global economy. For energy affordability. And for energy security," Nasser said at the Saudi Capital Markets Forum 2023.

Just a week before Nasser's speech, UK-based supermajor BP said it would be producing more oil and gas for longer and increase investment into oil and gas projects by an average of up to $1 billion a year, or up to a cumulative $8 billion by 2030. BP's latest strategy update to produce more oil and gas in the short term was welcomed by the market, in a sign that investors appreciate the shorter-term gains for shareholder value more than the ESG trend.

"We need to invest in today's energy system  which is predominantly an oil and gas system," Looney said at International Energy Week in London last week.

"As the events of last year demonstrated, the sudden loss of even a small part of the world's oil and gas can have severe economic and social costs," Looney noted.

"And to be clear  we should be clear  orderly is not another word for slow. What it does mean is keeping affordable energy flowing where and when it's needed. Investing in the transition AND investing in energy security," BP's top executive added.

"Both things  at the same time. AND not OR."

This week in Houston, Chevron's CEO Mike Wirth said that "one of the greatest challenges of all time" was to keep secure and affordable supplies flowing while managing the energy transition.

"We have to be very careful about turning system A off prematurely and depending on a system that doesn't yet exist and hasn't been proven."

If it's disorderly, such transition could become "painful and chaotic," Chevron's chief executive said.

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Shell's plan to have its oil production decline by up to 2% each year this decade is currently under review, the supermajor's new CEO Wael Sawan said last week, adding that he is a firm believer of the statement "don't deny people energy."

"I am of a firm view that the world will need oil and gas for a long time to come. As such, cutting oil and gas production is not healthy," Shell's boss, who took over from Ben van Beurden on January 1, told The Times in an interview published on Friday.

Olivier Le Peuch, the chief executive of the world's largest oilfield services provider, SLB, also said that the world would need hydrocarbons for decades and the energy transition would last for decades.

Echoing the comments of BP's Looney, Le Peuch told CNBC on Monday that it's not an issue of "or"  but of an "and"  when it comes to energy investment in hydrocarbons and low-carbon sources.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Aerial photo taken on Sept. 27, 2020 shows the science and technology park along the bank of the Dasha River in Nanshan District of Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]



China's latest efforts to develop the private sector economy will greatly stimulate higher-quality development of private enterprises and their market vitality, which will further support stabilizing the nation's economic fundamentals this year, said company executives and industry experts at the ongoing two sessions on Tuesday.

They made the comments as President Xi Jinping reaffirmed the nation's unwavering support for the private sector, pledging steps to bolster confidence among private businesses and entrepreneurs, reduce their burdens and promote their healthy and high-quality growth, during a joint group meeting with national political advisers on Monday.

"The remarks showed that China's efforts in driving the growth of the private sector is long-term strategy rather than a stopgap measure. It will stabilize expectations and confidence of private enterprises, and furthermore, economic growth over the long term," said Qu Yongyi, a researcher at the Institute of Industrial Economics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Specifically, Xi encouraged private businesses to transform their pattern of growth, adjust their industrial structure, focus on their main business portfolios and follow a path of high-quality development.

Capable businesses should enhance their independent innovation and contribute more to the nation's science and technology self-reliance as well as the commercial application of research outcomes, Xi said.

Wang Qinghai, chairman of JCHX Mining Management Co Ltd, a listed Chinese mining services provider, said: "The remarks have set private enterprises at ease, seeing that such support has been and will be consistent. They also point the direction of how a private traditional company can transform to achieve high-quality development."

To pursue high-quality development, Wang said that JCHX has made great efforts in shifting from simply being a mining contractor in the domestic market to a one-stop mining solutions provider with a presence in many countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

"Inspired by such efforts, the company will insist on mine construction and contract mining as its core business development foundation, and meanwhile transform to expand the industrial chain to equipment manufacturing, scientific and technological research, resource development and trading."

Zeng Yuqun, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and founder and chairman of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd, the world's largest electric vehicle battery supplier, said, "We are inspired to give full play to our policy advantages and market advantages to accelerate the development of new technologies and applications of new products."

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, private enterprises have contributed about 50 percent of the country's tax revenue, 60 percent of gross domestic product, 70 percent of technological innovation and 80 percent of urban employment.

At the ongoing two sessions in Beijing, a group of the country's lawmakers and political advisors have also submitted multiple proposals on the future development of private enterprises. The All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, for instance, proposed to make a national law to promote the private sector economy.

Pi Jianlong, a CPPCC National Committee member and head of Beijing Jintai Law Firm, said: "There are certain deficiencies in the protection and support of the private sector economy in current laws, especially a lack of legislation. Seen from a market perspective, private enterprises still face invisible barriers to industry access, especially in sectors such as finance, petroleum and electric power."
New intelligence that has been reviewed by U.S. government officials points to a pro-Ukrainian group as the likely perpetrator of the Nord Stream pipeline bombings last year, the New York Times has reported, citing unnamed officials.

The report comes a month after U.S. investigative journalist Seymour Hersch reported, citing an unnamed source from the U.S. government that it was Washington that had carried out the sabotage, with help from Norway.

The official investigation of the sabotage that is being carried out by Sweden and Denmark is still ongoing, with the investigators failing to reach any definitive conclusion so far.

According to the new report by the New York Times, there was no evidence that the Ukrainian government was involved in the attacks or that it had ordered them.

The report also notes that some U.S. government officials believe Ukraine and its allies had the most motive to carry out the attacks, after years of opposition to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, as the new pipeline would increase Russias gas sales to Europe and threaten Ukraines transit fee revenues.

President Biden, for his part, said last year that if Russia moves further into Ukraine, the U.S. will shut down the Nord Stream pipeline.

According to the NYTs sources, little was known about the alleged perpetrators of the acts of sabotage beyond the claim they were opponents of Russias president, Vladimir Putin. The intelligence, the report said, did not specify who the members of that group were or who paid for the sabotage of Nord Stream.

The report further noted that the sources declined to elaborate on the nature of the intelligence that they based the allegations on, and on the strength of the evidence it contained. They did tell the NYT, however, that those involved were most likely Ukrainians and/or Russians, and that no Americans or Britons had been involved.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Over the past few weeks, media reports have proliferated that Tehran is gearing up to build a joint drone production plant in Russia (Euromaidan Press, February 6). According to the reports, Western intelligence believes that the production plant in question is part of a $1 billion defense deal recently signed between Moscow and Tehran (Iran International, February 5). Both sides have denied the existence of such a project (Business Gazeta, February 8), and Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia has its own [arms] development programs (Oreanda News, February 6). Yet, known for its extensive use of maskirovkamasking and military deceptionRussias, and for that matter Irans, word should not be taken at face value. In fact, despite previous claims to the contrary, Iranian kamikaze drones have been flowing into the hands of the Russian Armed Forces and are being used to terrorize innocent Ukrainian civilians. The development of a joint drone production facility would cement Russian-Iranian defense relations even further, potentially leading to a full-fledged partnership underscored by deepened military cooperation.

Since the fall of last year, the Russian Armed Forces have actively resorted to Iranian kamikaze drones to destroy Ukraines critical infrastructure (Kyiv Independent, October 26, 2022). Recently, reports have spread that Russian stocks of Iranian drones are running low (Unian, 17 February). Even so, it seems that the burgeoning anti-Western bloc is considering more long-term alternatives to keep the West at bay in the ongoing warand a joint drone factory represents one of the most feasible options in this regard.

Such a scenario would grant Russia easier access to a continuous stream of Iranian kamikaze drones, which would increase pressure on Ukraines air defense systems and military personnel. If materialized, the opening of an Iranian drone facility in the imminent neighborhood of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will also have immense strategic implications, such as bringing a major strategic rivals military complexes to the Alliances doorstep. Besides strengthening the growing military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow, such a development would also pose a great danger to the future security of NATOs eastern flank with long-term repercussions.

If the plan is indeed implemented, the drone plant in question will become the newest addition to Tehrans sprawling global production network, which includes facilities in Tajikistan, Syria and Venezuela, among others. Open-source intelligence suggests that the facility will probably be located in the town of Yelabuga, east of Moscow (Gazeta.ru, February 5). With a planned production capacity of around 6,000 Iranian drones per year, the factory will be a true force multiplier in sustaining Russias war against Ukraine for the coming months. It will also offer an additional boost to a potential offensive in spring (Gazeta.ru, February 5).

Construction of a production plant will also be much more sustainable than the frequent drone transfers in a highly dangerous and logistically challenging hot zone. The facility can provide Russia with key strategic benefits, such as easy access to spare parts and maintenance support. Remarkably, the proposed site for the production facility, Yelabuga, is near the Kama River. In this regard, the Iranian military complexes present an interesting trend. Some of Tehrans most critical missile production facilities (including the ones in Parchin and in Baniyas) are all located near a water supply (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, August 16, 2017; Iran International, May 26, 2022). Therefore, albeit still early, the planned production facility could also become a potential new spot for Iranian missile production.

Another influential aspect in terms of strategic implications is the consideration of which drones will be produced at this joint facility. The production plant might initially produce the infamous Shahed-136 and Shahed-131 kamikaze drones already being used in Ukraine. However, the real worry is that the production line could include renewed, modified versions of these drones, which will equip these unmanned aerial vehicles with a higher speed and longer range. Some sources state that the Iranians have already embarked on this journey, by modifying the traditional Shahed-131s to include more destructive warheads (Eurasian Times, February 10). If accomplished, these plans could transform Iranian drones into a broader threat on NATOs eastern flank, which is no longer contained to only Ukraine.

The facility in question would also grant Tehran an expanded network of suppliers. In truth, despite Western sanctions, Russia still has several supply channels open. Since the outset of the war, some shadow companies in the South Caucasus (e.g., Armenia) and in China have facilitated the circumvention of sanctions for the Kremlin (Eurasianet, March 10, 2022). According to US intelligence, these channels have provided the Russian defense technology industrial base with semi-conductors and sub-components for critical systems. Therefore, the West should keep in mind that, in case of a production agreement with Iran, these countries will also become indirectly complicit in Tehrans drone development program.

In addition, with an increased presence on NATOs doorstep, this would mean that Tehran will have easier access and exposure to some of the Wests most sophisticated systems being downed in Ukraine. Sooner or later, this could become an alarming threat that would directly challenge the Alliances technological edge, military-technical know-how and intellectual property rights.

By the Jamestown Foundation

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Oman is preparing to offer a new batch of onshore oil and gas concession areas by the end of this month and a new batch of offshore oil and gas blocks by the end of June, according to the Sultanates energy ministry last week. Oman has been targeted by China in the previous year or so especially, given its much greater significance in the Middle East than its relatively paltry 5.4 billion barrels of estimated proved oil reserves (only the 22nd largest in the world) might imply. The groundwork for Chinas latest chequebook and charm offensive in Oman and neighbouring countries was laid in a series of meetings in January 2022 in Beijing between senior Chinese government officials and foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, plus the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). At these meetings, as analysed in depth in my last book on the global oil markets, the principal topics of conversation were to finally seal a China-GCC Free Trade Agreement and to forge a deeper strategic cooperation in a region where U.S. dominance is showing signs of retreat. Consequently, the U.S. and China had everything to play for in securing these new concessions in this vital Middle East hub. The Sultanate of Oman occupies a crucial geographical and geopolitical position in the oil and gas world. The country has long coastlines along the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea offering unfettered access to the markets of the East and the West. As such, Oman and its key ports and storage facilities offer the only true alternative in the Middle East to the Strait of Hormuz, controlled by Iran, through which passes at least one third of the worlds crude oil supplies. The extreme narrowness of the Strait of Hormuz means that it is relatively easy to disrupt the flow of oil through it carried in tankers that can be attacked either by other ships in the Strait or from the shoreline. It was precisely due to such an incident, the 2011/12 Strait of Hormuz Dispute, that the appeal of Oman as one of the worlds great oil storage and trading hubs - alongside the Far Easts Singapore hub, Europes ARA (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp), and the U.S.s Cushing - gained true momentum. This Dispute began in December 2011 when Iran threatened to cut off oil supply through the Strait should economic sanctions limit, or halt, Iranian oil exports, and it included a 10-day military exercise in international waters near the chokepoint.

What China wants from Oman is to control all the major crude oil shipping chokepoints from the Middle East into Europe that avoid the more expensive and more nautically-challenging Cape of Good Hope route around South Africa and the more politically-sensitive Strait of Hormuz route. This is aligned with Beijings broad strategic goal encapsulated in its One Belt, One Road multi-generational power-grab project. China already has effective control over the Strait of Hormuz by dint of its all-encompassing 25-year deal with Iran, uncovered by me in a global exclusive on 3 September 2019 and also analysed in depth in my last book on the global oil markets. The same deal also gives China a hold over the Bab al-Mandab Strait through which oil is shipped through the Red Sea towards the Suez Canal before moving into the Mediterranean and then westwards. This has been achieved as the Bab al-Mandab Strait lies between Yemen (which is being disrupted by Iran-backed Houthis, just as China wants) and Djibouti, over which China has also established a stranglehold.

Related: Oil Prices Remain Rangebound Despite A String Of Predictions

In the lead-up to a major meeting of GCC countries in December 2021, China had been using its standard chequebook diplomacy to expand its presence in Oman. Already accounting for around 90 percent of Omans oil exports and most of its petrochemicals exports, China was quick to pledge a further US$10 billion immediately for investment into Omans flagship Duqm Refinery Project. Although further investment from China was notionally geared towards completing the Duqm Refinery, Chinese money was also funnelled towards the construction of an 11.72 square kilometre industrial park in Duqm in three areas - heavy industrial, light industrial, and mixed-use. This enabled China to plant a flag in deeply strategic areas of land in the Sultanate. The signal that Oman may have moved into the Chinese sphere of influence came with comments just before the GCC meetings. In June 2021, Omans Oil and Gas Minister, Mohammed al-Rumhy, said that the Sultanate wanted to revive plans to import Iranian gas via a pipeline should the JCPOA be reinstated and was also considering extending its pipeline network to Yemen.

This pipeline plan was part of a broader co-operation deal made between Oman and Iran in 2013, extended in scope in 2014, and fully ratified in August 2015 that was centred on Omans importing at least 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year (bcm/y) from Iran for 25 years. This was to have begun in 2017, with the amount equating to just less than 1 billion cubic feet per day and worth around US$60 billion at the time. The target was then changed to 43 bcm/y to be imported for 15 years, and then finally altered to at least 28 bcm/y for a minimum period of 15 years. According to a statement at the signing of the 2014 deal from the then-managing director of the National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC), Mehran Amir-Moeini, the Iranian company was already working on the different contract mechanisms for the key phases of the project. Specifically, the land section of the project would comprise around 200 kilometres of 56-inch pipeline (to be constructed in Iran), to run from Rudan to Mobarak Mount in the southern Hormozgan province. The sea section would include a 192-kilometre section of 36-inch pipeline along the bed of the Oman Sea at depths of up to 1,340 metres, from Iran to Sohar Port in Oman. This deal was intended to allow for the completely free movement of Iranian gas (and later oil) via Oman through the Gulf of Oman and out into the world oil and gas markets. Iran was sanctioned at that time as well, and this route was designed to allow for the same sanctions-free flows that it was operating via Iraq.

It would also allow for the advancement of Irans planned entry into the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) market. This type of gas is quick to secure and to move to where it is needed, being available in its own spot market. Conversely, gas available through pipelines requires a lot more time and money being invested in infrastructure build-out and maintenance before supplies become available. In the current era of gas needed urgently to replace lost Russian supplies, LNG has become the swing gas supply of the gas supply complex. Iran had long sought to become a world leader in the export of LNG and this ambition remains intact. To this end, Iran had arranged as part of the 2013/14/15 deal with Oman to utilise at least 25 percent of the Sultanates own LNG production facilities. Once converted, the Iranian LNG would be loaded onto the specialised LNG vessels for export, in return for commission payments to Oman. This process would begin after the completion of the land and the sea pipelines.

Another highly beneficial synergy for the China-Iran axis of this direct route from Iran to Oman would be that it would complement Irans sanctions-busting Goreh-Jask pipeline, also analysed in my last book on the global oil markets. The Goreh-Jask pipeline has the capacity to transport at least 1 million bpd of oil from its major oil fields and runs from Goreh in the Shoaybiyeh-ye Gharbi Rural District of Khuzestan Province 1100 kilometres to the port of Jask in Hormozgan province on the Gulf of Oman. According to Omans Rumhy at the time of the signing of the Iran-Oman gas deal, and on several occasions afterwards, Muscat is happy to be a conduit for the gas pipeline that would begin in Irans supergiant South Pars gas field and run to Sohar in the north of Oman. This pipeline would then link up to the existing pipeline that runs from there to Salalah near the Yemeni border. It could then be extended deeper into Yemen, in which the Iran-backed Houthis are fighting a war against arch regional nemesis, Saudi Arabia.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

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Germany may end up using less LNG import capacity than it has planned to roll out this decade, but better safe than sorry, the chief executive of the top German utility, RWE, said in an interview with German business magazines Der Stern and Capital.

It may be the case that the LNG terminals are not fully utilized. But you need them as an insurance premium, RWEs CEO Markus Krebber said in the interview published on Wednesday.

RWE is leading the project for one of the floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) that German utilities have chartered to start importing LNG as soon as possible. RWE is also a shareholder in one fixed import terminal that Germany has planned.

Germany no longer receives Russian gas via Nord Stream, which was sabotaged in the autumn of 2022. Even before that, Russia had slashed pipeline flows via Nord Stream, citing Western sanctions that prevented gas turbine maintenance.

Faced with the prospect of no Russian gas this winter, Germany rushed to install FSRUs. Two of those FSRUs are already operational, while a third is in the commissioning stage.

Europes biggest economy plans to have as much as 70.7 million tons per year of LNG import capacity by 2030, which will make it the fourth-largest LNG import capacity holder in the world, Argus reported last month, citing plans by the German economy ministry and RWE.

Germany plans to have a total of 10 FSRUs, some of which will be removed and replaced by onshore regasification facilities once they are built. The rush to have LNG import terminals as soon as possible will make Germany the fourth largest import capacity holder behind the major Asian LNG buyers South Korea, China, and Japan.

Governments in Europe, including Germany, are now more comfortable with the gas supply situation for the rest of the winter. But Germany has now turned its focus to restocking with gas for the next winter and continues to stress the importance of saving gas.

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OPEC is cautiously optimistic about Chinas oil demand this year, expecting consumption growth of between 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) and 600,000 bpd in 2023 compared to 2022, OPECs Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais said at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston on Tuesday.

With China opening up, we are quite optimistic, cautiously, Al Ghais said, as carried by Reuters.

OPEC expects global oil demand to rise by 2.3 million bpd this year, its secretary general said, reiterating an earlier OPEC forecast from the February Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR).

In the February report, OPEC raised its world oil demand growth forecast for 2023 by 100,000 bpd, to 2.3 million bpd.

The International Energy Agency (IEA), for its part, said in its February report that global oil demand was set to increase by 2 million bpd this year, pushed up by growth in Chinese consumption after the reopening.

China accounts for nearly half the 2 mb/d projected increase this year, with neighbouring countries also set to benefit after Beijing ditched its zero-Covid policies, the IEA said in its Oil Market Report, expecting a resurgent China to see oil demand growth of 900,000 bpd.

At CERAWeek, OPECs Al Ghais also said he was not concerned about the rerouting of the global oil flows from Russia to the East after the EU embargoes and the G7 price caps on Russias crude oil and fuel exports.

The OPEC+ group comprising OPEC and non-OPEC producers led by Russia is critical for ensuring stable oil markets, Al Ghais said, when asked if the alliance is still viable.

Last month, before the rumors of the UAE considering leaving OPEC  which the emirates swiftly dismissed at the end of last week  OPECs Al Ghais said that the OPEC+ group deserved to be given credit for the way it had handled oil market stability in recent months.

Due recognition should be given for our constructive and positive role in supporting global market stability including to remind ourselves that the G20 and major consumers around the world commended us for our historical actions taken since 2020, Al Ghais told Reuters in early February.

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The ruling party in Turkey on Wednesday proposed a reform of the natural gas market to make it competitive and diversified in a move to advance its plan to become a natural gas hub.

The ruling AK Party submitted a bill to Parliament today that would allow both state firm BOTAS and foreign companies to trade and import natural gas, Reuters reports. The bill also proposed a spin-off of the gas supply and gas infrastructure operations of BOTAS, in a bid to encourage free trade and competition.

Turkey currently imports all the natural gas it needs via pipelines and LNG import facilities. The country is also betting on recent gas discoveries in the Black Sea to slash its gas imports and diversify its energy sources.

But Turkey has big plans to become a hub for natural gas supply and trading - an idea floated at the end of last year by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Turkey is preparing to potentially host a gas hub for Russian and other gas, although that may not be politically palatable to the EU.

At the end of last year, Erdogan and Putin agreed to set up a natural gas hub in Turkey, the Turkish president said at the end of October.

A week earlier, Putin had suggested that Russia redirect natural gas supplies intended for the damaged Nord Stream pipelines to the Black Sea in order to create a European gas hub in Turkey.

European officials and analysts are concerned that such a hub could mask Russias gas and have Europe import it.

Since Putin first suggested the creation of the gas hub in Turkey, the two countries have not wasted time and instructed in October their respective energy regulators to immediately begin technical work to make the Russian proposal a reality.

There will be no waiting on this issue, Erdogan has said, as carried by AP.

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The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has ordered TC Energy to reduce the pressure on an additional stretch of over 1,000 miles of the Keystone pipeline, which last year shut down following a spill and only restarted in late December.

According to the watchdog, the lower pressure must remain in place until TC Energy completes a series of corrective actions, involving a review of the results from previous inspections of the pipeline, testing a root cause failure analysis, and an evaluation of the companys geohazard program.

Per the latest PHMSA order, TYC Energy must maintain pressure along the main line of the system, from Alberta to Illinois, at 72% and it must review the pressure levels on a monthly basis.

This will lead to lower volumes getting transported via the pipeline, Reuters quoted a Credit Suisse analyst as a warning. These lower volumes could affect the price difference between Canadian and U.S. crude, Andrew Kuske also said.

TC Energy shut down the Keystone pipeline in early December following the detection of a leak in Nebraska. The leak was contained within several days, with the pipeline spilling a total of 14,000 barrels of crude into a creek. The Environmental Protection Agency said at the time drinking water in the region had not been affected.

TC Energy received the green light from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to restart the shut-down section of the pipeline three weeks later. Work, however, is not over as the regulator wants to make sure a repeat of the accident is as unlikely as possible.

The Keystone Pipeline System stretches over 2,687 miles and is a vital connection between the Alberta oil sands in Canada and U.S. refining markets in Illinois, Oklahoma, and Texas. The system also connects the Cushing, Oklahoma crude oil hub and refineries on the Gulf Coast. It has a daily capacity of 622,000 barrels of crude.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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New car washes are bubbling up all over metro Omaha.

Nineteen new stand-alone car washes have opened in Omaha since 2016  eight of those in 2022  and thats not counting the ones opening in the suburbs.

Even more are on the way, too.

The car wash trend has been raging nationally  theres even a Florida YouTuber whose reviews of new car washes have hooked 15,200 subscribers.

Here in Nebraska, a number of factors are apparently fueling the trend, among them the speed and convenience of the new washes, a membership-pay model and weather patterns that are a car owners nightmare and a car wash owners dream.

Its the secret sauce, said Jeremy Eickman, co-owner of the Tommys Express Car Wash that opened last fall at 84th Street and Nebraska Highway 370 in Papillion.

Whats so great about it is well have 12 degrees and snow one day, and three days later it will be 50 degrees and melting, he said.

From a car wash perspective, he said, that makes for one really slow day and then an extremely busy week as car and truck owners rush in to get rid of the road salt and grime.

And in the summer, what brings in customers?

Bugs.

In the last few years, new stand-alone car washes have also gone up or been approved in surrounding communities of Council Bluffs, Bellevue, Papillion and Gretna.

An industry expert said this week that membership pricing is among the reasons for the popularity. Probably the number one thing that changed the car wash business is memberships, said Jeff Pavone, a founding partner of Amplify Car Wash Advisors, a mergers-and-acquisitions firm that provides guidance and advocacy for car wash owners.

Pavone said his firm handled $2 billion in car wash transactions last year.

Over the last decade, he said, the industry has moved away from the full-service car washes  where you hand your keys to someone and wait as employees clean your car  to express car washes that offer convenience as well as monthly memberships.

People pay about $30 a month, stay in their car, drive through a membership lane to get their car washed, and they can return unlimited times, he said.

With memberships, he said, the car wash owner has a recurring-revenue model.

If he gets four or five thousand members at a location, whether it rains, snows, drizzles in between, hes got sort of this cash flow coming in, Pavone said. So its proved to be a really good business today.

Nationwide, he said, the industry is building about 800 new tunnels a year. Tunnel washes are the typical kind you see, where people drive their cars into one end of the tunnel and a conveyor grabs the car and moves it through the wash.

Theres about 11,000 express car washes around the country today, he said.

I will tell you that over the next decade you will probably see it go to 20,000, Pavone said.

The business has gone from mom-and-pop operations to bigger players involved with multiple car washes, partly because of the cost to open one, which runs in the millions of dollars, he said.

Its definitely a different type of investor getting into this space, he said.

Its not just the big cities seeing new car washes, he said.

Today, youll see some of these smaller towns, theyre going to plop in a car wash now. Why? Because even for that small community now, if you make it convenient, youll find that people will get their car washed every week, he said. And when youve got memberships like this, it doesnt take much to make this a good business.

Mason Duffy, who lives in Papillion, visited Tommys recently to remove the accumulated winter muck from his vehicle.

The car wash is on the way home from work, and he wanted to get the salt off from the latest snowstorm.

After a storm, he waits till the weather outlook is favorable  with no snow in the forecast for a couple of weeks  before heading for the car wash.

Its nice having a clean car, but the thing I really care about is making sure it doesnt rust, he said.

Another factor driving him to the car wash is apartment living.

I live in an apartment and theres no hose hookups outside the apartment to wash your own car, so I just run it through a car wash about once a month, he said.

He could go to one of the spray-off washes, but this is convenient. No standing in the cold or getting wet, he said.

He comes down Nebraska 370 every day from Offutt Air Force Base, and the speed of the wash makes it super convenient.

Eickman, who grew up in Deshler, Nebraska, said the express wash is fast, and you clean the interior of your car yourself.

At Tommys, when theres no line of cars waiting, it takes just three minutes from the time a car pulls onto the lot until the car drives away completely clean and dry, he said.

Where, if you decide to wash your car in your driveway or you go to one of those where youre parking it, and then you spray it off yourself, you could spend 30 minutes, he said. If youre washing a pickup truck, an hour plus. And not even get it as clean as we can.

He said the whole industry has shifted to express washes.

Using the membership model, it costs the car wash owner each time a motorist washes their car, he said. But the car wash owner benefits from not having to continually market to motorists, he said, and customers get into a routine.

Before you know it, its kind of become another part of your life, Eickman said. Everybody has a Netflix subscription, everybody has a Hulu or whatever it is, a streaming service for audio. Now they also have a car wash subscription.

His cheapest unlimited plan is $25 a month.

On a recent weekend, he said, his Tommys washed just under 4,000 cars in 2 days.

He said he doesnt think there are too many car washes yet.

Are we saturated? Well, on a Tuesday afternoon, youre going to look and say the car wash is dead. Sure, its pretty dead. But on a Saturday morning, well wash 500 to 600 cars in the morning, and another 800 in the afternoon. So I dont think so.

Warren Fish, who has a monthly membership, came to Tommys recently to clean up his Chevy Z71 pickup.

Im in here twice a week, whether I need it or not, Fish said.

He said the monthly membership is a fantastic deal. Its unlimited. And its on a major thoroughfare on my way back and forth to work.

The location keeps him coming back, he said.

Tien Nguyen chose the car wash because it was close to home and cheap.

Nguyen had his son, Rylan, 3, in tow on a recent visit.

This winter hes been paying the single wash price once a month, not the membership. He said he doesnt see the point in washing more frequently.

If a subscription was $10 a month, thats a deal, he said. If its like $30 a month, nope.

His son enjoys the colorful lights in the car wash, he said.

According to Pavone, the user experience is a part of the attraction, and as more car washes open, he expects them to compete by upping their game on the experience.

He compares the spread of car washes to the proliferation of coffee shops like Starbucks.

Theyre like a block away or closer now, Pavone said. And the more convenient you make something, youre finding customers using it more. Its not that different with car washes.

The convenience of the new washes makes them popular throughout the year, he said. But winter is clearly the peak season.

For car wash owners, he said, road salt is white gold.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of March 2023
Temperatures plunged last month as we set out on our latest search for Omahas Great Grub.

Though it wasnt fun to shiver as we ran from cars to restaurants, the deep freeze wasnt entirely unfortunate, because bowls and cups of hot French onion soup awaited us at each spot.

Overall, it was a cozy and satisfying way to get warm. We found some tasty soups in both likely and unlikely places.

Our favorite wasnt at a surprising restaurant, but it did have some surprising ingredients. Read on for the reveal.

Our team this time had two newbies: Cindy Arneson, an Omaha hospice nurse, and Christine Zueck-Watkins, a former World-Herald newsroom colleague who is now a freelance book designer. The core stayed the same: World-Herald reporter and editor Kiley Cruse and me.

French onion soup is one of those dishes that offers ample flavor from a few ingredients. Food historians believe some form of it has been around since every party was a toga party. Throughout time, onions have been plentiful and easy to grow, so the soup was popular with peasants and poor people.

The version we know and love was created in Paris in the 18th century, they say. A New York City restaurateur introduced it to Americans in 1861. In traditional French onion soup, the base is meat stock, croutons or baguette slices and cheese, though, as we learned, there are myriad variations.

We also have to acknowledge that, at least locally, cream-based onion soups are uber popular. We tried two, even though theyre not the traditional Parisian product, and we were blown away by both.

Social media and word of mouth helped us choose where we would go.

We started at Timber Wood Fired Bistro, 8702 Pacific St. in Countryside Village. I go there fairly frequently because its only a couple blocks from home.

The $9 cup of French onion soup came out in a crock topped with nicely toasted Gruyere cheese and onions that were well-caramelized. The broth  made from roasted chicken  had great, intense flavor when married to the plentiful onions, but we all found it too salty.

The menu said they used focaccia bread as the vehicle for the perfectly gooey cheese, and, despite toasting, it got soggy. We agreed that we preferred bread that remains at least a little crisp in the soup, although I think its not all bad to have the bread thicken the soup and soak up the flavor.

Even so, said Kiley, the crust was still crunchy. And Christine said she was impressed by its beautiful presentation.

Unlike my dining partners, Id had the soup before and didnt remember the salt being so prevalent. I would order it again.

We ate our next cup of traditional French onion soup (after a stop for creamy soup; more on that later) at Cafe Diem, a sparsely decorated, diner-like breakfast and lunch restaurant at 9839 S. 96th St., Suite 109 in Papillion.

After being conditioned to expect the best French onion soup at high-end restaurants, we were pleased and surprised by the rich and complex version we ate there for $6.99.

The menu said its simmered for hours, and the intense flavor was proof.

It clearly was full of spices, Christine said. I noticed two bay leaves had made their way into my serving.

I found one too. We also thought we detected Worcestershire sauce.

The cheese slice was thick and the toasted bread was dense enough to hold its own. We had one quibble: The Swiss Gruyere cheese was melted but not broiled, and most of us agreed that we like the blistered cheese on top of other French onion soup iterations.

It also had more onions than some we tried. We left feeling that we had found a definite contender in an unlikely, unassuming and out-of-the-way place.

On to Jimi Ds, 6303 Center St. Suite 106, where we were also a bit surprised: It appeared that our $5.99 cups of soup had pieces of cheese not only on top but throughout the broth. We were puzzled  but pleased  when we kept encountering melty bits of goodness long after the bread was gone. It was clearly our cheesiest experience.

We werent quite as taken with the broth, which was the lightest  and least savory  of all we tried. It also seemed as though the onions had been caramelized in a little too much butter, because the top of the soup had an oily sheen that got worse as it cooled.

It also could have used twice the onions. And, unlike a couple others we tried, it didnt have enough salt.

The abundant cheese, however, made an impression. It pleasantly permeated nearly every bite. I would give it a second chance.

The best part of this soup was the extra cheese hidden at the bottom of the bowl, Kiley said.

Cindy said she thought the soup could have been more balanced.

Its like a dance, she told us. Everything must work together.

Avoli Osteria, 5013 Underwood Ave., calls its $14 onion soup Italian Onion Gratinato, but it has essentially the same ingredients and preparation as its French cousin.

We were immediately impressed with how it looked.

Its a gorgeous presentation in a rustic, pedestalled ramekin, Christine said in notes she shared later, with perfectly toasted cheese across the top and tumbling over the side of the bowl. A sprinkling of chives on the top was a nice touch.

The bread was cut to precisely fit the bowl.

We thought we tasted red wine in the rich broth as we eagerly slurped it up. It had so many onions and so much bread and creamy Fontina cheese that it could have been a meal in itself.

The onions were the most evenly sliced of all we tried, Kiley said.

Like the soup at Timber, it featured focaccia bread that eventually disintegrated into the soup. In this case, I thought it gave the soup a hearty and rustic edge, but Kiley said she was not a fan.

It was definitely a contender, though it, too, seemed overly salty. But with one place to go, we still hadnt found a definitive favorite among the traditional soups.

We also had been to both Brushi, 721 N. 132nd St., and Brazen Head, 319 N. 78th St., for their creamy onion soup and were wowed by each.

The $8 Brushi soup was the thinner and more brothy of the two, which let the onion flavor shine, Kiley said. The croutons stayed a little crunchy, giving it an interesting texture. It didnt appear to have much, if any, cheese,

The Brazen Head soup, $4.99 a cup and $5.99 a bowl, was rich and cheesy, with a slice of buttery-tasting toasted bread as a crouton. It was, in Kileys words, a bit of creamy heaven.

When we asked the server about the spice blend, she brought us printed recipes. That was a nice bonus. Im definitely trying to make it at home, no matter how much heavy cream costs.

We learned that all the spices were fresh.

The basil, Cindy said, was a nice touch. She, too, planned to try the recipe.

As much as we liked both soups, however, we decided that we couldnt declare either one as our overall favorite because they were so different from the five traditional concoctions we had tried. It was, we concluded, specifically a search for French onion soup.

Our final stop was Le Bouillon, chef Paul Kuliks restaurant at 1017 Howard St. in the Old Market.

And there, in the former location of the French Cafe, we found our true love.

The flavor profile was unlike any we had tried. The broth was a rich amber color and had the distinct aroma of an unusual spice, maybe cinnamon or allspice. Christine thought she detected a subtle tomato flavor.

The onions were perfectly caramelized and appropriately ample. There were two good-sized pieces of cheese melted over the top of chewy, substantial bread. And there wasnt even a hint of the salty overtones we found elsewhere.

This was a very satisfying bowl of soup, Kiley said. I was starting to think that we wouldnt find a soup that lived up to my expectations, but we did here.

Kulik said he added the soup to the menu a couple of years after he opened Le Bouillon, which he said was inspired by small neighborhood restaurants in Paris.

Fans of the late, great French Cafe frequently asked if he could offer French onion soup, which had been a popular item on its menu. That cohort included his mother-in-law, which eventually sealed the deal.

But, he said, we had to find our own take on the dish. And, with chef de cuisine Tony Lonergan, he has continued to refine that take.

Weve come to a really good place with what that is, he said in an interview after learning that it was this months Omahas Great Grub favorite.

It starts with a dark and rich combination of beef stock and stock created with a chicken carcass. Lonergan uses clarified butter to sweat the onions. They add star anise and allspice (we were right about that), then finish it off with emulsified foie gras and sherry vinegar, accounting for the rustic and unique taste we all raved about.

They use two small slices of locally sourced baguette, toasted with a little butter to create an even color. Then they top the bread with hand-sliced Comte, a cheese in the style of gruyere, and run the whole thing under the broiler.

Before serving, they top it with fresh chives and tarragon.

When we were ordering, I didnt even glance at the price and later was surprised to find that it was only $11. Its definitely a good deal.

People seem to enjoy it, Kulik said. Its one of the very few items that have been consistently on the menu since they were launched.

Kulik, who also was the founding chef of The Boiler Room, is clearly pleased to be offering his own spin on something that people remember so fondly. Tradition, he said, is important.

Over the years, Ive become a little more sentimental, he said.

Me too. I wont forget that soup anytime soon, and I cant wait to introduce it to my friends and family.
A former Nebraska corrections employee accused of having an inmates baby appeared in court for the first time Wednesday.

Samantha Cedillo, 31, was charged last week with sexual abuse of an inmate after she allegedly had a sexual relationship with an inmate while working at the Omaha Correctional Center and gave birth to his child late last year.

At the hearing, Cedillos attorney asked for bail to be set at $10,000, citing her minimal criminal record and the fact that she has a 10-week-old baby at home. Prosecutors advocated for higher bail at $200,000.

Douglas County Court Judge Stephanie Hansen went above both requests and ordered Cedillo held on $250,000 bail, meaning she will have to post 10%, or $25,000, to be released from jail.

If convicted, Cedillo faces a maximum of 20 years in jail with no mandatory minimum. She also would have to register as a sex offender.

According to affidavits filed by a Nebraska State Patrol investigator, Cedillo worked at the Omaha Correctional Center as a nonclinical program manager beginning in June 2021.

By November 2021, prison staff were notified that Cedillo was suspected of having an inappropriate relationship with her library clerk, a 47-year-old man serving a life sentence for first-degree murder. Over the next four months, staff members observed and documented at least 10 questionable interactions between the two or prison code of conduct violations by Cedillo.

Cedillo was repeatedly issued verbal warnings, according to prison staff, and the inmate was removed from his position as a library clerk. But the two allegedly continued to talk to each other in the library and spend time together in Cedillos office with the door closed.

In March 2022, Cedillo was seen on surveillance video taking off her radio belt while the inmate was in her office. The two moved behind the door and out of the cameras view. When another officer entered the library, they reported that Cedillo hurried back to her chair with an untucked shirt and messy hair.

When asked to write a report justifying the interaction, Cedillo resigned. Investigators later found a baby registry created by Cedillo, with a due date in mid-December  nine months after that March interaction.

After Cedillo left her job at the correctional center, she and the inmate continued to message each other  either via an illegal phone that he had possession of in his cell and later destroyed when authorities searched for it, or via legitimate prison communications. Many of the messages discussed their love for one another and the birth of their child.

Shortly after the baby boy was born in December, a search warrant was issued to obtain DNA from the baby and from the inmate. DNA testing confirmed that the inmate is likely the babys father.

Nebraska law prohibits any employee or contractor within a state prison or city or county jail from subjecting an inmate or a parolee to sexual penetration or sexual contact. Consent is not a valid defense, according to state law.
Luo Qi (L), the chief engineer of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and a deputy of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), and Xin Feng, chairman of China Nuclear Energy Industry Corporation (CNEIC) of the CNNC and a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). [Photo courtesy of CNNC]



Representatives from China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), now attending China's annual "two sessions," revealed the latest progress of the country's nuclear power development and vision to expand at the world stage, as well as a strong focus on promoting green development.



Luo Qi, who is the chief engineer of the CNNC, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, is a deputy attending the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) currently underway in Beijing. He believes nuclear science and technology are vital to China's strategic strength in science and technology.

"The key core technology must be self-reliant," he emphasized. "As the nuclear science and technology industry is a national strategic high-tech industry, its comprehensive basic research capabilities determine the speed and level of development of China's nuclear industry."

He also highlighted that the ongoing changes in the global situation had made nuclear science and technology a crucial competition area among major countries.

Luo further emphasized that nuclear power plays an important role in establishing a new development pattern, promoting green development, and ensuring China's energy security.

A photo shows the K2 unit of the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant in Pakistan. Both the K2 and K3 units use Hualong One, China's third-generation nuclear power technology with full intellectual property rights developed by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). [Photo/Xinhua]



"Developing advanced nuclear power technology and targeting the world's technological frontier will enhance China's overall scientific and technological level, help the country achieve high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and strength, and provide strong impetus for China's high-quality economic development," he explained.

Xin Feng, who is chairman of China Nuclear Energy Industry Corporation (CNEIC) of the CNNC and is attending the first session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top political advisory body, stated that "In addition to ensuring domestic nuclear fuel supply, we can also support the development of nuclear power globally. Firmly pursuing internationalization is our only way to become a world-class enterprise."

Xin also mentioned that in 2022, the Chinese government approved 10 new nuclear power units, the highest yearly number in over a decade. This development would put greater demands on the nuclear fuel industry to provide stable, reliable, safe, and high-quality products to ensure the development of the entire nuclear industry supply chain, Xin added.

He believed that the rapid development of nuclear power presents both a challenge and an opportunity for the nuclear fuel industry. He expressed confidence that, with the support of China's strong industrial system and capabilities, and the industry's own efforts, it can fully meet the demand for the rapid development of nuclear power. Feng highlighted two key issues to achieve this goal: balancing supply and demand and promoting self-reliance without rejecting cooperation.

To realize CNEIC's global vision, the company is taking active measures to control costs, connect with major buyers worldwide, and is determined to "go out, grab orders, and maintain steady growth." Despite the impact of the pandemic, CNEIC has made breakthroughs in its international market development efforts by identifying opportunities and making its products more competitive.

Luo Qi added that nuclear energy "going global" is an extension of China's diplomacy. In the context of the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, strengthening nuclear energy cooperation among countries through nuclear power projects is of great significance in enhancing strategic mutual trust and promoting the establishment of a new global energy governance system.

An aerial photo shows nuclear power units operated by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) in Fuqing, southeast China's Fujian province. [Photo/Xinhua]



He stated that "China's nuclear power development has now taken a leading position in the world. From technology research and development, design and construction, equipment manufacturing, operation management to technical services, it has the ability and conditions to 'go global' across the entire industry chain."

Luo also highlighted the need to accelerate the pace of nuclear power "going global," particularly in countries along the "Belt and Road."

However, Luo pointed out that China's basic nuclear research resources are relatively dispersed, with low integration among nuclear research institutions. In addition, there is still a large gap in research funding and talent investment compared to developed countries and a lack of a forward-looking layout. These areas need to be strengthened to enhance the industry's overall capabilities.


By a slim margin, the Omaha City Council voted Tuesday to pay a Minnesota company $376,000 to spearhead the creation of the citys climate action plan.

After nearly 90 minutes of debate, the council voted 4-3 to hire the paleBLUEdot consulting firm to develop the plan, which was first proposed by Mayor Jean Stothert in October 2021. Under the terms of the contract, the Minnesota company will work with local engineering firm HDR.

We are way behind on making this commitment to our city, said Councilwoman Juanita Johnson, who voted for the contract. She said other cities including Lincoln already have climate action plans. Omahas effort has encountered delays and been narrowed in scope from a regional plan to a city-specific plan.

Council President Pete Festersen said environmental issues are important to young professionals, who are attracted to cities that have taken steps toward sustainability.

(This) sends the message to professionals who want to be in a place where sustainability is a core value, he said.

But Councilman Brinker Harding was not impressed with paleBLUEdots proposal, one of eight received by the city. Harding told the companys co-founder, Ted Redmond, that the firms cover letter seemed mailed in and was similar to the firms cover letters for Dubuque, Iowa, and La Crosse, Wisconsin.

This is someone were going to engage with for $376,000 of our taxpayers money. I want to make sure that were getting the attention of whoever were going to be doing business with, Harding said. He proposed delaying a decision until April, but his motion failed.

Councilwoman Aimee Melton agreed with Harding on seeking more specifics, including the eventual cost of implementing the plan in Omaha.

I think that is something that I would like to see different in our plan than what this consultant has done in other cities, she said.

While Redmond acknowledged there are some similarities in the firms climate action proposals for various cities, he said paleBLUEdot works closely with each community to hear specific needs and suggestions.

Were always trying to be responsive to what were seeing in a community, he said.

Redmond also said the city should think of a climate action plan as a living document subject to change, based on what might happen in future years.

Goals for a climate action plan are, of course, not just one or two years down the road. Were talking 10, 15, 20 years down the road potentially for certain things, he said. To map out detailed actions that go beyond the near future becomes very difficult.

The paleBLUEdot proposal came in about 50% higher than the $250,000 estimate floated by the Mayors Office last summer.

But Marco Floreani, who is Stotherts deputy chief of staff for economic development and development services, told the council that the city intends to use federal funds to pay for the proposal. Floreani said the U.S. Department of Energy has made $461,000 available to help the city adapt climate action and energy strategies and plans.

Those funds are currently allocated for the City of Omaha. We just need to accept those funds, he said.

Council members Danny Begley and Vinny Palermo joined Johnson and Festersen in approving the contract. Councilman Don Rowe joined Harding and Melton in voting against.

Photos: North 24th Street Streetscape Master Plan receives federal and city funding
Plans for a streetcar in Omaha have generated plenty of questions and concerns from residents over the proposed route and funding for the estimated $306 million project.

At an open house on Tuesday, those leading the project hoped to clear up some of those concerns  and dispel possible misconceptions  about the plan, said Jay Noddle, president of the Omaha Streetcar Authority.

Dozens of Omaha residents stopped by the meeting in Midtown Crossing to ask questions, share their feedback with developers and take a look at the latest renderings of the streetcar route and what the streetcars themselves could look like.

In recent weeks, developers also hosted meetings with property owners along the proposed route, Noddle said.

Im confident that as people learn more, their concerns about the viability of the project and what impact it may have on them personally  those kinds of concerns are gonna dissipate a little bit, he said.

The meeting coincided with Omaha-based engineering firm HDR reaching 15% completion of the streetcar systems design, and developers wanted to be able to integrate feedback from community members into the next phase of planning, said Nick Stadem with HDR.

The public is going to be the users of the system and we want to make sure that their input is heard and its incorporated in the project, he said.

A similar meeting is planned for the 30% mark, Stadem said.

Some who attended the meeting said it helped address their concerns with the streetcar plan, while others said they still had questions about its practicality.

Joe Giiter, whos been an outspoken advocate for the streetcar, said he thinks those who oppose it, especially those in west Omaha, dont understand how it could benefit the city as a whole financially as redevelopment takes place.

Expanding the urban core and building up the urban core is a necessity, he said.

Giiter said he also thinks that the streetcar should expand to serve North and South Omaha but that the current proposed route would be a starting point.

The planned route runs east along Harney Street and then turns north along 10th Street up to about Cass Street near the CHI Health Center. The streetcars then would head back south on 10th to Capitol Avenue. From there, the route would run a couple of blocks east to Eighth Street near the citys riverfront before turning west onto Farnam Street. The cars then would travel to the routes western terminus at 42nd Street near the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Marilyn Hoegemeyer, a downtown Omaha resident, said she thinks the streetcar serves little purpose if the route doesnt include Eppley Airfield, a concept introduced in the Nebraska Legislature by State Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha.

If youre going to have a city you need to have a good streetcar or light rail system, she said. And it has to involve a bigger area than what theyre planning here.

If the project goes as planned, the first streetcars would be delivered to Omaha in July 2025 and the streetcar system would open for operation in 2026.

Photos: Omaha's streetcar system through the years
LINCOLN  For the first time in a long time, Omaha pastor Jonathan Chapman said he sees hopes in the eyes of his community, all because of a big-budget bill making its way through the Nebraska Legislature.

People believe that you want to do the right thing, Chapman told lawmakers Tuesday.

He was talking about Legislative Bill 531, introduced by State Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha, which had its public hearing in the Legislatures Urban Affairs Committee on Tuesday.

Final details are still being worked on, but the bill aims to build on an economic recovery package that lawmakers approved last year for traditionally underserved parts of Nebraska, primarily North and South Omaha. McKinneys bill would provide guidance for allocating some of the $335 million contained in last years bill, and direct additional money, possibly $100 million, to the effort. That would push the total economic recovery spending to $435 million, though McKinney said he might try for more than $100 million.

This community deserves a fair chance at the good life, McKinney said.

Of the $335 million in last years bill, LB 1024, roughly $100 million was earmarked for several projects, including affordable housing, innovation hubs and an industrial park near the Omaha airport. The Legislature then accepted proposals for the remaining $225 million.

The engineering firm Olsson took those 367 proposals and compiled a list of 35 recommended projects in Omaha. Among the recommendations was a 90,000-square-foot activity center, a handful of museums and multiple career centers.

None of those are guaranteed to receive funding. McKinneys bill may identify a few specific projects for funding, but it will primarily direct the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to select the remaining projects among the original 367 applicants, he said.

Some of those applicants testified in support of LB 531 on Tuesday, representing a range of local businesses and nonprofits. Though not all of the speakers had proposals that made Olssons list of 35 recommendations, several said they hope that McKinneys bill will provide an opportunity for other proposals to seek funding.

Supporters largely view LB 531 as a rare opportunity to revitalize areas in North and South Omaha that have suffered from a decades-long lack of investment. Supporter Willie Barney said there is a sense of urgency to pass the bill, as much of the funding comes from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021  money that must be spent by the end of 2026.

We stand ready to serve, said supporter Kenny McMorris. North Omaha is ready to go.

Of the roughly 30 people who testified Tuesday, no one opposed LB 531. One testifier was neutral. Among the bills supporters were the Omaha Police Department, the Nebraska Bankers Association and the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce.

Last years bill intended to provide funding for underserved areas across the state, not just parts of Omaha. However, LB 531, much like all the projects recommended by Olsson, focuses on Omaha. Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha, a leading lawmaker on the project, said the recovery efforts outside of Omaha were already settled under last years bill.

McKinney also introduced an accompanying bill, LB 785, that would direct millions to the economic recovery in North and South Omaha. As drafted the bill calls for $600 million to go to recovery grants distributed through two state departments  $250 million from the Department of Natural Resources, and $350 million from the Department of Economic Development. That bills hearing is scheduled for Thursday in the Appropriations Committee.

McKinney said the $600 million figure is not final. There is another amendment in the works for LB 785 that will make it virtually identical to LB 531. Vargas said the two bills were introduced as a precaution to ensure at least one of them makes it to the floor of the Legislature.

We need to make sure theres as many pathways as possible, Vargas said.

Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session
LINCOLN  A bill that would offer tax credits for donations to scholarship funds for private and faith-based schools has now made it further than all previous attempts in the Nebraska Legislature, gathering enough votes to pass the first round of debate Wednesday.

Legislative Bill 753 is the latest in a string of similar bills introduced by State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of the Omaha area intended to provide more school choice opportunities. The bill overcame a three-day filibuster Wednesday before advancing in a 31-12 vote.

As introduced, LB 753 would make $25 million available for credits in 2024, with annual increases in the program of up to 25% possible in future years. A committee amendment that also was approved Wednesday would keep the program at $25 million for two years, then allow it to grow to a maximum of $100 million a year.

The amendment also would cap credits at $100,000 annually for individuals and businesses and at $1 million for estates and trusts.

The Nebraska Legislature has considered similar measures in each of the last five years, but all have failed. Last years proposal fell five votes short on a filibuster-ending cloture motion.

This time around, LB 753 narrowly overcame the first-round filibuster, reaching cloture through a 33-12 vote.

Im thrilled we got cloture, Linehan said. Im disappointed we didnt get everybody.

Support from multiple Democrats, including Omaha Sens. Terrell McKinney, Justin Wayne and Mike McDonnell, proved to be the difference-maker this year. McKinney and Wayne repeatedly spoke out in support of LB 753, saying it would provide families in their district more options for better education.

These families are tired of being told to wait, McKinney said.

At the same time, a handful of Republican lawmakers held off pledging their support for the bill, with Sens. Tom Brandt of Plymouth, Myron Dorn of Adams and Jana Hughes of Seward being present not voting on the underlying bill. On Tuesday, Brandt expressed reservations with LB 753, reading statements from an op-ed published by former lawmaker Curt Friesen that doubted the bills benefits to rural students and taxpayers.

Hughes said she supports the overall intent of LB 753 but has some concerns. She declined to elaborate and said she is working with Linehan to address them. Linehan said she hopes to have 45 out of the Legislatures 49 lawmakers supporting the bill by the time it reaches its final votes.

Well get to something that everyone can support, Linehan said.

One new amendment Linehan said she already plans to bring would clarify that the bill would support students across all of Nebraska, based on concerns that it would benefit only Omaha-area students.

LB 753 is part of a larger education package proposed by Gov. Jim Pillen that would, among other things, provide an additional $1 billion to public education funding through a new component of the states general fund. Linehan said she believed once the other education funding proposals are ironed out, her bill will gain support from lawmakers who were concerned that it would take away funding from underserved public schools.

Some opponents also argued LB 753 would benefit schools that discriminate against students and would amount to a tax credit for the wealthy. The Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), a national nonprofit, released a statement against the bill Tuesday. It said in states that have passed similar measures, the bulk of the credits are being claimed by wealthy families.

These tax credits are among the most significant tools eroding the public education system and propping up private schools, the statement read.

Meanwhile, supporters contend that LB 753 is essential to provide low-income students the means to access better education. They argue that many public schools are lower quality than private schools, which opponents disputed.

This is the way we get kids out of poverty, said Sen. Christy Armendariz of Omaha.

Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session
BLOOMINGTON  Members of a Bloomington nonprofit recently met with both the First Lady of Kenya and the First Lady of United States during a trip to Nairobi.

Spread Truth Ministries, a Christian group that operates in Bloomington and Kenya, met with both female dignitaries while providing food assistance and awareness of female genital mutilation in Kenya.

Jerry McCorkle, executive director of Spread Truth Ministries, said the organization has been active in Kenya as Spread Truth Africa for five years. The group partners with the Kenyan government to help educate the youth in an effort to turn them away from radicalization.

"The Kenyan government is really concerned with the youths and they're doing everything they really can to reach out to them," said McCorkle, a former Bloomington resident now based in South Carolina. "We have access to public schools to go around and be with the youth and share the curriculum."

According to the World Health Organization, FGM comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for nonmedical reasons, and is a violation of the human rights of girls and women.

More than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM in 30 countries across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. FGM is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and 15 years old, according to WHO.

Although FGM is illegal in Kenya, it is still goes on.

Spread Truth's gospel-based curriculum, titled "What is a Little Girl Worth," teaches affected and at-risk girls about their bodies, but also parents and boys, in hopes of changing the mentality of how women and girls should be treated, McCorkle said.

The curriculum has been certified by the Kenyan government and has been taught to over 1,600 girls at three rescue centers.

During this most recent trip, McCorkle said they met with First Lady of Kenya Rachel Ruto on Feb. 22 to discuss their continued partnership and commitment to helping end FGM.

"The new administration and the First Lady of Kenya is very much in support of doing away with the old ways of FGM, and especially helping the women of Kenya improve their life and perspective," said Kevan Taylor, board member of Spread Truth, formerly of Bloomington-Normal but now living in Indiana. "She wants to work more closely with us to improve the relationship and to expand the relationship further to other neighboring countries."

Ruto and other Kenyan officials also talked about the drought the country is experiencing; it is the worst drought in over 40 years, McCorkle said. In response, Midwest Food Bank, which is a partner of Spread Truth, has been supplying food to affected areas.

Midwest Food Bank has delivered more than 800 tons of food to Kenya over the past several years, McCorkle said.

Spread Truth member Jeff Collins said he and other members later met with First Lady of the United States Jill Biden at their hotel.

The meeting was informal, but Biden asked them where they from and what they were doing in Kenya, and she developed an interest in their work during that short time they had to talk, Collins said.

"You could tell that there was a genuine interest, so we'll see where that takes us, I mean, who knows," said Collins, a former Bloomington-Normal resident who now lives in Georgia.

Spread Truth began in 2001 at Calvary Baptist Church and now has two locations, including one in Bloomington and one in Nairobi, Kenya. For more information about the organization, visit www.spreadtruth.com.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  A Pennsylvania woman who went missing more than 30 years ago in a case that stumped authorities who later declared her legally dead has been found living in a nursing home in Puerto Rico.

Patricia Kopta left behind a husband and siblings and meandered through northern Puerto Rico for a while before she was taken as a person "in need" to the adult care home in 1999, according to details announced at a news conference this week in Ross Township, where she once lived.

Kopta, once known as a street preacher in her home town, initially kept her past secret while in Puerto Rico. But she began to divulge details as she suffered progressively from dementia, Ross Township Deputy Police Chief Brian Kohlhepp said.

By last year, a social worker at the home had enough information to alert authorities back home about the now-83-year-old woman. A DNA test has confirmed her identity, Kohlhepp said.

Her husband, Bob Kopta, and her surviving sister, 78-year-old Gloria Smith, filled in details of Kopta's life at the news conference and in telephone interviews Friday with The Associated Press.

Patricia Kopta had been nicknamed "The Sparrow" because of her slight build, and often frequented parking lots and busy roads in the largely residential community of about 31,000 north of Pittsburgh, where she would caution passersby and motorists about the end of the world.

But before she began preaching, Kopta was a straight-A student who became a model and dance instructor. After graduating high school, she worked in finance at a Pittsburgh plate glass company and would attend ballroom dancing events weekly, according to her family.

She would vacation often in Puerto Rico with her friends before she got married, Smith recalled.

"She just loved the ocean, the beach, the warm sunshine," Smith told the AP.

Smith said her sister quit her job at the glass company after 10 years because of migraines that doctors blamed on stress. She then got a job as an elevator operator at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

That's when family members noticed a change in her.

"She said something about seeing an angel there," Smith recalled.

Shortly afterward, Kopta began preaching and was briefly institutionalized after doctors diagnosed her with "delusions of grandeur" and said she had signs of schizophrenia. Upon her release, she kept preaching until she vanished in 1992.

"I come home one night, and she's just gone," Bob Kopta told the AP.

They had been married for 20 years.

Kopta, now 86, recalled how they met near a river in Pittsburgh where he had a boat. He gave her and her friends a ride and fell in love. In 1972, they married.

The disappearance stumped authorities and family alike. Police went as far as to consult a psychic, while Kopta recalled his wife once mentioned she would like to go to Puerto Rico because of its balmy weather. So he published ads in Puerto Rican newspapers, but never got a response.

Years went by with no sign of her. He obtained a death declaration about seven years after her disappearance.

"I went through a lot," said Bob Kopta, a retired truck driver. "Every time they'd find a body somewhere (I wondered), 'Is it Patricia? Is it Patricia?'"

Meanwhile, Patricia Kopta apparently was wandering the island's northern towns of Naranjito, Corozal and Toa Alta, located just southwest of the capital of San Juan. When she first was taken in at the adult home, she had hinted that she had arrived in Puerto Rico via a cruise ship from Europe, Kohlhepp said.

After a social worker contacted police in Pennsylvania, it took almost a year for DNA samples to confirm that the woman was indeed Patricia Kopta.

"It's a sad thing, but it's a relief off my mind," her husband said. "When your wife goes missing, you're a suspect."

Bob Kopta, who did not remarry, said he doesn't plan to visit, and that he's now trying to forget the past, though he's glad to know she's being taken care of.

Smith, on the other hand, wants to go to the island to see her older sister. She says she's been unable to speak to the elder sibling on the phone because she cannot hold a conversation given her dementia. A twin sister of Patricia Kopta died without knowing her fellow twin was still alive.

"Whether she knows me or not, I still want to see her and give her a hug and tell her I love her," Smith said. "I thought maybe she had died."
BLOOMINGTON  Several Catholic schools, organizations and restaurants are keeping busy this month frying fish for Lent.

Take St. Marys Catholic School, 603 W. Jackson St. in Bloomington, where about 350 pounds of pollock was fried on Friday, Feb. 24. The parish has been putting on the event for more than 20 years, and this marked the first in-person dinner since 2019 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its important just for the community to get together and an opportunity for people to see the school and see the value, keep the community engaged, said coordinator and parent volunteer Chad Clover. Its a good way to connect with other parents and volunteers. Its a lot of work, but its very fun. Its a way to stay engaged in the community, and its the best fish in town.

About 40 to 50 volunteers help with the event, which typically attracts around 300 to 400 diners, Clover said.

Forty days before Easter, Catholics and some other Christians abstain from eating meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays to observe Lent, a time of penitence, reflection and simplifying life in preparation for Easter. The fish, seen as less of a luxury than meat, also is and ancient symbol early Christians used to identify each other amid persecution.

Today, fish fries have become a public celebration of faith and community for many.

Dave DeSanty, a parent volunteer who helped fry the pollock for the St. Marys event. He has been volunteering for the last eight years and also has a daughter that attends the school.

I just enjoy volunteering and helping out the parish, this is one of their biggest fundraising events of the year, DeSanty said.

Connie Noble, a church member who has attended the fish fries for about 15 years, said Lent is a time of renewal, and helps refresh the soul and foster growth.

St. Marys fish fries are the best, I just love them, Noble said. It helps the school. We have a great school with great teachers and good spiritual friends who help when you need each other and the parish. We are one for all and all for one.

The parish usually hosts two fish fries, but this year they only had one. But if you missed it, dont worry: Heres a look at some options for fish fry Lenten meals in McLean and Woodford counties in this special Eats of the Week.

The Knights of Columbus at 1706 RT Dunn Drive in Bloomington is also serving a series of Lenten meals on March 10, 24, 31 and April 6 from 5:30-7 p.m. or until they run out of fish, whichever comes first, as they have been for more than 20 years.

The organization will serve fish, vegetables, scalloped potatoes and bread, and it is $11 per meal. They will also have a grilled cheese meal and sandwich for kids; $8 for meal and $6 for sandwich.

Trustee Dennis Fries said they typically have about 120 to 140 people attend each Friday, and go through about 40 pounds of fish each fish fry.

Its our usual best in town, Fries said. Fish fries means its lent and its one of our fundraisers that help support our charitable activities.

On St. Patricks Day, the Knights of Columbus will serve a special meal including an Irish stew, corned beef and cabbage meals, corned beef sandwiches, pickle spears, bread, with condiments and dessert from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The celebration will last until the bar closes.

(Bishop Lou Tylka of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria has lifted the prohibition against eating meat on March 17, as is customary when St. Patrick's Day falls on a Friday in Lent.)

In Downs, St. Marys Church and the Edward ORourke Knights of Columbus Council 10967 will be frying up fish for the 31st consecutive year.

On March 17 and 31 from 5 to 7 p.m., they will serve walleye, pizza, grilled cheese, French fries, coleslaw and homemade desserts; $10 for adults, $5 for kids and free for children 5 and under. Some menu items are only available for dine-in. Curbside pickup will be available from 4 to 5 p.m.

Randy McDannold, financial secretary for the church, said they expect 350 to 400 people to attend each night.

The fish fries are a great time for St. Mary parishioners, community members, family, and friends to get together to share a meal and just be together, McDannold said. Its just a great time for everyone to come together.

He added that the Knights Council, along with Ladies Auxiliary, help coordinate the fish fries, but many parishioners volunteer, as well as volunteers from the Boy Scouts and Tri-Valley students.

St. Johns Lutheran Church in Bloomington will serve Lenten meals every Wednesday through March 29 from 5:15-6:15 p.m. The meals are $20 per person for the full month or $80 max per family, or pick your weeks for $5 per meal. Children 2 and under eat free.

In Clinton, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church will host fish fries March 10, 17, 24 and 31 from 5-7 p.m., or until sold out.

The parish will serve fish, two sides and dessert: two fillet, $9; six butterfly shrimp, $11; or a combo one filet and three shrimp, $10.

Corpus Christi Catholic School held a fish fry on Feb. 24 as well.

Restaurants

Merna Tap, east of Normal, is serving all-you-can-eat walleye with baked beans and coleslaw for $9.50 every Friday during lent from 5 to 9 p.m. The restaurant is also running Lenten lunch specials every Friday.

Owner Kattie Shott said they will go through about 50 to 70 pounds of fish on Friday nights for Lent.

As far as I know, the fish fries at Merna have been going on for probably as long as as the bar has been here, because Merna used to be a very strong Irish Catholic community, Shott said.

Matthew King from the Ditch Bar and Grill in Secor said they will have dine-in only fish fries featuring pollock served with fries and green beans for $12.99 every Friday until Easter, from 5 to 8 p.m.

King said they have been hosting fish fries for about five years and bring in about 80 pounds worth of fish. About 70 to 100 people typically take part.

We enjoy doing it here and it saves people from having to cook a meal at home, King said. I just love seeing my bar full of customers.

Crawfords Corner Pub, owned by Bob and Amy Crawford, serves fish every Friday throughout the year for $10. The meal includes fish, homemade coleslaw, a dinner roll or guests can order the signature fish and chips.

The pub has been hosting fish fries for the last four years and goes through about three to four cases of fish on Fridays, which is approximately 72 dinners.

The Lake Road Inn in Hudson owned by local Craig Hanson also serves fish every Friday. For lent, they will be serving bluegill from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Guests can call 309-747-2558 to make reservations.

Editors note: St. Patrick Church of Merna, Epiphany Catholic School and Church, and Central Catholic High School did not host fish fries this year.
NORMAL  "The Loose Pearl" a book by the Chilean poet Paula Ilabaca Nunez and published by Illinois State University Professor Steve Halle, received the 2023 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation.

The award was presented during the recent PEN America Literacy Awards in New York City. The PEN America Literacy Awards have honored many great voices in literature across many different genres.

Halle serves as Publications Unit Director of Illinois State. He also oversees a nonprofit small press imprint, coimpress.

The PEN award is the third major literary translation award Halle's books have received since he founded his nonprofit in 2013.

Visit news.illinoisstate.edu for more information.
I am writing in support of the Unit 5 referendum. My husband and I moved to Blono in 2009 with our five kids; we were apprehensive about going from private to public schools, but our realtor assured us that our neighborhood had fantastic Unit 5 schools. And we loved the neighborhood. With five kids we knew they would be in elementary, junior, and high school all at once, and the schools were all close.

Moving to Blono also afforded me the chance to return to college; I finished my undergrad at ISU in education and found work in the district. I have outstanding colleagues whose first priority is always the students. I have seen firsthand how we stretch our resources, and as a Unit 5 parent I have witnessed the opportunities my own kids have experienced, from music to sports, special ed services, dual-credit offerings, and everything in between.

I support this referendum because I want my students to have the opportunities that my own kids have had over the years. My freshman students are in a new building with many unknowns and a high level of uncertainty/anxiety, all while growing into young adults. They need sports, marching band, art, and to learn about themselves and each other. Without adequate funding, they won't be able to enjoy the school experience that they deserve.

Even those who dont have kids in Unit 5 stand to benefit from this referendum, in the way of community growth and property values. I will be joining those ranks in two more years when my youngest graduates. Passing this referendum will give the district the first significant boost in the education fund in decades, and I encourage my fellow constituents to join me in supporting our kids.

Jennifer Poncin, Normal
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has argued that despite the challenges in relation to the shortage of some childhood vaccines in Ghana, the countrys immunisation performance coverage remains among the best in the world.



It said the country recorded about 95 per cent coverage of childhood immunisation in 2021.



At a press briefing on Tuesday (March 7, 2023) to debunk allegations that due to lack of some vaccines, people are dying from the outbreak of measles in the Northern Region, the Ministry said "It is important to correct the erroneous impression that there have been deaths from Measles in Ghana recently."



The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu who addressed the press briefing explained that "For the avoidance of doubt, there have been no deaths from the recently recorded spike in Measles cases. Indeed there have been no deaths since 2003 though we have recorded cases annually."



Ghana has been experiencing shortages of some childhood vaccines, a situation that has attracted attention from different quarters, including Parliament and the Paediatric Society of Ghana.



The MoH said it is working with UNICEF to fast-track the processes to obtain some of the vaccines as early as possible.



Working with UNICEF, we are fast-tracking the processes and it is expected that the vaccines would be supplied in the next few weeks All things being equal, the minister said.



He added, the Ministry of Health will ensure that we stay on track with our immunisation record and quickly overcome this bottlenecks.



Ministry of Health Statement on vaccines

PRESS BRIEFING ON SHORTAGE OF SOME ROUTINE CHILDHOOD VACCINES IN THE COUNTRY AND THE OUTBREAK OF MEASLES IN THE NORTHERN REGION



1. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, thank you for this pleasant opportunity to address you on the shortage of some childhood vaccines in the country and matters arising, and the outbreak of measles in the Northern Region.



2. The Ministry of Health has been seriously concerned about the shortage of some childhood vaccines and their effect on the Vaccination Programme in the country. This is a major source of worry for the Ministry, Partners, caregivers, and population.



3. We are aware of the implications of the shortages including disease outbreaks, and effects on child survival



4. The Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) has been a flagship disease control program in the country and arguably one of the best programmes if not the best in the sub-region with high coverage levels of over 95%. We have an established system for forecasting, procurement, supply and distribution of routine vaccines, and monitoring their use.



5. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is true we have had some vaccine shortages in the country since the last quarter of 2022. The vaccines in short supply are BCG, Measles-Rubella (MR), and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV). This shortage is nationwide.



6. The recent shortage in Vaccines for measles, as regrettable as it is, is symptomatic of the steady global decline in measles vaccination since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic.



7. Permit me to quote from a WHO recent publication on the subject that puts the challenge we are dealing with into perspective:



8. Ghanas Ministry of Health has been making efforts to ensure we secure adequate stocks of vaccines despite this global challenge.



9. We have made all necessary efforts to ensure that despite these challenges we secure adequate stocks within the next few weeks.



10. It is important to correct the erroneous impression that there have been deaths from Measles in Ghana recently. For the avoidance of doubt, there have been no deaths from the recently recorded spike in Measles cases. Indeed there have no deaths since 2003 though we have recorded cases annually.



11. Finally, despite this challenge, Ghanas immunization performance coverage remains among the best in the world. In 2021 we recorded 95% coverage.



12. Working with UNICEF, we are fast-tracking the processes and it is expected that the vaccines would be supplied in the next few weeks All things being equal.



13. The Ministry of Health will ensure that we stay on track with our immunization record and quickly overcome this bottlenecks.



14. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, I thank you for your attention.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The land-sea freight train of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor heading for Indonesia waits to depart in China's southwestern Chongqing, April 26, 2019. [Photo by Liu Chan/Xinhua]



Concerted efforts should be made to advance the development of China-Europe railway distribution hubs, in order to better share resources, cut costs and improve efficiency, a political advisor said recently.

Gao Lin, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said that developing distribution hubs for China-Europe freight railway services will help coordinate infrastructure resources such as logistics channels and overseas warehouses, and improve the efficiency of transportation.

Chongqing is one of five major China-Europe railway distribution hubs in China, according to a plan released by the National Development and Reform Commission in 2020.

Since 2011, when the first China-Europe freight train departed from Chongqing and headed to Duisburg, Germany, the service has expanded rapidly and become a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said Gao, who is also the deputy chief of Chongqing's Yuzhong district and a member of the China Association for Promoting Democracy.

However, Gao pointed out in her proposal that as more cities start to operate China-Europe freight trains, intensive competition has been emerging in terms of types of goods, railway resources and transportation prices.

In addition, some creative steps piloted by major distribution hubs to facilitate China-Europe rail may involve multiple stakeholders and complicated processes, which makes them difficult to replicate in other parts of China, leading to low efficiency of its market-oriented operation, she added.

In response to such problems, Gao stressed the importance of building platforms for information sharing and coordinating trains running between cities.

In terms of expanding overseas markets, Gao suggested upgrading domestic sections of the railway and key ports along the China-Europe railway express.

She also called on the government to step up efforts to promote the expansion of freight train lines to connect the Yangtze River Economic Belt and new land-sea transit routes for China's western regions, as well as expanding new transportation corridors into countries such as Laos and Vietnam.

Looking ahead, Gao noted that key logistics hubs should work together to pursue digital and smart development of China-Europe freight trains, and jointly explore innovations in the integration of freight and trade, and the development of overseas warehouses.
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has explained that Tuesdays operation at Ashaiman following the killing of a soldier, 21-year-old Sherrif Imoro was sanctioned by the Military High Command.



In a statement issued Wednesday (Mar 8, 2023) dawn, the GAF said the motive was not to avenge the killing of the soldier but rather to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime.



Following the operations at Ashaiman-Taifa and Tulaku in the Greater Accra Region, the military personnel picked up about 184 suspects aged between 21 and 47 years old and have since handed them over to the Military Police and subsequently to be sent to the Ghana Police Service for screening and for further action, the GAF said in the statement.



One of the victims of the Ashaiman military operation, which was sanctioned by GAF high command and 184 suspects in custody During the course of the swoop, the personnel seized 29 slabs and 57 mini slabs of suspected indian hemp and amnesia among other forms of the narcotics, the statement from the GAF signed by Brigadier General E. Aggrey-Quashie, Director General of Public Relations of the GAF said.



The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) also wishes to place on record that the swoop was not targeted at innocent civilians but was an intelligenceled operation conducted on suspected hideouts of criminals and crime-prone areas in the general area, he added.



GAF however acknowledges that regrettably some innocent persons might have been caught up in the operation and consequently suffered some distress due to the location they found themselves at the time, it added.



GAF accordingly wishes to urge the general public to provide useful information, support the security agencies in weeding out criminals and miscreants from our communities and to desist from shielding and conniving with such suspects in order to curb criminal activities in the country, GAF added.



What happened



The soldier who was allegedly killed by a mob at Ashaiman Taifa last Saturday, has been identified as 21-year-old Sherrif Imoro.



He was a member of the Ghana Armed Forces Band, a trumpeter and was stationed at Sunyani in the Bono Region.



He was in Accra for a military course and in the last three weeks, had been visiting the parents in their home at Ashaiman every Friday.



Last Friday would have been the third time he was going home and was reportedly confronted by a gang who killed him.



He enrolled in the Ghana Armed Forces in October 2021, was trained at Daboya and was posted to Sunyani after passing out.



According to his father, he had his primary and Junior High School education at Ashaiman and Senior High School at Akwamuman SHS and completed in 2017.



Father's narrative



Explaining the circumstances and giving a brief background about his son, the father, Awudu Imoro said in early January this year, Sherrif phoned his mother and informed the family that he was going to be in Accra in the first week of February for a course.



Sherrif according to the father told them that when he arrived in Accra, he will get the opportunity to visit them in the house on a Friday, and so in the last three weeks, he had been coming home every Friday.



Military arrests



On Tuesday afternoon it came out that more than 72 people had been arrested and taken into custody by the soldiers who stormed Ashaiman Tuesday dawn.



The Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Ernest Henry Norgbey, said he had been informed that the soldiers took the people they arrested away.



The MP said the soldiers after the dawn operation left the area, the soldiers had left but around midday, he received a phone call that another batch of military men had trooped into the Ashaiman constituency.



"Actually I spoke to the police commander and he told me on authority that there are military guys still in the constituency, all over the constituency molesting innocent residents," he said.



He said the constituents were worried about the modus operandi of the military, "because you see armoured cars, you see military vehicles, you see helicopters, which means that this thing has been sanctioned by the higher authority and so everybody is handicapped in this matter.



"So we are just calling on them to call back their men to the barracks because these people that they are molesting, they are innocent people, I'm not sure they know anything about the killing of the military guy," the MP said.



Ashaiman: Soldiers beat up civilians after alleged mob killing of soldier

The Ashaiman neighbourhood of Taifa was on Tuesday dawn forced into a self-imposed curfew after some soldiers reportedly stormed the area, following the alleged killing of a soldier over the weekend.



The soldier was reportedly killed by a mob in Ashaiman at the weekend.



Photos and video of the said soldier was shared on social media after the incident.



Some reports said he was attacked and stabbed by a gang. The soldier was reportedly on his way to his family home.



Soldiers reaction



On Tuesday dawn (March 7, 2023), some soldiers numbering not less than 20 stormed the area.



They questioned anyone they came across and reportedly beat them up.



This forced people to lock themselves up in their homes, fearing they will be beaten up by the soldiers.



Some eyewitnesses have recounted their experience on social media.



Some said they saw the soldiers around 2am.



One person said he woke up around 4am to see that the area which was usually busy around that time with many shops opened was still very quiet.



His assumption was that it was as a result of the downpour but when he stepped out, he saw some soldiers on the stretch, there were no vehicles moving.



He saw soldiers approaching so he quickly rushed back into the house and locked the gate.



He said his brother later told him he woke up earlier and saw soldiers beating up some other people.



"My mother owns a shop by the roadside and should have been opened by now but as we speak, all shops are still closed," he said.



He said he saw that vehicles passing by were stopped, male passengers dragged out and beaten up, "you people kill our colleague", some of the soldiers reportedly said.



Another eyewitness said the said soldiers knocked on doors and anybody who came out allegedly received some slaps.



The Assemblyman for the area reportedly sent out a message advising residents to avoid certain routes.



He said he counted not less that 20 armed soldiers on foot, who were



What happened with mob killing of soldier?

The incident of the mob killing of the soldier received varied reactions at the weekend.



Some had alleged that the young soldier was on his way to his home when he was attacked by a gang.



Some had alleged that he was stabbed to death by the mob.



Photos from the incident scene showed the lifeless body of the victim, who was in what seemed to be a torn trousers in military camouflage colours.



His military cap and a white cloth had been used to cover his face. Also, his bag in military camouflage colours was lying close to the body.



The Ghana Police and the Ghana Armed Forces are yet to comment on the incident.



2017 Denkyira-Obuasi incident



In 2017, a similar incident happened at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region where during a morning health walk, a military officer, Major Maxwell Mahama was killed by a mob.



Below is a copy of the GAF statement



MILITARY CONDUCTS SWOOP AT ASHAIMAN TARGETED AT KILLERS OF YOUNG SOLDIER



Personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) on Tuesday 7 March 2023, conducted a swoop in Ashaiman and its environs in a man-hunt for some criminals, who are suspected to have stabbed and killed a young soldier (Trooper Imoro Sherrif) in the early hours of Saturday 4 March 2023, at Ashaiman-Taifa.



Trooper Sherrif, who was stationed in Sunyani, was in Accra on a Course and had sought permission to visit his parents at Ashaiman where he grew up, but was found in a pool of blood in the early hours of Saturday near the Amania Hotel in Ashaiman.



GAF wishes to state categorically that the military operation, which was sanctioned by the Military High Command, was NOT to avenge the killing of the soldier but rather to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime.



Following the operations at Ashaiman-Taifa and Tulaku, the military personnel picked up about 184 suspects aged between 21 and 47 years old and have since handed them over to the Military Police and subsequently to be sent to the Ghana Police Service for screening and for further action.



During the course of the swoop, the personnel seized 29 slabs and 57 mini slabs of suspected indian hemp and amnesia among other forms of the narcotics.



The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) also wishes to place on record that the swoop was not targeted at innocent civilians but was an intelligenceled operation conducted on suspected hideouts of criminals and crime-prone areas in the general area.



GAF however acknowledges that regrettably some innocent persons might have been caught up in the operation and consequently suffered some distress due to the location they found themselves at the time.



GAF accordingly wishes to urge the general public to provide useful information, support the security agencies in weeding out criminals and miscreants from our communities and to desist from shielding and conniving with such suspects in order to the curb criminal activities in the country.

Source: graphiconline.com









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The Board of Directors of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has debunked report suggesting that its newly appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has been denied the position.



Mr. Opoku-Ahweneeh Danquah has been acting in the said capacity since April 2022when Dr K.K. Sarpong exited the office until his appointment and vetting by the Public Services Commission to confirm him as the substantive CEO of the state-owned company.



According to a Modernghana.com publication, Mr Danquah allegedly failed to prove his competence to the vetting committee for the office he hoped to occupy, for which reason the PSC could not endorse him.



But in a disclaimer issued on March 7, 2023, to the effect of the publication, Mr Freddie Blay who is the Board Chairman said, the Board wishes to state categorically, that the said publication is untrue and the general public is entreated to disregard it and treat it with the contempt it deserves.



Thus, confirming to the public that the appointment of the GNPC CEO was duly approved by the PSC, the Board added, The CEO with the full support of the Board of Director is focused on effectively

steering GNPC to position itself in maximising the utility of the petroleum resources of the country for its citizens.



GNPC



The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) was established as a State-owned entity to operate on a commercial basis. The Corporation was given legal backing through two main statutes i.e., PNDC Laws 64 and 84.



The Corporations vision is to become a leading global oil and gas company whose operations have a profound impact on the quality of life of the people of Ghana.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Four new mines are expected to start to come on stream in the next two and half years, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has said in a major boost to efforts at making the country a mining hub on the continent.



Ghana is currently Africas leading gold producer and sixth in the world, and is looking to add the Ahafo North Mine, to be operated by Newmont Africa; Cardinal Resources Mine at Talinsi in the Upper East Region; and Azumah Resources in the Nadowli-Kaleo district of the Upper West Region. All are gold mines.



The fourth company, which has not been disclosed, will operate a lithium mine at Ewoyaa in the Mfantseman municipality of the Central Region.



The minister had earlier disclosed that the country exported gold worth US$6.6billion in 2022  up from US$5.08billion in 2021 but lower than the US$6.77billion recorded in the previous year.



The new mines, when operationalised, will further cement Ghanas position as a leading producer of the precious yellow metal and boost state earnings from mining in the face of recent downturns in economic activity.



On the lithium mine, Mr. Jinapor said government is putting in place a different structure for exploitation of green mineral to ensure the state makes the most out of it. He said the plan is drawn from lessons learned over decades of gold mining, and is meant to ensure that the same mistakes of raw material exports are not repeated.



These developments, which are a considerable boost to governments vision of making the country the preferred mining destination in Africa, he explains, are happening on the back of significant investments in exploration.



There are also significant investments in the redevelopment and expansion of existing mines. After reviving the Obuasi Mine in 2019, the Bibiani Mine  which had been dormant for seven years  has also been revived, and production started in October last year, he said



The minister disclosed this during a press briefing in Accra, and said he expects the mines development to result in a significant increase in mineral production and government revenue.



Furthermore, to promote more investment in the sector, he said government is conducting a general review of the Mining Policy adopted in 2014, and the Minerals and Mining Act that was passed in 2006. This is intended to align them with current developments in the mining industry, he added.



He also announced that the Minerals Commission has increased the number of items on the local procurement list of goods and services reserved for Ghanaians from 41 to 50, for 2023. This, he explained, is part of the measures to promote job creation in the mining industry through the use of local expertise, goods and services.



The new additions include the provision of medical services at mine sites, construction and management of tailings storage facilities, assaying and motor rewinding.



We have also increased the provision of financial, insurance and reinsurance services reserved for Ghanaians from 20 percent to a minimum of 60 percent. The provision of these goods and services by Ghanaians will ensure that we retain, here in our country, some US$3billion annually which would have otherwise been exported, he said.

Source: BBC









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The Board of Directors of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has debunked a report suggesting that its newly appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has been denied the position.



Mr. Opoku-Ahweneeh Danquah has been acting in the said capacity since April 2022 when Dr. K.K. Sarpong exited the office until his appointment and vetting by the Public Services Commission to confirm him as the substantive CEO of the state-owned company.



According to a Modernghana.com publication, Mr Danquah allegedly failed to prove his competence to the vetting committee for the office he hoped to occupy, for which reason the PSC could not endorse him.



But in a disclaimer issued on March 7, 2023, to the effect of the publication, Mr Freddie Blay who is the Board Chairman said, the Board wishes to state categorically, that the said publication is untrue and the general public is entreated to disregard it and treat it with the contempt it deserves.



Thus, confirming to the public that the appointment of the GNPC CEO was duly approved by the PSC, the Board added, The CEO with the full support of the Board of Director is focused on effectively steering GNPC to position itself in maximising the utility of the petroleum resources of the country for its citizens.-



The Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) was established as a State-owned entity to operate on a commercial basis. The Corporation was given legal backing through two main statutes i.e., PNDC Laws 64 and 84.



The Corporations vision is to become a leading global oil and gas company whose operations have a profound impact on the quality of life of the people of Ghana.



Read the full statement below;

Appointment Of GNPC CEO Was Duly Approved By Public Services Commission Accra



The attention of the Board of Directors of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) has been drawn to a publication suggesting that the Public Services Commission (PSC) did not approve the appointment of Mr. Opoku-Ahweneeh Danquah as the substantive CEO of GNPC.



The Board wishes to state categorically, that the said publication is untrue and the general public is entreated to disregard it and treat it with the contempt it deserves.



The CEO with the full support of the Board of Director is focused on effectively steering GNPC to position itself in maximising the utility of the petroleum resources of the country for its citizens





Hon. Freddie Blay GNPC Board Chairman Editors Note GNPC was established as a State-owned entity to operate on a commercial basis.



The Corporation was given legal backing through two main statutes i.e., PNDC Laws 64 and 84.



The Corporations vision is to become a leading global oil and gas company whose operations have a profound impact on the quality of life of the people of Ghana









Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Today, the world marks another International Womens Day, reflecting on progress made towards gender equity and taking action to accelerate the process.



The theme for this year's International Women's Day, Embrace Equity, emphasises the importance of making gender equity an integral part of every society and promoting its benefits across all sectors.



Over the years, Vodafone Ghana has done its part to embrace equity under its Inclusion for All pillar. This pillar ensures that everyone has access to the benefits of digitalisation by prioritising access to connectivity, digital skills, and introducing meaningful products and services. Vodafone Ghana also strives to have a diverse and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities it serves.



The telcos commitment to gender parity is evident in its many initiatives over the years both internally and externally.



It starts with intentional actions that make our workplace more inclusive and comfortable for our female executives, said Hannah Ashiokai Akrong, Vodafone Ghanas Director of Human Resources. Seventy percent of our Executive Committee is represented by women. We have targets to recruit more women in departments that typically have a significant male presence. We also designate parking spaces for expecting mothers, offer four months parental leave, and have dedicated spaces in our offices for breastfeeding mothers.



She also mentioned Vodafone Ghanas Reconnect program. For female professionals who have taken a break from their careers to focus on other parts of their lives, our Reconnect program makes it easy for them to get back into the workforce whenever they are ready.



Vodafone Ghana has also implemented several initiatives to encourage STEM participation in females.



An example of this is the Girls Camp, which exposes girls in STEM across second-cycle schools to the latest trends in technology, innovation, and creativity. Participants are trained in digital skills, including coding, online education, mentoring, and entrepreneurship.



Vodafone Ghanas Code-Like-a-Girl initiative provides basic knowledge of computer languages and development programs, including HTML, CSS, and GitHub, enabling students to develop a website by the end of the one-week course.



Vodafones Female Engineering Students Scholarship Program (FESSP) offers female engineering students' opportunities to work in various roles within Vodafone Ghana. It provides mentorship and support to help them become leaders in their chosen STEM careers. The Women Mentoring Group is another initiative that Vodafone Ghana has implemented to promote gender equity, offering guidance, motivation, and role modelling for younger women.



These groups champion gender equality initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion.



Vodafone Ghana has also supported external programs aimed at empowering women and girls, partnering with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to empower 1,500 women in the informal sector with digital and financial skills.



By providing opportunities for women to develop their skills and creating a supportive work environment, Vodafone Ghana is working towards creating a digital society accessible to everyone.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Chukwuemeka Nnaji, the coordinator for the dynamic ambassador for the Labour Party in Ghana, has called on the Supreme Court of Nigeria to save the country from imminent collapse over the results of the just-ended presidential elections.



According to him, the declaration of the candidate for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, as the winner of the 2023 Nigerian presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cannot stand because the election was rigged.



Speaking in a panel discussion on GhanaWeb's 'The Lowdown' programme, Chukwuemeka explained that the IReV system, which was supposed to be used in the collation of the results for the elections broke down, allowing governors in some states to manipulate the election results.



"The court of Nigeria should come to the aid of Nigeria because Nigeria is on the verge of collapse... This election was full of deceit.



"Before this election, we were told to support our candidates and vote. You will be hearing something like, get a PVC because INEC told everybody that our votes would count. People really turned out, but their vote did not count.



"What happened was that INEC shit their servers before the election, and nobody and nothing could be connected, and the votes of the people were rewritten in the states; the governors took over. And all the states Obi won were turned against him," he said.



He added that if the court fails to overturn the verdict of INEC, the people of Nigeria will explore their second option, which is to face the oppressors in the face.



About Nigeria elections:



On Wednesday, March 1, the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, declared Bola Tinubu as the winner of the election and president-elect.



Bola Tinubu polled 8,794,726 votes, as against his rivals Atiku, who polled a total of 6,984,520 votes, and Peter Obi, who scored 6,101,533 votes.



Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has headed to the Supreme Court to prove that his party won the 2023 presidential election.



Speaking during a press conference held in Abuja on Thursday, March 2, Peter Obi expressed his readiness to challenge the "rascality" of the Independent National Electoral Commission.



According to Obi, the election did not meet the electoral process that was promised by the INEC following the irregularities, and illegalities that occurred during the election.







Source: ghanaweb.com









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Ghanaian lawyer and politician Joyce Bawah Mogtari has called on the government to reduce the enormous import duties on sanitary pads and other products for women, as she reminded everyone that girls and women bleed.



Mrs. Bawah stated this in a social media post when celebrating International Women's Day today, March 8, 2023.



She wrote on Twitter, "On International Women's Day, I salute our women and girls!



"I choose to commemorate this day by reminding each and every one of us that girls and women bleed and call on government to walk its talk by removing import duties on sanitary towels and products," she stated.



The politician also added that the government should make conscious efforts to ensure Ghana produces its sanitary products at affordable prices to enable easy access to clean pads for girls and women.



"Government must also take steps to ensure that we produce sanitary products at cheaper and more affordable rates here in Ghana to ensure that our vulnerable girls and women can have access to clean pads as we #EmbraceEquity," she advised.

















Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The mother of the Ghana Armed Forces personnel, Trooper Sherrif Imoro, who was allegedly killed by a mob in Ashaiman, has spoken out for the first time.



Speaking to journalists in Accra, Afia Kyerah said that she was devastated by the death of her 22-year-old son.



She indicated that she was unaware that her son was coming home from camp, citinewsroom.com reports.



According to Afia Kyerah, Sherrif did not have any friends in Ashaiman.



"Sherrif didn't have any friends; he was always with me, some neighbours were always teasing me for turning him into a mummy's boy.



"I had no idea he was coming to Ashaiman, I had no idea he would die like this, his death is so painful, I'm sad and devastated," she is quoted to have said.



The death of the 22-year-year trooper triggered military brutalities in Official Town, a suburb of Ashaiman.



The Ghana Armed Forces, in its justification of the action of the military personnel, said that the victim was in Accra from his base in Sunyani to visit his parents.



"Trooper Sherrif, who is stationed in Sunyani, was in Accra on a course and had sought permission to visit his parents in Ashaiman, where he grew up, but was found in a pool of blood in the early hours of Saturday near the Amania Hotel in Ashaiman.



"GAF wishes to state categorically that the military operation, which was sanctioned by the Military High Command, was NOT to avenge the killing of the soldier but rather to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime," parts of a statement signed by the Director General of Public Relations, Brigadier General E. Aggrey-Quashie, read.



But the Member of Parliament for Ashaiman Constituency, Ernest Henry Norgbey, has said that Sherrif came to visit his girlfriend, who has been arrested for questioning by the army.



Soldiers conduct swoop in Ashaiman



Some soldiers invaded Ashaiman in the early hours of Tuesday, apparently in search of the murderers of their young colleague.



Several videos of the incident captured by some residents went viral on social media.



In some of these videos, personnel hit and brutalised those outside their rooms.



The incident happened on the dawn of Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at Official Town in Ashaiman.







Source: ghanaweb.com









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The mother of the 22- year old soldier whose alleged murder triggered military brutalities in Ashaiman, Afia Kyerah has described her sons death as very painful.



According to her, she is devastated by the death of her son.



She revealed that she had no idea her son was visiting Ashaiman after taking a sick leave from his base in Sunyani in the Bono Region.



The death of Sheriff Imoro sparked serious brutalization of residents of Ashaiman by the military on Tuesday, March 7.



Afia Kyerah told a section of the media that Sherrif didnt have any friends, he was always with me, some neighbours were always teasing me for turning him into a mummys boy. I had no idea he was coming to Ashaiman, I had no idea he will die like this, his death is so painful, Im sad and devastated, the mother said.



The 22-year-old soldier with the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) in Sunyani in the Bono Region was reportedly stabbed to death by unknown attackers on Saturday dawn.



The soldier was said to be returning from his girlfriends house in Taifa, a suburb of Ashaiman and heading toward his residence at Zongo-Laka in Ashaiman when the unfortunate incident occurred.



Military personnel stormed Ashaiman on Tuesday, March 7, and brutalised anyone they came across following the supposed murder of the military officer.



Many Ghanaians who have expressed their angst over the happenings in Ashaiman, described it as disappointing and sad.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has disclosed that Government will in the year 2023, commission some three Community Mining Schemes as part of efforts towards the fight against illegal small-scale mining populaly known as galamsey.



The President who was addressing the Nation on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday 8th March, 2023, gave the assurance that his government will continue the fight against galamsey with the support of the security agencies, in the short-term.



He added that "However, we are determined to promote responsible small-scale mining through Community Mining Schemes. So far, sixteen (16) of these Schemes have been commissioned, with three (3) more to be commissioned by the end of this year. All these Schemes are supported with Gold Katchas, pieces of equipment designed to help small-scale miners to extract gold from the ore without the use of mercury"



His Excellency the President also noted that in 2021, he launched the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme which has so far employed several youth in the production of seedlings and reclamation of degraded mined lands. Currently, he continued that reclamation is ongoing with over one thousand hectares (1,000ha) of degraded lands in Ashanti, Eastern and Western North Regions reclaimed.



Touching on Goverment Dept Operations, he said Goverment is seeking and implementing some original and innovative ideas to try and solve the countrys dept problems, mentioning the Gold Purchase Programme by the Bank of Ghana and Gold for Oil Policy as examples of creative uses of the countrys resources which he opined are already bearing fruit.



He explained further that these policies are aimed at achieving two results that are critical to the health of our economy. "Firstly, they will help us preserve foreign exchange, especially the US dollar, and secondly, they will enable us to stabilise the price of oil products such as petrol and diesel on the domestic market. We have already seen some success on both fronts with the price of US dollars and petroleum products falling since we announced the Gold for Oil policy and began to implement it."



Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his concluding statements urged Ghanaians to believe in themselves, and in their capacity to overcome the problems that are before the country. He encouraged "This is a phase, and, with every fibre of my being, I am certain that this too shall pass. We have done it before, and we will do it again".



Meanwhile, speaking in an interview with the media on the sidelines of the State Of the Nation's Address, (SONA) the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor applauded the President for inspiring a lot of hope in his address.



He expressed his joy on the fact that the President did not pretend to the needs and difficulties of Ghanaians but faced the realities of the times. Adding however that "By and large we have a government that is on top of issues and not so long in the future, government will fix the situation and take the country back to the days of economic growth and development."



The SONA is in accordance with Article 67 of the 1992 constitution which states that the President shall deliver a message on the State of the Nation to Parliament at the Start of each session and before the dissolution of Parliament.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Zhao Leji, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, joins deputies from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in a group deliberation at the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Senior Chinese leaders Zhao Leji, Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Tuesday attended deliberations at the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature.

When taking part in two separate deliberations with deputies from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs), Zhao said reality has proven that the policy of "one country, two systems" is a great innovation of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The policy has proven to be the best institutional arrangement for ensuring sustained prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao after their return to the motherland, said Zhao, adding that it must be adhered to over the long term.

He called on the two SARs to better integrate themselves into China's overall development, break new ground in pursuing their own prosperity and development, and play a greater role in realizing national rejuvenation.

Cai, also a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, attended a deliberation with his fellow deputies from the delegation of Qinghai Province and urged making new achievements in promoting ecological conservation and high-quality development for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

He called on the province to shoulder its mission of protecting the Sanjiangyuan area, which contains the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers and is known as China's "water tower."

He also demanded efforts to foster a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and promote interactions, exchanges and integration among all ethnic groups.

Ding, also director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, stressed efforts to fully implement the CPC Central Committee's decisions and plans and make solid progress in advancing Chinese modernization in a deliberation with NPC deputies from the delegation of Liaoning Province.

He urged efforts to deepen reform and opening up, promote both an efficient market and a well-functioning government, and accelerate the establishment of a new pattern of development that is focused on the domestic economy and features positive interplay between domestic and international economic flows.

Liaoning should take concrete steps to unswervingly consolidate and develop the public sector and unswervingly encourage, support and guide the development of the non-public sector, so as to unleash fresh impetus and vitality of development, Ding added.
The U.S. Embassy Ghana is commemorating International Womens Day across Ghana, highlighting U.S. support for women and their essential role in Ghanaian life, culture, education, politics, and economy.



In honour of International Womens Day and Womens History Month, the U.S. Embassy, Alliance Francaise Accra, and Goethe-Institute Ghana are hosting the Women in Motion Film Festival in Accra from March 8-17.



The eight nights of films begins tonight (March 8) and will highlight themes including human rights, economic empowerment, motherhood, and womens role in society and politics, as well as female social and political heroes.

All films are free and open to the public. Many feature panel discussions.



Ghanaian-American filmmaker, U.S. Department of State Arts Envoy, and professor at Georgetown University (Washington, DC) Ms. Akosua Adoma Owusu will participate in the film festival and lead a filmmaker workshop at the University of Media, Arts, and Communication National Film and Television Institute with female film students March 9-10.



United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Ghana Mission Director, Kimberly Rosen will speak at an International Womens Day event focused on the growing role of women in international and cross-border trade in Ghana.



Rosen will highlight USAIDs work to enable women to participate in cross-border trade, including training more than 300 women traders on the Integrated Customs Management System, which helps speed processing of cross-border transactions.



In Tamale, Northern Region, USAID will host a mini-fair for female-led agribusinesses in the region, connecting them with information and resources. As of February 2023, through USAID, the U.S. Government has facilitated nearly $193 million in financing for more than 25,000 agribusinesses in Ghana.



The American Corner Agbogba will host two U.S. Fulbright Scholars for a discussion on women, digital innovation, economic empowerment, and education with local entrepreneurs, activists, and high school students tomorrow.



Finally, as part of Flintlock 2023, U.S. Special Operations Command Africas multinational military training exercise, in Daboya, Savannah Region, SOCAF Civil Affairs and Medical personnel will partner with the Ghana Armed Forces, Boresah Royal Foundation, and Daboya District Executives to conduct a medical outreach event and a womens peace and security event with the local community.



The medical event will provide treatment to up to 2,000 local residents and deworming for 3,500 school children. The Womens Conference will seek to empower local stakeholders to tackle challenges related to the unique needs of women in Ghanaian society. Both events serve to build relationships and trust between the armed forces and civilian communities while addressing civil vulnerabilities.

Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









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Pressure Group, FixTheCountry has condemned the actions of terror, brutality, illegality, and inhumanity of the Ghana Armed Forces, meted to some residents of Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region.



Personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces in a swoop on Tuesday dawn, 7 March 2023, rounded up some 184 residents suspected to be criminals behind the killing of a young soldier who had gone to Ashaiman to visit his parents over the weekend.



The soldiers in the course of their operation brutalized the residents forcing most of them to remain indoors in what appeared to be a non-official curfew.



Reacting to the action of the personnel from the GAF, FixTheCountry in a statement said nothing justifies rounding up and unleashing terror on ordinary and innocent civilians.



This was an act of cowardice and incompetence, the group noted.



FixTheCountry stated that no one, including the military, is entitled to take the law into their own hands, particularly if it is to brutalise communities, rather than draw civic conscience to the injustices of our society and of the system of oppression that Ghanaians are subjected to on a daily basis.



While commiserating with the family of the deceased soldier and calling on authorities to take such steps to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book, the group also said it is important that the conduct of the GAF, as trained professionals, is reviewed independently for the impunity and disregard for our democracy that it is.



Meanwhile, GAF said the operation was sanctioned by the Military High Command.



The Armed Forces, however, clarified that the operation was not to avenge the killing of a soldier, Trooper Imoro Sherrif, but rather, to fish out the perpetrators of the crime.



Read below details of the statement by FixTheCountry:



CONDEMNATION OF INCIDENTS OF TERROR AND MILITARY BRUTALITY IN ASHAIMAN



FixTheCountry has confirmed reports that earlier today 7 March 2023, a contingent of several military personnel armed with armoured cars and aerial helicopter support were unlawfully deployed into civilian communities in areas of Ashaiman where they unleashed untold violence and brutal attacks on unarmed citizens and passers-by.



As we understand, the military personnel descended on the communities of Ashaiman in order to avenge the alleged killing of a military officer over the weekend, through brutal force and terror.



We, by this statement, condemn the actions of terror, brutality, illegality, and inhumanity of the Ghana Armed Forces. Nothing justifies rounding up and unleashing terror on ordinary and innocent civilians. This was an act of cowardice and incompetence. We reiterate that no one, including the military, is entitled to take the law into their own hands, particularly if it is to brutalize communities, rather than draw civic conscience to the injustices of our society and of the system of oppression that Ghanaians are subjected to on a daily basis.



While we commiserate with the family of the deceased soldier, and call on authorities to take such steps to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book, we think that it is important that the conduct of the Ghana Armed Forces, as trained professionals, is reviewed independently for the impunity and disregard for our democracy that it is.



The stomach-churning images from Ashaiman emphasize the increasing tolerance of military impunity and the normalization of extra-judicial violence by the political class in this Country. On a routine basis, our elected officials have deployed military personnel into our communities to murder and to maim civilians. From Ejura, to Wa, through Techiman and Somanya, we continue to see these repetitive acts of extra-judicial violence and killings being meted on civilians while our Government looks the other way and refuses to hold the Ghana Armed Forces accountable for its violence.



Impunity has been made to fester; and if the Ghana Armed Forces is not brought to heel immediately; we are certain that our Republic will pay the ultimate price.



We demand the resignation of the Military High Command and call on the civilized, moderate and democratic elements of the Ghana Armed Forces to take over and enforce change and discipline in the Ghana Armed Forces. We are certain that there are many in the Ghana Armed Forces, who condemn these actions and agree that Military High Command, including its Commander in Chief, are continuing to bring the prestige and respect of the Army into disrepute by these sanctioned acts of impunity and violence. Reform must come from within the Military first and as such, we call on moderate elements within the Armed Forces to lead the needed process for change and reform in the institution.



We also call on the institutions of justice and all voices of conscience in this country to speak up; to protest and fight for the return of rule of law in this Country.



We further call for justice for affected individuals and demand accountability and punishment for those involved in these atrocities.



FixTheCountry invites all affected victims to reach out to us by WhatsApp on +233303959661 so that they can be directed to the due legal, medical and psychological support.



Signed



FixTheCountry





Source: class fm









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The first major rain in Accra for the year has caused some minimal flooding in parts of the city.



The rain, which lasted more than three hours, left in its wake widespread silting in parts of the capital and moderate flooding in areas such as Odawna and Dansoman.



The mudslide, which usually cuts off parts of the Kasoa-Mallam road, did not disappoint, resulting in traffic congestion yesterday morning during the rush hours.



The Daily Graphic witnessed residents in Adabraka Official Town and parts of the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange cleaning the debris left in the wake of the rain and desilting some drains in anticipation of more rains.



Residents of Ottodor, near Dansoman, which was perhaps the most affected area, battled to salvage some of their belongings that had been trapped in the floodwaters hours after the rain had subsided.



Around 10 a.m., more than three hours after the rain subsided, the floodwaters had still not receded in the area.



Portions of the Achimota-Ofankor stretch of the Nsawam Road were flooded as well.



Choked drains

In areas such as Kaneshie, Graphic Road, STC, Odawna and the Adabraka enclave, running water had forced out all sorts of debris and silt, including plastic waste, onto the streets.



The rain exposed the clogged drains of Accra, with silt and debris blocking the gutters and leading to the potential of massive flooding.



Accra is home to over four million people, and the vast majority of them rely on the citys drainage system for liquid waste disposal.



A large portion of the drainage system is overwhelmed and has become clogged with trash, debris and other pollutants.



Flooding

The city of Accra has experienced many floods in recent years. In 2015, the city experienced its worst flooding in decades.



That incident caused massive damage to the city and its infrastructure, and cost lives and property.



The government said it was taking steps to mitigate the effects of flooding.



The steps include the expansion of the South Kaneshie storm drain and the desilting of the Odaw River storm drain to improve the citys drainage systems, and the implementation of flood-control measures.



Despite these efforts, flooding in Accra continues to be a major problem as the city is particularly vulnerable to flooding due to its location in a coastal area and its lack of adequate drainage systems.



More rain

The heavy rains that occur during the wet season bring about excessive amounts of water from the mountainous areas such as Aburi and Abokobi, which descend downstream towards the sea, causing flooding and other related issues.



The Ghana Meteorological Agency yesterday forecasted localised thunderstorms, rain with intermittent sunny weather for the coastal areas of the country.



Aside from the northern part which has been forecasted to remain sunny and hazy, the rest of the country will experience early morning mist and fog, be partly cloudy, localised rains and thunderstorms, and sunny weather, the agency said in its weekly forecasts.







Source: graphiconline.com









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The soldier who was allegedly killed by a mob at Ashaiman Taifa last Saturday has been identified as 21-year-old Sherif Imoro. He was a member of the Ghana Armed Forces Band, a trumpeter, and was stationed at Sunyani in the Bono Region.



He was in Accra for a military course and in the last three weeks, had been visiting the parents in their home at Ashaiman every Friday. Last Friday would have been the third time he was going home and was reportedly confronted by a gang who killed him.



Sherif Imoro was born in Ashaiman on June 3, 2001, according to his father, Awudu Imoro. He was recruited into the Ghana Armed Forces in October 2021 and trained at Daboya, and was posted to Sunyani after passing out.



According to his father, he had his primary and junior high school education at Ashaiman and senior high school at Akwamuman SHS and completed it in 2017.



The Incident



Last Friday, he was on his way home and there was heavy traffic in the area, so he alighted at Ashaiman Taifa near the court building.



It was around that area that he met his death at the hands of his attackers. Some reports suggest the gang mistook him to be a robber



Fathers Narrative



Explaining the circumstances and giving a brief background about his son, the father, Awudu Imoro said in early January this year, Sherif phoned his mother and informed the family that he was going to be in Accra in the first week of February for a course. Sherif according to the father told them that when he arrived in Accra, he will get the opportunity to visit them in the house on a Friday, and so in the last three weeks, he had been coming home every Friday.



More than 180 people have been arrested and taken into custody by the soldiers who stormed Ashaiman Tuesday dawn after a mob allegedly killed Sherif Imoro.



According to the Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Ernest Henry Norgbey, he has been informed that the soldiers took the people they arrested away. 72 persons per the briefing given me by the Assembly member for the area have been taken into custody by the soldiers.



But as I speak to you the police commander just told me that 72 persons are an understatement and that they are more than that, they [soldiers] are still arresting people when you go certain areas of the community, Mr. Norgbey said in a radio interview on Citi fm.



The MP said the soldiers after the dawn operation left the area, the soldiers had left but around midday, he received a phone call that another batch of military men had trooped into the Ashaiman constituency.



I spoke to the police commander and he told me on authority that the military guys were still in the constituency, all over the constituency molesting innocent residents, he said.



He said the constituents were worried about the modus operandi of the military, because you see armored cars, you see military vehicles, you see helicopters, which means that this thing has been sanctioned by the higher authority and so everybody is handicapped in this matter.



So we are just calling on them to call back their men to the barracks because these people that they are molesting, they are innocent people, Im not sure they know anything about the killing of the military guy, the MP said.



The Ashaiman neighborhood of Taifa was on Tuesday dawn forced into a self-imposed curfew after some soldiers reportedly stormed the area, following the alleged killing of the soldier over the weekend. Photos and videos of the said soldier were shared on social media after the incident.



Some reports said he was attacked and stabbed by a gang. The soldier was reportedly on his way to his family home.



Soldiers Reaction



On Tuesday dawn (March 7, 2023), some alleged soldiers numbering not less than 20 stormed the area.They questioned anyone they came across and reportedly beat them up. This forced people to lock themselves up in their homes, fearing they will be beaten up by the soldiers.



Some eyewitnesses have recounted their experiences on social media.Some said they saw the soldiers around 2am.



One person said he woke up around 4am to see that the area which was usually busy around that time with many shops open was still very quiet. He assumed that it was a result of the downpour but when he stepped out, he saw some soldiers on the stretch, and no vehicles were moving.



He saw soldiers approaching so he quickly rushed back into the house and locked the gate. He said his brother later told him he woke up earlier and saw soldiers beating up some other people.



My mother owns a shop by the roadside and should have been opened by now but as we speak, all shops are still closed, he said. He said he saw that vehicles passing by were stopped, male passengers dragged out and beaten up, you people kill our colleague, some of the soldiers reportedly said.



Another eyewitness said the said soldiers knocked on doors and anybody who came out allegedly received some slaps.



The Assemblyman for the area reportedly sent out a message advising residents to avoid certain routes. He said he counted not less than 20 armed soldiers on foot, who were patrolling the streets.



What happened with the mob killing of an alleged soldier?



The incident of the mob killing of the soldier received varied reactions at the weekend. Some had alleged that the young soldier was on his way to his home when he was attacked by a gang. Some had alleged that he was stabbed to death by the mob after visiting his girlfriend.



Photos from the incident scene showed the lifeless body of the victim, who was in what seemed to be torn trousers in military camouflage colors.



His military cap and a white cloth had been used to cover his face. Also, his bag in military camouflage colors was lying close to his body.



The Ghana Police are yet to comment on it.

Source: Daily Guide









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Private Legal Practitioner, Martin Kpebu says a providential country like Ghana has been unfortunate to have Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as President.



According to him, President Akufo-Addo will lead any polls as Ghanas worst President since independence.



Lawyer Martin Kpebu also claimed that President Akufo-Addo has been heartless towards Ghanaians and spending state money gratuitously.



The President [Akufo-Addo] must listen to advice; this country is not for him. Ghana is not his property. He came to meet Ghana; he has been so rigid with his governance. A very disappointed President.



People are suffering, people cant pay their rent, they dont even have money to buy medicine and you use state money for Independence Celebration. He is a failure, Lawyer Kpebu was commenting on the relevance of Ghanas Independence Day celebration in an interview with NEAT FMs morning show, 'Ghana Montie'.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









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The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Monday led a delegation of former Speakers of Parliament and other dignitaries to commiserate with the immediate past Speaker, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, on the passing of his wife, Major Alberta Oquaye (retd), at his residence at Haatso, Accra.



Mr Bagbin was accompanied by former Speakers, Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo and Edward Doe Adjaho.



Other dignitaries were the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson; the Clerk-to-Parliament, Cyril Nsiah, and the Head of Speakers Office, Richard Acheampong.



Also at the event were a constitutional expert and statesman, Prof. Nana S. K. B. Asante, and the Chief Executive of the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Elizabeth Kaakie Mann.



Unparalleled love



Mr Bagbin said it was gratifying that Prof. Oquaye and his family had the opportunity to stay by the side of his wife and did everything they could, both home and abroad, to give her the best medical care.



If at this time God has decided to call back his beloved daughter, we can only say thanks be to God, he said.



Mr Bagbin commended his immediate past predecessor for standing beside his dear wife during trying times, saying truly, I have learnt a lot from the show of unparalleled love to a dear one.



Support of Parliament



He touted how he, as Deputy Speaker, learned so much under the feet of Prof. Oquaye from 2017 to 2020, especially in how to manage the House.



Your record and legacy are there for all to see, he said to his predecessor, and expressed the support of the entire Parliament and other former Speakers towards a befitting resting place to our dear one".



We want to assure you that the whole Parliament will be with you, and we will together not mourn but celebrate the life of our dear one, he said.

Prof. Oquaye said it had never happened in the history of Ghana that a former Speaker of Parliament, Mrs Bamford-Addo, would work with two Deputy Speakers for the first Deputy Speaker to succeed her and thereafter a Second Deputy Speaker to follow.



So, we are really grateful as a family on your hearing of this matter and coming, he said, recalling how Speaker Bagbin had very good relations with his wife.



Prof. Oquaye said his late wife also had good relations with former Speakers Mrs Bamford-Addo and Mr Adjaho.



Who was Major Oquaye?



Major Mrs Oquaye (retd) passed away soundly on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at her residence at Haatso, Accra.



Her personal physician, Prof. Oquaye and other close family members were present when she passed on. She was 88 years old.



She enrolled in the Ghana Army as a nurse (GH 767) after training in the UK as a nurse/midwife, and training at the Ghana Military Academy.



Her considerable experience from England impacted positively on her performance, and she served the nation in Kumasi, Sunyani, Tamale and Accra.



She worked in the theatre of the 37 Military Hospital, in the midwifery department and ended her career as the in-charge of the Special Officers Ward where every Head of State, at any given time, has a reserved suite.



On August 2, 2013, at a special military ceremony, she was given The Outstanding Military Nightingale Award for her services to the nation and the military.



On retirement, Major Oquaye (retd) served in India as the spouse of then High Commissioner of Ghana.



When they returned home, the husband was appointed Minister of State.

In her last four years in the public light, she was the versatile wife of the Speaker for the Seventh Parliament.

She was the escort of the present Queen Consort of England from Kotoka Airport when she visited Ghana with the present King Charles III in November 2018.











Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
Mr Benjamin Kofi Quashie, South African NDC Council of Elders Chairman and the Group Chairman of Allied Consortiums, has categorically stated that Mr Koku Anyidoho has developed a hatred for President John Mahama.



He describes Mr Samuel Koku Sitsofe Anyidoho's hatred towards former President Mahama as "nauseating and legendary".



Speaking on the 'Pulse' Show on Monday, 6th March 2023 on Joy News and reacting to Anyidoho's reactions to Mahama's intention of scraping the Ex-gratia when he becomes president, Mr Quashie averred that, "Mr Anyidoho was a former government appointee and benefited from ex-gratia. Why is he not also returning his to the state as he wants others to believe about President Mahama", he quizzed.



When he was asked to focus on the substance of the matter and leave Koku out, the SA Council Chair of the NDC reiterated the fact that "I know he was the former Deputy General Secretary, but what hasn't he said about former President Mahama? What didn't he say about General Asiedu Nketia before he became National Chairman?", he quizzed to support his view of Koku hating the NDC.



He further accused the former Head of Communications at the Presidency of neglecting to comment on bread-and-butter issues but rather being fixated on NDC issues. This smacks of someone doing "The job of his paymasters and we wouldn't take him seriously", he alleged about Koku.



Again, when his attention was drawn to the fact that, the ex-gratia issue would dent President Mahama's image in the campaign, Mr Kofi Quashie answered in the negative, "because the party is coming up with a brilliant manifesto that we're all going to see when the NDC elects the flagbearer and from there the party would roll out its programmes and policies for all to see", he revealed.



In sum, SA NDC Council Chair contended that "I can assure you that President Mahama walks the talk and whatever he's saying, he would definitely do. This is a cup in the feather of President Mahama".



"It would never be a dent in President Mahama's campaign. President Mahama is the only rescuer of our country from the economic doldrums we find ourselves in", he ended.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in his State of the Nation Address before Parliament today, March 8, has expressed his contentment with the transformations in the education sector since the introduction of his free Senior High School policy and the free Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) initiative.



TVET is aimed at equipping students who prefer to gain knowledge and training in technical and vocational education.



Addressing the nation, the President touted his government achievements in the education sector saying "it is a well-known fact that, in this administration, TVET and STEM feature frequently in all conversations about education. Technically and vocational education are being given the place of honor they deserve".



He contined that "since the realignment in the introduction free TVET, enrolment in TVET schools has increased from 13000 in 2021 to 47000 today and all the indications are that this is a trend that will continue. In 2022, the TVET service recruited 3400 staff, the highest in the history of TVET in Ghana to accommodate this development. I was told last week about one young person who was placed in Achimota School in the current school placement exercise and has turned it down to go to a STEM school".



"I'm proud of the additional educational infrastructure, especially the provision of ultramodern classroom blocks for several schools which are equipped with laboratories, ICT centers and libraries. The establishment of 10 STEM centers across the country including one in Accra to aid the study of engineering and robotics", he added.



President Nana Addo was pleased with the level of work in the sector.



"I think we are making progress. The strides we are making in education are already changing lives and changing the narrative. As at this year, nearly 2 million young people have benefited from the free SHS policy. Predictions that the policy will lead to a lowering of standards proved wide, very wide of the mark; on the contrary, the results under the free SHS has shown a systematic improvement. As a result, 2 million young people have either found a way to further education, training apprenticeships or employment because of the free SHS policy."











Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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His introduction was followed by various reactions from both sides of the house.



Former President, John Dramani Mahama received massive cheers from both sides of the house following his introduction by Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin albeit, each with its own message.



While members of the minority side cheered Mr. Mahama on, their counterparts on the majority side in parliament chanted, pensioner, pensioner.



All this while, the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was smiling while rubbing his arms together.



The former statesman, prior to this, had arrived in a grey suit and was welcomed by many including former President, John Agyekum Kufour.



The former president is one of many other statesmen and personalities who are in parliament to listen to the presidents address on the State of the Nation.



Some of these persons include former presidents, Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, members of the diplomatic corps, justices of the Supreme Court, traditional leaders among others.



SoNA:



The State of the Nation Address is in accordance with Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, which states that the President shall deliver a message on the SONA to Parliament at the start of each session and before the dissolution of Parliament.



SONA is a constitutional obligation and yearly tradition where the Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces reports on the status of the country unveils the governments agenda for the coming year and proposes to Parliament certain legislative measures.



Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana obliges Members of Parliament (MPs), the Speaker of Parliament, and the Judiciary to receive the Presidents SONA.











Source: ghanaweb.com









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China champions peace, development, confronts "jackals, wolves" head on

Xinhua) 08:18, March 08, 2023

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday pledged its commitment to global peace and development, as well as its readiness to confront "jackals or wolves" head on to defend its sovereignty, security and development interests.

Foreign Minister Qin Gang stated China's commitment to an independent foreign policy of peace and a mutually beneficial strategy of opening-up at a press conference held on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress.

Qin emphasized China's opposition to decoupling, the severing of industrial and supply chains, and unilateral sanctions, saying the country firmly opposes hegemony and the Cold War mentality.

China champions an open and inclusive world economy and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, offering more Chinese insight and solutions to help meet humanity's common challenges, he said.

NEW TYPE OF INT'L RELATIONS

Qin said China pursues coordination and sound interactions among major countries and promotes a new type of international relations.

In terms of major-country relations, Qin stated that China-Russia ties are characterized by strategic mutual trust and good neighborliness, and they serve as a model for a new type of international relations.

The China-Russia relationship "is not a threat to any country, nor is it subject to any interference or discord sown by any third party," Qin said.

"The more unstable the world becomes, the more imperative it is for China and Russia to steadily advance their relations," he said.

Regarding China's relations with the United States, Qin said China "pursues a sound and stable relationship with the United States."

The China-U.S. relationship should be determined by common interests and shared responsibilities of the two countries, and by friendship between the Chinese and American people, rather than by U.S. domestic politics or hysterical neo-McCarthyism, he said.

"The U.S. claims that it seeks to out-compete China but does not seek conflict. Yet in reality, its so-called competition means to contain and suppress China in all respects, and get the two countries locked in a zero-sum game," Qin said.

He said the U.S. rhetoric of "establishing guardrails" and "not seeking conflict" simply means China should not respond in words or action when slandered or attacked. "That is just impossible."

"If the U.S. does not hit the brake but continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails could prevent derailing and there will surely be conflict and confrontation," Qin said.

In response to a question about the Ukraine crisis, Qin said China chooses peace over war, dialogue over sanctions, and cooling down the situation over fueling the flames, calling for calm, reason and dialogue among the parties involved.

China has not provided any weapons to either side of the Ukraine conflict and it always makes its judgments independently, based on the merits of the issue, he said.

"There seems to be an invisible hand pushing for the protraction and escalation of the conflict," using the Ukraine crisis to serve certain geopolitical agenda, Qin said.

Qin expressed China's hope that Europe will achieve true strategic autonomy as well as lasting security and stability, saying China is willing to work with Europe to uphold "true multilateralism" and deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Concerning the United States' "Indo-Pacific Strategy," Qin said its real purpose is to "encircle China," warning that such an attempt will only disrupt the ASEAN-centered open and inclusive regional cooperation architecture, and undermine the overall and long-term interests of countries in the region.

Qin said that China always treats Japan with goodwill and hopes for friendship and good-neighborliness. "Yet, should some people from the Japanese side choose a beggar-thy-neighbor approach rather than pursue partnership, and even take part in a new Cold War to contain China, bilateral relations would only suffer new wounds when the old ones are yet to be healed," he said.

Also during Tuesday's press conference, Qin noted that developing countries account for more than 80 percent of the global population and more than 70 percent of global economic growth. "People in developing countries are entitled to better lives, and developing countries are entitled to greater representation and a louder voice in international affairs," he said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (2nd L, rear) attends a press conference on China's foreign policy and foreign relations on the sidelines of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yuguo)

CHINESE PATH TO MODERNIZATION

According to Qin, Chinese modernization serves as an important source of inspiration for the rest of the world, particularly for developing countries.

Qin said the Chinese path to modernization fits in well with China's national conditions, and its success "proves that every country has the right and ability to choose its own path and hold its future firmly in its own hands."

Chinese modernization is characterized by peaceful development and "is not pursued through war, colonization or plunder," he said, calling it "a new path different from Western modernization."

Qin said the right of every country to pursue a modernization path tailored to its national reality should be respected.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a high-quality public good initiated by China, has benefited the world.

Over the past decade, the BRI has brought nearly a trillion U.S. dollars of investment, established over 3,000 cooperation projects, created approximately 420,000 jobs in countries along the routes, and helped lift nearly 40 million people out of poverty.

In response to allegations that the BRI can lead to debt traps, Qin said it is never China that should be accused of creating so-called debt traps, and that multilateral financial institutions and commercial creditors account for over 80 percent of sovereign debt in developing countries.

Qin expressed his belief that, as China accelerates high-quality development, promotes high-standard opening-up and fosters a new development paradigm, it will surely bring new opportunities to all countries in the world.

CONFRONTING "JACKALS, WOLVES" HEAD ON

At the very heart of China's core interests, the Taiwan question is the bedrock of the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and "the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations," Qin said.

Qin urged the United States to cease containing China by exploiting the Taiwan question, and to return to the fundamentals of the one-China principle.

The real threats to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are the separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence," he said, noting that the one-China principle serves as a solid anchor and the three China-U.S. joint communiques serve as genuine guardrails.

"Mishandling of the Taiwan question will shake the very foundation of China-U.S. relations," he warned.

No country has the right to interfere in Taiwan affairs, as resolving the Taiwan question is China's own business, he said, emphasizing that "one should never underestimate the firm resolve, strong will and great capability of the Chinese government and people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Responding to another question, Qin said that so-called "wolf warrior" diplomacy is just a narrative trap fabricated by those who either know little about China or its diplomacy, or have a hidden agenda that disregards the facts.

"There is no shortage of kindness and goodwill in China's diplomacy, but in the face of 'jackals or wolves,' Chinese diplomats have no choice but to confront them head on to protect the motherland," Qin said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), delivers a work report of the SPC at the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese courts and prosecuting agencies will strive to serve Chinese modernization, particularly the country's high-quality development, Chief Justice Zhou Qiang and Procurator-general Zhang Jun said Tuesday.

A justice system with modernized capacity will contribute to Chinese modernization and provide powerful judicial services for building a modern socialist country in all respects, Zhou said when delivering a work report of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) at the ongoing session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC).

The country's high-quality development needs high-quality judicial service, Zhou added.

The SPC plans to issue guidelines to improve business environment for the private sector. Chinese courts will take resolute actions to protect legitimate property rights and interests of private businesses and entrepreneurs, according to the SPC report.

Judicial policies will be upgraded in terms of property rights, market access, fair competition and social credit to facilitate the development of a national unified market, while judicial protection of intellectual property rights will be intensified and actions taken to contain monopoly and unfair competition. Courts will also better serve the country's higher-level opening up by building the capacity of foreign-related justice system.

When reporting the work of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) at the NPC session on the same day, Zhang also pledged that prosecuting agencies will fully leverage the rule of law to facilitate high-quality development.

Serious economic crimes will be punished to the full extent of the law, and prosecuting agencies will support innovation-driven development and enhance protection on intellectual property rights, Zhang said.

Both courts and prosecuting agencies have made notable progress in serving the country's economic development over the past five years, in terms of business environment, economic security, market competition and higher-level opening-up.

From 2018 to 2022, wrong verdicts of 209 major criminal cases involving property rights had been corrected, and 290 business operators acquitted.

"All enterprises were treated equally no matter whether they are state-owned or private, domestic or foreign-funded, small or big," Zhou said.

During the same period, courts across the country concluded 95,000 foreign-related commercial cases and 76,000 maritime cases. A total of 10 special courts were established to handle international commercial disputes.

China prosecuted 13,000 people over crimes concerning the rights of trademarks, patents, copyrights and commercial secrets in 2022, a 51.2-percent rise from 2018, according to Zhang.

Over the past five years, a total of 621,000 people were prosecuted over disruption of market and economic order, up 32.3 percent from the previous five years.

Prosecuting agencies also endeavored to protect the legitimate rights of both Chinese and foreign parties when handling more than 20,000 foreign-related criminal cases in the five years.

High-quality development in China is in great need of supports and services from judicial agencies, and the agencies should also continue streamlining and reforming themselves, said Tang Weijian, a professor with the law school of Renmin University of China.

"I believe that the prospect for socialist rule of law in China will have a brighter future, and so is Chinese modernization," said Tang, also a deputy to the 14th NPC.
Former National Communications Officer of the largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Solomon Nkansah, has described former President John Mahama as a problem for the party.



According to him, the ex-president who led the NDC to two consecutive electoral defeats in the 2016 and 2020 elections has not learned any lessons from what led to the defeat and is on the same path, which will ultimately end the party in another defeat in the upcoming 2024 election.



Solomon Nkansah, speaking on the Ghana Kasa show on Kasapa 102.5FM/Agoo TV on Wednesday, accused Mr. Mahama of taking the NDC party for granted and challenged the former leader to tell the party members what his plans are for the party.



"Mr. Mahama has not changed; he's taken the party for granted, believing that at all cost, the party members will vote for him to become flagbearer. Who told him that? When he had the opportunity to speak to party members during his campaign launch last week, he spoke to party members one percent and spoke to Ghanaians ninety-nine percent. It was a diversion because he didn't have a message for NDC members.



He added: "If it's John Mahama who'll emerge as flagbearer, then the party has a lot of work to do to win the 2024 election. This is because the grassroots members of the NDC have no hope and confidence in what will become of them if the party wins power in 2024.



"Mahama has no plan to build a strong NDC party; that's why he's unable to speak out because if he does, we'll hold him to account. Branch and constituency executives should not vote for somebody who does not show them how he plans to grow the party."



Former President John Mahama launched his campaign to become the NDC's flagbearer for the 2024 elections last week in Ho, the Volta Regional capital.





Source: kasapaonline









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The Office of former President John Mahama has described as false a publication that the former president has a preference for the impending parliamentary primaries of the NDC.



This comes on the back of a Daily Guide Newspaper publication suggesting that the former President is supporting a candidate against the incumbent MP for Asawase, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak.



Responding to the allegation in a statement signed by Special Aide to the former President, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, indicated that the former President has no preferred candidate.



Our attention has been drawn to yet another false publication by the NPPs Daily Guide Newspaper suggesting that President John Dramani Mahama is supporting a candidate against the incumbent Member of Parliament for Asawase, Hon. Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak.



That is false! While the motive of the pro-NPP newspaper is well known, we wish to emphasize that President Mahama does not have any preferred candidate(s) in the ongoing internal Parliamentary elections of the NDC, Mrs. Magtari stated.



She continued: Just like the many lies fabricated and published against him, we note that this unintelligent and false publication is calculated to instigate confusion in the NDC.



The NDC has always trusted and relied on the ability of its delegates to choose, out of the many excellent NDC candidates ready to serve the people of Ghana in various offices, the very best to lead them, adding that the President Mahama has no doubt that they would continue to do so without any difficulty.



Unlike the NPP, the NDC does not take the people of the Ashanti Region for granted. It is for this reason that we have no doubt that we will win many more seats in the region in addition to Asawase; and in the other regions in the upcoming 2024 elections.



The NDC will secure an emphatic working majority of seats in the next Parliament that will support the next NDC government to fix the mess created by the NPP and build the Ghana that we all want together, the special aide concluded.





Source: starrfm









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The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned the brutal attacks by the military from Michel Camp on some residents of Ashiaman following the alleged killing of a soldier last weekend.



The Director of Communications of NPP, Richard Ahiagbah in a post on his Twitter page said We must condemn the conduct of some military personnel circulating on social media, where they are brutalizing residents of Ashaiman for the crude murder of a soldier. Two wrongs dont make a right. We are a country of laws; lets allow the laws to work. #Ghana #GhanaMonth.



The NPP reactions follow condemnations from a section of netizens speaking against the conduct of the soldiers for invading Ashiaman and going on a rampage on some innocent citizens.



So far over 180 youth in Ashiaman are currently been held at Michel Camp after being arrested by armed soldiers on Tuesday.



A suburb of Ashaiman known as Taifa on Tuesday dawn was forced into a self-imposed curfew after some soldiers reportedly stormed the area.



The soldier was reportedly killed by a mob in Ashaiman at the weekend.



Initially, photos from the incident scene showed the lifeless body of the victim, who was in what seemed to be torn trousers in military camouflage colors.



His military cap and a white cloth had been used to cover his face. Also, his bag in military camouflage colors was lying close to his body.



The 22-year-old deceased soldier who was stationed in Sunyani came to Burma Camp for a course and asked for permission to visit the mother in Ashaiman.



He went to Ashaiman on Saturday and visited the mother.



Sources said after the visit he took the opportunity to visit a lady friend in the evening and on his way back to his mothers place at about midnight was killed with his phone taken away.



Intelligence suggests his killing might have been premeditated.



The Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Ernest Henry Norgbey, who confirmed the arrest of some of the youth by the soldiers said 72 persons per the briefing given me by the Assembly member for the area have been taken into custody by the soldiers.



According to him, But as I speak to you the police commander just told me that 72 persons are an understatement and that they are more than that, they [soldiers] are still arresting people when you go certain areas of the community.



The MP further confirmed to Citi Fm, that the soldiers after the dawn operation left the area, but around midday, he received a phone call that another batch of military men had trooped into Ashaiman.



I spoke to the police commander and he told me on authority that there are military guys still in the constituency, all over the constituency molesting innocent residents, he said.



He explained that the constituents were worried about the modus operandi of the military.



Because you see armored cars, you see military vehicles, you see helicopters, which means that this thing has been sanctioned by the higher authority and so everybody is handicapped in this matter, he added.



So we are just calling on them to call back their men to the barracks because these people that they are molesting, they are innocent people, Im not sure they know anything about the killing of the military guy, the MP said.



Soldiers Attack



The soldiers reportedly, numbering not less than 20 stormed the area to question anyone they came across and reportedly beat them up.



This forced people to lock themselves up in their homes, fearing they will be beaten up by the soldiers.



Some eyewitnesses, who recounted their experience on social media said they saw the soldiers around 2am.



A victim said he woke up around 4am to see that the area which was usually busy around that time with many shops open was still very quiet.



He assumed that it was a result of the downpour but when he stepped out, he saw some soldiers on the stretch, and no vehicles were moving.



He saw soldiers approaching so he quickly rushed back into the house and locked the gate.



He said his brother later told him he woke up earlier and saw soldiers beating up some other people.



Another eyewitness said the said soldiers knocked on doors and anybody who came out allegedly received some slaps.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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Former President John Dramani Mahama has said that the debate by Members of Parliament (MPs) will bring out all the issues with the State of the Nation Address (SONA) that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo just delivered in Parliament.



Asked whether what President Akufo-Addo delivered reflected the real state of affairs in the country, Mr Mahama who was in Parliament on Wednesday March 8 to listen to the address told TV3s Komla Klutse that It is for the MPs to debate. The president has fulfilled his constitutional obligation, you might not agree on all the points but he has done what he is expected to do. The rest of the debate is left to the Members of Parliament.



Asked again whether President Akufo-Addos language and diction appealed to the conscience of the people, he answered It is not for me to judge, I think in the debate it will all come out.



President Akufo-Addo in the address said among other things that the government called for an audit into the spending of Covid funds.



Assuring Parliament that the funds were utilized properly, he said Mr Speaker, it was government that asked for the COVID funds to be audited, and I can assure this House that nothing dishonorable was done with the COVID funds.

The responses from the Ministers for Health and Finance, on January 23 and 25, 2023, respectively, have sufficiently laid to rest the queries from the Auditor Generals report, and I believe any objective scrutiny of these statements from the Health and Finance Ministries would justify this conclusion.



He further gave a breakdown of how the funds were utilized.



We provided five hundred and eighteen million cedis (GH518 million) of grants and loans to micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) through the NBSSI, now the Ghana Enterprise Agency, in which three hundred and two thousand, five hundred and fifteen (302,515) enterprises benefitted, of which sixty percent (60%) were women-owned.



These were MSMEs that were in distress as a result of the pandemic. For some traders, the receipt of one thousand cedis (GH1,000) made the difference between the ruin of the household and survival.



In addition, fifty-eight thousand and forty-one (58,041) health workers were employed to supplement the existing health sector workforce. Subsequently, all of them have been absorbed as permanent workers in the health sector. Frontline health workers were also granted fifty percent (50%) tax relief for the period. Was that something to regret? We should be forever grateful for the work that so many people did to keep all of us safe. All households enjoyed free water supply and huge discounts on electricity bills, because access to water was a necessity to ensure people adhered to hygiene practices, and access to electricity was important as everybody was encouraged to stay at home. It also provided an economic cushion to protect lives and livelihoods at a time of difficulty. Today, the government support for utility bills is being projected by some as a waste or to use that word, so beloved of some commentators, profligate.



This comes in the wake of a recent audit report on Covid spending issued by the Auditor General.



The Auditor-General report stated that During our review, we noted that senior management staff and other supporting staff of the Ministry of Information paid themselves a total amount of GH151,500.00 as COVID-19 risk allowance for coming to work during the lockdown.



It further indicated that the Ministry of Health (MoH) entered a contract signed on 15 December 2021 for the supply of 26 Toyota Hiace Deluxe Ambulances valued at US$4,049,460.12 out of which US$607,419.02 was paid to vide PV No. IPF 22-007 of 2 September 2022 is to be delivered by 15 January 2022.



However, the report said, the ambulances remained undelivered as of 28 November 2022.







Source: 3news.com









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Ghanaian actor and television personality, David Dontoh has made an appearance in the latest episode of popular drama crime series, Snowfall.



Dontoh, 59 joined the cast in the third episode titled Door of No Return in season 6 which was shot in Ghana and sheds light on the Atlantic Slave Trade.



The photos which were shared on Snowfalls Facebook page on the 6th of March to coincide with Ghanas independence anniversary features the veteran actor along with Leo and Wanda who play lead roles in the series.



This episode sees Leon and Wanda elope to Ghana in the pursuit of greener pastures but return to a much different world than they had left behind.



David Dontoh (Likem) who plays the role of a tour guide in this episode takes the duo on a historical journey through the Cape Coast Castle. He recounts the stories of slave trade and colonialism in that era leading to the heinous acts meted against fellow blacks.



Later in the episode, Leon and Wanda tie the knot in traditional Kente and gold trinkets on the sandy shores of Ghana as Likem officiates the ceremony.



David Dontoh is not new to international productions of this nature having worked on award-winning movies and television series including Beasts of No Nation, Coming to Africa and BBCs Screen Two.



Set against the infancy of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles, Snowfall is an FX drama that has captured the hearts of viewers since 2017.

Source: 3news









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Outspoken Ghanaian media personality Bridget Otoo has condemned the military for unwarrantedly attacking residents of Ashaiman following the murder of a military person last Saturday.



The reprisal attack has forced the township in a self-imposed curfew to save themselves from the rage of the military. Viral videos on social media have scenes of some men in military uniforms brutalising some of the residents.



Thats not all, the military invaded the community with an armoured bus and helicopter which was seen flying over the township.



The videos showing the brutalities happening at the Ashaiman have received wide condemnation from the public and a clearly upset Bridget Otoo will have none of it.



In a series of tweet earlier today, Bridget called out the actions of the military stating emphatically that the men in uniform should know better that the country was not under military dictatorship.



Forget Ashaiman for a second and insert East Legon. A soldier is killed there & as a result the military goes to East Legon and assault residents of East Legon.



Its Ashaiman so you think they deserve it. We are not being ruled by Military. Or Police no longer investigate crime (sic)? she stated.



She added that until appropriate measures were taken to stop them, individuals like herself would speak out about such ills that authorities continue to turn a blind eye on.



We will defend our country. We are not cowards like you. Keep sucking up to them. The country isnt for the military and sure as hell wasnt built by them.

Source: Graphic Showbiz









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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:

MZmine module runs. Credit: Robin Schmid / IOCB Prague

An international team of scientists led by Tomas Pluskal from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IOCB Prague) has introduced a new generation of software that enables scientists to analyze large volumes of data from mass spectrometry, a technique that separates chemicals by their weights.

The open-source project MZmine provides a new window into the chemical space that surrounds us and lives within. The latest advances in MZmine 3 are now published in a Nature Biotechnology paper.

Analytical chemists of the world, unite! This paraphrase could characterize the joint efforts of scientists across the globe, who, using the methods of mass spectrometry, strive to decipher and analyze the chemical composition of complex samples from various origins, especially in biological and clinical studies. Each individual sample can contain hundreds of thousands of different chemical compounds that scientists need to trace, quantify, and identify to understand their impact on human health or their ecological role.

Even relatively small studies result in gigabytes of "raw" data to be processed and interpreted. It is the processing, analysis, and comparison of a multitude of molecular data that constitutes some of the most challenging steps in biochemical analysis today. This is also a major bottleneck that limits the ability of scientists to expand knowledge and come up with exciting new discoveries.

Community-driven development

For this reason, a group of international scientists started in 2005 to develop the open-source software MZmine to aid the analysis of mass spectrometry data. The community developing this software has been co-established by Czech scientist Tomas Pluskal, who has been coordinating the project almost since its inception and is currently a group leader at IOCB Prague.

"The greatest strength of the MZmine project is the international community of experts that has formed around the project. At conferences, presentations on MZmine are always well received," says Tomas Pluskal about the project.

Tomas Pluskal (IOCB Prague) & Robin Schmid (IOCB Prague & UC San Diego). Credit: IOCB Prague / Tomas Bellon

Robin Schmid from IOCB Prague and UC San Diego (CA, U.S.), one of the first authors of the paper, adds, "It's fantastic when we meet researchers from other countries for the first time and they tell us that MZmine and our support has saved their Ph.D. thesis or projects. That's the best appreciation one can hope for."

The first version of MZmine has enabled scientists to automate the processing of datasets generated by analytical devices at an unprecedented scale. The second generation of MZmine, released in 2010, made the project more widely known and led to the formation of a worldwide community of researchers using the software and continuing to expand its functions with additional modules and applications. The publication introducing the second generation of MZmine has since collected more than 2,200 citations in scientific articles and the tool itself has been used to process millions of different measurements.

Third generation

The newest MZmine 3 brings several major improvements. Whereas the previous version allowed scientists to analyze hundreds of samples in a matter of days, the new generation makes it possible to process thousands of samples per hour. Besides vastly accelerating data processing, the new version of the software can also be used, for the first time, to link different data types, especially time-resolved and imaging data.

This opens up opportunities for researchers to more easily analyze and interpret complex biological samples. MZmine is a tool to investigate the causes and mechanisms of diseases, detecting useful clinical biomarkers for diagnostics and identifying chemicals in the environment. This includes previously unknown chemical structures, which might prove valuable for the discovery and development of new drugs for medical applications.

The third generation of MZmine was announced in a paper prepared, besides Tomas Pluskal as the corresponding author, by the first authors Robin Schmid (IOCB Prague and UC San Diego), and Steffen Heuckeroth and Ansgar Korf (both from University of Munster, Germany), joined by over three dozen other contributors from around the world.

"MZmine has established itself as a trusted tool for mass spectrometry researchers over the past decade. Its modular framework has fostered community participation in the development of the MZmine code, leading to significant advancements featured in the newly released MZmine 3," says Ansgar Korf of University of Munster.

More information: Robin Schmid et al, Integrative analysis of multimodal mass spectrometry data in MZmine 3, Nature Biotechnology (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41587-023-01690-2
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Map of sampling locations. Zoomed in portion of map highlights cesium deposition across Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (blue outline) in Northern Ukraine and a portion of Southern Belarus, adapted from Ager et al. Sampling locations are indicated, with Nuclear Power Plant (N = 60) in yellow and Chernobyl City (N = 56) in blue. Credit: Canine Medicine and Genetics (2023). DOI: 10.1186/s40575-023-00124-1

In the first step toward understanding how dogsand perhaps humansmight adapt to intense environmental pressures such as exposure to radiation, heavy metals, or toxic chemicals, researchers have found that two groups of dogs living within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, one at the site of the former Chernobyl reactors, and another 16.5 km away in Chernobyl City, showed significant genetic differences between them.

The results indicate that these are two distinct populations that rarely interbreed. While earlier studies focused on the effects of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster on various species of wildlife, this is the first investigation into the genetic structure of stray dogs living near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster displaced more than 300,000 people living nearby and led to the establishment of an Exclusion Zone, a "no man's land" of an approximately 30 km radius surrounding the damaged reactor complex.

While a massive steam explosion releasing enormous amounts of ionizing radiation into the air, water, and soil was the direct cause of the catastrophe, radiation exposure is not the only environmental hazard resulting from the disaster. Chemicals, toxic metals, pesticides, and organic compounds left behind by years-long cleanup efforts and from abandoned and decaying structures, including the nearby abandoned city of Pripyat and the Duga-1 military base, all contribute to an ecological and environmental disaster.

"Somehow, two small populations of dogs managed to survive in that highly toxic environment," noted Norman J. Kleiman, Ph.D., assistant professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, and a co-author. "In addition to classifying the population dynamics within these dogs at both locations, we took the first steps towards understanding how chronic exposure to multiple environmental hazards may have impacted these populations."

"The overarching question here is: does an environmental disaster of this magnitude have a genetic impact on life in the region?" says Matthew Breen, Oscar J. Fletcher Distinguished Professor of Comparative Oncology Genetics at NC State, and a corresponding author. "And we have two populations of dogs living at and near the site of a major environmental disaster that may provide key information to help us answer that question."

Earlier research by the co-authors, led by collaborators at NIH, used a much smaller set of genetic variants, but a larger number of dogs, to show that the two populations were separate and that each had complicated family structures.

In this parallel study, the team analyzed the dog DNA samples with four times the number of genetic variants, which provided a closer look at the genomes. In addition to confirming that the two populations are indeed genetically distinct, the team were also able to identify 391 outlier regions in the genomes of the dogs that differed between dogs living at the two locations.

"Think of these regions as markers, or signposts, on a highway," Breen says. "They identify areas within the genome where we should look more closely at nearby genes. Moreover, some of these markers are pointing to genes associated with genetic repair; specifically, with genetic repair after exposures similar to those experienced by the dogs in Chernobyl."

He went on to say "at this stage we cannot say for sure that any genetic alterations are in response to the multigenerational and complex exposures; we have a lot more work to do to determine if that is the case"

"The question we must answer now are why are there striking genetic differences between the two dog populations?" says Megan Dillion, Ph.D. candidate at NC State and a lead author of the published study. "Are the differences just due to genetic drift, or are they due to the unique environmental stressors at each location?"

"The dog is a sentinel species," Breen says. "By and teasing out whether or not the genetic changes we detected in these dogs are the canine genome's response to the exposures the populations have faced, we may be able to understand how the dogs survived in such a hostile environment and what that might mean for any populationanimal or humanthat experiences similar exposures."

"Though 37 years have passed since the accident, the ~30-year-long half-lives of lingering radioisotopes means the danger posed by radiation exposure is still very much real," notes Kleiman, who is also director of the Columbia University Radiation Safety Officer Training course.

"When radiation exposure is combined with a complex toxic chemical mixture of uncertain composition, there are very real human health concerns raised for the thousands of people who continue to work within the Exclusion Zone on continuing cleanup efforts as well as at two newly constructed nuclear fuel reprocessing plants."

"Understanding the genetic and health impacts of these chronic exposures in the dogs will strengthen our broader understanding of how these types of environmental hazards can impact humans and how best to mitigate health risks."

The research appears in Canine Medicine and Genetics.

More information: Megan N. Dillon et al, Population dynamics and genome-wide selection scan for dogs in Chernobyl, Canine Medicine and Genetics (2023). DOI: 10.1186/s40575-023-00124-1
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Tell your child about times when you have dealt with a change in your life. Credit: Ketut Subiyanto/Pexels

When we talk about "school transitions," we generally refer to three specific points: starting primary school, starting secondary school, and moving from secondary school to further education or work.

However, school transitions occur every year, and the lack of a smooth transition, particularly if it occurs outside the expected "big years," sometimes takes both students and their parents by surprise.

The transitions from the first year of school to Year 1, and from Year 7 to Year 8, may be particularly fraught.

Year 1: When school 'gets real'

In many Australian states, the first year of school (called kindergarten, prep, transition, reception, or pre-primary, depending on your state) is regarded as a transition year from preschool or kinder to primary school.

For example, in Queensland and Victoria, play-based learning is an important feature. This means there is an emphasis on activities including manipulative tasks such as jigsaw puzzles, games with rules, sharing and cooperation, and physical activities.

But Year 1 is regarded as a year when school "gets real"regardless of what state you're in.

Year 1 has an increased emphasis on academic learning as well as higher expectations around independence and self-regulation. For example, students are expected to cope independently with less adult supervision when going to the toilet and eating lunch, as well as a structured classroom routine. They are also expected to follow school rules, focus and listen in class, complete work to a schedule, and arrive to class on time.

Even for children who seem ready, the jump from the first year of school to Year 1 is a big one.

The 'Year 8 dip'

The "Year 8 dip" refers to a drop in motivation and performance that often occurs between the first and second years of secondary school.

In Australia, there is also evidence of a "Year 9 dip," in which "girls often withdraw or get anxious and boys muck up."

A 2015 New South Wales study, for example, found drops in student engagement during the middle years of high school, with big drops from Year 7 to Year 8, and further drops from Year 8 to Year 9.

A 2014 Gallup poll found 75% of Year 5 students surveyed reported being engaged in school but only 58% were engaged in Year 8.

Why the Year 8 dip?

Year 8 and Year 9 are often seen as the least important years of secondary school. Year 7 is new and Years 10 and up are focused on exams and what students will do after they finish school. Year 8, in contrast, has no obvious purpose.

One study found students perceived they had lower levels of teacher support in Year 8 (and even lower in Year 9). Teachers confirmed this perception, agreeing they provided less support to students in Years 8 and 9.

But there is also an element of school becoming more challenging and more work. For example, Year 7 math is largely repetition of primary school to catch everyone up and consolidate knowledge. This may lead some students to believe they don't need to put in as much effort. When they get to Year 8, they are in for a rude shock.

Finally, Year 8 students are no longer the youngest in the school, and are conscious of "growing up." At 13 and 14, peer groups become more important, perhaps shifting the importance of school downwards. And hormones are at their peak, affecting students' mood and impulse control.

What can parents do to help?

There are many things you can do to help a child if they are finding the transition to Year 1 or Year 8 bumpier than expected.

Moving into Year 1

Speak positively with your child about the changes they might be experiencing in Year 1, while acknowledging and discussing any concerns they may have. For example, you might say something like:

"It seems that you are a bit nervous about Year 1 because there are many new things to learn and some are a bit difficult. When I started a new job where I had to learn to do many new things, I also had the same feeling."

Another example could be:

"It seems that you find reading a bit difficult. You are not as good at reading yet as you want to be. But if we read more together, this will help."

Strengthen your child's independence and planning skills as they move into Year 1. For example, have them pack their own school bag. Discuss setting up a daily routine, such as when to get up, play and snack times, and when to go to bed.

Read regularly with your child to strengthen their language skills, to prepare them for the increased focus on academic learning in Year 1.

If you have concerns about your child's progress or how they are settling in, talk to their teacher.

Going from Year 7 to Year 8

Be enthusiastic about Year 8 (and Year 9) when you talk with your child. Combat the narrative that these years "don't really matter." Even though peer opinion is increasingly important, we know parents' opinions still matter to young people.

Be prepared for a possible drop in enthusiasm or work habits as your child moves into and through Year 8. Spot and address any concerning behaviors early; for example, wagging school or withdrawing from friends. Seek academic or mental health support if needed.

Recognize the increasing maturity of your Year 8 studentprovide them with opportunities to have a greater voice in decisions about school or other issues. For example, let them lead a discussion around what electives they take in Year 9, or rules around electronic device use or bed times.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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On Feb. 23, Ralph Massarczyk (front left), principal investigator at Los Alamos National Laboratory, presents the experiment's initial measurements during a livestreamed webinar at the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center in Lead, South Dakota. Credit: Stephen Kenny

On Feb. 23, researchers announced initial measurements from an experiment searching for the decay of metastable isomer tantalum-180. The measurements were based on the first 229 days of data-taking from the experiment located nearly a mile underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, South Dakota.

The initial results show that the experiment is nearly two orders of magnitude more sensitive than previous experiments and has a strong potential to discover the decay.

"This initial run revealed that we have a solid experiment and that the experiment is operating within our expectations," said Ralph Massarczyk, principal investigator (PI) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos). This research is supported by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program of Los Alamos.

"We are well on track to making the measurement we set out to make," said Sam Meijer, co-PI and staff scientist at Los Alamos. "We have really low backgrounds, a high efficiency for detection, and we're accumulating data faster than anyone else."

With an estimated half-life of 1017 to 1018 years, tantalum-180m is the only unobserved metastable decay; all other metastable isomers have been observed to decay in a laboratory environment.

Researchers repurposed the Majorana Demonstrator, originally a neutrinoless double-beta decay experiment, to search for the decay of tantalum-180m. The Majorana Demonstrator was built with radio-pure materials and was operated with stringent cleanliness protocols. By repurposing the detector, the group improved on previous measurements with unprecedented speed. Credit: Sanford Underground Research Facility

"If you look at the timeline of the search for this decay, it has taken previous experiments decades to improve measurements by an order of magnitude. In less than a year, we've pushed the measurement by almost two orders of magnitude, which is a big improvement," Massarczyk said.

The collaboration estimates that the experiment will be able to measure the half-life of tantalum-180m with a final sensitivity of greater than 1019 years.

Massarczyk said that this dramatic improvement was made possible by the unique facility at SURF, as well as the cleanliness procedures and performance of the Majorana Demonstrator.
Dr. Yok Yee Chan, consul general of the Republic of Fiji in Shanghai. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]





Dr. Yok Yee Chan, consul general of the Republic of Fiji in Shanghai, has expressed her expectation that the ongoing 'two sessions' will reaffirm China's commitment to its opening-up policy and lead the world to economic recovery.

During a recent interview with China.org.cn, Dr. Chan recognized China's status as a major driving force for global growth, especially since its optimization of COVID-19 measures last year.

"China has been a firm advocate of an open economy and welcomes the world, including Fiji, an island economy, to cooperate and share the common prosperity of China's economic growth," Dr. Chan said.

Over the years, China has pursued a more proactive strategy of opening up by building a globally-oriented network of high-standard free trade areas, accelerating the development of pilot free trade zones, and implementing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) collectively with the international community.

Dr. Chan has highlighted the positive impact of infrastructure construction projects that China and Fiji have collaborated on under the BRI in the transportation, healthcare and water conservation sectors. These projects have brought tangible benefits to the daily lives of local Fijians, according to Dr. Chan.

She anticipates increased cooperation between China and Fiji in fisheries and renewable energy development. "China is a global leader in renewable and green energy technology and a major supplier of clean energy products," Dr. Chan commented. "We look forward to seeing the two countries working together to assist the Pacific in general, and Fiji in particular, towards our collective goal of a 'blue and green Pacific.'"

China has become a major trading partner for more than 140 countries and regions, taking the lead globally in total trade volume in goods. The country has also become a major global investment destination and a leading outbound investment player.

According to China's customs authorities, bilateral trade in goods between China and Fiji in 2022 amounted to $546.26 million, representing a 21% year-on-year increase. "It is inspiring to see that bilateral trade between Fiji and China has continued to grow against the challenging economic background in recent years," Dr. Chan added.

As China enters the first year of implementing the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, Dr. Chan shared her understanding of the "Chinese path to modernization." She believes that the Chinese government leverages local industrial and natural advantages to boost the local economy and offers a valuable experience for the rest of the world.

"It always surprises me to see how fast China has been moving forward with urbanization and modernization not only in cities but also in rural areas," she said.

Dr. Chan also reviewed China's achievements in lifting more than 770 million people out of poverty in the past 40 years. "The Chinese government adheres to the 'targeted poverty alleviation' strategy, focusing on leveraging each area's unique characteristic industries and resources, together with the help and support from developed provinces," she noted.

Furthermore, she commended China's successful path to poverty alleviation and believes other countries can learn from China's experience.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Technology developments mean that older adults are increasingly at risk of digital exclusion. Moreover, it is more difficult for them to make use of the possibilities offered by technology in countries like Sweden, where the degree of digitalization is high. This is shown in a doctoral thesis on older adults and digitalization by Sofia Alexopoulou.

"Older adults in Sweden with no knowledge of digital technology are excluded from participating in society to a greater extent than older adults in Greece. The reason being that in Sweden, a majority of activities require digital tools," says Sofia Alexopoulou, who recently defended her doctoral thesis in political science at Orebro University.

In her thesis, she has analyzed and compared policies for digitalization in Sweden and Greece. She has also interviewed older adults in the two countries about their views on possibilities, skills and accessibility when it comes to digital technology.

"In Sweden, the BankID app, which is required for identification for numerous online services, is a good example of how digital technology may lead to exclusion. Not having a BankID is like living in the shadows, preventing you from participating in society on equal terms."

A welfare problem

The fact that older adults are at risk of digital exclusion is a welfare problem and according to Sofia Alexopoulou, policy measures are required.

"In this day and age, digitalization affects an ever-increasing part of our lives. The welfare of the older generation depends on them being able to exercise their citizenship without limitations. Which is why this needs to be brought up on the agenda by politicians and other decision-makers," she says.

Support from family

In Sweden, municipalities are responsible for organizing elderly care. But for older adults to be digitally active, they rely on the support from their families.

"Even in Sweden, with such a strong welfare model, it's most often the family that provides support to older adults in need of help with digital technology. That is somewhat surprising," says Sofia Alexopoulou.

Older adults in Sweden are, however, reluctant to ask family members for helpunlike their counterparts in Greece.

"Older adults in Sweden are very independent and proud, while older adults in Greece feel that they can turn to their children and grandchildren for help any time."

What type of measures can contribute to making older adults more digitally active?

"In Sweden, one solution might be to offer a small allowance to children and grandchildren to share their skills with their older family members. In Greece, one way to go would be to offer free IT classes for older adults at a municipal level."

Not a homogenous group

Sofia Alexopoulou emphasizes that when we are talking about older adults we are not talking about a homogenous group. In research literature, there are a number of labels that describe the older generation's relation to digital technology: silver surfers, athletes, technophobes and non-users.

"In research literature, the negative descriptions are used more often than the positive ones. Naturally, the use of digital technology is on the rise also among older adults, but with the ongoing development of digital technology, the digital divide is still very much a reality."

Provided by Orebro Universitet
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Dominion Power's coal-fired power plant at Dutch Gap along the James River is shown on Wednesday, April 29, 2015, in Chester, Va. The Biden administration on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, proposed strengthening a rule aimed at reducing polluted wastewater from coal-burning power plants that has contaminated streams, lakes and underground aquifers across the nation. Credit: AP Photo/Steve Helber, File

The Biden administration on Wednesday proposed tighter limits on wastewater pollution from coal-burning power plants that has contaminated streams, lakes and underground aquifers across the nation.

Under the Clean Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency sets pollution standards to limit wastewater discharge from the power industry and other businesses. The Trump administration rolled back pollution standards so utilities could use cheaper technologies and take longer to comply with guidelines for cleaning coal ash and toxic heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic and selenium from plant wastewater before dumping it into waterways.

The Biden administration's proposal for stricter standards at coal-burning plants also encourages the plants to retire or switch to other fuels such as natural gas by 2028.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the plan would particularly benefit low-income communities that have been disproportionately affected by pollution from coal-fired power plants. And it would provide "greater certainty for industry," Regan said.

The National Mining Association criticized the plan, saying it would force utilities to make decisions "solely based on EPA's environmental agenda," and called the approach "plainly irresponsible."

In a call with reporters, Regan said the rule "is not aimed at driving outcomes regarding companies' investment strategies," but rather "to protect public health.

The plan would address three types of wastewater generated at coal-fired power plants: from scrubbers that remove pollutants from exhaust systems; water used to flush out boilers at the bottom of a plant; and coal ash ponds that often leach into nearby waterways.

The Biden administration's limits for these waste streams would return to standards set under the 2015 Obama-era rule or exceed them, EPA said.

Coal plants are responsible for as much as 30% of all toxic water pollution from all industries in the United States. The pollution affects aquatic ecosystems, drinking water and recreational waters.

Sierra Club attorney Joshua Smith said the changes were "a big step in the right direction" for forcing hundreds of coal-fired power plants across the country to take responsibility for the pollution that surrounding communities have long borne.

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Michael Regan speaks with members of the press after attending a speech by President Joe Biden at Belmont Water Treatment Center in Philadelphia, Feb. 3, 2023. The Biden administration on Wednesday proposed strengthening a rule aimed at reducing polluted wastewater from coal-burning power plants that has contaminated streams, lakes and underground aquifers. Credit: AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File

He added that the technologies used to eliminate the discharges highlighted by Biden administration officials have come a long way since a 2015 Obama-era rule that was rolled back under former President Donald Trump.

"At this point, it is cost-effective and technologically feasible for ... coal plants to eliminate those discharges," Smith said.

Radhika Fox, assistant EPA administrator for water, said the rule would have almost no impact on electricity costs for households. "We estimate a 63 cents per year increase for a typical household," Fox said.

The proposal includes a carve-out for coal-burning plants that plan to retire or stop burning coal by 2028and would allow such plants to continue meeting the 2015 and 2020 rules. The proposal also would extend a deadline for power plants to opt-in to the retirement or fuel-switch plan, "providing flexibility for some plants to cease burning coal earlier than they might otherwise do so,'' the EPA said.

Officials said the EPA plans to issue a final rule in 2024.

Edison Electric Institute, which represents investor-owned electric companies, said it was still reviewing EPA's proposal but applauded the agency's "coordinated and holistic" approach to regulating the power sector.

Administration officials said the new rule would likely force the closure of at least one coal-fired power plant in the country, but did not provide more details.

Coal power usage in the U.S. has dropped dramatically over the past decade thanks to competition from cheaper natural gas, declining prices for renewable energy and environmental regulations. Many plants have been shuttered, and a further 23% of the country's operating coal-powered fleet is scheduled to retire by 2029, according to the Energy Information Administration.

The U.S. generated nearly 20% of its electricity in 2022 from coal-fired power plants, according to the EIA.

Thomas Cmar, senior attorney with the environmental group Earthjustice, said the rule would "finally force the power industry to do what it should have done decades ago."

"We urge EPA to finalize the strongest rule possible as quickly as possible, so that power companies will no longer be allowed to profit off of treating our waterways like an open sewer for toxic pollutants," Cmar said.

 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

Researchers from Fudan University, China Europe International Business School, and Peking University published a new Journal of Marketing article that examines how marketers can use different messaging to persuade individuals to contribute to a collective goal. The study addresses the specific question of the type of messagefact-based vs. affected-basedthat is more effective in eliciting participation based on how near the goal is to completion.

The study is authored by Liyin Jin, Yajin Wang, and Ying Zhang.

Firms frequently launch group-buying promotions that offer a discount when a certain number of buyers commit to the deal. Political parties urge millions of voters to rally around a candidate. Organizations ask individuals for donations to collectively reach a financial target.

When campaigns involve efforts from multiple individuals, marketers seek to tailor the message to persuade them to join the campaign. These collective goals require many people to make a one-off contribution, and they can choose to support the goal at any stage of the completion processwhile leaving the final outcome in others' hands. Specifically, people who contribute money to these causes have no past interaction with the collective goal and, in most cases, cannot put in more effort to ensure its eventual success.

Marketers often disclose information about the remaining distance to completion when soliciting a contribution in a collective campaign. For example, "$0.86 million has been raised to meet the target of $1 million" or "23,000 people have signed a petition that needs 100,000 participants." As the remaining distance to completion changes, the effectiveness of different persuasive messages should change accordingly.

Fact-based vs. affect-based appeals

Seven studies demonstrate that the relative impact of fact-based versus affect-based appeals changes with varying distance to the completion of the collective goal. Jin explains that "We find that when the distance to the completion of collective goal is large, the path to the end remains uncertain. As a result, people who are deciding whether to contribute to the goal may question if and how the collective goal can be accomplished."

This consideration tends to be thinking-oriented and reasoning-based (e.g., "Is this feasible?" or "What needs to be done?"). Thus, fact-based appeals better match consumers' thinking-oriented psychological stateand are more effective in persuasion.

By comparison, when the collective goal is nearing completion, people tend to base their decision on whether the goal is valuable and worth contributing to. The value assessment usually involves simulating the outcome and imagining the emotional reaction to reaching the goal, a process that relies on feelings and emotions (e.g., "How would I feel about being part of this?").

"Therefore, when the distance to the collective goal completion is small, affect-based appeals match people's feelings-oriented psychological state better and should be more effective in persuasion," says Wang.

The findings in this research advance understanding the effectiveness of persuasive messages in the context of collective goals. Because the distance remaining to completing the goal plays a role in consumers' psychological state, their tendency to follow a persuasive message depends heavily on whether these messages match their psychological state of thinking or feeling. These conditions require marketers to focus on the audience's situational psychological state and match it to the appropriate persuasive message.

Lessons for chief marketing officers

This research is particularly relevant in today's marketplace as social media and digital platforms play an increasingly central role in campaigns. Zhang notes that "Technology not only enables real-time tracking and sharing of information about the progress toward the goal in collective campaigns but also makes it possible for marketers to change the content of persuasive messages midway through the campaign to suit the context and to ensure maximum effectiveness."

The findings offer the following key insights for marketers trying to elicit more participation in collective goals:

The use of fact-based appeals might be more useful early in a collective campaign, but marketers should consider switching to appeals that focus on feelings as the campaign gets closer to the target. For example, when universities ask for donations from alumni to reach a campaign goal, they should consider fact-based messages such as school ranking, educational performance, and information about student and faculty diversity when the fundraising target is still far away. However, they should switch to affect-based appeals and evoke more emotional elaboration as the total amount gets closer to the target.

Marketers should consider employing an appropriate mix of textual versus visual communication at different stages of their campaigns. Whereas visual illustrations with text and less feeling-based messages may be effective at an early stage of campaigns, marketers may wish to include more affect-rich visuals to evoke stronger emotions to push the goal over the finish line in the more advanced stages.

More information: Liyin Jin et al, EXPRESS: Give Me the Facts or Make Me Feel: How to Effectively Persuade Consumers to Act on a Collective Goal, Journal of Marketing (2023). DOI: 10.1177/00222429231152446 Journal information: Journal of Marketing
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V883 Ori is a unique protostar whose temperature is just hot enough that the water in its circumstellar disk has turned to gas, making it possible for radio astronomers to trace the water's origins. New observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have provided the first confirmation that the water in our Solar System may come from the same place as the water in disks surrounding protostars elsewhere in the Universe: the interstellar medium. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

Scientists studying a nearby protostar have detected the presence of water in its circumstellar disk. The new observations made with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) mark the first detection of water being inherited into a protoplanetary disk without significant changes to its composition. These results further suggest that the water in our solar system formed billions of years before the sun. The new observations are published today in Nature.

V883 Orionis is a protostar located roughly 1,305 light-years from Earth in the constellation Orion. The new observations of this protostar have helped scientists to find a probable link between the water in the interstellar medium and the water in our solar system by confirming they have similar composition.

"We can think of the path of water through the universe as a trail. We know what the endpoints look like, which are water on planets and in comets, but we wanted to trace that trail back to the origins of water," said John Tobin, an astronomer at the National Science Foundation's National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and the lead author on the new paper.

"Before now, we could link the Earth to comets, and protostars to the interstellar medium, but we couldn't link protostars to comets. V883 Ori has changed that, and proven the water molecules in that system and in our solar system have a similar ratio of deuterium and hydrogen."

Observing water in the circumstellar disks around protostars is difficult because in most systems water is present in the form of ice. When scientists observe protostars they're looking for the water snow line or ice line, which is the place where water transitions from predominantly ice to gas, which radio astronomy can observe in detail.

"If the snow line is located too close to the star, there isn't enough gaseous water to be easily detectable and the dusty disk may block out a lot of the water emission. But if the snow line is located further from the star, there is sufficient gaseous water to be detectable, and that's the case with V883 Ori," said Tobin, who added that the unique state of the protostar is what made this project possible. Most of the time, water in the circumstellar disks surrounding protostars is in the form of ice, sometimes extending out long distances from the star. In the case of V883 Ori, the snowline extends 80 au from the star; that's 80 times the distance between Earth and the Sun, as shown in this animation. But, the temperature at V883 Ori is just hot enough that much of the ice in its disk has turned to gas, making it possible for radio astronomers to study that water in detail. New observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have revealed that the water in V883 Ori's disk is of the same basic composition as water on objects in our Solar System. This suggests that the water in our own Solar System formed billions of years before the Sun in the interstellar medium. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), J. Tobin, B.Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

V883 Ori's disk is quite massive and is just hot enough that the water in it has turned from ice to gas. That makes this protostar an ideal target for studying the growth and evolution of solar systems at radio wavelengths.

"This observation highlights the superb capabilities of the ALMA instrument in helping astronomers study something vitally important for life on Earth: water," said Joe Pesce, NSF Program Officer for ALMA. "An understanding of the underlying processes important for us on Earth, seen in more distant regions of the galaxy, also benefits our knowledge of how nature works in general, and the processes that had to occur for our solar system to develop into what we know today."

To connect the water in V883 Ori's protoplanetary disk to that in our own solar system, the team measured its composition using ALMA's highly sensitive Band 5 (1.6mm) and Band 6 (1.3mm) receivers and found that it remains relatively unchanged between each stage of solar system formation: protostar, protoplanetary disk, and comets.

"This means that the water in our solar system was formed long before the sun, planets, and comets formed. We already knew that there is plenty of water ice in the interstellar medium. Our results show that this water got directly incorporated into the solar system during its formation," said Merel van 't 'Hoff, an astronomer at the University of Michigan and a co-author of the paper. "This is exciting as it suggests that other planetary systems should have received large amounts of water too."

While searching for the origins of water in our Solar System, scientists homed in on V883 Orionis, a unique protostar located 1,305 light-years away from Earth. Unlike with other protostars, the circumstellar disk surrounding V883 Ori is just hot enough that the water in it has transformed from ice into gas, making it possible for scientists to study its composition using radio telescopes like those at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Radio observations of the protostar revealed water (orange), a dust continuum (green), and molecular gas (blue) which suggests that the water on this protostar is extremely similar to the water on objects in our own Solar System, and may have similar origins. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), J. Tobin, B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

Clarifying the role of water in the development of comets and planetesimals is critical to building an understanding of how our own solar system developed. Although the sun is believed to have formed in a dense cluster of stars and V883 Ori is relatively isolated with no nearby stars, the two share one critical thing in common: they were both formed in giant molecular clouds.

"It is known that the bulk of the water in the interstellar medium forms as ice on the surfaces of tiny dust grains in the clouds. When these clouds collapse under their own gravity and form young stars, the water ends up in the disks around them. Eventually, the disks evolve and the icy dust grains coagulate to form a new solar system with planets and comets," said Margot Leemker, an astronomer at Leiden University and a co-author of the paper.

"We have shown that water that is produced in the clouds follows this trail virtually unchanged. So, by looking at the water in the V883 Ori disk, we essentially look back in time and see how our own solar system looked when it was much younger."

V883 Orionis is a protostar located roughly 1,305 light-years from Earth in the constellation Orion. Credit: IAU/Sky & Telescope

Tobin added, "Until now, the chain of water in the development of our solar system was broken. V883 Ori is the missing link in this case, and we now have an unbroken chain in the lineage of water from comets and protostars to the interstellar medium."

More information: John Tobin, Deuterium-enriched water ties planet-forming disks to comets and protostars, Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05676-z. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05676-z Journal information: Nature
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Credit: Aaron Burden, Unsplash, https://unsplash.com/photos/ZLJEN3rZuPk

Beeshoney bees and wild bees alikeare in trouble. Wild bee populations may have declined by 23% across the United States, according to one 2015 study that modeled their abundance between 2008 and 2013. Another study found that 25% fewer bee species were spotted globally. Managed honey bees, on the other hand, have been seeing unsustainable colony losses for more than a decade.

The loss of habitat, and subsequent loss of bee foodpollen and nectaris just one of the threats that all bees are facing, according to David Tarpy, professor of applied ecology at North Carolina State University. Now, the question that some people are asking is: Could messy, weed-sprouting lawns potentially help these troubled pollinators find food?

Through an effort called "No Mow May," homeowners would skip mowing mow their lawns, or mow less frequently, during the month of May. The idea is to let weeds grow that might be able to provide food for bees. The effort was first popularized in England and has been subsequently adopted by some U.S. communities.

The Abstract spoke to Tarpy about the threats facing bees, and whether could help bees in North Carolina in the ways they manage their lawns.

The Abstract: Are honey bees declining in the United States? What about wild bees?

David Tarpy: The wild natural pollinators are disappearing. There are about 4,000 native bee species in North America alone, and 20,000 worldwide. For wild bees, we do know that some species are more susceptible than others, but we don't have as much information because there are so many species, and some of them live solitary lives.

All pollinators are in trouble, but it's a mischaracterization to say the honey bee population in the United States is declining. Honey bees are managed by people. It's more accurate to say honey bees are dying off in unsustainable rates. The number of managed beehives in the United States is fairly stable, but we see a higher than sustainable turnover rate. Honey bee colonies are dying, but the beekeepers are growing them back. The question is: what happens if they're no longer able to?

I like to use the analogy that native bees are like songbirds. They're diverse, and wonderful, and come in all different shapes and sizes. Honey bees are like chickens, since they're managed by people. All are birds though, so they share a lot of the same common stressors.

TA: What are some of the stressors for pollinators?

Tarpy: One of the stressors they have in common is nutritional deprivation. There are not enough flowers to provide nectar and pollen, their two food sources. That's true for honey bees, just as it is for native bees. In addition to the lack of food, we also see overuse of pesticides, especially insecticides, as stressors, as well as threats from parasites and pathogens.

TA: Do you think 'No Mow May' could help pollinators?

Tarpy: "No Mow May" is an effort to try to raise public awareness that flowers are really good for pollinators, even if those flowers happen to be in your lawn and you happen to call them "weeds." It's a nice way of trying to put the pollinators front and center and to raise awareness about habitat loss that leads to nutritional deprivation of pollinators.

In general, if we can re-assess what we call a "beautiful landscape" to include flowering plants, rather than just grass, that might go a long way to addressing some of the issues facing all pollinators. If we can make our landscapes more productive ecologically, that could go a long way.

TA: Is spring a special time for bees?

Tarpy: Having food resources available in spring is really important in the short period of time of the year when the adult bees are active and trying to make the next generation of bees. Some species are starting earlier and some are later. They collect the food so they can make the next generation of bees that will emerge next spring.

Imagine that you're a ground nesting native bee. You nest in the ground, you come out, and you seek flowering resources for nectar and pollen. After you come back to your chamber with your ball of pollen, you lay an egg on it. When it hatches, the larva have something to eat.

Honey bee colonies, on the other hand, are actually perennial. They live year-round, even through the winter, in the hive staying warm and eating honey. When spring comes, they collectively forage for resources, bring it back to the hive, and store it as honey to eat during times of dearth.

TA: Does the timing of the initiative make sense for North Carolina?

Tarpy: Compared with the United Kingdom, which is farther north, we're a little bit ahead. A lot of things start getting active in March and April.
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This simulated Roman deep field image, containing hundreds of thousands of galaxies, represents just 1.3 percent of the synthetic survey, which is itself just one percent of Roman's planned survey. The galaxies are color codedredder ones are farther away and whiter ones are nearer. The simulation showcases Roman's power to conduct large, deep surveys and study the universe statistically in ways that aren't possible with current telescopes. Credit: M. Troxel and Caltech-IPAC/R. Hurt

Scientists have created a gargantuan synthetic survey that shows what we can expect from the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope's future observations. Though it represents just a small chunk of the real future survey, this simulated version contains a staggering number of galaxies33 million of them, along with 200,000 foreground stars in our home galaxy.

The simulation will help scientists plan the best observing strategies, test different ways to mine the mission's vast quantities of data, and explore what we can learn from tandem observations with other telescopes.

"The volume of data Roman will return is unprecedented for a space telescope," said Michael Troxel, an assistant professor of physics at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. "Our simulation is a testing ground we can use to make sure we will get the most out of the mission's observations."

The team drew data from a mock universe originally developed to support science planning with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which is located in Chile and set to begin full operations in 2024. Because the Roman and Rubin simulations use the same source, astronomers can compare them and see what they can expect to learn from pairing the telescopes' observations once they're both actively scanning the universe.

A paper describing the results, led by Troxel, has been accepted for publication in The Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. This video begins by showing the most distant galaxies in the simulated deep field image in red. As it zooms out, layers of nearer (yellow and white) galaxies are added to the frame. By studying different cosmic epochs, Roman will be able to trace the universe's expansion history, study how galaxies developed over time, and much more. Credit: Caltech-IPAC/R. Hurt and M. Troxel

Cosmic construction

Roman's High Latitude Wide Area Survey will consist of both imagingthe focus of the new simulationand spectroscopy across the same enormous swath of the universe. Spectroscopy involves measuring the intensity of light from cosmic objects at different wavelengths, while Roman's imaging will reveal precise positions and shapes of hundreds of millions of faint galaxies that will be used to map dark matter. Although this mysterious substance is invisible, astronomers can infer its presence by observing its effects on regular matter.

Anything with mass warps the fabric of space-time. The bigger the mass, the greater the warp. This creates an effect called gravitational lensing, which happens when light from a distant source becomes distorted as it travels past intervening objects. When those lensing objects are massive galaxies or galaxy clusters, background sources can be smeared or appear as multiple images.

Less massive objects can create more subtle effects called weak lensing. Roman will be sensitive enough to use weak lensing to see how clumps of dark matter warp the appearance of distant galaxies. By observing these lensing effects, scientists will be able to fill in more of the gaps in our understanding of dark matter.

This graphic compares the relative sizes of the synthetic image (inset, outlined in orange), the whole area astronomers simulated (the square in the upper-middle outlined in green), and the size of the complete future survey astronomers will conduct (the large square in the lower-left outlined in blue). The background, from the Digitized Sky Survey, illustrates how much sky area each region covers. The synthetic image covers about as much sky as a full moon, and the future Roman survey will cover much more area than the Big Dipper. While it would take the Hubble Space Telescope or James Webb Space Telescope around a thousand years to image an area as large as the future survey, Roman will do it in just over seven months. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and M. Troxel

"Theories of cosmic structure formation make predictions for how the seed fluctuations in the early universe grow into the distribution of matter that can be seen through gravitational lensing," said Chris Hirata, a physics professor at Ohio State University in Columbus, and a co-author of the paper.

"But the predictions are statistical in nature, so we test them by observing vast regions of the cosmos. Roman, with its wide field of view, will be optimized to efficiently survey the sky, complementing observatories such as the James Webb Space Telescope that are designed for deeper investigation of individual objects."

Ground and space

The synthetic Roman survey covers 20 square degrees of the sky, which is roughly equivalent to 95 full moons. The actual survey will be 100 times larger, unveiling more than a billion galaxies. Rubin will scan an even greater area18,000 square degrees, nearly half of the entire skybut with lower resolution since it will have to peer through Earth's turbulent atmosphere. This animation shows the type of science that astronomers will be able to do with future Roman deep field observations. The gravity of intervening galaxy clusters and dark matter can lens the light from farther objects, warping their appearance as shown in the animation. By studying the distorted light, astronomers can study elusive dark matter, which can only be measured indirectly through its gravitational effects on visible matter. As a bonus, this lensing also makes it easier to see the most distant galaxies whose light they magnify. Credit: Caltech-IPAC/R. Hurt

Pairing the Roman and Rubin simulations offers the first opportunity for scientists to try to detect the same objects in both sets of images. That's important because ground-based observations aren't always sharp enough to distinguish multiple, close sources as separate objects. Sometimes they blur together, which affects weak lensing measurements. Now, scientists can determine the difficulties and benefits of "deblending" such objects in Rubin images by comparing them with Roman ones.

With Roman's colossal cosmic view, astronomers will be able to accomplish far more than the survey's primary goals, which are to study the structure and evolution of the universe, map dark matter, and discern between the leading theories that attempt to explain why the expansion of the universe is speeding up. Scientists can comb through the new simulated Roman data to get a taste of the bonus science that will come from seeing so much of the universe in such exquisite detail.

"With Roman's gigantic field of view, we anticipate many different scientific opportunities, but we will also have to learn to expect the unexpected," said Julie McEnery, the senior project scientist for the Roman mission at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "The mission will help answer critical questions in cosmology while potentially revealing brand new mysteries for us to solve."
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Relatively minor support with the application process is enough to help families with lower educational attainment secure childcare. A new study shows that mothers subsequently pursue more working hours and that the earnings gap between mothers and fathers becomes narrower. A causal link has now been demonstrated for the first time in the case of women with a relatively low school certificate who are particularly disadvantaged in the job market.

In Germany, relative to comparable countries, the birth of a child still has a greater long-term impact in terms of reduced working hours and lower earnings for women. For women with a lower school certificate, the gender gap in terms of time in the workforce is especially wide. It is also noticeable that less educated parents of children under three years of age are significantly less likely to utilize available childcare options.

"A major factor for this inequality is the complicated, decentralized and often non-transparent process for allocating childcare places. Parents with higher education have advantages in terms of the necessary knowledge and resources to successfully navigate the registration process," says Dr. Henning Hermes of the University of Dusseldorf, summing up the hypothesis of a research team with members from several institutions.

The researchers therefore investigated the question of whether access to childcare can be facilitated for families with lower educational attainment and whether this would benefit women in terms of working hours and earnings.

They initially surveyed more than 600 families with children below the age of one. Some of the parents then watched a four-minute information video about the entitlement to childcare, reduced fees for low-income families and the better chances of securing a place by applying early and to more than one childcare facility.

They were also offered individual assistance with the childcare application process. This was to be provided by specially trained students, who would scrutinize information on childcare facilities and application processes, provide help with forms and remind parents of important deadlines. The families were surveyed again after half a year and one and a half years.

Significant increase in working time and earnings for mothers

An initial analysis published in 2021 showed: in families with lower educational attainment that received help with the application, the share of children enrolled in childcare was around two-thirds greater. At the same time, fathers spent more time caring for their children. The gap between maternal and paternal care hours was 30% smaller.

For mothers with a lower school certificate, the research team has now shown: due to the relief provided by childcare facilities, many mothers were able to return to their former jobs full-time or with substantial working hours. Mothers who received support with childcare registration were approximately 2.5 times more likely to work at least 30 hours per week and worked an average of five hours longer per week. The supported families were also 20% less likely to be "male breadwinner" households in which the father works full-time and the mother works part-time.

The working hours had a significant impact on the financial situations of these families. The earnings of mothers, that received help with the childcare application, were 22% higher and the household income was 10% higher. The earnings gap between fathers and mothers within the households was around one-third lower.

For families with higher educational attainment, support with the childcare registration process had no effecteither in childcare access or maternal working time and earnings.

Only 1.5 hours of support needed

"Improved access to childcare leads to greater fairnessboth between lower and higher educated families and between fathers and mothers within families. This is true both for the division of childcare responsibilities as well as working hours and earnings," says Prof. Dr. Philipp Lergetporer of the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

The study is the first randomized controlled trial (in which participants are randomly assigned to different groups) that shows that childcare access has an effect on labor market participation of mothers with relatively low educational attainment.

"This is also highly significant due to the fact that women with a lower school certificate already have lower workforce participation than those with a university entrance certificate before the birth of a child," says Marina Krau of the University of Augsburg.

To achieve these goals, relatively little effort is required. The students provided the families with an average of just one and a half hours of support. "Support for families who find it hard to navigate the childcare system is therefore a simple tool that yields big results," says Dr. Frauke Peter of the German Center For Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW).

"It would be even more useful, however, to greatly simplify the application processes and increase the number of available childcare places to the point where external support was no longer needed," says Prof. Dr. Simon Wiederhold of the Catholic University of Eichstatt-Ingolstadt (KU).

More information: Behavioral Barriers and the Socioeconomic Gap in Child Care Enrollment. CESifo Working Paper No. 9282/2021. www.cesifo.org/DocDL/cesifo1_wp9282.pdf Early Child Care and Labor Supply of Lower-SES Mothers: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Munich Papers in Political Economy, Working Paper No. 07/2022

go.tum.de/089708
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Loss of Fh1 in the adult mouse kidney triggers an early inflammatory response. a, Genome-editing strategy for generating inducible Fh1 knockout alleles. Rosa26-Cre-ERT2 mice carry the tamoxifen-responsive Cre recombinase transgene downstream of the Rosa26 promoter. Fh1fl/fl mice contain two loxP sites flanking Fh1 exons 3 and 4. Intraperitoneal injection of tamoxifen in the adult mouse induces the nuclear translocation of the ubiquitously expressed CreERT2 fusion protein, resulting in the excision of the genomic fragment located between the loxP sites to generate Fh1 null alleles (Fh1/). Mice of about 90 days of age are treated with tamoxifen and the kidneys are collected for analysis at day 5 and day 10 after injection. b, Fh1 mRNA expression levels in wild-type control (Fh1+/+) and Fh1-deficient (Fh1/) adult mouse kidneys, measured by qRTPCR. c, Metabolite abundance (normalized peak ion intensity, arbitrary units (AU)) in Fh1+/+ and Fh1/ adult mouse kidney measured by liquid chromatographymass spectrometry (LCMS). d, Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining of Fh1+/+ and Fh1/ adult mouse kidney at day 10 after induction. Scale bars, 100 m. e, Volcano plots of the GSEA, highlighting the differentially regulated pathways in Fh1/ versus Fh1+/+ kidney tissue at day 10 after induction. FDR, false discovery rate; NES, normalized enrichment score. f, Heat map showing upregulated inflammation-related genes in Fh1/ versus Fh1+/+ kidney tissue at day 5 and day 10 after induction (white cells mean no difference between the two groups). g, Expression levels of ISGs in Fh1/ versus Fh1+/+ kidney tissue at day 5 and day 10 after induction, measured by qRTPCR. Data are mean  s.e.m. b,c,g, n = minimum 8 mice in each group, Students t-test corrected for multiple comparisons with the HolmSidak method. Credit: Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05770-w

A new study shows for the first time a connection between a mitochondrial metabolite and the activation of an inflammatory response. Mitochondria are functional units of our cells that fulfill important tasks, i.e. chemical reactions, for the functioning of the cell. One of these tasks is the production of energy that is necessary for cell growth and reproduction.

If certain chemical reactions in the mitochondrion change, diseases occur. For example, deficiencies in fumarate hydratase (FH) in the Krebs cycle, one of the most important metabolic pathways in mitochondria, cause an aggressive form of kidney cancer in humans. FH loss leads to the accumulation of the molecule fumarate, which contributes to the development of cancer. For this reason, fumarate is called an oncogenic metabolite, or "oncometabolite" for short.

The research team led by Alexander von Humboldt Professor Dr. Christian Frezza, formerly at the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) and now at the CECAD Cluster of Excellence for Aging Research at the University of Cologne, has now developed a new mouse and cell model together with the research group led by Professor Prudent of the University of Cambridge to deepen the understanding of aggressive kidney cancer. In the models, the silencing of the fumarate hydratase gene can be temporally controlled by the scientists.

Using a combination of high-resolution imaging techniques and precise biochemical experiments, the scientists have shown that fumarate causes mitochondrial damage. This in turn releases the genetic material of the mitochondria in small vesicles called mitochondrial-derived vesicles. These vesicles filled with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and RNA (mtRNA) trigger an immune reaction that eventually leads to inflammation. The study titled "Fumarate induces vesicular release of mtDNA to drive innate immunity" was published in Nature.

"Our study shows for the first time a correlation between a mitochondrial metabolite and the onset of inflammation, which could be the trigger for cancer and autoimmune diseases," said Professor Frezza. "Based on these findings, we can now work on new approaches to treat patients, which will hopefully lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies to treat cancer patients in the future."

In addition, a group at Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute in Dublin led by Professor Luke O'Neill in collaboration with Christian Frezza's research group has described a similar mechanism in macrophages. Macrophages are cells of the body that are responsible for eliminating harmful microbes. Here, the researchers found that mitochondrial RNA released by the macrophages' mitochondria, rather than DNA, is the main trigger of inflammation.

More information: Christian Frezza, Fumarate induces vesicular release of mtDNA to drive innate immunity, Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05770-w. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05770-w Journal information: Nature
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Using observations from different NASA missions, this map shows where the Moon's shadow will cross the U.S. during the 2023 annular solar eclipse and 2024 total solar eclipse. The map was developed by NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS) in collaboration with the NASA Heliophysics Activation Team (NASA HEAT), part of NASA's Science Activation portfolio. Credit: NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio/Michala Garrison; eclipse calculations by Ernie Wright, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

Where will you be for the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses in the United States?

NASA has released a new map that could help you decide.

Based on observations from several NASA missions, the map details the path of the Moon's shadow as it crosses the contiguous U.S. during the annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2023, and total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

These dark paths across the continent show where observers will need to be to see the "ring of fire" when the Moon blocks all but the outer edge of the Sun during the annular eclipse, and the ghostly-white outer atmosphere of the Sun (the corona) when the Moon completely blocks the Sun's disk during the total eclipse.

Outside those paths, the map also shows where and how much the Sun will be partially eclipsed by the Moon. On both dates, all 48 contiguous states in the U.S. will experience at least a partial solar eclipse (as will Mexico and most of Canada).

Reading the map

On NASA's new eclipse map, the paths for the annular eclipse and total eclipse appear as dark bands across the U.S.

Anyone located in the annular eclipse path, from Oregon to Texas, will have a chance to see the annular eclipse if the skies are clear. Anyone located in the total eclipse path, from Texas to Maine, will have a chance to see the total eclipse, weather permitting.

Inside those dark paths are oval shapes with times inside them (yellow ovals for the annular eclipse, purple ovals for the total eclipse). Those ovals show the shape of the Moon's shadow cast on Earth's surface at the times shown. People in the areas inside the ovals will see the annular eclipse or total eclipse at that time.

For locations close to the center of the paths, the annular eclipse or total eclipse will last longer than those near the outer edges of the path. Inside each path are white lines that indicate how long annularity or totality will last. For the annular eclipse path, you can find labels (ranging from 3 to 4.5 minutes) near the Nevada-Utah border in the north and between San Antonio and Corpus Christi, Texas, in the south. For the total eclipse path, you can find labels near Presque Isle, Maine, in the north, and between the 2:20 and 2:25 p.m. CST ovals in Mexico in the south. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Viewers in locations outside the paths will not experience a total solar eclipse or annular eclipse, but they may still see a partial eclipse. Lines running parallel to each path indicate how much of the Sun will become covered by the Moon during the partial eclipse. For the annular eclipse, these lines appear faint yellow. For the total eclipse, they're faint purple. Percentage labels for the annular eclipse lines appear along the left and top edges of the map. The percentage labels for the total eclipse appear along the bottom and right edges of the map. (Tip: The percentages appear at the same angles as the lines.)

Neither eclipse will be contained to the contiguous U.S., though. In the lower right corner of the NASA map, a globe shows the full paths for both eclipses. The annular eclipse (in yellow and black) extends into Mexico, Central America, and South America. The total eclipse (in purple and black) also crosses Mexico and northeastern Canada. Shaded bands (yellow for the annular eclipse and purple for the total eclipse) also show where a partial eclipse can be seen. For example, in October 2023, southeastern Alaska will experience a partial eclipse, while Hawaii will have a chance to see a partial eclipse in April 2024.

Making the map

Michala Garrison, a member of the Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, applied her background in geography and cartography to design the map, incorporating information from a variety of NASA sources.

Earth elevation information came from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, while maps of the Moon's shape were supplied by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The positions of the sun, moon, and Earth were found using software and data from NASA's Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility. Garrison's SVS colleague, Ernie Wright, used all of this information to calculate the location and shape of the Moon's shadow.

NASA's Blue Marblea global mosaic of satellite images assembled by the NASA Earth Observatory teamprovided color for the land. And one particularly unique feature Garrison thought to add along the path of the 2024 total eclipse was nighttime imagery of Earth from NASA's Black Marblewhich shows city lights on the night side of the planet as imaged by the Suomi NPP spacecraft.

One of Garrison's goals for the map was to inspire people to get to the paths of the annular and total eclipses, which she didn't do the last time the Moon's shadow crossed the continental U.S.

"In 2017, I was in Maryland, so I still got to see a little bit, because I was in a partial eclipse," she said. "But I didn't really know any of this back then. This does make me want to go to, say, Albuquerque in 2023. And then in 2024 to go more south."

Garrison worked through many revisions to try to make the map both aesthetic and practical, to help people both inside and outside the paths to plan their eclipse experience.

"It took a lot of trial and error. I wanted it to be useful to the reader but not overwhelmingand still be a pretty product to look at to catch people's eye."

More information: The full map is available online: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5073
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LCM micro-topography (left) shows a micro-meteorite impact crater at ~250 micrometers diameter in an Apollo 16 impact splash glass sample (60095) acquired by Astronaut John Young in 1972. The resolution is < 100 nanometers (x,y) and tens of nanometers vertically. On the right, xCT shows the same zap pit from below, as well as vesicles (hollowed out spaces) and vugs (beads of metal) formed by the forces of the impact. Credit: NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center

An ensemble of microscopes, medical-style equipment, and other 3D scanners is providing insights that could help human and robotic explorers survive the harsh environments of deep space, the moon, Mars and beyond.

Earth's atmosphere protects us from the threat of tiny meteorsmicro-meteorites no bigger around than the thickness of a fingernail and traveling faster than a speeding bulletbecause they burn up in our atmosphere. However, explorers traveling beyond our protective blanket of air need strategies to protect from micro-meteorites collisions, as well as technologies to evaluate the damage they can cause.

"Studying micrometeorite impacts in lunar samples helps to find materials and methods to build habitats and protective gear for future Moon and Mars explorers," materials scientist Dr. Justin Jones said. At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Jones has spent the last several years investigating a variety of 3D scanning technologies, most recently for their ability to analyze tiny micro-meteorite impact craters on Apollo-era Moon samples. He obtained high-resolution 3D scans (i.e., as micro-topographic maps) and measurements of the so-called zap pits, or micro-craters left behind by these collisions.

As NASA considers long-term exploration of the moon, Mars, and beyond, in-situ resources found in those environments will be used to build shelters and provide building materials as well as other resources such as water and oxygen to sustain our explorers. Jones' work focused on technologies allowing explorers and scientists to examine and even look inside a material without destroying it. These non-destructive scanning technologies will also help evaluate the strength and suitability of items made in space and the materials and samples found on other worlds.

His team, including Goddard Chief Scientist James Garvin and Materials Engineer Stephen Lebair, examined and cataloged dozens of zap pits in the moon samples while evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of different technologies for assessing materials, responses, and damages.

They found laser confocal microscopy (LCM) performed better at characterizing the shape and form of the zap pits, Lebair said. The confocal microscope focuses a laser in a tight spot, one depth-level at a time, allowing finer spatial resolution than other technologies.

"Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was the best imaging technique," Lebair said, "since you don't have to worry about reflections or artifacts of optical microscopy."

SEM scans the surface with a focused beam of electrons, which as an added benefit can interact with atoms in the sample. This interaction provides data on the composition of materials through a technique called energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, or EDX.

An SEM image shows different materials within a vug, which is a bead of metal formed within a lunar sample due to micrometeorite impact forces. The image on the right shows the chemical content of those materials. Credit: NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center

To look beneath the surface, X-ray computed tomography (xCT) reveals the depth and topology of the micrometeorite impact and stresses and deformation caused within the material, Jones said. In addition, it can determine the potential for future failure from equipment after an impact.

The deep imaging enabled by xCT can verify the structural suitability of tools 3D printed in space or shelters built using local materials.

"We want to know the best materials to use," Jones said, "and how thick should we make these structures. If we're looking at designing a structural material for habitats, clothing, or other protective materials, we need to understand the depth of an impact beyond what we can see on the surface."

The xCT scans provide information that otherwise would require difficult, often destructive sample preparation such as cutting or the use of chemicals to analyze sub-surface structures, Jones said. Goddard's laboratory xCT system provides details as small as a couple microns in size: several times smaller than a human hair.

The beauty and complexity of the images produced by these non-destructive scanners also illustrates the violent forces that turn stone to glass, create cavities within the surface, and even force tiny spheres of metal to coalesce within the surrounding material. Micrometeorite impacts are a commonplace reality on the moon and in deep space, Jones said. "It is important for NASA to be able to rapidly identify and understand the extent of deformation and mechanisms involved with micrometeorite cratering. We also want to know how this extends to larger impacts out there."

The International Space Station has an electron microscope as well as a one-sided xCT that can be used on one of its robotic arms to evaluate damage from micrometeorite or debris strikes.

Jones is working on a potential bread-box-sized CT scanner that could operate on the space station. These scanners must operate without the massive rotating ring used in current medical scanning technologies, which could disrupt the orbital platform's stability. Jones' project would use the instant on/off X-ray sources developed by Goddard Astrophysicist Keith Gendreau (CuttingEdge) to develop a scanner using few or no moving parts.

Non-destructive scanning can also help explorers select the best specimens to gather as scientific samples for return to Earth, Jones said, revealing some of their history, internal structure, and component materials.

"NASA's Artemis Program will benefit from Jones' work," Garvin added, "as it plans lunar-surface-based systems for the human basecamp on the moon."

Provided by NASA
"If the people are awakened only to cast a vote but become dormant afterwards, that is no true democracy."

The scenario depicted in a 2021 white paper "China: Democracy That Works" where people have the right to elect, but not to participate, never played out in China. For the Chinese, the story always revolves around their participation in democratic elections, consultations, decision-making, management, and oversight in accordance with the law, forming what's known as the whole-process people's democracy.

What are the most-eyed aspects of this idea? How does China put it into practice? Is Chinese democracy really, as what Western media has repeatedly claimed, a rubber stamp? The annual gatherings of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) could be a critical window into these questions.

REPRESENT THE MAJORITY

In the 1940s, the Communist Party of China (CPC) came out with an innovative way of mobilizing rural people to exercise their voting rights by casting beans as their ballots. This rich legacy of democratic practices has evolved into today's whole-process people's democracy, where official balloting develops annually in people's congresses at all levels.

At the end of 2020, 2.62 million people were serving as deputies to people's congresses at township, county, city, provincial and national levels, official data showed. Among them, those at county and township levels made up roughly 95 percent of the total.

"All the delegates are elected from the village, then from the town, then the city," said Muhammad Asghar, special correspondent of Associated Press of Pakistan in China. "So it is a collective, and it is from the grassroots."

Shen Yanfen, a star driver of farm vehicles from Shihu Village, China's Guangdong Province, is one of the deputies to the 14th NPC elected in January through this process. "I want to speak for farmers," she said, hoping to turn the spotlight on China's agricultural machine operators.

As the top legislature, the ongoing 14th NPC gathers 2,977 deputies from an array of professions and backgrounds. Among them, 442 are from ethnic minorities, accounting for 14.85 percent of the total and covering every one of the 55 ethnic minority groups, the latest official figures showed.

A total of 42 deputies represent those overseas Chinese who have returned to the motherland. Altogether 790 are women who make up 26.54 percent of the total, and 497 are workers and farmers who account for 16.69 percent of the total. Each deputy casts a vote of equal weight, thus being fully representative of the people.

"It brings everybody on board. It incorporates the views of all members of the society, no matter who you are," said Eric Biegon, a journalist from Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, who got an opportunity in 2017 to visit the Great Hall of the People in Beijing for the "two sessions."

"The delegates from all parts of China come to Beijing. And when they come, they discuss different affairs, particularly for the next year, and they give their advice to the central government," Asghar said.

FREE SPEECH

From national legislation to daily matters, the Chinese can speak their mind freely and participate fully in consultations and decision-making at the "two sessions."

Gathering in Beijing, masters of the country from all walks of life have sat next to one another to appoint the president and other officials of China, adopt the first-ever Civil Code since 1949, and approve the 14th Five-year Plan (2021-2025) that charts the course for China's future development.

Touching upon what people truly want, Huang Xihua, a deputy to the NPC for the past two decades, suggested in 2022 working from home one or two days a week, while Hu Wei, a CPPCC member, proposed that the precious 10 minutes off between classes at school not be taken up for more exercises.

Official data showed that in 2022, offices and departments under China's State Council handled 8,721 suggestions from NPC deputies and 5,865 proposals submitted by CPPCC National Committee members, accounting for 94.8 percent and 95 percent of the total respectively. Around 4,100 suggestions and proposals were adopted, which were turned into 2,100 relevant policies and measures.

"All types of issues related to all types of people, all types of ethnic groups, rural problems, urban problems appear [during the 'two sessions'] ... The reports are established for discussion, criticism, suggestions, and it is the product of exchanges," said Eduardo Regalado, senior researcher at International Policy Research Center of Cuba.

People can also make their voice heard outside the hall of the "two sessions." For example, the Standing Committee of the NPC has by far set up over 5,500 grassroots-level legislative information offices, which everyone can walk in and join in the drafting, research, revision and post-assessment of draft laws.

"They always speak, they always give their opinions," said Asghar. "The government takes their opinion into consideration and makes policies accordingly."

MULTIPARTY COOPERATION

There are no opposition parties in China, but it doesn't mean that China's political party system is a system of one-party rule. Nor is it one in which multiple parties vie for power and govern in turn.

With the aim of promoting unity, strengthening multiparty cooperation and practicing people's democracy in the process of political consultation, the CPPCC was established more than 73 years ago, and has done its utmost to increase trust, dispel doubts, convey the will of the people, draw on their wisdom, and build the broadest consensus.

Throughout the decades, it has also ensured that the risks of inadequate oversight in one-party rule, as well as the problems of continual transfers of governing parties and destructive competition in multiparty political systems, are effectively mitigated.

In 2001, a man with a pointy nose and a pair of sunken eyes arrived in northeast China's Changchun City. The man, with the name Jean Christophe Iseux von Pfetten, turned out to be the first ever non-Chinese member of the CPPCC. He was in Changchun not for travelling, but for attending its city-level CPPCC.

"This was an amazing opportunity in 2001 to be invited by the then a mayor of Changchun to be a special invited member of CPPCC. But it was also a very important element of my learning curve on how the democratic system in China did work," said Pfetten, now president of the Institute for East-West Strategic Studies in Britain.

"In this CPPCC, you have a maximum of a quarter or a third of the house to be constituted of CPC members, which is very different from the case of the NPC. And you have representation of other political parties, you have representation of business, you have representation of religious minorities, as well as academic, then it's a very wide range of society which is being represented at the stations of the CPPCC," he said.

"The Western concept of democracy is meant to screen politicians through free competition, but increasingly lengthy political debates made it difficult to articulate the truth," said Ang Teck Sin, a political commentator in Singapore.

"The Chinese model basically changed the traditional perception of democracy," Ang said. "It's a system the world can draw from."
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The inscription He is Odins man is seen in a round half circle over the head of a figure on a golden bracteate unearthed in Vindelev, Denmark in late 2020. Scientists have identified the oldest-known reference to the Norse god Odin on a gold disc unearthed in western Denmark. Credit: Arnold Mikkelsen, The National Museum of Denmark via AP

Scandinavian scientists said Wednesday that they have identified the oldest-known inscription referencing the Norse god Odin on part of a gold disc unearthed in western Denmark in 2020.

Lisbeth Imer, a runologist with the National Museum in Copenhagen, said the inscription represented the first solid evidence of Odin being worshipped as early as the 5th centuryat least 150 years earlier than the previous oldest known reference, which was on a brooch found in southern Germany and dated to the second half of the 6th century.

The disc discovered in Denmark was part of a trove containing about a kilogram (2.2 pounds) of gold, including large medallions the size of saucers and Roman coins made into jewelry. It was unearthed in the village of Vindelev, central Jutland, and dubbed the Vindelev Hoard.

Experts think the cache was buried 1,500 years ago, either to hide it from enemies or as a tribute to appease the gods. A golden bracteatea kind of thin, ornamental pendantcarried an inscription that read, "He is Odin's man," likely referring to an unknown king or overlord.

"It's one of the best executed runic inscriptions that I have ever seen," Imer said. Runes are symbols that early tribes in northern Europe used to communicate in writing.

Odin was one of the main gods in Norse mythology and was frequently associated with war as well as poetry.

Experts Krister Vasshus, left, and Lisbeth Imer hold golden bracteates unearthed in Vindelev, Denmark in late 2020. Imer holds golden bracteate featuring He is Odins man inscription. Scandinavian scientists said Wednesday that they have identified the oldest-known inscription referencing to the Norse god Odin, on part of a gold disc unearthed in western Denmark in 2020. Credit: John Fhr Engedal Nissen, The National Museum of Denmark via AP

More than 1,000 bracteates have been found in northern Europe, according to the National Museum in Copenhagen, where the trove discovered in 2020 is on display.

Krister Vasshus, an ancient language specialist, said that because runic inscriptions are rare, "every runic inscription (is) vital to how we understand the past."

"When an inscription of this length appears, that in itself is amazing," Vasshus said. "It gives us some quite interesting information about religion in the past, which also tells us something about society in the past."

During the Viking Age, considered to be from 793 to 1066, Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest and trading throughout Europe. They also reached North America.

The Norsemen worshipped many gods and each of them had various characteristics, weaknesses and attributes. Based on sagas and some rune stones, details have emerged that the gods possessed many human traits and could behave like humans.

"That kind of mythology can take us further and have us reinvestigate all the other 200 bracteate inscriptions that we know," Imer said.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Essexella, a 310-million-year-old fossil sea anemone from Illinois. Credit: Papers in Palaeontology

Billions of sea anemones adorn the bottom of the Earth's oceansyet they are among the rarest of fossils because their squishy bodies lack easily fossilized hard parts. Now a team of paleontologists has discovered that countless sea anemone fossils have been hiding in plain sight for nearly 50 years.

In a newly published paper in the journal Papers in Palaeontology, University of Illinois Chicago's Roy Plotnick and colleagues report that fossils long-interpreted as jellyfish were anemones. To do so, they simply turned the ancient animals upside down.

"Anemones are basically flipped jellyfish. This study demonstrates how a simple shift of a mental image can lead to new ideas and interpretations," said Plotnick, UIC professor emeritus of earth and environmental sciences and the study's lead author.

The fossils come from the 310-million-year-old Mazon Creek fossil deposits of northern Illinois. Mazon Creek is a world-famous Lagerstatte, a term used by paleontologists to describe a site with exceptional fossil preservation. An ancient delta allowed the detailed preservation of the Mazon Creek soft-bodied organisms because millions of anemones and other animals were rapidly buried in muddy sediments.

"These fossils are better preserved than Twinkies after an apocalypse. In part that's because many of them burrowed into the seafloor as they were being buried by a stormy avalanche of mud," said study co-author James Hagadorn, an expert on unusual fossil preservation at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

By far the most common fossil at Mazon Creek is the form known to local recreational fossil collectors as "the blob," according to Plotnick, who notes that such blobs were so common and often nondescript that many were discarded or sold for a few dollars at local flea markets. Nevertheless, avocational collectors donated nearly all of the specimens in museum collections.

In 1979, Bradley University professor Merrill Foster made the first detailed study of the blobs. He decided that they were jellyfish and named them Essexella asherae. Foster reported these jellyfish had a unique feature found in no living jellyfish. This was a tough "curtain" that hung off its umbrella-like bellthe top part of a jellyfishakin to a skirt that enclosed their arms and tentacles, accounting for their barrel-like shapes.

Plotnick said that Foster also suggested that a small snail sometimes found in the skirt was a predator, similar to snails that prey on jellyfish in modern oceans.

In their new paper, the paleontologists took a fresh look at Essexella by examining thousands of museum specimens.

"It quickly became obvious that not only it wasn't a jellyfish, but turned upside down it was clearly an anemone, probably one that burrowed into the seafloor. The 'bell' was actually an expanded muscular foot used to wiggle the anemone into the seafloor," Plotnick said.

The tough "curtain" was the barrel-shaped body of the anemone. Another fossil jellyfish species that looked like a daisy turned out to represent rare anemones squashed from top to bottom, like one might stomp an aluminum can.

"Although most of these fossils are preserved as decomposing blobs that look like a piece of used gum on the sidewalk, some specimens are so superbly preserved that we can even see the muscles that the anemones used to bend and contract their bodies," said study co-author Graham Young, an expert on fossil jellyfish from the Manitoba Museum.

The researchers explain that the wide variety of preservation seen in Essexella specimens was due to the different durations that dead anemones sat on the seafloor before burial. The snail was not a predator, but a scavenger on the carcasses.

"When jellies like Essexella wash up onto the beach, they become a veritable beachside buffet, being snacked on by snails and other creatures like we see in this fossil deposit," Young said.

The team also suggested that a common trace fossil from the same period, long believed to be an anemone burrow, was made by an animal similar to Essexella. Because Essexella is so abundant, it may have lived in large aggregations on the sea floor, they report.

More information: Roy E. Plotnick et al, An abundant sea anemone from the Carboniferous Mazon Creek Lagersttte, USA, Papers in Palaeontology (2023). DOI: 10.1002/spp2.1479
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The decision of where to send a child for their K-12 education is a big one. According to new research from Rice University sociologists, approximately one-third of parents in their Dallas-based study make the call based on their own experiences in the classroom.

This method of decision making can exacerbate racial segregation and "white flight" from city schools, the research revealed.

"'I Went There': How Parent Experience Shapes School Decisions" will appear in a forthcoming issue of Social Currents. Study authors Anna Rhodes, an assistant professor of sociology at Rice; Julia Szabo, a graduate student in sociology at Rice; and Siri Warkentien, a researcher at RTI International, analyzed interviews with a socioeconomically and ethno-racially diverse sample of 60 parents in Dallas (data from the How Parents House Kids project).

The researchers found that parents with positive schooling experiences sought out schools like the ones they attended for their children. Meanwhile, parents with negative experiences aimed to avoid choosing similar schools for their kids.

While attempting to replicate positive schooling experiences was embraced by parents regardless of race or socioeconomic status, it was most common among white parents. Rhodes noted that this behavior can continue patterns of "white flight"especially true when white parents choose private or suburban schools like those they attended without considering other options.

"There's an intergenerational process that's happening through this form of school selection that allows white parents not to think about the broader social consequences of these decisions, which replicate patterns of white flight," Rhodes said. "Instead, parents focus on sending their child to the same type of school they attended, but this results in decisions that perpetuate patterns of segregation in schooling."

The study found that Black parents who had negative experiences in Dallas public schools aimed to avoid them, instead opting their children into charter schools.

Rhodes said the study highlights the importance of understanding patterns of school enrollment and their implications for educational inequality.

More information: Anna Rhodes et al, "I Went There": How Parent Experience Shapes School Decisions, Social Currents (2023). DOI: 10.1177/23294965231159306
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HCl solubility in different liquids. Credit: Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05683-0

A wildfire can pump smoke up into the stratosphere, where the particles drift for over a year. A new MIT study has found that while suspended there these particles can trigger chemical reactions that erode the protective ozone layer shielding the Earth from the sun's damaging ultraviolet radiation.

The study, published in Nature, focuses on the smoke from the "Black Summer" megafire in eastern Australia, which burned from December 2019 into January 2020. The firesthe country's most devastating on recordscorched tens of millions of acres and pumped more than 1 million tons of smoke into the atmosphere.

The MIT team identified a new chemical reaction by which smoke particles from the Australian wildfires made ozone depletion worse. By triggering this reaction, the fires likely contributed to a 3-5 percent depletion of total ozone at mid-latitudes in the southern hemisphere, in regions overlying Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Africa and South America.

The researchers' model also indicates the fires had an effect in the polar regions, eating away at the edges of the ozone hole over Antarctica. By late 2020, smoke particles from the Australian wildfires widened the Antarctic ozone hole by 2.5 million square kilometers10 percent of its area compared to the previous year.

It's unclear what long-term effect wildfires will have on ozone recovery. The United Nations recently reported that the ozone hole, and ozone depletion around the world, is on a recovery track, thanks to a sustained international effort to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals. But the MIT study suggests that as long as these chemicals persist in the atmosphere, large fires could spark a reaction that temporarily depletes ozone.

"The Australian fires of 2020 were really a wake-up call for the science community," says Susan Solomon, the Lee and Geraldine Martin Professor of Environmental Studies at MIT and a leading climate scientist who first identified the chemicals responsible for the Antarctic ozone hole. "The effect of wildfires was not previously accounted for in [projections of] ozone recovery. And I think that effect may depend on whether fires become more frequent and intense as the planet warms."

The study is led by Solomon and MIT graduate student Peidong Wang, along with collaborators from the Institute for Environmental and Climate Research in Guangzhou, China, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and Colorado State University.

Chlorine cascade

The new study expands on a 2022 discovery by Solomon and her colleagues in which they first identified a chemical link between wildfires and ozone depletion. The researchers found that chlorine-containing compounds, originally emitted by factories in the form of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), could react with the surface of fire aerosols.

This interaction, they found, set off a chemical cascade that produced chlorine monoxidethe ultimate ozone-depleting molecule. Their results showed that the Australian wildfires likely depleted ozone through this newly identified chemical reaction.

"But that didn't explain all the changes that were observed in the stratosphere," Solomon says. "There was a whole bunch of chlorine-related chemistry that was totally out of whack."

In the new study, the team took a closer look at the composition of molecules in the stratosphere following the Australian wildfires. They combed through three independent sets of satellite data and observed that in the months following the fires, concentrations of hydrochloric acid dropped significantly at mid-latitudes, while chlorine monoxide spiked.

Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is present in the stratosphere as CFCs break down naturally over time. As long as chlorine is bound in the form of HCl, it doesn't have a chance to destroy ozone. But if HCl breaks apart, chlorine can react with oxygen to form ozone-depleting chlorine monoxide.

In the polar regions, HCl can break apart when it interacts with the surface of cloud particles at frigid temperatures of about 155 Kelvin. However, this reaction was not expected to occur at mid-latitudes, where temperatures are much warmer.

"The fact that HCl at mid-latitudes dropped by this unprecedented amount was to me kind of a danger signal," Solomon says.

She wondered: What if HCl could also interact with smoke particles, at warmer temperatures and in a way that released chlorine to destroy ozone? If such a reaction was possible, it would explain the imbalance of molecules and much of the ozone depletion observed following the Australian wildfires.

Smoky drift

Solomon and her colleagues dug through the chemical literature to see what sort of organic molecules could react with HCl at warmer temperatures to break it apart.

"Lo and behold, I learned that HCl is extremely soluble in a whole broad range of organic species," Solomon says. "It likes to glom on to lots of compounds."

The question then, was whether the Australian wildfires released any of those compounds that could have triggered HCl's breakup and any subsequent depletion of ozone. When the team looked at the composition of smoke particles in the first days after the fires, the picture was anything but clear.

"I looked at that stuff and threw up my hands and thought, there's so much stuff in there, how am I ever going to figure this out?" Solomon recalls. "But then I realized it had actually taken some weeks before you saw the HCl drop, so you really need to look at the data on aged wildfire particles."

When the team expanded their search, they found that smoke particles persisted over months, circulating in the stratosphere at mid-latitudes, in the same regions and times when concentrations of HCl dropped.

"It's the aged smoke particles that really take up a lot of the HCl," Solomon says. "And then you get, amazingly, the same reactions that you get in the ozone hole, but over mid-latitudes, at much warmer temperatures."

When the team incorporated this new chemical reaction into a model of atmospheric chemistry, and simulated the conditions of the Australian wildfires, they observed a 5 percent depletion of ozone throughout the stratosphere at mid-latitudes, and a 10 percent widening of the ozone hole over Antarctica.

The reaction with HCl is likely the main pathway by which wildfires can deplete ozone. But Solomon guesses there may be other chlorine-containing compounds drifting in the stratosphere, that wildfires could unlock.

"There's now sort of a race against time," Solomon says. "Hopefully, chlorine-containing compounds will have been destroyed, before the frequency of fires increases with climate change. This is all the more reason to be vigilant about global warming and these chlorine-containing compounds."

More information: Susan Solomon, Chlorine activation and enhanced ozone depletion induced by wildfire aerosol, Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05683-0. www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05683-0 Journal information: Nature

This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Few costs have ballooned more than those of earning a college education. As such, the methods students pursue to fund college have also expanded.

A new study explores the association between the use of multiple funding sources and how that affects future educational pursuits.

"Pursuing multiple funding sources used to imply ambition," said ChangHwan Kim, professor of sociology at the University of Kansas. "Now it implies desperation."

His article titled "Changing Undergraduate Funding Mix and Graduate Degree Attainment" reveals the proportion of students who utilize only one or two funding sources decreased over recent decades, while those juggling three or more increased. Students mobilizing multiple sources have also become less likely to obtain a graduate degree. The study appears in The Journal of Higher Education.

Co-written by former KU doctoral student Byeongdon Oh of the University of California, Berkeley, the pair's study finds that one funding source is typically insufficient. Mixing three or more funding resources is currently the most common financial strategy.

"In older days, if you funded through multiple resources, it actually indicated you are capable. More ambitious. You knew how to work within the system," Kim said.

"Now people try to find multiple resources because they are desperate. One is never enough. So in older days, if you funded your school through work, you were equally likely to go to grad school compared to people who were funded by their family. Today there are clear disadvantages."

This research accesses the 2013, 2015 and 2017 National Survey of College Graduates by exploring the change in funding mixes across three cohorts: those born in 19531962, 19631972 and 19731982. The NSCG asks whether the respondent utilized each of 10 funding sources for college tuition, room and board, fees, books and supplies:

Family contributions, not to be repaid

Tuition waivers/fellowships/grants/ scholarships

Assistantships or work-study

Personal earnings

Personal savings

Employer support

Assistance from the Veterans Educational Assistance Act (i.e., G.I. Bill)

Loans from schools, banks or government

Loans from parents or relatives

Other resources.

The sample size for each of these data sets averaged 15,000 respondents.

Also accompanying such rising costs is rising debt.

Kim said, "Those who use multiple funding sources usually receive some money from family. And they usually work. But neither family support nor their own work is enough. So in response, they add debt."

Thus the reason for the drop in pursuing further schooling: Students accumulate so much debt from their undergraduate degree that the last thing they want to do is pile on more for a graduate degree, according to Kim.

The need for numerous funding sources is related to institutional changes as well, the study concludes. Policymakers have increased loan eligibility for a wider variety of students through a series of institutional changes, such as the Higher Education Amendments of 1992 and the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. A loan represents an attractive and widely exploited option for middle-class families as well.

"It's just a gradual change over time. It's not tied to any event or the economy," Kim said. "It's more about the gradual change in our education system. The whole American system has moved from supporting the university to supporting individuals. Then they make all those steps of borrowing money much easier."

In his article, Kim referred to college being considered "the great equalizer." Is it?

"Over time, the impact of college as a great equalizer has diminished. But nonetheless, I believe it is still a great equalizer," he said.

Both Kim and Oh are natives of Seoul, although they met in Kansas. Kim has taught at KU for 15 years, and he researches the labor market. His previous papers on college funding issues include "Broken Promise of College? New Educational Sorting Mechanisms for Intergenerational Association in the 21st Century" and "Are They Still Worth It? The Long-Run Earnings Benefits of an Associate Degree, Vocational Diploma or Certificate, and Some College."

For his own university funding, Kim utilized a scholarship and parental support to pay for his undergraduate degree in South Korea. He recalled that per-semester tuition was around $1,000.

"At this time, if I worked by myself, I could make about $300 per month and pay my own tuition," said Kim, who earned his doctorate from the University of Texas.

Currently, it's almost impossible for a student-level job to pay for the average cost of college.

"America is quite unique in this sense. Many European countries provide pretty cheap education to everyone. We have this mentality of college is for everybody," Kim said. "Yet we make this education much more expensive than almost anywhere else."

More information: Byeongdon Oh et al, Changing Undergraduate Funding Mix and Graduate Degree Attainment, The Journal of Higher Education (2023). DOI: 10.1080/00221546.2023.2171210
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Estimating neutron scattering after a collision. Credit: The European Physical Journal Plus (2023). DOI: 10.1140/epjp/s13360-023-03787-8

A new simulation approach named eTLE aims to improve the precision of a primary tool for estimating neutron behaviors in 3D space. This study examines the approach in detailvalidating its reliability in predicting the scattering of neutrons in crystalline media.

Tripoli-4 is a tool used by researchers to simulate the behaviors of interacting neutrons in 3D space. Recently, researchers developed a new "next-event estimator" (NEE) for Tripoli-4. Named eTLE, this approach aims to increase Tripoli-4's precision using Monte Carlo simulations: a class of algorithms which solve problems by repeatedly estimating the characteristics of a whole population of neutrons, by selecting random groups of individuals. Through new research published in The European Physical Journal Plus, a team led by Henri Hutinet at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission implement and validate eTLE's reliability for the first time.

Since the production of neutrons is a key element of nuclear fission reactions, this enhanced precision could ultimately help to improve the safety of nuclear reactors. The success of eTLE hinges on the principle that the transport and attenuation of neutrons through a medium is mathematically predictable. So far, the use of NEEs to predict this transport has been hindered by their treatment of neutrons as simple gases of interacting particles. In crystalline media, this causes the angles they follow as they scatter from each other to take on discrete valuesforbidding certain angles which may be necessary to understanding the neutrons' overall behavior.

In their study, Hutinet's team examined the outcomes of eTLE's Monte Carlo-based approach to estimating neutron behaviors. To validate their findings, they used a classical, unbiased NEE as a benchmark for studying several scattering neutrons inside crystalline mediaincluding graphite and beryllium. Their results revealed a strong agreement between these classical estimators and eTLE: representing a huge improvement compared with previous NEE approaches for Tripoli-4. By removing the need for discrete scattering angles, the team's work could now pave the way for nuclear reactor operators to predict neutron behaviors far more accurately in the future.

More information: Henri Hutinet et al, Neutron elastic scattering kernel for Monte Carlo next-event estimators in Tripoli-4, The European Physical Journal Plus (2023). DOI: 10.1140/epjp/s13360-023-03787-8

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Women are crucial to Myanmars peace in advocating for womens protection and inter-ethnic cooperation in the country. Credit: Pyae Sone Htun on Unsplash

Myanmar's formal peace efforts have traditionally involved only men. It's time for that to change.

It may not be obvious to observers but women are playing a quiet, but important role in attempts to bring Myanmar's long-warring parties to some form of peace.

Members of the Women's League of Burma, invited as observers to the formal peace process between 2011 and 2015, informally engaged with the predominantly male negotiators through "hallway meetings," bringing male counterparts tea and food as a vehicle to engage.

Myanmar has been bedeviled by internal conflict since its independence in 1948. Peace negotiations over the decades have been led by men and the elite classes. It has begged many parties to ask: "Where are the women?"

Stopping the conflict between Myanmar's ethnic armed resistance groups and the military dictatorship, which overthrew a military-approved civilian government two years ago, has been overshadowed by the urgent humanitarian, political and economic catastrophe brought on by the coup.

While the prospect of a formal, or "Track One," peace process involving diplomats at the government level is slim, civil society groups, specifically those led by women, continue to play central roles in sustaining peace in both formal and informal avenues developed during the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement process between 20112015.

Bringing sharper focus to this push for more meaningful participation is essential in supporting women's involvement at formal talks and making visible the ongoing key roles women play in multi-track diplomacy which consists of three levels, albeit in parallel, informal and underground formats.

There are three levels to multi-track diplomacy. Women have been absent from Track One, which is the formal process. Track Two is understood as the "in-between" which engages influential parties in discreet and largely off-record talks and is often facilitated by third parties. Many of these activities take place at the civil society organization or community-based organization level, or what would be termed the Track Three level, or the community level.

The question of "Where are the women?" therefore could best be applied to the Track One level, to better challenge the misconception that women have not played a role within the wider Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement peace process.

Women's organizations have been influential in both advocating for women's inclusion and amplified voices within the process and in advocating for women's protection and inter-ethnic cooperation in Myanmar. During the peace process, women's civil society organizations have been active through coalitions that have served as the primary platform for several women's groups in Myanmar across ethnic nationalities to meet and put forth demands. In 2016, it put forward a demand for a gender quota of a minimum of 30 percent representation of women in Myanmar's peace process, but this quota was never met.

In a post-coup environment, understanding that sustaining peace occurs across multiple tracks and outside the confines of a formal Track One peace process is essential. For instance, disparate movements have also been influential in supporting Myanmar women's movements and visibility. In Southern Thailand, movements like the Peace Agenda of Women have brought together 23 women's groups to advocate for women's protection and public safety in Myanmar and near the border.

Movements like #SisterstoSisters are working via social media to raise awareness of violence used on women by the Myanmar military. Sisters to Sisters is largely an advocacy platform that does not seem to engage in dialogue, but instead amplifies women's voices and plights more broadly in the conflict.

Myanmar is incredibly diverse. In the case of women's civil society engagements, the cause of women's inclusion and protection against gendered violence has often helped to build a bridge between ethnic minorities, with women from varied ethnic backgrounds finding a common cause. This is not always as utopian as it may seem, with many ethnic minority women in Myanmar still feeling excluded from advocacy groups.

The influence women as caretakers and community leaders have also played in preventing violence cannot be underestimated. Emerging research has demonstrated how women in Kayah state in eastern Myanmar have often been the sole caretakers of their homes and communities as men leave to find work in other states. Many of these women report feeding troops and working to maintain stability within their community to minimize violence and hostility.

Measuring the exact impact these movements have had on formal decision-making is a difficult and perennial question but as peace processes in Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine show, there is a need to expand peacemaking strategies beyond the Track One peace table to include more diverse ways of sustaining peace and security for communities in conflict.

Provided by International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

If you own stock in a company targeted for acquisition, the behavior and makeup of the company's board of directorsparticularly whether it includes womencould be worth a lot of money for you.

A study co-authored by UC Riverside business professor Jerayr "John" Haleblian found boards that meet more often and have women and minority members capture more value when company buyout deals close.

"When they meet more frequently, they get a better price when they cash out," said Haleblian. "But there's nuance to that. It wasn't just frequency that mattered. It was also kind of the makeup of the board."

The presence of women board members also increased buyout value, the study found. Women appear to spur more robust analysis and discussions of pertinent but complex information leading up to a buyout, Haleblian said.

"Female directors offer a different perspective. And when you have more perspectives, you tend to get better discussion, more thorough, and a more complete discussion."

Additionally, boards with members who served on several other corporate boardsknown as "overboarded" directorstended to capture less value.

Haleblian said this is because those serving on many boards simply can't put in as much time, attention, and effort to process the complex information, which compromises their ability to contribute constructively.

"You want people who are paying attention," Haleblian said. "So, overboarded directors signaled a lack of attention."

The analysis was based on public data of 470 boards of companies targeted for buyout between 2002 and 2014. Entitled, "When Do Boards of Directors Contribute to Shareholder Value in Firms Targeted For Acquisition? A Group Information-Processing Perspective," it was published in the journal Organization Science. The other authors are Stevo Pavicevic, an assistant professor at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, and Thomas Keil, a professor at the International Management at the University of Zurich.

Board performance could be measured by calculating the ratio of the buyout premium paid by the purchasing company over the total stock value of the company sold. The finding about women directors was particularly compelling.

When boards of targeted companies had two or more female directors, the selling price of the firm increased by greater than 5% compared to boards with no women, the study found.

"We found that if you have one female on the board you get a benefit," Haleblian said. "But if you have two or more, you get even more benefits. So, it's kind of a linear relationship."

"Males," he added, "tend to be a little bit more risk-seeking, and females will temper that and say, "Hey, well, let's calm down here, and let's look at the numbers carefully."

He said all-male boards are also more likely to engage in groupthink, with individuals suppressing concerns to get along with other board members and to move forward. These boards also tend to accept the information from top executives with less questioning.

"If you have all men on the board, it's possible that they'll think in one way," Haleblian said. "If you bring in minority members, they might offer a fresh perspective."

The data did not allow for an analysis of how boards comprised of all women may operate.

"Unfortunately, even in our sample, there's not an overwhelming amount of women on boards," he said. "We did have boards without women, and when boards did have women, it wasn't like they ever reached a majority."

The study found that 31% of boards had one or more female directors. Only 14% had two or more.

The study also found that the quality of board meetings makes more a difference in diversified acquisitions, such as when a business is purchased by company from a different industry. The target company's board will need to answer questions like, "what our value to them?" And, "how will they use us?"

"It's a more complex decision-making environment," Haleblian said. "So as the complexity of the information environment gets higher, then the meetings make more of a difference."

More information: Stevo Pavicevic, Jerayr (John) Haleblian and Thomas Keil, When Do Boards of Directors Contribute to Shareholder Value in Firms Targeted for Acquisition? A Group Information-Processing Perspective, Organization Science (2023). DOI: 10.1287/orsc.2022.1643. pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs  643?journalCode=orsc Journal information: Organization Science
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

The novel chemical synthesis of anthracimycin devised by Prof. Tong and his team. Credit: HKUST

A research team from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed the world's most productive chemical synthesis, which could yield antibiotic anthracimycin and anthracimycin B that is 63 times more prolific than the current method. The breakthrough greatly advances the development of anthracimycin-based antibiotics to combat deadly bacteria infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria and even superbugs.

Since its discovery from an ocean microbe a decade ago, anthracimycin has drawn the attention of scientists around the world for its potential to combat Gram-positive bacteria, including the notorious methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the bacterium Bacillus anthracis.

Among the pathogens, MRSA is known for causing staph infections that are difficult to treat because of the bacteria's resistance to some commonly used antibiotics such as penicillin. While scientists have been making efforts to develop anthracimycin into a new clinical antibiotic to address the mounting threat of antibiotic resistance and treatment failure, their progress is hindered by anthracimycin's lack of availability.

Now, a team led by Prof. Tong Rongbiao, Associate Professor of the Department of Chemistry at HKUST and Prof. Qian Peiyuan, Chair Professor of Department of Ocean Science at HKUST, has designed a productive chemical synthesis strategy that could greatly boost the yield of anthracimycin. Consisting of just ten steps, the world's shortest synthesis route not only produces 63 times more anthracimycin than the current method, but also brings down the cost due to the lower amount of reagent and solvent needed during the chemical process.

A research team led by Prof. Tong Rongbiao, Associate Professor of the Department of Chemistry at HKUST (middle). Credit: HKUST

In addition, the team has also verified for the first time that anthracimycin could inhibit the formation of MRSA biofilms. Compared to vancomycin, which was regarded as the last-line defense against serious infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria, lower concentrations of anthracimycin are needed for killing or inhibiting bacterial growth.

Prof. Tong said, "Our novel chemical synthesis overcomes the fundamental bottleneck of limited availability of anthracimycin and enables the scientists to further study its antibiotic activity, laying the groundwork for clinical drug development. Currently, we are collaborating with a biological laboratory to synthesize a set of anthracimycin antibiotics in the hope of identifying the combination with better antibacterial activity for possible further clinical trials."

The findings were recently published in Chemical Science.

More information: Peilin Tian et al, Ten-step asymmetric total syntheses of potent antibiotics anthracimycin and anthracimycin B, Chemical Science (2022). DOI: 10.1039/D2SC05049H Journal information: Chemical Science
JACKSON  A Cambridge man was arrested after allegedly running a car with minors inside off the road during a domestic dispute, New York State Police said.

At 3:07 p.m. on Wednesday, New York State Police responded to reports of a domestic dispute in the area of Legrys Road in the town of Jackson.

The victims were located at the Cambridge Village Police Department. According to police, an investigation determined that Shannon L. Hunt Jr., 33, intentionally struck another vehicle with his car multiple times, causing the other vehicle to exit the road and injure two occupants.

The victims vehicle was occupied by one adult and five children under the age of 17. Police said this incident occurred while an active court-issued order of protection was in place protecting four of the vehicles occupants from Hunt. His vehicle was located unoccupied shortly after the incident.

On Thursday, state police located Hunt in the area of South Park Street in Cambridge and arrested him.

He was charged with two felony counts of second-degree criminal mischief, four felony counts of first-degree criminal contempt, five misdemeanor counts of second-degree reckless endangerment, four counts of endangering the welfare of a child and other Vehicle and Traffic Law violations.

He was arraigned at the Jackson Town Court and taken to the Washington County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond.
QUEENSBURY  Dr. William Borgos, chief medical officer at Hudson Headwaters Health Network, has been awarded the 2023 Dr. Jack Geiger Award from the Community Health Care Association of New York State.

The award recipient is selected from nominees across the state who reflect the legacy of Dr. Geiger, a physician and civil rights activist who led the community health center model in the United States, according to a press release.

During a statewide virtual presentation, Dr. Tucker Slingerland, chief executive officer of Hudson Headwaters, presented the award to Borgos.

Having grown up in Queensbury, Dr. Borgos has a unique connection with the community, and is committed to providing the best patient care, Slingerland said in the press release. His leadership, and the leadership of all chief medical officers throughout New York, was tested during the pandemic. Dr. Borgos not only continued to care for his large panel of patients but was available to address questions and concerns from government officials, school personnel and business leaders. He is a role model colleague, and I cannot think of a better leader to be recognized.

Borgos has provided care to Hudson Headwaters patients since 2003. He became Hudson Headwaters chief medical officer just before the COVID-19 pandemic began and took on the role of leading the local emergency response working closely with public health officials and medical directors across the Capital Region, Adirondacks and North Country. He helped to secure federally supplied monoclonal antibodies to treat the seriously ill and guided Hudson Headwaters COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts. During this time, he was an integral part of the leadership team guiding the development of the networks team-based care initiatives, the introduction of telehealth options for patients and oversight of the networks quality program.

I feel lucky to have returned to my home region 20 years ago and to provide care to this community, Borgos said in the release. Dr. Jack Geiger challenged us as clinicians to address what we now call social determinants of health. Im proud to be a part of CHCANYS, as I recognize and appreciate that my community health center colleagues know the importance of looking at issues beyond a single patient and office visit.
SCHROON  Police have identified the man who died after falling through the ice Saturday on Schroon Lake.

New York State Police identified Paul J. Kelleher, 71, of Schenectady, as the operator of a snowmobile that was suspected to have fallen through the ice.

Police said Kelleher was traveling with family members on Schroon Lake when the group became separated due to whiteout conditions. DEC forest rangers were notified of the incident and responded to the lake with an airboat. The rangers located Kelleher and he was pronounced deceased on scene by the Essex County coroner.

State police were assisted at the scene by the forest rangers, Schroon Lake Fire and Rescue and the Essex County medical examiner.
SCHROON LAKE  A Schenectady man died on Saturday after falling through the ice on Schroon Lake.

DEC forest rangers received a report at 2:15 a.m. of a missing person suspected of falling in the ice while snowmobiling earlier in the evening. Rangers responded in an airboat. The snow and wind slowed the response time, according to a news release.

At 8:47 a.m., the 71-year-old from Schenectady was found deceased. Rangers transported the body to shore and turned the deceased over to Schroon Lake Rescue. The case was turned over to New York State Police investigators.
MAURICE RIVER TOWNSHIP  A 42-year-old man faces murder charges in the November death of an inmate at Bayside State Prison.

Authorities charged Bruce Duette with the murder of Martin Sanchez, 41, Cumberland County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McRae said Wednesday.

According to the statement, Duette was also an inmate at Bayside at the time of Sanchezs death.

On Nov. 21, Sanchez was found unresponsive in his cell with apparent trauma to his head and face, according to the Prosecutors Office. He was pronounced dead shortly after.

The prosecution plans to request Duette be kept in custody while awaiting trial.

The statement did not indicate a motive, and Webb-McRae declined to offer any further details than were included in the statement, including on what charges Duette had originally been in prison.

Inmate killed in Cumberland County state prison MAURICE RIVER TOWNSHIP  A 41-year-old inmate at Bayside State Prison was found dead in his 

I dont speak about defendants prior charges in my press releases as I have an ethical obligation not to create public condemnation surrounding defendants, she said.

State prison records show multiple charges against Duette, including aggravated manslaughter from March 2005 and one count of conspiracy to commit homicide from July of the same year. The charges were filed in Mercer County.

Details of those charges were released by the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office in 2013, when Duette was identified as a member of a subset of the Bloods gang, accused in 2013 of conspiring to commit a drive-by shooting in Trenton in 2005. According to that release, he was in the process of getting a Thompson machine gun when the shooting began July 27, 2005. No one was hit in that case.

He had previously been indicted in 2010 in another violent episode between alleged gang members in which three people were killed.

Records show Duette to be eligible for parole in 2030.

The New Jersey Department of Corrections and the Cumberland County Prosecutors Office investigated the death.
ATLANTIC CITY  A Pleasantville man is the third person to be arrested in the killing of an Atlantic City man in December, the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office said Tuesday.

Fuquan Moore, 20, is charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose in the Dec. 5 killing of Timothy Council Jr. He is being held at the Atlantic County jail.

Police responded to a gunshot alert at 10:52 p.m. in the 600 block of Absecon Boulevard, where they found Council wounded by gunfire, the Prosecutors Office said in a news release.

Council was taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead. An autopsy from the Southern Regional Medical Examiners Office showed Council died from his gunshot wound, the Prosecutors Office said.

Police previously arrested Oquan Thomas, 18, of Atlantic City, and a 17-year-old city resident in Councils killing.

Authorities continue to investigate. Anyone with additional information can call the Prosecutors Office at 609-909-7800 or visit acpo.org/tips. They also can call Atlantic County Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234, 800-658-8477 (TIPS), or visit crimestoppersatlantic.com.
MIDDLE TOWNSHIP  Mayor Tim Donohue has decided not to seek a fifth term on the Township Committee, stepping back in favor of Christopher Leusner, who recently announced his retirement as the township police chief.

Donohue made the announcement at a Tuesday meeting of the Middle Township Regular Republican organization at the Old Court House, withdrawing his letter of intent to seek the organizations nomination and supporting Leusner for his first foray into electoral politics.

The members of the GOP committee unanimously supported Leusner as the 2023 candidate for committee.

Donohue was elected to the Township Committee in 2011 and has served seven years as mayor. In Middle Township, the mayor is chosen each year by the three-member Township Committee. In that time, Donohue helped move the township to a Republican majority, after decades of Democratic government. At one point, Donohue was the lone Republican on the board, which is now entirely Republican.

Its been an amazing 12 years, and Ive been so proud to serve our hometown, Donohue said. But after heartfelt discussions with my family and close friends, I feel the time is right for me to move on to new challenges. I could not think of a better candidate to represent our cause going forward than Chris Leusner.

So far, no Democratic candidate has been announced, and some Middle Democrats say the popular police chief would be tough to beat. Potential candidates have until March 27 to file petitions to appear on the June primary ballot for a spot on the party line in November.

Middle Township police chief recommends armed guards at school entrances MIDDLE TOWNSHIP  Police Chief Christopher Leusner is recommending posting an armed guard at

Chris record of service to Middle Township is exemplary, and I look forward to Chris bringing his stellar work ethic, unimpeachable integrity and proven leadership skills to our governing body in 2024, Donohue said.

Leusner is set to retire as police chief May 31. He spent 26 years with the Middle Township Police Department, working his way through the ranks to become chief in 2009. He served as president of the Cape May County Chiefs Association from 2015 to 2017 and led the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police from June 2019 to June 2020.

Leusners father, Charles Chuck Leusner, served as a Democrat on Middle Township Committee from 1983 to 2007, serving as mayor from 1999 to 2001.

Like Mayor Donohue, I was raised in a family committed to public service, Leusner said. I am proud and honored to have served with my fellow officers of the MTPD for over 25 years. For nearly half of those years I have had the privilege of working with Tim Donohue to build a better Middle Township.

Donohue had submitted a letter of intent to seek a new term to township Republican leader Joe Ravitz on Jan. 16. The last time he sought reelection, in 2020, Donohue took the largest number of votes in township history against Democratic challenger Bob Jackson.

Im truly humbled to be chosen by the Middle Township Regular Republican Organization to advance this legacy of good work with Deputy Mayor Ike Gandy and Committeeman Jim Norris, Leusner said.
Itll feel more like January than March on Wednesday for a change. Wind chills will start around 20 degrees, turning into a cooler than average day. Winds will be breezy. A coastal storm will then impact us Friday night into Saturday.

Youll want the winter gear when youre outside Wednesday morning. Most Marches, this is common. However, given the warmth this year, its unusual.

The wind chill will stay below freezing during the morning, moderating for the afternoon. Winds will diminish as the day goes on, good news for our firefighters as they battle the wildfire that erupted in Little Egg Harbor Township.

Winds will gust up to 35 mph in the morning, diminishing to 30 mph during the afternoon. Theyll come from the northwest. The humidity will be a little bit higher than Tuesday, too, further helping the firefighting effort.

Otherwise, high temperatures will be in the mid- to upper 40s.

Wednesday night will be calmer and clear. Temperatures will fall into the 40s and 30s during the evening.

Overnight lows will be in the mid-20s in many inland spots. There is potential for lower in the rural Pine Barrens, where the sandy soil helped eject extra heat out of the ground. The shore will be around 30 degrees.

Thursday should see morning sunshine give way to some afternoon clouds. Itll be a seasonable day by early March standards. Highs will be in the upper 40s. However, with the stronger sun, itll cut some of that chill.

Clouds will fizzle Thursday evening, only to fill back in overnight.

The only thing this will do is put our nighttime low temperatures around midnight. Itll be in the upper 20s for Mays Landing and inland spots, with near 32 readings for Atlantic City and the shore. Then well rise above freezing come morning.

Friday will be similar to last Friday. Most of the day will be dry, with a coastal storm at night. I believe through 4 p.m., youre 100% rain-free. So outdoor activities will be OK. It will be chilly with that breeze off the ocean, though. Highs will be in the mid-40s.

Then, the coastal storm. I do see snow in the forecast for some of us. Primarily, though, this will be a rain maker, coupled by one or two rounds of coastal flooding and gusty winds.

The window for rain will open at 4 p.m., with steady rain falling between 6 and 9 p.m. Temperatures will be well above freezing.

The track of the low will be key to what we see, as always. If the low pressure goes over New Jersey on its way out to sea, were likely all rain.

If the low pressure goes over the Delmarva peninsula, or Virginia, then we get some snow inland.

Precipitation will end around midday Saturday.

Find tide times, coastal flooding forecast for the Jersey Shore here Below are Jersey Shore locations with previous and forecast tide data. The forecasts show wh

Up to 6 inches of salt water will threaten with the Saturday morning (7 to 11 a.m.) and evening (8 p.m. to midnight) high tides.
Los Angeles: Gigi Hadid, in her own words, is a "nepotism baby". The 27-year-old model is the daughter of Yolanda Hadid and Mohamed Hadid, and she accepts that she comes from "privilege".



However, she insists that she's worked hard for her success in the fashion industry, reports Female First UK.



Gigi - who has two-year-old Khai with ex-boyfriend Zayn Malik - told the Sunday Times newspaper: "Technically, I'm a nepotism baby."



She also explained that her parents have instilled good work ethics in her. The blonde beauty - who is the sister of fellow model Bella Hadid - shared: "My parents came from very little, (but) I've always acknowledged that I come from privilege."



She further mentioned, quoted by Female First UK: "My parents told me, 'Just because you have parents who were successful doesn't mean you shouldn't walk into the job being as nice and as hard-working as you can be."



Gigi was recently linked to Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio. And the catwalk star admits that it's hard for her to have a healthy relationship.



She explained: "I don't know how anyone expects anybody they see in the public eye to have any sort of normal dating experience if you tie people (to one another) so quickly."



Last month, a source explained that although Gigi and Leonardo "get along well", they're not dating. The celebrity duo were spotted together in Milan, but a source insisted that they're merely friends.

IANS
Makes remark at a Chatham House interation

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has called the BJP a wing of fascist RSS which subverts the democracy it uses to come to power.

The Wayanad MP made the remarks during an interation at London-based think tank Chatham House on late Monday evening.

The complete capture of Indias institutions by the RSS has changed the nature of countrys democratic contest, he added.

Rahul Gandhi also alleged the Opposition is not allowed to have any conversation around the Demonetisation, Kisan Bill, GST imposition and the Chinese aggression.

Speaking about his Bharat Jodo Yatra,the Congress leader said: The Yatra was our communication gateway to reach out to the people of India. The BJP is blinded by the power it has recklessly enjoyed in the last nine years, Rahul Gandhi said. IANS
 Flash

Chinese tourists take part in a welcome ceremony at the Auckland Airport in Auckland, New Zealand, March 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Guo Lei)

A group of Chinese tourists on board the China Southern Airlines CZ305 that arrived at the Auckland Airport Friday evening was welcomed at a special ceremony with gifts and traditional performances.

The tour group of 61 Chinese travellers is the first official Chinese tour group to arrive in New Zealand since early 2020.

Tourists in this tour group have been waiting for their New Zealand trip for a long time. Sixty-seven-year-old Wang Li and her husband were excited to kick-start their first international trip in three years. "New Zealand has been our life dream destination for many years," she said.

Jiang Weizu, 76, is the eldest in this tour group. He has several hundred social media followers who want to watch him travel through live-streaming. "I booked my New Zealand trip three years ago before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that I am finally here, my followers can't wait to watch my live-streaming from New Zealand," said Jiang.

New Zealand's government officials, Chinese embassy representatives and business leaders welcomed the tour group at the airport. Pounamu (New Zealand greenstone jade) pendants and New Zealand-China diplomatic relations 50th anniversary first-day covers were presented to the tourists as gifts at the ceremony, which also featured New Zealand traditional Maori performances.

Counsellor Dong Zhixue from the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand said the landing of the first tourist group marks a historic moment in the resumption of tourism cooperation between China and New Zealand. The tourism industry is significant in promoting people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

"Every Chinese tourist is a people ambassador of China-New Zealand friendship," said Dong.

On behalf of Tourism Minister Peeni Henare, New Zealand Member of Parliament Naisi Chen said, "we are pleased that China has resumed outbound groups and has chosen New Zealand to be one of 20 countries under the new pilot program."

The tourism relationship with China is important to New Zealand, and the New Zealand industry will be excited to welcome back Chinese tourists, Chen added.

Before the pandemic, China is an important tourism market for New Zealand. In 2019, New Zealand welcomed 400,000 visitors from China, making it the country's second-largest visitor market. The country remained committed to the China market and worked hard over the pandemic to maintain its appeal.

At the welcome ceremony, Angela Blair, general manager of the International of Tourism New Zealand, said they are very excited to welcome back Chinese visitors with restrictions being lifted and group travel possible again.

"Your visit will take you to many beautiful regions across the country, and we hope that you have the opportunity to experience all that New Zealand has to offer - our unique wildlife, spectacular natural landscapes, adventure offerings, distinct local culture, fine food and wine, and a very special type of hospitality that we call manaakitanga," she said.

Scott Tasker, Chief Customer Officer at Auckland Airport, said that across March and through into early May, the three airlines currently connecting Auckland with the Chinese mainland - China Southern, China Eastern and Air New Zealand - are all bringing on more flights to them.

"It will provide a late summer boost to the tourism sector. As we roll out of the summer peak into the autumn shoulder season, which we all know is a fantastic time to visit New Zealand, we start seeing some of the North American seasonal services reduce. The arrival of more capacity from the Chinese connections will help smooth the cycle and extend the summer season for our local tourism operators," said Tasker.

From late March, passenger flight services between China and New Zealand will increase. Besides the tourists boost, the increase in flights means that air freight capacity between the two countries will grow.

China is Auckland Airport's second-largest air freight market, with volumes growing 13 percent year-on-year and up 5.5 percent from 2019 despite COVID-19 restrictions.

With the belly-hold of passenger aircraft traditionally providing 80 percent of Auckland Airport's air freight capacity, the increase in services on a key trading route will also be welcomed by New Zealand businesses, said Tasker.




The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to accused BJP MLA Madal Virupakshappa in connection with the bribe for tender scam in which he is named as the prime accused.

The single bench division court headed by Justice K Natarajan after granting interim anticipatory bail, directed the accused MLA to appear before the investigation officer within 48 hours of the order.

Accused MLA has to give Rs 5 lakh bond and two sureties before the court. The bail will be granted to the accused MLA, until the Lokayukta police submit their reports and documents against him, the court said. The matter has been adjourned for next hearing to March 17. IANS
MidAmerican has added a new utility truck to its Quad-Cities fleet, and it's virtually silent.

The utility company is the first in the industry in Iowa to deploy all-electric trucks. For now, there is one each in the Sioux City, Des Moines and the Quad-Cities, Director of Regional Operations Ben Keith said.

It started as a pilot program, he said. As technology improves and the trucks are able to travel longer distances, he expects the company to buy more.

"If we have the opportunity and things start to work themselves out that these are efficient and economical, we're all about trying to find ways to get new equipment here," Keith said.

The trucks run on two batteries  one for the engine and one for the ladder. On a single charge, they travel about 150 miles. Journeyman Toby Crouch said the big advantage to having the new vehicles was the quiet that came with them.

The hydraulic pole that is attached to the bucket, called a boom, extends about 55 feet, so workers can reach wires. While up there, the workers must communicate with crews on the ground. Not having to shout over the engine noise makes that easier, he said.

"When you're on a job site working, and you're up in the bucket and trying to talk to someone on the ground because you need something, it's hard to hear," Crouch said. "You're way up there, plus the diesel noise, but with this you don't have to deal with that."

In 2015 MidAmerican started buying hybrid trucks. With the full electric truck now joining the fleet, the company has come full circle. There is a learning curve that comes with an electric truck, Keith said, but the roll-out has gone well.

"Everybody here is always interested in what's next and what's new, so that's definitely exciting when it comes to these type of things," Keith said.
CAMBRIDGE, Ill.  The Granite City man charged with murder in the April 2022 death of Knox County Sheriff's Deputy Nicholas Weist appeared Tuesday in Henry County Circuit Court for a pre-trial hearing.

Circuit Judge Norma Kauzlarich said she, Henry County State's Attorney Catherine Runty and defense attorney Bruce Carmen conferred in chambers and agreed that all three needed to research an issue prior to the next hearing.

Daylon K. Richardson, 23, will have another pre-trial hearing on April 25 at which time his final pre-trial hearing date and a jury trial date will be set.

Richardson was charged with murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, aggravated fleeing and improper traffic lane usage after an April 29, 2022, car chase from Galesburg to the Alpha area. Richardson is accused of hitting Weist while the deputy was putting out stop sticks. The sticks disabled Richardson's vehicle, and he was apprehended on foot shortly after, police said.

The chase began after Galesburg police were notified of an individual with a gun at a Galesburg gas station about 8 a.m.

Following Tuesday's hearing, Runty, the state's attorney, said the research that the judge, the defense attorney and she would need to do was related to a sentencing issue. The group needed to be on the same page before the trial, she said.

Judge Kauzlarich said the court would try to have the final pre-trial hearing sometime in June, and she would get two weeks blocked off her calendar for the trial in July or August.
CAMBRIDGE  A Geneseo man is being held in the Henry County Jail on $1 million bond on a sexual-related charge.

Preston L. Atkisson, 33, was charged Monday in Henry County Circuit Court with Class 2 felony aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

According to the charge, Atkisson allegedly committed an act of sexual conduct against a female under the age of 13 on or about March 5.

He was arraigned by Judge James Cosby. If found guilty, the penalty for the felony includes a prison term of 3-7 years, but the charge is also probationable. A preliminary hearing was set for March 13. He indicated he would hire private counsel.

Atkisson also has a March 23 pre-trial hearing in another case that includes a Class 4 felony charge of criminal sexual abuse. According to that charge, on May 5, 2022, he allegedly committed an act of sexual conduct while in the back of a closed, moving ambulance from which the woman was unable to escape.
UPDATE: The two missing men on snowmobiles have been found alive. According to the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, the pair were located and evacuated from the area and treated by medical personnel.

Here is the previous story...

Two men in their 70s have been reported missing after failing to return home from snowmobiling Tuesday near Rochford Road in western Pennington County.

According to the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, Laurence "Jeff" Willett, 73, and Leon Kleingartner, 73, went snowmobiling at approximately 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, departing from 11465 Rochford Road heading westbound.

The two men were expected to return home before dusk Tuesday, but did not. The sheriff's office said the two men left their mobile phones and maps behind. Willett and Kleingartner were using a 2014 green Arctic Cat and a 2016 orange Arctic Cat snowmobiles.

Willett is described as a white male, 5-feet, 8-inches tall, weighing 170 pounds, with brown eyes, grey hair and a white moustache. He was last seen wearing a 1970s-style snowmobile suit and leather snow boots.

Kleingartner is described as a white male, 5-feet, 9-inches tall, weighing 170 pounds, with blue eyes and grey hair. He wears glasses. He was last seen wearing a green helmet, black Polaris jacket, snowmobile pants, and black and green boots.

The sheriff's office said both men are in extreme danger because of an incoming snowstorm. A search and rescue team has been formed and is asking for assistance in locating the missing men.

Civilian snowmobile operators are asked to meet at noon Wednesday at the Rochford Volunteer Fire Department to aid in the search. Anyone with information about the missing men is asked to call 605-394-4131 or 605-584-2530.

The Pennington County Sheriff's Office, Pennington County Search and Rescue, South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks, and Lawrence County Search and Rescue are working the search.
The three alleged victims who survived being shot at the Central States Fair last summer sat in the Pennington County Courthouse on Tuesday and listened to the accused defendant testify.

One appeared disgusted by the testimony, another fought back smiles and rubbed his face with his hands as he listened, and a third sat with both his parents, keeping his reaction to a visible minimum.

Kasey Arehart, 18, of Rapid City, is accused of shooting at the teenagers near the fairgrounds in Rapid City on Aug. 22. Arehart took the stand as the final and only witness for the defense.

He faces three counts of aggravated assault and one count of discharge of a firearm at a motor vehicle, and is accused of sticking a handgun into a car containing two 17-year-old boys and a 16-year-old boy and firing it multiple times. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The alleged victims were part of a group of seven friends. The four other teenagers in the group sat in a vehicle parked alongside the alleged victims' vehicle and witnessed the shooting. One of the teens in the second vehicle had "jumped" Arehart as well as his friends in the past, according to Arehart's testimony.

The evening started with normal fair activities, rose to a corn dog stick being thrown and, ultimately, ended with gunfire and law enforcement.

Arehart testified that he and three of his friends went to the Central States Fair to ride rides around 10:30 p.m. When they realized the fair seemed "dead," they decided to get some food.

As they sat eating and talking with a food worker, Arehart testified a subject he and a friend had issues with in the past walked by with his girlfriend. One of Arehart's friends tossed a corn dog stick at the boy after he gave a "smirk" to the group, Arehart said.

The couple moved on and rejoined the group of friends they came with according to earlier testimony.

"(He) was just being funny," Arehart said about his friend, adding that he had no intention of there being a fight over the corn dog stick.

According to the testimony of the alleged victims, the teen who had the corn dog stick thrown at him told his friends about the incident, but didn't seem angry or like he was seeking confrontation over it.

The couple, along with five other teens, left the fairgrounds to go to their cars around midnight  closing time for the fair before it was changed.

Arehart testified he and his group left around the same time. When he got back to his vehicle to take his friends home, Arehart said he noticed that two cars that hadn't been there before were parked next to his vehicle.

He saw someone get out of one of the vehicles and started feeling suspicious about the situation, thinking he might be with the teen he and his friends had problems with.

Arehart testified the teenager asked him about his chain and his shoes. He decided to go to his vehicle and grab his handgun, tucking it in his waistband. Arehart said he had the gun in his car because he had gone target-shooting earlier that day, but it was normally kept in a drawer at home.

He said he heard a "commotion" and showed the boy standing outside the vehicle the handgun hoping he would leave him alone. He said he was afraid for his well-being. At some point, Arehart ended up next to the vehicle.

Arehart testified that the boy, standing between the vehicle and the open back passenger door, grabbed for his gun through the open window. At that point, Arehart testified, he was afraid for his life. During the struggle, a strobe light and laser mounted on the gun got turned on and the gun discharged.

Arehart testified the teen jumped backward to sit back into the car, pulling him through the open window. The door closed and Arehart's arm was pinned to the door frame as the teen continued to try to get the gun from him.

The car then "peeled off" taking Arehart with in as it made two circles, dragging him along and ultimately slamming him against the open door of his car, which was parked nearby.

Arehart said he went unconscious and woke up to his friend asking him if he was okay. He had trouble breathing and his arm and hand were stuck "like a tree branch."

He got into the car with his friends to go to the hospital. His arm regained normalcy and Arehart said he decided they should go back to the scene and call 911.

The state attempted to dismantle Arehart's testimony, pointing out that the teenager was six-foot-tall, asking Arehart how he would have been able to reach through the open window, struggle for the gun and sit back in the car, all ending with the door closing.

"I'm really confused about your story," said Adam Shiffermiller, deputy Pennington County state's attorney.

Arehart maintained through his testimony that the teenager pulled him into the vehicle.

According to the teen that Arehart said tried to grab his gun, he was simply sitting in the back of the vehicle when Arehart approached the car with the gun, strobe light ablaze. He testified that Arehart had asked for the teenager he reportedly had an issue with, and that he did not personally know him.

Right after Arehart said, "Let me see what's up in here," he stuck the gun in the car's open window and shot, according to victim testimony. The teen said he grabbed Arehart's arm and pinned it against the door frame.

"I just didn't want him to shoot anybody," he testified.

He said that Arehart kept pulling the trigger, at one point taking one hand off the gun to punch him in the face.

"It was a weak punch," he said from the stand.

The driver of the car started to drive in circles until Arehart dropped the gun in the car and fell off the car. They then drove to Walmart and called 911.

Arehart's defense attorney, John Rusch, addressed that Arehart's story has changed over the course of the investigation and asked him why. In a phone call to his mother  which was played in court  Arehart told her the teens were "talking (expletive)" so he took his gun out and they said "what you gonna do with that bb gun?"

"I flashed my strobe at them," he told his mother.

When one of them made a comment about a Christmas light show, he fired.

Arehart testified he lied in the phone call to his mother and he lied to law enforcement when he told them he felt tough and wanted to show the teens that he wasn't a punk.

"My purpose was just to get them to leave me alone," Arehart said.

He also testified that he only said certain things to the police because he wanted to tell them what they wanted to hear, and he was intimidated by them.

Under cross examination by the state, Arehart testified he got the gun "to de-escalate the situation," although he admitted to pulling out the gun.

After finalizing jury instructions and both the state and the defense making their closing arguments on Wednesday, the jury will be asked to deliberate the verdict.

If convicted, Arehart faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine for each count.
Hamilton Christian Academy will celebrate 60 years of education this fall and is having a fundraising event on March 16 to expand classroom space, update course offerings, and increase staff.

HCA Head of School Matthew Zwicker said that currently, the school needs room for more education.

We need space, Zwicker said. Last year we hit a record enrollment of 84 students and this year we have 86. We are full and had to turn down two families a week in September and October. We just didnt have room.

The gym is used as a multipurpose room with a schoolroom on the gym floor and one on stage while the library doubles as a classroom for math and history.

We feel growth pains, Zwicker said. Weve grown into our shoes and need larger ones. With more people moving to the valley and more seeking the value of quality Christian education we need to expand. Our teachers love their students and are qualified professionals.

He said at HCA education focuses on having a biblical basis for all courses.

All of our teachers emphasize that no matter what class youre taking, everything can relate back to the word of God, from ethics to mathematics, Zwicker said. Our children should be equipped and prepared with an integrated biblical world view and an intellectual mind moving to the future.

Zwicker said class sizes are limited to 16 students per educator.

He detailed HCAs requirements such as career exploration, work from a biblical point of view, college and career planning, plus job shadowing and internships.

Zwicker said that moving forward HCA will implement cross-curricular classes to blend the curriculum for classes covering similar topics and also will have unique graduation tracks.

HCS is looking for additional full-time staff, educators, teachers aids, substitutes and volunteers. The school is taking applications for staff and students now.

The sixty years of school history include educational offerings beginning in 1963 as "Assembly of God Christian School" under Hamilton Assembly of God member Wilma Kaiser. The program expanded under different leaders including Dora Hughes (1967), Mike Wagner (1993), Paul Gillum (1990s) who added a school board and accountability, and Doug Littrell (2005). In 2009, Stephani Beck was head of school when the school purchased the former Grantsdale School with 5.8 acres, added accreditation by the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and enrolled students in all grades, K-12.

Zwicker began as a volunteer with the school in 2010, he taught there for several years before becoming the "head of school" in 2021.

He said fundraising has begun for instructional space expansion and HCA will hold an evening of dinner and auctions at the Farmers State Bank Building at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds on March 16.

Were hoping it will be one of our largest auctions, Zwicker said. It will be a time to share our vision for expansion.

The dinner, catered by Moose Creek Barbecue, will include a live auction, silent auctions and a decadent dessert auction. Tickets are $40 each or $70 per couple. Specialty tables are available with the distinct catering of a gourmet meal by an executive chef. Purchase tickets at hamiltonchristianacademy.org.

Some people know of HCAs chili feed in the past, and that is a great community event, but this goes beyond  it will be larger, Zwicker said. We have very talented chefs coming in for the specialty tables. Those guests will also receive a gift and advertising. I will speak, well have alumni speak and it will be a great time to hear about the heart of the school and the direction were going.
CHICAGO  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.

Way more than you have.

By day, she works out of an extremely uninteresting office tower in downtown Evanston, Illinois, 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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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 and killed 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.

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.
Gov. Glenn Youngkins plan to build lab schools across the state is moving forward. The Department of Education has awarded 13 planning grants to Virginia colleges to help launch their schools, Youngkins office announced Tuesday.

The recipients include Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Union University, who each received the full allotment of $200,000. But Virginia State University, which expressed interest in a lab school, has not won a planning grant yet.

Lab schools are similar to charter schools in that they do not charge tuition, are nonreligious and are open to the public. But they are free to set their own curricula and budgets, and they are associated with colleges and universities. Each lab school will have its own niche.

The state budget allocated $5 million for planning grants of up to $200,000, $20 million for grants of up to $1 million for lab schools making one-time purchases and $75 million to support ongoing expenses.

The lab schools are expected to have funding of their own from local businesses or charities to sustain their operations.

Once a college gets its planning grant, it has one year to gain full approval from state education officials. They are expected to open by the fall of 2024.

Students in the commonwealth deserve the opportunity to be immersed in an innovative educational experience that provides both exposure and experience in the world beyond the school walls, which prepares them for academic and lifelong success, Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera said in a statement.

Virginia Commonwealth University proposed a lab school that combines its teacher residency program with CodeRVA High School to develop a workforce of teachers who can provide computer science-focused education.

CodeRVA is a magnet school for high schoolers focused on computer science and located in Scotts Addition. VCUs teacher residency program covers the cost of a teachers degree. In exchange, the teacher receives specialized training and agrees to work three years in a hard-to-staff school district.

VCUs plan is for future teachers to train at CodeRVA, said Kim McKnight, director of VCUs Center for Teacher Leadership. Many of CodeRVAs students come from under-resourced school districts. CodeRVA plans to host the lab school in its building initially, but as it grows, it could move to another location.

Virginia Union University proposed a lab school for at-risk middle schoolers focusing on science, technology, engineering, arts and math. VUU plans to add high school education later and dual enrollment, in which students can take high school and college classes simultaneously.

VUU had an academy of its own from 1899 to 1946, said Grant Neely, a spokesperson for the university.

The other recipients are the University of Mary Washington for a computer science high school; Mountain Gateway Community College for a high school IT academy; George Mason University for a dual-enrollment IT academy; Old Dominion University for a high school focused on the maritime industry; Eastern Shore Community College for a school focusing on aerospace; Germanna Community College for a school to prepare future teachers; Emory and Henry College for a school to prepare health care workers; the University of Virginia for a 7th- and 8th-grade school focusing on STEM and computer science; the University of Lynchburg for an elementary school focusing on reading; Norfolk State University for a gifted program for students in 2nd grade and earlier and Old Dominion University-Chesapeake for a school focusing on computer science.

The size of the grants ranged from $116,000 to $200,000. The Department of Education has more money left to allot and is still reviewing three more planning grant applications and two lab school launch applications.
 Flash

Photo taken on March 7, 2023 shows the wreckage of a plane near Rome, Italy. [Photo/Str/Xinhua]

Two Italian Air Force pilots died on Tuesday after the aircraft they were flying collided mid-air near Italy's capital.

The country's government and military officials confirmed the crash happened and media reports said that the Air Force and the prosecutor's office in the nearby town of Tivoli will both open investigations into the causes of the collision.

According to official accounts, the two U-208 light propeller aircraft were on a training mission from the Guidonia Military Airport, located around 25 kilometers northeast of Rome. There were no immediate signs of distress from either pilot and there were no reported injuries on the ground, though news sources said some wreckage fell into a roadside parking area causing property damage.

The crash was visible from the ground and its aftermath was recorded by several local residents, with images and videos published in the Italian media. Media reports quoted witnesses as saying that the planes were flying in formation before veering off course and making contact.

The pilots, part of the 60th Wing, a unit of the Italian Air Force based at the Guidonia Military Airport, were reportedly carrying out exercises ahead of celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Italian Air Force later this month. It is not clear how the accident and the deaths of the pilots will impact the celebrations.

According to Air Force data, the U-208 is a lightweight, single-prop aircraft capable of maximum speeds of 285 kilometers per hour. The aircraft, which is not used for combat, can carry up to five passengers, including the pilot.

The events on Tuesday sparked messages of condolences, including from Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said she was "devastated to hear about the deaths of two Air Force pilots during a training accident near Guidonia."
Chesterfield County is proposing a $16 hourly wage for its full-time general government employees as part of the fiscal year 2024 budget.

The complete budget amounts to $1.94 billion, a 9.4% increase from the FY23 version. Lower-wage employees will see their pay rise from $12, which is the states minimum wage rate.

This is a budget that invests deeply in core services that make Chesterfield County the place that it is, and is able to provide a very comprehensive and diverse package of tax relief to our customers, deputy county administrator Matt Harris said.

We are raising our minimum wage to $16 on the general government side and, I think, thats kind of become the new industry standard. That was the goal that we set out last year so with investments in the pay plan of this budget that floor for full time employees moves to $16.

Harris added that the budget is part of Chesterfields post-COVID-19 era strategy to bolster the community.

The county is investing $7.9 million for the second and final phase of its general government pay plan, which will affect around 800 employees across multiple salary tiers. The first phase saw the FY23 budget include $15 million in funding toward the plan.

The budgets workforce investment is also incorporating a 10% increase in public safety starting salaries, a 2.3% pay step increase to public safety workers and a 3.5% merit increase for eligible employees. With each increase, Chesterfield is looking to have its employee salaries stay competitive with other markets.

Tax Relief

The average Chesterfield homeowner can save $125 under the FY24 budget, through the reduction of the real estate tax rate from 92 to 91 cents per $100, and the provision of a 5% rebate on this Junes real estate tax bills.

The new budget also proposes an 8.7% increase in income brackets for senior and disabled tax relief programs.

Personal property tax relief thresholds are being set at 50% to account for decreasing used vehicle values. The threshold will provide vehicle owners a combined $15.3 million in relief.

Education

Half of the proposed $1.94 billion is slated to go toward education. That includes a $383.4 million transfer from the general fund to Chesterfield County Public Schools. The transfer represents a $20 million increase from FY23 and $3 million more than the school boards projection.

The Chesterfield school budget currently contains a $16 million funding gap. The county is providing the $3 million left over from the general fund plus a one-time, $5 million payment to take care of half the deficit. The county has asked the state government to address the remaining $8 million.

Infrastructure

A locally-funded initiative is contributing $153 million toward the first phase of the Powhite Parkway extension. The project will widen the parkway from two to four lanes and extend it from Little Tomahawk Creek to Woolridge Road. The extension is a step toward increasing access to the Upper Magnolia Green development.

A number of capital improvement projects such as the Enon Library replacement, improvements to the River City Sportsplex and upgrades to county parks will begin. These projects are a part of last years voter-approved bond referendum.

Public Safety

Chesterfield Fire and EMS is gaining 36 additional positions to meet minimum staffing levels. Funding is also being provided for new child safety officer positions as well as increasing the number of police service aides and traffic and enforcement positions.

A big headline for us is really continuing our investment in the public safety workforce and making sure that Chesterfield County is the top employer for first responders in Central Virginia, Harris said.

Several community budget meetings are scheduled across the countys five districts throughout March. There will also be a Facebook Live virtual meeting on March 16 and a public hearing at the county administrative building on March 22. The Board of Supervisors will then vote to formally adopt the budget on April 5 and have it go into effect July 1.

From the Archives: The opening of Cloverleaf Mall Cloverleaf Mall Cloverleaf Mall Cloverleaf Mall Cloverleaf Mall Cloverleaf Mall Cloverleaf Mall Cloverleaf Mall Cloverleaf Mall Cloverleaf Mall
ROCKY MOUNT  Bond was denied a second time on Tuesday for Terry Eugene Michel, the Ferrum man charged with killing his two black Labrador retrievers that he initially reported stolen from Waid Park.

Michel was first denied bond on March 1.

He was again denied by Judge James Reynolds on Tuesday. Reynolds said the way Michel lashed out by killing the two dogs showed that he could be a danger to himself and to the community.

The overwhelming concern is the safety of the public and I do not believe there is any condition or combination of conditions that could adequately protect Mr. Michel and the general public if he is released, Reynolds said.

Tuesdays hearing also included testimony by Michels wife, Rhonda, who continues to express concerns about his conduct.

She said he had been more irritable in recent weeks with mood swings.

Im asking that he not be released today, Rhonda Michel said.

Why is that? asked Cooper Brown, the county commonwealths attorney.

Because Im afraid, she replied.

Terry Michels attorney, Aaron Houchens, disagreed that Michel would be a danger to the community. He also asserted that Michel had never harmed his wife in the past.

Everything in this case points to an isolated incident with Mr. Michel back on Feb. 7 and the poor judgment of making a false report to the police, Houchens said.

Houchens on Tuesday touted Michels lengthy military career serving in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as his lack of any criminal history prior to last month as reason to allow him to be released on bond. Family nearby in Ferrum were also willing to take him in, Houchens said.

Michel took the stand on Tuesday stating he had missed scheduled appointments at the Veterans Affairs Hospital. He said he had been receiving regular treatment for degenerative bone disease in both his hands and neck as well as for depression and PTSD. He claimed the hospital in the jail had not provided the same level of care.

During Tuesdays hearing, county sheriffs office Inv. Steven McFarling took the stand to lay out the process of how law enforcement began to doubt Michels version of events about the killings of the dogs, Caleb and Colby. McFarling said he had several conversations with Michel and his wife in the days after their two dogs were reported stolen.

Surveillance video obtained by the sheriffs office showed Michel was only in the park for a total of eight minutes on Feb. 7 when he claimed the dogs were abducted. When officers retraced the steps of where Michel claimed he had walked and later chased the dogs, McFarling said it took them more than 23 minutes.

Michel admitted to officers he had killed the two dogs on Feb. 16 after he was confronted with the inconsistencies, according to information released by the sheriffs office. McFarling said Terry Michel revealed he took the two dogs to a secluded area of the county and shot them in the back of the head.

The dogs were found dead Feb. 14 near the 500 block of Carolina Springs Road. The location is approximately four miles north of Waid Park.
A former federal employee has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for accepting more than $400,000 in bribes and kickbacks, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Charles W. Jones, 60, of Staunton, was an employee with the U.S. General Services Administration and took cash and checks in return for steering government contracts to particular companies, the prosecutors office said.

Jones pleaded guilty in June to one count of accepting a bribe as a public official.

U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen last week also ordered Jones to forfeit $411,192 to the government. About $95,000 already has been seized, so he has about $316,000 left to pay.

As a GSA employee, Jones had oversight responsibility for construction and renovation projects on federal buildings in Norfolk, Richmond, Alexandria and elsewhere, court paperwork said.

That included a large project at U.S. District Court in Richmond as well as the Norfolk federal courthouse and a Customs House in Norfolk operated by Customs and Border Protection.

Court documents said Jones conspired with man named Daniel L. Crowe to get kickbacks and bribes  with Jones advising GSA prime contractors to use Crowes company for subcontracting work. It was not immediately clear what kind of work Crowes company performed.

Though court documents in Jones case list Crowe only as D.C.  and Jones is likewise listed in Crowes case only as C.J.  the documents taken together make clear they are the men in question.

Court documents say General Services Administration contractors paid Crowes companies some $4.6 million for contracting work between 2016-19. That included about $2.7 million for work at U.S. District Court in Richmond.

Before the illegal relationship with Jones, court documents said, Crowes firm had never submitted bids to the government for any work.

Between 2015-19, court documents say, Crowe paid Jones $411,000 in illegal bribes and kickbacks. Crowe paid Jones by way of consulting companies that Jones created for the purpose of accepting the money, the documents said.

Court documents said the men would meet at a local McDonalds, where Jones would assist Crowe in coming up with cost estimates to ensure he got the work. The scheme, court documents said, also included Jones creating fake invoices to Crowe for work that was never performed.

Later in 2019, the U.S. Attorneys Office said, Jones received bribes from Jennifer Strickland, the president of a Virginia Beach construction company, in exchange for a $1.4 million flood demolition and renovation contract at U.S. District Court in Richmond.

That company, SDC Contracting LLC, qualified for government set-asides because it was a woman-owned business, court documents said. Strickland and Jones met at a gas station in New Kent and a coffee shop in Virginia Beach where Strickland made the two payments to him totaling $43,500.

It was not clear from the court records how the scheme was uncovered, though the conspiracy was primarily investigated by the FBI.

Jones was a government official who had been placed in a position of trust to guard against corruption, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Heck told the judge in a sentencing paper.

Though others share in the blame, Heck said Jones had a responsibility to protect the government but instead utilized his position to enrich himself.

Joness attorney, Jeffrey A. Swartz, delved deeply into his clients past in sentencing documents filed with the court.

Swartz told of how Jones mother died in a house fire when he was young and how, as a young Navy sailor, he helped recovery efforts after the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Lebanon. Swartz also spoke of how shocked Jones family and friends were to hear about the crime.

Mr. Jones involvement in this scheme was not motivated by a desire to live a lavish or extravagant lifestyle, Swartz wrote, asking for a split sentence of incarceration and probation. Rather, it was in large part the pressure he put on himself to provide for his family.

Allen gave him 2 1/2 years to serve.

Crowe, meanwhile, was sentenced last year to eight months in federal prison for paying a gratuity to a public official, and was ordered to forfeit $252,700.

Strickland, for her part, was sentenced to three years of probation  including 18 months of home confinement  and ordered to forfeit $43,500. She was also fined another $20,000.

The Times-Dispatch's 'Photo of the Day'  Jan. 1, 2023 Jan. 2, 2023 Jan. 3, 2023 Jan. 4, 2023 Jan. 5, 2023 Jan. 6, 2023 Jan. 7, 2023 Jan. 8, 2023 Jan. 10, 2023 Jan. 11, 2023 Jan. 12, 2023 Jan. 13, 2023 Jan. 14, 2023 Jan. 15, 2023 Jan. 16, 2023 Jan. 17, 2023 Jan. 18, 2023 Jan. 19, 2023 Jan. 20, 2023 Jan. 21, 2023 Jan. 22, 2023 Jan. 23, 2023 Jan. 24, 2023 Jan. 25, 2023 Jan. 26, 2023 Jan. 27, 2023 Jan. 28, 2023 Jan. 29, 2023 Jan. 30, 2023 Jan. 31, 2023 Feb. 1, 2023 Feb. 2, 2023 Feb. 3, 2023 Feb. 4, 2023 Feb. 5, 2023 Feb. 6, 2023 Feb. 7, 2023 Feb. 8, 2023 Feb. 9, 2023 Feb. 10, 2023 Feb 11, 2023 Feb. 12, 2023 Feb. 13, 2023 Feb. 14, 2023 Feb. 15, 2023 Feb. 16, 2023 Feb. 17, 2023 Feb. 18, 2023 Feb. 19, 2023 Feb. 20, 2023 Feb. 21, 2023 Feb. 22, 2023 Feb. 23, 2023 Feb. 24, 2023 Feb. 25, 2023 Feb. 26, 2023 Feb. 27, 2023 Feb. 28, 2023 March 1, 2023 March 2, 2023 March 3, 2023 March 4, 2023 March 5, 2023 March 6, 2023 March 7, 2023 March 8, 2023 March 9, 2023 March 10, 2023 March 11, 2023 March 12, 2023 March 13, 2023 March 14, 2023 March 15, 2023 March 16, 2023 March 17, 2023 March 18, 2023 March 19, 2023 March 20, 2023 March 21, 2023 March 22, 2023 March 23, 2023 March 24, 2023 March 25, 2023 March 26, 2023 March 27, 2023 March 28, 2023 March 29, 2023 March 30, 2023 March 31, 2023 April 1, 2023 April 2, 2023 April 3, 2023 April 4, 2023 April 5, 2023 April 6, 2023 April 7, 2023 April 8, 2023 April 9, 2023 April 10, 2023 April 11, 2023 April 13, 2023 April 14, 2023
WASHINGTON  Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan made history in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, with her hand on the worn Bible her father received in 1947 as pastor of a church in New York Citys Harlem neighborhood, and the one thing when he passed that [McClellan] wanted.

McClellan, 50, became the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress, succeeding her friend and political mentor, the late Rep. Donald McEachin, D-4th, just over three months after his sudden death in his home in South Richmond.

Today, I succeed, but could never replace, A. Donald McEachin, she told the House after taking the oath of office.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., administered the oath before the assembled House and a group of family and friends in the gallery that included McClellans 90-year-old mother, Lois Dedeaux McClellan, the third of 14 children who grew up on Mississippis Gulf Coat and was the first of the children to graduate from high school and college.

Her father, the late James F. McClellan Jr., an educator at Virginia State University, was represented by his Bible, which customarily holds the poll tax receipt he received to vote as a Black man in Tennessee in 1948. McClellan had discovered the $2 receipt the night before the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and has kept it as a talisman of the family history that she calls the foundation of her public service, although she left the keepsake in Richmond on Tuesday.

It not only shaped who I am, but the story of my family I carry into the policy-making arena, McClellan, who was born in Petersburg and raised in Matoaca on the other side of the Appomattox River in Chesterfield County, said in an interview on Monday. I cant help but feel I stand on their shoulders.

As she often did during her whirlwind campaign for the congressional seat, McClellan told the House how her parents shared stories of their lives during the Depression that showed the best of government in the New Deal and the worst of government in Jim Crow.

McClellan mentioned her role in introducing and passing the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, saying of her family that she recognizes that in a lot of ways, I am fighting the same fight they did.

She entered the House chamber, wearing a bright blue pant suit, with her two children, Jackson and Samantha, at about 6:40 p.m. for the swearing-in ceremony at 7. Members of the Virginia delegation, including Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., gathered at the front of the chamber to welcome, in the words of Rep. Bobby Scott, D-3rd, the newest representative of the commonwealth of Virginia. The House rose in a standing ovation when Scott introduced her as the first Black woman elected to Congress from the state.

After the ceremony, McClellan was sworn in as a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. She had served as vice chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.

It was the first time she had set foot in the Capitol since high school, although she had testified on the Equal Rights Amendment as a senator appearing before the House Oversight Reform Committee in a neighboring office building. As a law school student at the University of Virginia, she had wanted to serve as a staff attorney on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

Its awe-inspiring, she said after her speech.

Now her work begins in a House led by McCarthy. He became speaker in early January after surviving 15 rounds of voting by divided Republicans. They hold a narrow majority after midterm elections that failed to deliver the decisive rebuke of President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies that the GOP had hoped.

McClellan is one of six Democrats in Virginias 11-member House delegation. She served with five of Virginias congressional representatives during her 18 years in the General Assembly  Democrat Jennifer Wexton of the 10th District and Republicans Rob Wittman of the 1st, Jen Kiggans of the 2nd, Ben Cline of the 6th and Morgan Griffith of the 9th.

She was an intern when Rep. Don Beyer, D-8th, served as lieutenant governor from 1994 to 1998, and lost the 1997 election for governor to Republican Jim Gilmore. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-11th, is a former chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, who lives in Henrico, is serving her third term in a district that shifted its center from the Richmond suburbs to Northern Virginia and the Fredericksburg area last year. Rep. Bob Good, R-5th, now serves a slice of Hanover County and Richmonds outer suburban counties of Louisa, Powhatan, Goochland and Amelia.

She learned Tuesday that she will serve on the House Armed Services Committee with Wittman, its vice-chairman, and Kiggans  a helpful assignment for a congresswoman representing a state that relies heavily on defense spending for its economy.

McClellan also has a strong ally in Scott, who was the second Black congressman elected in Virginia, after Rep. John Mercer Langston in 1888. McEachin, a close friend and political mentor, was the third, winning a fourth term just three weeks before his death.

For Kaine, her longtime political mentor and a 4th District resident, the moment was personal. He officiated at McClellans wedding in 2008 to David Mills, whom she met when he worked for Kaines successful gubernatorial campaign in 2005. Kaine said that when he entered the Senate in 2013, Virginias congressional delegation had no women, but it now includes a state-record four  three of them named Jennifer  which he called a particularly exciting development.

McClellan also worked as a volunteer on the 2001 gubernatorial campaign of now-Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va. Warner joined Kaine in endorsing McClellan in the Democratic firehouse primary she won with ease in December over Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, and two other candidates. She then won a special election for the congressional seat by 50 percentage points over Republican Leon Benjamin on Feb. 21.

Another statehouse mentor came to the Capitol to watch McClellan being sworn into office  former Del. Viola Baskerville, D-Richmond, whom she succeeded in the House of Delegates after Baskerville made an unsuccessful bid in 2005 to become lieutenant governor.

McClellan entered the House of Delegates in 2006 with McEachin, whom she succeeded in the state Senate in 2017 after his first election to Congress. Now, she takes his place in representing the 4th Congressional District, which sprawls across 15 localities from Richmond, parts of Chesterfield and Henrico counties, and the Tri-Cities area through Southside to the North Carolina line.

She cast her first vote in the House shortly after taking the oath of office on Tuesday evening. The vote was routine, but ahead of her this year are big votes on a new farm support bill, the National Defense Authorization Act and a bruising battle over raising the nations debt ceiling, which Republicans seek to tie to deep cuts in federal government spending.

But on her first day, McClellan learned her way around a new Capitol in the national seat of government. During orientation, she received the keys to her office in the Rayburn Building, where Wittman, another Richmond-area representative, also is quartered.

She finally met all 16 members of her staff in person. Eleven are former employees of McEachins congressional office, including his Chief of Staff Tara Rountree, who remains in the role for the new congresswoman. The office will be equipped and begin functioning on Wednesday. McClellan will maintain an office in Richmond, and is making arrangements for satellite offices elsewhere in the 4th District.

Virginias newest member of Congress, the great-granddaughter of an emancipated slave, said she would dedicate her service to making government by and of the people actually work for the people.
PEARISBURG  Two former employees of the Kollmorgen plant in Radford are suspected of taking more than $411,784 from the company, according to a search warrant.

Virginia State Police began an investigation in September 2021 after the company reported the two men collected on fake bills for repairs and calibration of equipment, according to the warrant, filed this month in Giles County, where one of the employees lives.

Company representatives interviewed one of the men in 2021 and he apologized  then killed himself the next day, according to the warrant.

Because no criminal charges have been filed in the case to date, The Roanoke Times is not yet naming the men. State police recently collected a laptop, cellphone and financial documents from the Giles County home of the surviving former employee.

On Tuesday, state police Sgt. Rick Garletts described the situation as an active and ongoing investigation and said no information will be released for now.

Giles Countys commonwealths attorney wrote in an email Monday that he had not received a report about the two former employees. At Kollmorgen, questions were referred to an official named in the search warrant as involved in the companys own look at the payments, but she did not reply to a message.

According to the search warrant, the two men, while working at Kollmorgen, set up a supposed outside company and billed Kollmorgen for work on equipment. But there was no evidence that work actually was done, and state police suspected the company existed only as a name and billing mechanism, according to the search warrant.

The mens company was not an approved vendor for Kollmorgen. But in 2008, Kollmorgen began making payments to it that eventually totaled more than $411,784, according to the warrant.

Records for a bank account set up in the names of the mens company and of the former employee who died showed that money from the account was used for personal transactions at restaurants, shopping, checks to family members, home repairs and other non-business expenses, according to the warrant.

There also were cash withdrawals from the bank account that totaled hundreds of dollars every month, according to the warrant.

The Kollmorgen representatives told state police that when they confronted the men with suspicious invoices, each man said that the other had been responsible for repairs, according to the warrant.

Kollmorgens interview with the second man occurred after the first had died, the search warrant noted.

When Kollmorgen officials interviewed the first employee, he told them that he just took care of the business side of the mens company and that he billed Kollmorgen whatever the other man told him to, according to the warrant. He said that he charged the amounts to a Kollmorgen credit card assigned to the other man, and that he kept whatever was needed to operate the business, and gave the rest to a third man, according to the warrant.

At the end of the interview, the man apologized and stated he never intended for it to get like this, according to the warrant. The man told the Kollmorgen officials that he realized that he probably would be fired.

The next day, the man committed suicide, according to the warrant.

The state medical examiners office determined that the cause of death was a self-inflicted shotgun wound.
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Imagine Short Pump declaring its independence from the rest of Henrico County. Or Westhampton quitting the City of Richmond.

Place those scenarios in another state capital  the core of a metropolitan area with more than 6 million people  and you get a sense of the havoc that would occur if the wealthy, predominantly white enclave of Buckhead were allowed to secede from Atlanta.

This effort is being driven by The Buckhead City Committee in tandem with state legislators who do not represent Atlanta, as well as U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who tweeted: A vote against Buckhead city is a vote FOR crime. A vote for Buckhead city is a vote FOR freedom.

But the scheme is so poorly thought out  how do you disentangle Buckhead from Atlantas debt and other services without plunging the states economic engine into ruin?  that the executive counsel for Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp tossed a bucket of ice water on the idea. Without thoughtful consideration, these bills, together, may retailor the cloth of governance for Georgias municipalities in ways that will ripple into a future of unforeseen outcomes, David B. Dove wrote in a letter to state lawmakers.

The effort appears to have stalled, at least for this year. But according to a Bloomberg article, proponents have no intention of going away.

Few political movements occur in a vacuum. The Republican-dominated Mississippi legislature similarly is attempting to sap power from its overwhelmingly Black capital, Jackson, with a proposal to create a separate court system for the mostly white neighborhoods around the state capitol complex.

Perhaps Buckhead and Jackson are what the new Civil War, for which some folks are clamoring, looks like. I wondered if what was afoot in Buckhead had larger implications.

Perhaps. But not in Virginia.

Current state law would prevent a Buckhead-style movement, according to Charles Hartgrove, director of the Virginia Institute of Government at the University of Virginias Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service.

There has been a moratorium regarding not only annexations by Virginia independent cities, but also a restriction on granting city charters for quite some time (originally introduced in 1971), Hartgrove said in an email.

This issue was also recently addressed in the 2023 General Assembly session. There are companion bills (HB 1676 and SB 1185) that cleared the legislature and are currently sitting on the Governors desk for his review. This legislation would extend the proposed moratorium and restriction from its current end date of 2024 until 2032.

If Georgias governor has doubts about the constitutionality of the Buckhead secession effort, why is this even a thing?

You have to consider how much of this  is a stunt, says Julian Maxwell Hayter, a University of Richmond professor and author of the book The Dream is Lost: Voting Rights and the Politics of Race in Richmond, Virginia.

The unprecedented amount of political provocation, performative politics and culture wars is at an all-time high, he said. And I think this exists within that vein. ... Its definitely not about public policy. Its about posturing.

Hayters book details Richmonds 1970 annexation of white Chesterfield residents to dilute the growing voting power of Black Richmonders. The Buckhead secession movement has a race and class subtext.

According to Buckhead.com, the Atlanta enclaves population is 12% Black and 72% white non-Hispanic; the rest of Atlanta is 63% Black. Buckheads median household income is nearly double that of the rest of Atlanta.

We all know that using the word secession in the South is a dog whistle, Hayter said. The idea of seceding from anything not explicitly elite or white triggers the usual suspects. I think this is like Boomer-specific political rhetoric that speaks to people who get riled up by using the word secession.

But Hayter said beyond the dubious political or economic benefits of secession, the timing is, well, off.

Given the rate of gentrification, cities with sizable minority populations are actually becoming less minority. So for some cities, it just doesnt make sense to stage a veritable revolution by seceding from the core of a metropolitan area.

After all, the pro-business strategies of mayors such as Atlantas Maynard Jackson and Richmonds Henry L. Marsh III, in response to the flight of residential and commercial taxpayer dollars to the suburbs decades ago, laid the groundwork for what we now know as gentrification, with cities such as Richmond now being repopulated by young white residents.

In this context, suburban enclaves like Buckhead are still running on 20th century software despite all the demographic shifts that have taken place in cities like Atlanta, Hayter said, adding: What were seeing now is that more people are moving back into cities in large part because the economic incentives to do so have finally eclipsed the fear.

But racialized fears  on the local, state and national levels  appear to be a primary driver of right-wing politics today. Citizens too often distance themselves from their citys problems as they cling to the identity of their enclave. Hayter calls this a predictable outcome of a 20th century in which zoning laws, redlining, freeway construction, slum clearance and urban renewal specifically designated who could live where.

As long as America remains hardwired for separatism, a secessionist movement will always lurk around the corner.

Close 05-31-1967 (cutline): City Hall is backdrop as crowed gathers at ground-breaking for its replacement. 08-31-1979 (cutline): Peeling paint, fallen plaster are signs of deterioration at Old City Hall. 06-27-1967 (cutline): A bulldozer works today around a heavy vault, uncovered near Ninth and Broad Streets during the excavation for the new City Hall. The present City Hall is in the background, across the intersection of 10th and Broad Streets. The vault is at the site of the former headquarters of Home Beneficial Life Insurance Co., which moved in 1950 to the 3900 block W. Broad St. The building later housed the city Department of Public Utlities. Other buildings in the block housed a different office of Home Beneficial, now located a block west; a fire station, and Richmond Motor Co., now at 4600 W. Broad St. The Life Insurance Company of Virginia is in the background. 08-13-1970 (cutline): Richmond's old City Hall just wasn't built for the modern age symbolized by the aircraft which seems about to hit it, so the new marble facade at left is rising to replace it. The slick newcomer is due for completion in mid-1971, but fate of its venerable granite neighbor across Broad Street is still, like the jet, up in the air. 01-15-1961 (cutline): Basins were once installed in City Hall Offices. Workers who tended fires had to wash their hands. 10-28-1984 (cutline): Richmond's Old City Hall was praised, criticized at national conference. 02-08-1959: Old City Hall 05-04-1950 (cutline): Part of overflow crowd that attended housing project hearing at Richmond City Hall. 03-14-1952 (cutline): Richmond's City Hall shows its age--Coffman (left), Smorto point to latest crack in base. 10-14-1968: Repairs at Old City Hall building. 10-06-1989: Old City Hall from above 10-06-1989: Old City Hall 12-15-1975 (cutline) Ornate staircase is one of many 'treasures' in Old City Hall. Despite National Historic Landmark designation, future is cloudy. 05-31-1967 (cutline): Mayor Crowe, Vice Mayor Mundle, City Manager Edwards and School Board Chairman Calkins crossing Broad St. with shovels over their shoulders, toward site of new City Hall. Each will have a shovel--two chrome-plated, plus two old ones (with the dirt of '88 still on them), used in the groundbreaking for present City Hall. 06-24-1983: Old City Hall 01-15-1961 (cutline): Twisting stairway leads to City Hall tower. Sightseers haven't climbed them for years. 01-13-1984: Workers in close ducts at Old City Hall. 02-05-1984: Old City Hall From the Archives: Richmond's Old City Hall A look back at Richmond's Old City Hall. 05-31-1967 (cutline): City Hall is backdrop as crowed gathers at ground-breaking for its replacement. 08-31-1979 (cutline): Peeling paint, fallen plaster are signs of deterioration at Old City Hall. 06-27-1967 (cutline): A bulldozer works today around a heavy vault, uncovered near Ninth and Broad Streets during the excavation for the new City Hall. The present City Hall is in the background, across the intersection of 10th and Broad Streets. The vault is at the site of the former headquarters of Home Beneficial Life Insurance Co., which moved in 1950 to the 3900 block W. Broad St. The building later housed the city Department of Public Utlities. Other buildings in the block housed a different office of Home Beneficial, now located a block west; a fire station, and Richmond Motor Co., now at 4600 W. Broad St. The Life Insurance Company of Virginia is in the background. 08-13-1970 (cutline): Richmond's old City Hall just wasn't built for the modern age symbolized by the aircraft which seems about to hit it, so the new marble facade at left is rising to replace it. The slick newcomer is due for completion in mid-1971, but fate of its venerable granite neighbor across Broad Street is still, like the jet, up in the air. 01-15-1961 (cutline): Basins were once installed in City Hall Offices. Workers who tended fires had to wash their hands. 10-28-1984 (cutline): Richmond's Old City Hall was praised, criticized at national conference. 02-08-1959: Old City Hall 05-04-1950 (cutline): Part of overflow crowd that attended housing project hearing at Richmond City Hall. 03-14-1952 (cutline): Richmond's City Hall shows its age--Coffman (left), Smorto point to latest crack in base. 10-14-1968: Repairs at Old City Hall building. 10-06-1989: Old City Hall from above 10-06-1989: Old City Hall 12-15-1975 (cutline) Ornate staircase is one of many 'treasures' in Old City Hall. Despite National Historic Landmark designation, future is cloudy. 05-31-1967 (cutline): Mayor Crowe, Vice Mayor Mundle, City Manager Edwards and School Board Chairman Calkins crossing Broad St. with shovels over their shoulders, toward site of new City Hall. Each will have a shovel--two chrome-plated, plus two old ones (with the dirt of '88 still on them), used in the groundbreaking for present City Hall. 06-24-1983: Old City Hall 01-15-1961 (cutline): Twisting stairway leads to City Hall tower. Sightseers haven't climbed them for years. 01-13-1984: Workers in close ducts at Old City Hall. 02-05-1984: Old City Hall
Scholars tendency to read the great economist through the lens of their own philosophical and political commitments is neither unexpected nor helpful. One book helps us identify some of those biases and also something closer to Smiths true legacy.

There are two reasons to read Glory M. Lius new comprehensive book, Adam Smiths America: How a Scottish Philosopher Became an Icon of American Capitalism. The first is that if you are a student of economics or history, there is a remarkable amount of well-documented information packaged into a logically sequential analysis that is well worth your time. But the second is profoundly important for students of economics and advocates of a free society: the very questions history is seeking to answer about Smith are the questions that must animate our study of economics and a free society today.

Put differently, the reason for modern debate about Smith and his legacy is essentially the fundamental debate of our time: How are we to lay the epistemic foundations for a social theory of markets and how they promote freedom? How do we defend our vision of a prosperous, free, and flourishing society, embedded in, rather than liberated from, traditional moral values?

Historians would not be debating the real legacy of Adam Smith as moral philosopher or laissez-faire ideologue if those substantive issues had been resolved today. Throughout Lius careful and impressive effort, one thing is abundantly clear: a lot of people who do not agree with each other want Adam Smith on their side. In reading this work, youll be exposed to the tremendous reality that even the most reputable of scholars bring their own set of beliefs and preoccupations to bear on his ideas. And while I believe a harmonization of Smiths vast contributions to the subjects of commercial society, political economic, and moral philosophy is quite achievable, I am struck by Lius success in portraying much of the 19th, 20th, and now 21st centuries analyses of Smith to be devoid of harmonization and heavy on selectivity.

Liu does a masterful job showing that all the varying schools of thought in 19th and 20th century applications of political economy are talking their book in making the case for Smith as a free trade zealot versus a workers rights evangelist versus a laissez-faire crusader versus a great inquisitor of matters ethical and moral. Some selective Smith is more defensible than others. To her credit, she waited until the epilogue to raise the laughable proposition that Smith was influenced by Rousseau in concerns about markets. Richard Ely and Edwin Seligman, writing in the late 19th century, are more selective than they are revisionist, and the same is probably true of Milton Friedman and George Stigler in the next century (though with different agendas in each case). I am more sympathetic to some of Frank Knights and Jacob Viners reading of things, but they also suffer from incompletion. The most recent trend of full-blown left-wing adoption of Smith as some kind of social justice crusader is the most obvious gnat in search of a windshield. Through the sequence of post-Smith treatments of Smith (embodied in the various scholars and movements I just listed, and many others dealt with in the book), we see not merely historical treatments at odds with one another but the greater divide we continue to face in economic and ethical study today.

Das Adam Smith Problem is the name 19th century German scholars gave to alleged tensions between The Theory of Moral Sentiments and his Wealth of Nations magnum opus. This problem is, for some, an excuse to dismiss Smith (for alleged inconsistency), an excuse to embrace him (because he allegedly got one or the other right), or a straw man that further obfuscates the subjects at hand. One need not agree with all the specific conclusions Smith draws in either work to appreciate the driving force behind both, and to seek a fundamental unity in the combined subjects. Reconciling the Adam Smith of Theory of Moral Sentiments (which posits restraint and sympathy as necessary preconditions to virtuous cooperation) with the Adam Smith of Wealth of Nations (which looks at the productive power of mankinds labor as opposed to his moral sentiments, and posits self-interest and a commercial society as the tools to drive economic growth) is not nearly as hard a historical task as we may believe it to be. The challenge is not in exegeting Smith; the challenge has always been and continues to be harmonizing economics as social science and moral philosophy, and making application to policy. This process is paramount, and its complexity explains the fighting over ownership rights of the ideas of Adam Smith.

This book can be extremely useful for those who admire Adam Smith, who are torn as to what to believe about Adam Smith, and for those who are new to him. At one point Liu states:

Multiple Smiths coexisted. There was the textbook Adam Smith: the one who founded political economy, who proposed an incorrect theory of value, and who made inferences from close observations of everyday life. That version of Smith served as a pedagogical tool for illustrating the basic method and tools of economic science, especially in constructing Chicago Price Theory. On the other hand, there existed a more disembodied Smith that served a broader intellectual purpose. Characterizing Smiths works as balancing clear scientific insights with social policy, while questioning the ethics of a version of liberalism often attributed to his thought, was part of an ongoing effort to not only resuscitate the basic principles of markets, but also identify their limits.

This captures not only what I believe to be a right understanding of Smith but also the categories of epistemological error in those misappropriating his work. Adam Smiths labor theory of value was wrong, yet at the same time his doctrines of self-interest and the invisible hand are indisputably useful in formulating the price mechanism, free exchange of goods and services, limited need for central planning, and spontaneous order. That Smith was not just influential but indispensable for Hayek, Friedman, and Stigler (Austrian and Chicago market theories) is clear. Yet just as the massive contributions of Milton Friedman and other 20th century giants misses the normative and philosophical underpinnings desperately needed in a robust understanding of economics, so does their historical treatment of Adam Smith. No, the Chicago school and other market purists of the 20th century were not wrong to claim Smith as one of their own regarding the key classical contributions to the social science of economics. But by omission, a failure to interact with Smiths moral philosophy, a willingness to present economics as a value-free science, added to the same selectivity weakness that many on the other side of the economic divide are guilty of themselves. There is an Adam Smith for everyone, indeed.

I am sympathetic to Lius allusions to the idea that 20th century market advocates often use Adam Smith ornamentally. What sometimes may seem like an incomplete treatment of Smith may really be the device of implementing him as a slogan, logo, or symbolic figure. Liu is fair to Friedman to point out that he did not believe Smiths doctrine of the invisible hand was selfish or narrow, and that the market mechanism Friedman extracted from Smiths work would foster conditions for virtuous behavior and an ethic of capitalism centered around individual responsibility, self-reliance, and innovation. Nevertheless, late 20th century depictions of Smith, in line with late 20th century market philosophy itself, became increasingly positivistic, rationalist, individualistic, and scientific, and removed from the moral prerequisites that are the hallmark of a holistic understanding of Adam Smith.

I would have been content if Liu had merely concluded the book having demonstrated the irresistible tendency for ideologues of all eras to create the Adam Smith most convenient for their point of view as opposed to wrestling with his vast contributions to multiple integrated disciplines. But whether it was intended to be anecdotal or not, I cant help but point out how perhaps the closest accuracy in reading Smith was found in the late 20th century intellectuals Irving Kristol and Gertrude Himmelfarb, who strike the right chord for the very reason that they fully appreciate the burden that others do not. Kristol connected to the moral presuppositions for capitalism so important to Smith. In Smiths moral philosophy, Kristol saw that markets could not be indifferent to traditional and distinctly bourgeois virtues, especially those that were instilled and reinforced in the family and organized religion. Kristols reading of Smith pleaded for a rejection of the view that saw man as the ultimate atom with measurable desires. Ultimately, Kristol found in Smith the philosophical underpinnings and intellectual authority for the real possibilities of market capitalismthe embeddedness of economic self-interest within wholesome institutions and bourgeois virtues, and the idea that capitalism needed moral, not just economic, advocates.

This is the contribution of Adam Smith, and 250 years of debate over his legacy and work are testimony to his influence and longevity. What we see in Lius book is not multigenerational scholarship compromised as its purveyors assess Smith by their own presuppositions and commitments, but rather the unavoidable reality of all scholarship and intellectual endeavor. We all want our own Adam Smith.

I want Irving Kristols Adam Smith for the same reason, though I am prepared to defend that record of Smith empirically and historically. But the real task in front of us may be more solvable than the exact discernment of Adam Smiths legacy, and it is certainly more consequential. How do we lay the epistemic foundations for a social theory of markets that promotes freedom? How do we defend our vision of a prosperous, free, and flourishing society, embedded in traditional moral values?
New River Community College will host a book talk and Q&A with local author Dr. Rick Van Noy on Tuesday, March 14, at 6 p.m. in Martin Hall at NRCC in Dublin.

Van Noy, an author and professor of English at Radford University, will discuss his most recent book, Sudden Spring: Stories of Adaptation in a Climate-Changed South. The book is based on stories from his travels in the American South, as well as from conversations with government, geological and conservation experts.

Van Noy said he wanted to write the book because I wanted to move [climate change] out of abstraction, to bring it down to a local level in ways that real people experience it.

"'Downscaling' is a term climate change experts use to bring global forecasts down to community impacts," he continued. "All of my books look at particular places but with a different kind of mapping. Using techniques of creative nonfiction  including narrative, scene, humor and dialogue  I try to zoom in on large-scale processes happening at the local level, offering personalized depictions happening both on the ground and beneath the surface.

The event will include light refreshments and a few copies of the book to give away. The event will be held in 225A Martin Hall, inside of the NRCC Library on campus.

For more information about the event, contact Sandy Smith in the NRCC Library at ssmith@nr.edu or 540-674-3600, ext. 4345.

- Submitted by Kelly Kaiser
A man who rammed several police cruisers and was chased through Southeast Roanoke last fall until he crashed his own car has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Under a plea agreement, Tyler Anthony Jones, 33, of Roanoke pleaded no contest Wednesday to five charges connected to the Aug. 4 incident: one count of fentanyl possession with the intent to distribute, two counts of assault and battery of a law enforcement officer, one count of felony eluding and one count of the sale of methamphetamine.

On July 19, members of the Star City Drug and Violent Crime Task Force observed a transaction between a confidential informant and Jones, Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Sheri Mason said during Wednesdays hearing.

Mason said the transaction, during which the informant purchased about 55 grams of methamphetamine from Jones, was captured on video by law enforcement.

About two weeks later, on Aug. 4, police officers saw Jones was parked at a gas station on Elm Avenue Southeast, Mason said. Knowing of probation violation warrants for his arrest, the officers surrounded Jones car with their patrol vehicles. Jones repeatedly rammed them until he created enough space to drive away.

Being pursued, Jones crashed and flipped over on Riverland Road Southeast when he attempted to illegally pass another vehicle. Inside Jones car, police found a bag with $1,100 in cash and illegal substances, some of which tested positive for fentanyl.

Mason said after Wednesdays hearing that Jones wont spend jail time for violating his previous probation, in part because he received a heavy sentence on the new charges connected to the Aug. 4 incident.

For fentanyl possession, Jones was sentenced to five years in prison, suspended after he serves one year. A $100 fine was imposed but suspended, as Jones agreed to forfeit the $1,100 that was seized from his vehicle.

For assaulting two officers, Jones received a combined four-year sentence, which will be suspended after he serves one year. For eluding police, he was sentenced to five years, suspended after he serves one. His drivers license will also be suspended for 30 days.

And for selling 20 grams or more of methamphetamine, Jones was sentenced to five years in prison. A $100 fine was also imposed but suspended on that charge.

Two other charges, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and sale of methamphetamine, were not prosecuted.

Jones sentence for all five charges is 19 years, suspended after he serves eight. Once released from prison, he will serve a year of unsupervised probation.
CHRISTIANSBURG  Former Superintendent Mark Miear understated his behavior during an event that preceded his firing last year and there were financial and personnel issues during his tenure, according to a Montgomery County School Board statement.

In recent weeks, former Montgomery County Public Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Mark Miear has made public statements about his separation from the school division, reads the document, approved by the board Tuesday night. Several of these the Montgomery County School Board believes to be inaccurate and misleading. The school board has determined that it is in the communitys best interest to provide the following clarifying message.

The school board statement adds to a back-and-forth that started almost a year ago when the elected body unanimously voted to dismiss Miear without cause, a distinct condition that appeared to entitle him to severance pay based on his last employment contract with the district.

While both Miear and the board were tight-lipped about the case immediately following his dismissal, the former superintendent finally opened up about the matter in January during a public appearance in which he also announced his intentions to run for the county school board seat currently held by Penny Franklin.

Miear, who held the Montgomery County superintendent job for just over six years, said his dismissal was rooted to his objection to his transgender childs decision to change their name. At least a few school board members, however, have since said that their former superintendent has misrepresented the case.

One of the first issues Tuesdays statement addressed was an event involving Miear last year that immediately preceded his March 17 firing. His characterization of the incident as him just raising his voice at a subordinate employee grossly understated his conduct, according to the statement.

His conduct directed to a subordinate, lasted for more than 45 minutes, included profanity, was perceived by multiple witnesses to be aggressive and threatening and led them to contemplate calling law enforcement, reads the board statement. The incident ended only when a school board member arrived at the office. This type of conduct is unacceptable.

No organization in the county should tolerate or condone that sort of highly inappropriate behavior, according to the board statement.

Multiple staff witnessed the unacceptable behavior and were negatively impacted by it, reads the statement. Our public schools are intended to model and teach positive behavior. That the then leader of our schools so significantly disregarded that central mission, and now even now minimizes it, is simply incompatible with our schools mission and the best interests of Montgomery Countys students and parents. For that matter, no employee in any organization should expect to be on the receiving end of that sort of unprofessional behavior.

The former superintendent inappropriately attempted to exert his authority to direct school board policy matters impacting his family, according to the statement.

When he addressed the case himself, Miear previously said he confronted school division administrator Annie Whitaker over the name change issue and that he regrets his behavior that day. He said he learned the following day that he would get fired, a decision the school board formalized about a week later.

Miear, however, has argued that he was not given proper due process prior to his dismissal, a comment the school board contests.

That is not correct, reads the letter. Immediately following Dr. Miears inappropriate behavior, and since,  including the time between the misconduct and the school boards vote terminate his employment  Dr. Miear was represented by qualified, capable legal counsel. Dr. Miears counsel communicated frequently with the school boards counsel regarding termination of Dr. Miears employment.

Miear had the ability to share information that might excuse his behavior or propose some combination of appropriate contrition and assurance of future improved behavior, according to the statement.

He did not, reads the statement.

The board also contests comments from Miear saying that he has not received any county taxpayer money since his firing. The board states that it learned through conversations with the Virginia Retirement System that the former district chief received more than $55,000 in overpayment for salary and benefits to which he was not entitled because he already qualified for full retirement as of the date of his termination.

In December, Miear and the board reached a new settlement agreement that required him to repay the district $55,137, an amount he indeed ended up paying. The amount was described as an excess payment in another agreement the board unanimously approved last year.

Miear previously said what led to the new agreement was the discovery of an obscure law that made him eligible for full and unreduced retirement on the day of his dismissal. He said he was not completely familiar with how that measure worked when the original agreement was signed.

Tuesdays school board statement contests that.

The school board has been advised that Dr. Miear knew of his retirement eligibility at the time of his termination but nevertheless continued to draw pay and benefits from the Montgomery County Public Schools, reads that portion of the letter before acknowledging Miear has repaid the full amount of the overpayment.

The last point the statement addresses regards operational concerns  including financial management and personnel issues  that occurred under Miears tenure. More specific details about those concerns are not addressed in the statement, but the board continues to investigate them, it reads.

If and when appropriate, the board will share additional information necessary for the proper administration of the Montgomery County Public Schools, the statement reads.

Miear, who now works for a private school system, released a statement to The Roanoke Times on Wednesday morning:

A continuing back and forth over these issues is not productive. My focus is on ways to improve the educational opportunities offered by Montgomery County Public Schools as a candidate for school board. I look forward to presenting my ideas to voters during my upcoming campaign in District B. Im very excited about the possibility of serving the children of the county in a different capacity.
 Flash

Bangladeshi artists perform an acrobatic show during the China-Bangladesh Culture & Art Night in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 4, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

"China and Bangladesh are natural cooperation partners," the newly-appointed Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen said in Dhaka on Tuesday.

"The potential of China-Bangladesh relations is unlimited," he said at a welcome reception held in his honor at the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka Tuesday night.

"There are no unresolved disputes or historical burdens between us."

Yao said the cooperation on economy, trade and mega projects serves as the pillar of the bilateral relations, he said, adding, "The China-Bangladesh cooperation improves well-beings of our two peoples."

A good number of roads, bridges, power plants, ports and other infrastructure projects have been completed, which have reshaped the landscape of Bangladesh, provided more than 1 million jobs, and promoted socio-economic development as well as people's livelihood in Bangladesh, he said.

China and Bangladesh would also closely cooperate and coordinate on regional and multilateral affairs, so as to inject more stability and certainty into this uncertain and unstable world, Yao noted.

"As close neighbors, the people of the two countries enjoy a natural sense of intimacy and similar ideas and values," he said, adding that he is confident that China-Bangladesh relations will set a good example for developing countries to understand, trust and support each other.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman, Chief of Army Staff General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed and Secretary (West) of Foreign Ministry Shabbir Ahmad Chowdhury, along with over 400 dignitaries attended the reception.
BLACKSBURG  A proposed 176-home development that would include two dozen more affordable units failed to receive a nod of support from the towns planning commission Tuesday night.

The commission, on a 5-2 vote, decided to recommend to the town council that a rezoning needed for the project be denied.

Commission members Melissa Jones and Andrew Kassoff formed the minority.

The development, Glade Spring Crossing, is a project of developer Cary Hopper that would go on vacant farmland located roughly south of the Village at Toms Creek and west of the U.S. 460 bypass. The formal address for the site is 1006 Glade Road.

For the development to go through as proposed, Hopper is asking the town to move nearly 45 acres of land from a rural residential to a planned residential district. Developers often seek the planned residential zoning for their projects to gain greater freedom with density.

Blacksburg debates another housing proposal Blacksburg town staff, along with the councils advisory board, are currently going over a proposal to build 176 single-family homes on the vacant farmland near the Village at Tom's Creek and the U.S. 460 bypass.

While certain aspects of the project have been touted  particularly the affordable housing component  several commission members and a group of neighbors to the site have raised concerns about the density and other specific details of the development.

Many showed up to speak on the rezoning Tuesday, with none of them voicing support for the request.

Among the primary concerns neighbors have expressed is a fear the proposed density is too much for that particular part of town and would lead to issues with traffic and safety, particularly along Village Way South where they said both adults and children walk frequently.

We shouldnt try to shoehorn this development in where it doesnt fit, said town resident Rebecca Weaver-Hightower, who voiced further concerns about the impact on the land and the loss of a scenic view.

Mike Stein, who lives on Village Way South, raised concerns about his home being near a road that would effectively connect the Village at Toms Creek to Glade Spring. He voiced concerns about the safety of those who live along Village Way South.

We truly live in a village, said Stein, who called the area he and his neighbors live in a front porch neighborhood.

Other expressed concerns: how well large vehicles such as school buses and waste disposal trucks would maneuver in and out of the site and the great number of variances being requested by the developer. Concerns over the impact on the Toms Creek watershed have also been expressed.

The development asks for well over a dozen variances. Several residents said they dont recall any past project requesting that many.

A variance is a deviation from a town standard. For example, the variances sought by Glade Spring include a request to reduce minimum driveway separation from intersections from 50 feet to 20 feet for specific lots and another request to eliminate required sidewalks in certain areas.

Blacksburg Councilman Jerry Ford Jr., who serves on the planning commission, said the project has both pros and cons, with affordable housing being one of the positive points. He, however, took issue with the sheer number of requested variances and the sidewalk plan, particularly on the north side where he said they are completely lacking.

Susanna Rinehart, like others Tuesday, praised the affordable housing component, but said she believes the developer, along with some other minds, can figure out the right usage for the property.

As weve worked on this  I feel like the tradeoff is too high, she said.

Jones, the commission member, was among the few supporters of the rezoning Tuesday, saying the project would be a public and private partnership between the developer and the town. She described that setup as innovative and key in the future shaping of affordable housing.

Jones also addressed the concerns over the variances.

To truly get more affordable housing in town, were going to have to rethink some of these regulations that are extremely costly, she said.

Kassoff said the development helps fulfill a need driven by Virginia Tech, which he added continues to grow and brings in workers who are looking for places to live locally.

If not here, then where? said Kassoff, who pointed to the proximity to retail and other infrastructure.

The 24 affordable units included in Glade Spring would, through the town, receive $2 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. The money, town officials said, need to be spent by 2026.

Additionally, the lots for the affordable housing units will be part of the New River Home Trust, a partnership-based entity that was started to improve local housing affordability.

A trust places a cap on how much a home within the program can appreciate. Instead of relying on typical factors such as sales of similar properties and current market trends, the value would be based on income growth in the area.

Of the 24 affordable units, 10 would be sold to households with incomes at no more than 80% of the area median income; another 10 would be sold to households with incomes at no more than 100% of the AMI; and four would be sold to households with incomes at no more than 120% of the AMI, according to project documents.

The town council, under its usual protocol, would take up the requested rezoning a meeting at its next meeting.
Correction March 8, 2023, 4:07 p.m.: Jim Woltz was absent from the March 7 Roanoke County Planning Commission meeting. An earlier version of this story contained an incorrect reference. The story has been updated.

A plan that includes finding alternative routes to U.S. 460 and Challenger Avenue, one of the most congested areas in Roanoke County, was endorsed for more importance by the planning commission Tuesday night.

The commission voted in favor of adding the U.S. Route 460 Land Use and Connectivity Study to the countys future Comprehensive Plan, its main guide for planning and development.

The plan passed 3-0, with commission members Jim Woltz and Kelly McMurray not in attendance.

One of the main focuses of the study is to locate the alternative routes in that area.

County officials have held a variety of community meetings and surveys to gather community input for the plan, going back to January 2022.

U.S. 460 serves as the only primary arterial to points east and north of Roanoke, aside from Interstate 81 and U.S. 11 several miles to the north, according to the study.

Virtually all traffic in Roanoke riding east, including non-local commuters traveling to places like Lynchburg, Richmond, and the Atlantic coast, use one of these two routes, it states.

Megan Cronise, the countys assistant director of planning, has said Challenger Avenue, which turns into Orange Avenue when crossing into the Roanoke city limits, is one of the most congested areas in the county.

It has the second highest rate of car accidents, second only to the Virginia 419 area, particularly near Tanglewood Mall.

A variety of projects have been proposed to help alleviate the traffic concerns, while planning for future commercial and residential growth in the area.

County Director of Planning Phil Thompson said many of these projects are just conceptual, and could be five or 10 years down the line before coming to fruition.

Also, already in the works are three intersection projects along Challenger Avenue, which have been fully funded by VDOT at a cost of $32 million.

County officials have said they believe they will help reduce accidents and congestion caused along the road, as well as a project to make U.S. 220 more accessible for those traveling to and from Bedford and Lynchburg.

Residents in the area have been generally opposed to any projects that focus on diverting traffic from Route 460 to more residential areas, fearing such things as speeding, transferring congestion to neighborhoods and even eminent domain.

County officials also reiterated multiple times the plan is just that, a plan.

Nothing is set in stone, Cronise said Tuesday night.

Commission member Wayne Bower said he cannot remember a time when eminent domain has ever been used by the county.

I think its a good plan, In fact, I think its a great plan, he said. Especially in knowing we are not coming after anyones land.

The commissions recommendation will now got to the board of supervisors.

They are scheduled to consider the addition to the overall Comprehensive Plan at its March 28 meeting.

Citizens can view the full plan on the countys website, and public comments are being accepted there until March 17.

A link to the page can be found here.
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DARLINGTON, S.C.  Coker Universitys new nursing students are starting to get a feel for the job as part of a partnership with Bethea Retirement Community.

Were really excited to have them on campus and were glad to partner with Coker, said Kin McKenzie, health care administrator for Bethea.

Were excited about their new nursing program and hope they consider long-term care as a career path.

McKenzie, a Coker alumna himself, said he was excited not only to see the school achieve university status but also to see it grow its program offerings in doing so.

In 2021, Bethea completed and moved into a new skilled-nursing and rehabilitation facility that offers a home-like environment in space and culture, McKenzie said.

One of the household units, the Wren Household, specializes in memory care and the residents there spend time together watching westerns in the units living room, McKenzie said.

We are proud to have the opportunity to share our facility with Coker students and for them to experience working with our wonderful residents and rehab patients, McKenzie said.

Nurses are in high demand in the long term care community. Our hope is that as students conduct clinical and develop their skills they will see the positive impact they can have in the lives of others and consider long term care as a rewarding career path, McKenzie said.

Were excited to be here, partner with Bethea and hold clinicals here at this facility, said Audrey Rabon Holmes, nursing instructor. You have multiple levels of care, multiple modalities, students can experience interdisciplinary teams and we have multiple programs coming over in the next few years. Were excited about the opportunity to be here.

Holmes said the students, depending on their program of study, should receive between 120 and 150 hours of clinical studies.

Its a great thing. said Jolanda Burr, MSN, assistant director of nursing. We have four households and 8-10 students. Once theyre ready to come to the floor there will be lots of places for them.

A lot of new concepts, meet new people. Get out and do practice weve learned the last two months, said student Ethan Payment. Exciting and nerve wracking to get out and do this.

The nursing students are scheduled to graduate and get pinned in 2024.
Dalondo Moultrie is the assistant managing editor of the Seguin Gazette. You can e-mail him at dalondo.moultrie@seguingazette.com .
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Egypte: deux morts et 16 blesses dans un accident ferroviaire

Un accident de train a fait deux morts et 16 blesses mardi dans la ville de Qalioub, au nord du Caire, a indique le ministere egyptien de la Sante. Dans un premier temps, le ministere a fait etat dans un communique d'"un deces et de 16 blesses", dont six ont deja ete soignes.





Il a parle peu apres de "deux morts dans l'accident de train de Qalioub", precisant que les blesses etaient dans un "etat stable." Pour sa part, l'Autorite nationale des chemins de fer egyptiens a indique que, lors de l'entree du train a la gare de Qalioub, "le conducteur a franchi le semaphore ferme et le train a poursuivi sa marche au-dela de la ligne d'arrivee percutant le heurtoir en bout de voie." "Cela a entraine le deraillement de la locomotive du train et du premier wagon", a ajoute la meme source dans un communique.





Le procureur general Hamada Saoui a decide, selon un communique officiel, de "la constitution d'une equipe pour enqueter sur l'accident". L'Egypte, pays de 100 millions d'habitants, a ete theatre de plusieurs collisions et deraillements meurtriers qui ont ravive la colere de la population face a la negligence des autorites et l'archaisme du reseau ferroviaire national. Frequentes, ces catastrophes sont generalement attribuees a des problemes d'infrastructures et de maintenance.




 The Sentencing Project launches a "Second Look Network" | Main | "The Failed Promise of Installment Fines" 

March 7, 2023

Texas completes its fourth execution of 2023

As reported in this AP article, a "Texas inmate convicted of fatally stabbing his estranged wife and drowning her 6-year-old daughter in a bathtub nearly 14 years ago was executed on Tuesday." Here are more details:

Gary Green, 51, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. He was condemned for the September 2009 deaths of Lovetta Armstead, 32, and her daughter, Jazzmen Montgomery, at their Dallas home. Greens attorneys did not file any appeals seeking to stop the execution. A Buddhist spiritual adviser chosen by Green stood beside the death chamber gurney at the inmates feet and said a brief prayer. Green then apologized profusely when asked by the warden if he had a final statement.... Instead of inserting the IV needles in each arm, prison technicians had to use a vein in Greens right arm and a vein on the top of his left hand, delaying the injection briefly for Green, who was listed on prison records as weighing 365 pounds (165 kilograms).... He was pronounced dead 33 minutes later, at 7:07 p.m. Ray Montgomery, Jazzmens father and one of the witnesses, said recently that he wasnt cheering for Greens execution but saw it as the justice system at work. Its justice for the way my daughter was tortured. Its justice for the way that Lovetta was murdered, said Montgomery, 43. He and other witnesses did not speak with reporters afterward.... In prior appeals, Greens attorneys had claimed he was intellectually disabled and had a lifelong history of psychiatric disorders. Those appeals were rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court and lower appeals courts. The high court has prohibited the death penalty for the intellectually disabled, but not for people with serious mental illness. Authorities said Green committed the killings after Armstead sought to annul their marriage.... Armstead was stabbed more than two dozen times, and Green drowned Jazzmen in the homes bathtub. Authorities said Green also intended to kill Armsteads two other children, then 9-year-old Jerrett and 12-year-old Jerome. Green stabbed Jerrett but both boys survived.... Josh Healy, one of the prosecutors with the Dallas County District Attorneys Office that convicted Green, said the boys were incredibly brave. Green was an evil guy. It was one of the worst cases Ive ever been a part of, said Healy, now a defense attorney in Dallas.... Greens execution was the first of two scheduled in Texas this week. Inmate Arthur Brown Jr. is set to be executed Thursday. Green was the eighth inmate in the U.S. put to death this year. He was one of six Texas death row inmates participating in a lawsuit seeking to stop the states prison system from using what they allege are expired and unsafe execution drugs. Despite a civil court judge in Austin preliminarily agreeing with the claims, four of the Texas inmates including Green have been executed this year.

March 7, 2023 at 09:08 PM | Permalink

Comments

Anyone want to explain why the DP was unjust in this case on these facts?

Posted by: Bill Otis | Mar 8, 2023 12:09:20 AM

Stop making sense Bill.

Posted by: federalist | Mar 8, 2023 8:45:27 AM

federalist --

Ain't it somethin' when a real, live case shows up! The anti-DP crowd heads for the hills (the hills of Cambridge, New Haven and Palo Alto, anyway).

Posted by: Bill Otis | Mar 8, 2023 2:34:10 PM

Yeah, its easy to nip at the heels in the abstract. Things change in real life scenarios.

Posted by: TarlsQtr | Mar 8, 2023 4:35:08 PM

I love executions. The sweater I'm knitting is almost done. Keep those heads rolling, so to speak.

Posted by: Madame De Farge | Mar 8, 2023 4:56:42 PM

Madame --

Got anything to say about the sentence in this case on these facts?

Didn't think so.

The best the pro-murder side has to offer is some anonymous halfwit signing on as "Madame De Farge." Got anything that might be mistaken for an argument grounded in the realities of this case?

Posted by: Bill Otis | Mar 8, 2023 5:22:39 PM

"Anyone want to explain why the DP was unjust in this case on these facts?"

Based on the facts given, the DP was just. However, given that police and prosecutors routinely lie under oath, suborn perjury, and use countless other methods of gaining convictions that correlate not at all with actual guilt, I have no reason to believe that the facts stated are anything close to true. So I oppose this, like all other executions, and will continue to do so until 20 years go by in which nobody in the US is falsely convicted of a felony.



Posted by: Keith Lynch | Mar 8, 2023 5:25:05 PM

Keith Lynch --

Only, from what appears in the story, the defendant never even claimed he didn't do it, and the case was reviewed by the judges -- people who are more neutral than you'll ever be -- for more than a decade. The real reason you oppose the death penalty (or anything else prosecutors seek (and juries impose)) is simply reflexive hate.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Mar 8, 2023 8:02:53 PM

Bill Otis, your calling Madame DeFarge a "halfwit" are odd given that she appears to be on your side.

Posted by: anon16 | Mar 8, 2023 11:39:13 PM

anon16 --

"Bill Otis, your calling Madame DeFarge a 'halfwit' are odd given that she appears to be on your side."

1. Did you mean to say, "Bill Otis, your calling Madame DeFarge a 'halfwit' IS odd given that she appears to be on your side."? Noun/verb agreement and all that.

2. The person I called a halfwit was the anonymous commenter posing as Madame De Farge, not the fictional character herself.

3. Got anything to say about this case, or do you want to take a pass on anything resembling a serious exchange?

4. Now that you mention it, I do have people on my side, e.g., George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Dwight Eisenhower and Bill Clinton, all of whom not only supported but used the death penalty. It was also supported by Barack Obama. Not to mention a clear majority of the American people.

Let me guess. You're morally superior to all of them.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Mar 9, 2023 12:41:19 AM

Post a comment
Elderly Malaysian woman works as seemingly Disney's 'Marie' cat mascot at KL Bazaar (Photos: Roslan Salleh/Facebook)

PHOTOS of an elderly woman dressed seemingly as Disney's "Marie" cat mascot at a Kuala Lumpur night bazaar went viral, with netizens expressing sympathy for the tired-looking senior citizen.

The photos were posted on Facebook on Saturday (4 March), with the original poster expressing surprise that it was an aged woman underneath the heavy mascot costume. The woman also had container hanging around her neck, which netizens assumed it to be used for collecting tips from passersby and photo-takers.

Some netizens commented that elderly folks should not have to work at such old age.

"It's sad to see people at this age still working and entertaining others. At this age they should be resting at home with their families," commented a user.

"Her face looks tired. It's a pity that auntie continues working to sustain herself. May God make things easier for her," commented another user.

The original Facebook poster wrote on the current hardships of citizens living in a city like Kuala Lumpur. This spurred genuine concern over the financial situation and mental state of the woman.

It is unclear if the elderly woman requires financial assistance.
(PHOTO: Getty Images)

Whether it is Diwali, Chinese New Year or Hari Raya, the one main duty most households share is decluttering their homes. With Ramadan approaching 22 March 2023, it is advisable to give ourselves time to clean, as it will save you from struggling with cleaning and fasting at the same time.

What is Ramadan

Ramadan is a holy month of fasting and prayers for Muslims, who are followers of Islam religion.

One of the fundamental practices of Ramadan is fasting, which Muslims fast during the day  they do not drink or consume anything from dawn to sunset. During this time, they will also avoid bad or impure thoughts and shifty behaviours.

After the evening prayer and sunset, Muslims will break their fast with friends and family members, a period called Iftar. Some may even consume three dates to signify the way Prophet Muhammad broke his fast.

Ramadan is typically celebrated across various countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Abu Dhabi, and more, but every region has different customs and traditional dishes.

At the end of the fasting month, Muslims will then celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri, or the festival of Eid al Fitr.

Spring-cleaning before celebrations

To begin this spring cleaning task, make a checklist of the big items you will need to take on: washing curtains, bedsheets, cushion covers, tablecloths and carpets you intend to use on Hari Raya.

Air out pillows, carpets and small furniture - items that will be hard to move around once the fasting period starts.

When the fasting period starts, Muslim friends have shared with me their struggles of waking up at pre-dawn for an entire month to perform prayers and read the Quran. Here's a tip: we think a plug-in night lamp can actually create soft light for your reading and it doesn't cost much.

Preparing your household in advance will automatically create a homey and comfortable environment as you welcome the blessed month of Ramadan, and it shouldn't bust your budget with planning.

Here are some budget-friendly ways we think you'll like.

Add light to your walls

A beautifully decorated wall will be a visual feast for guests and family members. Also, a backdrop for photos and selfies!

1. Moon star hanging pendant Eid Mubarak Ramadan decor

S$13.75 S$19.65 at Shopee

Moon Star hanging pendant Eid Mubarak Ramadan decor. (PHOTO: Shopee Singapore)

This pair of moon star crochet decor adds a touch of glam to your home.

2. Ramadan Candle Lantern

S$40.33 at Amazon

Ramadan Candle Lantern. (PHOTO: Amazon Singapore)

This Ramadan party decor is elegant, durable and practical, featuring a delicate design, which will add a more festive atmosphere for you. It is also an ideal gift for your friends.

3. Solustre Ramadan Moon String Lights

S$24.12 at Amazon Singapore

Moon String Lights. (PHOTO: Amazon Singapore)

This string light is a great ornament for your Eid party.

4. Hari Raya 20 LED ketupat light chain

S$14.90 at Shopee

Hari Raya 20 LED ketupat light chain. (PHOTO: Shopee Singapore)

Hang these beautiful lights in your kitchen or dinner table for a nice change.

More shopping deals:

Sephora's new hair heroes you should add to your beauty care

The best bulk buys from Amazon Singapore to stock up now

13 Bridgerton-inspired dresses to add to your wardrobe

Eat, play, love: Best things to do around Marina Bay Sands

A themed tablescape

You can introduce fruits and small decors that match your ceramics - for example, match a printed ceramic plate with lemons or flowers.

5. Lovera M-mode Moroccan-style dessert plate

S$16.90 S$21.90 at Lazada

Lovera M-mode Moroccan style dessert plate. (PHOTO: Lazada Singapore)

Microwave and dishwasher safe, this dinner plate is just too pretty to sit in the cabinet.

6. Lovera Moroccan embossed blue salad plate

S$9 S$21.90 at Lazada

Lovera Moroccan Embossed Blue Salad Plate. (PHOTO: Lazada Singapore)

Microwave and dishwasher safe, this salad plate is just too pretty to sit in the cabinet.

7. Eid Mubarak tablecloth

S$6.83 S$12.32 at Lazada

Mumuwu tablecloth. (PHOTO: Amazon Singapore)

Set the table with this beautiful table runner from Amazon Singapore.

8. Stobok 24pcs Eid Mubarak disposable paper cups dishes

S$11.79 at Amazon

Stobok 24pcs Eid Mubarak disposable paper cups dishes. (PHOTO: Amazon Singapore)

If you are looking for paper cups and plates for the celebration party, these might be your best choice.

9. Aboofan 100pcs Happy Ramadan Mubarak Party Napkins

S$16.31 at Amazon

Aboofan 100pcs Happy Ramadan Mubarak Party Napkins. (PHOTO: Amazon Singapore)

These beautiful Eid party dinner napkins will go well with your new table runner too.

If you would like to splurge, refresh your rugs

Add a splash of colours to your living room with a classic rug design.

10. Loloi ll Skye Collection

S$47.74 at Amazon

Loloi ll Skye Collection. (PHOTO: Amazon Singapore)

Pick a beautiful, old-world rug design that comes in a variety of colour choices.

11. Retro Turkish Rug

S$69 S$99 at Lazada

Persian Rug. (PHOTO: Lazada)

Refresh your home environment with this deep-maroon colour rug.

12. Turkish Persian Large Carpet

S$17.50 S$31 at Lazada

Turkish rug. (PHOTO: Lazada)

This eye-catching design will be the talk of the living room!

Pretty storage

Store your yummy homemade cookies in these beautiful jars.

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The U.S. government is the largest employer in the United States. Federal employees and members of the military participate in the federal governments defined-contribution plan, known as the Thrift Savings Plan. Currently, there are about 6.2 million Thrift Savings Plan account holders. In this column, I will be reviewing the basics of this plan, its recent changes and how to use its features to your best advantage.

One of the Thrift Savings Plan's significant advantages is that some contributions are matched by the government. If you participate in the plan, make the maximum contribution to maximize free money.

Once you leave your current federal position, you may no longer make contributions. However, you are allowed to maintain your Thrift Savings Plan assets and continue to reinvest interest and dividends. Because the annual costs of the plan are very low compared with workplace defined-contribution plans, consider maintaining the Thrift Savings Plan even if you cannot make new contributions.

The federal government established the Thrift Savings Plan on Jan. 1, 1987. At that time, it became a major component of the retirement plans of federal employees and military members. Prudent management of your Thrift Savings Plan defined-contribution plan, with Social Security and your defined-benefit plan, will help you meet your retirement objectives.

Federal workers who contribute up to 3% of their salary will receive an equivalent match. Between 3% and 5% the match is half. So those who contribute 5% of their compensation receive the maximum match of 4%. (You are allowed to contribute more than 5%.) Active military personnel automatically contribute 5% to their Thrift Savings Plan and receive the maximum federal match.

After 2010, new civilian federal workers and military members are automatically deferred to a target fund, known as a lifestyle fund. The fund assigned is based on your birthdate. Target funds are structured so that you are investing in both equities and bonds. As you approach your expected retirement age, the allocation of equities to bonds is changed so that the percentage of bonds increases. The further you are from retirement, the higher the percentage of equities. You do have the option to select a target fund that is more aggressive or more conservative.

When the Thrift Savings Plan was initiated, there was a limited selection of available funds. These funds, which have low annual costs, are still available to you if you prefer them over a target-date fund. One fund that is very attractive is the G fund, which is a conservative government bond fund with attractive returns.

In 2022, many new options were introduced to the plan. Although participants have new investment options available, the associated fees are expensive. So the new options have not been cost-effective for most participants. In addition, beneficiary information has not been transferred correctly. I do recommend that you verify that your beneficiary information is correct in the system.

When you leave active service or are no longer working for the federal government, you can no longer contribute to your Thrift Savings Plan. You do have the option to continue to maintain it or to roll it over to a traditional IRA or Roth IRA. You may find that the alternatives within your Thrift Savings Plan are more attractive than others outside it. The annual costs within the plan are low in comparison with many other alternatives.

Bottom line: Your Thrift Savings Plan is an important component of your retirement plan. Make the maximum contributions to receive maximum government matches. Monitor the performance of your investments in the Thrift Savings Plan. Dont hesitate to make changes in options based on your investment objectives. If you do decide to use a financial planner for support, make sure he or she is well-versed in the Thrift Savings Plan and the options available.

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Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at raphelliot@gmail.com.
SIOUX CITY -- A Whiting, Iowa, man who stabbed another man outside a Morningside convenience store has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Michael Carson Jr., 36, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Woodbury County District Court to first-degree burglary and willful injury. A charge of going armed with intent was dismissed.

Carson stabbed a 53-year-old man at Sam's Mini Mart, 4218 Morningside Ave., on Dec. 12. As the man was getting into his vehicle at the store, Carson pulled up behind him in another vehicle and blocked him. Carson then got out, walked up to the victim and began stabbing him in the right forearm.

Carson then got back into his vehicle and drove away. Police located him a short time later and arrested him.

The victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Carson was ordered to pay $894 in restitution to the victim.
SIOUX CITY -- A Sioux City man arrested after an alleged road rage incident pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal gun charge.

Chad Hendrickson, 45, entered his plea in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to one count of possession of a firearm by a felon and unlawful drug user.

Hendrickson was in possession of a Cobra .380 pistol on Feb. 16, and because of previous felony convictions, he is prohibited from possessing firearms.

Hendrickson was arrested Feb. 16 when, according to court documents, he pointed a handgun at another motorist while they were northbound on Pierce Street and said, "I will blow your head off."

Police who stopped Hendrickson found him in possession of a handgun, 0.08 grams of marijuana and a pipe with marijuana residue.

He was initially charged in Woodbury County District Court, but those charges were dismissed after he was indicted in federal court.
SIOUX CITY -- A Sioux City man accused of fatally stabbing another man has been formally charged with murder.

Woodbury County Attorney James Loomis on Tuesday filed a trial information charging Nathaniel Parker III with first-degree murder and possession of a controlled substance.

Parker's arraignment was scheduled for March 17 in Woodbury County District Court.

Parker, 30, is suspected of stabbing William Harlan Jr., 48, of Sioux City, who was found suffering from multiple stab wounds Feb. 24 in an apartment building at 414 11th St. He later died of his wounds at MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center.

Parker is accused of stabbing Harlan in the chest while the two were riding in a vehicle. According to court documents, the vehicle pulled up in front of the apartment building, and Parker pulled Harlan out of the vehicle and onto the ground. Parker and another man were seen carrying Harlan into an apartment inside the building.

Tuesday's court filing gave no new details in the case, only quoting Iowa's code for first-degree murder that Parker "... with malice aforethought, willfully, deliberately and with premeditation killed another person ..."

Parker was hiding in the apartment's bathroom when police arrived, court documents said. A knife wrapped in a shirt was found hidden above the ceiling tiles in the apartment.

During police questioning, Parker said he was high on methamphetamine, and police found him in possession of 0.85 grams of the illegal substance.

If found guilty of first-degree murder, Parker would face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.
SIOUX CITY  Vicki Hulse doesn't remember ever receiving a certified letter from a pipeline company informing her it planned to survey her land, much less denying acceptance of it.

Had she received those letters, Hulse testified Tuesday, she still wouldn't have let survey crews onto the land she and her husband, William, own north of Moville, Iowa, and in the route of Navigator Heartland Greenway's proposed liquid carbon dioxide pipeline.

"I just feel that against my property rights as an owner they can just come on my property whenever they want against my will. ... I don't think that's right," Hulse said.

After being twice denied entry to the land, which lies in the pipeline's proposed route, last summer, Navigator sued the Hulses in August to get a temporary injunction allowing survey crews to enter the property.

The couple responded with a counterclaim that Iowa's laws giving pipeline companies the right of entry to private land to survey and examine it are unconstitutional.

Navigator pipeline lawsuit Ann Welshans, upper right, Director of Right of Way for Navigator Heartland Greenway, listens as Navigator attorney James Pray asks her a ques

District Judge Roger Sailer in October denied Navigator's request for the temporary injunction. After a quick one-day trial Tuesday in Woodbury County District Court, he'll now decide whether to grant the company's request for a permanent injunction and also rule on the constitutionality of the pipeline laws.

Navigator has applied for a state permit to build a pipeline through five states, including Iowa, that would collect carbon dioxide from ethanol and fertilizer processors in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Illinois, convert it to liquid form and transport it under high pressure to an Illinois site, where it would be pumped thousands of feet beneath the surface. Many Iowa landowners have refused to grant surveyors access to their land or sign easements.

Navigator depends on Iowa's law allowing surveyors the right to complete surveys if landowners don't voluntarily agree to them.

"We fall back on Iowa code that we have a right to enter the property," Ann Welshans, Navigator's director of right of way, testified. "In order to review the route and determine the feasibility of the route we need to be on the property."

Vicki Hulse Navigator pipeline Vicki Hulse stands at the gate to 151 acres of land she and her husband, Bill, own north of Moville, Iowa, near the Woodbury/Plymouth county l

Navigator agents had earlier entered the land without Hulse's knowledge and performed a civil survey, a walkthrough over the land, Welshans said.

But when a friend of the Hulse family who saw surveyors entering the field to perform biological/environmental surveys told them to leave, Vicki Hulse received a phone call from Daniel Rogers, who works for a subcontractor that facilitates the survey process with landowners.

"I told her per the letter that we have the right. She said, 'you do not, I rejected all those letters,'" Rogers testified.

Hulse's attorney, Brian Jorde, challenged Rogers' recollection of the conversation in light of Hulse's testimony that she'd never received notification about the surveys.

"How can someone reject a letter that they never received?" Jorde asked.

Navigator pipeline lawsuit Landowner Vicki Hulse, upper right, listens to a question from Navigator Heartland Greenway attorney James Pray Tuesday in Woodbury District C

Navigator attorney James Pray had showed Welshans a certified letter addressed to the Hulses and marked by postal workers that acceptance was refused. Jorde challenged the letter, stating it did not comply with a state law requiring restricted certified mail to contain the wording "deliver to addressee only" on the envelope.

Two days after Rogers called Hulse, he met her at her land with a sheriff's deputy and a survey crew. Hulse presented the deputy with a letter from her attorney stating they needed an injunction to enter the property. Rather than risk being arrested, the survey crew left, Rogers said.

Her husband in the Iowa Veterans Home with dementia and Parkinson's Disease, Hulse said she has guardianship and power of attorney to make decisions on his behalf. She said she doesn't want the pipeline running under their land, and she was upset to know surveyors had previously been there. A portion of it is farmed, but the rest is in the federal Conservation Reserve Program and is home to pheasant and pollinator habitat.

"I don't want them out there trampling on my land," Hulse said.

Navigator pipeline lawsuit Moville, Iowa, landowner Vicki Hulse flips through court exhibits Tuesday while answering questions during a trial in Woodbury District Court.

Both sides have previously filed briefs outlining their many arguments in the case. After concluding evidence Tuesday, Sailer gave Navigator five days to file additional post-trial briefs and Hulses five additional days after Navigator's deadline. He'll review the case and issue a ruling as quickly as possible after that, he said.

Navigator has filed similar lawsuits in Clay and Butler counties against other landowners who have denied access to their property. Those landowners also have filed constitutional challenges similar to the Hulses'. The Clay County case is scheduled for trial in April. The Butler County cases are scheduled to go to trial in May.

Navigator pipeline lawsuit Moville, Iowa, landowner Vicki Hulse answers a question Tuesday during a trial in Woodbury District Court. She and her husband, William, were 

The pipeline would run approximately 900 miles through 36 Iowa counties, including Woodbury, Clay and Butler counties. Other Siouxland counties include Plymouth, Lyon, Osceola, O'Brien, Cherokee, Dickinson and Buena Vista in Iowa and Dakota, Dixon and Wayne counties in Nebraska.

It's one of two carbon pipelines proposed to run through the area.

Navigator pipeline lawsuit Daniel Rogers, a subcontractor for Navigator Heartland Greenway, testifies Tuesday in Woodbury District Court. Navigator is suing Moville land
SIOUX CITY  Morningside STEM Elementary School teacher Genni Paul-Fetterman has been named the Sioux City Community School District's Teacher of the Year.

Paul-Fetterman has been with the district since 2000, currently serving as a title I interventionalist at Morningside Elementary. On Wednesday, the school held an assembly to announce her award.

"Genni is always ready to support all classrooms and shows up each day with a positive attitude," said Jarod Moser, principal of Morningside Elementary. "She is very flexible and easily adaptable to change."

Paul-Fetterman said it meant the world to her to receive the award. She said every person who attended the assembly, between the students and the staff, made her the educator she is.

"I would just like to share that award with all of them because if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be who I am today," she said.

Teacher of the Year 2023 Gennifer Paul-Fetterman reacts to the surprise announcement that she has been named Teacher of the Year by the Sioux City Community School Dis

Teacher of the Year 2023 Gennifer Paul-Fetterman is awarded Teacher of the Year by the Sioux City Community School District at Morningside STEM Elementary School with 

The school had nominated Paul-Fetterman as their building teacher of the year, and she said she was up against many phenomenal teachers throughout the district and was honored to be in the running with them.

Superintendent Rod Earleywine said there are hundreds of school team members working in the district every day dedicating their lives to the student's success.

Earleywine said Paul-Fetterman is inspiring to students and staff and her strength is in her positivity.

"She is a tremendous role model for the staff and students who have the privilege of knowing and working with her," he said.

Teacher of the Year 2023 Gennifer Paul-Fetterman is awarded Teacher of the Year by the Sioux City Community School District at Morningside STEM Elementary School where

Teacher of the Year 2023 Gennifer Paul-Fetterman is awarded Teacher of the Year by the Sioux City Community School District at Morningside STEM Elementary School besid

Mozer said Paul-Fetterman is dedicated to her position regardless of the medical issues she is facing. Paul-Fetterman was diagnosed with Acute lymphocytic leukemia in July 2021. She took time away from teaching last year and returned this year. She is in remission.

She said she shares her story with students when they ask, teaching kids that life isn't always fair and people are 'thrown curveballs.'

"You just push past it, you continue to fight for what you believe in," she said. "I have such a strong passion for teaching that I knew that once I was done with my treatments I wanted to get back to what was normal for me ... and that's working with children."

She said the kids and the staff is her family away from home and she missed them during her year away.

Teacher of the Year 2023 Gennifer Paul-Fetterman is awarded Teacher of the Year by the Sioux City Community School District at Morningside STEM Elementary School besid

Teacher of the Year 2023 Gennifer Paul-Fetterman is awarded Teacher of the Year by the Sioux City Community School District at Morningside STEM Elementary School besid

Teacher of the Year 2023 Gennifer Paul-Fetterman shakes hands with Superintendent Rod Earleywine as he congratulates her for being named Teacher of the Year by the Sio

Paul-Fetterman's information will be submitted to the Iowa Department of Education for consideration as the states teacher of the year representative, which will be announced in fall 2023.

The Sioux City Education Association and the district choose the district teacher of the year from teachers nominated from all of the buildings.

The teachers nominated this year were:

Wendy Bryce, Career Academy;

Amy Baker, West High School;

Aubrey McCaslen-Hibbs, East High School;

Betsy Flowers, Liberty Elementary School;

Shawn Gorsett, Clark Early Childhood Center;

Nicole Hahn, North Middle School;

Kaitlyn Marsh, Riverside Elementary School;

Teri March, Sunnyside Elementary School;

Francisca Leon, Leeds Elementary School;

Stephanie White, Unity Elementary School;

Jennifer Hughes, Loess Hills Computer Programming Elementary School;

Chris Poeckes, West Middle School;

Jamie Lang, East Middle School;

Josiah Schiller, North High School;

Tova Natwick, Bryant Elementary School;

Lee Johnson, VIBE Academy;

Emily Bowman, Spalding Park Environmental Sciences Elementary School;

Courtney Jungers, Hunt A+ Arts Elementary School;

Nikole Mueller, Irving Dual Language Elementary School;

Genni Paul-Fetterman, Morningside STEM Elementary Schooland;

Stacey Vondrak, Perry Creek Elementary School.
CHICAGO  U.S. Army recruiters struggling to meet enlistment goals say one of their biggest hurdles is getting into high schools, where they can meet students one on one. But they received a recent boost from a recruiting advocate whom school leaders couldn't turn away: the secretary of the Army.

During three days of back-to-back meetings across Chicago last month, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth spoke with students, school leaders, college heads, recruiters and an array of young people involved in ROTC or junior ROTC programs. Again and again, she asked, what can the Army do to better reach young people and sell itself as a good career choice?

In blunt sessions, recruiting leaders told her they need more and better access to high school students. But they also said the atmosphere can at times be unfriendly  or worse  with school leaders, many of whom are skeptical that the Army offers a good career option for their students. Im going to use the word hostile, one recruiter told her. Theres no other word to use.

It's not unusual for the Army's top civilian to travel the country, pitching the Army message and checking in on recruiting progress. But the Chicago trip came on the heels of the Army's worst recruiting year in recent history, when it fell 25% short of its 60,000 enlistment goal. It's up to Wormuth and other Army leaders to find creative ways to attract recruits and ensure that the service has the troops it needs to help defend the nation.

All the military services are struggling to compete for young people in a tight job market where private companies are often willing to provide better pay and benefits. Two years of the coronavirus pandemic shut down recruiters' access to public events and schools where they could find prospects. And, according to estimates, just 23% of young people can meet the militarys fitness, educational and moral requirements, with many disqualified for reasons ranging from health problems to criminal records and tattoos.

Army leaders say their surveys show that young people don't see the Army as a prime career choice, often because they dont want to die or get injured, deal with the stress of military life or put their lives on hold.

What Wormuth heard in her Chicago sessions was a litany of challenges, from the issue of school access and competition with colleges to confusing Army websites, limited social media and a general lack of public knowledge about the jobs and opportunities that military service can provide.

In a meeting with Pedro Martinez, the chief executive for Chicago's public schools, Wormuth noted the recruiters' frustrations and she pressed for answers on how to fix things.

Martinez agreed that when recruiters try to work with individual schools, and a new recruiter comes in or a counselor leaves, there's not always a warm handoff. He suggested working with the central district office instead.

Swiveling to Lt. Col. Shane Doolan, the recruiting battalion commander for Chicago, Wormuth asked if the team deals well with the central office.

No, we really dont have a relationship. And thats what were working on here, Doolan replied, adding that two years of COVID-19 restrictions hampered those efforts. He also said recruiters found a lack of understanding about the Army.

Doolan and other recruiters told Wormuth that they face resistance from teachers' unions and school board members who don't see the value in offering students the military as a career option. In some cases, school officials view the military through a post-Vietnam era lens.

Martinez and other school officials acknowledged there is a knowledge gap, but added that for security reasons, principals and counselors are cautious about who gets access to their schools and students.

They also warned that a recruiter who is good at speaking to students may not be as prepared to deal with school leaders. Recruiters, they said, must be able to explain the benefits of military service to those who are gatekeepers to the students.

High school access isn't the only hurdle.

Speaking with college leaders, Wormuth stressed that the Army should not be viewed as their competitor for young people.

The Army is facing a recruiting challenge. Thats what brought me here, Wormuth told a large group of college presidents and leaders at the University of Illinois Chicago. But, she added, it doesnt have to be a choice for kids between the Army and college. Some kids benefit from a little time doing something else."

In some cases, she said, soldiers return to college after serving, or while continuing to serve, and are better prepared to be good students.

Students offered their own views.

In small sessions with members of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and the junior ROTC, students laid bare the gaps the Army must bridge to attract others in their generation.

Gathered around tables and in their uniforms, they spoke glowingly about their ROTC experiences: the camaraderie, the support, the leadership skills they get and the confidence they build.

But all too often, they said, their friends question their choices, and, as one said, assume I'm going to war. Some noted that at times their parents are reluctant and had concerns about their safety.

In a crowded auditorium at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, Wormuth came face to face with those perceptions. Young students peppered her with questions about sexual assaults in the Army, homeless veterans, and the use of the military during racial unrest after the police killing of George Floyd.

Flying home after three days jammed with such sessions, Wormuth said the questions from the Whitney Young students, along with similar issues raised in other meetings, reinforce the need for the military to solve some it its more difficult problems.

They asked about sexual harassment. They asked about, are they going to be safe? They asked about barracks, in addition to wanting to know what the benefits are, Wormuth said. That, to me, underscores the importance of us finding ways to solve those problems. Those are real issues and the market research weve done speaks to that.

Photos: President Biden gives pep talk to US troops in Poland
HIALEAH, Florida  A few days after selling all she had to flee Cuba with her three children on a crowded boat, Daneilis Tamayo raised her hand in praise and sang the rousing opening hymn at Sunday worship in this Miami suburb.

"The only thing that gave me strength is the Lord. I'm not going to lose my faith, whatever I might go through," she said. The family has been sleeping in Iglesia Rescate's improvised shelter since the promises of help made by her contact in the United States turned out to be "all lies."

In the past 18 months, an estimated 250,000 migrants and asylum-seekers like Tamayo have arrived in the Miami area after being granted only precarious legal status that often doesn't include permission to work, which is essential to building new lives in the U.S.

This influx is maxing out the migrant social safety net in Miami's faith communities, long accustomed to integrating those escaping political persecution, a lack of freedoms and a dearth of basic necessities.

Cubans were the first to arrive during the island's communist revolution 60 years ago, and they're still fleeing here alongside Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans.

"The Lord says to welcome the stranger. It's the saddest thing, the quantity of people who come and we can't help them," said the Rev. David Monduy, Iglesia Rescate's pastor.

Miami's faith leaders and their congregations remain steadfast in their mission to help settle new migrants, but they're sounding the alarm that the need is growing unmanageable.

"We can get a call on a Saturday that 30 migrants were dropped off, and two hours later all have been picked up," said Peter Routsis-Arroyo, the CEO of Catholic Charities in Miami. "But the challenge is at what point you reach saturation."

The number of arrivals, by sea directly to Florida and from those heading here from the U.S.-Mexico border, surged this winter. For most newcomers, the best hope to settle in the U.S. is to win asylum, but immigration courts are so backlogged migrants can be in limbo for years, ineligible to legally get a job.

Advocates say that makes them vulnerable to criminals, puts an impossible financial burden on existing migrant communities that try to help, and slows down integration into U.S. society.

"It's completely irrational that they're not giving out work permits," said Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski, whose Catholic archdiocese has long helped welcome migrants. "Because of that, the government can make a situation that's not too bad yet, become worse."

Many migrants are already homeless due to soaring rent and motel rates.

"Every day, people knock on the doors of our parishes, saying they have no place to sleep," said the Rev. Marcos Somarriba, rector at St. Agatha Catholic Church on Miami's outskirts.

In addition to providing food, clothes and some housing relief, churches are helping educate migrants about their legal options.

St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church put together a migration forum with Catholic Legal Services in mid-February about a new humanitarian parole program that allows 30,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans into the U.S. each month if they have a sponsor who assumes financial responsibility for them for two years.

Miami's established diaspora communities know all too well the hardships that migrating entails, and that motivates many to help. But there also is mistrust among some old timers who remain active in opposition to autocratic regimes like Cuba's and view some new arrivals' politics with suspicion, said Jorge Duany, director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University.

That underscores the potentially crucial role for faith leaders  to preach forgiveness and build a sense of shared experience.

"That's it  to unite," said the Rev. Elvis Gonzalez, pastor at St. Michael the Archangel, a historically Cuban church that welcomes faithful from across Central America. "They have seen the church as the only institution that can give some hope."

A few miles south on the seashore stands La Ermita, a shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Charity that's long been a beacon for Cuban exiles.

Migrants from all over Latin America come to bring sunflowers to the Virgin, to cry in gratitude for having made it and to ask for help with food and clothing, said Sister Consuelo Gomez.

"Jesus also was a migrant," said Gomez, who helps many newcomers find jobs and decent housing, often with the aid of diaspora members. "We try to help so that they can get ahead on their own."

Outside the Ermita shrine, a couple stood under the palms, their homeland of Cuba some 200 miles across the sea. Roberto Sardinas came seven years ago, and in December managed to get his wife, Dadiana Figueroa, to immigrate legally through family reunification.

Asked about the influx of new arrivals, Sardinas said it would be selfish to argue anything but that "all who can come, let them come."

"The ideal would be that freedom existed in Cuba," Figueroa added.

Cities with the largest immigrant populations Cities With the Largest Immigrant Populations The US foreign born population share was at a near historic high before the pandemic Mexican immigrants account for nearly 25 percent of the foreign born population More than a quarter of the California population is foreign born Small and midsize metros with the most immigrants 15. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA 14. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 13. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL 12. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 11. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 10. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA 9. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 8. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 7. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 6. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 5. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 4. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA 3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 1. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL
DETROIT  U.S. safety regulators turned up the heat on Tesla, announcing investigations into steering wheels coming off some SUVs and a fatal crash involving a Tesla suspected of using an automated driving system when it ran into a parked firetruck in California.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday it is launching a special crash-investigation team to probe the Feb. 18 crash involving a Tesla Model S and a ladder truck from the Contra Costa County fire department.

The firetruck probe is part of a larger investigation by the agency into multiple instances of Teslas using the automaker's autopilot system crashing into parked emergency vehicles that are tending to other crashes.

The driver of the 2014 Tesla Model S was killed in the crash and a passenger critically injured. Four firefighters were treated for minor injuries, and the $1.4 million ladder truck was damaged.

NHTSA is investigating how the autopilot system detects and responds to emergency vehicles parked on highways. At least 14 Teslas have crashed into emergency vehicles nationwide while using the system.

Automated driving systems aren't always involved in the crashes that NHTSA sends investigators to. For instance, the Ohio State Highway Patrol determined that a Tesla that hit one of its patrol cars in November was "not being operated in any type of autonomous mode" at the time of the crash.

Authorities said the California firetruck had its lights on and was parked diagonally on a highway to protect responders to an earlier accident that did not result in injuries.

Lewis Broschard III, chief of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, said his department is concerned about the risks that inattentive drivers pose to themselves, passengers and first responders.

These unnecessary deaths, injuries, risks to firefighters, and loss of valuable equipment are all preventable," he said, urging drivers to slow down and move over for emergency vehicles.

Recent reports of automobiles that may have been operating automated driving systems crashing into parked emergency vehicles at the scene of an emergency is a serious concern for the safety of our firefighters and paramedics and the public we are serving, said Rob Brown Jr., CEO of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.

A NHTSA spokeswoman said she couldn't comment on an open investigation when asked if the Teslas pose a danger to emergency workers.

Earlier Wednesday, the agency posted documents revealing that it's investigating steering wheels that can detach from the steering column on as many as 120,000 Model Y SUVs.

The agency said it received two complaints in which 2023 Model Ys were delivered to customers with a missing bolt that holds the wheel to the steering column. A friction fit held the steering wheels on, but they separated when force was exerted while the SUVs were being driven.

The agency said in documents posted on its website Wednesday that both incidents happened while the SUVs had low mileage on them.

In one complaint filed with NHTSA, an owner said he was driving with his family on Route 1 in Woodbridge, New Jersey, when the steering wheel came off on Jan. 29, five days after the vehicle was purchased. The owner wrote that there were no cars behind him, and he was able to pull toward the road divider. There were no injuries.

It was a "horrible experience," the car's owner, Prerak Patel, told The Associated Press. He said he was in the freeway's left lane when the steering wheel came off and was lucky the road was straight and he was able to stop the car at the divider.

Messages were left seeking comment from Tesla, which is based in Austin, Texas. The company disbanded its media relations department.

A Tesla service center gave Patel a cost estimate of $103.96 to repair the problem. The facility apologized in what appear to be text messages posted on Twitter.

When Patel wrote that he lost faith in Tesla and asked for a refund, the service center removed the charge.

Patel later was given the option of keeping the car or getting it replaced with a new one. Patel said he chose a replacement.

Patel said he's a fan of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and invested a large chunk of his savings in the company's stock, which fell almost 4% Wednesday.

"My kids were a little scared to ride in a loaner Tesla and, as a parent, we are able to restore their confidence," Patel said. He said he hopes Tesla will investigate and improve its quality control "so no other family experiences what we experienced."

Detached steering wheels are not unprecedented. In February, Nissan recalled about 1,000 Ariya electric vehicles because the wheels could come off of the steering column due to a loose bolt.

NHTSA also opened investigations in the past three years into Teslas braking suddenly for no reason, suspension problems and other issues.

In February, NHTSA pressured Tesla into recalling nearly 363,000 vehicles with full self-driving software because the system can break traffic laws. The system is being tested on public roads by as many as 400,000 Tesla owners.

But NHTSA said in documents that it can make unsafe actions such as traveling straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, going through a yellow traffic light without proper caution or failing to respond to changes in posted speed limits.

The U.S. Justice Department also asked Tesla for documents about the full self-driving and autopilot features.

Tesla says in its owners manual that neither autopilot nor full self-driving can drive the vehicles themselves, and owners must be ready to intervene at all times.

NHTSA sent investigators to 35 Tesla crashes in which automated systems are suspected of being used. Nineteen people died in those crashes, including two motorcyclists.

Since January 2022, Tesla issued 20 recalls, several required by NHTSA. They include one last year for full self-driving vehicles programmed to run stop signs at slow speeds.

5 electric SUVs for almost any budget Chevrolet Bolt EUV The Bolt EUV is the crossover version of the Bolt EV hatchback. Thanks to a big price cut for the 2023 model year  and for 2022, via a bonus cash incentive  it will be the most affordable electric crossover SUV on the market. The Bolt EUVs low price doesnt mean it has a shorter driving range or cut-rate interior. The Bolt EUV has a solid EPA-estimated driving range, and it could likely drive farther as its hatchback counterpart did in Edmunds real-world range testing. Inside, youll enjoy the Bolt EUVs large touchscreen, digital instrument panel, impressive available tech like the Super Cruise hands-free driving assist system, and features including heated and ventilated front seats. Its also roomy for passengers. Cargo room is lacking compared to rivals, however. Starting price: $34,495, or $28,195 after Chevrolets bonus cash incentive EPA-estimated driving range: 247 miles Hyundai Ioniq 5 The Ioniq 5 is Hyundais latest electric SUV. It sports a cool retro-yet-futuristic-looking design and provides nearly as much passenger room as the Hyundai Tucson. The Ioniq 5s larger battery pack offers a solid driving range, but its a little less than its competitor, the Mustang Mach-E Extended Range, has. However, the Ioniq 5 boasts the quickest potential charging speed on this list when using an appropriate DC fast charger. Overall comfort is excellent, and the Ioniq 5 is easy to drive. Its also as quick as a Tesla Model Y Long Range. Cargo space, though, is average and the front trunk is very small. Inside, youll find ample tech. The Ioniq 5 even has the ability to power small household appliances and electronics with its battery. Starting price: $41,245 EPA-estimated driving range: 220-303 miles Kia Niro EV The Niro EV is another lower-priced electric SUV. It comes loaded with many standard features, including advanced driver aids such as a navigation-based adaptive cruise control system. It also provides plenty of real-world driving range; it went 285 miles on a full charge in Edmunds testing. Theres a lot to like about the Niro EV besides its many features. It has quick acceleration and a smooth ride quality and offers plenty of space for passengers. Its styling is a bit conservative, though some might prefer that. However, the Niros interior doesnt quite have the wow factor expected of a vehicle in this price range. Starting price: $41,285 EPA-estimated driving range: 239 miles Ford Mustang Mach-E The Mustang Mach-E is one of Edmunds highest-rated electric SUVs. Its about the size of an Escape and is offered in many variants from a base standard-range model to a high-performance GT. Driving ranges vary, but most are pretty impressive, especially when you consider that all the Mach-Es Edmunds tested surpassed their EPA estimates. The Mach-E isnt as visceral to drive as a true Mustang GT coupe, but it handles well and offers quick acceleration. However, if you were contemplating the GT trim, know that it only delivers peak power in 5-second increments. The Mach-E comes standard with many tech features, including a large 15.5-inch touchscreen and a suite of advanced driver aids. Starting price: $44,995 EPA-estimated driving range: 224-314 miles BMW iX Hoping to get something thats truly luxurious? While its front-end styling might be polarizing, the BMW iX will otherwise easily satisfy. The initial xDrive50 model for 2022 is impressively powerful, and a more powerful M60 is on the way for 2023. The iX has a long EPA-estimated driving range, and it easily beat that figure in Edmunds testing, going 377 miles. The iX is about the size of an X5 but is more comfortable and engaging to drive. Its lavish interior looks like nothing else on the market and offers BMWs latest iDrive operating system. Its not as quick as a Tesla Model X, but it offers a more refined driving experience. The iX is Edmunds highest-ranked electric SUV currently. Starting price: $84,195 EPA-estimated driving range: 305-324 miles PennyWise podcast: Four great tips for buying used cars online
OMAHA  A 23-year-old driver charged with leaving the scene of a collision resulting in the death of a South Omaha woman will stand trial and could also face additional charges.

Miguelangel Bringshimback was arrested March 2 in connection with the death of Milagros Lopez, 23, on Feb. 16. He appeared in court Friday and was ordered held on 10% of $175,000 bail. He must pay $17,500 to be released from the Douglas County Jail.

Bringshimback, who is represented by a Douglas County public defender, waived his right to a preliminary hearing and will stand trial. If convicted of the felony charge, he faces up to three years in prison.

According to an affidavit filed in Douglas County Court, Omaha police found Lopez in an alley behind her home at 2423 S. 23rd St. shortly after 3 a.m. She was taken by ambulance to the Nebraska Medical Center, where she died.

Surveillance video from a nearby residence captured a loud argument in the alley followed by a Chrysler 300 speeding south and striking Lopez. Two days later, two witnesses went to Omaha police headquarters and reportedly identified Bringshimback as the driver of the vehicle during separate interviews.

The witnesses, one of whom was identified as the owner of the Chrysler 300, told police that an altercation ensued after they and three other people arrived in the alley behind Lopezs residence. During the disturbance, the witnesses told police, Bringshimback entered the drivers seat of the Chrysler 300, struck Lopez and continued south.

A third witness told police on Feb. 28 that they were a passenger in the vehicle at the time Lopez was struck. That witness also said Bringshimback was the driver.

Police ask anyone with information about Lopezs death to contact the homicide unit at 402-444-5656 or contact Omaha Crime Stoppers anonymously at 402-444-STOP, at omahacrimestoppers.org or using the P3 Tips mobile app.

Lincoln police want the public's help solving these cases Assault at D'Leons Bike burglar Bullseye Burgled Cash me outside Dog poisoning Dollar General disagreement Dollar General distraction Door Dash crash Exotic gift emporium Fill 'Er Up! Fraud alert Fraudulent charges Garage go-getters Graffiti'D Grocery go-getter Grom to go Hosed Jeepers Medical boot Road rage Rocky Rooftop Run Your Pockets Shattered window Tire-d of it Urban Air flair Vape shop burglary Villa Amore 2.0 Villa Amore Want Your Bad Romance
A 22-year-old Norfolk man was arrested on suspicion of robbery, terroristic threats and assault after a Saturday morning robbery at a Valparaiso gas station turned into a pursuit with police, according to the Saunders County Sheriffs Office.

Police were dispatched at around 9 a.m. to Nelson's Gas and Oil at 101 Cedar Street in Valparaiso, according to a press release. Police say that Christopher Short, the alleged suspect, assaulted and demanded money from a gas station clerk.

After Short took cash out of the register, he fled the scene in a 2016 Nissan Altima headed southbound, according to police. At 9:10 a.m., a Nebraska State Patrol Trooper spotted Short's car and began pursuing it. Police said that Short was eventually taken into custody after a short vehicle and foot pursuit.

According to police, Short was driving a stolen car that was reported missing in Madison County. He also had an active felony warrant, police say.

Short is being held at Lancaster County Corrections on alleged charges stemming from his pursuit with police. He will also be facing multiple alleged charges in Saunders County, where the robbery took place.
Iowa schools would have fewer requirements on what they teach and how they provide instruction under a bill the Iowa Senate passed Tuesday.

Senate File 391, proposed by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, removes a list of requirements on Iowas public schools. Under the bill:

Schools would no longer be required to report a comprehensive improvement plan to the state

Schools could hire a person previously employed as a public librarian to be a school librarian, rather than a certified teacher librarian

No more than five days or 30 hours of instruction could be delivered online

Community college instructors would be able teach more classes at the high school level

Schools would be able teach multiple sequential units of a subject in the same classroom

Requirements around financial literacy instruction, instruction regarding HIV and AIDS, and world languages would be removed

Democrats put up amendments to reinstate certain requirements the bill removed, including the requirement that schools employ certified teacher librarians and offer four units of world languages, but they were voted down.

The bill passed along party lines, 33-16, with one senator not voting. It will need to pass in the House before heading to Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk for a signature.

Rebuffing arguments from Democrats that the bill would weaken the standards at Iowa schools, Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink, R-Fort Dodge, said schools would still have the option to offer all the classes they do now, but they would have more flexibility to offer the instruction they can best accommodate.

This bill gives more local control to school districts and school boards in their requirements by allowing them flexibility within courses and offerings so that they are better able to structure class time based on their local situations and needs, Kraayenbrink said.

But Democrats said the bill would result in dumbing down Iowas education system by requiring fewer options to be offered to students and reducing opportunities. Sen. Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames, said the bill would result in cuts to school services.

Flexibility is a euphemism here," he said. "Flexibility, what it really translates to is a permission to cut."

AG CHALLENGES E15 RULE

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird signed onto an intent-to-sue letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, pressuring the agency to alter a slated rule change to allow sales of E15 this summer.

The EPA this month announced intentions to allow the sale of E15  gasoline blended with 15% ethanol  year-round, starting in April 2024. The fuel is restricted in the summer months because of concerns of air pollution.

The change was in response to a 2022 request from a bipartisan group of midwest governors, including Gov. Kim Reynolds, to allow the sale of E15 in the summer months in their states. But Reynolds, Bird and other Iowa politicians have criticized the effective date of the rule, urging the agency to begin the waiver this year.

With record-high gas prices, consumers deserve relief and flexibility when paying at the pump, Bird said in a press release. The EPAs failure to respond on time not only deprives hard-working Iowans of a cheaper, cleaner option, its also a violation of the Clean Air Act. Iowa led the country in expanding ethanol access, and Iowa will go to court to lead again if the law isnt being followed.

In the letter, Bird and Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers said the delay in implementing the rule is a constructive denial of the waivers the governors requested.

TIKTOK INVESTIGATION

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird joined nearly all other states in a court brief urging the social media app TikTok to comply with an investigation into alleged consumer protection violations.

The attorneys general are investigating whether the company has negatively affected youth mental health and violated laws in the process.

In a press release, Bird's office said the company failed to preserve relevant communications by allowing employees to send messages through an auto-deleting app and what information they did provide was "in an almost impossible-to-read format."

Obtaining all the relevant communications, Bird said, is vital to "hold social media companies such as TikTok accountable and address our growing youth mental-health crisis."

COCKTAILS TO-GO

The Iowa House passed a bill that would make changes to the way Iowa restaurants and bars sell cocktails to-go.

The change is necessary to comply with federal open container laws and ensure that Iowa does not lose about $14.2 million in annual federal funding for bridge and road construction and repair projects.

Lawmakers passed and Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law in 2020 a measure that legalized the sale of mixed drinks or cocktails to-go by certain liquor license holders. The measure was meant to help establishments that lost revenue early in the COVID-19 pandemic, when in-person dining largely ceased and to-go orders and deliveries became the norm.

Currently, under Iowa Code, a mixed drink or cocktail to-go may be transported in a sealed container and is not deemed an open container as long as the seal has not been compromised, and includes a container with a sipping hole or other opening for a straw, which violates new federal regulations.

If not addressed, the state risks a penalty of approximately $14.2 million annually in funding allocated to the Department of Transportation and local jurisdictions to assist with road and bridge improvements.

Under House File 433, sealed container means one designed to prevent consumption without removal of a tamper-evident lid, cap or seal. The following containers are not considered a sealed container under the bill:

 A cup made of plastic intended for one-time use.

 A cup made of paper or foam.

 A cup with a hole that includes a tamper-evident seal.

 A vacuum or heat-sealed pouch.

REYNOLDS APPOINTS DISTRICT JUDGE

Gov. Kim Reynolds has appointed Kristen Formanek of Ankeny to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Polk County District Associate Judge Cynthia Moisan.

Formanek currently serves as an assistant Polk County attorney and has served as an assistant Story County attorney. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and her law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law.
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, at a town hall recently in Newton, criticized the Biden administration's "slow walk" response to the unprovoked war in Ukraine, sentiments that echo what Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks said about the conflict nearly a week before at a listening post.

While Ernst has long been a vocal supporter of Ukraine, she and Miller-Meeks agree they do not want U.S. troops on the frontlines. But a sovereign nation has been invaded by one of the United States' "top four adversaries," which Ernst identified as Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.

"When we have those types of adversaries that are expanding their footprint around the globe, that means that our footprint of those of us in the free world is contracting," Ernst said at the town hall. "That does put pressure on the United States, on the free European countries and so forth."

It is of strategic importance, she said, that those four countries are not expanding their territory. The Biden administration "needs to send the Ukrainians what they need to quickly defeat the Russians." But Ernst said the United States is not doing that, but is rather "drip, drip, dripping" military equipment.

"I know when you hear on the news that Congress has authorized these billions of dollars to go into Ukraine, folks, not all of that is in Ukraine," she said. "Only a part of that is actually in Ukraine. So we are just slowly trickling items into Ukraine. And, yes, we are able to audit and follow that equipment."

The discussion about Ukraine was started by a guest of the town hall, which was held at the DMACC Newton Campus. The Newton resident shared his concerns with Ernst about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy telling the United States it needs to send troops. However, this claim is proven to be untrue.

Video clips circulating on social media show Zelenskyy saying America will have to send its "sons and daughters" to war, much like Ukraine has.

Associated Press reporters Karena Phan and Ali Swenson have debunked this claim and provided missing context, particularly the part where Zelenskyy was talking about a hypothetical situation in which Russia invades NATO member countries; he was not calling for U.S. soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

But Ernst said the problem the United States is facing is not sending military aid fast enough. The next six months, she said, is going to be very, very critical for the survival of Ukraine; they need the type of equipment that is being sent by the European Nations, a number of which have committed to sending tanks.

"The tanks that have been committed  again, everyone says, 'Oh! We're sending them tanks'  those tanks won't even get into Ukraine until a year or more. That is the type of equipment they need to push back against the Russian offensive that we expect to happen," Ernst said. "...We need to speed it up."
The Legislature inched its way forward Tuesday toward a showdown vote on a bill to provide state income tax credits for donations to fund scholarships to attend parochial schools in Nebraska with the outcome still in doubt.

A motion to invoke cloture and end debate on LB753, authored by Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn and supported by Gov. Jim Pillen, would be in order Wednesday after completion of eight hours of first-round debate, and it would need at least 33 votes to clear a path for advancement to second-stage consideration.

The bill has 31 sponsors and at least one more identified supporter, but one of the sponsors, Sen. Raymond Aguilar of Grand Island, might not be able to attend Wednesday's session because of scheduled surgery.

While first-year tax credits would be capped at $25 million, leading to an accompanying reduction in state revenue, they would rise to a projected $39 million by fiscal 2026-27.

"Charity is supposed to be a gift," Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington said during debate Tuesday. "You give without expecting a return," she said in opposing the bill.

Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha, who is attempting to amend the measure, said the proposed scholarships should be limited to children in need as measured by low family income.

"If you think private schools would be better, you should support them without tax benefits," Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha argued.

Hunt has proposed an amendment that would prohibit private schools from discriminating against students based on gender identification.

Linehan said the bill would help provide an education for needy children who struggle in the public school environment.

Sens. Justin Wayne and Terrell McKinney, both of whom represent Black neighborhoods in North Omaha, strongly supported the bill.

"This would help Black kids, poor kids, marginalized kids (who) are historically uneducated in the public school system," McKinney said.

"I don't know why people wouldn't want to help these kids," Linehan said.

Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont, who identified herself as "a parent, a teacher and a legislator," said she does not support the bill even though she has enrolled her own children in parochial schools.

Walz said she does not agree with the philosophy that "if you give something, you should get something in return."

And, she cautioned, "this is going to open the door to charter schools" in Nebraska, which opponents have said result in more racially and economically segregated schools.

Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha said "it's not clear whether my son could attend a parochial school  because he has two dads, or if my husband and I could be allowed on campus."

Later, on Twitter, Fredrickson wrote: "I said it on the floor and I'll say it again: I'm not convinced this is a 'choice' for everyone."

Meet the Nebraska state senators making laws in 2023
The buses serving the Norfolk area are on track to start running in March, transit staff said Wednesday morning.

North Fork Area Transit, a bus system with routes through Norfolk and Madison County, met its $500,000 fundraising goal, the board announced Wednesday, the amount it needed to raise to secure an additional half-million dollars promised by the Johnny Carson Foundation.

Hours after Flatwater Free Press published its Feb. 24 story on the bus systems woes  a story involving its former director allegedly stealing up to $1 million in taxpayer money and then fleeing the country  an Omaha-area donor pledged the amount needed to restart bus operations.

This means that thousands of riders left stranded when the bus system halted in January  riders including large groups of senior citizens, employees of local manufacturing and meatpacking plants, and residents with disabilities  will again be able to catch a ride, likely by the end of March.

The board will have to wait for the foundation and sponsored pledges to come in, will pay bills, get staff hired, and then go, said Corinne Donahue, project manager for the states mobility management team.

The crowdfunding to bring back buses came after North Fork Area Transit halted operations on Jan. 6. The bus systems general manager, Jeff Stewart, had allegedly been siphoning up to $1 million from the transit nonprofits coffers, as originally reported by local news outlets including the Norfolk Daily News and News Channel Nebraska.

In December, a warrant was issued for Stewarts arrest.

But now, more than two months later, hes still nowhere to be found. Authorities believe hes fled the country, according to court records.

North Fork Area Transit stopped bus services to avoid falling further into debt, Donahue said.

The combined $1 million will allow North Fork Area Transit to pay off that outstanding debt, and resume bus routes for at least two months, Donahue said. Keeping the routes going beyond that is expected to come from a mix of federal and state transit funding, as well as money from local sponsors.

[The Johnny Carson Foundation was] very clear that they want this service to get going again, Donahue said. Its not just to pay debts.

North Fork Area Transit started expanding its routes in 2021, after the state flagged northeast Nebraska as needing more public transportation. The expansion brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars in local, state and federal funding.

It also turned the bus system into an essential service for Norfolks senior citizens, people with disabilities, students and people unable to afford cars, several past riders told the Flatwater Free Press. The bus system counted 10,000 rides in December 2022 alone, many for people traveling to work, doctors visits, dialysis appointments and college classes.

When the bus system screeched to a halt, the areas other mass transit options tried to pick up the slack.

Ponca Express, a bus service run by the Ponca Tribe, took as many Norfolk-area riders as it could.

Norfolk City Council member Shane Clausen and his brother Aaron Clausen bought a used, wheelchair-friendly bus off of Facebook Marketplace and then hired a driver to transport as many riders as the lone bus could.

But the new makeshift system couldnt come close to matching the need in and around Norfolk.

As the system grew and made itself more accessible within the community, [the need] was eye-opening in a lot of ways, said Josh Moenning, mayor of Norfolk.

Last week, the Norfolk City Council pledged $150,000 to the bus service to help match the Carson Foundations pledge.

When North Fork Area Transit returns, it will likely return smaller. In last weeks city council meeting, transit staff said if brought back, the bus system would likely need to cut back routes and adjust late-night hours. Theyre also not sure how many of the roughly 60 former staff members will be returning. The annual budget will also be scaled back from $3.4 million to $2.5 million.

The Norfolk City Council will also have a representative on the board, a condition of its $150,000 pledge.

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 Brussels appeals court said in its ruling that "the elements of the investigation are not sufficiently reliable."
Event Details

The Academys Heroes and Villains

Thursday, March 9, 2023, at 5 p.m. EST.

The concept of what makes a character, or a person, a hero or villain is completely dependent on individual perception. Its what can make the Academy Awards infuriating, and emblematic of an organization out of touch with a wider cultural current. After three years of what feels like unending conversation and chaos around the Oscars, our team decided to bring the forum directly to our Plus members.

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MCd by Slate senior writer Dan Kois and editor-in-chief Hillary Frey, our panel of in-house Academy expertsmovie critic Dana Stevens and writers Sam Adams and Nadira Goffeis getting together this week to rank the nominees they see as the heroes and villains of this years Oscars. Panel participants and Plus members alike will have the chance to stunt their chops at Hollywood trivia, vote on their personal heroes and villains, and generally indulge in the art of hanging out.

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Who Accepted the Calendar Invite?

Dan Kois is a writer, editor, podcaster, and critic for Slate. He recently published his fourth book (and first novel), Vintage Contemporaries, and is one half of the duo behind the New Black Film Canon. Kois is objectively excellent at hosting trivia, and recently ruled Twitter discourse for a full week as a result of his correct take on Tar.

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Dana Stevens is Slates movie critic, founder of Movie Club, and co-host of the Culture Gabfest podcast. Her book, Camera Man, about Buster Keaton, was named a Best Book of 2022 by the New Yorker, Publishers Weekly, and NPR.

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Sam Adams is a senior writer and film critic for Slate. He was previously the editor of Criticwire, IndieWires film and TV criticism blog, and has written for the Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Nadira Goffe is a writer and the newest member of Slates culture team. When shes not making podcasts, lying to herself about the serving size of doughnuts, or rewatching something for the 15th time, shes writing in her closet-sized Brooklyn apartment.

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This piece was originally published on Just Security, an online forum for analysis of U.S. national security law and policy.

On Wednesday, nearly two years after President Joe Biden announced that he would withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan responsibly, deliberately, and safely, Congress begins its investigation into the chaotic exit that was predictably catastrophic.

Meaningful oversight of the U.S. withdrawal and scrutiny of the collapse of Afghanistans elected government is needed, but that is not what the House Foreign Affairs Committee is delivering.

The Committees hearing focuses on the valor of veterans who spent sixteen days in late August 2021 doing everything they could to rescue their allies. Its a story that is made for Hollywood and has already been etched on screen in documentaries like Escape From Kabul and action movies like Jake Gyllenhaals The Covenant. The truth is always more complicated, and interesting, than what movies make it out to be. The Committee should hear it.

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The truth is that American civil society and our Afghan allies in their country begged the United States government and Congress to act, months and even years before the Taliban again stormed through Afghanistan and refugees threw themselves at the mercy of U.S. Marines.

After the Trump administration abandoned Afghanistans democratically-elected government and cut a bilateral peace deal with the group that harbored Osama Bin Laden, advocacy groups in the United States witnessed the Afghan military lose confidence in American promises. Once the Biden administration made clear that they would not reverse the Trump-Taliban deal, advocates and Afghans knew it was just a matter of time before the withdrawal began.

When Biden announced the United States would be leaving Afghanistan, a broad swath of the public sprang into action. Faith leaders, historians, retired diplomats, and business leaders joined veterans to create organizations like Evacuate Our Allies (EOA), a coalition advocating for the rapid relocation of thousands of Afghans ahead of the withdrawal. The coalition understood the reasoning behind ending the war; my own organization, Human Rights First, is a founding member of EOA and has a long history of calling for the end of the forever war. We also knew that a responsible peace must be grounded in our collective promise to the Afghan people.

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We worked toward the relocation of our Afghan allies, and through the summer 2021, our coalition notched important wins for at-risk Afghans, including Afghans who had worked for the U.S. government. In July, the White House commenced Operation Allies Refuge, expediting the travel to safety of a small group of Afghans who served alongside American forces. Though it wasnt nearly enough, by late August it provided the framework for what would become the largest airlift in history.

Despite these efforts, the Noncombatant Evacuation Operation (NEO) was a disaster. As lines of authority broke down, private citizens, veterans, and relief organizations worked 24-hours per day trying to connect Afghans to safety. Almost none of this work was grizzled vets parachuting into firefights like in Gyllenhaals movie. Some important tasks were certainly undertaken in Afghanistan, but most of the work was done at kitchen tables across the world at all hours of the day, fueled by hope, commitment, and pots and pots of coffee. People used their cell phones to guide and support Afghans making harrowing journeys through miles of Taliban checkpoints.

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If the Foreign Affairs Committee investigated those stories, it would offer a meaningful snapshot into a time filled with anguish, pain, and limited success. I will never forget some of my own experiences from that time, like being on a call with a woman based in California who was desperate to help her sisters family in Kabul while I spoke to a contractor with a friend who had a tenuous connection to a Marine at the gate of Kabuls airport. With our combined help, that family landed in Italy three days later.

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The Committee should hear testimony from the many, almost always anonymous, people who are as deserving of mention as the veterans they have invited. To understand the full story of the evacuation, they should hear from military moms who saw Afghans arriving and found them housing, small businesses owners who put to work recently arrived Afghan parolees, faith leaders who welcomed Afghans into their communities, students who took years off from graduate school to help their local resettlement agencies, and many others. Most importantly, they should hear from the Afghans themselves who took control of their destiny and sought refuge in the promise of America. These are the heroes of the evacuation and resettlement effort, because while many groups that formed during the NEO have disbanded, there are many people who stayed with the effort and continue to work to see Afghans to safety today.

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Were these everyday heroes to testify, they would be unified in urging Congress to fix the mistakes of the NEO and to help integrate our Afghan allies into American society. They would call for meaningful solutions rather than partisan theatrics and finger pointing.

Meaningful solutions start with Congress passing the Afghan Adjustment Acta bipartisan piece of legislation that would solve many of the issues that will be raised in the hearing on Wednesday. Passing this bill would provide stability and an opportunity to put down roots for Afghans who were evacuated by American servicemembers in 2021. It would also create pathways out of Afghanistan for those who have been left behind, so that civil society groups can use established immigration mechanisms to rapidly help Afghans who fought alongside U.S.-led coalition forces in communities like the Afghan Special Forces, Female Tactical Platoons, Air Force, and other specialized groupsall of which are prime targets for the Taliban.

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In addition to passing the Afghan Adjustment Act, Congress should codify interagency coordination on relocation efforts with civil society groups. Over the past year and a half civil society groups have been working alongside the State Department to identify at-risk Afghans and provide them a path to relocation and safety. The Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts (CARE) at the State Department meets regularly with experts and advocacy organizations to ensure that the right people are being prioritized for relocations and that efficiencies within the process can be maximized. But this process could be stopped as priorities shift and a new administration could easily shutter this effort. Those whove worked so hard on this deserve to have the program, or something equivalent, codified into a statue to honor Americas promises to the Afghan people.

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Finally, Congress must create a process to ensure that this never happens again. One of the biggest motivating factors for many civil society groups working on this issue was that, prior to the evacuation, there was no plan to ensure the safety of Afghan allies who would be left behind. We looked at Vietnam and the Gulf War and saw disastrous consequences for our allies when we withdrew, but no one within the government would listen. No one was responsible for ensuring that government policy would honor Americas promise. Thats why Congress must create an Ombudsman for Allies, an office that would ensure that Americas local partners, who believe so much in the promise of democratic ideals, have a voice. If U.S. policy was truly aligned with its values, then perhaps we would not have seen such a chaotic and traumatic withdrawal in August 2021.

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What happened in 2021 was a dark moment in history for the United States and Afghanistan. Congress can play politics with that history, or use it as another impetus to keep promises the United States made to its allies. Beyond needling the Biden administration for its failures in the withdrawal from Afghanistan, Congress should recommit to the United States broken promise to the people of Afghanistan by seeing the whole story of the withdrawal and working with civil society on meaningful solutions.

More From Just Security:

Rehabilitation for Torture at Guantanamo is a Moral and Legal Imperative

The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers Are Domestic Terrorists, Its Past Time to Call Them What They Are
For days, I was locked in this bizarre and avoidable hell, Amanda Zurawski said Tuesday outside the Texas state Capitol.

Shes one of five women suing the state over its restrictive abortion law after they were denied the procedure despite their lives being in dangerand their doctors confirming their fetuses would not survive birth. Their lawsuit seeks to affirm that doctors in Texas can provide abortions for certain medical exceptions, and seeks specific directives that outline what conditions qualify for a legal abortion in the state.

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Here are the stories of each plaintiff and their experience with Texas abortion law, as detailed in statements to the media and in court documents:

Amanda Zurawski

Zurawski went through fertility treatments for over a year before she finally became pregnant with her first child. Eighteen weeks in, her doctor told her she had cervical insufficiency and that the fetus would eventually die.* She asked what her options were and her health care team said there was nothing they could do because of Texas anti-abortion law. Zurawksis doctors could not intervene until her fetus no longer had a detectable heartbeat or she herself became deathly illso she had to wait. Soon, Zurawksi developed sepsis, a life-threatening blood infection, and her family flew to her bedside, fearing her death. Doctors were finally able to induce delivery without violating Texas abortion law. An abortion would have prevented the unnecessary harm and suffering that I endured, not only the psychological trauma that came with three days of waiting, but the physical harm my body suffered, the extent of which is still being determined.

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Lauren Hall

Hall became pregnant last year, but at 18 weeks her specialist told her that her baby had anencephaly, a life-threatening condition that prevents the fetus from developing a skull or brain. Halls doctor said she had two options: wait to miscarry or travel out of state to get a legal abortion. However, if Hall decided to go out of state, her doctor wouldnt be able to send any of her medical records to her new out-of-state provider. Hall said she tried contacting other Texas doctors for help, but none would take her case. Providers are scared to treat cases like ours without guidelines from the state, and more people will suffer and lose their lives if a change is not made, she said outside the state Capitol Tuesday. Hall ended up booking a flight to Seattle to get an abortion. One year later, shes pregnant again. I compulsively look up every ache and pain, terrified that I will find myself in this unbearable situation again.

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Lauren Miller

Miller was pregnant with twins, and at her 12-week ultrasound, her doctor found that one of her fetuses had Trisomy 18, a rare birth defect that was preventing proper brain development. Her doctors said this fetus would likely not survive outside of Millers womb. Her Texas doctor said he could not help her and that she needed to go out of state to get an abortion. The longer she waited, the more endangered she would become, along with her remaining healthy fetus. She ended up traveling out of state to get an abortion. Speaking at Tuesdays press conference, she acknowledged that she had access to critical resources to help her, including family to watch her 1-year-old son while she traveled and personal connections with doctors outside of Texas. Layers of privilege should never determine which Texans can get access to the health care they need, she said. Miller is currently pregnant with her remaining fetus.

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Anna Zargarian

Zargarian found out she was pregnant in 2021, shortly before Texas abortion ban went into effect. A few months into her pregnancy, her water brokeknown as premature rupture of membranesand doctors said her fetus would not survive. My heart broke into a million pieces, she said. Her doctors said the fetus chances of survival were slim to none, and, under Texas abortion law, they couldnt offer her an abortion until her life was actively in danger. One doctor eventually told her she was wasting her time in Texas trying to get the health care she needed, so she finally booked a flight to Colorado to get an abortion. It was like Russian roulette knowing I was at risk of infection, hemorrhaging, or going into labor at any moment of the two-and-a-half-hour flight.

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Ashley Brandt

Last year, Brandt, who is already mother to a 3-year-old son, discovered she was pregnant with twins. At her 12-week ultrasound, Brandts doctor informed her that one of the fetuses also had anencephaly and would not survive labor. However, the fetus still had a detectable heartbeat, taking abortion off the table under Texas law. According to the lawsuit, she had to travel out of state for an abortion to save the life of her remaining fetus. Brandts doctor was so fearful of documenting her abortion care, the lawsuit said, that he described her condition as vanishing twin syndromea completely different medical condition that causes a miscarriage.
On Tuesday, five women filed a lawsuit against Texas claiming that the states near-absolute abortion ban prevented doctors from terminating pregnancies that had threatened their lives. The plaintiffs represent just a fraction of the many red-state residents whove been denied emergency abortions since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade this past June. Their suit asks Texas courts to rule that existing state law permits emergency reproductive careor to strike down the most lethal restrictions.

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Texas has not yet responded to this complaint. But we dont have to guess the states reaction, because it has already staked out a position on this exact question: Texas abortion bans strictly bar doctors from terminating a pregnancy until it is actively killing the patient or impairing a major bodily function. That is what Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced this summer in his successful effort to block state hospitals from providing abortions before the patient is close to death. Paxton declared in federal court that Texas law does not allow an abortion when its necessary to stabilize a patient in a downward health spiral. The procedure is legal only once a doctor becomes certain that, without it, the patient will either die or permanently lose a major bodily function (which is undefined). A doctor charged with terminating a pregnancy before this point of fatal certitude faces 99 years imprisonment if prosecuted and convicted.

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Anti-abortion advocates have tried to blame this denial of care to pregnant patients on greedy hospitals, activist doctors, and even the media outlets that report on it. But the new lawsuit makes it clear that the responsibility falls entirely on Texas abortion bans. (There are three overlapping statutes.) These laws were designed to outlaw the termination of pregnancies that pose a seriousbut not indisputably fatalthreat to the patients life. They are working as intended.

Each plaintiffs story illustrates exactly how the states ban prevents doctors from following the well-establish standard of care to pregnant patients in crisis. Take Amanda Zurawski, the lead plaintiff. At nearly 18 weeks, Zurawski was diagnosed with an incompetent cervix, a condition that causes premature dilation and prolapsing membranes. That evening, her water broke, so she went to the emergency room. There was no chance her fetus could survive, but it still showed cardiac activity, so doctors told her they could not terminate until her health collapsed. After three painful days, she developed a high fever, a symptom of sepsis. The doctors finally agreed to terminate, deeming her life to be in true, imminent perilbut only after awaiting the hospital ethics committees approval.

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Zurawski then spent three days in the ICU. While there, doctors discovered that the untreated infection had caused a secondary infection and massive scarring in her reproductive system, which required a procedure to remove the scar tissue. The result was that one of her fallopian tubes remains permanently closed, making a future pregnancy even more difficult.

This story, and others like it, are not the result of some liberal conspiracy to drum up opposition to abortion bans, as some conservatives claim. They are, rather, the inevitable consequence of Texas ban.

Some history: The anti-abortion movement has long opposed exceptions for any reason, treating health carveouts with heightened suspicion. Opponents of reproductive health care believe that women and physicians will exaggerate the threat of a pregnancy, or concoct a fake condition, in order to justify an abortion. So the anti-abortion lobby persuaded a majority of red states to adopt bans with an extraordinarily narrow exception not for a patients health, but only for her life.

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These exceptions are also intentionally vague, failing to define key terms so that doctors are rarely certain when they can legally terminate and often err on the side of refusing an abortion. After all, if they fall on the wrong side of the line, they could face 99 years incarceration. (In a sense, Texas law is generous: Other states, like Tennessee, do not have a true exception for the patients life; they simply allow doctors to cite concern for the patients life as an affirmative defense once theyre being prosecuted.)

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Paxton, the Republican Texas attorney general, has staunchly defended the extreme interpretation of Texas bans, with no dissent from Gov. Greg Abbott or Republican legislators. In July, Joe Bidens administration tried to impose a baseline standard of care for pregnant patients with health crises, issuing guidance under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, or EMTALA. That law requires hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment to anyone with an emergency health condition, expressly including pregnant patients. The administration said EMTALA compels hospitals to provide abortions when they are necessary to treat a condition that is likely or certain to become emergent without stabilizing treatment. It also claimed that, as a federal law, EMTALA preempted any Texas statutes with narrower exceptions.

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Paxton swiftly filed suit to block Bidens guidance in Texas. He shopped the case to Judge James Wesley Hendrix, a Donald Trump appointee who was certain to agree with him. In ruling for the state, Hendrix juxtaposed the EMTALA with Texas law and found that they conflicted. Texas, he explained, limits abortions to when the medical condition is life-threatening. EMTALA, by contrast, requires treatment for any condition that could reasonably be expected to put the patients health in serious jeopardy. Texas standard, Hendrix concluded, is much more difficult to meet: A patient must be not only in jeopardy but at dire risk of death without an abortion. Moreover, Hendrix identified a divergence in timing: EMTALA requires treatment for a condition that is likely or certain to become emergent. Texas law, however, permits abortion only when a patient is certain to die, or sustain irreversible and catastrophic damage to a major bodily function, without treatment.

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Hendrix sided with Texas over the Biden administration, issuing an injunction that barred the government from enforcing EMTALA against state hospitals that do not provide emergency abortions. Paxton celebrated the victory, proclaiming: Were not going to allow left-wing bureaucrats in Washington to transform our hospitals and emergency rooms into walk-in abortion clinics.

The plaintiffs in this new case want the state courts to interpret Texas law differently so that it allows for abortion when a patients health is in serious jeopardyeven if a doctor cannot prove (to a jury) that the patient would have died without one at the time of the abortion. They want to let patients like Zurawski obtain lifesaving care before they are actually at deaths door. Failing that, the plaintiffs want Texas courts to broaden the exception by establishing a right to emergency abortion care under the state constitution. They are likely to face staunch opposition from Paxton and the Texas GOP. (A few Republican legislators who helped write two abortion bans now claim they intended their statutes to be less restrictive, but that rationale cannot apply to the third ban, which was passed in 1857.)

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These plaintiffs want something more, too: They want the courts to create a right of patients to terminate a fetus that is deemed incompatible with life, meaning it has a condition that will prevent it from surviving after birth. Here, too, they will find stiff resistance. The anti-abortion movement vigorously resists such exceptions, rejecting the very concept of a fetal condition thats incompatible with life. Thus, the exception is absent from Texas bans.

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One plaintiff in the suit, Lauren Hall, suffered the consequences of this decision: Her fetus was diagnosed with anencephaly at 18 weeks, which hinders the development of a skull and brain. Yet no medical provider in Texas would even speak to her about abortion, evidently for fear of civil or criminal liability. She eventually flew to Seattle for the procedure.

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Hall is just one of many women forced to carry a nonviable pregnancy because of a strict abortion ban. But she, like her fellow plaintiffs, faces a steep climb in the Texas judiciary. The state Supreme Court is composed of nine Republicans, none of whom have shown any solicitude for reproductive rights. The plaintiffs are essentially asking the courts to create a legal ruling that compels the state to respect a physicians judgment about when, exactly, termination is necessary to spare the patient a lifelong injury or possible death. But in overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court said it would leave these decisions to the people and their elected representatives. The hard-right Texas judiciary seems likely to agree.

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Thats not to say the effort is entirely hopeless. Doctors and patients desperately need help navigating Texas new abortion regime; the state courts may at least provide some clarity about the line that a condition must cross before it justifies an abortion. For instance, just how certain must a doctor be that their patient is dying before terminating their pregnancy? 10 percent? 50 percent? 100 percent? In practice, the answer today is: certain enough that theyll take the risk of prosecution and incarceration. The courts could impose a clear standard that defers to the doctors reasonable judgment, shielding them from prosecution if their diagnosis was defensible.

But that wont solve the underlying problem: Texas bans reflect the belief that it is worth risking a patients life to save the fetus, because the fetus simply matters more. Until the legislature changes the law, pregnant patients will keep risking sepsis, hemorrhage, and other horrific ailments before getting the care they need. Eventually, someone will die. And the state has already decided that this death will have been worth the trade-off.
Hong Kong: UN committees observation rebutted

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today strongly objected to the concluding observations issued by the UN Committee on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights on the fourth report under the International Covenant on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government said its delegation, as part of the Chinese delegation, held dialogues with the committee in an open, respectful, co-operative and responsible manner in the meetings held on February 15 and 16 in Geneva, addressing the committee's concerns and made detailed explanations and clarifications on the misunderstandings over the human rights situation and social development in Hong Kong.

It strongly deplored and resolutely rejected the committees concluding observations, which insisted on making inaccurate, biased and misleading statements on various aspects of the situation in Hong Kong.

The statement said the committees recommendations to review the National Security Law on various aspects are not only totally unfounded but also utterly perplexing, noting that the committee has turned a blind eye to the fact that the fundamental rights and freedoms of Hong Kong residents have already been guaranteed at the constitutional level by the Basic Law.

Article 4 of the security law has clearly stipulated that human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, while the rights and freedoms which the residents of Hong Kong enjoy under the Basic Law and the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights and the ICESCR as applied to Hong Kong, shall be protected in accordance with the law.

The statement noted that after the implementation of the security law, Hong Kong residents still enjoy various rights and freedoms, including that to form trade unions, academic and artistic freedom, as well as rights in the cultural and scientific fields mentioned in the concluding observations.

The National Security Law does not affect the legitimate exercise of the freedom of expression by Hong Kong residents, including criticising government policies or policies and decisions made by officials, as well as publishing satiric content through different types of media as mentioned in the concluding observations."

The statement said the committee has made groundless accusations against the law enforcement actions taken by the Hong Kong SAR Government during the violent unrest of 2019, noting that all law enforcement actions taken by Hong Kong law enforcement agencies were based on evidence and strictly in accordance with the law in respect of the acts of the people or entities concerned, and have nothing to do with their political stance, background or occupation.

The committee takes no notice of the fact as clearly pointed out by the delegation during the meeting that the implementation of the National Security Law has reversed the previous chaotic situation and serious violence, and restored stability and increased public confidence in Hong Kong, thereby allowing the city to resume normalcy and return to the path of development."

The statement also said that the National Security Department Reporting Hotline has facilitated members of the public to provide or report national security-related information and the committee's recommendation to abolish it is unjustified.

Rebutting the committee's erroneous statement on the retrogression of trade union rights, the statement said that Hong Kong residents enjoy the right and freedom to form and join trade unions and such right is clearly protected by Article 27 of the Basic Law and under local legislation, including the Trade Unions Ordinance.

Trade union rights in Hong Kong are strong and intact as ever, evidenced by the marked increase in the number of registered trade unions from 2019 to 2022. It is crystal clear the free exercise of the right and freedom of association in the Hong Kong has not been jeopardised in any way, the statement said.

As for the committee's presumptuous claims that members of trade unions had been arrested arbitrarily, a clear difference must be drawn between legitimate trade union activities protected under our law and unlawful acts that have nothing to do with the exercise of trade union rights.

It is the duty of Hong Kong law enforcement authorities to take legitimate actions against unlawful behaviours, which should not be wrongfully alleged as an affront to trade union rights, the statement added.

In response to the committee's recommendations of establishing an independent human rights institution in accordance with the Paris Principles, the statement said that human rights are guaranteed constitutionally by both the Constitution and the Basic Law, and is underpinned by the rule of law and an independent judicial power.

The framework provides solid protection of human rights in Hong Kong, buttressed by the existing statutory organisations of the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data and the Ombudsman, as well as legal aid services, the statement added.

The Hong Kong SAR Government will ensure the existing mechanism continues to effectively protect fundamental rights and freedoms in the city, and does not see any need for the establishment of an additional human rights institution.

The UN Committee on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights has requested the Hong Kong SAR to submit the fifth report under the ICESCR by March 2028.

The Hong Kong Government will report to the committee in respect of the recommendations in its concluding observations, and in the interim it will provide necessary information in accordance with its request by March 2025.

This story has been published on: 2023-03-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Encouraged by Xi's words, Chinese private firms vow sound devt, greater social responsibility

By Wang Cong and Tu Lei (Global Times) 08:35, March 08, 2023

A worker arranges newly-produced floorboards at a factory in Benxi, northeast China's Liaoning Province, March 17, 2020. Photo:Xinhua

President Xi Jinping's unswerving support and encouraging words for the country's private businesses have reverberated through the vast private sector, with many firms and entrepreneurs on Tuesday vowing to strive for sound development in line with the country's goal for high-quality development and take on a greater social responsibility of promoting common prosperity.

On Monday, while visiting national political advisors, who were attending the first session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Xi stressed that the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee always unswervingly consolidates and develops the public sector, and unswervingly encourages, supports and guides the development of the non-public sector.

Xi has reiterated in many occasions what is widely known as the "two unswervingly," which has also become a crucial part of Xi's thought on the economy, helping private businesses flourish in recent years.

Unswerving support

During his visit and participation in a joint group meeting of national political advisors from the China National Democratic Construction Association and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, Xi urged proper guidance for the healthy and high-quality development of the private sector, according to Xinhua.

Xi said that the CPC Central Committee always believes that private enterprises and entrepreneurs "belong to our own family." Efforts should be made to optimize the environment for private enterprises' development, remove institutional barriers that impede their participation in market competition in a fair manner, protect their property rights and the rights and interests of entrepreneurs in accordance with the law, and ensure the equal treatment of private enterprises and state-owned enterprises, Xi said.

Wang Yu, a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC and chairman of Spring Airlines, was among the national political advisors who were in attendance when Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited on Monday afternoon.

"I am very touched! The visit by the general secretary fully demonstrates that the CPC Central Committee attaches great importance to the private economy and earnestly expects the healthy development of private enterprises," Wang told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Wang said that Xi's remarks helped "eliminate any worry among the vast number of private entrepreneurs and set our minds at ease, and greatly boosted our confidence in continuing to overcome difficulties."

This confidence boost was felt by many Chinese private businesses and entrepreneurs across the country.

Sun Dongwei, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) and chairman of Luhua Group, a national key leading enterprise involved in agricultural industrialization, said that he deeply felt the support of the Party and the central government for the private economy.

"Under the strong leadership of the Party, the development environment of private enterprises is getting better and better, and the size of the private economy has also increased significantly," Sun told the Global Times on Tuesday, adding that some leading private enterprises have built international competitiveness.

Over the past decade or so, China's private sector has flourished. The number of private businesses jumped from 10.85 million in 2012 to 44.57 million at the end of 2021, official data showed. The private sector contributes more than 50 percent of national tax revenue, more than 60 percent of GDP, and over 70 percent of technological innovations. It also provides more than 80 percent of urban employment and accounts for more than 90 percent of market entities in China, according to Xinhua.

Behind such sound development of the private sector is the firm support of the CPC Central Committee under the leadership of Xi, who over the years reiterated the "two unswervingly" at many crucial occasions. The "two unswervingly" was written in the reports to the 18th, 19th and 20th CPC National Congresses. It is also a crucial part of Xi Jinping's economic thought.

Greater social responsibility

During the visit on Monday, Xi also hailed the private sector as an important force in the endeavor to realize the two centenary goals and the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. Noting that Chinese modernization is the modernization of common prosperity for all, Xi said that both state-owned and private enterprises must shoulder the social responsibility of promoting common prosperity.

Heeding this call, many private businesses and entrepreneurs vowed to achieve sound business development in line with the country's overall development goals and take on greater social responsibilities.

"Listening to the general secretary's remarks, I felt the deep affability," Zhu Xiaokun, an NPC deputy and chairman of high-tech manufacturer Tiangong International Co, told the Global Times, "As a representative of a private enterprise, I feel the great honor as well as the great responsibility."

Zhu said that the company will continue to accelerate scientific and technological innovation and strive for breakthroughs in core technologies that are subject to foreign "strangleholds" and international monopoly.

Many companies announced various business initiatives and proposals that are related to some of the country's top development priorities, including food security and rural revitalization.

Sun of Luhua Group called for vigorous development in the country's peanut production to reduce the country's reliance on imported oil crops. Meanwhile, Wang of Spring Airlines vowed to make new contributions to the country's rural revitalization strategy.

Liu Hanyuan, a deputy to the NPC, vice chairman of the ACFIC and chairman of the Board of Directors of Tongwei Group, told the Global Times that the company, which focuses on green agriculture and energy, will devote itself to the "double green development" strategy to promote high-quality development and contribute to China's "dual carbon" goal.

Gao Dekang, chairman of Bosideng International Holdings Ltd, said that encouraged by support from the top leadership, the company will continue to build its global branding, while also contributing to the country's goal of common prosperity.

"We will take common prosperity as the value goal of corporate social responsibility and take the lead in the fields of stable employment, tax contribution, entrepreneurship and innovation, rural revitalization, public welfare and charity, and ecological civilization," Gao told the Global Times on Tuesday.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
We want to provide travel management for more national firms, the firm's managing director Marek Resovsky notes.

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While the activities of the Deutsche Telekom Services Europe Slovakia (DTSE Slovakia) shared service centres in Bratislava and Kosice can be somewhat difficult to understand for ordinary people, it is thanks to these units that all the invoices of clients belonging to Slovak Telekom, T-Mobile CZ and other companies are processed smoothly. But the processing of invoices is just one of the services and activities DTSE Slovakia carries out. Apart from other financial services, it identifies opportunities for the digitalisation and automation of processes and actively participates in these. The Slovak Spectator spoke with Marek Resovsky, managing director at Deutsche Telekom Services Europe SK & CZ, about the beginning of DTSE Slovakia, the milestones of its development, as well as the challenges the shared service centre is now facing.

When was Deutsche Telekom Services Europe Slovakia launched and what was the reason behind it?

DTSE Slovakia was launched as a small shared service centre (SSC) for the parent company, Deutsche Telekom, in 2009. At that time Bratislava was a popular destination for the establishment of shared service centres, thanks to an available and cheap qualified labour force as well as geographical and cultural proximity. Its first employees provided support services and basic services in accounting and finances to the parent company. Over the following years, during which this region demonstrated its potential and the SSC market grew, it gradually gained new competences, including more senior ones. The scope of clients expanded as well, beginning to provide services to the national telecom companies of DT in Europe, for example T-Mobile CZ, Slovak Telekom, T-Mobile Polska and Magyar Telekom.

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Could you specify any projects on which DTSE Slovakia worked on at that time?



Our team in Bratislava played a significant role in a big consolidation project of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems used by the groups national companies. It started in 2013 and was actually completed in 2022. Simply stated, ERP systems are accounting programmes used by national companies to register all their transactions. These programmes differed significantly as they reflected, for example, different legislative backgrounds in individual countries. Deutsche Telekom resolved to replace these with one accounting programme, One. ERP, to make the recording and reporting of transactions more effective and transparent. Working on this project and on its implementation helped us to obtain new competences, expertise and skills, as well as support further standardisation in the group.



When did you expand to Kosice?



It was in 2017 when Deutsche Telekom Services Europe started its first activities here. Today we have approximately 600 employees in Bratislava and about 300 in Kosice.



This was also the year when you launched the transformation of DTSE Slovakia. What did this process involve?



One of the basic supports on which we based the transformation was that in spite of extensive digitalisation and automation, the business of shared service centres is a people business. We started investing in people and leadership in an intensive and structured way, because we were aware of the connection between these factors and the company culture. In my view, it is the corporate culture that is one of the most important elements in the transformation of a company. Leadership should be the ambassador of that culture, and that was also the case for us. Although the activities our employees perform are digital activities carried out on technologies, its still human work. And it will remain so in the future, of course with a greater degree of digitalisation and automation. Before we transformed, the growth of our company was rather organic and not so coordinated. This resulted in situations that were neither of benefit to the business nor its clients. Thus, we further restructured the company and its processes, launched extensive digitalisation and improved internal processes. We invested in physical infrastructure and moved into new premises.



What was the result of the transformation?



One tangible result was a low, singledigit attrition rate, when this rate is usually a bit higher in shared service and business service centres, and in other companies. This helped us to maintain expertise and knowledge within the company. Another one was high scores and turnout in employee satisfaction surveys. The attrition rate has increased a bit after the pandemic, as there is a much bigger demand for jobs due to a huge wave of digitalisation. But this is a standard market situation and a matter of demand and supply. We are succeeding in hiring new colleagues. Last year alone we rose by 10 percent.



Do you also hire foreign workers?



The share of workers of other than Slovak nationality is stable at around 15 percent. The reason why its like this is that in Bratislava there live a large number of foreigners, and also because we are a supranational company operating in an international environment. As we work for individual national companies across Europe, we need employees with certain language skills. We have Croatians, Greeks and Czechs, just to mention a few, with the main business language being English.



What kind of services do you provide today?



We provide back-end services, especially financial ones, to our clients. Our biggest department is the Procure to Pay department, which carries out the services of operative purchasing, accounting transactions and services for our clients. The second big department is Customer Finance, where we process, manage and supervise the inflow of payments from customers. Then we have the Enterprise Data Management department, the Account to Report department, and the internal Control System for the internal processes of individual national companies. For clients in Germany, we do travel management and our ambition is to provide this service for more national companies. Our portfolio is diverse, with services in finances dominating.



Which of your services or activities can ordinary people encounter?



Since we serve more as support to national companies, customers dont really come into direct contact with us. This can happen when some irregularities occur during the settlement of invoices, for example when some exact payments are supposed to be found and paired with reminders.



What impact did the Covid pandemic have on DTSE Slovakia?



In general, the pandemic resulted in a very dynamic and strong push forward on many topics. It actually unlocked huge potential for improvement, suddenly allowing things that were unthinkable before or about which there was a lot of controversy. This was the case of home office or remote work, for example, but not just this. Covid triggered a huge digitalisation wave where suddenly everything was possible. In terms of our company, given the high extent of digitalisation and usage of modern technologies, the switch to remote work was very smooth. Of course, we had to calibrate the way we operated and other matters; but this was a new situation resulting in a large share of new energy and willingness to search for solutions, not to obstruct things.



Has this atmosphere persisted to this day?



After the pandemic years during which we were working remotely, the links established between our employees and departments in the past began to loosen, and the ability to interact diminished. Even though we use the latest technologies for virtual work, they cannot fully replace the human aspect, body language and spontaneous communication that helps to prevent misunderstandings in physical functioning. This is a challenge we have to address now.



Do the shared service centres that Deutsche Telekom operates in Europe differ from the one in Slovakia?



Apart from Slovakia, Deutsche Telekom has shared services centres in Germany, the Czech Republic and Romania. The Bratislava centre is one of the oldest and most experienced, and it keeps benefiting from the expertise and skills built here. In comparison, the shared service centre in Brno in the Czech Republic is newer, with which we have shared management since August 2022. Its employees are younger and mostly digitalisation experts, data analysts, experts at artificial intelligence and so on. Their skills are different, making them perhaps better equipped to respond to the dynamics the pandemic has ushered in, i.e. new technologies and digitalisation.



Does the ratio of accountants and IT experts change over time?



Certainly, yes. In the past, accountants in our Bratislava centre absolutely dominated. Now in Brno the share might be somewhere around 50:50. Simple transaction operations are disappearing and the impact is on more senior positions. Actually, we are trying to bring teams from Brno and Bratislava closer, as a digital expert does not understand accounting and an accountant does not understand new technologies. This is one of the challenges we face: to bring accounting and IT experts closer to identify new opportunities for further improvement and further digitalisation.



Do you develop digitalisation and automation on your own or do you take these from parent or national companies?



As DTSE we operate as one international group across four countries, but also in Slovakia we do have competence centres where we participate with our employees and our competencies. DTSE SK also benefits from working as an international team together on improvements where we have a strong footprint.



What impact does automation and digitalisation have on the need for labour in shared service centres?



As in other shared service centres, we have launched a number of robots and digitalisation is not a question of time any more. Its a question of to what an extent we will digitalise so that it still makes sense. But for me this business remains a people business. Robots and technologies just free up their hands and capacities for other, more meaningful activities with more added value. We are not even halfway there. This, of course, changes the qualities we look for in new employees. In 2009, when we started as an organisational accounting unit, we looked exclusively for hard skills and knowledge in accounting. Today, we are largely looking for people with different backgrounds: data analysts, process managers, digital experts, data mining experts and so on. We are looking for profiles oriented towards the work of the future. Of course, accounting remains our core business, but we are looking for a different blend of skills and expertise.



Would an accountant with an IT education be an ideal candidate for you?



I myself studied accounting, but I hated it in the form it existed at that time. But today you dont need to hand over a paper receipt from a petrol station after refuelling a company car to an accountant anymore for them to stick it into accounting books. All the data are somewhere in a cloud storage; what you need to do is interconnect the cloud storages. The infrastructure is already built for this. What is necessary to resolve are the various geopolitical matters, data privacy and so on. Actually, I would like to hire a kind of accounting hacker for each department, i.e., an accountant that hates accounting and looks for completely new ways to do it differently. This is actually what we are doing, but in a more systematic way.



Is accounting an easy field for digitalisation and automation?



Accounting is strongly defined by a legal framework and this is maybe the reason why its more difficult to push through new technologies in accounting than somewhere else. Everything has to be done very consistently, as this may have an impact on reporting, the market and so on.



In 2021, compared to 2020, both sales and profit of DTSE Slovakia decreased. What were the reasons behind this decline?



The year 2020 was successful for our company in several aspects. One of them was the successful completion of the ONE. ERP roll out project. This had a positive impact on our sales and profit that year. However, some of the works were not carried out in the next period after the successful completion of the project. This resulted in lower sales in the area of project activity and profitability in 2021.



How did DTSE Slovakia fare in this regard in 2022?



In 2022, we gained several new opportunities within the group. Most of the new activities started in the second half of the year, and we will reach their full potential in the fall of 2023. During that year, the company grew by more than 10 percent in the number of employees, and we crossed the threshold of 900 employees.



What are the plans of DTSE Slovakia for the future?



We want to continue to take over new competences where the ambition is to perform not only fragments of processes, but to perform them end-to-end. As we have the know-how and expertise, we can take over entire departments. Under this we want to increase our labour force, in Bratislava and Kosice, up to 1,000 this year. The strategic direction is basically to further standardise and digitalise.
Interview with Slovak VFX creator, experience early Slovak video games. Learn more in today's digest.

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Good evening. Here is the Wednesday, March 8 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.

Slovak wines win big in France

Tokaj Wine Region in eastern Slovakia. (Source: SITA)

Slovak winemakers won dozens of top awards at last week's Vinalies Internationales in Bordeaux. Widely seen as one of the most prestigious wine competitions in the world, almost 2,000 wines were entered for prizes.

In total, Slovaks won six Grand Gold, 39 Gold, and 14 Silver medals.

Read more on Slovak wines:

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If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our NEW online subscription with no ads and a print copy of The Slovak Spectator sent to your home in Slovakia. Thank you.

Feature story for today

Initially, Slovak visual effects (VFX) creator Vladimir Valovic expected to work on commercials and trailers. But then he took matters into his own hands, attended a VFX school in London, and then started working on big Hollywood productions, including several Marvel movies.

In an interview with the Slovak Spectator, he talks about his projects, how he got involved in the film industry, and the nature of his work.

Baby Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2. (Source: Archive of Vladimir Valovic)

Culture tip of the day

The exhibition '8-bit' opens one Wednesday at the Satellite Design Gallery in Bratislava. The exhibition maps the formation of the first computer and digital games fan communities in the 80s and 90s in Slovakia. Computers allowed for the transfer of information technology knowledge from research centres to households.

The exhibition includes early computer games, magazines, media and other related objects and memorabilia.

(Source: SCD)

In other news

On Thursday, US Ambassador to Slovakia Gautam Rana visited the town of Tisovec, Rimavska Sobota District, going to, among others, a bi-lingual secondary school and a factory that will build armoured 8x8 vehicles. Read more in Slovak.

a bi-lingual secondary school and a factory that will build armoured 8x8 vehicles. Read more in Slovak. There are 119,000 more women than men in Slovakia , with the former accounting for 51.1 percent of the total population, the Statistics Office reported on the occasion of International Women's Day. On average, Slovak women live for 78 years, seven more than Slovak men.

, with the former accounting for 51.1 percent of the total population, the Statistics Office reported on the occasion of International Women's Day. On average, Slovak women live for 78 years, seven more than Slovak men. The Dutch royal visit to Slovakia continues. King Willem-Alexander, Queen Maxima and Slovak President Zuzana Caputova discussed the equality of girls and women with secondary-school and university students, and attended a business forum. The Dutch king and queen also visited the Teplaren gay bar where two people were shot dead in last year's terrorist attack.

The Dutch king tries out the Slovak system of returning used plastic bottles and cans. Unlike its Dutch counterpart, the Slovak system is fully digitised. (Source: TASR)

Police have warned the number of scams involving mobile phone applications is on the rise, including attempts to get people to give out their bank account information.

attempts to get people to give out their bank account information. The interim Government appointed Michal Palkovic as state secretary of the Health Ministry where he will head a crisis management team.

head a crisis management team. Construction of 20,220 apartments was completed in Slovakia in 2022 , but the number of new flats fell 2.1 percent year-on-year, the Statistics Office reported.

, but the number of new flats fell 2.1 percent year-on-year, the Statistics Office reported. There has been no significant improvement in problems with drug shortages, although the situation is not getting worse, says the State Institute for Drug Control. Some drugs like pain killers and antibiotics are unavailable.

A preparation of an artificial nest to help fish spawn in the Zilina Waterworks, north Slovakia. (Source: TASR)

Weather for Thursday

Cloudy with rain in most places, snow at higher elevations. Daily temperatures between 12 and 17 degrees Celsius. In the northern half of the country temperatures between 7 and 12 degrees. A level 1 wind warning is in place for south-west, central, and north Slovakia.

If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
The history of coffee in India has deep roots. From production to consumption to unique expressions of cafe culture, India is bursting with coffee narratives, but theres one particular story from India thats only just starting to be told outside the subcontinent: South Indian filter kaapi.

This brewing method, distinct to South India, can be found in home kitchens from Goa to Chennai. It is a three-part manual percolation brewing device consisting of a top chamber with holes, a bottom collection chamber, and a lid, writes Namisha Parthasarathy. Available in several sizes, its occurrence is largely confined to either South Indian households, which largely opt for 200400 milliliters sizes, or darshinis, quick, self-serve restaurants that serve batch brewed filter kaapi.

In a recent feature for Sprudge Special Projects, Parthasarathy explores the history and ubiquity of this brewing method for coffee lovers in Indias south, and the challenges, limitations, and opportunities the method presents to a new generation of specialty coffee lovers. In a coffee industry forever searching for the new gadget, the next big thing, this story invites us to look instead at a traditional brewing method with deep ties to a specific region, and how this methodbursting with potentialmight tell us more about coffee than we thought possible.

Read A New Narrative For The Story of South Indian Filter Kaapi On Sprudge Special Projects

Sprudge Special Projects is a hub for long-form original journalism and select archival features on Sprudge. Since 2009, Sprudge has been the worlds premier home for thought-provoking coffee journalism, evocative photo essays, design deep-dives, and cultural narratives. Special Projects Desk continues this tradition in 2023 and beyond, platforming exceptional works from the field of coffee journalism.

Special Projects Desk is supported by La Marzocco, handcrafting espresso machines in Florence, Italy since 1927. Their mission is to support the growth of specialty coffee; they believe that increasing knowledge and understanding is the best way to develop a thriving future for the coffee industry.

Sprudge is actively seeking pitches for long-form coffee writingfrom both established and emerging journalistswithout language or experience prerequisites. For more information, contact us.

Explore the complete archives of Sprudge Special Projects here.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230307/ned-price-to-step-down-as-spokesperson-for-us-state-dept-in-march-1108161996.html

Ned Price to Step Down as Spokesperson for US State Dept in March

Ned Price to Step Down as Spokesperson for US State Dept in March

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that State Department Spokesperson Ned Price will step down from his post later in the month after holding more than 200 press briefings since 2021.

2023-03-07T23:26+0000

2023-03-07T23:26+0000

2023-03-07T23:25+0000

americas

ned price

us state department

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"This month, Ned Price will step down as the State Departments spokesperson," the statement said on Tuesday. "Throughout the more than 200 briefings he has since [January 20, 2021] held, hes treated journalists  as well as colleagues and everyone else he interacts with  with respect." Earlier in the day, US media reported that Price will leave his post on March 17 to take up his new position under Blinken. Price reportedly called the new position a return to policy work, where his career began. Price previously served as CIA and National Security Council spokesperson under former US President Barack Obama. Prices "firm grasp" of State Department policies made him an effective spokesperson, Blinken said. Current State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel will take over for Price after he leaves the role. However, a permanent successor has yet to be announced.Price previously resigned from government in February 2017 as a direct result of the newly installed Trump White House. However, his return to serve has not entirely been without its various hiccups under the Biden administration. Price has famously clashed with AP reporter Matt Lee, who has on more than one occasion grilled the spokesperson for making or reiterating statements during press briefings without providing sufficient evidence. One of those instances more recently took place in 2022, when a challenged Price told Lee to "find solace" in Russia if he doubted the US' credibility.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20210708/ap-reporter-matt-lee-challenges-state-dept-spox-on-trump-era-intl-agreements-biden-admin-ditched-1083333932.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/africa-must-meet-local-demand-before-contributing-to-europes-energy-needs--oil-firm-ceo-1108169504.html

Africa Must Meet Local Demand Before Contributing to Europe's Energy Needs  Oil Firm CEO

Africa Must Meet Local Demand Before Contributing to Europe's Energy Needs  Oil Firm CEO

Africa must fulfill its local demand before it is able to become a key partner contributing to Europe's energy security, Uganda National Oil Company Limited CEO Proscovia Nabbanja told Sputnik.

2023-03-08T08:18+0000

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africa

russia

energy

demand

oil

gas

supply

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"Today, we have so much demand locally that we need to fulfill  we need to fulfill the local demand of petroleum products for refining, but at the same time also export a reasonable amount to the international market," Nabbanja said on the margins of CERAWeek annual energy conference. Nabbanja and several other African energy leaders underscored during a panel discussion that the region needs investors to bolster its energy infrastructure and production. The Ukraine conflict has reportedly made Africa an attractive investment opportunity for energy security after the region had some exploration successes in 2022. In February, Russian ambassador-at-large and the head of the Russia-Africa partnership forum Oleg Ozerov told Sputnik that Russia has much potential in the oil and gas spheres to develop relations with African states.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/biden-proposes-taxing-corporations-rich-to-close-deficit-by-2-trillion-over-next-decade-1108189839.html

Biden Proposes Taxing Corporations, Rich to Close Deficit by $2 Trillion Over Next Decade

Biden Proposes Taxing Corporations, Rich to Close Deficit by $2 Trillion Over Next Decade

In an effort to plug the budget deficit, US President Joe Biden has proposed new taxes on large corporations and wealthy Americans to keep essential federal programs, such as Medicare, solvent. On Thursday, he will formally introduce his proposed 2024 budget to Congress.

2023-03-08T17:14+0000

2023-03-08T17:14+0000

2023-03-08T17:14+0000

americas

us

taxes

budget

joe biden

national debt

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Biden announced on Tuesday a proposal to raise the surtax on Americans who make more than $400,000 a year, which is used to fund state-funded Medicare, from 3.8% to 5%. That follows a tax increase on wealthy households he proposed last month, which would require individuals and families worth more than $100 million to pay a 20% tax on both income and the unrealized gains of liquid assets, such as stocks.Together, these measures are projected to raise $2 trillion in new funds over the next decade, which Biden is billing as a key way to reduce the budget deficit and limit the increase of the national debt.However, Congressional Republicans have indicated the presidents proposal is dead-on-arrival.US Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who leads the GOP minority in the Senate, told reporters on Tuesday that the presidents budget is replete with what they would do if they could - thank goodness the House is Republican - massive tax increases, more spending.The proposal comes as the Republican-controlled House is locked in a game of chicken with the White House about lifting the debt ceiling. The GOP is hoping the looming threat of a default on the national debt, which would destroy the federal governments credit rating and plunge the country into a recession, is enough to force Democrats into accepting steep spending cuts they would otherwise never agree to.Though Republicans have opposed much of Bidens agenda, he has still been able to sign into law and create through executive actions a set of policies that will add $5 trillion to the national debt in the next 10 years, according to estimates by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a Washington-based public policy organization. However, one of the larger of those proposals, the $400 billion student loan forgiveness plan, is currently under scrutiny by the US Supreme Court.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230210/biden-preparing-to-ask-us-congress-for-biggest-defense-budget-in-history-report-1107326974.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/british-sas-soldiers-posing-as-arms-dealers-scour-world-for-shells-for-ukraine-1108183960.html

British SAS Soldiers Posing as Arms Dealers Scour World for Shells for Ukraine

British SAS Soldiers Posing as Arms Dealers Scour World for Shells for Ukraine

Ukraine has run through its stockpiles of arms and ammunition inherited from the Soviet Union in 1991, along with weapons supplied by its NATO backers since Russia launched its military operation to defend the Donbass republics.

2023-03-08T15:59+0000

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2023-03-08T16:57+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

special air service (sas)

sas

uk

ukraine

pakistan

romania

bulgaria

britain

great britain

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A team of SAS commandoes are reportedly scouring the world for stocks of Russian-calibre artillery shells to refill Ukraine's depleted arsenals.A British daily newspaper reported that a dozen special forces troopers have been travelling across Africa, the Middle East and Asia along with intelligence agents and Foreign Office officials.The group, posing as arms dealers, carry "substantial amounts of cash" to buy up stocks of 122mm-calibre shells  fired by many of the artillery pieces Ukraine inherited from the Soviet Union  on the spot.The team have already journeyed to Angola, Egypt, Jordan, Kazakhstan, and Vietnam. But this week sources claimed a deal was struck on a stockpile in an unnamed European country.Arms factories in both Bulgaria and Romania still produce Soviet-era arms and ammunition.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently begged his Western backers for more artillery, on top of his demands for fighter jets. "Artillery is the number one thing that we need. Both systems and ammunition  shells in large amounts," he said.US Army General Christopher Cavoli, the NATO supreme allied commander in Europe, has said the Ukrainian army fires around 100,000 shells per month compared to 600,000 from the Russian side  as Russian forces encircle the key city of Artemovsk (Bakhmut).The reputed mission follows a failed attempt in the summer of 2022 to buy tens of thousands of rounds of 122mm ammunition from Pakistan, which has remained neutral in the conflict between Ukraine  with its NATO allies  and Russia. The report claimed 40,000 shells were flown by RAF transport planes from Pakistan's Nur Khan Air Base to Romania's Cluj International Airport for delivery to a local arms dealer acting as a middleman.However, none of those rounds made it to Ukraine. Unconfirmed rumours of quality control issues were superseded by Islamabad's denial last month that it had allowed any ammunition to be transferred to the conflict zone."Pakistan maintains a policy of non-interference in military conflicts. Pakistan only exports defence stores to other states based on strong End Use and none re-transfer assurances," Baloch stressed. "And this is the case of Pakistans position in the Ukraine-Russia conflict."The Russian imperial army adopted the 122mm (4.8-inch) artillery calibre before the First World War. It remained in service after the 1917 revolution and throughout the Soviet era with the Red Army, and is still used by the modern Russian army and those of other former Soviet republics and Warsaw Treaty member states.Before Russia launched its military operation, the Ukrainian army reportedly possessed around 440 122mm-calibre D-30 towed howitzers and 600 2S1 'Gvozdika' (carnation), the armored self-propelled versions of the same gun  although most were in long-term storage at the time.Daily reports by the Russian Ministry of Defence have reported the destruction at least 146 D-30s and 99 Gvozdikas since the start of the demilitarization operation.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230216/us-orders-nearly-1bln-in-heavy-artillery-ammunition-as-ukraine-burns-through-aid-1107483482.html

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special air service (sas), sas, uk, ukraine, pakistan, romania, bulgaria, britain, great britain, foreign and commonwealth office, mi6, volodymyr zelensky
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/china-concerned-over-germanys-plans-to-ban-use-of-chinese-5g-components-1108171065.html

Beijing Concerned Over Germany's Plans to Ban Use of Chinese 5G Components

Beijing Concerned Over Germany's Plans to Ban Use of Chinese 5G Components

China is concerned about the German government's plans to impose a ban on components produced by Chinese tech companies in the expansion of its 5G networks, the Chinese Embassy in Germany said.

2023-03-08T09:16+0000

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world

german

china

huawei

zte

5g

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Earlier in the week, German newspaper reported, citing sources, that Berlin intends to ban components manufactured by Huawei and ZTE used for the expansion of wireless coverage in the 5G mobile standard over security concerns. The diplomatic mission stated hat China is against Germany's generalization of the national security concept and expressed hope that Berlin would create a fair and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese businesses. Huawei accounts for almost 60% of the equipment used in Germany's 5G networks, which is "making a positive contribution" to the expansion of telecommunications infrastructure in the country, according to the embassy. German news outlet reported that the ban on the use of Chinese technology in critical infrastructure could affect the Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, and Telefonica mobile operators, which have already used components from these Chinese companies when expanding their 5G networks, with the government not planning to cover the costs of re-equipment. The topic of the participation of Chinese companies in the expansion of 5G networks in Germany has been stirring up controversy for several years now, as Berlin is worried that the Chinese government could gain access to critical German infrastructure.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230307/from-tiktok-to-chinese-sranes-what-else-is-there-that-us-is-not-afraid-of-1108146710.html

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5g, anti-chinese stance, anti-china bias, ban on china technology, chinese tech companies ban
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/doj-to-review-memphis-police-policies-as-judge-blocks-release-of-more-tyre-nichols-death-footage-1108193027.html

DOJ to Review Memphis Police Policies as Judge Blocks Release of More Tyre Nichols Death Footage

DOJ to Review Memphis Police Policies as Judge Blocks Release of More Tyre Nichols Death Footage

The federal government is going to conduct a review of the Memphis Police Departments policies on use of force, de-escalation, and specialized units like its now-disbanded SCORPION unit, a Department of Justice official said on Wednesday.

2023-03-08T20:55+0000

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2023-03-08T20:54+0000

americas

tyre nichols

memphis police

doj

us

black lives matter

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The examination was prompted by a request from Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland in January, following nationwide protests over the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, a Black man who died several weeks earlier from wounds sustained during a beating by Memphis police.The DOJ has already opened a civil rights probe into Nichols death.The announcement comes ahead of a planned release of 20 hours of additional police footage on Wednesday, which was blocked at the last moment by a judge upon request of one of the officers charged in Nichols murder. The footage cannot be released until both prosecutors and defense lawyers review them - a process with an unclear time frame.The five officers facing charges are Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith; all have been fired, along with two others. At the city Fire Department, two emergency medical technicians and a lieutenant were also fired, and a fourth employee was suspended, a city council member revealed on Tuesday.Death Sparks New ProtestsNichols, a FedEx employee and amateur photographer, died three days after a violent encounter with Memphis police, who pulled him over for alleged reckless driving on the night of January 7, 2023. Footage of the stop was released three weeks later, showing in graphic detail how a group of Memphis officers forced him from his car and pepper-sprayed him, chased him as he tried to run away, and beat him for more than three minutes. In the footage, he can clearly be heard crying for his mother, whose house was a stones throw away and where he was believed to have been fleeing.According to internal affairs documents, one of the officers, Haley, took a photo of a bloodied Nichols propped against a police cruiser and sent it to at least five people.Nichols was taken to a hospital in critical condition, where he died three days later.An official cause of death has not been issued by the Shelby County medical examiners office, but preliminary findings from an independent autopsy commissioned by Nichols family found that he "suffered excessive bleeding caused by a severe beating.Release of the footage helped touch off nationwide protests against Nichols murder, calling for prosecution of the officers responsible and for the disbanding of the SCORPION unit and related special police formations, which are often implicated in the deaths of Black citizens. The demonstrations were some of the largest since the nationwide George Floyd uprisings in the summer of 2020, which were set off by the 46-year-old Black mans murder at the hands of Minneapolis police in Minnesota, and which an estimated 26 million Americans protested.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230217/all-5-ex-police-officers-charged-in-death-of-tyre-nichols-plead-not-guilty-lawyers-1107550937.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230203/only-41-of-americans-believe-police-treat-black-white-people-equally-poll-shows-1106953714.html

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tyre nichols, justice department, memphis police department, policies, body camera footage, us police
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/french-trade-unions-vow-to-keep-cutting-off-electricity-to-thwart-pension-reform-1108186199.html

French Trade Unions Vow to Keep Cutting Off Electricity to Thwart Pension Reform

French Trade Unions Vow to Keep Cutting Off Electricity to Thwart Pension Reform

France's trade unions will continue and expand the power cuts registered in a number of the country's regions the day before with a view to forcing the government to abandon a controversial pension reform, Sebastien Menesplier, the head of the French mines and energy trade union, said on Wednesday.

2023-03-08T14:54+0000

2023-03-08T14:54+0000

2023-03-08T14:54+0000

world

france

political protest

pension reform

emmanuel macron

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On Tuesday, mass protests against the government-proposed pension reform were launched in almost all sectors of France's economy, including energy and transport. Around 1.2 million people took part in the demonstrations across the country that day, the national police said. French media reported that several regions had been left without electricity, with some of them experiencing problems for several hours and others for a whole day. In particular, around 2,800 and 2,400 people faced blackouts in the southern departments of Drome and Ardeche respectively, and 8,000 people were left without electricity in the department of Lot and Herault in the Occitanie region. In January, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne unveiled a draft of the controversial pension reform that the government plans to adopt in 2023. Under the initiative, the French authorities intend to gradually raise the retirement age in the country by three months a year from September 1, 2023. By 2030, the retirement age will reach 64. The reform has caused a wave of protests across the country. Since Borne's announcement, six nationwide demonstrations against the bill, including the March 7 rally, have already taken place.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230307/french-stand-with-pension-strikers-as-prices-soar-and-energy-bills-bite-1108155811.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/is-europe-at-risk-of-deindustrialization-german-carmaker-reportedly-prefers-us-for-battery-plant-1108173485.html

Is Europe at Risk of Deindustrialization? German Carmaker Reportedly Prefers US for Battery Plant

Is Europe at Risk of Deindustrialization? German Carmaker Reportedly Prefers US for Battery Plant

Volkswagen has made it clear that the company is still accessing suitable locations for its battery plants and that a final decision has yet to be announced.

2023-03-08T11:41+0000

2023-03-08T11:41+0000

2023-03-08T11:41+0000

economy

germany

us

volkswagen

joe biden

inflation reduction act

emmanuel macron

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German carmaker Volkswagen (VW) is suspending plans to build a battery plant in Eastern Europe, and prioritizing the construction of such a factory in North America where it expects to reap 9 billion to 10 billion euros ($10.54 billion) in subsidies, a UK newspaper has cited unnamed sources as saying."Plans in North America have moved forward faster than expected and overtaken decision making in Europe," the insiders argued.A Volkswagen spokesperson in turn said that the carmaker was "still evaluating suitable locations" for its "next cell factories in Eastern Europe and North America," and that "no decisions have been made yet."The remarks follow Volkswagen board member Thomas Schmall warning last week that Europe risked losing "the race for billions of investments that will be decided in coming months and years" to what he described as the attractive conditions offered by the IRA.In a separate development last week, VWs chief financial officer Arno Antlitz claimed that "the IRA gives us a tailwind in terms of speed and consequence, so we have the possibility to enlarge our global footprint even faster in the US with the IRA."Europe on Verge of Deindistrialization? This was preceded by French President Emmanuel Macron warning that the IRA threatens Europe with deindustrialization.The French president also called for what he described as "a European wake-up on this point."Macron was echoed by Peter Carlsson, the chief executive of the Swedish battery developer and manufacturer Northvolt, who told a UK newspaper that the IRA "is moving momentum a lot from Europe to the US" and that the US legislation was not only affecting European companies.Luisa Santos, deputy director-general of the pan-European lobby group BusinessEurope, was cited by the British newspaper as saying that the IRA sends a "dangerous signal" that may encourage other jurisdictions to take protectionist measures.For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that the EUs current economic troubles and Washingtons unfriendly attitude towards Brussels stem from the weakness showed by the blocs leaders.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen previously slammed the tax breaks for consumers who buy American products, introduced under the IRA. She cautioned that such initiatives could lead to unfair competition, could close markets, and thus fragment critical supply chains.The IRA, which was signed into law by US President Joe Biden in August 2022, unlocks $369 billion in tax credits and subsidies for American consumers and companies making green tech products in the country as of January 2023. Several EU companies reportedly signaled a readiness to invest in the US rather than the EU, with rising energy prices at home purportedly being a crucial factor.The developments unfold among EU fears that the IRA could unleash a subsidy race between the transatlantic allies at a time when they look to show unity in the face of the Ukrainian conflict.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221201/it-will-split-the-west-macron-lambasts-bidens-inflation-reduction-act-1104918335.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220310/volkswagen-economic-damage-to-eu-from-ukraine-crisis-may-be-worse-than-covid-19-pandemic-1093743977.html

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vw's plans on construction of a battery plant in europe, vw's evaluation of 'suitable locations' for its battery plants, russian special military operation
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/kremlin-new-reports-on-nord-stream-attacks-are-part-of-coordinated-disinformation-campaign-1108164746.html

Kremlin: New Reports on Nord Stream Attacks Are Part of a Coordinated Disinformation Campaign

Kremlin: New Reports on Nord Stream Attacks Are Part of a Coordinated Disinformation Campaign

Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pledged in an interview with Sputnik that Russia would not allow an investigation into the terror attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines to be swept under the rug

2023-03-08T04:22+0000

2023-03-08T04:22+0000

2023-03-08T05:10+0000

nord stream sabotage

russia

sweden

denmark

nord stream

gas pipeline

attacks

investigation

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Media reports about the attacks on Russia's Nord Stream pipelines are part of a coordinated spread of disinformation and an attempt to divert attention from the real perpetrators, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik on Wednesday.He said the Kremlin wonders how US officials that media reports cite can assume anything about the attacks without an investigation.Peskov also called for a transparent investigation into the Nord Stream attacks; one where Russia would be a participant in the probe.A US newspaper earlier cited American officials as saying that new intelligence suggested a "pro-Ukrainian group" had carried out the attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines. A few hours later, a German newspaper reported that the investigators had identified the vessel used to carry out the attack on the pipelines.The developments come about a week after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Sputnik that Moscow would do its utmost to make the Nord Stream probe happen.This followed Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia saying that Russia's Western partners on the UN Security Council were not demonstrating any desire to cooperate in an independent investigation to verify a report that presented significant details that the US was behind the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines.The investigative report was published by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh, who revealed that US Navy divers had planted explosives to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines during NATO's Baltops exercises in the summer of 2022. Norway activated the bombs three months later at the behest of US President Joe Biden, the journalist wrote, citing insiders.In September 2022, underwater blasts occurred at three of the four strings of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 underwater pipelines, built to carry a combined 110 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to Europe annually. Germany, Denmark, and Sweden launched separate investigations into the incident, while Russia wasn't given access to their probes.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/us-justified-sabotage-of-nord-stream-pipelines-by-need-for-eus-support-for-nato---hersh-1107754522.html

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attacks on nord stream gas pipeline, russia's call for an independent investigation into attacks on nord stream gas pipeline, russian foreign minister sergey lavrov's pledge not to allow an investigation into the nord stream attacks to be swept under the rug
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/leaks-about-nord-stream-terrorist-attack-designed-to-hide-truth-russian-embassy-in-us-says-1108165378.html

Leaks About Nord Stream Terrorist Attack Designed to Hide Truth, Russian Embassy in US Says

Leaks About Nord Stream Terrorist Attack Designed to Hide Truth, Russian Embassy in US Says

Russian diplomats see Western media reports about the involvement of a pro-Ukrainian group in the terrorist attack on Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines as an attempt to mislead the probe into the incident

2023-03-08T05:25+0000

2023-03-08T05:25+0000

2023-03-08T05:27+0000

nord stream sabotage

nord stream

russia

russian embassy in us

us

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"We are convinced that in the end justice will prevail. We shall spare no effort for this to happen," he added.The report in US media, friendly to the White House, contradicts the conclusions of a journalistic investigation by Pulitzer Prize winner Seymour Hersh, who earlier accused the US administration and Norwegian authorities of blowing up Russia's Nord Stream pipelines.The response comes after American media reported on Tuesday, citing US officials, that according to new intelligence, a "pro-Ukrainian group" had carried out last year's attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines. A few hours later, the German press reported that the investigators had identified the vessel used to carry out the attack on the pipelines.On September 26, 2022, three of the four strings of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines were damaged by underwater blasts. The US government has repeatedly denied involvement in the blowing up of the Russian pipelines. Moscow has demanded an open investigation.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/kremlin-new-reports-on-nord-stream-attacks-are-part-of-coordinated-disinformation-campaign-1108164746.html

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who attacked nord stream, why nord stream exploded, nord stream sabotage
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/lockheed-martin-ready-to-go-in-making-operational-hypersonic-missiles---vice-president-1108164530.html

Lockheed Martin 'Ready to Go' in Making Operational Hypersonic Missiles

Lockheed Martin 'Ready to Go' in Making Operational Hypersonic Missiles

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Lockheed Martin is developing a robust escalating program in developing hypersonic glide strike technology in cooperation with the US... 08.03.2023, Sputnik International

2023-03-08T03:51+0000

2023-03-08T03:51+0000

2023-03-08T04:07+0000

military

hypersonic missiles

lockheed martin

us air force

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Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force carried out the first operational test flight of the AGM-183A air-launched rapid response weapon on December 9, Pitman said. The test had been successful and at least two more tests were planned for the coming months, Pitman added. The test was carried out at the Edwards Air Force Base in California as the first test flight of an operational prototype of a US air-launched hypersonic missile. Air Force officials said it met all its objectives, according to published reports.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230217/us-navy-aims-to-test-fire-ground-launched-version-of-aargm-er-anti-radar-missile-1107558389.html

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hypersonic missiles, lockheed martin, us air force
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/make-love-not-war-us-should-focus-on-peace--stability-instead-of-egging-on-conflict-with-china-1108163065.html

Make Love, Not War: US Should Focus on Peace & Stability Instead of Egging on Conflict With China

Make Love, Not War: US Should Focus on Peace & Stability Instead of Egging on Conflict With China

Tensions have been building between the United States and China, largely over the island of Taiwan and control of the South China Sea.

2023-03-08T02:13+0000

2023-03-08T02:13+0000

2023-03-08T02:12+0000

analysis

china

washington

war

world war iii

taiwan

south china sea

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Michael Gordon, former national security correspondent for the New York Times and now with the Wall Street Journal, penned a piece published on Monday that said the United States is not ready for a conflict with China, with a focus on that country attempting to take Taiwan or control the South China Sea.According to Gordon, who cites classified Pentagon wargame simulations and quotes from former military personnel and officials, the United States has been too preoccupied with the war on terror to prepare for a potential battle with a more well-armed foe, like China.He also blames a lack of unity in Washington about the urgency of the threat from Beijing for the military not being prepared, despite what Gordon describes as an annual military budget of $800 billion.If the name Michael Gordon rings a bell to you, it may be because he infamously co-authored an article that ran in the New York Times that alleged Saddam Hussein had acquired aluminum tubes for use in Iraqs non-existent nuclear weapons program. That assertion was a major component of the US governments largely discredited case advocating for the invasion and occupation of Iraq.Gordons co-author in that article, Judith Miller, was the only US journalist known to be fired over the medias reckless and guileless reporting of the Bush administrations case for war in Iraq. Gordon, however, remained at the paper for years after.Prior to joining the Wall Street Journal and after his employment with the New York Times, Gordon would go on to work at two think tanks: the notoriously pro-war neoconservative Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the notoriously pro-war neoliberal think tank the Center for a New American Security.Now, the Wall Street Journal is giving him room to print a multi part "series" on why the United States needs to spend more on the military to prepare for a war in an "international era." What the article doesnt address is if we should even want a war with China, even if it takes Taiwan or establishes further control in the South China Sea.The threat of a Chinese takeover of the South China Sea and Taiwan would be bad for the United States, Gordon writes, because it would give it control over trade routes that see trillions of dollars of trade annually. It would also control the supply of semiconductors and, most tellingly, would challenge American pre-eminence in a part of the world it has dominated since World War II.It is the last justification that showcases the true reason why the United States has taken such an aggressive stance with China as well as other countries who have questioned US hegemony, including Russia and Iran.Prior to World War II, it was generally accepted that major powers in the world had their own spheres of influence - the Monroe Doctrine is famous for expanding the US sphere of influence to include the entirety of the Western hemisphere. No foreign governments, besides our own, were to influence the affairs of governments in both North and South America. That was already a bold and convention-defying claim, but it became the US foreign policy modus operandi until the end of World War II.Then, with the onset of the Cold War, the US sphere encompassed the entire globe not covered by the growing sphere of influence of the USSR. After the fall of the USSR, the US decided its sphere of influence would be the entire globe.It was then that every conflict, no matter how small or insular, became the business of the US government. Occasionally, it was done with the support of the UN, but oftentimes it was not. Sometimes it was done with the support of NATO, sometimes not.The US has tasked the military with not only policing the globe but also developing the ability to tackle any adversary in any theater in the world. It is hardly a wonder that the massive military budget, which Gordon predictably underestimates by using only the Defense Department budget, is still not enough to accomplish that task.What the wargames and officials that Gordon quotes didnt consider, is a scenario where China attacks the US on US soil or attacks a US neighbor - a scenario not being considered because it is deemed not realistic. The US is surrounded by two massive oceans and allies to the north and south. It also, notably, is not surrounded by Chinese military bases, like China is surrounded by US bases.If Puerto Rico seceded from the United States - unlike ties between Taiwan and China - and China tried to prevent a US invasion of the island, it would find itself in a far more difficult situation than the US would find itself in trying to prevent an invasion of Taiwan.But that raises the question, is it the job of the United States military to prevent powers from dealing with other entities that undoubtedly sit within their sphere of influence?Gordon quotes former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who contends the military mission is to do that while also continuing the wars of conquest that have made up the US foreign policy over the past 20 years.As for Gordons contention that China controlling the Sea of China would be bad for international trade, the assertion is not completely without merit. But major trade routes are typically controlled by the nation closest to that route.Still, the United States exerted near complete control of the Panama Canal for more than a century until it transferred control back to Panama and even today maintains the right to use military force to ensure the canals neutrality.Who controls the South China Sea is a matter of debate. China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan all claim parts of the sea as their territorial waters. Japan also has an interest in the area because it is heavily dependent on trade from the area. Still, one thing that is clear is that the United States is not part of the group that has a claim on the South China Sea.The trade routes in the South China Sea are an issue for the parties directly involved and the United Nations to resolve. It is not, or at least shouldnt be, the job of the United States military to secure every trade route of every nation it favors in the world.If it is, then Gordons assessment is correct. Our military is woefully underfunded for the job we tasked it with: the ability to fight China and Russia simultaneously while also continuing our stirring of a hornets nest strategy of fighting global terrorism. More than $800 billion annually is not enough to accomplish that. Neither is the actual number which easily tops $1 trillion annually. Its unlikely that any budget, no matter how bloated, would be able to accomplish the task of keeping the entire planet within the sphere of influence of the United States.Gordon and his fellow warhawks are asking the wrong question. They worry that the United States is ill-prepared for a war with China instead of considering what could be done to prevent such a war. Deterrence they will say. If the US has enough weapons, China wont want to invade Taiwan or fight for the South China Sea. But then Gordon points to an increasing Chinese military budget, in part created to counter the US military, as justification for even more weapons.The pattern is reminiscent of the Cold War, when the US and USSR competed in a nuclear arms race that resulted in enough weapons being created to destroy the planet countless times over.Getting into a conventional arms race with China is not only going to make a conflict between the two countries more likely, it will make that conflict more deadly than it would have been otherwise.Despite the wargame predictions, no one wins a war with China. Not the United States, not China and certainly not Taiwan. The best thing the US can do to promote peace and stability worldwide is to draw down its military forces and divert that money to ending poverty, both at home and worldwide. It certainly isnt preparing for a war with China and increasing our military budget even further to facilitate that.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20210726/ex-cia-agent-says-us-wasted-trillions-on-wars-in-iraq--afghanistan-achieved-nothing-1083461497.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/beijing-puts-taiwan-reunification-plans-on-fast-development-track-chinese-lawmaker-says-1107880789.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220809/us-simulation-shows-china-would-sink-most-of-us-fleet-in-taiwan-invasion-reports-say-1099417247.html

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Ian DeMartino

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war between us and china, wargame simulations, taiwan, south china sea
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/mali-considers-russia-reliable-partner-transitional-prime-minister-says-1108169883.html

Mali Considers Russia Reliable Partner, Transitional Prime Minister Says

Mali Considers Russia Reliable Partner, Transitional Prime Minister Says

Bamako sees Moscow as a reliable partner, Mali's Prime Minister of Transition Choguel Maiga said in an interview with Al Jazeera. The statement came as Mali is seeking to strengthen its relations with various partners.

2023-03-08T12:26+0000

2023-03-08T12:26+0000

2023-03-08T12:26+0000

africa

west africa

mali

russia

strategic partner

choguel kokalla maiga

cooperation

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Bamako sees Moscow as a reliable partner, Mali's Prime Minister of Transition Choguel Kokalla Maiga said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Tuesday. The statement came as Mali is seeking to strengthen its economic and security relations with various partners in the context of the war against terrorism.Maiga stressed that Russia defends the interests of his country and that the security picture has changed on the ground due to cooperation with Moscow, arguing that before Malian-Russian cooperation in fighting terrorism, Muslims were being killed during prayer and military bases were being targeted in the desert.In late 2022, in connection to the situation in Mali and Bamako's growing cooperation with Moscow at a time when a wave of anti-French protests has swept the region, French President Emmanuel Macron accused Russia of pursuing a "predatory project" in the West African country.In the wake of the French military pullout from Mali in August 2022, the Malian transitional government accused Paris of supporting terrorist groups inside the West African country by providing them with intelligence, arms and ammunition instead of fighting them. PM Maiga told Sputnik in late February that Mali expects to present the UN Security Council with evidence of Paris's support for armed groups in the country.Maiga insisted that such actions are extraneous things for the Malian people, in an indirect reference to the fact that there was an unnamed third party that was supporting such terrorist attacks.Commenting on the relations between Mali and France, the prime minister noted that his country has not refused to cooperate with Paris, but will not allow the French to impose their will on Bamako.According to him, Paris expected that Malians would "beg" France to keep its troops in Mali, but Bamako "rejected the French dictate," after which Paris "decided to withdraw from the cooperation agreements and withdraw its forces" from Malian territory.The Malian prime minister pointed out that his country has principles that govern its cooperation with other nations including: respecting Mali's sovereignty and not imposing dictations; Mali's freedom of choice in making its sovereign decision; and the interest of the Malian people.In February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Mali and held talks with his Malaysian counterpart Abdoulaye Diop and Interim President Assimi Goita. They discussed economic relations, cooperation for enhancing security and countering terrorism, as well as Mali's participation in the Russia-Africa Summit.As Diop said at the time, Bamako does not intend to "justify" its choice of Moscow as a partner and does not support the concept of sanctions against any country. Mali, according to him, will work with Russia, as well as with other partners, and act taking into account "the interests of the Malians themselves in all decisions taken."Since 2011, the Sahel region, where Mali is located, has been highly destabilized by terrorist and bandit activities, mainly carried out by terrorist groups linked to Daesh* and Al-Qaeda*. In 2014, France launched the so-called Operation Barkhane as a follow-up to the 2013 Operation Serval in Sahel under the pretext of fighting terrorism. In August 2022, however, Malian authorities demanded that French troops leave Mali and just several months later, Paris put an end to the Barkhane operation.As experts earlier told Sputnik, the West African country is of interest to France "primarily from the point of view of control over uranium deposits" and military operations there were part of the former metropolis' efforts to maintain this control.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230228/profound-humility-france-to-reorganize-military-presence-in-africa-after-partial-pullout-1107863243.html

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mali, russia, france, mali russia troops, mali russia wagner, mali russia france, mali and russia relations, mali france relations, mali france diplomatie, mali russia diplomatie, mali's prime minister of transition choguel kokalla maiga, who is mali's prime minister, choguel maiga russie
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/moscow-blasts-west-for-hypocrisy-over-criticism-of-georgian-bill-on-foreign-agents-1108172515.html

Moscow Blasts West for Hypocrisy Over Criticism of Georgian Bill on Foreign Agents

Moscow Blasts West for Hypocrisy Over Criticism of Georgian Bill on Foreign Agents

The United States has had a law since 1938 mandating registration of entities lobbying foreign interests, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, commenting on the European Union's criticism of a similar draft law in Georgia.

2023-03-08T10:01+0000

2023-03-08T10:01+0000

2023-04-12T17:05+0000

world

georgia

us

maria zakharova

european union (eu)

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Earlier in the week, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Georgia's controversial draft law on foreign agents was incompatible with EU values and contradicted the country's goal to join the European Union. Georgia's parliament on Tuesday adopted a bill On Transparency of Foreign Influence, by a majority vote in the first reading in a 76-13 vote. Under the law, a list of individuals and entities receiving financing from abroad would be created. This sparked mass protests and concerns among the opposition, who fear it would allow the government to suppress the work of non-governmental organizations and activists in the country. After the announcement of the results of the vote in Georgia's parliament on Tuesday, clashes between special forces and demonstrators, who gathered earlier in the day to protest the bill, erupted near the parliament building, with several law enforcement officers and protesters sustaining injuries. The US Foreign Agents Registration Act is a law enacted in 1938 which imposes requirements for any individual or entity that becomes an "agent of a foreign principal" to disclose their affiliations, related activities and finances, with penalties for violations. The US was the first country ever to introduce such a legislation, setting a precedent for many other countries.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230307/georgian-president-backs-protesters-in-tbilisi-vows-to-veto-foreign-agents-bill-1108159356.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/pentagon-chiefs-arrival-in-israel-delayed-due-to-protests-over-judicial-reform-media-reports-1108188964.html

Pentagon Chief's Arrival in Israel Reportedly Delayed Due to Protests Over Judicial Reform

Pentagon Chief's Arrival in Israel Reportedly Delayed Due to Protests Over Judicial Reform

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's arrival in Israel, which was initially slated for Wednesday, has been delayed due to mass protests over a judicial reform in the country, the local newspaper reported, citing an updated schedule of the visit.

2023-03-08T15:38+0000

2023-03-08T15:38+0000

2023-03-08T16:04+0000

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Instead of arriving in Israel later on Wednesday, Austin is now scheduled to be there Thursday early morning, the report said. Upon his arrival in Tel Aviv, Austin is expected to meet with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, at the Israel Aerospace Industries headquarters, adjacent to Ben Gurion Airport. This is not a typical location, such as the defense ministers office in Tel Aviv, the report added. The delay is believed to be related to the mass protests, which are planned for Thursday and are supposed to become a "national day of resistance" with protesters planning to block the entrance to the airport, as well as other main roads across the country, according to the report. Austin is currently on a trip to the Middle East to visit a number of US allies and partners in the region, including Jordan, Israel, and Egypt. On Tuesday, Austin was in Baghdad for an unannounced visit and a meeting with the Iraqi prime minister. He is the highest-ranking cabinet official in the Biden administration to visit Iraq.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230305/tens-of-thousands-protest-against-legal-reform-in-israel-1108026739.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/republicans-democrats-split-over-bidens-decision-to-withdraw-us-troops-from-afghanistan-1108192839.html

Republicans, Democrats Split Over Bidens Decision to Withdraw US Troops From Afghanistan

Republicans, Democrats Split Over Bidens Decision to Withdraw US Troops From Afghanistan

The US House held the first hearing to review the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in August 2021. It showed a gap between Republicans and Democrats in their assessment of the decision made by President Joe Biden.

2023-03-08T20:28+0000

2023-03-08T20:28+0000

2023-03-08T20:28+0000

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afghanistan war

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He accused the Biden administration of breaching its core obligation to protect US citizens, adding that over 1,000 Americans were left behind in that situation.In August 2021, the US ended its withdrawal from Afghanistan, culminating in an evacuation of foreigners and eligible Afghans from the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. The Taliban* have since governed much of the country, taking control of remaining US arms.Top Democrat in the committee Gregory Meeks, from his side, supported Bidens decision to return US soldiers from Afghanistan.All witnesses, including active and retired US military officers and civil activists, shared their own memories related to Afghanistan and evacuation from it. The hearing was emotional, and some of the speakers were crying while remembering their experience.Retired Lt. Col. David Scott Mann, who completed three military missions to that country, called on lawmakers to take veterans opinion into account.Mann urged politicians to set politics aside and fix mistakes that have been done. Otherwise, this "colossal foreign policy failure" will follow Americans home, he added.An interim Afghan government led by the Taliban came to power in the fall of 2021 after the withdrawal of US troops from the country and the collapse of the US-backed government. The Taliban takeover has heightened the fears of the Central Asian nations concerning the spread of radical fundamental Islamic ideas, as happened in 1996 when the Taliban first came to power in Afghanistan for five years.*The Taliban is subjected to UN sanctions over terrorist activities.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221229/year-in-review-how-afghanistan-withdrawal-continued-to-haunt-washington-in-2022-1105887691.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/south-korea-not-planning-to-obtain-nuclear-weapons---prime-minister-1108163352.html

South Korea Not Planning to Obtain Nuclear Weapons - Prime Minister

South Korea Not Planning to Obtain Nuclear Weapons - Prime Minister

Seoul had no plans to obtain nuclear weapons and would rely on an extended deterrence of North Korea in an alliance with the United States, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on Tuesday.

2023-03-08T01:00+0000

2023-03-08T01:00+0000

2023-03-08T05:47+0000

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"From the point of view of deterring senseless provocations on the part of North Korea, we need to work more closely with the US in terms of joint planning or some kind of joint operations and implementation," the minister told a meeting with foreign journalists in the city of Busan, as relayed by a Sputnik correspondent who attended the meeting.The prime minister added that South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was not speaking about South Korea obtaining nuclear arms when he had spoken of the need for closer cooperation between Seoul and Washington regarding the plans to use US nuclear forces.Seoul will continue holding joint military drills with Washington despite Pyongyang's reaction, the minister said.He acknowledged that joint drills would certainly make Pyongyang "nervous," adding, however, that this could not be a reason for preventing Seoul from strengthening its alliance with Washington, aimed at deterring North Korea's "provocations."The minister also said that Seoul was not considering the supply of lethal arms to Ukraine. Seoul has pledged to provide $130 million in humanitarian assistance to Kiev in 2023. Last year, South Korea's aid to Ukraine totaled $100 million. Ukrainian Ambassador to South Korea Dmytro Ponomarenko reiterated in late February that Kiev hoped Seoul would find a way to send weapons to conflict-hit Ukraine without delay to bolster its "counteroffensive" capabilities. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told South Korean media in February that negotiations between Ukraine and South Korea on arms deliveries to Kiev were already underway. A South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman said on February 27 that Seoul would not go back on its refusal to supply weapons to Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who visited Seoul from February 29-30, called on South Korea to follow the examples of Germany, Sweden, and other countries in providing military aid to Ukraine.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230224/north-korea-warns-us-that-continued-hostility-may-be-considered-declaration-of-war-1107760225.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/stolen-afghan-assets-can-now-be-used-in-other-conflicts-says-un-envoy-1108193549.html

Stolen Afghan Assets Can Now be Used In Other Conflicts, Says UN Envoy

Stolen Afghan Assets Can Now be Used In Other Conflicts, Says UN Envoy

Stolen Afghan assets can now be used in different conflict areas, the Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Anna Evstigneeva said on Wednesday.

2023-03-08T21:19+0000

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In this context, the 'loud statements' of our Western colleagues about the worsening situation in Afghanistan are amoral, she added.According to the Republican National Committee, Joe Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan 'gifted' the Taliban* equipment worth $7.2bln. This includes 78 aircraft, 9524 air-to-ground munitions, over 40,000 vehicles and more than 300,000 weapons.Last year, the UN said that it believes Afghan frozen assets belong to the Afghan people. An interim Afghan government led by the Taliban came to power in the fall of 2021 after the withdrawal of US troops from the country and the collapse of the US-backed government. The Taliban takeover has heightened the fears of Central Asian nations concerning the spread of radical fundamental Islamic ideas, as happened in 1996 when the Taliban first came to power in Afghanistan for five years.*The Taliban is subjected to UN sanctions over terrorist activities.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/swedish-government-sends-draft-law-on-nato-membership-to-parliament-1108185245.html

Swedish Government Sends Draft Law on NATO Membership to Parliament

Swedish Government Sends Draft Law on NATO Membership to Parliament

The Swedish government said on Wednesday that it had submitted to the country's parliament a bill on accession to NATO.

2023-03-08T14:29+0000

2023-03-08T14:29+0000

2023-03-08T14:30+0000

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Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom added that entering NATO was the best way to ensure the security of the country and contribute to strengthening the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic region. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022, several months after Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine. Their membership bids were initially blocked by Turkiye, which accused Stockholm and Helsinki of supporting "terrorists," referring to supporters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which Ankara considers a terrorist organization. Turkiye lifted its objections after the three leaders met in Madrid in June 2022, where they signed a security memorandum which unblocked the process of accession of the two Nordic countries to the alliance. However, the accession process came to another standstill in January 2023 following the Quran-burning incident in Sweden, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying that Stockholm should not count on Ankara's support for its NATO bid. Turkey also discussed with other NATO members the possibility of approving Finland's application separately. The talks with Sweden also resumed. On Thursday, the three countries are due to hold a meeting in Brussels to discuss NATO membership.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230307/swedish-foreign-ministry-vows-not-to-host-nuclear-weapons-in-country-after-joining-nato-1108161708.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/trump-calls-for-jan-6-panel-to-be-tried-for-treason-carlson-vows-to-show-more-capitol-breach-clips-1108190546.html

Trump Calls for Jan. 6 Panel to be Tried for Treason, Carlson Vows to Show More Capitol Breach Clips

Trump Calls for Jan. 6 Panel to be Tried for Treason, Carlson Vows to Show More Capitol Breach Clips

Former US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that members of the now defunct Democratic-led January 6 House Committee "should be tried for fraud and... 08.03.2023, Sputnik International

2023-03-08T18:32+0000

2023-03-08T18:32+0000

2023-03-08T18:32+0000

americas

us

donald trump

tucker carlson

january 6

house gop

maga

surveillance

kevin mccarthy

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"Great job by Tucker Carlson tonight," Trump wrote on Truth Social following the bombshell video release. "The Unselect Committee of political hacks and thugs has been totally discredited. They knowingly refused to show the videos that mattered. They should be tried for fraud and treason, and those imprisoned and being persecuted should be exonerated and released, now!"Earlier this week, Fox News' Carlson aired surveillance footage related to the January 6, 2021 Capitol breach, including clips showing Jacob Chansley, commonly known as the QAnon Shaman, apparently being "escorted" through the congressional premises by police officers. The protests erupted over suspected 2020 election irregularities as the joint session of the US Congress was preparing to certify Electoral College votes.Another clip shown by Carlson showed police officer Brian Sicknick, who died one day after the January 6 riots. It appeared to be contrary to the narrative that the policeman was "slain" by protesters. Sicknick looked "healthy and vigorous" after his encounter with the crowd."It's hard to imagine he was killed by a head injury," Carlson noted, stressing that the law enforcement officer wore a helmet on that day. "Whatever happened to Brian Sicknick was very obviously not the result of violence he suffered at the entrance to the Capitol."In the wake of Sicknick's death, the US mainstream press disseminated the narrative that he had died because of a head injury even though the District of Columbia chief medical examiner later concluded that Sicknick had a stroke and defined his death as natural. The 41,000-Hour TroveTucker's bombshell was met with a storm of criticism from the western mainstream press and Democratic lawmakers, who claimed that the journalist deliberately picked video evidence to "falsely" portray the riots as largely "peaceful."US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger called Carlson's report "outrageous," with GOP Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell joining Manger in denouncing the US pundit. For his part, Trump repeatedly thanked the US journalist and Speaker McCarthy for unveiling the footage.Last month, the US press reported that Carlson's TV producers had been on Capitol Hill to examine the 41,000-hour trove, which includes multiple camera angles from all over the Capitol grounds. The footage was reportedly provided to the group by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who, according to the US media, promised to do that to his MAGA (Make America Great Again) opposition in order to win the speaker's gavel.In response, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries denounced the move as an "egregious security breach," while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Kevin McCarthy of "needlessly exposing the Capitol complex to one of the worst security risks since 9/11."MAGA Republicans have long called to release the full surveillance video of the protests, accusing their Democratic peers of trying to smear conservative Americans and Trump supporters as "domestic terrorists" and "insurrectionists."In the wake of the protests, House Dems formed the Select Committee on the January 6 Attack in July 2021 to investigate the Capitol breach. The panel had only two Republicans on board, both of whom were well-known for their criticism of ex-President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.At that time, President Joe Biden called the January 6 DC protests the "worst attack on [American] democracy since the Civil War", while conservative observers suggested the incident had been deliberately exaggerated by the Democrats.Carlson has so far only shown a small part of the January 6 surveillance footage and made it clear that he will present much more soon.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230223/dems-up-in-arms-about-mccarthy-allegedly-giving-41000-hour-jan-6-footage-to-conservative-pundit-1107740870.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230124/47-year-jail-time-for-boots-on-pelosis-desk-how-january-sixers-got-draconian-treatment-1106656996.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/two-people-reportedly-killed-in-attempted-robbery-at-santiago-airport-1108189554.html

Two People Reportedly Killed in Attempted Robbery at Santiago Airport

Two People Reportedly Killed in Attempted Robbery at Santiago Airport

At least two people died at an airport in Chile's capital of Santiago in a shootout that erupted during an attempted robbery, local media reported Wednesday.

2023-03-08T16:21+0000

2023-03-08T16:21+0000

2023-03-08T16:21+0000

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chile

robbery

armed robbery

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The criminals, seeking to steal a multimillion-dollar shipment, staged a violent attack at the Santiago airport, but were stopped by Chilean civil aviation authorities, who were forced to open fire, a radio station reported. Twelve criminals reportedly broke into the airport terminal, intending to steal a cargo worth about $32 million arriving from Miami, the US. Two people, a department employee and a perpetrator, were killed in the shootout, according to the report. This is not the first time robbers have attacked Santiago airport. Three years ago, criminals broke into the airport storage area and stole over $15 million from a truck carrying valuables.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230308/us-air-force-rolls-out-new-images-of-its-next-generation-stealth-bomber-1108166735.html

US Air Force Rolls Out New Images of Its Next-Generation Stealth Bomber

US Air Force Rolls Out New Images of Its Next-Generation Stealth Bomber

The B-21, which was unveiled during a ceremony at a Northrop Grumman plant in December 2022, aims to replace the ageing US bombers B-1 and B-2

2023-03-08T06:54+0000

2023-03-08T06:54+0000

2023-03-08T06:54+0000

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us air force

b-1

b-2 bomber

b-21 raider

photos

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The US Air Force (USAF) has released new photos of its newest strategic stealth bomber, the B-21 Raider, including a snap showing the state-of-the-art warplane from a higher angle. The other image is a close up photo of the B-21s nose that shows the "hawks-beak" profile of the new bomber.An international military aviation media outlet reported in this context that from a 3/4 point of view, this [profile] seems to be quite similar to the one of the B-2, the B-21s three decades-old progenitor that will finally be replaced with the new plane."The release of the photos come after the USAF unveiled the B-21 during a ceremony at manufacturer Northrop Grumman's facility in California in early December 2022.He claimed that the new plane would offer significant advances over existing bombers in the US fleet, arguing that "even the most sophisticated air defense systems will struggle to detect the B-21 in the sky."As expected, the Pentagon chief remained tight-lipped about the specific features of the B-21, which is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional weapons. The aircraft has a projected price tag of $692 million each, with the USAF planning to build at least 100 such bombers.

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newest us stealth bomber b-21, us air force's unveiling of b-21, new photos of b-21 bomber
Local artist Yelena Khanevskaya has witnessed approximately 10,000 sunrises and sunsets since moving to Nebraska in 1995. From now until March 26, visitors have the opportunity to see a small portion of them in her show, One Hundred Western Skies, hosted at the West Nebraska Arts Center.

For Khanevskaya, moving from Russia to Scottsbluff was quite the change in terms of climate and landscape.

It couldnt have been more different, she said. Id never seen skies like these and was obsessed with the color. Sure, it was the dust that helped make them happen, but they were stunning.

Those colors  yellows, oranges, pinks and even purples  are on full display in the current show.

Like many artists, she is not sure when she discovered her artistic talent, just that shes been an artist since she was a very young child. She attended the Childrens Art School for four years and then, because she was also quite adept at math and physics, had to make a choice between studying one or another.

It was quite a difficult choice. I enjoyed both. It was a toss-up.

Ultimately, she chose to study art at the pedagogical university in Oryol, though she was counseled that she likely did not have a future career as opportunities for female artists were limited or non-existent.

Khanevskaya proved them wrong and now is a full-time art instructor at Western Nebraska Community College, helps run a studio in downtown Scottsbluff, and displays her work frequently at art exhibitions and private shows.

During COVID, as she sought something to do with the extra time she had at home, Khanevskaya started wandering the plains and taking photos of interesting clouds then turning them into paintings.

It was therapeutic. I have more sunrises than sunsets because the light is softer, less aggressive.

At the beginning of the pandemic, she would paint small four by four squares and they started piling up. It was then that she realized this could be an entire art show, her first one with a singular unifying theme, and pitched it to the staff at the arts center. Then, over the last 2 1/2 years, she amassed hundreds of paintings, large and small, which then were narrowed down to the pieces in this exhibit.

Khanevskaya writes in a note from the artist in the pamphlet that accompanies the show: When everything seemed so uncertain in the world those first months, sitting down daily to record yet another remarkable western skyscape became a very important (and calming) ritual.

When one views her paintings from a distance, your brain plays tricks on you, and they look similar to photographs. As you approach the painting, you start to feel like youre being drawn into a three-dimensional world. The paintings provide a depth of field and color that is extremely difficult to capture in photography and you find yourself admiring the barely perceptible brushstrokes and just how meticulous the paintings, of all sizes are.

Most of her paintings in this show are for sale. Many have sold already, but there are still many to choose from. Occasionally, people push back regarding the prices of the small paintings, she said. However, the painting begins long before the moment the brush touches the canvas and continues beyond. In order to answer, how long does it take to paint those, she said, you really have to add up the years of education, the years of practice, the time to photograph or sketch the idea, the time to map out the perspective, the angles, the colors, etc.

For many collectors of her work, her vibrant pieces are priceless.

At Studio 7, located at 7 E. 17th St. in downtown Scottsbluff, Khanevskaya helps teach classes and workshops. She shares the space with local artist, Charla Herbert. Currently, they are hosting gallery show in honor of Womens History Month and it features art by women, of women.

Follow Khanevskaya, the group, Atelier at Studio 7, or Art by Charla Herbert on Facebook or visit the studio for schedules of events. You can also visit their websites, YelenaKhanevskaya.com or CharlaHerbert.com, for more information.

Art, of all kinds, is truly Khanevskaya s passion. She considers herself a creator or a maker, and not just a painter. She shares, Im multi-passionate. I gave myself permission to explore all different media. It took me a while to buck the system. Im going to follow what fascinates me. No one is going to put me in a box.

She wants people to be able to explore their own creativity and not stifle their creative urges through specializing.

If youre searching for your own creative inspiration, look skyward as our spring clouds approach or visit the Western Nebraska Arts Center for One Hundred Western Skies before March 26.
Panhandle Business and Professional Women will host an event highlighting Equal Pay Day.

Equal Pay Day, recognized nationally on Tuesday, March 14, symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. Full-time working women earn only 83% of the earning of full-time working men.

Equal Pay Day was originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996 as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between mens and womens wages. NCPE leadership decided years ago to select a Tuesday as Equal Pay Day. Tuesday was selected to represent how far into the next work week women must work to earn what men earned the previous week. Because women earn less, on average, than men, they must work longer for the same amount of pay. The wage gap is even greater for most women of color.

More than 50 years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, women continue to suffer the consequences of inequitable pay differentials over a working lifetime. This wage disparity costs the average American woman and her family over $400,000 in lost wages, impacting Social Security benefits and pensions.

In a press release, Panhandle BPW President Lisa Peden said, Panhandle BPW seeks to achieve equality for all women in the workplace through advocacy, education and information. We encourage women to pursue promotions and do their research prior to entering wage negotiations. Additionally, we call upon local businesses to help close the pay gap by conducting regular pay equity audits.

Panhandle BPW is recognizing Equal Pay Day with an Unhappy Hour on Tuesday, April 4, from 5-7 p.m. at the Scotts Bluff Country Club. Anyone with an interest in not only closing the wage gap, but also networking with other working women, is welcome to attend the event.

Panhandle Business and Professional Women is part of a national foundation advocating for gender equality in the workplace and supporting the development of female business professionals. The Scottsbluff-based chapter is the largest in Nebraska. To learn more about upcoming events, scholarships, professional awards and membership opportunities, visit panhandlebpw.org.
All 59 Republican members of the Illinois General Assembly are calling for legislative hearings on a state-run mental health center in rural Southern Illinois, citing findings of a culture of abuse, cover-ups and poor patient care from a monthslong investigative series by Lee Enterprises Midwest, Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica.

About this series This article was produced by the Lee Enterprises Midwest Public Service Team in partnership with Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica; Lee Enterprises is a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network.

Late last week, the members sent a letter to key Democratic committee chairs in the Illinois House and Senate asking them to schedule a bicameral public hearing on the facility.

The districts that include and surround Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center are represented by Republicans, but as the minority party in both chambers, they lack the authority to convene a legislative hearing.

On Thursday morning, several downstate GOP lawmakers reiterated their call to action at a news conference at the Capitol. Rep. Paul Jacobs, R-Pomona, whose district includes Choate, and others stressed that they want to see conditions fixed.

The residents there cant suffer. The most profound developmental and mental disabilities in the state cant suffer. They have to be treated well, Jacobs said.

In addition to the in-person hearing, the lawmakers requested access to high-ranking Illinois Department of Human Services officials who oversee the facility, including Secretary Grace Hou.

The facility is one of 13 psychiatric hospitals and developmental centers operated by IDHS across the state. Choate is located in the rural community of Anna near the Missouri border about 120 miles southeast of St. Louis. The 270-bed facility serves people with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities, including people diagnosed with profound disabilities and some who are nonverbal.

Since September, the news organizations have detailed startling cases of patient beatings, neglect and poor medical care, as well as coordinated efforts by staff to cover up patient mistreatment. A story published this month disclosed that patients with pica, a disorder in which people feel compelled to swallow inedible objects, had been forced to dig through their own feces to recover the items.

Over a 10-year period ending in 2021, the IDHS Office of the Inspector General fielded more than 1,500 allegations of abuse and neglect at Choate. And the states attorney in Union County, where the facility is located, has filed charges against at least 48 people  both patients and employees  since 2015.

Several GOP lawmakers stressed that while they want to see improvement at the facility, they want Choate to remain open. The call for hearings comes after Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker reiterated his position last week on the situation at Choate: Fix it or close it. Some parents of longtime Choate residents have expressed concerns about where their loved ones would go if the facility closes, including state Sen. Jil Tracy, R-Quincy, whose brother lives at Choate with more than 230 other residents.

"We dont have facilities to house them up in other parts of the state, Tracy said. They have the type of care that is needed by the population that resides there. As I mentioned, many of these have tried group homes, ourselves included. It didnt work for the specific needs of my brother and several others or many others that resided there.

Closure would also mean the loss of state jobs in far Southern Illinois, an economically depressed area largely represented by Republicans.

Pritzkers threats of closure didnt sit well with Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, whose district neighbors Choate, and she called on the governor to take a more active role in finding solutions.

When the governor says, They have to fix it or Im going to close the facility  hes they, Bryant said. So hes the one who has to fix it. And fixing it might mean a total and complete shake-up of the administration.

A statement from the governors office said he is closely monitoring the situation and will move forward on additional reforms in the coming weeks.

In addition to the request for a hearing, the lawmakers outlined a series of steps theyd like to see immediately implemented to improve conditions. Those include the installation of cameras in common interior areas, the appointment of a new director or assistant director with expertise in turning around troubled facilities and the hiring of at least 50 new front-line and health care workers at Choate. Currently, the facility employs around 500 and has approximately 80 vacancies.

Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, whose Southern Illinois district includes the state-run Murray Developmental Center, has also introduced legislation that would allow authorities to report negative findings against workers who help cover up abuse to a statewide registry, barring them from working in a health care setting in the future. Peter Neumer, the IDHS inspector general, called for this change in law last month after the news organizations reported on three Choate workers who were fired for similar misconduct  but who remain eligible to work with vulnerable populations in other health care settings. Meier also introduced legislation mandating that OIG investigations be completed within 30 days, allowing IDHS to fire employees found culpable of abuse or neglect.

In one case featured in the reporting, in which eight workers were accused of abuse or failure to report the beating of a developmentally disabled man, the OIG investigation took eight years to complete. The investigation was suspended while the case was under criminal investigation by the Illinois State Police and during a subsequent criminal prosecution.

Sen. Ann Gillespie, D-Arlington Heights, chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee, said shed received the Republicans letter and is considering next steps with her Democratic colleagues. She also said shed read the news organizations reports about conditions at Choate and found them horrifying. But she stopped short of joining the call for a special joint hearing, saying that the current committee process may be most expedient for hearing bills and concerns about the facility. Regardless, Gillespie said, problems at Choate will be addressed by the General Assembly.

Gillespie noted that improving conditions at the facility has also been named a top priority for the bipartisan Illinois Senate Womens Caucus, which she co-chairs with Tracy.

The knee-jerk reaction might be to shut it down, but then it becomes where do these residents go? And so we cant do anything knee-jerk thats going to put the residents in continued or worse danger, Gillespie said.

IDHS has not disputed any of the news organizations findings.

In a statement, IDHS maintained that Choate employees provide crucial care to vulnerable patients and that those who violate the standard of care will be held accountable.

IDHS has implemented reforms at the facility including additional training, increased security, surveillance cameras for the exterior and common area, increased security and management presence in living areas, and physical improvements. The center will undergo a review by the federal monitor Equip for Equality and the OIG, as well as working with the Illinois State Police.

IDHS has also brought in an onsite liaison to report to Hou and the director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities..

We take the longstanding problems at Choate very seriously and remain committed to providing good, quality care for residents and patients at the facility. We will continue to work with families, staff, residents, and other stakeholders to carry out the mission of helping people with disabilities and others in need across Illinois, the statement said.

The Republicans speaking at the news conference Thursday agreed that the problems are long-standing and span multiple administrations of governors from both parties, but they called for immediate solutions.

AFSCME Council 31, the union that represents some Choate employees, said in a statement following the news conference that it welcomes the support of anyone of good will who wants to work to improve the facility. The union said it has for years urged legislators and IDHS to increase staffing, expand training and invest in maintenance of the buildings.

Its regrettable that it took disturbing media reports of past misconduct to underscore the need for improvements at Choate, but the wrongful actions of a few cannot overshadow the deep commitment of the overwhelming majority of employees to Choates residents and to making the facility the best it can be, the statement said.

Timeline of Choate employees' arrests and outcomes 2014: Mark Allen, Curt Ellis, Justin Butler and Eric Bittle 2016: Chayla Brown 2017: Cheryl Muckley 2017: Victor Metzger 2017-2018: John Lingle, Cody Barger 2018: Stacy Thomas 2019: Greg Johnson, Ruth Massie and Paris Ferguson 2020: Kevin Jackson, three others 2020: Charles Mills 2020: Dalton Anderson, Bobby Lee, Johnny Brimm, Mat Wiseman 2021: Brad Cross
Mr. Meador and Mr. Cox with the FBI spoke with students in grades four through seven about the importance of online safety, the purpose of the SOS program, general information about the FBI and answered all kinds of questions from inquiring young minds.
Wythe County Community Hospital recently took home top honors at an annual awards ceremony held by its parent company Lifepoint Health in Nashville, Tennessee. The hospital received the companys 2022 Operations Excellence Award for the central division of acute care facilities, while Vicki Parks, chief executive officer, was recognized with a top leadership award.

The Lifepoint Health Operations Excellence Award recognizes outstanding overall performance across the companys acute care, rehabilitation and behavioral health business sectors. The award is given to five facilities each year, including: one acute care facility in each of the companys operating divisions (Eastern, Central, Western), one inpatient rehabilitation hospital and one behavioral health hospital. The award is given to exemplary facilities that have demonstrated a strong commitment to  and measurably improved  the following in the prior year:

Service line growth;

Quality improvement;

Financial performance;

Talent and workforce development and engagement; and,

Expanding leadership role in the community.

The award was accepted by WCCH hospital leaders Vicki Parks; Theresa Dix, chief nursing officer; and Donald Hayes, chief financial officer, on behalf of the entire hospital team.

This leadership team keeps Lifepoints mission, vision and values at the forefront of everything they do, and it is evident in the way they operate the hospital, said William Haugh, central division president for Lifepoint Health, who presented the award. The hospital has made great strides over the past year in delivering high quality patient care and meeting specific quality benchmarks, while also achieving significant volume growth across key service lines and being a strong community partner. We are very proud to recognize the WCCH team with this well-deserved award.

Parks also was recognized with the Fleetwood Award, which is presented annually to a hospital leader who exemplifies the values and spirit of Lifepoints former chief executive officer, the late Jim Fleetwood. Fleetwood believed that operational excellence was defined by more than financial performance and that it was equally important to lead by example and inspire others to achieve their goals, even during challenging times. Parks, who has been part of Lifepoint for ten years, was recognized for embodying many of the admirable qualities that Fleetwood possessed, including a leadership style that emphasizes collaboration and upholds high standards, and a desire and ability to build strong relationships with hospital employees, physicians and the community.

I am so proud to be a part of the amazing team here at Wythe County Community Hospital, said Parks. This recognition underscores our entire teams commitment to strengthening hospital quality, teamwork and operations, while advancing healthcare delivery in Wythe, Bland and surrounding counties for the past fifty years. We look forward to continuing this momentum into 2023 and beyond.
Longview police responded to a two-car crash outside PeaceHealth St. John Medical Centers Emergency Room near the intersection of 15th Avenue and Douglas Street Monday afternoon.

Sgt. Tim Watson of the Longview Police Department said the 24-year-old driver of the Dodge Durango was cited for failing to stop after he ran the red light and collided into the rear of a blue Jeep Cherokee driven by a 75-year-old man sometime before 12:16 p.m.

Police arrived at the scene at 12:17 p.m., and neither officer reported that an injury occurred.

Onlooker Jesse Kintz, an owner of a Longview-area tow trucking service, said he was visiting a hospitalized family member at the time of the crash and while exiting the hospital, he heard the collision, prompting him to run to his truck which is equipped with a trauma bag.

Kintz said the late-model bronze Dodge Durango struck the blue Jeep Cherokee from behind, causing damage to both. A tow truck was at the scene, but its unknown if any of the vehicles involved were towed away or deemed inoperable.

The Jeep sustained damage to the rear bumper, trunk door and rear right brake light.

The right headlight of the Durango was destroyed and caved in, plus there was visible damage to the bumper and hood of the vehicle.
A regional foundation is accepting nominations to award people dedicated to their community, and local residents have won in the past.

People can nominate through the next month for the Community Foundation for Southwest Washingtons Community Champion and Philanthropist of the Year awards.

The Community Foundation of Southwest Washington is one of roughly 700 similar organizations in the country that pools donations for targeted goals. The foundation has more than 300 funds that distribute hundreds of grants a year in Clark, Cowlitz and Skamania counties in areas like the arts, environment and education.

The organizations Philanthropist of the Year award recognizes individuals, couples, families or foundations who serve as exemplars of generosity through their outstanding charitable leadership and support, according to the foundation.

Its the highest honor for folks who are giving in the more traditional philanthropic sense, said Maury Harris, the Community Foundations senior communications officer. In 2016, Longview residents Bob and Pauline Kirchner were the Community Foundations Philanthropists of the year.

The Community Champion award is for individuals or organizations that are really passionate about an issue and have ground-level involvement, Harris said. These are the people who deeply involved in community solutions to pressing local challenges. Longview residents Donald and Margaret Fuesler received the award in 2019 and their foundations work went on to support Covid-19 recovery.

The deadline for award nomination submissions is 5 p.m. April 3. Nominate at cfsww.org/awards. The Community Foundations annual luncheon, where the Community Champion and Philanthropist of the Year award recipients will be honored, is June 6 at the Hilton Vancouver Washington.
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A new smart printer enables the manufacture of soft multifunctional materials by continuously adapting extrusion parameters. Combining experimental and computational methods, it prints conductive and magneto-active materials with mechanical properties that mimic biological tissues. Credit: UC3M

Researchers at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have created software and hardware for a 4D printer with applications in the biomedical field. In addition to 3D printing, this machine allows for controlling extra functions: programming the material's response so that shape-changing occurs under external magnetic field, or changes in its electric properties develops under mechanical deformation. This opens the door to the design of soft robots or smart sensors and substrates that transmit signals to different cellular systems, among other applications.

This research line focuses on the development of soft multifunctional structures, which consist of materials with mechanical properties that mimic biological tissues such as the brain or skin. In addition, they are capable of changing their shape or properties when actuated via external stimuli, such as magnetic fields or electric currents.

Until now, this team of researchers had made several advances in the design and manufacturing of these structures, but they were very limited in terms of shape-design and programming of intelligent responses. The work presented in their latest study, published in the journal Advanced Materials Technologies, has allowed them to open up new possibilities by developing a novel 4D printing methodology.

"This technology allows us to not only control the way we print three-dimensional structures, but also to give them the ability to change their properties or geometry in response to the action of external magnetic fields, or the ability to modify their electric properties when they deform," explains one of the researchers, Daniel Garcia Gonzalez, head of the ERC 4D-BIOMAP (GA 947723) project and associate professor in UC3M's Department of Continuum Mechanics and Structure Theory.

This type of printing is complex since the material to be extruded transitions from liquid to solid during the printing process. It is therefore necessary to understand the material dynamics to adapt the manufacturing process and obtain a material which is sufficiently liquid when it flows through the printer nozzle but, at the same time, solid enough to maintain a specific shape.

To this end, they have developed an interdisciplinary methodology that combines theoretical and experimental techniques allowing them to build the printing device from scratch, both the physical part of the device (the hardware) and the computer programs that allow it to be controlled (the software). Credit: UC3M

A self-healing material

The researchers have also developed a new material concept that is capable of healing itself autonomously without the need for external action, according to another recent publication in the journal Composites Part B: Engineering. "This material consists of a soft polymer matrix embedded with magnetic particles with a remanent field. For practical purposes, it is as if we had small magnets distributed in the material, so that, if it breaks, when the resulting parts are brought together again, they will physically join recovering their structural integrity," says Daniel Garcia Gonzalez.

Thanks to these advances, which have led to several registered patents, these scientists have been able to print three types of functional materials: some that change their shape and properties in response to external magnetic fields; others with self-healing capability; and others whose electrical properties (conductivity) vary according to their shape or deformation. With the first type of material, they have developed smart substrates to transmit forces and signals to cellular systems, so that they can influence biological processes such as cell proliferation or migration. These materials can also be used to design soft robots whose performance can be controlled by magnetic fields.

The combination of materials with self-healing capabilities and whose electric conduction properties vary with deformation opens up enormous possibilities in the development of sensors. "We can think of sensors that, attached to our body, collect information about our movement from variations in electric conductivity. In addition, the material's self-healing capability allows the design of sensors with binary signals. For example, if we have had a knee injury and need to limit rotation to a maximum value, we can incorporate a small band of this material over our joint," says Daniel Garcia Gonzalez.

"This way, when we exceed this maximum rotation, the material will break showing an abrupt change in its electric properties, thus providing a warning signal. However, when returning the knee to a relaxed state, the material's healing capability will result in recovery of the electric signal. This way we can monitor our movements and warn of risky conditions after surgery or during rehabilitation periods."

More information: Maria Luisa LopezDonaire et al, Computationally Guided DIW Technology to Enable Robust Printing of Inks with Evolving Rheological Properties, Advanced Materials Technologies (2023). DOI: 10.1002/admt.202370012 Daniel Garcia-Gonzalez et al, Hard-magnetic phenomena enable autonomous self-healing elastomers, Composites Part B: Engineering (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.compositesb.2022.110357 Journal information: Advanced Materials Technologies
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Credit: Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner plans to introduce a bill this week that will allow the U.S. to ban Chinese technology, including popular social media platform TikTok.

Warner told Fox News that he is working with Sen. John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, on a bill that will give the U.S. power to ban or prohibit foreign technology where necessary. The fear, Warner says, is that TikTok can be a propaganda tool.

The news follows an announcement from the White House last week, which told federal agencies that they had 30 days to delete the app from government devices. Canada and the executive arm of the European Union also recently banned the app from official devices.

With all the buzz around banning TikTok, many questions have arisen over data privacy and what's next for the popular social media app.

Below, Northeastern experts answer some of the most pressing questions:

Why is Congress proposing legislation to ban TikTok?

"So what makes TikTok unique?" questioned John Wihbey, an associate professor of media innovation and technology in the College of Arts, Media and Design at Northeastern.

If anything, it is because it is a Chinese company subject to the law in China, which allows access to users' information. But nothing is stopping the Chinese Communist Party from obtaining data from Americans from the open market.

TikTok is at the center of concern due to national security concerns and panics over the increasing prominence of China, says Meryl Alper, an associate professor of communications studies at Northeastern.

"I've seen the focus on TikTok referred to as a digital Red Scare," Alper says.

There are a lot of reports, including Federal Trade Commission lawsuits and others, showing companies collecting data about individuals and then selling it for pennies per person to others, including bounty hunters or companies doing background checks, says David Choffness, the executive director and founding member of the Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute at Northeastern.

What would be concerning is if the Chinese Communist Party said the algorithm needs to change to spread propaganda intentionally.

"That's not outside the realm of possibility," Wilson says.

What is happening with bans inside the U.S.?

Those with federal government-issued devices are on a deadline to delete the app from their phone. The White House already does not allow the app on its devices.

Suppose the federal government or a state university wants to ban TikTok on state-owned devices. In that case, that is fine, says Choffness. However, it begs why the government isn't banning other apps, such as Strava or Map My Run, which shows users' geolocations on military bases.

There isn't anything fundamental that TikTok is doing that is objectively worse than any other app, Choffnes says.

"Why aren't we treating those as the same security risk when they've already been known to have sort of direct harms to U.S. security?" Choffnes says.

How can the government ban the app, and if they do, can you still access it?

The implementation of the ban matters, says Christo Wilson, an associate professor at the Khoury College of Computer Sciences at Northeastern and a founding member of the university's Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute. There's no good solution, he says.

Wilson says one option is to tell the app store to delist the TikTok app. But, it will also not work because it doesn't prevent users from downloading the TikTok app from the internet.

Another option would be to go to the internet services providers like Verizon, AT&T and Comcast, and ask them to block traffic to TikTok.

"That's also deeply troubling," Wilson says. "That's a whole different avenue for government censorship. You're not enlisting all the (internet service providers) to become part of a censorship apparatus. That's what the internet looks like in China."

"We don't have that here," Wilson says. "But if you are really serious about banning TikTok, that's how you would have to do itbecome the thing we hate."

What is the response of TikTok and other social media platforms?

TikTok's commercial success in the U.S. is impeding local social media giant's advertising dollars, with Meta Platforms Inc. and Alphabet Inc."s YouTube developing short-video services in response to the app's popularity.

"The product is awesome," Wihbey says. "It's super compelling. It's so much more engaging than pretty much any other platform."

However, TikTok owner ByteDance is distancing the service from its China roots, including hosting user data in Singapore. Threats of a ban on the app have lingered for years in the U.S. Former President Donald Trump nearly forced the sale of TikTok's U.S. operations to Microsoft Corp. and Oracle Corp before his term expired.

There's a "huge" amount of global competition in the information communications industry, says Wihbey. TikTok is the first non-U.S. entry into this game.

But there are geopolitics and also industrial competition dynamics that are playing out, Wihbey says. TikTok has gobbled up a lot of advertising dollars that American companies would like to get back.

TikTok is complaining that they are unfairly targeted because they are mining and harvesting data, just like other social media apps do as part of their business model.

What data are TikTok and other social media apps collecting on you now?

When visiting the privacy policies of TikTok and other social media apps, it is apparent that the companies are collecting as much data as possible from the users. Examples include everything you upload to the app, including your name, age, email address and internal messages, and extend to sharing your contacts on your phone, geolocation and even your financial information.

The companies use the data to personalize the feed, Wilson says. On the other hand, companies are also using it for advertising. The companies have trackers on the web, so they can see what users are doing even when they are not on the app.

"That's then being merged with what you do on TikTok, which is creepy," Wilson says.

Should you be concerned about your data privacy?

"I worry about what's happening behind the scenes," Wihbey says.

The app "unwittingly" has users share all of their contacts and requires them to share their I.P. address and location by default, he says.

Wihbey is especially concerned about people working in sensitive or interesting industries such as defense, tech, or a place with a lot of intellectual property. For example, China is known for stealing a colossal amount of intellectual property from the United States, Wihbey says.

There is potential for governments to assemble sensitive information about people with a rich profile, including who they are, who they know, what they do, and where they are.

"And that could be exploited," he says.

The other concern is that the more you know about someone, the easier it is to hack anything they're doing, Wihbey says, whether that's an email account or passwords and usernames.

"I think people are rightly concerned," Wihbey says. "It's unclear to me how different TikTok is versus other (social media apps or] what Meta does in terms of trying to get lots of data."

What makes TikTok different from other social media apps like Facebook, is that the "For You" feed is filled with videos of followers you do not know or follow, Alper says. It is entirely based on an algorithm the company produced on that user.

Although it is a novel approach and part of what makes TikTok so exciting, "you never know what you're getting is based on," Alper says. Or where that data came from.

What laws are protecting your data now?

The FTC has clamped down on a few of these companies for violating their terms of service. For example, Facebook had a $5 billion fine for the Cambridge Analytical scandal, and Twitter is also under a consent decree.

"There's a pretty high bar for what actually violates the law," Wihbey says. "Whereas I think on a common sense level, you be like, "Oh, actually, you shouldn't be doing that with my data.'"

There are no rules about how people moderate content. Social media apps can do what they want under the CDA section 230.

Data collection, at least at the federal level, you have laws like COPPA preventing the data of people under the age of 13 from being collected. There's HIPPA for health records, but that doesn't apply to social media apps. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act restricts government wiretaps on telephone calls and electronic signals. The Federal Trade Commission Act empowers the FTC to go after apps or websites that violate its privacy policy.

But, assuming the policy is truthful, those companies are in the clear.

"That gives you carte blanche to do whatever you want," Wilson says.

What are some potential solutions?

At the bare minimum, Wilson wants to see regulations similar to the California Privacy Rights Act. It does a couple of basic things: giving users the ability to opt out of data collection for advertisers, the right to request the data the company is collecting, and the right to delete it.

However, the implementation of this law could be faster and more balanced, Wilson says.

A few states have this law, but at the federal level, there isn't much.

More robust policies could be stronger protections for children up to age 18. Or instead of an opt-out system, there is an opt-in system, which the European countries have enacted.

There also could be stronger laws around data collection, from not allowing apps to access geolocation and for holding sensitive data or only using data that benefits the company and that they cannot sell it.

However, lobbying is intense, Wilson says. As a result, there is a predisposition not to regulate and a lot of reluctance to interfere in the free market.

"There's not nearly enough enforcement," Wilson says.
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The heat pump hydraulics of the HEAVEN system exploits the synergies of air (availability, cost) and geothermal energy (temperatures, efficiency) and solves the problem of limited space in cities. Credit: Fraunhofer ISE

Heat pumps are a key technology for the heat transition, yet their implementation in existing multifamily buildings is a challenge. These buildings place special demands on the transfer systems for space heating and domestic hot water as well as on environmental heat utilization. In the joint project LowEx in the Building Stock, solutions for heat pump, heat transfer and ventilation systems in retrofitted multifamily homes were analyzed, developed and demonstrated.

In the final project report, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, the Institute for Sustainable Systems Engineering INATECH of the University of Freiburg and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology KIT present the resulting solutions and some exemplary demonstration objects.

A look at the building sector today makes it clear that the biggest lever for the heat transition are existing buildings: 62 percent of existing buildings were constructed before Germany's first Warmeschutzverordnung (Thermal Insulation Regulation) in 1977, and these currently account for around two-thirds of the final energy consumption in the sector.

Heat pumps offer considerable potential for reducing CO 2 emissions if they are used in so-called LowEx, or low exergy, systems. Due to low temperature differences between the heating medium and the useful heat, heat pumps can operate very efficiently.

While heat pumps are increasingly used in single and two-family homes in new and existing buildings, they are still not widespread in multi-story residential buildings. Fraunhofer ISE has been working for many years on this topic which has gained growing attention recently due to increasing energy prices.

"The challenges here lie both in the higher heat output required from the heat gener-ator and in the building location that is often in densely built-up neighborhoods. In addition, radiators and domestic hot water systems in multifamily buildings often require high flow temperatures," explains Jeannette Wapler from Fraunhofer ISE. Therefore, the solutions in the project focused on the two topics of tapping environmental sources in the built environment and lowering system temperatures.

Holistic analysis of heat supply and renovation

For the analysis, system concepts were allocated to different types of multifamily buildings by carrying out systematic investigations and evaluations. Here the user comfort, economic aspects and achievable reduction in CO 2 emissions were considered. The research team conducted a holistic analysis of the heat supply, from the low-temperature source up to the heat transfer to the rooms.

In the analysis, the potential of implementing solar components on the building envelope, the possible combina-tions of environmental heat sources and the use of hybrid systems were considered, among other things.

New LowEx technologies for multifamily houses

The research team worked with industrial partners to develop new LowEx components and systems for multifamily houses in five subprojects. For example, a multi-source heat pump system was developed together with the heating manufacturer Viessmann in the HEAVEN project.

In city centers, there is often not enough space to drill bore-holes for geothermal probes. The use of outdoor air as a heat source is comparatively inefficient and has a higher noise emission. The multi-source heat pump system combines the advantages of the two heat sources: outside air and ground. With this combination, a smaller drilling area is achieved yet the high efficiency of a brine heat pump is still achievable.

"Decentralized indoor ventilation also plays an important role in the energy retrofit of existing multifamily houses. There is considerable energy-saving potential that is yet untapped in this area. Also, subsequent installation is significantly easier and more cost-effective," explains Prof. Andreas Wagner from KIT. In the project, the control of decentralized ventilation systems was optimized and a method for evaluating these devices was developed.

To do this, an occupant-centered, self-learning controller for decentralized pendulum fans was developed at Fraunhofer ISE and successfully demonstrated in the KIT Energy Smart Home Lab.

In other projects, a hybrid system (heat pump in combination with fossil-fueled heat generator), a heat pump with a refrigerant circuit based on the natural refrigerant propane, facade-integrated ventilation units and high-temperature heat pumps were developed.

Demonstrators prove feasibility of heat pumps in existing buildings

The supply technologies developed in the singular sub-projects were demonstrated in three exemplary refurbishment projects. Detailed measurements and evaluations ac-companied the installations in the multifamily houses. "The collaborations with the housing industry, the heat pump industry and the energy suppliers, who all contributed their different perspectives to the project, were very valuable," explains group leader Dr. Constanze Bongs from Fraunhofer ISE.

The scientists analyzed both the performance of the low exergy systems installed as well as the energy retrofit process itself.

In cooperation with KES Karlsruher Energieservice GmbH, the team realized a complex energy supply concept for five existing apartment buildings with 160 apartments in Karlsruhe-Durlach. The new energy supply concepts are based on a smart combination of technologies: A photovoltaic system is installed on each of the five building roofs. For two of the buildings, heat pumps and a peak-load gas boiler were installed to supply heat.

To achieve low-CO 2 heat generation in these buildings, the heat pumps were designed to have the maximum possible coverage rate with the gas boiler operating correspondingly seldom. In one of these buildings, a heat pump system with a combined heat source (outside air, geothermal heat) which was developed in the HEAVEN project was installed. Another heat pump system uses hybrid PVT collectors as the only heat source.

The three other buildings are connected to a local heating network supplied by natural gas CHP units. The electricity generated from the systems is used to economically operate the decentralized heat pumps. The heat pumps, CHP units and PV systems are all interconnected and controlled by an energy management system in order that the heat pumps operate as economically as possible using locally generated electricity.

In the first six months of operation, the HEAVEN multi-source hydraulics achieved high source temperatures with an average value of 8 degrees Celsius, which contributed to a good annual performance factor of 3.2 during the first half year of operation (FebruaryJuly 2022) in which the evaluations took place. The fact that the peak-load gas boiler accounted for 31 percent of the heat supplied is primarily due to the high temperature requirements for hygienic domestic hot water.

Overall, the system achieved CO 2 equivalent emission savings of 42 percent relative to the project start. If compared relative to the original uninsulated building construction in 1963, the emission savings are equivalent to 73 percent. Optimized operation with lower gas consumption, higher heat pump efficiency or using an electricity mix with less CO 2 intensity can further reduce CO 2 emissions in the future. The model energy concept can be transferred to other neighborhoods with existing multifamily buildings.

"The demonstrator multifamily houses in this project have proven the feasibility of retrofitting multifamily houses with heat pumps and low exergy technologies. To achieve optimal operation, it is important to consider the given situation, including the heat distribution systems and the amount of space in the heating cellar. During the retrofit, it is also essential to perform a hydraulic balance of the heating system and check if flow temperatures can be further reduced, e.g., by replacing individual radiators," says Dr.-Ing. Manuel Lammle, who is project manager at INATECH.

The team sees further need for research in this area. In particular, the development of solutions to replace single-story gas heating systems and for the provision of high temperatures and domestic hot water heating with heat pumps. In the new project LCR290, heat pumps with the environmentally friendly refrigerant propane are being developed for use in multifamily houses.

Provided by Fraunhofer-Institut fur Solare Energiesysteme ISE
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The Tesla company logo is seen on the hood of an unsold vehicle at a dealership on Aug. 9, 2020, in Littleton, Colo. In a report released Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board apparently solved the mystery of why no one was found behind the wheel of a Tesla that crashed in Texas two years ago, killing two men. During the April 2021 crash in Spring, Texas, the driver apparently moved to the back seat after slamming into the car's front air bag, deforming the steering wheel in the crash. Credit: AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File

U.S. safety regulators are turning up the heat on Tesla, announcing investigations into steering wheels coming off some SUVs and a fatal crash involving a Tesla suspected of using an automated driving system when it ran into a parked firetruck in California.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday it is launching a special crash-investigation team to probe the Feb. 18 crash involving a Tesla Model S and a ladder truck from the Contra Costa County fire department.

The firetruck probe is part of a larger investigation by the agency into multiple instances of Teslas using the automaker's Autopilot system crashing into parked emergency vehicles that are tending to other crashes. NHTSA has become more aggressive in pursuing safety problems with Teslas in the past year, announcing multiple recalls and investigations.

The driver of the 2014 Tesla Model S was killed in the crash and a passenger critically injured. Four firefighters were treated for minor injuries, and the $1.4 million ladder truck was damaged.

NHTSA is investigating how the Autopilot system detects and responds to emergency vehicles parked on highways. At least 14 Teslas have crashed into emergency vehicles nationwide while using the system.

Automated driving systems aren't always involved in the crashes that NHTSA sends investigators to. For instance, the Ohio State Highway Patrol determined that a Tesla that hit one of its patrol cars in November was not operating on "any type of autonomous mode."

Authorities said the California firetruck had its lights on and was parked diagonally on a highway to protect responders to an earlier accident that did not result in injuries.

Lewis Broschard III, chief of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, said his department is concerned about the risks that inattentive drivers pose to themselves, passengers and first responders.

"These unnecessary deaths, injuries, risks to firefighters, and loss of valuable equipment are all preventable," he said, urging drivers to slow down and move over for emergency vehicles.

"Recent reports of automobiles that may have been operating automated driving systems crashing into parked emergency vehicles at the scene of an emergency is a serious concern for the safety of our firefighters and paramedics and the public we are serving," Rob Brown Jr., CEO of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, said in an email.

A NHTSA spokeswoman said she couldn't comment on an open investigation when asked if the Teslas are posing a danger to emergency workers.

NHTSA has been scrutinizing Teslas more intensely in the past year, seeking several recalls and opening investigations.

Earlier Wednesday, the agency posted documents revealing an investigation of steering wheels that can detach from the steering column on as many as 120,000 Model Y SUVs.

The agency said it received two complaints in which 2023 Model Ys were delivered to customers with a missing bolt holding the wheel to the steering column. A friction fit held the steering wheels on, but they separated when force was exerted as the SUVs were driven.

The agency says in documents posted on its website Wednesday that both incidents happened while the SUVs had low mileage on them.

In one complaint filed with NHTSA, an owner said he was driving with his family in Woodbridge, New Jersey, when the steering wheel suddenly came off on Jan. 29, five days after the vehicle was purchased. The owner wrote that he was able to pull toward the road divider. There were no injuries.

It was a "horrible experience," the car's owner, Prerak Patel, told The Associated Press. He said he was in the freeway's left lane when the steering wheel came off and was lucky the road was straight and he was able to stop the car at the divider.

Messages were left seeking comment from Tesla, which is based in Austin, Texas.

At first a Tesla service center gave Patel a cost estimate of $103.96 to repair the problem. The service center apologized in what appear to be text messages posted on Twitter.

When Patel wrote that he had lost faith in Tesla and asked for a refund, the service center removed the charge.

Patel was later given the option of keeping the car or getting it replaced with a new one. Patel said he chose a replacement.

Patel said he's a fan of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and has invested a large chunk of his savings in Tesla stock, which closed Wednesday down 3%.

"My kids were a little scared to ride in a loaner Tesla and, as a parent, we are able to restore their confidence," Patel said. He said he hopes Tesla will investigate and improve its quality control.

Detached steering wheels are rare in the industry, but not unprecedented. In February, Nissan recalled about 1,000 Ariya electric vehicles for a similar problem.

NHTSA also has opened investigations during the past three years into Teslas braking suddenly for no reason, suspension problems and other issues.

In February, NHTSA pressured Tesla into recalling nearly 363,000 vehicles with "Full Self-Driving" software because the system can break traffic laws. The system is being tested on public roads by as many as 400,000 Tesla owners. But NHTSA said in documents that it can make unsafe actions such as traveling straight through an intersection from a turn-only lane, going through a yellow traffic light without proper caution or failing to respond to speed limit changes.

The U.S. Justice Department also has asked Tesla for documents from Tesla about "Full Self-Driving" and Autopilot.

Tesla says in its owners manual that neither Autopilot nor "Full Self-Driving" can drive themselves, and that owners must be ready to intervene at all times.

NHTSA has sent investigators to 35 Tesla crashes in which automated systems are suspected of being used. Nineteen people have died in those crashes, including two motorcyclists.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Cathay Pacific has lagged regional rivals in recovering from the pandemic as Hong Kong kept strict Covid containment rules in place.

Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific on Wednesday reported its first annual operating profit since 2019 as it fights to return to pre-pandemic flight capacity.

The airline has struggled to catch up with regional rivals such as Singapore Airlines as the city's government only began axing harsh pandemic curbsincluding mandatory hotel quarantine and strict testing requirementsin the second half of last year.

"Cathay Pacific has experienced three challenging years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with 2022 very much being a year of two halves," chairman Patrick Healy said in a statement announcing the results, referring to a "marked improvement" in performance later in the year.

The company said in its earnings statement Wednesday that it operated at one-third of pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity in December but expects to reach 70 percent by the end of 2023.

It reported an operating profit of HK$3.55 billion ($452 million) last year, but suffered a loss attributable to shareholders of HK$6.5 billion, weighed down by losses incurred by its associate companies.

Cathay faced record losses in 2020 as the pandemic hit, and was dealt a further blow last year when Hong Kong tightened travel restrictions amid its worst-ever coronavirus outbreak.

It carried 2.8 million passengers last yearnearly four times that of 2021which brought in $1.7 billion in revenue.

Ronald Lam, who took over as CEO at the start of 2023, said Cathay will seek to lead the market for the "Greater Bay Area", Beijing's regional development blueprint for Hong Kong and surrounding southern Chinese cities.

Last year, the company was buoyed by strong cargo operations, which raked in $3.4 billion, operating at two-thirds of pre-pandemic capacity by the end of the year.

Capacity challenges

Herman Tse, valuations manager at Ascend by Cirium consultancy, said Cathay's "major challenge in the near future" is coming up with sufficient capacity to operate flights.

But Tse said the issue will ease as hiring speeds rise, adding that Cathay benefits from international demand for connectivity to China.

And Singapore-based independent aviation analyst Brendan Sobie told AFP: "Cathay's group seat capacity will be above 50 percent (pre-pandemic levels) in April and will exceed 60 percent by September.

"In the current high-fare environment this should be enough capacity to return to profitability."

Last week, the airline gave away more than 50,000 flights to Hong Kong from Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines as part of the government's "Hello Hong Kong" promotion campaign for tourists.

The company earlier said it was "very encouraged by the enthusiastic response" to that promotion, with the event drawing long online queues and tickets being snapped up within hours.

The city's airport in January saw 2.1 million visitorsa major uptick compared with preceding months, but still only one-third of 2019 levels.

Cathay's flight attendants union in January began a work-to-rule labour action after accusing the airline of putting a low priority on "providing reliable and practicable working conditions" and competitive pay.

The company said at the time that most of the roster issues had been resolved and that flight services would continue as scheduled.

Hong Kong continues to face major hurdles to retaking its place as a regional transport hub, however.

In January, around 20 regional Asian airlines said they were unable to restart services in the city because of shortages of ground handling staff.

 2023 AFP
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A robotic arm (below on right) is used to worship by maneuvering a candle in front of the Hindu god Ganesha. Credit: Monarch Innovation

It isn't just artists and teachers who are losing sleep over advances in automation and artificial intelligence. Robots are being brought into Hinduism's holiest ritualsand not all worshippers are happy about it.

In 2017, a technology firm in India introduced a robotic arm to perform "aarti," a ritual in which a devotee offers an oil lamp to the deity to symbolize the removal of darkness. This particular robot was unveiled at the Ganpati festival, a yearly gathering of millions of people in which an icon of Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, is taken out in a procession and immersed in the Mula-Mutha river in Pune in central India.

Ever since, that robotic aarti arm has inspired several prototypes, a few of which continue to regularly perform the ritual across India today, along with a variety of other religious robots throughout East Asia and South Asia. Robotic rituals even now include an animatronic temple elephant in Kerala on India's southern coast.

Yet this kind of religious robotic usage has led to increasing debates about the use of AI and robotic technology in devotion and worship. Some devotees and priests feel that this represents a new horizon in human innovation that will lead to the betterment of society, while others worry that using robots to replace practitioners is a bad omen for the future.

As an anthropologist who specializes in religion, however, I focus less on the theology of robotics and more on what people actually say and do when it comes to their spiritual practices. My current work on religious robots primarily centers on the notion of "divine object-persons," where otherwise inanimate things are viewed as having a living, conscious essence.

My work also looks at the uneasiness Hindus and Buddhists express about ritual-performing automatons replacing people and whether those automatons actually might make better devotees.

Ritual automation is not new

Ritual automation, or at least the idea of robotic spiritual practice, isn't new in South Asian religions.

Historically, this has included anything from special pots that drip water continuously for bathing rituals that Hindus routinely perform for their deity icons, called abhisheka, to wind-powered Buddhist prayer wheelsthe kinds often seen in yoga studios and supply stores.

While the contemporary version of automated ritual might look like downloading a phone app that chants mantras without the need for any prayer object at all, such as a mala or rosary, these new versions of ritual-performing robots have prompted complicated conversations.

Thaneswar Sarmah, a Sanskrit scholar and literary critic, argues that the first Hindu robot appeared in the stories of King Manu, the first king of the human race in Hindu belief. Manu's mother, Saranyuherself the daughter of a great architectbuilt an animate statue to perfectly perform all of her household chores and ritual obligations.

Folklorist Adrienne Mayor remarks similarly that religious stories about mechanized icons from Hindu epics, such as the mechanical war chariots of the Hindu engineer god Visvakarman, are often viewed as the progenitors of religious robots today.

Furthermore, these stories are sometimes interpreted by modern-day nationalists as evidence that ancient India has previously invented everything from spacecraft to missiles. Ganesha aarti being done by a robotic arm.

Modern traditions or traditionally modern?

However, the recent use of AI and robotics in religious practice is leading to concerns among Hindus and Buddhists about the kind of future to which automation could lead. In some instances, the debate among Hindus is about whether automated religion promises the arrival of humanity into a bright, new, technological future or if it is simply evidence of the coming apocalypse.

In other cases, there are concerns that the proliferation of robots might lead to greater numbers of people leaving religious practice as temples begin to rely more on automation than on practitioners to care for their deities. Some of these concerns stem from the fact that many religions, both in South Asia and globally, have seen significant decreases in the number of young people willing to dedicate their lives to spiritual education and practice over the past few decades. Furthermore, with many families living in a diaspora scattered across the world, priests or "pandits" are often serving smaller and smaller communities.

But if the answer to the problem of fewer ritual specialists is more robots, people still question whether ritual automation will benefit them. They also question the concurrent use of robotic deities to embody and personify the divine, since these icons are programmed by people and therefore reflect the religious views of their engineers.

Doing right by religion

Scholars often note that these concerns all tend to reflect one pervasive themean underlying anxiety that, somehow, the robots are better at worshiping gods than humans are. They can also raise inner conflicts about the meaning of life and one's place in the universe.

For Hindus and Buddhists, the rise of ritual automation is especially concerning because their traditions emphasize what religion scholars refer to as orthopraxy, where greater importance is placed on correct ethical and liturgical behavior than on specific beliefs in religious doctrines. In other words, perfecting what you do in terms of your religious practice is viewed as more necessary to spiritual advancement than whatever it is you personally believe.

This also means that automated rituals appear on a spectrum that progresses from human ritual fallibility to robotic ritual perfection. In short, the robot can do your religion better than you can because robots, unlike people, are spiritually incorruptible.

This not only makes robots attractive replacements for dwindling priesthoods but also explains their increasing use in everyday contexts: People use them because no one worries about the robot getting it wrong, and they are often better than nothing when the options for ritual performance are limited.

Saved by a robot

In the end, turning to a robot for religious restoration in modern Hinduism or Buddhism might seem futuristic, but it belongs very much to the present moment. It tells us that Hinduism, Buddhism and other religions in South Asia are increasingly being imagined as post- or transhuman: deploying technological ingenuity to transcend human weaknesses because robots don't get tired, forget what they're supposed to say, fall asleep or leave.

More specifically, this means that robotic automation is being used to perfect ritual practices in East Asia and South Asiaespecially in India and Japanbeyond what would be possible for a human devotee, by linking impossibly consistent and flawless ritual accomplishment with an idea of better religion.

Modern robotics might then feel like a particular kind of cultural paradox, where the best kind of religion is the one that eventually involves no humans at all. But in this circularity of humans creating robots, robots becoming gods, and gods becoming human, we've only managed to, once again, re-imagine ourselves.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Western powers are worried Beijing could access sensitive user data from around the world via TikTok.

TikTok launched a new effort to assuage European leaders' worries over data security on Wednesday, as Western governments consider further bans on the video-sharing app.

Their initiative came as the Czech cyber watchdog issued its own warning, describing the Chinese-owned video-sharing app as a security threat.

Western powers, including the European Union and the United States, have taken a tough approach to the app, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance.

They are worried that Beijing could access sensitive user data from around the world.

TikTok executives said the company was working with a third-party European security company to oversee and check how it handles European users' data, which will be stored at two centers in Dublin and one in Norway from 2023 onwards.

European users' data are currently stored in the United States and Singapore.

TikTok insisted this project would also reduce its own employees' access to user data.

The company has refused to name the partner, but the three centers will cost 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) annually and the project began six months ago, Theo Bertram, TikTok's vice president of European public policy said in an online briefing.

TikTok already has a similar deal in the United States with Silicon Valley giant Oracle to keep US users' data in the country.

"In the same way we have done... in the US, we'll build a secure environment around that data to prevent access from outside of the region," Bertram said.

Czech warning

As the company pushes a new charm offensive to convince lawmakers there is nothing to worry about, TikTok's general counsel Erich Andersen is in Europe this week.

He held talks with policymakers in Brussels and London. Bertram said Andersen would also speak to officials in Paris and The Hague.

Andersen will meet French Digital Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Friday, Paris said.

The EU's governing institutions told staff in recent weeks to purge the app from smartphones and laptops used for work purposes.

US lawmakers are pushing a bill that would make it easier to ban the app, coming hot on the heels of a US Congress-ordered purge from all government-issued devices.

Some national governments in Europe have also restricted TikTok for government employees, and others are considering how to address cybersecurity concerns that arise from the app.

The Czech Republic became the latest to issue warnings on Wednesday.

Its National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NUKIB) said it was concerned because TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, "falls under the legal jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China".

The Czech government, while part of the EU, has not introduced a ban so far. But in a report last year its intelligence agency, the BIS, singled China out as a major threat targeting Czech cyberspace.

TikTok says it has over 150 million users in Europe, including the United Kingdom.

The EU has pointed to concerns over data protection, but TikTok has always strongly denied China has any control or access.

"The Chinese government never asked us for data, and if they would, we would refuse to do so," Bertram said.

While a 2017 law requires Chinese companies to assist the government in matters of national security, Bertram said that as TikTok is not itself a Chinese company it would not have to hand over data.

The Irish privacy regulator is investigating ByteDance over whether it violated the EU's data protection law, the GDPR, with its processing of children's personal data and transfers of data to China.

 2023 AFP
Following multiple public discussions and comments about College Station's purposed sewer line that would wade into the city of Bryan's Beverly Estates neighborhood, the College Station City Council will look into additional design work for an alternate route at Thursday's meeting.

The line would impact Beverly Estates as it would travel either behind or in front of properties in that neighborhood. The council will consider funds to look into survey work for the back lot option near Pin Oak Creek.

The cost of this additional survey work is $87,500, as the council will consider a change order to the design contract with Kimley-Horn and Associates of Bryan for the Northeast Trunkline Phase 4 project.

"The City of College Station approved a contract in 2022 with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. for the design of the Northeast Sewer Trunk Line Phase 4. The design will include installation of a sewer trunk line which would serve areas of the community which includes the University Corridor and Northgate. This would allow for continued development in this area which will soon be limited by existing sewer capacity," College Station city staff stated. "After numerous discussions and meetings with the residents in and around the proposed route, the City is considering an alternative route alignment option. This alternative route would be along the back-lots of North Rosemary Drive, next to Pin Oak Creek. This alternative alignment will require additional survey and data collection work."

The council meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in College Station City Hall located at 1101 Texas Avenue.
At a time when school choice and school finance are at the peak of the 88th Texas legislative session conversation, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been making his rounds to Texas private schools to advocate for a school voucher program.

Abbott visited Brazos Christian School in Bryan on Tuesday night to do just that as a special guest speaker for the Parent Empowerment Coalitions Parent Empowerment Tour.

Joining him on stage were Rep. John Raney, R-College Station, Mary Drogin, campaign director at Next Generation Texas, and Brazos Christian School Headmaster Jeff McMaster.

The crowd gave Abbott a standing ovation as he made his way to a podium adorned with a plaque that read Parents Matter. Abbott made the point that if it is not the parents making decisions about their childs education, then it falls on the government to decide.

Our country is premised on freedom  parents deserve the freedom to choose the best education pathway for their child, he said. That is what were here to do tonight.

A product of public education himself, Abbott said he seeks to do what is best for both private and public schools.

Let me emphasis something that I could not overemphasize: I am a staunchly, strong proponent of our public schools, Abbott said. Our public schools are essential for the state of Texas to be able to succeed.

During his time as governor, Abbott said he has provided more funding for public education and teacher pay raises than any other Texas governor. He added that per student funding is at an all-time high.

This session, regardless of what happens with school choice  were going to add even more money for public education including more money for teacher pay raises this session, Abbott said.

He talked the crowd through a few examples of people who had left the public education system and also spoke to the outrage some parents feel in regard to a woke agenda being introduced in schools. While many parents are happy with their childrens public school education, others are angry, he said.

In urban areas, suburban areas and rural areas, parents are angry about the woke agenda thats being forced on their children in their schools, Abbott said. Our schools are for education, not indoctrination.

In addition to school choice, Abbott said he is an advocate for parental access to their students school curriculum and libraries. Through his proposed Parental Bill of Rights, parents would gain said access.

No one knows whats better for a childs success than their parents, he said. Parents matter and parents deserve the freedom to be able to choose the education they believe is best for their child.

The way to change it? School choice through state-funded Education Savings Accounts (ESA), Abbott said. Stating that he has already formed the ESA program for special needs students and seen success from it, this is his effort to expand the program for all students.

Abbott also addressed concerns about school vouchers, or taxpayer-funded subsidies, defunding public schools without any accountability measures in place.

Under this school choice program, all public schools will be fully funded for every student, and accountability measures will apply to any school that receives this funding just like they apply to public schools, Abbott said.

He added that he made this an emergency item for this legislative session to demonstrate his dedication to making Texas No. 1 in education.

Our vision must be one thing; our vision must be to make sure that our students rank number one in the United States of America as the best educated students in this country, Abbott said.

Ellen Palomo has two children, a fourth grader and an eighth grader, who attend Brazos Christian School. Recognizing that sending a child to private school comes at a cost, Palomo said she is grateful to have had the power to make the decision.

Were thankful that we live in a country and state that recognizes that the people who should be making education decisions for their children are parents, Palomo said.

Following Palomos remarks, Raney stepped to the podium to introduce Abbott. With a daughter and a wife who is a former teacher, Raney said Abbott understands the value of a good education and the importance of giving parents control over their childrens education.

McMaster opened the event with a few remarks about Brazos Christian School.

Were here to serve, specifically, a small subset of families who value a quality education and the opportunity to do that in a place where we can have open and intentional and purposeful conversations about what it means to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, McMaster said.

Recognizing that this model of education is not made for everyone, McMaster said he values public education as a choice for parents to make for their children.

As a private Christian school in this community, we are not antagonistic to public schools; in fact, we value public schools in our community because not every student is a good fit for Brazos Christian School, McMaster said.

Drogin rounded out the event by outlining the four pillars of parent empowerment: 1) transparency; 2) quality; 3) respect; and 4) choice. Transparency appeals to Abbotts point about parents knowing exactly what their child is learning, and quality relates to Abbotts challenge to make Texas a place where high-quality education is accessible to all students.

Respect and choice both relate to parents and their right to be respected and to have the ability to choose what is best for their child in the world of education.

If at any moment any parent in the state of Texas is not given transparency, quality and respect, they must  it is their right  to be given a choice, Drogin said.

To follow the Texas legislative session, visit house.texas.gov/.
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The North Korea-linked Lazarus Group has been observed weaponizing flaws in an undisclosed software to breach a financial business entity in South Korea twice within a span of a year.

While the first attack in May 2022 entailed the use of a vulnerable version of a certificate software that's widely used by public institutions and universities, the re-infiltration in October 2022 involved the exploitation of a zero-day in the same program.

Cybersecurity firm AhnLab Security Emergency Response Center (ASEC) said it's refraining from divulging more specifics owing to the fact that "the vulnerability has not been fully verified yet and a software patch has not been released."

The adversarial collective, after obtaining an initial foothold by an unknown method, abused the zero-day bug to perform lateral movement, shortly after which the AhnLab V3 anti-malware engine was disabled via a BYOVD attack.

It's worth noting here that the Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver, aka BYOVD, technique has been repeatedly employed by the Lazarus Group in recent months, as documented by both ESET and AhnLab in a series of reports late last year.

Among other steps taken to conceal its malicious behavior include changing file names before deleting them and modifying timestamps using an anti-forensic technique referred to as timestomping.

The attack ultimately paved the way for multiple backdoor payloads (Keys.dat and Settings.vwx) that are designed to connect to a remote command-and-control (C2) server and retrieve additional binaries and execute them in a fileless manner.

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The development comes a week after ESET shed light on a new implant called WinorDLL64 that's deployed by the notorious threat actor by means of a malware loader named Wslink.

"The Lazarus Group is researching the vulnerabilities of various other software and are constantly changing their TTPs by altering the way they disable security products and carry out anti-forensic techniques to interfere or delay detection and analysis in order to infiltrate Korean institutions and companies," ASEC said.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for March 21 for Jeffrey Adams of Marquette, who is accused of killing his 49-year-old wife on Feb. 26.

Hamilton County Court Judge Lynelle Homolka scheduled the hearing for 9:30 a.m. at the Hamilton County Courthouse in Aurora.

Adams, 47, is charged with second-degree murder. He made his initial court appearance on Feb. 28, when Homolka set bond at $1 million.

The body of his wife, Angela Carlson-Adams, was found at their residence at 502 Carnahan St. in Marquette. Adams drove to the sheriff's office in Aurora Feb. 26 to turn himself in.

The arrest affidavit was written by Sgt. Ryan Phinney of the Nebraska State Patrol.

According to the affidavit, Adams said he and his wife had gone to a bar in Marquette and to the Independence Club in Central City on Feb. 25.

Adams said they "were both drinking heavily and that on the ride home they had gotten into an argument," the affidavit says.

When the couple arrived home, they continued to argue and a physical altercation started. Adams confessed that he punched his wife in the head twice, the affidavit says.

He said she was lying face down on the floor bleeding when he left the house. "Adams advised that he did not attempt to get any aid for Angela despite knowing that she was bleeding and hurt," the affidavit says.

An adult child discovered his mother's body.

Hamilton County Sheriff Jeromy McCoy responded to the house at about 12:45 p.m. Feb. 26. McCoy, who determined that Adams was dead, noted a laceration above her left eye and another laceration between her left eye and nose.

Adams is represented by Jeffery Pickens of Lincoln. The case is being prosecuted by Douglas Dexter of Aurora.
People on the Move

New Executive Roles for Cowdrey, Steer, Jonas, Johnson, Bloom, Franks, Brook, Glenn, McKown, Ramani, and Osmond

Editors Note: THE Journal welcomes submissions about new hires and promotions among ed tech industry executives and K12 public school administrators in the United States. Contributed news items will be published regularly on THEJournal.com; the archives can be accessed at any time at THEJournal.com/articles/list/people-on-the-move.

To submit news about new leadership and management changes at K12 ed tech companies and at nonprofits in the K12 ed tech space, complete the form at bit.ly/EdTechPeopleNews. To submit news about new hires and promotions among K12 public schools administration, complete the form at bit.ly/K12AdminNews. News releases should be emailed to [email protected].

Jeremy Cowdrey is Discovery Educations New CEO

has a new CEO: Jeremy Cowdrey, who most recently served as CEO of Imagine Learning.

Discovery Educations outgoing CEO Scott Kinney will retire from full-time duties after 18 years with the company, according to a news release; Kinney will remain a member of Discovery Educations Board of Directors.

Cowdrey joined Imagine Learning in 2006, and in the years since was promoted from regional partnership director to executive vice president of sales and marketing, then to president and ultimately to the CEO position.

Previously, he held sales and management positions at several software and education companies, and has worked in ed tech for over 23 years, Discovery Education said. As the first person in his immediate family to graduate from college, Mr. Cowdrey has a deep-seated belief in the value, purpose, mission, and importance an education brings, the company said.

Learn more at DiscoveryEducation.com.

EDC Names Liesbet Steer as President and CEO

Education Development Center, a global nonprofit advancing solutions at the intersection of education, health, and economic opportunity, has named Liesbet Steer as its next president and CEO.

Steer, who began her new role at EDC on March 1, brings more than 20 years of international development and finance experience, according to a news release.

As a fellow at The Brookings Institution, she authored a flagship report on education investment, which led to the creation of the Education Commission, chaired by former UK Prime Minister and UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown, EDC said. As executive director of the Commission since 2015, she has led global work on multiple key education transformations, including learning models, the education workforce, service delivery, financing, and cross-sectoral action.

Steer now leads the EDC team of 1,400 professionals working on learning, health, and youth and workforce development.

Steer replaces outgoing CEO Dave Offensend, who retired after leading EDC for the past seven years.

Learn more at edc.org.

Michael Jonas Named Co-President and COO at GoGuardian

GoGuardian has promoted Chief Financial Officer Michael Jonas, naming him co-president and chief operating officer, according to a news release.

Since he joined GoGuardian in 2019, Jonas has guided the company through exceptional growth: its portfolio of learning solutions has grown as he led the acquisitions of Pear Deck, Edulastic, and TutorMe, and GoGuardian  now valued at over $1 billion  has tripled its employee base and now serves more than 25 million students and 686,000 educators across America.

Prior to 2019, Jonas was CFO at ThriftBooks, and he held senior financial and operational roles during a 14-year stint at Microsoft.

Learn more at GoGuardian.com.

Panorama Education Taps Danny Johnson as Chief Technology Officer

Panorama Education has named Danny Johnson as its new Chief Technology Officer.

The announcement comes as Panorama Education expands its executive leadership team and follows recent appointments of Chief Product Officer Jessica Tiwari and Chief Legal Officer Andrew Ting, according to a news release.

Johnson will lead the engineering team behind the Panorama platform, setting and executing Panorama's technology strategy, and driving ambitious product development, the company said.

Johnsons career and expertise comprise a well-rounded combination of technical skill, team-building, leadership, and cross-functional collaboration experience; he most recently served as VP of product and engineering at Ridgeline, a financial services SaaS platform. Previously, his leadership at Workday helped scale the company through IPO and beyond, according to Panoramas announcement.

Earlier in his career, Johnson held engineering and product management roles at Oracle and PeopleSoft.

Learn more at PanoramaEd.com.

Lainey Franks is Tools for Schools New CEO
CARBONDALE  Sheryl A. Tucker, who has extensive experience in higher education leadership, will become Southern Illinois University Carbondales next provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, pending approval by the SIU Board of Trustees at its April 27 meeting.

In her new role, Tucker will serve as the universitys chief academic officer and lead a team responsible for ensuring students academic success. She and her team will collaborate in setting overall academic programs and priorities and allocate funds to carry these priorities forward. The provost provides leadership in student retention; faculty hiring, promotion and tenure; outreach to the community, and overall student support. In addition to the provosts office, Academic Affairs includes the colleges, Library Affairs, Exploratory Student Advisement, Extended Campus, Saluki Success, Aerospace Studies (AFROTC), Army Military Science (Army ROTC), Core Curriculum, Center for Learning Support Services, Center for Teaching Excellence, Chancellors Scholars and University Honors.

I am delighted to join Chancellor Lanes senior leadership team as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Southern Illinois University Carbondale at this pivotal moment for the university and really all of higher education, she said. SIU Carbondales mission and values, and especially Chancellor Lanes focus on servant leadership, resonate with me. The SIU strategic plan, Imagine 2030, is innovative and positions the university for the future.

I am eager to actively listen, learn and get to know my new colleagues at SIU Carbondale and to play a leading and collaborative role in ensuring student success and removing barriers that hinder research, scholarly and creative interdisciplinary activities.

Tucker comes to SIU Carbondale from Oklahoma State University, where she serves as vice provost and dean of the graduate college for the OSU System graduate campuses. She joined OSU as dean and chemistry professor in 2011 and has held several administrative positions. Before OSU, she worked for two years at the National Science Foundation as program director and visiting scientist in its Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Before NSF, Tucker served in faculty and administrative roles at the University of Missouri  Columbia for 15 years.

Expanding access to higher education for future generations of diverse individuals is integral to my beliefs and actions, Tucker said. Therefore, it is important to me that inclusive excellence is an SIU core value and a pillar in the new strategic plan. SIU is truly a university of opportunity.

During my career, I have worked to ensure a more inclusive environment for students, faculty and staff, and I look forward to working in a robust shared governance environment that is a vital part of SIUs institutional fabric.

SIU chose Tucker after a national search. Chancellor Austin A. Lane thanked the search committee, chaired by Yueh-Ting Lee, and WittKieffer for their efforts as well as Marc E. Morris and Robert D. Morgan for acting in the capacity of provost while the search was underway.

The feedback we received from Dr. Tuckers interviews in the open forum and with constituency groups was overwhelmingly positive, said Lane. The respondents were impressed with her more than 25 years of experience in higher education, working with partners within and outside of academia. I am excited to have Dr. Tucker join the SIU family.

Tucker earned her bachelor's degree from Kent State University, her masters from the University of North Texas and her doctorate from Duke University. She will start at SIU Carbondale by July 1, although exact date has yet to be determined.

She and her husband, David Beech, have a daughter, Tucker Airabella Beech, and two Sheltie dogs, Sunny Beech and Stormy Beech.
A pair of Southern Illinois teachers are being honored for dedication to their students and their profession.

Carterville Intermediate School fourth grade teacher Sabrina Gooden has been named one of 30 finalists for the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching, and is the only finalist in our region. The award recognizes teachers who have a lasting and positive effect on students and schools.

In her classroom, Gooden uses interactive scenarios to teach students about history, order and how they can contribute solutions to worldwide problems. She believes that combining students own characteristics, customs and outlooks improves both their engagement in studies and classroom instruction.

Its a huge honor for her, said Carterville Intermediate School Principal Tom Webb. She is one of those teachers who is 100% invested in the learning and lives of her students. She puts in countless hours to make sure that her lessons are fun and engaging for them.

If selected as a Golden Apple recipient, Gooden will receive a $5,000 cash award and be eligible for a sabbatical through Northwestern University. Winners will be announced in the spring.

Monica Maxey of Summersville Grade School in Mount Vernon is one of 30 teachers nationally to be named to Curriculum Associates 2023 Class of Extraordinary Educators. She is the only Illinois teacher to be selected.

Her selection is based upon nominations and Maxeys sue of Curriculum Associates classroom and instructional materials, programs and tools.

It is such an honor to be named one of the 2023 Extraordinary Educators by Curriculum Associates, Maxey said. My passion in education is to empower children to see their abilities and to utilize strategies to overcome challenges. I am looking forward to networking with other professionals across our nation to make a positive impact on the future of education.

As an honoree, Maxey will be invited to present at an upcoming leadership summit and have access to peer collaboration opportunities in the coming year. This is the fourth year for the recognition program.

Teachers are true rock stars, said Emily McCann, vice president of educator community at Curriculum Associates. This years Extraordinary Educators are no exceptionthey were chosen from hundreds of nominations and represent the best of the best. We are happy to recognize and celebrate Monica for her amazing work in the classroom and look forward to providing her with ongoing professional learning and networking opportunities to help her continue to grow her craft.
Clemson amoeba research Jillian Milanes is a graduate research assistant and scientist working with professor James Morris at the Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Cent

When Jillian Milanes read a scientific paper from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center about an enolase inhibitor that effectively killed a specific type of brain cancer cell, it immediately caught her attention.

Milanes, a graduate research assistant at Clemson University, is not a cancer researcher. Instead, she is a scientist in James Morris lab at the Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center, and she is studying something less known and far less common than cancer but equally as devastating  the brain-eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri.

Its a terrible disease, and the drugs available are not great, Milanes said.

Milanes research has shown glycolysis, a series of reactions that extract energy from glucose, is essential to cell growth. She said that exploiting sugar metabolism pathways could be helpful in the development of new therapeutics. Enolase is an essential enzyme involved in glycolysis.

Brain-Eating AmoebaNaegleria fowleri lives ubiquitously in warm freshwater lakes, ponds and rivers. While the infection is rare, if water containing the amoeba is forced up a persons nose during activities such as swimming, diving or dunking, the amoeba can travel to the brain, where it causes primary amebic meningoencephalitis. It is nearly always fatal  only four of the 157 people with confirmed cases in the United States during the past 60 years have survived.

The MD Anderson Cancer Center research caught her attention because the Morris lab does viability assays testing random compounds on parasites in vitro to see if they impact growth. Several things about the research fueled her excitement:

It involved enolase.

The researchers knew the mechanism of action.

They had tested the compound in rodent models, meaning it wasnt toxic to mammals.

The compound crossed the blood-brain barrier, something thats important for treatment of Naegleria fowleri infection.

Milanes asked Florian Muller, the MD Anderson researcher, to collaborate so they could try his compounds on the brain-eating amoeba.

Several of Mullers compounds inhibited cell growth in vitro. A second assay showed the compounds also inhibited the enolase enzyme found in Naegleria. In addition, the concentration of drugs needed to inhibit cell growth was incredibly low compared to any other drugs Milanes has tested.

Clemson amoeba research Jillian Milanes research has shown glycolysis, a series of reactions that extract energy from glucose, is essential to cell growth, including

When they delivered the compound systemically in a rodent model, it appeared the amoeba slightly altered its metabolism to reduce its toxic effect.

The amoeba extracted from the brain are still sensitive and killed at pretty low levels, suggesting we did not get enough in the brain, Morris said. So, we just need to get the levels in the brain high enough.

The researchers believe if the agent was delivered quickly and directly to the site of the infection, the amoeba would not be able to alter its metabolism to reduce the compounds toxic effect.

Because humans infected with the pathogen commonly receive drugs intrathecally directly into the cerebrospinal fluid  the fluid that surrounds the brain  we are pursuing that sort of delivery in rodents now to avoid slow exposure, he said.

The collaboration is just one example of EPIC researchers working with scientists across the country to find better treatments for diseases caused by eukaryotic pathogens, including malaria, amoebic dysentery, sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and fungal meningitis. Many eukaryotic pathogens are classified as bioterrorism agents or neglected tropical diseases.

EPIC also encourages collaboration through its annual Cell Biology of Eukaryotic Pathogens (CBEP) Meeting. It brings together some of the best parasitic and fungal disease researchers in the country, helping them connect with other researchers involved in the cell biology of various eukaryotic pathogens.

At CBEP, researchers share their findings on diseases that threaten billions of people worldwide and bounce around ideas by discussing their research with others.

You have all these minds in one place and have a diversity of thoughts to get new research ideas you wouldnt have otherwise.

Kerry Smith, Epic Director

Dennis Kyle, who earned a degree in zoology from Clemson in 1984 and is now the director of the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases at the University of Georgia, said researchers must be able to reach outside their universities.

Even though they have built a very nice group of people working on parasites and other eukaryotic pathogens in EPIC, there are still gaps in what they do versus what other people do, said Kyle, who serves as a member of the external advisory committee for EPIC. It has been my personal experience in research that many of the most viable collaborations are where you reach out to people with expertise, assays or ideas that differ from mine and collaborate.

Kyle continued, The Clemson EPIC groups have built a nice reputation, so people look to them for collaboration opportunities.

Clemson amoeba research Jillian Milanes is a graduate research assistant and scientist working with professor James Morris at the Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Cent

But collaboration that advances knowledge of how eukaryotic pathogens work doesnt always have to come from the outside. EPIC has built a strong cohort of Clemson researchers approaching similar problems in different pathogens.

Theres a real synergy that comes out of that. Even though one project may be on Cryptococcusand another is on a trypanosome, some of the same approaches and problems pop up, so they learn from each other, he said.
NORWAY  The Norway Town Council meeting on Feb. 6 became an impromptu work session where Craig Kirby, project engineer with American Engineering Consultants, did a presentation on the Harrison Avenue Water Upgrade Project.

The session included a discussion of the low and high bid recommendations for the project.

Council failed to make a quorum during the meeting at the Old Willow School, with only one council member present along with Gregg Covington, acting mayor/mayor pro tem.

Covington said, Unless we have a quorum, we wont have a council meeting.

He asked Kirby to give his presentation, as if in a work session.

Kirby recommended accepting the low bid of $781,346 from Southern Fiber and Construction Co. LLC in Branchville for the Harrison Avenue Water Upgrade Project.

As far as construction, they are fairly well known, Kirby said.

The Harrison Avenue Water Upgrade Project has been worked on during previous administrations in Norway and involves 7,000 to 8,000 feet of water lines being installed on Harrison Avenue and other interconnected streets in the town.

Four sealed bids were submitted earlier this year. Kirby said the highest was $977,956 and the next highest was $909,965. The other bid, which he said was higher than $781,346, was not disclosed at the meeting.

Kirby said the bid package from Southern Fiber and Construction Co. LLC will eventually have to go through the Lower Savannah Council of Governments and will then have to be sent to the Department of Commerce.

It is over the grant amount awarded in 2020, Kirby explained.

He said that grant was approximately $600,000.

Kirby noted the high cost of construction in general.

Construction has gone up 40-50% or more during the past couple of years, Kirby added.

He said the LSCOG will go to the Department of Commerce regarding the amount over the initial grant award.

Kirby said the bid is good for 90 days.
Orangeburg County is planning to give the Orangeburg County School District property on Cook Road for the potential development of the new Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School.

County Council was asked to help and we helped, Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young said. At the end of the day the county was facilitating projects that fit their criteria. We are facilitating properties.

Orangeburg County Council on Monday gave unanimous first reading approval, by title only, to an amendment to its initial agreement with the OCSD.

The county and school district had initially planned a land swap that would have allowed the new high school to be built on 95 acres near the intersection of Red Bank Road and Industrial Boulevard.

The county then learned neighboring industries would have a more difficult time expanding because of state and federal regulations that would be triggered if the high school was built at the Red Bank Road site.

The county has since sold the 95 acres for about $1.45 million for possible future economic development.

With the proceeds from the sale, the county purchased 89 acres on Cook Road for $2.2 million. The property was purchased from Aviann Real Estate Holdings LLC.

The property, which is currently vacant and agricultural, is located across the street from the Carolina Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic and across from Sweet Maple Drive.

We have looked at additional properties but that is the only one we have purchased so far, Young said.

As part of the swap, the school district is giving the county property near Interstate 95 on U.S. Highway 15  the site of the former Dantzler Middle School.

The county plans to harvest timber from the property with a potential for an economic development use in the future. This property is still owned by the school district and will not be transferred until the real estate transaction is officially closed.

After third reading, that will be presented to the school district and it is up to them if they decide to use it for a school, Young said.

Orangeburg County School District Superintendent Dr. Shawn Foster could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

The new O-W could cost more than $100 million. The project is part of a $190 million borrowing plan voters approved to improve schools across the district.

The plan will not raise taxes, according to district officials.

The plan includes the construction of a new Holly Hill Elementary School and new wings at William J. Clark Middle School and Lake Marion High School.

School district officials say the plan will save money in the long run, since the districts schools and facilities need an estimated $429 million in repairs.
Lillie Smith is determined to provide reliable trash pickup service after taking over her late fathers business several years ago. She says the customers keep her going despite obstacles along the way.

The Orangeburg native was raised in New York and moved back to Orangeburg approximately seven years ago to take the helm of Have Trash Will Travel LLC, the business her father, James Smith, started.

The 60-ish Smith said she has chronic arthritis, but providing service for her nearly 100 customers is important to her. Her father would go to where the trash was and pick it up, and she continues to do the same thing without requiring customers to bring it to the curb.

She has had dealt with persistent problems with her trash truck and is now using a rental truck until she can purchase a new one. In the meantime, she and the only staff person she has continue to trudge through the elements to pick up trash for her customers, some of whom have become like family.

It is Smiths resolve to press on with her fathers business and provide friendly service despite difficulties that has led the Orangeburg County Community of Character initiative to honor her for displaying perseverance.

It was an honor that she didnt believe she was receiving at first.

Weve got a lot of pranksters out here today. Its been difficult. After I got flimflammed once, I put up a wall, but I think its wonderful. I was surprised and shocked. It was a beautiful surprise and an experience that I did not ever think would happen to me, said Smith, who thanked the person who nominated her for the honor.

Before she got a staff person to help her along her routes, the mother of three and grandmother of six had been doing the work by herself.

Actually it was just me, but as time went on and I got older and started gaining weight, those bags were getting too heavy and I pulled my back. So I needed help, Smith said.

She and her single helper have had to rearrange their route schedules to help save money.

It was a Monday and Thursday route, and then it was a Tuesday and Friday route. Because it started costing so much with the rental truck, I just did Monday and Tuesday together and Thursday and Friday together. Now I work Monday and Thursday and work on average from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

We might get finished a little late because there are times when I have gotten a late start, but sometimes I might get an early start, which is about 8 oclock, and I might finish at 1 or 2 p.m. It depends on a few things, including traffic, Smith said.

She said some of her customers are disabled and cannot drag their trash to the curb. She thinks about where a lot of them would be without someone to pick their trash up from wherever it is.

The average person pushes their trash can to the curb. With us, you dont have to. Wherever it is, as long as theres not a vehicle or nothing in the way, well still go and get it.

What I do is a convenience for most, but its a need for others. I look more to the ones that need. ... Those walking with a cane and can hardly make it to the door to open up the front door, let alone push that trash can, Smith said.

She would one day like to sell the business, but doesnt want to put it in just anybodys hands.

I would like to sell the business, but when I sell, do I have the right to ask the next person to carry on the way my father did? To go to the trash can and not on the curb? Im looking and hoping and praying that I can get someone that says they dont mind going back there to get the trash bags out of there, Smith said.

She continued, My body is hurting me, but through it all, I know that there is a reward somewhere. I know that if I help someone, then one day somebody is going to help me. If not me, my children.

I dont know what lies ahead for them or me, but I do hope and believe that one day someone will treat me the way I treat them because its all about the Golden Rule. Even when your enemy does you wrong, youre supposed to still smile and help them.

Shes faced heat, rain and cold while on her routes, but keeps going. Even with the loss of her parents, James and Lurene, and the recent loss of her sister, she said she has a job to do.

At the end of the day, what is the sense in me laying down? Through all of that, what sense is it in me laying down and crying about it? What am I going to get accomplished? I have people out there.

No matter what, they pay me to do a job, and I have to do the job to the best of my ability even with the pains. I have to do the job because Ive got some people that cant get out there and do it, Smith said.

One of those people was a lady who eventually passed away. The customer had become a friend to her despite initially telling Smith that she could not afford  and would not pay  the trash pickup fee.

Smith later allowed the customer to pay a reduced rate. She would also check on her when she thought she may have needed help or assistance, even bringing her flowers sometimes.

She was a feisty little old lady. I miss her. Everything you do comes back to you. You do good, its going to come back to you. Im up in age. I might need somebody to do that for me. But, overall, I like a lot of my customers, said Smith, who has had others who werent so nice.

She shared the story of how one customer became irate with her for not picking up his trash before he eventually found in his mailbox a memo that she had sent out to inform customers of the death in her family.

Im getting ready to go bury my mother, and he wants to know why his trash is not picked up, Smith said.

She said she has learned the value of both perseverance and patience and will carry on the family business as long as she is able.

Im going to see how long my body can hold out. Ive gotta keep it moving. These last four years have been (hard), but I kept it moving. I had to. God has blessed me. You do good, good comes to you, Smith said.

She continued, I want to leave on a good note with everybody. I also just want whoever takes after me  to do right by them. I have a lot of sweet customers, I really do. When they hurt, I hurt, too.
Zimbabweans Monday denounced the extension of sanctions imposed on the country by the United States, saying they are illegal and have caused untold suffering to the masses for the past two decades. #GLOBALink





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
(TBTCO) - Ngay 14/4/2023, Bao hiem Bao Viet chi tra 200 trieu ong boi thuong tu vong theo chuong trinh bao hiem suc khoe cho hai nan nhan do gap su co bat ngo khi du lich Vinh Ha Long (Quang Ninh) tren truc thang Bell 505 vua qua. ay la 2 trong 5 nan nhan, nhung la 2 khach hang a tham gia chuong trinh bao hiem suc khoe cua Bao hiem Bao Viet voi ten goi Bao Viet An gia tu ngay 28/10/2022 cua Bao Viet a Nang.
H.E. Mr. Arthayudh Srisamoot, Thailand's ambassador to China

by Lyu Hui

BEIJING, March. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has grown from a concept to a key platform for a new era of international cooperation with concrete outcomes delivered since its inception in 2013, said Arthayudh Srisamoot, Thailand's Ambassador to China, in a recent written interview with Xinhuanet.

Looking forward to the convening of the 3rd Belt and Road Forum on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, the ambassador highly commended BRI's principles of promoting win-win cooperation by strengthening policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people exchanges.

The BRI has attracted the participation of over three-fourths of countries in the world and 32 international organizations. It has created some 420,000 jobs in countries along the routes and helped lift nearly 40 million people out of poverty over the past decade, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing first session of the 14th National People's Congress.

The ambassador said both countries have expanded cooperation and synergies in various areas under the framework of BRI and the China-Thailand Railway is a flagship project of BRI cooperation to promote connectivity and economic prosperity in the region.

The first section of the railway, linking the Thai capital of Bangkok with the Nakhon Ratchasima province, is expected to shorten the travel time from more than four hours to over one hour.

He noted that the standard-gauge high-speed railway, once completed, will enhance two-way tourism and trade, strengthen connectivity between Southeast Asian countries and China, and bring tangible benefits and inject new momentum into regional development.

On bilateral relations and exchanges, the ambassador spoke highly of the achievements made over the past year.

Chinese President Xi Jinping paid his first visit to Thailand last year since assuming office, the ambassador said.

The year 2022 marked the 10th anniversary of Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership between the two countries and also the commencement of building a Thailand-China community with a shared future for enhanced stability, prosperity and sustainability.

What's more, China was Thailand's number one trade partner for 10 consecutive years since 2013 and also Thailand's largest source of FDI applications through the Board of Investment (BOI) of Thailand in 2022, he added.

Looking ahead, he expects increased two-way economic activities, especially in the tourism sector since China resumed outbound travel in early 2023 as part of optimized COVID-19 response.

He also expressed the hope that potential Chinese companies could explore new business opportunities in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) and expand investment in the industries of the future by utilizing Thailand's developed supply chain, favorable investment policies, and strong domestic demand.

Faced with impacts from COVID-19 and downward pressure in the global economy, China's economy maintained overall stability and its gross domestic product (GDP) grew 3 percent year on year in 2022.

Sharing his opinion about China's hard-won economic performance, the ambassador pointed out that China's strong consumption, investment, and trade are major driving forces of China's economic growth, with high-quality development and innovation as important catalysts.

China's consumption growth brings increased revenue for Thai exports, especially fruits and agriculture products, which are increasingly popular with Chinese consumers, the ambassador further mentioned.

Acknowledging that China's business environment has greatly improved in recent years and China's economic and trade policies have profound impact on the global and regional economy, the ambassador also expressed his hope that China would create a more stable, transparent and predictable investment environment for foreign investors.

Meanwhile, the ambassador looks forward to seeing further expansion of China's opening up so as to bring greater opportunities to the world.

Commenting on how to tackle global governance challenges posed by profound changes unseen in a century, the ambassador highly appreciated China's constructive role as a responsible major power in contributing to global peace, stability and sustainable development, adding that China-proposed Global Development Initiative (GDI) and Global Security Initiative (GSI) reflect China's endeavors to realize such goals.

He said that Thailand's homegrown Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy model shares the same key concepts with the GDI with focus on people-centered prosperity as well as a balanced, sustainable and inclusive growth.

Therefore, he expects that the two countries can collaborate to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) officially entered into force on Jan. 1, 2022, marking the launch of the world's largest free trade deal comprising 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, as well as China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Australia and New Zealand.

Evaluating RCEP in the past year, the ambassador hailed the great role it played in reinforcing ASEAN centrality in the emerging regional economic architecture and the interests of ASEAN's FTA partners in enhancing economic integration and strengthening economic cooperation among the participating countries.

Benefiting from RCEP, Thailand exported some 48,419 million US dollars worth of goods to China and other member countries during the first 11 months of 2022, according to the ambassador, who calls for increasing the diversity of the trade products and reaping more benefits.

Looking into the future, he believed that RCEP will continue to provide a framework for the standardization of high-quality trade practices, lower trade barriers and improve market access for goods and services in the region.

Talking about the ongoing "Two Sessions" held in Beijing, the ambassador stressed he had personally attended the event many times and was impressed by China's systematic, inclusive and people-centered approach to policy planning in a country of 1.4 billion people.

He is confident that the targets and measures endorsed at the "Two Sessions" will help China to achieve its second centenary goal of building a modern socialist country in all respects.
Select Wyoming schools will be the recipients of new exercise centers as a part of a campaign by the National Foundation for Governors Fitness Councils and Gov. Mark Gordon to address childhood obesity and mental health in the state.

Gordon and the National Foundation for Governors Fitness Councils announced the launch of Wyomings 2023 DONT QUIT! campaign in mid-February with the goal of supporting schools that prioritize youth fitness and improving childhood health.

The National Foundation for Governors Fitness Councils will choose three elementary or middle schools for new fitness centers this spring before installing them later this year. The centers will be outfitted with weight and cardio machines and body weight training equipment.

Any Wyoming public school can apply for the exercise centers, and the foundation covers the design, delivery and installation, as well as providing basic training for the schools.

The health and well-being of Wyomingites is a priority of my administration, and I welcome this opportunity to provide a healthier future for our children, Gordon said in a press release. Last falls Governors Mental Health Summit and a new [state mental health] website offering resources are part of our ongoing work towards developing solutions to improve mental health. Im excited for Wyoming to take part in this campaign, and I encourage every elementary and middle school in the state to submit a video on how you make fitness a priority.

To apply for the exercise centers, schools must make a short video sharing their intent for the facilities and their current work around youth fitness.

They must also fill out an application available on the organizations website at natgovfit.org/wyoming.

The National Foundation for Governors Fitness Councils is encouraging schools to use their videos to show how they are unique and share more about their communities, Bill Bradley, a spokesman for the foundation, said.

Each school will be gifted the fitness center, which are financed through public-private partnerships with organizations such as Nike and the Coca-Cola Company and do not use any state funding.

The foundation typically announces the recipients around May and holds a ribbon cutting in October after the facilities have been installed, Bradley said.

In announcing the campaign, Jake Steinfeld, the chairman of the National Foundation for Governors Fitness Councils, highlighted the difference that exercise can make not only for physical health and issues like childhood obesity, but also mental health.

Addressing mental health has been one of Gordons priorities while in office.

For the last 40 years Ive led the charge regarding the importance of physical activity as a way to combat childhood obesity. But the benefits dont stop there, Steinfeld, who is a fitness personality, actor and entrepreneur, said in a press release. Exercise has also been proven to provide a positive effect on a childs mental health as well. Our kids are our most precious resource and by providing them with a strong foundation in health and fitness, we will be helping them excel beyond their wildest dreams.

The National Foundation for Governors Fitness Councils selected Wyoming alongside Montana, Vermont and Iowa for this years DONT QUIT! Fitness Campaign.

Applications are open through March 26.

I have witnessed firsthand the positive impact our fitness centers have on students and communities, Steinfeld said. When you provide schools the tools and inspiration, youll be amazed by the changes that take place.
With a new $6 million trust fund designed to award grants to outdoor recreation projects, Wyoming is poised to join the growing list of states that are investing government dollars in the burgeoning industry.

House Bill 74  Wyoming outdoor recreation and tourism trust fund passed out of the Legislature and is awaiting Gov. Mark Gordons signature. It follows years of discussion and false starts at devising ways the state can better embrace, and capitalize on, outdoor recreation  from mountain bike trails to shooting ranges, off-road routes and campgrounds.

I think in the big-picture sense, its a really exciting time for Wyoming, Patrick Harrington, who manages Wyomings Office of Outdoor Recreation, said about the funds passage. And I think what was created  is really a legacy for the state of Wyoming.

Governance details of how the funds will be granted remain unresolved. But with the Legislatures green light of the trust fund, coupled with state and American Rescue Plan Act funds already earmarked for outdoor recreation grants, Wyoming is positioning itself to take a more proactive approach to shaping the industrys growth and future within its borders.

In 2016 then-Gov. Matt Mead created a task force that led to the formation of the states office of outdoor recreation, which aims to expand and promote Wyomings outdoor activities economy. Wyoming is one of 18 states with such offices, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Since then, visitation and use have grown significantly, a trend accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Destinations from Yellowstone National Park to Curt Gowdy State Park reported record visitation in recent years, while national forests have struggled to keep up with maintenance and infrastructure in the face of growing demand.

Outdoor recreation added $1.49 billion in value to Wyomings GDP in 2021, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis  up from $1.25 billion in 2020.

These factors have compelled advocates to push the state to invest in and manage the industry  urging officials to capitalize on its potential while protecting Wyomings resources from overcrowding and damage.

Agreement on how to permanently support outdoor recreation was elusive for years. The creation of a trust fund, however, changed that. The Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee drafted the first iteration of the legislation during the interim.

House Bill 74 traveled through the House and Senate with no major roadblocks, though it was heavily amended. The final one-page version simply seeds the fund with $6 million from the Wyoming tourism reserve and projects account and dictates that, subject to legislative approval, another $6 million be added every two years.

While the original 11-page draft included rule making language that gave the Wyoming Parks and Cultural Resources Commission oversight of granting and required funds be spent on grants for outdoor recreation infrastructure projects as well as on administration, the Senate stripped much of that language with the intention that those details be ironed out in the interim.

Though the bills passage is a win, Wyoming Outdoor Council Legislative Advocate Era Aranow wrote in a newsletter, the removal of safeguards like the requirement that Wyoming Game and Fish assess wildlife impact is bad news for the legislation.

Senators also inserted tourism into the funds title.

Though much of the testimony on the bill was in favor of embracing outdoor recreation, the proposal sparked discussion about how Wyoming can properly protect its wildlife and resources while shepherding outdoor recreation growth. Lawmakers and stakeholders raised concerns ranging from project planning transparency to how best to spread the wealth and impacts from tourists around the state.

We love where its going, but there are some wildlife concerns, Wyoming Wildlife Association Government Affairs Director Jessi Johnson told the House Travel committee early in the session.

Johnsons group and other conservation outfits like WOC advocated that potential outdoor recreation projects be vetted for impacts to wildlife.

On the Senate Floor, Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, later urged requirements to favorably consider expenditures that increase outdoor recreation while protecting cultural and historical concerns and mitigating crowding. He suggested strengthening the divisions current process for approving projects, citing the Sinks Canyon State Park master plan that set off a controversy in 2021 over a via ferrata.

When I think about the dialogue around the tourism budget over the last 10 or so years, I feel like this bill addresses two of the sticking points that weve run into a number of times, Chris Brown with the Wyoming Hospitality and Travel Coalition told the Joint Appropriations Committee. The fund, he said, would allocate tourism dollars to projects around the state  increasing Wyomings inventory of outdoor recreation destinations.

It would also help spread out those products, Brown said. The best way to grow the states second-largest industry is to spread people out and to move them around the state in all 23 counties, Brown said.

Sen. Fred Baldwin, R-Kemmerer, considers it an investment in the state, he said. And its an investment that will have returns. We may not see them right now. We may not see them for five years, he said in the Senate Travel Committee. But we need to invest in our state because its gonna make a difference to whats here for us, and for our kids and our grandkids.

Rep. Wendy Schuler, R-Evanston, also spoke of the funds promise for helping retain and attract young people to the state. If theyre gonna go to a small-town Wyoming  they want to be able to recreate, she said in Senate Travel.

Sen. Mike Gierau, D-Jackson, who has experienced the explosion of outdoor recreation in his corner of the state, said it has come with challenges, but also great opportunities for business and for locals and tourists alike.

Still, Wyoming will need a good process to protect its resources, Sen. Larry Hicks, R-Baggs, warned.

I know that the state to the south of us and their Division of Wildlife down there has basically said, Wyoming, get ready. Outdoor recreation has come. You better be prepared for the impacts associated, Hicks said.

Those concerns can be addressed while the specifics get ironed out, Harrington said.

The intention being, lets create the fund, lets get it funded. And then during the interim, lets build a robust system of sideboards, he said. The intention is still that it will be responsive to those concerns and our office is  supportive of that effort.

In 2022, the The State Parks and Cultural Resources Division had $12 million in ARPA funds plus an additional $2 million from the Wyoming Office of Tourism earmarked for outdoor recreation. It used that money to launch a grant program for trail reroutes, new campsites, boat ramps and more.

The office received 117 applications totaling more than $71 million in requests  exceeding available funds by more than $50 million.

The division will receive another $12 million tranche of ARPA funds this year, Harrington said, so even without the trust fund itll be able to administer another round of grants. A supplemental budget request of $400,000 to operate the Office of Outdoor Recreation was also approved during the session, he said.

Though the conversation has been percolating for years, Harrington thinks the benefits of recent outdoor recreation projects such as the Backcountry Discovery Route and the growth of groups like Southwest Wyoming Off-road Trails have helped gain support to tip the scales.

Its just years worth of work and good projects happening on the ground, he said.

If passed into law, the fund goes into effect in July.
Environmental groups filed a petition on Monday asking federal officials to add North Americas smallest rabbit to the endangered species list.

Pygmy rabbits, which typically weigh less than a pound at full size, are native to a stretch of the sagebrush touching over a half-dozen Western states, including much of southern Wyoming. But their numbers have plummeted in recent years.

New federal protections for the species could have huge ramifications for the oil and gas industry: A Center for Biological Diversity analysis of federal data identified active oil and gas operations on over 40% of the pygmy rabbits current Wyoming range and leases spanning another 21%.

In Wyoming, the petition reported, state wildlife surveys identified a 69% drop between 2013 and 2019  but noted that weather conditions may have affected the accuracy of the data. (The Wyoming Game and Fish Department could not be reached for comment by press time.)

The groups behind the petition pointed to the compounding effects of habitat loss, livestock grazing, climate change, invasive grasses and energy development to explain the precipitous drop in pygmy rabbit populations throughout the sagebrush ecosystem.

They appear to be declining and less able to recover because of the continued degradation and fragmentation of the sagebrush steppe, Miranda Crowell, a pygmy rabbit researcher with the University of Nevada, Reno, who signed on to the petition, said in a statement.

According to the petition  led by Western Watersheds Project, the Center for Biological Diversity, WildEarth Guardians and Defenders of Wildlife  the rabbit could be threatened by extinction throughout its range if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service doesnt step in.

As goes the habitat, as goes the rabbit, said Randi Spivak, public lands director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

When an animal or a plant goes extinct, its actually a symptom of a much larger problem, Spivak added. It signals the unraveling of an ecosystem.

The pygmy rabbit isnt the first sagebrush species to flirt with joining the Endangered Species List. Wyoming pulled out all the stops almost a decade ago to keep the greater sage grouse  which has also struggled to adapt to its shrinking, shifting habitat  off the list.

Western Watersheds Project and a handful of other environmental groups last petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service to grant the pygmy rabbit Endangered Species Act protections in 2003. The agency announced in 2005  following a lawsuit  that the petition didnt provide substantial enough evidence for officials to move forward with a full status review.

Then the petitioners sued again, a court reversed the decision in 2007 and the Fish and Wildlife Service announced in 2008 that it would reconsider the species status after all.

In 2010, the agency acknowledged some evidence of decline, but deemed listing the species not warranted at this time.

The environmental groups behind Mondays petition believe that things have grown much worse for the pygmy rabbit since then  and that the data available this time around makes a much stronger case.

Federal officials determined at the time that the rabbit was still persisting in places in its range, and it wasnt at an immediate threat of extinction, Spivak said. Those same things are happening, she added, but, like, on steroids now  at such an accelerated rate.

If the Fish and Wildlife Service finds the groups petition credible enough during a 90-day assessment, itll initiate a year-long status review and return with a decision about whether listing is, or is not, warranted now.
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.
The regional symposium on crime to be held tomorrow and Tuesday is an important step toward addressing the problem facing Caricom countries.

So said Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne yesterday.

Trinidad and Tobago will host the two-day symposium at the Hyatt Regency (Trinidad) hotel in Port of Spain.
ACCRA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday expressed worry over the shortage of some childhood vaccines in the country.

Akufo-Addo made the remarks while delivering the 2023 State of the Nation Address (SONA) in parliament, adding that if prolonged, the shortage would affect Ghana's childhood immunization program, recognized as one of the success stories globally.

He said the situation in Ghana mimicked the global situation, with the World Health Organization also expressing worry over the shortage of measles vaccines globally.

"As part of our desire not to become part of the global trend, the government has taken steps to ensure that stocks of these vaccines are procured and supplied, as a matter of urgency," said the Ghanaian president.

He added that the Ghana Health Service has developed an elaborate program "to catch up on children who have missed their vaccinations immediately stocks arrive."

"I want to encourage all parents and caregivers to ensure that eligible children are vaccinated once this program begins. No child should be denied access to vaccination. Mercifully, not a single child has died from a measles outbreak," added Akufo-Addo.

He was hopeful that the proposed national vaccine institute will ensure the availability of vaccines locally in the near future. "No matter what happens to the global vaccine supply chain, we can produce our own vaccines locally."

The western African country has been experiencing a shortage of childhood vaccines since late 2022, such as tuberculosis and oral polio vaccines. 
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?
Artist and sex educator DiAn Dviation believes in the power of a sexy selfie.

As part of Tucson Eroticas month-long art exhibition that kicked off March 4 at 2210 S. Sixth Ave., Dviation will teach a workshop on taking erotic selfies. The exhibit runs through April 1.

As a trans person, erotic selfies are Dviations way of appreciating their body.

Im sharing with people how to get the sexy shot of yourself because for me, thats how I started to really appreciate my body transforming, said the artist. Its interesting. We dont see ourselves naked very often.

The art exhibit is part of Tucson Eroticas mission of highlighting erotica artists and performers. Tucson Erotica hosts classes year-round as a way to make a space for adults over 18 to celebrate their sexuality.

The group also wants to help these artists connect to buyers and people who could help the artists sustain their careers, said Myken Dahlen, Tucson Eroticas executive director. But given the nature of the groups works, which deal in sexuality and nudity, finding platforms to advertise and places to print their art has historically posed some difficulties.

I get a lot of artists asking me where to print their work because these large print shops just immediately say, No, were not going to print that. ... We dont do porn.'" Dahlen said. Thats just another example of why this work is so important because a lot of these amazing artists are just being dismissed as pornographers. Its insane to me.

A few years ago, Dahlen advertised Tucson Erotica Art Show on a Facebook community page for artists. The post generated derogatory comments.

I get it, not everyone is ready, or wanting to participate and its just more beautiful when its kind of like I can trust that the people that need this sort of space will find it, she said. I still want to just be gentle and firm in the fact that I believe that this is a beautiful thing.

Art and the human body have had a close relationship throughout history, but defining erotic art can seem like a monumental task. Ren Buchness, an artist and art educator, said it all boils down to intention and agency.

As a queer artist, Buchness wanted to represent a different erotic side of fatness in art. Buchness blends the lines of erotic art, typically segmenting figures and incorporating shibari, the Japanese art of rope binding, or adding humorous elements. Their work for the Tucson Erotica Art Show is a sculpture series that features headless fat figures melting, as if made of ice cream.

I dont want to give the viewer that outlet to be like, Oh, they have such a pretty face, because I hear that all the time as a fat person throughout my life, Oh, you, youre so pretty, youre such a pretty face, but you would be so much prettier if you lost weight,'" Buchness said.

Buchness likes to add both beauty and humorous elements to their work as a way to make viewers reflect on their pieces, especially in relation to their erotic pieces.

At first glance, its erotic, but then also goes beyond that, they said. One thing that I have found with a lot of fat art is that a lot of it is very sexualized. I follow a lot of fat artists and a lot of the work tends to be very sexual, which I understand is this idea that fat bodies are beautiful, fat bodies are sexual and thats great. Im not downplaying that or anything, but sometimes I feel like its like fat people get boiled down to just being sexual, not seeing beyond carnal desire.

For Dviation, humor was an essential part of depicting sex. Dviations illustrations center on telling stories, and in their erotic art, humor adds an extra dimension. Originally Dviation wrote stories, but after entering college as a person who grew up speaking Gullah Geechee, an English-based creole language and African-American Vernacular English, they began to feel self-conscious of their writing.

That actually made me really kind of shy about my writing, because I miss a lot of prepositions, and I dropped subjects and just very things that are common in AAVE that now I respect and accept, but most of my life Ive been told that that is bad, you cant write that way, Dviation said.

In their visual erotic storytelling, Dviation takes control of their own narrative, subverting depictions of queerness that they had been disheartened to see in the past.

Tucson Erotica Art Show runs from 1 to 6 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Admission is free. For more information, visit
COVID-19 forced the Jupiter String Quartet to perform the world premiere of Stephen Andrew Taylors Chaconne/Labyrinth virtually in 2021.

On Sunday, March 19, they will finally get to perform it in person on the closing day of the Arizona Friends of Chamber Musics 2023 Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival.

This will be the first time we get to play it live for an audience, Jupiter String Quartet violist Liz Freivogel said last month.

Taylors work, commissioned by Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, is one of two premieres in the festival, which runs March 12-19 at Leo Rich Theater, 260 S. Church Ave.

The piece, which Taylor composed during the pandemic, envisions the coronavirus as this monster in a labyrinth. Freivogel said the piece borrows a bit from the Minotaur story in Greek mythology.

The festival kicks off at 3 p.m. Sunday with works by Mozart, Schubert, Brahms and the young composer Julia Adolphe. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; 6 p.m. Saturday; and 3 p.m. March 19. The festival will hold a youth concert on Thursday for children from schools that have been invited to participate.

Artists for the 2023 festival include first-timers Windscape  flutist Tara Helen OConnor, oboist Randall Ellis, Alan R. Kay on clarinet, basoonist Frank Morelli and David Jolley on horn  and pianist David Fung. Returning to the festival is Jupiter String Quartet violinists Nelson Lee and Meg Freivogel, violist Liz Freivogel and cellist Daniel McDonough; and the Sitkovetsky Trio  pianist Wu Qian, violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky and cellist Isang Enders.
PHOENIX  The Arizona Senate voted Tuesday to ask voters to wipe out the ability of cities to have home rule through their own charters.

They did so only after the measures sponsor, Tucson Republican Sen. Justine Wadsack, promised to have it narrowed  though it isnt yet  to affect only Tucson and Phoenix, and pretty soon Mesa as its population grows.

As approved, Senate Concurrent Resolution 1023 would repeal a provision of the Arizona Constitution, dating to territorial days, that permits city voters to establish home rule. Home rule enables cities to make their own rules on matters of local concerns such as how the local government is set up and how and when to run elections. There are 19 charter cities in the state.

Republicans Ken Bennett and T.J. Shope said Tuesday they supported the resolution because Wadsack vowed to have it altered when it now goes to the House so it would affect only communities larger than 500,000. Both said they would not have voted for it if it undermined the charters that now exist in Prescott and Casa Grande in their home legislative districts.

That logic angered Senate Minority Leader Mitzi Epstein, a Democrat from Tempe, another charter city.

What Im hearing so far is, Well, as long as it doesnt happen to my city then Ill let this bad idea happen to somebody elses city,  said Epstein.

Thats flabbergasting, she said. It seems disrespectful to our democratic republic. It seems disrespectful to the idea that everybody deserves a voice.

Senator cast deciding vote despite doubts

Shope acknowledged his yes vote for SCR1023 was based on Wadsacks vow the bill will be amended so it wouldnt affect any communities of fewer than 500,000 people  meaning none in his legislative district. He said hes OK with making that distinction based on population.

Ive done it before, Shope said, calling smaller and larger cities different animals.

To compare Tucson or Phoenix to a Casa Grande or a Florence or what-have-you that I represent, theyre not even in the same stratosphere, he said. There does have to be some wiggle room in state law to recognize that theyre not the same.

Bennett said hes not really comfortable with the idea of removing the right to have a charter from all cities. That is why he voted against the measure last week when it first came up, he said.

But all that changed Tuesday with Wadsacks commitment to add limiting language. Ive been promised by the sponsor that that will be added in the House, Bennett said in casting the deciding 16th vote in the 30-member Senate.

Even with that, Bennett said hes still ill at ease with the whole concept.

Im still struggling with doing to three of the 19 charter cities what Im protecting the other 16 from, he said.

Only voters can amend state constitution

Tuesdays vote is not the last word  and not only because SCR1023 needs House approval and, presumably, the amendment Wadsack has promised.

It seeks to amend the state constitution, and that can be done only if statewide voters in 2024 ratify the change.

The measure is one of two being pushed by Wadsack, a first-term lawmaker, who has repeatedly said she is unhappy with one particular power that her home community of Tucson has exercised by virtue of its charter status: how it conducts elections.

State law requires that city councils be chosen either through at-large elections, where everyone in the community gets to vote for all candidates, or through a district system with council members chosen by voters living in that part of the city.

Tucson has a hybrid, with candidates nominated in each of the six districts but having to stand for election on a citywide basis. That guarantees at least one council member from each district.

But it also has meant more often than not that Republicans nominated from their own home districts cannot survive a citywide election, as Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by a two-to-one margin.

Eliminating Tucsons charter status would eliminate its ability to keep the current election system.

Earlier this week Wadsack convinced Senate Republicans to support a more narrow effort. Her SCR1027, which also would go on the ballot, would outlaw Tucsons modified ward system without eliminating the right of any city to keep its charter.

That measure also now needs House approval.
A border official revived an unresponsive infant on Saturday after the childs mother asked for help at a port of entry in Nogales, Arizona.

A woman got out of her vehicle and ran toward the lanes of cars going through the Mariposa port, carrying a 2-month-old child, on March 4 at about 5:20 p.m., according to a news release Wednesday.

The child was not breathing, and a Customs and Border Protection officer saw the child looked pale and his lips were purple.

The officer immediately performed CPR, and after chest compressions, the child began to move. The officer placed the child on his chest and the baby vomited up the objects that were blocking his airway, the news release said.

The officer returned the child, who is a U.S. citizen, to his mother, the release said. Emergency Medical Services was notified and the Nogales Fire Department took the mother and child to Holy Cross Hospital in Nogales, Arizona.

CBP officers are dedicated to the safety and security of all whom they encounter and regularly provide medical aid to travelers at our national ports of entry, said Nogales Port Director Michael Humphries. I could not be prouder of the officers who reacted quickly and efficiently to save the childs life.
It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Richard Thomas Gaspari, who went home in the early morning of March 2nd, 2023, peacefully in his sleep. Richard is survived by his wife Janet and his four children Maria (Tim) Lorenzen, Marilyn (Rick) Holdcroft, Matthew (Tracy) Gaspari and Monica Gaspari. He is also survived by his Grandchildren Jillian and Richie Holdcroft, Katie, Emily Gaspari, and Brittany (Gaspari) Risedorf, all of whom he cherished and adored. Richard was born in Winterset, Iowa where he met and married Janet Fenimore and they began a life of love lasting more than 65 years. Janet was the light of his life and he was hers, never leaving each other's side, just like they promised. A Korean War Veteran, he served 4 years in the Navy and remained proud of that service throughout his life. Richard held a Master of Social Work from the University of Iowa and spent his career helping children and families through challenging times with his words and guidance. Richard also was an incredible vocalist and sang at church as well as weddings, other special occasions and whenever he was asked. He loved nothing more than sitting next to Janet while she played the piano, singing along with a smile on his face. Above all, he was our hero, our best friend, our guiding light keeping us safe, and we know he always will. He will be missed beyond words but we are comforted knowing that he is home now, sitting with his mom and dad and singing for all of heaven to hear. A Celebration of Life Mass will be held, Saturday, March 11th at 10:00 am at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 601 E. Ft. Lowell Blvd. Burial is at 11:30 at Holy Hope Cemetery. Arrangements by Angel Valley Funeral Home, 2545 N Tucson Blvd., 85716. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution to a Sacred Heart Catholic Church or a charity of your choice.
For at least 48 years, people have been challenging the way the Tucson conducts its elections.

Ballot initiatives, legislation, court challenges  theyve all failed. But while our unique system has persisted, barely, so have the challenges. The City Council ought to consider moving toward a change now before someone else finally succeeds at making us do it.

GOP state Sen. Justine Wadsack is trying two different ways to force Tucson to change its hybrid election system, which many Republicans think disenfranchises them as a political minority in the city. (Theyre not wrong.)

One effort is a sort of nuclear attack on big cities: It would eliminate Arizona charter city status for cities over 500,000 population  Phoenix and Tucson now, and Mesa soon, if state voters approve. The other would give all the states voters a chance to require that Tucson change its voting system by only allowing certain ways of electing city councils.

Both measures are overreaches.

But even now, some Tucsonans are attempting a different sort of challenge: A new initiative campaign. Longtime local politician Luis Gonzales and three co-chairs have taken out petitions to change Tucsons election system from hybrid to ward-only.

As it stands, Tucson council members are elected like this: In the primary, voters within each ward choose a candidate from each party to run in the general election. Then in the general election, voters from all over the city can vote for the council member in all the wards.

In recent years, the complaints have centered on the idea that this system prevents Republicans in the more conservative East Side wards 2 and 4 from electing a council member or two of their own, because theyre outnumbered on a city-wide basis. That may be true, depending on the candidates.

The initiative Gonzales is supporting would only allow voters in each ward to cast ballots for the council members in their own ward. It would be, to use the phrase tossed around for decades, ward-only.

This is one of the options that has been bandied about for years. Tucson voters rejected some form of ward-only elections in 1975, 1991 and 1993. Since then, people have taken out petitions repeatedly to try to change to ward-only elections, but have failed to get enough signatures to make the ballot.

Court challenges were the preferred method used in the 2010s.

In Nov. 2015, a three-judge panel at the 9th circuit ruled the system unconstitutionally favors Democrats, but the city appealed that ruling to a broader panel. In September 2016, an 11-member panel overturned that ruling, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up the case, leaving Tucsons system intact.

So, the system is constitutional, but theres a reason it rankles. It means that whatever the political majority may be in Tucson, at any given time, the majority voters can overrule the voters in a given ward who may want something different.

Yes, we elected Republican council members under this system in recent decades, but after the Trump presidency, were in a different, more polarized time. I dont see it happening again soon.

Gonzales explained his reasoning this way: The voters have a right to choose their own representatives.

To me, it really is as simple as that. But Tucson voters have not tended to agree. Theyve rejected efforts to change the citys voting system to ward-only and repeated efforts have failed to make the ballot.

We have voted on this again and again  with the same result, Mayor Regina Romero said in a written statement. I will always stand up for the rights of Tucsonans to choose their own election system AND the rights of all Arizonans to keep their City Charters, the very foundation of local control.

As to Wadsacks efforts, she said: I will raise money and campaign against these absurd measures. This is government overreach.

I agree they are overreach  bad ways to get a good result.

In fact, it was pretty embarrassing how Wadsack won a party-line Senate majority on Tuesday. Two Republicans, Sen. Ken Bennett and Sen. T.J. Shope, who voted against the initial effort to end home rule for the states 19 charter cities, changed their votes on the promise that their local cities will be exempted by a minimum population rule.

In other words, when the bill is amended to include only cities over 500,000 population, the resolution will no longer apply to Casa Grande and Prescott. The two apparently dont care much about the principle of protecting home rule, as long as its protected in their own provinces.

By giving the voters from Many Farms to Tacna a voice in how Tucson runs its elections, Wadsacks bills should fail. But Tucson shouldnt count on successfully defending its system forever. Some day it may lose.

Back in 2015 and 2016, two charter review committees met and discussed changes, a few of which voters passed. Among the recommendations made in the final commission report in April 2016, was that the city consider alterations to how council members are elected.

I think one of them could satisfy everybody. After long consultation with experts one of the ideas that the charter-review committee thought feasible was to change the hybrid system to ward-only elections for the six council members, but then add two at-large members who represent no specific ward.

This idea would help negate the concern that nobody on the council would look out for the city as a whole if they are only elected by their wards residents. And it would like satisfy those who worry that wards 2 and 4 will never have a chance to elect a Republican.

But the City Council would have to hurry up and vote soon to put it on a ballot in order to dissuade all the outside efforts underway. Better to choose our own changes than have them imposed by outsiders.
16,000 wintering swans in north China wetland returning to Siberia

Xinhua) 08:40, March 08, 2023

Swans are seen at a wetland in Pinglu, north China's Shanxi Province, Dec. 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhan Yan)

TAIYUAN, March 7 (Xinhua) -- About 16,000 white swans that migrated to a wetland in north China's Shanxi Province for winter, are now returning to Siberia due to a rise in local temperatures.

Swans are listed as a national second-level protected animal in China and are considered globally vulnerable species.

"Every year between late February and early March, the swans will choose to migrate north when the maximum temperature rises to above 10 degrees Celsius," said Wang Chao, head of the wildlife conservation station of Pinglu County, Shanxi.

In 2012, Pinglu was named "China's Swan County" by the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

The swans were seen practicing taking off, landing and flying after spending more than four months at Pinglu Yellow River Wetland.

"Because of the long journey, the swans' flight will consume a lot of energy. So before returning north, they have to do a lot of flying practice to ensure their successful flight back to Siberia," said He Jianxi, a patroller at Pinglu Yellow River Wetland.

In recent years, with the continuous improvement of the wetland's ecological environment, the number of white swans wintering there annually has topped 10,000.

The wetland, covering over 6,000 hectares, has a pleasant climate and abundant food, and is one of China's three major winter habitats for white swans.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
ISLAMABAD, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed in an explosion inside a matchstick manufacturing factory in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Wednesday, rescue workers said.

The incident happened in the provincial capital of Peshawar where the factory's roof partially collapsed following the explosion, trapping the two laborers under the rubbles, Asif Khan, director of operations at the Edhi rescue service in the city, told Xinhua.

He said that the rescuers recovered the duo and shifted them to a nearby hospital where they succumbed to injuries.

The area has been cordoned off by police to determine the cause of the explosion. 
Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently signed a bill allowing Chicago school principals to unionize and possibly go on strike. But Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, also a Democrat and in an equally liberal state, said just the other day she opposes legislation that would explicitly permit teachers to strike.

Across the country, teachers and other employees in public schools continue to struggle with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, even as pressure from parents and politicians ramps up on divisive matters such as LGBTQ-themed library books and classroom discussions of racism and gender identity.

Add perennially poor pay to the mix, and the result is deep dissatisfaction among educators  and threats of work stoppages that are splitting even union-supporting Democrats.

In about a dozen states, teacher strikes are specifically legal. In the remaining states, strikes are illegal, whether by statute singling them out or in a general law aimed at public sector unions. In some of those places, illegal strikes happen with a wink and a nod to the law and a tacit agreement to use union funds to pay whatever fines are levied as punishment.

Whether such strikes are legal is contested in South Carolina and Wyoming, according to a breakdown from the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations.

States and cities are charged with providing essential services to the public, a free K-12 education among them. But governments recognize that if most teachers refuse to work, its impossible to keep schools running, said Jon Shelton, a democracy and justice studies professor at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, and an education unions and strikes expert.

Teacher unions can be punished for going on strike illegally, but you really cant stop them because its hard to find and replace (them), Shelton said.

The pandemic has put unprecedented pressure on teachers and other educators. During the pandemics first year or two, many educators had to teach online as well as in person, sometimes at the same time. Teachers were deputized to enforce social distancing, masking and cleanliness rules. Meanwhile, many worried about their own safety.

As a result, according to Shelton, embattled teachers have begun to feel they deserve more attention, deference and compensation. And surveys show that teachers have the respect of both students and parents, emboldening educators to ask for more.

Thats led to teachers feeling like they need more control over the workplace, he said.

Even after a series of teacher strikes across the country in 2018, a USA Today/Ipsos poll showed two-thirds of Americans supported allowing teachers to strike for higher pay, more funding for schools and better benefits. And during the height of the pandemic, other polls revealed support for walkouts because of safety concerns.

Teachers unions like to draw a connection between educator welfare and student performance, Shelton pointed out. Its bargaining for the common good.

In Illinois, that led to a drive to bring administrators  principals and assistant principals  into the collective bargaining.

A strike that ended in February in Woburn, Massachusetts, is typical of technically illegal walkouts. Teachers and other educators went on strike when they could not agree on a new contract to raise salaries. After five days of no classes, the city administration advanced a better offer, and the union approved it.

The contract increased teacher salaries by 13.5% over four years. Paraprofessionals (formerly known as teachers aides), whose salaries start at $22,621, will get a 40% raise. Because teacher strikes are technically illegal in Massachusetts, the union was slapped with $85,000 in state fines and $225,000 in city fines. Similar work stoppages occurred last year in the Massachusetts cities of Haverhill, Malden and Brookline.

A bill in the Massachusetts legislature would explicitly permit teachers and other educators to strike. State Sen. Rebecca Rausch, a Democrat, is among a group of lawmakers who introduced the legislation, which would allow public teachers and other educators to strike after six months of unsuccessful negotiations.

A similar bill garnered little attention last year, Rausch said in a phone interview, but in the wake of the Woburn strike and several others in the state, the landscape is notably different.

Were seeing a lot of change in the landscape and a lot of parent and family support in particular, she said.

But that support does not extend to Democratic Gov. Healey.

Healeys spokesperson, Karissa Hand, wrote by email that Healey  the daughter of union educators  is focused on keeping kids in school, making sure they receive a high-quality education and supporting our hardworking educators. She does not believe right to strike legislation is the solution to move forward on those goals.

Rausch said the governors stance illustrates that Democrats are not a monolith. This is a conversation starter. Its the start of a term  her first term as governor. Its a healthy debate.

Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page is optimistic that Healey can be persuaded to support educators right to strike.

She understands concerns educators have, Page said. If she meets with some of our members, I think she may see that this bill would make strikes less likely. He also noted the backing of parents in Woburn and other places as a powerful tool for teachers.

In Illinois, Pritzker appeared to need no persuading. He signed the law allowing school administrators to collectively bargain, and possibly strike under certain circumstances, without comment.
The threat of flooding later this week continues to increase across much of California. The Weather Prediction Center now has a Level 3 of 4, moderate risk, for excessive rainfall late Thursday and Friday.

Not only is this event quite strong, but is also much warmer than recent storms, which will cause significant rain on top of a heavy snowpack for many.

The late-week event, known as an atmospheric river, is forecast to be a Category 4 out of 5, according to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography.

"Unlike several of the previous events into the West Coast, this atmospheric river will have a tropical connection that will advect prodigious amounts of both Pacific moisture and also sub-tropical warmth into California," the prediction center said. "Thus, snow levels are expected to rise well above the levels seen in previous events."

"A much stronger, wetter, and warmer storm system will impact all of Central California Thursday night into Saturday night," the National Weather Service in Hanford said. "Excessive rainfall below 8,000 feet and rapid snow melt from 2,000 feet to 5,000 feet may result in flooding."

The incredible snowpack over California complicates the forecast flood threat from the heavy rain.

"The uncertainty lies in how much rainfall will be absorbed by the snowpack before there is significant release of that water into the rivers," the prediction center said. "It's likely some of the (precipitation) will simply be absorbed into the many feet of snow at the highest elevations, but lower elevations, generally below 5,000 ft, appear most likely to not have the snowpack necessary to absorb the multiple inches of rainfall expected."

"It's also worth mentioning that while not flooding related, the heavy rain falling into the deep snowpack will result in rapid increases in the weight of the snow on the roofs of buildings, increasing the threat of roof collapses," the prediction center warns. "Affected communities are urged to remove the existing snow from their roofs to mitigate this."

Flash flood watches have been issued for much of northern and central California, including San Francisco and Sacramento and cover more than 16 million people. The National Weather Service is forecasting widespread rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches, with isolated amounts of up to 8 inches.

Officials advise Big Sur residents to stock up with at least 2 weeks of essential supplies

The Monterey County Office of Emergency Services is urging its residents and businesses who are located in Big Sur "to begin stocking up with at least 2 weeks of essential supplies" in anticipation of an atmospheric river weather event that will impact the region this week.

"The National Weather Service (NWS) is predicting that a strong weather system, stronger than recent systems, may arrive late Thursday of this week lasting several days. Current hydrographic estimates have all rivers rising, with the Big Sur River reaching 'action stage' and other Monterey County rivers getting close to 'action stage' by the weekend," the news release from the county said.

The Big Sur area is roughly 150 miles south of San Francisco.

The county went on to say "this is a preliminary notice in an effort to provide Monterey County residents and Big Sur residents, in particular, ample time to prepare."

CNN has reached out to county officials for additional details on preparations.

A flood watch has been issued for the county, according to the National Weather Service's San Francisco office.

Marin County will increase staff and pre-position water rescue resources

Marin County officials are preparing for this week's anticipated atmospheric river.

"At this point, we are monitoring expected rainfall both timing and amounts. Our reservoirs are all full from storms earlier this year. With reservoirs full we expect our creeks will rise more rapidly with most of the rain becoming runoff," Marin County Fire Chief Jason Weber told CNN.

The chief added, "We will up-staff and pre-position water rescue resources and add additional staffing as we get closer based on forecasts."

Weber said one of the state's 10 regional Urban Search & Rescue Task Forces is located in the county and will be available to deploy to other counties if they are experiencing significant impacts from the storm system.

The US&R Task Force is comprised of 29 people specially trained and equipped for large or complex urban search and rescue operations, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services website says.

A flood watch has been issued for the county beginning Thursday afternoon into Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Marin County is about 20 miles north of San Francisco.

The-CNN-Wire
NEW YORK  A defamation lawsuit revealed scornful behind-the-scenes opinions by Fox News figures about Donald Trump, including a Tucker Carlson text message declaring, I hate him passionately.

Carlsons private text comments were revealed in court papers at virtually the same time the former president hailed the Fox News host on social media. Trump said he was doing a great job in presenting excerpts of U.S. Capitol security video of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection  though Carlson used the video to produce a false narrative of the attack.

The documents came to light at a time of increased tension between Trump and Fox, the dominant media force appealing to conservatives, as he campaigns to regain the presidency.

Voting machine manufacturer Dominion Voting Systems is suing Fox News for $1.6 billion, claiming the network broadcast false claims that the company was responsible for fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

The case is scheduled to go to trial this spring and a trove of documents related to Foxs actions after the election are being publicly released in advance.

A common theme emerging from the internal documents and depositions is that Fox executives and hosts doubted the election claims being peddled by Trump and his allies, but aired and emphasized them anyway. Fox was growing concerned about a decline in viewership as Trump supporters turned away from the network after it correctly called Joe Biden the presidential winner in Arizona on election night.

The exchanges include Carlsons text conversation on Jan. 4, 2021, with an unknown person, in which the prime-time host expressed anger toward Trump.

Carlson said that we are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights and that I truly cant wait.

Carlson said he had no doubt there was fraud in the 2020 election, but that Trump and his lawyers had so discredited their case  and media figures like himself  that its infuriating. Absolutely enrages me.

Federal and state officials, courts, exhaustive reviews in battleground states and Trumps attorney general found no widespread fraud that could have changed the outcome of the 2020 election, though Trump continues to falsely state that the presidency was stolen.

Addressing Trumps four years as president, Carlson said, Were all pretending weve got a lot to show for it, because admitting what a disaster its been is too tough to digest. But come on. There really isnt an upside to Trump.

In another text exchange more than a month earlier, Carlson denigrated Trumps business abilities: Trumps talent, he said, is to destroy things. He could easily destroy us if we play it wrong.

Publicly, Fox viewers heard very different views, such as a 2017 exchange with colleague Greg Gutfeld in which Carlson agreed that Trump was the greatest president that ever will be. On his show in 2019, Carlson said Trump fought as hard as he could to make sure everyone in America was treated equally under the law.

You can say what you really believe in public, Carlson said then. Youre an American citizen. That is your right. Trump could lose in 2020, he added, but hell be a genuinely great president.

Carlson has continued rolling out security video from the Capitol attack, footage handed to him by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. For that, Trump said on his social media platform, congratulations to Tucker Carlson on one of the biggest scoops as a reporter in U.S. history.

The selective release of the footage to sway the historical account drew criticism, including from Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday called on Fox to stop spreading election lies, which he said was eroding trust in American democracy.

Foxs founder, Rupert Murdoch, has a complex relationship with Trump: I was not close to him, Murdoch said in a deposition in the libel lawsuit.

Indeed, though Murdoch acknowledged talking to Trump occasionally, he said he also sought inside information from Sean Hannity, one of his networks prime-time hosts, because Hannity was the closest person at Fox to Trump.

Following Trumps loss in November 2020, Murdoch despaired of the presidents behavior.

The real danger is what he might do as president, Murdoch wrote in an email to a friend that month. Apparently not sleeping and bouncing off walls! Dont know about Melania, but kids no help.

But Murdoch told his networks officials that he also didnt want to antagonize Trump: He had a very large following, and they were probably mostly viewers of Fox, so it would have been stupid, Murdoch said in a deposition in the Dominion case.

In separate questioning in the case, Murdoch acknowledged that he believed the 2020 presidential election was not stolen.

On social media recently, Trump was critical of Fox when other court papers released in the Dominion case made clear that a number of the networks executives and personalities privately believed the election fraud claims were bunk.
PHOENIX  Lawmakers wont try to split Maricopa County into four parts after all.

On an 18-12 vote Tuesday, the Senate quashed a bid by Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, to create new Hohokam, Mogollon and Oodham counties while leaving a much smaller Maricopa County of about 1.7 million versus the current 4 million.

The vote is a setback for legislators like Hoffman who contend Maricopa County, which makes up 65% of the states population, is simply too large.

Most senators decided the last thing Arizona needs is three more governments, each complete with its own set of elected officials and employees.

I will not vote for something thats going to increase government fourfold, said Sen. Steve Kaiser, R-Phoenix.

County government is controlled by five supervisors and one each of other elected officials including sheriff, assessor, treasurer, recorder and clerk of superior court.

We are larger than 26 states presently, Hoffman said of Maricopa County. We must be able to have counties that accurately reflect the areas that they represent, that can advocate for solutions when it comes to water policy, that are closer and more representative of the people they represent, and can better represent the unique strategic needs, challenges and priorities of their regions, he said.

Kaiser said breaking up the county into four separate parts isnt the only way to do that.

One, he said, would be to add to the number of supervisors on the county board. By definition, Kaiser said, that would create smaller districts, both geographically and from a population perspective.

Smaller districts would decrease the number of signatures needed on petitions if residents want to recall a supervisor for not being responsive, he added.

It doesnt create any new government, Kaiser said.

The other, he said, would be to have the surrounding counties  Pinal, Pima, Yuma, La Paz, Yavapai and Gila  eat into Maricopa County to shrink it.

Kaiser said both ideas were proposed as amendments to Hoffmans measure, SB1137. And both of those ideas were rejected, he said.

Hoffman, however, remained unconvinced either was a better alternative to a four-way split of Maricopa County. He told colleagues theres a political reason that existing county officials contend there is no problem. He said they wont admit the county is too large for them to effectively do their jobs in many cases.

When youve got a couple of elected officials who are just looking to save their hide and save their little kingdom, theyll never say that, he said.

But when they get put on the spot in a press conference, they say it repeatedly, Hoffman said, though he offered no examples. They laugh when theyre asked about their ability to contact all the people of Maricopa County in a quick and timely manner.

The idea of splitting counties is not new.

When Arizona was a territory, it formed its first counties in 1864 with four: Mohave, Pima, Yavapai and Yuma. That had increased to 14 when the state was created in 1912, and in 1983, La Paz became No. 15 after it split off from Yuma County.
Hows it growing folks? Today, the Here Weed Go! podcast is honing in on a few different subjects that are beginning to enter into the national conversation: hemp-derived products and legal mushrooms.

For some quick context, hemp-derived products, or HDPs, are products like gummies, vape products, drinks and smokables that are in many ways similar to the marijuana-derived products you can find at state-licensed dispensaries.

Except HDPs can be sold at grocery stores, smoke shops and gas stations in many states. Thats due to hemps federally legal status as result of the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill by Congress.

When it comes to mushrooms, its important to remember that psychedelic compounds like psilocybin are still classified as federally illegal.

However, there are a wide range of mushrooms that arent psychedelic and are just now coming to public prominence due to movies like Fantastic Fungi and Dosed that seem to show the medical benefits of mushrooms.

To talk about both subjects, my conversation today is with Brett Weiss, an entrepreneur from a young age who is now the CEO of Smilyn Wellness, a San Diego-based hemp company that also sells legal mushrooms under the brand Happy Mush.

Weiss, a University of Arizona graduate like myself, talks about how he entered into the world of hemp originally, why he believes legal mushrooms and psychedelics are less than a decade behind cannabis in going main-stream, and about Smilyn's almost endless products lines: all made possible through hemp and mushrooms.

MORE INFO

For more info on Smilyn Wellness: https://smilynwellness.com/

For more Here Weed Go! podcast episodes, newsletter sign-up and tickets for Chronic Con '23 on May 20: https://linktr.ee/hereweedgo
DHAKA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Fire service workers on Wednesday continued rescue operations for the second day as the death toll of a powerful blast at a commercial building in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka rises to 17.

According to fire service officials, the second day's rescue work started at 9 a.m. on Wednesday. An army team also joined the rescue efforts.

Brigadier General Md Main Uddin, director general of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, said they halted their rescue operations inside two affected buildings around 8:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday after they were marked as risky due to the damaged columns in their basements.

At least 17 people have been killed and hundreds of others injured in the massive explosion that took place at around 5:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday at the Cafe Queen building in Gulistan's Siddique Bazar of old Dhaka. At least 4 people are still reportedly missing.

"We've come to know that at least 500 people were injured in the incident," Dhaka district's administration chief Mohammad Mominur Rahman told Xinhua on Tuesday night, adding that 20 of the victims with critical injuries were admitted to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

After inspecting the treatment program of the blast victims, Bangladeshi Health Minister Zahid Maleque said the majority of the deaths occurred due to bleeding from head injuries sustained by the blast debris.

Two multi-storied buildings were damaged due to the explosion. None of the buildings reportedly collapsed completely, but the debris of the floors landed on pedestrians and caused serious injuries, according to the fire service control room.

Broken glass walls of several nearby buildings and shopping malls littered the road outside the building that exploded. A bus standing on the opposite side of the road was also heavily damaged.

The exact cause of the blast remains unclear.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq said they did not find any evidence leading to an act of sabotage that could cause the explosion. An investigation is underway to find out if the explosion in the building was an accident or sabotage.

"Our bomb expert team is looking into the matter," he told reporters while visiting the accident site.

The tragic incident happened within days of a huge blast at an oxygen plant in Bangladesh's southeastern Chattogram and a market in Dhaka, leaving at least nine dead and 40 injured. 
The first degree program and director for a planned polytechnic institute at OU-Tulsa have received their official thumbs up.

The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents on Tuesday approved creation of a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity program to be offered at OU Polytechnic, which is anticipated to launch in Tulsa in 2024.

Teri Reed, who was announced previously as the pick for the institutes director, also received the regents official approval Tuesday.

Reed, an OU alumna and internationally recognized leader in the field of engineering education, comes to OU from the University of Cincinnati, where she has served as assistant vice president of faculty research development, among other roles.

Putting forth the first degree program for the OU Polytechnic Institute, as well as welcoming Teri Reed as its director, are two important milestones as we prepare for the institutes launch next year, OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said in a press release.

We are eager to contribute our academic and research excellence toward the regions workforce needs and opportunities, and with Dr. Reed at the helm, the OU Polytechnic Institute will position our state, our graduates and all Oklahomans for a prosperous future.

The regents also expanded the universitys online offerings Tuesday with approval of three online masters degree programs, including the addition of an online option for the Master of Public Health degree program, which will focus on population and community health.

The new online public health degree aligns with OUs goal to increase enrollment in key health professions, with the ultimate goal of improving health outcomes in Oklahoma, officials said.

Also approved were a Master of Science in Sustainable Architecture and a Master of Arts in Museum Studies, both of which will be offered online.

The proposed degree offerings will now go to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for final approval.

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Officials with Tulsa Public Schools confirmed reports Wednesday morning that one of its top administrators is leaving to lead a school district in Oregon.

On Tuesday night, the Board of Education for Salem-Keizer Public Schools voted to hire TPS Chief Talent and Equity Officer Andrea Castaneda as the districts next superintendent effective July 1.

Castaneda has been with TPS since July 2017. Prior to being named the districts chief talent and equity officer earlier this school year, she was its chief innovation officer, which included handling the districts charter and partnership school portfolio. She was also one of the point people on TPS initial response to COVID-19.

A graduate of Brown and Harvard universities, Castanedas resume also includes stints with the Rhode Island Department of Education and Providence Public Schools.

I was raised in Oregon, so this is a homecoming for me, Castaneda said in a prepared statement. When I spend time in Salem-Keizer, I see parts of my own history and story: students bursting with potential, a community that sees its diversity as an asset and a gift, and a school system wholly dedicated to students.

Oregons second-largest school district, Salem-Keizer is a minority-majority district of almost 40,000 students across 65 campuses.

Its current superintendent, Christy Perry, announced her intent to retire at the end of the 2022-23 school year last July, prompting a six-month nationwide search. According to the districts published search timeline, candidate interviews were conducted in January and February after the conclusion of more than 20 focus group sessions and community panels.

I am proud of the work the board has done throughout this process, with the input from our staff, families and community members to guide us, Salem-Keizer school board Chairwoman Ashley Carson Cottingham said. We could all see Andreas immense talent, coupled with her empathy and self-reflection, making her the clear choice to serve as our next superintendent at this critical moment for public schools.

In a Wednesday morning email to TPS employees, Tulsa district officials said that with Castaneda set to leave in May, transition efforts will start shortly for talent management and other departments under her leadership.

Our district is stronger because of Andrea, and she will be greatly missed, TPS Superintendent Deborah Gist said in a written statement. We are all, of course, also excited to see what shell do as the next superintendent of the Salem-Keizer school district.

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Editor's note: This story has been updated with complete statewide results.

OKLAHOMA CITY  A state question to legalize recreational marijuana in Oklahoma overwhelmingly failed Tuesday in a low-turnout special election.

With all 566,004 votes cast in absentee, early in-person and election day voting counted, State Question 820 was defeated by a count of 349,121 against (61%) to 216,883 (38%) in favor, a difference of 23 percentage points, according to the State Election Board. The statewide voter turnout was 25.35%.

While the vote was close in major metropolitan areas like Tulsa, Oklahoma and Cleveland counties, rural voters forcefully rejected SQ 820, which would have legalized recreational cannabis for people age 21 and older.

Members of the Yes on 820 campaign said this is just the start of efforts to implement large-scale criminal justice reforms to stop penalizing people for having small amounts of marijuana.

SQ 820 would have allowed some nonviolent offenders to petition to have their marijuana convictions reversed and expunged from their records.

This wasnt about legalizing marijuana, said Yes on 820 senior adviser Ryan Kiesel. This was about keeping Oklahomans out of the criminal justice system.

Tuesdays election results may be a testament to the pervasiveness of cannabis already available across the state. After voters legalized medical marijuana in 2018, anyone who has a doctors recommendation and $100 for a medical cannabis card can get marijuana.

Roughly 10% of Oklahomans have a medical marijuana card, and Oklahoma has more dispensaries than any other state.

Although the campaign in support of SQ 820 was well-funded with about $5 million largely from national civil rights and criminal justice reform groups, opposition mounted in recent months.

Some law enforcement officers, educators, faith leaders and mental health professionals united to oppose recreational cannabis. The opposition campaign was led by former Republican Gov. Frank Keating. Their central message was that SQ 820 would be detrimental to children and youths despite age restrictions on recreational cannabis sales.

U.S. Sen. James Lankford, Gov. Kevin Stitt, Attorney General Gentner Drummond and many Republican members of the Oklahoma Legislature opposed the question.

Stitt said the rejection of SQ 820 was the best outcome for keeping kids safe.

Oklahoma is a law and order state, he said in a statement. I remain committed to protecting Oklahomans and my administration will continue to hold bad actors accountable and crack down on illegal marijuana operations in our state.

Pat McFerron of the No on 820 campaign said he was pleased with the election results.

We think this sends a clear message that Oklahomans oppose the unfettered access to marijuana we have experienced under our so-called medical program, McFerron said in a statement. Voters clearly want to protect our children, crack down on organized crime, and improve the mental health of those in our state.

Arkansas voters in November also rejected a ballot measure to legalize recreational cannabis there.

Oklahoma City resident Tevin McDaniel, 25, told himself on Election Day not to get his hopes up. The former dispensary owner and medical marijuana patient, who is Black, voted for SQ 820.

He expressed disappointment after the election was called, noting that Black people are disproportionately convicted for having small amounts of marijuana.

Were where progressive ideas go to die, he said of Oklahoma.
The Tulsa Area United Away had a direct community impact worth more than $28.4 million last year, officials said Tuesday during the organizations annual awards luncheon.

The amount includes $25.5 million in local donations to the United Way, which officials described as a feat under tough economic conditions.

Tulsas annual fundraising campaign continues to be one of the best in the country, said Alison Anthony, president and CEO of the Tulsa Area United Way.

In fact, even though Tulsa is 71st in the size of cities who raise money for United Way, Anthony said, we are 13th in the amount raised.

The total community impact also includes the value of the more than 66,000 hours of volunteer service plus in-kind donations and other gifts to the United Way, officials said. Contributions came from more than 800 companies, tens of thousands of individual donors and dozens of charitable foundations, said Peggy Simmons, executive vice president of American Electric Power and chairwoman of the TAUW campaign.

Volunteers are vital to United Way and our partner nonprofits, Simmons said. Their active participation in fundraising, marketing, and program delivery saves organizations and this community millions of dollars a year.

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OKLAHOMA CITY  The Republican-controlled House on Tuesday censured a nonbinary Democratic representative for allegedly harboring a protester in the legislator's office at the state Capitol when law enforcement officers wanted to question him.

In a party-line vote, Republicans censured Rep. Mauree Turner, D-Oklahoma City, for allegedly impeding a law enforcement investigation after a protester had gotten into an altercation with an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper.

Turner is the first and only nonbinary member of the Oklahoma Legislature.

Democrats said the censure  a rare legislative reprimand  sets a dangerous precedent for Republicans to strip the power of any legislative Democrat without an investigation, disenfranchising Oklahoma voters in the process.

Until a written apology is sent to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the House Speaker, Turner will be removed from four House committees. An apology is unlikely, Turner said.

"I think an apology for loving the people in Oklahoma is something that I cannot do," Turner said in a tearful news conference, flanked by Democratic colleagues.

The incident in question occurred last week when a protester was arrested at the Capitol after throwing water on a Republican representative and getting into a scuffle with an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper. The person who was arrested was one of dozens of LGBTQ Oklahomans and their allies who were at the Capitol protesting against a bill that would dramatically curb transgender health care.

A second protester who was involved in the altercation with the Highway Patrol trooper left the scene and was found to have been hiding in Turner's legislative office, according to law enforcement accounts that Rep. Anthony Moore, R-Clinton, detailed on the House floor.

After a discussion with Highway Patrol troopers, Turner reportedly refused to produce the protester, Moore said, and House leadership had to get involved. That protester eventually was arrested Monday and charged with assault and battery on a police officer, a felony, he said.

A former prosecutor, Moore said Turner's actions broke the state law against harboring a fugitive.

House Majority Floor Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, said in the news conference that Moore's comments on the floor were "not based in facts."

When officers went to Turners office, the door was locked. Officers communicated with the representative through the door, but they werent able to get inside until they involved House leadership, said Highway Patrol Trooper Eric Foster.

Blocking officers from being able to question the protester was a violation of state law, Foster said. The details of the incident have been reported to the Oklahoma County district attorney, who will decide what happens next, he said.

In a heated debate that, at times, had Democrats shouting across the aisle, Turner said Republicans were trying to silence the constituents of House District 88.

Transgender Oklahomans don't feel safe in the state Capitol because of the anti-LGBTQ policies the GOP supermajority is trying to pass, Turner said. The second-term representative characterized the incident as no different than when any other constituent comes seeking an advocate.

"What happened last week in my office was the same thing that happens all the time," Turner said. "People do not feel represented or protected by the people within this body. They come to find refuge in my office. They come to decompress from some of the most stressful times."

Turner also alleged that the censure was personal. As a nonbinary person, "I'm representing a culmination of things that you deeply hate," Turner said, directing the remarks at GOP lawmakers.

In a statement, House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, said Turner knowingly and willfully harbored a fugitive, lied to law enforcement and impeded an investigation.

"The inappropriate and potentially criminal actions exhibited by this member of the House were deserving of censure, and the actions taken by the House today were both measured and just," McCall said.

Rep. Jason Lowe, D-Oklahoma City, said the House conducted no investigation before censuring Turner. An attorney, he added that someone isn't a fugitive until they have been charged with a crime. The protester who went to Turner's office had not yet been charged with a crime.

Rep. Monroe Nichols, D-Tulsa, said Turner's punishment was worse than any for Republican lawmakers who had gotten DUIs or who had been indicted, though he did not name any specific legislators.

Moore said any House member would face the same punishment as Turner if they had taken the same action.

"My sincere hope and prayer today is that all involved realize the consequences proposed this morning would be the very same consequences proposed regardless of the name of the member," he said.

The last time the House publicly reprimanded one of its members appears to be in 2011. At least three lawmakers were reprimanded that year. None lost their committee assignments.

Tulsa-area state legislators and how to contact them Sen. Nathan Dahm Sen. Dana Prieto Sen. Jo Anna Dossett Sen. John Haste Sen. Todd Gollihare Sen. Kevin Matthews Sen. Joe Newhouse Sen. Dave Rader Sen. Cody Rogers Rep. Meloyde Blancett Rep. Jeff Boatman Rep. Amanda Swope Rep. Suzanne Schreiber 032823-tul-nws-davis-dean Rep. Mark Tedford Rep. Scott Fetgatter Rep. Ross Ford Rep. Regina Goodwin Rep. Kyle Hilbert Rep. Mark Lawson Rep. T.J. Marti Rep. Stan May Rep. Monroe Nichols Rep. Clay Staires Rep. Terry O'Donnell Rep. Melissa Provenzano Rep. Lonnie Sims Rep. John Kane Rep. Mark Vancuren Rep. John Waldron Check out our latest digital-only offer and subscribe now
OKLAHOMA CITY  The Oklahoma Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would restrict access to materials in public and school libraries.

Senate Bill 397, by Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, passed by a vote of 35-10 and now moves to the House for consideration.

Hamilton said the measure would organize library materials into age-appropriate categories using parental and community involvement. It addresses things that children are not supposed to be exposed to in a school setting, he said.

Materials categorized for high school juniors and seniors would be put in a restricted area in school libraries and public libraries. Students would be required to get parental or guardian consent in writing to access the items.

Beginning July 1, 2024, no print or nonprint material or media in a school district library, charter school library or public library shall include content that the average person age 18 or older applying contemporary community standards would find (has) a prominent tendency to appeal to a prurient interest in sex, the measure says.

Senate Minority Leader Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City, said the measure goes beyond school libraries and would limit what an adult could access in public libraries.

This is a very dangerous area we are in, Floyd said.

It is none of the governments business what books a 35-year-old reads, she added.

Sen. George Young, D-Oklahoma City, questioned whether the measure would prevent people from reading about the rape and torture that was involved with slavery.

This is a problem we are creating, not a problem trying to be solved, Young said.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Roger Thompson, R-Okemah, said he opposes the measure because he believes in parents ability to handle the issue along with local elected school boards.

Thompson quoted former President Ronald Regans quip: I am from the government, and Im here to help.

This is overreach, Thompson said.

Sen. Kevin Matthews, D-Tulsa, said a big part of his ability to be in the Senate was because of libraries. His mother was single and worked two to three jobs, he said.

Matthews said he spent a lot of time in libraries and could read whatever he wanted.

It allowed me to go places I couldnt go, learn things I couldnt learn, he said. Libraries made all the difference.

Sen. Rob Standridge, R-Noman, said he supports the measure because guardrails need to be in place.

Hamilton said schools are not the place to be exposed to pornography and sex.

What we are attempting to do is make school a safe place, Hamilton said. We are not banning books.

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It's survived the Covid pandemic but now the European Union's vaccines watchdog has a new worry: plans for a giant "erotic centre" near its Amsterdam headquarters. The European Medicines Agency (EMA), which moved to the Dutch capital from London in 2019 due to Brexit, said Tuesday it was "extremely concerned" by Amsterdam city council's proposal. Amsterdam wants to move legal prostitution outside the city centre's famed red light district over complaints from residents about crime and often rowdy behaviour. "EMA is very concerned that this will create safety, security and nuisance issues" for staff and for visiting delegates, who often have to leave late in the evening, the regulator said in a statement. "The change of the location of the red light district is motivated by concerns of nuisance, drug-dealing, drunkenness and disorderly behaviour," it added. "Locating the Erotic Centre in close proximity to EMA's building is likely to bring the same negative impacts to the adjacent area." Two of three proposed locations for the huge new brothel are near the EMA's purpose-built headquarters in a business district on the southern outskirts of Amsterdam. The EMA said it would now work with the European Commission in Brussels, the EU's executive arm, to take the case to the "highest appropriate political and diplomatic level to ensure a safe working environment". The watchdog added that it had only learned of the proposals through local media and "would have expected to be consulted". Fears of staff Amsterdam city council said the EMA would "under no circumstances" be neighbours with the new erotic centre. There was "at least half a kilometre (one third of a mile) between the EMA and the locations" under consideration, a council spokesman said. Police also believed safety risks were few, particularly as the brothel would be indoors "without an audience on the street like in the red light district", the spokesman added. The planned erotic centre will have 100 spaces for sex workers, complete with areas for work breaks and other hospitality outlets, under the council's proposals. But the EMA said its operations could be affected. The once-low-profile agency played a key role during the coronavirus pandemic, approving vaccines as the disease swept the globe and then dealing with concerns about possible side-effects. "EMA's work is essential for the protection of public health in the EU, and this should not be jeopardised by fears of staff and EU experts coming to EMA's building," it said. Amsterdam eventually plans to shut down the centuries-old district, or De Wallen, which is known for the neon-lit windows in which sex workers stand to attract customers. Local residents have long complained about the quality of life in the area, which draws huge crowds of tourists. In February the city said it would ban cannabis smoking in the district.

It's survived the Covid pandemic but now the European Union's vaccines watchdog has a new worry: plans for a giant "erotic centre" near its Amsterdam headquarters.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), which moved to the Dutch capital from London in 2019 due to Brexit, said Tuesday it was "extremely concerned" by Amsterdam city council's proposal.

Amsterdam wants to move legal prostitution outside the city centre's famed red light district over complaints from residents about crime and often rowdy behaviour.

"EMA is very concerned that this will create safety, security and nuisance issues" for staff and for visiting delegates, who often have to leave late in the evening, the regulator said in a statement.

"The change of the location of the red light district is motivated by concerns of nuisance, drug-dealing, drunkenness and disorderly behaviour," it added.

"Locating the Erotic Centre in close proximity to EMA's building is likely to bring the same negative impacts to the adjacent area."

Two of three proposed locations for the huge new brothel are near the EMA's purpose-built headquarters in a business district on the southern outskirts of Amsterdam.

The EMA said it would now work with the European Commission in Brussels, the EU's executive arm, to take the case to the "highest appropriate political and diplomatic level to ensure a safe working environment".

The watchdog added that it had only learned of the proposals through local media and "would have expected to be consulted".

Fears of staff

Amsterdam city council said the EMA would "under no circumstances" be neighbours with the new erotic centre.

There was "at least half a kilometre (one third of a mile) between the EMA and the locations" under consideration, a council spokesman said.

Police also believed safety risks were few, particularly as the brothel would be indoors "without an audience on the street like in the red light district", the spokesman added.

The planned erotic centre will have 100 spaces for sex workers, complete with areas for work breaks and other hospitality outlets, under the council's proposals.

But the EMA said its operations could be affected.

The once-low-profile agency played a key role during the coronavirus pandemic, approving vaccines as the disease swept the globe and then dealing with concerns about possible side-effects.

"EMA's work is essential for the protection of public health in the EU, and this should not be jeopardised by fears of staff and EU experts coming to EMA's building," it said.

Amsterdam eventually plans to shut down the centuries-old district, or De Wallen, which is known for the neon-lit windows in which sex workers stand to attract customers.

Local residents have long complained about the quality of life in the area, which draws huge crowds of tourists. In February the city said it would ban cannabis smoking in the district.
Germany is considering banning certain components from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in its telecoms networks, a government source said, in a potentially significant move to address security concerns. An interior ministry spokesperson on Tuesday confirmed that the German government was carrying out a general review of telecoms tech suppliers, but said that this was not directed at specific manufacturers. The German government, which is in the midst of a broader re-evaluation of its relationship with top trade partner China, has been wary of expressly singling out Huawei, even while pursuing legislation enabling it to crack down on the firm. An interior ministry paper on the review obtained by Reuters said that a specific supplier could be banned from providing critical components if it were deemed to be directly or indirectly controlled by the government of another state. "We cannot be reliant on components of individual suppliers," Finance Minister Christian Lindner told Welt TV. The review could lead to Germany asking operators to remove and replace components already built into networks, the interior ministry spokesperson said, adding that current legislation did not foresee compensation for them. "This is a sign that the German government may finally be taking China-related risks to national security seriously," said Noah Barkin, managing editor with research firm Rhodium Group's China practice who specialises in German-Chinese relations. "But after years of dithering, the German 5G network is deeply dependent on Chinese suppliers. It will take many years to unwind this." Critics of Huawei and ZTE say that their close links to Beijing's security services mean that embedding them in the ubiquitous mobile networks of the future could give Chinese spies and even saboteurs access to essential infrastructure. Huawei, ZTE and China's government reject these claims, saying that they are motivated by a protectionist desire to support non-Chinese rivals. Referring to reports in German media about a possible ban, the Chinese embassy in Germany said in a statement Beijing would be "very puzzled and strongly dissatisfied" if any such decision were taken. A Huawei spokesperson said it did not comment on speculation and it had a "very good security record" during its 20 years of delivering technology to Germany and the rest of the world. A ZTE spokesperson said no evidence had been produced to suggest its products were insecure, but it welcomed external scrutiny. Asked about the potential ban, two of Germany's top telecoms operators, Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone Germany, said they fully complied with current regulations but did not respond to political speculation. Germany lagging While several countries across Europe are still formulating telecom policies, only Britain and Sweden have so far banned Huawei and ZTE from supplying critical 5G network equipment. "The devil is in the details, it would be a major step forward if this included all access network components where operators have made excessive use of Huawei in recent years," said Thorsten Benner, China expert and director of the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin. Germany passed an IT security law in 2021 setting high hurdles for makers of telecommunications equipment for next-generation networks, but stopping short of banning Huawei and ZTE as some other countries have done. A new report shows that Germany has actually become even more dependent on Huawei for its 5G radio access network equipment (RAN) than in its 4G network, even though operators have avoided using the firm's technology for the core networks. The German government was last month unable to answer a parliamentary request about how many Huawei components operators were using in their 5G networks, filed in part in response to the report. "It's disconcerting that the government only right now starts to do a thorough mapping of where operators use Huawei and ZTE components and that they don't have that information in real time," said Benner. Sweden's telecom regulator PTS, which in 2020 banned Chinese companies from rolling out 5G, gave telecom operators taking part in 5G auctions until Jan. 1, 2025 to remove gear from China from their infrastructure and core functions. Britain, meanwhile, wants telecom firms to remove equipment and services from Huawei in core network functions by Dec. 31, 2023, from an original target of Jan. 28, 2023. The deadline to remove all Huawei gear from Britain's 5G networks by the end of 2027 remains unchanged.

Germany is considering banning certain components from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in its telecoms networks, a government source said, in a potentially significant move to address security concerns.

An interior ministry spokesperson on Tuesday confirmed that the German government was carrying out a general review of telecoms tech suppliers, but said that this was not directed at specific manufacturers.

The German government, which is in the midst of a broader re-evaluation of its relationship with top trade partner China, has been wary of expressly singling out Huawei, even while pursuing legislation enabling it to crack down on the firm.

An interior ministry paper on the review obtained by Reuters said that a specific supplier could be banned from providing critical components if it were deemed to be directly or indirectly controlled by the government of another state.

"We cannot be reliant on components of individual suppliers," Finance Minister Christian Lindner told Welt TV.

The review could lead to Germany asking operators to remove and replace components already built into networks, the interior ministry spokesperson said, adding that current legislation did not foresee compensation for them.

"This is a sign that the German government may finally be taking China-related risks to national security seriously," said Noah Barkin, managing editor with research firm Rhodium Group's China practice who specialises in German-Chinese relations.

"But after years of dithering, the German 5G network is deeply dependent on Chinese suppliers. It will take many years to unwind this."

Critics of Huawei and ZTE say that their close links to Beijing's security services mean that embedding them in the ubiquitous mobile networks of the future could give Chinese spies and even saboteurs access to essential infrastructure.

Huawei, ZTE and China's government reject these claims, saying that they are motivated by a protectionist desire to support non-Chinese rivals.

Referring to reports in German media about a possible ban, the Chinese embassy in Germany said in a statement Beijing would be "very puzzled and strongly dissatisfied" if any such decision were taken.

A Huawei spokesperson said it did not comment on speculation and it had a "very good security record" during its 20 years of delivering technology to Germany and the rest of the world. A ZTE spokesperson said no evidence had been produced to suggest its products were insecure, but it welcomed external scrutiny.

Asked about the potential ban, two of Germany's top telecoms operators, Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone Germany, said they fully complied with current regulations but did not respond to political speculation.

Germany lagging

While several countries across Europe are still formulating telecom policies, only Britain and Sweden have so far banned Huawei and ZTE from supplying critical 5G network equipment.

"The devil is in the details, it would be a major step forward if this included all access network components where operators have made excessive use of Huawei in recent years," said Thorsten Benner, China expert and director of the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin.

Germany passed an IT security law in 2021 setting high hurdles for makers of telecommunications equipment for next-generation networks, but stopping short of banning Huawei and ZTE as some other countries have done.

A new report shows that Germany has actually become even more dependent on Huawei for its 5G radio access network equipment (RAN) than in its 4G network, even though operators have avoided using the firm's technology for the core networks.

The German government was last month unable to answer a parliamentary request about how many Huawei components operators were using in their 5G networks, filed in part in response to the report.

"It's disconcerting that the government only right now starts to do a thorough mapping of where operators use Huawei and ZTE components and that they don't have that information in real time," said Benner.

Sweden's telecom regulator PTS, which in 2020 banned Chinese companies from rolling out 5G, gave telecom operators taking part in 5G auctions until Jan. 1, 2025 to remove gear from China from their infrastructure and core functions.

Britain, meanwhile, wants telecom firms to remove equipment and services from Huawei in core network functions by Dec. 31, 2023, from an original target of Jan. 28, 2023.

The deadline to remove all Huawei gear from Britain's 5G networks by the end of 2027 remains unchanged.
Read what is in the news in Vietnam today: Society -- Hanoi-based Tam Anh General Hospital and AstraZeneca Vietnam Company signed a memorandum of understanding on clinical trials of non-communicable diseases and training of health workers on Tuesday. -- OT Motor Vina Co. Ltd in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam has suspended a South Korean manager for a month for the investigation into his assault on a Vietnamese employee that resulted in her hospitalization, a local labor union official said on Tuesday afternoon. -- Police in Lam Dong Province, located in the Central Highlands region, said on Tuesday that they had found a South Korean tourist two hours after he got lost on Lang Biang Mountain the day before. -- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) treated and handed over nearly three million hectares of dioxin-polluted land in the southwest area of Bien Hoa Airbase, the most contaminated spot in Vietnam, to Dong Nai Province on Tuesday. -- Police in Binh Duong Province, southern Vietnam fined a man VND3.75 million (US$158) on Tuesday for faking a bouquet as a gift sent from a Party and state leader to his newly-opened cafe. -- The Peoples Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has put on the table a plan to invest over VND9.99 trillion ($422.4 million) in expanding a section of National Highway 13 from four lanes to eight in 2025. Sports -- Vietnam left the 2023 AFC U20 Asian Cup in Uzbekistan after losing 1-3 to Iran in their last group-stage game on Tuesday afternoon. -- Vietnam kicked off their 2024 AFC U20 Womens Asian Cup Qualifiers Round 1 campaign with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Indonesia in Phu Tho, a northern Vietnamese province, on Tuesday evening. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Read what is in the news in Vietnam today:

Society

-- Hanoi-based Tam Anh General Hospital and AstraZeneca Vietnam Company signed a memorandum of understanding on clinical trials of non-communicable diseases and training of health workers on Tuesday.

-- OT Motor Vina Co. Ltd in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam has suspended a South Korean manager for a month for the investigation into his assault on a Vietnamese employee that resulted in her hospitalization, a local labor union official said on Tuesday afternoon.

-- Police in Lam Dong Province, located in the Central Highlands region, said on Tuesday that they had found a South Korean tourist two hours after he got lost on Lang Biang Mountain the day before.

-- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) treated and handed over nearly three million hectares of dioxin-polluted land in the southwest area of Bien Hoa Airbase, the most contaminated spot in Vietnam, to Dong Nai Province on Tuesday.

-- Police in Binh Duong Province, southern Vietnam fined a man VND3.75 million (US$158) on Tuesday for faking a bouquet as a gift sent from a Party and state leader to his newly-opened cafe.

-- The Peoples Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has put on the table a plan to invest over VND9.99 trillion ($422.4 million) in expanding a section of National Highway 13 from four lanes to eight in 2025.

Sports

-- Vietnam left the 2023 AFC U20 Asian Cup in Uzbekistan after losing 1-3 to Iran in their last group-stage game on Tuesday afternoon.

-- Vietnam kicked off their 2024 AFC U20 Womens Asian Cup Qualifiers Round 1 campaign with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Indonesia in Phu Tho, a northern Vietnamese province, on Tuesday evening.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8)  The Philippine National Police (PNP) said Wednesday that personnel of the Bayawan City Police Station have been relieved as pursuit operations for the remaining suspects in the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo continue.

According to the PNP, PLtCol Stephen Amamaguid will take over as chief of police from PLtCol Rex Aboy Moslares.

Moslares, along with 74 personnel of the police station, have been relieved so far, with more set in the coming days. They were replaced with personnel from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion.

PLtCol Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of Special Investigation Task Group Degamo, said those relieved will undergo a 30-day Character and Aptitude Development Training program (CADET).

In a briefing on Tuesday, PNP spokesperson PCol Jean Fajardo said changes in the police force in the area where Degamo was killed could be expected to ensure the ongoing operation and investigation into the incident would not be hampered.

"All of Negros Island is sealed" due to the ongoing hot pursuit operations, according to Pelare.

PNP deputy chief for administration PLtGen Rhodel Sermonia, meanwhile, said the there is an increased police presence in Negros Oriental to maintain peace and order.
Japan on Tuesday announced a grant of over US$252.5 million as non-refundable aid for educational and medical infrastructure and equipment in a project in Ho Chi Minh City and two others in the southernmost province of Ca Mau. A ceremony to sign contracts on the aid, which is part of the Japanese governments Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) program, was held at the headquarters of the Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City. Speaking at the ceremony, Watanabe Nobuhiro, Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, said Japan attaches great importance to the GGP program as it is humanitarian and brings direct benefits to local residents. Watanabe Nobuhiro (R), Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, and Nguyen Nga, director of the Center for Support and Development of Inclusive Education in Ca Mau Province, southern Vietnam sign a contract to provide equipment for hearing-impaired children at the center on March 7, 2023. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre Of the total, some $78,500 will be spent on medical equipment for hearing-impaired children at the Center for Support and Development of Inclusive Education in Ca Mau Province. Nguyen Nga, director of the center, said thanks to the modern equipment, children with hearing impairment will be able to access knowledge more easily. One of the three projects is meant to build three classrooms and toilets at an elementary school in Ward 8, Ca Mau City, which is the capital of the namesake province, and it will receive the largest fund, at around $90,900. To Phuong, chairman of the Peoples Committee of Ca Mau City, affirmed that the project will contribute to dealing with deteriorating schools in the city and Ca Mau Province as a whole. Watanabe Nobuhiro (R), Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, and Nguyen Hoang Hai, director of Gia Dinh People's Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, sign a contract to provide a cardiovascular ultrasound machine for the hospital on March 7, 2023. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre The remaining aid will be used to procure a new cardiovascular ultrasound machine for Gia Dinh People's Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Nguyen Hoang Hai, director of the hospital, said that the machine will help the hospital shorten the treatment time for patients and ease pressure on its medical workers. According to the Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, the GGP program was initiated in 1989 to meet the demands of developing countries. Since 1995, the Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City has conducted the program in 26 cities and provinces in Vietnam. As of the end of 2019, 203 projects with a total value of over $16 million have been carried out. The provision of aid this year is more meaningful as Vietnam and Japan celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. The Japan Vietnam Festival, which was held in Ho Chi Minh City on February 25 and 26 and attracted around 480,000 visitors, is a large event to celebrate the two countries 50 years of diplomatic ties. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Japan on Tuesday announced a grant of over US$252.5 million as non-refundable aid for educational and medical infrastructure and equipment in a project in Ho Chi Minh City and two others in the southernmost province of Ca Mau.

A ceremony to sign contracts on the aid, which is part of the Japanese governments Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) program, was held at the headquarters of the Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City.

Speaking at the ceremony, Watanabe Nobuhiro, Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, said Japan attaches great importance to the GGP program as it is humanitarian and brings direct benefits to local residents.

Watanabe Nobuhiro (R), Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, and Nguyen Nga, director of the Center for Support and Development of Inclusive Education in Ca Mau Province, southern Vietnam sign a contract to provide equipment for hearing-impaired children at the center on March 7, 2023. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre

Of the total, some $78,500 will be spent on medical equipment for hearing-impaired children at the Center for Support and Development of Inclusive Education in Ca Mau Province.

Nguyen Nga, director of the center, said thanks to the modern equipment, children with hearing impairment will be able to access knowledge more easily.

One of the three projects is meant to build three classrooms and toilets at an elementary school in Ward 8, Ca Mau City, which is the capital of the namesake province, and it will receive the largest fund, at around $90,900.

To Phuong, chairman of the Peoples Committee of Ca Mau City, affirmed that the project will contribute to dealing with deteriorating schools in the city and Ca Mau Province as a whole.

Watanabe Nobuhiro (R), Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, and Nguyen Hoang Hai, director of Gia Dinh People's Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, sign a contract to provide a cardiovascular ultrasound machine for the hospital on March 7, 2023. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre

The remaining aid will be used to procure a new cardiovascular ultrasound machine for Gia Dinh People's Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

Nguyen Hoang Hai, director of the hospital, said that the machine will help the hospital shorten the treatment time for patients and ease pressure on its medical workers.

According to the Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, the GGP program was initiated in 1989 to meet the demands of developing countries.

Since 1995, the Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City has conducted the program in 26 cities and provinces in Vietnam.

As of the end of 2019, 203 projects with a total value of over $16 million have been carried out.

The provision of aid this year is more meaningful as Vietnam and Japan celebrate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

The Japan Vietnam Festival, which was held in Ho Chi Minh City on February 25 and 26 and attracted around 480,000 visitors, is a large event to celebrate the two countries 50 years of diplomatic ties.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
A South Korean manager of a company in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam has been suspended during the investigation into his assault on a Vietnamese employee that resulted in her hospitalization, a local labor union official said on Tuesday afternoon. As per the suspension decision announced by OT Motor Vina Co. Ltd at the Nhon Trach 6 Industrial Park in Dong Nais Nhon Trach District, its purchasing and sales manager Seon Chang Hwa will not go to work for a month, pending the investigation results from police officers. His victim, 32-year-old Nguyen Thi Anh Thu, who is his subordinate at the company, is still receiving hospital treatment. The executive board of OT Motor Vina visited and made an apology to Thu shortly after the violent bodily harm, which was reported by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper last week. Seon assaulted Thu, punching her in the face, kicking her, grabbing her by the hair, and dragging her about one meter, after a conflict broke out between them during a discussion at 8:15 am at the company on February 28. The incident took place in front of almost all office staff and was recorded by surveillance cameras. Thu, who just finished her maternity leave and is raising a seven-month-old baby, was badly injured and taken to Long Thanh Regional General Hospital for emergency treatment after the assault. After being summoned to the police station at the Nhon Trach Industrial Park, Seon admitted to hitting Thu. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

A South Korean manager of a company in Dong Nai Province, southern Vietnam has been suspended during the investigation into his assault on a Vietnamese employee that resulted in her hospitalization, a local labor union official said on Tuesday afternoon.

As per the suspension decision announced by OT Motor Vina Co. Ltd at the Nhon Trach 6 Industrial Park in Dong Nais Nhon Trach District, its purchasing and sales manager Seon Chang Hwa will not go to work for a month, pending the investigation results from police officers.

His victim, 32-year-old Nguyen Thi Anh Thu, who is his subordinate at the company, is still receiving hospital treatment.

The executive board of OT Motor Vina visited and made an apology to Thu shortly after the violent bodily harm, which was reported by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper last week.

Seon assaulted Thu, punching her in the face, kicking her, grabbing her by the hair, and dragging her about one meter, after a conflict broke out between them during a discussion at 8:15 am at the company on February 28.

The incident took place in front of almost all office staff and was recorded by surveillance cameras.

Thu, who just finished her maternity leave and is raising a seven-month-old baby, was badly injured and taken to Long Thanh Regional General Hospital for emergency treatment after the assault.

After being summoned to the police station at the Nhon Trach Industrial Park, Seon admitted to hitting Thu.

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The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) handed over nearly three hectares of land in Vietnams southern Dong Nai Province following nearly four years of dioxin remediation. During a ceremony on Tuesday, the USAID announced the completion of the first phase of the cleanup project at Bien Hoa Airbase, located in the namesake city in Dong Nai Province. The Bien Hoa Airbase cleanup project was launched in April 2019 and expected to take 10 years to complete. About three hectares of the airbase was completely remediated after the first phase. The treated area has been planted with grass to prevent surface erosion before being handed over to the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense. The ministry is expected to plant green trees and build a park there in the future. Deputy Minister of National Defense Hoang Xuan Chien speaks at the ceremony in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province, Vietnam, March 7, 2023. Photo: A Loc / Tuoi Tre In addition, the USAID also announced a new contract to increase the total investment capital of the second phase up to $300 million. This new funding demonstrates the United States' commitment to Vietnam, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the two countries comprehensive partnership. As per the new contract, Nelson Environmental Remediation has been selected to design and build a treatment facility to decontaminate soil and sediment on and around the airbase. The completion of the first phase of the Bien Hoa Airbase cleanup project is the result of close and effective cooperation between the USAID and Vietnam's Ministry of National Defense, said Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defense. A park will be built on the treated land. Photo: A Loc / Tuoi Tre Vietnam still has about 4.8 million people who have been exposed to Agent Orange/dioxin and more than six million hectares of land is still contaminated with mines and explosives, Chien said, hoping for more support from the U.S., USAID, as well as other countries and international organizations. Our example of reconciliation will forever serve as a profound lesson to the rest of the world of what can be achieved when we move forward as trusted friends instead of foes, said U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper. Let us redouble our efforts in ensuring that our bilateral partnership grows stronger and more resilient for the next 27 years and beyond. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) handed over nearly three hectares of land in Vietnams southern Dong Nai Province following nearly four years of dioxin remediation.

During a ceremony on Tuesday, the USAID announced the completion of the first phase of the cleanup project at Bien Hoa Airbase, located in the namesake city in Dong Nai Province.

The Bien Hoa Airbase cleanup project was launched in April 2019 and expected to take 10 years to complete.

About three hectares of the airbase was completely remediated after the first phase.

The treated area has been planted with grass to prevent surface erosion before being handed over to the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense.

The ministry is expected to plant green trees and build a park there in the future.

Deputy Minister of National Defense Hoang Xuan Chien speaks at the ceremony in Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province, Vietnam, March 7, 2023. Photo: A Loc / Tuoi Tre

In addition, the USAID also announced a new contract to increase the total investment capital of the second phase up to $300 million.

This new funding demonstrates the United States' commitment to Vietnam, on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the two countries comprehensive partnership.

As per the new contract, Nelson Environmental Remediation has been selected to design and build a treatment facility to decontaminate soil and sediment on and around the airbase.

The completion of the first phase of the Bien Hoa Airbase cleanup project is the result of close and effective cooperation between the USAID and Vietnam's Ministry of National Defense, said Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien, Deputy Minister of National Defense.

A park will be built on the treated land. Photo: A Loc / Tuoi Tre

Vietnam still has about 4.8 million people who have been exposed to Agent Orange/dioxin and more than six million hectares of land is still contaminated with mines and explosives, Chien said, hoping for more support from the U.S., USAID, as well as other countries and international organizations.

Our example of reconciliation will forever serve as a profound lesson to the rest of the world of what can be achieved when we move forward as trusted friends instead of foes, said U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper.

Let us redouble our efforts in ensuring that our bilateral partnership grows stronger and more resilient for the next 27 years and beyond.

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At the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC), Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang called on developed countries to transfer technology and provide financial support for the least developed countries during the green transition and carbon emission reduction process. Deputy Minister Hang, who led a Vietnamese delegation to the 5th LDC held in Qatar from Sunday to Wednesday, hailed the meaning of the conference. She suggested improving the least developed countries' internal forces and national competitiveness based on their strengths and characteristics. It is also important to enhance their market access capability. According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Minister Hang also shared Vietnams experience in fast and sustainable socio-economic development. She affirmed that Vietnam is willing to act as a bridge connecting developed and least developed countries, especially through the South-South cooperation, a term historically used by policymakers and academics to describe the exchange of resources, technology, and knowledge between developing countries, and tripartite cooperation agreements. The 5th LDC, themed 'From Potential to Prosperity,' was attended by some 5,000 delegates, including high-ranking leaders of the United Nations and the least developed countries. The conference approved a statement affirming the commitment to the deployment of the Doha program of action with six key focus areas. They include investing in people in the least developed countries to leave no one behind and enhancing their international trade and regional integration. Within the framework of the 5th LDC, Hang met with representatives of Cuba, India, Benin, Uganda, Eswatini, Kazakhstan, Venezuela, the World Bank, and UNESCO. She also held talks with leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Labor, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Qatar. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

At the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC), Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang called on developed countries to transfer technology and provide financial support for the least developed countries during the green transition and carbon emission reduction process.

Deputy Minister Hang, who led a Vietnamese delegation to the 5th LDC held in Qatar from Sunday to Wednesday, hailed the meaning of the conference.

She suggested improving the least developed countries' internal forces and national competitiveness based on their strengths and characteristics.

It is also important to enhance their market access capability.

According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Minister Hang also shared Vietnams experience in fast and sustainable socio-economic development.

She affirmed that Vietnam is willing to act as a bridge connecting developed and least developed countries, especially through the South-South cooperation, a term historically used by policymakers and academics to describe the exchange of resources, technology, and knowledge between developing countries, and tripartite cooperation agreements.

The 5th LDC, themed 'From Potential to Prosperity,' was attended by some 5,000 delegates, including high-ranking leaders of the United Nations and the least developed countries.

The conference approved a statement affirming the commitment to the deployment of the Doha program of action with six key focus areas.

They include investing in people in the least developed countries to leave no one behind and enhancing their international trade and regional integration.

Within the framework of the 5th LDC, Hang met with representatives of Cuba, India, Benin, Uganda, Eswatini, Kazakhstan, Venezuela, the World Bank, and UNESCO.

She also held talks with leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Labor, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Qatar.

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A Vietnamese man and a South Korean, running for their respective personal goals, met in a central city of Vietnam for a special encounter that inspires others to run for health. Nguyen Van Son, 38, from the Vietnamese coastal city of Hai Phong, and Besa Kim, 55, a citizen of South Korea met unexpectedly in Da Nang City on their running journey. They have both spent months running along National Highway No. 1, which connects the southernmost province of Ca Mau with the dynamic center of Ho Chi Minh City. In recent days, photos of the two men carrying backpacks bearing a slogan for crossing Vietnam have attracted the attention of many onlookers along the way. They arrived in Ky Anh District, located in the north-central province of Ha Tinh, at 10:30 am on February 25 and their common destination is the capital Hanoi. Printed on Son's backpack is the phrase 'Son xe hoi - i bo xuyen Viet, Sai Gon - Ha Noi' ('Son the car' - walking across Vietnam, Saigon - Hanoi). 'Son xe hoi' (Son the car) is the nickname of the Facebook account of Nguyen Van Son, who trades cars in Nui Deo Town, Thuy Nguyen District, Hai Phong. The idea of walking across the nation came to Son three years ago. On January 11, 2023, just before the Lunar New Year festival, he flew to Ho Chi Minh City to put his plan into action. Before the big day, he prepared his strength and endurance for this challenge for three years. He also persuaded his family to agree to the adventurous plan. Although he is a regular runner, he admitted that the first week was the most difficult challenge for him. He had to get used to sleeping in the bush or under a bridge on the running trail. On many days during the trip, he ran through areas without houses, so he had to set up camp on the side of the road himself when it got dark. There were times when he wanted to give up running. Then he decided to leave about 10 kilograms of luggage behind to continue the journey. He runs and comforts himself along the way and finds ways to enjoy himself while running. Nguyen Van Son walks through Vietnam on his personal mission. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre "Running through Vietnam is a big challenge that is not easy to overcome," Son said. "I suffered from severe stomach pain because I ate something bad on the way. "My body was so exhausted that I burst into tears because I felt lonely." He cannot forget the night he walked over the Cu Mong mountain pass, which connects the two south-central provinces of Binh Dinh and Phu Yen. "I arrived at the foot of the pass at 5:00 pm but I could not find a shelter to sleep, so I ended up walking on," Son recounted his unforgettable memory. "It was getting dark when I ran into the middle of the pass. "I felt my hair stand on end from fatigue and saw many altars lying on the side of the road. "It was not until I ran down the mountain pass at 9:00 pm that day and saw some twinkling lights from nearby houses that I knew I had met the challenge." Son takes off his pair of shoes and turns over his feet, on which there are many calluses and blisters. The pair of shoes he is wearing is the third, after the other two worn out and he already packed them away as souvenirs. The backpack Son carries on his back contains the essentials for the trip: packets of cold and flu medicine, toothpaste, fresh water, a camping hammock, a mosquito net, a few packs of instant noodles, and a pot for boiling water. In the backpack, there are also sweets and cookies that people along the way have given him with their best wishes. Calluses on the bottom of Nguyen Van Son's left foot. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre During his run from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, Son had an unexpected encounter with a South Korean man who turned out to be a runner making the same journey as him. Besa Kim, 55, is a South Korean citizen, who also has a special passion for running. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre On his Facebook account, he often talks about Vietnam and says that he dreams of one day running from Ca Mau Province, Vietnam's southern tip, to Hanoi. At the beginning of 2023, Kim flew from South Korea to Ho Chi Minh City, from where he got into a car to get to Ca Mau to realize his dream. Before the start of the running mission, he printed out a large poster and hung it on the wall of the house near the starting point to inform everyone about his journey. On the morning of February 28, the South Korean, whose backpack has 'Hanh trinh xuyen Viet tu Ca Mau - Ha Noi' (The journey through Ca Mau - Hanoi) on it, learned that there was a man running the same journey as him: Son. They exchanged a few Vietnamese words and then continued running toward Hai Van Pass in Da Nang, with the common goal of reaching the capital Hanoi. Kim took a completely different approach than Son. He said he did not run continuously, but stopped at some places along the road where he wanted to see the sights. The South Korean also extensively noted down stories where he was supported and motivated by Vietnamese people on the running path. According to Kim, traveling for the past two months has left him with so many fond memories of Vietnam, "a country with so many smiles." In some places he passed through, locals recognized him thanks to the Vietnamese phrases written on his backpack. They came to a roadside stand, bought a few bottles of fresh water, and pressed a few bills into his hand to motivate him. "'Good luck!' they said to me, and I was looking forward to continuing my journey again," the South Korean wrote on his Facebook account. Although he encounters so many happy things along the way, the scariest for Kim is encountering stray dogs while walking. "I often get chased by dogs, so maybe that's why I run faster," he said jokingly. Both Son and Kim said it would take them another month to reach the 'finish line' in Hanoi. That would be an excellent milestone for them. "I will make it and I hope my story will inspire people to exercise," Son said. "I want to spread and popularize the image of healthy and strong Vietnamese people." Some necessities in Nguyen Van Son's backpack. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

A Vietnamese man and a South Korean, running for their respective personal goals, met in a central city of Vietnam for a special encounter that inspires others to run for health.

Nguyen Van Son, 38, from the Vietnamese coastal city of Hai Phong, and Besa Kim, 55, a citizen of South Korea met unexpectedly in Da Nang City on their running journey.

They have both spent months running along National Highway No. 1, which connects the southernmost province of Ca Mau with the dynamic center of Ho Chi Minh City.

In recent days, photos of the two men carrying backpacks bearing a slogan for crossing Vietnam have attracted the attention of many onlookers along the way.

They arrived in Ky Anh District, located in the north-central province of Ha Tinh, at 10:30 am on February 25 and their common destination is the capital Hanoi.

Printed on Son's backpack is the phrase 'Son xe hoi - i bo xuyen Viet, Sai Gon - Ha Noi' ('Son the car' - walking across Vietnam, Saigon - Hanoi).

'Son xe hoi' (Son the car) is the nickname of the Facebook account of Nguyen Van Son, who trades cars in Nui Deo Town, Thuy Nguyen District, Hai Phong.

The idea of walking across the nation came to Son three years ago.

On January 11, 2023, just before the Lunar New Year festival, he flew to Ho Chi Minh City to put his plan into action.

Before the big day, he prepared his strength and endurance for this challenge for three years.

He also persuaded his family to agree to the adventurous plan.

Although he is a regular runner, he admitted that the first week was the most difficult challenge for him. He had to get used to sleeping in the bush or under a bridge on the running trail.

On many days during the trip, he ran through areas without houses, so he had to set up camp on the side of the road himself when it got dark.

There were times when he wanted to give up running. Then he decided to leave about 10 kilograms of luggage behind to continue the journey.

He runs and comforts himself along the way and finds ways to enjoy himself while running.

Nguyen Van Son walks through Vietnam on his personal mission. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre

"Running through Vietnam is a big challenge that is not easy to overcome," Son said.

"I suffered from severe stomach pain because I ate something bad on the way.

"My body was so exhausted that I burst into tears because I felt lonely."

He cannot forget the night he walked over the Cu Mong mountain pass, which connects the two south-central provinces of Binh Dinh and Phu Yen.

"I arrived at the foot of the pass at 5:00 pm but I could not find a shelter to sleep, so I ended up walking on," Son recounted his unforgettable memory.

"It was getting dark when I ran into the middle of the pass.

"I felt my hair stand on end from fatigue and saw many altars lying on the side of the road.

"It was not until I ran down the mountain pass at 9:00 pm that day and saw some twinkling lights from nearby houses that I knew I had met the challenge."

Son takes off his pair of shoes and turns over his feet, on which there are many calluses and blisters.

The pair of shoes he is wearing is the third, after the other two worn out and he already packed them away as souvenirs.

The backpack Son carries on his back contains the essentials for the trip: packets of cold and flu medicine, toothpaste, fresh water, a camping hammock, a mosquito net, a few packs of instant noodles, and a pot for boiling water.

In the backpack, there are also sweets and cookies that people along the way have given him with their best wishes.

Calluses on the bottom of Nguyen Van Son's left foot. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre

During his run from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, Son had an unexpected encounter with a South Korean man who turned out to be a runner making the same journey as him.

Besa Kim, 55, is a South Korean citizen, who also has a special passion for running. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre

On his Facebook account, he often talks about Vietnam and says that he dreams of one day running from Ca Mau Province, Vietnam's southern tip, to Hanoi.

At the beginning of 2023, Kim flew from South Korea to Ho Chi Minh City, from where he got into a car to get to Ca Mau to realize his dream.

Before the start of the running mission, he printed out a large poster and hung it on the wall of the house near the starting point to inform everyone about his journey.

On the morning of February 28, the South Korean, whose backpack has 'Hanh trinh xuyen Viet tu Ca Mau - Ha Noi' (The journey through Ca Mau - Hanoi) on it, learned that there was a man running the same journey as him: Son.

They exchanged a few Vietnamese words and then continued running toward Hai Van Pass in Da Nang, with the common goal of reaching the capital Hanoi.

Kim took a completely different approach than Son. He said he did not run continuously, but stopped at some places along the road where he wanted to see the sights.

The South Korean also extensively noted down stories where he was supported and motivated by Vietnamese people on the running path.

According to Kim, traveling for the past two months has left him with so many fond memories of Vietnam, "a country with so many smiles."

In some places he passed through, locals recognized him thanks to the Vietnamese phrases written on his backpack.

They came to a roadside stand, bought a few bottles of fresh water, and pressed a few bills into his hand to motivate him.

"'Good luck!' they said to me, and I was looking forward to continuing my journey again," the South Korean wrote on his Facebook account.

Although he encounters so many happy things along the way, the scariest for Kim is encountering stray dogs while walking.

"I often get chased by dogs, so maybe that's why I run faster," he said jokingly.

Both Son and Kim said it would take them another month to reach the 'finish line' in Hanoi. That would be an excellent milestone for them.

"I will make it and I hope my story will inspire people to exercise," Son said.

"I want to spread and popularize the image of healthy and strong Vietnamese people."

Some necessities in Nguyen Van Son's backpack. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
News Breakfast presenter Lisa Millar has today personally addressed online trolling and clickbait press stories which republished them.

Id like to take a minute to talk about what went on during the last 48 hours. If youre blessedly oblivious and youve just been getting on with your life  great! Im not going to dwell on it, she said.

The fact that what I wore on Monday attracted obnoxious commentary on Twitter  foul, disgusting, personal abuse that I wouldnt and couldnt repeat  was upsetting.

That it then ended up online on some news sites where the photos and the abuse were republished made me angry.

Thanks for all the support, youve been awesome. Honestly, some of you pretty funny, suggesting if we all turned up in pyjamas youd still be fans of the show.

I am angry though, on this International Womens Day. Angry on behalf of myself, and also on behalf of other women, young women, who see those stories and see someone like me being violently abused day after day for whatever reason bullies can find.

I worry it might make you think that no progress has been made and that its not worth it to be a woman in the public arena.

Well on this International Womens Day I want to tell you the response over that rubbish yesterday actually gives me a bit of hope.

We are making progress, we are gonna make more progess, and there are so many awesome women who we can all look up to. Lets celebrate them today.

And please, make a conscious decision today to be part of the solution. Play a part in making our communities a better, kinder place, for everyone.

Co-host Michael Rowland paid tribute to Millar as a journalist and for turning up after going through the absolute wringer in the last couple of days. He also added restated the two outlets of news.com.au and Daily Mail saying the editors of both websites should hang their heads in shame.

Katy Gallagher, Federal Minister for Women reiterated why online abuse should not be amplified by the media.

For women in public life, unfortunately, at the moment this is part of our experience. When I see it happen its incredibly frustrating and distressing because we all endure it, in one way or another, she said.

We know the nature of the trolling and abuse of women online is particularly nasty, its particularly gendered, its often sexualised, its often threatening, and to some degree if we want to pursue careers that are in the public life our choice is put up with it or withdraw from it. Its not an acceptable situation at all.

And we know that it impacts on womens choices, and this goes back to my point about gender equality. Were not going to have a gender-equal Australia if people are seeing Lisas experience, and others experience, it will mean that women choose not to go and pursue careers where they have to endure that kind of online abuse.

We all have a responsibility, a broader community responsibility, to deal with these situations when they emerge in a responsible way.

Amplifying it, repeating it, providing clickbait to generate readers or customers to your site, is completely unacceptable because it makes the problem worse.

Updated:

News.com.au editor-in-chief Lisa Muxworthy has defended the coverage.

News.com.au has a long and strident history of exposing abuse against women such as the Let Her Speak campaign championing Grace Tame and other victims of crime and, more recently, our Justice Shouldnt Hurt editorial series which led to legislative change for children involved in sexual abuse matters, she said in a statement.

We believe a clear public interest exists in reporting on the issue of vile social media trolls and the damage they cause. Choosing to not report on this issue or to ignore it would set a poor precedent that could help ensure appropriate action to address these actions fails to occur.
The Australian International Documentary Awards were announced yesterday on the final day of the conference at ACMI.

Ash London hosted the awards which saw TV wins to The Australian Wars and Still We Rise.

Best Feature Documentary went to Wash My Soul in the Rivers Flow by Philippa Bateman.

TV winners:

Best Documentary / Factual Series : The Australian Wars

Rachel Perkins, Darren Dale, Jacob Hickey

Jury Statement: From the opening minutes, we all agreed that The Australian Wars stood out as a superbly crafted piece of television. But as those opening minutes went by, it quickly became apparent how such masterful craftsmanship was serving a story of far-reaching significance. The direction, editing, writing and music fused seamlessly together to draw us into a heart stopping narrative that illuminated another dark corner in Australias colonial history. Rachel Perkins and her team took an incredible and creative approach toward this mini-series, making some bold and beautiful choices along the way to manifest some ugly truths that may affect common historical narratives. The dramatic reenactments were some of the best all of us had seen, and the sheer calibre and diversity of expert historical analysis elevated this miniseries to the realms of essential classroom viewing  possibly filling the gaps left open by current Australian and European textbooks. Bravo to the entire team behind The Australian Wars.

Best Documentary / Factual Single : Still We Rise

$5,000 cash prize presented by Artisan Post Group

John Harvey, Anna Grieve, Leon Rodgers, Patrick McCabe

Jury Statement: We were very impressed by the combination of a retrospective story feeding into a timely present day political conversation, creating a mosaic of archival material which brought Indigenous history through in a modern way, which would appeal to both an Australian and global audience, whether familiar with the story and material or not. We loved the way it avoided didactic narration and used sound and music to make something radical for a mainstream TV audience. This was exciting modern filmmaking.

The Stanley Hawes Award : Dr Cathy Henkel.

Cathy began her career in documentary filmmaking in 1988, after previously working as the artistic director for Australian amateur theatre company, Shopfront Theatre for Young People. Exploring such topics as humanitys effect on the environment, the importance of ecological activism, and pursuit for justice, Cathy continues to be a champion for change as the Director of the WA Screen Academy at Edith Cowan University. She is a lasting positive influence in our sector and a passionate advocate for the creative arts. We congratulate Cathy on winning the award and look forward to what inspiring work she does next, said AIDC in a statement.

Also announced at the AIDC AGM were four new appointments to the AIDC Board of Directors: Kelrick Martin, Head of Indigenous ABC; Paul Williams, Documentary Executive Screenwest; Bernadine Lim, Unscripted Commissioner SBS; and incoming Company Secretary Marco DAngele, Partner at Marshalls Dent & Wilmoth, who replaces outgoing Secretary Clement Dunn, also of Marshalls Dent & Wilmoth.

AIDC saw the attendance of over 780 delegates, including the participation of 147 local and international speakers, and 106 local and international decision makers in a program of 40-plus sessions and over 600 curated meetings.

Three more days of International Marketplace meetings are still to come online from 9-11 March.
Thousand Faces, a web3 community-based investment group, hosted its demo day on Wednesday with the top 10 startups from its Female Founder Accelerator program.

The demo day coincided with International Womens Day and featured women-led businesses focused on sustainable development goals (SDGs). The accelerator programs first cohort accepted 30 startups from a pool of over 220 applicants across 76 countries.

The 10 startups are pitching for a spot in the top five to be eligible for one-on-one mentorship and up to 50,000 in cash rewards and prizes that will be awarded next month, the group said.

Heres a breakdown of Thousand Faces' top 10 startups the Female Founder Accelerator:

Company name: Kleiderly

What it does: Recycle textile waste

Founder: Alina Bassi

Country: Germany

The pitch: Kleiderly recycles unwanted textile waste and turns that into its patented plastic alternative in hopes of replacing the need for plastics. The material aims to replace oil-based plastics and produce items ranging from eyewear to suitcases, Bassi said during demo day. To date, it has saved 20,000 shirts from going to landfill, Bassi added. The startup estimates each corporate customer can save about 12,500 kilograms of CO2e, equivalent to 1.5 million smartphones charged or 13,800 pounds of coal burned.

Company name: SALUBATA

What it does: Shoes made of recycled plastic

Founder: Yewande Akinse

Country: Nigeria

The pitch: SALUBATA makes patented modular shoes from recycled plastic waste in an effort to decrease the global carbon footprint. The shoes are customizable and are also available as NFTs. The startup has strategic partnerships with companies like Amazon and Faire and has sold over 6,000 shoes to date. It is currently registered in Nigeria, France and the U.S. and is looking to raise $3 million to scale globally, Akinse shared.

Company name: SOULA (legal name MAMATECH Inc.)

What it does: Pre- and post-pregnancy app

Founder: Natallia Miranchuk

Country: Cyprus

The pitch: The SOULA app is an AI-powered guide for 24/7 informational and mental health support during pregnancy, birth and postpartum care. The application provides personalized educational content and emotional support with a virtual assistant or pocket version of a doula. It is currently raising a seed round to invest in business development and grow its product development.

Story continues

Company name: AkwaaPay

What it does: Payments solution

Founder: Christine Dikongue

Country: Canada and Nigeria

The pitch: AkwaaPay leverages web3 infrastructure to help African businesses and individuals make and receive payments internationally. The platform allows users to receive money in their wallets in cryptocurrencies or convert it to local currencies. The startup launched its beta product in Q4 2022 and has 384 users registered across three countries. It hopes to expand in 15 different currencies across 44 countries by the end of the year, Dikongue said during her pitch.

Company name: Jonda Health

What it does: Health network with patient-facing app

Founder: Suhina Singh

Country: Singapore

The pitch: Jonda Health aims to improve health data available to patients. Its building out a Lego-like tech stack to provide a host of capabilities to clients to improve care coordination, reduce costs and improve health outcomes for patients, among other things, Singh shared during her pitch. The platform adheres to data privacy laws and uses zero-knowledge encryption to store data in a secure way, Singh added.

Company name: Radava Mercantile

What it does: Links agriculture to financial markets

Founder: Josephine Adeti Otieno

Country: Kenya

The pitch: Radava aims to link small agriculture farmers in sub-Saharan Africa to financial markets. It provides an agricultural commodity exchange market, alternative financing and post-harvest technologies to farmers. The startup also gives farmers the ability to use their produce as collateral to access loans and real-time market information. In the past six months, it has traded over 540 tons on its platform across over 650 customers and users for around $26,000 in revenue, Otieno shared.

Company name: Biiah

What it does: Singing wellness platform

Founder: Xann Schwinn, Suzi Digby Obe

Country: United Kingdom

The pitch: Biiah is an employee wellness platform that aims to make singing accessible in-person, virtually or through an application to establish a daily singing routine and help users improve their health. The platform is focused on large corporations in the U.K. and U.S. and has 12 recurring clients and has had 24 total clients to date, Schwinn said. ExxonMobil is a client, and 92% of employees who used it said it made a positive impact on their workweek, she added.

Company name: Qerat Startup

What it does: Food product

Founder: Salma Essa

Country: Syria

The pitch: Qerat Startup aims to provide food for good, or food security, by using a commonly wasted resource, carob, for nourishment. The prototype consists of coffee, sweetened bread and chocolate and is suitable for diabetic, cardiac and hypertension patients. To date, it has six partners, including UNICEF, and works with 22 farmers and 20 schools.

Company name: CONCAT Tech

What it does: Web development company

Founder: Laura Jardine

Country: U.K./Lebanon

The pitch: CONCAT creates websites for clients internationally while providing long-term, sustainable employment for marginalized communities like refugees. It has over 50 clients across 12 different countries and has generated $90,000 in revenue to date. It also has provided employment to about 15 marginalized refugees and/or female developers, Jardine shared.

Company name: Majik Water
By Shadia Nasralla

(Reuters) -Tullow Oil on Wednesday kept its forecasts for steady output and lower cash flow for this year and downgraded reserves at its TEN field in Ghana, sending its shares lower, even as it reported higher free cash flows for 2022.

The company plans to invest $400 million this year, mainly on its flagship fields in Ghana, expecting free cash flow to come in at $100 million at an oil price of $80 a barrel, or twice that at $100 a barrel, unchanged from previous guidance.

For 2022, free cash flow came in at $267 million, up from $245 million in 2021 and in line with forecasts.

With some tax incentives having run out, higher investments, and new wells only starting in the second half to make up for declining output elsewhere, finance chief Richard Miller told a conference call cash flow would likely be negative in the first half before strengthening thereafter.

Tullow also booked a $391 million impairment mainly due to a reserves downgrade at its TEN field offshore Ghana.

Its overall reserves replacement ratio stood at 90% as the TEN downgrade was offset by Tullow increasing equity in some fields and other "positive revisions", it said.

Tullow's shares fell more than 8% to a two year low, compared with a flat index for European oil and gas firms.

Jefferies analyst Mark Wilson said in an email that even with new production coming onstream in the second half of the year, Tullow's overall production was to expected to remain only steady.

Overall, Tullow expects to produce between 58,000 and 64,000 barrels per day (bpd) this year, after 61,000 bpd in 2022.

The company plans to hedge around 40% to 50% of its output around a year out, Miller told Reuters.

Tullow hedged 33,100 bpd of this year's output and 11,300 bpd of 2024's production at between $55 and $75 a barrel. Last year, its revenue would have been $319 million higher without hedges.

(Reporting by Shadia Nasralla, additional reporting by Muhammed Husain in Bengaluru; Editing by Louise Heavens and Mark Potter)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8)  The consolidation of franchises of public utility vehicles as part of the government's modernization program is still a priority for the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) pending the results of its review of guidelines it will conduct in the following days, an official said Wednesday.

"Sa ngayon [For now], we are focusing on the industry consolidation at yung [and the] timeline based on the commitment ng LTFRB 'yun pa rin sa ngayon [will be followed for now]," LTFRB Technical Division head Joel Bolano told CNN Philippines' The Source.

He was referring to the deadlines earlier announced by the LTFRB, including the Dec. 31 deadline for franchise consolidation.

After a two-day strike, groups which participated decided to end the transport protest. Manibela Chairperson Mar Valbuena said they are holding on to the commitment of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that the provisions of the modernization program will be reviewed so jeepney drivers and operators can keep their livelihood.

Bolano said they were already ordered to review the guidelines and have consultations with transport stakeholders.

New policy guidelines will be issued after issues are settled, he noted.

Under the current rules, franchise owners are required to consolidate or join existing cooperatives.

While they will be consolidated, Bolano explained that the members will still be involved in managing the cooperative. There are provisions in the guidelines that allow the conduct of a mediation or hearing if there will be complaints, he added.

Consolidation is also a requirement to be able to avail of loans to purchase the modernized jeepney units, he noted. A franchise owner will not be able to avail of this assistance if he will not join a cooperative, he said.

Bolano also said the boundary system will be removed since drivers will be receiving salaries from their respective cooperatives. They will be also given other benefits just like what private employees receive, he added.
(PA)

Mercedes face a tense period after starting another Formula One season on the back foot.

That is the view of Martin Brundle, who has described a change of atmosphere at the F1 team following comments from Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton described the Merc as miles away from the Red Bull as he finished fifth in what team principal Wolff dubbed one of my worst days in racing.

Underlining the lack of pace was the increasing unlikelihood of the Mercedes concept for the sports technical regulations, introduced last year, ever clicking into gear to create a title-winning car.

It seems to me that Mercedes went the wrong way in 2022 and refuse to turn around, ex-F1 driver Brundle wrote for Sky Sports.

Even Lewis and Toto were openly expressing their disappointment at certain points of the weekend, and normally they only sing the praises of the teams at Brackley and Brixworth.

It must be tense at the team right now; the quality is there it just needs direction and oxygen to calm heads.

Zero-sidepod concept is not the buzz phrase they'll want to hear again, but the mantra from the team was that to change direction would necessitate a step backwards first before working up and understanding a new philosophy of aerodynamics.

George Russell has already said that he's prepared to suffer that pain for longer term gain. They dogmatically turned the Mercedes into a late winning car last season, but I don't see or hear the appetite for another year like that.
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Following are some of the major events of the life and ministry of Pope Francis, who marks the 10th anniversary of his election as pontiff on March 13.

1936

Dec. 17 - Jorge Mario Bergoglio is born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the son of Italian immigrants.

1969

Dec. 13 - Ordained a priest.

1973

July 31 - Becomes head of the Jesuits in Argentina.

1992

May 20 - Appointed Bishop of Auca and Auxiliary of Buenos Aires.

1998

Feb. 28 - Appointed Archbishop, Primate of Argentina. He becomes famous for commuting to work on public transport, not living in the archbishop's palace and cooking his own meals.

2001

Feb. 21 - Appointed a cardinal by Pope John Paul II.

2005

April 19 - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger elected pope after four ballots, takes the name Benedict. Subsequent leaks show that Bergoglio came second in all the secret ballots.

2013

March 13 - Bergoglio is elected pope after the shock resignation of Pope Benedict. He takes the name Francesco (Francis) and is the first non-European pope in 1,300 years.

July 8 - Makes first pastoral trip outside Rome, visiting the Italian island of Lampedusa and condemns the "globalisation of indifference" to the plight of migrants.

July 29 - During his first news conference onboard the papal plane, Francis says: "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?" -- seen as the most conciliatory attitude to LGBT people by a pontiff.

Nov. 26 - Calls for a deep renewal of the Church in a major document (apostolic exhortation) setting out his papacy.

2014

Feb. 24 - Creates a new body within the Vatican to coordinate economic and administrative affairs.

May 24-26 - Visits the Holy Land. He becomes the first pontiff to lay a wreath at the tomb of the founder of modern Zionism. He also prays in front of the Israeli security wall that is despised by Palestinians.

2015

June 18 - Releases first papal document dedicated to the environment, the encyclical "Laudato Si", urging world leaders to hear "the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor".

Story continues

2016

April 8 - In a document on family life, Francis urges priests to be more accepting of divorced or remarried Catholics and to welcome single parents and LGBT people. But he rejects the notion of same-sex marriage.

June 26 - Says Christians owe apologies to LGBT community and others who have been offended or exploited by the church.

Nov. 2 - Tells reporters the Catholic ban on female priests is forever.

2017

Jan. 2 - Pope Francis says in a letter bishops must show zero tolerance to clergy who sexually abuse children. He begs forgiveness for "a sin that shames us".

June 28 - Cardinal George Pell, appointed Vatican economy minister by Francis, is charged with multiple historical sex crimes in his native Australia. He is initially convicted in Dec. 2018, but then found not guilty in April 2020 on appeal.

July 1 - In major shake-up, Francis replaces Catholicism's top theologian, a conservative German cardinal who has been at odds with the pontiff's vision of a more inclusive Church.

2018

Jan. 30 - Just days after defending a Chilean bishop accused of sex crimes against minors, the pope sends top sexual abuse expert to Chile to investigate. In April, Francis says he made "grave mistakes" in handling the Chile crisis, asks forgiveness.

May 18 - In unprecedented move, all Chile's bishops offer to resign after attending crisis meeting with Pope Francis. In coming months he accepts many of the resignations.

July 28 - Accepts resignation of U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. In Feb. 2019, Francis expels him from the priesthood after the Church finds him guilty of sexually abusing minors -- the first time a cardinal has been defrocked for sexual abuse.

Aug. 25-26 - Visits Ireland, says Church failure to adequately address "repugnant" clerical child abuse crimes in Ireland is a source of shame for Catholics. He begs forgiveness.

Aug. 26 - A former top Vatican official, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, accuses the pope of knowing for years of sex abuse allegations against Cardinal McCarrick; says Francis should resign. Months later, the Vatican accuses Vigano of calumny.

Sept. 22 - The Vatican signs a landmark agreement giving it a long-desired say in the appointment of bishops in China. Critics label the deal a sellout to the Communist government.

2019

Feb. 21 - Pope opens an unprecedented four-day meeting with Catholic leaders from around the world on child sex abuse. Calls for "concrete and efficient measures" to tackle the abuse.

April 19 - Meets South Sudan's previously warring leaders and kisses their feet. Urges them to not return to a civil war.

May 24 - Appoints women to a key Vatican department for the first time. In January 2020, he appoints the first woman to hold a high-ranking post in the Secretariat of State. In August 2020 he appoints six women to Vatican finance council. In November2021 he names a woman to the number 2 position in the governorship of the Vatican City. In March 2022, he introduces a reform saying Catholic women could in future take charge of most departments.

June 2 - During a visit to Romania, the pope asks forgiveness in the name of the Catholic Church for the mistreatment of the Roma people.

2020

Feb. 12 - In an apparent victory for conservative clergy, the pope dismisses a proposal to allow some married men to be ordained in remote areas of the Amazon.

March 7 - The pope cancels all regular public appearances because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Planned trips are also cancelled. On March 27, he holds a solitary prayer service in the vast, empty St. Peter's Square.

Sept. 24 - The pope fires Italian Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu from powerful Vatican post after accusing him of embezzlement and nepotism. Becciu denies wrongdoing. He is indicted for alleged financial crimes in July 2021.

Nov. 5 - Shakes up running of Vatican funds after London property scandal.

Dec. 31 - Suffering a flare-up of a sciatica condition that causes pain in his right leg, the pope misses New Year's Eve and New Year's Day services -- the first time health problems caused him to skip major religious events.

2021

Jan. 11 - Pope Francis, in another step towards greater equality for women in the Roman Catholic Church, changes Church law, saying they can serve as readers at liturgies, altar servers and distributors of communion.

Jan. 21 - A Vatican court convicts Angelo Caloia, a former head of the Vatican bank, on charges of embezzlement and money laundering, making him the highest ranking Vatican official to be convicted of a financial crime.

March 5 - Resuming trips after the COVID crisis, Francis makes first visit by pontiff to Iraq.

July 4 - Has surgery to remove part of his colon, spends 11 days in hospital to recuperate.

July 16 - In blow to conservatives, Francis overturns the decisions of his two predecessors and re-imposes restrictions on the old-style Latin Mass preferred by traditionalist Catholics.

Oct. 29 - U.S. President Joe Biden says after meeting the pope that the pontiff had told him he was a "good Catholic" who can receive communion, widening gulf with conservative prelates.

2022

Feb. 25 - Departing from protocol, the pope visits the Russian embassy to the Vatican to relay personally his concern over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In the following weeks and months he repeatedly calls for an end to the war and grows increasingly critical of Moscow for launching the invasion.

July 24 - Starts six-day visit to Canada where he repeatedly asks forgiveness for sexual abuse at schools for indigenous children run by Catholic orders.

Dec. 31 - Pope Benedict dies in the Vatican monastery where he had lived since his resignation in 2013.

2023

Jan. 11 - The conservative Cardinal Pell dies in Rome. It is later revealed that he had penned an anonymous 2021 memo condemning Francis's papacy as a "catastrophe".

(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Philip Pullella and Frances Kerry)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8)  Traditional jeepneys with the iconic Filipino design may still be used as long as they comply with the standards issued by the government, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) said Wednesday.

Yung iconic jeepney natin, hindi naman sinabi na hindi ho pwede yun. Basta as long as yung ating mga iconic jeep ay maka-comply doon sa parameters or requirements ng Philippine National Standards na inilabas ng DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), LTFRB Technical Division head Joel Bolano told CNN Philippines The Source.

[Translation: Our iconic jeepney, we did not say that is not allowed anymore. As long as our iconic jeep can comply with the parameters or requirements of the Philippine National Standards issued by the DTI.]

For two days, transport groups conducted a nationwide strike to protest the implementation of the governments public utility modernization program.

Among the issues they raised was the replacement of the traditional jeepney units with modernized ones that look like mini buses.

They also noted the hefty price of the modernized jeepney, which costs over 2 million per unit.

Bolano said through the modernization program, old units will be upgraded to ensure safety, comfort, and security of passengers.

I-a-upgrade po natin yung ating mga current unit ng mga jeepney pero hindi ibig sabihin ipe-phase out ang jeepney at tatanggalin sa kalsada, hindi po. Imo-modernize lang po, he added.

[Translation: We will upgrade the current units of jeepney but that does not mean we will phase out them from the roads. We will only modernize.]

RELATED: Manufacturer shares modernized, electric-powered jeep with iconic look

Bolano said loans are available to help in the purchase of modernized units. To qualify for this assistance, franchise owners must first consolidate or join a cooperative.
HA NOI  World leaders have continued sending messages and letters of congratulations to Vo Van Thuong on his election as President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam by the 15th National Assembly.

The leaders of Brunei, Singapore, the Republic of Korea (RoK), Australia, Belarus, Bangladesh, Luxembourg, Nicaragua, ASEAN and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) are among those that have taken the opportunity to congratulate the new President.

In his letter, Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah expressed his wish to cooperate closely with President Thuong in the near future to deepen further the valuable relationship between the two countries, both bilaterally and as close partners within ASEAN.

He expressed praise for the fine friendship between Brunei and Viet Nam and believed that their mutually beneficial comprehensive partnership would continue to be strengthened in the years to come.

In congratulatory letters, President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore said that Viet Nam and Singapore are long-time friends and strategic partners working closely together to propel growth and stability in ASEAN.

They stressed that the profound friendship between the two nations is built on mutual understanding, trust and similarities in interests, on which they established the Digital Economy-Green Economy Partnership earlier this year.

The Singaporean leaders believed the two countries would continue reinforcing cooperation in new areas such as renewable energy and carbon credits. They wish to work closely with President Thuong to further enhance mutually beneficial cooperation, especially in 2023 when the two countries celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of strategic partnership.

President of the RoK Yoon Suk-yeol wrote in his congratulatory letter that he is delighted at the achievements made by the two countries in various areas over the past years. He said he expects to carry forward the Viet Nam-RoK comprehensive strategic partnership in the future and directly discuss ways to develop bilateral ties with President Thuong.

Governor-General of Australia David Hurley sent his warm congratulations to the President and people of Viet Nam on the 50th anniversary of Viet Nam-Australia diplomatic ties.

He expressed his belief that the bilateral relationship between Viet Nam and Australia will continue to flourish based on mutual understanding and their shared vision for peace and prosperity. He wished to continue further deepening bilateral close cooperation together with the Vietnamese President.

Other congratulatory letters and messages were also sent by President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko, President of Bangladesh Abdul Hamid, Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri, President Daniel Ortega Saavedra and Vice President Rosario Murillo of Nicaragua, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn and FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu.  VNS
ABYEI  During a recent visit to Viet Nam's Engineering Unit Rotation 1 in Abyei, UN Under-Secretary-General Atul Khare thanked the Vietnamese peacekeeping forces in Abyei for their positive and effective contributions to UN peacekeeping operations, bringing a better life to local communities.

According to Colonel Mac uc Trong, head of the unit, the unit has so far repaired and upgraded 46km of roads, and ensured traffic on a 50-km route in the Northern Sub-division, contributing to the circulation of goods, stabilising the lives and socio-economic conditions of residents in the Northern Sub-division and the whole Abyei area. The unit has also opened four new patrol routes through the forests with a total length of 46km.

In addition, the Vietnamese engineering team has also rescued more than 100 vehicles of the UN and residents that were stuck due to bad road conditions.

The unit has provided regular maintenance and repair services to the mission's field airport, ensuring its smooth operations. It has also actively coordinated with agencies and units to carry out 50 operations to reinforce and build barracks for agencies and units under the mission, said Trong.

He said the team will continue to show their best performance and strictly abide by the principles and regulations of the UN and the UNISFA, overcoming all difficulties and staying ready for all tasks.

He thanked UN agencies and the UNISFA for supporting the unit in fulfilling its duties as scheduled with utmost safety.

UN Under-Secretary-General Atul Khare highlighted the cooperation outcomes between the UN and Viet Nam across all fields, especially peacekeeping, and expressed his hope to visit Viet Nam to discuss with the country's Government and military leaders issues of shared concern as well as the promotion of bilateral partnership, especially in peacekeeping.

He said that in his prior working session with the Abyei administration, all local leaders appreciated the help and support from the Vietnamese engineering unit to the local community through social welfare as well as humanitarian and charity activities. Viet Nams assistance has met the urgent needs of local residents, especially in upgrading drainage systems, building schools, drilling wells and setting up libraries.

Particularly, the unit also called for Vietnamese donors support to provide Abyei with several computers, enabling students to access information technology and schools to show better performance in management and teaching activities, he said.

The principal of Abyei High School said that with the support of the Vietnamese engineering team, the school has facilities comparable to a university in the South Sudanese capital Juba.

UN Under-Secretary-General Atul Khare asked Viet Nams engineering unit to pay greater attention to repairing bases of the mission, while asking the UNISFA to provide necessary materials for the team to upgrade barracks, with priority given to the construction of a smart barracks at Highway base.  VNS
PNJ believes that giving prominence to the role and capacity of women is not only an intrinsic action, but also represents the companys core value, which is a dedication to its customers.

Gender equality for empowering

A 35-year journey to promote gender equality and empower women at PNJ

PNJ has always given a top priority to raising awareness about the role of women. Notably, five of nine members of the boards of directors are female. Cao Thi Ngoc Dung, chairwoman of the board of directors, is an outstanding case for a female entrepreneur who devotes her whole life to liberating the inner strength of women.

Following the leaderships direction, the company has upheld the spirit of gender equality for female employees. Accordingly, the ratio of female staff at PNJ is 61.3 per cent among 7,199 staff. The ratio of female managers is 57.62 per cent and the ratio of senior managers is 40 per cent.

PNJ has always given a top priority to raising awareness about the role of women, both in families and in society. All PNJ employees have equal opportunities to express their values and contribute to the common success of the organisation.

Empowering women at PNJ is bases on seven principles of UN Women (see the box below).

PNJ flexibly applies UN Womens seven principles to match the companys culture and business activity. We consider that these principles are basic to designing a comprehensive initiative to empower women.

35-year journey to promote gender equality and empower women at PNJ

Gender equality is not about neglecting male roles. The company applies the maternity regime for both male and female staff, and is committed to retaining working positions when they come back after maternity. The company also ensures the maternity benefit regulated by insurance for female staff. Male staff can have five days-off to support their wives for normal births and seven days-off for a caesarean section.

At PNJ, we always listen to staff expectations and respect their health choices. We also offer career orientation for female staff, and simultaneously welcome the difference of genders.

Female entrepreneurs: an inspiration

With the desire to liberate the inner strength of women, we founded the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Women Executives and Entrepreneurs (HAWEE).

HAWEE gathers female executives and entrepreneurs from all business sectors, as well as organisations in the field of manufacturing, trading, and services. The association connects and enhances the power and impact of women by helping them strengthen their leadership and image.

In our long-term vision, we are expanding the female entrepreneurs network on the back of the success of the ASEAN Bridge ++ forum in September 2022. The forums goal was to promote trade in the region, expand opportunities for multi-directional links, and facilitate trade for businesses to develop the regions economy through business events. It also hopes to promote a circular green economy based on sustainable development.

We have established seven principles to empower women, creating an environment for female to promote their abilities and explore their inner strengths. Through these principles, we learn, apply, and tailor programmes relating to gender equality to suit the culture and business activities of the company.

Integrating the gender equality message

Brand image is the message and the declaration of enterprises to affirm their brands value. We spend much time and dedication on marketing programmes on special occasions such as International Womens Day, Vietnamese Womens Day and memorable moments of women.

PNJ pays attention on marketing strategies for special occasions

Thus, we are creating an equal working place and empowering women to help PNJ deeper understand our customers, and take care of them better. Besides this, our customers will also understand our culture and more and more people are interested in joining PNJ.

After a massive effort, in 2022, PNJ was honoured to be named among the Top 5 Enterprises Promoting Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality in the Workplace. Besides this, PNJ was recognised as the most sustainable company in Vietnam in 2022 by the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

PNJ also received the Womens Empowerment Principles Award held by UN Women in recognition of policies and practices to advance gender equality in the workplace, marketplace, and community.
How is your visit to Vietnam this week?

This week, I, along with several senior AstraZeneca regional leaders, are in Vietnam to meet with our key healthcare partners to enhance public-private partnerships between AstraZeneca, the government, and other healthcare organisations as part of our long-term and deepening commitment to the people of Vietnam.

Sylvia Varela, Asia Area vice president, AstraZeneca

We are incredibly proud to have signed two MoUs this week. The first, signed with the Vietnam Ministry of Health, expands our strengthened partnership over the next five years across areas of disease prevention and control, manufacturing, and research and development.

It also solidifies the foundation for our new and ongoing activities with the ministry to build Vietnams health system resilience so that it is ready for future challenges while providing solutions to reduce carbon emissions and the impact of climate change.

AstraZeneca also signed an MoU with Tam Anh General Hospital to enhance the implementation of clinical trials, healthcare workforce capacity development, and ongoing patient support programmes.

These are crucial partnerships that will increase the healthcare capability within Vietnam and support the health system to become more equal, effective, and globally integrated.

What is your experience as a woman leader in healthcare? What is your advice to aspiring women leaders?

Reflecting on my more than 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry, I have been fortunate in my career journey. I have been supported by mentors and been provided with opportunities to broaden my horizons and grow.

When I was in Costa Rica, I had a female mentor and manager who convinced me to make one of the most important decisions in my career, which was moving abroad and exploring opportunities outside my home country. This decision was a leapfrog on my journey and has since opened many doors and taken me to over 20 countries where I learned so much about other cultures and people.

My advice to aspiring women leaders would be to not be afraid to take bold decisions, and believe in themselves and in their readiness for a new challenge.

At the same time, men, and the society as a whole, also play an important role on our path to achieve gender equality. Male leaders need to be mindful of the double standards and implicit bias that women face in and outside the workplace, and then create an open and inclusive environment where all voices are heard.

International Womens Day falls on March 8 and this years theme is DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality. What has AstraZeneca been doing in terms of innovating for gender equality in Asia, including Vietnam?

This years International Womens Day theme focuses on digital innovation helping to achieve a more gender-equal world. At AstraZeneca, we know that unlocking innovation starts with an inclusive and diverse workplace, which is why we strive to create an environment where women are represented, valued, and empowered at all levels.

At AstraZeneca Vietnam, about two-thirds of our local workforce and close to half of the senior leaders are women. In 2020 and 2021, on International Day of the Child Girl, we also partnered with Plan International to organise a Girls Takeover event as part of our Young Health Programme. We invited young girls from Hanoi's high schools to walk in the shoes of AstraZenecas leaders and learn about the business.

In addition, several of our community investment and medical capability uplift programmes are helping to expand local patients access to disease prevention and early detection. A great example is GeneOn, an initiative where we are supporting hospitals to develop in-house, next-generation sequencing labs and providing genetic counselling to help Vietnamese women with breast and ovarian cancer have better access to precision diagnostics.

International Womens Day is not just a day. Its about the actions we take every day to ensure the equal rights of all women and girls. We need to actively create a society that is underpinned by a culture of belonging, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

AstraZeneca to increase early patient access to new medicines in Vietnam Last week marked an important step in AstraZenecas journey in Vietnam. On his visit to Hanoi, Dr. John L. Perez, senior vice president of the Vaccines and Immune Therapies Unit at AstraZeneca, talked to VIRs Bich Thuy about the companys future ambition and ongoing efforts to increase Vietnamese patients early access to new medicines.

MoH and AstraZeneca partner on care for non-communicable diseases The Medical Services Administration (MSA), under Vietnams Ministry of Health (MoH), and AstraZeneca Vietnam signed an MoU on September 20 to partner on the CaReMe  Love Yourself programme for the 2022-2025 period, aiming to enhance the quality of care for cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic diseases.

AstraZeneca honoured in Vietnams top 100 best places to work 2022 AstraZeneca Vietnam has been recognised as one of Vietnams top 100 best places to work in 2022, making it the fourth consecutive year that the company has won the recognition.

AstraZeneca earns plaudits for vaccine success in Vietnam AstraZeneca Vietnam has received a certificate of merit from Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for the companys exceptional contributions to Vietnams vaccine diplomacy efforts.
The Hao Khi Thang Long exhibition is aimed at honouring the art careers of two Vietnamese artists. It hopes to share the cultural and artistic values of paintings by Nguyen Anh Thuong and Vu Thi Hong Ngoc with the community.

After the generation of Indochina artists from 1925 to 1945, Vietnamese art was followed by generations of talented painters trained in the resistance and after peace in 1954. Painter Nguyen Anh Thuong (Nguyen Vu) is one of them. Thuong, who was born in 1930, was one of the excellent students on the same course as To Ngoc Van (1955-1957) at the Vietnam Fine Arts College.

Throughout his artistic journey, he created symbolic paintings which depict Vietnam's historical and social context with great fluctuations in the 20th century. Despite the harshness of history, Vietnam and its people have overcome great challenges.

Meanwhile, female artist Vu Thi Hong Ngoc, who was born in 1945, graduated from the University of Industrial Fine Arts in 1978. Her paintings highlight simplicity and truth, and evoke impressive emotions about historical sites such as ancient pagodas and temples.

Other paintings are about street corners at the time of changing seasons, river wharves, and peaceful bamboo groves in the countryside. All of her works exude a soul of artistic love for nature and humanity.

The paintings belong to Phan Minh Ha's private collection. The exhibition is not only rich in bright colours, but also spreads a romantic, positive, and loving spirit to the viewers.

Paintings feature the buffalo  zodiac sign for 2021 The buffalo, the zodiac sign for 2021, is the theme of a painting exhibition that opened at the Da Nang Fine Arts Museum in central Da Nang city on January 21.

Foreign artist impressed by Vietnams charm Jeffrey Wandly is a Singaporean painter who likes to explore the local culture and daily life in Vietnam. Wandly talked with VIRs Hong Quang about his keenness to the unique culture on the occasion of the National Cultural Conference 2021, the second of its kind since 1946 held this week.
The partnership will involve the integration of Mastercards Cyber & Intelligence (C&I) products and solutions into Vestas transaction guarantee platform, and will allow businesses to eliminate online fraud, approve more transactions, and grow their business.

Mastercards partnership with Vesta also reflects the companys ongoing investments in market-leading cyber capabilities that bolster the wider ecosystem. The combination of cybersecurity solutions, including behavioural biometrics, pre-dispute resolution, and identity verification, along with Mastercards market expertise, will provide merchants with 100 per cent fraud chargeback protection. Transactional insights such as payment risk scores and pre-emptive chargeback alerts will also be incorporated.

According to a recent study from Juniper Research, the total cost of ecommerce fraud globally will exceed $48 billion in 2023, from just over $41 billion in 2022. The study found that Asia Pacific accounted for 22 per cent of global fraud.

With an increasing number of consumers choosing to shop online, identity verification, data leak protection, and tackling fraud in real time has become a challenge.

The new partnership will address these problems and help simplify risk management for businesses in the region by providing full protection before, during, and after a transaction, while also offering an enhanced digital payment experience for consumers and strengthening overall trust in ecommerce. The service will be available in the second quarter of this year.

The partnership with Vesta is a great example of Mastercards commitment to building strategic relationships with key players across the payments and technology ecosystems, said Karthik Ramanarthan, senior vice president of C&I at Mastercard Asia Pacific. Mastercard is excited to have the opportunity to work together and deliver on the cybersecurity needs of its customers, making the regions digital economy safer, more seamless, and secure.

We are honoured to partner with Mastercard to innovate in the C&I domain, said Shabab Muhaddes, Vesta senior vice president and Asia Pacific general manager. Through this strategic partnership, firms will benefit from integration into Vestas decision engine to approve more legitimate transactions with zero fraud chargeback liability, allowing them to focus on growing sales and improving customer experience without the fear of fraud.

Mastercard offers new range of benefits and experiences for affluent consumers in Vietnam As consumers increasingly turn to online channels for their everyday purchases, the value propositions on their World and World Elite cards are evolving to derive maximum value.

Mastercard celebrated its Customer Forum 2022 for Vietnamese partners Mastercard, a global technology company in the payments industry, hosted the Mastercard Customer Forum 2022 in Vietnam to connect with its strong network of local financial institutions and issuers, as well as prestigious experts and guest speakers in new finance and payment services.
With the large number of domestic and international visitors post-pandemic, Vietnam's tourism industry has shown signs of recovery. The industry has set a lofty goal this year to welcome 8 million international tourists, despite the lower-than-expected number of foreign visitors last year.

Tourism has a significant impact on the socioeconomic development of different localities, and is considered an on-the-spot export opportunity for several industries, such as agriculture and handicrafts. In 2019, the sector created more than 1.3 million jobs, accounting for 9.2 per cent of the country's GDP, equivalent to almost $33 billion.

There is ample room for Vietnam to boost the number of inbound visitors and surpass the figure of 19 million seen in 2019. Some measures include removing barriers from immigration procedures and strengthening advertising in key and new markets. The country should also build links to increase its competitiveness with other countries, as well as take advantage of new ideas in infrastructure development and tourism products.

VIR will organise the roundtable to provide information for stakeholders and policymakers in the industry. The event will feature discussions with panels of domestic and foreign experts concerning the current situation and possible solutions to boost inbound visitor numbers.

- Time: 8.00-11.30 Wednesday, March 22, 2023

- Address: 6th floor, VIR Headquarters, 47 Quan Thanh street, Ba Dinh district, Hanoi

To participate, please contact: (Ms) Lan Nhung - lannhung@vir.com.vn

Vietnam holds great potential for tourism development for young travellers Vietnam has great potential to develop a toursim market segment for young travellers, heard a workshop organised by the Institution for Tourism Development Research (ITDR) under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Hai Phong works towards target of luring 7.5 million visitors in 2023 The northern port city of Hai Phong will strive to welcome 7.5 million visitors in 2023 by strengthening connectivity with domestic and foreign localities in developing tourism products to meet the demand from major markets.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8)  Jeepneys and UV express units will return to their usual routes on Wednesday after transport groups Manibela and PISTON (Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide) announced they are ending their nationwide strike late Tuesday night.

Manibela chairperson Mar Valbuena told CNN Philippines that Malacanang has agreed to their request to scrap the mandatory phase out of traditional jeepneys. The Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, however, will proceed.

The announcement comes after a private meeting was held by Valbuena, PISTON president Mody Floranda, and Undersecretary Roy Cervantes.

"Panghahawakan namin ang pahayag ng ating mahal na Pangulo Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. na bukas ang administrasyon sa pagaaral at pagaanalisa ng implementasyon ng PUV Modernization Program upang mapanatili ang kabuhayan ng ating PUV drivers at operators," Valuena said.

[Translation: We're holding President Ferdinand 'Bongong' Marcos Jr. to his word that his administration is open to studying and analyzing the implementation of the PUV Modernization Program so that the livelihood of our PUV drivers and operators will be maintained.]

According to the Palace statement, Marcos asked the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to use the consolidations extended deadline till Dec. 31 to study provisions under the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (Department Order No. 2017-011).

Ito ay upang siguruhin na naisaalang-alang ang bawat aspeto ng implementasyon ng programa, kabilang ang pagdinig sa mga hinaing ng ating mga driver at operator, the statement said.

[Translation: This is to ensure that all aspects of implementing the program are considered, including the concerns of our drivers and operators.]

The chief executives directives also include asking the agencies to conduct wide and extensive consultations with drivers, operators, and commuters in regard to implementing the PUVMP.

However, another transport strike may happen if the dialogues to be conducted in the following weeks fail, Valbuena told CNN Philippines New Day on Wednesday morning.

In a separate statement, LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III welcomed the development. He said it is an opportunity for all involved parties to help each other come up with an effective public transportation modernization program that is responsive and inclusive not only of their needs but also that of the commuting public.

He also assured transport groups that the LTFRB remains open to having dialogues with them to further improve the implementation of the PUV Modernization Program and to help drivers and operators throughout the process.

Manibela also apologized to all the commuters inconvenienced by the halted transportation protest and thanked them for their patience.

Manibela and PISTON said they will be releasing a joint statement on the details of the meeting.
Established in September 2022, WeLead is a network of trailblazing women leaders who are driving change towards a more equal, professional, and sustainable future. Its mission is to uplift and empower female entrepreneurs and women-led businesses through transformative change, collaborative efforts, and creative solutions.

WeLead founder Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, founder of WeLead shared, We take a proactive and collaborative approach to driving change. We work closely with our network of domestic and international partners to develop initiatives, programmes, and resources that address the unique challenges faced by women entrepreneurs and businesses. Our focus is on providing practical, actionable solutions that empower women to achieve their full potential.

The company will take part in an online talk show on March 8 organised by Vietnam Investment Review. To assess the role and contributions of women entrepreneurs in the development of enterprises, the event titled Women entrepreneurs: inspirational people for business networking, will be livestreamed on vir.com.vn, baodautu.vn and VIRs Facebook pages.

At the event, female influencers from various groups and associations will share their personal stories and insights into how women can be the change they wish to see.

The participants will also make appropriate recommendations to help businesses set standards and establish a fair working environment, supporting women to improve their position in business, thereby contributing to promoting social and sustainable development.

Vietnam expects to see 27 per cent of women-led entrepreneurs out of all enterprises by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030, with an aim to meet the UNs Sustainable Development Goals on gender equality and work/economic growth.

According to the Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs 2021, Vietnam ranks sixth among the countries with the highest percentage of female entrepreneurs and is the only Asian representative in the global top 10. According to statistics from the Vietnam Association for Women Entrepreneurs, the number of female-owned small- and medium-sized enterprises has increased rapidly in recent years and currently accounts for a quarter of the total number active in Vietnam, the highest in Southeast Asia.

On the topic, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said, Vietnamese women have made great contributions to the nations revolutionary cause throughout history, then and now. Female entrepreneurs have become the ones who transmit positive energy to employees and associates; maintain business operations, help businesses overcome difficulties, accompany in realising the governments dual goals of both effective disease prevention and economic recovery and development.

Nguyen Ngoc My - Vice chairwoman Alphanam Group Being present for the young entrepreneur generation, we have the desire to connect with each other to improve the position of the Vietnamese entrepreneur community to world-class level. When I was young, I listened to the discussion between my parents and other entrepreneurs about their preoccupation to take the Vietnam brand across the globe. If each entrepreneur thinks and acts for this general target instead of private targets, we will establish a closed link network in the entrepreneur community. Our generation grew up in the era of social networks, and we are used to the mindset that we are not individual successful entrepreneurs, and want to build a successful community. Like many other entrepreneurs, I pursue the philosophy of living to the fullest, optimising all our wisdom and resources, and doing the best things for myself, my family, my business, and society, whether it is for health or money. Alongside the job, I want to spread positivity to society. I am also the initiator and operator of the Alphanam Green Foundation, which promotes initiatives for environmental protection and social development, towards building greener, cleaner, and more beautiful cities. I also established the VietSeeds Foundation, aiming to support Vietnamese students to approach higher education, and I am a member of the patronage council of the Fund to Support Community Development and Sustainable Living. Dinh Thi Thu Hoai - Executive director Vietnam Business Coalition for Womens Empowerment All female entrepreneurs, through their successful business stories and social activities, play pioneering roles in changing the awareness of gender equality in businesses, especially in small- and medium-sized enterprises. Workplace gender equality (WGE) is still a relatively new concept for Vietnamese enterprises. We are assisting other organisations in educating themselves with WGE knowledge, assessing the situation, and achieving gender equality by acting and utilising relevant assessments and strategies. So far, we have been widely recognised as a WGE centre of excellence in Vietnam by both the business community and social organisations. Vietnamese firms, particularly large corporations, are increasingly focused on long-term development goals and WGE-related issues in particular. In Vietnam, awareness of gender equality in the workplace is still quite low. Some business leaders still believe that it entails having a perfectly balanced workforce in terms of male-female ratio, or preferential practices for women. However, we must recognise that gender equality benefits both genders. Vietnamese women are just as eager as males to advance and obtain senior management positions, and 84 per cent of people from both genders said they aspire to senior management jobs. This figure is greater in Vietnam than in other surveyed nations in the region. Tran Phuong Ngoc Thao - Member of the Board of Directors Phu Nhuan Jewelry With the desire to liberate the inner strength of women, we founded the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Women Executives and Entrepreneurs (HAWEE). Being a social, voluntary, and professional association for businesswomen, HAWEE gathers female executives and entrepreneurs from all business sectors, as well as organisations in the field of manufacturing, trading, and services. The association connects and enhances the power and impact of women by helping them strengthen their leadership and image. PNJ also cooperates with members of HAWEE to organse meaningful social activities to support disadvantaged women and help them to overcome difficulties. For a long-term vision, we are expanding the female entrepreneurs network on the back of the success of the ASEAN Bridge ++ forum in September 2022. The forums goal was to promote trade in the region, expand opportunities for multi-directional links, and facilitate trade for businesses to develop the regions economy through business matching events. It also hopes to promote a green circular economy based on sustainable development. We have established seven principles to empower women, creating an environment for the female to promote their abilities and explore their inner strengths. Through these principles, we learn, apply, and tailor programmes relating to gender equality to suit the culture and business activities of the company.

Women-led SMEs in Vietnam to be supported by new financing Women-led businesses comprise about 60 per cent of all micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises in Asia and the Pacific. However, these enterprises face capital constraints which hamper their growth and development.

From perception to action for women The global economy is changing with the Fourth Industrial Revolution presenting great opportunities and challenges for women entrepreneurs and women-owned enterprises in accessing and entering the digital economy.
An SUV smashed through the front wall and windows of Czech Stop at about 7 p.m. Monday. No injuries were reported, though the damage is extensive to the glass and brick partition at the front of the store, on the Interstate 35 access road at Exit 353 in West.

Despite the wreckage, the connected Little Czech Bakery next door, known for its kolaches and other baked treats, lost no time reopening its bakery Tuesday, Mayor Tommy Muska said.

Gas pumps were also operational Tuesday.

Muska said the car, an electric vehicle, was brand new to the driver, who thought the vehicle was in reverse when she pressed the accelerator pedal to back out.

Electric vehicles, or hybrids operating on only their electric motors, produce instant maximum torque, which can cause a much quicker start to movement than the ramp up to speed with a traditional internal combustion engine. The vehicle shot into the front of the store, smashed through a seating area and stopped several feet inside.

Muska said this is not the first time a car has crashed into the Czech Stop. It happened once a long time ago, he said, and during the initial repair steel posts were installed at the front of the store to prevent the accident from happening again.

However, the car on Monday went in at such an angle that it missed the barriers, squeezing between them without leaving a scratch on either side, he said.

Were just all very fortunate that nobody was standing in front of the car at that time and nobody was sitting out on those benches, Muska said.
The parents and doctor of a baby who died at a Waco day care in 2013 testified Tuesday for the prosecution in the fifth day of testimony in the owners murder trial.

The trial of Marian Fraser, 59, continues this week in Wacos 19th State District Court. Fraser is accused in the March 4, 2013, death of 4-month-old Clara Felton, whose autopsy determined she died of a lethal dose of diphenhydramine, or Benadryl. The state accuses Fraser of giving Clara that deadly dose of Benadryl at her home-based Spoiled Rotten Day Care on Hilltop Drive. An appeals court overturned Frasers 2015 murder conviction in the case and she was later granted a new trial. Fraser has denied giving Clara any Benadryl. Claras grandfather is McLennan County Judge Scott Felton.

Claras parents, Loren Felton and Perry Felton, each testified that they did not give Clara any Benadryl.

Neither Perry nor I gave Clara diphenhydramine that day and the only person who could have was Marian, Loren Felton said under questioning from McLennan County Assistant District Attorney Tara Avants.

Perry Felton talked about a cellphone video of Clara taken at his parents home the day before she died, and McLennan County prosecutor Will Hix showed the video to the jury. In the video Clara can be seen smiling, bright-eyed and appearing healthy as she looks off camera toward a womans voice, playing a game with her.

Perry Felton said he did not give Clara any Benadryl. He said he would not have authorized Spoiled Rotten to do so.

Avants asked Loren Felton about sudden infant death syndrome being listed as the cause of death at the hospital emergency room the night Clara died.

SIDS never made sense to me or Perry, Loren Felton said.

On cross-examination, Frasers defense attorneys asked Loren Felton about her daughters autopsy report and how it had been amended.

Im not aware of a second autopsy report, Loren Felton said. The preliminary autopsy listed undetermined, before the toxicology reports came back (weeks later).

Christy Jack, Frasers lead defense attorney, also asked her about a conversation she had with one of the child care licensing investigators who inspected Spoiled Rotten in the weeks following Claras death.

Did you ask, What if Marian didnt give a lethal dose of Benadryl? Jack said.

I dont recall that, Loren Felton responded. If I did say something like that, I was asking about Sherri, the woman who worked for Marian at that time.

First on the witness stand Tuesday was Claras doctor, Patricia Wilcox, a family practice physician in Waco who said 20% to 30% of her patients are infants, children or teenagers.

Wilcox told attorneys for both sides several times that diphenhydramine is not indicated for children younger than 2 and she would not recommend it for any child that young. Wilcox said she only advises it for adults, teens, older children and in rare cases for children between 4 and 6.

Jack asked Wilcox if she knows of parents giving Benadryl in small amounts to babies on flights and other long trips. Wilcox said she would not advise the practice to her patients and emphasized that the drug can cause death in infants.

Based on the rate at which a babys body processes diphenhydramine, and the time at which Clara was found unresponsive, she would have had to receive the fatal dose between 11:30 a.m. and noon the day she died, Wilcox said. Prosecutors then showed the jury Claras bottle and nap record from Spoiled Rotten the day she died, which indicates her parents gave her a bottle at about 7:45 that morning and she received another at day care at about 11:45 a.m.

Avants and Wilcox also prepared a demonstration for the jury of a pill crusher and a generic Benadryl tablet, both similar to what was shown Thursday in investigative photos of Frasers kitchen taken by a child care licensing investigator about 7 weeks after Clara died.

They crushed a pill. Then they prepared baby formula with water in a clear bottle and mixed it up. The baby formula by itself looked to be about the color of oatmeal. Then they poured the crushed generic Benadryl pill into the bottle of formula, and Wilcox shook it up again. The formula looked the same as it did before mixing in the crushed pill.

The formula mixed with the crushed pill also matched the description of the contents of Claras stomach from the autopsy report, Wilcox said. And she said it matched the description of the vomit found in Claras playpen next to her when she was found unresponsive.

Defense attorneys asked Wilcox about the untested contents of Claras stomach. She allowed that more would be known if the contents had been tested during the babys autopsy.

Avants asked Wilcox what symptoms might present in an infant under long term exposure to small doses of Benadryl. Wilcox said symptoms could include thickening secretions of the ear, nose, throat and lungs; vomiting; racing and out-of-rhythm heartbeat; and death.

Defense attorney Letty Martinez asked Wilcox whether she would expect more than one death if someone were giving dozens of babies Benadryl over long periods of time.

Clara died, Wilcox said.
To waive or not to waive. That was the dilemma facing McLennan County commissioners Tuesday as they debated late fees on taxes due Jan. 31.

Commissioner Jim Smith said he believes commissioners should accommodate taxpayers who file written requests that their penalty and interest be waived. He said closing the county tax office due to icy weather the afternoon of Jan. 30 is a mitigating factor in his decision.

But County Judge Scott Felton said taxpayers had options, including paying online or placing their payments in a drop box outside the tax office.

We have to think about the other taxpayers, those who did manage to pay on time, Felton said.

He said commissioners could set a bad precedent if the public senses they are not digging deeply into each waiver request.

When the smoke cleared, the court approved granting waivers to eight of 12 taxpayers appearing on Tuesdays agenda. They rejected outright the requests of three taxpayers, and denied requests by real estate investor Jud Griffis on three of the multiple properties he owns, approving the others.

Payments for Griffis properties that were rejected were postmarked Feb. 15, which most commissioners felt was too long after the Jan. 31 deadline to warrant a waiver. Griffis said Monday in an interview he thought the tax office should have acted in a more timely fashion upon learning taxpayers were facing possibly unwarranted penalties.

Some requesting waivers mentioned hazardous driving conditions that kept them homebound. One said her driveway had iced over, and her internet service was a weather casualty. Commissioners looked favorably upon those who personally visited the tax office the day it reopened, Feb. 2, to settle their accounts.

County Administrator Dustin Chapman and legal counsel Mike Dixon, with the Haley & Olson law firm, advised commissioners during the process, having examined each request for compliance with state law.

When waivers were granted, commissioners most often applied a provision of the Texas Property Tax Code that authorizes a governing body to waive interest and penalty if a taxpayer submits sufficient evidence to show that the taxpayer delivered payment for the property tax prior to the delinquency date to the United States Postal Service for delivery by mail but an act or omission of the postal service resulted in the payment being postmarked after the delivery date, or a private delivery service for delivery but an act or omission of the postal service resulted in the payment being delivered after the delivery date, according to a summary Chapman provided.

Commissioners, during their discussion, also mentioned a provision of the Tax Code that allows waivers if an act or omission of an officer, employee, or agent of the taxing unit caused or resulted in the taxpayers failure to pay the tax before the delinquency and such taxes are paid within 21 days of the date such taxes were due, Chapman said.

U.S. Postal Service spokesperson Carol Hunt told the Tribune-Herald it had no reports of delivery disruption during the period in question.

Logistically speaking, the issue could prove nightmarish for taxpayers requesting relief and for governmental bodies weighing the requests. Waivers commissioners granted Tuesday apply only to county taxes. School boards, city councils and the McLennan Community College board of trustees must consider waiver requests applicable to the taxes they impose.

The McLennan County Tax Assessor-Collectors office mails out notices for all taxing entities, but the county does not hold waiver hearings for others.

Commissioners and other taxing entities may face months of waiver requests. The time frame for appealing delinquency stretches 180 days, or about six months, county officials said Tuesday.

Penalties and interest begin to accrue Feb. 1, when a 6% penalty and 1% in interest attaches to taxes owed. The levy for both penalty and interest increases by one percentage point each month thereafter. The county after several months will assign the delinquencies to a provider of legal services for collection, said Kathy Hollomon, chief deputy at the county tax office.

Waco Assistant City Manager Paul Cain in a statement said, in part, Staff is evaluating the methods available to the city to address the concerns raised regarding penalties and interest on delinquent tax payments within the parameters of State Law. Once a path forward is identified, staff will present this information to the City Council for their consideration.

Bellmead City Manager Yost Zakhary said the city will take requests on a case-by-case basis, if it receives any.

We havent had a single call on it, and I just checked with our finance folks, Zakhary said. If we get requests, we will take them to legal and evaluate each one on whether it has met the burden of proof as prescribed by state law. We also will look at previous history. If this is the first time they were late, we likely will recommend a waiver.
NE Riverside meeting

The North East Riverside Neighborhood Association will have a general meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the East Waco Library, 901 Elm Ave.

The program will include a Womens History Month presentation and community updates.

STEAM focus on wind

The March science, technology, engineering, art and math classes at the Waco Family YMCA will focus on wind power education.

The class for ages 3-6 will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. March 20. The deadline to register is Monday.

The class for ages 6-12 will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. March 27. The deadline to register is March 20.

Cost for each class is $15 for members, $20 for nonmembers.

For more information, contact Crystal Hernandez at chernandez@ymcactx.org or 254-776-6612.

Food giveaway Saturday

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 1312 Dallas St., will have a food giveaway from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday.

For more information, call 254-495-5292.

Free legal clinic

Greater Waco Legal Services will have its monthly free legal clinic from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at El Calvario Presbyterian Church, 3100 N. 19th St.

The clinic provides free 20-30 minute consultations on a first-come, first-served basis.

Appointments are strongly recommended and can be made by calling 254-733-2828 or emailing staff@greaterwacolegalservices.org.

Library activities

Childrens librarians from the Waco-McLennan County Library will lead storytimes and free tours of local attractions starting at 10:30 a.m. daily during spring break.

Wednesday: Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum, 100 Texas Ranger Trail

Thursday: Bear Habitat, Fifth Street and M.P. Daniel Esplanade

Friday: Storywalk celebration at Dewey Community Center, 925 N. Ninth St.

Ranger roundup

The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, 100 Texas Ranger Trail, will have its annual Spring Break Roundup from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Texas Ranger reenactors and an actual Texas Ranger will be on hand. Activities are included with regular museum admission.

Texas Ranger Talks are at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Reenactors will be on site from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Lightyear screening

The South Waco Library, 2737 S. 18th St., will offer a free screening of Lightyear from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday.

Participants should bring chairs and blankets to sit on under the stars, and bring their own drinks. Popcorn will be provided.
ASHLAND  An Environmental Protection Agency attorney who oversees enforcement in Nebraska said its unlikely AltEn, the former biorefinery near Mead that used pesticide-coated seed to make ethanol, will be designated a Superfund site.

David Cozad, the director of EPA Region 7s enforcement and compliance assurance division, told more than a dozen people at a community meeting in Ashland last week the agency believes the seed companies that sent AltEn their unused products are ultimately responsible for the cleanup.

We have a fundamental principle that we operate under when were working on this kind of site and thats the polluters should pay, not the taxpayers, Cozad told Saunders County residents and members of a research team studying the former ethanol plants impact on the environment and human health.

Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) passed by Congress in 1980, the EPA has the authority to clean up contaminated sites or order the parties responsible for the contamination to do the cleanup or reimburse the government for costs incurred.

Cozad said in the case of AltEn, the law better known as Superfund would likely not apply because the pesticides found in high concentrations at the plant are not deemed hazardous, limiting the EPAs authority to deal with them.

As one of the toughest sites hes worked on during his 30 years at the agency, Cozad said both the EPA and the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy believe responsibility rests with the agri-chemical companies that sent discarded seed to AltEn at no cost.

Six of those companies  Corteva Agriscience, Syngenta, Bayer, Becks Superior Hybrids, AgReliant and Winfield Solutions  agreed in June 2021 to shoulder the cost and burden of cleaning up the site through a voluntary cleanup program that allows third parties to assume responsibility at no cost to taxpayers.

The Nebraska Voluntary Cleanup Program was created in 2006 through a memorandum of agreement between the Department of Environment and Energy and the EPA to "facilitate the expeditious cleanup of contaminated sites."

According to the state environmental department, it also "offers protection from federal Superfund enforcement for those eligible sites that successfully complete cleanup" through the voluntary program.

After enrolling in the program, the so-called AltEn Facility Response Group hired Newfields, an environmental engineering and construction firm, to oversee the remediation efforts, and according to attorneys representing the companies, has spent more than $28 million since assuming responsibility for the site two years ago.

Cozad said the EPA believes the voluntary program is the right approach for the unique situation at AltEn and said the agency is 100% in support of NDEE being in the lead on this project while it continues to offer technical and legal support.

There are, under federal law, several ways in which (the seed companies) are responsible for cleaning up this contamination, he said. Theyve chosen to carry out that responsibility through the voluntary cleanup plan, which we support.

And as long as they continue to work and make progress through that cleanup plan, I think were comfortable with that approach, he added.

Mounting frustrations

Several individuals who took part in last week's meeting with EPA Region 7 officials said they did not share Cozads confidence in the approach to the cleanup, however.

Joan Schrader, a retired veterinarian and research scientist, said many residents who live near AltEn felt the Department of Environment and Energy failed to act with urgency in bringing the ethanol plant to heel when it was obvious an environmental crisis was taking shape.

NDEE has not fostered much goodwill in the way they have handled this from the onset, Schrader said. I dont think theres a lot of trust there.

Both she and Stan Keiser, whose property 6 miles downstream from AltEn was the collection point for pesticide-contaminated wastewater running away from the facility in violation of state environmental regulations, also said the slow rate of progress has yet to stop pesticide pollution from moving offsite.

Researchers from the University of Nebraska and Creighton University found concentrations of pesticides in streams and ditches running away from the plant have subsided in the two years since AltEn shut down, but have also discovered neonicotinoids in blood and urine samples, in detectable levels of soil taken near the water table, and in dust and air samples gathered from area homes.

Schrader, in an email to the EPA that initiated the meeting, said until the contaminated material was properly disposed of, she felt like she was living on a nuclear waste dump waiting for the radioactivity to fade.

Last month, two years after state regulators ordered AltEn to stop pumping wastewater into its damaged lagoon system, the Department of Environment and Energy approved a plan to pump treated wastewater with reduced concentrations of pesticides to area farmland.

The seed companies are also expected to submit a plan for disposing of nearly 100,000 tons of pesticide-laden wet cake, sludge and other solids now entombed under cement and clay  the second of three expected phases of the remediation effort  later this spring.

Meanwhile, state and federal regulators are anticipating a third plan looking at addressing groundwater and soil affected by AltEns ethanol production in the surrounding area, but the timeline for when that plan could be submitted and approved is unclear.

Were (at) the third stage of the process and theyre not even through the first stage yet, said Keiser, whose private well that supplies his familys farm has shown the presence of neonicotinoids, but far below levels deemed concerning for human health, so I dont know when our stage is going to get cleaned up.

Cozad said the work done to control stormwater runoff, minimize dust and airborne emissions and other activities has stabilized the facility, and said the Facility Response Group has been successful in reducing the amount of pesticides present in wastewater.

But he also acknowledged there is often tension on environmental cleanup projects between doing it fast and getting it right, and said the methodical approach is often best.

You dont want to go down a route on a cleanup approach that isnt ready because you rushed it, he said, adding he has full faith in the state environmental department to continue managing the project, and believes the solid waste will be addressed at the same pace and have the same outcome as the wastewater.

Insiders and outsiders

In December, Cozad and others from the EPA met with Jim Macy, director of the Department of Environment and Energy, state Sen. Bruce Bostelman of Brainard, who represents Saunders County, and about 10 residents of Mead to address their concerns.

At that meeting, according to multiple people who attended, members from the community told the EPA they did not want AltEn to be named a Superfund site.

That was news to many who live outside of Mead's village limits, particularly those living downwind or downstream of the ethanol plant, or close to where wet cake or wastewater has been land-applied, who are not part of the monthly meetings.

In a statement, NDEE said it has hosted two public information sessions and three public hearings as it considered renewing permits or approving remedial action plans, and keeps the public updated via its website and public records portal.

The department said it has chosen to not invite more residents to its monthly meetings for a reason:

"The Mead community group is the most directly affected by the AltEn site. NDEE wants to be sure the community members are informed when they see activity taking place at the facility."

But residents and members of the Perivallon Group, a coalition of researchers, advocates and community members that has coordinated a response to the environmental crisis, said the problem created by AltEn extends well beyond Mead.

"It is questionable for any state or federal agency to claim that AltEn is primarily a 'Village of Mead problem' and to justify meeting with a select group as the only affected people," said John Schalles, a professor of biology at Creighton University who is part of the research team studying the plant's impacts.

"This unique environmental catastrophe is a Saunders County and Nebraska problem," he added.

Drainage channels that collected and moved wastewater from AltEn eventually join with the Platte River near Ashland and ultimately the Missouri River, Schalles explained, while high concentrations of neonicotinoid pesticides have been located in areas where wet cake was dumped.

Former state Sen. Al Davis, who is now a registered lobbyist for the Nebraska chapter of the Sierra Club, said the closed-door meetings are "a breathtaking breach of trust" by the state environmental department.

"There is no justification for NDEE to hold private and secret informational meetings with a small, selected group while excluding other victims of this disaster as well as the media," Davis said. "All citizens across Nebraska deserve timely and accurate information about this disaster to make the best decisions about how to protect themselves and their families from harm."

Jody Weible, whose efforts to draw attention to AltEn started in 2018, is part of the small group of Mead residents who meet monthly with officials from the Department of Environment and Energy and representatives from the seed companies.

Now that they have a direct line to the ear of the entities responsible for cleaning up the site, Weible said the town doesn't want to lose that access.

"I think that we have a working relationship with NDEE where they trust us, Newfields trusts us, and nobody wants to upset that apple cart," Weible said.

Bostelman, who has taken part in the meetings, said he believes the current process is working.

"The community leaders are supportive of it, cleanup is happening and has been happening, so we need to continue down that path," he said. "I think we've come a long way, there's more to be done, obviously, but we're going down that path."

Carrot vs. stick

The question of whether or not AltEn would qualify to be designated as a Superfund site has lingered since the environmental concerns at the plant first gained national attention two years ago.

The residents of Mead are no stranger to the federal governments environmental cleanup program: the EPA named the former Nebraska Ordnance Plant a national priority in the mid-1990s after several chemical solvents and explosive residues were discovered to have leached into the groundwater.

Since that time, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has managed an extensive network of monitoring pumps and filters to clean an estimated 100 billion gallons of groundwater at a cost of more than $140 million to date.

To Schrader, living near an existing Superfund cleanup for two decades has made her appreciate the expertise, implementation, and monitoring that the EPA can apply to point source pollution, and is something she said should be replicated for AltEn.

We are in desperate need of federal help in this situation, she said.

But Cozad said the type of pollution in AltEns case  agricultural chemicals  is not considered a hazardous substance under CERCLA, which limits the EPAs legal authority to use the program.

The EPA has another tool, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA, governing the disposal of solid waste that Cozad said could be used if state or federal regulators feel AltEn or the seed companies are slow-walking progress or beginning to withdraw from the voluntary program early.

Under one provision of RCRA  section 7003  the EPA can order anyone who has contributed to the past or present handling, storage, treatment, transportation or disposal of any solid or hazardous waste that presents an imminent and substantial endangerment to health or the environment to clean up that waste.

We think the seed companies, by providing the seed at no charge to the ethanol producer, contributed through the disposal of solid waste to creating an endangerment that they are responsible for, Cozad said. If push came to shove, I think we would be prepared to use that authority  not Superfund.

In late November, the EPA used the RCRA statute to order ESE Alcohol, a small biofuel plant that began operating in western Kansas in 1998, as well as Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a subsidiary of Corteva, to clean up several thousand tons of pesticide-contaminated wet cake.

Pioneer supplied ESE Alcohol with 1.3 million bushels of unused treated seed between 2018 and 2021, according to the EPA, while the ethanol plant had land-applied nearly 20,000 tons of wet cake in 2020 and 2021 combined.

A spokesman for Corteva said the company and the ethanol plant are voluntarily working with the EPA to evaluate and determine if there is a need for remediation on the land on which wastewater and solids were applied by ESE Alcohol.

Cozad said while the situations are vastly different  the state of Kansas turned over enforcement to the EPA  he believes the same authority would apply at AltEn. He said the RCRA law incentivizes the seed companies to stay in the voluntary cleanup program.

I believe they are committed to this for the long haul, he said. I think that wasnt clear at the beginning, but its clear now.
WAHOO  Last August, the Saunders County Board of Supervisors signed a contract with Motorola to move ahead on a new 911 emergency radio system. And now, over six months later, the task at hand is to determine where the systems radio towers will be located.

When the $10.8 million project was approved, plans were for six towers within the county to be used, as well as a smaller tower at the countys dispatch center in Wahoo.

Three towers  in Prague, Cedar Bluffs and Ceresco  were already part of the countys current radio system, while an OPPD tower north of Ashland was to be tapped, along with the KZKX tower near Valparaiso. A new, 300-foot tower was planned to be built in Wahoo at 15th and Hackberry streets.

Then, two towers in bordering counties  in North Bend and Elkhorn  would be used to harness connectivity to the Omaha Regional Interoperability Network (ORION), which Saunders Countys system is expected to join once completed.

Of the six towers that the county would need to build new or equip with the systems infrastructure, three are looking like reliable options. Studies are ongoing to determine where certain towers should be located or if others should be erased from the project entirely.

Saunders County Emergency Manager Terry Miller appeared before the county board on Feb. 28 to give a biweekly update on the radio systems progress. He said the availability of the Ceresco and Valparaiso towers are still up in the air, as the Valparaiso tower might not have the structural integrity to support additional radio equipment attachments.

The Ceresco tower, he said, is actually located in Lancaster County, and much of its coverage footprint encompasses Saunders Countys southern neighbor.

For those reasons, Motorola is studying whether the Ceresco and Valparaiso towers could be replaced by the construction of a new tower between and north of the two villages, which are about 11 miles apart.

By reducing the six tower sites down to five, you take away that equipment cost that we were going to have on that sixth tower, Miller said.

It would also mean one less tower for the county to maintain.

As for the proposed Wahoo tower at 15th and Hackberry streets, the location was rejected because of Wahoos city zoning regulations that do not allow towers of that size in residential areas.

The county board has been discussing potential alternative sites in recent months, and several landowners have been approached by the county to gauge interest in leasing their property for the construction of a new Wahoo-area tower. Miller also said a county-owned site west of town is being considered after it had been thought that the location would be in the flight path of the Wahoo Municipal Airport. Another site south of town is being considered as well.

Miller said structural analyses and studies will continue, but he said the countys hired radio system consultant Rey Freeman and Motorola representatives hope to meet with the board in the coming weeks. County Board President David Lutton suggested a discussion be scheduled for the boards March 14 meeting.

Were basically running from ground zero right now, trying to get the sites identified first, and then well go on from there, Miller said. Theres options out there, were just trying to get the correct ones so that we have the best coverage in the county.
WEDNESDAY, March 8, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Opioids pose the greatest poison risk to children in the United States, accounting for more than half of poisoning deaths in infants and toddlers, a new study reports.

About 52% of poisoning deaths of children aged 5 and younger in 2018 involved the ingestion of an opioid, according to findings published online March 8 in the journal Pediatrics.

In fact, it has doubled since 2005, when about 24% of all poisoning deaths were attributable to opioids, said lead researcher Dr. Christopher Gaw, a pediatric emergency physician at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia.

Experts chalk the rise in these child poisonings up to the United States continuing opioid epidemic.

This confirms what we know, which is there are more opioids available in the household, and anytime something is more available, we see that mirrored in poisoning exposures, said Dr. Diane Calello, a pediatric emergency physician and medical director of the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, in Newark, N.J.

Gaw agreed.

The opioid epidemic hasn't spared our nation's infants and young children, he said. They're being affected, too.

This week, news broke about a lawsuit filed against Airbnb by the family of a 19-month-old French girl who died after being exposed to fentanyl at a vacation rental in Florida.

The girl, Enora Lavenir, died in August 2021 after being put down for a nap during a family trip, NBC News reported. An autopsy found that she died of acute fentanyl toxicity, although its not clear how she ingested the powerful synthetic opioid.

The lawsuit alleges that the rental had a history of use as a party house, even though its Airbnb listing advertised it as a peaceful place to stay.

For this study, Gaw and his colleagues reviewed child death review data from the U.S. National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention.

In all, 731 poisoning deaths in children aged 5 and younger were reported to the center between 2005 and 2018. Overall, infants under age 1 accounted for 2 out of 5 poisoning deaths.

During the study period, opioids were involved in about 47% of deaths, followed by over-the-counter pain, cold and allergy medications (15%).

Child deaths owing to opioids more than double

But year by year, child deaths related to opioid exposure increased  more than doubling between 2005 and 2018.

Even a small dose of prescription opioids can put an infant or toddlers life at risk, given their tiny size, said Dr. Sam Wang, a pediatric toxicologist with Childrens Hospital Colorado in Aurora.

And the risk is even greater from synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine.

The amount of fentanyl can vary in these small illicit pills, but it can be enough to kill an adult, let alone a child, Wang said.

We've had cases where young children, typically less than 2 or 3 years of age, come in after ingesting illicit fentanyl, and there have been deaths reported in our state from this, he added. We've had really sick children needing naloxone because of it.

Nearly two-thirds of poisoning deaths occurred in the childs home, the findings showed. Roughly one-third of the kids were being supervised by someone other than their parents when they were poisoned.

Most of these were accidental poisonings, data show.

Kids are curious, kids are active, and we know from experience and from other studies that oftentimes kids are exposed accidentally, Gaw said. They are just exploring their environment and they find an opioid and they end up ingesting it. A lot of these are what we call exploratory ingestion.

Illicit opioids bring particular risks, but Rx opioids are also a threat

Households in which people are taking illicit opioids like heroin or fentanyl pose a particular danger to children, Calello said.

When a child lives in a home with illicit drugs, things like supervision and safety are usually also not as good as they would be under normal circumstances, she said. That's called drug endangerment. Those children are at greater risk not only of poisoning but of [death] by poisoning.

However, prescription opioids are also a poisoning threat to children, one that is often overlooked, Calello added.

Sometimes when parents are taking a medication that they themselves are very familiar with, they don't ascribe danger to that medication. It's a familiar thing, so how can one pill possibly kill a child? she said. So educating parents or adults who are prescribed opioids that they are potentially very dangerous to young children in the home is important.

Wang agreed.

Even legitimate opioids that are not properly stored and kept out of reach of children can cause death, if the child would get into them, he said.

Gaw urged parents to be proactive by storing opioids out of children's reach, under lock and key.

Children are active and curious. They move quickly. Supervising kids is great, but it's not the end all, be all, Gaw said. We like to stress that instead of putting all your effort into supervision, that parents and families should really focus on preparedness and prevention.

How to protect your kids if you are prescribed opioids

Anyone whos being sent home with opioids should be fully educated on the threat the drugs pose to kids, both experts said.

For example, parents and caregivers should know that any opioids not kept in a child-proof prescription bottle pose an immediate threat, Calello said.

Make sure that opioid pills are stored in that prescription bottle with a child-resistant closure. Not in a purse, in a tissue, in a wallet, in a pocket, she said. If theyre not locked up in a child-resistant bottle, its just that much more likely a child is going to get into it.

Research has shown that even tougher unit-dose packaging can better protect kids, Wang said.

When you have to open one small package to get a single dose out, it dramatically decreases unintentional exposures in young children because its not as easy to get into them, he said.

Gaw suggested that people prescribed opioids be sent home with naloxone, the drug that can reverse a potentially fatal overdose.

When we think of naloxone, I think a lot of people think about naloxone for older individuals or adults, but we really want to emphasize that naloxone is a life-saving antidote for anyone of any age, and that includes children, he explained.

Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia has been pursuing a pilot program to distribute naloxone to interested families, Gaw said.

We provide the training, they receive the (naloxone) kits, and theyre able to go home with that potentially lifesaving medicine, he said.

How to tell if a child has ingested opioids

Finally, Calello emphasized that people should not intentionally administer opioids to a child, in a misguided attempt to soothe them.

Its important that people know that a crying infant is not going to be calmed by a small dose of an opioid, Calello said.

A child exposed to opioids will have very small pupils, what we call pinpoint pupil, will act lethargic or difficult to rouse, or have slowed, shallow breathing, Gaw said.

These symptoms should prompt a call to 911, Gaw said.

People who want to know more or are unsure if their child has been poisoned can call the National Poison Control Centers hotline at 800-222-1222, Gaw added.

More information

Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia has more about poison control and prevention.

SOURCES: Christopher Gaw, MD, pediatric emergency physician, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia; Diane Calello, MD, pediatric emergency physician, medical director of the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, Newark, N.J.; Sam Wang, MD, pediatric toxicologist, Childrens Hospital Colorado, Aurora; Pediatrics, March 8, 2023, online
WAVERLY  Controversy surrounding an ongoing bullying problem was front and center Monday for the Board of Education  with Waverly-Shell Rock Community Schools parents expressing frustration at what they believe is a lack of action by the administration.

Before board president Dennis Epley opened the floor for public comment, he said that officials had all heard complaints from parents and members of the community and didnt want to give the impression that matters were being swept under the rug.

Let me assure you, that is not the case, Epley said. Every email regarding school issues I have received, it is read but not all of them are replied to in detail.

Speakers and concerned parents filled the board room beyond its capacity. One of them was City Councilwoman Heather Beaufore, who said she has been approached by more parents nervous to speak. She said they feared backlash from community members or that their children would be bullied if they spoke out.

I think we all need to be accountable for ourselves, for our family and for our own students, said Beaufore. However, I do feel that the board and the administration needs to be accountable for themselves as well. People do like to point fingers and I think everybody in this situation needs to be accountable.

Shawn Ellerbrook shared his own experience while hosting a high school foreign exchange student from Chile. Last month, two students reportedly made comments about killing exchange students as they would be easy and nobody would care about them. One student specifically named Ellerbrooks student, as she had gotten him in trouble in Spanish class.

Ellerbrook said the conversation was confirmed by Principal David Fox, who notified them. Rotary filed a complaint, but Ellerbrook said that a lack of action or response by the district led to the parents and Rotary International terminating the exchange early at a substantial monetary cost. A second student from Asia also opted out of her exchange.

From day one, the administration seemed conflicted on how to proceed, Ellerbrook said.

Ellerbrooks daughter, Ari, also expressed her frustrations to the board.

Our foreign exchange student was one of our closest friends and the actions that this school has taken has been so lackluster, she said. Its been so frustrating as a student walking through the halls  and knowing that nothing happened to him that was enough to make her feel better and for her to feel safe in the school district.

Last month, board policy 503.1 was discussed dealing with student behavior. Board members agreed at the time to look into any possible changes.

On Monday, they voted unanimously to set a goal to create a safer school district. However, parents like Chris and Jamie Holthaus say that they and many others are at their limit, pointing to a lack of action on the part of the administration.

In December, their son, a student at Waverly-Shell Rock Middle School, was reportedly assaulted by another student over a dollar, resulting in a concussion. The Holthauses claim the injury has resulted in recurring headaches that have adversely affected his ability to concentrate.

It is sad that concerns regarding issues in the W-SR school have brought strangers together and very disheartening to hear the issues that these families have been trying to bring to light, Jamie said. Those strangers have found a common platform  change and accountability in the W-SR school district.

The board further agreed to meet to set an outline for what the new goal would constitute before the next meeting in April.

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One touched on the process for the evaluation and termination of employees while the other three discussed the achievement gap between differe
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8)  Oriental Mindoro will conduct a massive coastal cleanup on Friday as more people have fallen ill because of the oil spill.

Latest data from the provincial government showed an additional 25 oil spill related cases  bringing the total to 43.

"We cannot afford na madagdagan nang madagdagan (ang may sakit). Every day na lumilipas is calamitous," Oriental Mindoro Gov. Bonz Dolor told a briefing Thursday.

[Translation: We cannot afford a further increase in cases. Every day that passes is calamitous.]

Dolor said he wanted to start immediately the massive cleanup on Friday, instead of Monday. It will be a concerted effort with various agencies, including the Health, Social Welfare, and Environment departments, he said.

This would also start temporary livelihood programs for affected families, especially in the 78 coastal barangays from nine Oriental Mindoro towns that have declared a state of calamity: Naujan, Pola, Pinamalayan, Gloria, Bansud, Bongabong, Roxas, Mansalay, and Bulalacao.

The slick was caused by the sunken MT Princess Empress, which was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will hire residents for the cleanup efforts. They are from the list of representatives from the affected families. Others will be employed for the cash-for-work program.

So far, around 230 liters of floating oil and 76 drums of oil-contaminated debris that reached the shoreline have been collected.

The PCG also reported it has positioned oil spill booms in waters near Naujan and the Calima River in Pola for the first time as waves calmed down.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he hopes the the cleanup efforts will be over in less than four months.

PCG Commandant Adm. Artemio Abu told a briefing that the country's coast guard eyes to finish it in three months.

"Sa [oil spill sa] Guimaras, experience natin, three months...Let's hope for the best and earliest that we can. 'Yun po ang effort natin," Abu said.

[Translation: During the oil spill in Guimaras, our experience was three months...Let's hope for the best and earliest that we can. That's our effort.]

Japan also said it is sending a disaster relief expert team to support response efforts.

Effects on health

The additional two dozen oil spill related cases prompted Gov. Dolor to push for an immediate massive coastal cleanup.

Authorities have evacuated some residents, especially the elderly and those with underlying illnesses.

"We will be forced to order forced evacuation only for those areas na may oil spill sa tabi ng shore [with oil spill near the shore]," the governor said, if the situation worsens.

He added that they are waiting for the test results of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to determine the safety of marine products for consumption, as well as the results from the Environment Department to determine if the air can affect the health of residents.

The governor reminded locals to wear the N-95 masks for those near the oil spill, and reiterated instructions for local authorities to control residents not to go near affected waters.

CNN Philippines correspondent Currie Cator and digital producer Jelo Ritzhie Mantaring contributed to this report.
WATERLOO  Voters overwhelmingly approved Hawkeye Community Colleges $35 million bond referendum Tuesday in support of three future facility projects that come with expectations of bolstering Iowas workforce and addressing community needs.

According to unofficial results, the measure passed with the 4,562 votes, or 75.2%. A total of 6,063 people voted during the special election across all or parts of Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Chickasaw, Fayette, Floyd, Grundy and Tama counties.

At least 60% of voters needed to approve of the bond measure for it to pass. President Todd Holcomb said he felt humbled that the community believes in us.

Were very excited. Its a vote of confidence in our college and the future plans to meet the needs of our students and our business and industry partners, he said moments after the results came in.

It will have no effect on residents property tax rate because its a 10-year renewal of the levy already in place through the year 2025. Currently, the owner of a $200,000 home pays $2.40 per month.

As part of the first phase, Butler Hall will be renovated and expanded to increase offerings and better accommodate vocational and trades programs, apprenticeships, and certifications under one roof.

The phase also includes renovations in Bremer Hall for a STEM Learning Center. It will be an accredited Challenger Center utilized by school districts across the state to engage middle and high school students in space exploration 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 will focus on the expansion of the colleges law enforcement training program, currently housed in Chickasaw Hall and north of the colleges Regional Transportation Training Center, which is south of the main campus.

The projects are part of Hawkeyes master facilities plan, the result of a multi-year development process to identify the facilities needed to best meet student and community needs.

Holcomb said the referendums approval will bring to life the master plan and allow for Butler Halls renovation to move forward. That project is estimated to be funded with $20 million of bond proceeds. Holcomb noted that hes especially looking forward to inserting technology into its classroom that wouldnt otherwise have been possible.

It also allows the college to begin shaping its fundraising plans and determining how much of the projects must be covered by private donations, he said.

The projects are about meeting the workforce needs, and retaining the talent that is already here, Holcomb said.
CEDAR FALLS  Two members of the City Council called for no property tax increase for residents while meeting in committee Monday.

Its already been a challenging couple months for Cedar Falls as officials have crafted their draft budget, but Daryl Kruse was adamant in his request and was supported by Dave Sires.

Overall property tax collections are budgeted at $24.48 million for fiscal year 2024, a 2.4% increase over $23.91 million during the current year.

Councilmember Susan deBuhr was absent during the committee meeting but was present when the council unanimously set the first budget hearing for the March 20 regular meeting. In a text message, she said shes supportive of trying to bring the tax rate down.

The second and final hearing could be as soon as April 3.

The citizens are going to see more of an increase than whats laid out here, said Kruse when considering what other property tax increases may be approved by school districts and the county.

I want a net-zero, he added, in talking about the impact on residents property tax bills for the fiscal year starting July 1.

However, Finance and Business Operations Director Jennifer Rodenbeck presented the tax hike as part of the citys fiscal proposal.

Residents whose homes have an assessed value of $100,000 would see an $18.55 increase to $641.59 in the citys portion of their property taxes under the proposal. That factors in the state-established residential rollback  the percentage of a propertys value that is taxed  and a proposed property tax rate hike. Its also assuming nothing was done to change a homes assessed value within the last year.

Currently, the tax rate is proposed at $11.74 per $1,000 of taxable valuation, up from $11.51 a year ago. That rate was the seventh lowest of the 20 largest cities in Iowa.

Rodenbecks office crafted the proposed budget with notable challenges in mind.

One was a $527,600 cost increase in what the city must levy to pay for the Black Hawk County consolidated law enforcement dispatch center budget because of a change in the formula.

The other was the $430,000 less in revenue than had been anticipated after the residential rollback was lowered in response to an error included in previous state legislation. Legislators didnt take any action to alleviate the financial burden on cities, as had been previously discussed. They did, however, extend the budget filing deadline to April 30.

The city appears locked into the cost increase for dispatch services because other options are not believed to be viable. They include joining dispatch services of the University of Northern Iowa or another county.

The county as a whole kind of put a mark on Cedar Falls and its a tough one to swallow, said Councilmember Gil Schultz.

Officials point out that jumping ship to another dispatch center may be counterproductive because legislators are weighing the possibility of making the levy used by municipalities to pay for the service a county-wide assessment.

In other words, residents may automatically be thrust into paying for the Black Hawk County dispatch through the county-wide levy on top of the citys share of the cost for another dispatch center if it decided to go in that alternative direction.

What if, in a year, it goes to a county-wide levy? Now Cedar Falls residents are stuck, said Rodenbeck. Now weve committed ourselves to another option and, if its a county-wide levy, they still have to pay for the county-wide levy.

To make up the nearly $1 million difference between the two fiscal challenges, the finance director said after the meeting that the city relied on its growth in property values as well cuts to part of each departments budget.

Schultz expressed his appreciation for the work city staff did in response to the fiscal challenges and was followed by a couple others in sharing similar sentiments, including Councilmembers Dustin Ganfield and Simon Harding.

Its a tough situation, but I echo Councilmember Schultzs statements, thanks for keeping (the tax rate) as low as possible, said Harding.

Rodenbeck said the department expects to return to councilmembers at some point with other possible cuts for them to consider in response to Kruse and Sires demands.

For instance, she said they may look at a list of new positions the city proposed back in November as well as other capital improvements that rely on fiscal year 2024 funding and directly affect the tax rate.

The March 20 hearing will be when the council considers setting the maximum levy rate, which only includes certain applicable levies  or mechanisms by which the city taxes. The levies would bring in $22.37 million in revenue.

The tax levies not included within the maximum levy are for debt service, the library and municipal band. Once included, they bring the total levy to $24.48 million.

Taxes are just one of the revenue sources in the proposed budget, which includes an estimated $116 million in expenditures.

Were going to be digging into this more after we set the hearing, said Councilmember Kelly Dunn. Obviously, were going to be pouring through the budget.

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WATERLOO  Two Iowa State Patrol officers have been honored for their life-saving efforts in a fiery crash in rural Black Hawk County in 2021.

Troopers Devin Brooks and Boyd Eser with Post 10 in Oelwein received the Sullivan Brothers Award for Valor on Friday during a ceremony in Des Moines.

Brooks and Eser were returning to their post on July 1, 2021, when they heard about a two-vehicle collision at Cedar Wapsie and North Raymond roads outside of Dunkerton.

The crash vehicles came to a rest in the ditch and one started on fire. Passersby had freed one person from the other vehicle and they broke out a back window in an attempt to reach people trapped inside the burning car.

The troopers noticed smoke billowing into the sky when they pulled up.

Eser grabbed his fire extinguisher and doused the flames while Brooks crawled into the burning vehicle through the rear window. Brooks and a passerby were able to pull the driver to safety and got to work on another person pinned inside.

Eser and others ended up emptying seven extinguishers but the fire was too much. Flames engulfed the passenger compartment and Brooks had to retreat. The trapped passenger was later pronounced dead.

Brooks and Eser suffered minor burns and smoke inhalation.

Others receiving the Sullivan Brothers Award for Valor were Marshall County Deputy Ben Veren and former Marshalltown Police Sgt. Casee Veren who were off duty when they rescued a person from a submerged vehicle in December 2021.

Its powerful to hear each unique, incredible story ... and its an honor to congratulate the heroes personally. When I do, I always hear the same type of response: I did what anyone else would have done, or thats what Iowans do in times of need, Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a news release.

That response is far too modest, but it does capture something special about Iowa. The greatness of our state really does lie in our people. Iowans are big-hearted and selfless  and each of our award winners demonstrates just how deeply those qualities run.

Also honored was Kristin Albertson of Decorah, who received the Outstanding Service Award for assisting people trapped inside a submerged car in December 2021.

Albertson entered the freezing water in an attempt to open the vehicle, and when that didnt work she remained with the vehicle providing comfort and assurance until emergency workers arrived. The occupants survived by finding an air pocket in the vehicle.

Others receiving the Governors Lifesaving Awards were:

Tom Flanery, Panora  Meritorious Service Award

Jacquelyn Bear  Outstanding Service Award

Trisha Keim  Outstanding Service Award

Dan Pauley  Outstanding Service Award

Brody Oberbroeckling  Lifesaving Award

Timica Shivers  Lifesaving Award

Cory Fleming  Lifesaving with Valor Award

Richard Kopera  Lifesaving with Valor Award

Herbert Runk Wood  Lifesaving with Valor Award

The Sullivan Brothers Awards of Valor honors the memory of George, Frank, Joe, Matt and Albert Sullivan who served together on the USS Juneau in the Guadalcanal naval battle in the fall of 1942. All five brothers died together in a tragic attack when two Japanese torpedoes struck their ship.

This years ceremony featured the participation of Kelly Sullivan, the granddaughter of Albert Sullivan, the youngest of the Sullivan brothers. Kelly is a third-grade teacher in Waterloo who sits on the commissioning committee of the new USS Iowa and also commissioned the USS The Sullivans.

Photos: Police department awards, October 2020 102820jr-police-awards-2 102820jr-police-awards-7 102820jr-police-awards-3 102820jr-police-awards-4 102820jr-police-awards-1 102820jr-police-awards-5 102820jr-police-awards-6 102820jr-police-awards-8
WATERLOO -- Trinity American Lutheran Church, located at 605 West Fourth St. in Waterloo will host a community meal on Wednesday, March 8.

It will take place from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Those attending should use the South Street entrance to Fellowship Hall.
WASHINGTON  China has long been seen by the U.S. as a prolific source of anti-American propaganda but less aggressive in its influence operations than Russia, which has used cyberattacks and covert operations to disrupt U.S. elections and denigrate rivals.

But many in Washington now think China is increasingly adopting tactics associated with Russia  and there's growing concern the U.S. isn't doing enough to respond.

U.S. officials and outside experts cite recent examples of China-linked actors generating false news reports with artificial intelligence and posting large volumes of denigrating social media posts.

While many of the discovered efforts are amateurish, experts think they signal an apparent willingness from Beijing to try more influence campaigns as part of a broader embrace of covert operations, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"To us, the attempt is what stands out," one U.S. intelligence official said.

An increasingly pessimistic mood in Washington about Beijing's expansive political and economic goals and the possibility of war over Taiwan is driving calls for the U.S. to make a stronger effort to counter Chinese influence abroad.

Lawmakers and officials are particularly concerned about countries that comprise the "Global South" in Africa, Asia and Latin America, where both the U.S. and China have huge economic and political interests. Many of those countries have populations that support both sides  what an official called "swing states" in the narrative battle.

"This should be a whole of government effort," said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, who is the top Democrat on a newly formed House committee focusing on the Chinese Communist Party.

"The CCP is going around the world bad-mouthing the U.S., bad-mouthing our institutions, bad-mouthing our form of government," Krishnamoorthi said in an interview. "We have to counter this because ultimately it's not in the best interests of the United States."

China's embassy in Washington said in a statement that Beijing "opposes the fabrication and dissemination of false information" and blamed the U.S. in turn for making social media "into its tool to manipulate international public opinion and its weapon to stigmatize and demonize other countries."

"On this issue, it is for the U.S. side to reflect on itself and stop shouting 'catch a thief,'" said embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu.

China has long been seen as less willing than Russia to take provocative steps that could be exposed and more concerned about being publicly blamed. U.S. intelligence judged that Russia tried to support Donald Trump in the last two presidential elections, while China in 2020 considered but did not try to influence the election.

But some U.S. officials believe China is now undertaking or considering operations it would not have in the past, according to the two people familiar with the matter. Officials noted public examples identified in recent weeks by groups that track disinformation and influence.

The research firm Graphika recently identified AI-generated videos that it linked to a pro-Chinese influence operation. One video attacked the U.S. approach to stopping gun violence; another "stressed the importance of China-U.S. cooperation for the recovery of the global economy," according to Graphika.

Threat analysts at Google said they disrupted more than 50,000 instances of posts and other activity last year linked to a pro-China influence operation known as "Dragonbridge."

The AI-generated videos are clearly fictitious and Graphika said none of them had more than 300 views. Most Dragonbridge posts, Google said, also reached a tiny audience.

There also are longstanding concerns in Washington about TikTok, the viral video-sharing app whose U.S. operations are undergoing a national security review.

There's no public evidence that Beijing has used its sweeping powers over businesses in China to direct content on the app or launch government-sanctioned influence operations, but there's a belief that China could do so quickly enough not to be caught or stopped.

China is increasingly viewed unfavorably in the U.S., much of Europe, Australia, South Korea and Japan, according to Pew Research Center data published last year.

But in other countries in Asia as well as in much of Africa and Latin America, there are more positive attitudes about the Chinese government, often driven by Beijing's economic investments and offers of infrastructure and security assistance.

In the event of a war over U.S.-backed Taiwan, experts believe shaping global attitudes and narratives will be key in ensuring military and diplomatic support for either side.

Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Wisconsin Republican who chairs the new congressional committee on China, said in a statement after recently visiting Taiwan that Chinese influence operations are part of a broader strategy of "cognitive warfare."

He added that the committee would "work to expose the truth about the (Chinese Communist Party's) pattern of aggression against America and our friends."

Photos: US rebuilding military presence in Philippines Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Return Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military Philippines US Military
SIOUX CITY  Vicki Hulse doesnt remember ever receiving a certified letter from a pipeline company informing her it planned to survey her land, much less denying acceptance of it.

Had she received those letters, Hulse testified Tuesday, she still wouldnt have let survey crews onto the land she and her husband, William, own north of Moville, and in the route of Navigator Heartland Greenways proposed liquid carbon dioxide pipeline.

I just feel that against my property rights as an owner they can just come on my property whenever they want against my will. ... I dont think thats right, Hulse said.

After being twice denied entry to the land, which lies in the pipelines proposed route, last summer, Navigator sued the Hulses in August to get a temporary injunction allowing survey crews to enter the property.

The couple responded with a counterclaim that Iowas laws giving pipeline companies the right of entry to private land to survey and examine it are unconstitutional.

District Judge Roger Sailer in October denied Navigators request for the temporary injunction. After a quick one-day trial Tuesday in Woodbury County District Court, hell now decide whether to grant the companys request for a permanent injunction and also rule on the constitutionality of the pipeline laws.

Navigator has applied for a state permit to build a pipeline through five states, including Iowa, that would collect carbon dioxide from ethanol and fertilizer processors in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Illinois, convert it to liquid form and transport it under high pressure to an Illinois site, where it would be pumped thousands of feet beneath the surface. Many Iowa landowners have refused to grant surveyors access to their land or sign easements.

Navigator depends on Iowas law allowing surveyors the right to complete surveys if landowners dont voluntarily agree to them.

We fall back on Iowa code that we have a right to enter the property, Ann Welshans, Navigators director of right of way, testified. In order to review the route and determine the feasibility of the route we need to be on the property.

Navigator agents had earlier entered the land without Hulses knowledge and performed a civil survey, a walkthrough over the land, Welshans said.

But when a friend of the Hulse family who saw surveyors entering the field to perform biological/environmental surveys told them to leave, Vicki Hulse received a phone call from Daniel Rogers, who works for a subcontractor that facilitates the survey process with landowners.

I told her per the letter that we have the right. She said, You do not. I rejected all those letters, Rogers testified.

Hulses attorney, Brian Jorde, challenged Rogers recollection of the conversation in light of Hulses testimony that shed never received notification about the surveys.

How can someone reject a letter that they never received? Jorde asked.

Two days after Rogers called Hulse, he met her at her land with a sheriffs deputy and a survey crew. Hulse presented the deputy with a letter from her attorney stating they needed an injunction to enter the property. Rather than risk being arrested, the survey crew left, Rogers said.

Her husband in the Iowa Veterans Home with dementia and Parkinsons disease, Hulse said she has guardianship and power of attorney to make decisions on his behalf. She said she doesnt want the pipeline running under their land, and she was upset to know surveyors had previously been there. A portion of it is farmed, but the rest is in the federal Conservation Reserve Program and is home to pheasant and pollinator habitat.

I dont want them out there trampling on my land, Hulse said.

Sailer will review the case and issue a ruling as quickly as possible after that, he said.

Navigator has filed similar lawsuits in Clay and Butler counties against other landowners who have denied access to their property. Those landowners have filed constitutional challenges similar to the Hulses. The Clay County case is scheduled for trial in April. The Butler County cases are scheduled to go to trial in May.

The pipeline would run approximately 900 miles through 36 Iowa counties. Its one of two carbon pipelines proposed to run through the area.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8)  More security personnel will be deployed for politicians with validated threats to life and safety in the wake of attacks on local officials, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said on Wednesday.

PBrig Gen. Matthew Baccay, head of the PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management, said the police and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) met with officials of the Union of Local Authorities in the Philippines, League of Governors, and the League of Mayors on Tuesday to discuss security measures for elected officials.

The meeting was held three days after the assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo in broad daylight at his home.

Baccay told the House Committee on Public Order and Safety that the PNP is eyeing what it calls security package to local officials facing threats. He said the detail for elected politicians is limited to two personnel.

But the PNP's in the process of studying providing a security package especially for those with threat assessments that are validated, Baccay said. For now the move of the PNP is [to] provide additional security personnel for those with validated threat assessment and for the others who wish to avail of PSPs (protective security personnel) and PAs (protection agent).

The police official said the PNP will also step up operations against guns for hire and conduct checkpoints in possible hotspots ahead of the Oct. 30 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

Threats against elected officials will be continuously validated, he added.

Meanwhile, lawmakers said the PNP should step up security measures for elected officials.

I think we have to have a new threat assessment kasi ibang ball yung [because it was a different ball] before election and now after almost a year," said Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez. "It's a different ball game again considering the series of killing on the elected officials."
Weather Alert

.Warming temperatures this weekend are bringing 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 today. ...FLOOD WATCH FOR SNOWMELT REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Flooding caused by snowmelt continues to be possible. * WHERE...Portions of California and western Nevada, including the following areas, in California, Greater Lake Tahoe Area, Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties and Surprise Valley California. In western Nevada, Greater Lake Tahoe Area, Greater Reno-Carson City-Minden Area and Mineral and Southern Lyon Counties. * WHEN...Through Monday morning. * IMPACTS...Creeks and streams will be running high and fast. Low-water crossings may be flooded. Minor mainstem flooding along the Susan River, Forks of the Carson River, and the East Walker River below Bridgeport Reservoir cannot be ruled out. Anyone participating in outdoor recreation this weekend should use caution as water will be running high, fast, and potentially out of banks for some creeks and streams. The water will be extremely cold as well, quickly causing shock. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop. &&
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 8)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government would make sure that public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers could still keep their jobs amid the push for the modernization program.

Marcos acknowledged the concern of drivers and operators in securing loans to purchase new units, following Malacanang's dialogue with transport leaders to iron out issues on the PUV modernization program.

"'Yan ang tinitignan namin ngayon na tiyakin na walang mawawalan ng trabaho dahil hindi nakapagbili ng electric vehicle pagdating ng panahon," the president said during a chance interview on Wednesday.

[Translation: That's what we're looking at now to make sure no one loses their job because they couldn't buy an electric vehicle when the time comes.]

"Wala pa tayo dun, pero sa ngayon ang ginagawa lang natin tiyakin lang natin na safe ang ating mga sasakyan, na hindi malagay sa alanganin ang mga pasahero," Marcos added.

[Translation: We are not there yet, but for now we are trying to make sure our vehicles are safe, and that passengers will not be in danger.]

In a separate briefing, transport group Manibela said the Palace expressed the government's willingness to provide full support for the transition. However, officials also questioned the high costs of modernized jeepneys.

"Sila na rin nagsasabi na bakit ganito kamamahal ang mga units? Saan nanggaling ang ganitong klaseng itsure? Paano ito na-aprabuhan? Marami rin silang mga tanong," Manibela chairperson Mar Valbuena said.

[Translation: They are also asking why are the units so expensive. Where did this kind of design come from? How was it approved? They also have many questions.]

The Marcos administration vowed that if a jeepney unit remains road-worthy, it would not be phased out.

Valbuena said drivers and operators are ready to stage another protest if the government fails to fulfill its commitments.

The supposed week-long strike was cut to just two days after the meeting between transport groups and Malacanang.

READ: Bayan: Malacanang dialogue proves success of transport strike

Marcos said the transport groups "made their point very clearly" on the issues about PUV modernization, as he reiterated his administration's plan to revisit and review Department Order 2017-011, or the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines until the end of 2023.




SANTA FE  A bill that would ban New Mexico counties, cities and other local bodies from denying or restricting access to abortion, other reproductive services and gender-affirming care is on the brink of heading to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams desk for final approval.

The Senate voted 23-15 to approve the measure on Tuesday, after a nearly three-hour debate that featured the reading of Bible verses, a comparison of abortion to the Holocaust and several senators speaking about their own experiences.

Backers said the legislation, House Bill 7, would ensure local governments could not interfere with womens access to reproductive care, after several counties and cities in eastern New Mexico recently adopted anti-abortion ordinances.

I want to make sure that every New Mexican has the same access to health care that Ive had, said Sen. Katy Duhigg, D-Albuquerque, who sponsored the bill on the Senate floor.

In response to questions, she also said the measure would not require health care practitioners to provide an abortion and would also not compel landowners with listed property to sell parcels to abortion clinic operators.

However, Senate Republicans described the bill as immoral and proposed a string of amendments seeking to require a women to get an ultrasound before an abortion, mandate parental consent before a minor could get an abortion and remove a provision allowing for plaintiffs who file successful lawsuits under the proposed law to collect attorneys fees.

At one point, Sen. William Sharer, R-Farmington, read from the Bible and suggested the bill as written could allow for infanticide.

They need love, Sharer said of fetuses and newborn babies. They dont need a needle with some kind of poison.

But those proposed amendments were all voted down by majority Senate Democrats, largely on party-line votes.

The final vote to approve the bill largely broke down along party lines, too, as Sen. Pete Campos of Las Vegas was the lone Democrat to join Senate Republicans in voting against the legislation.

The debate was emotional and personal at times, with Sen. Carrie Hamblen, D-Las Cruces, sharing her experience of coming to terms with her sexual orientation as a lesbian and other senators talking about their children.

It also got testy after Sen. David Gallegos, R-Eunice, compared the number of abortions performed in New Mexico to the number of individuals killed during the Holocaust.

That prompted a retort from Duhigg, who said, It is really offensive when folks trot out the Holocaust to make a political point.

This years debate comes two years after Lujan Grisham signed a bill repealing a long-dormant New Mexico abortion ban.

That 1969 law could have been invoked a year later, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.

While Texas and some other neighboring states have restricted abortion in the wake of the ruling, top Democratic officials in New Mexico have vowed to ensure the procedure remains legal statewide.

In January, Attorney General Raul Torrez asked the Supreme Court to intervene after the cities of Hobbs, Clovis and Eunice, along with Lea and Roosevelt counties, enacted local abortion restrictions, saying the ordinances overstepped the local governments authority.

Before that, Lujan Grisham issues an executive order shielding abortion providers and those traveling to New Mexico to get an abortion from arrest warrants and other legal repercussions.

During Tuesdays debate, Sen. Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, D-Albuquerque, accused Sharer of spreading misinformation during his attempt to remove the word perinatalfrom the bill.

She also said the bill would codify protections for women and transgender individuals by ensuring they are able to obtain vital health care services.

It will make New Mexico the safe haven that it should be, Sedillo Lopez said.

The legislation already passed the House on a 38-31 vote last month.

However, it was amended in a Senate committee before Tuesdays floor vote, which means it must go back to the House for final approval before advancing to the governors desk.

If the House refuses to go along with the Senates changes, it would set up a legislative conference committee in which designees from both chambers would meet to try to hammer out a compromise.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  A district attorney in Santa Fe fought back Monday against efforts to disqualify the special prosecutor pursuing manslaughter charges against actor Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on a New Mexico film set.

Baldwins legal team in February sought to disqualify special prosecutor and Republican state Rep. Andrea Reeb of Clovis based on constitutional provisions that safeguard the separation of powers between distinct branches of government.

Defense attorneys argued that Reebs role as a state lawmaker and prosecutor are incompatible and could distort legislative and judicial actions, including state spending on the prosecution of Baldwin over the 2021 shooting on the set of the Western movie Rust.

Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies on Monday called the objection a novel theory that has no support in new Mexico statutes or case law.

She said the state constitution provides a variety of safeguards against legislators interfering with the outcome of ongoing court cases.

Any attempt by Ms. Reeb as a legislator to influence the outcome of this trial would be completely ineffective, Carmack-Altwies said in a court filing.

Since joining the legislature in January, Reeb has steered clear of voting on public spending to prosecute Baldwin and film-set weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed. She was excused from a House floor vote in February on a proposed state budget that includes $360,000 for special prosecution expenses in the fatal film-set shooting.

Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed have pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter in the shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 18-months in prison and fines.

Hutchins died shortly after being wounded Oct. 21, 2021, during rehearsals at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe. Baldwin was pointing a pistol at Hutchins when the gun went off, killing her and wounding the director, Joel Souza. A likely preliminary hearing is still months away to decide whether evidence is sufficient to proceed to trial.

Prosecutors say assistant director David Halls, who oversaw safety on set, has signed an agreement to plead guilty in the negligent use of a deadly weapon. A judge is scheduled to consider approval of the plea agreement later this month.

Prosecution in the death of Hutchins is currently underwritten by an emergency state grant, approved in September 2022 by the State Board of Finance that is led by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Reeb is listed as a sponsor or cosponsor on several criminal justice initiatives, including enhanced punishments for firearms violations, as legislators explore ways to rein in surging violent crime. She previously served as district attorney for a judicial district on the eastern plains of New Mexico.
SANTA FE  New Mexico would study the feasibility of using Medicaid to expand health care coverage for people who dont already qualify for the program, under legislation that won House approval 58-10 late Tuesday.

The proposal, House Bill 400, now heads to the Senate with 11 days left in the session.

House Majority Whip Reena Szczepanski, a Santa Fe Democrat who co-sponsored the bill, said the goal would be to study the impacts on private insurance, medical providers and others if the state launched a Medicaid Forward program.

A state-administered health plan, she said, could offer a sliding scale of premiums and fill in gaps in the health care network  addressing the cliff effect, or when people lose Medicaid eligibility because they receive a pay raise.

Szczepanski accepted a Republican-sponsored amendment making clear the bill calls only for a study. Legislators, she said, will decide later whether to launch a new health plan.

This is going to be a multiyear project, she said. This is a big undertaking.

The new health care plan would be designed to draw federal matching funds, Szczepanski said, and allow individuals who dont qualify for Medicaid to obtain similar coverage. It isnt intended to be a universal health plan or replace insurance plans offered by employers, she said.

The study itself is expected to cost the state about $500,000, with a report due in October 2024.

Some Republican lawmakers cast doubt on the wisdom of launching expanded coverage but said they would support a study and keep an open mind.

If were going to do something, Republican Rep. Jack Chatfield of Mosquero said, we need to understand it.

The House passed the bill after about an hour of debate. Ten Republicans voted against the measure.
It seems as if everywhere you go in New Mexico these days, businesses have help wanted signs, or reduced hours and services, or both.

Many New Mexicans had hoped lawmakers would offer meaningful business tax relief during the 60-day session underway, given that the state is flush with $3.6 billion in excess revenues, primarily from oil and gas proceeds.

But the omnibus tax package that emerged Monday will only make it harder for businesses to stay open in New Mexico, and the states greedy largest cities and the New Mexico Municipal League are at the core of the problem.

The proposed tax package isnt all bad  it expands the states child tax credit to up to $600 per child, includes $300 rebates to residents, extends the sunset date on the military retirement pay tax exemption to 2031, adopts a single sales factor apportionment for corporate taxes that could incentivize multi-state companies to expand and hire more people in New Mexico, and modestly reduces the states gross receipts tax base rate by 0.625%. Those are all good things.

But the cobbled-together House Bill 547 also overhauls the personal income tax code so that many small-business owners who file that way will actually pay higher taxes by creating two new tax brackets, including a new top bracket of 6.9%  up from the current 5.9%. And it punishes personal savings, investment and wealth creation by increasing taxes on capital gains. Bill sponsor Rep. Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo, claims doctors, nurses, engineers and other higher-wage earners can afford the tax increases. Watch them join the exodus and move to another state.

Still, the biggest issue is what the bill does not do. Democrats caved to the Municipal League and its executive director, AJ Forte, by omitting a much-needed proposed tax exemption for accountants, architects and other professional services that would address tax pyramiding, when taxes are levied several times on the same goods or services. The provision would have provided significant relief to small businesses. Several lawmakers have worked on this issue for years, and it had bipartisan support and the governors blessing in this session.

But it was opposed vigorously by such large cities as Albuquerque and Santa Fe that dont want to see any reductions in their revenue streams whatsoever, even if it would help build their economies by aiding small businesses in their communities. And they still rejected it even after a legislative compromise that would have made the cities better than whole.

Its beyond disappointing that the House has not only ignored the well-vetted proposal from Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Rep. Jason Harper, R-Rio Rancho, (HB 367) to lower the GRT and address pyramiding, but also is instead proposing tax increases as lawmakers consider another record-setting $9.4 billion budget.

Lawmakers still have an unprecedented opportunity to offer substantial tax relief for small businesses and the middle class, and to nurture our private sector. Yet, too many are focused on a more progressive tax code that punishes small businesses and skilled professionals, and places New Mexico in the Top 15 highest-tax-rate states in the nation, putting us at further competitive disadvantage with such neighboring states as Texas, which has no state income tax. Who do they think is going to come/stay and create jobs/provide services?

Tack the HB 547 monstrosity on top of Senate Bill 11, a Paid Family and Medical Leave Act that would crush many of the states 155,000 small businesses by requiring them to contribute money to a new state fund, while absorbing annual 12-week staff vacancies, and the answer is nobody.

The misguided tax package is expected to advance quickly to the House floor after passing the House Taxation and Revenue Committee Monday on a 9-5 party-line vote. It and SB 11 are thumbs in the eyes of the hardworking, entrepreneurial middle class.

If we hope to keep many New Mexico businesses in business and professionals working here, we need the few lawmakers who understand a businesss challenges and who believe in encouraging job creation to kill SB 11 and rewrite the ill-advised HB 547. We need our governor, who said Feb. 10 that her work with Harper would make New Mexico businesses even more competitive, continuing this administrations commitment to making our state the very best place to do business, to use her powerful and persuasive voice. If lawmakers arent swayed, she should use her veto pen.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Theres a disturbing trend nationwide that is adversely impacting the health of Americans: There simply arent enough health care providers to meet a skyrocketing demand. New Mexico has the oldest physician workforce in the nation, with 37% of physicians over 60 years old and facing retirement in the next 10 years. In a state like ours with high poverty levels and poorer health overall, we must work together, across federal, state and local governments, alongside the private sector, and with our partners in the Legislature to reverse this trend.

Heres where the Legislature can help:

There are four critical programs supporting our health care workforce in the current budget passed by the state House of Representatives. In total, those programs are short over $232 million in essential funding. We need the Senate to close these crucial gaps. New Mexicans have the power to change the course of healthcare in our state  all it takes is letting your state lawmaker know you want change, because every New Mexican deserves quality healthcare.

 First and foremost, we urge the Legislature to pass and fully fund Senate Bill 7, the Rural Health Care Delivery Act. In the past few years, weve seen many clinics in rural communities close. This means that many New Mexicans now must travel large distances to appointments, including expectant mothers who can no longer deliver their babies locally. This is not only problematic for the hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans who live outside of metropolitan areas, it also increases demand and wait times within larger cities like Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe.

 Secondly, we have to make sure providers serving Medicaid patients are adequately reimbursed. This is especially critical in a state where nearly half of the population is on Medicaid. Health providers and institutions often spend more money caring for Medicaid beneficiaries than they receive in reimbursement, sometimes leading to providers ceasing to serve Medicaid patients. While the House budget proposes a Medicaid provider rate increase of 120% of Medicare rates for primary care and maternal and child health services, it does not provide funding to actually implement the increase. In fact, its short $16.7 million.

 Third, the Patients Compensation Fund, which provides an extra layer of professional liability coverage for participating providers, needs an immediate infusion. The fund is currently operating at a deficit and requires an infusion to keep provider surcharges affordable. Failure to fund this request could result in an untenable increase in provider surcharges to participate in the fund. It, too, is short more than $16 million in the House budget.

 Lastly, we need to support the highly successful Health Professional Loan Program. The program supported 60 licensed medical professionals last year, which is the highest number to date but only a quarter of the total applicants. The others were turned away due to lack of funding. We want to hit the gas on that program with a bump up to $30 million, which would expand the program from 60 to 1,000 medical professionals.

The health care provider shortage has been one of the most debated topics throughout the 60-day session  but talk will not bring more medical providers into our communities. Lets finish the job and fully support New Mexicos health care workforce and the New Mexicans they serve. The health of New Mexicans is not a bargaining chip. Call your state legislator and ask them to fully fund programs that attract and retain health care providers to New Mexico.
NANGAN, Taiwan (AP)  In the past month, bed and breakfast owner Chen Yu-lin had to tell his guests he couldnt provide them with the internet.

Others living on Matsu, one of Taiwans outlying islands closer to neighboring China, had to struggle with paying electricity bills, making a doctors appointment or receiving a package.

For connecting to the outside world, Matsus 14,000 residents rely on two submarine internet cables leading to Taiwans main island. The National Communications Commission, citing the islands telecom service, blamed two Chinese ships for cutting the cables. It said a Chinese fishing vessel is suspected of severing the first cable some 50 kilometers (31 miles) out at sea. Six days later, on Feb. 8, a Chinese cargo ship cut the second, NCC said.

Taiwans government stopped short of calling it a deliberate act on the part of Beijing, and there was no direct evidence to show the Chinese ships were responsible.

The islanders in the meantime were forced to hook up to a limited internet via microwave radio transmission, a more mature technology, as backup. It means one could wait hours to send a text. Calls would drop, and videos were unwatchable.

A lot of tourists would cancel their booking because theres no internet. Nowadays, the internet plays a very large role in peoples lives, said Chen, who lives in Beigan, one of Matsus main residential islands.

Apart from disrupting lives, the loss of the internet cables, seemingly innocuous, has huge implications for national security.

As the full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shown, Russia has made taking out internet infrastructure one of the key parts of its strategy. Some experts suspect China may have cut the cables deliberately as part of its harassment of the self-ruled island it considers part of its territory, to be reunited by force if necessary.

China regularly sends warplanes and navy ships toward Taiwan as part of tactics to intimidate the islands democratic government. Concerns about Chinas invasion, and Taiwans preparedness to withstand it, have increased since the war in Ukraine.

The cables had been cut a total of 27 times in the past five years, but it was unclear which country the vessels hailed from, based on data from Chunghwa Telecom.

Taiwans coast guard gave chase to the fishing vessel that cut the first cable on Feb. 2, but it went back to Chinese waters, according to an official who was briefed on the incident and was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Authorities found two Chinese ships in the area where the cables were cut, based on automated identification system data, similar to GPS, which shows a vessels location.

We cant rule out that China destroyed these on purpose, said Su Tzu-yun, a defense expert at the government think tank, Institute for National Defense and Security Research, citing a research that only China and Russia had the technical capabilities to do this. Taiwan needs to invest more resources in repairing and protecting the cables.

Internet cables, which can be anywhere between 20 millimeters to 30 millimeters (0.79 inches to 1.18 inches) wide, are encased in steel armor in shallow waters where theyre more likely to run into ships. Despite the protection, cables can get cut quite easily by ships and their anchors, or fishing boats using steel nets.

Even so, this level of breakage is highly unusual for a cable, even in the shallow waters of the Taiwan Strait, said Geoff Huston, chief scientist at Asia Pacific Network Information Centre, a non-profit that manages and distributes Internet resources like IP addresses for the region.

Without a stable internet, coffee shop owner Chiu Sih-chi said seeing the doctor for his toddler sons cold became a hassle because first they had to visit the hospital to just get an appointment.

A breakfast shop owner said she lost thousands of dollars in the past few weeks because she usually takes online orders. Customers would come to her stall expecting the food to be ready when she hadnt even seen their messages.

Faced with unusual difficulties, Matsu residents came up with all sorts of ways to organize their lives.

One couple planned to deal with the coming peak season by having one person stay in Taiwan to access their reservation system and passing the information on to the other via text messages. Wife Lin Hsian-wen extended her vacation in Taiwan during the off-season when she heard the internet back home wasnt working and is returning to Matsu later in the week.

Some enterprising residents went across to the other shore to buy SIM cards from Chinese telecoms, though those only work well in the spots closer to the Chinese coast, which is only 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) away at its closest point.

Others, like the bed and breakfast owner Tsao Li-yu, would go to Chunghwa Telecoms office to use a Wi-Fi hot spot the company had set up for locals to use in the meantime.

I was going to work at (Chunghwa Telecom), Tsao joked.

Chunghwa had set up microwave transmission as backup for the residents. Broadcast from Yangmingshan, a mountain just outside of Taipei, Taiwans capital, the relay beams the signals some 200 kilometers (124 miles) across to Matsu. Since Sunday, speeds were noticeably faster, residents said.

Wang Chung Ming, the head of Lienchiang County, as the Matsu islands are officially called, said he and the legislator from Matsu went to Taipei shortly after the internet broke down to ask for help, and was told they would get priority in any future internet backup plans.

Taiwans Ministry of Digital Affairs publicly asked for bids from low-Earth orbit satellite operators to provide the internet in a backup plan, after seeing Russias cyberattacks in the invasion of Ukraine, the head of the ministry, Audrey Tang, told The Washington Post last fall. Yet, the plan remains stalled as a law in Taiwan requires the providers to be at least 51% owned by a domestic shareholder.

A spokesperson for the Digital Ministry directed questions about the progress of backup plans to the National Communications Commission. NCC said it will install a surveillance system for the undersea cables, while relying on microwave transmission as a backup option.

Many Pacific island nations, before they started using internet cables, depended on satellites  and some still do  as backup, said Jonathan Brewer, a telecommunications consultant from New Zealand who works across Asia and the Pacific.

Theres also the question of cost. Repairing the cables is expensive, with an early estimate of $30 million New Taiwan Dollars ($1 million) for the work of the ships alone.

The Chinese boats that damaged the cables should be held accountable and pay compensation for the highly expensive repairs, said Wen Lii, the head of the Matsu chapter of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

Wang, the head of Lienchiang County, said he had mentioned the cables on a recent visit to China, where he had met an executive from China Mobile. They offered to send technicians to help. But compensation, he said, will require providing hard proof on who did it.

Chinas Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to a faxed request for comment.

For now, the only thing residents can do is wait. The earliest cable-laying ships can come is April 20, because there are a limited number of vessels that can do the job.

A month without functional internet has its upsides too. Chen Yu-lin, the bed and breakfast owner, has felt more at peace.

It was hard in the first week, but Chen quickly got used to it. From a life perspective, I think its much more comfortable because you get fewer calls, he said, adding he was spending more time with his son, who usually is playing games online.

At a web cafe where off-duty soldiers were playing offline games, the effect was the same.

Our relationships have become a bit closer, said one soldier who only gave his first name, Samuel. Because normally when theres internet, everyone keeps to themselves, and now were more connected.

___

Associated Press video journalist Taijing Wu in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.

___

Find more of APs Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
(CNN) -- China's new Foreign Minister Qin Gang warned Tuesday that "conflict and confrontation" with the United States is inevitable if Washington does not change course, delivering a stern and wide-ranging rebuke of US policies for his first press conference in the new role.

Qin, who was until recently China's ambassador to the US, built up a reputation for being careful and accomplished diplomat while overseas.

But he struck a far more combative tone in his first appearance as foreign minister at China's annual parliamentary meeting, warning of the "catastrophic consequences" of what he described as a "reckless gamble" by Washington in how it treats its fellow superpower.

"If the United States does not hit the brakes, but continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailing, and there will surely be conflict and confrontation," Qin said on the sidelines of the National People's Congress in Beijing.

At the highly scripted event, Qin set the tone for China's foreign policy for the coming year and beyond, berating the US for rising bilateral tensions and defending Beijing's close partnership with Moscow.

Ties between the world's two largest economies are at their worst in decades, and tensions soared further last month after a suspected Chinese spy balloon floated over North America and was then shot down by US fighter jets.

On Tuesday, Qin accused the US of overreacting in its response, which he said created "a diplomatic crisis that could have been avoided."

The incident, Qin said, shows "the US perception and views of China are seriously distorted. It regards China as its primary rival and the biggest geopolitical challenge."

"The US claims it seeks to compete with China but does not seek conflict. But in reality, the so-called 'competition' by the US is all-round containment and suppression, a zero-sum game of life and death," he said.

"Containment and suppression will not make America great, and the US will not stop the rejuvenation of China," Qin said.

Colliding powers

The great power rivalry between the US and China has intensified in recent years.

Under leader Xi Jinping, China has become increasingly authoritarian at home and assertive abroad, taking a more aggressive approach to exert its influence and counter the West.

And Washington has pushed back.

Under the Biden administration, the US has shored up ties with allies and partners to contain Beijing's rising influence, including in its backyard.

It has also pushed to decouple from China in emerging technologies, recently banning the export of advanced chips to the fury of Beijing.

Qin lashed out at Washington for its Indo-Pacific strategy, accusing it of forming exclusive blocks to provoke confrontation, advocating for decoupling and plotting an "Asia-Pacific version of NATO."

"The real purpose of the Indo-Pacific strategy is to contain China," Qin said. "No Cold War should be repeated in Asia, and no Ukraine-style crisis should be repeated in Asia."

China's refusal to condemn Russia for the invasion of Ukraine and its growing partnership with Moscow have further strained its relations with the West. While Beijing has sought to cast itself as a neutral peace broker, it has also defended its "rock-solid" ties with Russia.

On Tuesday Qin said the Sino-Russian relationship "does not pose a threat to any country in the world, nor will it be interfered or sowed discord in by any third party."

"The more unstable the world becomes, the more imperative it is for China and Russia to steadily advance their relations," he said.

Qin highlighted the issue of Taiwan as the "bedrock of the political foundation of Sino-US relations and the first red line that must not be crossed."

The Chinese Communist Party claims the self-governing democracy of Taiwan as part of its territory, despite having never controlled it, and refuses to rule out the use of force to "reunify" it with mainland China.

On Tuesday, Qin urged the US not to "interfere in China's internal affairs" and questioned Washington's different responses to the issues of Ukraine and Taiwan.

"Why does the US talk up respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity on the Ukraine issue, but does not respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity on the issue of Taiwan? Why does the US ask China not to provide weapons to Russia while keeps selling arms to Taiwan?" Qin said.

McCarthy visit?

Qin's remarks come amid reports of a potential meeting between Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in April.

The Financial Times reported Monday that Tsai could meet McCarthy in California, rather than in Taiwan as the US Speaker had initially indicated.

A US State Department spokesperson said Monday he was "not aware of any confirmed travel" by the Taiwanese President, and Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said it had no information to share regarding any potential US visit.

However, regardless of the location, a face to face between Tsai and a senior US politician will most certainly draw the ire of Beijing, fueling even more tensions in already tense relations across the Taiwan Strait -- and between US and China.

Defying Beijing's threats of retaliation, McCarthy's Democratic predecessor Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in August in the first trip by a US Speaker in 25 years.

Beijing responded by staging unprecedented military exercises around Taiwan and cutting off key lines of communication with the US.

China's Foreign Ministry has since warned McCarthy not to visit Taiwan.

Wen-Ti Sung, a political scientist with the Australia National University's Taiwan Studies Program, said Tsai's potential meeting with McCarthy in California is not necessarily a "replacement or downgrade."

Instead, it could be an "add-on," he said, suggesting McCarthy could always visit Taiwan at a later date.

While Taiwan wants to normalize high-level visits by American officials to Taiwan, it also needs to be seen by its Western partners that it is being a responsible stakeholder in the process.

"Some may think that there is better timing than this current moment to be pursing another US speaker visit to Taiwan," Sung said.

A meeting in the US, he added, could serve as "a very visual deliverable in the short term to show continued US support for Taiwan, regardless of change of party leadership in the legislature."

Tsai has transited in the US before on her visits to Taipei's diplomatic allies.

She last visited the US in 2019 and gave a speech in New York -- a trip that angered Beijing.

To China, Tsai's potential meeting with McCarthy will be provocative no matter where it takes place, Sung said.

"Beijing is going to be very unhappy and protest vigorously regardless. So I guess for them it will be a difference in intensity, but not a difference in kind. Beijing won't like any such high level exchange be it taking place on Taiwan or US soil."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "China's new foreign minister warns of conflict with US, defends Russia ties"
SANTA FE  Fast-moving plans to create an outside office to help oversee New Mexicos troubled child welfare agency and investigate complaints is picking up broad support at the Roundhouse, despite Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams opposition to the idea.

The state House voted 56-9 on Wednesday in favor of a bill that would establish an Office of the Child Advocate within the state Attorney Generals Office.

And the Senate later in the day passed similar legislation on a 30-8 vote.

Rep. Marian Matthews, an Albuquerque Democrat and co-sponsor of the House bill, said the Legislature should seize the chance in the final days of this years session to strengthen oversight and operations of the Children, Youth and Families Department.

We really have an opportunity this session to make some substantial changes in the laws that govern CYFD, she said, and those changes I believe will make it a more effective and responsive agency.

In the other chamber, Republican Sen. Crystal Diamond of Elephant Butte urged her colleagues to pass their version of the measure, Senate Bill 373.

We have a crisis going on in New Mexico, Diamond said. Were seeing the most horrific cases of child abuse in the nation.

The new office would operate an electronic portal and telephone line to accept complaints, investigate and attempt to resolve complaints, and evaluate CYFD policies and procedures.

This is a well-crafted bill, Rep. Alan Martinez, R-Bernalillo, said. We owe it to our kids.

Rep. Tara Jaramillo, a Socorro Democrat and co-sponsor, said the legislation, House Bill 11, would make New Mexico the 44th state with an ombudsman-like office for its child-welfare system.

But the bills could face long odds of approval even if they advance to the governors desk, as Lujan Grisham said last month that creating an outside office to handle complaints could lead to friction and make it harder for CYFD to hire new social workers.

The Democratic governor also signed an executive order creating an internal office of innovation within CYFD and a new advisory council, while also saying her administration would launch a national search to hire several new top agency officials.

But that order hasnt stopped legislators from advancing a range of bills aimed at improving CYFD.

While some of the measures have received bipartisan support, a mix of nine Democrats and Republicans opposed the House legislation on Wednesday.

Rep. Micaela Lara Cadena, a Mesilla Democrat who opposed the measure, said the bill didnt adequately reflect the importance of reuniting families and supporting mothers who have struggled.

We have thrown away these mothers and these families where these kids came from, Lara Cadena said.

The House and Senate must sign off on identical legislation to grant final approval to a bill, so one chamber or the other would need to approve the others CYFD bill to send it to the governor.
The House Health and Human Services Committee on Wednesday endorsed legislation that would provide greater transparency from the states Children, Youth and Families Department.

There was no opposition to House Bill 10, whose supporters included CYFD.

The bill was approved by a 10-zero vote by the committee.

Rep. Marian Matthews, D-Albuquerque, the bills primary sponsor, told the committee that CYFD has historically and to a great extent legally been required to remain secretive about cases involving children and families.

When a child who is alleged to have been neglected or abused dies, the public asks how could this have happened, and, unfortunately, almost always there have been no public answers, Matthews said.

HB10, which is limited to Child Protective Services, continues to protect the identity of children and their parents who are under investigation or are involved in proceedings that allege abuse or neglect, Matthews said.

This is truly a sea change in the role of the agency in helping people understand in providing answers to important questions when we have children who are hurt or die when in custody of the department, she said.

CYFD Secretary Barbara Vigil said the agency fully supports House Bill 10, as a replacement of our existing overly restrictive confidentiality statute that is currently in the law.

CYFDs Director of Protective Services Division, Emily Martin, said the legislation relaxes the confidentiality of the statutes and allows for us to disclose more information to more entities.

The change, she said, is not only consistent with recent federal case law issued in the 10th Circuit, but also supports the department and the entire system in being more transparent, and increases the accountability placed on us at CYFD and Protective Services, as well as those individuals that have done harm.

Alison Endicott-Quonones, legal director of Advocacy Inc., the largest provider of legal services for children in the foster care system, said her organization supports House Bill 10 because it provides transparency, accountability and oversight of CYFD, which has had its hands tied in providing information to everyone so that we can see the totality of the issues in our system.

Melanie Majors, executive director of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, said while this bill does not go far enough, it does include changes that makes public some information now kept secret.

She noted that CYFDs website dashboard will have to update and make accessible basic records.

Currently, it often takes IPRA (Inspection of Public Record Act) requests, and when reporters are facing deadlines to get this information, its difficult, Majors said. We are still concerned about one aspect of the bill that keeps some information confidential. But at the same time, we believe this is the first step, a positive step.

Also speaking in support of HB10 were representatives of the Chaves County Court Appointed Special Advocate program and its children Advocacy Center, and the state chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
SANTA FE  Facing pressure from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams office, a key Senate committee is poised to make big adjustments to a $9.4 billion budget bill approved by the House amid an oil-fueled state revenue windfall.

The changes proposed by the Senate Finance Committee  but not yet voted on  include $101 million more for a tuition-free college scholarship program, $60 million more for a law enforcement officer recruitment fund and about $22.6 million more for food initiatives, including free school meals for all K-12 public school students in New Mexico.

In addition, the revised budget plan would mean larger pay raises for state workers and teachers, who would get average 6% salary increases  instead of 5% raises  that would take effect starting in July.

Several Republican committee members spoke against the larger pay raises Wednesday, with Sen. Pat Woods, R-Broadview, saying the $47.4 million used to provide larger pay raises should instead be targeted at larger tax rebates for New Mexicans.

I would rather have this money flow to the people, Woods said.

But backers of the larger pay raises said they could help reduce high vacancy rates in many state agencies, while also blunting the impact of rising health insurance premiums.

Overall, the proposed Senate Finance Committee changes to the House-approved spending bill would increase year-over year spending by about $135.2 million  bringing the total size of the budget bill to nearly $9.6 billion.

That would represent a 13.7% increase over current spending levels and would leave less money available in cash reserves in case projected revenue levels do not materialize.

In addition, the proposed changes would also increase one-time spending.

Sen. George Munoz, D-Gallup, the panels chairman, suggested many of the amendments were necessary to address concerns raised by the Governors Office.

If we did not include some of the executives requests, I think we would either be in a special session or in a conference committee with the House to hammer out budget differences, Munoz said.

He also said the Senate Finance Committee waited to roll out its changes to the budget bill until after a House committee unveiled a $959 million tax package on Monday that includes $300 rebates for individual taxpayers, a reduction in the states gross receipts tax rate and other provisions.

Munoz also said he met early Wednesday with his counterparts in the House, who expressed concern over the total spending increase proposed by the Senate.

They think that weve overspent the budget, Munoz said.

A House vs. Senate dispute over spending?

During remarks on the House floor on Wednesday, Rep. Nathan Small, a Las Cruces Democrat and chairman of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, said the House has reason to be proud of the budget package it sent to the Senate.

The measure set aside massive state reserves, made important investments in health care and transferred some money into endowment-like funds that will deliver sustainable revenue, he said, helping to offset future declines in oil production.

Small added that the House sent the budget to the Senate four days ahead of a legislative deadline.

We not only did our work efficiently in committee and on the House floor, we did it comprehensively, he said.

The House-approved spending plan included some of the funding initiatives sought by Lujan Grisham, including $83 million to provide Medicaid provider rate reimbursement increases of more than 10%, as New Mexico has grappled in recent years with a declining number of doctors.

But the Governors Office expressed dissatisfaction with initial funding levels for the Opportunity Scholarship, among other concerns, saying the provided funding would lead to scholarships being stripped from roughly 16,000 New Mexicans.

This state enacted the most expansive tuition-free college program in the nation, and we are committed to keeping it as such, Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Maddy Hayden said last month.

Some lawmakers decry lack of transparency

As the Senate weighs changes to the House-approved spending plan, some senators have expressed frustration about being shut out of closed-door meetings.

Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, lamented the lack on input during a Senate Finance Committee meeting this week.

Weve had very little input on this and I dont think thats the right way to pass a budget, Steinborn said.

In response, Munoz said funding for many standalone bills proposed during this years 60-day legislative session had been added into the spending bill, including money for wildfire recovery efforts around New Mexico.

He also said he was working to make the budget-drafting process more transparent after taking over as Senate Finance Committee chairman two years ago, saying, Were trying to do this more openly.

It will take several days for the Senate changes to the House-approved budget bill to be drafted. For that reason, the Senate Finance Committee will likely not vote on the revised bill until Saturday, Munoz said.

The full Senate would also have to endorse the spending plan before it could go back to the House for scrutiny. If the House votes not to go along with the Senate changes, designees from both chambers would be appointed to try to hammer out a compromise before the session ends March 18.
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At the London premiere of 'John Wick: Chapter 4', the 58-year-old actor reveals he keeps playing the title character because he likes 'his will' and 'his grief.'

Mar 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Keanu Reeves keeps playing John Wick as he "likes his grief." The "Point Break" actor is currently on the big screen playing the dog-obsessed hitman for the fourth time in "John Wick: Chapter 4" and explained why he loves the role at the premiere of the movie in London on Monday, March 6, night.

The 58-year-old said to Metro, "I like his humor, I like his will, I like his grief and it's really fun to play him in these films, these films are fun." Keanu added to the publication about the physical demands of the stunt-packed films, "I try really hard, but with John, you have to try just a little bit harder."

The actor started playing the assassin in 2014's "John Wick", which saw the character come out of retirement and go on a rampage to get revenge on the gangsters who killed his beloved dog, as it was given to him by his dying wife. In the fourth instalment of the franchise, John battles to wipe out shadowy hitman organization the High Table.

Keanu, who has been dating artist girlfriend Alexandra Grant, 49, for more than a year, has had his share of tragedies. In 1999, his long-term actress girlfriend Jennifer Syme gave birth to their daughter Ava, who was stillborn. The couple broke up soon after, and two years later Jennifer was killed in a car accident aged 28.

Until Alexandra, Keanu hadn't been linked to any other long-term partners. He told The Guardian in 2019 about using his experience in his acting, "With any character, the way I think about it is, you have the role on the page, you have the vision of the director and you have your life experience." When asked if he brought his experience of loss to John Wick, he confirmed, "Oh yeah."

And when his interviewer asked him what it is about grief that interests him, Keanu replied, "Well, for the character and in life, it's about the love of the person you're grieving for, and any time you can keep company with that fire, it is warm. I absolutely relate to that, and I don't think you ever work through it. Grief and loss, those are things that don't ever go away. They stay with you."

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The breakout 'Wednesday' star lands in hot water after saying she's really close with her co-star during a new podcast chat with Dax Shepard on 'Armchair Expert'.

Mar 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Jenna Ortega is taking a social media break. The breakout "Wednesday" star has deactivated her Twitter account after she gushed over her close bond with her co-star Percy Hynes White, who was accused of sexual assault.

On Tuesday, March 7, eagle-eyed fans noticed that the 20-year-old actress' account on the blue bird app was missing. "Something went wrong. Try again," a message displayed on her page.

Jenna Ortega caught shutting down her Twitter account after gushing over her friendship with Percy Hynes White.

The social media gesture came after Jenna spoke about the close relationship she has with her "Wednesday" co-stars, including Percy, George Farmer and Emma Myers, during her recent appearance on Dax Shepard's podcast "Armchair Expert". She even called them her closest friends.

Speaking specifically about Percy and George, who lived in the same apartment building as her, she gave insight into their close-knit bond. "We mothered each other, so whenever someone was busier, like going through something, we were there," so the "Scream VI" star said.

Jenna's statement quickly sparked debate on the blue bird app, with many questioning why Jenna called Percy her friend while she knew about the sexual assault allegations. "i love jenna but you cannot sit there with a straight face and defend what she said about percy in that podcast. she is still supporting a rapist and that's f**ked no matter how close they were before the allegations came out," one person wrote. Another simply asked, "so jenna is still friends with percy?"

Back in January, Twitter user @milkievich exposed Percy on Twitter and accused him of pedophilia, racism and sexual abuse. The alleged victim posted a thread in which she claimed that Percy and his friends would often throw parties with the explicit goal of taking advantage of women. She claimed that they would "invite women they thought were hot so they could get them drunk and high enough to have sex with them."

@milkievich went on claiming that Percy had "assaulted" her when she was "too drunk" at one of these parties. She also alleged that he had done this to other women in the past. She later encouraged other users to take these stories seriously, noting that he was a "serial" assaulter.

Shortly after Percy was exposed for the alleged sexual abuse, a short video of him being "touchy" with his "Wednesday" co-star Jenna while attending the Golden Globes afterparty emerged on Twitter. In the footage, Jenna could be seen disturbed when Percy placed his arm on her shoulder while the latter was talking to reporters and fans in front of them. At one point, Percy appeared to put his hand on her chest area.

Unfortunately, Percy's career appeared to be in jeopardy following sexual assault allegations. It's rumored that the actor portraying Xavier Thorpe on "Wednesday" won't be in the series' second season.

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The 'Jackass' star has been booked into the Vista Detention Facility after allegedly being involved in a domestic dispute with a woman, who is reportedly not his wife but his current girlfriend.

Mar 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Bam Margera's problems keep piling up following his latest relapse. The professional skateboarder, who has been slapped with divorce by his wife, has recently been arrested for domestic violence.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department tells TMZ that the former "Jackass" star was arrested last Thursday, March 2 around 5:30 A.M. after deputies were called to a home in Escondido, California for a domestic dispute. He was reportedly involved in an altercation with a woman who is not his estranged wife Nikki Boyd, but his current girlfriend.

The woman, whose identity has yet to be released, told deputies that Bam kicked her during their dispute. He was subsequently arrested and booked into the Vista Detention Facility on a charge of corporal injury on a current or former spouse, cohabitant, dating partner or fellow parent.

Bam has been released from custody after posting $50,000 bail the day after his arrest. A spokesperson for the District Attorney's office confirms no charges will be filed in the case from their office, as they only file charges when they believe they can prove them beyond a reasonable doubt.

It's unclear if any charges will be filed elsewhere. Bam has not spoken up on the report of his arrest.

Back in 2022, Bam checked into a rehab center under court order only to flee the facility. After being gone for a week, he returned with police escort, but was reported missing again for the second time. After he was found, he checked into a new treatment facility, but was fleeing rehab again and was spotted at a bar.

In December, the 43-year-old was hospitalized and put on a ventilator in a San Diego ICU due to pneumonia and COVID-19. Following his release from the hospital, he spoke on "Steve-O's Wild Ride!" podcast about how serious his condition was.

"I basically was pronounced dead on December 8th, did not know that I had like gnarly Covid, my body was shutting down and I went into four seizures," he explained. "My body was shutting down and I went into four seizures, each one lasting 10 to 20 minutes and on the fourth one, I bit my tongue so hard, it was nearly falling off. It was swollen and puffy and wouldn't fit in my mouth and I was drinking infected blood, which gave me pneumonia as well."

Bam woke up five days later thinking he had only been in the hospital for a couple of hours. He later joined Steve on the latter's comedy tour, before they had a fallout in February due to Bam's Instagram post.

In the same month, Bam's wife Nikki filed for legal separation and spousal support, citing irreconcilable differences. She claimed that he was behaving inappropriately while spending time with their son, leading Nikki to believe Bam was under the influence.

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The 'As It Was' hitmaker recently sparked rumors of a One Direction reunion when he accidentally posted a mirror selfie of him sporting an old T-Shirt from the band's 'Up All Night' 2012 tour.

Mar 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Harry Styles has broken his silence after leaving fans freaked out with his recent social media mishap. The "As It Was" hitmaker has set the record straight after sparking rumors of a One Direction reunion when he posted a photo of himself wearing an old 1D T-shirt.

The 29-year-old British crooner addressed the mysterious mirror selfie on Tuesday, March 7 during his sold-out concert at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland, the last date of his "Love on Tour" world tour. He said he'd posted the picture by "accident" after taking it for "himself."

"Maybe, like some people you want to keep something to yourself.. and maybe one day you will accidentally post it to your Instagram Story," Harry told the crowd before laughing at himself as the audience went wild.

It is unclear whether Harry posted the photo completely by accident or whether he had meant to send it only to his Instagram close friends. However, he should have known that deleting it wasn't going to stop speculation of a 1D reunion as fans were quick to screenshot and circulate the picture.

The said snapshot saw him sporting the T-shirt from One Direction's "Up All Night" tour in 2012. The picture was seemingly taken from a gym as he's seen wearing short pants and a pair of yellow sneakers. The disappearing photo led to the hashtags #TheShirt and #HeDeletedIt trending across various social media platforms.

The post came after Harry thanked One Direction during his BRIT Awards acceptance speech last month. At the time, the "Watermelon Sugar" hitmaker said, "I want to thank my mom for signing me up for 'The X Factor' without telling me - so I literally wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. I want to thank (One Direction's) Niall, Louis, Liam and Zayn because I wouldn't be here without all you lot, - thank you so much."

One Direction became one of the biggest groups of the 2010s after its five members, Harry, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik, met as contestants on the reality television series "The X Factor" in 2010.

In March 2015, sadly, the band announced that Zayn was leaving the group. In August of that year, the four remaining members of the band announced that they would be taking an extended hiatus beginning in 2016. Before taking a step back, the group went on a final tour and released one last album, "Made in the A.M.". After the band dissolved, its members went on to pursue solo careers.

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Previously, it's reported that the 'SICKO MODE' spitter planned to turn himself in for questioning over the alleged assault at Club Nebula that left a sound engineer hospitalized.

Mar 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Travis Scott (II) seemingly had a change of heart. If a new report is to be believed, the "SICKO MODE" rapper refused to turn himself in to the New York Police Department following an alleged club attack at Club Nebula.

Media Take Out reported that the 31-year-old rapper was scheduled to be arrested on Tuesday, March 7 in New York City. However, the "Goosebumps" emcee remained in California and will not be coming in to turn himself in.

It's also reported that the NYPD has issued an "I Card" for Travis. An I-card stands for Identification Card. In short, it's just an alarm that a person is wanted for some reason. There are different types of I-card. If they're wanted for a crime, it allows an officer to take the person into custody and contact the investigator that issued the I-card to make the arrest.

This means any police officer is asked to take Travis into custody on sight. It's not clear whether the NYPD plans to put out a reward for him. He's expected to be charged with Assault in the third degree.

Earlier this month, it's reported that Travis was planning to turn himself in for questioning over the Manhattan nightclub assault that saw him allegedly sock a sound engineer in the face.

Police sources also confirmed that Travis' reps have arranged for the rapper to return to the Big Apple after his Rolling Loud gig and speak with NYPD detectives. He will likely be slapped with an assault charge. Travis, who made headlines in 2021 for the deadly Astroworld festival, performed at the hip-hop festival in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 4.

Travis' late-night meltdown unfolded after sources say the rapper climbed into the DJ booth as rapper Don Toliver, who is signed to his label, was performing at the West 41st Street club around 2 A.M.

Travis flipped out when the sound engineer tried to lower the volume, sources alleged. The rapper, who shares two kids with Kylie Jenner, then unleashed and allegedly started trashing the victim's equipment, including an audio speaker and a video screen worth about $12,000, cops said.

The alleged victim, who identified only as Mark, recently spoke from hospital and claimed that Travis "attacked" him. As he sat in his hospital bed, the engineer explained the extent of his injuries. He said that he was having some trouble turning his head and was feeling some pain. "Obviously, my neck is f**ked up. My arm is tingly. I have pins and needles going down it," he shared.

Responding to the story, Travis' rep, who previously insisted that there's a "misunderstanding," called the allegations "a complete and total joke" in a statement to Complex. "As anyone with common sense can see, the video that shows Travis DJ'ing in Nebula proves that the incident was nothing. All it shows that Travis's performance was disrupted by someone aggressively in his personal space," the statement read.

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The father of the 16-year-old girl reveals in a new interview how she's holding up after the alleged couple's Mercedes-Benz crashed into her Beverly Hills home last week.

Mar 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Pete Davidson and Chase Sui Wonders were not injured during their recent car crash, but a teen claimed that the accident left her "a bit" traumatized. The father of the 16-year-old girl revealed in a new interview how she was holding up after the couple's car crashed into her Beverly Hills home.

Speaking with TMZ, the father said her daughter was home alone reading when the "Saturday Night Live" alum drove his Mercedes-Benz into the side of the house, prompting a sound so intense that she thought it was an earthquake.

He also claimed that the car struck outside the living room, penetrating the exterior wall and causing a window to pop out of its frame. The homeowner, who was not identified, added that while her daughter was uninjured, she was left shaken up. He noted that Pete and Chase personally apologized to her for the accident.

In the interview, the homeowner revealed that he didn't plan to take legal action against "The King of Staten Island" actor. However, he will let the police investigation conclude before handing the case over to insurance.

It was revealed that the rumored lovebirds were involved in a car accident as they were driving at a high rate of speed through the Flats neighborhood on Saturday, March 4 around 11 P.M. The comedian allegedly lost control of the car and went over the curb. The car then hit a fire hydrant and slammed into the side of a nearby house before dragging across the lawn, leaving skid marks on the grass.

Cops were reportedly called to the crash site as Lt. Christopher Coulter of the Beverly Hills police confirmed that officers responded to a report that a car ran into a fire hydrant. No drugs and alcohol were alleged involved in the crash and thankfully no one was injured after the accident. It was also said that no arrests were made on the spot with both Pete and Chase not being cited as of now.

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The former cast member of 'Love and Hip Hop: Hollywood' takes to social media to reveal the sad news of her youngest child's passing, after the baby underwent multiple surgeries since he was born.

Mar 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Brandi Boyd's third child is gone too soon. The actress and reality TV star has revealed that her infant son, whom she publicly called Baby Lux, has passed away. Taking to social media to share the heartbreaking news, she asked her followers to "pray" for her and her family.

"We need you/ we Love you/ Send us a sign/ Visit your brother and sisters in there sleep/ Let us know your warm in heaven," she wrote over a throwback clip of her adorable baby boy. "I can't believe I am typing these words."

As she's clearly mourning the loss of her youngest child, the former star of "Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood" added, "Pray For my Family #BabyLux send me the strength to carry on I have to be strong for your siblings."

The comments section was soon flooded with messages of condolences from her fans and friends, including one who wrote, "Oh no I'm so sorry I and so sorry dear God please wrap your arms around this family and don't let go sending prayers to you and the family."

"Oh noooooo I'm praying for you!!!!!! May God give you strength right now in Jesus name," another penned. A third echoed the sentiment, "This is sooooo sad my heart goes out to you I know everyone is praying for your family but YOU as the mother needs special prayers. YOU CARRIED THAT BEAUTIFUL BEAM OF LIGHT 1st. Lord cover her mind. LORD SHEILD HER AT THIS TIME AND FOREVER MORE. IN JESUS NAME."

Brandi has not revealed the cause of her son's death. The baby, whom she shared with her husband Max Luz, was born prematurely in November 2022, had difficulty breathing and needed assistance from a CPAP machine. He had since undergone multiple surgeries.

Most recently on February 19, the 38-year-old TV personality revealed that her son was having a tough cold ahead of a scheduled surgery for an undisclosed reason. "6 days before his surgery. Currently fighting heavy tough cold," she wrote on Instagram along with a clip of the infant wearing a green striped onesie. "Probably gonna have to reschedule surgery," she further informed her followers, before declaring, "Giving everything to God."

Brandi and Max are also parents to son Brandus and daughter Candace.

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China to make greater contributions to world peace, development

08:40, March 08, 2023 By He Yin ( People's Daily

Following a path of peaceful development is a distinctive feature and essential choice of Chinese modernization.

Breaking away from the traditional pattern in which rising powers have always sought to dominate, China is benefiting both itself and the whole world through its development.

China will stand firmly on the right side of history and on the side of human progress. Dedicated to peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit, it will strive to safeguard world peace and development as it pursues its own development, and it will make greater contributions to world peace and development through its own development.

Chinese civilization, with a history of over 5,000 years, has always cherished peace. The pursuit of peace, amity, and harmony is an integral part of the Chinese character, which runs deep in the blood of Chinese people.

From the middle of the 19th century, China had long been troubled by foreign aggression and frequent warfare, which brought deep sufferings to Chinese people. Having experienced bitter sufferings in the past, the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese people know the value of peace and development, and see it as their sacred duty to promote the peaceful development of the world.

Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed that China remains firmly committed to peaceful development. No matter how the international landscape may evolve and how strong it may become, China will never pursue hegemony, expansion or sphere of influence.

Besides, China is the only country in the world that has pledged to "keep to a path of peaceful development" in its Constitution, which also indicates the country's firm determination to follow a path of peaceful development.

China does not subscribe to the outdated logic that "a strong country is bound to seek hegemony." Some countries, while pursuing modernization, invaded, colonized and plundered others, bringing miseries to the people in developing countries. There are still a few Western countries seeking hegemony and power politics even today, severely threatening world peace and stability.

Chinese modernization never involves military expansion or colonial plunder, but champions the shared human values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy, and freedom, advocates win-win cooperation with the world and builds a community with a shared future for mankind.

For 70-plus years since the founding of the People's Republic, China has never provoked a conflict, occupied one inch of foreign soil, started a proxy war, or joined any military bloc.

Keith Bennett, vice chair of the 48 Group Club, noted that China is not developing by exploiting any other country. It is developing itself and modernizing itself, and at the same time helping other countries to develop and modernize, he added.

Development always remains the top priority of China, the world's largest developing country. Chinese modernization is independent and self-propelled, and at the same time absorbs Western experiences in modernization in China's opening up drive. It strives for national development by integrating internal impetus and peaceful exploitation of external resources.

China adheres to the path of peaceful, open, cooperative and common development, and will offer as much assistance as it can for other developing countries. Meanwhile, the country will unswervingly safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests. China has never bullied, oppressed, or subjugated the people of any other country, and will never allow any foreign force to bully, oppress, or subjugate Chinese people.

Currently, changes unseen in a century are accelerating, and the world has entered a new phase of turbulence and transformation. Peace and development are faced with severe challenges. China will remain firm in pursuing an independent foreign policy of peace, and commit to its foreign policy goals of upholding world peace and promoting common development.

The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative has become a global public good welcomed by many countries and an open international cooperation platform. The country's Global Development Initiative has received support from more than 100 countries and many international organizations, including the UN. China also works to implement the Global Security Initiative and has released "The Global Security Initiative Concept Paper."

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said a strong and friendly China will bring positive impact on the region and the world, and can help small and medium-sized countries achieve common development.

Eduardo Regalado, senior researcher at Cuba's International Policy Research Center, noted that China's commitment to peaceful development not only creates a sound international environment for its own modernization, but also makes important contributions to human progress.

China will always be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order no matter how the international environment may change. It will work with people from all countries in the world to build a community with a shared future for mankind and make greater contributions to world peace and development.

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Du Mingming)
(CNN)  Progress toward gender equality is vanishing before our eyes, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres told the Commission on the Status of Women on Monday.

Speaking to the key UN womens rights group ahead of International Womens Day on March 8, Guterres said gender equality is 300 years away according to the latest estimates from UN Women, the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Guterres cited high rates of maternal mortality, girls being forced into early marriage, and girls being kidnapped and assaulted for attending school as evidence that hope of achieving gender equality is growing more distant.

In his speech, Guterres did not mention Iran, which was expelled from the 45-member commission in December over protests following the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the countrys so-called morality police.

Womens rights are being abused, threatened, and violated around the world, Guterres said, naming a few countries in particular, including Afghanistan, where he said women and girls have been erased from public life.

On Monday, young Afghan women gathered outside Kabul University to protest the ruling Talibans ban on female education, a restriction which a new UN report says may amount to a crime against humanity.

The report presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday also noted the rise in forced and child marriages, the ban excluding women from other public spaces like parks and gyms, and other restrictions limiting womens ability to work and travel independently in Afghanistan.

Guterres said the deputy secretary-general and the executive director of UN Women recently visited Afghanistan and conveyed to the Taliban authorities that we will never give up fighting for women and girls.

Crisis and conflict affect women and girls first and worst, Guterres said, including the war in Ukraine as an example. Last year, the UN called for an investigation into reports of rape and sexual violence against Ukrainian women and children following Russias invasion.

Guterres also said that in many places, womens sexual and reproductive rights are being rolled back, though he didnt specify where.

Last June, the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving the right to abortion up to individual states. The year before, a ban on abortions due to fetal defects took effect in Poland  essentially ending almost all abortions in the country.

To achieve gender equality, Guterres called for collective and urgent action, from increasing education, income and employment for women and girls, especially in developing nations in the Global South, to promoting the participation of women and girls in science and technology.

Centuries of patriarchy, discrimination and harmful stereotypes have created a huge gender gap in science and technology, Guterres said. Lets be clear: global frameworks are not working for the worlds women and girls. They need to change.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Gender equality will take 300 years to achieve, UN chief warns"
Cover Images/BauerGriffin Movie

The 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' host reveals how he'll handle it if someone storms the stage and slaps him as the 'King Richard' actor infamously did to Chris Rock at last year's ceremony.

Mar 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Being tapped as an emcee for such a big event as the Academy Awards isn't an easy task. As he's gearing up to host the upcoming Oscars, Jimmy Kimmel is prepared for several possible scenarios should someone try to recreate Will Smith's slap.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the funnyman was asked what he would do if someone storms the stage and slaps him as the "Emancipation" star did to Chris Rock at last year's ceremony. "Well, I size them up, and, if I'm bigger than they are, I beat the s**t out of them on television," he jokingly warned the audience.

The "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" host, however, isn't ready for a physical confrontation with a bigger star like Dwayne Johnson. "And if it's the Rock, I run," he quipped as he gave out another possible scenario.

The upcoming gig will mark the third time Kimmel is hosting the Academy Awards, after fronting the show in 2017 and 2018. Gushing over the 55-year-old's appeal, Academy CEO Bill Kramer noted recently, "It's so important to have a host who knows how to handle live television and a live audience. He's funny, he's respectful, his edges aren't too sharp."

When asked for comment on Kramer's statement, Kimmel responded with humor. "Well, first of all, when Bill said my edges aren't too sharp, I think what he was saying is I'm fat. I take that as fat shaming," he said. "And I've told him I'm trying to lose weight. I did not fit into the tuxedo I wore in 2018, and it was disturbing."

In a more serious note, he shared, "But I know what he means. I'm in a unique position in that my job is to make fun of people in Hollywood and then to have them sit next to me on the stage. And I've had 20 years of practice as far as balancing that stuff out goes."

The 95th annual Academy Awards will air live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 12. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" is leading the nominees with 11 nods.

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Cover Images/ROGER WONG Celebrity

The former 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' star appears to be naked as she poses in an outdoor hot tub rocking long wet hair with a seductive look to the camera.

Mar 8, 2023

AceShowbiz - Nia Long heated up Instagram with her latest update. Having been single since her split from her longtime partner Ime Udoka, the actress set the temperature rising as she appeared to be posing naked in a new picture.

In the Monday, March 6 thirst trap, the 52-year-old posed in an outdoor hot tub as she appeared to be in her birthday suit. She was seen hanging on the side of the pool, giving a glimpse of her bare behind.

The Beulah "Lisa" Wilkes of the NBC sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" sported minimal makeup while rocking long wet hair. She gave a sultry look to the camera while seemingly taking her own selfie. "In my element," she simply captioned the snap.

Needless to say, the post garnered a bunch of comments as it has raked over 300,000 likes. "Yeah I know that man screaming internally looking at this ... because my God," one person gushed over the photo.

Another admitted, "I'm Finna faint." A third raved, "Just gorgeous," while someone dubbed Nia "stunning." A fourth person declared, "Love this." Another tried to flirt with the actress as writing, "Hey beautiful."

Praising Nia for coming back strong following Ime's cheating scandal, a user noted, "Women do such powerful things after a heartbreak. You are so ethereal." The thirst trap also caught the attention of Russell Simmons, who left a single heart emoji in separate comments.

Nia split from Ime after his affair with a Boston Celtics female employee was revealed in September 2022. They share a son, who was born in 2011, together.

Back in January, she revealed during an appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show" that she got her "eye on one person" as they talked about dating. She, however, held herself back from sharing too much as she jokingly said, "I'm not saying. I'm never telling."

However, in an interview with The Cut published in February, the "NCIS: Los Angeles" alum admitted that she wasn't ready for a serious relationship. "Oh God, I'm not ready for a serious relationship. My mind is not even there at all," she shared.

Trying to enjoy her new status, she explained, "I want to go out and have amazing, important, deep, thoughtful conversations. I want to travel. I want to laugh. I want to cook with my kids and listen to music. I want a good glass of wine. I want a good goodnight kiss. Everything else will have to show itself as being that. I'm just trying to enjoy the moment."

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Blintn, a South Korea-based premium database for the media industry, has appointed Gregory Ho as Senior Advisor to its chief executive, Peter Choe.

A media veteran and former Chief Communications and Marketing executive at Warner Bros. Discovery in Asia Pacific, Ho joins Blintns Board of Advisors effective immediately. In this new role, he supports Choe specifically in areas of strategic business development, branding, marketing and communications. He is based in Singapore.

At a time of rapid growth for the company, Im honoured and delighted to welcome Greg to our Board of Advisors. With his extensive network and deep experience across virtually every aspect of the video industry, he will provide invaluable insights and strategic counsel, said Peter Choe, CEO, Blintn.

Blintn currently has registered users in over 1,500 companies across more than 70 countries. Designed to offer comprehensive details for every listing in its database, and powered with a state-of-art recommendation engine to enable better discovery of new IP, film or TV content, Blintn aims to be the ultimate search engine for the next big hit.

The search for the next big hit is a never-ending quest and Blintns ambition to be the leading free-to-use platform serves a critical industry need at the very top of the funnel. I look forward to working closely with Peter as he seeks to simplify how we discover new content and story ideas, said Gregory Ho, Snr. Adviser, Blintn.

The company also operates a content investment arm, Blintn+ which invests in select projects across Asia. Last year it added a slate of Korean drama series from highly acclaimed producers with production scheduled to commence in 2023.

Ho added: The exciting slate of Korean shows that Blintn+ has identified and chosen to invest in reflects a continued confidence in premium stories. High-production quality from proven Korean producers is something that will always be in demand.

Ho spent 9 years with Warner Bros. Discovery in Hong Kong and Singapore in a corporate capacity, as well as on brands such as CNN, Cartoon Network and HBO. He also had a long spell with Sony Pictures  which included senior roles overseeing marketing, communications, sales and operations for its networks in Asia. He began his career with positions at CNBC and Mediacorp Singapore.
With growing time and competition, it is difficult to catch up with the growing trends. Still, companies are trying to be on trend and track success on all grounds. And with this competition comes the challenge of creating equal opportunities for every worker without being biased toward anyone. So, real talent is essential for the overall development.

As the world is getting used to crypto transactions, it is important to create equal opportunities for female workers there too. So that they can excel to their potential. Due to the pandemic and family pressure females had to opt for a break which overall affected their confidence. At this level of transformation, leaders play a great role in getting back their self-belief. And Mudita Chauhan, Head of Human Resources at CoinDCX, highlights this through her interview.

Can you discuss a successful initiative or program that the company has implemented to support women in the workplace?

Our HR programmes are in line with the future growth plans of CoinDCX, and we continue to attract talent that shares the same zeal and fervor in bringing the world of cryptos to retail investors. A recent initiative that succeeded in supporting women at work was flexibility to choose their working hours. The company has since come a long way, but theres still work to be done. Hence, our policies ensure that we achieve consistent growth and progress in this aspect.

How did the campaign measure its success and impact in promoting gender diversity and inclusion in the crypto, web 3, and blockchain industry?

We've spent the last three to four years working to introduce equality and diversity to web3 and cryptocurrency. We believe in magnifying the experiences and accomplishments of the underrepresented groups in order to demonstrate that web3's transformative potential is for everyone regardless of gender, age or background. In fact, blockchain was created to provide everyone with equal access to finance and services, and change must begin within the industry. Our gender-neutral policies have been a huge contributor to promoting inclusion for everyone. The flexibility of working hours, unlimited wellness leaves, removing unconscious biases from hiring, performance assessments, and rewards are examples that have shifted the focus from differentiation to empathy for all. We celebrate diversity and this is a space where distinct identities can support each other and collaborate.

How do you support women's career development and advancement in the crypto and blockchain industry?

Women have been one the largest growing demographic in terms of crypto-adoption in India, and the trend is reflected in our employee base as well. A quarter of our employees are women, and this will continue to grow across levels and functions. Considering the ever-evolving nature of business in the crypto industry, we strongly believe that our employees should be regularly upskilled and need to maintain agility. To that end, we have been conducting training on web3 development and industry sessions for all. The focus on upgrading ones skill sets and staying abreast with the latest technologies is vital to succeeding in the industry.

How does the company celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of women in the crypto and blockchain industry, particularly on International Women's Day?

For Women's Day, we want to recognise and honor the women who are trailblazers in the Web3 space. We are aiming to create a forum for women who are building and investing in Web3 to share their story and inspire future generations. We intend to use the CoinDCX platform to reach out to people both inside and outside of Web3, as well as prospective fence sitters, web3 aficionados, and the companys networks across Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram, Discord, and local chapters to narrate these inspiring stories and leverage web3's potential as a space for all.

How do you stay up-to-date on changes and developments in HR, and what resources do you rely on?

Since the pandemic, there has been a significant shift in how employees work. Understanding our own employees, their preferences and their needs have always been the starting point to implementing new practices. We also encourage them to openly share the best practices from their external peers so that we can learn.

Staying in touch with industry counterparts & the trends they are seeing, participating in industry discussions and keeping in touch with the ideas in HR publications & thought leaders are some other sources which help stay attuned to whats happening in the external world.

How does the company ensure that women are paid fairly and equitably in comparison to their male counterparts?

For us, compensation is derived basis of the individuals role when they join us. For existing employees we look at factors such as individual performance, their current role and market parity data when looking at pay revisions. Gender is not an input factor into compensation and we remove any unconscious bias by taking a structured & formulaic approach to pay.
The Advertising Club ramps up the celebration of Media Awards Oscars of the media world with the newest edition of the EMVIES, presented by Google, co-powered by TV9 NETWORK and MiQ India Commerical, and in association with The Times of India. With over 1469 entries received, which is the highest ever in the history of EMVIES, the best minds of the media and marketing fraternity will battle it out for recognition and glory on Friday, 10th March 2023, at Seaside lawns, Hotel Taj Lands End, Bandra, Mumbai, at 6:30 PM.

The countrys most coveted media award which focuses on Innovation, Strategy, Research, and seamless Integration, EMVIES 2023, was adjudged by a distinguished and versatile jury of 172 media professionals in round 1 of the judging process. Out of 1469 entries received, 370 were shortlisted. The final round of judging saw case studies being presented online for a period of 10 days which were evaluated by 179 marketing professionals and some chosen creative directors.

As you all are aware of the fact that any campaign which goes on to win an EMVIE, the trophy is presented to both  the media agency and the client. Thus, the elite audience will have the presence of top-notch professionals from not only the media and advertising world but also from the marketing fraternity.

Partha Sinha, President Times of India group and President of The Advertising Club, said, I have always called EMVIE the Oscar of media award and over the years it has been doing justice to that reputation. The quality of work, the presentations, and the energy around the whole event are improving every year. It is a world-class platform today and is owned equally by the media, marketing, and advertising fraternities. It is a burning example of our overall theme of excellence.

Aditya Swamy, Chairperson, EMVIES Committee, said, This year we have a record number of entries and that is a reflection of the high quality of work our industry produces and its our privilege at the Ad Club to celebrate the best of the best at our favorite awards show - The EMVIES.

The EMVIE Awards is attended by 1000 plus die-hard professionals from the Media, Advertising, Research, and Marketing fraternity i.e., the entire gamut of the communication industry. It is a vibrant, young, and high-decibel event.

Its time to book your donor passes and see for yourself who will win the Grand EMVIE, Best Media Client of the Year, and Best Media Agency of the Year.
In line with Vedantas commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion at the workplace, and women empowerment as a whole, Vedanta Sesa Goa has launched a campaign #IronLadiesIndia on International Womens Day to highlight the massive contribution of women in the society and to felicitate them for their exemplary achievements. Mr. Navin Jaju, CEO, Sesa Goa, Vedanta Limited felicitated such outstanding women viz- Sucheta Dessai, SP, Training, Goa Police, Siya Shaikh, Founder of GoWomania, WEBN & GoenKart and Manaswini Prabhune Nayak, Journalist and prominent social worker.

For Vedanta, the objective of this years #IronLadiesIndia campaign was to use its platform to promote women from society, who have become an inspiration for others by pushing the boundaries and thereby instill confidence in women around the country. The company launched a campaign on its digital and numerous communication platforms that demonstrated the laudable achievements of women from community and Vedanta Sesa Goa. Videos of Vedanta Sesa Goa employees and community women achievers highlighting their journeys, were shared on social media and through other communication platforms.

In line with this years International Womens Day theme of DigitALL- Innovation and Technology for gender equality, the women employees from Vedanta Sesa Goa, who have contributed exceptionally to the field of digital were also felicitated namely Suvarna Raut, Pooja Prabhu, Priyanka Korgaonkar, Amanda DSouza, Nikita Singh, Swetha J S, Soumi Halder, Monalisa Diniz, Muriel Pereira, Ashwini Sinari and Shrijaya Chauhan as a part of the campaign. The campaign has received an overwhelming response from employees and business partners of Sesa Goa as well as the community at large.

Mr. Navin Jaju, CEO, Sesa Goa Business, Vedanta Limited, said, " Every day is 'Women's Day' as they are an integral part of our lives. At Vedanta, we strive to inculcate an inclusive culture and values through various initiatives that acknowledge diversity in all its forms. I firmly believe that promoting gender equality and empowering women is essential for the holistic development of our nation.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Sucheta Dessai, SP, Training, Goa Police, said, On International Womens Day, I want to highlight how women are contributing immensely to all sectors across the world. Women are definitely the stronger lot and the sacrifices they make managing both the outside world and home, is commendable. Its heartening to see so many young women at Sesa Goa making a mark across different fields. My best wishes to the whole team of Sesa Goa for this campaign saluting the iron will of women

Ms. Richa Dubey, CHRO- Sesa Goa, Vedanta Limited said Today, we are celebrating the Iron will of the Women on International Womens Day. Women are breaking the barriers, challenging the norms and leading the way forward, towards a more equitable world. At Sesa Goa, we are committed to creating a workplace that is diverse, inclusive and equitable in all its forms .Let us support the endeavours of these #IronLadiesIndia in bringing a positive change in the world.

At Vedanta, high-potential women employees are identified and nurtured to build a pipeline of women CXOs. Vedanta Group has framed best-in-class leadership development programmes like V-Lead and Tarang to promote diversity and inclusion at the workplace. Vedanta Group is always a step ahead to recognise and reward the contributions of employees without any biases and has rolled out an equal opportunity policy that aims to encourage equal employment opportunities without any discrimination.
Yas Island Abu Dhabi sets to delight Rock and Roll fans with a daycation and staycation package to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as legendary rock band Guns N Roses makes history at Etihad Arena on June 1.

With the iconic band kick-starting their world tour live from the heart of Abu Dhabi, Yas Island is offering fans the chance to avail a daycation package which comprises a Dine and Event bundle starting AED 1,450, and a staycation package starting AED 1,590 which includes a hotel stay at one of Yas Islands leading hotels from May 31 to June 4, both valid for booking on Yas Islands website until May 31, subject to availability. The packages count with a Floor Standing Ticket and young spirits under the age of 12 are excluded within the ticket category.

Yas Island Abu Dhabi will be entertaining Rock and Roll fans with an unforgettable experience as Guns N Roses return to rock the stage at Etihad Arena in their first performance in the UAE since 2018.
Mom lives with my sister, my sisters husband, and their adopted son Ramon. All in all, she figures that being surrounded by people to love is a good reason to wake up every morning. For her, being smack dab in the middle of a bustling household helps her look forward to the next moment, the next day, and the next year. She prefers not to take naps during family gatherings because she might miss something! 3. Say Yes Often

At age 96, my mom still approaches each day with enthusiasm. Mom cleans, does laundry, and looks after the dog. She reads large print books, makes quilts, and does needlework. She has a smartphone and calls friends, but she doesnt text, take photos, or search anything on the internet.

Some of them, Im sure, wish she was their very own grandma. 2. Approach Each Day with Enthusiasm

She makes it clear that she loves them and appreciates them. She calls young women honey and looks into their eyes to thank them for helping her find what she needs. They melt.

When shopping, she treats the people who help her as if they are her daughters and sons, no matter their age.

Mom believes in the goodness of people. She is kind to strangers. Kindness is her default.

Here are seven of her secrets to living a long, healthy, vibrant life. The authors mom laughing with Beth, who is a friend from her Quaker meeting in Iowa (where she moved after she married the authors father). Beth also loves to quilt. Terri says her moms quilting group still meets every Thursday and her mom always calls them from wherever she is to check in. 1. Treat Everyone Like Family

Most of her closest friends have died. Both of my brothers also died, at 50 and 65 years old. But, even so, my mom didnt grow discouraged about life or become chronically lonely or sad. Instead, she came to accept their deaths. And she enjoys the family members who remain, and makes new friends to replace those who have passed on.

When I was growing up, she was a full-time homemaker on our farm. She wore mostly housedresses and aprons, and I remember her complaints about being (as she called it) flat-chested. She was quick to laugh, and even quicker to love babies.

The tradition in her Quaker Meeting was to send children to boarding school, which she did. But my mom never officially graduated. She had trouble with spelling and math.

Mom was born to Quaker parents on a fruit farm in Barnesville, Ohio. Shes slender, about 56, with glasses, short, curly auburn hair, and plenty of freckles. As a young girl, her face was accidentally splashed with lye while making soap, but luckily the burn marks passed for dark freckles on her already freckled face.

My mother, whos 96 years old, seems to roll with it. Somehow, she comes to terms with what life hands her. Accepting change is possibly her number one superpower. She makes peace with what is.

In addition, the longer we live, the more death we witness. So its no wonder that the aging process is daunting for most of us.

There are plenty of reasons to become discouraged as we age. For me, my eyesight has gotten worse. My neck bones make interesting sounds in yoga class. And my ability to come up with a word I need isnt as quick as it used to be.

I subscribe to Jennifer Margulis Phd's Vibrant Life Substack newsletter . I've had the pleasure of meeting her. She wrote Your Baby Your Way Taking Charge of Your Pregnancy (which I just gave to a friend who is expecting.) She ran a guest post yesterday, with the recipe for a content life from a 96 year old. I'm not quite 96, but I'm not young any longer. I'm a late summer single parent caring for 3 autistic adults. Aging as an autism care-parent has no manual. We are some of the first to care for autistic adult children into our own retirement (ha ha ha ha) years. In the "outside world," the daily news is grim. The state of the nation is gloomy. Social media is rife with arguing and division. Now we're getting into the Presidential political season, which should be a nightmare of disrespectful discourse. I loved this article. It made me feel lighthearted and hopeful. And I'm proud to say, I'm already doing much of what she recommends. Finally, a prescription we can all take, with the BEST side effects. Kim By Terri Crosby Special to Vibrant Life

As a farm wife and mother, Mom worked hard physically every single day. She raised five children (six counting the 18-year-old Bulgarian refugee who came to live with us when I was in sixth grade).

We ate food from our familys garden. Mom was a taskmaster, and when she called out, Everybody get to the garden! we did exactly that. Walking leisurely or reluctantly in response was not an option.

Mom knew how to can, freeze, and pickle the food we grew. Our root cellar was filled with earthy smells. We stored potatoes and squash in large wooden bins down there and ate them throughout the winter. There were also crocks of carrots packed in sand, and vats of pickles. The edges of the cave were lined with shelves of canned goods, especially applesauce and tomatoes.

When my dad needed her to drive the tractor for baling hay, she said yes. When there was an abundance of milk from grandpas cow, she didnt waste a drop. She handed us the churn and directed us to make butter. She taught me how to make potato soup (with a milk base), or pudding (which also required plenty of milk).

Most weeks, she baked seven loaves of homemade bread, plus hamburger or hot dog buns, cinnamon rolls, and more. She did everything required to keep a thriving family on its feet using the fewest pennies possible.

She said yes to being frugal, yes to hard work, yes to healthy food, and yes to disciplining her children with firm boundaries and lots of love.



4. Know That It's Never Too Late to Have Fun

Mom was my dads caregiver for years. He was in painand was not the easiest person to be around. This was difficult for her, and sometimes she lost patience with him.

But after he died, Mom changed. She let go of what she had always done, how she had always been.

She enjoyed the freedom of not having to be a fulltime caretaker. Now there was no one to answer to, no one else to feed, and no reason to stay home.

For the first time in her life, she did as she pleased. It was a delight to watch her decide how to spend her time. She was 88 years old when she started flyingto New Zealand, Florida, and North Carolina. She also hitched rides with friends and relatives to visit classmates and family members she hadnt seen for years.

It didnt matter that she was pushing ninety and that she had worked hard her whole life and then cared for her ailing husband. She knew it is never too late to have fun.



5. Stay Awhile

Mom is known for purchasing one-way tickets for travel.

She came to visit me in early December of 2019 and stayed through Spring, almost four months. My friend Ellen wilted at the thought of having anyone visit for months, let alone her mother. But because I know Mom likes to stay a while, I invited her to come for as long as she wanted. There was no doubt in my mind that even a long visit would be delightful. This was the second time she had arrived on my doorstep for an extended stay.

We drove to the coast side of North Carolina for a visit with her youngest (and only remaining) sibling, her sister Bert.

Then we traveled on to Washington, D.C. to see flowers, a favorite pastime of Moms, in this case the cherry blossoms in full bloom at the tidal basin.

We spent our days sight-seeing by Metro rail all over the city. She had never stood in front of the White House. She really took that in. She lingered in front of Americas most famous residence for a long time.

For the rest of our time together, I worked from home and had a flexible schedule. When I did Zoom sessions with clients or worked on the book I was writing, Mom took up her quilting projects, read, or puttered around the house dusting and cleaning. She talked on the phone to friends in Iowa. Sometimes she napped. We cooked together, went on easy hikes and day trips on weekends, and drove the Blue Ridge Parkway to enjoy the breathtaking views. Around Christmas, we took in concerts and holiday lights, and did plenty of shopping.

Being self-employed, it has been natural for me to spend time at home. With Mom visiting, I made it a point to get out of the house so she wouldnt be bored. Having her as an excuse to stop working and take breaks for a little fun was helpful and healthy for me. Mom was always ready for an adventure!

Vibrant Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.



6. Be Tickled by Human Nature

As George Bernard Shaw says, You dont stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing. Mom takes this idea to heart. She laughs out loud often, with her whole body. Moms sense of humor carries her.

At the start of her most recent stay with me, she was looking forward to her own spacious bedroom. But an unforeseen event changed all that.

My housemate had moved out prior to her arrival. A few days after Mom settled comfortably into her accommodations, he called. Could he pleasepretty pleasemove back in? His girlfriend had ousted him and he had nowhere to go.

There you have itso much for best laid plans! We (admittedly with some reluctance) invited him back. Mom took this change of events in stride and moved her things out of the room.

There was only one other place for her to sleep comfortably during her visit given that the private bedroom was no longer available, and that was with me in my king-sized bed. Its not what either of us had planned, but it worked. Our resting hours differed, but were both good sleepers, and neither of us snores.

However, one night we got into bed at the same hour and began to chat. First, we got the giggles about the play wed just seen in Asheville. Then we joked about our lack of ability to understand certain family members. We chuckled about aging. Our playful conversation lasted into the wee hours. We even talked about sex. Mom and I had never had this kind of grown-up girl time together before. Turns out there are things your Quaker mother will say or do in her nineties that she would never have said or done in her fifties or sixties.



7. Do What You Can and Ask for Help with the Rest

Mom doesnt get stressed about what she doesnt know how to do, she just asks for help.

At the airport she pays someone to wheel her to the next gate, not because she cant walk there herself, but because without assistance shed soon be lost. She would never find her flight.

It makes her happy to ask for help and receive it. She tells me stories about her young friends (the 50- to 70-year-olds) who drive her wherever she needs to go. After the shoppings done, Mom buys them lunch and a tank of gas. Everybodys happy.

Being around Mom is a reminder of these words from novelist Edith Wharton:  one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways.

Thats my mom.

Be well, everyone. Keep on shining.



The author with her 96-year-old mom and her adult child MacKenzie.

About the author: Terri Crosby is a consultant, author, and speaker who has coached individuals and couples about life and relationships for the last 40 years. She helps people who love each other get along. She is the author of 100 Words: Small Servings of Whimsy and Wisdom, a book of poetry and photography, which explores change, relationships, grief, creativity, and nature. Her second book, How to Save Your Fourth Marriage: One Person Can Transform a Relationship, is for anyone seeking to improve or deepen an intimate relationship. In it she presents five core skills for making changes, which are useful in any type of human connection.



You can learn more at her website or contact Terri via email Terri@incareofrelationships.com. A different version of this article first appeared on her website.

An Enemy of the People

In his foreword, Kennedy alerts readers to the undeniable fact that the persecution of those who tell uncomfortable truths, which Ibsen described over one hundred years ago, continues to this day and is as relevant now as ever. We face environmental deregulation and degradation, politicians in lobbyists pockets, attacks on facts that are agreed upon by reputable scientists, corporate funded and controlled research, and attempts to impede and suppress whistleblowers. The battle continues and Kennedy joins Ibsen on the front lines.





ROAR by Bruce Wagner



The myth of an epic, public lifeits triumphs and tragediesis a particularly American obsession. ROAR is a metafictional exploration of such a life and attendant fame of an extraordinary, and completely made up, man.




(CNN)  US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said US troops are ready to remain in Iraq in his remarks during an unannounced trip to Baghdad on Tuesday, according to the US press pool traveling with him.

Austin, the highest-ranking Cabinet official to visit the country since the start of the Biden administration, according to the press pool, said in a statement that he is in Iraq to reaffirm the US-Iraq strategic partnership as we move toward a more secure, stable and sovereign Iraq.

The visit comes days before the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq that ousted dictator Saddam Hussein from power.

Now looking forward, US forces are ready to remain in Iraq at the invitation of the Government of Iraq, Austin said. And these forces are operating in a non combat, advise assist and enable role to support the Iraqi led fight against terrorism. This is a critical mission. And were proud to support our Iraqi partners.

Iraq is an important partner in the ongoing campaign to defeat ISIS. But unlike Syria, where US forces operated alongside Syrian Democratic Forces and other partners, the US military serves in an advise-and-assist role in Iraq, having officially ended the combat mission in Iraq in 2021.

He added, The United States will continue to strengthen and broaden our partnerships in support of Iraqi security, stability and sovereignty.

Austin met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and is expected to meet other senior officials while he is in the country. The meeting with the Iraqi prime minister was not on camera, according to the pool traveling with the secretary.

Al-Sudani, whose formation of a government ended months of political deadlock and sometimes violent protests, welcomed Austins visit and signaled ongoing cooperation with the United States.

Iraq is keen to strengthen and consolidate relations with the US, al-Sudani told Austin during their meeting, according to the prime ministers office.

Iraq plays a crucial role for the United States in containing Irans influence in the region. Iran has tried to exert control over Iraq through the use of proxy forces and Tehrans sway with Shia political parties in Baghdad.

Before al-Sudanis recent rise to power, Shia Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr appeared poised to lead the government following the last elections. Al-Sadr had positioned himself against both Iran and the United States. But al-Sadr failed to form a government because of opposition from rival parties, ultimately opening the door to al-Sudani, who has so far shown a willingness to expand Baghdads relations with Washington.

After his visit to Baghdad, Austin went to Erbil, Iraqs northern Kurdish regional capital, and met with the President of the Kurdistan Region and the Commander in Chief of the Regions Armed Forces, Nechirvan Barzani.

In a joint press conference, Austin and Barzani stressed the importance of US support for Iraq and the Kurdistan region, with Barzani saying mutual interests and principles bring the two closer together.

Austin highlighted the cooperation on counterterrorism between the US and the Kurdish Peshmerga in confronting ISIS.

Through the Global Coalition to Defeat Daash (ISIS), we liberated more than 50,000 square kilometers from Daash (ISIS) and we freed more than 4.5 million Iraqis from their cruel grip, Austin said at the press conference.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "US defense secretary makes unannounced trip to Iraq"
Artificial intelligence (AI) has recently been touted as a revolutionary advance in clinical medicine that might save our failing healthcare system. A google search for artificial intelligence in medicine or healthcare displays 99 pages of citations.

Its true that, despite technical, security, financial, and regulatory issues of implementation, AI in medical practice can efficiently gather, organize, and statistically analyze quantitative data from multiple sources, viz., stationary monitors, wearables, smartphones, and even cardiac pacemakers. Furthermore, AI can list diagnostic as well as therapeutic options and proffer published clinical guidelines, advisories, and algorithms.

AI can be especially helpful in public health. Applying AI to the early pandemic data in 2021 could have prevented Washingtons ill-conceived, disastrous response plan to CoViD.

However, in the clinical practice of medicine, AI cannot substitute for human care providers (i.e., nurses, doctors, or therapists).

A recent article promoting AI claimed,

The implementation of augmented medicine [AI] is long-awaited by patients because it allows for a greater autonomy and a more personalized treatment, however, it is met with resistance from physicians which were not prepared for such an evolution of clinical practice.

In fact, both patients and physicians are extremely leery of AI in medicine.

Most people are afraid of change, any change. New technologies induce anxiety, particularly when they are related to our bodies. But there is another, stronger reason for public resistance to AI: the need for human connection.

Image: Medical provider and patient by freepik.

In-person communication, physical closeness, and direct physical contact are important components of the healing process. The aphorism healing hands is not merely wishful thinking. Any experienced (read: older) clinical physician will confirm that laying on hands can be therapeutic and that direct human-to-human connection is always helpful.

AI cant provide that to patients, no matter how well programmed.

Providers have a more compelling reason for eschewing AI: the limits of medical knowledge and the nature of patients.

Medical science is not like the hard sciences, viz., math, physics, and chemistry. Two plus three always equals five. The speed of light is 299,792,458 meters per second, no more, no less. The boiling point of copper is 2595 centigrade. It doesnt matter who does the addition, the color of light, or where the copper was mined.

In contrast to the knowledge base in hard sciences, medicine has no always answers. The precise mechanism of disease is not yet known. Doctors know that, in diabetics, the insulin-producing cells inside the pancreas malfunction, but they dont know why they fail. Without knowing the root cause, no one treatment can work for all diabetics.

Patients are not commodities like numbers on a page, copper metal, or electric current. Each patient is unique, with a specific history, allergies, and specific responses to medications. Both ibuprofen and naproxen are NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). The former made my wife nauseous, and the latter worked well. The reason for these differing medication responses in different patients is unknown.

Gentamicin is a highly effective antibiotic against infection by Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae. An AI, following a government-approved, evidence-based clinical algorithm, could reasonably prescribe the drug. But gentamicin can damage kidney function. If the patient has underlying renal disease, giving gentamicin could cause kidney failure.

The doctor must know his or her specific patient and must recognize the limits of medical knowledge. There is no treatment that has zero side effects. Nothing in medicine is risk-freenot aspirin, antibiotics, or appendectomy.

The good doctor uses judgment and intuition, advantages that only humans have. The good doctor knows her or his patient in a way no computer can. The good doctor takes all aspects of that one patient into account before recommending treatment: physical, psychological such as risk acceptance or avoidance, family situation, and financial status.

Doctors sometimes have an intuition. These gut feelings are reasoning below the conscious level, connecting seemingly unrelated facts. Experienced physicians and surgeons have learned to listen to that little voice whispering, do this, dont do that; wait; operate right this minute. While such intuitions are not infallible, they sometimes can save a patients life.

As a teenager, while driving to dinner with my middle uncle, an obstetrician, he said, Mrs. Jones is in the hospital, but I have a feeling I need to see her now. Do you mind if we stop off to check on her? Of course, I said, Sure.

As we drove into the parking lot, his beeper went off. Entering through the ER doors, we heard the PA system blare, Dr. Ratzan, STAT! Room 412. Dr. Ratzan, STAT! Room 412.

When we got to room 412, running up three flights of stairs, the umbilical cord of Mrs. Jones baby had come out first. Her contractions were stopping blood flow to the baby. My uncle splashed antiseptic on her belly, put on gloves, and right there in her room, wearing suit and tie, he did an emergency Caesarean section to get the baby out before there was brain damage.

A doctors gut saved that baby. AIs do not have gut feelings. They have neither intuition nor judgment. And most assuredly, they lack compassion.

While there is a place for AI as an informational aide to clinical care providers, AI cannot, should not, and must not supplant the human touch and brain.

Deane Waldman, M.D., MBA is Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, Pathology, and Decision Science; former Director of the Center for Healthcare Policy at Texas Public Policy Foundation; and author of the multi-award-winning book Curing the Cancer in U.S. Healthcare: StatesCare and Market-Based Medicine.
In a recent interview, Archbishop Emeritus Gyula Marfi of Hungary warned of a multi-pronged assault against European Christianity from left-wing forces within the E.U.

In doing so, he said what many in the West, Christian or otherwise, know deep in their gut but dare not acknowledge for fear of being canceled.

While the entire interview is well worth reading, a few excerpts are examined here. According to the archbishop,

One of the most striking signs of the European Unions anti-Christianity is that its constitution did not commemorate Europes Christian roots.

Indeed, and as the Catholic archbishop must surely know, none other than the highest of his order -- Pope Francis -- is also keen on disavowing Europes Christian roots. As the Vicar of Christ, an avowed supporter of unchecked Muslim migration into Europe, once said:

When I hear talk of the Christian roots of Europe, I sometimes dread the tone, which can seem triumphalist or even vengeful. It then takes on colonialist overtones.

He did not clarify how the desire to preserve the national, cultural, and religious integrity of ones own homeland -- in this case, Europe -- can have colonialist overtones. But it didnt matter; just using the guilt-ridden word colonialist -- which ironically refers to actions taken outside ones homeland -- was apparently the goal.

The archbishop continues:

They [the E.U] write about Greco-Roman traditions and enlightenment, but not about Christianity. Yet ancient culture and art have survived precisely because of Christians: the writings of Virgil, Tacitus, Homer, and others have been copied by monks deep in their cells.

This, of course, is true. All throughout Western school rooms, Greco-Roman civilization is presented as the Wests heritage, even though Christian civilization not only preserved it, but is the much more direct ancestor of the modern West.

Similarly, after discussing how Muslim violence severed the ancient continuity between the European and North African sides of antiquitys Mediterranean, historian Emmett Scott writes,

This is something that has been almost completely overlooked by historians, especially those of northern European extraction. For the latter in particular, the Mediterranean is viewed through the prism of classical history. So bewitched have educated Europeans been by the civilization of Greece and Rome, that they have treated the more recent part of Mediterranean history -- over a thousand years of it -- as if it never existed.

The Hungarian archbishop also

lamented the erasure of Christmas in the public square, noting the growing trend of replacing the word Christmas with holidays. He recalled how the city of Brussels, the capital of the E.U., declined to put up a Christmas tree in 2012 for fear of offending its Muslim population.

There is, of course, no need to go back to 2012 for examples. Expressions of Christmas, particularly the Nativity scene, are canceled every year throughout the West, often in the name of appeasing Muslims. A few examples come from the UK (here and here), Italy (here and here), Germany (here and here), and Belgium (here and here).

Most recently, during Christmas of 2022 in Sweden, at least one school -- a Catholic school -- canceled a Christmas holiday in order to accommodate Muslim sensibilities.

What makes all this appeasement especially loathsome is that, of all non-Christians, it is precisely Muslims who, far from reciprocating such sensitivity, do the exact opposite. If anything, the Christmas season often heralds nothing but a rise in the persecution of Christian minorities throughout the Muslim world.

As discussed here, however, and in agreement with the Hungarian archbishop,

Christmas is under attack in the West, not because of Muslims, but because of homegrown Western elements who despise the Christian holiday and everything it represents. Rather than be honest, however, they use Muslims as pawns and pretexts. That, by the way, is the case with everything Western people are told they must suppress -- beginning with their religion -- in the name of inclusivity. In the end, this exercise in self-suppression is not about accommodating minority groups but rather sabotaging Western civilization from within.

Finally, the archbishop connected it all by explaining why Leftists are dedicated to flooding Europe with Muslim migrants:

In my opinion, Muslims are also being called in to get Christ and Christianity out of Europe. Today, Freemasons and Muslims are coming together to make Christianity disappear from Europe. It was practically the same as it was in the age of the Savior, when the Scribes and Pharisees worked with their deadly enemy, Pontius Pilate, to get Jesus out of the way In a multicultural, mixed society, the individual loses his identity, sense of identity, culture, faith, language, practically everything [making people easier to manipulate for powerful corporations] who want to turn the whole Earth into a huge collective farm, where there are no ethnic, national and religious identities, only obedient workers and consumers manufactured according to standards.

Here the oft-asked question arises: why are leftists, whose values are antithetical to Islam, so keen on advocating for Muslims? The answer is evident in the words of an ancient strategy: The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Western elements that are forever protecting and empowering Islam, and which operate under various names -- leftists, liberals, Marxists, progressives, social justice warriors, etc. -- see Islam as a distant challenge. For the moment, Islam is a tool for them to combat their real and much closer enemy: Christianity, and the mores and civilization borne of it.

As the archbishop goes on to observe, European leftists will ultimately ruin themselves by embracing large-scale Muslim migration, as Islam will never accept their liberal principles.

That may be true, but their hate for Christianity, which poses an immediate and present danger to their agenda, overrides any future concerns they might have about Islam. In their myopic obsessions, they overlook that Islam is on its way to becoming Europes majority faith in a paltry 25 years, at which point the jihadist crocodile will eat them last.

At any rate, its refreshing to see that there are some Christian leaders who understand what is going on, and why -- even if one needs to look to distant Hungary for such insights.

Raymond Ibrahim, author most recently of Defenders of the West, is the Distinguished Senior Shillman Fellow at the Gatestone Institute and the Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Image: Public Domain
The (in)famous Section 230 does not only protect social media platforms. Its subsection 230(d) establishes a requirement that the provider of an interactive computer service notify the customer that "parental control protections (such as computer hardware, software, or filtering services) are commercially available" and must "provide the customer with access to information identifying current providers of such protections" at the time of entering the agreement with the customer.

It is easy to comply with subsection 230(d); most websites did that for the first ten or fifteen years. There were many parental control software packages (such as NetNanny, Webroot, Norton Family, etc.), and websites carried notices pointing to these software packages. In addition, some ISPs provided network-level filtering. These programs and services allowed parents to protect their children from porn and other content they considered harmful or unsuitable to their religious beliefs or family values.

Big social media platforms elected not to comply with this requirement. Even worse, they have interfered with the ability of third parties to make commercially available parental controls to the point where it is almost impossible. As the use of social media is practically unavoidable, parents cannot supervise their children's activities online.

Social media platforms used by children most are Google, YouTube, TikTok (domiciled in China), Facebook/Instagram (Facebook owns Instagram), and Snapchat.

Historically Unprecedented Situation

Adolescents (1318) spend more than six hours daily on social media on average. This number is just below four hours for children (812). Eighty-five percent of children under 13 in the U.S. are watching YouTube. YouTube is the most popular app among children and adolescents, and TikTok is number two.

Today, it is impossible for ordinary parents to supervise what their children do on the internet and social media. More accurately, parents do not even know what social media corporations and strangers using them worldwide do to their children.

A child as young as ten can be targeted by anybody in the world via social media, with any purpose and with no risk for the perpetrator, while the parents are in the dark and law enforcement looks the other way. Never in human history has any society experienced such a situation. Yet, surprisingly, almost no attention has been paid to the violation of subsection 230(d) by Big Tech in the last ten years.

Big Tech ignores and defeats 230(d)

In 2010, the FCC passed the Obamanet/Net Neutrality/net neutering regulations. It was the beginning of the end of the free internet and the rise of monopolistic Big Tech. Among other necessities, Obamanet banned network filtering services provided by ISPs.

Big Tech violates subsection 230(d) by ignoring and defeating it. First, Big Tech platforms do not provide any notice of commercially available parental control software, hardware, or services. Worse, these platforms operate as closed systems and actively prevent the development of commercially available parental controls.

"Commercially available" is not company-provided

Even if a large social media platform offers adequate parental controls within its system, that does not satisfy subsection 230(d), which requires a notification to customers regarding the commercially available parental controls. "Commercially available" refers to something from third parties, usually for a fee. The decision of what material suits minors for online engagement belongs to the family, not the service providers or even lawmakers. The popular parental controls existing in the 2000s contained predefined and easy-to-use settings and allowed for individual customization. Furthermore, third parties specializing in parental controls and providing them for a fee can ensure higher-quality controls and cater to personal religious preferences and situations.

This said, the parental controls currently offered by Big Tech are typically ineffective and deceitful. They do not allow parents to specify the content suitable for their children, can be easily bypassed by the children, and reflect Big Tech's hostility toward family values. In addition, big social media platforms actively market their services to children, including children below 13, sidelining parents.

This situation is further aggravated by Obamanet remaining in effect despite being reversed by the FCC. Democrat-controlled legislatures imposed it on the state level. Large cable ISPs are on the Democrat side everywhere. Smaller ISPs in other states are forced to comply because of the Democrats' threat to restore it on the federal level.

Harm

Big Tech's failure to comply with subsection 230(d) is intentional. Google and Facebook want their consumers to have minimum control over the content they and their children see. Big Tech wants to market its services to children by displaying content that parents may disapprove of. Big Tech also wants to justify its censorship of political, medical, and scientific content by pretending it needs censorship rights to protect children. Essentially, it uses children as pawns.

Heavy use of social media has been shown to cause "usual" mental illnesses in children and adolescents, such as depression and anxiety. Today, Big Tech companies intentionally inflict gender dysphoria (the "transgender" condition) on children. Gender dysphoria is a mental disorder (code 302.85 in DSM-5; formerly known as gender identity disorder). The frequency of this diagnosis has increased nearly three times from 2017 to 2021.

Possible remedies

Subsection 230(d) is an independent requirement with which interactive computer services must comply, at least if they market to minors and allow potentially harmful material. Parents can sue Big Tech for its violation. Private citizens can possibly sue the government for accounts on unsafe and non-compliant Big Tech platforms. The failure to comply with subsection 230(d) might strip the perceived immunity granted to the platforms by subsection 230(c).

Nevertheless, it is hard to find cases where social media platforms were sued under subsection 230(d). The only one I could find is Doe v. Snapchat, Inc., No. 16-04955 (C.D. Cal., 2016), which was apparently quickly settled.

The platforms actively refuse to collaborate with parents on parental controls, sometimes citing privacy concerns. For instance, a child died from illegal drugs that were purchased through Snapchat. The child's parents took on a mission to convince the platforms to help to protect children. Some platforms, including Facebook's Instagram, refused even to talk. The platforms attempt to bind kids with their illegal terms of service. None of the Big Tech platforms even thinks about opening itself to third-party applications for parents.

Big Tech has crossed all the lines. Somebody must hold it accountable in the court of law before it is too late.

Image via Peakpx.
As the next presidential election approaches, the leader of the Republican Party, and America, is Donald Trump.

In 2015, the Republican Party was dead. There was no clear leader and little enthusiasm even as the end of Barack Obamas presidency was on the horizon. Republicans suffered convincing losses in the two previous presidential elections, and a Bush versus Clinton rematch reincarnate was plausible for a time. The partys 2014 midterm election gains were more of a referendum on Barack Obama than an endorsement of the Republican Party. But the key reason those scenarios were short-lived was because of Donald Trump.

While the Democrats, media, and Republican establishment (now referred to as the Uniparty) were busy mocking Trumps candidacy, he was energizing and awakening a previously dormant base of the electorate. The base, which eventually became known as the forgotten man, was composed of right-leaning Americans who felt they did not have a champion who was truly fighting for them. Trump was at first a breath of fresh air. But when the shock of his candidacy transitioned into reality, it became clear that he was the pro-America candidate Americans had been longing for since Ronald Reagan.

Trump at CPAC 2023

After all this time, the Uniparty is still hard at work. It's no secret that left-leaning networks such as CNN or MSNBC hold strong anti-Trump biases. However, many exclude Fox News when they mention biased mainstream networks. Fox has always wanted to keep hold of the Trump base while distancing themselves from Trump himself, so seeing them promote a potential Trump opponent is not surprising. As Governor DeSantis cruised to reelection victory this past November, Fox quickly anointed him as the new king of the GOP and celebrated his victory with noticeable delight. It felt coordinated, as though they could hardly wait to crown him in front of a national audience. But there was a crucial element they did not mention: Ron DeSantis is in the position he is in because of Donald Trump.

In the 2018 Florida Governor Republican Primary, DeSantis was trailing mightily to Adam Putnam. Trumps endorsement saved DeSantis, which landed him the nomination and eventually proved to be the difference in his slim victory in the general election. Trump delivered a victory for DeSantis in a way DeSantis himself couldnt. Only a legitimate leader could have such a powerful influence on the electorate.

Despite Trump sporting a 91% endorsement success rate, (which shenanigans prevented from being higher) somehow the Paul Ryan directed, Karl Rove contributed Fox News continues to inform their viewership that Trump hurts the party and that he is to blame for its shortcomings. Ryan has called Trump a proven loser, and stated that he will not attend the 2024 Republican National Convention in his home state of Wisconsin unless the party nominates someone other than Trump. Not exactly indicative of an unbiased media outlet.

The greatest disappointment regarding Foxs analysis is that it ignores reality: Election fraud, unconstitutional changes to election law, and other irregularities are what has cost Republicans the last two elections, not Trump. In fact, if not for Trumps ability to generate such significant enthusiasm across America, election integrity wouldnt even be on the Republican agenda, since the obvious lengths gone to in order to defeat Trump and the candidates he endorses is what makes the issue so undeniable. Foxs refusal to take potential election fraud into account indicates that they shouldnt blame anybody but themselves for their overzealous midterm predictions.

In addition to the media, the Establishment continues to prove how out of touch they are with the American people. Nikki Haley, the only non-Trump candidate to officially enter the race, believes it is time for a new generation to lead the Republican Party. Both Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo are mulling runs. They both shared a similar sentiment to Haley. Pence claims The times call for different leadership. Im confident well have better choices than my old running mate. Pompeo says we need leaders who are looking forward  not claiming victimhood. All three have spent many more years in government than Trump and never came close to rivaling the support he has and are primarily known for their time in the Trump Administration. So, if they truly believe America needs to cut Trump ties, wouldnt that disqualify themselves?

In regard to a potential DeSantis run, recent predictions and compliments from those rejected by the Republican base will solidify Trump as the only clear anti-establishment candidate, if there were any doubt. And unlike previous eras in history, Republicans now prefer candidates with a shorter track record of government service because the distrust of elected officials and government agencies continues to rise.

Beyond the Republican Party, every day under the Biden Administration proves Trump is still Americas strongest leader even after leaving office. One of the most important roles of the Presidency is to comfort those suffering. As we witnessed calamity unfold in East Palestine, Ohio, it was fitting that Joe Biden delivered a speech in Ukraine to comfort its citizens on the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion. America Last.

While Biden was in Ukraine, Trump not only brought comfort to the people of East Palestine, but also leadership and resources. After Trumps visit, FEMA reversed course from an earlier decision where they deemed the state ineligible to receive federal resources. A federal agency acting only after Trump did is as vital a sign of strength, influence, and leadership as can be.

Despite Americans becoming less supportive of U.S. involvement in overseas conflict, a multinational conflict is brewing. You may remember doomsday predictions about Trump starting World War 3 (how ironic looking back now). Instead, he went on to broker numerous international peace deals, while Russia exhibited more restraint than during other recent periods. Trump was also able to bring North Korea to the negotiating table after previous administrations failed to. Is there a better leader for these contentious times than a president whose term did not involve the U.S. entering any new wars, especially as Ukraine begins to suggest American soldiers will soon die?

The greatest leaders are ahead of the curve. They set the trend, not follow it. Trump was the first to address border security in 2016, suggest the U.S. getting along with Putin would be a net-positive, that Covid came from a lab leak in Wuhan, and that mass mail-in voting would be disastrous. He has been proven right time and again, and as his predictions unfold, he sturdily withstands the media backlash.

In 2016, the only candidate willing to take on the establishment was Trump. He was able to raise up the forgotten man in a way no career politician ever could. After getting a taste of life under non-establishment rule, Americans desire that again perhaps now more than ever.

America has become a shell of its former self. When the opportunity to take back America arrives, a proven commodity is essential, and there is only one person with the track record to prove they are up for the job. President Trump is a trusted leader who has the hearts of the people at a level nobody else can match. Once again, its Trump versus the Establishment.

Matt Kane is a writer who graduated from Stony Brook University with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science. Follow on Truth Social: @MattKane

Photo credit: Rumble video screengrab
Ivy Exile used to be a Democrat true believer. He graduated from Brown and worked for several years for Bill Moyers on PBS. He eventually became disenchanted with progressivism and, especially, with the discourse surrounding modern progressivism. Nothing illustrates this more than his most recent Substack post about the magic that went into making increasingly incoherent academics sound profound for airtime on Bill Moyers show.

(Note: I dont know Ivy Exiles sex. Im using he because, in the world of traditional grammar, he is the default when in doubt. When it comes to grammar, Im a traditionalist.)

Image: Bill Moyers.

Most recently, Ivy Exile exposed how the technical staff on Bill Moyers show had to put in more effort with every passing year to make academics sound intelligent. What was once a given during the 1970s, was now possible only with intense editing:

Uncut conversations were eye-opening; it was astonishing how often our esteemed guests hemmed and hawed and got basic facts embarrassingly wrong. And how many came off batshit crazy: one, later an anchor on MSNBC, speculated that Captain Sullys Miracle on the Hudsonvisible from our west side officeshad been God blessing the Obamas. Drafting the Moyers Blog and promotional listings, Id sit in with producers and video editors to consult on coalescing broadcasts. They were like wizards, casting away awkwardness and errors to sculpt artful vignettes of the most compelling bits of conversations that often stretched well over an hour or more. So many of the most rousing clips came from when guests were at their most factually inaccurate, and editors deftly dipped in and out to pull and seamlessly reassemble the very best parts. It was wondrous alchemy, and a privilege to work with super-talented creatives, but the reality of our academic pundits remained the same.

In other words, as Ivy Exile points out, the real world was nothing like Aaron Sorkin. Those who were Democrats and watched The West Wing, remember being dazzled by the tightly written, rapidly voiced arguments for what was a traditional liberal democrat worldview. Watching The West Wing, you were transported to the reincarnation of what John F. Kennedys administration (or a Robert Kennedy administration) could have been. This was intellectual liberalism on steroids.

But that was Hollywood, Sorkin was a scriptwriter, and the words came from actors. In the real world, says Ivy Elite, leftist intellectual discourse was broken:

By no means were Bill Moyers and team operating with any less than the highest of ethics or best of intentionsfrom their perspective, we were clarifying what our distinguished guests were truly saying. The problem was that the intellectual scene our show channeled was dwindling, but my colleagues so badly wanted things to be better that it was all too easy to paper over the accelerating collapse of discourse.

(Incidentally, Ivy Exile makes it clear that he has nothing but respect for Moyers himself.)

What we are seeing on television with carefully curated talking heads giving seemingly intelligent voice to radical ideas is an ideological Potemkin village. The leftists no longer bother building wood and nails illusions to hide the homelessness, drug addiction, filth, and crime that have become normative in Democrat-run cities. Instead, they figured out that the best way to disguise their policies is to polish up their words, creating an intellectual fantasyand, as Ivy Exile notes, the fantasy works:

Viewers, or at least those motivated enough to weigh in, frequently testified that their social-democratic faith had been wavering until theyd seen whichever inspiring interview affirming what theyd always believed.

Even Potemkin villages, whether physical or ideological, eventually collapse under the weight of reality. As always, we must hope that this collapse occurs for ordinary Americans before the leftists manage to destroy our constitutional republic completely.
Besides being major contributors to Democrats over the years, what else do the following people have in common?

Alex Murdaugh

Bernie Madoff

George Soros

Jeffrey Epstein

Samuel Bankman Fried

Mark Zuckerberg

Marc Rich

They were all involved with serious crimes.

Besides committing murder, Murdaugh was a serial thief. Why haven't the media demanded that Hillary, Biden, and others send back their contributions in order to help pay the victims?

Alex Murdaugh's Political Contributions Include Maximum Donations to Joe Biden,

Hillary Clinton

Bernie Madoff was a career criminal who stole billions, and some of that money went to politicians who were mostly Democrats. I don't believe that the politicians gave the money to a victims' fund.

Madoff and Company Spent Nearly $1 Million on Washington Influence

Madoff made a fortune, and he played politics with some of that money. In total, he and his wife, Ruth, have given $238,200 to federal candidates, parties and committees since 1991, with Democrats getting 88 percent of that. Overall, Madoff and other individuals at his company, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, gave $372,100 in campaign contributions since 1991, with 89 percent to Democrats.

George Soros was convicted of a felony in France and served no time. He spends massive amounts of money on radical leftist causes to remake and destroy America, including supporting radical soft-on-crime prosecutors.

If you look Soros up on the internet, he is described as a businessman and philanthropist instead of a radical leftist felon. There is nothing philanthropic about seeking to destroy America, including by destroying cities with prosecutors who let dangerous career criminals roam the streets.

Soros Is Found Guilty in France On Charges of Insider Trading

Jeffrey Epstein was convicted of abusing and using young girls. In a world with journalists, Hollywood, and Democrats who care, they would be looking hard for other culprits who enjoyed Epstein's activities, but there seems to be little interest in learning the names and activities of powerful men. They have as much interest as they did in all the women the Clintons physically and mentally abused.

The Me Too movement was fake.

Billionaire sex offender Epstein gave heavily to Democrats, until he didn't

Jimmy Kimmel even made fun of Aaron Rodgers for wanting to know whom Jeff Epstein associated with. That shows how little Kimmel cares about abused women and their accusers.

Besides stealing billions, Sam Bankman-Fried made tens of millions in illegal campaign contributions. Why hasn't that money been paid into a victims' fund?

Bankman-Fried charged with hundreds of illegal campaign donations

The FTX co-founder is accused of "flooding the political system with tens of millions of dollars in illegal contributions," according to a new indictment.

In 2016, the media complained that Russia interfered in the election by spending hundreds of thousands on social media outlets.

Yet they didn't care when Mark Zuckerberg spent hundreds of millions in 2020 to interfere in elections while committing fraud. Instead of caring about the fraud, they falsely accuse anyone who questioned the 2020 election of being a liar and denier. The liars and deniers are people who know about the fraud and other questionable things and tell the public that the election was clean.

Most of the media have sought to destroy Fox News as unreliable for a long time, and now they are attacking Fox because some people on Fox questioned the 2020 election.

When will the WaPo, NYT, USA Today, CNN, PBS, NPR, CBS, ABC, NBC, MSNBC, etc. come clean about their intentional lies on Russian collusion, Hunter's laptop, COVID, and the 2020 election? The answer is never, because truth and objectivity haven't mattered for a long time  only power for leftists.

Election report finds Facebook mogul's 'Zuck Bucks' broke law, swayed election outcome in Wisconsin

A 2020 election integrity probe in Wisconsin reported findings Tuesday that a nonprofit group funded by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg committed election bribery when it targeted $8.8 million in get-out-the-vote funds to five heavily Democratic jurisdictions.

Marc Rich was on the most wanted list for a long time, but all he had to do to be above the law was donate to the Clintons.

Clinton pardon of Rich a saga of power, money

President Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich is a saga of secrecy, tenacity, sleight of hand and pressure from Rich's ex-wife and one of her friends, who together have steered millions of dollars to Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton's causes and those of fellow Democrats. The saga began in the fall of 1999. Rich was No. 6 on the government's list of most wanted fugitives. He had been on the lam, albeit a posh one, for 16 years, ever since his 1983 indictment by a grand jury on more than 50 counts of wire fraud, racketeering, trading with the enemy and evading more than $48 million in income taxes. The government accused him of conspiring with Iran in 1980 to purchase over 6 million barrels of oil, in violation of a trade embargo imposed by the United States because Iran was holding 52 Americans hostage in the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Payments for the oil, federal agents said, were made fraudulently through American banks and by the illegal use of American telecommunications facilities.

Eric Holder helped facilitate the pardon, and the media once pretended to care.

Marc Rich pardon may haunt Holder

The media complain that there is too much money in politics, so why do they raise prices during high-demand election periods? Isn't that gouging?

Joe Biden and other Democrats say they care about equity, equality, and fairness, so why don't they take their advantage in campaign funds and equalize the balance in their opponents' accounts to achieve equity? Shouldn't they pay reparations to all their opponents who have lost because they were underfunded?

Conclusion: The media and other Democrats don't really care about any of the following:

Too much money in politics

Where the donations come from

Paying victims of crime

Soft-on-crime prosecutors

Equity

Equality

Fairness

They care only about power.

On a side note: Why do so many people posing as reporters have so much interest in an ethics investigation of Santos and so little in an ethics investigation of AOC? The answer is that they are Democrats and don't care.

Photo credfit: Jericho, CC BY 3.0 license.
New York's former Republican congressman, Lee Zeldin, who came within a hair's breadth of winning the governor's chair in 2022, put out an interesting chart showing the change of voting direction in New York City. He hailed the significant rightward shift of Asian-American voters.

Here's his tweet:

There was a MASSIVE rightward shift in NYCs Asian American vote in last years gubernatorial election. We won Chinatown in Manhattan, Flushing in Queens, and Sunset Park in Brooklyn, promoting safer streets, higher quality education in our schools, and upward economic mobility. pic.twitter.com/4iCWXkN4Td  Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) March 6, 2023

The dark red sections, outlined in black, show the rightward shift of neighborhoods and precincts dominated by Asian-American voters. It's not the whole picture, just the directional shift, as many of these areas still ended up going blue. But the darker the red areas, the more the Republicans gained voters. Here's a reference map to show the neighborhoods.

Zeldin, according to his Twitter bio, is now chairman of the Leadership America Needs PAC, which seems focused on finding and attracting new voters, which would explain his interest in the shift.

But the chart contained something I hadn't heard of earlier. Look at the red-ward shift in the upper reaches of Manhattan, which includes Washington Heights, as well as the South Bronx.

That's a heckuva lot of red there, too.

Those neighborhoods are loaded with Dominican-American voters who normally vote Democrat. The South Bronx is full of similar voters who also have always gone Democrat.

Looks as if the GOP has drawn a lot of new voters from those parts, too.

I used to live in the South Bronx back when I was a Forbes reporter in the late 1990s and early aughts. Then-mayor Rudy Giuliani had made New York City so crime-free there was no danger of crime even in those parts. My daily journey to lower Manhattan began from the Elder Avenue subway station. My landlord was an industrious Guyanese immigrant named Ivan. The neighborhood there was loaded with Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Jamaicans to the north and south (Colin Powell's neighborhood was one subway stop south of mine), Nigerians, Senegalese, and Koreans a little to the north, and all industrious immigrants who seemed to me like Republicans in their values, nascent conservatives, even though they always voted Democrat.

Obviously, that was about right. They were just waiting for the right Republican who could speak to them, and, well, Zeldin seems to have reached a lot of them. The chart he tweeted speaks for itself.

The chart shows the shift in direction rather than the entire total and in those parts, and we have to admit that the change looks big because it comes from a very low base. I recall that back on 9/11, as the towers were coming down, I went to vote, as there were local city elections on that day, and was handed my ballot  number two from the Republican pile, because there were very, very few registered Republicans.

But obviously, based on Zeldin's chart, there's been a strong movement rightward. And I have not seen much of any news coverage from it. Industrious and legal immigrants of all kinds in the African and Caribbean naturalized communities are starting to move to Republicans. Talk about buried news. This shouldn't be ignored by the GOP establishment, though, as they are one heck of a desirable constituency to draw to conservatives and Republicans. They are natural Republicans, and every effort must be expended to welcome them to the party.

Image: Twitter screen shot.
In Matamoros, the four kidnapped Americans taken by cartel henchmen were rescued, but horrifically enough, two were murdered, victims in Mexico's vicious cartel war brought on by Joe Biden's open border.

News reports, citing an anonymous U.S. official, say that the four, who were black U.S. citizens from South Carolina, were mistaken by the killers aligned with the Gulf Cartel, for rival Haitian drug dealers.

Now this is possible, but it doesn't seem to be a complete story. It implicitly suggests that the killings never would have happened otherwise.

Reading between the lines, this seems to say:

Don't be in Mexico at the wrong place and the wrong time. Watch the neighborhood you are driving in. Don't get lost.

Don't drive while black in Mexico. They might think you're Haitian.

It was all an unfortunate and unlucky accident, entirely preventable, entirely controllable. Otherwise, all's hunky dory; just take the usual precautions and don't go to any donkey shows, as Americans are advised.

Maybe. But there are a few details that suggest otherwise. Based on the cartel behavior in this dreadful incident, it remains possible that the Americans were targeted explicitly for being Americans.

Start with three details:

First, the Americans were driving around lost in their white minivan when they were blocked and then their vehicle was smashed from behind by cartel henchmen, a classic capture-them technique. Did being lost matter? By one report, officials knew that their vehicle with its North Carolina license plates was tracked and followed by cartel "falcons" from the moment they entered Mexico, so the attack wasn't about Americans being lost and winding up in the wrong place. That suggests they were targeted -- which leaves both the mistaken-I.D. theory possible and the targeted-Americans theory possible, but not the idea that this was a crime of chance that came from being lost.

After the vehicle was rammed, a hail of gunfire followed, and two of the Americans were killed, then all four were taken away by cartel kidnappers.

One Mexican columnist, writing in El Universal, argued that kidnappers don't kill their targets first and seek ransoms later, so it probably was happenstance, perhaps with a political motive.

Carlos Seoane argued this, via Google Translate:

From the moment of his capture, you can see (in the video circulating on social networks) an armed command dragging three African-American men down the street, leaving a trail of blood behind them. These three people are thrown like lumps into the back of a pickup truck where their partner, also a black woman, was already waiting for them. Question: What kidnapper would gun down three of his four hostages to later try to negotiate his release for ransom?

Perhaps he doesn't remember another well-known kidnapping of Americans, that of Colombia's FARC Marxist narcoterrorists in 2003, who began their extended kidnapping of three Americans after their Cessna aircraft was shot down over the Colombian jungle while on a drug-eradicating mission. In that horror, one American was killed first, execution-style (the link to the New York Times's account, as early reporting, was uncertain about that, but yes, it came out later that it was execution-style), as was one Colombian military national who was with them. The other three were taken away by the narcoguerrillas, for a five-year ordeal in the jungle until their spectacular 2008 rescue by the Colombian army and American Special Forces. It was described well in their memoir, "Out of Captivity."

Cartels and narcoguerrillas are known allies, learning from one another. They know that killing a couple of hostages first in a kidnapping works wonders at keeping the remainders taken away docile. That's their technique.

Second, it's significant that the cartel henchmen hauled off all four Americans after the assault, instead of left them splattered in the street, as is the practice for rival drug gang shootouts. Why would they haul off the bodies of the dead Americans? Quite likely because they wanted a ransom for their return. The families grieving might very well pay it. South Carolina is not that far from Mexico (and not that they would care), but they could have insisted that the family come to Matamoros and leave them a ransom. They wouldn't have much use for the bodies otherwise. Note that they left the body of a third victim, a young Mexican mother, who was a bystander, in a pool of blood behind. She probably wouldn't be much good for a ransom like the rich gringos coming into the country for cosmetic surgery would. This is their inhuman logic.

Third, the four Americans, two alive, two dead (imagine the impact of that on the living Americans) were all bounced from stash house to stash house over five days, in a move to elude capture. That's a classic "express kidnapping" technique, described well in Jonathan Jakubovicz's award-winning film "Secuestro Express" about a horrific express kidnapping ordeal of two young people in Venezuela. The dirtbags who dragged the Americans from stash house to stash house knew exactly how this was done, and had their network of stash houses all ready to go for the heist.

Maybe the Mexican cartel thugs did this spontaneously as they discovered after the attack that their kidnappees weren't Haitian drug dealers (why would they kidnap often-destitute Haitians anyway for ransom anyway?) but it would have taken some impressive improvising to have launched this operation immediately after a mistaken-I.D. discovery, a full shift of organizational mission, done on the fly, to get that done. Perhaps cartels have that kind of organizational mojo, but the odds for error on this are huge.

It seems at least as likely that the cartel targeted the victims because they were American, because the cartels want to challenge the Mexican government, which is now dealing with fallout from this from multiple directions. They've got Sen. Lindsey Graham irresponsibly calling for the assembly of an invasion of Mexico force as if the U.S. were somehow "good" at winning wars like this one. They've also got angry Mexican nationals who point out that the Mexican cops rescue kidnapping victims when they want to -- and they ignore the thousands of Mexican kidnapping victims who remain missing.

According to a report that ran in El Universal, through Google Translate:

Matamoros, Tamps. Geovanni Barrios Moreno, from the Tamaulipas Justice Collective, and Delia Quiroa, from Madres Buscadoras 10 de Marzo, applaud the effectiveness of the operation to locate four Americans who were deprived of their liberty in Matamoros, but express their annoyance that the authorities do not do the same job to find the 110,000 disappeared in Mexico, 12,000 of them in this entity. Both activists say they are surprised because in less than 24 hours authorities from the three levels of government mounted a search operation, security personnel were deployed and the missing Americans were located, something that has never been done by Roberto, Delia's brother. , or by Geovanni, son of Barrios Moreno. Geovanni Barrios said that on behalf of his son, he will file a criminal complaint against Irving Barrios Mojica, Attorney General of Tamaulipas; Jorge Macias, state commissioner for the search for persons; the prosecutor Elizabeth Almanza, and Lorena Perales, legal advisor for attention to victims, for non-compliance in the investigations. The lawyer and father of the Reynosa family has been looking for his son for 14 years, who was taken away and to date there are no indications of his whereabouts.

In addition, there's the economic health of the border. The Matamoros kidnapping got a lot of attention in the states -- from the kind of people who don't read State Department warnings to stay out Mexico. At least some are paying attention to this one -- and staying out according to reports in the Mexican press (reports here suggest otherwise, but this is the perception in Mexico). That will be a body blow to the northern Mexican economy. People who lose their livelihoods aren't going to be happy with the government.

That's a lot of trouble for Mexico's government, which is already being challenged by the cartels for dominance and wanted to get this Americans-kidnapped issue over with as soon as possible. Reports state that the Mexicans did it all by themselves without the aid of the FBI, which offered help.

If the cartels targeted the victims because they are Americans, the implication is that they will target them again, trying harder the second time. Black-Americans, who stand out in a crowd in many parts of Mexico, may be particularly vulnerable.

Facts are obviously still emerging from this and new ones may shift the story, but it's indisputable that this incident created a lot of trouble for the Mexican government, and opened the path to lucrative new opportunities for ransom cash, which the cartels will learn from and perfect.

What it means is that Mexico is more dangerous than ever, both for Americans and Mexicans, because the cartels are getting very bold now, kidnapping Americans in broad daylight and trying to gaslight that it's all about being in the wrong place and the wrong time, to keep that potential victim stream coming. They're feeling mighty powerful these days, what with all their "success" at collecting migrant fees from the open border as Joe Biden happily admits all migrant comers, and they are using it to do the violent things they do.

That's Joe Biden's open border in action, a horrific new risk to Americans who dare enter Mexico.

Image: Screen shot from CBS 8 San Diego video, via YouTube
Podcaster Joe Rogan labeled President Joe Biden as mentally "gone" and said he would vote for former president Donald Trump rather than Biden.

During an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan spoke with British standup comedian Russell Brand about the Biden administration, noting that officials have been chosen for their identities rather than their experience.

Rogan explained why he won't vote for Biden in 2024, labeling the president's Cabinet as a "sideshow of diversity."

"I would vote for Trump before I'd vote for Biden. Just 'cause I think with Biden, like, he's gone. Like, you know, he's gone. You're gonna be relying on his Cabinet. And I knew his Cabinet would be this f------ sideshow of diversity  which is exactly what it is," he said.

JOE ROGAN: Id vote for Trump before Id vote for Biden hes gone



pic.twitter.com/Hn2c23MXTq  ALX  (@alx) March 6, 2023

Rogan continued by referencing Sam Brinton, a former Department of Energy (DOE) official under the Biden administration, who faces multiple felony charges for allegedly stealing women's luggage at airports.

Brinton identifies as "non-binary." The DOE fired him over his alleged crimes.

"That one person who stole all the women's clothes. That Sam Brinton  that's a diversity hire," Rogan said.

"You just said, 'Oh, look at this. A man who dresses like a woman and has a beard and a mustache, but also wears lipstick. This is perfect for us. I don't give a f--- what this guy's good at or bad at. I don't give a f--- what their credentials are. This makes us look like we're inclusive. This makes us look like we're on the right side, so let's hire this person," he continued.

"You can't have those kind of people running a Ben & Jerry's. You certainly can't have those kind of people running the f------ most powerful government the world's ever known. It's nuts. It's nonsense," he added.

Brand agreed with Rogan, claiming that Biden is the "perfect president for the time."

"Cause he's, like, the perfect metaphor of what it is," Brand said. "This system is over. And for all of the talk of diversity, what have you got? You've got a career politician, White male that's falling apart before your very eyes."

Brand added that Democrats have managed to "make ordinary Americans hate each other."

"You can't criminalize half of a country and say that they're far-right fascists any more than you can say that in my view, extreme leftists," he said.

In June 2022, while speaking with actress Gina Carano, Rogan said he would support Florida's Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) if he ran for president in 2024.

Image: Joe Rogan. Credit: OkiePatriot 76 TV via YouTube, CC BY 3.0 (cropped).
NBC News contributing "journalist" Simon Moya-Smith, 39, who is also a lecturer at the University of Colorado at Denver, recently put out the following tweet:

Before white people came to this land, there were no jails, no homelessness, no laws against homosexuality or abortion. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples emphasized health, housing, freedom to love who you love and the fact that we need Mother Earth. She doesn't need us.

Before white people came to this land, there were no jails, no homelessness, no laws against homosexuality or abortion. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples emphasized health, housing, freedom to love who you love and the fact that we need Mother Earth. She doesnt need us.  Simon Moya-Smith (@SimonMoyaSmith) March 4, 2023



Simon Moya-Smith (Twitter icon).

This is an example of what we call "fake news."

There may have been a dearth of jails, but prisoners of war could be captured, tortured, enslaved, or killed. Some tribes had "Blood Laws," which referred to the widespread practice, particularly in the Southeast, of revenge killing. Under this system, when someone killed a member of a particular clan, people from the offending clan had to kill one of their own to balance things out. (I'm guessing there was much debate about whom to sacrifice, not least among those who were in consideration.)

Some tribes were nomadic, but others lived in tepees. Tepees were made of animal skins and/or blankets wrapped around wooden poles and were typically about 10 feet in diameter. No doubt, a man's tepee was his castle.

Different tribes probably had somewhat differing views on homosexuality and abortion, but I'll bet none of them thought they were good things. Or maybe they did. That might explain why there were, by some estimates, as few as 7 million "indigenous" people  in what is now the United States  "before white people came to this land." However, there were no Planned Parenthood facilities around at the time, nor any need for interior decorators, so I doubt this was the case.

The Native Americans fought a lot among themselves. Eastern tribes primarily fought to achieve retribution, while tribes in the Southwest clashed with their neighbors both to avenge previous wrongs and to loot them of material possessions. Apaches and Navajos, for example, raided both each other and the more sedentary Pueblo Indian tribes in an effort to acquire goods through plunder. (Did they carry "Apache Lives Matter" or "NLM" placards as they looted?) Some tribes occasionally engaged in scalping their vanquished foes, which is demonstrably not healthy for anyone...but they didn't eat processed foods or sit around all day watching television.

And did "indigenous peoples" really "emphasize" the "freedom to love who you love" for "thousands of years"? I doubt that the Sioux, Ojibwe, Cherokee, Navajo, Apache, et al. were totally unconcerned if, say, two or more braves wanted to tie the knot, or if a young maiden wished to marry a buffalo or a coyote. Nor do I believe they recognized a limitless number of human genders. I bet it would have caused a stir if Tecumseh or Geronimo showed up to a tribal meeting in drag. Or if Sitting Bull had declared he was now Sitting Cow, non-binary, and that his her pronouns were "they/them."

Finally, it may be true that "we need Mother Earth. She doesn't need us," but it was good of the old gal not to abort us despite that fact. Might be a lesson there.

(Author's statement: What happened to Native Americans was tragic. I have the utmost respect for them and their culture. This post was not written to mock them, but rather to mock a remarkably stupid, demonstrably false tweet intimating that life on the North American continent was a veritable beatific utopia until whitey showed up to ruin everything.)
Just yesterday, Tucker Carlson aired the first of a series of shows, based on 40,000 hours of security camera footage from the Capitol Building from Jan. 6, 2021, which was provided to him by House speaker Kevin McCarthy.

The episode debunked various Democrat hoaxes. Here are a few of them:

Turns out Jacob Chansley (pejoratively branded by the left as the QAnon Shaman) wasn't violent or destructive. The footage shows the Capitol Police accompanying him as he ambled through the building.

BREAKING: Never before seen video of January 6 shows Jacob Chansley, the QAnon Shaman, being led through the Capitol by police the entire time that he was in the building. pic.twitter.com/rikoRMWezF  Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 7, 2023

It also turns out that Sen. Josh Hawley wasn't fleeing from the building, petrified of a violent mob; he was the last among the lawmakers to be ushered out by Capitol Police.

Police officer Brian Sicknick was walking normally with a helmet on his head, disproving the phony claim that he was bludgeoned on the head by violent Trump-supporters.

Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) wasn't conducting a "reconnaissance mission" for the "insurrection," but was instead offering a tour to constituents.

Meanwhile, suspected FBI provocateur Ray Epps, contrary to his sworn testimony in the House, was at the Capitol scene for at least 30 minutes past the time he told the committee that he had left.

BREAKING: January 6 footage shows that Ray Epps lied to the J6 Committee about when he left the Capitol on that day.



J6 Committee members likely knew this but defended him anyway. pic.twitter.com/tX4WUc28uX  Greg Price (@greg_price11) March 7, 2023

Among the unanswered questions was, why didn't thenHouse speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) receive any blame for dereliction of duty, despite being responsible for the security at the Capitol?

To dig deeper, Carlson interviewed a former Capitol Police officer, Tarik Johnson, who was present that day.

Johnson revealed that despite pleas for help, he received no directives from his superiors, such as from Capitol Police assistant chief Yogananda Pittman, as to how to handle the crowd control.

The federal intel and law enforcement agencies also received warnings of a massive disturbance at the Capitol on January 6, yet they did not keep on-duty officers informed.

Since Johnson, whose role was to evacuate lawmakers safely, didn't receive instructions from his superiors, he did the best he could.

Johnson said that a Trump-supporter placed the MAGA hat on his head as he waded through the crowd. Despite being a Biden voter, Johnson said he kept wearing it to avoid any confrontation with the crowds.

The Democrat narrative was that members of Congress in D.C. were in danger on that day. Since they have an inflated opinion of themselves and think of themselves as the equivalent of the state, their being in danger was seamlessly translated into U.S. democracy itself as being in danger.

In a democracy, whenever there is peril, you look to law enforcement for protection. If the "insurrection" narrative is to be believed, then those allowing the insurrection to occur should have been punished, especially the top law enforcement officials and their superiors, one of whom happens to have been House speaker Nancy Pelosi.

But nothing of the kind occurred.

Johnson, who at least attempted to quell the situation, was indefinitely suspended. He eventually resigned and lost his pension.

Johnson's superior, Pittman, who withheld vital information from her subordinates, causing matters to escalate, was elevated by Pelosi to acting chief of Capitol Police. Pittman is currently the head of security at the University of California, Berkeley, near Pelosi's constituency.

That was not all. The January 6 Committee never called on Johnson to testify.

Johnson opined that the Committee was mostly "focused on Donald Trump and not the failures of the Capitol Police."

As expected, the D.C. Democrat establishment and their P.R. agencies that masquerade as the media went ballistic because their falsehoods were debunked with proof.

Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer demanded that Rupert Murdoch and Fox News prevent Carlson from airing further episodes on the January 6 footage.

The usual suspects in the GOP, such as Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell and Senators Thom Tillis from North Carolina and Mitt Romney from Utah, sided with Schumer.

The mainstream media accused Carlson of doing what they do on a daily basis: spreading malicious and baseless propaganda.

The Federalist's Jordan Boyd alleges that searching for Carlson's J6 videos on YouTube leads users to "fact-checkers" who push the Democrat narrative.

Only Twitter, thanks to Mr. Musk, placed no restrictions on the material.

Citizens are probably so accustomed to the blatant double-standard in D.C. and in the media that it ceases to shock them. They take it in their strides and move on.

But one must judge these demands for press censorship and reprisals against dissent not by current standards, but by the high standards of a functioning civil democracy.

We revisit the basics.

In a democracy, the citizen is supreme.

Since all citizens cannot govern simultaneously, they elect a representative to govern on their behalf, to whom they lend their power. These representatives do not own that power; they merely have access to power on a temporary basis.

It is the citizens who own that power. It is the citizens who are joint owners of all public property. It is the citizens to whom the representatives report. This is why they are known as public servants.

Transparency and the periodic release of factual information are essential for a democracy.

Since all citizens cannot hold their representatives accountable all the time, the press is assigned the task of asking tough questions and demanding transparency. By default, the press should have an adversarial relationship with the establishment.

Government agencies also have an important function to protect democracy and ensure that the elected representative doesn't usurp their authority and doesn't co-opt agencies to follow their agenda.

Alas, the watchdogs have become lapdogs who wag their tails when a biscuit is tossed in their direction. These lapdogs crawl when asked to bend and prostrate servilely when asked to crawl.

Social media, which should have been facilitators of freedom, have become enablers of the regime, engaging in censorship.

What about the two-party system?

The public elected Bill Clinton because they were tired of George Bush, Sr.; then they elected another Bush because they were tired of Clinton. They elected Obama because they were tired of the second Bush.

The people thought they were switching between Republicans and Democrats. But policy-wise, there wasn't much change.

They are all for expensive, optional foreign wars. They are all for open borders. They are all for big government. They all despise dissent and have disdain for citizens.

This was a convenient arrangement in D.C. until Donald Trump joined politics and exposed the rot in their system.

During his inaugural address in January 2017, President Trump talked about giving power back to the people. He reminded D.C. that it had forgotten its fundamental duties.

George W. Bush was in the audience at that time and allegedly remarked, "That was some weird s---." This is all you need to know about the system.

Tucker is part of the new ecosystem created by Trump.

This has driven the old guard to such insanity that they no longer care to conceal who they are.

If facts were on their side, Schumer and the rest would have delivered presentations on the floor to meticulously debunk Carlson's claims.

But that is not the case, so they are demanding that an adversarial voice be shut down.

The word "outrageous" isn't enough to describe this situation.

The public is being shielded from facts by the powerful while the agencies and media are siding with the powerful instead of challenging them.

If this isn't a national emergency, what is?

Image: Twitter screen shot.
Up until now, I've not been particularly impressed with the U.K.'s new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, who comes off as sort of a British version of a Mitt Romney-style corporate RINO, not a leftist, but certainly no Margaret Thatcher, either.

But he's come up with some surprises.

Here are his tweets on how he plans to disincentivize illegal immigration, a problem that's almost as bad over there as it is here:

Today we are introducing new laws that mean if you come to the UK illegally you will be banned from ever re-entering our country.



This is how we will break the business model of the people smugglers; this is how we will take back control of our borders. pic.twitter.com/kx8ZC0AlEp  Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) March 7, 2023

If you come to the UK illegally you will be stopped from making late claims and attempts to frustrate your removal.



You will be removed in weeks, either to your own country if it is safe to do so, or to a safe third country like Rwanda. pic.twitter.com/8NFaa4DbwT  Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) March 7, 2023

If you come to the UK illegally:



 You cant claim asylum



 You cant benefit from our modern slavery protections



 You cant make spurious human rights claims



 You cant stay pic.twitter.com/026oSvKoJZ  Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) March 7, 2023

Wow. Big powerful Twitter graphics, warning of real legal consequences, done by Sunak himself.

He's attacking the business model for illegal immigration, through disincentives to immigrate illegally, rather than just saying he's going to step up enforcement, or asking illegal migrants not to come, or using some of the other ineffective tools that thus far not had much effect, given the propensity of leftwing lawyers to get around the law and find loopholes, as well as the slatternly European Union system that makes illegal migration generally so easy for vast human smuggling cartels to take advantage of.

If he gets the bill through parliament, it should cut most illegal immigration into the country as migrants consider their options and either move on to other less law-based places, or else consider entering Britain the legal way, waiting their turn in line behind the law-abiding immigrants.

It's very strong medicine, but it should work in a way that Navy cleanup operations shouldn't and leftwing lawyers can't make end runs around. Make it the law to ban anyone migrating illegally into Britain to be explicitly excluded from ever claiming asylum there and maybe the human waves will stop.

While I have not had much chance to look closely at all the ins and outs of this, it's the first time I've seen effective measures proposed for halting illegal immigration and the vast cartels that benefit from the trade. I also am impressed that Sunak is taking the personal lead on this, making the big showy tweets himself.

It would be a good thing if Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Congress could get a clue here, focusing on the incentives in the West to migrate illegally, instead of issuing the "do not come" calls to would-be illegal migrants, who, contrary to what Joe Biden claims, generally do sit around their kitchen tables, and weigh their options.

Image: Twitter screen shot
Finally, the Google Pixel 6a, 7, and 7 Pro midrange and flagship devices are getting ARCore support. This announcement was made by Google via the ARCore official website. These devices have finally passed the ARCore certification process after being available for over a year.

These devices can now offer great user experience while using AR apps or integrated features. Some of these AR apps include Google Lens, IKEA Place, Pokemon GO, and so many others. Apps like this make use of the devices camera and motion sensor to integrate its features with the real world.

More users are experimenting with such AR apps, hence this certification is important. But it is not only these Google Pixel devices that recently got ARCore certification. Here are the other devices that also recently got ARCore support.

Google Pixel 6a, 7, and 7 Pro get ARCore support along with other devices

For this certification process, Google ARCore took into consideration a lot of factors. These include the devices camera, motion sensors, design, and all-around performance. To ensure the last factor mentioned is intact, ARCore takes into consideration the devices CPU to see if it meets the requirements.

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Taking into consideration, the CPU is essential since it is the brain of the entire device. ARCore also says that they are constantly working with various brands to ensure that their devices meet the augmented reality requirements. These brands produce devices in various price segments, ranging from flagship to budget options.

The Google Pixel 6a, 7, and 7 Pro are not the only devices to recently get ARCore support. Joining the list of devices with ARCore support are options from various smartphone manufacturing brands. Asides from the Google Pixel devices, there are other new entries from Infinix, Lenovo, Motorola, OPPO, Sharp, Sony, Xiaomi, and ZTE.

A few other Chinese manufacturers like Fujitsu, FCNT, and Zebra. All devices from these brands retail at various prices, hence bringing AR integration to users regardless of their budget. In the coming months, more devices will also get ARCore support, bringing augmented reality to more people.
Samsung has released the One UI 5.1 update for a bunch of Galaxy devices. The Galaxy S10 Lite, Galaxy A71, Galaxy A71 5G, Galaxy A51 5G, and Galaxy M33 5G are all receiving the new One UI version. The big update has already been rolled out to dozens of other Galaxy models.

The One UI 5.1 update for the Galaxy S10 Lite is initially rolling out in Europe. We can confirm the availability in Spain with the firmware build number G770FXXU6HWB4. The February 2023 Android security patch is in tow too. Samsung should expand the release to other markets in the coming days. The Lite Galaxy flagship was only sold unlocked in the US.

The Galaxy A71 and Galaxy A71 5G are also initially picking up One UI 5.1 in a handful of markets. The former model, which didnt arrive in the US, is getting the update in Polan with firmware version A715FXXU8DWB5 (via).

The rollout for the latter has begun in the UAE and South Korea. The updated firmware build numbers in these two regions are A716BXXU7FWB6 and A716SKSU5FWB5, respectively. This phone is also getting the February security patch. Samsung should release the update in other markets soon.

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The Galaxy A51 5G is another Samsung phone that recently started picking up the One UI 5.1 update. The new One UI version is widely available for it in Europe and South Korea. European users are receiving the update with the firmware build number A516BXXU6FWB5 while that for Korean users is A516NKSU5FWB5. Once again, the February SMR (Security Maintenance Release) is part of the package. Samsung should go global with this update in the coming days, also covering the 4G model.

One UI 5.1 is also available for the Galaxy M33 5G

Samsungs One UI 5.1 update is also rolling out to the Galaxy M33 5G. The Korean firm is initially updating the device in its homeland. It will soon push the new One UI version to the 2022 mid-range model in other markets. The updated firmware version in South Korea is M336KKSU4CWB3 and it also bundles the February SMR.

If youre using any of these Samsung smartphones, you will soon receive One UI 5.1 with a host of new features and improvements. The company has added features to the camera, Gallery, Samsung Internet, Photo editor, Samsung Notes, and more system apps. It has also improved multitasking, homescreen widgets, Routines, and other services. As usual, you can check for updates from the Settings app on your phone.
The Google Pixel Watch has encountered a weird problem, and users are complaining about alarming issues. According to 9to5google, users say the alarms are activated a few minutes late or, in some cases, even earlier, and this is causing problems for them.

A delayed alarm might not seem like a big issue at first. However, its problematic for those who want to be on time for work or get a train. The issue reportedly persists for around two months, and some Reddit users even say the alarm sometimes goes off 10 minutes late. Of course, the issue seems to have impacted a few Pixel Watch owners, as some other owners say their watch is on-time.

Yet, the reason behind the issue is unknown. One possibility is that delayed alarms might be because of the watchs inactivity during deep sleep. In other words, when the watch goes into Bedtime Mode, it might go off a few minutes late in the morning.

Google can solve the Pixel Watchs alarming issues with a software update

The Pixel Watch is Googles trump card in competing with the Apple Watch and Samsungs Galaxy smartwatches. Since the launch in October 2022, the watch has faced several issues and bugs impacting the user experience.

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These alarming issues could be fixed with a software update. Yet, Google stayed tight-lipped about the causes of the issue and when users can expect an update. Given the importance of Pixel Watch for Google, the company might soon release a software patch to address the issue.

Fitbit smartwatches have an interesting feature called Smart Wake to prevent similar issues. The feature tries to wake you 30 minutes before the alarm when youre not in a deep sleep. As per the companys explanations, If Smart Wake cant find the best time to wake you, your alarm alerts you at the set time.

Given that Google owns Fitbit, Smart Wake could be an exciting addition to Pixel Watch by the next software update.
Samsungs 2023 mid-range smartphones may come costlier than their predecessors. Multiple tipsters have recently shared starting prices of the Galaxy A34 5G and Galaxy A54 5G in various markets and they are all suggesting a notable price hike. The phones are rumored to debut next week.

Galaxy A34 5G and Galaxy A54 5G are getting a price hike

According to tipster SnoopyTech, Samsung will price the Galaxy A34 5G at 419 for the 128GB model in Europe. The same storage option for the Galaxy A54 5G will cost 519 in the region. Separately, tipster Yogesh Brar claims that the two phones will be respectively priced under 30,000 and 40,000 in India. If these prices are accurate, we are in for a substantial hike from last years models.

At launch, the 128GB Galaxy A33 5G cost 369 in Europe, while the Galaxy A53 5G started at 449. Their Indian prices started at 26,000 and 35,000, respectively. The latter model also arrived in the US with a starting price tag of $449. These prices are already pretty steep for the two mid-range Samsung smartphones. Any further hike and the company may find it tough to sell the 2023 models.

The Galaxy A34 5G and Galaxy A54 5G do bring some notable improvements over their respective predecessors. Leaks and rumors so far have revealed that Samsung will equip the new phones with faster processors, better displays, and improved cameras. But these are the kind of upgrades that you expect new phones to bring every year without adding to the price. Maybe the current economic situation didnt allow Samsung to keep the prices flat.

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Nonetheless, for a quick reminder, the Galaxy A34 5G is rumored to sport a 6.6-inch Ful HD+ Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It features MediaTeks Dimensity 1080 chipset paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Samsung is equipping it with a 48MP primary rear camera and a 13MP selfie camera. The Galaxy A54 5G, on the other hand, gets a 6.4-inch screen with the same specs. It upgrades to the Exynos 1380 processor but the RAM and storage configuration is unchanged. It also packs a 50MP primary shooter and a 32MP selfie camera.

Galaxy A14 5G to go global soon

Along with the Galaxy A34 5G and Galaxy A54 5G, Samsung may also globally launch the Galaxy A14 5G next week. The budget handset debuted at CES 2023 in January and has been available in the US since then. The handset costs $199 stateside. It also went on sale in India in mid-January starting at 15,000. The Korean firm is now preparing to bring it to Europe. The same 64GB model will reportedly cost 219 in European markets. We expect Samsung to officially announce next weeks rumored Galaxy A event soon.
After the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S22, Samsung is now updating the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S20 series to the March 2023 Android security patch. The latest security update patches more than 60 vulnerabilities in Galaxy devices. It will reach more models in the coming days.

The March security release for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra is currently rolling out in Europe. To be precise, the update is only available to users in Switzerland at the time of this writing.

But it should just be a matter of time before Samsung expands the rollout to other markets, including the US. The new firmware build number for the 2021 Galaxy flagships is G99*BXXS6EWBB. Users in other markets may get the update with a slightly different firmware version but the content will remain the same.

The latest security update for the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, and Galaxy S20 Ultra is also initially limited to Europe (via). The rollout has begun in Germany and Switzerland with firmware versions G98*FXXSFHWB1 for the 4G models and G98*BXXSFHWB1 for the 5G models.

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As usual, Samsung should cover the phones with the March SMR (Security Maintenance Release) in other markets within the next few days. We will let you know when the rollout reaches the US, where only 5G models are available.

Unlike the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S22, which seem to be getting some bug fixes along with the March SMR, the latest update for the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S20 only brings this months vulnerability patches. Samsung has already revealed that the new release patches more than 60 vulnerabilities. These include a handful of critical fixes that could lead to remote code execution.

23 of the 60-odd patches this month are Galaxy-specific. Samsung has patched flaws in Settings, Galaxy Themes Service, Samsung Keyboard, Exynos baseband, and more device components.

The Galaxy S20 series has already received its last feature update

The March security update for these Galaxy devices comes right on the heels of the One UI 5.1 update (Galaxy S23 shipped with One UI 5.1 out of the box). Sadly, for Galaxy S20 users, thats the last major feature update for their phone.

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The 2020 Samsung flagships debuted with Android 10 and picked up updates until Android 13. They will not get any more Android OS updates. Its only security patches going forward. The Galaxy S21 will get Android 14 while the Galaxy S22 will get Android 15 too. The Galaxy S23 series will get updates until Android 17.
Google I/O, Googles annual developer conference that the company holds to showcase the latest and greatest in its software and hardware advancements, will return to Mountain View on May 10 for 2023.

Googles CEO Sundar Pichai officially announced the start date of the conference on Twitter, noting that the event would take place in Mountain View at the Shoreline Amphitheater and online. This isnt really a departure at all since Google did the same thing last year. Hosting both an in-person event and an online livestream of all the keynote speech. As well as various other talks throughout the day. Worth noting though is that the event this year is probably in-person for press and partners only as it was last year.

This years event will be happening one day earlier than last year, putting it just under 65 days out.

What to expect at Google I/O 2023

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So far theres not much official detail about what to expect from the event since it was just announced. But Google typically holds a separate event for its biggest hardware products in the Fall. So we shouldnt expect to see anything regarding the next flagship Pixel phones. We could however see something along the lines of the Pixel 7a. And judging by last year, we might also get some information about the next version of Android.

In the past, this is also where Google showed off things like Wear OS 3, the Pixel Watch and Pixel Buds Pro, the Pixel Tablet and more. Registration for the event is already live having opened up on March 7. At the moment the site, which is live, doesnt have any information about panels or what the topics will be. But you can visit it if you want to see Googles fun little countdown this year.

And going forward, Google is likely to put up more information the closer it gets to the event date. Including a calendar for attendees to help plan which panels and other things to work into their schedule.
Russian and Belarusian companies are avoiding sanctions put in place after the war in Ukraine began to continue doing business in the UK, ministers have been told.

Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh said a Belarusian manufacturer was still trading in the UK by importing goods from Russia, due to loopholes in the trade restrictions on both countries.

The Mitcham and Morden MP raised the case of a group of British companies who make parts for rolling garage doors, which used to do business with a Belarusian aluminium supplier.

She told MPs: In response to the war, they did the right thing. They made the decision to abandon their exclusive contract with the Belarusian manufacturer and source the components from elsewhere in Europe, a decision that was expensive, risky and lengthy, but nevertheless the right thing to do.

But Ms McDonagh added: The original Belarusian supplier is now managing to circumvent these sanctions and is continuing to import banned products.

They are also able to pay the relatively low additional tariff of 35% with ease, enabling them to operate very competitively within the market.

Whilst the British business based in my constituency has played by the rules and has had to find a more expensive manufacturer elsewhere in Europe, the Belarusian company appears to be stealing the customer base by avoiding the sanctions, absorbing the additional tariff, and supplying at an undercut rate.

She went on: They are avoiding sanctions by starting some of their goods in Russia.

There is a list of sanctioned product codes for Russia and there is a list of sanction codes for Belarus.

In some instances the two lists of sanctioned products do not match, and as a result you could have a product that is sanctioned in Belarus but not sanctioned if it comes from Russia.

From one day to the next, the Belarusian company supposedly managed to move an entire factory-worth to Russia so that they can still import the goods sanctioned from Belarus into the UK free of tariff, all the while undercutting a British business.

Describing the situation as absurd, the Labour MP said: I hope that the minister can provide more information about that and about what we are going to do to close the loopholes that Russia and Belarus are currently using.

We can have the toughest regime on paper, but if Russia and Belarus are finding ways round in practice and costing UK businesses we have not done the right thing.

Foreign Office minister David Rutley said the Russians were doing everything they can to try and avoid these sanctions, because they are biting on their economy, adding: We continually need to refresh our sanctions approach to respond to that, and we are.

Mr Rutley told the Westminster Hall debate: We will continue to bear down on Russia and Belarus by implementing further sanctions and leaning in to tackle Russias attempt to circumvent measures already in place, as we have done over the past year.

This means coming down hard on sanctions evaders, closing loopholes and working with international partners to undermine Russias attempts to build global resilience to Western sanctions.
The Home Office is still unable to say when a planned new communications system for Britains blue light services will be operational, despite spending almost 2 billion on the project, the Whitehall spending watchdog has said.

The proposed new Emergency Services Network (ESN), first announced in 2015, was supposed to have replaced the ageing Airwave system for police, fire and ambulance services in England, Scotland and Wales, by 2020.

However the National Audit Office (NAO) said that despite the turn-off date for Airwave having already been extended twice, first to 2022 and then to 2026, the Home Office now admits it is likely to be later, although it cannot say when or how much it will cost.

Motorola, which provides Airwave, was originally contracted to provide elements of ESN, but in 2021 the Home Office wrote to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) expressing concern its profits from Airwave were excessive and acted as a disincentive for completing ESN on time.

After an initial estimate by the CMA that the company stood to make super-normal profits of 1.1 billion, Motorola told the Home Office it may not continue as a supplier to ESN beyond 2024 amid fears it could be forced by the CMA to sell Airwave.

At the end of 2022, the Home Office agreed to end the contract early, paying Motorola 45 million, taking the total spent with the company on the project to more than 300 million even though it does not expect to be able to use any of its critical software or systems.

Until a new contractor has been appointed, the Home Office cannot say when Airwave can be turned off.

In the meantime it has estimated that between April 2015 and March 2023, it spent 2 billion on ESN and 2.9 billion on keeping Airwave going. Maintaining Airwave into the 2030s could cost at least 250 million a year.

The head of the NAO, Gareth Davies, said it was extremely worrying the Home Office still did not know when ESN will be ready or what it will cost.

Home Office is in the process of letting new contracts to put the programme on a sounder footing, he said.

It must now also put in place a realistic timetable and robust contractual and governance arrangements to address the significant risks this programme still faces and avoid any further waste of taxpayers money.

A Motorola Solutions spokesman said the company will continue to support ESN through transitional services until the end of 2023.

Motorola Solutions is committed to the essential Airwave network, which is relied upon by the 300,000 emergency services personnel who protect communities across the UK every day, the spokesman said.

As the NAO recognises, the Airwave network operates at the highest levels of reliability and coverage.
Braverman says boat crossings will fall dramatically but cannot say when

Suella Braverman said small boat crossings will fall dramatically under her asylum plans as she insisted they are legal, but could not say when removals will begin.

The Home Secretary was also unable to set out when new detention centres for migrants will be built but said it will be very clear by the next election whether her scheme has been a success.

The backlash to plans to prevent anyone who arrives in the UK by unauthorised means from returning has been sharp, with the UNs refugee agency calling it effectively an asylum ban.

Braced for legal challenges to the Illegal Migration Bill which he believes is key to his electoral chances, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accused Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of being just another leftie lawyer standing in our way.

But many questions remain over how successful how the policy will be, particularly with the Governments controversial policy to forcibly remove asylum seekers to Rwanda grounded by the courts.

Ms Braverman told the BBC: We will see, based on other countries experiences, that, once were able to relocate people whove come here illegally from the United Kingdom to another safe country, like Rwanda, or back to their own home country, then, actually, the numbers of people making the journey in the first place will fall dramatically.

The Home Secretary claimed it was a possibility that up to 80,000 people could cross the Channel on small boats this year.

But she was unable to say when new detention centres would be built, or when the first removals would take place under the plans.

(PA Graphics)

Ms Braverman told Sky News we are rolling out new detention spaces, but said Im not going to give precise dates because weve got logistical challenges that were always overcoming.

But very, very soon we will be expanding our detention capacity to meet the need, the Home Secretary said.

On removals, she said: I cant give you precise dates, we have lots of processes which are in train.

In a letter to MPs, Ms Braverman has conceded there is a more (than) 50% chance her legislation may not be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

But she told Sky: Were not breaking the law and no Government representative has said that were breaking the law.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a press conference in Downing Street after the Government unveiled plans for new laws to curb Channel crossings (Leon Neal/PA)

In fact, weve made it very clear that we believe were in compliance with all of our international obligations, for example the Refugee Convention, the European Convention on Human Rights, other conventions to which we are subject.

Ministers have not set a timeline for their mission of stopping the boats to be a success.

Ms Braverman told BBC Radio 4s Today: I think it will be very clear by the time of the next election whether we have succeeded or not.

She also defended her disputed claim to MPs that there are 100 million people around the world who could qualify for protection under our current laws and they are coming here.

Asked about her comments on the BBC, the Home Secretary said: I see my role as being honest  Im not going to shy away from displaying the enormity of the problem that we are facing.

The UN itself has confirmed there are over 100 million people who are displaced globally, because of all sorts of factors like conflict or persecution  and these are many people who would like to come to the United Kingdom.

During a feisty exchange at Prime Ministers Questions, Mr Sunak was also unable to say when he would meet his pledge to stop the boats and instead tried to implicate the Labour leader.

Sir Keir, a former director of public prosecutions, said the Prime Minister should be apologising, not gloating over the increasing numbers of small boat crossings.

Mr Sunak responded: Stopping the boats is not just my priority, it is the peoples priority, but his position on this is clear.

He wanted to, in his words, scrap the Rwanda deal, he voted against measures to deport foreign criminals and he even argued against deportation flights.

We know why, because on this matter he talked about his legal background, hes just another leftie lawyer standing in our way.

The plans announced on Tuesday would see migrants who arrive through unauthorised means deported and hit with a lifetime ban from returning.

Anyone who crosses the Channel in a small boat would only be eligible for asylum in a safe third country, such as Rwanda.

Powers would be granted to detain migrants for 28 days without recourse for bail or judicial review, and then indefinitely for as long as there is a reasonable prospect of removal.

The UNs refugee agency, the UNHCR, said it was profoundly concerned by the Bill and urged Parliament to reject it. If passed, it will amount to an asylum ban, the group said.

Labour described the policy as a con that was no more likely to succeed than the Conservatives previous efforts.

In 2022, a record 45,755 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel.

More than 3,000 have already made the journey this year. Home Office figures show 197 made the crossing on Monday  the first arrivals since February 24  taking the total to date to 3,150.
Broadband customers will be freed from industry jargon about their service when signing up to a new deal under Ofcom proposals.

Under the plans, broadband firms would only use the terms fibre and full-fibre when communicating with customers if their network uses fibre-optic cables all the way from the exchange to the home.

Customers would also be given a short, easy-to-understand description of the type of broadband network technology they are signing up to.

The plans come as full-fibre networks are being deployed at pace, meaning customers are increasingly able to choose from a range of different technologies for their broadband.

However the term fibre is applied inconsistently by the industry, sometimes being used to describe older part-fibre, part-copper technology, which is leading to customer confusion.

Were proposing new guidance to help clear up customer confusion about broadband packages. Under this, broadband firms would give customers clearer, more consistent info on the technology used to deliver their broadband  before they sign up. More https://t.co/MSvqklXPQI pic.twitter.com/uJob3VTUIY  Ofcom (@Ofcom) March 8, 2023

Ofcom found that only 46% of customers who reported being on full-fibre broadband were living in areas where it was actually available.

More than a quarter of broadband customers (27%) said they lacked confidence in understanding the language and terminology used by providers.

The regulator said it does not believe existing rules requiring providers to give a description of the service they provide to customers ensures they are clear and consistent enough.

It aims to publish its final decision later this year.

Selina Chadha, Ofcoms director of connectivity, said: Its vital that customers are provided with the right information to help them choose the best broadband service for them.

But some of the industry jargon used to describe the underlying technology supporting their broadband service can be unclear and inconsistent, meaning customers are left confused.

So today were proposing to introduce new guidance to ensure that broadband firms give clearer, straightforward information about their services  making it easier for people to take advantage of more reliable, and potentially higher speed technology, as it becomes available.

Alex Tofts, from comparison site Broadband Genie, said: The language of broadband advertising has been confusing customers for years, so any efforts to make deal terminology more transparent is a step in the right direction.

It has never seemed fair that providers can advertise a fibre deal when the connection is finished off by copper wiring.

Were still finding that consumers dont fully understand the difference between fibre and full fibre. Similarly, the lingo around superfast and ultrafast deals doesnt properly explain to the consumer how these are different.

By getting on board with Ofcoms proposals, providers can help customers feel more confident about their broadband, which may encourage more to switch to faster deals.
Notorious prisoner Charles Bronson has post-traumatic stress disorder after facing some brutal and unacceptable treatment behind bars, a psychologist told his parole hearing.

The second day of Bronsons parole review heard one of the UKs longest serving prisoners holds anti-authoritarian views and is suspicious of the motives of others.

Three parole judges  who have not been publicly named  are considering his case at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, while members of the press and public watched the proceedings on a live stream from the Royal Courts of Justice in central London.

Bronson likened his experience in front of the Parole Board to being on The Apprentice and, inviting the panel to view his art, said each work is a piece of me.

An independent psychologist employed by Bronsons legal team told the hearing: He feels like the whole system is about humiliating and degrading him.

Supporters of notorious prisoner Charles Bronson have called for his release from jail (Aaron Chown/PA)

Wearing a black T-shirt with white writing on it, and his trademark dark, round glasses, Bronson  who the review was told has hearing difficulties  could be seen rocking his chair backwards and forwards as the psychologist gave evidence.

She said he has mild symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, partly due to some brutal and unacceptable treatment while in the prison system.

Bronson  whose real name is Michael Peterson  has previously been diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder, is naturally somewhat suspicious of other peoples motives and holds anti-authoritarian views, the psychologist added.

Once dubbed one of Britains most violent offenders, Bronson has spent most of the past 48 years behind bars, apart from two brief periods of freedom during which he reoffended, for a string of thefts, firearms and violent offences, including 11 hostage-takings in nine different sieges. Victims included governors, doctors, staff and, on one occasion, his own solicitor.

He was handed a discretionary life sentence with a minimum term of four years in 2000 for taking a prison teacher at HMP Hull hostage for 44 hours. Since then, the Parole Board has repeatedly refused to direct his release.

The review heard that Bronson has a romanticised view of violent incidents in the past, after he told parole judges how he loved a rumble and enjoyed mass brawls in prison but insisted he has since found solace in art and is a man of peace.

While he found violence cathartic in the past, he now draws on art in the same way, the psychologist  who was not named  said.

She told the hearing she believes Bronson should eventually be moved to a lower security prison with open conditions to allow him to interact with other people and poses less of a risk outside of jail.

She said he has been held in very solitary conditions for a long period of time and that a move from the close supervision unit where he is being held is long overdue.

His violence towards prison staff has been fuelled by a dislike of authority figures, but this does not extend to members of the public, the psychologist added.

Bronson has never used a cash machine and will need practical support if released, she said.

A member of prison staff who is Bronsons personal officer said that he has a good rapport with the veteran inmate, who he said is one of the easiest prisoners to deal with at Woodhill.

Asked about his risk of reoffending if released, he said: Just from talking to Charlie I know how much he wants to get out.

He knows that if he does something wrong hell be back inside and that will be the final nail in the coffin.

None of the prison and probation officials who gave evidence at the parole hearing said he was ready to be released.

On Monday, Bronson could be heard muttering under his breath at times and sighing loudly during the proceedings, but he largely remained silent as the psychologist gave evidence on Wednesday.

He said of the hearing: Its like being on The Apprentice (with) Lord Sugar.

Later Bronsons friend, author Richard Booth, said the pair, who speak on the phone four or five times per day, plan to set up a charitable foundation with proceeds raised by selling the 70-year-olds art.

Pieces sold so far have raised around 100,000, of which a third is planned to go to the charitable foundation and the remaining two-thirds is held in a separate account but is not for profit, Mr Booth said.

As he left the room after giving evidence, Bronson said: Youre a legend mate.

Bronson  who changed his surname to Salvador in 2014  is the second inmate in UK legal history to have his case heard in public after rules changed last year in a bid to remove the secrecy around the process.

The third and final day of the proceedings will take place behind closed doors on Friday so confidential details can be discussed.

The Parole Board will consider whether he should remain behind bars after the hearing, with a decision due at a later date.
The Queen Consort has revealed she was gripped by crime drama Happy Valley as she celebrated International Womens Day with its star and a host of inspiring individuals.

Actress Sarah Lancashire was invited to the Buckingham Palace event alongside the 2021 Strictly Come Dancing winner and EastEnders actress Rose Ayling-Ellis and former Tehran prisoner Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks wife Akshata Murty was also among the guests alongside Afrobeats singer Tiwa Savage, performer Elaine Paige and Leader of the House of Commons, Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt.

After Camilla appeared to praise the show Lancashire replied: Thank you very much indeed, Im amazed you found time to watch.

Critics hailed Happy Valleys concluding episode as electrifying and Bafta-winning. It saw Lancashires West Yorkshire police sergeant Catherine Cawood have one last showdown with murderer, sex offender and escaped convict Tommy Lee Royce, played by James Norton.

The drama ended after three seasons and the Queen Consort seemed to ask about its future as the actress replied: Its the right thing to do, I just cannot keep doing it adding it had taken an emotional toll and it would kill me.

I would like to take this opportunity to highlight just some of the remarkable women whom I have had the privilege of meeting over the past year.  Camilla R#InternationalWomensDay2023  Read on in the thread below. pic.twitter.com/GcfAqyaI9v  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) March 8, 2023

Camilla, president of the Women of the World (WoW) Festival which has been staged across the globe and will welcome the public this week in London, was joined at the palace by women from across society, including entrepreneurs, entertainers, athletes, authors and journalists.

In a social media post Camilla highlighted the importance of the day: International Womens Day is a day to celebrate female achievements, to encourage and inspire one another, and to thank the women in our lives for their contribution to society.

Official royal social media accounts highlighted the remarkable women the Queen Consort has met during the past 12 months, from the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska to Ayling-Ellis, recognised for her work highlighting the deaf community.

Happy Valley star Sarah Lancashire after being made an OBE (Yui Mok/PA)

Camilla added: To me they represent not only themselves and their own efforts, but also the millions of brilliant women who make a difference each day. Because, to steal a quote, behind every great woman is another great woman.

The Queen Consort chatted to Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a dual British-Iranian national, detained by Tehran in 2016 after a holiday visit with her daughter Gabriella to see her parents.

Following six years of imprisonment, she landed back in Britain in March 2022 after the UK finally agreed to settle a 400 million debt dating back to the 1970s.

She told Camilla: Im happy to be here  its lovely to be free.
A Chinese biotech company awarded a Government Covid contract was responsible for several hack attacks on the NHS genetic datacentre, a minister has said.

Science minister George Freeman revealed that Genomics England was suffering multiple hack attempts from BGI Group each week during 2014.

BGI Genomics, a subsidiary of the group and Chinas leading genomics research company, won an 11 million Covid testing contract in 2021.

MPs and peers have previously written to the Government urging it to cease all work with the company over security concerns.

Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael raised BGI as he urged ministers to scrutinise the work of Chinese genomics firms that are involved in the UKs health and research sector in the same way that we currently scrutinise firms in areas such as defence technology, telecoms and CCTV surveillance.

Science minister Mr Freeman responded: We are now in a global race not just with our benign competitors but with hostile actors who wish to use science and technology to hold us back and undermine us, or to steal our science and technology for their own use.

BGI is clearly one of those danger points in the ecosystem.

I share with the House the fact that, in 2014, I was wheeled out to give a speech on the occasion of the visit of President Xi to the Guildhall. When President Xi and then prime minister Cameron were wheeled in, I was speaking to around 1,000 Chinese delegates about Genomics England.

I had been prepared to pay tribute to the work of BGI when my officials pointed out that at that point Genomics England was suffering several hack attacks from BGI each week. That was a wake-up call for all of us.

Mr Freeman added: We are well aware that we have to manage such risks properly. On that point, I commissioned and have literally just received from UK Research and Innovation a detailed assessment of all the China research and innovation links across our systemwe did the same last year for Russia.

I have passed that through to the Minister for Security (Tom Tugendhat). He and I, and our officials, will go through it shortly in detail, looking in particular at some of the actors such as BGI that we know to be aggressive in their international acquisition of intellectual property.

Mr Carmichael, who co-chairs the all-party parliamentary group on Uighurs, had earlier said: We need to start to scrutinise the work of Chinese genomics firms that are involved in the UKs health and research sector in the same way that we currently scrutinise firms in areas such as defence technology, telecoms and CCTV surveillance.

Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael raised concerns about BGI Groups links to the Chinese state (UK Parliament/ Parliament TV)

There must be no trade-off between research success and the promotion of our democratic values and adherence to standards of human rights. Just as the UK Government eventually opted not to allow Huawei access to our 5G critical infrastructure, they must now consider the threats to our national security of allowing BGI and other companies linked to competitor or hostile Governments to access our genomic data.

He added: BGI is one of a large number of Chinese state-linked companies that have been implicated in the repression of Uighurs and the forced collection of genetic data. It has a lengthy history of collaboration with the Peoples Liberation Army, and is just one example of a company that should not be operating without constraint within our institutions.

Calls for ministers to consider the UKs relationship with BGI come after the USA blacklisted several subsidiaries of the company over security concerns about access to genetic data earlier this month.

Responding to Mr Freemans claims, a spokesman for the BGI Group said: We are incredulous at this statement. BGI Group has never been, and will never be, involved in hack attacks against anyone.

The spokesman stressed that the company was not state-owned or state-controlled, adding: Our lab in the UK has its own local servers, and data processed in the UK remain in the UK and the EU. BGI Groups labs meet stringent standards in information security.

Our data standards globally include the UKs BS10012 standard, compliance with the EUs General Data Protection Regulation, and the ISO27001 standard on information security.

In recognising the UKs global leadership in genomics and life sciences, BGI Group took the strategic decision to invest in the UK before the pandemic. During Covid-19 we provided PCR testing kits to the UK. BGI will continue to support the UK in improving the health of people.
The Foreign Secretary said he absolutely regards himself as a feminist and denied the Government has a women problem with female ministers less likely to be put on the airwaves.

James Cleverly made the comments ahead of a trip to his mothers home town in Sierra Leone on International Womens Day to announce a strategy to help women and girls around the world.

He was travelling to Bo in the West African country, where he was visiting a school and a hospital to see how UK-funded projects are offering targeted assistance to women and girls.

Asked if he considers himself to be a feminist in an interview with BBC Radio 4s Womans Hour, the senior Conservative said: Yes, absolutely, without hesitation.

The irony of having a bloke talking about our women and girls strategy on Womans Hour is not lost on me. But, absolutely, I regard myself as a feminist.

Mr Cleverly pushed back against suggestions that Rishi Sunaks Government has a women problem over a lack of airtime for female ministers compared with their male colleagues.

That doesnt chime with the interactions that Ive seen with my female colleagues, he said.

As a party, I know we absolutely value the contribution of everybody and we promote on talent. We have incredibly talented women at every level within Government and at every level within the party, and Im very proud of that.

I am proud of my Sierra Leonean heritage  Fantastic to speak to @PresidentBio about historic ties and shared values between our countries. We discussed how Russias invasion of Ukraine has impacted global food security and agreed it was in all our interests for this war to end pic.twitter.com/ldMKrul8Zy  James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) September 8, 2022

The Cabinet minister, who has previously described himself as the first British MP from a Sierra Leonian background, spoke of his mothers work as a midwife at a Lewisham Hospital after she moved from Sierra Leone to south-east London in the 1960s.

She was a heroine and inspiration to him, he said.

This #InternationalWomensDay, we're launching our new Women and Girls Strategy. The strategy will target gender inequality around the world. This is how. #IWD #RightsFreedomPotential  Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) March 8, 2023

The visit on Wednesday was to see Mr Cleverly unveil a strategy aimed at tackling increasing threats to gender equality, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said.

Officials said those threats come from climate change, humanitarian crises, conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, and recent attempts to roll back womens rights, including in countries such as Iran and Afghanistan.

He also announced sanctions against gender-based violators in Iran, Syria, South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

The four penalised violators include military figures who have overseen rape in conflict, with sanctions also slapped on government institutions in Iran responsible for enforcing mandatory dress codes for women in Iran with unreasonable force.

Mr Cleverly said: Advancing gender equality and challenging discrimination is obviously the right thing to do, but it also brings freedom, boosts prosperity and trade, and strengthens security  it is the fundamental building block of all healthy democracies.

Our investment to date has improved lives around the world, with more girls in school, fewer forced into early marriage and more women in top political and leadership roles.

But these hard-won gains are now under increasing threat.

Were ramping up our work to tackle the inequalities which remain, at every opportunity.

Im in Sierra Leone to launch our plan to put women and girls at the heart of our international work. I asked children in Bo  what do you want to be when you grow up?#IWD2023 pic.twitter.com/9tW6ZE7Rpb  James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) March 8, 2023

While at a hospital in Bo, Mr Cleverly will see how UK support is improving blood banks and equipment, increasing electricity access and saving the lives of pregnant women.

At the school, he will hear about girls aspirations for the future, with the UK supporting students there to talk about preventing violence.

The freshly announced strategy, according to the FCDO, will put a continued focus on educating girls, empowering women and girls, championing their health and rights, and ending gender-based violence.

The department said the strategy will commit to at least 80% of its bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) programmes targeting gender equality as a policy objective by 2030.
A councillor has been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm, police have said.

Councillor Nick Housden, 32, who was elected as a Conservative to Gloucestershire County Council and Stroud District Council two years ago, will appear before magistrates next month.

Gloucestershire Police said the charge relates to an alleged incident on High Street, Stonehouse on November 2 last year.

Councillor Housden, of Beatrice Webb Lane, Standish, near Stroud is due to appear before Gloucestershire Magistrates Court in Cheltenham on April 4.

At the time of the alleged incident, he was the county council cabinet member for public health, communities and levelling up and deputy leader of the Conservative group on Stroud District Council.

A Gloucestershire Police spokesman said: Nicholas Housden, 32, has been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The charge relates to an incident on High Street, Stonehouse on November 2 last year.

Mr Housden is due to appear at Cheltenham Magistrates Court on April 4.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Councillor Housden said: Until now Ive not been able to speak about this incident at all, and I am sure you will all understand that I am still very limited in what I can share.

At the beginning of November last year an incident took place at my then office on Stonehouse High Street.

In the five months that have since passed, I have been working with Stroud police in getting to the bottom of what happened and why.

Thankfully the end of this matter is now in sight, with a date set for early April that will allow me to share the true version of events.

This has been a long process and during this time I sadly suffered a heart attack which certainly hasnt helped.

Returning to good health for the sake of my young children has been my priority in recent weeks, and so with this in mind, I have stepped back from the local Conservative group until this issue is resolved.

Councillor Housden added: I look forward to drawing a line under this incident, returning to full health and getting back to doing what I was elected to do.
Drivers have been urged to exercise caution and to expect disruption as snow and ice are expected across the country from Thursday.

Forecasters have issued a yellow snow warning for all counties, which comes into effect overnight.

Met Eireann said rain, sleet and snow will spread north across the country, with snow expected in many areas, along with icy conditions.

This could be up to 10cm deep in some places, with more possible on higher ground.

Status Yellow  Snow-Ice warning for Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan Possible Impacts: Hazardous driving conditions Travel disruption Poor Visibility Valid: 23:00 Thursday 09/03/2023 to 07:00 Friday 10/03/2023https://t.co/l8JdKfwZt9 pic.twitter.com/OhRDaXJhLw  Met Eireann (@MetEireann) March 8, 2023

Sleet and snow is likely to turn to rain in the south for a time on Thursday, posing a risk of hazardous driving conditions and poor visibility.

The yellow snow warning remains in effect nationwide until 11pm on Thursday, while a yellow low temperature warning is in place from 9pm Thursday until 10am on Friday.

A snow-ice warning for the Leinster counties, Cavan and Monaghan will be in place from 11pm on Thursday until 10am on Friday.

The Met Office has also warned that heavy snow has the potential to cause disruption in all counties in Northern Ireland on Thursday and Friday, with the warning in place from 7am on Thursday until 2pm on Friday.

It said this could lead to travel delays on roads stranding some vehicles and passengers, some rural communities being cut off and power supplies and mobile phone coverage being affected.

Keep an eye on weather warning updates for your area over the next few days as moisture laden air from the south meets the arctic airmass in place over Ireland #sneachta  For more information https://t.co/9gKN6SVok4 pic.twitter.com/brGJ2OPi12  Met Eireann (@MetEireann) March 8, 2023

The Road Safety Authority has urged drivers to expect hazardous road conditions and reduced visibility.

Drivers are being advised to remove all snow from their cars, clear windows and mirrors before setting out, to use the cars controls delicately in snowy conditions and ensure extra distance to the vehicle in front.

Avoid over-steering and harsh braking and harsh acceleration. Use the highest gear possible to avoid wheel spin. Select a low gear when travelling downhill especially if through bends, it said.

Motorists are also being asked to watch out for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

Pedestrians are advised to wear high visibility clothing and appropriate footwear, and said that many slips and falls happen in places people regard as safe and secure.
The manager of a Dublin youth club where the BAFTA-winning actor Barry Keoghan starred in one of his first drama roles has hailed the Irishman as a fantastic role model who is already inspiring the next generation.

The 30-year-old Dubliner  who is also nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor alongside the veteran Irish actor Brendan Gleeson  was praised after dedicating his Bafta win to Ireland and the kids that are dreaming to be something from the area I come from.

Keoghan, whose mother struggled with drug addiction and died when he was a child, was placed with a dozen foster homes along with his brother before going to live with his grandmother.

In the wake of the dizzying success of his acting career, pupils at Keoghans former school said he was inspiring  something that Gillian Collins, operations manager of Belvedere Youth Club, agrees with.

Keoghan starred alongside Colin Farrell in The Banshees of Inisherin (Jonathan Hession/ Searchlight Pictures/PA)

Its amazing, its so positive. Its great that the north inner city is out there in the media for positive news for a change, not all the negativity. Its so inspiring, she told PA.

Keoghan was a member at the club for several years as a young teenager, and starred as Link Larkin in their 2010 production of Hairspray  The Musical, one of the first acting roles he ever had.

He was a charmer, Ms Collins says.

He had the little gift to the gab, the little glint in his eye and was full of energy.

He was just a normal lad from the inner city who had a dream, and put his head down and worked hard and followed that dream, and hes a fantastic role model. Im very proud of him.

As they prepare to put on the next production of Hairspray in May, hes already inspiring young boys to try their hand at acting, she said.

The girls are always interested in dancing and singing, and its only the last couple of weeks that the boys have shown some sort of an interest.

I have a little chap that I just happened to pass by in a corridor and said Oh yeah, you got the main part, thats brilliant. You know, (Barry Keoghan) was the main part when we did Hairspray back in 2010 and now hes nominated for an Oscar? and it was like He is?

Its like a snowball has started now and is gathering momentum.

She said that the level of excitement for Barry Keoghan is similar to when Irish boxer Kelly Harrington  who is from the same area of Dublin  won an Olympic gold medal in 2021, and that theres a great buzz about his success.

Even to be nominated, youre putting yourself out there on the whole world stage  little Barry from the flats, thats amazing, she said.
Florence Pugh donned a dramatic black outfit with billowing sleeves as she stepped out onto the red carpet for the premiere of her latest project, A Good Person.

The 27-year-old actress, who has become known for her unapologetically daring outfits, stars as the lead in the film written and directed by her former partner Zach Braff.

At the London premiere on Wednesday, Pugh opted for a pair of high-wasted tailored houndstooth trousers, which she paired with a high-neck black top embellished with a sequined pattern.

Florence Pugh at the UK premiere of A Good Person (Ian West/PA)

Pugh completed the outfit with a pair of long black gloves, which extended up to her forearms and featured bows which dropped to the floor, as well as black ribbons woven into her hair which was slicked back in an updo.

The actress is no stranger to the red carpet and here we look back at some of her boldest looks to date

Florence Pugh at the 2023 Baftas (Ian West/PA)

Never one to shy away from a bright colour, Pugh was luminescent at the recent EE Bafta Film Awards.

She wore an orange strapless gown by French fashion house Nina Ricci, made up of layers of tulle and paired with black platform shoes.

Florence Pugh at the British Independent Film Awards in 2022 (Ian West/PA)

Pugh channelled the boudoir fashion trend for the British Independent Film Awards, wearing a pale pink lingerie-inspired slip gown from Rodarte, paired with a sheer pink tulle cape.

Florence Pugh with her grandmother at the 2022 Venice Film Festival (Alamy/PA)

Valentino is Pughs go-to designer on the red carpet. She wore a black tulle dress from the French fashion house studded with silver for the Venice Film Festival red carpet last year.

This look was all about making a statement: the dress had oversized sleeves, a dramatic train, and was completely sheer except for a bodysuit underneath.

Florence Pugh at the 2022 Baftas (Ian West/PA)

Pughs stylist, Rebecca Corbin-Murray, described her 2022 Baftas look on Instagram as business at the front, party at the back.

The black Carolina Herrera minidress had long sleeves and a statement pink bow trailing to the floor on the back.

For the London premiere of Marvel film Black Widow  where she plays Yelena Belova opposite Scarlett Johansson  Pugh amped up the glamour in a black Miu Miu ensemble with a midriff cut-out, crystal-encrusted lacing, wet look hair and edgy pink make-up.

Florence Pugh at the 2020 Oscars (Alamy/PA)

Pugh chose an unusual teal colour for her first Oscars in 2020, where she was nominated for the best supporting actress award for her role in Little Women.

The Louis Vuitton dress featured a tiered skirt, V-neckline and belt around the waist  all topped off with a glittering diamond and topaz necklace.

Florence Pugh at the 2020 Baftas (Matt Crossick/PA)

Pugh wore a creation from experimental Belgian designer Dries Van Noten for the 2020 Baftas: a black minidress with a bright pink satin cape overlaid on top, with bubble shoulders and black ribbon ties.

Pughs outfit to the 2020 Critics Choice Awards was anything but understated. She wore a silver bejewelled column dress by Prada, paired with diamond drop earrings and a sleek updo.
Former Irish soldier Lisa Smith has lost an appeal against the severity of her sentence to 15 months in prison for being a member of the so-called Islamic State (IS) terror group.

Delivering the decision in the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice John Edwards dismissed the appeal and said the length of the sentence was legitimately within the discretion of the sentencing.

We are satisfied sentencing was conducted with scrupulous fairness and appropriate regard for the evidence, he said.

The 41-year-old ex-Defence Forces member was found guilty in May of IS membership but was cleared of a separate charge of financing terrorism after a nine-week trial at Dublins Special Criminal Court.

Smith, a convert to Islam, went to Syria in 2015 after terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi called on Muslims to travel to the country.

She had pleaded not guilty to charges of membership of IS and providing funds to benefit the group.

The maximum sentence for the offence is eight years.

It was the position of the appellant that the court erred in its sentence and that it was excessive in all circumstances.

Mr Justice Edwards said the court did not agree with complaints from the appellant that the sentence was excessive.

It remains State policy that membership of an unlawful organisation should be a criminal offence. It is the law and we must comply with the law, he said.

Lisa Smith has lost an appeal against the severity of her 15-month sentence for IS membership (Niall Carson/PA)

Mr Justice Edwards said IS challenges our democratic values, our respect for human rights and the rule of law.

He said members are subversive of our values and are committed to destroying them.

He said IS showed intolerance, brutality and extreme violence in torture, beheadings, drownings and other outrages.

The most egregious crimes known to man, he said.

Mr Justice Edwards said IS is an an exporter of terrorism and its adherents are often radicalised.

He said adherents posed a greater security threat to Ireland and noted the Charlie Hebdo and Bataclan attacks were carried out by IS returnees.

However, Mr Justice Edwards said not every member of an unlawful or terrorist organisation is actively involved.

Active participants are more culpable. The greater the involvement, the greater the culpability, he said.

Even in the case of purely passive adherence, there is the intrinsic potential for harm by providing assistance to those who seek to damage our State.

He said counsel for the appellant claimed Smiths role as a member of IS was wholly passive.

We accept it was fully passive once she arrived in Syria. But the mere fact she travelled with her eyes open and in the knowledge of what IS stood for was an overt expression of support for that organisation, he said.

Mr Justice Edwards said the custody threshold was crossed and culpability was somewhat aggravated by Smiths moving to Syria and living under IS rules.

We find no error with regard to the headline sentence, he said.

Smith, from Dundalk, was described in court last year as an extremely vulnerable person who was treated like a servant by her late husband when in Syria.

Mr Justice Edwards said it was not inevitable that she would face a custodial sentence.

He added that by not pleading guilty, Smith did not avail of that substantial mitigation available to her.

He said that proper regard was given to her previous good character, her positive impact on society in her military service, her vulnerability, her role as a mother, and that it was reported she was considered low risk of reoffending.

He said the Court of Appeal did not detect any error on part of the sentencing court and that a 50% reduction in the sentence was a synthesis of all mitigating circumstances.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have begun to use the titles prince and princess for their children Archie and Lilibet.

Harry and Meghans youngsters became a prince and princess when the King acceded to the throne, but have remained a plain master and miss on the Buckingham Palace website for the past six months.

The Palace confirmed the sites line of succession list will now be updated to reflect the change after a spokesperson for the Sussexes publicly referred to Lili as a princess for the first time on Wednesday when announcing news of her christening.

It is understood the King was aware beforehand that the Sussexes intended to refer to their daughter as Princess Lili and that there had been correspondence about the matter.

Lili, who turns two in June, was baptised in California on Friday, with the couples spokesperson saying: I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the Queens lying-in-state (Jacob King/PA)

It is understood the titles will be used in formal settings, but not in everyday conversational use by the couple, and this was the first opportunity to do so since the death of the late Queen.

Harry and Meghan are understood to be keen to not deny their children their birthright, but to allow them the chance to decide for themselves when they are older whether to drop or keep using them.

The Sussexes embraced the royal titles despite their repeated criticism of the monarchy, with Harry accusing his family of total neglect in the past and saying he suffered genetic pain.

Harry said his time being just Harry rather than a prince was the best escape (Andrew Parsons/PA)

The former soldier spoke about his own struggles with his title, saying in 2017 that the time he spent in the Army was the best escape I ever had because I wasnt a prince, I was just Harry.

Royal commentator Emily Andrews tweeted: The perennial question still remains; if being a royal is so traumatic, such a burden, carries so much inter-generational pain why would you want to style your kids prince and princess/keep your own royal titles.??

The use of the titles has been disclosed just days after Harry and Meghan were asked to vacate their UK home Frogmore Cottage, a move sanctioned by the King, which further weakens the couples ties with Harrys home country and the Windsors.

The line of succession on the royal website with Lili and Archie listed as Miss and Master (PA)

The past few months have seen huge turbulence in Harry and Meghans relationship with Charles and other members of the royal family.

Harry, who stepped down as a senior working royal in 2020 for a new life in the US, criticised his fathers parenting in his controversial autobiography Spare, accused the Prince of Wales of physically attacking him and said the Queen Consort sacrificed him on her own personal PR altar.

The duke and Meghan, in their bombshell six-part tell-all Netflix documentary series, also claimed Kensington Palace lied to protect William when it issued a statement denying a story he had bullied Harry out of the royal family.

The King visiting Colchester Castle this week (Chris Radburn/PA)

The christening took place privately at the Sussexes home in California.

The celebration was an intimate affair with 20-30 people present including Meghans mother Doria Ragland and Lilis godfather Tyler Perry, People magazine revealed.

Guests enjoyed an afternoon of food and dancing, with Archie even dancing with his sister.

US actor and comedian Perry arrived with a gospel choir who performed Oh Happy Day and This Little Light Of Mine  a song which featured during the Sussexes wedding, the magazine said.

Harry and Meghan during their royal wedding (Jonathan Brady/PA)

It was reported that the King, Camilla, William and Kate were invited but did not attend.

Political activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu welcomed the christening, but criticised the King and William for not attending.

Im glad cutie, Princess Lilibet Diana, was surrounded by those who love & wish her well, she tweeted

She praised Harry and Meghan for keeping the christening intimate, but added it was shameful that King Charles & Prince William snubbed Lilibet.

Bishop John Taylor, who performed the baptism, is a former newspaper reporter who was chief of staff for former US president Richard Nixon.

He is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles but is a Bishop rather than an Archbishop.

Title rules set out by King George V in 1917 mean Archie and Lili, as the children of a son of a sovereign, automatically became a prince and a princess when Charles became King.

They would also be entitled to an HRH style, but although Harry and Meghan retain their HRH styles, they no longer use them after quitting the working monarchy.

Meghan said in the couples interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey that Archie was not given the title of prince because of his race.

Harrys autobiography Spare (James Manning/PA)

However, when Archie was born seventh in line to the throne in May 2019, he was too far down the line of succession.

Although he was a great-grandchild of the monarch, he was not a first-born son of a future king, so was not automatically a prince.

It was previously reported in 2021 that Charles, in a bid to limit the number of key royals, intended, when he became monarch, to prevent Archie becoming a prince.

To do so, he would have to issue a Letters Patent amending Archies right to be a prince and Lilis right to be a princess.

The Sussexes have yet to confirm whether they will attend the Kings coronation in May, which falls on Archies fourth birthday.
A Holocaust survivor whose new life in Britain after the Second World War allowed him to become human again has been made an MBE for services to Holocaust education.

Harry Olmer, 95, received the honour from the Princess Royal at Windsor Castle on Wednesday afternoon.

He survived five years of forced labour in Nazi-occupied Poland before being evacuated to the Lake District in July 1945.

Mr Olmer told the PA news agency: It was interesting and unique. It was the first time we became human beings again after the Holocaust.

We started to live again and learn again  our minds were completely blank.

Harry Olmer after being made an MBE at a Windsor Castle investiture (Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)

It really was very important, the three months I spent there. I have very fond memories.

Mr Olmer, who is a father of four and grandfather of eight, did not know any English when he was taken to the Calgarth Estate near Lake Windermere with 300 other liberated Jewish children.

The story of the evacuees was portrayed in the 2020 film The Windermere Children.

Asked what it was like to meet Anne, he said: She was very nice. She said how important it was that I do the work that I do. We talked about which concentration camps I was in.

It is a unique experience and especially with what is happening with denials of the Holocaust and antisemitism as well.

Now it is at its most important.

Mr Olmer took evening classes for three years to get the qualifications he needed to study dentistry at the University of Glasgow.

After graduating in 1953 he worked as a dentist in the Army and then in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, until retirement in December 2013.

Also honoured in the afternoon ceremony was Shane Ryan, who received an MBE for services to disadvantaged young people and to charity.

Mr Ryan, 53, told PA his work was inspired by his experiences in care and as a teenage father.

Shane Ryan after being made an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle (Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)

He said: I grew up in care for most of the time and my youngest daughter I had at 15 years old.

So I was never thinking I would end up here at all and it was never something I was thinking about.

I think fundamentally what are we here for if not to support other people? Whats the point?

And with the MBE now the most important thing is how I can use it to support and inspire other people. That is the most important thing.

Mr Ryan is chairman of the Grenfell Children and Young Peoples Fund, which supports children affected by the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire.

He said the fund aims to alleviate the trauma experienced by young people who were in the tower and those who watched it in flames.

The fund itself came post-fire when there was a huge amount of trauma, he said.

We particularly felt that young people were disproportionately affected by what happened. And as a consequence, what we started to do was work with young people on the ground trying to work out what their needs were.

The fund provides grants to community initiatives that range from mental health programmes and post-traumatic stress disorder support to swimming and school mentoring.

The fact that young people made the decisions on where they felt the money should go was the most important thing and a couple of the projects are actually led by young people, Mr Ryan added.
An inquest into the death of former Provisional IRA commander Gerard Jock Davison is not expected to take place before 2024, Belfast Coroners Court has heard.

The 47-year-old was shot dead in the Markets area of Belfast as he walked to work in May 2015.

Mr Davison had been involved in a personal dispute with other republicans.

Three months after Mr Davison was shot dead, former IRA man Kevin McGuigan was murdered in a gun attack in nearby Short Strand.

Former PIRA colleagues Mr Davison and Mr McGuigan had also been involved in a dispute.

Kevin McGuigan was murdered in a gun attack (Family handout/PSNI/PA)

Police believe Mr McGuigans killers suspected him of involvement in Mr Davisons death.

However, detectives have said there is no evidence to support that.

An inquest into the death of Mr McGuigan is also in its preliminary stages.

A separate hearing to vet security files, called a public interest immunity (PII) hearing, in Mr McGuigans inquest is set to take place in June.

Coroner Paddy McGurgan is presiding over both inquests.

On Wednesday, a preliminary hearing ahead of Mr Davisons inquest was told the inquest into Mr McGuigans death is to take place in September.

Counsel for the PSNI Peter Coll said further materials have been identified for the coroners staff to review.

Indeed, they anticipate as their research continues there will likely be some further material as well, he said.

Mr Coll said there may be some learning to come from the PII hearing in Mr McGuigans inquest, in terms of Mr Davisons inquest

Michael Brentnall, for Mr Davisons next of kin, said it had been a long and drawn out process.

It has certainly gone on at some length, but I appreciate if further research has found further materials then I suppose our hands are tied in respect of that, he said.

The issues will be thrashed out in the McGuigan PII process given what is ultimately a close proximity to this inquest.

Mr McGurgan was told by his counsel that Mr Davisons inquest is not anticipated before 2024, and it will be a case of keeping that under review.

The next preliminary hearing is due to take place on May 3.
Jimmy Kimmel joked that the decision to have a champagne-coloured carpet at this years Oscars shows how confident we are that no blood will be shed.

The US comedian, who will host the 95th annual ceremony on Sunday, was speaking at the official rollout of the event carpet in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Kimmel was joined by the Academys chief executive Bill Kramer, and its president Janet Yang.

Thanks so much for asking me to do this, Im honoured, Im thrilled, Im excited  mostly about the carpet. We got it for a very good price downtown, he said.

The carpet was rolled out in preparation for Sundays 95th Academy Awards (Chris Pizzello/AP)

Referencing the now-infamous slap at the 2022 Oscars, he continued: People have been asking Is there going to be any trouble this year? Is there going to be any violence this year? and we certainly hope not.

I think the decision to go with a champagne carpet rather than a red carpet shows how confident we are that no blood will be shed.

He added: We promise that this is going to be a fun show. People have been asking us, can we make the show longer and yes, it is going to be longer.

Hopefully it wont feel long because we have a lot of great stuff in store, we have a lot of great plans, we have some great music performances  Ive been working on jokes for days now.

Previously announced performances include those by best song nominee Rihanna and US rock star Lenny Kravitz, who will perform during the ceremonys In Memoriam segment.

Building of large structures on Hollywood Boulevard to house the event has been under way for several weeks.

Kimmel praised the production workers as they rolled out two sections of the carpet, joking: This has got to be the dumbest thing you guys have ever gotten up at 7.30 in the morning for.

He added: Look at how beautifully theyre rolling out that carpet. This is the kind of thing you only see in Hollywood  and every model home in America.

When were done with this were going to be carpeting all of Hollywood.

The 95th annual Academy awards will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

A slew of famous faces were added to the shows presenting line-up on Tuesday, including Hugh Grant, Florence Pugh, Nicole Kidman and Halle Berry.

Previously announced presenters include Riz Ahmed, Emily Blunt, Ariana DeBose, Samuel L Jackson, Michael B Jordan, Troy Kotsur, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy and Dwayne Johnson.
The Princess of Wales braved freezing temperatures and snow to help administer first aid to a wounded soldier as part of an exercise on Salisbury Plain.

In the drill, members of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards were on foot patrol when they came under fire from an enemy.

The exercise involved a soldier suffering a gunshot wound to his lower left leg and being evacuated from the scene by his colleagues.

Then Kate assisted Lance Corporal Jodie Newell in administering first aid.

She applied a tourniquet to his lower left leg to stop the bleeding.

The soldier was then moved onto a stretcher where Kate helped with assessing him for further injuries to his torso.

Kate, who is Colonel of the Irish Guards, was visiting the troops for the first time since receiving the honorary appointment last year.

The Princess of Wales at the Salisbury Plain Training Area in Wiltshire (Steve Reigate/Daily Express/PA)

She took over as Royal Colonel from her husband, William, the Prince of Wales.

She was taken on a tour of the Salisbury Plain training area by Major General Christopher Ghika, commander of the Army in London and the Household Division, and Lieutenant Colonel James Aldridge, commander of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards.

Kate, who was wearing brown Berghaus boots, heard first-hand about the work members of the battalion have undertaken recently, including meeting guardsmen who have been deployed on security work in Africa, which includes training park rangers on counter-poaching operations.

The royal, who a green combat uniform with the rank of colonel, also received a briefing on counter-explosive ordnance  the de-mining training being delivered by the Irish Guards to Ukrainian armed forces.

The Princess of Wales took over as Royal Colonel from her husband (Steve Reigate/Daily Express/PA)

Finally, she viewed several of the different types of weapons used by the Irish Guards.

Lieutenant Colonel Aldridge said his battalion was delighted to welcome Kate to Salisbury Plain for her first visit as Royal Colonel.

He said: It is particularly fitting on International Womens Day that a few of our female soldiers met such an inspiring female role model.

The Princess of Wales is shown how to carry out battlefield casualty drills (Steve Reigate/Daily Express/PA)

It is a real honour for all the guardsmen to meet their Royal Colonel in the field here on Salisbury Plain and demonstrate a few of our basic operational skills.

The Irish Guards, formed by Queen Victoria in 1900, are experts in infantry combat.

Their specialisms include reconnaissance, engaging enemy troops with machine guns and mortars, and anti-tank operations.
The Home Office has been accused of arrogance after a minister said there was no need for extensive engagement with refugee organisations before announcing controversial proposals to curb Channel crossings.

Lord Murray of Blidworth, a minister in the department, appeared before MPs during what was an at-times tense committee session, held a day after the much-condemned asylum plans were announced in Parliament.

The UNs refugee agency has called it effectively an asylum ban.

The Governments plan, which would prevent anyone who arrives in the UK by unauthorised means from returning, is rewriting refugee and modern slavery laws, the minister was told on Wednesday.

The hearing before the Home Affairs Committee was focused on the Windrush scandal and the Home Offices approach to implementing the Lessons Learned Review, which has included dropping three of its major recommendations.

But SNP committee member Stuart McDonald asked the minister about the Illegal Migration Bill, questioning what engagement there had been with any organisations outside the Home Office or Government.

Lord Murray said: Well, clearly, it was a matter for policy development within the department and engagement across Government. But it wasnt a situation which required extensive engagement with third party (organisations).

Challenging this, Mr McDonald replied: Yes it is because its rewriting refugee laws, maybe an organisation like United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, maybe NGOs who deal with victims of modern slavery because youre rewriting modern slavery laws.

Perhaps they should have been engaged with and youre saying it didnt have to happen? I mean, you have basically just ripped up the Windrush report in that one answer.

Lord Murray said he disagreed with this suggestion, adding: In relation to the crisis in the Channel, there can be no parallels drawn to the situation that gave rise to the Windrush scandal.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has announced controversial plans to curb Channel crossing with new laws (James Manning/PA)

The committee quizzed the minister on why recommendations from the Windrush review  including the establishment of a migrants commissioner  had been axed by Home Secretary Suella Braverman earlier this year, having previously been accepted by Priti Patel when she was in post.

Wendy Williams, the solicitor who carried out the Windrush review, also appeared before the committee, telling them she was surprised by the decision to drop the recommendations, having not been consulted by the Home Office before the announcement was made.

Of the 30 recommendations, three were dropped in total, with the two others being a call to increase powers of the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration and hold reconciliation events.

The Windrush scandal emerged in 2018 when British citizens, mostly from the Caribbean, were wrongly detained, deported or threatened with deportation, despite having the right to live in Britain.

Many lost homes and jobs, and were denied access to healthcare and benefits.

The Lessons Learned review saw a call for the Home Office to open itself up to greater external scrutiny and implement a culture change to recognise that migration and wider Home Office policy is about people and, whatever its objective, should be rooted in humanity.

Asked about the decision not to implement three of her recommendations, Ms Williams said she had pointed out previously that she felt the Home Office did not appear confident enough to be able to open itself up to wider external insight and scrutiny.

Pressed on her use of the word confidence, she told the committee: It is difficult engaging in external scrutiny and it can be uncomfortable, and so that was the reason why I used the word confidence.

When this was put to Lord Murray, who appeared after Ms Williams, he said he wanted to assure the committee that dropping recommendations was not born of any want of confidence by the Home Office.

He added: We are confident that we are exposed to a great deal of scrutiny, and that scrutiny is correct, and justified and entirely right and proper.

And its for that reason that I can answer the second part of your question, which is whether the public and this committee should have confidence in the Home Office and, unequivocally, the answer is yes.

Labour MP Paula Barker told the minister there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance and said a lack of engagement with others before introducing the Illegal Migration Bill would suggest an arrogance within the Home Office department, that they dont need to consult with outside organisations or indeed the judiciary.

Lord Murray said he would not comment on the extent to which there had been any consultation with the judiciary as that goes to an internal Government consultation.

Committee chair and Labour MP Dame Diana Johnson said she was left really disappointed by the end of the session, stating that she feels the Home Office has a major problem with effective scrutiny.
The Government will bring forward a review of how Relationships and Sex Education is being taught in schools, following concerns that children are being exposed to inappropriate content, Rishi Sunak has said.

The Prime Minister said he has asked the Department for Education (DfE) to ensure that schools are not teaching inappropriate or contested content in Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE).

Mr Sunak told Prime Ministers Questions: Our priority should always be the safety and wellbeing of children and schools should also make curriculum content and materials available to parents.

As a result of all of this, we are bringing forward a review of RSHE statutory guidance and we will start our consultation as soon as possible.

His pledge came after Conservative MP Miriam Cates said pupils were being subjected to relationships and sex education classes that are age inappropriate, extreme, sexualising and inaccurate.

Ms Cates, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, called on Mr Sunak to commission an independent inquiry to end inappropriate sex education.

She told the Commons: Graphic lessons on oral sex, how to choke your partner safely and 72 genders. This is what passes for relationships and sex education in British schools.

Across the country, children are being subjected to lessons that are age inappropriate, extreme, sexualising and inaccurate, often using resources from unregulated organisations that are actively campaigning to undermine parents.

This is not a victory for equality, it is a catastrophe for childhood.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: We believe children should be supported to make informed decisions and those need to be factually based and age appropriate.

So the PM has asked for the Department of Education to look at some of the issues raised by the MPs in the letter to him to make sure all schools are compliant with existing guidance.

He stressed clear guidance already exists on external speakers and resources and thats something that we want the review to look at.

The DfE will also conduct a consultation later this year, he said.

James Bowen, director of policy for school leaders union NAHT, said: It is hard to be anything other than deeply concerned by this announcement.

The overwhelming majority of schools are doing nothing more than following the Governments own statutory guidance when it comes to relationships and sex education.

It is worth remembering that the current curriculum was subject to extensive consultation before it was introduced.

We have seen no evidence to suggest there is a widespread problem with pupils being presented with age-inappropriate materials and if this were the situation, we would expect it to have been picked up on a case-by-case basis.

There is a real concern that this is a politically motivated review, rather than one based on the reality of what is happening in the vast majority of schools up and down the country.

Our appeal to Government is to ensure this review is now handled with the care, sensitivity and impartiality it requires and to listen carefully to the most important voices  those of education professionals and pupils.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: The vast majority of schools are incredibly cautious and sensible about the teaching of Relationships and Sex Education and we disagree with the sweeping generalisation and inflammatory rhetoric from Miriam Cates in the Commons.

He added: We welcome the review of Relationships and Sex Education as part of an ongoing process of ensuring that schools and teachers are well-supported in delivering this topic, but our understanding is that this review has been on the cards for some time as one would expect given that this is a relatively new and very important part of the curriculum.
Gary Linekers claim that the UK takes far fewer refugees than other European countries is to some extent supported by Parliament figures on asylum seekers.

The 62-year-old Match Of The Day host has come under fire from Government ministers over comments he made on Twitter about the new asylum policy.

Contesting a claim in a Home Office video that the UK was being overwhelmed by immigration, Lineker said: There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.

In response to this, immigration minister Robert Jenrick criticised the ex-England striker as being so far out of step with the British public.

However, data from the House of Commons (HoC) library shows that the UK ranks 16th when compared with the 27 EU countries for the number of asylum claims granted in 2021 after accounting for population sizes.

(PA Graphics)

This data covers asylum seekers only, which the HoC describes as a subset of migrants who have left their home country from fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, social group or political opinion.

It shows that the UK approved the applications of 11,853 asylum seekers in 2021  the equivalent of two people per 10,000 of the overall population.

This compares with Austria which welcomed 14 asylum seekers per 10,000, or 12,110 people.

Meanwhile, Germany granted 59,850 applications  seven per 10,000, France granted 33,880 applications  five per 10,000 people  and Spain accepted 20,400  four per 10,000.

The Republic of Ireland also proportionally took in more asylum seekers than the UK, at 1,455, or three per 10,000.

Cyprus welcomed proportionally the largest number of asylum seekers at 26 per 10,000 of its population  or 2,295 people.

(PA Graphics)

The figures were compiled by the House of Commons Library using data published by Eurostat and the Home Office.

The totals do not include all refugees welcomed to the UK, as some will have arrived under separate resettlement schemes, such as those for people fleeing Afghanistan.

Some of these refugees are admitted via the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), whose figures show the UK took 1,194 people via this route in 2022.

The UK ranked ninth globally for UNHCR resettlement last year, with the US at the top of the table (21,915 refugees) followed by Canada (11,041) and Germany (4,787).

A Home Office spokesperson said the UK is among the top European countries for resettlement, second only to Sweden.

They added: The UK has a proud history of providing protection for those who genuinely need it through our safe and legal routes.

Since 2015, we have offered a place to almost half a million men, women and children seeking safety  including those from Hong Kong, Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine, as well as family members of refugees.

Linekers tweet also described the new asylum policy as immeasurably cruel and directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.

The BBC said it would speak to Lineker about his comments, which sparked criticism from Government ministers.
A man has been arrested over footage shot from inside a police cordon on the day the body of Nicola Bulley was found in the River Wyre in Lancashire.

The 34-year-old man from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, was arrested on suspicion of malicious communications offences and perverting the course of justice in connection with the investigation to find Ms Bulley, Lancashire Constabulary said.

The arrest relates to footage taken from inside a police cordon on February 19. The force said that the footage was then posted online.

The man was held on Wednesday morning with assistance from West Mercia Police, and has since been released on bail with conditions.

Our priority is, and has always been, to support Nicolas family and the wider community in St Michaels. We hope this arrest provides reassurance that we take concerns seriously and will act on them, Lancashire Constabulary said.

It comes following reports of a number of apparent content creators descending on the village where Ms Bulley went missing.

Experts have claimed social media algorithms that reward and encourage controversial content fuelled the waves of online interest in Ms Bulleys case.

During the investigation, Detective Superintendent Rebecca Smith said social media users had been playing their own private detectives.
There have been robust public and private clashes between the Ministry of Defence and Treasury over funding levels ahead of next weeks Budget, the armed forces minister acknowledged.

James Heappey and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace have been vocal in setting out the scale of increased investment required by the military.

Jeremy Hunt will set out his Budget on Wednesday, while an updated version of the Governments foreign and defence strategy setting out the response to Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine and the threat posed by China will be unveiled on Monday.

Mr Heappey told the Commons Defence Committee: There have been some robust exchanges with the Treasury in public.

And there have been some even more robust exchanges behind closed doors.

Earlier this week Mr Wallace said he was pretty confident he would receive the investment the armed forces require, although reports have suggested he will receive a rise of around 4-5 billion rather than the 11 billion he had sought over the next two years.

Despite reported criticism from the UKs allies about its level of military readiness, Mr Heappey insisted: I dont think we are a second-tier army.

But, he added: I think that the Secretary of State and I have both made a virtue over the last three years about being very honest about the consequences of decisions taken  perfectly reasonable decisions taken  during the Iraq and Afghanistan years to disinvest in the capabilities that allow you to move large forces quickly.

RAF Typhoons (Joe Giddens/PA)

Mr Heappey was pressed by MPs about the supply of warplanes to Ukraine, with calls for surplus RAF Typhoons to be given to Volodymyr Zelensky  in part to encourage other nations to follow suit.

The UK has not ruled out sending Typhoon aircraft to Kyiv while the war with Russia continues, although that was unlikely in the short term given the logistical complexities and the four-to-six month training period required for Ukraines experienced fighter pilots.

Mr Heappey said: Its not quite as binary as definitely not now and definitely only in peacetime. The Prime Minister has said he wants us to look at all options so that that political choice remains available to him.

The Secretary of State has been very clear that its not happening now  thats right  but the pilots being trained and the wider work we are doing to deliver on the Prime Ministers ask is all around giving him further political choice if and when thats necessary.

The UKs decision to supply Challenger 2 battle tanks to Ukraine helped encourage the US and Germany to follow, and Mr Heappey was urged to take a similar approach with jets.

We are very aware of the leverage that things we could gift could have, but it cant just be symbolic, Mr Heappey said.

Challenger 2, yes, was catalytic, but Challenger 2 is also a warfighting capability.

But he said it was eminently possible that the UK could supply Typhoons, or provide RAF cover, to backfill for other nations with more suitable planes  such as Soviet-era Migs or Sukhoi jets held by eastern European states, Swedens Gripen or various Nato F-16s  for the Ukrainians in the short term.

Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood told the minister: I think the message comes loud and clear that Putin is the most destabilising force in Europe at the moment, we have equipment that can help stand up to that.

Calling for faster action, he said that if we dont put this fire out in the next few months, were going to end up with a stalemate and Putin then does claim victory.
Consumer groups have called for an energy social tariff in the form of cash payments for the poorest households ahead of what they warn could be a decade of high bills.

Citizens Advice said payments of up to 1,500 are now an essential long-term solution for millions of fuel-poor households, both now and during what could be a decade of record prices.

The call for targeted financial support by next year has the backing of a coalition of consumer and energy bodies including Martin Lewis and Energy UK and is part of a new report commissioned by Citizens Advice following nine months of consultation with industry and the public.

The report recommends cash payments according to individual household need, delivered through a combination of HMRC data on household incomes and energy supplier knowledge of how much electricity and gas is used to show a picture of who needs help and how much.

More than 12 million households on the lowest incomes would qualify for support, and the average qualifying household would see their energy bill reduced by 381  with some getting up to 1,500, according to the reports analysis.

Currently, households are spending more than twice as much on energy compared with 18 months ago, regardless of whether the Governments Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) remains at 2,500  as is widely expected  rather than rises to the previously announced 3,000 from April.

If the EPG remains at 2,500, 10 million households will face crisis-level energy costs, with more than 10% of their income after housing costs going on energy  a key indicator of fuel poverty, the charity said.

If the EPG increases to 3,000, that figure rises to 12 million, it warned.

People on the lowest incomes will be hit much harder, with energy making up more than half of their total household income after housing costs in either scenario  up from 34% in 2019.

Citizens Advice said it helped 50% more people with energy issues last year than the year before, and more than double that of 2020.

Last year, it saw more people who could not afford to top up their prepayment meter than in the previous 10 years combined.

The charity warned energy prices are not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels for the next decade.

The report also calls for a national programme of loft and cavity wall insulation for all households in fuel poverty.

Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Clare Moriarty said: Energy affordability is a long-term problem that needs a long-term solution. A social tariff protects millions of people from spending excessive amounts on their bills.

High energy costs have left too many people choosing between heating and eating. Uncertainty over future high prices only adds to the stress and worry felt in households across the country.

This policy helps make energy bills more affordable in the years ahead and supports the shift to warmer, safer homes that are ready for the net zero transition.

Martin Lewis, founder of Money Saving Expert, said: Ive argued for a social tariff for years, and now it could be a crucial building block to help repair our broken consumer energy market. When things return to a more normal situation, we must work out what energy market we want.

There are two main routes  either regulate all pricing or have a competitive switching market. Weve long aimed for the latter situation, but it has failed many. Thats why we must be blunt and identify who are the legitimate and who are the illegitimate victims of competition.

If I, as a wealthy, financially educated person choose not to switch, thats my problem. If a struggling low-income 90-year-old grandmother with onset dementia doesnt switch  thats all our problem. A social tariff looks to protect those who need it.

Energy UK deputy chief executive Dhara Vyas said: Energy UK welcomes this research. It solidifies the need for more targeted support for consumers on an issue which requires an enduring solution, such as a social tariff.

To ensure continued support for everyone and ease the burden of high living costs, suppliers are ready to work with the Government to make progress with the introduction of targeted support, such as a social tariff, no later than April 2024.

Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley said: This is a very difficult time for energy customers, particularly the most vulnerable, and we welcome the discussion this report generates.

We will continue to work with industry, charities and Government to support vulnerable customers at this difficult time.
Gender differences in pension incomes could persist for decades to come, according to a report.

Gaps are driven by differences in labour market patterns, which particularly open up after people have children, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said.

Men and women reaching the state pension age now have similar state pension incomes, according to researchers.

But inequalities remain when it comes to private pension wealth, even for the youngest generations of working age. This implies that there will be persistent gender differences in average private pension incomes for decades to come, the IFS said.

The research, funded by the Nuffield Foundation as part of a series of reports on pension saving over the life cycle, was launched to coincide with International Womens Day on March 8.

Two years before the arrival of a first child, prospective fathers and mothers make, on average, fairly similar contributions to their pension, the IFS said.

But six years after the birth of the first child, average contributions made by fathers are more than twice the average contributions made by mothers.

Much of this gap is driven by differences in employment rates, hours worked and hourly wages that open up at this point, the IFS added.

Among private sector employees, the gap between mens and womens pension participation is driven by the fact that a higher share of women earn less than 10,000 per year and so do not have to be automatically enrolled into workplace pension saving by their employer, it said.

Gender gaps in private pensions remain, according to the IFS (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

Laurence OBrien, research economist at the IFS and an author of the report, said: Reforms have led to the gap between mens and womens state pension incomes shrinking to almost nothing for the recently retired.

But gaps in private pension income remain. A lower amount is put into womens pensions each month than mens, on average, driven almost entirely by differences in employment rates, hours worked and hourly wages.

These differences have narrowed over time, which will eventually reduce the gender gap in pension incomes.

However, labour market gaps are still prevalent even among the youngest generations, and they open up especially after having children.

As these generations will not retire for many decades, we can expect a gender gap in pension incomes to remain for a long time yet. Policymakers concerned with this gap should see it as part and parcel of labour market issues, as opposed to a completely distinct issue with private pensions themselves.

Alex Beer, welfare programme head at the Nuffield Foundation, said: The UK pensions system relies heavily on private pension saving for providing living standards in retirement.

This means that differences in labour market participation and earnings that lead to large and persistent inequalities in labour market outcomes between men and women, subsequently show up in the gender gap in pension incomes.

Addressing the gender pensions gap therefore requires a multifaceted approach, with policies to tackle gender inequalities in the labour market at its core.

Researchers used several data sources for the report, including figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and other research papers.

Last week, the Government said it backed proposals which could lower the age at which people are automatically placed in a workplace pension from 22, where it sits currently.

Conservative MP Jonathan Gulliss Private Members Bill, backed by the Government, could pave the way for the age for being automatically enrolled to be reduced to 18.

Phil Brown, director of policy for Peoples Partnership, provider of the Peoples Pension, said: Much more needs to be done to enable mothers to return to the workplace or increase their hours if they want to.

According to workplace pension data from Aviva, which analysed a sample of just over five million workplace pension plans, women aged 60 to 65 years old have pension pots which are on average just over half (57%) the size of mens pots at the same age.

There is also a 21% gap between womens and mens pension contributions, when looking at 35 to 39-year-old pension savers, Aviva said.

A DWP spokesperson said: Automatic enrolment has transformed pension saving and boosted the number of women saving for retirement, with participation rates catching up with those of men.

In 2021, 87% of eligible women working in the private sector were participating in a workplace pension, up from 40% in 2012.

We recently confirmed support for proposals to expand automatic enrolment even further, enabling millions to save more and to start saving earlier. These changes will particularly benefit groups  including women, young people and lower earners  who have historically found it harder to save for retirement.
Twitter owner Elon Musk has apologised to a sacked worker after their exchange on the social media platform went viral.

Icelandic entrepreneur Halli Thorleifsson had sent a direct public tweet to the billionaire after he was locked out of his works computer system, telling Musk he could not get HR to respond to him.

Musk had responded with a tweet which appeared to question Mr Thorleifssons claim, before saying: The reality is that this guy (who is independently wealthy) did no actual work, claimed as his excuse that he had a disability that prevented him from typing, yet was simultaneously tweeting up a storm. Cant say I have a lot of respect for that.

In a subsequent tweet, he added: But was he fired? No, you cant be fired if you werent working in the first place!

Elon Musk said he decided to contact Mr Thorleifsson directly via videocall to figure out whats real vs what I was told (Brian Lawless/PA)

In yet another tweet, Musk wrote: He has a prominent, active Twitter account and is wealthy. The reason he confronted me in public was to get a big payout. From what Ive been told, hes done almost no work for the past four months, middle-management or otherwise.

Despite his claims on Twitter that he did work, it turns out he told HR that he couldnt work because he couldnt type, but was, over the same period, typing up a storm on Twitter.

Yet there are many people on Twitter defending him. This hurts my faith in humanity.

The reality is that this guy (who is independently wealthy) did no actual work, claimed as his excuse that he had a disability that prevented him from typing, yet was simultaneously tweeting up a storm. Cant say I have a lot of respect for that.  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 7, 2023

Mr Thorleifsson, who has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair, explained in a Twitter thread that prior to Musks takeover and the mass layoffs he had been a senior director and his job at that time did not require much typing  which he said he had difficulty with over long periods.

Im not able to do manual work (which in this case means typing or using a mouse) for extended periods of time without my hands starting to cramp, he said.

I can however write for an hour or two at a time. This wasnt a problem in Twitter 1.0 since I was a senior director and my job was mostly to help teams move forward, give them strategic and tactical guidance.

But as I told HR (Im assuming thats the confidential health information you (Musk) are sharing) I cant work as a hands on designer for the reasons outlined above.

But was he fired? No, you cant be fired if you werent working in the first place!  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 7, 2023

He added: Im typing this on my phone btw (by the way). Its easier because I only need to use one finger.

After the conversation went viral on the platform, with Musks conduct receiving widespread condemnation, Musk said he decided to contact Mr Thorleifsson directly via videocall to figure out whats real vs what I was told and it was a long story.

Better to talk to people than communicate via tweet, Musk added.

He has a prominent, active Twitter account and is wealthy. The reason he confronted me in public was to get a big payout. From what Ive been told, hes done almost no work for the past four months, middle-management or otherwise. Despite his claims on Twitter that he did https://t.co/LGuAlg4Eew  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 7, 2023

In a follow-up tweet, the billionaire apologised to Mr Thorleifsson.

I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation, Musk said. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful. He is considering remaining at Twitter.

Earlier in the week Mr Thorleifsson  who was voted Icelands person of the year in 2022 by four media outlets  told the BBC he could not get an answer from Twitters human resources department on whether or not he had been sacked.

Hi again @elonmusk  I hope you are well. Im fine too. Im thankful for your interest in my health. But since you mentioned it, I wanted to give you more info. I have muscular dystrophy. It has many effects on my body. Let me tell you what they are: https://t.co/2vb16kP6Yv  Halli (@iamharaldur) March 7, 2023

My theory is they made a mistake and are now looking for anything they can find to make this a for cause firing to avoid having to fulfil their contractual obligations, he said.

Mr Thorleifsson sold his creative agency Ueno to Twitter in 2021 for an unknown sum.
Future first ministers should seek to ensure that half of their top team in government are women, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Ms Sturgeon said one of her first acts when she took on the top job in Scottish politics in 2014 had been to appoint a gender-balanced cabinet.

Ms Sturgeon said Scotlands had been only the third such cabinet in the world  as she recalled how questions had been asked about this

Speaking on International Womens Day, she said: I got lots of emails asking how I knew how that all the women in my cabinet were there on merit.

I was struck by the fact I didnt get a single email asking me how I knew all the men in my cabinet were there on merit.

Nicola Sturgeon was the first Scottish first minister to ensure that half of all cabinet members were female (Danny Lawson/PA)

Ms Sturgeon, who is stepping down as First Minister and SNP leader later this month, urged future Scottish Government leaders to follow her example.

I hope future first ministers will continue that practice, she said.

Ms Sturgeon added: Unless we believe women are somehow less qualified than men, it stands to mean that any cabinet not gender balanced is not properly reflective of all the talents at our countrys disposal.

There are three candidates running to succeed Ms Sturgeon  the current Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and former community safety minister Ash Regan.

Labours Pam Duncan-Glancy said whoever takes on the top job in Scottish politics must deliver for women and legislate for split benefits payments

Currently, universal credit payments are made to one person in a couple, something the Labour MSP said left women trapped and financially powerless.

Under Scotlands social security powers, according to equalities charity Engender, payments could instead be made to individuals.

Too often when it comes to equality, the SNP are all talk and no action  this needs to change, she said.

The next first minister must drop the hollow rhetoric and deliver for women.

A key starting point is to use the powers we have here under Scottish Choices to end the outdated and punitive system of paying universal credit to households, leaving far too many women trapped and financially powerless.

Every SNP leadership candidate must commit to delivering this long overdue promise on split payments with the urgency needed.

Mr Yousaf offered a cast-iron guarantee there will be no rowing back in support for womens rights or in womens representation if he gets the keys to Bute House.

The SNP leadership candidate gave a cast-iron guarantee to protect womens rights (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Mr Yousaf committed to continuing the practice of forming a gender-balanced cabinet, making misogyny a crime, fast tracking delivery of free childcare for one and two-year-olds and supporting buffer zones near abortion clinics.

I believe in equality and I know that while womens rights, and womens equality, have made significant strides forward  there is still a long way to go, he said.

Our progress cannot be taken for granted.

I have championed womens rights throughout my time in politics, and as your SNP leader and Scotlands first minister, I give you an unshakable commitment that womens rights will be a priority for my government.

Today I am offering women across Scotland a cast-iron guarantee that under my leadership there will be no rowing back in support for womens rights or in womens representation.

That commitment to representation starts in the highest political office  thats why as first minister I would maintain a gender-balanced cabinet.
The charity boss who was at the centre of a royal race row has stepped down from leading her domestic violence organisation because of the backlash she has faced.

Ngozi Fulani revealed she has temporarily resigned as chief executive of Sistah Space, the charity she founded, as she criticised Buckingham Palace for not tackling the abuse she suffered in wake of the incident.

Ms Fulani went public to express her shock in November when Lady Susan Hussey, the late Queens lady in waiting, repeatedly asked the black British charity leader where she really came from at a Palace reception highlighting violence against women.

'I don't see what is so hard to say I'm sorry.' Were joined exclusively by Ngozi Fulani, founder of @Sistah_Space for the first time since the former Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen  Lady Susan Hussey asked her where she was "really from." pic.twitter.com/EhGqA0u10O  Good Morning Britain (@GMB) March 8, 2023

Lady Susan later apologised in person to Ms Fulani and for the distress her comments had caused.

Speaking on ITVs Good Morning Britain (GMB) on Wednesday, Ms Fulani said: We, the Sistah Space charity, has suffered as a result, direct result.

When you think that this was supposed to be for violence against women and girls, because of this incident, the violence has been directed to me, the Palace hasnt intervened, I think they could have.

So what Ive had to do, Ive now temporarily stepped down as CEO of Sistah Space.

Ngozi Fulani at the reception in Buckingham Palace in November last year (Kin Cheung/PA)

Im announcing that now because the service users and the community cant access us properly.

This whole thing has cost us a fortune because we had to pay our own PR to stop the press from coming up, it was horrible.

In December, after Lady Susan and Ms Fulani spoke face to face to address the incident, the Palace said in a statement that the meeting had been filled with warmth and understanding.

The statement said Ms Fulani had unfairly received the most appalling torrent of abuse on social media and elsewhere and that she had accepted Lady Susans apology.

Lady Susan Hussey attends a church service at Sandringham in Norfolk in January (Joe Giddens/PA)

GMB presenter Richard Madeley claimed the Palace said on Tuesday night: For the avoidance of any doubt, we are deeply sorry for the incident that took place and apologise for the distress and difficulty it caused to Ms Fulani.

Ms Fulani told him: Who are they apologising to? If youre sorry, tell me youre sorry, if youre not It speaks for itself.

She added: If you have to ask someone for an apology, it is not an apology.

Buckingham Palace said it gave right-of-reply comments to GMB after being made aware fresh assertions were to be made on the programme.

Apologies on behalf of the Palace are understood to have been made to Ms Fulani and her representatives at the meeting with Lady Susan in December.

It is also understood Sistah Space sent a message to the Palace afterwards, thanking those involved for their support of Ms Fulani and the charity, and that the support included helping her with security concerns, and with the handling of some of the abuse she received on social media and elsewhere.

The Palace is understood to have continued to engage with Ms Fulani regarding what might be learned further from the charity, but is yet to hear back.
The SNP Westminster leader accused Rishi Sunak of taking inspiration from Nigel Farage or Enoch Powell after arguing his immigration policies are a complete and utter disgrace.

Stephen Flynn used his weekly grilling at Prime Ministers Questions to criticise the Governments new Illegal Migration Bill, which is intended to prevent people from claiming asylum if they come to the UK via small boats across the English Channel.

Mr Flynn first asked Mr Sunak to confirm that women victims of sex trafficking smuggled on boats will be denied help from modern slavery laws under his new proposed legislation.

The Prime Minister insisted it is precisely because we want to target our resources and our compassion that we need to get a grip of this system.

There is nothing fair, there is nothing compassionate, about sustaining a system where, as we saw recently, people are dying on these crossings, he told the lower chamber.

Rishi Sunak speaking during Prime Ministers Questions (House of Commons/PA)

Mr Flynn noted Ill take that as a yes from the Prime Minister, adding: What a complete and utter disgrace.

But whilst it may shock, it shouldnt necessarily surprise because this is the Tory government that in recent months has spoken of invasions.

Just yesterday, this was a Tory government that said that 100 million people could be coming to these shores and this is the Tory government that this morning said that number could in fact be billions. Complete and utter nonsense.

So, may I ask the Prime Minister from whom are his Government taking inspiration, Nigel Farage or Enoch Powell?

Mr Sunak dismissed Mr Flynns claims as load of nonsense and claimed the figure of 100 million doesnt come from the Government, it comes from the United Nations.

He went on: It illustrates the scale of the global migration crisis the world is grappling with, which is why it is right that we take action because if we do not, the numbers will continue to grow.

Commenting on the SNP Westminster leaders remarks, former Ukip and Brexit Party leader Mr Farage told the PA news agency: Just as the SNP found themselves hopelessly out of touch with their voters on trans legislation, they will find their open door approach to the young men crossing the Channel sees them out of touch again.
Rishi Sunak will face MPs for the first time since detailing plans for fresh laws to curb Channel crossings.

The Prime Minister will go head to head with Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday after Labour described the proposed policy as a con that was no more likely to be successful than prior Tory efforts to tackle the migration crisis.

Mr Sunak could be challenged over how the legislation will work in practice and how it might stand up to anticipated legal challenges.

The Prime Minister declared he was up for the fight against those opposed to the Illegal Migration Bill, designed to stop people claiming asylum in the UK if they arrive through unauthorised means.

He added he was confident the Government would win legal battles over the tough but necessary and fair measures.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman admitted to MPs that there is a more (than) 50% chance the legislation may not be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Announcing the plans in the Commons on Tuesday, Ms Braverman said asylum seekers arriving illegally will be detained without bail or judicial review for 28 days before being swiftly removed to their home country or a safe third country such as Rwanda.

They face a lifetime ban on returning once deported and will never be allowed to settle in the country or gain citizenship.

(PA Graphics)

The Bills feasibility has been questioned as plans such as forcibly removing asylum seekers to Rwanda are mired in legal challenges.

But Conservative MP Richard Graham expressed optimism over the courts rulings on UK refugee policy, telling BBC Newsnight there are interesting indications that actually in Strasbourg our case is being listened to.

Mr Sunak told a Downing Street press conference that migrants arriving in the UK illegally will be removed within weeks and that the Bill will apply retrospectively if passed.

The UNs refugee agency, the UNHCR, said it was profoundly concerned by the Bill and that, if passed, it will amount to an asylum ban.

Vicky Tennant, UNHCR representative to the UK, told Newsnight: We believe its a clear breach of the Refugee Convention. And remember, even people with very compelling claims will simply not have the opportunity to put these forward.

Critics also included BBC presenter Gary Lineker, who faced censure from the broadcaster after writing on Twitter: This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.

In an email to Tory members, the Home Secretary claimed that previous attempts to end Channel crossings without resorting to changing the law had been blocked by an activist blob of left-wing lawyers, civil servants and the Labour Party.

Mr Sunak will meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday to discuss further co-operation that will be required to reduce boat crossings.
Rishi Sunak will meet President Joe Biden in the US on Monday as ministers unveil the new integrated review of defence and foreign policy.

The Prime Ministers Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese will join the pair in San Diego for talks over the procurement of nuclear-powered submarines under the Aukus pact between the three nations.

While in the US, Downing Street confirmed Mr Sunak will make an announcement surrounding the integrated review which was being updated in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: I can say the Prime Minister will be in the US on Monday for discussions on Aukus with President Biden and the Australian Prime Minister Albanese.

On Monday the Government will also publish the update to the integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy.

Mr Sunaks first visit to the US while Prime Minister will come in another crucial week during his leadership, with the Budget also coming on Wednesday.

Defence minister James Heappey acknowledged there has been robust public and private clashes between the Ministry of Defence and Treasury over funding levels.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has been arguing for a multi-billion hike to his budget.

San Diego, in the state of California, where Mr Sunak used to live, is home to the US Pacific Fleet.
Two Post Office workers have died over the last few months without receiving their final compensation, the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry was told.

On Tuesday the inquirys chairman, Sir Wyn Williams said that Isabella Armstrong-Wall and Lynette Hutchings had died.

Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, hundreds of subpostmasters were taken to court by the Post Office for fraud after the Horizon IT system led to flaws in accounting at branches across the UK.

In 2019, a group of 555 subpostmasters successfully challenged the Post Office over the Horizon system in the High Court.

Previously, it has been reported in the Daily Mail that at least 33 Post Office staff affected by the scandal have died without receiving their final compensation.

A public inquiry was established in September 2020 to examine the failings which led to the scandal.

Sir Wyn told the inquiry: Over the last few months, two of the inquirys core participants have passed away.

Ms Isabella Wall died shortly before Christmas and Ms Lynette Hutchings died more recently.

Each of those ladies were made core participants shortly after the public inquiry was constituted as such.

On behalf of the whole of the inquiry team, and on my own behalf, I extend condolences and deepest sympathy to their family and close friends.

Sir Wyn then established with the womens legal representatives that they had died awaiting their final compensation.

In her evidence to the inquiry in March last year, Ms Armstrong-Wall said: I have been mentally and physically scarred by the Post Office.

I knew I had not done anything wrong but the Post Office helpline made me feel like I was to blame and that I was on my own as the only one having problems with the system.

Lynette Hutchings told the inquiry she felt humiliated and unable to speak about the situation.

At one point I was in such a dark place I even had thoughts about taking my own life, she added.

Sir Wyn told the inquiry that the evidence demonstrates the hardship which both those ladies suffered.
In her new memoir, Paris Hilton writes how she learned she was pregnant in November 2003 after the first season of The Simple Life wrapped. (REUTERS/Eric Gaillard)

Paris Hilton is opening up about her decision to have an abortion two decades ago. In her new memoir, the entrepreneur writes how she learned she was pregnant in November 2003 after the first season of The Simple Life wrapped.

"I was living my best life," Hilton recalls in Paris: The Memoir. "I was having a wild-child moment, and it was sort of glorious."

"It all came crashing down when I realized I was pregnant at 22. It was like waking up on the ledge outside a 40th-floor window. I was terrified and heartsick," she continues, noting how pregnancy hormones "sent my ADHD symptoms spiraling. Everything I knew about myself was at war with everything I'd been raised to believe about abortion. No one can ever know how hard it is to face this impossible choice unless she's faced it herself."

The heiress had been dating Tommy Hilfiger model Jason Shaw for two years. Although they were in love, she knew she could not make the kind of commitment starting a family entailed.

"It had nothing to do with him or a baby. I just wasn't capable of being honest or loyal or whole. After suffering abuse at Provo Canyon School and three other programs within the 'troubled teen' industry network, I was damaged in ways I couldn't tell him about, and the fact that I never confided in him about my past  that says it all, doesn't it? Secrets are corrosive," she shares. "They destroy anything you try to layer over them."

Hilton says making the choice to have an abortion was an "intensely private agony that's impossible to explain." She's choosing to talk about it now because she knows other women are in similar situations.

"I want them to know that they're not alone, and they don't owe anyone an explanation. When there is no right way  all that's left is what is. What you know you have to do. And you do it, even though it breaks your heart," she says.

Although Hilton knows she made the right choice, she still looks "back on all this with sorrow."

"In my loneliest moments, I've romanticized that time in my life and tortured myself with melodramathoughts like, What if I killed my Paris?  but the fact is, there was no happy little family at stake. That was not going to happen. Trying to continue that pregnancy with the physical and emotional issues I was dealing with at the time would have been a train wreck for everyone involved," she continues. "At that moment, I was in no way capable of being a mother. Denying that would have jeopardized the forever family I hoped to have in the future, at a time when I was healthy and healed."

Earlier this year, Hilton welcomed her first child  son Phoenix Barron Hilton Reum  with husband, Carter Reum, via a surrogate.

"He is my everything, the child I was always meant to raise," Hilton says.

"I know I wouldn't have this life if I hadnt made that difficult choice in my early 20s. Women need to control their reproductive destiny," she concludes. "We need to know ourselves, trust ourselves, and know what's right for us  and when  and stay in the driver's seat."

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."
Owning his faults. Tom Sandoval is speaking out  again  following his split from Ariana Madix amid his affair with Raquel Leviss.

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I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone Ive hurt through this process. Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana, he wrote in an Instagram statement on Tuesday, March 7. I made mistakes, I was selfish and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly.

The Vanderpump Rules star continued: I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us. I feel really horrible about that. My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving families and friends.

Shutterstock (3)

Us Weekly confirmed on Friday, March 3, that the bartenders called it quits after nine years of dating due to Sandovals infidelity. Bravo fans have followed along with the now-exes since 2014.

My love for Ariana was stronger than any camera could ever have captured, Sandoval wrote in his apology. Some of our best times together were never filmed. The same goes for some of our biggest struggles.

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The TomTom co-owner told fans that he wished his history with Madix was not severely tarnished, adding, [I wish] it ended with the same respect for her that it began with. I owed Ariana better.

Sandoval asserted that he felt beyond sad that his romance with the Florida native ended the way it did and owned up to his mistakes. The choices I made hurt so many people, he wrote. I acted in a way that clashes with who and how I want to be. I will continue to reflect and work on myself. I have work to do. I always have, and I always will.

Courtesy of Tom Sandoval/Instagram

The musician previously addressed the backlash against his businesses after news broke of his cheating scandal, but his initial statement didnt mention Madix, who wiped her social media presence amid the drama.

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Leviss, for her part, has not spoken out publicly about her affair with Sandoval. However, the beauty queen reportedly sent a legal notice to several of her Vanderpump Rules costars regarding an intimate FaceTime call between her and Sandoval, claiming that she was unaware that the video was being recorded. (Madix allegedly found the video on Sandovals phone, which prompted the duos breakup.)

As the dust continues to settle around the Bravo scandal, fans are wondering what the future will hold for Sandoval and Leviss. A source exclusively told Us that the costars connection is the real deal.

Sign up for Us Weekly's free, daily newsletter and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!

They have confided to pals that its love and they have fallen hard for each other, the insider said, adding that the affair wasnt a regrettable fling for either reality star. Its no excuse for what they did and the people they hurt, but they see a long-term future together. Only time will tell if their bond can survive the backlash.
Weathering the storm. Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss are navigating friendship fallout amid their affair, a source exclusively reveals in the latest issue of Us Weekly.

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Tom and Raquel are losing a lot of friends, the insider says. Both people on the show and away from the cameras.

Their Vanderpump Rules pals are continually shocked by the drama surrounding their romance. With every new piece of information that comes out, it is like another betrayal, the source adds.

Us confirmed on Friday, March 3, that Sandoval, 39, and Ariana Madix split after nine years together amid his relationship with Leviss, 28. Shortly after news broke that the Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras singer cheated on Madix, 37, Pump Rules cast both past and present started weighing in on the scandal.

Courtesy of Raquel Leviss/Instagram

Sandovals ex-girlfriend Kristen Doute, who was fired from the Bravo series in 2020, revealed on Friday that she is Team Ariana. In an Instagram video shared that same day, Doute, 40, warned Leviss of her actions, writing, Karma is indeed coming. So Raquel should just move home. (The Hes Making Me Crazy author and Sandoval split in 2013 after six years.)

Leviss ex-fiance, James Kennedy, whom she broke up with in December 2021, was also quick to share his thoughts on the drama  and come for his longtime friend Sandoval. The DJ, 31, told his followers that Sandoval would be performing in Southern California and suggested the audience taunt him.

If youre in Orange County today and youre planning on seeing Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras tonight dont forget to bring the tomatoes and the cabbage, OK? Kennedy said via his Instagram Story on Friday. You want to get a good aim and you want to squeeze the tomato a little bit so its just a little juicy before you throw it.

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Madix, meanwhile, has yet to release a statement about her and Sandovals breakup, but a source told Us on Tuesday, March 7, that the Florida native found out after looking at Toms phone while he was on stage performing his new song.

The drama surrounding the reality stars will also be featured on season 10 of the Bravo series, which is currently airing. The cameras havent stopped rolling since Wednesday night, the insider said on Tuesday. Its not an understatement to say this will be the most explosive season of Vanderpump Rules ever.

Sandoval, for his part, released a public apology on Saturday, March 4, taking responsibility for the hurt he has caused his inner circle.

Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

Hey, I fully understand and deserve ur anger & disappointment towards me, but please leave [Tom] Schwartz, my friends and family out of this situation  Schwartz specifically only found out about this very recently, and most definitely did not condone my actions, the TomTom cofounder wrote. (Schwartz, who is Sandovals business partner, previously raised eyebrows when he kissed Leviss in summer 2022 amid his divorce from Katie Maloney.)

Sandoval asked on Saturday that fans not penalize his business ventures, including Schwartz & Sandys, after his questionable actions. Please direct ur anger towards me and not [my partners], he added. They did nothing wrong.

The musician issued a second apology  this time to Madix  on Tuesday. I made mistakes, I was selfish and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love, he wrote via Instagram. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly.

Read article

Sandoval continued: I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us. I feel really horrible about that. My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving families and friends.

Leviss, for her part, echoed Sandovals sentiments in her own public apology on Wednesday, March 8. I want to apologize for my actions and my choices foremost to Ariana, and to my friends and the fans so invested in our relationships, she wrote in an Instagram statement. There is no excuse, I am not a victim and I must own my actions and I deeply regret hurting Ariana.  I am taking steps to understand my behavior and make healthier choices.

Despite receiving backlash for their affair, the Missouri native and Leviss are focused on seeing where their romance goes. Tom and Raquel are the real deal. This isnt just a regrettable fling or one night stand, the insider told Us on Tuesday. They have confided to pals that its love and they have fallen hard for each other.

While the duo know its no excuse for what they did, Sandoval and the former Miss Sonoma County see a long-term future together, the source explained. Only time will tell if their bond can survive the backlash.

Sign up for Us Weekly's free, daily newsletter and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!

Watch the exclusive video above for more on the restauranteurs romance with Leviss  and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.
WASHINGTON  Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Tuesday that Starbucks interim CEO Howard Schultz has agreed to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for its investigation into the company's labor practices  a move that comes a day before Schultz was expected to face a subpoena.

Im happy to announce that Howard Schultz ... has finally agreed to testify before the Senate HELP Committee," Sanders, the committee's chairman, said in a statement. "The HELP Committee was scheduled to vote tomorrow to subpoena him, and I want to thank the members of the committee who, in a bipartisan way, were prepared to do just that.

Lets be clear. In America, workers have the constitutional right to organize unions and engage in collective bargaining to improve their wages and working conditions," Sanders continued. "Unfortunately Starbucks, under Mr. Schultzs leadership, has done everything possible to prevent that from happening."

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks at a protest in front of the Supreme Court during a rally for student debt cancellation on Feb. 28, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP - Getty Images file)

Sanders, a pro-labor populist, is investigating dozens of complaints that Starbucks violated federal labor law and other accusations of unfair labor practices leveled against the company under Schultzs leadership. Starbucks has defended its actions, including filing countercomplaints against the unions.

In a statement, Starbucks  which had pushed back against Sanders' demands and instead offered other executives it said were better suited to testify  confirmed that Schultz has acquiesced.

"After constructive discussions with committee staff, we have agreed that interim chief executive officer Howard Schultz will testify on behalf of Starbucks before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions on March 29, 2023, at 10 a.m. ET," Zabrina Jenkins, the acting executive vice president and general counsel for Starbucks, said in a letter.

Jenkins said the company will "endeavor to provide a deeper understanding of our culture and priorities, including our industry-leading benefits offerings and our longstanding commitment to support the shared success of our more than 450,000 global partners (employees)."

Sanders told reporters Tuesday that he's "delighted" Schultz has accepted the request to testify ahead of the likely subpoena.

"The issue here is pretty simple," Sanders said. "Workers have the right to form unions. They have the constitutional right. The [National Labor Relations Board] has indicated that over 80 incidents where Starbucks has violated federal law."
This article was first featured in Yahoo Finance Tech, a weekly newsletter highlighting our original content on the industry. Get it sent directly to your inbox every Wednesday afternoon. Subscribe

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

TikTok's biggest threat is that it wants to keep you hooked

On Tuesday, Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and John Thune (R-SD) announced the governments latest attempt to ban TikTok in the U.S. According to the senators, not to mention other politicians and government agencies, TikTok is a threat to national security designed to collect data on Americans and could be used by the Chinese government to spread pro-Chinese propaganda.

But based on a 2021 report by Toronto Universitys Citizen Lab and a January report by Georgia Institute of Technology, TikTok is just as much of a threat to Americans privacy as competing U.S. based social networks.

It's very easy to get access to a lot of data about a lot of people that you can just buy from data brokers that you can access through building apps that use things like Facebook data, explained University of Maryland professor Jen Golbeck, who studies social media and cybersecurity.

There's a lot of ways to get access to a lot of that data, and I think a lot of the kerfuffle around TikTok is specifically because it's China.

That doesnt mean TikTok isnt a potential threat to some users, but the massive push against the app doesnt seem to match what publicly-available information says about the popular platform.

TikTok is like any other social media app

TikTok, like U.S. social media apps including Metas (META) Facebook and Instagram, Twitter, and Snap (SNAP), collects user data to sell ads. In fact, according to a 2021 study by Citizen Lab, TikTok collects the same kind of data as Facebook.

That information includes things like device data, technical specifications like screen resolution, network addresses, and hardware model names  all things that other social media apps collect. Not to mention, your interests, likes, shares, etc.

U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and other U.S. senators unveil legislation that would allow the Biden administration to "ban or prohibit" foreign technology products such as the Chinese-owned video app TikTok during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 7, 2023. REUTERS/Bonnie Cash

The difference is TikToks parent company, ByteDance, is based out of China, and that connection gives U.S. politicians pause.

Nobody would be paying this kind of attention if it were British. It's because its Chinese, explained Herb Lin, a senior researcher at Stanford Universitys Center for International Security and Cooperation.

TikTok says it currently stores Americans user data on Oracles servers in Virginia, rather than in China where they could be accessed by the Chinese government. And during Citizen Labs testing, TikTok didnt contact any servers within China.

TikTok has also been accused of censoring topics that could make the Chinese government look bad. In 2019, The Guardian reported that the social network was limiting the reach of posts about Tibetan independence and the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. In 2020, The Information followed up with its own report on TikToks censorship policies.

The Citizen Lab report was unable to find conclusive evidence that the app censors specific forms of content that show the Chinese government in an unfavorable light. But the report did find that some posts seemingly disappeared, though Citizen Lab couldnt tell if they were taken down by users or TikTok.

What does all of this mean? Likely that TikTok is no more of a threat to Americans than any other social media platform out there. It collects your data, sells ads, and tries to keep you glued to the screen as much as possible.

If anything, according to The Georgia Institute of Technology report, TikTok is more focused on making money than shipping Americans user data to China.

TikTok could still be problematic

While TikTok may not be a threat to all U.S. consumers, it could still be problematic for some. Chinese dissidents living abroad, for instance, could put themselves in the crosshairs of the Chinese government by publicly posting information on the app.

Still, Chinas Communist Party could more or less do the same thing by scraping similar information posted on Facebook or Twitter.

If you're not a defense contractor or you're not someone who's likely to be of specific interest to the Chinese governmentthen I would say your risk is much higher from Facebook and Instagram, all those things where those companies are doing the best to hire people to figure out how to make you more addicted to their product, NYU Tandon School of Engineering professor Justin Cappos explained.

Its uncertain if TikTok will ever actually be banned in the U.S. Even if Congress passes a bill banning the app, and Biden signs it, the company will likely file a lawsuit to have it struck down. For now, you can continue scrolling. Just remember, the app, like other social platforms, is always watching.

By Daniel Howley, tech editor at Yahoo Finance. Follow him @DanielHowley

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FILE - Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition, March 9, 2020, in Washington. After nine days of being locked out of his Twitter work computer, Haraldur Thorleifsson tweeted at owner Elon Musk, Monday, March 6, 2023, to find out whether or not hed been fired. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  If you're not told you are fired, are you really fired? At Twitter, probably. And then, sometimes, you get your job back  if you want it.

Haraldur Thorleifsson, who until recently was employed at Twitter, logged in to his computer last Sunday to do some work  only to find himself locked out, along with 200 others.

He might have figured, as others before him have in the chaotic months of layoffs and firings since Elon Musk took over the company, that he was out of a job.

Instead, after nine days of no answer from Twitter as to whether or not he was still employed, Thorleifsson decided to tweet at Musk to see if he could catch the billionaire's attention and get an answer to his Schrodingers job situation.

Maybe if enough people retweet youll answer me here? he wrote on Monday.

Eventually, he got his answer after a surreal Twitter exchange with Musk, who proceeded to quiz him about his work, question his disability and need for accommodations (Thorleifsson, who goes by Halli, has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair) and tweet that Thorleifsson has a prominent, active Twitter account and is wealthy" and the reason he confronted me in public was to get a big payout. While the exchange was going on, Thorleifsson said he received an email that he was no longer employed.

Late Tuesday afternoon, however, Musk had a change of heart.

I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful, he tweeted. He is considering remaining at Twitter.

Thorleifsson did not immediately respond to a message for comment following Musk's tweet. In an earlier email, he called the experience surreal.

You had every right to lay me off. But it would have been nice to let me know! he tweeted to Musk.

Thorleifsson, who lives in Iceland, has about 151,000 Twitter followers (Musk has over 130 million). He joined Twitter in 2021, when the company, under the prior management, acquired his startup Ueno.

He was lauded in Icelandic media for choosing to receive the purchase price in wages rather than a lump sum payout. That's because this way, he would pay higher taxes to Iceland in support of its social services and safety net.

Thorleifsson's next move: Im opening a restaurant in downtown Reykjavik very soon, he tweeted. Its named after my mom.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a message for comment.
A woman receives the COVID-19 booster. (Getty Images)

Last fall, U.S. health officials authorized new COVID-19 booster shots designed to target the original strain of the coronavirus and some of the Omicron subvariants that were circulating around that time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that the new booster, known as the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, offers the highest protection against the virus at the moment.

But uptake has been low. Even though the bivalent booster has been shown to be safe and to increase protection against infection and severe disease, so far only 16% of Americans have received it.

However, many of those who were early adopters of the shots are coming up on six months post-vaccination and are now wondering if they need a second dose, and if so, when.

This is probably the most common question I get asked: Hey, doc, I got that back in September. It's been a few months. Shouldn't I be getting another booster by now? Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Childrens Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, told Yahoo News.

On Tuesday, vaccine advisers in the U.K. recommended a spring booster dose for high-risk groups, including those who are over 75, immunosuppressed or residents of nursing homes.

Many early adopters of the bivalent vaccine don't want to wait until the fall

Federal health agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC have not officially made a recommendation on whether a second bivalent booster dose is needed right now. However, the FDA recently proposed switching to an annual COVID-19 booster plan, similar to the flu model. Under this strategy, most healthy people will receive one dose every fall. The agency said some Americans, including older people, unvaccinated young children and those who are immunocompromised, may need to be offered two or more doses a year.

Paula Lazor, 68, from Arlington, Va., told Yahoo News that she and her husband  who is 75 years old and has underlying health conditions  got the bivalent booster as soon as it became available. Theyre both now eager to get a second dose.

My husband and I feel very strongly about getting a second bivalent shot. In fact, we planned to contact our primary care doctor next week  to see if that is possible, Lazor said, adding that she wants her family to have the highest protection possible against the virus.

The CDC has reaffirmed several times that the primary goal of the countrys COVID-19 vaccination strategy is to prevent severe disease, but people like Lazor also worry about getting "long COVID" and getting others sick.

We particularly do not want to pass this virus on to our grandchildren, she said.

Lazors concern that the bivalent booster shots protection may be waning by now is not unfounded, given what we know about past boosters.

Booster doses were first recommended in the fall of 2021 for high-risk groups. The initial boosters were the same formulation as the primary series, which was designed to target only the original strain of the virus. This is also known as a monovalent vaccine. While these shots proved highly effective at protecting people against severe disease and death, scientific evidence began to show that vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 hospitalization declined over time. This reduction in protection was significant in particular for those 65 and older. Experts have said the decline in vaccine effectiveness is likely due to a combination of factors, including waning immunity and the emergence of new variants.

In the past, for the monovalent boosters, when you look at some of the data, the protection against hospitalization starts to fall off after around five months, Hotez explained. If the bivalent boosters are similar, he said, we are approaching that time, and that's why I think it's important for the CDC or FDA or both to issue a statement, so we know where we stand at this point.

Not enough data to make a recommendation right now, CDC says

The CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices  a group of outside experts who advise the agency on vaccines  recently met to discuss the COVID-19 shots. During the meeting, the agency presented some data on the effectiveness of the bivalent booster dose.

According to this data, bivalent vaccines continue to offer protection against hospitalizations, but protection against infection seems to wane over time, particularly among older adults. But the agency said, Waning for bivalent VE [vaccine effectiveness] against hospitalization, including among older adults, isnt yet known. This is in part because not enough time has passed since the shot was deployed. At the end of the meeting, the panel of scientists concluded there was insufficient evidence available to make a recommendation on whether older adults and those who are immunocompromised need another booster dose at this time. They noted, however, that this can change in the future.

But some experts think federal health agencies should at least authorize the additional booster dose so people have the option to choose for themselves  especially because community transmission continues to be high in many areas of the country, according to CDC data.

At an expert briefing on COVID-19 vaccines recently held by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Dr. William Moss, a professor in the departments of epidemiology and international health as well as molecular microbiology and immunology at that institution, told Yahoo News that authorizing another bivalent booster shot for vulnerable populations would be a sensible idea.

Officially theres not a recommendation yet for an additional booster dose for those individuals, but based on what weve been saying, I think that would be quite reasonable in vulnerable populations, for whom the last booster was some time ago, Moss said. There would have been some waning protective immunity, certainly against mild and perhaps moderate disease. Theres no right answer. Its also going to depend on the level of community transmission, but I would say that would be a reasonable consideration.

Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist and a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, said its understandable that those who are older or immunocompromised feel anxious about not knowing when they can receive another bivalent booster. But she said some studies have shown that the initial doses of the vaccines are still doing a good job at protecting them against severe disease. In addition, she said the COVID antiviral pill Paxlovid continues to be an important tool for those in high-risk groups who catch the virus.

I would say that the original doses of the vaccines you received seem to be working very well, and I would not worry about needing another dose before the fall, based on the level of evidence that we have, Gandhi said.
Hindu devotees with offerings make way to reach the car which carried the deity Shri Krishna during the Holi festival in Kolkata, India, Sunday, March 5, 2023. Millions of Indians on Wednesday celebrated the ''Holi" festival, dancing to the beat of drums and smearing each other with green, yellow and red colors and exchanging sweets in homes, parks and streets. Free from mask and other COVID-19 restrictions after two years, they also drenched each other with colored water. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

NEW DELHI (AP)  Millions of Indians on Wednesday celebrated the Holi festival, dancing to the beat of drums, smearing each other with green, yellow and red colors and exchanging sweets in homes, parks and streets.

Free from wearing masks and other COVID-19 restrictions after two years, they drenched each other with colored water.

One of the most popular Hindu festivals, Holi provides an opportunity for people to come together, forget resentment and ill feelings toward each other.

"Wishing you all a happy and colorful Holi! tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bollywood and other celebrities organized bashes for friends and posted photos on social media.

People who work hard, play hard, said Ravi Sharma, a pharmacy owner.

The festival, which also marks the beginning of the spring season, celebrates the divine love of Hindu god Krishna with his consort Radha.

On Tuesday night, people got into the mood by making bonfires with logs of wood in open spaces to commemorate the triumph of good over evil  Hindu god Vishnu killing a demon, Hiranyakashipu.

Holi traditions vary across India. In two northern towns, hundreds of women celebrated last week by playfully hitting men with wooden sticks in response to their teasing as part of a ritual.

Drinking is part of the celebrations. New Delhi reported a record sale of liquor on Monday, a whopping 2.6 million bottles sold on a single day, compared to the average of 1.1 million bottles, according to The Times of India newspaper.
Kevin Alexander Gray, an activist, author and barbecue restaurant owner who bridged Columbias political and culinary worlds, has died.

Gray died Tuesday, according to friends of his family. He was 65. The cause of death wasnt immediately known. Leevys Funeral Home had a brief listing of Grays death, but a full obituary was not yet available Wednesday morning.

He had a long history in progressive politics and activism and was the South Carolina coordinator for the Rev. Jesse Jacksons 1988 presidential campaign. Gray also was the 1992 Southern political director for Iowa Sen. Tom Harkins presidential campaign, according to a bio at the progressive outlet The New Liberator.

Gray was a frequent writer, authoring the book Waiting for Lightning to Strike: The Fundamentals of Black Politics, and penning articles for scores of websites and publications, including The Washington Posts Outlook section and The Nation. He also was an editor of the book Killing Trayvons: An Anthology of American Violence, released after the 2012 killing of Black teen Trayvon Martin in Florida.

And in recent years, Gray, who grew up in Spartanburg, was the owner of the popular Railroad BBQ restaurant on Hampton Street in Columbia, across from the Richland County administration building and in the shadow of HBCUs Benedict College and Allen University. The restaurant became known for its ribs, pulled pork and savory side dishes, but also for the plethora of political posters, stickers, buttons and photographs that adorned its walls. A trip to the dining room of Railroad BBQ became a walk through South Carolinas history and the civil rights movement, in a sense.

Democratic state Rep. Leon Howard has long known Gray, as they both live in the Barhamville Road area just north of Benedict College. Gray also was a longtime friend of Howards brother, businessman Puff Howard.

I knew him as someone who cared deeply about people, Leon Howard said. He was deep in the civil rights movement. He worked really close with Jesse Jackson and a lot community leaders who brought a lot of us where we are today. He just loved the community, and he would help people who needed help. And that Railroad BBQ? Man, that was his thing. He would often invite me and others in there to see the history of Columbia.

Gray was passionate about Columbia and often pushed for advances in the traditionally African American neighborhoods near the heart of downtown. In a 2022 article in The State, he advocated for better housing and infrastructure in the areas surrounding Two Notch Road near the city center.

Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann said he had frequent conversations with Gray and would visit Railroad BBQ. In 2022 Gray appeared on an episode of Rickenmanns podcast, Around Town with @ColaMayor, where the two talked for more than an hour about issues affecting the city.

Rickenmann said Wednesday he was blown away when he got word that Gray had died.

Kevin was a giant who cared very much about his community, Rickenmann told The State. He was engaged. He told you not what you wanted to hear, but what you needed to hear. We had a unique relationship. We had a connection because we both grew up in Spartanburg and we both loved the food business and we both loved Columbia. ... Kevin was not afraid to have a conversation, good, bad or indifferent.

Preach Jacobs is a Columbia DJ, rapper and writer who has penned columns for The State, Free Times and others about issues affecting the Black community. He said he was frequently in contact with Gray, and one of their last text exchanges was about the possibility of writing a column about mercurial rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.

Jacobs said he was crestfallen to learn of Grays death.

As someone who would write about the Black experience in the South, I definitely see him as a mentor, and someone who would give me perspective, give me advice and give me criticism, when necessary, Jacobs told The State. He really loved his people and he loved Columbia, and that was evident in everything he did. ... With his talents he could have gone anywhere. For him to establish a Black-owned business in Columbia, in the community it was established in, was very intentional.

Jacobs added that Gray spoke on behalf of marginalized people in the community and amplified Black and brown voices that probably didnt have someone speaking on their behalf as much as was needed.

J.T. McLawhorn, the longtime leader of the Columbia Urban League, said he has known Gray for decades. He remembers when they marched together from Benedict College to the State House to advocate for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s birthday to be recognized as a holiday, and when they rallied people in support of removing the Confederate flag from atop the State House dome.

McLawhorn said Gray was very active in pushing for civil rights. In fact, McLawhorn said Gray was ahead of his time. He called him a soldier for the movement.

Long before people were talking about diversity, equity and inclusion, long before that became a household conversation, Kevin Gray was in the forefront in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion and, importantly, social justice, McLawhorn said. He will deeply be missed, and I think he has inspired the current generation to activism. ... We thank God for the gift of Kevin Gray, because he made a difference.

Sam Davis, a former Columbia city councilman in District 1 from 1998 to 2021, said he long admired Grays heart for the community and his keen intellect.

His thoughts were always about the community and, actually, what we think about our environment and that, if we dont like it, you have to step forward and put forth some solutions to the problem, Davis said. I thought Kevin did a lot to kind of express his thoughts with young people, actually really challenging them to solidify their respect for people who had paved the way for them, especially young African Americans.

A lot of the things we enjoy and they enjoy are the result of people who fought the good fights and paid the price and really, really endured a lot of struggles.

District 2 City Councilman Ed McDowell called Gray an advocate for peace and justice.

Kevin would stop what he was doing and be a primary advocate for the issues of the day, McDowell said. And he could do it in a way that was very intentional and very radical, and yet, in a way that was very enlightened. And Kevin was just a good guy.

McDowell said he can remember many nights riding past Railroad BBQ as Gray was preparing the restaurant to be opened. He said Gray seemingly worked around the clock to get every detail, from the menu to the treasure trove of memorabilia that lines the restaurants walls, just the way he wanted it.

Railroad BBQ  which was listed as one of the essential restaurants in Columbia in a 2022 project from The State  was a passion project for Gray, and he could often be spotted at lunchtime at the restaurant, greeting customers, making sure they had what they needed and talking about what was going on in Columbia.

In a November video from The States Joshua Boucher, Gray outlined why it was important to him to establish Railroad BBQ on Hampton Street, not far from the citys two HBCUs.

The restaurant is in the heart of the old Black business district, Gray said in the video. I used to edit Black News, which was a block away, so Ive been working in this district for a long time, even going back to when we did anti-apartheid marches and the Dr. King birthday marches. Those all started at Benedict and Allen. So this seemed like the appropriate place to start to find an area that could be a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-cultural zone.
Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson, left, made a tasteless quip about President Biden having cancer, but the lawmaker who was censured by the Texas GOP was Rep. Tony Gonzales for, among other heresies, backing a modest package of gun safety laws. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press; Bill Clark/ CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

Last weekend, the Texas Republican Party voted to punish one of its own.

Tony Gonzales, a two-term congressman from San Antonio, was censured for, among other things, backing a modest gun safety law after 19 children and two teachers were slaughtered at an elementary school in Uvalde.

The day after the party issued its condemnation, Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson appeared on Fox News (motto: Lying to viewers for fun and profit) where he cracked wise about the removal of a cancerous growth from President Bidens chest.

Biden is the cancer, the Amarillo Republican said. Hes what needs to be removed, not the lesion they found.

There has been no clamor among Texas Republicans to sanction Jackson for his callous and tasteless remark, and none is expected.

Together, the events  though unrelated  say a good deal about the state of our politics and, especially, the nature of the Trumpified GOP.

Forget basic human decency. What counts is pugnacity, acting out and blind, unswerving allegiance to the party line.

For years, Texas 23rd Congressional District  a behemoth sprawling hundreds of miles from El Paso to San Antonio  was among the most competitive in the nation.

Gonzales, a former Navy cryptologist who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, won a close race in 2020. He had an easier time of it when he sought reelection in 2022 after the lines were redrawn to give the district a somewhat more Republican tilt.

But its still competitive by Texas standards, and Gonzales performance suggests a lawmaker trying to navigate shaky political ground.

His district includes Uvalde and his vote for the gun law following the May 2022 massacre was hardly a radical response; all the legislation did was strengthen background checks, help states implement red-flag laws and boost funding for mental health and school safety. (A lead Republican negotiator was Texas senior U.S. senator, John Cornyn.)

If the measure came up again, Gonzales told reporters as the state GOP was weighing action against the congressman, he would double down in his support.

Another of Gonzales heresies was voting in favor of legislation that codified same-sex marriage. It wasnt a tough vote, he told the Texas Tribune, noting the diversity of his district. If the Republican Party is gonna grow and thrive, we gotta be open to that.

Republicans used to call it the Big Tent, and everyone was said to be welcome inside.

But for extremists who have taken over leadership of the GOP in Texas and other states, the emphasis is no longer party-building. Its purges and purity tests.

By Gonzales count, hes taken nearly 1,400 votes in Congress and the bulk of those have been with the Republican Party.

No matter.

After Saturdays overwhelming vote to censure, the state GOP issued a statement accusing the lawmaker of a lack of fidelity to Republican principles and priorities and all but begged a challenger from his party to step in and take on Gonzales in 2024.

Never mind that someone more rigid and ideological might prevail in a primary but then very likely lose the House seat in November.

If Donald Trump and his devotees have shown one thing in the past few years, its that theyre not very good at winning competitive elections.

Ronny Jackson served as White House physician for five years under Presidents Obama and Trump, and its scary  given what hes revealed since  that anyone let him remotely near the Democrat.

The crass quip about Bidens cancer is the least of it.

Elected to Congress in 2020, the former naval officer has helped promote Trumps stolen-election lie  Jackson voted against certifying Bidens victory  suggested the spread of COVID-19 was part of a Democratic election plot, and offered groundless theories questioning the presidents mental and physical health.

None of which has hurt Jackson with voters in his overwhelmingly pro-Trump district; he won reelection in November with more than 75% support.

In Texas, you dont get censured for being too far right, said Cal Jillson, an analyst and political science professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, or for taking a loud, confrontational stance in favor of guns and against gay rights.

How about making fun of the president having skin cancer?

Our politics have descended to a level where thats not uncommon, Jillson noted, adding if that kind of boorish behavior drew more widespread condemnation there would be lots of people being censured very frequently.

Heres a better idea. If youd like to see more compromise and bipartisanship in Washington, vote for someone like Gonzales who shows a willingness to think independently, stand on principle and cross party lines to achieve a greater good.

And ship Jackson out to sea, where he belongs.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Authorities are investigating the non-life-threatening shooting of a child at the Cincinnati home of Bengals running back Joe Mixon.

Police were called to the 7900 block of Ayers Road in Anderson Township just before 8:30 p.m. Monday, the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office said.

A child was transported to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, it said.

It is unclear whether or how Mixon, 26, is involved. Mixons representative and the Bengals did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Authorities said sheriff's deputies obtained a search warrant for the home "and were able to gather evidence that will be part of this active investigation."

"Our detectives will continue to review this evidence diligently and conduct interviews," the sheriffs office said in a statement, adding that it hopes to have an update later this week. It declined to respond to additional questions.

Mixon was charged at the same home in February and accused of pointing a gun at a woman and threatening her, NBC affiliate WLWT of Cincinnati reported.

The charge was dismissed, and the case was reassigned, according to WLWT, which said it was unclear whether Mixon lives at the property, which a trust listed as the owner.
JENIN  Israeli forces stormed into a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday, killing at least six Palestinian militants in the latest in a series of deadly military raids carried out in broad daylight.

Israel said troops targeted and killed a Hamas operative responsible for gunning down two Israeli brothers last month. Palestinian armed groups later said that all five of the other fatalities were also militants and members of either Hamas, Islamic Jihad or the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

As Israeli forces laid siege to a house inside the camp, NBC News saw large crowds gathered at the camp entrances and set tires aflame to try to block the raiding forces exit. Israeli helicopter gunships and drones circled overhead, only sometimes visible through the plumes of black smoke billowing over the city.

At least three Israeli troops were wounded in the raid, Israeli police said.

Two Israeli drones also crashed in Jenin during the fighting. It was not immediately clear if they were shot down or malfunctioned.

Mohammad Shtayyeh, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, called the raid a massacre and appealed to the Biden administration to do more to stop Israeli incursions into Palestinian cities.

Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels prime minister, praised his country's troops.

Our brave warriors operated surgically in the heart of the murderers den, he said. I praise them and send recovery wishes to the wounded from among our forces. As I say again and again, time and time again: Whoever hurts us  his blood is on his head.

Birds fly as smoke plumes billow during an Israeli army raid in the Jenin camp for Palestinian refugees in the occupied West Bank on March 7, 2023. - Israeli troops killed six Palestinians in Jenin on March 7, including an alleged militant accused of killing two Israelis. The Palestinian health ministry said six men had been killed, one aged 49 and the rest in their 20s, in clashes that the army said included soldiers launching shoulder-fired rockets amid ferocious gunfire. (Jaafar Ashtiyeh / AFP - Getty Images)

Mohammad Shtayyeh, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, called the raid a massacre and appealed to the Biden administration to do more to stop Israeli incursions into Palestinian cities.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is set to arrive in Israel on Wednesday. He's expected to reinforce the Biden administrations pleas for Israel to scale back its West Bank raids, while encouraging the Palestinian Authority to do more to confront militant groups.

Barely months in, 2023 has already seen some of the worst violence in the West Bank, Israel and Jerusalem in two decades. More than 60 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli troops so far  around half of them militants, according to a tally by the Associated Press. Palestinian attackers have killed 14 Israelis and foreigners, according to the news agencys records.

The northern city of Jenin was the site of one of bloodiest battles between Israeli forces and armed Palestinian groups during the Second Intifada, the wave of violence that lasted from 2000 to 2005.

Today, the Jenin refugee camp is a largely ungoverned space. Palestinian security forces rarely enter the camp and have largely ceded control of its densely packed alleyways to armed groups.

The Israeli military said the target of Tuesday's raid was Abdul Fattah Kharushah, a 49-year-old fighter from the Hamas militant group. He is suspected of having killed Hillel Yaniv, 21, and his younger brother Yigal, 19, in an ambush as they drove through the town of Hawara on Feb. 26.

Kharushah was surrounded in a house inside the Jenin camp and killed when Israeli forces fired rockets at the building, the Israeli military said.

The killings of the Yaniv brothers sparked a series of attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the Hawara area, killing at least one Palestinian.

Hours before the Jenin raid, an Israeli settler armed with an axe attacked a Palestinian family in their car as they pulled out of a supermarket on Hawaras main strip.

At the wheel was Omar Idrees, a 27-year-old nurse, along with his wife, his elderly parents and his 2-year-old daughter, Tia. Idrees told NBC News he managed to reverse the car away from the attacker but only after the assailant had sprayed a chemical irritant into the car and hit his father in the head with a rock. The elderly man is still in hospital.

Idrees laughed bitterly when asked if he believed Israel would find the man who attacked his family and prosecute him.

Of course not, he said. Who is protecting us? Who? Which government protect Palestinians? No one, its just talking. No one is protecting Palestinians.
Attorneys representing a defendant accused of crimes in connection to the January 6 insurrection in 2021 have attempted to get his trial delayed as they argue that they need access to the footage handed over to Tucker Carlson of Fox News by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Shane Jenkins is in jail as he awaits his trial. He stands accused of throwing a pole, a desk drawer, a pipe and a flag pole at members of law enforcement during the Capitol riot.

His lawyers argue that they need time to review the more than 40,000 hours of footage recently released as it could help his case.

Journalist Scott McFarlane of CBS News shared the document with the request for the footage.

The government has disclosed approximately 16,000 hours of video footage to Mr Jenkins, which means that approximately 25,000 hours of video footage have been withheld, the attorneys state. Discovery in criminal cases is crucial to a fair and just judicial system.

The Independent has reached out to lawyer John Pierce for comment. He has been reported to be representing Mr Jenkins and a number of other accused rioters.

Capitol riot defendant Shane Jenkins argues for delay in trial... saying the 41,000 hours of Jan 6 police video "released by Kevin McCarthy" includes video he wants to see for defense



Jenkins is in pretrial jail accused of throwing a pole, a desk drawer, pipe, flagpole at police pic.twitter.com/X5w2nsvTdn  Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) March 7, 2023

The Independent reported in 2021 that Mr Pierce was allegedly on a ventilator in hospital with Covid-19 after saying that he would never get vaccinated.

On Tuesday, Mr Pierce tweeted that every day it should become more and more clear to every American that [Donald Jr Trump] must be put back in the White House in 2024.

Late on Monday, he wrote: Still waiting for someone among 7 billion people to give an answer as to why the January 6th footage should not be publicly and immediately released.

He also responded to a post by Georgia GOP Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who wrote: The J6 Committee LIED to America. @TuckerCarlson is revealing the truth. They must be held accountable.

You and your boyfriend @SpeakerMcCarthy LIED to America. RELEASE. THE. F***ING. TAPES. #CareerPoliticianHack, Mr Pierce wrote in response.

Mr McCarthy handed over more than 40,000 hours of surveillance footage from the attack, allowing Carlson to cherry-pick moments from the siege on Congress by Trump supporters to pretend that they were simply orderly and meek sightseers.

He added that most of the rioters were peaceful and only a few behaved badly.

The footage does not show an insurrection or a riot in progress, he claimed. Instead it shows police escorting people through the building.

Deadly insurrection  everything about that phrase is a lie, Carlson said on his programme. Very little about January 6 was organized or violent. Surveillance video from inside the Capitol shows mostly peaceful chaos.

Republican senators criticised Carlson, with Mitt Romney of Utah telling reporters that its really sad to see Tucker Carlson go off the rails like that, adding that the host is joining a range of shock jocks that are disappointing America and feeding falsehoods.

Its a very dangerous thing to do, to suggest that attacking the Capitol of the United States is in any way acceptable and its anything other than a serious crime, against democracy and against our country, he said. And people saw that it was violent and destructive and should never happen again. But trying to normalize that behaviour is dangerous and disgusting.
City officials appeared before legislators Monday to denounce a bill that would expand Capitol Police territory within Jackson and create courts with appointed rather than elected judges.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  The mother of a 25-year-old Black man who was shot to death by Mississippi Capitol Police last year told some state lawmakers Monday that she strongly opposes giving the state-run law enforcement agency wider territory to patrol inside the majority-Black capital city of Jackson.

That terrifies me. It also angers me, Arkela Lewis said of the proposal.

Arkela Lewis, bottom right, mother of Jaylen Lewis, who was shot to death during an encounter with officers of the Mississippi Capitol Police department, testifies before members of the Jackson delegation of the Mississippi Legislature at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Monday, March 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

She said her son, Jaylen Lewis, was followed by a white officer in an unmarked car Sept. 25, and the officer shot him in the head during a traffic stop. She said Capitol Police leaders never called her to acknowledge her sons death and she has not yet received an investigative report or autopsy results.

Mississippi Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell recently said in response to questions from The Associated Press that the death of Jaylen Lewis remains under investigation.

The assistant chief of the city-run Jackson Police Department, a district attorney and several other officials appeared before legislators Monday to denounce a bill that would expand Capitol Police territory within Jackson and create courts with appointed rather than elected judges.

Opponents said the bill would take away voting rights and give white state officials control over what should be locally led law enforcement decisions in Jackson, which has the highest percentage of Black residents of any major U.S. city.

Jackson Police Department patrols the entire city. Capitol Police currently patrols in and near downtown, where state government buildings are located.

The majority-white and Republican-controlled state House voted last month to expand Capitol Police territory to include shopping and residential areas, including some predominantly white neighborhoods. The bill, which awaits Senate debate, would also establish courts with judges appointed by the chief justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court  a position currently held by a conservative white man.

This is the first time weve been invited to the table to discuss this bill, Jackson Police Assistant Chief Joseph Wade said Monday at a hearing hosted by Jacksons legislative delegation.

Arkela Lewis, mother of Jaylen Lewis, who was shot to death during an encounter with officers of the Mississippi Capitol Police department, looks at members of the Jackson delegation of the Mississippi Legislature after testifying before them at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Monday, March 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

The sponsor of the bill, Republican Rep. Trey Lamar is from Senatobia, a rural town more than 170 miles (275 kilometers) north of Jackson. He has said its aimed at making Mississippis capital safer and at reducing a backlog in the judicial system.

Lamar and other supporters of the bill did not attend Mondays hearing.

About 83% of Jackson residents are Black. The city is in Hinds County, with an overall population thats about 74% Black.

Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens said legislators have funded additional assistants for district attorneys in other parts of the state but not for Hinds County.

I continue hearing so many people say they love Jackson, they love the capital city, Owens said. If you love us, fund us appropriately so we can give you a safer city of Jackson.

Hinds County public defender Gail Lowery said her office is woefully underfunded and she has trouble keeping attorneys because they can earn $41,000 more per year by working as assistant district attorneys in the same county. Lowery said 90% of people facing criminal charges in Hinds County rely on the public defenders office, which receives all of its financial support from county coffers.

Hinds County has four elected circuit court judges. Lowery said that for decades, the county has needed two more to help carry the caseload.

Our citizens deserve to have representation by judges who are elected by them, Lowery said.

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The post Mom of Black man killed by cops terrified by plan to increase police power appeared first on TheGrio.
Major events can promote global prosperity

By Zhang Yunbi (China Daily) 08:48, March 08, 2023

[Photo/Xinhua]

Experts say forums on BRI and other issues will promote stable and safe interaction.

A series of planned major events high on the schedule of China's diplomacy at home  especially one to celebrate the Belt and Road Initiative's 10th anniversary  will further convince the world of the country's sincerity and policy consistency in terms of opening-up to the outside world and bolstering global prosperity, veteran officials and scholars told China Daily.

These policy insiders are attending the annual two sessions in Beijing as members of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body.

In recent months, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have confirmed that China will work with various parties to host a major diplomatic event this year  the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

They said China is willing to take the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative as an opportunity to look back and build on the BRI's achievements, draw up a blueprint and further advance its high-quality development with the attendees.

President Xi Jinping first proposed the two most important components of the Belt and Road Initiative  the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road  in 2013.

The first and second Belt and Road Forums for International Cooperation were held in Beijing in 2017 and 2019, respectively, bringing together dozens of foreign heads of state, government leaders and chiefs of key international organizations, such as the United Nations.

Some countries have already responded positively to news of this year's Belt and Road forum.

During a meeting last month, Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron, told Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, that France is willing to earnestly participate in the forum.

China has already signed more than 200 cooperation documents with 151 countries and 32 international organizations to build the BRI, doubled its trade in goods and increased its direct investment in countries along the initiative's routes by 80 percent.

ZHANG YUJUN/FOR CHINA DAILY

Poverty alleviation

According to a 2019 World Bank report, "BRI transportation projects could help lift 7.6 million people out of extreme poverty" (those earning less than $1.90 a day), and "32 million people from moderate poverty" (less than $3.20 a day).

Gu Xueming, president of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing and a member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, said, "The Belt and Road Initiative originated in China, but the opportunities and results it has brought belong to the whole world."

He added that looking back on the past 10 years, BRI construction has maintained great vitality, and the initiative has responded to the needs of the times via China's role and contribution.

Gu cited the example of a Chinese company that invested in a pharmaceutical factory in the West African country of Mali under the China-Africa Public Health Plan. With the start of mass production at the factory, Mali not only ended its history of reliance on imported drugs but also significantly reduced the price of medication in its home market. At the same time, the factory gave rise to the development of upstream and downstream industries, Gu said.

"When we are looking ahead, the prospects are bright and the tasks are mounting. This requires substantial efforts in BRI construction, more Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions, and a high level of China's opening-up in order to build a community with a shared future and improve global governance," he added.

Hu Sishe, former vice-president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and a member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, said it is necessary to further improve person-to-person contacts between China and countries along BRI routes.

He called for full play to be given to the role of existing friendships between Chinese and foreign sister cities, along with more sister city exchanges and cooperation under the context of the BRI to build a solid foundation for exchanges at the local level between China and participating countries.

"I recommend piloting more dialogue and exchanges with historic and cultural cities along BRI routes, in particular dialogue and exchanges with those in Europe and in West Asian and North African countries, thus boosting the resonance and common language with countries along the routes," he said.

Prospering together

When he met with a South Korean entrepreneur in Beijing last month, Liu Jinsong, director of the Foreign Ministry's Department of Asian Affairs, said that in addition to the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, China will host the annual Boao Forum for Asia and the China-ASEAN Expo this year.

"These major events will provide important platforms for China to deepen exchanges and cooperation with other countries", and "businesses from Asian countries are enjoying multiple enabling factors in their cooperation with China", Liu was quoted as saying in a news release on the Foreign Ministry's website.

Chinese officials and scholars said opening to the outside world is a win-win situation for both China and its foreign partners, and by China spreading its arms and reach to the world, both sides enjoy many mutual benefits.

From 2001 to 2021, the first 20 years after China's accession to the World Trade Organization, the country's total economic output rose from sixth largest in the world to second largest, and it has become a major trading partner of more than 140 countries and regions, according to the Ministry of Commerce. Between 2013 and 2021, China's annual contribution to global economic growth averaged 38.6 percent, larger than the combined contribution of the Group of Seven countries.

Although the global economy has continued to suffer from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the past year, major international exhibitions such as the Canton Fair and the China International Import Expo were held as scheduled, providing highlights amid the global economic downturn, experts said.

Yang Guangbin, a member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee and dean of the School of International Relations at the Renmin University of China, said, "Instead of taking a winner-takes-all approach, China is sincerely committed to building the Belt and Road together in order to promote the common development of countries along the routes.

"China has proved its ability by co-founding the buildup of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the community with a shared future for humanity it advocates is also an approach to adjusting the established world order that features some inequalities. China has become an important player in perfecting the established order."

Observers have noted that the international situation has become increasingly complex at a time when global peace and development are facing serious challenges, including the spillover effect of the lingering Ukraine crisis and US coercion and verbal attacks on China.

Zhao Mei, a senior research fellow with the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, said, "The external environment for China's economic development is facing dire challenges, and world peace and development are undergoing the most severe tests since the end of the Cold War."

She pointed out that "the changes in China-US relations are the most prominent part of the changing global landscape not seen in a century. At present, China-US ties are faced with serious challenges, and the international community also has many misunderstandings about China's development and China's path for development."

The National Security Strategy Report released by the Biden administration last year claimed that China "harbors the intention and, increasingly, the capacity to reshape the international order in favor of one that tilts the global playing field to its benefit", Zhao noted.

"There's still a long way to go in telling the Chinese story to the world in an effective manner," she said.

Path to modernization

In October, the report to the CPC's 20th National Congress made it clear that the Chinese path to modernization is one that "follows the path of peaceful development".

Scholars said this viewpoint is conducive to convincing the international community of China's consistent dedication to global stability and prosperity.

China is the only country in the world that has enshrined its adherence to the path of peaceful development in its constitution, and it is the only one of the "five nuclear-weapon states" that has pledged not to be the first to use such weapons.

China has never taken the initiative to provoke conflict or war, let alone resort to force or the threat of force, Chinese diplomats said in recent public speeches, adding that the country's development has always represented a growing force for peace in the world.

Jia Qingguo, a member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee and director of the Institute for Global Cooperation and Understanding at Peking University, said that this method of achieving modernization via the path of peaceful development is "based on history and reality" and it contributes Chinese wisdom to the solution of human problems. It rebuts the Clash of Civilizations theory and the stereotypical belief that "a powerful nation will surely become a hegemony", Jia said.

"More than 70 years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the CPC and the Chinese people, who have endured major sufferings, know well the rarity of peace and the value of development, and they take it as their lofty duty to promote world peace and development," he said.

He added that in the face of the challenge of a growing deficit in global peace, development, security and governance, President Xi proposed the Global Development Initiative in 2021 and the Global Security Initiative last year.

These "provide a Chinese solution for the common development and progress of all countries in the world", Jia said.

Improving world governance

Experts said China's participation in the reform and strengthening of the global governance system and its commitment to genuine multilateralism  as manifested by the fresh initiatives and road maps for coordinated global efforts  are helping to advance global governance and making it more fair, just and reasonable.

"The established global governance model is currently challenged and seems unsustainable, and a new global governance model needs to be explored in a coordinated approach," said Liu Xianzhong, a member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee and director of the Department of Russian History and Culture at the Institute of Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"Countries should resort to reconciliation and resolve global governance issues in the spirit of building a community with a shared future. Only when the world is a success can China be successful. A better China also contributes to a better world."

Liu said China's economy is deeply integrated with the global economy, having a high degree of interconnectivity and interdependence in industries with many countries around the world.

"China's unswerving pursuit of a mutually beneficial, win-win opening-up strategy will enable the country to benefit from driving forces worldwide for its development, and the pursuit also allows China's development to better benefit the world," he said.

In the field of politics and security, Liu stressed that countries should not engage in cliques and group confrontation, and they should mobilize global resources to address global challenges and promote greater global development.

"The success of one country does not necessarily mean the failure of another. Flexing military muscle frequently is a hegemonic approach that can only lift stones and hit one's own feet," he said. "No country can seek its own absolute security on its own. No country can achieve its own security without the security of the world."

Yang, from the Renmin University of China, noted that the Chinese path to modernization, "bearing the genes of Chinese civilization, has brought new values and elements to the new international order".

He noted that the socialist system with Chinese characteristics has learned from some of the successful economic management experiences of developed countries, and it has stood out in globalization.

"The Chinese experience provides a Chinese solution and Chinese inspiration for developing countries that want to develop while maintaining their independence," he said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Store manager Josh Poole pours marijuana flowers onto a try at a Mango Cannabis medical marijuana dispensary, Monday, March 6, 2023, in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma voters will decide Tuesday whether to make the state one of the most conservative to green light cannabis use for adults. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  Oklahoma voters on Tuesday rejected the legalization of recreational marijuana, following a late blitz of opposition from faith leaders, law enforcement and prosecutors.

Oklahoma would have become the 22nd state to legalize adult use of cannabis and join conservative states like Montana and Missouri that have approved similar proposals in recent years. Many conservative states have also rejected the idea, including Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota last year.

Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and many of the states GOP legislators, including nearly every Republican senator, opposed the idea. Former Republican Gov. Frank Keating, an ex-FBI agent, and Terri White, the former head of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, led the "no" campaign.

Were pleased the voters have spoken," said Pat McFerron, a Republican political strategist who ran the opposition campaign. "We think this sends a clear signal that voters are not happy with the recreational nature of our medicinal system. We also think it shows voters recognize the criminal aspects, as well as the need for addressing mental health needs of the state.

Oklahoma voters already approved medical marijuana in 2018 by 14 percentage points and the state has one of the most liberal programs in the country, with more than 2,800 licensed dispensaries and roughly 10% of the states adult population having a medical license to buy and consume cannabis.

On Tuesday's legalization question, the no side was outspent more than 20-to-1, with supporters of the initiative spending more than $4.9 million, compared to about $219,000 against, last-minute campaign finance reports show.

State Question 820, the result of a signature gathering drive last year, was the only item on the statewide ballot, and early results showed heavy opposition in rural areas.

Oklahoma is a law and order state," Stitt said in a statement after Tuesday's vote. "I remain committed to protecting Oklahomans and my administration will continue to hold bad actors accountable and crack down on illegal marijuana operations in our state.

The proposal, if passed, would have allowed anyone over the age of 21 to purchase and possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana, plus concentrates and marijuana-infused products. Recreational sales would have been subjected to a 15% excise tax on top of the standard sales tax. The excise tax would be used to help fund local municipalities, the court system, public schools, substance abuse treatment and the states general revenue fund.

The prospect of having more Oklahomans smoking anything, including marijuana, didn't sit well with Mark Grossman, an attorney who voted against the proposal Tuesday at the Crown Heights Christian Church in Oklahoma City.

I was a no vote because I'm against smoking, Grossman said. Tobacco smoking was a huge problem for my family.

The low barriers for entry into Oklahoma's medical marijuana industry has led to a flood of growers, processors and dispensary operators competing for a limited number of customers. Supporters had hoped the state's marijuana industry would be buoyed by a rush of out-of-state customers, particularly from Texas, which has close to 8 million people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area just a little more than an hour drive from the Oklahoma border.

Michelle Tilley, campaign director for Yes on 820, said despite Tuesday's result, full marijuana legalization was inevitable. She noted that almost 400,000 Oklahomans already use marijuana legally and many thousands more use it illegally.

A two-tiered system, where one group of Oklahomans is free to use this product and the other is treated like criminals does not make logical sense, she said in a statement.

___

Follow Sean Murphy on Twitter: @apseanmurphy
A GoFundMe was organized for Legend Chapelle, 6, one of the three children who authorities say were fatally stabbed by their mother in Italy, Texas, on March 3, 2023.

A GoFundMe account has been organized for one of the five children who were stabbed by their mother  three fatally  in Italy, Texas, on Friday.

Legends young father needs help with the funeral expenses. No amount is too small, wrote Shantae Haymer, the organizer of Legend Chapelles GoFundMe. I am raising money on behalf of Legends father and his grandmother, Tanya Reese.

A caseworker from Texas Child Protective Services decided to remove all five children after a home visit Friday in the 300 block of Harris Street near Stafford Elementary School in Italy, authorities have said. The caseworker called 911 and when police were dispatched to the scene they found Legend, 6; and a twin boy and twin girl, both 5 years old; fatally stabbed by their mother, Shamaiya Hall, 25, according to the Ellis County Sheriffs Office.

A 4-year-old boy and a 13-month-old girl were seriously wounded. One of the wounded children was transported to a hospital in Fort Worth and the other child was taken to a hospital in Dallas.

Legend is the only child who has been publicly identified.

Legend was a happy and healthy six-year-old boy. He loved Spider-Man. He loved his siblings. He loved school and just being a normal six-year-old, Haymer wrote. His life was violently cut short by his own mother on March 3, 2023, when she brutally stabbed Legend and all of his siblings. Sadly, Legend and two of his siblings succumbed to their injuries, while his two remaining siblings are still battling for their lives.


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YEREVAN, MARCH 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan issued a congratulatory message on the occasion of March 8, ARMENPRESS presents the message of the Prime Minister.

Dear women,

I heartily congratulate each and every one of you on the occasion of International Women's Day. This holiday has always been important for us, but now we attach special importance to it.

Today, we first bow to our numerous mothers, whose sons gave their lives for the sake of the motherland. Many of them give new life and hope to all of us, overcoming grief by ragain enjoying the joy of motherhood and thus resurrecting their martyred children.

We bow to our women widowed as a result of the war, who bear the burden of caring for bereaved families and call on their children to live, learn, overcome all difficulties and win the battles that fate brings.

Today we bow to those women who are a strong support and trust to their husbands serving in the armed forces, who are responsible for the security of the country, the state.

Today, we bow to the women who serve in the Armed Forces themselves, while also highlighting the expansion of women's roles in the life of our country that is happening before our very eyes. And this is not an ideological, political, or even worldview issue.

For quite a long time now, women have been the majority of our country's population and understandably need to take on more responsibility. And it is logical that today in our country more and more often women assume roles, responsibilities and positions that are unprecedented in the history of our country and our society should encourage this process.

Women are increasingly involved in economic activities, state administration and local self-government, judicial and law enforcement systems, and, as mentioned above, in the armed forces. And this is the guaranty of our country's development, because not using the huge potential of women to the full means being short-sighted.

Many are pessimistic about the expansion of the role of women in all spheres of public and state life, stressing that the woman is the pillar of the traditional Armenian family. This is certainly true and unequivocal. But the man is also the pillar of the traditional Armenian family and no one is worried when the man serves in the army, the police, engages in economic activities, or leads an active public-political life. On the other hand, of course, the state should make motherhood an issue of special care, which we do consistently.

On March 8, 2023, I considered it important to outline this context, because the International Women's Day is not about women being fragile and vulnerable. International Women's Day is about women being more capable.

Dear women, I congratulate each and every one of you on March 8. Thank you for going above and beyond and always willing to go above and beyond.

And therefore,

Long Live Freedom

Long live the Republic of Armenia

Long live our children who will live in Free and Happy Armenia.
YEREVAN, MARCH 8, ARMENPRESS. Louis Bono, Senior Advisor for Caucasian Negotiations of the US State Department, visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial and paid tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims, the US Embassy in Armenia informed.

The message released by the embassy states that in meetings with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Deputy Foreign Minister Vahe Gevorgyan, Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan, Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations Louis Bono reaffirmed the readiness of the United States to engage in bilateral and multilateral formats, as well as with like-minded partners to help Armenia and Azerbaijan achieve lasting and comprehensive peace.

"He emphasized the need for free and open commercial and private movement through the Lachin Corridor. Louis Bono also visited the Genocide Memorial to pay his respects to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide," reads the message.
Francis speaks about International Women's Day at the end of the general audience in St Peter's Square. In his catechesis, he referred to the ecclesial dimension of evangelisation, citing the decree "Ad Gentes" issued by the Second Vatican Council. Anyone who believes himself to be a master [. . .] is not an evangeliser, he said.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis addressed the faithful at the end of the Wednesday general audience held in St Peter's Square. On International Women's Day, he said, I think of all women. I thank them for their commitment to building a more humane society through their ability to grasp reality with a creative gaze and a tender heart.

In his weekly catechesis, part of the cycle of reflections on apostolic zeal in evangelisation, Francis focused on the ecclesial dimension of the mission, noting the timeliness of Ad Gentes, the decree the Second Vatican Council dedicated to this topic.

For the pontiff, evangelising is always an ecclesial service, never solitary, never isolated, never individualistic. Evangelisation is always carried out in ecclesia, that is in a community, and without proselytism, because that is not evangelisation.

The temptation of proceeding alone is always lurking, especially when the path becomes impassable and we feel the burden of the commitment. Equally dangerous is the temptation to follow easier pseudo-ecclesial paths, to adopt the worldly logic of numbers and polls, to rely on the strength of our ideas, programmes, structures, relationships that count.

Citing some passages from Ad Gentes, the pope spoke about the vocation of every baptised person to engage in the mission.

Apostolic zeal is not enthusiasm; it is another thing, it is a grace of God, that we must preserve. We must understand its meaning, because in the pilgrim and evangelising People of God, there are no active or passive individuals. There are not those who preach, those who proclaim the Gospel in one way or another, and those who remain silent.

When engaged in evangelisation, people should not become sclerotic or fossilised; they must redeem themselves from that restlessness that is not of God. The missionary zeal of the believer also expresses itself as a creative search for new ways of proclaiming and witnessing, new ways of encountering the wounded humanity that Christ took on. In short, of new ways of serving the Gospel and serving humanity.

What is more, Evangelisation is a service. If a person says that he is an evangeliser, and does not have that attitude, that servants heart, and believes himself to be a master, he is not an evangeliser, no  he is wretched.

Going back to the love that God has given us does not close us up in spaces of static personal tranquillity. On the contrary, it leads us [.. . .] to live ever more fully what we have received, by sharing it with others, with a sense of responsibility and travelling together along the roads, very often the tortuous and difficult ones of history, in vigilant and industrious expectation of its fulfilment.

Hence, Let us ask the Lord for this grace, to take in hand this Christian vocation and give thanks to the Lord for what he has given us, this treasure. And to try to communicate it to others.

Finally, Francis addressed the usual call not to forget the martyred people of Ukraine: Let us always have them present in our hearts and in our prayers.
by Shafique Khokhar

Her name is Aneeta and she is 24 years old. She was found after eight hours and this was made possible thanks to the intervention of the local parish priest. However, the girl's family was transferred to another village to avoid further retaliation.

Hyderabad (AsiaNews) - Her name is Aneeta and she is 24 years old, yet another Christian girl kidnapped in broad daylight from a village in the province of Sindh and recovered after eight hours thanks to the intervention of the local parish priest and some activists. However, the family is currently in hiding to avoid retaliation and threats.

The issue concerns a feud between families: in November 2022, Khadim Masih, nephew of Irshad Masih (Aneeta's father) had moved to his uncle's house for work and started having an affair with a Muslim girl, Imdad Nabi, belonging to the Jakharani tribe, which is very influential in Sindh. In mid-February, Khadim Masih and Imdad Nabi had fled together to the Punjab, but the father of the Muslim girl, Nabidad, immediately thought it was a kidnapping, so he reported Irshad Masih, who tried to contact his nephew, but without success.

A few weeks later, Nabidad attacked Irshad Masih's house together with a group of about 20 Muslims. After torturing the women of the family, they kidnapped Aneeta and threatened that they would also take away other Christian girls.

At that point, Irshad Masih, together with other Christian faithful of the village went to Fr. Ashfaq, the local parish priest, asking for help. The priest, thanks to the support of Arif Masih (former Member of Parliament of the Sindh Provincial Assembly) and a group of social activists, succeeded in recovering Aneeta after an eight-hour search. However, Nabidad continued to threaten the Christian family, accusing them of insulting him and kidnapping their daughter.

At the request of the parish priest, the office of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (WCJP) of the Hyderabad diocese took up the case and provided legal assistance to Irshad's family. With the help of Msgr. Samson Shukardin, bishop of the Hyderabad diocese, Irshad's family was transferred to another village where they live in hiding to avoid any further incident or retaliation.

The move was made possible thanks to police intervention because the Muslims in the village did not want to allow Irshad's family to flee and take their personal belongings with them, so it was the local Church that provided them with cots and cooking utensils.

In the meantime, Imdad has been found and returned to his father in recent days.

"First of all we condemn the act of Khadim Masih and Imdad, both of whom created confusion between Muslims and Christians. All the Christian families in the village had to suffer for them," commented activist and politician Arif Masih, when asked by AsiaNews.

"On the other hand, however, the attack on Irshad Masih's house and the torture of Christian women by Muslims is an illegal and inhuman act. They used their power and influence because they are Muslims. They attacked the Christian family because they knew they were an easy target, being a minority, and kidnapped one of their daughters, who was completely innocent. Now the Christian family cannot enter the village because they are still threatened by Muslims,' Arif Masih continued.

"Religious Christians and Muslims should play their positive role to create an environment of harmony between these two communities. In Sindh province, there are many cases of kidnapping and forced conversion of minor minority girls, because the perpetrators know that they are poor and cannot raise their voice against them. The state should take serious measures to protect and save minority girls'.
by Guido Alberto Casanova

The South Korean government plans to revise labour legislation that reduced maximum weekly working hours from 68 to 52. Employees will now also be able to turn overtime into more vacation time. Opposition parties and the countrys main trade unions are against the proposed reform.

Seoul (AsiaNews)  Young workers in South Korea are in favour of the governments labour reform aimed at giving companies and employees greater flexibility in managing working hours and overtime.

According to the Organisation for Cooperation and Development (OECD), South Korea is the member country with the highest number of hours worked per person per year.

For this reason, when maximum weekly hours were lowered from 68 to 52 in 2018, this was a small revolution for South Korea.

The measure proved to be a contentious point, but at the time, the government was left-leaning, while now it is in conservatives hands.

For recently elected President Yoon Suk-yeol's administration, labour market reform is a top priority. On Monday, his government unveiled its plan to revise working week legislation.

Under current rules, workers can do a maximum of 12 hours of overtime per week. Under proposed changes, these would be increased and be counted more flexibly.

Conservatives want more weekly hours and better management of extra hours depending on workloads.

The government proposal raises the amount of overtime hours but spreads over longer periods: 52 hours every month, 140 every quarter, 250 every six months, and 440 hours yearly.

Employers will be obliged to guarantee a rest period of at least 11 hours between shifts, while workers will also be able to turn overtime into extra vacation time to be added to their annual holidays guaranteed by law.

According to the Yonhap news agency, under the new regulations, companies can require each employee to work up to a maximum of 69 hours per week as long as the 52-hour overtime limit per month is respected.

We will focus on giving more flexibility and choices in work hours, so employees can work and take a rest when they want to," said Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho when he presented the proposal.

The countrys business associations were among the first to welcome the reform. For the Korea Enterprises Federation, the reform will be the starting point of overhauling old laws and systems for labour reforms."

Business groups, especially small and medium-sized companies, have always been critical of existing legislation, seeing it as too rigid, demanding the government take even bolder measures in terms of labour market reform.

The country's two main unions are against it, describing the measure as favourable only to business  they argue that employees will be forced to work longer hours. Opposition parties have also come out against the reform.

The proposal, however, seems to find support among young workers aged 20 to 30. A survey cited by the Korea JoongAng Daily indicates that 57 per cent of young people believe that the 52-hour weekly limit is inappropriate for a modern society where working hours should be more flexible.
Jaguar Land Rover became aware of this problem in October 2022. The supplier in question, a Hungary-based company dubbed TS Tech KFT, contacted the British automaker to address their concern with the aforementioned condition. The Product Safety and Compliance Committee within Jaguar Land Rover started investigating a month later, with the PSCC also requesting containment of newly produced Defenders.Vehicles in which the latch operation was found to be outside of specification would be held by JLR and retailers, pending further instruction. The Product Safety and Compliance Committee further tasked the Supplier Technical Assistance organization to define the scope of this problem, after which the concern was progressed to the Recall Determination Committee for the final call.In late February 2022, the safety boffins at Jaguar Land Rover concluded that its a safety risk that needs to be remedied before delivering the subject vehicles to customers. No accidents or injuries have been reported thus far, and JLR isnt aware of warranty claims either.The third-row seat base, identified under part number N8B2-613A10-AF, may have been manufactured with a suspect component that makes the seat back not latch properly. Due to the latch not operating as intended, the seat back strength is compromised. In the event of a frontal crash, a child seat occupant is exposed to an increased risk of injury as per the attached recall report.As highlighted earlier, 812 vehicles produced for the U.S. and its federalized territories are called back. The report for campaign 23V-137 lists build dates ranging between July 11th, 2022 and October 6th, 2022 for the affected 2023 model year Defender 130 luxury SUVs.Owners can expect Land Rover -branded envelopes from Jaguar Land Rover North America to arrive by first-class mail no later than April 28th. Dealers will be informed on March 16th to inspect affected vehicles and check the third-row seat back latch. No further action is required if the latch works as intended, but otherwise, the seat frame and other components will be replaced by the retailer.Slightly longer than the Defender 110 despite featuring similar wheelbases, the Defender 130 is rocking a 2+3+3 seating layout. Designed primarily for the U.S. market where large SUVs are in high demand, the family-oriented variant starts at $68,000 sans freight charge.The Defender S entry-level specification comes with a 3.0L P300 inline-six turbo engine that cranks out 296 horsepower and enough torque for the Defender 130 to reach 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in 7.5 seconds. At the other end of the spectrum, the Defender X belts out 395 horsepower from a mild-hybrid sixer.
TCS

EV

kilowatt

Premiered a few years back, the 4JZ1-turbo diesel is the only engine available at launch. To be joined by the redesigned Isuzu Forward in the summer of 2023 for the 2024 model year, the seventh-generation Elf cranks out 148 horsepower and 277 pound-feet (make that 150 ps and 375 Nm) from a 3.0L four-cylinder powerplant.The Japanese automakers most efficient medium-duty truck engine to date further sweetens the deal with a nine-speed transmission. Its a dual-clutch setup, which makes it a first in the segment. Switching from a torque-converter automatic to a dual-clutch system translates to reduced torque loss, reduced shift shock, and quicker shifts for a better driving experience. Fuel economy and emissions are further improved by a stop/start system.Also known as the N-series outside of Japan , the Elf will soon welcome a battery-electric powertrain. The zero-emission variant will be offered with a wide selection of cab options and gross vehicle weight ratings, beginning with the single cab and 3.5 tons (make that 7,716 pounds). At the other end of the spectrum, Isuzu highlights the wide cab and 7.5 tons (16,535 pounds).The Elfstandard cab and standard wheelbase come with two battery packs totaling 40hours. The high cab levels up to three battery packs and 60 kilowatt hours in both standard wheelbase and long wheelbase. And finally, the wide cab with the long wheelbase is listed with five packs which total 100 kilowatt hours.Regular charging and rapid charging systems are offered, and similar to the Pro Power Onboard system of the Ford F-150 pickup truck, the Elf EV can supply power to external equipment. Isuzu also waxes lyrical about a heat-pump air conditioning unit, joined by a standard-issue heated drivers seat to reduce the energy consumption of the in-cab air conditioning. Sometime during fiscal year 2024, the Elf EV will further get special rear body applications (think garbage trucks), an Urban Transporter version, and a walk-through van.Redesigned both inside and out, the Elf uses neutral tones and black throughout the cabin. Isuzu further makes a case for the most spacious cabin in the segment, integrated armrests, a 7.0-inch display flanked by the speedometer and tachometer, and more storage space.Last but certainly not least, the Japanese automaker didnt forget to integrate advanced safety and driver assistance features. The pre-collision braking system, for example, can automatically apply the brakes when the vehicle detects a possible collision with a pedestrian when turning in an intersection. Full-speed range adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, Driver Status Monitor, Emergency Driving Stop System, Driver Emergency Assist System, Adaptive Driving Beam, and the front blind spot monitor are the other highlights.
SUV

The second largest of the Detroit Three automakers has a history with the Puma nameplate. As far as the Encyclopedia Britannica is concerned, the puma  sometimes also referred to as a mountain lion, cougar, or panther  is a mammal species of cats (Felidae family). And it is comparable in size to the jaguar, which, in turn, is the only other large cat in the Western Hemisphere. Naturally, that is not what the Blue Oval company was after.Instead, it wanted to assume the likeness of the New World mammal with some of its car models  such as the 1997 to 2001 sport compact car  or with certain variants of its Duratorq diesel engine family. Today, though, the Ford Puma is a subcompact crossover, aka the high-riding equivalent of the iconic Fiesta, and is only produced in Romania at the Ford Craiova plant for the European and Australasian regions.Tucked in between the EcoSport and the Kuga (Escape), it makes use of 1.0-liter EcoBoost and 1.5-liter EcoBoost Dragon (for the Puma ST) or EcoBlue Panther diesel engines and can go as high as 197 hp with a six-speed manual gearbox in normal Puma ST configuration. Alas, if you do not want all that oomph but still like the full ST treatment, there is a new, more comfortable Powershift version coming to an Old Continent town near you, soon. As per the recent report , Ford just unveiled the new variant tucked in between the Puma 1.0 Ecoboost Hybrid 155 and the classic Puma ST.Called the Puma ST Powershift SUV, it brings the most powerful iteration of the 1.0-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder with mild hybrid assistance and 170 ps (168 hp) on tap. Plus, there is also a more comfortable seven-speed automatic transmission, a sports technology-enhanced chassis, along with standard premium specification and welcomes the addition of a new bespoke ST color dubbed Azura Blue. Enhanced with 48-volt MHEV tech, the new variant also boasts 248 Nm (183 lb-ft) of torque, along with paddle-shift goodies for the dual-clutch gearbox.Dubbed more versatile than ever, this new Puma ST can sprint to 62 mph (100 kph) in 7.4 seconds but also return a fuel economy of 6.3 liters per 100 km, which is over 37 mpg. Design highlights are also present all around, to the tune of a dual-tone finish with a black roof, Magnetite look for the 19-inch alloy wheels, and lots of black touches around the body. Moving inside, standard perks include the Ford Performance seats wrapped in premium Sensico synthetic leather-effect material, a wireless charging pad, Quickclear heated windscreen, the FordPass Connect modem plus the companys Sync 3 infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
live axle

While mid-size trucks are not as important as the full-size models in the United States, they still represent a relevant segment of buyers (alongside the resurging pocket-sized unibody compacts) across the American automotive market. For example, in 2022, the affordable and electrified Ford Maverick sold over 74k units, while the eternal Toyota Tacoma was again crowned as leader of the mid-size pack with 237k deliveries. But the competition is getting stiffer by the day.For instance, the rumor mill is riddled with faint whispers that the Japanese automaker is considering a potential Toyota Scout revival to give the Maverick and Hyundais Santa Cruz some unibody compact headaches. Alternatively, the Tacoma must endure the assault from cool new models like the standalone D41 Nissan Frontier (third generation, now exclusive to North America) or the upcoming Ford Ranger, among others  like the fresh 2023 Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon.But what if Stellantis decided to join the mid-size pickup truck party, as well? And if that does not happen soon in the real world, we can at least say that it already occurred across the imaginative realm of digital car content creators. So, here is Dimas Ramadhan, the virtual automotive artist behind the Digimods DESIGN channel on YouTube, who has taken up the task of revealing an all-new 2024 or 2025 (Dodge) Ram Dakota - in CGI.The nameplate  initially titled under Dodge and then known as the Ram Dakota during its final couple of production years  has been around from 1986 to 2011 as Chryslers show of force above the more compact Ford Ranger and Chevrolet S-10 but still below the full-size Dodge Ram. It was a traditional body-on-frame pickup truck with a classic (leaf spring/) rear design and remains known for being the first mid-size model offered with an optional V8 engine.Well, that heritage is quite enticing for anyone trying to envision a return to CGI life, right? And the pixel master takes full advantage of the shared Dodge and Ram connections, making this 2024 or 2025 reinvention a proper SRT with lots of Dodge inspiration. The Charger styling is pretty obvious, and so is the SRT Hellcat V8 engine tucked under the hood  6.2 liters of supercharged goodness with at least 707 ponies in the bay.But can we also dare for extra greatness and hope this was imagined with the Hellcat Redeye standard of 797 hp? That would certainly teach any Tacoma its rightful place! Anyway, also, what is up with the continued Nissan Frontier Pro-4X obsession
Despite Apple users being provided with a native navigation solution, most of them jump ship to Google Maps. The reason mostly comes down to the lack of features in Apple Maps, including satellite navigation and offline maps.Due to a bug that was discovered more than three months ago, many users made the switch back to Apple Maps . It was all because Google Maps caused CarPlay to freeze completely when the navigation was enabled.The culprit was originally believed to be an update received by Google Maps . Version 6.40, which at that point was the newest version, produced the freezing glitch. The audio was still running in the background but interacting with the interface was impossible.The issue has never been resolved in full, despite several patches going live in the meantime. At one point, it was believed that iOS 16.3.1, an operating system update for the iPhone, brought things back to normal. The freezing, however, persisted, still causing Google Maps and then CarPlay to hang.But as it turns out, the culprit is neither Google Maps nor Apple CarPlay. A head unit firmware update that is projected to launch by the end of March should restore the expected functionality.Google Maps seems to freeze mostly in cars equipped with Alpine hardware. Honda is one of the carmakers whose vehicles are fitted with these head units. The Japanese company confirmed in emails sent to customers that its aware of the bug and a fix is already in the works.At this point, its not clear if other carmakers are planning similar firmware updates, or whether Alpine will release the same fix to head units in more vehicles. The issue, however, is mostly impacting Hondas In the meantime, the only workaround that is known to work is a temporary switch to another navigation app. Both Apple Maps and Waze are seemingly running properly on CarPlay, causing no freezing whatsoever. They also support the CarPlay Dashboard, using the navigation card to display turn-by-turn guidance alongside other apps.The only drawback is that neither supports offline maps and satellite navigation. Oddly enough, Apple Maps does come with satellite maps but when the navigation is enabled, the application switches to the default layer. On the other hand, Apple Maps is fitted with other new-generation navigation capabilities, including 3D support. The feature is also available on CarPlay, providing users in certain countries, such as the United States, with more information to follow the route. The 3D navigation is part of the Apple Maps overhaul that was announced by Apple back in 2018.
ICE

EV

Rather than a four-cylinder engine, said 1.5 is a three-pot affair that produces 200 ps (197 horsepower) at 6,000 rpm and 320 Nm (236 pound-feet) between 2,500 and 3,500 rpm. Internally referred to as the Dragon engine, this fellow is also used in the Focus compact hatchback, Escape compact crossover, and even the Bronco Sport.Lesser versions of the Puma feature a 1.0L turbo three-cylinder engine codenamed Fox, which incorporates mild-hybrid assistance to lower the Ford Motor Companys fleet-wide carbon emissions. Over in Europe, automakers have to comply with a fleet-wide target of 95 grams of carbon dioxide emissions per kilometer. Anything higher is fined 95 euros for every gram, multiplied by the number of cars sold in a given year.Slotting below RS models, ST models never featured 1.0L engines until recently. Greek motoring publication Car & Motor understands that Ford will soon debut a three-cylinder turbo mild-hybrid version of the Puma ST, which will be more affordable, less powerful, and less torquey than the-only Puma ST we know and love.The Greek importer told the cited publication that 170 ps (168 horsepower) is the peak output of this powertrain, with peak torque still not confirmed. Pricing kicks off at 40,893 euros (make that 43,140 dollars at current exchange rates), as opposed to 42,258 euros (44,580 dollars) for the 1.5-liter turbo sans mild hybridization.Although expensive by subcompact crossover standards, bear in mind that the Puma ST is a rarefied breed. Hyundai also sells a hi-po subcompact crossover in the form of the Kona N, which is most likely going the way of the dodo after the all-new Kona begins production.It remains to be seen if the South Korean manufacturer can make a case for a combustion-engined replacement or an electric successor, but chances are that its not interested in either. Hyundais goal is to assert dominance over competing automakers with its Ioniq-branded electric vehicles, which are built around a dedicatedplatform. The Kona is not, which is why the Kona Electric N is  dare I say it  wishful thinking.More powerful and torquier than the Puma ST regardless of engine choice, the Kona N comes exclusively with a dual-clutch transmission that features a so-called N Grin Shift mode. Engaging it increases turbo boost for 20 seconds, giving the 2.0-liter turbo mill 10 extra ponies.The soon-to-be-discontinued Kona N produces 280 ps (276 horsepower) from its four-cylinder turbo, which also belts out 392 Nm (289 pound-feet).
HVAC

kWh

Back on January 19th, the Ford Motor Company opened an investigation into multiple reports of inoperativesystems on 2023 model year Transit vehicles. All reports had been received from upfitters, a.k.a. body builders, which were supplied by Ford with a service kit that includes several wire harnesses. The suspect auxiliary wire harness connects to the CAN bus, providing upfitters with additional inputs and outputs.The Critical Concern Review Group within FoMoCo discovered that said wire harness has a negative effect on the HVAC system, with FoMoCo highlighting no defrost or defog functionality. Thats a noncompliance with federal motor vehicle safety standard 103 for defrosting and defogging systems, which promoted the Dearborn-based automaker to further investigate said problem.Ford eventually discovered why the auxiliary wiring harness deactivates the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. The supplier mentioned above manufactured it with blunt end wires in the CAN bus communication pins of the connector rather than the required twisted pair loop, resulting in an interruption in the communication path. This condition also results in grayed-out controls for the HVAC in the SYNC screen, with the Transit using either SYNC 3 with a 4.0-inch display or SYNC 4 with a much larger 12-inch screen.Both vans and chassis cab-bodied Transits received the auxiliary wiring harness without the twisted pair loop. No fewer than 35 reports were filed with the Ford Motor Company from January 14th through February 11th, prompting the second-largest automaker of the so-called Big Three in Detroit to issue a noncompliance recall.4,804 examples of the 2023 model year Transit are called back stateside, namely vehicles produced in the period between November 2nd last year and January 28th this year. Dealers have been instructed to inspect the auxiliary wire harness and either replace it or modify the original harness with the necessary twisted pair loop.Owner notifications will be mailed in the period between March 20th and March 24th as per the Part 573 Safety Recall Report attached below. No reports of accidents or injuries related to this problem have been filed thus far.Slotted above the $34,100 Transit Connect, the Transit can be yours for $39,755 sans destination charge in cutaway flavor. The panel van is $43,455 at press time, whereas the all-electric Ford E-Transit retails at $49,575 according to the build & price tool. The zero-emission variant is available in three body lengths and three body styles: Cutaway, Chassis Cab, and Cargo Van. The low-roof panel van is estimated to go up to 126 miles (203 kilometers) on a full charge of the 68-battery pack.
Mercedes-Benz is the first automaker to be certified level 3 autonomy in the United States, with said level referring to conditional hands-free driving. Also described as conditional automation, this level is eyed by South Korean automaker Hyundai for its next-gen products.LIDAR, a technology that uses laser to determine ranges by targeting a surface or object and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver, is used by this black-painted Genesis G90 full-size luxury sedan to develop the Seoul-based automakers level 3 system. The SAE neatly sums up level 3 as environmental detection capabilities, with the vehicle able to perform most driving tasks while requiring human supervision and intervention.Substantial best describes the jump from level 2 to level 3 because of the aforementioned environmental detection capabilities. The vehicle can therefore take decisions based on its surroundings (i.e., accelerate past a slow-moving vehicle driven on the right lane). But alas, the system may not be able to execute a task, which is why the driver must be alert and ready to intervene.Audi could have been the first automaker to roll out level 3 conditional driving automation with the Traffic Jam Pilot system of the A8, which  drum roll please  uses a front-mounted laser scanner in combination with other sensors and a 360-degree camera system. Due to the regulatory process shifting from federal to state level, the Ingolstadt-based automaker sadly abandoned the rollout of Traffic Jam Pilot in the United States of America.Brian Latouf, whose current role at Hyundai Motor Company is global chief safety officer, said that level 3 autonomy is on the horizon for Hyundai, sister brand Kia, as well as luxury-oriented Genesis. The initial rollout will take place in South Korea, with North America to follow. The LIDAR-equipped G90 with level 3 autonomy should have been launched at the end of 2022, but Hyundai ultimately chose to delay it to perfect the system. As a result, the system will likely premiere during the second half of 2023 for model year 2024.Also confirmed for the upcoming EV9 electric crossover from Kia, the so-called Highway Driving Pilot is only a stepping stone for Hyundai Motor Company. The automaker intends to roll out fully autonomous vehicles by 2030. The groups G90 and EV9 self-driving prototypes are presently testing on Korean highways.Scheduled to premiere on March 15th, the EV9 is best described as the roomier and cleaner sibling of the U.S.-built Telluride three-row crossover. The G90 is the creme de la creme of the Genesis brand, although its 3.5-liter turbo V6 powertrains are somewhat underwhelming in comparison to Mercs and BMWs V8 powerplants.
Operating in both the U.S. and Canada, Federal Moto (FM) has to be one of the most exciting motorcycle customization outfits on North American soil. The beefed-up and breathtakingly stylish Honda CB550 were about to look at is a solid testament to that claim, hailing from FMs Canadian shop run by Shaun Brandt, Justin Benson, and Randy Venhuis.Their client on this particular occasion was none other than Grant Harvey, a successful film director and producer from Canada. As for the projects donor, it came in the form of a 1975 model which took five months to be converted into the classy masterpiece shown in these photos. The transformation occurred back in 2016, and the bike was ultimately dubbed Fade to Black.Mind you, this bad boy is quite a sleeper, because the Federal trio spared no expense when it came to performance-oriented upgrades. Starting with the CB550 s powertrain, they bored its inline-four engine out to 572cc and installed a Stage 1 performance kit from Dynoman, as well as forged pistons which raise the compression ratio to a copious 10:1.Besides these goodies, one may also find new gaskets, a top-grade aftermarket camshaft, and upgraded clutch componentry. Inhaling is done via race-spec Keihin Roundslide CR29 carburetors, while the exhaust gases are channeled through bespoke four-into-one pipework fabricated by Steve "Carpy Carpenter. Once everything was in place, the air-cooled four-banger received a layer of black powder coating, as did the custom exhaust system.As far as the electrical mods are concerned, Federal Moto fitted an eight-cell Antigravity battery and a Dynatek electronic ignition system. The motorcycles cockpit is now home to a single retro-looking gauge supplied by Cognito Moto, along with an aftermarket handlebar sporting brown leather grips, discreet switches, and Motogadget bar-end turn signals.Further back, youll encounter the repurposed fuel tank of a 1974 CB360, wearing a mixture of gloss- and matte-black paint. Cognito Moto of Richmond, Virginia also provided FMs artisans with a bolt-on, looped subframe featuring built-in LED lighting at the southernmost tip.Atop this loop-style rear skeleton lies one stunning saddle upholstered in brown leather by Kyle Closen from Clos General, whod also fashioned the groovy pouches found on the flanks. With all these goodies in place, the Federal squad moved on to the specimen's running gear and installed an abundance of higher-spec equipment at twelve oclock. Fade to Black makes use of a Yamaha R6s forks for front-end suspension duties, and enhanced stopping power is made possible by a drilled brake disc and braided stainless-steel lines. Weve got no clue how much Sir Harvey got charged for this commission, but its perfectly safe to assume that he was thrilled with the way it turned out! I mean, who wouldnt be?
On January 30th, a dealer employee reported a loose steering wheel on a brand-new Ariya crossover. Its the second electric vehicle that Nissan sells in the United States, joining the Leaf hatchback. The dealer investigated the root cause behind this condition, discovering no steering wheel center bolt whatsoever.Nissan received the second report from a different retailer on February 8th, also involving a brand-new Ariya crossover with the steering wheel center bolt missing. The subsequent investigation concluded that both vehicles had been subjected to a port modification to replace the steering wheel due to a quality-related issue. Nissan believes that a technician tasked with replacing the original steering wheel either used too little torque for the steering wheel bolt or forgot to install it.How can a technician remove a steering wheel and reattach it to the steering column while missing the center bolt is beyond my comprehension. Even in case of insufficient torque, the wheel may separate from the column if pulled with enough force towards the driver.Why did Nissan replace the original steering wheel? As it happens, the Japanese automaker tackled a potential quality concern with the steering touch sensor. Nissan claims that both vehicles mentioned earlier were serviced by the same technician, a technician I wouldnt want working on my car. Nissan instructed its dealers on February 11th to inspect all 418 vehicles in stock, Ariya crossovers that were previously repaired. One additional vehicle was identified with a loose steering wheel, prompting Nissan North America to issue a safety recall that encompasses 1,063 units produced to U.S. specifications for MY23.The affected population features build dates ranging between June 21st, 2022 and October 21st, 2022. The Ariya for the U.S. market is manufactured in Japan at the Tochigi plant in Kaminokawa. The companys largest assembly plant in Japan also produces the R35 GT-R.Dealers nationwide have recently been instructed to  get this  replace the steering wheel bolt. Not inspect and replace, but simply replace said bolt. The job takes a little under an hour, according to Nissan. Owners can expect to be notified by first-class mail no later than March 30th.Compared to $28,040 sans destination charge for the Leaf hatchback, the Ariya crossover plays in a different league despite being a compact as well. The most affordable spec available is $43,190 excluding taxes and the federal tax credit. In its defense, the boringly named Ariya does come with quite a few standard features, including leatherette seats, heated front seats, a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel, and a head-up display.
Photo: Royal Air Force

Photo: Mike Freer

ADS

Photo: Aldo Bidini

Photo: DOD Media

As a jet solidly in the multi-role category with an emphasis on ground attack operations, one would think all parties involved would be content with a single design. But remember, Britain , Italy, and Germany had only stopped shooting at each other a generation or so before the Tornado first flew. This meant each respective nation wanted its variant with bespoke requirements.To say this led to some classic British Aircraft Corporation hijinks would be an understatement. This is the story of the Tornado ADV, the swing-wing jet optimized for a ground attack that tried to be a high-altitude interceptor. Safe to say, things didn't go according to plans. Like an old-school Top Gear cheap car challenge, there was a fair amount of classic British improvisation on display.The standard Panavia Tornado IDS (GR1) was a technological marvel when it first flew in 1974. As a large, two-seater swing-wing fighter bomber, the IDS served the same role the American F-111 Aardvark, and the Soviet MiG-27 did as a long-range interdictor and part-time close-up ground strike aircraft with variable-geometry wings and enough ordinance humble a battalion or two.With two Turbo-Union RB-199 three-spool turbofan engines jetting 43.8 kN (9,800 lbf) of dry thrust, the Tornado IDS could fly at twice the speed of sound while being stable at slower speeds. This is all very important to accurately identify ground targets and blow them up. For this role, the Tornado's BAE Systems radar was optimized for its intended ground attack missions, with air-to-air combat being a far lower priority. In some regards, it was almost an afterthought.So then, it'd appear at first glance that the Tornado is an awful platform to convert into an interceptor. You know, a jet intended to shoot down Soviet nuclear bombers flying across the North Sea, hell-bent on turning the U.K. into an uninhabitable irradiated wasteland. Then again, British aerospace engineers sometimes see things differently than the rest of us.In truth, the impetus of the Tornado ADV's design wasn't the result of a drunken bet in a pub between two British engineers to see if they could pull off turning a ground attack jet into an interceptor. Rather, Royal Air Force's Air Staff Requirement 395 in the mid-1970s, called for a plan to replace the RAF's fleet of English Electric Lightnings and American F-4 Phantom IIs necessitated some form of novel replacement.Even before the Tornado IDS first flew, the idea that the airframe could be optimized for high-altitude bomber interception was quietly studied by the British Aerospace Company's portion of Panavia's design team. In spite of protests from the German and Italian sides of the operation, the production of the Tornado Air Defense Variant (ADV) was announced on March 4th, 1976. It was to be an all-British affair, as Airbus and Leonardo S.p.A both wanted nothing to do with the project.BAE touted the Tornado ADV as a low-cost solution to providing the RAF with an F-14 or F-15 equivalent without having to negotiate unfavorable contracts with American aerospace giants. The problem is, of course, it's a lot harder to swap a fighter bomber's internals for high-altitude bomber interception hardware than LS swapping your car.With dimensions of 18.68 meters (61 ft 3 in) long with a 13.91-meter (45 ft 8 in) wingspan at 25 degrees of wing sweep, the Tornadowas actually slightly larger than the last British Tornado IDS variant produced, the GR4. The Tornado ADV's dimensions are within a few feet of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, the U.S. Navy's respective answer to the swing-wing interceptor. Just in case you needed a reminder of how huge the two planes are.The bulk of this extra size is down to the Tornado ADV's I.24 Foxhunter pulse-doppler radar optimized for medium to high altitude interception. Even compared to the F-14's Hughes AN/AWG-9 radar, this was a fairly robust and capable radar system by late 1970s standards. As for armament, no interceptor worth its salt flew without a cannon 40 years ago.That's why ten hardpoints to mount AiM-9 Sidewinders, BAE Skyflashes, and AiM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles are flanked by a single Mauser BK-27 27 mm revolver cannon with 180 rounds of ammo. With a top speed of Mach 2.2 (1,500 mph, 1,300 kn) and a combat range of 1,853 km (1,151 mi, 1,001 nmi) if flown below supersonic, the Tornado ADV lagged somewhat behind the F-14's top speed of Mach 2.34 (1,544 mph, 2,485 km/h), and ferry range of 2,960 km (1,840 mi, 1,600 nmi.).Even so, there's no arguing having a high-altitude bomber interceptor is better than going without one. The first British variant of the Tornado ADV, dubbed the F2, was delivered to the RAF in November 1984. Panavia was forthcoming in explaining to the RAF that the Tornado F2 was an interim aircraft while the more capable Tornado F3 was under development. But by underdeveloped, we think they meant incomplete.Why? Because the darn thing didn't have a radar. It turned out the Foxhunter radar purpose-built for the Tornado ADV had run into considerable design delays and production snafus. Not wanting to turn up to the RAF empty-handed, Panavia simply mounted a cured cement ballast to the nose section of the Tornado F2. Hilariously, RAF pilots and ground crews dubbed this ballast the "Blue Circle radar," inspired by a brand of British cement.Most of the kinks in the Tornado F2's design were worked out by November 1985, the month the now-completed Tornado F3 first flew. Perhaps the most notable design upgrade of the F3 variant was the ability of the plane's autopilot to automatically adjust wing geometry in flight depending on the air speed. This feature was also a key feature of the F-14. Starting in the early 1990s, the Italian Air Force decided it needed more aircraft to bolster its fleet of then-brand-new Eurofighter Typhoons.The first Italian pilots were trained on Tornado F3 systems at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, England starting in 1995. Compared to how hesitant the other two-thirds of Panavia were to be involved with the ADV program in the beginning, this change of heart is nothing short of bizarre. Even Saudi Arabia signed a contract to procure 42 Tornado ADVs in 1985.The Royal Saudi Arabian Air Force promptly found the aircraft to be insufficient for their needs and ordered American F-15E Strike Eagles soon afterward. From the Persian Gulf to Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the Tornado served wherever the RAF waged war from its debut in 1985 until the last three Tornado F3s were flown to the RAF base at Leeming, North Yorkshire, for scrapping in 2012.Though the Tornado F2 was something of a laughable airplane, it's hard to call the full-fledged Tornado F3 a failure. But it begs the question, how many F-14 Tomcats could the RAF have acquired had they not spent billions modifying a multi-role jet to shoot down bombers? For that and so many other reasons, the Tornado ADV will forever live in the shadow of not only the Tomcat but also the Tornado IDS the thing was derived from in the first place.But then again, the Tomcat isn't in service with the U.S. anymore, either. It's possible that while variable geometry wings are cool as heck, they simply aren't worth the development and maintenance hassle they present to Air Force ground crews. What this means is that one day, swing-wing jets will likely be a total thing of the past. If you ask us, that's a bit sad.
Photo: Polaris

Photo: Polaris

Photo: Polaris

CVT

Photo: Polaris

The heavily revised and improved RZR XP 1000 lineup for the 2024 model year is not just a facelift, but an all-new generation of four-wheeled beasts redesigned from the ground up to satisfy any daredevils off-road appetite.Benefitting from a new sporty design, a more powerful engine, and more accessories, Polaris newest side-by-side is engineered to be more durable and reliable, offering the perfect combination of power, suspension, and agility.The multi-terrain category is the largest segment in the performance side-by-side industry, and were proud to deliver an all-new vehicle thats head-and-shoulders above anything else available today, explained Reid Wilson, Vice President, Polaris Off Road Recreation. In 2014, the RZR XP 1000 started it all for multi-terrain sport side-by-sides, and now were building upon that legacy  taking what has long been the standard and making it even better in every possible way.To achieve improved strength and durability, Polaris started with the chassis, which has been substantially improved to make it not only more agile, but also 25 percent stronger than its predecessor. The backbone of the all-terrain rig is now a fully welded, one-piece frame, compared to the outgoing model, whose frame was comprised of two pieces connected in the middle with fasteners.The custom-tuned suspension setup on the all-new RZR XP boasts Walker Evans Racing Needle Shocks with 16 clicks of adjustments, allowing for 20.5 of suspension usable travel front and rear.The roll cage of the new off-road rig has been completely redesigned, and it now features built-in sealing surfaces for full doors and windows, which is a first for the lineup. The vehicle also boasts a more aggressive front end with an integrated bumper, LED accent lighting, a full-coverage skid plate that protects the front of the vehicle, the engine, and driveline, and a 4,500-lb Pro HD winch. A windshield wiper/washer kit is available in the accessory catalog for the sealed cabs.The company will offer Sport, Premium, and Ultimate trim levels, with the last two getting a unique color and graphics package, as well as color-matching accessories.The inside of the UTV also suffered substantial alterations to provide a sportier driving position and more legroom for the rider and passenger(s). For improved in-cab ergonomics, the front seats have been moved lower in the chassis and a tad back. This not only ensures a more comfortable ride , but also affords better visibility of the trail ahead. In the four-seat configuration, the rear seats have also been raised 2 inches to give passengers sitting in the back more visibility.The interior also features new backlit switches, several levels of available Rockford Fosgate audio systems, and a touchscreen RIDE COMMAND infotainment display in the top-tier Ultimate model.Polaris hasnt neglected the cargo space either. This area has also been redesigned to ensure items are kept secure and within reach. A tonneau cover is also offered to allow owners to turn the vehicles bed into a covered storage area.As welcome as these changes might be, the most exciting of all is definitely the all-new powertrain. The new RZR comes with on-demand all-wheel drive, increased throttle response, and a lower-geared transmission for better response and control.Kicking along the 2024 Polaris RZR XP 1000 is a new liquid-cooled 999cc twin-cylinder Prostar 1000 engine capable of churning out 114 hp, which means a 4 hp increase over the previous model. To obtain a bump in power and improve cooling, Polaris says it updated the head, a few internal parts, and engine management.The vehicles driveline has also benefitted from a complete redesign and boasts stronger half-shafts, driveshafts, and wheel bearings, along with new mounting and ducting that will lead to a cooler-runningPolaris also focused on easing maintenance, so they doubled the oil-change interval and made the bed fully removable for easy access to the engine. Removable panels underneath the UTV and behind the seats also help in this regard.Four new accessory collections from Polaris, including everything from windshield wipers, audio systems, lighting options, and mirrors to winches, roof panels, and spare tire holders, will allow riders to personalize their rig as they see fit. Besides these, a full range of items from Pro Armor will be available at launch, including roll cages, seats, doors, bumpers, and more.With its new rugged design, increased comfort, and improved performance, the all-new RZR XP 1000 promises to be the next revolution in the all-terrain vehicle segment.The 2024 Polaris RZR XP 1000 lineup is offered in two- or four-seat configurations, with three trims available: Sport, Premium, and Ultimate. Prices will start from $20,999 for the all-new RZR XP 1000 Sport. The Premium version will be available starting at $22,999, while the Ultimate model will set you back $25,999. As you may have noticed, Polaris is pricing the new generation below the outgoing one, which is quite rare and an opportunity that shouldnt be missed. Shipping to dealers is scheduled to begin next month.
AMG

Neville has been collecting cars for around two decades

Photo: YouTube Screenshot/The Late Brake Show

JDM-tuned W124 is a rare bird

Photo: YouTube Screenshot/The Late Brake Show

1971 Pontiac Trans-Am loves to be driven flat-out

Photo: YouTube Screenshot/The Late Brake Show

Ex-Saudi Arabian Embassy Mercedes-Benz 500 SEL AMG

Photo: YouTube Screenshot/The Late Brake Show

As the three-point star enthusiasts worldwide await an avalanche of new Mercedes models in 2023, a faction of its loyal following is still hung up on its 1980s and 90s models  and for a good reason.Jonny Smith of the Late Brake Show YouTube channel got the chance to feature a private collection of niched retro Mercedesand Brabus builds in Surrey, England, on their Car Caves series.The classic performance cars owned by Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts and collector Neville are unlike anything youll see at your local car meet. They are a rare collection of niche-tuned 1980s and '90s Mercedes-Benzes (lesser-seen versions). Whats more. They are a stash of 20 cars neatly stored in four garages.A peek into his garage, and youll discover a mother of all stashes of 80s and 90s AMG Brabus parts. According to Neville, hes been collecting the components for 15 to 20 years. His stockpiling has enabled him to complete most of his builds. If you know anything about early model AMGs , the parts industry has dried to a drip.The Aichi Prefecture city of Nagoya might be famous for automotive giant Toyota. However, thriving behind the backroads of the techno city since the late 90s is a Japanese Mercedes W124 tuner (emphasis on E60 conversions) known as Auto Fashion Factory Spirit.I started getting into the AMG Connection or all the Japanese tunning magazines, and these guys continually would surface to the top and inspire conversions because they would take conversions to a different limit, Neville explained how he got hooked to Auto Fashion Factory Spirit.Inspired by their precision in tunning classic Mercedes-Benzes, Neville developed two tribute cars honoring the Japan-based Mercedes-Benz tuner.The first one was a 1995 Mercedes W124 (JDM-tuned) that, at first glance, looks like a 36T but is, in fact, a 320TE. Its currently a work in progress. The interior has a rare E60 limited center console, fully adjustable Recaro seats, and a steering wheel.Hes also fitted AMG wheels on the classic, complemented by AMG shocks and springs. Under the hood, it packs a 3.2-liter straight-six engine with a 5-speed automatic transmission. The final mod on this rare classic is a widebody kit.Next on the line was a 1986 Mercedes 190E Cosworth with a Mosselman turbo conversion. Neville says this unit is rapid thanks to the massive turbocharger under the hood.It has a charming interior (Houndstooth half leather) with a pair of Mercedes-spec Recaro classics on the front and back. It runs a turbocharged 2.3-liter engine paired with a 5-speed manual transmission.Next to the 1986 190E Cosworth was another bonkers 1991 190E. According to the owner, it was a conversion done by Bristol-based tuner Matty Charlesworth of Five Star Automotive. What makes this build so interesting, besides its glistening exterior, is what lies underneath the hood.It packs a twin-turbo 2.6-liter engine. The conversion runs on a 4-speed automatic gearbox. It is complemented by an AMG aero wheel, suspension, body kit, and dial set steering wheel. As unique and fast as this car looks, Neville has only driven it once since it was completed.For a Mercedes enthusiast, a unit in his Collection is rather odd. Its an American muscle car, specifically a 1971 Pontiac Trans-Am with a shaker hood.Its not the kind of car youd find in the British performance car scene, but according to Neville, its one of the cars that drew him into the world of fast cars. He calls it a drama car because the only way it loves to be driven is flat out.It packs a 455 H/O engine with a factory RPO M22 speed close-ratio manual gearbox. Its a numbers-matching Cameo white car with gas-flowed heads done by Westlake.Another fascinating retro Mercedes in his Collection with a history is a blacked-out 1985 500 SEL AMG . If you know anything about this car, you understand its a classic luxury car with much power underneath.It came with a Motorola rear car phone (the first of its kind), had privacy curtains, and was fitted with factory hydraulic suspension. This 500 SEL AMG sedan had an AMG body kit, wood trim interior, and steering wheel for an aggressive demeanor.For power, it runs an unmodified 5-liter V8 engine paired with an automatic gearbox.On another garage, Neville has a collection of classic Brabus Mercedes units, including a 1991 190E 2.6, 1982 190E AMG widebody with a 2-liter Mosselman turbo conversion, and the gem of the Collection, a 1984 Mercedes 500 SEL with a Mosselman supercharger conversion.Heres an exciting bit. Its an ex-Saudi Arabian embassy car belonging to HRH Prince Nawaf Abdulaziz.Wed love to tell you more about this 20-car Collection . Instead, well let you catch the rest of the walk-through in the video below. Its a must watch for classic Mercedes performance car enthusiasts.
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There are three powertrain options and three trim levels to choose from, beginning with the EQE 350+and EQE 350SUV with the Premium specification. Both are priced at $77,900 excluding the $1,150 destination charge, and  as implied  the biggest difference between them is rear- versus all-wheel drive.The EQE 500 4MATIC SUV is the most powerful of the bunch, at least until the German automaker starts making the-branded 43 and 53 series. The lithium-ion batteries that go into the EQE SUV are produced nearby, in Bibb County. That being said, what does your hard-earned money actually buy? The + in 350+ means a little more driving range than the all-wheel-drive 350 4MATIC, which is more powerful and torquier to boot.The EQE 350+ SUV makes do with a rear-mounted electric drive unit that produces 288 horsepower and 417 pound-feet (565 Nm) of torque. EPA-rated driving range estimates arent available at press time, but we do know that 370 miles (596 kilometers) are possible as per the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure.For the dual-motor EQE 350 4MATIC SUV, the ratings are 288 horsepower (a perfect match with the single motor base model), 564 pound-feet (765 Nm) of torque, and 342 miles (551 kilometers) on thes combined test cycle. Last but certainly not least, the EQE 500 4MATIC SUV levels up to 402 horsepower, 633 pound-feet (858 Nm), and 343 miles (552 kilometers).Juiced up by a 90.6-battery pack, the EQE SUV comes standard with 64-color ambient lighting, Burmester audio, a power tilt and sliding panorama roof, MB-Tex upholstery, heated front seats, PARKTRONIC, a surround view system, and EQ Navigation Services. The Premium trim level further includes the AMG Line exterior kit, 20-inch wheels, leather upholstery, and rear-wheel steering for the 4MATIC SUV. The next step up is weirdly called Exclusive, despite not being exclusive.It builds on the Premium with the addition of active ambient lighting, augmented reality for the MBUX-powered navigation system, and the Driver Assistance Package that includes automatic lane changing. Pricing for Exclusive models ranges between $80k and $91k.Finally, the creme de la creme of the non- AMG lineup is listed at $83,600 for the 350 twins and $95,200 for the 500. In addition to the standard content of the Premium and Exclusive, it adds four-zone climate control, star pattern logo projectors for the front doors, the Digital Light Package, 100W USB-C ports, a head-up display, Energizing Comfort pack, plus Air Balance.All variants get a heat pump, whereas the intelligent powertrain management system maximizes efficiency in dual-motor vehicles. The system is programmed to monitor the powertrain 160 times per second. If the front motor isnt necessary for the current driving scenario, a clutch disengages it in the blink of an eye to reduce drag.
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The Italian automaker from SantAgata Bolognese didnt really have a choice in electrifying its flagship supercar. Emission regulations are one thing, but everyone and their dog is embracing hybrid assistance to lower emissions and to extract more performance, especially in a straight line where the instant torque of an electric drive unit makes a world of difference in an e-vehicle.Scheduled to arrive by 2025, the successor of the Huracan is under development with a plug-in hybrid system joining the internal combustion engine. Rather than Lamborghinis trademark naturally-aspirated V10, a twin-turbocharged V8 thats rumored with a redline of 10,000 revolutions per minute is the most likely culprit.The mystery engine in the baby Lambo isnt related to the Porsche-developed unit in the Urus , or so hearsay suggests. The spinny lads are said to kick in at 7,000 revolutions per minute, which is a bit strange considering that low-down torque is preferred in a turbod vehicle.Between the flagships reveal and the rollout of the redesigned entry-level supercar, Lamborghini will electrify its best-selling model with a plug-in hybrid system. The Urus or whatever you want to call it  will be revealed this year for the 2024 model year.Road & Track had a nice chat with big kahuna Stephan Winkelmann during a media preview of the Aventadors heir apparent, in which the chief executive officer of Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. confirmed that an electric utility vehicle will arrive sometime in 2029. The second-generation Urus wont be the only full-electric model in the Italian automakers lineup because an electric 2+2 gran turismo will be introduced in 2028.The companys first series-production electric model is best considered a modern-day Espada rather than a Bentley Continental GT with a wedge-shaped makeover and Raging Bull insignias both inside and out. Lamborghini may also jack up the ground clearance of said grand tourer to blur the line between GT and, the same trick employed by Ferrari for the Purosangue.Whatever the future holds for this zero-emission revival of the hideously underrated Espada, the writing is pretty clear on the wall. After the successors of the Aventador and Huracan reach the bitter end of their production life cycle, both are very likely to get electric replacements.When everyone from low-cost Romanian automaker Dacia to the best name in the biz goes electric, the biggest challenge for every automaker out there will be to differentiate their products. As of February 2023, its easy to choose between the NA V12-engined Purosangue and TT V8-engined and soon-to-be-PHEV Urus. But in a few short years, both companies will have to be very creative in differentiating their EVs in such a way that the public actually cares about said differentiation.
#1 Subaru Forester

Photo: Apple TV+

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#2 Pickup trucks

Photo: Apple TV+

#3 A modified bus

Photo: Apple TV+

#4 Side-by-side vehicles

Photo: Apple TV+

#5 Private jet

Photo: Apple TV+

Chris Evans and Ana de Armas first worked together in the Knives Out series opener, followed by the Netflix action thriller The Gray Man. The two will join forces again in the Apple TV+ action flick Ghosted, with Dexter Fletcher as director.The movie begins just like any other romantic comedy: a guy meets a girl, and he likes her, but she ghosts him. Instead of letting go, he flies to London, UK, to surprise her, but little did he know that she was a CIA agent.With a length of almost three minutes, way longer than any trailer should be, it gives us a glimpse at the action, which includes several vehicles.It doesn't take long for us to realize it's a vehicle-filled movie, because the first shot includes a look at one of the first cars that shows up in it. Right after meeting Sadie (de Armas), Cole Riggan (Evans) talks to her from outside the window of herThe car in question is a Subaru Forester , which is a very popular vehicle. Customers get to choose from as many as six different trims, but de Armas drives the Wilderness, which starts at $34,020.With a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, some of the Wilderness' features include a raised suspension with 9.2 inches (23 cm) of ground clearance, 17-inch matte-black wheels, Dual-function X-MODE, which allows the driver to enjoy the SUV on any type of terrain, and water-repellent upholstery.The one de Armas drives in the film has an Ice Silver Metallic exterior with a Gray Textured StarTex interior.The 2023 Subaru Forester is also one of our choices for the 10 best current SUVs under $30,000 In one of the car chases scenes, the "bad guys" didn't have dark, evil-looking cars, which are usually black SUVs like Cadillac Escalades. But it looks like for Ghosted, they opt for practicality, too. In the trailer, we see de Armas and Evans trying to escape from two different pickup trucks.At the time of press, the first trailer doesnt give us a closeup of the two pickup trucks which only appear in one fleeting scene. But one of them seems to be a Toyota Tacoma Double Cab with a cobra decal on the side.The pickup trucks also give the bad guys an opportunity to stay in the pickup trucks bed and shoot at the main characters with no obstructions.Could we have a heroine that doesnt magically know how to drive any type of vehicle? Sadie is also able to drive a school bus on a cliff without a care in the world. Oh, did we mention that she did so in reverse?Naturally, de Armas also had a stunt double for some of her scenes, and so did Evans, so she was probably not driving the modified bus in a dangerous location.Although the make of the bus is not visible, it looks like it might be heavily modified, possibly a Chiva unit, which is an artisan rustic bus from rural Columbia, although the filming locations didn't include the Central American country, but were limited to Washington DC and Atlanta.Similar to the previous vehicle, Sadie, as a CIA agent, is capable of handling any type of vehicle at high speeds without blinking twice.Action spy movies lately strive to include all kinds of vehicles and landscapes, including chase scenes in the jungle or a forest. Ghosted does not disappoint, and there is a scene involving at least three side-by-side vehicles.From the looks of it, the ATVs seem to be ones from Polaris, most likely the RZR off-roader, the four-seat variant. The Polaris RZR is great for adventures on any type of land, but in Ghosted, it's also great for chases.There is no spy movie without a touch of luxury and a private jet is all about that. There is a fight scene on board a modern, luxurious airplane, culminating with the two main characters jumping out of the jet.The aircraft in question is a Gulfstream IV with the registration number N815DT. The Gulfstream is a popular choice for those who want to travel in style and comfort, getting to their destination as smoothly as possible. The aircraft comes with two Rolls-Royce Tay Mk.611-8 engines, taking it to a cruising speed of 459 to 488 knots (528 to 561 mph / 850-903 kph) and a maximum speed of 505 knots (581 mph / 935 kph), with a range of 4,220 nautical miles (4,856 mi / 7,815 km).Based on the configuration, the aircraft has enough room for 14 to 19 passengers, and a place to sleep for at least half of them.We were able to get a glimpse of so many vehicles in just a three-minute trailer, so the full movie will surely include even more cars, planes and ATVs, action, and thrilling scenes.
By default, Android Auto does not allow users to read news on the cars screen. The application tackles distraction behind the wheel by making Google Assistant responsible for handling the content that typically requires users attention.As such, if you ask Google Assistant to read the news, the assistant can look for your favorite sources and then tell you the latest stories.Starting in November, this feature has been malfunctioning in the worst possible way.First of all, some users claim that Android Auto automatically begins playing Reuters TV every time they start the engine. This happens because Android Auto loads when they turn on the engine and the connection between the head unit and the phone is detected.Users claim they only required Google Assistant to read the news once, and since then, they get the same experience every time Android Auto starts.Some Android Auto adopters claim they are provided with news from sources they didnt even mark as favorite. Others explain they hear content from Reuters TV even without having the Reuters app installed on their mobile devices.The search for a workaround continues, and some users reveal that disabling the news component in Google Assistant is the only solution. This isnt the most convenient fix, especially if users want to listen to news on demand.To do this on Android Auto, go to Settings and look for the Customize Launcher section. Make sure the News option is disabled, so Android Auto should no longer play the news.Others reveal that clearing the cache and the data for Android Auto and the Google app brings things back to normal. The Google app is responsible for powering Google Assistant, which in its turn reads the news on Android Auto. Updating to the most recent version of Android Auto doesnt produce an improvement, and Google is yet to acknowledge the glitch.In the meantime, Google seems to be focused entirely on polishing the experience with Coolwalk. The big redesign started rolling out to users in January, and the most recent updates brought subtle improvements. Android Auto 9.0 includes a new option that allows users to change the layout and decide whether they want the media or the navigation card closer to drivers.Coolwalk allows users to run multiple apps side-by-side in cards regardless of screen size. Google uses a phased rollout for this update, as the company wants to ensure full reliability for all configurations. This approach makes sense, especially as Coolwalk is aimed at devices of all screen sizes and orientations, no matter the phone powering Android Auto.
This is not a time for sanctions, Louis Bono, the new U.S. envoy for the South Caucasus, told RFE/RLs Armenian Service. I am here to work with both parties to lead them towards peace. Sanctions would be counterproductive. Its not even under consideration at this point.

Washington has repeatedly called on Baku to lift the road blockade that led to a humanitarian crisis in Karabakh. According to the U.S. State Department, Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted on the restoration of free and open commercial and private transit through the Lachin corridor when he hosted talks between Armenias and Azerbaijans leaders in Munich on February 18.

The Azerbaijani side has dismissed such calls also made by the European Union and Russia, claiming that the lifeline road was not blocked by Azerbaijani government-backed protesters on December 12.

We will continue to press this matter, Bono said at the end of a trip to Yerevan during which he met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and other Armenian officials.

The U.S. diplomat held talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku earlier this week.

He arrived in the Azerbaijani capital on Sunday hours after a shootout in Karabakh left three Karabakh Armenian police officers and two Azerbaijani soldiers dead. The conflicting sides blamed each other for the incident that occurred four days after a meeting between Azerbaijani and Karabakh officials organized by Russian peacekeepers.

During that meeting, the Karabakh representatives refused to discuss the Armenian-populated territorys integration into Azerbaijan demanded by Baku.

Asked whether Washington could also arrange contacts between Baku and Stepanakert, Bono said: Our role in this process is not to serve as a mediator. We are not here to impose language, conditions on any of the parties. What we are trying to do is to facilitate a peace. What I mean by that is that we want the parties to develop the language, the conditions, to accept them together. They need to work this out amongst themselves.

The envoy also noted that Karabakh should be part of the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process.

In order to have a peace agreement that is going to be sustainable, durable and balanced, it has to include Nagorno-Karabakh, and we are committed to seeing this through, he said. We recognize the importance of that.
Sarkisian blamed the current Armenian government for recent months friction between the two countries.

Ive never been pro-Russian and never will be, but I continue believe that the Russian Federation is our best ally because there is no alternative, he told journalists.

Will NATO set up a base here? he said. Will any European country have a [military] contingent in Karabakh? You know very well that I have never been anti-European. My rebuke is directed not at NATO or the European Union but at those adventurists who are trying, for some reason, to mess up everything here.

Armenias traditionally close relationship with Russia has soured lately because of what Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians administration sees as a lack of Russian support in the continuing conflict with Azerbaijan. Yerevan has also accused Russian peacekeepers of doing little to lift the Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin corridor.

Moscow has denied that. It has also rejected Pashinians recent claim that the Russian military presence in Armenia may be putting the South Caucasus countrys security and territorial integrity at greater risk.

These tensions have fuelled speculation about a pro-Western change in Armenias geopolitical orientation planned by Pashinian. Armenias leading opposition groups are against such a policy change. One of them, the Pativ Unem bloc, is led by Sarkisian.

The ex-president, who ruled the country from 2008-2018, spoke to the press during the presentation of his new book containing a collection of his past speeches and statements on the Karabakh conflict.

Sarkisian again blamed the current government for Armenias defeat in the 2020 war with Azerbaijan and reiterated opposition allegations that the Armenian side will suffer more military and diplomatic losses if Pashinian remains in power. He claimed that Pashinian is too incompetent to be taken seriously by Azerbaijan or even international mediators.
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter.
A local law firm asserted in a claim against the city of Bakersfield that two city officers involved in a collision that left a man dead and a
What started as a civil dispute over a Bakersfield Sikh temples ownership bled into a criminal matter as one of its owners  a candidate in l
Four former bankers with the Swiss affiliate of a major Russian bank have gone on trial over allegations that they did not properly check accounts opened in the name of a Russian cellist with ties to President Vladimir Putin.

The one-day trial in Zurich district court stems from information about secretive financial flows revealed in the Panama Papers leaks in 2016 that implicated Mr Putins childhood friend Sergei Roldugin.

It took years for prosecutors to unravel the web of money and bring the case to court.

The trial opens a rare window into allegations from the Panama Papers that a member of Mr Putins circle of friends helped funnel millions abroad and that financial employees may have turned a blind eye to such inflows. Mr Putin has denied the accusations.

Both before and since Mr Putin ordered forces into Ukraine, Western nations have imposed sanctions against oligarchs and others with close ties to his government, including Mr Roldugin. The US Treasury Department describes Mr Roldugin as part of a system that manages President Putins offshore wealth.

Russian President Vladimir Putin denies the allegations (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)   Mikhail Metzel

The former Gazprombank employees  three Russian-born and one Swiss-born who cannot be named under Swiss law  are charged with failing to adequately check whether Mr Roldugin, who was a client of the bank from 2014 to 2016, actually owned the assets in the accounts.

All four deny the charges, which include allegations of violating Swiss anti-money-laundering law.

A verdict is expected on March 30, according to Gazprombank Switzerland, which is in the process of winding down its operations and is not itself facing charges.

Documents filed when the accounts were opened listed expected transactions of 11.5 million Swiss francs (10.3m). The indictment does not indicate how much of that may have arrived at the bank.

It is publicly known that Russian President Putin officially has an income of just over 100,000 Swiss francs (90,000) and is not wealthy, but in fact has enormous assets managed by people close to him, according to the indictment.

The document says Gazprombank maintained the accounts despite abundant media reports about Mr Roldugins relationship to Mr Putin, including that he was godfather to one of Mr Putins daughters.

The banks documents listed Mr Roldugins income as 1 million Swiss francs a year, his assets at 10 million francs and his occupation as a musician, indicating that the money flows were in no way plausible as Mr Roldugins own wealth and that the way the accounts were structured indicated he was being used as a straw man, the indictment shows.

It cited a New York Times article published in 2014 that quotes Mr Roldugin as saying he did not have millions. He was registered as beneficial owner on the accounts of two companies, one based in Panama and one in Cyprus.

In 2016, when reports named Mr Roldugin as the owner of 2 billion dollars in offshore assets, Mr Putin denied having any links to offshore accounts and described the Panama Papers leaks as part of Western efforts to weaken Russia.

The public prosecutors office is calling for the defendants to receive a seven-month suspended prison sentence.

The Swiss affiliate of Gazprombank announced in October that it was ceasing operations after consultations with Swiss financial market regulator FINMA.
Zachary Levi: I wondered if it was legal to hit Dame Helen Mirren while filming (Victoria Jones/PA)   Victoria Jones

Zachary Levi says he wondered whether it was legal to swing at a Dame, while filming with Helen Mirren for superhero blockbuster Shazam! Fury Of The Gods.

The US actor said Dame Helen was really game to just jump in with fight sequences, to the point that she had not told crew members that she had broken her finger.

The film sees Levi reprise his role as the superhero alter ego of Billy Batson who, along with his fellow foster kids, attempt to juggle their teen lives and super-powers before being confronted by a vengeful trio of ancient Goddesses.

Dame Helen joins the cast of the action packed DC sequel, alongside Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler  as the goddesses Hespera, Kalypso and Anthea, respectively.

Speaking to the PA news agency at the London premiere of the film, Levi praised Dame Helen as an awesome human being.

Asked if he had been beaten up by the veteran actress in the movie he said: I mean yeah she does. But we beat each other up  its visceral.

Honestly, when we were filming it, I was like Is this legal? Am I allowed to swing at a Dame like this?

Dame Helen joins the cast of the action packed DC sequel, alongside Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler (Victoria Jones/PA)   Victoria Jones

Its like the coolest fever dream, something that you never thought you were ever gonna do in your life, and yet, here you are.

He continued: Shes such an awesome human being and so talented and all that but like, she was really game to just jump in. Have fun in the sandbox.

When we broke her finger she didnt even tell anyone. We all found out when the world found out when she was on Graham Norton.

Dame Helen admitted that she had not done all my own stunts but tried to engage in as much as I could.

The film sees Levi reprise his role as the superhero alter ego of Billy Batson (Victoria Jonese/PA)   Victoria Jones

Theres a long fight sequence that Im a part of in the film, she told PA.

And obviously, you work with stunt people but I did a lot of it. I did as much as I could myself and managed to break my finger in the process.

Dame Helen added that she had been charmed by the first Shazam film in 2019 and had been very happy to be asked to appear in the sequel.

Then I read the first scene in the script and I said, Im in, she said.

Shazam! Fury Of The Gods is due for release in UK cinemas on March 17.
Man wanted for arson in the Republic was remanded into custody in Northern Ireland accused of dangerous driving having fled over the border

A man wanted for arson in the Republic was remanded into custody in Northern Ireland accused of dangerous driving having fled over the border.

Appearing at Newry Magistrates Court by videolink from police custody, 35-year-old Mark Ashby was charged with five offences including dangerous driving and driving while unfit on March 7.

He is also accused of not having insurance or a licence and failing to stop.

Ashby, from the Moy Elta Road in Dublin, was also charged with possessing Class A cocaine.

He confirmed he understood the charges.

Objecting to him being freed on bail, a police officer outlined how Gardai in Dundalk alerted the PSNI to a suspected arsonist fleeing northwards on a motorbike.

At around 02.30am, officers spotted the motorbike on the A1 dual carriageway but it failed to stop and 10 minutes later, police attempted to speak to the driver in an industrial estate in the city but he sped off, driving the wrong way along the A1.

Cops set up a vehicle check point but again, Ashby failed to stop but he was arrested a short time later at a filling station in Banbridge and he failed a preliminary breathalyser before refusing to answer police questions.

Given Ashbys 196 previous convictions in the Republic, the officer said there were objections to bail given the risk of further offences and the risk of flight.

Defence solicitor Conor Downey argued that even if he did flee, Ashby was wanted by the Gardai who would be keeping a close eye on him and that a cash surety could be lodged.

But Deputy District Judge Peter Prenter said the risks were too great so refusing bail, he remanded Ashby into custody, adjourning the case to March 16.
The teenage accused was refused bail at Belfast Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

A courier driver stopped in south Belfast with boxes containing 100,000 worth of herbal cannabis is not to be alone in any vehicle, a High Court judge ordered today.

The prohibition was imposed on 43-year-old Stuart Kingsberry as he was granted bail over his alleged connection to a wider operation where drug parcels were sent from England to Northern Ireland.

Kingsberry, of Malfin Drive in Belfast, denies a charge of possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

Police detained him in his own car near Harberton Drive on February 25 this year.

Four large boxes of herbal cannabis bearing an incomplete address for an apartment block in the area were said to have been discovered in the boot of the vehicle.

Kingsberry, who worked for the Evri courier firm, had allegedly posted fake proof of delivery photographs on the companys tracking site.

It was an attempt to deceive his unwitting employers system, a detective contended at a previous hearing.

Police claimed that the delivery driver actually planned to take the four packages to another undisclosed location for further distribution.

An almost identical package he was said to have delivered on February 16 remains missing.

With the seized cannabis valued at more than 100,000, detectives linked the haul to an organised crime gang based in the north east of England.

A number of other parcels are believed to have been sent to Northern Ireland using the same system, unbeknown to the courier company.

Kingsberry categorically denies any involvement with the drugs.

Defence barrister Richard McConkey set out his clients account that he had been working lawfully and completely unaware of any cannabis.

Granting bail to the accused, Mr Justice OHara ordered Kingsberry to surrender his passport and driving licence as part of the terms of release from custody.

He also checked with the prosecution: Presumably you want him out of the courier business?

Based on police concerns the judge then confirmed: He is not to be unaccompanied in any vehicle.
Mr Burke and members of his family had to be removed by force from the Four Courts yesterday and his brother Simeon was arrested

Sacked schoolteacher Enoch Burke has turned up at his former workplace again this morning, the day after judges rejected his appeal against High Court injunctions directing him not to trespass there.

Mr Burke and members of his family had to be removed by force from the Four Courts yesterday amid chaotic scenes when the judgment was made.

His younger brother Simeon (24) was charged with threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour.

Enoch Burke was driven to the Wilsons Hospital school in Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath, this morning by his father, arriving at 9.10am.

He has now resumed the spot he has taken before, standing outside a door of the property as temperatures struggle to rise above zero degrees.

Mr Burke is being fined 700 a day for every day he is in contempt of court for breaching the order not to go to the school.

Todays arrival at the school means his fines now stand at 28,700.

Simeon Burke being ejected from the Court of Appeal by gardai

At the Court of Appeal hearing yesterday, Enoch Burke lost an appeal aimed at overturning court orders preventing him from teaching or attending the school.

The three-judge court, in three separate judgments, dismissed the appeal. The delivery of the judgments was interrupted several times, with gardai eventually intervening to remove members of the family.

Officers moved in and requested that the Burkes leave the courtroom after the court abandoned the delivery of its judgment because of repeated interruptions.

There were tense scenes as at least 10 gardai arrived in the court to escort the Burkes out, only for members of the family to angrily refuse to comply with requests to leave.

The first to be physically removed was Mr Burkes sister Ammi, a solicitor, followed by his brother Simeon, who is studying to be a barrister at Kings Inns.

One by one, the family members were removed despite resisting  holding onto benches and each other as gardai sought to get them out.

Enoch Burke appeared to cut his hand while grabbing hold of a table as a garda tried to pull him away.

Throughout the incident, which went on for around 10 minutes, angry comments were directed at gardai by the Burkes.

Ammi Burke being ejected from the Court of Appeal by gardai   PA

The confrontation broke out after the Burkes got to their feet and loudly objected to comments by the president of the court, Mr Justice George Birmingham.

The judge said offensive terms used by Enoch Burke during his appeal caused him to wonder whether this is not an exercise in creating soundbites.

Enoch Burke got to his feet, shouting: Thats a disgrace, judge.

His mother Martina repeatedly shouted: You are bowed prostrate at the altar of transgenderism.

Gardai moved in and Ammi Burke was the first to be physically removed.

Sean and Martina Burke were also bundled out of the court after a stand-off.

Then four gardai were required to drag Enoch Burke out a back door.

As a garda wrestled with him, Mr Burke repeatedly shouted: Dont you dare touch me, and accused the gardai of being a disgrace.

The last of the family to be removed was Isaac Burke, who was dragged out with his feet trailing on the ground.

Mr Burke was appealing against High Court orders restraining him from turning up at Wilsons Hospital School.

Mr Justice Birmingham, sitting with Mr Justice John Edwards and Ms Justice Maire Whelan, had only managed to read out one part of the courts decision before the hearing descended into chaos.

The judge said the court had no hesitation in dismissing an appeal Mr Burke had against a temporary injunction granted by Ms Justice Siobhan Stack last August restraining him from attending for work at the Co Westmeath school

Despite the orders, Mr Burke continued to go to its premises in Multyfarnham each school day despite first being suspended and later dismissed from his job there as a teacher of history and German.

He spent 108 days in prison last year for contempt of court orders and is currently being fined 700 for each day he remains in contempt.

His suspension last August came after Mr Burke, an evangelical Christian, refused to comply with a request from the then principal to call a transgender pupil by a new name and by their preferred pronouns.

A number of incidents, in which Mr Burke expressed opposition on religious grounds to the request, prompted the schools board of management to put him on paid administrative leave.

He was sacked by the board of management in January, a decision he is appealing to a tribunal.

During the appeal hearing, the teacher claimed the request was an unlawful demand that he participate in transgenderism, and that it was in breach of his constitutional rights to the freedom of religious expression.

But Mr Justice Birmingham said the communication from the principal fell well short of a demand.

The judge said he had no hesitation in dismissing the appeal against the order of Ms Justice Stack, as on the evidence presented to her there was a case for an interim injunction.

The Court of Appeal decided not to hear appeals against two other High Court decisions, made by Mr Justice Conor Dignam and Ms Justice Eileen Roberts. These included the dismissal of an application brought by Mr Burke aimed at setting aside his suspension.

The hearing of the full cases between the school and Mr Burke remains pending before the High Court, and is expected to be heard later this year.

A younger brother of Enoch Burke was charged yesterday with threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour following the chaotic scenes at the Court of Appeal.

Simeon Burke (24) was arrested and brought before Dublin District Court accused of causing a breach of the peace at the Four Courts.

The accused, of Cloonsunna, Castlebar, Co Mayo, is charged with using threatening, abusive and insulting words or behaviour at the Four Courts under Section 6 of the Public Order Act.

Judge Paula Murphy granted him bail and adjourned the case to Cloverhill District Court next Tuesday. Mr Burke told the court he would not sign the bail bond and was remanded in custody with consent to bail.
A Co Down man convicted of controlling prostitution is to stand trial for allegedly flouting a ban on further involvement in the sex trade, a judge ordered today.

Martin Heaney, 60, faces seven new charges of breaching a slavery and trafficking prevention order (STPO).

In July 2022 the former taxi driver, from Maypole Park in Dromore, received a five-year prison sentence for a series of offences against vulnerable and exploited young women.

Due to time already served on remand Heaney was released on licence at that stage, but made subject to an STPO for seven years.

The order included a prohibition on working in the sex trade or accessing any sites advertising personal sexual services.

Within days he was arrested again at his hostel accommodation on the Ormeau Road in south Belfast for allegedly defying that ban.

Checks on his mobile phone revealed websites advertising strippers, kissograms and companionship services had been accessed, police have claimed.

Heaney insisted there was an innocent explanation for any content viewed on the device via YouTube.

But his release on licence was subsequently revoked amid concerns that he may pose a risk to the public.

He appeared remotely from custody at Belfast Magistrates Court today for a preliminary enquiry into the seven new charges of failing to comply with the terms of his STPO.

It is alleged that he had involvement with an enterprise operating in the UK that engages females for the purposes of sexual gratification of others.

He is further accused of accessing a website advertising sexual services, possessing an unregistered mobile phone SIM card and failing to provide the PSNI with the handsets serial number.

Asked if he understood the charges, Heaney replied: I do, yes.

He declined to call witnesses or give any evidence at this stage in the proceedings.

District Judge Anne Marshall backed the Crowns submissions that the test for continuing with the prosecution against Heaney had been met.

I have considered the papers and there is indeed a prima facie case (to answer), she held.

Heaneys solicitor, Eoghan McKenna, confirmed there was no fresh application for bail.

Judge Marshall ordered: He will be remanded in custody and returned for trial at Belfast Crown Court on a date to be fixed.
A notorious criminal who became the first person to be ordered to stand trial under new domestic abuse legislation has been acquitted of all charges.

Dwayne Mullan  a former boyfriend of Peru drugs mule Michaella McCollum  had faced a raft of domestic violence charges against another woman at Craigavon Crown Court.

But with no complainant to testify, prosecuting counsel Nicola Auret had to offer no evidence against Lurgan-based Mullan.

Judge Patrick Lynch KC then ordered the jury to find Mullan not guilty by direction on each of the charges.

Mullan, with an address at Dingwell Park in Lurgan, had faced 11 offences alleged to have been committed against his former partner on various dates between November 2021 and April 2022  single offences of wounding, attempting to inflict GBH with intent, criminal damage and a domestic abuse offence.

In addition, he had also faced three counts of common assault, two of making a threat to kill intending the complainant would fear it would be carried out and two counts of false imprisonment.

The domestic abuse offence alleged that Mullan engaged in a course of behaviour that was abusive of another person to whom he was personally connected at the time and that a reasonable person would consider the course of behaviour to be likely to cause her to suffer physical or psychological harm.

It was alleged Mullan intended the course of behaviour to cause her to suffer physical or psychological harm or was reckless as to whether she would suffer physical or psychological harm.

That offence was created by new legislation on domestic violence.

The case made legal history last November when Mullan became the first person to have that charge, which carried a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail, elevated to the Crown Court.

Mullan, formerly from Dungannon, has more than 100 convictions, including for drugs and domestic violence offences.

He dated dancer Michaella McCollum for more than a year before she jetted off to Ibiza in 2013.

McCollum spent years in jail in Peru after she and Scottish friend Melissa Reid were caught at Lima airport in August 2013 trying to smuggle 1.5m of cocaine from Spain. Last year she featured in a Netflix documentary High: Confessions of an Ibiza Drug Mule.
Alleged offending took place over a period of almost four years

Tyrone businessman has denied abusing his position with a Christian literature firm to steal more than 23,000 (Credit: Aaron Burden/Unsplash)

A Co Tyrone businessman has denied abusing his position with a Christian literature firm to steal more than 23,000.

Colin Glendinning (48) appeared at Coleraine Crown Court today for arraignment on five charges including fraud, false accounting and theft.

Glendinning, of Drumlea Park, Cookstown is set to stand trial after entering not guilty pleas to the charges which relate his former position as a director of Christian literature company Scripture Teaching Library Ltd, a firm registered in Magherafelt.

The offences are alleged to have taken place over a four-year period.

The company was incorporated in April 2014, with Companies House listing the accused as a director from its incorporation until his termination of appointment in March 2019.

He is accused of using 2,756 of company funds to pay for fuel or other items for his own use between December 2015 and October 2018.

Glendinning is further accused of withdrawing 11,230 from company accounts between March 2016 and October 2018, as well as removing 9,340 from the company account under the guise of web design between August 2016 and June 2018.

A fourth charge accuses Glendinning of producing misleading, false or deceptive accounts for the year ending April 2018.

It is alleged the defendant falsely claimed the accounts had been approved by the board of Scripture Teaching Library Ltd and countersigned by another director.

A fifth count of theft accuses Glendinning with having taken a total of 23,327 from the company between December 30, 2015 and October 28, 2018.

At arraignment today, Glendinning spoke only to enter not guilty pleas to all five charges.

Judge Bagnall said expert evidence may be required during the trial, including accountant reports.

She adjourned the case until March 30 for a further update.
Its very easy to forget just how far the country has come in the last 25 years
The Northern Irelands International Womens Day March returns to its traditional route along Royal Avenue to a rally at Belfast City Hall this Saturday as women are encouraged to Stand Up and Fight Back.

Hundreds of people from across Northern Ireland will descend on Belfast City Centre for the colourful IWD annual celebrations.

The march down Royal Avenue returns for the first time since 2020 after an online event in 2021 and a static rally in 2022 due to Covid restrictions.

This years International Womens Day campaign global theme is Embrace Equality, but the organisers of the Belfast event have chosen their own slogan that reflects the struggle for rights in Northern Ireland.

Stand Up  Fight Back is a call to action against increasing misogyny in the streets, online, the workplace and the home.

Helen Crickard of Reclaim the Agenda, organisers of the annual march and rally, said the event was the culmination of a year of relentless campaigning against sexual harassment, misogyny and inequality.

Helen said: We have selected this theme because we embrace equality all year round.

For IWD 2023, we chose Stand Up  Fight Back as a strong call for action reflecting that weve had enough. The cost of living crisis has had a major impact and we are calling on people to show the government and society that women are fighting back against oppression and austerity.

Marchers and supporters will gather at Writers Square at 11am, heading along Royal Avenue to the beat of samba drums for speeches at Belfast City Hall at 12.30pm. A celebration event including food, music and dancing will be held afterwards at 2 Royal Avenue.

Meanwhile, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is calling for action to tackle online violence against women today, International Womens Day

The NIHRC is highlighting the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing online gender-based violence.

Violence against women including in an online environment can take many forms, including cyber abuse and harassment, cyber stalking, revenge porn, as well as threats of physical harm.

According to research, 58% of young women have experienced gender-based online harassment.

Alyson Kilpatrick, Chief Commissioner of Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission said: It is crucial that digital spaces are a safe and empowering place for everyone, including women and girls.

The Commission supports recommendations in the Istanbul Convention that encourages the information and communication technology sector to implement policies and self-regulatory standards to prevent violence against women and to enhance respect for their dignity.
Picture of the scene at Corrody Road. Photo: PSNI

A 21-year-old man arrested under the Terrorism Act in Belfast has been released on bail.

The man was arrested following an investigation into a security alert and attempted hijacking in Londonderry.

The attempted hijacking occured in the Hollymount Park area of Derry on February 17. A suspicious device was subsequently discovered in the Corrody Road area on February 18.

The viable device was discovered metres away from playing children.
Police at the scene of a shooting incident in the Crocus Street area of west Belfast on March 7th, 2023 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)   Kevin Scott

Police at the scene of a shooting incident in the Crocus Street area of west Belfast on March 7th, 2023 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)   Kevin Scott

A man in his 20s has sustained serious injuries after being shot three times by masked men in west Belfast.

The victim was shot in both knees and the ankle after three attackers, who were wearing gloves, forced their way inside a house in the Crocus Street area shortly after 9pm on Tuesday.

The assailants fled the scene on foot and made off towards the Cavendish Street direction before the victim was taken to hospital.

A police helicopter and forensics were at the scene on Tuesday night.

Police are trying to establish a motive for the attack and said the investigation is at an early stage with a number of lines of enquiry being followed.

However, this shooting is a clear human rights abuse and everyone has the right to live free from the threat of violence and feel safe in their own homes, a PSNI spokesperson said.

Police at the scene of a shooting incident in the Crocus Street area of west Belfast on March 7th, 2023 (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)   Kevin Scott

The horrific violence that was inflicted on this man will most certainly leave physical and mental scars and trauma that may never heal.

"Victims of such attacks often have their lives changed forever.

We are appealing to anyone who was in the Crocus Street area on Tuesday evening, 7th March shortly after 9pm and who noticed anything suspicious, or who may have dash-cam or mobile footage that could help with our investigation to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 1929 of 07/03/23.
Motorola, which provides Airwave, was originally contracted to provide elements of ESN (Nick Ansell/PA)   Nick Ansell

The Home Office is still unable to say when a planned new communications system for Britains blue light services will be operational, despite spending almost 2 billion on the project, the Whitehall spending watchdog has said.

The proposed new Emergency Services Network (ESN), first announced in 2015, was supposed to have replaced the ageing Airwave system for police, fire and ambulance services in England, Scotland and Wales, by 2020.

However the National Audit Office (NAO) said that despite the turn-off date for Airwave having already been extended twice, first to 2022 and then to 2026, the Home Office now admits it is likely to be later, although it cannot say when or how much it will cost.

Motorola, which provides Airwave, was originally contracted to provide elements of ESN, but in 2021 the Home Office wrote to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) expressing concern its profits from Airwave were excessive and acted as a disincentive for completing ESN on time.

After an initial estimate by the CMA that the company stood to make super-normal profits of 1.1 billion, Motorola told the Home Office it may not continue as a supplier to ESN beyond 2024 amid fears it could be forced by the CMA to sell Airwave.

At the end of 2022, the Home Office agreed to end the contract early, paying Motorola 45 million, taking the total spent with the company on the project to more than 300 million even though it does not expect to be able to use any of its critical software or systems.

Until a new contractor has been appointed, the Home Office cannot say when Airwave can be turned off.

In the meantime it has estimated that between April 2015 and March 2023, it spent 2 billion on ESN and 2.9 billion on keeping Airwave going. Maintaining Airwave into the 2030s could cost at least 250 million a year.

The head of the NAO, Gareth Davies, said it was extremely worrying the Home Office still did not know when ESN will be ready or what it will cost.

Home Office is in the process of letting new contracts to put the programme on a sounder footing, he said.

It must now also put in place a realistic timetable and robust contractual and governance arrangements to address the significant risks this programme still faces and avoid any further waste of taxpayers money.

A Motorola Solutions spokesman said the company will continue to support ESN through transitional services until the end of 2023.

Motorola Solutions is committed to the essential Airwave network, which is relied upon by the 300,000 emergency services personnel who protect communities across the UK every day, the spokesman said.

As the NAO recognises, the Airwave network operates at the highest levels of reliability and coverage.
Ngozi Fulani, who was at the centre of a royal race row, has stepped down from leading her domestic violence organisation Sistah Space because of the backlash she has faced (Sistah Space/PA)   Sistah Space

The charity boss who was at the centre of a royal race row has stepped down from leading her domestic violence organisation because of the backlash she has faced.

Ngozi Fulani revealed she has temporarily resigned as chief executive of Sistah Space, the charity she founded, as she criticised Buckingham Palace for not tackling the abuse she suffered in wake of the incident.

Ms Fulani went public to express her shock in November when Lady Susan Hussey, the late Queens lady in waiting, repeatedly asked the black British charity leader where she really came from at a Palace reception highlighting violence against women.

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Lady Susan later apologised in person to Ms Fulani and for the distress her comments had caused.

Speaking on ITVs Good Morning Britain (GMB) on Wednesday, Ms Fulani said: We, the Sistah Space charity, has suffered as a result, direct result.

When you think that this was supposed to be for violence against women and girls, because of this incident, the violence has been directed to me, the Palace hasnt intervened, I think they could have.

So what Ive had to do, Ive now temporarily stepped down as CEO of Sistah Space.

Ngozi Fulani at the reception in Buckingham Palace in November last year (Kin Cheung/PA)   Kin Cheung

Im announcing that now because the service users and the community cant access us properly.

This whole thing has cost us a fortune because we had to pay our own PR to stop the press from coming up, it was horrible.

In December, after Lady Susan and Ms Fulani spoke face to face to address the incident, the Palace said in a statement that the meeting had been filled with warmth and understanding.

The statement said Ms Fulani had unfairly received the most appalling torrent of abuse on social media and elsewhere and that she had accepted Lady Susans apology.

Lady Susan Hussey attends a church service at Sandringham in Norfolk in January (Joe Giddens/PA)   Joe Giddens

GMB presenter Richard Madeley claimed the Palace said on Tuesday night: For the avoidance of any doubt, we are deeply sorry for the incident that took place and apologise for the distress and difficulty it caused to Ms Fulani.

Ms Fulani told him: Who are they apologising to? If youre sorry, tell me youre sorry, if youre not It speaks for itself.

She added: If you have to ask someone for an apology, it is not an apology.

Buckingham Palace said it gave right-of-reply comments to GMB after being made aware fresh assertions were to be made on the programme.

Apologies on behalf of the Palace are understood to have been made to Ms Fulani and her representatives at the meeting with Lady Susan in December.

It is also understood Sistah Space sent a message to the Palace afterwards, thanking those involved for their support of Ms Fulani and the charity, and that the support included helping her with security concerns, and with the handling of some of the abuse she received on social media and elsewhere.

The Palace is understood to have continued to engage with Ms Fulani regarding what might be learned further from the charity, but is yet to hear back.
The inscription He is Odins man is seen in a round half circle over the head of a figure on a golden bracteate unearthed in Vindelev, Denmark in late 2020 (The National Museum of Denmark/AP)

Scientists say they have identified the oldest-known inscription referencing the Norse god Odin on part of a gold disc unearthed in western Denmark in 2020.

Lisbeth Imer, a runologist with the National Museum in Copenhagen, said the inscription represented the first solid evidence of Odin being worshipped as early as the fifth century  at least 150 years earlier than the previous oldest known reference, which was on a brooch found in southern Germany and dated to the second half of the sixth century.

The disc discovered in Denmark was part of a trove including large medallions the size of saucers and Roman coins made into jewellery.

It was unearthed in the village of Vindelev, central Jutland, and dubbed the Vindelev Hoard.

Experts think it was buried 1,500 years ago, either to hide it from enemies or as a tribute to appease the gods.

A golden bracteate  a kind of thin, ornamental pendant  carried an inscription that read, He is Odins man, likely referring to an unknown king or overlord.

Its one of the best executed runic inscriptions that I have ever seen, Ms Imer said.

Runes are symbols that early tribes in northern Europe used to communicate in writing.

Experts Krister Vasshus, left, and Lisbeth Imer hold golden bracteates unearthed in Vindelev, Denmark in late 2020 (John Fhr Engedal Nissen/The National Museum of Denmark/AP)

Odin was one of the main gods in Norse mythology and was frequently associated with war as well as poetry.

More than 1,000 bracteates have been found in northern Europe, according to the National Museum in Copenhagen, where the trove discovered in 2020 is on display.

Krister Vasshus, an ancient language specialist, said that because runic inscriptions are rare, every runic inscription (is) vital to how we understand the past.

When an inscription of this length appears, that in itself is amazing, he said.

It gives us some quite interesting information about religion in the past, which also tells us something about society in the past.

During the Viking Age, considered to be from 793 to 1066, Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest and trading throughout Europe. They also reached North America.

The Norsemen worshipped many gods and each of them had various characteristics, weaknesses and attributes. Based on sagas and some rune stones, details have emerged that the gods possessed many human traits and could behave like humans.

That kind of mythology can take us further and have us reinvestigate all the other 200 bracteate inscriptions that we know, Ms Imer said.
Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine reacts during her session during the International Womens Day in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (Kamran Jebreili/AP)   AP

Ukraines first lady on Wednesday offered spirited support to her nations people while visiting the United Arab Emirates, a country that still remains open to Russia despite Western sanctions.

Olena Zelenska described her role and that of other first ladies and gentlemen in the world as a real power while speaking before a packed ballroom on International Womens Day.

We are a force and we can continue to change the world, Ms Zelenska said at the Forbes 30/50 Summit via a translator.

Ms Zelenskas trip to the capital of the United Arab Emirates comes as the UAE remains one of the few direct routes out of Moscow  for both people fleeing conscription and for the wealthy who want to keep their money in a nation with access to Western financial markets.

The super yachts of Russian oligarchs have repeatedly turned up in the Emirates since the start of Moscows war on Ukraine last year.

However, the UAE has voted against Russias invasion at the United Nations and has donated humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the war began.

Her husband, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has held multiple calls with UAE leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine reacts during her Q&A session during the International Womens Day in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili/AP)   AP

Ms Zelenska arrived in the UAE on Tuesday and met with Sheikh Mohammed at Qasr al-Bahar in Abu Dhabi, the countrys capital.

There, Sheikh Mohammed funds to Ms Zelenskas foundation that will go toward the construction of orphanages, the Emirates state-run WAM news agency reported.

Sheikh Mohammed reiterated the UAEs commitment to the people of Ukraine through ongoing humanitarian aid, while stressing the importance of international and regional efforts aimed at reaching a political solution to re-establish security, stability and peace, WAM said.

Ms Zelenska has taken a more prominent role in promoting Ukraine since the war began.

She met US first lady Jill Biden when the American presidents wife made a surprise, quick visit to Ukraine from Slovakia in May.

Shes also told the United Nations in February: We have the right to live free, not to be killed or tortured.

Speaking before the crowd, Ms Zelenska recounted the story of a schoolteacher still leading her students via a video call from a snowy street, even though power and internet connections remain unreliable in the country.

She also brought up a 30-year-old female combat medic killed in the fighting near Bakhmut in the east, which drew a gasp from the women gathered at the summit.

We are inspired by the examples and Im sure these examples will stay in our hearts forever, Ms Zelenska said.

She added, to cheers: Ukrainian women and men have been adapting so fast that our enemies have not been able to come up with new challenges for us.
Pixabay

Babylon the Great, commonly known as the Whore of Babylon, refers to a symbolic female figure and place of evil mentioned in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. Her full title is stated in Revelation 17 as Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes and Abominations of the Earth. We may have a familiarity with the term Babylon.

This Old Testament kingdom had taken over Israel and taken many of its inhabitants captive in 586 BC. Nevertheless, this kingdom fell to the Medo-Persians in the Old Testament, never to be heard of again. So why do we see the term Babylon showing up in Revelation? And who, or what, exactly is the whore of Babylon? As Revelation has a great deal of symbolism, perhaps this refers to something rather than someone.

The Whore of Babylon in the Bible

The Whore of Babylon is primarily mentioned in chapter 17 of Revelation. Revelation 17:1-2 tells us, Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and talked with me, saying to me, Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.

Revelation 17:3 gives this description: Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns.

The beast mentioned in this verse is the same as in Revelation chapter 13:1, And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast in Revelation chapter 13 is understood to refer to the Antichrist, the man of lawlessness. So, whoever it is, the whore of Babylon is closely affiliated with the end-times Antichrist.

The fact that the whore of Babylon is referred to as a mystery means that we cannot be entirely sure as to her identity. The passage does give us some clues, however. Revelation 17:9 explains, This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits.

Many commentators link this passage with the Roman Catholic Church because, in ancient times, Rome was known as the city on seven hills because there were seven prominent hills surrounding the city. However, verse 10 explains that the seven hills represent seven kings or kingdoms, five of which have fallen, one that is, and one that is to come. Therefore, the whore of Babylon cannot refer exclusively to Rome.

Revelation 17:15 tells us, Then the angel said to me, The waters you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages. The whore of Babylon will have significant worldwide influence over people and nations. Verses 10-14 describe a series of eight and then ten kings who affiliate with the beast. The whore of Babylon will have control over these kings. However, the kings will turn on her and destroy her at some point.

The Meaning of the Whore of Babylon

Theologians argue about a great deal of the content found within Revelation. Still, they seem to follow the same line of thinking that Babylon can represent paganism or hedonism in the modern-day. In the Book of Revelation, these themes culminate in the image of the whore of Babylon. As a result of this biblical imagery, Babylon has transcended its historical significance to become synonymous with sin and pride in Western art and literature.

In the Old Testament times, Babylon represented the pinnacle of sin. Imagine what the Israelite captives felt as they marched down the streets of Babylon and through the Ishtar Gate. Although the physical kingdom of Babylon has ceased, it lives on in a figurative sense in the end times.

Some theologians have suggested that perhaps this also represents Rome. According to Matthew Henry, Rome appears to be meant in this chapter. Pagan Rome subdued and ruled with military power, not by art and flatteries.

Depending on if a believer believes in typology, one could assert that the whore of Babylon could represent both Rome and our modern world. After all, we see archetypes throughout the Old Testament that point to Jesus, such as Melchizedek. The same could apply to elements we see in Revelation. No matter what the case, the whore of Babylon represents everything corrupt, sinful, and that strays away from God.

Characteristics of the Whore of Babylon

To disect the mother of prostitutes, we need to analyze the chapter of Revelation 17 verse by verse to break down the distinguishing attributes of the whore of Babylon. Revelation 17:1: Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters.

This means that the whore of Babylon has a broad reach. We dont just restrict Babylon to one kingdom that existed in the Old Testament times in the Middle East. It permeates many places and cultures.

Revelations 17:2: With her, the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries.The ideologies of Babylon sway leaders. They give up the ways of the righteous and follow after evil and all acts of sinfulness. As we witness in the Old Testament, when a nations leader falls prey to this, the whole country does so as well.

Revelation 17:3: There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. We previously see this beast in Daniels visions. Both the whore of Babylon and the Beast play a massive role in the End Times. Revelation 17:4: The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones, and pearls. Purple and all these other elements show royalty, power, and wealth. The whore of Babylon influences culture and people.

Revelation 17:4: She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. The Bible has often alluded to the cup of Gods wrath being poured out. She drinks the cup of sinfulness and adultery without caring about the world, without remorse. And yet, the same cup she drinks will lead to her judgment. Gods wrath does not stay forever.

The Significance of the Whore of Babylon

Many of the characteristics of the whore of Babylon sound familiar in our culture today. We need to know as much as we can about the events to come and the signs that precede them. We should also distinguish that many people have a different interpretation of Revelation.

Some believe the events have already occurred, some believe were in the middle of them, and some think weve yet to enter the tribulations set forth at the End of Days. No matter what the case, be sure to turn to the words of Scripture and remain vigilant so that we as believers do not stumble when it comes to the devils schemes and the allure of Babylon.
Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner, walks during the One Planet Summit in Boulogne-Billancourt, west of Paris, Dec. 12, 2017.

From Ban Ki-Moon to Bono, 40 global public figures have jointly urged Bangladesh to stop harassing Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, who is often openly vilified by the Sheikh Hasina government.

In an open letter, these global figures said they are worried about the 82-year-old Grameen Bank founder who is known worldwide for pioneering microcredit as a method of lifting millions out of poverty.

We have deep concerns for Professor Yunus well-being and his ability to contribute to humanitarian advancement in Bangladesh and around the world, the letter said about the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Yunus and some of his colleagues from Grameen Telecom, a company he founded, are being investigated by Bangladeshs anti-graft agency for alleged involvement in laundering money to the tune of U.S. $300 million, and embezzling from the employees welfare fund.

Yunus is chairman of Grameen Telecom which owns a multi-billion dollar stake in Bangladesh's largest mobile phone operator

The notable figures open letter said Yunus has not benefited financially from his involvement in the company.

Rather, he has devoted himself to the poverty-fighting missions of the many organizations he has established and lives modestly in Dhaka, the letter said.

It is therefore painful to see Prof. Yunus, a man of impeccable integrity, and his lifes work unfairly attacked and repeatedly harassed and investigated by your government.

The signatories said they hoped Bangladesh would allow Yunus to focus his energy on doing humanitarian work rather than on defending himself.

Among those who signed the letter are former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, and former Ireland President Mary Robinson.

The Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) investigation of Yunus began in July 2022, around the same time he issued a comprehensive rebuttal of years of criticism by the government.

He said, among other things, that he had no involvement in the World Banks cancellation of financing 11 years ago for the ambitious Padma Bridge project.

Hasinas Awami League has believed that Yunus pressured the World Bank to block funding for the project because he was furious at being dismissed as head of Grameen Bank in 2011.

Her government has not hidden its hostility toward Yunus.

Hasan Mahmud, the information and broadcasting minister, used colorful language to rebut Yunus statement, saying it was an effort to cover fish with vegetables.

Critics targeted

Meanwhile, opponents have noted that the administration has increasingly and brazenly targeted Hasinas critics and journalists, using state machinery and oppressive laws. The issue has come to the attention of other democracies and rights groups as well.

BenarNews reached out to Abdullah-Al-Mamun, who represents Yunus in the ACC probe. He said the matter was under investigation, adding some issues were before the court, so the case was sub judice, meaning it would be illegal to discuss it.

We will face legal ramifications [if we comment], he told BenarNews.

Khurshid Alam Khan, who represents the ACC, had no such fears.

World leaders may be influenced by Mr. Yunus as he has huge influence, he told BenarNews.

We respect him as a Nobel Laureate, but the law is equal for all.
A whale shark swims next to volunteer divers after they removed and abandoned fishing net covering a coral reef in a protected area of Ko Losin, Thailand, June 19, 2021.

Southeast Asian and Pacific leaders are hailing an ambitious United Nations treaty to protect ocean life by establishing protected areas in international waters.

About 193 countries agreed to the legal framework on Saturday night. It comes as ocean life faces growing threats from climate change, overfishing, shipping traffic and seabed mining on the high seas.

Only 1% of the high seas is currently protected, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on Twitter. This is a timely achievement & major milestone in the conservation & sustainable use of biodiversity in our oceans. It will go a long way towards protecting our global commons.

The treaty is a culmination of U.N.-facilitated talks that began in 2004. Its also a crucial first step to meet a goal set in December at the Biodiversity COP15 in Montreal to protect 30 percent of the planet by the end of this decade in an agreement known as 30 by 30.

Achieving this objective would have been a fantasy without the treaty, said marine conservation scientist Daniel Dunn, since there were no established legal processes for creating marine protected areas on the high seas.

The treaty establishes a global framework for sharing ocean resources and managing marine ecosystems, including thorough environmental impact assessments on the potential damage of proposed commercial activities, such as deep-sea mining, before the start of such projects.

The ocean is considered crucial in the fight against the climate crisis, as ocean temperatures continue to rise and threaten marine life. Scientists say ocean ecosystems create half the oxygen humans breathe and limit global warming by absorbing much of the carbon dioxide.

Nearly 10% of marine species are at risk of extinction, according to an International Union for Conservation of Nature report in December, while climate change affects 41% of these threatened species.

Slow, eye-watering negotiations

For years, disagreements over funding and fishing rights have caused delays in the negotiations.

Dunn, who has been involved with the negotiations since around 2014, said it was an eye-wateringly slow discussion about the blindingly obvious need for better mechanisms to protect, assess, and sustainably use the half of the planet beyond the control of any one country.

The deal was reached following a non-stop two days meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York.

The ship has reached the shore, conference Chairwoman Rena Lee of Singapore announced on Saturday.

Official adoption will occur later at another U.N. session after technical editing and translations of the agreed pact. Nations then must ratify the treaty for it to take effect.

The Philippines said it consistently underlined the principle of common heritage of humankind and importance of giving due regard to the rights & jurisdiction of adjacent coastal states and archipelagic states, which are heavily dependent on the sea.

It will provide holistic & equitable management of human activities impacting ocean life beyond national boundaries to safeguard global ocean health & contribute to climate resilience, increased food security for millions of people, Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo said on Twitter.

Environmental group Greenpeace called it a monumental win for ocean protection that provides a pathway to creating fully or highly protected areas across the worlds oceans.

Activists from Greenpeace display a banner in front of United Nations headquarters in New York City during negotiations on a treaty to protect the high seas, Feb. 27, 2023. [AFP]

Smaller countries lead the way

Henry Puna, secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum, also applauded the agreement.

Pacific Island nations, which occupy 20 percent of the worlds economic exclusive zones, have long advocated for an international, legally binding instrument to preserve marine life in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Laura Meller, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace Nordic, said the European Union, the United States and China among others were key players in brokering the deal, showing willingness to compromise.

But so was a coalition of developing nations known as the Group of 77.

Small Island States have shown leadership throughout the process, and the G77 group led the way in ensuring the treaty can be put into practice in a fair and equitable way, Meller said.

The legally binding pact, called the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty, represents the first common framework agreement on ocean protection since the adoption of the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, which established the high seas as an area where all nations can conduct fishing, shipping and research.

Undiscovered biodiversity

The high seas is outside of any countrys jurisdiction, beginning at the border of countries exclusive economic zones that extend up to 370 km (200 nautical miles) from coastlines. It makes up more than 60 percent of the worlds oceans by surface area and is home to millions of species and ecosystems.

Just 1.2% of these international waters, a vast reserve of undiscovered biodiversity, are protected.

Conservationists say sharing marine genetic resources derived from plants and animals in the ocean that could benefit society, including in pharmaceuticals, food and industrial sectors, was another point of contention.

The treaty articulates a new regime for access and benefits sharing of marine genetic resources, which have already been used to develop extremely lucrative pharmaceuticals by corporations and countries who can afford to access these deep and distant areas, Dunn, who teaches at the University of Queensland, said in a statement.

Radio Free Asia is a news agency affiliated with BenarNews.
The cleanup of a massive oil spill that has caused more than 18,000 Philippine fishermen to lose their livelihoods and threatens the nations most diverse sea region could be finished in less than four months, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Wednesday.

He said he directed government agencies to help fishermen affected by the spill from the MT Princess Empress, which was carrying 800,000 liters (211,337 gallons) of industrial fuel when it sank off the central island of Mindoro last week.

It took four months to clean up the Guimaras oil spill. Perhaps this time, since the amount of oil is smaller, the cleanup would be faster, Marcos told reporters. Maybe not as quickly as one month, but I think we wont let it reach four months.

The president was referring to the worst spill in the country that took place in August 2006, when tanker M/T Solar 1 sank off the coast of Guimaras, an island province in the Philippines. The tanker spilled more than 2.1 million liters (554,761 gallons) of fuel.

The Princess Empress sank in rough seas off the town of Naujan in Oriental Mindoro province on Feb. 28. Officials have imposed a fishing ban in seven coastal towns affected by the oil spill.

Marcos said the government has a cash-for-work program for the affected fishermen as they will help in the cleanup.

If its finished, they can go back to fishing, they can go back to their work, he said.

Seeking accountability

On Tuesday, a senior senator quoted marine experts to describe the potential damage caused by the Princess Empress spill.

Sen. Francis Tolentino said marine experts projected that about 20,000 hectares of coral reef, 9,900 hectares of mangroves, and 6,000 hectares of seagrass may be affected.

[T]he oil spill may also potentially reach as far as the shores of Palawan, he said.

While we are seeking accountability, our efforts in the meantime should be focused on the containment of the oil spill to prevent it from causing further irreversible damage to our marine ecosystem.

Coast Guard chief Adm. Artemio Abu appealed for help in containing the spill.

He said crews were set to use 6,000 liters (1,585 gallons) of oil dispersant in an effort to protect the shoreline. Dispersants help break oil from spills into small droplets to aid in cleanup efforts.

Oil dispersants should not be applied haphazardly, he said.

We should be really careful in addressing this incident, our approach should be scientific.

Jeoffrey Maitem in Davao, Philippines, contributed to this report.
Pro-democracy activists display rubber ducks as they protect themselves from being hit by jets from water cannons, Dec. 2, 2020.

Rights activists on Wednesday blasted the latest prison term for a Thai citizen accused of insulting the king, in this case through a satirical image of a yellow duck wearing a crop top.

Meanwhile, two young women charged under Lese-Majeste, the strict royal defamation law, entered the 50th day of a hunger strike on Wednesday.

Narathorn Chotmankongsin, 26, was found guilty on Tuesday of selling calendars featuring yellow duck cartoons, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR).

The September calendar page featured a yellow duck cartoon wearing a crop-top outfit and sunglasses, which the prosecutors believed referred to the king because there was a photo of him earlier wearing a similar outfit, the group said in a statement.

This page also featured an inscription  Democracy with the king as the head of state.

The court sentenced Narathorn to three years in jail under Lese-Majeste.

But since he cooperated in the trial, the term is reduced to two years, the court said.

Narathorn was released on 280,000 baht (U.S. $7,976) bail and has appealed the case, according to the lawyers.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Asia director Elaine Pearson said on Wednesday that Thai authorities should permit peaceful expression of all viewpoints, including on the monarchy.

This case sends a message to all Thais, and to the rest of the world, that Thailand is moving further away from  not closer to  becoming a rights-respecting democracy, she said in a statement the HRW website.

A senior Thai HRW researcher voiced similar concerns.

Narathorns sentence reflects officials will to not let anyone mock the monarchy, causing a climate of fear in Thai society that impacts freedom of expression and democratic process, researcher Sunai Phasuk told BenarNews.

Youth-led anti-government protests which started in July 2020 have called for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha to resign, the monarchy to be reformed and the constitution to be rewritten.

In November 2020, Prayuth announced that all laws would be enforced against the protesters, including Lese-Majeste. Since then, more than 200 people have been charged with insulting the monarchy, a violation carrying a sentence of up to 15 years on each count, upon conviction.

Back then, demonstrators started bringing large rubber ducks to protests to use them as shields against water cannons used against them by police. Protesters also created fake banknotes depicting a duck to demand the king return assets belonging to the people, Reuters news agency reported.

Hunger strike milestone

Meanwhile, two protesters, Tantawan Tawan Tuatulanon, 21, and Orawan Bam Phuphong, 23, were reported to be conscious at Thammasat University Hospital where they received electrolytes on the 50th day of their hunger strike.

The women began the strike in a Bangkok prison on Jan. 18 , two days after they appeared in court to ask a judge to revoke their bail as an act of solidarity to demand that other anti-government activists have similar charges dropped.

As their condition deteriorated, a court consented to the Thammasat hospitals request to allow them to be treated outside of a prison hospital.

TLHR lawyer Krisadang Nootjaras told Agence France-Presse news agency that the women were willing to fight for their cause.

These kids still stick with their ideology, the lawyer said.

If they prove they are right, [the public] will support them.
Interview: Defying odds, policy tools bolster China's GDP in 2022

Xinhua) 09:18, March 08, 2023

CAIRO, March 7 (Xinhua) -- China's economy expanded by 3 percent in 2022 despite headwinds, partly thanks to the country's diversified economic policies and broad vision for handling crises, an Egyptian economist told Xinhua.

"China adopts diversified monetary and financial policies which are crystallized in specific plans with a comprehensive vision," said Hoda el-Mallah, director of the Cairo-based International Center for Economic Consultations, Feasibility Studies and Training.

China's GDP reached a record high of 121 trillion yuan (about 17.5 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2022, exceeding 100 trillion yuan for the third consecutive year, according to a recent report released by the country's National Bureau of Statistics.

El-Mallah considered China's economic growth a hard-won feat given multiple global crises, such as the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing Ukraine crisis.

"China has overcome all the crises the world has been going through and contained the consequent economic disorder," said el-Mallah, also an economic expert with the General Organization for Physical Planning of Egypt's Housing Ministry.

China's total trade in goods reached 42.1 trillion yuan (6.08 trillion dollars) in 2022, up 7.7 percent year on year. Meanwhile, foreign direct investment into the Chinese mainland, in actual use, expanded by 6.3 percent year on year in 2022, according to the statistics bureau.

"The foreign investment rate in China is very high, and so is the foreign capital inflow, which are among the factors of the success of China's economic reform," el-Mallah said.

In her doctoral thesis, el-Mallah cited China as "an economic model to learn from," highlighting China's implementation of economic policies through sustained and in-depth reform and opening up since 1978.

Ubiquitous Chinese products across the globe speak volumes for China's status as the world's factory, said el-Mallah. "The more the Chinese economy grows, the more the prices smoothly stabilize in the global market," the expert noted.

"China tries to share its industrial expertise with developing countries, whether in Europe, Asia or Africa," el-Mallah said, referring to Chinese engineering companies contracted to build overseas mega-infrastructure projects.

"China has achieved huge economic success recognized by the whole world and has become a model to follow and learn from," el-Mallah said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The CPT -Rudramma, Secunderabad railway RPF team (DC)

HYDERABAD: Seven women from crime prevention team (CPT) of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), have been carrying out the Herculean task of ensuring safety and protection of women passengers travelling in heavily crowded MMTS trains everyday.

The team members, led by sub-inspector V. Pragna, dressed in mufti are on vigil while keeping a watch on over 500 passengers. They all are trained to spot a crime that is happening and arrest the perpetrator. They can knock down well-built trouble-makers within seconds if necessary.

The CPT, also referred as Rudramma CPT, was formed on September 22 last year to especially control crime against women.

A significant development has been that since the time the team was formed, the crime rate against women passengers in MMTS has dropped drastically, sources in CPT said.

Over 63 habitual criminals involved in crime against women in MMTS trains have been detected by Rudramma-CPT teams, a senior RPF officer said.

Now even passengers feel secure to travel alone as they are protected by the officers during their journey.

"I always travel alone in the women's compartment of MMTS. In the first week of January, an unidentified drunk entered our compartment, sat beside me and tried to sexually abuse me. It was late in the night when I and seven more women were returning from Lingampally. When I tried to dial 100, the man snatched my mobile. I was really scared," G. Sandhya, a software employee said.

"I noticed one of the female passengers was shooting the entire episode while six others grabbed the man by his collar and put him down," Sandhya said.

One of them disclosed that they were from railway police and gave her mobile number, she said.

During the arrest a CPT constable Jyoti Sureh suffered injuries.

"All of us have body-worn cameras and we always carry fibre lathis in our backpacks," V. Pragna said.

"We interact with each and every women passenger, introduce ourselves and add them in our Mytras WhatsApp group so that they can report to us about violence in or out of trains. Within seconds our team responds and reaches the spot," the SI said.
One of the biggest misconceptions among believers and nonbelievers alike is that Christians are capable, on their own, of living up to a different moral standard than others. The reality is that believers fail every day to live up to the high standards for which we were created because of sin.

One of the most difficult moments in the life of a believer is when another Christian is responsible for causing harm. Whether it is another Christian who gossips or lies, a pastor who betrays his congregation, a friend who stops behaving like one, or a believer who caves to a grave sin, these moments bring shame to the community, cause division, and cause deep personal harm. Trying to navigate those waters in a way that is Christ-like, God-honoring, and personally healing can be difficult, but God has given believers the Holy Spirit, the Bible, and one another to find peace and healing when another Christian behaves in a way that is not God-honoring.

Why Do Christians Hurt Each Other?

In so many places in the New Testament, believers are encouraged to love one another, build each other up, and be an encouragement.

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Unfortunately, sin is an inherent part of living in this world. While someone who is a Christian is forgiven for their sins, they are not immune from temptation, and every believer does commit sin after theyve begun a relationship with Jesus Christ. God continues to work in them, but it is inevitable each one will stumble in their walk. Sometimes, that stumbling comes by accident, sometimes it is due to a deep underlying sin the Christian has resisted dealing with, but it often comes from pride. This sin is the root of many others, and usually comes from an overestimation in ones own sanctification and standing before the Lord.

The Apostle Paul wrote, For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself (Galatians 6:3). Unless one believer hurt another by accident, pride often is the source of in-fighting or tensions between brothers and sisters in Christ.

Are There Examples in the New Testament of Believers Hurting One Another?

There are not overt examples of the reconciliation process, there are subtle ones.

In the two letters to the Church in Corinth, Paul writes to them about a person in the church committing a grievous sin. While there is no direct mention that he offended another member in the church, he did offend Paul, some of the missionaries working for and with Paul, and God.

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing (1 Corinthians 5:1-3).

This man was in a sexual relationship with his fathers wife - it is believed his step-mother. There are some scholars who believe the relationship was more repugnant to the first century Christians than just the incest. By the time Paul wrote his second letter, however, he wrote, For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrowAnyone whom you forgive (2 Corinthians 2:6-10a). The person had been expelled from fellowship, repented, and Paul encouraged them to accept the sinner back into the fold as a brother.

Paul had his own conflicts. Through the epistles, Paul had disagreements with Barnabas about bringing Mark on missionary journeys, since Mark left partway through. By the end of his life, he found comfort in the friendship of both men.

The book of Philemon is also a type of reconciliation of injury between two believers. Philemon owned a slave named Onesimus, though both men had come to faith in Jesus Christ. Though it was legal in Philemons culture to have slaves, Paul and the growing church were coming to the consensus that believers should not own other believers. Paul was, in some ways, stepping in as a witness on behalf of Onesimus to pursue reconciliation through the freedom of the enslaved man.

What Does the Bible Actually Say about Reconciliation?

The Bible has several passages about how Christians should handle conflict.

The first comes from the Lord Jesus:

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them (Matthew 18:15-20).

First and foremost, injury between two Christians should be handled privately, between the two. Rather than making a public spectacle, go in respect and love to the party that has caused injury. If there cannot be agreement, bring in two or three individuals trusted by both parties to hear both sides, try to bring compromise, and give advice. If reconciliation cannot be found, then the issue can be brought before the whole church.

In the unfortunate event the church condemns the offending party, but that person refuses to make amends, the Bible says that person is to be removed from fellowship until they humble themselves and make it right. This procedure is how reconciliation is pursued corporately.

Jesus also said, But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44). When someone, especially a believer, causes offense or harm, Christians should pray for that person, since they are probably not in right accord with God.

For the individual who was injured, the Apostle Paul gave this advice:

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful (Colossians 3:12-15).

The person who is injured is obliged to forgive the offending party, since the Lord Jesus died so their sins could be forgiven. They are to continue to strive to love the other person and strive for harmony. Internally, they should ask the Holy Spirit to cultivate peace and gratitude within them, even as they wrestle with the pain caused by the situation.

Paul does not say that Christians are only obligated to forgive if the other person apologizes. Within themselves they need to be prepared to extend forgiveness, and not to harbor anger, seek revenge, or to be bitter about the situation. It is possible that in this life there may never be true reconciliation, but believers should take comfort knowing the division between themselves and the brother or sister who injured them will be healed eternally in Heaven.

A Prayer for Christians Hurt by Other Christians

Holy Father,

Thank you so much for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and for forgiving me for all of my sins. Lord, You know my situation, and how this other believer has hurt me deeply. They are not treating me as a brother or sister in Christ, and I am in anguish at the division in my spiritual family.

Oh Lord, help me not to harbor anger against them, to release all hatred, bitterness, and desire for revenge. You and You alone have the right to enact justice. Lord, I pray that as we go through the process of reconciliation, that You will seize hold of their heart and their conscience, that we may find peace. I wish to be in right accord with all of my brothers and sisters in Your family.

Send Your Holy Spirit to give wisdom to those who will help us as we pursue reconciliation, so they may discern the truth. Lord, I know that may not happen. Please continue to work in this persons life and heart, so they may be blessed and have a deeper relationship with You, and perhaps have their conscience pricked. Lord, may Your will ultimately be done through this pain. May it be resolved for Your glory.

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen.

Ultimately, a Christian injured by another should handle it biblically, with love, prayer, and through the reconciliation process prescribed by the Lord Jesus, informed by the advice of Paul. God can heal all wounds, and He is the ultimate peacemaker. There will be peace, healing, and forgiveness between all who put their faith in Jesus Christ.

Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you (2 Corinthians 13:11).

Sources

Alcorn, Randy. If God is Good Why Do We Hurt? Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2010.

Lederach, John Paul. Reconcile Conflict Transformation for Ordinary Christians. Harrisonburg: Herald Press, 2014.

Murphy, Tiji. Theres No Hurt Like the Church 21 Days to Healing and Wholeness. Create Space, 2015.

Photo credit: Getty Images/KTStock

Bethany Verrett is a freelance writer who uses her passion for God, reading, and writing to glorify God. She and her husband have lived all over the country serving their Lord and Savior in ministry. She has a blog on graceandgrowing.com.
Members of The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union are continuing with Day 3 of their nationwide strike - a move that has seen hospital services nationwide severely disrupted.

Source: iStock. Police cleared burning tyres at Tshepong Hospital in Klerksdorp on Tuesday (7 March 2023) as Nehawu members picketed outside the hospital.

The Nehawu members are demanding a 10% wage increase.

The strike kicked off on Monday (6 March 2023), despite a ruling by the Labour court in Johannesburg which interdicted the action, and further dismissed Nehawu's appeal.

Despite the ruling, many health workers were blocked from entering government hospitals, and healthcare services were ground to a halt, although in the Free State intensive care units remained operational as were the emergency units in Mpumalanga

In the Western Cape armed private guards assisted police in escorting doctors one at a time into Khayelitsha. Ambulances were also barred from entering and exiting the hospital premises until the police intervened.

On duty nursing staff at Michael Mapongwana Clinic in Khayelitsha have been forced to join the striking Nehawu members. #NEHAWUStrikeUpdate #NehawuStrike pic.twitter.com/GdKZ0pkxEH  EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) March 8, 2023

In the Northern Cape protesters on Tuesday reportedly tried to set Robert Sobukwe Hospital in Kimberley alight on Tuesday, but failed.

Acting Minister of Public Service and Administration Thulas Nxesi strongly condemned the strike.

The Minister said the principle of 'no work no pay' applies.

Mike Shingange, president of Nehawu, said the union remains resolute that no amount of court intimidation by the government would deter members from this cause. "We are fighting for public servants, defending collective bargaining and rights of workers. We shall not retreat; no surrender."

Mamiki Lekhoana-Kgaile, the Nehawu provincial deputy chairperson said Nehawu was not budging on their request for a 10% wage increase and that the national strike would continue indefinitely until their demands are met.

Gauteng Provincial Legislature employees are just asking for their 13th cheque. @News24 @SABCNews . Our executives can cut out the expensive trips and pay the employees their basic conditions of employment benefit. Day 2 of Nehawu strike @NEHAWU #Loadshedding #HouseOfTheDragon # pic.twitter.com/rV6qhd3a3T  bubbles (@buhle0502) October 18, 2022

Lekhoana-Kgaile said the Nehawu members are also asking for a R2,500 housing allowance.

"As public servants we can't afford to buy houses because our members are paid so little."

But for now she said the national government "is not interested in engaging with [Newhawu] management".

Nehawu is disgruntled with government's 2% wage hike offer on the table, she said.
In a historic move, Africarare, Africa's first metaverse, has joined forces with non-profit organisation Innovation Africa to help deliver clean drinking water to people across the continent. The partnership seeks to empower rural communities by providing access to clean water and light, using Israeli solar, water and agricultural technologies, and in doing so, change lives through this innovative approach.

Despite progress made, more than 418 million people in Africa still lack basic access to drinking water. To help change this trajectory, Innovation Africa has delivered over 800 successful projects across 10 African countries since 2008, improving the lives of over four million people.

To further this mission, Africarare is creating a custom Innovation Africa village in Ubuntuland to showcase the organisation's life-changing work. Through this village, viewers can learn more about the technology used, experience the success stories, and witness the impact of their life-changing work.

In addition, Africarare will be launching a unique collection of Water Drop NFTs called 'Drops of Life'. The collection includes five water drops including Diamond, Gold, Silver, Platinum and Bronze, each with different attributes and variations based on the type of donation from the buyer. For example, the Diamond Drop will provide a village with water for life, and includes a physical trip to the village where water has been provided, to turn on the taps for the first time as well as a 3x3 village in Ubuntuland to view all data around the water production in 3D.

The Drops of Life NFTs will be available mid 2023 and all the proceeds from the sales will be donated to support Innovation Africas ongoing projects.

Access to water is a right, not a privilege...

Mic Mann, co-founder and CEO of Africarare, expressed his excitement about the partnership, stating: "We are proud to support the incredible work of Innovation Africa, and we believe that through the metaverse and web3, we can help them achieve their goals in a new and exciting way. By participating in the Drops of Life fundraiser, you too have the power to make a difference and transform someone's life for the better."

We are truly excited to launch this partnership with Africarare, taking this unique opportunity to create NFTs for good and enable each buyer to make a direct, significant and transformative impact with each Drop of Life purchased. Access to water is a right, not a privilege and we are grateful for your support, said Sivan Yaari, founder & CEO of Innovation Africa.

Join Africarare and Innovation Africa in the fight against water poverty in Africa, in order to make every drop count.

To participate, sign up at https://www.africarare.io/innovation-africa.

For regular updates, follow Africarare on Twitter: @AfricarareNFT.




The South African government created Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges after recognising the shortfall of specialised skills in the country. These institutions aimed to make accredited vocational training more accessible, especially to previously marginalised groups.

With a scarcity of information on TVET colleges, many have shunned these institutions that offer vocational trade qualifications as it was considered that supporting a student in a vocational trade was setting them up for an unsuccessful future. Hence, the reputation of TVET is typically rather poor when compared to that of other educational institutions.

This oversight, says Vimala Ariyan, the CEO of Star Schools, is robbing young people of the opportunity to use technical education as a launch pad into their future.

"TVET institutions are excellent places to study and develop vocational or occupational skills such as those required in Building and Construction, Hospitality, Culinary, Tourism, Information Technology and many more occupations that respond to our fast-changing skills-demand across sectors. The diverse range of programmes offered by TVET colleges is practical, skilled based and nuanced."

"As a result, these programmes will encourage self-learning, independence and provide learners with employment opportunities. A majority of TVET qualifications also provide another opportunity for learners  and that is to become self-employed. One needs to consider TVET colleges as a route to secure employment/self-employment and as a stepping stone to higher education thereafter," says Ariyan.

Here are some more reasons why TVET can be an option for you:

TVET colleges are an alternative to universities for learners who want to enter the workforce without getting a traditional degree. These institutions will provide the following:

Increased job opportunities

Most employers require qualifications for certain roles at their company. As many industry practices continue to evolve, attending TVET colleges will provide one with the opportunity to keep ones skills current while also learning something new.

Furthermore, TVET colleges offer a wide variety of qualifications and courses in the most in-demand skill sectors, amplifying the opportunities available to students.

Cheaper and easily accessible

TVET institutions are known to be less expensive than other tertiary institutions. Also, their entry requirements are not as strict as universities, making TVET college an option that is more inclusive and accessible to all. Many TVET programmes are also funded by organisations and the government.

Courses are externally and independently quality assured

Students who study at a TVET college can be assured their qualifications are accredited and recognised by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). Courses are also moderated, and quality assured by the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs).

Hands on experience

Experience is something most employers want from their prospective employees, however, as a new job seeker this is often lacking. TVET colleges, unlike most theory-based institutions, offer hands-on practical experience in the workplace as part of the programme which means that by the time one graduates, one will have an actual understanding of how to execute tasks in ones chosen field.

There are 50 TVET colleges with over 200 campuses in South Africa, each with its own focus areas and specialisations.

Attending a TVET college is so much more than just getting a qualification and finding a job. It can be life changing, as one will get the opportunity to gain a variety of soft skills which will assist one in becoming more marketable. In addition, there has been an increase in the number of TVET graduates being hired by businesses in recent years. Learners must take advantage of the opportunities provided by TVET colleges to pursue a vocational career and position themselves in the labour market, concludes Ariyan.
Every once in a while, a theatre production comes along that blows expectations out of the water - for artists and audience alike. In this case, it was Dreaming Dance in District Six - the Johaar Mosaval Story that was staged at the Artscape Opera in Cape Town recently.

Dreaming Dance in District Six  the Johaar Mosaval Story. Image by Jeremeo Le Cordeur

Never have I seen people clamouring for programmes after the final curtain call like I did on opening night. Many of us expected to be able to buy one at interval, but the show ran straight through for about 90 minutes leaving people empty handed without a keepsake from this momentous occasion.

However, the memory of the rapturous applause for the performers and directors who honoured the living legend himself, the 95-year-old Johaar Mosaval who joined them onstage, will endure. Why cant we see performances like this more often? The sheer joy of watching young artists dancing their hearts out alongside a few esteemed professionals is worth its weight in gold.

Johaar Mosaval, aged 95. Image by Jac de Villiers

Directors Basil Appolis and Grant van Ster draw on vast experience to get the best out of what they term burgeoning South African talent, well supported by a production team inspired by Mosavals self-narrated story of perseverance, tenacity and hope.

The eldest of 10 children, he was born in District Six in 1928. Mosaval was the first Black dancer at the University of Cape Town (thanks to Dulcie Howes), what was to become the Royal Ballet in London and the Nico Malan Theatre (now Artscape Theatre Centre). His illustrious career, which featured key roles as Puck in The Dream, Bootface in The Lady and The Fool, and Jasper in Sir Arthur Sullivans Pineapple Poll, led to his performances on stages worldwide to adoring fans.

The highlight, however, was performing in London at the coronation of Elizabeth II in front of all the key political and royal figureheads of the time. In fact, he soon became the Queen Mothers favourite. Would he do it all again? Absolutely.

Sebastian van der Berg as the young Johaar Mosaval. Image by Gustav Klotz

His extraordinary career with the Royal Ballet, brushing shoulders with some of the greats of his era, and where roles were created especially for him, is finely etched in ballets history. His talent, hard work, dedication and, above all, humility, made him an extraordinary artist, said Dr Eduard Greyling.

Mosaval returned to South Africa in 1976 ultimately to teach at his own independent nonracial schools in Cape Town, Mitchells Plain and Paarl and to share his knowledge and experience with his students.

Ruan Galdino from Joburg Ballet. Image by Lauge Sorenson

Longtime friend Sharon Paulsen, a former CAPAB Ballet dancer, established a partnership with the District Six Museum more than a decade ago to perpetuate The Johaar Mosaval Legacy Project. She said Dreaming Dance is a progression of his story to reflect the untold layers in dance and narration.

Multi-talented Van Ster, who has racked up umpteen accolades for his stage craft during his career, previously choreographed Mosavals story (From District Six to the Royal Ballet) in collaboration with Cape Town City Ballet for the Suidoosterfees. Meanwhile Appolis brought his experience as an acclaimed director, producer, actor and writer to deepen his creative connect with District Six.

Shaun Oelf from Figure of 8 Dance Collective. Image by Pat Bromilow-Downing

Kudos to Figure of 8 Dance Collective, DFeatSA (Figure of 8 Dance Collective), Timo Lister Studio, Joburg Ballet, Mowbray Ballet Academy, Cape Junior Ballet, Jazzart Dance Theatre and Waterfront Theatre School for their inspirational contribution.

Coronation, featuring Shaun Oelf as the Moorish dancer, Lady and the Fool, featuring Cassiel Eatock as the Lady and Herton Joseph and Andre Maarman as the Fools, The Carnival, featuring Herton Joseph with Waterfront Theatre School and Jazzart Dance Theatre, Petrouchka, featuring Oelf and Amina Stephens as the ballerina were some of my favourites on the programme. Eatock was outstanding in Coppelia, with former Cape Town City Ballet and PACT Ballet Senior Principal Johnny Bovang even more brilliant than usual as Dr Coppelius. Joburg Ballets Ruan Galdino and Chloe Blair brought the house down with their Bluebird pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty.

The finale with the full cast left everyone on a high.
The government is now planning to set up committees comprising officials for the selection of beneficiaries. (Representational Image)

Hyderabad: Following widespread complaints of irregularities in beneficiary selection in various districts, the government is said to have decided to put the beneficiaries list of the 2BHK housing scheme and Dalit Bandhu on hold.

A new set of guidelines for beneficiary selection is expected to be approved in the Cabinet meeting scheduled for March 9.

Protests erupted in various districts, including Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar, and Nirmal, with protesters alleging that the names of "ineligible persons" were included in the list of beneficiaries for the 2BHK and Dalit Bandhu schemes. MLAs were given the powers to select beneficiaries for these schemes. There have been charges that MLAs chose candidates solely on political grounds, ignoring genuine beneficiaries.

The government is now planning to set up committees comprising officials for the selection of beneficiaries in the wake of government planning to distribute 2.5 lakh 2BHK houses as well as one crore house sites to the poor in the next few months before the Assembly polls this year, according to official sources.

The government is planning to select 500 beneficiaries in each Assembly constituency for the Dalit Bandhu scheme starting April in 2023-24.

The state government has sought the Centre's financial assistance for the 2BHK housing under the PM Awas Yojana (PMAY). However, under the PMAY, only single bedroom houses at a cost of Rs 1.70 lakh will be built, but the Telangana government is spending nearly Rs 10 lakh for the construction of the 2BHK houses.

The state government sought the Centre's permission to avail Rs 1.70 lakh Central assistance for the construction of the 2BHK houses. But the Centre has put a condition that it will grant permission only if the list of beneficiaries is submitted before the conclusion of the current fiscal 2022-23 on March 31.

With this, the state government issued instructions to MLAs to speed up the selection of beneficiaries. The selection lists are being prepared and submitted to the government without undertaking proper field-level surveys by officials to identify the beneficiaries. There are allegations that the MLAs were selecting only those who are working for their victory in the Assembly elections.

The Telangana High Court in November last year directed the state government not to involve MLAs in the selection of beneficiaries for Dalit Bandhu. With this, the government accepted applications, but did not select any beneficiaries since then.
The Kariega plant of Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) has built the 100,000th unit of the current Polo for the local market, the company announced.

VWSA production director Ulrich Schwabe and sales and marketing director Thomas Milz celebrating the 100,000th Polo | image supplied

The Kariega plant has been building the current Polo since January 2018 and began production of the facelifted Polo in August 2021. Of the 100,000 vehicles, 80,644 were pre-facelift Polos and the remaining 19,356 were facelift Polo models.

VWSA celebrated several Polo milestones in 2022, reaching its one-millionth Polo built for export in May 2022, the 500,000th Polo (including the facelift and the model launched in 2018) in July 2022, and the 100,000 facelift Polo produced in August 2022. More recently, the company celebrated two million units of its popular Polos and Polo Vivos in November 2022.

VWSA currently builds the Polo Vivo for the local market and the Polo for all right-hand-drive markets and certain left-hand-drive markets. The Kariega plant is also the sole manufacturer worldwide of the Polo GTI.

Though the majority of our Polos are built for export markets, we are incredibly proud of how popular this vehicle is among South African customers, said Ulrich Schwabe, production director at VWSA.

This includes our employees, who build these high-quality vehicles with pride, and whose dedication and love for our vehicles has made this milestone possible.
"Persistent load shedding is impeding our recovery... We know that without a reliable supply of electricity, businesses cannot grow, assembly lines cannot run, crops cannot be irrigated, and basic services are interrupted," said President Cyril Ramaphosa in his recent State of the Nation Address.

Without a reliable supply of electricity, our efforts to grow an inclusive economy that creates jobs and reduces poverty will not succeed, he added.

Janek Winand, managing director for South Africa, Siemens Gamesa

There is no doubt that the South African power generation crisis is a tremendous challenge for the country and is endangering the countrys economy as a whole. As President Ramaphosa expressed in his speech, the trickle-down consequences of a delayed response in addressing these challenges will be dire for businesses, jobs and livelihoods.

As the second biggest economy in sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa has been restricted for years in its development by constant power cuts, lasting hours at a time, undermining peoples ability to develop their lives, businesses to grow and services to function. However, the worsening of this situation over the past 12 months has made the situation unsustainable.

This is a particularly challenging reality to accept, taking into consideration how rich South Africa is in energy resources, particularly renewable clean resources that can help the country expand its power generation capacity and, in doing so, support its move towards a growing and greener economy.

Creating a resilient foundation for clean energy expansion

Wind currently represents the best response to address the blackouts that are crippling the nation and to mitigate the risk of a grid collapse. With the right incentives and policies, renewable energy sources, particularly wind power, could rapidly help to resolve some of the countrys most challenging energy problems. By investing in dispatchable power, grid expansion, grid stabilisers, and energy storage, South Africa will create a resilient foundation for clean energy expansion.

These efforts will contribute to faster development and integration of new power generation plants into the national grid, addressing issues with the integration of intermittent power sources like solar and wind, while contributing to a reduction of the countrys dependence on coal-fired power generation, representing today still more than 80%.

South Africa is endowed with tremendous potential for wind power generation, which is now the most economically competitive form of generation in the country, alongside photovoltaic solar power. Furthermore, it is the fastest to deploy. A wind project today takes from contract signed to production just 24 months compared to several years or even decades that nuclear or fossil-fuel power plants take to plan and develop, and at a fraction of the cost, with much more flexibility. This technology is also consistently becoming more competitive.

Considering the levelised cost of energy

We, at Siemens Gamesa, have seen this evolution happening in real-time. In recent years we have built 855MW of onshore wind power in South Africa, installing wind turbines with a maximum power output of 2.3MW per unit. Today, we already offer turbines in-country with an output of 6.6MW per unit. To put it into perspective, to produce 150MW of power, a wind power plant now requires only 23 turbines, in contrast to 61 just a few years ago. The levelised cost of energy (LCoE) at the end of the day is being decreased dramatically.

The future of the energy mix will inevitably be one of combined sources of power, and in a just transition scenario, we must consider all options available to ensure access to power and economic development for all, with sustainability as a central strategic objective. As solar produces its maximum output throughout the day and wind more energy in the mornings and the evenings, both sources are complementary by nature to have a seamless flow of power into the grid.

Also to be noted is that while coal and nuclear power generation might still be of strategic importance to South Africa, they use a very substantial amount of water to operate, which is a relevant concern in a country that battles regularly with water shortages.

Positive societal impact of wind farms

In our experience, wind power projects in South Africa have had a tremendously positive impact not only in adding low-cost electricity to the grid, but also directly and indirectly on the communities around the projects themselves, many of them quite remote. These projects require a number of services during development, many sourced from the local communities, stimulating the local economy with a trickle-down effect.

The growth of the industry has also stimulated interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields by young professionals eager to work with and within a transition to a greener energy landscape. There are multiple opportunities for synergies and collaborations with the local communities in these developments, which we promote to a great extent in the development of our wind farms.

Kangnas Wind Power Station, Northern Cape. Source: Supplied

Political will needed to move forward

In terms of funding, the willingness to invest is already there. South African banks have sufficient funds to invest in renewable energies and are also very motivated to do so. All that is needed is the political will to move forward. The announcement of Bid Window 7 is very welcome news, as well as the private power purchase agreement (PPA) market picking up after the licensing cap has been lifted, but more needs to be done.

Auctions need to happen more regularly and with an established short-, mid- and long-term pipeline that can provide companies with predictability and opportunities to plan ahead. The timeframes for approval processes and evaluations need to be shortened and simplified in order to accelerate development of new capacity.

In sum, it is imperative that we implement all the possible means to tackle the energy crisis head on as well as, in the words of President Ramaphosa, undertake our just transition in a way that opens up the possibility of new investments, new industrialisation and that, above all, creates new jobs.

The answer is right there, blowing in the wind.
Having experienced flexibility, autonomy and better work-life balance during the Covid-19 pandemic, gender roles were challenged, resulting in new sets of needs and wants for both male and female employees - and here, in honour of International Women's Day on 8 March, we take a closer look at gender gaps in the workforce.

Lyndy van den Barselaar, MD of ManpowerGroup South Africa

The good news is, according to the World Economic Forums (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report, the gap has actually been closed by 68%. But despite this progress, it will still take 132 years to achieve full parity. Worse still, according to data from the same report heading into 2020 (pre-pandemic), the gap was set to close within 100 years.

Shrinking gender gaps

However, some key measurables show progress is being made around the world, including sub-Saharan Africa. The WEFs report finds that although no country has yet achieved full gender parity, the top 10 economies have closed at least 80% of their gender gaps, with Iceland (90.8%) leading the global ranking and serving as the only economy to have closed more than 90% of its gap. Other Scandinavian countries such as Finland (86%, 2nd), Norway (84.5%, 3rd), and Sweden (82.2%, 5th) are in the top 5, along with one country from East Asia and the Pacific, New Zealand (84.1%) ranking 4th.

Sub-Saharan African countries Rwanda (81.1%, 6th) and Namibia (80.7%, 8th) are also in the top 10 around the world, along with South Africa ranking third in the region (78.2%) and 20th overall in the global rankings. Burundi (77.7%) and Mozambique (75.2%) are 4th and 5th in the region, respectively, with Cape Verde, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Kenya and Eswatini making up the remaining top 10 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

So close, yet so far

On the workforce front, gender gaps continue to be driven and impacted by many factors, including long-standing structural barriers, socioeconomic and technological transformation, as well as economic shocks. More women have been moving into paid work and, increasingly, leadership positions, yet globally societal expectations, employer policies, the legal environment, and the availability of child and elder care continue to impact the educational tracks and career trajectories women choose. And the fallout from the pandemic continues to disproportionately affect women as more companies engage in belt-tightening to weather any potential financial storm.

Data from ManpowerGroups 2023 Workforce Trends report, The New Human Age, backs this up as 20% of women said the pandemic has made them want more security about their future  more important than a role reflecting their passion or values. A quarter of women (25%) are anxious about changing jobs now due to economic uncertainty, and 1 in 3 women believe the current economic climate is a direct threat to their job.

While incremental progress is still progress, its not enough. A broad coalition of employers needs to step up and make a difference. Here are some ways to help women overcome the barriers to entry, advancement, pay inequity, and more:

1. Own your numbers and measure your progress

When asked what women want at work, they were more likely than men to say equality in the workplace, regardless of age, race, or gender.

Be accountable for making measurable progress and tracking representation, hiring, and promotion outcomes.

2. Repair your management pipeline

Only 19% of women report having a clear career path mapped out for them with their supervisors or organisations.

Set a goal to get more women into first-level management, making it easier for more women to rise to senior leadership in your organisation.

3. Grow and develop your female talent

The New Human Age revealed less than half of women believe their employer encourages upskilling or training, and more than 40% say their manager does not recognise their skills or potential.

Help employees develop both technical and soft skills, identify adjacent skill sets for new roles, and demonstrate how short bursts of training can accelerate people from one job to the next.

4. Provide what women want

Women are more likely to value flexibility in locations and hours, including the option to work a compressed four-day week and time off for mental health/well-being days. Flexibility is so important to women that The New Human Age data found 35% of women would trade 5% of their salary for a four-day week.

Gender equity is not just a women's issue; it's a human issue. While progress has been made in recent years, there is still a long way to go to achieve gender equity in the workplace. By encouraging diversity and inclusion, providing support for work-life balance, addressing unconscious bias, ensuring pay equity, and providing leadership opportunities, organisations can help women thrive in the workplace and achieve their full potential.
Women empowerment platforms like W-Suite drive key dialogues around gender inequality and how equal opportunities engender empowerment. However, this is not entirely accurate.

Equal opportunities are not enough. We all start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action. A focus on gender equity, with the goal of equality, needs to be part of every societys DNA.

Ultimately, one size does not fit all, so how do we shift the gender conversation from one of equality or equal rights to one of equity?

This years theme for International Womens Day is Embrace Equity. Whereby equality means providing the same to all, equity recognises that each person has different circumstances, allocating tailored resources and opportunity to individuals in order to achieve an equal outcome. If equality is the goal, then equity is our means of getting there.

So how far are we from an equitable culture? In theory, many countries would consider themselves to have cultures of equality - whereby opportunities are both legally and societally indiscriminate on the basis of gender. The South African Constitution has been globally praised for championing equality in all matters of potential discrimination. However, while the outcome intended may be one of equality, the implementation of equal rights legislature is misleading in presuming that such (albeit good-intentioned) doctrine would manifest such an outcome.

Equity, however, is far more intricate than a piece of legislation. It requires independent and individual action in order to progress forward. Which is why, this International Womens Day, it is important to engage in impactful conversations around equity. It is vital that we, regardless of gender, open ourselves up to having these dialogues and understand that most often equality is an outcome and not an action.

We need to raise awareness around what constitutes equity in the professional space, and particularly in position of power. For example, if there is a 50/50 gender split on the board of a powerful international corporate, can that corporate claim that it practises gender equity? Gender equality definitely, but can this hypothetical company attest that each of its board members had the same path towards their position? Are they all equally talented? Are they all from the same backgrounds? Are they all equally resourced? How many of them are in their position due to wealth, privilege or nepotism?

When we provoke conversation around equity, it gives us the insight to review such situations and dig into what we can do to change the existing gender paradigms in businesses, many of which are unknowingly running under the guise of being enterprises of equality.

And of course, the concept of equity is not limited to business, but is executable in all facets of society. If you truly believe in an inclusive world, then you will truly believe in the need for society to understand the difference between equity and equality. Who we are today is a completion of all the unique experiences we have encountered throughout our lives. To be authentic women leaders, we need to enthusiastically embrace these experiences and how they have defined us. And in doing so, we need to realise that every other woman we meet has had different, unique experiences that have defined their journey.

Perhaps embracing equity starts with embracing something else - the concept of sonder - defined as the profound feeling that everyone, whether you know them or not, is living a life as complex as your own. Once we understand that the fundamental uniqueness of everyones life journey nullifies any concept of equality, then only can we begin to embrace equity.

Equality is giving everyone a shoe; equity is giving everyone a shoe that fits.

For more information on how to get involved visit www.wsuite.co.za as well as like and follow W-Suites social media platforms:

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The South African Women Entrepreneurs Job Creators Survey found that women gravitate towards industries whose development supports job creation. The financial inclusion of women entrepreneurs as active contributors to the South African economy is therefore one of the most important building blocks of a more equitable and economically active society. Collective and systematic efforts towards making this vision a reality is beginning to produce promising results, with more South African women becoming business owners.

Gugu Mjadu

According to Mastercards most recent Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE), South Africa is one of 12 global economies where the rate of womens entrepreneurial activity increased during the 2021 review period. This despite several systemic challenges that have served to hamper the progress of gender equality in the realm of entrepreneurship.

For Gugu Mjadu, executive general manager: marketing at Business Partners Limited, the results of the MIWE are particularly compelling considering that of the 12 economies that reported the highest level of progress, six are in Africa.

This is indicative of the great strides being made on the continent towards prompting more women to pursue careers as business owners.

The need to succeed: entrepreneurship by necessity

Professor Natanya Meyer, associate professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Johannesburg has referred to women as a reservoir of entrepreneurial talent. Her research suggests that more than half of women in developing countries see entrepreneurship as a path to a better future, compared to just 25% in developed countries. These findings highlight the potential entrepreneurship has to alleviate some of the countrys most pressing socioeconomic ills, such as poverty and unemployment.

For many South African women, the choice to embark on an entrepreneurial path is one of necessity. The MIWE reported a marked increase in necessity-driven entrepreneurship in South Africa (from 62.8% to 91.2%), where the motivation to start a business as a solution to the financial pressures of job losses during the pandemic years was particularly strong.

The axiom, necessity is the mother of invention, could not be more apt within the South African context, as Mjadu asserts. As she continues: This is what sets South African entrepreneurship apart from developed countries. South African women, who are renowned for their creative talents and innovative approach to solving business problems, start businesses because they are also primary caregivers who have families to support. Their drive comes from a deep place of need and the impetus that gives them is powerful.

Funding as an important foothold to increase women entrepreneurship

Putting the uniquely South African content into perspective, research by Google showed that in Africa, women entrepreneurs are less likely to receive funding. Similar conclusions have been drawn by several independent researchers, including Professor Meyer, who listed access to funding as one of the most significant obstacles to women entrepreneurship in South Africa.

This is supported by data published in the MIWE, which found that in countries like South Africa, womens advancement is hampered by less supportive entrepreneurial conditions.

For example, South Africa found itself within the bottom quintile with a ranking of 55 for general access to finance  a lower ranking than other similar developing nations such as Brazil (40), Mexico (48), and Saudi Arabia (33). For this rating, the index ranks countries according to general access to finance, a five sub-indicator composite consisting of SME operational financing, SME supportive taxes and bureaucracy, the availability of venture capital, access to entrepreneurial finance, and gender bias in access to financial services.

According to the MIWE, developed countries like Singapore, Denmark, and New Zealand far outrank the likes of developing nations, whose entrepreneurial climate is thwarted by challenges that relate directly to access to financing, particularly for early-stage ventures which are notoriously difficult to source funding for, particularly from traditional financiers who are by nature generally risk-averse.

Filling the funding gap

Fortunately, however, as Mjadu asserts, non-bank financiers and independent funders such as venture capitalists are stepping up to fill this funding gap. Furthermore, as she explains: The role of FinTechs as disruptors will become increasingly significant over the next decade, not only as potential sources of funding but also as business opportunities for innovative women entrepreneurs.

To further improve access to funding for women entrepreneurs, the concept of gender-aware economies and transformative funding must become a crucial cornerstone of the development of the SME sector. This is a concept that was introduced by the United Nations, which emphasizes that financiers must take special care when making financing decisions and prioritise financing women.

As Mjadu concludes: While it is encouraging to see South Africa at the forefront of some positive developments in the women entrepreneurship arena, more needs to be done. If we are to realise the agenda of stimulating women entrepreneurship and increasing the number of sustainable women-owned businesses in SA within the next few years, support will need to come from several fronts. We need to pull together as a national collective in business, finance and civil society to support and finance women in their entrepreneurial endeavours and not only buy local but make a conscious decision to support local, women-led businesses in particular.
The role of women has been pivotal in ensuring stability, progress and development in the world. As mothers, women have been the backbone of their families, as teachers, women have transferred knowledge and wisdom from generation to generation. As leaders, women have organised themselves, collaborated and claimed their rights to be seen, heard and acknowledged as equals in society.

The Innovator Trust presents the webinar premiere of Her Seat at the Table

In celebration of International Women's Day on 8 March 2023, the Innovator Trust has invited a special group of iconic South African women who have each excelled in their respective fields, to take up Her Seat at the Table, sharing their untold stories, lessons, sacrifices and triumphs along the journey of becoming the leading figures they are today.

The Her Seat At the Table webinar production provides a platform for unity, collaboration and inclusivity among South African women from different ages, backgrounds and walks of life to discuss candidly, woman to woman, what the true cost of a seat at the table for women is, and further contribute to the discourse of what it really means to be a woman in modern-day South Africa.

Through a series of conversations, Her Seat at the Table seeks to challenge the narratives and perceptions created about women, presenting an opportunity for representation and ownership of the South African womens story.

By bringing together diverse female voices tackling topics of Gender, Mental Health, Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Technology and the role of Young Women, the series sets out to chart a new discourse for future generations of South African women.

First announced at the Innovator Trusts Women In Tech Appreciation Experience in 2022, this edition of Her Seat At the Table features prolific voices of:

Professor Thuli Madonsela, Law Trust Social Justice Chair for the University of Stellenbosch, founder of the Thuma Foundation, once named TIME 100s most influential people in the world, and former Public Protector of South Africa.

Also featured at the table is Lynda Marthinus, Vodacom executive head of BBBEE & Transformation, ICT Sector Code councillor who has served as advisor on the Presidential B-BBEE Council and drafting member of South Africas ICT Charter. Lynda is also a two-time cancer survivor.

Taking up a seat at the table is Lynette Magasa, CEO of Boniswa Group, awarded Top Performing Business Woman of the Year in 2013, Top Black Female Leader of the Year, 2015 Top Young Entrepreneur, 2016 Top Empowered Entrepreneur by the Oliver Empowerment Awards, and 2015 Elle Boss Winner in the Corporate Category by ELLE Magazine SA.

Kelebogile Molopyane, CEO of AB4IR takes up the fourth seat at the table, as a published author, entrepreneur and one of the founding directors of the Drone Council South Africa. Molopyane has been awarded South Africa Country Chair  All Ladies League Business Accelerator Wing G100 Club, CWENA 2022 African Disruptor of the Year in 4IR Award and received the Institution of the Year Award at the 2021 Mabopane Achievers Community Awards.

Taking up the final seat at the table is Sihle Hlophe, multi award-winning film director, screenwriter and social entrepreneur. Sihles work has been recognised with a number of accolades including 2x African Movie Academy Award nominations, winner of the Best Documentary Award at the Cameroon International Film Festival, Best Documentary Short Award at the South African Film & Television Awards (SAFTAs), winner of the Most Outstanding Documentary Project award at the Durban Film Mart, Pinnacle Award recipient of the Innovator Trust Women In Tech Awards.

Until all women are free, no woman is free. For this reason, we must continue the engagement for impact and solutions toward the cause of equity for women, driven by women. As an organisation, the Innovator Trust strongly advocates and believes in realising the powerful role women have to play in creating a better, more sustainable society for all. Our efforts this International Womens Day through Her Seat at the Table are to celebrate the diversity of women, to unite and collaborate as women, in order for us to chart a course forward that future generations of women can own and be proud to be a part of. Get ready to learn, be inspired and transformed!

The Innovator Trust invites all women, young and old, to register to watch the premiere edition of Her Seat at the Table.

Watch the exclusive production of Her Seat at the Table here.
Access to quality education must be considered a human right to be experienced by all. Even so, more than 244 million children and youth globally are still out of school for a variety of reasons. This is something that Mukuru, a Southern African next-generation financial services platform, is committed to helping change through the Mukuru Education Fund.

Launched last year with eight candidates awarded university bursaries, the organisation has further enhanced its bursary programme through a partnership with forgood, a social impact ecosystem equipping businesses to connect their employees to development needs. This has enabled Mukuru to now provide 20 employees with financial assistance for their child's tuition fees in 2023.

Through the Mukuru Education Fund, we want to empower our people to access the best educational opportunities for their children so they can one day trailblaze their own journey of inclusion and growth through learning. These bursaries are open to all Mukuru employees across Africa and signify our commitment to providing students with access to the best educational opportunities. The partnership between Mukuru and forgood helps to bridge the skills gap by providing access to education for the children of our employees across the continent, says Deidre Vrede, CSI manager at Mukuru.

Beyond the employee initiative, Mukuru will also be awarding six new bursaries to foreign nationals and locals to study at a university or Technikon of their choice in South Africa. The bursary will cover tuition fees and textbooks. The fields that will be eligible for these bursaries are software development engineering and management, systems architects, data analysts, and general IT specialists.

The students who received Mukuru bursaries last year are still busy with their degrees, three of whom have begun their final year with continued financial assistance from Mukuru.

Quality education is a vital stepping stone to getting the skills necessary to find employment or pursue entrepreneurial opportunities in the future. With digital becoming such a key pillar of our environment, we encourage the development of skills that can harness the potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and create work readiness in students, adds Vrede.
As media owners, we are often on the receiving end of comments like 'This is a global directive' or 'South Africa is so far behind the State's and Europe'. So, we sent two of our intrepid explorers off to New York City for a few days to find out what's really happening in retail.

Chris Halstead, head of sales and Lynne Krog, senior research strategist and project lead for Roots spent three days gleaning insights at the annual Retail Show organised by the National Retail Federation. This years show was bigger and better than ever, boasting an impressive lineup of 350 speakers, 175 sessions, and an exhibition with 1,000 exhibitors.

Some key insights included:

Loyalty in retail is the absence of something better. NRF chairman John Furner

The criteria for retail performance going forward, are the same as before i.e. Cost effective, Easy and Personalised .

. Consumers across the income spectrum are on a treasure hunt for value. Luxury brands are no exception. Value is added through price, electronic vouchers, own label, passing on saving through an evaluation of the supply chain and product offering, sustainability and through smart partnerships.

Creating value is personalised, and many American companies are still trying to find the best way to personalise marketing. The digital tracking of behaviours and purchases allows you to personalise offers (price/value and product) to ensure traction.

Physical stores, and people employed in those stores, are important. Not only do they provide a competitive edge, but are also central to community life. Despite omnichannel buying growing, physical stores are here to stay. They provide an essential node for retail. It is really interesting to see the shift back to physical stores. Its almost as if weve come full circle from when retail began and trading stores were a meeting place and not just a place to buy stuff. A wonderful place to shop and to make my community better Marvin Ellison  Lowe chairman and CEO

It is predicted that the biggest digital communication channel in the next few years will be media retail channels, search (Google) and social will be outpaced by retail. Amazon currently owns this space but many players have scalable offerings, from mass merchandisers (e.g., Walmart) to category specialists (e.g., Kroger) to commerce verticals (e.g., Mastercard). The biggest growth in 2023 is predicted for Walmart, Instacart, TikTok and Shopify. For brand advertising, the channel offers the perfect intersection between digital ads, TV and in-store. Trusted, verified audience measurement will bring brand advertising into the space. This is in the pipeline.

Within media retail channels that have a physical store presence, the stores command bigger audiences than the digital channel. The prediction is that physical stores will be the next major media channel.

It is critical to empower, train and care for staff. Staff should come from the local community and represent the diversity within that community. This uplifts the customer experience and ultimately the entire community. Community upliftment and care is important across the board.

Sustainability is becoming an important consideration. Macy's, for example, adopted a policy last year requiring the use of responsibly sourced wood and other sustainable materials in its furniture. This was done as part of a bigger goal to meet growing consumer demand for products with a smaller environmental footprint. The department store uses third-party auditors to ensure compliance in factories, a practice also followed by direct-to-consumer furniture brand Sundays.

NRF Retails Big Show annual conference and expo provides an excellent opportunity to network and forge valued partnerships.

The NRF has offices in 20 countries and has recognised the need to expand the footprint of its Big Retail Show to Asia Pacific. In 2024, it is going to be holding two shows annually. In addition to its New York show from 14-16 January, it will also be hosting a show in Singapore six months later from the 11-13 June.

Media contact

Kamogelo Aphane, Corporate Affairs Manager - az.oc.aidemkraps@ak.
More than 3,000 films from 137 countries have entered the 44th edition of the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF).

The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), presented by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of Kwazulu-Natal will run from 20 July to 30 July 2023. The festival is South Africa's longest-running film festival.

The festival will present live screening at the CineCentre in the Suncoast complex, in collaboration with Avalon Group, and supported by the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission and the National Film & Video Foundation, amongst several other partners. Additional venues will be announced closer to the dates of the festival.

Imaginations and voices

Festival manager Andrea Voges has honed her skills as an arts and cultural manager working in strategic positions both nationally and internationally. After working at the Joburg Film Festival, Red Sea International Film Festival, Realness Institute, Ucuru Media, National Arts Council of South Africa and the National Film and Video Foundation of South Africa as a project coordinator for the South African-United Kingdom Seasons - an intergovernmental initiative to promote arts and culture between these two nations - she returned to the Durban International Film Festival where she had previously played a vital role in the festivals success during 2010 to 2014.

The 2023 DIFF programme will showcase the works of filmmakers who place their imaginations, voices, creativity and lenses at the centre of creating films that inspire, confront, challenge and provoke audiences. The programming team will look out for innovative storytelling that will connect storytellers with audiences. says Voges.

Full team

The shorts programming team comprises of the founder of Alfreda's Cinema, Melissa Lyde (US), curator, filmmaker and historian Greta Morton (Australia), filmmaker, visual artist, and film festival programmer Yanyu Dong (China) and the curator, cultural programmer and producer Mitchell Harper (South Africa).

The documentary programmers are film director and curator Ygor Gama (Argentina/Brazil), line producer and programme coordinator Egar Ntanyi (Nigeria) and film director, producer and director of photography Inadelso Cossa (Mozambique).

Writer and director Indranil Banerjee (India), curator, producer, director and broadcaster Andrea Cals (Brazil), seasoned festival programmer and distributor Safa Morad (Egypt) and film critic, programmer and journalist Tara Karajicoa (Serbia), will make up the programming team for the features category.

The DIFF also includes the second edition of the Isiphethu Student Film Festival, which is headed by Sakhile Gumede. He is supported by a programming team consisting of writer and director Madoda Ncayiyana (South Africa), cultural producer and editor Ashok Vish (India) and festival manager and programmer Ibee Ndaw (Gambia/France). Gumede will also mentor Emerging Arts Managers Aphiwokule Moyo and Nomthandanzo Nyathi, whose internships are funded by a Department of Sport, Arts & Culture grant administered by the National Arts Council.
The Biden administration has supported a bipartisan bill that would give the American government the power to ban TikTok in the US.

According to reports the bill was introduced by 12 members of the Senate. This bill would allow US President Joe Biden to ban technologies touted as a threat to national security by the US Commerce Department.

The US government and its law enforcement agencies have said that TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, could potentially be used to spy on its citizens, download sensitive personal data, and manipulate public opinion.

Today, the threat that everyone is talking about is TikTok, and how it could enable surveillance by the Chinese Communist Party, or facilitate the spread of malign influence campaigns in the US, said Senator Mark Warner said in a statement.

TikTok is used by more than 100 million US citizens and has repeatedly said it would not share personal data with the Chinese government.
The circular issued to students also listed recent attacks by strays and said it was coordinating with civic authorities over the issue. Representational image/DC

Hyderabad: Students of the University of Hyderabad, despite being directed not to feed stray dogs on the campus, continue to sneak dogs into their hostel rooms, distressing other students sharing the premises.

A circular issued on Monday asked students not to feed stray dogs in hostels, messes, corridors, and residences, and help the administration in ensuring the safety and well-being of all stakeholders of the campus.

However, students from the womens hostels have complained to the warden regarding the dogs being sneaked in by a few tenants, raising concerns about proper sanitation and hygiene.

A student said: "We do not mind dogs, but they completely mess up the whole place by urinating and defecating, which becomes smelly and the cleaners are supposed to do this extra job. Earlier, there were only three to four puppies, but it has now gone up to seven to eight fully-grown dogs, and their puppies."

Another student said that the dogs also lick the drinking water dispensers and tear clothes hung out to dry in corridors.

The second student said: "There are around 25 girl students who are willing to feed and provide shelter to the dogs. We are not against feeding them, but there must be certain boundaries and everybodys opinion must be respected. The dogs are not aggressive nor have they bitten anyone so far, but feeding inside hostels is not acceptable."

Dog sympathisers, however, defended their actions claiming that the dogs were taken into rooms to shelter them during extreme hot or cold. Citing that the dogs were well-behaved and had not harmed anyone, they said they could not abandon animals they have been caring for.

The hostel warden said that several complaints were registered by students, who were getting disturbed due to dogs entering hostels. She said: "We cannot say anything to the students as they say it is a basic human right to feed the dogs. Thus, we keep mum. However, there are not many dogs in the hostels as we have strict security."

The circular issued to students also listed recent attacks by strays and said it was coordinating with civic authorities over the issue.

"In view of the fact there were 80,000 dog attack cases reported in the last one year in Telangana and also in view of the four-year-old boy was attacked and killed by a pack of dogs and thus the issue is of grave concern. Stakeholders are advised while walking alone in poorly lit areas to avoid packs of dogs, if any. The campus is further coordinating with GHMC in this matter," said the circular.
Four Corners has uncovered documents charting the WA government-owned mint's decision to begin "doping" its gold in 2018, and then how it withheld evidence from its largest client in an effort to protect its reputation.

While the gold remained above broader industry standards, the report estimated up to 100 tonnes of gold sent to Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) potentially did not comply with Shanghai's strict purity standards for silver content.

...

Doping the gold

Gold doping is a somewhat accepted practice in the industry and is not illegal, but is high risk for refiners, as it lowers the quality of bullion by adding impurities like silver or copper.

Trace amounts of these metals are permitted, but Perth Mint's plan  to keep just within industry standard of 99.99 per cent purity  only left a miniscule margin of error.

The mint began doping its gold as a cost-saving measure in 2018, expecting to save up to $620,000 a year  a tiny fraction of its annual sales.

Within two years this desire to save money would put the mint at the centre of what may be one of the biggest gold scandals in Australian history.


Over the past year, 18 US states have officially ended pandemic-era states of emergency - including the covid food benefit, while a December mandate from Congress will end aid in March for the other 32 states, along with the District of Columbia, the US Virgin Islands and Guam.

The collective return to pre-pandemic policies includes enhanced unemployment benefits and child tax credits, as well as a rollback adjustment to Medicaid that boosted enrollment.

Wall St ends year with biggest annual drop since 2008 Now, people are waiting up to nine hours in mile-long lines for free food - some of whom say they can only afford to eat once per day, while others say they limit expensive food items such as meat for specific family members, such as growing teenage boys.

"I thought, Wow, the government is trying to kill us now," said 63-year-old Danny Blair of Kentucky. Blair, who lives in a mobile home with his wife, survives on his Social Security disability check, the Washington Post reports.

"They are going to starve us out," Blair continued, apparently unaware that government assistance provided during the pandemic wasn't permanent.

Blair and his wife hop into their truck twice a month at 4 a.m. to ensure they get a few staples at the Hazel Green Food Projects giveaway. On a recent Friday, they waited nine hours until local prisoners on work duty started loading bags of meat and vegetables, potato chips and cookies into vehicles in one of the nations most impoverished communities. From the front to the back of the line, the sea of despair and hardship along this desolate Kentucky highway foreshadowed what may be in store for millions of Americans as the federal government ended the remaining pandemic increase in monthly food stamp benefits this week. -WaPo

As the Post frames it, the pullback of pandemic-related aid could pose a setback to the Biden administration's efforts to 'slash poverty' while building a 'healthier and more sustainable middle class' - none of which were the stated goals of the temporary aid.

"We saw positive benefits from this and less hardship, including for families with children," said Dottie Rosenbaum, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, who points out that all the free money helped reduce childhood poverty rates in 2021. "We can expect that to reverse now."

Following the reduction in benefits, the average SNAP recipient's benefits are expected to drop by around $90 per month, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. That said, an even greater reduction is in store for seniors and the working poor who receive assistance from other government programs, and will likely qualify for less.

In Kentucky, many seniors on food stamps saw their monthly benefit drop from $281 to $22 last year after the state ended the pandemic emergency in May, according to local food bank network, Feeding Kentucky.

Other states are preparing for the same

"We are bracing, and our agencies, member food banks, food pantries and soup kitchens are not prepared for what is about to hit them, Said Ohio Association of Foodbanks executive director, Lisa Hamler-Fugitt. "This reduction, and end of the public health emergency, could not be coming at a worse time."

Even before the benefits retired this month in Ohio, Hamler-Fugitt said demand at food banks soared last year as retail food prices rose by 11.4 percent nationwide, more than five times the historical annual average. She said Ohio charities and foodbanks served 3.1 million people in the last quarter of 2022, which she called a record and about 600,000 more than were served during the same period in 2021. Now, Hamler-Fugitt expects many of the states 1.5 million recipients will also be scrambling to find food assistance, adding she projects the benefit reductions will remove $120 million from Ohios retail economy each month. -WaPo

"We estimate we would have to increase our distribution by 15 times to even begin to address this, and we dont have the resources to do that," said Hamler-Fugitt. "So hunger rates are going to increase among our seniors, and families, and our children are going to fall behind academically because they are not going to be able to concentrate on empty stomachs."

Is this practical?

In Kentucky, GOP lawmaker Sen. Donald Douglas said during debates that it wasn't practical to live "under a constant state of emergency."

"Lets ask yourself, should SNAP benefits be a way of life?" he asked. "Now we know it is for some. Should it be a way of life for adults?"
Annepaka Ellaiah, 52, a daily labourer committed suicide at Saidabad over alleged harassment by the police for clearing traffic challans.

Hyderabad: Annepaka Ellaiah, 52, a daily labourer committed suicide at Saidabad over alleged harassment by the police for clearing traffic challans. After his bike was allegedly detained by the traffic police, Ellaiah went home and consumed poison.

His family rushed him to a nearby private hospital, where he was declared dead.

A note purportedly written by Ellaiah, in which he addressed Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and Minister KT Rama Rao and detailed how he was harassed by the cops to clear the challans pending on his bike, was found at his home.

The note said "SI Ganesh stopped my vehicle. He said that he will not release the vehicle without clearing the pending challans of Rs 10,000. I said I am a labourer and can not pay such a huge amount at a time, but he did not listen,"

Saidabad police registered a case under 174 CrPC and launched an investigation. They have also recovered the note and sent it for forensic examination. Saidabad Inspector K. Subba Rami Reddy said that all angles are being probed into and based on the evidence, the investigation would proceed, he said.

Ellaiah, belonging to Devarakonda in Nalgonda district, is residing at IS Sadan area along with his wife and children. On Monday evening, when he was returning home from work, traffic police stopped and detained his vehicle, following which he took the extreme step.

Meanwhile, traffic police denied having seized the vehicle for pending challans. They said he was stopped during the drunken driving checks being conducted at Champapet and he cooperated with them and took a test.

He recorded 155 mg dl BAC in the breath analyser test, following which the cops asked him to inform his relatives to come and take him home. But he said that he would collect the bike later, collected an acknowledgement and left the place.

Mirchowk Traffic Inspector P Pramod Kumar said that they were conducting drunk driving checks. A total of 12 persons were caught in the checks. He was caught in drunk driving checks in 2019 and in December 2022 as well.

"The entire process was video recorded. The records along with the drunk driving test ticket were handed over to Saidabad police for further investigation," he added.

As per the police records, Ellaiahs bike TS 11EM 9796 has 24 challans on the bike since 2018 including the drunken driving challan issued on March 6.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with newly sworn-in Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha and Cabinet Ministers during the swearing-in ceremony of Saha, in Agartala. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: On International Women's Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the role of women in Indias progress and said his government will keep working to further womens empowerment.

"On International Womens Day, a tribute to the achievements of our Nari Shakti. We greatly cherish the role of women in India's progress," Modi said in a tweet.

"Our government will keep working to further women empowerment," he said using the hashtag Nari Shakti for New India'.

The prime minister also shared on Twitter a compilation of women achievers whose life journeys were chronicled in Mann Ki Baat.

Meanwhile, Modi along and BJP president J.P. Nadda and Union home minister Amit Shah attended the oath taking ceremony of Manik Saha led BJPs coalition government in Tripura. Assam Chief Minister and NEDA chairman Himanta Biswa Sarma was also present.

The BJP top brass, including Nadda and Shah also held a meeting with TIPRA Mothas Pradyot Deb Barma in the state capital.

Along with Saha, eight more ministers, including Ratan Lal Nath, Pranajit Singha Roy, Santana Chakma, Tinku Roy and Bikash Debbarma were also sworn in by Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya.

While the CM and six other ministers took oath in Bangla, Sushanta Choudhury took oath in Hindu. Lone IPFT leader in the CM's team Shukla Charan Noatia took the oath in Kokborok, a local tribal dialect. Among the new BJP led government, five are new faces, while four ministers who were in the earlier cabinet found a place in the new line-up.

The BJP won 32 seats in the 60-member House in the recent assembly elections in Tripura, while its ally IPFT managed to secure one seat.

Dr Saha had been made chief minister earlier in 2022, replacing Biplab Kumar Deb, in a brand renewal exercise after it was found that his popularity rating was plummeting on account of the poor law and order situation in Tripura's hinterland.
Two media companies with ties to embattled start-up News.net are threatening to sue its former employees and file a report with police, alleging staff breached confidentiality provisions by leaking emails and private information while they were still employed.

Global News and Sport (the business behind News.net) and Australia News, which both list Brendt Munro as sole director, have issued anonymised letters to staff in the past three weeks offering to pay the thousands of dollars News.net owes some employees over an 18-month period. The letters also ask people to confess to breaching confidentiality and non-disparagement clauses in their contracts to avoid being sued for damages.

Brendt Munro is the sole director of the entity that owes staff thousands of dollars in wages. He denies sending anonymised letters threatening staff with legal action.

Letters sent to staff, seen by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, allege employees failed to fulfil basic duties such as updating the website, and misled the company about the number of advertisers onboard (claims which staff deny). A letter by Australia News sent on March 3 threatens staff with legal action but also offers to pay money owed to them over an 18-month period.

Munro denied the correspondence came from him. I dont know the content. My focus is getting funds from the parent [sic], he said.
My mum remembered when the Grim Reaper campaign was on air so that fear was passed on to me, and I remember my first boyfriend visiting a friend of his who was dying of AIDS in hospital. When I read the script all those moments of my youth came back, the fear of my music manager back at the time, of my mum when I didnt come home one night, they thought I was out gallivanting and the fear of what I couldve gotten up to, it was all connected to that campaign.

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A major theme of In Our Blood is the collaborative approach government took to tackle the AIDS outbreak, in particular the way the gay community was consulted with and led the endeavour. What this show has done so well is celebrate an era that was so fraught with so many tragedies and such a dark time in world history, and Australia really managed to set an example of how to treat people with differences, and to empower people rather than to impose, Draxl says.

The series also reflects the gay communitys broader fear of prejudice. One of the reasons I was drawn to it most was I had enough life experience and lived experience being a gay man that I knew what it was to be discriminated against, Draxl says. I knew what it felt like to feel like a second-class citizen. Ive lived with that my whole life, from when I first knew that I was gay and being told I couldnt be gay for the sake of my career.

With gay actors traditionally advised to hide their sexuality, the series reflects a tipping point for Draxl, being on a shoot where the majority of the cast are gay. That really drew me to this project, the actor says. One of the first things I was told was that all the queer characters were going to be played by queer actors. For me, as a gay actor, I think authentic representation is so important for younger generations to see themselves on screens and to see themselves represented authentically by people who have that lived experience. I think thats key.
Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar said "every time there is a terrorist-linked incident in the country, it is linked to the Old City. Terrorists are using fake birth certificates to claim citizenship and get Indian passports. The Chief Minister has handed over the Old City to the AIMIM for political gains. (DC Image)

HYDERABAD: Bandi Sanjay Kumar of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday demanded Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Raos resignation over a fake birth certificate scam in the GHMC, claiming illegal residents from Pakistan and Bangladesh benefitted from it.

Sanjay, in a statement, said illegal residents from Pakistan and Bangladesh made the Old City of Hyderabad their home and received Indian passports using fake documents.

"Every time there is a terrorist-linked incident in the country, it is linked to the Old City. Terrorists are using fake birth certificates to claim citizenship and get Indian passports. The Chief Minister has handed over the Old City to the AIMIM for political gains," Sanjay said.

The Old City, he said, has become a hub for terrorists. "This is a deliberate ploy by the BRS and AIMIM to create strife and blame the Central government. If KCR is sincere about getting to the bottom of the case, then he must immediately order a CBI inquiry into the scam."

The issue of more than 27,000 birth certificates, and more than 4,000 death certificates, without any proof, is an extremely alarming finding, Sanjay said, adding: "It is even more disturbing that most of these certificates were issued in the Old City areas. The scandal is evidence of how steeped in corruption the KCR government is. The Chief Minister must own up to moral responsibility for this scandal and resign."

"Such a large number of fake certificates were found just in raids by the Task Force of the city police. If a full-fledged investigation is conducted, more such incidents will come to light. There must be a comprehensive probe into this issue, as well as into ration and voter ID cards issued in the Old City," Sanjay said.

Sanjay said that the BJP's GHMC corporators will launch an agitation to ascertain the truth about the scandal.
My daughter was given a Barbie doll recently, and I eyed it warily. Something primal rose in me, and I wanted to chop off her hair and see if she could do the splits. Id never been allowed one; my parents thought she promoted a negative body image.

But there was another part of me, the small child whod always wanted one, who was captivated by this anatomically impossible, ageless, plastic fantastic woman.

Ryan Gosling as Ken and Margot Robbie as Barbie in the upcoming Barbie film. Credit: AP

As we prepare for Greta Gerwigs subversive Barbie film, set to be released in July, and with fashion magazines breathlessly telling us that pink is so hot right now, its time to talk about the doll that launched a gazillion-dollar empire.

Barbie, or Barbara Millicent Roberts made her first appearance on March 9, 1959, at the International Toy Fair in New York (March 9 is also her official birthday). She was originally marketed to adults, but it quickly became apparent that kids loved her.
On a bitterly cold day in Hobart 10 years ago, I sat opposite an Immigration Department official who told me: Dont be happy that you are living in the Australian community. This bridging visa only means you can stay in Australia temporarily. I was warned the government was working to build capacity in offshore detention centres and would send us back when they had more room available.

I was shocked then, and I am still shocked today at the cruelty of those words, driven by immigration policies that continue to harm people who seek refuge in Australia by sea. I was only 17 and told I would never call Australia home.

Australia has ignored its obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention. Credit: Shannon Morris

It was the first of many experiences I had with the brutality and intransigence of Australias immigration bureaucracy serving politically driven deterrent policies in breach of the Refugee Convention. It is still unbelievable to me that Australia is a signatory to the 1951 convention yet for years now it has failed its obligations to offer equal protection to people seeking refuge from persecution who arrive by sea.

Since 2013 when the Australian government introduced Operation Sovereign Borders, Australia has ignored its obligations, keeping thousands of people in offshore detention who have been granted protection, or keeping them on temporary protection visas in Australia without the right to study, travel or reunite with family and loved ones.
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan says he only found out about the Perth Mints gold doping on Monday night after watching the Four Corners investigation into its operations.

The mint and Gold Corp are embroiled in scandal after Four Corners claimed they tried to cover up concerns a gold dilution program that resulted in two gold bars breaching the strict purity standards of one of its biggest customers  the Shanghai Gold Exchange  may have affected up to 100 tonnes of bullion sold to the exchange in 2021.

Gold bars at the Perth Mint refinery. Credit: Trevor Collens

An internal report into the dilution program  known in the industry as doping  was triggered after the SGE complained about the levels of silver in the two bars that exceeded its allowed standards in September 2021.

That report, referenced by Four Corners, suggested a worst-case scenario would see up to 100 tonnes of gold bought back by the mint and recast.
A woman who took cocaine with a man she had met on Tinder and was shown at least $15,000 in his bedroom later spoke about wanting to do him over for money and drugs, a Sydney jury has heard.

Lisa Anne Price has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Luke Lembryk, 29, who was stabbed to death on December 7, 2019, during a failed robbery of the unit he shared with his mother at Condell Park, in the citys south-west.

Lisa Anne Price outside the NSW Supreme Court at Darlinghurst. Credit: Nikki Short

Price is accused of giving Lembryks address to Joseph Nehme, who then allegedly recruited Bilal Rahim and Viliami Taufahema. The three men, who have also pleaded not guilty to Lembryks murder, are accused of being parties to an agreement to rob Lembryk for cash and possibly drugs.

A fifth co-accused, Sherene Rizk, has pleaded not guilty to being an accessory before the fact to the murder, having allegedly taped a knife to Nehme with the intention he would take it to the robbery.
Its a debt shackled to you upon tertiary study that continues to haunt you well after graduation and throughout your working life.

It looms over your head as you check the deductions on your payslips or tell the banker when theyre assessing your first home loan.

Your HELP debt, formerly known as HECS.

Many people arent aware of what happens once their debt is paid off.

More Australians are working towards paying off their student loans quicker as inflation prices increase the indexation, a percentage of money that reflects the real value aligned to changes to cost of living, which is applied to the debt each financial year.
Kardell Lomas was seven months pregnant when she went with her partner to the hospital for an antenatal scan.

Two days later, on December 8, 2019, her body was found shoved in the boot of a broken-down car.

Kardell Lomas was found dead in the boot of a car at her Ipswich home. Credit: Nine News

Neighbours reported to police that afternoon they had heard an argument at the property where Lomas, 31, was living in Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane.

Get up, you dog, get up! her partner, Traven Lee Fisher, was heard shouting.
School student airlifted to hospital after near-drowning

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A Perth family facing deportation because their sons disability was deemed a burden on taxpayers have been told they can stay in the country.

The Aneesh family, from Carlisle, were facing the prospect of heading back to India next week after living in Perth for seven years because their 10-year-old son Aaryan failed the visa health test.

Aaryan has an intellectual disability and Down syndrome.

Krishna Aneesh, who is a cybersecurity expert, and her husband Aneesh Kollikkara, who works in telecommunications, last week told 9 News Perth they were denied permanent residency in Australia due to potential costs for their sons disability.
The United Kingdoms top envoy in Australia has slapped down Peter Dutton for saying Australia should not acquire nuclear-powered submarines from Britain under the AUKUS pact, personally telling the opposition leader his remarks were unhelpful.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to San Diego next week to announce the type of submarine technology Australia will purchase through the AUKUS partnership with the United States and UK.

UK High Commissioner Vicki Treadell said Opposition Leader Peter Duttons comments on AUKUS were not helpful. Credit: Rhett Wyman/Michael Quelch

Dutton, who was defence minister when AUKUS was announced in September 2021, last week warned against acquiring a future fleet from the UK, saying he thought the American Virginia-class submarines were the best option for Australia.

The beauty in my mind with the American model, of the Virginia class, was that it was a proven design, it gave us interoperability with the Americans and there will be more American subs in the Indo-Pacific than there will be British submarines, Dutton said.
A controversial plan to centralise the medical records of Victorian public health patients is likely to pass in state parliament on Thursday with strengthened oversight and privacy protections but without opt-in or opt-out provisions.

The health information sharing bill is aimed at improving health outcomes and making the health system more efficient by electronically sharing patient data across public health services through a central database.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the database would not work if it was optional. Credit: Jason South

But it has been criticised by law and privacy experts who have said the ability to opt out is needed to protect patient autonomy and limit risks to vulnerable people.

Labor, which does not have a majority in the upper house, argues the database would be secure, is similar to one already in place in NSW and is needed to improve patient outcomes and streamline the health system.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy appoints zonal incharges for affiliated wings to strengthen the party from the grassroots level ahead of the 2024 elections. (Photo: Twitter)

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy as the YSR Congress president has started efforts to strengthen the party from the grassroots level by appointing nearly 150 partymen as zonal incharges for the affiliated wings.

Each zone comprises three to five districts and the incharges would coordinate party activities under the Mission 175 - Elections 2024 target set by the Chief Minister, aiming at a total sweep of seats in the polls.

Top YSRC leaders including MLAs have become active with the Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam mass contact programme. Now, the YSRC would activate the second-rung leaders and cadres. On instructions from CM Jagan, zonal incharges were appointed for the youth wing as also for the Rythu Vibhagam, the BC Cell, the YSRTUC, the Panchayat Raj cell, the student wing, the doctors wing, the minority cell etc.

The YSRC had recently appointed 5.20 lakh house chiefs, one for every 50 houses, to reach the partys message to the 1.66 crore families in the state to help them resolve their issues. The chiefs would also highlight the governments welfare and development agendas.

In his latest push, the Chief Minister is concentrating on strengthening the cadres and hence appointed zonal incharges for all the affiliated wings. These leaders would coordinate with the legislators and leaders and strengthen the respective party wings to help the party perform well in the 2024 elections.

The 26 districts were divided into eight zones. All the youth leaders hoping to enter the election fray got various posts.

The youth leaders who were participating in the YSRC activities along with their fathers, like Chevireddy Mohith Reddy, son of MLA Chevireddy Bhaskar Reddy, Perni Krishna Murthy, son of former minister and MLA Perni Nani, got charges of zonal YSRC youth wing. So did Macherla MLA Pinnelli Ramakrishna Reddys brother, Pinneli Venkatarami Reddy.

Perni Krishna Murthy was appointed as the zonal incharge for Krishna, NTR and Guntur districts; Mohith Reddy for Nellore, YSR Kadapa and Tirupati; and Venkatrami Reddy for Palnadu, Bapatla and Prakasam districts.

Similarly, Jakkampudi Ganesh was appointed as YSRC youth wing zonal incharge for Kakinada, Konaseema as also the East and West Godavari districts; M. Suneel Kumar for Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and Anakapalli districts; Avanapu Vikram for Srikakulam, Paravathipuram Manyam and Alluri Sitharama Raju districts; Mandlem Madhusudhana Reddy for Kurnool and Nandyal districts; and Yellareddy Pranay Reddy for Anantapur, Satya Sai and Annamayya districts.

The party leaders said that the YSRCs affiliated wings of farmers, trade unions, panchayat raj, the disabled, Sevadal, doctors, traders, cultural activists, women, weavers, students, the BC, SC, ST and minorities play important roles in enlisting public support for the ruling party from their respective groups and communities.

They said Jagan, as the party president, is on a mission mode under which he is concentrating on winning the support for his party from all sections of the society. Hence, the 26 districts were divided into eight zones and active leaders appointed for all these wings.

YSRC doctors wing zonal incharge for Krishna, NTR and Guntur districts Dr Mehaboob Shaik thanked CM Jagan for giving priorities to the SC, ST, BC and minorities in the partys organisational structures.

Dr Shaik said that in the past, AP was unable to conduct even the Covid tests. But CM Jagan majorly improved the medical and health scenarios by establishing laboratories in all government hospitals. "Jagan appointed 47,000 doctors and staff and is establishing 16 new medical colleges," he added.
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

Westpac will soon launch new support measures to help more female-led small businesses get started or grow.

The announcement comes as research from the bank revealed that accessing finance is one of the many challenges faced by female business owners.

Part of a total $500 million commitment to back more women in business, the support measures include:

Start-up loans: Unsecured loans between $10,000 and $50,000 with terms of up to three years to help new businesses get started. To access the loan, the businesses must have operated for less than 12 months and must provide a sound business plan and budget projections, instead of two years of financials.

Unsecured loans between $10,000 and $50,000 with terms of up to three years to help new businesses get started. To access the loan, the businesses must have operated for less than 12 months and must provide a sound business plan and budget projections, instead of two years of financials. Scale-up loans: Secured or unsecured loans between $10,000 and $1 million with terms of up to three years, designed to help existing businesses to grow. To access the funding, the businesses must have operated for less than three years and must submit one year of financials, rather than two.

Chris de Bruin, Westpac Group chief executive of consumer and business banking, said businesses established by women remain underrepresented in Australia.

Access to capital is not a level playing field, so were committing to supporting more businesses led by women, de Bruin said. This is about backing early-stage businesses with great ideas and providing opportunity so they can succeed.

Boosting womens entrepreneurship in Australia is important to the economy. The longstanding gender pay gap represents a missed opportunity for innovation, social, and economic value creation, and job creation. A diverse and inclusive workforce generates tangible benefits, such as increased efficiency, productivity, innovation, creativity, and improved employee engagement. This announcement is key to our broader strategy of supporting more customers and backing the businesses of tomorrow.

Women represent around 36% of Australian small businesses owners, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Terms and conditions, fees and charges, and eligibility criteria will apply for the loans.

What do you think about this story? Wed love to hear from you in the comments below.


As much as 31 million shares, or 4 per cent stake, of promoters in the group's flagship firm Adani Enterprises Ltd, will be released from pledge while in Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), promoters will release pledges on 155 million shares or an 11.8 per cent stake. Adani Group on Tuesday announced that it has repaid share-based financing worth Rs 7,374 crore and will prepay all such remaining loans by the end of March. The repayment will release the pledge on promoters' shares in four Adani Group companies, Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports, Adani Green Energy and Adani Transmission.



"Along with the repayments done earlier in the month of February, Adani has prepaid $2.016 billion of share backed financing, which is consistent with promoters' commitment to prepay all share backed financing before March 31, 2023," it said. In the case of Adani Transmission Ltd, pledges over 36 million shares, representing 4.5 per cent of promoters' holdings, will be released. Similarly, Adani Green Energy Ltd pledges over 11 million shares or 1.2 per cent of promoters' holdings, will be released.



What is share-based financing by pledging? As of February, the group's net debt stands at Rs 1.89 trillion.

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Here, the promoters keep a part of their shareholding with the banks as collateral to get loans. It is used to raise money without diluting their holding in a company. In the context of the Adani Group, share pledging here refers to the promoters pledging their shares. It is a fund-raising mechanism.



However, pledging may increase the risk of volatility in the company's share price. This is mainly because the price of the collateral depends on the current share price. If the price falls, the promoters would need to produce more assets as collateral. Despite the shares being pledged, the promoters will continue to hold the stake and maintain their ownership. They will also be eligible to receive the dividend on the pledged shares.



Also, if the promoters hold a large chunk of the stake, the pledging may lead to higher instability. If they cannot pay the debt obligations, promoters may even be asked to sell a part of their stake to repay.



It added that out of the over 5,000 listed companies in India, promoters of 4,274 companies had pledged all or some of their shares. Of these, promoters of 286 companies had pledged more than 50 per cent of their shareholding. Nearly 90 per cent of these companies belong to the small-cap category. In its Financial Stability Report released in December last year, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said, "Pledging of shares by promoters could pose a concern in both, falling or rising market scenarios, when large scale pledging of promoter equity could pose concerns for retail investors' wealth."

In some cases, the promoters raise money by pledging their stake and using the loan to buy an additional stake. This could prompt other investors to buy more of the stock.
SYDNEY (Reuters) -GQG Partners would likely expand its investment in the Adani group, the fund firm's founder Rajiv Jain said on Wednesday, a week after its $1.9 billion infusion into the embattled Indian conglomerate.

"Chances are we'll probably buy more because we typically initiate a position and then depending on how things go and how the earnings come through we tend to get it to full size because we're not at full size at this point," Jain said on a call with journalists in Sydney.

GQG Partners, co-founded by Jain in 2016, bought shares worth $1.87 billion in four Adani group companies, marking the first major investment in the Indian conglomerate since a short-seller's critical report in January sparked a stock rout.

Jain, based in Florida, flew to Australia this week for talks with investors, which include some of Australia's largest pension funds. Last week, pension fund investor Cbus Super, with A$71 billion ($46.82 billion) under management, told Reuters they had queried GQG about the Adani purchase.

A GQG spokesperson said Jain's trip had been planned for some time and the discussions included topics other than Adani.

"The response actually has been, frankly, more positive than I would have anticipated because they feel that's how we differentiate ourselves," Jain said, when asked how the clients have responded to the Adani deal.

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"We do our deep dive, and we don't follow the herd," he said.

New York-based short-seller Hindenburg Research accused the Adani group in a Jan. 24 report of stock manipulation and improper use of offshore tax havens that it said obscured the extent of Adani family stock ownership in group firms. The group has denied the charges.

The billionaire Gautam Adani-led group said on Tuesday it prepaid share-backed financing of 73.74 billion rupees ($897.84 million), as it looks to allay fears over leverage and debt sparked by the report.

Jain said he has not had a conversation with the Adani group since the transaction.

"There is nothing to talk about," he said.

($1 = 1.5163 Australian dollars)

($1 = 82.1300 Indian rupees)
Assam Tourism Development Corporation is eyeing over one crore domestic traveller footfall in 2022-23, following a surge in tourists' interest in visiting the state.

"Till January of this fiscal, we have hosted over 88 lakh domestic visitors, which is more than double of what we received during FY20 (51 lakh). This is a positive sign as more and more people are looking at exploring the North East and Assam as a destination," Tourism and Managing Director of Assam Tourism Development Corporation Secretary Padmapani Bora told PTI.

This is mainly due to the confidence people have gained about the state's law and order situation, he said, adding that "this has given us confidence that the domestic tourist footfall is likely to cross over one crore in FY23."



Assam had witnessed visitor footfall of 13.5 lakh during 2020-21, and 17 lakh during 2021-22, according to data, he stated.

The state, mainly known as the gateway to the North East, is well connected to the rest of the country with road, railways and airways and offers spiritual, wildlife, river and adventure tourism.

Similarly, the state also witnessed a growth in international tourists as over 10,000 foreign travellers visited Assam till January of the current fiscal compared to 1,850 travellers in FY20, Bora said.

"The top 10 international source markets for the state include Nepal, Bhutan, the UK, France, Germany, Russia, Croatia, the US and Switzerland," he added.

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Meanwhile, Bora said Assam is focused on promoting film tourism and making it the most film tourism-friendly state by facilitating shooting permissions with single-window clearances for film projects and providing necessary support to attract filmmakers.

The state is developing a tourism policy and facilitating single-window clearance for film tourism.

"We are going to implement the policy aggressively and promote Assam as the ultimate Film Tourism destination in consultation with the film fraternity and tourism stakeholders. We expect to launch the single window clearance for Film Tourism in April," he added.

The state has recently granted industry status to the tourism sector, which would certainly be a major boost for private investments into the state, he said.

Assam has launched a website of Assam Tourism as the single point contact for inbound tourists having facilities for online bookings for hotels and safaris, among others, Bora stated.
The road conditions in the border areas with China are not in good condition, and attention should be paid towards it, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said after his meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Talking to ANI after meeting Rajnath Singh on Tuesday, CM Sukhu said, "The border areas which are with China don't have good road conditions. Attention should be paid to our end as well. We have also requested railway lines should be built, necessary from a defence strategic viewpoint".

Attacking the alleged use of central institutions on the opposition, he said, "The ED and CBI are political weapons now, and they are not administrative units anymore. The job of these agencies is now to do promotion in poll-bound states by conducting raids".

He also objected to the questions being raised on the "patriotism" of Rahul Gandhi.

"For the last nine years, only questions are being raised about Rahul Gandhi. Whose grandmother has sacrificed for the unity of the country, whose father has sacrificed for the country. Can there be a greater patriot than him? These questions should be asked to those who question their patriotism," he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, CM Sukhu called upon Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi.

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In the meeting, he took up the matter of strengthening the network of roads in the border areas of the state and requested to expedite the construction of roads under the Border Roads Organization (BRO), a Himachal Pradesh government official release noted.

Chief Minister also discussed a range of other issues pertaining to the state and requested the Defence Minister for the centre's support and cooperation.

Quoting CM Sukhu the release stated, "Better road connectivity in border areas plays a vital role in the development and security of the nation." He added that roads are the premier modes of transport in the state and are also essential for agriculture, horticulture, tourism, healthcare and other sectors."

"The Defence Minister assured of all possible assistance to the state," the release added.

CM Sukhu on his visit to New Delhi was accompanied by Rural Development Minister, Anirudh Singh, OSD to CM at Delhi, Kuldeep Singh Banshtu and Resident Commissioner, Meera Mohanty accompanied the Chief Minister.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emplaned for India on Wednesday at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

Taking to Twitter, Albanese said that this trip demonstrates the commitment to deepen the links between the two countries, and to being a force for stability and growth in our region.

Albanese, who is on a 4-day visit to India from March 8-11, tweeted, "Today I'm bringing a delegation of ministers and business leaders to India. Australia and India have a rich friendship, underpinned by our common interests, our shared democratic values, the bonds between our people, and an affectionate but fierce sporting rivalry."

"At the kind invitation of Prime Minister @narendramodi, we will be visiting Ahmedabad, Mumbai and New Delhi. Trade with India presents Australian businesses and workers with tremendous opportunities for growth," he added.

The Australian PM further stated that Australia has a historic opportunity to strengthen its relationship with India. He also assured India that Australia is a better place because of its large, diverse Indian-Australian community.

On his second day of the visit, Albanese, along with PM Modi will watch day 1 of the final test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Ahmedabad.

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Australian High Commissioner Barry O'Farrell on Monday told ANI that the Australian Prime Minister will be on a three-day visit to India from March 8 and will visit Mumbai, Ahmedabad and New Delhi.

The fourth and final Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia will start from March 9 onwards in Ahmedabad.

According to the official release, the first in-person India-Australia Annual Summit will take place during Albanese's visit.

At the Annual Summit, leaders take stock of progress made on various initiatives under the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The summit lays the way forward on new initiatives and enhanced cooperation in a diverse range of sectors between India and Australia. The Summit was first held virtually on June 4, 2020, the release said.

The visit comes after a series of high-level engagements and an exchange of Ministerial visits between the two sides in 2022 and in 2023. The last visit by an Australian PM (Malcolm Turnbull) was in 2017.

Australian PM Albanese will arrive in India on Wednesday at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad at 4:10 pm IST.

He will then visit the Sabarmati Ashram. At 5:20, he will visit the Raj Bhavan to participate in the Holi event, the release said.

The Australian PM will leave for Mumbai on March 9. On March 10, he will take part in the Ceremonial Reception at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi which will be followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Rajghat. The Australian PM will then meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

He will also be meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi and President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday hoped that people as responsible citizens break the barriers that may divide them and fight for a united India which is proud of its rich diversity and myriad culture.

In his message on Holi, Kharge extended his greetings to all citizens.

Holi celebrates the spirit of togetherness and inspires us to rejoice in the glory of nature in all its varied colours, the Congress president said.

It brings people together and strengthens their bonds, he added



"On the behalf of Indian National Congress, it is my sincere hope that we, as responsible citizens break the barriers which may divide us and fight for a united India an India which is proud of its rich diversity and myriad culture," Kharge said.

"With a new hope for a brighter future, let us join hands to forge ahead together. Once again I wish you a very happy Holi," he said.


Keeping in mind the location of its international branch campus (IBC) and the evolving digital economy around the world, the Deakin University will initially offer two PG courses, in cyber security and business analytics with the target of starting campus operations by mid-2024. As the first foreign university to set up a campus in India at the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) in GIFT City, Gandhinagar, Australias Deakin University will offer two post graduate (PG) programs to begin with.



Apart from the post graduate programs, Deakin Universitys campus operations at GIFT City will also include digital services, partnership engagement and research. "It gives me great pleasure to announce that Deakin University will be the first overseas university approved to establish a branch campus in India ever. It is a great honour for Deakin University but it won't be the last Australian university, said Australias Prime Minister Anthony Albanese MP during an Australia-India education relationship event here on Wednesday.



According to Martin, the initial campus size is going to be about 25,000 sq ft which will gradually evolve. The vision of the campus is to serve the needs of the digital economy. We are going to focus on post graduate programs because the kind of environment there at GIFTCity is best suited for that. And the first two programs will be around professional cyber security and business analytics. We will grow into other business and data related degrees and other areas that speak to the digital economy which touches so much of our lives now, Professor Iain Martin, Vice-Chancellor of Deakin University told Business Standard on the sidelines of the event.

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Talking further about Deakin Universitys IBC in GIFT IFSC, Martin said that the location will have the advantage of being surrounded by high quality global financial and insurance firms where its focus on the digital economy related courses is relevant. We are starting with an intake of 60 students for each of the two programs in the first year but growing that to 100-120 students in each program and then growing the number of programs eventually. We dont have a fixed size in the long run. We would like to see a number of thousands of students in the long run. But in the short run it is most important that we deliver quality, said Martin.



According to Martin, while the primary aim of Deakins IBC will be to educate Indian students locally, in the medium term, the varsity expects Australian students also to come and study from GIFT City. This is because what we have deliberately set out to do is to make this a campus of Deakin University and not a standalone entity. So the teaching trimesters will be the same and the programs will be the same. So we are hoping that a student would come here and do one trimester here or an Indian student would go to Australia and do one trimester there, he added. The regulations (of IFSCA) enable us to operate as an Australian branch campus with oversight by our own regulator Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) in Australia. They enable us to operate with a degree of financial freedom that enables us to build and develop. It enables us to operate in a high quality environment. It is great for our students because there are some really good firms there in GIFT City providing employment opportunities. If they are being educated at GIFT City there is a really good chance of career opportunities, Martin added.



On the other hand, Prime Minister Albanese also announced that along with Deakin, the University of Wollongong also has intentions to establish a campus at GIFT City. In terms of faculty, about 80 per cent of them will be engaged in India while about 20 per cent will be staff who will come from Australia. But in the model we are operating, the Indian engaged faculty will be supported to come to Australia once every 12-18 months so that they have a chance to learn from what is happening in Australia but also for their Australian colleagues to learn from what is happening in GIFT City, Martin told Business Standard.



The Union Education Minister and Union Finance Minister of India had included allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in India in the Union Budget announcement made in February 2022. The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) further came out with a comprehensive International Branch Campus Regulations. Recently, Deakin University became the first such foreign university to get the in-principle approval by IFSCA in March 2023. We have finalized the Australia India Education Qualification Recognition Mechanism. This new mechanism means that if you are an Indian student who is studying or about to study in Australia your hard-earned degree will be recognized when you return home I really hope that at the GIFT City campus, we don't just see Indian students studying there but also Australian students from Deakin coming in and partaking in some of the courses there as well. That would make an enormous difference, Albanese added.
Delhi Jal Board Vice-Chairman Saurabh Bhardwaj inspected the Wazirabad Water Treatment Plant (WTP) on Tuesday as the water level in the Yamuna River continues to fall.

Saurabh Bhardwaj said during the inspection that the water level in Yamuna had witnessed an unprecedented decrease. The condition of Yamuna today is usually seen in the months of April and May in Delhi.

Saurabh Bhardwaj informed that this time the water level of Yamuna near Wazirabad Barrage has suddenly gone down to 671.7 feet in the month of February itself. He said that the normal level of Yamuna River at Wazirabad Barrage should be 674.5 feet.

He further informed that the depth of Yamuna here should be 3.5 feet, but presently it's even less than 1 foot. The water level and depth of the Yamuna are measured from the sea level. Saurabh Bhardwaj said that out of the present water level of 671.7 feet, Yamuna is silted up to 671 feet at Wazirabad Barrage, which means that the water depth is mere 0.7 feet.

He also said the depth of Yamuna should be at least 3.5 feet which allows the offtake of raw water from Yamuna for the Water Treatment Plant. Visible water of Yamuna at the barrage is also not actually water from the Yamuna but actually the industrial waste released by Haryana that cannot be treated.Saurabh Bhardwaj alleged that the key reason for the water level decrease in Yamuna is not rising temperatures but the rampant illegal sand mining being done indiscriminately in the Yamuna river in the state of Haryana. The sand mafia had stopped the Yamuna water released for Delhi in an area of about 7-8 km from Yamuna Nagar that lies in Haryana, where the sand mafia is indiscriminately mining sand in the Yamuna River.

During the inspection, Saurabh Bhardwaj addressed the media and said that the Yamuna water, which is presently visible near Wazirabad Barrage, is not the actual Yamuna water but industrial waste which is being released from Haryana.

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He referred to images from Google Maps and satellite imagery to show that there is no water in Yamuna. The flow that is reaching Delhi is coming from two drains. Industrial waste is constantly being released into Yamuna by Haryana through DD2 and DD8 drains.

"Apart from hazardous chemical elements in this industrial waste, the ammonia level is also way higher than the prescribed limits. The excessive ammonia disallows the visible water to get treated in the Water Treatment Plants. Previously also, Haryana had released industrial waste, but due to the sufficient amount of water in Yamuna, water could be treated."Water production in the water treatment plants of Wazirabad and Chandrawal, the two major treatment plants of Delhi, which are dependent on Yamuna water, have been badly affected due to the decrease in water level in Yamuna and the increase in the ammonia content.

The Wazirabad plant produces 131 MGD of water on a daily basis helping the water supply in Delhi. Now, due to the shortage of water in the Yamuna, this plant is producing just 82.69 MGD of water. Similarly, the Chandrawal plant has a capacity of 100 MGD of water per day, but this plant is producing only 78 MGD.

Saurabh Bhardwaj informed that water has to be diverted from the Haiderpur Plant to run these plants, which has affected the Haiderpur plant's own capacity. These Water Treatment Plants supply water to 40 per cent of Delhi. This means that at present, about 40 per cent part of Delhi is affected due to water supply shortages.

The falling water levels in Yamuna have reduced the production of water in Delhi's water treatment plants considerably. The impact of the reduction in water production is clearly visible in Delhi's water supply. Many areas of Delhi are witnessing a water crisis, and people are facing water-related challenges. Saurabh Bhardwaj said that this water supply crisis could also affect the Lutyens Delhi, which will include Central Government Offices, Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and the Delhi Chief Minister's office.

Areas that get water supply through the plant include Delhi University, Vijayanagar, Timarpur, Old Secretariat, Civil Lines, Naya Bazar, Lahori Gate, Peeli Kothi, Barfkhana, Malka Ganj, Jhandewalan, Patparganj, Motia Khan, WA, Pusa Road, Rajendra Nagar, Karol Bagh, Central Secretariat, Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament, India Gate, Vigyan Bhawan, Janpath, Rakabganj, North Avenue, NDMC Area, East Patel Nagar, Baba Faridpur, New Rajendra Nagar, Double Storey, South Patel Nagar, Cantonment areas, RK Puram, Vasant Vihar, Akbar Road, Sarojini Nagar etc. are areas where water supply will be affected. On the other hand, the area that will be impacted by the Wazirabad plant includes Modi Colony, Defense Colony, Majnu Ka Tila, Moolchand Hospital, Sundernagar, Rajghat, Subhash Park, Ramlila Ground, Delhi Gate, Daryaganj, ISBT, Timarpur, Gulabi Bagh, Bharat Nagar, Punjabi Bagh, Mukherjee Nagar, Hudson Lane, Model Town, Azadpur Mandi, Jahangirpuri, Shalimar Bagh, Lawrence Road, Wazirabad, Burari, Gopalpuri etc. that will face water supply problems.

Saurabh Bhardwaj said that there is a need to take necessary steps immediately to control this water crisis, otherwise, it will become very difficult to control it. This is not a crisis for any political party but for the entire Delhi, and the BJP should not rejoice in this crisis.

Saurabh Bhardwaj appealed to the people to play Holi with raw colours instead of colours that come with lots of chemicals, as it takes a lot of water to cleanse them. He said that the water crisis is so big that people may not have to go to their offices without cleaning the Holi colours for many days. Saurabh Bhardwaj accused the Haryana Government of ignoring the illegal sand mining which is rampant in Yamuna in Haryana. He raised questions at the Haryana government about how the sand mafia is carrying out sand mining on such a large scale in the Yamuna, and the Government of Haryana remains unaware of it.

He said that the Delhi Government had brought this matter to the notice of the Haryana Government and had demanded the Haryana Government take strict action against the sand mafia. Strict action should also be taken against the officials who are hand-in-glove with the sand mafia in Delhi region also. He asked the Lieutenant Governor to suspend such corrupt officials as Delhi Government didn't have the authority to suspend such officials.


Speaking to the key UN womens rights group ahead of International Womens Day on March 8, Guterres said gender equality is 300 years away according to the latest estimates from UN Women, the UN organisation dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. Progress toward gender equality is vanishing before our eyes, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres told the Commission on the Status of Women on Monday.



Guterres cited high rates of maternal mortality, girls being forced into early marriage, and girls being kidnapped and assaulted for attending school as evidence that hope of achieving gender equality is growing more distant. Womens rights are being abused, threatened, and violated around the world, Guterres said, naming a few countries in particular, including Afghanistan, where he said women and girls have been erased from public life.

Meanwhile, never-married women are the fastest growing cohort in the labour market. Yet, as their ranks have swelled their wage gap has, too. Guterres cited high rates of maternal mortality, girls being forced into early marriage, and girls being kidnapped and assaulted for attending school as evidence that hope of achieving gender equality is growing more distant. Womens rights are being abused, threatened, and violated around the world, Guterres said, naming a few countries in particular, including Afghanistan, where he said women and girls have been erased from public life.



The groups median weekly earnings are 92.1 per cent of what men who have never married make, a new report from Wells Fargo released on Wednesday found. That gap has increased from a decade ago, when they brought in 95.8 per cent of what men did.

Overall, women make around 83 per cent of what men do in the US, according to the Census Bureau. But given that the motherhood penalty accounts for such a large part of the pay gap, Wells Fargo economist Sarah House was surprised by the growing wage gap among single women. The groups median weekly earnings are 92.1 per cent of what men who have never married make, a new report from Wells Fargo released on Wednesday found. That gap has increased from a decade ago, when they brought in 95.8 per cent of what men did.

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced here on Wednesday evening that his country and the Indian government have finalised the Australia-India Education Qualification Recognition Mechanism. Albanese made the announcement at a program where it was officially announced that Australia's Deakin University would set up an international branch campus at GIFT City in Gujarat's Gandhinagar. There is a significant development in our bilateral education relation. I am pleased to tell you that we have finalised Australia-India Education Qualification Recognition Mechanism, he said. "The new mechanism means that if you are an Indian student who is studying or have studied in Australia, your hard-earned degree will be recognised when you return home. Or if you are a member of Australia's very large Indian diaspora --500,000 and growing -- you will feel more confident that your Indian qualification will be recognised in Australia, he said. He called it the "most comprehensive and ambitious arrangement" agreed to by India with any country, which "paves the way for commercial opportunities for Australian education providers to offer innovative and more accessible education to Indian students." It also provides a solid basis for educational institutions to consider new ways to partner with each other, the Australian PM said. He also announced a new scholarship --Maitri scholarship -- for Indian students to study in Australia for up to four years. "The scholarships are part of the wider Maitri programme that seeks to boost cultural, educational and community ties between Australia and India, he said. Albanese said that it was a great honour for Deakin University to set up its international campus in India. It was also a great honour for Australia that a university from the country would be the first to set up an international campus in India, he said. The University of Wollongong also intends to set up a campus at GIFT City, he said, adding that Australia will always welcome foreign students and it was a great thing that they are back in large numbers this year. "But not everyone has the means or abilities to pack up their lives and study in another country. There might be financial constraints or family commitment, so a variety of reasons that you want to or need to stay close to home," Albanese said. He hoped that the campus in GIFT City will see not just students from India but also from Australia, the visiting prime minister said. Speaking on the occasion, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said the state has made it its mission to become a national and international education hub under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guidance. He also talked about the sister-city agreement that Gujarat entered into with New South Wales of Australia in 2018, and said that Gujarat and Australia have enjoyed people-to-people connect for a long time. "Free trade agreement has become a new medium to give a new height to the bilateral relations between India and Australia. Gujarat is a growth engine of development, and I am sure it will get special benefit of bilateral relationship with India and Australia," Patel said. Vice Chancellor of Deakin University Iain Martin said he hoped that the international campus at GIFT City would become operational from 2024.

To start with, it will offer two courses in cyber security and business analytics with 60 students in each course, he said.
India tore into Pakistan after its foreign minister raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at a Security Council debate on women, peace and security, saying it is unworthy to even respond to such malicious and false propaganda.

Responding to Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's remarks on Jammu and Kashmir, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj on Tuesday termed his statement as baseless and politically motivated.

Before I conclude, let me dismiss the frivolous, baseless and politically motivated remarks made by the delegate of Pakistan regarding the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, she said.

Speaking at the UN Security Council open debate on Women, Peace and Security', Kamboj said: my delegation considers it unworthy to even respond to such malicious and false propaganda.

"Rather, our focus is where it shall always be positive and forward-looking. Today's discussion is critically important to strengthen our collective efforts to accelerate the full implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. We respect the topic of the debate and recognise the importance of time. As such, our focus shall remain on the topic, she said.

Kamboj's sharp retort came after Pakistan Foreign Minister Zardari referred to Jammu and Kashmir in his remarks to the Council debate held under Mozambique's Presidency for this month, on the eve of International Women's Day.

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India has previously told Pakistan that the entire territories of the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are, and shall always be part of India.

India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan, while insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment that is free of terror and hostility for such an engagement.

The ties between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after India's warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot in February 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack.

The relations further deteriorated after India in August 2019 announced the withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir's special powers and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into Union Territories.
Indian aviation market is "large enough to accommodate all players profitably" and irrespective of what competitors do, the airline is focused on its strategies, leading Gulf carrier Emirates has said amid Air India ramping up its fleet and operations.

Emirates, which operates only wide-body A380s and B777s, flies to nine Indian cities and operates 167 weekly flights to the country.

A senior Emirates executive said the expansion of Air India might push airports to improve their services, which will be a positive development for all other airlines, Indian customers as well as the aviation and travel industries as a whole.

"Air India flying to new international routes might also have a positive (effect) on Emirates. When a new route is operated by an airline, then that could result in increased traffic demand and the particular airline might not be able to cater to the demand.

"As a result, the potential customers will look at other carriers and that can have a positive impact," Mohammed Sarhan, Vice President India & Nepal of Emirates, told PTI during a recent interaction.

Tata Group-owned Air India has placed orders for 470 new aircraft, including 70 wide-body planes, as the carrier embarks on overseas expansion plans that will also help provide more direct connectivity for Indians to international destinations.

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To a query related to Air India and competition in the Indian market, Sarhan said that competition is there and irrespective of what competitors do, "we are focused on our strategies".

He asserted that "the market is large enough to accommodate all players profitably".

Emirates is bullish on the Indian market and is keen to have more bilaterals so that it can operate more flights.

According to Sarhan, a Boeing 777 plane can carry up to 20 tonnes of cargo in the bellyhold while an Airbus A380 aircraft has 15 tonnes of cargo capacity.

"The cargo space is generally full on flights from India. We also have dedicated freighters, with a capacity of 100 tonnes, scheduled to Ahmedabad and Mumbai to meet seasonal demand for uplift of cargo," he said.

The Gulf airline operates A380 planes to Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Emirates, which currently has 263 planes in its fleet and flies to more than 140 destinations, has embarked on a retrofit programme for 120 of its existing A380 and B777 planes. The programme is expected to be completed in 2025.

As part of the programme, the number of economy seats in both types of aircraft will be reduced to introduce premium economy class seats.

"A380 and B777 will have around 56 premium economy class seats, and the refurbishment of planes is on, and planes on some routes already have premium economy class seats," Sarhan said.

Emirates's A380 has 14 first, 76 business and around 429 economy class seats. The B777 has 8 first, 42 business and about 310 economy class seats.
The Indian Space Research Organisation said it successfully carried out an "extremely challenging" controlled re-entry experiment of the decommissioned orbiting Megha-Tropiques-1 (MT-1) satellite on Tuesday.

"The satellite re-entered the Earth's atmosphere and would have disintegrated over the Pacific Ocean", the Bengaluru-headquartered national space agency said on Twitter.

The final impact region estimated is in the deep Pacific Ocean within the expected latitude and longitude boundaries, an ISRO statement said.

The low Earth satellite was launched on October 12, 2011, as a joint satellite venture of ISRO and the French space agency, CNES for tropical weather and climate studies.

Since August 2022, the satellite's perigee was progressively lowered through a series of 20 manoeuvres spending about 120 kg of fuel.

Multiple manoeuvres including the final de-boost strategy were designed after taking into consideration several constraints, including visibility of the re-entry trace over ground stations, ground impact within the targeted zone, and allowable operating conditions of subsystems, especially the maximum deliverable thrust and the maximum firing duration constraint on thrusters.

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All manoeuvre plans were screened to ensure that there would be no post manoeuvre close approaches with other space objects, especially with the crewed space stations like International Space Stations and the Chinese Space Station, ISRO said.

The final two de-boost burns were executed at 11:02 UTC and 12:51 UTC respectively on March 7 by firing four 11 Newton thrusters on-board the satellite for about 20 minutes each, it said.

The final perigee was estimated to be less than 80 km indicating that the satellite would enter the denser layers of the Earth's atmosphere and subsequently undergo structural disintegration. The re-entry aero-thermal flux analysis confirmed that there would be no surviving large debris fragments.

The entire sequence of events was carried out from the Mission Operations Complex in ISTRAC (ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network), Bengaluru.

An uninhabited area in the Pacific Ocean between 5S to 14S latitude and 119W to 100W longitude was identified as the targeted re-entry zone for MT1, weighing about 1000 kg, ISRO said earlier this week.

About 125 kg on-board fuel remained unutilised at its end-of-mission that could pose risks for accidental break-up, an ISRO statement had noted.

This left-over fuel was estimated to be sufficient to achieve a fully controlled atmospheric re-entry to impact the uninhabited location in the Pacific Ocean, ISRO had said.

Controlled re-entries involve deorbiting to very low altitudes to ensure impact occurs within a targeted safe zone.

Usually, large satellites/rocket bodies, which are likely to survive aero-thermal fragmentation upon re-entry, are made to undergo controlled re-entry to limit ground casualty risk.

However, all such satellites are specifically designed to undergo controlled re-entry at end-of-life (EOL).

"MT-1 was not designed for EOL operations through controlled re-entry which made the entire exercise extremely challenging", ISRO said.

Furthermore, the on-board constraints of the aged satellite, where several systems had lost redundancy and showed degraded performance, and maintaining subsystems under harsher environmental conditions at much lower than originally designed orbital altitude added to the operational complexities, it said.

Innovative workarounds were implemented by the operations team based on the study, deliberations, and exchanges among the mission, operations, flight dynamics, aerodynamics, propulsion, controls, navigation, thermal, and other sub-system design teams across the ISRO centres, who worked in synergy to surmount these challenges, it said.

Although the mission life of the satellite originally was three years, it continued to provide valuable data services for more than a decade supporting regional and global climate models till 2021, ISRO said.

UN/IADC (Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee) space debris mitigation guidelines recommend deorbiting a LEO (Low Earth Orbit) object at its EOL, preferably through controlled re-entry to a safe impact zone, or by bringing it to an orbit where the orbital lifetime is less than 25 years, according to ISRO.

It is also recommended to carry out "passivation' of on-board energy sources to minimise the risk of any post-mission accidental break-up, it said.

The orbital lifetime of MT-1 would have been more than 100 years in its 20 deg inclined operational orbit of 867 km altitude, according to ISRO.

"As a responsible space agency committed to safe and sustainable operations in outer space, ISRO proactively takes efforts for better compliance with the UN/IADC space debris mitigation guidelines on post-mission disposal of LEO objects", the ISRO statement said.
Seventy-year-old BJP leader Manik Saha on Wednesday took oath as chief minister of the sensitive border state of Tripura.



On International Women's Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday lauded the role of women in India's progress and said his government will keep working to further women's empowerment. ...Read More
The Kerala government on Wednesday decided that plastic will no longer be taken to the Brahmapuram waste plant where a fire, which broke out last week, is still smouldering leading to thick toxic smoke spreading out into the port-city of Kochi.

The decision was taken in an emergency high-level meeting chaired by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the wake of the fire at the plant, the CMO said in a statement.

It was also decided in the meeting, that bio-waste will be disposed of at the source as much as possible and the window composting system for organic waste treatment will be repaired urgently, the statement said.

The Chief Minister also suggested holding of meetings in which Ministers, people's representatives, including mayors, would participate to deal with the issue of waste management and disposal, it said.

Earlier in the day, in the wake of the still-smouldering fire at the Brahmapuram waste plant here and the toxic smoke being generated from there, the Kerala High Court said there should be a proper waste management system in the State.

A bench of Justices S V Bhatti and Basant Balaji said the government should strengthen the waste segregation at source and take stringent action against those who dump garbage in public places.

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It further said that the entire State should be seen as one city when formulating waste disposal plans and steps should be taken on a war footing to dispose of garbage scientifically.

The bench said that both short and long term plans were needed as solving the current issue would not be a permanent solution to the problem of waste disposal.

The court said that there was no need to file a multi-page report and instead the government should just say exactly how it intends to implement the plans.

It also called for a detailed report from the Ernakulam District Collector (DC) regarding the situation at the waste plant.

The bench also said that the court intervened in the matter as a pollution free environment was a human right and this was being denied to the citizens in many places, including Kochi.

The court was hearing a petition initiated by it on its own based on a letter by Justice Devan Ramachandran regarding the fire which has been burning at the waste plant since March 2.

During the hearing, the lawyer appearing for the Collector told the bench that the Ernakulam DC had advised the Kochi Corporation to be cautious, three days before the fire broke out, due to the rising temperatures in the city.

The Kochi Corporation, on the other hand, said the situation was under control.

It said that another fire had broken out at the site on Tuesday night and that it was put out. It further said that if a fire breaks out again, it can be extinguished immediately.

The corporation also said that there were not enough Harita Karma Sena workers for garbage collection.

The Local Self Government Department of the State told the court that garbage was being collected at the doorstep in the city.

The bench, however, pointed out that there are still areas in Kochi where garbage was not being collected and that there should not be a situation where the whole city is piled up with waste. It listed the matter for further hearing on Friday, March 10.

Meanwhile, at the waste plant earth moving machines and high pressure water pumps were being used to extinguish the fire and smoke, an Ernakulam district administration release said.

Work was progressing at a rapid pace with around 31 earth moving machines being deployed at the site and orders were issued to the Tehsildars to bring more such machines from the district and outside, the release said.

Naval helicopters were also deployed to pump water from above when the wind direction was unfavourable for ground-based operations, it said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday arrived in Tripura to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Manik Saha-led council of ministers.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda have already come to the northeastern state to join the programme.

Saha will take oath as the chief minister of Tripura for the second time.

The BJP won 32 seats in the 60-member House in the recent assembly elections in Tripura, while its ally IPFT managed to secure one seat.

This is for the first time that any anti-Left government has retained power in Tripura in the past three decades. We hope the BJP 2.0 government will meet the aspirations of the people, a BJP leader said.

In 1988, the Congress-TUJS defeated the Left in the border state and formed the government, but it lost to the Communists in 1993.

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The opposition CPI(M) and the Congress have decided to boycott the swearing-in ceremony of the second BJP-IPFT government, protesting post-poll violence in the state, Rakhal Majumder, a senior Left Front leader, said.

The Left-Congress combine urged the new government to bring back normalcy in the state.

Pradesh Congress president Birajit Sinha said the party will boycott the swearing-in ceremony of the BJP-led government as a mark of protest against the post-poll violence.


Kanti Ben is an Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) ration card holder under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), so she gets 35 kg of foodgrain per month from the government. Her grandchildren (a 4-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy) are enrolled with an Anganwadi centre and get a supplementary nutrition item called "Sukhadi", which is provided by the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) department, Government of Gujarat. According to Kanti Ben, Anganwadi workers helped her distressed family during the lockdown. "Rice alone is not enough; we need vegetables and pulses to cook with it. When my son lost his job during the Covid-19 pandemic, there were days when we just ate boiled rice that we got from the government. Had it not been for the support from women from Anganwadi centres, my grandchildren would have become weak and malnourished. I am very thankful to them because even during the deadly waves of the pandemic, Anganwadi workers worked hard and risked their lives to ensure my grandchildren get sufficient food and nutrition every day," said Kanti Ben, a 65-year-old widow from a tribal community who lives in Kansatiya village, Devgadh Baria block of Dahod district in Gujarat.



Due to their contribution to the fight against malnutrition, UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) refers to them as "essential to a child's development". On this International Women's Day, let us know about and celebrate the army of women who have been working relentlessly for years on the frontlines as Anganwadi workers to ensure that health and nutrition support reaches the children, pregnant women and lactating mothers in rural and urban areas. According to experts, the positive effects of the work done by these community health workers are evident from the declining mortality among infants, children and new mothers in the country.

Who Are Anganwadi workers (AWW) and Anganwadi helpers (AWH)?

To combat malnutrition among all pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children between 0 and 6 years old, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) launched the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme on October 2, 1975. Anganwadi workers and helpers are women volunteers who provide services under this programme. Their job includes giving children informal preschool education, supplemental nutrition, nutrition and health education, health checkups, and helping out in important immunisation campaigns.

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Number of AWWs and AWHs Talking to Business Standard, Basanta Kumar Kar, chief adviser-cum-mentor of The Coalition For Food and Nutrition Security, said, "AWWs and AWHs took the roles of a 'nutrition warrior', 'corona warrior' and 'lockdown hero' during the pandemic. By distributing rations door to door, they could avert an impending nutritional famine. They frequently referred very malnourished children to Nutrition Rehabilitation Centers (NRCs), which helped them survive.



The highest vacancy of 58,833 is in Uttar Pradesh which is 16.4 per cent of the sanctioned posts. This is followed by Rajasthan, which lacks 48,123 AWWs and AWHs, almost 40.8 per cent of the total sanctioned posts in the state. As of June 30, 2022, there were 2,440,366 AWWs and AWHs in the country, according to the data shared by the ministry of women and child development (MWCD) in the Rajya Sabha on December 21, 2022. However, according to the data, the total number of sanctioned positions for AWWs and AWHs is 2,682,170. This shows that there is a shortage of 241,804 AWWs and AWHs.



Honorarium to Anganwadi workers and helpers Neeta Bhatnagar, a 52-year-old resident of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh who has been an AWW since 1998 said, "An Anganwadi centre headed by an AWW serves a population of 1,000. Imagine, if one vacancy is not fulfilled how it impacts. AWWs work overtime and keep critical health and nutrition services running. In many urban centres in UP, one AWW is being burdened with more than 10,000 population because the state is not recruiting more AWWs and AWHs even though many women have applied for the sanctioned posts. Their files have not been moving forward for over two years now. Because of this, all the health and nutrition-related services provided by Anganwadi Centres are being affected immensely."



In many states, the Anganwadi workers are paid around Rs. 5,000, and the helpers are paid Rs. 2,500. Since Anganwadi workers are not considered regular employees, they do not receive any social security. Currently, only the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu are providing Employee State Insurance (ESI) and Provident Fund (PF) to Anganwadi workers. They do not get a fixed monthly income or benefits and receive honorariums in lieu of their work which they do without any provision of weekly leaves. The honorariums they get differ from state to state as the amount they receive is based on the amount paid by the Union government and the additional incentives paid by respective state governments.

Challenges they face

Anganwadi workers feel they remain largely unseen, unheard and unrecognised by others, including the government.
The TMC will raise in Parliament issues such as the LIC and SBI's risk exposure, price rise of essential commodities, unemployment and "misuse" of central agencies during the second phase of the Budget Session, its Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O'Brien said Wednesday.

He said West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and the party's all-India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee decided on the floor strategy in a meeting also attended by the party's floor leaders of the two Houses.

Sudip Bandyopadhyay is the TMC's Lok Sabha floor leader.

O'Brien said that LIC's exposure to the Adani Group and price rise affect the lives of the common man and should be highlighted.

The LIC and SBI's exposure to the Adani group were raised by the opposition parties in the first leg of Parliament's Budget Session which saw multiple disruptions.

The Trinamool Congress will also raise the issue of "political vendetta" against non-BJP ruled states in Parliament and also question the Union government on "holding back of funds for schemes such as MNREGA", O'Brien said.

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He said a consultation with other opposition parties will be held soon before the session begins.

While the Congress continues to demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the allegations related to the Adani group, others like the Samajwadi Party, the Left parties and DMK have lodged their strong protests against the alleged attack on federal structure and misuse of institutions.

Recently, Adani Group stocks had taken a beating on the bourses after US-based short seller Hindenburg Research made a litany of allegations, including fraudulent transactions and share-price manipulation, against the business conglomerate whose chairman is Gautam Adani.

The group has dismissed the charges as lies, saying it complies with all laws and disclosure requirements.

The TMC, the second largest Opposition outfit in Parliament has also revived its demand for the introduction of the women's reservation bill.

The bill for a 33 per cent quota in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 but lapsed as the Lok Sabha didn't take it up.
The police have installed barricades across the national capital to check the incidents of drunken driving, over-speeding, reckless driving among others.

Delhi Traffic police special checking teams are deployed at 287 major intersections and 233 vulnerable points to check across the city.

According to the traffic cops, these special checking teams are stationed on various roads and strategic locations or intersections all over Delhi along with PCR and local police teams to check drunken driving, red light jumping, triple riding, driving by minor, driving/riding without helmet, performing stunts on two-wheelers. Radar guns have also been deployed at various vulnerable roads to check incidences of over-speeding.

"Further, as per the directions of Supreme Court Committee on road safety, in cases of drunken driving, red light jumping, using mobile phone while driving, dangerous driving and over speeding, driving licence will also be seized and liable for suspension for a period of minimum three months," said the official.

"Action shall also be initiated against the registered owners of vehicles whose vehicles are found to be driven by minors/unauthorised persons, performing stunts, driving without licence," said the official.

Traffic police also appealed to all motorists to avoid traffic violations, especially drunken driving, over speeding, triple riding, riding without helmet, driving in the wrong carriage way, etc.

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--IANS

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India has told the UN Security Council that violence perpetrated by terrorists against women and girls remains rampant and should be strongly condemned while calling for the adoption of a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of terrorism.

India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said on Tuesday that Member States must provide a conducive environment for the participation and inclusion of women in political processes and decision-making.

Terrorism and violent extremism continue to be the biggest violators of human rights and a persistent threat to global peace and security. Needless to say, women and girls suffer invariably and disproportionately, she said.

Speaking at the UN Security Council open debate on Women, Peace and Security: Towards the 25th Anniversary of Resolution 1325', Kamboj said violence against women and girls perpetrated by terrorists remains rampant.

This deserves the strongest condemnation and calls for the adoption of a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of terrorism, she said.

The Security Council adopted resolution 1325 on women and peace and security in October 2000.

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The resolution reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and post-conflict reconstruction and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security.

Addressing the debate held under Mozambique's Presidency of the Council for the month of March, Kamboj said: To foster such an enabling environment, the principles of democracy, pluralism and the rule of law are essential prerequisites.

Referring to the situation in Afghanistan, Kamboj said India has been emphasising the importance of inclusive and representative governance in Afghanistan, with the meaningful participation of women in accordance with UNSC resolution 2593 which was adopted under India's Presidency of the Council in August 2021.

The United Nations and regional organisations must assist national authorities, upon their request, in developing capabilities to strengthen their national legal frameworks and related institutional structures for ensuring accountability and checking the impunity of those perpetrating violence against women, she said.

Member States should also be provided support for capacity building in post-conflict situations to address meaningfully and institutionally the inequalities and violence faced by women, and to ensure their full participation in decision-making. A focus on women in peacebuilding efforts is crucial, she added.

Stressing that women police officers and peacekeepers play an indispensable role in furthering the women, peace and security agenda in post-conflict situations, Kamboj said India welcomes efforts towards a Uniformed Gender Parity Strategy leading to an increase in the deployment of women peacekeepers.

In January 2023, India, among the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions, deployed a platoon of women peacekeepers in Abyei as part of the Indian Battalion in the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (UNISFA), India's single largest deployment of women peacekeepers.

In 2007, India was the first country to deploy all-women Formed Police Units in Liberia. These initiatives are reflective of New Delhi's intent to increase significantly the number of women in peacekeeping contingents, Kamboj said.

India also supports increasing the deployment of Women Protection Advisors for effective monitoring, analysis and reporting arrangements on sexual violence in conflicts, she said.

Noting that over the years, even as there has been a strengthening of the normative framework of the Women Peace and Security agenda, Kamboj lamented that women are still routinely under-represented in and excluded from formal peace processes, political dialogues and peacebuilding.

The gender perspective is yet neglected in conflict prevention, recovery, and reconstruction, she said.

Kamboj said while supporting political participation, we must also equally focus in a holistic manner on the socio-economic empowerment of women, including their access to credit, finance and technology.

She underlined that digital technologies have enormous potential to empower women by providing greater access to education, finance, credit, social services, the marketplace and employment.

Kamboj termed UNSC resolution 1325 as path-breaking for ushering in a gendered perspective to the maintenance of international peace and security.

It for the first time recognised that women are disproportionately affected by violence and that their participation in the peace processes is indispensable for forging lasting peace and security, she said.

She further said that the cultural ethos of India has taught its people to regard planet earth as a mother.

As a nation with a strong civilisational character rooted in women's empowerment and equal participation in social and economic life, we strongly believe that the progress of women is the very basis for the empowerment of a nation, she added.
Combining renewable subsidies and higher tariffs on coal would lower the emissions by nearly one-third in India by 2030 compared to the current policies, according to a study carried out by two IMF economists.

The study, conducted by Margaux MacDonald and John Spray, notes that the two steps would also decrease coal imports by 14 per cent by 2030, thus increasing resilience to global changes in energy prices and improving energy security.

Released on Tuesday, the study observes that India has made significant progress towards meeting its emissions reduction targets under the Paris Agreement, but with current policies total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions would nonetheless increase by more than 40 per cent by 2030.

While a modest increase in short-term emissions may be necessary to meet poverty reduction and energy security goals, a more rapid scaling up of current policies could help lower emissions considerably over the medium term and bring India closer to a path to net zero by 2070, it said.

The two economists said that their research shows an alternative emissions trajectory could be achieved by scaling up current policies.

One of our proposals includes a gradual increase in subsidies on the use of renewable energy coupled with higher taxes on emissions, in addition to the many targeted policies that India has focused on, it said.

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This would have the added benefit of early reduction in the reliance on imported fuels, helping to ensure universal access to energy, and lessening the negative health effects of pollution.

External climate financing and technology transfer would help mitigate costs and ensure sustainability.

In our model, combining renewable subsidies and higher tariffs on coal (roughly equivalent to ramping up India's existing excise duty on coal) would result in nearly one-third lower emissions by 2030 compared to current policies, said the IMF paper.

In this scenario, growing energy demand is met through a gradual increase of renewable energy and by allowing coal power to taper off, thus exceeding the goal of 50 per cent non-fossil fuel electricity capacity. Under such a policy, not only would the share of renewables rise significantly but overall electricity supply would increase, it said.

While this policy has clear environmental benefits, the economists estimate that the policy will result in a modest reduction in the level of real gross domestic product (relative to projections based on current policies) as firms and consumers pay higher taxes.

However, enough fiscal revenues would be raised to compensate the poorest citizen to such an extent that the policy would be progressive overall. Additionally, the small cost of this policy is less distortionary than other options, they noted.

Lower emissions would have significant benefits. Increasing renewable energy usage and allowing coal to taper off in this policy scenario would lead to a 2.5 per cent reduction in pollution, saving lives and leading to fewer missed school and workdays. It would also decrease coal imports by 14 per cent by 2030, thus increasing resilience to global changes in energy prices and improving energy security, the IMF paper said.
After dilly-dallying for over two years, the IDBI Bank Ltd. has finally declared the DHFL promoters and siblings -- Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj Wadhawan -- as 'wilful defaulters' in a Rs 758 crore unpaid loans case.

The IDBI move came on February 27 against the Wadhawan brothers who are among the prime accused in what is billed as India's biggest banking fraud till date, that came to light in February 2022.

The Union Bank of India, leader of a 17-bank consortium, including the IDBI Bank, had lodged a complaint against the DHFL, Wadhawan siblings and others who allegedly hatched a criminal conspiracy to defraud the banks of a staggering amount of around Rs 43,000 crore.

Based on the UBI's complaint, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed its FIR in June 2022 against the Wadhawans, DHFL and others.

The CBI had said that the plot by the accused Wadhawan brothers and others induced the consortium of banks, mostly PSUs, to release huge loans totalling to Rs 42,871.42 crore.

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A significant portion of the loans was allegedly siphoned off or misappropriated by falsifying the DHFL's books of accounts, dishonestly defaulting on the repayments to the lenders thereby causing a wrongful loss of Rs 34,615 crore.

In July 2020 when the NPA (since October 2019) account of Wadhawans-DHFL was classified as a 'fraud', the IDBI Bank's outstanding was stated as Rs 961.58 crore.

On the purported delays, official banking sources explained that the willful default examination proceedings had been initiated way back in October 2020, by issuing show cause notices to all concerned, as per the RBI rules.

"However, the Wadhawan brothers were already in jail at that time and efforts were made to serve the show cause notices through the jail authorities, which took time," claimed a top banker.

After giving them the full opportunities and following the process of two-stage intimation, the IDBI Bank had declared them as 'wilful defaulters' in November 2022, but the formal public proclamation came only after another almost four months (February 28, 2023).

The Wadhawan siblings were first accused in the cases registered by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the infamous Yes Bank fraud along with its founder-promoter Rana Kapoor and others.

It may be recalled that at the height of the Coronavirus pandemic lockdown, the absconder Wadhawan duo, along with their families, were caught hopping between the cool hill-stations of Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani in April 2020, and the CBI team which rushed there subsequently arrested them.

As per the IDBI Bank's annual report (2021-2022), a total of 245 cases -- with an aggregate gross principal outstanding of Rs 44,652 crore, comprising standard assets/NPAs/technically written-off assets -- were undergoing Corporate Insolvency Resolution Proceedings.

The bank said that it had resolved the majority of these cases to recover a sum of Rs 1,133 crore (2020-2021) and was hoping to resolve many more in the next fiscal (2021-2022).

Besides, 279 cases were classified as 'willful defaulters' with punitive actions initiated against them, and nine were declared as 'non-cooperative borrowers' till March 2021.

Besides the UBI, the consortium included State Bank of India, Canara Bank, Bank of India, Punjab National Bank, Indian Bank, Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank, Punjab & Sind Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, UCO Bank, Federal Bank, HDFC Bank, South Indian Bank and Karnataka Bank.

The UBI's complaint report stated that till July 31, 202, the SBI had the highest exposure to DHFL -- a staggering Rs 9,898.76 crore -- followed by the others.

DHFL had become a defaulter from May 2019 and the banks classified it as a NPA between October -December 2019, and then declared as 'frauds' from March 2020 onwards.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)

--IANS

qn/dpb
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly have announced new support for Ukraine to help address its critical energy and security needs.

According to a new release from the Foreign Ministry, Canada will be donating seven electrical transformers to help repair Ukraine's power grid. These transformers, delivered via the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism, will enable Ukrainians to power their homes and use the most basic appliances, Xinhua news agency reported.

Additionally, Canada is announcing an additional 3 million Canadian dollars ($2.4 million) in funding to support mine action in Ukraine, the release said.

This funding will bolster important recovery and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine, and it complements the more than 32 million Canadian dollars ($25.6 million) in funding that Canada is already providing to support mine action in the country, the release added.

In 2022, Canada committed over 5 billion Canadian dollars ($4 billion) in funding for direct financial, military, humanitarian and immigration assistance to Ukraine.

--IANS

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int/sha


Under the shake-up announced on Tuesday, China will set up a new national regulator to oversee all financial sectors except the securities industry. Staff at regulators including the central bank, the foreign exchange regulator, the new authority and the securities watchdog will be paid on par with the nations public servants. Chinas financial watchdogs are facing massive pay cuts as Beijing overhauls the regulatory regime to further tighten the reins on the $60 trillion industry and comply with President Xi Jinpings common prosperity drive.



Currently, China Securities Regulatory Commission and the CBIRC are among rare central government agencies that pay their staff significantly above the compensation of civil servants, said the people. That means some officials at the new authority, which will absorb the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, and the securities regulator could face pay cuts of more than 50 per cent, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not the named discussing internal information.



The possible cuts come as authorities are on high alert to guard against major economic and financial risks as Beijing struggles to bring the worlds second-largest economy back on its feet. A more than a yearlong drive to root out corruption in the financial system is also continuing unabated, with the high profile disappearance of one of Chinas star tech bankers and the nations top anti-graft watchdog last month warning bankers to abandon their hedonistic lifestyles and pretensions of being the financial elite. As a reference, some junior employees with the CSRC currently make about 20,000 yuan ($2,900) a month, with all benefits included, according to a person familiar with the matter. That will likely drop to below 10,000 yuan after the proposed revamp.

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Since CSRC and CBIRC had been categorized differently from government organizations in the past, the regulators had more discretion in setting salaries and employees typically received higher pay than public servants, said Zhiwu Chen, a professor of finance at the University of Hong Kong Business School. With this new definition for their positions, some of them may have to accept a pay cut of 50% or more. They will not be happy, he said. Still, the slashed compensation could run the risk of backfiring by sapping the motivation of officials on the front-line of controlling financial risks at a fragile time for the economy. Being placed in the civil service sector will also make it harder for regulators to switch jobs, since China has regulations that prevent public servants from immediately working in industries under their supervision.



As part of the common prosperity campaign, Xi has ordered a sweeping crackdown on the private sector to rein in the disorderly expansion of capital over the past few years. The effort has spread into the financial sector, with employees at state-controlled lenders facing pay cuts as well and even international banks told to keep an eye on pay structures. The CSRC and the CBIRC didnt immediately respond to requests for comments.
Interview: Sweden's Electrolux to keep expanding investment in China, says executive

Xinhua) 09:20, March 08, 2023

SHANGHAI, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Sweden-headquartered global appliance company Electrolux Group will continue to expand its investment in China, an executive of the Fortune Global 500 company said recently.

"China is not only the second-largest economy in the world, but also the middle-class consumers here are growing very fast, who are looking for products with good quality to improve the standard of living," Ramon Sariego-Villar, managing director of Electrolux China, told Xinhua here in an interview.

"This is good for global companies like Electrolux, and this is why we remain highly confident" about the Chinese market, he said.

Electrolux has been expanding its footprint in China over the years, having established manufacturing factories across the country and a research and development (R&D) center in Shanghai. The company has also been in contact with around 100 strategic partners in China.

"Our factory in Hangzhou produces products not only for China, but also for Asia Pacific," noted Sariego-Villar, adding that the R&D center in Shanghai, one of the companies' five global R&D centers, develops products tailored for consumers in China.

Over the past three years, China managed to achieve an average annual growth of 4.5 percent, far exceeding the global average. Electrolux also had a good performance during this period.

"By doing business integration, Electrolux China grew the business by 61 percent in 2020 and by 58 percent in 2021," Sariego-Villar said.

"The Chinese market is a strategic market for Electrolux. We will continue to expand our investment in China and further promote the brand influence in China," he said.

In the eyes of the executive, China's clear objectives and policies concerning carbon emission and sustainable development will bring great opportunities for Electrolux, which has declared its global commitment to achieving carbon neutrality across its value chains by 2050.

China will actively promote technological progress in relevant fields, Sariego-Villar said, adding that he looks forward to in-depth cooperation with Chinese partners in this regard.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)


There are 69 so-called Biosafety Level 4, or BSL-4, facilities designed to study dangerous infectious pathogens in operation, under construction or planned worldwide, according to Global Biolabs, a tracking project run out of Kings College London and George Mason University in Virginia. About a decade ago, there were only 25. The number of high-containment labs around the world conducting potentially risky scientific research is surging, despite a lack of global agreement on how to make sure they're safe.



Scientific safety has re-emerged as a high-stakes global issue in the weeks since the US Department of Energy suggested it had intelligence showing a lab leak was the most likely origin of the Covid-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, Congress is holding the first of what are likely to be a series of hearings on the matter. China has rejected the idea of a lab leak, and the scientific consensus remains that the pandemic began when the coronavirus leapt from animals to people. These are the labs in which workers wear moonsuits and handle deadly viruses and organisms, monitored by highly sophisticated security systems.



BSL-4 labs are expensive. In the US, it can cost as much as $1.25 billion to build one, and simply maintaining security in such a facility can run more than $2 million a year, experts say. But cost hasnt been a deterrent. A dozen new BSL-4 facilities have been announced since the start of the pandemic, with most being constructed in Asia, from India to the Philippines. Theres also been a surge in the construction of labs that have fewer security measures, called BSL-3, where risky pathogens can also be handled. Data on the number of these labs globally doesnt exist. Health scares  from the 2001 anthrax attacks to outbreaks of SARS, Ebola and Zika  have prompted numerous countries to pour enormous sums of money into building these types of labs. More facilities than ever are handling, and in some cases genetically enhancing, infectious pathogens. BSL-4 labs can now be found in more than 25 countries. They are frequently located in cities, where a loose virus or harmful organism could potentially spread quickly.

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Nobody wants lab accidents, said Gregory Koblentz, director of George Masons biodefense graduate program and a co-leader of the Global Biolabs project. Unfortunately this issue has become politicized and polarized. Thats because the people with the loudest voices have had the microphone. For decades, scientists from the US, China, Russia, Canada and Europe have swapped ideas for standardizing safety and security amid biolab building booms. At least 15 organizations have helped develop guidelines for the proper handling of viruses and bacteria, but the problem is none of the groups have the authority to make sure theyre implemented.





What global cooperation did exist unraveled during the pandemic, which has killed more than 6.8 million people worldwide. A group of scientists once met regularly to work toward improving international lab safety, but the meetings have stalled during the pandemic. Things have kind of been on a hiatus, said James Le Duc, who was formerly the head of one of the USs largest biocontainment facilities and has attended the meetings.



The idea that Covid began with a lab leak was contested early on by the international scientific community, but it quickly found support from Republicans in the US. Last month, FBI Director Christopher Wray said in an appearance on Fox News that the pandemic was most likely the result of a lab leak in China. The debate around the origins of Covid has made it hard for scientists to collaborate in ways once considered normal. Before the pandemic, the US National Institutes of Health funded research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a leading world center for coronavirus research. China is home to three BSL-4 labs and one more thats planned.



Highly secure labs are meant to ensure safe conditions for risky studies. Research in which scientists make biological agents more potent, and possibly more harmful, can be used to understand future mutations of viruses and build better vaccines. The downside is these super-pathogens can escape the lab if theyre not handled with sufficient safety practices in place. On Wednesday, US lawmakers plan to grill former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, who has said a lab leak is more likely than any other scenario. Committee members will likely focus on what they see as attempts by the NIH and other scientific leaders to downplay the lab-leak hypothesis, according to documents released ahead of the meeting.



Poor Visibility

High-containment labs are the foundation of our pandemic preparedness, said Gerald Parker, director of the pandemic and biosecurity policy program at Texas A&Ms Bush School of Government and Public Service. He spent more than 30 years working in the federal government on global health and national security. Its typically being done for the right reasons, but it has to be done correctly.



Last year, Boston University researchers sought to study the omicron variant by combining parts of it with the original strain of Covid. Their findings caused an uproar: Some scientists accused the BU lab of inadvertently creating a more dangerous version of the coronavirus. For all the noise about the China lab-leak theory, the US government has little visibility into high-risk research being done within its borders.







All we see is the stuff that gets published, Koblentz said. Is it the tip of the iceberg? US regulators said they werent aware of the study and asked for clarification about government grants involved, because that kind of funding would have allowed them to review BUs work. However, while federal money was used to buy equipment, it didnt fund the study itself. The work was done in a BSL-3 facility, which was subject to oversight from a university committee and the Boston Public Health Commission, the university said. In essence, the US government had no authority over the research, even if the work did potentially end up spawning a more infectious or more deadly form of Covid. For its part, BU said it was done safely.

The White House has made improving lab oversight a priority. And a group of federal advisers have finalized new guidance for monitoring studies where bacteria or viruses are made more lethal.



The NIH says the US governments oversight is comprehensive, pointing to regulation around federally funded research. But there are blind spots when it comes to privately funded research  the kind done by BU and by drug companies. In the 1970s, the NIH wanted to regulate research manipulating DNA pioneered by scientists who would go on to start the biotech company Genentech. If the NIH guidelines are necessary to protect the public in federally funded research, it is clear they are necessary for privately funded research and application as well, Senators Edward M. Kennedy and Jacob K. Javits wrote in a letter to then-President Gerald R. Ford in 1976. Practicing scientists who would lose more autonomy over their research say this goes too far, said Filippa Lentzos, director of Kings College Londons graduate program in science and international security, who runs the Global Biolabs project with George Masons Koblentz. But I dont think this goes far enough.



Global Shortcomings

But industry groups were concerned with protecting propriety information and future patents, according to an NIH report. Efforts to create regulations that would have applied to universities and drug companies ultimately failed in Congress.



The fact that we have to rely on academics to count how many there are in the world is telling, because theres no requirement for countries to declare that they have these facilities, said Andrew Weber, the former assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical and biological defense programs in the Obama administration. International oversight is even worse. Reporting of the whereabouts of BSL-3 and BSL-4 labs is spotty, and the designations carry little weight. There are no consequences at the global level for lab accidents, or processes in place to determine how theyre dealt with if they occur.



Other countries are also moving ahead despite the lack of consensus on security. Among the nine countries that have announced plans to build labs in the wake of the Covid outbreak, five will build their very first BSL-4 facilities such as Brazil, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Singapore and Spain, according to Global Biolabs. In this vacuum, nations are self-policing. Only one country with a maximum-containment facility, Canada, has laws governing dual-use research that could be used for good or for harm, according to Global Biolabs. China, meanwhile, which isnt a part of any high-profile biorisk management networks, enacted its own biosecurity law in April 2021, some of which focuses on responsible laboratory conduct.





Theyve become an item of national prestige intended to demonstrate scientific prowess, Weber said.



Kojima later said that the WHO is continuing to work on global standards in coordination with all member states. A feasible approach, he said, could be to launch discussions on how nations can regulate their safety and security. That would shift the responsibility for enforcement back onto each country. There arent any plans to create an international body that could step in if something goes wrong. Yet because of the Covid origins debate, many experts arent willing to engage on the subject of international high-containment lab oversight. Even the World Health Organization wouldnt initially answer questions about efforts to bolster lab safety without seeing prompts ahead of time so as to avoid miscommunication due to the obvious complexity and also sensitivity of the subject, Kazunobu Kojima, a member of the WHOs Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention branch, said by email.
In a startling revelation of intelligence input, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns claimed that Beijing is still determining whether its potential invasion of Taiwan would be successful.

He said that US intelligence shows that Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed his nation's military to "be ready by 2027" to invade Taiwan.

However, he might be harbouring doubts about his ability to do so, given Russia's experience in its invasion of Ukraine - it is likely to intensify doubts among Chinese leader Xi Jinping and top military officials about the success of the Chinese military invading Taiwan.

In a television interview that aired on February 26, Burns said, "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 does not mean that he has decided to invade in 2027 or any other year as well".

"I think our judgement at least is that President Xi and his military leaders have doubts today about whether they could accomplish that invasion," he said. However, the US must take "very seriously" Xi's desire to ultimately control Taiwan, even if military conflict is not inevitable, he added.

Burns said the support from the US and European allies for Ukraine following Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of that nation could be a potential deterrent to Chinese officials, but said the risks of a possible attack on Taiwan would only grow.

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"I think, as they have looked at Putin's experience in Ukraine, that has probably reinforced some of those doubts," Burns said. "So, all I would say is that I think the risks of, you know, the potential use of force probably grow the further into this decade you get and beyond it, into the following decade as well. So that is something, obviously, that we watch very, very carefully."

Burns believes that since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the aid of the United States and Europe to Ukraine shows the solidarity of the West, which the Chinese Communist Party may also consider. "I do not think there is a foreign leader who has watched Putin's experience in Ukraine, the evolution of the war, more carefully than Xi Jinping. I think in many ways he was disturbed by what he saw," Burns said. He (Xi Jinping) was surprised by Russia's very poor military performance. I think he was also surprised by the level of solidarity and support for Ukraine in the West."

Burns also said that not only the United States but also European allies are willing to bear a certain economic price in order to cause greater economic damage to Russia over time, "So I think all of this is to a certain extent. Xi Jinping is sober."

The Taiwan issue is one of the factors causing tension in US-China relations. The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States is significantly increasing the number of troops deployed in Taiwan, more than quadrupling its current strength, to boost a training program for Taiwan's military. According to US officials, the United States plans to deploy 100 to 200 troops to Taiwan in the coming months; a year ago, the number was about 30. The additional garrison will expand a training program the Pentagon has been reluctant to make public as the United States seeks to give Taiwan the capabilities it needs to defend itself.

The report also said that the expansion of training for Taiwan officers and soldiers by the United States and Taiwan shows that the United States is increasingly committed to helping Taiwan, a close partner, prepare for its defeat of the CCP's potential invasion. US officials say plans to expand the troop presence in Taiwan have been in the works for months, even before this month's balloon incident further soured USChina relations. In the balloon incident, a Chinese spy balloon was shot down by US warplanes over the coast of South Carolina after crossing US airspace.


Russia remains a voting member of the World Bank, although the bank halted all programs in Russia and Belarus last March, citing what it called hostilities against the people of Ukraine following Russias invasion. Russia is consulting with its allies about challenging the US nominee to head the World Bank, Moscows top representative at the bank said on Tuesday, a move that could complicate what was expected to be a smooth succession process.



It quoted Marshavin as saying he was in discussions with other countries about possible candidates including Russian financiers and foreign economists, former heads of international organizations, as well as several ex-ministers of finance and heads of central banks. Marshavin declined to comment on the specifics of the TASS report or which other countries were involved. Roman Marshavin, the World Bank executive director who represents Russia and Syria, told Reuters the listing of potential candidates and consultations are still ongoing, but gave no details. He said the decision would be made in Moscow. Russias plans were first reported by Russias state-owned TASS news agency.



Banga, who is traveling in Africa this week, last week said he had already won support from India, Ghana and Kenya. He also got positive reviews from France and Germany at last months meeting of Group of 20 finance officials, and on Tuesday won the endorsement of Bangladesh. Treasury declined comment on the possible Russian challenge. US President Joe Biden last month nominated ex-Mastercard Chief Executive Officer Ajay Banga, 63, to replace David Malpass at the helm of the World Bank, which oversees billions of dollars in funding for developing countries.

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While the bank will accept nominations from other countries until March 29, Bidens nomination all but assures that Banga will fill the role. The World Bank has been headed by someone from the United States, the lender's dominant shareholder, since its founding at the end of World War Two. A challenge from Russia or an allied country is unlikely to change the outcome, given the shareholding structure, but it could expose simmering tensions between the US and Western nations and China - the bans third largest shareholder over the Bank and other global financial institutions.


This means that any financial wrongdoing involving cryptocurrency assets can now be investigated by the Enforcement Directorate. In a gazette notification dated March 7, the Ministry of Finances Department of Revenue stated that activities related to the trading of cryptocurrency and digital assets would be covered within the ambit of PMLA. The central government has brought the trading of cryptocurrency and digital assets within the ambit of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) through a gazette notification. The move comes even as the legislation to govern the cryptocurrency sector is still awaited, and at a time when India  as Group of 20 (G20) President  is looking to drive the narrative among global leaders and regulators on the dangers of cryptocurrency.



The definition of virtual assets would be the same as that in the Income-Tax Act, the notification stated. The definition includes cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens. These include an exchange between virtual digital assets and fiat currencies, between one or more forms of virtual digital assets, transfer of virtual digital assets, safekeeping or administration of virtual digital assets or instruments enabling control over such assets, and participation in and provision of financial services related to an issuers offer and sale of a virtual digital asset.



The responsibility of maintaining transparency, identity, and following regulations is on cryptocurrency exchanges. Globally, banks are severing ties with exchanges, straining the exchanges and forcing them to look for an alternative model, said Garg. Cryptocurrency transactions continue to lack transparency and the trail is difficult to establish. This move pushes responsibility on the cryptocurrency markets to bring transparency to cryptocurrency trading, said Prashant Garg, partner, technology consulting, EY.

Also Read Crypto industry wants 0.1% TDS, Sebi-like regulator in Budget 2023 Crisis in multilateralism affecting developing nations most: PM at G20 meet G20 foreign ministers' meeting today: Schedule, agenda, other details here LIVE: Blinken asks for 'contact' with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov G20: India asks IMF, FSB to draft new technical paper on crypto assets India imposes money laundering provisions on cryptocurrency sector Crypto wrap: Silvergate fallout pulls market down, Bitcoin at two-week low Indian-origin engineer at FTX, Nishad Singh, pleads guilty to fraud charges Indian-origin engineer at FTX, Nishad Singh, pleads guilty to fraud charges G20: India walks tightrope to form consensus amongst competing interests



Last month, at the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors in Bengaluru, International Monetary Funds (IMFs) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva backed Indias stance on private cryptocurrencies and other digital assets and said there is a need for a strong push on global regulation for such assets. The Centre is unwilling to table the Bill governing the cryptocurrency sector in Parliament until there is a global consensus on regulations.



Indian officials in the government and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) have argued that while there is a need for strong global regulations for private cryptocurrency assets, banning should be an option in certain cases. We have to differentiate between central bank digital currencies that are backed by the state and stablecoins, and cryptocurrency assets that are privately issued. There has to be a very strong push for regulation. If regulation fails, if youre slow to do it, then we should not take it off the table or ban those assets because they may create financial stability risk, she said.



Cracking the whip Move will give authorities greater power to monitor the transfer of virtual digital assets beyond the countrys borders

Under anti-money laundering law, reporting entities are required to maintain KYC details of their clients and beneficial owners

FinMin notified on Tuesday that entities dealing in VDAs will now be considered 'reporting entities' under PMLA

As of Jan 31, ED attached proceeds of crime worth ~936 crore in connection with crypto fraud Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das had said at the same event that Indias position was being endorsed by other nations.



Das said there was an acceptance among major global economies that cryptocurrency assets involve several major risks to financial stability, monetary systems, cybersecurity issues, and overall financial stability, and they need to be looked at. I am glad to say one thing, there is almost a clear understanding that anything not issued by a central bank is not a currency. This is a position India has been taking for a very long time and we are glad that such a position of India is now getting acknowledgement from so many different members, Sitharaman had said.
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This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the State assembly V D Satheeshan on Wednesday demanded that the Kerala government should declare a health emergency following the fire that broke out at Brahmapuram Waste Plant, claiming that the toxic smoke from the waste mound fire has created serious health problems for the people living in the vicinity.

Smoke from the fire at the solid waste treatment plant of the Kochi Corporation that started on March 2 spread to surrounding region and can pose hazardous health issues the opposition leader said .

Satheesan alleged that the government was not taking action in the matter. The smoke spread to not only Kochi but even the nearest districts. This, the Congress leader said it will cause serious health issues. He demanded the government declare a health emergency in the the affected place.

The LoP claimed that various departments including health, local self-government and disaster management were inactive at Brahmapuram

"The government should take action and effective implementation to cut the fire. But they are not taking any action. The LSGD, the health department, disaster management wing, and fire force are not taking sufficient action. The fire force is doing a lot of work but have been unable to douse the fire and had to seek help from the central government also. Otherwise, it will cause serious issues," Satheeshan said.

"Now itself is a serious matter. Unfortunately, what the minister for Local Self Government Department (LSGD) answered in the assembly was not fact. Even the next day high court judge went for a morning walk and had serious breathing issues. There are people who have fainted. There are so many patients in the hospitals, the the government has to declare a health emergency," Satheesan said.

Also Read Brahmapuram fire under control, no need for concern, says Kerala govt Fire fighters continue battling fire at Brahmapuram waste plant in Kochi Fire from Brahmapuram waste plant under control, thick smoke persists Fire at Brahmapuram waste plant in Kochi set deliberately: UDF in assembly Kochi chokes on pollution as fumes from waste plant fire continues Delhi's Ashram Flyover reopens today after closure, traffic advisory issued NGT stays construction of varsity buildings within UP bird sanctuary Transactions of Rs 2,000 cr done to get Shiv Sena name, symbol: Sanjay Raut Govt may reduce reserve price of wheat auction to Rs 2,200 per 100 kg PM Modi to launch key green energy initiatives at India Energy Week

The state Minister for Local Self Government Institutions M B Rajesh had in the Assembly said that that the situation at Brahmapuram was under control and there was no cause for concern or panic.

However, Satheesan said that the government should declare a health emergency and take necessary steps in this regard.

According to him, this is a clear case of corruption and the corrupt contractors are behind this. He demanded action against the corrupt people also.

The State Government on Saturday held a meeting and decided to explore a flooding approach to extinguish the fire. An official statement from the State Government stated that the meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary of Kerala discussed the ongoing efforts and options available for extinguishing the fire.

On Sunday, another meeting was held at Kochi by Kerala Health Minister Veena George and Law and Industries Minister P Rajeev with Ernakulam District Administration officials on this matter.On Monday, Congress workers today marched to the Kochi Corporation office as part of the protest seeking a High Court-monitored probe into the fire incident.
Ajanta Pharma rose 1.88% to Rs 1,190.20 after the pharmaceutical company said that its board will consider share buyback on Friday, 10 March 2023.

The company's board will consider approving the proposal for buyback of the equity shares of the company and matters related / incidental thereto.

Ajanta Pharma is a specialty pharmaceutical formulation company having branded generic business in India and emerging markets, generic business in US and institution business in Africa.

The drug maker's consolidated net profit dropped 29.9% to Rs 134.51 crore in Q3 FY23 as against Rs 191.78 crore posted in Q3 FY22. Net sales rose 16% year on year to Rs 971.77 crore in quarter ended 31 December 2022.

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Jubilant Pharmova gained 3.24% to Rs 314 after the US drug regulator classified the company's Nanjangud facility as Voluntary Action Indicated (VAI).The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) had inspected company's API manufacturing facility at Nanjangud from 5 December 2022 to 13 December 2022. Upon completion, the USFDA issued eight observations on 14 December 2022.

The company now received a communication from the USFDA through which the regulatory agency assigned the inspection classification of the API facility as 'Voluntary Action Indicated (VAI)'. VAI means USFDA accepted the company's response to its observations.

Based on this inspection and the USFDA VAI classification, the facility is in compliance with regard to current good manufacturing practices (cGMP), said the drug maker.

Jubilant Pharmova is a global pharmaceutical and life sciences company engaged in pharmaceuticals, life science ingredients, contract research and development services and proprietary novel drugs.

The company reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 15.67 crore in Q3 FY23 as against Rs 50.99 crore in Q3 FY22. Net Sales rose 18.2% YoY to Rs 1533.22 crore in the quarter ended 31 December 2022.

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Power stocks were trading with gains, with the S&P BSE Power index increasing 44.99 points or 1.29% at 3519.61 at 09:46 IST.

Among the components of the S&P BSE Power index, Adani Green Energy Ltd (up 5%), Adani Transmission Ltd (up 4.99%),Adani Power Ltd (up 4.97%),JSW Energy Ltd (up 1.52%),NHPC Ltd (up 1.28%), were the top gainers. Among the other gainers were NTPC Ltd (up 0.88%), CG Power & Industrial Solutions Ltd (up 0.62%), Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (up 0.22%), ABB India Ltd (up 0.21%), and Siemens Ltd (up 0.04%).

On the other hand, Tata Power Company Ltd (down 0.07%), turned lower.

At 09:46 IST, the S&P BSE Sensex was down 152.3 or 0.25% at 60072.16.

The Nifty 50 index was down 45 points or 0.25% at 17666.45.

The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was down 58.29 points or 0.21% at 28037.74.

Also Read Utilties shares edge higher Power shares edge lower Power shares edge lower Power shares gain Power stocks rise Utilties shares gain Capital Goods shares edge higher NBCC rises on bagging orders for Rs 541 cr Power Grid Corp board approves investment worth Rs 4,071 cr Sonata Software Ltd Slips 2.81%, S&P BSE IT Sector index Shed 1.19%

The S&P BSE 150 Midcap Index index was down 25.23 points or 0.28% at 8838.35.

On BSE,1273 shares were trading in green, 1461 were trading in red and 147 were unchanged.

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Ajanta Pharma: The drug maker's board will consider a share buyback on 10 March 2023.

Zydus Lifesciences: The drug maker has received final approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for Lenalidomide capsules, 2.5 mg and 20 mg (USRLD: Revlimid capsules). The drug is used to treat various types of cancers.

Wipro: The IT major announced the opening of its Americas Headquarters in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

GAIL India: The state-run gas distributor said its board meeting is scheduled on 13 March 2023 to consider the recommendation for payment of interim dividend for FY23. It has fixed a record date as 21 March 2023 for payment of interim dividend, if any.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T): The Union Ministry of Defence on Tuesday signed two separate contracts with state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Larsen & Toubro for 70 Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) basic trainer aircraft and three cadet training ships, respectively, at a cumulative cost of Rs 9,900 crore.

Deccan Gold Mines: The company has emerged as the highest bidder in e-auction for Bhalukona - Jamnidih Nickel, Chromium and Associated PGE Block in Chhattisgarh.

Also Read Indices pare some gains; IT stocks rise for 2nd day PM inaugurates HAL's new helicopter factory in Karnataka Bharat Forge, HAL and Saarloha inks MoU for production of aerospace grade steel alloys Dr Reddys Lab climbs after US court dismisses claims against generic Revlimid Dynamatic Tech gains on signing MoU with HAL Mahanagar Gas, CAMS, Neogen Chemicals in spotlight Stocks to watch: Natco Pharma, Adani Ports, Edelweiss Financial Sunteck Realty, Bajaj Finserv, Rail Vikas Nigam, Tata Steel in focus PowerGrid, Tata Power, Bharat Electronics in focus Zee Entertainment, Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel will be watched

Star Paper Mills: A fire occurred in one of the wood yards of the company's mill at Saharanpur (UP) at around 2.15 PM on 6 March 2023. The fire was controlled later on with the help of local administration. The incident has been reported to insurance company. The extent of damage is being ascertained. The manufacturing operations are unaffected due to above incident.

Artson Engineering: The company has received purchase order worth Rs 14.49 crore from Tata Projects. The order is for supplying pressure vessels and its mandatory, erection & commissioning spares.

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Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday targeted the BJP, saying some of its leaders were disrespecting the widows of martyrs and using them to gain political mileage.

This comes a day after relatives of three CRPF personnel killed in the 2019 Pulwama terror attack reached Congress leader Sachin Pilot's residence and demanded a meeting with the party high command, accusing the state government of not fulfilling promises made to them.

Without directly naming BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena, who has been sitting on a 'dharna' with the widows of the martyrs, Gehlot said in a statement, "Some BJP leaders are disrespecting the wives of the martyrs by using them to gain political mileage. This has never been the tradition of Rajasthan. I condemn it."



The widows' demands include installing statues of the slain jawans, giving jobs to their relatives on compassionate grounds and construction of roads in their villages.

In his statement, Gehlot said the widow of Hemraj Meena, who was martyred in the attack, wants a third statue to be installed despite two others already put up at the Government College, Sangod, and a park in Vinod Kalan, his native village.

"Such a demand is not appropriate keeping in view other martyr families," the chief minister said in the statement in Hindi.

The wife of Rohitash Lamba is seeking a job for her brother-in-law on compassionate grounds but if the job is given to him, then the family members or relatives of all widows of martyrs might start putting undue pressure on them.

Also Read Fisherman's widow gets compensation from Gujarat govt - after 9 years Pulwama attack anniversary: PM Modi pays tributes to martyrs who lost lives CM Ashok Gehlot woos investors; says Rajasthan has friendly govt policies Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot to present state budget for FY24 on February 8 Rajasthan govt working to uplift every section of society, says CM Gehlot Aditya Thackeray slams Maharashtra govt for bad air quality in MMR BJP govt suppressing voice of people in Goa by 'transfers': Congress Shouldn't we offer tea to people who come to CM residence? asks Shinde Shiv Sena feud to find echo in Budget session of Maharashtra legislature Uddhav faction gears up for legal battle as SC refuses to stay EC order

"Should we create such a difficult situation in front of the wives of martyrs because the rules made at present have been made on the basis of past experiences. How can it be justified to deny the rights of the children of martyrs and give jobs to other relatives? What will happen to the children of martyrs when they become adults," he asked.

Gehlot said during his first tenure as chief minister in 1999, the Rajasthan government released the Kargil package for dependents of martyrs and it has been made more effective by increasing it from time to time.

He said the Rajasthan government has made a provision that if the wife of a soldier is pregnant at the time of his martyrdom and does not want a job, it will be kept reserved for the child so that their future can be secured.

Help has been given to the Pulwama martyrs' dependents as per the rules of this package, Gehlot said.

"Rajasthan is the land of heroes and thousands of soldiers from the state have sacrificed their lives for the motherland. The people and the government here respect the martyrs the most," Gehlot added.

He said he shared his thoughts on the issue with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Pratap Singh Khachariyawas, a minister in the Gehlot government, met the martyrs' widows protesting outside Pilot's residence and said it is the government's responsibility to respect them.

Pilot had on Monday written to Gehlot, demanding an inquiry into the alleged police misbehaviour with the widows.

He also requested him to sympathetically consider their demands.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president and former Union minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday recalled resistance he faced from certain quarters while implementing decisions related to women empowerment, including inducting female officers into the armed forces, but said when an administrator is strong policies get eventually executed.

The veteran parliamentarian held key portfolios of defence (1991-1993) and agriculture (2004-14) as a Union minister and also served as chief minister of Maharashtra four times during his decades-long political career. Pawar recalled that as defence minister when he visited the United States, he was given a guard of honour by an all-woman contingent of the American armed forces. When he returned home, Pawar discussed the idea of inducting women into the armed forces with all the three services chiefs, but faced opposition to his proposal. I again brought this (induction of women) issue (with them) for discussion one or two months later and received the same answer. After four to five months I told them (services chiefs) 'the people have elected me as the defence minister and it is my job to take a decision and your job is to implement it'. From next month, women should get 11 per cent reservation, he said. The Rajya Sabha member was speaking at an event organised by the Maharashtra State Commission for Women on the occasion of International Women's Day. Pawar said after two years he sought a report on induction of women officers into the armed forces and it was brought to his notice that accidents involving aircraft have come down and attributed this drop to the caution displayed by female pilots. When an administrator is strong then decisions are implemented, added the NCP leader.

Pawar said while serving as chief minister of Maharashtra, he chose to handle the women and child welfare department instead of crucial portfolios like the home which changed people's perspective about his administration.

Pawar said many decisions taken by him while in government were not appreciated by his male colleagues, including his move to give equal share in family property to women.

The former CM, however, asserted that despite facing opposition, he went ahead with decisions that empowered women.
Organon (NYSE: OGN), a global healthcare company focused on improving womens health, today announced the launch of a new global initiative, Her Plan is Her Power, to accelerate progress toward addressing the public health crisis of unplanned pregnancy. Annually, nearly 50% of pregnancies (approximately 121 million) around the world are estimated to be unplanned, leading to health risks and reduced educational and employment opportunities for mother and child  challenges which can span generations.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230307005176/en/

Unplanned pregnancies are in part caused by a lack of access to contraceptive information and services. Globally, of the 257 million women who want to avoid pregnancy, almost 67% are not using any contraceptive method. In response, Organons multi-year effort (2023-2025) builds on previous programming launched in 2022 through the Her Promise ESG platform. This new effort includes a portfolio of programs, collaborations and investments designed to fuel public health solutions, address inequities, and accelerate progress to help ensure women have the power to plan their future.

The $30 million Her Plan is Her Power initiative aims to address and overcome gaps and barriers to reduce unplanned pregnancies and empower women and girls when it comes to their sexual and reproductive health (SRH). It builds on existing company initiatives, with new funding to support:

A planned three-pronged collaboration with UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, to help reduce unplanned pregnancies focused on innovation, access and education, and financing and sustainability. Initial projects are planned to support the Equalizer: UNFPA Accelerator Fund, through the establishment of an innovation challenge to empower young people by increasing access to financing and training to enable innovations for SRH information, services and commodities; enhancing a digital SRH knowledge solution with ethical artificial intelligence capabilities to give information and analytics to frontline healthcare workers in low-resource settings; and support for the Equity 2030 Alliance to accelerate actions to normalize gender equity in science and technology with a focus on SRH and women-focused solutions.

Inaugural launch of a global grants program that provides resources to organizations working in communities to create a local response and empower people when it comes to reducing unplanned pregnancies and taking control of their reproductive health. The first cohort of grantees includes organizations across 13 countries including Dominican Republic, South Korea, Germany, and Thailand.

New funding and product donations to help improve access and outcomes related to unplanned pregnancy in select communities in the US. Initial planned NGO partners include Direct Relief and Power to Decide, with additional US-based organizations and communities to be announced later this year.



Empowering women with broad contraceptive access and education is a fundamental driver of equity and helping women decide when  and if  they decide to start a family, said Kevin Ali, CEO of Organon. Organon is proud to launch Her Plan is Her Power and work with others to focus our resources and target responses to help ensure all women and girls can plan their future.

This announcement comes on International Womens Day and on the sidelines of the 67th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, to raise awareness and spur action, because in this complex environment, there has never been a more critical moment to stand  and act  with her.

UNFPA is very excited to be working with Organon to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights and choices, says Ian McFarlane, the Director of the Division for Communications and Strategic Partnerships at UNFPA. The staggering number of unintended pregnancies that occur globally each year  nearly half of all pregnancies  require the power of public-private collaboration. We look forward to continuing to build upon our efforts to help improve the lives of women and girls around the world.

Organon is working to ensure that all women and girls achieve the full potential of their promise through better health. In 2022, Organon made a commitment to help prevent 120 million unplanned pregnancies in the worlds least-developed countries by 2030 as part of FP2030. Through Her Plan is Her Power the company will further accelerate progress towards this goal by working with global and local organizations across geographies with a focus on innovation, education, access, and advocacy.

About Organon

Organon is a global healthcare company formed to focus on improving the health of women throughout their lives. Organon offers more than 60 medicines and products in womens health in addition to a growing biosimilars business and a large franchise of established medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. Organons existing products produce strong cash flows that support investments in innovation and future growth opportunities in womens health and biosimilars. In addition, Organon is pursuing opportunities to collaborate with biopharmaceutical innovators looking to commercialize their products by leveraging its scale and presence in fast growing international markets.

Organon has a global footprint with significant scale and geographic reach, world-class commercial capabilities, and approximately 10,000 employees with headquarters located in Jersey City, New Jersey.

For more information, visit https://www.organon.com/ and connect with us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Forward-Looking Statement

Except for historical information herein, this press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, but not limited to, statements about Organons launch of the Her Plan is Her Power global initiative. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the companys management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, available at the SECs Internet site (www.sec.gov).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230307005176/en/
Swedish parliament set to ratify an anti-terror bill on Tuesday that is part of the deal signed with Turkey as one of the conditions of the NATO bid. Should the lawmakers allow it to pass, it will be in effect by June 1. Unless it is done, then joining the military bloc is not possible.

Swedish Parliament Convenes for Anti-Terror Bill

Sources say the Swedish media says the new counterterrorism law is aimed at the money and helping these terrorists. Part of the law is penalizing assisting terrorists when formalized by lawmakers, reported Anews.

Turkey and Sweden agreed on a deal that the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in Sweden be surrendered. It was them who tried a coup in 2016 in Turkey.

Sweden's half-baked efforts were insufficient for Ankara to agree to its NATO accession. A meeting was canceled between Finland and Sweden regarding their bid due to an offensive incident. Swedes allowed a Danish far-right politician to offend Turkey when he burned the Quran in the Turkish embassy in Stockholm last January 21.

Part of the deal was passing an anti-terrorism law last November that would comply with the deal signed with Ankara for their bid. But Turkey was not satisfied that it was enough because more was needed to be done curtailing the PKK and FETO, noted Anadolu.

Nordic Nations' NATO Bid Under Consideration

To facilitate the entry of the Nordic countries to NATO with the scheduled foreign ministerial-level meeting set in Brussels on Thursday.

Read Also: Finland Concludes NATO Bid Without Sweden

Sweden says it will follow the demands as part of the trilateral memorandum agreed on last June during a NATO summit in Madrid, cited The Daily Sabah.

Turkey has expressed dissatisfaction over the efforts of Stockholm regarding the matter of the PKK and FETO as the bone of contention. Oscar Stenstrom, Sweden's chief negotiator for NATO accession, has been criticized by Ankara due to what has happened. He stated that the attitude of the Swedish government about harboring terrorists is changing.

He stated they adjusted their outlook regarding getting Ankara's approval unless their security concerns were addressed, adding that it concerns Sweden's security.

Nordic Nations To Prioritize Terrorism Concerns

The Swedish negotiation remarked that Stockholm would not house any terrorist entities, so the action is to increase security. To do this with more expenses and measures for security service and defense, they stated that they want to help and cooperate with the military bloc.

A list of those wanted by Ankara for terrorism who are wanted and should be extradited to prove the applicant is sincere. But Erdogan has said these people are still not in the custody of turkey.

The Turkism FM said these steps are needed to ratify the bids, and the Brussels meeting is part of that. But efforts by Sweden have been lauded by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu saying there were changes made to its laws. Most promising is a new bill as Turkey wanted from June's agreement.

Swedish parliament must satisfy the NATO bid with an anti-terror bill, or Turkey will not approve joining the military bloc.

Related Article: Hungary Slams Sweden for Spreading Fake News Amidst NATO Bid

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Chinese FM Qin Gang went on the record on Tuesday that the US would not find it pleasant if they won't back off. Beijing has been criticized for siding with Russia, which has not been affected by any sanctions.

Chinese FM Tells the White House To Back Off

Qin, the Chinese ambassador to the US, is known as a skilled diplomat overseas known for his carefulness in his position. But as the Chinese FM started with a stern warning to Washington during the annual China parliamentary meeting. He said the US is not thinking right about dealing with China and warned that it's a mistake how they view their superpower status, reported CNN.

While the National People's Congress in Beijing was in full swing giving his opinion on what their competitor was doing, he added America is speeding the wrong way, and whatever it does, it will be a showdown of the sort, noted Bloomberg.

The event set the backdrop to determine Beijing's foreign policy for this year and beyond. Called tension authored by the US to set up China in a negative way. Inevitably the US called out its ties with the Kremlin.

The clashing of these two biggest economies is the low point that is nothing compared to previous years. Washington and Beijing are still at loggerheads after alleged Chinese spy balloons got shot down by F-22 fighter jets.

FM Qin called it a heavy-handed reaction by the US that could have been handled delicately. It merely demonstrated the incapability of its officials to avoid a diplomatic crisis, but it did happen that way.

Read Also: China Shows' Rock Solid' Support for Russia Amid US Pressure

The US wants to start a ruckus in the global scene even as Beijing prefers diplomacy and discussion. But the US wants to dominate and suppress that will end nothing gained by their approach. Try as America can by containing and suppressing China to make a difference for glory-seeking Washington, and China will be rejuvenated.

US Claims Beijing Copying Russia

Washington has accused Beijing of anti-American propaganda, which is less aggressive than Russia. The Kremlin was accused of cyber espionage and covert operations during US elections and attacking alleged rivals, cited AP News.

A general atmosphere in Washington is that the Chinese are ramping up tactics like Russia that are getting noticed. Some think that more needs to be done about it.

US officials and experts claim that actors connected to China are producing fake news. They are supposed to use AI and post on social media, which is directed against the US. The west is now in an information war that the Chinese are engaging in, which is not always easy. Washington says that Beijing uses Russian-style propaganda as it becomes more dominant in several areas.

Another aspect that bothers the White House is the tandem of Moscow and Beijing, which is the last thing it wants. The Chinese FM Qin wants the US to know Beijing wants them to back off, or the consequence will not be favorable.

Related Article: China Refutes Claims That Beijing Plans To Give Arms to Russia

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A blast that rocked the busy market area of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, on Tuesday killed at least 17 people and injured several others, according to local authorities.

The official further said that the explosion had happened inside the seven-story structure in Dhaka market, inflicting significant damage to two levels.

According to Reuters, fire officer Dinomoni Sharma described multiple stores selling sanitary equipment and domestic products and a bus parked on the other side of the building that was destroyed in the Bangladesh explosion. Scene images revealed severe destruction to the structure and neighboring properties, with store merchandise strewn over the street. Broken glass and falling debris injured a few passers-by.

Read Also: US Winter Storm Update: Trapped Residents Seek Help

Investigation On-Going

The chief of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Khandker Golam Faruq, has said that the explosion in the Gulistan neighborhood was likely an accident and not a deliberate act of sabotage.

"Primarily, we are suspecting that it is an accident," the police official said, noting that law enforcement agencies had already started investigating the Dhaka market explosion, WION reported.

"So far, no evidence of sabotage was found at the spot till now," Faruq told journalists at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Al Jazeera reported that a representative for the fire department told AFP that no fire had broken out in the structure but that more than 150 firemen had arrived to help with rescue operations.

The Bangladesh market explosion happened after a gas explosion in Dhaka on Sunday that claimed the lives of three individuals. On Saturday, seven deaths occurred, and others were wounded when an oxygen factory in southern Bangladesh exploded.

Related Article: Chinese Official: US-China 'Conflict and Confrontation' Inevitable

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Amid rumors of Ukrainian forces withdrawing from Bakhmut, Russian troops are expected to have an "open road" to capture key areas in eastern Ukraine if they successfully take control of the region.

The warning came from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke during an interview where he defended his decision to maintain his forces' grounds in the besieged city. He said that the decision was tactical for Kyiv, adding that his country's military officials are united in defending the city of Bakhmut from Russian aggression.

Ukraine's Defense of Bakhmut

Zelensky argued that if Moscow gains control of Bakhmut, they can deploy their forces to other areas, such as Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. He warned that it would be similar to an open road for Russian forces to travel to other areas in Ukraine's Donetsk region.

The Ukrainian president's remarks come amid a weeks-long assault by Wagner's mercenary troops, which have racked up their attacks in recent days. The latter has been able to force thousands from the city and destroy the region's infrastructure, as per CNN.

Despite the continued attacks, Ukrainian military troops have been able to mount a stalwart defense of the area to stall Russia's progress. Zelensky added that his motivations in trying to keep control of the city of Bakhmut differed from Moscow's objectives.

The Ukrainian president said that he understood what Russia was trying to achieve by assaulting Bakhmut, a small victory. He added that if Moscow successfully took the reigns of the city, it would help them mobilize their society to put forward the idea that they had a powerful military force.

While Bakhmut alone does not hold any significant strategic advantage in the war, it has road connections to Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, two densely populated, industrial urban hubs in northwestern Ukraine. This means these cities will be Russia's next targets if they seize control of the besieged city.

Read Also: Japan's Rocket Launch Suffers Engine Failure

Russia's Mounting Losses

Ukrainian authorities sent reinforcements to Bakhmut to help defend the city against Russia's continued assault. Zelensky noted that by standing their ground, they would be able to inflict more losses on Moscow's side, according to CNBC.

The battle in Bakhmut has been raging for about seven months and has become the scene of one of the most intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces. Moscow's troops and Wagner's mercenaries have continued their slow advance into and surrounding the city in the last few weeks.

Several defense analysts said that Russian forces may have surrounded most of the area and advanced into Bakhmut but have yet to take control of all parts of the region. However, Ukrainian-held supply routes into the city remain increasingly limited and at risk.

The situation comes as an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded in the intense fighting for the city. Western officials added that the case of the battle is out of all proportion to the region's strategic significance, said BBC.

Related Article: China's New Foreign Minister Issues Warning

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According to the government's statement to Parliament, four IITs, including IIT Kharagpur, have proposed to begin offering four-year Bachelor of Education (BEd) programmes in 2023-2024.

The National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) planned to permit the running of the Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP) in multidisciplinary institutions on a pilot basis, according to Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar in a written response. To enable Class 12 graduates to undertake integrated BA-BEd, BSc-BEd, and BCom-BEd courses, the NCTE has already announced regulations on how to conduct ITEP.

Students could save money with this curriculum by at least one year. The IITs have so far gained a reputation for technological teaching and research. A few of them have begun their managerial education. In IITs, the BEd courses will support academic diversity.

In order to fulfil the considerable and expanding demand for qualified graduates in the electronics and embedded systems sector in India, IIT Madras is introducing a BS degree programme in Electronic Systems.

This is the second BS programme to be launched, following the BS programme in data science and applications, according to the institute. It stated that 17,000 students are now enrolled in the first BS programme.

The Govt Has Released A Four-Year Integrated Bed For Future Teachers

The government has announced a four-year integrated teacher education plan in accordance with the New Education Policy (NEP). The BEd programme will now be integrated and last four years. Students who pursue a four-year BEd degree will also earn a BA, BSc, or BCom in addition to their BEd degree.

Normally, it would take five years for students to finish these two degrees. The combined degree would grant both and allow students to skip a year of college.

By 2030, the government wants the four-year integrated BEd to be the minimum qualification for teaching.

The curriculum for this course was created by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), an agency under the Ministry of Education, in a way that allows a student-teacher to earn a degree in education as well as one in a specialised field like history, mathematics, science, the arts, economics, or commerce. The new BEd degrees will allow for specialisation in the education of 'talented youngsters'.

Eligibility Requirements

Anyone having a Class 12 (or similar) diploma, regardless of age, role, or geographical region, is eligible to apply.

School students who have completed their Class 11 final examinations (with Physics and Mathematics as subjects of study) are eligible to apply. Individuals who meet the requirements can sign up once they have completed Class 12.

Students will have the option to finish the study early with a diploma or certificate at the foundational level. On the official IIT Madras website, eligible and interested students can examine the course credits, subjects, fees, and other information.

What Exactly is NCTE?

In accordance with the National Council for Teacher Education Act, 1993, NCTE was established as a statutory body of the Government of India on August 17, 1995, with the goals of achieving a planned and coordinated development of teacher education across the nation and governing the regulation and proper maintenance of norms and standards for teacher education.

The organisation, which has authority over all of India, is made up of a number of departments as well as the four regional committees known as the Northern Regional Council, Eastern Regional Council, Southern Regional Council, and Western Regional Council, all of which are based in New Delhi.

The NCTE performs a wide range of duties, including those related to all teacher education programmes such as the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed), Master of Education (M.Ed), and Diploma in Elementary Teaching (D.El.Ed). In accordance with NEP 2020, it involves research and training for student-teachers to prepare them to instruct at the foundational, preparatory, middle, and secondary levels of the new education system.

Integrated Teacher Education Program (ITEP), National Professional Standards for Teachers (NPST), and National Mission for Mentoring are just a few of the national mandates that NCTE has taken up (NMM). In accordance with NEP 2020, NCTE is revising various teacher education programmes, such as regulations, curricula, and digital architecture.

With these measures, NCTE seeks to advance not just the professional growth of teachers but also the objective of high-quality teacher preparation in our nation. With a focus on in-service teacher capacity building and pre-service teacher education, the NEP 2020 envisions a paradigm shift in the role of teachers.

The objective of NCTE

The NCTE's primary goals are to ensure the planned and coordinated growth of the teacher education system across the nation, the regulation and correct upkeep of Norms and Standards in the teacher education system, and for issues related thereto.

The NCTE has been given a very broad mandate that covers the full spectrum of teacher education programmes, including non-formal education, part-time education, adult education, and distance (correspondence) education courses. It also includes research and training of individuals to prepare them to teach at the pre-primary, primary, secondary, and senior secondary levels in schools.
Authorities found the four Americans who were allegedly mistakenly kidnapped by a Mexican cartel. However, two were reported to have died, while the surviving two will be returned to the US.

The situation was a road trip to Mexico for cosmetic surgery that later became a tragic incident in a rural area near the Gulf coast. Armed individuals took the four Americans after a violent shootout captured on video.

Kidnapped Americans Found

The two surviving Americans were returned to US soil after being transported to the border near Brownsville, the southernmost tip of Texas. They were brought in a convoy of ambulances and SUVs escorted by Mexican military Humvees and National Guard trucks equipped with machine guns.

On Monday, a relative of one of the victims said that the four individuals traveled together from the Carolinas seeking for one of them to get a tummy tuck surgery. They were looking for a doctor in the Mexican border city of Matamoros, where their abduction occurred on Friday, as per Yahoo News.

In a statement, Tamaulipas Gov. Americo Villarreal said that the four victims were discovered inside a wooden shack with a man guarding them, who was later arrested by authorities. The official said that the captives were moved around by their kidnappers and, at one point, were taken inside a medical clinic to "create confusion and avoid efforts to rescue them."

The governor said the two fatalities would be turned over to American authorities following forensic investigations at the Matamoros morgue. Villarreal added that one wounded American, identified as Eric Williams, was shot in the left leg and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Officials took the two survivors to Valley Regional Medical Center escorted by the FBI. A spokesperson for the hospital referred all inquiries and questions to the intelligence and security service agency. The other survivor that authorities rescued was identified as Latavia "Tay" McGee.

The US Embassy in Mexico City said unidentified gunmen shot the passengers shortly after the four victims' vehicles crossed into Mexico. It added that the armed men then placed the Americans into another vehicle and fled the scene, according to ABC News.

Read Also: China's New Foreign Minister Issues Warning

Tragic Incident

During a news conference, Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios said armed men did not directly target Americans. He added that the victims seemed to have been taken away due to a "misunderstanding.

Mexican investigators said that the kidnappers may have mistakenly taken the Americans, believing they were rival human traffickers. Authorities also discovered the deceased victims, one inside and one outside of the wooden shack where the two survivors were found.

McGee's mother, Barbar Burgess, said she had to "hold my heart" when FBI officials arrived at her home on Tuesday bearing news that her daughter was still alive. The survivor spoke to her mother from inside a Texas hospital on Tuesday, telling her she suffered no major injuries.

The tragic fates of the victims underscore the reality that hundreds of thousands of Americans travel abroad every year for medical care, the destination of many of which is Mexico. These include anything from root canals to in vitro fertilization to cosmetic procedures, which are often a lot less expensive south of the border, said CNN.

Related Article: Bangladesh Explosion Update

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Colombia's cement market contracts 4% in January

ICR Newsroom By 08 March 2023

Colombian cement dispatches declined 3.5 per cent to 0.93Mt in January 2023 from 0.964Mt in January 2022, according to the countrys statistics office, DANE. When compared with January 2019 cement demand increased 1.4 per cent from 0.917Mt.



The 3.5 per cent drop in dispatches was driven by the contraction in Antioquia (-9 per cent) and Narino (-64.9 per cent).



While bulk dispatches remained stable, bagged cement sales fell by five per cent YoY in January 2023. Bulk sales growth of 14.3 per cent in Atlantico was the key reason for the bulk cement market maintaining its sales levels, but in Cundinamarca and Meta bulk dispatches were down by eight and 27.4 per cent, respectively. The contraction in bagged cement sales was mainly due to lower dispatches in Antioquia (-12.9 per cent) and Narino (-60.6 per cent).



Dispatches to construction companies and contractors saw the largest YoY decline, by 18.8 per cent, followed by the retail sector where sales were down by 3.6 per cent in January 2023. Ready-mix concrete companies saw a 6.6 per cent advance in sales.





Cement production in January 2023 edged up by 0.6 per cent YoY to 1.046Mt from 1.04Mt. When compared with January 2019 output expanded by 12.4 per cent from 0.929Mt.

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Very low petcoke discounts may lead to switch to coal

ICR Newsroom By 08 March 2023

The price of a barrel of oil has returned to the lower end of the US$80-88 range. Gas prices were also down on the back of warm weather forecasts and the Turkey-Syria earthquakes, which are cooling demand.



Coal prices continue to slip lower, along with other sources in the energy complex, as the fear of recession persists.



The stable price of petcoke and very low discounts are expected to lead to fuel switches towards coal.



The 6.5 per cent S petcoke FOB contract sold at US$137 while the 6.5 per cent S petcoke CIF ARA contract sold at US$139. Resistance is to be found at US$143, 180 and 215, while support is around US$125, 115, 100 and 85. Multi-year support is found at US$36.



The discount for 6.5 per cent S petcoke FOB sold at US$137 is at 21 per cent when compared with API4 coal sold at US$139 in the 2Q23. The CIF ARA 6.5 per cent S petcoke contract sold at US$154 is at a discount of 10 per cent, when compared with API2 coal sold at US$138 in the 2Q23.



In terms of freight rates have edged up, threatening FOB prices with the USGC-ARA rate now at US$17.50, up from a low at US$16.

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Successful COVID fight sets example

09:45, March 08, 2023 By LI LEI ( China Daily

A medical worker administers a dose of COVID-19 vaccine to a senior resident in Hufeng village of Wenchang, South China's Hainan province, Dec 22, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

Populous nations can learn from China's experience during pandemic

China, with one-fifth of the global population, triumphantly exited the three-year COVID-19 pandemic with the lowest cost in terms of human life, setting a good example for other populous countries, experts said.

Based on the success, Chinese policymakers, in retrospect, are proposing wide-ranging reforms aimed at consolidating the country's public health system.

Legislative suggestions on that front have become trending topics during the annual two sessions  the meetings of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee.

The top legislature and the political advisory body are currently meeting in Beijing.

The spread of the disease has "basically ended" among the country's 1.4 billion people, with only smaller, sporadic infections still occurring, Liang Wannian, head of the National Health Commission's expert panel on the response to COVID-19, said at a closely watched news conference last month.

He said China has blazed a trail showing how countries with a sizable population can evade a major pandemic.

The comments came after a "major, decisive victory" in the fight against the disease was declared on Feb 16 at a key meeting of the Communist Party of China.

Presided over by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, the meeting agreed that China has created a miracle in the history of human civilization for a country with a vast population to successfully prevail over a pandemic.

Speaking at the news conference held by the State Council's Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism, the country's COVID-19 task force, NHC spokesman Mi Feng said the Omicron-fueled outbreak  which had led to a spike in locally transmitted cases nationwide from November  has subsided and turned out for the better.

He said the past three years have witnessed the constant fine-tuning of China's COVID strategy, including the downgrading of the management of the disease in January in light of the virus' decreasing virulence.

The dynamic adjustment has helped strike a balance between disease control and economic growth, and worked to check the spread of the more lethal lineages of the novel coronavirus earlier.

"It effectively protected people's lives and health," Mi said.

Official figures showed that since November, China has treated 200 million infected patients, including nearly 800,000 critically ill patients, and that the death rate from COVID-19 has remained at the lowest level in the world.

According to the National Health Commission in July, China's average life expectancy continued to rise amid the pandemic, from 77.93 years in 2020 to 78.2 years in 2021.

Meanwhile, average life expectancy in the United States  home to an advanced health system  fell over the same period from 77 years in 2020 to 76.1 years in 2021, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, which is part of the country's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The total number of COVID-related deaths in the US had reached 1.1 million by January, according to the CDC.

China's regularly modified COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment plans, which offer guidance to front-line medics, were the secret to underpinning China's success in saving lives, experts said.

China has introduced 10 such plans and four plans for treating COVID patients in critical condition over the course of three years.

Speaking at a news conference on Feb 27, Guo Yanhong, director of the NHC's health emergency division, said the evolving plans informed doctors of what parameters to track in patients so that doctors can intervene earlier and prevent them from descending into life-threatening conditions.

She said the plans represented increasing understanding of the virus, including its symptoms, virulence and modes of transmission. More recent plans have advocated a number of effective treatments, such as blood plasma taken from patients that have recovered, and newly approved antiviral drugs.

"The plans were adjusted according to increasing knowledge of the virus," Guo said.

China kept its border controls in place until January. By this time, the dominant Omicron subvariants were much less deadly than their predecessors, and more than 90 percent of the Chinese people had been vaccinated.

The combined factors have laid foundations for China's economy, which slowed during pandemic-triggered lockdowns, to rebound faster than many Western observers had expected.

The National Bureau of Statistics said on March 1 that a gauge of manufacturing rose at the fastest pace in more than a decade in February, while export orders expanded. Services and construction activity also expanded further.

On the back of China's achievements, the virus also exposed some of the long-running shortcomings in the country's emerging public health system. They have gained the attention of multiple NPC deputies and members of the CPPCC National Committee this year.

Li Yan, a national lawmaker and chief executive officer of Qilu Pharmaceutical, a private drugmaker in Jinan, Shandong province, said that the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, Hubei province in late 2019 had temporarily fallen into a shortage of medics and overstretched hospitals.

To address the problem, authorities mobilized medics and resources in non-affected regions to help out in hard-hit cities, which had effectively worked but should not be the "lasting solution", she said in an interview with the Economic Observer newspaper.

Li suggested that authorities build a public health service network with multiple community-based outposts, which are tasked with detecting and reporting infectious diseases, in the hope of nipping any potential outbreak in the bud.

Zhu Tao, a political adviser behind China's first single-dose adenovirus vaccine for COVID-19, said vaccines have become the central pillar of China's COVID control now that many pandemic restrictions have been eliminated.

"Vaccines are the cheapest option for society as a whole, and have the minimum impact on the economy compared with other options," he told China Youth Daily.

Zhu, who works for CanSino Biologics and led the research on the company's messenger RNA COVID vaccine, which is now under clinical trial, suggested that efforts be made to standardize the emergency use of medications and more so that China can better cope with future public health emergencies.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
A new study found that bumblebees can teach each other how to solve puzzles by letting some colony members observe their brethren.

The bees seemingly pick up new "trends" in their behavior by watching other bees and learning from their actions. This is something that the researchers believe could be one form of conduct that can rapidly spread throughout the whole colony, even when a different version is found.

Bumblebees Teach Each Other

Queen Mary University in London led the research that was published in PLOS Biology and provided significant evidence that bumblebee behavior spread is driven by social learning. In the study, it was observed how the bumblebees forage for their food.

The researchers conducted various experiments to establish this conclusion. They designed a two-option puzzle box that could be opened by either pushing a red tab clockwise or a blue tab counter-clockwise to reveal a 50% sucrose solution for the bumblebees, as per Phys.org.

The study had "demonstrator" bees trained to either use the red or blue tabs and let "observer" bees watch the process. When it came time for the latter to face the puzzle, they could overwhelmingly replicate the actions they watched from their colleagues, even after finding an alternative option.

The preference for the demonstrated behavior was maintained by whole colonies of bumblebees, with a mean of 98.6% of box openings being made using the taught method. The control group also illustrated the importance of social learning to acquire puzzle box solutions despite lacking demonstrators.

In this particular group, some bumblebees could open the puzzle boxes but did so a fewer number of times compared to those who watched the solution beforehand. In a day, the median number of boxes the bees opened with a demonstrator opened was 28, while the control colony could only get one opened.

Read Also: COVID-19 Origin: Lab Leak Theory

Capabilities for Culture

The researchers wrote that the results provide strong evidence that social learning is a crucial factor in transmitting novel foraging behaviors among bumblebees. There was also one particular bee that the researchers observed that opened the box 216 times by itself, according to BigThink.

Scientists who have studied social learning on other animals argue that the ability forms the basis of culture. This is broadly defined as the sum of a population's "behavioral traditions." However, the study's authors said that it was unlikely for bumblebees to have a rudimentary culture.

They argued that the lifespan of individual B terrestris workers was relatively short, and colonies would collapse before the winter season. They noted that if every worker survives past the decline of annual colonies, any foraging traditions would be recovered with them.

Alice Dorothy Bridges, who was involved in the study, said that the results they found echo previously found where scientists used similar experiments in primates and birds. These were used to demonstrate the capacity of such animals for culture, said NeuroScienceNews.

Related Article: Previously Unknown Ice Age Europeans Unearthed in Genetic Study

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Five women sued the state of Texas on Monday for its abortion ban because they were denied the procedure despite grave health risks brought about by their pregnancies.

The situation marks the first time pregnant women have moved forward with legal action against the wave of bans that have shut down abortion access across the United States. It follows the Supreme Court's decision to overrule Roe v. Wade.

Texas Facing Lawsuit Over Abortion Ban

The women who filed the lawsuit, who were visibly pregnant, are set to lay out their stories on the steps of the Texas Capitol on Tuesday. The harrowing experiences that they have gone through will detail what their 91-page complaint called "catastrophic harms" to women everywhere since the court's ruling in June last year.

The accounts of the five women could potentially resonate with public opinion, which generally favors legalizing abortion, and overwhelmingly supports the procedure for pregnant women facing dangers to their lives, as per the New York Times.

The Center for Reproductive Rights is supporting the five women's lawsuit, which comes as the United States struggles with the fallout from the overruling of Roe that has resulted in the banning of abortion in at least 13 states nationwide.

Like most states that have banned abortion, Texas allows exceptions when a physician determines a risk of "substantial" harm to a pregnant woman. However, the potential for imprisonment goes up to 99 years with $100,000 fines and loss of medical licenses. It has scared medical professionals into not providing abortions even when cases under the exceptions would allow them.

The lawsuit asks the state's court to affirm that physicians can make exceptions and clarify under what conditions. However, the greater power of the suit could be in appealing to public opinion on support for abortion.

Read Also: Violent Atlanta Protests Update

Consequences of Denying Abortion Access

The women argued that the situation with the abortion ban had created a hush-hush code within the medical field that prevented them from gaining access to urgent care. During a news conference on Tuesday, lead attorney Molly Duane said that all five women qualified for an abortion under Texas law's exception, according to the Washington Post.

Duane said they were inviting the court to help them craft a remedy for the situation to ensure that the harm seen every day in the state and the United States does not continue. In a statement, the president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights president and CEO, Nancy Northup, said that the lawsuit was the first of its kind and would not be the last.

On Tuesday, Northup told reporters that being a pregnant woman in Texas was not very dangerous. She argued that no one should be forced to wait at death's door so that they could receive proper health care.

The White House also slammed the Texas government following the lawsuit, arguing that the situation has shown the "reality of Governor Abbott's abortion ban." Vice President Kamala Harris argued that taking away women's right to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions endangers every woman's health, said the Houston Chronicle.

Related Article: Joe Biden Proposes Increased Tax Rate

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The University of Tennessee at Chattanoogas Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, housed in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business, will host the second annual Fly for Researchers Pitch Competition for UTC faculty and graduate student innovators at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 19, in the Centers second-floor offices in the Mapp Building, 410 E. 8th St.The competition, open to the general public, is geared toward members of the Chattanooga business and entrepreneurial communities.Click here to register to attend the event.The Fly for Researchers competition spotlights ideas that have the potential to be commercialized or licensed.A total of $35,000 in internal grants will be awarded$20,000 for first place, $10,000 for second place and $5,000 for third placeand awardees will be able to use the money to accelerate the success of their ideas, innovations and commercialization objectives.UTC research plays a significant role in the community, said Dr. Joanne Romagni, UTC vice chancellor for research and dean of the Graduate School. Our faculty are internationally recognized for their work to help Chattanooga establish itself as a smart city, performing cutting-edge research in engineering and computer science and building upon our regions technical capabilitiesincluding gig-speed networks and quantum-computing infrastructure.UTC researchers are working on innovations such as new antibiotics, medical devices and tools for mitigating the effects of radiation on hardware. While some of these might be less visible to the community, they are equally important to the growing portfolio of commercialization innovation that we are building at UTC.Faculty, staff and graduate students from all UTC colleges were invited to apply and pitch their ideas. Applications are in the process of being reviewed and evaluated based on commercial applicability, the readiness of an idea or technology, and the information provided in the application. Finalists will be notified on or before March 20.At the April 19 event, the previously selected finalists will give five-minute presentations followed by up to eight minutes of Q&A from the judges. A panel of local business executives and entrepreneurs will serve as judges for the competition.By inviting the community to our campus, Dr. Romagni said, Fly for Researchers provides an opportunity for business and organization leaders, professionals, startup founders and community partners to learn more about the innovative work to provide solutions to important problems that UTC faculty, staff and graduate students are engaged in.The in-person pitch format encourages faculty to think about how to describe their work in a way that the community connects with and sees the value proposition. The opportunities for future collaboration and relationship-building to better our community are limitless. Last years event was well attended and we expect even more interest this year.The winning team from the inaugural Fly for Researchers competition in 2022 was comprised of UTC Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Hamdy Ibrahim and graduate student Ahmed Korra for their bone-mending implant pitch titled, Dissolving and patient-specific fixation implants for broken bones."
The House Public Service Subcommittee has passed House Joint Resolution 5 (HJR5), a resolution calling for the states to propose a congressional term limits amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The effort, led by Rep. Chris Todd and spearheaded by the nonpartisan nonprofit U.S. Term Limits, passed by a vote of 5 to 1.

U.S. Term Limits' President Philip Blumel said, The people of Tennessee are lucky to have public servants who see what is going on in D.C. and are willing to take action to fix it. They know that Congress won't set term limits on itself. Therefore, it is the obligation of the states to do so.

HJR5 said it has the bipartisan support of more than 60 Tennessee legislators who have signed the term limits pledge, promising to support the congressional term limits effort.

If the measure passes the state Senate, Tennessee will be in the forefront of the states in the nation to file an application for a convention with the exclusive purpose of proposing term limits on the U.S. Congress, the group said.

Once 34 state legislatures pass similar resolutions on the topic, and the term limits amendment approved, it must be ratified by 38 states to become part of the U.S. Constitution.
Chattanooga Preparatory School, 1849 Union Ave., is hosting Super Saturday this weekend.

Human Resources Coordinator Dr. Angel McGee Ulmer said the school, founded five years ago, is looking for teachers: We need all subjects - math, history, science, history and special education.

Dr. Ulmer said, Bring your resume and Tennessee license and be here at 9:00. She said if the teacher is licensed in another state they will help with the transfer.

Dr. Ulmer said, Chattanooga Preparatory School was founded to teach boys to be critical thinkers while giving them the basics at the same time.

Chattanooga Preparatory Schools current enrollment is 362 in grades 6 thru 11. Dr. Ulmer said the school will eventually go through the 12th grade.

She stated, "Our school has competitive pay, good health and wellness insurance, retirement and professional development opportunities.

Dr. Ulmer said, We need teachers who share our vision in building men of tomorrow and thats the purpose of Super Saturday to find those special people.

For additional information call 423 602-7737.
Gladys Grayson, 94, was called home by our Lord on March 06, 2023.

She was a beloved St. Stephen's Parish member in Chattanooga, Tennessee.



She was survived by her sons, Jere and John and their wives, daughter Arleda, eight grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren.



Born in Pontiac, Michigan, in 1928, she married her high school sweetheart after WWII. She went on to work for 34 years at Livonia Public Schools before enjoying a quiet retirement near family for 28 years.



Gladys lit up a room with her mischievous eyes and unconditional love. A devoted family member, she dedicated all she had to ensure every individual in her life succeeded! Teaching us we should make each day count and that having faith can bring joy; Gladys guided those she loved through life's ups and downs with grace - never faltering from protecting those closest to her heart. We owe so many thanks to those who graced her life as well, coming together during happy and sad times to create a lifetime of memories now forever ingrained in our hearts! We celebrate not only Her legacy but also our deep connection with such an extraordinary lady.

A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 13, at St. Stephen Catholic Church, 7111 Lee Highway, Chattanooga, Tn. 37421, with Father Manuel Perez officiating. Burial will be at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Southfield, Mi.

The family will receive friends at the church on Monday, March 13, from 1011 a.m.

Please share your thoughts and memories online at www. ChattanoogaEastBrainerdChapel. com .

Arrangements are by Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory & Florist, East Brainerd Chapel, 8214 East Brainerd Road, Chattanooga, Tn. 37421.
David William Meredith, 51 of Rossville, Georgia, passed away on Tuesday, March 7, 2023.

David was born and raised in the Chattanooga and North Georgia area. He graduated from Kirkman High School and earned an associates degree in Business. David worked for Kenco for 26 years in logistics and as their OSHA director. He enjoyed playing video games, watching drag races, going antiquing, and riding his bicycle. Most of all, David loved spending time with the light of his life, his daughter Bailee. He was fun loving, head strong, and outgoing. David is dearly loved and will be greatly missed.



David was preceded in death by his father, Kenneth Meredith, Sr. and brother, Richard Meredith.



Survivors include his daughter, Bailee Meredith; mother, Sybil Meredith; brother, Ken Meredith, Jr.; good friend, Deidre Steele-Pool; nieces, Ashlee and Bella Meredith; great-niece, McKinlee Meredith; and many extended family members and friends.



To share condolences please visit lane-southcrestchapel.com



A gathering of family and friends will be held on Friday, March 10, from 4-8 p.m. in the South Crest Chapel of Lane Funeral Home & Crematory, Rossville.


The Chattanooga Fire Department is urging citizens to use caution when burning outside after a fire on Wednesday afternoon in the East Lake area.

At 1:40 p.m., companies responded to the 2800 block of 3rd Avenue. A resident was burning debris in a barrel which was left unattended. Being that it was a windy day, embers spread to undergrowth and dry leaves which caused the fire to spread to the surrounding grass and then to a neighbors shed. The shed was damaged, as well as a van next to the shed.

Firefighters extinguished the flames and contained the fire, preventing it from spreading to nearby homes.

The resident at fault did not have a permit and was cited for reckless burning.

There were no injuries.

If you do any type of burning, keep a water source on hand and never leave it unattended.
Duggar family followers might have wanted to hold their applause in 2020. Followers, often critical of the Duggar family and their archaic rules, were thrilled to see Jill Dillard and her husband, Derick Dillard, break with Duggar family tradition by enrolling their eldest son in public school. A few years later, it looks like homeschooling is back in session for the Dillards.

How many children do Jill and Derick have?

Jill and Derick married in June 2014 after being set up by Jills father, Jim Bob Duggar. They didnt waste any time starting a family. Their first son, Israel, was born 10 months later.

Derick Dillard and Jill Dillard | TLC/YouTube

The couple welcomed their second son, Samuel, in 2017. After Samuel, the couple opted to do some family planning, as Derick enrolled in law school. They have since spoken openly about their use of birth control and their thoughts on some of the Duggar familys strictest rules. Their third child, Frederick, was born in July 2022.

Jill Dillard broke tradition by choosing public education over homeschooling

Jill followed in her sister, Jinger Vuolos footsteps as a Duggar family rebel. Jim Bob and Michelles third child broke away from her famous family, began wearing pants and shorts, and pierced her nose. She really broke with tradition in 2020 when she announced her eldest son, Israel Dillard, would be educated at a local public school.

The decision is one that no other Duggar had made before. While Michelle Duggar attended public school and Jim Bob Duggar was educated at a religious private school, they opted to keep their kids much more sheltered. Jim Bob and Michelle homeschooled all 19 Duggar children, and many of those kids vowed to continue the tradition with their own families. Jill was the first to break that tradition, but it looks like it lasted only a short time.

It looks like the couple is back to homeschooling their kids, though

2022 was a busy year for the Dillard family. Derick passed the bar exam and scored a new job. The family welcomed a third child and moved to a larger home closer to Dericks job. In the rush of big changes, one thing didnt happen. Jill Dillard never shared a back-to-school photo of her sons.

Recent posts on Jills Instagram account, which has sputtered back to life following the birth of Frederick, indicate that the only school the Dillard boys attend is at the familys dining room table. In recent months, Jill has shared photos of her boys out and about, including visiting a courthouse during traditional school hours. Jill has also shared photos that suggest shes helping the boys learn at home. Family followers are convinced that Jill Dillard is homeschooling her kids.

Israel initially started school in September 2020. Samuel, now 5, should be in kindergarten. Jill and Derick have opted not to address how they currently educate their children.

Jeremy Vuolo and Jinger Vuolo | TLC/YouTube

Several of Jills siblings are opting to homeschool, too. One, however, is not. Jinger Vuolo revealed that she has no plans to teach her children at home when they are ready for school. Jinger is the mother of two girls, aged 4 and 2.
Meet the Cast of 1000-Lb. Sisters: Amy and Tammy Plus Their Husbands and Siblings Chris, Misty, and Amanda

Since 1000-Lb. Sisters began, the cast of the TLC series has grown significantly. Meet the rest of the Slaton Sisters siblings who appear in the show, including Chris Combs, Misty Slaton, and Amanda Halterman. Plus, get to know more about Amy and Tammy Slatons husbands.

Amy Slaton-Halterman and Tammy Slaton | TLC

Amy and Tammy Slaton are the stars of 1000-Lb. Sisters

1000-Lb. Sisters first premiered in January 2020. At first, the show followed Amy and Tammy, two siblings whose weight totaled 1000 pounds. The show documented the sisters attempt to achieve their weight loss goals to have bariatric surgery safely.

Since the show started, Amy and Tammy have both had successful weight loss surgeries. Tammy has reportedly lost over 300 pounds and Amy has over 100 pounds. Now, the show has become more about their continued weight loss and family.

Amy Slaton-Haltermans husband Michael is also part of the show

Michael has been part of the TLC series from the beginning. He and Amy grew up in Dixon, Kentucky, and met at Union High School. They tied the knot in Nashville, Tennessee, in March 2019 and share two children: Gage and Glenn.

Recently, a source close to the Slaton family reported Amy and Michaels marriage is on the rocks. The TLC star has yet to comment on the claims about her and Michael heading for divorce.

Chris Combs is the Slaton Sisters older half brother

Tammy and Amys half-brother Chris first appeared in season 2 of the TLC series. Today, Chris has become more of a main character and a fan-favorite among 1000-Lb. Sisters viewers. His weight loss journey has also been documented on the show. This includes his bariatric surgery and the support he has shown Tammy leading up to her procedure.

Related Photo of Tammy Slaton From March 2023 Captures Dramatic Weight Loss

Chris is known for his raspy voice and serving as the Slaton Familys patriarch. He is married to Brittany Combs, who is the stepmother of Chriss adult children, Brandon and Emily.

Misty is another Slaton sister and 1000-Lb. Sisters cast member

Like Chris, Misty previously popped up in season 2 of 1000-Lb. Sisters. Amy described Misty as the b**** of the family because of how she reacted when she met Tammys then-boyfriend Jerry Sykes. In season 4 of 1000-Lb. Sisters, Misty has become a more recurring character.

Amanda Halterman is another fan-favorite Slaton sibling

Fans first met Amanda Halterman in season 3 of 1000-Lb. Sisters, but she has quickly become another fan favorite. Amanda is older than Tammy and Amy, but younger than Misty, the eldest of the Slaton siblings. As she has explained in previous episodes, Amanda used to be married to Amys husband, Michaels brother, Jason Halterman. The two have since divorced.

Tammy Slatons husband Caleb Willingham

Tammy got married to Caleb Willingham in November 2022 at the Ohio rehab facility she was in leading up to her weight loss surgery. The couple tied the knot on Nov. 19, 2022.

Thirty of the couples friends and family attended the small ceremony at the Windsor Lane Rehabilitation Center in Gidsonburg, Ohio. Today, Caleb reportedly lives with Tammy in Kentucky. Caleb could appear in season 4 of 1000-Lb. Sisters, which is being split into two halves.

Keep up with the entire Slaton family in new episodes of 1000-Lb. Sisters, which airs every Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on TLC.
Following season 17 of Sister Wives, Kody Brown officially has one functioning marriage. Fans have suspected that was the case for years, but the Brown family is finally getting honest about what went wrong in their plural family. Most family members seem to be pointing the finger at Robyn Browns entrance as the catalyst for trouble. Lets rewind and take a look at how Kody Brown and Robyn Brown first met.

Where did Kody Brown and Robyn Brown meet?

Kody Brown met his fourth wife, Robyn Brown, while out on a date with his first wife, Meri Brown. The plural family revealed that Kody noticed Robyn when visiting a friend with his first wife. The duo met again at a church-sponsored event, and their romance started there.

Kody Brown and his fourth wife, Robyn Brown | TLC/YouTube

Eventually, Robyn agreed to meet the rest of the Brown wives, and once everyone approved, she and Kody began courting. During their early relationship, Kody made the four-hour trek from the familys Lehi, Utah home to St. George, Utah, where Robyn was living with her three children.

How long did the duo court before tying the knot?

While Kody Brown was busy with three wives, one of whom was pregnant, he still made time to have an extended courtship with Robyn. Well, at least more extended than Kody was used to. Kody and Robyn openly discussed their romance on Sister Wives and in their book Becoming Sister Wives.

Robyn, Meri, Kody, Janelle, and Christine Brown during season 14 of TLCs Sister Wives | TLC

The couple revealed that they dated for six months before deciding to blend their families. A spiritual wedding was held in May 2010, and their child, Solomon, was born in October 2011. Kody Brown and Robyn Brown made things even more official a few years later when Kody divorced Meri Brown to legally wed Robyn.

How did the couple end up monogamous?

Robyn long insisted that she joined the Brown family because she wanted to live a plural lifestyle. More than 10 years later, Robyn and Kody are monogamous, and some Sister Wives fans are convinced that it was by choice, not happenstance. So, how exactly did it happen?

Its hard to pinpoint the actual moment when the Browns switched from a plural family to a monogamous couple with peripheral wives. Some argue that Kody Brown and Meri Browns legal divorce shifted the power dynamic just enough to throw everything off-kilter. Other fans think the familys move from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Flagstaff, Arizona, is responsible for the shift.

If we had to pick one change that signaled the end of polygamy for the family, it would probably be the move from Vegas. The family moved into houses spread across the city, which made the plural marriage more difficult, logistically. Add in the fact that the move was designed around Robyns eldest son, Dayton Brown, without anyone elses needs being considered; we get where resentment started to build. Coronavirus (COVID-19) protocols keeping the family apart was likely the final blow.

Related Meri Brown Slams Media for Confirming Divorce From Kody Brown in Instagram Post That Confirms Divorce From Kody Brown

Regardless of how it happened, Kody Brown and Robyn Brown are now monogamous. Sister Wives fans are curious to see if theyll stay that way.
French protesters continued their demonstrations in an attempt to fight lawmakers' planned pension reform that would raise the age requirement by two years.

The protests have caused fuel deliveries to be blocked from all French refineries, said union officials, as they took to the streets once again. In a statement, Eric Sellini of the CGT union said that the strike had begun everywhere in the country.

French Protests Continue

Tuesday was the sixth day of protests and strikes since mid-January, and trade unions argued that the most recent one was the biggest yet. Authorities reported that most train and metro services were canceled due to the protests, and several schools were forced to close temporarily.

Police officials estimated roughly 1.1 million to 1.4 million attendees in the 260 protests that unions highlighted. The hardline CGT added that as many as 700,000 demonstrators went out in Paris alone, but official figures are expected to be far lower, as per BBC.

The protests continue as the French government shows no signs that it plans to back down from its proposed pension reform. Emmanuel Lepine, the leader of one union, last week said the objective of the protesters blocking fuel deliveries was to "bring the French economy to its knees."

As of the latest demonstrations, it was unclear how long the blockades of the refineries would last. Currently, eight refineries are located in mainland France, and the CGT argued that strikers had blocked the exits on all of the facilities, including those that TotalEnergies and Esso-ExxonMobil run.

Many expect to be called in the days ahead to extend the strikes to include power generation as well. For now, all of the noise and sporadic disruption that the protesters have caused have had little effect on the France economy, and the reform bill continues through parliament.

Read Also: Russia-Ukraine War Update: Fight for Bakhmut

Opposition to Pension Reform

The demonstrations mark a critical time for labor and the government since French President Emmanuel Macron hoped that parliament would adopt his planned pension reform. According to Reuters, the country's hardline unions are planning to mount pressure on lawmakers by continuing strikes in the next few days.

In a statement, an FO union representative at the Donges refinery in western France, Marin Guillotin, said that the "real fight starts now." He added that the government has not listened to the protesters, who are now forced to use the only means they have left, which is the hard strike.

The government also noted that 10,000 more protesters turned out across the nation on Tuesday compared to the previous peak of 1.27 million seen on Jan. 31. Media and local officials added that there were bigger crowds at rallies in some cities, such as Marseille.

The French government's plan to raise the retirement age requirement has struck a deep nerve among its people, who cherish it and revere a great balance between life and work. The reasoning that lawmakers used to defend the planned reform is that the elderly generation was living longer and the younger generation, which pays for taxes, is not able to keep up, said the New York Times.

Related Article: Mistakenly Kidnapped Americans in Mexico Found

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BASF announced its investment in a new citral plant as part of its Verbund site in Zhanjiang, China, and menthol and linalool downstream plants at its Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany. These plants are expected to come on stream from 2026 onwards. The investment is driven by a growing demand from the global flavor and fragrance market and BASFs strong commitment to sustainability transformation.

This investment will expand and diversify BASFs aroma ingredients citral value chain footprint in Germany and Malaysia and support customers growth opportunities. The citral plant in China will strengthen BASFs position in key growth regions and increase production of a broad range of aroma ingredients and further downstream products globally. With the investment, BASFs annual capacity of citral will increase to 118,000 metric tons.

The expansion of our global production network benefits our customers in the flavor and fragrance industry by further strengthening supply security. Investing in Zhanjiang is also a significant step towards sustainable production and addressing our customers demands for products with a lower carbon footprint, said Thilo Bischoff, Senior Vice President, BASF Aroma Ingredients.

Strong commitment to sustainability transformation

The full integration of the new plants into the Verbund sites in China and Germany enable BASF to use resources optimally and create synergies efficiently. At the Zhanjiang Verbund site, BASF further accelerates its plan to power the entire Zhanjiang Verbund site with renewable electricity and targets to achieve 100% by 2025. The company will also implement advanced automation and process technologies for optimal plant operation at this site, thus reducing energy consumption and emissions. The integration of the new menthol and linalool downstream plants into the Ludwigshafen site leverages existing Verbund structures and advanced production technologies.

BASF Zhanjiang Verbund site is set to be a role model for sustainable production, which was a key decision factor in the location of the new citral plant. Along with the integration of our new downstream plants into the Ludwigshafen production Verbund site, our commitment to sustainability is central to our business and investments, said Bischoff. Reducing the CO 2 emissions in our value chain and the product carbon footprint of our aroma ingredients portfolio, as well as introducing renewable feedstock is of utmost importance for the Aroma business.

The use of BASFs biomass balance approach is one example of how the company is addressing customers demand for renewable aroma ingredients. BASF will also further develop its leading fermentation-based portfolio in its subsidiary - Isobionics (located in Geleen, the Netherlands) to meet the growing demand for natural aroma ingredients.
Marisabel Huarca sat in front of her laptop and took a few breaths. She reached over and squeezed Jennifer Gomezs hand. Gracias, she whispered in her native Spanish. Gomez smiled.

Gomez had agreed to translate for Huarca during a public hearing of the Committee of Education that was held in Hartford late last month. The hearing lasted about five hours and centered on House Bill 6663, an act that would establish a bill of rights for English Language Learners (ELL) and their parents in statewide schools.

Although there are already a number of laws and requirements in place to protect ELL students, the bill seeks to add protections to these rights  including the right to attend public school regardless of immigration status, the right of parents to receive school forms in a language they can understand, and the right for families to have a qualified translator at critical interactions with schools.

After experiencing some technical difficulties with the Zoom call, Huarca spoke in support of the bill, based on her work as a parent advocate for the Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now, known as ConnCAN. She attended the hearing virtually from ConnCAN offices based in Cheshire, along with a few other ConnCAN advocates.

We have over 45,000 ELL students. Its fundamental that this group of people have the same rights and privileges that any other student in this country has. Speaking a different language shouldnt be a barrier, Huarca said.

Arlene Angel is originally from Mexico, but has been a Hartford resident for 21 years. During her testimony, she expressed frustration with the Hartford School District and the way it educated her two daughters. She joined the education nonprofit Make the Road CT and also testified in favor of the bill.

It is ridiculous that my daughter needs to be my voice during meetings with the school. This is not my daughters job. This affects the relationship I have with my daughter because this should not be her job, but I have no other option, she said in her native Spanish.

During her testimony, the states Child Advocate Sarah Egan said her office had also received similar complaints from parents who had not been notified about changes in their childrens education in their language. She added her office had two pending systemic investigations of school districts for violating Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act.

Title VI stipulates that no person  on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

There have been school districts including in the state of Connecticut in recent years that have been found in violation of the civil rights laws and had to resolve these concerns and complaints with the federal government, Eagan said. The Bill of Rights I think is good, but it remains a federal civil rights obligation of school districts to do better.

The bill also received support from nonprofit organizations like the School and State Finance Project, the Special Education Equity for Kids (SEEK) and the State Department of Education.

The Bill of Rights is really allowing us to make sure that we address the entire ecosystem of supports around our students to see how theyre doing, also assessing them and making sure the supports are there for the educators and for students, said Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker during her testimony.

The bill started a couple of months ago as a grassroots initiative, said Luis Ortiz, the state grassroots manager at ConnCAN.

A number of nonprofit organizations realized that their parents complained about not being able to become involved in their childrens education because of the language barrier.

The group named itself the ELL Students and Parent Success Coalition and approached Democratic State Representatives Antonio Felipe and Juan Candelaria, who presented the parent bill of rights under House Bill 6211.

We figured wed just make it a state issue from the very beginning. So therefore, if theres anyone that we didnt know was going through this, lets say, in Torrington, they will still have some protection as well, Ortiz said.

The bill did not pass a hearing in the education committee in January, but was reintroduced with a few edits by Gov. Ned Lamont.

Several weeks ago, a group of parents, students, legislators and advocates held an event outside my office to propose the creation of an English Learners Bill of Rights and explain its importance. After hearing their stories and the importance of this bill to their families, I understood. Their voices were heard in my office, and I hope we can all hear them, Lamont said in a written testimony in support of the bill.

Lamont added that he supports the bill because it increases parent involvement with local school districts.

I believe there is nothing more important to a childs education than an engaged and supportive parent or guardian, and this bill guarantees that they will have the information necessary to do so, he said.

Lamonts sentiment was echoed by Angelique Torres, an Attorney at the Center for Childrens Advocacy who was involved in drafting the legislation early in the process. She said that the bill was modeled on a similar one already put in place in New York.

The importance of parent engagement in schools cannot be overstated. Research shows that parent engagement in schools is closely linked to a better student behavior, higher academic achievement and enhanced social skills, she said during her testimony.

Yorelys Cardenas said her daughter studied in a bilingual program in Luis Munoz Marin School in Bridgeport However, she said the school transferred her daughter out of the bilingual program without notifying her.

As an organizer with Make the Road, Cardenas said she encounters similar challenges with other parents she speaks with.

Marin School is a place where most of the students who need to learn English in the city of Bridgeport attend school, and yet, every time I went to the general assemblies there was never interpretation services for the parents, which led to a low participation from families, she said. The only way that our State can reach the standards it deserves in education is by involving all stakeholders and that includes parents.

Despite the number of supporters who spoke in favor of the bill, legislators and educators raised a number of concerns regarding the testing requirements and translator requirements  especially in urban school districts that are chronically underfunded and understaffed.

Luis Rosado Burch of the Connecticut Education Association gave testimony in favor of the bill, but also advocated for reform of the education system. He explained that ELL students are three times more likely to experience homelessness as other students and are twice as likely to come from low income households.

He added that the language barrier makes ELL students more likely to be misidentified as special education or suspended.

We recognize that the major challenges affecting our English language learners are a lack of adequate dedicated funding, a shortage of qualified teachers and support staff and a lack of oversight and enforcement, he said.

In response to his testimony, Rep. Chris Poulos, D-Southington, raised a concern about enforcing the bill and said that the issue was more of a systemic issue than a compliance issue.

How do we ensure compliance when many of these students and families are coming from urban districts that are grossly understaffed? he asked.

I teach in a suburban school and we have a Spanish teacher who is going on maternity leave and we cant find someone in our district certified to teach Spanish  let alone a certified translator, he added.

New Haven Federation of Teachers President Leslie Blatteau echoed Poulos concern about implementation. She spoke in support of the bill, but added a concern about the lack of additional funding.

Given we already face a shortage of bilingual educators in our city and state and educator depletion and burnout is at an all-time high, I worry that this bill is a potential unfunded mandate that could cause even more depletion and burnout among our bilingual educators and staff who are already doing so much with so little.

However, for ConnCAN grassroots organizers, the bill is designed to help parents work with their childrens school districts and improve the education for ELL students.

What we dont want to do is pin this against any school. We know that schools all around the nation are having teacher shortages, tax issues, funding crisis, Ortiz said. We dont want to keep adding more fuel to the flame. But what we are trying to do is let parents know that were here for them, and that they do have rights.

Latino Communities Reporter Lau Guzman is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. Support RFA reporters at the Record-Journal through a donation at https://bit.ly/3Pdb0re. To learn more about RFA, visit www.reportforamerica.org.
St. Patricks Day may have made its start in Ireland, but today, the holiday is celebrated all around the world by people of various backgrounds, especially throughout Canada, Australia, and the United States.

As the observance of Irish culture spread across the globe, many cities developed their own traditions.

For instance, in the United States, there is a city in Florida that dyes a whole river green in honor of St. Patricks Day.

The city of Tampa holds an annual St. Patricks Day festival called River OGreen Fest, and this year it will take place on March 18.

There will be a gathering at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, complete with live music, kids activities, food, and plenty of beer. The tradition was created in 2012 when Bob Buckhorn was elected mayor.

The festival includes the custom of dyeing the Hillsborough River an emerald green shade. I know what you must be thinking. Isnt the dye harmful to the creatures who make the river their home?

Not to worry; the dye used to color the water is nontoxic, biodegradable, and is actually declared safe to use around and in drinking water by the National Sanitation Foundation.

River OGreen Fest will begin at eleven in the morning. The mayor of Tampa, Jane Castor, will sound the horn to initiate the process of dyeing the Hillsborough River green.

The practice of dyeing a river green is said to have originated in Chicago. It began in 1962 when city workers who dealt with pollution control used dyes to trace illegal sewage discharges. They realized that the green dye could be used in a way to celebrate St. Patricks Day.

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As a general rule, we can only do better when we know better. We only know better when we lean in, listen, reflect, and grow.

As a therapist, one of the great privileges I had in my career was teaching a foundational course for graduate students in counseling. It was an introduction to the profession, with opportunities for reflection on why my students wanted to become therapists and what internal obstacles might trip them up.

One of my favorite lessons each semester was the evening we spent considering our biases. Therapists are called to be aware of our personal biases and avoid imposing them on clients. This requires individuals to examine themselves. Many of my students had never intentionally, publicly, or honestly gone through this process.

The exercise was always the same. I would ask my students to think through different people groups and observe their gut reactions. The goal was to consider which groups they may have trouble working with based on their personal values or experiences. Then, we would share.

Each semester, there were always a few who initially believed they were without bias. They claimed to value all people equally, see no color, and have friends of all backgrounds. Usually, one or two students would offer safe answers like, I dont like criminals to avoid giving a potentially offensive answer. But at least one student would quietly offer something like, I sometimes feel nervous around a Black person if I dont know them. I could tell that these students felt ashamed, but also that they felt permission to speak honestly.

Often, other students opened up about their biases against people from different cultures, abilities, classes, political parties, or religions. My students didnt confess these beliefs with confidence. They whispered the words, their voices heavy with the awareness that they didnt want to feel or think this way. But they didand so do we.

We cannot live in a world so historically threaded with systemic racism, gender inequality, and political dichotomy without being affected. Bias is not innate. Instead, it comes through the powerful messages of media, culture, and our communities. Although some of this influence may be positive, society is far from perfect. Messages about power, privilege, and inequality are unavoidable. We must be willing to consider which ones weve absorbed, consciously or unconsciously.

This process of identifying and challenging our biases is hard work. It means we have to be honest with ourselves. It means recognizing the ways we think about others that are unfair or wrong, even if we dont act on them. It means facing the hard truth that some of the things weve learned from the people or country we love need to change so we can love others better.

As our world becomes more interconnected, I often think back to those years of teaching. I watched with awe as student after student bravely began to acknowledge their personal influences, the biases they held as a result, and the freedom that came from beginning to challenge unwanted thoughts.

As a general rule, we can only do better when we know better. We only know better when we lean in, listen, reflect, and grow. Lets be brave. Perhaps, if enough of us do the hard work of internal change, the outside world will change as well.

The Better Samaritan blog is produced by the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College, which offers a M.A. in Humanitarian & Disaster Leadership and a Trauma Certificate. To learn more and apply, visit our website

Anne Rulo is an author, speaker, and work-at-home Mama. For 15 years, she worked as a licensed professional counselor and marriage and family therapist. After leaving front-line counseling, Anne now freelances and is an author, speaker, and mental health consultant. She is the author of three devotional studies: Cultivating Joy, The God Blanket, and When Faith Does. Anne's favorite activities are walking, spending time in nature, and reading.
Rick Warren needs very little introduction. The planter and pastor of Saddleback Church in Orange County, California, for 43 years, Warren is widely considered one of the most influential spiritual leaders in America. His book The Purpose-Driven Life has been translated into 137 languages and sold more than 50 million copies.



And yet, on February 21, the Southern Baptist Convention disfellowshipped Saddleback Church due to its hiring of a female teaching pastor.



On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, Warren and Moore discuss the SBCs decision and how it reflects on the conventions response to sexual abuse. They talk about women in ministry, how to determine primary and secondary theological issues, and what healthy pastoral transitions may look like. And they share profound reasons for hope when it comes to the gospel going forth among the nationseven in a time when many fear Christianitys influence is diminishing.



Tune in for an episode that acknowledges the difficulties of Christian life and ministry while celebrating the goodness of God.

Resources mentioned in this episode include:

Click here for a trial membership at Christianity Today.



The Russell Moore Show is a production of Christianity Today

Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper

Host: Russell Moore

Producer: Ashley Hales

Associate Producers: Abby Perry and Azurae Phelps

CT Administration: Christine Kolb

Social Media: Kate Lucky

Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens

Production Assistance: coreMEDIA

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Coordinator: Beth Grabenkort

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Theme Song: Dusty Delta Day by Lennon Hutton
Alabama megachurch votes to leave UMC over denomination's theological direction

An Alabama megachurch has voted to leave the United Methodist Church due to concerns over the apparent theological directionof the mainline Protestant denomination.

Covenant United Methodist Church of Dothan, which has approximately 2,600 members, voted last week to seek disaffiliation from the UMC, with 406 present members voting in favor of leaving, 64 voting against, and four abstaining.

Covenant UMC Pastor Kyle Gatlin told The Christian Post that major factors for wanting to leave included the direction we saw the denomination was headed, theologically.

This included how some bishops were refusing to enforce the UMC Book of Disciplines rules prohibiting the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals and the blessing of same-sex unions.

We saw Episcopal leaders not enforcing the discipline. Churches and pastors blatantly ignoring the discipline. We saw this in our Jurisdiction and in others, Gatlin said.

He added that while we did not see this in our own Annual Conference, his church felt like for the longterm future of our church, now was the time to leave.

The next step in the process will come on May 7, when the UMC Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference will hold a meeting to ratify the votes of congregations that have voted to leave.

The leadership at Covenant UMC has recommended that the congregation join the Global Methodist Church, a recently launched denomination meant to serve as a theologically conservative alternative to the UMC.

Our Administrative Council  by vote of 16-2  is recommending joining the GMC, Gatlin said. Our leaders felt it was best for our church to stay connected to the same churches and pastors we have been in ministry with since 1979.

We are excited about the local congregation having more control over pastor appointments, keeping more of our money for local ministry, having accountability for all pastors and all churches, and not funding a top-heavy denomination that supports and advocates for many causes we dont agree with.

The congregation is expected to hold another vote on March 19 to determine if they will agree to the recommendation given by church leadership to affiliate with the GMC.

According to the Alabama-based news outlet WDHN, between 55 and 60 congregations out of the approximately 600 congregations of the Alabama-West Florida Conference are seeking to leave the denomination.

Over the past several years, the UMC has been embroiled in an internal debate over whether to change its Book of Discipline rules that prohibit same-sex marriage and the ordination of individuals in same-sex relationships.

Although efforts to change the rules at UMC General Conference have always failed, many theologically progressive bishops and clergy have refused to follow or enforce the rules.

Last November, for example, the UMC Western Jurisdiction elected the Rev. Cedrick D. Bridgeforth of the California-Pacific Conference a bishop, even though Bridgeforth was in a same-sex marriage.
Arkansas passes universal school choice program, bans teaching of sexuality before 5th grade

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a sweeping education bill into law Wednesday, becoming the fifth state to enact a universal school choice program. The law also bans certain topics from being taught in public classrooms.

The legislation, Senate Bill 294, also known as Arkansas LEARNS Act, passed the state Senate by a vote of 26-8 Tuesday.

The bill includes a plan for the state to adopt a universal school choice program by the 2025-2026 school year. Students who have disabilities, are facing homeless, attended a failing school in the previous school year, or have parents who are active duty military are eligible to receive vouchers for the 2023-2024 school year. The vouchers will be known as "Educational Freedom Accounts."

Under the bill, education funding is tied to students, giving them 90% of what schools receive per student in state funding to support their private school or homeschool education. It also calls for a starting salary of $50,000 for teachers, placing Arkansas among the states with the highest minimum teacher pay.

Arkansas joins four other states  Arizona, Iowa, Utah and West Virginia  that have enacted universal school choice programs.

In addition to promoting school choice, the bill includes a provision for the Department of Education to ensure communications and materials do not "indoctrinate" students with "ideologies," with the legislation specifically mentioning critical race theory.

The Arkansas LEARNS Act claims that CRT conflicts with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of "race, color, religion, sex or national origin."

"The secretary shall amend, annul, or alter the rules, policies, materials, or communications that are considered prohibited indoctrination and that conflict with the principle of equal protection under the law," the bill reads.

The bill also prohibits public school teachers from providing classroom instruction on sexually explicit materials, gender identity and sexual orientation to students before the fifth grade.

"A HISTORIC WIN for parents, teachers, and students that will set the education model for the nation, I'm ready to sign it into law tomorrow and end the failed status quo," Sanders tweeted Tuesday. "Every kid will soon have access to a quality education and path to a good paying job and better life, right here in Arkansas."

Critics of the bill, such as Carol Fleming, president of the Arkansas Education Association, argue that the legislation was rushed and that there was not enough time for parents and educators to ask questions about it.

"The best decisions for our students are made with teachers and parents at the table. Educators have spent countless hours combing through the bill's 144 pages and each time we come away with more questions than answers," Fleming stated in a Tuesday statement, claiming that the bill's author and the governor have ignored requests to meet.

"If supporters of the bill are so confident about it, why are they trying to push it through so quickly without meaningful discussions?" she asked. "What are they afraid of and what's in there that they don't want us to know?"

Proponents of the LEARNS Act believe the reforms will ultimately improve the state's education system.

"For far too long, Arkansas has languished at the bottom of national education rankings, but that begins to change today," Laurie Lee, chairman of Reform Alliance, a group that advocates for the "highest education options" for students, wrote in a Tuesday statement.

Lee praised the bill for allowing parents to direct their child's education while still ensuring that funding goes to "approved educational services" and for requiring schools that accept funding to show that "a child is learning and growing in order to keep receiving it."

As The Christian Post reported, Sanders, currently the youngest governor in the country, signed an executive order on her first day of office banning "indoctrination" and CRT in schools. Under the order, teachers can educate students about the "sins" of America's past, but they cannot teach them to "hate this country."

"We have to make sure that we are not indoctrinating our kids and that these policies and these ideas never see the light of day," the Republican governor told "Fox News Sunday" host Shannon Bream in a January interview.

Sanders also stated that protecting students is what's most "important" to her, arguing that children should not be "trapped in a lifetime of poverty" due to their bank account or ZIP code.

She also defended her education reform plan, claiming that Arkansas' current budget is not producing the desired results for students and parents, saying the state "can do better" with its money.

"I absolutely think that we can, and we should raise teacher pay and put incentives where they need to be," she said. "We need to reward our hard-working teachers. That's part of the education package that we're going to roll out here in the next couple of weeks.

"But we also have to make sure that those teachers are delivering for our students and that parents are empowered to make the best decisions possible for how and where their kid can be best educated."
Merrick Garland grilled for 'disparity' between prosecution of pro-life, pro-choice activists

Attorney General Merrick Garland faced criticism for the apparent disparity in treatment between pro-life protesters at abortion clinics and pro-choice activists who have vandalized pregnancy care centers.

Garland testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that was centered on the oversight of the United States Department of Justice and other issues.

During his opening remarks, Garland explained that, since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, the Department has pulled together to protect reproductive freedom under federal law.

Sen. Mike Lee of Utah asked Garland about the treatment of Mark Houck, a pro-life activist who was recently found not guilty of violating federal law related to an encounter with a Planned Parenthood clinic escort in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Lee expressed concern over how Houck was treated, given that the pro-life advocate had his house raided by several armed federal agents shortly after the incident, saying that it doesnt seem justifiable to me to have that overwhelming show of force for conduct like that.

The Republican senator went on to note that from 2022 to early 2023, the DOJ had charged 34 pro-life activists for blocking access to or vandalizing abortion clinics while only two individuals have been charged for vandalizing pro-life churches and pregnancy care centers, despite the largewave of such incidents since last year.

The charges made stemmed from the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, a federal measure against damaging or committing violent acts against abortion clinics, abortionists or their patients.

How do you explain this disparity? Lee asked Garland.

The Democrat attorney general responded that the FACE Act applies equally to efforts to damage, blockade clinics, whether they are a pregnancy resource center or they are an abortion center.

You are quite right, there are many more prosecutions with respect to the blocking of the abortion centers, but that is generally because those actions are taken with photography at the time, during the daylight, said Garland. Seeing the person who did it is quite easy.

Those who are attacking the pregnancy resource centers, which is a horrid thing to do, are doing this at night, in the dark.

Garland added that we have put full resources on this and have put out rewards for this, noting that the Justice Department and the FBI have made outreach to Catholic and other organizations to ask for their help in identifying the people who are doing this.

We will prosecute every case against a pregnancy resource center that we can make, he continued. But these people who are doing this are clever and are doing it in secret, and Im convinced that the FBI is trying to find them with urgency.

On the same day as Garlands testimony, the DOJ announced that 32-year-old Jay Smith had pled guilty to violating the FACE Act when he tried to block entry to an abortion clinic in Washington, D.C., in 2020.

Smith was indicted along with nine other individuals: Jonathan Darnel, William Goodman, Herb Geraghty, Lauren Handy, Paulette Harlow, John Hinshaw, Heather Idoni, Jean Marshall and Joan Bell.

Smith pleaded guilty to a charge that he used force and physical obstruction to intentionally injure, intimidate, and interfere with a nurse and other employees of the reproductive health clinic because of the services being offered. The charge further alleges that Smiths conduct resulted in bodily injury to the clinic nurse, stated the DOJ.

Last October, a group of Republican members of Congress  Lee among them  sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray claiming that the federal investigative body was wrongfully targeting pro-life Americans.

Overzealous prosecutions under the FACE Act weaponize the power of federal law enforcement against American citizens in what should firmly be state and local matters, read the letter, in part.

Further, these abuses of federal power against pro-life Americans based solely on their beliefs undermine the American peoples trust in the FBI.
Mother reveals why she refused abortion after baby's terminal diagnosis: 'It's not my right to take someone else's life'

What does it feel like to consistently be asked by doctors if you want to abort your baby?

"Incompatible with life': Those were the words echoed to one mother who, despite the numerous voices against her, chose the gift of life for the baby girl she loved immensely and whose life was heartbreakingly short.

Sarah St. Onge, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, was nine weeks pregnant with her daughter, Beatrix, when doctors first began to detect problems with her pregnancy. St. Onge and her husband, John, have a blended family and reside in New York state, each having brought two children into the marriage for a family of six before she became pregnant with Beatrix in 2010.

Prior to Beatrix coming into their lives, St. Onge said she would have considered herself to be pro-life, but with exceptions for cases in which a child wouldnt survive after birth. But her perspective completely changed after deciding to carry Beatrix to term despite being told her baby would never be healthy enough to leave the hospital.

At one point during an ultrasound appointment, a doctor warned St. Onge that she would likely miscarry.

Although she never miscarried, 12 weeks into the pregnancy, her doctor found a large amount of fluid on Beatrixs nuchal fold  the fold of skin at the back of a baby's neck. It appeared that the baby had some sort of genetic defect, which St. Onge and her husband thought might be Down syndrome.

After the 12-week appointment, St. Onge and her husband discussed what raising a child with Down syndrome would be like. The pair knew they wanted to carry their baby to term regardless of whether their child had that or any other condition.

By the 16-week appointment, however, a cystic hygroma (an abnormal growth that can appear on a babys neck or head) had formed along with a large omphalocele (meaning the abdominal wall failed to close and her organs protruded into the base of the umbilical cord). This appointment was the first time the couple had ever heard the term incompatible with life.

During an appointment to get an amniocentesis that same day, Beatrix was tentatively diagnosed with Trisomy 13, a chromosomal defect that is sometimes fatal and can cause physical and intellectual disabilities.

In response to St. Onges questions about treatment options, the genetic counselor advised abortion, telling the expectant mother that she would never be able to take her baby home. Even if Beatrix somehow survived, the genetic specialist asserted that the child would end up living in an institution.

While the mother was stunned by the doctor's prognosis and advice, she was determined to carry her daughter to term.

We dont determine somebody's ability to overcome something before theyre even born, St. Onge told The Christian Post. Theres only so much that testing can do. But the bottom line is that its not my right to take someone elses life. Nobody has the right to decide if somebody else should live or die.

Starting from her 16-week appointment and going into 24 weeks, St. Onge recalled that doctors offered her the option to abort the pregnancy at almost every appointment. Despite requesting that they write something in her chart saying that she did not want an abortion, the doctors told St. Onge that they had to give her the option, as it was a consent issue.

When the results from her amniocentesis eventually came back, it revealed that Beatrix did not have any genetic defects as doctors had suspected. For a short time, St. Onge began to have hope.

But then, during her 26-week appointment, she learned that Beatrix had a condition known as Limb Body Wall Complex, an abnormality where the babys organs are on the outside of the body.

On Dec. 12, 2010, St. Onge went into labor at a hospital in New York that, at the time, did not have a perinatal hospice program. The mother said she asked the doctors to provide a steroid injection to boost her daughters lung development, but her request was denied. Doctors informed her they wouldn't provide that level of care for babies who are expected to die.

Despite enduring all the chaos that led up to her daughters birth, St. Onge described the experience of holding Beatrix in her arms as very peaceful.

It almost felt like there was nobody else in the world, just my husband, me and her, sitting in that room in the quiet, the mother recalled. She was beautiful and lovely, and it was good. It was all good.

St. Onge and her husband used the precious time they had with their baby girl to hold her and commemorate her short life. Beatrix lived for 1 hour and 47 minutes. St. Onge said shed go through the pregnancy and labor a second time just to have that amount of time with Beatrix again.

Elaborating on why she chose to carry her daughter to term instead of opting to have an abortion, St. Onge asserted that a baby is not an object, and said that continuing her pregnancy was not an accomplishment.

Babies are not possessions, she said. Theyre individual human beings. And part of being human is that we die. And the love that you invest in people before that point outweighs any pain and suffering that you feel when they leave.

She also noted that when pro-choicers advocate for abortion in fetal anomaly cases, they usually emphasize that the preborn will suffer if the pregnancy continues. But when defending certain abortion procedures, particularly late-term abortions, the same people are usually quick to defend the practice by claiming the unborn do not suffer.

If youre worried about [children like Beatrix] suffering, then why arent you worried about the suffering of the thousands and thousands of children whose lives are ended in legalized abortion? she asked.

In addition, St. Onge noted that Beatrix was delivered via C-section, and she did not suffer during the delivery.

Within five days of Beatrixs passing, St. Onges husband met with a funeral director while she recovered in the hospital. During the meeting, the funeral director asked St. Onges husband, "And you never thought of terminating the pregnancy?"

At that point, St. Onge said she believed her husband became upset and almost left before the director explained that his wife had also carried their daughter to term after an adverse prenatal diagnosis.

The funeral director turned out to be helpful, as the hospital where his wife had delivered had a perinatal hospice program and understood what parents needed most. Whereas, the hospital where St. Onge delivered did not have such a program where the staff was trained on what to do for grieving parents.

He (the funeral director) is the only reason that we have  and this is heartbreaking in and of itself for my husband when I think about it  but he and my husband are the ones that did the casts for her handprints, St. Onge said.

The hospital had provided the parents with birthing paperwork that contained Beatrixs hand and feet prints and a cast of her foot. But the release forms incorrectly stated that St. Onges pregnancy had ended in a miscarriage.

They threw out all of the bedding that she had been in, the mother recalled. I had to tell a nurse, and the nurse had to go dig in the garbage to get the blanket that she had been wrapped in. Nothing was saved for us.

St. Onge expressed sympathy for the nurses attempting to care for patients like her at a hospital without a perinatal hospice program, recognizing that a lack of proper training likely had to do with the treatment that she and her husband received.

If there's not a perinatal hospice program involved in the hospital, then that means that the medical professionals that are dealing with people who are choosing not to terminate a pregnancy are also suffering, she said. Because I can't imagine being a nurse and having no context for this.

Following Beatrixs death, St. Onge recalled that the first few years were the hardest, with the second year being the most difficult as, by that time, she said most people expect you to have overcome your grief.

People are afraid to talk about it. But the reality is that someone is missing in our household, she said. And as a mother, the loss of an aunt, uncle, or a cousin is not felt as keenly on an everyday basis because, in this case, theres a child missing from my house always.

Over the years, it has lessened as far as grief, St. Onge added. You know, as they say, sometimes its very slow and shallow, and sometimes its big roaring waves crashing on a shore.'"

In 2011, St. Onge started a website called Limb Body Wall Complex.net to help other pregnant women whose children received a similar diagnosis by providing them with information about the condition and stories of women who carried to term. While she said that she had stepped away from the website over the years, she is in the process of rebuilding it.
Two Americans who escaped a horrific kidnapping in Mexico have returned home and have been sent to a hospital in Texas.

The two surviving Americans were taken to Brownsville, Texas, in ambulances escorted by law authorities over the Veterans International Bridge. They were observed exiting the bridge on the United States side of the border.

2 Americans Kidnapped in Mexico Rescued

The two were then transported to the Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville for treatment. The governor of Tamaulipas, Americo Villarreal Anaya, said earlier on Tuesday that two of the four Americans who were victims of the kidnappings had perished in the incident.

On Friday, when the four Americans crossed from Brownsville into the Mexican city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, their car came under fire immediately after entering Mexico. Two of the victims seemed to be wounded or dead as their corpses were dragged over the pavemandwere loaded into the back of a white vehicle by armed men alleged to be members of a Mexican drug gang.

According to reports, another victim was hurt in the incident, but the fourth American remained unharmed. Ken Salazar, the US ambassador to Mexico, reports that a Mexican bystander also slain in the event.

Per Fox News, Zalandria Brown, the older sister of one of the four kidnapped victims, identified him as Zindell Brown of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. According to Brown, her brother, and two other pals accompanied a fourth friend to Mexico for a belly tuck procedure.

Family members identified the remaining three individuals as Latavia "Tay" McGee, Shadeed Woodard, and Eric James Williams, all of South Carolina. Price stated that the State Department is "providing them and their families with all relevant assistance."

Read Also: Vladimir Putin Orders To Revise Books for Kids To Worship Invaders

US Authorities Believe Victims Were Wrongly Targeted

Attorney General Irving Barrios stated that no ransom was asked and that all indications point to the Americans being victims of mistaken identity. They were taken after the incident and located at a residence near Matamoros at about 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, according to Barrios.

A suspect who was guarding them has been apprehended. According to Barrios, autopsies are performed to ascertain the time and cause of death. After then, they will be repatriated to the United States, as per USA Today.

After a convoy of Mexican ambulances and SUVs was accompanied by Mexico military Humvees, armored vehicles, state police, and the National Guard, two survivors, one unhurt, were transferred to the United States and taken to a hospital. Eric Williams was recognized as the injured survivor.

A person familiar with the inquiry stated that federal investigators believe the Americans were wrongly targeted since there was no evidence that they were in Mexico for any reason other than a medical procedure.

According to Attorney General Merrick Garland, the two surviving victims are getting medical care in the United States. The Americans crossed the border in a minivan using North Carolina license plates, according to Mexican officials and FBI San Antonio Division Special Agent Oliver Rich. When unidentified gunmen shot upon the vehicle's passengers, the four Americans were placed in a pickup truck and driven away from the area.

A driver in Matamoros who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation told The Associated Press: She observed the shooting and kidnapping. The woman stated that the white minivan was struck by another car near an intersection, after which gunshots were heard. Several armed men exited a second vehicle, which had just arrived.

Attorney General Merrick Garland stated on Tuesday that he had been updated on the status of the abducted Americans by the FBI, which was collaborating with Mexican authorities and Justice and State Department officials. He expressed his condolences to the victims and their families.

Related Article: Mistakenly Kidnapped Americans in Mexico Found

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Pastor allegedly drugged, raped married parishioner he promised spiritual revival

A Florida pastor who allegedly drugged and raped a married parishioner after promising her a spiritual revival in his home was recently arrested on two counts of sexual battery and the Osceola County Sheriffs Office believes there might be more victims.

Eddy Noelsaint, the senior pastor of the Evangelical Church of Restoration in Orlando, reportedly confessed to taking advantage of his parishioner twice, according to a press release from the Osceola County Sheriffs Office and Fox 35.

During the first rape that occurred on July 15, 2022, the parishioner was at Noelsaints house in Kissimmee to undergo a spiritual revival which is common in practice in her home country of Haiti. An affidavit cited by Fox 35 said Noelsaints wife had previously been assigned as the womans spiritual grandmother during her baptism at Noelsaints church.

At around 7 p.m. that day, however, Noelsaints wife left the home for work. The pastor instructed the woman to take a shower after that and while she was in the shower he walked into the bathroom and asked for sex which she declined.

He later made her green tea and the parishioner reported feeling ill after she drank it. When she complained further about not feeling well, the pastor gave her pills twice which gave her a headache and made her feel sleepy. When her heart started racing she asked her pastor to call 911.

Instead of getting her emergency help, Noelsaint allegedly took the woman to another room in his home and sexually battered her, police said. He also allegedly took the womans wedding ring and threw it away after claiming that it contained bad spirits.

The woman alleges that she was raped by the pastor a second time in November 2022 when she went to his house thinking she would be meeting with his wife to search for apartments, according to Fox 35.

Months later, the pastor persuaded the church member to meet with him and a friend to look for apartments. When she arrived, no one was there except for Pastor Noelsaint. He then violently attacked and sexually battered her, the Osceola County Sheriffs Office said in their report. The Sheriffs Office asks if anyone else has had similar encounters with Pastor Eddy Noelsaint to contact our office immediately.

According to the Evangelical Church of Restoration, INCs website, the church encourages the vibrant worship of God. We empower people to focus their lives on Jesus Christ and commit them to the service of Christ.

Our mission is to equip the believers of the EVANGELICAL CHURCH OF RESTORATION, Inc. with the necessary knowledge of the word of God, so they can develop an intimate personal relationship with Jesus Christ to strengthen their faith, serve the local church, and the surrounding communities, the church explains. We strive to teach the Gospel in the same way that Jesus Christ taught it to his disciples and in doing so everyone who has listened will have had the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
Atheist defends Christian evangelist amid arrest for publicly preaching on homosexuality

Evangelist Ryan Schiavo, an American street preacher, was arrested last month in the United Kingdom after publicly preaching about his beliefs on homosexuality  and his legal plight is raising some eyebrows.

Schiavo was accused of violating Section 4A of the Public Order Act, a law intended to curb unpalatable behavior in the public square.

[The law] bans people from causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress, Christian Post reporter Ryan Foley told The Christian Post Podcast.

And the law declares a person guilty of an offense if he uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behavior or disorderly behavior  or displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting.

Among other aspects of the story, Foley also shared that, in the midst of Schiavos detainment, an atheist man who openly disagreed with Schiavos views stood up to defend him. Despite those efforts, Schiavo was detained.

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'Orwellian': Street preacher appeals conviction for 'misgendering' man who identifies as a woman Woman shouts: Man wearing a dress is 'just as much a woman as me!'

A British Christian street preacher who was prosecuted and reported to counter-terrorism for alleged misgendering by refusing to say a man is a woman is appealing his conviction. He has been sharing the Bibles message that we have all sinned by disobeying Gods laws for 15 years.

The appeal of Dave McConnell, 42, from Wakefield, who was convicted in August 2022, is scheduled to take place Thursday and Friday at Leeds Crown Court, the group Christian Concern, whose arm Christian Legal Centre is supporting his case, said.

McConnell was arrested under section 4A Public Order Act 1986 and convicted for offending a member of the public in Leeds City Centre on June 8, 2021, according to the group, which said he was reported to the governments counter-terrorism watchdog, Prevent, by the Probation Service, and ordered to pay a fine of $734 (620) and do 80 hours of community service.

While preaching in Briggate, Leeds, a pedestrianized area of the city, McConnell was asked by a man who self-identified as a trans woman whether God accepted the LGBT community. The preacher said, No, God hates sin. So, this gentleman asked a question ... Members of the crowd interrupted him, shouting, Shes a woman! McConnell replied, No, this is a man, prompting a female member of the crowd to shout back, Shes just as much a woman as me!

Despite the interruption, McConnell continued to calmly preach about what the Bible says regarding sexual sin and homosexuality, referring to the individual as this gentleman and a man in womens clothes.

He was reported to Prevent despite there being no legal obligation to use anyones preferred pronouns in the U.K., Christian Concern added, expressing concern over a growing trend of professionals and members of the public losing their jobs or being prosecuted by the police for alleged misgendering.

McConnell preaches that the Gospel is good news and that by believing in Jesus Christ, we receive forgiveness of all our sins, and can have an assurance of eternity in Heaven, the group said, adding that he believes the foundational Christian belief from Genesis 1:27 that we are born male and female.

Ahead of the hearing, McConnell said: What has happened to me has been Orwellian and really alarming. When I was told I had been reported to counter-terrorism I just thought: What has happened to this country? How I have been treated has been totally unreasonable and should concern anyone who cares about Christian freedoms and free speech in this country.

He added, I believe what the Bible says about how we are born male and female. I am not aware of any law that says I must use someones preferred identity that is clearly contrary to their biological reality. I would also challenge anyone who is preaching to a large and mostly hostile crowd while being assaulted and abused, to get everything politically correct while confronted by someone who is gender distressed.

McConnells appeal is backed by expert evidence from Sex Matters campaigner Maya Forstater, and Toby Young, General Secretary for the Free Speech Union.

Lawyers will seek to overturn his conviction by arguing that the police response was unlawful, disproportionate and interfered with his Article 9 and 10 rights under the European Convention on Human Rights.

In June 2021, a Liverpool County Court awarded $4,500 plus legal costs to McConnell, who was earlier arrested by West Yorkshire Police in December 2019 for a hate-related public order offense and for preaching on gay rights and abortion. He was preaching the Gospel when some passersby began to heckle him, asking him questions about sexuality and abortion while he had not mentioned either subject.
Jewish groups defend Christian postal worker at center of Supreme Court sabbath case

Jewish groups have come to the defense of an Evangelical Christian postal worker who claims he was forced out of his job for refusing to work Sundays, the Christian day of the sabbath.

A joint amicus brieffiled last Tuesday by the American Jewish Committee and religious scholars Asma Uddin and Steven Collis asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rule in favor of Gerald Groff, who began working for the U.S. Postal Service in 2012 and accused his former employer of refusing to provide reasonable accommodations for his religious practices.

Groff claimed that he was forced to resign from his job in 2019 because USPS would not honor [his] personal religious beliefs.

After the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Groff last year, the Supreme Court will hear the postal worker's case, Groff v. DeJoy, on April 18.

Groff is asking the court to reconsider a ruling in the 1977 case Trans World Airlines v. Hardison, which set limits for the accommodations employers are required to make for religious employees on the Sabbath.

The brief supported by the American Jewish Committee argues that the interpretation of undue hardship in Hardison permits employers to escape liability and avoid any need to accommodate even the most modest needs of their religious employees under Title VII. As the brief noted, the act was amended in 1972 to protect employees that practice the Sabbath on Saturdays and other religious minorities.

Furthermore, the brief stated that religious discrimination still exists within the American workplace by allowing employers to claim undue hardship under the Hardison standard. The brief argues that the standard is particularly harmful to minorities, including Muslims, Jews, Sikhs, Seventh-day Adventists.

Despite comprising only 5% or 6% of the U.S. population, these groups bring over 65% of religious discrimination cases, of which two-thirds result in claimants losing in appellate courts due to the Hardison standard, according to the brief.

The Quarryville Postmaster in Pennsylvania, where Groff worked, entered a contract with Amazon in 2013 to deliver packages, which included Sundays, although Gross was initially exempt.

However, in 2016, the USPS and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association, a union, entered an agreement that required Groff to work Sundays during the peak season. The postal worker transferred to a smaller office, which also started doing deliveries through Amazon.

Groff claimed that his employer required him to find people to cover his shifts if he did not want to work on Sundays. He eventually resigned after facing multiple disciplinary actions for not working on Sunday when scheduled.

Rejecting the Hardison standard and thawing its chilling effect will not result in a flood of expensive claims that injure American businesses, the brief argued.

In fact, this Court should expect that increased religious accommodations in the workplace will help American businesses, in the same way that disability accommodations maximize the value of disabled employees.

Another amicus brief filed on Feb. 28 by the Zionist Organization of America made similar arguments about the 1977 Supreme Court ruling. The group argued that employers are free to deny religious employees the most minor accommodations.

The interpretation of undue hardship as nothing more than a de minimus cost to the employer is not supported by the plain meaning of the term, the brief argued. Hardship alone means more than de minimus or insignificant. Dictionaries define hardship as adversity, suffering or a thing hard to bear.

The group also called for re-evaluating the undue hardship standard on the basis that violence against Jewish people in the U.S. is reportedly on the rise.

To discourage anti-Jewish bias and ensure equal employment opportunity for Jews, Title VIIs undue hardship standard should be re-evaluated, and the de minimis cost standard abandoned, ZOA wrote.

Another group that has voiced its support for Groff is the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights organization that joined with several other religious groups to file a Feb. 28 amicus brief.

Religion is a protected class under the law and must be treated that way. If religious protections for employees cant be enforced, they are effectively meaningless, ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. People of faith will forever be unable to participate fully in society if they are forced to choose between their religion and earning a living. We urge the Supreme Court to revisit this decision and adopt a legal standard that will more effectively protect religious accommodations in the workplace.

ADL was joined in submitting the brief by the Baptist Joint Committee, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, National Association of Evangelicals and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
So. Baptist pastor resigns after arrest for driving intoxicated with unlicensed weapon, child in car

Updated March 9 at 8:35 a.m. ET

Drew Erickson, the lead teaching pastor at Travis Avenue Baptist Church, a popular Southern Baptist congregation in Fort Worth, Texas, resigned Sunday, days after he was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated with a child under 15 and an unlicensed weapon in his car.

Ben Bolin, minister of church planting and missions, confirmed to The Christian Post on Wednesday morning that Ericksons resignation letter was dated March 5. But he could not immediately say how soon after the arrest the decision to resign was made.

The 40-year-old pastor, previously stated on the Travis Avenue Baptist Church website that he served as an adjunct professor of preaching at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. A statement from the seminary to CP noted however that: "Erickson taught an English class in the undergraduate college of the seminary in 2013 as a teaching assistant. There is no other record of him serving in any capacity as an adjunct professor."

Travis Avenue Baptist Church has scrubbed Erickson from its website, and the pastor has also shuttered his social media accounts.

A cache of Ericksons bio online shows that he had been licensed in ministry since 2006 from Lakeside Baptist Church in Canton. He was ordained to ministry in 2009 at Travis Avenue Baptist Church.

His heart for pastoral ministry is to engage and encourage the church to reach the lost and make disciples of every tribe, nation and tongue, the church said of their former teaching pastor.

Details of his arrest were first highlighted by Baptist News Global, which cited the Crime Informer as the source of information on the pastors arrest record. The Tarrant County Sheriffs Office did not immediately respond to a request from CP for a copy of Ericksons arrest record.

An official in the records division explained that because the case is still actively being investigated, it could affect how much of the report can be released, if at all.

In his short resignation letter sent to parishioners and cited by Baptist News Global, Erickson, who has five children with his wife, Hailey, said he needed to resign due to personal issues he had been wrestling with for about a year.

Over the last 12 months and more recently, it has become clear that there are things I need to work on personally, and I believe causes me to need a season of rest from the responsibilities of ministry, he wrote.

An unsigned introduction to the letter further also insisted that Erickson was not fired.

It is with great sadness that we inform you that our lead teaching pastor, Drew Erickson, has resigned, effective immediately, the message said. We assure you that Drew was not fired and that no improprieties have occurred at TABC. We love him, as you do, and we will miss him terribly.
Without women, no shift of Christianity's center to Global South (pt. 2)

Read part 1 here.

Women make up the majority of the Christian church in every country of the world. Without women, there would have been no shift of Christianitys center of gravity to the Global South. Without women, there would not have been such explosive growth in the Chinese house church movement.

Speaking at the recent Global Consultation of the World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Gina Zurlo presented the findings of her research on the role of women in Christianity to missions leaders from around the world.

Serving as the co-director of the Center for the Study of World Christianity based in Boston, Massachusetts, Zurlo was invited to shed light on the role of women in the Global Church, and the implications for global missions.

Looking at the past 2,000 years, women have always played an outsize role in missions and the Church, but their role was often not recognized, Zurlo noted.

Church history is full of nuns, martyrs, queens, pastors wives, mothers, single and married female missionaries, teachers, nurses, indigenous evangelists, and many other women who helped Christianity grow, survive and thrive, Zurlo said. Women are central to the faith, not marginal, although they are often treated as such.

Her research found that in many parts of Latin America, Africa and Asia, women make up the majority of church congregants in any given worship service. The ratio frequently is as high as 70%, sometimes even up to 90% women on Sunday morning.

Global Christianity is indeed a woman's movement, not just because they make up the majority of church congregations all around the world, but they're also the most active members. And they are utterly critical for the continuation of the Christian faith into the future, Zurlo commented.

Digging further into the data, however, a starkly imbalanced picture emerged when it comes to formal leadership in the Church. As part of her research, she conducted a global survey about the roles that women are likely allowed to play and found that the single position that stood out as "majority female" was that of a Sunday school teacher.

As a social scientist, Zurlo is not seeking to stir up long-standing theological debates concerning womens ministries in churches. Instead, she sought to explore what women can do in churches, be it leading worship, a small group, a youth ministry, or more than a dozen other roles.

My entire project was not about the debate of whether women should be preachers, that is a very narrow understanding of women's equality as it relates to Christianity. The project is about challenges women face to live out their felt callings in society and ministry, and the long-standing structural obstacles in their way that many women are praying through and persevering to overcome, she commented.

She went on to say, Wherever women have been denied formal leadership positions, they found other ways to exert influence and witness elsewhere and often more effectively, such as in mission. Women came together crossing ethnic lines, crossing religious lines, women, in general, tend to be more willing to cross boundaries than men. That's why they make such exceptional missionaries.

In a conversation following the session, WEA MC Executive Director Jay Matenga reflected on the presentation: The statistics themselves were brutal in the way they were presented, they were very confronting. You see the ideal on one side, what research respondents say women can do, but then the data shows the reality. There is this ideal picture of how much freedom women have in ministry, and then the restricted reality of what roles women do have. And that, quite frankly, was shocking. It was a wake-up call.

Speaking on how this research would impact missions, Matenga said he hopes that it would lead to some rethinking. He lamented about how much resource is wasted in the Kingdom of God simply because women are not given the opportunity to fully participate as they are called and gifted, especially if that gift is to lead others or teach Scripture.

You have to understand my heart as a missions mobilizer. I want to see as many people involved in God's mission as possible, and the barriers removed, he said.

It is incredibly encouraging to see how women continue to find ways to participate in missions service. But how much energy is lost and how much resource is wasted by women struggling to find ways to serve the way God has called them and gifted them? Ultimately, my hope is to see the whole of Gods people engaging in the whole of God's mission in ways that the Holy Spirit leads and gifts, without people having to fight hindrances, Matenga commented.

Some indications of change are emerging as this years WEA MC Global Consultation itself included a higher percentage of women than in any previous year, both as participants and speakers. And the trend is becoming more evident in a range of ministries and events in different parts of the world as women gain more opportunities to contribute than in decades or centuries past.

Josephine Disla, a woman leader in her 30s and one of the youngest participants, expressed her appreciation for the warm atmosphere at the event saying, I felt very welcomed, and I felt very honored to be there among so many people who have dedicated their lives to God and served in mission for many years. I didnt feel too young or less respected because Im a woman but felt that I was treated equally.

Commenting on what spoke to her most from Zurlos presentation, Disla, from the Dominican Republic and now heading up Apostolos Missions International, an interdenominational mission fellowship, recalled a quote from the South Pacific that was featured toward the end of Zurlos session, which read: The goal is not reverse discrimination, women dominating men, but a new Heaven and a new Earth taking hold, with no one being dominated or subordinated, each participating according to their gifts in genuine mutuality.

I was reflecting on what it means when people speak about gender equality, and the reason why this quote resonated with me is that I believe it captures the issue well. God created me as a woman, I could never be a man. And I believe, as women, were not looking for a way where women are dominating men or where women are like men. But what we want is to have the opportunity to participate fully according to the gifts and calling that we have been given by God, Disla said.

Referring to "Our Missions Future," the theme of this years Global Consultation, Zurlo observed that the trend today does point to far more women in leadership positions. Yet, change at times comes slowly and she hopes todays leaders would recognize the importance of women participating in church and mission and help accelerate the removal of unnecessary barriers.

Our missions future is female. More specifically, our missions future is women of the Global South, she said and challenged participants: Listen to them, empower them, heed their wisdom, the future of the world Church and the future of missions depends on it.
The woke wrecking machine

Almost everything that has followed from the woke mass hysteria gripping the nation since 2020 has proved disastrous.

Wokeism destroys meritocracy in favor of forced equality of result, historys prescription for civilizational decline.

If we continue with the woke hiring of administrators, air-traffic controllers, ground crews, pilots, and rail workers, there will be even more news of disasters and near-miss airline crashes.

Wokeness demands a McCarthyite suppression of free expression. No wonder a woke FBI recently hired out social media censors to suppress stories it deemed unhelpful.

Soviet-style, wokeism mandates strict ideological party-line narratives under the cover of science. No wonder a woke government lied that requiring vaccines would prevent both infection and infectiousness.

Woke substitutes race for class in its eternal neo-Marxist quest to divide permanently the nation along racial lines, between victims and victimizers.

Yet wokeism recently has embarrassed itself as never before.

Take the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department of Energy has joined the FBI and is now attributing the origins of the pandemic to a leak of a likely engineered virus from the top-security virology lab in Wuhan, China.

Wokesters had long suppressed that reality, demonizing any who rejected its orthodox lies and spoke a larger truth: A dystopic China is not our global partner in greening the planet. Criticizing Stalinist China is not racist. China is not building a progressive society that is a model for others.

The ongoing environmental catastrophe in East Palestine, Ohio, following the train derailment revealed more woke moral bankruptcy.

Ostensibly the ensuing toxic spill and noxious plume have poisoned a poor and working-class small town. It should have galvanized the old Democratic Party that once voiced loud support for all green causes and championed the lower American classes.

But woke ended all that, substituting racial chauvinism for class concerns and ideology for genuine worry over the environment.

Woke dogma mandates that pollution and poverty are no longer concerns  if they affect the white poor, who are stereotyped collectively as privileged victimizers.

Wokesters insisted that California is the greatest casualty of climate change, defined as permanent drought.

Purported climate change required radical new bureaucratic rules and antidemocratic mandates over irrigation supplies, groundwater, and contracted water deliveries from public reservoirs.

But then it rained. And it snowed. And it became terribly cold in supposedly scorching California. Southern California is blanketed in snow.

Even so, for much of this cold, wet winter, state officials continued to claim the man-made drought was in full force. But finally, the most recent frigid, wet weather strangled the woke drought  and with it, the credibility of our climate change Cassandras.

Americans sympathize with Ukraines plight as Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to destroy its autonomy. But the woke brooked no deviation from the party line that Ukraines Volodomyr Zelenskyy is a saint, while Russia is near bankrupt due to sanctions, and doomed to lose the war.

Accordingly, the United States was obligated to give Ukraine a veritable blank check given Kyivs commitment to freedom. Zelenskyys team now even talks of a victorious Ukrainian armored counteroffensive into Moscows Red Square.

This week, however, we are learning the Russian economy is nearly as strong now as it was before the war. It has mobilized 700,000 troops to ensure that eastern Ukraine becomes a Verdun-like killing field, where tens of thousands more will be ground up.

Ukraine bars dissidents and maintains a government media monopoly. And the more President Joe Biden promises another $2 billion to $3 billion in biweekly aid, the more Zelenskyy acts as if it is a pittance, given what supposedly stingy Americans should be capable of supplying.

Meanwhile, at home, new woke protocols mandate race as essential, rather than incidental, to the human experience. Supposedly, such fixations will heal racial wounds.

Under the new reparatory and compensatory diversity, equity, and inclusion rules, those deemed nonwhite were to be hired and admitted to colleges in greater numbers than their demographics. Even the old mandated proportional representation quotas were no longer enough.

But racial chauvinism, nonstop talk of reparations, and the new campus segregation have not resulted in better racial relations.

Polls show that there are greater racial tensions than ever before.

Data on interracial and hate crimes show even sharper racial disproportionalities. The incidence of both black violent criminal perpetrators and black crime victims are near historical highs.

Woke policies of no cash bail, downgrading felonies, and no jail time only spiked violent lawlessness.

Our elite universities are now fully woke. Almost weekly, an embarrassing story further erodes their credibility and reputation.

Ridiculous lists of taboo words are issued on woke campuses, barring incendiary words such as American and immigrant.

Bragging of segregated dorms, graduations, and safe spaces recalls Jim Crow, not woke racial utopias.

Grades and standards are deemed counterrevolutionary, even as incompetent graduates increasingly fail to impress employers.

Someday, wokeism will disappear because it is inherently nihilistic and cannibalistic. But in the meantime, Americans should end it now before it ends America first.

Originally published at The Daily Signal.
Latin American sculpture: a collector's guide

Shaped by pioneering artists like Fernando Botero, Lygia Clark and Pablo Atchugarry, Latin American sculpture bridges regional traditions and global influences via inventive new forms

Latin American sculpture is defined by its diversity, spanning a wide range of artistic expression across South and Central America, as well as Mexico and the Caribbean. The post-war era ushered in a seismic shift, where new materials and ideas from around the world came to the region, and many Latin American artists visited vanguard centres throughout Europe. Folk traditions mixed with modernism, radical ideas from Europe were applied to distinctly Latin American aesthetics, and a new generation of artists began to create  in everything from marble to bronze to horsehair  their own visions of the future. Below are some key points to know about collecting sculpture of the region.

Open a larger version of this image Fernando Botero (b. 1932), Mujer vestida, 2003. Height: 142 in (362 cm) Width: 66 in (167.6 cm) Depth: 58 in (147.3 cm). Sold for $1,500,000 in Latin American Art on 9 March 2023 at Christie's in New York

Metal is always precious At home as much in public spaces as in collections and museums, bronze sculptures are among the most valuable works from the region. The Colombian artist Fernando Botero, who shifted his focus to sculpture in 1972, is among the regions most sought-after artists both because of his distinct, pillowy portrayals of bodies, as well as his sculptures installations across the world from New York to Paris to Yerevan.

Open a larger version of this image Pablo Atchugarry (b. 1954), Bruges Sensation, 2004. Height: 14 in (36.8 cm) Width: 36 in (91.4 cm) Depth: 14 in (35.6 cm). Pink Portuguese marble on granite base. Sold for $163,800 in Latin American Art on 9 March 2023 at Christie's in New York

Marble commands attention No matter where they come from, works in marble are striking, especially when they take on organic forms. Pablo Atchugarry, born in Uruguay but now living in Carrara, Italy  a town once home to Michelangelo, who made his sculpture of David from the its marble  is perhaps the best-known Latin American artist working in the medium today. But others, such as the Costa Rican artists Francisco Zuniga and Jorge Jimenez Deredia, as well as the Cuban Agustin Cardenas often achieve high prices when their works come to auction.

Open a larger version of this image Olga de Amaral (b. 1932), Entrelazado en amarillo, 1975. 64 x 44 in (162.5 x 111.7 cm). Horsehair and wool. Sold for $100,800 in Latin American Art on 9 March 2023 at Christie's in New York

Dont overlook textiles The mixture of folk art and modernism is a characteristic aesthetic of the Latin American sculptural tradition. Artists like Olga de Amaral wove Mondrian-esque tapestries and wall-reliefs out of wool, linen, and horsehair, while seamlessly incorporating the shimmer of gold leaf with modern materials like acrylic and gesso. This kind of work blurs the line between utilitarian and gallery objects, combining material culture with modernism.

Open a larger version of this image Wifredo Lam (1902-1982), Yemaya, 1977. Height: 4 in (10.2 cm) Width: 32 in (81.3 cm) Depth: 10 in (25.4 cm) (dimensions variable when installed). Bronze. Sold for $15,120 in Latin America Art Online on 14 March 2023 at Christies online

Surrealism looms large During the Second World War, members of the European Surrealist circle fled the continent and sought refuge in Latin America. Many of them  like Remedios Varo, Wolfgang Paalen, and Leonora Carrington  settled in Mexico, the Surrealist place par excellence in the words of Andre Breton. In Mexico, these artists found solace as well as creative synergies within their emigre community, which included poet Benjamin Peret, photographer Kati Horna, painter Alice Rahon, and the photojournalist Emerico Chiki Weisz, who married Leonora Carrington in 1946. Surrealism was not limited to Mexico however; indeed artists such as the Peruvian Tilsa Tsuchiya, Cuban-born Wifredo Lam and Chilean-born Roberto Matta were other key figures from the region.



Open a larger version of this image Lygia Clark (1920-1988), Bicho, 1960. 7 x 14 x  in (18 x 37 x .31 cm) folded; 22 x 26 x  in (57.2 x 67.3 x .31 cm) fully extended (dimensions vary when extended). Brass. Sold for $529,200 in Latin American Art on 9 March 2023 at Christie's in New York

Modernism forged its own path In the 1950s and 60s, new ideas about how sculpture could be experienced were being formed throughout Latin America. In Brazil, artists like Helio Oiticica, Lygia Clark, and Amilcar de Castro began to develop a visual language  which they called Constructivism  that could better express the seismic shifts of post-war society. Viewers of their works, whom they labelled participants, were expected to literally interact with the material, as in Lygia Clarks Bichos series, wherein the artist attached pieces of metal with freely moving hinges.

Open a larger version of this image Jesus Rafael Soto (1923-2005), Cafe, 1991. 24 x 33 x 6 in (63.2 x 83.8 x 16.5 cm). Acrylic on wood, filament wire. Sold for $63,000 in Latin America Art Online on 14 March 2023 at Christies online

Elsewhere in the region  in Venezuela, with Jesus Rafael Soto, and Argentina, with Julio Le Parc  artists experimented with Op art. Short for Optical Art, the genre played with the perception of images and objects in space. Through both sculptures and wall-reliefs, they cast artistic purity to the wind, establishing an aesthetic for the future.

Open a larger version of this image Alicia Penalba (1913-1982), Ventisquero, 1973. 43 x 45 x 28 in (110.5 x 114.3 x 71.1 cm). Bronze with green-black patina on granite base. Sold for $107,100 in Latin American Art on 9 March 2023 at Christie's in New York

But theres always abstraction In the scission between the numerous movements that appeared throughout the 20th century, other artists established their niches. Sculptors like Alicia Penalba, whose bronzes seem to have elements of her native Argentina's landscape cast within them, and Abigail Varela, whose abstract Pre-Colombian bodies feel at once ancient and ahead of their time, often come to market. What at first glance may seem like pure abstraction, outside of a prescribed label, is often rooted in cultural symbolism with an eye to the future.

Open a larger version of this image Yoan Capote (b. 1977), Casados, 2004. Height: 4 in (10.2 cm) Width: 32 in (81.3 cm) Depth: 10 in (25.4 cm) dimensions variable when installed. Leather, wood and shoe laces. Sold for $21,420 in Latin America Art Online on 14 March 2023 at Christies online

And playful works abound When collecting sculpture, provocative or irreverent objects sometimes command our attention inexplicably. Whether in bronze, wood, or unexpected materials such as leather, some of the most unique works puzzle the viewer without offering obvious answers.
Ward Lake Nature Reserve, pictured in the summer in the Municipality of Neebing near Sturgeon Bay, is the 21st conservation area that the local group has acquired.
The influential sister of North Korea's leader warned on Tuesday that her nation is prepared to take "quick, overwhelming action" against the United States and South Korea, a day after the United States demonstrated its strength against the North by flying a nuclear-capable B-52 bomber.

Monday's US-South Korean training over the Korean Peninsula with the B-52 bomber was the latest in a series of exercises between the allies in recent months. This month, their military is also set to relaunch their greatest field drills, USA Today reported.

North Korea's Warning Against 'Enemies'

Kim Yo Jong did not detail any planned actions in her remarks. However, North Korea has frequently test-fired missiles in reaction to US-South Korean military exercises because it considers them an invasion rehearsal.

The General Staff of North Korea's Korean People's Army announced, hours after Kim Yo Jong's announcement, that it had placed its front-line artillery units on alert and increased surveillance after detecting a live-fire artillery practice by "the enemy" near the South Korean border town of Paju on Tuesday morning.

The General Staff stated that around thirty rounds were fired during the South Korean practice, which it termed a "very severe military provocation" that exacerbated tensions, and demanded its competitor to cease such exercises along the border immediately.

The GSD subsequently urged the United States and South Korea to discontinue military operations along the border. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that the allegations were absurd and that there was no artillery training in that location, according to The Independent.

In addition, the United States and South Korea are on pace to resume large-scale military drills for the first time since 2018. Due to the stalemate in US-North Korea diplomatic attempts and the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the drills were considerably cut back after 2018.

Meanwhile, North Korea is revving its military engine, conducting more missile tests than ever in contemporary history. In a declaration issued last month, North Korea's leader, Kim Yo Jong, threatened to transform the Pacific Ocean into her country's shooting range.

Read Also: Mexico Kidnapping: 2 Survivors Back in the US After Horrible Ordeal

US-South Korea Military Exercise

She said that if the US intercepted a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile, her brother might consider the action a declaration of war. Yo Jong quoted a South Korean media claim that the United States would strike down North Korean missiles if it conducted a test launch aimed at the Pacific Ocean.

In a separate statement, the head of North Korea's Foreign Ministry's Foreign Press Division accused the United States of "worsening" the situation by conducting a joint air practice with a B-52 bomber on Monday and planned US-South Korea field drills.

In response, South Korea's Unification Ministry, which oversees contacts with the North, blamed Pyongyang's "reckless nuclear and missile development" for the worsening situation.

The United States deployed the B-52 bomber in a combined exercise with South Korean fighter planes, which the South Korean defense ministry interpreted as a show of force against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

The two countries will undertake over ten days of large-scale military exercises known as "Freedom Shield." Yonhap news agency said on Tuesday that US and South Korean jets practiced a rapid takeoff in response to North Korean threats to attack airfields.

Tuesday, the enemy fired 30 rounds of artillery along the border, according to the North Korean army, which demanded an immediate end to these "provocative activities." As per Reuters via MSN, South Korea denied doing so and stated that the accusation was without merit.

As a result of the 1950-1953 Korean War, which concluded in an armistice rather than a peace treaty, keeping the countries nominally at war, around 28,500 US forces were stationed in South Korea.

Related Article: Vladimir Putin Orders To Revise Books for Kids To Worship Invaders

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According to the agency, the FBI is probing the "strange death" of a female passenger on the Carnival Sunshine during a voyage to the Bahamas.

The Columbia field office reports that the unidentified woman died on the February 27 journey of the Sunshine, which departed from Charleston, South Carolina.

Woman Dies on Carnival Cruise Ship

As the ship returned to Charleston on March 4, the FBI "responded to search each passenger's cabin." According to Fox News, Carnival has warned rowdy spring break guests that they might be fined $500 if they engage in disruptive behavior.

According to the FBI field office in Columbia, South Carolina, the woman was discovered unresponsive during the ship's cruise to Nassau, Bahamas. After discovering that she was unconscious, medical personnel and crew members attempted life-saving efforts. However, according to the FBI, the woman was pronounced dead on board.

"Both the deceased and her husband disembarked in Nassau, and Bahamas officials have already examined the situation and are performing an autopsy," a Carnival Cruise Line representative told CNN.

According to the FBI, the incident was isolated, and there was no threat to other passengers before or after the woman was discovered dead. The FBI examines unusual deaths of US citizens and "some crimes on the high seas." The incident remained under investigation.

It is presently unknown how the woman died, but the FBI stated to DailyMail.com that it investigates crimes on the high seas and unexplained deaths of US citizens. A representative for the department's field office in Columbia denied additional comment on the event. The ship's operator said it was collaborating with local authorities and that the deceased woman was accompanied by her husband.

The ship sparked controversy in Venice in 2013 when it performed a "salute" to a significant corporate shareholder while passing within 20 meters of the city's historical banks. In 2012, Carnival also owned the ill-fated Costa Concordia, which sunk after striking rocks off the coast of Turkey and giving a similar salute to the island of Giglio.

Read Also: Mexico Kidnapping: 2 Survivors Back in the US After Horrible Ordeal

Carnival Cruise Ship Deaths

Carnival's spokesperson informed Newsweek that the deceased woman and her husband disembarked in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, where officials conducted an investigation and autopsy.

According to research published in the International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health in 2020, of the 623 documented deaths aboard cruise ships between 2000 and 2019, 89 percent were passengers. Sixty-one percent of passenger deaths were Americans.

It was discovered that falls - overboard or onto another deck - were the leading cause of passenger deaths, followed by cardiac arrests and suicides. Meanwhile, the primary reasons for crew deaths were suicide, homicide, and falls.

According to the report, the majority of deaths throughout the timeframe, 29 percent, happened on Carnival cruise ships. The FBI has previously declared that it has the authority to investigate suspected crimes and suspicious deaths when the United States owns the ship, as does Carnival Sunshine. The incident involves an American person.

It is also permissible to check if the ship is in US seas or whether it is leaving or entering an American port. As the Carnival Sunshine flies a Bahamian flag, the FBI must work with local authorities on the investigation.

Related Article: Missing Georgia Man Found Dead

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People who have tried Android phones and iPhones would tell you they are vastly different. While many agree that the iPhone is more prestigious than the two, Android users outnumber iPhone users worldwide, per Statista.

However, iPhones have dominated the smartphone market in the US, with Statcounter saying that more than half of Americans use iPhones than Android phones due to the prestige the Apple brand brings, per Tech Republic.

But there are times when an iPhone user needs or wants to switch to Android, and because these phones use different operating systems, transferring data from one to another isn't going to be easy.

Fortunately, there is.

What Android Phone Do You Use?

Before we discuss how to transfer data from an iPhone and an Android phone, we have to figure out which Android phone you're using.

Unlike the iPhone, which Apple only produces, more than a few companies develop and create Android phones, such as Samsung, Google, and OnePlus, per CNET. Though all of them run the same Android operating system, the steps to transfer data from an iPhone to any one of them are different due to them having distinct features to do so.

Regardless of the device's brand, transferring data is quick and easy as long as you have the equipment needed. However, you can't transfer everything from your iPhone to your Android device, per CyberGhost VPN.

Read More: Revisiting Divinity: Dragon Commander - Not Your Ordinary RTS

Paid apps, app data, and apps that don't have an Android counterpart will remain on your iPhone. In-app purchases, phone settings apart from Wi-Fi settings and alarms, Safari bookmarks, and third-party chat app data won't be included, either.

With that out of the way, here's how you can transfer data from an iPhone to an Android phone:

iPhone To Samsung Phone

Transferring data from an iPhone to an Android phone is one of the easiest transfers to do provided you have a Lightning to USB-C cable. Samsung has an app called Smart Switch that lets you transfer the data you want from your iPhone to your Samsung phone.

Follow these instructions to do the transfer:

Turn off your Apple ID's two-step verification. Use a Lightning to USB-C cable to connect your two phones. If your Samsung phone already has Smart Switch, it should open now. If not, download it first and open it once it's done. Select Receive data and then select your iPhone as the source. Select Trust on your iPhone and select Next to proceed with the transfer process. Choose the data you want to transfer from your iPhone to your Samsung phone and select transfer. Select Done once the transfer is finished.

iPhone To Google Pixel Phone And Other Android Phones

Google has its own Android phone called Google Pixel, one of the best Android phones in the market thanks to its cameras, excellent performance, and display, per PC Mag. However, transferring data from an iPhone to a Google Pixel phone could be difficult, as CNET's article shows. As such, following these instructions carefully is advised:

Turn off iMessage across all the devices connected to your Apple ID Get a USB-A to USB-C cable or Lightning to USB-C cable and connect both phones. Tap Trust on your iPhone. Sign into your preferred Google Account on your Google Pixel phone. Choose which data you want to copy and then tap Copy.

You can also these steps to transfer data between an iPhone and an Android phone that's not a Samsung or Google Pixel phone as the process is similar, per Android.com.

Related Article: Quick Way To Transfer WhatsApp Data From Android to iPhone
When it comes to technology coverage, many media outlets spend the bulk of their time paying attention to what happens in the United States, with occasional articles about whats happening in the rest of the world. For the news startup Rest of World, covering how technology is affecting those non-US countries is the point. The site launched as a nonprofit in the spring of 2020 and gets most of its funding from Sophie Schmidt, whose father, Eric, is the billionaire former chairman and CEO of Google. Schmidt has said that her intention was to bring attention to parts of the world that are rarely present in technology coverage. Three years later, Rest of World has twenty-two full-time editorial staffers and was recently named as a finalist for a National Magazine Award for the first time (in the design category); yesterday, meanwhile, the site announced that it had received a $200,000 grant from the Ford Foundation to fund a reporting fellowship focused on the tech worlds relationship with labor.

Anup Kaphle joined Rest of World as its founding executive editor in 2020, after working for the Washington Post and BuzzFeed and running the Kathmandu Post in Nepal as its editor in chief. He is now Rest of Worlds editor in chief. This week, I spoke with Kaphle about the sites editorial focus, as well as some of the challenges it might face as a nonprofit funded by a single benefactor. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.



MI: How have things changed since you joined Rest of World? Are there any insights you brought from your experience editing a newspaper in Kathmandu, or from the Washington Post?

AK: When I first joined, we were still very much in a building-and-learning mode. We had a concept for what the publication was going to focus on and a pipeline of stories that were planned for launch. Three years after joining and then launching Rest of World, in May 2020, were more clear-eyed about the themes we want to focus on and more confident about our ability to find the stories we want to pursue. As a startup, we will always be experimenting, but at this point, we have a collective understanding of our mission and values, how we want to operate as a publication and our ambition.

One of the most significant insights that Ive carried from my previous journalism experiences is that who gets to tell the story really matters. Whether it is covering the war in Afghanistan or discrimination against women and ethnic minorities in Nepal, training and trusting the journalists from those communities adds tremendous value to your stories. But more importantly, it ensures our readers that by leaning on native journalists, we are accurately representing the diversity of cultures and views held by the people were writing about, in a way that is always dignified and factual.

What made you want to take the helm of Rest of World, and has that vision been fulfilled? And, aside from the stories that have been nominated for a National Magazine Award, what are some of the stories that you are most proud of during your tenure as editor?

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Ive spent most of my career working in international news, which I wanted to do long before I came to the US as a student. When I was first introduced to the publication, the name Rest of Worlda tongue-in-cheek response to the corporate catchall for everyone elsereally resonated with me. Ive always felt like an outsider in the US, so I felt it represented me and millions of people like me whose stories were being ignoredor, when those stories were told, they were condensed in ways that did a disservice to them. The mission and the motive behind the publication were aligned with what Ive tried to instill in my work: reporting from and on places that often get ignored; tellingor at least trying to tellthose stories without imposing a Western gaze; and really allowing the local views and perspectives to play out. That way, I think we can better understand what is really happening and why it is happening.

I feel like were only getting started and our work can make a huge difference for readers, who want to understand how technology and related businesses change peoples lives. Some of the stories Im really proud of, just from the past year, include a deep dive into the environmental devastation in Indonesia linked to Chinas electric-vehicle boom, a long read on what peak production season is like inside a Foxconn factory that makes about half of the worlds iPhones, a feature on YouTube pranksters who traveled from Los Angeles to India to harass call-center scammers, an exclusive on the implosion of Pakistans first unicorn, and detailed reporting on allegations of mismanagement inside Nigerias biggest fintech champion.

You arrived at Rest of World just as New York was going into covid lockdown. Did the pandemic affect how the organization works now, or has it always been all Zoom calls?

I got here in late February 2020, and a week or two after I arrived, we had to shut down our office, and everyone began working from home. We ended up setting up much of the editorial operation and planning our launch remotely, without many of us ever having spent time together in the office. Given the nature of our coverage, we were always going to be more of a distributed team around the world, but covid-19 certainly prepared us to adjust to that mindset early on. All of our editorial meetings, including a weekly story pitch meeting, have been Zoom calls from the start, with reporters and editors joining the call from Bengaluru to Tokyo to Lagos.

How does Rest of World work in a practical sense? It looks like about half of the senior editors are based in New York. Is that odd for a publication that is all about other countries? How many freelance writers and editors do you have versus the number on staff?

We have a team in New York, which is a mix of the editorial staff, audience and product teams, and operations team. On the editorial side, it includes myself, our executive editor, our US tech editor, and one reporter. One of our deputy editors, who also oversees our visuals, is based in Texas. So only five of our twenty-two full-time editorial staff are in the US. The vast majority of our editorial staff is from the countries theyre assigned to cover.

We have regional editors who oversee our five core geographic areas of coverage: Latin America, Africa, Asia, South Asia, and China. The respective editors are based in Mexico, Nigeria, Japan, India, and Hong Kong. These editors are in charge of assigning stories to a combination of full-time reporters and freelancers. Our twenty-two full-time journalists include four reporters, and were in the process of hiring two more this month. Since launch, we have worked with over two hundred and fifty freelance reporters and over two hundred freelance photographers, many of whom now contribute regularly. We also have four editors on contract, for fact-checking and visual editing.

You mentioned that the name Rest of World is a sarcastic reference to the way that North Americans see countries outside of the West. Do you think people get that its supposed to be a satirical take on that idea?

The term is still actively used by big multinationals like Meta in their reports today [see page 2 of Metas 2022 Q4 earnings report]. A lot of people in the US dont even recognize the term, even though theyve seen it for years, because its intended to be glossed over. A big everyone else lump. And thats noticed and felt by the people it is describing, since theyre used to being treated like peripheral actors in a Western world. We actually get a lot of readers from these regions reaching out to us to tell us how much they appreciate finally being seen. So far we havent had any issues with readers misunderstanding our intention. We chose the term because it encapsulates the problem were fighting: this casual disregard for billions of people, with a Western-centric worldview that leaves an unimaginable number of insights and nuances out of a global conversation.

In 2021, Insider wrote a story in which they mentioned reports from former staffers about internal tension over editorial processes at Rest of World and the sites vision for the future. Do you have any thoughts about that?

I dont think disagreements over processes or visions that take place at a nascent publication like Rest of World are very different from the conversations happening at other startup publicationsor, as a matter of fact, very established publications. Are all the decisions the leadership makes popular? Probably not. Building a newsroom from scratch isnt easy, and were still learning. But Im proud of the work were doing and feel confident about the state and health of our newsroom.

Is Sophie Schmidt very involved in the editorial side of the business, or the journalism side? Does she come up with or veto ideas for stories?

Were a small team, so like any CEO, Sophie interacts with a wide range of colleagues over time. But she is not involved in the day-to-day editorial process or production of stories. She has no oversight of what stories are commissioned, and has certainly never vetoed a story. She focuses on growth, impact, and other needs on the operational side.

Sophie has committed to spend at least sixty million dollars on Rest of World and described it as her lifes project. But other billionaires have made similar promises and then changed their minds. Does that prospect worry you?

No, it doesnt. Ive never been given any reason to question Sophies commitment and support for Rest of World. We started out with five people in a coworking space; now we have a team of more than thirty people, everywhere from Hong Kong to Lagos. Weve published more than a thousand stories, invested in art and photography and fact-checking, have a really innovative product team and, most importantly, a substantial operations infrastructure that allows us to work with journalists all over the world. We couldnt have done it if she wasnt seriously committed to the project.

As journalists, we all work in an industry that is unpredictable and impacted by factors outside of our control. Sophie and I share a strong belief in building lean, being very careful about where we invest resources, and doing everything we can to insulate our organization from those volatile outside forces. Sophies been very clear about why she wanted to set up Rest of World as a nonprofit: so that our journalists can tell stories that are otherwise difficult to greenlight in a for-profit newsroom dictated by clicks, eyeballs, and advertisers. There was a clear coverage gap in technology reporting when we launched. Sophie saw it, stepped in, and has been in the trenches at Rest of World with us for four years. Shes a true believer in the power of serious journalism to drive change, and shes invested in it.

Sophies letter to readers when the site went live talks about technology and how its effects are different based on where it exists and who uses it. Is that still a core thesis of the sites coverage? And would you say its pro-tech?

Were a publication that is solely focused on covering technology. Sophies background is obviously in tech, and shes talked publicly about how her frustrations with Silicon Valley and its approach toward users outside of big Western countries led her to create Rest of World.

Weve said since our launch that our primary goal is to write about the impact of technology on people outside the West using narrative, character-driven stories. Our journalism is about the discovery of techs usage as much as it is about its implications. Our mission is simple: to challenge expectations about whose experience with technology matters. Were neither pro-tech nor anti-tech in our coverage; were pro-humanity.



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: Fox and its friends

Mathew Ingram is CJRs chief digital writer. Previously, he was a senior writer with Fortune magazine. He has written about the intersection between media and technology since the earliest days of the commercial internet. His writing has been published in the Washington Post and the Financial Times as well as by Reuters and Bloomberg.
Acer has been hacked.

The Taiwanese computer giant recently revealed that it suffered a data breach after hackers compromised a server repair technicians use to host private documents.

The company is still investigating the extent of the breach and what it affected.

Acer Data Breach Details

Acer's investigation showed that the hackers managed to access the server technicians used to host private documents and steal a significant amount of data from it, per Bleeping Computer.

Though the company's investigation showed that the hackers were unable to steal any customer data, they managed to rob 2,800 files totaling 160GB of company data and began selling it on a popular hacking forum, claiming that they stole the data in mid-February, per Security Week.

The hacker then claims that the data they stole consists of technical manuals, software tools, backend infrastructure details, and product model documentation for phones, tablets, and laptops. The stolen data also allegedly includes BIOS images, ROM files, ISO files, and replacement digital product keys.

To prove they stole Acer's data, the hacker shared screenshots of technical schematics for the company's V206HQL display, documents, BIOS definitions, and confidential documents.

The hacker then revealed that they were looking to sell the entire dataset to the highest bidder, and they would accept Monero (XMR) as payment. Monero is a cryptocurrency that uses various privacy-enhancing technologies that keeps its users anonymous and hard to trace, per the cryptocurrency's official website.

Read More: Google Officially Launches New UI for Its Productivity Apps

In contrast, the more popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum have transparent blockchains that could be verified and/or traced worldwide.

Erich Kron, a security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, mentioned that Acer is potentially looking at the release of some of its intellectual property and potentially sensitive company documents should the data the hacker stole get sold, per IT World Canada. Unfortunately, the data that the hacker stole can be extremely beneficial to competitors, while the technical information within that 160 GB of stolen data could help hackers and cybercriminals to create exploits targeting Acer's products.

"Not all data breaches need to contain personal information about customers or employees, or financial information such as credit cards, to be a concern," Kron said. "Organizations spend a lot of time and money developing proprietary procedures and processes, as well as technical information about their products."

Acer Data Breach History

Though this is the first time hackers managed to breach Acer's cybersecurity in a long while, this is not the first time the company experienced such an attack. In Oct. 2021, the company admitted that the Desorden hacking group compromised its Indian and Taiwanese servers and stole 60GB of data from the company's systems.

The data Desorden stole included records of tens of thousands of customers, distributors, retailers, and even employee information and login credentials in the same week.

Hackers from the REvil ransomware gang also breached Acer's cybersecurity in March 2021, with the group demanding %50,000,000 as a ransom for the confidential financial documents they stole.

Related Article: Chick-fil-A Reveals That A Months-Long Automated Attack Has Compromised Customer Accounts
Elon Musk has been raising eyebrows for quite some time, but even more so when he acquired Twitter, and it's not exactly in a flattering light. The FTC is among those whose attention was caught by the tech mogul, as they investigate the events inside the company.

Investigation Into Twitter

The Federal Trade Commission is looking deeper into how Elon Musk has been running the social media company. Specifically, the agency wants to determine whether Twitter has enough staff to protect its users' privacy after laying off a huge number of its employees.

A former executive from Twitter claims that the platform had security issues last summer which led to the FTC being more vigilant of Twitter's security practices, which had only been made worse as three of its top executives responsible for privacy, security, and compliance resigned.

Along with speaking to Elon Musk, the agency also plans to interview the former employees who were responsible for Twitter's privacy and security, according to The New York Times. The FTC also wants to know the exact role of Musk in his company and its management structure.

Since the company has solid many of the company's equipment, the agency also means to question whether the company has cleared the said devices of user data. The same goes for the company's plan with Twitter Blue.

The company is required to conduct security audits regularly as part of the consent decree the company agreed with, which allows the FTC to be regularly informed of how the company handles the data of its users, reports say.

This follows Twitter being fined $150 million for using user data for its advertisements. Former Twitter employees stated that the compliance required a lot of work, involving hundreds of people in the company's privacy, engineering, legal and security departments.

Read Also: Twitter's API to Remain Free for Bots With 'Good Content'

Claims of FTC Harassment

Musk expressed that the FTC probing the company is a "shameful case of weaponization of a government agency for political purposes and suppression of the truth." as mentioned by Engadget. The Republicans in the House Judiciary Committee agreed with this statement.

The Committee claims states that the federal government weaponized its authority to harass the company as Elon Musk acquired it. In under three months, the FTC sent over a dozen letters that made up over 350 specific demands.

It was also pointed out that some of FTC's demands had nothing to do with users' privacy and information. For instance, the agency wants to look into information regarding the journalists' work that is protected by the First Amendment.

The federal agency also intends to acquire internal communication between Twitter employees that involve Elon Musk, as well as those that were sent or received by the Twitter CEO since the day Musk acquired Twitter.

As mentioned in the press release of the Judiciary House Committee, The FTC also wants to look into why the company laid off the former Twitter employee and FBI official Jim Baker, as well as when the concept for Twitter Blue was first conceived.

Related: Whistleblower Claims Twitter Violates FTC Security Regulations As Engineers Still Use 'GodMode'
Even though Longmont police warned a man four times he was under arrest, told him "we are going to take you to jail" and stood in his doorway,
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The US government has been skeptical about TikTok for quite some time since reports of privacy violations. Congress has been working hard to implement a nationwide ban on the short-form video app, and the bill puts them one step closer to it.

The RESTRICT Act

The Biden administration aims to restrict access to the app to all US users, which was previously only applied to government-issued devices in fear of data being leaked to the Chinese government, given that a Chinese company, ByteDance, owns TikTok.

Senator Mark Warner led the bipartisan bill. It can be used to ban foreign technologies and companies that pose a threat to national security from operating in the US. The bill covers countries like China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela.

The bill will allow US government agencies to "deter, disrupt, prevent, prohibit, investigate, or otherwise mitigate" certain services through a formal process, provided that they are a threat and has access to more than a million US user data.

Warner expressed that the US needs a comprehensive, risk-based approach that tackles sources of possibly dangerous technology before they gain a foothold in America. This could mean that other tech companies might have to cut ties with TikTok, as mentioned by The Verge.

Senator Michael Bennet, a co-sponsor of the Bill, says that the US shouldn't let any companies that could follow the dictates of the Chinese Communist Party collect data on a third of the US population. He also stated that TikTok is the first example, and it won't be the last.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew said that the company never received any request from the Chinese government regarding US user data. He added that even if that did happen, he will never comply with the request, according to CNN.

TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter countered that the bill was not needed and that the Biden administration can just approve the deal negotiated with CFIUS, which the company has been reviewing for the last six months, reports say.

Read Also: Students, Professors Demand TikTok Ban Lifted in State Schools

Could the Biden Administration Ban TikTok?

It's quite possible, but not without going through many obstacles. Banning the app on government-issued and university devices is a different story compared to a nationwide ban that will affect over 100 million American users.

The complete ban in the US may face legal issues regarding the First Amendment, according to a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Caitlin Chin. She expressed that democratic governments can't just ban free speech or expression without strong grounds.

Even if a device has the app after the ban's approval and app stores start to remove them, the US can still block TikTok from selling advertisements or prompting updates, says Chin, which will make it basically non-functional, as mentioned in The New York Times.

India's ban on the platform also shows just how possible it can be, as the app is no longer accessible in the country since mid-2020. This cost ByteDance one of its biggest markets, and they might just take another hit if the US bill is approved.

Related: Canada to Ban TikTok from Government-Issued Devices
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Clayton Vickers is a graduate student at the University of Missouri Journalism School, and through his education there he aspires to become a public-affairs journalist of great renown.

Clayton is working in Jefferson City to cover the ongoings of the state legislature and the stories within the community that matter to Missourians. He hopes to utilize his political science background to step into government-accountability reporting that places power into the hands of constituents (at any scale).

Clayton will graduate with his master's degree in Spring of 2024 after completing an internship with a reputable publication.
Major-country diplomacy to grow network of friends

By ZHANG YUNBI (China Daily) 09:51, March 08, 2023

Foreign Minister Qin Gang attends a news conference on China's foreign policy and foreign relations during the first session of the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing, March 7, 2023. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/chinadaily.com.cn]

China's major-country diplomacy has pressed the "acceleration button" this year as the COVID-19 situation improves and the country resumes exchanges with the rest of the world, Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday.

In particular, China will host two major diplomatic events this year  the first China-Central Asia Summit and the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Qin said at a news conference on the sidelines of the ongoing annual two sessions.

On building the country's extensive partnerships, Qin said China will pursue coordination and sound interaction with major countries, seek friendship and cooperation with other countries, and promote a new type of international relations.

"China has a growing network of friends, made more and more new friends, and strengthened ties with old ones," he added.

Beijing will set openness and development as its objectives, and will facilitate high-quality development and high-standard opening-up, he said.

"We will reject 'decoupling', and oppose severing industrial and supply chains and imposing unilateral sanctions. We will uphold an open and inclusive world economy, and will generate new opportunities for the world with our new development," he said.

China "will take multilateralism as the way forward", promote greater democracy in international relations and make global governance more just and equitable, he said.

Vowing that Chinese diplomats will further defend the country's interests, Qin said Beijing firmly opposes any form of hegemony and power politics, Cold War mentality, bloc-based confrontation, and acts intended to contain and hold back other countries' development.

Su Xiaohui, an associate research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, said the message Beijing wants to deliver via Qin's news conference is clear, as the foreign minister touched upon interactions among major countries and China's push to build a new type of international relations.

Qin's remarks show that China's diplomacy subscribes to its principles in a faithful, consistent manner, she said. "We have a sober mind and cool head over the existing issues and problems in the world, and we have drawn lines that should not be crossed," she said.

When asked to expand on China's view on global governance, Qin said "developing countries are entitled to greater representation and a louder voice in international affairs".

"China will keep in mind the interests of the world and take an active part in global governance," he said.

"Global governance should be promoted in accordance with the law and the principles of international law enshrined in the United Nations Charter; equity and justice must be upheld, while hegemonism and selfish interests must be rejected; solidarity must be defended, while division and confrontation must be abandoned," he added.

Qin noted that over the past 10 years, President Xi Jinping has put forward a host of major initiatives and proposals, and the core message is that countries are interdependent, mankind has a shared future, and the international community should unite and cooperate.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Yoo Jae-hoon, president of the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC), speaks during a press conference held at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of KDIC









By Anna J. Park







The Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC), a state-led company that insures deposits across the local financial industry, has unveiled its new strategic vision, aiming to expand the scope of deposits that it insures.







"The traditional deposit insurance system, which focuses on responding to situations with ex-post measures, cannot properly address future financial risks," Yoo Jae-hoon, president of the KDIC, said during a press conference held in central Seoul, Wednesday. "Foremost of all, the scope of financial consumer protection should be expanded, breaking the current protection regime centering on savings deposits."







He highlighted that the deposit insurance agency should come out of the current system to offer better protection to a larger group of consumers, given that the total amount of deposits made in local financial sectors rose by more than 2.5 times during the past decade. The amount rose to 2,884 trillion won ($2180 billion) last year, from 1,161 trillion won logged in 2010. During the same period, the entire amount of assets under management by local financial securities firms nearly tripled to 2,794 trillion won from 947 trillion won.







The head of the KDIC also vowed to closely cooperate with the government as well as the National Assembly to increase the deposit cap that the agency guarantees for savers.







Currently, the cap is set at 50 million won per person at each financial company. Savings deposits exceeding the cap at one financial company, whether it be banks, securities firms or insurers, cannot be guaranteed under the KDIC. The KDIC chief explained, while the agency can't decide alone on raising the deposit insurance cap, it will provide ample research and materials to the government and the National Assembly for inducing the change in the cap.







"Cases like pension savings should be applied to separate cap standards, considering their unique social security features," the KDIC chief said.


Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho speaks during a meeting with economic ministers in Seoul, March 8. Yonhap



Korea plans to speed up spending the employment-related budget in the first half of 2023 amid signs of a slowdown in the job market, the finance minister said Wednesday.



The remark came after Asia's No. 4 economy reported the largest number of job additions in more than 20 years in 2022 at around 820,000, while the figure is expected to rise at a narrower margin of just 100,000 on-year in 2023 amid economic uncertainties and the country's falling population.



"Considering the economy and the slowing job market, the government plans to execute at least 70 percent of this year's employment-related budget of 14.9 trillion won ($11.4 billion) in the first half," Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said ahead of a closed-door meeting with economic ministers.



Choo added that Korea plans to provide jobs to around 1.04 million people in the economically vulnerable group, with a goal of hiring 88.6 percent of them by the end of this month.



""As the country is expected to feel the effects of the slowdown in the job market following a slower increase in the number of jobs and the overall economic slowdown, the government plans to expedite policy measures to secure jobs," the minister added. (Yonhap)


CISO Nicole Darden Ford has become accustomed to doing more with less since the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly upended her companys workforce. I got off a plane from India and saw all these people with masks at the airport in Washington, DC, and I wondered what was going on. I went straight to the office where my CEO and CIO explained our new reality: We were going into quarantine and we had less than a week to come up with a way for people to work remotely.

This was at her previous company, a startup spinning out of a larger company and preparing for IPO while transitioning to the cloud. With limited time and minimal resources, she managed to pull it off. Now, as global vice president and CISO at the $7.8-billion industrial automation company Rockwell Automation, shes prepared for the economic uncertainty being felt by businesses around the globe, some of which are Rockwell Automation clients.

Despite the appearance that cybersecurity is recession-proof, CISOs should be ready to do more with less as circumstances dictate, Darden Ford says. To do this, she advises CISOs to regularly assess and trim security waste, maximize resources, and mitigate risk across critical business resources  all while supporting digital transformation (which can also lead to more cost savings). Where there is digital transformation, there is security transformation  the two go hand in hand, she says.

CISOs must anticipate reductions

While recessionary indicators are all over the place, the World Economic Forum (WEF) reported that 62% of economists predict a global recession in 2023 to be somewhat likely (45%) or extremely likely (18%), while the International Monetary Fund predicts that one-third of the global economy will go into recession based on growth indicators, though it also suggests that any recession will likely be short-lived. Despite a multitude of mass layoffs in late 2022 and early 2023, the US job market is holding strong, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That trend has been mirrored around the world, in countries including the UK, Canada, and Germany. But even good job news is making stock markets jittery about more rate hikes and will likely have little impact on future hiring freezes.

Predicting a recession is especially difficult after the global economic impacts of the pandemic, a war in Ukraine, and other turbulent world events turned traditional predictors on their heads. But there are ways CISOs can anticipate and prepare for downturns that impact their spending. For example, forums and peer discussions can provide the most insight in what to prepare for, suggests Malcolm Harkins, an industry advisor who for more than 20 years worked at Intel, where he focused on financial IT before becoming director of information security and continuity.

In the past six to seven months, Ive had a lot of conversations with many peers, and they say that they have faced budget and staffing reductions, and that new purchases have been pushed out. Essentially, they are being told to do more with less. Until now, CISOs havent had to deal with that, Harkins says.

Improve security investment efficiency and effectiveness

Recession or no recession, Harkins says CISOs should always approach information security and risk management as an economic efficiency. I started as a finance person, so I always try to do more with less because I need to feel confident that I am getting return on this security investment, he says. So, I assess regularly. If I cannot prove efficiency or effectiveness gains, I kill off the spending or dont spend it again in the new budget.

Harkins advises CISOs to revisit their design goals the same way the business sets goals for revenue, net income, margin, and market share. For example, he contends that if security organizations focused on mitigating their most impactful vulnerabilities, they would save at least 30% of time and effort in patching against potential events of no material impact to their enterprises.

As an example, Harkins shares how, while at Intel, he had a design goal of ensuring No materially significant impact to business continuity whether it be fire, flood, or cyber. Then, in 2010, when a McAfee update caused a worldwide meltdown of Windows XP, Intel was still able to intake, process, and ship orders, and designers will still able to get their work done. Some non-critical endpoints couldnt access the network for a few hours, which he says wasnt a big loss.

Reduce duplication in security tools

Unfortunately, most security groups still struggle with basic system inventory and assessment, but asset identification has become more critical as CISOs are asked to do more with less. Knowing where to focus efforts can help identify and reduce security tools and services waste. Defense-in-depth has really become expense-in-depth, Harkins adds with a chuckle.

Reducing duplication of security tools is one area that can easily lead to innovation, Darden Ford says. For example, running lean in the cloud allows her team to provide more security for less upfront investment, which supports the larger organizations digital transformation to the cloud. She feels that older platforms that didnt start out as cloud-native but were retrofitted to the cloud have proven less effective than native-built tools for the cloud. She also warns against signing long-term vendor contracts that can lock you into a bad deal.

In one such case, Al Ghous inherited a costly multiyear contract with a large security platform provider when he was hired as CISO at SnapDocs, an innovative cloud-based mortgage closing platform. After I evaluated the effectiveness of the security platform under contract, I realized that the team could only get 10% capability out of it. So, we started looking for alternatives and we are now running pilots ahead of our contract expiration date, paying special attention to coverage and cost-savings.

SnapDocs is a cloud-native company, and his team is also finding cloud-native security tools more effective for their business model. He notes that the platform they want to replace did not start out as cloud-native but is retrofitted for the cloud like many of the established big platform plays are today. In fact, because so many security tools dont effectively meet todays complex business needs, Ghous is actively involved in identifying and funding security innovation through the CISO investment alliance, CyberFuture, formed by Elron Ventures and backed by CISOs from major companies including Airbnb, Caribbean Cruises, and HiBob.

CISOs should align with the goals of the CFO

One of the key things we talk about in the alliance is making security dollars go farther, and what is the value-add, Ghous says. Even outside of the current macroeconomic situation, it is prudent for CISOs to align their organizational objectives with that of their businesses. Then the investment discussion becomes easier because, if you are supporting your company objectives through your security programs, things will adjust accordingly.

He also suggests forming an alignment with the CFO by demonstrating security improvements and efficiencies while effectively supporting risk and compliance demands. He adds that in tightly regulated industries such as healthcare, finance, and government, compliance can be used as leverage to justify spending, so long as spending is prioritized around business objectives. Like Harkins, Ghous also says that regular assessments (at least annually) should be conducted against the effectiveness of tools and services with an eye toward continuous cost savings and waste reduction.

Do more with what you already have

Yaniv Toledano, VP global CISO at Pagaya Technologies, an AI-enabled credit analysis firm, cautions against unnecessary spending on new tools when existing tools can be consolidated, automated, and orchestrated to do more with less. In times like these, he adds, its important to focus meeting current needs by maturing the controls already in place so long as they can meet objectives.

I started here two years ago during COVID-19, when Pagaya was in hypergrowth and partnering with some of the largest banks in the US who require strict adherence to the strongest cybersecurity and resiliency frameworks and demand we have the most mature security processes possible, says Toledano. In times of recession and budget constraints, the answer is to consolidate and orchestrate the tools we have in the most efficient way before spending more money on new solutions.

Expect some consolidation of people, too, he adds, which is happening mostly through attrition. Toledano says that to retain his best people during lean times, he gives them some cool projects to keep them interested. One way is to involve them directly in cost-saving measures by assigning them to best-of-breed security research where they can pick a few security startups to study for future implementations with an eye on improving efficiency and effectiveness.

Security professionals need to continuously evolve to stay excited about their work. Beyond doing more with what you have, you are also bringing innovation to life in a creative manner, he says. Even in a bad economy, we cannot cut off innovation.
SANS Institute has launched the SANS Cloud Diversity Academy (SCDA) in partnership with Google, to help provide training and certifications to women, ethnic minorities, Indigenous people and other groups that are currently underrepresented in the cybersecurity sector.

A 2022 report by Cybersecurity Ventures found that women make up only 25% of the cybersecurity workforce globally, while an Aspen Digital Tech Policy report from the same year found that only 9% of cybersecurity experts are Black, about 8% are Asian, and 4% are Hispanic.

In order to reach potential students, SANS Institute conducted extensive media outreach in the tech industry as well as diversity-focused publications, while also working with over a dozen community partners, such as Women in Cybersecurity, Black Girls Hack, Womens Society of Cyberjutsu, and Cyversity, to help spread the word, according to Max Shuftan, director of mission programs and partnerships at SANS Institute

He said that the institute also uses social media, partnerships, and has a referral process in place to reach potential students.

SANS academy focuses on cloud security

While the (ISC) professional cybersecurity association estimates that the overall global cybersecurity workforce gap currently stands at around 3.4 million people, SANS and Google have designed this academy specifically to focus on providing participants with the skills to secure cloud infrastructure and sensitive data.

SANS Cloud Diversity Academy will be placing a particular emphasis on developing skills related to the unique threat landscape of the cloud, Shuftan said. While we recognize that there are many important skills needed to succeed in cybersecurity, we believe that a deep understanding of cloud security is critical given the increasing reliance on cloud computing and the unique challenges it presents.

He said that the academy will be focused on providing scholarship-based training programs of up to three SANS courses and the associated GIAC certifications. These will specifically address the challenges of securing cloud environments, such as those related to cloud architecture, identity and access management, and data protection.

Applicants can currently be employed in an entry-level IT or STEM role, but priority may be given to those unemployed, underemployed, or interested in a career change. Applicants must also be able to demonstrate an aptitude and passion for security, currently reside in the US and be authorized to work there.

The core curriculum for SCDA provides training for GIAC Cloud Security Essentials (GCLD) and GIAC Public Cloud Security (GPCS) certifications and successful program particpants must first pass the GCLD exam before proceeding.

[The GCLD] course covers real-world lessons using security services created by Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Microsoft Azure, as well as open-source tools, Shuftan said, adding that each section of the course features hands-on lab exercises to help hammer home the lessons learned.

After passing the GCLD Examination, students will then take the GPCS Certification exam, which provides cloud security practitioners, analysts, and researchers with an in-depth understanding of the most popular public cloud providers, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.

In total, SCDA plans to offer a minimum of 25 scholarship places.

The announcement comes just as the White House unveiled its National Cybersecurity Strategy. The strategy is the result of months of discussions among more than 20 government agencies and consultations with private sector organizations and ultimately outlines a number of fundamental changes in how the US will allocate "roles, responsibilities, and resources in cyberspace.

The fourth pillar of the strategy calls for a strengthening of the US cybersecurity workforce, to tackle the lack of diversity among cybersecurity professionals through the implementation of a National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy.

Shuftan said that SCDA directly supports the US governments objective of developing a national strategy to strengthen the countrys cybersecurity workforce and tackle the lack of diversity in the field head-on.

We are committed to reducing the talent shortage and driving greater diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring careers in cybersecurity are well within reach for all Americans, he said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho, left, shakes hands with Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan ahead of their meeting at Government Complex Seoul, Wednesday. The two discussed cooperation in tackling global issues such as the low-carbon economy as well as Saudi's Vision 2030. Courtesy of Ministry of Economy and Finance
On Feb. 15, the UO Fashion Club released the first edition of MODE. Mia Steinfeld and Madeline Moreta, president and member of the club, worked to put the magazine together not just as a passion project, but in hopes to get the club's name out. The zine includes a club photoshoot, student brand shoutouts and options for sustainable clothing advocacy. Though challenging, the zine was successfully released with 300 copies printed and provided online in the club's Instagram biography.

Steinfeld is a third-year applied economics, business and society major with a sustainable business minor. Steinfeld transferred to the University of Oregon after spending her freshman year at the University of Texas at Austin where she studied sustainable fashion. Ultimately, transferring didn't allow her to pursue product design at UO as it would take four more years which led her to search elsewhere to pursue her passion for sustainable fashion.

The UO Fashion and Design Club was established four years ago but had no activity until January 2022, when Steinfeld, the current president, joined. Steinfeld contacted the establisher and took the reins in a "hand-off situation" since "no one had done anything with it," she said.

Ever since, the club's weekly meetings have been scheduled to discuss and explore various facets of fashion and product design: talking about color theory, working on sewing projects, going to thrift stores and discussing careers in fashion. She said the club is more of a "social fashion gathering" than a traditional club. Meetings are held weekly on Wednesdays.

"One of the biggest issues we ran into was funding," Steinfeld said. Due to the clubs inactivity, it wasn't getting funded by ASUO. She took it into her own hands to raise money.

"I walked to every local business within a mile, went in, introduced myself and asked if they would donate money to be sponsored in the magazine," Steinfeld said.

She raised over $600 for the club from these conversations alone. Some sponsors include Max's Tavern, Apothca and The Copy Shop. This coupled with fashion club members modeling for the magazine allowed it to successfully come to life.

"I walked to my class by the EMU, and I saw people reading it," Steinfeld said. "It just made my heart so happy to know something we worked so hard on really came to life and people enjoyed it."

As of now, the club is quite small with lenient attendance rules. Looking forward, the club wants to focus on visibility and growing to become a well-known club on campus. Steinfeld only has one year left at UO but hopes the club doesn't fade into the background again.

The club is open to anyone interested in fashion and product design: All new members have to do is show up. In the near future, the club is planning a photo shoot and a social party in an effort to increase visibility on campus. Information will be posted on its Instagram.

"I really want it to not only be such an established club that when you come to UO you know that theres a club for fashion," Steinfeld said. "But I also want it to get to a point where we have a full room of kids every Wednesday."
Kim Jung-il's "Apgujeong" (1982) from his "Landscape of Memory" series / Courtesy of the artist, SNUMoA



By Park Han-sol



A black-and-white snapshot captures the facade of a dilapidated shack in southern Seoul's Apgujeong-dong, with a torn-out roof and walls that turn out to be nothing more than a mishmash of tarps and nailed wood boards of wildly varying sizes.



A few stranded household objects indicate that the tattered house was indeed occupied at one point  white garments hung on a clothesline far back, coal briquettes littered on one side and a handcart that was likely a source of income.



The obvious visual clash between the derelict shack and rows of identical high-rise apartments looming in the background would catch the eye of any passerby.



That was exactly the case for student photographer Kim Jung-il in 1982.



Inspired by Eugene Atget, an acclaimed French photographer who dedicated his craft to documenting the urban landscape of 19th-century Paris before its disappearance to modernization, Kim went on a self-assigned mission to record Seoul's postwar terrain that had been transforming before his very eyes.



Sure enough, three years after his image was taken, the house and its surrounding barren land gave way to Hyundai's flagship department store, reshaping today's Apgujeong and the rest of the southern Gangnam District as the most affluent neighborhood in the country.





Photographers Lim Chung-eui, left, and Kim Jung-il stand on a map of Seoul installed at the Seoul National University Museum of Art (SNUMoA), Feb. 28, prior to their joint interview with The Korea Times. The two are among the four artists who were invited to showcase their photographic collections capturing the bygone days of modern Seoul at the museum's recently wrapped-up group exhibition, "Myein, the Concave Lens in My Heart." Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



So, what was Seoul like on the cusp of modernization, early in its metamorphosis into a concrete jungle bursting with skyscrapers, high-tech subways and a population of almost 10 million?



Through the portraits of the city captured by documentarians like Kim and Lim Chung-eui, its neighborhoods that were razed and disappeared into history over the last 40 years have gained new life.



In their photographs, Seoul still manages to present itself as a forest of organically formed villages and twisted alleys that reveal an old way of living before homogeneous rows of apartment complexes took over.



"When I was taking photos of the parts of Seoul that were about to disappear, I knew that they would undergo transformation but never imagined it to be so profound and life-altering. We couldn't have possibly envisioned the cityscape and skyline we see today," Kim said in a joint interview with Lim held at the Seoul National University Museum of Art (SNUMoA) in southern Seoul.



The two are among the four artists who were invited to showcase their treasured photographic collections capturing the bygone days of the metropolis at the museum's recently wrapped-up group exhibition, "Myein, the Concave Lens in My Heart."





Lim Chung-eui's "Bongcheon 5-dong" (1985) / Courtesy of the artist, SNUMoA



'Moon village,' home to urban poor



Many of the places depicted in the two artists' photographs come from different corners of "daldongne" which once cluttered Seoul. Translated literally as "moon village," these were communities that were built high up on mountainsides, thus allowing "a closer view" of the moon.



It's a rather beguiling name given to the settlements formed as an inevitable byproduct of economic hardship.



The villages were largely home to urban poor and refugees who poured in from North Korea following the country's division in 1945 and the 1950-53 Korean War as well as those from the countryside who flocked to the industrializing metropolis en masse since the 1960s in search of jobs.



For a while, the hillside communities in Sillim-dong, Bongcheon-dong, Sanggye-dong and Dogok-dong, among many others, were overlooked by the government with their hard-to-access lands cluttered with shanties and winding alleyways.



That is, until advances in construction engineering and the building of new roads and bridges put these unregulated, high-altitude villages into the sights of redevelopers.





Kim Jung-il's "Muk-dong" (1982) / Courtesy of the artist, SNUMoA





Kim Jung-il's "Dogok-dong" (1982) / Courtesy of the artist, SNUMoA



The establishment of the Urban Redevelopment Act in 1976 provided administrative gateways for Seoul to carry out the so-called "downtown renewal projects" throughout the 1970s and 1980s. This period also coincided with the country's bid to host the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Summer Olympics, which called for rapid, large-scale beautification schemes to project to the world a new cultural image of Korea beyond its war-torn past.



"The accelerated state-led redevelopment marked the beginning of Korea's widespread land speculation and the consequent wealth divide," Kim noted. "In Seoul, the elements that were once considered to be part of nature or one's organically established residence  like the Han River, the hillsides overlooking the river and other plots of land occupied by the impoverished  turned into objects of speculation with monetary value beyond the wildest imagination."



Accordingly, most moon villages riddled with aging houses and tattered shacks were razed, giving way to high-rise apartment complexes, parking lots and public parks that make up the majority of Seoul we know today.



With the exception of a few still-standing communities like Guryong Village in Gangnam District, Gaemi Village in northwestern Seodaemun District and Baeksa Village in northeastern Nowon District, moon villages have become a thing of the past that now live only within the collective memory of older Seoulites.





Lim Chung-eui's "Outer roads of Bongcheon 5-dong" (1985) / Courtesy of the artist, SNUMoA



Two documentarians' journey to capture Seoul's bygone days



In a way, Lim followed in the footsteps of his father Lim In-sik (1920-98), a celebrated documentary photographer whose snapshot of nameless student soldiers with a determined look taken during the first year of the Korean War remains iconic to this day, but with a twist.



"My father was very much against the idea of me pursuing a career in photography since it was an occupation where making money was never guaranteed," he said.



So, he decided to become the country's first-generation architecture photographer, working alongside prominent architect Kim Swoo-geun (1931-86) and taking up projects commissioned by government agencies and private firms. His images depicting Seoul's newly constructed major infrastructure were delivered to the International Olympic Committee Session in Baden-Baden, West Germany, helping the city become the host of the 1988 Summer Olympics.



For his personal projects, however, his photographic subjects extended far beyond the city's glitz and glamor and reached all the way to moon villages. Lim himself resided in daldongne tucked away in Seongdong District's Geumho-dong for around a decade in the 1960s.



But looks of puzzlement would often follow Lim as a tall man wielding a tripod and a camera in the narrow alleyways of Sillim-dong, Bongcheon-dong and Geumho-dong. It sometimes got him into more trouble than he expected.



Some villagers would mistake him as an undercover employee sent by redevelopers preparing to evict them from their homes. He was even accused of being a North Korean spy by the police at one point for "deliberately photographing the dilapidated neighborhoods of Seoul, and not the city's more affluent sites."





Lim Chung-eui's "A clothesline installed across an alleyway of Sillim 7-dong" (1985) / Courtesy of the artist, SNUMoA



"I was simply there to play my role as a witness to capture as plainly as possible the features of the village and people's lifestyle within which still retained our traditional ways of living," Lim said. "After all, that's the fundamental role of photography  a visual messenger. Despite all that trouble, it was meaningful to have been able to document the things I saw."



An outstanding characteristic of his moon village photographs is the way the private and the communal are mingled seamlessly in terms of space.



The shared alleys became "privatized" by everyone in different yet harmonious ways. Some would carefully lay out a group of their "jangdokdae"  traditional Korean crocks for sauces and condiments  in the alley. Others would hang laundry on clotheslines installed temporarily across the passageway on a sunny day. There was even an entrance to someone's bathroom located right in the middle of the pathway.



And for children, the alleys became an ideal playground to call up their neighbors to play hide and seek and other popular outdoor games.



"This was what life was once like in Seoul. It may look dismal or inconvenient in the eyes of present-day viewers, but the villagers, who didn't have a yard of their own, were able to make the best use of the available space and created a harmonious living area," the photographer noted.





Kim Jung-il's "Bongcheon-dong" (1982) / Courtesy of the artist, SNUMoA



Kim's photographic representation of moon villages is fascinating in its own right.



As a student photographer attending Chung-Ang University, he chose some 40 sites to shoot that were designated as redevelopment districts in 1982 based on an article he read.



So, with his camera and a checklist in hand, he went on a personal artistic mission.



Taking cues from Atget whose documentary photos of Paris were taken mostly at dawn and therefore showed no signs of life, Kim also decided to omit people from most of his images  but for a different reason.



"I thought it would be impudent of me to feature those residing in moon villages as mere props in my photos. I wanted to be careful when including them in the scene and avoid any semblance of so-called 'poverty porn,'" the 67-year-old said.



The series he later came to name "Landscape of Memory" (direct translation) was his attempt to achieve the objective yet aesthetic documentation of modern Seoul's rapidly disappearing urban fabric.



Whether the subject is a shanty, public toilet, church or an abandoned plot of land, the documentarian captured everything as if shooting a frontal portrait, transforming it into a protagonist of a new unstated narrative.





Kim Jung-il's "Bongcheon-dong" (1982) / Courtesy of the artist, SNUMoA
The release of a trove of private WhatsApp messages  the so-called 'Lockdown Files'  has shone a badly needed spotlight on the Government's mishandling of Covid.

In devastating detail, the messages  between former health secretary Matt Hancock and other ministers and officials  have demonstrated the chaotic and frequently inhumane response of some of our elected leaders.

Yes, they were human beings faced with an unprecedented emergency. But their arbitrary decisions were all too often based on unreliable data and political expediency.

Even as they claimed to be 'following the science', they were gripped by dogma.

As scientists with over 50 years' experience between us in respiratory virus epidemiology and medicine, we watched events unfold from March 2020 with dismay, almost despair.

The messages  between former health secretary Matt Hancock and other ministers and officials  have demonstrated the chaotic and response of some of our elected leaders

From our own careful studies, we believed that locking down Britain would inflict lasting damage on society  without preventing the spread of the virus over the long-term.

In April 2020, we wrote: 'Lockdown is going to bankrupt all of us and our descendants and is unlikely at this point to slow or halt viral circulation.'

So it proved. Covid restrictions have left Britain with a 400 billion bill and the highest tax burden since the war.

What the Lockdown Files show most vividly is that anyone who dared to question the long, hard restrictions favoured by Hancock and other officials found themselves vilified.

We were treated as dangerous subversives, accused of spreading 'misinformation'.

In the climate of Covid fear, our reputations were traduced and we were even banned from some social media groups. Professor Sir Jeremy Farrar, a member of the Government's Sage scientific committee, absurdly accused us of being 'responsible for a number of unnecessary deaths'.

Yet it is the lockdown obsessives, Hancock among them, who got it wrong  and who pursued a course of action with near-fanatical obession.

When Professor Sir Chris Whitty, England's Chief Medical Officer, recommended compulsory testing for 'all going into care homes', for example, Hancock decided against, telling advisers it 'muddies the waters'.

Pictured: Carl Heneghan, director of the Centre For Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford University (left) and Dr Tom Jefferson, epidemiologist with a special interest in acute respiratory infections (right)

When it became clear Sweden was coping well with the pandemic despite keeping schools, pubs and restaurants open, Hancock was enraged by what he called the 'f*****g Sweden argument' and told his aides to produce 'three or four bullet [points] of why Sweden is wrong'.

In another WhatsApp message to his media adviser about a new variant, the minister urged: 'We frighten the pants off everyone.'

But none of the revelations offer us much solace. We always knew we were right.

Frankly, we despair at what has been done to this country by wrongheaded Covid policy. At the height of the pandemic, the nation was told that one of the prime reasons for lockdown was to 'save the NHS'.

Yet the service is now in a bigger mess than ever, with waiting lists of seven million and a workforce in turmoil.

Meanwhile, the education of millions has been ruined, social care remains mired in neglect and mental health problems have worsened significantly.

All this was foreseeable. Especially in the absence of vaccines, lockdowns just delay virus cases. Even the Government's own Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance seemed at first to grasp this.

On March 13, 2020, when the pandemic was beginning in earnest in Europe, he wisely observed: 'If you locked down absolutely everything, probably for a period of four months or more, then you would suppress the virus. But when you do that and then release it, it all comes back again.'

At the height of the pandemic, the nation was told that one of the prime reasons for lockdown was to 'save the NHS'

But ministers, eager to be seen to be doing something, decided they knew better. To back up their assumption of social control  unprecedented in peacetime  they peddled empty propaganda and dodgy statistics that helped create a climate of fear.

One example of their approach was generating anxiety in October 2020 to bring in a second lockdown, amid lurid claims that, without it, the death toll could reach 4,000 a day by Christmas.

Knowing this figure was a wild overestimate, we provided Government advisers with less terrifying data  which demonstrated that their fatality estimates could be four times too high. Carl even managed to make our case in a Zoom call with Boris Johnson, then the prime minister.

Our efforts were to no avail. A fixed ideology had rooted itself in Downing Street and the second lockdown in November 2020 went ahead.

As we said at the time: 'The idea that a month of economic hardship will permit some sort of 'reset', allowing us a brighter future, is a myth.'

Hancock's leaked messages damningly reveal a chronic lack of judgment among those in charge, coupled with contempt for dissenting evidence and the wider public.

Cabinet Secretary Simon Case joked about travellers being 'locked up' in quarantine hotels. 'I just want to see some of the faces of people coming out of first class into a Premier Inn shoe box,' he chuckled.

We learn, too, that face masks were introduced in English schools only after Nicola Sturgeon did so in Scotland and Boris Johnson was told it was 'not worth an argument' to persist with a different policy.

A fixed ideology had rooted itself in Downing Street and the second lockdown in November 2020 went ahead

Informed debate went out the window. In one telling exchange in November 2020, Sir Chris Whitty suggested to Hancock that the 14 days of isolation imposed on individuals 'pinged' by the Government's testing system could be replaced by a far less onerous testing system over five days.

Hancock's main concern was not the effectiveness of the proposal, though  but the maintenance of the Government's tough image. Such a change, he replied, 'would imply that we were getting it wrong'. So the 14-day period stayed for another month before it became ten days.

In July 2021, in one week alone, half a million people were 'pinged'. Retailers were forced to close shops and transport firms to cut services due to staff shortages.

With decisions based on such flimsy evidence, contradictions abounded. Incredibly, the rules on restrictions, contact and travel were changed no fewer than 200 times in 2020.

The reporting of deaths was inconsistent, too. There was a huge difference between dying from Covid  where the virus was the direct cause of death  and dying with Covid. It suited the Government's fear-mongering agenda to lump them all together.

Face masks were introduced in English schools only after Nicola Sturgeon did so in Scotland and Boris Johnson was told it was 'not worth an argument' to persist with a different policy

And far too much reliance was placed on dubious models. Faith was placed in experts who, in the past two decades, wrongly predicted 136,000 UK deaths from new variant CJD contracted by eating meat infected with BSE (or mad cow disease); 65,000 deaths from swine flu; and 700,000 deaths from bird flu.

We were vilified for our scepticism in 2020, but the essence of science is to challenge data, re-examine evidence and question assumptions.

Instead, during Covid, disrespect was piled on incompetence and alarmism. There was a different path to be taken, but with Hancock and his deluded associates at the helm, the Government did not take it.

As a consequence, it was the children who suffered, the frail and the elderly who were abandoned, and the most disadvantaged who were harmed. The next time a pandemic strikes, our leaders cannot make the same mistakes.
Princess Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. Darling little thing. A thousand blessings upon this American child, who was christened at home in California a few days ago.

As the gospel choir sang and holy water was sprinkled, an intricate knot tightened on the 21-month-old's ties to the British Royal Family. And that, frankly, is astonishing. For one can wish this tiny little girl all the best in life, but still wonder about the righteous dissembling and connivances of her parents.

A princess? Is there some mistake here?

For since they fled to America to escape the deprivations of royal life back in 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have given every impression of a couple who utterly loathe the concept of monarchy, along with the Royal Family and nearly everyone in it.

According to their oft-told account; as an institution it is racist, as a historical construct it is indefensible and as a crucible of family life it failed so very badly on every count that, while in its clutches, Meghan contemplated committing suicide when pregnant with her first. And that is just awful.

The first picture of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's daughter Lilibet was released in a Christmas card on December 23, 2021

A photograph issued by Archewell of Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, after celebrating her first birthday in June last year

You'd think they would want nothing to do with the rotten scoundrel Windsors and their mad, bad evil ways, right? Wrong. Very wrong.

When you boil down the royal oil, when you crack open the ermine crust and finally get to the golden gravy that lies beneath, what you discover is that Harry and Meghan actually want everything to do with royalty after all. Everything! But especially the prestige, the cachet and most of all the scrumptious titles, for themselves and for their children too.

If the pair of them had any moral fibre or decency we would not be at this hypocritical juncture  for surely the christening of their young children provides a perfect parting of the ways.

Refusing to use or glorify in royal titles for Archie and Lilibet would have mothballed the monarchy in their troubled lives in one sweeping, admirable gesture.

The Sussexes could have said goodbye forever to the boiled beef and custard sludge of a British life they clearly found hateful. They could have freed themselves from the stifling tradition and embarrassing privilege, and instead fully embraced the glittering meritocracy of America.

That would have been bold, progressive and non-elitist, which is exactly what this pair always claim to be, against all evidence to the contrary.

Instead the reality is that they want to cling onto the titles and the prestige the way a limpet clings onto the teak hull of a royal yacht; the way a leech fixes onto a thumping, pumping royal vein and sticks its fangs in for the long haul. They will stick to and they will suck on these Windsor connections, because it suits them financially and it suits them socially and frankly, without them what have they got? She's a television actress, he's a walking ragbag of fashionable neuroses with a mind that we now learn has been 'windscreen wiped clean' by cannabis and hallucogenic drugs.

Prince William, second right, Kate, Princess of Wales, right, Prince Harry, left, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, second left, leave after they paid their respects to Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall for the Lying-in State in September last year

Charles, Prince William and Catherine, Prince Harry and Meghan, attend the annual Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey in March 2020

Tyler Perry at a Los Angeles airport last Friday, on the day he attended Lilibet's christening as her godfather

Harry's father King Charles III (centre) met the Governor of Western Australia and his wife at Buckingham Palace today

Harry even recently allowed himself to be diagnosed by some kind of mind doctor live on a pay-per-view streaming platform, watched by millions around the world. This is a new low, even for him.

Gawking at freaks fell out of favour in Victorian England, but our exiled prince seems to be opening up a rich new seam of curiosities on his own, and I don't mean his frozen penis.

One has to wonder if Harry and Meghan have thought this through. After all, what does it really mean to be a prince or a princess in a constitutional federal republic like America? Aren't they historically inclined to be against all that nonsense? Perhaps this christening signifies a consolidation of plans to form a West Coast monarchy-lite, complete with the officiating Bishop of Los Angeles and more celebrity millionaires than family members present at the ceremony.

News of Princess Lilibet's christening was relayed to the world via the glossy, gossipy People magazine, alongside news of Priscilla Presley and Riley Keough's fight over the recently deceased Lisa Marie Presley's trust fund and news of Disney's new production of The Little Mermaid.

Dear God. Such royal events used to be announced on a little card in the courtyard of Buckingham Palace, but were are in a very different reality now.
A model whose upper lip was ripped off by a pit bull has shared an update on her recovery following her final reconstructive surgery, saying she is 'so blessed with the results.'

Brooklinn Khoury, 23, from Mission Viejo, California, took to Instagram on Saturday to post a photo of her doctor tracing her lip with a blue marker at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. She also included a snapshot of her side profile as she smiled.

'Almost three weeks post-op! Everything is healing so well. Still pretty swollen but so blessed with the results!' she captioned the images, which have received more than 50,000 likes.

A few days later, she shared more pictures of herself showing off her new smile, revealing on her Instagram Stories that all of her stitches were out.

Brooklinn Khoury, 23, from Mission Viejo, California, has revealed the results of her latest surgery after a pit bull tore off her upper lip two years ago

The model has undergone numerous surgeries since the attack in November 2020. She is pictured early on her recovery (L) and nearly three weeks after her latest procedure (R)

Khoury explained on Instagram that her surgeon had reconstructed her central columns, lip, and cupid's bow

The professional skateboarder announced on her Instagram Stories on Tuesday that all of her stiches are out

The professional skateboarder has been documenting her recovery on social media, and her lip appeared to be almost completely healed in her latest set of images.

She was visiting her family in Arizona when her cousin's pit bull attacked her without warning and tore off her lip and part of her nose in November 2020.

Khoury, who had met the eight-year-old dog named Diesel numerous times, was standing in the kitchen when the harrowing incident took place.

'I was like, "You're such a good boy." He literally sprung from a sitting position like onto my face,' she told People in 2021. 'I was standing, and he was sitting  he literally just sprung up.

'And he was literally, hanging  literally like arms, legs hanging off of my lip. And my first instinct was like, "Oh my God, get on the ground with him, hold his head, go wherever he goes."'

When the pit bull finally let go, 'something flew and hit the wall.' She said there was 'blood everywhere' and she saw a pink lump on the floor and realized it was her lip.

Khoury took the chunk of her lip with her to the emergency room, but surgeons weren't able to reattach it.

She started documenting her recovery on Instagram on November 6, 2020, three days after she was mauled. She posted a photo of herself cuddling a teddy bear in the hospital.

Khoury posted photos after her surgery on February 16, saying it 'went really well'

'I'm very swollen right now, but once the swelling goes down it will look amazing. Thank God,' she wrote in the caption

Two days after the procedure, she posted a video of herself getting her quilting sutures out

She was happy to report that the blood flow was 'still strong' in her upper lip during her recovery

'Its crazy how your life can change so dramatically in the split of a second. Im trying to stay as positive as I can about this whole situation, but I will be honest I am scared about my future, or if Ill ever be able to smile again or eat normally,' she wrote.

'This is the beginning of a long journey to recovery. I hate asking for anything but It would mean the world if you would pray for me. Please remember to hug someone you love today.'

In November 2021, she had her first reconstructive surgery, a 20-hour procedure that reportedly cost $400,000. Her surgeon created a skin graft from her forearm to replace the skin on her upper lip.

She told BuzzFeed that she wasn't getting the surgery to change her appearance, but instead, to protect her exposed gums. She added that she's happy to 'rock her no-lip forever' and knows that she is never 'going to look the same.'

Khoury opened up about her first surgery in a video shared on her YouTube channel, saying it was a success.

'Everything went well. The nerve, the tissue, the skin, is all well, alive, and healing, which is really good and really rare,' she explained. 'My fingers can move, [there's no] nerve damage... so thank God.'

She noted that some people advised her not to post any videos or photos of her face because of 'the way that it looks,' but she wanted to be open about the process so that others who are in similar situations would feel less alone.

'I know I look different. I know I look crazy right now because of how swollen my face is but no point in hiding,' she said. 'I'm happy to share this. I'm happy to help anyone that I can.'

Khoury (pictured before the attack) was visiting her family in Arizona when her cousin's pit bull mauled her without warning and tore off her lip and part of her nose on November 3, 2020

Khoury started documenting her recovery three days after the attack (pictured). 'Its crazy how your life can change so dramatically in the split of a second,' she wrote

In November 2021, Khoury had her first reconstructive surgery, a 20-hour procedure in which her surgeon created a skin graft from her forearm to replace the skin on her upper lip

Khoury opened up about her first surgery on her YouTube channel, saying some people advised her not to post any videos or photos of her face because of 'the way that it looks'

'I know I look different. I know I look crazy right now because of how swollen my face is but no point in hiding,' she said. 'I'm happy to share this. I'm happy to help anyone that I can'

Khoury has undergone multiple surgeries since the attack two years ago and has seen incredible progress with each one

Khoury, who had her parents and her girlfriend, former Dance Moms star Chloe Lukasiak, by her side throughout every surgery, admitted that being in the hospital was difficult for her because it brought back traumatic memories from the attack.

She was isolated from her family and friends during her initial hospitalization because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

'Hospitals kind of give me problems because of the first attack, because I was alone,' she said. 'So when I'm in hospital I just get anxiety, which is unfortunate because I'm going to have a lot of surgeries. So I am trying to have a positive view on them in my head, but it's taking a lot of patience.'

In February 2022, Khoury filmed a video with her girlfriend, Lukasiak, who recalled the heartbreaking moment she learned about the pit bull attack.

Lukasiak explained that they had only been talking for five days when Khoury was hospitalized, but they have been together ever since.

She insisted that she 'never saw [Khoury] any differently' after the attack and never once considered leaving her.

'What makes me mad about this society is that some people have expressed surprise and praised me for not leaving her because of that and it just makes me angry,' the reality star said.

'I understand that's what we're taught to think and feel, but it just makes me upset because if you spend five minutes with Brooklinn you'd understand how incredible of a human being she is.

In February 2022, Khoury's girlfriend, former Dance Moms star Chloe Lukasiak, opened up about the heartbreaking moment she learned she had been attacked by a pit bull

Lukasiak (pictured with Khoury in 2021) insisted that she 'never saw her any differently' after the attack and never once considered leaving her

Last month, Khoury wowed fans when she went to Sephora and had an employee draw on a top lip for her

Khoury's upper lip appears to be almost completely healed in her recent photos

Khoury shared in a new YouTube vlog about her recovery that she is 'obsessed' with the way her doctor shaped her upper lip

'Just because she doesn't look like traditionally how everyone looks anymore, I think it's so cool. She looks different,' she added. Now everyone's gonna be trying to look like her.'

Khoury has undergone multiple surgeries since the attack two years ago, but she believes her latest one will be her last.

She shared on February 16, 2023, the day after her most recent procedure, that her surgeon was able to reconstruct her central columns, lip, and cupid's bow.

The model included post-surgery pictures, writing, 'I'm very swollen right now, but once the swelling goes down it will look amazing. Thank God.'

Two days after the procedure, she posted a video of herself getting her quilting sutures out and was happy to report that the blood flow was 'still strong.'

Khoury shared in a new YouTube vlog about her recovery that she is 'obsessed' with the way her doctor shaped her upper lip.

'I was kind of worried about that because I had been going through surgeries the last year. I didn't want to end up with something I wasn't going to love,' she explained.

'I absolutely love my upper lip. I think it matches my bottom lip perfectly. I cannot believe that I am looking like this,' she added. 'I think if you were to tell me a year ago I would look how I look today, I wouldn't believe you. This is insane.'
Australian comedian and actor Michelle Brasier has shared how genetic counsellors revealed she had a 97 per cent of getting bowel, stomach, pancreatic or ovarian cancer - after she had tests following the deaths of family members.

The award-winning Melbourne comic, 34, is currently performing at Soho Theatre in Average Bear, a show that tells the story of her timebomb health.

In 2006, when she was 18, her father died just a week after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Not long after, her brother Paul, who had been 'young, fit and healthy', was diagnosed with bowel cancer and died the same year.

Last week, she appeared on Woman's Hour to talk about how she decided to find out her probability of getting cancer when she was just 18 after her father and brother died of it, and her older sister had developed pre-cancerous polyps.

Speaking to presenter Nuala McGovern, she described the moment she was told she had a very high chance of developing the disease, joking that getting the news was a 'treat'.

Award-winning Melbourne comic Michelle Brasier told Woman's Hour she decided to find out what chance she had of developing cancer after her brother and father died of the disease

The comic is currently performing her own show Average Bear at Soho Theatre in London; the performance sees her talk about 'living in the shadow of hereditary illness' using a bear named Average

The Australian says she decided to undergo genetic testing because she wanted to 'get a head start' .

She said: 'I'm very proactive about my health.

'So, I went to my GP, and I explained: "This is my family history, do I need to get checked for anything?

'Im a lot younger than my brother and sister so I've got a head start and I'd love to use it." And they referred me to a genetic counsellor.'

She told the i newspaper in February that after losing her brother and finding out her own future risk, she 'drank a lot of whisky and kissed a lot of mouths' before coming to an 'absurd acceptance of it all, and although still scared, I began to find what the doctor had told me quite freeing.'

The comic says that while she eats healthily and exercises, she also prioritises fun, saying: 'I might do yoga in the morning, and have a cocktail at night.'

Her one-woman show, Average Bear, recounts some of her personal experiences on 'living in the shadow of hereditary illness', around a narrative about a bear called Average who's scared of hibernation.

Braiser told the BBC show that she's upbeat about her future. She said: 'Im here for as much time as I can have.

'It doesn't have to be doom or gloom. It doesn't have to mean that I'll get cancer and die. Maybe I'll get cancer and it will be caught.'

In the Guardian last month, she said the news had made her tell her own story, saying: 'Today in colour is worth a thousand blurry tomorrows.

'Your future is not guaranteed. And isnt that f****** freeing? If you found out you had less time to live than the average bear, how might you spend it?'

Average Bear at Soho Theatre runs until March 11th

'Today in colour is worth a thousand blurry tomorrows': The comic says she's determined to live her life to the full in case she doesn't make old age
Feeling a bit rusty?

Well, an experienced physical therapist has revealed four things you should always be able to do with your body in a bid to keep fit and functioning if this is among your causes for concern.

Sammy Spiegel, who is from Missouri and spent 13 years working in outpatient orthopedics, offers her top tips to 'aging gracefully in terms of physical movement' in a TikTok video.

Cartwheel your way down to see what four things Spiegel recommends to keep any rustiness at bay.

Standing on a single leg and balancing for up to 10 seconds

Sammy Spiegel has spent 13 years in outpatient orthopedics. She offers her top tips to 'aging gracefully in terms of physical movement,' including being able to stand on one leg

Spiegel says the things she recommends, are things that she has 'consistently seen over the last decade that creep up on people and they don't realize that they are becoming less able to do.'

She says it's only when she asks patients to do something that they realize they can't do it and they are 'so surprised.'

First up in her TikTok clip - which has been watched more than 660,000 times - she says people should be able to stand on one single leg and balance for up to 10 seconds.

Explaining why standing on one leg for an increased amount of time is important, she says: 'It improves your ability to take a nice long stride so you don't end up taking a shuffling gait and decreases your likelihood of falling significantly.'

One person asked Spiegel for a tip on improving balance as they noted that they 'can't stand on one leg for more than a second.'

For those with poor balance, Spiegel recommends marching to start with and increasing the lift times from there.

Standing up from a chair without using your hands

In at number two on Spiegel's check list is the ability to stand up from a chair without using your hands

In at number two on Spiegel's check list is the ability to stand up from a chair without using your hands.

The physical therapist, who has more than 20,000 followers on TikTok, says this is basically like doing squats and eliminates the need to go to the gym.

She advises: 'Every time you get up out of a chair, think "I'm not gonna use my hands."

'See if you can do it, if you can't we've got some work to do. If you can, do it for the rest of your life and don't stop!'

Being able to get up off the floor

For people who are younger, Spiegel says this pointer might 'sound ridiculous,' but for older people getting up off the floor can be a 'huge fear'

The movement expert recommends practicing getting up and down daily from an age where you are still able to do it

For people who are younger, Spiegel says this pointer might 'sound ridiculous,' but for older people getting up off the floor can be a 'huge fear' as they could fall over and injure themselves.

The movement expert, who graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2010, recommends practicing getting up and down daily from an age where you are still able to do it.

She concludes: 'That way, you'll have the muscles that enable you to be able to do that for the rest of your life.'

One person noted in the comment section that 'getting up off the floor is really hard for me.'

She added: 'I end up doing it like a baby just learning how to walk with hands and feet on the floor and [my backside] in the air.'

Spiegel said in response: 'They say the way babies move is how we should. Back to the basics.'

The ability to lay on your stomach

For her last pointer, Spiegel says not everyone might agree with her, but she believes that you should 'always be able to lay on your stomach'

For her last pointer, Spiegel says not everyone might agree her, but she believes that you should 'always be able to lay on your stomach unless you've got some sort of a medical restriction.'

She continues: 'There's no reason you can't lay on your stomach [or] sleep on your stomach, it helps make sure you can keep your back nice and straight.

'If you can't lay on your stomach without your back hurting we've got some stretching to do okay?'

Spiegel says lots of people can't lay on their stomach to sleep because they can't turn their head to the side.

She highlights that this is an indicator that you have lost the range of motion in your neck, so it's a good position to try out.

The Missourian notes: 'Otherwise you'll just go through life driving in your car and thinking you have a good range of motion, looking in your rearview mirror but you're [actually] turning your whole body not just your neck.'

A TikTok user says she follows all of Spiegel's pointers except for sleeping on her stomach. She notes: '[It's] not very comfy for buxom gals.'
Parents embarrass their children all the time, but spare a thought for kids whose mothers and fathers shared their blunders online for all the world to see.

Viral website cheezburger.com has rounded up the moments when mortifying parents from around the world decided to take to social media - making the humiliation so much worse.

Instances include one mother revealing that she is still breastfeeding her five-year-old son, even though her milk has dried up.

Meanwhile, another mother in the US may have had a few too many drinks before taking to social media to moan about her spoilt teen.

Spot the problem! Elsewhere in the US one parent has revealed that they value the aesthetics of their home over their own child, which is what they will have to tell the hospital when the baby knocks themselves out on the stairs

Keep it to yourself! In Puerto Rico one mother is being way too gushy about her daughter, we doubt her followers want to see this kind of thing

Where's your self respect? We hope this mother's children don't have her on social media as this would be an awkward way to find out about their father's infidelity

Then there was a British mother who shared a list of names she was considering for her baby, including monikers suck as Belay, Written and Stori.

She said that she's ultimately rejected all of them, begging the question of what name the poor child ended up with.

ALso, a parent in the US who values style over safety boasted about their acrylic baby gate, which was completely see through and almost guarantee to cause some kind of accident.

Father like son! When this mother's son grows up he will be mortified that she one gave him condoms to play with and secondly for sharing the snaps on social media

What did you call your child? In the UK there is a child with the most unique name ever - considering the ones their mother rejected

No drinking on a school night: When she's sobered up in the morning, this US-based mother may feel wine guilt when she realises how she laid bare her family problems regarding her spoilt teen

That backfired! This will be an embarrassing story to tell their child one day about how their father shot himself in the face during their gender reveal

Parenting 101! In an unknown location one mother has humiliated herself after revealing that she keeps letting her baby fall off the bed when she could just stop playing with him on it

Time to cut the cord! We hope this doesn't show up on her throwbacks in years to come as this mother has shown herself to have no willpower when it comes to weaning her child, despite having no milk

Try counselling! Everyone knows it would be bad if she "accidentally"got pregnant. But it's also bad for posting these intentions on social media and hoping for advice

Uncomfortable: While everyone is entitled to their opinion and how they feel, it may not be fair to be posting this on social media as it could spark controversary and arguments - plus damage the reputation of midwives in their local area
Savannah Chrisley has claimed that executives of Chrisley Knows Best would not allow discussion about their legal troubles on the show - while revealing that it made the family feel 'fake'.

The 25-year-old took to her podcast, Unlocked, to reveal that the family were left feeling 'like fakes' after being instructed not to mention the trial following their indictment in 2019.

Her parents, Todd, 53, and Julie, 50, were found guilty of taking part in a $30million tax fraud scheme.

The pair were sentenced to 12 and seven years behind bars respectively and started their prison terms in mid-January.

Savannah Chrisley has claimed that executives of Chrisley Knows Best would not allow the family (pictured) to talk about their legal troubles on the show

Speaking on the latest episode, released on March 7, Savannah told SiriusXM's Storme Warren: 'All throughout the years, even like everything my parents have been going through, we were never allowed to speak about it.

'So we felt like the liars. We felt like the fakes because we're like, we just want to talk about it. But executives would not allow us to speak about it.

'And so then we look like the liars and that we didn't talk about it and it's a catch 22.'

She concluded: 'It literally will eat you alive because I have gotten to the point where I'm like, I don't even know if I know who I am.'

Savannah did not name the USA Network executives that were involved.

FEMAIL has contacted Maverick TV USA, which produces the show, and NBC Universal, the USA Network's parent company, for comment.

Episodes from the show's tenth season, which were shot prior to the trial, began airing on the channel in February with little fanfare.

Earlier this month, fans of Chrisley Knows Best were stunned to see that Todd had bought a classic convertible that cost up to $250,000 before going to prison.

The 25-year-old (pictured with Todd) took to her podcast to reveal that the family were left feeling 'like fakes' after being instructed not to mention the trial following their indictment in 2019

Her parents, Todd, 53, and Julie, 50, (pictured together) were found guilty of taking part in a $30million tax fraud scheme

The former reality TV star, 53, flaunted his lavish purchase in an episode that was filmed before he was put behind bars.

Money worries seemed to be the last thing on his mind as he introduced his pristine 1960 Chevrolet Corvette.

His father-in-law marveled at the car and quizzed him about its internal systems.

But Todd simply responded: 'Well I wouldn't know about those kinds of things. I bought it because I look good in it.'

The purchase came just months before he was convicted for his part in a $30million tax fraud.

He and wife Julie are currently serving out their time at two separate facilities, Todd's is in Pensacola, Florida, and Julie's is in Lexington, Kentucky.

Earlier this month, fans of Chrisley Knows Best were stunned to see that Todd had bought a classic convertible that cost up to $250,000 before going to prison

Money worries seemed to be the last thing on his mind as he introduced his pristine 1960 Chevrolet Corvette

The stars (pictured in 2014) rose to fame thanks to their USA reality show Chrisley Knows Best which premiered in 2014 and documented their day-to-day lives alongside their children

The stars rose to fame thanks to their USA reality show Chrisley Knows Best, which premiered in 2014 and documented their day-to-day lives alongside their children.

In the series, Todd and Julie worked hard to portray the image of devoted parents and devout Christians.

But their picture-perfect on-screen images were ripped apart when it was brought to light that they had scammed the bank by submitting fake documents when applying for loans.

In addition, Todd's former business partner Mark Braddock shocked the world when he claimed that he had a gay love affair with the father-of-five during the trial - further shattering the reality star's long-cultivated reputation.

While on the stand, Mark, 57, told the court that he and Todd engaged in a brief romance in the early 2000s , while speaking in detail about Todd's crimes.
This photo shows Shim Hyeon-jeong working on her artwork when she was a student at Seoul National University College of Fine Arts in Seoul. Courtesy of Shim Hyeon-jeong



Fine art graduate dreams of authoring illustrated textbooks for doctors



By Jung Min-ho



Some people are born with extraordinary talent, but struggle to find a way in life to make the most of it.



Shim Hyeon-jeong always had an artistic flair, which eventually led her to Seoul National University College of Fine Arts, a prestigious school where she majored in sculpture. Becoming an artist had appeared to be her natural next choice after graduation until she decided to pursue her new dream of becoming a doctor.



"It was my little brother with an intellectual disability who motivated me to open my eyes to other fields of study. Taking a psychology class made me wonder whether there could be an answer to why my brother and other people like him think and act differently. That was the first time I thought that I could do something different other than fine arts," Shim, 37, said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.



Her insatiable curiosity led her deep into the subject and later to an autism research center at Severance Hospital in Seoul.



"While working with doctors, I started to think that having a medical degree would allow me to do much more to study the field," she said.



Getting into a medical school after all those years devoted to the world of art was extremely challenging, to say the least, she said. But a sense of purpose kept her going. In 2017, Shim was finally admitted to Cha University.



"I still did not have any specific career plan. I wanted to be an obstetrician, but I wasn't sure if it really was for me. And everything became clear to me when I received my first surgical training," she said.





This photo shows internal organs illustrated by Shim Hyeon-jeong. Courtesy of Shim Hyeon-jeong
Shes already proven herself to be a royal action woman on the sports field. Now meet Combat Kate.

Dressed in military fatigues, boots, gloves and a woolly hat the Princess of Wales, 41, was almost unrecognisable as she dressed in camouflage kit for the engagement at the snowy Salisbury Plain Training Area this morning.

With her hair pulled back in a sensible plait, Kate managed to look stylish in camouflage as she got stuck into a battlefield casualty drill during her first official duty as the new Colonel of the Irish Guards.

Crouching in the snow, she held the soldiers leg as she was shown how to wrap the wound and check the casualtys vital signs during basic battlefield first aid training.

As she placed a tourniquet  used to stop heavy bleeding  on his calf, the Princess apologised and said: Its the first time Ive done this.

Today's appearance marks the first time Kate has visited the Irish Guards in her new position as honorary Colonel - she was promoted to her first Army role in December, taking over the position from Prince William.

It comes as Kate's brother-in-law Prince Harry and Meghan Markle revealed they have christened her niece 'Princess Lilibet Diana' in a small ceremony at their home in California.

The Princess of Wales showcased her down-to-earth nature as she visited the Irish Guards for the first time since becoming honorary Colonel today

There, the royal mother-of-three took part in a training exercise which saw her learning how to carry out battlefield casualty drills to deliver care to injured soldiers

Kate enthusiastically asked questions about the different first aid methods used by medics in the Army as she tended to the fake injury during the casualty simulation. She then applied a second tourniquet and Celox gauze  also used to stop bleeding  to the soldier with the fake leg injury and chest gunshot wound.

Lance Corporal Jodie Newell, 25, who was in charge of teaching the Princess first aid, said: I was so nervous  Im teaching the Princess of Wales med [medicine]  it was an honour.

We were just showing her what we medics do in the Army. She was actually really good, really eager to take part. L/Cpl Newell added that Kate took it all in her stride, like she has done it before and that it was amazing to have her visit the training area, particularly on International Womens Day.

Afterwards the Princess said that taking part in military first aid exercises brought the realities of their training to life.

She said that the battlefield casualty drills, complete with fake gun fire and explosions, just brought it all to life.

The Princess also learnt about anti-vehicle and anti-personnel mine clearance and viewed the weapons systems used by the Irish Guards. As part of the visit, she met guardsmen of No 1 and No 2 companies, who told her about their recent experiences training park rangers in East Africa in methods to counter poaching.

She could be seen crouching down in the snow as she took part in the exercise as well as inspecting machinery

Kate Middleton was almost unrecognisable as she dressed in camouflage kit for the engagement at the snowy Salisbury Plain Training Area this morning

Despite the cold weather, Kate appeared in good spirtis and was enthusiastic as she spoke with members of the Irish Guards

She asked whether a lot of the training was around education and building better relationships in their communities, to which the soldier responded that their focus was to help the locals take ownership of their training. The Princess then went on to receive a briefing on counter-explosive ordnance  used to detect explosives such as mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs)  which form part of the demining training currently being delivered by the Irish Guards to Ukrainian soldiers.

The Princess swept her brunette locks into a plait for the occasion today, and kept warm by wearing a beanie hat.

Meanwhile she kept her makeup neutral, with a sweep of dark eyeliner across her lid and a touch of nude lipstick.

She opted for her 155 Berghaus Supalite hiking boots for the engagement, which she has worn on a number of other occasions over the past few years.

Kate has long accompanied her husband to the St Patrick's Day parades of the Irish Guards, handing out sprigs of shamrock  but now will be the regiment's honorary colonel in her own right.

During one exercise, she assisted Lance Corporal Jodie Newell in administering first aid. She applied a tourniquet to his lower left leg to stop the bleeding.

The soldier was then moved onto a stretcher where Kate helped with assessing him for further injuries to his torso.

She was taken on a tour of the Salisbury Plain training area by Major General Christopher Ghika, commander of the Army in London and the Household Division, and Lieutenant Colonel James Aldridge, commander of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards.

Kate heard first-hand about the work members of the battalion have undertaken recently, including meeting guardsmen who have been deployed on security work in Africa, which includes training park rangers on counter-poaching operations.

The royal, who a green combat uniform with the rank of colonel, also received a briefing on counter-explosive ordnance - the de-mining training being delivered by the Irish Guards to Ukrainian armed forces.

Finally, she viewed several of the different types of weapons used by the Irish Guards.

Lieutenant Colonel Aldridge said his battalion was delighted to welcome Kate to Salisbury Plain for her first visit as Royal Colonel.

He said: 'It is particularly fitting on International Women's Day that a few of our female soldiers met such an inspiring female role model.

'It is a real honour for all the guardsmen to meet their Royal Colonel in the field here on Salisbury Plain and demonstrate a few of our basic operational skills.'

Buckingham Palace announced Kate's new role in December, ahead of this year's Trooping the Colour, which has marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for more than 250 years.

The King's Birthday Parade  Charles's first  will take place on the slightly later date of June 17. The King's actual birthday is November 14.

The Princess got stuck into the training exercise, despite the freezing weather, during her visit earlier today

During one exercise, the Princess could be seen helping to treat a 'wounded soldier' during the snowy visit

The royal mother-of-three took part in a training exercise which saw her learning how to carry out battlefield casualty drills to deliver care to injured soldiers

The Princess appeared to be listening intently as she spoke with the soldiers during the exercise

The Princess has been learning how to treat battlefield casualties during a training exercise with the 1st Battalion Irish Guards on Salisbury Plain on her first visit to the regiment since becoming honorary Colonel

Action Queen! The Princess of Wales kept warm from the freezing weather with a green beanie hat and jumper

Today's appearance marks the first time Kate has visited the Irish Guards in her new position as honorary Colonel - she was promoted to her first Army role in December, taking over the position from Prince William

It will see the Household Division on Horse Guards Parade, with the monarch attending and taking the salute. There are seven regiments of the senior military unit, which is responsible for delivering state ceremonial and public duties.

The reigning monarch normally holds the appointment of colonel-in-chief of the regiments, but each one also has a colonel who is normally either a member of the Royal Family or a senior officer.

The Irish Guards have been a part of the British army since 1900, when they were founded by a royal decree from Queen Victoria to commemorate the Irishmen who died fighting during the Boer War.

Since then, the Guards, who, like all Guards regiments boasted the late Queen as their colonel-in-chief, have fought in all the major 20th century conflicts and, more recently, led the British advance into Basra during the Iraq War in 2003.

The Irish Guards were also among the last units to be deployed to Afghanistan and in 2013, were drafted in to play a mentoring role for local Afghan troops before being returned to the UK in time for the Queen's birthday parade.

The visit concluded with The Princess viewing a demonstration of the weapon systems used by the Irish Guards

Despite the freezing temperature and snowy conditions, Kate was in high spirits for the royal visit today

The Princess was beaming with laughter as she chatted the soldiers during the visit earlier today

She opted for her 155 Berghaus Supalite hiking boots for the engagement, which she has worn on a number of other occasions over the past few years

The Princess strode through the snow during her visit to the Irish Guards, on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire

The Princess, who is known for her down-to-earth nature, appeared unphased by the snowy weather and happy to chat with soldiers during her visit

The Princess looked elegant in her khaki outfit, sweeping her brunette locks into a plait for the outing

Today's engagement from Kate came as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed they had hosted a religious ceremony to christen their daughter Lilibet last Friday which was carried out by the Bishop of Los Angeles, the Reverend John Taylor

Today's engagement from Kate came as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed they had hosted a religious ceremony to christen their daughter Lilibet last Friday which was carried out by the Bishop of Los Angeles, the Reverend John Taylor.

The couple have been entitled to use 'Princess' for Lilibet since the accession to the throne of King Charles last September - and have now chosen to do so.

It has been claimed that King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate were all invited to the christening but did not attend - although Buckingham Palace has not confirmed this.

A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said today: 'I can confirm that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on Friday, March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor.'

It is the first time Lili has been publicly referred to as princess. It is also understood that HRH will be 'held in abeyance', which describes a state of temporary disuse.

The royal mother-of-three was beaming with joy as she chatted with the Irish Guards during her visit today

Today's appearance marks the first time Kate has visited the Irish Guards in her new position as Colonel - she was promoted to her first Army role in December, taking over the position from Prince William

The Princess also spoke with Guardsmen of Number One and Number Two Company, who have been recently deployed on Security Force Assistance tasks across East Africa in which they train and assist foreign forces

The Princess swept her brunette locks into a plait for the occasion today, keeping her makeup neutral

Buckingham Palace currently refers to Lilibet as 'Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor'.

The title is in line with the precedent created by letters patent issued by George V in 1917 which conferred Prince or Princess on male line grandchildren of the Sovereign.

It is understood 21-month-old Lili's title of princess and Archie's title as a prince will be used in formal settings, but not in everyday conversational use by the couple.

Royal journalist Omid Scobie, who is close to the Sussexes, reported that 'King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Kate were invited but didn't attend'. It is not known whether any other Royal Family members were present.

People magazine reported that there were between 20 and 30 guests at the event, including Meghan's mother Doria Ragland and Lilibet's godfather Tyler Perry.

The filmmaker had been spotted paying a visit to Harry and Meghan's Montecito home last Friday and at a airport in Los Angeles where he boarded his private jet.
Experts are warning a TikTok filter which is offering users a flawless complexion without any technical glitches 'threatens the mental health' of app users.

Social media users are going into meltdown over the platform's new 'Bold Glamour' filter, which has been used over 15 million times after being launched this month.

The effect lets the person look like a thick layer of makeup has been piled on the user's face, and irons out any skin spots.

However professionals are now calling the filter 'profoundly disturbing', warning it could have a damaging impact on people's lives.

Lucy Thorpe, head of policy at the Mental Health Foundation, told The Times: 'Young people in particular are under enormous pressure to look a certain way. The solution definitely doesn't lie in encouraging them to change their image.

Experts are warning a TikTok filter which is offering users a flawless complexion without any technical glitches 'threatens the mental health' of app users (left and right, Joanna Kenny, from the Lake District, shared a video as she used the filter)

'We need to create a culture that values people for who they are and not how they look.'

Meanwhile TikTok user Joanna Kenny, from the Lake District, shared a video as she used the filter, saying: 'I don't look anything like this, but the filter itself looks natural.

'I actually look ugly when I take this filter off. I've done a lot of work to unlearn that I owe prettiness to anyone.

'I don't think my brain knows how to deal with looking like this one minute and then this the next.'

MPs have also been weighing in on the subject, with Dr Luke Evans sharing a video on the platform saying: 'We need to talk about this filter.'

He told The Times: 'Ive seen clips of people applying it [the filter] and saying it sets an unrealistic standard they cant meet and that it cant be good for anyones mental state its hard to argue against this.'

Even before experts warned of the damage the filter could cause, the freakishly perfect looks had been unsettling people as they are flummoxed by how real it looks.

TikTok user Zoe George, from Australia, posted a video of her trying out the filter online, writing: 'So there's this new filter on TikTok and it's perfect, look at it.

'You used to do that with an old filter [covers eye] and you would see the lashes on your hand, like it would glitch.'

A TikTok filter which is offering users a flawless complexion without any technical glitches is leaving users of the app concerned (left, one user without the filter, and right, with the filter)

Posting under the user name @zoe_george_ she continued: 'But look how perfect, I am wearing no make up right now, this is all a filter and it's just scary.'

Elsewhere, users expressed their concern over the new addition to the popular video sharing platform.

Samantha Hoy, from London, tried the filter on TikTok and said she was extremely concerned with the results.

She explained: 'I do not look like this and normally when you put your hand over your face, it comes off.

'This is not me. How toxic is this filter? And what is it teaching young kids of today?'

Posting under the username @amor_style_life, she continued: 'This is why so many people get so upset and think they should look like other people when realistically that is not them.'

Explaining how the filter creates a natural look, even enhancing pores and giving a natural glow, she then went on to say why it is dangerous.

She said: 'This is just so unfair on the youngsters that we are bringing up today in this world.

'They will look at this and think 'oh my God her make up is flawless, her skin is flawless, she just looks unreal.''

It doesn't look like a filter at all as however much you wiggle your eyebrows or cover your face, it doesn't glitch.

Samantha Hoy, from London, tried the filter on TikTok and said she was extremely concerned with the results (left, without the filter, and right, with it

To test the filter out, a Swedish Linus Ekenstam shared a video on Twitter as he pulled a range of facial expressions to see how easily it would glitch.

He wrote: 'I'm giving it a hard time here and it glitches just once when I'm covering my entire face.'

On Friday, Australian star Abbie Chatfield slammed the trend, hailing it as 'toxic' and 'harmful'.

The Aussie reality TV star, 27, unleashed on the viral Bold Glamour beauty filter which has stirred up some controversy in recent days.

Meanwhile, the former Bachelor contestant warned the filter as being harmful, and her fans were on board with her viewpoint.

This new AI powered beauty filter from TikTok is just insane.



Im giving it a hard time here and it glitches just once when Im covering my entire face.



Bold Glamour by TikTok pic.twitter.com/ScScU3AMaZ  Linus () (@LinusEkenstam) February 27, 2023

To test the filter out, a Swedish Linus Ekenstam shared a video as he pulled a range of facial expressions to see how easily it would glitch

Abbie Chatfield has slammed one of TikTok's latest trends, hailing it as 'toxic' and 'harmful'. The Aussie reality TV star, 27, unleashed on the viral Body Glamour beauty filter which has stirred up some controversy in recent days

So she uploaded her version which went on to accumulate 192,000 views, altering her look and showing the contrast of when no edits were made.

'If I wasn't a full grown adult, this would rot my brain to be honest,' her text read on top of the video.

She added in the caption alongside the video: 'Like it's funny but also this is so toxic'.

A variety of fans commented they didn't recognise her with the filter on, and said they preferred when her look when it wasn't used.

This isn't the first filter that TikTok has come under fire for, with the launch of its Teenage Filter last month.

Doing what it says on the packet, the teenager filter makes your face looks younger.

The default setting will require a passcode to continue scrolling through the app once the time limit is hit, but teens can opt out of the feature if they want.

And profiles owned by users aged 13 to 15 will also be set to private automatically.

The China-based company is also set to give parents and guardians more control, allowing them to mute notifications in their children's app during specific times of the day.

TikTok did not confirm an exact date for the new features to be rolled out, but confirmed it would be 'in the coming weeks.'
Sleet and snow fell across southern England and south Wales overnight while scattered snow and hail showers impacted parts of Scotland as the Arctic blast intensifies.

Just like us, animals can suffer in the cold weather, and with the UK currently experiencing a freezing snap, it's worth making sure you are taking the right precautions when it comes to your dog.

Many dogs love playing in the snow, and it is crucial they stay warm while doing so. Some breeds grow thick coats which will keep them warm.

But according to Dogs Trust, some breeds - notably shorter haired pooches - as well as some puppies will need a little extra help in the shape of a Winter coat.

Just like us, animals can suffer in the cold weather, and with the UK currently experiencing a freezing snap, it's worth making sure you are taking the right precautions when it comes to your dog (stock photo)

Not all canines enjoy wearing coats at first, so the charity recommends getting your pooch used to it by introducing the garment in a 'gradual and positive way'.

When it comes to what your pet should be wearing, consider opting for designs with light reflective features, so your dog is highly visible to drivers as well as other walkers.

Once your dog is suitably attired for walking, there are things to bear in mind while out and about.

This includes keeping your dog on a lead, since snow can cover areas that aren't safe, so keeping your animal close to you prevents them from exploring unsafe surroundings, Dogs Trust explained.

It's also important not to let your dog play on ice-covered bodies of water like ponds, as the ice could crack under their weight.

Most people who walk a dog in hot weather know to check the temperature of the ground to avoid injuries to their pet's paws.

According to TikToker and veterinarian, Ben the Vet, snowy weather can also pose an issue to pet's paws.

In a recent video he shared about keeping your dog safe in the snow, he revealed that when it comes to snowy weather, it is crucial to check your dog's paws regularly, as snow can get in between their toes, and get compacted, which can be extremely painful.

Moreover, rock salt, used to help de-ice roads and pavements in winter, can irritate your dog's paws - and can be dangerous if ingested.

The RSPCA say: 'It is difficult to say how much needs to be eaten for signs of toxicity to be seen. Even a small amount of pure salt can be very dangerous to pets.

'Ingestion can result in a high blood sodium concentration which can cause thirst, vomiting and lethargy, and in severe cases there is a risk of convulsions and kidney damage.

'It is important to thoroughly wipe your pets feet and the fur on his/her legs and tummy after a walk or time outside. Any animal suspected of ingestion of rock salt must be assessed by a vet immediately.'

Academics from Tufts University, in Massachusetts, suggest temperatures between -1C and 4C are 'potentially unsafe' for small and medium sized dogs, reported NationalWorld.

The 'potentially unsafe' temperatures for large dogs, meanwhile, are -6C and 1C.

The academics also suggested potentially dangerous temperatures are -4C for small dogs, and between -4C to -9C for medium dogs. As such, animals shouldn't be exposed to these temperatures for a long period of time, they warned pet owners.
The latest Royal Ascot Style Guide has embraced recycled fashion, offering up stylish edits on pre-loved, vintage and rental outfits to suit every budget - and is even encouraging racegoers to 'raid grandmas hat box and scour charity shops'.

The racing event, which this year takes place from June 20th to June 24th and is seen by many as the calendar highlight of the British summer season, published its annual fashion guide, the 12th of its kind, today.

Renamed The Royal Ascot Lookbook, the guide offers ideas and inspiration for spectators attending the society meet and this year includes six bold edits: Luxe, Tailoring, Pre-Loved & Rental, Vintage, High Street and Emerging Designer.

Organisers said the Lookbook, which was shot by fashion photographer Damian Foxe and styled by Luke Jefferson Day, 'sees the British racing institution take a new direction', which 'encapsulates the zeitgeist of occasion wear dressing for the spring/summer 2023 season.'

Unveiled today, The Royal Ascot Lookbook, a new version of the British race meet's annual style guide, features six 'daring' edits: Luxe, Tailoring, Pre-Loved & Rental, Vintage, High Street and Emerging Designer

Brands featured include the likes of Gucci, Jaquemus, Charles Jeffery LOVERBOY, Favourbrook and S.S Daley, as well as sustainable rental pieces from HURR.

The event said they want spectators - some 60,000 on a daily basis - to 'look beyond the rules and regulations to dream up an outfit which is authentic to personal style and shopping habits, that can suit every budget' and hoped the historic Berkshire course would be 'brimming with colour and energy' come June.

This bright red ensemble features in the Tailoring edit; organisers at Royal Ascot said they hoped spectators attending the event in late June (20th to 24th) would 'brim with colour and energy'

The High Street edit offers up outfits from LK Bennett, Sandro, All Saints and Reformation

Event organisers say the Lookbook 'encapsulates' the zeitgeist of occasion wear dressing for the spring/summer 2023 season'

The Lookbook's Luxe edit shows off more expensive, cutting-edge couture with gowns by Roksanda, mirrored suiting by Gucci and a new take on three-piece morning dress by Favourbrook

In 2022, the race relaxed hem lines for ladies attending the event - and this year has embraced the pre-loved market, encouraging racegoers to find 'authentic' outfits

Felicity Barnard, Commercial Director, Ascot Racecourse said: 'There are very few events that allow people to embrace dressing for a special occasion on such a global scale and each year Royal Ascot becomes the most followed display of sartorial elegance and individual flair  a true celebration of style that is woven into the very fabric of Ascots DNA.'

She added: 'I look forward to seeing the racecourse brimming with colour and energy as we head into the spring/summer season.'

A Vintage edit features 1980s skirt suits by Thierry Mugler, preppy blazers by Vivienne Westwood and flamboyant fuchsia silhouettes

The edits see extravagant shoots, masterminded by photographer Damian Foxe and stylist Luke Jefferson Day

The historic race welcomes some 60,000 specators on each day of the four-day meet

'Soft, buttery' gowns by Roksanda, pictured, feature in the Luxe edit

Racegoers should 'raid grandmas hat box and scour charity shops' to recreate erstwhile fashion looks

Brands which hire out couture, including HURR, Selfridges Rental, Moss Bros and Oliver Brown, also feature

After embracing traditional formalwear for decades, the historic event eased the previously strict sartorial guidelines in 2022 to include a higher hem for ladies.

While formality remains in the Royal Enclosure, a more relaxed approach is now allowed elsewhere, with exuberant occasion wear positively encouraged.

The pre-loved and rental edits in this year's Lookbook focus firmly on sustainable fashion - including hireable outfits from brands including HURR, Selfridges Rental, Moss Bros and Oliver Brown.

The Lookbook's Luxe edit shows off more expensive, cutting-edge couture with gowns by Roksanda, mirrored suiting by Gucci and a new take on three-piece morning dress by Favourbrook.

A Vintage edit features 1980s skirt suits by Thierry Mugler, preppy blazers by Vivienne Westwood and flamboyant fuchsia silhouettes, while a High Street edit offers up outfits from LK Bennett, Sandro, All Saints and Reformation.
Princess Iman of Jordan gave a touching nod to her parent's wedding day as she took part in her henna ceremony yesterday ahead of her own nuptials on Sunday.

Princess Iman, 25, is the second-born child of Queen Rania, 51, and King Abdullah II, 60, and is due to marry her partner Jameel Alexander Thermiotis on March 12.

It was announced last July that Princess Iman was engaged to Venezuela-born Jameel, who is around two years older than the princess and works as a Managing Partner for a Venture Capital fund based in New York.

And last night celebrations began, as Queen Rania hosted a henna party for her daughter.

The bride donned an embroidered white dress by Reema Dahbour, a Jordanian-Palestinian fashion designer, which she paired with the same white and gold belt Queen Rania wore for her own wedding to King Abdullah II in 1993.

Princess Iman of Jordan, 25, gave a touching nod to her parent's wedding day as she took part in her henna ceremony yesterday ahead of her own nuptials on Sunday

Last night celebrations began as Queen Rania hosted a henna party for her daughter (pictured, Queen Rania with Princess Aisha bint Hussein, Princess Iman bint Abdullah, Princess Muna al-Hussein and Princess Zein bint Hussein)

In photographs released from the event, Princess Iman looked elegant in the white gown.

The Princess wore her hair in loose waves around her face, and opted for a touch of eyeliner for the occasion.

Meanwhile Queen Rania donned a warm red ensemble for the occasion, holding hands with guests and offering her daughter a warm hug.

The two royals posed for a snap with Princess Aisha bint Hussein, Princess Muna al-Hussein and Princess Zein bint Hussein.

It comes after Queen Rania shared a stunning new photograph of Princess Iman wearing her tiara.

Queen Rania shared a video on Instagram yesterday in tribute to her daughter, with a number of pictures appearing in the montage - including a photograph of the 25-year-old in her glittering diamond tiara.

The 51-year-old wrote: 'After a week, God willing, I will see you as a bride... I put you in the name of God, Iman, the basil of the house... May God help you and enlighten your path.'

'The first time I held my baby girl, I knew my life would never be the same. In a week, she will be a bride.'

Queen Rania continued: 'My precious Iman, I am so happy for you and so proud of everything that you are.'

The bride donned an embroidered white dress by Reema Dahbour, a Jordanian-Palestinian fashion designer, which she paired with the same white and gold belt Queen Rania wore for her own wedding to King Abdullah II in 1993 (pictured: Queen Rania)

Queen Rania offered her daughter Princess Iman a hug during the ceremony, which took place last night

Meanwhile she added: 'Thanks to the creative artist Elissa for the dedication and to the great artist Marwan Khoury for lyrics and melodies... Heart touching voice and expressive words.

'Thank you to the very talented @elissazkh and to the brilliant @imarwankhoury for this wonderful gift and for your amazing ability to capture sentiments so beautifully.'

Queen Rania first wore her Diamond Tiara for a spectacular State Banquet hosted by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in Windsor Castle in 2001. She wore it again for a portrait that same year.

It is possible the snap was a hint at the tiara which Iman will wear on her wedding day.

The engagement announcement last year was a delightful surprise for royal fans, since the couple have kept their relationship under wraps , and it was not clear how long they have been dating.

In personal statement shared on her Instagram account, Queen Rania said: 'Congratulations my dearest Iman; your smile has always been a gift of love that Ive cherished since the day you were born. I wish you and Jameel a life filled with love and laughter!'

Queen Rania appeared in high spirits at the event, chatting to guests and holding hands with attendees

It was announced last July that Princess Iman was engaged to Venezuela-born Jameel, who is around two years older than the princess and works as a Managing Partner for a Venture Capital fund based in New York

She also shared an official engagement photo of the couple, which showed the couple embracing.

Princess Iman wore a high-necked white dress matched with polished make up and sleek hair in a down 'do.

She has her hand placed on her fiance's chest, showing her square cut engagement ring.

Meanwhile beaming Jameel looks dapper in a navy, two-piece suit, and crisp white shirt.

And the whole family shared their well wishes in a statement shared by the Royal Hashemite Court announcing the betrothal.

Queen Rania shared a stunning new photograph of her daughter Princess Iman wearing her tiara this weekend (left, Princess Iman, and right, Queen Rania in 2001)

It read: 'The Royal Hashemite Court is pleased to announce the engagement of Her Royal Highness Princess Iman bint Abdullah II to Mr. Jameel Alexander Thermiotis, on Tuesday, 5 July 2022, in the presence of Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah, as well as Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, Prince Hashem bin Abdullah II, and Princess Salma bint Abdullah II, in addition to members of Mr. Thermiotis family.

'The Royal Hashemite Court extends its sincere congratulations to Her Royal Highness Princess Iman and Mr. Thermiotis on this occasion and wishes them a lifetime of happiness.'

Sporty Iman royal graduated from International Academy Amman in 2014 and was awarded top female athlete in her class.

She went on to study at Georgetown University in Washington where her older brother Crown Prince Hussein is majored in international history.
Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wowed in a chic grey ensemble during a visit to Slovakia National Gallery in Bratislava.

The Dutch royal, 51, looked stylish alongside King Willem-Alexander on day two of a three day state visit to Slovakia.

The mother-of-three opted for an elegant black cape coat with a matching fascinator.

The queen also added height to her frame with a black stilettos and a matching leather handbag.

Her blonde hair was swept into an up-do under her sophisticated fascinator and she accessorised with pearl drop earrings.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands wowed in a chic grey ensemble during a visit to Slovakia National Gallery in Bratislava

King Willem-Alexander looked smart in a navy tailored suit which he paired with a white shirt and a yellow tie.

It comes amid a busy tour of Slovakia for the couple as yesterday they arrived at M. R. Stefanik Airport in Bratislava.

After their red carpet arrival in the country, Maxima and her husband King Willem travelled to a Welcome Ceremony at the Presidential Palace.

There, they were greeted by President Zuzana Caputova and her partner Juraj Rizman, before the foursome posed for a number of snaps.

The queen accessorised her look with a pair of dazzling blue earrings and a matching brooch.

Her blonde hair was swept into an up-do and she completed her look with navy heeled shoes, a clutch bag and touch of pink lipstick and eye liner.

The Dutch royal, 51, looked stylish alongside King Willem-Alexander on day two of a three day state visit to Slovakia

Maxima is known for sporting some impressive headwear in her outfits, and today was no exception as she stunned in the wide-brimmed hat

The Queen looked elegant as she matched her pearl teardrop earrings with a similar style brooch

Maxima looked on lovingly as her husband, King Willem-Alexander, addressed Dutch people living in Slovakia

The Dutch royals stood on stage and were photographed singing the national anthem as they addressed the crowd

Queen Maxima, a mother-of-three, looked poised as ever while she listened to her husband speak on stage

The mother-of-three opted for an elegant black cape coat with a matching black fascinator

King Willem-Alexander looked smart in a navy tailored suit which he paired with a white shirt and a yellow tie

Maxima and Willem-Alexander also signed the guest book during the meeting at the palace.

It comes amid a busy period for the couple. Last month, Queen Maxima visited a customer contact center helping those struggling with energy bills.

She seemed in high spirits but also eager to learn as she met with staff at the Temporary Emergency Energy Fund, in The Hague.

The mother of three was attentive throughout her visit, where she learnt about the help being given to families struggling with bills.

The fund supports vulnerable households that run into financial difficulties due to high energy prices.

The queen also added height to her frame with a black stilettos and a matching leather handbag

Willem-Alexander and Maxima with President of Slovakia Zuzana Caputova (left) during a visit the National Gallery

Her blonde hair was swept into an up-do under her sophisticated fascinator and she accessorised with pearl drop earrings

The royal couple walked alongside a bright art installation of inflatable colourful balls in the National Gallery

At the National Gallery the couple had a conversation about women emancipation and gender equality at International Women's Day

Meanwhile she also attended the NUL ZES workspace in Eindhoven, which houses designers of all backgrounds.

While there, she met illustrators and architects and also sculptors and artists from Home of Design.

It's the second royal tour for Maxima and Willem-Alexander in recent weeks, after their trip to the Caribbean.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hosted a christening for their daughter Lilibet at their 12million ($14million) mansion in California, it's been revealed today.

The Duke, 38, and Duchess of Sussex, 41, hosted the religious ceremony, which was carried out by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Reverend John Taylor, last Friday.

People magazine reported that there were between 20 and 30 guests at the event, including Meghan's mother Doria Ragland and Lilibet's godfather Tyler Perry.

They were serenaded by a gospel choir, who are believed to have performed Oh Happy Day and This Little Light of Mine  a song that was played at Meghan and Harry's wedding.

Meanwhile an insider revealed that after the ceremony, 'attendees were treated to an afternoon of food and dancing  with Archie enjoying a dance with his little sister!'

A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured in their 2021 Christmas card with Archie and Lilibet) has confirmed the couple threw a christening for 'Princess Lilibet' last week at their 12million Montecito home

A source also told the magazine that Lilibet's aunt and uncle, the Prince and Princess of Wales, grandfather King Charles and step-grandmother, the Queen Consort, had been invited to the event but had not attended.

The news of the christening comes amid speculation over whether the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be at the King's Coronation in the UK, after they received an invitation.

A spokesman for the couple confirmed they had been invited to the ceremony on May 6 (the same day as their eldest child Archie's birthday) but did not comment on whether or not they had accepted the invitation.

Details of the warm ceremony may be seen to reflect Prince Harry's disclosure last weekend that he 'smothers' his children with affection.

Lilibet Diana (pictured on her first birthday in 2022) was christened in a ceremony where guests were serenaded by a gospel choir

Tyler Perry (pictured in the Harry & Meghan documentary on Netflix) flew into Santa Barbara to attend the ceremony in his capacity as Lilibet's godfather

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured on their wedding day in 2018) threw the ceremony at their Montecito mansion

Few details have been given about the christening but it was held in the plush, chic home of Harry and Meghan in Santa Barbara, California, of which royal fans saw glimpses in the couple's Netflix documentary. Pictured: Meghan with Lilibet as a newborn

In an interview with controversial therapist Gabor Mate, the Duke said: 'It leaves me in position now, as a father to two kids of my own, making sure that I smother them with love and affection.'

He had been referring to claims he made in his bombshell memoir Spare that the Royal Family did not often physically touch one another.

It is perhaps no surprise that the couple hosted the party in their own home, as Meghan has previously discussed her attachment to the property as 'free' and full of 'joy'.

Not many details have been given about decorations at the party, although Harry and Meghan's mansion is reported to be kitted out with chic Soho House candles and the couple boast a grand piano in their sitting room, which was gifted to them by Perry.

Speaking in an interview with The Cut last year, Meghan said of her home: 'We did everything we could to get this house. Because you walk in and go... Joy. And exhale. And calm. Its healing. You feel free.'

One of the first features that Meghan and Harry saw was two palm trees, connected together at the bottom, which the Duke claimed represented the loved-up couple.

'And now every day when Archie goes by us, he says, "Hi, Momma. Hi, Papa,"' explained the Duchess.

Harry also featured in the magazine interview, and briefly explained that he is in the middle of renovations for the home  fixing pipes, for example.

Perry's involvement in the ceremony and as Lilibet's godfather is also no surprise as the couple have been close friends with him since their move to the US and often speak fondly of him.

The Hollywood titan was spotted flying to Santa Barbara last week to meet Harry and Meghan, and reportedly changed into a suit before catching up with them  suggesting the dress code was smart for guests in attendance.

While the guests and the family  particularly little Archie  reportedly danced the afternoon away to a playlist which contained some of Harry and Meghan's wedding songs, it is unclear exactly which tunes were played.

However, friend of the Sussexes Idris Elba, who played a DJ set at their wedding reception in 2018, has previously revealed some details of the music he used at that event.

In an appearance on BBC Radio 1Extra, Elba revealed Meghan had specifically requested he play a mix of Whitney Houston's disco hit I Wanna Dance With Somebody, which he said got the crowd going. Another tune Meghan requested was Still D.R.E by Dr Dre.

A song which was most likely played at the christening party which holds special meaning to the Sussexes is 1960 hit Land of a Thousand Dances, to which the couple had their first dance.

Speaking about their wedding reception in 84million ($100million) Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, the Duchess said: 'I just really wanted the music to be fun  even our first dance.'

However, if it was on the christening playlist, Harry was most likely the person who requested it, as Meghan joked in the documentary that she 'always get[s] it wrong' when she tries to think of the name of the track.
The Queen Consort and BAFTA award-winning actress Sarah Lancashire met at Buckingham Palace this afternoon - and it was difficult to tell who was more startstruck.

Camilla, 75, wore a crisp pinstripe skirt suit as she met with Lancashire, 58, who was glamorous in a black maxi dress with a floral pattern.

The beloved actress who is best-known for playing tough copper Sergeant Catherine Cawood in lauded BBC production Happy Valley attended an event at the Palace to mark International Women's Day.

A video of the meeting between the actress and the Queen Consort, posted on Twitter by the Daily Mail's Rebecca English, showed Lancashire looking poised with her thick blonde locks swept into a low bun as she waited to meet Camilla.

She appeared to be standing next to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who returned to the UK last year after being imprisoned in Iran since 2016. Other famous faces present included former ballerina Darcey Bussell, presenter Fiona Bruce, politician Penny Mordaunt, the Prime Ministers wife, Akshata Murty, and actress Rose Ayling-Ellis, who became the first deaf competitor on Strictly Come Dancing.

When Lancashire's turn came to meet Camilla, she beamed, shook her hand and curtseyed and exclaimed: 'I'm so excited to meet you!'

Chuckling, she added: 'I'm so delighted' as the Queen Consort chatted to her.

And it appears Camilla is just as big a fan of Lancashire, as she asked a question that appeared to be about Happy Valley to which the actress replied: 'Well, there's no season four.'

After a long-anticipated series three of the West-Yorkshire based drama which followed Catherine Cawood as she navigated bringing up her grandson Ryan while keeping him away from the clutches of his rapist and murderer father, Tommy Lee Royce, concluded last month, fans who had followed the Sally Wainwright drama from its first series in 2014 were left desperate for more.

It appears the Queen Consort was one such fan as she met with the star of the drama at the Palace, but sadly Wainwright has confirmed the show is finished for good.

Sarah Lancashire, 58, was thrilled to meet the Queen Consort at an International Women's Day event at Buckingham Palace this afternoon - but Camilla seemed to be just as pleased to meet the actress and revealed herself as a huge Happy Valley fan

Lancashire looked starstruck as she curtseyed for Camilla, with the Queen Consort revealing she was just as overwhelmed to meet the actress

The pair appeared deep in conversation as they chatted about the finale of Happy Valley, which aired in February and was the last episode ever

A loving husband! Peter Salmon, who is married to Sarah Lancashire, also attended the reception - and managed to match his outfit with Camilla

Other attendees at the reception were broadcasting legend Fiona Bruce, who was dressed in a tweed jacket, and former ballerina Darcey Bussell, who looked elegant as ever in a green dress and was equally excited to be at Buckingham Palace (pictured beaming, left)

Camilla was pictured chatting to Penny Mordaunt, a senior figure in the Conservative Party who ran for prime minister last autumn

Meghan Barton-Hanson, who is best known for her appearance on Love Island, was also present at the event and chatted to the Queen Consort

The Queen Consort met with many inspirational women at the International Women's Day event at Buckingham Palace inluding Rose Ayling-Ellis (third from left) and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe (furthest right)

Lancashire was one of many guests at the event hosting impressive women living in the UK - pictured with Atlantic Rowers Kathryn Cordinge, Abby Waddilove and Charlotte Irving

Lancashire's biggest fans! The Atlantic rowers seemed overwhelmed to be in the company of one of TV's most loved actresses

Camilla also managed to get a photo with the Atlantic rowers Kathryn Cordinge, Abby Waddilove and Charlotte Irving

Camilla was pictured meeting wtih Ikram Abdi, the first hijab-wearing model to pose for Burberry

Among the guests was the UK's 'first lady' Akshata Murthy, who is married to prime minister Rishi Sunak

Successful women from all industries were present at the reception at Buckingham Palace, including music star Elaine Paige

What a line-up! Camilla posed for a photo with all the impressive attendees at her International Women's Day reception at Buckingham Palace

Common interests: The Queen Consort appeared deep in conversation as she chatted to Fiona Bruce, host of the Antiques Roadshow - after Camilla made a cameo appearance last weekend

Queen Consort Camilla was pictured chatting to broadcaster and host of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour Emma Barnett

Camilla, 75, also met with Inna Prystaik who is married to the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK. Prystaik wore a heart badge made of the Ukrainian flag's colours to show support to her home nation

As the pair continued their discussion, Camilla's words could not quite be made out, however Lancashire said: 'It's the right thing to do,' which may also have been in reference to the end of the programme.

She added: 'We just can't keep doing it' saying it was an 'emotional' project to work on.

Camilla, clearly taken by the talented actress in her presence, continued to ask about Lancashire's future career direction.

The actress revealed: 'Well at the moment, I've just started to produce.'

The Queen Consort's lady-in-waiting joked that the series finale of Happy Valley had been 'traumatic' - although she seemed to also be a huge fan of the show.

Looking humbled by the conversation, Lancashire said: 'Well thank you very much indeed. I'm amazed you found time to watch' before chuckling as the Queen Consort continued to shower her with praise.

After meeting Camilla, Lancashire said: 'What a great cause, its nice to be part of the celebrations. The women here are so inspiring.

Lancashire was dressed in a black dress with black suede boots while the Queen Consort wore a black pinstripe skirt suit

Upon meeting the Queen Consort, Sarah Lancashire shook her hand, curtseyed and exclaimed she was 'so excited' to meet her

The Queen Consort and Sarah Lancashire were deep in conversation as Camilla, 75, asked Lancashire what was next in the pipeline for her career

Lancashire's face lit up as it was her turn to greet the Queen Consort as she said she was 'delighted' to be at the event and beamed

'Ive been so blown away by some of their achievements and by some of their experiences in life, which have been challenging for many.

'Many are here because they have had a much tougher route through life. Its a privilege to meet them.'

At reception after the IWD event, Camilla chatted to Ikram Abi, the first hijab-wearing model to pose for Burberry, and Love Islands Megan Barton-Hanson.

The Queen Consort became president of the Women of the World - WOW - festival in 2015, which raises awareness about issues that prevent women and girls from achieving their potential.

CEO and founder Jude Kelly said: Many of you in this room are representing and speaking for those people who cant be here and are silenced.  The Queen Consort raised her hand when Ms Kelly asked her audience whether they believed that one day there will be gender equality.

The girls in Iran are depending on it, the women of Afghanistan are depending on it, all over the world people are depending on other people having dreams on their behalf and making sure we go forward.  She praised the Queen Consort for her support for WOW and fighting the good fight, dreaming the good dream and being kind to yourself as well as everybody else.

Lancashire rose to fame as a national treasure on the soap Coronation Street, where she played ditzy barmaid Raquel Watts (nee Wolstenhulme) from 1991 to 1996.

She has gone on to appear in Where the Heart Is, Last Tango in Halifax, Kiri, The Accident and most recently as TV chef Julia Child in the HBO series Julia - also winning her fans across the pond.

But the Oldham-born actor, 58, came from humble beginnings, and before her 'big break' in acting starred in local theatre productions and worked as a drama teacher to stay afloat financially before jobs.

As a teenager, Lancashire had little interest in acting and originally set out to work behind the scenes in television.

At the age of 18, she won a place at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where her passion for acting was ignited.

In 1990 she first appeared as Raquel Watts in Corrie and her character married Curly, before walking out on him in 1996 to take an aromatherapy job in Kuala Lumpur.

Since her stint on the cobbles Lancashire has risen up the ranks in the TV world and now has two BAFTAs to her name - both of them for roles in Sally Wainwright dramas.

As well as a gong for Catherine Cawood, she also has a best supporting actress BAFTA for her role as Caroline in Last Tango in Halifax.
The Argentina-based mom said she had to take the kids to the police

Sofi Rodriguez revealed she struggled to tell her identical twins apart

A mom of identical twins has revealed she had to take her babies to a police station to get them fingerprinted because she was unable to tell them apart.

Sofi Rodriguez took to Twitter to joke about winning the 'mother of the year award' after she was forced to ask law enforcement for help with identifying her children.

The Argentina-based mom's confession garnered many responses, with other twins and parents flooding the comments section with similar stories of how they differentiated their kids.

Captioning the viral tweet, which garnered more than 15.2 million views, 'Tomorrow I have to go to the police to have my twins fingerprinted and tell me which one is which, I won the mother of the year award,' Sofi detailed how she struggled to tell her kids apart last week.

Sofi Rodriguez, a mom of identical twins, has revealed she had to take her babies to a police station to get them fingerprinted because she was unable to tell them apart

In another tweet Sofi wrote: 'In the photos they look different but it is because they come from different angles or the light... sets them apart, in person they are the same.'

Sofi revealed that the police officers were unable to identify the babies, so they thought they could use the vaccinations to determine which baby was which.

But doctors seemed to have made a mistake and vaccinated one of the babies twice.

In a later update to the saga, Sofi finally revealed that the National Person's Registry had called her and they were now able to differentiate between the pair.

Another twin on Twitter was quick to share one of their own stories, revealing that he isn't entirely sure if his mom switched him and his brother.

He explained that as children they used to wear bracelets that identified them.

One baby wore the jewelry on his right hand and the other child wore it on his left.

However, when the bracelets fell off one day, the parents were stumped.

They put the bracelets back on without knowing exactly who was who.

'We are almost 30 years old and maybe I am him and he is me,' the Twitter user said in the tweet.

Another mom Conz Preti told Insider that she too was a parent of identical twins and was 'terrified' of confusing them.

She explained that she had initially wanted to pierce her children's ears and have them wear different colored earrings - which is a tradition in Argentina - but, since her babies were born in New York, the nurses were unable to pierce newborn ears.

The Argentina-based mom detailed how she struggled to identify her twins and had to ask police officers for help. Pictured when they were 45 days old

Sofi took to Twitter to joke about winning the 'mother of the year award,' sparking other stories from twins and parents of twins

She then opted to keep the 'Baby A' and 'Baby B' bracelet tags that the hospital gave them.

But, when the babies grew faster than expected she was forced to cut them off.

Then, she began using child-safe nail polish and painted 'one of the twins' toenails blue, and the other pink.'

And while the nail polish helped, Conz also gave Sofi words of supports and reassured her that it would get easier.

After spending time with her children, and as they got older, she began to notice small things that made them look different such as their hairlines and their ears.

Allison LaCross, a midwife who has attended more than 1,000 births, recommended parents be intentional 'about the spaces babies spend time in,' she told Insider.

She suggested always putting one baby on the left side of the bassinet and the other on the right. Allison also said who should chose specific sides for their strollers too.

'As they grow and you get to know your children better, there will be subtle mannerisms, physical features, or personality differences that will help you distinguish one from the other,' she said.
READ MORE: Woman delayed treatment to travel the world with her husband

The mother-of-one has defied doctors' expectations by learning to speak again

A woman who delayed her chemotherapy and radiotherapy to travel the world has defied doctors' expectations by learning to speak again within a month of surgery to remove a brain tumour.

New mother, Carly Beasley, 35, from Chippenham shocked doctors who didn't expect her to regain her speech within a month of brain surgery at Southmead Hospital in August 2022.

The mother-of-one had been told it could take years for her to learn to speak again, but has defied doctors' expectations.

Now new mother, Carly Beasley, 35, (pictured) has surprised her doctors with the rate of which she is learning to speak again after her brain tumour was removed

Carly was working as an account manager when she was diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma at the end of 2017 following a seizure

She said: 'Thanks to the support I have had, I feel it's almost back to how it was before surgery.'

Speaking during Brain Tumour Awareness Month, she told BBC: 'It's been hard to live with my diagnosis and everything that it brings, alongside being a mum.

'I crave my version of normal which is finishing treatment and going back to work.'

Carly described how having her daughter Ivy has helped her through her treatment and that she wants nothing more than to be a working mother.

Carly was working as an account manager when she was diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma at the end of 2017 following a seizure.

Carly was able to delay treatment so that she could travel the world with her husband Kris before having the operation in 2018

In January 2018, Carly went under the knife at Bristol 's Southmead Hospital, where 90 per cent of her tumour was removed in a grueling 14-hour operation

Before her diagnosis, Carly and her husband Kris had planned to go on their honeymoon to South Africa followed by a retreat to Mauritius in November

She explained that she woke up in the middle of the night and went to the bathroom, but doesn't remember anything that followed when she suffered from a seizure.

She said: 'I woke up at about 1.30am and felt like I'd just had a horrific nightmare, I was so scared.'

Prior to her seizure Carly didn't have symptoms.

Carly's tumour was pressing on the part of her brain responsible for speech, movement and emotion, which explained why she woke up with a sense of dread before the seizure.

She was told she had to have an operation to remove the tumour, which she had to be awake for so surgeons could test her speech and reflexes to ensure healthy brain tissue was not damaged.

The couple pictured on their wedding day decided to go to Dubai rather than South Africa as they were concerned about Carly having a seizure while on safari

Before her diagnosis, Carly and her husband Kris had planned to go on their honeymoon to South Africa followed by a retreat to Mauritius in November.

Carly was thankfully still allowed to travel for their honeymoon as the earliest date for operation was in January 2018, but the couple instead went to Dubai rather than South Africa because they were worried about Carly having a seizure while on safari.

In January 2018, Carly went under the knife at Bristol's Southmead Hospital, where 90 per cent of her tumour was removed in a grueling 14-hour operation.

Carly explained: 'I was daunted before going in, but I was determined to get rid of the tumour.

'My surgeon said it was one of the longest awake brain surgeries he had ever performed.

Carly pictured here on a beach in Barbados is happy that her and Kris were able to go on holiday before she embarked on treatment

Carly was told she would need radiotherapy and chemotherapy after surgery, which would leave her unable to conceive naturally - so she would need to have her eggs harvested and IVF treatment to get pregnant. But she ended up falling pregnant naturally before her treatment began

'Once they opened me up and started operating, they realised that the tumour went much further than they thought. It extended down to behind my left ear and because it wasn't one solid mass, it was much harder to operate on.'

Medics removed as much as they could, but stopped after 14 hours for fear of doing lasting damage to Carly's brain.

They then tested the tumour and discovered it was a rare and slow-growing variety called an oligodendroglioma, which had thankfully not spread anywhere else in her body.

In March 2018, doctors gave Carly the devastating prognosis that she may only have another 14 years to live - even with further treatment and despite the team's best efforts.

Carly said she only had three options of treatment - surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy - for her incurable tumour and said she is trying to 'focus on the positives'.

Carly is now waiting for her second round of chemotherapy and has defied doctors' expectations by learning to speak again so quickly

In January 2020, the couple were finally able to fulfill their honeymoon dream of visiting South Africa, spotting lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes and zebras on safari

Carly's next step was radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but she was given the option of delaying the treatment if she wanted to because her cancer was slow-growing.

Carly explained that she wanted to live her life to 'the full' while she still felt 'great' and describes it as the 'best decision' she could have made.

Carly and Kris decided to travel the world across the next few years, visiting Barbados, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, during which time check-up scans showed minimal growth to the tumour.

She said: 'I just thought, "I know I'll need it eventually, but for now I feel great and I want to live my life to the full". So, I decided to delay it, which was the best decision I could have made.'

WHAT IS AN OLIGODENDROGLIOMA BRAIN TUMOUR? Oligodendrogliomas are a rare type of brain tumour that develops from glial cells called oligodendrocytes. They are more common in adults than in children. Symptoms of oligodendroglioma depend on where the tumour is in the brain. Common symptoms include headaches and seizures (fits). Oligodendrogliomas develop from glial cells called oligodendrocytes. These cells make a fatty white substance (myelin) that covers the nerves. Myelin helps signals (impulses) to travel along the nerves more quickly. Oligodendrogliomas are mostly found in the frontal lobe of the cerebrum. They can also start in the spinal cord, but this is rare. Source: Cancer Research Advertisement

In January 2020, the couple were finally able to fulfill their honeymoon dream of visiting South Africa, spotting lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes and zebras on safari.

But, by August that year, not only had the world gone into lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but her doctors said it was time for her to begin her treatment.

Carly was told she would need radiotherapy and chemotherapy after surgery, which would leave her unable to conceive naturally - so she would need to have her eggs harvested and IVF treatment to get pregnant.

She explained she and Kris had been trying for a baby after they got married but it hadn't happened, but now she didn't want to 'wait any more'.

She said: 'All the way through the process, doctors asked me if I wanted to start a family.

'When I was first diagnosed I knew I did, but I just didn't feel ready straight away and did not want to rush into it.

'We had been trying for a baby last year but it hadn't happened - so in November, I decided to go ahead with the surgery. I didn't want to wait any more and if I was meant to have a child naturally, it would happen.'

Carly and Kris incredibly found out they were expecting their first child on New Year's Eve 2020 - just weeks before her surgery, which was scheduled for February.

She gushed: 'It was the best way to start 2021. When I saw the pregnancy test result, I was so happy and overjoyed - it didn't quite feel real.'

Ivy, who is now one-year-old, was born in August 2021 and Carly is preparing herself for her next cycle of chemotherapy.

Carly told the BBC how she struggled with hair loss and has been emotional during her treatment.

Since her diagnosis, the mother-of-one alongside family and friends has raised more than 10,000 for Brain Tumour Research.
This photo, provided by the Ministry of Unification shows Unification Minister Kwon Young-se, right, meeting with British Ambassador to North Korea David Ellis, left, at his office in Seoul, March 8. Yonhap



South Korea's unification minister on Wednesday asked for Britain's role in persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear and missile programs, and return to talks, citing London's diplomatic ties with Pyongyang, his office said.



Kwon Young-se delivered the message as he met with British Ambassador to North Korea David Ellis and its top envoy to South Korea Colin Crooks for discussions on inter-Korean affairs and security issues on the Korean Peninsula, according to the unification ministry.



Kwon asked the British government to play a role in persuading the North to give up the development of nuclear weapons and missile programs, and return to the dialogue table, it said.



Britain established its diplomatic relations with the North in 2000 and opened its embassy in Pyongyang the following year. Currently, the British Embassy in the North is closed due to COVID-19-related restrictions put in place by the North.



The two envoys voiced hope for the early resumption of operations in the British embassy, and vowed cooperation with the international community to resolve the North's nuclear and missile problems, the ministry said. (Yonhap)


For years, Cara Delevingne was the darling of the fashion world after rocketing to supermodel stardom at the age of 10 - in a Bruce Weber shoot for Vogue Italia - but her reputation began publicly unravelling following a series of increasingly erratic outings.

The final straw, it seems, was the publication of pictures that showed her looking distressed at a private airport in Van Nuys, California, after returning from the Burning Man Festival where she was 'not eating all that much and... looked disheveled,' according to a source.

The star was photographed with dark rings around her sunken eyes, as she wandered around in her socks and dropped her phone multiple times.

This week, the 30-year-old reflected on her mental health struggles and addiction battle in a new interview with Vogue, released on Wednesday, after revealing she had checked herself into rehab and committed to a 12-step recovery program.

For years, Cara Delevingne was the darling of the fashion world after rocketing to supermodel stardom - but her reputation began publicly unravelling after a series of increasingly erratic outings

In August, Cara sparked further concern after being spotted sitting alone in her parked car in West Hollywood, and at one point the British-born beauty was seen with a long, round object  resembling a pipe  in her mouth

Speaking to Vogue magazine as their April cover star, she confessed that she hadn't been 'ready' to tackle her demons before, but after finding herself in a 'bad place' she realized she needed to prioritize her recovery.

She added that the 'heartbreaking' images had provided her with an urgent wake-up call and given her the motivation to finally get help.

She told the publication: 'It's heartbreaking because I thought I was having fun, but at some point it was like, "Okay, I don't look well."

'You know, sometimes you need a reality check, so in a way those pictures were something to be grateful for.'

But Cara has been no stranger to controversy, with rumors swirling for years that the supermodel, who has previously been described by friends as 'the life of the party,' was using drugs.

Photographers even caught her holding a small zip lock bag of a mysterious white substance in 2013 - but she insisted that it never got out of control.

The supermodel previously admitted to struggling with depression - even once considering suicide at the height of her fame.

Andin an interview with Stylist magazine, she confessed that she never thought she would live to age 30.

The final straw, it seems, was the publication of pictures that showed her looking disheveled and distressed at a private airport in Van Nuys, California

'Honestly, I didn't think I'd be alive at this age,' she said. 'I literally couldn't wait to turn 30, because the 20s are f**king hard.

'You're basically still a teenager - but you're meant to be an adult and everyone's telling you this is the best time of your life.'

But, having now been sober for about four months, it seems that reaching rock bottom was the motivation she needed to get back on her feet.

Here, FEMAIL takes a look back at the troubling downward spiral that the star is now making a comeback from.

Cara's 'chaotic' childhood: Supermodel first tried alcohol at just seven years old

The supermodel's troubles started at an early age. She was raised by her socialite mother who secretly battled a heroin addiction and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

'It shapes the childhood of every kid whose parent has an addiction. You grow up too quickly because youre parenting your parents,' she said in 2015 of her mother's drug problem, adding: 'My mother's an amazingly strong person with a huge heart, and I adore her.'

She also spoke out about her upbringing to Harper's Bazaar UK, saying: 'Everyone has something they go through with their family. My life, I feel, was very stressful because there was quite a lot of chaos - not being sure if people were OK or not.'

Cara (pictured in her father's arms as a child) said her first experience with alcohol was at seven years old during a family wedding

Cara's socialite mother, who had connections to the royal family, struggled with a heroin addiction and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Pictured: Cara with her mom and sister Chloe in 2014

Cara told Vogue that her first experience with alcohol was at just seven years old, during a family wedding.

'I woke up in my granny's house in my bedroom with a hangover, in a bridesmaid's dress. I'd gone around nailing glasses of Champagne,' she said.

The youngster was then prescribed sleeping pills to manage her insomnia at the age of 10, before being diagnosed with dyspraxia.

The model came out as pansexual in 2020, admitting that she'd struggled with her sexuality as a child, and this had contributed to her mental health issues and self-harm that began at age 15.

'All of a sudden I was hit with a massive wave of depression and anxiety and self-hatred, where the feelings were so painful that I would slam my head against a tree to try to knock myself out,' she said to Vogue.

'I never cut [myself], but I'd scratch myself to the point of bleeding. I just wanted to dematerialize and have someone sweep me away.'

She described her family as 'old-fashioned and repressed' to Variety, explaining that she feared she would 'upset them' if they found out she wasn't straight. This led to her being unable to 'accept' that part of herself.

Cara's mother (pictured right in 2004) was secretly battling a heroin addiction and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder

Her grandmother served as the lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II's sister Princess Margaret, and because of her mother's connections to the royal family, Cara (seen with her parents and siblings) admitted that she grew up 'in the upper class'

'I just didn't want to admit who I was. I didn't want to upset my family. I was deeply unhappy and depressed,' she said. 'When you don't accept a part of yourself or love yourself, it's like you're not there, almost.

'I think holding that thing in was fundamental to why I exploded in the way I did mentally. Once I could talk about my sexuality freely, I wasn't hiding anything anymore, and the person I hid it from the most was myself.'

In her later teen years, Cara was put on what Vogue described as a 'cocktail of psychotropics' and she began smoking pot, but she stated that she was 'completely mental with or without drugs.'

'I couldn't wake up in the morning,' she admitted. 'The worst thing was that I knew I was a lucky girl, and the fact that you would rather be dead... You just feel so guilty for those feelings It's this vicious circle. Like, how dare I feel that way? So you just attack yourself some more.'

She added to Variety that she 'felt so lost' and never had a 'sense of pride.'

'A sense of pride is like a sense of belonging, a family outside your family, a place where you don't have to apologize or feel ashamed,' she said.

'I guess I never felt like I belonged anywhere as a kid. Or I always felt like I didn't belong in my own body. I felt so lost.'

Her recent descent: The cover girl's spiral to rock bottom

The first recent sign that Cara was seemingly on a downwards trajectory was during her 30th birthday celebrations in August last year.

The supermodel looked worse for wear as she was joined by A-list pals including Sienna Miller and Margot Robbie on a lavish yacht trip around the Spanish island of Formentera.

She was photographed tucking into what appeared to be a bowl of frosting before bizarrely smearing it over her lips.

The supermodel looked worse for wear as she smeared frosting over her mouth before grappling with friends

Further pics from the birthday trip showed the supermodel speaking to Margot Robbie very expressively as the pair walked on a beach

Cara then began grappling with pal Adwoa Aboah in an attempt to rub the paste over her too.

Further snapshots from the trip showed the supermodel speaking to Margot Robbie as the pair walked on a beach.

Her facial expressions were exaggerated and she waved her arms as she appeared fully engrossed in the conversation.

Later that same month, she sparked further concern after being spotted sitting alone in her parked car in West Hollywood.

She was photographed taking drops of an unknown liquid from a pipette and smoking in the driver's seat.

At one point, the British-born beauty was seen with a long, round object  resembling a pipe  in her mouth.

She was photographed taking drops of an unknown liquid from a pipette and smoking in the driver's seat

The cover girl proceeded to rub her face exaggeratedly and blow her nose multiple times.

Cara later changed outfits in her car, emerging in a purple Jimi Hendrix T-shirt and a pair of shorts that revealed her bruised legs.

She then threw on sunglasses and a bucket hat and browsed in a sex shop for about 30 minutes.

Just days later, she'd attended the Burning Man Festival - an event held 'in the pursuit of a more creative and connected existence in the world.'

She'd kept a relatively low profile at the gathering, which was hosted last year in the Black Rock Desert.

But sources told DailyMail.com at that time that the model did not eat or shower while at the event.

Cara (pictured at Burning Man in 2016) is a regular attendee of the festival - an event held 'in the pursuit of a more creative and connected existence in the world'

The source said: 'She had just spent days in the desert, not eating all that much and she looked disheveled because she hadn't had time to scrub up yet.'

He went on: 'Her friends are worried about her generally after some erratic behavior, but she has a good group around her.'

The source concluded: 'Her sister was at the festival with her. She wasn't alone and she has her back.'

Once she returned, the former 'It Girl' seemed to have reached rock bottom - as evidenced by her disheveled appearance at Van Nuys Airport.

She was wearing a Britney Spears T-shirt, black joggers and yellow socks - but no shoes.

In a series of pictures and video, she appeared unable to control her movements as she strolled around the private airport, repeatedly bending over and dropping her phone.

The one-time 'It Girl' seemed to have reached rock bottom - as evidenced by her disheveled appearance at Van Nuys Airport in September

The Only Murders in the Building star was wearing a Britney Spears t-shirt, black joggers and yellow socks - but no shoes

Sources said at the time that the Only Murders in the Building star was two hours late for her flight.

She boarded Jay-Z's Puma private jet for about 45 minutes before she disembarked, but it is not clear if she had been asked to leave the plane or not.

A member of the model's party spoke with staff at the airport but, eventually, Cara's bags were removed from the plane and put back in the SUV that she arrived in.

Despite all this, it seems as though the star was able to temporarily put her bizarre behavior on hold as she hit the red carpet for Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show in Simi Valley, California, in early November.

She was all smiles as she donned an electric blue, off-the-shoulder gown with a flowing sheer skirt.

Cara was one of the celebrities, alongside Irina Shayk and Johnny Depp, that dazzled in Rihanna's 'Vol. 4 fashion show,' which aired on Amazon Prime.

The supermodel hit the red carpet for Rihanna's Savage X Fenty Show in Simi Valley, California, in November 2022

In a clip, which was filmed earlier that month, Cara was decked out in a skimpy set of black lace lingerie and positioned amid a sea of models in BDSM gear.

The significance of this appearance was that it was the last public outing Cara made before taking a brief hiatus from the spotlight.

It is not known exactly when the model entered rehab, but she told Vogue this week that her commitment to sobriety is some four months and counting.

The cover girl's comeback: Cara makes a triumphant return to the red carpet

Despite her turbulent lifestyle, it seems as though the beauty may have finally turned a corner, having made a triumphant return to the red carpet during her appearance at the Screen Actors Guild awards in February.

It was the first time she had officially stepped out following her temporary absence from the limelight.

She stunned in a black trouser suit and floor-length cape for the event in California.

The beauty made a triumphant return to the red carpet during her appearance at the Screen Actors Guild awards last month

In an interview with Vogue, which was published on Wednesday, Cara revealed that she had been sober for four months and counting

In the Vogue interview, she explained that she had checked herself into rehab in late 2022 after not seeing a therapist in three years.

The star, who is currently in a relationship with musician Leah Mason, admitted: 'I always thought that the work needs to be done when the times are bad, but actually the work needs to be done when they're good.

'The work needs to be done consistently. It's never going to be fixed or fully healed but I'm okay with that, and that's the difference.'

The model has committed to a 12-step program and now has weekly therapy sessions, having been introduced to psychodrama - in which patients act out events from their past.

Cara has said that she is taking each step at a time, going 'second by second,' but that there are long-term personal goals she is working toward, including motherhood.
As Princess Madeleine announces she will move her family back to her native Sweden, royal fans have speculated reasons as to why she has made the decision.

However one royal blogger may have cracked the case after revealing rules within the Swedish royal family regarding the line of succession.

Gert's Royals posted on Twitter to explain that, in Sweden, members of the royal family must be educated in the country in order to remain in the line of succession to the throne.

The blogger added that Princess Madeleine had been given 'a bit of leeway' in regards to the rules surrounding her children Princess Leonore, nine, Prince Nicolas, seven and Princess Adrienne, four, and their education abroad in the US.

All three of Madeleine's children have been born in America and hold dual citizenship between the US and Sweden with their father, financier Christopher O'Neill, being an American citizen.

Princess Madeleine's family may be moving to Stockholm so her children, Princess Leonore, nine (right), Prince Nicolas (centre) and Princess Adrienne (left) will remain in the line of succession, a royal blogger has speculated

Yesterday it was announced that Princess Madeleine, Chris O'Neill and the three children (plus their rescue dog Oreo) would move to Stockholm 'indefinitely' this August, just in time for the youngest child, Adrienne, to begin school.

The Swedish royal, 40, who has been living in Florida since she married Chris in 2013, has lived a relatively quiet life with the family across the pond, but she remains a patron of many charities in her native Sweden.

Gert's Royals posted on Twitter that, in 2019, Swedish Marshal of the Realm Fredrik Wersall confirmed Princess Madeleine had been 'given a bit of leeway' with her children's education outside the nation.

However, the blogger added Mr Wersall did not speculate on whether the children would lose their place in the line of succession in future years if they were all eduated outside of Sweden.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden, her husband Christopher O'Neill and their children Leonore, Adrienne and Nicolas will be moving from Miami, Florida to Stockholm, Sweden as of August 2023, it has been announced. Pictured: The family at Adrienne's christening in 2018

Just a couple of weeks ago the mother-of-three shared a snap of eldest daughter Leonore as she celebrated her ninth birthday.

She posted a photo of the young royal on Instagram with her blonde hair pulled back, showing off a dainty pair of stud earrings.

She wore lilac shorts paired with a white shirt, with ruffle collar and pink and green floral print.

Underneath the photo, Princess Madeleine wrote: '9 years old today! A very happy birthday to our sweet Leonore who shines everyday!'

Royal fans went wild for the snap, which quickly rounded up over 13k likes and over 300 comments.

The Swedish royal and her family have been living in Florida since the mother-of-three, 40, married US financier Chris in 2013

Despite the family currently living in Miami, Florida, until August, Leonore was born in New York and holds dual American and Swedish citizenship.

Princess Madeleine, Christopher O'Neill and the children also adopted a rescue dog Oreo into the family last year, who will likely be making the move to Stockholm too.

Sharing photos of Oreo on Instagram last year, the Princess said Oreo 'was not treated well and was tied up outside, under the Florida elements, for most of the day and night'.

She added: 'But today, he gets to make us laugh and show us what a tender and loving soul he has.'
Charlotte Gordon was using a treadmill in the gym, headphones on, when a male gym-goer assaulted her.

The work of a moment, he came up behind her, stepped up on to the machine, pushed up against her and kissed her on the shoulder. 'He said: "Good morning!" as if it was perfectly normal behaviour,' says Charlotte, a 44-year-old married mother-of-two, who works in mental health education. 'I was absolutely stunned. I didn't know what to do or say. He walked off while I looked around to see if anyone else had seen what had happened  but it was hard to tell. I didn't quite believe it.'

Charlotte returned to her home in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, feeling shaken. The man in question had 'always made a beeline for me in the gym. When I go to the gym, I just want to work out,' she says.

'I'm fine to say a polite "hello" or "how are you?" but really, I want to be left alone. This man, a good 20 years older than me, would often come over to chat.

'He'd even sit next to me as I was working out and make little comments.

Charlotte Gordon (pictured) was using a treadmill in the gym, headphones on, when a male gym-goer assaulted her

'Other women in the gym had experienced the same thing with him and we'd try to laugh it off, but it was annoying.

'I took to wearing my headphones and always cut off conversations with him quickly. He'd been a bit creepy with me in the past, previously leaning in to greet me with a kiss, but I'd backed off quickly.

'Jumping up behind me and kissing me on the shoulder crossed a line. I feared going back to the gym because I didn't want him to do it again.'

According to a new report, Charlotte's experience is far from unique.

Health club Origym recently revealed that 60 per cent of women have been harassed in a mixed gym and 31 per cent say they would feel safer in women-only fitness areas.

A 2021 U.S. study found over three-quarters of women feel uncomfortable exercising in public due to harassment.

Some of the most common complaints are men standing too close, brushing up against them and making patronising or lewd comments.

More serious offences include stalking and flashing. Yet this growing problem is rarely discussed  or reported.

According to a new report, Charlotte's experience is far from unique. Health club Origym recently revealed that 60 per cent of women have been harassed in a mixed gym

I now do all my training at home which is a shame

For Charlotte, it was her husband's reaction which prompted her to act. 'I told my husband and he actually said I must have done something to make this man think he could do that,' says Charlotte.

'I was so angry and we had a bit of an argument. I knew I hadn't done anything wrong but suddenly felt ashamed.

'It was my husband who said I should call the gym. I phoned and told the manager what time it happened. He watched the video footage while we were still on the phone. I heard the manager say: "Oh no, that's not on, you physically jump out of your skin." I was so glad he said that  I felt vindicated. The manager told me he would ban the man from the gym. My husband was delighted, too. He could see I was shaken up by it.'

The gym's decisive action made all the difference to Charlotte, who could continue going, safe in the knowledge the man wouldn't be there.

'I discovered quite a few women who were all relieved when he was banned,' she says. 'Who do these men think they are? They can't come into gyms and start touching women.

For Charlotte, it was her husband's reaction which prompted her to act and get the 'gym creep' banned

Charlotte pictured at the gym. Some of the most common complaints are men standing too close, brushing up against them and making patronising or lewd comments

'I don't know why we didn't feel that we could do anything about it as a collective. If it hadn't been for my husband urging me to say something, I'd have probably just changed gyms to stop the problem.'

Unchecked, the man would probably have moved on to a new target. A growing number of women believe not enough is being done to combat the toxic gym culture where leering and comments such as 'nice a***' can be commonplace.

Natalee Barnett, a fitness influencer with more than one million followers on TikTok, says gyms are failing women.

As I lay back on the bench, he touched me really inappropriately. I was in shock. I couldnt believe a man would do that in public

She was only 18 when she was sexually assaulted at her local gym five years ago. The student, from South London, had headed for a workout around 9pm  her regular time  and while the gym wasn't busy, there were familiar faces around. She had been a member for over a year and she felt perfectly safe.

'I was sitting in front of the mirrors next to a male gym-goer, who I'd known for a while, and we were talking,' says Natalee, now 23. 'As I laid back on one of the benches, he touched me really inappropriately. I don't want to give exact details as it's too upsetting.

'It was so rapid that at first, I questioned whether it had happened at all. I couldn't believe a man would do such a thing to a woman in a public space.

Natalee Barnett (pictured), a fitness influencer with more than one million followers on TikTok, says gyms are failing women

She revealed that she was only 18 when she was sexually assaulted at her local gym five years ago

'I jumped to my feet, without saying a word and kind of stumbled away. I was in shock. He'd never done anything to make me suspect he'd behave like that. I've no idea why he thought he could get away with it.

'I didn't say anything to any of my family. I was upset and processing what had happened. I've got brothers and knew if they found out they would be very angry.'

The incident made Natalee feel vulnerable and wary of returning. 'I didn't go back for several weeks,' she recalls. 'Thankfully, I was soon heading off to university so I quit. But I'll never forget how vulnerable it made me feel.'

Five years on, Natalee does now train in a mixed gym but is intent on raising awareness of gym harassment through social media. Meanwhile, on TikTok, videos shared with the hashtag #GymCreep  often describing male gym members making women feel uncomfortable  have been viewed more than 60 million times. When Natalee shared a post with the hashtag #gymharassment, it received as many as 40 million views.

She says: 'I ran a survey through my Instagram and got over 300 messages from women and girls telling me what had happened to them.

The student, from South London, had headed for a workout around 9pm  her regular time  and while the gym wasn't busy, there were familiar faces around

She had been a member for over a year and she felt perfectly safe when another gym-goer touched her inappropriately

Five years on, Natalee does now train in a mixed gym but is intent on raising awareness of gym harassment through social media

'I've had girls as young as 16 saying men have slapped them on their bottoms. One woman told me that while she was working out on all fours, a man came up to her and said something lewd.

'Women just want to be able to go to the gym in peace and work out. Most men just want to work out, too, and leave us alone,' says Natalee. 'But there are some who don't understand gym etiquette and think they can assault or film women and that's what we have to try to end.'

So why do some men think it's OK to behave like this?

Do they believe it's rightfully a male-dominated space where women are merely being permitted to enter? That tight Lycra gym clothes are deemed an invitation in the same way a short skirt was once thought to be 'asking for it' on a night out?

'There's lots of research to show that testosterone  the primary sex hormone in men  rises in both men and women when they do strength training and this can heighten feelings of aggression or rage,' says psychologist Dr Audrey Tang.

#GymCreep has been viewed over 60m times

Of course that's in no way an excuse, but 'it could explain why some men behave in a more intimidating way in the gym'.

'It's also worth noting that men perform very differently in front of women than they do in front of other men, often trying to impress them rather than focusing on their own workouts.'

In the meantime, Natalee hopes to set up her own women-only gym. Some may consider single sex gyms a regressive move, which doesn't address the root of the problem  namely misogyny. But Natalee says 'the demand is huge'.

'When I post about women-only gyms, I get messages from all over the world saying, "Open one here!" because women want to work out in a place where they don't feel threatened or harassed.'

It's a compelling argument when you consider that even some members of gym staff are guilty of harassment. Joanna Cates, 23, has experienced sexual assault in two gyms. At the first in Brighton, a male personal trainer who worked there acted inappropriately. 'He just wouldn't leave me alone,' she says. 'Any time I trained, he would find a way to make conversation. He would tell me how I could do my exercises better and that he should train me.

'At first I thought it was just his strong sales pitch and if I did a one-to-one session with him, he might leave me alone.

'So, I said I'd do a session with him. He filmed me doing the exercises he'd shown me, telling me it was for "his content". I felt uncomfortable about it but didn't want to be rude.

'I noticed that the video was never uploaded to his website or Instagram so I worry that he was filming for his own satisfaction. He'd also say really inappropriate things like, "You smell really nice." He would also place his hands on my hips. I tried to move my way out of it  it felt wrong  but you think they're professionals.

One gymgoer on TikTok shared that she felt so uncomfortable by one man's presence, she had her husband come over

'It's only since I've had female personal trainers subsequently, that I realise they don't need to hold you at all, especially without consent.'

When Joanna became increasingly concerned that the messages her personal trainer was sending via WhatsApp and Instagram were far too personal  for example, 'you're so beautiful'  she blocked him. But even that wasn't the end of it. 'He created another Instagram account and continued to message me, even asking why I blocked him,' she says.

'I found that weird and blocked that one too and then lockdown hit so I didn't have to go back to the gym. But weirdly, while out on a walk during lockdown I saw him driving near my house.

'I did begin to wonder if he was stalking me but I couldn't prove anything so didn't report it.'

After lockdown, Joanna moved to Crouch End, North London, where she joined a new gym. But she found men were violating her privacy there too.

She says: 'Two or three men were filming me with their phones surreptitiously and taking pictures of me while I was working out either on the machines or with weights. It really freaked me out.

'I also had a couple of men come up and give me advice on my posture when I didn't ask for it. I began changing my behaviour, not making any eye contact, putting my headphones on and wearing baggier tops so I didn't attract attention. But I disliked the way it was making me feel vulnerable and unsafe. I didn't report it. Maybe I should have done.

'After a few months, I just quit the gym. I now do all my fitness training at home or outdoors, which is a shame, as I used to enjoy the gym when I wasn't being hassled.

'It annoys me that I've had to leave whereas those men are probably still working out and probably hassling other women.'

Do men think tight Lycra is deemed an invitation?

Martha Whitehead, a solicitor from Olliers, which works on harassment cases, says more women should report such incidents.

She explains: 'Women often feel vulnerable to the unwanted attention of men, particularly in situations such as exercising, where men may interrupt, interfere or disturb them by name calling, whistling or commenting on their bodies or activity.

'Some men follow women, refuse to give space to faster runners or swimmers, taunt them by interfering with equipment, photograph and touch or sexually assault them.

One person in this clip was told 'you know that every man will like you right there in that position'

The person in this video revealed: 'I had told him twice before this I didn't need any help and he grabbed the bar and hurt my shoulder'

'I started staring back at him in the mirror,' revealed this person, after claiming a man was staring at them

'I am never coming back to this gym,' revealed this person, after claiming a man was staring at them during their workout

'The latter two would be offences of assault or sexual assault and there is a range of activity involving cameras which is now covered by the extension of the offence of voyeurism to cover up-skirting. But the other behaviours most likely do not amount to harassment. That said, harassment legislation begins to offer protection where it can be identified as a course of behaviour. For this reason reporting, complaining and recording can be important.'

Private gyms have varying harassment policies, but many will ban members if a problem can be proved. Pure Gym say: 'Harassment of any kind is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in any form, by any person, at any time.'

Nuffield Health say they have a 'zero tolerance' to harassment while The Gym Group say: 'We have policies in place to make sure our teams and members know what behaviour isn't acceptable.'

Personal trainer Sam McGowan, who founded The Strong AF Club, a fitness community aimed at helping women to become stronger and fitter without spending all their time in the gym, believes gyms should be more proactive. 'It isn't up to female members of a gym to battle sexual harassment,' she says. 'The staff, organisations and other members who spot this kind of behaviour should be the ones to call it out and not allow it to happen.

'But any woman who feels uncomfortable because of another member should always know that it is well within their rights to report them.

'I've had clients experience harassment  and I've experienced harassment myself  and women always need to know this is not something they simply have to 'put up with'. We just want to work out in peace.'

Some names have been changed.
The midwife pulled the measuring tape around my bump and frowned: 'Your measurements have dropped again,' she said. 'You'll need to come into hospital for a scan and for us to monitor the baby's heart rate.'

I was 50 years old and pregnant with my daughter, Freya. Apparently, the midwife was worried my baby had slightly reduced in size. And because I'd previously had a C-section, I was considered very high risk.

But the truth is, I'd never felt so relaxed in pregnancy. I'd been here before  four times, in fact  and I'd learned to trust my instincts and know when something was wrong.

It wasn't just my pregnant body I knew well, of course; by then, I was also very familiar with the UK's maternity services. Indeed, if anyone is better qualified to understand the way in which giving birth on the NHS has changed  or not  over the past 25 years, I'd like to meet them. For in every decade of my adult life, I have had one or more child: one in my 20s, one in my 30s, two in my 40s, and one at the grand old age of 50.

More often it's men who have babies spread out over many years. Last month, the actor Jude Law was reported to have welcomed his seventh child, with at least one baby born in each decade since his 20s.

Complete family: Jacqueline with four of her brood of five. From left to right: Jacqueline, 50; Corey, 25; Luke, 16; Lila, 12; Maya, seven

Thanks to a combination of modern technology (four of my children were born using sperm donors), and lifestyle changes (I was a single parent to all five of them) within certain biological constraints, women, too, can choose precisely when they want to welcome their newborns.

Indeed, new figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of births to women over 40 now exceeds births to those under 20.

I can only hope that this significant societal change is reflected in the way mums-to-be are treated, and that they are finally able to assert themselves and make their opinions heard.

For in my extensive experience, while some things about the NHS birthing experience have changed for the better since I had my first in 1997, the attitude of medical staff towards pregnant and labouring women is still patronising, belittling and misogynistic.

The system still treats the woman as passive patient rather than active participant in her own labour. No matter how experienced she is, without proper support, it is incredibly hard for her to speak up for herself against the old suggestion that 'doctor knows best'.

My fifth birth was the worst of them all. Despite the midwife's concerns, there was nothing wrong with the way Freya was growing and I went into labour at 41 weeks. Yet the labour did not progress well, and I ended up having an instrumental birth (using a ventouse, or suction cup, to pull the baby out). It was agonising. I screamed in pain but at no point was I offered effective pain relief. Then I haemorrhaged, losing two litres of blood, for which I needed many transfusions.

What went wrong? I believe the doctor wanted Freya out quickly, in part because of my age. I only pushed for an hour, when often women push for up to two hours safely before interventions are used.

But most of all, I think what happened reflects the same problem I've seen throughout my years of having babies. My needs weren't listened to; my pain was seen as unimportant.

The mother-of-five pictured with baby Freya, two, who she explains was her most challenging birth

Jacqueline pictured with her five children. She says that her fifth birth was the 'worst of them all'

I wanted proper pain relief and to carry on pushing  Freya was showing no signs of distress, after all. But in the throes of agony, I couldn't advocate for myself and there was no one else to speak for me.

Even now, mums-to-be are expected to put up and shut up. I was told firmly to 'stop yelling and start pushing' during my first labour and was equally firmly rebuked for making noise more than 20 years later.

In my experience, a 'successful' labour and birth in the NHS is judged only according to the end product: a mum and baby who are alive and physically healthy. But that is setting the bar appallingly low.

The experience itself  and the consequences of the way it is handled on the mother's mental health  are just as important. Freya's traumatic birth left me with postnatal depression. At one point, I was crying every day and even contemplated suicide.

My needs were not listened to during labour

If I feel this way about the experience of birth in the UK, why have I had so many babies? To be honest, having children is what I feel I was put on Earth to do. I'm a full-time mum to my three youngest, but in between having my babies I also work as a childminder, which I love.

I've never needed formal childcare as I've had help from my mum and sister, from friends and now, my older children. And each time, as my youngest grew up, I yearned with a bodily ache for one more baby.

That intense broodiness began shortly after I had my first, Corey. While working in Australia in my late 20s, I had a brief relationship with a man and discovered I was pregnant. I returned to the UK alone, to my loving and supportive family.

Jacqueline pictured with baby Corey. She says that in every decade, her pain has been dismissed

Jacqueline with baby Luke. The mother-of-five has been candid about how medical professionals have treated her pain

My mum, Eileen, was my birth partner with Corey, who was born when I was 27. There was little sense of control or choice in how I gave birth and no midwife-led unit. He was born by ventouse, a violent-seeming process I found so overwhelming and frightening, I couldn't wait to leave hospital.

I gave birth at 6.50am and was home by 4pm the same day. This wasn't the norm back then  women would stay at least one night in hospital. Of course, now it seems women are forced out of maternity wards and home as quickly as possible.

Corey, who's now 25, changed everything. I loved the way he looked at me as I breastfed, the way his tiny hand gripped my finger. I knew I wanted to give him a sibling and assumed I'd do so with a partner.

I joined a dating website and went on lots of dates. But I didn't meet the right person, and I was so much more picky now I had my son's happiness to consider.

Shortly after my 35th birthday in 2005, I started looking into sperm donors. At the time, this felt like a groundbreaking, and potentially lonely, path to take. I told nobody but my sister, for fear of the negative reactions I was certain I'd get.

I visited an IVF clinic, but was unable to get anything more than basic details about the potential donor, so I joined a website that put me in touch with a sperm donor in my area. Of a similar age to me and tall with dark hair, he'd donated before and was easy to talk to.

Jacqueline with baby Maya, who is now seven. She has had a baby in every decade of her adult life

Pictured, Jacqueline's daughters Lila, Maya and Freya. She says she has often felt dismissed during labour

After the third self-insemination, I was ecstatic when two lines appeared on a pregnancy test. This time, I paid for an independent midwife; I did hypnobirthing and yoga and planned a water birth at home.

At first, that labour, surrounded by music and candles, felt so different. But Luke's head became stuck and I was rushed to hospital where he was born with the cord wrapped around his neck and not breathing.

Clearly, I understood the urgent concern for my baby's welfare, but I felt my needs were barely considered. At hospital, the doctor tried to examine me, but it hurt so much I pushed his hand away. I told him I was in agony and I wouldn't let him do anything else without an epidural in place. He eventually stormed out of the room telling me I was not getting an epidural.

Later, when I was able to get access to my notes, he had written that I was 'extremely uncooperative, demanding an epidural and that I pulled his hand out while he was doing a vaginal examination!!'.

The exclamation marks were his  as if he simply could not believe my temerity.

When Luke was three, I decided to try again, using the same donor. I got pregnant on the very first try. I gave birth  at home  to Lila in 2010, when I was 40.

This time, everything was close to the birth of my dreams. I felt a sense of empowerment and achievement that I'd done it by myself, through my own efforts.

Perhaps, unsurprisingly, everyone assumed that I'd completed my family. After all, I had a girl and two boys, and I was 40  well past the threshold for a 'geriatric mother', according to the NHS. But I wanted another daughter.

I was upset when my mum tried to talk me out of it. 'But you have three lovely children . . . Why would you do it all again, on your own?'

It was so utterly alien to her own experiences growing up in the 1950s, when having even one baby on your own was scandalous.

Undaunted, I found another donor through the website I'd used before. And, in 2014, he and I flew separately to a clinic in Cyprus. It charged 5,000 euros for a cycle of IVF, far cheaper than the private treatment I could find for someone my age  by then, mid-40s  in the UK.

Pictured: Jacqueline's sons Corey and Luke. When Luke was three, she decided to try for a baby again

In 2015, aged 45, I gave birth to Maya. I had hoped for another home birth, but she was born by C-section, because I was overdue and her movements had become reduced. As soon as she was born she was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit as she was suffering from breathing problems.

You might think that would have put me off having a fifth and final child a few years later. But I still had some frozen embryos and I kept thinking: 'How do you know when you are done?'

The doctor said I could not have an epidural

In 2019, I returned to Cyprus and became pregnant with Freya. And despite the trauma of her birth, I couldn't be more delighted with the final addition to my family.

I know some people will judge me for using sperm donors to father four children. But can anyone honestly say I'd have been better off with a partner? I have so many friends who've been through bitter divorces who say: 'I wish I'd done what you've done.'

Funnily enough, I've found raising a child at 50 much easier than in my 20s. I'm more confident, laidback and patient. And my girls don't care how old I am  they only see a mum they love.

Freya is two now and I have gone through the menopause. Although I still have frozen embryos, I'm sad that I won't be able to use them. Though with five kids, I do have plenty of grandchildren to look forward to.

What I hope for most of all, however, is that by the time my daughters and daughters-in-law come to give birth themselves, they do so within a system that listens to them, with doctors who value the knowledge, insight and instincts that all mums-to-be have.

Perhaps by then, finally, when it comes to their own pregnant bodies, the mantra will be 'mothers know best', not doctors.

The Birth Trauma Association supports women who have experienced birth trauma.

Interview by Kate Skelton
A foul-mouthed parrot has been banned from watching TV because he can't stop dropping the F-bomb after picking up bad language from action films.

Louis the African Grey parrot often goes on 'rants' and 'starts shouting the F-word' around customers in the pub he lives in.

Owner Andy Ashby, 50, says the five-and-a-half year old parrot's vocabulary is now so explicit that he is trying to new ways to stop his bad language.

Andy, who owns the Nailmakers Arms in Sheffield, has tried to get the bird to socialise with his punters rather than letting him watch the television.

He has even put a note on Louis' cage in the pub to warn his customers not only of the swearing, but that he may bite them if they get too close.

Foul-mouthed African Grey parrot Louis (pictured) has been banned from watching TV after he keeps dropping the F-bomb

Andy said: 'He will squeal and they say hello and come out with a couple of words.

'But then he might just come out with the F-word just off spec. Then when he goes on a rant, he just starts shouting the F-word all the time so it just causes me trouble.'

Andy explained how he is left red in the face when customers come in and Louis starts swearing.

He has tried to tell Louis off but explained 'the more you tell him, the worse he gets' and he just 'comes out with whatever he wants.'

He added: 'It's quite funny actually but it is one of them things where you think that it's quite embarrassing.

Owner Andy Ashby, 50, (pictured) says the five-and-a-half year old parrot is now that bad that he is trying to new ways to stop his bad language

Andy adopted Louis from a home where he lived with a family who had a baby, so he used to copy the noises that the baby's toys would make

'The more you tell him, the worse he gets. He just comes out with whatever he wants to come out with.

'So he'll say oi, or he'll chirp. He also makes camera noises, what sound like taking a picture on a mobile phone.

'Then when he goes on a sweary rant, he really goes off on one.'

Andy adopted Louis from a home where he lived with a family who had a baby, so he used to copy the noises that the baby's toys would make.

But when Andy got him, he let him watch a lot of action films, until the bird eventually started picking up swear words from the characters in the movies.

Andy said: 'He didn't really used to say any words, he just used to make noises because he lived in a house with people who had a baby so he used to copy the toys' noises.

The pub landlord has now had to put a sign up warning people about his swearing but he hopes Louis's language will improve now he's not watching TV

Andy, who owns the Nailmakers Arms in Sheffield, has tried to get the bird to socialise with his punters rather than letting him watch the television

'I had him upstairs and with the TV being on, he's picked up some of the films.

'In some of the films, there's some language in them so he's picked up some of the character's words such as the F-word.'

The pub landlord has now had to put a sign up warning people about his swearing but he hopes Louis's language will improve now he's not watching TV.

Andy said: 'He's not watching TV now, he's watching customers so he should pick more stuff up.

'It will fade out. He will pick up new words now he's downstairs. He will pick up different, less rude, words.'
As the Princess of Wales visited the Salisbury Plain Training Area this morning to take part in a battlefield casualty drill during her first official duty as the new Colonel of the Irish Guards, she mastered her look of 'combat chic'.

Kate, 41, looked elegant-yet-practical as she appeared in an entirely khaki outfit and sensible walking shoes, with her hair pulled back into a French braid.

The mother-of-three needed a sensible outfit as she got stuck into the drill which included attending to a 'wounded' soldier and inspecting some of the machinery.

And, as if the drill wasn't challenging enough, the elements were against her as she completed the practise in freezing temperatures while snow fell on the ground.

Luckily, the Princess of Wales came prepared in her outfit, which was comprised of upmarket high-street brands and recycled items.

The Princess of Wales, 41, dressed sensibly but with a touch of glamour as she arrived at the Salisbury Plain Training Area to undertake training drills as the new Colonel of the Irish Guards

Underneath her camouflage jacket Kate was sensibly wrapped up in a 149 turtleneck jumper with a cable knit detail and buttoned sleeves from Holland Cooper.

Her Khaki trousers were a 150 pair of now-sold-out favourites from G-Star Raw, and her trusty walking boots were a pair she has worn several times before from outdoor brand Berghaus, costing around 175.

While her hair was neatly braided away from her face, the Princess also donned a woolly beanie hat to protect from the cold, and opted for thick gloves as well.

During her visit, Kate enthusiastically asked questions about the different first aid methods used by medics in the Army as she tended to the fake injury during the casualty simulation. She then applied a second tourniquet and Celox gauze  also used to stop bleeding  to the soldier with the fake leg injury and chest gunshot wound.

Kate wore a camouflage jacket and paired it with khaki trousers from the high street. She also wore a sensible turtleneck jumper to protect herself in the face of freezing temperatures and had her hair braided away from her face

Lance Corporal Jodie Newell, 25, who was in charge of teaching the Princess first aid, said: I was so nervous  Im teaching the Princess of Wales med [medicine]  it was an honour.

We were just showing her what we medics do in the Army. She was actually really good, really eager to take part. L/Cpl Newell added that Kate took it all in her stride, like she has done it before and that it was amazing to have her visit the training area, particularly on International Womens Day.

Afterwards the Princess said that taking part in military first aid exercises brought the realities of their training to life.

She said that the battlefield casualty drills, complete with fake gun fire and explosions, just brought it all to life.

The Princess also learnt about anti-vehicle and anti-personnel mine clearance and viewed the weapons systems used by the Irish Guards. As part of the visit, she met guardsmen of No 1 and No 2 companies, who told her about their recent experiences training park rangers in East Africa in methods to counter poaching.

The royal, who wore a green combat uniform with the rank of colonel, also received a briefing on counter-explosive ordnance - the de-mining training being delivered by the Irish Guards to Ukrainian armed forces.

Finally, she viewed several of the different types of weapons used by the Irish Guards.

Lieutenant Colonel Aldridge said his battalion was delighted to welcome Kate to Salisbury Plain for her first visit as Royal Colonel.

He said: 'It is particularly fitting on International Women's Day that a few of our female soldiers met such an inspiring female role model.

'It is a real honour for all the guardsmen to meet their Royal Colonel in the field here on Salisbury Plain and demonstrate a few of our basic operational skills.'

Buckingham Palace announced Kate's new role in December, ahead of this year's Trooping the Colour, which has marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign for more than 250 years.

The King's Birthday Parade  Charles's first  will take place on the slightly later date of June 17. The King's actual birthday is November 14.
The Princess of Wales impressed soldiers and royal fans alike as she showed off her skills during a military training drill today at the Salisbury Plain Training Area.

Kate, 41, attended the site as part of her first official duty as the new Colonel of the Irish Guards - which happened to collide with International Women's Day.

As she was pictured working hard carrying out the casualty drills, royal fans said she was an 'inspiration', while those teaching her were equally gushing about her dedication.

After the Prince and Princess of Wales posted photos of Kate at the site on Instagram, royal fans said she was the perfect role model on International Women's Day.

And a Lieutenant Colonel of 'The Micks' (as they are affectionately known) at the site added she was an 'inspiring' woman.

The Princess of Wales (pictured) has been praised as an 'inspiring' role model for young women after she braved the freezing temperatures on her visit to the 1st Battalion Irish Guards on International Women's Day

Mother-of-three Kate arrived in a green combat uniform with the rank of colonel, and was kitted out in khaki trousers and practical walking boots.

During her visit, she was pictured getting stuck into a battlefield casualty drill. Crouching in the snow, she held the soldiers leg as she was shown how to wrap the wound and check the casualtys vital signs during basic battlefield first aid training.

As she placed a tourniquet  used to stop heavy bleeding  on his calf, the Princess apologised and said: 'Its the first time Ive done this.'

Lance Corporal Jodie Newell, 25, who was in charge of teaching the Princess first aid, said: I was so nervous  Im teaching the Princess of Wales med [medicine]  it was an honour.

Kate practised a military casualty drill in which she learnt how to dress wounds of injured soldiers

Royal fans praised Kate as an 'inspiration to many women' on International Women's Day as she attended the training site

We were just showing her what we medics do in the Army. She was actually really good, really eager to take part.

L/Cpl Newell added that Kate took it all in her stride, like she has done it before and that it was amazing to have her visit the training area, particularly on International Womens Day.

Afterwards the Princess said that taking part in military first aid exercises brought the realities of their training to life.

Kate heard first-hand about the work members of the battalion have undertaken recently, including meeting guardsmen who have been deployed on security work in Africa, which includes training park rangers on counter-poaching operations.

She also received a briefing on counter-explosive ordnance - the de-mining training being delivered by the Irish Guards to Ukrainian armed forces.

Finally, she viewed several of the different types of weapons used by the Irish Guards.

Lieutenant Colonel Aldridge said his battalion was delighted to welcome Kate to Salisbury Plain for her first visit as Royal Colonel.

He said: 'It is particularly fitting on International Women's Day that a few of our female soldiers met such an inspiring female role model.

'It is a real honour for all the guardsmen to meet their Royal Colonel in the field here on Salisbury Plain and demonstrate a few of our basic operational skills.'

After photos of Kate's visit were posted on the Prince and Princess of Wales's Instagram account, royal fans showered her with praise as an inspiration to women everywhere.

One fan said Kate was 'a real role model for our daughters'.

Another agreed and said: 'What an incredible woman and inspiration. Truly leads by example for her children and the world.'

One particular royal fan commented on Kate's fabulous combat chic look, and asked: 'How is she so effortlessly cool?'
The royal wore a sequin dress for a performance at the Slovak National Theatre

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands attended a performance in Bratislava

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands dazzled in champagne sequins as she attended the counter-performance at the Slovak National Theatre.

The Dutch royal, 51, looked ethereal alongside King Willem-Alexander on day two of a three day state visit to Slovakia.

The mother-of-three opted for a statement long sleeved midi-dress with tulle skirt and wide beige belt around her waist.

The Queen added more glitz to her shimmering outfit with a diamond necklace with matching bracelet and earrings.

Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (pictured with King Willem-Alexander) dazzled in champagne sequins as she attended the counter-performance at the Slovak National Theatre

The Dutch royals were joined by President Zuzana Caputov (second to left next to her husband) and her family ahead of the performance at the Slovak National Theatre

Maxima accessorised with a golden clutch bag showing off her burgundy nails as she entered the venue with her husband King Willem-Alexander, 55.

Adding height to her outfit Maxima opted for a matching pair of patent heels complete with a bow.

Keeping her blonde tresses loosely curled, the Queen's bronzed complexion was set off with a rouge lip.

King Willem looked dapper in a black tuxedo and bow tie for the event in Bratislava.

The Dutch royals were joined by President Zuzana Caputov and her family ahead of the performance at the Slovak National Theatre.

Maxima held onto a golden clutch bag showing off her burgundy nails as she entered the venue with her husband King Willem-Alexander

The audience at the Slovak National Theatre where the Dutch royals hosted a performance to thank their hosts during their three-day visit to Slovakia

The performance hosted by the Dutch King and Queen was put together by trumpeter Eric Vloeimans and performed by Juan Pablo Dobal, Olivers Cinema and Holland Baroque.

Earlier in the day the couple visited the Slovakia National Gallery in Bratislava.

For the visit Maxima opted for an elegant black cape coat with a matching fascinator.

The queen also added height to her frame with a black stilettos and a matching leather handbag.

Her blonde hair was swept into an up-do under her sophisticated fascinator and she accessorised with pearl drop earrings.

Keeping her blonde tresses loosely curled, the mother-of-three's bronzed complexion was set off with a rouge lip

The performance hosted by the Dutch King and Queen was put together by trumpeter Eric Vloeimans and performed by Juan Pablo Dobal, Olivers Cinema and Holland Baroque

It comes amid a busy tour of Slovakia for the couple as yesterday they arrived at M. R. Stefanik Airport in Bratislava.

After their red carpet arrival in the country, Maxima and her husband King Willem travelled to a Welcome Ceremony at the Presidential Palace.

There, they were greeted by President Zuzana Caputova and her partner Juraj Rizman, before the foursome posed for a number of snaps.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to refer to their children as Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet is a 'predictable' move that shows their connection to the British royal family is 'priceless' despite the Sussexes' recent attacks on the monarchy, an expert has claimed.

Tessa Dunlop, a royal historian, said the couple's decision to use Archie and Lilibet's titles is not a surprise - after a spokesman for the Sussexes referred to their youngest child as 'Princess Lilibet' for the first time today.

She said that, despite Prince Harry launching scathing attacks on the royal family in his $100 million Netflix docuseries and bombshell memoir, Spare, the decision is 'proof' that the Duke remains a monarchist.

It comes as Duke and Duchess confirmed they held one-year-old Lili's christening in Montecito, California last Friday, with around 20-30 guests invited to their $14.7 million mansion for a party.

Earlier today a spokesman for the couple confirmed the christening had taken place, while People magazine reported the King and Queen Consort and Prince and Princess of Wales received an invitation but did not attend.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured) have taken a 'predictable' step in using Archie and Lilibet's princely titles, a royal historian told The Mirror. The couple confirmed today that they had christened their youngest daughter Lilibet Diana last Friday in a statement which referred to her as 'Princess Lilibet'

Harry and Meghan's youngsters became a prince and princess when the King acceded to the throne, but have remained a plain 'master' and 'miss' on the Buckingham Palace website for the past six months.

The Palace confirmed the site's line of succession list will now be updated to reflect the change after a spokesman for the Sussexes publicly referred to Lili as a princess for the first time today when announcing news of her christening.

Speaking to The Mirror, Ms Dunlop said: "For those of you in any doubt that Harry remains at his core a monarchist, here's the proof: his daughter Lilibet has just been christened Princess Lilibet Diana in California.

"The Sussexes have subsequently confirmed that they intend to use the titles of prince and princess for their son Archie and daughter Lilibet.'

Lilibet Diana and her older brother Archie inherited prince and princess titles when King Charles took the throne. Buckingham Palace today confirmed their titles will be updated on the website to reflect the line of succession. Pictured: The family on their 2021 Christmas card

She added that the move was 'predictable' after Harry and Meghan kept their Duke and Duchess titles despite stepping down as senior royals and moving to the US.

Although Prince Harry, 38, has launched several attacks on the Royal Family in the last few months, he has argued that he believes in the monarchy.

During a sit-down interview with ITV journalist Tom Bradby ahead of the publication of Spare, Mr Bradby asked him the question, to which Harry replied: 'Yes.'

However when the journalist continued: 'Do you believe you will play a part in its future?' he responded: 'I don't know.'

Less that 24 hours after Lilibet's christening, Harry hosted an online Q&A to promote his memoir Spare - and may have had christening guests staying in his mansion while it happened.

It comes after the prince launched yet another salvo, telling controversial physician Dr Gabor Mate that he was starved of hugs and attention during his 'incredibly painful' childhood.

In an interview with Dr Mate to promote his memoir, Spare, that was streamed live  and cost viewers 19 a ticket  he also lamented his 'broken-home upbringing' and how he felt 'different' to the rest of his family.

The Mail understands that Harry and Meghan's former UK home, Frogmore Cottage in Windsor  which the King is said to have taken from them  will be available for them to stay in should they fly to England to attend.

Lili, as she is called by her parents, was christened by the Bishop of Los Angeles, the Reverend John Taylor. He is the most senior member of the California Episcopal church, which is an Anglican domination with links to the Church of England.

It is not believed that any other current members of the Royal Family have been baptised by the Episcopal Church.

Meghan was a Catholic growing up - before being baptised and confirmed into the Church of England in 2018.

It is also understood Lilibet's HRH will be 'held in abeyance', which describes a state of temporary disuse. Harry and Meghan are no longer HRH after Megxit because they quit as working royals.
There are emotions and situations so universal, it's astonishing we don't have a word for them in English.

What, for example, might we call the feeling of exiting the hairdresser's looking worse than when we went in?

Or perhaps, the extra weight we put on after a break-up?

And what about those brilliant ideas you come up with after several bottles of wine that in the cold light of day seem utterly ridiculous?

For all its richness and depth, its breadth and beauty, the English language doesn't always quite cut it when it comes to these sentiments that fall between the cracks of our vocabulary.

Fear not, however, because the chances are that another language almost certainly will.

One of the joys of learning a foreign tongue is not just the insight we get into a different culture and people, but also the joyful serendipity of coming across a word that we can't believe we lived without.

Last week, the American dictionary makers Merriam-Webster invited people on Twitter to submit their own favourite 'untranslatables'  words they have picked up from another language that fill an important gap in our own vocabulary.

The conversation that followed was like a deep collective sigh of pleasure, as though the scores of correspondents have been saving up these gems for years, waiting for the moment to share them.

One of the most popular responses clearly struck a chord with many. Meet 'kalsarikannit', Finnish for drinking at home in your underwear (literally 'underwear intoxication').

A nother favourite was the Japanese 'kuchisabishii', which explains away those all-too-frequent trips to the fridge as the result of a 'lonely mouth'.

Speaking of food, that extra padding we put on when we comfort-eat after a break-up is famously known in German as 'Kummerspeck'.

How lovely that there is a word for this, you might think, until you learn that this translates literally as 'grief bacon'.

And, in a similar vein, 'Kummerspeck' might well follow on from an unwise attempt to rekindle a recently lost relationship, in the mistaken belief that all problems have magically gone away.

In Italian, they call this 'cavoli riscaldati', or 'reheated cabbage': never a good idea.

Staying with the theme of love, English isn't quite able to express the slow but irrevocable falling out of love we experience as a relationship fades. But Russian can, with the bittersweet 'razliubit'.

The same language gives us the extremely useful 'pochemuchka': someone who asks far too many questions.

Personally, I fell in love with the Lego-like quality of German words as a teenager  piling brick on brick  and often turn to them when it comes to an emotion I simply can't express.

That idea that seemed perfect when you were three sheets to the wind? That's a 'Schnapsidee', a 'Schnapps idea'.

German also offers up a word I could use on a daily basis. 'Vorfuhreffekt', 'demonstration effect', is what happens when you book a technician for your broken washing machine, only to find the same machine works perfectly the moment they arrive.

It doesn't end there: 'Vorfuhreffekt' will also cover you for the times your child's hacking cough miraculously disappears the second you walk into the doctor's.

A 'Verschlimmbesserung' will also be a familiar concept to many once you know its meaning: this is an attempted improvement that ends up making things worse. One for anyone who avoids DIY like the plague.

French, of course, manages to make even the most prosaic of objects sound romantic. Forget the grapefruit, let's enjoy a 'pamplemousse' instead. A dragonfly? That's a 'libellule'.

Such expressiveness means that when it comes to the big emotions, they always come up trumps. How many of us experienced 'retrouvailles' at the end of lockdown?

Personally, I fell in love with the Lego-like quality of German words as a teenager  piling brick on brick  and often turn to them when it comes to an emotion I simply can't express (pictured: Susie Dent)

Wonderfully, this is the joy of reuniting with someone after a long time apart. Mind you, French can also be down-to-earth when it needs to be: what do you call someone so gullible they'll believe anything? A 'gobemouche' (literally a 'fly-swallower').

As for the usually reserved or shy individual who suddenly flies off the handle, they are a 'mouton enrage', or 'furious sheep'.

And French is there, too, for the genius retort you only think of as you're walking away from a conversation: 'l'esprit de l'escalier' (staircase wit).

So many of these words and expressions relate to universal feelings. I remember the deep recognition of learning the Inuit term 'iktsuarpok'.

Put simply, it is the anticipation of waiting for someone to arrive. But it is more than that; it describes not just the restlessness of waiting for someone, but the repeated process of looking outside to check for their approach. Haven't we all been there?

Sometimes, though, a foreign word or phrase tells us more about the culture of its users than a thousand photographs.

In Finland, for example, there is an old measurement based on the average distance a reindeer can travel without needing to urinate. 'Poronkusema', or 'reindeer pee', is about 7km, if you're interested.

Similarly, in Italian there is a word for elderly men who gather at construction sites, offering their own commentary on how the building work is going.

These are the 'umarell'  who are presumably too busy for a 'passeggiata' (the traditional Italian afternoon stroll taken with the express intention of saying hello to other people).

Of course, Italians also have that flair and elegance that always seems so effortless, as they shrug off any compliment with a bemused smile.

This is 'sprezzatura', a studied kind of nonchalance that we ourselves might try to mimic when we respond to a compliment on a carefully chosen outfit with a: 'What, this old thing?'

Equally, many responded to Merriam-Webster with the Spanish 'sobremesa', time spent at the table once a meal has finished, when the conversation is still flowing.

Perhaps we don't need such a word in English because we experience such leisurely dinners too rarely.

The list goes on and on, from the Swedish 'fika', time spent over coffee and cake with a loved one, to the Ghanaian 'pelinti', to move hot food around your mouth (presumably with a string of 'aaaaahs' and 'uhhhhhs' as your tongue burns).

That misery of a bad haircut, by the way, is catered for by the Japanese 'age-otori'.

There are thousands of such gems in other languages waiting to be discovered. Of course, I would be the first to recommend riffling through a historical English dictionary if you want to find solutions closer to home, and you'll be surprised how many there are.

There is, as far as I know, no word in another language for the warmth of the sun in winter (apricity), nor for the act of longingly eyeing up someone else's food. English has one: it's groaking. It would be well worth resurrecting these long-lost beauties, too.

Sometimes, though, we must simply bow to the majesty of other tongues. After all, one can never know too many words, and half the joy of the untranslatables is the knowledge that, wherever we look, we will surely never run out.
President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden toast each other during the official banquet following their summit at the National Museum of Korea, May 21, 2022. Yonhap



South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's upcoming trip to the United States will underscore the vital role South Korea can and seeks to play in dealing with various challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, U.S. experts said Tuesday.



The trip will also likely lead to concrete steps or "deliverables" that can help mitigate North Korea's evolving nuclear and ballistic missile threats, they noted.



Victor Cha, vice president and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the upcoming summit "will mark Korea's return to a prominent role in Asia and beyond."



"Korea went through a period when it was disconnected from Japan, hedging with China, and solely focused on North Korea. Yoon has changed this in a very short period, bringing Korea back into the fold. And just in time," he told Yonhap in a written interview.



Seoul announced plans earlier this week to set up a new private fund that will help compensate Korean victims of Japan's forced labor during its 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea in an attempt to put the thorny historical issue behind.



Tokyo welcomed the plan with its own set of measures to mend ties with Seoul that included the removal of export restrictions against South Korea that have been in place since 2019.



Cha said the decision by Seoul was "huge," as South Korea pushes to become a "global pivotal state" and also rein in advancements in North Korea's nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction development programs.



"The alternative would have been to let the relationship fester, liquidate the Japanese assets and further plunge Japan-South Korea relations and trilateral relations (with the U.S.) into the deep abyss," said Cha. "North Korea, China and Russia would have loved that."






Crocs have seen a steep rise in popularity since 2018 with celebrities and Gen Z

Divided the internet with some loving it and others baffled at the obsession

A woman with more than 159 pairs of Crocs and 700 Jibbitz shared her collection

A woman with more than 159 pairs of Crocs has divided the internet after sharing a video of the entire room she has dedicated to the controversial shoes.

The woman, Rayann - who is from Canada and goes by the name 'Croc Queen' on TikTok - has built up a huge social media following of more than 23million for sharing videos about her various pairs of Crocs.

Rayann also has more than 700 Jibbitz, which are charms that can be added into the holes in Crocs as a form of customisation.

Scroll down for video

A woman with more than 159 pairs of Crocs has divided the internet after sharing a video of the entire room she has dedicated to the controversial shoes (Rayann's Crocs pictured)

Rayann recently shared a video of a room in her house where all 159 pairs of Crocs are hanging on display using hooks.

She said in the clip: 'How many pairs of Crocs do you need to be happy?

'I don't know. How many pairs are there?'

She added that her collection can no longer even fit on one wall and one photo frame.

The woman, Rayann (pictured) - who is from Canada and goes by the name 'Croc Queen' on TikTok - has built up a huge social media following of more than 23million for sharing videos about her various pairs of Crocs

It wasn't long before the video went viral, with thousands confused about why Rayann has so many pairs and how she ever finds the time to wear them all.

'This is insane,' one person wrote.

'But do you wear them all,' another added.

Others confessed beneath other videos from Rayann that they are also 'Crocheads'.

'Awesome collection. I'm a Crochead too - my collection is 127 pairs of Crocs I be wearing Crocs since 09,' one person wrote.

Another added: 'I thought having four Crocs like I own is a lot'.

Adored by Gen Z and A-list celebrities alike, Crocs have seen a steep rise in popularity since 2018 after 20 years on the market (Crocs pictured)

The brand's Classic Clog were once labelled an 'ugly' shoe but over the years the style has slowly transcended into streetstyle and made appearances on runways (Crocs pictured)

Adored by Gen Z and A-list celebrities alike, Crocs have seen a steep rise in popularity since 2018 after 20 years on the market.

The brand's Classic Clog were once labelled an 'ugly' shoe but over the years the style has slowly transcended into streetstyle and made appearances on runways at Sydney Fashion Week.

To date Crocs have sold more than 850 million pairs of shoes since 2002 and have generated a staggering $2.3billion in annual sales.

Celebrities including Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner have also been seen wearing the comfortable clogs.
A woman put her boyfriend on a 'performance improvement plan' when the relationship was going awry - and was pleasantly surprised when her method worked wonders for their communication.

Nadeen, 30, from San Francisco, began living with her boyfriend only three months into their relationship.

They soon faced 'a lot of issues' because of a difference in lifestyle - but the couple refused to break up as they 'had a lot of love for each other.'

'We felt like we weren't compatible - so as the last straw, we decided to do a performance improvement plan (PIP),' the woman said in a video.

She explained that companies put employees on PIPs when they're on probation and about to get fired - and the one with her boyfriend worked the same way.

Nadeen [pictured], 30, from San Francisco, began living with her boyfriend only three months into their relationship and soon began to face a lot of problems

Even though the couple has been together for three years now, many thought it was 'harsh' to treat a relationship like a job.

Poll Would you put your partner on probation? Yes - I think it works No - I'm not their boss Would you put your partner on probation? Yes - I think it works 24 votes

No - I'm not their boss 165 votes Now share your opinion





'I know it's kind of harsh to some of you - but he's an engineer and sometimes it's really hard to communicate with him without using something that he can already relate to,' she said. 'Plus, he liked it.'

Nadeen shared a 'Kandan Board' with her boyfriend with daily and weekly tasks he needed to do and a list of things he had to work on emotionally.

A Kanban Board is a collaborative visual online task-list that many companies use to assign work and track progress.

'It worked out really well,' she revealed. 'Even now, we use a board for household chores and things we're responsible for.'

'This has been the only thing that has stuck and works. If I ever need anything done, I add it to the Kandan Board and he does it. If I tell him in person, he just forgets.'

@nadeenhui we started living together really early on in our relationship so we saw all of each others living habits and lifestyles super quickly. and i honestly think it worked out better this way because we could decide if we actually wanted to work on these lifestyle habits together or split up. since it was so new, there wouldnt be much love lost and wed still be friends. but ultimately, we decided that we wanna stay together, and these lifestyle changes were for the better so why not do it? i had to learn to be more accepting and easy going, and he had to learn to be more tidy and considerate of shared spaces. #relationshipadvice #softwareengineerlife #lifeintech #girlsintech  original sound - nadeen

But the Kandan Board is not the only thing the couple adopted from an HR strategy book.

'We also do weekly retrospectives where we check in with each other at the end of each week to see how we're doing,' she said.

'We ask each other if we feel loved, if we've gotten enough attention, if there were certain things we could have done more for the other person.'

Nadeen claimed that the PIP and to-do board were tools they put in place to maintain open communication - and that the activity was not 'toxic' or 'manipulative'.

'We tried everything we could before deciding on this, I didn't give him an ultimatum, and it didn't come from a toxic argument.'

'I don't believe in changing people - and I don't believe that he was going to change for me.'

'He's the one who insisted he was doing it for himself and he wanted to be a better person,' she added. 'He was the one who told me task lists with clear objectives are what works for him.'

A woman put her boyfriend on a 'performance improvement plan' when she felt like the relationship was going awry - and was pleasantly surprised to find that her method worked wonders for their communication

Thousands were shocked that the unconventional communication method actually worked out.

'I think it was brilliant that you took a system he understands and applied it to your relationship,' one woman said.

'It sounds like you have really strong communication and respond to each other's needs.'

'That is a nice way of communicating instead of yelling and screaming at each other.'

But others weren't as impressed.

'Late stage capitalism is truly hell.'

'I'd prefer not to be someone's manager or assign tasks - do you have a plan for when he gets promoted and can manage himself?'
Masturbation is still very much a taboo topic  so it can be tricky to work out whether you're doing it too much or too little.

In recent years, there has been an idea that access to pornography has led to too much masturbation, causing a wave of sexual problems and warped views of sex.

But DailyMail.com reported on a study last week which suggested abstaining from pleasuring yourself is also bad  and could raise the risk of anxiety, depression and erectile dysfunction.

We asked three health experts about the exact number of times men and women should aim to masturbate each week, with very surprising results:

Men should masturbate from seven to 21 times a month, scientists suggested. For women, the estimation was at least once a week is best and that masturbating during the menstrual cycle could help to relieve pain (stock image)

Dr Yvonne Fulbright, a sex expert in Iceland, said that women should look to masturbate for nine days over the menstrual cycle to help ease cramps. Dr Ian Kerner, a sex therapist and bestselling author, previously told DailyMail.com that it was fine to use pornography, but urged people to pay for the use

Women  once a week at least (and consider masturbating during your menstrual cycle for pain relief)

Dr Peter Kanaris, a sex therapist on Long Island, recommends women aim to masturbate or have sex at least once a week.

'I would say that if a person is inclined and able to be active weekly that is beneficial, whether that is via masturbation or via involvement with a partner,' he said.

Dr Yvonne Fulbright, a sex expert based in Iceland, told DailyMail.com that women should look to masturbate frequently around their menstrual cycle for pain relief.

'With managing one's pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) and menstruation woes like pain, one would want to self-pleasure more than once per month,' she said.

'PMS often starts five days before bleeding begins and goes away within four days of it starting.

'So it could be beneficial to masturbate on each of those days.'

Masturbating raises blood flow to the pelvic area, which helps to relieve pain. The method can also be used to ease other ailments like back pain, she said.

A 2020 study from University College London suggested that masturbating once a week in your 40s can help to delay menopause.

Researchers tracked 2,936 women aged 45 years for a decade and found that those who engaged in sexual activity at least once a week were 28 percent less likely to have entered the menopause by the end of the study compared to women who masturbated less than once a month.

The scientists behind the study suggested that when women do not have sex or masturbate, the body 'chooses' not to invest in ovulation, triggering menopause.

Dr Rena Malik, the director of female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery at the University of Maryland, told DailyMail.com that it was important for women to choose a frequency of masturbation that they were comfortable with.

'There is no right or wrong amount,' she said. 'If you are masturbating, as long as it is not interfering with your daily life and spending time with partner or friends, then it is fine.'

She said that after menopause women should 'absolutely, 100 percent' continue to masturbate in order to reap the physical benefits.

Asked about what would constitute masturbating too much, the experts said that, like with men, this would be when it begins to interfere with someone's daily life.

Men  21 TIMES a month is 'sweet spot'

According to Dr Kanaris the 'sweet spot' for men is about 21 times a month  or five times a week.

He said the lower limit should be around seven times a month.

Dr Kanaris cited a 2016 study on 32,000 men that showed frequent masturbating lowered the risk of prostate cancer.

He encouraged older men to masturbate more as data shows they tend to pleasure themselves much less frequently than those in their 20s, 30s and 40s.

'It is good to be aware of these correlational numbers,' he said. 'But thinking I am failing because I am not hitting the mark is the wrong way of looking at it.

'If a person feels, "oh gee, once a week is what I am comfortable with", that is perfectly okay.

'I don't want people to think that if they don't hit these numbers then they are in trouble.'

The 2016 study, by researchers at Boston University, found those who ejaculated more  through masturbation or sex  were up to a third less likely to get prostate cancer.

It's thought that the act helps clear potentially cancer-causing substances from the prostate.

Dr Kanaris warned, however, that men should not become compulsive about their masturbating and should go with how they feel.

He told DailyMail.com: 'I would be cautious, though, to create a sense of compulsory masturbation.

'You know, "I have only masturbated 16 times this month and this is jeopardizing my health", that would be the wrong way to look at it.'

Research also shows that when people masturbate, it triggers the release of a flood of feel-good hormones, responsible for easing anxiety, stress and raising self-esteem.

Studies have also linked masturbation to lasting longer during sex, helping men to bond with their partners.

Asked about how much masturbation was too much for men, Dr Kanaris said there was no specific number  but he did suggest masturbating multiple times a day was problematic.

He said someone could tell if they were masturbating too much if the habit began to interfere with their daily lives including going to work and seeing family and friends.

Dr Peter Kanaris, a sex therapist on Long Island, suggested men should masturbate from seven to 21 times a month

Other risks from too much masturbation include injury, which happens when people start applying more force in order to get the same pleasure.

Is porn OK? You might want to read a book instead

All the experts said that pornography was ok to use  but in moderation.

Dr Ian Kerner, a bestselling author and sex therapist, told DailyMail.com: 'I am all for having a relationship with your own sexuality.

'And if porn is going to be the thing to engage sexual arousal, then I don't have a problem with it.'

He added, however: 'I do suggest ethical porn. It costs something but means they all want to be there, have consented and get paid.'

Dr Malik warned that pornography was a 'mixed bag'.

She said that using it 'once in a while' was beneficial for masturbation and getting to know your sexuality.

But viewing porn too regularly carries risks because it is 'very produced' and 'not a reflection of what real sex is like'. She warned this could lead to unfulfilled expectations and disappointments in the bedroom.

Alternatives to pornography include fantasy  using your brain to imagine a sexually exciting scene like 'before porn existed'  and erotic literature, she said.

People could also use their partners, she said, or sex toys to find other ways to stimulate themselves.
A Cambodian schoolgirl who became 2023's first bird flu victim can be pictured for the first time today.

Eleven-year-old Bean Narong died on February 22 after catching Type A HN51 in the impoverished Rolaing Village in the southeastern province of Prey Veng.

The girl  the youngest of four siblings  was a star student who rarely missed class and dreamed of becoming a doctor. Her father Bou Vorn was also diagnosed with the virus, sparking international concern the pathogen was spreading among people for the first time in decades.

The 49-year-old has had no time to grieve his child and is already back at work providing for his family. He told DailyMail.com: 'I will never forget my daughter. I miss her so much, she was the youngest child in our family. That suffering still remains in my mind, and some days tears drop down my face without knowing why.'

Bean Narong's mother fears she may have caught the virus from contaminated chicken eaten at school - though independent experts said that is unlikely. Health officials claim to have tracked the zoonotic event back to poultry near her village.

Bean Narong (pictured), 11, died of the bird flu on February 22 after falling sick a week earlier

Bou Vorn and his daughter are among fewer than 1,000 people ever to have been diagnosed with H5N1 - a deadly but poorly adapted virus for humans that kills about half of those it infects.

Their cases sparked international concern, with many experts fearing they signaled the virus had mutated to infect people better after tearing through the world's bird population.

The bird flu outbreak, which began early last year, is the biggest in history, affecting more than 200 million domestic birds globally, as well as wild birds.

It has already spilled into mammals like mink, foxes, racoons and bears, sparking fears it may soon acquire worrying new mutations that would allow it to cause a human pandemic.

Bean Narong first fell ill on February 16, and Bou Vorn was by her side from the moment she got sick until her eventual death nearly a week later.

Health officials in Cambodia say Bean Narong and Bou Vorn had been infected by poultry in their village, and 'there is no indication or evidence that there was infection from father to daughter'.

But the family still have reservations. They insist neither the girl nor her father interacted with dead or infected birds.

Bean Narong's mother, Kin Narin, 47, first learned of her daughter's illness while working some 200miles away from their coastal fishing village.

She works collecting cashews in the northeastern province Steung Treng to make money for the family during rainy season, earning around $30 a week.

Bean Narong's mother Kin Narin (pictured holding a photo of her late daughter) was working at a cashew farm nearly 200 miles away from home when she heard about her daughter's illness. She quickly rushed back to the family's home province of Prey Veng

Bou Vorn (pictured), 49, is Bean Narong's father. He was also infected with the bird flu but did not experience any symptoms. He is now testing negative for the virus and has been allowed to leave isolation

After news reached her that her daughter was poorly, Kin Narin rushed back to Rolaing Village on February 17, and took her daughter to the local clinic.

Speaking to DailyMail.com from the family's humble wooden shack, held up by stilts to protect it from flooding, she said: 'I arrived home on February 17 and I took her to the local Prey Sandek's health center

'The physicians said my daughter had a sore throat and a stomach ache.'

When her daughter's condition continued to decline, local doctors recommended she be taken to Phnom Penh's children's hospital, some 70miles away.

The family rented a car and made the trip northwest toward the nation's capital.

'At that moment, I did not know what to do with her illness, but the local physicians told me it would be no problem to send her to [the city] on February 21. I trusted them and decided to send her to Phnom Penh,' the mother said.

The family arrived at the hospital that night.

'After we arrived at children's hospital in Phnom Penh, doctors advised me to buy medicine for her,' her mother said.

'I was not aware that she had bird flu at the beginning of her sickness. I thought she may have had a normal fever, or she caught a cold.'

But young Bean Narong did not survive the night, and was pronounced dead the following morning.

'I don't know how I could be consoled,' she said. 'My grief remains with me, especially when I see the classmates of my daughter walking to school. I cannot bear it, and I start to cry.'

The family still did not know their daughter's illness was bird flu when she passed, and only learned the cause days later.

Her family was devastated by the loss of their daughter, who is the youngest of four children. Pictured: Bean Narong wearing traditional Cambodian garb during a wedding party for her relatives

The family lives in a humble shack in the Roleang village (pictured)

Bean Narong's aunt (pictured) is devastated by the loss of the young child

'Doctors told me that her heart had stopped working,' her mother continued.

How does someone catch bird flu Animal-to-human transmission of bird flu is rare, but does occur on occasion. Most cases are found far east and southeast Asia. The virus jumps from bird to human through multiple means. First, a person could be infected after touching a contaminated surface and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. In many cases, this includes a person playing with a chicken, or touching places it sits or sleeps in such as its cage or bed. A bird can also shed infected particles which travel through the air. A person who inhales these particles may be infected. Can a chicken wing cause bird flu? Experts say that properly cooked meat does not pose a risk of transmitting the virus. Even if the bird was infected before it died, any lingering virus would be killed at the high temperatures used to cook chicken. When chicken is undercooked, it still likely reaches temperatures enough to kill the virus. If a person were to eat a raw chicken wing for any reason, transmission would be possible. Advertisement

'On the morning of February 23, a day after she died, the local authority and health workers came to my home and informed us that my daughter died from bird flu.

'But they assured us this virus was not passed from human to human, just infected from dead poultry to human.'

In the village, chickens run openly around people and the birds are a normal part of the local community.

The village chief told DailyMail.com that one resident suffered a spate of deaths among his flock in January, meaning the virus could have been circulating.

But Kin Narin and her family are confused about how exactly her daughter got infected.

'My daughter has never touched or played with chicken before so I am wondering, why would she get infected with the bird flu?

'As of now, I still did not know how her infection started and from where.'

Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bunheng warned that bird flu poses an exceptionally high risk to children who may be feeding or collecting eggs from domesticated poultry, playing with the birds or cleaning their cages.

'Before, we didn't care much about this virus. But now that it's occurred in my community we have to be very careful - especially with the food we eat,' Kin Narin said.

'I did not know the bird flu was this dangerous and could kill people this easily. Now my daughter passing away has made me fully understand.'

Both Bean Narong and her father were infected with the H5 clade 2.3.2.1c virus.

It is an endemic strain that circulates among the avian population of Cambodia.

It is not the H5N1 strain that has caused the deaths of millions of birds globally over the past year - and that many fear could jump to humans.

The virus spreads from animal to human when a person touches an infected surface, and then touches their eyes, mouth or nose.

Chickens are seen running around the are where the family lives. Prey Veng is known as a densely populated, rural area of Cambodia

Life goes on: Bean Bora (pictured), 17, is Bean Narong's older brother and the second eldest sibling in the family. He attends a local high school

Bou Vorn, the girl's father, said it does not feel real that he was infected with the virus because he did not feel any symptoms.

He works as a farmer and construction worker, planting rice and fishing to feed his family. He spoke to DailyMail.com while helping build a home for his nephew.

'As of today, I have a normal health condition. I was not aware that I got infected with bird flu or how and where.

'When my daughter died, they took my sample to the laboratory to test it and confirmed that I had the bird flu.'

When officials arrived at the family's home to reveal their daughter's cause of death, they also took him to a local hospital to isolate for several days.

He was kept there until he tested negative for the virus three consecutive times at the end of February.

'When my daughter died, the health workers took my sample to laboratory and result confirmed that I was infected with bird flu.'

Now, he is back to his responsibilities of providing for the family.

He said he stayed close to his daughter when she first got sick on Feb 16 and stayed by her side throughout her hospital stays.

'I was not aware that she had bird flu at the beginning of her sickness. I thought she may have gotten sick from a normal fever or caught a cold.'

He said he knew it was serious as the days went on and his daughter's condition did not improve. He explained she was a good student and rarely skipped school, so it was unusual for her to be off.

Bean Narong's grandmother (pictured) mourns the loss of the 11-year-old

Pictured: Two young girls who live in the village

Pictured: Neighboring childing play in the Cambodian village

Cambodian officials ordered for much of the village to be disinfected to prevent more people from contracting the virus

While the family have been told the daughter and father caught the virus from the same source - an infected bird - the family are not entirely convinced.

Her mother has some concerns it may have been an infected chicken served at the school for lunch.

Kin Narin said: 'I did not know what types of food my daughter ate before she died because I was not at home with her.

'But I just know that while she was at school, she liked to drink the soft drink with ice and sometimes she likes eating a grilled wing chicken too.'

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that a person cannot contract the virus from eating a fully cooked bird because the heat acts as a sterilizer.

Dr Michael Persia, an animal science experts at Virginia Tech University, told DailyMail.com said he found the chicken wing theory to be 'highly unlikely'.

'Any cooking, even something that would be under-cooked would expose the outside of the meat to temperatures that would kill the virus. I think this is just a rumor, with little scientific evidence to support it.'

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

Dr Carol Cardona, a veterinary sciences expert and chair of avian health at the University of Minnesota, told DailyMail.com: 'I think it's unlikely that a person can get influenza from undercooked poultry, perhaps slightly more likely to get it from uncooked poultry.'

'I think it is much more likely to be exposed in food preparation such as in the de-feathering process or during the slaughter process.'

Shortly after the news of Bean Narong's death made it around the world, it was reported 12 of her close contacts were being isolated and tested for the flu.

While all ended up negative - other than her father - experts across the globe expressed initial fears that Prey Veng could be the birthplace of a new pandemic.

There has been mixed reporting about the event in Cambodia.

Experts on the ground who sequenced Bean Narong's positive sample suggested the virus had mutated to infect people better. But the Cambodian health ministry has flatly denied this.

The H5N1 virus has infected around just 870 people ever, and more than half of them have died.

It has been earmarked as a pathogen with pandemic potential for decades and several vaccines and drugs are already in the pipeline.

Concerns have become more pronounced in recent months because of the alarming rate the strain is tearing through animal populations.

Cases of bird flu detected in Cambodia lead to rising fears a bird flu pandemic could have been on the horizon

H5N1 was first detected in chickens in Scotland in 1959, and again in China and Hong Kong in 1996. It first was detected in humans in 1997. It has since occasionally caused human infections in the region.

While rare, it also showed the ability to spread from human to human during a 1996 outbreak in Hong Kong.

There is nothing to be done that can prevent the spread among wild birds, but officials are working to keep domesticated populations away from them.

While the virus is believed to be constantly circulating among wild birds, the massive swell of cases among domesticated birds has alarmed experts.

Because domesticated birds often interact with humans, the risks of a spillover event are greatly increased.
Florida officials are warning that an incoming 'red tide' of algae dead fish may leave beachgoers ill this spring break.

Red tide occurs when the algae multiply quickly, causing a harmful algal bloom (HAB). The red tide organism Karenia brevis produces toxins that can kill marine life and birds.

Gulf coast-area residents are not strangers to red tide, but it is striking earlier than usual this year. The red wave that paints coastal waters is expected to occur in late summer and fall, yet state health officials are sounding the alarm now.

While exposure in humans wont prove fatal, it can ruin a day at the beach. When the single-celled organism Karenia brevis blooms, inhaled toxins can cause respiratory irritation, coughing, sneezing, itchy throat, and eye irritation.

Florida does not typically close beaches due to red tide, but officials discourage swimming when there is an advisory in place, as there is now.

The red tide is causing dead marine life across Gulf of Mexico beaches to wash ashore by the thousands everyday

This map provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission indicates that hotspots for red tide include Collier, Lee, Manatee, and Pinellas counties

Water along the shore takes on a red tinge when the population of algae living in the water becomes extremely dense (pictured above)

The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science issued a warning on Monday of a moderate to high risk of respiratory irritation from Karenia brevis (red tide) in five counties. Once red tide levels reach a certain threshold, 100,000 cells per liter, the state issues a health alert, which remains in place until the water quality improves.

Water along the shore takes on a red tinge when the population of algae living in the water becomes extremely dense.

Neurotoxins produced by the algal blooms has also deposited thousands of dead fish on the shores. The algal bloom can also kill large mammals such as manatees.

People can then be sickened from the toxins in the water or in tainted shellfish.

The state health department office in Collier county, one of those included in the NCCOS warning, issued its own warning for beachgoers.

Collier County includes Naples, and some of Floridas most sought-after beaches.

Naples sees more than a million visitors every year. The premature presence of the algae could imperil the local economy just as spring break arrives.

Collier County health department spokesperson Kristine Hollingsworth said last week: If you have any chronic respiratory illness such as COPD, emphysema, or asthma, we recommend that you avoid going to the beach.

If you are at the beach and you experience any symptoms of being affected from red tide, including red, itchy eyes or coughing, we recommend that you leave the beach immediately.

As to when red tide should dissipate, health officials dont know.

Ms Hollingsworth said that there is no timeline and only mother nature can make red tide go away.

In Fort Myers, located in Lee county, which is included in the state health department alerts, beach officials have hauled off about 13 tons of dead fish.

Previous years proved just as deadly for marine life.

In 2021, a St. Petersburg cleaning crew collected 15 tons of dead fish after 10 days of cleaning up.

Red tide is not a new phenomenon, though climate change brought about by human actions is believed to exacerbate the issue.

Nutrients from fertilizer runoff are deposited in bodies of water, becoming food for algae.
Chief medical officer said virus did not kill enough to warrant rushing jab trials

Sir Chris Whitty told ministers Covid vaccines couldn't be fast-tracked during the early days of the pandemic because the virus wasn't deadly enough, according to leaked WhatsApp messages.

The chief medical officer was responding to a question by Dominic Cummings in February 2020.

Mr Cummings, then chief adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, asked about the credibility of a report that Israeli scientists were just weeks away from developing Covid vaccines.

But Sir Chris responded that a disease with a fatality rate as low as Covid's  saying for argument's sake that it was around 1 per cent  would need a 'very safe' vaccine and that no short-cuts could be taken.

'There will be a lot of good vaccine candidates that enter early clinical trials in the next few months,' he said.

Sir Chris Whitty reportedly told Dominic Cummings, then chief adviser to PM Boris Johnson, that Covid jabs could not be rushed as the virus wasn't deadly enough

Sir Chris, pictured here in January, said standard safety tests for potential Covid jabs would be critical in leaked WhatsApp messages

'The rate limiting steps are late clinical trials for safety and efficacy, and then manufacturing.

'For a disease with a low (for the sake of argument 1 per cent) mortality a vaccine has to be very safe so the safety studies cant be shortcut.'

Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government's chief scientific adviser, also responded to Mr Cummings by saying while the Israeli team's research could work, it wasn't going to be a matter of 'weeks'.

'All of these approaches will take many months at the very and most optimistic best,' he wrote.

'Remember we still dont have a vaccine that we know works for Zika yet despite lots of work over years.'

Almost 54million Brits have had at least one dose of a Covid vaccine since the roll-out started in December 2020  just nine months after it was declared a pandemic.

The tranche of more than 100,000 WhatsApps were passed to The Daily Telegraph by the journalist Isabel Oakeshott (right), who was given the material by Matt Hancock (left) when they were working together on his book Pandemic Diaries

But Mr Cummings would famously go on to claim to MPs in May 2021 that the UK's vaccine rollout could have started months earlier in September, if the nation had abandoned traditional safety tests in favour of a 'human challenge' trial.

This would have seen 'up to 10,000' volunteers injected with the virus with their families given '1 million or whatever' if they died, the former advisor said.

Before Covid jabs became available, the general fatality risk of dying from the virus was estimated to be around 1 per cent.

However, individual risk of death from the virus, for example for the elderly, or for people with health conditions that made them more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus, could be much higher.

Once vaccines started to blunt the impact of the virus, the chances of dying fell to about one in 3,000  similar to seasonal flu.

The WhatsApp group the messages were posted in included ministers, experts, and officials.

MailOnline has not seen or independently verified the WhatsApp messages, leaked to The Daily Telegraph by Isabel Oakeshott, the journalist who helped ex-Health Secretary Matt Hancock write his book Pandemic Diaries.
The fetus of a twin has been surgically removed from the skull of its one-year-old sister  in a medical anomaly only ever recorded a handful of times.

Doctors said the fetus had developed upper limbs, bones and even fingernails, meaning it likely continued growing for months while inside its sibling in the womb.

The fetus - which was about four inches long - was only discovered when the parents took their daughter for hospital scans because she had an enlarged head and problems with motor skills.

Fetus-in-fetu is the medical term for the rare phenomena that sees twins fuse together in the womb and one develops physically inside another.

Only around 200 cases have ever been documented, of which just 18 occurred inside the skull.

The above shows a scan of the infant girl's skull with the fetus pictured inside

Doctors said the fetus had developed upper limbs, bones and even fingernails, meaning it likely continued growing for months while inside its sibling in the womb

Fetus-in-fetu has also been detected in the pelvis, mouth, intestines and even the scrotum.

The condition is caused by the incomplete separation of identical twins, who form when one egg splits. Doctors don't know exactly how this happens.

Some have theorized that the healthy twin connects to the mother via the placenta, while the other latches onto the twin's blood vessels.

As the bigger twin grows, the smaller one becomes absorbed into their abdomen. Other scientists have suggested that it happens as a result of late cell division.

The unviable fetus may continue to develop for several weeks and months inside its sibling  even forming organs, bones and limbs.

The latest tale was revealed in December in the American Academy of Neurology's journal Neurology.

The unnamed girl was taken to hospital after showing problems with her motor skills.

Doctors did not give any further details, but this may include problems with her walking or sitting.

CT scans revealed her unborn sibling was pressed against her brain.

She also had hydrocephalus, the build-up of fluid deep within the brain that can cause an enlarged head, extreme sleepiness and seizures.

Doctors said it had continued to survive a year after birth because it shared a blood supply with its sibling.

It was unclear if the surviving twin will suffer long-term damage.

Dr Zongze Li, a neurologist at Huashan Hospial, Fudan University who treated the girl, said: 'The intracranial fetus-in-fetu is proposed to arise from unseparated blastocysts.

'The conjoined parts develop into the forebrain of the host fetus and envelop the other embryo during neural plate folding.'

The case is one of only 18 reported in medical literature to date.

Doctors in Thailand in 2017, found three siblings inside the skull of an unborn girl.

They said each had 'multiple well-developed organs', including a nervous, digestive and respiratory system.

They were connected to the host sibling via a single artery and vein, which the doctors said had been the umbilical cord.

In another case from 2015, also in China, doctors found an unborn fetus inside the scrotal sac of its male twin.

The 20-day-old infant was taken to hospital after birth when his scrotum started to swell up.

Scans revealed a 'well-defined... mass' within the scrotum, complete with bones and buds that doctors said would have formed into limbs.

The fetus was removed via surgery and its twin was discharged five days after surgery, having made a full recovery.
The nonprofit at the center of Covid lab leak questions today doubled down on its claim it's just a 'coincidence' the virus emerged in the city it funded risky research.

EcoHealth Alliance, based in New York City, defended its ties to the Wuhan facility after Congress heard damning testimony from top scientists who pointed to mounting evidence the virus was man-made.

EcoHealth - which is headed by the controversial scientist and friend of Dr Anthony Fauci, Dr Peter Daszak - directed millions of US taxpayer dollars to the lab to fund dangerous coronavirus research before the pandemic hit.

In a reactive statement released while the explosive hearing was still taking place, the non-profit said: '[The] strongest pieces of evidence for a laboratory origin also fail to stand up to scrutiny.'

Nicholas Wade, a former New York Times science editor, pointed to the proximity of the earliest Covid cases in 2019 and the Wuhan Institute of Virology as evidence of a lab leak theory. EcoHealth Alliance, which funded research at the institute, said it was merely a 'coincidence'.

Dr Peter Daszak (left), president of EcoHealth Alliance, pictured with Dr Anthony Fauci (right)

EcoHealth gave $3.3million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) to perform risky research on bat coronaviruses before the pandemic hit.

During this time, Dr Fauci presided over the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID)  a part of the NIH.

At the end of 2019, the virus that would eventually spark a global pandemic emerged in Wuhan with early cases linked to a seafood market just eight miles away from the WIV.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing was addressed by former Clinton administration official Dr Jaime Metzl, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) chief under Donald Trump, Dr Robert Redfield.

Also featured was a former New York Times science editor Nicholas Wade, among other speakers, tied the research to the pandemic's origins.

'Mr. Wades other strongest pieces of evidence for a laboratory origin also fail to stand up to scrutiny,' EcoHealth said in a statement.

'He claims that the emergence of COVID-19 in Wuhan, the home of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, is evidence for laboratory origin, rather than just a coincidence  but he provides no data to demonstrate that his assumption is correct.'

At the hearing Wednesday, Mr Wade noted the proximity of the WIV to the initial outbreak of cases, which occurred just miles away at the Huanan Seafood market.

The WIV is one of Asia's leading virus research institutes and undergoes heavy research into coronaviruses in particular.

'The epidemic broke out not in some random Chinese city but right in Wuhan, home of the [WIV],' he explained.

'We know that scientists there were genetically engineering coronaviruses under seriously inadequate safety conditions, and we know viruses escape from labs all the time. Clearly, lab leak has to be a strong possibility.'

Mr Wade led the Times' science section from 1990 to 2012. He has also worked as an editor for the prestigious publications Nature and Science.

'If the virus had emerged naturally, it should have left many tell-tale signs in the environment,' Mr Wade told the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

'[It] has yet appeared despite the Chinese government's keen interest in finding them.

'As each month passes without such evidence  the natural origins idea has grown steadily weaker, it seems to me. For lab leak, on the other hand, the evidence has been building.'

The author accused Dr Fauci and former director NIH director Dr Francis Collins for covering up the alleged lab-leak.

'Fauci was probably not too pleased to hear that the virus might have escaped from research that his agency had funded,' he said.

Dr Fauci reiterated this week that he has kept an open mind about the virus's origins.

It was revealed this week, though, that he commissioned a study attempting to disprove that notion in February 2020.

But, new evidence shows he may have played a key role in suppressing discussions about the WIV.

EcoHealth Alliance was awarded $8million in Government research grants between 2014 and 2021, which it subcontracted to research facilities.

The WIV was one of eight teams awarded grants at that time.

Pictured: The Wuhan Institute of Virology, where crucial data was wiped by Chinese scientists

An 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

An audit by the US Office of Inspector General published in January found the NIH did not adequately asses the research being done with taxpayer funds or properly monitor it.

The report said: 'Despite identifying potential risks associated with research being performed under the EcoHealth awards, we found that NIH did not effectively monitor or take timely action to address EcoHealth's compliance with some requirements.

'Although NIH and EcoHealth had established monitoring procedures, we found deficiencies in complying with those procedures limited NIH and EcoHealth's ability to effectively monitor federal grant awards and subawards to understand the nature of the research conducted, identify potential problem areas, and take corrective action.'

Investigators say EcoHealth also did not submit proper progress reports on the use of its fund in a timely manner, with information coming in two years late.

It also says the NIH failed to terminate its grant with EcoHealth after the non-profit broke protocols.

Justin Goodman, from the White Coat Waste Project group, said: 'This audit confirms what we have been documenting since early 2020 when we first exposed NIHs funding of the Wuhan lab: EcoHealth Alliance shipped tax dollars to Wuhan for dangerous animal experiments that probably caused the pandemic, violated federal laws and policies and wasted tax dollars.

At the hearing Wednesday, Mr Wade noted two other vital pieces of evidence suggesting there was a lab leak, including details of a rejected grant proposal revealed in 2021.

The grant, applied for EcoHealth to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA was submitted in 2018. It was seeking $14million.

The risky research attempted to plant a furin cleavage site into bat coronaviruses. While EcoHealth did not receive funding, Mr Wade says that this implies they were working on these types of bat coronaviruses.

'Wuhan researchers said in their grant proposal that they would insert this very element into a group of coronaviruses,' Mr Wade said.

'And not only that, they would place it on a very specific point of the virus's genome. Now, the DoD turned the proposal down [because] it was too risky even for them, but the researchers may have done much of the basic work already and found other ways to finance it.'

This research could be described as 'gain-of-function' research - dangerous and highly regulated experiments where a person

Third, Mr Wade points out that the same furin cleavage site EcoHealth wanted funding to research was later found to be a part of Covid.

It was also found on the exact part of the virus, the S1S2 juncture, the grant was seeking funding to research.

Pictured: The Wuhan Institute of Virology, where crucial data was wiped by Chinese scientists

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)

This addition to the virus allows it to be more infectious, and scientists have noted that its existence increases Covid's transmission rate.

'Why should evolution provide at that very time and at that very place a virus of that exact type described in the defuse proposal.

'It is surely much easier to believe that the Wuhan researchers did exactly what they proposed and generated [COVID-19] in their lab.'

He continued that Dr Fauci, Dr Collins, and other leading figures in US public health conspired to bury evidence of a lab leak.

'But if the evidence of a lab leak is so strong, why do so many people still believe the virus came form nature?' he asks.

'The reason is, the natural origin camp got its story out first. Always a big help. It very successfully painted lab leak as a conspiracy theory before anyone in public had proposed it.'

He points to scientific journals such as The Lancet which published writings denouncing the theory right at the start of the pandemic.

On March 7, 2020, a letter signed by 27 scientists was published in the prestigious journal, denouncing the lab leak theory as a conspiracy.

Dr Daszak was one of the signees of that letter. He was later condemned for not revealing his conflict of interest when initially signing the letter.

Mr Wade is a controversial figure in his own right, though.

In 2014, he authored the controversial book 'A Troublesome Inheritance', which discusses racial differences and is often cited by white supremacists.

Other speakers at Wednesday's hearing included Dr Metzl, who worked as part of the State Department during the Bill Clinton Administration.

Dr Metzl, a self-identified Democrat, said he favored the lab leak theory because 'the Chinese government has done everything in its power' to stonewall investigations.

Dr Redfield, CDC director when the virus first reached the US in 2020, said he had 'no doubt' the NIH funded dangerous gain-of-function research in Wuhan.

He called for a moratorium on gain-of-function research until there was a 'consensus' on its benefit to society.

Redfield said there was evidence of the virus as early as September 2019 and stated three now-declassified 'highly irregular' findings pointing to the lab leak theory - he said researchers deleted sequences, changed command and control of the WIV from civilian to military and allowed a contractor to redo the ventilation in the lab, which Redfield called 'really telling.
There is a war going on when it comes to heating our homes - and I'm not talking about gas and electricity bills.

No, I am referring to the humble log burning stove, which has had its most divisive winter yet.

The growing legions of woodburner fans are clashing with those who point out the harmful pollution these devices can contribute to.

But for thousands of wood stove owners this growing backlash ignores the reality that many desperately rely on them. Some Britons cannot afford to keep warm without them as energy bills approach 3,000 a year for the average home.

Red hot: Log burners are at the centre of a fierce debate about public health, but are the devices getting more stick than they deserve?

Log burners, for the uninitiated, are metal stoves that are used for heating - and sometimes even cooking or drying clothes.

The point of the enclosed metal stove is that the user can control the air flow to the flames, burning logs or smokeless fuel (a greener alternative to coal) more efficiently and safely than an open fire.

There are now more than 200,000 log stoves being installed a year, with much of the surge in popularity due to energy bills that experts think will stay high for years. But the devices have their critics.

At the centre of that objection is a specific type of pollution called PM2.5. These are little specks so small that thousands could fit onto the full stop at the end of this sentence.

The tiny particle has become the standard bearer that the growing public backlash to log stoves has rallied around.

> Read our guide: What you need to know about buying a log burner

Log burning stove health risks

These PM2.5 particles are risky because they are so small that they are easily absorbed by the human body. In turn that can cause, and worsen, heart and lung conditions, including asthma, strokes and heart disease.

In response, the Government has tightened rules on how much smoke new log burning stoves can put out within smoke control areas, which include much of London, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle, among others.

The Government previously banned the sale of wet wood, unless sold in volumes greater than two square metres, as well as house coal.

So far, the Government is not looking to ban log stoves, as it appreciates that some households really do need them.

But that is just a matter of current Government policy, and as we all know these policies can - and do - change. And they often change due to public opinion, which seems to be shifting against log stoves.

And the risk is that while the Government may not bring in a ban, well-meaning but not fully-informed councils may introduce their own limits.

Pile on: Government has brought in rules that restrict sales of wet wood to the public

I believe a focus on bringing down PM2.5 particles on health grounds is correct. There is no safe level of pollution, and we should look to lower this wherever we can.

But the way the current debate on these particles focuses on log stoves, to the apparent exclusion of the other sources of this pollution, is worrying for two reasons.

One is that log stove installations are only having a bumper year because energy bills are so high.

Poll Do you support tougher restrictions on log burners? Yes No Undecided Do you support tougher restrictions on log burners? Yes 95 votes

No 641 votes

Undecided 21 votes Now share your opinion





Burning wood is currently cheaper than using gas or electricity, to the point of being free if the homeowner has access to their own firewood. Log stoves are also off-grid, providing a great alternative to the widespread power cuts we were all worried about going into the winter.

For many homes, burning wood to stay warm is just as important as it was to households hundreds of years ago, especially those with older properties or in colder regions of the countryside.

I understand why many log burner owners feel unfairly targeted. The mood music seems to be that the Government will one day come for their log stoves, but the main alternative - gas and electric powered heating - is hugely expensive or even unavailable. The timing is appalling.

So any further crackdown on log stoves cannot ignore the fact that energy bills are high, and are likely to remain so for some time yet.

Meanwhile, it is vital to differentiate between types of wood burners - more modern ones are much less polluting - and the wood people are burning: properly seasoned wood with a lower moisture content avoids the problems of wet 'green' wood and people shouldn't burn treated wood, such as old furniture.

Spread the net wider with catching PM2.5 pollution

My second problem with the focus on log stoves and PM2.5 particles is that people burning wood are not the only culprits - though you wouldn't know that from the reams of anti-log stove articles recently.

A key figure cited by many log stove opponents is that these cause 27 per cent of the UK's PM2.5 pollution, which is used as justification to further restrict their use. But that figure can be misleading and requires some nuance.

When it comes to pollution, log burning stoves are actually lumped in to a wider category called 'domestic combustion'.

Domestic combustion does indeed make up 27 per cent of PM2.5 - but the amount coming from wood burners is a much smaller part of that.

And as well as log burners, domestic combustion also includes emissions from gas boilers, gas stoves, barbecues, bonfires, chimeneas, firepits and open fires inside homes - though the stoves do make up the biggest component.

But at least the 27 per cent figure refers to the PM2.5 pollution made by households within the UK, and therefore within our control.

Almost half (45 per cent) of the PM2.5 particles we breathe in are outside of our control, and are excluded from many debates about this pollution.

Government figures show that a third of PM2.5 particles in the UK blow over the sea from the continent. Another 15 per cent come from the natural world, such as pollen and even the spray that comes off the sea.

So that is almost half of the PM2.5 particles in the UK taken out of the picture before we get on to how much our population is contributing.

We spend too much time thinking about log stoves as pointless upper middle class status symbols and not enough time thinking about them as a vital way of providing heat during a cost of living crisis

On a side note, we should not forget that UK levels of PM2.5 particles have been falling for decades, from around 550,000 tonnes a year in the 1970s to less than 100,000 tonnes now. So we are on the right path, even if we have some way to go.

Of the PM2.5 produced within the UK, industrial combustion and processes make up around 39 per cent, followed by domestic combustion (27 per cent), assorted smaller sources (20 per cent) and road traffic (12.8 per cent).

So domestic combustion may produce 27 per cent of UK PM2.5, emissions but it only makes up 17.5 per cent of the total PM2.5 within the UK - and log stoves do not even make up all of that figure.

Are log burners an easy scapegoat for bigger issues?

I find the intense focus on and scapegoating of log stoves mystifying.

If we agree that PM2.5 emissions are bad and should be kept down, why are we looking at log burners and not road traffic and industry too?

Or barbecues - or sea spray?

Or campaigning for France, Germany and others to better tackle their stray PM2.5 emissions?

The answer is that we see some sources of PM2.5 as more important than others, and log stoves are an easy target.

That has led us to spend too much time thinking about log stoves as pointless upper middle class status symbols and not enough time thinking about them as a vital way of providing heat for many households during a cost of living crisis.

You can divide log stove users into three main camps.

In the first camp are homes in rural areas, as well as off-grid properties and boat dwellers. Many of these domiciles are not on the gas network, so occupants heat their homes in a hodgepodge of ways, including heating oil, biomass boilers, electric heaters - and log stoves.

Most of the UK's chattering classes - politicians, journalists, campaign groups and so on - are quite simply not from rural backgrounds, and often fail to grasp their issues.

Burning wood is a lifeline for many. PM2.5 pollution is bad for health, but so is being cold. According to the charity National Energy Action, around 10,000 people a year die in the UK due to having cold and damp homes, and burning firewood is an unavoidable part of the solution to that problem for many.

In the second camp are people worried about energy bills. They see getting a log stove as a good investment for a (hopefully) temporary need, until gas prices fall. Once heating costs decline, it's likely log burners will get used much less.

In the third camp are people who have a log burning stove because it looks nice, and they find it relaxing to have a fire flickering away in the evenings.

I believe many of the architects of the current log stove crackdown have the very best of intentions, but risk obsessing about people in the third group while ignoring those in the first and second.

And it's worth noting that if they use properly seasoned wood or fuel, this isn't that much of an issue.

Cracking down on frivolous log burner use with green or unsuitable wood in urban areas does seem wise. Towns and cities tend to be warmer than the surrounding countryside, with better-insulated houses. In the case of London, is it easy to justify having a log stove when you live many miles away from the nearest woodland?

But any wider crackdown cannot ignore desperate households that really do need these log stoves, as this truly would leave them out in the cold.
Spending data from major banks indicates we've gone big on holidays this year.

This January, household spend at travel agents and airlines was up 83 per cent and 76 per cent respectively compared to last year, according to data from Barclays.

Lloyds Bank and Nationwide Building Society figures show a similar boom.

One sure-fire way to get ripped off abroad is to spend money with your bank's debit card.

Card sharks: One sure-fire way to get ripped off abroad is to spend on your bank's debit card. Often, they are loaded with fees for spending and even bigger ones for withdrawing cash

Often, they are riddled with fees for spending and even bigger ones for withdrawing cash.

That's one of the reasons why it's important to have a secondary current account. I use Starling because of its fee-free spending abroad  and I treat it like a savings pot so I can build up funds when a holiday is coming up.

I also like having half the money I'll need in physical cash. I don't know about you, but I still find it reassuring to have foreign currency in my hand abroad.

Currency fees feature in the long list of ways the major banks manage to keep profits rolling in. But bucking this trend, HSBC has launched a Global Money Account offering fee-free spending and cash withdrawals abroad.

The bank has clearly wised up to the fact that Starling and Co are hoovering up customers with this highly attractive perk.

One expert told me the account is a no-brainer for existing HSBC customers  although you can only apply for it through the bank's app.

I wouldn't be surprised to see other banks following suit. They already spend hefty sums on cash bribes of up to 200 for customers who switch to their accounts.

But don't wait around for your bank to act. It's vital to make sure you have the right card as you head abroad this year  you really can dodge this particular bank ruse.

Avios trick

On our honeymoon to Mauritius in 2019, Mrs B and I collected thousands of Avios points by booking with British Airways (BA).

Upon our return, I decided to bank those points by opening a BA Executive Club Membership  and then to keep stacking them up by getting a rewards credit card.

The American Express Gold card offered 30,000 bonus points for signing up if you spent 3,000 in three months. I hit the target by putting every penny of my everyday spending on the card.

After a year, I cancelled (to dodge the annual fee) and moved to a fee-free version, where I get one point per 1 spent.

It has been a hard slog to build up points, and you have to play by the rules  that is, pay off the balance in full every month to beat high interest that wipes out any potential financial gains.

If you're also getting frustrated with trying to spend points on the BA website, you're likely to find the BA app a far better way to hunt down good-value Avios flights

This done, I've subsequently been left scratching my head working out how to spend the points. The 'clunky' BA website certainly isn't much help, as one expert explains here. And that's putting it kindly.

However, a conversation with my brother-in-law finally unlocked the secret to a successful Avios flight booking  using the BA app.

It's far easier to navigate and quicker to use than the website and I've managed to bag that crucial 1p per Avios conversion rate on return flights to Dubai.

So, if you're also getting frustrated with trying to spend points on the BA website, you're likely to find the BA app a far better way to hunt down good-value Avios flights.

Tesco trouble

Money Mail continues to receive more tales of insurance-renewal madness from readers in our postbag each week.

One reader, Philip, wrote in and attached his quote for car insurance with Tesco Bank. The renewal was an eye-watering 990.80, up from 282.83. Incredulous, he says he rang Tesco to cancel only to be told the renewal was 'wrong' due to a 'systems error'. The onus, of course, was on him to call Tesco to find out this crucial piece of information.

He was then given a quote of 337.08. It begs the question . . . how could such a huge mistake be sent out in black and white to a customer without any kind of flag?

And if he hadn't seen it, would that amount have been taken from his account? Continue to keep an eye out for renewal shocks.

l.boyce@dailymail.co.uk
National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han / Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon



South Korean National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han met with his U.S. counterpart, Jake Sullivan, here on Tuesday to discuss an upcoming summit between their leaders and North Korea's evolving threats, the White House said.



The two also discussed ways to further strengthen the U.S.-South Korea alliance, which marks the 70th anniversary this year.



"National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met today with Kim Sung-han, National Security Advisor of the Republic of Korea (ROK). They discussed preparations for the upcoming State Visit by ROK President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee on April 26," the White House said in a press release, referring to South Korea by its official name.



"The two discussed how to maintain close cooperation to further enhance our security ties to respond to the changing threat environment in the Indo-Pacific region," it added.






My aunt is 81 and lives alone in a three-bed house. In November, she bought a new gas cooker from Currys. She paid to have the old one removed and the new one fitted.

The cooker was installed on November 23. But, at 5.30am the following morning, my aunt was woken by an overpowering smell of gas. She phoned me and I told her not to turn on any more lights as I feared this could have risked sparking an explosion.

She phoned the National Gas Emergency Service, which quickly sent out an engineer who said the cause was the connection to the new cooker.

Cut off: Curry's left a reader waiting a week after botching the installation of her new cooker and causing a dangerous gas leak

The emergency team turned off the mains supply and left my aunt with a single-plate electric food heater and a fan heater  for which we are grateful.

Currys promised to investigate the case urgently  but my aunt made numerous fruitless calls in the days afterwards.

The cooker was finally reinstalled a week later without any offer of compensation, despite the dangerous situation she was put in and the lack of proper central heating. R. K., Walsall, W. Mids.

Sally Hamilton replies: You say your aunt made many calls to Currys in an attempt to get an emergency callout but no one came back to her.

After several days, your cousin was fed up and visited the Currys shop in Castle Vale demanding action. Your cousin claims Currys said it was busy with other calls  but surely your aunt deserved priority treatment given the danger and the fact she was without her proper heating?

The fitter arrived a week later to fix the problem. However, months down the line, there has been no offer of compensation.

It defies belief that Currys' response was so glacial following such an incident that could have turned out very badly had your aunt not smelled the gas and, on your advice, called the emergency service.

You'd think the embarrassment of its installer making a poor job of it would have spurred the retailer into rapid action to ensure your aunt was not only safe but comfortable.

Mercifully, the connection was finally fixed just before the severe cold snap that struck the country in December.

I contacted Currys on your behalf to express my own shock at the poor service your aunt had received and the lack of redress.

After investigating her case, Currys came back with a response I would say was as lukewarm as your aunt's house during the week without her heating.

A spokesman says: 'Having looked into the case we did fall short of our usual service expectations here.

'We've picked up with her nephew to apologise for the experience provided and we have fully refunded the installation fee, along with a gesture of goodwill.'

You confirmed that its recompense amounted to a refund of the 150 installation fee and 50 as an apology. While you said it does not reflect anywhere near what your aunt went through, since you had accepted it directly with Currys before I knew about the sums offered, you would not now go back on your word.

Although I believe the compensation is severely undercooked, I felt it more important to check whether lessons had been learned by the retailer from the whole distressing incident.

A spokesman told me the company could not talk about the individual steps involved but confirmed that 'appropriate action' had been taken to ensure such an incident doesn't happen again.

Having gas appliances installed is a serious business and should be carried out by a qualified fitter  one listed on the Gas Safe Register. The National Gas Emergency Service says if there is a smell of gas in a property, act quickly by opening windows and using the emergency shut off valve on the meter  unless it is in the basement.

Meters are often located in the garage, kitchen, under the stairs or outside the front of a property. If it's in a meter box, you will need a special key to open it.

Don't switch lights on or off as this might ignite escaping gas. Phone the relevant National Gas Emergency Service number for your area or the national number on 0800 111 999. Leave the supply turned off until it has been checked by a qualified technician listed with the Gas Safe Register.

Straight to the point I moved my broadband, landline and TV contract from Virgin to Sky in August, as it was too expensive. However, Virgin is still taking direct debit payments. J. J. F., Bath. Virgin has apologised for the issues you have had cancelling your direct debit and it has refunded you 359. It has also offered you 100 as a gesture of goodwill, cleared your balance of 170 and closed the account. *** I had a life-changing car accident in December that left me disabled and I'm still in hospital. Santander has frozen my account since the accident and will not let me access my money to pay bills. I need help as the firm won't listen. L .A. H., via phone. Santander has removed the temporary block on your account and apologised for the inconvenience, paying 500 as a gesture of goodwill. A spokesman says these blocks are placed on accounts when they need to verify payment requests are authentic. *** Utility Warehouse has been charging me for the gas supply to the wrong property for six months. In the past two months, it has also charged me for my own property on top. I live in a small village where there are houses with a variation on the same name. H. W., North Yorks. Utility Warehouse apologises and has credited back the overpayments. A spokesman says: 'We found there were numerous addresses registered on the national gas industry database which led to the customer being billed incorrectly. We've requested the database be amended.'

Charged 120 to fill up my little Citroen

On January 10, I visited my local Tesco petrol station and used the pay-at-pump option, inserting my debit card.

I reached for the unleaded petrol nozzle but realised it was out of stock, with only diesel available. I went to another pump and entered my card details again, which were accepted, and filled my small Citroen with fuel costing 30.89.

The next day, I checked my Santander bank account and saw I had been charged 120. I immediately rang the bank, which noticed that two additional transactions were about to go through from the petrol station.

The first was voided. The second was for 30.89, which was correct, but the third was 120 of diesel for which I was charged.

Tesco sent me a dispute form, which I found difficult to complete, so I went to my bank on January 25, and staff kindly helped me fill out the form.

A week later, Tesco said it hadn't received the form, so, with help from my granddaughter, I completed a new one online. But I was informed it could take up to 90 days to resolve.

Petrol problem: E.T was overcharged when they filled up their car at a Tesco petrol station

E. T., Chorley, Lancs.

Sally Hamilton replies: The pay-at-pump option at filling stations is convenient, saving drivers from queuing at the counter. But, frustratingly, you have spent many hours trying to resolve an obvious error.

There was no way you would have purchased 120 of fuel for your little Citroen  and certainly not diesel when you drive a petrol car.

Potentially waiting three months to be reimbursed would test anyone's patience, so I contacted Tesco to chivvy it along.

One mystery was quickly solved  why 120 was the sum involved in the ghost payment taken from your account.

Payment networks Mastercard and Visa recently changed their rules, meaning all fuel retailers must temporarily ring-fence a certain level of funds in a customer's account for purchases made via pay-at-pump.

The amount frozen can vary. But with Tesco, customers can have up to 120 ring-fenced while they refuel and authorisation checks are made, with the unused amount released back to their account shortly after they replace the pump.

For example, if a customer buys 70 worth of fuel, the remaining 50 will be returned to their account almost immediately.

It's meant to prevent customers from purchasing more fuel than they have funds for.

Tesco says errors are rare and believes the pump was working correctly in your case.

No one knows exactly what went wrong with your purchase and why you didn't get back your 89.11  the balance between the 120 ring-fenced sum and your fuel cost of 30.89. The likely explanation is that the first pump was still engaged when you moved to a different one and was then unwittingly used by another customer, running up a bill on your card.

Whatever the reason, Tesco was sorry to hear about your experience and, after my intervention, quickly refunded the 120, adding 50 as a gesture of goodwill.
Millions of us collect them to get discounts and upgrades on flights. But how many of us are squeezing the maximum value out of Avios points?

The experts say few collectors truly know the best ways to use their pots which vary depending on how many points you've racked up over the years.

Here, three points pros reveal how to get the most bang for your buck...

Experts say few Avios collectors truly know the best ways to use their pots - which vary depending on how many points you've racked up over the years

What are avios points?

Avios points are rewards earned through spending on specialist credit cards which users aim to pay off in full each month.

They can also be earned by flying with British Airways (BA), conversions from Nectar points and through sign-up bonuses from American Express and BA and Barclaycard Mastercards.

Staying with a BA hotel partner, renting a car with Avis, shopping at the BA e-store, buying fuel and converting BPme Rewards points and linking your Uber account to BA's Executive Club are other ways to grow your pot.

What can you spend Avios on?

Typically, Avios can be put towards the cost of flights or flight upgrades.

However, they can also be redeemed on BA hotel bookings, or converted to Nectar points and spent at Sainsbury's, Argos or eBay. Avios can be donated to charity through the BA Better World Community Fund.

They can also now be spent on BA package holiday deals for the first time . . . but experts say this new option doesn't typically offer good value.

When it comes to spending, Rob Burgess, editor of frequent flyer website Head For Points, says 'the 1p rule' is key to finding a good deal.

He aims for each Avios he spends to be worth 1p in value. So for example, 30,000 points should get you 300 of value on flights or upgrades.

If you get more than 1p of value per Avios, that's a good return; less than 1p represents a poorer deal.

If you've got a bumper pot...

If you are Avios points rich, booking long-haul business-class flights is almost always the best value way to spend them, according to experts.

BA's Reward Flight Saver programme, which gives users a way of spending more points in exchange for lower airline taxes and fees, is a good way to do this.

This scheme was recently changed to add long-haul destinations. It means Avios collectors can use more points on a booking than ever before.

Savings: BA's Reward Flight Saver programme gives users a way of spending more points in exchange for lower airline taxes and fees

Michele Robson, editor of travel website Turning Left For Less, explains: 'You can now fly business class to New York for 160,000 Avios and 350 in charges. Previously, the limit was 110,000 Avios, but an additional 853 in fees.'

The typical business-class flight from London to New York costs 2,000, according to the experts. So in the example above, where you're spending 160,000 Avios and 350 in charges, the value is 1.03p per Avios point.

However, there are limited numbers of reward flights, which can be difficult to pin down. You must also compare how much the same flight would cost without using Avios to ensure it offers good points value.

Nicky Kelvin, of The Points Guy UK, recommends the SeatSpy website. He says: 'The BA website is clunky, but SeatSpy allows you to find reward flight availability.

'You can look up specific dates and it will tell you which routes are on offer, or you can search for routes and it will give you available dates.'

If your haul is mid-sized...

Customers who are getting the knack for collecting Avios may be unsure how to make use of their growing pot.

Mr Burgess recommends looking at other airlines which accept Avios  Qatar Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus  for the best deals.

He says: 'While you'll need to spend 300,000 points and about 700 for business-class flights from London to Sydney with BA, you'll only need 180,000 Avios and 600 for business class on Qatar Airways.

'Around 3,500 is about as good as you'd get on a cash flight to Australia, so this works out at 0.93p per Avios in value for the BA flight, but a bumper 1.6p per Avios for Qatar.'

Shop around: In addition to British Airways, other airlines which accept Avios include Qatar Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus

Mr Kelvin says another good value way to use a mid-sized Avios pot is to book a premium economy cash ticket  and then use your points to upgrade.

'It depends on the route, but often it is better value to use points on an upgrade on peak dates.

'For example, upgrading a cash premium economy one-way London to Hong Kong ticket to business on BA would cost 36,000 Avios on off peak dates, but 30,000 Avios on peak dates.

'This is because you are paying the difference between how much it would have cost you to use Avios for business class and for premium economy, which are often closer in value at peak times.'

According to the 1p rule, this is the equivalent of upgrading for as little as 300, whereas buying a business-class flight outright can cost thousands of pounds extra.

Mr Kelvin adds: 'The important thing is there needs to be availability in a higher cabin, so you should plan upgrades in advance. Book a ticket and SeatSpy can send you an alert when a seat becomes available in business or first.'

And if you're starting out...

If you have a relatively small pot, you can still put it to good use. Experts agree that short-haul economy is almost always the best way to spend the points.

Michele Robson says: 'Booking a reward flight in economy on short-haul European flights can pay dividends. During half-term, for example, you can save because even budget airlines are expensive. The trick is to research how much the flight would cost normally.'

Reward Flight Saver means you can reduce taxes and fees to as little as 1 for a return flight. For an off-peak return trip to Berlin, you can spend 18,500 Avios and 1.

Going by Mr Burgess' 1p rule, this works out at 186  185 'worth of Avios' and the 1 fee.

But he warns the 1 tax option is rarely the best value on short-haul, and you're better off paying with fewer Avios and more cash. You get the best deal if you spend 9,500 Avios and 35  the equivalent of 130, with the Avios being 'worth' 95 added to the 35 in fees.

And if travelling isn't your thing, points can also convert to Nectar credit. One Avios is now worth 0.67p of Nectar points, so 30,000 Avios will give you 201 to spend. But this is not good value versus flights and upgrades.

t.armstrong@dailymail.co.uk
Fast fashion group In The Style has agreed to sell itself for 1.2million just two years after listing on the stock market with a value of 105million.

The Manchester online retailer set up by Adam Frisby in 2013 with a 1,000 redundancy payment from Burger King will be bought by UK private equity group Baaj Capital.

Its shares, which listed on Aim in March 2021 at 200p, fell 78.6 per cent, or 5.5p, to just 1.5p. Its value collapsed amid a string of profit warnings.

Rescue: In The Style, which was set up by Adam Frisby in 2013 with a 1,000 redundancy payment from Burger King, will be bought by UK private equity group Baaj Capital

In The Style said the deal with Baaj, which involves the sale of its only operating company In The Style Fashion Limited (ITSFL), was required to stave off administration.

It follows a strategic review that began in December when Frisby, 35, returned as chief executive. He will stay on as chief executive of ITSFL when the sale is completed.

In The Style chairman Jim Sharp said: Under the new structure, with Adams leadership and Baajs backing,

'In The Style can continue to build on its potential while protecting the interests of employees, suppliers and other stakeholders.
Facebook owner Meta is set to slash thousands of jobs this week, adding to 2023s tech casualties.

The latest cuts are separate from its 13 per cent headcount reduction announced in October.

Meta, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, laid off more than 11,000 people last year, which chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, 38, largely blamed on its rapid growth during the pandemic and the slowing advertising market.

Axeman: Meta laid off more than 11,000 people last year, which boss Mark Zuckerberg (pictured) blamed on rapid growth during the pandemic and a slowing advertising market

This did not play out the way I expected, he said. I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that.

Last month, he alluded to further cuts during an earnings call with analysts, promising a year of efficiency.

He said Meta would flatten its structure and remove middle managers to make decisions faster.

Metas shares are up over 54 per cent this year, after big losses in 2022. Google parent Alphabet, Amazon and Microsoft have all axed jobs this year.

Data tracker Layoffs.fyi, says over 125,000 people have been laid off from tech firms in 2023, adding to 161,411 axed in 2022.
New measures making it easier for ministers to protect the embattled steel industry  by overruling independent advice on tariffs  are set to be announced by Kemi Badenoch.

They will allow the Business and Trade Secretary greater discretion when following recommendations by the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA), the Mail understands.

The body was set up in 2021 as Britain took over responsibilities handled by the EU to combat unfair practices.

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch is set to introduce new measures making it easier for ministers to protect the embattled steel industry

But its authority was called into question when then international trade secretary Liz Truss rejected some recommendations on steel tariffs amid an outcry from UK industry about Chinese dumping of cheap exports.

The TRA had said protectionist tariffs and quotas on ten types of product should be maintained for three years but removed on nine others.

Truss overruled it by prolonging quotas on five of the nine. To do so she had to create regulations to skirt round existing legislation.

A source said the changes to be announced by Badenoch would make it easier for ministers to take such decisions in the public interest.

The source said the TRA would continue to provide expert advice and analysis. Ministers may also take account of geopolitical factors affecting trade.

The source added: She thinks there are some tweaks that can be made which retain the original aim of the TRA but just give the Government slightly more flexibility over how we apply these sorts of remedies.

Details will form part of the Finance Bill  the Governments Budget legislation.

The changes are expected to be in force by the autumn.
Agent says 305-acre plot has 31 patented mining claims and could be converted into a family retreat or hunting lodge

Area was part of Colorado's Carson mining district which was established to mine gold in 1881 before shutting down in 1910

Mining town in the Rocky Mountains abandoned in the early 1900s has sold for $925,000 through Sotheby's International Realty

An abandoned mining town in southwestern Colorado has sold for $925,000.

The town, nestled in the Rocky Mountains, was established in about 1880 on a lucrative site for mining primarily gold, but also silver, lead and copper.

But by 1902 it was virtually deserted, though it remained open until about 1910.

The plot consists of a cluster of timber buildings on 305 acres of land, and was sold through Sotheby's International Realty, which advertised it as 'a well maintained piece of Colorado's mining heritage'.

The agent suggested the site had excellent hunting access and could be converted into a family retreat, hunting lodge, summer camp or even a back county ski outfit.

A cluster of abandoned buildings that once made up a mining town in the Rockies sold for $925,000

The timber buildings were built in the 1880s when prospectors arrived seeking to mine gold and silver

The lot was sold through Sotheby's International Realty, which described it as 'a well maintained piece of Colorado's mining heritage'

The town is in the San Juan Mountains which make up part of the Rockies in southwestern Colorado

According to the estate agent, the plot lies within what was known as the Carson mining district and consists of 31 patented mining claims, meaning both the land and its minable resources are privately owned.

Gold was first discovered in the the San Juan Mountains, which make up part of the Rockies, in around 1861.

Although the region initially attracted lone prospectors who set up small mining operations, larger mining companies moved in when silver was discovered in the 1870s.

The agent suggested the site could be converted into a family retreat, hunting lodge, summer camp or back county ski outfit

The town once sat within the Carson mining district, which was host to gold and silver among other ores

By 1902 the Carson district had been more or less abandoned but it remained open in some capacity until around 1910

The buildings sit on 305 acres of land which was included in the sale

The land is in Hinsdale County and the town is 'one of the most famous Colorado ghost towns', according to Sotheby's

The specific mining district was established in 1881 by Christopher J. Carson, who over the course of the next decade was very active in various mines in the area.

Then, after the silver crash of 1893 many were forced to close. According to the United States Geological Survey, the region was also host to iron, zinc and aluminum ores.

Half a dozen historic buildings on the land now make up 'one of the most famous Colorado ghost towns', according to Sotheby's.

'The property has beaver ponds, creeks, access to the continental divide and views that seem never ending,' read the listing.
A Labor candidate slammed her own party for selecting a white, rich businessman for a key western Sydney seat, leaked texts have revealed.

Liverpool councillor Charishma Kaliyanda, who was born in India but migrated to Australia as a child with her family, sent messages in private Labor supporters groups on WhatsApp during last year's May federal election attacking her own party over the selection of Andrew Charlton for the Parramatta seat.

The councillor, who is hoping to be elected as the next MP for Liverpool at this month's state election, claimed in the messages that Labor was not willing to select minority candidates for safe seats.

She wrote: 'It's another gross variation of "white people are better placed to be the authority because the people of colour can't be trusted to play nice between themselves".

'Also  how is it a sledge to call him what he is: a white, male millionaire.

'The party is more than happy to have people of colour "take one for the team". Just not when it involves held or safe seat?'

Liverpool councillor Charishma Kaliyanda sent messages in private Labor supporters groups on WhatsApp attacking her own party

The councillor, who is also a candidate for Liverpool in this year's NSW state election, claimed in the messages that Labor was not willing to select minority candidates for safe seats

Ms Kaliyanda also sent another message joking about Labor parachuting multi-millionaire Atlassian boss Mike Cannon-Brookes into a 'safe western Sydney seat'.

'Anyone have Mike Cannon-Brooks' (sic) deets (details)? Maybe there's a safe western Sydney seat head office can offer him?' she wrote in the messages obtained by the Daily Telegraph.

Mr Charlton's selection raised eyebrows at the time as he was living in a $16 million mansion in Bellevue Hill in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

It also sparked anger among local Labor activists in Parramatta - forcing Anthony Albanese to defend his choice.

He said Mr Charlton had the party's 'unanimous' support to run and he went on to win the seat.

Mr Charlton's selection raised eyebrows at the time as he was living in a $16 million mansion in Bellevue Hill in Sydney's eastern suburbs

Liverpool, where Ms Kaliyanda is running, is one of the safest Labor seats in NSW, with the party holding the area at state level since its creation in 1950.

She is believed to have apologised to Mr Charlton in a phone call last week after her comments came to light.

'I'm a passionate advocate for the interests of women of colour and other diverse members of the community,' she told the Daily Telegraph.

'Unfortunately, on this occasion my passion temporarily got the better of me in a private conversation with friends.

'I have apologised to Andrew for the comments. Now that I've met him, I respect him, and think he's doing a great job as a local MP.'

Daily Mail Australia reached out to Ms Kaliyanda for comment.
Australia's youngest senator has called out an older opponent for walking out of the chamber while she was speaking.

Senator Fatima Payman, 27, put Andrew Bragg and Jane Hume on notice in the Senate on Tuesday for 'lies' they were perpetuating about Labor's proposed superannuation amendments.

Midway through her argument, in which she defended the tax slug on superannuation balances over $3million, Senator Bragg stood up and marched out of the building.

'And now you walk away,' Senator Payman shouted across the room.

Senator Payman has an incredible story of resilience, having fled her home in Afghanistan with her family when the Taliban initially came to power.

She was elected to the Senate in 2022.

Midway through her argument, in which she defended the necessity of the proposed tax increases on balances of over $3million, Senator Bragg stood up and marched out of Parliament

After sitting through accusations of 'broken election promises' levelled from the Coalition, Senator Payman accused the Opposition of ignoring their own failures.

'Can we get the facts straight here?' she said. 'Those opposite seem to be thinking increasing wages of our lowest paid workers is rampant spending. Are you saying that increasing paid parental leave is rampant spending?

'Are you saying that cheaper medicine to help all those vulnerable Australians is rampant spending? Are you saying that accessible and affordable housing is rampant spending?

'And now you walk away... Are you serious?'

One parliamentary source said Senator Payman felt she had no choice but to set the record straight, adding any savings from the proposed superannuation amendment would go toward repairing the budget rather than 'rampant spending' as had been suggested.

Acting deputy president of the Senate, Andrew McLachlan, called for calm, warning Senator Payman she 'cannot reflect on the movement of a senator'.

In response, Senator Payman said: 'I withdraw. Have a great day, Senator Bragg.'

She later noted she was 'clearly having too much fun' during the back-and-forth.

As third on Labor's Senate ticket she was not expected to be elected, and treated the experience as practice for a serious 2025 run. But after an enormous landslide for Labor in WA that handed Anthony Albanese government, she was elected

'This is a modest and meaningful change that has come before the government, which was elected by the Australians as a responsible government to fix up the mess that we were left with, a trillion dollars in debt,' she said.

'And not only that, there was a decade of delay, denial, destructionthat is, triple-Ds on your report cardbut debts in the trillions as well. I don't think your parents would be happy. Stop blaming COVID for your poor policy choices. You had a decade. What did you do?'

Senator Fatima Payman put Andrew Bragg and Jane Hume on notice in the Senate on Tuesday for 'lies' they were perpetuating during Question Time earlier in the day

The Opposition argues the proposed superannuation changes amount to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese breaking an 'election promise'.

Mr Albanese plans to double the super contribution tax rate from 15 per cent to 30 per cent for the richest 0.5 per cent of Australians - but not until 2025, which would be after the next federal election.

Senator Payman arrived in Australia as an eight-year-old girl with her mother and three younger sisters in 2003.

Her father, Abdul Wakil, had arrived by boat four years earlier and was subsequently locked up in immigration detention.

They were forced to flee their home in Afghanistan when the Taliban took power because her grandfather was a member of parliament under the old regime.

She was the head girl of the Australian Islamic College in Perth and went to university to become a doctor, but got involved in politics instead

She was the head girl of the Australian Islamic College in Perth and went to university to become a doctor, but got involved in politics instead.

As third on Labor's Senate ticket she was not expected to be elected, and treated the experience as practice for a serious 2025 run.

But after an enormous landslide for Labor in WA that handed Anthony Albanese government, she scraped in.

Mr Payman never lived to see her become a senator, dying of leukemia in 2018 aged 47. But his death spurred his daughter on to becoming politically active.

Senator Payman said her surprise election, along with that of numerous other minority MPs, made Parliament more representative of 'the true Australia'.
One of the Antifa rioters arrested over the weekend after setting fire to construction vehicles and attacking police officers with fireworks and Molotov cocktails is the son of a New York City plastic furniture tycoon.

Mattia Luini, 30, whose late father Ivan Luini helped popularize high-end plastic furniture in the United States, is among the 23 protesters accused of carrying out a 'coordinated attack' on the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center on Sunday.

The woke activist, who was pictured smirking in his mugshot picture, now insists the violence Sunday night was 'completely random.'

But video released by the Atlanta Police Department on Monday shows how a mob of 150 protesters descended on the site of the proposed training center  which they have dubbed 'Cop City'  and pelted officers with rocks and fireworks.

Luini remained behind bars on Tuesday on domestic terrorism charges, the New York Post reports  despite his mother owning a $2million New York City condo.

Mattia Luini, 30, is among the 23 Antifa rioters who were arrested over the weekend after setting fire to construction vehicles and attacking police officers with fireworks and Molotov cocktails

A group of nearly 150 rioters descended on the proposed site of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center on Sunday and set fire to construction vehicles

Luini had told his mother, Martegani, he was traveling down to Atlanta over the weekend to attend a concert and 'protest the development of the forest.'

Martegani later told the Post she has only spoken with her son briefly since his arrest on Sunday.

'We haven't been able to talk in much detail,' she said. 'He doesn't know much of what happened.'

She also noted that her son the violence 'was completely random.'

It came as individuals and activist organizations descend on the proposed site for a 'week of action' to protest its development.

The week of action was set to include a Jewish Shabbat service on Friday night, herbal workshops and a 'know your rights' workshop.

And as the fiery riot broke out Sunday night, a Weelaunee Music Festival was scheduled for the protesters who have descended into the woods in recent months.

But as the music festival was going on, the Atlanta Police Department said in a statement, activists protesting the development of the training center in the Weelaunee public forest 'changed into black clothing, entered the construction area, and began to throw large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at police officers.

'The agitators destroyed multiple pieces of construction equipment by fire and vandalism.

'Multiple law enforcement agencies deployed to the area and detained several people committing illegal activity.

'The illegal actions of the agitators could have resulted in bodily harm, and clearly do not reflect a peaceful demonstration. Thankfully, officers exercised sound judgment and restraint while conducting non-lethal enforcement and arrests.'

The police department also released video on Monday showing a mob of around 150 people with masks covering their faces march through scrub and woodland around the proposed $90million center before unleashing havoc and setting fire to a power line.

Police officers protecting the site were forced to stand off as the attackers overran the site and targeted machinery. They were then pelted with rocks and fireworks by the thugs.

Aerial footage of riots show the nearly 150 Antifa thugs marching on the site of the city's Public Safety Training Center, dubbed 'Cop City' by activists

The frenzied thugs torched a power line after gaining access to the site which they've dubbed 'Cop City'

Many of the protesters arrested in the aftermath of the fiery riot came from outside of Georgia, including Luini.

Property records obtained by DailyMail.com show his mother and late father owned a $2million 1,600 square foot condo where his mother still lives, though it remains unclear where Luini was living at the time he decided to take part in the ongoing protests.

He is the son of Ivan Luini, who served as the president of New York-based Kartell US, a high-end Italian furniture company that specialized in plastic design.

The elder Luini was killed in a small plane crash near the Colorado-Wyoming border back in 2006.

Mattia's mother, meanwhile, is the founder and director of More Art  a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating public art projects throughout the city.

She said she now does not know whether she will visit her son in jail.

'He's doing OK,' Martgani told the Post. 'I spoke to him recently, but I'm not sure if I'm going to go down to Atlanta.'

Mattia's mother, Micaela Martegani, is the founder and director of More Art  a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating public art projects throughout the city

Inside the $2million condo in downtown Manhattan that his mother owns

Thomas Webb Jurgens, 28, an attorney for the hard-left Southern Poverty Law Center, was also detained after violent clashes between police and protesters at the construction site. Left: his professional LinkedIn picture, right: Jurgens' police mugshot

Timothy Bilodeau is a former teacher at Acera, the Massachusetts Schools Science, Creativity and Leadership. He describes himself as 'an aficionado of learning in all forms'. Bilodeau is charged with domestic terrorism

The 23 Antifa 'terrorists' who were arrested after violent clashes at the construction site for a police training facility in Atlanta dubbed 'Cop City'

Others who were arrested include Southern Poverty Law Center attorney Thomas Webb Jurgens, 28.

He joined the SPLC in September 2021 and worked on its Economic Justice Project, according to his LinkedIn page. He has also worked as an assistant public defender and a legal intern at a US attorney's office in Florida. The Florida Bar's website lists him as a current SPLC lawyer.

The LinkedIn page includes a professional photo of Jurgens with neatly-styled hair and a suit and tie. The picture is a marked contrast to the mugshot released by police on Monday that shows him sullen-faced in a green sweater with long, unkempt hair and stubble.

Jurgens was present as a 'legal observer on behalf of the National Lawyers Guild', the SPLC said.

Despite the violence that's laid bare in the footage, the NLG made the brazen assertion that the arrests were 'part of ongoing state repression and violence against racial and environmental justice protesters'.

'Each of these instances, including the many protesters charged with domestic terrorism, make clear that law enforcement views movement activists as enemies of the state,' the NLG said.

The SPLC added: 'The SPLC has and will continue to urge de-escalation of violence and police use of force against Black, Brown and Indigenous communities - working in partnership with these communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements and advance the human rights of all people.'

Another protester who was charged, Timothy Bilodeau, is a former teacher at Acera, the Massachusetts Schools Science, Creativity and Leadership. His LinkedIn profile lists him as a teacher of engineering, although a spokesman for the school told DailyMail.com he left his position before the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year.

In a gushing biography of himself, Bilodeau, 25, writes: 'I'm not just a musician or an engineer. I'm an aficionado of learning in all forms.'

'Leveraging the power of humor, joy, curiosity, and collaboration, I seek to build self-confidence so students can more effectively express themselves and solve problems in any area of their lives,' he writes.

Bilodeau also has a degree in mechanical engineering from Northeastern University.

Ehret Nottingham, 22, is a serial activist who has also taken a central role in pro-abortion and fair wage rallies. He says he 'became an activist' in 2018

James Mariscano, 29, is a known Antifa activist who has previously been arrested for assaulting a law enforcement officer

Emma Bogush, who also uses the name Bo, was a keen dancer who performed regularly before she turned to activism

Ehret Nottingham, 22, meanwhile, is a serial activist who has previously taken a central role in pro-abortion and fair wage rallies.

In a interview in June 2020, while studying political science at Colorado State University, Nottingham said he 'became an activist' in 2018.

He described himself as a climate activist who was also involved in Black Lives Matter protests, saying he has a 'whole lot of privilege and a whole lot of ability to affect the world'.

'The role in my future that I hope to achieve is to be an advocate and the platform I have to make change,' said Nottingham. He said he met 'most of my activist friends' through Instagram.

And Emma Bogush, who also uses the name Bo, was a keen dancer who performed regularly before she turned to activism.

The 24-year-old's Facebook page includes many photos with her dance teams, and lists vacations to London and Stonehenge in the UK.
Australia's youngest MP has made a controversial fashion statement outside parliament literally wearing vile gendered online abuse on her sleeves.

Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell, 30, turned up to Victoria's parliament on International Women's Day proudly rocking a white dress emblazoned front and back with abusive comments, tweets, emails and comments she's been inundated with since being elected.

The new upper house MP has been the target of attacks from cruel trolls and political enemies due to her distinctive tattoos and former life as a stripper and topless waitress more than a decade ago.

Among some of the phrases printed on her shirt included 'Parliament of w*****', 'S****', 'scr**', 'brain dead bimbo' and 'tatted up trashbag'.

Georgie Purcell wore gendered online abuse to work on International Women's Day

The dress was inspired by horrific feedback to her maiden parliamentary speech last month.

'The first notification I saw on my phone was someone calling me a w***-ible person,' Ms Purcell recalled outside parliament on Wednesday.

'The answer is that men need to do better.'

She added the terms plastered on her dress were some of the 'lower level' messages received.

She hopes to put a face to online gendered violence as she issued a powerful plea to online trolls.

'(I'm) a politician, but still a person,' Ms Purcell posted.

''I'm showing a health and safety issue that impacts all women politicians, a burden shared across party lines.

'I'm highlighting those words that I receive each and every day, and that I drag with me like weights on the worst days.

'Maybe it will make just one of those who send these messages reconsider.

'Because all women deserve so much better.

The young Victoria Upper House MP has been the target of attacks from cruel trolls due to her distinctive tattoos and former life as a stripper

Earlier, Ms Purcell explained her outfit choice in an opinion piece for The Guardian - shining a spotlight on the mental scars and damage of online harassment to women in politics.

'Every politician, regardless of gender, expects to be challenged on their policy. As we should be. Yet for women, it consistently goes beyond politics. It goes to the personal,' she wrote.

'A healthy democracy requires a diversity of voices, but a rational fear of normalised abuse against women, with no tool to stop it, is deterring women and gender-diverse people away from running for public office, and from being able to withstand it and be their most effective once they're in.

'We'd much rather spend our time on positive social change than on emptying our inboxes of violent threats, sexist comments and attacks.'

Later on Wednesday, inside Parliament, Ms Purcell later changed her outfit to adhere to a more appropriate dress code.

'If I can't wear it, why aren't we doing more to stop them saying it?' she quipped.

Georgie Purcell proudly donned her dress while addressing reporters outside parliament

Ms Purcell is the youngest woman in any Australian parliament and the second youngest ever to be elected to Victoria's Legislative Council.

She recently opened up to Daily Mail Australia about the horrifying moment photos of her working as a stripper while studying law at uni were leaked online.

Then aged 19, she thought her future dreams of working in law or politics were over she came across the photos posted on Facebook.

'I worked far away from where I studied and grew up so I wouldn't meet anyone I knew, and while I felt there was nothing wrong with that line of work, I knew many others would think otherwise,' Ms Purcell recalled.

'Then one day I was sitting at the hairdresser and when I logged into Facebook, I saw I was tagged in a picture without my consent which showed me working as a stripper and there were tonnes of comments.

'I grew up in a small country town in Geelong so everyone kind of knows everyone and it just spread really quickly and viciously.'
Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho shakes hands with his Saudi counterpart, Mohammed Al-jadaan, in Seoul in this photo released by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, March 8. Yonhap



Korea wishes to forge deeper ties with Saudi Arabia and have its companies participate in mega projects planned by the Middle East nation, the finance minister said Wednesday.



Finance Minister Choo Kyung-mo made the remark during his talks with his Saudi counterpart, Mohammed Al-jadaan, in Seoul, which marks their first meeting since the Group of 20 meeting in Washington in October.



During Wednesday's meeting, Choo and Al-jadaan shared opinions on the growing challenges in the global economy, including the looming fragmentation and other geopolitical risks, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.



Choo especially pointed out that the two countries can find potential opportunities for partnership in the Middle East nation's Vision 2030 blueprint, which centers on easing the kingdom's reliance on oil and fostering other growth engines.



Korea is making efforts to beef up its competitiveness in areas that include hydrogen and smart farming industries as well, the minister added.



Choo also asked Riyadh to pay closer attention to Korean companies' efforts to participate in the Neom project, which aims to build a sustainable city powered by renewable energy with a budget of $500 billion.



In response, Al-jadaan noted that Korean businesses have been boasting outstanding technologies and production capabilities, and said he hopes they can participate in various projects planned by Saudi Arabia. (Yonhap)


Denver business owners have been spending millions on private security groups to keep their properties safe as crime and theft by homeless people has run rampant in the Democrat led city.

Though the city has banned camping on the streets and sunk $250million into mitigating homelessness, many business owners feel those restrictions are loosely enforced and expenses are doing nothing to keep their properties safe.

Walter Isenberg, whose Sage Hospitality Group manages a number of prominent downtown Denver developments, told the Denver Post he spends $3million per year on armed security to protect his properties. Ten years ago his security budget was $250,000.

Business owner Chris Waggett manages 70 acres of properties around Denver, and said he's lost numerous tenants because employees don't come to work over fears for their safety from crime. He spends $500,000 for security at a property in the Union Station of Denver.

Denver is just the latest city to be plagued by crime and theft. Business owners have been fleeing from Portland, Oregon as crime has skyrocketed, and downtown San Francisco has been left deserted by workers and employees who fear for their safety.

A camp of homeless people set up on a street in Denver. The city has done little to fight the problem

Homeless people camped out on a Denver sidewalk. The city has a budget of $250million to fight homelessness, but many residents feel it is not going to good use

In the past two years crime in Denver has soared, with car break-ins doubling from 2020 to 2022, car theft tripling, assaults spiking 30 percent, and murder and arson rising, according to the Denver Post.

Homelessness has also skyrocketed, with the city spending its budget to buy hotels to house the homeless in, while camps pop up across city sidewalks in defiance of laws.

Waggett said when the city does break up camps, the problem merely gets pushed to another place.

'The big issue I've got is that when we do sweeps downtown or do pushes at Union Station, all it causes are people to push down the light rail corridors,' he told the Denver Post. 'All we're doing is playing Whack-A-Mole.'

He said he's lost at least three tenants directly to vagrancy and local crime, and that he regularly sees open drug use, prostitution, and excrement downtown. He added that his own security guards are sometimes unwilling to contend with drug dealers operating near his properties.

'We've had a very laissez-faire, permissive attitude and people don't understand the economic consequence to the city,' he said. 'We need leadership with a capital L: We need leadership not only in enforcing the law and addressing the three-pronged problem of homeless and drug use and mental health.'

Isenberg complained that the city was not using its resources to take care of business owners, and that private security was costing him big because he can only pass so many expenses on his tenants.

'The tenants can only absorb so much rent,' he said. 'We pay a lot of taxes and we're not getting services.'

Walter Isenberg (left) spends $3million per year on private security. Chris Waggett (right) spends $500,000 at just one of his properties

A homeless person sprawled out on a Denver street. Police have done little to remove camps

A homeless encampment on a Denver street in December 2022

Construction companies have been employing security groups at night to keep homeless people from breaking onto sites and destroying property or harming themselves in the dangerous conditions, and banks have had to keep homeless people from doing drugs in their bathrooms.

Shopping center owner Jamie Harris said his tenants call him at least three times a week to complain about crime and homelessness.

'At some centers it leads to theft,' he said. 'At others it's just a nuisance with trash and drug paraphernalia, or people sleeping on doorsteps. It's unbelievable.'

'Our tenants are so frustrated,' he said, recalling an incident where a man had broken into and was living in a utility closet at a property. Harris told the Denver Post the man was found after he started grilling food inside and maintenance workers saw the smoke.

Harris spends $160,000 on his private security, and passes the price on to the tenants. He gives them the option not to use it, but he said they all opt to keep it.

'If I ever ask if they want it taken away, they say no. They are willing to pay to keep property cleaner and fewer vagrants,' he said.

Fearing that police are unable to do anything about the problem, Harris has taken to guarding properties himself with a can of bear spray.

'The police can't really do anything except push people off my property and have them leave,' he said.

'For a while I really tried to have a conversation and say, 'hey, this is private property you need to move out,' but the nice-guy approach didn't work. It does not work  A lot of these people are very, very troubled, addicted to drugs or mentally ill.'

'When you look at San Francisco or Portland, the method of being nice and trying to be helpful is not working.'

A homeless man sleeps on a piece of cardboard on the sidewalk in downtown Denver

A group of homeless people camped out on a sidewalk in downtown Denver

Public data from Portland showed that since the pandemic, more than 2,600 downtown businesses have filed changes of address with the U.S. Postal Service to leave their downtown ZIP codes.

Several big-name employers, such Umpqua Bank, have been among the mass exodus, carried out by owners who have taken issue with the rising crime levels and homelessness - and the city's failure to address it.

Once hailed as the 'crown jewel of the West Coast' for its trendy art and food scenes, The City of Roses has been in peril since 2020, largely due to efforts to defund police and lax bail reform laws that leave little to no deterrent for increasingly brazen criminals.

And in San Francisco homelessness is at a nearly 20 year high, and local businesses have threatened to stop paying taxes unless the city cleans up the colonies of tents and tarps that have grown along neighborhood streets.

Major crimes in San Francisco are up 7.4 percent so far last year from the same period in 2021, with assault up 11.1 percent and robbery up 5.2 percent.

A recent poll found that a majority of San Franciscans believe their city is going down hill, and a third plan to leave the city within three years.

Some residents blame Mayor Breed, whose earlier popularity for steering the city through the pandemic appears to have waned amid rising crime, the fentanyl epidemic and other woes.

One specific harm reduction policy that failed was the opening of the Tenderloin Center last year that was meant to help alleviate the city's drug and homelessness crisis.

It cost taxpayers a whopping $22million and was meant to be a 'safe place' for addicts to 'get high without getting robbed' and without fear of fatally overdosing.
Cohen has since been arrested for the sexual assault of six of his adoptive sons

A 2019 Houstonia article said the family was 'by all appearances, happy'

The 'rabbi' and single adoptive father of nine who has been accused of raping six sons was once featured in a glowing article about his unconventional family.

In a Houstonia article titled 'One Father, Nine Adopted Kids, and Lots of Faith' from July 2019, Hayim Nissim Cohen was labeled as a loving father to the boys.

'They are, by all appearances, happy,' the article detailing their family reads, stating Cohen at one point 'became the go-to' for Jewish boys entering the system.

In reality, Cohen - whose real name is Jeffrey Lujan Vejil - was arrested that same year on suspicion of attacking another boy before he was released on bond.

The adoptive father was taken into custody after one of his sons, 18, called a podcast begging for help. Since then, six of his children have been put in foster care.

The 'rabbi' and single adoptive father of nine who has been accused of raping six sons was once featured in a glowing article about his unconventional family

In a Houstonia article titled 'One Father, Nine Adopted Kids, and Lots of Faith' from July 2019, Hayim Nissim Cohen, 38, was labeled as a loving father to his adopted boys

This is the 2019 article headline from the Houstonia that featured Cohen and his adopted sons

In the article from 2019 which made it into print that August, the article's author, Morgan Kinney, wrote that he toured the home where the family lived.

At the time, he painted the picture of a happy, healthy, and cohesive family that was created by a man who had opened his heart and his home to foster children.

Cohen at the time told the publication he became a licensed foster parent in his early twenties after finding out about the number of children in the system.

He first was placed with orthodox Jewish boys in 2008, saying he 'had no choice' but to accept the boys as his own, at just 26.

The Houstonia article names all nine children Cohen had adopted, but DailyMail.com has chosen to not name or show the boys faces at this time.

After he accepted his first two children, he told the outlet he 'became the go-to' for Jewish boys in the system and that social workers would continue to reach out.

'And the adoption cycle repeated itself with another son, then a pair of sons, then another son, and then, last year, a group of three more,' the article reads.

The feature also includes mention of Cohen's success in real estate ventures, the reason he was able to homeschool and be with the boys full time.

When asked by Kinney if he planned to adopt any more children, he gave a vague answer, even alluding to his hope to one day have his own biological children.

He said if social workers called him and asked him to take care of more: 'Sometimes you have to just do it, if you know you can do it.'

'If you know theres the realm of possibility, why not? Ill say that again: Why not?'

'Rabbi' Hayim Nissm Cohen, 38, is accused of sexually abusing six of his nine adoptive sons. He was on bond for a 2019 allegation involving another boy when he was arrested last month

At the time, the article painted apicture of a happy, healthy, and cohesive family that was created by a man who had opened his heart and his home to foster children

Cohen with eight of his nine sons. He is accused of sexually abusing at least eight of them

The boys also told police he is faking an illness that he claims requires a wheelchair and oxygen tank

Months before the adoptive father was given the glowing piece in the Texas publication, Cohen had been charged for sexual indecency.

In April 2019, the man was accused of assault by a Spanish exchange student who was living in his home and told police that he attacked him too.

He was charged with sexual indecency but was granted bond and was allowed home to the nine boys who now say he abused them.

Court records obtained by DailyMail.com detail what the boy told police.

'When in trouble, [Cohen] would tell the [boy] that he need to make him happy. He would touch Cohen's chest and stomach area and noticed him to get aroused while making noises.

'He explained that [Cohen] wanted him to get an erection, but he would not be turned on. He would ask him for a hug so he could put his hands on him.

'He stated it happened in Cohen's bedroom and they were both in bed.

'He stated he would touch him and would ask him if he liked it.

'[Cohen] grabbed his hand and placed it on his penis.

'He explained that he began to masturbate the defendant, and that it happened while everyone was asleep,' a charging document from April 2019 reads.

Cohen was arrested and charged but was released on bond and allowed to return home on bond.

Inside his Texas home, officials believe where he alleged abuse continued for years.

Prosecutor Jana Oswald from the Harris County District Attorney's Office admitted after Cohen's arrest on the new charges: 'All of us knew there was something going on, but we weren't able to prove it.'

When questioned on why he was released, a spokesman for the DA's office told DailyMail.com: 'Theres generally a pretty high bar for a defendant to be held without bond, which is a constitutionally protected right in most circumstances.

'While prosecutors may make recommendations regarding bail, judges set it.'

Child Protective Services declined to give details on how many times it had been called to Cohen's home, citing ongoing police investigations.

Court records obtained by DailyMail.com detail what the Spanish exchange student told police about Cohen in 2019

Prosecutor Jana Oswald from the Harris County District Attorney's Office admitted last week after his arrest on the new charges: 'All of us knew there was something going on, but we weren't able to prove it'

Prosecutor Jana Oswald from the Harris County District Attorney's Office admitted last week after his arrest on the new charges: 'All of us knew there was something going on, but we weren't able to prove it.'

When questioned on why he was released, a spokesman for the DA's office told DailyMail.com: 'Theres generally a pretty high bar for a defendant to be held without bond, which is a constitutionally protected right in most circumstances.

'While prosecutors may make recommendations regarding bail, judges set it.'

Child Protective Services declined to give details on how many times it had been called to Cohen's home, citing ongoing police investigations.

It's unclear why the children were not removed from Cohen's care after the 2019 incident was first reported.

CPS in Texas also investigated him, but the boys say they were instructed by Cohen to lie. Cohen turned the family's life into a money-making, social media phenomenon.

He set up a Cash App account where strangers could donate to their family, and also advertised Amazon wish lists.

In disturbing videos, he talked of being misjudged and discriminated against by strangers.

'There isn't a week that goes by that our family doesn't receive some kind of discrimination. So many have a disregard or simply a misunderstanding of others' beliefs are.

'We must remember the importance of having empathy for all humanity irregardless (sic) of beliefs.

'Wishing you peace and blessings,' he said.

It remains unclear how he was able to adopt the children.

The case unraveled on January 30, when one of the children called into the Blind Skinned Beauty to report being abused.

The podcaster called police, who in turn contacted CPS, and the boy was tracked down.

The 18-year-old told police the abuse began three weeks after Cohen adopted him in 2016.

It remains unclear how he was able to adopt the children

It's unclear why the children were not removed from Cohen's care after the 2019 incident

It began with Cohen forcing the children to massage his feet, he said, then he claims they were forced to perform sex acts on him and on each other. He told police he was raped for the first time at aged 14.

The children also claimed that he is faking an illness that requires an oxygen tank and wheelchair.

In court, prosecutors said there was evidence to prove as much.

Cohen is said to have fabricated his Jewish heritage too, claiming to have grown up as a Hasidic Jew in New York, when records show he was born in Odessa, Texas.

Court records say he routinely used 'different names'.
A Mafia figure regarded as Brisbane's Tony Soprano has died aged 80.

Gerardo Bellino, who was jailed after the Fitzgerald Inquiry into crime and police corruption, ran a multimillion-dollar network of illegal brothels and gambling dens.

Known as Gerry, he was a member of the Bellino family of immigrants who came from Sicily to Australia in the 1940s when he was aged nine.

The colourful entrepreneur ended up owning several striptease clubs, a coffin-making business and worked as a property speculator.

Along with his business partner Vittorio 'Vic' Conte, he was jailed for almost seven years after being convicted of paying bribes worth $17,000 a month to police officers.

Bellino paid for protection of his vice rackets in the Valley to crooked police who pocketed hundreds from 'Uncle Gerry'.

He was also linked to the growing of giant cannabis crops.

Bellino died on March 1 from cancer and will be farewelled at a service at Holy Spirit Church, New Farm next week.

Gerry Bellino, who ran a multimillion-dollar network of illegal brothels and gambling dens in Brisbane's seamy Fortitude Valley has died aged 80

One of the illegal brothels run in the then seamy suburb of the Valley. which included Bellino's Bubbles Bath House and other places of prostitution

Gerry Bellino (left) who once ran illegal casinos, brothels and strip clubs (right) in Brisbane's seamy quarter The Valley has died from cancer aged 80

In the 1970s and 1980s, Bellino operated some of the best known venues in Fortitude Valley, including the World by Night, a notorious strip club with a brothel upstairs, The Beat and Bubbles Bath House, which operated an illegal gaming room.

Bubbles has since been re-opened at the same location as a legitimate business, Les Bubbles Steakhouse, with a basement bar to mark its 'sordid history'.

Bellino earned huge amounts of cash from prostitution and gambling.

Fortitude Valley was a hotbed of illegal gambling, prostitution and crime which became the subject of the Fitzgerald inquiry into police corruption

Brothels and illegal casinos were clustered in the valley along a vice strip controlled by Mafia and protected by corrupt police

He was the brother of the more prominent Tony Bellino, a casino operator who denied knowing anything about illegal prostitution before his death last year.

Tony Bellino, who opened iconic hotspot The Roxy nightclub in Fortitude Valley in the 1980s, was named in the Fitzgerald Inquiry's terms of reference but was never charged and denied any wrongdoing.

The inquiry was sparked by reporter Phil Dickie's investigation into high-level police corruption, illegal prostitution and gambling in Brisbane in the late 1980s, and was followed by Chris Masters' Four Corners program, The Moonlight State.

Gerry Bellino freely admitted to the inquiry that he owned buildings in which illegal gambling dens and Bubbles Bath House operated, but denied he was involved in prostitution.

The Fitzgerald inquiry, which began while Joh Bjelke-Petersen was the Queensland Premier, gave indemnities to witnesses, resulting in accusations of corruption being levelled against the state's police commissioner, Terry Lewis.

Significant political damage caused Bjelke-Petersen to resign as premier, and when the commissioner Tony Fitzgerald filed his report in 1989, high-profile politicians were charged with crimes.

Bjelke-Petersen himself was tried for corruption and perjury, but a jury failed to agree on a verdict.

Sir Terence Lewis was charged with corruption, convicted and stripped of his knighthood.

In December 1989, the ALP won its first Queensland election since 1957, with Wayne Goss elected as leader.
A British woman who is facing deportation after living in Australia for 11 years has been granted a last-minute reprieve just hours before she was due to board a plane.

Belinda Checkley, 36, first came Down Under as a backpacker in 2012 and stayed in Byron Bay for more than a decade, but her visa was rejected when her employer sold the business she works for.

The cafe worker was told she would need to leave the country on Tuesday.

However, on Monday, she was given a three-month bridging visa in order to apply to stay long term.

Now, she is facing another battle in order to stay in Australia where she has found love and made a life, with more than 35,000 people signing a petition and urging Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to intervene and let her stay.

Belinda Checkley, 36, first came Down Under as a backpacker in 2012 and stayed in Byron Bay for more than a decade, but her visa was rejected when her employer sold the business she works for

'I've had an amazing result after intense pushing in the last two weeks. I'm so, so grateful that I'm not packing my bags to leave tomorrow: I've been granted a bridging visa for another three months,' she wrote on her Change.org petition.

'While I'm praying for a good outcome and other opportunities to take shape, I'm still quite nervous that I may have to say goodbye to my home, my life in the coming months.'

Ms Checkley first came to Australia on a working holiday visa and 'instantly' fell in love with Byron Bay.

After a three-month stint working on a farm, she studied hospitality management before getting a job in the New South Wales tourist town and working her way up to cafe manager.

But in 2018, the cafe changed ownership, causing her visa to be cancelled.

Ms Checkley is now appealing for public support to stay, with many Byron Bay locals speaking out in support of her place in the community

She says she's built a 'beautiful life' in Byron Bay and has 'no life' back in the UK.

'I have worked hard to build a secure future and my goal has been to obtain permanent residency.

'It has been a long journey - one filled with countless personal, emotional and financial sacrifices  to work within the Australian immigration system,' her change.org petition explains.

After six years happily living in Australia, in 2018 she was told her visa had been rejected. She later found out her migration lawyer had filed the application on her behalf and hadn't done the paperwork correctly.

She found a new lawyer and filed her appeal with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).

After a three-month stint working on a farm, Ms Checkley studied hospitality management before getting a job in the New South Wales tourist town and working her way up to cafe manager

At the same time, Ms Checkley was beset with personal tragedy when her partner took his own life.

'This was an unimaginably painful experience and it is something that will be with me forever,' she explained.

'The magnitude of love and support that I received from my incredible friends and members of the local community was a clear testament to the fact that this beautiful town is truly my home.'

While working through her grief, Checkley faced a further setback when her employers sold the cafe she was working at.

This lead to the immediate cancellation of her visa.

'I appealed this unique set of circumstances to the Department of Immigration,' she explained.

'My case rose to the level of Ministerial Intervention  to be personally reviewed by the Minister of Immigration himself.

Now, she is facing another battle in order to stay in Australia long term where she has found love and made a life, with more than 35,000 people signing a petition and urging Immigration Minister Andrew Giles to intervene and let her stay. Pictured with her partner

'So for another two full years  during the pandemic - I lived, worked hard, and waited anxiously for an outcome.

'Then this past Christmas, I got one: My appeal, too, was rejected by the Department of Immigration without further review.

'I was informed there was no option to apply for any alternative visa while still living in Australia.

'And I had three months to prepare for my deportation. Once outside Australian borders, I would be legally barred from re-entering the country for the next three years.'

After successfully being granted a last-minute bridging visa, Ms Checkley is now appealing for public support to stay, with many Byron Bay locals speaking out in support of her place in the community.

'I've given 11 years of my life to this country. To face rebuilding my life after years of hard work and dedication is surreal and unfathomable,' she explained.

After successfully being granted a last-minute bridging visa, Ms Checkley is now appealing for public support to stay, with many Byron Bay locals speaking out in support of her place in the community

'I'm a hardworking, law-abiding and productive member of Australian society. I work in an industry desperate for talented and reliable staff.

'I've proven myself again and again and sacrificed so much just to call this place home. My only crime is that I was not born here.

'I came, like so many of us still in Byron Bay, as a backpacker in my 20s. I loved it and have never left. I'm now 36 years old, settled down, and trying to begin my own family with my partner who grew up here.

'I have no life back in the UK. It's a cold and distant memory.'

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Traci Yan Yan Chen, Principal Lawyer at Maison Chen Law Group who specialise in Australian immigration said that cases like Ms Checkley's are 'unfortunately common'.

'A refusal of an application greatly limits onshore options,' she explained.

'The process is quite lengthy and of course the Minister does not have to intervene, particularly when an offshore visa application can be made.

After six years happily living in Australia, in 2018 she was told her visa had been rejected. She later found out her migration lawyer had filed the application on her behalf and hadn't done the paperwork correctly

'Before seeking Ministerial Intervention, applicants should consider their options carefully as they will need to apply for a Bridging E visa to remain onshore lawfully while their case is being considered.'

She added that the best way to avoid situations like this is to 'obtain the correct advice'.

'You need to be confident in the expert you choose to steer clear of any easily avoidable mistakes. However, for some applications, the departmental case officer still has the discretion to refuse the visa or employer nomination application.'

Her case has parallels with those of the Murugappan family from Sri Lanka who won the support of the township of Biloela, and the Green family from Scotland who had also been in Australia for a decade but were denied a visa due to changes of employer.

In both cases, significant media attention saw those families allowed to stay.
Comedian Eddie Izzard has revealed that she now uses a new female name - 'Suzy'.

The aspiring Labour MP, 61, said she now alternates between her original name and the new moniker.

The gender-fluid star revealed the change on Matt Forde's Political Party podcast on Monday night.

Izzard has used 'she/her' pronouns since 2020, but 'doesn't mind' if people use 'him/her' pronouns.

She told Forde: 'I prefer to see she/her, I don't mind he/him... I'm Eddie.

The gender-fluid star revealed the change on Matt Forde's Political Party podcast on Monday night

Izzard has used 'she/her' pronouns since 2020, but 'doesn't mind' if people use 'him/her' pronouns

'There's another name I'm going to add in as well, which is Suzy, which I wanted to be since I was 10. I'm going to be Suzy Eddie Izzard.

'That's how I'm going to roll, so people can choose what they want. They can't make a mistake, they can't go wrong.'

She also pledged to 'keep going until I get in' as a Labour MP after losing out on selection for the seat of Sheffield Central in December, and vowed to fight for selection 'anywhere up North'.

'I would rather be up North because I'm a kid from the South... if people feel the South has it good then I want to fight for the North,' she added.

She also said it was not transphobic to oppose former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon's Gender Recognition Bill, which was blocked by Westminster in January.

The block came amid concerns that 16 was too young to lower the to which someone can legally change gender.

Izzard said it was not transphobic to oppose the Scottish bill because the time people should wait before changing gender legally is a 'tricky question'.

Asked how many genders there are, she said: 'I don't know... we're all somewhere on the spectrum, we have just got to chill out about it.'

Izzard previously told the Huffington Post website: 'I spent 50 years predominantly in boy mode, so let's try the next 50 in girl mode.

'It's just a language adjustment. And no one should get het up about it.

'I'm still gender fluid and I tell everyone that's supported me, 'Relax people, he or she, it doesn't really matter.''

'The pronoun thing isn't the important thing, the important thing was coming out [as trans] back in 1985, that was the tough time.'

Izzard initially became known as a comedian who cross-dressed, but now identifies as a gender-fluid trans woman.
A Virginia school district is under fire once again for its 'equality' programs - this time for sending a letter offering college preparation classes only to black and Hispanic students.

Fairfax County Public Schools has since the beginning of this year been under investigation by the state Attorney General for withholding merit awards from students at Thomas Jefferson High School.

TJs, as locals call it, is the United States' top-performing public school, and woke teachers there claimed they'd held back the awards to boost 'equity.'

And now, another school in the district - Cooper Middle School in McLean, Virginia - sent a letter to parents which critics said was also discriminatory.

On February 21, parents of eighth grade students were asked whether their children were considering college, and could benefit from college preparation classes.

The letter said lessons were only available, however, to black or Hispanic students, as well as those with disabilities, language barriers, economic disadvantages or those who were the first in their family to apply.

Lisa Barrow is the princpal of Cooper Middle School, which has come under fire over a new program offering college prep to students - except those who are white or Asian

Journalist Asra Nomani, who obtained the letter, tweeted: 'In the 20th century, Asian Exclusion Act denied Asians equal opportunities.

'Now @FCPSNews promotes a college prep program with race-based admissions, excluding Asians + whites.

Asra Nomani first revealed the letter to parents

'A judge already ruled FCPS violated US Constitution in new anti-Asian admissions.'

Nomani noted that the benefits of the program were substantial: those attending were given academic counseling, access to colleges to experience their teaching, and advice on 'completing college and scholarship applications.'

One father, Glenn Miller, an attorney, told Fairfax Times the scheme was problematic.

'This program excludes children based on race, and it seems to be in direct violation of the school district's own anti-discrimination policy,' he said.

Cooper Middle School, pictured, sparked racism accusations after offering a college prep program that excluded white and Asian-American students

There are 17,760 black students in Fairfax County Public Schools, representing 10 percent of the total student body.

Hispanic students make up 28 percent, with 51,048 people.

The school district's anti-discrimination policy states: 'No applicant or employee on the basis of, of race, sex, color, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, pregnancy status, childbirth or related medical conditions, marital status, veteran status, and disability shall be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under, any education program or activity, as required by law.'

Thomas Jefferson was forced into a humiliating apology over its withholding of merit awards, which angry parents said could have been used to boost their children's college applications.

Virginia's GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin was sufficiently outraged by the incident to launch a formal probe by state lawyers.

Criminal charges against the school could follow.

Youngkin swept to a surprise victory in the liberal-leaning state in 2021 largely on the back of his opposition to woke policies such as those on display at Fairfax County schools.

Democrat rival Terry McAuliffe is widely believed to have destroyed his campaign after telling parents they had no place interfering in what was going on in schools.

Another Virginia school board, Loudon County, sparked national outrage with its transgender bathroom policies after a boy in a skirt molested two girls in bathrooms at two separate high schools.

'Equity' is the current woke buzzword, and means seeking equal outcomes for all students, rather than just offering them equal opportunities.

Proponents say it takes into account disadvantages some children have, a disproportionate number of whom are black and Hispanic.

Critics say achieving equity rarely lifts those children up, and instead seeks to lower standards overall, to give the artificial impression of improved outcomes.
A man who has investigated the D.B. Cooper case is suing the FBI because he believes a piece of the hijacker's tie that may contain DNA can solve the case.

The American hijacker, who is known by the media as Cooper, but whose real identity is still unknown, took over a plane while it was flying over the United States in 1971 and held the entire flight for ransom - and then somehow escaped by parachuting out of the door mid-air, making off with $200,000 in cash.

The mysterious case, which remains unsolved today, quickly took the country by storm, and went on to become one of the most talked about incidents of its time.

Eric Ulis, who calls himself 'one of the world's leading DB Cooper experts,' says he's discovered an adjustable spindle in a tie that matches the one Cooper wore.

He believes that the spindle may solve the case because previous FBI investigators told Ulis that they didn't realize it was specifically adjustable.

He believes that the spindle may solve the case because previous FBI investigators told Ulis that they didn't realize it was specifically adjustable

A man who has investigated the D.B. Cooper case is suing the FBI because he believes a piece of the hijacker's tie can solve the case

Ulis is going to Washington to file a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit on Wednesday to force the FBI to let him and a DNA expert examine the tie.

He believes they can use ancestry genealogy to solve the case, though the FBI recently denied a request to examine the tie under FOIA.

'They've given access to the tie two separate times before to private scientists, private individuals, once in 2009 and once in 2011, and this could actually solve the case,' he told KOIN6.

'That gives us the ability to take D.B. Cooper's DNA and sort of reverse engineer this and identify his family, nephews, nieces, people of that nature,' Ulis added.

Ulis suspects a man named Vince Peterson is Cooper after a November chemical trace found on the tie to a lab in Pittsburgh where Peterson worked.

The FBI has said it does not comment on potential litigation.

After jumping from the moving plane with his money and a parachute, Cooper went missing - and his fate is still not known - however, law enforcement, government officials, retired detectives, and civilian sleuths continued to look for the mystery man for many years to come.

While various clues have emerged over the years, including a stash of cash found in a riverbed believed to be part of his ransom money, there has never been anything concrete enough to bring the case to a close.

Eric Ulis (pictured), who calls himself 'one of the world's leading DB Cooper experts,' says he's discovered an adjustable spindle in a tie that matches the one Cooper wore

The American hijacker, who is known by the media as Cooper, but whose real identity is still unknown, took over a plane while it was flying over the United States in 1971 and held the entire flight for ransom - and then somehow escaped by parachuting out of the door mid-air, making off with $200,000 in cash

Ulis suspects a man named Vince Peterson (pictured) is Cooper after a November chemical trace found on the tie to a lab in Pittsburgh where Peterson worked

Back in November 1971, a 'non-descript man' identifying himself as Dan 'DB' Cooper bought a $20 ticket for a Northwest Orient flight from Portland to Seattle.

He settled into his seat, smoking cigarettes and drinking bourbon, before telling a flight attendant shortly after takeoff that he had a bomb in his briefcase and a note for the pilot.

Included in the letter was a demand from the criminal, ordering the pilot to communicate with authorities on the ground and tell them to bring him $200,000 in cash (which would be equivalent to around $1.2 million now) and four parachutes in exchange for the lives of the 36 passengers aboard the aircraft.

When the flight landed in Seattle, Cooper successfully traded the hostages for the cash with the FBI. However, he then ordered that the Northwest pilots take off once more in the direction of Mexico City; Cooper instructed the pilots to fly the plane under 10,000 feet and at a speed lower than 200 knots.

Then, somewhere between Seattle and Reno just after 8pm, Cooper lowered the rear steps and leaped out the back of the plane using one of the parachutes swindled from authorities and clutching onto the cash in a briefcase.

In November 1971, a 'non-descript man' identifying himself as Dan 'DB' Cooper got on a Northwest Orient flight from Portland to Seattle. He then told the pilot he had a bomb and asked for $200,000. Pictured is the plane he hijacked

The only clue to what happened happened to Cooper was discovered nine years later in 1980. A young boy camping with his family on the Columbia River, northwest of Vancouver, discovered $6,000 of Cooper's ransom money in a riverbank, pictured

The pilots later landed safely, but the man the press would later dub as 'DB' Cooper disappeared without a trace in the night  leaving his identity and fate to become the subject of folklore and prompting one of the longest and most exhaustive investigations in FBI history.'

The FBI, who speculated that Cooper died in the fall, attempted to find the exact location of Cooper's landing by recreating his drop with the same plane and the location that he jumped. They searched the area extensively - but they didn't uncover anything.

Officials were able to extract partial DNA from Cooper's tie clip, which was left on the plane, however, they were never able to match it to anyone.

Based on elements found on the tie, it was believed the Cooper either worked in a metal or chemical manufacturing plant or was possibly a Boeing employee. FBI suspect profilers also said he may have been an Air Force veteran.

Robert Rackstraw (pictured), a military vet with a murky past riddled by fraud and con-artistry, is one of the people believed to be the real DB Cooper, however, there have been numerous suspects over the years. He died in 2019

One of the only concrete clues as to what happened happened to Cooper was discovered nine years after the incident, in 1980.

A young boy camping with his family on the Tena Bar stretch of the Columbia River, northwest of Vancouver, came across $6,000 of Cooper's ransom money, bound-together by elastic bands, while he dug a fire pit on the riverbank.

The discovery, confirmed by the serial number on the cash, led the FBI to believe that the money had washed down river, 18 miles from Cooper's drop zone, and had been buried in the sand ever since.

But the theory was later thrown into question after scientists analyzed tiny particles of algae that had attached to the notes and suggested that the money had ended up in the river months after Cooper's flight - leading many to believe that he had survived the drop after all.

The rest of Cooper's ransom money was never found, despite FBI releasing the serial numbers to the public and offering rewards to any who turned in a matching bill.

That extensive search for the hijacker ended in 2016, when the FBI closed the case unsolved. FBI agents are seen scouring the sand of a beach of the Columbia River, searching for additional money or clues on February 13, 1980

That extensive search for the hijacker ended in 2016, when the FBI closed the case unsolved, having investigated thousands of possible suspects and countless false leads.

During the 45-year investigation, officials had a number of ideas about Cooper's real identity, some of which are featured in the new Netflix show.

The most compelling was arguably Robert Rackshaw, a retired pilot and military veteran with a murky past riddled by murder accusations and con-artistry.

Rackstraw had extensive military training, serving in the National Guard, the Reserve, and in one of the most decorated combat divisions in the US Army - the 1st Calvary Division - in Vietnam in 1969. He is rumored to have been granted immunity for his crimes after flying black ops missions for the CIA.

Rackstraw was first considered as a suspect seven years after the hijacking in 1978, with investigators saying so many things about him seemed to match the description of Cooper.

Between his resemblance to the sketch of Cooper, his military training, and his criminal record, law enforcement was suspicious of Rackshaw, who died in 2019, but couldn't find any direct evidence linking him to the case.

Cooper would be in his 90s now - that is, if he even survived the drop from the plane and if he is still alive today.
An Afghan migrant who just days ago tried to board a small boat to the UK had already been deported from England after raping a schoolgirl.

Emal Kochai was jailed in 2014 after being found guilty of raping a 12-year-old girl in Reading, Berkshire, and was returned to Afghanistan in 2019 having served half of his nine-year sentence.

But the 28-year-old is now living in a French migrant camp waiting for his chance to board a small boat back to the UK.

On Monday morning he tried to board a vessel to cross the Channel but said that police arrived and punctured the boat with a knife.

Speaking from the Grande Synthe camp near Dunkirk, Kochai told The Times that he is trying to get back to the UK illegally and that he has changed his ways.

Emal Kochai, 28, was jailed in 2014 after being found guilty of raping a 12-year-old girl in Reading, Berkshire and was returned to Afghanistan in 2019

He said: I dont like telling people about it because they get the wrong idea about me. It was all a misunderstanding.

I have learnt now, I want to do something better. I had a hard life in prison and want to change my ways.

Kochai said that he was 15 years old when he arrived in the UK and was eventually taken in by a foster family in Hungerford, Berkshire.

Five years later he was accused and then found guilty of raping a 12-year-old girl at a house in East Reading, an offence he denied.

The court heard how the victim told police that Kochai pushed her on to a bed, pulled off her clothing and raped her.

After his deportation to Afghanistan, Kochai managed to flee again and said that he travelled through Iran, Pakistan and Turkey to make his way to France.

He said that the governments new Illegal Migration Bill will not stop him attempting to return to the UK with his cousin, his cousins wife and their two children aged four and six.

He said: I will never give up trying to get to the UK. I have been in France for three months and we dont get anything.

The 28-year-old is now living in a French migrant camp waiting for his chance to board a small boat back to the UK

'In the UK I can get education, a job and a house. My brother was killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan and it is not safe for me there.

A Home Office source told The Times: This case shows exactly why we need genuine deterrent measures in place to stop rapists and other serious criminals illegally entering the UK.
Scenes of pandemonium broke out at the Court of Appeal yesterday, as Enoch Burke, his parents and three of his siblings were physically dragged out of the courtroom by gardai.

Mr Burke had unsuccessfully challenged the injunctions won by Wilson's Hospital School last autumn, in which he had been ordered to stay away from the school and not attempt to teach there while he was suspended.

His subsequent breaches of those court orders have resulted in Burke spending three months in Mountjoy Prison, and he is now racking up fines of 700 a day, which have mounted to more than 28,000 in total.

The ruckus erupted as Court of Appeal president Judge George Birmingham read out the court's ruling, in which the three judges had agreed with the High Court that the case was not about transgenderism.

Enoch's mother, Martina Burke, accused the judges of 'bowing to the altar of transgenderism' while waving a copy of the Constitution.

Scenes of pandemonium broke out at the Court of Appeal yesterday, as Enoch Burke, his parents and three of his siblings were physically dragged out of the courtroom by gardai. Pictured: Enoch Burke's sister Ammi Burke

The ruckus erupted as Court of Appeal president Judge George Birmingham read out the court's ruling. Pictured: Simeon Burke, 24, who was arrested and later charged

His sister Ammi Burke, a solicitor, also attempted to argue with the judges mid-ruling, saying her brother's constitutional rights were not being upheld.

Judge Birmingham asked her to sit down, and then requested that gardai remove her from the courtroom.

As she and other family members continued shouting, the judges left for a short time.

When Judge Birmingham returned, he said he would continue to read from the judgment, so that justice could be seen to be administered in public.

This proved to not be possible, as the heckling continued. The judges left and ten gardai were called to the courtroom.

All of the Burkes were then forcibly removed, with Ammi Burke the first to be dragged from the courtroom by four officers.

Gardai then attempted to take the other Burkes outside, while Enoch Burke called them 'thugs' and shouted: 'Leave my father alone.'

It took five gardai to remove a resistant Simeon Burke from the courtroom. Enoch Burke also refused to leave and held onto a bench while a garda tried to reason with him.

Mr Burke (pictured) had unsuccessfully challenged the injunctions won by Wilson's Hospital School last autumn, in which he had been ordered to stay away from the school and not attempt to teach there while he was suspended.

His parents Sean and Martina Burke were eventually removed from court, followed by Enoch, who insisted 'we are entitled to our rights and our beliefs'.

Isaac Burke accused the gardai of dragging two elderly people out of court before sitting on the floor and being dragged out himself.

His brother Simeon Burke, 24, appeared before a judge charged with threatening and abusive behaviour after he was arrested following disturbances at a Court of Appeal hearing.

He appeared before the District Court of the Criminal Courts of Justice on Tuesday charged under Section 6 of the Public Order Act.

In the ruling, Judge Birmingham, Judge John Edwards and Judge Maire Whelan noted that Enoch Burke had challenged the orders won by the school, preventing him from attending or attempting to teach at the Co. Westmeath school while he was on paid administrative leave.

He had been suspended pending a full disciplinary hearing, following his refusal to call a transgender student by their newly chosen name and the pronoun 'they'.

He had said this did not accord with his Christian beliefs, and publicly challenged the then-principal over her request that he comply.

This happened on several occasions, including during a school church service.

Mr Burke has since been dismissed from the school, but has continued to turn up at the gates of the school, where he used to teach German and history.

Judge Birmingham noted that Mr Burke 'contends that he has been subjected to a disciplinary process and stands suspended because he opposed what he describes as an unlawful demand of the principal that he deny his Christian beliefs, and because he expressed his religious beliefs on 'transgenderism'.

Judge Birmingham further stated that the case was not about transgender rights, in his view, or Mr Burke's religious views, and that the school had acted 'very much in accordance with wider public policy as articulated in legislation such as the Gender Recognition Act 2015'.

He wondered whether some of Mr Burke's arguments were 'an exercise in creating soundbites'.

In summary, he said the school was not an 'outlier' in its support for the student, and that Mr Burke's appeal against the court orders should fail.
Jeremy Hunt has been urged to scrap a pavement tax on electric car owners who use public charging points.

Drivers of electric vehicles (EVs) who use public charge stations pay 20 per cent VAT on the electricity they use.

But the VAT rate charged on electricity when owners plug in their car at home is just 5 per cent.

The disparity effectively penalises those who do not have their own driveway or garage, often hitting less well-off families in terraced housing and flats.

Ahead of next weeks Budget, more than 40 MPs and peers from across the political divide have written to the Chancellor asking him to close the gap by bringing VAT on electricity from public chargers down to 5 per cent.

Jeremy Hunt has been urged to scrap a pavement tax on electric car owners who use public charging points

They branded the so-called pavement tax illogical and unfair.

FairCharge, a national EV campaign group which is championing the move, said those living in terrace houses and apartment blocks are doubly disadvantaged.

Not only are they forced to pay the pavement tax, but they are often charged more for electricity because plugging in at home is typically far cheaper anyway.

Around 38 per cent of UK households do not have access to a private parking space, meaning that millions face being charged more.

FairCharge data suggests that the average cost of EV charging for those with private parking is now 863 per year, compared to 1,418 for those without.

The letter suggests that this pricing regime is putting drivers off switching from a petrol or diesel car to an electric one.

Quentin Willson, founder of FairCharge, said: The UK wont be taken seriously as an investment destination for EV infrastructure if it has an illogical tax burden on electric charging.

Conservative MP Derek Thomas added: Demanding more tax from people simply because they dont have a driveway is hardly the best way to help them make the switch to electric cars.

FairCharge data suggests that the average cost of EV charging for those with private parking is now 863 per year, compared to 1,418 for those without

'We need to make it easier for drivers to go electric, not harder.

A recent report by Tory MP Chris Skidmore into what the Government needs to do to meet its climate goals also recommended that the VAT on public and private electric vehicle charging be balanced.

Research from the RAC found just three-in-ten EV drivers believe the cost of public charging is fair while three-quarters think the rate of VAT at public charge points should be reduced, bringing it in line with domestic charging.
The Quad consisted of Foreign Ministers from U.S., India, Japan, and Australia participate in a meeting held in New Delhi, India, on March 3. Reuters-Yonhap





Korea plans to "proactively accelerate" its participation in the Quad working group, while it has not yet formally joined the U.S.-led team also involving Australia, India and Japan, a senior Seoul official said.







"Although we have not yet joined the Quad, the Yoon Suk Yeol government has been emphasizing its importance in terms of its Indo-Pacific strategy," the official told reporters Tuesday on the condition of anonymity during a visit to Washington, D.C.







Quad stands for the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a summit-level group regarded by China as aimed at countering its influence in the region.







Korea will take a "gradual approach" to seek formal participation in the Quad, carrying out "functional cooperation" by taking part in working group on vaccines, climate change and new technologies in earnest, according to the official, who cited Yoon's presidential campaign pledge to do so.







"To that effect, I think (Korea) will have to proactively accelerate working group participation," the official added.







In response, the Chinese government reiterated its call for other nations to stay away from activities of an "exclusive small group."







"It's Beijing's constant position that country-to-country cooperation should conform to the trend of the times of peace and development and relevant countries should not create any exclusive small group," the foreign ministry's spokesperson Mao Ning said during a press briefing. (Yonhap)






Kevin McCarthy said that he doesn't regret giving Tucker Carlson footage from the January 6 Capitol attack as he repeatedly dodged questions about what the Fox News host decided to air.

The House Speaker insisted while speaking with reports outside his office on Tuesday that he had not yet seen what Carlson put on his show Monday night and therefore would not comment.

He also tore into Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for criticizing Fox for airing the footage, claiming that he should also then denounce CNN for revealing the secure locations of lawmakers the day of the Capitol riot.

'I didn't see what was aired,' McCarthy said when asked about Carlson downplaying the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. 'What I want to do exactly is give transparency to everybody and everybody can make up their own conclusion.'

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy doesn't regret giving 44,000 hours of January 6 footage to Fox News personality Tucker Carlson, who aired parts of the attack on his Monday program

When a reporter explained that Carlson said the 'rioters' were actually 'mostly peaceful protesters,' McCarthy replied: 'Well, that's what you said.'

'I don't know what Tucker Carlson said,' he added.

Earlier in the day, McConnell slammed the Fox News host, who aired some parts of the 44,000 hours of footage from the riot that people, including Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger, claimed were 'cherry picked' to downplay the attack that day.

'It was a mistake, in my view, for Fox News to depict this in a way that's completely at variance with what our chief law enforcement official here at the Capitol thinks,' McConnell told reporters on Tuesday.

When asked about McConnell's comments, McCarthy deflected, claiming that CNN should also then come under fire for an article where they revealed the secure locations of members during the riot.

'I hope McConnell would have been concerned with CNN,' McCarthy said while holding up a piece of paper with the CNN story.

McCarthy gave Carlson and his team exclusive access to the security tapes, which they then aired on Monday night.

'They were orderly and meek,' said Carlson of those who stormed the Capitol.

'These were not insurrectionists; they were sightseers,' he insisted.

McConnell opened his weekly news conference on Tuesday by saying he fully aligned himself with Manger, who called Carlson's conclusions 'offensive and misleading.'

He held up a paper copy of Manger's statement, titled 'Truth & Justice,' during his briefing.

Rank-and-file Republicans all all the way up to Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell slammed Fox News host Tucker Carlson for downplaying the January 6 attack after obtaining the footage from McCarthy

Sen. Thom Tillis called Carlson's portrayal of the day 'bulls***' and Sen. Mitt Romney said Carlson had gone 'off the rails'

But pressed repeatedly by reporters McConnell refused to criticize McCarthy for handing over the tapes to the conservative news network.

'Now, you all know I have many faults, but one of them is not answering the question in a way that I don't want to answer it,' he quipped, adding that his qualms were with Fox News' portrayal of the incident.

Sen. Josh Hawley, however, pushed back on McConnell's assertion, tweeting in response: 'Sunshine is always the right answer.' The Missouri Republican famously held his fist up to January 6 protesters before they stormed the building during the certification of President Biden's election.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., called Carlson's portrayal of the events 'inexcusable.'

'I think it's bulls***,' he told reporters.

'I was here. I was down there and I saw maybe a few tourists, a few people who got caught up in things,' he added. 'But when you see police barricades breached, when you see police officers assaulted, all of that ... if you were just a tourist you should've probably lined up at the visitors' center and came in on an orderly basis.'

Sen. Mitt Romney directly criticized McCarthy for giving Fox exclusive access to the footage.

'If you're gonna give footage, give it to all the networks, not just one,' the Utah Republican told reporters. 'Placating the base of my party is not the right way forward for the Republican Party or for the country.'

He tore into Carlson: 'It's really sad to see Tucker Carlson go off the rails...it's so absurd.'

GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer, S.D., said Carlson's portrayal of the event as 'some rowdy, peaceful protest of Boy Scouts' is 'just a lie.'

'I think it doesn't do any good for the narrative,' he added.

GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw, Texas, told Politico: 'I don't really have a problem with making it all public. But if your message is then to try and convince people that nothing bad happened, then it's just gonna make us look silly.'

'It's definitely stupid to keep talking about this. So what is the purpose of continuing to bring it up unless you're trying to feed Democrat narratives even further?' he added.

Tucker Carlson on Monday night released footage from inside the Capitol on January 6, including clips showing the 'QAnon Shaman', Jacob Chansley (above), being apparently 'escorted' through the building

In footage screened on Carlson's show Monday night, so-called QAnon Shaman Jacob Chansley was apparently seen being escorted into the Senate by Capitol police officers.

Carlson suggested that challenged the prevailing narrative that Chansley - jailed for four years over the incident - aggressively barged into the chamber.

Also broadcast was footage of Captiol cop Brian Sicknick, who died shortly after the riot.

It was originally suggested Sicknick's death came as the result of being attacked with a fire extinguisher and pepper spray by rioters.

But a medical examiner later ruled he'd died of natural causes. And Carlson shared footage of Sicknick walking around the Capitol after the attack. Sicknick died the following day.

He also referenced Ray Epps, who was seen among the rioters urging them to storm the Capitol, yet was never charged - giving rise to suspicion that Epps was in fact an informant. Epps has denied working for the government.

On Monday, Carlson suggested Epps was lying.

'Very little about January 6 was organized or violent.

'Surveillance video from inside the Capitol shows mostly peaceful chaos.'

Carlson pointed to footage showing the 'QAnon Shaman' - a bare-chested, Viking helmet-wearing Jacob Chansley - inside the Capitol.

Chansley, a 33-year-old naval veteran from Arizona, was one of the most high-profile figures to enter the Capitol on January 6.

He has been jailed for almost four years for 'obstructing an official proceeding.'

In the footage, Chansley appears to be guided by an official as he wanders the Capitol.

He passes a line of riot police, who make no move to stop him.

Then they escort him to various entrances of the chamber which appear to be locked, and eventually find him an open door through which he vanishes.

'Virtually every moment of his time inside the Capitol was caught on tape,' said Carlson.

'The tapes show the Capitol police never stopped Jacob Chansley. They helped him. They acted as his tour guides.'

Chansley is seen being followed through the Capitol by a police officer

Carlson further suggested alleged Capitol Rioter Ray Epps - pictured in red Trump cap - was actually an FBI agent send to stoke violence. Epps denies his claims

Carlson also showed the moments after Officer Brian Sicknick was confronted by the rioters.

Four officers died by suicide in the days and weeks after the riot.

There have also been roughly 1,000 arrests.

The footage comes as Fox News continues to contest a $1.6 billion lawsuit taken out against the broadcasting giant by Dominion, who manufactured voting machines for the 2020 election.

Fox is being sued over claims the network endorsed theories the firm's voting machines were rigged to deliver a Biden win.

The broadcaster's owner Rupert Murdoch was recently deposed over the lawsuit, and said he'd 'liked (Fox) to have been stronger denouncing' the stolen election claims.

Fox news denies the claims made against it by Dominion.
Police have arrested a man hours after officers found the dead body of his brother and his badly injured mother inside a suburban home.

Shaun Sanderson was arrested around 3pm on Wednesday, on the corner of Murray Street and St Georges Road in the northern Melbourne suburb of Preston.

A manhunt had been launched after emergency services attended a home on Willoughby St, Reservoir in Melbourne's north just after 8am following reports someone had been assaulted with a knife.

Cops first believed Sanderson was bunkered down inside the home and set up a perimeter to try and negotiate with him.

However, they soon realised he had left the property.

Police have arrested Shaun Sanderson (pictured) who went on the run following the death of his brother and the serious wounding of his 65-year-old mother

A manhunt was launched on Wednesday afternoon after heavily-armed officers stormed a house after a man believed to be his brother was found dead and his mum was seriously injured

Emergency services rushed to a home on Willoughby St, Reservoir in Melbourne's north just after 8am following reports someone had been assaulted with a knife

The mother was rushed to Royal Melbourne Hospital with serious injuries to her upper body. Her son was unable to be saved.

Earlier, a team of heavily armed police tried to negotiate with Sanderson, demanding through a megaphone that he come outside, before realising he was not home.

A team of heavily armed police tried to negotiate with Sanderson before realising he wasn't home

The 29-year-old man died. His mother, 65, was rushed to Royal Melbourne Hospital with serious injuries to her upper body

Pam Egan, a resident of Willoughby Street, told the Herald Sun she saw the mother after the attack.

'I heard she ran across the road to the hospital with blood all over her,' Ms Egan said.

'I've spoken to (the family) before going on walks.

'They are a hardworking family . They're builders, lovely and always friendly.'

Ms Egan said the family has three sons and the youngest, aged in his 20s, has a mental disability.

Residents of Willoughby Street said the street is normally 'quiet and nice'.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
A black Bay Area couple has settled a lawsuit with the appraisal company who valued their home at just $945,000, when it was really worth $1.5 million, a fact the couple only learned when they got a white friend to pose as its owner.

The undisclosed settlement victory for Paul and Tenisha Tate Austin includes compensation from Janette Miller, the appraiser, and her business, Miller and Perotti Real Estate Appraisers, who had two different employees appraise the Marin City home within a few weeks of each other in 2020.

In addition to the money, Miller must agree to watch a documentary about the Austin family's case titled Our America: Lowballed. She will also attend training on the prevention of housing discrimination.

Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California were also named in the lawsuit at co-plaintiffs. The group's executive director, Caroline Peattie, told the San Jose Mercury News that the decision to settle was made due to the toll a long trial can take on a family.

'Obviously we felt we had a strong case or else we wouldnt have pursued it in the first place. Filing a lawsuit on the strength of the evidence is one thing and how a judge will rule is a separate question. Youre never assured of a particular outcome. I think everybody involved with the case was ready to move on,' Peattie said.

Tenisha Tate-Austin and her husband Paul Austin said that they were 'glad' that the lawsuit was behind them

The couple sued appraiser Janette Miller, pictured, her firm Miller and Perotti Real Estate Appraisers, Inc over the low-ball figure the couple first received

Paul Austin said in a statement that the family was 'glad' to put the lawsuit behind them and described the experience of being lowballed to such a degree as 'overwhelming,' according to the Mercury News.

His wife, Tenisha Tate-Austin, said: 'The ongoing undervaluation of homes in black neighborhoods perpetuates the wealth gap between black and white families.

'We hope by bringing attention to our case and this lawsuit settlement, we can help change the way the appraisal industry operates, and we can start to see a different trend,' she continued.

'There are implications to our ability to create generational wealth or passing things on if our houses appraise for 50 percent less,' Tenisha added.

The Austin family bought their home in 2016 for $550,000.

Paul and Tenisha said the first estate agent who appraised the house was an older white woman - Miller - who used coded phrases like 'Marin City is a distinct area' when she valued the property, which they believe was race-related, according to an interview they did with ABC San Francisco in 2021.

When the couple's white friend, Jan, pictured, posed as the owner, their home went up in value to $1,482,000 - almost $500,000 more

The couple complained to their lender, describing the appraisal as 'a slap in the face' before they were finally approved for a second appraisal.

This time, they decided to run an experiment to see if their suspicions were right and got a white friend to pose as the owner.

They hid photographs and art work and replaced them with their friend's photos.

'We had a conversation with one of our white friends, and she said, "No problem. I'll be Tenisha. I'll bring over some pictures of my family." She made our home look like it belonged to her.'

The couple carried out $400,000 of significant renovations in the five years since buying the home including a brand new floor which added 1,000 sq feet of space, a fireplace, new appliances and an outdoor deck.

But when it came to listing the property they found it had increased in the home's value by just 10 per cent.

The couple bought their home in 2016 and spent $400,000 on renovations

Renovations included a brand new floor which added 1,000 sq feet of space, a fireplace, new appliances and an outdoor deck

The couple had a white friend pose as the owner and hid photographs and art work, replacing them with their friend's photos

Following a second appraisal, they were shocked to find the home's value increased by a further $500,000

The Austin family bought their home in 2016 for $550,000

'I read the appraisal, I looked at the number I was like, "This is unbelievable,''' Paul said

Paul believed the low figure was as a result of the color of their skin.

'I read the appraisal, I looked at the number I was like, "This is unbelievable."' Paul said.

'We did our homework,' Austin told the Reparations Task Force in a panel on the racial wealth gap in October, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

'We believe the white lady wanted to devalue our property because we are in a black neighborhood, and the home belonged to a black family.

'My stomach hurt, my head hurt, just because of what we went through,' Austin said. 'I don't wish that on anybody.

'I want to see a change. I dont want to see my children have to deal with this,' he added.

Marin City, where the Austins live, is a historically black community.

'There are definitely things about this complaint that are uniquely strong,' said an attorney for the couple, Julia Howard-Gibbon, told the Chronicle. 'They erased themselves from the home, essentially.'

Attorneys for the Austins note: 'Marin City has a long history of undervaluation based on stereotypes, redlining, discriminatory appraisal standards, and actual or perceived racial demographics.'

Jessica Lautz, from the National Association of Realtors' vice president of demographics and behavioral insights, said the couple's case was not unusual.

'We know discrimination is in nearly every aspect of that home buying process,' she said. 'We need to be addressing it as an industry.'

Black home ownership is low across the country, with only 44 percent of black Americans owning their home in 2021 compared to 74 percent of white Americans according to areal estate firm Redfin.

In the state of California, only 34 percent of black Californians own a home, according to the National Association of Realtors.
Peter Dutton claims Labor is pursuing a 'socialist' agenda with its changes to superannuation and leading Australia to a 'dark place'.

The opposition leader accused Anthony Albanese's government of a cash grab against 'aspirational Australians who've worked all their lives'.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers dismissed Mr Dutton's 'ridiculous scare campaign' as 'hyperventilating hyperbole' that made him worse than disgraced ex-PM Scott Morrison.

Mr Dutton used his speech on Wednesday to renew his attack on the government's plan to cut tax concessions for Australians with super funds of more than $3 million.

A poll showed two-thirds of voters support the changes, which would tax super contributions at 30 per cent for about 80,000 Australians instead of 15 per cent.

Peter Dutton claims Labor is pursuing a 'socialist' agenda with its changes to superannuation and leading Australia to a 'dark place'

Treasurer Jim Chalmers dismissed Mr Dutton's 'ridiculous scare campaign' as 'hyperventilating hyperbole' that made him worse than disgraced ex-PM Scott Morrison

Mr Dutton's address to the AFR Business Summit claimed this policy showed Labor was 'beating the drums of class war'.

'Whether you've got $30,000 dollars, $300,000 dollars or $3 million in your super fund... The super that you have contributed to is yours, not the plaything of an industry super fund or a retail fund or anybody else,' he said.

'The government's super tax is an attack on aspirational Australians who have worked hard all their life.

'Hard-working Australians put their money into super  from savings, inheritance and windfalls  to support their retirement. They do so based on assurances on taxation stability.'

Mr Dutton claimed the tweak to concessions, after Mr Albanese on May 2 said 'we have no intention to make any super changes', showed no super tax cap was 'set in stone' and young people would by uneasy about putting their money in super.

He said Dr Chalmers' essay in The Monthly proposing to 'build a better capitalism' and 'reimagining and redesigning markets' was cause for alarm.

'This government wants to experiment with the same system of socialism which has devastated nations wherever and whenever it has been implemented,' he said.

'Ignoring the lessons of history, Labor arrogantly thinks it can succeed where others have failed.

'Without an economic plan, but with an ideological agenda, Labor is steering our nation towards a dark place.'

Mr Dutton's address to the AFR business summit claimed this policy showed Labor was 'beating the drums of class war'

Mr Dutton claimed the government was trying to 'compel' behaviour instead of incentivising it, as his Liberal Party preferred to.

He said it would be a 'betrayal' of Australians to scrap the stage-three tax cuts, which take effect next year, and workers 'deserved' more of their money.

'If the Albanese government abandons them, it will be tantamount to economic incompetence,' he said.

The stage-three tax cuts almost entirely benefit the highest income brackets, and provide little or no additional cash to most Australians on lower incomes.

Dr Chalmers said most Australians opposed Mr Dutton's policy and ideology and that's why the Labor government was elected last year.

'Weve finally found someone more negative than Tony Abbott, more divisive than Scott Morrison, and more ridiculous with every passing day,' he told ABC radio.

'He is the poster child for the sort of politics Australians rejected in May, and he seems to have learned nothing from that.

'These ridiculous scare campaigns, and this hyperventilating hyperbole every day [show he has] learned nothing from the last wasted decade of needless conflict.'

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also mocked Mr Dutton's attacks on his superannuation policy in parliament on Tuesday.

He was asked in Question Time if he stood by his 'we have no intention to make any super changes' statement on May 2 last year.

Mr Albanese barely began answering when Mr Dutton angrily interjected that he was not addressing the question.

'Once again, more angry ranting. What happened to the smile? You were gonna smile more, Peter! You were gonna smile more!' the PM responded.

'What happened to Happy Peter?! Where's it gone?! Where's it gone? So much anger, so much vitriol.'

Once he was able to continue, the PM sarcastically challenged Mr Dutton to sink NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet's reelection chances by campaigning against the superannuation changes.

'We're a government for all Australians. They are a government for one half of one per cent of Australians. And I encourage them to go to the wall for that one half of one per cent,' he said, in reference to the 80,000 richest Australians.

'I encourage the leader of the opposition to go to the Liberal Party launch on Sunday and to stand up and introduce Dominic Perrottet as the premier of NSW, and say that this is the hill they're going to die on.'

Mr Albanese ended Question Time with another dig at Mr Dutton over the NSW election on March 25.

'It's no wonder that the leader of the opposition has not appeared with the NSW premier since last October,' he said.

'There's a forcefield around the NSW premier, he's very happy to appear with me, as is the Tasmania Liberal premier, about getting constructive measures done.'
Melissa Caddick's defrauded investors have joined forces to contest the conwoman's parents' claims they should get preferential access to her estate.

Caddick's victims came to an agreement in the Federal Court on Wednesday on how they would divide the fraudster's estate, which is now worth $7million after her remaining assets were auctioned off late last year.

The group will also try to block Caddick's parents Barbara and Ted Grimley, who want to use some of the estate's money to pay off the mortgage on an eastern Sydney apartment purchased on their behalf by their daughter.

Vanessa Whittaker, representing the receivers in charge of liquidating the 49-year-old's estate, told the court that the 'overwhelming majority' of investors had agreed to split funds on an equal pro-rata basis.

Melissa Caddick with her husband Anthony Koletti, who was forced to vacate her Dover Heights home when it was put up for sale

The agreement avoids a drawn-out legal fight between those who felt they should have received priority access to the estate's funds.

'The upshot is the out-of-pocket investors, the overwhelming majority ... have informed the receivers they agree with a pari-passu approach (on a par, or equal footing),' Ms Whittaker said.

She told the court that 54 of 55 investors had agreed to the 'equitable' process set out by receivers, while the last simply didn't respond.

The move comes a month after Justice Brigitte Markovic warned there was a 'dwindling pool of money' that should not be wasted on legal fees.

More than $23m is still owed to investors in Caddick's financial services company Maliver, which the Australian Securities and Investments Commission claims was an elaborate Ponzi scheme.

Lawyers acting for the receivers have told the court the pool of funds recovered through liquidation has been 'fixed', apart from an ongoing challenge over an Edgecliffe property in Sydney's east.

Defrauded investors have agreed to a framework to recover the millions of dollars stolen by Caddick. Pictured is her Dover Heights mansion in Sydney's eastern suburbs

The court was told there would be a legal challenge over the apartment Caddick bought for her parents.

In an affidavit filed with the court, the Grimleys claim they made a $1m payment to Caddick to contribute to the property's purchase.

They have sought the court apply the proceeds of the sale of Caddick's home to be applied to the Edgecliffe mortgage.

A hearing has been set for April 28 on the issue, with a legal representative for 'Investor A' successfully applying to join and contest the proceeding on behalf of investors.

The court was told there might be an 'interim distribution' of funds from the sale of Caddick's Dover Heights home to defrauded investors depending on the outcome of the April hearing.

Caddick vanished from her Dover Heights home in November 2020, a day after ASIC and the NSW Police raided the property.

Pictured: Caddick's mother Barbara Grimley (left) and father Ted Grimley depart the inquest into her death at the Lidcombe Coroners Court in Sydney in September 2022

Caddick's belongings have been sold to help her victims recover funds

Among the items seized by investigators were jewellery, watches, designer clothing and shoes

The corporate watchdog says Caddick misappropriated investor money to fund her lavish lifestyle, with investigators seizing luxury items including jewellery, watches, designer clothing and shoes.

She was declared dead four months after her disappearance in February 2021 when a decaying foot was found on a beach 400km south of Sydney.

An ongoing coronial inquest is seeking to uncover the cause and manner of her presumed death, with findings expected to be handed down in April.

Since her disappearance, court-appointed receivers Jones Partners have unravelled the conwoman's scam.

Earlier this year, it was revealed Caddick's Dover Heights home sold for $9.8m.
A beloved San Francisco drummer who appeared on American's Got Talent and in the Will Smith film The Pursuit of Happyness died last week, the latest victim of the drug epidemic sweeping the nation.

Larry Hunt, who was known as 'Bucket Man' across San Francisco, died on February 23 at the age of 64. His cause of death has not been confirmed, but friends told KTVU he died from an overdose.

Hunt was famous for filling San Francisco's Market Street with the sound of his drumming, which he played on a set he made out of upturned buckets and pots.

He became such a fixture on the street that producers of Smith's 2006 film asked him to make sure he was out on the sidewalk while they were shooting so he could appear in a scene. He hosted his own Ted Talk about his drumming, and performed overseas.

Previously homeless, Hunt was living in a single room occupancy (SRO) home when he died. Friends said his death should serve as a warning about the limited support networks the city's homeless faced.

Larry Hunt died from an apparent drug overdose at the age of 64 in February

Larry Hunt with actor Will Smith. The drummer appeared in the 2006 Smith movie The Pursuit of Happyness

Hunt's friends told The San Francisco Chronicle there were organizing a memorial for him, and intend to incorporate the items he used in his improvised drum set into the ceremony.

He was famous among tourists and passersby, who often stopped to film him drumming away. In 2016, he told The Chronicle he 'made San Francisco more alive.'

His drum kid was made out of 14 five-gallon buckets, over which he laid metal pots and pans, a cowbell for extra percussion, and rolls of duct tape to hold the ensemble together.

'We are all devastated,' said local musician Brian Compton, who recalled meeting Hunt in the 1990s while he was drumming near the UC Berkeley campus.

'Every time I would see him on the Berkeley campus playing drums,' Campton told The Chronicle. 'As a bass player, I liked what I heard.'

He and Hunt played some college parties together, and Compton recommended the drummer take his talents to the streets of San Francisco.

'There are too many crazy people in San Francisco,' Compton said Hunt responded. 'You'll fit right in,' Compton said he told him.

Larry Hunt was known for lighting his sticks on fire and then licking them

Hunt used to drum near the UC Berkeley campus in the 1990s

Medical examiners have not yet released a cause of death, but drugs are suspected.

Reverend Charles Gray, who runs a market stand near where Hunt would play, said his death was an indicator of the kind of support the city's formerly homeless and elderly need.

'A lot of these people, they get trapped in these SROs, and they can't find their way out. It's a real tough situation,' he told SFGATE.

'Whether it was drug-related or whatever it was, it's a deep depression that comes with living in these conditions,' he said. 'People in there need more mental services and more services that can help these people get into a more standard way of living.'

SROs are run with the San Francisco Human Services Agency. The agency told SFGATE they are only able to focus on housing and food for formerly homeless people, and that their residents need to seek out mental health treatment on their own.

'I don't have the answers, but I think checking on some of these seniors in these SROs would be more helpful to a lot of them  to see what their talent is and what they have to offer,' Said Grays. 'This generation of seniors is being forgotten. When I was coming up, we respected the elders. The elders really got a lot of love. I'm here, and I get no support.'
The driver of a truck that went out of control - spectacularly demolishing a bus stop and the front fences of several homes - says he passed out behind the wheel and is 'grateful' no-one was injured.

Extraordinary dashcam footage emerged at the weekend showing a B-double driving off the side of the road and causing a 200m long trail of destruction. The only reason is failed to hit anyone was sheer luck.

The driver's company, DTL Timbers, said the incident occurred because the man suffered a medical episode as he drove along Hampstead Road in Manningham, central Adelaide, just after 10am on February 28.

The 31-year-old male driver only sustained a cut to his head.

'At this stage he's still trying to recall what happened,' Xavier Terrell, the office manager at DTL Timbers, told 7News.

'He's really, really grateful that nobody was injured in any way shape or form.'

Motorist Paul Brackley managed to capture the truck on his car's dashcam and said he was nearly hit by the out-of-control vehicle.

'He completely lost control, and he was coming into me so I put my foot on the accelerator to get away,' he told Nine News.

The truck came to rest in a row of hedges after demolishing a bus stop and careening across pedestrian-less footpath for 200m.

The truckie was slumped over the console when Mr Brackley rushed over to help.

'(The driver) had blood on his face but he looked ok, apart from that,' Mr Brackley said.

'The truck was making a hell of a noise when I got there and I was thinking, could it blow up? Or what could happen?'

The truck had not only smashed straight through fences and hedges but had also gone through the middle of a busy intersection.

The driver of a B-Double truck that lost control in central Adelaide and caused a 200m trail of destruction has told colleagues that he passed out prior to the accident

The office manager of the trucking company, Xavier Terrell (pictured), said that the driver was still trying to remember what happened but is 'grateful' that no one was seriously injured

Mr Brackley said it was a 'miracle' nobody was killed, with not a single pedestrian on the sidewalk or in their front yards during the crash.

The truck driver was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital and underwent mandatory drug and alcohol testing.

Photos from the scene show the vehicle's windscreen was completely shattered while nearby trees were scattered across the ground.

When emergency services arrived at the scene just after 10am, they expected serious injuries and casualties from the carnage.

'Our primary concern was to search for any casualties,' Kevin Holmes from South Australia's Metropolitan Fire Service said.

'We ended up using a thermal imaging camera around the B-Double to ascertain if there was a life lost.'
An innocent boy who sought refuge in Britain after the Taliban killed his father and tried to kidnap him was stabbed to death on the streets of London in a mistaken identity attack.

Rishmeet Singh, 16, was knifed 15 times in a 27-second orgy of violence after encountering a knife-wielding thug who boasted afterwards that the murder of the stranger had left him 'excited like a kid going to a fun fair ride'.

The teenage victim had previously fled Jalalabad, Afghanistan, in October 2019 to escape the clutches of the Taliban, who killed his father and had attempted to snatch Rishmeet himself.

When his mother and grandmother brought him to what they believed was the safety of the UK, he enrolled in a Public Service course with the hope of becoming a police officer as he wanted to help people.

But on November 24, 2021, his life was brutally ended by a pair of 17-year-old gang members, who mistook him for a rival.

Rishmeet Singh, 16, was knifed 15 times in a 27-second orgy of violence after encountering a knife-wielding thug

The victim, a carer for his mother, had just left a group of friends on his way home to Southall, west London, when Vanushan Balakrishnan, 17, and Ilyas Suleiman, 17, started running towards him.

Rishmeet turned to run but tripped over and was stabbed in the back 15 times, before the pair fled, leaving him to die alone.

After the two killers, now aged 18, were convicted of murder at the Old Bailey this week, the victim's distraught mother, Gulinder, said: 'Rishmeet was my only child, and he had his whole life ahead of him.

'He has been raised with so much love and now he's gone. I am struggling to understand as to how and why this happened to my baby boy.

'I feel I have lost everything and my life is over.'

In a moving impact statement said: 'I have lost my husband and now I have lost my only child, my son.

'Justice is finally served for Rishmeet but their sentence will never be enough for me.

'They have taken my whole life away from me and Rishmeet will never come home again.'

Vanushan Balakrishnan, 18, penned a rap about the murder, boasting that he felt 'excited like a kid going to a fun fair ride'

Police discovered the killers had earlier armed themselves with knifes and covered their faces with Covid masks before going out to find a victim from a rival gang. However, the court heard that Rishmeet was not in any gang and had never been in trouble.

Police later found a notebook at Balakrishnan's home containing a rap he penned about the murder.

He wrote: 'Feel my blade rip through his flesh. Bro told me u ready to go on a glide tonight.

'I was so excited like a kid going to a fun fair ride.'

A 'glide' is a term referring to entering gang territory with the intention of using violence against a rival group.

The rap also referred to a victim who 'tripped and fell' adding: 'He knew it was over when I was swinging my shank [knife].'

On Balakrishnan's mobile phone, officers found an image of a blood-soaked knife on his bed taken just minutes after the murder.

Detective Inspector Laura Semple, from the Metropolitan Police's Specialist Crime Command, said: 'Rishmeet was an innocent, young 16-year-old who had his whole life ahead of him.

Police discovered the killers had earlier armed themselves with knifes and covered their faces with Covid masks before the attack (pictured: 18-year-old killer Illyas Suleiman)

'He had just spent an enjoyable evening with his friends and was making the short walk home when he was callously chased down and knifed to death by Balakrishnan and Suleiman.

'Between them, they stabbed him 15 times while he was defenceless on the floor.

'There is never an excuse to murder someone in cold blood, but this case is made even more tragic by the fact that Rishmeet was wrongly targeted by his attackers.

'Balakrishnan and Suleiman left the flat that day with the intention of ending someone's life.

'Poor Rishmeet was simply in the wrong place, at the wrong time.'

The two teenage killers, now aged 18, were convicted of murder at the Old Bailey this week

Yesterday members of Rishmeet's family held their hands together as the jury found both teenagers guilty after six hours of deliberation.

Judge Sarah Munro told the killers: 'You will both face life imprisonment.'

Thanking the jury, the judge said: 'The facts of the case you have been involved in are scarily typical.

'We are on a daily basis hearing cases of young people killing other teenagers, with knives similar to these often purchased online.'

The pair will be sentenced on April 28.
Now badly frayed at the edge and looking like a tatty mess

Flag usually changed every month but left a week too long

Controversial senator Lidia Thorpe has used the tattered state of the Parliament House flag to take a swipe at Australia's history.

Coalition MPs complained about the 'gaping hole' in the giant Australian flag this week and casual observation reveals its fabric to be badly fraying at the edge.

Senator Thorpe, a frequent critic of Australia's system of government, which she sees as a colonial hangover hostile to indigenous people, referred to The Queens as 'the colonising her majesty' when taking her oath of office last year.

'Isn't is fitting the colonial flag has a gaping hole?' she wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

The giant Australian flag flying atop Parliament House is a tattered mess after wild weather prevented it from being changed

Shadow immigration minister Dan Tehan complained on Wednesday about the state of the flag and demanded Prime Minister Anthony Albanese fix it.

'Parliament will sit today under a flag that flies above Parliament House with a gaping hole in it,' he said.

'I hope Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be able to fix this... we need to have pride in our institutions, we need to have pride in our parliament, and we need to have pride in our flag.'

Mr Albanese is on a plane to India for a three-day business and security tour with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but Speaker Milton Dick and Senate President Sue Lines promised to sort out the flag issue.

'The national significance and the importance of the Australian flag cannot be overstated,' they said.

'We are aware of the unacceptable condition of the current Australian flag flying above Parliament House.'

Their joint statement explained the flag is usually changed on the first Wednesday over every month, from a rotating stable of flags.

However, high winds and thunderstorms meant the flag couldn't be changed last week, as it usually would be, and suffered in the elements.

'Changing the flag is a dangerous and complex undertaking due to the sheer size of the flag and the high wind conditions at that elevation,' they explained.

'Weather conditions must be favourable to ensure a safe changeover can take place. Recent weather conditions have posed an unacceptable risk to the safety for personnel to replace the current flag.

High winds and thunderstorms meant the flag couldn't be changed last week, as it usually would be, and suffered in the elements

'When there was an opportunity for staff to safely ascend the pole, the lift mechanism experienced a mechanical fault.'

The pair said the lift was undergoing urgent maintenance and the flag would be changed as soon as possible.

Mr Tehan's response appeared to have no comprehension of the safety issues.

'I hope their long list of excuses for the poor condition of the current flag will not delay this happening. Let's also hope we don't go through this again,' he said.

Parliament House's massive flagpole is 81m long and the flag itself measures 6.4m by 12m - bigger than a double-decker bus flipped on its side.
A woman who was hanged for murder 100 years ago despite a severe lack of evidence may finally receive a pardon after a referral was made to the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Edith Thompson, 29, was one of just 18 women hanged in Britain in the 20th century in a case deemed so 'dubious' it has been described as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.

Thompson found herself judged from all sides when her lover Frederick Bywaters, 20, stabbed her husband Percy to death on October 3, 1922, The Times reports.

Bywaters ambushed the couple as they made their way home from the theatre in Piccadilly Circus, London, and he later insisted Mrs Thompson had no prior knowledge of his attack.

But prosecutors latched on to love letters she had exchanged with Bywaters while he was away at sea and quoted them out of context during the trial, leading to convictions for them both.

Edith Thompson pictured with her husband Percy, who was stabbed to death on October 3, 1922

Mrs Thompson had been carrying out an affair with Frederick Bywaters, who was several years her junior

In several passages, Mrs Thompson wrote of her longing to be free from her husband and fantasised about feeding him poison or grinding glass into mashed potato - all outlandish methods sourced from novels.

In another letter, she flippantly remarked that another woman had had three husbands 'and I can't lose one'. A further message described how she had carried out her own abortion.

The letters failed to show any evidence of a plot to kill Mr Thompson. But they shone a stark light on his wife's torrid affair, which went against the societal norms of the 1920s and prejudiced jurors against the married woman.

The judge, Mr Justice Shearman, was strongly criticised by later law practitioners for showing bias in favour of the prosecution, as well as for openly challenging the honesty of a defence witness.

Following their convictions, both Mrs Thompson and Bywaters were hanged on January 9, 1923.

The Ministry of Justice turned down an application for pardon last year, but the process was renewed after solicitors representing Thompson's heirs complained.

Yesterday, a Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'After careful consideration, the deputy prime minister [Justice Secretary Dominic Raab] has referred this case to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to investigate any potential miscarriage of justice to provide closure to the family of Edith Thompson.'

Edith Thompson and her husband Percy (centre) at their home in Ilford, London, in 1922. Her younger brother Newenham Graydon (right) sits with them

Frederick Bywaters arriving at court during his trial for the murder of Percy Thompson

The scene inside the courtroom during Bywaters and Thompson's trial, which caused a stir in the media

The decision was praised by Rene Weis, emeritus professor at University College London, who has spearheaded a campaign to rehabilitate Mrs Thompson since the 1980s.

He said: 'The original verdict was, to say the least, very dubious, and the case we made was a very rational, reasonable one.'

His views were echoed by writer Harriet Madeley, whose play Edith is touring the country.

She said: 'There were so many things wrong with this trial... it should not be allowed to stand because the judge was so clearly biased against her. He made it his business to prejudice the jury against Edith.'

So strong is the feeling of injustice among campaigners that a vigil is held each year at Mrs Thompson's graveside.

Mr Weis, who was made Thompson's heir by her surviving family, stands to make no personal gain from the case.
Chinese medical team donates medical supplies to Zambia's public hospital

Xinhua) 10:04, March 08, 2023

LUSAKA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The 23rd Chinese medical team in Zambia on Tuesday donated medical equipment and other supplies to the University Teaching Hospital (UTH), the biggest public hospital in the country, to help improve healthcare delivery.

Charles Mutemba, senior medical superintendent at the UTH, expressed his gratitude to the medical team not only for the donation but also for the training of local medical personnel, who are now able to conduct brain surgery.

"We are willing to share China's medical experience and work with Zambian doctors to help improve Zambia's medical technology," said Liu Guoyu, economic and commercial counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Zambia, noting that more extensive cooperation with the UTH is expected.

The 23rd Chinese medical team has been in Zambia for the past year and will leave this month. The 28-member team was scattered in four hospitals in Zambia's three cities.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during their summit in New York, Sept. 21, 2022. Courtesy of presidential office



By Lee Hyo-jin



Following Korea's recent decision to compensate South Korean victims of Japan's wartime forced labor with its own money, Tokyo may be expecting Seoul to make more concessions in resolving other pending issues that are clouding bilateral relations, according to diplomatic observers, Wednesday.



Earlier this week, the Korean government announced a plan to compensate victims of wartime forced labor by Japanese firms by using a public foundation funded by Korean companies, without direct payment from Japan.



The government said the arrangement is aimed at strengthening future-oriented partnerships, but some experts see it as setting a "worrisome precedent" in Korea's future diplomacy with Japan.



"Japan has done virtually nothing to settle the dispute, while a large concession came from Korea's side, despite backlash from its public. And by doing so, the government has set a worrisome precedent that similar decisions could be made throughout the incumbent administration," said Yang Ki-ho, a professor of Japanese studies at Sungkonghoe University.



Although the solution to the forced labor issue is a major step forward in mending years-long strained ties, the two countries still have an array of ongoing disputes to untangle.



Japan's planned release of radioactive wastewater from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is one of the most urgent tasks Korea is trying to address. The Japanese government is seeking to discharge the contaminated water stored at the tsunami-hit nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean as early as this spring.





Environmental activists stage a rally at central Seoul's Gwanghwamun Square, Feb. 28, denouncing Tokyo's decision to release contaminated wastewater from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean. Newsis



Japan claims that the filtered water has been tested for concentration levels of radioactive nuclides. But Korea  along with China and other Pacific Rim countries  has been demanding Tokyo cancel the planned dumping of tons of liquid radioactive waste.



Korea's Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Do-hoon met with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi in Austria, Tuesday (local time), asking the agency to continue its thorough safety review of the wastewater.



But Yang was skeptical of whether such efforts would lead to fruitful results. "In future discussions, the government will be extra cautious not to sour the relations again," he said.



"As seen from the latest discussions about the forced labor issue, the presidential office has too much control over Korea's diplomatic decisions. This may undermine our foreign minister's role as a trustworthy partner to his counterpart."



Another concern for Korea's foreign ministry is Japan's bid to add Sado mines  a controversial site due to their wartime history  to the UNESCO World Heritage list.



The gold mines on the island of Sado were used for manufacturing war-related materials during World War II. Historical documents show that nearly 2,000 Koreans were forced to work there for Imperial Japan during its 1910-45 colonial occupation of Korea.



After a failed attempt at registration last year, the Japanese government recently resubmitted its application letter to the World Heritage Committee.



According to Kyodo News, Tuesday, Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Keiko Nagaoka said, "The forced labor issue and Sado mines are two separate issues," reaffirming Japan's goal to enter the mines on the World Heritage list in 2024.



Regarding the issue, Lim Soo-suk, spokesperson for Korea's foreign ministry, said during a regular briefing that the ministry will "continue discussions with Japan and UNESCO until the organization makes its final decision in October this year."





Civic activists stage a Wednesday rally calling for Japan's official apology and due compensation to victims of wartime sex slavery, near the Japanese Embassy in central Seoul, on International Women's Day which falls on March 8. The 1,586th weekly protest took place two days after the government's announcement of a plan to compensate victims of Japan's wartime forced labor by a public fund, without direct payment from responsible Japanese firms. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
A woke Seattle official has shared what she claims are the benefits of smoking fentanyl in public, with one of the city's bus drivers now forced to take sick leave after druggies kept puffing the substance while aboard his vehicle.

'I really hadnt ever heard of fentanyl smoking on the bus when I was hired by Metro,' Seattle Metro bus driver Stevon Williams told KOMO News. 'I dont want to be put in a predicament where Im around drugs every day on my job - I didnt sign up for that.'

Williams said in the interview that he's now on medical leave while he gets tested for possible second-hand fentanyl exposure.

But Seattle & King County Public Health social worker Thea Oliphant-Wells is unlikely to be among those concerned for Williams health.

She offered jaw-dropping quotes about fentanyl abusers last year, with her remarks shared again in the KOMO report about Williams' plight.

'We don't want people to be using in private spaces alone, we want people to be using in a place where if they overdose they can be discovered and helped through that overdose,' she said. The KOMO report notes that Oliphant-Wells refused an interview on Williams' allegations about smoking being rife on city buses.

Seattle Metro bus driver Stevon Williams is on medical leave due to fentanyl exposure after he complained of drug users smoking the substance on his bus

Seattle & King County Public Health social worker Thea Oliphant-Wells said in a 2022 report that society should encourage addicts to use drugs in public

'I just know when were sick, we should be checked and listened to,' Williams said.

He went on to say that he regularly sees drug users smoking on the bus while sitting next to mothers with young children.

Despite this, 'It's the drug users, they're looked out for first,' Williams added.

Oliphant-Wells, a recovering heroin addict, is quoted from the 2022 report as saying: 'It's important to note when you see fentanyl reporting that you take a really take a critical eye because there is a lot of misinformation out there.'

At the start of 2023, officials with the King County Medical Examiner's Office said the department was struggling to keep up with the number of incoming bodies as the fentanyl crisis continues and worsens.

'A key indication of just how bad things are at the end of 2022 and likely to get worse [in] 2023, the medical examiner's office is now struggling with the issue of storing bodies because the fentanyl-related death toll continues to climb,' Seattle-King County Public Health Director Dr. Faisal Khan recently said.

Officials said they are looking into temporary options to counteract the finite amount of space available in the morgues.

'We have options for temporary morgue surge capacity when our census count gets high, including storing decedents on autopsy gurneys and partnerships with funeral homes,' a public health spokesperson told KTHH.

'We're exploring longer-term options for adding more capacity,' they continued.

310 homeless individuals died in 2022, the vast majority from drug overdoses

Clutching on to a needle, one man is completely bent over on the streets of Seattle

A man is seen collapsed on the ground in Seattle, Washington, where the help that people found in possession of drugs get isn't being properly tracked

In January, officials in Washington state made the terrifying announcement that they have run out of space in morgues and crematoriums as the drug tears through local communities

A man stares down at the tinfoil in which his fentanyl is burned, before he inhales the smoke through the rollup in his mouth

Khan said he believes many of the recent deaths have been caused by the discrete inclusion of fentanyl in drugs that look like prescription pills. He also said the drug can be made to look like cocaine or heroin.

'People do not realize that they are taking fentanyl,' Khan said.

He also added that fentanyl is the 'biggest driver' of the overdoses and that the drug is being found in 'white powder and in fake pills, which are flooding the streets.'

In 2022, a record 310 homeless people died in the Seattle area last year, highlighting the regions struggle to house the thousands of people living on its streets.

The 310 deaths in King County surpassed the previous record of 195 homeless deaths set in 2018, and marked a 65 percent jump over 2021.

'Thats just appalling,' the paper quoted Chloe Gale, policy and strategy vice president for REACH, the largest homelessness outreach provider in Seattle, as saying.

How addictive is fentanyl? Fentanyl is up to 100 times more potent than morphine, one of the most commonly used pain-reliever in the world. It takes just a small dose of fentanyl to cause an overdose. Just two milligrams - the equivalent of five grains of salt - is enough to cause death. Because it is cut into other popular drugs, many people who die of overdoses do not know they are taking fentanyl. Fentanyl has been partially blamed for America's sharp fall in life-expectancy over the past three years. Advertisement

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said it underscores his administrations urgent need to get more people indoors.

Fentanyl-related overdoses accounted for more than half of the deaths. Many people had a combination of fentanyl and other drugs such as meth or cocaine in their system, the paper reported, citing records from the King County Medical Examiners Office.

Eighteen homeless people died by homicide, a number that more than doubled from 2021.

Thirty-five people died from natural causes at a much younger age than is typical. The average age of death for homeless people was 48, the medical examiner found.

Ten people died from hypothermia or exposure, and seven died from suicide.

The county has directed its public health, human services and homelessness agencies to survey homeless providers to find out what is needed to help curb fatal overdoses. The county is also increasing funding for harm-reduction efforts.

Last year, Public Health  Seattle & King County distributed more than 10,000 kits of naloxone, a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses, and about 100,000 fentanyl test strips.

The agency is leading public awareness campaigns about the synthetic opioid and helping people find treatment.

Fentanyl has been driving overdose fatalities in the county more broadly, regardless of peoples housing status.

As of November, it was involved in 70% of all confirmed overdose deaths in the county in 2022, according to a recent report by Public Health  Seattle & King County.

Brad Finegood, who leads the agencys opioid and overdose response, said researchers keep watching the monthly overdose numbers, hoping to see rates flatten out.

'Maybe were plateauing at a really bad rate and maybe its going to get worse,' Finegood said. 'I dont know when its going to stop.'

The point-in-time count conducted in the county last year found that 13,368 people were living outside.
Touching people is a necessary element of being a dentist, argues a Sydney practitioner accused of sexually assaulting multiple patients.

There is no doubt Bassem Fouad touched his patients, but he did not sexually assault them, the dentist's lawyer Jeffrey Clarke says.

'When you go to the dentist, people are close together,' Mr Clarke told Downing Centre District Court on Wednesday.

'There is some touching.'

Fouad faces nine counts of aggravated sexual touching, indecent assault under authority, and intentionally sexually touching a child.

The 55-year-old has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Fouad faces nine counts of aggravated sexual touching, indecent assault under authority, and intentionally sexually touching a child

Fouad would also place his dentistry tools on their breasts, the prosecutor alleges (stock pictured)

He is accused of frequently pressing himself against his patients when aroused, prosecutor Daniel Noll previously told the court.

Fouad would also place his dentistry tools on their breasts, the prosecutor alleges.

Mr Clarke said it was up to the jury to decide whether the touching was done for sexual gratification.

'That is a factual matter that you will decide ... whether he's touching himself as part of the cheap thrill of doing what he's doing,' he said.

Fouad is accused by five women who were regular patients at two dental clinics in Mascot. The women cannot be named for legal reasons.

Another patient, who was 15 at the time, said she had to slide down the dental chair to avoid Fouad, who began thrusting himself against her head (stock pictured)

'It's not pain you can feel, it's just pressure,' the accused allegedly said to one patient who reported feeling his crotch against her head.

Mr Noll told the jury that one woman said she felt something 'round like a sausage' moving side to side against her arm.

Another patient, who was 15 at the time, said she had to slide down the dental chair to avoid Fouad, who began thrusting himself against her head.

Two reports were made to police in 2016 and 2021. Fouad denied the accusation each time.

Mr Noll told the court CCTV footage captured in 2021 showed the dentist regularly touching his groin and the breast of a patient on one occasion.

The footage also showed Fouad removing his gloves and taking his penis out of his pants. Both Mr Clarke and Mr Noll said the dentist explained to police he did so because of a medical condition.

The trial continues.
A Texas man was left without a huge portion of his nose - after it fell underneath his neighbor's car - while he was viciously attacked by a pair of pit bulls.

Marcus Kizaza is now unwilling to leave his home without a facemask because of the damage. He watched the dogs on a Ring camera before they leaped and bit him outside his Fort Worth home.

Originally, Kizaza's children had noticed the dogs on the video and thought they were cute.

He then approached them from the driveway, with wife Leslie initially saying they were 'friendly' to Marcus and jumping on him.

Soon, however, they began to attack him, with Marcus calling out for his wife and trying to run away from them.

Marcus Kizaza was shown on a Ring camera being attacked by the dogs a few weeks back at his home in Fort Worth

The dogs eventually bit his hands, face and legs, tearing off the portion of his nose before he could jump on top of a white truck that belonged to a neighbor, according to NBCDFW.

'He was yelling really loud and the dogs were really vicious. We realized that there was part of his nose under our car,' Bianca Mireles, a neighbor who called 911 said.

The EMTs and firefighters who came to help Kizaza out had to fend off the dogs themselves, Mireles noted.

'The dogs were just trying to attack whoever was around. So, if you were on the ground, they were going to attack you.'

One of the dogs was killed after being struck with a patrol car, authorities in Fort Worth confirmed.

'I just saw afterward them taking the dog away in a big red bag and then them spraying the ground with water,' Mireles said.

Local animal control officials were able to get the second dog away from the scene.

Kizaza spent over a week in the hospital, undergoing multiple surgeries to successfully reattach his nose before he was able to return home.

Originally, Kizaza's children had noticed the dogs on the Ring camera and thought they were cute, as their father approached them and initially thought they were friendly

Soon, however, they began to attack him, with Marcus calling out for his wife and trying to run away from them, eventually running for cover on top of a neighbor's truck

The EMTs and firefighters who came to help Kizaza out had to fend off the dogs themselves

Kizaza spent over a week in the hospital, undergoing multiple surgeries to successfully reattach his nose before he was able to return home

'I'm feeling better now, but I'm having a pain on my knee and my finger too,' Kizaza said.

Detectives in Fort Worth said that the owners, who were not identified, have been issued two citations for unrestrained dogs.

Wife Leslie doesn't think they've done enough and the family desperately needs to help make ends meet.

'We still have the mortgage to pay. We still have kids to feed. So, that's why I need to know where is the dog's owner,' she said.

Marcus has been left with pain, problems speaking and is too embarrassed to leave the house without a mask.

Marcus has been left with pain, problems speaking and is too embarrassed to leave the house without a mask.

Wife Leslie doesn't think police have done enough to go after the dogs' owners and the family desperately needs to help make ends meet

The family has set up a GoFundMe hoping to raise $30,000 for medical and financial assistance

'I can't speak a lot. I don't just want people to just see this, you know?'

Attorney for the family Cole McNeal said the family isn't working and have expenses to pay off. He plans to advocate for police to press charges and file a civil suit.

'We want to gather all the information and make sure that the proper individuals are included,' McNeal said. 'The person that owns the house, the person that leases the house, individuals that live there, the dog owners.'

The family has set up a GoFundMe hoping to raise $30,000 for medical and financial assistance, as Kizaza will need one more plastic surgery to fully fix his nose.
Labor has put to bed Coalition scaremongering that further superannuation raids could be around the corner.

Minister for Finance Katy Gallagher told the Senate during Question Time that the government has no plans to implement further changes to super policy.

'The government has made clear this is the only change to superannuation,' she said, noting the proposed policy will not take effect until after the next federal election.

'We are upfront about the challenges we've inherited.'

Senator Gallagher's response attracted outspoken criticism from the other side of the chamber, with accusations she was being 'patronising'.

Others suggested she could not be trusted because her party had 'already broken promises' made during the election campaign.

Minister for Finance Katy Gallagher told the Senate during Question Time that the government has no plans to implement further changes to super policy

But it's the clearest statement yet from the government of its intentions moving forward in relation to superannuation.

'These are the difficult choices before government. We're making those choices,' Senator Gallagher said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans to cap generous 15 per cent tax concessions on superannuation to balances of $3million - impacting about 0.5 per cent of the population.

A poll showed two-thirds of voters support the changes, which would tax super contributions at 30 per cent for about 80,000 Australians instead of 15 per cent.

The policy would come into effect from July 1, 2025.

Mr Albanese announced plans to cap generous 15 per cent tax concessions on superannuation to balances of $3million - impacting about 0.5 per cent of the population

But Mr Albanese never mentioned the idea during his election campaign. In fact, he categorically ruled out any major changes to super. Labor now argues it is a modest change.

The 15 per cent concessional tax rate for super contributions debuted in 2006 under a Coalition government and is well below the 45 per cent marginal income tax rate for those earning more than $180,000.

Labor argues the cost of more than $50billion a year is set to overtake the aged pension.
A Russian hacker network has published online naked photos of cancer patients which they stole from a hospital network, after they refused to pay a ransom.

Lehigh Valley Health Network, a Pennsylvania-based consortium of 13 hospitals and 28 health care centers, said the hackers' actions were an 'unconscionable criminal act'.

The images were obtained by a group known as ALPHV, nicknamed BlackCat - a group that is also believed to be behind a September hack of Italy's state-owned energy company.

On February 6 the healthcare company said they found unauthorized activity on their computer networks, and alerted law enforcement.

A month later, the hackers issued a statement saying they had 'been in your network for a long time', and had accessed patient passports, questionnaires, personal data and 'nude photos'.

Lehigh Valley Health Network runs 13 hospitals and 28 health care centers. They noticed unusual activity on their computers in early February

The hackers published this ransom note online

The healthcare company said the stolen information includes three screenshots, described as 'clinically appropriate' photographs of cancer patients receiving radiation oncology treatment.

There were also seven documents containing patient information, Lehigh Valley Live reported.

The data was published on the dark web when the hospital refused to pay the hackers.

'Our blog is followed by a lot of world media, the case will be widely publicized, and will cause significant damage to your business,' the hackers said.

'Your time is running out. We are ready to unleash our full power on you.'

It was unclear how much money the hackers wanted.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human services said in January that BlackCat has demanded ransoms as high as $1.5 million.

The Allentown, Pennsylvania-based company said that publishing the patient data was 'despicable'.

'This unconscionable criminal act takes advantage of patients receiving cancer treatment, and LVHN condemns this despicable behavior,' the company said.

Brian Nester, the CEO of the healthcare company, said they were still identifying information involved in the incident.

'We will provide notices as required to those whose information was involved,' the company statement said.

Brian Nester, the CEO of Lehigh Valley Health Network

Lehigh Valley operates a series of hospitals across Pennsylvania

Russian hackers have become increasingly bold, launching attacks on global banks, Britain's Royal Mail and U.S. infrastructure.

On March 2, an ambitious and wide-ranging White House cybersecurity plan was released, calling for bolstering protections on critical sectors and making software companies legally liable when their products do not meet basic standards.

The strategy document promises to use 'all instruments of national power' to pre-empt cyberattacks.

The Democratic administration also said it would work to 'impose robust and clear limits' on private sector data collection, including of geolocation and health information.

'We still have a long way to go before every American feels confident that cyberspace is safe for them,' said Kemba Walden, acting national cyber director.

'We expect school districts to go toe-to-toe with transnational criminal organizations largely by themselves. This isn't just unfair. It's ineffective.'

The strategy largely codifies work already underway during the last two years following a spate of high-profile ransomware attacks on critical infrastructure.

A 2021 attack on a major fuel pipeline caused panic at the pump, resulting in an East Coast fuel shortage, and other damaging attacks made cybersecurity a national priority. Russia's invasion of Ukraine compounded those concerns.

The 35-page document lays the groundwork for better countering rising threats to government agencies, private industry, schools, hospitals and other vital infrastructure that are routinely breached.

In the past few weeks, the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Dish Network were among the intrusion victims.

'The defense is hardly winning. Every few weeks someone gets hacked terribly,' said Edward Amoroso, CEO of the cybersecurity firm TAG Cyber.
The wife of a man who survived a kidnapping at gunpoint in Mexico has revealed she did not know her husband was traveling south of the border.

Eric Williams was found on Tuesday alive with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds to his legs five days after he and his friends were accosted by a Mexican cartel, who were seen leading the Americans into a pickup truck at gunpoint.

Williams is now being treated for his wounds at a hospital in a Texas border city, as his wife, Michelle, says she did not even know he was traveling to the country.

'I didn't know that he was traveling to Mexico,' she told WBTW. 'I just knew he was going somewhere to help two friends.'

Eric Williams was found on Tuesday alive with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds to his legs five days after he and his friends were accosted by a Mexican cartel

He was among three others who traveled to Mexico to support his friend Latavia 'Tay' McGee (pictured) at a scheduled tummy tuck surgery

She said she had not heard from him since Friday, explaining how he texted her in the morning 'and I texted him back immediately.

'He didn't respond,' Michelle revealed. 'He didn't respond to our son either, so I'm going to assume that's when they were ambushed.'

She added: 'I highly doubt they thought this could have happened to them.'

Mexican and American authorities had been searching for days for the four friends who traveled to a dangerous part of the country to support Latavia 'Tay' McGee at a scheduled tummy tuck surgery.

Dramatic footage showed her barefoot and covered in dirt as she and Williams were rescued from a dingy stash house on Tuesday, but McGee's cousin, Shaeed Woodard, and friend Zindell Brown did not survive.

A video posted to social media that day showed men with assault rifles and tan body armor loading the four people into the bed of a white pickup truck in broad daylight.

A woman, now believed to be McGee, could be seen getting led into the pickup truck at gunpoint as another cartel member dragged a man across the sidewalk.

Two other male victims were then dumped inside the vehicle.

It was unclear from the video whether they were dead at the time or just wounded.

But Williams said she does not typically watch those kinds of videos 'so I was not aware that was my husband until the FBI came on Sunday evening.

'It was just so surreal,' she said of the experience. 'I called the local police here and they confirmed.'

Eric Williams' wife Michelle said she cried 'tears of joy' when she learned he was alive

Shaeed Woodard (left) and Zindell Brown (right) did not survive the kidnapping

Lativa 'Tay' McGee was found uninjured after she, her cousin and two friends were kidnapped. The mother-of-five was seen without shoes after surviving the tragic incident along with friend Eric Williams who was shot in the left leg

She also noted that she was able to finally speak with her husband again Tuesday morning as he was being transported to the hospital.

During the phone call, he said he had been shot twice in one leg and once in the other. Still, he is expected to be able to walk.

Williams said she is now 'happy and thankful' that her husband is OK, being treated for his wounds at Brownsville Valley Regional Hospital in Texas 'but I'm also heartbroken that the other two families can't say the same.'

McGee's mother Barbara Burgess also told ABC 15 on Tuesday evening that she had spoken to her daughter, who was in shock but unharmed.

'She's alive. I talked to her. The nurse at the hospital called and let me talk to her,' said Burgess.

'She was crying. I asked her how she was doing. She doing okay.

'She was crying because her brother got killed and she watched him die. She watched two of them die. They died in front of her.'

Burgess also thanked well-wishers for their support.

'I appreciated their prayers. I thank them for praying because that's what I had needed.

'Prayer, it will change things. It works out. And prayer, you believe in it and it'll work. It did it for me. Because I was praying for my daughter.

'And I know she was coming home. I knew it.

'I didn't know when and what time. But, I knew she was coming.'

McGee was uninjured but Williams had been shot in the left leg - the injury was non-life-threatening

McGee was seen in the back of an ambulance before being transported to Texas after the brutal kidnapping that officials believe was a case of 'mistaken identity'

McGee was seen wiping her eyes with a tissue as Williams - who was shot in the legs but also survived the ordeal - was treated in the back of the emergency vehicle

The images of McGee emerging from captivity were taken at a stash house in the rural town of El Tecolote, six and half miles from Matamoros where the group was found.

At least one person has been arrested in connection with the incident and the surviving Americans were taken to the border near Brownsville, Texas, in a convoy of Mexican ambulances and SUVs on Tuesday.

They were then delivered to U.S. consulate officials.

In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon the Governor of Tamaulipas, Americo Villarreal Anaya, who broke news of the two surviving Americans at a separate press conference in the morning, confirmed the identity of the person arrested.

'24-year-old Jose "N" was arrested. He was in charge of monitoring the victims,' he said, noting the victims 'were found in a house near a place known as La Lagunona in the town of El Tecolote in Matamoros.

'During the three days after the criminal act, the four people were transferred to various places, including a clinic in order to create confusion and avoid rescue work,' he said.

Officials in Mexico would not confirm whether the person detained in relation to the kidnapping is related to the criminal organization 'Gulf Cartel,' which is known to operate in the region.

24-year-old Jose 'N' was arrested in connection with the incident Mexican officials say he was in charge of monitoring the victims

Mexican officials said that the group arrived in Matamoros at 9:45am and were caught up in the terrifying ambush, hours after arriving in town, at 11:45am.

Tamaulipas State Attorney General Irving Barrios said that information related to the kidnapping surfaced online and that videos and pictures shared by people helped in the rescue.

At the time authorities didn't know that the victims were Americans, he added.

Once officials had identified U.S. license plates on the minivan the group had been traveling in, Mexican authorities reached out to their U.S. counterparts.

Mexican authorities said they were able to scan public surveillance cameras in the area to determine 'the number of cartel vehicles that were involved in the attack.'

He said that they scanned medical facilities in Matamoros in hopes of finding the kidnapping victims earlier but to no avail.

Defense Secretary General Louis Sandoval was asked about kidnappings on both sides of the border, especially in the U.S. where victims are then taken into Mexico to seek ransom.

'Tamaulipas has been a state where violence, the presence of groups has been important,' he said.

The group were found in a stash house (pictured) in the rural town of El Tecolote, six and half miles from Matamoros

Forensic technicians were seen working at the scene where authorities found the bodies of two of four Americans kidnapped by gunmen

Military personnel kept watch at the scene where authorities found the bodies

'It should be noted during the current administration a security strategy was established and very specific objectives were set for Tamaulipas, for the border, to take care of the border.

'The security strategy that was implemented has given very good results, I don't have the stats here right now, but the number of intentional homicides has dropped in Tamaulipas thanks to this strategy.

'The participation of the army, the strategy of the air force has been important.'

Governor Americo Villarreal said that there has been close attention on the incident and medical support was provided to surviving victims while the Mexican president vowed those responsible will be 'punished.'

'Those responsible are going to be found, they are going to be punished,' President Lopez Obrador said.

The Tamaulipas State Attorney General's Office said that the four American citizens were found at about 7:30am Tuesday, four days after going missing.

FBI units escort two Brownsville Fire Department EMS Ambulances through Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates with the two surviving U.S. citizens who were kidnapped on March 3

Mexican newspaper Milenio cites law enforcement officials saying they were investigating whether the group was kidnapped by members of the 'Gulf Cartel,' a notoriously violent gang run by a feared leader known as La Kena.

The four had traveled from Lake City, South Carolina, to the border town of Matamoros for McGee to undergo the discounted tummy tuck, one family member of the victims said.

Former Attorney General Bill Barr said the US authorities should treat the gangs the same way they do ISIS when negotiating for Americans' release.

'They are terrorists,' he said during an appearance on Fox News last night.

'The Mexican government is being held hostage by tens of thousands of paramilitary members of terrorist organizations that effectively control Mexico.'

And as spring breakers pack their bikinis and sunglasses to hit the beach in Mexico, the US government has urged citizens to avoid cartel hotspots amid a spike in violence.

'It's pretty close at this stage to a failed narco-state,' he said.

'They can use violence and oceans of cash to corrupt the government. The government has no will, and it doesn't have the ability to deal with the cartels.'

Republican representatives Dan Crenshaw, of Texas, and Michael Waltz, of Florida, recently introduced a bill that would give Biden 'authority to use the U.S. military against these cartels in Mexico.'

In response, Ricardo Monreal tweeted the following yesterday: 'My response to the representative from Texas @DanCrenshawTX is direct and clear: I reject all foreign interference in the internal affairs of Mexico, and also the claim to apply United States laws in our country. It's called 'Sovereignty.' Even if Crenshaw doesn't get it.'

Le Kena leads the Gulf Cartel and is also known as Ciclon 19. His real name is Alberto Garcia Vilano.

Mexican authorities have been hunting him for months and are offering a reward of 2.5million pesos for any information that could lead to his arrest.

Pictures from the moment of their capture have started to circulate online showing the group at the back of a vehicle

Zalandria Brown of Florence, South Carolina, said on Monday she had been in contact with the FBI and local officials after learning that her younger brother, Zindell, was one of the four victims.

'This is like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from,' she said in a phone interview with the Associated Press.

La Kena or Ciclon 19, the leader of the Gulf Cartel

'To see a member of your family thrown in the back of a truck and dragged, it is just unbelievable.'

Zalandria said her brother lives in Myrtle Beach, and two friends had accompanied McGee and that the group was extremely close - making the trip in part to help split up the driving duties.

They were aware of the dangers in Mexico. Zalandria noted her brother - who did not survive - had even expressed some misgivings before the trip.

'Zindell kept saying, "We shouldn't go down,"' Brown said.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday during a news briefing that the Biden administration had been 'closely following the assault and kidnapping of four U.S. citizens.

'These sorts of attacks are unacceptable,' she said.

The Governor of Tamaulipas, Americo Villarreal Anaya, confirmed the condition of four kidnapped Americans over a phone call during President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's press conference on Tuesday

Mexican authorities are seen investigating the white SUV McGee and her friends drove to the country in

A map highlighting the six of 32 Mexican states that the US State Department currently has listed under its most severe 'do not travel' category, due to local cartels that may rob and/or kidnap American tourists

The FBI and Mexican law enforcement are investigating, with the bureau asking the public for information leading to arrests.

The State Department has a 'Do Not Travel' warning in place for Tamaulipas state due to 'crime and kidnapping.'

It said organized crime activity, including gun battles, armed robberies and kidnappings, are common along the border and in Ciudad Victoria.

'Criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments,' the warning states.
News Life Media, the publisher of News Corp papers in Australia, will seek to prove Bruce Lehrmann lied to police and raped Brittany Higgins to defend a lawsuit brought by him.

The media company filed its defence document to defamation proceedings launched by former Liberal political staffer Mr Lehrmann in the Federal Court, where the respondents claim he lied to police multiple times during the investigation.

After pleading not guilty to sexually assaulting former colleague Ms Higgins, Mr Lehrmann stood trial in the ACT Supreme Court before it was aborted due to juror misconduct.

The charges were subsequently dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions and he has continually denied any allegation he sexually assaulted Ms Higgins at Parliament House in March 2019.

Mr Lehrmann is suing news.com.au journalist Samantha Maiden and its parent company News Life Media, owned by NewsCorp, as well as Lisa Wilkinson and Network 10 over their coverage of the rape allegations made by Ms Higgins.

Bruce Lehrmann (pictured) is suing News Corp and Channel 10 over their coverage of the rape allegations made by Brittany Higgins

In its defence filed with the Federal Court on Tuesday, News Life Media said it would rely on a defence of truth and qualified privilege.

News Life Media says the imputations put forward by Mr Lehrmann are true because he was 'sexually attracted' to Ms Higgins, touched her familiarly, saw her drunk and signed her into Parliament House.

'There is no other plausible or rational explanation for Lehrmann's attendance with Higgins at Parliament House in the early hours of 23 March 2019 other than that Lehrmann went there with the intention to have sexual intercourse with Higgins knowing or suspecting that she was too drunk to voluntarily and freely consent to such sexual intercourse,' the defence states.

The respondents rely on the claims that Mr Lehrmann and Ms Higgins' relationship involved a 'substantial imbalance of power and experience'.

Brittany Higgins (pictured front centre) stands outside the ACT Supreme Court during Mr Lehrmann's trial over rape allegations in October, 2022

News Life Media said it would rely on claims that Mr Lehrmann was 'sexually attracted' to his colleague, which is evident by him inviting her to meet at a pub weeks before the alleged rape, as he found her 'physically attractive', and attempting to kiss her after a staff dinner.

The respondents said Mr Lehrmann had been 'reckless or indifferent' as to whether Ms Higgins had consented to the sex and allegedly continued despite her saying no and asking to stop several times.

In the defence, News Life Media alleges Mr Lehrmann lied on multiple occasions, including when he told Ms Higgins he had to pick something up from work.

The defence alleges Mr Lehrmann lied on 11 occasions to ACT Police, telling them he returned to Parliament House to pick up his keys on five occasions but six other times said it was to update Question Time folders.

But in the days following the alleged rape, the defence claims Mr Lehrmann said he had gone to Parliament House to 'drink whisky'.

It is also alleged he lied to security and senior staff about whether he signed in Ms Higgins.

The defence says Maiden undertook extensive investigations before publishing any stories, including an extensive face-to-face interview, a dossier of information, photographs, audio recordings, emails and text messages.

Senior News Corp political journalist Sam Maiden broke the story of the alleged rape

'On 21 January 2021, Maiden conducted an extensive, face-to-face interview with Higgins lasting several hours. During the course of the interview Maiden observed Higgins closely, scrutinised her answers and challenged her on some of her answers,' the defence states.

'Maiden reasonably formed the view that Higgins was a witness of credibility and that Higgins' allegations were credible.'

News Life Media says Maiden took extensive care to avoid identifying Mr Lehrmann by not naming or describing him.

The media company says the lawsuit is not maintainable as it was filed beyond the one-year limitation period, given the article involving Ms Higgins  published on February 15, 2021  is now more than two years old.

Mr Lehrmann claims the article conveyed four defamatory meanings that he 'raped Brittany Higgins in Defence Minister Linda Reynolds' office in 2019', although he was not named.

Lisa Wilkinson, the former host of Channel 10 show The Project, conducted a lengthy interview with Ms Higgins

He says the article defamed him by implying he 'continued to rape Brittany Higgins after she woke up mid-rape and she was crying and telling him to stop' and 'left her on a couch in a state of undress', which he says is false.

Network Ten also filed its defence with the Federal Court on Tuesday, saying it would also rely on a defence of truth and qualified privilege.

Ten has argued in its defence that staff made 'reasonable attempts' to get Mr Lehrmann's side of the story before it broadcast Wilkinson's interview with Ms Higgins.

In the document, it says a producer called, texted and emailed Mr Lehrmann on five occasions from Friday, February 12 to Monday, February 15, 2021.

The producer emailed an address for Mr Lehrmann, provided by Ms Higgins' partner David Sharaz, in which he asked 16 questions, including: 'Did you take Ms Higgins to Australian Parliament House after the drinks?' and 'Did you rape Brittany Higgins as alleged?'

The email, sent on the afternoon of Friday, February 12, from producer Angus Llewellyn said: 'I'm producing a story for Network Ten's The Project.

'The Project has been informed of an alleged rape of Brittany Higgins perpetrated by you within a minister's office in Australian Parliament House on the evening of 22 March 2019/morning of 23rd March 2019.'

It asked him to respond by 10am the following Monday.

'Had Lehrmann responded to Ten's attempts to contact him, Ten would have included Lehrmann's side of the story, by including his response or the substance of his response, in the matters complained of,' Ten says in its defence.

'Depending on the nature of any response from Lehrmann, Ten may have considered offering him the opportunity to participate in an on-camera interview, which could have been included in the matters complained of or considered delaying publication of the matters complained of to give him an opportunity to respond.'

Ten said Wilkinson and six producers were involved in putting together the story.

Mr Lehrmann has not yet responded to the allegations contained in the defences.
America's first-ever Muslim non-binary lawmaker has been censured and stripped of their assignments for harboring a fugitive friend accused of attacking a cop during a protest over transgender rights.

Mauree Turner - who uses they/them pronouns, will be banned from committee assignments unless she issues a formal apology, including to Highway Patrol cops said to have been assaulted by her friend Ross.

During the protest, the fugitive, Austin Ross, is accused of flinging water at Rep. Bob Ed Culver, R-Tahlequah, after the passing of HB 2177, a bill banning gender affirming care for minors.

Another protester, Savannah Mitchell, was taken into custody and arrested during the protest.

Turner, the first openly nonbinary and Muslim person elected to the Legislature in Oklahoma, declared Tuesday that they won't be apologizing, as Republicans continue to work to strip away the rights of trans people.

On Tuesday, Rep. Mauree Turner, who uses they/them pronouns, refused to apologize for harboring Ross

Oklahoma resident Austin Turner took refuge in the office of a Democratic lawmaker after he was accused of assaulting an officer and a GOP rep

'I think an apology for loving the people of Oklahoma is something that I cannot do,' said Turner, D-Oklahoma City, flanked by several Democratic colleagues. 'Its something that I actively refuse to do.'

The protest last week became heated when a protester was accused of pouring water on Culver and scuffling with a trooper, throwing more water in the process, before being arrested.

Culver told KFOR that his decision to press charges against Ross was not because the water was thrown on him, but rather because it was thrown on a state trooper. Culver representative said that he will co-operate fully with the investigation.

Ross was arrested in Ponca City, Oklahoma, on Tuesday. He accused of attempting to stop officers from arresting Mitchell by grabbing a sheriff's deputy's hands.

Officials said that Ross was able to escape the capitol complex due to a lack of man power.

Officers said Ross was inside Turners legislative office after the melee died down.

'When we go up to the representatives office, we were not allowed in, even from opening the door,' said Trooper Eric Foster, with the Highway Patrol.

Ross shown during the protest on February 28, he was arrested a week later after a warrant was issued for his arrest

Austin is accused of trying to stop officers from arresting another protester, Savannah Mitchell, shown here

Mitchell was arrested while protesting the passing of a law banning gender affirming care for minors in Oklahoma

The censure vote means Rep. Mauree Turner, who uses they/them pronouns, will be removed from all committee assignments unless the second-term lawmaker issues a formal apology

Turners denouncement comes as Republicans throughout the U.S. push proposals that advocates for LGBTQ rights say are trying to erase the legal existence of people who are trans and to restrict the expression of people nonbinary, gender-fluid or who perform in drag.

In Oklahoma, recent efforts by the GOP-controlled Legislature have seen lawmakers seek to prohibit so-called gender-affirming medical care for trans children.

Lawmakers are also keen to pass other anti-trans legislation, including a prohibition on insurance coverage for gender-affirming care for people of all ages, have led to demonstrations at the Capitol.

Speaker of the House Charles McCall said in a statement that the House stands by law enforcement.

'I will not allow members of the House of Representatives to use their assigned offices and official positions to impede law enforcement from carrying out investigations or making arrests in the state Capitol,' said McCall, R-Atoka.

But Turner, who is Black and represents a diverse constituency that includes Oklahoma Citys Asian business district, said one of their goals is making sure all people are welcome at the Capitol.

'I just provide my office as a space of grace and love for all the folks in all communities that seek refuge from the hate in this building, Turner said. Trans people dont feel safe here.'

House Democratic Leader Rep. Cyndi Munson said the Houses censure vote was 'absolutely embarrassing.'

'Its clear what theyre trying to do is silence a member who does not think like them, act like them, dress like them, who challenges their positions, especially when they are running legislation to harm people in our community,' Munson said.

Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of national LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD, also condemned the Oklahoma House, saying a statehouse is where everyone, including lawmakers, should feel safe and heard.

'Transgender people are under attack by extremists who are baselessly trying to limit their private, best practice healthcare,' said Ellis. 'Every Oklahoman and every American should be outraged that lawmakers are working overtime to target people, including their own colleague.'
Commuters in Sydney faced transport chaos with Uber prices surging as the train network came to a standstill during Wednesday afternoon's rush hour.

Frustrated customers trying to make their way home said Ubers were charging hugely inflated prices for trips across the city, with bus lines also struggling under the pressure.

One commuter posted a screenshot of a trip from the middle of the CBD to Bondi charging $88.21.

Another fed-up commuter shared a photo of an Uber booking from the CBD to Marrickville that was going to cost up to $77.17.

Uber customers around Sydney said their usual trips had skyrocketed in price to coincide with the train closure (pictured, the cost of an Uber from the CBD to Marrickville on Wednesday)

Trains around Sydney came to a complete standstill during the afternoon rush on Wednesday (pictured, commuters piling onto alternative light rail services on Wednesday)

Uber (above) said it put a cap on prices during Wednesday's train outage

However, an Uber spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia it took a 'proactive' approach to the shutdown and urged its drivers to go online and help commuters.

'As soon as we were made aware of the Sydney trains disruption, we proactively communicated to driver-partners to let them know about the increased rider demand and encourage them to come online and help provide a ride to those who need one,' they said.

'We also placed a cap on dynamic pricing to ensure it didn't continue to increase while the disruption continued.'

They encouraged anyone who saw an extraordinary price jump to contact Uber's helpline.

'In situations of increased demand when dynamic pricing is activated, riders are always still provided with an upfront price before they request their ride, giving them the freedom to decide if they want to use the platform or choose another transportation option,' they said.

'If riders have any questions about the fare they were charged, we encourage them to get in touch with our customer service team via the Uber app.'

The unexpected prices saw thousands of commuters stay at their stations or cram into small bus and light rail alternatives.

The chaos started at about 2.45pm when the computer screens at Central Station, in the city's CBD, went completely blank instead of showing when the next scheduled trains would arrive.

There was similar trouble at Wynyard Station where travellers were turned away from the train gates.

Sydney Trains shared a warning to customers on Twitter at 3.50pm, saying: 'Trains are not running due a train communication issue affecting the whole network.

'Please use alternate travel options where possible. We expect this to continue into afternoon peak services, updates to follow.'

The system has since been rebooted and trains have started running again, more than an hour after the outage began.

One frustrated commuter shared a photo of an Uber booking from the CBD to Marrickville that was going to cost up to $77.17 after the train outage (pictured, Town Hall station on Wednesday afternoon)

At about 2.45pm the computer screens at train stations around Sydney went blank (above)

Sydney commuters were left waiting in stations for the trains to start running again after Ubers jumped in price (pictured, Town Hall station on Wednesday afternoon)

The NSW Shadow Transport Minister, Jo Haylen, blamed the Perrottet Government for the incident.

'The Liberal government's neglect of our existing train network has left old infrastructure that breaks down too often, and when it does, the entire network is disrupted leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded,' she said in a statement.

'Our existing rail network needs investment. It needs new rolling stock and new infrastructure. Instead the Liberals have neglected it and ran it down.

'Labor will invest in our train network so it gets passengers from A to B. The Liberals have neglected it and there's a real risk that they would privatise it.'
A stay-at-home mom from Nebraska has shot to internet fame thanks to her pet rainbow crab Howie, who she claims can smile and use sign language.

'I think people just love the way I love her,' owner Laura Porter told the Omaha World-Herald this week of her crustacean friend. Between TikTok and Instagram, Howie has around 600,000 followers. Her videos achieve viewing figures in the millions.

Porter told the newspaper that editing the videos of Howie are now a full time job. She said that the first video that she made with Howie, showing her cleaning her shell of bacteria with a toothbrush, achieved six million views.

The canny influencer has also stuck an array of hats on Howie in a bid to humanize her, with many arachnophobes saying the clawed sea creature looked too much like a giant spider for their liking.

In a December question and answer session with fans on TikTok, Porter said that she bought Howie at an aquatic pet store in 2016 and that it was her daughter how named the crustacean after America's Got Talent judge Howie Mandel, despite the clawed Howie being female.

The family brought Howie, part of a species known as cardisoma armatum which are typically found in the wild in western Africa, into the family after their daughter's fish died. The family even bought Howie a 55-gallon aquarium to live in.

Laura Porter bought her pet crab Howie for her daughter in 2016, now the crustacean is a social media star

The first video of Howie showed Porter cleaning her shell with a toothbrush, it amassed six million views

Porter said this week 'the world went crazy' when she began putting Howie in a hamster ball and let him roll around the house

Porter described teaching Howie how to high five, saying the crab began to do it voluntarily while having her claws petted.

Many of Howie's thousands of followers refer to the Porter's cat, Siren, as her 'frenemy.' Porter even told the World-Herald that one of the crab's favorite past times is to play with her cat.

Porter also said that her beloved pet's favorite snacks are peanut butter sandwiches and cheese and that she feeds Howie foods with plenty of calories so she can reach 'maximum health.'

When a fan asks what foods Howie can't have, Porter said: 'I avoid chocolate, fruit pits, acidic foods, spicy peppers, and onions.'

In her World-Herald interview, Porter elaborating saying that Howie also enjoys meat loaf. She went on to say that 'the world went crazy' when she began putting Howie in a hamster ball and let him roll around the house.

'Ive lost count of the time that shes molted. Howies actually reached her species maximum size for her gender,' Porter told Howie's followers in December.

Howie out for a walk in his Omaha-neighborhood with her owner

Porter described teaching Howie how to high five, saying the crab began to do it voluntarily while having her claws petted

Porter said that when Howie is scared, the crab will run to her owner and that she enjoys TV

When a fan asks what foods Howie can't have, Porter said: 'I avoid chocolate, fruit pits, acidic foods, spicy peppers, and onions'

@howiethecrab Howie rolled her hamsterball up to the back door and peered out longingly. She misses playing outside. It needs to hurry up and get warm outside  #howiethecrab #hamsterball #petcrab  Sad Music - Max-Music

Molting is the process in which crabs shed their shells and begin to grow another. Howie molts twice a year. Crabs like Howie are prone to shell rot and most to live longer than five years in captivity.

'They can die from molting. Molting is a very, extremely delicate process where shes re-growing her mandibles, and her intestines and her stomach lining, and if she doesnt properly separate from her molt, she will die. The last molt was very successful and Im so happy,' Porter added.

Though Porter joked that 'right before she molts, she gets really crabby.'

Porter told the World-Herald that she taught Howie how to tap her mouth when she's hungry and that they're working on more sign language and that the crab 'tolerates' the hats that are stuck to her shell with medical tape.

She said that when Howie is scared, the crab will run to her owner and that she enjoys TV.

'I can pick her up and snuggle her. I can put her on my head. She doesnt trust anyone else... Im just doing the best for her to make her as happy and healthy as possible, it's the right thing to do,' Porter added.
A soldier controls a reconnaissance drone during joint drills with the U.S. military in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, in this Jan. 13 file photo. South Korea's military plans to launch a comprehensive drone operations unit in July as part of efforts to bolster counter-unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities following North Korea's drone incursions three months ago. Newsis



Army seeks operational knowhow from Turkey, other partner countries



By Jung Min-ho



South Korea's military plans to launch a comprehensive drone operations unit in July as part of its efforts to bolster its counter-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities following North Korea's drone incursions late last year.



According to officials Wednesday, the military is accelerating its efforts to map out its plans, such as the size of the unit, command structure and its location.



This comes as a direct order of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who in January called for a multi-mission unit capable not just of effectively fending off UAV threats from North Korea but also of conducting reconnaissance and psychological warfare roles.



Gen. Lee Bo-hyung of the Army Aviation Command is in charge of the project. How to share roles and interoperate with the Air Force against UAV threats in various forms has emerged as one of the major tasks, as the military plans to continue to strengthen its drone capabilities.



Pocheon, a city in the far northeastern area of Gyeonggi Province, is among the candidates for the unit's location. It is just south of Cheorwon and Hwacheon, two counties bordering North Korea, and has the military facilities once used by the now-disbanded Republic of Korea Army VI Corps. This means that the swift development of a UAV unit is possible, given that most of the facilities including underground bunkers can still be used after some repairs and improvement work.



To maximize the unit's potential, officials said South Korea's military has been learning from its partner countries that operate such units. Some military officers recently visited Turkey's UAV operation unit to receive advice, according to officials.



"We are developing the operational concept and strategies by analyzing operation cases of various countries," the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.





A Ukrainian soldier flies a drone during fighting at the frontline near Bakhmut, Ukraine, March 3. AP-Yonhap
A woman banned from providing any sort of health service to the public faces a further 11-month wait for a trial over a death she's accused of causing - as a key witness in the case goes missing.

Jie Shao was charged with manslaughter and using poison to endanger life after allegedly injecting tramadol, lidocaine and hyaluronic acid breast fillers to another woman.

Shao met Jean Huang through a mutual friend and allegedly performed the injections at Ms Huang's Medi Beauty Clinic at Chippendale in Sydney.

The 35-year-old went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to hospital, but died two days later in September 2017.

Shao is on bail while her trial has been beset by delays.

Jean Huang (pictured) after receiving breast filler injections

Shao (pictured) was charged with manslaughter and using poison to endanger life after allegedly injecting tramadol, lidocaine and hyaluronic acid breast fillers to Ms Huang

Key witnesses have left the country, and overseas authorities were not co-operative in having them give evidence via audiovisual link.

Almost two years ago, Shao's barrister Winston Terracini KC confirmed the defence case was 'ready to rock 'n' roll'.

Multiple dates for a trial have been set and passed, and Shao received another date on Wednesday.

Her three-week trial is scheduled to start on February 19, 2024.

A readiness hearing in December will make sure the trial is finally ready to proceed.

'For the moment that's a long way away and the matter has been around for a long time,' Judge Timothy Gartelmann said in the Downing Centre District Court on Wednesday.

'We need to have some real certainty about who will be available,' he said.

The Crown indicated it had lost contact with a witness.

'He's gone overseas. We'll be seeking his return to the state,' the crown prosecutor told the court.

Multiple dates for a trial have been set and passed as Shao's three-week trial is scheduled to start on February 19, 2024 (Shao with barrister Winston Terracini at the Downing Centre District Court in Sydney)

Shao did not have Australian medical qualifications when she allegedly performed the procedure.

The NSW Health Care Complaints Commission has made interim prohibition orders against her.

'Shao must not, under any circumstances provide health services, either in paid employment or voluntarily, to any member of the public,' the commission warns.

It has consecutively renewed the eight-week interim orders since March 2021.
A Minnesota judge who was beloved by her peers was killed after being hit by a car while out running on her vacation in Florida.

Judge Sally Tarnowski, who last served as a judge in St. Louis County in Minnesota, died on Monday, her family said.

Tarnowski, 63, had served as a judge in the county since 2007, having risen to chief judge of Minnesota's Sixth Judicial District in 20016 under Governor Tim Pawlenty.

The judge had pioneered the state's 'Mental Health Court' - which used judicial power to sentence people with psychological issues to treatment instead of prison - and heard cases just last week before heading south.

She was still scheduled to hear out cases later this week upon returning from Venice, Flroida, where she was vacationing with family. Her term as a county judge wasn't set to run out until 2027.

Judge Sally Tarnowski, who last served as a judge in St. Louis County in Minnesota, died on Monday, her family said

A moment of silence was held inside her courtroom and memorial was set up on the steps of it on Tuesday.

Tarnowski was beloved by people on all sides of the law, with public defender Veronica Surges - who faced off with Tarnowski several times - had received a call from a client who had been sentenced to prison in tears over her death, according to the Duluth News Tribune.

'As a passionate defense attorney, I often disagreed with her rulings in my cases,' Surges said. 'At the same time, I deeply respected her because I could tell how much she cared about the people in my courtroom  especially my most mentally ill clients.'

Another attorney noted that she was friendly and hard-working, riding a bike to work often in Minnesota's frigid weather, the Minneapolis Star Tribune said.

'Underneath her tough exterior she was one of the nicest, most compassionate, and most patient people I have ever met,' Surges added.

She was contemplating retirement in 2025, according to those close to her but was still working a full schedule.

This summer, the state will rollout what public defender Dan Lew called 'mental health court lite,' allowing people who have committed lesser offenses to get the same help those who have committed serious crimes have.

She was also an early proponent of neutral evaluation in family court, which facilitates prompt dispute resolution for custody, parenting time, and financial matters, WDIO said.

Friends, family and colleagues mark Tarnowski's name with a memorial outside the St. Louis County Court in Minnesota

A moment of silence was held inside her courtroom and memorial was set up on the steps of it on Tuesday

Tarnowski was beloved by people on all sides of the law, with public defenders who faced her in court praising her work

Tarnowski, 63, had served as a judge in St. Louis County since 2007, having risen to chief judge of Minnesota's Sixth Judicial District in 20016 under Governor Tim Pawlenty

Tarnowski was also praised by local Native American leaders who complemented her work on children going through the American justice system.

'Her contributions to establishing the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Courtroom in St. Louis County, which was emulated in courtrooms across the area, will always be a tremendous accomplishment,' the board of the local Chippewa tribe said in a statement.'

'Her continued support for the equality of Native American families was unheralded and a massive loss for the 6th Judicial District."

Tarnowski had two adult children, Katie and Ben, with ex-husband Greg.

St. Louis County Attorney Mark Rubin called her a deeply fair judge who enjoyed her work and life.

'If you appeared in front of her, you might not agree with the result, but you really respected the way she went about making her decision and the way she treated the defendant and the victims and everyone in the courtroom,' Rubin said.
An award-winning California elementary school teacher was arrested Tuesday and charged with sexually abusing a student at the San Diego school where she taught.

Jacqueline Ma, who taught sixth grade at Lincoln Acres Elementary School, was charged with six counts of sexual misconduct, including three for oral copulation with a child under 14, and three for lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14.

The 34-year-old was one of five San Diego teachers selected as 'Teachers of the Year' in 2022. According to her LinkedIn page, she had worked at the school since 2013.

It is believed there was only one victim of Ma's predation. Police said the student no longer attended the school where Ma taught, and it remains unclear how the abuse came to light.

Jacqueline Ma was charged three counts of oral copulation with a child under 14

Ma taught sixth grade at Lincoln Acres Elementary School just south of San Diego

The San Diego Sherriff's Department said Ma was arrested at 8am Tuesday, out of view of students.

'Both law enforcement and our site staff collaborated to ensure that student learning and the campus climate were not interrupted,' the department said in statement.

'We can confirm that the student no longer attends our school, and we assure you that we will do everything we can to support the investigation.'

Police said Ma was arrested 'on the allegation of having a physically inappropriate relationship with a former student.'

Ma was sent to the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility after her arrest, where she was booked on $100,000 bond.

She is due in court on March 9.

The 34-year-old Ma was one of five San Diego teachers selected as 'Teachers of the Year' in 2022. According to her LinkedIn page, she had worked at the school since 2013

School district Superintendent Leighangela Brady confirmed the arrest in a statement to NBC 7.

Brady also confirmed there was only one known victim, and that they no longer attended the school.

'We know that our entire school community is as stunned as we were by this news. The district will cooperate with law enforcement and cannot comment any further on the pending investigation,' Brady's statement read.

'We will continue to do everything possible to keep our students' safety, needs, and education first and foremost.'

According to Brady, the school is hiring a substitute teacher to replace Ma.

When she was named a 2022 Teacher of the Year, an award profile for Ma read that she 'considers the relationships she maintains with her students her greatest accomplishments,' according to NBC 7.
A new Australian Army recruitment advertisement has sparked outrage for showing soldiers engaged in a battle with 'civilians' rather than foreign combatants.

The ad opens with soldiers wearing visors and carrying riot shields rushing to a stand off with people wearing casual outfits, but some of whom have military backpacks.

The ad is titled 'Population Protection Control training', but a commenter under the video said what they're doing should be called 'riot control training'.

'Hopefully you guys don't employ these tactics next time there's a peaceful protest in Melbourne,' they said, referring to anti-lockdown protests during the pandemic.

In the clip, as soldiers crouch behind their shields they're pelted with bricks, then a soldier with a German shepherd dog on a leash orders the protestors to 'Move back'.

A new Australian Army recruitment advertisement (pictured) has sparked outrage for showing soldiers engaged in a battle with 'civilians' rather than foreign combatants

The dog, who is wearing a military vest, salivates at what's happening and later bites into the arm of a protestor who is protected by heavy padding.

Amid dramatic music, the soldiers move forward on the protestors, who continue to pelt them with bricks, while one attacks the officers with a baton.

As the intensity of the pounding music builds, the soldiers come under fierce attack by kicks, batons and having a huge tractor wheel rolled into them.

The soldiers eventually prevail, though one of the protestors then uses a loudhailer to say 'They can't take us all,' to laughter from those around him.

The ad, filmed at Lavarack Barracks, Townsville, Queensland includes soldiers from the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment and the 1st Military Police Battalion.

'Hopefully you guys don't employ these tactics next time there's a peaceful protest in Melbourne,' a commenter said, referring to anti-lockdown protests during the pandemic. Pictured is a clip of a man baton charging a soldier

The Australian Defence Force denied it provides training to soldiers to suppress domestic protests when asked by Daily Mail Australia.

'Population Protection Control employs non-lethal techniques to assist soldiers responding to large or aggressive crowds in situations of civil unrest while on overseas deployments,' a Defence spokesperson said.

'This includes peacekeeping operations where soldiers may be faced with large crowds at food distribution points or evacuation operations where soldiers are required to hold the security of perimeters in the face of desperate crowds.'

The department added that the training tested their ability to cope with what the 'realistic, high-pressure scenarios, preparing them for stability operations and ensuring the Brigade remains a capable and ready force'.

But many commenters were concerned at what the advertisement portrayed.

'Let's not kid ourselves this isn't about 'protection' but about 'Control' we haven't forgot what happened during 2020 & 2021,' said one.

Another wrote: 'Take out the protection and you have the real meaning of this.'

A third added that this is what happens 'when the govt is afraid of their own citizens'.

A third said the video (pictured) shows what happens 'when the govt is afraid of their own citizens'

There were some commenters however who voiced their support for the ad.

One commenter who claimed to have participated in similar training with the Australian Army also gave his take on the situation.

'When we did it prior to the Sydney Olympics, we were dealing with Molotov Cocktails being thrown at us and a bunch of other stuff,' the person said.

'Would have loved just to get rocks and the occasional tyre.'
An elite private school has come under fire for its response to claims a Year 12 student tried to lure a five-year-old girl into its carpark.

A furious father has pulled his two young children out of St Francis De Sales College in the Adelaide Hills town of Mount Barker after a high school student reportedly asked his daughter to come 'see a puppy dog in a car' last week.

The father said his daughter refused to go with the teenager but was still left frightened and has become untrusting of others.

He said the incident immediately worried him, considering the 'potentially dangerous' situation unfolded on school grounds.

'What was the intention, who was in the carpark?,' he asked during an interview with The Messenger.

A Year 12 student approached a five-year-old student and asked her to come 'see a puppy dog in a car' at St Francis De Sales College (above) in Mount Barker

However, the father said it was not so much the incident as the school's response that saw him pull his children from classes.

He had the school would not remove any of the students involved in the incident and instead offered to host a mediation session.

'The school wanted (our daughter) to meet with the older student so she would feel more comfortable if she saw him in the future As a parent do I let her just trust that?,' he said.

'They are hoping it goes away, a teenage boy made a silly statement  diminish it down to a prank  but now the onus is on me, as a parent, to make a decision. Do I just let that occur?'

St Francis de Sales principal Gavin McGlaughlin told The Messenger the 'inappropriate conversation' was dealt with 'swiftly'.

Mr McGlaughlin said all families involved were contacted and consequences given to students within 24 hours of the incident.

The school (above) said it has not expelled the older student, so the five-year-old's father has pulled his children from classes

However, the school has not confirmed what punishment the older students faced.

A Catholic Education South Australia spokesperson said police were informed about the incident but claim authorities said it 'did not need to be reported'.

However, South Australia Police said it is continuing investigations into the conversation between the five-year-old and teenager.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted St Francis De Sales College for comment.
An anti-monarchy campaign group responsible for organising a string of 'Not My King' demonstrations called criticising Charles 'fair game' and admitted that heckling the late Queen would have been unpopular with the public, MailOnline can exclusively reveal today.

Republic, who have ramped up protests against the King in the lead up to the Coronation in May, branded the monarch 'just a bloke in a suit who's spending lots of our money'.

Its chief executive Graham Smith told MailOnline that Charles should be criticised like any other politician - but in an attempt to explain why the group was organising more protests against the King than his late mother, admitted: 'The Queen enjoyed deference and it put people off criticising her directly. We were aware heckling her wouldn't go down well'.

He also distanced his movement from anti-vaxxer Piers Corbyn after the conspiracy theorist brother of ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn tried to hijack yesterday's protest in Colchester, as King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla visited the city.

Mr Smith told MailOnline: 'Charles is a very different person. He just inherited the throne and inheritance is an issue.

Crowds of well-wishers had gathered to greet the monarch but among them were anti-monarchy protesters who waved 'Not My King' banners and shouted at Charles (pictured) to 'come over and talk to your critics'

The protest in Colchester yesterday was the latest to be organised by Republic, who have vowed to hold a series of protests in the run up to and on the Coronation

'We think now is the right moment for us to push our message. We did protest the Queen, such as at the 2012 Jubilee.

'Other people certainly had a greater level of respect for the Queen. The Queen enjoyed deference and it put people off criticising her directly. We were aware heckling her wouldn't go down well.

'But everything has changed, it's a very different monarchy. This has changed the nature of the campaign.'

The group believe hereditary public office goes against every democratic principle and ultimately want to abolish the monarchy.

Instead, they want head of state that is chosen by the public and keeps politicians in check.

Mr Smith continued: 'If you think politicians are fair game for heckling and protests, you should see Charles in the same way. The Queen felt like the real deal. Charles is just a bloke in a suit who's spending lots of our money.

King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla at Colchester Castle to mark its recently awarded city status

King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla greeting some schoolchildren outside Colchester Castle

Anti-monarchy protesters were also part of the crowds that had gathered to greet the King in Colchester, Essex

'He should be treated like a politician. Heads of state should be fair game for criticism.'

The group intends to protest in York next month when King Charles is set to visit, and claim they have 1,000 supporters signed up to protest along the procession route at his Coronation on May 6.

Republic also took steps to distance themselves from Piers Corbyn, saying: 'He has no relationship to our cause whatsoever', after the conspiracy theorist was spotted among protesters yesterday.

Mr Smith made clear 'he's not part' of their group and attended for a separate cause after the Covid conspiracy theorist waved signs linking the King to the World Economic Forum and Jimmy Savile.

Corbyn, 75, was seen at the demonstration in Colchester yesterday, where King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla visited to mark its newly awarded city status.

Crowds of well-wishers had gathered to greet the monarch but among them were anti-monarchy protesters who waved 'Not My King' banners and shouted at the Royal to 'come over and talk to your critics'.

Also there was the brother of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, and some of his supporters, who held a banner objecting to what he claimed was Charles's support of the World Economic Forum.

Piers Corbyn, 75, was seen holding a yellow placard reading: 'Charles must serve the UK, not the World Economic Forum's tyranny' at yesterday's demonstration in Colchester, Essex

A member of Piers Corbyn's enoutrage was seen calling on Charles to 'serve the UK, not WEF tyranny' during an anti-monarch demonstration in Colchester yesterday

Distancing themselves from Corbyn's protest today, Graham Smith said: 'He's not part of Republic.

'He was quite some distance from us and there for a fairly different issue. He has no relationship to our cause whatsoever. I've never seen him before.

'It was well publicised we were going to be there, but he wasn't anywhere near us.'

Corbyn, an anti-vaccine activist who was among those spotted holding placards, appeared to be expressing his views on the climate and World Economic Forum during the royal visit.

He was photographed holding a yellow placard reading: 'Charles must serve the UK, not the World Economic Forum's tyranny.'

Corbyn has taken aim at the World Economic Forum's 'Great Reset' initiative which is an economic recovery plan in response to the pandemic.

Jeremy Corbyn's brother Piers (right) is a well-known conspiracy theorist who has spouted claims that the coronavirus is linked to 5G mobile networks. Pictured with him at the August 29 demo in 2020 is struck-off nurse Kate Shemirani (left), who has also spouted conspiracy theories about the disease

More than 10,000 Covid conspiracy theorists who believe the virus is a hoax gathered in London's Trafalgar Square on August 29, 2020, to protest against lockdown restrictions and vaccination programmes. Piers Corbyn has been fined for his role in this protest

Last November, the meteorologist and climate sceptic stood up in front of Oxfordshire County councillors to tell them 'man-made climate change does not exist' as he opposed measures being introduced to cut traffic.

The meeting was then used by conspiracy theorists worldwide to push baseless claims of climate change lockdowns in a post-pandemic Great Reset era.

Corbyn attended dozens of anti-lockdown protests across the country during the pandemic, including events in London, Manchester and Bristol.

Last year he was ordered to pay more than 1,000 after breaking Covid rules by attending anti-lockdown protests in the capital.

At one protest in Trafalgar Square, more than 10,000 Covid deniers gathered to demonstrate against restrictions and the vaccine.

The 'Unite for Freedom' rally saw speeches from Corbyn and other conspiracy theorists such as David Icke and struck-off nurse Kate Shermirani.

He was also arrested in May 2021 while protesting in Hyde Park, where he spread his anti-vax message over a microphone.

That year he also stood as a candidate in the London Mayoral elections, declaring he would 'end lockdown on day one' in the role.

He finished 11th with 20,604 votes while his party, Let London Live, came 12th in the London Assembly election with 15,755 votes.
Lawyers for Bruce Lehrmann have told the Federal Court he is available to give evidence in a court for the first time if required, as his defamation proceedings get underway.

Mr Lehrmann launched legal action in February against Lisa Wilkinson and Network 10, and journalist Samantha Maiden and News Corp Australia's News Life Media over coverage of Ms Higgins' allegations in February, 2021.

The media companies say the lawsuit is not maintainable as it was filed beyond the one-year limitation period, given the article involving Ms Higgins - published on February 15, 2021 - is now more than two years old.

All parties in the proceedings faced the Federal Court for the first time on Wednesday afternoon, where Mr Lehrmann's lawyer Steven Whybrow told the court his client would be available to give evidence at another hearing on March 16 if required.

Bruce Lehrmann (above) said he is available to give evidence in Federal Court in his case against Lisa Wilkinson, Network 10, journalist Samantha Maiden and News Corp Australia's News Life Media

Mr Lehrmann is suing two media companies, including Lisa Wilkinson (above) and Network Ten, over their coverage of Brittany Higgins' rape allegations against him

After questions were raised about why Mr Lehrmann didn't lodge proceedings for two years the court was told he was given advice from a solicitor not to in February 2021, around the time the article and broadcasts were published.

The court heard he also didn't want to lodge proceedings while facing existing criminal proceedings.

Mr Whybrow told the court his client was also struggling with mental health issues due to the alleged defamatory claims.

Representing Lisa Wilkinson, Sue Chrysanthou SC told the court Mr Lehrmann had plenty of time to file the defamation claims.

'He apparently seeks to rely on his medical condition from time-to-time ... from a factual perspective we wish to challenge those,' she told the court.

Justice Lee queried whether it would be problematic for Mr Lehrmann to be potentially cross examined on multiple occasions, including in relation to the extension of time application to be heard next week and again during the trial.

Mr Whybrow told the court he was worried his client may come under 'stress and anxiety' if he is called to give evidence multiple times.

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

Mr Lehrmann had pleaded not guilty to the charge and stood trial in the ACT Supreme Court before it was aborted due to juror misconduct.

The charges were subsequently dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions and he has continually denied any allegation he sexually assaulted Ms Higgins at Parliament House in March 2019.

He claims the coverage conveyed four false and defamatory meanings he 'raped Brittany Higgins in Defence Minister Linda Reynolds' office in 2019', despite not being named.

Both media companies filed their defences with the Federal Court on Tuesday, as well as Ms Wilkinson, who retained her own legal team Ms Chrysanthou.

Network Ten, News Life Media and both journalists are relying on the defences of truth and qualified privilege and will seek to prove Mr Lehrmann lied to police and did rape Ms Higgins.

Clever tactic Lisa Wilkinson may use to derail Bruce Lehrmann's defamation case against her - as husband Peter FitzSimons hints the couple are holidaying overseas amid her long absence from Channel 10

By Charlotte Karp for Daily Mail Australia

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.

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'.
Musk was forced to apologise after he accused him of using disability as 'excuse'

Elon Musk has condemned his own public platform and said 'it's better to talk then tweet' as he publicly apologized to a sacked Twitter employee who suffers from muscular dystrophy after he accused him using his disability as an 'excuse' to do 'no actual work'.

Icelandic entrepreneur Halli Thorleifsson, 45, had sent a direct tweet to the billionaire to ask whether he was still employed at Twitter after he was locked out of his work's computer system, telling Musk that the HR department had not responded to him for nine days.

Eventually, Thorleifsson, who uses a wheelchair, got his answer after a surreal Twitter exchange with Musk, who proceeded to quiz him about his work, question his disability and need for accommodations.

Musk tweeted: 'The reality is that this guy (who is independently wealthy) did no actual work, claimed as his excuse that he had a disability that prevented him from typing, yet was simultaneously tweeting up a storm. Can't say I have a lot of respect for that.'

While the exchange was going on, Thorleifsson said he received an email that he was no longer employed. Musk was later forced to apologize to the Icelander after he was slammed by other Twitter users, with some accusing the CEO of being a 'terrible person' who discriminates against disabled people.

Icelandic entrepreneur Halli Thorleifsson, 45, (pictured) had sent a direct tweet to the billionaire to ask whether he was still employed at Twitter after he was locked out of his work's computer system, telling Musk that the HR department had not responded to him for nine days

Musk publicly apologized to Thorleifsson after he accused him using his disability as an 'excuse' to do 'no actual work'

After the conversation went viral on the platform, with Musk's conduct receiving widespread condemnation, the Twitter CEO was forced to apologize to the Icelander

Musk also bizarrely condemned Twitter - despite being the social media giant's CEO - and said it was 'better to talk to people than communicate via tweet' after he spoke with Thorleifsson on a video call to discuss his situation

Musk was forced to apologise to Thorleifsson after he accused him of using disability as 'excuse'

'I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful,' Musk tweeted. 'He is considering remaining at Twitter.'

Musk also bizarrely condemned Twitter as a platform - despite being the social media giant's CEO - and said it was 'better to talk to people than communicate via tweet' after he spoke with Thorleifsson on a video call to discuss his situation.

The Twitter CEO has been slammed on social media for his tweets to Thorleifsson, with some accusing Musk of discriminating against disabled people and being a 'terrible person'.

David Goldfard, the founder and Studio Creative Director of The Outsiders, tweeted: 'So now you are mocking someone with a disability? Weird flex.'

'What happened to you Elon? You need a break from the spotlight dude. You're actually starting to get so far disconnected from reality that it's sad to see your legacy crumble. I hope you find some peace soon,' one Twitter user wrote.

Another wrote: 'Congratulations on helping him prove to a court you discriminate against disabled people.'

'You are a terrible person and the sooner you are gone from managing this site the better it will be for everyone,' one person wrote in a scathing tweet.

'While an apology is good, the behavior shown in how you treat him publicly needs to be reflected on. You are the CEO of a company and blasted an employee by saying 'if he can tweet, he can work right?' You jump to the conclusion that the other person must be wrong. Do better,' another person tweeted.

The bizarre Twitter exchange occurred after Thorleifsson logged in to his computer last Sunday to do some work - only to find himself locked out, along with 200 others.

He might have figured, as others before him have in the chaotic months of layoffs and firings since Musk took over the company, that he was out of a job.

The Twitter CEO has been slammed on social media for his tweets to Thorleifsson, with some accusing Musk of discriminating against disabled people and being a 'terrible person'.

Instead, after nine days of no answer from Twitter as to whether or not he was still employed, Thorleifsson decided to tweet at Musk to see if he could catch the billionaire's attention and get an answer to his Schrodinger's job situation.

Eventually Musk responded and questioned whether Thorleifsson, who had sold his company in 2021 to join Twitter, had worked for the social media platform.

Musk tweeted: 'But was he fired? No, you can't be fired if you weren't working in the first place!'

In yet another tweet, Musk wrote: 'He has a prominent, active Twitter account and is wealthy. The reason he confronted me in public was to get a big payout. From what I've been told, he's done almost no work for the past four months, middle-management or otherwise.

'Despite his claims on Twitter that he did work, it turns out he told HR that he couldn't work because he couldn't type, but was, over the same period, typing up a storm on Twitter.

'Yet there are many people on Twitter defending him. This hurts my faith in humanity.'

Thorleifsson, who has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair, explained in a Twitter thread that prior to Musk's takeover and the mass layoffs he had been a senior director and his job at that time did not require much typing  which he said he had difficulty with over long periods.

'I'm not able to do manual work (which in this case means typing or using a mouse) for extended periods of time without my hands starting to cramp,' he said.

'I can however write for an hour or two at a time. This wasn't a problem in Twitter 1.0 since I was a senior director and my job was mostly to help teams move forward, give them strategic and tactical guidance.

'But as I told HR (I'm assuming that's the confidential health information you (Musk) are sharing) I can't work as a hands on designer for the reasons outlined above.'

He added: 'I'm typing this on my phone by the way. It's easier because I only need to use one finger.'

Elon Musk responds to the Twitter designer who he said 'wasn't working in the first place'

After the conversation went viral on the platform, with Musk's conduct receiving widespread condemnation, Musk said he decided to contact Thorleifsson directly via videocall 'to figure out what's real vs what I was told' and it was 'a long story'.

'Better to talk to people than communicate via tweet,' Musk added.

In a follow-up tweet, the billionaire apologised to Thorleifsson.

Earlier in the week Mr Thorleifsson  who was voted Iceland's person of the year in 2022 by four media outlets  told the BBC he could not get an answer from Twitter's human resources department on whether or not he had been sacked.

'My theory is they made a mistake and are now looking for anything they can find to make this a 'for cause' firing to avoid having to fulfil their contractual obligations,' he said.

Thorleifsson, who lives in Iceland, has about 151,000 Twitter followers (Musk has over 130 million). He joined Twitter in 2021, when the company, under the prior management, acquired his startup Ueno.

He was lauded in Icelandic media for choosing to receive the purchase price in wages rather than a lump sum payout. That's because this way, he would pay higher taxes to Iceland in support of its social services and safety net.

Thorleifsson's next move: 'I'm opening a restaurant in downtown Reykjavik very soon,' he tweeted. 'It's named after my mom.'
Frustrated Sydney residents have slammed a 'serial spewer' for repeatedly vomiting from their high-rise apartment onto balconies below.

A fed-up tenant living in the Urba complex on Gibbons Street, Redfern, left an angry note for the resident responsible for the bizarre vomiting episodes this week.

The 'serial spewer' has been plaguing tenants since August despite repeated warnings from strata and complaints to the landlord.

The furious note addressed to the resident said the vomit was landing on people's balconies, furniture and drying clothes.

'If you seem to have this uncontrollable urge to vomit whenever you are on your balcony maybe you should keep a bucket on your balcony so you can vomit into that instead,' the note read.

'Maybe we should send all our balcony cleaning bills to you? From the street we can see where the vomit starts from so we can easily work out which unit is responsible.

'So don't think you're somehow anonymous. Just stop it.'

The note comes after a frustrating six months for other tenants in the building.

A fed-up tenant from the Urba complex on Gibbons Street, Redfern (pictured) left an angry note for the resident responsible for the vomit this week

According to the building's strata report, the person responsible for the vomit was sent a warning from Urba strata back in September of last year.

A woman who has since moved out sent an email to the building's management claiming the person had not only vomited over the balcony but had followed up with an additional bucket of vomit that had also been thrown over.

Strata told the tenant responsible for the human waste that they had received complaints of loud noises and vomit being thrown over their balcony.

The person was told that if the behaviour continued, they could be evicted and that his landlord and property manager would be made aware of the issue.

However, the 'serial spewer' paid little attention to the threats and a few months later were up to their old tricks again to the utter disgust of his neighbours.

A woman whose balcony was covered by vomit twice when she lived in the complex in Sydney's inner south said she was 'in disbelief'.

Her dog had first alerted her to the vomit when it began to sniff around the balcony.

'Then I took a bit of a closer look and realised it was vomit and it was all over the balcony, which was disgusting,' she told news.com.au.

The angry note (pictured) left for the serial spewer warned they were no longer anonymous

'But then it happened again about two weekends later, and I thought, 'oh OK, this is obviously not a one-time thing, someone's purposely doing this'.'

The woman said despite her cleaning efforts, the vomit had 'crusted' on her balcony.

Another resident, Sabrina, said she felt sorry for the tenants impacted by the mess.

'I'd be livid. Even just once I'd be like, 'all right, it happens', but if I had to clean it up and no one was owning up to it, I'd be so mad. Like it's pretty gross,' Sabrina said.

'We've had litter on our balcony and that's bad enough, I can't imagine [human] waste like vomit.'
Surveillance footage shows the horrifying moment a man picks up his wife and throws her off the side of a ferry travelling through the Sundra Strait in Indonesia.

The video shows the man walking up behind his wife, picking her up and trying to throw her over the side of the ship.

The woman desperately clings on to the railing, keeping her from falling into the water below.

Other passengers then see the commotion and hurry over to help the woman back onto the deck.

Head of the Bakauheni Port Police Sector, Ridho Rafika, said that the incident happened on the Shalem passenger ferry from Merak to Bakauheni.

Surveillance camera footage shows the man walking toward his partner on the right

The man is seen to walk up behind his partner, bend his knees and pick her up

Police also reported that the man's family had said they did not report the incident as the husband suffered from a mental disorder.

In 2018, a father of three was charged with attempted murder after attempting to 'throw [his girlfriend] over the side of a cruise ship.'

David James Fysh, 46, pleaded not guilty to the charge of attempted murder after it was alleged that he had tried to through his partner into the Tasman Sea, apparently after an argument.

It is not unheard of that people survive falling overboard.

In November last year, a missing Carnival Cruise passenger was found by the US Coast Guard with symptoms of hypothermia and shock after falling off the side of a cruise ship near the Gulf of Mexico.

The man, 28, survived as long as 15 hours in the water before the Coast Guard found his roughly 20 miles south of the Southwest Pass in Louisiana.

The man is seen to carry the woman to the railing in the far corner and throws her over

The victim desperately clings on to the railings, fearing for her life

Passengers see the commotion and hurry over to help the woman back onto the ship

Ferries constantly travel between these busy ports, taking about two hours from start to finish

The Sundra Strait is a passage of water that divides the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra

Merak is a busy port in the Puloi Merak District of the City of Cilegon, Banten, in the northwest of Java.

Bakauheni is a town in the southern part of Lampung, Indonesia, and is the region's busiest port.

There are plans to connect Merak and Bakauheni with a Sundra Strait Bridge to reduce reliance on ferries back and forth.

A trip from Merak to Bakauheni takes around two hours.
Cho Hyun-bum, chairman of Hankook Tire & Technology, arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul to attend his arrest warrant hearing, March 8. Yonhap



The chief of tire giant Hankook Tire Technology attended a court hearing Wednesday on an arrest warrant requested earlier this week for him on charges of illicit inter-affiliate trading, embezzlement and breach of trust.



Hankook Tire Chairman Cho Hyun-bum, appearing for the hearing at the Seoul Central District Court shortly after 3 p.m., remained tight-lipped in the face of reporters' questions.



The 51-year-old Cho is accused of having caused losses to MKT, the predecessor of Hankook Precision Works, by forcing the Hankook Tire affiliate to lend around 13 billion won ($9.84 million) to Hyundai Motor's parts supplier Leehan between 2020 and 2021 despite the borrower's unsound financial conditions.



Cho is suspected of having carried out the lending due to his personal acquaintance with Leehan's chief executive, Park Ji-hoon.



The chairman is also accused of using his company's funds for personal use during the same period to purchase luxury vehicles and repair his home.



Prosecutors estimate the amount of Cho's embezzlement and breach of trust at about 20 billion won.



In addition, Cho is suspected of having violated the fair trade law by being involved in Hankook Tire's purchase of overpriced tire molds from MKT from 2014 to 2017.



Prosecutors suspect the profits from the Hankook Tire-MKT deals may have flowed into Cho and his family.



In January, the prosecution indicted Hankook Tire and one of its senior executives in charge of purchase on charges related to the allegedly illicit inter-affiliate trading.



A court decision on Cho's arrest warrant is expected to come out Wednesday night. (Yonhap)


A six-person commando unit used a yacht rented from a Ukrainian company to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines last September - according to a new report.

Research by the broadcasters ARD and SWR, Contrast magazine, and Die Zeit newspaper concluded that five men and a woman rented a yacht in Rostock, Germany, on September 6, 2022, which they used to destroy the gas pipelines on September 26.

The yacht was reportedly hired from a company registered in Poland that was owned by two Ukrainian citizens, Die Zeit reported.

The team included a captain, two divers, two diving assistants and a doctor - all with professionally faked passports and all as yet unnamed.

Investigators were said to have found particles of explosives on the yacht's cabin table, as the attackers did not have time to cover their tracks.

Germany's defence minister today voiced caution over reports that the pro-Ukraine group of six was involved in destroying the pipelines, suggesting a potential 'false flag' operation - which Die Zeit acknowledged was still a possibility.

The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline leak as seen from a Danish F-16 on September 27, 2022

German minister Boris Pistorius cautioned against reports a pro-Ukraine group was involved

The Times reported today that Western intelligence had known for months the name of an alleged Ukrainian sponsor who is supposed to have financed the sabotage of the pipelines.

The publication wrote that an unnamed Ukrainian without state affiliation sponsored the attack.

The Times said that NATO officials hid the names of those involved to save Ukraine from a public row with Germany.

Ukraine previously denied any involvement in the Nord Stream pipeline blast after US officials said a 'pro-Kyiv' group were behind the explosion.

A senior aide to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, said that Kyiv was 'absolutely not involved' in the blasts and has no information about what happened.

'This is not our activity,' Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told reporters in Stockholm ahead of a meeting with EU defence ministers, in response to a report on Tuesday that US officials had seen new intelligence indicating a 'pro-Ukrainian group' was responsible for the sabotage.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said today that media reports on the Nord Stream pipelines attacks were a coordinated effort to divert attention and the Kremlin is perplexed at how US officials can assume anything about the attacks without investigation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the state RIA news agency that Nord Stream shareholder countries should insist on an urgent, transparent investigation.

'We are still not allowed in the investigation. Only a few days ago we received notes about this from the Danes and Swedes,' Peskov said.

'This is not just strange. It smells like a monstrous crime.'

New intelligence reviewed by US officials suggests that a pro-Ukraine group - likely comprised of Ukrainians or Russians - attacked the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September, but there are no firm conclusions, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.

In a cautious report that did not identify the source of the intelligence or the group involved, the publication said the US officials had no evidence implicating Zelensky in the pipeline bombing.

But the attack benefitted Ukraine by severely damaging Russia's ability to reap millions by selling natural gas to Western Europe.

At the same time, it added to the pressure of high energy prices on key Ukrainian allies, particularly Germany.

The US intelligence review suggested those who carried out the attacks opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin 'but does not specify the members of the group, or who directed or paid for the operation,' the New York Times wrote.

The September 26 explosions on the pipelines connecting Russia and Germany occurred in the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark. Both countries have concluded the blasts were deliberate, but have not said who might be responsible

'Obviously, the authors of the attack want to divert attention. Obviously, this is a coordinated stuffing in the media,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the state RIA news agency

'Officials who have reviewed the intelligence said they believed the saboteurs were most likely Ukrainian or Russian nationals, or some combination of the two. US officials said no American or British nationals were involved,' according to the New York Times report.

Russia's deputy UN envoy said on Tuesday that the New York Times report 'only proves that our initiative on launching an international investigation under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General is very timely'.

Russia plans to call a vote in the UN Security Council by the end of March on its draft resolution asking Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish such an inquiry, Deputy Russian UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told Reuters.

A week after the Nord Stream pipeline blast, staff at a Scandinavian delegation in Brussels walked out of their embassy intelligence briefing, impressed by the level of detail they had been given so shortly after the attack, The Times newspaper reports.

It had been carried out by a private venture originating in Ukraine, rather than by the Americans, the Russians or the Poles, their intelligence service is reported to have told them.

They were told this would not be made public and to avoid questions about why the official investigation into the destruction of the pipeline was moving at such a slow pace.

The name of the suspected private sponsor, a Ukrainian not linked to Zelensky's government, has been circulating in intelligence circles for months but has not been revealed, according to The Times.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaking during the plenary session of the Russian Energy Week 2022, on October 12, 2022, in Moscow

A satellite image shows gas from the Nord Stream pipeline bubbling up in the water following incidents in the Baltic Sea, in this handout picture released September 29, 2022

The September 26 explosions on the pipelines connecting Russia and Germany occurred in the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark.

Both countries have concluded the blasts were deliberate, but have not said who might be responsible.

The United States and NATO have called the pipeline attacks 'an act of sabotage,' while Moscow has blamed the West. Neither side has provided evidence.

Denmark, Germany and Sweden said last month that their investigations have not yet concluded. The United States and Britain said on Tuesday they were waiting on those findings.

'We need to let these investigations conclude and only then should we be looking at what follow-on actions might or may not be appropriate,' said White House spokesperson John Kirby.

Germany said on Tuesday it had taken note of the New York Times report but that its own investigation had not yet produced results.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson both declined to comment on the report during a news conference in Stockholm.

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the media reports on Tuesday underscored the need for Moscow's questions about what happened to be answered.

The pipelines were built by Russia's state-controlled Gazprom.

In the year since Russia invaded Ukraine, Europe has drastically cut its energy imports from Russia. Moscow this week called for all Nord Stream stakeholders to decide its fate.

Nord Stream 2 pipeline construction in Russia (file photo)

A picture taken with a drone shows pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Lubmin, Germany, on September 7, 2022

Russia last month gave the UN Security Council a draft resolution which - if adopted - would ask UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish an international, independent investigation into the attack and who was responsible.

The owner of Russia's Wagner Group military company claimed Wednesday that his troops have extended their gains in the key Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut as fierce fighting continues in the war's longest battle.

Yevgeny Prigozhin said Wagner troops have taken full control of the eastern part of Bakhmut. He claimed that they now control all districts east of the Bakhmutka River that crosses the city in the eastern Donetsk region. The center of Bakhmut is located west of the river.

Ukrainian authorities have not commented on Prigozhin's claim. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think-tank that closely monitors the fighting in Ukraine, said in its latest analysis that 'Russian forces have likely captured the eastern part of Bakhmut, east of the Bakhmutka River, following a controlled Ukrainian withdrawal from eastern Bakhmut as of March 7'.

The Wagner Group has spearheaded the Russian offensive in Bakhmut that has lasted for six months and reduced the city with a prewar population of more than 70,000 to a smouldering wasteland.

Ukrainian soldiers in a trench under Russian shelling on the frontline close to Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on March 5, 2023

Ukrainian soldiers fire a self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions near Bakhmut, the site of the heaviest battles, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on March 7, 2023

Russian troops have enveloped the city from three sides, leaving only a narrow corridor leading west. The only highway west has been targeted by Russian artillery fire, forcing Ukrainian forces defending the city to rely increasingly on country roads, which are hard to use before the ground dries.

Ukrainian authorities have hailed the defenders of the 'fortress Bakhmut,' and Zelensky vowed Monday not to retreat from Bakhmut after chairing a meeting with his top generals.

Western officials have emphasized that even if Ukrainian troops eventually retreat from Bakhmut, its capture will not have strategic significance or change the course of the conflict.

The Ukrainian military has already strengthened defensive lines west of Bakhmut to block the Russian advance, including in the nearby town of Chasiv Yar that sits on a hill a few kilometres west. Further west are Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the heavily fortified Ukrainian strongholds in Donetsk.

For the Kremlin, capturing Bakhmut is essential for achieving its stated goal of taking control of the whole of Donetsk, one of the four Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed in September.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that the seizure of Bakhmut would allow Russia to press its offensive deeper into the region.

EU defence ministers will discuss Wednesday plans to raid their stockpiles to rush one billion euros' worth of ammunition to Ukraine and place joint orders for more to ensure supplies keep flowing.

Ukraine's Western backers warn that Kyiv is facing a critical shortage of 155-millimetre howitzer shells as it fires thousands each day in its fight against a grinding Russian offensive.

Ministers meeting with their Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov in Stockholm will debate a three-pronged push to meet Kyiv's immediate needs and bolster Europe's defence industry for the longer term.

The first part of the plan, as laid out by the EU's foreign policy service, envisions using one billion euros ($1.06 billion) from the bloc's joint European Peace Facility to get member states to send shells in their stocks to Kyiv within weeks.

Ukraine's European allies have already depleted their shelves, committing some 12 billion euros of military support, with 3.6 billion euros coming from the joint fund.

Ministers meeting with their Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov (pictured) in Stockholm will debate a three-pronged push to meet Kyiv's immediate needs and bolster Europe's defence industry for the longer term

Officials said they are confident there are enough 155-mm shells still in storage that Europe's own defences will not be made too vulnerable. The defence ministers are expected to provide details during their meeting.

The second part of the plan is to pool together EU and Ukraine demands to place massive joint orders that would incentivise ammunition producers to ramp up their capacity.

The move represents an important shift for the 27-nation bloc as Russia's war has sped up the push to work more in unison on defence.

Officials said the money to cover Ukraine's needs could come from another one billion euros already in the joint kitty.

Estonia, the ex-Soviet republic that initially proposed spending four billion euros on a million shells for Ukraine, wants more new funds committed.

'According to Ukrainian needs, they would need at least 350,000 155-mm rounds per month,' Madis Roll, a senior official at Estonia's defence ministry, told AFP.

'Therefore, Estonia has proposed the initiative to jointly procure at least one million 155-mm ammunition rounds to Ukraine, which is the absolute minimum military requirement for Ukraine.'

EU countries are weighing whether the bloc's central defence agency or member states with more experience should negotiate contracts.

There is a strong desire to avoid seeing the process slowed down by bureaucracy.

There is also a thorny debate about buying ammunition from outside the bloc as some argue the priority should be speed, not helping European industry.

More broadly though, there is a clear sense that after years of lower investment after the Cold War, more needs to be done to get EU defence firms to step up their output fast.

'European industry is not adapted for the needs of a high-intensity conflict,' European internal market commissioner Thierry Breton told journalists Tuesday.

'Our defence industry must quickly switch to "war economy" mode.'

Breton was to tell ministers that, beyond just placing a major joint order, the EU needs to unlock stalled funds to bolster industrial capacity and to ensure firms got easier access to loans.

Officials say they hope to agree on a firm plan to send the ammunition to Ukraine at a meeting of EU foreign ministers on March 20.
Suella Braverman sounded defiance today as the UN condemned plans to block Channel migrants from claiming asylum in the UK.

The Home Secretary insisted that drastic action is needed to tackle the crisis and the 'simple truth is that we cannot accept everybody who wants to come'.

Despite a welter of criticism from human rights bodies, with the UNHCR branding the new policy a 'clear breach' of the refugee convention, Ms Braverman said the measures had been approved by an 'army of lawyers' in government.

'We very strongly view our proposals as lawful,' she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

She argued that preventing people who make the dangerous journey from skipping the queue for settlement in the UK would act as a deterrent - cautioning that unless the plan works numbers could hit 80,000 this year.

However, Ms Braverman repeatedly dodged on when the first migrants might be deported under the latest legislation, or how much the scheme would cost.

Rishi Sunak will go head to head with Keir Starmer at PMQs later after laying out the tough blueprint for 'stopping the boats' yesterday.

The premier is bound to be challenged over how the legislation will work in practice and how it might stand up to anticipated legal challenges.

Suella Braverman sounded defiance today as the UN condemned plans to block Channel migrants from claiming asylum in the UK

A group being brought ashore in Dover after crossing the Channel earlier this week

The government is braced for a struggle in domestic and international courts over the proposals.

The UNHCR's representative to the UK, Vicky Tennant, pointed to the

'We're very concerned. This is effectively closing off access to asylum in the UK for people arriving irregularly,' she told BBC's Newsnight.

'We believe it's a clear breach of the Refugee Convention, and remember even people with very compelling claims will simply not have the opportunity to put these forward.'

Mr Sunak last night declared he was 'up for the fight' against those opposed to the Illegal Migration Bill, designed to stop people claiming asylum in the UK if they arrive through unauthorised means.

He added he was 'confident' the Government would win legal battles over the 'tough' but 'necessary and fair' measures.

In a round of intervews this morning, Ms Braverman said the policy would have a deterrent effect and the number of crossings would 'fall dramatically'.

'We will see, based on other countries' experiences, that once we're able to relocate people who've come here illegally from the United Kingdom to another safe country, like Rwanda, or back to their own home country, then, actually, the numbers of people making the journey in the first place will fall dramatically,' she said.

Asked how the Government was going to build the detention spaces necessary to house the tens of thousands of people crossing the channel, the Home Secretary told the BBC: 'We don't need to build 50,000 new detention places.

'We are going to increase our detention capacity, that's absolutely certain.'

Ms Braverman also stood by her claim yesterday that 'there are 100million people around the world who could qualify for protection under our current laws' and 'they are coming here'.

She said this morning: 'I see my role as being honest  I'm not going to shy away from displaying the enormity of the problem that we are facing.

'The UN itself has confirmed there are over 100million people who are displaced globally, because of all sorts of factors like conflict or persecution  and these are many people who would like to come to the United Kingdom.

'The simple truth is that we cannot accept everybody who wants to come to the United Kingdom.'

Ms Braverman admitted to MPs yesterday that there is a 'more (than) 50 per cent chance' the legislation may not be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Announcing the plans in the Commons, Ms Braverman said asylum seekers arriving illegally will be detained without bail or judicial review for 28 days before being 'swiftly removed' to their home country or a 'safe third country' such as Rwanda.

They face a lifetime ban on returning once deported and will never be allowed to settle in the country or gain citizenship.

The Bill's feasibility has been questioned as plans such as forcibly removing asylum seekers to Rwanda are mired in legal challenges.

The number of asylum applications spiked last year to 74,751, relating to 89,398 individuals - the highest since 2002

The number of arrivals in small boats peaked at nearly 9,000 a month in the summer

Home Office figures lay bare how the number of illegal immigration attempts detected have risen - dominated by Channel boats arrivals

But Conservative MP Richard Graham expressed optimism over the courts' rulings on UK refugee policy, telling BBC Newsnight 'there are interesting indications that actually in Strasbourg our case is being listened to'.

Mr Sunak told a Downing Street press conference that migrants arriving in the UK illegally will be removed 'within weeks' and that the Bill will apply 'retrospectively' if passed.

The UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, said it was 'profoundly concerned' by the Bill and that, if passed, it will amount to an 'asylum ban'.

Vicky Tennant, UNHCR representative to the UK, told Newsnight: 'We believe it's a clear breach of the Refugee Convention. And remember, even people with very compelling claims will simply not have the opportunity to put these forward.'

Critics also included BBC presenter Gary Lineker, who faced censure from the broadcaster after writing on Twitter: 'This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.'

In an email to Tory members, the Home Secretary claimed that previous attempts to end Channel crossings without resorting to changing the law had been blocked by 'an activist blob of left-wing lawyers, civil servants and the Labour Party'.

Mr Sunak will meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday to discuss further co-operation that will be required to reduce boat crossings.
MPs rejected attempts to allow 'silent prayer' outside abortion clinics in England and Wales in the Commons yesterday, amid warnings new buffer zone measures risk making 'thoughtcrime' a reality.

The Public Order Bill contains powers to make it an offence to interfere with, intimidate or harass women accessing, or people providing, abortion services.

Protesters found guilty of breaching the 'safe access zone', which would extend 150 metres from clinics, could be fined.

It comes after a Catholic woman was arrested on Monday for 'silently praying' outside an abortion clinic just weeks after being acquitted for the same offence.

Video shared online shows Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, director of anti-abortion group March for Life UK, being arrested outside the BPAS Robert Clinic in Kings Norton, Birmingham on Monday.

Video shared online shows Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, 45, being arrested outside the BPAS Robert Clinic in Kings Norton, Birmingham

Officers ask Ms Vaughan-Spruce to 'step outside the exclusion zone' that exists around the clinic. However, she tells officers that she is 'not protesting' and 'not engaging in any of the activities prohibited'

Officers ask Ms Vaughan-Spruce to 'step outside the exclusion zone' that exists around the clinic. However, she tells officers that she is 'not protesting' and 'not engaging in any of the activities prohibited'.

Police respond: 'But you've said you're engaging in prayer, which is the offence', to which she replies: 'Silent prayer.'

What are PSPOs and how do they stop protests around abortion centres? Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) are designed to allow local councils to prevent anti-social behaviour. Councils were given the power to enforce them in 2014 through section 59 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act. The authority lists the activity that is banned within a particular geographical area, with a 100 initial fine rising to 1,000 if it goes to court. MPs have also introduced buffer zones around abortion clinics following an amendment to the Public Order Bill. This makes it an offence to intimidate or harass anyone within 150 metres of the buildings. Anyone found guilty of breaching the zone to intimidate, threaten or persuade women will face a fine or six months' imprisonment, increasing to two years for repeat offences. The law change came out over concerns about councils being sued by anti-abortion campaigners challenging PSPOs. Advertisement

West Midlands Police confirmed a 45-year-old woman had been arrested on suspicion of breaching a public space protection order (PSPO), following complaints from members of the public.

The arrest came just weeks after she was found not guilty by Birmingham Magistrates Court for silently praying outside the BPAS Robert Clinic in Kings Norton, Birmingham, on December 6.

Her arrest sparked a fierce debate, with supporters saying she was effectively arrested for 'thoughtcrime', a term which her legal representatives ADF UK used - but she was cleared of all charges.

But yesterday a group of Tory and DUP MPs tabled an amendment aimed at ensuring no offence is committed if a person is 'engaged in consensual communication or in silent prayer' outside the clinics or hospitals offering abortion services.

In a free vote, the proposal was rejected by 116 votes to 299, majority 183.

The division list showed Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Attorney General Victoria Prentis were among the 109 Conservative MPs, two of whom were tellers, who supported the amendment while 109 Tory MPs voted against.

Labour MP Stella Creasy (Walthamstow), writing on Twitter, said buffer zones had been 'protected from the sabotage amendment' and it would enable women to 'access an abortion in peace'.

Clare Murphy, chief executive of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), added on Twitter: 'Anti-choice activists who stand outside our clinics talk about a lifetime of abortion regret

'Women generally don't regret abortions, but what stays with them - even decades on - is the invasion of their privacy by these people when they sought our help.'

Alithea William, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children's (SPUC) public policy manager, said in a statement: 'It is very disappointing that MPs have rejected even this modest amendment, which was trying to ensure that thoughtcrime was not enshrined in UK law.'

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce (right) pictured outside Birmingham Magistrates' Court with Father Sean Gough last month

Map showing the boundary of the exclusion zone (highlighted red) around the BPAS Robert Clinic in Kings Norton, Birmingham

Ms Vaughan-Spruce was confronted by police when she was standing on the street outside the BPAS Robert Clinic in Kings Norton, Birmingham, on December 6

Conservative MP Andrew Lewer (Northampton South), moving the amendment, earlier told the Commons: 'This section of the Public Order Bill is leading us into the territory of thoughtcrimes and creates unprecedented interference with the rights to freedom of speech and thought in the UK.'

Conservative former minister Sir John Hayes added: 'We now have people arrested for praying, interrogated by the police, asked what they're praying about, what they're thinking.

'This is dystopian. It's like a mix of Huxley, Philip Dick and all that.

'It is unthinkable that we should be living in a society where what people think has become a matter of police interest.'

But Labour MP Rupa Huq (Ealing Central and Acton), who has long campaigned for safe access zones at abortion clinics, criticised the attempts to amend the Bill further.

She said: 'Any person using medical services should be able to do so without navigating an obstacle course of people trying to impose their view of what is right into the process to dissuade and deter.

'Even in the reviled regime of Iran they got rid of their morality police. Why do we allow them here?'

Ms Huq added that people can have their say but 'move them away from the clinic door'.

For Labour, shadow Home Office minister Sarah Jones also said: 'I am a person of faith. I've also walked into an abortion clinic.

'I pray, but I also know how intimidating it is to walk past people silently standing there with signs trying to communicate, trying to pray, trying to persuade women to change their mind.'

The Bill as a whole aims to curb the guerrilla protest tactics used by groups such as Just Stop Oil, Insulate Britain and Extinction Rebellion.

Buffer zones make it an offence to intimidate or harass anyone within 150 metres of an abortion clinic and were introduced as an amendment to the Public Order Bill last year.

The exclusion zones are areas around clinics where abortion-specific harassment such a displaying graphic signs, following and filming women and repeatedly approaching women and doctors is not allowed.

The UK's first buffer zone was introduced around an abortion clinic in Ealing, west London, in 2018.

Buffer zones have been hailed by pro-choice campaigners as an important step towards de-stigmatising abortion and preventing the harassment of those who attend abortion clinics.

However, critics see them as an attack on freedom of expression.
Russia is thought to be close to taking Ukraine's eastern city of Bakhmut in one of the most brutal battles of the war so far.

For months, Ukrainian soldiers have been bravely holding back Vladimir Putin's endless waves of expendable troops from lines of sodden trenches in scenes reminiscent of the First World War.

But the pressure is starting to take its toll, with reports on the ground saying Bakhmut is now encircled from the north, east and south, leaving just one escape route - a treacherous quagmire to the west.

JUSTIN BRONK, a research fellow at London's Royal United Services Institute, says the city has gained a significance for both Russian and Ukrainian commanders that goes beyond its position and size.

Below, he analyses the importance of the Battle of Bakhmut for both sides in the conflict and for the outcome of the war itself.

He also discusses rumours the heavy losses being suffered by members of the mercenary company Wagner could be part of a deliberate strategy by Putin to eliminate the group as a political threat.

Pictured: A map showing rough troop position around the besieged city of Bakhmut. Russian forces are closing in from the north, east and south leaving Ukraine's defenders with just one route (west) to escape  across a muddy quagmire. As Russian forces move in, the window to retreat is closing, but Ukraine is determined to continue its defence of the symbolic city

The vicious battle for the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region of Eastern Ukraine continues, despite a steadily worsening tactical situation for the Ukrainian defenders; as both sides reportedly commit reinforcements to bolster their positions.

Russian forces  especially from the mercenary company Wagner  have been conducting assault operations against the city since the start of August last year, making it one of the longest battles of the war.

This is in many ways surprising, since the city of Bakhmut itself is not especially strategically significant.

If Ukrainian troops are forced to retreat from the remaining parts of the city that they hold, then they will be able to count on numerous fortified defence lines standing between Russian forces and the more important cities of Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.

Compared to their positions in the almost encircled city of Bakhmut, retreating to a defensive line slightly further West would undoubtedly be easier for the Ukrainian Army from a casualty-reduction and logistics point of view.

However, the city has significance for both Russian and Ukrainian commanders that goes beyond its position and size.

For Russia, the city has come to be seen as key for two primary reasons.

Ukrainian soldiers in a trench under Russian shelling on the frontline close to the besieged city

Most obviously, it offers the chance for a symbolic victory after a disastrous first year of the invasion of Ukraine  something which President Putin and his military and security elite are very keen to be able to present to the Russian population.

In mid-January, Russian propaganda channels trumpeted the capture of the smaller outlying town of Soledar to the north of Bakhmut, despite its limited strategic value, for precisely the reason that it was one of the first military developments that could possibly be sold to the Russian public as good news.

Bakhmut would be a larger prize, and so for Putin himself, it has symbolic value that outweighs its practical significance.

The other reason why Bakhmut has unusual significance for Russias military and political leadership is that the head of the Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin heavily committed his forces to capturing the city from August 2022, specifically as a way to enhance his already considerable power and influence within the Russian state at the expense of the Russian Army.

He has publicly criticised senior Russian military officials including the Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov for their conduct of the war, and repeatedly complained when Russian government statements did not give his forces the credit that he feels they deserved for the capture of Soledar.

The Wagner Group recruited tens of thousands of convicts from prisons across Russia, with the promise that those who survive six months of combat in Ukraine will be pardoned and released.

The relentless Russian bombardment has reduced Bakhmut to smoldering wasteland with few buildings still standing

It has used these convict-soldiers for large scale infantry attacks with heavy artillery fire to slowly grind down Ukrainian defensive positions around Bakhmut, at the cost of horrific casualties for very slow progress.

However, there is ultimately a limited supply of even these poorly trained cannon fodder troops, and in recent months Wagner has had to commit more of its elite well trained forces to the bitterest fighting, alongside regular and conscripted Russian military troops.

As brutal trench and house-to-house fighting continues, alongside heavy shelling by both sides, Wager is now losing hundreds of its most valuable and experienced personnel.

These losses, combined with significant shortages of artillery ammunition facing Russian forces as a whole, have led to suggestions that the Russian Army is deliberately limiting support to Wager so that its forces are ultimately used up in grinding combat at Bakhmut.

This would leave the group, and Prigozhin himself, as potentially less of a political threat to the regular Russian military leadership.

On the other hand, a victory at Bakhmut that is demonstrably won by mostly Wagner forces in spite of apparently limited Russian military support could have political significance within the Russian system that outweighs the actual battlefield importance of the city.

Ukrainian soldiers (pictured) have been fighting from trenches around the city for months

For Ukraine, the strategy since August has been to use the fighting around Bakhmut and Soledar to inflict heavy casualties on Russian forces while committing as few of their own mobile reserve units as possible.

By slowly trading ground and significant numbers of their own soldiers for appalling Russian losses, the battles so far have greatly reduced Russias ability to conduct large scale offensive operations across a broader front.

Despite attacks on Ukrainian positions along the Donbas frontlines since mid-February, especially at Avdiivka, Marinka and Vuhledar, the Russian winter offensive has so far been very costly and achieved very little meaningful progress.

The Russian Army simply does not have enough even moderately well-trained infantry or vehicle crews and is facing a shortage of artillery ammunition.

The fighting around Bakhmut has used up large numbers of infantry and artillery ammunition since August and so has significantly contributed to these shortages.

However, as Russian forces have slowly captured Soledar and other small towns on the outskirts of Bakhmut itself, the remaining positions in the city are becoming more and more costly for Ukraine to hold.

The supply routes in and out are under fire from Russian positions north and south of the remaining roads, and constant infantry attacks are being launched from three sides on its remaining defensive positions.

Ukrainian soldiers fire a self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions

By continuing to commit more forces and hold out, Ukraine now risks taking such severe losses that it undermines its own ability to launch renewed major counter-offensive action in the Spring.

The decision to do so suggests that Ukrainian commanders still believe that the fighting is wearing down Russian strength more seriously than their own, but it is also possible that this is a misjudgement based on the understandable emotional desire not to retreat from ground held so bravely and at such cost for so many months of fighting.

While time will tell what the ultimate significance of the Battle of Bakhmut is within the wider war, the savage trench warfare and almost complete destruction of what was a normal city in May 2022 are already a potent symbol of the wanton destruction unleashed on Ukraine by Russias invasion.

For military professionals and politicians, it is also a poignant reminder of why the West has designed its own armed forces around conducting rapid manoeuvre warfare under the cover of devastating precision firepower from the air.

This sort of air superiority is not essential to wage modern war, but the grim destruction and appalling casualties of the artillery and trench warfare around Bakhmut is an example of what warfare looks like without it.
A 'wolfpack' of teenage vandals ripped a Chinese restaurant in New York apart on Saturday night, leaving around $20,000 in damage, with staff saying they are increasingly unsafe as crime continues to plague the city.

Shocking footage shows over a dozen masked youths on a rampage through Fish Village restaurant in Queens shortly after 8.15pm as diners were eating their dinner.

The mob, who took an elevator up to the third floor to get to the eatery, caused utter destruction as they flipped tables and chairs in the frenzied attack which was said to have lasted less than a minute.

Staff at the 127th Street restaurant look visibly shaken in the video, and while no one was physically injured, there are concerns about the thugs returning.

Restaurant worker Tong Yi Hu said that he believes 'it's getting less and less safe' in New York.

'It was a bit frightening,' he told The New York Post of the youth's trashing of the restaurant. 'We have no idea what the cause was, and it was pretty nerve-wracking.

Tony Hu, the restaurant's manager, said he is still clueless as to why the attack happened.

'From the time they entered to the time they left, it only took a minute. They didn't say a word. We have no idea what was happening,' he told CBS news.

'I was so worried they were going to harm my employees or customers. But quickly became clear they just wanted to create as much damage as possible,' Hu said.

He explained that he had been behind the register at the time of the attack ran to call 911, but by the time he got through to police, the thugs had already fled.

The manager said he is concerned about what the attack will mean for the future of the restaurant, as he fears it will have a financial impact and damage its reputation with customers.

The property damage was around $20,000 and the restaurant also had to give the 30 or so customers present their food for free.

The senseless destruction by the gang, who are all unidentifiable in masks and hooded tops, also saw plates smashed and a large window damaged.

Responding to the ordeal, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa called the rowdy bunch 'a wolfpack' and said his community-watch crew would step in and patrol the eatery.

Outside of the Fish Village restaurant in Queens. Guardian Angels will now patrol the area, its founder said

'This was a wolfpack, a bunch of teenage thugs rampaging through the restaurant,' Sliwa told The Post on Tuesday. 'Another Asian merchant gets treated like a speedbump.

'Nothing is going to happen to [the criminals]. They will be charged as juveniles and be back out on the street. Their friends will see the video, and they will be treated as heroes in the 'hood.

Sliwa, who previously ran for Mayor, added that he believes 'The city is out of control.'

Tony Hu, the restaurant's manager, said he was shocked at the attack, which happened in less than a minute

He said his community-watch crew will now try and support the restaurant by patrolling around it.

Community activist and president of Asian Wave Alliance Yiatin Chu shared the clip on Twitter, writing: 'We've fallen so low that there's no expectation of consequences for this horrific attack on private property.'

Mayor Eric Adams has promised to tackle crime in the city after rates were up across all categories last year, according to NYPD data.

Shocking footage shows over a dozen masked youths on a rampage through Fish Village restaurant in Queens shortly after 8.15pm as diners were eating their dinner

Staff at the 127th Street restaurant look visibly shaken in the video, and while no one was physically injured, they are worried about their safety

The mob, who are all unidentifiable in masks and hooded tops, cause utter destruction as they flip tables and chairs

Anti-Asian crime in particular soared during in 2021, spiking by 96 per cent in New York, hitting a century high according to experts at California State University.

Adams has repeatedly pointed toward the justice system's current practice of 'catch, release, repeat' as a main driver of crime in New York City.

Last summer, he blamed the city's criminal justice system for turning the Big Apple into the 'laughing stock of our entire country.'

On Monday, the Mayor revealed that he is asking business owners to order patrons to remove their face masks when entering businesses to reduce shoplifting.

Adams pointed out that thieves are exploiting measures brought in around the COVID-19 pandemic by wearing masks while committing crimes.

'Let's be clear. Some of these characters going into stores that are wearing a mask, they're not doing it because they are afraid of the pandemic,' he said.

'They're doing it because they're afraid of the police, and we need to stop allowing them to exploit the safety of the pandemic by wearing masks, committing crimes.'

He said that having shoppers remove their masks upon entering stores will lead to their identity being captured on camera in case a crime does occur.

He pointed out in an interview with PIX11 a case over the weekend, when an innocent store owner was shot and killed.

'The person had a hazmat suit on and a mask. He wasn't trying to protect himself from the pandemic.'

Adams visits the scene of the crime at a jewelry store robbery in Flushing, Queens. He says he wants New Yorkers to show their entire face when entering a business

The gunman shot and killed a bodega worker at the Daona Deli on East 81st Street and Third Avenue on the Upper East Side during a robbery late Friday night.

The gunman shot the 67-year-old victim in the head and then fled on a scooter south on Third Avenue. Police believe he turned up in the Bronx about a half hour later, where he held up a Yaya Deli clerk at gunpoint. Nobody was injured in that incident.

Police say the two incidents are connected and were both carried out by a gunman in a white, Tyvek hazmat suit and a black mask.

Earlier this week, Adams visited a Queens safety event near the scene of a crime where masked thieves broke in to a jewellery store.

The thugs pistol-whipped and assaulted a 79-year-old woman in the million-dollar jewelry store heist just a few days before, Fox reports.

Business owners in the area expressed concerns over their safety at the event and said crime in Queens is becoming more of an issue.

In January last year, there was outrage after a 19-year-old cashier was shot by a masked gunman during a robbery of the fast food eatery in Harlem for just $100.

But so far this year, criminal activity appears to have dropped off.

On PIX11 News on Monday morning, Adams noted a recent decrease in crime after it spiked and then leveled off during the pandemic.

On Tuesday, the New York Police Department announced that subway crime is down 21.5 per cent from the same time last year, after Mayor Eric Adams ordered more cops to patrol the underground transit system

Last month NYPD revealed a 5.6 percent drop in major crimes for February compared to the same last year, including 11 fewer murders compared with 2022.

And on Tuesday, the New York Police Department announced that subway crime is down 21.5 per cent from the same time last year, after Mayor Eric Adams ordered more cops to patrol the underground transit system.

In just the first nine weeks of 2023, authorities say, cops doled out nearly 10,000 more summonses than at the start of the last year.

Rapes were down by 10.5 percent, robberies were down two percent, shootings were down 11.2 percent and murders 16.9 percent.

Felony assaults were up 11.2 percent in 2023 - 3,780 incidents compared to 3,398 seen in 2022.
The ex-girlfriend who suffered torrid abuse at the hands of her jealous ex has revealed her ordeal after he was jailed for 23 months for beating and strangling her.

Isabella Fernandez was in a relationship with Philip Lennox, 25, for a year - but they bitterly split after he tried to throttle her during one row and battered her around the head in another argument while she was babysitting his sister's two-year-old child.

During their toxic affair Lennox, from Shaw, near Oldham, Greater Manchester, wrongly accused Miss Fernandez of cheating on him and even warned he would burn down the home of his own sister, Jade Lennox, if the victim called police.

It all came to a head in October 2022 when Lennox dragged Miss Fernandez by her hair down the high street in Shaw's town centre and strangling her.

Miss Fernandez has since had to undergo counselling for PTSD due to the relationship and now suffers from social anxiety and lower self esteem.

Isabella Fernandez (pictured), from Shaw, near Oldham, Greater Manchester, the ex-girlfriend who suffered torrid abuse at the hands of her jealous ex Philip Lennox, has revealed her ordeal after he was jailed for 23 months for beating and strangling her

Isabella was in a relationship with Philip, 25, (pictured) for a year - but they bitterly split after he tried to throttle her during one row and battered her around the head in another argument while she was babysitting his sister's two-year-old child

This week, Lennox was jailed for 23 months after he was convicted of non-fatal strangulation, assault by beating, assaulting occasioning actual bodily harm and threats to damage property. He denied wrongdoing.

In a post on Facebook, Miss Fernandez said: 'I did the bravest thing that I never thought I would be able to do and I went to court to make sure Philip Lennox got what he deserved and I also want to put it out there so that's it is known of what he has done to me and others in the past as no one deserves to be treated like this.'

Lennox's own sister Jade said: 'I would like to say that Phil physically targets women, because he is a bully.'

The court heard Lennox and Miss Fernandez had been in a relationship 'mired by incidents of violence.'

David Farley, prosecuting, said: 'On October 1, 2022, when Miss Fernandez met the defendant in Shaw town centre around 6pm at the Pineapple Pub.

'They left about 8.30pm on the way back he began shouting at her, calling her a slag. She was expecting it to develop into violence and asked if she could call a taxi home.

'He grabbed her by her hair and dragged her up Alston Avenue. She began to scream, to try and attract the attention of people nearby. The defendant told her to stop or the police would come. She managed to break free and ran off.

'She got as far as traffic flights in Salts Street and stopped there to call a taxi but the defendant caught up with her. He took hold of her throat and began to squeeze. It was hard enough to prevent her from breathing.'

Mr Farley told of how Lennox took his partner's phone and sat on her to prevent her from getting the attention of a passing police car.

'She did manage to get away and went to Jade Lennox's house. The whole incident lasted about half an hour.

Lennox wrongly accused Miss Fernandez of cheating on him, and in October 2022 it came to a head when he dragged her by her hair down the high street and strangled her, as he warned that he would burn down the home of his own sister, Jade Lennox, if the victim called police

This week, Lennox was jailed for 23 months after he was convicted of non-fatal strangulation, assault by beating, assaulting occasioning actual bodily harm and threats to damage property, but he denied wrongdoing

'Jade Lennox is the defendant's sister. Miss Fernandez ran into the address. Police were called and attended at Jade's house. The defendant still had Miss Fernandez's phone. He called Jade.

'He threatened to damage and set fire to her house if police were called. Police heard those threats. The defendant was interviewed on October 19. He opted to make no comment. He gave a prepared statement denying matters.'

Mr Farley also told of an earlier incident the previous March after Lennox was thrown out of Bee Knees nightclub in Oldham, Greater Manchester.

'Miss Fernandez was babysitting for Jade Lennox's child,' he said. 'The defendant had been calling her on a withheld number before running through the door.

'He was shouting at her while the two-year-old child was on her knee. He accused her of seeing other men.

'He struck her twice to the head with such force that her head hit a wall.

'In his basis of plea, which is accepted by the Crown, he said "I assaulted Isabella. I hit her twice to the head causing her head to bang on the wall."

'Jade Lennox says that she is scared about what her brother could do. She has witnessed violence from him before whilst subject to threats.

'Miss Fernandez has received counselling for PTSD due to the relationship. She suffers from social anxiety and now avoids Shaw Town centre.

'She struggles to sleep, she has lower self-esteem. The relationship has affected her relationship with her parents whom she was close to.'

Lennox had previous convictions for possession of drugs, excess alcohol, and possession of weapons.

He was given a suspended prison sentence of 16 weeks for wounding in 2019 and twice given 14 days in prison for breaching a domestic violence protection order in 2021 and 2022.

He was also jailed for 12 weeks in August of last year for battery.

In mitigation, his lawyer Mark Fireman said: 'A Valentines card was sent to him by the complainant while he was in custody, only a matter of weeks ago.

'Photos have been received earlier and to some extent this undermines what the complainant says about what she said in her victim statement.

'She has maintained contact with him and not the other way around. And she has sent affectionate letters and affectionate photos to him.'

Mr Fireman said a presentence report said that Lennox is 'perhaps emotionally immature', prone to jealousy and has low self-esteem, while having an inability to control himself which is aggravated when he has taken drink.

'That is not an excuse and drinking is seen as a statutory aggravating factor,' Mr Fireman said. 'He is still a relatively young man. He has a lot of work to do to ensure relationships in the future don't follow the same pattern.

Lennox had previous convictions for possession of drugs, excess alcohol, and possession of weapons. He was given 14 days in prison for breaching a domestic violence protection order in 2021 and 2022. He was also jailed for 12 weeks in August of last year for battery

'He has work to try and get to the root of the problem, so that he finds himself in a position where a relationship can exist without feelings of jealousy and without resorting to physical violence against his partner.'

The court heard that he had been in custody for just over six months.

Mr Fireman said the incidents were brief and did not cause significant injury. The section 47 assault, he said, 'did not place him in his best light, especially when a child was present'.

Sentencing the judge Mr Recorder Michael Blakey also imposed a restraining order preventing him from approaching or contacting either Isabella Fernandez or Jade Lennox for five years.

'You have shown a pattern of aggression and violence towards women you come across - even your own sister.'
A couple's lives have been 'ruined' after a huge mining project expanded next door to what they hoped was their 'forever home'.

Annette and Shane Morgan bought a peaceful quarter acre block in Menangle, 90km south-west of Sydney spending their time and money turning the two bedroom cottage into a charming four bedroom home.

They raised a family amid the rolling green hills and to them it was their own little slice of paradise - until mining company South32 started construction on two ventilation shafts and other surface infrastructure.

Now, the Morgans said, trucks thunder past their front door, dust covers everything, the noise is unbearable and they can't even drink their own water.

However, South32 said there was no formal objection from the Morgans and that they had been consulted.

NSW couple Annette and Shane Morgan (pictured) said their lives have been 'ruined' by a huge mining project next door to what they hoped was their forever home

'Shane and I spend hours in tears because we just don't know what's gonna happen and we put so much effort into it and, and they just don't care,' Ms Morgan told A Current Affair.

The couple say they have to breathe the dust, bathe in it and drink it.

They use tank water and say the dust from the mine settles on their roof and gets into their water supply.

Local independent councillor Judith Hannan is furious about what's happened to them.

'These people have lived here for a long time and all of a sudden they've been invaded by dust and their view's gone,' Ms Hannan said.

The mining project involves building a large entrance to the coal seam below, which will feature car parks, buildings, a heliport and two huge ventilation shafts.

But South32 sees the situation differently.

'The mine ventilation infrastructure is critical for continued safe underground operations in an approved area of our Appin Mine,' a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

It supports 'significant ongoing employment and investment for local communities,' they added.

Trucks thunder past the Morgans' front door, dust covers everything, the noise is unbearable and they can't drink their own water, which they say is due to the mine (pictured) next door

As well as the dust and air, there is also the noise the Morgans say comes from the motors that keep the pumps working.

Mr Morgan said they are going to be hearing that noise 'all night long, 24/7, 365 days a year.'

South32 said that before getting NSW government approval for the project, it 'undertook significant engagement with local residents over a number of years ... including with Mr Shane Morgan and Mrs Annette Morgan, and listened to their feedback.

'This process was important to us and we made changes to the project design in response,' the spokesperson said.

But the Morgans say their environment is dusty and very noisy.

'When you're at the front, you can't talk to people, you can't hear each other,' Ms Morgan said. 'You've got to stay inside and keep all the windows closed.'

South32, though, said that during the assessment and approvals process, there was 'no formal objection' to the plans from Mr and Mrs Morgan.

'We have met with them to discuss the project on a number of occasions from 2020 and have maintained contact with Mr and Mrs Morgan since the start of construction,' the company spokesperson said.

'To date, there have been no breaches of regulations at the site relating to noise or dust.'

The Morgans are not anti-mining but they said this has broken them mentally and financially and that if they tried to sell, no one would now want to buy their home.

The Morgans have found support for their cause from local independent councillor Judith Hannan (pictured)

But Councillor Hannan said there is a way out.

'Do the right thing before you destroy people, people that have lived here for a long time, comfortably,' she said.

'Buy them out appropriately and let them get on with their lives.'

However, Daily Mail Australia understands that as the project is operating under the environmental approval conditions set by the NSW Government, the Morgans' property does not meet the criteria for acquisition.
Avanti West Coast has reassuringly debunked fears that planned engineering works scheduled for key dates during the Eurovision Song Contest would make fans unable to travel to Liverpool - a prospect that had left some fans furious on social media.

The international singing competition will take place at the 11,000-capacity Liverpool Arena later this year, culminating in the grand final on May 13, after Britain was asked to host the contest on behalf of war-torn 2022 winner Ukraine.

However this week, some ticketholders to the show have claimed they can't book onto train journeys between London and Eurovision's host city during the big weekend and blasted Network Rail, for planning major engineering works.

However, rail operator Avanti West Coast has stressed the works are minor and that 'services between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street will not be impacted by planned engineering work that weekend' - putting the issue to bed.

The lack of clarity around the engineering works had initially left some fans unhappy, with one thundering online: 'Putting on engineering works on a MAJOR line into Liverpool on the weekend/day of the Eurovision final is an absolute joke. They need to change this and fast.'

Eurovision fans hoping to travel from London to Liverpool were left fuming after Network Rail revealed it was staging engineering works on the railway line during the weekend of the grand final

Meanwhile, those hoping to purchase train tickets in advance have also faced difficulties with Trainline appearing to show that tickets weren't yet available and are 'coming soon'

'Literally knew this would happen,' wrote another angry fan, while a third branded the situation 'a big problem'.

However, others have claimed it may not be a complete disaster for Eurovision ticketholders, pointing out the routes impacted are mainly from London, so their are alternative ways to get to Liverpool.

READ MORE: Furious Eurovision fans blast Ticketmaster after website selling seats to Liverpool shows CRASHES - but tickets to the grand final sell out in 36 minutes Advertisement

'It's really only affecting London according to that info. Most north of London eg MK will be fine. Alternatively routes can be Marylebone to Birmingham and on to Liverpool or King Cross to Sheffield and across,' one person wrote.

Those hoping to book tickets in advance via Trainline have been unable to do so, with a message saying tickets are 'coming soon'. MailOnline has approached Trainline for comment.

Network Rail warned customers that lines between London Euston and Birmingham New Street, Crewe, Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street, Preston, Carlisle, Glasgow Central and Edinburgh will be 'affected'.

It is not known which trains will be affected beyond these routes, as the impact to services is not yet shown on the National Rail journey planner service.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: 'We apologise for the inconvenience caused by our planned works.

Irish comedian and chat show host Graham Norton will be among the presenters leading this year's action at Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool in May

But fans hoping to travel from London to the Liverpool for the spectacle face rail travel chaos. Pictured is 2022's runner up, Sam Ryder

'These works are integral for the maintenance of infrastructure to ensure safety for all of the passengers that use our network.'

The news comes after fans attempting to buy their tickets for Eurovision faced an afternoon of chaos on Tuesday.

Tickets for the live shows in Liverpool went live from 12pm, but the Ticketmaster website - which is selling seats - appeared to struggle amid soaring demands.

Punters trying to log onto the webpage to get their hands on tickets were met with an error message, while others reported issues trying to set up accounts.

The online error left Eurovision fans furious, with some branding Ticketmaster a 'dumpster fire' and an 'absolute joke'.

Ticketmaster insisted the site did not crash and said only a small number of fans had been affected.

This article has been amended following Avanti West Coast confirmed services between London Euston and Liverpool Lime Street would not be disrupted on the weekend of the Eurovision final.
A British Airways flight attendant was allegedly raped in her hotel room during a stopover in Barbados, MailOnline can reveal.

The woman had spent the evening drinking with crew members on the Caribbean island when a man who she knew had joined the group. She later invited the man, who lives on the island, back to her room, it's understood.

Once there the man raped her, according to her statement to local police who have since said they are 'actively investigating' the allegation - and that the assailant faces arrest.

The stewardess's BA flight back to Heathrow from Barbados's Grantley Adams airport was delayed by 14 hours.

The woman was allegedly raped during a stopover in Barbados (pictured)

A spokesman for Barbados Police told MailOnline they are actively looking for the alleged rapist - understood to be known by the victim - who is believed to be an expat who lives on the island.

'This is an active investigation after an allegation of rape was made by a member of the British Airways crew,' said Assistant Commissioner Jefferson Clark.

'We know the identity of the man and where he lives, but he is not home. It is a small island, and we will locate him. He is a Caucasian so most likely an expat.'

Barbados Police later said a person of interest in the alleged rape was being questioned.

The BA flight attendant has remained on the island while the investigation is carried out.

Describing the events that took place earlier this year, the spokesman said the BA crew had been out drinking together at a karaoke bar.

They were joined for drinks by the man now being sought.

The police spokesman said: 'She has told us in her statement the man was known to her. She invited him back to her hotel room but what took place was not consensual. There is an allegation of rape.

'This is being treated very seriously and we are pursuing an arrest.'

A British Airways flight attendant was allegedly raped in her hotel room during a stopover in Barbados, MailOnline can reveal (FILE PIC: British Airwards airplanes sit on tarmac at Heathrow airport)

A BA source said the crew had all enjoyed a karaoke evening at a bar near to their five-star hotel before returning to their rooms.

Police attended the luxury hotel where the victim was comforted by her colleagues.

She and four other members of the crew were asked to make detailed statements the morning after the incident and travelled to Bridgetown police station.

A member of the British High Commission was present at the police station to offer support.

BA pilots and flight attendants are advised against allowing others to share their room while on overnight stopovers.

A BA spokesman said: 'This is a police matter and we're supporting our colleagues at this time.'
Women around the UK are marking International Women's Day as they share tweets from Twitter accounts highlighting pay disparities at organisations compared to male colleagues.

Information is being shared online about the gender pay gap at governmental bodies, emergency services, educational institutions and corporate firms.

Women also shared experiences of inequality or sexual harassment in the workplace on social media, as well as wishing one another a happy International Women's Day.

Many shared tweets by the Gender Pay Gap Bot, which analyses the pay gap at almost all organisations in the UK.

Meanwhile hundreds of women went cold water swimming on the Scottish coast to raise money for charity, many dressed in costumes themed around female empowerment, braving air temperatures below freezing amid blizzards set to blast Britain for much of the day.

For those who did not brave the fiercely cold waters, many women took to social media to call out gender pay gaps and point out the hypocrisy of many companies appearing to celebrate International Women's Day.

On Twitter, the Gender Pay Gap Bot shared hundreds of tweets from organisations who had shared posts in celebration of the day, using pay data to highlight how large the pay gap between men and women remains.

Francesca Lawson, 28, set up the bot in 2021 with Ali Fensome, also 28, after being inspired by other automated Twitter accounts and wanting to force 'a bit more accountability' around International Women's Day.

Businesses often use the platform on the day to proclaim their support for their female workforce.

Their system pulls from published government data - accessible to all - to shine a light on the pay gap and make sure people 'think a bit more critically' and do not 'take these sorts of messages of empowerment and inspiration at face value'.

The bot highlighted figures from government departments and organisations such as the DCMS, which has a median pay gap of almost 10 percent, and the Department of Transport, which has a gap of almost 13 percent - more than seven percent higher than in the previous year.

It also shared data from police forces including Leicestershire Police with a gap of 30 percent and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary at 11.3 percent.

Women slammed some of the worst offenders on social media, with one woman writing: 'Hurrah! It's the day we recognise all the efforts to reduce the pay gap between men and women. Or not.'

Dozens of women shared a post about Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, which was found to have a massive 64 percent pay gap between men and women.

'If your pay gap is 64 percent just shut up and hope nobody notices till you've fixed it, don't tweet empty nonsense,' one woman wrote.

Ann Mroz, who used to edit Times Higher Education, said: 'Another ouch. Just stay silent with figures like that.'

Educational organisations had some of the worst gender pay gaps according to the bot, with other examples including independent Shrewsbury School in Shropshire, which has a gap of more than 50 percent.

One Twitter user named Kate Lockhart said: 'Wow. What a message for the students.'

Users also criticised organisations aimed at women for their current pay gap.

Domestic violence charity Refuge's latest available data shows a gender pay gap of 23.9 percent in favour of men - which was described as 'unbelievable' by women, given the charity helps women and children escape violence.

Investment firm Scottish Widows also sparked outrage after using International Women's Day to promote its services to close the 'pension gap' - while paying its female employees 14 percent less than its male employees.

Meanwhile trade union GMB was found to have a 30 percent pay gap between men and women.

One female member of the union said: 'No wonder my union was a bit slow with helping me with my equal pay claim. Absolutely no excuse for 30 percent gap in a union.'

Francesca Lawson, 28, set up the bot with Ali Fensome in 2021 after being inspired by other automated accounts

'We can't rest on our laurels and just sort of pat ourselves on the back,' Ms Lawson, a freelance copywriter and social media manager, said.

'If I'm that inspirational then pay me properly.

'I think (the Gender Pay Gap Bot has) potentially tapped into something. This frustration is not unique to me.

'People are getting wise to the kind of corporate virtue signalling and having the wool pulled over their eyes a bit in terms of how businesses talk about themselves versus how they actually act the other 364 days of the year.'

Women widely praised those calling out gender pay inequalities. One social media user said the bot is 'doing God's work.'

Another added: 'Morning, it's that time of year again where organisations embarrass themselves.'

The Gender Pay Gap Bot uses statistics from the designated service on the official gov.uk website, through which UK companies with more than 250 employees are required to publish their payroll data, and takes a comparison of men's and women's average pay across the organisation.

Some of the companies the bot has already called out in 2023 for their most recently available pay gap data include St Mary's University, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and airline Emirates.

Some were also found to have equal pay for men and women, like Barnsley Council and Derby City Council in 2023.

One of the worst discrepancies Ms Lawson recalled was from Ryanair, where last year the Gender Pay Gap Bot tweeted its 2020/2021 gender pay gap data - that 'women's median hourly pay is 68.6 percent lower than men's' - when the company had tweeted a message of support for its female staff.

'I always feel this sense of frustration from seeing all these lovely supportive messages from companies but the needle doesn't seem to be shifting that much on gender equality more generally, but specifically, we can see in the gender pay gap data, it's still a massive problem,' Ms Lawson said.

'(We were) just looking for a way to actually get this data back into the spotlight.

'By keeping it front of mind, we can use it as a bit of a catalyst just to keep that pressure on companies to act on their data and to use it to inform what they do in their organisations to challenge inequality.'

Ms Lawson, the creative strategist behind the bot, and Mr Fensome, who handles the data and tech side, have included another aspect in this year's batch of automated tweets.

To make it 'a little less embarrassing' and give companies 'positive PR,' the bot now adds the percentage points decrease in the gap compared with last year.

'We've had some really good examples already,' she said.

'Like Hastings Borough Council, they've reported no gender pay gap this year.

'And they reported a 1.4% pay gap favouring men last year. So (that is) next to their tweet this year.

'And that's great - that's absolutely wonderful.

'It really is quite useful to see who's making the process, who's genuinely putting in the work, and who's letting it widen.'

The account is also providing a request feature in 2023, which lets users tweet at them asking for the data from a specific company - as opposed to just the organisations who are tweeting International Women's Day messages.

Hundreds of swimmers take a sunrise dip in the Firth of Forth at Portobello Beach, Edinburgh, for International Women's Day

Many swimmers arrived to the beach in costumes such as these carnival-style outfits

All money raised by the Edinburgh swimmers will be donated to Women's Aid

One woman dressed as superwoman to celebrate female empowerment on International Women's Day

Ms Lawson said the work of the Gender Pay Gap Bot will continue for years to come, never with the goal to stop any companies from tweeting, Ms Lawson said, but to encourage them to provide 'a bit more of a considered response'.

Meanwhile in Edinburgh hundreds of swimmers took to the North Sea at Portobello Beach to make a statement on International Women's Day despite the tough weather conditions faced by millions around the UK.

As well as celebrating their own achievements, those taking the sunrise dip teamed up with the Outdoor Swimming Society to encourage groups to take part in wild swimming events across the UK to raise money for women who need it.

All money raised from the event is to be donated to the charity Women's Aid, with its Edinburgh branch celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Similar events are expected elsewhere around the country.

The mood was cheerful as the sun arrived over the city, with one woman dressed in a superwoman outfit, while others had co-ordinated carnival-style costumes as they posed in the surf.

As the day began, women were pictured holding hands raised towards the sky in a show of solidarity for one another.
Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, talks with U.S. President Joe Biden during their summit at a hotel in Phnom Penh, in this Nov. 13, 2022 file photo. Yonhap



President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to the United States next month will be a "historic turning point" for the bilateral alliance as the two countries look to protect their people, defend core values and advance into the future, his office said Wednesday.



The White House said Tuesday (local time) U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will host Yoon and first lady Kim Keon Hee for a state visit, including a state dinner, on April 26.



The visit will coincide with the 70th anniversary of the bilateral alliance.



The two leaders "are expected to celebrate the achievements of the Korea-U.S. alliance built up over the past 70 years and hold in-depth discussions on the direction of the alliance's future development," senior presidential secretary for press affairs Kim Eun-hye said in a statement.






A body has been found in the search for two missing 13-year-old twin brothers who vanished while wading in chest-deep water near a Texas pier, despite both being unable to swim.

The body was recovered in Galveston, Texas, that matches the description of one of the missing twin boys, Josue and Jefferson Perez.

Authorities said four people were walking by and noticed the body. They then pulled the body to the shore and alerted 911, Galveston Island Beach Patrol said.

The two boys had traveled from their Houston home for a day at the beach and were last seen playing near the Pleasure Pier on Sunday around 4:30pm some 20 yards from the shore.

The family 'briefly lost sight of them' and no one saw the twins go underwater, authorities said.

Josue and Jefferson Perez, 13-year-old twin brothers, were last seen at around 4:30pm on Sunday near the Pleasure Pier in Galveston

Police have been searching sine Sunday evening. They will continue to look for the other body

The Pleasure Pier in Galveston is a popular tourist site off the coast of Houston. From March 11 there will be lifeguards on the beach when the main swimming season begins

Lt. Austin Kirwin with Galveston Beach Patrol made the announcement yesterday that a body matching the description had been found by passersby.

He said at an outside press conference: 'Once we did make the scene, we determined that it did meet the description of the missing twins from the other day, and then we worked on notifying the family.'

Lt. Kirwin confirmed authorities would continue their search for the remaining missing body but stressed 'everything out in this water is very unpredictable' and there was no certainty that they would find another body soon.

When Josue and Jefferson Perez vanished, the rip currents around the pier were described as strong, and the sea temperature was a chilly 67F.

Following the initial raising of the alarm from the boys' family on their disappearance, Galveston search and rescue teams scoured the area with helicopters and jet skis.

Lt. Kirwin said Monday: 'Nobody confirms seeing them go underwater.

'So essentially what happened is they were out in the water, the parents briefly lost sight of them, and they looked back up into that area, and they did not see them any longer.'

The Galveston County Community Emergency Response Team, Beach Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard, and volunteers have been out searching since 5.30pm on Sunday night. Divers are also assisting the teams.

Kirwin said weather conditions were hampering the search.

'The real limiting factor for us right now is this fog rolling in,' he said at the previous press conference on Monday.

Lt. Austin Kirwin, with Galveston Beach Patrol, said Tuesday that authorities would continue to search for the second body

Rescuers are continuing their search for a second body after the first was discovered by passersby

'That's going to inhibit us from being able to search as well as we want to.

'Also, the water is still relatively cold. It's about 67F this morning, so without a wetsuit, the length of time you can be in that water is diminished.'

He noted that the waters swirling around objects jetting into the sea - such as jetties and the Pleasure Pier - were dangerous, because strong currents can create rips.

'In the event that you do get caught in a rip current, the key point is, do not panic,' he said.

'If you just relax and try to keep your calm, the current will eventually bring you back to shore.

'The main killer in drownings is that panic mode.'

Lifeguards will be on the beach from March 11, when the main swimming season begins.
Ngozi Fulani has claimed Buckingham Palace did not apologise to her properly after Lady Susan Hussey asked her 'where are you really from?' - and revealed she is temporarily stepping down as CEO of her charity.

Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain on International Women's Day, Ms Fulani revealed she would be taking leave of her role at Sistah Space - a charity which helps Afro-Caribbean women who have faced domestic abuse.

She says the organisation has suffered as a direct result of the row with Lady Susan - who was Queen Elizabeth II's most senior lady-in-waiting - and claims 'violence' has been directed towards her following the incident.

'The service users and the community can't access us properly,' she said. 'This whole thing has cost us a fortune because we had to pay our own PR to stop the press from coming up, it was horrible.'

Ms Fulani met with Lady Susan in person in December to discuss the issue, but she today hit out at the Palace - which had publicly issued an official statement of apology after the incident.

She told GMB: 'Who are they apologising to? If you're sorry, tell me you're sorry, if you're not, it speaks for itself. If you have to ask somebody for an apology, it is not an apology.

Lady Susan Hussey (pictured) has returned to performing official duties for Princess Anne

Ngozi Fulani said she felt she suffered 'a form of abuse' during her encounter with Lady Susan, who repeatedly asked her where she was 'really from', despite her making clear she was British

'I'm just making the point so that everybody understands, I don't see what is so hard to say I'm sorry.

'You sent me the invitation so you know how to find me. You know how to say sorry.

What is Sistah Space? Sistah Space is a not-for-profit charity which supports women and girls of African heritage who are victims of domestic violence. The charity was founded in 2015 in direct response to the tragic murder of Valerie Forde and her 22-month-old daughter by Valerie's ex-partner. In a statement, Sistah Space said: 'It's been an extremely challenging but rewarding journey of love and care. 'Starting as a small idea in 2015 and continuing seven years later with the advocacy, training and support we offer today. Advertisement

'If you're sorry then say sorry, if you're not, I get it.

'But when you make this apology to everybody, I don't know who you're apologising to.'

But she said she does not regret speaking out about what happened as she is 'about discussing and making aware violence against women and girls, and I'll go anywhere at any time to fight that cause.'

Ms Fulani had accompanied a friend to a Buckingham Palace reception, hosted by the Queen Consort, to highlight violence against women and girls.

She said Lady Susan repeatedly asked her where she was 'really from', despite her making clear she was British, during the event.

Ms Fulani says she was left feeling 'violated' after Prince William's godmother 'interrogated' her.

The former lady-in-waiting, who served the late Queen for six decades and was retained by the King in an honorary role, stepped down 'with immediate effect' in November amid a furious outcry after Ms Fulani tweeted about her experience at the event.

Ms Fulani previously described her Buckingham Palace ordeal as a 'form of abuse'.

She also said Lady Susan moved her dreadlocks during the exchange so she could read her name badge.

'That's a no-no,' Miss Fulani said. 'I wouldn't put my hands in someone's hair, and culturally it's not appropriate.'

Ms Fulani appeared on Good Morning Britain today where she said she does not regret speaking out about what happened

She hit out at the Palace and announced she has temporarily stepped down as CEO of Sistah Space

Ms Fulani also dismissed suggestions Lady Hussey's comments were down to her age.

She previously told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Are we saying that because of your age you can't be racist or you can't be inappropriate?

'If you invite people to an event, as I said, against domestic abuse, and there are people there from different demographics, I don't see the relevance of whether I'm British or not British.

'You're trying to make me unwelcome in my own space.'

After Ms Fulani made a string of media appearances about the incident, she met with Lady Susan at Buckingham Palace in mid-December to discuss the issue.

The Palace said following the meeting: 'At this meeting, filled with warmth and understanding, Lady Susan offered her sincere apologies for the comments that were made and the distress they caused to Ms Fulani.

'Lady Susan has pledged to deepen her awareness of the sensitivities involved and is grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the issues in this area.

Buckingham Palace said following the meeting that Lady Susan 'has pledged to deepen her awareness of the sensitivities involved and is grateful for the opportunity to learn more'

'Ms Fulani, who has unfairly received the most appalling torrent of abuse on social media and elsewhere, has accepted this apology and appreciates that no malice was intended.

'Both Ms Fulani and Lady Susan ask now that they be left in peace to rebuild their lives in the wake of an immensely distressing period for them both.

'They hope that their example shows a path to resolution can be found with kindness, co-operation and the condemnation of discrimination wherever it takes root.

'It is the wish of both parties that, at the end of the UN's 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, attention can now return to the important work of Sistah Space in supporting women affected by domestic abuse.

'Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort and other members of the Royal Family have been kept fully informed and are pleased that both parties have reached this welcome outcome.'

MailOnline has contacted Buckingham Palace and Sistah Space for comment.
A family whose home was raided by masked thugs have slammed a landlord for taking eight months to fix a door and window smashed by the yobs.

Anthony Corkill and his young family were forced to endure a freezing winter without glass in a window and front door following the terrifying raid.

The 38-year-old father-of-three was asleep when masked men used hammers to smash into his home in Hamilton, Leicester.

The thugs took nothing and police quickly dropped the case, and his landlords, PA Housing, used planks of wood to board up the damage.

But, it took eight months for the housing firm to replace the glass - with Anthony saying his family was 'literally left to freeze' during the bitterly cold winter.

Thugs, wearing masks, were caught on camera smashing into the home of Anthony Corkill in Hamilton, Leicester on August 5, 2022

The damage to the home was extensive. But it took PA Housing eight months to finally replace the broken glass - with Anthony and has family saying they were 'literally left to freeze' over the winter

Anthony said: 'On PA's website it says all maintenance requests should be dealt with within 15 days.

'But, after eight months, we were still waiting for the them to send someone round and replace the glass - it was a nightmare.

'I have three kids, one of whom is autistic, and we were literally left to freeze.'

PA Housing has since apologised for the 'unacceptable delay' with a spokesman added: 'It should not have taken this long.'

The raid took place in August 2022 and left Anthony's family traumatised. Thugs smashed the glass panels in their front door and in their living room window - but never entered the property.

Leicestershire Police investigated, and a hammer that was left behind was sent off to be tested.

But shortly after, they concluded the attack was likely a result of mistaken identity, and dropped the case.

PA Housing sent someone round to board up the window and front door with wood to temporarily replace the glass.

Father-of-three Anthony Corkill has blasted his landlord for the delay - with the windows finally replaced last week

The raiders smashed windows in the living room and a pane of glass in the family's front door

The family were forced to endure a freezing winter with wooden boards over their smashed windows (pictured)

The temporary repair to the broken pane of glass in the front door was finally repaired on March 2

The housing association were under an obligation to fix the damage, but Anthony claims nobody came despite him having chased the firm.

He said: 'My wife was sleeping on the sofa on the night of the attack, and the shattered glass showered over her.

'She suffers from PTSD as a result, and we now struggle to feel safe in our own home.

'Originally PA came out and boarded up the gaps, which was fine as a temporary fix.

'But after that, I couldn't get hold of anyone and when winter rolled in, the temperature started to drop.

'It was pointless to have the heating on, as we still had the cold coming through, so we relied on duvets and blankets - we really struggled to stay warm.'

Last month, Anthony emailed the head office explaining his situation.

They eventually got back to him, and gave him a date of February 27 for the work to be completed.

Police never identified the masked raiders. It is believed they had mistaken Anthony's home for another one

Anthony said his wife had been sleeping in the living room when raiders smashed through the windows. The thugs never entered the home and fled after their attack

But Anthony said the contractor didn't show up, and consequently, the job was pushed back again. The glass was finally fitted on March 2, taking just 90 minutes.

Anthony, a stay-at-home, said: 'The fact they left us to suffer like we did is unacceptable, and PA need to be held responsible.'

PA Housing said it 'escalated' Mr Corkill's complaint but has since apologised for how long it took.

'We're really sorry for the experience Mr Corkill and his family has had,' a spokesperson said.

'Following the incident last year, we did board the windows and door as an interim measure to make his home safe until the repairs could be completed.

'However, it should not have taken this long to replace them.'

PA Housing added it will work 'closely' with the family to 'ensure' they are 'compensated for the delay and unacceptable service he has received.'
Lanzarote's president has heaped praise on Germans as the holiday island tries to reduce its dependence on British tourists.

Maria Dolores Corujo said the German market conformed to its intentions to aim at 'higher-quality' tourism in an apparent slight on UK holidaymakers.

She said: 'It's essential to work on the diversification of the sector and the growth of markets like the German market, which adapt to our intentions of aiming at higher-quality tourism and holidaymakers who spend more when they're here and moves us away from mass tourism.'

She made her comments as a Lanzarote Council delegation promoted the island at this week's Berlin Tourism Fair, which started on Monday.

Delegation leaders said they were planning to hold more than 25 meetings with Germany's main tour operators, airline and airport chiefs.

Tourists relax on a beach in Puerto del Carmen on Lanzarote, Canary Islands, in 1989

Lanzarote's president sparked controversy last month when she declared the Canary island was saturated and wanted to change its approach to tourism.

She said the stance would mean aspiring to receive fewer visitors 'with greater spending in the destination.'

Around half of all the tourists who visit Lanzarote are British and Ms Corujo has pinned the island's future tourism strategy on one of 'diversification to reduce the dependence on the British market' and welcome more 'upmarket' holidaymakers.

Lanzarote, dubbed 'Lanzagrotty' in the past, is expected to focus its efforts on targeting more French, Italian, Dutch and German visitors as well as Spanish tourists from the mainland.

The director of the Spanish Tourist Office in the United Kingdom has reacted by insisting the country would not 'discriminate by type of visitor.'

He said that while Spain's 'travel industries need to work together to address the challenges of mass tourism', the country's main focus was on 'becoming a more sustainable and competitive tourism destination.'

Hotel chiefs in Lanzarote have insisted it is 'unwise' to talk of tourist saturation.

Francisco Martinez, vice-president of Lanzarote's Island Association of Hotels and Apartments, said political leaders were opening an unnecessary debate and being 'badly advised'.'

President Dolores Corujo is a Spanish politician and a member of the centre-left PSOE party of Spain.

She has been the General Secretary of the PSOE of Lanzarote since 2012.

She became the president of the Cabildo de Lanzarote in June 2019.

She has made big steps towards reforming the island economy and paying off historic debts.

Lanzarote is dependent on tourism and hit hard by seasonal variation as well as being affected by events such as the pandemic.

Diversifying the economy is a permanent priority for the island.

Maria Dolores Corujo plans to reshape Lanzarote's economy after it suffered in the pandemic

Spain's famous Balearic Islands to the east of the peninsula have also looked to reduce dependence on British tourists in recent years.

MailOnline reported at the end of February that locals were struggling to afford rent or buy properties amid increasing prices that have been driven by a shift towards upscale tourists who can afford more expensive properties.

'People are now looking at how to survive,' Rona Pineda, 32, who shares a two-bedroom apartment with a couple in Mallorca, told Bloomberg.

'If you have a normal salary, it's very difficult to find a place to live nowadays.'
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned today that the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut might fall to Russia in the coming days after months of intense fighting.

His remarks came as Russia's Wagner mercenary group, which has spearheaded the attack on Bakhmut, claimed to have captured the eastern bank of the industrial town.

The city has been devastated in the longest battle since Moscow invaded.

In Stockholm, EU ministers were discussing plans to ramp up defence production and rush ammunition to Ukraine as it burns through thousands of howitzer shells each day.

Wagner chief and Kremlin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin said on social media Wednesday that his forces 'have taken all of the eastern part of Bakhmut', a salt-mining town with a pre-war population of 80,000.

Ukrainian servicemen fire with a 105mm howitzer towards Russian positions near the city of Bakhmut, on March 8

A Ukrainian soldier carries an empty cluster cartridge of MLRS BM-27 Uragan missile while walking on a destroyed bridge near the city of Bakhmut, on March 8

A Ukrainian serviceman takes cover in a trench during shelling next to a 105mm howitzer near the city of Bakhmut, on March 8

The intense fighting around Bakhmut has been the longest and bloodiest in Russia's more than year-long invasion, which has devastated swathes of Ukraine and displaced millions of people.

'What we see is that Russia is throwing more troops, more forces and what Russia lacks in quality they try to make up in quantity,' Stoltenberg told reporters in Stockholm on the sidelines of an EU defence ministers meeting.

'We cannot rule out that Bakhmut may eventually fall in the coming days,' the head of the US-led military alliance said, adding that 'this does not necessarily reflect any turning point of the war'.

In Stockholm, EU ministers were discussing plans to ramp up defence production and rush ammunition to Ukraine as it burns through thousands of howitzer shells each day. Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers fire a self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions

Volunteer soldiers prepares to fire towards Russian positions close to Bakhmut on Wednesday

Russia's Wagner mercenary group, which has spearheaded the attack on Bakhmut, claimed to have captured the eastern bank of the industrial town

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg (pictured) warned today that the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut might fall to Russia in the coming days after months of intense fighting

This file video grab shows an aerial view of destruction in the city of Bakhmut on February 27

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in an interview with CNN what could happen if Bakhmut falls to Russian forces.

'We understand that after Bakhmut, (Russian forces) could go further' and attack nearby cities in the Donetsk region.

'They could go to Kramatorsk, they could go to Sloviansk, it would be an open road for the Russians after Bakhmut to other towns in Ukraine, in the Donetsk direction,' Zelensky said in an interview set to air Wednesday.

The intense fighting around Bakhmut has been the longest and bloodiest in Russia's more than year-long invasion

Pictured: A map showing rough troop position around the besieged city of Bakhmut. Russian forces are closing in from the north, east and south leaving Ukraine's defenders with just one route (west) to escape  across a muddy quagmire. As Russian forces move in, the window to retreat is closing, but Ukraine is determined to continue its defence of the symbolic city

A building in Bakhmut explodes amid artillery fire

A resident stands in the doorway of a building partially destroyed by Russian shelling in Ukrainian town of Kupiansk

Ukrainian soldiers in a trench under Russian shelling on the frontline close to the besieged city

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told military officials during a televised meeting on Tuesday that taking control of the city would allow for 'further offensive operations' in eastern Ukraine.

Prigozhin has estimated that between '12,000 and 20,000' Ukrainian troops were still defending the town.

Zelensky told CNN that his armed forces were resolved to stay in Bakhmut.

'Of course, we have to think about the lives of our military. But we have to do whatever we can whilst we're getting weapons, supplies, and our army is getting ready for the counter-offensive.'

In Washington, US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines was optimistic in the medium term.

'We do not foresee the Russian military recovering enough this year to make major territorial gains,' Haines told a Senate hearing.

- Grain deal -

Zelensky on Wednesday hosted UN chief Antonio Guterres in Kyiv, his third visit to Ukraine since Russia's invasion. Guterres stressed the need to extend a deal that has allowed Ukraine to export its grain but is due to expire.

Ukraine's Western backers warn that Kyiv is facing a critical shortage of howitzer shells

Ukraine: Wagner claim eastern Bakhmut

An Orthodox priest leads a memorial service over the coffins of Ukrainian volunteers in Kyiv

'I want to underscore the critical importance of the rollover of the Black Sea Grain Initiative on 18 March,' Guterres said.

EU defence ministers were meeting in Stockholm to discuss a plan to rush one billion euros' worth of ammunition to Ukraine as pressure mounts on Kyiv's allies to bolster supplies to the war effort.

Ukraine's Western backers warn that Kyiv is facing a critical shortage of 155-millimetre howitzer shells as it fires thousands each day in its fight against the grinding Russian offensive.

'The current rate of consumption compared to the current rate of production of ammunition is not sustainable, and therefore we need to ramp up production,' Stoltenberg said.

During a visit to Canada on Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen underscored European resolve to ward off Russian aggression.

But a report by The New York Times on Tuesday claiming US officials had seen new intelligence indicating a 'pro-Ukrainian group' was behind last year's sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines could raise difficult questions among the allies.

'This is not our activity,' Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told reporters in Stockholm.

Ukraine on Wednesday said it had identified the man shot dead in a video that sparked outrage on social media as one of its soldiers.

The footage shows what appears to be a detained Ukrainian combatant standing in a shallow trench and smoking, and then being shot after saying 'Glory to Ukraine'.

'Based on a preliminary examination, we believe that the video may be authentic,' a spokeswoman for the UN Human Rights Office told AFP on Wednesday.

In Kyiv, Guterres said the 'shocking' footage was 'yet another tragic reminder that the laws of war must be strictly respected'.

Both sides have said the Bakhmut battle has cost a significant number of troops, though neither has given figures.

Ukrainian officials say around 4,000 civilians including dozens of children remain in the town, which has been virtually flattened.

The EU General Court cancelled Brussels' sanctions against the mother of Prigozhin, ruling that even if the Wagner chief was responsible for illegal acts in Ukraine, there was not enough evidence against his mother to justify such measures.
A women who was 'gang raped' by a notorious surf gang when she was just 14 has shared how her desperate pleas for justice went unanswered.

Karen Iles, 43, was barely a teenager when she was pushed into a room and repeatedly sexual assaulted by a group of 15 men almost double her age.

She and a friend had travelled from Gosford in NSW, to Queensland's Gold Coast for a family holiday they planned to spend on the beach in their brand-new bikinis.

Unbeknownst to the girls, members of a notorious 'surf gang' were also staying at the Rainbow Commodore Holiday apartments in October, 1993.

Ms Iles, now a lawyer, said the group of teenage boys and young men started hanging around her in the pool area before inviting her to their room for lunch.

'I now recognise that what happened to me were classic grooming behaviours that any pedophile would use with a child,' she told The Project on Wednesday night.

Karen Iles, 43, (pictured) was barely a teenager when she was pushed into a room and repeatedly sexual assaulted by a group of men almost double her age back in 1993

One of the older of the men took lead her to a bedroom where he pushed her backwards and began to aggressively kiss her on the bed.

Despite her repeatedly telling him 'no' and 'that hurts', the young man continued to assault her as the rest of the gang began filing into the room to watch.

She alleges the men took it in turns to abuse her, and recalls the older men calling the 15 and 16-year-old boys 'virgins' for not getting involved.

'They were very orchestrated and methodical,' Ms Iles told news.com.au.

'I can remember thinking to myself that there were too many boys in the room and I wouldn't be able to get out.

'So I closed my eyes and thought: "I hope it's over with as soon as possible".'

When she was finally allowed to leave, the dazed and confused 14-year-old ran from the room to rejoin her friend and take a shower.

Ms Iles didn't tell her parents about the alleged abuse but returned home a different girl who no longer felt the same passion for her schoolwork, sport, or music.

Ms Iles (pictured) says the group of teenage boys and young men that raped her had started hanging around her in the pool area before inviting her to their room for lunch

Known as a studious and well-behaved teenager, the schoolgirl started sitting with the 'naughty' girls at school who misbehaved and did drugs.

At 16, Ms Iles thought about leaving school and working in a cafe. At 17 and 18 she developed anorexia, wore grungy clothing and shaved her head.

Her parents grew increasingly suspicious and finally rifled through her diary, coming across an entry where she had described the horror of the alleged abuse.

They told her that the boys responsible 'could get into a lot of trouble' however Ms Iles said she still blamed herself and didn't want to get them into trouble.

Her perspective changed during a 2004 International Women's Day March.

Surrounded by other courageous women, Ms Iles said she found the courage walk into Newtown Police Station armed with all the evidence she had.

Known as a studious and well-behaved teenager, the schoolgirl (pictured) started sitting with the 'naughty' girls at school who misbehaved and did drugs after she endured the rapes

'I gave the exact location, the exact year, the exact month. I gave the name of the gang, physical descriptions, the names of a co-victim and a witness, I also handed over my childhood diary, and that diary has never ever been found,' she said.

Ms Iles was told a joint investigation would be launched by Redfern Police in Sydney and Coolangatta Police in Queensland, however it quickly stalled.

Her case was forgotten due to a lack of cooperation from NSW Police, with Ms Iles only finding out decades later that her case had been closed after just one week.

She spent almost two decades desperately trying to persuade police to investigate before she was blindsided with yet another devastating update.

In 2018, Queensland Police said her original 15-page statement had been shredded.

She was 'destroyed' after finding out her case had been closed for over a decade and struggled with suicidal thoughts.

The joint investigation into her claims was closed due to a lack of cooperation from NSW Police. Ms Iles found out decades later that her case had been closed after just one week

Three years later in 2021, a copy of her file was found by NSW Police, who at the time gave no explanation for why it had suddenly turned up.

Almost two decades after she first gave a statement on her horrific experience, Ms Iles was invited to a meeting with police in December, 2021.

'The trauma of the sexual assaults was one thing,' she said.

'But the trauma of dealing with police and our justice system is something entirely different. In my case, that trauma of dealing with police is much worse if you can believe it, than the trauma of the gang rapes that I endured.'

She has now launched a petition for new laws that will hold officers accountable to thoroughly investigate serious crimes such as hers.

Ms Iles was 'destroyed' after finding out her case had been closed for over a decade. She is now pushing for new laws that will hold police officers accountable to investigate properly

'I'm asking the politicians and the attorney-generals in our country to create a legally binding minimum standard of investigation,' she said.

'So when someone goes in and reports a serious crime, that we as a society know exactly how police are going to investigate that.'

Ms Iles says the laws will introduce a minimum set of standards police officers will need to meet to ensure the investigation has been conducted properly.

'Victims and their families are being failed every day by police forces around this country,' she said.

As of Wednesday night, the petition had received almost 35,000 signatures.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25)

Domestic Violence Counselling Service 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732
Helmet cameras have revealed the breathless intensity of trench warfare in eastern Ukraine.

Footage captured by frontline troops shows Zelensky's soldiers storming a Russian trench and forcing two enemy fighters to surrender.

In the clip, Ukrainian men emerge from a shallow ditch, firing automatic weapons as they hurry across a no man's land reminiscent of a desolate First World War battlefield.

They can then be seen storming a nearby Russian trench, blowing up a dugout with a grenade and turning their assault rifles on enemy troops scrambling to return fire.

With several opposition soldiers neutralised, another Ukrainian tosses a second grenade into the trench to clear out the remaining threats.

Finally, a pair of meek and defeated Russian soldiers emerge from the trench to surrender.

Ukrainian fighter's helmet cam captures the moment he and his squad dashed across a desolate no man's land to storm a nearby Russian trench

The Ukrainians fired on the Russian position, clearing it out with assault rifles and grenades

They neutralised many threats and subsequently forced a pair of Russian soldiers to surrender

The Russian prisoners are seen kneeling before the defenders

The incredible raw footage was obtained from the 108th Separate Mountain Assault Battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine yesterday.

The battalion shared the video and said: 'We present to your attention a video of the assault, filmed by a camera mounted on the helmet of one of our heroic soldiers, during which several raschists were destroyed and two chums were captured.'

The images and statement were also relayed by the Office of Strategic Communications (StratCom) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

'Rashist' is a term that is often used by the Ukrainian forces when referring to the Russian invaders. It is a combination of the words 'Russia' and 'fascism'.

The battle for the east of Ukraine has in recent months devolved into brutal First World War-style trench warfare, particularly in the embattled Donetsk region where once lush fields and forests have become barren wastelands and urban centres have been reduced to rubble.

The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group said today that his forces had taken full control of the eastern part of the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk, scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the year-long war.

If the claim is true, it would mean Russian forces control nearly half the city in their costly push to secure their first big victory in several months.

Ukrainian defenders remained defiant, however. Last week they appeared to be preparing for a tactical retreat from Bakhmut, but military and political leaders are now speaking of hanging on to positions and inflicting as many casualties as possible on the Russian assault force.

Ukrainian soldiers fire a self-propelled howitzer towards Russian positions near Bakhmut, the site of the heaviest battles, Donetsk region, Ukraine, yesterday

Servicemen of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army patrol around the destroyed town of Velyka Novosilka, Ukraine

A Ukrainian soldier stands at a fortified position, at an undisclosed location next to the Vuhledar frontline, Ukraine, yesterday

This file video grab shows an aerial view of destruction in the city of Bakhmut on February 27

Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said his fighters, who have been spearheading the Russian campaign to seize Bakhmut, had now captured the city's east.

'Everything east of the Bakhmutka River is completely under the control of Wagner,' Prigozhin said on Telegram.

The river bisects Bakhmut city, which sits on the edge of a swathe of Donetsk region that is already largely under Russian occupation.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian military statements said earlier there may be 'conditions' in Bakhmut for a Ukrainian offensive.

'The main task of our troops in Bakhmut is to grind the enemy's fighting capability, to bleed their combat potential,' Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesman for Ukraine's eastern military command, told public TV yesterday.

The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in its report this morning: 'The enemy, despite significant losses... continues to storm the town of Bakhmut.'

Russia, which claims to have annexed nearly 20 per cent of Ukraine's territory, has made progress in recent weeks around Bakhmut, but its winter offensive has yielded no significant gains in assaults further north and south.

It says that taking Bakhmut would be a step towards seizing the industrial Donbas region, made up of Donetsk and Luhansk provinces. Western analysts say Bakhmut has little strategic value.

Destroyed buildings and burned cars now characterise the landscape in eastern Ukraine. There, hidden on basements of abandoned houses, the Ukrainian Volunteer Army hold their positions against relentless attacks by Russian forces

A building in Bakhmut explodes amid artillery fire

Ukrainian servicemen of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army patrol around next to the frontline, at an undisclosed location next to the Vuhledar frontline

Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said his fighters, who have been spearheading the Russian campaign to seize Bakhmut, had now captured the city's east

But Kyiv says the losses suffered by Russia there could determine the future course of the war, with decisive battles expected later this year when the weather is better and Ukraine receives more military aid, including heavy battle tanks.

The months of warfare there have been among the deadliest and most destructive since Russia invaded in February last year, adding Bakhmut's name to a list of devastated cities such as Mariupol, Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk.

A Ukrainian military drone showed the scale of destruction in Bakhmut, filming apartment blocks on fire and smoke billowing from residential areas.

Iryna Vereshchuk, a deputy Ukrainian premier, said fewer than 4,000 civilians  including 38 children  out of a pre-war population of some 80,000 remained in the city, which is now largely in ruins after months of bombardment.

'The situation in the city is difficult. The enemy actively storms our positions, however they don't have any success and suffer colossal losses,' a Ukrainian border guard said in a video released by the State Border Service.

'Probably out of spite, they tried to blow up two bridges. But we still receive everything that we need. The city stands, because Bakhmut was, is, and will be Ukraine. We'll stay in touch.'

The Ukrainian General Staff also said Russian forces made more than 30 unsuccessful attacks over the past day near Orikhovo-Vasylivka alone, 12 miles northwest of Bakhmut.

They shelled the areas around ten settlements along the Bakhmut section of the frontline, it said.
China has been accused of cutting the internet to one of Taiwan's outlying islands as part of its latest intimidation tactic to force reunification.

Some living on Matsu, close to neighbouring China, were struggling to pay electricity bills, make a doctor's appointment or receive a package.

Matsu's 14,000 residents rely on two submarine internet cables leading to Taiwan's main island.

The National Communications Commission (NCC), citing the island's telecom service, blamed two Chinese ships for cutting the cables.

It said a Chinese fishing vessel is suspected of severing the first cable some 50 kilometres (31 miles) out at sea. Six days later, on February 8, a Chinese cargo ship cut the second, NCC said.

A woman walks in front of the Lienchiang County government's office in Matsu Island, Taiwan on March 6, 2023

Telecom equipment are seen on top of a hill in Beigan, part of Matsu Islands, Taiwan on March 5, 2023

Taiwan's government stopped short of calling it a deliberate act on the part of Beijing, and there was no direct evidence to show the Chinese ships were responsible.

As the full-scale invasion of Ukraine has shown, Russia has made taking out internet infrastructure one of the key parts of its strategy.

Some experts suspect China may have cut the cables deliberately as part of its harassment of the self-ruled island it considers part of its territory, to be reunited by force if necessary.

China regularly sends warplanes and navy ships toward Taiwan as part of tactics to intimidate the island's democratic government. Concerns about China's invasion, and Taiwan's preparedness to withstand it, have increased since the war in Ukraine.

The islanders were forced to hook up to a limited internet service via microwave radio transmission, a more mature technology, as backup.

This meant sometimes waiting hours to send a text, calls dropping and videos becoming unwatchable.

'A lot of tourists would cancel their booking because there's no internet. Nowadays, the internet plays a very large role in people's lives,' said Chen, who lives in Beigan, one of Matsu's main residential islands.

The loss of the internet cables has also had huge implications for national security.

The cables had been cut 27 times in the past five years, but it was unclear which country the vessels hailed from, based on data from Chunghwa Telecom.

Taiwan's coast guard gave chase to the fishing vessel that cut the first cable on February 2, but it went back to Chinese waters, according to an official who was briefed on the incident and was not authorised to discuss the matter publicly.

Authorities found two Chinese ships in the area where the cables were cut, based on automated identification system data, similar to GPS, which shows a vessel's location.

'We can't rule out that China destroyed these on purpose,' said Su Tzu-yun, a defense expert at the government think tank, Institute for National Defense and Security Research, citing research that only China and Russia had the technical capabilities to do this.

Tourists were seen walking on the street in the shopping district on Nangan, part of Matsu Islands, Taiwan on March 7, 2023

Closed ticket machines are seen at a ferry station on Beigan, part of Matsu Islands, Taiwan on March 5, 2023. The signs read: 'Due to Internet signal cut, machine temporary suspends service'

Off-duty Taiwanese soldiers use their phones at the Chunghwa Telecom office in Nangan, part of Matsu Islands, Taiwan on March 5, 2023

Tzu-yun added: 'Taiwan needs to invest more resources in repairing and protecting the cables.'

Internet cables, which can be anywhere between 20 millimetres to 30 millimetres (0.79 inches to 1.18 inches) wide, are encased in steel armour in shallow waters where they are more likely to run into ships.

Despite the protection, cables can get cut quite easily by ships and their anchors, or fishing boats using steel nets.

Even so, 'this level of breakage is highly unusual for a cable, even in the shallow waters of the Taiwan Strait,' said Geoff Huston, chief scientist at Asia Pacific Network Information Centre, a non-profit that manages and distributes internet resources like IP addresses for the region.

Without a stable internet service, coffee shop owner Chiu Sih-chi said seeing the doctor for his toddler son's cold became a hassle because they first had to visit the hospital to just get an appointment.

A breakfast shop owner said she lost thousands of dollars in the past few weeks because she usually takes online orders. Customers would come to her stall expecting the food to be ready when she had not even seen their messages.

Faced with unusual difficulties, Matsu residents came up with all sorts of ways to organise their lives.

One couple planned to deal with the coming peak season by having one person stay in Taiwan to access their reservation system and passing the information on to the other via text messages.

Some enterprising residents went across to the other shore to buy SIM cards from Chinese telecoms, though those only work well in the spots closer to the Chinese coast, which is only 10 kilometres (6.21 miles) away at its closest point.

Others, like the bed and breakfast owner Tsao Li-yu, would go to Chunghwa Telecom's office to use a Wi-Fi hot spot the company had set up for locals to use in the meantime.

Wang Chung Ming, the head of Lienchiang County, as the Matsu islands are officially called, said he and the legislator from Matsu went to Taipei shortly after the internet broke down to ask for help, and was told they would get priority in any future internet backup plans.

Wang Chung Ming, the head of Lienchiang County, speaks during an interview on Nangan, part of Matsu Islands, Taiwan on March 6, 2023

Local B&B owner Tsao Li-yu works at the lobby of his establishment, which currently has no customers, in Nangan, part of Matsu Islands

Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs publicly asked for bids from low-Earth orbit satellite operators to provide the internet in a backup plan, after seeing Russia's cyberattacks in the invasion of Ukraine, the head of the ministry, Audrey Tang, told The Washington Post last autumn. However, the plan remains stalled as a law in Taiwan requires the providers to be at least 51 per cent owned by a domestic shareholder.

A spokesperson for the Digital Ministry directed questions about the progress of backup plans to the National Communications Commission (NCC).

The NCC said it will install a surveillance system for the undersea cables, while relying on microwave transmission as a backup option.

Many Pacific island nations, before they started using internet cables, depended on satellites - and some still do - as backup, said Jonathan Brewer, a telecommunications consultant from New Zealand who works across Asia and the Pacific.

There is also the question of cost. Repairing the cables is expensive, with an early estimate of $30 million New Taiwan Dollars ($1 million) for the work of the ships alone.

'The Chinese boats that damaged the cables should be held accountable and pay compensation for the highly expensive repairs,' said Wen Lii, the head of the Matsu chapter of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

Wang, the head of Lienchiang County, said he had mentioned the cables on a recent visit to China, where he had met an executive from China Mobile. They offered to send technicians to help. But compensation, he said, will require providing hard proof on who did it.

For now, the only thing residents can do is wait. The earliest cable-laying ships can come is April 20, because there are a limited number of vessels that can do the job.

A month without functional internet has its upsides too. Chen Yu-lin, the bed and breakfast owner, has felt more at peace.

It was hard in the first week, but Chen quickly got used to it.

'From a life perspective, I think it's much more comfortable because you get fewer calls,' he said, adding he was spending more time with his son, who usually is playing games online.

At a web cafe where off-duty soldiers were playing offline games, the effect was the same.

'Our relationships have become a bit closer,' said one soldier who only gave his first name, Samuel. 'Because normally when there's internet, everyone keeps to themselves, and now we're more connected.'
Simon Case, Whitehall's top official, is facing increased speculation over his future amid claims other 'extraordinary' messages he sent during Covid are yet to be published.

The Cabinet Secretary, who is also head of the civil service, has already come under pressure over his WhatsApp messages from the pandemic.

These revealed he made disparaging comments about ministers - including Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson - and mocked returning holidaymakers forced to quarantine in hotels.

This has led to calls for Mr Case - who had already been criticised over his handling of the Partygate scandal and the Nadhim Zahawi tax row - to resign.

Mr Sunak last night dodged giving a guarantee that Mr Case would still be in post by the next general election, although the Prime Minister said he looked forward to working with the Cabinet Secretary 'for a very long time to come'.

Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, is facing calls to resign after WhatsApp messages showed how he appeared to criticise both Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson during the Covid pandemic

The top Whitehall official described it as 'hilarious' that holidaymakers were going into hotel quarantine on their return to Britain in early 2021

Rishi Sunak last night dodged giving a guarantee that Mr Case would still be in post by the next general election

Reports this week claimed Mr Case is 'genuinely undecided' about whether to quit this year to allow his successor a chance to bed in before the next general election.

But the 44-year-old has now been warned he will have no choice to resign as it is likely other WhatsApp messages - said to be 'impossible to defend' - will emerge during the Covid inquiry.

A Government source told The Times: 'He was the most indiscreet man in Government. You should see the stuff he put in WhatsApps, some of its extraordinary. There will undoubtedly be more to come.

'Its hard to believe that during the inquiry there wont be other messages that come to light. There are messages that have been sent that will be impossible to defend. Hell have to go.'

Mr Case, a former aide to Prince William, has wielded huge power across Whitehall since being appointed Cabinet Secretary by Mr Johnson in September 2020.

He is facing fresh controversy following the leak of former health secretary Matt Hancock's WhatsApp messages by political commentator Isabel Oakeshott.

She provided more than 100,000 messages to the Daily Telegraph, which were given to her when she co-authored Mr Hancock's memoir from the pandemic.

The exchanges released by the newspaper showed how Mr Case referred to Mr Johnson, the then PM, as a 'nationally distrusted figure' in October 2020.

In a conversation with Mr Hancock around Covid testing capability, the Cabinet Secretary wrote: 'My concern is that we can figure out how to test, what we don't know how to do is get people to isolate.

'We are losing this war because of behaviour  this is the thing we have to turn around (which probably also relies on people hearing about isolation from trusted local figures, not nationally distrusted figures like the PM, sadly).'

Previously published messages have shown how Mr Hancock and Mr Case appeared to share frustrations over Mr Sunak's stance on Covid restrictions.

One exchange, from June 2020, came as the Government considered how to relax restrictions.

The messages showed Mr Hancock wanted cafes and restaurants to keep a register of customers' details for NHS Test and Trace, urging that guidance would read 'should' as opposed to 'can'.

Mr Case wrote: 'Rishi going bonkers about "should" right now too.'

The exchange also revealed how Mr Hancock questioned Sir Alok Sharma's 'strange approach' to the issue, with Mr Case suggesting it was 'pure Conservative ideology' on the part of the then business secretary.

In February 2021, Mr Hancock boasted of how the hotel quarantine policy for returning holidaymakers had seen 'big families' put in 'all the suites' and 'pop stars in the box rooms'.

Mr Case replied: 'I just want to see some of the faces of people coming out of first class and into a Premier Inn shoe box.

'Any idea how many people we locked up in hotels yesterday?'

Mr Hancock responded: 'None. But 149 chose to enter the country and are now in Quarantine Hotels due to their own free will!'

To which Mr Case added: 'Hilarious.'
Aldi shoppers who purchased 'scratchy' duck-feather pillows say they are being spiked during the night by small, sharp barbs.

One couple in Perth snapped up a set of the supposedly soft pillows hoping for wonderful night's sleep.

But they soon discovered the pointy barbs were still attached to the hundreds of feathers inside.

'My partner and I felt needles in our arms and hand,' he told Perth Now.

'The pointy end of the feathers had not been removed from the feathers when manufacturing and all the duck feathers were sticking out of the pillow like thousands of hypodermic needles.

'It was sticking out of the lining  there were hundreds of them.'

One shopper said he took the Aldi duck-feathered pillows home but discovered small barbs (pictured) were still attached to the hundreds of feathers inside

The customer then took the pillows back to the Cannington store in the city's south where he bought them and was offered a refund

The customer then took the pillows back to the Cannington store in the city's south where he bought them and was offered a refund.

But he took issue with the pillows still being sold and refused the offer, saying the pointy spikes were a safety issue for other shoppers, if more items were affected.

But it isn't the first time the barbed pillows have been in the spotlight.

Aldi shopper Louise Bowe got so fed up with the sharp pillow feathers sticking into her skin all night that she gave them to her dogs to sleep on, she told social media in 2021.

Another customer Robert McPherson also claimed to have had a run in with the pointy pillows scratching him for six months .

He said he would put the items in the compost.

But the spiky feathers have not been the only issue plaguing the German supermarket's pillow brand.

Danielle Blinks told Aldi's social media in 2016 the pillows had a bad smell.

Aldi's pillow range has also faced criticism for smelling 'like a chicken coup'

'I love you Aldi, but those Duck Feather Pillows kinda smell ... I've washed them as suggested, but it's still got that 'polluted ocean' aroma?'

Marnie Cleveland said the pillows stank of a 'dirty chicken coup'.

'I don't think the feathers have been treated or treated properly. It shouldn't smell like bird,' she said.

Customers who are not satisfied with items they purchase from an Aldi store are told they can return the product to get a full refund.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Aldi for comment
Social activists supporting the victims of Japan's wartime forced labor condemn the compensation plan announced by the government of President Yoon Suk Yeol, holding signs that read "Yoon Suk Yeol humiliating diplomacy out!" in central Seoul, March 6. Yonhap



The ruling People Power Party (PPP) proposed Wednesday that the rival parties begin discussions to enact a special law on compensating victims of Japan's wartime forced labor, a move aimed at backing up the government's decision to compensate victims on its own.



Rep. Chung Jin-suk made the remark in a TV interview, proposing talks on a proposal that former National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang put forward in 2019 in an effort to help resolve the forced labor row with Japan.



The proposal calls for collecting funds from companies, the governments and public donations from the two countries and compensating forced labor victims through a foundation. That proposal was also dubbed in the media as the "2 plus 2 plus alpha" idea.



"Former Speaker Moon initiated a special bill, but then Cheong Wa Dae of President Moon Jae-in didn't even take a look and no discussions took place between the ruling and opposition parties," Chung said. "At that time, many lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Korea said this is a practical alternative."






A prison officer who raped an 'extremely drunk' young woman after escorting her home said 'I'm in trouble now' when he was caught in bed with her, a court heard.

Glen Coleman, 61, allegedly took his victim home in a taxi before stripping her and raping her while she was too drunk to fight back.

A jury heard Coleman - a guard at 1,600-inmate Parc Prison in Bridgend, South Wales - offered to help the woman in her twenties during a night out Cardiff, Wales. He later claimed she consented to sex and denies raping her.

But the woman refutes this and said the defendant was 'old enough' to be her grandfather and that she was so drunk she 'wasn't strong enough' to stop him.

The woman later told police: 'I wanted it to stop, but I couldn't. I wasn't strong enough to stop it. My body didn't do anything and I wanted it to stop.'

Glen Coleman, 61, allegedly took his victim home in a taxi before stripping her and raping her while she was too drunk to fight back (pictured arriving at Newport Crown Court, Wales)

Prosecutor Roger Griffiths told jurors at Newport Crown Court: 'He came with her in a taxi to her accommodation, stripped her naked and raped her in bed.'

Mr Griffiths said the victim had 'a great deal to drink' and was described by those with her on the night as 'drunk and unsteady on her feet'.

The court heard she was sick on another person in a pub - and Coleman offered to take her back to the accommodation in nearby Pontcanna, Cardiff.

But she said she 'couldn't stop being sick, it was like water'. Mr Griffiths said Coleman 'took advantage of the very drunk woman'.

He said: 'He had non consensual sexual activity with her. She was so drunk she could not have consented to what had gone on that night and the defendant took advantage of that situation to have sex with her.'

The court heard Coleman stripped himself and his victim's clothes before getting into bed with her and rubbed her back while saying 'Are you ok? Are you ok?'.

The jury heard he sexually assaulted the victim before raping her. She also said Coleman was putting his hands in her mouth throughout the alleged assault in July 2021.

One of the victim's friends later burst in on them and the defendant is accused of saying said: 'Oh no, I'm in trouble now.'

Alleged rapist Coleman (pictured) is a guard at 1,600-inmate Parc Prison in Bridgend, South Wales. Jurors heard when friends of the woman caught him in bed with her, he said: 'Oh no, I'm in trouble now'

The friends began screaming at him and police were called.

Coleman told police what had gone on was consensual. But his accuser denied agreeing to sex and told police: 'He is old enough to be my bampi'.

Mr Griffiths said: 'Our case is she was simply too drunk to give any meaningful consent to the defendant and her condition would have been obvious to him.'

Coleman, of Hendy, near Pontarddulais in Swansea, pleaded not guilty to rape, sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault.

The trial continues.
A former Mexican beauty queen and her Romanian-born boyfriend have been convicted and jailed over a daring wine theft at a Michelin-starred Spanish restaurant.

Priscila Lara Guevara and Constantin Gabriel Dumitru were found guilty of stealing 45 bottles of wine from the Atrio Restaurant Hotel in Caceres near Spain's border with Portugal after a two-day trial.

The 29-year-old Mexican was handed a four-year prison sentence and her 47-year-old boyfriend got four and a half years.

The written 24-page sentence, made public on Monday, also said they had been ordered to pay 753,000 euros (667,000) in compensation.

Despite prosecutors pricing the bottles of wine before trial at more than 1.6 million euros (1.45 million), their value was reduced during the open court hearing by insurers to the amount the convicted pair are now being asked for.

Former Miss Earth Mexico contestant Priscila Lara Guevara and Constantin Gabriel Dumitru were found guilty of stealing 45 bottles of wine from the Atrio Restaurant Hotel in Caceres near Spain's border with Portugal after a two-day trial

General view of wine bottles at Restaurante Atrio wine cellar in Caceres, Spain

The wine included an 1884 Chateau d'Yquem on the menu at Atrio for 350,000 euros (310,000).

The court ruled it had been proven Priscila, a former Miss Earth Mexico contestant, and her partner had committed the theft on October 27, 2021 after making at least three prior visits to the hotel.

They are said to have fled the hotel hours after taking the wine and left Spain days later, sparking a hunt across Europe which ended with their arrest on Croatia's border with Slovenia in July last year. They were extradited to Spain last August to face trial.

Police described the wine theft at the time as 'precise and professionally planned.'

The three judges who sentenced Priscila and her partner said she had used a false passport to reserve a room at the hotel and ruled Dumitru turned up unannounced to dine at its restaurant before they enjoyed a guided tour of the wine cellar.

Hotel CCTV captured the pair, who had checked in with false Swiss identity documents, checking out at 5.30 a.m. and leaving on foot with no forensic trace of their presence left at the hotel

Security cameras show a man leaving the premises carrying three bags of stolen wine bottles

They said it had been proven the theft occurred after the former beauty queen put in a night-time order for food from her hotel room, leading to her boyfriend taking advantage of the fact a hotel employee had left reception to go to the kitchen and pinching a master key that opened the door to the wine cellar.

None of the bottles of wine have ever been tracked down amid speculation they were stolen to order and may never be recovered.

In a Spanish newspaper interview shortly before the start of the trial one of the El Atrio owners Tono Perez said: 'We have turned the chapter on something which has been extremely painful for us.

'People often reflect on the price of the wine that was taken but for us it has been a lot more than that.

'There is something much more passional here because we'd taken more than 30 years to build up our wine collection.

Pictured: Rafael Sandoval, one of the owners of Coque restaurant, talks to media members outside the restaurant in Madrid, Spain, on November 2, 2022

Pictured: The Hotel-Restaurant Atrio. Despite prosecutors pricing the bottles of wine before trial at more than 1.6 million euros (1.45 million), their value was reduced during the open court hearing by insurers to the amount the convicted pair are now being asked for

'If the bottles turn up that would be marvellous, but we think that is going to be difficult.'

The trial took place at Caceres Provincial Court over two days and finished late last month. The judges had said they needed time to consider their verdict and sentence.

It was not immediately clear on Monday if the convicted couple would put in an appeal.

Priscila Lara Guevara, said to hail from Ecatepec in the State of Mexico, represented her home region in Miss Earth 2016. She speaks fluent English.
A possible link between the Italian mafia who organised Australia's first political assassination and former politician Al Grassby has been uncovered.

A new theory presented on Under Investigation on Wednesday night claimed former Immigration Minister Albert 'Al' Jaime Grassby had a role in the 1977 assassination of Donald Mackay in Griffith, regional NSW.

The businessman vanished from a hotel car park after drinking with friends on a winter's night in July.

Police discovered blood on his van, spent .22 calibre bullet cases and drag marks the following day.

While James Frederick Bazley was convicted and served jail time for conspiracy to commit murder, the full details of the baffling plot remain unsolved to this day and Mr Mackay's body has never been found.

The panel heard from journalists and former detectives who all pointed to links between Grassby and the mob, which had set up a racket in the area running the country's biggest marijuana farming operation at the time.

Mr Mackay was an outspoken anti-drug advocate who ran a large furniture shop in Griffith in the the 1960s and 1970s.

In 1969 Mr Mackay was the Liberal Party Candidate and went head-to-head in the election for the federal seat of Riverina with Labor's Grassby.

An new investigation has found possible links between former Immigration Minister Al Grassby (above) and the mafia that is believed to have orchestrated the 1977 murder of Donald Mackay

During their battle, Mr Mackay would repeatedly point out clear signs of mafia-driven organised crime and drug trade in the area, while Grassby would blow off Mr Mackay's concerns with accusations of racism towards Italian immigrants.

Grassby went on to win the election and his continual denial of mafia activity in Australia alongside his anti-racism policies, saw him become the minister for immigration.

During his time in the role, it's understood he approved the visa applications of several known mafia members from Italy to enter Australia.

The investigation panel described Grassby's 1969 election win as the beginning of how 'the mafia had a mole at the highest level of federal parliament'.

However, Mr Mackay wasn't deterred by his loss and continued working for the community.

In 1974 Mr Mackay again stood against Grassby in the federal election.

While Mr Mackay lost, his arguments helped see Grassby lose the seat - possibly costing the mafia their man inside parliament.

In 1975 Mr Mackay anonymously assisted in the bust of Australia's biggest cannabis farm at the time in nearby Coleambally but in later court proceedings, it's believed his name was leaked to the mob.

Local reporter Terry Jones said when he heard Mr Mackay's name had been leaked, his reaction was 'they've just signed his death warrant'.

Donald Mackay (above) was an outspoken anti-drug and crime advocate who competed against Grassby in the 1969 and 1974 election for the federal Riverina seat

The investigation claims Mr Mackay was killed for helping unseat Grassby in 1974, costing the mafia a possible 'mole' in parliament, and helping with a cannabis farm bust (pictured, the crime scene of Mr Mackay's 1977 murder)

His death has often been referred to as Australia's first political assassination.

NSW Police are still offering a $200,000 reward for information that leads to the discovery of Mr Mackay's remains.

Bazley, who was long believed to have been the triggerman, died in 2018 tightlipped about what really happened.

He and six other men were identified by a Royal Commission for possibly ordering Mr Mackay's death but no-one else was charged.

Former Bureau of Criminal Intelligence detective Jim Slade said the murder was seemingly orchestrated by the same mafia Grassby was linked to.

'The decision was made because of the loss of money and everything to the family that (Mr Mackay) had to be gotten rid of,' he said.

A series of articles by the Herald Sun in 2005 revealed Grassby was paid $40,000 by known mafia associates to spread gossip that Mr Mackay's wife, son and lawyer had killed him.

'This thing with Grassby, he was bribed to do certain jobs. Grassby was in the clique, in the clan - as you would call it - the mafia,' Sydney Morning Herald investigative journalist Kate McClymont said.

Despite his possible ties to the Italian-Australian mafia, Grassby (above) has been remembered as a champion of equality and immigrant rights in Australia

However, despite Grassby's questionable links, he has been remembered as a champion of equality and immigrant rights in Australia.

'Al Grassby was probably one of the most corrupt politicians,' Ms McClymont said.

'His history of taking money from the mafia, of being a paid operator on their behalf was completely whitewashed.'

Mr Slade said Mr Mackay's death would have also served as a message to other anti-drug and crime advocates in the area.

'The reason they do that is to show no one is above the power and the reach of the (mafia),' he said.
A teenage Ukrainian refugee found dying on a UK beach was 'stressed' because of the war in her home country but had fled to 'find a safe place', a friend has revealed.

Albina Yevko, 14, who had settled in Dawlish with her mother Inna, died in hospital after being discovered unconscious in the Devon seaside town on Saturday evening.

She had escaped to the UK in May last year from her war-torn home after the Russian invasion - and was settling into new life and attending the local secondary school.

The cause of her death is still 'unexplained' and forensic toxicology reports from a post mortem are expected to provide more information later this week.

But tributes continue to pour in for Albina - with those who knew her expressing their shock at her death.

Albina Yevko, 14, had been living in Dawlish after fleeing Ukraine following Russia's invasion

Inna Yevko with her daughter Albina as a child in Ukraine. She has spoken of her heartbreak

The teenager, who attended a local school, was found on Dawlish beach (pictured yesterday)

Olena Kravchenko, 39, a married accountant from Kharkiv, also came to the UK in May with her daughter, Vasilisa, seven, and had grown close to the family.

She said: 'I didn't believe it when I heard she had died. I thought this is not about her. I thought it was about another person, or a pet - a cat, hamster or fish. I couldn't believe it.

'Nobody thought it would be that way. We came abroad to find a safe place, so nobody could imagine that this could happen.

'Albina was lovely girl. She was calm, she was smart. I can't say she was very communicative. As with all kids [from Ukraine] she was with some stress and some not understanding how it will be one year later.

'She was normal teenager - calm, kind, smart. She was a very good girl.'

Ms Kravchenko said she met Albina's mother Inna at a local church in Dawlish shortly after arriving in the UK last year and had been supporting her.

She added: 'For any kid, it's difficult to adjust. Our kids could learn English a little bit, but they can't speak good. This isn't a second language for them. They can known only a few phrases and it's difficult to make friendships.

'I don't think she was struggling with something. She didn't speak about struggling. Her mum, she never said about any problems in school. She didn't speak about this. I can only assume she didn't have any problems.'

Ms Kravchenko, whose husband and brother are in Ukraine fighting, said Inna was from an area called Kryvyi Rih.

Police in Dawlish yesterday as the circumstances of Albina's death are investigated

Police were seen in the area yesterday after the tragic death of schoolgirl Albina Yevko

Debris of an building damaged in a Russian rocket attack in Kryvyi Rih on December 16, 2022

She added: 'It was normal to meet people like this because all our lives, being displaced from Ukraine, we are on the move.

'I found out about Albina on Sunday. Us Ukrainians speak with each other, and if something bad happens, of course people will call or message. It's a close community.

'My message to Inna would be don't give up. Everything will be good one day.. For all Ukrainians.

'Albina was really nice person. She didn't offend anybody. She was nice girl. And Albina her mother, she is really brilliant person - she is a good mother, a good worker and a good friend. I can't say anything bad about either of them.

'She loved to read books, she was a normal kid. My daughter was playing with Albina and they listened to music together.

'Her daughter was the one point of her life. She is alone and she had only a daughter. It is so sad.

'It's like you lost your friend. We knew this girl. She was a normal teenager.

Police were called to reports of a teenage girl missing from Dawlish on Saturday evening

Police pictured on Monday close to the beach where Albina was found on Saturday

Ms Yevko and her daughter Albina moved to Dawlish after war with Russia broke out a year ago

'We are willing to support Inna with everything that we can and give her everything she needs.'

Paying an earlier tribute alongside the release of a photo of her daughter, Inna said: 'Myself and my family are devastated to have lost our beautiful Albina.

'Nothing can ever replace her in our hearts. 'We ask that our privacy is respected at this incredibly painful time.'

Police said they are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death after being called on the evening of March 4 to reports of a 14-year-old girl missing from the Dawlish area.

Local searches took place with support from the police helicopter and coastguard and an unconscious person was found on Dawlish Beach.

She was subsequently airlifted to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital where she later died.

Officers said they are keeping an open mind but her death was not currently being treated as suspicious.

Searches by a police helicopter and coastguard tracked down the teenager to a beach in the town and she was airlifted to the Royal Devon and Exeter hospital

Inna Yevko (R) mother of Albina Yevko, pictured with her friend Viktoriia Zviholska (L), who revealed they had come to Dawlish last May

Another close family friend Viktoriia Zviholska, 38, added: 'She was not only young, but also very bright, smart, interesting, she loved to draw.

'She was a good person. I can't believe this could happen to her. Albina always discussed with her mother what she would do and where she would go.

'They liked England. Albina rejoiced at the new school. I found good people in them. I have only good memories of our time together.'

Angela Wood, owner of Coast to Coast souvenir shop in Dawlish, said: 'I'm shocked and saddened. There are quite a few Ukrainian families here.

'As a mother it is just very sad. It's really tragic. When you think of all the trauma they have already gone through it's heartbreaking.'

Ukraine's foreign affairs ministry said it was aware of the death and that its 'embassy is cooperating with the British [police] in order to establish the circumstances'.

Dawlish College, where Albina was a pupil, said she 'would be sorely missed by all who knew her'. Headteacher Sam Banks said the school was 'devastated to learn of the tragic death'.

He added: 'Our thoughts are currently with Albina's family and loved ones and we have extended our deepest condolences and offers of support to them.

'We have set up emotional support... for staff and students. We would like to respect and echo the family's request that their privacy be respected.'
A packed room full of worried patients set to lose their villages' only GP surgery has laid bare the impact of a national scramble for appointments due to a shrinking workforce and growing population.

More than 6,000 patients will be left in limbo when the Priors Field practice in Sutton, Cambridgeshire, closes on March 31 due to a lack of doctors and the upcoming retirement of some GP partners at the surgery.

Residents in the village this week attended a meeting to hear local NHS representatives explain the impact of the changes amid a backlash over the closure, the BBC reports.

It paints a startling picture as millions of Britons are embroiled in an ongoing to battle to get appointments with their family doctor - with many stuck in lengthy phone queues or simply unable to get through at all.

Experts have blamed the crisis, which has seen patient groups describe the service as like a 'stretched elastic band ready to snap', on a rising population and shrinking workforce.

This photo showing a packed room of patients set to lose the only GP surgery in the village of Sutton, Cambridgeshire has laid bare the impact of a national scramble for appointments

Many family doctors are choosing to retire in their 50s, move abroad or leave to work in the private sector because of complaints about soaring demand, paperwork and a toxic environment.

It has left many potentially being forced into overcrowded A&Es or leaving them at risk of serious diseases being diagnosed too late.

Sutton local councillor Mark Inskip tweeted: 'A packed daytime meeting in Sutton to hear from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICS (Integrated Care System) about the loss of the GP surgery in Sutton.

'There can be no doubt about the strength of feeling and concern from local residents and patients.'

Sutton resident Carorline Zaris, 66, said the closure has left young mothers and elderly villagers in a 'hopeless' position.

She said: 'I think that some of the NHS GP surgeries will go the same way as the dentist. I'm trying to find an NHS dentist. I moved to the area two years ago and there isn't one.

'Okay, I have to pay, I can pay but what about the people who can't?'

Her comments come as figures show the number of patients to GPs in Cambrideshire has jumped by a fifth since 2016.

She added that the surgery is 'vital' for elderly residents who are unable to get on a bus, which itself only runs every two hours.

Yvette Smith, 44, added: 'Shortly after moving here we found out the GP service was closing with no notice - and with a small baby it was really a bad situation.

'I think we're in a situation that's not as bad as the people that are elderly and have got disabilities, but obviously when you've got a small child - and I don't drive - if I'm at home alone and I need to go to the doctor I don't have an option potentially locally.'

Residents say they have been left 'angry and frustrated' by the surgery's closure, with the meeting providing no relief to their worries,

Some 92 of 106 health districts in England now have more than 2,000 patients per fully qualified GP  up 80 per cent from 51 areas in 2016.

While the number of fully qualified GPs in England has overall fallen, the patient population has risen to 62million, meaning more Brits competing for fewer doctors

On average across England, there are now 2,273 patients per fully qualified GP  an increase from 1,981 in 2016. The rise means patients face longer waits for appointments, and experience a weaker bond with their doctor.

It comes as the number of registered patients at GP practices rose by 7 per cent to 62 million, while the number of fully qualified GPs fell 7 per cent to 27,375.

Health bosses have warned the crippling workforce shortages, combined with unprecedented demand for a GP following the pandemic, has created an untenable situation that threatens patient safety.

Dr Gary Howsam, chief clinical improvement officer at NHS Cambridgeshire and clinical chair of the , said: 'We know that the number of GPs across the UK is reducing and unfortunately these are the consequences," he says.

'Practices across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have been struggling for some time with recruitment.

'We are finding these small pockets where doctors are leaving and we are just unable to replace them at the moment.'

He said alternative practices have assured they will be able to cope with the increase in demand from Sutton patients.

Dr Howsam added: 'I'm always very careful if I'm using words like 'crisis' not to throw up unnecessary concerns, but I do think in certain patches were getting to the point now where people do describe it as a crisis.'

The number of areas with more than 2,000 patients per GP has almost doubled over six years

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: 'We're making sure patients get to see their GP quickly. We delivered almost four million more appointments last month, the equivalent to almost 120,000 every working day.

'We are making progress on our commitment to offer 50 million appointments a year by March 2024.

'There are more than 400 additional doctors in general practice compared to a year ago, face-to-face appointments are up by over 10% and we are on track to hit our target of 26,000 additional members of staff including pharmacists, physiotherapists, and paramedics, who are providing care directly to patients, or supporting doctors and nurses to do so.

'While there is more to do, we are focused on the government's priority to cut waiting lists so people get the care they need more quickly and improving access to dedicated healthcare professionals up and down the country.'
A death row inmate convicted of fatally stabbing his estranged wife and drowning her six-year-old daughter in a bathtub apologized and begged their family for forgiveness in his final statement before execution.

Gary Green, 51, received a lethal injection at the Texas state penitentiary in Huntsville after being sentenced for double murder in 2009, as the victims' relatives watched on.

Lovetta Armstead, 32, and her daughter, Jazzmen Montgomery, were murdered by Green at their Dallas home in the same year.

Lovetta had that day written her killer a letter saying she no longer wanted to be with him, to which Green responded with a terrifying message that he would kill her along with her three children and himself.

In the moments before his death, Green told Lovetta and Jazzmen's family who watched through a window close by: 'We ate together, we laughed and cried together as a family. I'm sorry I failed you.'

Gary Green, 51, received a lethal injection at the Texas state penitentiary in Huntsville after being sentenced for double murder in 2009

Green's sentence was carried out at the Polunsky Unit on Tuesday, where death row inmates in Texas are held.

Before he was administered with a lethal injection, a Buddhist spiritual adviser chosen by Green stood beside the death chamber gurney at the inmate's feet and said a brief prayer.

Green then apologized to Lovetta and Jazzmen's family when asked by the warden if he had a final statement, saying he had 'failed' them and pleading that they forgive him.

'I apologize for all the harm I have caused you and your family', he told them.

He said he took 'two people that we all loved, and I had to live that while I was here.'

'We were all one and I broke that bond,' he continued. 'I ask that you forgive me, not for me but for y'all.

'I'm fixing to go home and y'all are going to be here. I want to make sure you don't suffer.

'You have to forgive me and heal and move on... I'm not the man I used to be.'

Lovetta Armstead, 32, and her daughter, Jazzmen Montgomery, six, were murdered at their Dallas home in 2014

Green's attorneys did not file any appeals seeking to stop the execution.

He was not offered a final as Texas has now banned the traditional rite.

Instead of inserting the IV needles in each arm, prison technicians had to use a vein in Green's right arm and a vein on the top of his left hand.

This delayed the injection briefly for Green, who was listed on prison records as weighing 365 pounds.

As the lethal dose of the sedative pentobarbital began, Green was thanking prison administrators, chaplains and 'all the beautiful human beings at the Polunsky Unit.'

Then he took several quick breaths, which evolved into snores. After nine snores, all movement ceased. Several of the victims' relatives hugged and briefly cried.

Murderer's death bed apology to family 'I apologize for all the harm I have caused you and your family,' Green said, looking at relatives of his victims who watched through a window close by. 'We ate together, we laughed and cried together as a family. I'm sorry I failed you.' He said he took 'two people that we all loved, and I had to live that while I was here.' 'We were all one and I broke that bond. 'I ask that you forgive me, not for me but for y'all. I'm fixing to go home and y'all are going to be here. I want to make sure you don't suffer. 'You have to forgive me and heal and move on... I'm not the man I used to be.' Advertisement

He was pronounced dead 33 minutes later, at 7.07 pm local time.

Ray Montgomery, Jazzmen's father and one of the witnesses, said recently that he wasn't cheering for Green's execution but saw it as the justice system at work.

'It's justice for the way my daughter was tortured. It's justice for the way that Lovetta was murdered,' said Montgomery, 43.

He and other witnesses did not speak with reporters afterward.

In prior appeals, Green's attorneys had claimed he was intellectually disabled and had a lifelong history of psychiatric disorders.

Those appeals were rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court and lower appeals courts.

The high court has prohibited the death penalty for the intellectually disabled, but not for people with serious mental illness.

Authorities said Green committed the killings after Armstead sought to annul their marriage.

On the day of the killings, Armstead had written two letters to Green, telling him that although she loved him, she had 'to do what's best for me.'

In his own letter, which was angry and rambling, Green expressed the belief Armstead and her children were involved in a plot against him.

'You asked to see the monster so here he is the monster you made me... They will be 5 lives taken today me being the 5th,' Green wrote.

Armstead was stabbed more than two dozen times, and Green drowned Jazzmen in the home's bathtub.

Authorities said Green also intended to kill Armstead's two other children, then 9-year-old Jerrett and 12-year-old Jerome, but both boys survived.

Six-year-old Jazzmen Montgomery sits next to her father, Ray Montgomery, in 2009

Armstead had dropped the boys off at a church activity at around 5.30pm on the night of her murder, a police report shows.

Green left Armstead's home, then picked the children up around 9.30pm and brought them back to their home.

Shortly afterwards, the report reads, suspect Green grabbed nine-year-old Jerrett stabbed him once in the torso in front of his brother.

'Suspect Green then forced the two children to a rear bedroom where she showed them the deceased bodies of their mother and 6-year-old sister, and admitted to causing their deaths,' it said.

Lovetta Armstead pictured with her three children, Jazzmen, Jarrett and Jerome. The two little boys survived after one talked Green out of killing them

One of the boys then bravely persuaded Green not to kill them, saying 'we're too little to die and we won't tell anybody about it.'

The two boys then called 911 after Green was gone. Armstead and Montgomery were declared dead at the scene, while the boys were transported to Dallas Children's Hospital for treatment.

Green had planned to take his own life by taking large doses of Tylenol and Benadryl, but when his attempt failed he turned himself in to police and confessed to the murders.

Josh Healy, one of the prosecutors with the Dallas County District Attorney's Office that convicted Green, said the boys were incredibly brave.

Green, he said, 'was an evil guy. It was one of the worst cases I've ever been a part of'.

Green was one of six Texas death row inmates participating in a lawsuit seeking to stop the state's prison system from using what they allege are expired and unsafe execution drugs. Pictured: File image of 'death chamber' at the Huntsville Unit

Jazzmen's father said he still has a close relationship with Armstead's two sons. He said both lead productive lives and Jerome Armstead has a daughter who looks like Jazzmen.

'They still suffer a lot, I think,' said Montgomery, who is a special education English teacher.

Green's execution was the first of two scheduled in Texas this week. Inmate Arthur Brown Jr. is set to be executed Thursday.

Green was the eighth inmate in the US put to death this year.

He was one of six Texas death row inmates participating in a lawsuit seeking to stop the state's prison system from using what they allege are expired and unsafe execution drugs.

Despite a civil court judge in Austin preliminarily agreeing with the claims, four of the Texas inmates including Green have been executed this year.
Seafolly, one of Australia's most celebrated swimwear brands, is the subject of a boycott after hiring a bearded, non-binary activist as its new ambassador.

The iconic bikini label is known for glamorous advertising campaigns featuring some of the world's most beautiful women, such as Gigi Hadid, Shanina Shaik, Lara Worthington, Miranda Kerr and Jesinta Franklin.

But Seafolly has sparked anger in some quarters by hiring stylist Deni Todorovic as an ambassador.

Todorovic was assigned male at birth but uses they/them pronouns and identifies as non-binary and transgender.

Author and artist Alexandra Marshall said it feels like the fashion brand is 'mocking women' adding she would 'never' buy Seafolly swimsuits again.

'Bye @seafolly. Never again. Been buying swimsuits from you for many years. Never again,' she posted on Twitter.

Another said the brand 'deserves to be cancelled by real women'.

Non-binary activist Deni Todorovic (pictured) has been announced as a new ambassador for Australian swimwear brand Seafolly

Author and artist Alexandra Marshall (pictured) said it feels like the fashion brand is 'mocking women'

A third commented: 'Boycott boycott boycott @seafolly erasing women is NOT OK! Shove you're products I'm done!'

'WTF @seafolly? Shame on you for mocking women,' a fourth added.

Another declared: 'After shopping @seafolly swimwear for years - I will be looking for another company to give my business to.'

Others were angry not just at the announcement, but that it came on the eve of International Women's Day, March 8.

'Seriously who gave this the go ahead on #IWD,' one person said.

'See now they are really just taking the p***. I will never buy this brand again and throwing out the couple I have.'

'This is a joke. We support diversity and individuals' decisions, but we don't want to see women's clothing that we want to purchase on a male body...' wrote one.

'There are other ways to support pride and individuals' choices, but not this way. Sincerely, one of your long-time loyal customers.'

Another wrote: 'As a woman, this is not what I want to look like in a bikini.

'I won't be buying this product. People need to get back to reality. Stop making our world into a circus.'

Supermodel Gigi Hadid (pictured) is one of the best known former faces of Seafolly

Poll Does Seafolly's new non-binary ambassador Deni Todorovic make you want to buy their swimwear? Yes No Unsure Does Seafolly's new non-binary ambassador Deni Todorovic make you want to buy their swimwear? Yes 148 votes

No 5581 votes

Unsure 48 votes Now share your opinion





There was some support for the move, however, with one poster saying 'Did you know trans people drink the same water and breathe the same air as you?

'You might want to consider this little conundrum.'

Another said: 'As some one who hasn't shopped at Seafolly for years I'll be back now! Love seeing brands be inclusive and that is where I want my money to go.'

A third added: 'So amazing to see this, Seafolly. I love to see brands pioneering the celebration of pride and inclusion.'

While another person chimed: 'Love your style and congratulations on your achievements so far. A great role model for the non binary community.'

Todorovic's role at Seafolly was also celebrated by a host of celebrities, including former brand ambassador Jesinta Franklin.

In the campaign shoot Todorovic posed in lime green Seafolly bikini bottoms and a matching cover-up.

They gushed about making 'history' in a lengthy Instagram post over the weekend.

'This marks the first time iconic Aussie swim giants @seafollyaustralia have worked with a trans ambassador/brand partner,' Deni said.

'As (Seafolly's) chief marketing officer said in our initial meeting, 'It's the first time of many more to come.' I couldn't be more honoured!'

Todorovic added: 'We discussed authentic allyship and have had some very exciting conversations about how the brand can work with community. This is what allyship looks like.'

Australian models Jesinta Franklin and Lara Worthington have also represented the brand

Victoria's Secret model Shanina Shaik (pictured) is another supermodel who has fronted Seafolly campaigns in the past

The glamorous Miranda Kerr (pictured) was one of Seafolly's first celebrity models in 2007

Due to the negative comments, Seafolly was forced to put out a statement condemning the 'hateful language'.

'We are here to celebrate the Australian beach lifestyle and inspire one another to feel confident at the beach,' it said.

'In this community, we do not tolerate abusive, offensive, hateful language, trolling, deliberate disruption of discussion, or spam.

'Please be respectful of each other's differences and remember to always be kind.'

The 34-year-old, who was assigned male at birth but uses they/them pronouns, also identifies as transgender

Todorovic's involvement in the Seafolly campaign has sparked backlash from customers

Todorovic is also one of the national ambassadors for Bonds underwear

Todorovic has become an increasingly formidable name in Australian fashion over the last few years.

The gender-bending socialite is also a national ambassador for Bonds underwear.

In 2021, Todorovic was criticised for turning Melbourne Fashion Week into a 'pride parade' while working on the event as a stylist and curator.

While they were hired to work backstage at the event, Todorovic shocked onlookers by storming the runway with a pride flag and a T-shirt with 'they/them' on the front, which overshadowed the models in the fashion show.

The performance reportedly upset fashionistas at the time, with one guest saying their political message 'was being rammed down our throats'.

'The show was all about Deni (Todorovic). The collection, (and) the designers who worked so hard to pull it together, was an afterthought,' one attendee said.
Dozens of girls have been hospitalised after collapsing while playing with Ouija boards at a school in Colombia.

The students were rushed to hospital having lost consciousness with 'anxiety' after using the boards, known also as spirit boards, which are used to 'contact the dead'.

The school's directors and concerned teachers went with the students to hospital, where they are awaiting an update on their condition.

One mother, who worked at the hospital, urged parents to act and investigate what was happening at the school after the news broke.

Image shows one of the students who reportedly became unwell after using a Ouija board

Hugo Torres, head of the Galeras Educational Institution in Pasto, southern Colombia, said: 'There were 28 possible cases of anxiety in school students.

'Given the reported cases, a series of comments were unleashed on the community that, rather than helping to resolve the situation, led to confusion and an adverse environment for our work.

'For this reason, INEGA is allowed to report that the students were referred to the local municipal hospital according to protocols in place.

'Directors and teachers accompanied the students during the evaluation process.

'The respective parents and/or guardians were informed of the situation at the time.'

The school is waiting for the medical reports before providing an update on the incident.

Torres also pointed out that the first two hospitalised students have underlying medical conditions.

He clarified: 'The school is waiting for the medical diagnoses to provide further reliable information.

'The educational institute also respectfully asks citizens to refrain from making early judgements and diagnoses of their own.'

Many parents believe the children have been using Ouija boards in class.

One mother complained: 'I work here in a hospital kiosk and every day I see three or four children arrive after fainting.

'Parents, you have to move, investigate what's happening at school, because our children cannot continue in this situation.

'Our children always have a good breakfast and it cannot be said that what's happening is due to lack of food.'

It is unclear when the school plans to give an update on the students' medical diagnoses.

Meanwhile, the local authorities have yet to confirm whether a police investigation is underway.

Ouija boards were invented by spiritualists in the United States in 1886.

Commercial versions followed in 1890 and have remained popular ever since.

They are believed by some to be a way to communicate with the dead.

Numbers and letters are arranged on the boards, allowing a 'spirit' to spell out a message for the living by moving a sliding 'planchette' over the engravings.

The Galeras Educational Institution in Colombia where 28 students were rushed to hospital

In November 2022, 11 teenagers were found collapsed after using a Ouija board at another school in Colombia.

Five, aged between 13 and 17, were taken to hospital with vomiting, abdominal pain and muscle spasms.

It was later reported they had suffered from food poisoning.

The mayor of Hato town said: 'It is not ruled out that it was the Ouija board, that is part of the investigation.

'Others say that they consumed water from a container, others that they came from a pool and had been given something to eat.'

It was later reported all the students had been drinking water from the same glass.
A 100-year-old grandmother has been beheaded by her own grandson who used an axe to carry out the gruesome killing, police have revealed.

Retired farm worker Amalie G. was found dead in her apartment in the city of Hamburg after the attack by her 37-year-old grandson Artur B., investigators say.

Cops are yet to determine a motive for the horrifying murder but a relative told German newspaper BILD that chemical worker Artur was considered 'the black sheep of the family'. Another source said the pair had rowed about money in the past.

'But most of the time he was unemployed and he constantly lacked the money. Family members kept their distance from him,' the relative added.

Artur is said to have called police to say he had beheaded his grandmother and when cops arrived at the bloody crime scene they discovered an axe. He is now in custody.

Retired farm worker Amalie G. (right) was found dead in her apartment in the city of Hamburg after the attack by her 37-year-old grandson Artur B. (left), investigators say

Artur is said to have called police to say he had beheaded grandmother and when cops arrived at the bloody crime scene they discovered an axe. He is now in custody. Pictured: A body bag is removed from the scene

Chief Public Prosecutor Liddy Oechtering told BILD: 'According to the preliminary autopsy result, it can be assumed that a cervical cord severing caused by sharp and blunt force was the cause of death. The suspected crime is an axe found at the crime scene.'

During a reconstruction in the autopsy, coroners found that one of the blows with the axe was carried out from behind the cervical cord, an area of the spinal cord.

A judge issued an arrest warrant against Artur B. for manslaughter late on Tuesday afternoon.

Chief Public Prosecutor Oechtering said: 'The accused did not give any information to the magistrate.'

The murder investigators have not yet determined a motive for the crime.

A neighbour of the murdered centenarian told Bild: 'We actually had good contact before her death. Amalie told me that her grandson had already broken into the apartment through the balcony and wanted to steal her money.'

According to information obtained by BILD, he also knew that his grandmother had saved up a small fortune.

Neighbours told the newspaper that arguments between the two were sometimes loud enough to be overheard.

The neighbour said: 'The grandson regularly came to his grandmother's apartment and looked after her. But there were arguments anyway.'

Relatives of Artur B. and Amalie G. said it is possible that a dispute over money escalated the situation on the night of the killing.

When asked by BILD, the public prosecutor said that Artur B. had no criminal record.

According to information available to the Hamburger Abendblatt daily newspaper, the man was only known to the police for minor crimes and none of these were acts of violence.
The SNP leadership contest has been compared to a 'circular firing squad' after the three candidates tore lumps out of each other in last night's first TV debate.

Humza Yousaf, widely viewed as the frontrunner in the race to succeed Nicola Sturgeon, saw his ministerial record panned by rival Kate Forbes.

She accused her fellow Scottish Cabinet minister of overseeing failures across the country's transport, justice and health systems during his time as a key member of the Scottish Government.

But he hit back by suggesting Ms Forbes' election as party leader would see the SNP 'lurching to the right' following criticism of her socially conservative views.

Ash Regan, seen as the outsider in the contest to become Scotland's next first minister, took a swipe at Ms Sturgeon's record by claiming the SNP had 'lost its way'.

She claimed 'no progress' had been made on Scottish independence in recent years.

Viewers expressed astonishment at the bitter exchanges between the three SNP candidates, as they appeared to deliver a damning verdict on their own party's 15 years in power at Holyrood.

'The trains were never on time'



Kate Forbes grills Humza Yousaf on his record in government

I #STVDebate live: https://t.co/fw6Oo0d7GW pic.twitter.com/Hsz4OCz3cl  STV News (@STVNews) March 7, 2023

Humza Yousaf, Kate Forbes and Ash Regan tore lumps out of each other in last night's first TV debate

The three SNP leadership candidates appeared to deliver a damning verdict on their own party's 15 years in power at Holyrood

Eddie Barnes, campaign director of Our Scottish Future, described the hour-long live debate as a 'circular firing squad'.

Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Tories, quipped the SNP leadership hopefuls had 'fought like Nats in a sack'.

And Scottish Labour figures boasted the debate had represented a 'party election broadcast' on their behalf.

Last night's head-to-head was the first live televised debate in the SNP leadership contest and was hosted by STV at the broadcaster's headquarters in Glasgow.

The most brutal exchanges came between Mr Yousaf, Scotland's Health Secretary, and Ms Forbes, Scotland's Finance Secretary, who are considered to be the most likely replacements for Ms Sturgeon as SNP leader.

Ms Forbes attacked Mr Yousaf over his ministerial record, telling him: 'You were a transport minister and the trains were never on time.

'When you were justice secretary the police were stretched to breaking point.

'And now as health minister we've got record high waiting times  what makes you think you can do a better job as first minister?'

When asked later whether she would keep Mr Yousaf in the Scottish Cabinet if she became first minister, Ms Forbes also sniped: 'Maybe not in health.'

Mr Yousaf, the Scottish Health Secretary, was disparagingly branded the 'continuity candidate' and the 'no change candidate'

It was suggested that Ms Forbes election as party leader would see the SNP 'lurching to the right'

Ms Regan claimed the SNP had 'lost its way' and admitted there had been 'no progress' on independence in recent years

Mr Yousaf is a close ally of Ms Sturgeon and Ms Forbes took a dig at the pair when she insisted that 'more of the same' in the SNP 'is an acceptance of mediocrity'.

'It's time for change, continuity won't cut it  tonight, I offer a new start for Scotland,' she said, as she promised to lead a 'new generation'.

Ms Forbes branded Mr Yousaf the 'continuity candidate' and the 'no change candidate'.

Mr Yousaf hit back at Ms Forbes - a member of the evangelical Free Church of Scotland - by highlighting criticism of her personal views and suggested her election as leader would see the SNP 'lurching to the right'.

He claimed her opposition to Scotland's gender identity reforms - pushed through the Scottish Parliament by Ms Sturgeon last year - was 'clouding her judgement' in her decsion not to challenge Westminster's block on the legislation.

He also noted how 'many people, particularly from our LGBTQ community, say they wouldn't vote for independence' if Ms Forbes was leader, after she last month set out her personal stance on issues such as same-sex marriage.

Mr Yousaf pledged to grow support for Scottish independence 'to new heights'.

He also boasted he was the 'only candidate' ready to challenge Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's use of a Section 35 order to stop the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill from becoming law.

But Ms Forbes suggested Mr Yousaf was 'spoiling for a fight regardless of the legal advice' on the constitutional wrangle between Edinburgh and London over the Holyrood legislation.

Who are the SNP leadership candidates? Humza Yousaf The 37-year-old is the current Scottish Health Secretary and previously held the justice brief. He has faced criticism over the NHS crisis in his current role, with rising treatment times and delayed discharges. Kate Forbes The 32-year-old is the current Scottish Finance Secretary. She returned from maternity leave early to enter the SNP leadership race. Ms Forbes impressed her party when she delivered the Scottish Government's budget just hours after taking on the job in early 2020. But her social conservative views on same-sex marriage, abortion and gender reform has led to scrutiny and criticism. She is a member of the Free Church of Scotland, sometimes known as the 'Wee Frees'. Ash Regan The 48-year-old is a former community safety minister in the Scottish Government. She is best known for resigning from that role over her opposition to Nicola Sturgeon's controversial gender identity reforms. Advertisement

Ms Regan - the only leadership candidate not currently serving in the Scottish Cabinet - claimed the SNP had 'lost its way' and admitted there had been 'no progress' on independence in recent years.

She insisted that an SNP majority at each election held in future would represent a 'democratic mandate' for Scottish independence.

In a swipe at Ms Sturgeon's record as First Minister, she said: 'There's been no progress on independence in the last few years, despite the worst UK governments of all time.

'We used to grow support for independence by governing wisely, and it worked.

'At every election going forward, we will make it crystal clear that a majority of votes for the SNP will be a democratic mandate for independence.'

When all three candidates were asked if they would keep the monarchy in an independent Scotland, Ms Regan said in the 'new circumstances' after the Queen's death it might be time for the SNP to debate if retaining the monarchy was still the right policy.

Ms Forbes said there were 'bigger issues facing Scotland', while Mr Yousaf said he would 'keep the monarchy for a period of time' but added: 'I would hope an independent Scotland would be a republic in the future'.

Last month, all three of Ms Forbes, Ms Regan and Mr Yousaf were confirmed to have met the threshold to formally enter the leadership race.

About 100,000 SNP members will be able to begin voting for their preferred candidate on March 13.

Voting will then close at noon on March 27 and the result is expected later that day.

The first contested SNP leadership election in almost 20 years was triggered when Ms Sturgeon dramatically announced her intention to resign last month.

Mr Yousaf is the bookies' favourite to be chosen as Ms Sturgeon's successor as SNP leader and First Minister.

The Scottish Health Secretary received a huge boost earlier on Tuesday when Angus Robertson, the SNP's former Westminster leader, gave him his backing.

'I am in no doubt that it has to be Humza,' said Mr Robertson, the Scottish Government's Constitution Secretary.

Mr Robertson had been widely tipped to succeed Ms Sturgeon himself but later ruled out a leadership bid as he has two young children.

The decision by top SNP figures to support Mr Yousaf has led to attacks by rivals about him having the SNP's 'party machine' behind him.

Edinburgh South West MP Joanna Cherry, who is backing Ms Regan, claimed her candidate was 'making progress' and warned it would be 'very wrong to write her off'.

'It's no secret that the party machine is behind Humza and not behind Kate and Ash,' she added.

Ms Forbes had begun the leadership contest as the apparent frontrunner but her campaign soon ran into difficulty when she faced questions about her socially conservative views.

In a series of carcrash interviews, the Finance Secretary admitted she would have voted against both gay marriage and Ms Sturgeon's gender identity reforms.

Ms Forbes, a member of the Free Church of Scotland, also branded pre-marital sex 'wrong'.

Early polling of SNP members had put Ms Forbes ahead of Mr Yousaf, but she now appears to have slipped behind her rival - with Ms Regan trailing in third place.
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, March 7. Yonhap



President Yoon Suk Yeol called Wednesday for bold measures to address the country's record-low birth rate, his office said.



Yoon issued the order while receiving a briefing on the operation plans of the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy.



"Please come up with bold and sure measures for the low birth rate so that they can be felt by the people," he said, according to presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon.



The briefing was given by committee vice chair Kim Young-mi and Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong, among others.



Korea's fertility rate, or the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime, fell to an all-time low of 0.78 last year, according to Statistics Korea.



The committee plans to hold a meeting presided over by the president in the near future to discuss its response, Lee said. (Yonhap)


A father-to-be died in a motorcycle crash before meeting his unborn twins after paramedics took more than two hours to reach him because they could not read their sat nav.

Aaron Morris, 31, would have had a 95 per cent chance of surviving the collision, but he did not arrive at hospital until nearly three hours after the first 999 call was made.

Paramedics initially took 50 minutes to reach Mr Morris after the collision took place near his home in Esh Winning, County Durham, on July 1 last year.

An air ambulance was available to attend to the scene, but was never sent out despite being requested, an inquiry has found.

And when paramedics finally arrived, they then struggled with directions back to hospital as they were unable to operate the vehicle's sat nav system.

Aaron Morris (pictured with wife Samantha), 31, who was killed in a motorcycle crash while riding his bike near his home in Esh Winning, County Durham

The medics had to be directed to hospital by Mr Morris' distraught widow Samantha, who was able to get into the ambulance due to the close proximity of the collision to their home.

By the time Mr Morris arrived at hospital, it was too late save him and he was pronounced dead a short time later.

A report into his death has revealed there were a series of 'errors and system failures' by North East Ambulance Service - who should have arrived at the scene within 18 minutes.

It meant his twin sons, Aaron-Junior and Ambrose-Ayren never got to meet the father, who had been excitedly awaiting their arrival.

Wife Samantha said her life is now 'so different that he's gone.

She said: 'Ive got these two babies that have never met their dad. My past, present and future was taken away when Aaron died.

'To find his death was completely avoidable, and knowing that now I have to live with that for the rest of my life, is one of the most horrible things you can ever imagine.'

Following the crash, between Aaron's motorcycle and a car, the ambulance arrived after 49 minutes and 49 seconds.

The first 999 call was made at 12.27pm by the driver of the car involved in the crash, but it took 98 seconds for the phone to be answered because there were 10 calls waiting in the queue. Calls should be answered within five seconds.

A further five calls were made requesting urgent support for Mr Morris, including attempts by a police officer and an off-duty nurse who advised his conditions was worsening.

The report states that at 12.55pm a police officer requested an ambulance on the hurry up, to which they were informed that due to 74 outstanding emergencies, the call was still awaiting allocation.

An Air Ambulance was also requested as Aarons condition deteriorated.

Samantha Morris pictured with her twin boys Aaron-Junior John Robson Morris (left) and Ambrose-Ayren Morris (right)

But the call handler referred earlier information that the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) had already spoken to the off-duty nurse on scene ,who advised that they were currently not required.

The updated information specifically requesting the air ambulance was not documented in the call notes and was never passed to the air ambulance desk.

When an ambulance from a third party company staffed with a paramedic and an Emergency Care Assistant (ECA) arrived at the scene at 1.21pm, the crew found Mr Morris' breathing was abnormal, he had a weak pulse, and was cold and pale to touch.

They set out to the closest major trauma centre, Newcastles Royal Victoria Infirmary, but Aaron went into cardiac arrest so they redirected to University Hospital of North Durham.

However, the ECA was not familiar with the area and could not operate the sat-nav system, which meant Samantha then had to direct the crew to the hospital.

Recalling the incident, she said: 'It was absolutely horrific. Im stuck in the front of an ambulance trying to direct it to the nearest hospital when all I can hear is Aaron being given CPR and chest compressions.

'All I could hear was Aarons chest being jumped on while Im trying to direct this driver and all I wanted to do was get in the back of the ambulance to be with Aaron.

Samantha Morris has received the North East Ambulance Service report following an investigation into their response into the collision

'The last thing he said before he went into cardiac arrest was "wheres my wife at?"

'The paramedic said shes just in the front mate and then he started saying Aaron, Aaron and then he shouted trauma arrest, trauma arrest. Divert, divert.

'He must have known he was going and wanted to know where I was and I just couldnt get to him until they slightly revived him at Durham.

'I was trapped in the front of this ambulance and he was dying in the back. It kills me thinking about it. It traumatises me and to this day I still think about it every day.'

Mr Morris did not arrive at Durham Hospital until 2.14pm, almost three hours after the original 999 call, and he died from his injuries.

Learning that an air ambulance had been available the entire time, Samantha added: 'Thats one of the biggest things that gets me. I understand there weren't many ambulances available, an air ambulance was available and could have been on the scene if only they were aware that Aarons condition was deteriorating.

'They could have saved his life if updates had been fed back to the air desk and thats one of the toughest things to take from the report.'

At the time of his death, Aaron had only recently learnt he was to become a father. His boys were born in October, three months prematurely.

North East Ambulance Service chief operating officer Stephen Segasby, said: 'Firstly, I would like to offer our sincere and heartfelt condolences to Aarons loved ones. This was a tragic event.

'When concerns were raised with us about Aarons treatment we reported these as a serious incident and began an internal investigation into what had happened. We have now shared the outcome of the serious incident review with Aarons family.

'There were a number of organisations involved in this case and we unreservedly apologise for not providing the response from our service that Aaron should have received. There are a number of actions arising from the review of this incident that we are committed to taking forward to improve the coordination of our response.

'We will of course now cooperate fully with the coroner to provide all the information required to make their independent judgement and for that reason it would not be appropriate for us to comment further on the detail of this case until that process is concluded.'
A council member has come under fire after she posted a meme with a Nazi swastika with officials scrambling together to condemn the image.

Councillor Severina Burner from the City of Salisbury in Adelaide's north put the image up on her social media on Sunday.

The picture shows a boy imitating the Nazi symbol with his hands outstretched and legs bent with a caption from Cr Burner saying: 'We are not alone. Personal views'.

The meme caption read: 'Me when I'm asked to apologise for being right', with the word 'white' being covered over with 'right'.

The post prompted Salisbury council members to meet and condemn Cr Burner's post on Wednesday night, the Adelaide Advertiser reported.

The image posted to social media on Sunday shows a man imitating the Nazi symbol with a caption from Councillor Severina Burner saying, 'We are not alone. Personal views' (pictured)

Cr Burner (pictured) and fellow Salisbury member Grace Bawden were not at the meeting

Councillors were asked to pass a motion that 'strongly denounces' the post for its 'disturbing' references to the Nazi regime, fascism and white supremacy.

The motion also prompted members to express the council's dismay and how the image would affect communities in the northern suburbs who have connections to victims of the Nazi persecution during World War II.

Leading councillors said the motion was passed unanimously.

Cr Burner and fellow Salisbury member Grace Bawden were not at the meeting.

'We are united in not tolerating this behaviour,' Mayor Gillian Aldridge said at the meeting.

Adelaide Holocaust Museum chair Greg Adams said elected officials need to be held to the highest standards.

The Advertiser said Cr Burner told a reporter to 'get f*****', after the news outlet contacted her.

Cr Burner was contacted for comment by Daily Mail Australia.
Rishi Sunak unloaded on Keir Starmer over the Channel boats crisis today accusing the Labour leader of being 'just another Lefty lawyer standing in our way'.

In brutal clashes at PMQs, the premier raged that Sir Keir is 'in hock to open border activists' and accused him of branding all immigration law 'racist'.

Mr Sunak said Sir Keir had been 'on the wrong side of this issue his entire career', challenging him to support the new legislation banning Channel arrivals from claiming asylum. 'It will be the Conservatives who stop the boats,' he swiped, tagging Labour as the 'party of free movement'.

But a clearly furious Sir Keir shot back that the PM was talking nonsense', saying he was deluded to think the new proposals could work.

The sharp exchanges came as ministers sounded defiance on the government's new plans, despite the UN condemned them as against international law.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman insisted that drastic action is needed to tackle the crisis and the 'simple truth is that we cannot accept everybody who wants to come'.

Despite a welter of criticism from human rights bodies, with the UNHCR branding the new policy a 'clear breach' of the refugee convention, Ms Braverman said the measures had been approved by an 'army of lawyers' in government.

'We very strongly view our proposals as lawful,' she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

In brutal clashes at PMQs, Rishi Sunak raged that Keir Starmer is 'in hock to open border activists'

A clearly furious Sir Keir shot back that the PM was talking nonsense', saying he was deluded to think the new proposals could work

A group being brought ashore in Dover after crossing the Channel earlier this week

Suella Braverman sounded defiance today as the UN condemned plans to block Channel migrants from claiming asylum in the UK

On a round of interviews this morning, Ms Braverman argued that preventing people who make the dangerous journey from skipping the queue for settlement in the UK would act as a deterrent - cautioning that unless the plan works numbers could hit 80,000 this year.

However, Ms Braverman repeatedly dodged on when the first migrants might be deported under the latest legislation, or how much the scheme would cost.

The government is braced for a struggle in domestic and international courts over the proposals.

The UNHCR's representative to the UK, Vicky Tennant, pointed to the rules in the 1951 convention on refugees.

Keir Starmer's objection to racist immigration laws Rishi Sunak attacked Keir Starmer over a book review he wrote for a 1988 edition of Socialist Lawyer Magazine. The article concerned Immigration Law and Practice, an academic tome, and was unearthed by the Guido Fawkes site in 2020. In the review, Sir Keir claimed there was a 'racist undercurrent' which 'permeates all immigration law' - arguing that was the case whether it was implemented by Labour or the Tories. He remarked that the book had left him 'smouldering' with anger, adding: 'It is not a question of numbers, it's a question of racism.' Sir Keir had only been a barrister for a year at the time, and was a legal officer for the campaign group Liberty. Advertisement

'We're very concerned. This is effectively closing off access to asylum in the UK for people arriving irregularly,' she told BBC's Newsnight.

'We believe it's a clear breach of the Refugee Convention, and remember even people with very compelling claims will simply not have the opportunity to put these forward.'

Downing Street said: 'Obviously we disagree. We recognise these are new approaches but we think they meet our international obligations.

'We stand ready to defend them in court.'

In a round of intervews this morning, Ms Braverman said the policy would have a deterrent effect and the number of crossings would 'fall dramatically'.

'We will see, based on other countries' experiences, that once we're able to relocate people who've come here illegally from the United Kingdom to another safe country, like Rwanda, or back to their own home country, then, actually, the numbers of people making the journey in the first place will fall dramatically,' she said.

Asked how the Government was going to build the detention spaces necessary to house the tens of thousands of people crossing the channel, the Home Secretary told the BBC: 'We don't need to build 50,000 new detention places.

'We are going to increase our detention capacity, that's absolutely certain.'

Ms Braverman also stood by her claim yesterday that 'there are 100million people around the world who could qualify for protection under our current laws' and 'they are coming here'.

She said this morning: 'I see my role as being honest  I'm not going to shy away from displaying the enormity of the problem that we are facing.

'The UN itself has confirmed there are over 100million people who are displaced globally, because of all sorts of factors like conflict or persecution  and these are many people who would like to come to the United Kingdom.

'The simple truth is that we cannot accept everybody who wants to come to the United Kingdom.'

Ms Braverman admitted to MPs yesterday that there is a 'more (than) 50 per cent chance' the legislation may not be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Announcing the plans in the Commons, Ms Braverman said asylum seekers arriving illegally will be detained without bail or judicial review for 28 days before being 'swiftly removed' to their home country or a 'safe third country' such as Rwanda.

They face a lifetime ban on returning once deported and will never be allowed to settle in the country or gain citizenship.

The Bill's feasibility has been questioned as plans such as forcibly removing asylum seekers to Rwanda are mired in legal challenges.

The number of asylum applications spiked last year to 74,751, relating to 89,398 individuals - the highest since 2002

The number of arrivals in small boats peaked at nearly 9,000 a month in the summer

Home Office figures lay bare how the number of illegal immigration attempts detected have risen - dominated by Channel boats arrivals

But Conservative MP Richard Graham expressed optimism over the courts' rulings on UK refugee policy, telling BBC Newsnight 'there are interesting indications that actually in Strasbourg our case is being listened to'.

Mr Sunak told a Downing Street press conference that migrants arriving in the UK illegally will be removed 'within weeks' and that the Bill will apply 'retrospectively' if passed.

The UN's refugee agency, the UNHCR, said it was 'profoundly concerned' by the Bill and that, if passed, it will amount to an 'asylum ban'.

Critics also included BBC presenter Gary Lineker, who faced censure from the broadcaster after writing on Twitter: 'This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s.'

In an email to Tory members, the Home Secretary claimed that previous attempts to end Channel crossings without resorting to changing the law had been blocked by 'an activist blob of left-wing lawyers, civil servants and the Labour Party'.

Mr Sunak will meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday to discuss further co-operation that will be required to reduce boat crossings.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have begun to use the titles prince and princess for their children Archie and Lilibet.

Harry and Meghan's youngsters became a prince and princess when the King acceded to the throne, but have remained a plain 'master' and 'miss' on the Buckingham Palace website for the past six months.

The Palace confirmed the site's line of succession list will now be updated to reflect the change after a spokesman for the Sussexes publicly referred to Lili as a princess for the first time today when announcing news of her christening.

Here, MailOnline looks at some of the key questions surrounding the news:

What is Lilibet's full name?

Lilibet, known as 'Lili' for short, was named as 'Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor' on her birth certificate in California.

Buckingham Palace currently refers to her on the royal website as 'Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor'.

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, after celebrating her first birthday in June last year

What do Harry and Meghan call Lilibet?

Lili was described as 'Princess Lilibet Diana' in a statement from a spokesman for the couple today, which confirmed her christening last Friday.

It marked the first time that Lili has been publicly referred to as princess.

While it is understood the title will be used in formal settings, it will not be in everyday conversational use by the couple.

So she will likely still be known as 'Lilibet' in most scenarios.

Can Lilibet choose her title when she is older?

Harry and Meghan are understood to be keen to not deny their children their birthright, but to allow them the chance to decide for themselves when older whether to drop or keep using the titles.

So it will be up to Lilibet whether she wants to describe herself as a princess.

So is Lilibet officially a princess?

Yes, Harry and Meghan's children Archie and Lilibet became prince and princess respectively when King Charles acceded to the throne last September.

However it is only now that the couple have chosen to use the title.

Why can she be a princess?

Rules set out by King George V in 1917 mean Archie and Lili, as the children of a son of a sovereign, are automatically a prince and a princess.

The first picture of Lilibet was released in a Christmas card on December 23, 2021

What has Buckingham Palace said?

Buckingham Palace has said the royal website 'will now be updated in due course' to reflect the titles  making Lilibet a princess.

Previously, at the time of the late Queen's death and the King's accession last year, a spokesman for the King pledged to update Archie and Lilibet's names on the site 'as and when we get information'.

What have the couple previously said on the issue?

Meghan said in the couple's bombshell interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey in 2021 that Archie was not given the title of prince because of his race.

However, when he was born seventh in line to the throne in May 2019, he was too far down the line of succession.

Although he was a great-grandchild of the monarch, he was not a first-born son of a future king, so was not automatically a prince.

Does Lilibet have the HRH title?

Lilibet also now has an HRH  Her Royal Highness  style title if she wishes to use it.

But it also understood that HRH will be 'held in abeyance', which describes a state of temporary disuse.

'Lili' was christened by the Bishop of Los Angeles, the Reverend John Taylor

Who christened Lilibet?

The couple's statement said Lilibet was 'christened on Friday, March 3 by the Archbishop of Los Angeles, the Rev John Taylor'.

But Reverend Taylor is actually the Bishop of Los Angeles in the Episcopal Church in the US, which is part of the global Anglican Communion.

The Archbishop of Los Angeles is the Most Reverend Jose H. Gomez, who leads the US's largest Catholic community.

Does this mean Lilibet can never join the Church of England?

Conducting the ceremony in the US means that Lilibet will not be considered a 'member' of the Church of England automatically.

But she could later join a Church of England congregation if she came to Britain.

Does Lilibet need to be christened in a Church of England ceremony in future?

No. Because the Episcopal Church is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion, the christening in the US is valid in the UK.

A royal baby does also not need to be christened in a Church of England church to go into the royal line of succession.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their son Archie, and (left to right) the Queen Consort, the King, Ms Doria Ragland, Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and the Prince and Princess of Wales at Windsor Castle after his christening in July 2019

Is Meghan part of the Church of England?

Meghan attended a Catholic high school in the US, but was baptised and confirmed into the Church of England in a private ceremony conducted by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby before her wedding in 2018.

The intimate 45-minute service was held at the Chapel Royal.

Where and when did Lilibet's christening happen?

The christening took place privately at the Sussexes' home in Montecito, California, last Friday, March 3.

Are christenings allowed outside of church buildings?

Baptisms and christenings normally take place in churches, although there is no absolute requirement for them to be held there.

The Book of Common Prayer, which is used by the Church of England and the Episcopal Church, states under the heading 'private baptism of infants' that: 'The Minister of every parish shall warn the people that without great cause and necessity they procure not their children to be baptized at home in their houses. But when need shall compel them so to do, then Baptism shall be administered on this fashion.'

In the UK, the Church of England states that 'unless there are very exceptional circumstances, a christening must always take place in a church, so it's usually not possible to have a christening at home, in a function room or outdoors'.

Is Lilibet the only Episcopalian in the Royal Family?

It is not believed that any other current members of the Royal Family have been baptised by the Episcopal Church.

Meghan was a Catholic growing up - before being baptised and confirmed into the Church of England in 2018.

The couple broke with a longstanding tradition by holding the baptism in the US, with royal babies normally christened in a Church of England church.

Who attended Lilibet's christening?

People magazine reported that there were between 20 and 30 guests at the event, including Meghan's mother Doria Ragland and Lilibet's godfather Tyler Perry.

Royal journalist Omid Scobie, who is close to the Sussexes, reported that 'King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Princess Kate were invited but didn't attend'.

It is not known whether any other Royal Family members were present.

Where was Archie christened?

Lilibet's brother, Archie, was christened by the Archbishop of Canterbury at St George's Chapel, Windsor, in July 2019.

What is a christening?

A christening is defined by the Collins dictionary as a 'Christian ceremony in which a baby is made a member of the Christian Church and is officially given his or her name'.

The Episcopal Church describes a christening as being, for parents, 'a commitment to your faith on behalf of your child'.
One of the two planes sank 21 feet to the bottom of the lake

Four people were killed when two small planes collided above a lake in Florida on Tuesday afternoon.

The fixed-wing Piper Cherokee, operated by a training school for Polk State College, was carrying instructor Faith Irene Baker, 24, and student, Zachary Jean Mace, 19.

The other aircraft, a Piper J-3 Cub seaplane, was carrying Randall Elbert Crawford, 67, of Pennsylvania and a second person whose identity has not yet been released.

The aircraft collided at about 2pm Tuesday over Lake Hartridge, between Orlando and Tampa, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said - next to Winter Haven Regional Airport.

Four people were killed when a seaplane collided with a fixed-wing plane above a lake in Florida on Wednesday afternoon. Pictured is the seaplane partially visible at the surface

Instructor Faith Irene Baker, 24, (pictured in the center) was flying in the Piper Cherokee

Faith was flying with 19-year-old Polk State College student, Zachary Jean Mace (pictured), 19

It is not clear how the accident happened but on impact both planes crashed into the water.

The seaplane remained partially visible at the surface while the other sank 21 feet to the bottom of the lake.

The four people killed were the only occupants of the two planes.

'All of a sudden it was a giant boom,' Caridad Fernandez, who lives along the lake, told WESH-TV. 'It literally sounded like when a rocket takes off and hits the atmosphere.'

Fernandez said she and many of her neighbors, about 40 miles southwest of Orlando, ran outside after hearing the collision.

'We pretty much saw everything hit the water,' she said.

'It was just helicopter after helicopter after police siren. Everyone just kind of came in,' she added.

Rescue workers attended the scene and a dive team was sent to examine the submerged plane. Four bodies were pulled from the planes, the sheriff said.

Baker was a pilot and flight instructor with Sunrise Aviation, which offers flight training to students of Florida State College in Jacksonville and Polk State University in Lakeland.

Mace was a student at Polk State College and both were from Winter Haven.

The Piper J-3 Cub (pictured) carrying Randall Elbert Crawford, 67, of Pennsylvania remained floating on the lake's surface

The two planes collided at about 2pm on Tuesday over Lake Hartridge, between Orlando and Tampa, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said

'Our Polk State College family is devastated by this tragedy,' Polk State President Angela Garcia Falconetti said. 'We extend our deepest condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues.'

Crawford of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and another person were aboard the seaplane.

The name of the second person was not released as next of kin had not been contacted, Judd said.

That plane was operated by Jack Brown's Seaplane Base on Lake Jessie, which is adjacent to Lake Hartridge.

Mace's former school, Summerlin Academy, celebrated his life on Wednesday afternoon.

'Zach was always intensely focused on pursuing a career in aviation and completed his first solo flight and was already a licensed pilot before graduation,' said Cynthia Wright Downing, principal of the school.

'He was a respectful young man mature beyond his years. As a leader on our campus, he would take charge and get any task accomplished. He was funny, caring, and compassionate,' she added.

A nearby church, the People's Church, released a statement on Wednesday morning paying tribute to Baker.

'We mourn with all of the families involved but one of the victims of the crash was our own Faith Baker. Faith was a lover of Jesus, an invaluable member of our worship team, & a sweet, sweet young lady' it read.

'Please pray for her husband, Johnathan & her parents as they navigate through this difficult time.'

Polk County Sheriff's Department said on Tuesday evening it was no longer leading a search and rescue operation but instead a recovery operation

Fernandez described how the crash shocked the community.

'There's kids on our lake, there's people who jet ski on our lake,' Fernandez said.

'That's the lake I grew up on. That's something where we would go tubing and everything else and now it's kind of terrifying.'

The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA will investigate what caused the collision.

'Please keep the families in your prayers during this difficult and stressful time,' Judd said.
The Washington DC Police Chief has slammed lenient law enforcement tactics for allowing the nation's capital to be plagued by violent criminals.

Robert Contee revealed that the average homicide suspect has a shocking eleven prior arrests before they commit a murder.

'What we've got to do, if we really want to see homicides go down, is keep bad guys with guns in jail,' he said.

'When they're in jail, they can't be in communities shooting people.'

Contee made the declaration while speaking alongside DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, after a reporter asked him how cops plan to stamp out a recent crime wave sweeping the nation's capital.

DC Police Chief Robert Contee, pictured, insisted the solution to preventing crime is to 'keep violent people in jail'

The nation's capital has seen a sharp rise in violent crimes this year, including a 300 percent rise in arson and 34 percent rise in homicides. Pictured: Washington Metropolitan Police investigate near the Supreme Court and Capitol, October 19, 2022

Contee's comments come amid a spate of violent offenses being perpetrated across the US in recent months by criminals with lengthy rap sheets.

Faced with questions over why violent thugs are running rampant on the nation's streets, the police chief had a straightforward solution.

'We need to keep violent people in jail,' he said.

'When people talk about what we're gonna do different, or what we should do different, what we need to do different, that's the thing that we need to do different.'

The nation's capital has become a crime hotspot in recent months, with official statistics showing a 34 percent rise in homicide rates since last year.

Cases of arson have skyrocketed a shocking 300 percent this year, sex abuse crimes are up 120 percent, and motor vehicle theft is up 110 percent.

Last month, DC's failure to crack down on repeat offenders was on full display after Congresswoman Angie Craig was attacked in her apartment building.

The Minesota Democrat was assaulted by serial criminal Kendrick Hamlin, who was free despite a criminal record that included 13 prior assaults.

'I got attacked by someone who the District of Columbia has not prosecuted fully over the course of almost a decade, over the course of 12 assaults before mine that morning,' Craig said at the time.

'I mean, it wasnt even in every instance that he got 10 days or 30 days. Many times, the charges were completely dropped before any justice was achieved at all.'

Rep. Angie Craig was attacked last month by a serial offender who was free on the streets

Police snared Kendrick Hamlin (pictured), a homeless man accused of assaulting Rep. Angie Craig, after he targeted her in her apartment building. He had 13 prior assaults to his name

In one of the latest crimes to hit the capital, last month, two bystanders were shot, and one died, when gunmen opened fire in Washington DC

Contee's statement alongside Mayor Bowser came as the duo took a victory lap following the removal of a DC City Council bill to soften penalties on violent crime.

The legislation would have changed the criminal code to reduce penalties for crimes including burglaries, robberies, and carjackings.

But before it was sent to the Senate, where it was widely expected to be rejected, the city council announced it was withdrawing the bill.

Mayor Bowser had previously vetoed the legislation in January, with one of the major sticking points being the removal of minimum sentences for most crimes.

The unpopular bill caused a political headache for President Biden after he backed a GOP proposal to block the criminal code changes just weeks after condemning it.

Under mounting pressure, the legislation was officially withdrawn this week, following its initial blocking in the House.

Subway shooter Frank James had an extensive rap sheet in New York and New Jersey

The U-turn occurred amid increased awareness over violent crime on the east coast, with two people shot in DC just days before the council's decision.

Law enforcement are still investigating the shooting, which erupted in northwest DC as a woman was peacefully walking down the street.

A 29-year-old man was shot in the stomach during the incident and later died in hospital, while the female bystander was shot in the leg as numerous rounds of gunfire peppered the sidewalk.

'I do believe with a good degree of surety that the young lady walking down 14th Street was very likely not an intended target and was an unfortunate bystander who was struck by gunfire,' said Third District Cmdr. James Boteler.

And last year, it emerged that infamous subway shooter Frank James had an extensive criminal history prior to opening fire on a packed Brookyln train.

He was arrested in April in the days following the horrific shooting, leading to him being charged with carrying out a terrorist attacked on mass transit.

After wounding at least ten people in the horror shooting, a desperate manhunt was launched across the Big Apple which came to a close after he was recognized by a civilian.

James' rap sheet stretched back three decades, and included arrests for possession of burglary tools, criminal sex act, larceny, and criminal tampering.

The failure of law enforcement to remove him from the streets prior to his mass shooting raised questions over the leniency of penalties for criminals with numerous prior arrests.

NYC subway shooter Frank James had a criminal record that stretched back three decades, but was free on the streets prior to opening fire on a packed Brooklyn train

Contee's call to arms for law enforcement to up their game was cemented by a recent push by neighboring New York, which has seen a significant decline in subway crime after a crackdown by Mayor Eric Adams.

The New York Police Department announced on Tuesday that subway crime is down 21.5 percent from the same time last year, after Adams ordered more cops to patrol the underground transit system.

In just the first nine weeks of 2023, authorities say, cops doled out nearly 10,000 more summonses than at the start of the last year.

And with the Big Apple turning a corner, citizens are enjoying the lowest level of subway crime in decades thanks to increased police presence and stronger penalties for criminals.
The mother of a woman who was brutally kidnapped by the 'Gulf Cartel' while traveling to Mexico for a budget tummy tuck has said that her daughter watched her friend and cousin murdered.

Latavia 'Tay' McGee, Eric Williams, Zindell Brown and Shaeed Woodard were kidnapped when they got caught in crossfire between two gangs in the Mexico border city, Matamoros, on Friday.

McGee and Williams survived the harrowing ordeal. Brown who had previously shown reluctance to the trip and Woodard were both killed - all four were found in a dingy stash house six miles from where they'd been taken.

As the two are set to be repatriated to the U.S. on Wednesday, McGee's mother, Barbara Burgess spoke to CNN and said that she was horrified to see her daughter kidnapped and wants justice.

The mother of a woman who was brutally kidnapped while traveling to Mexico for a budget tummy tuck said her daughter watched her friend and cousin murdered

A soldier stands guard outside the Forensic Medical Service morgue building awaiting the transfer of the bodies of two of the four Americans kidnapped by gunmen to the U.S. border

The Forensic Medical Service morgue building in Matamoros, Mexico where Brown and Woodard will be repatriated back to the U.S. from

How four U.S. citizen's were kidnapped 'by accident' by the 'Gulf Cartel' two returning to America in body bags Wednesday March 1 Latavia 'Tay' McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Eric Williams and Zindell Brown depart Lake City, South Carolina, in a white minivan for McGee's tummy tuck Friday March 3 9:18am: Group arrive at Matamoros a town family and friends said McGee had been to before 11:45am: Group are caught in gang crossfire and abducted by people believed to be connected to the Gulf Cartel Saturday March 4 - Monday March 6 The group were then taken to several different locations according to Mexican officials in order to create 'confusion and avoid rescue' Mexican officials saw video footage of the incident emerge, but did not know they were U.S. citizens at this time A search for the group commenced with the help of U.S. counterparts after they identified American license plates Tuesday March 7 7:30am: The group were found in a stash house near a place known as La Lagunona in the town of El Tecolote about six miles from where they had been abducted Officials identified that two of the Americans from the group, Brown and Woodard were deceased, McGee and Williams survived the ordeal The two surviving Americans were taken to the border near Brownsville, Texas for medical treatment The two deceased Americans were taken to a Forensic Medical Service morgue in Matamoros Wednesday March 8 Family members of the victim's speak out about the harrowing kidnapping Brown and Woodard's bodies are prepared to be repatriated back to the U.S. Advertisement

'She was doing ok I talked to her last night,' Burgess explained after speaking to her daughter for the first time since the abduction.

'They were driving through and a van came up and hit them. That van just started shooting at the car, shooting inside the van or whatever.

'[Latavia] said the others started running and they got shot at the same time - Shaheed and Zindell - they all got shot at the same time and she watched them die.'

Burgess said watching her daughter 'thrown into the truck like trash' in video footage which emerged from the ordeal was heartbreaking.

'When I saw them throw my daughter up on that truck - they like - threw them up like trash on that truck and I didn't like it and I wanted to get to her,' she said.

When rescued - McGee was seen barefoot and covered in dirt - the trauma of the incident evident on her face.

She survived the ordeal with Williams who was shot in the left leg, according to Mexican officials, the others did not survive.

Burgess said that she was like a mother to Woodard and 'would do anything for him.'

'His mother had passed away when he was like 15 and I've had him ever since,' she said to the broadcaster.

'Latavia was in the house too, so she saw him as a brother, but he's her cousin and my son. I miss him, I love him and there's nothing I wouldn't do for him.'

McGee's daughter said few words to the broadcaster and was equally shocked by the kidnapping.

'I was just thinking why did they get kidnapped,' she said.

The four had traveled to Mexico so McGee could undergo the cosmetic medical procedure when they were caught in crossfire between two gangs on March 3.

Mexican officials said they believe the incident could have been a case of 'mistaken identity' and could be connected to the notorious 'Gulf Cartel' who are prominent in the region.

Burgess told ABC 15 on Tuesday evening that she had spoken to her daughter, who was in shock but unharmed.

'She's alive. I talked to her. The nurse at the hospital called and let me talk to her,' said Burgess.

'She was crying. I asked her how she was doing. She doing okay.

'She was crying because her brother got killed and she watched him die. She watched two of them die. They died in front of her.'

Family members of Brown revealed that he had been reluctant to travel south of the border.

Lativa 'Tay' McGee was found uninjured after she, her cousin and two friends were kidnapped. The mother-of-five was seen without shoes after surviving the tragic incident along with friend Eric Williams who was shot in the left leg

McGee (pictured) was seen in the back of an ambulance before being transported to Texas after the brutal kidnapping that officials believe was a case of 'mistaken identity'

McGee was seen wiping her eyes with a tissue as Williams - who was shot in the left leg, but also survived the ordeal - was treated in the back of the emergency vehicle

Eric Williams' wife Michelle said she cried 'tears of joy' when she learned he was alive

'Zindell kept saying, 'We shouldn't go down,' Brown's sister Zalandria said in a phone interview with AP.

Zalandria, who lives in Florence, SC, said his death has been 'like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from.'

'To see a member of your family thrown in the back of a truck and dragged, it is just unbelievable,' she added.

At least one person has been arrested in connection with the incident and the surviving Americans were taken to the border near Brownsville, Texas, in a convoy of Mexican ambulances and SUVs on Tuesday.

They were then delivered to U.S. consulate officials.

Williams, who survived with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds to his legs, had not told his wife Michelle that he'd been traveling outside of the country.

'I didn't know that he was traveling to Mexico,' she told WBTW. 'I just knew he was going somewhere to help two friends.'

She said she had not heard from him since Friday, explaining how he texted her in the morning 'and I texted him back immediately.

'He didn't respond,' Michelle revealed. 'He didn't respond to our son either, so I'm going to assume that's when they were ambushed.'

24-year-old Jose 'N' was arrested in connection with the incident Mexican officials say he was in charge of monitoring the victims

McGee was uninjured but Williams had been shot in the left leg - the injury was non-life-threatening

Shaeed Woodard (left) and Zindell Brown (right) did not survive the kidnapping

The group were found in a stash house (pictured) in the rural town of El Tecolote, six and half miles from Matamoros

She added: 'I highly doubt they thought this could have happened to them.'

In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon the Governor of Tamaulipas, Americo Villarreal Anaya, who broke news of the two surviving Americans at a separate press conference in the morning, confirmed the identity of the person arrested.

'24-year-old Jose 'N' was arrested. He was in charge of monitoring the victims,' he said, noting the victims 'were found in a house near a place known as La Lagunona in the town of El Tecolote in Matamoros.

'During the three days after the criminal act, the four people were transferred to various places, including a clinic in order to create confusion and avoid rescue work,' he said.

Officials in Mexico would not confirm whether the person detained in relation to the kidnapping is related to the criminal organization 'Gulf Cartel,' which is known to operate in the region.

Mexican officials said that the group arrived in Matamoros at 9:18am and were caught up in the terrifying ambush, hours after arriving in town, at 11:45am.

Tamaulipas State Attorney General Irving Barrios said that information related to the kidnapping surfaced online and that videos and pictures shared by people helped in the rescue.

At the time authorities didn't know that the victims were Americans, he added.

Once officials had identified U.S. license plates on the minivan the group had been traveling in, Mexican authorities reached out to their U.S. counterparts.

Mexican authorities said they were able to scan public surveillance cameras in the area to determine 'the number of cartel vehicles that were involved in the attack.'

Forensic technicians were seen working at the scene where authorities found the bodies of two of four Americans kidnapped by gunmen

Military personnel kept watch at the scene where authorities found the bodies

These are the current travel advisories for Mexico from the US government. Only two states - Yucatan and Campeche - are completely free of advisories

He said that they scanned medical facilities in Matamoros in hopes of finding the kidnapping victims earlier but to no avail.

Defense Secretary General Louis Sandoval was asked about kidnappings on both sides of the border, especially in the U.S. where victims are then taken into Mexico to seek ransom.

'Tamaulipas has been a state where violence, the presence of groups has been important,' he said.

'It should be noted during the current administration a security strategy was established and very specific objectives were set for Tamaulipas, for the border, to take care of the border.

'The security strategy that was implemented has given very good results, I don't have the stats here right now, but the number of intentional homicides has dropped in Tamaulipas thanks to this strategy.

'The participation of the army, the strategy of the air force has been important.'

Governor Americo Villarreal said that there has been close attention on the incident and medical support was provided to surviving victims while the Mexican president vowed those responsible will be 'punished.'

'Those responsible are going to be found, they are going to be punished,' President Lopez Obrador said.

The Tamaulipas State Attorney General's Office said that the four American citizens were found at about 7:30am Tuesday, four days after going missing.

In the lead up to the rescue, Mexican newspaper Milenio cites law enforcement officials were investigating whether the group was kidnapped by members of the 'Gulf Cartel,' a notoriously violent gang run by a feared leader known as La Kena.

FBI units escort two Brownsville Fire Department EMS Ambulances through Veterans International Bridge at Los Tomates with the two surviving U.S. citizens who were kidnapped on March 3

Pictures from the moment of their capture have started to circulate online showing the group at the back of a vehicle

Former Attorney General Bill Barr said the US authorities should treat the gangs the same way they do ISIS when negotiating for Americans' release.

'They are terrorists,' he said during an appearance on Fox News last night.

'The Mexican government is being held hostage by tens of thousands of paramilitary members of terrorist organizations that effectively control Mexico.'

And as spring breakers pack their bikinis and sunglasses to hit the beach in Mexico, the US government has urged citizens to avoid cartel hotspots amid a spike in violence.

'It's pretty close at this stage to a failed narco-state,' he said.

La Kena or Ciclon 19, the leader of the Gulf Cartel

'They can use violence and oceans of cash to corrupt the government. The government has no will, and it doesn't have the ability to deal with the cartels.'

Republican representatives Dan Crenshaw, of Texas, and Michael Waltz, of Florida, recently introduced a bill that would give Biden 'authority to use the U.S. military against these cartels in Mexico.'

In response, Ricardo Monreal tweeted the following yesterday: 'My response to the representative from Texas @DanCrenshawTX is direct and clear: I reject all foreign interference in the internal affairs of Mexico, and also the claim to apply United States laws in our country. It's called 'Sovereignty.' Even if Crenshaw doesn't get it.'

Le Kena leads the Gulf Cartel and is also known as Ciclon 19. His real name is Alberto Garcia Vilano.

Mexican authorities have been hunting him for months and are offering a reward of 2.5million pesos for any information that could lead to his arrest.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday during a news briefing that the Biden administration had been 'closely following the assault and kidnapping of four U.S. citizens.'

'These sorts of attacks are unacceptable,' she said, adding that U.S. law enforcement was in touch with Mexican authorities, as were the departments of State and Homeland Security.

The Governor of Tamaulipas, Americo Villarreal Anaya, confirmed the condition of four kidnapped Americans over a phone call during President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's press conference on Tuesday. Two are dead, two alive - one wounded

Mexican authorities are seen here investigating the white SUV McGee and her friends drove to the country in

The FBI and Mexican law enforcement are investigating, with the bureau asking the public for information leading to arrests.

The State Department has a 'Do Not Travel' warning in place for Tamaulipas state due to 'crime and kidnapping.'

It said organized crime activity, including gun battles, armed robberies and kidnappings, are common along the border and in Ciudad Victoria.

'Criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments,' the warning states.
The defense team for cult mom Lori Vallow is asking the judge to drop the death penalty against her citing the 'troubling thought' of executing a mentally ill person - even though she was deemed fit to stand trial.

As Vallow's highly anticipated trial quickly approaches in less than a month, a motion was filed on March 5 that says Judge Steven W. Boyce should dismiss the death penalty for the woman accused of killing her two children, Local8News reported.

The motion gave several reasons, such as media saturation of the case, multiple discovery violations by the government, a shortage of chemicals needed to kill people on death row in Idaho, and the idea of the 'government wanting to kill a mentally ill person is a troubling thought.'

This comes just days after Judge Boyce ruled that the trials of Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell would be severed. Daybell's trial will be scheduled for a later date. Vallow's trial is still set for April 3.

Lori Vallow, who is preparing to stand trial on April 3 for the murders of her children, is asking to drop the death penalty citing the 'troubling thought' of executing a mentally ill person

Vallow was seen in court smirking after the judge ruled she was deemed fit to stand trial. Now a motion points out that Vallow's mental illness is known to the court, as Vallow was found incompetent in 2021 and again in 2022

The couple faces multiple charges in the deaths of Vallow's children, seven-year-old Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, who went missing in 2019. Their bodies were found in shallow graves in Daybell's backyard.

They are also charged in connection with the October 2019 death of Daybell's late wife, Tammy. They could face the death penalty if convicted.

A motion hearing to discuses the death penalty has been scheduled for March 15.

'This is a capital murder case, and heightened scrutiny applies to the government's actions when it seeks to kill a defendant,' the motion filed this week stated.

'For these reasons, and for the reasons previously stated in motions previously heard but not ruled upon yet by this Court, the Court should dismiss the death penalty in this case.'

The motion points out that Vallow's mental illness is known to the court, as Vallow was found incompetent in 2021 and again in 2022.

But in November of 2022, the court found Vallow was fit to move ahead to trial. Her attorneys state that the prosecutors called Vallow not mentally ill, but evil.

'Even if the government's new opinion of the defendant has some believers that the defendant is just evil, we don't kill witches anymore in America,' the motion says, calling a potential execution 'a troubling thought.'

Vallow is still scheduled to stand trial on April 3, but Daybell's trial will be rescheduled at a later date. They have pleaded not guilty to murder, conspiracy and grand theft charges

Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, 7, left, and Tylee Ryan, 17, right, were found in the backyard of Chad Daybell's backyard in Utah

The motion also argued that there is still media saturation of this case and there is risk of tainting a jury pool.

'Nonstop articles about the case and the rehashing of the arguments at each hearing continue to expose potential jurors to prejudice and bias against the defendant,' the motion reads.

Attorneys also mention the bill introduced by the Idaho Legislature this month to reinstate the firing squad as a method of execution for death row inmates due to Idaho's lack of lethal injection chemicals.

Her attorney said that a firing squad as an alternative 'will never happen.'

'Moral decency certainly can't accept the thought of marching a blindfolded mentally-ill woman in front of a firing squad,' the motion says.

Also this week, Judge Boyce issued orders for conduct for during the trial at the two viewing locations: Madison County Courthouse and Ada County Courthouse.

The public will be allowed to attend the trial through reserved seating, and there will be overflow viewing rooms at the two locations.

Daybell previously waived his right to a speedy trial and his attorneys said they needed more time to review DNA evidence that recently came back from testing.

But Vallow had not waived her right to a swift trial and so her case must proceed as planned, Boyce said.

'I have to balance these rights of these defendants in this case,' Boyce said. 'Severance is the only option I see.'

Lori Vallow is also separately charged with conspiracy to commit murder in Arizona in connection with the July 2019 death of her previous husband, Charles Vallow

Tylee, 16, and JJ, seven, are shown with their uncle, Alex Cox, in what is believed to be the final photo of them, taken during a family trip to Yellowstone National Park in September 2019

Her kids' bodies were discovered in shallow graves on Chad Daybell's property in 2021

Both of the defendants have pleaded not guilty to murder, conspiracy and grand theft charges in connection with the deaths of Vallow's children, 7-year-old Joshua 'JJ' Vallow, and Tylee Ryan, who was last seen a few days before her 17th birthday.

They are also charged in connection with the October 2019 death of Chad Daybell's late wife, Tammy Daybell. They could face the death penalty if convicted.

'That evidence provides, at least from my perspective, an explanation potentially of where Mr. Daybell and I are going to go in this particular case,' said Prior. 'I need to have an opportunity to test that evidence.'

Prosecutors had previously pushed for the couple to be tried together, citing in part the expense of holding two trials that are each expected to take weeks. But the judge noted the prosecutors didn't give the DNA evidence - a hair found at the crime scene - to the defense attorneys in a timely matter.

Daybell's attorney, John Prior, said he needed to have his own testing done on the hair because the results could be crucial to Daybell's defense.

Prosecutors say the couple used doomsday-focused religious beliefs to further a plan to kill Vallow's two children and Daybell's previous wife as part of a plot to steal social security funds and insurance money.

Idaho law enforcement officers started investigating the couple in November 2019 after extended family members reported the children missing. During that period, police said the couple lied about the childrens whereabouts. Their bodies were found buried later on Daybell's property in rural Idaho.

The couple married just two weeks after Daybell's previous wife, Tammy Daybell, died unexpectedly. Tammy Daybell's death was initially reported as due to natural causes, but investigators had her body exhumed after growing suspicious when Daybell quickly remarried.

Vallow is also separately charged with conspiracy to commit murder in Arizona in connection with the July 2019 death of her previous husband, Charles Vallow. He was shot and killed by Vallow's brother, Alex Cox, who claimed it was self-defense.

The Arizona legal proceedings are on hold while the Idaho case is underway.
President Joe Biden's budget-busting blueprint will include a 5.2% raise for federal employees, one of the largest peacetime military budgets in recent history, and plans to save Social Security and Medicare.

What the plan doesn't include: cuts in federal spending - a demand from Republicans to bring down the $31.4 trillion federal deficit.

Instead, Biden will pay for his proposals with a series of new taxes on the wealthy and corporations.

The combo of more spending and taxes will likely make his budget dead on arrival when it reaches Capitol Hill as Republicans, who control the House, prepare to hammer him as a tax-and-spend Democrat.

President Biden will release his budget on Thursday in Philadelphia and promises not to cut Medicare or Social Security.

A snapshot of what's in Biden's budget plan, ahead of the formal announcement on Thursday

The GOP has yet to release its budget proposal, but it's expected to slash foreign aid and cut assistance to the poor, including food, health care and housing.

Each party's plan will serve as the starting gun for negotiations between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Biden over spending for fiscal 2024, which begins Sept. 1.

It will take the cooperation of both parties to pass a budget to keep the federal government running - McCarthy has to keep his Republicans in line in the House, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will need all his Democrats in the Senate.

But the widely differing proposals set up a policy clash that will play out amid the backdrop of election-year politics as Biden prepares to seek a second term in office and Republicans try to win back the Senate while keeping the House.

Details about the president's budget, which he will formally unveil in Philadelphia on Thursday, have started to trickle out.

He will propose a 5.2% raise for federal workers - the largest increase from the White House since Jimmy Carter was president, per the Washington Post. But it falls short of the 8.7% raise that lawmakers - including many Democrats - want.

He will push for one of the nations biggest peacetime defense budgets, per Bloomberg, with $170 billion for weapons procurement and $145 billion for research and development. That will give the Defense Department a topline number of $835 billion, up from the $816 billion in the last fiscal year.

Biden has already released his plan to make Medicare solvent through 2050 by increasing taxes on those making more than $400,000 to 5 percent from 3.8 percent and to expand Medicare's ability to negotiate lower costs for prescription drugs.

Hes likely to mirror those Social Security tax increases to boost that program.

The president also claims he can cut the federal budget deficits by at least $2 trillion over the next ten years, the New York Times reported, by initiating a new tax on households worth more than $100 million.

The deficit provision will be another clash point as the country approaches its debt limit.

Biden has refused to negotiate with Republicans on raising the debt ceiling, demanding a clean raise, as has been done for past presidents - including Trump.

House Republicans, led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (above), have yet to release their budget proposal but it's expected to contain cuts to foreign aid and assistance to the poor

President Joe Biden (right) shakes hands with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (left) before Biden's State of the Union address - now comes the hard part - finding a compromise

But House Republicans have refused to raise the debt limit, which caps how much money the federal government can borrow, until Biden agrees to cuts in federal spending.

Republicans will focus on the $31.4 trillion debt in a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill on Wednesday - the day before Biden reveals his final budget proposal.

Congressional Budget Office chief Phillip Swagel will brief the lawmakers on the deficit. He has warned the federal debt will surpass the size of the U.S. economy within the next decade if no steps are taken.

The GOP say they want at least $150 billion in reductions for fiscal year 2024, aiming to eliminate budget deficits over ten years.

Adding to the tension, the federal government is expected to hit its debt ceiling by summer and failure to act could trigger a potentially disastrous default, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

Each side blames the other for the high federal deficit.

Republicans claim the post-pandemic spending under Biden added to the national debt, while Democrats say it was tax cuts for businesses and wealthy individuals passed under former President Donald Trump that caused it.

Meanwhile, Republicans are expected to release their budget by April 15, and it's likely to contain cuts to foreign aid and make deep cuts to health care, food assistance and housing programs for the poor amid their push to slash federal spending.

GOP leaders have said they wont seek Medicare or Social Security cuts.

To pass his budget and counter Biden, McCarthy faces the challenge of holding together his two wings of the GOP together - the lawmakers in competitive House districts and the conservative hard-liners - to have the 218 votes he needs.
A 64-year-old woman has collapsed and died amid 30C temperatures during a hiking expedition in an exposed and rugged desert trail in Texas.

The woman was walking the Hot Springs Canyon Trail, a three-mile-long path that winds through desert and rocky cliffs over the Rio Grande on Monday when she was overcome by the heat.

It happened at approximately 2.45pm on Monday, according to officials. There were highs of 86F (30C) at the park during that afternoon, weather records show.

National Park's Communications Center received a call requesting emergency assistance at the time.

They did not reach the woman until 3.30pm after an emergency helicopter was deployed, and attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful, ABC news reports.

The woman was walking the Hot Springs Canyon Trail, a three-mile-long path that winds through desert and rocky cliffs over the Rio Grande on Monday when she was overcome by the heat

Officials warn that the trail can be dangerous to attempt during the heat of the afternoon as there is little to no shade or water in the barren area.

'A team of Park Rangers and a U.S. Border Patrol Agent responded and reached the patient by 3:30pm and immediately began CPR,' said a statement from Big bend National Park following the incident.

'A U.S. Border Patrol helicopter was called in to provide emergency transport of the patient.'

'Big Bend National Park staff and our partners are saddened by this loss,' stated Acting Deputy Superintendent Rick Gupman.

'While we can't conclude that weather was a factor in this incident, March reminds us that the beauty of spring often brings dangerously hot temperatures to Big Bend.

'Our entire Big Bend family extends our deep condolences to the hiker's family and friends.'

The route connects Daniel's Ranch and the Hot Springs, the park's website says.

A popular trail, the six-mile-round walk is described as moderate in difficulty.

Park service's tips for staying safe in heat Carry plenty of water (at least one gallon per person, per day); springs are unreliable despite what maps indicate. Wear a hat, long pants, long-sleeved shirt, and sun screen when hiking. A packable shade umbrella can provide welcome shade during the day. Avoid hiking during mid-day heat in summer. Advertisement

In takes tourists from views of the river and along the rim of Hot Springs Canyon.

'This trail offers beautiful views of the Rio Grande, Chisos Mountains, and Del Carmen Mountains. No shade makes this trail a challenge in summer heat', the official site reads.

The National Park Service describe Big Bend as a hiker's paradise, with the reserve offering walkers more than 150 miles of trails, suitable for day hikes or backpacking trips.

The park's website shares top tips on how to stay safe in the heat, which it says is at its worst in the summer months.

The tips include wearing a hat, long pants, long-sleeved shirt, and sun screen when hiking.

A packable shade umbrella can provide welcome shade during the day.

Avoid hiking during mid-day heat in summer.

It also advises visitors to let someone know where they are heading before embarking on a trip to the expansive reserve.

Around 581,000 people visited the park in 2021 and it is the 15th largest of the national parks at 1,252 square miles.

Congress authorized it to be created in 1935 in an effort to 'preserve and protect a representative area of the Chihuahuan Desert along the Rio Grande.'

The park contains the largest expanse of roadless public lands in Texas, making parts of it difficult to reach.
This photo shows the final candidates for the new ruling People Power Party leader attending a joint campaign speech at a stadium in Gyeonggi Province. They are, from left to right, Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon and Chun Ha-ram, an attorney affiliated with ousted chair Lee Jun-seok, March 2. Yonhap



The ruling People Power Party (PPP) held a national convention Wednesday to pick a new leader to head the party through next year's general elections and help move President Yoon Suk Yeol's agenda forward.



Yoon planned to attend the convention expected to draw as many as 10,000 party members, an indication of his keen interest in the race. It will mark the first time for the president to attend a national convention of the ruling party since former President Park Geun-hye did so in 2016.



Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, widely considered Yoon's favorite, is leading the race by a relatively large margin, according to opinion polls. A focus of attention is on whether Kim has secured a majority in the first vote to head off a runoff.



The PPP held a four-day vote through Tuesday, with 461,313 of the 837,236 paying party members casting their ballots by either mobile- or voice-based voting, registering an all-time high turnout of 55.1 percent.



The race carries added significance as the new leader will be tasked with taking back majority control of the National Assembly from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea in next year's elections, and could affect decisions who should be given the party nominations next year.



Yoon's office has been closely watching the race as it wants a Yoon loyalist to lead the party and help push his agenda in the National Assembly, after key policies fell through in the face of the opposition-controlled parliament since he assumed office last year for a five-year term.



Kim's biggest rival is Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, who dropped out of last year's presidential race to back Yoon. The two other contenders are former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and lawyer Chun Ha-ram, an ally of ousted PPP leader Lee Jun-seok.



Kim emphasized his ability to smoothly communicate with the presidential office, while Ahn stressed that he can guide the party to victory based on his experience of running for president. Chun has branded himself as the person to reform the party, and Hwang has appealed to traditional conservative supporters.



The PPP is expected to announce the winner around 4:45 p.m.



But in the event of a runoff vote, the party will announce the new leader Sunday. (Yonhap)




The UK has announced the opening of a military base in the far north of Norway as a hub for Royal Marine Commandos to strengthen NATO's capabilities in the Arctic amid concerns following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

The newly-established Norwegian site, called Camp Viking, is located around 40 miles south of Tromso, near the village of verbygd.

The purpose-built base will be able to accommodate all personnel from the elite commando-led Royal Marines force which reacts to emerging crises in Europe.

The Britain's Royal Navy described the troops as 'the tip of the Arctic spear' and 'the unit the UK turns to when it needs troops able to fight in cold weather extremes'.

The commandos build on an Arctic warfare heritage going back to the Second World War but, with the re-emergence of the High North as a key theatre, needed new facilities for a modern era, the statement said.

The UK has announced the opening of a military base in the far north of Norway as a hub for Royal Marine Commandos. Pictured: British commandos are seen preparing for war in the Arctic in pictures released by the Royal Navy on Wednesday

'The camp's location is ideal for deterring threats in the region and situated so the UK can respond rapidly if needed to protect NATO's northern flank and its close ally, Norway,' a statement from the royal navy said on Wednesday.

'The camp is strategically located next to a Norwegian Armed Forces base and near to the established air base at Bardufoss where the Commando Helicopter Force operates,' it added.

The Commando Helicopter Force is the specialist aviation support for Royal Marines.

'A new Arctic operations base will support Britain's commandos for the next 10 years as the UK underscores its commitment to security in the High North,' the navy said.

Norway, which borders Russia, refuses to host permanent bases for foreign soldiers, so Camp Viking is due to remain open for just a decade.

Around 1,000 commandos have deployed to the base this winter, which can accommodate all personnel from the UK's Littoral Response Group (LRG).

'As the UK Commando Forces' 'home' in the High North for the next decade, 'Camp Viking' is the focal point for delivery of Mountain and Cold Weather Warfare training and, strategically placed as a Forward Operating Base to support NATO operations,' Major Kirk Allen, Officer Commanding of the Winter Deployment said.

'Its use supports Littoral Response Group regional persistent engagement with key allies and partners as a collective conventional deterrent to adversaries.

Major Allen said the base was 'capable of logistically sustaining an LRG of Royal Marines, sailors and soldiers,' and that the location offers opportunities to train in local areas and for 'amphibious operations'.

'Impressively, Norway continue to invest in the site and the capability will only increase in its potential to support Commando Forces and wider UK Defence.'

The newly-established Norwegian site, called Camp Viking, is located around 40 miles south of Tromso, near the village of verbygd (depicted on this map)

The Britain's Royal Navy described the troops as 'the tip of the Arctic spear' and 'the unit the UK turns to when it needs troops able to fight in cold weather extremes'

Norway, which shares a 60-mile border with Russia, has provided Ukraine with a wide range of military equipment, including artillery and ammunition.

The Ukraine conflict prompted its neighbours Finland and Sweden to apply for NATO membership in May 2022, turning the page on policies of military non-alignment in force for decades.

Under Article 5 in its founding treaty, NATO and its members see 'an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.'

This means that all members would be expected to send forces in support of any NATO nation that is attacked by an enemy state, acting as a deterrent to any hostile nation considering aggression against its members.
Case Fite says the idea was cooked up by his mom Beth

His fiancee had his sperm harvested on the night he died so she could have IVF

Dylan Lyons was gunned down while reporting on a homicide on February 22

The fiancee of a murdered Florida journalist, who is planning to have his baby via IVF, says it was his mother's idea to harvest his sperm on the night he died.

Case Fite had dreamed of starting a family with Dylan Lyons, 24, before he was killed while broadcasting a report for Spectrum News 13 on February 22.

She launched a GoFundMe last week to raise $50,000 for IVF treatment after begging doctors to harvest sperm from his dead body in a bid to keep 'Dylan's legacy alive.'

Fite, 26, has now revealed the idea came from Lyons' mother Beth who claims it was a 'message' from her son.

Dylan Lyons and Casey Fite were planning to have a family together before he was gunned down on February 22

Lyons' mother Beth (pictured) told Good Morning America she came up with the idea to have her dead son's sperm harvested on the night he died

'We had gotten home from the hospital after learning that our lives were turned upside down forever and his mom and I were sitting in the kitchen and she believes it was Dylan sending her a message because she never thought about this before,' Fite told Good Morning America.

'She never even knew this was a thing that you could do. And neither did I.'

Mom Beth said: 'All Dylan talked about is having children with Casey.

'Their love was inseparable. They even had names picked out. That's how devoted they were to having children.'

Lyons made headlines when he was one of three people - including a nine-year-old girl and her mother - to be gunned down while reporting on a homicide which had occurred in the area five hours earlier.

Suspect Keith Melvin Moses, 19, was arrested on the same day in connection with the killings.

Fite said the process of retrieving Dylan's sperm had been 'very complicated.'

'We called the hospital and the hospital said that we would have to contact the medical examiner,' she said.

Lyons poses with his fiancee and mom at the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists awards on May 7, 2022

GoFundMe created by Fite to fundraise her IVF had raised $4,718 as of Wednesday

Lyons (right) and his fiancee Casey Lynn. The pair met in 2020 and began dating in November 2021

'And they said that they can't do it. But if we were to find a doctor who could perform it then they would be ok with it. We ended up finding one.'

The GoFundMe page had raised $4,718 as of Wednesday.

Fite said a grief counselor advised her to wait a year before proceeding with IVF.

'I've been recommended by a grief counselor to wait maybe a year. Right now it's just not the best idea to go forward with this right now,' she explained.

'This is something that I'm going to be doing but I'm not doing it today. Right now I'm just trying to grieve.

'I guess this is the thing that's keeping me going at the moment. To know that I can continue Dylan's legacy. To continue what we wanted. I have high hopes.'

She speculated she would 'end up miscarrying' if she tried to have a baby now due to the 'stress.'

Lyons - who was described as an ambitious young reporter and a 'voice for the voiceless - met Fite in 2020.

They worked at the television news station in Gainesville, Florida where Fite was a producer and Lyons an on-air reporter.

Lyons was an ambitious young reporter described as 'a voice for the voiceless'

A memorial for Lyons is pictured on February 23, the day after he was killed while reporting

They began dating in November 2021 and later moved to Orlando for Lyons's job and were planning to start a family.

Last year, Lyons wrote of his partner on Twitter: 'November 7th, 2021 changed my life forever! It is the day you became my girlfriend! That was one of the easiest decisions of my life!

'You're a remarkable, beautiful, kind, loving, and caring girl Case! I love you so much!'

Fite said they had even picked out the names Alexa and Elliott for their children - inspired by the initials of Lyons's grandparents.

Lyons's father Gary said his son 'so much wanted to be a husband and a father,' adding 'I wish I could've taken the bullet.'

The first case of posthumous sperm retrieval was recorded in 1980, according to the Journal of Fertility and sterility.

Sperm must be retrieved within 24 to 36 hours after death for the best chances of success but there are numerous ethical and legal implications involved.

The sperm can be frozen and then implanted when the woman is ready to become pregnant.

Keith Melvin Moses, 19, is accused of shooting the reporter and cameraman after they came to report on the death of Moses' first victim - Nathacha Augustin, 38

It comes as Lyons' suspected killer Keith Moses remains in jail in connection with his killing.

Moses - who was previously described as a career criminal - is believed to have shot dead Nathacha Augustin, 38, in her car on February 22.

Five hours later Lyons was on the scene to report the homicide when Moses is said to have returned and targeted the journalist and his accompanying photographer Jesse Walden. Walden survived the attack.

Police were then called to a third shooting nearby - where a mother and her nine-year-old daughter had been targeted in a residential house.

Moses is understood to have been known to the first victim but his motives for the other shootings are unclear, authorities said.

He was pictured sneering and smiling as he was handcuffed in relation to the shootings.
Suella Braverman today disowned a Tory attack email sent out in her name that blamed civil servants for 'blocking' efforts to curb illegal immigration.

The Home Secretary 'did not see, sign off or sanction' the missive that was circulated by the party last night.

It included a vicious salvo at 'an activist blob of left-wing lawyers, civil servants and the Labour Party' for thwarting government policies.

Unions responded with fury, accusing Ms Braverman of breaking the ministerial code with the 'factually incorrect' complaint.

But Rishi Sunak's press secretary told journalists this afternoon that Ms Braverman had nothing to do with the message. And pressed on whether Mr Sunak agreed with the sentiment, she said: 'No.'

The spokeswoman directed further questions to Tory HQ, suggesting there had been 'operational issues' that will be 'reviewed'.

'Obviously there would have to be ministerial sign-off usually on things where their name is included on it or it goes out in their name,' she said, suggesting that on this occasion the process was not followed.

Suella Braverman today disowned a Tory attack email sent out in her name that blamed civil servants for 'blocking' efforts to curb illegal immigration

The Home Secretary 'did not see, sign off or sanction' the missive that was circulated by the party last night (pictured)

Ms Braverman 'had a busy day' launching the Government's Illegal Migration Bill designed to stop small boats crossing the Channel, she added.

Asked if CCHQ had apologised to the Home Secretary for the blunder, the press secretary said she was not aware of any 'conversations' with Ms Braverman.

CCHQ confirmed it is 'reviewing' its internal clearance processes.

A party spokesman said: 'This was a CCHQ email and the wording wasn't seen by the Home Secretary. We are now reviewing our internal clearance processes.'

Earlier Dave Penman, boss of the FDA union, which represents senior civil servants, wrote to the PM saying the statement must be publicly withdrawn, and demanding an apology from Ms Braverman.

'I am sure I do not need to remind you that paragraph 5.1 of the ministerial code states that 'ministers must uphold the political impartiality of the civil service,' he wrote.

'I cannot see how the Home Secretary's statement to Conservative Party members can be reconciled with her obligations under the code.'

The union chief called for Mr Sunak to ensure the 'statement is publicly withdrawn as a matter of urgency' and that Ms Braverman apologises to staff.

A Government source said senior civil servants had quickly raised the issue and the Home Secretary subsequently thanked the Home Office teams involved for all their work on the Bill.
A six-year-old boy was held down by thugs and pepper sprayed and then had his genitals cut off and was left for dead in a ditch in South Africa.

The terribly injured boy was lying covered in blood in scrubland when local residents chasing down two criminals heard him crying out for help.

When they looked for the source of the wound fearing he may have been stabbed they were mortified to discover the schoolboy castrated.

He was found on rough wasteland near a gold mine at the Blue Skye informal settlement and was close to death from loss of blood when found.

The residents were outraged as news of the sick attack spread through the town of Boksburg in Gauteng Province which brought terror to parents.

Pictured: The six-year-old boy in hospital. He was lying covered in blood is scrubland when local residents chasing down two criminals heard him crying out for help

Pictured: A township in the town of Boksburg, South Africa, where the boy was attacked and castrated

One resident who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals said: 'Who would do such a thing to such a little boy  it really is the cruellest of the cruel.

'To pepper spray the little boy is bad enough but to cut off his genitals is just barbaric and that kid will have mental issues for the rest of his life.

'I know the boy and he is often around looking for a bit of food or a bit of loose change and he gets by and is always smiling and is always polite.

'He was found out in an overgrown field with his genitals missing and unable to see properly due to the pepper spray which is dreadfully painful on its own.'

Resident Chantel Naude said: 'I am considering moving out of the area as we feel unsafe as I have boys as well and don't want them attacked as well.'

Another said: 'The rumours are that it is Satanism or taking body parts for a voodoo ritual but this little boy will now not be able to have children ever.'

The emergency service refused to confirm if his penis was severed as well.

Boksburg South African Police station commander Colonel Matshedeso Mbele confirmed that they were investigating a case of attempted murder.

She refused to comment on his horrific injuries due to the nature of them and said it was unknown as yet if it was adults or older children who attacked him.

Colonel Mbele said the attack happened on March 1 and paramedics rushed the victim to the hospital and that he is now in a stable condition.
Top scientific advisors told Congress on Wednesday there's mounting evidence COVID leaked from the Wuhan lab and accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of trying to cover up the claims because they didn't fit his narrative.

Experts, including a former Biden staffer and Donald Trump's CDC director, testified to the House subcommittee investigating COVID that taxpayer-funded gain-of-function likely caused the virus that came from the Chinese facility.

Dr. Jamie Metzl, a self-identified Democrat who worked for President Biden when he was in the Senate, said he favored the lab leak theory because 'the Chinese government has done everything in its power' to stonewall investigations.

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan also tore into Dr Anthony Fauci for 'trying to cover his backside' over the lab leak claims, and Trump's CDC director Robert Redfield claimed the Biden COVID advisor ignored hs concerns because 'they wanted a single narrative and I had a different point of view.'

It follows the release of the explosive Department of Energy report two weeks ago that the virus - responsible for years of lockdowns and restrictions - likely did leak from the lab.

FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed his agency believed the same.

The House subcommittee investigating the origins of Covid-19 opened its first hearing with top scientific experts who said they believed the virus had likely leaked from a lab, including a 'lifelong Democrat ' and former Biden staffer

The House subcommittee investigating the origins of Covid-19 opened its first hearing with top scientific experts who said they believed the virus had likely leaked from a lab, including a 'lifelong Democrat ' and former Biden staffer

'This is the highest paid guy in our government getting all kinds of money to tell us things that were not accurate,' Jordan said.

'US tax dollars went to a lab in China, a lab that was not up to code, a lab that was doing gain of function research, and that's where this thing most definitely came from and Dr. Fauci could not have that news getting out.'

Metzl said China had an 'incentive' to find the animal where Covid-19 had originated while pushing the animal-to-human transmission theory, but hadn't done so.

'Given that the Chinese government has every incentive to find intermediary host, it's very significant that hasn't been found,' Metzl said. 'I think it's very telling after three years we haven't found it.'

Dr. Paul Auwaerter, an infectious disease expert invited by Democrats on the committee, pointed out it took years to find the intermediary hosts after outbreaks of SARS and MERS.

'There's going to be no doubt that a research related origin remains a very serious possibility, if not a distinct probability. There is no smoking gun including a laboratory origin hypothesis. but the growing body and circumstantial evidence suggests that gun that is at very least, warm to the touch,' Metzl said.

Rep. Brad Wenstrup, chair of the committee, said there was no 'smoking gun' to prove the virus had spilled out of the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and but also said there was 'no evidence Covid evolved from an animal,' either.

He highlighted the lack of safety practices at the WIV as Dr. Robert Redfield said there was 'no doubt' the National Institutes of Health (NIH), State Department, US Agency of International Development and Department of Defense were funding gain-of-function research.

Redfield called for a moratorium on gain-of-function research until there was a 'consensus' on its benefit to society.

Redfield said there was evidence of the virus as early as September 2019 and stated three now-declassified 'highly irregular' findings pointing to the lab leak theory - he said researchers deleted sequences, changed command and control of the WIV from civilian to military and allowed a contractor to redo the ventilation in the lab, which Redfield called 'really telling.'

Rep. James Comer, chair of the Oversight Committee, asked all four witnesses about the Proximal Origins paper from early 2020.

'Yes or no was there science available to make such an unequivocal statement against the possibility of a lab that early in February?' the Kentucky Republican asked.

Three witnesses said no, Democratic witness Auwaerter said he didn't have 'sufficient' evidence to say.

Trump's CDC director Robert Redfield claimed the Biden COVID advisor ignored hs concerns because 'they wanted a single narrative and I had a different point of view'

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan also tore into Dr Anthony Fauci for 'trying to cover his backside' over the lab leak claims. 'This is the highest paid guy in our government getting all kinds of money to tell us things that were not accurate,' Jordan said

Referring to Fauci and NIH director Francis Collins' role in approving gain of function research Comer said the pair 'got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. They got caught supercharging a virus in an unsecure Chinese lab.'

"They were so preoccupied with whether or not they could they didn't stop to think if they should,' Comer said.

Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., cautioned his GOP colleagues against 'villainizing' public health experts like Fauci with 'conspiratorial accusations.'

'Seems like minds on the other side of the aisle are made up [on origins],' he said.

Redfield said that as CDC director he was shut out of high-level conversations after he told Dr. Anthony Fauci in early 2020 he did not think natural spillover was 'scientifically plausible.'

 BREAKING: Former CDC Director Robert Redfield reveals the COVID-19 virus was likely created by gain of function research funded by Dr. Fauci and the NIAID.@COVIDSelect pic.twitter.com/70JJZ34tG7  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) March 8, 2023

Reports have now come out that Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former longtime head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, commissioned a scientific paper at the start of the pandemic, known as the proximal origin paper, that cast doubt on the idea that Covid-19 came from a lab.

Referring to the proximal origin paper, Redfield said: 'It is antithetical to science. Science has debate and they squashed debate.'

The paper came days after Fauci had been warned in emails about the potential of lab origin. Fauci did not disclose he was involved in commissioning the paper when he stood in front of a White House press briefing and cited it as evidence to dismiss lab origin.

Fauci in November testimony at a social media court case said he could not recall Redfield calling him in mid-January 2020 to tell him about the potential of virus manipulation.

GOP Rep. John Joyce, R-Pa., noted the House is set to vote on declassifying the FBI and Department of Energy's findings that led them to announce coronavirus likely originated in a lab. He asked how important it is to declassify the information.

On the virus's origin, Redfield said: 'I don't think that answers going to come from the scientific community. I think it's going come from the intelligence community.'

'I think declassification is very important,' Redfield added. 'There are some method and sourcing issues that you guys are going to have to wrestle with,' he added.

Redfield said that Fauci took the natural origin position because 'that's what happened with SARS and MERs,' but those viruses came about before 2012 when the U.S. wasn't involved in gain of function research.

Redfield said he tried to explain to Fauci that the virus was far more tailored to human-to-human transmission than SARS and MERS. 'I immediately said, "Wait a second, this isnt natural.

Democrats focused much of their time on a 2014 book written by witness Nicholas Wade, the former editor of the New York Times science section and Nature and Science magazines.

Democrats noted the book, 'A Troublesome Inheritance,' which focuses on biological racial differences, has been cited by white supremacists.

'I am absolutely offended that you would have the opportunity take this platform and to add anything of significance to it,' Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., said.

'I'm sorry, too, that Mr. Mfume didn't like my book. I am not a racist,' Wade said.

Wade noted that the media had been 'used' to establish natural origin as the dominant theory.

'The most upsetting thing to me was the Baltimore Sun calling me a racist for saying this came from a lab,' Redfield recalled.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Md., laid blame on former President Trump, who at the beginning of the pandemic praised Chinese President Xi and his transparency around the virus.

He tore into 'Donald Trump's fawning, starstruck, sycophantic embrace of everything the Chinese government was telling you in 2020.'

'I will happily offer a lot more for any colleagues who think that this will somehow absolve the last administration for telling Americans that COVID would magically disappear in Easter time.'

Three high-profile congressional committees - Oversight, Judiciary and Energy and Commerce, have opened their own probes into the origins of Covid-19 and the government's response to the pandemic.

Fauci himself, who retired at the end of last year, has not yet been called to testify, in part due to the competing jurisdictions of each committee's probe.
Anti-pot campaigners were on Wednesday celebrating their win against a better-funded adversary  dubbed 'big cannabis'  after Oklahomans soundly rejected plans to legalize recreational weed in the state.

Oklahoma's Gov. Kevin Stitt, anti-marijuana campaigner Kevin Sabet and others praised the results of the ballot initiative on Tuesday, which saw voters by 61.7 percent to 38.3 percent derail the legalization effort.

Sabet, a former White House drugs tsar who now heads the Smart Approaches to Marijuana campaign, called the victory a win for 'public safety and common sense' despite the spending power of the $32 billion cannabis sector.

'The industry cannot buy votes and profit off our kids,' said Sabet.

'Despite being vastly outspent [campaigners] worked tirelessly to educate voters about the unintended consequences of legalization, ranging from more incidents of impaired driving and workplace accidents to higher youth use rates.'

Oklahoma voters have joined Alabama and North and South Dakota in their rejection of plans to legalize recreational weed

A cannabis dispensary in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where adults with a medical marijuana license can stock up

The 'no' side of Sabet and others was outspent more than 20-to-1, with supporters of the initiative spending more than $4.9 million, compared to about $219,000 against, last-minute campaign finance reports show.

Stitt, a Republican, said that rejecting the ballot initiative known as 820 was the 'best thing to keep our kids safe' and he vowed to 'hold bad actors accountable and crack down on illegal marijuana operations.'

Oklahoma would have become the 22nd state to legalize adult use of cannabis and join conservative states like Montana and Missouri that have approved similar proposals in recent years.

Still, Oklahoma joins the list of red states that have recently pushed back against the wave of legalization  last year, voters in Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota rejected their own legalization ballots.

Gov. Stitt was joined by many Republican legislators and nearly every GOP senator to oppose the idea. Former Republican Gov. Frank Keating, an ex-FBI agent, and Terri White, a former Oklahoma drugs and mental health chief, led the 'no' campaign.

Oklahoma voters in 2018 approved medical pot by 14 percentage points and the state has one of the nation's most liberal programs, with more than 2,800 licensed dispensaries and roughly 10 percent of adults licensed to buy and use the drug.

'The industry cannot buy votes,' says Kevin Sabet

State Question 820, the result of a signature gathering drive last year, was the only item on the statewide ballot, and early results showed heavy opposition in rural areas, with every county in the state rejecting the idea.

The proposal, if passed, would have allowed anyone over the age of 21 to buy and possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana, plus concentrates and marijuana-infused products, such as gummies.

Recreational sales would have been subjected to a 15 percent excise tax on top of the standard sales tax. The excise tax would be used to help fund the court system, schools, substance abuse treatment and other public coffers.

The low barriers for entry into Oklahoma's medical marijuana industry has led to a flood of growers, processors and dispensary operators competing for a limited number of customers.

James Smith, President of the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police, spoke at a rally against legalizing pot earlier this month as part of a last-minute push by religious and police groups

A vendor displays marijuana flowers at a dispensary in Oklahoma City, which has been deluged by stores for medical marijuana in recent years

The above shows cannabis use across American states. Twenty-one states and DC have legalised it for recreational use in addition to medicinal use, while nearly all now allow it to be used for medicinal purposes.

Supporters had hoped the state's marijuana industry would be buoyed by a rush of out-of-state customers, particularly from Texas, which has close to 8 million people living nearby across the Oklahoma border.

Michelle Tilley, campaign director for Yes on 820, said despite the result, full marijuana legalization was inevitable. She noted that almost 400,000 Oklahomans already use marijuana legally and 'many thousands more' use it illegally.

'A two-tiered system, where one group of Oklahomans is free to use this product and the other is treated like criminals does not make logical sense,' she said in a statement.

The US legal cannabis market netted $26.1 billion in sales last year and is on track to reach $44.5 billion in sales by 2027, driven by the huge markets in California, New Jersey, and New York, according to research firm BDSA.

Sabet said the results were 'against the odds' given 'how deep the tentacles of the marijuana industry has gotten' in Oklahoma, which has more medical pot dispensaries than Colorado  famed for its burgeoning cannabis sector.

Pat McFerron, a Republican political strategist who ran the opposition campaign, said the results were a 'clear signal that voters are not happy with the recreational nature of our medicinal system.'

'It shows voters recognize the criminal aspects, as well as the need for addressing mental health needs of the state,' added McFerron.

Voters in Maryland and Missouri in November approved election ballot measures to legalize recreational marijuana, pushing the number of states with such laws to 21  even as it remains illegal under federal law.

Experts have cautioned against America's speedy switch to legalized pot, amid a growing body of evidence that widespread availability leads to increased use, particularly among young people, together with addiction and mental health issues.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA) annual survey last August found the number of under-30s using marijuana hit record levels in 2021  which the agency's boss Dr Nora Volkow called a 'concern'.

The $32 billion cannabis industry argues that taking the drug  either smoking it, vaping it or as an edible  can help relieve feelings of anxiety or depression, chronic pain, and even help fight addictions.

The US Cannabis Council, a major lobbying group, says legalization is widely supported, that pot is safe and can help addicts beat opioid and alcohol dependency.

But in states where pot has been legalized, many parents say their children have been sucked into an addiction spiral.
San Diego Border Patrol have arrested three drug smugglers for attempting to sneak in $3million worth of fentanyl from Mexico, which is enough to kill 50million Americans.

On February 27, San Diego Border Patrol seized 232 pounds of fentanyl during a traffic stop in San Clemente, California, located roughly 75 miles from the US-Mexico border.

Three were arrested in relation to the traffic stop that turned into one of the major fentanyl bust in February by Border Patrol.

On February 2, San Diego Border Patrol seized $4million of the dangerous drug. On February 15, agents in Yuma, Arizona, discovered 93 pounds from a single smuggler. The day before in Nogales, Arizona, agents found 24 pounds of fentanyl from a group of smugglers.

US Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said the agency has seen a 300 percent increase in fentanyl seizures compared to last year. In 2020, Border Patrol found 4,800 pounds of the deadly drug, which bumped up to nearly 15,000 pounds in 2022.

So far, 12,500 pounds of fentanyl have been seized since last October, according to Fox News.

On February 27, San Diego Border Patrol seized 232 pounds of fentanyl during a traffic stop in San Clemente, California, located roughly 75 miles from the US-Mexico border. It was enough fentanyl to kill 50million Americans

Drug overdoses have skyrocketed in the US, as the cheap synthetic opioid - which is more powerful than heroin - is killing more than 1,000 Americans a week. Overdoses jumped 22 percent between 2020 and 2021 and continue to rise.

Fentanyl typically originates in China before making its way to the US border, usually via the US-Mexico border. The Foreign Ministry of China said the 'accusation by some people from the US that China is "not further controlling the export of fentanyl precursors because of geopolitical influence" is a desecration of the spirit of the law and is completely groundless.'

'Using China as a scapegoat will not solve the drug crisis in the United States.'

However, former DEA Chief of Foreign Operations, Matthew Donahue, told CNN: 'Mexico is intentionally making these drugs, knowing it's killing Americans and still shipping them up there without putting anyone in jail, without seizing any properties, or going after their drug assets.'

Donahue said the US does not 'get any information from [Mexico], you don't get any cooperation from them.'

'You can take a life for probably five cents,' Donahue said of the 'dirt cheap' drug. 'What's a human life worth now?'

On February 2, San Diego Border Patrol seized $4million of the dangerous drug (pictured)

Many bags of fentanyl was found in the February 2 bust (pictured)

Fentanyl typically originates in China before making its way to the US border, usually via the US-Mexico border

The drug frequently smuggled over the border is killing around a thousand a week

On February 15, agents in Yuma, Arizona, discovered 93 pounds from a single smuggler. The day before in Nogales, Arizona, agents found 24 pounds of fentanyl from a group of smugglers

Recently, Mexican police seized 600,000 fentanyl pills from a small home in the country, where large amounts of blue powder were stored on tables under heat lamps (pictured)

Recently, The Mexico Ministry of National Defense seized 600,000 fentanyl pills from a small home in the country, where large amounts of blue powder were stored on tables under heat lamps.

It was recently revealed that a 19-month baby girl died from an accidental fentanyl overdose at a Florida lake house.

Lydie and Boris Lavenir, of Guadeloupe - a French island - found their daughter Enora unresponsive after laying her down for a nap in their Airbnb in Wellington, Florida, in August 2021. Prior to her nap, the little girl was playing in the kitchen with the pots and pans.

Her death was ruled accidental after police were unable to source the drug and the parents' drug test turned up negative.

A mother who lost two of her boys to fentanyl poisonings testified before Congress last week. Rebecca Kiessling's sons Caleb and Kyler died in 2020 after taking what they thought were painkillers, but it was laced with fentanyl.

Rebecca Kiessling (pictured) slammed Biden for laughing at her story and demanded an apology after her two boys died in 2020 from fentanyl poisonings

Kiessling's sons Caleb and Kyler died in 2020 when they were 18 and 20 after taking a pill that they did not know was laced with fentanyl

Kiessling, who lives in Michigan, testified before Congress at a hearing on the escalating fentanyl crisis. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested during the hearing that the boys would be alive if 'the government secured the border.'

The mother was furious after Joe Biden made light of the fact that the fentanyl her boys had died from came during the Trump Administration.

'The interesting thing is that fentanyl [the boys] took came during the last administration, haha,' he said at the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference.

Kiessling, in a video posted online on Wednesday night, reacted to his comments with fury.

'This is how you speak about the death of my sons? Because a congresswoman misspoke? You mock the loss of my sons?' she said.

'How dare you. What is the matter with you. Almost every Democrat on the committee offered condolences, they at least had the decency to do that.

Former DEA Chief of Foreign Operations, Matthew Donahue, said 'you can take a life for probably five cents,' as the drug is 'dirt cheap'

'You can't even do that? You have to mock my pain?'

She also pointed to the rise in fentanyl deaths across the country since Biden took office, saying: 'My children died about six months before he became president.

'There have been failed policies by many administrations for far too long, ever since there was a surge in drug deaths due to fentanyl.

'This has been a problem for a long time.

'[But] what about the 22 percent increase in fentanyl deaths since you became president? That represents tens of thousands of US citizens who died under your watch, an increase in tens of thousands. That represents double the number of the parents who are suffering.

'You're going to keep laughing? About those who did die under your watch? Do we have to bring them in so you can look them in the eyes and laugh?

'What is wrong with you? This is unacceptable. Our president needs to apologize to me, and he needs to be held accountable.'

Karine Jean-Pierre claimed Biden 'expressed sympathy' when he laughed at the story, but didn't say if he would apologize.

Jean-Pierre defended Biden's laughter, saying the American people know his personal history - he lost his first wife and daughter to a car crash; his son Beau died of brain cancer - and his sympathy to those who have lost loved ones.

'When it comes to this President, I believe the American people knows who he is,' she said at her daily press briefing. 'They have watched him go through grief.'

'He expressed sympathy for her last night. And his heart goes out to any person, any person who has to go through that type of trauma, that type of hurt,' she said.
The Mexican government has launched a manhunt for a high-ranking cartel leader thought to be behind the kidnapping of four Americans, including two who were murdered.

Jose 'La Kena' Garcia is identified as the leader of a Gulf Cartel cell known as the Cyclones' that since 2015 has been operating in Matamoros, a border city in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas.

Sources with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told Mexican news outlet Milenio that state and federal authorities are investigating whether Garcia was involved in the kidnapping of the four South Carolina residents last Friday.

Latavia 'Tay' McGee, a mother-of-five, was joined by her cousin Shaeed Woodward and her friends Zindell Brown and Eric James on a drive to Matamoros for her 'tummy tuck' surgery when their minivan was attacked by alleged members of the Gulf Cartel.

Video footage showed cartel henchmen escorting McGee into a pickup truck while the three other men were dumped into the vehicle's flatbed.

Mexican state and federal authorities are looking into whether Jose 'La Kena' Garcia, leader of the Gulf Cartel faction 'The Cyclones', was involved in the kidnapping of the four South Carolina residents in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, last Friday

South Carolina resident Latavia 'Tay'McGee is escorted by cartel fighters to a pickup truck moments after her minivan was intercepted on a Matamoros, Mexico, street last Friday

On Tuesday morning, security forces located McGee and James, who was shot in the left leg, in a stash house about six and half miles away in the rural town of El Tecolote.

The bodies of Woodward and Brown were found dead in the home, where an alleged cartel member identified as Jose, whose responsibility was to look after the Americans, was arrested.

McGee and James were turned over to U.S. authorities while the remains of Woodward and Brown were transferred to a local morgue for autopsies.

Garcia, who is also known as 'Ciclon 19' is one of the most wanted criminal suspects in Tamaulipas, where a reward for $2.4 million Mexican pesos ($139,192 USD) is being offered for information that leads to his whereabouts and/or his arrest.

Authorities say that Garcia has been able to avoid capture because he is living under the alias of Gilberto de la Rosa.

Garcia rose through the cartel ranks as one of the most trusted persons for Jose 'El Contador' Cardenas, who was arrested in February 2022.

Milenio reported that with Cardenas' arrest, the day-to-day operations were going to be split between his two sons, Axel Cardenas and Alan Cardenas, and Garcia.

However, Garcia reportedly was obsessed with controlling the faction by himself and betrayed Axel Cardenas by having him arrested by federal authorities in June 2022.

Mexican authorities are offering $2.5 million pesos ($139,192 USD) for information that leads to his whereabouts and/or his arrest

Jose 'El Contador' Cardenas, former leader of the Gulf Cartel faction known as 'The Cyclones.' He was arrested in February 2022 and is awaiting extradition to U.S., where he is accused of drug trafficking

The plan is said to have backfired with Axel Cardenas paying off the officers in exchange for his freedom while four bodyguards were taken into custody.

The Gulf Cartel has been around since the 1930s and has a strong presence in Matamoros.

The criminal organization got its feet wet by smuggling booze and other banned goods into the United States during the Prohibition era.

Latavia 'Tay' McGee had traveled down to Mexico for a tummy tuck procedure before she was kidnapped at gunpoint by a drug cartel on Friday

McGee was joined by her cousin, Shaeed Woodard, (left) and friends Eric Williams (right) and Zindell Brown

Once the ban on alcohol sales was lifted, the cartel turned to car theft, gambling, prostitution and smuggling.

In the 1980s, the group got involved in drug trafficking under the leadership of Juan Garcia.

Through his connections with the Colombian Cali Cartel, the Drug Enforcement Administration estimated that the Gulf Cartel generated about $10 billion in profit. Fortune Magazine once placed Garcia's net worth at $15 billion.

Garcia made it to the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted List in 1995 and busted in Monterrey at a ranch in 1996. He was later convicted by a federal court in Texas and sentenced to 11 consecutive life terms.
A rare photo captured six generations of women in one room, as the 98-year-old matriarch of a Kentucky family was able to meet her great-great-great-grandchild for the first time from her nursing home.

MaeDell Taylor Hawkins, 98, held seven-month-old Zhavia Whitaker while surrounded by her daughter and grandchildren on February 24.

The photo posted by the matriarch's granddaughter Gracie Snow Howell has since gone viral. MaeDell has more than 620 grandchildren thanks to her daughters and grandchildren all having children of their own when they were 19-years-old.

'We thought this was special because it's all girls,' Gracie, who appeared alongside MaeDell, told People.

The viral photo features MaeDell's daughter Frances Snow, granddaughters Gracie Snow Howell, great-granddaughter Jacqueline Ledford and great-great-granddaughter Jaisline Wilson. Her granddaughter Sheryl Blessing snapped the photo.

A heart-warming photo showed six generations of women in one room as the matriarch of the family met her great-great-great-grandchild for the first time in February. The viral photo features MaeDell's daughter Frances Snow, granddaughters Gracie Snow Howell, great-granddaughter Jacqueline Ledford and great-great-granddaughter Jaisline Wilson

The photo posted by the matriarch's granddaughter Gracie Snow Howell has since gone viral as it was revealed MaeDell has more than 600 grandchildren. Pictured: MaeDell with seven-month-old Zhavia Whitaker in her Kentucky nursing home bed

Gracie recalled MaeDell's long life as she is on the heels of 99-years-old come July.

MaeDell first married in 1940 when she was 16 to a 50-year-old railroad worker with 10 children from a previous relationship, Fox News reported.

Her husband Bill Taylor was frequently away for work but the two managed to have 13 kids together, Gracie told the news outlet. Taylor's ex-wife died while giving birth to twins.

MaeDell and her husband weren't wealthy and lived without running water or other modern essentials, such as a washer and dryer.

'I know she had it hard, but she didn't complain,' Gracie told People.

Gracie added that despite MaeDell's lack of conveniences, she has never heard her mother Frances complain about not having had an abundance of food or clothes.

Aside from establishing her legacy through her descendants, MaeDell also passed down her famous tomato preserves recipe.

'If anybody ever asked me what my favorite memory of Grandma is, its her tomato preserves,' Gracie told Fox News. 'They were just the best.'

MaeDell first married in 1940 when she was 16 to a 50-year-old railroad worker with 10 children from a previous relationship

MaeDell's love and sacrifice for her family has set the foundation for her future generations.

'If everything goes well, the baby's doing well, Grandma's doing well - we're all going to meet back in June and get another picture,' Gracie told the news outlet.

According to Fox, the Kentucky matriarch has 106 grandchildren, 222 great-grandchildren, 234 great-great-grandchildren and 37 great-great-great-grandchildren living across the US.
A Memphis judge has halted the release of more than 20 hours of additional video and audio footage related to the killing of Tyre Nichols, an unarmed Black man who was beaten by police officers during a traffic stop in January.

Judge James Jones of the Criminal Court of Tennessee issued the ruling, saying he would delay the release, expected on Wednesday afternoon, until prosecutors and attorneys for five former officers charged in the case can review the material.

The Department of Justice announced that it had been reviewing the Memphis Police Department in light of the death of Tyre Nichols, who died in January after being kicked and punched by five cops.

Nichols, 29, died in the hospital after being beaten senseless by five cops.

They claimed they were arresting him for reckless driving, but attacked him repeatedly as he lay on the ground and cried out for his mother, then waited 19 minutes to call an ambulance.

Nichols, an unarmed black man, died after being kicked and beaten by Memphis cops in January

From top row from left, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, bottom row from left, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith. All have been charged in Nichols' death

Five cops - Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith - have been charged with second degree murder and felony assault charges. They pleaded not guilty last month, and are due back in court later this year.

The city of Memphis planned to release the additional footage on its Vimeo page along with records of the completed administrative investigations into the killing of Nichols, Jennifer Sink, the city's chief legal officer, told a city council committee on Tuesday.

The new material included 20 hours of video, Sink said, but she did not describe what it shows.

Four shorter videos previously released by the city did not reveal what led to the Jan. 7 traffic stop or shed light on what paramedics responded to the incident were told by officers at the scene.

The footage was due to be released this afternoon, but a last-minute court filing by one of the cops' attorneys delayed it.

The brutal treatment seen on the footage already made public gave fresh momentum to the U.S. racial justice movement, which had been galvanized by the 2020 killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

The U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday that it will review the policies and practices of the Memphis Police Department, as well as specialized units such as the now-disbanded SCORPION unit that included the five officers charged with murdering Nichols. It said it would look at similar units around the country.

To coincide with the criminal case against the five cops, the DoJ's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services will conduct the review of the department's practices and make relevant recommendations.

'In the wake of Tyre Nicholss tragic death, the Justice Department has heard from police chiefs across the country who are assessing the use of specialized units and, where used, appropriate management, oversight, and accountability for such units,' said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta.

The new files are expected to contain audio of what was said after Nichols' was taken to the hospital, and in the ambulance.

Tyre Nichols died in the hospital three days after the arrest and beating

Cops waited 19 minutes before alerting EMS on January 7.

The five officers involved - all from the Scorpion unit - claim they were arresting Nichols on suspicion of reckless driving.

Those five officers have been criminally charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

Two other cops have also been fired, including one whose termination was only announced yesterday.

That officer has not yet been named.

Preston Hemphill was the sixth officer to lose his job.

He has not been criminally charged, but fired after an internal investigation determined he violated multiple department policies including personal conduct, truthfulness and not using his taser properly.

His father defended him to DailyMail.com, claiming he and the other cops charged were just doing their job.

'I agree, it looks bad, but those five officers at the end, they're doing what they're supposed to do, they're doing what they were trained to do,' the father, Robert Hemphill, told DailyMail.com.

The five cops who have been charged all pleaded not guilty in court last month.

Afterwards, an attorney for one of the men made the claim that he was being unfairly prosecuted as a 'black man in America'.

Tyre's mother RowVaughn Wells said after the hearing that none of the police officers had the courage to look her in the eye

'Let's not forget that my client is a black man in a courtroom in America which is a country where black people are incarcerated at five times the rate of white people.

'A country where black people are 7.5 times more likely to be wrongfully convicted of murder than white people.

Preston Hemphill was the sixth cop to be fired. He was not criminally charged

'Much has been said about the ways the system has failed Mr. Nichols.

'I will work tirelessly to make sure the system does not fail Mr. Mills and that a fair outcome is achieved,' Mills' attorney Blake Ballins said.

Nichols was taken to a hospital in an ambulance that left the scene of the beating 27 minutes after emergency medical technicians arrived, authorities said.

Police said Nichols had been suspected of reckless driving, but no verified evidence of a traffic violation has emerged in public documents or in video images.

Memphis Police director Cerelyn CJ Davis has said she has seen no evidence justifying the stop or the officers response.

She disbanded the Scorpion unit, which she created in November 2021, after Nichols death.

One other white officer who was involved in the initial traffic stop has been fired. An additional officer who has not been identified has been suspended.
Rep. Youn Mee-hyang, right, speaks during a rally against Japan's wartime sexual slavery in Seoul, March 8. Yonhap



Youn Mee-hyang, a lawmaker who previously led a civic group supporting victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery, returned to the group's street rally Wednesday after a three-year absence, during which she struggled with allegations of corruption.



Youn was indicted in September 2020 on eight counts, including the misappropriation of donations and state subsidies intended for the elderly victims.



On Feb. 10, a lower court acquitted her of all but one charge of embezzlement, which amounted to about 17 million won ($12,875), a significantly smaller amount than originally indicted. She was fined 15 million won.



"It's been so painful and difficult for the past three years," Youn said at the 1,586th weekly protest rally in Seoul by the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan.



"I could not but keep my mouth shut while seeing myself unable to do anything even watching my colleagues passing away. I had to remain silent to protect this movement and these activists," she said.



Youn led the group from 2005 until 2020, when she resigned to run in a parliamentary election. She became a lawmaker on the ticket of the Democratic Party but was expelled from the party in 2021 amid the scandal.



Her last attendance at the rally was on March 25, 2020, before the scandal broke in May.



The independent lawmaker emphasized a victim-centered approach to resolving the disputes over Japan's colonial wrongdoings on the Korean people.



She said what the victims are demanding is not money, but for the Japanese government's genuine apology and formal compensation.



"Justice can only be achieved when the voices of victims are reflected that is the victim-centered approach," she said.



The remarks are a criticism of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's plan to use local funds to compensate victims of Japan's wartime forced labor on behalf of responsible Japanese companies. The measure was announced Monday as part of President Yoon's efforts to improve ties with Japan. (Yonhap)


Britain is bracing itself for blizzards tomorrow after the Met Office today issued a fresh two-day heavy snow warning.

Forecasters issued an amber weather warning for snow, in place from 3pm tomorrow until midday Friday, which could batter an area stretching from Stoke-on-Trent to Durham.

The Met Office warned heavy snow could cause 'significant disruption', including delays and cancellations to rail and air travel, and also warned some rural communities could become cut off  while power cuts and interruption to mobile phone coverage was also possible.

It comes as dozens of flights were today disrupted in the South of England after temperatures plunged to -15.4C overnight  the coldest night of the year so far.

Bristol Airport temporarily closed for 'snow clearing operations' with morning flights cancelled, and delays are also affecting passengers at other airports in the South.

Meanwhile, National Highways has warned drivers in the West Midlands and the East of England not to travel unless their journey is essential.

TOMORROW: Coming into effect from 3pm tomorrow until midday on Friday, the forecaster issued an amber warning over the next two days

FRIDAY: The Met Office has warned heavy snow is likely in parts of northern England on Thursday and Friday as it issued an amber warning

Forecasters have predicted night-time sub-zero temperatures in all four UK nations until at least Friday, with snow sweeping the nation in the coming days.

Met Office spokesman Nicola Maxey said the minus 15.4C temperature recorded last night meant it was the coldest in March since 2010.

Ms Maxey said an 'Arctic maritime air' drifting over the UK from the north is causing the widespread snowfall and it could generate 'blizzard conditions' tomorrow.

'We're going to see a cold night again tonight, especially in Scotland,' she said. 'That Arctic maritime air will cross large swathes of the country on Thursday. There's also some strong winds around tomorrow, so that has the potential to lead to some blizzard conditions and drifting of lying snow.'

Ms Maxey said average snow levels of 2-5cm are expected across much of the UK tomorrow, including in major northern cities like Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle.

Up to 15cm (just under 6in) of snow is predicted to fall across higher ground in northern England, with 'in excess of 25cm (just under 10in)' likely in the Scottish Highlands.

Snow blanketed the ground near Tower Bridge today, giving it a wintry effect

Snow-dusted rooftops could be seen above the village of Fetcham in Surrey today

Temperatures could plummet to minus 3C in London on Wednesday night, and minus 5C in Edinburgh.

The lowest predicted temperature of minus 12C is expected to be felt in Aviemore in the Highlands.

Ms Maxey said that it is 'not that unusual to see snow in March'.

'March is a transition month from winter into spring,' she said. 'Statistically, you're more likely to see snow in March than in December.'

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has placed all regions of England under a level 3 cold weather alert  lasting until midnight tomorrow.

Agostinho Sousa, a consultant at UKHSA, said the cold weather could have a 'serious impact' on people's health, particularly the elderly, while Age UK has urged people to check in with their older neighbours and relatives.

A youngster was seen sledding down the steep snow-covered cobbles at Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset, today

Bristol airport temporarily closed for 'snow clearing operations' with flights cancelled this morning

Dozens of flights have been disrupted in the South of England amid snowfall across the nation

The Met Office has also issued several yellow weather warnings for snow and ice which may lead to injuries from slips and falls and cause travel disruption.

At least 27 flights due to depart from the Bristol airport this morning have been affected by snow, while several arrivals have been diverted to Birmingham.

A spokesman said 'additional staff are on site to assist with the adverse weather response' and passengers have been advised to check with their airline prior to arriving at the terminal. The airport reopened at 10.45am but said there is ongoing disruption.

National Highways has issued a 'severe weather alert' for snow in parts of England for this afternoon  asking people only to travel when essential.

The weather warning means driving conditions will be treacherous, especially for larger vehicles and those not equipped with four-wheel drive between 3pm and midnight in the West Midlands and the East of England.

HGV drivers have been asked to consider avoiding parts of the road network with steeper than normal inclines, where their vehicle could become jack-knifed or stranded, such as the M40 at junctions 4-5 and the A49 in Shropshire.

National Highways executive director of operations, Duncan Smith, said: 'We are well prepared and our gritters have been out in full force since Friday and will continue to treat the roads.

'We are asking drivers to plan ahead, check the forecast and allow more time for their journeys.'

Gatwick said some passengers experienced 'minor delays' this morning but 'the airport is open and flights are operating'.

Network Rail is advising passengers to check their journeys in advance due to the Met Office warnings, but a spokesman said there has been 'no significant weather-related disruption' on the lines so far.

The snow and ice warnings for today cover northern Scotland until 10am tomorrow, along with central and southern areas of England and Wales from midnight until 7am tomorrow.

A third warning for snow and ice covers north-east England and south-east Scotland from 5pm today to 7am tomorrow.

In most places the snowfall will continue until Friday, with a yellow warning for snow covering all of the UK north of Birmingham spanning from 7am tomorrow until 2pm on Friday.

Transport for London said there were delays this morning between Earl's Court and Ealing Broadway, Richmond and Wimbledon and between Barking and Upminster 'due to power supply problems caused by ice on the track'.

Network Rail's team in Kent and Sussex said snow was affecting services. Southeastern said the Bromley North and Hastings lines were both suspended.

The Met Office has said temperatures at Kinbrace in the Highlands dropped to this year's low of minus 15.4C overnight  the lowest March temperature recorded in more than a decade.

This map from the Met Office shows the forecast for this afternoon at the start of rush hour

A snowy morning as commuters walk over London Bridge in the capital today

Police arrive after a vehicle came off the snowy A249 at Detling in Kent today

Racehorses are exercised on a snowy Epsom Downs in Surrey this morning

An area of rain has spread in from the south and west overnight, with this increasingly falling as a mixture of sleet and wet snow away from the coasts 



Stay #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/8biBXFBoWg  Met Office (@metoffice) March 8, 2023

READ MORE: Are schools closed today because of the snow? Full list as blizzards hit England and Wales Advertisement

Londoners have woken up to snow this morning after the capital was battered by the Arctic blast sweeping across Britain.

People shared pictures of their wintry commutes as sleet and snow fell  while others joked they would have to work from home.

But some social media users complained that 'people are losing their s***' over the snow, while others joked: 'Send bread, milk and toilet rolls'.

Another based in south-west England said: 'We've had half an inch of snow which means the entire town will be giddy with stupidity, the Highway Code will have lost all meaning, every school boiler will have inextricably packed up in unison, and my dog will refuse to take a single outside in fear of the dreaded skydruff.'

Following a 'very chilly' start to today, the Met Office has issued several yellow weather warnings for snow and ice which may lead to injuries from slips and falls and cause travel disruption.

The warnings for today cover northern and eastern Scotland until 10am, and Northern Ireland and southern England until 9am.

A yellow warning for snow and ice also covers London and the south from midnight tonight until 9am tomorrow.

A cyclist pushes his bike up the steep snow covered cobbled street at Gold Hill at Shaftesbury in Dorset today after overnight snow. Gold Hill was made famous in the 1970s when it was used as a location for the Hovis bread advert and saw a boy pushing a bike carrying bread up the hill

Snow on Glastonbury Tor today as parts of the UK wake up to snow and weather warnings

Snow photographed by a drone over the village of Fetcham in Surrey this morning

Hundreds of swimmers take a sunrise dip in the North Sea at Portobello Beach, for International Women's Day in Edinburgh today

The Met Office's chief meteorologist, Matthew Lehnert, said the weather could cut off rural communities in the north and hamper travel over the next few days across southern England and south Wales.

Mr Lehnert said: 'Snow, ice and low temperatures are the main themes of this week's forecast, with the UK under an Arctic maritime air mass.

'Snow could lead to some travel disruption, with a chance some rural communities in the north could be cut off.

Snow showers were seen in Beckenham, south-east London, this morning

Snow in Tonbridge, Kent, this morning as parts of the country wake up to a white blanket

Snow showers in Cricklewood, north London, this morning

A car is seen covered in snow as it fell at Emmer Green in Berkshire this morning

'The focus for the snow moves to southern England and south Wales tomorrow and some may wake up to a few centimetres of snow, with the south coast and far south-west likely to see a mix of rain and sleet.

'Further snow and hail showers are also expected along northern coasts, especially in northern Scotland.'

He added: 'During the afternoon, a further spell of sleet and snow is likely to develop across southern England and south Wales which could cause travel disruption into the evening.'

Snow blankets Epsom Downs in Surrey this morning, as a yellow weather warning is in place

He continued: 'Lying snow and ice on untreated surfaces may have an impact on Thursday morning travel.'

The Met Office also warned that ice will be an additional hazard through the week as regions experience sub-zero temperatures.

Dr Sousa said people should check on vulnerable relatives and told pensioners and anyone with an underlying health condition to heat their home to at least 18C.

Moffat Mountain Rescue, based in Scotland, warned that conditions can change 'very rapidly' in mountain areas as the UK battles with snow, ice and gusty winds.

Commuters faced travel misery as snow showers fell in Westminster this morning
House Republicans have begun work on their own budget proposal in a drive to eliminate 'wasteful' and 'woke' spending  with a key advisor's budget proposing a 30 percent cut in Health Department programs.

President Joe Biden unveils his own budget plan in Philadelphia Thursday. He has been hammering Republicans on Social Security and Medicare, and secured public pledges from top Republicans not to cut the popular programs.

That leaves other 'discretionary' programs on the chopping block, with some of the conservative Republicans who made Kevin McCarthy's speakership possible vowing to follow through on politically painful cuts if necessary.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Republicans are working on a budget plan that will slash funds from a number of domestic programs, after saying they won't cut Social Security and Medicare

MEDICARE VS. MEDICAID On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the laws that created Medicare and Medicaid to address poverty, inequality, hunger and education issues. Medicare is a federal program that provides health care coverage for people aged 65 or older, and younger people with disabilities, regardless of the persons income. 65 million Americans are currently on Medicare, and the number is growing. According to the U.S. Census, all 'Baby Boomers' [those born between 1946 and 1964] will be at least age 65 by 2030. Medicaid is a combined state and federal program that provides health coverage to those who have low incomes, regardless of the person's age. Income levels are generally based on the federal poverty level, but each state can determine who qualifies and who doesn't. Advertisement

Biden's White House has hit at Republicans for huddling with former Trump budget official Russell Vought, and Vought confirmed to the New York Times he is advising them on cuts to a 'woke and weaponized government.'

The push comes weeks after House Republicans announced their plans to slash 'woke waste.'

'I'm not saying you can balance on discretionary [spending] alone,' he said. 'But a work requirement food stamp program is a lot easier to sell than premium support,' said, speaking of a plan to make Medicare recipients pay more.

Vought's Center for Renewing America has cataloged some of the cuts that could be the basis for a GOP budget plan that must clear the Budget panel and pass the House on a majority vote.

Among the proposed cuts, slashing $37 billion, or 29 percent, from the Department of Health & Human Services.

The Department 'is a key purveyor of radical gender theory in the medical field and infuses Critical Race Theory (CRT) through the guise of 'health equity' as part of its research emphasis,' according to the group, picking up on CRT, which has been a target for Republicans including Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The group slams HHS for 'promulgating' so-called 'gain of function' research, and calls the agency a supporter of the 'abortion industry and the transgender medical agenda.'

Other cuts in the outline include a 45 percent cut in foreign aid, imposing work requirements on Medicaid and food stamp recipients, along with taking a knife to the FBI's counterintelligence budget.

Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott blasted back at President Biden, who repeatedly called him out in speeches and said he planned to cut Social Security

President Joe Biden has been hammering Republicans by saying they have cuts in store for popular programs, and daring them to produce a budget

Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott blasted back at Biden in an interview with DailyMail.com last week.

'First of all, the president's a liar,' he said. He said Biden signed a bill that 'cut' $280 billion from Medicare  in reference to provisions allowing the government to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies. The provision was a revenue-raiser, but did not cut programs.

'When he was in the Senate, he proposed cutting Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits, everything. So, this guy is a hypocrite,' he said.

'What we ought to be focused on is: how does the American public, get them in a position that financially they're able to get the health care on their own,' he said.

Asked if that meant there were savings to be had from Medicaid, he responded: 'Well look, can people get a job? The federal government's not there to forever provide benefits for somebody [but to] create an economy where people can live on their own. Look, I grew up in public housing, I didn't wake up every day say well, I hope I can get back in public housing. I want to be independent.'
This is the moment a kung fu expert squares up to a fang-baring monkey for what looks like some serious gorilla warfare.

The man, identified as free fighter Mr Xie, took on a feisty Tibetan macaque during a visit to Mount Emei, in south-western China's Sichuan Province.

Footage of their scrap enraged some social media users who said he should have stayed further away from the wild animal.

Others who have visited the mountain thought it was a fitting payback towards monkeys that are notorious for ambushing tourists for their food.

The scrap began when Mr Xie tried to pet one of the macaques.

The man, identified as free fighter Mr Xie, took on a feisty Tibetan macaque during a visit to Mount Emei, in south-western China's Sichuan Province

In the video, as he touches the monkey, it attacks him and he counters with a jab, leaning over the railing to deliver more blows.

While his back is turned, another macaque rushes in to defend his pal and Mr Xei drives it off with a flurry of air punches.

Tourists watched on in apparent disbelief while filming the strange martial arts bout and later shared the images on social media.

Tourists watched on in apparent disbelief while filming the strange martial arts bout and later shared the images on social media

A few days later, Mr Xie also posted footage of the scrap on Douyin - TikTok's Chinese counterpart - in response to online attention.

He said that he practices free fighting, so when the monkey sneaked in a punch, he swung back as a reflex.

He said: 'Of course, I held back. After all, they are protected animals. I have to let them go, I just wanted to scare them off.

'Certainly, this kind of behaviour is definitely wrong, so please don't imitate it.'

Mr Xie said that he practices free fighting, so when the monkey sneaked in a punch, he swung back as a reflex

Officials appealed to the public to keep their distance from the monkeys.

Douyin user Baba wrote: 'After all these years, someone finally stood up to the monkeys.'

Another user posted: 'He has done things that countless people want to do but do not dare'.
A podcaster has captured an incredible near miss on camera as an SUV smashes into the window he was sat in front of while filming an interview at a Houston cafe.

Nathan Reeves, 20, was filming a YouTube video with his guest, 22-year-old photographer, Alexsey Reyes, when the huge vehicle smashed into the window just inches behind the pair.

The large panes shatter towards the pair on impact, almost hitting them in an incident which could have had much more serious consequences.

No one was injured in the Saturday crash, which involved a Chevrolet Tahoe, Houston police said.

Bizarrely, seconds before the black car plowed into Tout Suite cafe, Reeves said: 'It got so quiet in here.'

A woman driving the Tahoe with two passengers had run a red light, and then struck a Ford Escape before hurtling into the business.

There had been more than a dozen people inside the eatery at the time, Houston police spokesperson John Cannon said.

Reeves said of the incident: 'It was shock and a lot of adrenaline at first. But then after we made sure everybody seemed to be OK.'

'I was just freaking out that I got the whole thing on film.'

Despite being part way through presenting his show, Reeves reacted instantly to the huge crash, immediately jumping out of his seat.

Meanwhile, Reyes appears not to react to the huge smash and merely shuffles away after the window dramatically caves in.

His apparently calm reaction to the shocking incident is replaced by disbelief at what has just happened.

The camera continues to roll, capturing the aftermath of the collision.

The pair had almost finished filming what was Reeves' fifth episode for his YouTube Channel November Romeo

The incident took place at the Tout Suite cafe, a coffee house on Commerce St. in downtown Houston

One person can be heard reassuring aghast onlookers, saying: 'we're chill in here, everyone's good.'

Reeves can then be seen speaking to police before handing them what appears to be a business card, saying that his footage from the incident will be on YouTube.

The pair had almost finished filming what was Reeves' fifth episode for his YouTube Channel November Romeo.

Bizarrely, seconds before the black car plowed into Tout Suite cafe, Reeves said: 'It got so quiet in here.'

The huge window panes shatter towards the pair on impact, almost hitting them in an incident which could have had much more serious consequences

The camera continues to roll, capturing the aftermath of the collision, with one still showing debris after a car crashed into Tout Suite cafe

The podcast episode showing the crash has since been uploaded to his channel and has amassed tens of thousands of views.

Days later, Reyes said he is still processing the crash, and that he found glass shards in his hair and arms later in the day.

'The more days pass (the more) I am realizing how badly it could have ended,' he said.

He captioned the video, which he shared on his YouTube and social media, 'Thank god we are all okay!' before warning viewers 'don't run reds.'
A mother-of-two who had been working two jobs to support her family celebrated scooping 838,000 on EuroMillions - by tucking into her favourite takeaway curry.

Sally-Ann Hanitzsch, from Cambourne, had been working shifts at a Morrisons shop while holding down a full-time role as an assets officer at Cambridge City Council.

The 55-year-old matched all five main numbers plus a lucky star in the EuroMillions draw on December 2, but did not check her ticket until more than a month later.

Now, after spending years in social housing, the hard working mother plans on using her 838,125.50 fortune to buy a new house - as well as helping her children Jack, 27, and Sophie, 22, get on the property ladder.

Describing the moment she found out about her windfall Sally-Ann said: 'It was on a Saturday shift in January when I had a couple of minutes and thought I'd check my tickets. I rarely check them because I never think I'll win but asked a colleague to scan and she said you need to call the National Lottery now and sign the ticket.

Overjoyed! Sally-Ann Hanitzsch, 55, discovered she had won the EuroMillions while working her part-time shift at Morrisons

The mother-of-two scooped 838,125.50 and celebrated her winnings by having her favourite takeaway curry

'I rarely check them because I never think I'll win but asked a colleague to scan and she said you need to call the National Lottery now and sign the ticket.

'I thought she was joking but I called during my break before returning for the rest of my nine-hour shift, knowing I was 838,000 richer.

'Then all of a sudden lots of other staff members started to arrive at the kiosk asking about the win.

'Word had got round that someone had won big... and it was me.'

She said when she called her son he thought she had 'lost the plot' and her daughter did not believe her either.

'When I got home I was so tired I just went to bed,' said Ms Hanitzsch.

'But we did celebrate as a family the following night with a takeaway curry.'

In the lead up to Christmas, Ms Hanitzsch had been working 20 hours per week as a customer services assistant at Morrisons in Cambourne on top of her regular Monday to Friday nine-to-five.

Sally-Ann no plans on buying a new home and helping her two children, Jack, 27, and Sophie, 22, get on the property ladder

'I did have two jobs which was very tiring,' she said. 'The win means I'll be able to have some of that time back and also help my family financially.

'With the extra time I now have, I can plan to do the things I've always wanted to do.'

During the week of her win Ms Hanitzsch still worked her rota of five consecutive evening shifts before calling time on her role at Morrisons.

She said she will continue working at Cambridge City Council, adding: 'I'm only 55, I love my job and my colleagues at the council.

'When I told my supervisor she cried. That's how much of a team we are.'

As well as buying a new home and helping her children get properties of their own, the mother-of-two also wants to go on a dream trip to Japan.

She added: 'I'm now debt free, I'm buying a home having lived in social housing for years. I'm going to help Jack and Sophie to get onto the property ladder, buy a new car, probably a new Ford Fiesta as I don't need anything bigger, go on a few holidays and plan the big trip to Japan.

'I just love Japan, the lights, the automated machines, the cartoons, sumo, the food.

'I've never been and it has always been a dream I thought I'd never be able to fulfil.

'The win means I can visit Tokyo, Hiroshima and do it all during the spring to see the beautiful blossoms.'
The Bishop who christened Meghan and Harry's daughter Princess Lilibet is a former newspaper editor and the chief of staff for disgraced former US president Richard Nixon.

The Right Reverend John Harvey Taylor - the Bishop of Los Angeles - baptized the Sussex's 21-month-old at their Montecito home in California on Friday.

The christening of Lilibet saw her royal title of 'Princess' used formally for the first time, giving the first indication that the Sussexes will use the titles for their children.

The small ceremony - conducted by the man described as one of Nixon's closest confidantes, and who Nixon himself described as 'our House liberal' - was attended by between 20 and 30 friends at their Montecito mansion.

King Charles, Queen Consort Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales were invited to the California ceremony last Friday but they declined, People magazine reported.

The decision to allow a former newspaper editor to christen Lilibet will raise eyebrows among royal observers who may consider it ironic, given the couple's regular battles with the press.

Right Reverend John Harvey Taylor, the Bishop of Los Angeles, christened the Sussex's daughter Lilibet on Friday

Right Reverend John Harvey Taylor (centre) is a former newspaper editor and the chief of staff for disgraced former US president Richard Nixon (left)

Prior to becoming Bishop of Los Angeles, Taylor was a reporter and then editor of twice-weekly Chula Vista Star News in the 1970s.

Nixon, who died in 1994, was the 37th president of the US and the only one to resign from office, following the Watergate scandal.

A profile in the Los Angeles Times described Bishop Taylor as one of Nixon's closest confidants in later years and as co-executor of his estate.

Nixon - a republican - used to call Bishop Taylor 'our House liberal'.

Nixon resigned in 1974 after he was implicated in the Watergate scandal following a cover-up when five men connected with his election campaign team were arrested after a break-in at at the offices of the Democratic Party's national headquarters.

Taylor was the former president's researcher and editorial assistant, before becoming his post-chief of staff in 1984, ten years after Nixon left the White House.

Taylor left the role in 1990, and was succeeded by his future wife Kathy O'Connor, who he married in 2002.

He was later ordained as a priest in 2004, and was subsequently named vicar of St. John's Episcopal Church and School in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Bishop Taylor was elected as the seventh bishop of Los Angeles to the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles in December 2016 and took office in December 2017.

He is a father of four and a grandfather of two.

The christening of Lilibet saw her royal title of 'Princess' used formally for the first time, giving the first indication that the Sussexes will use the titles for their children

The small ceremony for Lilibet (pictured) was attended by between 20 and 30 friends of the Sussexes at their Montecito mansion

The diocese's website says he has 'devoted himself to promoting reconciliation, transparency'.

It adds: 'In those called to leadership in the church, whether lay or ordained, he encourages the exercise of empathy and curiosity as tools of evangelism, to enrich relationships and build new ones across the barriers of difference and prejudice according to race, language, geography, orientation, identification, age, and socioeconomics.'
Motorists say steering wheels on their Model Y cars detached while driving

US regulators are investigating Tesla after motorists complained the steering wheel on its Model Y vehicles can detach while driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is leading the probe which it says affects an estimated 120,000 cars manufactured in 2023.

It comes after two drivers uploaded images of their steering wheels falling off to social media, after they were delivered with missing bolts.

The Tesla driver said he had 'lost trust' in the beleaguered electric car brand which has come under fire for some of its lax safety controls including a full self-driving system which has allowed some drivers to fall asleep at the wheel.

Tesla shares were trading at $182.17 on Wednesday morning, down 9.85 percent on last month.

US regulators are probing Tesla's Model Y vehicles after a driver uploaded a photo of his detached steering wheel

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said an estimated 120,000 cars manufactured in 2023 could be impacted

The motorist said he had 'lost faith' in Tesla which has come under fire for some of its lax safety measures

The firm's value has been steadily declining as a result of manufacturing complications and the shifted focus of CEO Elon Musk since his $44 billion takeover of Twitter.

The NHTSA posted several documents to its website on Wednesday explaining the issues with the Tesla Model Ys.

The Model Y costs upwards of $53,000 and is Tesla's top selling car.

In one complaint filed with NHTSA and shared on Twitter, an owner said he was driving with his family on Route 1 in Woodbridge, New Jersey, when the steering wheel suddenly came off on Jan. 29, five days after the vehicle was purchased.

The owner wrote that there were no cars behind him, and he was able to pull toward the road divider. There were no injuries.

At first a Tesla service center gave the owner a cost estimate of $103.96 to repair the problem. The service center apologized in what appear to be text messages posted on Twitter.

'Am I responsible for manufacturing defect?' he wrote at the time.

'Its not even week and getting bill for faulty steering wheel. Isnt it companys responsibility to fix it?

'I would greatly appreciate refund and keep the car as we lost trust and family is not feeling safe driving it back.'

The service center removed the charge and wrote that Tesla doesnt have a return policy, but he could reach out to the sales and delivery team.

The man was later given the option of keeping the car or getting it replaced with a new one.

He posted that Tesla did replace his car.

In 2020 British travel agent Jason Tuatara also revealed the steering wheel on his vehicle had fallen off just a month after he had bought it.

In 2020 British travel agent Jason Tuatara also complained the steering wheel on his Tesla came apart just a month after he had bought the vehicle

The firm is already suffering a fall in share prices amid manufacturing issues and a slew of safety complaints

The investigation adds to a long list of problems Tesla is having with the NHTSA.

In the past three years the agency has opened investigations into Tesla's 'Autopilot' driver-assist system crashing into parked emergency vehicles as well as problems with suspensions.

At least 14 Teslas have crashed into emergency vehicles while operating under the Autopilot system.

In February the NHTSA pressured the firm into recalling 363,000 vehicles with 'full self-driving software' because it can break traffic laws.

The system is able to 'assist' drivers but does not make the vehicle totally autonomous, its website states.

But a slew of motorists have gone viral for falling asleep at the wheel while the software took over.

In February one woman in a pink shirt was filmed asleep while driving the 15 Freeway near Temecula in California.

The person filming the video alleged she had been asleep for at least 15 minutes.

'Look how dangerous that is,' the recorder says in the video.

'Sleeping and this car is driving you. Are you nuts?'

The self-driving function is being tested on public roads by 400,000 Tesla owners.

One Tesla driver was filmed asleep at the wheel on a California highway in February. The incident was captured by a fellow motorist who asked: 'are you nuts?'

However, NHTSA said the software was at times guilty of making unsafe actions such as driving straight through an intersection while in a turn-only lane, going through a yellow traffic light without proper caution or failing to respond to changes in posted speed limits.

Tesla has issued 30 recalls, many of which were required by the NHTSA.

The agency has also sent investigators to 35 crashes involving Tesla which were suspected of using the automated systems.

Nineteen people have died in those crashes, including two motorcyclists.

The U.S Justice Department is also looking into Tesla's 'full self-driving function' and Autopilot.
An elderly couple have been forced to sleep in their living room for two years after a sinkhole destroyed the foundations of their home in Kent.

The sinkhole is thought to have caused a major leak under the pavement outside of Marilyn and Michael Stapleton's bungalow in Ramsgate, dropping the property by three inches and forcing the couple to live out of their front room.

After 27 months, Mr Stapleton, 74, and his wife, 70, are still waiting for vital repairs to be made, and have even had to move their bed into the living room.

The ordeal started when the grandparents-of-four returned home at lunchtime on December 27, 2020, and noticed cracks on walls outside. When inside, they saw the plaster on the windowsill had also cracked and was starting to 'deteriorate'.

It was then they noticed that the pavement outside had started to drop, and that their neighbours also had damage to their property. Southern Water arrived on the scene around 2pm.

After 27 months, Mr Stapleton, 74, and his wife, 70, are still waiting for vital repairs to be made, and have even had to move their bed into the living room

The ordeal started when the grandparents-of-four returned home at lunchtime on December 27, 2020, and noticed cracks on walls outside

The couple claim the water was not turned off until 4pm the following day, which they believe caused serious damage to the foundations of their home

'We started to realise something was seriously wrong,' Mr Stapleton said. 'It was terrible - a real mess.

'We went out the following morning and the pavement had gone and you could see the water rushing out.'

The couple claim the water was not turned off until 4pm the following day, which they believe caused serious damage to the foundations of their home. With signs of substantial subsidence, they immediately relocated to the front room.

'Straight away we were in the living room, but the furniture was still in the bedrooms,' Mr Stapleton said. 'We didn't have a bed, so we were sleeping on the sofa for a while.

'We thought this side of the house was quite stable compared to the other so we felt fairly safe here, but we could hear creaks and noises at night and it was worrying.'

The couple are now unable to move back into the bedrooms as the radiators have been removed.

Initially, they were advised to move out but due to coronavirus restrictions on hotels at the time, and the fact they did not feel comfortable leaving their home unoccupied, they decided to stay put.

But their present situation is making their lives difficult, and harder to see their family.

It has also taken its toll on the couple, who have been married for 50 years.

There are cracks evident on the walls outside of the property as a result of a sinkhole

The floors and windows are still tilted, and there is still no heating in the bedrooms

'I've had to move out because I can't do it any more,' Mrs Stapleton, who had been sleeping on an air mattress in the bedroom, said.

She is now temporarily moving out of the home to her son's house in Spain.

She said: 'I can't stay - I've had enough. It takes its toll in the end.'

Mr Stapleton added: 'It's just worn her away.'

Mrs Stapleton says she has complained to their insurers, Royal and Sun Alliance, six times.

The work to fix the damage was contracted out to Crawford and Co and was due to be finished by August 2021.

Last October, the bungalow was finally underpinned and some internal walls were repaired, but no further work has been completed since. The floors and windows are still tilted, and there is still no heating in the bedrooms.

Royal and Sun Alliance have said that one reason for the delays is that builders came across what they thought was a bomb during the work.

A spokesman said: 'We're very sorry for the delays Mr and Mrs Stapleton have experienced with their claim.

'This was a complex case due to the significant scale of damage and subsidence affecting the property, which takes time to repair, and delays were caused by a property boundary issue and the discovery of a potential Second World War bomb while work was being carried out.

Mrs Stapleton has been forced to temporarily move out of the property into her son's home in Spain as she has struggled to cope

The couple, both in their 70s, have been forced into living out of the front room for the last 27 months

'However, we have now underpinned the property and work to repair the damaged floor is due to begin in April.

'We are reviewing Mr and Mrs Stapleton's complaint and will be offering further compensation for the delays they've experienced and our previous offer of alternative accommodation remains available.'

A Southern Water spokesman added: 'We are aware of an issue relating to a reported water pipe leak on December 27, 2020, and we have received insurance claims in relation to this.

'This complex matter has been reported to our Public Liability Insurers who are currently investigating.

'The presence of a sinkhole in the vicinity of the area in question is being taken into consideration during these investigations.'
A search spanning three decades for a missing Italian girl has been given new hope following reports she is being kept on a Turkish island after being kidnapped as a child.

The reports allege that Angela Celentano, who disappeared from a family picnic in Naples in August 1996, is living on the island of Buyukada, near Istanbul.

Authorities in Italy have ordered a new investigation after an Italian woman claimed that Angela is living with a man who she believes is her father.

Vincenza Trentinella claimed the information was given to her by a dying priest, who allegedly said it was revealed to him during a confession.

Trentinella says she travelled to Turkey and met with Angela, as well as her alleged abductor, before notifying Italian police.

The Turkish newspaper Milliyet reported that Turkish and Italian police are cooperating to find the girl, who will turn 30 this year.

Angela Celentano, an Italian girl who got lost at the age of three, has been missing for 27 years

The age progression photo of Angela Celentano, depicting what she might look like now

According to Trentinella, the dying priest had told her about a vet living on the island, a popular tourist destination, who he alleged had kidnapped Angela.

The woman says she went to the island years later and met with the abductor and Angela herself.

She said she gave the information to Italian police upon returning to the country.

Italian outlets claim the joint police force had questioned a person called 'FD' in Buyukada.

The person reportedly denied ever meeting Trentinella.

Police also found the man was missing a scar as described by the Italian.

An Italian judge nonetheless extended the investigation for another six months and requested the allegation made by Trentinella be investigated.

Angela's parents were reportedly excited by the news coming from Turkey.

They have received numerous anonymous reports of sightings over the years, taking them to places as far-flung as Mexico, South Africa, and Venezuela.

However, no tip-off to date has resulted in Angela being found.

Despite the failed leads, her family has never stopped searching for her.

Towards the end of February, hopes were dashed when a DNA test of a woman from South America did not match.

The family wrote on social media: 'We will continue in our research and any other report worthy of further investigation will be covered.'

Angela disappeared on 10 August 1996 while on a family trip to Mount Faito in the south west of Italy.

She is understood to have gone missing around 1pm during a picnic.

Her father, Catello, realised the girl was no longer sitting behind him as they ate.

The family alerted the authorities when they could not find her nearby.

Police and fire fighters helped join the search, which lasted four days.

Dozens of men, dogs and helicopters searched with the family, who set up a tent to stay local and search for their daughter.

An 11-year-old boy said at the time he had seen Angela head away from the group on a path headings towards a car park.

Weeks later, a 12-year-old said he had met Angela with the 11-year-old on the path, and that he had seen two men kidnap the girl and put her in a car.

The parents of Angela Celentano, who have been looking for their daughter for nearly 30 years

Angela Celentano (pictured) went missing on a family trip in south west Italy in 1996, aged 3

Since then, the family have scoured online for any clues that might lead them to their daughter.

One woman, Celeste Ruiz from Mexico, was believed to be Angela.

After two years, police told the family Celeste was not.

But parents Catello and Marisa adopted the girl anyway.

Another Mexican woman who later said she was Angela was later confirmed not to be.
Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, center, raises his arms in celebration after being elected the new chair of the ruling People Power Party at the party's national convention at KINTEX exhibition center in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, March 8. Yonhap





Four-term lawmaker Kim Gi-hyeon was elected new leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) on Wednesday in a boon for President Yoon Suk Yeol seeking to strengthen his grip on the party ahead of next year's general elections.







Kim won 53 percent of the vote against his biggest rival, Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo's 23 percent, making a runoff unnecessary. Former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn and attorney Chun Ha-ram won 15 percent and 9 percent, respectively.







The result is considered a victory for Yoon, because Kim has widely been known to be Yoon's favorite.







From the start of the race, Kim formed an alliance with Rep. Chang Je-won, a key political brain for Yoon. Some staffers of the presidential office have even been accused of campaigning for Kim in a mobile chat room of PPP members.







Yoon showed up at the national convention held at the KINTEX exhibition center in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, marking the first time in seven years that the president has attended a national convention of the ruling party since former President Park Geun-hye did so in 2016.







President Yoon Suk Yeol does an uppercut ceremony during the party's national convention to elect its new leader at KINTEX in Goyang, northwest of Seoul, March 8. Yonhap





In an acceptance speech, Kim pledged to win an "overwhelming victory" in next year's elections.







"By becoming one with fellow party members, I will lead the party to victory in next year's general elections without fail by reviving livelihoods," he said. "Let's achieve an overwhelming victory in next year's elections by becoming one."







The PPP held a four-day vote through Tuesday, with 461,313 of the 837,236 paying party members casting their ballots by either mobile- or voice-based voting, registering an all-time high turnout of 55.1 percent, an indication of high interest in the race.







The convention was expected to draw as many as 10,000 party members.







The party also elected five members to join its Supreme Council. They are former lawmaker Kim Jae-won, former presidential campaign spokesperson Kim Byung-min, Rep. Cho Su-jin and defector-turned-lawmaker Tae Yong-ho. Jang Ye-chan, an aide to Yoon during his presidential campaign, was elected to a seat allotted for younger politicians aged under 45.







Kim faces tough challenges, both inside and outside the party, as he takes over for a two-year term.







His No. 1 mission is to lead the party to a victory in next year's parliamentary elections so as to take back majority control of the National Assembly from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and push Yoon's agenda in the National Assembly.







This photo shows Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon, the new leader of the ruling People Power Party, delivers a speech at a national convention of the ruling People Power Party held at the KINTEX exhibition center in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul, March 8. Yonhap





Closing chasms between pro-Yoon lawmakers and other factions in the party is another task facing Kim. He would also have to keep the party from falling into more turmoil over party nominations for next year's general elections.







Another mission awaiting Kim is smoothing out heightened tensions with his contenders in the leadership race. Earlier this week, Ahn even filed a complaint against a senior presidential aide over the alleged interference with the race by presidential staffers.







Ties with the main opposition are, however, expected to remain rocky for the time being, with the DPK accusing Yoon and the ruling party of orchestrating corruption probes to take party leader Lee Jae-myung down. (Yonhap)


Smiling Alex Murdaugh has appeared shaven-headed in a new mugshot from prison days after being found guilty of murdering his wife and son.

The new mugshot was to replace an out of focus photo that was taken on March 3 when he was transferred to the Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center.

The 54-year-old wears a white t-shirt under his yellow prison overalls in the most recent image taken inside the notorious lock-up outside Columbia, South Carolina.

He is being held in a cell on his own as he undergoes 45 days of testing which the South Carolina Department of Corrections carries out on every prisoner to assess where to hold them permanently. As he is a double murderer, Murdaugh is being housed with the state's most brutal and violent inmates.

Murdaugh was last week sentenced to two consecutive life sentences after he was found guilty of shooting dead his wife Maggie, 52, and younger son Paul, 22, at the family's hunting estate in Moselle on the night of June 7, 2021.

Smiling Alex Murdaugh appears shaven-headed in a new mugshot from prison days after being found guilty of murdering his wife and son. The new mugshot was to replace an out of focus photo that was taken on March 3 (right) when he was transferred to the Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center

Kirkland Correctional Center will be Murdaugh's grim new home for the next few weeks as he undergoes evaluation for where to be sent permanently

This undated file photo provided on July 11, 2019, by the South Carolina Department of Corrections shows the new death row at Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, SC

Alex Murdaugh with wife Maggie and their sons Buster (left) and Paul (right)

The life he now faces is a far cry from the privileged world of multi-million dollar homes from the coast to the hunting lands of the Lowcountry he is used to.

'As part of the intake process, like all inmates, (Murdaugh) will undergo medical tests, mental health and education assessments, and the South Carolina Department of Corrections will gather other additional background information,' the South Carolina Department of Corrections said in a statement last week.

After the evaluation, Murdaugh will be sent to one of the state's maximum-security prisons to serve out the rest of his life behind bars.

Kirkland is home to more than 1,700 of the most violent criminals in the state and churns through more than 8,000 prisoners each year for evaluation.

As well as serving as the processing site for all of the state's convicts, it is also home to a specialized maximum-security jail for the most dangerous and violent offenders.

Adjacent to the prison is the Broad River Correctional Institution which houses both high and medium security inmates.

More than 700 prisoners died in South Carolina's prisons and jails between 2015 and 2021. The majority of those deaths occurred at Kirkland (160) and Broad River (101).

'Kirkland is also responsible for the maximum-security unit which houses some of the most violent and dangerous inmates in the state,' the site's website says.

'Furthermore, Kirkland Correctional Center houses inmates who are in the statewide protective custody program.'

Trial attorney Robert Rikard tweeted on the eve of Murdaugh's sentencing: 'Tomorrow will be a much different day for Murdaugh. After sentencing instead of going to the county jail he will go to Reception and Evaluation on Broad River Rd.

'They'll shave his head and put him through a battery of tests that vet weeks.

'Then he will be assigned to a SC Department of Corrections facility. Because he's convicted of a violent crime, he will go to a facility that only houses the violent criminals. The worst of the worst.

'It will be a much different scene than the county jail. These are brutal environments and it will be quite a shock after the privileged life he has lived.'

Adjacent to the prison is the Broad River Correctional Institution which houses both high and medium security inmates

A cell at the Broad facility. More than 700 prisoners died in South Carolina's prisons and jails between 2015 and 2021

The majority of prisoner deaths in the state occurred at Kirkland (160) and Broad River (101)

Murdaguh will eventually end up at a maximum security prison. ' He will go to a facility that only houses the violent criminals. The worst of the worst.

More than 700 prisoners died in South Carolina's prions and jails between 2015 and 2021. The majority of those deaths occurred at Kirkland (160) and Broad River (101)

Broad River Correctional Facility / Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center

Judge Clifton Newman issued a searing sentencing earlier, describing Murdaugh as a 'monster' who continued to lie even when the evidence was damning.

'This case qualifies under our death penalty statue based on the statutory aggravating circumstances of two or more people being murdered by the defendant by one act or pursuant to one scheme or course of conduct. I don't question at all the decision of the state not to pursue the death penalty.

'But as I sit here in this courtroom and look around at the many portraits of judges and other court officials and reflect on the fact that over the past century, your family, including you, have been prosecuting people here in this courtroom and many have received the death penalty, probably for lesser conduct.

'Remind me of the expression you gave on the witness stand. Oh, what tangled web we weave. What did you mean by that?'

'I meant when I lied, I continued to lie,' Murdaugh replied.

'And the question is when will it end? When will it end? And it has ended already for the jury, because they've concluded that you continue to lie and lied throughout your testimony. And perhaps with all the throng of people here, they for the most part all believe or 80, 90& or 99% believe that you continue to lie now when your statement of denial to the court.'

Murdaugh learned his fate in the same courtroom on the circuit that his father, grandfather and great-grandfather tried cases as the elected prosecutor for more than 80 years.

His grandfather's portrait hung in the back of the room until the judge ordered it taken down for the trial.

Alex Murdaugh is led out of the courthouse to a waiting prison van to begin his life sentence

Murdaugh leaves the courthouse in a Colleton County Jail jumpsuit on Friday

Through more than 75 witnesses and nearly 800 pieces of evidence, jurors heard about betrayed friends and clients, Murdaugh's failed attempt to stage his own death in an insurance fraud scheme, a fatal boat crash in which his son was implicated, the housekeeper who died in a fall in the Murdaugh home and the grisly scene of the killings.

The lawyer admitted stealing millions of dollars from the family firm and clients, saying he needed the money to fund his drug habit.

Before he was charged with murder, Murdaugh was in jail awaiting trial on about 100 other charges ranging from insurance fraud to tax evasion.

The Murdaughs dominated the legal scene in neighboring Hampton County for a century. Another brother remains in the large law firm the family founded a century ago.

Murdaugh's surviving son Buster testified for the defense and was behind him in the courtroom for every day of the trial.

Juror Craig Moyer said that when deliberations began, the jury immediately took a poll that came back with nine guilty votes. It did not take long to convince the other three.

The juror agreed with prosecutors that the key piece of evidence was a video locked on his son's mobile phone for a year  video shot minutes before the killings at the same kennels near where the bodies would be found.

Murdaugh spoke briefly, telling the judge: 'I am innocent. I would never hurt my wife Maggie and I would never hurt my son Paul Paul.' He was sentenced to life in prison

Judge Clifton Newman gave a searing assessment of Murdaugh's 'duplicitous'; character

The voices of all three Murdaughs can be heard on the video, though Alex Murdaugh had insisted for 20 months that he had not been at the kennels that night.

When he gave evidence in his own defense, the first thing he did was admit he had lied to investigators about being at the kennels, saying he was paranoid of law enforcement because he was addicted to opioids and had pills in his pocket the night of the killings.

'A good liar. But not good enough,' Moyer said.

Prosecutors did not have the weapons used to kill the Murdaughs or other direct evidence like confessions or blood spatter.

But they had a mountain of circumstantial evidence, including the video putting Murdaugh at the scene of the killings five minutes before his wife and son stopped using their mobile phones forever.

When he gave evidence last week, Murdaugh appeared to cry as he denied again and again that he killed his wife. But Moyer said he saw through yet another lie.

'He never cried. All he did was blow snot,' Moyer said. 'No tears. I saw his eyes. I was this close to him.'
A senior City solicitor accused of setting a teen apprentice sexual tasks wanted to hire her because she was the 'fittest' candidate, a disciplinary tribunal heard today.

Oliver Bretherton, 41, allegedly gave the 18-year-old A-level student instructions to perform daily sex acts in the office and encouraged her to send him explicit messages and pictures.

The woman, known as Person A, claims that at a leaving drinks Bretherton stuck his hand up her skirt and kissed her and would throw ping pong balls down the front of her dress at work.

Married Bretherton denies multiple allegations of sexual misconduct made by three junior female colleagues at the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal in the City of London.

Giving evidence today, a former colleague told how then director Bretherton made the case for Person A to join international law firm Gowling WLG after interviewing her.

City lawyer Oliver Bretherton, 41, gave an 18-year-old junior colleague sexual tasks and threw ping-pong balls down the front of her dress, a disciplinary tribunal has heard

He told the panel that Bretherton had reported back that the teen was not only 'very confident and very intelligent' but she was the 'fittest' of the applicants.

The male lawyer added: 'I do remember when he came back he told people in the team, another associate as well, that Person A was attractive.'

Person A alleges that Bretherton told her that he wanted to 'f***' her in the office and instructed her to masturbate every day in the office toilets and again before she went to sleep each night.

She said: 'Every time I did this, I would have to tell him about it.'

She also said Bretherton engaged in a 'sexual fantasy relationship' with her, bombarding her with X-rated instructions and encouraging her to talk about her sexual experiences.

She said answering his 'horrible and awful' messages could last from 8am to midnight, and he once asked her to name the 'kinkiest' thing she had done. She added: 'It was psychologically exhausting. I was describing things I had never done.'

She said he later made her delete WhatsApp conversations in front of him and warned her that if anyone found out 'it would be my career that would be affected and not his'.

He allegedly sent her a video of himself performing a solo sex act, told her what to wear, demanded to know where she was and who she was with, timed her toilet breaks and made her fetch the ping-pong balls when he missed his target.

Nimi Bruce, representing the Solicitors Regulation Authority, previously told the tribunal that Bretherton said to the 18-year-old he wanted to 'f*** her and he would do it in the office and he didn't care if there was a glass wall'.

He allegedly gave her tasks 'relating to his sexual gratification'.

Bretherton abused his position to suggest she was 'beholden' to him, Ms Bruce said, adding: 'It was planned and deliberate. His attempts to conceal his actions were painstaking and meticulous.'

He is said to have abused Person A for more than a year.

A colleague told the tribunal that Bretherton and Person A initially appeared to have a 'happy and flirty relationship', adding: 'I never noticed anything amiss in the office.'

But he said that it was the talk of the leaving drinks how close the pair were at the bar with Person A stood between Bretherton's legs.

Another colleague allegedly observed: 'This is an uncomfortable watch. She is flirting with the director.'

The witness said: 'Mr Bretherton's hand was very close to her rear or lower back'. He added that another lawyer looking on exclaimed 'Look where his hand is!'.

He said that when the pair disappeared for half an hour in the direction of the toilets, there was some speculation that they had 'snuck off together' to kiss.

In her statement recalling the night, Person A said: 'I remember Oliver put his hand up my skirt...it was uncomfortable what he was doing.

'He put his hands in between my legs, not in a sexual way but just holding my thigh and then he kissed me on the lips. There was a lot of tongue...It was a horrible experience.

'It made me feel quite sick and panicky. I sobered up quite quickly.'

The colleague said that in subsequent days Bretherton admitted he had been drunk and had little recollection of events.

He said: 'Mr Bretherton said that he would distance himself from Person A given people had noticed them being close at the bar.

'He said to me that he did not want to put himself in that position again, being that drunk around Person A.'

Bretherton today admitted 'betraying' his wife by pursuing the 'sexual fantasy relationship' in the office with the school leaver half his age.

Bretherton claims he was in a 'consensual sexual fantasy relationship' - despite being the woman's boss and more than twice her age

A colleague told the tribunal one of the reasons given by Bretherton for why she should be hired by Gowling WLG (pictured) was that she was the 'fittest' of all the candidates

He told a tribunal he regrets exchanging explicit photos and videos with the 18-year-old - but denied his conduct was 'appalling'.

They included a picture of her in her underwear and a video of him performing a sex act on himself, the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal heard.

Bretherton, who was then 36, admitted to the tribunal that he sent the teenager a link to leaked nude pictures of Love Island star Megan Barton Hanson.

He kissed the legal apprentice at a leaving drinks and persuaded her to spread her legs and show him her knickers in the office - which anyone walking past his room could also have seen.

Bretherton said that he had been sexually excited when the new recruit working for him told him about kissing another woman.

He admitted that the pair discussed 'sex, what it would feel like and what it would taste like and different positions' and asking her to masturbate in the office toilets, which she says she did.

But he insisted that he had a 'consensual sexual fantasy relationship' with the woman, known as Person A.

And he denies charges of acting without integrity in breach of the professional code of conduct for solicitors.

Giving evidence on day seven of the hearing in the City of London, Bretherton admitted that there had been a 'power imbalance' between himself as a then director at international law firm Gowling WLG and the teen.

Nimi Bruce, for the Solicitors Regulation Authority, put it to him that his admissions about his sexually motivated conduct were 'extraordinary and appalling'.

Bretherton denied that his behaviour had been appalling or 'controlling', explaining: 'I had a relationship with someone who I viewed at the time as an adult who was mature, who was very confident, who was very vocal in what she wanted me to know about her sex life previously.

'And at the time I believed that it was something that not only did she want to engage in but that she was actively encouraging and instigating.

'I don't think that appalling is the right word but I definitely did activity that I very sincerely regret.'

He conceded: 'I knew it was inappropriate. I was married. I don't think I can sit here morally and say it was a positive thing.

'I sincerely regret it and the effect it has had on loved ones. The morality from my perspective was that I was betraying my wife.

'I definitely did not behave in a way that I am proud about.'

He said that he 'shut down' their relationship as soon as Person A told him it was making her uncomfortable and was 'very surprised' by the animosity she subsequently showed towards him.

Ms Bruce told the tribunal that Bretherton admitting he sent the teen a link to leaked nude pictures of Love Island star Megan Barton Hanson 'speaks volumes' about his attitude to women.

But he said: 'She had the choice to click on that link. If she felt uncomfortable, she would not have clicked on it.'

He admitted sending a video of himself performing a sex act beneath his underpants.

He said of the X-rated pictures and videos they swapped: 'It was a two-way relationship. She would ask me and I would ask her.'

Recalling one incident, he said: 'She came into my room. She had rotated her chair and I had looked up her skirt and I encouraged her to do that.'

He admitted taking a risk because there was a 'clear line of sight' for anyone walking past the office but denied that he had 'crawled around on the floor'

He recalled conversations about Person A purchasing and using a sex toy but denied he had given her the money to buy it.

Describing their kiss at a leaving drinks, he said: 'It was very consensual. We used our tongues. She was above me, sitting on my lap. She leant down to kiss me. I returned the kiss.'

Person B, then a 23-year-old trainee, alleges that Bretherton behaved 'like a jealous boyfriend or ex-boyfriend' as he messaged her obsessively.

She says that that Bretherton, who had introduced his wife and newborn baby to her, hailed her as 'hot' and said she was 'competing to be my favourite blonde'.

Person C, then a 21-year-old apprentice, alleges that Bretherton reduced her to tears on a night out after a work party by dropping ice cubes down the back of her dress and commenting on her cleavage.

She told the hearing that she felt sexualised, saying: 'My cleavage is mine and not for him to comment on.'

Bretherton, who was married and aged 36 at the time, is accused of abusing his seniority to take advantage of the three woman.

His alleged misconduct is said to have begun in March 2017 - the month he married in a traditional Scottish wedding complete with bagpipes and stovies in front of 120 guests - and lasted until January 2019.

He denies the allegations of sexual misconduct and acting without integrity.

Chloe Carpenter, representing Bretherton, has told the tribunal that he is a champion of equality issues in the workplace and that his wife is a successful City lawyer in her own right.

Bretherton is now a banking and finance partner with 'virtual' law firm Gunnercooke.

The hearing continues.
Charles Bronson today compared his parole hearing to 'being on The Apprentice' as the panel heard he would need help if he is ever released from jail because he has never used a cash machine.

The notorious inmate, 70, was jailed for seven years in 1974 after being convicted of armed robbery and was given a life sentence for kidnapping prison teacher Phil Danielson in 1999.

The second day of Bronson's parole review heard one of the UK's longest serving prisoners 'feels like the whole system is about humiliating and degrading him'.

Three parole judges  who have not been publicly named  are considering his case at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, while members of the Press and public watch the proceedings on a live stream from the Royal Courts of Justice in central London.

Bronson likened his experience in front of the Parole Board to being on The Apprentice with Lord Sugar and, inviting the panel to view his art, said each work is a 'piece of me'.

Charles Bronson (seen on Monday) is the second prisoner in UK legal history to have his parole hearing held in public after the rules changed last year

The notorious prisoner, 70, was jailed for seven years in 1974 after being convicted of armed robbery and was given a life sentence for kidnapping teacher Phil Danielson in 1999

An independent psychologist employed by Bronson's legal team told the hearing today: 'He feels like the whole system is about humiliating and degrading him.'

Wearing a black T-shirt with white writing on it, and his trademark dark, round glasses, Bronson  who the review was told has hearing difficulties  could be seen rocking his chair backwards and forwards as the psychologist gave evidence.

She said the 70-year-old has mild symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, partly due to some 'brutal and unacceptable treatment' while in the prison system.

Long criminal history of 'Britain's most violent prisoner' 1974: Bronson's first conviction aged 22. He was jailed for seven years for robbery, aggravated burglary, assault with intent to rob and possession of a firearm. He was convicted for numerous assaults behind bars in 1975, 1978 and 1985, leading to his sentence being extended. 1987: He was released from prison at the age of 34. 1988: After 69 days he was back in prison, sentenced for seven years for robbery at a jewellers' shop. 1992: He was released but weeks later was jailed for eight years for intent to rob. He has been behind bars since then for violent offences committed while in custody. 1994: He was given seven years for false imprisonment and blackmail, then in 1997 he took a deputy prison governor, staff and three inmates hostage for which he received five years. 1999: He took an art teacher hostage for three days and was given a life sentence with a minimum term of three years which expired in 2003. 2014: He was further sentenced to three years for assaulting a prison governor. Advertisement

Bronson  whose real name is Michael Peterson but has changed his name to Charles Salvador  has previously been diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder, is 'naturally somewhat suspicious of other people's motives' and holds 'anti-authoritarian views', the psychologist added.

Once dubbed one of Britain's most violent offenders, Bronson has spent most of the past 48 years behind bars  apart from two brief periods of freedom during which he reoffended  for a string of thefts, firearms and violent offences, including 11 hostage-takings in nine different sieges. Victims included governors, doctors, staff and, on one occasion, his own solicitor.

He was handed a discretionary life sentence with a minimum term of four years in 2000 for taking a prison teacher at HMP Hull hostage for 44 hours. Since then, the Parole Board has repeatedly refused to direct his release.

The review heard that Bronson has a 'romanticised' view of violent incidents in the past, after he told parole judges how he loved a 'rumble' and enjoyed mass brawls in jail but insisted he has since found solace in art and is a man of 'peace'.

'He found violence cathartic in the past,' the psychologist said. 'I think now what he does is he tends to weigh up the pros and cons of violence to himself, that is an effective strategy.'

Bronson now realises that the consequences to himself are too great in terms of violence, she told the panel.

'I can imagine him telling somebody to eff off quite frankly... but it's whether that equates to serious harm', she said.

The psychologist, who was not named, believes that Bronson now finds his art cathartic in the same way that violence once was.

She told the hearing she believes Bronson should eventually be moved to a lower security jail with open conditions to allow him more interaction with other people.

The parole panel previously heard that he only mixes with three other inmates, one of whom he does not like and avoids.

The psychologist said: 'I believe that Mr Salvador poses less of a risk in a community environment than in a prison environment, and I stand by that assessment.

'Of course, I'm talking about a highly supportive community environment and I'm talking about a gradual move into a community environment.'

She said he has been held in 'very solitary conditions for a long period of time' and that a move from the close supervision unit where he is being held is 'long overdue'.

Bronson has repeatedly had years added onto his sentences due to violence behind bars. He's seen here leaving the High Court in London on May 3, 2001

Brinson memorably described the notorious Kray twins as 'the best two guys I've ever met

Bronson has never used a cash machine and will need practical support if released, the psychologist said.

She told the hearing that his violence towards prison staff has been fuelled by a dislike of authority figures, but this does not extend to members of the public.

'His use of violence towards staff members has been almost a matter of survival,' she said. 'He's got that real level of dislike for authority figures.

'I don't think he has that for members of the public.'

Bronson has coped 'pretty well' sitting through the parole hearing, the psychologist said, telling the panel: 'We're expecting too much if we expect Mr Salvador to sit in a situation like this and not become frustrated and not become loud, belligerent and swear.'

In the past he would 'not have been able to tolerate this at all without some sort of outburst.

'Mr Salvador is going to be rude to people on occasion. He is going to swear at people on occasion,' she said.

On Monday, Bronson could be heard muttering under his breath at times and sighing loudly during the proceedings, but he largely remained silent as the psychologist gave evidence on Wednesday.

At one point, when he was described as a retired prison activist, he said this was 'the best thing I've ever heard'.

As her evidence came to a close, Bronson commented of the hearing: 'It's like being on The Apprentice (with) Lord Sugar.'

He asked the panel to look at pieces of his artwork during the lunchbreak, telling them: 'Every time I do a piece of artwork, it's a piece of me.'

The pieces were laminated so the panel did not need to worry about leaving 'fingerprints', he added.

In total, Bronson has taken hostages in ten prison sieges and attacked at least 20 prison officers

Bronson  who changed his surname to Salvador in 2014  is the second inmate in UK legal history to have his case heard in public after rules changed last year in a bid to remove the secrecy around the process.

Today, a member of prison staff described as Bronson's personal officer told the hearing he had never felt threatened by the 70-year-old.

He said they have a good rapport, adding: 'With Charlie, we just naturally got on.'

Bronson has been at Woodhill for four years, in the close supervision centre.

The officer said staff are aware that the veteran inmate is ready to move on to another prison.

He told the hearing: 'I think everyone knows he's ready to progress, and it's just not happening for whatever reason.'

Asked what is stopping Bronson from reverting to violence at Woodhill, the officer said: 'He just chooses not to. It's not like we're offering him an amazing regime with lots to do for him not to be bored.

'He's obviously chosen to be the way he has for the last four years.'

The third and final day of the proceedings will take place behind closed doors on Friday so confidential details can be discussed.

The parole board will consider whether he should remain behind bars after the hearing, with a decision due at a later date.
Greek police fired tear gas at firebomb-throwing protesters outside parliament Wednesday as tens of thousands demonstrated over the country's worst rail tragedy and called on the prime minister to quit.

Fifty-seven people were killed, and 14 others remain in hospital after a freight train crashed head-on with a passenger train, carrying mostly students, on February 28.

The biggest protests were in Athens, where over 40,000 people flooded the streets, waving banners that read 'it's not an accident, it's a crime' and 'it could have been any of us on that train'.

Outside parliament, dozens of masked, black-clad protestors hurled Molotov cocktails and stones at riot police, who responded by firing volleys of tear gas, an AFP reporter said. Demonstrators also torched a van a few blocks away.

In Greece's second city of Thessaloniki, riot police fired tear gas at stone-throwing protesters outside the local railway station.

Riot police try to avoid the flames of a molotov cocktail thrown by protesters

Riot police officers operate during clashes that broke out when masked men attacked riot police officers in front of the parliament building during a protest march in Athens, Greece, 08 March, 2023

People take part in a protest during a 24-hour strike, after a collision between two trains, near the city of Larissa, in Athens, Greece

A protester tries to avoid smoke grenade thrown by riot policemen during a rally marking a nationwide 24-hour strike following a deadly train crash that claimed the lives of at least 57 people, in Athens, Greece, 08 March 2023

A van burns during a protest, after a collision between two trains, near the city of Larissa, in Athens, on March 8, 2023

A protester stands in front of a riot police officer during a demonstration following the fatal collision of two trains, near the city of Larissa, in Athens, Greece, March 8, 2023

People take part in a protest during a 24-hour strike, after a collision between two trains, near the city of Larissa, in Athens, Greece, on March 8, 2023

More than 65,000 demonstrators took to the streets nationwide, according to police.

'I am here to pay tribute to the dead but also to express my anger and my frustration,' Athens protester Niki Siouta, a 54-year-old civil engineer, told AFP.

'This government must go.'

Alongside the protesters, Greek civil servants staged a 24-hour walkout while doctors, teachers, bus drivers and ferry crew members also went on strike.

Railways were paralysed as train workers extended strike action launched in the aftermath of the accident.

'This government opts to spend money on the police and the army, but not for our safety,' said Thanassis Oikonomou, a striking worker and bus union representative.

Last week protests triggered by the crash saw riot police clash repeatedly with demonstrators, including in Athens.

Calls are growing louder for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis - who is fighting for re-election this spring - to quit over the tragedy, which has shone a harsh spotlight on decades of government mismanagement of the rail network.

A station master, who admitted forgetting to reroute one of the trains, has been arrested and charged, but the government has been criticised for seeking to shift the blame mainly on him.

Firefighters and rescuers operate after a collision in Tempe near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Debris of trains lie on the rail lines after a collision in Tempe, about 376 kilometres (235 miles) north of Athens, near Larissa city, Greece, Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023

Critics say the station master was inexperienced and was left working alone during a busy holiday period, and accuse officials of failing to pursue safety reforms on the network.

Greece's transport minister resigned on March 1 and Mitsotakis has apologised to victims' families, pledged to get to the root of what happened and embarked on a flurry of public appearances in an apparent bid to soothe anger.

The premier visited the crash site and gave a televised address, blaming 'human error' for the accident while calling for a special committee of experts to investigate.

But critics have been merciless.

Writing in liberal daily Kathimerini, columnist Pantelis Boukalas called the prime minister's apology 'belated' and said that some may suspect it was 'guided by PR gurus'.

The prime minister and other politicians suspended election campaigning in the wake of the tragedy. There is now speculation that the polls, expected in April, could be delayed until May.

The demonstrations and vigils across Greece have expressed a combination of grief and anger at the disaster, which happened when a passenger train and a freight train collided

Police and protestors were pictured fighting on escalators and stairs in Athens

Mitsotakis has vowed to seek European Union assistance to 'finally' modernise the train network.

The executive director of the EU's rail agency and the European Commission's director for land transport were visiting Athens Wednesday for talks with Greek officials.

Giorgos Gerapetritis, Greece's acting transport minister, said rail passenger transport might resume by the end of March.

Speaking at a press conference, he also conceded that if safety systems had been fully automated, 'the accident would not have happened'.

Political life will resume Thursday after a period of national mourning, but the premier seems in no rush to confront the issue of the looming polls.

Asked Monday when Mitsotakis will set an election date, government spokesman Yiannis Economou replied: 'At this stage, this issue is not on the prime minister's mind at all.'
The Brazilian photographer who captured lighting striking Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue has described taking the images as 'unbelievable' and 'like a dream come true'.

Lightning struck the iconic structure last month, leaving social media users stunned.

Rio de Janeiro resident Fernando Braga lives with his wife and kids in a property with a direct view of the 98-foot statue.

He was determined to capture a time-lapse video and photographs of lightning connecting with the sculpture, after more than 30 attempts.

'It was unbelievable at first. Like a dream come true, since I was trying for a long time. At that moment, I was expecting to get some lightning around the frame, but not like this one,' Braga told Yahoo News.

Scroll down for video:

Lightning struck Brazil's iconic Christ the Redeemer statue last month - leaving social media users stunned after the bolt was caught on film

'Photography for me is just a hobby. I love to spend my spare time photographing,' Braga added.

'At home, I have a really nice view of Christ the Redeemer, so I took a lot of photos of it. In sunsets, sunrise[s], with the moon, the sun, airplanes, helicopters, birds, etc. ... So I decided to get one with lightning too.'

Braga's photos sent social media users into a frenzy. He posted several times on different platforms, but the most popular one garnered more than 171,700 likes and more than 3,200 comments on Instagram.

The close-up showed lightning striking the head of the statue, illuminating it like a halo.

'I wasn't expecting that much reaction, since technically, this is not a difficult kind of photo,' Braga said.

He added: 'I just want to say that people who try to take lightning photos [should put their] own safety first. I was shooting at home ... Protection and safety should always be [a priority]. Once you get that, give it a try! It's really not difficult to take some great shots.'

Fernando Braga captured both images and video footage of the occurrence, which have been viewed millions of times

Braga was determined to capturing a stunning time-lapse video and screenshots of lightning striking the sculpture, after more than 30 attempts

'I am completely in awe of this' one social media user wrote.

Another posted: 'God has sent the world a message!!'

The statue is visited by nearly two million people every year.

The bolt struck the head of the Art Deco-style statue of Jesus Christ on February 10.

Images of lighting hitting the structure were first posted to Twitter by a user named Massimo, who gave credit to Braga.

Many social media users questioned whether the occurrence was the work of some divine, otherworldly power. Others commended Braga - whose Instagram account also features several posts showing the statue under more normal conditions - for capturing such a visceral, temporal moment.

One user remarked on how, shockingly, this was not the first time the statue - which was named one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in 2007 - was hit by lightning, with it being stuck two times in less than two decades, in 2008 and 2014.

'At this point Zeus or Thor,' the user wrote on one of Braga's posts. 'Jokes apart, this is a quite recurrent event, being the highest point, it's just the luck of having someone doing photography at the right time.'

Another hailed the cameraman for his photo-taking prowess, commenting on one of his stills: 'What a shot! Thanks for sharing.'

A third posted: 'Wow! Oh just WOW!'

'It was unbelievable at first. Like a dream come true, since I was trying for a long time. At that moment, I was expecting to get some lightning around the frame, but not like this one,' Braga said

Braga said: 'At home, I have a really nice view of Christ the Redeemer, so I took a lot of photos of it. In sunsets, sunrise[s], with the moon, the sun, airplanes, helicopters, birds, etc. ... So I decided to get one with lightning too'

The storm captured in the pictures caused havoc in Rio de Janeiro, felling trees in several neighbourhoods. However, the statue was not damaged by the lightning strike.

When the structure was struck in January 2014, the occurrence was also caught on camera.

At the time, officials revealed the bolt damaged the effigy's thumb, which then had to be repaired.

The 2008 lightning strike on the statue left it unscathed.

Christ the Redeemer stands more than 2,000 feet above Rio, on top of the Corcovado mountain.
Royal experts have been left confounded over the christening arrangements of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter Lilibet, with a question mark over whether the baby's blue-blooded relatives were invited.

Harry and Meghan's friend Omid Scobie claimed King Charles, the Queen Consort ands the Prince and Princess of Wales 'declined' an invitation to attend Lilibet's christening in California last Friday.

The Sussexes snubbed a British baptism for their youngest daughter and held a Anglican ceremony at their Montecito mansion for between 20 and 30 friends - including her billionaire godfather Tyler Perry.

Royal biographer Tom Bower said: 'My guess is that Meghan and Harry know that Charles wont give their children princely titles and wont help them christen Lilibet in Windsor or the Abbey (otherwise they would have waited if they came to the Coronation.

'So, they are further entrenching themselves in California. It suggests that they are not coming to the Coronation, or back to London any time soon.'

A photograph issued by Archewell of Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, after celebrating her first birthday in June last year

Fellow royal author Phil Dampier added: 'Harry and Meghan can try and claim the moral high ground by letting it be known that they invited the King, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales to the christening but they are just playing games. They know there wasnt a hope in hell of any of them going.

'If they genuinely wanted to build bridges and start a healing process why didnt they come over with their children a couple of weeks before the Coronation and have the christening then?

'It would have been the perfect excuse to start the reconciliation process.'

Writer Richard Fitzwilliam wrote: 'The Sussexes do nothing by accident and this is also an opportunity to remind the world that they are an important part of the royal family.

'King Charles was clearly right in deciding that Archie and Lili should be given what is automatically theirs, whatever difficulties the Palace currently has with their parents.'

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: 'It would be for The Duke and Duchess to confirm who attended their daughters christening.'

Scobie, who is close to the Sussexes, insisted the King, Queen consort, Prince and Princess of Wales were invited to the ceremony but chose not to attend.

It is not known whether any other Royal Family members were present, nor when the British royals were invited - or how the message was sent to the UK.

The Court Circular - Britain's official record of royal engagements - shows none of the senior royals aside from Princess Anne attended events on the day of the christening last week.

The first picture of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's daughter Lilibet was released in a Christmas card on December 23, 2021

Tyler Perry at a Los Angeles airport last Friday, on the day he attended Lilibet's christening as her godfather

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Sussexes included a reference to their 21-month-old as 'Princess Lilibet Diana' - revealing for the first time that the couple has decided to invoke their right to use 'Princess' for Lilibet, six months since the accession to the throne of King Charles last September. Archie will be called prince.

Harry and Meghan are said to not want to deny their children the chance to inherit royal titles from their father - seeing it as their birthright - but will allow Archie and Lili the chance to decide whether to drop or keep using the royal titles when they are older.

They are understood to have been in contact with Buckingham Palace about the issue.

It comes after Meghan famously told Oprah Winfrey that Archie was not given the title of prince because of his race, but this was disputed by the palace and constitutional experts.

Lili was baptised by the Anglican Bishop of Los Angeles, John Taylor. Afterwards guests and family including Doria Ragland danced to a playlist containing songs from Harry and Meghan's wedding reception at Windsor Castle. A gospel choir also reportedly performed Oh Happy Day and This Little Light of Mine.

However, when Archie was born seventh in line to the throne to the then Queen in May 2019, he was too far down the line of succession. Rules dictate that although he was a great-grandchild of the monarch, he was not a first-born son of a future king, so was not automatically a prince.

An insider claimed that 21-month-old Lili's title of princess and Archie's title as a prince will be used in formal settings - but not in everyday conversational use by the couple.

And the monarch will not stand in their way, Buckingham Palace has revealed, adding the Royal Family's official website will now be updated to call the children Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie. It currently refers to Lilibet as 'Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor' and her brother as 'Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor'.

Title rules set out by King George V in 1917 mean Archie and Lili, as the children of a son of a sovereign, automatically became a prince and a princess when Charles became King.

They would also be entitled to an HRH style, but although Harry and Meghan retain their HRH styles, they no longer use them after quitting the working monarchy.

It was previously reported in 2021 that Charles, in a bid to limit the number of key royals, intended, when he became monarch, to prevent Archie becoming a prince.

To do so, he would have to issue a Letters Patent amending Archie's right to be a prince and Lili's right to be a princess.

Harry, who stepped down as a senior working royal in 2020 for a new life in the US, criticised his father's parenting in his controversial autobiography Spare, accused the Prince of Wales of physically attacking him and said the Queen Consort sacrificed him on her own personal PR altar.

The use of the titles has been revealed just days after Harry and Meghan were asked to vacate their UK home Frogmore Cottage, a move sanctioned by the King which further weakens the couple's ties with Harry's home country and the Windsors.

And the christening came just before The Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed they had been invited to the King's Coronation  but refused to say whether they will be attending.

The Sussexes have yet to confirm whether they will attend the King's coronation in May, which falls on Archie's fourth birthday.

The Baptism happened as Charles' wife Camilla was mourning the death of her brother-in-law of more than 50 years, Simon Elliot, who died last week aged 82.

Harry's father met the Governor of Western Australia and his wife at Buckingham Palace today

Less than 24 hours after the baptism, Harry spoke with Canadian 'toxic trauma expert' Dr Gabor Mate during a live-streamed 90-minute interview to promote Spare (pictured)

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Kate, Princess of Wales, pictured at the Baftas in February, were not at the christening

Harry received an email from the Palace about the coronation at Westminster Abbey on May 6, a spokesman for the Sussexes said, despite the stream of brickbats they have thrown at the Royal Family.

Less that 24 hours after Lilibet's christening, Harry hosted an online Q&A to promote his memoir Spare - and may have had christening guests staying in his mansion while it happened.

It comes after the prince launched yet another salvo, telling controversial physician Dr Gabor Mate that he was starved of hugs and attention during his 'incredibly painful' childhood.

In an interview with Dr Mate to promote his memoir, Spare, that was streamed live  and cost viewers 19 a ticket  he also lamented his 'broken-home upbringing' and how he felt 'different' to the rest of his family.

The Mail understands that Harry and Meghan's former UK home, Frogmore Cottage in Windsor  which the King is said to have taken from them  will be available for them to stay in should they fly to England to attend.

Lili, as she is called by her parents, was christened by the Bishop of Los Angeles, the Reverend John Taylor. He is the most senior member of the California Episcopal church, which is an Anglican domination with links to the Church of England.

It is not believed that any other current members of the Royal Family have been baptised by the Episcopal Church.

Meghan was a Catholic growing up - before being baptised and confirmed into the Church of England in 2018.

It is also understood Lilibet's HRH will be 'held in abeyance', which describes a state of temporary disuse. Harry and Meghan are no longer HRH after Megxit because they quit as working royals.

The Sussexes at their former home Frogmore Cottahe during their visit to the UK for the Queen's Jubilee in June, pictured

The couple's 11million mansion in Montecito, California, where the christening was held

People magazine reported that there were between 20 and 30 guests at the event, including Meghan's mother Doria Ragland and Lilibet's godfather Tyler Perry.

The filmmaker had been spotted paying a visit to Harry and Meghan's Montecito home last Friday and at a airport in Los Angeles where he boarded his private jet.

Harry and Meghan are thought to be keen not to deny their children their birthright, but to allow them the chance to decide for themselves when older whether to drop or keep using the titles.

Meghan said in the couple's bombshell interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey that Archie was not given the title of prince because of his race.

However, when Archie was born seventh in line to the throne in May 2019, he was too far down the line of succession.

Although he was a great-grandchild of the monarch, he was not a first-born son of a future king, so was not automatically a prince.

The news comes as it was revealed Camilla's brother-in-law Simon Elliot, with whom the Queen Consort was very close, died last week.
Buckingham Palace was plunged back into a race row today catching royal officials off guard after a black charity campaigner demanded to know why it was 'so hard to say sorry'.

Ngozi Fulani reignited the damaging incident by claiming the royals had never apologised to her properly after she was offended by courtier Lady Susan Hussey repeatedly asking her 'where are you really from?'.

Ms Fulani went on television and announced she was stepping aside as boss of her charity Sistah Space - blaming the palace for not protecting her from 'threats'.

Her dramatic intervention caught royal officials by surprise because they believed the matter had been dealt with after she accepted a personal 'sincere apology' from Lady Susan following last November's incident at a palace reception.

But today Ms Fulani hit out during an interview on ITV's Good Morning Britain, claiming that while the Queen's long-serving lady-in-waiting had said sorry, the palace had only done so after it was made aware of her intention to go on GMB.

Lady Susan Hussey (pictured) has returned to performing official duties for Princess Anne

She told the programme: 'I don't see what is so hard to say 'I'm sorry'. You [the palace] sent me the invitation [to the palace event], so you know how to find me. You know how to say sorry. If you're sorry, then say sorry.'

Presenter Richard Madeley read out a 'new' statement from the palace on air, which said: 'For the avoidance of any doubt, we are sorry for the incident that took place and apologise for the distress and difficulty it caused to Ms Fulani.'

Ms Fulani seemed to suggest it was the first time there had been an apology from the palace and questioned why it was given to the media rather than to her.

She said: 'Who are they apologising to? If you're sorry, tell me you're sorry.'

The Palace insiders insisted they had not made a new statement, but had supplied a response to the ITV programme to serve as a 'right of reply' to Ms Fulani's assertions.

It was claimed that apologies on behalf of the palace had been shared with Ms Fulani and her representatives last year.

Ms Fulani also announced on GMB today she was temporarily stepping down as boss of Sistah Space, which helps woman affected by abuse, citing abuse by trolls and saying 'violence' had been directed towards her since the incident.

She claimed Buckingham Palace had not done enough to protect her from threats.

It is understood palace staff are adamant she was offered assistance with security concerns and with handling some of the abuse she had received.

Ms Fulani appeared on Good Morning Britain today where she said she does not regret speaking out about what happened

Ngozi Fulani said she felt she suffered 'a form of abuse' during her encounter with Lady Susan, who repeatedly asked her where she was 'really from', despite her making clear she was British

According to the Charity Commission website yesterday, Sistah Space is 36 days overdue filing its accounts.

Ms Fulani told GMB Sistah Space has suffered as a direct result of the row with Lady Susan - who was Queen Elizabeth II's most senior lady-in-waiting - and claims 'violence' has been directed towards her following the incident.

'The service users and the community can't access us properly,' she said. 'This whole thing has cost us a fortune because we had to pay our own PR to stop the press from coming up, it was horrible.'

What is Sistah Space? Sistah Space is a not-for-profit charity which supports women and girls of African heritage who are victims of domestic violence. The charity was founded in 2015 in direct response to the tragic murder of Valerie Forde and her 22-month-old daughter by Valerie's ex-partner. In a statement, Sistah Space said: 'It's been an extremely challenging but rewarding journey of love and care. 'Starting as a small idea in 2015 and continuing seven years later with the advocacy, training and support we offer today. Advertisement

But she said she does not regret speaking out about what happened as she is 'about discussing and making aware violence against women and girls, and I'll go anywhere at any time to fight that cause.'

Ms Fulani had accompanied a friend to a Buckingham Palace reception, hosted by the Queen Consort, to highlight violence against women and girls.

She said Lady Susan repeatedly asked her where she was 'really from', despite her making clear she was British, during the event.

Ms Fulani says she was left feeling 'violated' after Prince William's godmother 'interrogated' her.

The former lady-in-waiting, who served the late Queen for six decades and was retained by the King in an honorary role, stepped down 'with immediate effect' in November amid a furious outcry after Ms Fulani tweeted about her experience at the event.

Ms Fulani previously described her Buckingham Palace ordeal as a 'form of abuse'.

She also said Lady Susan moved her dreadlocks during the exchange so she could read her name badge.

'That's a no-no,' Miss Fulani said. 'I wouldn't put my hands in someone's hair, and culturally it's not appropriate.'

She hit out at the Palace and announced she has temporarily stepped down as CEO of Sistah Space

Ms Fulani also dismissed suggestions Lady Hussey's comments were down to her age.

She previously told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'Are we saying that because of your age you can't be racist or you can't be inappropriate?

'If you invite people to an event, as I said, against domestic abuse, and there are people there from different demographics, I don't see the relevance of whether I'm British or not British.

'You're trying to make me unwelcome in my own space.'

After Ms Fulani made a string of media appearances about the incident, she met with Lady Susan at Buckingham Palace in mid-December to discuss the issue.

The Palace said following the meeting: 'At this meeting, filled with warmth and understanding, Lady Susan offered her sincere apologies for the comments that were made and the distress they caused to Ms Fulani.

'Lady Susan has pledged to deepen her awareness of the sensitivities involved and is grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the issues in this area.

Buckingham Palace said following the meeting that Lady Susan 'has pledged to deepen her awareness of the sensitivities involved and is grateful for the opportunity to learn more'

'Ms Fulani, who has unfairly received the most appalling torrent of abuse on social media and elsewhere, has accepted this apology and appreciates that no malice was intended.

'Both Ms Fulani and Lady Susan ask now that they be left in peace to rebuild their lives in the wake of an immensely distressing period for them both.

'They hope that their example shows a path to resolution can be found with kindness, co-operation and the condemnation of discrimination wherever it takes root.

'It is the wish of both parties that, at the end of the UN's 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, attention can now return to the important work of Sistah Space in supporting women affected by domestic abuse.

'Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort and other members of the Royal Family have been kept fully informed and are pleased that both parties have reached this welcome outcome.'

MailOnline has contacted Buckingham Palace and Sistah Space for comment.
A headteacher has suspended 47 students at a school in Chesterfield after they staged a protest against rules stopping them from using the toilet during lessons.

Dozens of students at Parkside Community School turned out for a mass demonstration on March 3, waving placards and chanting as they marched around the school grounds for an hour and a half.

Some school entrances were locked shut and pupils not involved in the protest stayed into the school in a bid to prevent the protest from spilling into the building.

Parents were informed before lunchtime that day the children who took part in the protest had been excluded for five days.

The rules came into force over a year ago, but the school has said its policy on toilet use has 'not changed this year.'

The protest has been planned for some time, but students only recently agreed on a date. When rumours of the planned demonstration reached teachers, they attempted to soften the situation by hosting assemblies and speaking to pupils.

Students were pictured waving placards and chanting as they marched around the school grounds for an hour and a half

Dozens of students at Parkside Community School turned out for a mass demonstration on March 3

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But last Friday, dozens of students opted not to attend lessons and staged the protest instead.

One student, who had attended registration before the protest, decided to join in after being denied access to the toilet.

'We've wanted to do it for quite a while,' they said. 'I don't think it's right whatsoever for girls to be isolated in the classroom when they're on their period.

'We want to protect future generations because these rules make kids feel uncomfortable and might mean that some people don't want to attend school.

'They weren't listening to us. We don't think we got enough recognition. It's really annoyed me and wound me up. Suspending us is pointless. We should be heard.'

Similar protests in schools around the country, allegedly influenced by TikTok videos, have made recently made headlines. Parkside students have said they were not aware of these videos, and their protest was arranged independently of any others.

Ben Riggott, headteacher at Parkside Community School, said: 'Last Friday a group of around 40 pupils decided not to attend lessons. They moved around the school site in a way that disrupted learning for the rest of the school.

'After around an hour and a half some pupils decided to end their protest and others left the school site. Those involved throughout the protest were suspended.

'We understand the students were protesting about arrangements for access to toilets while in lessons. Our policy for some time has been that during lesson times students should not leave to use the toilet, unless they have a medical need to use the toilet more often or in an emergency situation.

'We have had issues over recent years with a small number of pupils constantly wanting to go to the toilet during lessons, which is disruptive for the rest of the class. We have also experienced students 'hiding' in toilets and not attending lessons.

'Like all schools we have regular breaks so there are plenty of opportunities for students to use the toilet out of lesson times.

'I was very disappointed by the actions of these individuals last week. We work incredibly hard as a school to support our pupils to be successful and to act as responsible young people.

'There are plenty of established ways for students to raise issues with the school rather than protest in the way they did. We have achieved considerable success, leading to the vast majority of pupils achieving well beyond expectations and progressing to exciting next steps in their lives after leaving Parkside.'
A sort of sequel to the Sunday Scaries, the message has proved polarizing - with some embracing the strategy, and others slamming it as lazy

Phrase refers to workers who feel overworked and underpaid and their desire to do little as possible on the first day of the week

'Bare Minimum Mondays' is a new work-balance term that surfaced on social media and has become popular with young workers

'Bare Minimum Mondays' is the latest trend to gain traction on social media - following in the footsteps of other Gen-Z fueled fads such as the 'Great Resignation' and 'quiet quitting.'

The phrase, a work-life balance term that surfaced recently on TikTok, refers to mostly young workers who feel overworked and underpaid, and their desire to do as little as possible - i.e. 'the bare minimum' - to start off the week.

A sort of sequel to the so-called Sunday Scaries, the phrase and its message has proved polarizing - with some embracing the strategy, and others slamming it as indicative of younger Americans' diminishing work ethic.

The trend has seen influencers take to their preferred platforms to show exactly how workers can transform their manic Mondays into a lazy one - whether it's doing only what's required in their job descriptions, or embarking on a siesta on company time.

It comes at a time when the number of jobs in the US exceeds the amount of workers available, giving citizens the necessary leverage to pursue the new trend.

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'Bare Minimum Mondays', a work-life balance term popularized on TikTok by Millenial Mary Jo Mayes (pictured), refers to mostly young workers who feel overworked and underpaid, and their desire to do as little as possible - i.e. 'the bare minimum' - to start the week

TikToker Marisa Jo Mayes is credited with popularizing the concept - sharing it with her 154,000 followers in a series of videos preaching self-care over hard-work starting last year.

Jo Mayes - who appeared on Good Morning America last year after touting a similar strategy called 'Quit-Tok' - tells workers how she modifies her tasks on heavier work days to follow the trend.

'I don't take meetings and take it slow for the first two hours. I'll do some reading, some journaling, maybe some stuff around the house,' Mayes recently told Insider of how she dreamed up the concept last March.

'I gave myself permission to do the bare minimum, and it was like some magic spell came over me. I felt better. I wasn't overwhelmed, and I actually got more done than I expected.'

Her content now consists of videos showing off her slowed-down start to the week, which includes applying facial scrubs while on the clock, and intermittently relaxing on her couch instead of answering emails.

The trend has seen influencers take to their preferred platforms to show exactly how one can transform their manic Mondays into a lazy one - by doing only what's required in their job descriptions

@feloniousfalafel The dumbest thing CEOs have ever came up with  original sound - FeloniousFalafel

Millennial Mayes said she thought up the term after she quit her job at a medical manufacturing company, before co-founding her own productivity-centered startup she has dubbed Spacetime Monotasking.

After finding that being her own boss could prove even more stressful, the influencer started to question whether or not her dedication to her work was indeed a positive quality.

'I was still approaching work the same way as in my corporate job,' she told last month, after the now-nearly year old trend had carved out a spot for itself in the annals of TikTok history by achieving its newfound virality.

TikToker Jo Mayes (pictured) is credited with popularizing the concept by sharing it with her 154,000 followers in a series of videos starting last year. The trend - which follows other work-balance campaigns like quiet quitting and the Great Resignation - caught fire last month

Her content now consists of videos showing off her slowed-down start to the week, which includes applying facial scrubs and doing her hair routing while on the clock

The North Dakota resident recalled the work as a 'cycle of stress and burnout' - leading her to ditch her previous practices of taking painstaking preparations each Monday for the ensuing week for a new mandate: do the bare minimum at the week's outset.

The result is the now enormously popular 'Bare minimum Mondays', which Mayes says instructs desk jockeys to do only what needs to be done to get through the day without losing your job.

Just like that, Mayes said, 'it was like some magic spell came over me.'

'I felt better. I wasn't overwhelmed, and I actually got more done than I expected.'

Instead of scheduling meetings and doing tasks that requires intense work, Mayes - and now thousands of others who hopped on the trend - are focusing on self-care, taking 45-minute walks and addressing only 'absolute, must get done' jobs.

Her Mondays now consist of intermittently relaxing on her couch instead of answering emails

'It prevents burnout for me and makes me feel better overall,' Mayes says in a recent clip uploaded on Saturday, in which she slammed detractors who call the practice 'lazy.'

'If being called lazy is the price I have to pay to be happier, healthier, and more productive overall, I'll take it,' Mayes says. 'It [Bare Minimum Mondays] has really changed my life.'

Now being embraced by tens of thousands of social media users, the practice is already drawing criticism - predominantly from older workers - as it continues to gain traction online.

'People do not want to work, people are lazy,' a New York woman told Fox News on Monday after being asked her opinion on the increasingly prevalent practice.

Now being embraced by tens of thousands of social media users, the practice is already drawing criticism for seemingly preaching laziness as a virtue

'They want to do as least as possible.'

Another male Manhattanite agreed, condemning the fad for preaching professional laziness.

'They're [not] working,' the older man criticized. 'They want money from the government.'

Younger New Yorkers questioned by the outlet, by and large, sang a much different tune, saying the trend has emerged at the perfect time where young Americans are disillusioned with the government and economy.

'I do believe on Monday a full recovery will be very beneficial,' one man conceded.

A young woman added: 'Being able to chill on Monday and reset - it's better.'

Now being embraced by tens of thousands of social media users, the practice is already drawing criticism, predominantly from older Americans, with one New Yorker, fittingly on Monday, slamming the practice as sanctioned professional laziness

'Bare minimum Monday' comes on the heels of another similar trend, dubbed 'quiet quitting' trend, which preaches the personal decision to quietly stop working instead of flat-out leaving a job, all while pursuing other career options.

That practice too proved polarizing, and itself followed a similar social media phenomenon that surfaced during the pandemic known as The Great Resignation.

The term referred to the then recent advent of workers quitting their jobs en masse in a fight for better wages, benefits, working conditions, and hours, as businesses suddenly found themselves faced with demand for manpower amid lockdowns and an explosion of remote-work opportunities.

That train of thought has since persisted, and evolved into the current themes being pushed on TikTok and other social media platforms, with Mayes only serving as the most recent.
A 14-year-old electric scooter rider who caused the death of a pensioner in a pavement collision walked free from court yesterday.

A District Judge heard how the youth was travelling at around 20mph on the privately-owned scooter when he hit Linda Davis, causing a fatal head injury.

The court heard the 71-year-old had stepped on to the pavement from behind a parked van, with the boy unable to see her until it was too late.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, stayed at the scene and dialled 999, prosecutors told Nottingham Youth Court.

A District Judge heard how the youth was travelling at around 20mph on the privately-owned scooter when he hit Linda Davis (pictured), causing a fatal head injury

The court heard the 71-year-old had stepped on to the pavement from behind a parked van, with the boy unable to see her until it was too late. Pictured: An e-scooter like the one used by the boy

Mrs Davis, known as Lou, died six days after the collision in Rainworth, Nottinghamshire, last June.

Kelly Shooter, prosecuting, said: 'According to a witness, Mrs Davis stepped out from behind a Ford Transit van into (the boy's) path.

'It is likely that Mrs Davis, as she walked behind it, would not have been able to be seen'.

While the speed of the collision could not be confirmed, the boy said at the scene that he was travelling at around 20mph and that he was 'sorry'.

In a statement, Mrs Davis' daughter, Rebecca Williams, said that her mother was 'a very youthful, lively and amazing nan' who was a 'vibrant soul that loved life and family fiercely'.

She said: 'To watch your children watch someone they love die is a pain I would not wish on anyone.

'My heart was broken and I never expected to lose my mum in such a devastating way.

'Each time that my nine-year-old bumps his head, he is scared he is going to die.

'We will never forget the pain that he caused that day.'

She was rushed to hospital but died six days after the collision in Rainworth, Nottinghamshire. Pictured: Southwell Road East, where the collision happened

She urged riders to familiarise themselves with the law around privately-owned scooters, and 'the harm they can cause if they are ridden illegally or in a dangerous or anti-social manner.'

Currently, the law states e-scooters can only be used on public roads if rented as part of a government-backed trial scheme, while the privately-owned types can only be used on private land.

Mrs Davis is believed to be the first pedestrian to die in an e-scooter collision in the UK.

District Judge Leo Pyle handed the boy a 12-month referral order and disqualified him from driving for five years.

The judge told the boy: 'Pavements are for pedestrians, and people in wheelchairs, or babies in prams.

'They are supposed to be free of vehicles of any type.

'This mode of transport should not be there. This tragic incident was avoidable.'

His parents, who attended court, must pay 85 costs and a 26 victim surcharge and were both handed six-month parenting orders.

The boy had previously admitted causing death by driving a vehicle without a licence, and another count of causing death by driving a vehicle while uninsured. He has no previous convictions.

Deborah Bell, mitigating, said the boy had displayed 'great remorse', both 'for the family of Mrs Davis, and for his own parents.'

Detective Constable Emma Temple, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: 'This tragic case shows how vitally important it is for people to fully understand the laws and implications of riding e-scooters and where they can be used.

'This was a completely avoidable collision. This boy now has to live with the knowledge that his actions that day resulted in the death of a much-loved woman.'

Since 2019, there have been 31 deaths involving e-scooters in the UK, according to the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS).

They include 14-year-old Fatima Abukar, who was riding a privately-owned scooter in East Ham, East London, last March when she suffered a fatal head injury, and 18-year-old Mason Pitt.

He suffered a fatal neck injury after falling off a rental scooter in Slough, three days after Mrs Davis died.

The first person to die in Britain in a collision involving an e-scooter was TV presenter and YouTube star Emily Hartridge.

The 35-year-old collided with a lorry while on an e-scooter at a roundabout in Battersea, south-west London in July 2019.
New People Power Party Chairman Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon clinches his fist during his acceptance speech after being elected as the new leader of the ruling party during its national convention at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Joint Press Corps



Kim's win to help strengthen president's grip on PPP



By Nam Hyun-woo



The ruling People Power Party (PPP) elected Rep. Kim Gi-hyeon as its new chairman, Wednesday, as the four-term lawmaker won more than 50 percent of the total votes during the party's national convention.



Kim, who has been described as the most favored candidate by President Yoon Suk Yeol, won 52.93 percent of the votes to cruise past his rival, Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo, who secured 23.37 percent of the ballots, making a runoff between the top candidates unnecessary.



Ahn has been facing doubts about his support for the president's political views. And the outcome of the vote allowed Yoon to strengthen his grip over the party ahead of next year's general election, because Kim will yield his right to nominate the party's candidates.



Chun Ha-ram, who became popular for his comments critical of the president and his close confidants, received 14.98 percent of the votes, while former Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn secured 8.72 percent of the ballots.



The PPP held a four-day vote from Saturday to Tuesday, with 461,313 out of 837,236 paying party members casting their ballots by either mobile or voice-based voting. Voter turnout hit an all-time high of 55.1 percent.



"The party chairman is obliged to devote himself to the success of the PPP and the Yoon administration and lead the party to an overwhelming victory in the general election next year," Kim said in his acceptance speech. "We shall unite and achieve an overwhelming victory next year."



Kim added that he will serve great leaders such as Ahn, Chun and Hwang to make an inclusive party. But Ahn left the convention center when Kim began his acceptance speech.





New People Power Party Chairman Kim Gi-hyeon, fourth from left, raises his arms after being confirmed as the ruling party's new leader during its national convention at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. The three other candidates were Hwang Kyo-ahn, left, Ahn Cheol-soo, third from right and Chun Ha-ram, second from right. Yonhap



Ahn has been crying foul about the election process, claiming that the presidential office and lawmakers close to Yoon unfairly supported Kim. Ahn sought to reverse Kim's lead in a runoff. But party members rallied behind Kim, who is anticipated to focus on supporting Yoon on the legislative side.



The president attended the national convention at KINTEX convention hall in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province and delivered a speech before the party to announce the result.



"We should all be one team under the new party leadership," Yoon said. "There is no winner or loser in elections within our PPP."





President Yoon Suk Yeol gestures before delivering a speech at the ruling People Power Party's national convention at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Yonhap
Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo is Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Pandemic Center at Brown University School of Public Health

Tens of thousands of birds suddenly die in coastal Peru and throughout the Americas.

Then hundreds of sea lions turn up dead. And tragically, an 11 year old girl in Cambodia loses her life.

What's the cause of all these recent unusual events?

A highly pathogenic virus known as H5N1 - avian influenza.

Thankfully, H5N1 is not yet capable of spreading between people like the flu viruses we're used to battling in North America during the fall and winter.

Though the operable word is 'yet'.

Waterfowl are natural carriers of these dangerous viral strains. And most of the time, they don't pose a threat to humans, unless there is direct contact with infected animals or their waste.

Avian influenza viruses don't bind easily to human respiratory cells. Therefore, the disease is not readily transmitted from one person to another through coughing, sneezing or droplets in the breath.

But the increasing ability of H5N1 to spread among animals and directly infect people is stoking fears that the world may be just a few genetic mutations away from another pandemic.

And there are good reasons to worry.

Since 2022, in the United States alone, a record-breaking 58 million farm birds, like chickens and turkeys, have been killed or culled after exposure to the virus.

Tens of thousands of birds suddenly die in coastal Peru and throughout the Americas. (Above) Municipal workers collect dead pelicans on Santa Maria beach in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2022

Then hundreds of sea lions turn up dead. And tragically, an 11 year old girl in Cambodia loses her life. (Above) Bean Narong died of the bird flu on February 22 after falling sick a week earlier

The virus has also jumped to red foxes, mink, racoons, skunks and other non-human mammals across the northwest, midwest and northeast.

In fact, various forms of H5N1 have been spreading in wildlife populations for more than 20 years and they are nasty.

H5N1 has wiped out entire flocks and devastated wildlife populations. Hundreds of people have gotten sick since the virus was first identified in 1997. And among those known to have gotten the virus, about half have died.

That makes H5N1 far more lethal than COVID-19.

What we don't know is how deadly the virus would be if it were to gain the ability to easily infect and transmit between humans.

Everytime a virus invades a cell, it makes copies of itself. Sometimes in the process it makes a mistake  a mutation. Mutations may not result in any changes in how the virus can infect or sicken. But as we've seen with the Delta and Omicron variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, sometimes these mutations can make the virus more transmissible.

And we do know enough to want to act swiftly to prevent that from happening.

H5N1 is hardly the first zoonotic virus  a pathogen that originates in wildlife and spills over into human populations - to pose a serious threat.

Human immunodeficiency virus or HIV, which has killed upwards of 40 million people and counting, first emerged in wildlife. The virus likely infected human populations multiple times before it gained the ability to spread and move around the world.

Since the emergence of HIV, there have been many more animal viruses that gained the ability to infect humans.

In the last twenty or so years, the list of zoonotic disease outbreaks that have occurred is staggering. The list includes Ebola, West Nile Virus, Mpox, pandemic influenza in 2009, and two new coronaviruses that predate the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Zoonotic diseases are thought to kill more than 2.7 million people across the globe each year.

That's astonishing.

And if that's not concerning enough, we're likely not ready for the next one.

The virus has also jumped to red foxes, mink, racoons, skunks and other non-human mammals across the northwest, midwest and northeast.

The steady drumbeat of these events signals to us that the accelerating emergence of new zoonotic diseases is the new normal.

Since the 1940s and 1950s when HIV may have first jumped from chimpanzees to humans, the frequency of zoonotic disease outbreaks has been steadily increasing.

By the end of the 20th century, the number of outbreaks of new infectious disease was more than five times greater than what was occurring in the 1940s - not all are zoonotic, but most are.

And stunningly, more than two thirds of all human outbreaks of new diseases have been caused by zoonotic pathogens

There are many possible reasons for this.

In North America and around the world, human land use is constantly expanding. We're putting new stresses on wildlife populations, increasing their likelihood of getting sick and becoming infected with new illnesses. Climate change is altering natural environments adding to the strain.

The animals themselves are migrating to new regions, creating new opportunities for them to come in contact with people, thus spreading new viruses. And repeated exposure to humans creates more opportunities for the diseases to mutate.

While all viruses are different, it would be folly to ignore that conditions which may have led to the HIV epidemic are magnified today.

If these viruses do become easily transmissible between humans, our modern behavior aids their spread. We are more mobile than ever before  any destination on the planet is reachable within 48 hours.

Finally, as bad as H5N1 avian influenza is, it may not be the worst zoonotic disease threat that we could face.

The U.S. has been preparing for a possible H5N1 pandemic for about 20 years. It has labs that can detect avian influenza and has stockpiled millions of doses of H5N1 vaccines.

Thanks to a seasonal influenza vaccine market, a global infrastructure to make vaccines for new influenza viruses already exists. The U.S. even has a secret supply of eggs to grow new influenza vaccines, if needed.

But as COVID-19 has shown us, when a completely new virus emerges and spreads, it is much harder to respond to it. If a new zoonotic disease emerges, we would not have ready access to the same tools we now employ to combat influenza or COVID-19.

Without vaccines or medicines to prevent or treat infections, we are left with masks and social distancing to contain the spread.

The U.S. has been preparing for a possible H5N1 pandemic for about 20 years. It has labs that can detect avian influenza and has stockpiled millions of doses of H5N1 vaccines.

Since 2022, in the United States alone, a record-breaking 58 million farm birds, like chickens and turkeys, have been killed or culled after exposure to the virus.

We need new tools and strategies to protect ourselves from contagious, zoonotic pathogens that don't just rely on our willingness to lockdown society and lock ourselves inside our homes. Forcing businesses and schools to close represents a failure to prepare.

We can't let zoonotic diseases like H5N1 spread unchecked or else they could mutate to become a bigger threat to humans.

The Biden Administration is right to consider vaccinating U.S. poultry against H5N1, but it's not enough.

That may protect U.S. agricultural interests, but it won't prevent the virus from infecting wildlife or mutating to more easily infect humans.

We need to do more.

Ensuring our schools and businesses are well-ventilated will not only reduce our vulnerability to future zoonotic threats, but will make us safer from other viruses, like seasonal influenza.

We shouldn't wait until our worst case scenario comes true to jump start research and development of new vaccines, rapid tests and medicines.

The World Health Organization recently called on governments to invest in developing prototype vaccines for every animal influenza strain so that they can be more rapidly evaluated and manufactured.

We need better surveillance of emerging wildlife viruses and of people who have high risk exposure to animals.

After three years of responding to COVID-19, the public and, crucially, politicians may have little willingness to do what it takes to prevent a new virus from upending our lives.

Funding for the response to COVID-19 has lapsed. Millions of healthcare workers have left their positions, leaving our fragmented and weakened pandemic healthcare entities further depleted. Efforts to develop new and improved vaccines for COVID-19 are stalled.

None of this bodes well for our readiness for the next pandemic.

We don't know when it may occur or what disease it will be, but we have lots of reasons to count on it being a zoonotic disease, and possibly one we've not yet seen before.
The Royal Household has published a packed itinerary of duties over the past two weeks after it was revealed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had christened their daughter Lilibet.

The immediate members of the Royal Family are not thought to have attended the ceremony, which apparently took place near the Sussexes' home in Montecito, California.

A bulletin published on the Royal Family's website shows a busy schedule of public duties from the week of February 25 to March 3, which may be a pointed reply to the claim that they snubbed the Montecito christening.

The list shows how the Prince and Princess of Wales attended the Six Nations Rugby Match between Wales and England at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff, on February 25.

The following day, the Princess Royal and her husband Captain Tim Laurence watched the International Rugby Match between France and Scotland at the Stade de France in Paris.

A bulletin published on the Royal Family's website shows a busy schedule of duties over the week of February 25 to March 3, which may be a pointed reply to the claim that they snubbed the Montecito christening

The King meets European Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen at an audience in Windsor Castle last week

Meanwhile William and Catherine, Princess of Wales pose for a picture as they visit the headquarters of the Wales Air Ambulance

Later events saw the King meet European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen after Rishi Sunak's revised Brexit agreement, while Prince William and his wife visited a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in Wales - meeting vulnerable service users among a host of other engagements.

Royal experts have been left confounded over the christening arrangements of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter Lilibet, with a question mark over whether the baby's blue-blooded relatives were invited.

Harry and Meghan's friend Omid Scobie claimed King Charles, the Queen Consort ands the Prince and Princess of Wales 'declined' an invitation to attend Lilibet's christening in California last Friday.

The Sussexes snubbed a British baptism for their youngest daughter and held a Anglican ceremony at their Montecito mansion for between 20 and 30 friends - including her billionaire godfather Tyler Perry.

Royal biographer Tom Bower said: 'My guess is that Meghan and Harry know that Charles wont give their children princely titles and wont help them christen Lilibet in Windsor or the Abbey (otherwise they would have waited if they came to the Coronation.

'So, they are further entrenching themselves in California. It suggests that they are not coming to the Coronation, or back to London any time soon.'

Camilla, Queen Consort meets Children's Laureate Joseph Coelho to mark World Book Day

A photograph issued by Archewell of Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, after celebrating her first birthday in June last year

Fellow royal author Phil Dampier added: 'Harry and Meghan can try and claim the moral high ground by letting it be known that they invited the King, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales to the christening but they are just playing games. They know there wasnt a hope in hell of any of them going.

'If they genuinely wanted to build bridges and start a healing process why didnt they come over with their children a couple of weeks before the Coronation and have the christening then?

'It would have been the perfect excuse to start the reconciliation process.'

Writer Richard Fitzwilliam wrote: 'The Sussexes do nothing by accident and this is also an opportunity to remind the world that they are an important part of the royal family.

'King Charles was clearly right in deciding that Archie and Lili should be given what is automatically theirs, whatever difficulties the Palace currently has with their parents.'

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: 'It would be for The Duke and Duchess to confirm who attended their daughters christening.'

Scobie, who is close to the Sussexes, insisted the King, Queen consort, Prince and Princess of Wales were invited to the ceremony but chose not to attend.

It is not known whether any other Royal Family members were present, nor when the British royals were invited - or how the message was sent to the UK.

The Court Circular - Britain's official record of royal engagements - shows none of the senior royals aside from Princess Anne attended events on the day of the christening last week.

The first picture of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's daughter Lilibet was released in a Christmas card on December 23, 2021

Tyler Perry at a Los Angeles airport last Friday, on the day he attended Lilibet's christening as her godfather

King Charles attended a service at Sandringham Church over the weekend

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Sussexes included a reference to their 21-month-old as 'Princess Lilibet Diana' - revealing for the first time that the couple has decided to invoke their right to use 'Princess' for Lilibet, six months since the accession to the throne of King Charles last September. Archie will be called prince.

Harry and Meghan are said to not want to deny their children the chance to inherit royal titles from their father - seeing it as their birthright - but will allow Archie and Lili the chance to decide whether to drop or keep using the royal titles when they are older.

They are understood to have been in contact with Buckingham Palace about the issue.

It comes after Meghan famously told Oprah Winfrey that Archie was not given the title of prince because of his race, but this was disputed by the palace and constitutional experts.

Lili was baptised by the Anglican Bishop of Los Angeles, John Taylor. Afterwards guests and family including Doria Ragland danced to a playlist containing songs from Harry and Meghan's wedding reception at Windsor Castle. A gospel choir also reportedly performed Oh Happy Day and This Little Light of Mine.

However, when Archie was born seventh in line to the throne to the then Queen in May 2019, he was too far down the line of succession. Rules dictate that although he was a great-grandchild of the monarch, he was not a first-born son of a future king, so was not automatically a prince.

An insider claimed that 21-month-old Lili's title of princess and Archie's title as a prince will be used in formal settings - but not in everyday conversational use by the couple.

And the monarch will not stand in their way, Buckingham Palace has revealed, adding the Royal Family's official website will now be updated to call the children Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie. It currently refers to Lilibet as 'Miss Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor' and her brother as 'Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor'.

Title rules set out by King George V in 1917 mean Archie and Lili, as the children of a son of a sovereign, automatically became a prince and a princess when Charles became King.

They would also be entitled to an HRH style, but although Harry and Meghan retain their HRH styles, they no longer use them after quitting the working monarchy.

It was previously reported in 2021 that Charles, in a bid to limit the number of key royals, intended, when he became monarch, to prevent Archie becoming a prince.

To do so, he would have to issue a Letters Patent amending Archie's right to be a prince and Lili's right to be a princess.

Harry, who stepped down as a senior working royal in 2020 for a new life in the US, criticised his father's parenting in his controversial autobiography Spare, accused the Prince of Wales of physically attacking him and said the Queen Consort sacrificed him on her own personal PR altar.

The use of the titles has been revealed just days after Harry and Meghan were asked to vacate their UK home Frogmore Cottage, a move sanctioned by the King which further weakens the couple's ties with Harry's home country and the Windsors.

And the christening came just before The Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed they had been invited to the King's Coronation  but refused to say whether they will be attending.

The Sussexes have yet to confirm whether they will attend the King's coronation in May, which falls on Archie's fourth birthday.

The Baptism happened as Charles' wife Camilla was mourning the death of her brother-in-law of more than 50 years, Simon Elliot, who died last week aged 82.

Harry's father met the Governor of Western Australia and his wife at Buckingham Palace today

Less than 24 hours after the baptism, Harry spoke with Canadian 'toxic trauma expert' Dr Gabor Mate during a live-streamed 90-minute interview to promote Spare (pictured)

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Kate, Princess of Wales, pictured at the Baftas in February, were not at the christening

Harry received an email from the Palace about the coronation at Westminster Abbey on May 6, a spokesman for the Sussexes said, despite the stream of brickbats they have thrown at the Royal Family.

Less that 24 hours after Lilibet's christening, Harry hosted an online Q&A to promote his memoir Spare - and may have had christening guests staying in his mansion while it happened.

It comes after the prince launched yet another salvo, telling controversial physician Dr Gabor Mate that he was starved of hugs and attention during his 'incredibly painful' childhood.

In an interview with Dr Mate to promote his memoir, Spare, that was streamed live  and cost viewers 19 a ticket  he also lamented his 'broken-home upbringing' and how he felt 'different' to the rest of his family.

The Mail understands that Harry and Meghan's former UK home, Frogmore Cottage in Windsor  which the King is said to have taken from them  will be available for them to stay in should they fly to England to attend.

Lili, as she is called by her parents, was christened by the Bishop of Los Angeles, the Reverend John Taylor. He is the most senior member of the California Episcopal church, which is an Anglican domination with links to the Church of England.

It is not believed that any other current members of the Royal Family have been baptised by the Episcopal Church.

Meghan was a Catholic growing up - before being baptised and confirmed into the Church of England in 2018.

It is also understood Lilibet's HRH will be 'held in abeyance', which describes a state of temporary disuse. Harry and Meghan are no longer HRH after Megxit because they quit as working royals.

The Sussexes at their former home Frogmore Cottahe during their visit to the UK for the Queen's Jubilee in June, pictured

The couple's 11million mansion in Montecito, California, where the christening was held

People magazine reported that there were between 20 and 30 guests at the event, including Meghan's mother Doria Ragland and Lilibet's godfather Tyler Perry.

The filmmaker had been spotted paying a visit to Harry and Meghan's Montecito home last Friday and at a airport in Los Angeles where he boarded his private jet.

Harry and Meghan are thought to be keen not to deny their children their birthright, but to allow them the chance to decide for themselves when older whether to drop or keep using the titles.

Meghan said in the couple's bombshell interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey that Archie was not given the title of prince because of his race.

However, when Archie was born seventh in line to the throne in May 2019, he was too far down the line of succession.

Although he was a great-grandchild of the monarch, he was not a first-born son of a future king, so was not automatically a prince.

The news comes as it was revealed Camilla's brother-in-law Simon Elliot, with whom the Queen Consort was very close, died last week.
Support for independence among Scottish voters is now ten percentage points behind support for remaining in the UK, a new opinion poll has shown.

According to the Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey, 45 per cent of Scottish voters would vote 'Yes' to independence at a referendum compared to 55 per cent who would vote 'No'.

The poll was conducted in the wake of Nicola Sturgeon's bombshell resignation as SNP leader and First Minister, which has upended Scottish politics.

It represents a turnaround from Redfield & Wilton's previous survey in late November, which had shown 'Yes' on 52 per cent support and 'No' on 48 per cent support.

This month's survey appeared to show little enthusiasm among Scottish voters for any of Ms Sturgeon's possible successors.

According to the Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey, 45 per cent of Scottish voters would vote 'Yes' to independence at a referendum compared to 55 per cent who would vote 'No'.

This month's survey appeared to show little enthusiasm among Scottish voters for any of Nicola Sturgeon's possible successors as SNP leader and first minister

The SNP were still the best-supported party in Scotland when voters were asked who they would vote for at a UK general election

Only a quarter (25 per cent) of respondents said Kate Forbes, the current Scottish Finance Secretary, would be the best first minister for Scotland, compared to 18 per cent who backed current Health Secretary Humza Yousaf.

Ash Regan, the third candidate in the SNP leadership race, was supported by 14 per cent of voters.

But more than two-fifths (44 per cent) said they did not know which of the SNP leadership hopefuls would make the best first minister.

The ten-point lead for 'No' over 'Yes' on the question of Scottish independence was reduced to nine percentage points when those responding 'don't know' in the latest poll were included.

This put 'No' on 51 per cent support, compared to 'Yes' on 42 per cent support, with 8 per cent saying they did not know how they would vote in a referendum.

But despite the apparent drop in support for Scottish independence over the past few months, the SNP were still the best-supported party in Scotland when voters were asked who they would vote for at a UK general election.

The SNP (39 per cent) were shown to hold a ten-point lead over Labour (29 per cent), with the Tories in third (22 per cent).

Ms Sturgeon last month announced her resignation as SNP leader and First Minister amid infighting over her party's independence strategy and a row over gender identity reforms.

The Redfield & Wilton poll found she is set to leave office with a net approval rating of +2 per cent, with 42 per cent approving of Ms Sturgeon's overall job performance since she became SNP leader and 40 per cent disapproving.

Her current net approval rating is 14 points lower than her previous approval rating of +16% in November last year.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross was found to hold a net approval rating of -23 per cent, down two points from November, while Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar suffered a seven-point drop in his approval rating to now stand at +4 per cent.

Redfield & Wilton surveyed 1,050 eligible Scottish voters between 2 and 5 March.
Sen. Lindsey Graham on Wednesday released a plan to have Mexican drug cartels labeled as terrorist organizations and pressed Congress to authorize the use of military force to destroy Mexican drug labs.

The South Carolina Republican held a press conference on Capitol Hill where he stood alongside Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy to detail his plans.

'I think John and I believe if there were an ISIS or Al Qaeda cell in Mexico that lobbed a rocket into Texas, we'd wipe them off the planet,' Graham said. 'They're doing that times thousands and our response is inadequate.'

Graham was referring to the scourge of fentanyl deaths plaguing the nation.

'We're going to unleash the fury and might of the United States against these cartels,' Graham continued. 'We're gonna destroy their business model and their lifestyle because our national security and the security of the United States as a whole depends on us taking decisive action.'

Sen. Lindsey Graham on Wednesday released a plan to have Mexican drug cartels labeled as terrorist organizations and pressed Congress to authorize the use of military force to destroy Mexican drug labs

The first step, Graham said, was upgrading how the cartels are designated by the U.S. government.

He called the Foreign Terrorist Organization label the 'top of the food chain.'

And said that by deeming the drug cartels FTOs the U.S can go after the Chinese chemical companies that are supplying the raw ingredients to make fentanyl, among other actions.

'We believe Democrats will be involved,' Graham noted.

The second step, Graham laid out, is less likely to happen as it would need Congressional approval and the signature of President Joe Biden.

Graham said he believed the House and Senate should pass a bill that authorizes the use of military force against the Mexican drug cartels.

He said the U.S. military would be utilized 'not to invade Mexico, not to shoot Mexican airplanes down, but to destroy drug labs that are poisoning Americans.'

Mexican police officers are photographed walking around a clandestine drug lab in Carrizalejo, Mexico in 2018. Graham wants to use U.S. military force to go after Mexican drug labs producing fentanyl

Members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel pose in masks and firearms. Graham wants Mexican drug cartels to be deemed Foreign Terrorist Organizations so their suppliers in China can be pursued too

The military would 'go after these organizations wherever they exist,' Graham explained.

Graham recalled how the U.S. military partnered with the Colombian military to go after the 'cocaine narco state' and mused why the same thing wasn't happening in Mexico.

'Mexico is a safe haven. It is a narco terrorist state. The safe haven provides Mexican cartels the ability with impunity to deliver lethal doses of fentanyl into our nation,' Graham said.

On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed Graham's idea that designating Mexican drug cartels as FTOs would make a difference.

'Designating these cartels as FTOs would not grant us any additional authorities,' Jean-Pierre said.

She argued that sanctioning cartels through the Treasury Department was a better avenue to go after them.

'And this means that drug traffickers can no longer use family or friends to hide their assets from the from the reach of the U.S. government,' she said. 'So again, we don't believe that this will grant us any additional authorities.'
The terrified cry for help of the 17-year-old son of a TikTok-famous 'rabbi' now charged with child abuse can be revealed today in audio recordings of the podcast he called into begging for advice.

Hayim Nissim Cohen, 38, is in custody in Texas on 13 counts of sexually abusing at least six of his nine sons. Cohen paraded his sons, all of whom are adopted, on social media and built a brand out of their Orthodox Jewish life.

Behind the scenes, he was allegedly raping his sons and forcing them to perform sex acts on each other.

It isn't the first time he has been arrested on suspicion of child sexual abuse - he was arrested in 2019 after a different boy called the cops, but was released on bond because prosecutors 'couldn't prove' the claims.

On January 30, Cohen's petrified son, who was 17 but has since turned 18, called into the Blind Skinned Beauty YouTube podcast.

'It happened multiple times, this has been going on since I was 11,' he said in a soft voice as he asked the podcast hosts for help and advice.

He described how his father would force the boys into his room to 'watch TV' at night.

'Then it would happen,' he said quietly.

Scroll down for video

Hayim Nassim Cohen, 38, is charged with sexually abusing six of his nine sons. One of them called into a podcast on January 30 to report the abuse

Podcast host Twaiyah Paynes called CPS and the police, and they were able to trace him

He also told the hosts that he was too scared to call police because he feared he would be arrested for lying years earlier to protect his father from similar allegations.

The boy, who DailyMail.com is not naming, was too frightened to give his exact location or name.

Podcast host Twaiyah Paynes called CPS and the police, and they were able to trace him.

Cohen, 38, is also accused of faking his Jewish heritage

Cohen was arrested afterwards and is now in custody.

During his 40 minute call with Paynes and her co-hosts, the boy described some of the abuse but typed out the most heinous accusations.

He said told the hosts his 'number one fear' was that he would be 'charged with lying and assisting' because he 'kept it a secret'.

Some of his brothers had 'cognitive issues', he said, which meant they were discredited anytime any accusation was made.

Shockingly, he claimed that eight separate allegations had been made to CPS against their father, but that he beat them every time.

CPS has repeatedly refused to confirm how many times Cohen was reported to them before his arrest.

'The problem here is it's essentially my word versus all of my brothers,' he said, explaining that some of them weren't ready to turn on their father.

'When it comes to CPS investigations , there have been eight launched but all have been acquitted. Since we were little, seeing as we came from cps, we had very obvious cognitive issues.

'Specifically three of my brothers and they happen to all take psychotic medications... you can see where this is rolling,' he said.

He added that his father has a 'doctor friend' who gave them medication.

'Anytime we make a CPS investigation he'll bribe us or scare us. Two of my brothers are seven and eight.

It remains a mystery how Cohen was able to adopt so many boys and continue caring for them even after being accused of molesting a child in 2019

The family home in Houston, Texas. Six of the minor kids who were living with him are now in foster care

'I am about to be 18 and I dont know what I am going to do. I am not worried of where I will go, I'm traveling to Israel... [but] all of my brothers are here,' he said.

The boy said that his father took control of any money he received, and didn't allow any of them to have their own phones.

'I am smart enough to use a burner phone... he doesn't know I have it,' he said.

At the end of the call, he said: 'Oh my god, my dad just called me. He'll be home soon.'

After the call, Paynes called CPS to report what he'd told her. She and her co-hosts urged him to call police himself, assuring him that he would not be in trouble for reporting his claims.

'My number one fear would be I'd be charged with lying and assisting because I kept it a secret,' he said.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, Paynes, the podcast host, said she now wants to adopt some of the children herself.

Cohen in court last week. He is yet to respond to the charges

'I was already a foster mom but I still have some classes that need to be taken,' she said.

She wants to take in three of the six who are now in foster care.

Since the boy phoned in to the podcast, several of his siblings have told police that Cohen was abusing them.

It remains unclear why Cohen was allowed to keep the children in his care after being charged with sexual indecency in 2019.

That allegation was launched by a Spanish exchange student. He was never convicted, and was released from custody on bond.

When questioned about why that was the case, a spokesman for the Harris County District Attorney's Office told DailyMail.com: 'Theres generally a pretty high bar for a defendant to be held without bond, which is a constitutionally protected right in most circumstances.

'While prosecutors may make recommendations regarding bail, judges set it.'
A statewide Silver Alert was issued in Indiana for a missing 14-year-old girl whose family say may be with an 18-year-old male and in 'extreme danger.'

Emily Barger, 14, was last seen around 1am in Georgetown, Indiana on Monday, March 6.

Georgetown, Indiana is about a 20-minute drive away from Louisville, Kentucky.

On Tuesday, Barger's father, Shawn Barger, took to social media to ask for help locating his daughter.

He said she may be in an 'older [possibly] Chevy truck with a loud exhaust and rusty body.'

On his Facebook page, he wrote: 'Emily Barger if you can see this in any way please come home you are in no trouble and I love and miss you very much.'

Emily Barger, 14, was last seen in the early hours of Monday morning in Georgetown, Indiana about 20 minutes away from Louisville, Kentucky

A recent picture of Emily posted by her family to Facebook. She was last seen on March 6

A statewide Silver Alert was issued on Tuesday March 7 and the Floyd County Sheriff's Department is asking for the public's help finding the missing teenager.

State police issued a statement describing the girl's physical features so that locating her may be made easier.

Barger is white, blonde, has blue eyes, is five feet tall and weighs 85 pounds. It is unknown what she was wearing at the time of her disappearance.

Silver Alerts are generally issued for adults with known cognitive or developmental disabilities. They are more commonly issued than Amber Alerts for missing people.

Georgetown, Indiana is about a 20-minute drive away from Louisville, Kentucky.

Posts from Barger's father and extended family allege that Barger is with a male companion.

Her father plead with his daughter to make contact.

'You have tons of family and friends out looking for you wanting to get you home please go to a gas station anywhere and tell them you need to get home call the police or me or anyone just please get home I love you.'

Emily's father Shawn Berger posted on Facebook about his daughter's disappearance, begging anyone who may have information to get in contact
U.S. intelligence is looking at a plethora of new threats from China, including an increase in nuclear launchers, more threats to Taiwan, space-based missiles, and bolstering its capabilities for Weapons of Mass Destruction.

The assessment comes amid increased tensions between Washington and Beijing, which have gotten worse in the wake of the spy balloon China sent over the U.S. and reports Xi Jinping is considering lethal aid to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's budget proposal includes an unprecedented increase in funding for the Pentagon during a time of peace - $835 billion, up from the $816 billion in the current budget.

The extra money is due to escalating tensions with China, which the Pentagon sees as a challenger to U.S. military leadership.

U.S. intelligence is looking at a plethora of new threats from China

The budget includes significant funding of long-range Air Force and Navy munitions that could be used in a potential future conflict with China, an official told Bloomberg News.

The Pentagon has warned Congress that China now has more land-based intercontinental-range missile launchers than the U.S.

'The number of land-based fixed and mobile ICBM launchers in China exceeds the number of ICBM launchers in the United States,' the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, which oversees nuclear forces, wrote the Senate's and House's Armed Services Committees on Jan. 26.

Beijing is also looking at space-based weapons, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which released its annual threat assessment on Wednesday.

'China also has conducted orbital technology demonstrations, which while not counterspace weapons tests, prove Chinas ability to operate future space-based counterspace weapons,' it noted.

Biden's administration is weighing how to respond. The U.S. has a greater nuclear arsenal than Beijing as it also keeps a close eye on Russia's nuclear forces.

But the president's budget request includes $170 billion for weapons procurement and $145 billion for research and development with much of that going to new fighter planes as officials remain wary of China's muscle-flexing in the Indo-Pacific region.

Taiwan is proving another point of tension between the two superpowers.

China has warned Taiwan that it will take even more aggressive 'counter measures' than last summer's large-scale military drills if President Tsai Ing-wen meets with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California next month.

McCarthy confirmed the meeting will take place when Tsai is at the Ronald Reagan Library to give a speech in April.

'I will, when she's in America,' he said. 'But that has nothing to do with my travel and if I would go to Taiwan or not, and China can't tell me where or when to go.'

But his actions 'will inevitably cause new tensions across the Taiwan strait, and China's countermeasures may be even more decisive than those seen during [former US House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi's last visit to the island,' Chinese state media said on Wednesday.

China staged wide-scale military drills last August when Pelosi visited Taiwan and met Tsai, including shooting missiles over the island in a show of force, sending warships across the median line of the Taiwan Strait and simulating a blockade of Taiwan with multiday military exercises near the island.

In the past few weeks, China has shown its might to Taiwan - sending 25 warplanes and three warships toward the island.

Biden, in response, approved the sale of hundreds of missiles for F-16 fighter jets to the island.

Taiwan has upgraded its fleet of 141 F-16 fighter jets and has ordered 66 more of the planes from the U.S.

China is looking at space-based missile technology, the Office of National Intelligence warns

'The number of land-based fixed and mobile ICBM launchers in China exceeds the number of ICBM launchers in the United States' - Congress was warned (above a missile silo under construction in north-central China)

China is also increasing its capabilities for Weapons of Mass Destruction

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Wednesday released its 2023 annual threat assessment.

It warned that China may build on its actions from 2022, and include more Taiwan Strait centerline crossings or missile overflights of Taiwan.

'In 2023, Beijing will continue to apply pressure and possibly offer inducements for Taiwan to move toward unification and will react to what it views as increased U.S.Taiwan engagement,' the assessment read.

'Beijing claims that the United States is using Taiwan as a 'pawn' to undermine China's rise, and will continue to take stronger measures to push back against perceived increases in support to Taiwan. Beijing may build on its actions from 2022, which could include more Taiwan Strait centerline crossings or missile overflights of Taiwan.'

The U.S., like many other countries, does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but is bound by U.S. law to provide it with the means to defend itself.

Washington has long used a policy of 'strategic ambiguity,' meaning it does not make clear whether it would respond militarily to an attack on Taiwan.
The downed MH370 flight might have crashed thousands of miles from the main search area, a volunteer satellite researcher has claimed.

Cyndi Hendry, a volunteer for now-defunct satellite imagery company Tomnod, found what looked like plane debris in the South China Sea only days after the plane vanished on March 8, 2014.

She said her discovery was ignored at the time when it was thought to have crashed into the Indian Ocean.

But nine years later she claims to have found an 'M' on a piece of wreckage which is an 'almost perfect match' to the M on the side of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 flight that went missing on a flight between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Beijing, China.

Speaking on new Netflix documentary MH370: The Disappeared Plane, she said she knew she had 'evidence' of the jet in the South China Sea but was repeatedly ignored by investigators at the time.

Nine years later she claims to have found an 'M' on a piece of wreckage which is an 'almost perfect match' to the M on the side of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 flight

Cyndi Hendry, a volunteer for now-defunct satellite imagery company Tomnod, found what looked like plane debris in the South China Sea only days after the plane vanished on March 8, 2014

Speaking on a new Netflix documentary, she said she knew she had 'evidence' in the South China Sea but was repeatedly ignored by investigators

She said: 'When I saw the anguish on the faces of these family members, I thought I had to do something.

'It just tugged on my heartstrings. My hobby is photography, so I have an eye for detail.

'I thought I could be a great person to help look for this plane from the satellite images.'

Miss Hendry, of Florida, joined the crowdsourcing company Tomnod, which randomly assigned volunteers satellite imagery to search.

She added: 'The satellite images were empty. It was just the blackness of the sea. Then you press next, more black scans. So much black. And then finally, there's something white.'

Miss Hendry claimed to spot what appeared to be a mass of white debris in the South China Sea near Vietnam, close to where the MH370 flight dropped off radar screens.

She said: 'I pulled the schematics off the internet for a Boeing 777. And I was able to identify a piece as the nose cone.

'That's when I started saying, 'Holy crap! There's a piece of debris. There's the airplane'.

'And then I started seeing more pieces. Something that looked like the fuselage. Something that looked like the tail. I got goosebumps.'

The search area Miss Hendry was given in the South China Sea by now defunct Tomnad in 2014

Miss Hendry claimed to spot what appeared to be a mass of white debris in the South China Sea near Vietnam, near where the MH370 flight dropped off radar screens

She then claimed to have identified the nose of a Boeing 777, the same plane that went missing on a flight between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Beijing, China

Miss Hendry said she contacted investigators and Malaysia Airlines to share her findings, but claims she was repeatedly ignored.

She said: 'I knew what I had. I knew I had evidence in the South China Sea.

'The more I searched, the more debris I found. I feel certain that this is where MH370 ended up, off of Vietnam.

'At that point, I already had contacted Malaysia Airlines. I tried to reach out to so many people to tell them that this debris exists. Nobody was listening to me.'

But Malaysian investigators soon called off their search operations in the South China Sea after British company Inmarsat showed data which suggested the plane crashed in the Indian Ocean.

The Boeing 777 aircraft was on its flying route with 239 passengers from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to Beijing when it vanished from the grid less than an hour into its journey, never to be heard from again.
Woke students at Christian college DePaul University are demanding a religious group is 'eliminated' from campus because it said LGBTQ lifestyles are a 'sin'.

The private Chicago university's leaders are facing an internal rebellion over the row, despite the Christian group not being an official student organization.

A petition to ban the group from campus says it is 'abhorrent,' adding that 'there's no reason that in 2023 you should still be homophobic'.

Known as 'Vessel', the organization sparked fury on campus after it posted a Q&A on its since-deleted Instagram page, where it said 'we do not agree' with the LGBTQ agenda.

DePaul University, a private Christian college, has been upended by an LGBTQ row

A Q&A post from the since-deleted Vessel Instagram page sparked fury among the student body

Faculty are under mounting pressure from students as the nascent group is reportedly attempting to become an established college organization.

While not yet recognized by the university, the group reportedly brings together like-minded students to classrooms across the campus.

It's controversial Instagram post said the group was 'non-affirming' - a term for those who disagree with same-sex relationships on religious grounds.

The group also cited bible verses in its statement, including 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, which states that 'neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves  will inherit the kingdom of God.'

Despite this inclusion, the organization claimed that 'everyone is welcome at Vessel,' adding that it is 'a space where we come as we are to learn more about Jesus'.

But the group's assertion that 'we do not agree' with the LGBTQIA lifestyle, led fellow students to demand it's disbandment.

'DePaul has a wide variety of religious groups on campus,' says the 'Eliminate Vessel' petition.

'But one in particular called Vessel is outwardly promoting that they are "non-affirming" to the LGBTQIA+ community because of religious beliefs and claiming that its a "sinful" lifestyle.

'With a large majority of DePaul students who identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community, this is abhorrent.'

The student protest also alleges the group's existence is 'a clear violation of DePaul's Anti-Discrimination policy'.

'Theres no reason that in 2023 you should still be homophobic,' it continues.

'Theres nothing sinful about people who identify as LGBTQIA+. As a student who identifies as bisexual myself, it makes me sad to see hatred spread around campus like this.

'Do better, DePaul.'

Following the backlash, a DePaul media relations officer told The DePaulia, the campus newspaper, that the group was yet to officially begin the application to be a registered organization.

However, screenshots of the group's now-deleted Instagram page reportedly said they 'are not DePaul affiliated' but 'are looking to become a club soon.'

Student activists at the college say they are hoping to outlaw the organization before it has the chance to do so, arguing it is breaking the school's anti-discrimination code.

'In some way, with the quoting of the Bible verse, I think to an extent, that is still discrimination,' said student organizer Alexandra Murphy.

'We were super p***ed,' added Brigid O'Brien, Murphy's roommate who was one of the students who created the petition.

Spectrum, a DePaul LGBT advocacy group, accused the group of 'exclusion' and 'bigotry', and said it was 'ashamed' of the students who supported it.

'DePaul University has always shown that tolerance of the LGBTQ+ community can coexist with religious beliefs,' the group added in an Instagram post.

'We are proud of the action the DePaul community took against this organization and are heartened to know how supportive the DePaul community is in the face of homophobia.'

An LGBTQ group on campus said it is 'ashamed' of students who have supported Vessel's existence

A petition has been launched to 'eliminate' the group from campus

In response to the calls for its dissolution, Vessel told the campus outlet: 'Recently, our small group Vessel was questioned on our views of sexuality and relationships.

'In no way did we intend to harm, or seem to ostracize or reject the LGBTQIA+ community at DePaul. In fact, we would much rather focus on worship and community building, key aspects of our faith community.

'We have reached out to those who have raised issues with our group (none of these people have attended or attempted to attend a meeting) in order to promote conversation and understanding, but none have followed up on this.

'Disagreement is not harassment, but we apologize for any hurt we may have caused in how we have communicated things.'

DePaul University did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com when contacted for comment.
An Alex Murdaugh trial juror who said 'we saw right through' his tears on the witness stand has been unmasked as the brother of a cop who was at the murder scene.

James McDowell made no secret of his relationship to Colleton County Sherriff's Corporal Chad McDowell in the jury selection process. He was pulled aside for questioning by the judge before both sides agreed that he could be seated as an alternate. He ended up in the final 12 after another juror took ill after five weeks.

His brother Chad testified early on in the trial as the second cop who arrived at Murdaugh's sprawling hunting estate, Moselle, in South Carolina, to find the blood-soaked bodies of Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, on the night of June 7, 2021.

James McDowell waived his anonymity as he appeared on NBC's TODAY show Monday to claim that he was unconvinced by Murdaugh's crying when he sensationally took the stand in a desperate bid to protest his innocence in the final days of the trial.

'We already know he's a lawyer. He's able to be emotional with cases, with himself. We were able to read right through that,' he said.

'If I was him, I wouldn't have taken the stand,' said juror James McDowell, who said the jury was aware of Murdaugh's past as an attorney and his skill in the courtroom

Colleton County Sherriff's Corporal Chad McDowell testified that he was the second cop at the brutal murder scene on the night of June 7, 2021

Smiling Alex Murdaugh appears shaven-headed in a new mugshot from prison days after being found guilty of murdering his wife and son. The new mugshot was to replace an out of focus photo that was taken on March 3 (right) when he was transferred to the Kirkland Reception and Evaluation Center

McDowell said his brother had not told him much about what he saw when he arrived at the murder scene but admitted he was surprised that he was picked for the jury given their relationship.

'There was no way that he would want to talk to me about that and make me go through that,' McDowell told Fox and Friends on Monday. 'They followed up with, "Do you think you can be a fair and honest juror?" And I told them that I would and that I could.'

In another interview with Law and Crime, he claimed he was not up to speed with local gossip because he was away from home at Charleston University and now worked in the city.

'I think they made a good decision because I think I was a fair and honest juror,' McDowell said.

He said he did not decide how he was going to vote until after the closing arguments finished.

During the trial jurors watched footage of his brother Chad arriving at Moselle and Murdaugh saying to him 'How ya doin?'

That casual greeting was used by prosecutors to argue that Murdaugh was behaving suspiciously on the night of the killings.

McDowell testified that he was careful not to step on any evidence as he assisted other officers in covering the bodies.

He said he turned on his light in an effort to ensure he knew where he was treading and was 'careful' to avoid any shell casings or footprints.

If he had noticed any evidence where he was walking, McDowell said, he would have 'stopped and notified detectives'.

Under cross-examination, the defense grilled McDowell over his conduct at the gruesome crime scene, claiming he had disrupted evidence.

McDowell admitted he was not wearing plastic coverings his feet, and acknowledged there may have been microscopic evidence he could not identify with his naked eye and a flash light.

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

WHERE MAGGIE DIED: A pool of blood outside the kennels where Maggie Murdaugh was shot dead with two AR bullets to the head

Two of the family dogs - who appear to be Bubba and Maggie - based on descriptions in court - are seen in the kennels on the Moselle Road property on June 7, 2021 when Alex Murdaugh's wife Maggie and son Paul Murdaugh were shot and killed

WHERE PAUL DIED: Blood spatters on the floor inside the storage room at the kennels where Paul Murdaugh was shot dead. He was killed with a shot to the chest and a second to the head

Buster, Maggie, Paul and Alex Murdaugh in a photo the mother posted for Father's Day in 2020

Dick Harpootlian ripped the officer, saying: 'You don't know what you're doing.'

Following six weeks of blockbuster testimony, it took jurors less than three hours to find Murdaugh guilty.

The defense said after sentencing the next day that they would be filing a motion for a mistrial and would take their case to the US Supreme Court if necessary.

Murdaugh's defense attorneys Harpootlian and Jim Griffin said that the decision by the judge to allow evidence of his financial crimes had sealed his fate.

Earlier Judge Clifton Newman questioned the killer as he stood before him for sentencing and offered the legal scion a final chance to admit the killings.

'Remind me of the expression you gave on the witness stand. "Oh, what tangled web we weave." What did you mean by that?' Newman asked as he stared into Murdaugh's eyes.

'I meant when I lied, I continued to lie,' he replied as matter-of-factly as he had on the stand just days before.

'And the question is when will it end? When will it end?' The judge admonished him, reminding him that 'you continue to lie and lied throughout your testimony.'

The judge added: 'But within your own soul, you have to deal with that.'

The room fell utterly silent as Newman faced the murderer, speaking to him as if it were just the pair of them.

'And I know you have to see Paul and Maggie during the nighttime when you're attempting to go to sleep. I'm sure they come and visit you, I'm sure,' the judge said.

Murdaugh replied: 'All day and every night.'
China, Bangladesh remain natural cooperation partners: new Chinese ambassador

Xinhua) 10:10, March 08, 2023

DHAKA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- "China and Bangladesh are natural cooperation partners," the newly-appointed Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen said here on Tuesday.

"The potential of China-Bangladesh relations is unlimited," he said at a welcome reception held in his honor at the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka Tuesday night.

"There are no unresolved disputes or historical burdens between us."

Yao said the cooperation on economy, trade and mega projects serves as the pillar of the bilateral relations, he said, adding, "The China-Bangladesh cooperation improves well-beings of our two peoples."

A good number of roads, bridges, power plants, ports and other infrastructure projects have been completed, which have reshaped the landscape of Bangladesh, provided more than 1 million jobs, and promoted socio-economic development as well as people's livelihood in Bangladesh, he said.

China and Bangladesh would also closely cooperate and coordinate on regional and multilateral affairs, so as to inject more stability and certainty into this uncertain and unstable world, Yao noted.

"As close neighbors, the people of the two countries enjoy a natural sense of intimacy and similar ideas and values," he said, adding that he is confident that China-Bangladesh relations will set a good example for developing countries to understand, trust and support each other.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman, Chief of Army Staff General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed and Secretary (West) of Foreign Ministry Shabbir Ahmad Chowdhury, along with over 400 dignitaries attended the reception.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)


By Kim Ae-ran



From the last Sunday of January to the last Sunday of February in 2023, we took the first mission trip to five Korean Catholic churches in Texas. The distance we drove on this mission was 2,698.2 miles (4341 kilometers). It is like two round trips between South Korea and North Korea.



The theme of our mission to Texas was "Rise and go on a journey. Console, console my people!" The theme was most appropriate to the difficult situations that all of us are facing throughout the world. Happily, many Korean migrant parishioners expressed that they were consoled, encouraged and strengthened through our presence. The conversations we shared with one another, and the books that we presented to them during the mission were well received.



We could meet more people because we went to the southern part of the United States in the cold winter. Parish priests also welcomed us with joy and cooperated favorably, because they were already familiar with our "Pauline" presence in Korea.



Parishioners were happy to meet us because they were thirsty for spirituality. As a result, many books were distributed, and we received another invitation to come again.



Being an area where many people are moving to, Texas is a promising destination for missionaries, with an increasing number of children, young people, young couples and highly educated professionals.



Texas, the so-called Lone Star State is very wide and vast. In fact, it was the Republic of Texas from 1836 to 1845. At that time, the landscape encompassed desert wilderness, coastlines, mountains and prairies, with diverse towns and villages, as well as a rich artistic and cultural heritage.



It is said that the future of the United States is not California, which is afflicted with high house prices, the highest level of income and corporate taxes, and excessive bureaucracy, but Texas, which is called "the heart of American conservatives," is quite different and attracting many newcomers.



Texas was originally a traditional conservative, white and agricultural region, but it is becoming increasingly vibrant and diversified. Texas is rapidly growing with zero corporate and income taxes, low taxes, low labor costs, low regulation, abundant jobs, low housing costs, free rental of company or factory land, vitality and diversification.



Tesla (the global electric vehicle company), Oracle (an enterprise software company), Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE, a company providing cloud services for businesses), and IT information communication companies relocated their headquarters to Texas. Samsung Electronics semiconductor plant also moved from Silicon Valley. So, it is now called "Silicon Hill."



At the same time, being a major producer of natural gas and crude oil, Texas is rich in natural resources. Aeronautics, energy science, electronic communication technology and biotechnology industries are all well-developed. Therefore, the current population is rapidly increasing, and the number of ethnic minorities is also increasing.



Thanks to these developments, we could also stay peacefully at several houses of our collaborators for a month without inconvenience. The collaborators who welcomed us at their houses expressed that they were also consoled and encouraged through our sharing. They said that our stay at their houses was a gift from God.



We dedicated ourselves to the mission and collaborated well with each other. By the grace of God, we could finish our first mission trip with much gratitude and in good health. We experienced the presence of God through various encounters with parishioners and collaborators. Everything was given abundantly with the help of God's providence.





The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul. When available, please feel free to visit her blog, "A piece of sunshine," at mtorchid88.blogspot.com.


A Melbourne council and residents are set to go to war over a proposed new 'bin tax' that has enraged residents over the fee that could reach $115.

Yarra Council currently includes the cost of waste service removal in its general rates bill that it hands out to residents, but it is now proposing to list that as a separate line item on their rates notice.

The council claims the move will make rate notices 'more transparent', but the move has been slammed by residents as a way to get around caps on rate rises.

The fee could reach $115 according to council documents.

'They are just finding new ways to scam everyone,' vice president of Ratepayers Victoria Dean Hurlston told Nine's A Current Affair.

'It may not be an actual loophole but it's a technical way for them to get around the cap, so it's a cash grab.'

Some residents are worried that if the waste removal charge sits outside the 3.5 per cent cap on council rates, it could see the cost increase exponentially, with Mr Hurlston claiming rates could increase by 20 per cent a year.

'The council officers, the administration, the CEO, they're explicit in saying 'We need to pull that charge out from under the rates cap so we can charge basically unhindered,' Yarra Council local Ken told the show.

Outraged residents have taken matters into their own hands, with the Yarra Residents Collective's petition against the 'bin tax' reaching more than 4500 signatures.

Residents have held numerous meetings to coordinate their efforts to stop the 'bin tax' from being introduceds

'This is a council in a spending crisis that is simply trying to push its problem onto residents with these new bin taxes,' the petition reads.

The council has defended it decision to review the proposal, saying it is not introducing a new tax and that it is the last council in Victoria to separate the waste charge from the rates notice.

'Seventy-six councils in Victoria have already separated waste service charges and two others have resolved to,' a spokesperson said.

Yarra Council is set to meet on March 14 over the proposal and has hired private security guards over the meeting according to Councillor Stephen Jolly who opposes the 'bin tax'.

'Locals are not violent neo-Nazis, they simply oppose Bin Taxes and want to use their (truncated) rights to speak at the meeting,' Mr Jolley said on Twitter.

'Very, very bad look.'

The council previously tried to introduce a similar fee in 2017 but was forced to abandon the plan due to the public's opposition.
Tory MP Steve Brine is facing calls to step down as chair of the House of Commons health committee amid claims he breached lobbying rules during the Covid crisis.

A leaked WhatsApp message has revealed how Mr Brine - a former health minister - attempted to convince the NHS to hire 50 anaesthetists through a recruitment firm paying him 1,600 a month.

In a message to Michael Gove, the then Cabinet Office minister, Mr Brine said he had been 'trying for months to help the NHS' through a company named Remedium.

In the message, seen by the Telegraph, Mr Brine wrote to Mr Gove that he was 'at a loss' after previous attempts to contact the Department of Health and the chief executive of NHS England, Simon Stevens.

'Long story short, I have been trying for months to help the NHS through a company I am connected with - called "Remedium",' he added.

'They have 50 anaesthetists right now who can be in the country and on the ground in the NHS if someone only said let's us help. They just want to assist and asked me how they might.'

Tory MP Steve Brine is facing calls to step down as chair of the House of Commons health committee amid claims he breached lobbying rules during the Covid crisis

The leaked WhatsApp exchange shows how Michael Gove (right) forwarded the message from Mr Brine on to Matt Hancock (left), the then health secretary, in early February 2021

The leaked WhatsApp exchange shows how Mr Gove forwarded the message on to Matt Hancock, the then health secretary, in early February 2021.

Mr Hancock replied to Mr Gove: 'Weird - he hasn't texted me. This is already in hand. Thanks for pinging on.'

Mr Brine's register of interests shows he was paid 1,600 a month as a 'strategic adviser' to Remedium between July 2020 and December 2021.

When he sought advice about the role with Remedium from the Office of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) - which considers jobs taken on by ex-ministers - Mr Brine was told that he 'should not become personally involved' in lobbying the UK Government or NHS organisations on behalf of the firm for two years from his last day in ministerial office.

Mr Brine was also told, over the same time period, he should not 'make use, directly or indirectly, of his Government and/or Whitehall contacts to influence policy or secure business on behalf of Remedium Partners or its clients'.

The Winchester MP was a minister in the Department of Health until March 2019, when he quit Government amid the Brexit battles in Parliament.

The apparent revelation that Mr Brine had lobbied the NHS on behalf of Remedium 'for months' prior to the WhatsApp exchange with Mr Gove suggests he did not abide by the ACOBA advice.

It has led to calls for Mr Brine to stand down as the chair of the House of Commons health committee, a role he was elected to in November last year, while an independent investigation is carried out.

Liberal Democrat MP Daisy Cooper, the party's deputy leader, said: 'Steve Brine should immediately step down from the health select committee to allow an independent investigation to take place.

'He cannot be in post whilst these allegations hang over his head. These messages suggest Steve Brine was desperate to help his corporate employers whilst the country was pulling together during a pandemic, and leaves him with serious questions to answer.

'Frankly, the whole thing stinks. Rishi Sunak should launch an independent investigation into this damning evidence immediately.'

Mr Brine did not respond to MailOnline when asked about the allegations.

He told the Telegraph: 'This was about responding in the national interest to an urgent public call from ministers and the NHS in a national crisis even if, ultimately, it led nowhere let alone secure any business for Remedium.'
Sydney's Train commuters are being warned to prepare for possible delays this morning after the network came to a standstill yesterday due to a technical glitch.

All trains were stopped at platforms for about an hour until services began running again about 4pm.

A massive backlog spilled into other public transport and sparked an Uber surge that was slammed by the transport minister.

Transport NSW were forced to halt all trains due to safety reasons after the Digital Train Radio System failed.

The system has since been rebooted and grounded trains have started running again.

Just after midnight, the official Twitter accounts for all Sydney Trains lines warned people to be prepared today.

'Allow plenty of extra travel time due to a train communication issue earlier,' the official messages said.

The screens at Central Station were completely blank on Wednesday afternoon following an outage

'Trains are running to a reduced frequency & changed timetable. Stops and platforms may change.'

Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland said the issue stemmed from an 'extremely rare' failure in the digital train radio system about 2.45pm.

'For safety reasons that meant that we had to bring trains back to platforms so customers could safely get off those trains,' Mr Longland said.

Sydney Trains operates about 3000 service a day and authorities said it would take some time to return to normal scheduling.

Passengers were being advised to expect major delays and gaps in service well into the evening.

At the Town Hall Station, staff had closed off the area behind the turnstiles and asked commuters to head to the ground level, but many lingered.

Greg Jacques said the delay made a terrible day worse as he was heading to St George Hospital in Kogarah to see his dying uncle.

'I'm stressed out, man. I've got to go say goodbye to my uncle because he's passing away,' he said.

Joanna Dunbar-Poole, 79, said she was headed home to Cabrammata when the shutdown hit and getting a bus home wasn't an option for her.

'I'm going to Central and will sit around there and if it goes on all night I'm going to stay in a youth hostel or something,' she said.

Engineers were unable to reset communication services after they failed and instead switched to a backup system, which took about an hour.

'This system is a critical communication system between our rail operations centre and our train crew,' Mr Longland said.

'And while the rail network was fully operational, we aren't able to operate trains safely while the train crew can't communicate with the rail operations centre.'

There was chaos at Wynyard Station (pictured) where travellers were turned away from the gates due to the network outage

The early indication was that it was system-related and not any kind of cybersecurity issue.

'We'll fully investigate the root cause of the incident to ensure that doesn't happen again,' he said.

'We apologise to customers for the interruption to services this afternoon.'

Transport for NSW said it requested additional buses and worked with transport operators and light rail to run extra services to help with the recovery of services.

Labor's transport spokeswoman said tens of thousands of people, including school children, had been stranded again.

'Passengers have faced chaos, cancellations and delays for more than a year now,' Jo Haylen said.

'Passengers will be asking tonight where were the backup systems and where are the backup buses so they can get home.'
Parents furious they were not informed by school superintendent defended their handling of the situation

Police were notified about the message but refused to charge teenage suspect who is developmentally challenged

Threatening graffiti was found on wall in the girls' bathroom at Upper Darby High School in Pennsylvania

A message scrawled on the walls of a Pennsylvania high school claimed five white teachers would die if more black staff were not hired.

The graffiti was found in a girl's bathroom at Upper Darby High School just outside of Philadelphia last month, alarming local parents who claim they were not informed.

'Y'all better start hiring some more black teachers or 5 white ones will die,' the message written on the wall of a girl's bathroom read.

The suspected teenage culprit will not be charged because they are developmentally challenged and there is a lack of evidence, police said.

The graffiti which appeared in the Upper Darby High School girl's bathroom last month read: 'Y'all better start hiring some more black teachers or 5 white ones will die'

The Upper Darby School District serves nearly 12,000 students in Delaware County

Police were allegedly told about the graffiti by a parent of a student on February 28.

Superintendent Timothy Bernhardt of Upper Darby Township police told the Daily Times his department then asked the school to verify that the note in the bathroom was legitimate.

He said police were told the message was real and that it was written by a developmentally challenged student.

Bernhardt told the newspaper that it would not be charging the student responsible because they have a disability and because of a lack of evidence.

The incident caused upset among some parents who felt they should have been notified about the threatening message.

In a furious Facebook spreading a photo of the image, one woman criticized the school for its handling of the incident and expressed shock that it had been written.

'With a community as diverse as Upper Darby, racism shouldn't even exist. It's taught at home,' wrote Jessica Daphne.

'We received an email earlier with no mention of this fancy art work. So I thought I'd fill you in on some more details,' she added.

Dan McGarry of the Upper Darby School District (right) said police were notified the same day the incident happened

Dan McGarry, superintendent of the Upper Darby School District, which serves nearly 12,000 students in Delaware County, defended the school's handling of the incident.

'We don't go and chase and publicly communicate every single social media or graffiti incident,' he told the Daily Times.

'We investigate them but we don't put out a communication every single time, unless we know for sure what we have in front of us, and not enough information to vet it.

'In this particular situation, there has been some writing on a bathroom wall.

'We couldn't identify anybody at the time. We did communicate and work with police and we've investigated that matter and investigated with police and done our part internally.'

McGarry said that if he felt the threat contained in the message was sincere the general public would have been independently notified by the school.

He sent a letter to parents last week commenting on the recent behavior of students at Upper Derby high School.

'Over the past few months, the increase in physical altercations on the way to school or on the way home from school while walking or on our buses, conduct in our schools, and even conduct in the evening and over the weekend has to improve,' he said.
The U.S. Justice Department found Louisville police have engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discrimination against the Black community following an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor.

A Justice Department report found the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government and Louisville Metro Police Department 'engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law,' Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Wednesday.

The report said the Louisville police department 'discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities,' uses excessive force and conducts searches based on invalid warrants.

It also said the department violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech, like the street protests in the city in the summer of 2020 after Taylor's death. Garland said some officers have assaulted people with disabilities and called Black people disparaging names.

'This conduct is unacceptable, it is heartbreaking,' Garland said. 'It erodes the community trust necessary for effective policing and it is an affront to the vast majority of officers who put their lives on the line every day to serve Louisville with honor.'

The U.S. Justice Department has found Louisville police have engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights following an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor

Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was roused from her bed by police who came through the door using a battering ram after midnight on March 13, 2020

The sweeping probe announced in April 2021 is known as a 'pattern or practice' investigation - examining whether there is a pattern of unconstitutional or unlawful policing inside the department.

The report said Black motorists were more likely to be searched during traffic stops, and officers used neck restraints, police dogs and Tasers against people who posed no imminent threat.

Garland cited one incident where two officers threw drinks at pedestrians and recorded the encounters. Those incidents happened in 2018 and 2019. Both officers are facing federal charges.

Garland mentioned some reforms the city has undergone since Taylor's death, including a city law banning the use of 'no-knock' warrants in 2020.

The city will sign a negotiated agreement with the Justice Department and a federal officer will monitor the progress.

Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was roused from her bed by police who came through the door using a battering ram after midnight on March 13, 2020.

Three officers fired shots after Taylor's boyfriend, fearing an intruder, shot an officer in the leg. Taylor was struck several times and died at the scene.

The warrant used to enter her home is now part of a separate federal criminal investigation, and former Louisville officer Kelly Goodlett has already pleaded guilty to helping falsify information on the warrant.

No drugs were found in Taylor's home. Two more officers are charged in the warrant probe, and a third, Brett Hankison, is charged with endangering Taylor and her neighbors with his shots into her apartment.

The report also said the department violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech, like the street protests in the city in the summer of 2020 after Taylor's death

The killing of Taylor, along with other 2020 killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, among others, sparked outrage and galvanized protests that peaked in intensity during that summer

Three officers fired shots after Taylor's boyfriend, fearing an intruder, shot an officer in the leg. Taylor was struck several times and died at the scene (AP photo)

Kelly Goodlett, has pleaded guilty and admitted to helping create a false link between Taylor and a wanted drug dealer

Myles Cosgrove (left), deployed the fatal shot. Brett Hankison (right), who was at the raid, was charged with excessive force while executing a search warrant

Joshua Jaynes, who obtained the warrant, was accused of misleading investigators

One of the attorneys for Taylor's family, Ben Crump, said the family was encouraged by the Justice Department's results.

'These findings, and LMPDs expected cooperation with the DOJs recommended remedial measures, will help protect the citizens of Louisville and shape its culture of policing,' Crump said in a news release.

The city has settled a number of lawsuits related to the incident, including a $12 million payment to Taylor's family that ended a wrongful death lawsuit.

The city also started a pilot program that aims to send behavioral health professionals to some 911 calls, expanded community violence prevention efforts and sought to support health and wellness for officers, the report said.

Louisville police have undergone five leadership changes since the Taylor shooting, and new Mayor Craig Greenberg is interviewing candidates for the next chief. Greenberg said the city 'has wounds that are not yet healed.'

'We have to come to terms with where we've been, so we can get to where we want to be,' Greenberg said.

Kenneth Walker (left), the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor (right), who fired a shot at police as they burst through Taylor's door the night she was killed settled two lawsuits with the city of Louisville

Louisville police have undergone five leadership changes since the Taylor shooting, and new Mayor Craig Greenberg is interviewing candidates for the next chief. Pictured: Greenberg

The controversial Louisville police department has made headlines since Taylor's death for wrongful doings.

Turhan Knight, was fired in August 2022 after he filmed a parody recruitment video telling people they can 'kill for free' while mocking Breonna Taylor's death.

Knight, a corrections officer since 2018, was filmed in his full uniform walking past a row of police vehicles at the Kentucky State Fair, as he tells those watching: 'I'd like to talk to you today about coming in, join our team to answer the call.

'Brother, we need you,' Knight continues in the video, noting: 'We're going through many ups and downs in the city, trying to repair broken relationships.

'And brother we need you,' he repeats, 'and that's what we put on our trucks - we need backup.

'Answer the call, be a part of a great, great police department,' he says. 'Never mind what happened to Breonna Taylor, we killed that b****.'

Knight then walks up to another armored vehicle, asking viewers: 'Do you want to drive vehicles like this, and fly in planes? Do you want to be able to unlimited [time] off-duty? Do you want to be able to support your family?

'Do you want to kill people and be able to get off for it?' he continues.

'Join Louisville Metro Police Department. Answer the call.'
A Melbourne man accused of killing his brother and stabbing his mother has been charged with murder and attempted murder after an alleged double stabbing.

Homicide detectives charged Shaun Sanderson, 32, hours after police found the dead body of his brother and his badly injured mother in the northern Melbourne suburb of Reservoir on Wednesday.

A manhunt had been launched after emergency services attended a home on Willoughby St just after 8 am following reports someone had been allegedly assaulted with a knife.

Police initially believed Sanderson was bunkered down inside the home and set up a perimeter to try and negotiate with him but soon realised he wasn't there after storming inside.

He was tracked down near a busy intersection in the nearby suburb of Preston six hours later and arrested.

Police arrested Shaun Sanderson (pictured) hours after the death of his brother. His 65-year-old mother was also injured in the alleged double stabbing

Aerial footage showed Sanderson lying in the middle of an intersection with his arms behind his back, surrounded by police.

Sanderson will appear in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

His mother, 65 was rushed to Royal Melbourne Hospital with severe injuries to her upper body, including stab wounds on her neck.

Her other son, 29, died in the carpark of a nearby hospital after running to get help.

Earlier, a team of heavily armed police tried to negotiate with Sanderson, demanding through a megaphone that he come outside, before realising he was not home.

Pam Egan, a resident of Willoughby Street, told the Herald Sun she saw the badly injured mother after the alleged attack.

'I heard she ran across the road to the hospital with blood all over her,' Ms Egan said.

Police have arrested Shaun Sanderson who is accused of fatally stabbing his brother and seriously injuring his mother at a Reservoir home in Melbourne Picture: 9NEWS

A manhunt was launched on Wednesday after heavily-armed officers stormed a house after a man believed to be his brother was found dead and his mum was seriously injured

'I've spoken to (the family) before going on walks.

'They are a hardworking family . They're builders, lovely and always friendly.'

Ms Egan said the family has three sons and the youngest, aged in his 20s, has a mental disability.

Another neighbour said the street is normally 'quiet and nice'.

'We heard the sirens this morning, my neighbour said it happened in the (hospital) car park,' one woman said.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

Emergency services rushed to a home on Willoughby St, Reservoir on Wednesday following reports someone had been allegedly assaulted with a knife
A soldier has been found guilty of raping a young woman he met on a dating app, and urinating on her after a night out in Plymouth.

Sam Evans, 28, a Corporal in 29 Commando, Royal Artillery Regiment, a British Army unit based in Plymouth, denied seven charges in relation to an incident on July 3 last year.

A jury at Plymouth Crown Court found him guilty of one count of rape; two counts of assault by penetration; one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm; and one count of intentional strangulation.

He was found not guilty of a second count of rape and a third count of assault by penetration.

At the beginning of the trial, prosecutor Daniel Pawson-Pounds warned jurors that the details of the case would be 'unpleasant'.

Sam Evans, 28, a Corporal in 29 Commando, Royal Artillery Regiment, a British Army unit based in Plymouth, denied seven charges in relation to an incident on July 3 last year

The trial heard how Evans had connected with the victim on a dating app and the pair exchanged messages via a social messaging app, having swapped numbers, but had never met until the early hours of July 3 last year.

The woman told the jury that she recalled very little from the moment she left a Plymouth nightclub until she 'came around' on a bed in Evans's flat. She went on to claim that Evans repeatedly assaulted her, both physically and sexually, and urinated on her.

Jurors watched a video recording of the victim - who cannot be named for legal reasons - being interviewed by specially-trained detectives before she gave her tearful evidence in court.

The court heard how Evans had taken the woman back to his flat, where he ordered her to take down her jeans and underwear before he raped and choked her.

During the woman's evidence she explained how Evans had spat in her face and eyes, and at one point urinated onto her. He also forced a vibrator on her.

The ordeal played out despite others being in the main room of the property, with a flatmate in the adjacent room, the court heard.

The jury of four women and seven men took a total of 12 hours and 51 minutes to reach their verdicts.

Earlier, after 9 hours and 17 minutes of deliberation, Judge Robert Linford directed that he would accept majority verdicts.

The court heard how Evans had taken the woman back to his flat, where he ordered her to take down her jeans and underwear before he raped and choked her

A jury at Plymouth Crown Court were warned by prosecutor Daniel Pawson-Pounds that details of the case would be 'unpleasant'

The jurors - some clearly in emotional distress - returned to find Evans guilty of vaginal rape by a 10 to 2 majority. They also found him guilty of assault by penetration using his fingers on a 10 to 2 majority.

They found him unanimously guilty of assault by penetration using the vibrator; assault occasioning actual bodily harm - by slapping her around the face and head - and intentional strangulation.

Evans was found not guilty of oral rape and not guilty of a second count of assault by penetration using his fingers.

As the verdicts were read out there were gasps from Evans's friends and family in the public gallery. He was seen to place his hands over his mouth and nose, bending over in the dock.

Judge Linford said he wanted a probation report to ascertain Evans's 'dangerousness'. Evans, of Ker Street, Devenpor, Plymouth, will be sentenced on April 3.

He warned Evans he would face an 'inevitable substantial custodial sentence' and remanded him into custody.
Homeowner surrendered over the dogs to Animal Services for euthanasia

Incident happened in Jurupa Valley while the man was doing work for the owner

A California man was mauled to death by four dogs Tuesday morning

A man who was working inside a home was mauled to death by the owner's four dogs early Tuesday morning in Southern California.

The incident happened in the 10700 block of Belgrave Avenue in Jurupa Valley, officials with the Riverside County Department of Animal Services said.

Police responded to reports of someone screaming in the area and discovered the man upon arrival, attacked by three Belgian malinois and a cane corso.

The victim in this attack has not been identified at this time.

The homeowner turned over his dogs to Animal Services for euthanasia.

This is the Riverside County Department of Animal Services, the investigating agency

This is a photo of a Belgian malinois, the kind of dog that attacked the man in Jurupa Valley

The cane corso is the other type of dog that was present in the home and attacked the man

Deputies first responded to a home near the corner of Belgrave Avenue and Martin Street around 7.30am, county officials said.

Several calls had been made by residents reporting loud screams in the area.

According to officials, the man had been inside the home - which was operating as a place of business - to do some work for the owner.

The unidentified victim had been inside the home previously with no issues.

While inside, the owner's four dogs attacked and mauled the man to death.

Investigators told local media the owner of the property was not home at the time.

Upon being informed of the incident, the owner rushed back to the scene.

There, he surrendered his four dogs to Animal Services for 'humane euthanasia.'

While the exact address of the home has not been confirmed yet, the block where the incident happened does have a home with a large gate and several 'beware of dog' signs.

According to animal publications, both dog breeds involved in the attack can be dangerous and should be given special obedience training.

The dogs can be aggressive and lethal if not properly socialized and treated in their adolescence.

A statement from the Riverside County Department of Animal Services

According to officials, the man had been inside the home previously with no issues

All four dogs have been handed over to Animal Services for 'humane euthanasia'

In a statement, one local official described the situation as a 'tragedy.'

'This is a tragedy and our thoughts go out to this gentleman's family and loved ones,' said Riverside County Animal Services Director Erin Gettis.

Gettis also called upon those with animals to be cognizant of what their pets are capable of.

She said this is 'a horrific reminder for dog owners to be vigilant in keeping communities, dogs and people safe.'

DailyMail.com reached out to both the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and the Riverside County Department of Animal Services for comment but did not hear back by time of publication.

The matter remains under investigation.
Marine sniper Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews was on a security detail in a Kabul tower, watching desperate Afghans trying to flee the brutal Taliban, when he was blindsided by an enormous wave of pressure.

It was August 26, 2021, and an ISIS-K suicide bomber had detonated on the perimeter of Hamid Karzai International Airport during the chaotic evacuation sparked by the Biden administration's withdrawal of troops after 20 years in Afghanistan.

Just moments before the attack, the California veteran spotted a terrorist matching the suspect's description and asked if he could 'engage', but he says his leaders refused.

Between 100 to 150 ball bearings ended up in Vargas-Andrews' body in the explosion that killed 11 fellow Marines, two Navy corpsmen and hundreds of Afghan men, women and children. His right arm and right leg had to be amputated over the course of 43 surgeries that followed.

Vargas-Andrews broke down in tears on Wednesday as he recounted his harrowing ordeal in Congress, and criticized the Biden administration's Afghanistan withdrawal that Republicans have called a 'stunning failure of leadership'.

He detailed how military leaders ignored his warnings minutes earlier, and how those stationed at the airport were told not to engage - even though the Taliban were shooting people trying to get on a plane.

Marine sniper Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews broke down in tears on Wednesday as he recounted his harrowing ordeal in Congress, and criticized the Biden administration's Afghanistan withdrawal that Republicans have called a 'stunning failure of leadership'

Between 100 to 150 ball bearings ended up in Vargas-Andrews' body in the explosion that killed 11 fellow Marines, two Navy corpsmen and hundreds of Afghan men women and children

His right arm and right leg were amputated over the course of 43 surgeries that followed the attack

'The withdrawal was a catastrophe in my opinion and there was an inexcusable lack of accountability and negligence,' he told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

'The 11 Marines, one sailor, and one solider who were murdered that day have not been answered for.'

The roll call of the dead in Kabul airport attack during U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan The suicide attack on August 26, 2021, made use of the crowds and chaos at Hamid Karzai International Airport. It targeted a gate manned by U.S. Marines, who were tasked with trying to ensure that people with correct papers were able to advance to the next stage of processing. Along with at least 170 Afghans, the following Americans died: Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover; Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario; Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee; Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez; Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page; Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola; Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui; Navy Petty Officer Third Class Maxton W. Soviak; Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss Advertisement

His appearance was part of the Republican investigation into the Biden administration's bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.

He recalled 'surreal' scenes at the airport, with Afghans trying to kill themselves on the razor wire rather than face Taliban 'torture'.

He described how there was intelligence that an attack could be imminent, but they could only stand by.

'Over the communication network, we passed that there was a potential threat and that there was an IED attack imminent - this was as serious as it could get.

'I requested engagement authority while my team leader was ready on the M110 semi-automatic sniper system,' he added.

'The response, leadership did not have engagement authority for us, do not engage,' he said.

Vargas-Andrews and the Marines with him also asked a battalion commander to come to the tower to look at the suspect.

They asked for the authority to shoot, but it wasn't given.

'Plain and simple, we were ignored. Our expertise was disregarded, no one was held accountable for our safety,' he told the committee.

His sniper squad was then hit with the suicide blast.

'I'm thrown 12 feet onto the ground but instantly knew what happened. I opened my eyes to Marines dead or unconscious and lying around,' Vargas-Andrews said through tears, describing the events of that day.

'A crowd of hundreds immediately vanished in front of me and my body was catastrophically wounded with 100 to 150 ball bearings now in it.'

Even after his catastrophic injuries, Vargas-Andrews claimed no one asked him for a report.

He also says that no one in the Pentagon or the White House has taken accountability for the missteps.

The US Marine Corps posted a photo to Twitter of the flag-draped caskets of their fallen brethren killed in the suicide bomb attack in Kabul, after the coffins arrived back on home soil on August 29, 2021

Thirteen American service members died when the suicide bomber detonated explosives packed with ball bearings amid the chaos of the city's airport

His story followed an opening statement by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, criticizing the Biden administration for withdrawing troops against the advice of generals and the intelligence community.

'What happened in Afghanistan was a systemic breakdown of the federal government at every level, and a stunning failure of leadership by the Biden administration,' said McCaul in his searing opening statement.

'The president promised, There is going to be no circumstances where you see people being lifted off the roof of an embassy like in Vietnam. Yet they were.

'Multiple people in the Biden administration said theyd plan for every contingency. They did not. Instead, they spent the next four months ignoring the realities.

'As a result, when the Taliban rapidly captured territory during the summer of 2021 and entered Kabul on August 15  we simply werent ready.

'Because of the Biden administrations dereliction of duty, the world watched heartbreaking scenes unfold in and around the Kabul airport for the next two weeks.

'A sea of humanity, desperately trying to make it through airport gates that represented freedom.

'We all saw the images of desperate Afghans clinging to planes as they took off  with some plummeting from the sky to their deaths.

'Mothers handing their children to strangers over the airport walls  willingly giving them up in the hopes of saving their lives.

'And then, horror struck on August 26.

'A suicide bomber at Abbey Gate killed 13 American servicemembers, injuring at least 45 more, and killing approximately 170 Afghans.

'That day was the deadliest day for American troops in Afghanistan in 10 years.'

Vargas-Andrews recalled the 'surreal' scenes at the airport which included Afghans trying to kill themselves on the razor wire because they didn't want to face Taliban 'torture'
When Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister just over four months ago, many hearts wavered. Mine certainly did. He seemed very young and rather inexperienced. I didnt think him a natural leader.

And although I was far from being Boris Johnsons greatest fan, it was impossible to forget that Rishi had wielded the knife against the leader who made him Chancellor. Regicide is never pretty.

As the weeks went by, my prejudices were confirmed. The new PM appeared to do rather little, and to have justly earned the sobriquet Submarine Rishi  keeping out of sight while being largely bereft of interesting ideas.

The Tories standing in the polls barely improved from its nadir under Liz Truss. There was surely nothing this seemingly ineffectual Prime Minister could do to forestall Sir Keir Starmers triumphal progress to No 10.

Here, I feared, was a different version of John Major, who in his own uninspired way presided over a fractious Conservative Party for more than six years before Tony Blair put the Tories out of their misery.

When Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister just over four months ago, many hearts wavered

But one must be fair. Some, including previously sceptical Tory backbench MPs, are beginning to revise their opinion of Rishi, though there is admittedly very little evidence as yet that the general public is warming to him.

In at least four areas of policy, he has demonstrated a degree of courage, even daring, of which I didnt think him capable. Not only that. Rishi Sunak is also demonstrating that he is an astute politician.

The latest manifestation of his unexpected qualities is his determination to solve the crisis in the English Channel by detaining and deporting almost all migrants who turn up uninvited on our shores.

This is not something Boris Johnson and his redoubtable Home Secretary, Priti Patel, dared do, though they laid the groundwork by envisaging sending migrants to Rwanda.

Rishi is brave because he knows he will be vilified in Leftist circles, as he already has been by the BBCs garrulous and ignorant Gary Lineker, who compares the Governments language to that of Nazi Germany, responsible for the murder of six million Jews. What idiocy.

Being of Indian heritage  in common with Suella Braverman, the current Home Secretary  Mr Sunak may feel that he is more impervious to wild charges of racism than he would be if he were white.

Nevertheless, he is accused of being inhumane, and of flouting the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees, as well as the Human Rights Act. To which his spirited reply is that he is up for the fight with judges.

He is prepared to endure a tsunami of bile because  and this is his political cleverness  he realises that the vast majority of people are on his side. Few of them are racist. They just dont like the idea of an ever increasing number of migrants, many of whom are not refugees in the traditional sense, sneaking into this country.

That there are dangers in the Sunak/Braverman approach cant be denied. The Home Secretary has admitted there is a more than 50 per cent chance of the Governments intended measures not being compatible with human rights law. Well see.

Nor is it clear to which countries unwanted migrants will be sent. Rwanda is one possibility, but the legality of that scheme is still being chewed over by the Court of Appeal.

So problems may lie ahead. I would be surprised, though pleasantly so, if the influx of illegal migrants had been stemmed by the time of the next election. What one can say with certainty is that Mr Sunak is doing his best.

Contrast the Tories approach with that of Labour, which carps on without offering any alternative. Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper seemed to agree on Radio 4s Today programme yesterday that illegal migration must be stopped. She just doesnt have a plausible policy.

The Tories standing in the polls barely improved from its nadir under Liz Truss

At Prime Ministers Questions yesterday, Sir Keir Starmer was scathing about the Governments failure to reduce illegal immigration  he has a point  without offering the slightest clue as to how Labour would tackle the issue.

By the way, the PM regularly gets the better of the wooden-faced, heavy-footed Labour leader during Prime Ministers Questions. He is fluent and combative without being rude.

Id say Rishi Sunak is taking a calculated gamble on illegal immigration. If the numbers dont come down  still less if they go up  voters will probably be impatient with the Tories at the election for being all talk and no action. But Mr Sunak will be rewarded if he succeeds.

A second example of Rishis decisiveness was his recent blocking of Nicola Sturgeons Gender Recognition Reform Bill by invoking powers never previously employed by the British Government. The Bill enables trans people to declare their new gender without the need for a medical diagnosis.

Some of Mr Sunaks advisers warned him that challenging the Bill would enrage Scottish Nationalists. Yet he went ahead, believing that many people north of the border were on his side. There was, indeed, a backlash when it was revealed that a transgender double rapist was being held in a Scottish womens prison.

Its no exaggeration to say that Nicola Sturgeons subsequent resignation (though she cited different causes) was at least partly brought about by Rishi Sunak, who has shown boldness, as well as considerable political deftness.

A third instance of the Prime Ministers determination is his renegotiation of the Northern Ireland Protocol. As I wrote last week, trumpeted improvements were oversold by Rishi. Moreover, it remains unclear whether the Democratic Unionist Party will climb on board.

All the same, on a political level its hard not to admire Mr Sunaks skills in presenting his agreement with the EU, and seemingly quashing opposition among Tory Brexiteers. Boris Johnson made only a half-hearted protest, and seems disinclined to try to incite a rebellion.

Finally, the Prime Minister has shown a cool head in not capitulating to excessive demands by public sector strikers. The firefighters have just accepted a deal without the Government giving too much ground, while the perennially bolshie RMT union has called off a planned rail strike for next week following a new pay offer.

Although nurses and junior doctors have yet to settle, the epidemic of strikes could be petering out. By holding the line while showing just enough flexibility, the Government may have avoided the kind of anarchy that some pundits prophesied.

It is, of course, far too early to describe Rishi in heroic terms. No doubt he is capable of making his fair share of mistakes. There is, as I say, little evidence that the public have so far identified him as a winner.

Yet he is a more formidable politician than I, for one, thought likely. The prospect of a Boris Johnson uprising is receding, though for as long as that wounded beast lurks in the long grass it wont disappear.

The Prime Minister can be unexpectedly courageous  thats my message. I doubt this administration will go out with a whimper. If Rishi Sunak were brave enough to make the Chancellor revoke the planned hike in Corporation Tax in next weeks Budget, my joy would be complete.




By Lim Eun-jung







It is common for neighbors to have conflicts in any region. Last year, Russia invaded Ukraine. To Korea, neighboring Japan was the Russia of its past. Imperial Japan was once the invader who trampled on the freedom and spirit of the Korean people. This historical fact does not change over time.







However, the results of a recent poll have caught my attention. On Feb. 27, the Federation of Korean Industries surveyed 626 young people on their perceptions of Korea-Japan relations, and 71 percent of the respondents said that Korea needs to improve its bilateral relations with Japan. Of them, 73.1 percent in their 20s and 68.7percent in their 30s answered so, indicating that the younger a Korean person is, the stronger that person's demand for improving Korea-Japan relations.







As background, economic reasons were cited first. Of the respondents, 45.4 percent answered that the bilateral relationship needs to be improved because of "expanding mutual economic benefits through cooperation between the two countries." Subsequently, 18.2 percent of respondents said that bilateral relations should be improved to "check China's rise through cooperation."







As for the younger generation's impression of Japan, the positive perception was 2.4 times higher than negative; respondents with a positive impression of Japan accounted for 42.3 percent of the total poll, far exceeding negative impressions at 17.4 percent. Some may say that the results of this poll cannot be trusted. Those critics may disparage the result, saying that the poll has less than 1,000 respondents, which is not that big, and that the Federation of Korean Industries, an association of businesses and not some other organization, conducted the poll.







But those who say this need to see the whole picture. About 565,000 Korean tourists visited Japan during the month of January 2023 alone, which was an increase of 108,900 compared to the previous December, as well as a 72.5 percent recovery rate compared to the same month in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. This rising trend is thanks to the Korean MZ generation who are in their 20s and 30s. Forty-eight percent of Korean tourists to Japan belong to this generation.







A similar phenomenon is also observed in Japan. According to the results of a Japan Tourism Agency survey of 400 Japanese men and women of Generation Z, 36.5 percent said South Korea was the number one destination Japanese young women wanted to visit this year. This figure surpassed France at 33.5 percent and Italy at 30.5 percent.







This recent poll data shows that young people in Korea and Japan no longer see each other as aggressors or weaklings as their older generation does. Policies related to the Korea-Japan relationship should start from this very point. President Yoon Suk Yeol's address on the 104th March 1 Independence Movement Day has been causing political repercussions in Korea for more than a week. But perhaps more important changes than the unpopular leader's words are already taking place in our daily lives.







So, what should we do for the future and our young people?







First, for the time being, Korea and Japan should continue to increase economic cooperation and exchanges based on mutual respect. The governments of both countries should remove obstacles that hinder the activities of businesses in both countries. The worse the relationship is, the more twisted the historical issues become. This is because concessions and compromises can be made on historical issues only when economic cooperation is strong and understanding and respect for each other deepen. This is by no means forgetting history or ignoring the seriousness of pending issues. Rather, I emphasize that it is necessary to first strengthen cooperation with an open attitude to solve those deep and complex problems.







Second, politicians and the media of the two countries should not aggravate the other side unnecessarily. The media also needs to make constructive suggestions for the true development of relations in a considerate manner. Vietnam and the United States, and France and Germany also fought each other in the past but now they are partners. It is an essence of international relations that there are no permanent enemies and no permanent friends.







Currently, countries are competing with each other in almost all fields, such as resources, energy, food, and future technologies, especially within the structure of U.S.-China-Russia tri-polarity. At a time like this, if Korea and Japan turn their backs on each other, not only is this strategically unwise, but it also goes against the wishes of the two countries' future generations.









) is an associate professor of the division of international studies at Kongju National University. This article is published in cooperation with the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (APLN (www.apln.network).







Lim Eun-jung ( ej-lim@kongju.ac.kr
Mexican drug trafficker Ovidio Guzman bizarrely claimed before a Mexico judge that he is not the son of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman.

The shocking revelation was made during a video conference hearing Tuesday to block the 32-year-old's extradition to the United States.

'I am not the person they think, who the United States claims,' Ovidio Guzman told judge Rogelio Diaz during the five-hour session at the Altiplano, the maximum-security prison where he is incarcerated and the same one El Chapo escaped from through a tunnel in 2015.

Alberto Diaz, who heads Ovidio Guzman's team of eight lawyers, asked for three additional days to present their argument to support the allegation that he is not El Chapo's son and to argue that the extradition request does not meet the guidelines of the treaty between the United States and Mexico.

Ovidio Guzman would have to undergo a DNA test to uphold the claim.

During a 2016 interview with renown Mexican criminologist Monica Ramirez Cano, El Chapo confessed to having been the father of 23 children.

He married four times, first in 1977 to Alejandrina Maria Salazar Hernandez, with whom he had four children, including Cesar, Ivan Archivaldo, Jesus Alfredo and Alejandrina Giselle. He would then tie the knot with bank clerk, Estela Pena, but did not have any children with her.

El Chapo's third marriage came in the mid-1980s when he married Griselda Lopez Perez, the mother of Edgar, Joaquin Jr., Ovidio and Griselda Guadalupe.

His fourth and last marriage came in 2007 when he exchanged wedding vows former beauty queen Emma Coronel, who in August 2011 gave birth to the couple's twin daughters, Maria Joaquina and Emali Guadalupe.

Ovidio Guzman appeared before a judge at a hearing to block his extradition to the United States and made the shocking revelation that he is not the son of notorious jailed drug trafficker, Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is escorted by Drug Enforcement Administration agents in New York on January 19 following his extradition from Mexico

Ovidio some favorable news Wednesday when district court judge Everardo Maya suspended an arrest warrant in Mexico, essentially providing him protection against the accusations of crimes that don't require pretrial detention.

He was arrested January 5 after Sinaloa Cartel henchmen launched an attack against Mexican security forces in the Culiacan, the capital of the northwestern state of Sinaloa.

The assault left 10 military personnel and 19 suspected cartel henchmen dead. A Culiacan police officer was killed in shootouts that also wounded 17 police officers and 35 military servicemen.

Ovidio, who along with his three brothers shares the leadership of the 'Los Chapitos' faction that controls half of the Sinaloa Cartel, obtained a court order in January to block his immediate extradition to the United States. A judge had given the United States Department of Justice until March 5 to present the request, which was formally filed February 27.

Department of Justice prosecutors charged him with 11 counts, including drug trafficking and money laundering.

They allege that he oversaw almost a dozen methamphetamine labs across Sinaloa that produce between 3,000- 5,000 pounds of methamphetamine per month.

Ovidio Guzman is led into a helicopter after his arrest on January 5

Ovidio Guzman and his brother, Joaquin, were introduced to the drug trafficking business flowing the death of their brother, Edgar Guzman, who was mistakenly gunned down in May 2008.

They began operating the Guzman-Lopez Transnational Criminal Organization under the Sinaloa Cartel and invested their money into the purchase of marijuana in Mexico and cocaine in Colombia.

Ovidio Guzman and his brother then started buying massive amounts of ephedrine in Argentina and had it smuggled into Mexico, where they started experimenting with the production of methamphetamine.

Their brothers, Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo, rose to power in the Sinaloa Cartel after their kingpin father El Chapo was arrested and subsequently extradited to the United States in 2017. He was convicted in 2019 and is serving a life sentence at a Colorado super maximum facility prison.

Ovidio Guzman had been previously tracked down at his home in Culiacan on October 17, 2019 as the Mexican military presented an arrest warrant issued by a Washington, D.C., federal court judge.

Sinaloa Cartel fighters responded by attacking the military and police with grenade launchers and rifles.

Video footage filmed by military personnel showed Ovidio Guzman instructing Ivan Archivaldo Guzman via a phone and ordering their operatives to stand down.

To protect the lives of civilians in the city, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gave the military the green light to release Ovidio Guzman and withdraw from the residence.
President Joe Biden will host British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in San Diego on Monday to talk about the procurement of nuclear-powered submarines under a pact between the three nations.

Australia is expected to obtain eight nuclear-powered submarines as part of a regional security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States known as Aukus.

British and Australian officials have confirmed the meeting. The original deal was aimed at countering China's growing assertiveness in the Pacific - and it angered the French who lost a submarine deal they had been making with Australia.

A Seawolf-class nuclear attack sub coming into San Diego, home of the Southern Pacific fleet

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'I can say the Prime Minister will be in the US on Monday for discussions on Aukus with President Biden and the Australian Prime Minister Albanese.

'On Monday the Government will also publish the update to the integrated review of security, defence, development and foreign policy.'

And Albanese said he will meet with Biden in the U.S. next week.

'We'll have further announcements about details soon about the arrangements that will be taking place,' he told reporters in Perth.

The trilateral summit could involve a visit to a submarine, Reuters reported. San Diego is home to the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

It remains unclear whether the deal involves a U.S. or a British-designed submarine, or a combination of both, or when the vessels will become operational.

The three sides have spent the last 18 months working out how to provide Australia with a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines given restrictions on technology transfers and classified nuclear processes.

President Joe Biden will host British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in San Diego to talk nuclear submarines

The Aukus deal angered France, which lost a submarine deal with Australia as a result - President Joe Biden hosted French President Emanual Macron at the White House for a state dinner in December to mend relations

When the original Aukus deal was announced in 2021, France was enraged when Australia canceled a $66 billion contract for a French-built fleet of conventionally powered submarines and, instead, went for nuclear-powered versions in a deal secretly brokered with the U.S. and Britain.

French President Emmanuel Macron pulled his ambassador from Washington in response. He later met with Biden in Italy during a G20 so the two could make amends.

Biden called Macron on Tuesday but a White House readout of the call didn't say if the Aukus deal came up.

The two leaders did discuss the growing Chinese influence in the South Pacific, an issue that also worries Australia.

And Biden hosted Macron for a state dinner in December, helping cement and mend American-Franco relations.
Chilling security footage shows a knife-wielding man moments before he stabbed a 17-year-old to death in California.

The suspect, who has not been named, was taken into custody by the LAPD on Wednesday after a, hours-long standoff with police at a home in Alhambra.

The man, who has a history of mental illness, has been accused of fatally stabbing Xavier Chavarin, 17, a Woodrow Wilson High School student. The suspect is also accused of stabbing another person hours after harming Chavarin.

The straight-A student was stabbed just before 4pm on Friday outside of Mexican restaurant King Torta on Valley Boulevard in El Sereno, only a half mile away from the school campus.

Security footage, released by the LAPD, shows the moment just before the teen was stabbed. The suspect can be seen calmly walking through the parking lot toward the student, who is off camera, before drawing a large knife out of his pocket and attacking Chavarin.

Chavarin died on the scene, according to police. Witnesses said the teen walked into the restaurant and asked for help before collapsing on the floor, KTLA reported.

The suspect, who has not been named, was taken into custody by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on Wednesday after a standoff with police at a home in Alhambra (pictured)

Commander German Hurtado and a crisis negotiator persuaded the man to leave the home after several hours. A mental health evaluation team, the crisis negotiator, and the man's mother spoke with him on the phone to convince him to come out

The student had been waiting for his mother outside of the restaurant.

'He never knew this was going to happen. It's one of those cases where he's just at the wrong time, wrong place,' a family friend, Ricky Ramiro, told KTLA.

Later that evening, the suspect stabbed a 33-year-old on the same road. He stabbed the victim multiple times without speaking, police said. The victim survived.

The LAPD arrested the man on Wednesday after receiving a tip that someone similar looking live in the Alhambra home. He had also reportedly caused issues within his own neighborhood.

The LAPD gang and narcotics division barricaded the home on Westmont Drive around 7am and two armored vehicles were brought in to block the surrounding area, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Commander German Hurtado and a crisis negotiator persuaded the man to leave the home after several hours. A mental health evaluation team, the crisis negotiator, and the man's mother spoke with him on the phone to convince him to come out, the Times reported.

He was taken into custody without incident.

'I don't want to taint the investigation, [but] he is not going to be able to hurt anyone else,' Hurtado said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Security footage, released by the LAPD, shows the moment just before the teen was stabbed. The suspect can be seen calmly walking through the parking lot toward the student, who is off camera, before drawing a large knife out of his pocket and attacking Chavarin

He stabbed Chavarin outside of King Torta, where the student was waiting for his mother to pick him up. The suspect has also been accused of stabbing a 33-year-old man on the same road later that night

Chavarin died on the scene, according to police. Witnesses said the teen walked into the restaurant and asked for help before collapsing on the floor

Chavarin's family remember him a smart student who was 'going to graduate with honors'

Chavarin's family remember him as a smart student who was 'going to graduate with honors,' his great-aunt Rosario Chavarin told KTLA.

Woodrow Wilson High School Principal Gregorio Verbera said the school was 'saddened' by the student's death and he offered his 'deepest condolences to those who are impacted by this loss, including the student's family, friends and teachers.'

The school will be providing crisis counselors to students who need it.

The family has set up a GoFundMe page for Chavarin's funeral, which has already raised $42,098 - surpassing its $25,000 goal.
Ron DeSantis said that he never wanted to have to take a stand against Disney and claimed he went against advice of those who warned him not to go head-to-head with the powerful corporation and one of the biggest employers in the Sunshine State.

The Florida governor told at least 1,000 supporters gathered in Clearwater, Florida that he never 'had beef' with Disney until they spoke out against his education, race-related and LGBTQ policies.

DeSantis railed against the 'woke kingdom' for the outsized power it held for decades with seemingly no oversight.

'Until we came in and we had to make sure that we laid down the law,' he said to massive cheers.

'The fact of the matter is, you need to have a state that's governed based on the best interests of the people, best interests of children and families,' he added. 'Not whatever some California based woke company has to say.'

Staff handed out copies of DeSantis' new memoir The Courage to be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival. The remarks were technically part of his book tour  although many have seen these recent speeches as campaign events despite the governor not yet officially announcing a White House bid.

Earlier on Wednesday, the governor held a press conference in Tampa, Florida exposing the sexually explicit and pornographic materials in books found at middle and high schools across the state.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told a group of at least 1,000 supporters in Clearwater, Florida on Wednesday that he had to take on Disney because it had out-sized power in the Sunshine State

DeSantis made the comments as part of his remarks for a stop on his book tour  which many people speculate is serving as a series of events leading up to a presidential bid announcement. DeSantis holds up a copy of his new memoir The Courage to be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival

DeSantis mingled with attendees and signed copies of his book at the event on Wednesday

He played a six-minute video at the press conference containing some examples of the shocking illustrations and said his administration's removal of this type of material has sparked a 'hoax' that he is 'banning books.'

Many of his policies preventing educators speaking about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools was what led to his now year-long war with Walt Disney World.

'Disney  I had no beef with them or anything,' DeSantis insisted. 'They were just normal  at least that's what I thought.'

DeSantis' book released last month detailed that he and first lady Casey got married at Disney back in 2009. He insisted that he banned any characters from being present because he wanted his wedding to feel 'normal.'

'We did things that a lot of other governments have done,' DeSantis said of his gubernatorial accomplishments. 'I mean, think about it. We had to stare down the most powerful company in the history of the state of Florida.'

'I didn't want to get involved with it,' he insisted. 'I was counseled against getting involved in it. A lot of people said not to get involved in it  and we were not going to be able to do the Parents' Rights bill because they're just so powerful.'

DeSantis said, however, that he was able to strip Disney of that power that they held for more than six decades with his signature earlier this month on a new law that dissolves the Reedy Creek Improvement District board and gives power to the state over the formerly tax-exempt and self-governing area encompassing all of Walt Disney World.

A man who yelled at the Governor during his remarks was removed from the premise by security. It was not clear what was said

Staff handed out copies of DeSantis' new book to attendees on Wednesday

The governor spoke Wednesday evening to a few thousand people gathered at the OCC Road House and Museum  a garage-themed restaurant with a huge covered outdoor area where live acts and line dancing occur that also features a motorcycle museum.

The restaurant opened in the middle of COVID. The owner said that DeSantis' policies are the only reason that he was able to open and be prosperous.

At one point during DeSantis' remarks an audience member started to yell toward the stage, catching the governor off guard. It is not immediately clear what the man said, but security escorted him off the premises.

The event ended with the blasting of the song Sweet Florida, a 2022 Van Zant song written as tribute to DeSantis and his policies during the pandemic that helped lead the Sunshine State in being the first to fully reopen following lockdowns.

'One of the lessons of the book is swinging for the fences, you only get a chance to go around this thing one time,' DeSantis said. 'I want to be able to look into the mirror and say when people needed me to stand up for them, I did.'
A female carer was stabbed to death and two others were seriously injured by a vulnerable patient at a supported-living home yesterday before armed police stormed the facility.

The carer, 54, was on shift at the Craighall Court home in Stirling, Scotland, when she was attacked by a patient.

Police said two other female carers, aged 29 and 58, were injured in the attack.

The 54-year-old was rushed to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow but later died.

Armed officers stormed the home and arrested and charged a 32-year-old woman in connection with the death and serious assaults.

A female carer was stabbed to death and two others were seriously injured by a vulnerable patient at supported-living home Craighall Court (pictured) yesterday before armed police stormed the facility

She will appear at Stirling Sheriff Court tomorrow.

People in the area said armed officers stormed the home at around 11am on Tuesday.

One of the onlookers told the Sun: 'The lady who died was a carer. It was quite frightening. The other two injured were also carers.

'One of them came out and one of them towels wrapped round their arm. Police and ambulances came down, the police had their guns out. It's tragic.'

Detective Inspector Scott Roxburgh said: 'At this time, our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased, along with everyone else involved in this incident.

The facility houses 18 to 20 adults with disabilities, complex needs and challenging behaviour

'We'd like to thank the local community for their patience and understanding as officers carry out enquiries in the area.'

A Clackmannanshire and Stirling Health and Social Care Partnership spokesman added: 'Our heartfelt thoughts and sympathies are with this individual's family and the other people involved in this tragic incident.

'Support is being offered to those affected.

'As a police investigation is now underway, we are unable to comment further at this time.'

A spokesperson for The Richmond Fellowship Scotland, which runs the home, said staff were 'deeply saddened'.
For most families, a holiday involves a child-friendly resort, a good book and plenty of activities to keep the kids busy.

But a Center Parcs-style break wouldn't do for one retired businessman from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Instead of taking his nine-year-old son to instructor-led archery classes in the woods, he took him to Africa  to shoot wild animals.

'He had a great time,' the father boasted to me. 'He earned himself a nickname, 'the sniper'.' Dad and son shot antelopes, warthogs and monkeys, even bringing back animal heads and skins as trophies.

This is not unique. It is not even unusual. Scores of British hunters travel overseas to slaughter exotic animals, both in the wild and in captivity, and many of them take their children.

This is all perfectly legal and there are some who make sincere arguments for hunting in the wild. They say that, done responsibly, it can be an important factor in conservation, encouraging good management of habitats by the local population. And there is no doubt it provides employment and tourist income to some of the most deprived areas of the world.

Scores of British hunters travel overseas to slaughter exotic animals, both in the wild and in captivity, and many of them take their children

However, I, a long-time campaigner against this bloodthirsty pastime, will never believe it is beneficial to kill an animal when it could be photographed instead and left alive for the next party of tourists to enjoy. This month, there is a parliamentary vote on banning the import of hunting 'trophies'  the pelt of an impala to use as a rug, for instance, or a taxidermied lion head to hang on the wall.

To focus the minds of MPs, I am taking the exceptional step of naming (and hopefully shaming) 100 British hunters in a forthcoming book, some of whom I have featured here. There is no suggestion that any of these individuals have acted illegally, and no doubt they subscribe to the arguments that hunting can be beneficial if done responsibly.

Many people imagine trophy hunting is an American obsession. They remember Cecil the lion, killed in Zimbabwe in 2015 by a dentist from Minnesota called Walter Palmer.

They don't know of the Scottish dairy farmer who hunts elephants and describes Africa as his 'drug'. They haven't heard of the Sussex gunmaker who compares hunting to 'mainlining on heroin', or a property developer, also a Scot, who calls the African savannah his 'sweetie shop'. Adrian Cawte is a Ministry of Defence dog handler from Somerset who has written gory accounts of his kills online, talking of 'the satisfying thwack of the round hitting home' and of tracking a wounded animal by the trail of 'bright red blood with pieces of tissue mixed in'.

There is no suggestion that any of these individuals have acted illegally, and no doubt they subscribe to the arguments that hunting can be beneficial if done responsibly

Many of these people were not hard to find. They brag about their kills on hunting forums and social media

READ MORE: Banning trophy hunting would put endangered species at MORE risk, MPs told MPs backing a proposed law banning hunters from bringing home trophies of their kills have been misled by a 'hurricane of misinformation', scientists claimed last year Advertisement

London lawyer Abigail Day has been voted the world's top female trophy hunter. Gloucestershire businessman Malcolm King has killed more than 650 animals, winning an award for shooting specimens of 125 different species.

Pest controller Ricky Clark has around 50 trophies at his home in New Malden, South-West London, including body parts of lions, buffalo, leopards, hippos and zebras.

Many of these people were not hard to find. They brag about their kills on hunting forums and social media. Asif Wattoo, a customer services manager for Thames Water, had a Facebook page until recently on which he displayed 20 photos of him posing with dead animals. I tracked down others by phoning hunting companies in Africa to inquire about their services. These people sent me price lists like restaurant menus, detailing how much or how little I would pay for each species. When I asked for testimonials, they were only too happy to put me in touch with other clients  who in turn were eager to boast of their kills.

A similar ploy lured the safari companies to expose their own dirty tricks. I claimed to be interested in going into business with them and pretended to have wealthy backers. Reckless with greed, they told me how South Africa has become the hub of the trophy-hunting industry.

To call it an 'industry' is no exaggeration. Big cats are factory-farmed for the tourists to kill. South Africa has more lions in captivity than in the wild. There are 10,000 lions, tigers and leopards in cages, waiting for hunters to come and shoot them in enclosures.

To kill a lion in the wild, like Cecil, costs at least 50,000 in fees and accommodation. To kill a tame lioness during a trip to a 'canned hunting' facility is far cheaper, costing as little as 3,000.

This month, there is a parliamentary vote on banning the import of hunting 'trophies'  the pelt of an impala to use as a rug, for instance, or a taxidermied lion head to hang on the wall

These animals are usually hand-reared, having been separated from their mothers when they are only a few weeks old. Tourists then have the option of selling the skeleton back to the breeder, who in turn will sell it to one of the country's many bone dealers.

They buy up lion and tiger bones for the Chinese market, where, in powdered form, they are valued as high-status medicine  a scientific nonsense. A bottle of 'tiger wine' with a sprinkling of bone is supposed to be an aphrodisiac and costs hundreds of pounds.

With other campaigners and investigators, I visited some of these cub farms. It wasn't our intention to save individual animals: there were so many, it seemed futile. But while we were secretly filming, we saw one tiger that was in imminent danger of being killed. Her name was Sally.

On impulse, we suggested the breeders should hand her over  as a 'gesture of goodwill' for our imaginary backers. As we negotiated, the dealer became agitated. He threatened to go into Sally's cage and kill her on the spot with a 9mm pistol. Eventually, we were able to get the tiger to safety. She is now in a sanctuary at a secret location, and gives her name to my book, Saving Sally: Trophy Hunters' Secrets And Lies.

With slaughter on such a wide scale, stopping it might seem impossible. But if the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill is passed on March 17, that will be a huge step

Many people imagine trophy hunting is an American obsession. They remember Cecil the lion, killed in Zimbabwe in 2015 by a dentist from Minnesota called Walter Palmer

With slaughter on such a wide scale, stopping it might seem impossible. But if the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill is passed on March 17, that will be a huge step. It will not outlaw hunting abroad, but it will stop one of the chief reasons these people do it  to boast to other hunters by bringing home their prized trophies. (It is not clear whether those pictured here have taken trophies home with them.)

Most MPs back the Bill. But there's a real danger it could fail on a technicality if too few MPs are present at the vote, which is being held on a day sandwiched between two days of train strikes, and on a Friday, when most would normally be back in their constituencies.

That means there's one really powerful thing that Daily Mail readers can do to make a difference: write to your MP and urge them to be there to vote. Show you care. Don't let the slaughter continue.
A small child died after a lorry collided into a grandmother pushing a pram in Northern Ireland earlier today.

The accident occurred in the village of Moira, County Down, and is believed to have involved a lorry.

A person was taken to hospital after the accident and their condition remains critical, The Mirror reports.

Sharing her condolences, Lagan Valley Alliance MLA Sorcha Eastwood said: 'I am absolutely devastated for the family that have lost a special little child in an absolutely awful incident in Moira this afternoon.

'My heart is just broken for them and I know we will all hold the family in prayer over the next while, God bless them all. Just devastating.'

The accident occurred in the village of Moira, County Down, and is believed to have involved a lorry

A Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) spokesman added: 'Motorists are advised that Main Street in Moira is closed due to a serious road traffic collision.

'The off-slip to Moira from the M1 is also closed. The advice would be to seek an alternative route for your journey. An update will follow in due course.'

DUP councillor Caleb McCready relayed how the child was being pushed in a pram by his grandmother when they were both struck by a lorry.

Witnesses described seeing the grandmother trapped beneath the lorry as she desperately waited to be rescued.

DUP councillor Allan Ewart added: 'Police are continuing to carry out examinations at the scene and this is causing continuing disruption to traffic in the surrounding area, including the M1 off-slip.

'It has already impacted upon some school transport and will likely affect commuter traffic later also.'
A woman whose house was used as a refuge by Olivia Pratt-Korbel's alleged killer minutes after the nine-year-old was shot came forward to police because she 'couldn't protect him', a court heard.

The witness  who had previously had a sexual relationship with suspect Thomas Cashman  said she was revealing what happened because Olivia's mother deserved 'answers', a jury was told.

Olivia had been in bed at the family home in Liverpool, but came downstairs after hearing loud bangs in the street outside saying: 'Mum I'm scared.'

A murder trial heard that as her mother, Cheryl Korbel, 46, tried to barricade the front door, Cashman allegedly fired a shot which missed its target, Joseph Nee, and instead fatally injured the schoolgirl.

After firing another shot, the gunman went to the home of a woman with whom he had previously had a sexual relationship, jurors were told.

The witness  who had previously had a sexual relationship with suspect Thomas Cashman (pictured)  said she was revealing what happened because Olivia's mother deserved 'answers', a jury was told

Olivia (pictured) had been in bed at the family home in Liverpool, but came downstairs after hearing loud bangs in the street outside saying: 'Mum I'm scared.'

The woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, later told police that Cashman, 34, asked for a change of clothes, saying to her: 'I didn't know where else to go, I trust you.'

She then called another man who drove Cashman back to where he had parked his van earlier before taking away the clothes the alleged gunman had been wearing, Manchester Crown Court heard.

But the witness told police how she 'broke down' the next morning after learning about Olivia's shooting on television and later came forward. 'I physically couldn't, I just couldn't do it,' she told officers in snippets read out to the court. 'Basically, I couldn't protect him.'

She added that she didn't want Olivia's mother 'to not have them answers', David McLachlan KC told jurors as he opened the prosecution case on Tuesday. 'It's her little girl, at the end of the day,' she added.

The woman told police she called another man, Paul Russell, and when he arrived she heard Cashman say something along the lines of: 'I've done Joey.'

Mr Russell allegedly gave Cashman a lift back to where he had parked his van. The woman told officers she was 'devastated' that Cashman 'never took them clothes with him'.

Mr McLachlan said Cashman 'sought refuge' at her home, and thereby 'brought a whole world of pain to her door'.

The prosecutor added that Cashman denies visiting the woman's house that night, but clothing stained with his blood would later be found at her address.

A murder trial heard that as her mother, Cheryl Korbel (pictured, middle), 46, tried to barricade the front door, Cashman allegedly fired a shot which missed its target, Joseph Nee, and instead fatally injured the schoolgirl

According to the prosecution, Cashman was engaged in a 'ruthless pursuit' to shoot Nee 'at all costs without any consideration for anyone else in the community'.

But the shooting went 'horribly wrong', Mr McLachlan said. Yesterday jurors were shown how Cashman's journeys in his Citroen van were tracked by cameras on the afternoon of August 22 last year.

The prosecution alleges that Cashman was trying to find 36-year-old Nee but could not 'carry out his task to kill' because his target had gone to Screwfix.

Shortly after 10pm, however, Nee was shot in the midriff after leaving a friend's house in the Dovecot area of the city having watched Manchester United versus Liverpool on television.

Ms Korbel had opened her front door to find out what was going on after hearing the bangs. While fleeing the gunman, Nee saw the open door and raced towards it for sanctuary, the trial has heard.

Cashman is alleged to have fired again at Nee but the bullet went through Ms Korbel's right hand and hit Olivia in her chest.

Cashman, of West Derby, Liverpool, denies the murder of Olivia, the attempted murder of Nee and the wounding with intent of her mother. He also denies two counts of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.

The trial continues.
The student spoke up amid a lawsuit that claims Rosenquist referred to her female student as Leo and it eventually made her want to kill herself

A former male student of Rosenquist came forward to discuss the contentious teacher at a Monday school board meeting along with angered parents

Debra Rosenquist allegedly called her students 'sexist little children' before she manipulated a fifth-grade girl into changing her pronouns

The New York teacher who allegedly manipulated a fifth-grade girl into changing her pronouns once called her students 'sexist little children' in class, according to a former student.

A former male student, who remained anonymous, came forward at a school board meeting on Monday to discuss Long Island teacher Debra Rosenquist's contentious past at Terryville Road Elementary School.

The student was one of several speakers at the board meeting commenting on a recent lawsuit Rosenquist was cited in that accuses her of calling a former fifth-grade female, 'Leo,' and using he/him pronouns in class in October 2021.

As he spoke about his own experience with Rosenquist, the former student recalled the teacher 'targeting him.'

'One time, I think there were boys in the class and girls in the class and they were hanging out with each other,' the student said. 'She yelled at the whole class that we were all little sexist children.'

A former male student, who remained anonymous, came forward at a school board meeting on Monday to discuss Long Island teacher Debra Rosenquist's contentious past at Terryville Road Elementary School

As he spoke about his own experience with Rosenquist, the former student recalled the teacher 'targeting him.' He said: 'She yelled at the whole class that we were all little sexist children'

The student said he was hurt by Rosenquist's comments because his best friend was a girl.

'Why would she do that to me, I was just a child,' he said. 'That affected me and made me very upset.'

It's unclear when the student was in Rosenquist's class.

Meanwhile, other parents spoke on the details of the recent lawsuit over the forced pronoun change of the female student in 2021.

The gender switch went unbeknownst to the girl's parents until 2022 when she was caught drawing a picture of a suicidal girl with the words 'I wanna kill myself.'

The child, whose identity is being protected, then met with a district psychologist - and told her she was confused about her gender identity.

The new revelations shocked the child's parents - who did welcome their pre-teen daughter exploring her identity - but believed she was being forced into doing so.

They said that they heard their child be called Leo by her friends before, but this was in 'reference to the astrological sign' and not in association with the male name.

It was then that the parents believed something was not right - and decided to look into Rosenquist. They found that on a day when the school asked pupils and teachers to wear blue in support of two police officers who were recently shot and killed, the teacher instead wore a Black Lives Matter t-shirt.

They also found that Rosenquist had allegedly been reported to the school district for physical abuse, but nothing was done about it because of her position as a tenured teacher.

Rosenquist also allegedly read from LGBT books that were not on the school district's curriculum, and told her students to 'try being gay' even if they were not.

The student was one of several speakers at the board meeting commenting on a recent lawsuit Rosenquist was cited in that accuses her of calling a former fifth-grade female, 'Leo,' and using he/him pronouns in class in October 2021

She would also read students 'When Aidan Becomes a Brother' - a book about transitioning, surgery, and hormones , which was not on the curriculum

Superintendent Jennifer J. Quinn and the school's principal Annemarie V. Sciove both admitted to the parents in a meeting in February 2022 that they knew Rosenquist was peddling this mentality in the classroom, the lawsuit claims.

The suit states: 'Parents of Rosenquist's former students stated that Rosenquist went beyond the District's curriculum and taught her students about transgender individuals and suggested that the kids 'try being gay' or try being a boy (if they were a girl) or a girl (if they were a boy.)

'Rosenquist pursued her own agenda outside the curriculum, which included persuading her 5th-grade students to try being gay or being another gender even when they were not.

She even created her own LGBT book called 'I am Neither' - which she had in her classroom.

And she would also read students 'When Aidan Becomes a Brother' - a book about transitioning, surgery, and hormones, which was not on the curriculum.

The nine-year-old child, who was taught by Debra Rosenquist at Terryville Road Elementary School in Long Island (pictured) identifies as a girl but was being called a boy's name and given male pronouns in class

A parent speaker named Tom expressed his frustration with Rosenquist and argued students should be a certain age before learning about gender and sexuality.

'Im not saying certain things shouldnt be taught at certain ages, but when were dealing with kids in the ages of single digits, we shouldnt be going into these places,' Tom said, according to the New York Post.

'That doesnt mean we dont tolerate peoples differences because we should absolutely tolerate peoples differences, but it doesnt mean we have to accept peoples values that are different from our own.'

'There is a difference between tolerance and acceptance. Being pushed into areas or having our children an agenda pushed down their throat, its not what were supposed to be doing.'
A six-year-old schoolboy who shot his teacher from point-blank range in class will not be criminally charged.

The city prosecutor in Newport News, Virginia said Wednesday he will not be seeking charges against the child because 'the prospect that a six-year-old can stand trial is problematic'.

It comes after the boy, who has not been named, opened fire on his first-grade elementary school teacher, Abby Zwerner, on January 6 at Richneck Elementary School. She is still recovering at home from her injuries.

The prosecutor said he is yet to decide whether any adults associated with the case will be held criminally responsible. Virginia law prohibits leaving a loaded gun where it is accessible to a child under 14, a misdemeanor crime punishable with a maximum one-year prison sentence and a $2,500 fine.

'The general consensus is that a 6-year-old cannot form the requisite criminal intent to be guilty of an aggravated assault,' Newport News Commonwealth Attorney Howard Gwynn said Wednesday in an interview with ABC Norfolk.

Teacher Abby Zwerner was shot at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News on January 6

In a separate interview with NBC News, Gwynn said that his office's 'objective is not just to do something as quickly as possible.' The attorney added that he did not believe the child could understand the legal system.

The six-year-old targeted his teacher after he stole his mother's gun from their home, before putting it in his backpack and taking it to Richneck Elementary School.

He opened fire at his teacher from point blank range after she had just finished reading a story to her first-grade class.

As the class were readying to head to an art lesson, a parent of one of the children in the class revealed that the youngster then pulled out the handgun, leading Zwerner to quickly try and confiscate it.

Her intervention led him to pull the trigger, with the bullet passing through her hand and into her chest.

Police confirmed at the time that the attack was intentional, not accidental.

Despite being hit with the bullet, authorities said Zwerner made sure all the children in her class were safe and out of the room before she attempted to find help.

Police revealed that her first questions when she was visited in hospital was 'do you know how my students are?'

The child shot his teacher in Virginia after he stole his mother's gun from their home before putting it in his backpack and taking it to Richneck Elementary School, pictured

The announcement that the child will not be charged comes after Andrew Block, associate professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, previously predicted the child would walk free.

'As a practical matter, it would be next to impossible to prosecute a six-year-old, no matter how serious,' he said.

Block noted that the 'infancy defense,' means that people younger than seven do not have the mental ability to form the intent to commit a crime.

'The bigger barrier, presuming the prosecution could overcome that, is all defendants have to be competent to stand trial,' he said.

'That means you have to understand the nature of legal proceedings against you and assist in your own defense. There's no way a six-year-old would meet that criteria.

'The juvenile justice system would not be equipped to handle such a young kid.'

The investigation into the child ended on February 21. At the time, Chief Steve Drew spoke about the case during a Facebook live chat, although he offered few details.

Following the shooting, the family of the unidentified 6-year-old boy released a statement insisting that the weapon was 'secured' in the home.

They added that they have 'always been committed to responsible gun ownership and keeping firearms out of the reach of children'.

Zwerner's lawyer Diane Toscano, pictured, told a news conference in January that multiple teachers had alerted school administrators to the boy's troubling behavior prior to the shooting

The 25-year-old first-grade teacher survived the attack. She was shot at point-blank range, and the bullet went through her hand and into her chest

Drew said his departments investigation was turned over Tuesday morning to the local prosecutor, known as the Commonwealths Attorney, who will determine if any charges will be filed.

'I totally understand people would like to have a case open and shut  thats just not what we have here,' Drew said.

Drew described a complicated investigation that involved coordinating interviews with first-graders, which required permission from their parents as well as the expertise of a child psychologist.

Detectives also had to interview teachers and follow up on various leads as new information came to light.

Gwynn told The Associated Press at the time that the citys detectives handed over three binders of information to his office.

Those files do not include the body camera footage of dozens of police officers who responded to the shooting. That video will also be reviewed.

'Its a lot of information and were going to carefully review it as we do in every case,' Gwynn said.

The six-year-old 'combative' boy was physically detained by another school employee following the terrifying shooting - who he then hit, police said.

He initially was detained in a medical facility, where professionals could psychologically evaluate him amid accusations of a history of disturbing behavior.

According to Diane Toscano, a lawyer for Zwerner, the young shooter had a history of troubling interactions with teachers and other students.

He previously broke Zwerner's cellphone, according to a notice of intent to sue, before returning the next day with the gun he would use to shoot his teacher.

In February, Toscano filed a legal notices that said the shooter would constantly cursed at staff and teachers, tried to whip students with his belt and once choked another teacher 'until she couldnt breathe.'

'It is a miracle that more people were not harmed, Toscano wrote in her notice. 'The shooter spent his entire recess with a gun in his pocket, a gun that was loaded and ready to fire ... while lots of first-grade students played.'

The choking incident described in the notice was confirmed by the teacher. She said that in 2021, the boy came up behind her as she sat in a chair in the front of the class, locked his forearms in front of her neck and pulled back and down, hard. She said a teaching assistant pulled the boy off her.

The teacher requested anonymity because she fears potential retaliation from the school district. She said she reported the incident to school administrators, but did not receive the kind of supportive response she had hoped for from them.

'I didnt feel safe the rest of the year because I knew if they didnt protect me when he choked me and I couldnt breathe, then they wouldnt protect me, my kids or my colleagues if he did something not as harmful,' she told The Associated Press.

The boy was later moved into another class in another school.

A detailed timeline describes how Zwerner, three other teachers and a guidance counselor were involved in airing concerns about the child possibly having a gun.

'If Assistant Principal (Ebony) Parker had acted on the information she was provided, then the shooting of Ms. Zwerner would not have happened,' the notice stated.

Zwerner went to former Assistant Principal Parkers office at about 11:15 a.m. 'to advise her that the shooter seemed more off than usual and was in a violent mood.' It also says the boy had threatened to beat up a kindergarten student and 'angrily stared down' the school security officer in the lunch room.

Toscano added during a news conference in January that multiple teachers had alerted school administrators to the boy's troubling behavior, including a belief that he had already brought a gun onto the school grounds.

A spokeswoman for the Newport News School District said it had no further comments to offer following the announcement.

The district has previously insisted it can't share information regarding the child or his education history while the investigation is ongoing.

Children at Richneck Elementary School held a candlelight vigil for the beloved teacher following the shooting

The potential lawsuit following the shooting was described as 'entirely preventable' by Toscano.

She argued during the press conference that the school administration should 'have taken action when they had knowledge of imminent danger.'

'But instead, they failed to act, and Abby was shot,' she added.

It is unclear how the child was able to take his mother's gun. However, a grandparent of a student at the school claimed that the week prior to the attack, one child brought in 'shiny gold bullets' and told his class and teacher he was planning on bringing in a gun.

It has not been confirmed whether the student described by the grandparent is the same one who shot Zwerner.

The families of two students at the school filed notices in February of potential legal action against the school system over trauma they say the shooting inflicted on their children.

The parents of a first-grader said their daughter was in the classroom when the shooting occurred and 'suffered emotional harm as a result.'

The parents also alleged that school officials failed to protect their daughter throughout the school year from bullying, harassment and assault.

A letter from the other childs family cites injuries sustained during a school shooting on January 6, 2023. Their attorney did not elaborate further, although authorities have said that no children were physically harmed.

One of the legal notices was filed by 'Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Nieves Jr.,' and asks the school system to preserve potential evidence, including emails regarding any student who allegedly bullied, harassed or assaulted their daughter.

The parents of the other student were not named in their attorneys letter, although the notice makes a similar request for the school system to preserve evidence.


Samsung, SK, AI startups try to gain upper hand



By Baek Byung-yeul



Since OpenAI's generative artificial intelligence (AI) service, ChatGPT, was unveiled last November, the field of AI services has seen an explosive increase in attention around the world.



Many people use the innovative technology simply for kicks or to ask for help in various subjects, including computer software programming, translation, web search and even writing novels and making music.



As shown by ChatGPT, the AI service is now penetrating into our daily lives and will be widely applied to various industrial sectors, while the technology is expected to trigger digital innovation commensurate with the emergence of the internet and smartphones, according to industry experts.



Although companies based in the United States are getting ahead quickly in the field of AI technology, experts say Korean companies involved in areas such as AI memory semiconductor manufacturing, chip design and Korean versions of generative AI services, should not be discouraged, because they have enough time to catch up.



"I don't think ChatGPT alone will change the world" said David Chon, CEO of local AI startup, DMLab. But he added that the service is "a beginning of a new chapter in AI product generation."



"Until now, AI technology was mainly used to show what AI can potentially do. With ChatGPT, now AI technology is in a more complete format and can become integrated into our daily activities. I think this is why there is a global buzz around ChatGPT," Chon told The Korea Times.



"I think it will quicken the pace of product development and become integrated into our daily lives faster," the CEO added.



Kim Min-seok, business development manager at local AI chip design company, Furiosa AI, said that the successful rise of ChatGPT signals that AI services are now a new wave.



"I personally think that AI services will penetrate into every vertical market imaginable, across all horizontal functions in existence. OpenAI has recently begun the commercialization of ChatGPT and began offering ChatGPT API (application programing interface) to developers," Kim said.



"This heralds a new age of tremendous potential and ChatGPT is just the start. Large tech companies and hyperscalers, including domestic players like Naver and Kakao, will soon release their own versions of ChatGPT," he added.



Considering the fact that ChatGPT garnered over a million users since the service was opened on Nov. 30, Lee Sang-heon, a researcher at Hi Investment & Securities, said it can be highly utilized not only for the marketing and sales of products, but also for R&D, operations, corporate risk management and legal review.



"The advent of web browsers in 1994, Google's search engine in 1998 and iPhone in 2007 changed the lives of people around the world and evolved the ecosystem of the information technology industry. In this regard, it should be noted in the future whether ChatGPT, which appeared last November, can become a game changer in the AI era while accelerating innovation in many industries," Lee said in the report.



Korean firms to benefit from AI boom



Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, Naver, Kakao and many AI startups here are also trying to capitalize on the AI boom, viewing the technology as a major business opportunity.



Samsung and SK, the leading memory semiconductor makers, expect orders for high-performance memory chips, such as high bandwidth memory (HBM) DRAM, to increase because these next-generation chips will become essential in processing enormous amounts of data required by AI services.



The performance of CPU and GPU has dramatically increased, but the improvement of memory chips that support these core processing units have been lagging behind. However, the companies believe that HBM will be used increasingly to resolve performance bottlenecks between CPU, GPU and memory chips.



Samsung, the world's leading memory chipmaker, already developed HBM-PIM technology, in conjunction with U.S.-based chip design company AMD last October, which combines memory chips with AI processors. SK hynix is also responding to growing demand for high-performance memory chips by supplying its HBM3 chips to Nvidia since last June.



In addition, Naver and Kakao, the two major internet companies here, recently said they will release their own ChatGPT-like services, claiming that their generative AI model can understand the Korean language better than any other AI service.



Startups like Furiosa AI are also gaining attention from investors as WarBoy, an AI chip developed by the company, showed better performance than Nvidia at the MLPerf AI chip contest last September in terms of image classification and objection detection.



"FuriosaAI designs neural processing units (NPU), simply known as an AI chip. NPUs are designed to accelerate AI applications, and more specifically, deep neural networks. There are many different types of AI applications, including natural language processing, computer vision and recommendation. Many of these applications have tremendous potential to be adapted and applied across almost all vertical industries," Kim at Furiosa AI said.



The government is also showing a lot of interest in the ChatGPT-led AI boom, saying the technology could change the entire landscape of different industries.



"ChatGPT will be a signal that AI is penetrating into our daily lives," Lee Jong-ho, ICT minister said on Feb. 22 during a meeting with company officials and academic experts in Seoul. "The government will spare no support in helping domestic companies maximize their digital capabilities to lead the hyperscale AI market."


Members of the public found trans teenager Brianna Ghey 'unresponsive' in a park before her mother identified her body, an inquest into her death heard.

Brianna, 16, from Birchwood, Warrington, was found with fatal stab wounds on a path in Culcheth Linear Park on the afternoon of February 11.

A boy and a girl, both aged 15, have been charged with her murder and are due to go on trial at Liverpool Crown Court on July 10.

Neither accused can be named because of their age.

At a brief two-minute hearing at Warrington Coroner's Court today, Jacqueline Devonish, senior coroner for Cheshire, opened and adjourned the inquest into Brianna's death until after the trial and set a date for a pre-inquest hearing on August 17.

Brianna Ghey, 16, (pictured) from Warrington, in Cheshire, was found in Culcheth Linear Park

A boy and a girl, both aged 15, have been charged with her murder and are due to go on trial at Liverpool Crown Court on July 10

Pictured: Police at the scene in Culcheth Linear Park in Warrington, shortly after the attack

Detective Inspector Nigel Parr, the senior investigating officer for the incident from Cheshire Police said: 'The investigation is a murder investigation and two individuals have been charged with the murder of Brianna.'

He confirmed the teenager was found 'unresponsive' by members of the public in the park and paramedics attended and confirmed the date of death.

A post-mortem examination was carried out at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, results of which were given at the hearing on Tuesday.

Brianna's identity was confirmed by her mother Esther, the hearing was told.

No family members were present at the hearing. Brianna's funeral will take place on March 15 in Warrington.

A police officer next to floral tributes at the entrance to Linear Park where 16-year-old Brianna Ghey was found

Many attended a candlelit vigil in Bristol to mourn the death of the transgender teenager

Last month thousands gathered at vigil near the park where 16-year-old Brianna Ghey was murdered as they remembered and honoured the transgender teen.

Brianna was found with fatal stab wounds on a path in Culcheth Linear Park. Police believe she was killed in a 'targeted attack.'

Many of the mourners at tonight's vigil wore 'rest in power Brianna Ghey' t-shirts with picture of her on the front. Crowds also sang Over The Rainbow.

Her family said they have been 'overwhelmed' by 'support, positivity and compassion' from well-wishers located across the UK.

Mourners from lit candles and laid flowers on the green as they built a memorial for Brianna.

The vigil, one of dozens to have been organised across the UK, was attended by the mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and his daughter Annie.

Many attending the vigil brought placards with touching messages such as 'Rest in Love'

Dozens of floral tributes have been laid at the entrance to the park where Brianna died

He tweeted: 'Here to remember Brianna, send our love to her family and support to young trans people everywhere.'

Tricia Anderton, 59, the secretary of Culcheth Village Choir, said: 'We were very proud to play even just a small part of this evening's vigil for Brianna.

'We are a very close community in Culcheth, with many of our choir members having lived in the village for many years and this awful tragedy has touched the hearts of everyone.

'We were asked specifically to sing Over The Rainbow, and it was so lovely to hear everyone joining in. Our thoughts and prayers are with Brianna's family and friends.'

Members of the public also gathered outside the Hippodrome Theatre in Birmingham this evening, with other vigils taking place in Southampton, Nottingham and Edinburgh.

In a statement released via the police, Brianna's family said they had been 'overwhelmed' by 'support, positivity and compassion' from across the country.

Detective Chief Inspector Adam Waller, ahead of the vigil, thanked the community of Culcheth for its support and said officers had been 'inundated' with information.

He said: 'I know that the family have also been overwhelmed by the messages of support, positivity and the compassion across the country and beyond - and the thoughts of everyone at the constabulary remain firmly with them.'
Matt Hancock was censored by Whitehall officials over his concerns that Covid-19 may have begun from a lab leak in Wuhan, it emerged last night.

The former health secretary wrote in his book that it was too much of a coincidence to believe the pandemic started in a market not far from a Chinese governments biological research facility.

He said he treated the official version of events with considerable scepticism and claimed similar claims by the British would have been laughed out of town.

But Mr Hancock was ordered to tone down his comments about the viruss origins because the Government was worried it would cause problems with Beijing, The Daily Telegraph reported.

He also wanted to write that global fear of the Chinese must not get in the way of a full investigation  but this too was watered down.

Matt Hancock was censored by Whitehall officials over his concerns that Covid-19 may have begun from a lab leak in Wuhan, it emerged last night

The changes were made when he submitted the manuscript of his Pandemic Diaries book to the Cabinet Office for review, as all former ministers are required to do.

After the required alterations were made, it was signed off for publication by under-fire Cabinet Secretary Simon Case in November.

The Government has tried to avoid commenting publicly on the suspicion that the deadly virus may have escaped from a laboratory, although in the United States, both the FBI and the Department for Energy now believe the theory is plausible.

In the first of the extracts from his book that the Cabinet Office objected to, Mr Hancock originally wrote: Given how cagey the Chinese have been, I think we have to treat their official version of events  still the Wuhan thing  with considerable scepticism.

He said that if a deadly new virus had emerged in Wiltshire, yet the British shrugged off the fact that it was near chemical warfare research facility Porton Down, wed be laughed out of town.

Global fear of the Chinese must not get in the way of a full investigation into what happened, he urged.

But the published version simply stated: Though the international consensus and the Governments position is that the virus originated at the Wuhan wet market, I remain sceptical. There must be a full investigation into what happened.

In the interim, the Cabinet Office had told Mr Hancock: This is highly sensitive and would cause problems if released.

Mr Hancock was ordered to tone down his comments about the viruss origins because the Government was worried it would cause problems with Beijing

He was told: Must be clearer that it is supposition rather than revealing any confidential information received from inside government. Should also be clear that this is not (the Governments) views or beliefs.

In another section, Mr Hancock originally wrote: To me it seems pretty credible. Its just too much of a coincidence that the pandemic started in the same city as the lab, which  by the way, is a full 40 minutes drive from the wet market originally linked to the outbreak. The only plausible alternative is that the virus was brought to Wuhan to be studied, and then escaped.
Two women charged over an attack on a service station customer who died after she was allegedly doused in scalding hot coffee and assaulted will not face manslaughter charges.

Andrea Madigan and Sarah Franklin, both aged 51 at the time, were due to face court last year on charges of reckless conduct causing serious injury over the February 8 incident inside a 7-Eleven service station in Caulfield, in Melbourne's south-east.

Daily Mail Australia reported those charges were struck out and finalised on May 5 last year with a view to them being upgraded by Victoria Police to manslaughter.

A woman who allegedly had coffee poured over her and was assaulted at this 7-Eleven service station in Caulfield (pictured) later died in hospital

The woman, whose identity remains unknown, had died two days after the shocking attack, which was captured on CCTV within the service station.

Daily Mail Australia can now reveal forensics experts with Victoria Police were unable to determine how the woman died.

The forensic investigation was finalised just last month - more than a year after the woman died.

A police source said the woman's body had been riddled with serious health complications, which more than likely caused her death.

Madigan and Franklin are now both expected to be charged and prosecuted over their initial assault charges.

Forensic officers are seen at the service station after the woman was allegedly assaulted

Coffee was allegedly poured on a woman who later died in hospital (stock image)

Daily Mail Australia was told the victim had become abusive moments before she was allegedly doused in hot coffee and assaulted by Madigan and Franklin.

'She was being racist,' a source told Daily Mail Australia at the time.

Shop owners along Hawthorn Rd, where the 7-Eleven is positioned, claimed all three of the Caulfield women were well known to each other.

One witness described the 'assault' alleged against Madigan and Franklin as more like a 'scuffle'.

Both of the alleged offenders had a clean criminal history until the deadly scuffle.

They were charged by Victoria Police detectives that night and released on bail from the watch house despite the victim's status being listed as critical.

Two women have since been charged over the alleged attack (pictured, police at the scene)

Those that claimed to know both of the accused described them as being 'kind and courteous'.

'They're nice. They're polite. We see them all the time. They behave, they have nice manners,' one woman said.

Others expressed dismay at suggestions the alleged fight might have been sparked by racial slurs.

Caulfield is known for its large Jewish community, representing about half of Melbourne's Jewish population.

'I don't think it (the alleged offence) had any connection to race or culture,' a local shopkeeper said.

Recklessly causing serious injury charges in Victoria carry a maximum jail sentence of 15 years compared to 20 years for manslaughter.

Witnesses have told police a woman poured coffee over the victim and assaulted her before fleeing the scene on Hawthorn Road.
It really may take a village to raise a child, as experts suggest it is better for children to have several people looking after them rather than just their parents.

Families could benefit from taking a hunter-gatherer approach to bringing up children, a new article published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry suggests.

In modern hunter-gatherer societies, like that of the Efe tribe who live in the rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo, babies are looked after every day by around 14 separate people who are not their parents.

They are passed between different caregivers eight times an hour on average, and spend around 60 per cent of daylight hours in physical contact with guardians other than their parents.

The article authors, an evolutionary anthropologist and a child psychiatrist, say this takes the pressure off the mother, who is still in western societies often expected to do the bulk of childcare alone, and can be at risk of exhaustion and depression as a result.

Families could benefit from taking a hunter-gatherer approach to bringing up children, a new article published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry suggests

The authors advise that we can learn from the hunter-gatherers - seeing other adults not just as babysitters who can step in when parents are busy, but as co-guardians who can help raise children.

Hunter-gatherers are also in physical contact with babies most of the time, which the authors advise families could replicate by carrying children around in sling-like baby carriers or by giving them baby massages.

Modern hunter-gatherers have a great deal to teach us about parenting, the experts conclude, because we lived as hunter-gatherers for more than 95 per cent of our evolutionary history, and have only relatively recently moved away from communal living into small, self-contained families.

Our children therefore may be evolutionarily adapted to hunter-gatherer approaches used in the past, and benefit psychologically from them.

Dr Nikhil Chaudhary, an evolutionary anthropologist at the University of Cambridge, and co-author of the article, said: Parents now have much less childcare support from their familial and social networks than would likely have been the case during most of our evolutionary history.

Such differences seem likely to create the kind of evolutionary mismatches that could be harmful to both caregivers and children.

The availability of other caregivers can reduce the negative impacts of stress within the nuclear family, and the risk of maternal depression, which has knock-on effects for child wellbeing and cognitive development.

The journal paper draws on Dr Chaudharys own observations of the BaYaka hunter-gatherers in Congo and research from other anthropologists studying hunter-gatherer groups.

It is notable that hunter-gatherer children can have more than 10 caregivers per infant or toddler in their societies, the article says, so that help and personal attention are likely always close at hand.

In UK nurseries, there may be one caregiver for every three children under the age of two, or one adult for every four children aged two to three years old.

Dr Chaudhary said: Almost all day, hunter-gatherer infants and toddlers have a capable caregiver within a couple of metres of them.

Hunter-gatherers are also in physical contact with babies most of the time, which the authors advise families could replicate by carrying children around in sling-like baby carriers

From the infants perspective, that proximity and responsiveness, is very different from what is experienced in many nursery settings in the UK.

If that ratio is stretched even thinner, we need to consider the possibility that this could have impacts on childrens wellbeing.

Of course, the hunter-gatherer approach, in camps of 25 to 70 people, is hard to replicate and around 40 per cent of children in these societies die before the age of 15, so researchers advise that we should not idealise hunter-gatherer societies.

But they say increasing staff-to-child ratios in nurseries to bring them closer to hunter-gatherer ratios could boost the wellbeing of both children and adults.
Michelangelo's David is well known for its small manhood.

But if the Renaissance artist was creating his sculpture in the present day, it's likely he would have used quite a bit more marble for David's undercarriage, it seems.

Scientists who analysed the size of penises in artwork from the Renaissance Period to the present day have found they have got bigger over time.

'In paintings depicting nude males, the size of the penis has gradually increased throughout the past seven centuries, and especially after the 20th century,' said the researchers from Selcuk University and Biruni University, in Turkey.

And contemporary images of large members could be contributing to 'feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction in modern men', said the team, who analysed 160 artworks of nude men created by 99 artists from 21 countries.

Michelangelo's David is well known for its small manhood. But if the Renaissance artist was creating his sculpture in the present day, it's likely he would have used quite a bit more marble for David's undercarriage, it seems

Contemporary images of large members could be contributing to 'feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction in modern men', said the team (stock image)

They chose to study paintings from the Renaissance period (1400-1599) onwards because this was when 'people became a central focus in painting and the images created tried to reflect the ideal beauty of the human form'.

Metal detectorist finds 2,000-year-old bronze nude figure with a huge hinged PHALLUS in a field in Lincolnshire - READ MORE A metal detectorist was in for a surprise after stumbling across a bronze Celtic artefact of a nude figure with a hinged phallus in its right hand Advertisement

'As a result of the Church's reduced influence on art, nude pictures were frequently depicted during this period,' they said.

The first known examples of phallic images in art date back to the Stone Age, approximately 30,000 years ago.

Primitive human figures with a head, trunk, limbs and a penis have been found on cave walls in Ancient Asia Minor, near the city of Mersin in what is now Turkey.

'Throughout history, illustrations of the penis have harboured various meanings,' the Turkish team wrote in their research paper, published in the urology journal BJUI.

'However, the size of the ideal penis seems to have increased in size throughout more recent history, particularly in the 20th and 21st centuries; this change is clearly observed in paintings of the male nude from this time period.

'Evolutions of artistic representation of the penis towards a larger, possibly unrealistic, ideal in contemporary media might contribute to feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction with penis size in modern men.

'Further studies are needed to define the motivations and consequences of this penis perception today.'

A 2006 study of more than 50,000 people, published in the journal Psychology of Men & Masculinity found that only 55 per cent of men were satisfied with their penis size.

And a 2018 study, published in the International Journal of Impotence Research found that self-perceived small penile size is a risk factor for erectile dysfunction.
A new study has shed fresh light on the shocking extent of the global plastic crisis.

Researchers have discovered that as much as 4.9 million tonnes of plastic rubbish are floating in our oceans - an 'unprecedented increase' since 2005.

And without immediate action, they predict that the rate at which plastics enter our waters will increase a whopping 2.6 times by 2040.

'This is a stark warning that we must act now at a global scale,' said Marcus Eriksen, co-founder and researcher from The 5 Gyres Institute.

'We need a strong, legally binding UN Global Treaty on plastic pollution that stops the problem at the source.'

A new study has shed fresh light on the shocking extent of the global plastic crisis

Researchers have discovered that as much as 4.9 million tonnes of plastic rubbish are floating in our oceans - an 'unprecedented increase' since 2005

In the study, the researchers analysed a global dataset of ocean plastic pollution spanning from 1979 to 2019.

The great ocean clean-up! The incredible moment scientists extract 10 TONNES of plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch Scientists are desperately trying to clear the build-up, and this month have been able to extract 10 tonnes (10,086kg) of plastic, bringing the total of plastic removed to 145 tonnes (145,518 kg) Advertisement

Data was pulled from 11,777 stations across six key marine regions in the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Pacific, South Pacific, Indian and Mediterranean.

An analysis of the data revealed a significant and rapid increase in both the abundance and distribution of plastics since 2005.

Their estimates suggest that 82-358 trillion plastic particles (171 trillion plastic particles on average), weighing between 1.1-4.9 million tons (2.3 million tons on average) were floating in our oceans in 2019.

'We've found an alarming trend of exponential growth of microplastics in the global ocean since the millennium, reaching over 170 trillion plastic particles,' Mr Eriksen said.

While the reason for the surge from 2005 remains unclear, the researchers have several theories.

'These observations may have been influenced by policy interventions, plastic production, fragmentation of existing floating plastic, and/or waste management and trade,' they wrote in their study, published in PLOS ONE.

Worryingly, they warn that things could get even worse if drastic action isn't taken immediately.

'The accelerating abundance of plastic in the OSL [ocean surface layer] demands urgent international policy intervention to minimise ecological, social and economic harm,' the team concluded.

In the study, the researchers analysed a global dataset of ocean plastic pollution spanning from 1979 to 2019

'We've found an alarming trend of exponential growth of microplastics in the global ocean since the millennium, reaching over 170 trillion plastic particles,' Mr Eriksen said

'Without substantial widespread policy changes, the rate at which plastics enter aquatic environments will increase approximately 2.6-fold from 2016 to 2040.'

Last year, almost 200 nations, including the US and China, agreed to a new United Nations deal that will require them to cut down on plastic production by 2024.

The landmark agreement is designed to avoid the 'planet's ecosystem collapse' from the spread of plastic, and microplastic particles, into every corner of the Earth.

It is the biggest green deal since the 2015 Paris climate accord, which committed governments to restrict greenhouse gas emissions and limit global warming.

Member states were locked in talks for more than a week in Nairobi, and have agreed to an outline pact to rein in plastic pollution - but the finer details will still need to be negotiated, including the level of plastic production cuts required.

Government officials cheered and punched the air after the adoption of a resolution of the legally binding treaty, which is due to be finalised by 2024.

'Plastic pollution has grown into an epidemic. With today's resolution we are on track for a cure,' said Espen Barth Eide, President of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA).
NASA has warned a city-destroying asteroid about the size of the Leaning Tower of Pisa could hit Earth on Valentine's Day in 2046.

2023 DW, confirmed February 28, has a one in 560 chance of impact on February 14 at 4:44 pm ET - but where it will fall is not yet known.

The predicted impact zones stretch from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and the west to the east coast of the US - with Los Angeles, Hawaii and Washington DC as possibilities.

The collision of the 165-foot 2023 DW with our planet would be comparable to the Tunguska 12-megaton event that slammed into Siberia 114 years ago.

This 160-foot asteroid caused a nuclear explosion that would have destroyed a large metropolitan area - but it landed in a forest, flattening more than 80 million trees.

A city-destroying asteroid about the size of the Leaning Tower of Pisa could hit Earth on Valentine's Day in 2046. The asteroid, known as 2023 DW, is large enough to destroy a metropolitan area - and Los Angeles and Washington DC are in the potential impact zone

NASA announced the discovery of 2023 DW on Tuesday, noting that it 'takes several weeks of data to reduce the uncertainties and adequately predict their orbits years into the future.'

The probability of the asteroid hitting Earth has changed over the past week.

On March 1, an Italian astronomer shared NASA showed a one in 1,2000 chance, but the odds increased a day later to one in 710 - and now there is a one in 560.

As of March 7, 2023, the analysis of its orbit was just 62 observations spanning 6.8487 days through March 4, 2023.

2023 DW is currently at the top of NASA's Risk List with a 1 on the Torino scale  meaning there is no cause for public concern at this time.

'A routine discovery in which a pass near the Earth is predicted that poses no unusual level of danger,' reads the description on the Torino scale.

'Current calculations show the chance of collision is extremely unlikely with no cause for public attention or public concern. New telescopic observations very likely will lead to re-assignment to Level 0.'

'Orbit analysts will continue to monitor asteroid 2023 DW and update predictions as more data comes in,' NASA tweeted.

NASA confirmed 2023 DW on February 28. Pictured is the first image of the asteroid in space

While 2023 DW sits at 1, it could reach 10, labeled 'Certain Collisions.'

'A collision is certain, capable of causing global climatic catastrophe that may threaten the future of civilization as we know it, whether impacting land or ocean,' reads the description.

'Such events occur on average once per 100,000 years, or less often.'

However, NASA notes it would alert the public if 2023 DW reaches 3 on the scale.

The last significant impact was on February 15, 2013, known as Chelyabinsk.

A 60-foot-wide meteor hit the Earth's atmosphere with energy estimated to be equivalent to 500,000 tons of TNT, sending a shockwave twice around the globe.

It caused widespread damage and injured more than 1,600 people.

And 2023 DW is more than twice the size.

NASA recently confirmed it can deflect a killer asteroid off a path toward Earth, following its successful DART mission in 2021.

The last significant impact was on February 15, 2013, known as Chelyabinsk. Pictured is the moment the 60-foot meteor streaked through the skies over Russia

NASA confirmed that it successfully deflected an asteroid in space. Pictured is the moment the craft smashed into the asteroid in NASA's DART mission

The agency launched its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) in 2022 for humanity's first planetary defense mission, dubbed NASA's 'Armageddon moment.'

The craft's target was a moonlet called Dimorphos circling its parent asteroid, Didymos.

On September 26, the world watched as DART soared 15,000 miles per hour toward Dimorphos to push it off its orbit.

And on March 1, 2023, NASA confirmed the mission was a smashing success.

The space agency's refrigerator-sized satellite managed to shave 33 minutes off the orbit of a 520-foot-wide asteroid - nearly five times greater than what was predicted.

Scientists from the Northern Arizona University said: 'This serves as a proof-of-concept for the kinetic impactor technique of planetary defense, DART needed to demonstrate that an asteroid could be targeted during a high-speed encounter and that the target's orbit could be changed.'
California is set to spend $10 billion on a new high-speed train that will take passengers from Las Angeles to Las Vegas in two hours.

The 218-mile rail system, constructed by Brightline, will use bullet trains that carry 1,200 passengers and reach up to 200 miles per hour.

Brightline is set to start construction this year, meaning services could be operational by 2026.

Brightline, the only private railway company in the US, claims their high-speed train will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 400,000 tons, as the bullet trains are powered with electricity.

Brightline is set to begin construction on a 218-mile track that will send bullet trains from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in half the time

Trains are expected to leave every 45 minutes from downtown Los Angeles for a station located on the Vegas strip.

'Approximately 50 million one-way trips are made annually between these two destinations, with 85 percent of them by car or bus,' Brightline shared in a statement.

'At full operations, we expect to attract approximately 12 million one-way trips each year.'

The bullet trains will provide several amenities, including free onboard WiFi, a wide selection of food and beverage, checked luggage and hotel check-in services.

Brightline, which plans to break ground later this year, will build its system along the I-15 highway.

This, according to the company, preservers the land and private residents that are usually upheaved by new construction.

In April 2021, Brightline West's CEO, Mike Reininger, predicted construction would start 'in a matter of weeks.'

The trains reach up to 200 miles per hour, cutting the four-hour trip by car in half

Brightline West includes stations near the iconic Las Vegas Strip and in Rancho Cucamonga (pictured), Apple Valley and Hesperia, California.

Brightline already operates a high-speed rail system in Florida that connects Miami and Palm Beach.

California is developing its own high-speed railway system that will span from Anaheim to San Francisco - but it will cost around $100 billion to construct.

However, Brightline's system will connect with the state's - but it has been hit with several delays that many officials and engineers have lost hope.

California Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled the $100 billion project in 2019, starting with a 171-mile segment through the states Central Valley.

The proposed cost at the time was $22.8 billion.

Today, the project has increased to 500 miles of track, which would cost $100 billion.

Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego) said this month: 'Recent estimates indicate the High-Speed Rail will cost $206.4 million per mile.

'What is it, made out of gold? We already know that this entire project has been a complete failure since it was dreamed up more than 15 years ago.

'California is looking at a budget deficit and we have much more pressing issues that demand our attention  like tackling crime, cutting costs, acting on homelessness, and investing in students.'

The broken promises on this project are breaking the bank for Californians. Its time to pump the brakes on the hot mess express and defund the High-Speed Rail.'
Generations of South Africans learned that this is sign fruit is ready to be picked

Elephants have for centuries been drawn to smell of ripened marula fruit

For centuries, elephants have been drawn to the scent of ripened marula fruit across the plains of South Africa.

Generations of families have learned from the elephants' instincts and as soon as the animals begin to gather below the ancient marula trees, the locals know the fruit is ready to be harvested.

Men, woman and children rush out of their homes to hand-pick sackfuls of the prized fruit that have dropped on the ground during the summer harvesting season.

Locals have for years been able to earn money from their hard work by selling the fruit to Amarula, a liquor company based in South Africa.

Then, as bags of marula arrive at the Amarula distillery, locals - mostly women - sort through the fruit. It is then distilled to eventually create the Amarula Cream Liquors and the Amarula African Gin that are sold around the world.

An elephant stands in front of an ancient marula tree in the Kapama Private Game Reserve

For centuries, elephants have been drawn to the scent of ripened marula fruit across the plains of South Africa (pictured)

Elephants in the Kapama Private Game Reserve in northern South Africa walk towards a watering hole

Men, woman and children rush out of their homes to hand-pick sackfuls of the prized fruit that have dropped on the ground during the summer harvesting season. Pictured: Locals harvesting the marula fruit

'The marula harvest is one of the highlights of the year for local communities - and elephants,' Shuhui Lim, Global Marketing Manager at Amarula, tells MailOnline.

'It brings everyone together - and has done for centuries - in a very special way - much like we enjoy blackberry and fruit picking in the UK.'

'It's also a lifeline for locals as we pay them for their efforts,' Lim adds.

Indeed, one 72-year-old grandmother who has harvested marula since she was a child said that the money she has earned from selling the fruit has helped her feed her family.

'It's hard work, but it's a good living during the harvest. I'm able to buy food for my family,' she tells MailOnline from a collection point where men are loading sacks of marula onto a truck that is heading to the distillery.

There is only a short window of time that the fruit can be picked from the marula trees, which cannot be cultivated and grow only where they choose.

Only once a year - usually between January and February - do the ancient trees bear the fruit.

This means that as soon as the elephants arrive after smelling the ripened fruit - some travelling vast distances in their herds - the locals quickly run into the fields to collect marulas and sell it to the distillery.

Once the Amarula liquor and gin is made, the company employs local communities to make the fabric tassels that wrap around the neck of the bottles.

Generations of families have learned from the elephants' instincts and as soon as the animals begin to gather below the ancient marula trees, the locals know the fruit is ready to be harvested

For centuries, elephants have been drawn to the scent of ripened marula fruit across the plains of South Africa

Locals have for years been able to earn money from their hard work by selling the fruit to Amarula, a liquor company based in South Africa. Pictured: Two women stand on the side of the road before selling the marula fruit they have picked to Amarula

A group of workers load the bags of marula fruit onto a truck that will head towards the distillery

Then, as bags of marula arrive at the Amarula distillery where locals - mostly women - sort through the fruit (pictured) which is then distilled to eventually create the Amarula Cream Liquors and the Amarula African Gin that are sold around the world

A group of workers sort through the marula fruit ready to be distilled

Once the Amarula liquor and gin is made, the company employs local communities to make the fabric tassels that wrap around the neck of the bottles. Pictured: The golden tassels wrapped around the Amarula African Gin, which is available in the UK, France, Germany and Poland

These 'tassel sisters', from the Handwork Hub, have made more than 40 million tassels for the neck of the bottles of Amarula since its incorporation in 2017.

Those tassels are seen on Amarula Cream liqueur bottles, which are sold across 100 countries, as well as the Amarula African Gin, which has been launched in the UK, France, Germany and Poland.

Lim says that Amarula is also passionate about elephant conservation and protecting the animals from poachers - especially given how integral elephants are in letting communities know the marula fruit is ready to be picked.

The company set up the Amarula Trust in 2008 with the aim of safeguarding elephants, which are facing changes to their habitats and poachers, by working with local groups.

One of these groups is HERD, South Africa's first dedicated elephant orphanage, which cares for and rehabilitates the young elephants.

The orphanage has seen a rise in elephants falling victim to human conflict due to the increasing threats of poaching and loss of habitat.

The company set up the Amarula Trust in 2008 with the aim of safeguarding elephants, which are facing changes to their habitats and poachers, by working with local groups. One of these groups is HERD, South Africa's first dedicated elephant orphanage, which cares for and rehabilitates the young elephants. Pictured: Elephants cared for by HERD at a watering hole

An elephant runs towards a buffalo at a watering hole in the Kapama Private Game Reserve

An elephant drinks water at a watering hole in the Kapama Private Game Reserve

The orphanage lies adjacent to the Jabulani Herd stables on the Kapama Private Game Reserve in northern South Africa, which allows the charity to integrate each baby elephant into a herd of fellow orphans once they reach a certain age. Pictured: The elephant herd at the watering hole on the private reserve

The orphanage lies adjacent to the Jabulani Herd stables on the Kapama Private Game Reserve in northern South Africa, which allows the charity to integrate each baby elephant into a herd of fellow orphans once they reach a certain age.

The charity has rescued 11 orphaned elephants - the first of which was an elephant now called Jabulani. He was found at four-months-old stuck in a silt dam and it took a year to nurse him back to health.

The young elephant eventually joined a herd of elephants that the charity rescued from certain death in Zimbabwe.

The HERD Trust has also rescued a rare albino elephant calf named Khanyisa. She was found trapped in a scare, set up by poachers, in 2020 and it took months for her to be fully rehabilitated.

Those orphaned elephants eventually join the larger herd of elephants, which lumber along the plains, their tails swishing, towards a watering hole.

They spend their days roaming and foraging in the wilderness alongside their loyal carers, many of whom are locals, who protect the elephants from predators and poachers.

The HERD Trust has also rescued a rare albino elephant calf named Khanyisa (pictured with a ranger). She was found trapped in a scare, set up by poachers, in 2020 and it took months for her to be fully rehabilitated

Those orphaned elephants eventually join the larger herd of elephants, which lumber along the plains, their tails swishing, towards a watering hole

They spend their days roaming and foraging in the wilderness alongside their loyal carers, many of whom are locals, who protect the elephants from predators and poachers

As dusk falls, the carers eventually guide the elephants towards the HERD Homestead and Orphanage on the private and protected Kapama Private Game Reserve.

The elephants sleep at the homestead as the herd is made up of rescued animals or orphans - meaning they need extra protection from human poachers and predators at night.

'Amarula is a brand with real purpose doing everything it can to protect the elephants, strengthen communities and build a sustainable future within the marula fruit ecosystem and beyond,' says Lim.

'This commitment is demonstrated through the Amarula Trust which supports multiple organisations and initiatives framed under the following three pillars: elephant conservation, empowering people and strengthening communities.'
A travel blogger has filmed his extraordinary experience travelling in a Boeing 777 first-class cabin on a flight that lasted just 50 minutes.

The 242ft-long 777 is the worlds largest twinjet aircraft with engines that are the most powerful in the world and almost the same diameter as a 737 fuselage. Its designed to cross vast oceans and continents.

But Andrew McFadden, from Derry, who blogs about travel under the name FlyingDerryMan, flew in one operated by British Airways from Heathrow to Dublin  a distance of just 280 miles.

BA occasionally uses twin-aisle long-haul planes for short journeys as a result of extra cargo demand, much to the delight of the often surprised passengers.

Mr McFadden, 30, tweeted that the extremely rare experience, on March 5, was totally surreal and told MailOnline Travel: Everybody was shocked. Even the non-enthusiasts were shocked at such a big aircraft being deployed on a commuter sector to the Irish capital. On boarding, Id say most people had their phones out taking pictures and videos.

Andrew McFadden, who blogs about travel under the name FlyingDerryMan', filmed his extraordinary experience travelling in a Boeing 777 first-class cabin on a Heathrow to Dublin service. Above is a still from his footage showing passengers boarding the aircraft

Mr McFadden, 30, tweeted that the experience, on March 5, was totally surreal and told MailOnline Travel: Everybody was shocked. Even the non-enthusiasts were shocked at such a big aircraft being deployed on a commuter sector to the Irish capital'

Something totally surreal about flying a 777-300 on a 50 minute flight to @DublinAirport



Great flight as usual from @British_Airways - cabin crew in particular really shone on this flight pic.twitter.com/1G9cK1csfM  The Flying Derry Man (@FlyingDerryMan) March 5, 2023

There was a lot of excitement and chatter among the cabin crew. It was certainly a novelty to them.

Mr McFadden's first-class seat would normally cost from around 6,000. How did he end up in it?

It was a free upgrade that came with his business-class ticket, which for the Heathrow to Dublin route - normally operated by a single-aisle A320 - costs from around 220.

He explained: I was booked in the Club Europe - business - cabin. However, as the aircraft was long-haul configured, it had a first-class cabin that was being used for Club Europe passengers.

Luckily, I was able to book one of these seats for no extra charge.

Mr McFadden revealed that he was flying business, but was able to book a seat in the 777's first-class cabin (above) at no extra charge

Mr McFadden's first-class seat for his 280-mile journey. He said: 'The [lie-flat] seat was very comfortable and would be amazing for a long-haul flight'

Mr McFadden said the crew were terrific and the aircraft was clean, but the food (above), he thought, was lacking in quantity

'As an avid travel blogger, I couldnt pass up the chance to fly a wide-bodied aircraft on such a short flight,' said Mr McFadden

Travel blogger Andrew McFadden

The business-class cabin on a short-haul BA flight features rows of economy-style seats with the middle seat blocked.

Mr McFadden, a solicitor, revealed that the crew were terrific and the aircraft was clean, but the food, he thought, was lacking in quantity.

But he added: The [lie-flat] seat was very comfortable and would be amazing for a long-haul flight.

As MailOnline Travel has previously reported, Google Flights reveals the aircraft type for upcoming flights, and Mr McFadden knew his journey to Dublin would be on a 777  as an avid travel blogger, I couldnt pass up the chance to fly a wide-bodied aircraft on such a short flight.

British Airways doesnt have any twin-aisle jets scheduled for the Heathrow to Dublin route at present, but we can reveal dates that the carrier will be using them for Heathrow to Frankfurt services, courtesy of aviation analytics firm Cirium - 11, 16, 23, 24 March, then the 3, 4, 5 (x2), 7, 10, 11, 12 (x2), 14, 17, 18, 19, 21, 24, 25, 26, 28 of April.

For more from Mr McFadden visit his social media channels: TikTok, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.
Lee Jong-ho, minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, speaks during a national AI strategy meeting in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, Wednesday. Yonhap



Korea goes all-out to support development of AI business



By Baek Byung-yeul



The government will announce its policy measure regarding the hyperscale in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry sometime this March. This is all part of its efforts to improve the nation's abilities concerning the rapidly emerging field, which gained global attention with the rise of the generative AI service ChatGPT, the ICT minister said Wednesday.



The purpose of creating these policies is to increase Korea's competitiveness in the AI sector by drawing together the capabilities of the government and private companies. To this end, the policy measure is expected to include flexible regulations for the spread of hyperscale AI and social and technological measures that can improve the reliability of AI services.



"Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November, the number of users surpassed the 100 million mark in less than three months, with many now calling it a game changer in the AI era. However, ChatGPT is nothing new as it is a result of learning hyperscale AI models through large-scale data and computing power," Lee Jong-ho, minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, said during a meeting for the nation's AI strategy with government officials and executives from private companies in Pangyo, where tech firms are located.



The minister said the emergence of such services is not much different from the attempts made by the government to increase its capabilities in digital technology, saying "we will announce the direction of the policy measures regarding the hyperscale AI industry within March."



"Hyperscale AI has become the basis for enhancing Korea's competitiveness in areas closely related to data gathering, sharing computing resources, R&D in AI and securing ethics and reliability in AI services," Lee said.



The meeting featured policymakers and executives from IT companies including Koh Jean, chairman of the Presidential Committee on the Digital Platform Government, Ko Hak-soo, chairman of the Personal Information Protection Commission, Baek Sang-yeop, CEO of Kakao Enterprise.



"The Personal Information Protection Commission will support safe data utilization for the development of the hyperscale AI industry by revising the Personal Information Protection Act, while minimizing privacy infringement factors," Ko said.



Koh Jean said the Presidential Committee on the Digital Platform Government will "introduce hyperscale AI technology as a solution to economic and social problems to solve pending issues such as social welfare, natural disaster and civil complaints."



Kakao Enterprise's CEO also introduced its generative AI service KoGPT, which will be officially launched within the first half of this year as well as its AI-based image generator Karlo.



During the meeting, the participants discussed how to improve the country's capability in the hyperscale AI industry and its impact on various sectors of society such as education, healthcare and public services. They also talked about the need for regulatory improvements and technical and social considerations to secure ethics and the reliability of AI services.


Jackass star Steve-O jetted out of Perth on Tuesday after the first show of his The Bucket List Australian tour.

The 48-year-old looked downcast as he walked through the airport without his stage buddy Bam Margera.

He dressed casually for the flight in a red T-shirt, black pants and a comfortable pair of white sneakers.

Steve-O kept a low profile with dark sunglasses and carried a skateboard in his hand as he arrived to the airport.

It comes after Steve-O recently said that he was bracing himself for Margera's death from drug and alcohol issues.

Jackass star Steve-O looked downcast as he jetted out of Perth without his tour buddy Bam Margera on Tuesday

Margera opened nine of the stuntman's shows in the US before Steve-O accused his best friend of slipping back into old habits after posting what he deemed a 'vile' thing on social media.

Under the post, Steve-O said Margera was 'dying' but deleted it two minutes later.

It read: 'Bam, last night you had your five year old son with you on stage at my show, and you were blessed with a chance to spend another day or two with him  then as soon as you left my show, you stayed up all night getting loaded enough to think it was a good idea to post more vile nonsense like this. I hope you understand how awful that is.

'You say you want to have a good relationship with your son, but your actions guarantee the exact opposite will happen.

'I brought you on tour with the hopes that I could get you to see what's possible for you if you can choose recovery.

'I've tried everything I can, but I can't force you to get honest and do the work of recovery.

He dressed casually for the flight in a red T-shirt, black pants and a comfortable pair of white sneakers

'I wish you could know how much I've hated feeling braced for news of your death, but you're making it clear that I have no other choice. You're dying brother, and it sucks that I can't do anything to save you.'

Speaking on his Steve-O's Wild Ride podcast on February 25, he said he regretted posting that comment publicly.

'The Bam situation...I posted this comment on Bam's Instagram because I had him on tour with me for 10 days, we did nine shows with me and he was pretty great,' he said.

'The whole time he was telling me to reach out to Nicky, his wife, and see if I can spend the day with Phoenix [his son] because it's in Santa Rosa California which was close to his wife and his son.

'So the tour was a big journey to his son and on the last day he was reunited with his son and we all spent the day together, it was a great day and we did our last show that night.

'After the show it was determined that bam doing good and Niki said he could spend another day or two with his son.

It comes after Steve-O recently said that he was bracing himself for Margera's death from drug and alcohol issues

'Come four, five, six, in the morning and he was posting hateful stuff.

'When he's posting hateful stuff it's a terrible sign and he admitted it was because he was drunk.

'Like dude c'mon man, I was so bummed, I was equally disappointed as I was surprised and that's the nature of the disease.

'Hs hateful post had been up for 22 hours so I wrote that comment saying you're dying, you're dying bro..

'It sucks because I want to save you but I can't, I can't make you get better, I can't do that work for you.'
Elle Fanning looked chic in a leather overcoat and shades as she stepped out in New York City on Monday.

The 24-year-old actress, who recently attended the Alexander McQueen show at Paris Fashion Week, wowed in the tan overcoat which she paired with a camel shirt.

The Maleficent actress teamed this with a wide-legged pair of dark brown pants and a pair of white shoes.

The Primetime Emmy-nominated performer accessorized with a stylish pair of wide-framed, 70s-inspired sunglasses.

Elle is currently preparing for the release of the third season of The Great, in which she stars.

Taking a stroll: Elle Fanning looked chic in a leather overcoat and shades as she stepped out in New York City on Monday

Fanning has starred as Empress Catherine II in The Great ever since it premiered in 2020.

The show is centered on the historical figure of the same name as she rises to power in 1700s Russia.

In addition to Fanning, the program also stars Nicholas Hoult, who portrays Peter III of Russia.

Other performers who appear in the program are Adam Godley, Phoebe Fox and Sacha Dhawan.

The Great's first season premiered in 2020 and ran for a total of ten episodes.

The program was met with much acclaim from critics, and Fanning was singled out for praise by many critics.

The second season of the show, which was also comprised of ten episodes, premiered in November of 2021 and received widespread critical attention.

Both the Super 8 actress and Hoult were nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards for their work on the program.

Layering up: The 24-year-old actress, who recently attended the Alexander McQueen show at Paris Fashion Week, wowed in the tan overcoat which she paired with a camel shirt

Eyewear: The Primetime Emmy-nominated performer accessorized with a stylish pair of wide-framed sunglasses

Leading lady: Fanning has starred as Empress Catherine II in The Great ever since it premiered in 2020

The Great was renewed for a third season last January, and physical production took place from July until December.

The program's upcoming run of episodes is currently set to premiere on Hulu on May 12.

A brand new season of The Great premieres May 13, only on Stan in Australia.
Seafolly is arguably Australia's most celebrated and recognised swimwear brand.

The iconic bikini label is best known for its glamorous advertising campaigns featuring some of the world's most beautiful women, including Miranda Kerr, Gigi Hadid, Shanina Shaik, Lara Worthington, Samantha Harris and Jesinta Franklin.

But Seafolly has now raised eyebrows among its customers by hiring non-binary activist and stylist Deni Todorovic as an official ambassador and brand partner.

The 34-year-old, who was assigned male at birth but uses they/them pronouns, also identifies as transgender.

Deni posed in lime green Seafolly bikini bottoms and a matching cover-up for a campaign shoot released just before International Women's Day.

Non-binary activist Deni Todorovic (pictured) has been announced as a new ambassador for Australian swimwear brand Seafolly

The 34-year-old, who was assigned male at birth but uses they/them pronouns, also identifies as transgender

They gushed about making 'history' in a lengthy Instagram post over the weekend.

'This marks the first time iconic Aussie swim giants @seafollyaustralia have worked with a trans ambassador/brand partner,' Deni said.

Poll Does Seafolly's new non-binary ambassador Deni Todorovic make you want to buy their swimwear? Yes No Unsure Does Seafolly's new non-binary ambassador Deni Todorovic make you want to buy their swimwear? Yes 148 votes

No 5581 votes

Unsure 48 votes Now share your opinion





'As the chief marketing officer [for Seafolly] said in our initial meeting, "It's the first time of many more to come." I couldn't be more honoured!'

They added: 'We discussed authentic allyship and have had some very exciting conversations about how the brand can work with community. This is what allyship looks like.'

Deni's role at Seafolly was celebrated by a number of celebrities, including former brand ambassador Jesinta Franklin.

Many shoppers also left positive comments on Seafolly's official Instagram account to celebrate the label's commitment to diversity.

'As some one who hasn't shopped at Seafolly for years I'll be back now! Love seeing brands be inclusive and that is where I want my money to go,' one woman wrote.

'So amazing to see this, Seafolly. I love to see brands pioneering the celebration of pride and inclusion,' another added.

Supermodel Gigi Hadid (pictured) is one of the best known former faces of Seafolly

Australian models Jesinta Franklin and Lara Worthington have also represented the brand

Victoria's Secret model Shanina Shaik (pictured) is another supermodel who has fronted Seafolly campaigns in the past

The glamorous Miranda Kerr (pictured) was one of Seafolly's first celebrity models in 2007

However, some consumers were less than impressed by Deni's role with the brand.

'This is a joke. We support diversity and individuals' decisions, but we don't want to see women's clothing that we want to purchase on a male body...' commented one.

'There are other ways to support pride and individuals' choices, but not this way. Sincerely, one of your long-time loyal customers.'

Another wrote: 'As a woman, this is not what I want to look like in a bikini.

'I won't be buying this product. People need to get back to reality. Stop making our world into a circus.'

Due to the negative comments, Seafolly was forced to put out a statement condemning the 'hateful language'.

'We are here to celebrate the Australian beach lifestyle and inspire one another to feel confident at the beach,' the brand said.

'In this community, we do not tolerate abusive, offensive, hateful language, trolling, deliberate disruption of discussion, or spam. Please be respectful of each others differences and remember to always be kind.'

Deni's involvement in the Seafolly campaign has sparked backlash from customers

Deni is also one of the national ambassadors for Bonds underwear

Many women agreed with Seafolly's stance, with one writing: 'I'm so embarrassed for the bigots in this comment section. Imagine writing awful things because a person wearing a swimsuit upsets you.'

Deni has become an increasingly formidable name in Australian fashion over the last few years.

The gender-bending socialite is also a national ambassador for Bonds underwear.

In 2021, Deni was criticised for turning Melbourne Fashion Week into a 'pride parade' while working on the event as a stylist and curator.

While Deni was hired to work backstage at the event, they shocked onlookers by storming the runway with a pride flag and a T-shirt with 'they/them' on the front, which overshadowed the models in the fashion show.

Deni's performance reportedly upset fashionistas at the time, with one guest saying their political message 'was being rammed down our throats'.

'The show was all about Deni. The collection, [and] the designers who worked so hard to pull it together, was an afterthought,' one attendee told the Herald Sun.
Here's a question for BBC star Fiona Bruce: how do you keep the romance alive when you've been married for almost three decades? The answer appears to be public displays of affection.

The Antiques Roadshow presenter, 58, was spotted kissing and cuddling her other half, advertising boss Nigel Sharrocks, near their home in North London.

Fiona kept it casual in black leggings and a beige jumper, which she styled with a cosy black jacket with a fur-lined hood.

She kept comfortable in a pair of black wellington boots and kept warm with black leather-look gloves to complete the look.

The newsreader swept her brunette fringed locks back into a low ponytail and showed off her natural features as she appeared to go make-up free.

Cosy: Fiona Bruce was spotted kissing and cuddling her other half, advertising boss Nigel Sharrocks, near their home in North London

Kiss: Fiona was seen grinning as she had a kiss on the cheek with Nigel during their dog walk

Laidback look: Fiona kept it casual in black leggings and a beige jumper, which she styled with a cosy black jacket with a fur-lined hood

Her husband Nigel, who she tied the knot with back in 1994, cut a laidback figure in navy jeans and an olive hooded jacket.

He completed his look with a pair of smart black suits and wore his silver locks in a short buzz-cut.

Nigel appeared to be in jovial spirits as he flashed a grin while walking their Irish terrier Molly, while Fiona clutched a Tesco shopping bag.

The married couple packed on the PDA as they shared a kiss on the cheek and a cuddle while they were also seen chatting during the dog walk.

Fiona has previously said of her husband that he's 'happy to be in the background' and let her 'get on with her thing'.

The couple, who have been married for 28 years, share two children - son Sam, 25, and daughter Mia, 21.

Speaking about her family back in August 2021, Fiona admitted she did not spend enough time with her two children when they were growing up because of her high profile TV career.

Appearing on the cover of Good Housekeeping at the time, she was asked how she balances work and motherhood, admitting: 'It was definitely helped by having the same nanny living with us for 20 years.

'She left when Mia finished her GCSEs, but she's a firm family friend.' She added: 'Did I spend enough time with my children?

'I think scratch the surface of any working woman and she will always think, 'Probably not.' I don't think there's such a thing as quality time with your children. I think it's quantity.

'But there's never been any question that they take precedence over everything in my life, and always have done.'

Stylish: She kept comfortable in a pair of black wellington boots and kept warm with black leather-look gloves to complete the look

Chic: The newsreader swept her brunette fringed locks back into a low ponytail and showed off her natural features as she appeared to go make-up free

Smart: Her husband Nigel, who she tied the knot with back in 1994, cut a laidback figure in navy jeans and an olive hooded jacket

Errands: Nigel appeared to be in jovial spirits as he flashed a grin while walking their Irish terrier Molly, while Fiona clutched a Tesco shopping bag

Outing: He completed his look with a pair of smart black suits and wore his silver locks in a short buzz-cut

Good spirits: The married couple packed on the PDA and were also seen chatting during the dog walk

Romance: Fiona has previously said of her husband that he's 'happy to be in the background' and let her 'get on with her thing'

Elsewhere last month, Fiona was found to have broken BBC accuracy rules after she inaccurately claimed a Question Time audience wanted an immediate general election.

After investigating a complaint about the episode which aired in October, the corporation admitted her 'summary' of audience opinion 'fell short of the BBC's standards of accuracy'.

She had said 'almost all' of the audience wanted to go to the polls, but BBC analysis showed about half had not raised their hands in favour of this.

The corporation is said to have acknowledged that Ms Bruce's summary of the show of hands had been 'mistaken', having 'only had a few seconds to quickly scan the audience'.

It added: 'Ms Bruce's summary fell short of the BBC's standards of accuracy' and 'this aspect of the complaint was upheld'.
High-profile makeup artist Ashlee Day has spoken of her nightmare encounter with an Aussie celebrity she described as the 'rudest' in the business.

Ashlee claimed the star, whom she did not name, refused to talk to her while she was doing her makeup and then 'yelled' at her for getting it wrong.

The beauty influencer was 19 at the time and just starting out in the makeup industry, so was understandably left shaken by the incident.

While she did not identify the celebrity, Ashlee said she had worked for free that day and had to re-apply the star's makeup after she rejected her first look.

Ashlee, who has 750,000 followers on TikTok, revealed she left the job close to tears and cried all the way home.

High-profile makeup artist Ashlee Day (pictured) has spoken of her nightmare encounter with an Aussie celebrity she described as the 'rudest' in the business

'I was freaking out because I'm 19 and this girl was a big celebrity at the time... she gets off the chair and says, "Oh, honey, that's not at all what I wanted,"' Ashlee said.

After taking off the star's makeup and starting again, Ashlee said the woman refused to talk to her and didn't give her direction about the makeup look she was going for.

Ashlee kept asking, 'Babe, do you like how your makeup is looking?' but the mystery celebrity refused to answer.

Ashlee (pictured) claimed the star, whom she did not name, refused to talk to her while she was doing her makeup and then 'yelled' at her

'I wasn't saying "babe", I was saying her name. She still wasn't responding to me. I was standing there like, "WTF, I'll just go f**k myself,"' she continued.

'Her manager comes over and said it was "perfect, babe" and I had 15 minutes left to finish.

'I got in my car and literally cried. That was so painful. I didn't get paid. I never put anything up on my Instagram. I was promised respect and an Instagram Story and I got nothing.

'I finished the makeup and she goes to me, "I really don't like my makeup." I said, "Well, you didn't tell me what you wanted." I'm kidding, I didn't say that, I literally buckled [because I] was 19 and nervous.'

Ashlee said she was then told to leave by the celebrity's manager.

'She said she didn't like the blush... but that's my style,' she added.

'They must have liked my work [to book me]. She went back into the dressing room and fixed everything herself, and the manager told me to leave.'

Some fans speculated the celebrity was Jessika Power (pictured) or Martha Kalifatidis

Others suspected it was reality star-turned-radio host Abbie Chatfield (pictured)

'I packed my s**t up almost in tears as people were yelling at a 19-year-old. Moral of the story is, don't do anything for free. They're nuts!' she concluded.

Ashlee's followers soon tried to guess the celebrity she was referring to.

Some speculated it was Jessika Power or Martha Kalifatidis, while others thought it was Abbie Chatfield. Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting it was any of these people.

Ashlee's followers soon tried to guess the celebrity she was referring to. Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting it was any of the people mentioned here

However, one user pointed out Abbie and Ashlee follow each other on Instagram.

'Has to be Abbie Chatfield. She was on The Bachelor in 2019 when Ash was 19. She never wears winged eyeliner. The way Ash was describing how the person was talking is exactly how Abbie speaks, especially with all the "babe" talk,' one fan commented.

'Ash only follows 153 people and one of them is Abbie. I don't think she'd still follow Abbie if she treated her like that,' another replied.

'It's allegedly Jessika Power,' wrote a third follower, while a fourth suggested it could be Skye Wheatley from Big Brother.
Hulu has decided not to make The Devil in the White City, a project with Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio as executive producers that has been in the works for more than a decade.

Keanu Reeves was linked to the drama, but departed last October, as well as director Todd Field.

Sources told The Hollywood Reporter Tuesday that actors Jude Law and Jeremy Allen White and director Matt Ross have been in discussion with ABC Signature to do the project, which the production company is prepared to shop around.

It was not immediately clear if the talks with Law, White and Ross would fall through given the most recent development, the outlet reported.

Based on the 2003 book of the same name by Erik Larson, Devil In The White City tells the true story of Daniel H. Burnham, a demanding but visionary architect who races to make his mark on history with the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

The latest: Hulu has decided not to make The Devil in the White City, a project with Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio as executive producers that has been in the works for more than a decade. The filmmaker and actor were pictured in NYC in 2018

The storyline also revolves around Dr. H. H. Holmes, America's first modern serial killer and the man behind the notorious 'Murder Castle' built in the Fair's shadow.

The series would have been Reeves' first major U.S. television role in his illustrious career. He was slated to be an executive producer on the project, which was picked up to series last year. Field left the project days after Reeves' exit.

The project has been in various stages of development since DiCaprio bought the film rights to the book in 2010, and then set it up to be a feature at Paramount with Scorsese to serve as director.

In 2015, Paramount Pictured emerged victorious in a bidding war for the rights to the project at a time that Billy Ray was attached to pen the script, according to THR.

Another incarnation had Sam Shaw as writer, showrunner and exec producer at one point, according to the outlet.

In 2019, Hulu announced a change of direction and that it was now being developed as a big-budget series with DiCaprio and Scorsese executive producing.

DiCaprio is not expected to star in the project, which also includes Jennifer Davisson as an executive producer.

DiCaprio and Scorsese have past collaborated on a number of lauded films, including 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street and 2006's The Departed, the latter of which Scorsese won his only Oscar for (amid 14 lifetime nominations from 1981-2020).

Keanu Reeves was linked to the drama, but departed last October, as well as director Todd Field. The A-list actor was pictured in London Monday

Jude Law, pictured last fall in LA, is in discussions to work on the project, sources told THR
Emily Ratajkowski's ex lover Eric Andre announced Tuesday that his hit Adult Swim talk show will premiere its sixth season this June.

'The wait is finally over. We broke a lot of hearts, sets, and famous people's publicists to bring you our most chaotic season so far,' the comedian, 39, said in a statement to Deadline. 'We've barely recovered.'

The upcoming season of The Eric Andre show will debut June 4 at midnight and Felipe Esparza, Reese W, and Krft Punk will takeover co-hosting duties from fan-favorite Hannibal Buress.

It will also feature a bevy of celebrity guests, including: Natasha Lyonne, Jaleel White, Blac Chyna, Jon Hamm, Raven-Symone, Diplo, Daymond John, Meagan Good, Rico Nasty, Waka Flocka Flame, Tinashe, Cypress Hill, Lil Yachty and more.

The news comes weeks after the end of Eric's fling with supermodel Emily, 31, after just over a month of dating.

Emily Ratajkowski's ex lover Eric Andre announced Tuesday that his hit Adult Swim talk show will premiere its sixth season this June; the exes seen in February

'I have returned. Season 666! Sunday June 4th,' Eric continued in a post uploaded to his personal Instagram, which included a screengrab of the Deadline article.

It continues: 'Watch pampered celebrities regret their choices, rappers get the runaround and a slate of street pranks so egregious they collectively inspired a record 30 phone calls to 911.'

'Sexy season six' will preview at SXSW Comedy Festival during Eric's nighttime comedy show, which will take place on Sunday, March 12 at 4PM CT at Esther's Follies theater in Austin, Texas.

He will be accompanied by new co-host Felipe Esparza as well as special guests DJ Douggpound, Dan Curry, and Sandy Honig.

Eric executive produces The Eric Andre Show along with Bad Trip director Kitao Sakurai, renown film producer Mike Rosenstein, Abso Lutely Productions co-founder/TV producer Dave Kneebone, and VFX producer Dan Curry.

Sakurai is also helming the latest season and Curry is listed as head writer.

Abso Lutely Productions produces the project. The production company has been behind projects like Comedy Central's Nathan For You and IFC's Comedy Bang! Bang!

The first season of The Eric Andre Show premiered in 2012 on Adult Swim, which is an adult-oriented channel that airs at night and shares channel space with Cartoon Network.

According to the network, the series is a 'late-night show that parodies low-budget public-access programs and brings the talk genre to another level -- not in a good way.'

Eric originally co-hosted the surrealist comedy program with actor/comedian Hannibal Buress, though he exited the program following season five in 2020.

Eric and his former flame Emily kicked off their short-lived romance earlier this year after they were spotted on a dinner date in New York City.

'The wait is finally over. We broke a lot of hearts, sets, and famous people's publicists to bring you our most chaotic season so far,' the comedian, 39, said in a statement to Deadline . 'We've barely recovered'

Coming soon: The upcoming season of The Eric Andre show will debut June 4 at midnight and Felipe Esparza, Reese W, and Krft Punk will takeover co-hosting duties from fan-favorite Hannibal Buress

According to the network, the series is a 'late-night show that parodies low-budget public-access programs and brings the talk genre to another level -- not in a good way'

They continued to hangout around the Big Apple and Eric left a number of flirty comments on Emily's skimpy Instagram posts.

The couple also enjoyed a PDA-packed getaway in the Cayman Islands, where they were photographed kissing as they lounged in the sand.

Eric and Emily didn't make their 'situationship' official until Valentine's Day when he uploaded an X-rated snap of the pair posing naked to Instagram.

He also took the brunette beauty out on the town to celebrate the love-oriented holiday.

But Emily sparked split rumors just days later when she shared a cryptic message to her TikTok.

In the quick clip, the runway veteran lays with her head on a pillow with the words 'What should you do when a situationship ends? Start another one,' written across the screen.

The Eric Andre Show host was the latest in a string of high profile men the My Body author has been attached to since splitting with her husband, Sebastian Bear McLard, 42, in July amid allegations of cheating.

Emily previously admitted that she always attracts the 'worst' kinds of men.

'Sometimes I'm like, 'F**k.' Because I want a confident man. I don't want an overly confident man who has something to prove and is trying to prove it through me,' she said on her High Low with EmRata podcast in January.

She and ex Sebastian share son Sylvester, who rang in his second birthday over the weekend.

To honor her baby boy's milestone, Emily penned a touching Instagram tribute that included throwback footage of herself and Sylvester.

'My beautiful baby turns 2 this week and the time has gone by as quickly as this video,' began the California native.

Split: The news comes weeks after the end of Eric's fling with supermodel Emily, 31, after just over a month of dating; the pair seen in February

Woah! Eric and Emily didn't make their 'situationship' official until Valentine's Day when he uploaded an X-rated snap of the pair posing naked to Instagram

But Emily sparked split rumors just days later when she shared a cryptic message to her TikTok

'What a two years it's been, Sly. So much joy, so much pain. So many lessons. I'll do anything to keep you safe and make sure your life is a wonderful one.

'Being your mama is magical. I love you more than you could ever know,' Emily concluded.

Emily previously told Harper's Bazaar in November, just months after splitting from her husband, that motherhood made her 're-evaluate what's important to me.'

'I've never had such clear priorities in my life. Number one is Sly, and that's that,' she added.
Michael J. Fox has found himself a new furry friend, and fans are saying the pup resembles the dog from the Back to the Future films.

The 61-year-old actor shared a post to his Instagram on Monday of himself snuggled up with the adorable dog, whom he has named Blue.

The Back to the Future star captioned his post: 'Hey Blue, welcome to your new home!'

Fans of the actor took to the comments to share their thoughts on the new addition to the Fox family as well as compare the dog's looks to Dr. Emmet Brown's dog in the Back to the Future trilogy.

The dog featured in the trilogy was famously named Einstein and was a similar breed to Fox's new hound.

Cuddled up: Michael J. Fox shared on Instagram that he has welcomed a new puppy into his family

People wrote comments such as, 'Einstein came back using the time machine,' and 'Aww he looks like a baby Einstein!'

The dog from the films was a fully grown sheepdog that joined Fox's Marty McFly and Doc Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd, on their time-traveling adventures.

Several A-list stars also made an appearance in the Teen Wolf actor's comments section.

Julianne Moore wrote: 'Oh my gosh!! So cute,' and added a smiley face with hearts around it emoji.

Dirty Dancing actress Jennifer Grey commented using multiple emojis, including pink hearts, dog faces, and stuck-out tongues.

Fox has always been a dog lover, having mourned the loss of his previous dog, Gus, in April of 2021.

He wrote in the caption of an Instagram post announcing his beloved pups passing: 'Gus  great dog and loyal friend, we'll miss you.'

The actor had mentioned several times how much of a 'wonder dog' Gus had been over the years.

Look-alike: Fans took to the actor's Instagram comments to share that they think the new pup looks like the dog from the Back to the Future trilogy; Fox as Marty McFly with Einstein the dog in Back to the Future

Old friend: Fox has always been a dog lover, having mourned the loss of his previous dog, Gus, in April of 2021

Canine support: Gus had been a devoted companion for Fox in his ongoing battle with Parkinson's disease

Gus had been a devoted companion for Fox in his ongoing battle with Parkinson's disease.

'I didn't rescue Gus,' the actor wrote in his 2020 memoir. 'You can argue that he rescued me, but he'd be too modest to make that claim.'

In an interview from November 2020, Fox spoke about how much of an impact Gus had on his life during the CBS primetime special, The Pet Project.

'Your instinct when you have a chronic illness is to sometimes isolate and make your world as small as possible so you don't have much to deal with, but a dog will open you up,' he explained.

The Family Ties alum was recently reunited with his Back to the Future co-stars at a fan convention in Portland, Oregon.

Lea Thompson, who played the role of Lorraine in the first two films of the franchise, and Tom Wilson, who played Biff Tannen in the trilogy, were joined by Fox and Lloyd.

37 years later: The 61-year-old was recently reunited with his Back to the Future co-stars at a fan convention in Portland, Oregon

Co-stars: Lea Thompson shared a heartwarming selfie with her fellow cast members and several videos while at the event

Iconic: The first Back to the Future movie came out in 1985 and starred Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, and Tom Wilson

Long-time friends: Fox wrote in his post about the event, 'I love being at these FanExpo events and seeing some of my favorite people like Lea, Tom, Chris and all you #bttf heads. Heavy'; Fox and Thompson with Crispin Glover in the first film

Thompson shared a heartwarming selfie with her fellow cast members and several videos while at the event.

The Switched at Birth alum captioned her post: 'Wow, honestly had the best time today with my #bttf family.'

Fox also took to his Instagram stories to show off a group photo with his arms around his fellow cast members.

He wrote: 'I love being at these FanExpo events and seeing some of my favorite people like Lea, Tom, Chris and all you #bttf heads. Heavy.'
Iggy Azalea has been raking in the big bucks since joining OnlyFans in January.

But despite her success on the adults-only platform, the Fancy rapper has received her fair share of criticism on social media.

In a recent episode of the J Bobby vs The Internet podcast, host Justin Bobby and content creator 'Funny Julius' Stukes Jr, who are both African-American, joked that they wanted Iggy to fail on OnlyFans 'because she's a white woman'.

Reacting to reports Iggy had earned more than $300,000 in her first 24 hours on the platform, Bobby said: 'The milk is always gonna sell!'

Julius responded: 'I don't think an album of hers has ever made that much money in 24 hours, so congrats to her.'

American podcasters Justin Bobby (right) and 'Funny Julius' Stukes Jr (left) raised eyebrows by joking they want to see Iggy Azalea fail on OnlyFans 'because she's a white woman'

The Fancy hit-maker is rumoured to be earning millions since joining OnlyFans in January

He continued: 'She knows that people want to see her, not hear her. I can't really hope the best for her because she's a white woman, but I will say [she's] smart.'

While most of the podcast's listeners agreed with the statement, one fan responded: 'What if a white person said that same line about a black woman?'

The rest of the comments mocked Iggy, with one person joking: 'I see Julius [is] ready for Black History Month!'

'He said nothing wrong,' added another, while a third chimed in: 'Read her ass!'

Iggy recently opened up about her unexpected decision to join OnlyFans despite having a successful music career.

Congrats to @IGGYAZALEA on her only fans



Safe to say @funnyjulius isn't a fan lol pic.twitter.com/wYiiBXaKuP  J Bobby (@Justinbobbyx13) January 21, 2023

'She knows that people want to see her, not hear her. I can't really hope the best for her because she's a white woman, but I will say [she's] smart,' Julius said

Iggy recently revealed on the High Low podcast she wanted to control her image and was tired of her body and art being commodified by record labels.

'I've made a lot of people so much money off my body, and I got the smallest cut off my own f**king body,' the 32-year-old said. 'And my own work, and my own ideas.'

'It's been commodified and I wasn't even the main f**king benefactor of it. So, f**k this,' she added.

Host Emily Ratajkowski said she probably also wanted 'control' over her image.

Iggy recently revealed on the High Low podcast she wanted to control her image and was tired of her body and art being commodified by record labels

'I enjoy it. I'm going to do it anyway. That's the thing, I'm doing it anyway. I'm going to post pictures like that anyway,' she responded.

Iggy is currently charging subscribers $25 per month, but users have to pay more via upselling to access sexier stuff.

If you tip the star $250, you get to become a 'VIP' for 12 months, which includes one free exclusive photo and some other unknown benefits.

OnlyFans is an online service that allows public figures to charge fans a subscription to their site, where they share content too provocative for other social media platforms.
Zoe Marshall has opened up about her marriage to NRL legend Benji Marshall.

The TV and radio host, 37, spoke about the couple's recent 10-year wedding anniversary during an appearance on Channel Seven's The Morning Show on Wednesday.

'In this day and age, ten years is a feat,' she told co-hosts Larry Emdur and Kylie Gillies.

The Marshalls' marriage has seen the pair move interstate and abroad while also welcoming two children, son Benjamin Fox, four, and daughter Ever, one.

The rugby league WAG said she was proud the couple had maintained a strong relationship over the years.

Zoe Marshall (left) has opened up about her marriage to NRL legend Benji Marshall (right)

'I'm really proud that we got here,' she said.

When asked how they keep their marriage so strong, Zoe said maintaining physical attraction is key.

'I still find him sexy, and I like that,' she revealed, adding that communication is also important.

The TV and radio host, 37, spoke about the couple's recent 10-year wedding anniversary during an appearance on Channel Seven's The Morning Show on Wednesday

They first went to couples therapy about 12 years ago, before they married, to give them guidance ahead of any marital issues.

'We will touch base with her [the therapist] when something big is happening like a move or a baby coming,' she added.

Zoe revealed these therapy visits help them to 'anchor' their relationship and maintain healthy communication.

'Keep your volume under three on a scale to 10... don't raise your voice,' she said, noting one piece of advice she was given.

Zoe and Benji walked down the aisle for a second time last month when they renewed their vows at home, surrounded by family and friends.

Zoe and Benji walked down the aisle for a second time last month when they renewed their vows at home, surrounded by family and friends

They then headed to Boronia Kitchen, a restaurant in Gladesville, for their reception.

While she was pregnant with their daughter Ever, Zoe admitted the couple had split up three times before tying the knot in 2013.

The Marshalls recently moved into a new $4.75million family home in Sydney.

Benji announced his retirement from NRL in October 2021, after spending most of his professional career with the Wests Tigers.
Models pose in front of Samsung Electronics' offline store in southern Seoul's Gangnam District, Tuesday. The company said it has decided to change the name of its offline store to Samsung Store from Samsung Digital Plaza. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics



By Baek Byung-yeul



Samsung Electronics will change the name of its offline stores in Korea to Samsung Store from Samsung Digital Plaza in a bid to appeal to young consumers, the company said Tuesday.



Samsung operates the stores nationwide, selling various Samsung devices ranging from Galaxy smartphones to Bespoke home appliances.



The company said all its offline stores in department stores and supermarkets as well as 360 Samsung Digital Plazas nationwide will be renamed as Samsung Store from Wednesday. Samsung has used the name Digital Plaza for its offline stores for 23 years since 2000.



After changing the name, Samsung plans to strengthen its younger brand image with gadgets of Galaxy, Bespoke, SmartThings and Lifestyle TV brands and aims to make Samsung Store a local landmark by offering various customized customer experiences at each store.



"Based on the value of the hyper-connected experience provided by One Samsung, Samsung Store will provide locally customized content and programs, transforming the offline store into a local community hub where customers will want to visit and stay," the company said.



For instance, the company will operate Samsung Culture Lab to share how to use its latest Galaxy devices and Bespoke home appliances and offer various learning programs related with cooking, interior and creating short-form videos, which are favored by younger people.



Four Samsung Store branches in Seoul, Bucheon, Yongin and Gimhae will introduce Samsung Store Coding School, a science and computer software programming class for teenagers to help them improve their IT capabilities using the latest Samsung devices.



With the rebranding, the company will also emphasize its efforts to contribute to global climate change efforts.



A Samsung Store branch in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul, acquired Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council as the offline store is using water-saving products to save the use of water and used recycled products for the construction of the store. Samsung will expand the acquisition of this kind of certification issued in Korea and abroad to beef up its eco-friendly image.



As part of efforts to provide customized services, Samsung Store will offer customers counseling services from employees who are called "D'tailor." Samsung elaborated that D'tailors will suggest products that fit each customer's lifestyle down to the small detail.


Interior Design Masters

Rating:

DNA Journey

Rating:

You have to feel a bit sorry for Alan Carr. When it was rumoured that the ebullient fellow was to join the panel on Britain's Got Talent, he'd have been expecting magicians, dancing dogs and contortionists tied up in bows.

Instead, he's still trying to find witty things to say about plywood breakfast units or fold-down beds, on Interior Design Masters (BBC1).

Simon Cowell, in a display of showrunner's muscle, ensured that his pal Bruno Tonioli will occupy the BGT judge's chair vacated by yesterday's man David Walliams.

Perhaps ITV should dump Cowell and install Carr's co-host Michelle Ogundehin. Her observations sting all the more because she instructs contestants to treat the remarks as 'opportunities for learning'.

Michelle doesn't mince words but she shreds egos. Interior Design Masters is the most brutal of the reality show competitions. Imagine Prue Leith picking up a cake on Bake Off and scraping it into the bin: that's how two minutes of constructive criticism from Michelle must feel.

You have to feel a bit sorry for Alan Carr. When it was rumoured that the ebullient fellow was to join the panel on Britain's Got Talent, he'd have been expecting magicians, dancing dogs and contortionists tied up in bows

Unlikely friends and drinking buddies John Bishop (right) and Hugh Bonneville (left) made a double act worthy of BGT as they roamed England and Ireland in search of their shared past, on the genealogy show DNA Journey (ITV) .

At least her plain speaking is comprehensible. Guest judge, as the show returned for a fourth series, was New Yorker Jonathan Adler, who says things like, 'The disjointedness is harshing my mellow,' and, 'It's the graciousness of scale that makes it flumpy and delicious.'

After an hour of amateur inspirations, I was devoid of flump . . . and my mellow, if not quite harshed, was singed around the edges. Every innovation hailed as 'creative' or a 'signature style' looked simply stupid to me.

One of the ten hopefuls balanced a row of cactuses on the headboard of a bed. Someone's going to get stabbed to death by a plant at midnight. Another made a table with concrete legs that looked like offcuts from a multi-storey car park.

With so many new faces, the start of the competition is always a blur. Edits cut between different rooms so rapidly that it's hard to keep track of who is decorating what.

DAREDEVIL OF THE WEEK:

Abby Cook, a 20-year-old from Falkirk, is to be the 42nd presenter of Blue Peter (CBBC), the world's longest-running children's show. Abby, a wheelchair user who admits she's scared of heights, will be going abseiling for starters. John Noakes would be proud. Advertisement

Alan wisely kept out of the way and went for a pootle in his new electric car. 'I might be running over a few cyclists but I'm saving the planet,' he said. Bet he'd rather be with Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden, singing along with a choir of Chelsea pensioners.

Unlikely friends and drinking buddies John Bishop and Hugh Bonneville made a double act worthy of BGT as they roamed England and Ireland in search of their shared past, on the genealogy show DNA Journey (ITV).

The duo told us several times that they met during lockdown, when John went for a vaccine jab and discovered Hugh was helping to organise the queue. Everybody meets one way or another, of course, but the pair couldn't quite believe this coincidence.

If they were surprised to begin with, they were incredulous by the end, when they realised they each had a great-great-great-grandfather who worked on Capel Street in Dublin in the 1840s. One was a baker, the other an instrument maker, and both were active in the Irish nationalist movement.

The mathematics of ancestry being what it is, this means they each had 15 other great-great-great-grandfathers who, we assume, lived all over the place and never met. Still, it's an entertaining notion that John's distant forebear bought his morning loaf from Hugh's long-gone grandsire.

Hugh was taking it all more seriously, and became pensive at a photo he'd never seen before of his mother, aged 18.

John was more at ease with the one-liners  including a gag about the present his brother gave him at his first arena gig.

It was a roadsign . . . 'So you don't forget where you came from.'
In the latest developments amidst Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval's cheating scandal with Raquel Leviss, Sandoval was snapped heading to therapy on Tuesday, amid reports he took his first onscreen kiss with Leviss following his split from Ariana Madix.

Sandoval, 39, was seen at a Los Angeles office that is 'home to many therapy and psychotherapy offices,' insiders told TMZ Tuesday, noting that he spent about two hours inside.

Sandoval was pictured donning a black leather jacket with dark fleece lining, over a dark blue shirt with black pants and white sneakers.

He wore a black hat and black sunglasses and sported a mustache while holding onto his keys and his phone on the daytime outing.

The source told the outlet that the meeting wasn't anything out of the ordinary for the reality star restaurateur, who 'was in therapy long before this scandal' in which his longtime relationship with Madix, 37, crumbled after it was revealed he had cheated on her with Leviss, 28.

The latest: In the latest developments amidst Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval's cheating scandal with Raquel Leviss, 28. Sandoval, 39, headed to therapy on Tuesday, amid reports he took his first onscreen kiss with Leviss following his split from Ariana Madix, 37

Hours later, Sandoval took to Instagram to share another statement almost enirely directed at Ariana, who he apologized to for hurting with his 'reckless decisions.'

'I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I've hurt through this process,' the reality TV star began. 'Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana.

'I made mistakes, I was selfish and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicy.

'I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us. I feel really horrible about that,' he continued.

Sandoval said that his 'biggest regret' was dishonoring his longtime girlfriend and that he never meant to disappoint her or those close to them with his actions.

'My love for Ariana was stronger than any camera could ever have captured. Some of our best times together were never filmed. The same goes for some of our biggest struggles.

'I wish things happened in a different order and our relationship was not severely tarnished and that it ended with the same respect with for her that it began with,' Sandoval wrote.

'I owed Ariana better. I am beyond said that it ended the way it did. The choices I made hurt so many people. I acted in a way that clashes with who and how I want to be'

The star closed out the emotional post by insisting that he will 'continue to reflect and work on myself.

'I have work to do. I always have, and I always will,' he concluded.

In related news an insider told Page Six on Tuesday that Sandoval and Leviss 'kissed on camera' for the Bravo series amid their 'complicated' relationship while filming at Leviss' apartment in North Hollywood, California on Saturday.

Sandoval's outing came a day after Andy Cohen on Monday said he suspects there could have be something going on between Sandoval and Leviss as far back as last fall, during festivities at BravoCon in New York City in October.

The Bravo host-producer, 54, speculated on the timeframe of the affair - in which Sandoval cheated on longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix - on his Radio Andy show Monday on SiriusXM, as details of the fallout made headlines.

He noted that amid the 'reverberating' scandal, video captured at the event indicated that Madix - and Leviss - were watching Sandoval intently as he played with his band at the event in the Big Apple.

Cohen noted that the answers Leviss gave earlier this month on his show Watch What Happens Live, during a quiz sketch with with Scheana Shay, 37, provided an insight into the way she viewed the restauranteur-musician.

'We played a game called the BFF test,' Cohen said. 'I read a statement and both guests answer at the same time and we see if their answers match. I said, "Who's the cuter Tom: Sandoval or Schwartz?" And they both said Sandoval.'

Sandoval was pictured donning a black leather jacket with dark fleece lining, over a dark blue shirt with black pants and white sneakers

The reality star was seen leaving the Southern California business office on the weekday

Sandoval, was seen at a Los Angeles office that is 'home to many therapy and psychotherapy offices,' insiders told TMZ Tuesday

Sandoval has been at the center of attention amid the revelation of his affair with Leviss

An insider told Page Six on Tuesday that Sandoval and Leviss 'kissed on camera' for the Bravo series amid their 'complicated' relationship while filming at Leviss' apartment in North Hollywood, California over the weekend

The TV personality has been seen at Leviss' apartment in the wake of his split with Madix

Emotional: Hours later, Sandoval took to Instagram to share another statement almost enirely directed at Ariana, who he apologized to for hurting with his 'reckless decisions'

Cohen said that he did not expect Leviss' answer to be Sandoval, based on rumors of romance between her and Schwartz that circulated last year.

'I looked up and said to Raquel, "Oh you said Sandoval, hmm," and then we moved on,' Cohen said.

The answer even caught Shay off-guard, according to Cohen, as 'Scheana's antenna was up' following the revelation from Leviss.

'I'm going through my cards and  Scheana said to Raquel, "You know, I only picked Sandoval because I knew that you were gonna pick Schwartz,"' Cohen recalled. 'And Raquel said, "Well, Sandoval has abs," and kind of shrugged.

'So, you know, that was interesting. And again, I didn't think twice about it.'

Cohen said that he contacted Shay about the aforementioned discussion over the weekend as the cheating story went public.

'I DM'd Scheana over the weekend and I go, "What was that conversation that you guys had about that BFF test?"' he said. 'I thought it was odd.'

Cohen noted how Bravo should re-air that episode, and an episode of WWHL that featured Sandoval and Schwartz that aired last month, noting that 'there was some odd energy between' the business partners during the appearance.

Leviss, pictured last month on Valentine's Day, has been at the epicenter of the scandal to rock the reality TV series

Andy Cohen spilled on the bombshell affair between Vanderpump Rules costars Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss on his radio show on Monday

Cohen noted that the answers Leviss (R) gave earlier this month on his show Watch What Happens Live, during a quiz sketch with with Scheana Shay provided an insight into the way she viewed the restauranteur-musician

Cohen said that answers Leviss gave to a quiz game favoring Sandoval raised his interest

Sandoval was seen playing a set at BravoCon October 15 in NYC. Cohen on Monday said video from he event indicated that Madix - and Leviss - were watching Sandoval intently onstage

'Schwartz was looking to Sandoval the entire time, almost for guidance on answers,' Cohen said. 'So the big question is: When did Schwartz find out about this?'

Sandoval said in an apology he released on Instagram Sunday that Schwartz was not in the know about the affair until recently, and disapproved of it once he knew the truth.

'Schwartz specifically only found out about this very recently, and most definitely did not condone my actions,' said Sandoval.

Amid the heat of the scandal, Sandoval asked viewers of the show to keep their anger over the situation aimed at him instead of his family, friends and business associates.

'Hey, I fully understand an deserve ur anger & disappointment towards me, but please leave Schwartz, my friends and family out of this situation,' he said. 'Also, Schwartz & Sandy's might have my name on it, but also there are 3 other partners and 20 employees, who especially rely on the restaurant for income for them and their families.'

He continued: 'Just like TomTom, I'm a small part of a much bigger thing. Please direct ur anger towards me and not them. They did nothing wrong.  I will be taking a step back & taking a hiatus out of respect for my employees & partners.'

In the wake of the affair going public, neither Leviss or Madix have commented on the events, and Madix has also deleted her Instagram account.

Sandoval and Madix were seen earlier this year at a premiere party for the show in LA

The former couple was pictured with Leviss at a Thanksgiving charity event in LA

Sandoval said in an apology he released on Instagram Sunday that Schwartz was not in the know about the affair until recently, and disapproved of it once he knew the truth

In another related twist to the situation, sources told People Monday that Bravo producers have been in contact with Sandoval ex Kristen Doute, 40, about a potential return to the program.

'Vanderpump Rules producers have approached Kristen to come back on the show to talk about' the situating involving Sandoval, Leviss and Madix,' a source told the outlet adding that Doute has 'had her fair share of ups and downs with Sandoval over the years, but right now she's completely supporting Ariana.'

Doute was fired from the series in 2020 (along with Stassi Schroeder) amid a racism controversy involving former costar Faith Stowers.

Doute was pictured on Tuesday headed to the home Madix and Sandoval shared as cameras rolled on the popular show, to support her friend Madix.

She was pictured wearing a gray sweater with the phrase 'Rock & Love' on the back with a gray plaid top and black leggings and black sandals. She donned brown sunglasses and wore her dark locks down and parted on the sunny day in Southern California.

Doute took to Instagram Stories with a clip in which she said she was 'completely exhausted' by the scandal and the attention surrounding it.

Doute was critical of Leviss amid the report that she kissed Sandoval on camera, 'but her narrative from her crisis PR [team] is that she's now fired because they said she didn't know any better.'

She added, 'Pick a lane b****, and make that lane be not in the United States ... bye girl, bye.'

Kristen Doute was pictured on Tuesday headed to the home Madix and Sandoval shared as cameras rolled on the popular show, to support her friend Madix

Bravo producers have been in contact with Sandoval ex Doute about a potential return to the program, sources told People Monday

She was pictured wearing a gray sweater with the phrase 'Rock & Love' on the back with a gray plaid top and black leggings and black sandals

Doute took to Instagram Stories with a clip in which she said she was 'completely exhausted' by the scandal and the attention surrounding it
Two-time Oscar nominee Adam Driver reunited with his 15-year-old castmate Ariana Greenblatt for a special screening of their film 65 at AMC Lincoln Square 13 in Manhattan on Tuesday.

The Cali-born, Indiana-raised 39-year-old - who relies on groomer Amy Komorowski - looked dapper in a grey suit over a black button-up shirt sans necktie, which was selected by stylist Michael Fisher.

Adam used his training as a Marine Lance corporal in order to more authentically portray an astronaut called Commander Mills in Scott Beck and Bryan Woods's time-traveling dinosaur flick, which hits US/UK theaters this Friday.

The PG-13 movie set 65 million years ago on prehistoric Earth also features Chloe Coleman, Nika King, and Brian Dare.

Meanwhile, the half-Puerto Rican New Yorker - who plays an orphaned girl called Koa - wore a strapless brown sequined archive Donna Karan Collection gown selected by stylist Mimi Cuttrell.

Co-stars: Two-time Oscar nominee Adam Driver reunited with his 15-year-old castmate Ariana Greenblatt for a special screening of their film 65 at AMC Lincoln Square 13 in Manhattan on Tuesday

Hairstylist Clayton Hawkins coiffed Ariana's brunette waves and make-up artist Allan Avendano made sure the not-so-typical teenager was ready for her red carpet close-up.

'It was just the two of us every day. I think what surprised me the most is how, I don't know, I guess how important chemistry is,' Greenblatt told Collider on Monday.

'Adam and I bonded on multiple levels with the weather and the conditions we went through, and also just how we have a very similar sense of humor. Like Adam and I have the driest, most sarcastic humor possible. And a lot of people don't know when we're joking, but I always know when he's joking, he always knows when I'm joking. So chemistry is really important for sure.'

Inside the theater, 65 directing duo Bryan Woods and Scott Beck spoke to the audience.

Fans of Driver can tune into Tuesday's episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC to catch his interview about 65.

The White Noise actor also has upcoming roles in Francis Ford Coppola's $100M-budget passion project Megalopolis and Michael Mann's biopic Ferrari.

'I finished my part of Megalopolis this morning, at four o'clock in the morning in Atlanta. So, I'm not operating on full capacity. I don't have a set plan,' Adam told Paste Magazine on Monday.

Silver fox: The Cali-born, Indiana-raised 39-year-old - who relies on groomer Amy Komorowski - looked dapper in a grey suit over a black button-up shirt sans necktie, which was selected by stylist Michael Fisher

Hitting US/UK theaters this Friday! Adam (R) used his training as a Marine Lance corporal in order to more authentically portray an astronaut called Commander Mills in Scott Beck and Bryan Woods's time-traveling dinosaur flick

Glam: The half-Puerto Rican New Yorker - who plays an orphaned girl called Koa - wore a strapless brown sequined archive Donna Karan Collection gown selected by stylist Mimi Cuttrell

Not-so-typical teen: Hairstylist Clayton Hawkins coiffed Ariana's brunette waves and make-up artist Allan Avendano made sure she was ready for her red carpet close-up

Greenblatt told Collider on Monday: 'It was just the two of us every day. I think what surprised me the most is how, I don't know, I guess how important chemistry is. Adam and I bonded on multiple levels with the weather and the conditions we went through'

The Boss Baby star continued: 'And also just how we have a very similar sense of humor. Like Adam and I have the driest, most sarcastic humor possible. And a lot of people don't know when we're joking, but I always know when he's joking, he always knows when I'm joking. So chemistry is really important for sure'

Q&A: Inside the theater, 65 directing duo Bryan Woods (L) and Scott Beck (R) spoke to the audience

'But I'm gonna take some time. I'm sick of myself and I know other people are. They tell me all the time on the street. That's not true [laughs]. But Megalopolis is one of the most exciting things that I've ever been a part of, with Francis in particular. It's one of the best shooting experiences I've had. And the things that he's made, there's no frame of reference for it. It's so unique and inventive and hopefully accessible by everyone.

'That it's not so elusive that it's for a certain audience, it's for everyone. And he is everything that you hope he will be. I know his movies so much more because it's impossible to not watch them and see him in all of them. He's so courageous. He made it himself so he would have control over the thing it was. He kept pushing it to be as inventive as it could be.'

On the personal front, Driver has a six-year-old son from his nine-year marriage to former Juilliard School classmate Joanne Tucker - now pregnant with their second child.
Vanderpump Rules star Raquel Leviss has reportedly filed for a restraining order against her co-star and former friend Scheana Shay.

The 28-year-old filed the documents against Scheana, 37, on Tuesday, TMZ reported, citing online records.

While it's unknown what compelled Raquel to seek court ordered protection from Scheana, TMZ notes rumors have circulated that Scheana became 'violent' with Raquel over her affair with Tom Sandoval, 39.

What exactly Raquel claims Scheana did to her remains unknown at this time, adds TMZ. It's also uncertain whether or not a judge will grant her request.

Page Six specified Raquel is seeking a temporary restraining order against her co-star.

It emerged over the weekend that Tom had been cheating on his long-time partner Ariana Madix, 37, with Raquel for months. The revelation sent shockwaves amongst Bravo fans.

Seeking protection: Vanderpump Rules star Raquel Leviss has reportedly filed for a restraining order against her co-star Scheana Shay; both pictured last month

On Saturday, Page Six reported Scheana became embroiled in a 'heated confrontation' with Raquel after learning about the cheating scandal.

The alleged altercation occurred after the duo went out for drinks with friends following a joint appearance on Watch What Happens Live last week, a source claimed.

'At one point in the night, Scheana lost Raquel and then found her outside of the bar on the phone with Ariana, who Scheana could hear was bawling,' the insider explained.

The source claimed Scheana asked Raquel what was going on, prompting the former pageant queen to confess to the affair. Ariana, meanwhile, was 'still on the phone'.

'A heated confrontation ensued following the revelation,' the insider said, adding the duo returned to their hotel separately and have not 'seen each other nor spoken' since the clash.

A source told Page Six Scheana has cut ties with Raquel in light of the affair. The outlet also noted Scheana had stopped following Raquel on Instagram.

'Scheana is done with Raquel after she betrayed Ariana. The friendship is over,' the insider said. 'Right now, Scheana is fully focused on supporting Ariana.'

In the wake of the breakup, Ariana is said to be receiving 'a ton of support'.

'Heated confrontation': The duo reportedly got into an altercation after their joint appearance on Watch What Happens Last Week

Legal woes: It's unknown what exactly Raquel is claiming Scheana did to her, adds TMZ. It's also uncertain whether or not a judge will grant her request

'Ariana has not been alone at all since this happened,' an insider told People. 'All of the girls in their friend group are taking turns visiting her around the clock at her house. Everyone's rallying around her.'

Meanwhile sources have informed TMZ that there is no chance of Sandoval and Madix getting back together.

Insiders in Sandoval's camp have maintained that the relationship was already on the rocks before Madix found out about Leviss.

Vanderpump Rules stars Scheana and Katie Maloney were spotted stopping by Madix and Sandoval's home on Friday.

Amid the flow of news over the weekend, Sandoval addressed the affair in an online apology in which he implored people to keep their anger over the situation focused on him, and not his friends, family and business associates.

Following the initial shock over the news that Sandoval and Leviss have been having a months-long affair behind Madix's back, Vanderpump Rules fans spent the weekend unearthing clues and evidence of their secret relationship.

Despite the reality star's own partner reportedly feeling 'blindsided' by her boyfriend's infidelity with their castmate, social media sleuths have discovered obvious signs that the duo were 'hooking up' and 'communicating inappropriately for months.'

Over: Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix is said to be receiving 'a ton of support' amid her breakup with her co-star Tom Sandoval

Messy: Following the initial shock over the news that Sandoval and Raquel have been having a months-long affair, behind Ariana Madix's back, Vanderpump Rules fans spent the weekend unearthing clues and evidence of their secret relationship

Upon learning that Sandoval had been unfaithful by discovering a 'sexually explicit video' from Leviss on his phone after watching Sandoval's band's perform in West Hollywood on Wednesday night, according to Page Six, Madix ended their nine-year relationship.

Madix has since deleted her Instagram account and has yet to comment on the claims.

Sandoval alluded to the end of the high-profile relationship crisis during a Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras show at the City National Grove in Anaheim, California on Friday evening. He asked, the crowd, a source told US Weekly, 'Have you ever been one of the most hated people in America?'

Sandoval took to Instagram on Sunday to apologize for his actions and ask fans to direct their 'anger' and 'disappointment' toward him not his business partners or loved ones.

Throwback: Leviss was snapped with Scheana Shay on a getaway in June of 2020 at the Viejas Casino & Resort in San Diego

From wearing matching lighting bolt necklaces to the TomTom co-owner dressing up as Leviss for Halloween, DailyMail.com has rounded up all the proof that the costars have been romantically entangled since last summer.

While Sandoval and Leviss' managed to keep their fling under wraps from the public and their closest friends, they seemed to keep each other close by rocking gold lightning bolt pendants.

While Sandoval wears the accessory almost daily, Leviss only began wearing a similar necklace last year, months after they are said to have begun seeing each other.

According to a a Reddit user claiming to be a friend of the former pageant queen, who was previously crowned Miss Sonoma County in 2016 before appearing on Vanderpump Rules, the jewelry was used by the couple to say 'I love you' to each other.

She was photographed in the necklace several times on social media and at BravoCon in October 2022.

While reacting to a TikTok video pointing out Leviss wearing the lightning bolt around her neck, one commenter wrote: 'How did no one notice?! My God!'

'This literally makes my skin CRAWWWWWL,' another commented while some viciously quipped that Madix should 'be aware of her surroundings more closely.'

Sign of affection? While Sandoval and Leviss' managed to keep their fling under wraps from the public and their closest friends, they seemed to keep each other close by rocking gold lightning bolt pendants

After Maloney accused Leviss of being a 'fan girl' for hooking up with Maloney's ex-husband, Tom Schwartz, Sandoval sent the internet into a frenzy with his bizarre Halloween costume, in which he recreated Raquel's look at BravoCon.

'Guys, look who I ran into,' Leviss mused in an Instagram Story video on October 31. 'It's Raquel from BravoCon day 3! Oh, my God. Wow, Raquel, I can't believe you would frickin' wear that sweatshirt.'

He went on to share an image of himself in a TomTom sweatshirt, blond wig and black shades with the caption: 'Raquel has got to stop showing up to TomTom its embarrassing.'
Shocking new photographs have emerged from the couples' retreat on Married at First Sight, proving that some of the show is staged.

In photographs taken by Daily Mail Australia, Bronte Schofield is pictured hugging Melinda Willis and Harrison Boon after the two women got into a dramatic showdown on the show.

While chatting to their co-stars, Melinda and Bronte appeared to show there's no bad blood between them despite what was said on camera.

On the evening, Melinda looked chic in an electric blue dress as she kept close to 'husband' Layton Mills.

Bronte wore the same camel coat she wore on camera, while Harrison showed off his buff build in a beige jumper.

Shocking new photographs have emerged from the couples' retreat on Married At First Sight, proving that some of the show is staged. In photographs taken by Daily Mail Australia, Bronte Schofield is pictured hugging Melinda Willis and Harrison Boon after the two women got into a dramatic showdown on the show

They all appeared in good spirits, with the trio hugging despite the tense scenes shown to viewers.

It comes after former MAFS stars Domenica Calarco and Ella Ding called out the 'fake' contestants on this year's Married At First Sight on their podcast, Sit With Us.

The pair claimed Bronte and Harrison's relationship was 'fake'.

On the evening, Melinda looked chic in an electric blue dress as she kept close to 'husband' Layton Mills

While chatting to their co-stars, Melinda and Bronte appeared to show there's no bad blood between them despite what was said on camera

Bronte was left in tears on Monday's episode after her co-stars accused Harrison of 'emotionally manipulating' her

Bronte was left in tears on Monday's episode after her co-stars accused Harrison of 'emotionally manipulating' her.

Melinda then chimed in, calling Bronte 'a little bit naive'.

Bronte was embroiled in tense scenes at the NSW Southern Highlands retreat, where Claire Nomarhas gave her a stern warning.

Claire accused Harrison of trying to 'emotionally manipulate' his wife, which prompted Bronte to hit back, saying the other brides were just jealous.

Claire accused Harrison of trying to 'emotionally manipulate' his wife, which prompted Bronte to hit back, saying the other brides were just jealous

'Not once has Harrison tired to manipulate me. Harrison doesn't control me,' Bronte said defiantly, as the other brides spoke to her.

'I am a grown-a** woman and I have my own opinions. The reason they are trying to turn on my relationship is because they are jealous,' she added.

Bronte explained the other brides 'just want what Harrison and I have', before Melinda chimed in to back Claire up.

'We just think you're being a little bit naive,' Melinda said.

'As multiple girls see it, we just don't want to see you go down that path. We know you're strong,' added Alyssa.

'We just think you're being a little bit naive,' Melinda said

Bronte took issue with being called 'naive' by Melinda.

'That's basically calling me dumb and that my relationship with Harrison isn't real and that really hurts,' Bronte said, adding that she felt attacked and ganged up on.

'I felt attacked. I have never had to sit there and have people nit pick my relationship when I have come this far,' she said.

Bronte then stormed off, saying she needed a break.

'My husband is outspoken and he says how he feels. And they are basically saying I have lost myself,' Bronte said.

The brunette was embroiled in tense scenes at the NSW Southern Highlands retreat, where Claire Nomarhas gave her a stern warning

'Why am I being absolutely, completely ridiculed for choosing him?'

The girls opted not to chase after Bronte, but Claire made her feelings known.

'Bronte, we care about you. We can see you're being manipulated by this f**king idiot,' she said.

'You've got five of your friends sitting in front of you and telling you something's up. Something's not right.'

Later, Bronte dropped the bombshell she was in serious discussions with Harrison about moving to Sydney.

Married At First Sight continues Wednesday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine and 9Now
Vanderpump Rules alum, Kristen Doute, was seen arriving at the home of former co-star, Ariana Madix, in LA on Tuesday to show support amid recent Tom Sandoval split.

The TV personality, 40, additionally jumped to her Instagram stories to tell Raquel Leviss, who allegedly had a months-long affair with Tom, to leave the U.S., and stated, 'Pick a lane b***h and make that lane be not in the United States.'

Earlier this month, Ariana and Tom reportedly ended their nine-year relationship amid allegations that Sandoval had cheated on her with Leviss.

Kristen, who also previously dated the TomTom co-founder, is 'completely supporting Ariana' amid the drama, reported People on Monday.

The reality star, whose time on the Bravo series came to end back in 2020, was seen wearing a gray, plaid cropped top along with fitted black leggings as she stopped by Madix's home.

Being supportive: Vanderpump Rules alum, Kristen Doute, 40, was seen keeping it casual as she arrived at the home of former co-star, Ariana Madix, in LA on Tuesday

Keeping it casual: The reality star, whose time on the Bravo series came to end back in 2020, was seen wearing a gray, plaid cropped top along with fitted black leggings

She added a long-sleeved, light gray knit sweater to layer the look, and slipped into a a pair of open-toed, Nike sandals to stay comfortable during the outing.

Over her right shoulder, the author slung both a black purse along with a cream-colored tote bag to hold a few items she needed throughout the day.

Her brunette locks were parted in the middle, and effortlessly flowed down naturally past her shoulders, revealing a pair of dainty, gold earrings.

Kristen also threw on a pair of stylish shades to complete her overall look, and was strolling towards the entrance of the LA home, showing off the phrase 'Rock & Love' printed on the back of her sweater.

Later on Tuesday, the star jumped onto her Instagram stories to share a message to Raquel. 'Okay, this news is literally exhausting me, the tabloids,' she began as she addressed her followers.

She further stated that both Tom and Raquel had shared a kiss, 'on camera supposedly in her apartment but her narrative from her crisis PR that she's now fired because they said she didn't know any better.'

Doute then seriously expressed, 'Pick a lane b***h and make that lane be not in the United States. Bye. Girl. Bye. Jesus F***ing Christ,' she added exasperatedly.

At the very bottom of the video, the businesswoman penned the short caption of, 'I mean, Rachel.'

Former star: She added a long-sleeved, light gray knit sweater to layer the look with the phrase 'Rock & Love' printed on the back of her sweater

A message: The TV personality additionally jumped to her Instagram stories to tell Raquel Leviss, who allegedly had a months-long affair with Tom, to leave the United States

'Exhausting': . 'Okay, this news is literally exhausting me, the tabloids,' she began as she addressed her followers

Doute, who was fired from the series in 2020 (along with Stassi Schroeder) amid a racism controversy involving former costar Faith Stowers, was critical of Leviss amid the report that she kissed Sandoval on camera.

An insider told Page Six on Tuesday that Sandoval and Leviss 'kissed on camera' for the Bravo series amid their 'complicated' relationship while filming at Leviss' apartment in North Hollywood, California on Saturday.

Sandoval's outing came a day after Andy Cohen on Monday said he suspects that something could have been goin on between Sandoval and Leviss as far back as last fall, during festivities at BravoCon in New York City in October.

The Bravo host-producer, 54, speculated on the timeframe of the affair - in which Sandoval cheated on longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix - on his Radio Andy show Monday on SiriusXM, as details of the fallout made headlines.

He noted that amid the 'reverberating' scandal, video captured at the event indicated that Madix - and Leviss - were watching Sandoval intently as he played with his band at the event in the Big Apple.

Cohen noted that the answers Leviss gave earlier this month on his show Watch What Happens Live, during a quiz sketch with with Scheana Shay, 37, provided an insight into the way she viewed the restauranteur-musician.

'We played a game called the BFF test,' Cohen said. 'I read a statement and both guests answer at the same time and we see if their answers match. I said, 'Who's the cuter Tom: Sandoval or Schwartz?' And they both said Sandoval.'

Tired of the drama: She further stated that both Tom and Raquel had 'kissed...on camera supposedly in her apartment but her narrative from her crisis PR that she's now fired because they said she didn't know any better'

'Pick a lane': Doute then seriously expressed, 'Pick a lane b***c and make that lane be not in the United States. Bye. Girl. Bye. Jesus F***ing Christ,' she added exasperatedly

Recent kiss: An insider told Page Six on Tuesday that Sandoval and Leviss 'kissed on camera' for the Bravo series amid their 'complicated' relationship while filming at Leviss' apartment in North Hollywood, California on Saturday

Kristen has been by Ariana's side since news of the affair came to light, and a source recently told People on Monday that 'Vanderpump Rules producers have approached Kristen to come back on the show to talk about this.'

'She's had her fair share of ups and downs with Sandoval over the years, but right now she's completely supporting Ariana.'

The insider continued, 'Kristen has put the show behind her, but she's considering it. It'll depend if Ariana wants her to do it and is comfortable as that's the only way she would ever go back on the show.'

'It's a conversation she and Ariana are having right now. The girls have all been spending time with Ariana.'

Doute notably was in a relationship with Tom, and after joining Vanderpump Rules, was involved in cheating rumors that she was having an affair with co-star, Jax Taylor.

Ariana Madix was also involved in a cheating scandal with Tom after becoming a cast member in the series in 2013, and the two later admitted to sharing a kiss when Sandoval was still in a relationship with Doute.

Last week on Wednesday, Madix discovered the affair upon finding an intimate FaceTime video on Tom's phone between him and Raquel, as well as text message exchanges between the two, reported the outlet.

A possible return: Kristen has been by Ariana's side since news of the affair came to light, and a source recently told People on Monday that 'Vanderpump Rules producers have approached Kristen to come back on the show to talk about this; seen in 2021 in Los Angeles

Coming to light: Last week on Wednesday, Madix discovered the affair upon finding a FaceTime video on Tom's phone between him and Raquel

'Blindsides': 'She was completely blindsided by this; devastated doesn't even scratch the surface of how she feels,' a source to People

'This has been going on for upwards of six months  all the while, Tom was sleeping next to Ariana in bed,' a separate source told People. 'She was completely blindsided by this; devastated doesn't even scratch the surface of how she feels.'

'This is someone she thought she knew; someone she planned to spend the rest of her life with. You can't even put into words that betrayal.'

Earlier last week on Friday, Kristen shared a reel on her Instagram stories and announced that she was 'Team Ariana,' the publication reported.

'I don't know why I feel like I need to make this clear, but there's so many people right now wondering if this is making me happy,' she explained. 'You guys, Ariana and I have been really good friends for many, many years now so I am Team Ariana, all day, every day. That's what's up.'

In a caption towards the bottom of the clip, Doute had written out, 'Karma is indeed coming, so Raquel should just move home.'

Amid reports that Tom, who issued an Instagram statement on Saturday following the news of the cheating scandal, had shared a kiss with Leviss on camera, was also spotted earlier Tuesday attending therapy.

Sandoval was seen at a Los Angeles office that is 'home to many therapy and psychotherapy offices,' insiders told TMZ, noting that he spent about two hours inside.

Despite the drama, a source told People on Tuesday that both Tom and Raquel have yet to send an apology to Ariana.

'Neither of them have yet to properly apologize and probably never will. These are two people who have no ability to take responsibility for their actions. They're sorry they got caught  not that they did anything to hurt Ariana.'

However, an insider close to Leviss expressed, 'Raquel has left Los Angeles and gone home to be with her family. She knows she hurt Ariana, but doesn't know how to say she's sorry.'

A statement: After the cheating scandal reached tabloids, Tom issued a statement on his Instagram on Saturday to address the cheating scandal with Leviss

Betrayed: 'This is someone she thought she knew; someone she planned to spend the rest of her life with. You can't even put into words that betrayal,' a source added to the outlet; Raquel and Tom seen together
Harry Styles has completed the New Zealand census for 2023.

The As It Was hitmaker, 29, made the admission to his Kiwi fans while on stage during his only concert in the country on March 7.

He performed at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland after the Kiwi government confirmed he would have to participate.

After his opening track, he asked the crowd: 'Did everyone do the census thing? I did it!'

His admission prompted an applause from his fans before he checked if everyone in the audience could be accounted for.

Harry Styles (pictured on stage in Perth on February 20) confirmed that he participated in the New Zealand census on March 7

'Otherwise, we have to stop the show and fill out the paperwork. I've done it. I think. Your job is to have as much fun as you possibly can,' Styles joked.

According to the official census Twitter account, Styles was required to fill out the national survey despite only being in the country for a few days.

New Zealand magazine Coup De Main first posed the question via Twitter recently, asking the census organisers for an explanation as the pop star is a British citizen.

'Important question for @2023census: Will @harrystyles also have to do the census on March 7 with the rest of New Zealand?' the publication asked.

'Kia ora @coupdemain CC: the country. Thank you for this important query,' replied the Twitter account @2023census.

'Everyone who is in Aotearoa New Zealand on census night (Tuesday, March 7), needs to be counted in the census. This includes tourists, visitors, and former members of One Direction.'

The organisers added an 'artist's impression' of Styles filling out the census by using a photo of him from a One Direction: Who We Are book signing in 2014.

According to the official census Twitter account, Styles was required to fill out the national survey despite only being in the country for a few days

The census organisers had posted an 'artist's impression' of Styles filling out the census by using this photo of him at a One Direction book signing in 2014. (Pictured with Zayn Malik)

Styles performed a successful string of shows in Australia last week before he jetted across the Tasman Sea for his New Zealand concert.

During his set in Perth on Monday, the tattooed star impressed the crowd by doing a 'shoey' - a vomit-inducing party trick involves drinking a can of beer from a shoe.

It is commonplace for fans at concerts to chant 'shoo-ey! shoo-ey!' in the hope the performer will agree to take part in the tradition.

During his set in Perth on Monday, the tattooed star impressed the crowd by doing a 'shoey' - a vomit-inducing party trick involves drinking a can of beer from a shoe

'This one of the most disgusting traditions I've ever witnessed,' Harry said, before necking a drink from his $1,170 Adidas x Gucci shoe.

He has been wearing different coloured versions of the shoe for almost every performance since the start of his 'Love On Tour'.

'I feel like a different person. I feel ashamed of myself,' he said post-shoey.

'It feels so personal. Such an intimate moment to be shared with so many people. I'll be discussing this with my therapist at length.'
Vanderpump Rules star Lala Kent gave an update on her friend Ariana Madix amid the ongoing fallout of her split with Tom Sandoval after he cheated on her with Raquel Leviss.

'Ariana is moving with the motion of the ocean, you know?' the 32-year-old reality star said of her costar, 37, on Amazon Live Tuesday. 'Shes doing as well as can be expected.'

Kent said that while she hasn't been 'super-close' with Madix 'for a while,' she understands that Madix has 'a really great support team behind her' amid the public breakup in her longtime relationship with Sandoval, 39.

Kent noted that the salacious scandal interrupted her weekend and brought out the smart aleck in her.

'The scandal - the Scandoval - happened on a Thursday, which didn't even give me a weekend,' Kent said. 'I'm tired because I turned into a troll, alright?

The latest: Vanderpump Rules star Lala Kent, 32, gave an update on Ariana Madix, 37, amid the fallout of her split with Tom Sandoval, 39, after he cheated on her with Raquel Leviss, 28

The former couple was pictured with Leviss at a Thanksgiving charity event in LA

'My Instagram was definitely on fire. I couldn't stop. The troll was activated, okay? So I'm a little exhausted.'

The Salt Lake City native, who has tangled with rapper 50 Cent on social media in the past, joked, 'I do not know how 50 Cent does it.'

Kent - who is mother to daughter Ocean, who turns two this month, with former fiance Randall Emmett, 51 - said she hasn't been in touch with Leviss as news of the scandal has dominated the headlines.

'She obviously hasn't reached out to me or anyone on my side, because I was never friends with her,' she said. 'I don't know if she's reached out to anyone else.'

She described Sandoval and Leviss as 'two people who couldnt be further from who they pretended to be,' adding that she has 'never liked either of them.'

Kent said she had to be cautious of 'spilling too much tea' on the upcoming season of the Bravo reality show.

Kent said that it felt good 'to have everyone else feel the same way' about Sandoval since his 'mask fell' in the ongoing scandal.

Asked if Sandoval ever made romantic advances toward her, Kent said 'he would never do that.'

She added: 'I would eat that guy up ... it takes a very special person to put up with all this.'

Leviss, pictured last month on Valentine's Day, has been at the epicenter of the scandal to rock the reality TV series

Kent - who is mother to daughter Ocean, who turns two this month, with former fiance Randall Emmett, 51 - said she hasn't been in touch with Leviss as news of the scandal has dominated the headlines

Kent described Sandoval and Leviss as 'two people who couldnt be further from who they pretended to be,' adding that she has 'never liked either of them'

In related news, Sandoval apologized for cheating on Madix in a statement he issued Tuesday evening, days after her name was omitted from his first public comment on the matter.

Sandoval, who was caught cheating on Madix with Raquel Leviss, took to Instagram with a detailed statement after receiving blowback in the wake of his affair coming to light.

'I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone Ive hurt through this process,' he said. 'Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana. I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I loved.

'No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically in publicly.'

He continued: 'I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us. I feel really horrible about that. My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving family and friends.'

Sandoval said his 'love for Ariana was stronger than any camera could have ever captured' and some of their 'best times together were never filmed.'

He added: 'The same goes for some of our biggest struggles. I wish things happened in a different order in our relationship was not severely tarnished, and that it ended with the same respect for her that begin with. I owed Ariana better.'

Sandoval wrapped up in saying, 'I am beyond sad that it ended the way it did. The choices I made hurt so many people.

'I acted in a way that clashes with who and how I want to be. I will continue to reflect and work on myself. I have work to do I always have and I always will.'
Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval apologized for cheating on Ariana Madix in a statement he issued Tuesday evening, days after her name was omitted from his first public comment on the matter.

Sandoval, 39, who was caught cheating on Madix, 37, with Raquel Leviss, 28, took to Instagram with a detailed statement after receiving blowback in the wake of his affair coming to light.

'I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone Ive hurt through this process,' he said. 'Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana. I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically in publicly.'

He continued: 'I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us. I feel really horrible about that. My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving family and friends.'

Sandoval said his 'love for Ariana was stronger than any camera could have ever captured' and some of their 'best times together were never filmed.

The latest: Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval, 39, apologized for cheating on Ariana Madix in a statement he issued Tuesday evening, days after her name was omitted from his first public comment on the matter. Pictured earlier Tuesday in LA

Sandoval who was caught cheating on Madix, 37, with Raquel Leviss, 28, took to Instagram with a detailed statement after receiving blowback in the wake of his affair coming to light

He added: 'The same goes for some of our biggest struggles. I wish things happened in a different order in our relationship was not severely tarnished, and that it ended with the same respect for her that begin with. I owed Ariana better.'

Sandoval wrapped up in saying, 'I am beyond sad that it ended the way it did. The choices I made hurt so many people.

'I acted in a way that clashes with who and how I want to be. I will continue to reflect and work on myself. I have work to do I always have and I always will.'

In other developments, Sandoval was snapped heading to therapy on Tuesday, amid reports he took his first onscreen kiss with Leviss following his split.

Sandoval was seen at a Los Angeles office that is 'home to many therapy and psychotherapy offices,' insiders told TMZ Tuesday, noting that he spent about two hours inside.

Sandoval was pictured donning a black leather jacket with dark fleece lining, over a dark blue shirt with black pants and white sneakers.

He wore a black hat and black sunglasses and sported a mustache while holding onto his keys and his phone on the daytime outing.

The source told the outlet that the meeting wasn't anything out of the ordinary for the reality star restaurateur, who 'was in therapy long before this scandal' in which his longtime relationship with Madix crumbled after it was revealed he had cheated on her with Leviss.

Madix was seen leaving the LA home she shared with Sandoval amid news of the affair Saturday

Leviss, pictured last month on Valentine's Day, has been at the epicenter of the scandal to rock the reality TV series

The former couple was pictured with Leviss at a Thanksgiving charity event in LA

The reality star was seen leaving a Southern California business office on the weekday

Sandoval has been at the center of attention amid the revelation of his affair with Leviss

Sandoval was seen playing a set at BravoCon October 15 in NYC. Cohen on Monday said video from he event indicated that Madix - and Leviss - were watching Sandoval intently onstage

In related news an insider told Page Six on Tuesday that Sandoval and Leviss 'kissed on camera' for the Bravo series amid their 'complicated' relationship while filming at Leviss' apartment in North Hollywood, California on Saturday.

Sandoval's outing came a day after Andy Cohen on Monday said he suspects there could have be something going on between Sandoval and Leviss as far back as last fall, during festivities at BravoCon in New York City in October.

The Bravo host-producer, 54, speculated on the timeframe of the affair - in which Sandoval cheated on longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix - on his Radio Andy show Monday on SiriusXM, as details of the fallout made headlines.

He noted that amid the 'reverberating' scandal, video captured at the event indicated that Madix - and Leviss - were watching Sandoval intently as he played with his band at the event in the Big Apple.

Cohen noted that the answers Leviss gave earlier this month on his show Watch What Happens Live, during a quiz sketch with with Scheana Shay, 37, provided an insight into the way she viewed the restauranteur-musician.

'We played a game called the BFF test,' Cohen said. 'I read a statement and both guests answer at the same time and we see if their answers match. I said, "Who's the cuter Tom: Sandoval or Schwartz?" And they both said Sandoval.'

Cohen said that he did not expect Leviss' answer to be Sandoval, based on rumors of romance between her and Schwartz that circulated last year.

'I looked up and said to Raquel, "Oh you said Sandoval, hmm," and then we moved on,' Cohen said.

Andy Cohen spilled on the bombshell affair between Vanderpump Rules costars Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss on his radio show on Monday

Cohen noted that the answers Leviss (R) gave earlier this month on his show Watch What Happens Live, during a quiz sketch with with Scheana Shay provided an insight into the way she viewed the restauranteur-musician

Cohen said that answers Leviss gave to a quiz game favoring Sandoval raised his interest

The answer even caught Shay off-guard, according to Cohen, as 'Scheana's antenna was up' following the revelation from Leviss.

'I'm going through my cards and  Scheana said to Raquel, "You know, I only picked Sandoval because I knew that you were gonna pick Schwartz,"' Cohen recalled. 'And Raquel said, "Well, Sandoval has abs," and kind of shrugged.

'So, you know, that was interesting. And again, I didn't think twice about it.'

Cohen said that he contacted Shay about the aforementioned discussion over the weekend as the cheating story went public.

'I DM'd Scheana over the weekend and I go, "What was that conversation that you guys had about that BFF test?"' he said. 'I thought it was odd.'

Cohen noted how Bravo should re-air that episode, and an episode of WWHL that featured Sandoval and Schwartz that aired last month, noting that 'there was some odd energy between' the business partners during the appearance.

'Schwartz was looking to Sandoval the entire time, almost for guidance on answers,' Cohen said. 'So the big question is: When did Schwartz find out about this?'

Sandoval said in an apology he released on Instagram Sunday that Schwartz was not in the know about the affair until recently, and disapproved of it once he knew the truth.

'Schwartz specifically only found out about this very recently, and most definitely did not condone my actions,' said Sandoval.

Amid the heat of the scandal, Sandoval asked viewers of the show to keep their anger over the situation aimed at him instead of his family, friends and business associates.

'Hey, I fully understand an deserve ur anger & disappointment towards me, but please leave Schwartz, my friends and family out of this situation,' he said. 'Also, Schwartz & Sandy's might have my name on it, but also there are 3 other partners and 20 employees, who especially rely on the restaurant for income for them and their families.'

He continued: 'Just like TomTom, I'm a small part of a much bigger thing. Please direct ur anger towards me and not them. They did nothing wrong.  I will be taking a step back & taking a hiatus out of respect for my employees & partners.'

In the wake of the affair going public, neither Leviss or Madix have commented on the events, and Madix has also deleted her Instagram account.

Sandoval and Madix were seen earlier this year at a premiere party for the show in LA

Sandoval said in an apology he released on Instagram Sunday that Schwartz was not in the know about the affair until recently, and disapproved of it once he knew the truth

In another related twist to the situation, sources told People Monday that Bravo producers have been in contact with Sandoval ex Kristen Doute, 40, about a potential return to the program.

'Vanderpump Rules producers have approached Kristen to come back on the show to talk about' the situating involving Sandoval, Leviss and Madix,' a source told the outlet adding that Doute has 'had her fair share of ups and downs with Sandoval over the years, but right now she's completely supporting Ariana.'

Doute was fired from the series in 2020 (along with Stassi Schroeder) amid a racism controversy involving former costar Faith Stowers.

Doute was pictured on Tuesday headed to the home Madix and Sandoval shared as cameras rolled on the popular show, to support her friend Madix.

She was pictured wearing a gray sweater with the phrase 'Rock & Love' on the back with a gray plaid top and black leggings and black sandals. She donned brown sunglasses and wore her dark locks down and parted on the sunny day in Southern California.

Doute took to Instagram Stories with a clip in which she said she was 'completely exhausted' by the scandal and the attention surrounding it.

Doute was critical of Leviss amid the report that she kissed Sandoval on camera, 'but her narrative from her crisis PR [team] is that she's now fired because they said she didn't know any better.'

She added, 'Pick a lane b****, and make that lane be not in the United States ... bye girl, bye.'

Doute took to Instagram Stories with a clip in which she said she was 'completely exhausted' by the scandal and the attention surrounding it
Yazmin Oukhellou set pulses racing as she slipped into a black bikini while on holiday in Dubai on Tuesday.

The former TOWIE star, 28, displayed her jaw-dropping figure in the skintight two-piece as she relaxed by the pool.

Showing off her sun-kissed tan, the beauty also carried a dark grey printed Christian Dior handbag and sported a pair of sunglasses.

Wearing a pair of black and white flip fops, Yazmin let her brunette locks fall loose down her shoulders.

Ensuring all eyes were on her as she relaxed at an outdoor bar area, the star completed her look with a pair of gold bracelets.

Stunning: Yazmin Oukhellou set pulses racing as she slipped into a black bikini while on holiday in Dubai on Tuesday

Radiant: Yazmin displayed her sun-kissed tan as she relaxed by the pool

The outing comes after it emerged Yaszmin suffered a health scare during her Dubai trip and showed fans her receiving treatment through an IV.

She recently headed back to the celebrity hotspot after spending her Christmas and New Year celebrations in Marrakesh.

Yazmin also splits her time between Essex and Dubai as she works as a real estate broker on the Dubai Marina.

She often snaps herself heading off on a flight to the United Arab Emirates in First Class.

But it seems like this most recent trip has taken a turn as she has told fans she 'can't believe this' while getting what appears to be medical treatment through her hand.

The reality star also shared a snap of a gift of cakes from a local company which she admits 'cheered her up' as the business said they hoped she 'got better' soon.

It comes after Yazmin was revealed to have been embroiled in a 'secret feud' with her former TOWIE co-stars Junaid Ahmed and Dani Imbert - which is said to be another reason behind her shock exit from the show.

It emerged the reality star had decided to walk away from the hit ITVBe series almost six years after she first joined, according to The Sun.

Holiday: The beauty also carried a dark grey printed Christian Dior handbag on the outing

Looking good: The reality star let her brunette locks fall loose down her shoulders

Beauty: Yazmin ensured all eyes were on her as she relaxed at an outdoor bar

Style: Yazmin completed her look with a pair of gold bracelets on the outing

Flawless: Yazmin accentuated her natural beauty with a light palette of makeup

It was claimed that Yazmin has decided against joining the next series to process the 'trauma' of what she has been through with the loss of her ex boyfriend Jake McLean - and now it is understood a feud with her friends has contributed to her exit.

Yaz has unfollowed Junaid and Dani on Instagram - and they the same to her - amid their bitter dispute.

An insider told the publication: 'Yaz has fallen out with Junaid and Dani and no longer follows them on social media, while they have also unfollowed her.

'The reason for their beef is a bit of a mystery, but it's been rumbling for a while and things got pretty toxic.'

'While it wasn't the sole reason for Yaz choosing to leave Towie, it certainly contributed to her decision as she didn't want to film with them.'

'After what she has been through in the last year with the crash and losing Jake, she doesn't want that kind of friendship drama in her life.'

Yazmin's exit comes just seven months after escaping a horror car crash which killed her ex-boyfriend Jake McLean.

Yazmin was caught up in a horror crash in Turkey in July when Jake's blue Mercedes E class saloon plunged down from a mountainous road and into a ravine in Bodrum.

Health: The outing comes after it emerged Yaszmin suffered a health scare during her Dubai trip and showed fans her receiving treatment through an IV

Trips: She recently headed back to the celebrity hotspot after spending her Christmas and New Year celebrations in Marrakesh

The on-off couple were on holiday together when Jake crashed the car off a cliff in Bodrum and died at the scene.

Yazmin told The Sun that to survive the smash she climbed down a cliff covered in blood with a broken arm and now she has permanent physical scarring.

After being told by doctors that she was lucky to walk away from the devastating accident, Yazmin confessed to experiencing sleepless nights and needing therapy because she couldn't understand why she had been given a second chance at life.

In July last year, she said: 'I severed an artery and a nerve, that's why I bled so much. The doctors called me an angel, a miracle, because it's a notorious spot and people have never survived.'

'Now I'm just wondering how the hell did my partner die while I've survived? It's made me look at life totally differently.'

Yazmin was reportedly banned from attending Jake's funeral after his family blamed her for his sad passing and said the couple had been arguing at the point of the crash.
This March 30, 2021 file photo, provided by Samsung Electronics shows its chip manufacturing plant in Austin, Texas. Yonhap



Korea's trade chief left for the United States on Wednesday for talks amid growing concerns over the adverse impact of the U.S. Chips Act on Korean chipmakers.



During his three-day trip through Friday, Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun plans to meet senior officials of the U.S. Commerce Department and the White House, as well as officials from major think tanks, to discuss the Chips and Science Act that calls for subsidies of $52.7 billion and tax incentives for foreign chipmakers to set up factories in the U.S.



The program came with a number of major strings attached, such as requiring companies receiving subsidies to share excess profits, submit data on their cash flows and profitability, and provide child care for workers.



"Korea will make points that the conditions would deepen business uncertainties, violate companies' own technology and management rights, and make the U.S. less attractive as an investment destination," the ministry said, stressing that Korean companies' "normal operation" is needed to ensure supply chains of global semiconductors.



"We will support companies in their negotiations with the U.S. government over detailed terms for the funding," it added.



Under the "guardrails" to be announced soon, companies receiving subsidies will be banned from making investments in chips in China for a decade.



Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, the world's two largest memory chip makers, have significant semiconductor manufacturing operations in China.



On Tuesday, Ahn held disclosed meetings with Samsung and SK hynix officials for consultations on their response to the issue, ministry officials said.



Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang earlier said that the act has "quite a number of unconventional conditions" and vowed active consultations with Washington to resolve related concerns. (Yonhap)


Eva Longoria looked nothing short of sensational in a plunging navy gown as she arrived to film an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in New York on Tuesday.

The actress, 47, showcased her incredible figure in the dazzling diamante detail Veronica Beard dress, which boasted long sleeves and ruched detailing around her waist.

The glitzy garment featured a mullet hem as Eva strutted her stuff in a pair of black towering pointed toe heels.

She styled her long brunette tresses in a chic ponytail, while her fringe framed her face.

Eva applied a flawless palette of makeup for the TV appearance and accessorised with a dazzling pair of earrings.

Glamorous: Eva Longoria looked nothing short of sensational in a plunging Veronica Beard gown as she arrived to film an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in New York on Tuesday

Stunning: The actress, 47, showcased her incredible figure in the dazzling diamante detail dress, which boasted long sleeves and ruched detailing around her waist

She seemed in high spirits as she stepped out and waved to the crowd that waited outside the studio doors following her appearance.

Not seen on the outing were Eva's husband Jose Baston and son Santiago Enrique Baston, four.

Eva wed her third husband, Televisa executive Jose in May 2016, in a ceremony attended by her close pals Victoria and David Beckham.

The couple initially met on a December 2015 blind date arranged by a mutual friend in Mexico City, with Eva revealing her future husband had no idea who she was.

In December 2017, the couple confirmed they were expecting their first child and in June 2018 they welcomed son Santiago.

Santiago is the first child for Eva, but the fifth for Jose, who was previously married to Mexican actress Natalia Esperon.

When asked in a 2019 interview what the secret is to her happy marriage, Eva explained that she and her husband have respect for each other, and support each other's goals and dreams.

The star said: 'When I was younger it was so much about what I needed to accomplish.

'I've accomplished so much already that I can really sit back now and enjoy the success and continue to dream bigger with a partner.'

Work it: The glitzy garment featured a mullet hem as Eva strutted her stuff in a pair of black towering pointed toe heels

Natural beauty: She styled her long brunette tresses in a chic ponytail which cascaded down her back while her fringe framed her face

Looking good: Eva applied a flawless palette of makeup for the TV appearance including a bold dark smoky eyeshadow and blushed cheeks
They may not have found love in the villa, but they are giving it a go on the outside world.

Former Love Island contestants Jordan Odofin, 28, and Zara Lackenby-Brown, 25, have confirmed that they are 'definitely' dating, and even plan on travelling together.

The pair revealed that they started seeing each other after returning to the UK, and have since enjoyed four dates together.

Praising each other's 'maturity' and 'vibe', they also said that there's 'no rush' for things to get serious, but are very much enjoying each other's company.

Speaking on Reality with Will Njobvu, Jordan gushed over his new flame.

Second chance: Former Love Island contestants Jordan Odofin and Zara Lackenby-Brown have confirmed that they are 'definitely' dating, and even plan on travelling together

He said: 'I found her and she ain't going anywhere any time soon.

'I like her energy. Apart from how she looks, of course, it's the energy. When it's just me and Zara, we vibe.'

Returning the compliment, Zara said: 'I like that he is mature. After being in the villa I just know there's not a lot of maturity from those boys. This is a grown man.

'The connection was just there. We spoke a lot about the show and how it would've been nice if we were matched on the show but these things happen. I think it just shows that we would be genuine in any environment.'

Asked on whether or not they had an official title yet, Zara said: 'We're definitely dating.

'There's no real sense of rush like there is in the villa. We're not trying to compare ourselves to the other islanders. I mean there's a bit of pressure from fans - they call us Jara.

'We've kissed. It's a natural nice vibe, good chemistry.'

Jordan added: 'I'm happy. Like I'm so happy. I really can't complain.

Taking it slow: The pair revealed that they started seeing each other after returning to the UK, and have since enjoyed four dates together

'It would've been nice to spend time with Zara in the villa, but everything happens for a reason. With how it's going right now - I'm just enjoying it.

'I see it going somewhere. But I don't like putting pressure on things - I like going with the flow.

'But I do enjoy spending a lot of time with her. One thing I do know is that she likes to travel, and I like to travel.'

It comes after the pair hit out at show bosses for not enabling them to couple-up in the villa.

The pair said they felt 'robbed' when they entered the villa days apart, insisting it was obvious the would have been perfect for each other.

They said they felt 'robbed' that they were not given the opportunity to get to know one another in South Africa.

Zara told the Sunday People: 'They [the producers] knew Jordan was my type before I even walked in.

'I left the villa thinking my dream man doesn't exist, and days after Jordan arrived. I understand they have storylines to follow but I deserved to find love.'

Jordan said he expected to pair with Zara in the villa but learned she had been given the boot from the show shortly after his arrival.

He said: 'Before going in I was asked for my top three and I said Zara was my number one, so naturally I was looking for her.

Love lost: Praising each other's 'maturity' and 'vibe', they also said that there's 'no rush' for things to get serious, but are very much enjoying each other's company

Passing ships: The pair, who got together after returning to the UK, said they felt 'robbed' when they entered the villa days apart

End of the road: Jordan arrived after Zara was dumped and he later left the villa with Ellie Spence (pictured)

'It made my villa experience very different  I was in a friendship couple the whole time.'

MailOnline has contacted ITV for comment.

It comes after Jordan admitted he slid into Zara's DMs to 'shoot his shot' during a recent appearance on The Morning After podcast with Indiyah Polack and Sam Thompson.

He said: 'On Aftersun, I spoke about Zara. And on my way home, I was with my boys and I was like, 'Should I just message Zara right now?'

'As I was headed to the DMs, [it said] 'typing'.'

Shocked podcast host and former Love Island star Indiyah exclaimed: 'Oh my god, that's fate! You're going to get married, you're going to be together!'

When asked what Zara had sent him, Jordan replied: 'Oh, I saw you on Aftersun. There was a little bit of chat here and there.'

Co-host Sam asked: 'Did you get butterflies?'

Jordan replied: 'Yeah! I can't lie, my brother pulled over the car, my other boy was there and yeah, we were just a bit excited.'

Jordan said his 'usual type' was not in the villa after he learned Zara had been dumped ahead of her arrival.

He said: 'My usual type wasn't in the villa when I got there.'
Trinny Woodall showed off the fruits of her fitness regime as she displayed her toned abs in a new clip she shared on Wednesday.

The TV presenter, 59, slipped into a pink crop top and matching leggings as she took part in an advert for her new eyeshade range.

The beauty expert was part of a mock medidation class for the new ad as she posed on a yoga mat.

A voiceover could be heard saying: 'Close your eyes. Find your inner light.'

Trinny then repeated: 'Inner light,' as she began to levitate off the ground.

Looking good: Trinny Woodall showed off the fruits of her fitness regime as she displayed her toned abs in a new clip she shared on Wednesday

Outfit: The TV presenter, 59, slipped into a pink crop top and matching leggings as she took part in an advert for her new eyeshade range

Namaste: The beauty expert was part of a mock medidation class for the new ad as she 'levitated' on a yoga mat

Alongside the post, she wrote: 'Our four uplifting eye shades  Joy, Harmony, Passion and Serenity  encompass some of the key elements that help you achieve inner light and balance in your life.'

It comes after Trinny stripped down to her black lace bra and stockings as she encouraged women to bring out their sexy side.

In a snippet from her YouTube fashion show Closet Confessions, the fashion expert, 59, told how she had 'challenged' herself to think sexy, showcasing different ways in which women can feel good about themselves through clothing.

And Trinny certainly led by example as she showcased her taut abs and toned figure in her underwear, while also protecting her modesty with her hands.

In another look, the TV star showed a glimpse of her bra beneath an oversized white shirt as she suggested that women slip into their boyfriend's shirt.

While in another part of the clip, she encouraged people to 'free the nip', going braless beneath a grey jumper tucked into a leopard print midi skirt worn with black boots.

Meanwhile, Trinny shared a rather candid post on Instagram last month, revealing she's had a 'very long, draining and emotional week'.

The beauty entrepreneur made the admission ahead of doing an at-home workout that would help her feel 'stretched, pulled apart and cardioed (sic)'.

Fun: Trinny celebrated International Women's Day with 150 members of the 'Trinny Trive' outside the Trinny London concession at Harvey Nichols

Outfit: The star donned a white coat with a bright yellow faux fur collar and sleeves

Style: She also sported a silver top and matching trousers with chunky black boots

Wow: It comes after Trinny stripped down to her black lace bra and stockings as she encouraged women to bring out their sexy side

Trinny shared a video of her workout with fans and chatted away, writing in her caption that she's been 'exhausted' lately.

'Been a very long, draining emotional week. Feeling exhausted, full of cold but also in a place of making changes which gives me focus,' she explained.

'How has your week gone? What are you thinking about that's worrying you?'

Trinny said she was doing a mix of Pilates and cardio for her workout to help her feel better.

'CARDIOLATES and it is rather magnificent as you're going to feel stretched, pulled apart and cardioed (inventing words, left right and centre here),' she said.
Sarah Beeny paid tribute to inspirational female surgeons on International Women's Day as she continues to battle breast cancer.

The presenter and property expert, 51, shared a picture of herself standing in front of some photographs of the medical experts along with a special post.

She wrote; 'I filmed at the Royal College of Surgeons recently and felt so humbled by this incredible set of portraits.

'These inspirational women have all made huge contributions to surgical practice and are an utter inspiration!

'Thank you Clare Marx DBL DL, Linda de Cossart CBE, Anne Moore OBE, Leela Kabila OBE, Phyllis George, Valerie Lund CBE, Averil Mansfield CBE. #internationalwomensday #iwd2023 @royalcollegeofsurgeons.'

Sarah Beeny paid tribute to inspirational female surgeons on International Women's Day on Instagram as she continued to battle breast cancer

She penned: 'These inspirational women have all made huge contributions to surgical practice and are an utter inspiration!'

The post comes after Sarah honoured a brain tumour research charity on Wednesday evening as she lit a candle with her son.

Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer in August last year and lost her mother to the disease when she was was ten years old.

She began chemotherapy treatment last year but recently revealed her last session was cancelled after her white blood cell count was too low and her liver levels were too high.

Sharing the clip to Instagram, she wrote: #shinealight for @braintumourrsch thanks for the amazing work you do!! Xx ps @nickyjohnston stunning candle you made, thanks so much Xx'

Sarah could be seen alongside her son in a faintly lit room with a candle in the middle of the table.

She said in the video: 'We're lighting a candle for Brain Tumour Research.'

Sarah then instructs her son to light the candle, with a blow torch.

Jokingly, she adds after, 'perhaps we should use a match next time.'

Tribute: Earlier this week, Sarah honoured a brain tumour research charity on Wednesday evening as she lit a candle with her son

Sarah was recently pictured in hospital getting further treatment for her breast cancer, and received special 'tattoos' as part of the procedure.

She was given treatment at both the Royal Marsden and Yeovil hospitals - and posed for the camera as she showed off some of the markings she was given before receiving her latest procedure.

The mother-of-four who had to shave her hair last year after clumps fell out when she began therapy, jokingly scowled as she pointed to her new ink markings on her breasts ahead of treatment.

Her sons proudly posted a picture of their brave mum on their Instagram and joked that she now had some new tattoos.

Posting on their page for their indie band The Entitled Sons, they wrote: 'Mum finally got some tattoos!

Treatment: The presenter and property expert, 51, was diagnosed with breast cancer in August last year and lost her mother to the disease when she was was ten years old

Shining a light: Sarah could be seen alongside her son in a faintly lit room with a candle in the middle of the table

'Thank you so much to @royalmarsdennhs and @yeovil_hospital_nhs for taking such amazingly brilliant care of her. #tatoo #mum.'

Followers sent their well wishes with one saying: 'Sending love and healing to your mum and to you lovely boys. Your mum is bloody amazing.'

Another added: 'Sending love to you all. Remember having similar tattoos myself.'

A third asked: 'Are you having radiation Sarah??'

And a fourth added: 'Sending big hugs and love to you all - go Sarah kick cancer's butt you've got this you're in the best hospital in the U.K. for this - they did remarkable things for a friend of mine who had seven tumours on the brain. He survived!! @royalmarsden.'

Sarah revealed recently she would undergo radiation and a mastectomy this year.

She has been keeping fans up to date via Instagram as she continues to work from home amid her battle with breast cancer.

Tough: Sarah began chemotherapy treatment last year but recently revealed her last session was cancelled after her white blood cell count was too low and her liver levels were too high

Family: Sarah has children Charlie, 16, Billy, 18, Rafferty, 14, and Laurie, 12, with her husband of 19 years Graham Swift

Last week, she announced that she had finished chemotherapy by sharing a picture of her sons' CD cover.

Sarah wrote: 'Not sure what is making the sun shine the most  2 days into steroids (happy pills!!!)  no more chemo or @the_entitled_sons releasing their best song yet

'YES Friday IS a good day xx #finishedchemo #HEAVENKNOWS @nickyjohnston (sic)'.

Back in the summer of 2022, Sarah revealed that she received the cancer diagnosis after finding a lump, which led to a biopsy.

She was told the cancer had not spread and 'there is an 80 per cent chance of a cure'.

The star's mother had breast cancer which spread to her brain and she died aged 39, when Sarah was ten.

Sarah admitted that she had 'a little bit of a breakdown' in the consultation room, but explained to the nurse: 'You don't understand. I have waited 40 years to hear those words. I knew I was going to hear it one day.'
A new teaser for Murder Mystery 2 dropped on Wednesday morning.

Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler were seen landing via helicopter in a tropical paradise and saying that they felt like they had 'died and gone to heaven.'

Aniston, 53, is reprising her role as Audrey Spitz while Adam plays her bumbling husband Nick Spitz.

They were greeted by Maharajah (played by Adeel Akhtar) and his fiancee Claudette (played by Melanie Laurent).

Maharajah makes a big deal of Nick and Audrey Spitz arriving on the island for his impending nuptials as they enjoy red cocktails.

New look: A new teaser for Murder Mystery 2 dropped on Wednesday morning

A little leg: Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler were seen landing via helicopter in a tropical paradise and saying that they feel like they have died and gone to heaven

And Claudette greets Audrey with not one but four kisses which puts her off.

Audrey then gets jealous when Claudette gives Nick an extra two kisses so she tells them to stop it.

'Okay, oh! I would stop,' Audrey says, clearly feeling territorial.

There was also a poster shared for the sequel where Aniston was in a black dress with stockings and an ivory coat over her shoulders.

And Sandler modeled a fashionable coat as he carried a silver briefcase.

The tag line is the clever, 'Deux or die.'

The highly anticipated action-packed sequel will debut on March 31 from streamer Netflix.

The film is directed by Jeremy Garelick.

Pals: Aniston, 53, is reprising her role as Audrey Spitz while Adam plays her bumbling husband Nick Spitz. They were greeted by Maharajah (played by Adeel Akhtar) and his fiancee Claudette (played by Melanie Laurent)

Jelly: Maharajah makes a big deal of Nick and Audrey Spitz arriving on the island for his impending nuptials and Nick gets kisses

Smooches: Aniston gets jealous when Claudette gives Nick six kisses

Classy attire: There was also a poster shared for the sequel where Aniston was in a black dress with stockings and an ivory coat over her shoulders. And Sandler modeled a fashionable coat as he carried a silver briefcase

And costars include Mark Strong, Jodie Turner-Smith, Kuhoo Verma, John Kani, Dany Boon, Tony Goldwyn, Annie Mumolo, Enrique Arce and Zurin Villanueva.

The first official trailer was released last month.

Aniston and Sandler are seen as full-time detectives as they go to Paris to try to solve a new case that involves their rich pal.

Their friend Maharaja was abducted during his splashy wedding to Claudette in that same stunning tropical location.

And no one knows who took him.

The trailer! The first official trailer for Murder Mystery 2 dropped last month

On the case: The pair is eager to solve a new mystery in Europe

Home: The trailer opens with the couple at home as they discuss being invited to their pal Maharajah's lavish wedding in a tropical location

Good point: Aniston says that they should maybe think twice before heading to the wedding because the last time they went to a big splashy event 'a lot of people died'

The Friends vet shared on Instagram last month: 'Were baa-aack..March 31!!'

The trailer opens with the couple at home as they discuss being invited to their pal Maharajah's lavish wedding in a tropical location.

Aniston says that they should maybe think twice before heading to the wedding because the last time they went to a big splashy event 'a lot of people died.'

Sandler brushes their off last experience, as seen in the first Murder Mystery movie.

Next they are seen arriving at the wedding of Maharajah.

They thrill over the fancy room and the gifts left for them, one of which is pink fuzzy handcuffs, which leads to flirty banter between the marrieds.

Wedding time: Next they are seen arriving at the wedding of Maharajah (played by Adeel Akhtar)

A new look fore her: Aniston has her hair up with large earrings and a beaded crop top created for her by couture Indian designer Manish Malhotra

Oops: When the groom arrives via elephant, he falls off the animal which shocks the guests. Turns out it is not Maharajah but rather a man who is dead

As they head to the wedding they are full of excitement but when the groom arrives via elephant, he falls off the animal which shocks the guests.

Turns out it is not Maharajah but rather a dead man.

Sandler thinks quickly as he sees the stunt as a 'distraction' while Maharajah is being taken away, and he is correct.

Oh no: The wedding party is also seen on the beach in their casual clothing

Before the crazy starts: Aniston and Sandler wear sunglasses on the tropical island

Adam goes outside to find Maharajah being taken away against his will in a speedboat as the bad guys fire at the detective.

The kidnappers demand $50 million be delivered to them in Paris so the Spitzes packed up and head to France.

Once there, they run into several bad guys with guns as they do their best to try to find their pal.

Scary: Once there, they run into several bad guys with guns as they do their best to try to find their pal

Chic in the city: Here Aniston is seen in a white coat over a black dress

The movie has been on the promotional bandwagon for weeks already with new images of them shared last week.

In one of the photos Jennifer has her hair up as she models a black coat and holds luggage in one hand and a cell phone in the other. Adam appears to have gotten a haute couture makeover as he has on chic clothing.

The next photo shows Jennifer in a fluffy off white coat with her hair down as Adam stands behind her.

In April they wrapped the film in Paris and Jennifer shared images from the set.

New look: France seems to suit the busy couple as she holds onto the bag which may contain the ransom money

The Friends alum looked remarkably youthful with her blonde hair worn down as she stood behind her pal.

The Hollywood icon also shared photos from the set where she was getting made up and posing with her glam team.

And in her caption, the ex-wife of Brad Pitt revealed that they have finished filming the sequel in Paris. 'Merci Paris, that's a wrap,' the Morning Show actress wrote.

The original Murder Mystery is about a married couple who were framed for the death of an elderly billionaire while vacationing overseas.

Initially on holiday to rekindle the flame in their marriage, the pair is subsequently forced to go on the run.

Its sequel, Murder Mystery 2, was announced in September 2021, over two years after the first film was released on Netflix.

The streaming service announced that the movie stars will be back for 'another international adventure full of intrigue and hijinks,' per TV Line.

Jennifer and Adam first worked together on the romantic comedy film Just Go With It, which was released in 2011.

The busy Hollywood favorite is also busy with her series The Morning Show which stars Reese Witherspoon.

Good effects: A car explodes and a man is seen walking into the fire to get the briefcase

Eek: This scary looking guy wears a mask with a pea green cap as he points a gun at the couple
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Women were paying tribute to women on Wednesday.

International Women's Day is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8.

It is a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

Hollywood stars started early in the morning with their tributes on social media to females all around the world as they left empowering messages with some touching on their recent activism.

Priyanka Chopra - who was seen this week in her Citadel trailer - Lynda Carter, Emily Ratajkowski, Brooke Burke, Amy Schumer, Cher, Joey King, Cindy Crawford, Selena Gomez, Amal Clooney, Michelle Obama and Teresa Giudice were some of the first to take to Instagram with their notes.

Women's day: Quantico actress Priyanka Chopra shared a long caption and several images of herself on Wednesday

Hope is on the way: 'What would you like to be when you grow up?' she began. 'Its a simple innocent question and one that has many answers, each filled with aspiration and hope. But sadly, it doesnt apply to every young girl'

Quantico actress Chopra shared a long caption and several images of herself in a Unicef shirt on Wednesday.

'What would you like to be when you grow up?' she began.

'Its a simple innocent question and one that has many answers, each filled with aspiration and hope.

'But sadly, it doesnt apply to every young girl.'

The wife of Nick Jonas then wrote that one in four 4 girls aged 15 to 19 are not in education and training centers or employed.

'Their aspirations are a distant dream,' she said as she tagged Max Factor.

'But, as always we can help.

'Proud to announce this #InternationalWomensDay Max Factor is partnering with @unicef by supporting the SKILLS4GIRLS programme, an initiative aimed at lighting the way for thousands of girls by giving them the skills they need to succeed. '

She added that worldwide the program aims to reach 11.5 million girls in more than 30 countries. This initiative will bring opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in underprivileged areas, she noted.

More from this star: The wife of Nick Jonas then wrote that one in four 4 girls aged 15 to 19 are not in education and training centers or employed

Angelina Jolie also took to social media to post a note.

'I wanted to share these photos and stories sent to me by some of the 300 female volunteers with @the_whitehelmets in #Syria.

'They identify unexploded bombs, carry out search and rescue operations to save victims of bombings and the recent earthquake, treat the injured and run health centers, working alongside their male colleagues.'

The Oscar-winning actress added, 'Being denied rights doesnt stop women from doing everything they can to protect others.

'Across the world women are fighting for their lives and families. More support for them, stronger responses to violence against them, leads to a more stable and just world.'

Good post: Angelina Jolie also took to social media to post a note. 'I wanted to share these photos and stories sent to me by some of the 300 female volunteers with @the_whitehelmets in #Syria'

Bold: She added, 'They identify unexploded bombs, carry out search and rescue operations to save victims of bombings and the recent earthquake, treat the injured and run health centers, working alongside their male colleagues.' Seen in January in Paris

Selena Gomez shared an image from her childhood when she was working on Barney & Friends.

'Dear younger me, please dont be afraid to ask for help.

'Today is International Womens Day and I want each of us to be gentler to ourselves. Write your younger self a and stick it on your mirror to remind yourself that you deserve the world. Love you.'

Original Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter was seen in character.

In her caption she said, 'Today, we celebrate our sisterhood, dreams, work, and the many possibilities within us. Happy International Womens Day .'

Vogue model Emily Ratajkowski posed pregnant and nude in her bathroom as she said, 'Happy International Women's Day to all who celebrate.'

Joey King of Bullet Train fame shared a video.

'The biggest threat to freedom is silence.

'I am proud to celebrate International Womens Day with @Pomellato and speak up for freedom with these amazing women @janefonda , @paolaegonu , @sabinabli , and @nasimeshqi

Thank you Sel: Selena Gomez shared an image from her childhood when she was working on Barney & Friends. 'Dear younger me, please dont be afraid to ask for help. 'Today is International Womens Day and I want each of us to be gentler to ourselves. Write your younger self a and stick it on your mirror to remind yourself that you deserve the world. Love you'

Wonder-ful, as always: Original Wonder Woman star Lynda Carter was seen in character. In her caption she said, 'Today, we celebrate our sisterhood, dreams, work, and the many possibilities within us. Happy International Womens Day '

No clothing needed: Vogue model Emily Ratajkowski posed pregnant and nude in her bathroom as she said, 'Happy International Women's Day to all who celebrate'

'Together we are stronger,' she wrote in her caption.

'Sending out support to all the men triggered by International Women's Day,' she wrote over a photo.

Brooke Burke - who was a winner and co-host of Dancing With The Stars - shared a collection of images.

'International Womens Day oh-what-a-powerful time to be a woman!' she said.

'Im celebrating all women and little holes sticking to be their best, powerful selves.

'Lifting up women with purposeful, nurturing, intelligent, connected, creative ladies.

'#Queen I love you MOM!'

Power move: Brooke Burke - who was a winner and co-host of Dancing With The Stars - shared a collection of images. 'International Womens Day oh-what-a-powerful time to be a woman!' she said. 'Im celebrating all women and little holes sticking to be their best, powerful selves'

Smells like Cher! Cher plugged a perfume as she highlighted how far women have come. She also said, 'Today We Celebrate The Incredible Achievements & Progress That Women Have Made Throughout History'

Amy Schumer was one of the first celebrities to post as she shared images to Instagram.

Cher plugged a perfume as she highlighted how far women have come.

She also said, 'Today We Celebrate The Incredible Achievements & Progress That Women Have Made Throughout History.

'From The Suffragette Movement To The Fight For Equal Pay & Gender Equality, Women Have Been Breaking Down Barriers & Shattering Glass Ceilings For Generations.'

Susan Lucci added a red heart as she wrote, 'Happy International Womens Day! Lets all stand strong together to live our best heart-healthy lives!.'

Funny girl: Amy Schumer was one of the first celebrities to post as she shared images to Instagram. 'Sending out support to all the men triggered by International Women's Day,' she wrote over a photo

Lucci time: Susan Lucci added, 'Happy International Womens Day! Lets all stand strong together to live our best heart-healthy lives!'

Kristin Cavallari of the reality TV series The Hills and Very Cavallari said, 'Never apologize for being a powerful f*cking woman.'

Denise Austin posted with her daughter.

Happy International Women's Day!!!!

'Each and every day I am so thankful to be surrounded by such strong, confident & inspiring women!!!

'Especially my amazing sweet and incredible daughters, my 3 devoted sisters and it all started with my dear Mom who instilled in us girls that we can achieve anything we put our hearts into!!!

'And to all my so wonderful friends, colleagues and YOU!! I am constantly reminded how empowering it is to be a woman!!! There is nothing we cant achieve as long as we work hard, have faith, stay determined and do everything from a place of love and passion!!

'Always remember we are stronger together and I will always be here to encourage you and support all of you to live a healthy and happy life!!! Lets CELEBRATE all women!!!

'I love you ALL!! Xoxo.'

Making a statement: Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney (seen here with husband George Clooney in September), and Melinda French Gates talked to Time. They discussed how their organizations are teaming up to end child marriage and empower the next generation of women

Michelle Obama, Amal Clooney, and Melinda French Gates talked to Time.

They discussed how their organizations are teaming up to end child marriage and empower the next generation of women.

On the partnership, the women write: 'Our partnership is grounded in our belief in the value of every girl and a shared commitment to seeing girls everywhere reach their full potential.

'Child marriage is a barrier to the better, more equal world girls deserve.

'That's why our organizationsand our partners at Girls First Fund, Girls Not Brides, and VOW for Girlsare joining forces to end the practice once and for all.'

On the importance of ending child marriage and educating girls: 'Around the world, child marriage is one of the biggest threats to girls' empowerment and education.

'As the data shows, the younger they marry, the more dire the consequences: Child brides are more likely to leave school, experience violence, have an unintended pregnancy, struggle to earn an income, and suffer a miscarriage or die during pregnancy.

From a RHONJ star: Teresa Giudice posed with her pals as she said they had a 'purification water ceremony' together which was an 'amazing experience' as they uplifted each other. She also noted they were on the island of Bali

Stunning family: Cindy Crawford posed with her mother, her grandma and sister

'But when girls go to school, we are all better off: poverty goes down, economies grow, and babies are born healthier. The ripple effects extend across countries and around our world.'

On how they plan to end child marriage and empower women: 'Together, we are working to increase funding for this issue, support civil society-led efforts, and amplify the voices of the girls and leaders who are driving real change in their country and community.

'We know this is not an easy endeavorthere are many social, religious, and cultural norms that have upheld child marriage over centuries.

'But we also know that change is possible. There are interventions that work to reduce these marriagesand ultimately, will end them altogether.'

Teresa Giudice of RHONJ on Bravo posed with her pals as she said they had a 'purification water ceremony' together which was an 'amazing experience' as they uplifted each other.

She also noted they were on the island of Bali.
Alessandra Ambrosio, 41, looked stylish in a chic white dress belted at the waist as she met up with Michelle Rodriguez for dinner in Santa Monica.

The model's dress featured a high neckline and game to mid-calf.

The Victoria's Secret Angel - who was in Rio last week - paired the look with a pair of taupe suede knee-high boots and a taupe jacket.

She met up with the Fast and Furious actress, 44, at the Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi.

Michelle was also dressed in white. She wore baggy white sweatpants with a white puffer and white scarf. She also wore a black mask that covered her entire face. She slipped her feet into a pair of taupe suede booties.

Stunning: Alessandra Ambrosio, 41, looked chic in a white and taupe look as she met up with Michelle Rodriguez, 44, for dinner in Santa Monica on Tuesday

Alessandra wore her long hair down and loose. Her makeup was flawless and sunkissed to set off her natural beauty.

The Brazilian was accompanied by an unidentified man.

Earlier in the week, the mom of Anja, 14, shared a cute snap of herself with her mini-me on Instagram.

Anja, whose full name is Anja Louise Ambrosio Mazur, is the daughter the Victoria's Secret regular had with her ex, photographer turned designer Jamie Mazur.

The former couple also have a 10-year-old son, Noah Phoenix.

The couple got engaged in 2008 and never married. They split in 2018.

The ladies looked like carbon copies of each other as they had the same high cheekbones and almond eyes as well as light brown hair.

The teenager leaned her head onto her mother's as they both had Monarch butterflies in their hair.

Masked up: The Fast X actress wore a unique mask that covered her entire face as she headed into the Santa Monica hot spot

Chic: The Victoria's Secret model is mom to Anja, 14 and Noah, 10, with ex-boyfriend Jamie Mazur

Two weeks ago, the bombshell was spotted in Rio living it up during the annual celebration of Carnival.

She was spotted on the beach in her native Brazil before the country partied it up during Carnival as she added in her caption that she was 'ready to Samba!'

The Carnival of Brazil is an annual Brazilian festival held the Friday afternoon before Ash Wednesday at noon, which marks the beginning of Lent, the forty-day period before Easter.

Meanwhile, last month Michelle got together with her Fast and Furious cast mates to celebrate the 10th installment of the popular franchise.

She was joined by Vin Diesel, Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris at the event at L.A. Live in Los Angeles commemorating the release of the first trailer for the upcoming Fast X.

The Blue Crush star plays Letty Ortiz in the film franchise.

She wore a sheer navy blue button-up top with white pants and pointy toe black heels.

The launch event also included displays of vehicles seen in the action film series and immersive photo opportunities, Universal said in a news release.
She recently shared that she's set to welcome her first child with Aljaz Skorjanec.

And Janette Manrara broke into tears on Tuesday as she opened up a congratulatory gift - which had a sentimental meaning behind it.

The dancer, 39, took to Instagram to share the story behind the gift from dressmaker DSI London, who had sent her one of their dresses.

Explaining the significance of the dress, Janette shared that she wore it during the couple's dance tour, A Christmas To Remember, which is also around the time that she and Aljaz found out their pregnancy news.

While donning the garment, the dancer recalled having 'tears in my eyes dancing that dance because Aljaz and I shared a moment right before we performed celebrating the 3 of us, on stage'.

'I will cherish it forever': Pregnant Janette Manrara was left in tears on Tuesday as she opened a special gift to congratulate her on recent baby news with beau Aljaz Skorjanec

Gift: The dancer had been given a dress that she wore during her recent Christmas tour, during which she found out the pregnancy news (pictured wearing the dress)

Dubbing the moment 'one of the most special in my life', she later told the story to the brand, who this week then sent her the dress to keep.

Aljaz recorded his wife as she reacted to the gift, overcome with emotion and rubbing both eyes.

'That's what a dress can do,' quipped the Slovenian dancer while Janette let out a giggle.

Telling the full story in the caption, the mother-to-be wrote: 'I look a little rough in the video but I had to share this special moment, so who cares! I received a lovely package from @dsilondon congratulating us on the baby news. I remember sharing the story with them of how much I loved dancing in one of their dresses for a specific moment of our @rememberingtour.

'It was my favourite moment in the show! If you came and watched, it was the opening of our second act. The music was magical, and I always felt like I was taken away to a dreamworld dancing it w/ @aljazskorjanec.

'We found out we were pregnant during our Christmas tour, and on the last show, I head tears in my eyes dancing that dance because Aljaz and I shared a moment right before we performed celebrating the 3 of us, on stage, dancing together before anyone else in the world found out our very special little secret. To say it was one of the most special moments of my life, is an understatement.

'Now, @dsilondon have given me as a gift the dress I wore for that number as they recalled the story and how much I loved dancing in it.. such a thoughtful thing to do!'

Concluding that the dress meant even more because of how far away she is from family, the Cuban-American star added: 'I am so far away from my family but its gestures like these and all of your kind messages of love that have made me so emotional and feel so much love around Aljaz and I and our little baby. Thank you @dsilondon for this very special gift. I will cherish it forever'.

Sentimental: While donning the garment on stage, the dancer recalled having 'tears in my eyes dancing that dance because Aljaz and I shared a moment right before we performed celebrating the 3 of us, on stage'

So sweet: Telling the full story in the caption, the mother-to-be shared that the gesture made her 'so emotional'

Happy news: Strictly Come Dancing couple Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec have confirmed they are expecting their first child

Janette and Aljaz's pregnancy news came after they had spent over two years struggling to conceive.

Speaking in a recent interview with HELLO!, she detailed: 'For the past couple of years we hadnt been using protection but nothing was happening, so we thought IVF was the next best thing for us to do.'

'I turn 40 later this year and the NHS offers really good services to women under 40. The doctor said that as soon as I got my period we would start injections, but my period never came.'

'I know that IVF can be really strenuous on a womans body and there is no guarantee it will work, so to know that this little miracle just came from a wonderful night we had together is amazing. I think the baby decided to make Mum and Dad panic a bit before saying, "ok, fine, Im coming up now."'

Janette explained how she told Aljaz she was pregnant by handing him the positive pregnancy test and that they 'cried and hugged; it was quite a moment'.

Aljaz added that he was 'beside myself' and hoped the baby would look more like Janette than him.
Bruce Willis' wife Emma Heming has shut down claims his ex-wife Demi Moore moved in to his home to help care for him as he struggles in the wake of his dementia diagnosis.

It was claimed Moore, 60, was helping to care for the 67-year-old Die Hard star alongside wife Emma Heming Willis, 44, and their two young daughters, according to Radar - but Heming has hit back at the speculation.

She wrote on Instagram on Wednesday: 'Let's nip this one in the bud. This is so dumb. Please stop.'

Bruce is battling frontotemporal dementia which Emma shared her perspective on earlier this week.

A representative for Moore had told Radar that she was not committed to living with Bruce and Emma, but another source claimed the actress had 'never left' her pod with her husband's family.

Denied: Bruce Willis' wife Emma Heming has shut down claims his ex-wife Demi Moore moved in to his home to help care for him as he struggles in the wake of his dementia diagnosis - The former married couple are photographed together in 2018 in LA

Couple: She wrote on Instagram on Wednesday: 'Let's nip this one in the bud. This is so dumb. Please stop'; Bruce and Emma seen in 2019 in NYC

At the height of the pandemic, Bruce spent time sheltering with Demi and their adult children in Sun Valley, Idaho.

The unusual arrangement was originally supposed to include Emma, but she was delayed after one of her and Bruce's daughters accidentally poked herself with a hypodermic needle found at a park.

Emma  who shares daughters Mabel, 10, and Evelyn, eight, with Bruce  opted to delay her trip to take the girl to the doctor, while her husband left early for Idaho.

A source previously revealed to the publication that Bruce was 'determined to stay coherent and lucid for as long as possible' in hopes of being able to make an impression on his upcoming granddaughter from his oldest daughter Rumer Willis.

She announced that she was expecting her first child with her boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas in late December.

On Tuesday, Bruce's wife Emma tried to 'raise awareness' of frontotemporal dementia following her husband's diagnosis with the disorder.

In video posted to her Instagram, Willis, 44, talked about channeling her pain into 'something good' and using her platform to spread awareness of the ailment.

'I just saw something about me getting my five minutes, which is great. Which means that you're listening. So I'm going to take my five minutes and I'm going to turn it into 10 because I'm always going to advocate for my husband,' she began.

By his side: A representative for Moore had told Radar that she was not committed to living with Bruce and Emma, but another source claimed the actress had 'never left' her pod with her husband's family; Bruce and Demi seen in 1995 in Paris

'I'm always going to advocate for my husband': Bruce's wife Emma is using her voice to 'raise awareness' of frontotemporal dementia following her husband's diagnosis with the condition

'And, while I'm at it, I'm going to raise awareness around FTD and for caregivers, who are unsung heroes out there. And then, and then, I am going to turn my grief and my anger and my sadness and do something good around something that feels less than. So, watch this space, because I didn't come to play.'

It has been a year since Willis' family announced the actor, 67, would be stepping away from his career after he was diagnosed with aphasia. Last month, his family said the illness had progressed to frontotemporal dementia.

FTD affects the lobes of the brain behind the forehead, which deal with behavior, problem-solving, planning and emotions.

The post was captioned: 'Just over here turning my 5 mins into 10. Ive sat around quietly for too long and Im so ready to be embraced by this solid and loving community my family and I find ourselves in while trying to lift them up in return. Lets go. #ftdawareness #dementiaawareness #caregiversupport'.

The post came after Willis posted an emotional plea asking families of dementia sufferers for advice on how to help their loved ones navigate the world safely.

Heming Willis posted the Instagram video on Saturday stating that it was in 'service for raising awareness about dementia.'

'If you are someone who is looking after someone who has dementia, you know how difficult and how stressful it can be, just to get them out into the world and navigate them safely - even just to get a cup of coffee.'

In her caption, the actor's wife asks for advice on how to do this with her husband following his own diagnosis.

'To other caregivers or dementia care specialist navigating this world. Any tips or advice on how to get your loved ones out in the world safely? Please share below.'

Willis' diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia can include symptoms like personality changes, speech difficulty and motor impairment.

The Hollywood icon was seen out and about last week, the first time since his family revealed he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

Willis shares Rumer, 34, Scout, 31 and Tallulah, 29, with Moore, 60 to whom he was married from 1987 to 2000.

'I'm going to raise awareness': In a video posted to her Instagram on Tuesday, Willis, 44, talked about channeling her pain into 'something good' and using her platform to spread awareness of the ailment

Heartbreaking news: It has been a year since Willis's family announced the actor would be stepping away from his career after he was diagnosed with aphasia. Last month, his family said the illness had progressed to frontotemporal dementia

'Let's go': Willis spoke out about the condition in a video shared to her account on Tuesday

FTD occurs when nerve cells in the lobes behind the forehead die and the pathways that connect them change.

The left temporal lobe is involved in the meaning of words and the names of objects. The right recognizes faces and familiar objects.

Symptoms are different from just the memory loss that is associated with Alzheimer's disease.

These may include; personality changes, such as becoming tactless, uninterested in others and unsympathetic, repeated and compulsive movements, such as continued use of certain phrases, hoarding and obsession over timekeeping, craving unhealthy food and forgetting table manners, speaking difficulties, including slow speech, grammatical errors and asking the meaning of familiar words like 'bread'.

Bruce's blended family issued a joint statement at the end of March announcing that he was 'stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him.'

The statement revealed he 'has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities.'

Willis had reportedly been struggling with cognitive issues on the sets of his films for years - and even needed an earpiece to feed him lines.

A unnamed source told Page Six his declining cognitive ability had been an open secret in Hollywood.

Long-time love: Emma has been married to the Die Hard actor for 14 years; pictured 2019

Sad: The retirement announcement marked an end to Willis's decades-long career, during which he has earned a Golden Globe award and two Emmys

The famed actor can even be spotted in a scene in his new movie American Siege, which was filmed in 2020, wearing an earpiece. This was a full two years before the family's announcement that Willis has aphasia.

Willis was also seen using an earpiece to feed him lines in his Broadway debut in Misery in 2015, an unnamed insider also told OK! Magazine

And he was reportedly struggling during the filming of M. Night Shyamalan's 2019 film Glass.

The retirement announcement marked an end to Willis's decades-long career, during which he has earned a Golden Globe award and two Emmys.
Keanu Reeves put on an animated display as he attended the John Wick: Chapter 4 premiere in Berlin on Wednesday.

The actor, 58, who returns as the titular character in the film, looked slick in a charcoal suit.

He posed for a series of fun photos while walking the red carpet at Zoo Palast cinema for the event.

Keanu teamed the grey two piece with a matching shirt in a lighter shade and a pair of brow leather shoes.

The star accessorised with a smart tie and styled his long hair straight, while sporting a neat beard.

Dapper: Keanu Reeves, 58, attended the John Wick: Chapter 4 premiere in Berlin on Wednesday

Exciting: The actor, who returns as the titular character in the film, put on an animated display as he walked the red carpet

It comes after Keanu revealed the touching reason why he keeps returning to star in the John Wick films 10 years on from his debut as the titular character.

The stars were out in force for the John Wick: Chapter 4 premiere in London on Monday night where the actor chatted about the film.

He said of why he still plays the role: 'I like his humour, I like his will, I like his grief and it's really fun to play him in these films, these films are fun.'

Suggesting that the character of John tested his limits, Keanu added to Metro: 'I try really hard, but with John, you have to try just a little bit harder.'

Nearly a decade after Keanu's John Wick went on a deadly rampage after his beloved dog was killed, the assassin may just have a new four-legged friend in the final trailer for John Wick: Chapter 4.

The first John Wick film found the title character living a peaceful life in retirement, with an adorable dog as his companion, a final gift from his dying wife.

When a group of assassins made the mistake of killing his beloved pooch, the hitman Wick came out of retirement and went on a bloody rampage.

Now John is fighting for his very life, trying to take down the mysterious hitman organization known as the High Table in the final trailer (via Lionsgate Movies).

Slick: Keanu teamed the grey two piece with a matching shirt in a lighter shade and a pair of brow leather shoes

The trailer features the 2001 Nas track Got Ur Self a Gun (which samples The Sopranos theme song Woke Up This Morning) and teases the new canine friend as well.

The trailer opens with a mysterious DJ cueing up a song, stating, 'This song goes out to you, Mister Wick,' as she plays the new Nas track.

Wick is seen meeting with The Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), who presents him with a new (likely bulletproof) suit, adding, '42 regular, wasn't it?'

'Yeah,' Wick says, as Winston (Ian McShane) adds, 'And so it begins,' as we see Wick taking out a number of assassins at a packed nightclub.

Shimazu (Hiroyuki Sanada) is seen briefly, as is Marquis (Bill Skarsgard), as Winston tells John, 'Challenge him to single combat.

John is seen meeting with Marquis at a cafe overlooking the Eiffel Tower in Paris, as Marquis tells him, 'If you win, you will have your freedom,' though it's still unclear who John's opponent is.

Coming soon: Nearly a decade after Keanu's John Wick went on a deadly rampage after his beloved dog was killed, the assassin may just have a new four-legged friend in the final trailer for John Wick: Chapter 4 (pictured in the trailer)

Red carpet ready: The star accessorised with a smart tie and styled his long hair straight, while sporting a neat beard

Enjoyment: The actor said of why he still plays the role: 'I like his humour, I like his will, I like his grief and it's really fun to play him in these films, these films are fun'

Another shot shows Akira (Rina Sawayama) stabbing a man with two knives as he crawls up a flight of stairs, while we see more shots of John taking on multiple enemies at once on a rooftop.

We get a new glimpse at Charon (Lance Reddick) plus another shot of John in another gunfight in a rainy nightclub.

John is seen driving his black Boss 429 Ford Mustang (with no driver's side door) as we get a glimpse at a new character dubbed Killa (Scott Adkins) saying, 'The Baba Yaga,' and laughing.

We also get a new look at Caine, played by martial arts legend Donnie Yen, whose seen showing his proficiency with a samurai sword, along with a glimpse at Shamier Anderson's Tracker.

The Elder (George Georgiou) is heard saying, 'The only way John Wick will ever have freedom and peace is in death,' as John is seen on horseback riding out in a desert to see The Elder.

'Yeah, not really,' John says to his supposed prediction before pulling a gun on him.

John is seen in another gunfight near the chaotic Champs-Elysees in Paris, overlooking the Arc de Triomphe... when he finds a surprising ally: a new dog, running over the roofs of cars and biting the arm of a man trying to kill John.

The final shot shows the dog looking up at John with a whimper as John looks back at him... as the trailer comes to an end.

John Wick: Chapter 4 also stars Natalia Tena, Aimee Kwan, Marko Zaror and Clancy Brown, arriving in theaters March 24.




Lotte signs an MOU with the Bid Committee for World Expo 2030 Busan and Busan Metropolitan City to help attract the Expo to Busan, Wednesday. From left are Lotte Holdings Communication Director Lee Gap, Bid Committee for World Expo 2030 Busan Secretary General Yoon Sang-jick and Busan Vice Mayor for Economic Affairs Lee Seong-kweun. Courtesy of Lotte Group
Spencer Matthews shared behind-the-scenes photos from his expedition to Mount Everest as his documentary Finding Michael finally aired on Disney+ after delays.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 34, posted a series of snaps to his Instagram on Wednesday and said he hoped everyone enjoyed the emotional film.

His post comes after Finding Michael was pulled from the streaming service just hours before its scheduled release on Friday amid reports of last minute editing.

In the social media post, Spencer celebrated the documentary being made available to fans and shared photos of himself following in his brother's footsteps.

Michael made history as the youngest ever Brit to reach the summit aged 22 in 1999, but tragically died on the perilous mountain, the programme follows Spencer as he attempt to recover his brother's body.

Update: Spencer Matthews, 34, shared behind-the-scenes photos from his expedition to Mount Everest as his documentary Finding Michael finally aired on Disney+ after delays

Proud: The former Made In Chelsea star posted a series of snaps to his Instagram on Wednesday and said he hoped everyone enjoyed the emotional film

In the first photo Spencer sat cross-legged outside the Tengboche Monastery in the Khumbu valley of eastern Nepal.

The TV personality is seen wearing a patterned fleece after receiving a prayer scarf, just like his older brother.

Alongside the photos, he penned: 'Everest photo dump. 1. Moments after being blessed at the Tengboche Monastery (same as Mike) 2. With Tom Beard, our incredible Director.

'3. Shooting drone footage of Everest from the trail. 4. Arriving at Base Camp - 5,364m (17,598 ft). 5. Home for four and a half weeks. 6. Puja ceremony at 4am before climbers head through the Khumbu icefall to camp 1.

'Hope youre enjoying the film which is now streaming on Disney+'

Spencer was reportedly 'furious' that his Finding Michael documentary had been delayed by Disney+.

It had been claimed the streaming giant pulled the plug at the last minute because the film depicts dead bodies and needs to be re-edited.

A source told The Mirror: 'This was a real disaster. After endless viewings, two official screenings and a entire campaign building up to a release on March 3 it was decided with hours to go that footage of bodies might be deemed insensitive.'

Behind-the-scenes: He celebrated the documentary being made available to fans and shared photos of himself following in his brother's footsteps (Pictured with the director Tom Beard)

Tragic: Michael made history as the youngest ever Brit to reach the summit aged 22 in 1999, but tragically died, the programme follows Spencer as he attempt to recover his body

They added: 'Everest is often too dangerous to recover those who died in the death zone, and the film reflects that. The fact this was only raised with hours to go before the release  and public screenings  is astonishing.

'So the premiere date was just dropped. Meanwhile, Spencer is doing interviews in which he has to fudge the date. He was absolutely furious and there have been some very heated conversations this week.'

MailOnline has contacted Spencer's representatives and Disney+ for comment.

Spencer fought back tears as he discussed his attempts to recover his late brother's body on Mount Everest on The One Show on Thursday.

The TV star, who was aged just 10 when it happened, retold Alex Jones and Roman Kemp about Michael's last journey and how he retraced his steps to try to bring him home.

Spencer said: 'When Michael went missing, by the time some people realised he was missing it was too late. Nobody survives the night, really. A couple of cases maybe.'

Michael is said to have got in trouble after beginning to make his way down the south descent through the 'death zone' on May 13, 1999.

Trek: Spencer included photos of the tents at base camp and added: 'Home for four and a half weeks'

Insight: n another photo he showed the 'Puja ceremony at 4am before climbers head through the Khumbu icefall to camp 1'

Mission: Spencer detailed: 'Shooting drone footage of Everest from the trail'

He was the brother of Pippa Middleton's husband, the racing driver turned hedge fund manager James Matthews, 47.

The experienced mountaineer, who had previously conquered Aconcagua, the Pyrenees and the Swiss Alps, was the 162nd person to die on Everest.

Spencer went on to detail how he made the 'difficult decision' to undertake the mission himself.

'In 2017, the family was sent a photo of a body on the mountain and they claimed that it could be Michael. In fact it did look like it could be, with similar summit suits. It's the first time really that I thought even a body recovery was possible.

'It continued to tick away in my head: "What if it is him?". I've certainly grown up with feelings that he's up there and died and was left there. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a body to mourn for my family?'

Tragic: Michael is said to have got in trouble after beginning to make his way down the south descent through the 'death zone' on May 13, 1999

'We scrapped together any information we had. Some of the footage of Michael on the mountain I'd never seen before,' he said, becoming increasingly more emotional as the interview progressed.

'It was the first time I'd seen him on camera, because as a kid we didn't do home movies or anything.

'Retracing his steps and understanding his final days a bit better was quite cathartic for me...'

The former Made In Chelsea star filmed Finding Michael with the help of survivalist Bear Grylls and record-breaking mountaineer Nirmal 'Nims' Purja.
Things took a dramatic turn for Marshall Hamston during Wednesday's episode when he was reunited with his abusive father Colin after he was discovered hiding.

The teenager had been hiding in Rishi Sharma's house with the help of Arthur Thomas after fleeing the boarding school his father had forced him to attend.

It came after Marshall's father Colin disowned him over his sexuality and threw him out once he discovered his son had feelings for Arthur Thomas (Alfie Clarke).

However, Marshall (Max Fletcher) was discovered in Wednesday's episode by Arthur's mother Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy), who realised her son wasn't at school and wondered where he was going.

Laurel then insisted on calling Marshall's father Colin, who appeared apologetic when he reunited with his son, with the teenager then agreeing to return home.

Reunited: Things took a dramatic turn for Marshall Hamston during Wednesday's episode when he was reunited with his abusive father Colin after he was discovered hiding

Upset: But Arthur was left furious after his mother told him of the decision, revealing his fears for Marshall going back to his homophobic father Colin

But Arthur was left furious after his mother told him of the decision, revealing his fears for Marshall going back to his homophobic father Colin (Mark Noble).

After learning that Colin cruelly called Arthur a 'pervert' for his sexuality, Laurel was left fearing she made a terrible mistake by calling Colin, with Marshall's future hanging in the balance.

The drama kicked off in Wednesday's episode when Laurel noticed something was amiss when Arthur sneakily stole flapjacks.

Arthur was then seen giving the snacks to Marshall, having brought the teenager to his house in the middle of the day after Rishi became convinced their was a ghost in his house.

He asked Marshall: 'Have you done any more thinking?'

To which Marshall replied: 'Yeah loads, but it's pointless. I can't go to school, I can't go home.'

But Arthur said: 'You can't stay in here forever.'

A dejected Marshall said: 'If you want me to leave.'

Before Arthur could respond, his mother Laurel burst in the room and asked: 'Arthur, what are you doing here?'

Realisation then dawned on her face as she noticed Arthur was sitting with Marshall, who she believed was at boarding school after his father Colin had sent him away.

In tense scenes, Rishi (Bhasker Patel) was furious after discovering that the mystery intruder in his house was Marshall, not a ghost as he had come to fear.

An angry Rishi said to Arthur: 'You're sudden enthusiasm for Scrabble was a ploy to stop me going home? I thought it was a ghost!'

Despite Arthur's apologies, his mother Laurel said: 'We will discuss this properly later, but there will be consequences.'

Arthur then revealed his plot to keep Marshall hidden, telling his mother: 'I've been helping him since he was supposed to go to boarding school.'

Hiding: Marshall had been hiding in Rishi Sharma's house with the help of Arthur Thomas after fleeing the boarding school his father had forced him to attend

Discovered: However, Marshall (Max Fletcher) was discovered by Arthur's mother Laurel (Charlotte Bellamy), who then insisted on calling his homophobic father Colin

Oh dear: But after learning Colin cruelly called Arthur a 'pervert', Laurel was left fearing she made a terrible mistake by calling Colin, with Marshall's future hanging in the balance

To which Marshall explained: 'We wrote them a letter saying my granny was sick and I had to go to Italy to visit her.'

Laurel asked: 'Do you even have a granny in Italy?', to which Marshall replied: 'No.'

Laurel then insisted on calling Marshall's father Colin, saying he needed to know that his son wasn't at boarding school.

Marshall begged: 'You don't have to tell him, please.'

But Laurel said: 'I know you don't have the easiest relationship with him and going to boarding school was sudden, but he's your dad. It's non-negotiable, I need to tell him where you are.'

Marshall was then seen looking very nervous as he waited for his abusive father to collect him, appearing to fear his reaction at him fleeing boarding school.

Marshall said: 'My dad hates being phoned at work.'

To which Laurel assured him: 'He's a parent, it comes with the territory.'

As Colin walked in, Marshall said: 'Dad!'

Laurel then reasoned: 'Colin, let's all stay calm. Marshall knows he's gone about this the complete wrong way.'

As Marshall told his father: 'I'm sorry, don't be mad', Colin ran towards his son and grabbed him in a tight embrace, much to the teenager's surprise.

The father and son were then seen sitting down with Laurel to work out what was to be done and if Marshall was to return to boarding school or stay in the village.

A confused Colin asked his son: 'I drove you to the school.'

To which Marshall said: 'I turned around, I didn't want to go.'

Laurel said: 'It's tough isn't it? Joining a school halfway through the year.'

Marshall then admitted that he missed Arthur and shared his desire to return to his old school, Hotten Academy.

Colin then asked his son if Arthur had helped him 'forge' the letter to his boarding school, but Marshall insisted: 'Only think up the words, he didn't actually do it.'

Colin then accepted that his son's reaction had been 'knee-jerk' but admitted that he still found it 'challenging' to accept his son's sexuality because of his religion.

But Laurel told him: 'Arthur's sexuality is part of his identity... our young people deserve better.'

'It's not about what we think, it's about supporting our children,' she added.

To which Colin assured her: 'Which is all I've ever tried to do, support him.'

Marshall then asked his father: 'So, can I still see Arthur? Can we cancel boarding school? I'll work really hard, spend all the holidays doing revision.'

And Colin replied: 'As long as you can bear coming home.'

Marshall appeared unsure and then mumbled 'yeah' in agreement, with Colin saying that it was 'good'.

Laurel appeared pleased that they had some to an agreement and that Marshall would be returning home and to Hotten Academy.

She said: 'I'm glad this has been productive, Arthur is going to be very relieved.'

However, Arthur was left furious after his mother told him of the new development, sharing his fears for Marshall.

Arthur raged at Laurel: 'What? You called him. That's why he isn't texting me, I've sent him loads of messages.'

Laurel insisted: 'There's been a breakthrough, he even mentioned you. And Colin has accepted your friendship.'

However, Arthur revealed: 'He'd never do that, he's massively homophobic! He'd never change his mind in one day! He called me a disgusting little pervert, warned me not to touch his son!'

A shocked Laurel said: 'You never told me that! I didn't realise, why didn't you warn me?'

Before quickly leaving, Arthur said: 'What have you done?'

To which Laurel then admitted: 'I think I've made a huge mistake.'

After manipulating Marshall into coming home, Colin is set to start love-bombing him with messages in episodes set to air later in the week.

But rather than agree to return home with his family and forgive his father, Colin's behaviour leaves Marshall more conflicted than ever about his feelings.

In the scenes, Marshall is grateful for Jai and Laurel taking him in after Colin (Mark Noble) threw him out once he discovered his son had feelings for Arthur (Alfie Clarke).

He is further defeated to hear Hotten Academy can't accept him back without his father's approval.

Eventually, Colin agrees to Marshall returning to Hotten Academy, although Laurel and Jai fear it may only be because he wants his abuse of Marshall to be kept quiet.

Later, when Jai opens up to Laurel about his fears of the impact on their family of them taking on Marshall, he doesn't know that devastated Marshall is listening to the conversation on the stairs.

Confusion: After manipulating Marshall into coming home, Colin is set to start love-bombing him with messages in episodes set to air later in the week

The next day, Colin appears, asking to see Marshall, but Jai and Laurel are unconvinced by his apparent change of heart and only agree he can see his son if Marshall gives his consent.

Marshall's wrong-footed by his caring approach when Colin tries to convince Marshall he's sorry for disowning him over his sexuality.

When his dad says he loves him and tells him it's time to come home, Marshall is shaken by the request.

Colin does his best to manipulate him into coming home, and the next day Marshall is confused as his dad continues to love bomb him with messages.

With Marshall now more confused than ever, has his family been torn apart for good?

Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix was seen taking comfort in her friends Tuesday amid her breakup with her co-star Tom Sandoval.

Sandoval and Madix were together for nearly a decade until their split last week after she discovered his affair with their castmate Raquel Leviss.

Madix, 37, was spotted out to dinner Tuesday night with a group of friends that included Scheana Shay, also of Vanderpump Rules fame.

While sitting at an alfresco table Madix cooed over Shay's one-year-old daughter Summer Moon, whom she shares with her fiance Brock Davies.

She was also sighted that day enjoying a stroll with a male pal wearing a sweater with a picture of her face and the phrase: 'It's Ariana, B****!' - a take-off on the Britney Spears fan slogan: 'It's Britney, b****!' from her song Gimme More.

Stepping out: Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix was seen taking comfort in her friends Tuesday amid her breakup with her co-star Tom Sandoval

Together: Madix, 37, was spotted out to dinner Tuesday night with a group of friends that included Scheana Shay (left), also of Vanderpump Rules fame

The day of their outing, Page Six alleged that Leviss had filed for a temporary restraining order against Shay. At present, it is unknown if the TRO was granted.

Last Wednesday, the day before the cheating scandal broke, Leviss and Shay were together in New York City to tape Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.

Madix is said to have found out about Sandoval's affair that night in Los Angeles when she saw incriminating texts from Leviss on his phone.

Leviss reportedly told Shay about the affair in New York that same evening, prompting what a Page Six source called a 'heated confrontation' between them.

'After taping Watch What Happens Live, Scheana and Raquel went out to drinks with friends. At one point in the night, Scheana lost Raquel and then found her outside of the bar on the phone with Ariana, who Scheana could hear was bawling.'

The insider claimed that Shay asked Leviss to explain the situation and Leviss responded by telling her about the affair - with Madix 'still on the phone.'

Madix meanwhile is said to be receiving 'a ton of support' amid the fallout of her breakup with Sandoval.

'Ariana has not been alone at all since this happened,' an insider told People. 'All of the girls in their friend group are taking turns visiting her around the clock at her house. Everyone's rallying around her.'

So sweet: While sitting at an alfresco table Madix cooed over Shay's one-year-old daughter Summer Moon, whom she shares with her fiance Brock Davies

Backdrop: The day of their outing, Page Six alleged that Leviss had filed for a temporary restraining order against Shay

Meanwhile sources have informed TMZ that there is no chance of Sandoval, 39, and Madix, 37, getting back together. Insiders in Sandoval's camp have maintained that the relationship was already on the rocks before Madix found out about Leviss.

Vanderpump Rules stars Scheana Shay and Katie Maloney were spotted stopping by Madix and Sandoval's home on Friday.

Amid the flow of news over the weekend, Sandoval addressed the affair in an online apology in which he implored people to keep their anger over the situation focused on him, and not his friends, family and business associates.

Following the initial shock over the news that Sandoval and Leviss have been having a months-long affair behind Madix's back, Vanderpump Rules fans spent the weekend unearthing clues and evidence of their secret relationship.

Despite the reality star's own partner reportedly feeling 'blindsided' by her boyfriend's infidelity with their castmate, social media sleuths have discovered obvious signs that the duo were 'hooking up' and 'communicating inappropriately for months.'

He's a fan: She was also sighted that day enjoying a stroll with a male pal wearing a sweater with a picture of her face and the phrase: 'It's Ariana, B****!'

On the move: The writing on the man's top was a take-off on the Britney Spears fan slogan: 'It's Britney, b****!' from her song Gimme More

Backdrop: Madix is said to have found out about Sandoval's affair last Wednesday night in Los Angeles when she saw incriminating texts from Leviss on his phone

Upon learning that Sandoval had been unfaithful by discovering a 'sexually explicit video' from Leviss on his phone after watching Sandoval's band's perform in West Hollywood on Wednesday night, according to Page Six, Madix ended their nine-year relationship.

Madix has since deleted her Instagram account and has yet to comment on the claims.

Sandoval alluded to the end of the high-profile relationship crisis during a Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras show at the City National Grove in Anaheim, California on Friday evening. He asked, the crowd, a source told US Weekly, 'Have you ever been one of the most hated people in America?'

Sandoval took to Instagram on Sunday to apologize for his actions and ask fans to direct their 'anger' and 'disappointment' toward him not his business partners or loved ones.

Over: Madix is said to be receiving 'a ton of support' amid her breakup with her co-star Tom Sandoval, whom she is pictured with last June
Halle Berry wishes her boyfriend, musician Van Hunt, a happy 53rd birthday on Wednesday.

The 56-year-old Oscar-winner actress posted two snaps of the happy couple on Instagram.

'Happy Birthday, VanO! Its amazing how you walked into my life and I cant remember living without YOU! Heres to many more my love! @vanhunt,' she captioned the post.

In the first snap Halle is looking at Van and laughing while he stares straight into the camera. In the second photo, they are kissing while sitting on a white chaise lounge.

Halle is wearing hot pink cheetah print pajamas while Van is clad in a pair of grey cotton pants, black sweatshirt and white hat.

Happy Birthday: Halle Berry shared two sweet snaps in honor of her musician boyfriend Van Hunt's 53rd birthday on Wednesday

Van commented, 'Thank u, baby,' on the post. Meanwhile Mario Lopez left a 'HBD Van!' message and Ava DuVerny simply left a black heart emoji as a comment.

The couple have been together for about three and a half years.

The X:Men star posted a pic of herself on Instagram in a black t-shirt with the musician's logo on it back in September 2020.

She captioned the post, 'Now ya know...'

Van is a Grammy winning musician who appeared on the first season of Ellen DeGeneres' talk show in 2004. Halle also appeared on that season.

'You mean you could've found me 20 years and saved me all this misery I've been through,' she joked to DeGeneres last year.

'How come you didn't arrange that, Ellen?' she asked.

Berry was previously married to David Justice from 1993 to 1997, Eric Benet from 2001 to 2005 and Olivier Martinez from 2013 to 2016.

Sweet sentiment: 'Happy Birthday, VanO! Its amazing how you walked into my life and I cant remember living without YOU! Heres to many more my love! @vanhunt,' she captioned the post

In January, The Monster's Ball star celebrated National Cuddle Up day by sharing a snap of her cuddling up to her boyfriend on the beach.

'All mine... not sharing,' the actress captioned the sweet snap.

The dynamic pair also celebrated Christmas together, with Berry sharing a glimpse of them in front of a decorated tree.

In another snap the Ohio native wore a Santa hat as she held a present wrapped in paper that had partner Van Hunt's face all over it.

The musician also wore a Santa hat in the photos as he flashed a toothy grin all over the patterned paper.

The award-winning actress also shared a photo of a heart-shaped ornament hanging from a lit tree.

It hung from a red ribbon and had a white background with her loved ones' names inscribed all over.

'I wish I had met him sooner so I could have loved him longer,' the Catwoman star gushed to Women's Health in 2021.
Sam Armytage gave her golden Labrador Banjo the fright of his life during a trip to the car wash on Wednesday.

The 46-year-old posted two photos on Instagram of their outing, with Banjo looking frightened as the machine wash began.

The dog appeared alarmed when the water and soap started to spread across the windscreen.

'He's never been through the car wash before, and I'm not sure he enjoyed it,' Sam wrote.

Banjo looked back at his owner as if for reassurance, and appeared as though he wanted to leave the vehicle immediately.

Sam Armytage gave her golden Labrador Banjo the fright of his life during a trip to the car wash on Wednesday

Their trip to the car wash comes after Sam attempted to keep them both cool earlier this week as a heatwave swept across New South Wales.

Temperatures soared to 40C in some inland areas of the state on Monday.

Braving the heat in rural Bowral, Sam decided to take shelter in her car, and brought Banjo along for the ride.

Banjo looked back at his owner as if for reassurance, and appeared as though he wanted to leave the vehicle immediately

She cranked up the air conditioning to cool down and gave her pooch a much-needed blast of chill.

'Under the aircon vents,' she wrote alongside an image of Banjo in the car.

Sam has been living in the country with her husband Richard Lavender for the past few years.

Sam has been living in the country with her husband Richard Lavender for the past few years

The former Sunrise presenter admitted in a recent interview she and her husband preferred a quieter lifestyle these days.

She wed her Richard, 61, on New Years' Eve in 2020 at his Southern Highlands home.

After signing off on Sunrise in March 2021, she was replaced by long-serving newsreader Natalie Barr.

In July 2020, Sam sold her home in North Bondi, Sydney, for $2.8million, which suggested she was planning to move to Bowral full time.
The cast of TOWIE have jetted off to Thailand to film an explosive new series.

And Amber Turner and Elma Pazar looked incredible on Tuesday as filming got under way in the sunshine.

Amber, 29, flashed her toned and tanned figure in a yellow two-piece, teamed with a fishnet maxi skirt and sandals.

She opted for a glam makeup look underneath a pair of stylish rectangle shades, while styling her golden locks in loose waves.

Meanwhile, Elma put on a busty display in a lime green halterneck bikini top, teamed with matching bottoms and a white shirt.

Wow! TOWIE's Amber Turner and Elma Pazar looked incredible in tiny bikinis on Tuesday as filming got under way in Thailand

The newcomer, 29, donned a pair of white sandals and accessorised with some shades as she posed up a storm on the pier.

Ella Rae Wise put on a very leggy display in a tiny orange bikini top and bottoms, teamed with a matching mini skirt.

The blonde bombshell, 22, sported a bronzed makeup palette which accentuated her natural features with a swipe of nude lipstick.

They were also joined by Dani Imbert who showed off her incredible figure in a beige bikini and a matching mesh cover-up.

The reality stars head out on a luxury Catamaran for a boat trip around the exotic islands of Phuket.

TOWIE will resume for a new series after a string of stars departed the show.

Show favourites Liam Blackwell (Gatsby), Pete Wicks and Chloe Sims alongside her sisters Demi and Frankie have all left.

But it seems there is plenty of drama already within the cast, as a huge feud has a reportedly erupted while in Thailand,

It is claimed there was a 'frosty' atmosphere between some members of the show as soon as they reached the hotel reception after their flight.

A source told The Sun there was 'a lot of drama' with Chloe and Jordan Brook, with them clashing in 'a big way'.

They added: 'Chloe has been involved but this time she had a reason to kick off and all will become clear as filming rumbles on.'

Amber, 29, flashed her toned and tanned figure in a yellow two-piece, teamed with a fishnet maxi skirt and sandals.

Unreal: Elma put on a busty display in a lime green halterneck bikini top, teamed with matching bottoms and a white shirt

Stunning: The girls strut down the pier, making it their own personal catwalk

Looking good: They then posed for a beaming snap together

Wow! Ella Rae Wise put on a very leggy display in a tiny orange bikini top and bottoms, teamed with a matching mini skirt

Beauty: The blonde bombshell, 22, sported a bronzed makeup palette which accentuated her natural features with a swipe of nude lipstick

Gorgeous: They were also joined by Dani Imbert who showed off her incredible figure in a beige bikini and a matching mesh cover-up

The source continued: 'There is no love lost between Junaid and Amber either  the pair are taking their dislike to the next level and let their feelings be crystal clear.

'To say the atmosphere in Thailand is frosty is a huge understatement. There are two camps in the cast opening up and a big divide is emerging.

'It is the worst in terms of atmosphere that has ever been seen. Amber and Junaid are on very rocky ground, and even girl band are not unscathed.'

MailOnline has contacted TOWIE for comment.

The latest season of TOWIE began filming in Thailand last week, with all major cast members making the trip.

James Lock's brother George has also joined the show for the new series and was seen with his sibling in Phuket in recent days.

Pete, meanwhile, is looking to explore fresh opportunities away from the world of reality television.

A source told MailOnline Pete's departure has been a huge blow for ITVBe executives.

The show has already suffered the loss of longstanding cast member Chloe Sims, as well as her sisters Demi and Frankie, last year.

An insider revealed: 'Pete is a hugely loved member of TOWIE both among viewers and the cast.

Casual: Dan Edgar flashed a smile as he strolled down the pier in a pair of orange patterned short and a white shirt

Shirtless Diags showed off his muscular physique in a pair of black swimming trunks

New: TOWIE will resume for a new series after a string of stars departed the show

Lavish: The reality stars head out on a luxury Catamaran for a boat trip around the exotic islands of Phuket

'But it's time for him to move on now, he's slightly older than the rest of the cast, and he's hoping to achieve more in his career after being on the show for such a long time.

'It's been a monumental stint and his storylines will go down in TOWIE history but for now he's taking a step away.'

A second source added: 'Pete will continue to cameo on TOWIE when it makes sense to appear alongside his friends, but he will no longer be a fully-fledged cast member.'

MailOnline approached TOWIE and Pete's spokesperson for comment at the time.
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From left, Tamra Offshore Wind Power CEO Jeong Kwang-sung, Head of Renewable Energy Department of Korea South-East Power Kang Hee-woong and AVEL CEO Kim Hyun-tae pose for a picture after signing a business agreement at Tamra Offshore Wind Power headquarters on Jeju Island, Tuesday. Courtesy of LG Energy Solution



By Kim Jae-heun



LG Energy Solution's company-in-company (CIC) AVEL has signed a business agreement with Korea South-East Power and Tamra Offshore Wind Power to jointly participate in a pilot project to improve Jeju Island's power market system, the company said Wednesday.



Under the partnership, the three firms will predict renewable energy generation quantity which will be managed by linking offshore wind generators and energy storage systems (ESSs).



AVEL plans to use energy aggregation technology to operate ESS and others. Korea South-East Power will share its administrative know-how related to the forecast system, while Tamra Offshore Wind Power will provide wind power operation data.



"Until now, it had been difficult to accurately predict the generation quantity of offshore wind energy due to its nature and there was no system to manage energy stored in ESS," AVEL CEO Kim Hyun-tae said. "Our partnership with the two firms in predicting accurate offshore wind energy generation and using it efficiently will contribute to stabilizing the domestic power market."



Base on the partnership, AVEL will also participate in the renewable energy bidding system of the power market.



The new system, which will be established at the end of this year, enables renewable energy operators with a facility capacity of more than 1 megawatt to join bids in the domestic power market equally with such as thermal and nuclear power generation companies.



AVEL was launched as a CIC of LG Energy Solution in October 2022. The following month, the company signed a business agreement with the Jeju Energy Corporation to stabilize the power system on Jeju Island and discover new energy projects.


Hyundai IONIQ 5 / Courtesy of Hyundai Motor



New data reveals how global top brands dedicated to curbing environmental hazards, child labor



By Ko Dong-hwan



New data by a global alliance of environmental and human rights watchdogs unveiled, Tuesday, a list of the world's top automakers ranked based on how clean and ethical their production processes have proved. Mercedes-Benz topped the leaderboard, while Korean companies Hyundai Motor and Kia Motor sat 11th and 14th, respectively.



The rank was released by Lead the Charge, a new global campaign that encourages automakers around the world to operate more transparently in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and catering to workers' rights. The highlight of the "leaderboard," as the campaign dubbed the rank, is that it took into account not just how many electric cars or other eco-friendly rides they produce but, much more importantly, how environmentally clean their supply chains are throughout their entire manufacturing processes.



In that regard, Hyundai and Kia received low scores  based on data submitted to the alliance group by the subject companies. Assessing its climate and environmental impact, the alliance marked Hyundai nine out of 100 percent. As to how much effort the company made in protecting the human rights of its workers and adhering to its social responsibility, the firm received 13 out of 100 percent. Its total score was 11 percent.



Kia scored six percent overall.



The latest report by Lead the Charge said Hyundai-Kia, now the third-largest automaker in the world, has sold an increasing volume of EVs and claimed it uses sustainable materials but is "missing the bigger picture and opportunity." It said the Korean firms outperformed the global EV leader Tesla in some areas but has a "host of supply chain issues bubbling up, including child labor at suppliers and a subsidiary in the United States and air pollution from steel manufacturing in Korea."



The report showed Tesla and Toyota, once known as leaders in fighting the climate crisis with the most outstanding fleet of eco-friendly cars in the global auto market, are behind some of their global competitors. Toyota's efforts in reducing carbon emissions throughout its supply chains came particularly shorter than those of its rivals with five percent. In the case of Tesla, it was not so much its supply chain for batteries which deducted the points as its supply chains for other parts and its negligence to adhering to workers' rights.




U.S. Senator Mark Warner speaks as U.S. Senator Joe Manchin looks on during a press conference to unveil legislation that would allow the Biden administration to "ban or prohibit" foreign technology products such as the Chinese-owned video app TikTok during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 7. Reuters-Yonhap



The White House said it backed legislation introduced on Tuesday by a dozen Senators to give the administration new powers to ban Chinese-owned video app TikTok and other foreign-based technologies if they pose national security threats.



The endorsement boosts efforts by a number of lawmakers to ban the popular ByteDance-owned app, which is used by more than 100 million Americans.



The bill gives the Commerce Department the ability impose restrictions up to and including banning TikTok and other technologies that pose national security risks, said Democratic Senator Mark Warner, who chairs the Intelligence Committee.



He said it would also apply to foreign technologies from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela and Cuba.



TikTok said in a statement that any "U.S. ban on TikTok is a ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion-plus people who use our service worldwide."



The bill would require Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to identify and address foreign threats to information and communications technology products and services. Raimondo's office declined to comment.



The group, led by Warner and Republican Senator John Thune, includes Democrats Tammy Baldwin, Joe Manchin, Michael Bennett, Kirsten Gillibrand and Martin Heinrich along with Republicans Deb Fischer, Jerry Moran, Dan Sullivan, Susan Collins and Mitt Romney, Warner's office said.



Warner said it was important the government do more to make clear what it believes are the national security risks to U.S. from the use of TikTok.



White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan praised the bipartisan bill saying it "would strengthen our ability to address discrete risks posed by individual transactions, and systemic risks posed by certain classes of transactions involving countries of concern in sensitive technology sectors."



"We look forward to continue working with both Democrats and Republicans on this bill, and urge Congress to act quickly to send it to the President's desk," he said in a statement.



TikTok, the ByteDance-owned app has come under increasing fire over fears user data could end up in the hands of the Chinese government, undermining Western security interests.



TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew is due to appear before Congress on March 23.



The House Foreign Affairs Committee last week voted along party lines on a bill sponsored by Representative Michael McCaul to give Biden the power to ban TikTok after then-President Donald Trump was stymied by courts in 2020 in his efforts to ban TikTok and Chinese messaging app WeChat.



Democrats opposed McCaul's bill, saying it was rushed and required due diligence through debate and consultation with experts. Some major bills aimed at China like a chips funding bill took 18 months to win approval. McCaul said he thinks the full U.S. House of Representatives could vote on bill this month. (Reuters)




Teachers of various government schools noted that this was the last batch of Class X students who faced the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic season, they could not gain knowledge in various subjects as the schools mostly remained closed. (Representational DC Image)

KAKINADA: Many students feel stressed at studying in English Medium and while preparing for the Class X examinations this year, as they have no foundation in the language. The Covid-season school closure further hurt their studies.

Teachers of various government schools noted that this was the last batch of Class X students who faced the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic season, they could not gain knowledge in various subjects as the schools mostly remained closed.

Many students in government high schools such as those run by the Zilla Parishads were not able to attend classes. Now, they are in Class X. This academic year, the government instructed all the schools to introduce English Medium. Some of the institutions have approached the court and the government subsequently made this optional for the students. But many of the parents had already admitted their students to English Medium.

"Since these students do not have any strong foundation in the English language, they as well as the teachers faced hardships. Teachers tried their best to take classes for them," said K. Nagesh, the Kakinada district president of the AP United Teachers Front.

He told Deccan Chronicle that the government-appointed subject teachers came on promotions in February. Until then, the students and the teachers of many schools had difficulties acquiring knowledge in the subjects in the English medium.

According to education department officials of five districts -- Kakinada, the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema, East Godavari, West Godavari and Eluru -- some 40 per cent of the students, on average, were lagging behind in Mathematics and English subjects. However, a 100-day plan of action is being implemented by dividing the students into A, B, C and D; and the (weak) C and D category students were being taught for extra hours.

"The students are being taught the six subjects in the morning time and the examination is being conducted during the evening time by giving them some selective questions. It is yielding good results, said Kakinada DEO, Annapurna. She said the target-oriented programme was being implemented in six subjects and this was found to be helpful to the students.

Eluru DEO, Ravi Sagar, said that though the percentage of C and D category students was 40 per cent, their number has been reduced drastically with special classes and there has been improvement in the students due to the special attention given to them by the teachers.

East Godavari DEO Abraham said 12 per cent of the students, that too in Telugu medium, were lagging behind in some subjects and steps were being taken to help them by conducting special examinations. "Selective, easy-to-answer questions are being given to them."
Nawazuddin Siddiqui

MUMBAI: Nawazuddin Siddiqui's wife Aaliya on Wednesday said the actor was "an irresponsible father" and alleged that he had sent away their minor daughter alone with his "male manager" who hugged her "multiple times in an inappropriate manner".

In an eight-page letter shared on her unverified Instagram account, Aaliya claimed Siddiqui had sent their 12-year-old daughter to another country with his male manager without her "knowledge and consent".

"The fact is that as an irresponsible father, you sent my minor daughter to another country with your male manager and made them stay in (one hotel unit) without my knowledge and consent.

"Your male manager, during this period, hugged my minor daughter multiple times in an inappropriate manner and all of this was done despite her expressed objections. You cannot deny that those acts were done by your manager when neither me nor you were around," she wrote in the letter.

Aaliya, who also shares a seven-year-old son with Siddiqui, further accused the actor of threatening her after she expressed her displeasure over the undated incident.

"You still claimed to trust him blindly and when, as a biological mother, I objected to what happened, you threw your weight around and threatened to take over us today, she added.

Aaliya's counter allegations come days after Siddiqui posted an open letter in response to her previous claims and described them as "manipulated" and "one-sided". His wife had earlier accused the actor of abandoning their children.

Siddiqui had alleged that his wife was the one who had abandoned their children in Dubai four months ago and had now called them back on the pretext of "demanding money". He further claimed that his children had already missed out on their schooling for 45 days.

Aaliya, in her new post, asked the actor to "prove your case with evidence in court" and also went on to call him a "dangerous" father.

Later, she posted a 4.30 minute-long audio clip on Instagram, which she claimed to be a conversation between her and Siddiqui.

"This is Nawaz reality (sic)", she captioned the purported audio, in which the couple appears to be allegedly arguing over the actor sending their daughter with his aide. As per the sound clip, Siddiqui asked her to file a complaint with police and court.
Rising cases of flu in the state and the city while also declaring that there was no need for any alarm and urged people to follow safety precautions indicating that wearing face masks could be a good idea to ensure cold and cough do not spread from one to another as the flu spreads through droplets released while coughing or sneezing. (Representational Image: DC)

HYDERABAD: The health department has sounded an alert over the rising cases of flu in the state and the city, while also declaring that there was no need for any alarm and urged people to follow safety precautions indicating that wearing face masks could be a good idea to ensure cold and cough do not spread from one to another as the flu spreads through droplets released while coughing or sneezing.

Health minister T. Harish Rao, who chaired a high-level review on rising influenza (flu) cases, called on people to seek medical assistance if experiencing any symptoms that include cold, cough, fever, or body pains. "There is no cause for any alarm. Follow the advice of the doctors, and take the prescribed medicines. People can go to any government hospital for treatment but should also ensure that they do not spread cold, and cough to others around them," Harish Rao said during the video conference.

The video conference was attended among others by health secretary S.A.M. Rizvi, family welfare commissioner Sweta Mohanty, director of medical education Dr K. Ramesh Reddy, Gandhi, Fever, and Niloufer hospitals superintendents Dr M. Raja Dr K. Shankar, and Dr T. Usha Rani and heads of various other government hospitals in the state.

The officials explained that there has been an increase in flu cases in the state, as has been the case in other states too. Most cases in Telangana had people suffering from fever, cough, and body aches. They said people should not rush to take antibiotics to treat the fevers and other symptoms and must take medical advice if suffering from flu, or fly-like symptoms.

Meanwhile, the number of patients turning up with flu-like symptoms at various basti dawakhanas in the city has risen from around 90 a day to about 110 a day, while at the Fever Hospital, 500 to 600 patients were coming for outpatient treatment every day.
A fuel station employee was beaten to death by three people early Tuesday for allegedly refusing UPI payment, due to technical difficulties, at Janwada of Narsingi (DC Image)

HYDERABAD: A fuel station employee was beaten to death by three people early Tuesday for allegedly refusing UPI payment, due to technical difficulties, at Janwada of Narsingi in Cyberabad.

The police identified the victim as N. Sanjay, 19. They said that the incident took place when Sanjay rushed to help his colleague, who was being beaten after having a heated argument with the trio.

While Mukhiya, the colleague, received minor injuries, Sanjay collapsed. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead.

Alerted by the fuel station staff, police started a probe and booked the accused, identified as Mallesh, Narender and Anuk, in a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

Narsingi ACP Ramana Goud said the accused were natives of Janwada village and that teams were deployed to track them. He identified one of the three as a repeat offender, who was out on bail.

Mukhiya said that the trio was in a car and got petrol filled. "One of them came out and started beating me, while another person also joined in. My colleague received injuries and collapsed. I informed our supervisor and rushed him to the hospital," he said.

Sanjay was a native of neighbouring Proddatur village.

Following his death, his relatives and villagers, in large numbers, staged a protest at the filling station, blocking traffic movement and set tyres afire.

After the police assured them of strict punishment for the accused, the crowd dispersed.

Sanjays elder brother, Sandeep, claimed that one of the attackers refused to pay up and threatened Sanjay, while his mother, Vanithamma, said that the family had a lot of hopes for him. "They also should be punished in the same manner," she said.
The school girls forming long queus at limited and insufficient toilets at Film Nagar Government School which houses two primary schools and one high school with 1600 students (Photo: P.Surendra)

Hyderabad: Lack of basic facilities in government schools in the city is raising concerns over womens education on the one hand while the students are averse to attending regular classes. Time and again they have complained against dirty and stinking toilets but the government remains unmoved.

For instance, the Government High School in Jubilee Hills, with 1,600 students, has six working washrooms for girls and seven for boys. A huge queue of over 700 girls is formed every day to use the washroom, despite it being dirty and unhygienic.

The girls said that they have been bearing this torture for over a year and are suffering many health problems. They also added that they are forced to take at least five days of menstrual leaves as they get infected and fall sick.

"There are only six toilets for 800 girls. There is hardly anyone to clean and maintain them. This has added to the mosquito menace," said a class 8 student from the school.

A Class 9 student said, "I dont go to school during periods as I had to bear severe pain due to infection. I take five days leave every month because of it. We have stopped drinking a lot of water to control the urge to use washrooms. Girls are now prone to stomach cramps," she said.

A senior staff member, requesting anonymity, said that there are only two cleaners and one toilet cleaner for 1600 students. The government pays only Rs 2,500 a month for cleaners and nobody is ready to work for that amount.

"There are two primary schools and a high school on the premises. Primary students use the washroom frequently and it ends up getting dirty. The government does not send adequate funds nor does it appoint cleaners despite several requests. A year and a half ago, the government had announced that every school would have good washrooms. However, nothing has happened so far," said the staff member.

The staffer added that cleaners demand Rs 8000 per month which the government is not ready to pay. They have appointed three cleaners, whose salary is paid by an NGO.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ms. Ruchira Kamboj. (Photo: PTI)

United Nations: India tore into Pakistan after its foreign minister raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at a Security Council debate on women, peace and security, saying it is unworthy to even respond to such malicious and false propaganda.

Responding to Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's remarks on Jammu and Kashmir, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj on Tuesday termed his statement as baseless and politically motivated.

Before I conclude, let me dismiss the frivolous, baseless and politically motivated remarks made by the delegate of Pakistan regarding the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, she said.

Speaking at the UN Security Council open debate on Women, Peace and Security', Kamboj said: my delegation considers it unworthy to even respond to such malicious and false propaganda.

"Rather, our focus is where it shall always be positive and forward-looking. Today's discussion is critically important to strengthen our collective efforts to accelerate the full implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. We respect the topic of the debate and recognise the importance of time. As such, our focus shall remain on the topic, she said.

Kamboj's sharp retort came after Pakistan Foreign Minister Zardari referred to Jammu and Kashmir in his remarks to the Council debate held under Mozambique's Presidency for this month, on the eve of International Women's Day.

India has previously told Pakistan that the entire territories of the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are, and shall always be part of India.

India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan, while insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment that is free of terror and hostility for such an engagement.

The ties between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after India's warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot in February 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack.

The relations further deteriorated after India in August 2019 announced the withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir's special powers and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into Union Territories.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy quickly initiated action by setting up a monitoring committee headed by chief secretary, with officials from CMO and the special chief secretary for industries as its members, which would meet once in a week on a regular basis and clear applications for investments. (File Photo: DC)

Vijayawada: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has blunted the edge of the Opposition parties main weapon  namely of "AP getting no investments" -- with the successful hosting of the two-day Global Investors Summit-2023.

The event attracted offers of investment worth Rs 13 lakh crore. The offer of huge flow of investments at the GIS came as a shot in the arm for the chief minister and his YSRC party that is set to face the assembly polls a year hence.

Notably, when Jagan Reddy assumed office in 2019, he first focused on stabilising the state before prioritising his welfare schemes. The opposition Telugu Desam, Jana Sena and others kept criticising him for not bringing investments to the state. They also created negative picture by alleging that AP was faced with a huge economic crisis like what happened in Sri Lanka.

For the past four years, Jagan has been criticised for not focusing attention on attracting any industries to the state but concentrating only on distributing freebies to the the people in the name of welfare the sections of the population.

TD and other opposition parties had also criticised the CM for "driving away already established industries as also those who were given clearances during the Telugu Desam term and were in various stages of grounding.

Interestingly, the GIS-2023 proved to be a game changer. The two-day event has resurrected Jagans image as he has succeeded in getting offers of investment from top industrialists like Mukesh Ambani, Karan Adani, the Dalmias, the Jindals, the Bangars and the Oberois. So many industrialists arriving on one platform was quite unusual for AP.

Ambani announced the plans of Reliance Industries to invest funds in the generation of 10GW of renewable solar energy in the AP.

While Jagan claimed to have received investment proposals worth Rs 13 lakh crore that has a potential to create six lakh jobs, the Opposition parties expressed doubts about materializing of at least 10 per cent of these proposals.

The chief minister quickly initiated action by setting up a monitoring committee headed by chief secretary, with officials from CMO and the special chief secretary for industries as its members, which would meet once in a week on a regular basis and clear applications for investments.

Political analysts felt that the appointment of a committee to follow up on the MoUs would be a good step forward. They said that in contrast to Chandrababu Naidu, Jagan Reddy "is a man of action." Moreover, the CM has proven that he is equally keen on the states development and peoples welfare.

Ministers Buggana Rajendranath, Ambati Rambabu, Karumuri Nageswara Rao, Vidadala Rajini and others said, "GIS is a game changer in AP politics as it ended the opposition outcry that no investment was coming to AP under Jagans rule." They said, "Jagan is today the brand of AP.
File photo of Delhi Police personnel escort Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia form Rajghat in New Delhi. (PTI Photo/Manvender Vashist Lav)

NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday expressed concerns over former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's safety inside the jail and alleged that he is being kept with other criminals, a charge denied by the prison authorities.

AAP national spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that Manish Sisodia is being kept with other criminals in the jail and has been refused vipassana cell.

He claimed that despite approval from the court, Sisodia has not been provided the vipassana cell.

There was a request for Manish Sisodia to be kept in the vipasana cell of the jail and it was approved by the court. Despite court's approval, Sisodia has been kept with other criminals in jail number 1. The Centre must answer why are they doing this, Bharadwaj said.

Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh lashed out at the BJP and the Centre and alleged that they have been misusing the central agencies like the CBI and the ED.

BJP and the Centre are full of hatred and they have been misusing the central agencies. Every other day there is news of CBI and ED raids on the opposition leaders. They (BJP) are least bothered about education, health, electricity, water and overall progress of the country, Singh alleged.

He further alleged that Sisodia has been kept with dangerous criminals in the jail and that the party leaders have been worried about his safety.

Manish Sisodia has been kept with dangerous criminals inside the jail and we are worried that his life might be at risk there, he alleged.

Senior AAP leader Dilip Pandey claimed that court orders have been defied and Manish Sisodia has been kept with criminals with dangerous records inside the Tihar jail.

First, Manish Sisodia was mentally tortured by the central agencies and then he has been kept in Tihar's jail number 1 with criminals with dangerous records. He is also being pressurised to sign the papers where false charges have been framed against him, he alleged.

Rejecting the Aam Aadmi Party's allegations as "unfounded", the Delhi Prison authorities on Wednesday said Sisodia has been lodged in a ward of Central Jail No. 1 of Tihar where there are a minimum number of inmates and no gangsters.

In a statement, the prison authorities said, "Manish Sisodia has been assigned to a segregated ward keeping his security in mind. The ward...has minimum number of inmates who are not gangsters and are maintaining good conduct inside the jail."

According to jail officials, a separate cell makes it possible for him to meditate or do such other activities without any disturbance.

"All the arrangements, as per jail rules, are in place to ensure his safety and security. Any aspersions cast about his lodgings is unfounded," an official added.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in the excise policy scam case. He is currently in judicial custody.
BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha leaves for Delhi as she has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in connection with the Delhi liquor scam. (Photo: DC)

Hyderabad: Against the backdrop of the Enforcement Directorate summoning K. Kavitha for questioning, BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has convened an emergency joint meeting of party MPs, MLAs, MLCs and state executive committee members at Telangana Bhavan, the partys headquarters on March 10.

The sudden decision taken late on Wednesday has triggered speculation in the BRS ranks as well as in political circles over the purpose of the emergency meeting. Also, the CM has decided to convene this emergency joint meeting a day after the cabinet meeting scheduled to be held.

Even the partys district presidents, Zilla parishad chairpersons, corporations chairpersons, DCMS/DCCB chairpersons have been called for the joint meeting.

The CMs decision to convene an emergency joint meeting coming on the day when Enforcement Directorate issued notices to his daughter and MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha to appear before it on March 9 for questioning in the Delhi liquor scam has further added fuel to speculations on the purpose of back to back meetings on March 9 and 10.

Although party sources claimed that the CM convened a joint meeting to discuss gearing up the party for upcoming Assembly polls scheduled for December, how to take the partys and governments programmes to the public in the election year and review the delivery of welfare schemes, speculations were rife that the meeting was aimed to devise a future course of action in the event of Kavithas arrest in Delhi liquor scam.
K. Mohan Reddy, general secretary of Telangana Poultry Federation, alleges that five egg suppliers colluded with each other and filed tenders with tailor-made conditions, in a memorandum submitted to Satyavathi Rathod. (File Photo: AP)

Hyderabad: It is official. The Telangana state government will end up paying an excessive amount of at least Rs 50 crore to five egg suppliers, who formed a cartel and grabbed the contract to supply eggs to anganwadi centres.

Save for the intervention of the Telangana High Court, the government, by now, would be procuring eggs from the cartel. The cartel succeeded in convincing the women and child welfare minister Satyavathi Rathod to drastically bring down the number of present 120 small and marginal poultry farmers, limiting the supplies to seven top players.

The move was, however, challenged in the High Court, which ruled continuation of the present supply system till further orders. Companies that formed the cartel and quoted excess prices include Nitisha Farms, J.V. Farms, Rajitha Poultry, Srinivasa Poultry and Siri Farms. The first two companies are owned by NECC, Telangana state, president J. Sanjeev Reddy.

"These five companies colluded with each other and filed tenders for which the tailor-made conditions were formulated by the state agencies concerned. If one company is the lowest bidder for one zone, the other would be second-lowest and vice versa," alleged K. Mohan Reddy, general secretary of Telangana Poultry Federation, in a memorandum submitted to Satyavathi Rathod.

The cartel got a price of Rs 5.67 per egg.

The re-tendering of one zone brought to the fore the excessive rate quoted by the cartel. In the re-tender for the Gadwal zone, Balreddy Hatcheries quoted Rs 5.08 per egg, which is 59 paise less than the cartels rate.

The federation also alleged that the cartel members were in full knowledge of the tender conditions and obtained Agmark certification, which was made mandatory in tenders, in September last year, two months before the tenders were called for.

Farmers also expressed concern over allowing 45-gram eggs, against the previous size of 50 grams, as the former will have less protein value.

Similarly, there is a shortage of 45-gram eggs in Telangana and the cartel has been planning to import them from other states. Dumping small-size eggs in the Telangana market will hit the local poultry industry, the federation pointed out.
South Africa: De Lille bids farewell to DPWI colleagues

Former Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) Minister Patricia de Lille has bid farewell to former colleagues at the department.

As I leave the DPWI, to serve South Africa in another capacity, I wish to thank the Acting Director-General, Dr Alec Moemi, and the staff in the department for their work and support during my time in DPWI, De Lille said.

In an open letter to the staff, De Lille said while there were many difficulties, they have made some achievements.

One of the key successes over the past three and a half years is that DPWI has maintained a record of reducing the number of overdue payments to service providers and recently managed to keep the on time 30-day payment rate above 95%, De Lille said.

De Lille said they have maintained a high record of on time 30-day payments as prescribed in the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).

For the week that has just passed, DPWI made 95.1% of payments within the 30 day period to service providers.

I wish to thank the Chief Financial Officer of DPWI, Mr Mandla Sithole, and the Finance Department for their diligence on the 30-day payments and for successfully implementing the Reapatala payment system to ensure that we pay service providers on time and I encourage them to ensure that the department continues to do so, De Lille said.

De Lille also thanked the department for their performance with regard to land reform where they have managed to release thousands of hectares since June 2019 for land reform purposes.

DPWI has released 218 land parcels measuring 31 439 hectares for restitution. Last years target for restitution was 10 000 hectares and this was exceeded.

In November 2022, 23 families in the Chris Hani District who had been forcibly removed by the apartheid regime, received title deeds to the land they were removed from in the area known as Thornhill in the Eastern Cape.

In January this year, I also announced that I approved the release of 1 199 hectares of land, valued at approximately R7.4 million to assist in settling a land restitution claim by the Kaapsche Hoop Community in Mpumalanga, the minister said.

Since May 2019, DPWI has released 25 549 hectares of agricultural land (125 parcels) for the Redistribution Programme.

De Lille also thanked the team from Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) for their diligent work and pushing for progress implementation on the Strategic Integrated Projects (SIPs) in the Infrastructure Investment Plan.

I take comfort in the fact that we put systems in place to prioritise service delivery and DPWI must continue with this work, the former DPWI minister said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has deployed De Lille to the Department of Tourism.

I commit to work even harder to ensure that our country deals with inequality, unemployment and poverty.

Tourism is a major sector for our country and we have much more to offer the world. We can do a lot more to reach our full potential and create many more jobs for our people, De Lille said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-03-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
19th international women's fair held in Algeria

Xinhua) 10:18, March 08, 2023

People visit the 19th international women's fair in Algiers, Algeria, on March 7, 2023. The fair is held on March 2-8 to mark the International Women's Day. (Xinhua)

People visit the 19th international women's fair in Algiers, Algeria, on March 7, 2023. The fair is held on March 2-8 to mark the International Women's Day. (Xinhua)

A visitor chats with exhibitors at the 19th international women's fair in Algiers, Algeria, on March 7, 2023. The fair is held on March 2-8 to mark the International Women's Day. (Xinhua)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, presents a medal to Russian cellist Sergei Roldugin, during an awarding ceremony in Moscow's Kremlin, Russia, Sept. 22, 2016. AP-Yonhap



A concert cellist linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin moved millions of francs through Swiss bank accounts without any proper checks, Swiss prosecutors said on Wednesday at the start of a trial of four bankers accused of helping him.



Prosecutors alleged that Sergey Roldugin, a close friend of the Russian president, deposited millions of francs in Swiss bank accounts between 2014 and 2016.



The four bankers - three Russians who worked in Zurich and one Swiss - appeared at Zurich District Court on Wednesday and denied charges of lacking diligence in financial transactions. They cannot be identified under Swiss reporting restrictions.



The prosecution told the court they failed to do enough to determine the identity of the beneficial owner of the funds. Sums of around 30 million Swiss francs ($31.84 million) were involved in the case, said public prosecutor Jan Hoffmann.



Roldugin was named the owner of two accounts opened at Gazprombank Switzerland in 2014.



This was despite Roldugin who appears on Switzerland's list of sanctioned Russians - having no listed activity as a businessman on his bank documents.



At the time, the musician told the New York Times that he was certainly not a businessman and did not himself own millions, according to the indictment.



Roldugin was among scores of members of Putin's inner circle sanctioned by the West, including Switzerland, after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.



Reuters has approached his representatives for comment.



The case highlights how people like Roldugin were used as "strawmen", the indictment seen by Reuters said, a way to hide the true owners of money.



"All the evidence runs contrary to Sergey Roldugin being the real owner of the assets," prosecuting lawyer Hoffmann told the court.



Defence lawyer Bernhard Loetscher said there was no proof that Roldugin was not the real owner of the assets.



"Doubts about the identity of the true owner are not enough from a criminal law point of view," Loetscher told the court.



Prosecutors are seeking suspended sentences of seven months for each of the bankers. The trial is expected to last one day.



There is little trace of Putin's assets.



"It is well known that ... Putin officially only has an income of 100,000 Swiss francs, and is not wealthy, but in fact has enormous assets which are managed by persons close to him," the indictment said.



Reuters has asked the Kremlin for comment on Putin's relationship with Roldugin and about his own wealth and assets.



Putin has in the past said that Roldugin is a friend, a brilliant musician and benefactor who has honestly earned some money from a minority stake in a Russian company.



The Kremlin has previously dismissed any suggestion that Roldugin's funds are linked to the Russian leader as anti-Russian "Putinophobia". Putin's finances are a matter of public record, says the Kremlin, saying he has regularly declared his assets and salary to Russian voters. (Reuters)






YSRC candidate for Graduates MLCs Sethamraju Sudhakar along with TTD Chairman and YSRC regional coordinator, YV Subba Reddy addresses the scribes at a hotel in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday. (DC)

VISAKHAPATNAM: YSRC regional coordinator for north Andhra, Y.V. Subba Reddy, has urged the people of north coastal Andhra and party workers to ensure a huge majority for party candidate Seethamraju Sudhakar, contesting the MLC elections from the north Andhra Graduates constituency.

"By giving a huge majority to him, the entire state will know that you are welcoming the chief ministers decision to make Visakhapatnam the executive capital of Andhra Pradesh, Reddy said.

"This is a semi-final. The same majority should be given in the general elections slated for next year so that the YSRC wins all the seats, so as to give a second chance to Jagan to lead the state," Subba Reddy said.

On the recent Global Investors Summit, the regional coordinator said it was a huge success.

"The summit gave a huge advantage to Visakhapatnam and north coastal Andhra. With a promise of 13 lakh crore in investment and six lakh jobs, the region stands to gain a lot, he said.

BC leader and Rajya Sabha member R. Krishnaiah said the state was witnessing both welfare and development. Other states were surprised at the speed and sweep with which welfare schemes were being launched in Andhra Pradesh, he claimed.

He appealed to the BCs to support Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the "architect behind the introduction of the BC reservation bill in the parliament."

"Jagan surprised all by giving 11 of the 18 MLC seats to the BCs, Krishnaiah said and added that the BCs should pay back in kind by making the YSRCs MLC candidates win these elections with a huge majority. He said the recently concluded Global Investors Summit would lead to the development of the entire north coastal Andhra region.

MLC candidate Seethamraju Sudhakar said chief minister Jagan Reddy did social engineering by making BCs, SCs, STs a part of the decision-making process.
Union minister G. Kishan Reddy addresses the media at the BJP state office (K Durga Rao/DC)

Hyderabad: Union minister G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday shot off a bunch of letters to Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, reminding him of his similar missives on matters related to development projects in Telangana.

Kishan Reddy said these letters were about projects that the Centre had offered to take up in Telangana, and hoped that the Chief Minister and the BRS government would, after he had highlighted the matter in public respond positively to take the proposals ahead.

Speaking with reporters, Kishan Reddy said the Chief Minister, and the rest of the Kalvakunlta family, indulge in levelling baseless allegations against the Prime Minister and the Central government with regard to projects being located in the state.

"It is not just me, earlier as the minister of state for home first, and later as the Cabinet minister for culture who wrote letters to the Telangana government. Several such letters were sent from Central government officials also," Kishan Reddy said.

The Union minister said it was unfathomable how the Chief Minister and the state government refused to respond to letters on projects that were meant to help the state develop faster, and benefit the people. Instead, they were intent on stalling them, he alelged.

"At the Centre, we have strict instructions from the Prime Minister that no matter who writes a letter to us from any part of the country, we have to respond. We have a system in place where acknowledgements are sent and the letters processed. With respect to letters from elected representatives, there is a special cell to address their concerns. In Telangana, there is no response whatsoever," he said.

"Why does the Chief Minister not respond to our letters? Why does he not have even the basic courtesy to do so? If he is sincere about getting projects grounded and completed, whether big or small, he should respond. But he does not. Does he even have a moral right to question the central government?" Kishan Reddy asked.

On the question of Foxconn investments in the state, Kishan Reddy said as a Central minister, he welcomed foreign investments and as an MP from Telangana he would like to see the investment made in the state.
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Mark Warner (C) is joined by Sen. Joe Manchin (L), Senate Minority Whip John Thune (2nd L) and other bipartisan senators to introduce The Restrict Act at the U.S. Capitol on March 07, 2023 in Washington (AFP)

WASHINGTON: The White House on Tuesday welcomed a bill that would allow the United States to ban Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

The bill was backed by Mark Warner, a senior US senator from the Democratic party, and John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, in a rare act of political entente by US lawmakers.

"We applaud the bipartisan group of senators, led by Senators Warner and Thune, who today introduced the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act," Sullivan said.

The bipartisan bill "would empower the United States government to prevent certain foreign governments from exploiting technology services... in a way that poses risks to Americans' sensitive data and our national security," Sullivan said in a statement.

The Senate bill and the backing of the White House accelerated the political momentum against TikTok, which is also the target of a separate piece of legislation in the US House of Representatives.

"Today, the threat that everyone is talking about is TikTok, and how it could enable surveillance by the Chinese Communist Party, or facilitate the spread of malign influence campaigns in the US," Senator Warner said in a statement.

"Before TikTok, however, it was Huawei and ZTE, which threatened our nation's telecommunications networks. And before that, it was Russia's Kaspersky Lab, which threatened the security of government and corporate devices," said Warner.

Appearing tough on China is one of the rare issues with potential for bipartisan support in both the Republican-run House and the Senate, where Biden's Democratic Party holds a majority.

With Congress and the White House aligned on the idea that a law is necessary to curb the powers of TikTok, the chances of the legislation making it into law are greatly increased.

TikTok is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance and has more than a billion users worldwide including over 100 million in the US, where it has become a cultural force, especially for young people.

TikTok reacted by again pointing to its months of negotiations with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a government agency that assesses foreign investments' risks to US national security.

"The Biden Administration does not need additional authority from Congress to address national security concerns about TikTok: It can approve the deal negotiated with CFIUS over two years that it has spent the last six months reviewing," TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter told AFP.

Reflecting concerns voiced by free speech activists, she likened a US ban to a "ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion-plus people who use our service worldwide."

The legislation comes after US government workers in January were banned from installing TikTok on their devices.

Civil servants at the European Union, as well as in Canada and Denmark are also barred from having TikTok on their phones.
Fuel deliveries and train traffic continued to be disrupted across France for a second day on Wednesday, after more than a million people protested against a controversial pensions overhaul.

President Emmanuel Macron and his government say raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 and stiffening the requirements for a full pension are essential to keep the system from sinking into deficit.

France lags behind most of its European neighbours, which have pushed back the retirement age to 65 or above.

But the changes have faced stiff resistance in parliament and in the street since mid-January, with the opposition and unions arguing the changes are unfair, especially for low-skilled workers and women.

Unions on Tuesday night called for an urgent meeting with the president after strikes hobbled the country and 1.28 million people took to the streets, according to official figures.

But the presidency has not yet directly responded to their request.

Unions have announced a new day of demonstrations for Saturday, and some have vowed to keep up walkouts.

Eric Sellini, national coordinator of the CGT union federation at energy giant TotalEnergies, said workers at most fuel shipping sites were again on strike on Wednesday morning.

The FO union at the same company said the action was necessary to "put extra pressure on the government".

Production however did not appear to have stopped at the refineries, and TotalEnergies said its petrol stations were well stocked.

In the transport sector, national railway operator SNCF said more than half of high-speed trains had been cancelled, with only one train in 10 operating between provinces.

International travel remained slightly affected, with just three out of four Eurostar trains running.

Government spokesman Olivier Veran said officials remained open to dialogue as the bill makes its way through parliament.

"The government's door is more than open," Veran told RTL radio.

But "we respect the institutions," he said. "The government and prime minister are leading the text through parliament."

The reform is now being debated in the upper-house Senate, with a vote by both houses of parliament expected by the middle of the month or by March 26 at the latest.

Wednesday's protests were some of the biggest in decades and slightly bigger than a previous round of demonstrations on January 31.
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Drivers have been urged to take care as road gritting services are disrupted this week.

Temperatures have dropped below zero this week as the icy snap is predicted to continue into the weekend.

The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) has said that industrial action has led to a staff shortage and therefore there is not enough staff to run a morning and afternoon gritting rota.

In a statement, The Department of Infrastructure said essential services which were routinely delivered would be reduced.

These services include gritting roads; response and clear up of oil spills or debris; repair of serious defects such as manhole and pothole collapses and gully clearing and cleansing.

The DfI said that the disruption to winter services, such as gritting, is part of continuing strike action over a pay structure and productivity bonus within the road service.

"While contingency arrangements are being put in place, this will not replace the full maintenance service and we would therefore ask all road users to be mindful of this and exercise care when making their journeys," the statement added.

MLAs have also come forward ahead of the icy snap to urge drivers to take care but they have blamed funding cuts for the pay disputes and subsequent staff shortages.

Last week, road maintenance workers went on strike across Northern Ireland for seven days in a dispute over pay.

Alan Perry, regional organiser for GMB, said the union had met with the DfI on Monday, but no resolution was reached.

About 200 of the workers who are members of the union Unite will be joining colleagues from the GMB in the strike action.

They are calling for productivity bonuses to be part of their pay, not dependent on a manager's decision.

Councillor Graham Warke said Road Service employees are "frustrated" as employees are being blamed for the shortage in gritting services.

Councillor Warke said: "Everyone is well aware of the wintry spell coming in. When we have spells like this, the city can come to a standstill and we often see car accidents.

"Workers want to be doing their job to keep the roads safe and clear but many factors are affecting this.

"There is a shortage of funding for these services, down 2.6 million from 2021/2022 in the 2022/2023 budget.

"Workers are run off their feet trying to provide these services but are obviously frustrated with recent changes affecting their ability to do so."

DLP Infrastructure Spokesperson Mark H Durkan also expressed serious concerns that the decimation of budget allocations is impacting the delivery of winter services.

In response to a Freedom of Information request (FOI) submitted by Mr Durkan, the department detailed that the winter service expenditure has been slashed from 9.7million in 2017/18 to 6.6million in 2021/22.

The Western Division has also seen grit expenditure almost halved within the same timeframe from 1.3 million to 700,000.

Speaking following a Met Office yellow warning for ice and snow across Northern Ireland, Mr Durkan said: It is glaringly obvious that budget pressures are severely limiting the departments ability to respond to the demand for winter services.

"Allocations have been slashed drastically within a five-year period resulting in a depletion not only of material resources but a depletion of crews on the ground.

"Thats a reality which applies right across the board, affecting not just winter services but pothole repairs, resurfacing works, road safety measures to name a few.

Its ludicrous that the department has expected road maintenance staff to meet rising demand on diminishing resources. DfI are increasingly relying on contractors to get work done yet maintenance workers arent being properly valued.

"Striking workers have my full solidarity, their current pay is nowhere near sufficient amid rising costs and Ive written to the Permanent Secretary asking for urgent reform of current pay structures.

Sadly given the huge budget pressures, Department officials had already indicated that increased disruption and risk of danger on our roads would be a reality long before strike action was instigated. We need an executive in place to mitigate these risks.

The department is working with the Department of Finance and the unions involved to try and resolve the issues around pay.
International Women's Day is a global holiday celebrated annually, bringing attention to the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

A large part of the International Womens Day initiative is the goal of advancing gender equality in tech and celebrating women forging innovation.

Garvagh-born Eimear Corrigan joined UX company Synergy Learning in 2018 as a placement student while studying Interactive Multimedia Design at Ulster University. She returned to the company following her graduation and has been with Synergy Learning since.

Eimear said women before her laid the groundwork for the current generation to succeed in tech.

If youre thinking of a role in tech but having doubts about being the best fit, all I can say is just go for it - dont let the fear of stereotypes hold you back. Females before us shattered glass ceilings, she said.

Thankfully I havent experienced any gender inequality so far in my career. The teams I have worked with are all so welcoming, and whether Im working remotely or at the companys hub in Titanic Quarter, I always feel included and part of the bigger picture.

According to the UX Design institute UX is an area of tech where women are relatively well represented but 'but there's a lot more to be done'.

According to research by Morgan McKinley women account for 41% of workers in the sector.

Eimear credits her family for instilling in her the belief that she is capable of anything regardless of her gender.

My biggest role models are my family, as typical as that may sound. I have always been encouraged to meet a challenge head on, and my family have always been right there behind me cheering my success.

Eimear graduated from Ulster University in 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, which brought with it a lot of uncertainty.

This unfortunately meant Eimear didnt have the typical final year experience she had hoped for, and many opportunities were put on hold while the world was in lockdown.

I would class graduating during the pandemic as one of my biggest achievements to date. It wasnt easy and wasnt how I had expected the last few months of my time at university to pan out, but it is what it is, and I made the most of it.

Jumping straight into my role at Synergy Learning helped to balance the lack of closure when completing my degree  I had a new challenge to face head on and my new chapter began.

Eimears current role as UX Developer allows her to work on developing learning platforms for organisations like the NHS, Save The Children & Ryanair.

Eimears role ensures that the user experience on these platforms follows best practice and makes it as easy as possible for someone to use the software.

She says she loves how the job presents a new challenge every day.

Outside of work, Eimear plays camogie and has done since she was a toddler. She says she owes a lot of her professional drive and persistence to skills learned in early childhood through her hobbies .

In addition to camogie, Eimear started playing volleyball last year, and was formerly a keen Irish dancer and competed for many years with the McNicholl School of Irish Dancing from age 5.
Derry Girls has been nominated for top awards at the Irish Film and Television Awards 2023.

The hit Channel 4 show has already won multiple awards in recent months including at the National Comedy Awards and the Broadcast Awards.

Over the past few months, Irish Academy Members have been viewing, deliberating, and shortlisting the very best work from across great Irish films, dramas, performances, and craftsmanship from the past year.

Derry Girls has been nominated for Best Drama for The Agreement Extended Special and Derry's own Lisa McGee has been nominated for Best Script Drama for the same episode.

Irish Film and Television Academy CEO, Aine Moriarty said: "What an exciting time right now for the Irish screen industry. This superb line-up of Nominees in the running for Irish Academy Awards, showcases to the world the high calibre of acting, filmmaking and storytelling we have in this country.

"The Irish Academy is proud to acknowledge and reward their great work and we look forward to celebrating their achievements at the Ceremony."

Catherine Martin T.D., Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media said: I would like to congratulate all of the Nominees and IFTA on the occasion of their 20th Anniversary.

"This is a really exciting time for the Film and TV Industry and the IFTA awards night on 7th May will be a night full of glamour, excitement, and most importantly, a celebration of the incredible talent we are so lucky to have in this country.

The upcoming 20th Anniversary IFTA Awards Ceremony, hosted by Deirdre OKane, will take place on Sunday, May 7 at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre.

This milestone 20th Anniversary Ceremony will see the Irish Academy welcome guests from all around the world for a great gathering of industry peers in Dublin, to mark this incredible year for the Irish screen industry.
Businesses in the North West are being urged to take advantage of a new series of business improvement Lean workshops, hosted by Invest Northern Ireland.

Under the theme Growth North West, the Lean workshops will begin on 16th March 2023. They are aimed at supporting North West businesses to implement more efficient processes which will help them improve their competitive advantage by increasing their productivity and profitability.

The Lean series follows workshops delivered by Invest NI in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area during 2022 which encouraged higher levels of export and innovation activity.

Encouraging businesses to sign up, Des Gartland, Invest NIs North West Regional Manager said: With the increase in the cost of doing business, we are encouraging North West businesses to look at their processes to see how they can be more efficient.

By addressing inefficiencies businesses can typically expect to see a productivity improvement of up to 20 per cent.

Weve designed our lean workshops to help businesses in the region improve processes, reduce waste, implement change, and improve employee engagement which will enhance the customer experience and ensure competitive advantage. There will also be opportunities for one-to-one mentoring sessions to tackle individual businesses challenges.

"I would encourage interested companies in the region to sign up at investni.com/growth-north-west.

The first workshop, Improving Processes begins on 16th March with four further workshops scheduled in March and April. Each workshop will be held at Invest NIs North West Regional office in Strand Road, Derry.

Welcoming the workshops, Kevin OConnor, Head of Business at Derry City & Strabane District Council said: The Growth North West series of workshops offer our local Derry and Strabane businesses the opportunity to really analyse their cost model, drive efficiency through their operations and ultimately drive sales at a time when the market place has never been more competitive.

"Council is delighted that these workshops are targeting business in the North West and look forward to working with Invest NI as they roll-out.
In 1981 the most famous vehicle produced in Ireland was the DeLorean DMC-12, the short-lived supercar made in Belfast for just over a year in 1981 and 1982.

But at the same time, Donegal it seemed was on the cusp of coming onto the motor manufacturing map, when German company Auto Montan Werkes (ATW) came up with plans to build an all-terrain utility vehicle, the Chico, in Buncrana.

ATW selected Buncrana as the site for manufacture thanks to backing from the Industrial Development Agency (IDA).

The planned investment of almost 17m was hoped to create employment of up to 1,000. ATW had identified a substantial market for the Chico truck, particularly in the Third World.

The vehicle was the result of 11 years of development by the German aerospace firm Messerschmitt, Bolkow, Blohm (MBB).

Some of the models had amphibious capabilities and it was mostly to be used in agriculture or forestry. It was belived the Chico would rival the Land Rover as it had a bigger payload, was thought to be more economical to run and was cheaper to purchase.

Reports at the time said the IDA had identified a potential market of 300,000 vehicles in commercial and agricultural areas of Europe alone.

Production at the Buncrana factory was to increase to between 15,000 and 18,000 vehicles a year by 1986.

In the end, fewer than 100 people would work at the factory in Buncrana. When it closed its doors in 1984, no more than 150 Chicos had been produced in Inishowen. The site in Buncrana would later be taken over by textile manufacturer Fruit of the Loom.

Crana Engineering was one of the local companies that benefited from the opening of the factory, supplying components for the Chico.

George OHara of the firm said the company has been trying to purchase a Chico for the last five or six years but had been only able to identify seven or eight or ten surviving vehicles. Last week he and his brother Noel returned a Chico to Donegal after purchasing one in Germany that had come on to the market. He believes it is one of only three in Ireland.

There is one in South America, one in South Africa and theres a few about Europe, but theres not many around. There are only three in the country, with one in Limerick and one in Louth, that we know of. We have been looking for one for years and years.

We are delighted to get it. It is a wee bit of local history and a lot of people in their 50s and over would remember it.

The Chico is in particularly good shape, George said, and as it has passed its German road-worthy test it could be making appearances at vintage car rallies or St Patricks Day parades soon.

We just bought it to preserve history and to keep it as a classic vehicle.
A woman, who a solicitor said was 'angry at the world' has been jailed at Derry Magistrate's Court today for assaults on three people.

Ciara Craig (41) of no fixed abode admitted three assault charges that occurred on March 6 and one charge of disorderly behaviour on the same date.

The court heard that police received a report of a group of street drinkers fighting outside the old Bank of Ireland building on Strand Road.

When they arrived they were told that Craig had assaulted a number of people.

In the case of one victim the court was told that he was 'slapped repeatedly' about the face.

She kicked another person about the rib area and pushed a third.

Defence solicitor Seamus Quigley said that his client deserved no credit for her behaviour but asked for credit for her early plea.

He said that Craig had only been released from prison last week.

The solicitor said that the defendant had 207 previous convictions and was in a spiral where she went to prison, was released started drinking again and ended up back in prison.

He said that she knew this had to end or else history will just repeat itself.

District Judge Barney McElholm said that there was nowhere he could put this woman where she could get help.

He said that the government in London was 'hell bent on dismantling the NHS' and neither the courts or the police had any money.

He said the provision of mental health services was 'a disgrace' and added that this was not the fault of those who work there.

He said he had no option but to jail Craig and sentenced her to 4 months in prison.
Derry Magistrate's Court heard today how a man who was banned from entering Lawrence Hill was said to have been in an address there and banged the wall and threatened the neighbour he was 'going to get him.'

Kevin McCallion (50) whose address was given as Mark Street in Portrush appeared charged with breaching his bail on March 7.

A police officer told the court that police attended an address on Lawrence Hill and found the defendant there.

McCallion is on bail with 'a number of conditions' including not being intoxicated and not going within 500 metres of Lawrence Hill.

One of the charges McCallion is on bail for involves a neighbour in that area and this person told police that the defendant had been banging on the wall shouting he was going to get him.

The officer said it was McCallion's sixth breach of bail and he had been in court last Saturday then on Monday and now on Wednesday.

Defence solicitor Seamus Quigley said that his client had lost his bail address and had contacted G4S to report this.

District Judge Barney McElholm said that this man 'can't be trusted' and couldn't be managed by conditions.

He remanded McCallion in custody to appear again on March 15.
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Almost 240 arrests have been made in six months in a crackdown on violence against females.

Police in Northern Ireland launched their first tackling violence against women and girls action plan in September 2022.

To mark International Womens Day on Wednesday, police revealed officers have arrested 239 suspected perpetrators under new legislation.

This includes coercive control domestic abuse and stalking, which both became criminal offences under new legislation for Northern Ireland in 2022.

Detective Superintendent Lindsay Fisher said police are using every power available to them to tackle violence against women and girls.

We are proactively tracking reports of violence, abuse and intimidation against women and girls and targeting neighbourhood policing resources to locations where they have reported feeling unsafe. We want to have a deterring presence in these areas, she said.

A total of 6,500 officers and staff have also undergone revised training on domestic abuse, encompassing coercive control and 4,000 are now trained to recognise and respond to stalking.

We are using every power available to us and sending a strong message to perpetrators, that we are actively pursuing you and we wont stop.

This activity is firmly embedded into our business as usual and we want to see reporting figures and outcome rates continue to increase as a result.
There are fears that the platform being given to an organisation which represents loyalist paramilitary groups risks eroding democracy, an MP has said.

Alliance MP Stephen Farry told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee that the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC) was being treated as a de facto political party.

Another MP, the SDLPs Claire Hanna, asked Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris if he believed media broadcasters were giving too much space to loyalist community representatives.

The LCC is an umbrella group which represents the Ulster Volunteer Force, Ulster Defence Association and Red Hand Commando.

Last week its chairman, David Campbell, appeared on an episode of the BBCs The View programme.

During a discussion about the new Windsor Framework deal, he warned of a credible threat if unionism and loyalism is continually undermined.

At the Commons committee, Ms Hanna asked the Northern Ireland Secretary: Do you think were giving too much space in broadcast for this material?

We now regularly have loyalist community representatives in the media amping up that threat.

Clearly, throughout the Brexit years, we know that MI5, PSNI and others gave an assessment of the exploitation that they thought dissident republicans might try to pursue in the event of a different Brexit outcome, but they werent given space in long form to do good cop, bad cop in the media.

Is that something we need to reconsider?

Should broadcasters maybe stick with analysis or security assessment? Are we creating a problem when we constantly platform people to give us their personal views on the capacity or intent of paramilitary organisations?

Mr Heaton-Harris said: Tempted as I am to give a personal opinion here, the one thing I do know as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is that issues around broadcast, who goes on for interview and free speech, are very, very thorny issues.

I would not want to be the Secretary of State who leans into who the BBC gives a platform to.

Ms Hanna said: I will ask you in another way. Do you think political actors are leaving too much space for aggressive voices in political discourse and should political representatives attempt to close that space?

Mr Heaton-Harris said he thought there was an opportunity for political representatives to be much more active in this area.

Mr Farry asked the Northern Ireland Secretary what was the official position of the Northern Ireland Office on the status of the LCC.

He said: Do you see it purely as a front for paramilitary organisations, terrorist organisations, or do you see it as a political actor?

Mr Heaton-Harris said: I have not met with the Loyalist Communities Council or anyone purporting to represent that organisation.

I dont know what I would formally define the Loyalist Communities Council as.

Mr Farry responded: The concern would be that to many people it is simply a front for two or three active paramilitary organisations.

But some people do treat it as a political actor whose opinions are seen as being as worthy as those who have elected mandates.

There is a concern that this is an erosion of the democratic process, that we bring these actors in from left-field and treat them as a de facto political party.
The Government is giving serious consideration to appointing an independent person who would help paramilitary groups which want to transition away from violence, a Westminster committee has heard.

The recommendation was first made in a report of the Independent Reporting Commission (IRC), which monitors paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland.

During an appearance before the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris was asked by Alliance MP Stephen Farry about the IRC recommendation.

Mr Farry said: What is the Governments view on what group transition should look like?

Mr Heaton-Harris said: I have had conversations with the IRC, they have done a huge amount of work in this space.

Their idea of having the appointment of an independent person, or people, to carry out exploratory engagement on the issue of group transition is an interesting idea and one that I have taken seriously.

The Northern Ireland Secretary said he had also discussed the concept with the Irish Government.

He said: There seems to be a view that in trying to get group transition in the past it has fallen down at different hurdles.

Maybe having someone who is almost like the the halfway house in the communication process to help guide and bring people who do want to go on this journey, to help them through it.

It would be very difficult for them to come to government or the police service and say this.

So, having someone independent, there is value in it and I am seriously looking at that recommendation.
Partnership benefits SoC designers by accelerating time-to-market and improving design efficiencies for mutual customers

HAIFA, Israel, March 7, 2023 proteanTecs, a global leader of deep data analytics for advanced electronics, announced today that the company has joined the Intel Foundry Services (IFS) Accelerator IP Alliance program. Launched in February 2022, the IFS Accelerator program helps foundry customers smoothly bring their silicon products from idea to implementation. The IFS Accelerator IP Alliance includes a robust portfolio of leading IP partners, enabling semiconductor companies to access silicon-verified and IFS process-specific IPs for their system-on-chip (SoC) design needs.

We are committed to building a world-class foundry business, and our IFS Accelerator IP Alliance program is one pillar in ensuring we tap the industrys best providers to advance chip innovation on IFSs foundry manufacturing platforms, said Suk Lee, Vice President of Design Ecosystem Development at IFS. proteanTecs technology and our continued collaboration will provide significant value to our mutual customers.

proteanTecs IP technology is the enabler of its holistic monitoring solutions. The companys on-chip monitorsknown as Agentsare strategically placed during design to provide a high-resolution picture of a chips behavior, performance and health. These Agents generate purposeful deep data to which machine-learning algorithms are applied and made accessible in proteanTecs cloud and edge analytics solutions. Users gain actionable insights and alerts around the chip and systems performance, quality and reliability, in both test and mission modes. This capability extends across the full lifecyclefrom SoC characterization and high-volume manufacturing, to system ramp and production, and in-field operation.

Joining the IFS Accelerator IP Alliance program furthers our work with IFSs world-class foundry experts, said Evelyn Landman, co-founder and CTO at proteanTecs. This collaboration enables us to optimize our Agents to IFSs process technologies as we continue to support our customers success at advanced nodes.

About proteanTecs

proteanTecs is the leading provider of deep data analytics for advanced electronics monitoring. Trusted by global leaders in the datacenter, automotive, communications and mobile markets, the company provides system health and performance monitoring, from production to the field. By applying machine learning to novel data created by on-chip monitors, the company's deep data analytics solutions deliver unparalleled visibility and actionable insightsleading to new levels of quality and reliability. Founded in 2017 and backed by world-leading investors, the company is headquartered in Israel and has offices in the United States, India and Taiwan. For more information, visit www.proteanTecs.com.






Snehal Meshram is the Senior Manager at Amazons Alexa AI team. In 2013, more than a year before Amazon would launch its first Echo smart speaker with Alexa, Snehal applied for a job at Amazon in California. In interviewing for her role, Snehal didnt learn exactly what she would be working on, only that her work related to Amazons attempt to get into speech.

I interviewed Snehal Meshram to learn more about her journey as a woman in tech, and highlight her thoughts on some of the prevailing challenges and new opportunities for women hoping to pursue a career in tech. Edited excerpts follow:

How have you seen the tech industry in India evolve, and what do you see as some of the biggest opportunities for growth in the future?

I am awe-struck at the scale of innovation in India across multiple domains and disciplines. Its a humbling moment in our lifetime to witness the massive contributions coming from India that are impacting the whole world. Customers are at the centre of these innovations which are helping them to choose the fastest, most economical and the most relevant solutions for their needs. The developments in ed-tech, mobile and payment are particularly noteworthy because of the customer segments they are empowering. Simplifying payments and loan applications for Tier 3 customers is a huge impact that is saving time and enabling faster turnaround that would otherwise take weeks.

Biggest opportunity for growth continues to be whether the tech evolution will keep the guardrails of privacy and security while in parallel aim for hypergrowth. The tech industry should hold itself accountable to comply and do the due diligence for protecting data and privacy of their customers while also scaling at a fast pace.

What steps have you taken to ensure a diverse and inclusive workplace, and what have been some of the outcomes of these efforts in terms of impact?

I am a strong proponent of Diversity and Inclusion. I have built a strong female representation on my team  35% of the team is gender diverse with 38% diversity in tech roles and 70% female representation in leadership roles. We also have regional and linguistic diversity in the team, across the team we speak 10 different Indic languages at a native level. This diversity in perspective also helps us in building diverse experiences for our customers. In partnership with a female leader on my team, we initiated a quarterly discussion forum promoting inclusion and diversity initiatives on the team. Some examples of these initiatives include taking goals to improve gender, regional, linguistic and educational representation at the recruiting funnel. Another example is addressing bias in our daily activities by creating forums for employees to voice personal experiences related to bias and collectively identifying ways to address them.

Can you share an example when you had to navigate a difficult situation or decision as a leader? How did you approach it?

I relocated to India in 2018 after a 16 year stint in the US. This was a major life event for me and my husband. Amazon supported me immensely by leveraging my experience in Alexa and my prior experience to bootstrap and build strong teams independently. Within 1.5 years of moving, I built a 40+ person team that owns and builds the end-to-end experience of Indian English and Hindi Alexa NLU modelling. My leaders in Alexa were incredibly supportive and trusting of me and my team. Within a year, my team was fully functional and operating independently.

What's your approach to mentorship and supporting development of future leaders in the Indian tech ecosystem?

My approach during mentorship and development discussions is to acknowledge that were living in a fast paced and rapidly evolving tech space, it is critical to keep the skills and knowledge current. This can be overwhelming, but one of the ways we can narrow down our focus is by being customer-centric while building and innovating. There can be multiple ways to arrive at a tech solution and if we are laser focused on the customer need and customer experience, we are more likely to create products, tech solutions that delight the customers.

What are some of the biggest myths and stereotypes about women in tech that you've encountered or heard of?

One of the common stereotypes as women start climbing the career ladder, is that most leadership roles in tech involve long and laborious hours and are best suited for men. Or that, when faced with a situation of a new born child in the family, the woman is better suited to reduce their working hours as men are not equipped to support the child. Corporate entities and leaders are accountable to create equitable working environments considering these constraints that women are specifically faced with. At Amazon, new mothers are provided an option for a slow ramp back at work after maternity leave, and new fathers are provided the parental leave as well to participate in child care responsibilities.

What do most people don't understand, get wrong or underestimate about women's impact and influence in India's digital workforce?

Female representation in the tech space is crucial  according to the Pew Research Center, the gender distribution is likely to even out by 2050. As we design and build tech products and solutions, we cannot overlook that women might design, innovate and contribute to these solutions equally and potentially in different ways than men. Most of all, we need to ensure that the solutions are designed to succeed equally for both the male and female customer. To create this equitable environment, we need a diverse and inclusive workforce in tech.

What are some of the biggest challenges that women (and underrepresented minorities) face in the tech industry, and how can senior leaders help address these challenges?

Equitable representation in the tech workforce is one of the biggest challenges women and underrepresented minorities face. Senior leadership needs to acknowledge and recognize that in order to create a fair and balanced workforce, we have to re-examine if opportunities to hire, grow and develop are being provided equitably to all employees. Women and underrepresented minorities particularly are vulnerable to their male and majority community counterparts, as the opportunities afforded to them might be different from the beginning. Creating equal learning and development opportunities takes work and effort, the results of this effort are a more diverse and multicultural workforce, with stronger representation of underrepresented communities and women in leadership positions.

How did a more diverse and inclusive workforce help drive innovation and business success within the company?

Ive been at Amazon for close to 9.5 years. Ive had 2 distinct memories, Ill talk about one of them  Launch of Hindi on Alexa in Sept 2019. In mid-2018, I relocated to India from California, to pursue the opportunity to build a team that would be focused on delivering for customers in India. Soon after I moved, I started collaborating with global teams on building the Natural Language Understanding models for Alexa in Hindi. This was an immense opportunity to build experiences directly for a multicultural, linguistically diverse customer segment. We had the opportunity to be inclusive and we leaned in  we spent lot of time researching on the variations of Alexa requests users from different parts of India are likely to use, and continued to invest in building multilingual models where today, both the English and Hindi NLU models are representative of the way we speak with each other. Alexa understands you in the way you speak. My team is representative of our customers as well, both linguistically and regionally. In many ways, I consider this experience as a way to give back to my community, an opportunity to develop experiences for Indian users but also to hire the talent and provide opportunities to grow and develop in a diverse and equitable environment.

How did you navigate gender-related challenges and other forms of bias at work, and what advice would you give to others facing similar challenges?

Snehal  Some ways to navigate gender or other forms of bias at work, is to ensure that in workplaces there are goals, training and forums to openly discuss DEI and bias topics. It is crucial to sensitise and educate all members equally on these topics, including the leadership. Navigating through these challenges is not just the responsibility of the members who are facing the bias, leaders in tech companies are all responsible to ensure a fair and balanced workplace where all members have a level-playing field and feel that they have similar opportunities to develop and grow.

What advice would you give to women who aspire to leadership roles in the tech industry, particularly in India?

My journey at Amazon is an example of sheer perseverance and dreaming big. My parents instilled the importance of education and ambitions very early on, they set incredibly strong precedents through their lives by rising up amidst social and financial challenges. At Amazon Alexa, I persevered with a vision of improving experiences for my customers and my team members, and pursuing my dream of contributing to speech recognition and AI.

My tips to women leaders in India is to dream big, chase your passion, celebrate your wins, and own your careers. We might come across a lot of naysayers, but dont lose sight of your goals and your milestones along the way. Building multiple networking circles has helped me in times of doubt, distress and ambiguity. Reach out and ask for guidance when in doubt, dont give in to imposter syndromes! We need to set strong examples for girls and children, each one of us holds this responsibility.
I interviewed Srikripa Srinivasan, Vice President, Dell Global Analytics, Dell Technologies, on the occasion of International Womens Day to learn about her career journey as a woman in the tech industry. Srinivasans responses spell out some of the challenges and opportunities for women in tech in India and beyond. Edited excerpts follow:

Can you describe your journey to becoming a tech industry leader? What were some of the biggest challenges you faced?

I have been with Dell Technologies for close to a decade now, in multiple roles like auditing, accounting and reporting, operations and finance, compliance and investigations, to now being the VP for Dell Global Analytics.

The biggest driver for women to succeed in the technology industry is the right mentorship, guidance and the constant hunger to learn. Women need to recognise and unleash their potential with the support from their families, colleagues, mentors and the leaders. Being the VP for Global Analytics, I have never been based out of the HQ, which initially was a challenge as to how do I continue to stay relevant and deliver results. I had to develop the right network of allies and connect with the right leaders for guidance, which helped me to deliver continuous impact.

Throughout my career, I have seen women often drop out from work for multiple reasons. Sometimes, work hours are difficult, they get married, have children, and dont know how to deal with the changes in their body cycle. At Dell Technologies, we have several initiatives and programs to ensure our women are thriving in their careers at all stages of life. Dell focuses on nurturing women team members across levels and departments. Our Return to Work program helps women re-enter the workforce after a prolonged career break for personal reasons. This also helps with skills training, both technical and non-technical to enable women achieve their best. Another initiative we have is creche facilities where parents can bring their kids to work, especially for working mothers. I strongly believe when companies invest in every employees growth and development, great things are bound to happen.

What steps have you taken to ensure a diverse and inclusive workplace, and what have been some of the outcomes of these efforts in terms of impact?

Dell Technologies is a People First organisation, focusing on the wellbeing of all its team members. Diversity is in our DNA. Moreover, Dell is committed to diversity and inclusion not only because its the right thing to do but because its core to our business imperative. We embrace differences that drive innovative solutions for our customers, making us a market leader.

We also aim at developing women across our global operations and especially in technical positions and leadership roles. We always work towards fostering an environment where people want to work, team members feel they belong, and our inclusive values reflect those of our customers and our communities. In fact, we not only hire a good and diverse mix of team members but also encourage them to leverage our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). ERGs enable our team members to drive initiatives to support gender diversity, generational diversity and cultivate a more comfortable environment. These communities are meant for employees to connect on common interests and causes such as gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation and backgrounds.

The Women in Action ERG is an initiative to enable women to grow and thrive in their career at Dell. As part of this, several programs help women build a strong network, get mentoring from experts to learn more and broaden their perspectives, as well as opportunities to lead. These programs work to identify key objectives that enable women employees to grow and reach their intended goals successfully. We even have an inclusive hiring framework. If we want to hire somebody at any position externally or internally, we ensure that at least two women are shortlisted amongst the top 5. Our talent acquisition team even ensures that the panellists comprise of women, who conduct the interview process.

However, while the industry is doing its best in terms of achieving both equality and equity, we need to understand that quantifying equity is difficult. We need to realise that our journey with equality and equity is a continuous process and can never really be 100 percent achieved. Hence, it is important for us to ensure that we are working towards both equality and equity at the same time and with the right balance. Our culture is defined by these values and made real every day by how we work and lead.

Can you share an example when you had to navigate a difficult situation or decision as a leader? How did you approach it?

The nature of my work demands me to build synergies with my team members spread across the globe. At Dell, a lot of our leaders have their team members and stakeholders spread across different regions, so to maintain the right team balance and ensure optimum results in terms of our solutions, is a situation I have learnt over time through our virtual and Connected Workplace setup. Another important thing we need to pay attention to is patience. While agility is an important parameter at Dell, with my team located in different time zones, it is vital to be patient, allowing them to think innovatively and deliver the best of results. We need to enable our team members to work efficiently in diverse, remote and hybrid environments, which will definitely deliver best solutions for the company and its customers.

How do you stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends, and what resources do you rely on?

Staying updated with emerging technologies is quintessential for success especially in an industry like technology which is constantly evolving. Networking and building strong industry relationships helps one stay abreast of any industry developments. Our smartphones are the best source, we just need to use it intelligently. Moreover, reading never goes out of date. I strongly believe one must be an ardent reader to excel in their respective field of expertise. I also highly recommend teams to regularly have knowledge sharing exercises which is an excellent way to build a learning culture within organisations.

What's your approach to mentorship and supporting development of future leaders in the Indian tech ecosystem?

An organisation is as strong as its leadership, as every team member experiences the organisation through their leader. A leader who reflects the core values of the company and drives an inclusive environment sets the right tone for the organisation.

At Dell Technologies, its all about inspiring our people. This is why, we are continuously allocating resources that shape leaders of tomorrow, to get the very best from their teams. To cultivate leadership skills at all levels of our organization, from team members to first-time people managers to our executives, Dell has developed end-to-end development programs. TechEDGE is once such program, for mid-career technologists to shape them into technology leaders who can inspire younger technical talent and become thought leaders in future. The program is a perfect blend of enhancing technical expertise as well as leadership skills.

Another unique way of discovering and nurturing this next generation of leaders is through our Technical Leadership Community (TLC). For more than three decades the pan Dell-organization, engineering-focused Technical Leadership Community (TLC) program has been promoting innovation and building a culture of high standards and continuous improvement. The program offers future technical leaders key developmental opportunities via networking, collaboration, leadership development and meaningful recognition. It also promotes a collaborative spirit among the broader engineering community and reinforces Dell as an industry innovator and thought leader.

We also have The Director Leadership Program and Advanced Leadership Experience Program to equip senior team members with the skills, information and the framework that is required to grow in their own careers while also driving the organizations growth. As we continue to work towards advancing sustainability, cultivating inclusion and transforming lives, programs like these are building technical experts and leaders of the future, enabling us to create a positive and lasting impact on humankind and the planet. We are defining what inclusive leadership means at Dell, from awareness of biases and how they can affect culture, to being collaborative and culturally intelligent. We integrate inclusive principles and practices into all our leadership development programs and training.

Can you discuss a specific example of how a more diverse and inclusive workforce has helped drive innovation and business success within the company?

With a strong foundation of diverse talent, we are well positioned to drive innovation across our vast product portfolio and business. Building a diverse workplace is no longer just the right thing to do. This is a business imperative that provides growth value and innovation to create the required technological solutions.

Through our Culture Code and People Philosophy, we are creating a culture where our people feel empowered to achieve more, have a sense of balance, are connected with those around them and accepted for who they are. When people work in an inclusive culture where they can be their authentic selves, they're able to innovate and feel that their contributions matter. Diverse thoughts and experiences combined with an accepting, collaborative workplace leads to truly meaningful work.

The role of my team is to analyze and make sense of the raw data to gain insights on consumer emotions, their behaviours and the trigger points on why they want to buy any particular product or solution. This raw data is groomed to make it relevant for us to derive new insights for our sales and product teams to understand the market demand and outlook. At Dell Technologies, our target audience is spanned across various regions, age groups and different backgrounds. With our teams comprising of people from diverse backgrounds and across all levels, we are well-equipped to understand our diversified customers.

Specifically, to Dell Global Analytics, we look at ourselves as a microcosm of the whole country, so to understand sentiments of our wide-ranged population, it is important for us to have the same representation in our team. We need to have a well-integrated workforce to reach the intended output.

How have you seen the tech industry in India evolve, and what do you see as some of the biggest opportunities for growth in the future?

Technology is an ever-evolving space and is transforming industries across India. It is expected that technology is likely to advance in the subsequent years. Moreover, the technological innovation that drives human progress is accelerating. With hyperconnectivity spanning multiple cloud environments and the edge, data is everywhere now. In the coming years, it is expected that technology will make lives easier, simpler, and businesses more successful. At Dell we believe that technologies like telecom, edge-computing and multicloud along with as-a-service consumption model will contribute to long term business success and growth.

The foundation for all these technologies is the right talent pool, which is already available in India and is continuously growing. At Dell, we significantly invest in training programs to continuously upskill our team members and enable the workforce for the future.

By harnessing the transformative power of technology, businesses can build more secure digital foundation needed to be ready for whats next.

What advice would you give to women who aspire to leadership roles in the tech industry, particularly in India?

As I mentioned above, when it comes to women, they sometimes drop out from their roles for various reasons in the whole pyramid. They might find the work hours difficult because of their responsibilities outside work. Their body cycles also change at some point in time, which makes it difficult for them.

I want to tell all the women out there to think differently. There will be new roles, constantly changing environments, difficult decisions, but women need to come out stronger and overcome the challenges. At Dell Technologies, we recognize that life is bigger than work and we are committed to enabling women to grow and thrive by giving access to opportunity, balance and fulfillment, connection with the world around them and most of all to be included so that they can reach their full potential.

My mantra and the advice I would like to give is, people need to spend half an hour reading about a topic of interest for 30 days in a row, which could lead to becoming an expert on that topic.

I would also say that look at the career like a test match. If you want to have a career and a life, balance it out saying these are my work hours, these are the weeks I need to play a T20, and on others, I might have to look at it as a one-day match, and there are some weeks where I have to play it like a test match  be with children and rest of the family.
Sumati Sahgal is the Head of Tablets and Smart Devices at Lenovo India, with over 15 years of experience across multiple domains. I interviewed her over email on the occasion of International Womens Day to understand her views on women in tech in India, and request her to share her experiences and journey trying to build a career in tech. Edited excerpts follow:

Can you describe your tech career journey? What were some of the biggest challenges you faced?

My early career spanned diverse industries. I have worked in the telecom, banking, and technology sectors, which has taught me invaluable lessons and shaped who I am today. I recall constantly battling the credibility gap, which unfortunately, many women face, especially early in their careers. Women are often expected to prove themselves over and over again. This, to me, was the biggest challenge I faced.

How have you seen the tech industry in India evolve, and what do you see as some of the biggest opportunities for growth in the future?

The shift from a hardware focus, to a solutions-oriented approach is one big shift were seeing in the technology sector. Tech, today, touches every part of a consumers lifefrom smart homes and workplaces to education and healthcare. And women are important consumers of these touchpoints. For instance, education is a big segment in India and given that women are the primary caregivers for our children, we understand the challenges and opportunities of the education sector better. Similarly, we are seeing more women entrepreneurs and are able to relate to their challenges. We understand women consumers better and address our requirements in a more sensitive manner, which is a very unique opportunity.

What steps have you taken to ensure a diverse and inclusive workplace, and what have been some of the outcomes of these efforts in terms of impact?

For me, inclusivity doesnt mean just gender inclusivity. Instead, it is about welcoming people from different backgrounds and presenting them with opportunities that help them grow. Even as a manager, I ensure that deserving people evolve alongside me and explore more opportunities that expand their avenues. I ensure that my team is given adequate resources necessary to develop their skills and talents. At Lenovo, we hire or promote candidates who are 70% ready for their roles. It is up to the organization and managers to give them the remaining capabilities and help them grow to fully embrace the role. As long as they have the aptitude and the attitude for learning, the skills can be picked up.

In terms of outcomes, as a leader, I am glad to have the maximum number of people who moved from my team to other roles within the organization. And I stand firm in my resolve that it's important to give them these opportunities.

Can you share an example when you had to navigate a difficult situation or decision as a leader? How did you approach it?

There was a situation where I was working with a senior male colleague. That experience gap made him contest my decisions and opinions at all times; I did feel it was exacerbated by the fact I was also a woman. I promised myself I would not get my emotions entangled in this situation; instead I weighed the facts of the case, kept my cool, and also gave the other person a fair hearing. I believe that as long as I am convinced that recommendation or solution is the best in the situation, I will stand my ground and build consensus so that enough people buy into my decision. I will encourage all women leaders to display resolve and be assertive.

How do you stay current with emerging technologies and industry trends, and what resources do you rely on?

In todays time, there is no dearth of resources. Be it online courses, publications, or other credible media, we have enough material to refer to. For me, a staple read is the Harvard Business Review. Lenovo, internally, has a great repository of content that is built around the latest technologies for content and training purposes.

Apart from this, engaging with relevant industry stakeholders and peers across organizations across industries helps build a more holistic perspective rather than limiting it to only technology.

What's your approach to mentorship and supporting development of future leaders in the Indian tech ecosystem?

Personally, I feel mentorship needs to be structured in order for it to be meaningful. At Lenovo, we have specific mentorship programs for the individuals that we identify as potential leaders and it is important to follow through on that. The responsibility for the success of a mentorship programme lies a lot on the mentee and not on the mentor.

In todays digital times, I would again reiterate, building your skill sets and working on developing yourself is of utmost importance. It is crucial for all future leaders to understand what the future of tech looks like, in terms of automation, digitalization, and transformation. The ability to expand ones skills to encompass all of this is critical.

What are some of the biggest challenges that women face in the tech industry, and how can senior leaders help address these challenges?

I have seen that in their mid-career, right before they get into leadership roles, women face the peak of balancing work and home responsibilities, which results in a stagnant, horizontal curve in their career growth. Unable to find the right balance, they either step out of the working environment or have constraints that limit them. This is when it becomes important for leaders to start building a conducive environment which means hiring women who are coming back into the workforce or creating policies that support women to have flexible working hours or workplaces. Another important aspect is to sensitize internal employees towards embracing diversity. And if, as leaders, we make a conscious choice, then we are sending the right message to the organization.

Can you discuss a specific example of how a more diverse and inclusive workforce has helped drive innovation and business success within the company?

Normally, women are seen as contributors to support functions. Having women in front-end business roles helps bring across a unique perspective which I've seen emerge very well in real business situations. We possess an understanding of what todays consumer wants. And because the end-user has now become a woman, a decision-maker on the other side the salesperson or the business leader, brings in that perspective and is able to therefore offer the right solution.

Can you discuss any initiatives or projects you have been involved in to give back to the community?

At Lenovo, we take volunteering very seriously, at an individual level and as an organization. We have various tie-ups with NGOs, and I make it a point to volunteer at least twice or thrice a quarter. I do book-readings and recordings for visually challenged students. This is not just a great storytelling opportunity but also one learns so much through the stories one reads or records.

How did you navigate gender-related challenges and other forms of bias at work, and what advice would you give to others facing similar challenges?

The first part is to recognize that there is a challenge that may come up and prepare myself for it. Of course, there will be team members who may want to push you around or overrule a decision. I remember an instance where a woman employee was not even asked to join a meeting, assuming that she would be unavailable.

You have to go out and make the effort initially to be seen as someone who's willing to go the extra mile as any other person doing the job. As a woman, you need to be assertive and not worry about being seen as aggressive. I think that's important and largely, that's what my approach has been.

And that's the advice I would give others as well  dont be shy of raising your voice. Make yourself heard in a larger group with confidence.

What advice would you give to women who aspire to leadership roles in the tech industry, particularly in India?

Circling back to the same thingupskilling and preparing yourself for the future of tech are the most meaningful practices you can start with. Set a goal, reach out to others for a helping hand, and do not hesitate to look out for better opportunities. We cannot expect the world to do us favors. So, we need to be prepared for the opportunity, which means having the right skill sets and investing in ourselves.

What are some of the biggest myths and stereotypes about women in tech that you've encountered or heard of?

The bizarre myth I have heard is that women are not tech-savvy and have worse technical skills than their male counterparts. It is presumed their EQ is better than their analytical understanding, hence, they wouldnt have a good grasp of the technical side of things. In terms of general management, I know another firm social stereotype regarding masculinity of certain roles or professions. Women themselves feel a male dominance in certain frontend roles like sales and shy away from them, further strengthening the vicious circle.

Being a woman in tech, what do most people don't understand, get wrong or underestimate about women in our digital workforce?

The post-pandemic digital workforce has the flexibility to work from anywhere. Especially, Gen Z is absolutely okay to work in any space from anywhere and therefore it gives them far greater avenues. With work from home, there is a blurring of boundaries between work and personal life and a reduction in travel time. Ironically, the amount of work women can do at home is underestimated, under the assumption that women get more time to look after their families.
Vijay Sale is currently throwing a sale offering discounts on many products like smartphones, headsets, smartwatches, home appliances and much more. Vijay sales has offered bank offers and instant discounts on the products.

The e-commerce platform is throwing great offers on the smartphones and here are five of them:

1. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra was launched last year at the price of 1,31,999 but Vijay Sales is offering the flagship phone at the price of 1,09,999. Along with that, Vijay Sales has also offered some bank offer as well:

5% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 2000 on the phone by using Yes Bank Credit Card.

7.5% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 7,500 on the phone by using HSBC Credit Card.

5% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 1,500 on the phone by using Bank of Baroda Credit Card.

5% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 1,500 on the phone by using IndusInd Bank Debit Card.

10% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 1000 on the phone by using RuPay Credit Card.

2. Redmi K50i

Redmi K50i is available on Vijay Sales at just 23,999. Vijay Sales has offered a 25% instant discount which dropped the price from 31,999. Along with the instant discount it is also available with the same bank discounts.

5% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 2000 on the phone by using Yes Bank Credit Card.

7.5% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 7,500 on the phone by using HSBC Credit Card.

5% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 1,500 on the phone by using Bank of Baroda Credit Card.

5% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 1,500 on the phone by using IndusInd Bank Debit Card.

10% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 1000 on the phone by using RuPay Credit Card.

3. Redmi Note 11

Redmi Note 11 comes with an original price of 18,999 but Vijay Sales has discounted the price of the budget phone to 12,999. You can save more on Redmi Note 11 by availing these bank offers:

5% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 1,500 on the phone by using Bank of Baroda Credit Card.

10% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 1000 on the phone by using RuPay Credit Card.

4. Redmi 10

Redmi 10 on the Vijay Sales is priced at 11,999 after a 29% discount which saves 5000 on the phone. It also comes with some bank offers as well:

5% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 1,500 on the phone by using Bank of Baroda Credit Card.

10% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 1000 on the phone by using RuPay Credit Card.

5.Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is available on Vijay Sales at a price of 89,999 after the discount of 12,000. The phone was launched at a price of 1,01,999. The bank offers you can use while buying this phone are:

5% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 2000 on the phone by using Yes Bank Credit Card.

7.5% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 7,500 on the phone by using HSBC Credit Card.

5% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 1,500 on the phone by using Bank of Baroda Credit Card.

5% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 1,500 on the phone by using IndusInd Bank Debit Card.

10% instant discount on the phone which can save up to 1000 on the phone by using RuPay Credit Card.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
Holi, also known as the "Festival of Colors," is a vibrant and joyful celebration that takes place every year in India and other parts of the world. However, amidst all the excitement and festivities, it's important to remember to protect your phone from any damage. From water damage to colour stains, there are several hazards that could harm your device during the Holi celebrations. But, there are several simple yet effective ways to protect your phone and ensure that it stays in good condition throughout the festivities. In this article, we'll explore six amazing tips for protecting your phone during Holi.

1. Use zip-lock Bags

You can always use disposable Zip-Lock Bags to keep your smartphone, smartwatch, bluetooth headsets or any electronic to protect them from water and colour.

2. Use duct tape on ports

If you are not able to find a zip-lock bag, you can seal the open ports of the phone like charging port, headphone jack or speakers with duct tape. This will protect your phone from getting damaged with water.

3. Use pattern lock

While playing with colours and waters, you might need to use your phone because of calls or any other important reason. So in that case, use only pattern lock because your phone might not accept fingerprints if its on the zip-lock bag or covered in colour.

4. Avoid charging when your phone is wet

Charging the phone when the device is wet can cause a big harm to your phone. There is a big possibility of short circuit and electric shock. So if your phone gets wet, first ensure its all dry inside out then plug it in charging.

5. Dont use hair dryer to dry your phone

People usually use the Hair Dryer to dry the phone if it gets wet but this can affect the phone in various manners. Dryer can cause harm to the sensitive or delicate parts in the phone.

6. Apple Glycerin or moisturiser

You can apply Glycerin or Moisturiser on the to protect the phone from colour stains.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
Irish police reacted immediately to offer support to the PSNI in the aftermath of the shooting of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris has said.

Mr Heaton-Harris was responding to concerns raised at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee by DUP MP Jim Shannon about a lack of security co-operation from the Irish state in providing information about a number of Troubles offences.

Telling MPs that it was alleged that those who shot the senior detective had fled across the border, Mr Shannon said it looked like nothing had improved.

But Mr Heaton-Harris countered that Irish Justice Minister Simon Harris had offered whatever assistance was required following the shooting of Mr Caldwell in Omagh last month. The detective remains in a critical but stable condition in hospital.

Mr Shannon told the committee that the Republic of Ireland had often been found wanting when it came to security collaboration over Troubles killings.

He drew attention to three incidents. The first was the 1989 murders in South Armagh by the IRA of RUC officers Chief Superintendent Harry Breen and Superintendent Bob Buchanan who were shot shortly after they crossed the border into Northern Ireland as they returned from a meeting at Dundalk Garda Station.

He also highlighted the 1998 Real IRA Omagh bombing, which killed 29 people including a mother of unborn twins, telling the committee that the device was constructed in the Republic.

Mr Shannon then referred to the IRA murder of his cousin Kenneth Smyth and Daniel McCormick in 1971, stating that the killers had escaped across the border and were never brought to justice.

He said: We look at these examples, a Republic of Ireland government that seems to turn a blind eye to whenever IRA terrorists cross the border to escape their murderous campaign against the people of Northern Ireland.

It is rumoured and alleged that the people who carried out the attempted murder of Inspector Caldwell also ran across the border.

If it happened on December 10 1971 and it is happening today, then what has improved with the Republic of Ireland, with their security forces, with their police? Can I say it looks like nothing has improved.

Mr Heaton-Harris said he believed there was a very good relationship between the PSNI and the Gardai.

He added: What we have seen following the attack on DCI Caldwell demonstrates a proper understanding of how we can help each other.

The day after DCI Caldwell was shot I had Simon Harris, the Irish Minister for Justice, on the phone, not just offering an expression of support and solidarity, but whatever assistance the Irish state could give in the aftermath of the attack.

Commissioner Drew Harris, beyond the usual routine contact his officers have with the PSNI, they acted immediately in the aftermath of that attack to support PSNI with patrols in border areas, investigations and inquiries, so PSNI officers could do what we would have expected them to do around dealing with the immediate aftermath.

There is a lot of cross-fertilisation. I am actually quite positive about the current and future arrangements and co-operation on policing and security on dealing with paramilitarism.

Mr Heaton-Harris said there remained strong differences of opinion between the UK and Irish governments on how to deal with legacy issues relating to the Troubles.
Former soldier Lisa Smith is to remain in prison for membership of the terrorist group Islamic State, after a bid to overturn her 15-month sentence was rejected by the Court of Appeal.

Delivering the judgment of the three-judge court this morning, Wednesday March 8 2023, Mr Justice John Edwards said the judges of the Special Criminal Court who tried, convicted and sentenced Smith had shown "scrupulous fairness and appropriate regard to the evidence".

The court dismissed all grounds of appeal relating to the sentence.

Following the judgment Ms Smith's lawyers indicated that they want to appeal her conviction as soon as possible. Her case will be mentioned again on March 24.

With ordinary remission on her 15-month sentence and taking into account one month she spent in custody on her return to Ireland in 2019, the 41-year-old mother-of-one is due for release on May 27.

Last year Smith became the first person to be convicted in an Irish court of an Islamic terrorist offence committed abroad when the three-judge, non-jury Special Criminal Court found that she joined Isis when she travelled to Syria in 2015.

The 41-year-old from Dundalk, Co Louth had pleaded not (NOT) guilty to membership of an unlawful terrorist group, Islamic State, between October 28th, 2015 and December 1st, 2019.

Sentencing her to 15 months in prison, Mr Justice Tony Hunt noted that while Smith is a low risk for re-offending, she was persistent and determined in her efforts to travel to Syria and join Isis and has shown no remorse for her actions.

He said it was "serious" for an Irish citizen to take up allegiance with a terrorist organisation and persist with it.

He added that "she may have been easily led by circumstances and other people" but she had also shown resilience and determination to join and remain with Isis "to the bitter end".

She had rejected her family and one of her husbands, who refused to swear allegiance to Isis, and had aligned herself with terrorists such as John Georgelas, an American Isis fighter and propagandist who was killed during fighting in Syria.

He said that a custodial sentence was necessary to mark the seriousness of the offence and to deter others from offering support to dangerous organisations.

During garda interviews, Smith accepted that she travelled to Isis-controlled Syria in 2015 but denied that she had ever joined Isis or any other group.

She said she believed she had a religious obligation to live inside the Islamic State created by terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Mr Justice Hunt, delivering the court's verdict, said that she went to Syria with her "eyes wide open" having watched videos of Isis atrocities and having taken part in online discussions about Isis with jihadis from Germany, Australia, America and parts of the Middle East.

Appealing the sentence last October, Michael O'Higgins SC, for Smith, told the three-judge court that his client went to ISIS-controlled Syria "got married, kept house and that's it."

He said she went out of a religious conviction, "did not contribute to any state-building exercise and did no positive act in favour of Isis."

He added: "There is nothing [in the evidence] beyond that she kept house for a man who did not even regard her as a person."

Mr O'Higgins said that the Special Criminal Court, which convicted and sentenced Smith, did not give enough regard to the mitigating factors, including that Smith is a mother of a young child.

He said that the court had incorrectly placed her offending at the higher end of the lower level for membership of a terrorist organisation. Her offending and involvement with Isis, Mr O'Higgins said, could not have been at a lower level than it was.

Mr O'Higgins also said that in sentencing, the Special Criminal Court should have taken into account the nine-and-a-half months Smith spent in two detention camps in Syria.

He said the conditions in those camps were appalling; she was locked up "day and night" in a place where people held extreme views and where murder "routinely happens".

The camp was policed by "women who are vicious, looking out for anything that indicates dissidence," he said.

Despite the risks to her, Smith spoke out against Isis when Professor Anne Speckhard, an expert in violent extremism, came looking to interview those in the camps.

The interview she gave was broadcast with Smith's face pixelated but Smith agreed to have the pixelation removed once she had returned to Ireland.

Mr O'Higgins said the court also failed to adequately consider the report written by Professor Speckhard who said that Smith had sincerely denounced Isis and did not support Isis atrocities.

He said that Smith was convicted on the basis that she submitted to the jurisdiction of Islamic State, adding that you could criminalise an entire nation on the same basis but that such offences would have to be considered at the lowest possible level of membership.

Sean Gillane SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said that Isis was a terrorist organisation of "some notoriety which carried out acts of almost historically unprecedented bloodiness."

Smith knew of its "bloodlust", counsel said, and discussed Isis atrocities with others in online conversations.

He added: "The very essence of the terror was known to her, discussed by her and in some situations explicitly approbated by her."

Smith also knew that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Isis, had been denounced by Islamic academics all over the world but she still chose to travel to Syria. She rejected every entreaty not to go, counsel said, and when in Syria she rejected every call to return.

She rejected her own husband who asked her not to go and divorced him when he refused to pledge allegiance to al-Baghdadi, Mr Gillane said.

Counsel said the headline sentence of two years and six months set by the Special Criminal Court was appropriate. The reduction from the headline to 15 months, he said, showed that the court did take into account mitigating factors including the hardship she had endured in the detention camps in Syria.
It is the State's contention that an accused's back tattoo amounts to a "pictorial admission" of his involvement in the robbery of a Dundalk credit union during which Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe was shot dead, the Special Criminal Court has heard.

A close-up photograph of a large tattoo drawn across Brendan Treanor's upper back, which was photographed by gardai upon his arrest in April 2021, was displayed today on several screens in the three-judge court.

The tattoo depicted four males with hats, including one holding a long barrelled firearm, along with a woman wearing a balaclava with a gun to her lips, a large BMW car, a pistol, rounds of ammunition and wads of money.

Brendan Grehan SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said the registration plate displayed on the BMW car read "BOSS BFT" and the letters "BFT" may refer to people's surnames including Mr Treanor's.

Mr Treanor (34), previously of Emer Terrace, Castletown Road, Dundalk, Co Louth, and James Flynn (32) from South Armagh are charged with the robbery of 7,000 at Lordship Credit Union in Bellurgan, Co Louth, on January 25, 2013.

Both men are also charged that between September 11, 2012, and 23 January 2013, they conspired with convicted Garda-killer Aaron Brady and others to enter residential premises with the intention of stealing car keys.

The prosecution alleges that Mr Treanor and Mr Flynn were part of a group of young men who conspired to break into houses to steal car keys and then quietly make off with the cars.

They have pleaded not (NOT) guilty to each charge.

Brady (31) previously of New Road, Crossmaglen, Co Armagh, is serving a life sentence with a 40-year minimum having been found guilty of murdering Det Gda Adrian Donohoe and of the robbery at Lordship. He denied any involvement in the robbery and is awaiting an appeal against his conviction.

Garda Aidan Hanlon today told Brendan Grehan SC, prosecuting, that he took seven photographs of Mr Treanor on the morning of April 19 2021 including two of his back.

Describing the taking of the close-up photographs of Mr Treanor's tattoo on the screen in the courtroom, Gda Hanlon said the accused was standing facing the wall at the time with his back to him. "He just pulled the top he was wearing over his head and is still partially dressed," he added.

Mr Grehan said the photograph of the tattoo depicted four males with hats, a fairly large BMW car in the centre, a pistol, a number of rounds of ammunition, wads of money, a knuckle duster and a female figure with a balaclava.

The prosecutor also said that the female figure, with hair going down the right hand side, is holding a gun up to her lips.

On the left hand side of the tattoo, Mr Grehan said, are four male figures wearing hats. The second man is holding what appears to be a long barrelled firearm, said counsel.

In total, Mr Grehan said there are four men and a woman visible in the tattoo and two characters to the left of the vehicle wearing ties.

The tattoo, the barrister said, shows the headlights belonging to the BMW car and fog lights underneath it.

The registration plate on the BMW car reads: "BOSS BFT". Mr Grehan said the court has heard evidence that Mr Treanor gave his statement as Brendan Thomas Treanor and therefore the letters "BFT" may refer to people's surnames including his own.

Under cross-examination, Michael Lynn SC, defending Mr Treanor, put it to the witness that the tattoo was in fact covering up the name 'Charlene'. Gda Hanlon replied "possibly, yes".

Earlier, there was legal argument between both sides over the admissibility of the photograph of Mr Treanor's tattoo, with Mr Lynn arguing that the photo was not taken voluntarily and the accused should have been cautioned.

In reply, Mr Grehan said all the prosecution is contending for is that the accused was properly arrested, detained, had access to a solicitor and that authorisation was granted for the taking of the photographs and fingerprints.

"We are not dealing with consent, we are dealing with authorisation pursuant to statute which Mr Treanor cooperated with," he said.

The lawyer said the taking of the photographs was lawfully done and what Mr Lynn was complaining about was the purpose that the photographs might be put to and that was ultimately a matter for the court.

In its ruling, Mr Justice Tony Hunt, presiding, sitting with Judge Sarah Berkeley and Judge Alan Mitchell said the court was satisfied that the photograph was taken in the context of an entirely lawful procedure.

The trial previously heard evidence from Mary Hanlon, the treasurer at Cooley Credit Union, that just before the robbery occurred a car had blocked the exit to Lordship car park.

Ms Hanlon told Mr Grehan that she thought "what a stupid bitch, parking there" and saw what she believed to be a woman with short blonde hair in the driver's seat of the getaway car.

Former detective garda Joe Ryan, who was in the patrol car with Det Gda Donohoe that evening, has testified in this trial that he saw two males running towards him in the car park and one of them had a full length shotgun and the other had a handgun.

Mr Ryan said the man with the shotgun had it pointed at his face and body and was shouting and roaring 'I'll f**king kill you, don't move I'll shoot'.

Two other credit union employees Pat Bellew and Bernadette McShane described how two other raiders had approached their cars. All five raiders then escaped as the getaway car sped off from the scene.
Three Louth businesses have been nominated for Good Food Ireland Awards it was announced yesterday.

Ghan House in Carlingford has been nominated in the Culinary Haven Of The Year category; The Glyde Inn in Annagassan has been nominated in both the Pub of the Year and Excellence In Food Tourism categories, while Oriel Sea Salt has been nominated in the Sustainability category.

The winners are due to be revealed at a high-profile business lunch taking place on Monday 17th April at The K Club, County Kildare.

The awards are unique in their cross-sector approach and core criteria around commitment to local Irish produce.

They aim to enhance linkages between agriculture and tourism and present significant opportunities for stimulating local production, retaining tourism earnings in the local area, and improving the distribution of economic benefits of tourism to the four corners of the island.

An independent panel of Irish and International leaders including Founder and Managing Director of Good Food Ireland Margaret Jeffares, journalists John Wilson and Amii McKeever, IFAC Consultant Stephanie Walsh and Executive Chairman and Owner of Odyssey International Kevin Shannon, shortlisted the nominees from those businesses approved by Good Food Ireland, subject to meeting strict criteria through onsite inspection.

The expert panel will select the overall winner following mystery inspections and assessments.

The public also has the opportunity to cast their votes for their favourite places across the island of Ireland in the Food Lovers Choice Award. The shortlist will be drawn from the finalists in all other categories and online voting will commence on Tuesday 7th March and remain open until Monday 20th March.

Other awards of recognition will include Outstanding Contribution to Food Production, Outstanding Contribution to Irish Food/Drink Internationally and Lifetime Achievement Award.

Returning for the first time since pre-Covid, the awards  proudly sponsored by Kerrygold, Irish Farmers Association, Bord Bia, Tourism Ireland and National Dairy Council  will be opened by guest of honour, Simon Coveney T.D., Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and attended by some 300 guests including business owners, Irish and international chefs, buyers, food and drink writers, media and industry leaders. Anita Mendiratta, Special Advisor to the Secretary General of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation, will deliver the afternoons Key Note speech.

Margaret Jeffares, Founder and Managing Director of Good Food Ireland says:

There is great excitement around the return of The Good Food Ireland Awards this year to celebrate the successful collaboration of cross-sector businesses working together for inclusive economic growth.

All of those wonderful businesses who have made the shortlist are a committed collection of passionate and driven people who genuinely capture the essence of Irelands food and drink, setting it in a cultural context to inspire travellers, international consumers and locals to seek out real authenticity and Irish provenance.

All the judges would like to extend our congratulations to them all and wish everyone the best of luck for the 17th April.

For full details on the individual awards, tickets to the event, and general information about Good Food Ireland visit goodfoodireland.ie
The UK Government should legislate to outlaw the glorification of terrorism in Northern Ireland, a Commons committee has been told.

DUP MP Carla Lockhart raised concerns about the attendance this week of senior Sinn Fein members at the funeral of republican activist Rita OHare.

In response, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said that the authority which should be dealing with glorification of terrorism was the Stormont executive.

Mr Heaton-Harris was appearing at the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee which is investigating the impact of paramilitary activity.

Referring to Sinn Fein, Ms Lockhart said that there was a party which would take the First Minister position if Stormont was returned, which was involved in the continual glorification of terrorism.

The DUP MP referred to comments made by Sinn Feins Stormont leader, Michelle ONeill, last year when she said there had been no alternative to IRA violence during the Troubles.

She also referenced the funeral of Ms OHare, who fled Northern Ireland in 1972 having been arrested and bailed in connection with the attempted murder of a soldier the previous year and was later jailed for three years in the Republic of Ireland for involvement in an IRA arms smuggling bid.

Ms Lockhart said: You only have to think when Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle ONeill carried the coffin of an on-the-run, someone who was wanted in Northern Ireland for the attempted murder of an Army warrant officer, who had convictions down south as well.

Can the Secretary of State outline if he has any intention of outlawing glorification of terrorism? Because the terrorism in 1983 is no different to terrorism today.

I would like to know what the Government intend to do on this because it is encouraging young people to take up arms, get involved in criminality.

You only have to look at the age of people who are singing oh ah, up the Ra.

What more can we do, and what more will the Government do?

Mr Heaton-Harris said there had never been any justification for paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland, and there is none today.

He added: I do understand that commemoration is an unbelievably complex issue and I have had representations personally from both communities on issues to do with this.

But it is something that the (Stormont) executive leads on. We should not allow a culture to emerge which glorifies violence in the past, but this is something which sits in the devolved space.

So maybe the government should get involved but the government which should get involved is the executive.

The powersharing institutions are currently not operating in Northern Ireland due to a DUP protest over the terms of post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Ms Lockhart responded: With due respect, the individuals that are glorifying the terrorism are part of that executive and are not likely to take action against themselves.

I believe it would be fitting for the UK Government, who are sovereign in these matters, to take action and to actually introduce legislation.

We, as a party, sought to bring forward an amendment which would outlaw glorification of terrorism and it was written off by the government.

It is the Home Office, in my mind, which needs to deal with terrorism and the glorification of it.

The Northern Ireland Secretary said the Home Office played that role in Great Britain.

He added: I hear exactly what you say about the people you have mentioned but I do recall that 25 years ago there were people equally who had been involved in things we would not have tolerated who then changed into being some of the people who brought peace and stability to Northern Ireland.

I think it is important to note the united condemnation from all the political parties in the shooting of DCI (John) Caldwell.

The clear message of opposition that has been sent by all the political leaders in Northern Ireland back to those who seek to drag us back to the dark, horrible days of the past.

I understand the point and I think the government could do more, but the government which could do more is the executive.
A very silly mistake cost a 64-year-old man 300 at Cork District Court.

Eugene Moynihan of 92 Templeacre Ave, Gurranabraher, Cork, pleaded guilty to the charge of theft from Dunnes Stores in Ballyvolane, Cork, on February 11.

Sergeant Gearoid Davis said the accused had two previous theft convictions and that on this occasion he stole 17 worth of items.

Judge Olann Kelleher said: He has three thefts now. He would be at risk of prison from here on in.

Instead, the judge imposed a 300 fine.

Shane Collins-Daly, defence solicitor, described this third incident of shoplifting by the accused man as a very silly mistake.
Eoin Reynolds

Former soldier Lisa Smith is to remain in prison for membership of the terrorist group Islamic State, after a bid to overturn her 15-month sentence was rejected by the Court of Appeal.

Delivering the judgment of the three-judge court on Wednesday morning Mr Justice John Edwards said the judges of the Special Criminal Court who tried, convicted and sentenced Smith had shown "scrupulous fairness and appropriate regard to the evidence".

The court dismissed all grounds of appeal relating to the sentence. Following the judgment Ms Smith's lawyers indicated that they want to appeal her conviction as soon as possible. Her case will be mentioned again on March 24th.

With ordinary remission on her 15-month sentence and taking into account one month she spent in custody on her return to Ireland in 2019, the 41-year-old mother-of-one is due for release on May 27th.

First person convicted

Last year Smith became the first person to be convicted in an Irish court of an Islamic terrorist offence committed abroad when the three-judge, non-jury Special Criminal Court found that she joined Isis when she travelled to Syria in 2015. The 41-year-old from Dundalk, Co Louth had pleaded not guilty to membership of an unlawful terrorist group, Islamic State, between October 28th, 2015 and December 1st, 2019.

Sentencing her to 15 months in prison, Mr Justice Tony Hunt noted that while Smith is a low risk for re-offending, she was persistent and determined in her efforts to travel to Syria and join Isis and has shown no remorse for her actions.

He said it was "serious" for an Irish citizen to take up allegiance with a terrorist organisation and persist with it.

He added that "she may have been easily led by circumstances and other people" but she had also shown resilience and determination to join and remain with Isis "to the bitter end".

She had rejected her family and one of her husbands, who refused to swear allegiance to Isis, and had aligned herself with terrorists such as John Georgelas, an American Isis fighter and propagandist who was killed during fighting in Syria. He said that a custodial sentence was necessary to mark the seriousness of the offence and to deter others from offering support to dangerous organisations.

Isis

During garda interviews, Smith accepted that she travelled to Isis-controlled Syria in 2015 but denied that she had ever joined Isis or any other group. She said she believed she had a religious obligation to live inside the Islamic State created by terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Mr Justice Hunt, delivering the court's verdict, said that she went to Syria with her "eyes wide open" having watched videos of Isis atrocities and having taken part in online discussions about Isis with jihadis from Germany, Australia, America and parts of the Middle East.

Appealing the sentence last October, Michael O'Higgins SC, for Smith, told the three-judge court that his client went to ISIS-controlled Syria "got married, kept house and that's it." He said she went out of a religious conviction, "did not contribute to any state-building exercise and did no positive act in favour of Isis."

He added: "There is nothing [in the evidence] beyond that she kept house for a man who did not even regard her as a person."

Mr O'Higgins said that the Special Criminal Court, which convicted and sentenced Smith, did not give enough regard to the mitigating factors, including that Smith is a mother of a young child. He said that the court had incorrectly placed her offending at the higher end of the lower level for membership of a terrorist organisation. Her offending and involvement with Isis, Mr O'Higgins said, could not have been at a lower level than it was.

Detention camps

Mr O'Higgins also said that in sentencing, the Special Criminal Court should have taken into account the nine-and-a-half months Smith spent in two detention camps in Syria. He said the conditions in those camps were appalling; she was locked up "day and night" in a place where people held extreme views and where murder "routinely happens".

The camp was policed by "women who are vicious, looking out for anything that indicates dissidence," he said. Despite the risks to her, Smith spoke out against Isis when Professor Anne Speckhard, an expert in violent extremism, came looking to interview those in the camps. The interview she gave was broadcast with Smith's face pixelated but Smith agreed to have the pixelation removed once she had returned to Ireland. Mr O'Higgins said the court also failed to adequately consider the report written by Professor Speckhard who said that Smith had sincerely denounced Isis and did not support Isis atrocities.

He said that Smith was convicted on the basis that she submitted to the jurisdiction of Islamic State, adding that you could criminalise an entire nation on the same basis but that such offences would have to be considered at the lowest possible level of membership.

Sean Gillane SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, said that Isis was a terrorist organisation of "some notoriety which carried out acts of almost historically unprecedented bloodiness." Smith knew of its "bloodlust", counsel said, and discussed Isis atrocities with others in online conversations. He added: "The very essence of the terror was known to her, discussed by her and in some situations explicitly approbated by her."

Smith also knew that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Isis, had been denounced by Islamic academics all over the world but she still chose to travel to Syria. She rejected every entreaty not to go, counsel said, and when in Syria she rejected every call to return.

She rejected her own husband who asked her not to go and divorced him when he refused to pledge allegiance to al-Baghdadi, Mr Gillane said.

Counsel said the headline sentence of two years and six months set by the Special Criminal Court was appropriate. The reduction from the headline to 15 months, he said, showed that the court did take into account mitigating factors including the hardship she had endured in the detention camps in Syria.
Susan OCallaghan, Cork Deaf Association

Im Deaf and a native user of Irish Sign Language. I have worked with Cork Deaf Association for 22 years and my current role is Advocacy Officer.

For me, equity means ensuring that Deaf Irish Sign Language users have equal access to opportunities, supports and services.

Due to inequity and audism, Deaf women are at a higher risk of adverse health outcomes compared to hearing (non-deaf) women. For example, Deaf women may struggle to access appropriate care and information throughout pregnancy and birth and for serious health issues such as breast cancer.

In the hearing world, there is a lot of information available about womens health issues. There is plenty of information available on TV, radio, newspapers or even word of mouth. There are many barriers for Deaf women accessing information in the same way. A lot of this information is not available in Irish Sign Language and written English is often very dense and inaccessible. The radio is not an option as an information source either.

I want to see a time when Deaf women have equal access to healthcare.

For example, it is important that Deaf women fully understand information regarding the importance of mammograms and smear tests and the symptoms of cervical cancer. This essential information needs to be fully accessible in Irish Sign Language as an important step towards equality.

Elena Canty, who is a strong supporter and believer of Disability Rights and Inclusion.

Elena Canty, Ballyvolane, is a strong supporter and believer of disability rights and inclusion

For me, equity means true inclusion, to not just thrive in life but to enjoy my life to the fullest without facing any obstacles, barriers and challenges in society.

Living with a disability means that I view the world from a different perspective, I navigate the world differently to others as I am a wheelchair user. For as long as I can remember, I faced challenges and obstacles in society including bias, stereotypes and ableism, inaccessibility and a lack of inclusion.

Inaccessibility and ableism is still a huge challenge I face today deeply, to the point where it does affect whether I thrive in life or not.

While equality means that everyone is entitled to the same resources and opportunities, I strongly believe that more needs to be done to ensure equity exists in our society, especially when it comes to accessibility.

To me, equity means that I can attend any event (i.e. concert) and access everything I need to enjoy myself fully during it, like being able to use the accessible bathroom without encountering obstacles and view the stage without people blocking my view when theyre standing. I think of equity when shopping; being able to access the checkout counter, and being able to reach for a product in the drapery and grocery department without asking for assistance.

Being able to easily source accessible parking when visiting the city centre wherever and whenever I need without hassle, and being able to access footpaths and buildings without facing barriers.

Staying in a hotel that has a fully accessible bathroom is a great challenge for me also. The list goes on...

When I think of equity, I think of every person as unique who presents with different circumstances throughout their life. One size does not fit all, and equality is no longer enough. In order for everyone to thrive in society, we need to ensure that their unique circumstances are met with an understanding that resources and opportunities are given in a way that suits them.

Going forward, we need to adopt an equity-based solution in our society, we need to adapt services and policies accordingly to suit the diverse lived-experiences of individuals and communities. We need to work towards true inclusion for all, lets embrace equity together.

Mary Crilly, Cork Sexual Violence Centre, and Lauren Duggan, Riley.

Lauren Duggan, Co-founder of Riley, an eco-friendly period care company founded in Cork

I think it is easy to get confused between equity and equality. For me, equality means providing the same to all, while equity means recognising that we do not all start from the same place and some may need additional resources to have an equal opportunity to thrive.

At Riley, we work with different charity partners to donate sanitary products to those that cannot access them - both abroad and at home here in Ireland.

For us, period poverty is a huge issue and equality will be making period products accessible to anyone who needs them. In Kenya, however, there is a lack of education and stigma associated with menstrual health which is a huge barrier. This is why, alongside simply donating products, we also take it a step further by funding doctor-led school visits to educate young girls and boys on menstrual health in that region.

In short - equality is the goal, and equity is the means to get there.

Annabel Lolah, founder of Bezateli

Annabel Lolah Founder of Bezateli activewear

Lets embrace equity and aim for a world where all individuals are treated equally, regardless of gender, race, or social status.

As we celebrate International Womens Day, we should visualise a society that embraces diversity and inclusion, where everyone has access to the same opportunities and receives the same treatment based on their needs.

As women, we have long been fighting for a rightful place in society, and its time to acknowledge our contributions and give us the respect and recognition we deserve.

We play multiple roles in society, from caregivers and nurturers to full-time employees or business owners. Yet, we face several challenges in the workplace, such as not being promoted, pregnancy discrimination, and receiving unequal pay even when we accomplish the same tasks as our male counterparts.

Maternity policies in the workplace should be designed to support both men and women equally, and women should not be penalised for having children.

We also deserve the same opportunities as men, regardless of social class or race, and we should be given the opportunity to express our opinions and be heard without fear of being interrupted or considered irrelevant.

Women have always supported each other, and we need to continue this by empowering and lifting each other up. We should pass on our knowledge to younger generations and encourage them to pursue careers once considered to be male-dominated, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). We must also recognise the importance of men in the discussion of equity and inclusion, as they too have a role to play in achieving gender equality.

In the Bezateli community, we aspire that every woman will understand her worth and fight for her rights. We believe that a confident woman can break barriers. So, as we commemorate International Womens Day, let us say no to gender pay gaps, embrace equity and work together towards a society that respects and values every individual.

#Istandforwomen #iembraceequity

Manasi Nadkarnim, works at APC Microbiome.

Manasi Nadkarni , research assistant at APC Microbiome as well as a Kathak dance teacher and choreographer.

I believe equity is impossible without support and sensitivity. Women in the workforce face many logistical and biological barriers, such as handling the logistics of childcare or the pain of menstrual cycles.

Equity in such environments can be built only on the foundation of sensitivity and support.

When our colleagues and managers understand our barriers and develop solutions, such as childcare facilities at work or menstrual leave, and when our family supports our dreams by splitting housework and daily responsibilities, it would be possible for women worldwide to start embracing equity because we will finally be at the same starting point in this race of life.

Alana James, artist.

Alana James, Artist

I am a 70-year-old professional artist. Equity brings up issues of age as much as gender, Equity for a woman over 70 revolves around being supported in taking on new options or life experiences.

Equity means we have options to continue contributing to our communities, not just our families.

Allocation of the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach that outcome would include accessible or age friendly parking and transportation, journalism that included information geared to old and young alike, networking and meeting places or events designed to bring the ages together, etc.
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.

Does it matter if countries meet their existing climate pledges, even if they currently arent enough to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels?

For the UK, the answer is definitely yes, according to a new study from the University of Bristol and flood risk modeler Fathom. The researchers found that flood damage in the country could be limited to less than five percent above recent levels if the nations of the world met their COP26 climate promises through 2030 as well longer-term net zero pledges.

For the first time this flood model gives us a more accurate and detailed picture of the impact of climate change on the risk of flooding in the future across the UK, study lead author, University of Bristol Professor of Hydrology and Fathom Chairman Paul Bates said in a university press release. The results are a timely warning to the countrys political leaders and business sector that global commitments to significantly reduce carbon emissions must be taken very seriously, and ultimately take effect, in order to mitigate increased losses due to flooding.

New research shows annual damage caused by flooding in the UK could rise by more than a fifth over the next century unless all international pledges to reduce carbon emissions are met.



Find out more  https://t.co/Hft0SuEac1#flooding #COP26 #NetZero pic.twitter.com/4t9EIX4jQ3  University of Bristol (@BristolUni) March 7, 2023

Flooding is considered the UKs No. 1 environmental hazard, according to the study published in Natural Hazards and Earth System Science Tuesday. The research team looked at potential flood damage in the UK through 2070 based on five different degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels: 0.6, or 1990 levels; 1.1, or 2020 levels; 1.8, or what would happen if all COP26 and additional net zero pledges were met; 2.5, or what would happen if only COP26 pledges through 2030 were; and the worst-case scenario of 3.3 degrees Celsius of warming by 2100. The study authors based their calculations on insurance information for properties in currently at-risk areas and areas that could be at risk in the future, New Scientist explained.

Its unfortunate that quantifying impact often needs to be in pounds and dollars, Chief Research Officer at Fathom and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Bristol Dr. Oliver Wing told New Scientist. Flooding can mean severe mental health implications, but it is harder to estimate these effects.

The research team found that their model accurately predicted 2020s flood losses730 million compared to the 714 million observed by the Association of British Insurers.

Historical UK flood damage compared to projected damage under 1.8 degrees Celsius of warming. University of Bristol and Fathom

The analysis contains a greater level of detail and nuance compared to previous work, and represents our current best understanding of the UKs changing flood risk landscape, the study authors wrote.

The researchers looked at what would happen to both estimated annual flood losses and losses from a one-in-100 year flood under different warming scenarios.

Under 1.8 degrees Celsius of warming, estimated annual flood losses would rise four percent from 1990 levels and damage from a one-in-100-year flood would rise by eight percent. Under 2.5 degrees of warming, annual and extraordinary flood losses would rise by 13 and 23 percent respectively, while they would rise by a further 23 and 37 percent under 3.3 degrees of warming.

However, even while limiting warming to 1.8 degrees Celsius would significantly reduce flood risk overall, some regions would still see damage increases of more than 25 percent, according to the press release. This included major cities London, Cardiff, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Our model shows that there are many places where flood risk is growing, Wing told BBC News. Being able to understand the communities where this is likely to happen allows us to make sensible investment decisions  about flood defense structures, natural flood management or even moving people out of harms way.

Next, the researchers intend to apply their model to other countries so they can also make these kinds of decisions, according to the press release.
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.

Popular collagen company Vital Proteins, owned by Nestle, told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism it would end sourcing from the Amazon region effective immediately following the results of the investigation. JP Yim / Getty Images

From supplements to skin care, collagen has been buzzing in the wellness world. But this popular ingredient is linked to the deforestation of tropical forests in Brazil, according to a recent investigation.

The investigation, conducted by The Guardian, Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Center for Climate Crime Analysis (CCCA), ITV and O Joio e O Trigo in Brazil, has found that many of the trending protein powders, vitamins, face serums and other products that contain collagen are sourced from cattle farms that are linked to deforestation.

Collagen is the wonder product for skin, ageing and health  but what about the health of the planet?



Our reporters @lilimendonca, @andrewwasley and @ZukerFabio connected the booming industry to deforestation and invasion of Indigenous lands in Brazil pic.twitter.com/Qh7nJIc1WT  The Bureau (@TBIJ) March 6, 2023

While collagen can be sourced from cattle, fish or pigs, bovine collagen is amongst the most popular. This ingredient is often touted as a protein that improves the health of hair, nails, skin and joints, as The Guardian reported, ultimately slowing the appearance of aging.

Human bodies naturally make collagen, although the production slows as we age or experience environmental stressors, like poor sleep, lack of exercise, or sun exposure, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health explained.

As such, more and more products are including the ingredient to attract sales, although experts have doubted how effective topical products, like skin care creams and serums, could be, since collagen is found in deeper layers of the skin.

As of 2022, the global collagen market was valued at over $4 billion. It is expected to have a compound annual growth rate of over 8% from 2023 to 2032, according to Global Market Insights.

While there are studies on collagen, studies on humans are less available. Not only that, but Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health noted that many studies on collagen may include conflicts of interest, particularly funding from related industries or authors that work within industries that could benefit from positive research results on collagen.

Overall, there are no studies that show a negative impact from taking collagen. But now, there is an investigation showing the issues with collagens increasing demand. While other products linked to deforestation, like palm oil and beef, are often required to trace their supply chains, the collagen industry is not required to investigate its impacts.

In addition to connecting the industry to deforestation, the investigation found that the collagen had been linked to violence against Indigenous communities in Brazil amidst the deforestation to establish cattle farms.

No cattle ranching expansion in the Amazon can take place without violence, Bruno Malheiro, a geographer and professor at the Federal University of Southern and Southeastern Para, told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

Indigenous communities have faced threats, land invasions and arson, with an entire village, including schools, burned down last September.

[The farmers] destroy what is theirs, and invade what is ours. I cant understand why they destroy everything, Katia Silene Akratikateje, the first woman leader of the Gaviao people, told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

Popular collagen company Vital Proteins, owned by Nestle, told the Bureau of Investigative Journalism it would end sourcing from the Amazon region effective immediately following the results of the investigation. Nestle told The Guardian that it has contacted its collagen supplier to investigate, as the company has a target to have deforestation-free products by 2025.

Other companies, including Costco and Boots, made similar statements to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism about contacting suppliers regarding the investigations findings, while Walmart and Amazon declined to comment.
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.

Wildflowers in a field in Liverpool, England. The yellow and white corn marigolds have long been common to the UK but their numbers are decling. wellsie82 / Moment / Getty Images

A major 20-year-long study has revealed devastating impacts on native plants in UK and Ireland from climate change and agricultural activities. The findings show that native plants are now outnumbered by non-native species.

The study, called the Plant Atlas 2020, was conducted by the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI) with the help of about 8,500 volunteers, who surveyed sites across 99% of the UK and Ireland.

In around 30 million records, the botanists recorded 3,495 flora species, with 1,692 native to Britain and 1,753 non-native species. In Ireland, botanists recorded 1,939 flora species, of which 952 were native.

BSBI noted that 53% of native species declined in Britain, Wales and Scotland, while 56% of native flora species in Ireland declined in range, abundance or both. In Ireland, the botanists recorded 1,939 plant species, most non-native.

Plant Atlas 2020 is the third survey by BSBI and the most comprehensive. Botanists surveyed from 2000 to 2019. The results showed how species distributions have changed since the 1950s, with most native species and archaeophytes, or ancient introductions, declining and neophytes, or modern introductions, increasing. The Sitka Spruce, a conifer native to North America, was found to have the greatest estimated range increase as a common commercial forestry species.

The decline of our beautiful native plants is heartbreaking and has consequences for us all, Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said in a statement. The loss of natural habitats due to modern farming methods over the last 70 years has been an unmitigated disaster for wildflowers and all the species that depend on them including insects, bats and birds.

Agriculture was cited as a top driver of the decline in native species across the UK and Ireland, such as Heather, Harebell, Devils-bit Scabious, Agrimony, Field Gentian, Marsh Lousewort, Globeflower, Grass-of-Parnassus and Corn Marigold. Habitat loss, nitrogen fertilizers, overfertilization and reseeding have contributed to the declining native plants and increasing range and/or abundance for non-native plants.

In mountainous areas and peatlands, climate change was named as a likely cause for declines in native species, like Alpine Lady-fern, Alpine Speedwell and Snow Pearlwort, that depend on snow cover but are losing habitat in competition with non-native, warm-weather species. The spread of Sitka Spruce has also inhibited peatlands ability to sequester carbon.

Theres lots we can do to reverse these declines, but the most important are to increase the protection plants receive, extend the habitat available to them, and to place their needs at the very heart of nature conservation, Kevin Walker, BSBI head of science and co-author of Plant Atlas 2020, said in a statement. We also need to ensure that our land, water and soil are managed more sustainably so that plants, and the species which rely upon them for food and shelter, can thrive.
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.

Greenpeace USA activists project a message reading Protect The Oceans" onto the United Nations headquarters in New York on March 3, 2023. Greenpeace

On Saturday, March 4, world leaders finally agreed on a treaty to protect the high seas.

The accord reached by the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction establishes a mechanism for sharing the benefits of scientific discoveries from marine life, enforces environmental impact assessments for new human activities in international waters and makes it possible to create protected areas in the open ocean.

Its going to provide first-time protections ever for half of the planet that has not ever had that, Greenpeace USA senior oceans campaigner Arlo Hemphill told EcoWatch in an email. And that makes it the largest conservation agreement in the history of the world.

Its also not one that was reached easily. The final agreement is the work of more than a decade of formal negotiations and two decades of political mobilization. Hemphill spoke with EcoWatch about why it took so long and what finally eased its passage through the rough waters of international discord.

Running Aground

When the idea of a high seas treaty was first broached two decades ago, protecting international biodiversity was not on the radar of world leaders. There was also a significant amount of resistance from the fishing industry.

Just the very idea of this was a threat to global fishery corporations, Hemphill said.

However, as negotiations first began and then stalled, one key issue emerged as the sticking point: how to share the benefits of Marine Genetic Resources (MGRs), or any new medicines, foods, textiles or other innovations derived from lifeforms discovered in international waters. Countries from the Global South were justifiably concerned that wealthy corporations and countries in the Global North would be the only ones to profit from such discoveries.

The question, Hemphill explained, was how were going to implement something that is considered the common heritage of humankind, meaning it belongs to every person, in a way that was equitable to the 85 percent of the planet that doesnt have the resources to be out there studying things.

That said, the Global North was concerned that a true profit-sharing agreement would generate so much bureaucracy that companies would be disincentivized to do any research. Further, it could take 10 to 15 years before any research actually led to a product that could make money.

The breakthrough came with a proposal from the Global North to offer money from any potential discoveries up front to fund the implementation of the treaty, help poorer nations establish marine sanctuaries and pay for their delegates to attend future meetings.

The Ship Has Reached the Shore

The Global North first offered a payment package at the end of negotiations in August of 2022, but it did so at the last minute.

Countries did not have the bandwidth to take the proposal back to their capitals and get an answer by the end of the week, Hemphill said.

That money was on the table when negotiations began again on Feb. 20 of 2023, but still, during the second and last week of negotiations, it looked like countries might fail to reach a deal.

The future of half our planet is at stake and yet negotiations have been progressing at a snails pace, and this is reflected in the new draft Treaty text, Greenpeaces Co-Executive Director Will McCallum told EcoWatch in an email Feb. 28. With major setbacks impacting its ability to create marine protected areas in our global oceans and Global North countries like the UK, U.S. and European Union member states refusing to seek compromises on other areas we need to see a step change in pace in the coming three days.

What made that change possible, according to Hemphills account, was the leadership of Conference President Rena Lee of Singapore, who held one-on-one meetings with the most stubborn national delegations.

She basically brought these people one by one in meetings that were happening around the clock all through Friday night, all into Saturday, he said.

By 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, she said that there was an agreement with enough votes to pass.

Ladies and gentlemen, the ship has reached the shore, she announced Saturday night on UN Web TV.

The U.S. Changes Tack

Another factor that helped ease negotiations was the role of the U.S., which was an obstacle to progress under former Presidents Donald Trump and even Barack Obama, but emerged as a leader under the administration of current President Joe Biden.

I thought the U.S., which was really a terrible player in this, really came through at the end and brought things through in a really special way that made me proud to be an American citizen for once, Hemphill said.

Hemphill singled out Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Monica Medina, who had made it a priority to see a treaty negotiated during her tenure and saw it through to the bitter end. Hemphill saw her sleeping on a couch outside the conference room at 3 a.m. during the last days of negotiations. Medina herself applauded the outcome of the negotiations.

Today the world came together to protect the ocean for the benefit of our children and grandchildren. We leave here with the ability to create protected areas in the high seas and achieve the ambitious goal of conserving 30 percent of the ocean by 2030, Medina said in a statement on Twitter. And the time to start is now.

And the time to start is now.  MM  U.S. Department of State | Science Diplomacy USA (@SciDiplomacyUSA) March 5, 2023

30 by 30

Another factor that helped clinch Saturdays agreement was the fact that the world had already agreed to protect 30 percent of land and waters by 2030 during the COP15 UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal in December of 2022.

It totally changed the tone, Hemphill said.

During previous negotiations, countries that opposed the 30 by 30 target could point to a lack of agreement on the goal to oppose conservation measures.

If we had not gotten the 30 by 30 agreement in Montreal, we would have been in a very weak position coming in here, Hemphill said.

The target and the treaty have a sort of symbiotic relationship, because negotiators were also aware it would be difficult for their nations to meet their 30 by 30 commitments without a robust agreement.

If this treaty had not been agreed upon, it would have just literally been impossible to get to 30 percent without being able to create sanctuaries in international waters, Hemphill said.

All Hands on Deck

Bolstering the more ambitious negotiators were the voices of concerned ocean lovers and activist groups like Greenpeace that had organized for a successful treaty.

As a member of the High Seas Alliance, Greenpeace both lobbied government negotiators and mobilized the public through a Protect the Oceans ship tour researching and highlighting ocean places in need of protection, days of action bringing ocean imagery to major cities and a petition that garnered nearly six million signatures. During the last round of negotiations, Greenpeace members staged an art occupation of beach plastic marine animals and chalk seascapes outside the UN.

WE DID IT! actor and activist Jane Fonda, who participated in a Greenpeace press briefing ahead of the most recent negotiations, tweeted when the deal was announced. Yesterday, on March 4th, 2023, after years of talks, delay and emotional rollercoaster, governments finally concluded a Global Ocean Treaty!!! I am so grateful for everyone, including @Greenpeace, who helped to make this historic win possible.

WE DID IT! Yesterday, on March 4th, 2023, after years of talks, delay and emotional rollercoaster, governments finally concluded a Global Ocean Treaty!!! I am so grateful for everyone, including @Greenpeace , who helped to make this historic win possible. #IGC5 #BBNJ pic.twitter.com/3wqO1unNOv  Jane Seymour Fonda (@Janefonda) March 5, 2023

Sailing On

Environmental groups like Greenpeace do not plan to rest in the harbor just because negotiations have wrapped. The treaty now has to be ratified by at least 60 member states, and the next goal of activists is to push for the protection of particular high seas ecosystems. One promising candidate is the Sargasso Sea, since the governments of Bermuda, the U.S., Canada, the UK and other Caribbean nations are already in talks to protect it.

As part of its Protect the Oceans tour, Greenpeace took University of Florida scientists to the sea to test the hypothesis that the mats of sargassum algae that give it its name could act as an incubator for baby sea turtles.

A green sea turtle in the waters off Bermuda. Shane Gross / Greenpeace

We went around and took measurements inside and outside the sargassum mats and found very distinct and consistent temperature differences that are most likely helping accelerate the growth of baby sea turtles so they can get beyond that fragile stage, Hemphill said.

Other candidates for protection include the Costa Rica Dome, the Emperor Seamounts in the North Pacific and Walvis Ridge off the coast of Namibia.

Another pressing ocean issue that the treaty might help with is deep-sea mining. It wont be in place in time to do anything about the fact that the two-year rule has been triggered, which means the UNs International Seabed Authority has to either establish new regulations or allow mining to proceed under existing rules by July of this year. However, in the future it may be able to mitigate the impacts of extracting minerals from the seabed.

Theoretically, deep sea mining should be under a higher standard of environmental impact assessments after this treaty, and there would be the capacity to build ocean sanctuaries in places that are already of interest to deep sea miners, Hemphill said.




Norway exported 81,645 tonnes of salmon worth US$839 million in February

Norway shipped 81,645 tonnes of salmon worth NOK 8.8 billion (~US$839 million; NOK 1 = US$0.095) in last month, with the US, Poland, and France making up the top three export destinations, Fish Information & Services reported.

Export value increased by NOK 1.2 billion, or 15% higher, compared to February 2022.

Norwegian salmon exports to the US in February 2023 totalled 6,604 tonnes, 41% higher year-on-year, at a value of NOK 432 million (~US$41 million), or 77% higher compared to the same month last year.

Paul T. Aandahl, Seafood Analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council, said the increased shipments to the US was due to higher demand, a strong currency, and poor salmon production in other supplier countries.

Aandahl said salmon exports to China also increased, but shipments to Japan declined the most last month due to closed Russian airspace, resulting in higher shipping costs.

He said fresh salmon fillets have reached a record-high price of NOK 148 (~US$14.12) per kg, up NOK 9 (~US$0.86) per kg compared the previous record high reached in January 2023.

Fresh whole salmon also reached a record high NOK 102 (~US$9.73) per kg, NOK 4 (~US$0.38) per kg higher compared to the previous record month in May 2022.

- Fish Information & Services




Egypt president encourages increase in oilseed crops cultivation

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi recently called for the expansion of the cultivation of oilseed crops, pointing out that most of these can be used to manufacture food oil and as alternative ingredients in the feed of poultry and livestock.

Increasing the production of these crops will thus reduce imports of food oil from abroad and meet a larger portion of animal feed needs at home.

The presidential directive was a "step in the right direction," said Hussein Abu Saddam, chairman of the Farmers Syndicate, as it would support Egypt's farmers and help to fill the food gap.

"Egypt imports huge quantities of feed corn at nearly 50% of our annual requirements," Abu Saddam said, adding that this is the main ingredient in most animal feeds. "We also import 90% of our soybean needs, placing huge pressure on our budget and foreign currency reserves."

Abu Saddam pointed out that the cost of the feed contributes 50% of the price that farmers end up paying. The deficit in poultry feed is greater as it consists of both feed corn and soybeans and there are no other options. With livestock feed, the situation is better because there are alternatives that can be added to the mix, reducing the reliance on feed corn and soybeans.

According to Abdel-Raouf Al-Gohari, an expert on livestock production, cattle feed consists of about 50% corn feed and 30% soybeans. Any deficit in the local production of either of these crops has to be made up through imports as they are crucial to proper meat and dairy production.

The Toshka and East Uweinat regions are among the promising areas of the country for increasing the local production of these crops, he said, and they could also be used to cultivate sesame, sunflowers, beets and peanuts, all of which can be used to make up between 20-39% of feed mixes. Wheat bran, another local product, can also be used.

"Expanding the area of land allocated to wheat cultivation would support the manufacture of animal feed," Al-Gohari said. "Expanding the local production of feed ingredients would also maximise returns from the expansion in domestic livestock production due to the greater ratio of local inputs in these industries. This will help to keep prices steady and avert shocks due to international crises in trade or supply chains."

As part of its efforts to encourage farmers to expand their wheat production, the Ministry of Supply issued a decree in June 2022, saying that wheat farmers would receive a tonne of bran at subsidised rates for every ardab of wheat they deliver to the ministry's silos. The measure is intended to support both wheat farmers and small livestock farmers as bran makes up between 12-24% of cattle feed.

Oilseed crops that can be used to manufacture animal feed are classified as strategic crops, the Director of the Ministry of Agriculture's Poultry Production Division, Abdel-Aziz Al-Sayed, told Al-Ahram Weekly. This means that pre-contractual price guides are set ahead of the cultivation season, and farmers will receive no less than this rate when they deliver their crops.

If prices increase on the local and international markets during the harvest period, the new higher price will also be applied.

According to Al-Sayed, Egypt produces 20% of its feed corn and soybean needs and imports the rest. Poultry feed requires larger ratios of these ingredients than cattle feed, he said.

"Expanding the local production of these crops is the cheapest and securest way to meet annual domestic needs," Al-Sayed said, adding that the government has begun to carry out plans to expand the production of such crops in seven governorates through the application of the contractual system.

If the plans are carried out properly, they will increase domestic feed production by 45% by 2023, Al-Sayed said. The cultivation of these crops starts in April, which means that by August, there will already be additional quantities available for local feed production, which will also help to stabilise prices in the local market.

He added that the steps the government has had to take to avert a shortage in poultry will end in four months' time. "By that time, the sector will have recovered, and we won't have to import poultry again. The expansion of the cultivation of oilseed crops will bolster the stability and sustainability of the sector and minimise risks due to the impacts of global crises."

Ahmed Al-Okazi, director of the Regional Centre for Food and Feed (RCFF) at the Centre for Agricultural Research in Cairo, underscored the importance of precision and balance in the ratios of the ingredients that go into animal feed.

These are the ingredients that provide livestock and poultry with the proteins and nutrients they need for vital bodily functions. Deficient feed mixes diminish the animals' meat and dairy production as well as their reproductive capacities.

"Feed that is optimally composed to properly nourish and fatten the animals accounts for around three-quarters of the costs of poultry and livestock production or even slightly more," Al-Okazi said. This factor, combined with the impacts of climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, water shortages and limited areas available for agriculture had led the Ministry of Agriculture to address the "feed gap" or deficit in the raw materials for animal feed.

"There are local alternatives that can go into the feed mixes for livestock, such as bran, rye, sorghum, bagasse, beetroot pulp and yeast industry residues," Al-Ozaki said. "But since all these are produced from crops, we also have to increase the cultivation of these in order to meet domestic demand."

This is why the Ministry of Agriculture has prioritised the contractual farming system for strategic crops, including those that contribute to feed production, in order to encourage farmers to expand their cultivation of wheat, corn and soybeans and thereby spare the hard currency used for imports.

Another advantage of the contractual system is that it ensures a reasonable minimum supply of crops while reassuring farmers that the prices they will receive on delivery will be around the prices observed on the international grain markets.

- Al-Ahram Weekly




Ceva Sante Animale calls to speed up development of critical new vaccines at VIV Asia 2023

Ceva Sante Animale, (Ceva) is participating in this year's VIV Asia show in Bangkok, Thailand.

On March 7, the "One Health" company held the "Ceva Innovation Day" pre-opening symposium, featuring a keynote speech from president and chief executive officer Marc Prikazsky. His presentation focused on the critical need to move from conceptual thinking to concrete execution  through innovation to address the major challenges facing the world.

The Ceva Innovation Day brought together a range of experts from the animal health industry. In his opening speech, in front of an audience of 600 guests, Prikazsky underlined the need to collectively take up three major challenges.

The threat of climate change

Ceva expresses commitment  in line with its business purpose - to "drive innovative health solutions for all animals, contributing to the future of our diverse planet." The company has, for several years, worked with organisations dedicated to protecting the living biodiversity, with a specific focus on wildlife: from koalas in Australia to the Amsterdam Island albatross in the remote Pacific.

As the United Nations is warning that up to one million of plant and animal species are at risk of extinction, Ceva recently launched the Ceva Wildlife Research Fund, to focusing on the development of health solutions for wildlife.

Preparing to prevent the next pandemic by focusing on zoonoses

75% of emerging human infectious diseases are estimated to come from animals. Ceva therefore supports the call from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedeness (CEPI) backed by the G7 and G20 for a shift of paradigm to compress the development time of vaccines.

The current avian flu pandemic, which recently spread to mammals and a few humans, provides a concrete example of the need to speed things up.

Vectormune AI, which is a reference vaccine for the control of HPAI H5, has been deployed and registered in a large number of countries, including in Asia and is recognised for its cross-clade protection and capacity to reduce the virus transmission. This vaccine should become a cornerstone of HPAI control and biosecurity.

The extraordinary collective scientific and public health achievement in rolling out COVID-19 vaccines pointed the way to what can be achieved when the public and private sectors work effectively together.

The need for safe and sustainable food systems



As the global population heads to nine billion, there is a need for more resilient food systems that guarantee food security, are adapted to and mitigate the effects of climate change, thus ensuring no further harm to a rich biodiversity.

In a recently published sustainability report commissioned by Health for Animal (Global Animal Health Association), Oxford Analytica estimated that 1.6 billion people could be fed with the animal production that is lost each year due to diseases.

In addition, this growing population does not have equitable access to quality animal protein. Malnutrition, which is particularly prevalent in Asia, has a major impact on the development of children. This is why Ceva has created the CourFuture programme to fight against the devastating effects of stunting by creating awareness on the benefits of poultry protein (eggs and chickens).

"Innovation is a key driver of progress and is essential to addressing the global challenges we face today," Prikazsky said. "We are committed to driving innovation forward in a more sustainable, holistic and collaborative way. However, new ways of execution are needed. We must rethink the way we work together, across sectors and borders, to create a more sustainable and collaborative future for all people, animals and our planet."

The Ceva Innovation Day symposium provided a platform for industry leaders to share their insights and innovations in animal health. The event highlighted the importance of taking a One Health approach, which recognises the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, in driving innovation and creating sustainable solutions for the benefit of all.

.

At VIV Asia, Ceva showcases its innovative solutions for the prevention and treatment of animal diseases, with a strong focus on poultry and swine. The company also presents its range of vaccines, pharmaceuticals and innovative equipment, which are designed to help veterinarians and farmers improve the health and well-being of their animals.

"VIV Asia is a great platform for us to engage with our customers, partners and stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific region," Prikazsky added. "We are proud to showcase our latest innovations, share our knowledge and expertise, and learn from their feedback as we work together to meet the challenges of animal health and welfare."

- Ceva
Of all the news trickling out of Mobile World Congress this year, the most interesting products were either foldables or rollables. Its a showcase of a lot of eye-catching phones and devices that often dont make it to America, but that doesnt mean we cant look on in envy or use this as a possible preview of the technology that will shape future phones in the US.

One of the first foldables we saw out of MWC was Oppos Find N2 Flip. This thing is basically the Chinese companys version of Samsungs Galaxy Z Flip 4, except its external screen is in portrait instead of landscape orientation. Its currently the largest cover screen on a flip-style foldable, at 3.26 inches. This makes the Find N2 Flip easier to use when framing up selfies with the device closed and, thanks to its size, allows for more lines of messages to be read.

Oddly, though, the home screen here doesnt take advantage of the larger canvas and its clock widget actually uses a smaller font than the Galaxy Z Flip 4. The company did take pains to emphasize that the crease on the Find N2 Flips screen is 65 percent less visible than the last generation. According to Engadget UK Bureau Chief Mat Smith, though, you can still see the little wrinkle, so  [[shrug]]

For those of us in the US, this comparison is more of a theoretical exercise since the Oppo phone wont be available stateside, retailing only in Europe and China. If you still want more details on this device, make sure to check out Mats hands-on.

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This week, we also learned that Honors Magic VS is coming to more parts of the world. Specifically, itll be coming to Europe for 1,599 Euros, or about $1,690. This is the first time since we saw a prototype in December that the company is sharing availability info outside of China.

The Magic VS is similar to Samsungs Galaxy Z Fold 4, which is to say that it is a regular-sized smartphone that opens up to become a roughly 8-inch tablet. Its not a brand new product at MWC, but its nice to see more information about more foldable phones giving Samsung some competition in the space.

Its not just Oppo and Honor ramping up the competition, either. Relatively lesser known phone maker Tecno showed up at MWC with the Phantom V Fold  a more affordable foldable with fairly impressive specs. The Phantom V Fold has a 7.85-inch screen on the inside with the company touting a virtually crease-free display like Oppo did.

Senior editor Richard Lai said that at the right angle, the wrinkle is certainly not obvious and its better than Samsungs, but he added that its still not as subtle as the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2. On the outside, the Phantom has a 6.42-inch Full HD panel, as well as a round camera hump housing a triple-sensor imaging system. The main and telephoto cameras are 50-megapixels, while the ultra-wide setup is 13MP. Theres also a pair of punch-hole cameras on the two screens.

Richard Lai/Engadget

The Phantom V Fold is powered by the same MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ processor as the one in the Oppo Find N2 Flip, and for the base model that comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, the company is charging $1,099. Compared to the Samsung and Oppo versions of tablet-sized foldables, thats hundreds of dollars less. But again, as with so many products that were announced at MWC this year, the Phantom V Fold will not be coming to the US. Itll be available to those in India, Latin America and parts of Africa where Tecno is typically active.

The fact that were reaching a point where foldables are starting to get relatively affordable means, unfortunately, that theyre about to become common. And therefore, theyre going to be passe. So 2022. In 2023, the hot buzzword is rollables. At least, based on the concept devices Lenovo and Motorola brought to MWC.

Lenovo showed off a laptop with a screen that extends upwards and away from the keyboard, and the prototype itself appeared impressively thin and sturdy. Meanwhile, Motorola brought back its Rizr concept device and this second version has a 5-inch display that rolls out to hit 6.5 inches when you need a larger canvas for video or a long Best of Redditor Updates post. The device that was shown off in Barcelona appeared to work, but multiple outlets like ArsTechnica and Techcrunch expressed reservations about build quality so Dont be surprised if this format never comes to market.

Its not like Motorola and Lenovo are the first companies to try rolling screens, by the way. Far from it. LG and TCL have made various prototypes showcasing different form factors with flexible, sliding and rolling screens. In fact, LGs first rolling screens prototypes showed up as far back as CES 2014. Its clear manufacturers know smartphones have gotten good enough that people dont want to buy a new one every year or two, and are trying to find a new shape that will entice shoppers this decade. The current camera and software race between Apple, Google and Samsung is starting to induce yawns, and the new features they are adding arent particularly exciting.

Xiaomi

Other phone makers have spent the last few years focusing on battery and charging tech, and we saw some of that at MWC this year too. Xiaomi showed off a demo of 300-watt charging that could fully charge a device in just 5 minutes. Meanwhile, Realme shared global release information about its GT3, which is compatible with 240W charging and can get completely juiced in just under 10 minutes. OnePlus also showcased a concept phone with a liquid cooling system that would allow improved performance and charging times. With the drops in temperature that this should bring, OnePlus could deliver boosts to games by three to four frames per second, as well as saving 30 to 45 seconds of charging time.

Besides new formats and battery tech, we also saw companies focus on sustainability and repairability. The Nokia G22, for example, is the result of a collaboration between parent company HMD and iFixit, and follows in the footsteps of Apple, Google and Samsung in offering official repair guides and parts. As Right to Repair bills and laws get passed in multiple states in the US and elsewhere in the world, this looks to be a growing trend in mobile phones that can help us be more environmentally conscious.

There was plenty of other news out of the show, including Xiaomis new concept AR glasses, and you can get all the details here.
Watch Relativity Space try to launch a 3D-printed rocket into orbit at 1PM Eastern (update: rescheduled) Terran 1 is the first in a line of simpler, more reliable rockets.

You might soon see a milestone moment in 3D printing. Startup Relativity Space expects to launch Terran 1, billed as the largest 3D-printed object to attempt orbital flight, at 1PM Eastern. You can watch the Cape Canaveral launch of the inaugural "Good Luck Have Fun" mission through a livestream starting at 12PM. The rocket doesn't include a customer payload.

Terran 1 isn't completely 3D-printed, but 85 percent of its mass is  including the structure, its nine Aeon first-stage engines and lone Aeon Vac second-stage engine. Combined with autonomous robotics, the construction process theoretically leads to fewer parts, a more reliable design, cheaper launches and quick assembly times. Relativity claims it can build a Terran 1 from raw materials within 60 days, and even an exclusive mission costs just $12 million. The combination of liquid oxygen and liquid natural gas for propulsion also helps with long-term reusability efforts. It can carry up to 1,250kg (2,756lbs) into low Earth orbit, and 700kg (1,543lbs) to a high-altitude mission.

Relativity is small compared to private spaceflight rivals like Blue Origin, SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA), but has enjoyed rapid growth and privileged access since Tim Ellis and Jordan Noone founded it in 2016. The company had received over $1.3 billion in funding as of June 2021. Ellis, meanwhile, got a seat on the National Space Council's Users Advisory Group in 2018. It was the fourth company to receive access to Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 16 following Blue Origin, SpaceX and ULA.

Terran 1 is an expendable rocket. If the launch is successful, though, it will pave the way for a reusable medium-duty Terran R rocket slated to reach orbit no earlier than 2024. The new vehicle is poised to carry the first commercial mission to Mars (Impulse Space's Mars Cruise Vehicle and Mars Lander) and will shoulder nearly 20 times the payload of Terran 1. Relativity already has contracts for other Terran R missions, including the deployment of OneWeb's second-generation internet satellites. Eventually, Relativity foresees its rockets using methane on Mars for interplanetary missions.

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The challenge, of course, is that other companies aren't standing still. NASA recently chose Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket to fly science payloads to Mars, and SpaceX has long-term visions of using its Starship rocket for Mars missions. Relativity's 3D printing may help it keep costs down for potential customers, but it won't necessarily help the company win business that would otherwise go to the competition.

Update 3/8 3:33PM ET: Relativity has scrubbed a launch today (March 8th) following multiple delays that included time to thermally condition its propellant. The firm doesn't yet have a new liftoff date.

Update 3/9 10:09AM ET: The company has rescheduled the Terran 1 launch for March 11th, with the liftoff window opening at 1PM Eastern.

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.
(Informacion remitida por la empresa firmante)

LISBON, Portugal, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hovione, the leader in spray drying and particle engineering, won the 2023 CDMO Leadership Award across all six categories  capability, compatibility, expertise, quality, reliability and service across all three groups of respondents (Big Pharma, Small Pharma, and Overall (combined Big and Small Pharma)). Hovione was given additional recognition as a CDMO Leadership Award Champion in the categories of Compatibility and Expertise for scoring as a top performer in comparison to the weighted average of other CDMOs included in the Industry Standard Research (ISR)'s annual Contract Manufacturing Quality Benchmarking survey.

Established in 2011 by Outsourced Pharma and Life Science Leader, the CDMO Leadership Awards spotlight excellence in Capabilities, Expertise, Quality, Compatibility, Reliability and Service. The CDMO Leadership Awards teamed up with ISR to determine the award recipients - 72 contract manufacturers were assessed by 23 performance metrics in ISR's annual Contract Manufacturing Quality Benchmarking survey.

"We are honored and proud to receive this award in all six categories. This broad recognition reflects the dedication of our team to help our customers deliver much-needed medicines to the market," said Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Hovione's CEO. "This is not the first time Hovione is recognized by the CDMO Leadership awards and winning these awards once again reinforces our commitment to excellence and differentiation in the services we provide to our customers."

"For over a decade, these awards have been the most meaningful for biopharma organizations striving to obtain optimal outcomes from their outsourcing activities. Our research arm, ISR Reports, which only surveys drug sponsors who have worked directly and recently with specific CDMOs, ensures the validity of these results. Our winners are your gold medalists of outsourcing," said Louis Garguilo, Chief Editor and Conference Chair of Outsourced Pharma.

Hovione has been expanding worldwide, demonstrating the commitment to its customers. Hovione has been investing in new laboratory and production assets and innovative technologies to meet customer demand for integrated and differentiated services in manufacturing of drug substances, particles and drug products.

About Hovione:Hovione is an international company with over 60 years of experience in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing operations. As a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with a fully integrated offering of services for drug substances, drug product intermediates and drug products. The company has four FDA inspected sites in the USA, Portugal, Ireland and China and development laboratories in Lisbon, Portugal and New Jersey, USA. Hovione provides pharmaceutical customers services for the development and compliant manufacture of innovative drugs, including highly potent compounds, and customized product solutions across the entire drug life cycle. In the inhalation area, Hovione offers a complete range of services, from API, formulation development and devices. Hoviones culture is based on innovation, quality and dependability. Hovione was the first Chemical/ Pharmaceutical Company to become a Certified B Corp, is a member of Rx-360, EFCG and participates actively in industry quality improvement initiatives to lead new global industry standards.

For more information, please visit www.hovione.com or contact:Vanessa Romeu | Communications Director | vromeu@hovione.com |Tel: +351 21 982 9000

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2018547...

View original content: https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hovione-receives-the-2023-cdmo-leadership-award-in-all-six-categories-and-is-champion-in-compatibility-and-expertise-301765668.html
New agricultural education resources and commercial buildings will be made possible at a North Wales land-based college thanks to a 10m redevelopment fund.

Backed by the Welsh governments Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme, Coleg Cambria is transforming its land-based campus at Llysfasi, near Ruthin, Denbighshire.

The college says it aims to become a hub of agricultural sustainability, using the fund to build a new state-of-the art complex to guide and educate the farming sector toward innovative agricultural practices.

Coleg Cambria says it will also use the 10m to better support independent businesses, while using meat and produce grown on-site to drive economic operations.

Professor Tim Wheeler, chair of governors at the college, said their vision would help advance the landscape of agriculture in the north east Wales region.

The college is making a major investment in its Llysfasi campus to ensure the education and training in agriculture it offers reflects a forward-looking perspective as the industry, he said.

Students will receive a first-rate experience that will prepare them for a range of careers in the land-based economy, and that in turn will create a centre of excellence to support local farming.

The college has received up to 6m from the Welsh government, with Coleg Cambria contributing more than 3m from its reserves to carry the initiative forward.

The overall investment of around 10m aims to ensure the long-term, sustainable future of the campus, the college says.

One proposal includes bilingual information events and advice sessions to mentor local farmers looking to diversify and develop their own commercial processes.

Elin Roberts, head of the Llysfasi site, said there would be further promotion of the Welsh language, with a focus on marrying academic, agricultural and social opportunities for learners.

We are in the heart of the Vale of Clwyd but Cambrias impact travels far further than that, Ms Roberts said.

This development is a game changer not only for farming but for land-based education, creating opportunities for students but also supporting the sector.

We are delighted to see work is underway and are laying the foundations for future generations of our learners.
A number of productive farms and nearly 500 acres of agricultural land are now for sale across Scotland as the market gains momentum.

Property consultancy Galbraith is handling the sale of several good quality farms and landholdings as demand remains high.

Land for afforestation and commercial tree planting and bare land for wider natural capital purposes has continued to underpin interest.

Located in South Ayrshire is Coldcothill Farm at Lochlea, a compact former dairy now run as a beef and sheep enterprise under a Short Limited Duration Tenancy (SLDT) agreement.

Vacant possession will be available from 1 May. The traditional farmhouse is set within a steading of predominantly traditional buildings which are surrounded by a versatile block of farmland including woodland extending to 184 acres.

There is a further block of land at Lochlea, located about half a mile south of the farm.

On the market through is Newlands, lying in a productive area of farmland in central Aberdeenshire.

Elsewhere, Cummerton is located in rural Aberdeenshire in a prime farming area, well known for its productive and fertile land.

The sale includes a three-bedroom farmhouse, along with a range of modern and traditional farm buildings and farmland extending to 52ha (128.5 acres) laid out in 11 enclosures.

The land has been farmed in an arable and grass rotation in recent years and is highly productive, capable of growing a wide range of crops, including potatoes.

Also on the market through Galbraith is Newlands lying in a productive area of farmland in central Aberdeenshire.

The farmland extends to 119 acres and is currently farmed on a rotation of Spring cereals and grass but has the potential to grow a wide range of crops.

There is a five bedroom farmhouse, a range of traditional farm buildings and an additional area of land extending to 3.76 acres.

Located in South Ayrshire is Coldcothill Farm at Lochlea, a compact former dairy farm

A derelict stone-built croft, with adjacent land of 4.08 acres, offers development potential, Galbraith says.

Duncan Barrie, head of farm sales at the consultancy, explained that the more productive arable land and mixed farming units were in high demand.

"Demand from land for afforestation and commercial tree planting and bare land for wider natural capital purposes has continued to underpin interest in the more marginal area of land," he said.

The farms we currently have offered for sale represent a mix of geographical agricultural areas and includes two mixed farming units in Aberdeenshire, a compact former dairy unit in Ayrshire, and block of grassland and woodland within Dumfries and Galloway."

In Dumfries and Galloway, the Land at Greenhead Farm extends to 39.50 acres with a mix of silage and grazing land as well as approximately 10.3 acres of woodland.

The grassland is in good condition, with one field capable of silage production. The woodland comprises a mix of mature coniferous species with silver birch lining the boundary.

According to Galbraith, the land may be suitable for the erection of a semi-permanent structure for off grid living or similar, subject to the necessary consents.
Prime cattle prices continued to set new record high levels at Scottish abattoirs last month, according to the latest market commentary from Quality Meat Scotland (QMS).

Latest figures from the industry body reveal R4L steers reached 489.2p/kg dwt in the week ending 25 February, an increase of 18.5% over the same week last year and 30% compared to the five-year average.

Iain Macdonald, QMS market intelligence manager, explained that it was unusual for market prices to be rising at this time of year.

"Indeed, between 2010 and 2022, R4L steer prices were lower in the eighth week of the year than in the first week of the year on 10 of 13 occasions," he said.

"In addition, only in 2012 was the price at its highest of the year so far in week eight. Over the 13 previous years, there was an average reduction of 1.5% for the period but this year prices jumped 6% higher.

In Scotland, prime cattle prices have been rising despite weekly prime cattle slaughter being seasonally firm, running above its 2022 weekly average level, with spring-born cattle from 2021 reaching peak slaughter age.

The latest cattle population data from BCMS revealed a significant year-on-year reduction in slaughter-age cattle on Scottish farms for January 2023.

The combined number of beef-sired cattle and dairy-sired males on Scottish holdings aged 12-29 months was down by 3.3% on a year earlier, driven by an increased outflow of store cattle to England since autumn 2021.

By contrast, at GB level, the BCMS data points to a continuing year-on-year increase in prime cattle availability as 2023 began.

Across the 12-29-month age group, numbers were 2.7% higher than at the beginning of 2022, although lighter carcase weights mean that an abattoir aiming to produce the same volume of beef as last year will need to compete for more prime cattle.

Mr Macdonald continued: While Scottish abattoirs will be drawing from cattle aged just under two years old, age at slaughter tends to be older and more varied at GB level during the first quarter and last summers drought may have slowed finishing periods south of the border.

Then again, it should be noted that total UK beef production has been rising significantly on a year earlier since October 2022 once an increased cow kill has been factored in.

"This uplift in cow beef production has not prevented cow prices from reaching record highs, or from cow prices holding much closer to prime cattle prices than usual, with manufacturing grade beef in strong demand.

Though, in the calendar year of 2022, the volume of beef added to the UK market still fell by 1%, following on from a 2% reduction in 2021, so this rebound in supply in the final quarter is likely to have been insufficient to replenish tight market supplies.

To add to this, the UK market is facing external price shocks from the EU and global beef market, where a tight balance between supply and demand has been forcing up prices.

In the final quarter of 2022, the average price per tonne of UK beef exported was up nearly 22% year-on-year while imports to the UK were priced 10% higher than in late 2021.

As well as prime cattle availability, the BCMS cattle population figures can also provide an indication of changes in the breeding herd.

At the beginning of 2023, the number of beef-sired females aged 30 months and over on Scottish farms was 3.3% lower than a year earlier, signalling an acceleration of the year-on-year decline from the 1.6% reduction at the beginning of October 2022.

As well as increased cow slaughter in the second half of the year, there was an 8% year-on-year reduction in beef-sired females aged 24-29 months on farm in Scotland in October 2022, meaning that there were fewer replacements available to add to the herd.

Across England and Wales, the breeding herd was also down significantly on a year earlier in January, with a 2.8% reduction in beef-sired females aged 30 months and over.

While declining slightly slower over the past year, the beef herd has reduced at a faster pace in England & Wales than in Scotland over a longer horizon.

Indeed, relative to the start of 2018, the number of beef-sired females aged 30 months and over on farm in Scotland was down by 7.9% compared to a fall of 10.7% across England & Wales.

Mr Macdonald added: This steeper contraction in the suckler herd in recent years in England & Wales is likely to have been supporting the demand for Scottish-born store cattle.

"Especially given that the beef herd accounted for a much smaller 43% of the total breeding cow herd in England & Wales at the beginning of 2023 compared to almost 73% in Scotland.

In 2022 the number of cattle aged under 30 months moving from farms in Scotland to farms in England & Wales rose by 35% on 2021 and by 42% above the five-year average.

While the pace of increase slowed in the second half of the year, this partly reflected a higher base from autumn 2021 to compare against.

The outflow would still be enough to reduce the prime cattle kill in Scotland by around 2% in the first half of 2023 compared to a scenario of unchanged moves.

Mr Macdonald concluded: This helps explain why prime cattle availability in Scotland is set to remain tight in the first half of 2023 despite increased calf registrations in 2021.

"In 2022, total registrations were only down marginally from 2021 and while this could, in theory, see prime cattle availability begin to level-off in 2024, BCMS data shows that this pool of cattle has already been affected by the increased store cattle outflow last autumn.

"At the same time, demand for Scottish store cattle from English buyers is reported to have held firm in 2023."

Looking further ahead, the decline in the breeding herd seen in 2022 is likely to have an impact on calf registrations in spring 2023.

Mr Macdonald said: "Its peak impact on prime cattle availability then occurring in the first quarter of 2025 when these calves reach peak slaughter age at just under two years old.

"However, a reduced breeding herd across GB means that store cattle availability is set to tighten further in autumn 2023 and spring 2024.
Seven men have been sentenced after more than 1 million in plant and agricultural machinery was stolen over a three year period.

A total of 46 machines were stolen mainly from across the North West between 2015 and 2018, Lancashire Constabulary said.

The machinery was then sold on to a gang who operated out of an industrial unit in Nelson, Lancashire.

There, the stolen goods were modified to hide their original identification numbers.

The gang in Nelson then sold the agri-machinery on to buyers across Europe, and in some cases as far away as Australia.

The machines were valued between 8,000 and 105,000 each, with the total value thought to be approximately 1.3m.

Those who went on to purchase the machines believed they were buying from legitimate businesses, Lancashire Constabulary said.

They only became aware they had bought stolen goods when the equipment was seized as part of the force's investigation.

"Two buyers lost multiples machines each and in victim impact statements described how they suffered significant financial losses and anxiety about the loss of their professional reputations," Lancashire Constabulary explained.

The members of the gang each played different roles, but all appeared at Preston Crown Court on 7 March 2023 to be sentenced.

Three people including a pair of brothers have been jailed, with four more given suspended sentences, for their roles.

It comes as the police recently urged farmers to mark their possessions following a spate of machinery and equipment thefts.
Chinese people commemorate death of radar, early warning aircraft pioneer Wang Xiaomo, hailing his great contribution to nation

By Liu Xuanzun (Global Times) 10:22, March 08, 2023

A KJ-2000 Airborne Early Warning (AEW) aircraft attached to the PLA Air Force heads back to the airport. Photo: China Military

Chinese public commemorated Wang Xiaomo, a renowned radar expert and the father of Chinas early warning aircraft, who passed away on Monday in Beijing due to illness at the age of 84, hailing Wangs outstanding contributions to the country.

Wangs death was announced by state-owned China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) in a statement on Monday evening.

Born in Shanghai on November 12, 1938, Wang began his career at the No.14 Research Institute under the No.10 Research Academy of the Ministry of National Defense in Nanjing, East Chinas Jiangsu Province after graduating from the radio engineering faculty of Beijing Institute of Technology in 1961.

In 1969, Wang was arranged to the remote mountains in Southwest Chinas Guizhou Province to establish the No. 38 Research Institute. Despite the site being severely underdeveloped, creating challenges and hardship for Wangs work, he successfully led his team and developed Chinas first three-dimensional radar, the 383 radar, in 1984, which greatly enhanced Chinas homeland air defense capabilities.

Led by Wang, the No. 38 Research Institute later developed radars including the JY-9 and the 384, which successfully explored the international market.

In 1992, Wang was appointed the head of the arms branch of the then-China Electronics Industry Corporation, which later became the CETC. At the age of 54, he started his work on early warning aircraft systems.

Despite foreign targeting and pressure, China independently developed the KJ-2000 and the KJ-200 early warning aircraft under Wang, who went on and developed the made-for-export ZDK03 early warning aircraft.

The KJ-2000 early warning aircraft is believed to be a generation more advanced than its US counterpart, the E-3C, thanks to the active phased array radar developed by Wang, a Chinese military expert told the Global Times on Tuesday, requesting anonymity.

Chinas electronics and aviation industry then developed its next-generation early warning aircraft, the KJ-500, which integrated advanced radar technologies onto a smaller airframe. China now leads the US by two generations in terms of early warning aircraft technologies, the expert said.

The KJ-500 early warning aircraft can guide other platforms including the J-20 stealth fighter jet with its PL-15 beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile to hit targets very far away while maintaining stealth, and this combination is feared even by the US Air Force, according to a speech made by General Kenneth Wilsbach, Commander of US Pacific Air Forces, in March 2022.

Observers said that Chinas domestically built Y-20 large transport aircraft is also a good platform that can be developed into a type of early warning aircraft.

In May 2022, Wang, 83, established an airborne technology lab, aiming at opportunities and challenges in the development of a network information system.

The airborne early warning aircraft and control system in the future will be a group of various types of aircraft, including unmanned vehicles, working in an integrated network, Zhang Shaofeng, deputy manager of Aviation Industry Corporation of China Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation, told the Global Times at the Airshow China 2021 held in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province.

Throughout his life, Wang pushed forward Chinas air defense radar technologies to an advanced level by global standards and established the countrys early warning aircraft systems, CETC said in the statement.

Wangs death is a huge loss to Chinas military electronics and national defense industry as well as to the countrys informationized airborne weaponry development, CETC remarked.

On Chinese social media, netizens remembered Wang as a backbone of the country, and wished him rest in peace.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Researchers are seeking 160 participants for a new study investigating bovine tuberculosis in farm workers.

Scientists at the University of Bristol want to find out if there is any evidence of the spread of bTB from cattle to people.

Although bTB mostly affects cattle, it can affect people too. In the southwest, 1 in 10 people diagnosed with TB are found to have M. bovis, the bacterium which causes the disease.

The study wants to test 160 people in the southwest who work with TB-infected cattle for latent TB.

Researchers will investigate whether people who work with TB infected cattle develop an immune response to the disease.

Dr Ellen Brooks Pollock, chief investigator of the study said: "The spread of M. bovis to people results in a form of tuberculosis called zoonotic tuberculosis (zTB).

Individuals who come into contact with M. bovis infected cattle may be at risk of zTB.

"Currently, we do not have a reliable estimate for the number of people in the UK who may have zTB.

"Based on reported cases, we assume zTB prevalence to be low, but numbers may be underestimated and that is what our study will help answer.

Participation in the research will involve completing an online consent form, a short questionnaire and providing a blood sample.

The university says that participants will have the right to withdraw from the study at any point.

Ross Symons, a beef farmer in Cornwall, who has been involved in the zooTB study, called on farm workers to participate.

"Being able to bridge the gap between scientific research and the real world is such an important part of any study," he said.

"Being involved as a public contributor means that you are playing a key part in making the research successful.

The research team is inviting people over the age of 18 who work with TB-infected cattle in the southwest to an event on 13 March.

The drop-in event will give people the opportunity to hear more about the study and to take part in the research.
India is the largest consumer and second largest producer of silk, which is woven into the societal fabric of our country. It is an essential part of every auspicious occasion like weddings, festivities and celebrations. It is argued that silk originated in India almost contemporaneously with China as proven during the excavations in the Harrapan Civilizations sites. There has been mention of silk in many ancient Indian scriptures and historical accounts.Silk, the queen of textiles, is the most cherished fabric in India and every Indian woman takes pride in owning and draping silk sarees for special occasions. However, of late, many synthetic and impure fabrics are passed off as silk. This malpractice not only deprives the silk-loving customers of pure silk but also is a waste of their hard-earned money. And to add to it when an impure product is sold in the name of pure silk, those involved in the backend of silk production run the risk of losing their livelihood.In order to put an end to this malpractice and support the livelihood of the marginal silk farmers, reelers, weavers, craftsmen and traders involved in the silk industry, the Silk Mark Organisation of India (SMOI) was set up by the Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India.The corporate office of SMOI is located in the silk city Bangalore. It has 10 Chapters or branch offices strategically spread across the country closer to major silk production hubs. The main objectives of SMOI are to protect consumer interests, to support stakeholders in the silk industry and to promote generic India Silk.SMOI introduced the worlds first and only label of purity of silk in 2004. The Silk Mark Label is your only assurance of pure silk. It is affixed on 100% pure silk products after due diligence. Recently SMOI has introduced the Silk Mark Sticker Label which is completely tamper-proof.A 100% pure silk product is one in which the base fabric, both warp and weft, is made up of any of the 4 varieties of natural silks namely, Mulberry, Tasar, Eri and Muga Silk products. The Silk Mark Logo and the Silk Mark Label can be used only by the Authorised Members of SMOI. Any Silk Reeler, Silk Weaver, Silk Trader, Silk Exporter, Silk Weaving Cooperative Society and Silk Trading Corporate Firms can become an Authorised Member of SMOI.Whenever you decide to buy pure silk, buy it from a Silk Mark Authorised Store. You can search for a Silk Mark Authorised Store near you here. You can identify a Silk Mark Authorised Store by checking for the prominently displayed Silk Mark Membership Certificate and Silk Mark Posters and Stickers exhibited in the outlets. Also ensure the silk product you buy has the Silk Mark Label affixed to it.SMOI also conducts regular Expos in cities across India where Silk Mark Authorised Members from across India sell 100% pure silk products one roof. Silk Mark Expos are very popular by the silk loving customers!For more details on SMOI, please visit the official website www.silkmarkindia.com
A container freight station built with aid from Japan was inaugurated recently at Cambodias Sihanoukville Port Special Economic Zone (SPSEZ). Its construction was financed by Japans Grant Aid for the Economic and Social Development Programme, which offered a grant of $4.6 million to Cambodia in response to a request by Phnom Penh in 2019.

The new container freight station is expected to contribute to business development in the zone and attract more investors, including from Japan, to the province, according to Cambodian media reports.

Apart from significant Japanese software and hardware assistance, the port has gained from training from experienced Japanese technicians and engineers.

A container freight station built with aid from Japan was inaugurated recently at Cambodia's Sihanoukville Port Special Economic Zone (SPSEZ). Its construction was financed by Japan's Grant Aid for the Economic and Social Development Programme, which offered a grant of $4.6 million to Cambodia in response to a request by Phnom Penh in 2019.

He said this station and AEON warehousing project invested by AEON Mall will contribute, promote and play an important role in the business activities of the port.

The Sihanoukville autonomous port has received a Japanese concession loan for constructing a new 400-meter-long container port, a 350-meter-long multi-purpose port, the conversion of the shore into a 253-meter-long container port, and the construction of a deep-sea container port in three phases.

The port will receive two more harbour mobile cranes.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Nargis in Mother India (1957)

Nutan in Sujata (1959)

Meena Kumari in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962)

Nutan in Bandini (1963)

Waheeda Rehman in Guide (1965)

Shabana Azmi in Arth (1982)

Smita Patil in Mirch Masala (1987)

Meenakshi Sheshadri in Damini (1993)

Throughout Bollywood history, the female lead has assumed a variety of roles, including sacrificing mother, crying damsel in distress, and the lady in control of her own fate. When you set out to track the evolution of women in Bollywood, it becomes clear how the function of the viewer's gaze, which in turn has been influenced by a range of factors, including politics, the socioeconomic structure of the society at that particular period, and the evolution of culture. Owing to the difference in the number of males relative to women in the creative process, female characters in Bollywood have been depicted through the lens of a primarily male perspective. Gender bias can span decades, and we still haven't fully gotten rid of the antiquated ideas that were prevalent 70 years ago.The social context of the day has had a significant influence on how women are portrayed in cinema. The obedient, enduring mother of the 1960s, for example, reflected the patriarchal attitudes that predominated at the time and consigned women to the home and favoured subservient attributes. The 1990s saw economic liberalisation and increased consumer expenditure, which prepared the path for high-profile action films. Female characters were reduced to being damsels in distress while masculine characters displayed their fighting skills. Nonetheless, that does not imply that all old films featured one-dimensional female characters. Several stood out as a result of having plots that were far ahead of their time. We take a trip down memory lane with some of the characters who impacted our lives and exemplified the power, beauty, and complexity that characterise a woman as we observeThis Bollywood classic explores a rural Indian woman named Radha's battle against the system and determination to live. The late actress Nargis Dutt played a brave and loving mother who fights to raise her family on her own and would even kill her son to uphold a woman's honour. Despite just being 26 years old at the time, Nargis was the director's first choice for the part of Radha. She played the newlywed, a young single mother, and an elderly mother of two sons.Bimal Roy's Sujata was a film that examined caste limits and female agency back in 1959., portrayed by Nutan, is a lower-caste child who is adopted by an upper-caste family. As a youngster, she is regarded as an "other," forced to clean and perform housework while her "sister" enjoys a beautiful lifestyle. As a lady who struggles between being autonomous and ceding to her social status out of respect for her family, Nutan plays Sujata with subtlety and complexity.Abrar Alvi's "far ahead of its time" film, which is based on the Bengali novel Shaheb Bibi Golam by Bimal Mitra, is about the ruin of a system, a haveli, and a marriage. Meena Kumari, the film's central character, throws a dart at the institution of marriage, the family, patriarchy, and the zamindari system with each question she poses. Bhootnath (Guru Dutt) travels to Kolkata from the countryside in search of his fortune, where he is hired as a servant in a large family mansion. The youngest son is a scoundrel who spends all of his time drinking and having affairs with prostitutes, which destroys Chhoti Bahu's heart (Meena Kumari). Bhootnath develops feelings for his lonely mistress and befriends her. He's a mute witness to her silent struggle of winning back her husband's affection at any cost.In Bandini, a young woman named Kalyani is described as having received a life sentence for the murder of Bikash's (Ashok Kumar) wife. In order to atone for her own wrongdoing, Kalyani accepts her punishment. While imprisoned, she meets the on-call doctor Deven (Dharmendra), who falls in love with her. The story of Bandini is about a woman's quiet suffering, and Nutan excelled in her portrayal of Kalyani. The film explores the protagonist's ambivalent mentality and builds a second storyline from the viewpoint of the criminal. The film was a commercial success and won several accolades.An archaeologist named Marco (Kishore Sahu) and his gorgeous but troubled wife Rosie (Waheeda Rehman) go on a tour to see some ancient caves with a guide named Raju (Dev Anand). Even after learning about Rosie's history, Raju finds himself drawn to her. Rosie abandons Marco in favour of Raju, and because she wants to dance professionally. Raju finds himself alienated by her because of her rising fame and the couple separated. Later, Raju experiences a spiritual transformation as a result of the villagers' belief that he is a holy figure.Considered a path-breaking picture in Bollywood,boasts a powerful storyline with well-etched characters that flow effortlessly into the plot of the film. But Shabana Azmi's portrayal of Pooja, who gradually transforms from a broken woman (trying to come to terms with her husband's betrayal) to a strong, independent person who not only moves forward and faces life, but is also brave enough to reject her husband's plea for reconciliation, really stands out.The film, which was directed by Ketan Mehta, depicts the tale of an everyday villager named Sonbai, portrayed by Smita Patil, who decides to refuse the subedar, played by Naseeruddin Shah, in order to protect herself from his malicious gaze. Despite the pressure brought in by the villagers to give in to the Subedar's demands, Sonbai stands firm. Her stance inspires other women to unite and revolt against patriarchy.Meenakshi Sheshadri's portrayal of a woman who was married into an affluent family in the story of Damini shows her fighting for the truth. When Damini witnesses her brother-in-law molesting her maid, she confronts him. She must leave the house, though, because the family is against her. An ex-advocate assists her in obtaining justice.
Casper, Wyoming--(Newsfile Corp. - March 7, 2023) - Oyster has launched a revolutionary educational program to introduce children to exciting careers through STEAM education.

Oyster's mission is to engage children's natural curiosity through the exploration of careers and professions and for them to experience 25 careers before they enter middle school. As part of the program, children discover their natural talents and gifts and determine a path toward success and fulfillment. Designed to be accessible to people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, Oysterkits provide kinesthetic, hands-on learning experiences in science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM).











Oyster Image #1

The Oysterkit program provides access to a comprehensive range of 37 careers, including doctors, veterinarians, chefs, game designers, farmers, and aerospace engineers, among others. Their aim is to inspire and spark children's curiosity to explore various professions before reaching middle school and choosing electives.







Oyster Image #2

To address the employment gap, Oysterkits aim to provide an affordable and accessible solution to improving STEM education for all children, showing them the way to their future while bridging the employment gap with retirees.

The Oyster program has been developed by experienced educators, researchers, and industry professionals who worked together to create a comprehensive, research-based, and highly engaging curriculum. It is grounded in the latest research on student motivation, learning, and engagement, and designed to meet the needs of today's diverse learners.

The Oysterkit is accessible to all children, regardless of their socioeconomic status, making it an excellent resource for schools, community centers, after-school programs, and families. The kits arrive in a box to classrooms, and teachers can easily integrate it into their lesson plans, as it aligns with common core and next-gen standards. Additionally, Oysterkit's online platform provides teachers with additional resources, such as video tutorials and lesson plan guides to support their teaching.





Oyster Image #3

Moreover, the program aims to reduce the achievement gap between students from low-income families and their peers.

Oysterkit is not limited to virtual and traditional classroom settings. It is also an excellent resource for after-school programs, summer camps, community centers, and families.

Oyster's goal is to add one million kids annually to the program, and this can only be achieved through continued support and investment in STEAM education. As the world continues to change, it is crucial to prepare children for the future and provide them with the necessary skills to thrive in the workforce. Oysterkit is a step in the right direction towards achieving this goal, and motivating everyone to play a part in ensuring that every child has access to quality STEAM education.

Press Contact:

Mary Parrish

Website - https://oysterkit.com/

Email - press@oysterkit.com

Contact - 404-458-1518

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/157593
Combined entity would create a mid tier market capitalization company once all assets are in operation

Acquisition follows strong production growth at MDN and a very robust Feasibility Study at MDC expected by end of May

Sprott Streaming and Royalty US$10 million Equalization Stream Financing Closed

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 7, 2023 / Cerrado Gold Inc. [TSXV:CERT] [OTCQX:CRDOF] ("Cerrado" or the "Company") has entered into a definitive agreement (the "Arrangement Agreement") with Voyager Metals Inc. (TSXV: VONE) ("Voyager") pursuant to which Cerrado will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Voyager (each, a "Voyager Share") not already owned by Cerrado by way of a plan of arrangement under Business Corporations Act (Ontario) (the "Arrangement"). Upon completion of the Arrangement, Cerrado will, indirectly through a wholly-owned subsidiary, own a 100% interest in the Mont Sorcier Iron and Vanadium project located near Chibougamou, Quebec ("Mont Sorcier").

Mont Sorcier is a well advanced, large, long-life and economically robust Project in a tier one mining jurisdiction. In September 2022, Voyager completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment (the "PEA") on Mont Sorcier, which outlined a project with an after-tax NPV of US$1.6 Billion and IRR of 43% producing 5.0MM tpa of iron concentrates over a mine life of 21 years with annual free cash flow of US$235 million. The project is currently advancing towards completion of a bankable Feasibility Study expected by the end of 2023.

Under the terms of the Arrangement Agreement, Voyager shareholders would receive one (1) common share of Cerrado ("Cerrado Share") for every six (6) common shares of Voyager (the "Exchange Ratio"). The Exchange Ratio implies consideration of C$0.1523 per Voyager Share (the "Transaction Price"), based on the 20 day volume weighted average price ('VWAP") of the closing price of Cerrado common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") on March 3, 2023, representing a 16.8% premium to 20-day VWAP of Voyager on the TSXV on March 3, 2023. Upon closing, the Arrangement would result in Voyager shareholders owning approximately 18% of the Cerrado Shares outstanding upon closing of the Arrangement.

Holders of Voyager options will receive equivalent securities of Cerrado adjusted in accordance with the Exchange Ratio. Securityholders of Voyager are expected to receive an aggregate of approximately 15,496,022 Cerrado Shares and 1,266,666 Cerrado options. Outstanding Voyager warrants will remain outstanding and in accordance with their terms will be exercisable for up to 2,140,452 Cerrado Shares based on the Exchange Ratio following the closing of the Arrangement.

Transaction Rationale

The Arrangement is expected to offer a number of significant benefits to Cerrado including:Attractive valuation for Cerrado to gain access to a robust, well defined, long-life project well known to the Cerrado operating team.

Financing and cash flow synergies could reduce the dilution for project development and significantly reduce dilution for Cerrado's and Voyager's current respective shareholders. (See Figure 1. Below)

Addition of a low cost, capital efficient and economically robust project to the portfolio in a low risk jurisdiction

Mont Sorcier is expectd to generate in excess of US$235m per annum in free cash flow over its 21-year life, which is expected to begin production in 2028 (with the potential for expansion & extension).

Mont Sorcie's PEA demonstrated anNPV of US$1.6B based on Indicated Resources only, representing 25% of total defined resource leaving room for optimization and expansion potential.

Combined company would create a mid tier market capitalization once all assets are in operation.

For additional information please see Cerrado's corporate presentation on the company's website at

https://www.cerradogold.com/assets/Cerrado-Voyager.pdf

Figure 1. Pro forma Finacials for Operating Assets

In connection with the Arrangement, Cerrado has entered into a subscription agreement (the "Subscription Agreement") with Voyager pursuant to which Cerrado has agreed to subscribe for and purchase Voyager Shares at a price per Voyager Share equal to the Transaction Price, as part of a larger non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of Voyager for gross proceeds of up to $4.725 million to be completed prior to the closing of the Arrangement. Assuming the Private Placement is fully subscribed, it is anticipated that Cerrado will subscribe for and purchase $3.7 million of Voyager Shares and will own approximately 19.9% of the issued and outstanding Voyager Shares (on a non-diluted basis) prior to the competion of the Arrangement. If the Private Placement is not fully subscribed, Cerrado will subscribe for no more than that numer of Voyager Shares as will result in Cerrado owining 19.9% of the outstanding Voyager Shares upon completion of the Private Placemnet and prior to completion of the Arrangement.

Mark Brennan, CEO & Co-Chairman of the Company, commented, "We continue to see strong production growth at our MDN operation and we are very confident in delivering a strong Feasibility Study by the end of May for MDC. The addition of the Mont Sorcier project represents a significant opportunity to increase Cerrado's long term cash generation, asset life and relevance to the mineral sector. Mont Sorcier is expected to be a very high margin, high return project similar to our very robust Monte Do Carmo project. In addition, we see tremendous synergies to reduce future equity requirements to develop the Company's assets and this will add significant value to all shareholders of the combined company."

He continued, "It is our belief that there is a clear path to develop a very significant market capitalized entity within a very modest timeframe, while limiting dilution to shareholders."

US$10 million Stream Financing Closed

The Company is also pleased to announced that has closed its previously announced Sprott Private Resources Streaming and Royalty Corp. $10 million Equation Stream Financing in connection with the amended and restated metals purchase and sale agreement announced on March 2, 2023.

Arrangement Summary

The Arrangement will be implemented by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario). At closing, existing Cerrado and Voyager shareholders will own approximately 82% and 18% of the combined company, respectively, on a fully-diluted basis. The combined company will continue trading under the name Cerrado Gold Inc. and the ticker symbol TSX.V:CERT.

All options and wararnts of Voyager outstanding as at the effective date of the Arrangement will be exchanged for equivaluent securities of Cerrado, adjusted for the Exchange Ratio and in accordance with the Arrangement Agreement. Closing of the Arrangement, as contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, is subject to the satisfaction of a number of conditions, including: the approval of the Voyager shareholders for the Arrangement at special meeting of Voyager shareholders (the "Voyager Meeting"), , court approval, and the receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals (including the acceptance of the TSXV), and the satisfaction of certain other closing conditions customary in transactions of this nature. The Arrangement Agreement provides for termination rights, including in the event the Arrangement is not completed by July 30, 2023. There can be no ssurance that the Arrangement or the Private Placement will be completed as proposed or at all.

Holders representing 28% of the issued and outstanding Voyager Shares and options as of the date of the Arrangement Agreement have entered into voting support agreements, pursuant to which they have agreed to vote their common shares and options held in favor of the Arrangement, subject to certain conditions.

Futher details regarding the terms of the Arrangement are set out in the Arrangement Agreement, a copy of which will be filed under each of Cerrado's and Voyager's SEDAR profiles at www.sedar .com. Additional information in respect of the Arrangement will be provided in the management information circular to be prepare by Voyager in connection with the Voyager Meeting which will be mailed to Voyager securityholders and also available on Voyager's website at www.voyagermetals.com And filed under Voyager's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

None of the securities to be issued by Cerrado pursuant to the Arrangement have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws, and any securities issued pursuant to the Arrangement areanticipated to be issued in reliance upon available exemptions from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities.

Board Approvals and Recommendations

The entry into of the Arrangement Agreement and Subscription Agreement and the completion of the Arrangement and Private Placement have been unanimously approved by the members of the respective boards of directors of Cerrado and Voyager eligible to vote thereon.

In the case of Voyager, the board of directors approved the Arrangement and Private Placement upon receipt of the unanimous recommendation of a special committee composed exclusively of independent directors of Voyager (the "Special Committee"). In connection with the recommendation, Echelon Capital Markets provided an independent opinion to the Special Committee, stating that, and based upon and subject to the assumptions, limitations, and qualifications set forth therein, the consideration offered pursuant to the Arrangement is fair, from a financial point of view, to the Voyager shareholders.

Cerrado and Voyager are Non-Arm's Parties (as defined in the policies of the TSXV) as certain directors and officers of Cerrado occupy officers and/or director positions with Voyager. Such individuals, as a group, collectively hold 13.0% of the issued and outstanding Voyager Shares and options. Mr. Mark Brennan recused himself from voting in respect of the Arrangement, and the remaining arm's length directors of Cerrado unanimously approved the Arrangement.

About Voyager

Voyager is a mineral exploration company headquartered in Toronto, Canada. The Company is focused on advancing its Mont Sorcier, Vanadium-rich, Magnetite Iron Ore Project, located just outside of Chibougamau, Quebec.

Mont Sorcier currently has Indicated Resources of 679M tonnes grading 27.8% magnetite and 0.20% V2O5, with the potential to produce 195M tonnes of magnetite concentrate grading at least 65% Fe and 0.52% vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) and a further Inferred Resource estimated at 547M tonnes grading 26.1% magnetite and 0.17% V2O5, with the potential to produce 148M tonnes of magnetite concentrate grading at least 65% Fe and 0.52% vanadium pentoxide (V2O5).

The PEA in respect of the Mount Sorcier project dated effective September 8, 2022, entitled "NI 43-101 Technical Report - Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the Mont Sorcier Project - Quebec, Canada" was prepared by Simon Boudreau, P.Eng., Tim Fletcher, P.Eng., Daniel Gagnon, P.Eng., Mathieu Girard, P.Eng., Marina Iund, p.Geo. and Carl Pelletier, P.Geo., of DRA Americas Inc., InnovExplo Inc. and SOutex Inc. and is filed under Voyager's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. The PEA is preliminary in nature, it 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, and, as such, there is no certainty that the PEA results will be realized. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability as there is no certainty that all or any part of the resources will be converted into reserves. To the best of Cerrado's knowledge, information and believe, there is no new material scientific or technical information that would make the disclosure of the mineral resources, mineral reserves or results of this preliminary economic assessment inaccurate or misleading.

Qualified Person

The technical information contained in this news release with respect to the Mont Sorcier Project has been reviewed and approved on behalf of Voyager by Clinton Swemmer, who is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

The scientific and technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Sergio Gelcich, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration for Cerrado Gold Inc., who is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101.

For furtherinformation, please contact

Mark Brennan

CEO and Co Chairman

Tel: +1-647-796-0023

mbrennan@cerradogold.com

David Ball

Vice President, Corporate Development

Tel: +1-647-796-0068

dball@cerradogold.com

About Cerrado

Cerrado is a Toronto based gold production, development and exploration company focused on gold projects in the Americas. The Company is the 100% owner of both the producing Minera Don Nicolas mine in Santa Cruz province, Argentina, and the highly prospective development project, Monte Do Carmo located in Tocantins State, Brazil.

At Minera Don Nicolas, Cerrado is maximising asset value through further operation optimization and continued production growth. An extensive campaign of exploration is ongoing to further unlock potential resources in our highly prospective land package.

At its Monte Do Carmo project ("Monte Do Carmo"), Cerrado is rapidly advancing the Serra Alta deposit through Feasibility and production. A preliminary economic assessment in respect of the Monte Do Carmo project entitled "Independent Technical Report - Update Preliminary Economic Assessment for Serra Alta Deposit, Monte do Carmo Project, Tocantins State, Brazil"dated September 30, 2021 with an effective date of July 21, 2021 was prepared by Porfirio Cabaleiro Rodriguez, FAIG, B. Terrence Hennessey, P. Geo., Fabio Valerio Xavier, MAIG, and Rooniel Hirose, MAIG, of GE21 LTDA (the "Monte Do Carmo PEA") and filed on SEDAR under Cerrado's issuer profile at www.SEDAR.com. The Serra Alta deposit demonstrated Indicated Resources of 541 kozs of contained gold and Inferred Resources of 780 kozs of contained gold. The Monte Do Carmo PEA demonstrates robust economics as well as the potential to be one of the industry's lowest cost producers. Cerrado also holds an extensive and highly prospective 82,542 ha land package at Monte Do Carmo.

For more information about Cerrado please visit our website at: www.cerradogold.com.

Disclaimer

This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation, all statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, without limitation, statements regarding the business and operations of Cerrado. In making the forward- looking statements contained in this press release, Cerrado has made certain assumptions, including, but not limited to the potential market capitalization of the resulting issuer once all assets in operation, the attractive valuation of the acquisition, assumptions and estimates included in Voyager's PEA and potential synergies of Cerrado and Voyager. Although Cerrado believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. 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. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, Cerrado disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise.

SOURCE: Cerrado Gold Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/742558/Cerrado-Gold-To-Acquire-Voyager-Metals
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 7, 2023 / EonX Technologies Inc. (CSE:EONX), ("EonX" or the "Company") wishes to announce the appointment of Pavel Zagaria to the board of EonX.

Mr Zagaria is the Chief Technology Officer at EonX and has over 15+ years' experience in delivering enterprise solutions and cloud-based architecture to large enterprises including payments, loyalty, telecommunications and education. As a thought leading executive having led the digital transformation of EonX since its inception, Mr Zagaria's industry knowledge and technical abilities will help define the company's future technical development and global growth strategy.

About EONX

EonX is a financial technology company powering the next generation of eWallet, Payments & Loyalty platforms which enable business, consumers and employees to better engage and transact in today's digital world.

On behalf of the board of directors of

EONX TECHNOLOGIES INC.

"Andrew Kallen"

Andrew Kallen, CEO

For more information about EonX, contact:

Andrew Kallen

Chief Executive Officer

EONX Technologies Inc.

Telephone: +18036767776

Email: investors@eonx.com

Website:https://eonx.com

The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Notice regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties as described in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators. 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. 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, other than as required by law.

SOURCE: EonX Technologies Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/742557/EonX-Board-Changes
HAMILTON, Bermuda, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Seadrill Limited ("Seadrill" or the "Company") (NYSE: SDRL) (OSE: SDRL) announces that the West Neptune has executed approximately six months of term extensions with LLOG Exploration Offshore, L.L.C ("LLOG") in the US Gulf of Mexico. The extensions will commence in direct continuation of the existing term, and will keep the rig busy until Q3 2024, furthering Seadrill and LLOG's long-term association. Total contract value for the extension is approximately $79 million.

About Seadrill

Seadrill is a leading offshore drilling contractor utilizing advanced technology to unlock oil and gas resources for clients across harsh and benign locations around the globe. Seadrill's high-quality, technologically advanced fleet spans all asset classes allowing its experienced crews to conduct operations from shallow to ultra-deepwater environments.

Forward-Looking Statements

The new release includes forward-looking statements. Such statements are generally not historical in nature, and specifically include statements about the Company's plans, strategies, business prospects, changes and trends in its business and the markets in which it operates. These statements are made based upon management's current plans, expectations, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and therefore involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of the new release. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, offshore drilling market conditions, including supply and demand, dayrates, fluctuations in the price of oil, international financial market conditions, changes in governmental regulations that affect the Company or the operations of the Company's fleet, the review of competition authorities and other factors listed in our public filings. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all of these factors. Further, the Company cannot assess the impact of each such factor on its business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to be materially different from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Consequently, no forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. When considering these forward-looking statements, you should also keep in mind the risks described from time to time in the Company's filings with the SEC, including its Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on April 29, 2022. This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.

Seadrill Contact Information

David Warwick

Director of Investor Relations

David.Warwick@Seadrill.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/seadrill-announces-west-neptune-extension-301765248.html
ClimbHigh SEO, a full-service digital marketing agency with a focus on SEO services, have refined their search optimisation strategies and digital services for local businesses to improve exposure for websites, local listings, and multimedia content.

Carlisle, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2023) - ClimbHigh SEO, is a small digital agency specialising in search engine optimisation (SEO), that works to integrate SEO strategies into most aspects of a client's website and digital marketing campaigns. The company have expanded their strategies to offer both "done for you" keyword strategies and copy editing services to help companies improve their visibility online. The agency also provides SEO consultancy, guidance and some training for business owners, to help them extract the maximum benefit from their online presence.

More information about SEO website integration strategies, consultancy and training , can be found at https://climbhighseo.agency/seo-services

Carlisle, UK Content Keyword Optimisation Strategies Expanded By ClimbHigh SEO

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/157651_18c1e3098443d882_001full.jpg

Business owners, traditional marketing agencies, and website developers can work with ClimbHigh SEO to integrate an improved keyword strategy throughout their entire website or on additional pages for content marketing. The SEO team works with businesses in Carlisle and across Cumbria, offering both local, regional and nationwide marketing strategies.

ClimbHigh SEO uses customised strategies for each client, based on their industry, location, and target audience, to maximise exposure for the keywords associated with their customers' requirements by the search engine algorithms. Recent market research from Ahrefs shows that the average top-ranking page on Google is likely to rank within the top ten spots for up to 1,000 other keywords.

One strategy detailed on the company's website uses a "low-hanging fruit," approach, to help clients rank for keywords that are relevant to their industry, but used less frequently by competitors. The company explains that while these longer tail words are searched less often individually, they tend to see higher click through rates than the shorter more obvious phrases. Implemented well, a focus on these keywords with a more specific buying intent can send a significant proportion of the paying customers to a business website.

Clients can access ClimbHigh SEO services either as a one-time service, or through a continued partnership. By working with business owners long-term, the SEO team provides cumulative benefits to the brand's visibility and helps them rank for more wider range of low competition searches leading to better visibility for competitive keywords over time.

ClimbHigh SEO has also expanded its content marketing program, which uses targeted SEO paired with multimedia content to build brand recognition and digital authority. While each content marketing strategy is tailored to individual clients, media may include blogs, content for main web pages, slide shares, infographics and even video.

Business owners in Cumbria and further afield can also use a convenient tool on the ClimbHigh SEO website to access a private snapshot assessment of their current "Local Online Presence," and a consultation with an SEO specialist. The tool is open to any business, and only requires the company's name, postcode, and contact information. Details about the snapshot assessment tool can be found at https://climbhighseo.agency/local-seo-audit-cumbria/

More information about ClimbHigh SEO and keyword optimisation strategies can be found at https://climbhighseo.agency/

Contact Info:

Name: Ray Cassidy

Email: ray@climbhighseo.agency

Organization: Consulting Cumbria Ltd DBA ClimbHigh SEO

Address: 24 Cant Crescent, Carlisle, Cumbria CA2 4JF, United Kingdom

Website: https://climbhighseo.agency/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/157651
Stockholm, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Internationally acknowledged Incident Response Team will respond to cyber attacks 24/7.

Following the heightened threat levels in the DACH region, the demand for cybersecurity services has skyrocketed. In response, the market-leading cybersecurity group Truesec is establishing local operations in Germany to help organizations - both in the private and public sectors - respond to and counteract every stage of a cyberattack 24/7.

"Our partners and clients have long requested Truesec's local presence in Germany and the DACH region. With our track record of assignments in the region and knowledge of the increasing cyber threats facing companies and organizations, launching local operations is a natural next step", says Anna Averud, CEO of Truesec Group.

In a time of rising geopolitical tension, the cyber threats facing German organizations and critical infrastructure are more significant than ever. Germany's strong economy makes it susceptible to cyber attacks. Not only are the number of attacks expected to grow, but also the complexity, severity, and societal damage they cause.

As a result, Truesec sees an increased demand for professional security services in the DACH region and is therefore establishing its local presence in Munich, Germany. With more services to follow, Truesec is initially launching its Incident Response services to help organizations safely through a cyber attack with minimal impact and operational downtime.

Internationally acknowledged cyber expertise

Several of the larger Nordic companies and public sector actors affected by cyber attacks turn to Truesec, whose Cybersecurity Incident Response Team (CSIRT) investigates a majority of the most severe incidents in Sweden and around the world.

Markus Lassfolk, Senior Vice President for Truesecs Incident Response unit, leads the German expansion until local management is in place.

"Our goal is always to minimize downtime for clients and bring them back to operations as soon as possible. On average, it takes 23 days to restart a business after a ransomware attack. Truesec's clients are generally back in a considerably shorter time: usually 3-5 days",says Markus Lassfolk, SVP of Truesec CSIRT.

"Combining the local presence of one of Europe's strongest Incident Response teams with our global network of cyber experts makes Truesec ideally positioned to help companies to detect, fight, and prevent cybercrime. We look forward to continuing our excellent collaboration with established regional partners and customers", Markus Lassfolk adds.

Market-leading cybersecurity company in Scandinavia

With organizations worldwide relying on its support, Truesec aims to stay relevant by constantly expanding its global presence to help protect organizations against cybercrime. The cybersecurity group works closely the insurance sector, law enforcements, and security organizations worldwide, and has local operations in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and the US. Truesec has tripled its turnover (35 MEUR in 2022) in the past three years and has a broad portfolio of technically advanced cybersecurity services.

Victim of a cyber attack?

Truesecs Incident Response team is available 24/7/365to help get businesses secured and back up and running as fast as possible.

About Truesec Eng

Truesec is a global cybersecurity company with a clear purpose: Creating safety and sustainability in a digital world by preventing cyber breach and minimizing impact. Over the years, Truesec has gained a strong reputation and earned the trust of organizations worldwide. Today, Truesec consists of 280+ dedicated cyber specialists worldwide - covering the full spectrum of cybersecurity. For more information: www.truesec.com

Contacts

Press Contact

Hanna Wilenius

hanna.wilenius@truesec.se

+46 (070 838 42 84



CEO, Truesec Group

Anna Averud

anna.averud@truesec.com

+46 (0)70 918 30 48



Vice President, Truesec Incident Respons

Markus Lassfolk

markus.lassfolk@truesec.se

+46 (0)70 918 30 12




Pre-Stabilisation notice

March 8, 2023

Not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

Kreditanstalt fuer Wiederaufbau (KfW)

EUR benchmark issue due 2030

Pre-Stabilisation Notice

Commerzbank AG (contact: Daniela Olt-Farrelly; telephone: +49 69 136-20) hereby announces, as Stabilisation Coordinator, that the Stabilising Managers named below may stabilise the offer of the following securities in accordance with Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU Regulation 596/2014).

The security to be stabilised: Issuer: KfW Guarantor (if any): Federal Republic of Germany Aggregate nominal amount: EUR benchmark Description: Long 7yr bearer benchmark issue Offer price: tbc Other offer terms: maturity 7th June 2030, settlement 15 March 2023, EMTN programme, denoms 1k/1k, short first coupon Stabilisation: Stabilisation Coordinator:

Stabilising Managers: Commerzbank

Goldman Sachs Bank

HSBC

Nomura Stabilisation period expected to start on: March 8, 2023 Stabilisation period expected to end on: no later than 30 days after the proposed issue date of the securities Existence, maximum size and conditions of use of over-allotment facility. The Stabilising Managers may over-allot the securities to the extent permitted in accordance with applicable law. Stabilisation trading venue: Frankfurt SE

In connection with the offer of the above securities, the Stabilising Manager(s) may over-allot the securities or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the securities during the stabilisation period at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. However, stabilisation may not necessarily occur and any stabilisation action, if begun, may cease at any time Any stabilisation action or over-allotment shall be conducted in accordance with all applicable laws and rules.

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute an invitation or offer to underwrite, subscribe for or otherwise acquire or dispose of any securities of the Issuer in any jurisdiction.

This announcement is not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or any other jurisdiction in which such distribution would be unlawful.

END
LONDON, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Web3 scalable healthcare solutions company XRP Healthcare has just announced they have partnered with United Networks of America. (UNA) has garnered a reputation for outstanding customer service and has established itself as a leading provider of healthcare network solutions, boasting over 240,000 participating providers, and serving over 120 million members. Through 2021, the company helped its members save a staggering estimated 10 billion dollars.





The partnership will take the form of the "XRP Healthcare prescription savings card" issued from their website which can be used to save up to 80% on prescriptions/medication in 68,000 national and regional U.S.-based pharmacies - including Walmart, CVS and Walgreens.

The unique partnership will allow cardholders to be rewarded in XRP Healthcare's native token (XRPH), which is paired with (USDT) each time the card is used. All XRPH rewards will be distributed solely by XRP Healthcare - further details on this can be found here.

XRPH will serve as a catalyst for UNA and its 120 million members to venture into the Web3 and Metaverse, unlocking innovative prospects for the future of healthcare products and services. XRP Healthcare is a relatively new player in the healthcare industry and has already made significant developments with its innovative approach to healthcare delivery, such as its decentralized marketplace due to launch in the second quarter of this year, fueled by its native token XRPH, which will be required to activate and purchase from their market place. XRPH will also allow for the safe and fast sending of funds globally, in particular to inhabitants of pharmerging countries.

United Networks of America CEO - Steve Rice, said in a recent statement:

"XRP Healthcare's cutting-edge technology will bring a new level of transparency and efficiency to the healthcare industry, which will greatly benefit both patients and providers."

Founder of XRP Healthcare - Kain Roomes also went on to say: "XRP Healthcare's new partnership with United Networks of America is in line with our vision of making healthcare affordable to everyone. The old adage your health is your wealth, and healthcare is for everyone not just for the privileged, are fast becoming our mottos as we strive to bring about better conditions within an overburdened healthcare system which unfortunately can overlook people who need care the most."

Recently, the company has seen significant growth, thanks in part to the addition of three experienced healthcare executives to its team - Marc O'Griofa, Dr. Andrew J. O'Neil and Brian J. Esposito.

Dr Marc O'Griofa has an intriguing set of skills, combining medicine and engineering. Marc participated as a triage physician and part of the Space Shuttle medical team at NASA's Kennedy Space Center with advanced medical equipment for special operations medical missions, and chronic medical conditions like heart failure to try and reduce unnecessary readmissions and costs. Marc is also a Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine and was the principal investigator for Project CASPER, which examined the sleep patterns of International Space Station crew members.

Dr. Andrew J. O'Neil has a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Analysis NIR Spectroscopy & Chemometrics BPharm (Bachelor of Pharmacy) - Pharmacy with Pharmaceutical Engineering Science and a Certificate in Perl programming Computer programming. Dr. O'Neil was granted membership to The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (MRPharmS) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (MRSC) and has also been a Consultant for Nircorp (Near Infrared Corporation) and Lead Chemometric Scientist at the University of Oxford.

Brian J. Esposito is ranked among the world's top 10 CEOs and is an award-winning serial entrepreneur and business leader with a holding company consisting of 90+ entities, 150+ joint ventures, operating in 25+ industries and in over 25 cities around the world. Brian is ranked as one of the world's most seasoned executives with a proven track record of success in developing and implementing innovative solutions, his expertise will be invaluable in driving the growth of XRP Healthcare.

About XRP Healthcare

The first Pharma and Healthcare platform to be built on the XRP blockchain - XRP Healthcare (XRPH) is an innovative, scalable solutions company utilizing Web3 technology to revolutionize the way people access and afford healthcare services globally.

XRPH are focused on improving the lives of individuals and families with the ethos of providing:

A decentralized marketplace for pharma and health services.

Faster payments/transactions worldwide via our mobile and web app.

Help inhabitants of pharmerging countries access standard healthcare via faster payments.

The building out of a virtual Metaverse Clinic where clients can have anonymous counselling and therapy sessions by choosing an avatar.

About United Networks of America

UNA offers a diverse range of healthcare services, including prescription drug coverage, cosmetic surgery, dental, vision, hearing, wellness benefits, and more. The company serves a wide variety of clients, including TPAs, insurance companies, universities, federal and state governments, school systems, value-added programs, and large employers. UNA is known for its exceptional customer service and innovative solutions, leveraging technology to enhance its servicing capabilities and provide real-time solutions to its clients that realise substantial savings because of the sheer size and efficient nature of their organization.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2017990/XRP_Healthcare.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1983109/XRP_Healthcare_Logo.jpg





View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/xrp-healthcare-partners-with-united-networks-of-america-with-access-to-120-million-members-301765077.html
UMEA, Sweden, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- W3 Energy has signed a five-year cooperation agreement with Bazefield AS and thereby implements the EnOS Bazefield operating system in the business. In addition, W3 Energy will support Bazefield's product and customer development.

"We are gradually moving towards a hybrid world in renewable energy production and with EnOS Bazefield we get a platform that allows us to continue our expansion. We look forward to contributing in the development of their products and sharing our experience with their customers", says W3 Energy's CEO Par Dunder.

Swedish W3 Energy is one of the Nordics' leading players in the operation, management and optimization of wind farms. So far, the company has mainly been focusing on asset management for wind power in northern Sweden, but has now commenced a business development both in terms of different types of energy and their geographical playing field. Par Dunder says: "All types of renewable energy are within our scope and we can combine wind power with everything from solar energy and battery storage systems to hydrogen production. We see renewable energy management as a craftmanship and it is not enough to be the best carpenter - you have to have the best tools as well. In the new kind of hybrid world in which we operate, it is Bazefield that can offer us that. In addition, they are an extremely competent partner in our internationalization."

Future-proof system for handling large amounts of data

In order to optimize the production of wind power, W3 Energy handles data from 40,000 measurement points per second, that are then processed and analyzed. The transition to Bazefield is carried out because it is a future-proof system, which can handle both today's requirements and further business development. Sara Olund is the Teamleader Operations Controller at W3 Energy and coordinates the daily work within the team, which includes ensuring efficient information flows. "Personally, I think it is fantastic that we are now making the transition to Bazefield. It is an extremely easy-to-use system, which gives us even greater opportunities to work proactively, easily and efficiently", she says.

W3 Energy becomes a preferred partner

Norwegian Bazefield AS has reaped great international success with its operating system for the production of renewable energy. Today, they are regarded as world leaders in the development of solutions that support asset management linked to all types of renewable energy. The company's CEO Sigurd Joakim Juvik is very positive about the cooperation agreement: "W3 Energy is a type of customer that we really like, both for their skills, ambitions and how they are as people. Therefore, it feels good that it is a three-piece collaboration, where in addition to delivering a powerful platform, we also make W3 Energy a preferred partner who can develop our products and help our other customers become better in how to use them. We look forward to both taking advantage of the competence within W3 Energy and at the same time deliver a system that supports their ambitions for the future."

Eva Liljendahl, who is the Sales Director Nordics at Bazefield, is also positive about the effects of the collaboration between Bazefield and W3 Energy: "What this market needs is integration between production and technology and sales and finance. This is exactly what Bazefield gives W3 Energy, and thus also their customers", she says.

Contacts:

Par Dunder, CEO W3 Energy

+46 (0)70-375 00 43

par.dunder@w3e.se

Sigurd Joakim Juvik, Head of Renewables Envision Digital/CEO, Bazefield

+47 90 651 834

sigurd.juvik@bazefield.com

W3 Energy is a completely independent asset manager, responsible for both financial and operational management of wind farms, with offices in Pitea, Skelleftea and Umea. The portfolio of 1860 MW means that approximately 18 % of the renewable energy produced in Sweden is managed by W3 Energy. The company specializes in wind power in cold climates and also offers management on facilities that combine several types of renewable energy.

Bazefield AS is a software product company headquartered in Norway. The company has its roots back to 1991 and was demerged from Baze Technology in 2016. Envision Digital, a global AIoT technology leader, headquartered in Singapore came onboard with 100% ownership to fuel the independent operating Bazefield's growth. It's industry-leading product, Bazefield is the most comprehensive and fastest growing OEM independent operation management system for renewable energy, which provides tools for real-time monitoring, reporting, availability planning, stop and loss analysis and fact-based decision. Bazefield is used across +1400 sites and 102 GW of renewable energy sites in all regions worldwide. Notable clients include Invenergy, EDF Renewables, SSE Renewables, Neoen, Equinor, BayWa and a range of others. See www.bazefield.com for more.

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Public/18865/3729366/b0c26f5592aeeea0_org.jpg Bazefield W3 Energy

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ABU DHABI, UAE, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HAYAH Insurance Company marks its first anniversary as an independent player in the UAE with bold ambitions to further enhance and digitise its workplace savings offering, encouraging a more effective savings culture.





As the provider of the only workplace savings product approved by the Central Bank of the UAE for distribution locally, HAYAH plans to extend its domestic reach by adding greater flexibility and a more user-friendly, digital-first approach to its solution.

The firm's enhanced Employee Secure Saver will ensure that companies can further customise the pension plan they offer their employees. Employers can also fully digitise the solution to give staff 24/7 access to how they manage their funds.

For employees, they benefit from the first pension plan in the UAE specifically tailored to their needs that also has a fully capital protected investment option, backed by France's AXA.

This newly developed solution is designed to encourage long-term and disciplined savings in the workplace in the UAE.

It also enables HAYAH, which already supports over 350 companies and 150,000 employees across the GCC with life insurance, to help companies and their employees in the UAE be ready for the expected changes to local pension rules.

"We are committed to this market. We offer ringfenced gratuity savings for companies to offset their end-of-service liabilities, easy AI-powered administration, Arabic outputs and local support," said Mohamed Seghir, Chief Executive Officer of HAYAH, which is regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE and listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. The firm also has offices and employees located in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Among key features of HAYAH's Employee Secure Saver solution are its ability to enable companies to:

Decide their contributions and vesting schedules

Have the flexibility to mix and match charges according to their requirements

Protect employees' capital and gains by saving in a secure currency, namely US dollars

Onboard their employees within 48 hours

Taking transformative steps in savings

From an investment perspective, the Employee Secure Saver is product agnostic. HAYAH achieves this by partnering with AllFunds to only offer funds from established asset managers, while ensuring there is transparency as well as zero commission or incentives.

For the rest of 2023 and beyond, HAYAH is also looking to develop its reputation as a digital innovator. "We are now working on the HAYAH app, which we will launch this year to offer new and innovative life and savings solutions," added Seghir. "We will also continue to upgrade our secure online platforms and a suite of added wellness benefits."

Further, as HAYAH looks to widen and deepen its footprint in the UAE, it will soon reveal the results of a unique YouGov survey. This will uncover the preparedness of C-level executives for offering effective workplace pension plans.

About HAYAH Insurance Company P.J.S.C.

HAYAH Insurance Company P.J.S.C., is regulated by the UAE Central Bank and is a licensed provider of life insurance, medical and savings products in the United Arab Emirates. Public Joint Stock Company funded by a paid-up capital of AED 200 million, registered at the Central Bank of the UAE with registration no. 83 dated 16/09/2008.

HAYAH is the UAE's digital insurance company, specialising in life, medical and savings and providing a fully digital experience that is simple, secure and timesaving. HAYAH aims to transform the regional insurance landscape by utilising cutting edge technology to provide truly affordable and accessible solutions. HAYAH Insurance Company P.J.S.C. is registered with the Central Bank of the UAE and listed on the Abu Dhabi stock exchange. www.hayah.com

Headquarters: Floor 16, Sheikh Sultan Bin Hamdan Building, Corniche Road

P.O. Box 63323, Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Follow HAYAH on social media: LinkedIn and Instagram

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View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hayah-tailors-workplace-savings-plan-to-employer-needs-301765544.html
Capita agrees to sell Security Watchdog

Capita plc ('Capita') today announces that it has agreed to sell Security Watchdog, the pre-and post-employment screening solutions provider to Matrix, which is owned by Bridgepoint Development Capital, part of Bridgepoint Group Plc for an enterprise value of 14m on a cash free, debt free basis.

Security Watchdog is the UK industry leader of digitalised, smart pre-and post-employment screening solutions, the largest EMEA supplier of background checks and a trusted partner to clients across the globe.

The reported revenue and profit before tax of Security Watchdog for the year to 31 December 2022 were 27.7m and 1.5m respectively.

Along with Capita Resourcing, HR Solutions and ThirtyThree, for which contracts were exchanged with Inspirit Capital on 6 March, Security Watchdog made up Capita's Modular People Solutions business and our People Pillar within Capita Portfolio.

The Security Watchdog senior management team and employees will remain with their business as it transfers to the ownership of Matrix.

Capita previously announced its intention to sell a number of non-core businesses to strengthen the balance sheet and focus on its two core divisions, Capita Public Service and Capita Experience. The agreement to sell Security Watchdog follows the recent disposal of our Pay360 payments processing business, two real estate and infrastructure consultancy businesses, as well as Optima Legal, and Capita Translation and Interpreting.

Jon Lewis, Capita's Chief Executive Officer, said: "We are pleased to have agreed the sale of our Security Watchdog business to Matrix following a competitive sale process.

"This was one of a number of Capita businesses which were successful but did not form part of our core growth strategy, and which will benefit from opportunities under new owners.

"The sale marks another step for our successful disposals programme which has enabled us to significantly strengthen the balance sheet and materially reduce our debt.



"We are targeting for the majority of the remaining businesses within our non-core Portfolio division to be sold during the first half of 2023, depending on general market conditions."

Capita is being advised on the Security Watchdog transaction by Rothschild & Co.

For more information, please contact:

Investor enquiries

Helen Parris

Director of Investor Relations

Tel: 07720 169269

Email: IRteam@capita.co.uk

Media enquiries

Capita external communications

Tel: 0207 654 2399

Email: media@capita.co.uk

About Capita plc

Capita is a leading provider of business process services, driven by data, technology and people. We are a purpose-led, responsible organisation. Every day our 50,000 colleagues help millions of people, by delivering innovative, digitally enabled solutions to transform and simplify the connections between government and citizens, businesses and customers. We partner with our clients and provide the insight and technologies that give time back, allowing them to focus on what they do best and making people's lives easier and simpler. We operate across three divisions - Capita Public Service, Capita Experience and Capita Portfolio - in the UK, Europe, India and South Africa. Capita is quoted on the London Stock Exchange (CPI.L). Further information can be found at: http://www.capita.com

About Security Watchdog

Security Watchdog is the UK industry leader of digitalised, smart pre-and post-employment screening solutions, the largest EMEA supplier of background checks and a trusted partner to clients across the globe.

About Matrix

Matrix is a market leading workforce technology and services business that connects workers to work opportunities by providing a neutral vendor service and end-to-end process in one complete platform. Through a combination of people, processes and technology, which analyses data in real-time, it streamlines the way organisations recruit temporary, interim and permanent staff through a range of tailored staffing solutions. Matrix removes the complexity of the supply chain to help customers deliver on higher and faster fulfilment, giving them greater control, consistency of supply, transparency, and 100% compliance, while driving cost savings. Founded in 2008, Matrix is headquartered in Milton Keynes, UK. It works with over 100 organisations across the UK, across both private and public sectors. Find out more at https://teammatrix.com/
Total Telecom reported that Huawei emphasized the need to develop an ICT infrastructure that is simple, energy-efficient, and intelligent to accelerate the digital transformation of the telcos and to foster innovation at MWC Barcelona 2023.

As digital transformation has now accelerated for all industry verticals, Li Peng, President of Huawei's Carrier BG, outlined how 5G was opening the door to an intelligent world and how the transition to 5.5G would be a significant turning point in this journey during his address at MWC's Day 0 Forum. He also discussed the industry's need to work together to accelerate the advance towards an ultra-broadband, environmentally friendly, and intelligent world to meet the escalating new digital demands from users and sectors.

Li highlights that general-purpose technologies like 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and cloud computing are driving industrial digitalization and bringing new strategic opportunities, as enterprise customers need more offering portfolios, carriers need to reinforce "Connectivity+". Moving forward, the intelligent world will be deeply integrated with the physical world.

Hence the transition from 5G to 5.5G will be crucial. Huawei is prepared to collaborate with its industry partners to deliver a ubiquitous 10-gigabit experience using cutting-edge wireless, optical, and IP technologies; to investigate use cases like vehicle-road collaboration and environment monitoring to integrate connectivity and sensing; and to develop a unified energy efficiency indicator system to support the growth of the green industry. It should be noted that NCIe, an indicator to gauge the intensity of network carbon emissions, was formally published as a standard by the ITU-T last year.

At the conclusion of the speech, Li urged the entire telecom industry to implement the GUIDE business model to speed up the adoption of 5G and advance the world's transition to an ultra-broadband, eco-friendly, and intelligent one.

About Total Telecom

Total Telecom offers daily online news with the option to sign up for headlines by email and monthly analysis. Total Telecom organises the annual World Communication Awards, Asia Communication Awards and a range of conferences and networking opportunities, including Submarine Networks EMEA, 5GLIVE, Connected Italy, Connected Britain, Connected Germany and the Total Telecom Congress. Find out more at www.totaltele.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005396/en/

Contacts:

Media

James Llewellyn

james.llewellyn@totaltele.com
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / Boston Scientific



Leaders play a crucial role in cultivating a culture of equity and inclusion.

If culture was soil, what are the fertilizers that leaders would need to mix in for equity to blossom? I've been mulling over this question to recognize the theme of this year's International Women's Day: Embrace Equity. I'm passionate about cultivating healthy, vibrant culture, and so I was intrigued to reflect on how leaders can grow a culture where inclusion and equity are engrained in its soil. Three specific moments came to mind.

Moment #1: Embracing my "otherness"

During the height of the pandemic in 2020, I happened to be the only parent on the Boston Scientific executive committee with young kids at home. I found that I was that voice constantly reminding the team about the challenging and often harrowing realities of our employees who were expected to manage work, their kids' school closures and distance learning - all at the same time.

I must admit that at the beginning, I felt uncomfortable being "the other" and "the only," as I had just joined the executive committee. Then I started to realize the impact I was making by being open and vulnerable on this topic, which allowed me to embrace my "otherness" instead of trying to downplay it or pretend that I had it all together as a working parent.

As a result, I became a trusted ear and voice for working parents and was able to better convey the struggles that many of our employees were experiencing. This opened the door for more dialogue, more understanding and much greater empathy in that team, which positively impacted how we navigated the pandemic with and for our employees.

Key learning: Vulnerability opens the door for more authenticity and trust for positive change to happen.

Moment #2: Equity is not a zero-sum game

I was holding a reverse mentoring session with a group of our first-line managers, all of whom happened to be men. A few had the courage to candidly share that they felt alienated and excluded when it came to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I). They expressed their support for creating a more diverse and equitable culture but explained that they either didn't know how or felt fearful about saying or doing the wrong thing. They also shared that they felt a tone of blame for the gaps in the organization, which created a mindset of defensiveness versus a sense of being a welcome part of the problem-solving process.

Their open tone, the trust they extended, and their vulnerability were humbling and inspiring. That moment crystallized for me the importance of inviting all people, not only underrepresented individuals, to the conversation about DE&I. We need to be intentional about listening, seeking to understand and assuming positive intent. And we need to offer learning opportunities and a safe space for those embarking on their own DE&I journeys to express their fears, challenges and questions.

Key learning: Diversity, equity and inclusion is not a zero-sum game. Including all groups, and all demographics - including the majority - is at the core of building a culture that can drive meaningful DE&I progress.

Moment #3: Small acts make a big difference

I work with a communications manager named Dina who helps us put together our Urology town halls, events which are attended by more than 1,000 of our Urology employees around the globe. I happened to be in Dubai last year, during one of our recent town halls, and Dina - who is of Egyptian origin - suggested we have our opening song be a popular Arabic one. She thought it could be a nice way to honor our location and recognize our global team. Right away I thought, "what a fun idea," but I didn't think of it as a grand gesture of inclusion.

Soon after the meeting, I received an email from one of our U.S. employees of Arabic descent:

"Meghan, I immediately recognized the Arabic song that was played today and thought to myself, 'wow, this is so cool.' I have never been a part of an organization that truly embraces and empowers people to be their true selves, their whole selves. I wake up every morning not only loving my work more but feeling a sense of belonging to the company and striving to do better every day because of what it stands for."

For me, it was an important reminder of how much small acts matter when it comes to inclusion.

Key learning: Creating an inclusive, equitable work environment takes more than large corporate DE&I initiatives and goals. It is about empowering diverse voices to lead from their own place of authenticity so that they can contribute and shape the fabric of who we are and how we operate.

Learn more about the ways Boston Scientific supports the advancement of women and empowers all employees to bring their authentic selves to work.

View original content here

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Boston Scientific on 3blmedia.com.



Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Boston Scientific

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/boston-scientific

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Boston Scientific

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/742632/Boston-Scientific-Three-of-My-Teachable-Moments-on-Embracing-Equity
HAMILTON, BERMUDA / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / Bacardi is promoting Stephanie Macleod, Master Blender for its portfolio of Scotch whiskies, to a newly created role as Director of Blending, Scotch Whisky - a promotion that recognizes her talent and 25 years' experience in crafting Scotch whisky. Stephanie became the first female Master Blender for DEWAR'S in 2006, following her official three-year training with the then Master Blender.

She is passionate about nurturing the next generation of talent within Bacardi and the whisky industry, and continues to create a path for women through her commitment to building opportunities for women in leadership.

A multi-award winning and highly respected figure in the whisky industry, in her new role Stephanie will continue to lead the famed blending legacy of DEWAR'S Blended Scotch whisky, WILLIAM LAWSON'S Scotch whisky, and the five Single Malts - ABERFELDY, AULTMORE, CRAIGELLACHIE, THE DEVERON and ROYAL BRACKLA - as Malt Master.

Her expanded remit will also see her develop the people and processes needed to continue to the premiumization of the range and help deliver on the family-owned spirits company's ambition to be industry leaders in innovation and quality.

"It's an exciting time for Scotch whisky right now as demand grows around the world for top quality, beautifully crafted blends and malts," comments Stephanie Macleod, Director of Blending, Scotch Whisky, Bacardi. "In my new role, I'll be ensuring we are able to meet this increasing demand - both now and for many decades to come - while continuing to deliver new, exciting and curated Scotch whiskies, spanning our Blended and Single Malt portfolios."

At the 2022 International Whisky Competition, Stephanie was crowned 'Master Blender of the Year' for an unprecedented fourth year in a row, a feat which recognizes her world-leading expertise in the art of blending. She is only the seventh Master Blender in DEWAR'S 176-year history.

She joined Bacardi, based in Glasgow in 1998, and began her career in whisky as a Sensory Analyst at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, working on a project which attempted to unlock the maturation secrets of Scotch whisky.

"The consistent quality and flavor of every drop of our Scotch whiskies is thanks to Stephanie and her team," comments Dave Ingram, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Bacardi. "As Director of Blending, she will bring her mastery of the entire whisky-making process - from barley to bottle - to play a pivotal role in delivering our bold growth ambitions for Scotch whisky."

She leads a team of Blenders and Assistant Blenders who learn from her wealth of knowledge and expertise every day.

As well as heading-up this talented team, Stephanie will continue to share her story and her love of whisky to inspire others around the world to nose, taste and enjoy a sensory experience which is unlike any other.

Supporting women in leadership is among the key pillars of Bacardi's Belonging program, which focuses on creating programming, development opportunities and more in support of underrepresented groups in the spirits world. Bacardi's efforts recently earned the company recognition from Forbes as one of the World's Top Female Friendly Companies.

About Bacardi

Bacardi Limited, the largest privately held spirits company in the world, produces and markets internationally recognized spirits and wines. The Bacardi Limited brand portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDI rum, GREY GOOSE vodka, PATRON tequila, DEWAR'S Blended Scotch whisky, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, MARTINI vermouth and sparkling wines, CAZADORES 100% blue agave tequila, and other leading and emerging brands including WILLIAM LAWSON'S Scotch whisky, ST-GERMAIN elderflower liqueur, and ERISTOFF vodka. Founded more than 161 years ago in Santiago de Cuba, family-owned Bacardi Limited currently employs more than 8,000 people, operates production facilities in 10 countries, and sells its brands in more than 170 countries. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. Visit www.bacardilimited.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Media enquiries:

Phillippa Williams, Corporate Communications Director, Bacardi, pholmes@bacardi.com

Always drink responsibly.

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New Orders from New Partners into New Customers

TOCCOA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. (OTCQB:GAXY) ("Galaxy" or the "Company), a provider of interactive learning technology solutions and school communication platforms, is pleased to announce the successful completion of two new orders from two new premiere partners into two new school districts in Louisiana and Virginia.

Gary LeCroy, Galaxy's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "These orders combine to approximately $100,000 in revenue to us and are a testament to our supply chain issues starting to resolve. We now have successful installs in the state of Louisiana and the state of Virginia with G2 Link. Both of these orders came from new resellers and are a testament to our transition away from directs sales and more partner focused is already paying off. Both of these orders were received in the month of March and have already shipped and the revenue has been able to be booked."

About Galaxy Next Generation, Inc.

Galaxy Next Generation (OTCQB:GAXY) is a provider of interactive learning technology solutions that allows the presenter and participant to engage in a fully collaborative instructional environment. Galaxy's products include Galaxy's own private-label interactive touch screen panel as well as numerous other national and international branded peripheral and communication devices. Galaxy's distribution channel consists of 22+ resellers across the U.S. who primarily sell the Company's products within the commercial and educational market. Galaxy does not control where resellers focus their resell efforts, although generally, the K-12 education market is the largest customer base for Galaxy products - comprising nearly 90% of Galaxy's sales.

For additional information, please visit our website at: www.galaxynext.us

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. A more extensive listing of risks and factors that may affect the company's business prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the reports and other documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Investors Contact:

IR@GalaxyNext.us

P:888-859-1274

SOURCE: Galaxy Next Generation, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/742544/Galaxy-Next-Generation-Successfully-Expands-G2-Link-Classroom-Audio-Solution-to-Louisiana-and-Virginia
Read the full story oncnhindustrial.com



London, March 8, 2023

Find out what happened when volunteers representing CNH Industrial's brand CASE Construction Equipment joined forces with non-profit housing charity Habitatfor Humanityin Racine, Wisconsin, USA.

At the charity's inaugural Women Build event held in the city, 20 of our female employees volunteered to help construct new, safe, and affordable homes for single mothers in Racine.

"It was especially powerful because we created a strong, sister-like bond while also helping other women," said Jessica Klein, Marketing & Communications Manager at CASE in Racine.

This was a great example of how we empower the women in our workforce to make a difference.

Learn more about this project at bit.ly/BreakingNewGround_enand discover how CNH Industrial is dedicated to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment.

CNH Industrial (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI) is a world-class equipment and services company. Driven by its purpose of Breaking New Ground, which centers on Innovation, Sustainability and Productivity, the Company provides the strategic direction, R&D capabilities, and investments that enable the success of its global and regional Brands. Globally, Case IH and New Holland Agriculture supply 360 agriculture applications from machines to implements and the digital technologies that enhance them; and CASE and New Holland Construction Equipment deliver a full lineup of construction products that make the industry more productive. The Company's regionally focused Brands include: STEYR, for agricultural tractors; Raven, a leader in digital agriculture, precision technology and the development of autonomous systems; Flexi-Coil, specializing in tillage and seeding systems; Miller, manufacturing application equipment; Kongskilde, providing tillage, seeding and hay & forage implements; and Eurocomach, producing a wide range ofmini and midi excavators for the construction sector, including electric solutions.

Across a history spanning over two centuries, CNH Industrial has always been a pioneer in its sectors and continues to passionately innovate and drive customer efficiency and success. As a truly global company, CNH Industrial's 37,000+ employees form part of a diverse and inclusive workplace, focused on empowering customers to grow, and build, a better world.

For more information and the latest financial and sustainability reports visit: cnhindustrial.com

For news from CNH Industrial and its Brands visit: media.cnhindustrial.com

Media contacts:

Rebecca Fabian Anna Angelini North America United Kingdom Tel. +1 312 515 2249 Tel. +44 (0)7725 826 007

mediarelations@cnhind.com

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / Cisco Systems Inc.:

Cisco's purpose is to Power an Inclusive Future for All. Purpose has driven Cisco Networking Academy-one of the world's longest-running IT skills-to-jobs education programs-for the last 25 years.

Inclusive education is the key to economic development, and in recognition of UNESCO's International Day of Education 2023, it is fitting to reflect on how the Networking Academy program has aligned, and will continue to align, with this year's theme: "to invest in people, prioritize education."

"Without inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong opportunities for all, countries will not succeed in achieving gender equality and breaking the cycle of poverty that is leaving millions of children, youth and adults behind," says UNESCO.

Opportunities must be available "for all," and this continues to motivate our programs, platforms, and curriculum at Cisco Networking Academy.

The right to digital literacy

With 40 courses in 27 languages, Networking Academy reached 3.2 million learners in 190 countries in 2022 alone. But, we're not done yet!

As a technology leader, we recognize people everywhere must have access to connectivity and learning resources-no matter their background. According to one UNESCO report, "to state the obvious, digital literacy and access are a basic right in the twenty-first century; without them it is increasingly difficult to participate civically and economically."

Skills for All with Cisco Networking Academy is one of our recent innovations to address this issue. Skills for All is a free, 'mobile-first' learning platform, that scales access to education for anyone with access to a smartphone.

Education everywhere

But while 5.3 billion people worldwide were connected to the Internet in 2022, 2.7 billion remain unconnected. Since 2015, Cisco has collaborated with government leaders, industry, and academia to support the delivery of national digital agendas through the Cisco Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program.

In South Africa

CDA leads initiatives to help address the widening digital skills gap. For example, Cisco collaborated with the National Library of South Africa to launch a series of digital learning hubs across the country, as Cisco aims to empower Africa with 3 million more tech workers. The learning hubs are equipped with computers and internet connectivity and allow access to Networking Academy courses.

In India

Networking Academy partners do an astonishing job of widening the reach of the program as well. The NIIT Foundation in India, for example, developed ATM-like "Hole-in-the-Wall Learning Stations," making computers and the Internet available for children who would otherwise not have access. NIIT Foundation continues to support tens of thousands of students, many from underserved communities, such as people with disabilities, India's LGBTQIA+ community, and prison staff and inmates.

In Germany

For many, the ReDi School for Digital Integration is a second chance at a better future, offering free access to digital education and accelerating integration into the labor market. Watch the program in action.

Merely connecting people to the Internet is not enough. One World Bank study concludes that the "digital transformation of countries, regions or cities must be driven by leadership and include strategies that address digital skills for all."

In Chile

'Chilenas Conectadas y Seguras' is an initiative promoted by the Cisco Country Digital Acceleration program and executed by Networking Academy. It seeks to encourage the participation of women in the IT market in Chile through free courses open to the public, workshops, challenges, trainings, and competitions.

In the United States

We know we can create a more equitable playing field when we offer access to education to anyone-and, meet learners where they are and on their terms. The Networking Academy is committed to supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our public private partnership with high schools, community colleges, universities, and non-profits has resulted in diverse student participation, including 20% Black/African American, 17% Latino/Hispanic, and 1% American Native/Alaska Native. We are proud of our public private partnership with 49% of the community colleges in the U.S. And, as part of Cisco's support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Networking Academy is growing its skills-to-job training to contribute to student success.

Education for everybody

The barriers to education are not only geographical.

People living with disabilities worldwide are often excluded, and Networking Academy is committed to expanding our reach to everyone. We continue to work with our partners to offer meaningful education for people living with disabilities.

While women have seen advances in education and career opportunities in the last few decades, in some places they are still being held back. The Networking Academy program offers a pathway to meaningful employment for women where otherwise their options are limited.

Looking ahead, our goal is to provide digital and cybersecurity skills training to 25 million learners over the next 10 years around the world through the Networking Academy program. Crucially, that education will be inclusive and equitable-available everywhere, and for everybody.

Learn more on our Cisco Networking Academy 25th Anniversary website.

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - After more than two years' service, State Department spokesperson Ned Price will step down this month. This was announced by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. A former intelligence officer, Price assumed office as the Spokesperson for the Biden administration on January 20, 2021. Within days of taking on the role, he restored the Department's daily press briefings, giving journalists the chance to regularly ask tough questions of the Biden administration's policy. He held more than 200 press briefings since then. In February 2022, just days before Russia invaded Ukraine, Price told reporters that Russia was planning to stage an attack as a pretext for war. Ned will continue to serve at the State Department, working directly for the Secretary. Blinken said Price performed with extraordinary professionalism and integrity. For people in America and around the world, Ned Price has often been a face and voice of U.S. foreign policy, according to him. 'Ned has helped the U.S. government defend and promote press freedom around the globe and modeled the transparency and openness we advocate for in other countries. His contributions will benefit the Department long after his service,' Blinken said in a statement. 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.
Biological pheromones present a non-toxic, innovative opportunity for biological crop protection while safeguarding biodiversity and beneficial pollinators / M2i's patented bio-sourced micro-encapsulation technology means long-lasting pheromone controls with no residues and no plastic waste / First products to provide 90 days minimum of protection in high-value fruit and vegetable crops utilizing M2i's controlled release pheromone diffusion technologies

MONHEIM, GERMANY / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / Bayer announced a partnership with French company M2i Group to supply fruit and vegetable growers around the world with pheromone-based biological crop protection products. Through the agreement, Bayer will become the exclusive distributor of select M2i products targeting lepidoptera pests in crops that include stone and pome fruits, tomatoes, and grapes.

M2i Group is the leader in pheromone production in Europe and has expertise in developing, formulating, and manufacturing complex molecules. Bayer will integrate M2i's pheromone products, including M2i's innovative press application technology, into a complementary system of digitally enabled solutions that include pest monitoring tools to advise growers on pest pressures and application timelines, and other synthetic and biological products tailored to grower needs.

"Tailored solutions that meet growers' demands for safe and effective products with low or no residue are an important part of Bayer's biological portfolio," said Jens Hartmann, Regional Head for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). "Bringing together M2i's pheromone products with digital monitoring applications and Bayer's existing biological portfolio will enable growers to apply the right product at the right time within a holistic approach that benefits their operations."

M2i's expertise in pheromone crop protection has allowed the company to utilize biomimicry to develop innovative methods that fight pests by attracting and trapping them or interrupting mating behaviors. These integrated pest management products ensure that pest populations are maintained at manageable levels.

"M2i Group is excited to work with Bayer and to bring our sustainable crop protection products to more growers around the world," said Phillippe Guerret, CEO of M2i. "Pheromones present an efficient and economical method of crop protection, as they are selective, non-toxic, and naturally avoid the development of resistance. M2i's patented technology leverages innovative application devices, and reliable linear release to bring the potential of pheromones to fields across the world."

Bayer launched Vynyty Citrus, its latest biological and pheromone-based crop protection product in 2021. Vynyty Citrus is the first such product on the market that is formulated with pheromones and natural pyrethrum to control pests in citrus fruits. M2i's products will continue to build on Bayer's pheromone-based biologicals product line.

Note to editors/reporters:

Representatives from Bayer and M2i Group were attending Fruit Logistica in Berlin from February, 8-10, 2023.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2021, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 44.1 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

About M2i Group

Founded in 2012, M2i is a 100% French industrial group, expert in the synthesis, formulation and production of complex molecules. Thanks to its research laboratory in Lacq (64), associated with its Salin de Giraud plant (13) and its manufacturing center in Parnac (46), M2i designs, develops and produces organic molecules with high added value for life sciences and organic farming. It has become the European leader in biological protection of plants and crops by conceiving eco-responsible products as a substitute for conventional chemical insecticides today sold in 65 countries.

M2i, which has multiplied by 6 its workforce in 8 years, employs 185 people, including more than a quarter in R&D, and holds 30 patent families protecting its technology and innovative product lines. For more information: www.m2i-lifesciences.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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Pheromone-based crop protection products help farmers control pests in an environmentally friendly way



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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / Join PNC Diversity & Inclusion for a Women's History Month event featuring Princess Sarah Culberson, Princess of Sierra Leone, author and humanitarian. Hear Princess Sarah's inspiring story, from being adopted to discovering her royal heritage, and learn about the importance of building community, embracing inclusion - and overcoming your fears to live your dreams.

Date: Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Time: 1:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Duration: 1 hour

Presenter:

Princess Sarah Culberson

Princess of Sierra Leone

Humanitarian and Author

Princess Sarah Culberson has an extraordinary journey that has been featured on CNN, GMA and BBC, among numerous other publications worldwide, which have trended #1 globally in over 60 countries. She is an internationally known thought leader, TEDx speaker, artist and educator whose work addresses biracial and cultural identity and raises awareness of issues impacting Sierra Leone. She shared the story of reuniting with her birth father in A Princess Found: An American Family, an African Chiefdom, and the Daughter Who Connected Them All, coauthored with Tracy Trivas and published by St. Martin's Press. A Princess Found is now being adapted into a major motion picture for Disney Studios by award-winning filmmaker Stephanie Allain. Princess Sarah has also been honored with receiving the prestigious Trumpet Impact Award. Princess Sarah and her brother Hindo Joseph Kposowa founded the non-profit Sierra Leone Rising, which provides clean drinking water, sanitary pads for girls, education, medical attention, resources to build schools and technology centers, and more throughout Sierra Leone. Her work in business and technology has led her to create upcoming projects including an animation show with Randy Jackson as well as a Roblox game to connect and educate children about cultures around the world.

Opening Remarks:

Amanda Agati

Chief Investment Officer

PNC Bank

Amanda Agati is the chief investment officer for The PNC Financial Services Group. In this role, she is responsible for the firm's overall investment strategy, portfolio and risk management, investment solutions and the development and execution of investment policies for PNC Private Bank?, PNC Private Bank Hawthorn?, and PNC Institutional Asset Management. Amanda serves as chairman of the PNC Investment Policy Committee and is a voting member of the Portfolio Construction Committee. She is also a member of the Investment Committee for PNC's pension fund and serves on PNC's Corporate Diversity Council and Philadelphia/South Jersey Regional D&I Council. She is a PNC-certified Women's Business Advocate. Prior to being named to her current position in April 2021, Amanda was the Chief Investment Strategist for PNC. Her career began with investment banking, advisory, and equity research positions with Legg Mason and then with PNC. During her tenure at Legg Mason, she actively participated on the firm's SRI group, focusing on environment, social, and governance issues and the use of fossil-free strategies in portfolios. Additionally, Amanda was a member of Legg Mason's Institutional Investment Committee and led the firm's annual "Intellectual Capital" investment conference. She rejoined PNC in 2015 as an Institutional Investment Strategist. Amanda graduated with a Bachelor of Science in finance and economics from Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College. Amanda holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. She is a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Philadelphia, and sits on the boards of several nonprofit organizations.

Moderator:

Wanda Richards

Managing Chief Counsel Treasury Management

PNC Bank

Wanda M. Richards serves as Managing Chief Counsel for the Treasury Management segment of Corporate and Institutional Banking at PNC Bank, National Association. In her role, Wanda manages a team responsible for executing the strategy that delivers legal services for domestic and international treasury management products and services. Wanda's role aligns with her background as an attorney with 20+ years of experience in understanding the legal and regulatory framework that impacts federal and state chartered financial institutions. Wanda's impact extends deeply within PNC as she has been recognized for her leadership. She is a member of PNC's Corporate Diversity Council and serves on the Leading Inclusively Subcommittee. Wanda has also served as the Chairperson of PNC's Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey Regional Diversity and Inclusion Council and was the recipient of the 2019 PNC Diversity and Inclusion Regional Council Award, Individual Champion. In 2017, Wanda was selected to receive the highest form of employee recognition given by PNC, the Performance Award.Wanda is also a 2014 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow and an inaugural member of PNC's Office of the General Counsel Diversity and Inclusion Council. In addition, Wanda believes in supporting her community and recently served on the board of the SeniorLAW Center which focuses on protecting the rights of older Pennsylvanians. Currently, she's a member of the Redeemer Health Audit and Compliance Workgroup and serves on the Board of the Drueding Center which focuses on providing assistance to homeless families. A graduate of the University at Buffalo School of Law, Wanda is admitted to the bar in Pennsylvania, New York and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Closing Remarks:

Laura MacNeil

Regional President Seattle and West Coast Territory Executive

PNC Bank

Laura MacNeil is regional president of PNC Bank, Washington State and West Coast territory executive overseeing PNC's regions in California, Oregon and Washington. She joined PNC in September 2020 and has served as a finance industry executive for over 28-years. She started her career in corporate finance with KPMG in Moscow, Russia and moved to Bank of America before spending the last 14 years at Wells Fargo. Active in the community, MacNeil serves on the board of directors for the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, University of Washington Pacific Coast Banking School, The Rainier Club and the Seattle Aquarium. She has been recognized as one of Puget Sound Business Journal's "Women of Influence" and "40 Under 40," as well as one of Dallas Business Journal's "Women in Business." MacNeil earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and European Studies from Vanderbilt University, and a Master of International Business Studies from the University of South Carolina.

Register now.

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / TriplePundit

Originally published by TriplePundit

Decarbonizing the maritime industry will involve a host of clean technologies that complement each other in efficient, economical systems. It also requires stakeholders to replace a transactional business model with a more collaborative one. The U.S. maritime and logistics company, Crowley, illustrates how that can be accomplished.

One small tugboat, one big difference

A look at the Port of San Diego in California illustrates just how many pieces need to come together to reduce maritime emissions. The port includes 34 miles of shoreline that spans the cities of Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City and San Diego, in addition to public parks and a sprawling maritime industry that hosts trucks, trains, cranes and other logistics equipment, including ships of all kinds.

In terms of fleet size, Crowley's role in generating carbon emissions in the port might appear to be a small one. The company currently operates two tugboats there: the 4,400-horsepower Tioga and the 4,800-horsepower Scout, both of which are less than 100 feet long.

However, the numbers hide a bigger picture. In terms of emissions per vessel, tugboats can play an outsized role in seaport air quality. That's because tugboats are almost constantly in motion, traditionally burning diesel fuel all the while.

As an alternative, Crowley estimates that its eWolf all-electric tugboat will replace 30,000 gallons of diesel fuel with electricity annually when it commences operation in the Port of San Diego next year. Over the span of 10 years, that savings will avoid 178 tons of nitrogen oxide emissions and 2.5 tons of airborne diesel particles, helping to significantly improve local air quality. Crowley also estimates that the eWolf could eliminate approximately 3,100 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over a 10-year period.

The eWolf is currently under construction by the firm Master Boat Builders, with the battery and electric system provided by ABB.

Electrification beyond the boat

Electrifying tugboat transport is part of a broader effort. Crowley says it has taken a holistic approach to watercraft electrification. Instead of simply zeroing out emissions from the boat itself, the company also folded the power supply chain into its decarbonization plans.

"We want to get to ports that are sustainable and off the grid," Paul Manzi, vice president, Crowley Shipping, told TriplePundit. "It doesn't do any good to move carbon emissions inland."

That's a good point. The U.S. still leans heavily on natural gas and coal for power generation. Fleet operators that can move off-grid, or shift their electricity demand to off-peak hours, can help reduce overall dependence on fossil energy.

Rather than recharging the eWolf's 6-megawatt battery pack directly from the grid, Crowley plans to recharge the tugboat from a dockside battery installation. The 3-megawatt dockside battery will be recharged during off-peak hours, assisted by a 75-kilowatt solar array. Additional plans include expanding the solar array to 500 kilowatts, enabling the dockside battery to recharge itself off-grid.

That off-grid capability will become increasingly important as other features of the port electrify. In September, for example, the Port of San Diego received a grant for electrical upgrades related to the installation of two new all-electric cranes. The port also signed an agreement with the U.S. Navy, under which the Navy will plug into dockside power sources instead of burning fuel to run their ships' electrical systems while at anchor.

Collaboration is key

Automakers have already discovered that electrification enables them to collaborate with other stakeholders to offer a full package of energy-related services, in terms of interacting with the grid, with off-grid resources, and with homes and other buildings.

Crowley foresees a similar evolution taking place in the maritime industry. "We are giving you a platform upon which you can grow in port electrification," Manzi explained. "The maritime industry has been pretty independently competitive, so the big surprise in this whole area is the collaboration in new ways."

Crowley's work with Shell is a good example of next-level collaboration. The two companies previously worked together to design, build and operate a new bunker barge to carry liquified natural gas. Under a new memorandum of understanding, the companies will focus more intensively on electrification. That includes the new eWolf charging station at the Port of San Diego, as well as other locations.

"Shell and Crowley are continuing to look more broadly at how they can jointly develop sustainable solutions across the U.S. maritime sector, possibly including lower-emissions vessels and technology at ports across the West, Gulf and East Coast regions and electrification and net-zero solutions at terminals," Crowley explained in an announcement earlier this year.

"Shell's experience and expertise across the energy value chain allows our teams to draw from a deep playbook of integrated maritime solutions, from safe operations to new technology," Maarten Poort, Shell's General Manager for Shipping & Maritime in the Americas told TriplePundit. "Shell is working across the entire maritime ecosystem, and with leaders like Crowley, to apply innovative solutions."

A window into the future

The eWolf incorporates intelligent operations systems that enhance the safety of the vessel and crew and leverage autonomous technology for more efficiency. Manzi adds that it foretells the next generation of technology for how vessels and crews will leverage technological advances for cleaner, more efficient and better shipping and port services, whether it's the energy source or the control of vessels.



?As Manzi notes, sailing and rowing provided maritime power for thousands of years, until steam and diesel took over. That transition lasted only a few decades. The shift to diesel-electric took only a few years. All indications point to another rapid transition within the electrification area.

"As with all our future-focused projects, we'll continue to explore new, better, and more sustainable ways to create and power our vessels," Manzi said. "The methods we use to create the electricity itself, for example, will probably go through several evolutions. We're creating solutions that aren't fixed, but flexible."

This article series is sponsored by Crowley and produced by the TriplePundit editorial team.

Image courtesy of Crowley

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / HanesBrands:

Originally published on HBI Sustains.com

HanesBrands partnered with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital, WakeECHO Global Ophthalmology and Hospital del Ojo Club de Leones Fraternidad in San Pedro Sula to perform cataract surgeries and corneal transplants.

The project, funded by HBI, supported a specialized medical team of 13 doctors and nurses to facilitate almost 200 life-changing procedures for Honduran patients, some of them HBI associates and their families. Eleven patients received corneal transplants. Honduras has no organ bank, so the brigade is critical for these patients.

"It is important that our involvement in this brigade went beyond financial assistance," said Alma Arino, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager for HanesBrands in Honduras. "Sixty HBI associates volunteered their time to help with logistics, translate for the patients and offer comfort to people about to undergo surgery."

The team at WakeECHO has a 25-year history of leading eye surgery brigades, overcoming barriers to provide quality surgical and clinical eye care to the developing world.

"We were so happy to partner with HanesBrands on this project," said Kyle Coffey, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Founding CEO of WakeECHO Global Ophthalmology. "Hanes has the manpower, profile and local knowledge to reach many more people and improve many more lives."

"We had a young, married man with three children, including seven-year-old twins," Alma said. "He lost his eyesight due to diabetes and was completely blind for four months, not knowing how to navigate the world; he was terrified to move and felt stuck in a black hole. Then, only a day after the procedure, he could see again. We feel honored to help change his life and the life of his family."

This mission is a part of our ambitious goal to improve the lives of 10 million people by 2030.

HBI has been proud to operate in Honduras for over 30 years, employing more than 5,000 associates.

Check out the video above to learn more.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from HanesBrands on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: HanesBrands

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/hanesbrands

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: HanesBrands

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/742673/HBI-Atrium-Healths-WakeECHO-and-Community-Partner-to-Restore-Visions-to-Hundreds-of-Hondurans
SES-imagotag FY 2022 Results:

Strong operating and financial performance

despite a challenging context

Annual sales at 621m, up +47% vs FY 2021

EBITDA growth of +81% to 58.6m; EBITDA margin of 9.4%, close to +2 pts year-on-year

VCM ratio almost flat, despite higher component costs and unfavorable US dollar forex impact

Net income of 18.7m, up 9x compared to 2021 levels (2.0m)

Excellent outlook for 2023 with target revenue growth of ~30% (800m) and further improvement of operating margin

(m)* FY 2022* FY2021 % Change Sales 620.9 422.9 +47% Variable Cost margin

% of Sales 131.4

21.2% 91.5

21.6% +44%

-0.4 pt Operating expense

% of Sales (72.9)

11.7% (59.1)

14.0% +23%

-2.3 pts EBITDA

% of Sales 58.6

9.4% 32.3

7.6% +81%

+1.8 pts Depreciation (27.2) (23.5) +16% Current EBIT

% of Sales 31.4

5.1% 8.8

2.1% +257%

+3 pts Non-recurring items / non-cash items 0.3 (3.6) nm EBIT

% of Sales 31.6

5.1% 5.2

1.2% +507%

3.94 pts Financial expense (6.1) (1.1) +444% Tax (6.9) (2.1) +230% Net income

% of Sales 18.7

3.0% 2.0

0.5% +831%

+2.5 pts *Audit procedures currently being finalized

Thierry Gadou, Chairman and CEO of the SES-imagotag group, commented: "2022 was a transformational year for SES-imagotag, and I am very pleased with the results that our Group has achieved, particularly in light of the external complexities we faced. Despite the headwinds that affected our supply chain and costs during the year, we were able to deliver exceptional revenue and profitability growth, underscoring the acute relevance of our strategy, solutions, and business model.

Our geographic footprint grew in 2022. In Europe, our penetration deepened across all segments of specialized and food retail, and we accelerated our growth in the United States. Geographic expansion and new verticals will fuel our growth engine for the coming years. The expansion of the value-added services and solutions we provide our customers constitutes yet another profitable growth driver for SES-imagotag. In that regard, the acquisitions announced recently represent a strategic move to build the first comprehensive IOT & Data company. Our portfolio of solutions for physical retail digitization is currently the most innovative and extensive offer available in the market. Moreover, our company and our innovations are increasingly recognized as drivers of decarbonization and sustainable development in modern commerce.

More than in any other year, the robustness of our business model was proven in 2022. While tackling a historically high increase in the cost of components and simultaneously facing the negative impact from a strengthening US dollar, we almost doubled SES-imagotag's EBITDA. This achievement is a crystal-clear demonstration of the road we have travelled since implementing the first VUSION plan, launched in 2018. With the VUSION '27 plan we will continue to hone our model in order to deliver exceptional value to our customers by drastically improving the commercial, economic and environmental performance of their physical stores. The business model we are pursuing will lead to: 1) revenue growth from our software, AI and data offerings; 2) continuous profitability improvements in our operations, and reduced exposure to the price and margin fluctuations of hardware; 3) acceleration in the signing on of new customers, particularly driven by the synergies that exist between our various product lines, and 4) growth and consolidation of our leadership position in all of our strategic markets. The year 2023 should mark a first major stage in our new roadmap."

2022 Sales grew +47% to 620.9m

The company's top-line reached 620.9m in 2022, a +47% increase versus the previous year, and above the annual objective of 600m.This sales progression is very similar to the +46% increase reported in 2021, marking the second year in a row of strong sales growth.

The top-line increase was driven by a solid performance of +53.5% growth across Europe, which accounts for 78% of total sales. Growth in the Rest of World (ROW) regions was +26.9%, which includes the negative impact of the deconsolidation of SES-imagotag's activities in China in Q4. Excluding this impact, growth in ROW would have been 10 points higher, at +36%. In 2022, the Americas region reached its highest growth rate to-date, at +77% compared to the previous year.

VAS revenue growth (+46% at 93m) was in line with the increase in total revenue.

2022 Financial Results

Strong improvement in operating profit

Beyond the strong growth SES-imagotag reported in business activity and sales, 2022 was marked by unfavorable conditions:

Strengthening of the US dollar versus the euro, especially in H2 2022. At a constant 2021 exchange rate, the variable cost margin ratio would have been 4 points higher in 2022; Ongoing increases in the cost of electronic components, which were not totally offset by price increases to the Group's customers.

Nevertheless, the Group was successful in addressing these constraints and maintaining an almost flat variable cost margin (VCM) ratio. VAS sales, which are significantly more profitable than ESLs, contributed to this achievement.

The variable cost margin (VCM) increased +44% to 131.4m in 2022, versus 91.5m in 2021, and the VCM ratio to sales was 21.2% in 2022 (versus 21.6% the previous year).

If the strengthening of the euro vis-a-vis the US dollar - a Q1 2023 trend - continues, this will be an encouraging sign for ongoing profitability improvement. A progressive decrease in the unit cost of some components has also taken place in Q1 2023. These factors should contribute to an improvement in the VCM ratio in 2023.

Operating expense increased to 72.9m in 2022 compared to 59.1m in 2021, primarily reflecting headcount additions in light of SES-imagotag's dynamic growth. As a percentage of sales, 2022 operating expense represents less than 12% of the year's sales, compared to 14% in 2021. The ongoing decrease in operating ratio (operating expense/sales) over several years places SES-imagotag comfortably in line to reach the 10% target set out for 2027.

EBITDA, or operating income before amortization and other non-cash or non-recurring income and expenses, totaled 58.6m in 2022, up +81% versus 2021 (32.3m).

The EBITDA margin for the year was 9.4% in 2022, versus 7.6% in 2021. EBITDA has once again almost doubled between 2021 and 2022, as was the case between 2020 and 2021. During H2 2022, despite the unfavorable impacts mentioned above, the Group was successful in generating an EBITDA margin of almost 10%.

Depreciation and amortization expense increased +16% in 2022 to reach 27.2m (versus 23.5m in 2021). This higher depreciation and amortization charge is due to ongoing investment in R&D and innovation carried out by the Group.

Non-recurring and non-cash items in 2022 amounted to 0.3m, compared to -3.6m in 2021. This income is due to the sale of the stake in the Chinese joint venture that the Group had entered into with BOE and JDD in 2019. As a result of the sale of this equity stake to the company YiYun, for which

SES-imagotag received shares of YiYun, the Group recorded a capital gain of 6.7m in the consolidated accounts. This income, as well as the 1.2m insurance indemnity received by the Group following a fire in one of its warehouses in 2020, offset the IFRS 2 non-cash expense related to the free share plan allocated to SES-imagotag employees between 2020 and year-end 2022.

Financial expense

Net financial expense was -6.1m in 2022 (versus -1.1m in 2021), comprised of the cost of the Group's financial indebtedness, totaling -2.1m, with the balance made up of gains and losses on foreign exchange.

Pre-tax profit for the Group totaled 25.6m for the year, compared to 4.1m pre-tax earnings in 2021. Based on this profit, the company incurred a tax charge of -6.9m, versus a charge of -2.1m in 2021.

Net income in 2022 was 18.7m, up ninefold compared to 2021 levels (2.0m).

Investments

 m FY 2022 FY 2021 Capitalized R&D and IT expenses 44.2 21.2 Industrial investments 4.4 4.3 Hardware as a service 0.9 2.2 Other 1.6 2.3 TOTAL CAPEX 51.1 29.9

For the year 2022, SES-imagotag's capital expenditure totaled 51.1m, compared to 29.9m in 2021. This increase was mainly due to R&D expenditures for the development and large-scale pilot of our next-generation digital shelf system.

Capitalized R&D expenses remain SES-imagotag's primary investment. These investments not only fuel growth and drive the ever-increasing competitiveness and innovation leadership of the Group, but also its positive impact in terms of sustainability as we permanently reengineer products and the supply chain to reduce the Group's carbon intensity and help decarbonize the retail sector.

The Group has already announced its intention to spend 5% to 7% of annual revenue on investments through 2027, most of which will be capitalized R&D expenditures.

Consolidated cash flow

m FY 2022 FY 2021 EBITDA 56.3 32.3 Investment (51.3) (29.9) Change in working capital (27.7) (3.3) Operating cash flow ( 22 .7) ( 3.2 ) Net financial gain (loss) (5.2) (0.2) Tax (2.0) (1.1) Other (0.3) 4.7 Total cash flow ( 30.2 ) 0.2 Capital increase / cash obtained from capital increases in subsidiaries where the equity stake is less than 100% 4.3 Impact of China JV de-consolidation (18.6) Change in net debt before IFRS 16 ( 48.8 ) 4 . 5 Net Cash / ( Net Debt) before IFRS16 (40.5 ) 8.3 Cash and cash equivalents 33.9 89.8 Financial debt (before impact of IFRS 16) (74.4) (81.5) Financial debt (after IFRS 16 impact) (8 2 . 5 ) (8 8 . 7 )

Change in net cash / (debt) before IFRS 16 (48.8) Leverage (Net debt/EBITDA before IFRS 16) 0.7x

Cash burn during the year, despite the strong EBITDA growth, is principally tied to the increase of investments in R&D and the de-consolidation of the Chinese JV.

SES-imagotag ended the year 2022 with net debt before IFRS 16 of 40.5m, which represents a leverage (ratio of net financial debt to pre-IFRS 16 EBITDA) of 0.7x at year-end 2022, and a very moderate net debt to equity ratio of 20%.

SES-imagotag begins 2023 with a strong balance sheet.

Other 2022 achievements

Building for the future, SES-imagotag has completed a comprehensive set of quality and security certifications which now include ISO 9001 / 14001 / 27001.

In Q4 2022, SES-imagotag was awarded a Platinum rating by EcoVadis , placing it in the top 1% of all companies rated, and attesting to the sustainability of the company's supply chain and its entire ESG strategy.

Additionally, in Q3 SES-imagotag adopted the UN Women's Empowerment Principles - established by the UN Global Compact and aligned with the UN Social Development Goals -- as part of its commitment to promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and communities.

During the year, SES-imagotag measured its total carbon footprint (Scopes 1, 2 & 3) as the company progresses towards its Net Zero emissions commitment.

Stock market indexes

During the year, the company's shares - which trade on Euronext under the ticker SESL.PA - were included in the newly established Euronext Tech Leaders Index , which incorporates 100+ high-growth and leading tech companies among the 700+ tech sector companies that trade on Euronext markets.

In Q4, SES-imagotag's shares were included for the first time in the SBF 120, one of the main indexes of the Paris stock exchange that incorporates the 120 largest traded companies in France, as measured by market capitalization and liquidity indicators.

Acquisitions and technological platform consolidation

In Q1, the company acquired 100% of the shares of MarketHub , a UK/Ireland based data analytics company, whose aim is to produce data-led insights in order to render smarter, more agile and more adaptive "self-learning" store operations.

In Q4, SES-imagotag continued building out its data analytics capabilities with the acquisition of the French start-up company In the Memory which specializes in data science and category management tools for retailers and brands.

In parallel SES-imagotag negotiated an agreement with the majority shareholders of Belive.ai, a French start-up specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Vision to strengthen the solutions provided by Captana and create the world leader in CV/AI based real-time shelf monitoring. This acquisition should be completed in the coming months.

During the year, SES-imagotag also developed VUSION Engage, a marketing platform that connects retailers and brands to deliver digital campaigns engaging with customers where purchasing decisions are made at the shelf. Engage was formally introduced to the market in January 2023 at the National Retail Federation's Big Show in New York City.

Outlook

For 2023, the order book and opportunities pipeline support a high-level of confidence in our top-line objective of 800m. Based on the favorable trend in component costs and forex, combined with the expected strong increase in VAS, the Group anticipates a significant increase in profitability.

About SES-imagotag and the VUSION Retail IoT platform

SES-imagotag is a world leader in smart digital labels and IoT solutions for physical retail, serving over 350 large retailer groups around the world in Europe, Asia and North America.

SES-imagotag has developed the VUSION Retail IOT technology platform to help retailers transform their physical stores into high value digital assets, more automated, data-driven, and connected in real-time to suppliers and consumers. VUSION

improves the agility, precision and accuracy of prices, whilst ensuring the omnichannel synchronization of prices, product information and marketing campaigns. The platform developed by SES-imagotag also optimizes in-store order preparation and restocking.

VUSION improves employee satisfaction by freeing up time from cumbersome low value-added tasks and allowing them to focus on customer service and merchandizing tasks. VUSION connects shelves to the Cloud, providing real-time accurate information on product availability and location, allowing for reduced inventory, out-of-stock, and waste, as well as improved on-shelf availability and merchandizing compliance. VUSION empowers consumers with better product, nutritional and traceability information at the shelf and enables a frictionless in-store shopping experience with features such as product search, pathfinding and cashier-less scan & pay features.

SES-imagotag supports the United Nations' Global Compact initiative and has received in 2022 the Platinum Sustainability Rating from EcoVadis, the world's reference of business sustainability ratings.

SES-imagotag is listed in compartment A of the Euronext Paris exchange and is included in the SBF 120 index.

Ticker symbol: SESL - ISIN code: FR0010282822 - Reuters: SESL.PA - Bloomberg: SES

www.ses-imagotag.com

Investor Relations contact:

Labrador - Raquel Lizarraga / +33 (0)6 46 71 55 20 / raquel.lizarraga.ext@ses-imagotag.com

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / Once again, International Paper (NYSE:IP) and Always are celebrating International Women's Day by teaming up to address period poverty - an issue facing more than 500 million women and girls globally.

Period poverty is the lack of access to adequate menstrual health management supplies and education. It's an issue that leads to a number of problems like school truancy, reproductive issues, health risks and unnecessary shame.

In 2022, IP and Procter & Gamble's Always brand joined forces to expand awareness and impact by hosting 45 packing events and distributing 25,000 kits across U.S. and non-U.S. locations. This resulted in more than 600,000 units of product being made available to women and girls who need them most.

IP was honored with an inaugural award from The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for this intitiaive.

International Paper and Always will team up together again in 2023 and thanks again to a generous donation from Always, International Paper volunteers will hold more than 40 FemCare packing events at facilities across the company to provide feminine care products donated by Always . These kits will be distributed to schools and other organizations in packaging donated by International Paper to communities across the globe.

"At International Paper, we strongly believe in empowering girls and women," says Clay Ellis, senior vice president, Global Cellulose Fibers. "I want to thank Always for their continued partnership and express my immense gratitude for our IP team members for being a force for good in our communities. When girls and women have access to the products and resources they need each month, there's nothing they can't accomplish."

This collaboration between International Paper and Always aims to raise awareness and address the impacts of period poverty felt by girls and women around the world. It is essential to have an equal playing field and the time is now to endperiodpoverty.

About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a global producer of planet-friendly packaging, pulp and other fiber-based products, and one of North America's largest recyclers. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 39,000 colleagues globally who are committed to creating what's next. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2022 were $21.2 billion. Additional information can be found by visiting InternationalPaper.com.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from International Paper Company on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: International Paper Company

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/international-paper-company

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: International Paper Company

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/742724/International-Paper-Partners-With-Proctor-Gambles-PG-AlwaysR-to-EndPeriodPoverty
Statement by Deborah Gibbins, Chief Operating Officer at Mary Kay on International Women's Day, 2023

Below is a statement by Deborah Gibbins, Chief Operating Officer, Mary Kay Inc., in celebration of International Women's Day 2023.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005697/en/

Deborah Gibbins, Mary Kay's Chief Operating Officer (Photo courtesy: Mary Kay Inc.)

37% of women worldwide do not have access to the internet. I know I had to read that twice, too.1

37%! The number is staggering. It feels impossible. In our always-on, always-connected world, how can more than a third of all women in the world remain "unconnected"? This shocking reality and its implications fuel this year's International Women's Day theme: "DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality."

As Chief Operating Officer at Mary Kay, I know the role technology plays in all aspects of business especially entrepreneurial business. To maximize the opportunity offered by technology, digital literacy skills are an absolute requirement for women entrepreneurs to fully participate in our global economy. They are also a necessity for civic and social engagement.

The foundations for the Fourth Industrial Revolution are digital and they are being laid right now. For all of us this revolution holds the tremendous opportunity to leverage technology and innovation to advance women entrepreneurship and equality. The time is now to ensure women reap the benefits of this digital transformation.

The digital economy won't wait for anyone to catch up. Women's exclusion from the digital world has shaved $1 trillion from the gross domestic product of low- and middle-income countries in the last decade.2 Once again, change is not happening fast enough for women.

We can fix this. We must fix this.

To reach their full potential, women business owners around the world must not only have access to the digital tools we take for granted, but they must have the right skills and training to use them effectively.

That's why bridging the digital gender gap is so personal to us at Mary Kay, a company founded by a woman for women.

Our founder, Mary Kay Ash, had a vision to offer women unmatched entrepreneurial opportunities for advancement and personal success. That means something different today than it did in the '60s, but that same spirit remains. As an entrepreneurship development company, our focus is lifting women entrepreneurs up and addressing the barriers they face in establishing or growing their business. Digitalization is one of them.

At Mary Kay, we are determined to put women entrepreneurs at the center of the digital transformation.

We've accelerated our digital innovation efforts this includes revolutionizing Mary Kay's Independent Beauty Consultants' (IBCs) ability to unleash their full potential through digital upskilling, the development and roll-out of innovative digital tools, from award-winning apps featuring augmented reality (AR), to connecting IBCs with their customers in more effective and seamless ways. We're improving not only the experience for the independent sales force, but for their customers around the world.

Here are some of the latest examples of our commitment to empower Mary Kay's independent sales force to harness the power of digital:

In Europe, our award-winning "Link Learn" is an integrated education platform comprising a robust learning curriculum IBCs can access anytime, anywhere. This self-paced, interactive learning system helps consultants put their dreams into action by providing a competency-based curriculum with relevant, expert-driven content while connecting them with a community of like-minded consultants. It includes content focused on the key areas of competency that are essential for success at each step of the career path. With this content, consultants strategically focus on key topics and acquire skills such as Selling Skills, Business Skills, Product Knowledge and Understanding the Mary Kay Way. Mary Kay has received numerous awards for this educational platform, including a coveted gold ranking in the Education category in the "2019 Spring Omni Awards." In 2021 Mary Kay Poland received the "Innovative Company" award for the program from the Home Market magazine, and in 2018 it was awarded a "Technology Excellence Award" from the Brandon Hall Group.

is an integrated education platform comprising a robust learning curriculum IBCs can access anytime, anywhere. This self-paced, interactive learning system helps consultants put their dreams into action by providing a competency-based curriculum with relevant, expert-driven content while connecting them with a community of like-minded consultants. It includes content focused on the key areas of competency that are essential for success at each step of the career path. With this content, consultants strategically focus on key topics and acquire skills such as Selling Skills, Business Skills, Product Knowledge and Understanding the Mary Kay Way. Mary Kay has received numerous awards for this educational platform, including a coveted gold ranking in the Education category in the "2019 Spring Omni Awards." In 2021 Mary Kay Poland received the "Innovative Company" award for the program from the Home Market magazine, and in 2018 it was awarded a "Technology Excellence Award" from the Brandon Hall Group. The InTouch platform is a one-stop shop mobile platform which provides millions of IBCs around the world 24-hour access to information, and services to effectively manage their Mary Kay business. It includes many features to enhance their knowledge of the beauty industry through product education, basic business skills through marketing and sales tools, and a professional network. With this app, IBCs can access product ingredient information and material to share with their customers or as a quick reference.

platform is a one-stop shop mobile platform which provides millions of IBCs around the world 24-hour access to information, and services to effectively manage their Mary Kay business. It includes many features to enhance their knowledge of the beauty industry through product education, basic business skills through marketing and sales tools, and a professional network. With this app, IBCs can access product ingredient information and material to share with their customers or as a quick reference. The Salesforce.com platform has also recently been rolled out to our Mary Kay markets via the Mary Kay InTouch site, enabling a more seamless use of digital technology in day-to-day operations, including placing orders. IBCs receive 24/7 support from their local Mary Kay teams and save time to focus on tasks that add more value to their business.

platform has also recently been rolled out to our Mary Kay markets via the Mary Kay InTouch site, enabling a more seamless use of digital technology in day-to-day operations, including placing orders. IBCs receive 24/7 support from their local Mary Kay teams and save time to focus on tasks that add more value to their business. Mary Kay Mirror Me is our real-time makeover app using augmented reality to apply makeup trends and color products for real life application. After finding their perfect look, customers can add products to their shopping bag and connect with an IBC. Mirror Me is available in the North America, Europe and Latin America regions.

is our real-time makeover app using augmented reality to apply makeup trends and color products for real life application. After finding their perfect look, customers can add products to their shopping bag and connect with an IBC. is available in the North America, Europe and Latin America regions. Mary Kay Skin Analyzer is a tool that brings skin care and technology together at one's fingertips. It helps customers understand the unique characteristics of their skin and create a customized skin care routine and is available in the North America, Asia-Pacific and Latin America regions.

is a tool that brings skin care and technology together at one's fingertips. It helps customers understand the unique characteristics of their skin and create a customized skin care routine and is available in the North America, Asia-Pacific and Latin America regions. And finally, the newly launched Mary Kay Interactive Catalog brings Mary Kay catalogs to life with easy product ordering, GIFs, videos, shareable wish lists, instant augmented reality makeovers and more. The catalog is available in the North America, Europe and Latin America regions.

We also believe in digital collaborations to help women entrepreneurs harness the power of digital throughout the world. To this end, we have joined forces with:

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU). In collaboration with the Women Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA) and Mary Kay Global, ITU has launched the WEA Digital Innovation Challenge to build enabling eco-systems for women entrepreneurs. This challenge supports the commitment of WEA to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2030. WEA is a multi-partnership initiative on women's entrepreneurship convening 6 United Nations agencies comprising International Telecommunication Union (ITU), International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Centre (ITC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Global Compact (UNGC) and UN Women. The Challenge's pitch finale will be held on March 13 th during the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67). An expert jury will select 10 digital best practices and solutions to create a more gender-inclusive eco-system for start-ups and scale-ups to address the obstacles women entrepreneurs face in developing technologies. The winners will gain access to the Digital Innovation Eco-System Program from ITU where they will receive capacity-building and specialized mentorship. Register to the event here.

In collaboration with the Women Entrepreneurship Accelerator (WEA) and Mary Kay Global, ITU has launched the WEA Digital Innovation Challenge to build enabling eco-systems for women entrepreneurs. This challenge supports the commitment of WEA to empower 5 million women entrepreneurs by 2030. WEA is a multi-partnership initiative on women's entrepreneurship convening 6 United Nations agencies comprising International Telecommunication Union (ITU), International Labour Organization (ILO), International Trade Centre (ITC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Global Compact (UNGC) and UN Women. The Challenge's pitch finale will be held on March 13 during the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67). An expert jury will select 10 digital best practices and solutions to create a more gender-inclusive eco-system for start-ups and scale-ups to address the obstacles women entrepreneurs face in developing technologies. The winners will gain access to the Digital Innovation Eco-System Program from ITU where they will receive capacity-building and specialized mentorship. Register to the event here. In support of WEA, ITU is also working to address the gender digital skills gap by providing women entrepreneurs access to free, high-quality learning modules required to advance in the digital economy. To be rolled out over the course of 2023, the initiative will be translated into several languages. Supported by Mary Kay, the project includes 17 online modules including general digital skills training for aspiring and experienced women entrepreneurs; digital skills for women entrepreneurs in the textiles and apparel sector, and management skills for women entrepreneurs in technology. These learning modules provide broad professional training for any woman entrepreneur regardless of her location or business focus.

is also working to address the gender digital skills gap by providing women entrepreneurs access to free, high-quality learning modules required to advance in the digital economy. To be rolled out over the course of 2023, the initiative will be translated into several languages. Supported by Mary Kay, the project includes 17 online modules including general digital skills training for aspiring and experienced women entrepreneurs; digital skills for women entrepreneurs in the textiles and apparel sector, and management skills for women entrepreneurs in technology. These learning modules provide broad professional training for any woman entrepreneur regardless of her location or business focus. As a product of WEA, the International Trade Centre (ITC) launched its first-ever free online Entrepreneurship Certificate Programme in 2022 under its SheTrades program. Powered by Mary Kay, the 27-module digital curriculum, enriched with 200 videos, covers the 7 key stages of the entrepreneurial journey and is available in English, Spanish, French, and soon Arabic and Chinese.

launched its first-ever free online Entrepreneurship Certificate Programme in 2022 under its SheTrades program. Powered by Mary Kay, the 27-module digital curriculum, enriched with 200 videos, covers the 7 key stages of the entrepreneurial journey and is available in English, Spanish, French, and soon Arabic and Chinese. Mary Kay is also a proud commitment maker to the Generation Equality Action Coalition on Technology and Innovation as we believe in the power of multi-stakeholder partnerships to spark a more equal and diverse digital transformation.

And we're just getting started. The digital revolution is underway. Let's not miss out on this golden opportunity to enable women and girls to champion entrepreneurship in the digital age!

About Mary Kay

One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty company in 1963 with one goal: enriching women's lives. That dream has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar company with millions of independent sales force members in more than 35 countries. As an entrepreneurship development company, Mary Kay is committed to empowering women on their journey through education, mentorship, advocacy, networking, and innovation. Mary Kay is dedicated to investing in the science behind beauty and manufacturing cutting-edge skincare, color cosmetics, nutritional supplements, and fragrances. Mary Kay believes in enriching lives today for a sustainable tomorrow, partnering with organizations from around the world focusing on promoting business excellence, supporting cancer research, advancing gender equality, protecting survivors from domestic abuse, beautifying our communities, and encouraging children to follow their dreams. Learn more at marykayglobal.com, find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn or follow us on Twitter.

1 ITU (2022). Facts and Figures 2022 The gender digital divide (itu.int)

2 UN Women. Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. The Gender Snapshot 2022.

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Contacts:

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SHARJAH, UAE, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Seeking to strengthen its participation in local and international cultural events and promote the UAE's publishing industry, the Emirates Publishers Association is taking part in the 60th edition of the Bologna Children's Book Fair, taking place 6 - 9 March in Bologna, Italy.





The association is showcasing a variety of publications for children, including literary, scientific, and educational books, both authored and translated, at its special pavilion. Emirati publishers, such as Aisha Al-Zaabi from Dar Al-Dhabi for Publishing, Nour Arab from Dar Al-Nour for Publishing, and Abdullah Al-Kaabi from Dar Al-Ramsa Publishing, are participating.

In addition, the association is facilitating a series of meetings between its representatives, Arab and international publishers, and intellectuals. These meetings aim to exchange expertise in the publishing industry, foster communication between Emirati and international publishers, and assist those interested in establishing publishing companies in Arab markets.

Exchange of experiences

The Emirates Publishers Association is also participating in the 'BolognaBookPlus' activities, which offers in-depth training on rights selling, author representation and scouting. Through its stand there, the association seeks to give Emirati publishers a wider platform to trade books with general publishers beyond children's books.

Rashid Al-Kous, Executive Director of the Emirates Publishers Association, said: "Our association's participation in the 60th session of the Bologna Children's Book Fair is part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen the presence of Emirati publishing houses in major international book fairs. We aim to promote our work and expand our strategic relationships with international peers to foster interaction between different cultures and human civilizations. Additionally, we aim to learn about the most important international experiences in producing children's books."

In a new initiative aimed at supporting the participation of Emirati publishing houses in local and international book fairs while keeping pace with the latest technologies, the association is now allowing its member houses not physically present at the exhibition to display their publications remotely. This can be done using QR codes, which allow for the conclusion of purchase and sale deals of publishing rights. Through this initiative, exhibition visitors can scan these codes and view the publications of 25 Emirati publishing houses, as well as remotely initiating deals with Emirati publishers and helping promote and spread Emirati content globally. This effort is part of the association's ongoing efforts to introduce the publishing movement and the book industry in the United Arab Emirates.

Moreover, the Emirates Publishers Association's stand will feature a Twitter wall and a mirror that allow visitors to interact by sharing the titles of their favourite books or novels on social media. Additionally, the pavilion will serve as a platform for publishers to communicate with association members and discuss opportunities for book circulation and translation possibilities, focusing on translating Emirati literature into international languages.

A celebration of women

As the exhibition coincides with International Women's Day, the association celebrates the achievements of Emirati women writers, empowering them to compete, and encouraging them to leave their mark in the publishing sector.

This is reflected in the views of writer Aisha Al Zaabi, who acknowledges that Arab women, particularly Emirati women, have established their presence in the publishing industry thanks to the support provided by the UAE. The association works to enable Emirati publishers to overcome the challenges they face in the publishing market by providing various means of support.

According to Al Zaabi, participating in international exhibitions, such as the Bologna Children's Book Fair, is one of the ways in which the Emirates Publishers Association enables local publishers to market their publications and benefit from new experiences in bookmaking. Such exhibitions provide opportunities for local publishers to showcase their works and gain exposure to a wider audience, which can lead to increased recognition and sales.

Abdullah Al-Kaabi also commended the Emirates Publishers Association's efforts to support the Emirati publishing industry, promote Emirati writers, and expand the reach of Emirati publishers both locally and internationally. The association also provides the necessary support for Emirati writers to participate in cultural forums at the Arab and international levels. He acknowledged the association's active role in advancing the Emirati book industry through various qualifying and training programmes that enhance the efficiency of workers in the field. Additionally, he noted the association's efforts to improve the conditions and laws of the profession and its focus on protecting all rights related to publishing, including intellectual property and translation.

Attached photo:

1- General photo for the Emirates Publishers Association stand at Bologna Children's Book Fair 2023

CONTACT: Reem Masswadeh, M: +971 (05)0 583 9330, E: reem@tpra.me

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2018932/Emirates_Publishers_Association.jpg

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2023) - West Vault Mining Inc. (TSXV: WVM) (OTCX: WVMDF) ("West Vault" or the "Company") is pleased to announce filing on SEDAR an independent NI 43-101 Pre-feasibility Study ("Technical Report") prepared by USA-based engineering firm RESPEC Company LLC ("RESPEC") for West Vault's 100% owned Hasbrouck Gold Project located near Tonopah, Nevada.

The Technical Report updates a September 2016 Pre-feasibility Study ("2016 PFS"), necessary because of the possible effect of increased capital costs, operating costs, and metal prices on project economics, and their combined effects on Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve. After completion of the Technical Report, it has been determined that the mine plan, mineral processing, and Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve Statements are substantially unchanged from the 2016 PFS. Exploration and expansion potential on the fully permitted project is highlighted.

The Technical Report was prepared by largely the same team that prepared the 2016 PFS, headed by RESPEC (formerly Mine Development Associates) of Rapid City, South Dakota, with contributions from Kappes, Cassidy & Associates, Reno ("KCA"), NewFields Mining Design & Technical Services ("NewFields"), Jorgensen Engineering & Technical Services ("JE&TS"), and Westland Engineering & Environmental Services (formerly EM Strategies).

The Hasbrouck Gold Project consists of the Three Hills and Hasbrouck Deposits plus a large land package. All dollar values presented in this news release are in U.S. dollars.

2023 Technical Report Highlights (2016 PFS at $1,275 gold in brackets)

Project Status Permitted, construction-ready NPV(5%) (after-tax, $1,790 gold) US$206 million (US$120 million) IRR (after-tax, $1,790 gold) 51% (43%) Initial Capital US$66 million (US$47 million) Pay-back 2.9 years (3.1 years) Recoverable Gold & Silver 561 koz gold (577 koz); 1,918 koz silver (1,163 koz) All-in Sustaining Cost US$877 per gold ounce net of by-product credits (US$709) Geology well-understood, +600 boreholes, all-oxide Mining low 1.1:1 strip ratio, minimal pre-strip, above water table Metallurgy 13 test programs, 75% average heap-leach gold recovery Infrastructure Water and water-rights obtained, nearby grid power, nearby highway access

Regarding expansion potential, there are a number of significant gold intercepts located proximal to current Mineral Resources, on strike from and below the proposed open pits that are not incorporated into the Technical Report Mineral Resource model. These intercepts show the potential to increase and extend the known Mineral Resource on West Vault's property.

Project Highlights - (US dollars)





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Notes:

(1)Gold equivalent calculations are made using the ratio of recovered silver / gold and metal prices.

(2)Silver production is averaged over the Hasbrouck mine life only.

(3)Difference between Funding and Capex from free cash flow from Three Hills Mine.

(3) World Gold Council - Adjusted Operating Costs include:

On-site mining and G&A, royalties and production taxes, permitting and community cost related to current operations, 3rd party smelting, refining and transport costs, stock-piles and inventory write-downs, site-based non-cash remuneration, operational stripping costs and by-product credits.

(4)Other category includes royalties, production taxes, permitting, refining and by-product credit.

(5)World Gold Council All-in /Sustaining Costs includes:

Adjusted Operating Costs (above) plus corporate G&A, reclamation & remediation - accretion & amortization, expenditures sustaining exploration and study costs, capital exploration, capitalized stripping and sustaining capital.

(6)World Gold Council All-in Cost include:

All-in Sustaining Costs (above) plus community, permitting and reclamation and remediation costs not related to current operations and non-sustaining exploration and study costs, capital exploration, capitalized stripping and capital expenditure.

(7)The $1,790/oz gold price represents the three-year trailing average gold price at 17 January 2023.

Sensitivity to Gold Price





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Outlook

West Vault is committed to maximizing shareholder value through its low-risk gold-in-ground strategy, which involves acquiring, advancing, and holding high-quality development gold projects in the best jurisdictions.

Authors and Qualified Persons Statement

The Technical Report was authored by RESPEC and was prepared in conformance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). Technical work, analysis, and findings were completed by Thomas L. Dyer, P.E., and Jeff Bickel, C.P.G. both of RESPEC, Reno, with contributions by Mark Jorgensen, SME, of JE&TS (metallurgy), Ryan Baker, P.E., of NewFields (civil and heap leach) and Carl Defilippi, SME, of KCA (process design). Each person is a "Qualified Person" under NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the information in this news release relevant to the portion of the Technical Report for which they are responsible. Each Qualified Person noted above has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical content in this news release relating to the Technical Report. West Vault will file the Technical Report on SEDAR in support of the technical disclosures made in this news release within 45 days.

Sample Preparation, Analyses, and Security

It is RESPEC's opinion that the sampling, assaying, and security procedures used at Three Hills and Hasbrouck deposits follow industry standard procedures, and are adequate for the estimation of the current Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve and for use in preparing the Technical Report.

Data Verification

RESPEC completed audits of the database, performed a site visit, reviewed quality assurance and quality control data and confirmed historic assays. After performing their review, they consider the assay data to be adequate for the estimation of the current Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve and for use in preparing the Technical Report.

About RESPEC

Based in Rapid City, South Dakota, RESPEC is a global leader in diverse technologies and draws from a wide array of expertise, products, and services to deliver world-class solutions for business, mining, energy, water, natural resources, urban development, infrastructure, and enterprise services.

Qualified Person

Sandy McVey P.Eng., Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer for the Company, as a non-independent Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information disclosed in this news release.

On behalf of the Board of West Vault Mining Inc.

Sandy McVey, P.Eng., MSc, PMP

CEO & COO

For further information please see the Company's website at www.westvaultmining.com or contact us by email at info@westvaultmining.com.

Investor enquiries:

Sandy McVey

(604) 685 8311 / info@westvaultmining.com

Hasbrouck Gold Project Mineral Resources

Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves.

Hasbrouck Deposit Reported Mineral Resources* December 15, 2022,

(0.007oz AuEq/ton Cutoff)

Class K Tons oz Au/ton K oz Au oz Ag/ton k oz Ag Measured 6,987 0.019 134 0.39 2,752 Indicated 35,041 0.015 516 0.27 9,404 M+I 42,028 0.015 651 0.29 12,156 Inferred 5,161 0.011 56 0.19 986

Three Hills Deposit Reported Mineral Resources* December 15, 2022,

(0.005oz Au/ton Cutoff)

Class K Tons oz Au/ton K oz Au Indicated 10,423 0.018 185 Inferred 1,008 0.017 17

Notes:

All estimates of Mineral Resource have been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 standards. Mineral Resource for the Hasbrouck deposit is estimated using a gold equivalent 0.007oz AuEq/ton cut-off grade inside an optimized pit shell that was created using a gold price of $1,850/oz gold and $22.75/oz silver, a mining cost of $2.39/ton mined, a processing cost of $4.81/ton processed, a lithologic- and depth dependent recovery equation provided by Mr. Mark Jorgenson, G&A cost of $0.36/ton processed, and a 2.38% NSR royalty (note the project cash-flow analysis uses 3-year trailing average prices of $1,790/oz gold and $22.50/oz silver as off January 17, 2023). The Hasbrouck gold equivalent cutoff grade utilizes the following formulas: Oz AuEq/ton = oz Au/ton + (oz Ag/ton x AuEqFactor) AuEqFactor = (Au Price / Ag Price) x (Au Recovery / Ag Recovery) Upper Siebert Formation: oz AuEq/ton = oz Au/ton + (oz Ag/ton x 0.0053) Lower Siebert Formation: oz AuEq/ton = oz Au/ton + (oz Ag/ton x 0.0027) Mineral Resource for Three Hills deposit is estimated using a 0.005oz Au/ton cut-off grade inside an optimized pit shell created using a gold price of $1,850 per ounce, a mining cost of $2.39/ton mined, a processing cost of $2.98/ton processed, a grade-dependent recovery equation provided by Mr. Mark Jorgenson, G&A cost of $0.42/ton processed, and a 2.38% NSR Royalty. Rounding as required by reporting guidelines may result in apparent discrepancies between tons, grades, and contained metal content. The Mineral Resource has been prepared by Jeff Bickel, C.P.G of RESPEC in conformity with CIM "Estimation of Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve Best Practices" guidelines as required by Canadian Securities Administrators NI43-101. Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that all Mineral Resources will be converted into Mineral Reserves. These Mineral Resource estimates include Inferred Mineral Resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves. It is reasonably expected that the majority of Inferred Mineral Resources could be upgraded to Measured or Indicated Mineral Resource with continued exploration. The effective date of the Mineral Resource Estimate is December 15, 2022. The Mineral Resource Estimate may be materially affected by geology, environment, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing, or other relevant issues. RESPEC is not aware of political, environmental, or other risks that could materially affect the potential development of the Mineral Resources.

Hasbrouck Gold Project Mineral Reserves

Proven and Probable Reserves total 44.0 million tons containing 753,000 ounces gold and 10.5 million ounces silver as detailed below:

Hasbrouck Gold Project Reserves, January 11, 2023, RESPEC (1, 2) K tons

Ore Grade

(oz Au/ ton) K oz Au Grade

(oz Ag/ton) K oz Ag Three Hills Mine Reserves 0.005 opt

Au cutoff Proven - - - - - Probable 9,653 0.018 175 - - P&P 9,653 0.018 175 - - Hasbrouck Mine Reserves Variable

cutoff grade (3) Proven 6,130 0.021 126 0.417 2,558 Probable 28,239 0.016 452 0.281 7,946 P&P 34,370 0.017 578 0.306 10,504

Total Hasbrouck Gold Project Variable

cutoff grade (3) Proven 6,130 0.021 126 0.417 2,558 Probable 37,893 0.017 627 0.210 7,946 P&P 44,023 0.017 753 0.239 10,504

Notes:

The estimation and classification of Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves have been prepared by Thomas L. Dyer, P.E., of RESPEC following CIM standards effective 17 January 2023. Mineral Reserves are estimated based on previously designed pits which have been validated using $1,750/oz gold and $21.50/oz silver (note the project cash-flow analysis uses 3-year rolling average prices of $1,790/oz gold and $22.50/oz silver) Three Hills Mine cutoff grade used for Mineral Reserves is 0.005 oz Au/ton and are based on a grade dependent recovery equation for gold provided by Mr. Mark Jorgensen Recgold = min(0.925, (0.1786 times ln (grade in opt) + 1.5203) - 0.0025) Hasbrouck Mine Mineral Reserves use a variable gold recovery based on material in Upper Siebert and Lower Siebert along with depth below topo Upper Siebert:Recgold = (0.0009 times (Depth below topo in feet)) + 0.3026 + 0.10 Lower Siebert: Recgold = (0.0002 times (Depth below topo in feet)) + 0.6412 + 0.05 Hasbrouck Mine Mineral Reserves silver recovery uses a constant 24% for Upper Siebert and 17% for Lower Siebert Hasbrouck Mine Mineral Reserves use a gross metal value ("GMV") cutoff grade of $5.17/ton which includes the cost for processing and G&A Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves The Inferred Mineral Resource does not contribute to the financial performance of the project and is treated in the same way as waste

Glossary

NI 43-101 - National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects k - thousand koz - thousand ounces NPV(5%) - net present value at a five-percent discount rate IRR - internal rate of return G&A - general and administrative (costs)

Compliance with NI 43-101 and Cautionary Statement on Mineral Resources and Reserves

The information in this news release has been summarized from the Technical Report and Updated Preliminary Feasibility Study: Hasbrouck and Three Hills Gold-Silver Project, Esmeralda County, Nevada - RESPEC, January 2023, currently being prepared by Thomas L. Dyer, P.E., and Jeff Bickel, C.P.G. of RESPEC, Reno, with contributions by Mark Jorgensen, SME, of JE&TS (metallurgy), Ryan Baker, P.E., of NewFields (civil and heap leach) and Carl Defilippi, SME, of KCA (process design). Each aforementioned person is a "Qualified Person" under NI 43-101, is independent of West Vault and has reviewed and approved the information in this presentation, as of the time that the Technical Report was produced and as relevant to the portion of the Technical Report for which they are responsible. RESPEC has reviewed and verified the data disclosed in this news release to be in conformity with generally accepted CIM "Estimation of Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserves Best Practices" guidelines as of the time of the Technical Report as required by NI 43-101. For readers to fully understand the information in this news release, they should read the Technical Report when available on www.sedar.com or at www.westvaultmining.com in its entirety, including all qualifications, assumptions, and exclusions that relate to the information set out in this news release that qualify the technical information contained in the Technical Report. The Technical Report is intended to be read as a whole, and sections should not be read or relied upon when taken out of the context of the full Technical Report. The technical information in this presentation is subject to the assumptions, qualifications, and exclusions contained in the Technical Report.

Non-IFRS Reporting Measures

"Cash Costs", "All-in Sustaining Costs" and "All-in Costs" are not Performance Measures reported in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). These performance measures are included because these statistics are key performance measures that management uses to monitor performance. Management uses these statistics to assess how the Project ranks against its peer projects and to assess the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the contemplated mining operations. These performance measures do not have a meaning within IFRS and, therefore, amounts presented may not be comparable to similar data presented by other mining companies. These performance measures should not be considered in isolation as a substitute for measures of performance in accordance with IFRS.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This press release may contain forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "will", "will come from", "forecast", "believe", "eliminating", "means", "should benefit", "would benefit", "will benefit", "validates", "thesis", "reflecting", "exploration potential", "expansion potential", "potential to increase and extend", "highlighted", "confirms", "economically robust", "gold-price sensitive", "will benefit", "high-quality", "excellent", "patiently letting", "avoiding the risk", "significant", "high-quality", "acquiring", "advancing", "holding", "validates", "too early", "excellent jurisdiction", "increasing value", "supports", "strong economically", "supports" "leveraged", "high-quality project", and similar expressions, and those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, without limitation, statements regarding the projected cost and economic performance of the Project based on the Technical Report, the Company's ability to obtain any additional permits required to commence and complete construction and perform operations, the Company's ability to obtain required funding on reasonable terms, and the potential identification, execution, and realization of accretive opportunities. Although West Vault believes that such information as set out in this press release is reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations and estimates will prove correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by the Company is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from forward-looking information as a result of various factors. The reader is referred to the Company's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Note to US Investors

This news release has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of United States securities laws. The terms "Mineral Resource", "Indicated Mineral Resource" and "Inferred Mineral Resource" are defined in and required to be disclosed by NI 43-101. However, these terms are not defined terms under SEC S-K 1300 and are normally not permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the SEC. In addition, the terms "Mineral Reserve", "Probable Mineral Reserve" and "Proven Mineral Reserve" are also defined in NI43-101 and not S-K 1300. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an "Indicated Mineral Resource" or "Inferred Mineral Resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category or converted into Mineral Reserves in accordance with S-K 1300. "Inferred Mineral Resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence, and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. 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 exists or is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a Mineral Resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "Reserves" by SEC S-K 1300 standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. Accordingly, information contained in this News Release contains descriptions of the Company's mineral deposits that may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements under the United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/157718
CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / Waskahigan Oil & Gas Corp ("WOGC" or the "Company") (CSE:WOGC) has called an annual general and special meeting of shareholders for 7:00am April 4, 2023 at 203, 221 10th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta T2G 0V9 (the "Meeting"). At the Meeting, WOGC will be seeking shareholder approval for the following resolutions:

approval of a plan of arrangement (as described below); consolidation of the issued and outstanding shares of WOGC on a 2:1 basis; and approval of a name change of WOGC;

The WOGC shareholders will be asked to approve by special resolution (66 2/3%) and by majority of the minority, the plan of arrangement amongst WOGC, Fox Creek Energy Ltd. ("FCE")(a wholly owned subsidiary of WOGC), and Odaat Oil Corp ("Odaat")(wholly owned subsidiary of FCE). WOGC owns no assets other than the shares of FCE. FCE owns no assets other than the shares in Odaat. Odaat carries on the business of oil and gas exploration and production in Alberta.

The purpose of the proposed plan of arrangement is to facilitate Odaat's ability to raise capital for the following purposes:

to pay for its proportionate share of the proposed tie-in pipeline from Odaat's Deep Valley wells to the Canadian Natural Resources Limited ("CNRL") pipeline thereby enabling Odaat to market natural gas from 5 Deep Valley wells; to pay its proportionate share of the associated pipeline integrity inspection and servicing costs to reactivate Odaat's pipelines in Deep Valley; and to pay for the expenses associated with the upgrading of equipment at each Deep Valley well to meet current regulatory emission standards.

WOGC has been approached by a party which has expressed interest in acquiring control of WOGC for the purpose of pursing a new business that would constitute a change of business. No agreement has been entered into at this time with respect to that possible change of business and change of control of WOGC.

Any agreement between WOGC and the party which has expressed interest in acquiring WOGC for the reasons explained above, will include conditions surrounding effecting a reverse takeover ("RTO") such that FCE would no longer be a subsidiary of WOGC. There are 13,196,868 issued and outstanding common shares of WOGC and 13,196,868 issued and outstanding common shares of FCE. Upon plan implementation, WOGC would dividend 13,196,868 FCE common shares to the shareholders of WOGC on a 1:1 basis. Upon plan implementation, FCE would have one subsidiary (Odaat) which would carry on the oil and gas business. Upon plan implementation, FCE would become a reporting issuer in Alberta and British Columbia. Upon plan implementation, FCE would not trade on any stock exchange which may impact the liquidity of FCE shares. Implementation of the plan of arrangement is subject to a concurrent closing of the RTO. The resulting issuer (WOGC) would meet Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") listing requirements and continue to trade on the CSE.

As part of the RTO transaction, the controlling shareholders of WOGC may be asked to sell their shares of WOGC. If they do so, they may re-invest some of the net sale proceeds into FCE by way of private placement or debt convertible into common shares to pay for the pipeline construction costs. Non-controlling shareholders will: (a) maintain their existing WOGC common shares in the RTO target; and (b) be issued FCE common shares as part of the arrangement.

Under applicable securities laws, "minority approval" is required if "related parties" receive a "collateral benefit" under a "business combination" (defined to include an arrangement) or are involved in a "related party transaction". Gregory J. Leia is the controlling shareholder and a director and officer of WOGC. Gregory J. Leia, directly or indirectly, owns 7,634,100 common shares (57.88%). Gregory J. Leia is a shareholder and director of Smoky which is the secured creditor of WOGC. Tracy Zimmerman, director and CFO, owns 684,300 common shares (5%). Gerald Roe, a director owns 40,000 shares. Because all of the shareholders of WOGC (including Gregory J. Leia, Tracy Zimmerman and Gerald Roe) will receive the exact same consideration there is no "collateral benefit" to Gregory J. Leia, Tracy Zimmerman or Gerald Roe (assuming an arms length transaction). Notwithstanding, Justice C. Dario of the Court of King's Bench of Alberta in Action 2301 02480 granted an interim order on March 6, 2023 which requires that the plan of arrangement be approved by a special resolution and a majority of the minority (excluding the shares owned by Mr. Leia, any related parties, Mr. Zimmerman and Mr. Roe). WOGC has scheduled a chambers application before Justice C. Dario on April 6, 2023 at 10:00am MST to obtain a final order approving the plan of arrangement (assuming the shareholder approve the plan).

WOGC is seeking approval of a 2:1 consolidation whether the plan of arrangement is approved or implemented or not. Management believes the consolidation may be necessary to raise the $500,000 necessary to complete the pipeline and well upgrades. Even if the resolution is passed, management may decide not to implement the consolidation. It is customary to change the name of WOGC upon effecting a consolidation.

All of the above steps are subject to regulatory and stock exchange approval. No approvals have been obtained. The regulatory agencies may require a further shareholder meeting to approve the RTO. WOGC intends to seek a waiver of additional meetings if WOGC can provide written consents of 66 2/3% of the shareholders. This means WOGC Shareholders may not be entitled to vote on a subsequently proposed business combination if the applicable corporate and securities laws and the corporate bylaws permit the approval of the RTO without the necessity of holding a special meeting for this purpose.

WOGC shareholders will be provided dissent rights with respect to the plan of arrangement. Further, if the subsequent RTO is permitted without requiring the approval of the WOGC Shareholders at a meeting called for such purpose, then the WOGC Shareholders shall be given another opportunity to dissent within 30 days after key elements of that transaction are completed. There is no guarantee that WOGC will find a business combination which qualifies for any exchange. There is no guarantee that such business combination will be accepted by any exchange or if accepted the CSE may impose conditions on the listing which make it impossible to meet or that the shareholders will approve such business combination. For information about WOGC, please refer to the Information Circular filed on www.sedar.com on March 8, 2023.

About Waskahigan Oil & Gas Corp

Waskahigan Oil & Gas Corp is a junior oil and gas exploration and production company with assets in Northern Alberta. For further information, please contact:

Gregory J. Leia, President and CEO

Waskahigan Oil & Gas Corp.

Suite 203 - 221 - 10th Avenue SE

Calgary Alberta T2G 0V9

T: (403) 265 4122

Email: gleia@waskahiganoil.com

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release states that readers should review the Information Circular for further information on the Company. The Information Circular 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 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 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, 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 oil and gas operations, the Company's 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 Information Circular 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.

SOURCE: Waskahigan Oil & Gas Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/742786/Strategic-Options-Plan-of-Arrangement-Spinout-of-Shares-of-Subsidiary-to-Shareholders-of-WOGC
 Stadtwerke Kiel and INNIO plan to achieve climate neutrality at the coastal power plant in Kiel by 2035.  As the world's first 190 MW large-scale engine-based combined heat and power plant, the coastal power plant is planned to be converted to hydrogen operations.  20 Jenbacher engines are to be converted to run on green hydrogen.

KIEL, GERMANY / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / Stadtwerke Kiel and INNIO are working on the conversion of the coastal power plant in Kiel that will allow the facility to operate on 100% green hydrogen (H2) by 2035, ten years ahead of the German government's climate targets. With this, Europe's most advanced large-scale engine-based combined heat and power plant is setting new global standards for climate-neutral energy supply. An important requirement for keeping to the ambitious schedule is that sufficient green hydrogen is available in time and on economic terms. Today, both companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the project.

Stadtwerke Kiel and INNIO set global standards for climate neutrality

Picture attached for the trade media. Caption: Stadtwerke Kiel and INNIO set global standards for climate neutrality; from left to right: Dr. Jorg Teupen, Dr. Olaf Berlien

"We need flexible backup power plants so that Kiel and Germany can be securely supplied with power - especially when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine. There is no getting around this basic law of physics," asserts Dr. Jorg Teupen, Board Member for Technology and Personnel at Stadtwerke Kiel AG. "In order to achieve climate neutrality for this type of power plant operation, hydrogen must be readily available to us. However, this is dependent on Europe having an abundance of hydrogen available over the coming years," continues Teupen.

The two companies' joint ambition is founded upon the "Eight-Point Program: Route to Climate Neutrality" established by Stadtwerke Kiel AG, the energy supplier pushing ahead with the energy transition with this program. With the original aim to be fully climate neutral in the generation of power and district heating by 2040 at the latest, the energy supplier has now brought this date forward by five years to 2035 based on its hydrogen project.

"We are setting new global standards in collaboration with Stadtwerke Kiel. The coastal power plant in Kiel is the first of its kind globally whose technology could theoretically be converted to green hydrogen today. Nevertheless, for the conversion to happen no later than 2035, policymakers need to put the correct framework in place right now," says Dr. Olaf Berlien, president and CEO of INNIO.

The Stadtwerke Kiel coastal power plant supplies more than 73,500 homes with eco-friendly district heating and also generates electricity for the region. In doing so, the highly flexible large-scale engine-based combined heat and power plant ensures there is a secure and environmentally friendly supply of energy. INNIO's Jenbacher engines are the first hydrogen engines at megawatt scale. The company, based in Tyrol, Austria, is among the first to be able to convert the majority of its installed engines to run on green hydrogen. The conversion of Jenbacher engines from natural gas to green hydrogen will result in the advanced, flexible coastal power plant becoming entirely climate neutral by 2035.

About INNIO

INNIO is a leading energy solution and service provider that empowers industries and communities to make sustainable energy work today. With our product brands Jenbacher and Waukesha and our digital platform myPlant, INNIO offers innovative solutions for the power generation and compression segments that help industries and communities generate and manage energy sustainably while navigating the fast-changing landscape of traditional and green energy sources. We are individual in scope but global in scale. With our flexible, scalable, and resilient energy solutions and services, we are enabling our customers to manage the energy transition along the energy value chain wherever they are in their transition journey.

INNIO is headquartered in Jenbach (Austria), with other primary operations in Waukesha (Wisconsin, U.S.) and Welland (Ontario, Canada). A team of more than 4,000 experts provides life-cycle support to the more than 55,000 delivered engines globally through a service network in more than 100 countries.

INNIO's ESG Risk Rating places it number one of more than 500 worldwide companies in the machinery industry assessed by Sustainalytics.

For more information, visit INNIO's website at www.innio.com. Follow INNIO on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Contact Information

Susanne Reichelt

INNIO Media Relations

susanne.reichelt@innio.com

+43 664 80833 2382

Sonke Schuster

Spokesperson

soenke.schuster@stadtwerke-kiel.de

+49 431 594 2363

SOURCE: INNIO Group

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/742791/Stadtwerke-Kiel-and-INNIO-Set-Global-Standards-for-Climate-Neutral-Energy-Supply-by-2035
By Candace Higginbotham

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / Growing up in Montgomery, Alabama, Judge Vanzetta Penn McPherson was reared in a household that valued education. Her parents were educators, and she was an exceptional student.

Yet despite an "extremely exhilarating childhood," she was aware at a very early age that the Jim Crow laws of the South, enforcing segregation, made her different. It meant she was not permitted to go to the Paramount Theater and was allowed only to sit in the Black section on the city bus - behind demarcation signs that read "Whites" and "Colored."

She was just eight years old when the Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights occurred, and she remembered how she and her brother "stole away" to hear Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak. One by one, those early experiences made a deep impression on her, ultimately influencing her decision to go to law school.

"It became clear to me that I was going to improve life, if at all, one person at a time," McPherson said.

Regions Bank's celebration of Black History Month culminated in a true grand finale Monday evening, by recognizing McPherson's commitment.

During its annual History in Motion program, the bank honored McPherson for her lifetime of service defending civil rights, upholding justice for all and cultivating knowledge and understanding throughout her community.

In private law practice, McPherson specialized in the enforcement of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and represented many clients in employment discrimination cases based on race.

She was sworn in as the first Black Federal Magistrate Judge in Alabama in 1992 and served 14 years on the bench.

But her service to the community hasn't been limited to the legal system. She and best friend and fellow judge, Delores Boyd, opened a bookstore to help address the lack of available African-American literature in retail bookstores and local libraries.

McPherson also served as a widely acclaimed columnist for the Montgomery Advertiser, where she provided political, racial and social commentary.

Her voice outside the courtroom has been just as influential as it was when upholding civil rights legislation. McPherson has used journalism as a platform to be a beacon for her community, in addressing issues that are critical to our society.

"She gets righteously indignant about all forms of racism," Boyd said. "She is fearless in speaking out."

Because she witnessed first-hand many significant events and milestones in history, McPherson acknowledges how important it is to make sure young people - especially young African Americans - understand "what happened, why it happened and what difference it makes."

"I'm very proud of having lived through the time I lived through," she said. "I am proud that I have served as a private practitioner and a judge. I'm proud that I can look around me and see the difference I have made."

See and hear more of Judge McPherson's inspiring story in the video above.



View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Regions Bank on 3blmedia.com.



Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Regions Bank

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/regions-bank

Email: info@3blmedia.com



SOURCE: Regions Bank

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/742796/One-Person-at-a-Time
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / Leroy Clarke speaks with pride as he describes how his student experience at Johnson C. Smith University more than two decades ago still influences his current job at Wells Fargo (NYSE:WFC). "I gained confidence to believe I have a voice and belong at the table," recalled Clarke about his time at the Charlotte-based historically Black college in the 90s. "You learn how to create an inclusive environment, how to build grit and integrity, and how to show up strong as your authentic self."

Clarke, Wells Fargo's global head of University Programs Recruiting and North America Targeted Sourcing leader, said his HBCU experience set him up for success by helping him become an expert at forging relationships. Now, he's paying it forward by recruiting HBCU students for early career talent programs at Wells Fargo, including the Junior Leaders Conference, the ChangeMakers Summit , and the HBCU Freshman Summer Experience in Corporate and Investment Banking.

A long-standing partnership with HBCUs

Since the murder of George Floyd and the racial reckoning that followed, more companies have turned to HBCUs to help diversify their workforce.

"Over the last two years we've seen a lot of firms putting more support toward HBCUs," said Dewey Norwood, senior lead Diversity & Inclusion consultant. "We're seeing some new partners that may not have been engaged before but are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion within their respective industry."

Wells Fargo's engagement with HBCUs goes back decades, but it was in 2005 when Wachovia, now Wells Fargo, dedicated resources and expanded partnerships with the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF). These national organizations provide scholarships to students and financial support to member HBCUs.

"What makes me smile is our long-standing commitments and significant investments in HBCUs," Norwood said. "Wells Fargo has provided more than $34 million to support HBCU students over the last 10 to 12 years."

The company also sponsors events that create ways to engage future leaders and support HBCU students on their higher-education journeys. One such event is the TMCF Leadership Institute, a national conference that develops HBCU students' leadership skills and prepares them to compete in today's global workforce. Shantae Joseph, senior vice president for External Engagement, said Wells Fargo extended nearly 50 job offers to students on-site at last year's event.

"It's knowing that we are able to show up for talent we might recruit in the future," Joseph said. "It's about investing in their development and investing the time for them to see leaders that look like them. In return, we're able to showcase what we offer as a company."

Working to diversify wealth management

In the United States, the median Black family owns just 2% of the wealth a median white family owns. Even though a recent report from the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility found more than half of Black survey respondents were looking to financial services to help build long-term wealth, only 1.8% of certified financial planners are Black or African American.

"If we don't look more like the communities we serve, it will be to our detriment," said Shannon Tolbert, Wealth & Investment Management's head of External Engagement and Program Development. "The wealth gap is large. If we increase diversity in financial advising, specifically in the Black and African American population, we will experience even more passion around reducing that wealth gap."

In an effort to address this shortage, Wells Fargo has created Building Diverse Pathways, a program that creates a path for students to build a career in wealth management. The program paves the way toward wealth gap reduction, said Tolbert.

Building Diverse Pathways aims to increase the diversity of the company's financial advisor population by engaging with HBCUs and national partners to produce a pipeline of candidates interested in entering the financial services industry.

Investing in HBCUs and their communities

In Florida, Wells Fargo's Philanthropy and Community Impact team is highly engaged and continues its long-standing partnership with the state's HBCUs, including Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, or FAMU, and Bethune-Cookman University, supporting everything from student engagement activities to financial health sessions.

"HBCUs should be viewed and leveraged as anchor institutions in the community," said Candice Simmons, senior business execution consultant. "Some of the things we've done in Florida are positioning them as such."

Recently, Wells Fargo provided more than $280,000 in grants to FAMU to support several initiatives. In Tallahassee, the grant funded the launch of a small business incubator to assist women- and minority-owned businesses in the community.

Wells Fargo has supported the FAMU Small Business Development Center since 2013. "When we support small businesses, we support local jobs," said Valerie Jenkins, senior community relations specialist and the proud mother of an HBCU graduate. "An investment in the FAMU Small Business Incubator is an investment in our community."

The pandemic created new challenges for the business community, said Jenkins. The opening of the Small Business Incubator allows FAMU the opportunity to expand their core business sessions that focus more on sustainability, growth, and resilience to help small businesses pivot during times of uncertainty.

The funds also supported FAMU's College of Law Economic Justice Initiative , which aims to provide free legal services to Black and minority-owned small businesses in Orlando. With the funding, the university's College of Law announced its second cohort of Economic Justice and Advocacy Fellows . Both initiatives give students an opportunity to work with underserved communities in Central Florida.

In 2022, Wells Fargo celebrated the historic statue honoring civil rights pioneer Mary McLeod Bethune, educator and founder of a school for girls, which would eventually grow into Bethune-Cookman University. The life and legacy of Mary McLeod Bethune received global and historic recognition on July 13 when the influential educator and civil rights activist became the first Black person to have a state-commissioned statue inside the U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall.

Along with sponsoring events during the statue dedication at the U.S. Capitol, Wells Fargo also funded the creation of educational materials about Bethune's life. At a reception for the statue unveiling, Bill Daley, vice chairman of Public Affairs, recognized Bethune as a "trailblazer, educator, and civil rights hero" who "worked tirelessly for humanitarian and women's rights" throughout her life.

Simmons said Wells Fargo's reputation of investing in HBCUs can incentivize others to follow - both outside and inside the company.

"It gives me joy and pride to be a Black woman advocating for HBCU students," she said. "I am thankful that I work with an organization that allows me to show up and fight for my community. But I don't fight because it's Wells Fargo's mission, I fight because it's my community."

Shemesha Burton, Virginia State University graduate and Wells Fargo business execution consultant



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/742803/Helping-HBCU-Students-As-They-Become-the-Leaders-of-Tomorrow
Shaun Compton will lead Britannia's strategy to bring the latest technology-enabled solutions to the global mining industry, including the revolutionary PhotonAssay technology from Chrysos Corporation

Britannia Mining Solutions will install and operate a total of 12 Chrysos PhotonAssay units in strategically important mining centres globally

First PhotonAssay unit to be deployed in Q3 2023 in Vancouver, serving as an initial regional hub for western Canada

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2023) - Britannia Life Sciences Inc. (CSE: BLAB) (FSE: L020) is excited to announce the appointment of Shaun Compton as Managing Director of Britannia Mining Solutions Inc. ("BMS"). The appointment of Mr. Compton, a seasoned executive with over 25 years of analytical services experience including 16 years in the global metals and minerals industry, bolsters BMS's position as a leader in offering technology-enabled, data rich and ESG-friendly assay solutions to the global mining industry.

As previously announced, BMS has entered into agreements with Chrysos Corporation Limited (ASX: C79) ("Chrysos") under which it will operate a total of twelve PhotonAssay ("PhotonAssay") units in strategically important mining centres globally using an innovative regional hub-and-spoke model. PhotonAssay is a cutting-edge technology that addresses the many challenges of legacy assay processes, including safety and sustainability, and offers a significantly faster sample turnaround time. PhotonAssay provides accurate results in as little as two minutes and eliminates the need for toxic chemicals making it a safer and more sustainable alternative to the slower, more hazardous fire assay process. BMS will complement its PhotonAssay units with a variety of advanced technology solutions aimed at providing superior and more timely insights to geologists and mining executives, to better inform their ongoing drill programs and mine development plans.

"I am thrilled to join the team at BMS and lead its efforts to bring PhotonAssay to the global mining industry," said Mr. Compton. "This technology has the potential to transform the way we explore for and extract minerals, making mining safer, more efficient, and more sustainable."

Mr. Compton brings a wealth of experience to BMS, having held executive roles at multinational metals and minerals testing companies, including SGS and Intertek. He has a strong track record of driving innovation and delivering results and is committed to advancing the mining industry through technology. Over the course of his career, Mr. Compton has worked in Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, allowing him to bring a truly global perspective to his role with BMS.

"Shaun's appointment is a significant milestone for BMS," said Peter Shippen, CEO of Britannia Life Sciences. "With his leadership and expertise, we are well-positioned to revolutionize the global mining assay market by reducing turnaround times, providing data-rich analytics and improving accuracy. By lowering CO2 emissions and minimizing hazardous waste, we believe BMS will become the ESG standard by which others in the industry are measured."

BMS, a subsidiary of Britannia Life Sciences, was established to provide technology enabled solutions to the global mining industry by setting up laboratories to address the global backlog in minerals assays. BMS is supported by a distinguished group of mining investors and advisors including Eric Sprott and Dr. Quinton Hennigh.

About Britannia Life Sciences Inc.

Britannia Life Sciences Inc. is a global platform offering an integrated suite of services to assist companies along their product development journey. Britannia's services, including product formulations, safety assessments, analytical and microbiological testing, global compliance, and consumer evaluations are offered to companies ranging from multinationals to startups particularly in the cosmetics, food, and wellness industries. Britannia has garnered significant expertise in the development and regulatory approval of topical and edible cannabis products, including preparation and support for novel food authorizations. Britannia's head office is located at 120 Adelaide Street West, Suite 2400, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 1T1.

For inquiries or more information on Britannia's growing suite of product development, analytical testing, regulatory and compliance solutions across a range of industries, please visit https://britannia.life or contact:

Peter Shippen, CEO

Tel: +1 416 930 7711 or +44 738 744 7441

Email: peter@britannia.life

About PhotonAssay

Originally developed at Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, Chrysos' PhotonAssay technology addresses the mining industry's increasing focus on safety, sustainability, and sample turnaround time. PhotonAssay is the preferred technology for miners seeking to streamline turnaround times and ameliorate the environmental challenges created by traditional gold assaying methods.

By hitting samples with high-energy X-rays, PhotonAssay causes excitation of atomic nuclei allowing enhanced analysis of gold, silver, copper and other elements in as little as two minutes. Importantly, the non-destructive process allows large samples of up to 500g to be measured and provides a "true" bulk reading independent of the chemical or physical form of the sample.

About Chrysos Corporation (ASX: C79)

Headquartered in Adelaide, with operations spanning Australia, Canada and Africa, Chrysos Corporation combines science and software to create technology solutions for the global mining industry. The Company's flagship product PhotonAssayTM delivers faster, safer, more accurate and environmentally-friendly analysis of gold, silver, copper and other elements. For more information about Chrysos or its PhotonAssayTM technology, email info@chrysoscorp.com or visit www.chrysoscorp.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/157725
Calculum, a Miami, FL-based Fintech Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) company, raised an undisclosed amount in Seed funding.

The round was led by Vestigo Ventures, with participation from Nevcaut Ventures, Revolutions Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, XBTO Humla Ventures, and KD Venture Partners.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate growth and expand operations.

Le day Oliver Belin, founder and CEO, Calculum is a fintech Data-as-a-Service (DaaS) company, leveraging advanced analytics, proprietary data assets, and AI to enable organizations to select suppliers, negotiate terms, assess the risk of supply chain disruptions, and optimize working capital.

Its solution allows organizations to compare themselves with their competitors, analyze their suppliers in terms of payment terms, financials, sustainability, ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance), and conduct all the necessary arguments to negotiate more favorable terms. Calculum provides its financial supply chain solutions to companies of all sizes, including banks, private equity institutions, and their corporate clients globally.

Today, Calculum counts several large multinational companies among its clients and has data on more than a million suppliers with the ability to cover up to 100% of a typical corporations global supplier list.

FinSMEs

08/03/2023
CanSense, a Swansea, UK-based developer of blood test to detect early-stage bowel cancer, raised 1.5M in funding.

The round was led by Mercia, the Development Bank of Wales, and Nonacus.

The company intends to use the funds to further develop the product and carry out clinical trials in order to meet regulatory requirements and bring it to market.

Led by CEO Adam Bryant, CanSense provides a test which combines laser spectroscopy with artificial intelligence that is faster, less expensive and less invasive than a colonoscopy procedure and more acceptable for patients than a faecal blood detection kit. It could help detect bowel cancer at an early stage when it is much easier to treat and the chance of survival is much higher.

CanSenses blood test is based on research by Professor Peter Dunstan, Professor Dean Harris and Dr Cerys Jenkins at Swansea University which was part funded by Cancer Research Wales. They joined forces with Dr Adam Bryant, an entrepreneur and former investment banker with a PhD in physics, to set up CanSense in 2019.

FinSMEs

08/03/2023
Daily Blends , a Toronto, Canada-based AI tech company providing smart vending machines offering fresh, healthy food options, raised USD $2m in funding.

The investment was co-led by Hustle Fund and New York-based 2048 Ventures.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate its plan to deploy its AI-powered smart vending machines at many locations across the Metrolinx network, starting with Union Station.

Founded by sisters Shriya Gupta and Purva Gupta in 2020, Daily Blends is a technology company developing AI software powering smart vending machines. It operates a network of AI-powered smart vending machines serving high-quality meals that goes beyond traditional restaurants to help capture real-time inventory data and strategically gather more information about consumers than ever before  information that can be processed and analyzed to provide useful insights.

The companys software analyzes real-time sales, inventory, and user data from each vending machine, generating multi-level user, location and network insights and powering a highly optimized end-to-end supply chain achieving high product availability and minimal food waste. The in-house technology and algorithms generate insights on accurate demand forecasts, most optimum assortments, share of shelf, promotions, product recommendations, fueling high customer retention, while optimizing delivery schedules and minimizing out of stocks.

In addition to its agreement with Metrolinx, Daily Blends is powering smart vending machines at the largest university in Canada, University of Toronto, at hospitals and factories and plans to expand in the U.S. later in 2023.

FinSMEs

07/03/2023
Fly By Jing, a Los Angeles, CA-based Chinese food brand, raised $12M in Series B funding.

The round was led by Prelude Growth Partners and Pendulum.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate its growth, by propelling it into Kroger, Albertsons and other national grocery retailers.

Founded by Jing Gao, Fly By Jing is a Chinese food company that brings crafted pantry staples to the modern kitchen. Its product, Sichuan Chili Crisp, became a top-selling hot sauce on Amazon within six months on the platform. The companys products can be found at 4,000+ stores in Whole Foods Market, Wegmans, Target, and Costco.

The team also include CFO/COO Matt Dunaj (formerly of Follow Your Heart) and Chief Commercial Officer Jason Parasco (formerly of Sovos/Raos).

FinSMEs

08/03/2023
FOUNT Global, Inc., a Washington, DC, Washington D.C., London, UK and Hamburg, Germany-based provider of a SaaS platform that identifies whats at the root cause of employee dissatisfaction so organizations can prioritize what to fix in their environment, raised $8M in funding.

The round was led by Lavrock Ventures with participation from existing investors Osage Venture Partners and Grotech Ventures.

The company intends to use the funds to launch new features targeting key talent segments and further advance the product and technology infrastructure.

Founded in 2022 and led by CEOs Christophe Martel and Volker Jacobs, FOUNT Global, Inc., provides a SaaS platform that allows companies to identify whats at the root of employee dissatisfaction, remove friction from work and help increase productivity. The companys solutions are designed to complement existing survey tools and Employee Experience (EX) initiatives at large organizations.

The customer base includes worlds leading organizations at the forefront of friction management including adidas, Siemens, Baloise, Northwell Health and TEKsystems.

The company has raised $10.75M in total funding since it spun out of the employee experience (EX) consultancy, TI People, in January 2022.

FinSMEs

08/03/2023
Socure, an Incline Village, NV-based provider of digital identity verification and fraud solutions, raised $95M in credit facility.

The financing was provided by J.P. Morgan, Silicon Valley Bank, and KeyBanc Capital Markets.

The company intends to use the funds to further strengthen its financial position.

Led by CEO and founder Johnny Ayers, Socure is a platform for digital identity verification and trust. The predictive analytics platform applies artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques with online/offline data intelligence from physical government-issued documents as well as email, phone, address, IP, device, velocity, date of birth, SSN, and the broader internet to verify identities in real time. The company has more than 1,500 customers across the financial services, government, gaming, healthcare, telecom, and e-commerce industries, including four of the top five banks, 13 of the top 15 card issuers, the top three MSBs, the top payroll provider, the top credit bureau, the top online gaming operator, the top Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) providers, and over 250 of the largest fintechs. Customers include Chime, SoFi, Robinhood, Gusto, Public, Poshmark, Stash, DraftKings, State of California, and Floridas Homeowner Assistance Fund.

FinSMEs

08/03/2023
Google has confirmed that Google I/O 2023 will be held on May 10th. As usual, it revealed it with a puzzle, and then the CEO, Sundar Pichai, revealed it officially after the puzzle was solved.

Excited that this years #GoogleIO will be on May 10, live from Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View and online at https://t.co/sWxfPsVvJi pic.twitter.com/QtNXE6wjl5  Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) March 7, 2023

Google said that it will reveal details about Googles latest solutions, products, and technologies for developers, that help unlock creativity and simplify your development workflow. The company also said that reveal details about ways to use the latest in technology, from AI and cloud, to mobile and web.

Google already released the first Android 14 developer preview, and in May, the company should release Android 14 beta 2, as well as several smartphone partners.

Last year, the company introduced the Pixel Buds Pro at the I/O, this year we can expect details about its foldable smartphone since the tiles on the official page has a notification space similar to the screen of a mobile device like a tablet or foldable smartphone. Pixel 7a is also expected to be introduced before the release later this year.

We should also get more details, including the price of the Pixel tablet, which the company has been teasing since last years I/O. We should also know details about Bard chatbot, Googles response to ChatGPT, and more.

Google I/O 2023 will be held at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA, and it will be live-streamed online.
The European Commission has announced that the Meta owned WhatsApp messenger has agreed to abide by the rules of the European Union and be more transparent with its users. In 2021, the messaging service was slapped with a 225 million penalty.

WhatsApp to Follow EU Rules

WhatsApp has agreed to be more transparent about its updates and make it simpler for users to reject them. They have confirmed that users personal data wont be shared for advertising purposes with third parties or meta-companies, including Facebook.

We welcome WhatsApps commitments to change its practices to comply with EU rules, informing users better and respecting their choices on contract updates. EU consumers have a right to understand what they agree to and what that choice concretely entails.#EU4Consumers  European Commission (@EU_Commission) March 6, 2023

This decision was made after discussions with EU consumer protection agencies and the European Commission. The Swedish Consumer Protection Authority and the Irish Competition and Consumer Commission facilitated the dialogue.

The CPC Network initially contacted WhatsApp in January 2022 after being alerted by the European Consumer Organization and eight of its member associations about alleged unfair practices regarding WhatsApps updates to their terms of service and privacy policy.

In June 2022, the CPC Network sent a second letter to WhatsApp reiterating their request for clear information about WhatsApps business model and whether they make money from users personal data. After discussions with the CPC Network and the Commission, WhatsApp confirmed that they do not use users personal data for advertising purposes.

In future policy updates, WhatsApp will:

Clearly explain any changes to users contracts and how it could impact their rights

Give equal prominence to the option of rejecting or accepting the updated terms of service

Allow users to dismiss notifications about updates or delay reviewing them

Respect users choices and avoid sending recurring notifications.

CPC will closely observe how WhatsApp carries out these promises

The CPC will monitor WhatsApps implementation of these commitments during future policy updates and enforce compliance if necessary, including imposing fines. The Commissions recent study and the CPC sweep on dark patterns revealed that many companies use these unethical practices, such as making it harder to unsubscribe from a service than to subscribe. With the Commissions support, the CPC will continue to intensify their efforts to address illegal practices where they exist.

Speaking on the announcement, Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, said
THE Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) has instituted investigations into reports that acting chief executive officer Emmanuel Matsvaire allegedly violated the institutions tender procedures.

Chairman Patrick Devenish has confirmed that the tobacco industry regulator had received an anonymous report, which made claims related to alleged corrupt conduct involving the acting CEO, with the board now actively looking into the matter.

Mr Matsvaire, who was appointed acting chief executive following the arrest of CEO Meanwell Gudu in September last year, is accused of having violated tender procedures for personal gain, nepotism, abuse of farming inputs distributed under TIMBs tobacco credit inputs scheme (TICS), among several other allegations.

Under the TICS scheme, the regulator disburses inputs to merchants to support smallholder farmers who fail to access the inputs from private commercial contractors.

In an interview with The Herald Finance & Business, Mr Devenish said the board was alive to the allegations and was acting on them. I can confirm that we have received an anonymous report and the board is following up on it, said Mr Devenish.

He said given the report had come from an anonymous source, the TIMB board would pursue all avenues to first ascertain the credibility of the report before taking action.

This comes after Mr Gudu appeared in court in September last year on allegations of abusing the tobacco inputs scheme, which was meant to benefit small-scale farmers.

Mr Gugu appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court jointly charged with former TIMB CEO Evaristo Matibiri and Stewart Shanyika, a former head of special projects on criminal abuse of duty charges.

The inputs relate to a US$86,8 million facility funded by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, which was aimed at supporting small-scale tobacco farmers with farming inputs and working capital in a bid to improve tobacco productivity, ensure viable production of Flue Cured Virginia Tobacco of export quality and to increase the size of national crop.

The trio was charged over alleged corrupt conduct in handling the disbursement of inputs to four tobacco contractors namely Big Leaf Tobacco, Central Leaf Tobacco, Bindura Tobacco and Ethical Leaf Tobacco.

To date, the contractors still owe TIMB about US$1,791 million from the 2020/2021 farming season.

Meanwhile, all is set for the 2023 marketing season expected to open today, with the country anticipating to produce 230 million kilogrammes from 212 million kg last year.

The auction floors will open today (Wednesday) while the contract floors will open tomorrow.

The official opening will be held at Tobacco Sales Floor.

However, the bulk of the crop would be sold outside Harare as many contract floors are now decentralized.

Also, with the bulk of tobacco now funded by contractors (about 96 percent), a very small amount of the crop would be sold through the auction system. This season, 85 percent of the proceeds will be paid in foreign currency while the remainder will be liquidated at the official exchange rate. Zimbabwe Farmers Union executive director Mr Paul Zakaria said the farmers were hoping to get fair value for their crop.

We are expecting a bigger crop and of very good quality because the farmers have put a lot of effort; we expect the off takers to give farmers a fair value for their sweat.

We also export farmers to be paid on time and in full. As we speak right now, we have farmers who are yet to receive their money from last season and we dont expect that to happen.

Recently, Mr George Seremwe, president of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Growers Association (ZTGA) said that this years tobacco output was expected to be better both in volume and quality terms due to the good rains that the country received this cropping season. He said the quality of the tobacco crop was good and would fetch top prices.

This year, we have got a very good crop. The rains were good, even the dry land crop which is rain fed could be looking like the irrigated crop because the rains were quite good.

We are expecting a very good quality crop. We are only concerned that the inputs were quite expensive, so the prices we are going to fetch from the market should reflect that, he said. Herald
The Oregon State University Empty Bowls Project will hold a fundraiser from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 11 at McNary Dining Hall, 1300 SW Jefferson Way in Corvallis.

Cost of entry is on a sliding scale of $5 to $20, and the first 100 attendees are guaranteed a handmade bowl in addition to a simple soup dinner. Attendees can also participate in a silent auction, which features items and experiences from local artisans and businesses.

The Empty Bowls Project is a community- and student-led event with the goal of generating funds for two community nonprofit entities: the Oregon State University Food Pantry, and Fresh and Local First.

The Oregon State Food Pantry provides sustenance not only to students facing food insecurity but the greater Corvallis community as well. Fresh and Local First is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports SNAP matches at farmers markets in Benton and Linn counties.
U.S. low labor participation rate "social, economic disaster": experts

Xinhua) 10:36, March 08, 2023

People visit the National Mall amid low temperatures and strong winds in Washington, D.C., the United States, Feb. 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Samuel Gregg, a distinguished fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, calls the situation "a social and economic disaster."

NEW YORK, March 7 (Xinhua) -- It's now common knowledge that the United States saw an unprecedented drop in labor participation at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 as health concerns, lockdowns and stimulus payments caused tens of millions to abandon or forfeit their jobs, according to a FOX Business report.

"Three years later, millions still haven't returned -- including many who quit in the middle of their prime working years -- and some economists are sounding the alarm that so many capable, would-be earners remain out of the workforce," noted the report published last week.

Samuel Gregg, a distinguished fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, tweeted, "Some Americans have stopped looking OR decided that they don't want to work OR cobbled together enough forms of welfare rather than work."

Gregg called the situation "a social and economic disaster," the report said.

According to Rachel Greszler, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation and a former senior economist at the Joint Economic Committee of Congress, the 20- to 24-year-old age group has had the greatest decline in employment -- particularly men in that age group -- and there is an increase in young people returning to their parents' homes.

Greszler says it's important to note that the labor participation rate was on the decline long before the pandemic, pointing out that it peaked around 2000, and among men aged 20 to 24, employment is down 10.5 percent since then.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
NEWBURGH, Ind., March 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Energy Systems Group (ESG), a subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy, announced that Steven Craig has been named President. In this capacity, Craig is responsible for leading all facets of ESGs business, with a focus on working across the organization to execute the companys customer-centric strategy in its various markets.



Steve assumes the role of President at a time when our growth potential has never been more promising. As our industry and customers continue to embrace cleaner energy initiatives, resiliency, sustainability, and increased use of public and private funding, we have a unique opportunity to expand our business offerings and relationships, said Monica Karuturi, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, CenterPoint Energy. Steve is a highly respected leader, with the vision, purpose and passion to move ESG forward. With his knowledge of our company, our markets and the industry, I have no doubt that he will excel in this key role.

Craig has more than 30 years of experience serving customers in the energy infrastructure and power generation sectors, including providing financial oversight and serving in functional leadership roles. He joined ESG in 2019 and most recently served as Vice President, Sales, Business Development and Marketing. In this capacity, Craig sets the strategic direction for the companys enterprise-level sales, business development and marketing efforts. He also provides overall leadership of the sales excellence, training, and development priorities.

In addition to serving as President, Craig will retain his current sales, business development and marketing duties. ESG has an exceptionally committed and talented team, and I am honored to lead our company into the future, said Craig. Our customers are navigating complex and dynamic challenges, but they also have exciting opportunities to improve their efficiencies, energy resilience and environmental sustainability, as well as unlock new revenue streams. We will continue to be at their side, offering guidance and viable, proven solutions to help achieve the greatest value from their operations.

About Energy Systems Group, LLC

ENERGY SYSTEMS GROUP, a wholly owned subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy, Inc., is a leading sustainable energy solutions provider that specializes in energy efficiency, sustainability, resiliency, and infrastructure improvement solutions in the government, education, healthcare, commercial, and industrial sectors. ESG also offers a full range of sustainable infrastructure solutions including waste-to-energy, distributed generation, and renewable energy. To learn more about ESG, visit www.energysystemsgroup.com.

Forward Looking Statement:

This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "goal," "intend," "may," "objective," "plan," "potential," "predict," "projection," "should," "target," "will" or other similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions of management which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual events and results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Any statements in this news release regarding future events, such as the potential growth, including the timing and scale of such growth, of ESG and CenterPoint Energy, the growth and demand for energy efficiency services and those services provided by ESG, and any other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement contained in this news release speaks only as of the date of this release. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the provided forward-looking information include risks and uncertainties relating to: (1) the impact of pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) financial market conditions; (3) general economic conditions; (4) the timing and impact of future regulatory and legislative decisions; (5) effects of competition; (6) weather variations; (7) changes in business plans; (8) continued disruptions to the global supply chain and increases in commodity prices; (9) legislative decisions, including tax and developments related to the environment such as global climate change, air emissions, carbon and waste water discharges; (10) ESGs and CenterPoint Energys ability to execute on its initiatives, targets and goals and operations and maintenance goals and (11) other factors, risks and uncertainties discussed in CenterPoint Energy's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022 and other reports CenterPoint Energy or its subsidiaries may file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

For more information, contact Bethany R. Smith, FSMPS, CPSM | Strategic Marketing Leader

812.492.3734 | brsmith@esg.email | energysystemsgroup.com
NEW YORK, March 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The law firm of Kirby McInerney LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of those who acquired Dutch Bros, Inc. (Dutch Bros or the Company) (NYSE: BROS) securities during the period from March 1, 2022 through May 11, 2022 (the Class Period). Investors have until May 1, 2023 to apply to the Court to be appointed as lead plaintiff in the lawsuit.



Dutch Bros operates and franchises drive-thru shops that focus on serving hand-crafted beverages.

On May 11, 2022, the Company issued a press release announcing its financial results for the first quarter of 2022. Therein, the Company reported a net loss of $16.3 million, compared to a net loss of $4.8 million for the first quarter of 2021. The Company also reported an adjusted net loss of $2.5 million (a loss of $0.02 per share), which fell below estimated earnings of $0.01 per share. On this news, the price of Dutch Bros shares declined by $9.26 per share, or approximately 26.94%, from $34.37 per share to close at $25.11 on May 12, 2022.

The lawsuit alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) the Company was experiencing increased costs and expenses, including on dairy; and (2) as a result, the Company was experiencing increased margin pressure and decreased profitability in the first quarter of 2022.

If you purchased or otherwise acquired Dutch Bros securities, have information, or would like to learn more about this lawsuit and how it might affect your rights, please contact Thomas W. Elrod of Kirby McInerney LLP by email at investigations@kmllp.com , or by filling out this contact form, to discuss your rights or interests with respect to these matters without any cost to you.

Kirby McInerney LLP is a New York-based plaintiffs law firm concentrating in securities, antitrust, whistleblower, and consumer litigation. The firms efforts on behalf of shareholders in securities litigation have resulted in recoveries totaling billions of dollars. Additional information about the firm can be found at Kirby McInerney LLPs website: http://www.kmllp.com .

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.
Poulsbo, March 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Poulsbo, Washington -

Ferdinand Mehlinger SEO Expert is using his decades of digital marketing experience to help Web 3 companies rise above their competition and dominate the decentralized internet of the future.

Web 3 is regarded by many industry experts and technology evangelists to be the next step in the evolution of the internet. The biggest way in which it differs from the internet today is the decentralization of the data and infrastructure that forms its backbone. Web 3 will also bring with it a host of technological innovations.

The blockchain is the fundamental technology on which Web 3 will be built. The exchange of value between creators, platforms, and users will be transacted using cryptocurrencies. Artificial intelligence is expected to bring transparency in the way content is recommended to users. Web 3 may also popularize interactive audio-visual experiences in the metaverse.

Ferdinand Mehlinger believes that the early mover advantage is going to be key for Web 3 businesses. As adoption increases, entrepreneurs who had the foresight to build communities before the gold rush will thrive, Ferdinand says, whereas companies that are still waiting to make their move are going to be at a disadvantage. You might feel intimidated to start building an audience for your Web 3 community because of the fractured landscape that is akin to the wild west right now. However, I look at these nascent days of Web 3 as an opportunity to be one of the first to claim your stake. You dont have to wait for Web 3 to become relevant or mature. It is already here.

Since Web 3 is a paradigm shift in how the internet works on a fundamental level, the rules of SEO that are in use right now may or may not be applicable. The internet today is centrally controlled by a few companies which dictate the terms of how businesses can market themselves. Since Web 3 is about dismantling the hold that they have over data and giving it back to the people, business owners working on Web 3 products need SEO strategies that recognize the needs of those who will pioneer its adoption.

When asked about how businesses should approach SEO in Web 3, Ferdinand says, A lot of the early adopters of Web 3 are smart and savvy users who are disillusioned with the current state of the internet. They are also vehemently protective of their privacy. They want their data and content to work for them instead of being monetized by giant corporations. So, youre going to need smart SEO strategies that respect your target audiences intelligence and desire for autonomy. To reach out to them, you must go where they are  forums, Discords, influencers, and more. Web 3 marketing is a whole different beast that requires a deep understanding of how these communities form and spread their message. I and my team of Web 3 SEO Experts at Bluoo Digital can help you tame it.

Ferdinand Mehlinger is an experienced SEO expert and keynote speaker. He was part of the original team that developed the precursor to Google, the most visited website in the world today. His involvement in the industry from its inception gives him a unique insight into how to drive organic traffic and conversions for his clients. Ferdinands work encompasses a wide range of industries including E-waste and biotech companies, fitness influencers, social media apps, and digital marketing agencies.

Bluoo Digital, the company that Ferdinand founded in 2010, specializes in SEO while also offering services such as programming, development, web design, graphics, and business automation. The SEO agencys client list includes big names such as the U.S. Military, JIT Enterprises, Jeunesse Global, The MLS, Redfin, and Warner Brothers. The company is now leading the Web 3 SEO transitioning phase by building relationships with Web 3 platforms like Pinata.cloud and Submarine.me.

Readers can reach out to Ferdinand Mehlinger at (619) 500-8088 or ferdinand@bluoo.digital. More information about his work history and industry accolades can be found at LinkedIn SEO Expert.

###

For more information about Web 3 SEO Expert Ferdinand Mehlinger, contact the company here:



Web 3 SEO Expert Ferdinand Mehlinger

Ferdinand Mehlinger

619-500-8088

ferdinand@bluoo.digital

19225 8th Ave NE Ste 201-4

Poulsbo, WA 98370
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, March 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the market survey report, the catering services business worldwide generated a revenue of around US$ 565 million in the year 2018. Though the market followed a steeply rising curve in the following years, the average CAGR until 2022 has been brought down to 1.2%. This tragic downfall in demand for catering services was a consequence of the pandemic rendering the market value at US$ 592.5 million by end of 2022.



Currently, the net worth of total catering services adopted around the world together is estimated to be around US$ 618.5 million for the year 2023. The catering services sector is projected to expand at an annual rate of 4.4% during the years 2023 to 2033. The FMI global catering services market analysis report further predicts it reaching a value of almost US$ 951.5 million by 2033.

There is a growing concern for safe food handling practices worldwide and a need for outsourcing food preparation services to a reputed supplier. Moreover, the FDA's strict guidelines for monitoring and controlling the standards of the food being served are perfecting catering services globally.

Recently, the United States FDA established more and stricter rules and guidelines for regulating the quality and standards of food served by catering service providers. As a result, many existing market players in the country have reoriented their business strategies to remain competitive in the market.

Download Report Sample @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-16686

Key Takeaways

The United States is the leading region for the adoption of all catering services and the regional market is expected to be worth around US$ 152 million in 2023.

China is anticipated to record an impressive 7.1% CAGR over the forecast years owing to its huge population and evolving culture.

Germany is the leading region in Europe for higher adoption of catering services throughout the Europe region. As per the market report, this regional market is anticipated to exhibit a growth rate of 3.2% during the years 2023 to 2033

The demand for catering services in Canada is projected to grow at a rate of 3.5% over the forecast years making it a lucrative market for players in the region as well as the United States.

Standalone food catering services control a dominant share of the market in comparison to chain catering services companies.

The corporate contract food catering service segment contributes the lion's share of the total revenue generated by the global market.

Talk to Analyst @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-16686

Competitive Landscape

Aramark Corp., Compass Group PLC, Bartlett Mitchell Ltd., CH and Co Catering Group Ltd., Delaware North Companies Inc., Newrest Group Services SAS, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Dine Contract Catering Ltd., Gategroup, DO & CO Aktiengesellschaft, DoorDash Inc., Elior Group SA, The Emirates Group, Sodexo Group PVT Ltd, Cushman & Wakefield, WSH Group Ltd., Newrest Group Services SAS, and ABM Catering Solution, ISS A/S, Jones Lang LaSalle IP, Inc., AVI Foodsystems, Inc, Thompson Hospitality, Albron B.V., Hutten Catering BV among others are prominent players operating in the global catering services market.

To boost profits and strengthen their market positions, many companies in the catering services market have selected new product launches and takeover of regional service providers as their primary development methods.

Some leading global market participants have recognized substantial growth potential in Asia Pacific countries and are extending service points in this region. Due to large investments for attracting foreign corporates and tourism, nations like India, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia present attractive development potential for the catering service sector.

Key segments

By Service Type:

Contractual Catering Service

Non-contractual Catering Service

Other Catering Services



By Application:

Wedding Catering Services

Corporate Catering Services

Social Events Catering Services

Other Events Catering Services

By End User:

Catering Services for Industrial Sector

Catering Services for Hospitality Sector

Catering Services for Educational Sector

Catering Services for Healthcare Sector

Catering Services for In-Flight Sector

Catering Services for Other End Users

By Region:

North America

Latin America

Europe

East Asia

South Asia and the Pacific

The Middle East and Africa (MEA)

View Full Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/catering-services-market

Table of Content

1. Executive Summary | Catering Services 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

Buy Now @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/16686

Explore FMIs related ongoing Coverage on the Food and Beverage Domain

Online Catering Marketplace Value: The online catering marketplace is projected to witness steady growth in the global market at a CAGR of 4.6% during 2022 and 2032. The online catering marketplace share is projected to be valued at US$ 76.3 Bn in 2022 and is forecasted to reach US$ 119.9 Bn by 2032.

Catering Management Market Size: The catering management market is projected to record a CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period (2022 - 2032).The catering management market is expected to be valued at US$ 104.3 billion in 2022 and is likely to reach US$ 159.3 billion by 2032.

Advanced Distribution Management Systems Market Trends: Global demand for the advanced distribution management systems market is slated to increase at a CAGR of 20.0% to reach a valuation of US$ 12,102.0 Million by 2029

Online Food Delivery & Takeaway Market Share: The global online food delivery & takeaway market is expected to reach a valuation of US$ 27,695.9 Million in 2022. The market is further projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.3% from 2022 to 2032, totaling around US$ 55,828.1 Million by the end of 2032.

Hyperlocal Food Delivery Market Outlook: The hyperlocal food delivery market share is predicted to witness a fair CAGR of 8.3% over the forecasted period of 2022 to 2032. The global market is estimated to reach a value of nearly US$ 493.9 Billion by 2032, increasing from US$ 222.5 Billion in 2022.

About Future Market Insights, Inc.

Future Market Insights, Inc. is an ESOMAR-certified business consulting & market research firm, a member of the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce and is headquartered in Delaware, USA. A recipient of Clutch Leaders Award 2022 on account of high client score (4.9/5), we have been collaborating with global enterprises in their business transformation journey and helping them deliver on their business ambitions. 80% of the largest Forbes 1000 enterprises are our clients. We serve global clients across all leading & niche market segments across all major industries.

Contact Us:

Future Market Insights, Inc.

1602-6 Jumeirah Bay X2 Tower,

Plot No: JLT-PH2-X2A,

Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai,

United Arab Emirates

LinkedIn| Twitter| Blogs | YouTube

For Sales Enquiries: sales@futuremarketinsights.com
TORONTO, March 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Purpose Investments Inc. (Purpose Investments or the Company) is announcing a correction to its earlier press release dated March 7, 2023, which aimed to clarify the firms ESG policy as it relates to funds managed by the Company. This press release updates the list of all Purpose Investments funds that do not fall under the ESG classification.

Webpage Update Nature and Implication of Errors https://www.purposeinvest.com/thoughtful/purpose-investments-continues-mission-to-create-success-for-canadians-by-fully-integrating-environmental-social-and-governance-esg-principles Purpose added a disclaimer specifically stating that this was a point-in-time publication and that updated information can be found on each funds respective webpage; and provided a link to Purposes updated ESG Policy.



Appropriate disclaimers were aligned across the listed ESG-related articles.

Purpose believes that the publication of a date alongside this blog post made it sufficiently clear to readers that this publication was always meant to be a point-in-time post. However, some readers may not have made this inference, which may have led them to believe that Purposes point-in-time views regarding ESG would apply indefinitely.



The corrections make it explicit that this is a point-in-time publication. https://www.purposeinvest.com/funds/purpose-global-climate-opportunities-fund/knowledge-base/esg-diaries-five-things-weve-learned-about-our-approach Purpose added a disclaimer specifically stating that this was a point-in-time publication and that updated information can be found on each funds respective webpage; and provided a link to Purposes updated ESG Policy.



Appropriate disclaimers were aligned across the listed ESG-related articles.

Purpose believes that the publication of a date alongside this blog post made it sufficiently clear to readers that this publication was always meant to be a point-in-time post. However, some readers may not have made this inference, which may have led them to believe that Purposes point-in-time views regarding ESG would apply indefinitely.



The corrections make it explicit that this is a point-in-time publication. https://www.purposeinvest.com/about Purpose replaced the phrase ESG Always from the Principles of Purpose section.



The section is now headed ESG Conscious, and the text under that heading reads as:



We do not believe investors should have to sacrifice returns for sustainability. This is why we integrate environmental, social, and governance factors into a specific subset of our fund lineup where we believe it fits well with the investment strategy. In these cases, when we allocate capital for investors, we seek to generate returns based on performance while also considering the risks and opportunities arising from ESG factors. Purpose believes that, read together, its disclosure regarding ESG made sufficiently clear that ESG integration is applied wherever possible, subject to the qualifications listed in those publications. However, a reader who read this page in isolation might have understood the phrase ESG Always to mean that Purpose always integrates ESG in a literal way.



The corrections make it clear that Purpose is ESG Conscious. https://www.purposeinvest.com/esg Purpose updated existing ESG Policy page to more closely align with fund prospectus disclosure and incorporate guidance from the CSA Staff Notice 81-334 ESG-Related Investment Fund Disclosure. The ESG Policy sets out how ESG strategies are applied, evaluated, and monitored for the Purpose ESG-Related Funds. Purpose updated its existing ESG Vision to the ESG Policy. Readers may have previously been confused as to how Purpose incorporates guidance from the CSA regarding ESG, which is now reflected in the updated Policy.

The updates outlined above were requested by the Staff of the Ontario Securities Commission in connection with the Staffs issue-oriented review of ESG-Related Funds. The following list includes all Purpose Investments Funds that do not fall under the ESG classification.

Fund Name Black Diamond Distressed Opportunities Fund Black Diamond Global Enhanced Income Fund Black Diamond Global Equity Fund Canadian Investment Grade Preferred Share Fund Purpose Credit Opportunities Fund Purpose Global Flexible Credit Fund Purpose Total Return Bond Fund Purpose Gold Bullion Fund Purpose Silver Bullion Fund Purpose Cash Management Fund Purpose High Interest Savings Fund Purpose Premium Money Market Fund Purpose US Cash Fund Purpose Bitcoin ETF Purpose Bitcoin Yield ETF Purpose Crypto Opportunities ETF Purpose Ether ETF Purpose Ether Yield ETF Big Banc Split Corp. Purpose Behavioural Opportunities Fund Purpose Best Ideas Fund Purpose Canadian Equity Growth Fund Purpose Global Innovators Fund Purpose Canadian Financial Income Fund Purpose Canadian Income Growth Fund Purpose Emerging Markets Dividend Fund Purpose Healthcare Innovation Yield Fund Purpose Monthly Income Fund Purpose Tactical Asset Allocation Fund Longevity Pension Fund Purpose Structured Equity Growth Fund Purpose Structured Equity Yield Plus Fund Purpose Structured Equity Yield Portfolio Alphabet (GOOGL) Yield Shares Purpose ETF Amazon (AMZN) Yield Shares Purpose ETF Apple (AAPL) Yield Shares Purpose ETF Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) Yield Shares Purpose ETF Tesla (TSLA) Yield Shares Purpose ETF

About Purpose Investments

Purpose Investments is an asset management company with over $15 billion in assets under management. Purpose Investments has an unrelenting focus on client-centric innovation and offers a range of managed and quantitative investment products. Purpose Investments is led by well-known entrepreneur Som Seif and is a division of Purpose Unlimited, an independent technology-driven financial services company.

For further information, please contact:

Keera Hart

keera.hart@kaiserpartners.com

905-580-1257

Commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investment fund investments. Please read the prospectus and other disclosure documents before investing. There can be no assurance that the full amount of your investment in a fund will be returned to you. If the securities are purchased or sold on a stock exchange, you may pay more or receive less than the current net asset value. Investment funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Fund distribution levels and frequencies are not guaranteed and may vary at the Purpose Investments sole discretion.

Information contained on this page was published at a specific point in time. Upon publication, it is believed to be accurate and reliable, however, we cannot guarantee that it is complete or current at all times. The information provided is subject to change without notice, and updated information can be found on each funds specific webpage. Purposes ESG policy can be found at https://www.purposeinvest.com/esg.




New York, NY, March 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blue Collar Brain is pleased to share their list of high-demand skilled trades, many of which offer excellent wages, growth opportunities, and less than 2-years of education to get started.

Industry statistics like those below show the widening worker gap in the skilled trades, meaning it has never been a better time to choose a new career.



According to the National Association of Manufacturers, 2.1 million manufacturing jobs could go unfilled by 2030.

Association Builders and Contractors reveal that the construction workforce shortage tops half a million in 2023.

Auto Service World reveals that an estimated shortage of 642,000 automotive, diesel, and collision technicians is possible by the end of 2024.

MGMA shares that 58% of medical practices reported staffing as their biggest challenge in 2023.

APTA agrees that 96% of transit agencies reported a workforce shortage, with 84% adding to this shortage affecting their service.

While college is still the recommended route for young adults, there are many reasons one may not want to attend college. Financial constraints are a significant factor, but some do not feel college will align with their life or career goals, while others may struggle academically.



Blue Collar Brain

No matter the reason, choosing a trade career over college is an excellent option.

Blue Collar Brain aims to help young adults and career changers see the many options in the skilled trades by providing a list of all of the opportunities.

The list of jobs is divided into various categories: construction, agriculture, food, maintenance and repair, manufacturing, medical, and more. From the skilled construction trades, one can find careers such as carpenters, electricians, plumbers, masons, painters, HVAC technicians, roofers, etc.

From the skilled agriculture trades, there are jobs for farmers, landscapers, ranchers, animal husbandry, tree pruners, etc. Food Skilled Trades include bartenders, butchers, cooks, private chefs, food service managers, waiters, and waitresses.

The list is expansive and is updated often. Each career will also have a career guide to help learn more about the path required to get into that career.

In most cases, entry to these jobs is very similar.

Most skilled trade workers must be over 18 years of age and have a high school diploma or GED. They should attend a trade school or technical college for formal training or work as an apprentice to gain the required experience. On average, a skilled trade worker can enter the workforce in less than two years.

Blue Collar Brain also offers a database of trade schools, salary data, and other skilled trade resources.

To learn more, visit https://bluecollarbrain.com/list-of-skilled-trades/

About Blue Collar Brain

Blue Collar Brain is an online resource center for careers that do not require a college degree. Their mission is to inspire the next generation of workers to consider a skilled trade career and help employers fill their pipeline with workers.

###

Contact

Blue Collar Brain

Email: Hello@bluecollarbrain.com

Website: https://bluecollarbrain.com/

















newsroom: news.38digitalmarket.com


MADRID, Spain, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The technology services company Lleida.net (BME:LLN) (EPA:ALLLN) (OTCQX:LLEIF) increased its sales by 15 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year, and closed the year with 20.67 million euros in turnover.

This more than 20 million represents a growth in sales of 2.7 million.

This is the record turnover figure in the company's history and the result of an increase in the results of all business lines, with the exception of recruitment, which has been affected by the economic cycle.

The company, a European leader in the certified electronic signature, notification, and contracting industry, recorded a rise in its gross margin also of 15 percent over the previous year, or 1.42 million over 2021. The figure stood at 10.78 million as of December 31. The gross margin stood at 59 percent of sales in the last quarter.

International sales now account for 57% of the group's cumulative overall sales, focusing mainly on Europe and Latin America.

During the year, the company's EBITDA decreased by 16 percent, or 368,000 euros, due to a significant increase in personnel and the accelerated recruitment of technical and commercial talent both outside and inside Spain.

The company's workforce now exceeds 170 people.

"Our medium-term strategic plan involves incorporating more qualified personnel to strengthen our innovation and development areas and accelerate the company's international sales. This strategy will yield results in the future that will benefit investors, shareholders, and the company's team," added Sisco Sapena, CEO of the company.

The investment in team growth resulted in an increase in personnel expenses of 1.95 million to 6.34 million.

"We grew significantly when we bought InDenova, and now more than ever we are going to bet on more and better professionals," Sapena added.

During 2022, the company's net financial debt increased by four percent over the previous year to 8.62 million euros, part of which corresponds to the loans that were signed for the acquisition of the InDenova technology company.

During the year, however, both long-term and short-term debt were reduced, representing a reduction in total debt of 17 percent, or 1.91 million euros.

Lleida.net has 18 offices worldwide and received 223 patents from authorities in more than 64 countries. These include the European Union, the United States, China, Russia, India, Mexico, Japan, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, South Africa, Nigeria, Australia, and New Zealand.

Two days ago, the company announced the granting of three new patents for its method for the electronic signing of contracts in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

A recent study by Coller IP, a Mathys Squire company, valued Lleida.net's SaaS intellectual property portfolio at no less than 14.1 million euros.

Lleida.net has been listed on the OTCQX index in New York since 2020, Euronext Growth in Paris since 2018, and BME Growth in Madrid.

Since the start of the year, the company has traded more than 11 million in shares, and the company's stock has already appreciated by 20 percent.

Earnings Presentation: https://www.bmegrowth.es/docs/documentos/InfPrivilegiada/2023/03/05089_InfPriv_20230307.pdf?GguyKw!!

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/808c4681-3193-483d-93b1-86077843e25b
New York, US, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Outdoor Flooring Market Overview:

The MRFR analysis reports the  Outdoor Flooring Market Research Report, by Material, End-Use, Region, and Type- Forecast Till 2030, the global market for outdoor flooring is predicted to showcase a considerable development over the assessment timeframe from 2022 to 2030 with a strong development rate of approximately 5.9%. The reports further anticipate the market to acquire a valuation of around USD 2621.1 million by the end of 2030. As per the research reports, the market was valued at around USD 1966.4 million in 2021.

Outdoor Flooring Market Scope:

Outdoor flooring is known to boost the buildings' beauty and can also increase pedestrian movement. The global market for outdoor flooring has grown rapidly in recent times. The main parameter supporting the development of the market is the escalating use of these floorings for the exterior buildings and the growth of the infrastructure. Furthermore, the growing number of new construction and retrofitting activities are also anticipated to have a positive influence on the expansion of the outdoor flooring market over the review era.

Competitive Analysis

The leading participants across the global market for outdoor flooring include players such as:

Armstrong floorings Inc

Fiberon

Beaulieu international group N.V

Mats Inc

Citadel floors

Mohawk industries

Ecore International

Among others.





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Market USP Covered

Market Drivers

The global market for outdoor flooring has grown rapidly in recent times. The main parameter supporting the development of the market is the escalating use of these floorings for the exterior buildings and the growth of the infrastructure. Furthermore, the growing number of new construction and retrofitting activities are also anticipated to have a positive influence on the expansion of the outdoor flooring market over the review era. People across the globe are becoming more and more conscious about the aesthetics of the buildings from the outside, which in turn is also causing a rise in demand for these floorings across the globe. In addition, the factors such as the benefits offered by these floorings, growth of the construction sector, infrastructure improvement, the emergence of public spaces in the metro cities, and drastic changes & the improvement in construction are also anticipated to have a positive influence on the market's performance over the coming years.



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Market Restraints

However, several aspects may restrict the development of the market's performance. The field has several safety concerns associated with it, which is considered the primary challenge for the market's growth. Furthermore, the rapid fluctuation in the price of the raw materials causing volatility in the prices of the products is also predicted to restrict the market growth over the review era. In addition, the non-availability of labors with the required skills is another major challenge faced by the decorative tiles market worldwide. The market in recent years has witnessed a sudden escalation in demand for these tiles, which has put massive pressure on the manufacturing companies to boost production. Moreover, the market has also witnessed a significant setback due to the arrival of the pandemic in 2019, given the shortage of labor, lack of raw materials, and lack of financial support.

COVID-19 Impact

The global industrial activities and business operations experienced a major setback given to the rise of global health crisis in the form of COVID-19. Along with all the industry operations, the pandemic also affected public health nearly across 225 countries around the world. All of these situations led to the imposition of full or partial lockdowns across majority regions worldwide. Subsequently, the industry operations were halted, and some businesses shut down. Given the sudden fall in demand for construction activities during the pandemic, along with the halt of the majority of the industrial operations, the outdoor flooring market faced several unexpected challenges during the pandemic. On the other hand, with the rapid vaccination rates and all the global industrial operations returning to normal, the market is anticipated to experience substantial development over the forecasted timeframe.



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Segment Analysis

Among all the products, the Resilient floorings segment is ensured to secure the top spot across the global market for outdoor flooring over the assessment era.

Among all the application areas, the Residential segment is anticipated to lead the market globally.

Regional Analysis

The MRFR research document suggests that the North American region is ensured to hold the top spot across the global market for outdoor flooring over the assessment era. The main parameter backing the development of the regional market is the rapidly growing construction sector across the region. Furthermore, the nations such as Mexico, the US, and Canada are experiencing a sudden rise in demand for residential units and single houses given to the rise in population, which in turn is also likely to cause an upsurge in the growth of the regional market.

The Asia-Pacific regional market for outdoor flooring is anticipated to showcase the maximum growth rate over the coming years, given mainly to the aspects such as the growth of the population and increasing disposable income.

Given the rising renovation activities, the European regional market for outdoor flooring is predicted to grow considerably over the coming years.



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Dublin, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Military Robotic and Autonomous System (RAS) Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Application, Platform, Operation Mode, and Country - Analysis and Forecast, 2023-2033" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

In 2022, the global military RAS market was valued at $17,575.1 million and is expected to reach $19,794.0 million by the end of 2033, growing at a CAGR of 1.10% during the forecast period 2023-2033.

The growth in the global military RAS market is proliferated by the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), and its integration with military RAS has the potential to change future warfare. It will help in reducing endangering risks to soldiers, air forces, and marines that possibly result in a generation of less expensive manned systems.

The U.S., Russia, and China are the prominent competitors in the advancement of military robotic and autonomous systems. Military of key countries with high defense spending across the globe are focusing on strategies that articulate near-, mid-, and long-term priorities of their forces.

Market Lifecycle Stage

The market demand for military RAS is expected to propel over the forecast period 2023-2033 due to its capabilities to serve across various applications such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), combat operations, target acquisitions, and infantry support. The use of military RAS in high-risk missions such as explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), route clearance, obstacle breaching, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) will further increase revenue generation and bring in the advancement of technology.

Several countries are spending heftily on research and development to design and develop attack drones. Various countries are acquiring drones from the U.S. and Israel to study the drones and then indigenously develop these drones to support their armed forces. Such drones are anticipated to enhance the deterrent power of the country's self-defense force. For instance, in June 2022, Japan planned to develop unmanned aircraft that would fly and support manned fighter aircraft. This is expected to strengthen the defense of Japan's airspace and deter attacks.

The rising initiatives for indigenous aerospace platforms and increased adaption rate among countries are propelling production and reducing the price of military robotic and autonomous systems. The potential new operational concepts will help to saturate an operational area with small autonomous systems that force an adversary to move, be detected, and be targeted by friendly forces.

Industry Impacts

The global military RAS market is expected to cater to an increase in global defense expenditure. Growing demand for several military applications in hazardous and complex environments is supporting the procurement of military RAS in the armed forces.

Military RAS manufacturers are anticipated to enhance payload and propulsion systems, which will result in improved operational capabilities and a shorter development cycle time. The improving economic conditions of the emerging economies, as well as the rising cross-border infiltration, terrorism, and geopolitical instability, led to creating the demand for military RAS, which can safeguard a nation's territory.

Many emerging countries, such as India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are looking to implement a layered approach to attacks by deploying unmanned aircraft systems for surveillance, target acquisition, and counter aerial threats from hostile nations and terrorist outfits.

As the situation of global tension and instability rises, many emerging countries could increase their military spending on acquiring military robotic and autonomous systems. Consequently, it provides an opportunity for established defense contractors to supply military robotic and autonomous systems to safeguard these nations.

North America is a leading region in terms of military RAS manufacturing due to the presence of key military RAS providers such as The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, General Dynamics Corporation, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

The market growth is attributed to the increasing military budget of the U.S. and Canada. Perceptions of the advent of asymmetrical warfare integrated into modern combat are propelling the North America military RAS market.

How can this report add value to an organization?

Product/Innovation Strategy: The product segment aids the reader in understanding the different types of military RAS and their potential globally.

Growth/Marketing Strategy: The global military RAS market has witnessed major development by key players operating in the market, such as business expansion, contracts, mergers, partnerships, collaborations, and joint ventures.

The favored strategy for the companies has been contracts, enabling them to strengthen their positions in the global military RAS market. For instance, in March 2022, ideaForge secured a contract for delivering 200 drones that are capable of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) to the Indian Army. The drones would be delivered over a period of two years.

Competitive Strategy: The key players in the global military RAS market analyzed and profiled in the study involve military RAS manufacturers.

Moreover, a detailed competitive benchmarking of the players operating in the global military RAS 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 contracts, partnerships, agreements, acquisitions, and collaborations will aid the reader in understanding the untapped revenue pockets in the market.

Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis

The companies that are profiled have been selected based on inputs gathered from primary experts and analysis of the companies' coverage, product portfolio, and market penetration.

In 2022, the top segment players leading the market included established players providing military RAS, which constituted 70% of the presence in the market. Emerging market participants included startup entities that accounted for approximately 30% of the presence in the market.

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 200 Forecast Period 2023 - 2033 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $17745.3 Million Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2033 $19794 Million Compound Annual Growth Rate 1.1% Regions Covered Global

Market Segmentation

Based on application, the global military RAS market is expected to be dominated by the target acquisition segment.

Based on platform, the global military RAS market is expected to be dominated by the unmanned aircraft systems segment.

Based on region, the global military RAS market is expected to be dominated by North America.

Recent Developments in the Global Military Robotic and Autonomous System (RAS) Market

In December 2022, the U.K. Ministry of Defense awarded the company an initial $158 million (129 million) contract for the purchase of two types of drones for the troops. The drones that would be bought are 99 Stalker UAVs and 15 Indago UAVs.

In August 2022, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions secured a contract worth $14 million to provide its tactical jet drone system, which includes the XQ-58A Valkyrie, UTAP-22 Mako, and X-61A Gremlin, to the U.S. Air Force.

In October 2022, Garuda Aerospace signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lockheed Martin Canada CDL Systems to integrate its Made-in-India drones with the Lockheed Martin Canada CDL System's advanced unmanned aircraft systems software solutions for defense and commercial applications.

Industry Outlook



Military Robotic and Autonomous System (RAS) Market: An Overview

Current and Emerging Technological Trends

On-going and Upcoming Projects: Major Military Programs

Startup and Investment Landscape

Patent Analysis (2020-2022)

Supply Chain Analysis

Business Dynamics

Business Drivers

Growing Need for Enhancing Battlefield Situational Awareness

Growing Defense Budget

Rising Demand for Reducing Human Involvement in Battlefield Activities

Generating Mass and Scalable Effects through Human-Machine Teaming

Business Challenges

Evolving Cyberthreats to Military Robotic and Autonomous Systems

Challenges Related to Deployment of Complex Systems and Control Frameworks

Contractor Challenges and Supplier Issues in Final Delivery of Military Robotic and Autonomous Systems

Business Opportunities

Increasing Innovations in the Field of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Growing Threat Perception due to Ukraine-Russia Conflict Driving Missile Defense Spending

Business Strategies

Partnerships, Collaborations, Agreements, and Contracts

Mergers and Acquisitions

Markets - Competitive Benchmarking & Company Profiles

Role in the Global Military Robotic and Autonomous System Market

Product Portfolio

Business Strategies

Partnerships, Collaborations, Agreements, Investments, and Contracts

R&D Analysis

Analyst View

Key Market Players

AeroVironment, Inc.

BAE Systems plc

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

General Dynamics Corporation

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Saab AB

The Boeing Company

Key Unmanned Maritime Systems Market Players

AutoNaut Ltd

Elbit Systems Ltd.

ECA Group

Saildrone, Inc.

Key Unmanned Ground and Robotic System Market Players

Milrem AS (Milrem Robotics)

Israel Aerospace Industries

Hanwha Defense

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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, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Green Packaging Market: Analysis By Packaging Type, By Material, By Application, By Region Size & Forecast with Impact Analysis of COVID-19 and Forecast up to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

In 2022, the global green packaging market was valued at US$223.97 billion, and is probable to reach US$325.70 billion by 2028. The global green packaging market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.44%, during the forecast period of 2023-2028.

Green packaging, also known as sustainable packaging or eco-friendly packaging, refers to packaging designs that have the least amount of environmental impact. They accomplish this by reducing packaging waste, utilizing sustainable materials (such as recyclable or biodegradable packaging elements), and employing renewable energy during manufacturing. In a nutshell, sustainable packaging is all about being conscious of the company's carbon footprint.

The rising concern for environment and growing awareness towards using biodegradable material has taken the center stage around the globe and is expected to reap significant dividends for the global sustainable packaging market over the forecast period. The presence of green packaging aims to fulfill sustainability goals across e-commerce, logistic and delivery food packaging sectors.

Green packaging ticks all the boxes as it has low-cost structure, is manufactured using 100% recyclable materials, and complies with sustainability initiatives. Besides that, strict environmental protection and government regulation has further encourage the trend in green packaging usage. The government in recent years has also put out regulations that support use of recycled materials and eco-friendly products by imposing taxes on plastic packaging.

Market Segmentation Analysis:

Recycled Content Packaging segment acquired majority of share in the market in 2022, owing to increasing demand for bio plastics, increasing government regulation are the parameters that are helpful for increasing the market growth. These materials are reused as raw materials by manufacturers to create new packaging products, reducing excess pollution created by packaging waste.

Whereas, Degradable Packaging segment is expected to have the highest CAGR in the future as biodegradable packaging is generally defined as any type of packaging that will disintegrate and decay organically. This indicates that both bio-based and fossil-based polymers can be used to create biodegradable packaging, which would increase the demand for this market.

Paper segment acquired majority of share in the market in 2022, as rising use of paper and paperboards for creating container boards, paper bags and shipping sacks among various industries such as foods and beverages, cement manufacturing, medicine and glassware industries, and others, had led to the growth of this market.

Whereas, the same segment is expected to have the highest CAGR in the future owing to the advantage of being, in most cases, the least expensive structural material for packaging and a renewable source.

Food and beverage segment acquired majority of share in the market in 2022, owing to the rising population coupled with demand for packaged readymade food and beverages. Whereas, Personal Care segment is expected to have the highest CAGR in the future as many personal care product makers are moving toward greener solutions by lowering the amount of material used in packaging. Because they are recyclable, compostable, and biodegradable, plant-based packaging materials have gained popularity in the cosmetics industry.

Europe green packaging market enjoyed the highest market share in 2022, primarily owing to the European Union's and other European countries' strict bans on single-use plastics, the European Directive introduced the concept of a circular economy, as well as sustainability principles and goals.

Companies in Europe have begun to embrace recyclable, recycled, and biodegradable products as part of the circular economy roadmap. A circular economy has set standards and objectives for sustainability. Several Europe-based businesses follow the circular economy blueprint by embracing recyclable, recycled, and biodegradable materials.

Global Green Packaging Market Dynamics:

Sustainable packaging, also referred to as green packaging, offers several benefits such as less dependence on fossil fuels, low consumption of natural resources, and less energy consumption. These advantages have prompted the food & beverage sector to adopt environment-friendly food packaging solutions in order to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

Further, the market is expected to increase due to upsurge in e-commerce sales, increasing government regulations, rise in demand for water-based polymer, growing demand for bio-based resins as a packaging material, etc.

Global issues and rise in the prices of green packaging solutions is a major challenge facing the green packaging market. The rise in the prices of green packaging solutions due to the high cost of bio-based resins will be a major challenge for the green packaging market.

The uncertainty in the demand and supply of bio-based resins has increased the volatility of the prices of raw materials. The other challenge that green packaging market faces is lack of supply of bio-plastics and related materials, etc.

A major trend gaining pace in green packaging market is high demand for paper & paperboard materials. Paper & paperboard packaging is cost-effective and can be recycled multiple times.

This makes the packaging suitable for use in various end-use industries. Paper & paperboard materials are majorly employed for packaging food & beverage products due to their low cost, lightweight, high-quality graphics printability, and biodegradable features.

More trends in the market are believed to augment the growth of green packaging market during the forecasted period include increasing focus by major brands/companies to achieve net zero, rise in adoption of plantable packaging, bio plastic, etc.

Impact Analysis of COVID-19 and Way Forward:

The pandemic of COVID-19 has had a minor influence on the green packaging business. As a result of the pandemic, several manufacturing facilities were forced to close.

However, the increased production of vaccines and other medicines has resulted in a significant need for environmentally friendly packaging options. As lockdowns were relaxed in numerous cities, demand for takeout and food delivery surged, as did awareness of the necessity of eco-friendly packaging.

Competitive Landscape and Recent Developments:

Global green packaging market is moderately fragmented.

The key players are constantly investing in strategic initiatives, such as new product launches, introducing their products to emerging markets and more, to maintain a competitive edge in this market. For instance, in June 2022, Ardagh Metal Packaging revealed plans to build a new plant in La Ciotat, France, to increase its production capacity.

To meet the growing demand from current and potential clients for long-term partnerships in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Southwestern Europe, Sud Attractivite and Bpifrance will fund the expenditure. Also, in June 2022, Mondi expected its sustainable packaging portfolio with its "Grow&Go" line. The entire Grow&Goportfolio complies with food contact standards and is made entirely of paper.

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 186 Forecast Period 2023 - 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2023 $238.39 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $325.7 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 6.4% Regions Covered Global

Market Dynamics

Growth Drivers

Expanding Demand for Food & Beverages

Upsurge in E-Commerce Sales

Increasing Government Regulations

Increasing Awareness of Green Packaging and Adoption of Recyclable Materials

Rise in Demand for Water-based Polymer

Growing Demand For Bio-based Resins as a Packaging Material

Challenges

Global Issues and Rise in the Prices of Green Packaging Solutions

Lack of Supply of Bio-plastics and Related Materials

Market Trends

High Demand for Paper & Paperboard Materials

Increasing Focus by Major Brands/Company's To Achieve Net Zero

Rise in Adoption of Plantable Packaging

Bio Plastic

Key players of global green packaging market are:

Amcor PLC (Bemis Company, Inc.)

Mondi PLC

Sonoco Products Company

WestRock Company

Sealed Air Corporation

DS Smith PLC

Tetra Laval Group (TetraPak International S.A)

Pactiv Evergreen Inc. (Evergreen Packaging)

Elopak

Uflex Limited

Ardagh Group S.A.

Ball Corporation

Nampak Limited

Plastipak Holdings Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/hkzdes

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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Indianapolis, Ind., March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bierman Autism Centers (Bierman) proudly announces that they have secured the trademark for its tagline, Success as Unique as Our Kids, highlighting its commitment to creating progress and possibilities through individualized therapy.

Services provided at Bierman include autism screening, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Speech Therapy, and Occupational Therapy. The team at Bierman is composed of a cross-functional team of experienced and compassionate BCBAs, Speech Language Therapists, and Occupational Therapists who work closely with each child and their family to identify their goals through parent meetings and assessments. Naturalistic teaching techniques are used to teach the children foundational skills, such as self-advocacy and communication, to become more independent, face daily challenges, and have a more fulfilled life. Therapy is provided on a one-to-one based on individualized treatment plans.

"At Bierman, we have designed our centers to be a place where children want to come every day to learn. Weve created an inclusive environment where we help every child reach their full potential on their terms. Our team is committed to supporting each child on their journey towards becoming lifelong learners." said Chief Clinical Officer Chrissy Barosky.

With over 200 graduations, Bierman currently has centers in Arizona, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, and Rhode Island and is expanding their mission to provide exceptional care and support to families with children diagnosed with autism.

Biermans entire circle of care involves more than just the child diagnosed with autism and their parents. Biermans centers in New Jersey and Arizona recently have implemented free sibling support groups open to anyone in the community. The team also provides virtual caregiver trainings, and each center offers quarterly free sensory-friendly events.

Families interested in learning more about Bierman can call 800-931-8113 or email start@biermanautism.com. The centers provide dedicated support and care to families with children diagnosed with autism. Their experienced and compassionate team is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of children and families.

ABOUT BIERMAN www.biermanautism.com

Bierman Autism Centers is a place where kids as young as 18 months to 9 years of age engage in play to learn foundational skills they can build on, such as self-advocacy and communication. They recognize that every kids success is unique, and their one-on-one approach allows them to drive progress, and measurable outcomes, while each child is advancing on their own terms.

For more about Bierman Autism Centers, visit www.biermanautism.com or contact Alexis Ducharme at marketing@biermanautism.com.

Attachment
English Danish

Notice is hereby given of the Annual General Meeting of Copenhagen Airports A/S to be held on Thursday, 30 March 2023 at 3:00 pm.

The notice, including the agenda and the full text of the proposed resolutions is attached.

COPENHAGEN AIRPORTS A/S

P.O. Box 74

Lufthavnsboulevarden 6

DK-2770 Kastrup

Telephone: +45 32313231

www.cph.dk

CVR no. 14 70 72 04

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Pune, India, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

The global diesel fuel market is expected to gain impetus from the growth of on-road fleet of trucks, buses, and cars. This information is published in an upcoming report by Fortune Business Insights, titled, Diesel Fuel Market Size, Share and Global Trend By End-Use (Cars, Trucks, Military Vehicles, Heavy Off-Road Vehicles, Ships, Generators, Others) and Geography Forecast till 2026. The report further states that the absence of power grid structure and increasing usage of electricity in various developing countries would propel the sales of diesel generators. It would, in turn, impact the diesel fuel market growth during the forecast period.



Market Drivers & Restraints:

The diesel fuel market is influenced by several factors that impact its growth and development. One of the key drivers of the diesel fuel market is the increasing demand for diesel fuel, particularly in developing countries due to population growth and rising industrialization. The transportation industry is the largest consumer of diesel fuel, and its growth has a significant impact on the diesel fuel market. The development of infrastructure such as roads, bridges, airports, and railways also drives the demand for diesel fuel. Additionally, government policies such as subsidies, tax incentives, and regulations on emissions can also influence the demand for diesel fuel.

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On the other hand, there are also several restraints to the diesel fuel market, including environmental concerns. The use of diesel fuel is associated with air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, leading to increasing pressure to reduce its usage. Fluctuating prices of diesel fuel due to geopolitical tensions, supply disruptions, and changes in demand can also impact the market. Moreover, the increasing popularity of alternative fuels such as electric vehicles and natural gas can pose competition to the diesel fuel market. Technological advancements in engines and fuel efficiency can also reduce the demand for diesel fuel. Lastly, changes in regulations on emissions and fuel standards can impact the demand for diesel fuel, as stricter regulations can make it less attractive to consumers.

Reliance & Indian Government Focus on Joint Ventures & Scraping Old Laws to Expand Market

The market is highly fragmented with the presence of several small, medium, and large scale enterprises. These also include government agencies of numerous countries. They are aiming to increase the diesel fuel market share by joining hands with other companies or reforming the aging rules and regulations. Below are two of the most recent developments that have taken place in the industry:

COVID-19 Impact



Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the power generation and supply for a particular day are planned on the basis of the demand. The lockdown has taken a huge toll on the demand for electricity from the commercial and industrial sectors. But, the availability of fuel and plant operations was not affected as these are classified as essential services by regulatory bodies. Our research reports will help you pave the way toward success by providing in-depth analysis of the overall industry.



Click here to get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this market. Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/diesel-fuel-market-101317

Regional Insights

Increasing Vehicle Capacity in the U.S. Army to Favor Growth in North America

The diesel fuel market is geographically segregated into North America, the Middle East and Africa, Europe, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. Amongst these regions, North America at present, holds maximum share in the military expenditure. It is mainly propelled by a rise in the vehicle capacity in the U.S. army. Also, sale of other vehicles is rising rapidly in this region. It would boost the diesel fuel market share of this region during the forthcoming years.

Europe, on the other hand, houses a growing and well-established manufacturing sector that is driven by steel, chemical, and other similar industries. It is increasing the rate of exports which, in turn, is leading to a steady growth of the transport sector. This would contribute to the market growth in this region. Asia Pacific would exhibit a notable growth in the upcoming years owing to a rise in the fleet of heavy vehicles as well as increasing sales of new vehicles. China is considered to be one of the largest exporters of various goods and it will also contribute to growth.



Pre Book - Global Diesel Fuel Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/101317



Segmentation of Report:



Cars and trucks are the primary end-users of diesel fuel, accounting for a significant share of the market. Diesel fuel is preferred for these vehicles due to its high energy density, which leads to better fuel efficiency and lower emissions compared to gasoline. In addition, diesel engines are known for their durability and reliability, making them a popular choice for transportation.

Military vehicles also use diesel fuel due to its high energy density and reliability. Military vehicles operate in harsh conditions and require a fuel that can withstand extreme temperatures and conditions. Diesel fuel also provides better fuel efficiency, which is critical in military operations.

Heavy off-road vehicles, such as construction and mining equipment, also use diesel fuel due to its high torque and better fuel efficiency. These vehicles require a fuel that can provide high power output and can withstand heavy loads and rugged terrain.

Ships use diesel fuel as their primary fuel source, particularly in the shipping industry. Diesel fuel provides a high energy density, making it a cost-effective and efficient fuel source for ships. Diesel engines are also known for their reliability, which is essential in the shipping industry.

Generators are another end-user of diesel fuel. Diesel generators are commonly used in areas with unreliable power grids or in emergency situations. Diesel fuel provides a stable and reliable source of power, making it a popular choice for generators.

Other end-users of diesel fuel include agricultural equipment, buses, and trains. The use of diesel fuel in these industries is driven by its high energy density and reliability. However, the increasing popularity of alternative fuels in these industries may impact the demand for diesel fuel in the future.

Industry Development

The Government of India is planning to upgrade the fuel market to enable foreign supermarket chains and energy mammoths, namely, Trafigura, Total, and Saudi Aramco to enter the profitable business. The oil ministry is creating a Cabinet proposal to eliminate the age-old law of curbing the license to market jet fuel, diesel, and petrol to organizations that have proposed to invest or have invested INR 2,000 crore in pipelines, terminals, refining, or exploration and production activities. From the period of 2018-2019, the demand for jet fuel, diesel, and petrol has grown by 9%, 3%, and 8%, respectively in India.

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), a multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Mumbai, announced that it will soon enter into a joint venture with BP plc, a renowned oil and gas company based in London. The main aim of the collaboration is to supply aviation fuel and run retail fuel stations. Reliance is expected to hold around 51% and BP will acquire the rest in the venture. The latter would take over RILs pre-existing retail network of over 1,400 fuel outlets.

Fortune Business Insights lists out some of the reputable organizations operating in the diesel fuel market. They are as follows:

JSC Mozyer Oil Refinery

Chevron

Pertamina and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited

BP

Reliance

Conoco Phillips

ExxonMobil

Eni

Husky Energy

Viru Keemia Grupp AS

Saudi Aramco

McDermott International Inc.

Neste

LUKOIL

Shell

Other key market players

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Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers 2030 Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Key Emerging Trends  For Major Countries Latest Technological Advancement Regulatory Landscape Porter Five Forces Analysis 2030

Qualitative Analysis  Impact of COVID-19 Impact of COVID-19 on the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Plant Market Steps Taken by the Government to Overcome the Impact Key Developments by Industry Players in Response to COVID-19 Potential Opportunities and Challenges due to COVID-19 Outbreak

Competitive Analysis Company Market Share Analysis, 2030 Company Profile Business Overview Product & Service Offering Overall Revenue Geographic Presence Recent Development







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CALGARY, Alberta, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LithiumBank Resources Corp. (TSX-V: LBNK) (OTCQX: LBNKF) (LithiumBank or the Company) is pleased to announce it has engaged Matrix Solutions Inc. (Matrix) to complete a lithium brine resource and reservoir assessment of the Duperow Formation underlying the Companys 100% owned South and Estevan projects in its Saskatchewan district. The work is expected to lay the framework for NI 43-101 resource estimates at both properties and guide future exploration work. Matrix began compiling data early this year and the final report is scheduled for delivery in the coming quarter.



The Company was an early mover in Saskatchewan, and acquired the South and Estevan projects in 2021 with the belief that the Duperow Formation would have great potential for large scale brine extraction at economic grades (see Figure 1). In addition to its lithium resource potential, the Duperow Formation has extensive oil and gas infrastructure and geological data that are expected to support the development of the Companys lithium brine assets in a cost-effective manner. Furthermore, the two projects are well connected by Provincial roads and are in close proximity to power utilities and a local skilled labour force.

Our South and Estevan properties were acquired during the early lithium auction rounds in 2021 when we believed the best ground was made available, commented Rob Shewchuk, CEO of LithiumBank. We are encouraged by positive sampling results obtained by two contiguous operators, who have reported lithium-brine grades of between 64mg/l and 259 mg/l in wells located within 4km of our properties. In Q2 2023, we intend to acquire lithium resource samples via agreement with third party operators in the area as well as by drilling wells on our properties. We expect the resultant data will form the basis of a NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate at both the South and Estevan properties by Q3 2023. We believe positive sampling results and mineral resource reports on these properties have the potential to create significant currently unrealized shareholder value for LithiumBank.

The hydrogeological study that is intended to serve as the foundation for subsequent NI 43-101 resource estimates is expected to incorporate the following data:

Historical Production data

Drill stem tests (DST)

Downhole surveys

Brine sample assay data

Core samples with analysis

Geophysical well logs

The purpose of this information is to provide a regional geological assessment of the Duperow Formation along with a determination of local reservoir characteristics and deliverability metrics within LithiumBank mineral licences.





Figure 1: Map of LithiumBanks South and Estevan Projects showing recent lithium brine sample results.

The Duperow Formation

The Duperow Formation in southern Saskatchewan is an unconfined aquifer with elevated lithium concentrations in petrobrines. More than 1,000 oil and gas wells have been drilled through the Duperow Formation and it has been comprehensively assessed through well logs, core analysis, production tests, water analysis and drill stem tests (DSTs). Across the Companys two project areas, the Duperow Formation dips to the south with tops ranging from ~1,700m  2,400m at an approximate gross thickness of 160m, and has insignificant amounts of hydrocarbons and no H 2 S.

South Property

LithiumBanks South Property covers 134,229 acres (54,343 ha) of land acquired in two Crown sales (Aug 23rd, 2021 and Dec 13th, 2021). To the east of the South Property, Prairie Lithium has drilled 3 test wells and has reported lithium-brine grades ranging from between 48 and 172 mg/l, including lithium-brine grades of between 53 and 166 mg/l in the closest well, which is 10km away. The South Property is a contiguous land block and is proximate to ample infrastructure and power. The Crown claims are held for 8 years from purchase date at a yearly rental fee of $2/ha per year for the first 5 years and $5/ha per year for the remaining 3 years.

Estevan Property

The Estevan Property covers 90,883 acres (36,794 ha) of land acquired in two Crown sales (Aug 23rd, 2021 and Dec 13th, 2021). Lithium grades in the area range from 64 to 259 mg/l in samples taken by neighbouring operators directly adjacent to the Estevan Property. The highest lithium value of 259 mg/L was taken ~4 km to the west of the Estevan Property. EMP Metals is active in the area and has reportedly drilled one well and acquired 3 wellbores for re-entry and testing. Like the South Property, the Crown claims are held for 8 years from purchase date at a yearly rental of $2/ha per year for the first 5 years and $5/ha per year for the remaining 3 years.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical disclosure in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Kevin Piepgrass (Chief Operations Officer, LithiumBank Resources Corp.), who is a Member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of the Province of British Columbia (APEGBC) and a Qualified Person (QP) for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Piepgrass consents to the inclusion of the data in the form and context in which it appears.

About LithiumBank Resources Corp.

LithiumBank Resources Corp. is a development company focused on lithium-enriched brine projects in Western Canada where low-carbon-impact, rapid DLE technology can be deployed. LithiumBank currently holds over 3.6 million acres of mineral titles, 3.33M acres in Alberta and 336k acres in Saskatchewan. LithiumBanks mineral titles are strategically positioned over known reservoirs that provide a unique combination of scale, grade and exceptional flow rates that are necessary for a large-scale direct brine lithium production. LithiumBank is advancing and de-risking several projects in parallel of the Boardwalk Lithium Brine Project.

Contact:

Rob Shewchuk

CEO & Director

rob@lithiumbank.ca

(778) 987-9767

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This release includes certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, including statements regarding future estimates, plans, objectives, timing, assumptions or expectations of future performance, including without limitation, the Companys expectation that continued sampling and study of the Duperow Formation will lead to a NI 43-101 Resource Estimate at the Companys South and Estevan projects in its Saskatchewan district and the expected timing thereof, the Companys expectation that the Duperow Formation will be well-suited for expedient and cost-effective development, the Companys plans to obtain lithium resource samples via agreement with third party operators in the area as well as by drilling wells on the Companys properties, the Companys plans with respect to further testing, sampling and analysis of the Duperow Formation and the expectation that the information obtained therefrom will provide a regional geological assessment of the Duperow Formation along with a determination of local reservoir characteristics and deliverability metrics within LithiumBank mineral licences, are forward-looking statements and contain forward-looking information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as intends or anticipates, or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, should or would or occur. Forward-looking statements are based on certain material assumptions and analysis made by the Company and the opinions and estimates of management as of the date of this press release, including that further testing, sampling and analysis of the Duperow Formation will return positive results and ultimately support a positive NI 43-101 Resource Estimate on the timelines anticipated, that the Company will be able to develop the Duperow Formation expediently and cost-effectively, that the Company will be able to obtain lithium resource samples in the manner anticipated, and that the Company will be able to carry out its plans with respect to further testing, sampling and analysis of the Duperow Formation and that such testing, sampling and analysis will return the results anticipated. These 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 the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Important factors that may cause actual results to vary, include, without limitation, that the Company is not able to complete a NI 43-101 Resource Estimate at either of its properties as anticipated or at all, or that the results of the NI 43-101 Resource Estimate at either of its properties will not be as expected by management, that the Company will not be able to develop the Duperow Formation expediently or cost-effectively or at all, that further testing, sampling and analysis of the Duperow Formation will not produce positive results, that the Company will not be able to negotiate agreements with third party operators to obtain lithium resource samples on terms acceptable to management or at all, that the Company will not be able to obtain lithium resource samples by drilling wells on its properties, or that the Company will not be able to carry out its plans with respect to further testing, sampling and analysis of the Duperow Formation as anticipated or that such testing, sampling and analysis will not return the results anticipated by management. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, forward-looking information or financial out-look that are incorporated by reference herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/14f7217c-dc40-4d1f-ab8f-58ab1c67c1e0
LOS ANGELES, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MetAlert, Inc. (OTC: MLRT), a pioneer in location-sensitive health monitoring devices and wearable technology products for remote patient monitoring, announced the launch of its new 4G GPS SmartSole in the U.K. through its distribution partner Possum Ltd.



MetAlerts technology promotes lifestyle wellness and independence for patients who have become more vulnerable due to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and would therefore be more likely to be reliant on assistance from caregivers at any given hour. For over 50 years Possum has been at the forefront of supplying advanced Assistive Technology (AT) and Telecare to help the elderly live more independently.

We are excited to be launching the next generation of 4G SmartSole in the U.K. with our distribution partner of many years, Possum, stated Andrew Duncan, Metalert Director. The U.K. is a very strategic with its advance use of technology, like telecare and remote monitoring devices to bring efficiencies and better patient care to a stretched healthcare system. Possum is a market leader in this area, and we have great confidence in their ability to support our products and continue to build brand awareness and acceptance of the product amongst healthcare authorities and private healthcare organizations.

We are very pleased by how well this latest generation of the Made in U.S.A. SmartSole has been received by our customers, especially with an extended battery life that can last up to 5 days stated Phil Iles, National Sales Manager Telecare Possum UK. We have high interest and demand from our customers servicing the senior space for the GPS SmartSole and look forward to strong business throughout the rest of the year.

The Alzheimers Association, in a lengthy special report providing data for 2022, notes that subtle cognitive changes, such as those in memory and thinking, are often a feature of aging, and about 12 to 18 percent of people age 60 or older are currently living with MCI.

For all press or sales inquiries, please contact MetAlert at info@metalert.com

About Possum Ltd

Founded in Buckinghamshire, U.K. in 1961, Possum is today a market leader in the provision, installation, and support of many types of Electronic Assistive Technology. These include Environmental Control Systems, Telecare, Telehealth and TECS (Technology Enabled Care and Support Services). Possum develops and offers innovative and proprietary products and also sources class-leading new technology from third party suppliers to bring to the UK market. With an internal research and development function, manufacturing facilities, a network of highly qualified service/installation engineers and a team of expert trainers, we offer unrivaled reassurance and support to our customers. Possum has a strong established customer base in the National Health Service, Social Services and Local Authorities and also works with reseller partners to make this exciting technology more widely available.

Possum Limited contact details:

+44 (0)1296 461000

info@possum.co.uk

telecarenews@possum.co.uk

https://twitter.com/PossumLtd

https://www.facebook.com/Possum/

About MetAlert , Inc.

MetAlert (OTC: MLRT) and its subsidiaries are engaged in designing, developing, manufacturing, distributing, selling and licensing products, services and intellectual property in the GPS/BLE wearable technology, personal location, wandering assistive technology, and health data collection and monitoring. With over 20 years of experience and an extensive patent portfolio, MetAlert is a leading solution provider for consumers/patients afflicted with movement, cognitive and spatial awareness disorders. This market represents approximately 2.9% of the worlds population. The Company offers global end-to-end hardware, software, and connectivity solutions, in addition to developing two-way tracking technologies, which seamlessly integrate with consumer products, enterprise and government agency applications. Utilizing the latest in miniaturized, low power consumption GPS, Cellular, RF, NFC, and BLE technologies, enabling caregivers to track and monitor patients in real time. Known for its game-changing and award-winning patented GPS SmartSole -- think Dr. Scholls meets LoJack, the worlds first invisible wearable technology tracking device created for those at risk of wandering due to Alzheimers, dementia, autism, and traumatic brain injury. MetAlerts subscription-based business model is built around technology innovation with intellectual property protection. The company has international distributors servicing customers across the globe with subscribers in over 40 countries and is a U.S. Military Government contractor. Other customers include public health authorities, municipalities, emergency and law enforcement, private schools, assisted living facilities, NGOs, small business enterprises, senior care homes and consumers. www.MetAlert.com

Social Media:

FB: https://www.facebook.com/metalertinc

IG: https://www.instagram.com/metalert/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/metalertinc

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/metalertinc/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUlYP1WQoLdKkDzwhGkx40Q

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. The terms and phrases expects, would, will, believes, and similar terms and phrases are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by MetAlert considering its experience and perception of current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that MetAlert believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause MetAlerts actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Certain risk factors that may cause actual results to differ are outlined in MetAlerts Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (which may be obtained on the SEC Website). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not rely on MetAlerts forward-looking statements. MetAlert has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required.

Disclaimer: MetAlert does not warrant or represent that the unauthorized use of materials drawn from this document's content will not infringe the rights of third parties who are not owned or affiliated by MetAlert. Further, MetAlert cannot be held responsible or liable for the unauthorized use of this documents content by third parties unknown to the company.

For general information, investor relations, wholesale licensing, and consumer purchase:

MetAlert, Inc.

Tel: 213.489.3019

Email: info@metalert.com or ir@metalert.com

MetAlert

United Kingdom, London

Nelson Skip Riddle

Tel: +44 7785 364100

Email: nsriddle@metalert.com
TORONTO, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- There is no end in sight for the labour woes facing Canadian companies, with more than 1 in 3 (37%) reporting they have open positions they cannot fill, according to a survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by Express Employment Professionals.



The leading obstacle cited by nearly half of companies (45%) trying to fill vacant positions: a lack of applicants (45%). For those that do apply, companies mentioned issues with a lack of necessary hard skills (43%), relevant experience (42%) and desired soft skills (30%) as additional obstacles to filling vacant positions.

Almost all of the companies surveyed (91%) expect to face hiring challenges in 2023. Half of companies report difficulty in finding qualified candidates (51%), they are also struggling with increased competition for labour (28%) and their pay not being competitive (23%).





Beyond a lack of qualified applicants, companies continue to be plagued with employee turnover. A third of companies (29%) expect turnover to increase this year. An expensive occurrence, given the cost required to rehire coupled with lost productivity, as nearly a quarter (23%) of Canadian businesses project employee turnover will cost them $50,000 or more annually.

The most common reasons why companies expect higher turnover in 2023 include better pay and benefits offered elsewhere (34%), employee frustration with increased workplace demands (29%), employees taking advantage of the competitive job market (28%), better perks offered elsewhere (27%) and better company culture elsewhere (26%).

The lack of workers, particularly qualified workers, in Canada should raise red flags for everyone from the government and educators to businesses and parents, Express CEO Bill Stoller said. This is a crisis that has been building for years and the fallout is only just beginning, unless we invest in creating more qualified employees through training and education.

Survey Methodology

The Job Insights survey was conducted online within Canada by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between Dec. 1 and Dec. 15, 2022, among 506 Canadian hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in Canada who are employed full-time or self-employed, work at companies with more than one employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data were weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within + 4.6 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.

If you would like to arrange for an interview to discuss this topic, please contact Ana Curic at (613) 858-2622 or email Ana@MapleLeafStrategies.com.

About Bill Stoller

William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment

International. Founded in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the international staffing franchisor

supports the Express Employment Professionals franchise and related brands. The Express franchise brand is an industry-leading, international staffing company with franchise locations in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

About Express Employment Professionals

At Express Employment Professionals, were in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Our international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, employing 579,000 people globally in 2022 and more than 10 million since its inception. For more information, visit ExpressPros.com/CA.



A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d610974d-371e-48d3-a99d-a7dca7324c2c
BOSTON, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RightHand Robotics , a leader in data-driven, autonomous robotic picking solutions for order fulfillment, announces the appointment of tech industry veteran Brian D. Owen as Chief Executive Officer. With 30-plus years of experience and leadership in finance, technology, and commercial deployment, Owen will guide RightHand Robotics through its next phase of growth and lead the continued scale-up of its piece-picking business.



For eight years, the team and I built, hardened, and scaled our product, improving the technology every year, deploying the robots across the U.S., Europe, and Japan and continuing to grow our customer base. Now is the time to build on these foundations by accelerating the scaling of customers and deployments. Im very proud of this company and I look forward to working with Brian in my new role as chairman, said Yaro Tenzer, co-founder, former CEO, and now Chairman of RightHand Robotics.

Owen is a six-time public and private company CEO of global enterprise hardware and software companies with experience driving corporate strategy, mission, and purpose, while fostering a culture of trust, responsibility, commitment, and innovation among employees, partners, and customers. He has served in numerous roles as executive and non-executive, chairman, and director in more than 25 technology companies  two of which were public  overseeing multiple financings, IPOs, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, and more than 15 exits while working alongside top-tier private equity investors.

Previously, Owen was the CEO and President of Cambridge Semantics Inc., a modern data management and enterprise analytics software company, where bookings grew 300 percent to $24 million during his leadership. He also served in senior roles at White Cup, SunGard, ORACLE Corporation, MapInfo and Computer Associates, among others. Owen earned a bachelors degree in mathematics and computer science from Boston College and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

I am thrilled to be joining RightHand Robotics as the next CEO and incredibly proud for the opportunity to build on eight years of progress that the team has accomplished, said Owen. The companys piece-picking technology is in high demand in the market and I look forward to working with this amazing team to continue that momentum to grow the company worldwide. Ive led six companies through various stages of growth and execution and have the scar tissue resulting from the many successes and lessons experienced along the way. I plan to apply that knowledge to this role and carry on the companys mission and vision of owning the pick in the supply chain so humans dont have to.

Tenzer will remain in the company as Chairman to work with the management team on GTM strategy and business development.

Since the companys $66 million Series C financing , RightHand Robotics has seen major developments in its business and made significant global moves. The company launched its Partner Integrator program , resulting in recent collaborations with leading players like Vanderlande and AutoStore integrator Asetec . RightHand Robotics also solidified its automated piece-picking leadership in the growing online pharmacy market with a new pharma customer, Apotea . See how the companys RightPick 3 system is automating picking in multiple workflows for the customer in the video here .

With more growth to come and ambitious plans for the future, RightHand Robotics is ready for this natural next corporate step. To learn more about the company and its executive transition, visit the RightHand Robotics booth N8107 at ProMat 2023 in Chicago, Illinois, from March 20-23, 2023. You can also visit the RightHand Robotics website to learn more.

About RightHand Robotics

RightHand Robotics builds a data-driven intelligent picking platform, providing flexible and scalable automation for predictable order fulfillment. RightPick 3, their robotic piece-picking solution, enables retailers to rise up to meet the new realities of online commerce. RightHand Robotics was founded in 2015 by a DARPA challenge-winning team from the Harvard Biorobotics Lab, the Yale GRAB Lab, and MIT, intent on bringing grasping intelligence powered by computer vision and applied machine learning to bear on real-world problems. The company is based in Somerville, Mass., outside of Boston. For more information, visit www.righthandrobotics.com/ or follow the company @RHRobotics .

Press Contact:

Gilmarie Perea-Ruiz

Trevi Communications for RightHand Robotics

media@righthandrobotics.com

+1-978-750-0333 x.107

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4972f122-5cd0-4fe9-aad8-f60fddf2939b

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e7502dc6-49a2-4a03-a968-a0ae5f49cb33
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Thunderbird Field II Veterans Memorial, Inc. (Tbird2") announced a 2023 Aviation Scholarship has been awarded to Cintia Cantor Navas, a Chandler-Gilbert Community College (a Maricopa Community College) student earning an Associate Degree in Applied Science in Airway Science Technology with Flight Emphasis. Tbird2 is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of aviation in Scottsdale, Arizona, honoring all military veterans, creating unique educational opportunities for Arizona students studying all aspects of aviation, and supporting Dogs4Vets.





While serving in the United States Marine Corps, Cintia worked as an air traffic controller in the U.S. and was also deployed to Japan. After being honorably discharged as a Sergeant, she decided to continue her career in aviation. She is studying to complete her degree in Airway Science Technology while working as a flight dispatcher for the University of North Dakota (UND) Aerospace Foundation training center in Mesa, AZ. She has already completed her instrument rating and is currently working on her commercial rating. Upon graduation, Cintia will be a certified flight instructor and anticipates enrolling at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University or UND to earn her bachelors degree. This would allow her a chance to join one of the military reserves as an aviator and still pursue a career as a pilot in the airlines.

Our partnership with the Thunderbird Field II Veterans Memorial Aviation Scholarship Program is a shining example of the first-class programs that are offered at our colleges, helping to turn dreams into reality," said Brian Spicker, President and CEO of the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation. "The Foundation congratulates scholarship recipient Cintia Cantor Navas and looks forward to watching her succeed on her educational journey.

Rudy R. Miller, Chairman of the Advisory Board and Scholarship Committee, commented, Our organization is extremely pleased with our working relationship with Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation, their leadership, and staff members. We also want to honor the quality and commitment of the aviation program developed by Chandler-Gilbert Community College, its instructors, and the administrative team.

Miller concluded, Cintia is a stellar recipient of this prestigious Tbird2 aviation scholarship. She is also the first female veteran to be honored by our organization to date. She is a strong-minded, bright, hard-working individual who will inspire other veteran as well as non-veteran women to pursue careers in aviation.

Stephen P. Ziomek, Chairman and President of Tbird2, stated, I and the entire Tbird2 organization are proud to award this scholarship to such a worthy individual. Cintia has demonstrated the skill and drive it takes to succeed at any endeavor, and we are confident she will continue to have ongoing personal and professional successes.

About Thunderbird Field II Veterans Memorial, Inc.

Thunderbird Field II Veterans Memorial, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 2014 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. During World War II, an airfield named Thunderbird Field II was built for the sole purpose of training U.S. Army Air Corps pilots in 1942. Thunderbird Field II graduated over 5,500 men and women pilots, many of whom saw military action in Europe and the Pacific. The field and school were deactivated on October 16, 1944, sold to Arizona State Teachers College (ASU), then to the Arizona Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and finally to the City of Scottsdale in 1966 and is now known as Scottsdale Airport (SDL). Tbird2 has a permanent memorial at the entrance of the Scottsdale Airport, located at 15000 N. Airport Drive, Scottsdale, AZ, which includes a hanging Boeing-Stearman PT-17 and a historical display inside the facilities honoring the service of men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces as well as POW-MIAs.

The Aviation Scholarship Program provides scholarships to veteran and non-veteran Arizona resident students who meet specific criteria and are attending Arizona State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Cochise College, Pima Community College, or Yavapai College. For more information, please visit www.tbird2.org.

About Dogs4Vets

American Service Animal Society, dba Dogs4Vets, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to enabling disabled veterans live a more productive life through the use of service animals. Dogs4Vets offers lifetime support and service dog training for over 100 Arizona veterans each year, at no cost to the veteran.

Contacts:

Stephen P. Ziomek

Chairman & President

ziomek.steve@gmail.com

480.664.6604 Contact:

Amy Tupay

Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator

Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation

amy.tupay@domail.maricopa.edu

480.731.8410

Rudy R. Miller

Chairman, Advisory Board & Scholarship Committee

rrmiller@themillergroup.net

602.225.0505

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ae8bcce4-a875-416d-adbf-f747f048f9b8



https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1f522d3f-603f-49ba-849c-b494ff5c8012
New York, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market size is projected to reach a valuation of USD 65.2 billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 5.3%, from USD 39.4 billion in 2022. Market growth will be driven by the increased preference for take-out food and rapid expansion of the market by consumers over the forecast period. Market growth will be supported by technological advances and increasing regulatory pressures. The market for commercial refrigeration equipment is driven by the increasing demand for refrigeration in grocery shops, increased imports, and growth in the food & beverage sector, as well as an increase in the number of restaurants & hotels in the region.

Get additional highlights on major revenue-generating segments, Request a global commercial refrigeration equipment market sample report at https://market.us/report/commercial-refrigeration-and-freezing-equipment-market/request-sample/

Key Takeaway:

By Products, 2022, the Refrigerators & Freezers segment has generated the highest revenue in the Global Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market share in 2022.

By Application, the Food & Beverages Retail segment is dominating the market and it is growing at a significant rate over the forecast period 2023 to 2032.

In 2022, North America Region dominated the market with the highest revenue share of 31%.

APAC Region has held the second position in revenue share in 2022.

Europe will grow at a significant rate from 2023-2032.

Consumers demand for frozen and chilled products has increased due to alterations in lifestyles and quick urbanization. The organized retail sector has seen a rapid rise, including more hypermarkets and supermarkets, which has improved overall sales for commercial refrigerators, driving the market growth.

However, the high cost of installation for commercial refrigerators and the decrease in replacement rates for commercial refrigeration equipment are hindering market growth. On the other hand, advancements in technology and the rise in the number of quick-service restaurants are likely to generate various opportunities for market growth.

Factors affecting the growth of the Commercial Refrigeration Equipment industry

Several factors can affect the growth of the Commercial Refrigeration Equipment industry. Some of these factors include:

Shifting Consumer Preferences: The commercial refrigeration equipment market continues to evolve due to shifting consumer tastes and demands.

The commercial refrigeration equipment market continues to evolve due to shifting consumer tastes and demands. Growing Food Production: As food production increases, there is an increasing need for better storage and refrigeration solutions - ultimately driving growth in this market.

As food production increases, there is an increasing need for better storage and refrigeration solutions - ultimately driving growth in this market. Technological Advancements: The refrigeration sector has seen an improvement in performance due to the implementation of automated systems, leading to reduced operational costs and greater productivity.

The refrigeration sector has seen an improvement in performance due to the implementation of automated systems, leading to reduced operational costs and greater productivity. Rise in Establishments: The commercial refrigeration equipment industry is experiencing rapid growth due to an increasing need for refrigeration systems in an increasing number of establishments, as food storage and preservation become more critical than ever before.

The commercial refrigeration equipment industry is experiencing rapid growth due to an increasing need for refrigeration systems in an increasing number of establishments, as food storage and preservation become more critical than ever before. Significant Investments in Research and Development: Businesses are investing heavily in R&D to develop cutting-edge refrigeration systems, which is helping the commercial refrigeration equipment industry expand its market share.

To understand how our report can bring a difference to your business strategy, Inquire about a brochure at https://market.us/report/commercial-refrigeration-and-freezing-equipment-market/#inquiry

Top Trends in Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market

The growth of the food and beverage processing industry in developing countries is expected to contribute to the increase in the market share of commercial refrigeration equipment over the forecast period. The food and beverage processing industry is a large sector, with around 90% of produced foods being processed in developed countries. Consumer demands for convenience and processed meat products have been on the rise due to busy lifestyles and changing habits.

Factors that are driving the growth of the commercial refrigeration equipment industry include the expansion of the hospitality sector, the increased popularity of dining out, the expansion of consumer good retail chains, improvements and advancements in magnetic refrigeration systems, evolving technologies, the rise in international food trade that requires refrigeration for processed foods, seafood, frozen foods, changing food habits, the growth in the number of supermarkets, specialty food stores, and hypermarkets.

Market Growth

Over the past few years, the market for commercial refrigeration equipment has seen steady growth as businesses strive to maximize efficiency and cut costs. This trend created a demand for suppliers of these products and services, enabling businesses to utilize refrigerated trucks, warehouses, and other facilities to keep food fresh while getting value out of their money. Furthermore, end-users in this global commercial refrigeration equipment market can satisfy legal obligations like meeting food safety standards by using these items and services.

Regional Analysis

Over the forecast period, the North American Commercial refrigeration Equipment market is projected to remain dominant due to its already established retail sector and increasing adoption of smart equipment in commercial kitchens. Meanwhile, the Asia Pacific region is anticipated to experience significant growth driven by rising consumer demand, stable employment levels, and increasing gross spendable income. Furthermore, rising tourism industries in countries like Singapore and Indonesia as well as vaccine storage units in biopharmaceutical companies and research institutions will all contribute to this region's market expansion.

Competitive Landscape

Market leaders have been able to develop and release new, enhanced products in response to the increasing adoption of sustainable technology equipment in order to remain ahead of consumer demand.

These major players, including Emerson Electric Co., Carrier Corporation, GEA Group, Haier Electronics Group Co., Ltd., Fujimak Corporation, DAIKIN Industries Ltd., Hussman Corporation, Hoshizaki Corporation, and JOHNSON CONTROLS are planning on carrying out strategic initiatives such as collaborations, expansions, mergers & acquisitions to increase their share in the market.

Whirlpool Corporation of Ohio has announced an investment of US$65 million over five years to transform their Ottawa factory into North America's premium refrigerator factory. Through this strategic initiative, Whirlpool plans on increasing capacity at this plant by producing high-end refrigeration products such as Built-In refrigerators (BIR).

Report Attribute Details Market Value (2022) USD 39.4 Billion Market Size (2032) USD 65.2 Billion CAGR (from 2023 to 2032) 5.3% North America Revenue Share 31% Historic Period 2016 to 2022 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2032

Market Drivers

In this market, products for automated or smart refrigeration control are gaining a lot of traction. Commercial refrigerators with ENERGY STAR certifications consume 1.89 kWh of energy per day, according to the Federal Energy Management Program. On the other hand, less energy-efficient refrigerators consume approximately 4.44 kWh per hour. In response to the growing demand for commercial refrigerators that conserve energy, market participants are developing inventive designs.

Market Restraints

Concerns about the climate, such as ozone depletion and global warming caused by high GWP refrigerants, have presented challenges to manufacturers. Due to the rising demand for technologies that can combat hazardous gas emissions, market participants are now urging their customers to invest in cutting-edge magnetic refrigeration systems. Both operational costs and energy efficiency are improved by these systems. The US Department of Energy's statistics shows that these systems are energy efficient and can save up to 30% on energy costs.

Market Opportunities

In order to maintain a competitive edge, numerous leading manufacturers are now focusing on their R&D efforts on product design and temperature control. Due to the growing need to control and monitor commercial kitchen environments, industry players are anticipated to take advantage of numerous growth opportunities in the future.

The market is gaining a lot of traction with products that have refrigeration controls that are automated or smart. Because they are less expensive and better for the environment, there is an increasing demand for commercial refrigerators that use less energy. Which results in encouraging the market participants to develop new designs.

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Report Segmentation of the Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market

Product Insight

In the commercial refrigeration equipment market, the refrigerators and freezers segment held the maximum revenue share. This is because there have been more restaurants and food stalls opened as a result of the global expansion of the travel and tourism industry. Blast chillers, which are mostly used for quick freezing or cooling of items at lower temperatures and stopping the growth of bacteria in the stored item, are also covered in this segment. Additionally, the widespread use of chillers by healthcare professionals for the storage of vaccine tissue samples, controlled tests, and critical medicines is contributing to the expansion of the market.

Due to the increased use of medium-capacity beverage coolers by vacationers and travelers, the beverage refrigeration market is anticipated to grow at a significant rate over the forecast period. In addition, it is anticipated that the demand for beverage refrigeration equipment will rise in the coming years as a result of the emerging retail chain trend of "grab and go" and "sip and shop," both of which aim to provide customers with a better shopping experience.

Application Insight

This market segment will grow due to ongoing improvements in cold channel logistics. These are used to transport temperature-sensitive goods. In addition, business expansion is aided by the rising demand for high-end temperature-controlled refrigerators for use in a variety of transportation vehicles for the dependable distribution of beverages, alcoholic beverages, biopharmaceuticals, fish, and other perishable goods. This segment will also continue to grow due to its appeal to capital-intensive clients in the food and beverage distribution segment.

In 2022, 33.0% of the market's total revenues came from the food service industry. This large revenue share can be attributed to the growing trend of food trucks and quick-service restaurants within the food service industry.

According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), there will be over one million restaurants in the United States by 2020. FSRs, QSRs, bars and taverns can all be examples. High demand is for refrigeration equipment. Due to the growth of many well-known food and beverage chains such as Subway IP LLC, Starbucks Coffee Company, and McDonald's, this demand will rise even more.

System Type Analysis

Due to higher product demand, the self-contained segment made up 85% of the commercial refrigeration equipment market share in 2022. This is due to increasing product demand. According to the Environmental Agency, around 25% of HFC emissions are caused by self-contained commercial refrigeration systems. Manufacturers are required to replace R404A refrigerant due to strict HFC emission laws.

This can reduce the Global Warming Potential of refrigeration equipment by around 70%. Commercial refrigeration equipment sales will increase by over 4% annually between 2023 and 2032. As small-sized restaurants and cafeterias use refrigerators, their heat output will decrease. Because the compressor unit is outside the kitchen, these refrigerators are quieter than self-contained units. However, they are less efficient in terms of energy and require professional installation. This adds to their already high price.

Capacity Analysis

The 50 cu. Ft. to 100 cu. The ft. segment accounted for a significant position in the overall market revenue in 2022, due to the proliferation of specialty food stores, supermarkets, and hypermarkets worldwide. Furthermore, the rapid adoption of commercial reach-in refrigerators with a capacity of 50 to 75 cu. Ft. is driving the growth of the segment. This has prompted manufacturers to provide turn-key solutions that can cater to changing consumer needs. Additionally, the less than 50 cu. The ft. segment also recorded a substantial market share in 2022, owing to the growing requirement for refrigeration equipment suited for applications such as cold channel logistics and food service.

Recent Development of the Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Market

Carrier Commercial Refrigeration installed PowerCO2OL refrigeration devices at a COVID-19 Spanish vaccination storage facility in January 2022. The system uses carbon dioxide as a natural refrigerant. It is a low-temperature refrigerant that can be used to preserve Spanish vaccines.

November 2021: Beijer Ref will continue to partner with Embrico. Beijer Ref will continue to work on the development of Comercial Refrigeration with this agreement.

For more insights on the historical and Forecast market data from 2016 to 2032 - download a sample report at https://market.us/report/commercial-refrigeration-and-freezing-equipment-market/request-sample/

Market Segmentation

By Product

Transportation Refrigeration Equipment

Refrigerators & Freezers

Beverage Refrigeration

Display Showcases

Ice Merchandisers & Ice Vending Equipment

Other Products

By Application

Food Service

Food & Beverage Retail

Other Applications

By System Type

Self-Contained

Remotely Operated

By Capacity

Less than 50 Cu. Ft.

50 to 100 Cu. Ft.

More than 100 Cu. Ft.

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

AB Electrolux

Carrier Commercial Refrigeration

Daikin Industries Ltd.

Dover Corporation

Hussmann Corporation

UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION

Johnson Controls International Plc

AHT Cooling Systems GmbH

Carrier Corporation

Standex International Corporation

GEA Group AG

Lennox International Inc.

Emerson Electric Co.

Fujimak Corporation

Haier Electronics Group Co., Ltd

DAIKIN Industries, Ltd.

Excellence Industries

Imbera

Zero Zone Inc.

Ojeda Usa Inc.

Other Key Players

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MONTREAL, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lynx Air (Lynx), today announced the addition of Montreal to its network from June 5, 2023, taking the total number of North American destinations served by Lynx to fifteen.



Canadas new ultra-affordable airline will operate services from Montreal  Trudeau International Airport (YUL) to both Calgary International Airport (YYC) and St. Johns International Airport (YYT). Frequencies range from 2 to 4 services a week, depending on the market.

Tickets go on sale today, and Lynx is launching a limited-time seat sale with up to 50 per cent off all base fares to and from Montreal. The sale will run from 8:00 AM EDT on March 08, 2023, and end at 11:59 PM EDT on March 10, 2023, and is accessible with promo code: MONTREAL. Fares are truly ultra-affordable, starting from $59* one way, including taxes and fees. For complete details, and to book an ultra-affordable fare, visit FlyLynx.com.





A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/09d9974f-ed83-418f-9c2a-5c590823012d

"We are delighted to be adding the vibrant city of Montreal to the Lynx Air network in the lead up to summer. While Montreal is a very popular destination, it is currently under-served by low-cost carriers, and Lynx aims to change that, said Merren McArthur, CEO of Lynx. We are pleased to offer an ultra-affordable option to connect Montreal and Quebec to the rest of Canada. Whether you are traveling to wander the cobblestone streets of Vieux-Montreal; to explore the iconic Notre-Dame Basilica; or to visit your loved ones, Lynx will ensure a great flying experience at an ultra-affordable price.

"ADM Aeroports de Montreal is very pleased to welcome Lynx Air to YUL for the first time. The announcement of these direct flights to Calgary and St. Johns is a great contribution to the development of domestic air services at YUL. ADM is always looking for ways to offer our passengers the best possible service for both business and leisure travellers, and Lynx Air will certainly enhance the domestic flight options from Montreal, said Stephane Lapierre, Vice President, Airport Operations and Air Services Development, ADM.

We are thrilled with the expansion of Lynx Airs service out of St. Johns, said Lisa Bragg, Director of Business Development and Marketing with the St. Johns International Airport Authority. This new Lynx route from St. Johns to Montreal and onward to Calgary further enhances our passenger choices in flying and reinforces the partnership we are building with Lynx.

The addition of Montreal to Lynx Airs route offerings out of YYC showcases the success it has seen in its YYC operations. We are thrilled with the success our collaboration has had over the last year and look forward to continuing to support Lynxs growth and expansion in the years to come, said Carmelle Hunka, Vice President, External Affairs, ESG, Enterprise Risk & General Counsel for The Calgary Airport Authority.

* Available for a limited time; restrictions apply.

About Lynx Air

Lynx Air (Lynx), Canada's leading ultra-low-cost airline, is on a mission to make air travel accessible to all, with ultra-affordable fares and a customer-focused flying experience. The airline was recently awarded Youngest Fleet in North America by ch-aviation. Lynx operates a brand-new fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, bringing an elevated customer experience to low-cost travel in Canada. These ultra-efficient and reliable aircraft reduce Lynxs carbon footprint, making Lynx one of Canadas most sustainable airlines. Lynx is a privately owned Canadian airline with the financial backing and industry expertise required to transform the Canadian aviation landscape.

Visit FlyLynx.com or connect with Lynx on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to learn more.

Media contact:

Rose Bolton

Director, PR and Communications

Rose.bolton@lynxair.com

403-648-2800 ext. 2110

FlyLynx.com
YYC, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As technology companies make massive cuts (beginning in 2022 and into 2023), research shows women and people of colour are losing their jobs disproportionately. According to Layoffs.FYI and 365 Data Science, an estimated 56 per cent of those let go in the recent wave of tech sector downsizing are women; even more alarming when one considers that two-thirds of the tech workforce consists of men, meaning this further impacts the gender gap in the sector.

Taking into account that women hold less than 25 per cent of technology roles to begin with, this is a devastating trend, says Chic Geek Founder and Executive Director Kylie Woods.



Chic Geek will host a number of Canadian-based tech companies, organizations and individuals in March at the ConnectHer, Women in Tech Summit to combat this trend.



In the last few years, weve seen companies investing in equity, diversity and inclusion work. Now is the time to commit to that work, not let it slide, or we risk losing the progress weve made, adds Woods.

The Summit:

Chic Geek, an organization with over a decade of experience supporting women in technology and STEM fields through programming for individuals and businesses, will host the SOLD OUT ConnectHer Summit on March 21, 2023, at TELUS Spark Science Centre. This event is funded through federal support from PrairiesCan in addition to the Province of Alberta working in partnership with the Government of Canada to provide employment support programs and services.

Were proud to support the ConnectHer: Women in Tech Summit initiative led by Chic Geek as it creates opportunities for Albertans to succeed in the workplace and supports our province to build an increasingly diverse workforce and economy, says The Honourable Brian Jean, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development.

Organizations focused on diversity and equity will be in attendance, including technology companies and their leadership teams, female-focused technology startups, women in technology advocacy businesses, investors and venture capital general partners, as well as individual women in technology careers.

What better way to open the dialogue up and work together in positivity to address these staggering statistics than by gathering together in the spirit of International Womens Day 2023, a movement that encourages us globally to #EmbraceEquity, Woods says.

Why ConnectHer?

With a focus on #EmbracingEquity, the more than 250 ConnectHer attendees will have opportunities to participate in discussions and workshops designed to promote DEI while building meaningful connections and finding inspiration and guidance in their careers as well as a community of support.

EDI expert speakers from Calgary-based GEDI Hub (Gateway to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Hub) will provide valuable insights, tangible and practical strategies for integrating EDI for businesses and individuals, and keynote speaker Shannon Pestun, co-founder of the Finance Cafe, one of Canadas respected finance consultants, voices on womens entrepreneurship and advocates for Indigenous economic prosperity will speak to workplace equality, sharing her personal experience around self-advocacy, as well as top tips for women to effectively advocate for themselves at work.

Investing in building capacity and knowledge in workplace EDI is a tangible and proven way to futureproof your workplace and your businesss overall success in the future, says Sean McEwen, Director of the GEDI Hub. Employers and workplaces need to build those skills now to attract and retain talent, especially as our workforce demographics continue to and are set to shift significantly over the next 10 years. This event will provide some of these strategies and best practices that attendees can utilize right away.



Industry, startup and investment sector

Partnering technology companies and senior teams across Western Canada (including Helcim, CISCO Secure, and IncluCity) in attendance will host tables where they will actively speak to and participate in open discussion and workshopping with women in roles, including Product Management, Software Development, Data Science and Engineering, UI and UX, Engineering, IT and more including adjacent roles such as marketing and sales.

Creating a pathway for diverse tech teams and ensuring more women feel supported to join and stay in the tech industry is a very important part of the culture at Helcim, says Margorie Juno-Read, Helcim CFO.

Helcim, a long-time Chic Geek partner and supporter, launched a fundraising t-shirt in celebration of International Womens Day. The t-shirt was designed by Gina Gong and depicts a fierce lioness surrounded by binary code to symbolize the strength of diverse teams. Proceeds from sales go directly to Chic Geek to support the mission of attracting more women into technology roles and can be pre-ordered online Here.

This support and involvement from Helcim, as well as many individuals and groups across Canada, especially lead by those in Alberta, is a symbol of what this region is made of and illustrates that Calgarys tech companies, founders and individual women in tech careers are coming together to address the ongoing challenges our sector faces around diversity and inclusion, Woods says.

For attendees who snapped up the sold-out tickets, such as Meredith Wasney, founder of Rallie, a cryptocurrency and Web3 finance learning platform that focuses on empowering women financially in the crypto economy, ConnectHer is a catalyst for women in the sector and building community.

At Rallie, were on a mission to get more women learning about and investing in the crypto-economy. Cryptocurrency literacy and empowerment is a key part in making sure underrepresented communities do not get left behind in the crypto and Web3 revolution, Wasney says. ConnectHer is an important summit to help shed light on the systemic issues our sector faces and a chance for us to rally together and explore.

Danielle Brewin Graham, Co-founder of the Firehood and General Partner of Phoenix Fire, one of Canadas first female General Partners in Venture Capital focused on early-stage women-led startups, Indigenous representation, as well as BIPOC founders and investors, will speak at ConnectHer about the challenges as well as positive traction women and people of colour are making in both private investment and startup ecosystems.

The ConnectHer Summit is an amazing example of whats happening in Alberta and a showing of grassroots and industry groups who are leading in addressing the inequality in technology for founders, investors, and companies alike, says Graham, who, as a first-time fund manager, raised capital focused on women in tech, with all investors and investees being women, and over 50% women of colour.

No one thought we could do it across Canada. They thought women investors with this much experience didnt exist. Not the sector, the other VCs or even many of the startup founders. We proved them wrong ... we proved ourselves right. Women in technology matter now more than ever, and when an event such as ConnectHer sells out in Calgary, this sends an important message to the world that we arent going anywhere.

ConnectHer evening event will include sponsors Gateway to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Hub, CISCO Secure, Helcim, Toast, the Government of Alberta, in-kind sponsors Badass Creative, Start Me Up Public Relations and Willow Park Wines and Spirits. This event is supported by The Province of Alberta working in partnership with the Government of Canada to provide employment support programs and services.

With a focus on #EmbracingEquity, ConnectHer is not only about learning and networking, but also about taking action to create a more inclusive and equitable tech sector. All gender identities are welcome

Tickets are sold out; partner tables are still available through thechicgeek.ca.

Media assets (photos, logos and backgrounder) located HERE

 30 



Media contact:

THERESA TAYLER

Owner & Founder, Start Me UP PR

...speak your truth, OWN your story

THERESATAYLER@STARTMEUPPR.COM

+1 403 818 9689

https://www.startmeuppr.com/





About Chic Geek

Chic Geek is an organization committed to building gender diversity in technology. Chic Geek curates people, content and companies to build a supportive community where women techbuilders can advance their careers. Its Career Pathing initiative is designed to help women in technology build strategic networks and achieve greater career visibility. Learn more at thechicgeek.ca.

About GEDI Hub

The Gateway to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) Hub is Albertas first and only workplace Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion hub. Their province-wide, virtual resource center is a one-stop-shop in helping Alberta workplaces begin and continue to build their EDI capacity and knowledge. GEDI Hub offers a variety of EDI learning opportunities and services free of charge, such as customized workplace consulting, workshops, strategy, resources and more. Proudly funded by the Government of Canada, the GEDI Hub is proud to offer these services free of charge to Alberta workplaces. https://gatewaytodiversity.ca/

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TORONTO, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, in honour of International Womens Day, Sunwing celebrated the departure of three Sunwing Airlines flights that took off for sunny destinations from Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg, each with an all-female flight deck and cabin crew. Operated and organized by a primarily female-led team across multiple functions, including airport staff, dispatch, scheduling and more, today's events were driven by the epic women of Sunwing who were also on site to capture every memorable moment.

Leading the charge above the clouds today were Captain Michelle Chiasson and First Officer Jessalyn Teed who flew from Toronto to Holguin, Captain Kelly Koprajda and First Officer Cara Kirkwood who flew from Montreal to Holguin, and Captain Jessica Kessler and First Officer Siobhan OHanlon who flew from Winnipeg to Cancun. Sunwing takes great pride in its thoughtful approach to the customers travel journey with safety being at the forefront, and employs thousands of women across sales and reservations agents, flight operations, dispatch, maintenance, ramp agents, in-destination support services and more, who are there every step of way.

An advocate for womens empowerment and a driving force in the airlines recruitment strategy, First Officer Jessalyn Teed, who was a leading voice and participant in todays events alongside First Officer Siobhan OHanlon, commented on the occasion: Im grateful to have had the opportunity to work with so many amazing women to bring this day together, and the support weve received has been nothing short of inspiring. I believe this day and todays events are about celebrating representation, the representation of women in roles that we traditionally know to be male-dominated, and it could not be done without the continued support of our leadership and colleagues embracing equity alongside us. May this day be one where we celebrate the women who lead us, walk beside us, cheer us on in our success and sit with us through our challenges.

I am so proud to lead a team of passionate and customer-centric people devoted to making vacation dreams come true, and Im thrilled to celebrate our incredible teams who have made todays female-led flights to the tropics a moment to remember, adds Len Corrado, President of Sunwing Airlines. Sunwing women challenge the status quo, break down barriers and are taking the travel industry by storm in all facets, and as we continue to grow to support the increasing demand for travel, ensuring were building a team that champions gender equality and embraces equity at every step is very important.

Sunwing Travel Group continues to honour International Womens Day by engaging in honest and thought-provoking conversations with employees through its Brave Space Conversation series, and highlighting inspiring women from across its businesses who are a voice for change.

For more information or to book an upcoming getaway with Sunwing, visit www.sunwing.ca or contact a travel agent for the latest travel deals in destination.

About Sunwing

The largest integrated travel company in North America, Sunwing has more flights to the south than any other leisure carrier with convenient direct service from airports across Canada to popular sun destinations across the U.S.A., Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. This scale enables Sunwing to offer customers exclusive deals at top-rated resorts in the most popular vacation destinations as well as cruise packages and seasonal domestic flight service. Sunwing customers benefit from the assistance of the companys own knowledgeable destination representatives, who greet them upon arrival and support them throughout their vacation journey. The company supports the communities where it operates through the Sunwing Foundation, a charitable initiative focused on the support and development of youth and humanitarian aid.

For more information:

Melanie Anne Filipp

Senior Director, Corporate Communications & Media Relations

Sunwing Travel Group

1-800-387-5602 | media@sunwing.ca

Photo accompanying this announcement are available at

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/317acd7f-f4c2-4136-a64f-a239bf3275c1

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a47d617b-a375-421a-9d67-5852175c95c5

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b39bd14b-da75-4fca-864a-111c91359aa6
#IWD: Abena Amoah among 20 global women of influence

Maxwell Akalaare Adombila Business News Mar - 08 - 2023 , 16:46

The Managing Director of the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE), Abena Amoah, has been named as one of the 20 distinguished and influential women leaders in 2023.

The World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) and central counterparties (CCPs) named Ms Amoah in the groups top 20 talented existing and future leaders list that was released yesterday.

A statement from the WFE indicated that the list included the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the London Stock Exchange Group (LCH Ltd,), Isabelle Girolami; the Executive President & CEO, Latin American Stock Exchange (Taltenix), Olga Cantillo; the Co-Chief Operating Officer of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, Bonnie Y Chan; and the Chief Executive Officer of the JSE Clear and Director, Post Trade Services of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), Alicia Greenwood.

Ms Amoah is the only person from Ghana on the list. She was appointed MD of the GSE in November, making her the first female to occupy that position in the more than three-decade life of the exchange.

Womens day

The list was released to mark this years International Womens Day celebration, which is celebrated across the world o every March.

The annual publication of the top 50 women leaders forms part of the associations Women Leadership Initiative, it said in the statement published don its website.

2023 List

A global industry association for exchanges and clearing houses, the WFE said in the statement that its Women Leaders initiative aimed to shine the spotlight on some of the talented and gifted women in its industry of operation.

The industry initiative drew more than 50 senior nominations from every corner of the world as the WFEs global membership put forward their talented existing, and future, leaders.

From the total pool of nominations, 20 women were chosen by the WFE Selection Committee, themselves a distinguished group of industry leaders, the statement said.

The Chief Executive Officer of the WFE, Nandini Sukumar, said all the nominees were tremendous leaders who were inspirational, intelligent, and hardworking with perseverance and grit.

They reflect lives of substance. To those who made the list this year, well done. The choices were the toughest ones yet, and those who did not make the final cut  do not be deterred.

Come forward again next year, she said.

She said all women carried a message of hope for those who were rising now and those who will come after them.

And all carry a message of gratitude for their mentors, often male as well as female, that should inspire those who have already made it," the CEO of the WFE said.

Profile of Ms Amoah

Ms Amoah, who joined the exchange as Deputy Managing Director on August 1, 2020, has been in the capital market industry over the past 24 years and is highly respected for her technical knowledge, business acumen, outstanding professionalism and integrity.

Her experience covers stock market listings and trading, mergers and acquisitions advisory, investment research, asset management, private placement of equity, debt and hybrid instruments, large infrastructure project development, business start-ups and incubation, public education on investment and financial matters, and capital markets development.

She has previously worked with the BlackIvy Group LLC; Renaissance Group, where she was CEO of NewWorld Renaissance Securities Ltd and Head of Investment Banking & Finance in West Africa (ex-Nigeria) for Renaissance Capital; and Strategic African Securities Ltd, where she was Executive Director.

She is an alumna of the University of Ghana Business School.

She has also undertaken academic and leadership studies at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Harvard Business School and the University of Denvers Daniels College of Business.
Ashaiman operation was sanctioned by Military High Command, 184 suspects in custody

Enoch Darfah Frimpong Mar - 08 - 2023 , 06:19

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has explained that Tuesdays operation at Ashaiman following the killing of a soldier, 21-year-old Sherrif Imoro was sanctioned by the Military High Command.

In a statement issued Wednesday (Mar 8, 2023) dawn, the GAF said the motive was not to avenge the killing of the soldier but rather to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

Following the operations at Ashaiman-Taifa and Tulaku in the Greater Accra Region, the military personnel picked up about 184 suspects aged between 21 and 47 years old and have since handed them over to the Military Police and subsequently to be sent to the Ghana Police Service for screening and for further action, the GAF said in the statement.

One of the victims of the Ashaiman military operation, which was sanctioned by GAF high command and 184 suspects in custody

During the course of the swoop, the personnel seized 29 slabs and 57 mini slabs of suspected indian hemp and amnesia among other forms of the narcotics, the statement from the GAF signed by Brigadier General E. Aggrey-Quashie, Director General of Public Relations of the GAF said.

Ashaiman operation was sanctioned by GAF high command, 184 suspects in custody https://t.co/XzpUd5YXbu pic.twitter.com/OhG0MwznDL  GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) March 8, 2023

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) also wishes to place on record that the swoop was not targeted at innocent civilians but was an intelligenceled operation conducted on suspected hideouts of criminals and crime-prone areas in the general area, he added.

GAF however acknowledges that regrettably some innocent persons might have been caught up in the operation and consequently suffered some distress due to the location they found themselves at the time, it added.

GAF accordingly wishes to urge the general public to provide useful information, support the security agencies in weeding out criminals and miscreants from our communities and to desist from shielding and conniving with such suspects in order to curb criminal activities in the country, GAF added.

Ashaiman operation was sanctioned by GAF high command, 184 suspects in custody https://t.co/XzpUd5YXbu pic.twitter.com/2PL5wow7yR  GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) March 8, 2023

Ashaiman operation was sanctioned by GAF high command, 184 suspects in custody https://t.co/XzpUd5YXbu pic.twitter.com/UwjqwmfGr5  GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) March 8, 2023

What happened

The soldier who was allegedly killed by a mob at Ashaiman Taifa last Saturday, has been identified as 21-year-old Sherrif Imoro.

He was a member of the Ghana Armed Forces Band, a trumpeter and was stationed at Sunyani in the Bono Region.

He was in Accra for a military course and in the last three weeks, had been visiting the parents in their home at Ashaiman every Friday.

Last Friday would have been the third time he was going home and was reportedly confronted by a gang who killed him.

The late Sherrif Imoro

Sherrif Imoro

Sherrif Imoro was born at Ashaiman on June 3, 2001, according to his father - Awudu Imoro.

He enrolled in the Ghana Armed Forces in October 2021, was trained at Daboya and was posted to Sunyani after passing out.

According to his father, he had his primary and junior high school education at Ashaiman and senior high school at Akwamuman SHS and completed in 2017.

Slain soldier incident

Last Friday, he was on his way home and there was heavy traffic in the area, so he alighted at Ashaiman Taifa near the court building.

It was around that area that he met his death at the hands of his attackers.

Some reports suggest the gang mistook him to be a robber.

Father's narrative

Explaining the circumstances and giving a brief background about his son, the father, Awudu Imoro said in early January this year, Sherrif phoned his mother and informed the family that he was going to be in Accra in the first week of February for a course.

Sherrif according to the father told them that when he arrived in Accra, he will get the opportunity to visit them in the house on a Friday, and so in the last three weeks, he had been coming home every Friday.

On Tuesday afternoon it came out that more than 72 people had been arrested and taken into custody by the soldiers who stormed Ashaiman Tuesday dawn.

The Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Ernest Henry Norgbey, said he had been informed that the soldiers took the people they arrested away.

The MP said the soldiers after the dawn operation left the area, the soldiers had left but around midday, he received a phone call that another batch of military men had trooped into the Ashaiman constituency.

"Actually I spoke to the police commander and he told me on authority that there are military guys still in the constituency, all over the constituency molesting innocent residents," he said.

He said the constituents were worried about the modus operandi of the military, "because you see armoured cars, you see military vehicles, you see helicopters, which means that this thing has been sanctioned by the higher authority and so everybody is handicapped in this matter.

"So we are just calling on them to call back their men to the barracks because these people that they are molesting, they are innocent people, I'm not sure they know anything about the killing of the military guy," the MP said.

The Ashaiman neighbourhood of Taifa was on Tuesday dawn forced into a self-imposed curfew after some soldiers reportedly stormed the area, following the alleged killing of a soldier over the weekend.

The soldier was reportedly killed by a mob in Ashaiman at the weekend.

Photos and video of the said soldier was shared on social media after the incident.

Some reports said he was attacked and stabbed by a gang. The soldier was reportedly on his way to his family home.

Soldiers reaction

On Tuesday dawn (March 7, 2023), some soldiers numbering not less than 20 stormed the area.

They questioned anyone they came across and reportedly beat them up.

This forced people to lock themselves up in their homes, fearing they will be beaten up by the soldiers.

Some eyewitnesses have recounted their experience on social media.

Some said they saw the soldiers around 2am.

One person said he woke up around 4am to see that the area which was usually busy around that time with many shops opened was still very quiet.

His assumption was that it was as a result of the downpour but when he stepped out, he saw some soldiers on the stretch, there were no vehicles moving.

He saw soldiers approaching so he quickly rushed back into the house and locked the gate.

He said his brother later told him he woke up earlier and saw soldiers beating up some other people.

"My mother owns a shop by the roadside and should have been opened by now but as we speak, all shops are still closed," he said.

He said he saw that vehicles passing by were stopped, male passengers dragged out and beaten up, "you people kill our colleague", some of the soldiers reportedly said.

Another eyewitness said the said soldiers knocked on doors and anybody who came out allegedly received some slaps.

The Assemblyman for the area reportedly sent out a message advising residents to avoid certain routes.

He said he counted not less that 20 armed soldiers on foot, who were

What happened with mob killing of soldier?

The incident of the mob killing of the soldier received varied reactions at the weekend.

Some had alleged that the young soldier was on his way to his home when he was attacked by a gang.

Some had alleged that he was stabbed to death by the mob.

Photos from the incident scene showed the lifeless body of the victim, who was in what seemed to be a torn trousers in military camouflage colours.

His military cap and a white cloth had been used to cover his face. Also, his bag in military camouflage colours was lying close to the body.

The Ghana Police and the Ghana Armed Forces are yet to comment on the incident.

In 2017, a similar incident happened at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region where during a morning health walk, a military officer, Major Maxwell Mahama was killed by a mob.

Below is a copy of the GAF statement

MILITARY CONDUCTS SWOOP AT ASHAIMAN TARGETED AT KILLERS OF YOUNG SOLDIER

Personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) on Tuesday 7 March 2023, conducted a swoop in Ashaiman and its environs in a man-hunt for some criminals, who are suspected to have stabbed and killed a young soldier (Trooper Imoro Sherrif) in the early hours of Saturday 4 March 2023, at Ashaiman-Taifa. Trooper Sherrif, who was stationed in Sunyani, was in Accra on a Course and had sought permission to visit his parents at Ashaiman where he grew up, but was found in a pool of blood in the early hours of Saturday near the Amania Hotel in Ashaiman. GAF wishes to state categorically that the military operation, which was sanctioned by the Military High Command, was NOT to avenge the killing of the soldier but rather to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime. Following the operations at Ashaiman-Taifa and Tulaku, the military personnel picked up about 184 suspects aged between 21 and 47 years old and have since handed them over to the Military Police and subsequently to be sent to the Ghana Police Service for screening and for further action. During the course of the swoop, the personnel seized 29 slabs and 57 mini slabs of suspected indian hemp and amnesia among other forms of the narcotics. The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) also wishes to place on record that the swoop was not targeted at innocent civilians but was an intelligenceled operation conducted on suspected hideouts of criminals and crime-prone areas in the general area. GAF however acknowledges that regrettably some innocent persons might have been caught up in the operation and consequently suffered some distress due to the location they found themselves at the time. GAF accordingly wishes to urge the general public to provide useful information, support the security agencies in weeding out criminals and miscreants from our communities and to desist from shielding and conniving with such suspects in order to the curb criminal activities in the country.

Writer's email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Govt moves to deliver vaccines - Kwaku Agyeman- Manu

Doreen Andoh Mar - 08 - 2023 , 06:40

The government is deploying all efforts and resources to fast-track the delivery of the routine child immunisation vaccines that are in short supply into the country.

Three out of the 13 vaccines used for routine child immunisation have been in short supply since the last quarter of last year.

They are vaccines for Measles-Rubella, Oral Poliomyelitis vaccine (OPD) and Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG), a vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) disease.

The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman- Manu, who gave the assurance at a press briefing in Accra yesterday, said the shortage was purely due to global supply chain disruptions and not because the government owed the Global Vaccine Alliance, GAVI.

He said since June last year till now, the government had paid almost GH72 million to the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation (GAVI).

It is very false for anybody to rumour that the country owes GAVI, resulting in the shortage. We do not owe GAVI, he insisted.

It is true we have had some vaccine shortages in the country since the last quarter of 2022. The vaccines in short supply are BCG, Measles-Rubella (MR), and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV). This shortage is nationwide, Mr Agyeman Manu said.

Context

The ministers assurance yesterday comes after the Daily Graphic in its Thursday, February 23, 2023 edition broke the news about the widespread shortage of some routine childhood immunisation vaccines in the country.

The situation was perceived to have the potential to increase the vulnerability of children to the diseases the vaccines sought to protect them against.

Daily Graphic reporters across the country visited primary healthcare facilities to ascertain the veracity of the situation which was confirmed by caregivers, directors and mothers.

Measures

The minister said the Ministry of Health had been making efforts in collaboration with UNICEF and other partners to ensure that the country secured adequate stocks of vaccines in spite of the global challenge.

The recent shortage in vaccines for measles, as regrettable as it is, is symptomatic of the steady global decline in measles vaccination production since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Agyeman Manu said.

The Ministry of Health has been seriously concerned about the shortage of some childhood vaccines and their effect on the Vaccination Programme in the country. This is a major source of worry for the ministry, partners, caregivers and population, the minister stated.

We are aware of the implications of the shortages, including disease outbreaks, and effects on child survival, he admitted.

He said the government had made all necessary efforts to ensure that in spite of the challenges, the country secured adequate stocks within the next few weeks.



No measles death

Mr Agyeman Manu also explained that there had not been any measles-related deaths as a result of the vaccine shortage.

It is important to correct the erroneous impression that there have been deaths from measles in the country recently. For the avoidance of doubt, there have been no deaths from the recently recorded spike in measles cases.

Indeed there have been no deaths since 2003 though we have recorded cases annually, the Minister of Health stated.

Outbreak

The Ghana Health Service indicated that there had been a total of 153 reported cases of measles with no deaths since the last quarter of 2022 till date.

Mr Agyeman-Manu said the country had achieved a routine child immunisation vaccination coverage of 95 per cent, making it one of the best in West Africa and beyond, a feat he said the government was determined to protect.

The Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) has been a flagship disease control programme in the country and arguably one of the best programmes if not the best in the sub-region with high coverage levels of over 95 per cent, he said.

He added that the country had an established system for forecasting, procuring, supplying and distributing routine vaccines, and monitoring their use.

He said despite this challenge, the countrys immunisation performance coverage remained among the best in the world.

Mr Agyeman Manu indicated that the Ministry of Health would ensure that the government stayed on track with its immunisation record and quickly overcame the bottlenecks.

No cause for alarm

The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, also assured families of eligible children that the GHS would ensure that the children got the vaccines within the required time frame.

He said as usual, a mop-up vaccination would be conducted to ensure all eligible children were covered with their shots.

There is no cause for alarm or anxiety over any consequences the perceived lapse in administration time might cause because there is nothing like that. Vaccines are such that it is only when a required second dose is taken before the required grace period, which is often six weeks, that it would not work.

But any time lapse after the six weeks would virtually have no consequence. It would provide the expected protection its supposed to, the Director-General said.

No delay

Dr Kuma-Aboagye further explained that there was no time lapse because the periods or time allocated for the routine immunisation was specific to the country based on the situation but did not mean that the schedule was the global norm to warrant consequences if not given at those times.

He said every jurisdiction had its own routine for administering childhood vaccines.

However, Dr Kuma-Aboagye said all timeframe and intervals fell within globally accepted spacing of the immunisation.

The GHS Director-General said BCG, for example, the country chose to administer it at birth but it did not mean it could not be given later.

Most people deliver at home and report to health facilities after weeks for these vaccines and when we administer, it provides the needed protection, he explained.

This is why I am asking the public not to worry or be anxious as we work around the clock to rectify the problem, Dr Kuma-Aboagye stated.

Routine vaccination

The country embarks on routine vaccination for babies from birth to 18 months.

Babies at birth are administered with Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG), a vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) disease; Oral polio vaccine (OPV) and hepatitis B.

The next, which follows when the baby is six weeks old, are Oral polio vaccine 1; Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) ( DPT/Hep B/ Hib 1, which are six infectious diseases that are particularly dangerous to babies.

The combined vaccination enables maximum protection to begin as soon as possible after birth.

They are also given Pneumococcal 1 for protection against infections caused by bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae, or pneumococcus.

Pneumococcal infections can range from ear and sinus infections to pneumonia and bloodstream infections.

They are also given vaccination against Rotavirus 1, a very contagious virus that causes diarrhoea.

At 10 weeks, the babies receive Oral polio vaccine 2; DPT/Hep B/ Hib 2; Pneumococcal 2 and Rotavirus 2.

At 14 weeks, they are administered with DPT/Hep B/ Hib 3; Oral polio vaccine 3; Pneumococcal and Inactivated Polio Vaccine.

At nine months, babies are given vaccines against Measles-Rubella 1 and yellow fever and at 18 months they receive inoculation against Measles-Rubella, Meningitis A and also given the Long-Lasting Insecticidal Net (LLIN).

Background

The country effectively introduced childhood immunisation in 1978. It was expanded countrywide in 1985 to expand immunisation coverage among children under the age of one from six per cent to 80 per cent against six diseases: tetanus, pertussis, tuberculosis, diphtheria, poliomyelitis, and measles (now measles rubella).
Ghanas FinTech sector is set to export innovations to world

Graphic.com.gh Mar - 08 - 2023 , 21:04

Ghana FinTech is set to export innovations to world if its key industry stakeholders invest in key capacity needed to harness its collective resources to build its innovativeness across the FinTech ecosystem.

This assertion came to light at the end of a two-day FinTech and innovations workshop organized by Knowledge Innovations a leading digital transformation consultancy firm.

The workshop took place from February 22 to 22, 2023 in Accra and was facilitated by leading experts such as King Carl Tornam Duho of Dataking Research Lab, Julia Asante  Mensah of Innovare, Henry Cobblah of iSolve Africa, Richard Nunekpeku of Sustineri Attorneys and Derrydean Dadzie of DreamOval.

The participants were taken through critical FinTech topics including Financial Technologies (FinTech) and Digital Transformation, Fintech and Innovation: The Ghanaian perspective, Understanding Cybersecurity risks in FinTech, FinTech Key trends and applications, Emerging technologies driving Fintech, Technologies and Innovations driving Fintech, FinTech Legal and Regulatory framework and Innovation strategy: developing your Fintech strategy.

Participants were Ebenezer Kwapong Owusu, Prince Annie, Enoch, Enchill, Eric Manu, Michael Appiah-Kubi, John Oppong, Michael Nartey, Raphael Amaning, Frederick Polley, Ayisha Abdallah,Emmanuel Sarkoh, Emmanuel Dadzie, Christiana Tetteh and Gilbert Worgbah

Speaking at workshop, Dr Kwami Ahiabenu a tech innovation expert and lead trainer at Knowledge Innovation said We are committed to help FinTech industry players to build knowledge and skills in enabling innovative solutions since this is a critical strategy for them to stay competitive, relevant and more importantly serve their customers by solving important problems

As part of the certification process and to test the level of skills and knowledge acquired by participants, the participants took an end of course examination and were awarded a certificate of completion from Global Centre for Fintech Innovations, Canada.

Commenting on the courses, the delighted participants at the end of course said:

The training was relevant and educative. Thanks to the organisers.

The training has alighting me more on cryptocurrency and how the sector should be on my list.

Great training. Very interactive. Keep up the good work.

As a newbie to the fintech industry this training has been very helpful

Training was very relevant to my journey in the FinTech industry

It is great way of keeping Industry players to be aware of latest trends and innovations needed in their line of duty

The 5th FinTech and Innovations training course is scheduled to take place from 19 -20 November 2023.

About Knowledge Innovations

Knowledge Innovations is a leader in the provision of innovative services and products to help solve challenging problems particularly in the areas of Fintech, Financial Services, and digital transformation among others.
I sold River Offin farmland to Aisha for mining - Witness

Justice Agbenorsi Mar - 08 - 2023 , 17:44

THE sixth prosecution witness in the trial of Aisha Huang has testified that he sold his farmland close to River Offin to the accused person for mining.

Being led in evidence by the prosecution led by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, the witness, Peter Amenya, told the trial Court that Aisha Huang, through James Ogbey, informed him and his brother-in-law that he was interested in purchasing the farmland for her mining business.

Aisha then sent a surveyor, whose name I do not know, accompanied by James Ogbey to my farm to take measurements of the land, he said in his evidence-in-chief, which was read in open court yesterday.

Ms Huang has been charged with undertaking a mining operation without a licence, facilitating the participation of persons engaged in a mining operation, the illegal employment of foreigners and entering Ghana while she had been prohibited from re-entry.

Evidence-in-Chief

After negotiating the price, the witness in his testimony said, Mr Ogbey called the accused person and told her about the size of the land and the price they had agreed on.

He further told the court that the two parties agreed on GH 8,000 per an acre of land, adding: She asked Obey to bring us to her mining site which was nearby.

In total, Mr Amenya said he was to be paid GH 22,000 for his two and a half acres of farm.

The accused, he said, gave him an amount of GH1,000 as part payment to show her commitment to the purchase of the farmland, adding that the payment was made through Ogbey.

Two to three weeks after the initial part-payment of GH1,000 to me, Mr Ogbey called me to his house and paid me an additional amount of GH 5,000 on behalf of Aisha with the promise that I would be paid the outstanding balance within a short period.

Prior to the receipt of the GH 5,000, the accused person had cleared everything on my farmland with excavators for mining purposes, he said.

The witness added that he later heard that Huang had been arrested for indulging in illegal mining and had been deported to China.

Mr Amenya, however, added that since the arrest, nobody had come forward to pay the outstanding amount owed him, together with other farmers.

Cross-examination

During cross-examination, counsel for the accused, Miracle Attachey, asked whether all payments regarding the land were made by James Ogbey.

The witness replied in the affirmative.

He also admitted under cross-examination that he dealt with Mr Ogbey throughout the transaction.

Accused

En Huang has been accused of being deeply involved in illegal mining, commonly called galamsey, especially in the Ashanti Region.

She was deported from the country in 2018 after the state decided to discontinue her trial, in which she was accused of engaging in small-scale mining without a licence.

However, she was said to have sneaked back into the country to allegedly engage in the same activities.

The Attorney-General, then, decided to prosecute her for the alleged crimes before her deportation and new ones committed since her return to the country.

It is the case of the prosecution that Huang had an illegal mining concession at Bepotenten in the Amansie West District in the Ashanti Region and also operated a mining support services company.

She has denied the charges levelled against her and has since been remanded in police custody.
Invest more into research - Prof. Awandare to African governments

Emmanuel Bonney & Dickson Worlanyo Dotse Mar - 08 - 2023 , 17:53

The Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana in charge of Students and Academic Affairs, Prof. Gordon Awandare, has charged African governments to put more money into research in order to look at issues affecting the continent so as to provide the requisite solutions to them.

That, he said, was because most of the research done was through support from outside the continent and "if you are going to get money from outside then those who fund the research would have a say in what type of research you should do and where you should publish it and all that".

Prof. Awandare said this in Accra last Monday on the sidelines of the opening of the African Peacebuilding Network (APN) and Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa Publications Writing and Dissemination Workshop.

Organisers

The four-day programme was jointly organised by Centre for Social Policy Studies at the University of Ghana and the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), an independent organisation based in the United States.

The participants came from Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Eritrea, South Sudan, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Prof. Awandre said Africans needed to fund their own research and generate the knowledge required, adding that If somebody funds your research, they would tell you whatever you discover you cant own it, so you have to share it with them.

So we have to fund our own research so that we own the knowledge, he said,

So this is where African governments need to think; dont think about just the next four years/five years or whichever your term of office is.

Lets think about the future, lets think long-term and long-term means research, generation of knowledge, ownership of the knowledge and that is what we need to invest in, he emphasised.

Areas

He said the research could be in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, as well as conflicts with a view to finding solution to them.

Africans, for instance, were in a better position to resolve their conflicts since they understood their culture, belief system and factors that drove them.

Prof. Awandare said knowledge generation was critical if African were to be truly independent and that the significance of their independence could not be fully realised if they could not generate their own knowledge and address their own challenges.

Young scholars

A Lecturer at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana (UG), Prof. Akosua Adomako Ampofo, advised young scholars to be cautious of collaborations when conducting researches.

That, she said, was to ensure the interests of all parties involved in the research are met and to ensure local participants are not short-changed or disadvantaged.

As collaborators in a research, we may have the same interests but differences in angles of approaching it, so can we find a way of working around some of these realities on my grounds so that I will not suffer the consequences, she said.

Prof. Ampofo added,  you need to read the fine print and make sure its something your conscious can live with and that tomorrow, you are not going to have problems with the community you are working with.

She, therefore, urged the scholars to build networks of support and seek out allies who shared similar goals and values as they do when conducting researches.

An Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Social Policy Studies (CSPS) at the University of Ghana, Dr Nana Akua Anyidoho, called for closer working relationship with policy makers in achieving the countrys developmental agenda.

She also noted that Ghana had always been a forerunner and a space for Pan-African intellectuals and activists to gather and share ideas for the betterment of the continent and the black race, adding Dr Kwame Nkrumah started having his own All-Africa Peoples Conference.

Institutions

The Programme Director of the APN, Cyril Obi, said the APN and Next Generation Social Sciences in African was one of the programmes of the SSRC established in 2011 and 2012.

The APN, he said, supported researchers from conflict-affected African countries to produced field-based research and then answer certain questions related to conflict, peace and security with the hope that the knowledge that was produced would help people understand the nature of conflict and peace and help policy makers and practitioners.

On the other hand, he said the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa was a programme that supported doctor of philosophy students on the continent who are researching on issues around development, conflict and peace.

He called for an inter-disciplinarian and geographical collaboration to make their studies richer and reach out to a wider audience.
Ministry launches Public Health Strategic Plan - It addresses worker recruitment, distribution

Doreen Andoh Mar - 08 - 2023 , 18:12

The Ministry of Health has launched a national plan to enhance response to public health emergencies through human resource restructuring.

Known as the Public Health Strategic Plan, the five-year strategy outlines guidelines to address major barriers to responding to public health emergencies such as human resource distribution and recruitment.

Also referred to as the Health Workforce Strategic Plan, it presents a road-map that would guide the restructuring of the human resource of the public health workforce and ensure that the universal health coverage target is fully achieved, using the One Health Concept, by 2030.

It will, among others, guide the equitable recruitment, distribution, progression and possible exit of health workers across all sectors such that the country remains on course in achieving universal health coverage and other global health targets.

Launching the policy in Accra last Thursday, a Deputy Minister of Health, Tina Mensah, said the Health Workforce Strategic Plan was consistent with the country's vision to ensure that Ghanaians enjoyed healthy and productive lives in a healthy environment.

This document will support in addressing some weaknesses in health workforce, particularly recruitment, workforce distribution, staff development, and employee motivation and employee migration, she said.

Premise

She said among the many drivers of the all-inclusive policy was that during the 2017 Joint External Evaluation (JEE) by the World Health Organisation, the country was scored low in Health Workforce Strategy.

A Joint External Evaluation is a voluntary, collaborative, multisectoral process to assess country capacities to prevent, detect and rapidly respond to public health risks whether occurring naturally or due to deliberate or accidental events.

It helps countries to identify the most critical gaps within their human and animal health systems in order to prioritise opportunities for enhanced preparedness and response.

As a result, some experts said the country needed to draft and implement a health workforce strategy.

It was also recommended that the strategy be reviewed, and reported on, annually.

We are, therefore, here today to launch the solution to this imminent gap; Ghana's own Health Workforce Strategic Plan for the next five years, Ms Mensah said.

She added that the Ministry of Health, together with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, and other stakeholder ministries with interest to influence health outcomes, had worked together to develop the strategic plan to guide the countrys health workforce needs.

A clinical epidemiologist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghanas School of Public Health, Professor Ernest Kenu, said it would help to put a stop to the situation where health-related efforts were done in silos.

During the 2017 Joint External Evaluation, Ghana had a low score in health workforce strategy, but based on this document it will help to address that gap and put all efforts related to health into a consolidated one to be tracked, reviewed and reported on annually, he noted.
No one can say we spent recklessly - President Akufo-Addo lists 16 projects funds were used for (LIST)

Kweku Zurek Mar - 08 - 2023 , 13:52

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has mounted a stern defence of his government's expenditure listing 16 projects that borrowed funds have been used for since his assumption of office in January 2017.

In a State of the Nation Address delivered today (March 8, 2023) in Parliament, the President said there were legitimate questions being asked about how the countrys debt situation worsened.

Ghana is trying to restructure most of its public debt, estimated at 576 billion cedis ($45 billion) at the end of November. Local bondholders have been asked to voluntarily exchange 130 billion cedis of debt for new bonds that will pay between 8.35% and 15% interest, compared with an average of 19% on old bonds.

However, he stressed that the government had not been reckless in borrowing and in spending, adding that the debts the nation was servicing were not only contracted during the period of this administration.

President Akufo-Addo said the funds borrowed by his administration had been used to improve the entire country with no district or constituency being left out.

"Mr Speaker, we have spent money on things that are urgent, to build roads and bridges and schools, to train our young people and equip them to face a competitive world," President Akufo-Addo said.

"Considering the amount of work that still needs to be done on the state of our roads, the bridges that have to be built, considering the number of classrooms that need to be built, the furniture and equipment needs at all stages of education, considering the number of children who should be in school and are not, considering the number of towns and villages that still do not have access to potable water, I daresay no one can suggest we have over borrowed or spent recklessly.

"Yes, I have been in a hurry to get things done, and this includes massive developments in agriculture, education, health, irrigation, roads, rails, ports, airports, sea defence, digitisation, social protection programmes, industrialisation and tourism. We can be justifiably proud of the many things we have managed to do in the past six (6) years. As I go around the country, I hear the pleas for roads, schools, hospitals, and, as the rainy season comes, I wish, as every other Ghanaian does, that we would have built more drains than we have. And I wish we had the resources to do more.

"But, Mr Speaker, I am proud of the amount of work that we have done, especially in the road sector. Roads constitute the largest number of questions asked in this House by Members of Parliament; a large amount of the monies we borrow are for road construction. Shall we dare stop constructing roads?"

Asides the roads, President Akufo-Addo also listed 15 other revenue-generating, developmental and other infrastructure projects that his administration had undertaken.

See the list of the projects the borrowed funds were used for as listed by President Akufo-Addo in the SoNA below;
Refrain from meting out extra-judicial justice - Mahama on military-Ashaiman incident

Enoch Darfah Frimpong Politics Mar - 08 - 2023 , 19:48

Former President John Dramani Mahama has urged the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to ensure that the military refrain from meting out extra-judicial justice.

Commenting on the Ashaiman incident following the killing of a soldier - Sherrif Imoro, and the subsequent release of soldiers into the Ashaiman area by the Military High Command to go and fish out the perpetrators, Mr Mahama urged the military to exercise restraint and allow due process to investigate, apprehend and punish.

The operation by the military has been described as abusive as some innocent people who found themselves in the area were beaten by personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) who stormed the area at dawn Tuesday and allegedly attacked residents.

According to eyewitnesses, the armed soldiers stormed the community and attacked residents, arrested some of them following the killing of a soldier last Saturday.

Mahama's statement

"I am deeply saddened by the death of one of our soldiers, at such a young age, in Ashaiman," Mr Mahama said in his statement issued Wednesday evening.

"Lordina and I extend our deepest condolences to his bereaved and grieving family, and the officers and men of the Ghana Armed Forces."

"As your former Commander in Chief, I do appreciate how such unexpected deaths affect the Force."

"However, I encourage you to exercise restraint and allow due process to investigate, apprehend, prosecute and punish the perpetrator(s) of the dastardly act.

Mr Mahama said there were obviously many people who live and work in Ashaiman who are innocent of this heinous crime.

"The military must, therefore, refrain from meting out extra-judicial justice to them," he added.

"I also sympathise with the victims of of the torture in Ashaiman as a result of this unfolding death of a serving soldier.

"I pray we find peace and harmony in our dear country, as the government and state institutions immediately step in to address this potentially inflammatory development between Ashaiman and the Ghana Armed Forces; including providing commensurate compensation for all persons affected, he added.

The Ghana Armed Forces has explained that Tuesdays operation at Ashaiman following the killing of a soldier, 21-year-old Sherrif Imoro was sanctioned by the Military High Command.

In a statement issued Wednesday (Mar 8, 2023) dawn, the GAF said the motive was not to avenge the killing of the soldier but rather to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

Following the operations at Ashaiman-Taifa and Tulaku in the Greater Accra Region, the military personnel picked up about 184 suspects aged between 21 and 47 years old and have since handed them over to the Military Police and subsequently to be sent to the Ghana Police Service for screening and for further action, the GAF said in the statement.

One of the victims of the Ashaiman military operation, which was sanctioned by GAF high command and 184 suspects in custody

During the course of the swoop, the personnel seized 29 slabs and 57 mini slabs of suspected indian hemp and amnesia among other forms of the narcotics, the statement from the GAF signed by Brigadier General E. Aggrey-Quashie, Director General of Public Relations of the GAF said.

Ashaiman operation was sanctioned by GAF high command, 184 suspects in custody https://t.co/XzpUd5YXbu pic.twitter.com/OhG0MwznDL  GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) March 8, 2023

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) also wishes to place on record that the swoop was not targeted at innocent civilians but was an intelligenceled operation conducted on suspected hideouts of criminals and crime-prone areas in the general area, he added.

GAF however acknowledges that regrettably some innocent persons might have been caught up in the operation and consequently suffered some distress due to the location they found themselves at the time, it added.

GAF accordingly wishes to urge the general public to provide useful information, support the security agencies in weeding out criminals and miscreants from our communities and to desist from shielding and conniving with such suspects in order to curb criminal activities in the country, GAF added.

Ashaiman operation was sanctioned by GAF high command, 184 suspects in custody https://t.co/XzpUd5YXbu pic.twitter.com/2PL5wow7yR  GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) March 8, 2023

Ashaiman operation was sanctioned by GAF high command, 184 suspects in custody https://t.co/XzpUd5YXbu pic.twitter.com/UwjqwmfGr5  GraphicOnline (@Graphicgh) March 8, 2023

What happened

The soldier who was allegedly killed by a mob at Ashaiman Taifa last Saturday, has been identified as 21-year-old Sherrif Imoro.

He was a member of the Ghana Armed Forces Band, a trumpeter and was stationed at Sunyani in the Bono Region.

He was in Accra for a military course and in the last three weeks, had been visiting the parents in their home at Ashaiman every Friday.

Last Friday would have been the third time he was going home and was reportedly confronted by a gang who killed him.

The late Sherrif Imoro

Sherrif Imoro

Sherrif Imoro was born at Ashaiman on June 3, 2001, according to his father - Awudu Imoro.

He enrolled in the Ghana Armed Forces in October 2021, was trained at Daboya and was posted to Sunyani after passing out.

According to his father, he had his primary and junior high school education at Ashaiman and senior high school at Akwamuman SHS and completed in 2017.

Slain soldier incident

Last Friday, he was on his way home and there was heavy traffic in the area, so he alighted at Ashaiman Taifa near the court building.

It was around that area that he met his death at the hands of his attackers.

Some reports suggest the gang mistook him to be a robber.

Father's narrative

Explaining the circumstances and giving a brief background about his son, the father, Awudu Imoro said in early January this year, Sherrif phoned his mother and informed the family that he was going to be in Accra in the first week of February for a course.

Sherrif according to the father told them that when he arrived in Accra, he will get the opportunity to visit them in the house on a Friday, and so in the last three weeks, he had been coming home every Friday.

On Tuesday afternoon it came out that more than 72 people had been arrested and taken into custody by the soldiers who stormed Ashaiman Tuesday dawn.

The Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Ernest Henry Norgbey, said he had been informed that the soldiers took the people they arrested away.

The MP said the soldiers after the dawn operation left the area, the soldiers had left but around midday, he received a phone call that another batch of military men had trooped into the Ashaiman constituency.

"Actually I spoke to the police commander and he told me on authority that there are military guys still in the constituency, all over the constituency molesting innocent residents," he said.

He said the constituents were worried about the modus operandi of the military, "because you see armoured cars, you see military vehicles, you see helicopters, which means that this thing has been sanctioned by the higher authority and so everybody is handicapped in this matter.

"So we are just calling on them to call back their men to the barracks because these people that they are molesting, they are innocent people, I'm not sure they know anything about the killing of the military guy," the MP said.

The Ashaiman neighbourhood of Taifa was on Tuesday dawn forced into a self-imposed curfew after some soldiers reportedly stormed the area, following the alleged killing of a soldier over the weekend.

The soldier was reportedly killed by a mob in Ashaiman at the weekend.

Photos and video of the said soldier was shared on social media after the incident.

Some reports said he was attacked and stabbed by a gang. The soldier was reportedly on his way to his family home.

Soldiers reaction

On Tuesday dawn (March 7, 2023), some soldiers numbering not less than 20 stormed the area.

They questioned anyone they came across and reportedly beat them up.

This forced people to lock themselves up in their homes, fearing they will be beaten up by the soldiers.

Some eyewitnesses have recounted their experience on social media.

Some said they saw the soldiers around 2am.

One person said he woke up around 4am to see that the area which was usually busy around that time with many shops opened was still very quiet.

His assumption was that it was as a result of the downpour but when he stepped out, he saw some soldiers on the stretch, there were no vehicles moving.

He saw soldiers approaching so he quickly rushed back into the house and locked the gate.

He said his brother later told him he woke up earlier and saw soldiers beating up some other people.

"My mother owns a shop by the roadside and should have been opened by now but as we speak, all shops are still closed," he said.

He said he saw that vehicles passing by were stopped, male passengers dragged out and beaten up, "you people kill our colleague", some of the soldiers reportedly said.

Another eyewitness said the said soldiers knocked on doors and anybody who came out allegedly received some slaps.

The Assemblyman for the area reportedly sent out a message advising residents to avoid certain routes.

He said he counted not less that 20 armed soldiers on foot, who were

What happened with mob killing of soldier?

The incident of the mob killing of the soldier received varied reactions at the weekend.

Some had alleged that the young soldier was on his way to his home when he was attacked by a gang.

Some had alleged that he was stabbed to death by the mob.

Photos from the incident scene showed the lifeless body of the victim, who was in what seemed to be a torn trousers in military camouflage colours.

His military cap and a white cloth had been used to cover his face. Also, his bag in military camouflage colours was lying close to the body.

The Ghana Police and the Ghana Armed Forces are yet to comment on the incident.

In 2017, a similar incident happened at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region where during a morning health walk, a military officer, Major Maxwell Mahama was killed by a mob.

Below is a copy of the GAF statement

MILITARY CONDUCTS SWOOP AT ASHAIMAN TARGETED AT KILLERS OF YOUNG SOLDIER

Personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) on Tuesday 7 March 2023, conducted a swoop in Ashaiman and its environs in a man-hunt for some criminals, who are suspected to have stabbed and killed a young soldier (Trooper Imoro Sherrif) in the early hours of Saturday 4 March 2023, at Ashaiman-Taifa. Trooper Sherrif, who was stationed in Sunyani, was in Accra on a Course and had sought permission to visit his parents at Ashaiman where he grew up, but was found in a pool of blood in the early hours of Saturday near the Amania Hotel in Ashaiman. GAF wishes to state categorically that the military operation, which was sanctioned by the Military High Command, was NOT to avenge the killing of the soldier but rather to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime. Following the operations at Ashaiman-Taifa and Tulaku, the military personnel picked up about 184 suspects aged between 21 and 47 years old and have since handed them over to the Military Police and subsequently to be sent to the Ghana Police Service for screening and for further action. During the course of the swoop, the personnel seized 29 slabs and 57 mini slabs of suspected indian hemp and amnesia among other forms of the narcotics. The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) also wishes to place on record that the swoop was not targeted at innocent civilians but was an intelligenceled operation conducted on suspected hideouts of criminals and crime-prone areas in the general area. GAF however acknowledges that regrettably some innocent persons might have been caught up in the operation and consequently suffered some distress due to the location they found themselves at the time. GAF accordingly wishes to urge the general public to provide useful information, support the security agencies in weeding out criminals and miscreants from our communities and to desist from shielding and conniving with such suspects in order to the curb criminal activities in the country.

Writer's email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Use of Ghana Card for voter registration:5 Parties express varied opinions

Samuel Duodu & Benjamin Xornam Glover Politics Mar - 08 - 2023 , 06:30

Five political parties have expressed varied opinions on the Electoral Commissions (EC) proposed new Constitutional Instrument (C.I) that seeks to make the Ghana Card the sole identification document for continuous voter registration in the country.

They are the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), the Convention People's Party, the Peoples National Convention (PNC), the All Peoples Congress (APC) and the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG).

The National Communication Director of the PPP, Emmanuel F. Mantey; the General Secretary of the PNC, Janet Asana Nabla; the Founder of APC, Hassan Ayariga; the Chairperson of the CPP, Nana Akosua Frimpongmaa Sarpong Kumankumah, and the General Secretary of the LPG, Jerry Owusu Appauh, expressed the views in separate interviews with the Daily Graphic.

PPP

Mr Mantey said the decision by the EC to use the Ghana Card as the sole document for identification to register eligible voters was misplaced and a recipe to disenfranchise potential voters.

He, therefore, called on the EC to provide an alternative form of identification for people who no fault of theirs might not have a national identification card.

We are aware of the challenges faced by the National Identification Authority (NIA) in terms of delivering its mandate to have all citizens register and have their identity cards. This should guide the EC in its decisions regarding the new C. I so that no Ghanaian is disenfranchised in the 2024 general election, he said.

CPP

Nana Sarpong Kumankumah said the EC must focus on delivering its constitutional mandate of registering all eligible voters and should not rely on the NIA in the discharge of its duty.

She said the challenges encountered in the use of the Ghana Card for the registration of SIM cards indicated that relying on the card alone to register voters could be problematic.

I think the ECs constitutional mandate has been compromised. It appears that they are hiding under the NIA, another institution that is not a constitutional requirement to execute its mandate, she said.

PNC

Ms Nabla reiterated the partys support for the Ghana Card to be used as the sole source of identification for eligible voters who wanted to get onto the electoral roll.

She described as unambiguous the intended C.I. planned to be tabled by the EC in Parliament.

She said the ECs decision was in line with the national policy that stipulated that all institutions should register people using the Ghana Card and that it was nothing new.

She cited Regulation 7 of Legislative Instrument (LI) 2111, which supported the mandatory use of national identity cards for transactions such as registration of voters and registration of SIM cards to buttress her point.

The PNC general secretary, therefore, urged all party members and the entire population to acquire the Ghana Card.

She also called on the government to assist the NIA in any manner possible to enable the authority to deliver on its mandate of issuing identification cards.

APC

Hassan Ayariga stated that the decision by the EC to rely on the Ghana Card for the limited registration exercise was in the right direction.

The APC, he said, had problems with the guarantor system, which was fraught with many challenges and could no longer provide a secure system of voter registration for the country.

LPG

Mr Appauh said his party was in full support of the EC because the LI 2111 of the National Identification Regulation 2012, has made it mandatory for voters to be accepted to register with the EC with only the Ghana Card.

As members of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), all political parties present in subsequent meetings have agreed on the new C. I to be passed so that the necessary changes could be made for more transparent and credible electoral processes.

Recall

The Chairperson of the EC, Jean Mensa, last Tuesday, briefed Parliaments Committee of the Whole on the new draft of Public Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations, 2022.

She told the House that the use of the Ghana Card as the source document to prove ones identity would help to rid the electoral register of foreigners and help guarantee the integrity and credibility of the register.
Editors note: This is Part 1 in a two-part series about the CHamoru Play Festival held at University of Guam. Part 2 will be made available Friday.

A range and diversity of CHamoru creativity and talent was on display over the past two weeks through the University of Guam Fine Arts Theatres production of the CHamoru Play Festival.

The festival drew crowds of students, families, and CHamoru language lovers who came to celebrate indigenous storytelling on the stage. The festival featured six works by master storyteller Peter Onedera, Saipan-based playwright Andrew Roberto and Dakota Camacho.

The Pacific Daily News spoke with Onedera and Roberto about their processes with playwriting and reflections on CHamoru storytelling.

Part 1, with Andrew Roberto

PDN: What can you tell me about the inspiration for your play?

Andrew Roberto: For Adahi i Chalan, (the) inspiration for this play comes from different parts of my life, but the play itself was written on Guam in 2015. A short time before I wrote the play, I attended the lisayu and funeral of my uncle, who passed away from cancer.

He left behind two young children and seeing them crying in church really affected me. After the funeral, I was cast in a play at UOG, yet still couldnt get my mind past the heartbreak of those poor children. It made me realize how mortal I am. Despite life being the longest thing you will ever do, its shorter than any of us care to admit.

I started asking myself questions. How much of my life is me actually living as opposed to going through the motions? If I died, how would that affect those closest to me? Im from Saipan and because I was on Guam studying, I was away from my family. I have a brother whos 19 years younger than me. At the time, I worried that my distance would make me like a stranger to him.

Family means so much to me and I think you can see how those two factors influenced the play. Aside from that, sometime around the time I was writing, there was a man who crashed his car in front of Pay-Less Mangilao. He was a former resident who was back on Guam visiting family who still stayed here.

The night he died, he was returning from a night of fishing and crashed into a power pole. He had ... the intention to go back to the states, yet life had other plans. With all of these influences surrounding me, I sat down and wrote Adahi i Chalan.

For Creating the Native, as someone from Saipan who loves Guam and is thankful for the education I received here, nonetheless I still had to adjust to life on this island.

The word chaud exists here, but does not exist on Saipan, and from time to time classmates would make assumptions about my intelligence because Im allegedly chaud.

And it isnt just me, a taotao Saipan, they make assumptions about. People on Guam will make assumptions about CHamorus on Guam and those assumptions are mostly negative. I used this play to respond to some of that rhetoric.

Thick Skin  This piece hit close to home. I was in a situation where I talked too much, when I probably should have stayed quiet. LOL. I took that situation and turned it into a play.

PDN: What was your process like for writing the play?

Roberto: Adahi i Chalan was the most processed of the three, I suppose, because I was still an undergrad. I took the draft and presented it in front of my playwriting class and my mentor, Tali Ariav.

It got the workshop treatment and I edited it from an early version into what you see today. It sat in my hard drive in playwriting purgatory for a few years and, periodically, Id go in and change things. Then one day, Troy McVey emailed me and asked for pieces that Id be willing to have staged and the rest is history.

Creating the Native and Thick Skin were written outside of the workshop setting. I kept those to myself, yet still followed a process similar to Adahi. I wrote the plays in full and then would revisit them from time to time to edit.

PDN: What key themes did you aim to convey and how do you think these themes speak to uniquely CHamoru experiences?

Roberto: For Creating the Native, I needed to convey that your indigenous identity  the identity the Spanish and others tried to erase  is beautiful and profound and worthy of praise.

Adahi i Chalan is a call to live authentically, appreciate your mortality, and treat the ones around you welldont take them for granted.

Thick Skin  its like Tupac said: The darker the berry, the sweeter the juice, I say the darker the flesh, the deeper the roots.

PDN: Were you involved in directing or working with the actors to convey the story?

Roberto: I had incredibly productive conversations with play directors Ean Taijeron and Troy McVey. They took my words into account when directing actors.

PDN: Do you have any advice for aspiring CHamoru playwrights or creatives?

Roberto: Write every day. It doesnt have to be creative writing, per se. You could be journaling. But make time for your art and speak from the heart. And then edit, edit, edit. First draft, worst draft.
Enrolling military dependents in Guams public schools could benefit the local school system and the military, according to Guam Del. James Moylan, who said he is not advocating closing the current Department of Defense Education Activity schools on island.

Moylan last week sent a letter to the Department of Defense, asking to discuss the possibility of enrolling military dependents in Guam public schools instead of building more DODEA schools in connection with the military buildup.

Why dont we just use a percentage of that (military buildup) investment and utilize it instead to improve the facilities of our public schools? Moylan said during a press conference Wednesday morning. We didnt ask to close (DODEA) schools at all. Our request was related to future construction  thats it.

The military in 1997 withdrew its dependents from Guam Department of Education schools, citing a poor quality of education that was affecting the quality of life for military families. Guam public school students score below the national average on standardized tests, especially after the third grade.

Military dependents and the dependents of some federal employees on island instead attend DODEA schools, which started operating in refurbished military barracks and administration buildings before new facilities, such as Guam High School, were built.

Federal law allows DODEA schools to open if no schools are available near a federal installation or if the local schools are unable to provide a suitable free public education. In the U.S., DODEA operates schools in Guam, Georgia, Kentucky, New York and North Carolina.

Moylan said the idea of enrolling military dependents in Guam DOE is in its initial stages, and he expects a response from the military by next week. Moylan is a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

If this issue builds traction  then well get everybody involved, he said. If it doesnt work out, then well continue to seek other means, other options.

Maintenance challenges

Moylans request to talk to the military about reintegrating military dependents comes as the Guam Department of Education faces growing challenges with school maintenance and repairs.

F.B. Leon Guerrero Middle School is closed because of water-related structural damage, and its students and staff are sharing the Okkodo High School campus under a double session.

Two other schools  Oceanview Middle School and Southern High School  currently are operating with D sanitation ratings, and the gymnasium at George Washington High School has been closed since September 2021 because of cracks near the top of the walls.

State of emergency

Sen. Jesse Lujan on Tuesday asked the governor to declare a state of emergency for the Guam Department of Education, which he said would allow more government resources to be used to repair schools.

It has become apparent that so many of our public schools are in a terrible state of disrepair, with chronic issues creating real-life hazards for our children on a daily basis, Lujan stated in a letter to the governor.

Moylan on Wednesday said its important that Guam children and military dependents receive a good, safe education. We know our schools need a lot of help and capital improvement projects. This is one way that the military, if they feel its in their interests  this is one way that we can work together and help our schools, he said.

Sen. Chris Barnett, chairman of the legislative education committee, said Moylan is on the right track, and if his effort is successful it could result in major improvements to Guam public schools.

With the military buildup in the final stages, the time to address the disparity between the islands separate-but-unequal school systems is now, Barnett said.
The Guam Visitors Bureaus board of directors on Wednesday met for the first time in 10 months.

Previously, the board failed to have a quorum of eight. On Wednesday, there were changes to the announced special meeting agenda, so the board was forced to postpone voting for new officers until March 23.

GVB Board Chairman Milton Morinaga and eight other present board directors, however, were able to set the agenda items for the next meeting, including the start of discussion for the law-required but missed annual review of the managements performance, such as that of GVB president Carl Gutierrez, and updates on the bureaus external audit and finances.

Board members said they will also discuss bureau bylaws and the Guam law that created GVB in the next meeting.

Gutierrez and bureau counsel Joe McDonald told the board there are legal risks that need to be discussed in an executive session, which will also be part of the next meeting agenda.

Gutierrez said there were oversights or actions that were against the law that were committed during the terms of the last two GVB general managers or presidents and the last two boards, based on management and counsel review of these actions.

He said these prior actions may now require the current board to order the return of government money that he said was spent illegally or contrary to law.

The March 23 meeting will be GVBs first regular meeting since May 2023.

The board last year voted to suspend all meetings until a review of the enabling law and bylaws. Gutierrez had said board members violated the Open Government Law by meeting without advance public notice and were unethical for taking part in discussions that would directly benefit the private businesses they work for.

Wednesdays meeting was a special board meeting that Morinaga initially set for the election of a new board chairman, vice chairman and treasurer, among other things.

However, the GVB management changed the original published agenda items, and removed the election of officers, according to discussion during Wednesdays meeting.

As a result, the board was forced to wait for the next meeting to elect new officers, since this was not part of the agenda that GVB published for the March 8 special board meeting.

Management officials said there was no prior official discussion of the agenda, and that the board needs to adopt a resolution for every decision.

This led to lengthy back-and-forth discussions on the process of making decisions, including counsel and managements position that two or more board members cannot talk about GVB issues outside of a publicly noticed meeting, including possible agenda items that need to be published in advance. Some board members asked how other GovGuam boards and commissions even come up with a meeting agenda to be published, without first talking about it and without violating the Open Government Law.

At the start of Wednesdays meeting, Morinaga welcomed the newly appointed and elected board directors, as well as those whose terms to serve on the board are still valid.

Besides Morinaga, the other directors present were Jeffrey Jones, Ho Eun, Sonny Ada, Mary Rhodes, George Chiu, Joaquin Cook, Paula Monk and Mongmong-Toto-Maite Mayor Rudy Paco.

The appointment of Laura Nelson-Cepeda as alternate GVB board director still needs legislative confirmation, as well as that of Kyona Rivera, the governor-appointed youth member to the GVB board.

GVB said the 12th member can only be elected by the board if the body already has 11 directors.

Rhodes repeatedly asked GVB management to conduct an orientation for new board members, which was tentatively set for March 15.

Also present in the GVB board room during the meeting was Sen. Amanda Shelton, chair of the legislative committee on tourism.

Sen. Telo Taitague, also a tourism committee member and attended the meeting online, said the GVB board must be mindful of its obligation to comply with local laws, including the Open Government Law, to help ensure that the government is transparent and held accountable for its actions.

The Open Government Law requires public notices to contain the agenda of matters to be discussed at a meeting, and for agenda items to be in sufficient detail in order to put the public on notice as to what is to be discussed.

Accordingly, attempts by certain members to include new items in todays meeting agenda went against the letter and spirit of the law, Taitague said. I am also disappointed to put it gently, that several members appeared to scoff at the idea that a Board resolution would need to be prepared before a proposal could be considered. Although the process may take more time than they would like, this is part of the rules they as public officials are expected to follow.

GVB is a public entity and decisions impacting operations and agency expenditures must always be above board and subject to scrutiny whenever necessary, she added.
Though there arent any licensed cannabis stores announced on Guam yet, products derived from the marijuana plant that can get users intoxicated are already on local shelves  and they arent necessarily illegal.

A number of products containing marijuana-derived chemicals have been increasing in popularity stateside. Unlike CBD, a popular extract touted by enthusiasts for its medicinal properties which does not get users high, many of these products will get you stoned if you take them.

Sen. Chris Barnett Wednesday told the PDN that vape cartridges and edibles containing some of these legal gray-area molecules have popped up at vape shops and other stores on island, and said hes concerned about their unregulated nature.

Advertisements for such products can be found on the social media pages of local vape shops. The list of different molecules popping up across the country is long, and their legality varies.

Most people are familiar with delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, generally referred to as THC, the molecule in cannabis that gets users high. It remains a Schedule I substance federally, but has been legalized in numerous states.

But theres also delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol, known as D-8 THC, which is extracted and manufactured from hemp, a marijuana plant thats low in regular THC. D-8 sits in a legal loophole created by the 2018 Farm actit isnt federally illegal and isnt regulated by the Food and Drug Administrationbut will get you stoned.

Other synthetic molecules which are relatively new, like Delta-9 THC-0, were only last month designated as Schedule I substances by the Drug Enforcement Agency, Forbes reports.

Recreational cannabis use on Guam was legalized through the Guam Cannabis Industry Act of 2019, but the law refers broadly to cannabis and not any specific chemicals. Either way, the slow passage of regulations has stalled the development of the local cannabis industry, and theres no shop where you can legally buy cannabis flower yet.

Enforcement unclear

Barnett said gray-area drugs may have been involved in an incident that occurred last week, where two students at Luis P. Untalan Middle School were taken to the hospital after using a dab pen.

The newspaper was awaiting confirmation of what substance was found in the Untalan dab pen from Guam Department of Education spokesperson Michelle Franquez as of 5 p.m., Wednesday.

Guam Police Department spokeswoman Berlyn Savella said she would follow up with forensics on the matter, but a response remains outstanding.

If were selling it and its not regulated and kids are smoking it, then we got to do something, Barnett said.

He said he has no issues with cannabis, but compared the substances to spice, synthetic marijuana products that were outlawed several years ago.

It was his understanding that they could produce a strong high, and he said he planned to ask the Department of Public Health and Social Services to pull the products from the market. His main concern was with the synthetic formulations, which were illegal.

The newspaper asked Public Health what role, if any, they serve in regulating new synthetic cannabis products. No response was received as of 5 p.m., and Director of Public Health Art San Agustin could not be reached by phone.

Attorney General Doug Moylan said a loophole in the law could exist which prevented local government from acting on certain gray-area substances.

His office was investigating the incident at Untalan and reviewing what federal laws and agencies would be responsible for regulating products that were arriving or being manufactured on Guam.

The attorney general could not confirm whether it was cannabis or another substance was in the dab pen at Untalan, but said it was not the first such incident he had heard of.

This is what happens when you allow this type of substance, said Moylan, who has been opposed to the legalization of cannabis on Guam.

I would be warning the stores that they better be very clear about whether or not those products can actually be sold on Guam, the restrictions to how they are brought into Guam, whether it can be sold on Guam, Moylan said.

No law broken

Theseus TJ Mendiola, owner of Vape Escape, said that his stores importation of hemp-derived products is totally above board. They have brought in various kinds of cannabinoids, but now mostly stick to bringing in D-8 THC edibles and vape cartridges, which are allowable under federal law.

I try to do the best homework I can on the business before we even bring things in because Im scared  Im not here to be a crime lord, Mendiola said, adding that you need to be 21 to purchase anything from the store.

All of their products get a formal certificate of analysis from independent laboratory tests, meant to ensure safety Mendiola said. Theres no DEA, no FDA, nobody stops us because its legal.

He said he had reached out to GPD for information about the incident at Untalan, but had no idea whether the dab pen involved had come from his shop or the black market, where they are now commonplace.

In any case, no laws were being broken, he said and he had doubts about the need for more regulation.

The only way that these kids are getting it is the same way that theyre getting  a vape, if in fact that theyre saying that they got it or identified the product as ours or another shops  Theyve got to be getting it from adults that have access to it or stealing it, Mendiola said.

The vape shop owner said he was preparing to meet with Barnett on Wednesday afternoon.
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Published on 2023/03/07 | Source

Actress Uhm Jung-hwa will transform into "Doctor Cha".

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JTBC weekend drama "Doctor Cha" is the life suturing period of Cha Jung-sook (Uhm Jung-hwa), who becomes a first-year resident from a housewife of twenty years. Jung-sook is a person who gives up her career as a doctor for her family. After a hard marriage, she retries to her major course after a liver transplant operation. Kim Byung-chul plays Seo In-ho, Jung-sook's husband and the chief of surgery at a university hospital. He is a perfectionist who does not lose his dignity and calmness 365 days a year. He has a secret to everyone's dismay. Uhm Jung-hwa said, "I'm happy to meet a drama with warm consolation and growth", adding, "I really wanted to do it because I liked the story of achieving my dream without yielding to the situation and age".

Myung Se-bin also joins. Choi Seung-hee is In-ho's first love and a family medicine professor. She is the daughter of a medical conglomerate who owns twelve general hospitals nationwide. She's never been through a storm in her life, but she hopes to live a normal life like everyone else after losing her reputation to Jung-sook. Life is twisted by encountering resident Jung-sook once again. Min Woo-hyuk will return to the small screen for the first time in three years. He plays Roy Kim, a surgeon who is free to pursue his love. He is a man who is sweet and sexy and can fall in love with anyone. He keeps wandering around Jung-sook.

The first episode airs at 10:30 PM on the 15th of next month.
China to see recovery of industrial economy this year: Minister of Industry and Information Technology

10:52, March 08, 2023 By Han Xin, Liu Juanxi ( People's Daily

A newly built high-end construction material production line is being tested in an industrial park in Yantai, east China's Shandong province, Feb. 20, 2023. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China's purchasing manager index for the manufacturing sector rose to 52.6 percent in February, 2.5 percentage points higher from a month ago and the highest since May 2012. (People's Daily Online/Tang Ke)

China's industrial economy is expected to recover in 2023, said Jin Zhuanglong, Minister of Industry and Information Technology.

The minister made the remarks while attending the first Ministers' Corridor press briefing of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), which was hosted at the Great Hall of the People on March 5.

During the press briefing, he answered questions from journalists on hotspot issues such as stabilizing industrial growth, improving and transforming traditional industries, and the goals and focuses of 5G development this year.

Last year, China's value-added industrial output for the first time exceeded 40 trillion yuan ($5.78 trillion). Industry has further demonstrated its role as a ballast stone in macroeconomy.

A smart robotic vehicle goes for an inspection tour in a plant of a chemical engineering corporation in Dongying, east China's Shandong province, Feb. 24, 2023. The vehicle is connected to a 5G local area network and equipped with various types of sensors that capture images, sounds, infrared pictures, as well as data of hazardous gases and temperature. It has effectively improved inspection quality and production safety. (People's Daily Online/Liu Zhifeng)

In particular, the value-added output of manufacturing accounted for 27.7 percent of China's GDP, and China has maintained its position as the world's largest manufacturing hub for 13 straight years.

The minister said that the optimized COVID-19 response, combined with existing and incremental policies, will boost market confidence, with the vitality of market entities, consumption potential, and the driving force of industrial upgrading effectively released.

He added that China has the confidence, conditions, and capability to promote a stable recovery of the industrial economy.

China will take steps to stabilize industrial growth by fostering growth in key industries, expanding investment in manufacturing, and expanding the purchase of new energy vehicles and other big-ticket items.

The upgrading of traditional industries, which serve as the foundation of the modern industrial system, concerns the overall construction of the system.

A technician tests signal transmission on a 5G tower in Ganzhou, east China's Jiangxi province, Dec. 10, 2022. Ganzhou has vigorously promoted the construction of 5G infrastructure over the recent years, so as to accelerate 5G application and better information services. The city's efforts have offered strong support for rural vitalization and the development of digital economy. (People's Daily Online/Zhu Haipeng)

According to Jin, traditional industries make up over 80 percent of the Chinese manufacturing sector. The ministry will promote traditional industries to move from the low- and mid-end of the industrial chain towards higher positions, focus on high-end manufacturing, and implement projects for upgrading foundational industrial infrastructure and developing key technologies and equipment.

It will focus on smart manufacturing and build a batch of intelligent factories and supply chains in key industries, and it has vowed to achieve carbon peaks in iron, nonferrous metal, construction material, and petrochemical industries.

Jin told the press conference that China has built the world's largest and most technically advanced 5G network, and 5G has been applied in over half of the country's 97 major economic categories. He said 600,000 5G base stations are expected to be built and put into use across the country this year.

According to him, China has covered all counties with 5G networks and will keep expanding the network connection to industrial parks. Over 10,000 5G factories will be built during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), he disclosed.

While summarizing the experiences in promoting the 5G technology, relevant industries, universities and research institutes will strengthen international cooperation on the development of the 6G technology, the minister said.

(Web editor: Chang Sha, Du Mingming)
Finnish airport operator, Finavia, is streamlining the security check process for carry-on luggage at Helsinki-Vantaa airport. In the coming months, all old security devices will be replaced with the latest technology, enabling air travelers to carry liquid containers up to 100 milliliters in their carry-on luggage.

"Last year, we introduced advanced security technology at Helsinki-Vantaa airport, which eliminated the need to remove liquids and electronics from carry-on luggage.

This upgrade has accelerated security checks," said Ari Kumara, director of security operations at Finavia.

By summer 2023, traveling through Helsinki-Vantaa airport will be even more effortless, as Finavia installs more ultra-modern security devices. These devices will allow air travelers to carry liquid containers up to 100 milliliters in their carry-on luggage.

"This is a significant step forward since the liquid restrictions were introduced globally in 2006, following EU regulations. We are pioneers in developing security checks because similar technology is only used at very few large airports in Europe and some airports in the United States," Kumara added.

Until summer, both the old and new technology security devices will be in operation at Helsinki-Vantaa airport. Therefore, air travelers are recommended to follow the current carry-on packing guidelines. Finavia's website provides these packing guidelines.

The new rules apply only to air travelers departing from Helsinki. The liquid restrictions will continue to apply to air travelers departing from Finavia's regional airports and those arriving at Helsinki-Vantaa airport from outside the EU and transferring to another flight.

"As the leading airport operator in Europe, we want to be at the forefront of service development. We strive to serve air travelers as well as possible and provide high-quality services at our airports. We believe that this new technology will enable us to offer our passengers a more relaxed and seamless travel experience," Kumara concluded.

Finavia's investment in new security devices will undoubtedly make air travel through Helsinki-Vantaa airport more convenient and efficient.

HT
Housing costs in Finland are rising at an unprecedented pace, according to a recent study by the Finnish Homeowners Association. The study found that local fees and charges are continuing to rise, with the highest increase in housing costs occurring in Kalajoki in the province of Northern Ostrobothnia, where costs have risen by almost 3,700 ($4,400) in just one year. On average, housing costs have risen by 1,671 ($1,989) in the past year, including electricity, water, and waste disposal charges, as well as property taxes.

The rise in housing costs and the large differences between municipalities are primarily due to the increase in the price of electricity, which has risen by an average of 46% from a year ago. Waste disposal charges have increased by an average of 6.7%, property taxes by 6.3%, and water charges by 4.1%.

The most expensive municipality for housing costs was Laukaa in the Jyvaskyla region, where costs are 8,466 ($10,083) per year. The next most expensive municipalities were Lempaala, Ylojarvi, Asikkala, and Pirkkala. The study compared 100 municipalities across Finland. The cheapest municipality was Kittila in Lapland, where housing costs are 4,681 ($5,573) per year. Thus, the difference between the cheapest and most expensive municipalities is 3,785 ($4,502) per year. This difference has increased slightly from last year when it was 3,361 ($3,996).

The Finnish Homeowners Association's CEO, Marju Silander, emphasized that policymakers must take action to reduce housing costs during the next parliamentary term. "Currently, an increasing proportion of people's available income is going towards basic needs such as electricity, water, and waste disposal fees. When combined with rapidly rising mortgage rates and increasing repair costs due to future building energy efficiency obligations, the cost of housing and its rise becomes unsustainable," Silander said.

The sharp rise in electricity transmission costs in recent years appears to have slowed, which Silander considers a step in the right direction. However, there is still work to be done. "Transmission costs must be reduced, and unreasonable profits must be eliminated," she said.

The study also found significant differences between municipalities in other costs. The highest water charges are now paid in Parikkala, where the cost is 1,651 ($1,965) per year, while the lowest water charges are in Kempele at 549 ($653) per year.

The highest waste disposal charges are in Asikkala and Heinola, where they are 391 ($465), while the lowest charges, 133 ($158), are in Tampere and its neighboring municipalities of Kangasala, Pirkkala, Nokiala, and Lempaala.

The transition to municipal waste management has reduced costs in some municipalities, such as Sysma, where costs have fallen by 21%. The study highlights the importance of government action to address rising housing costs and promote more affordable housing.

HT
Having joined HVMG's RevX team in 2020 as a consultant, Hanas has led the company's marketing efforts through the most challenging time in the industry's history. In her newly created role, she will expand on her most recent consulting positionwith the company by overseeing the company's hotel marketing strategy. Prior to starting her consultancy, Argent Strategic Marketing, Inc., Hanas spent nearly two decades with Marriott International in various marketing and eCommerce roles. She received her Bachelor of Science in mass communications from Boston University.

"Expect more comprehensive engagement in all things marketing as HVMG continues to grow," Chambers noted. "On a personal note, Denise and I have been working together for 20 years. I can vouch for her hotel marketing expertise and phenomenal, results-oriented approach - she is excellent!"
Andi Davids is Global Strategic Business Director at Bulletproof, an independent brand creative agency with studios in London, New York, Singapore, Amsterdam, Sydney and Shanghai. Andi loves to unpack the way that people form meaning in their lives, elevating brands beyond recognisable identities to dynamic reflections of human experience. Shes used this approach with some of the worlds most iconic brands including Deloitte, Heinz, Mars, PepsiCo, the UK Government, and the United Nations. Combining consultancy with academia, Andi is a guest lecturer at Cambridge University, leading the latest discussions on media, marketing, semiotics and psychology of communications.
Amsterdam  The Social Hub today announces that the Municipality of Eindhoven has granted approval for a PowerNEST wind and solar solution to be built on the roof of The Social Hub Eindhoven. The 630m2 structure is expected to provide 17% of energy needed for the hotel, student accommodation and co-working space. The first conversations between The Social Hub, IBIS Power and the municipality of Eindhoven began in 2021. The City of Eindhoven has now approved a PowerNEST by Ibis Power to upgrade the building to renewable energy.

Accelerating an energy transition

The Social Hubs energy transition road map includes considering options to self-generate wind and solar power via roof-spaces and facades. As new property developments already consider green energy goals in their design, The Social Hub is now examining how it can best retrofit existing properties. With a portfolio of 23 hubs situated in predominantly urban areas across Europe, space is at a premium. Therefore, the company is looking for solutions that will reduce reliance on over-burdened electricity grids, lower costs, and provide solutions for the clean energy transition.

Charlie MacGregor, CEO & Founder of The Social Hub says, We are delighted with this approval  and thank Alderman Rik Thijs for his support. It's an important step on our roadmap to transition our existing portfolio of properties to green energy. We are ready, willing and able to work with solutions, providers and municipalities to accelerate our transition to a Net Zero future. We feel the urgency now  for both our bottom line and doing the right thing for our planet and we want to move faster.

Sustainability transformation in urban environments

The switch from fossil to renewable energy sources is one way to combat global warming. The Paris Climate Agreement states that the share of renewable electricity in total electricity production should be 70% by 2030. Sustainable power in urban environments is another way to reach this goal.

Rik Thijs, Eindhovens Alderman responsible for climate, energy, soil and greening says, We hope that this collaboration and innovation application can be an example for other cities to follow. As the city of Eindhoven, we want to be a testing ground for these kinds of sustainable initiatives. As alderman for climate and energy, I see we need to accelerate. We are a smart Brainport region (top technology region where technologies are developed that change lives), and we must use this available knowledge to stop climate change."

Alexander Suma, CEO IBIS Power comments: "We need to adopt new ways to make our existing medium and high- rise buildings Net Zero Energy as they are the largest energy users in the city. The way The Social Hub, the City of Eindhoven and our team have worked together is a great and successful example of implementing large scale, impactful sustainable innovations in the urban area. This important approval by the Municipality of Eindhoven is paving the way for future sustainable building transformations. Construction is due to start in the summer this year. After five weeks of construction the preparations for the effective placement of the PowerNEST on the 630 m2 roof of The Social Hub Eindhoven can officially begin.

Increasing positive environmental impact

The Social Hub is on a journey to be as responsible and impactful as possible and minimize the negative impact on the environment. The Social Hub is currently in the process of setting science-based targets for their greenhouse gas emissions and is targeting an 82% reduction of its Scope 1 and 2 emissions per square meter by 2032 compared to its footprint in 2018-2019. The Social Hubs in Delft, Bologna and Barcelona which were built in the last three years already have solar panels.

About The Social Hub

Founded in 2012, The Social Hub, formerly known as The Student Hotel, is headquartered in Amsterdam and has more than 800 employees. The Social Hubs shareholders, namely Dutch pension fund ABP (through its asset manager APG) and GIC (Realty) Private Limited (GIC), a global institutional investor, welcome this focus on green energy solutions from the hybrid hospitality company.

All The Social Hub properties offer a mixed-use with accommodation, bars, restaurants, gyms, retail shops, meeting and event spaces and high-profile coworking spaces. With over 11,000 rooms in Europe open and under development, The Social Hub aims to offer unique experiences to its community of international guests and locals.

The Social Hubs total locations amount to 23, with 16 properties open in Berlin, The Hague, Delft, Vienna, Groningen, Eindhoven, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Paris, Florence, Bologna, Madrid, Barcelona, Toulouse and two in Amsterdam. Openings in 2023 include Glasgow, Porto and San Sebastian and more; by 2025, there will also be properties in Rome, Florence Belfiore, Lisbon and Turin.

The Social Hub is on a journey to be as responsible and impactful as possible  both in how we build our properties and how we engage with our communities. Our properties are developed and managed in accordance with BREEAM and GRESB standards and through our event programming we aim to inspire and activate our communities to contribute to a fairer and greener world. The Social Hub will start its journey towards B Corp Certification in 2023.
March may be Womens History Month, but for many in the hospitality industry, lifting up women in leadership positions across the field is an ongoing effort to pave the way for more women to rise into leadership roles. Meet Nida Wongphanlert, who is the General Manager of 137 Pillars Suites and Residences Bangkok, a luxury hotel in the heart of Bangkoks arts and fashion district known for its legendary hospitality and service.

Wongphanlerts path to success has not been a cookie-cutter one, however. With her background in engineering, she brings a fresh new perspective to hospitality management while inspiring women to thrive in leadership roles.

Her work often speaks for itself. An active sustainability advocate, Wongphanlert is currently working on a 200-acre tree-planting initiative and an herbal farm project that will not only offset the carbon footprint produced by the hotel and her family business but also provide essential Thai herbs for an upcoming line of products that will be available in the hotels.

As a woman trained in the sciences with a passion for the arts, Wongphanlert finds herself balancing her penchant for creativity with her own personal brands of management as she makes decisions based on numbers and logistics while embracing the latest innovations. Its all accomplished without forgetting the human touch in hospitality to deliver the best service to exceed guests expectations while embracing her passion for the arts. Whether its another creative marketing effort by Wongphanlerts sales team or paying close attention to growing as a team, she is always focused on creating unique experiences for all 137 Pillars guests.

What are the most challenging aspects of hotel management post-COVID, and how did you overcome those challenges?

Staffing shortages have been a major problem in the industry since the onset of the pandemic. Workers have moved out of this industry and it is very difficult to source the right candidates for the team. Luckily, our brand is well known in the local market and with our competitive benefits, people still apply. Once they are on board, the next challenge is to make sure they stay with us by offering a career path full of growth potential for those high performers on our team.

After COVID, Bangkok has become even more competitive for the luxury hotel segment (many major international brands are already in Bangkok), and with travel still limited compared to pre-COVID times due to limitations in flights, sales, and marketing are crucial and it is essential to put our efforts in the right tasks and strategy. Travel has become more difficult to predict, and we have to forecast quarter by quarter while controlling our costs. Finding this balance and empowering the heads of departments to take this on is a challenge but it is a good challenge in the long run.

One year into your role as general manager, what would you say are the most rewarding experiences working as a GM at a 5-Star hotel in Bangkok during the most challenging time in the history of hospitality?

The most rewarding experience is seeing how business has changed since the pandemic. I am very proud of our team for working together to not only survive but thrive in 2022. We managed to optimize our revenue generation and cost savings and our gross operating profit (GOP) % year-round has exceeded pre-COVID numbers. This is a huge credit to our team given that travel in the first two quarters was still minimal with Thailands Test and Go program.

Our focus on our brand pillars continues, however. We started off 2023 by being named one of the Best hotels in Bangkok, and Nitra Serenity Center was recently named one of the best spas in Bangkok by Conde Nast Traveler.

How do feel that your background in engineering and your passion for arts and photography helped bring different perspectives to a management role in the hospitality industry?

Creativity is definitely essential for marketing initiatives and the development of the 137 Pillars brand. This helped us to constantly come up with new products, events, promotions, services, and amenities for our guests. We hosted art events, created the Boutique of Jewels afternoon tea set, curated sustainable drinks suited for our brand story, and many more. For management, it is also crucial to motivate the team to think outside the box, and to be creative and flexible. The result is not only higher revenue generation but also a happy and positive working environment.

My engineering background has equipped me with logical and quantitative skills when we need to make various decisions and embrace new technology and innovations to help us cater to our guests and continue to exceed their expectations.

Revenue management is a crucial function in the industry and it is very important to gain access to data as conveniently as possible. We now use OTA insight, which is a tool for us to pull out data efficiently for analysis. With this analysis, we will be able to optimize revenues and better target our marketing efforts to ensure greater returns in our sales and marketing investment.

We also use Revinate, a system that pulls out all our reviews online together with SARA, which is a maintenance reporting application to review our propertys maintenance and service qualities. With the data mined straight from our guests, we can use this information to continually make improvements to our services, product, and experience. During and after the pandemic, travel slowly came back for each market, and we couldnt rush into reimplementing everything but instead focused on our customers to know which services are most crucial to them.

Beyond the latest innovation and technology that exists in the industry, you have always been a sustainability advocate. Tell us about your sustainability initiatives throughout your properties.

Sustainability has always been at the forefront of our mission and operations, and we will no doubt continue to enhance our efforts. Our family is currently working on a 200-acre tree planting project and building an herbal farm project that will offset the family businesss carbon footprint while providing essential Thai herbs for our kitchen, among other initiatives.

Going beyond the environmental aspects of sustainability - reduce, reuse, and recycle programs we currently have in place, we always try to support local businesses and economies where possible. Every guest who visits can take comfort in knowing that theyre helping to support the local economy and greater earth without compromising on luxury.

In an effort to support the local community and economy, 137 Pillars Suites & Residences is partnering with the following Thai-owned and operated businesses, offering curated, bespoke local products on the property: Monsoon Tea, the Chiang Mai-based tea company; Harnn, a Bangkok-based luxury lifestyle brand, and Roots Coffee, a micro-roastery based in Bangkok.

We have recently introduced plant-based menus and are currently working on sustainable cocktails using a zero-waste approach to yet again lead the way.

Nida Wongphanlert

Nida Wongphanlert is the general manager of the luxury hospitality brand 137 Pillars Hotels & Resorts with properties in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Wongphanlert joined her familys hotel business in 2015 after graduation and used her engineering degree to manage the construction and design of 137 Pillars Suites and Residences Bangkok. A creative at heart, she soon found herself drawn to marketing and communications, spearheading innovative brand campaigns and events centered around art, fashion, history, and music the cultural elements that define the guest experience at 137 Pillars Hotels & Resorts.

Since joining the company, Wongphanlert has held the positions of assistant manager of development, marketing communications manager, and project manager, before rising up to general manager of 137 Pillars Suites & Residences in Bangkok.

She holds a Bachelors Degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Bristol and Masters Degree in Industrial Systems, Manufacture and Management from the University of Cambridge. She also holds a Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investment and Asset Management from Cornell University.

While she never expected to be in the hospitality industry, Wongphanlert now lives and breathes it. She can often be seen on property during her downtime, when shes often taking photos with her film camera, exercising, or relaxing with a good novel. In essence, shes enjoying what she helped to build from scratch.
In celebration of International Womens Rights Day, were reaffirming our commitment to gender equality and shining a light on five inspiring female Heartists. They hail from different corners of the world, with varied backgrounds and experiences, yet share the same passion: unlocking endless possibilities and encouraging women around them.

At Accor, we look towards the future while looking after our people. This means fostering an inclusive work environment where everyone feels empowered to pursue enriching and fulfilling careers. Our teams bring this commitment to life by championing equal pay and representation, acting against gender-based violence, removing barriers to womens ambitions and cultivating diversity through our RiiSE Network. And because we believe that a truly diverse workforce requires diverse leadership, we have set ambitious gender parity objectives for our executive and management roles. In 2022, 39% of our Management Committee roles were held by women  bringing us closer to our goal of 45% by 2025.

DiscovHER five amazing stories of female Heartists exploring every opportunity Accor has to offer

Amery Burleigh: A Citizen of the World and a Trailblazing General Manager

Amerys career has taken her around the world and exposed her to diverse cultures and environments. Over the past 30 years, shes encountered many firsts as a woman, but none as big as her latest: becoming the first female General Manager in the Rixos brands 22-year history.

Watch video

Isabel Chung: An Executive Chef Championing Solidarity in a Highly Competitive Environment

What makes an excellent chef? Isabel infuses sustainable, local products into her curated menus and reflects the joy of seasons in her cooking. But in a heavily male-dominated industry, she believes excellence goes far beyond the creations she serves  its about women lifting each other up and giving back.

Watch video

Bruna Carla Oliveira: A Front Office Manager Who Forged Her Own Path

Bruna is the eldest of 13 children and comes from very humble beginnings, but was fortunate to be raised by strong women who taught her the value of education and how to be fierce, independent and believe in herself. Thanks to her determination, she managed to save up and spend a year as an au pair in the US. She later took an active role in launching the Heartist culture in Brazil in 2017, established a successful career and even supported her husband while he earned a degree in psychology.

Watch video

Maria Manlulu Garcia: A General Manager Who Shattered the Glass Ceiling Starting with Her Own Mind

When Maria began in hospitality nearly three decades ago, managers were almost exclusively men. But she soon learned that anyone can climb the professional ladder if they work hard and love what they do. Today she leads with a graceful heart and a firm hand  a quality that, in her words, is uniquely female.

Watch video

Christine Choquel: A Tech Leader Who Found Strength in the Face of Adversity

Surmounting personal challenges gave Christine the strength to be daring professionally. With countless accomplishments under her belt, her proudest achievement was finding the balance between being a dedicated parent and establishing a fulfilling career. As a seasoned engineer, Christine now focuses on encouraging young female talent to embrace careers in Technology.

Watch video
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How to get started as a live music photographer

Many careers and jobs within the music industry arent directly related to you being a musician. Journalism and photography make up a massive part of the live music community and many jobs are related to these fields.

from DITTO MUSIC

If getting into music journalism and writing isnt quite your bag and your strengths lie in capturing the energy of a live event through imagery, then you might want to consider a career in music photography.

How to get into music photography

As with any search for a job within the music industry, there are many different ways that you might go about getting started. Do you need to study photography or even go to university for that matter? Our guide dives into top photography advice to get your career started off on the right foot.

Start small

When starting out, its vital that you try and get as much experience  no matter how small  under your belt. Everyone starts somewhere and even the smallest gigs and events provide you an opportunity to showcase your photography skills and build up your professional portfolio.

Freelance at local magazines

A great way to build up your photography CV is by freelancing for local magazines and music companies. Most cities with a half decent music scene are bustling with independent music blogs you should be reading which are always offering the chance for new photographers and journalists to get involved.

Youll also often get to attend gigs for free with your press pass! A win-win.

Grow your network

Once youve started to gain some experience  and confidence  within live music photography, youll be able to focus on growing your music network. This is a key component of being successful within the music industry, whether youre a musician yourself or a budding industry-professional.

Utilise your social media profiles to help grow your brand name and secure new booking opportunities. Social also provides the perfect place to show off your work, so make sure youre smashing your social marketing online.



Attend industry events

Alongside your online network, its important for you to also get your face out there and become well-versed in your individual music scene. Once you start going to more and more events, people will recognise you and event organisers will think of you when setting up gigs. This might also help you find a music manager to help your career.

Music industry conferences can also help you land new jobs and grow your network, so make sure to get involved wherever you can.

Becoming a music photographer

Lewis Evans has shot for some of the UK & Irelands biggest bands, touring Europe and beyond as official photographer for acts such as Inhaler & Blossoms, as well as working with the likes of Fontaines D.C. and Arctic Monkeys. We chatted to him about his experiences of getting started in the world of live music photography.

How did you start out in music photography?

Id never really had much interest in photography before I went to university, where I studied Journalism, but after I got into reviewing gigs I just felt the pay off, both physically and in terms of time, wasnt worth the effort that was being put in.

I got my first ever photopass by pestering a photo editor for a small indie blog. They always like to bring up me sending him photos of ducks at 2am, which were the only real photography examplesat the time  somehow that actually worked!

Have you ever studied photography?

Ive never studied photography, which I guess has pros and cons  I may not have the technical proficiencies of some of my peers but Im glad that Ive just been able to dive into it and navigate my own style.

These days theres resources everywhere and Ive always been fortunate to have friends to lean on if Ive ever had any questions. And in my experience, just throwing yourself into situations and navigating them as youre going can lead to amazing results. Ive been lucky enough to have some great mentors, whove always pushed me to jump outside of my comfort zone.

What music photography tips would you give someone just starting out?

Prioritise showing off your best work on social media and dont get caught up in the Instagram facade of posting just for the sake of it  Ive always found self critique is so important and Im still working on things all the time.

Know your camera equipment inside out, youll be surprised by how much you dont know. It sounds really obvious but by reading the manual back to front, youll pick up a lot of info that will help you.

Know your emotional & physical limits  with current demands and the touring lifestyle, it is very easy to burnout and hit a wall. There is no shame in listening to your body and knowing what it can handle, even if it means you have to miss things. Health before wealth.

Most importantly, never be disheartened with push backs and nos. Its simply part of the life of a photographer, but dont get too put off, be persistent without being that annoying person.



Whats the best thing about being a music photographer?

Getting to travel and do a job I enjoy is truly priceless. It can be physically and emotionally ruthless, but as long as you can balance out work and fun, its more than manageable.

To keep up with Lewis photography, give him a follow on Instagram and check out his website for more inspiration.

Music photography offers an exciting and rewarding career path to aspiring music industry professionals. If you follow the advice laid out above, then you can make a great start in building out your professional portfolio and landing more live opportunities.

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Price hike for touring visas is a bad idea coming at the worst time

Proposed increases of 205% and more for visas for foreign musicians performing in the U.S. threatens to make coming to America to tour financially impossible for most artists.



By Rufus Sivaroshan, a student in the Bandier music business program, a signed recording artist, and a proud Malaysian. This first appeared in Bill Werdes free, weekly Full Rate No Cap email.



The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed to adjust certain immigration and naturalization benefit request fees charged by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), including the O and P visa classes commonly used by foreign performing artists, including touring musicians. The proposed rule, if passed, would increase petition fees for O visas from $460 to $1,665 and for P visas from $460 to $1,615; a 250+ percent increase for both. Both visas would also require an additional $600 surcharge.

This is an issue that will impact many industries. But for the rapidly-globalizing music business, this should raise serious concerns about the viability of U.S. stop for international touring acts. And for me, this is both a personal and an existential professional matter.



I moved to the U.S. from my home in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to study. But also, significantly, to work on my aspirations as a recording artist. Before I came to the U.S. in 2021, I had managed to create some success with a song called useless, and my debut EP, which reached 3 million+ streams. More recently, Ive released two songs through a label deal with Nettwerk, including my single tryhard, which was released Friday.

The suggested price hike for visas is not a theoretical problem, but a literal, financial one for me and for countless other artists  especially those from less-moneyed emerging markets. I am currently in the U.S. under an O-1 visa (this is a longer-term visa for working immigrants). Getting a visa is already a daunting, expensive, time consuming process for foreign artists. I can tell you that increasing the petition fees by 250% may well be the last straw for the ability of many of them to come to the U.S., let alone tour.

This specific proposed policy change would mean additional costs of about $1,800 for me. Thats in addition to an already prohibitively expensive process: attorney fees average $4,000 to $6,000; filing fees of $190 per person; and, if necessary, premium processing fees for a two-week turnaround which add $1,410 per visa and would otherwise be a three-to-five month turnaround. This visa could easily cost more than $10,000 per person. Now multiply that across a three-piece band and a tour manager. A foreign artist going on tour in the U.S. might need to pay as much as $50,000 solely in visa-related costs to enter the country. Unless their guarantee for these shows are more than six figures, its unlikely that these foreign artists will break even on tour, even if you cut production costs to the bare minimum and travel as cheaply as humanly possible.

English alternative indie pop group, easy life, recently shared that numbers just like this were why they cancelled their North American tour, and noted that the proposed Visa increases would have added an additional 15 percent in costs to a bare-boned tour that was already hard to financially justify. This, despite their boasting hundreds of millions of streams and having a successful touring career in the UK and Europe. If thats the case for them, again, imagine how detrimental these policies will be for artists who are less successful or from countries with less robust economies.

The truth is, these price hikes, if they become official policy, will create an enormous barrier for entry for working class (or poorer) musicians hoping to enter the US music business. And this is happening just as many of these artistshardest ht by the pandemicare beginning their recovery. The potential creative drain on an industry increasingly reliant on the creativity and vision of international acts should find this highly concerning. Do we really want to limit musical contributions by economic class?

Act Now!

If the answer to that is no, please head to the online, open comment period regarding this policy, amd share your thoughts. Heres one of mine: if you want to have a class system, then acknowledge reality and create an income-based fee scale, instead of penalizing the less fortunate. This visa increase may amount to a marginal tax on superstar acts. But it can be the difference of a future for just about everyone else.

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CATA Hosts Free Yoga and Art-making Programs

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.  Community Access to the Arts (CATA) is hosting free yoga and art-making programs for parents, caregivers, and their kids and teens with disabilities.

Workshops will take place at the CATA studios in Great Barrington every Saturday morning in March (March 4, 11, 18, and 25) from 10 a.m to noon.

Light refreshments will be provided.

The workshops are part of CATA's new series of "Create & Restore" programs, designed to relieve stress and promote wellbeing for people with disabilities and their caregivers.

In this program, caregivers will enjoy a gentle yoga class, led by CATA faculty Paula Boyajianwhile the young person with a disability they care for enjoys a painting class in a separate studio, led by faculty Hilary VanWright. Each program is free of charge and participants are welcome to attend as many workshops as they like.

All levels and abilities are welcome (no experience is necessary).
Drury High Getting Air Quality Sensors

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Drury High School will be getting new sensors on its heating and ventilation system.

"We were actually identified as one of 141 school districts in Massachusetts that was eligible for this award," said Business Administrator Nancy Rauscher at Tuesday's School Committee meeting, explaining that the criteria is base in part on the city's economic profile, health disparities and COVID-19 impact.

Rauscher and Carrie Burnett, the district's grants, special projects and procurement officer, said it was determined that Drury would best benefit from the grant. Two of the elementary schools are the focus of a feasibility study for a building project and Colegrove Park is relatively new while the high school is now 20 years out from its renovation.

Six companies evinced interest in the project but the only bid was from CTC Inc. of Adams, which came in about $10,000 below the grant, said Rauscher. She said CTC was familiar with the high school's systems and had worked on them in the past.

Burnett said there wasn't enough money to revamp the HVAC system so they had "to be a little creative." The project will focus on three aspects: carbon dioxide sensors on each of the air handlers, volatile organic compounds (VOC) sensors in the classrooms or on the air handlers, and ultra violet light on the air handlers.

The CO2 sensors will allow the school to benchmark the air quality in each classroom, which it couldn't do before. The VOC sensors will be reactive to odors or chemical smells and automatically trip the system to bring in fresh air. UV lighting has been proven to kill bacteria, Burnett said, "we're going to be looking at putting in many UV lightings into the air handling units." The balance will go toward upgrades of the system's motors.

School Committee member Richard Alcombright asked if the work would be disruptive, since the grant had to be completed by the end of the fiscal year. Rauscher said the work will be coordinated with Principal Stephanie Kopala and, if not completed, the grant would have to be amended.

"Once we've signed a contract with the vendor, we've worked closely with Stephanie to make sure we get the workflow and program and timeline that is as unobtrusive as possible," said Rauscher.

She anticipated a start date at the end of March with completion by the end of June.

The presentation on the grant program, in part prompted by a push for better ventilation because of airborne illnesses such as the novel coronavirus, followed a discussion on whether to continue monthly COVID-19 updates.

Mayor Jennifer Macksey, chair of the committee, had commented she would be happy the updates could be taken off the agenda. Superintendent Barbara Malkas responded she was going to ask the committee that very thing.

"We really didn't see a huge increase in the number of cases," she said of February break. "We're seeing on average somewhere in the vicinity of seven to eight cases [a week]."

Prior to the holidays last fall, there were some highs in the 20s but nothing compared to the year before, she said.

"I can tell you from my own experience, having recently been traveling around the country, that it's business as usual," Malkas said. "I'm seeing packed planes and people not wearing masks."

Plus, she noted, a large percentage of people are vaccinated and boosted and there are now treatments for the illness.

The committee agreed that, three years after the start of the pandemic, it was ti
China's diplomacy confronts wolves head-on, gaining glorious accomplishments amid hardships

By Global Times editorial (Global Times) 10:53, March 08, 2023

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang attends a press conference on China's foreign policy and foreign relations on the sidelines of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. Photo: Xinhua

On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang answered questions from journalists both home and abroad about China's foreign policy and external relations. The foreign minister's press conference is one of the highlights of the two sessions every year. In particular, this year's press conference is the first after three years that the Chinese foreign minister met with the press in-person and the first since Qin took the post. It has naturally received attention from all sides.

In 114 minutes, Qin answered a total of 14 questions, using lively and humorous language to vividly explain the goals and missions of China's diplomacy, as well as clearly express the country's propositions and position on major-country relations, neighborhood diplomacy and hot issues. His words reflected the continuity and certainty of China's diplomacy, as well as Qin's personal style. Sincerity, frankness, broad-mindedness and self-confidence are people's prominent impressions of this press conference.

The press covered a very comprehensive range of topics, while not avoiding sharp topics of concern to the world. For example, in terms of foreign exchanges, Qin expressed his firm will to develop friendship and cooperation with other countries, noting that China will generate new opportunities for the world with its new development. When talking about the Belt and Road Initiative, he said "its cooperation is conducted through consultation, and its partnerships are built with friendship and good faith." In fact, from the press conference, the world intuitively feels that China will firmly safeguard its core interests and always be a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development, and a defender of the international order. This is also the overall style of Chinese diplomacy in the new era.

International public opinion has particularly paid attention to Qin's statement on China-US relations, which from one aspect highlights the significance of this bilateral relationship and also shows the outside world's realistic concerns about China-US relations. Qin bluntly pointed out that the US' perception and views of China are seriously distorted, which is like "the first button in a shirt being put wrong." If the US does not hit the brake but continues to speed down the wrong path, there will "surely be conflict and confrontation." He also mentioned that the China-US relationship should be determined by the common interests and shared responsibilities of the two countries and by the friendship between the Chinese and American peoples, rather than by US domestic politics or the hysterical neo-McCarthyism. This is not only a warning to Washington but also shows the Chinese side's responsible and serious attitude toward China-US relations.

We have noticed that some Western media are scrutinizing this press conference with a magnifying glass, attempting to label Chinese diplomacy as "moderate" or "hard-line," but this is clearly a misdirection. In fact, Qin has made it very clear at the press conference that the so-called "wolf warrior diplomacy" is a narrative trap. In China's diplomacy, there is no shortage of goodwill and kindness, but if faced with jackals or wolves, Chinese diplomats would have no choice but to confront them head-on and protect our motherland, said Qin. In other words, wherever China's national interests lie and wherever the morality of maintaining peace and stability lies, Chinese diplomats will stand there.

"It is worth emphasizing that the narrative trap mentioned by Qin is precisely the despicable means that Washington has repeatedly used in recent years to seek geopolitical private interests. Taking advantage of its public opinion hegemony, Washington has constantly set narrative traps such as the "Chinese debt trap," "rules of international order," and "democracy vs. authoritarianism," and by continuously smearing China, it attempts to trip up China while covering up its own unpopular actions of starting a new cold war under the name of "competition." It's clear that the US policy toward China has completely deviated from the rational and healthy track, and the US cannot expect China not to respond in words or actions. This is absolutely impossible."

At the same time, Qin also stated that the American people, just like the Chinese people, are friendly, kind and sincere, and want a better life and a better world. While confronting wolves head-on, China's diplomacy has never given up the pursuit of unity, cooperation, and peaceful development. This is reflected prominently in China's growing circle of friends. China is having more and more new friends and increasingly closer old friends. In the eyes of the vast majority of normal countries in the international community, China is a friendly, enthusiastic, and willing-to-share good neighbor and partner. Some Western media and public opinion claim that China's diplomacy is becoming increasingly "tough," and some even feel targeted during the press conference, which just shows who the "wolves" are in today's international relations - they know it very well.

What a China that always focuses on development, with great certainty and a strong sense of responsibility, will bring to the world is a sense of stability and steadfastness, and this will first be conveyed through diplomacy. As Qin said, the new journey of China's diplomacy will be an expedition with glories and dreams, and it will also be a long voyage through stormy seas. The harder the mission, the more glorious its accomplishment. We look forward to China's diplomacy in the new era to have more outstanding performances under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Name: George Glass

Company: TM Forum

Job title: Chief Technology Officer

Date started current role: April 2020

Location: Belfast, Ireland

As CTO, George oversees the work of TM Forum's Collaboration Community to develop the Open Digital Framework. Prior to joining TM Forum, George worked at BT for more than 31 years, and was Chief Systems Architect where he led architectural transformations for over 15 years. He was one of the original authors and creators of BTs Service Oriented Architecture, built upon TM Forum standards.

What was your first job? I started my IT career working as a software engineer at BT, developing a digital twin of our telephone network in an Oracle database to enable us to model and predict network behaviour and avoid congestion issues. It provided alternate call routing paths based on the insights we could garner from the model in the database at times of heavy call traffic.

Did you always want to work in IT? No, not really, as IT did not really exist when I was growing up. This was before the days of personal computers or computer studies courses in schools.

What was your education? Do you hold any certifications? What are they? I have always been an inventor at heart, from my days a school when I was entering science projects in Irelands Young Scientist and the UKs Young Engineer for Britain competition. I was planning on going to Queens University in Belfast to study Maths and Physics, but my father, a Pure Mathemetics lecturer at the university, told me about a course that they were creating called Information Technology, that was a blend of Mathematics, Physics, Engineering and Computer Science.

I quickly realised that the Computer Science elements were the ones I found most interesting, but I still carried on studying the other elements (except Mathematics, much to my father's disappointment) and that is how I came to study for a degree in Information Technology at Queens University Belfast.

What type of CTO are you? I am a CTO who loves nothing more than to get deep into working on a technical challenge in a room full of architects and designers. Those scenarios give you the opportunity to grapple with a complex problem and try to produce innovative and elegant ways of solving that business problem using technology.

I also love talking about technology with both technical and non-technical audiences. I enjoy explaining the solutions to complex problems in a way that gets those listening excited about the opportunities and possibilities that technology offers to transform business.

Explain your career path. Did you take any detours? If so, discuss. After university, I joined BT as a software engineer. This was during the era when you developed all your applications from scratch because there were no vendors selling the solutions we needed. I got the opportunity to work on a few major transformation projects in this role. These projects enabled me to move into design and then architecture of networks and systems.

I then spent 3 years working collaboratively with AT&T and BT, before returning to BT as the Chief Architect for our retail division. It was in this stint at BT that I became involved in the work of the TM Forum. I saw an opportunity to drive for a degree of standardisation and interoperability that we had never had before. From these discussions we worked on the creation of TM Forums industry standard Open APIs, designed to simplify, and speed up the integration of common business functions used by all telcos such as customer management, billing, product catalogue and product ordering.

After spending 31 years at BT, I joined TM Forum in 2018 as VP of Architecture and APIs. I immediately set about further developing the fledgling Open Digital Architecture, that we had been creating with members for about 6 months, expanding into the network domain with our work on Autonomous Networks. In 2020 I became CTO at TM Forum driving innovation in digital architecture, APIs, AI, and next generation connectivity services. I also work with the members of the TM Forum transform our industry with the adoption of the TM Forum Open Digital Architecture.

Which emerging technology are you most excited about the prospect of? We have been developing the frameworks to enables telcos to adopt and manage AI at scale, and this presents us with the opportunity to take the design, build and operational management of future networks to an unprecedented level of automation. With dynamic, programmable, virtual network resources running in the cloud, managed by ever improving AI functions, it means we will be able to deliver new levels of network features, services, and performance at a fraction of the cost of today's networks.

Are there any technologies which you think are overhyped? Why? I think 5G has been significantly overhyped and it is only recently starting to deliver on its full potential. It is just another G, we have had four already and there was not the obvious technology enabled step change in personal mobile services that happened with each of the previous Gs. Our industry took far too long to develop the necessary standards, and the cost of the network roll out coupled with the lack of innovative solutions that require the features potentially delivered by a 5G network means we have had, in many instances, a solution looking for a problem to solve.

What is one unique initiative that you have employed over the last 12 months that youre really proud of? We have been developing and creating our industry standard Open APIs over the last 5 years, continuously improving them collaboratively with our members, increasing the coverage of the architecture which they support. With their adoption gaining widespread support across our industry as they simplify and standardise the integration of the components of our Open Digital Architecture (ODA), I was extremely proud when we reached 500,000 downloads of our APIs in March of this year, testament to their importance to our members throughout the world.

Are you leading a digital transformation? If so, does it emphasise customer experience and revenue growth or operational efficiency? In attempt to combat our fast-paced world, many organisations are embarking on their own digital transformations  however this can be difficult and complex to navigate. The TM Forum team and I are working with leading CSPs and global consultancies in a collaboration project to develop the definitive telecommunications industry standard for digital transformation. We have created the Digital Maturity Model and a set of key strategic KPIs to help organisations successfully start and finish their digital transformations.

What is the biggest issue that youre helping customers with at the moment? As 5G is launching around the world, organisations are looking into how they can harness the power it can offer. However, the fast adoptions of the cloud coupled with the adoption of 5G have changed CSPs IT challenges. We have developed our Open Digital Architecture (ODA) to enable the management of 5G and other emerging dynamic network services that are only going to get more complex, meaning CSPs will need to design their capabilities in a way that not only delivers the best performance but also remains secure.

How do you align your technology use to meet business goals? As a global association it can be difficult to ensure we can help achieve each and every members end goals. I discuss with our members about what type of business outcomes they would like to see and how we can ensure these outcomes are met, and whether technology is needed to achieve these. With that, we then collaborate on the technologies needed to effectively meet these expectations.

Do you have any trouble matching product/service strategy with tech strategy? As an Industry Association we are driven by our members, meaning that our members, facilitated by our collaboration projects, are tapping into each others experiences and abilities to collectively solve industry wide problems. Every solution we create is developed because it's something our members want and need in order to continue to drive innovation. Our members are then able to apply and adapt the service in a way that suits them.

What makes an effective tech strategy? Technology is constantly evolving, so a deep understanding of both new and old technologies is critical to an effective strategy. Organisations need to be able to reflect on previous experiences, understanding what worked, what didnt and what could be elaborated on. You need to ensure youre providing your team, customers and partners with the most engaging experiences as possible.

When developing a tech strategy, it is important to understand the business constraints that you are working with. For example, if you have un-depreciated legacy that is still capable of providing cost effective business solutions you need to develop a tech strategy that enables the dual operation of strategic and legacy applications simultaneously until you can retire your legacy.

What predictions do you have for the role of the CTO in the future? In telecoms, the role of the CTO is changing significantly as organisations are looking for software engineering skills to develop differentiated services that will enable them to stand out from their competitors. This requires buy-in from every aspect of the business, meaning the CTO needs to help an organisation take IT from the back room to the boardroom.

Telcos are becoming Techcos- and the leaders of a technology business needs to have a technology strategy that creates opportunities for business growth.

The IT department of modern businesses need to be the innovation centre and powerhouses. It should not be portrayed as a cost centre so needs CTOs that are ready to engage with their business partners to explain and demonstrate how IT can enable new market opportunities, create new partnering capabilities and deliver innovative and inspiring new products that appeal to a new generation of tech-savvy customers.

What has been your greatest career achievement? During the early part of my career, I was working in billing. I was part of a small team that designed and developed a rules and data driven pricing and discounting capability that we secured worldwide patents on. This capability was deployed into our billing suit and delivered innovative services for many years that enabled us to bundle products, calculate prices, create offers, apply discounts without the need to write code or involve IT. This was in 1994!

Looking back with 20:20 hindsight, what would you have done differently? Life is not a dress rehearsal, you live once, and the experiences both good and bad, have made me into the person that I am today. So, I am not a person who wishes I could go back and change things because I would likely miss out on learning some important lessons that have shaped my character today.
The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) has been labeled an extremist group by Alyaksandr Lukashenkos regime, in an obvious act of obstruction to the freedom of the press. The International and European Federation of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ) send their full support to the association and its members.

The Belarusian KGBs decision, issued on 28 February 2023 and made public on 7 March 2023 means that anyone that has taken part in BAJs activities could face up to 10 years in prison, according to the countrys Criminal code. The security services stated that BAJ president Andrey Bastunets and vice-president Barys Haretski, as well as six other BAJ members, were found to have carried out extremist activities.

This escalation of attacks on the media association, adding up to its liquidation by the Supreme Court in August 2021, is one of many attacks on the media since the 2020 mass protests against Lukashenkos decision to run for the presidential election, and following reelection. The association is now listed in the Interior Ministrys list of extremist groups, a list that exceeds one hundred media groups and NGOs. BAJ, the only independent representative organisation of journalists and media workers in Belarus, has also become the first Belarusian human rights organisation to be labeled as extremist. It will continue its activities, still from exile, as the ongoing crackdown on civil society and independent press continues in the country.

BAJ issued a statement assuring it will continue the associations mission: expanding the space for freedom of speech through the support of high-quality journalism demanded in modern society and the dissemination of truthful information.
Naw Betty Han is a Burmese journalist from Frontier Myanmar. She was reporting in Myanmar before the military takeover in 2021, which made the country an increasingly dangerous place to report as a journalist. In 2020, while investigating a multibillion-dollar Chinese investment on the Thai/Burma border, she and a photographer were detained by a Burmese Army-sponsored militia. They were masked, handcuffed, driven to a rubber plantation and beaten, before finally being released. Naw Betty Han shared with us the challenges for women journalists to report in such a polarised political environment and provides safety advice to women journalists reporting from conflict zones.

You had been reporting from Myanmar before the coup and you were also arrested before the takeover by the military in 2020 while investigating a multibillion-dollar Chinese investment. How has this arrest changed your way of doing journalism and reporting on sensitive topics?

After I was arrested on the Thai border and released, my parents asked me to stop working as a journalist. At that time, I promised my parents that I would not cover such dangerous cases again. And I said that I would not take the risk of being arrested again. My parents were worried about me and wanted me to quit my job. Later, I continued reporting on the Shwekkol project and the businesses related to the Border guard force. My arrest motivated me to find out more about these matters. I thought that pursuing my reporting was more important than stopping work because I had been arrested. At work, I became much more careful than I used to. I was very cautious about security issues while I continued my investigations. My arrest set a good example for my news agency and my journalist colleagues to be extra careful about security when reporting. Currently, I am still writing investigative reports from Chiang Mai, Thailand. Sometimes I travel to border cities and do ground reporting.

The crackdown on freedom of media and expression is still ongoing in Myanmar. The military is revoking licences and outlawing independent outlets, which has made it hard for many journalists to find paid work. How has it affected women journalists more specifically?

After the military coup, the military council severely attacked the media sector. Journalists were also unjustly arrested, and among the arrested journalists were many female journalists. Women journalists who were arrested are facing physical abuse, illegal lawsuits, as well as psychological harm. Arrested journalists are being treated for physical and psychological injuries, and journalists like us who have not yet been arrested are still dealing with a lot of trauma caused by the military council. Journalists have witnessed the violent beatings, arrests, shootings and killings of protesters right in front of their eyes.

You have said many times that despite the repression and danger of being a journalist in Myanmar, you would not stop. How do you practice journalism and ensure your safety at the same time?

As a journalist in Myanmar, you have almost no guarantee of safety. Before the military coup, journalists' lives were insecure. I was arrested before the military took power, and there are many other journalists who were arrested before the military took power. However, since I became a journalist in Myanmar, I have realised that it is a dangerous job, and it is best to be prepared and cautious when receiving any kind of news. It is still possible to be arrested, so it is best to take safety precautions when working. After the coup d'etat, the situation got worse. In the past, it was dangerous to cover the news, but after the military coup, being a journalist became very dangerous, and it has led to a situation where you can be arrested any time. Even before I left Myanmar, I had to keep my profession as a journalist secret, and when my parents were asked about me, they often said that I had stopped working as a journalist a long time ago.

Would you have any safety tips to share with other women journalists reporting from conflict zones?

When reporting in conflict zones, it is important to understand the situation on the ground and to blend in with those on the ground. You should also find friends nearby who can help you when you have a problem, and be careful to keep in touch with your news sources and an editor or a colleague at your news agency. You should also decide on a code with your news agency, and carefully work on a plan B in advance in case of emergency .

Why do you think women's involvement in the coverage of war is important?

If there is a war, it is not only men who have to participate. Women too. In the current revolution in Myanmar, the role of women is also very important. Female soldiers, female medics, female journalists, female activists and other women are also supporting the great revolution. Due to the capacity and participation of women, the revolutionary process of Myanmar has been able to move forward quite effectively. Among those who are working as Union ministers appointed by the National Unity Government, there are still many women ministers. This shows that women are involved in the revolution and their participation has an impact.

What are Burmese women journalists' most pressing needs right now?

The most pressing needs are job opportunities. When female journalists are arrested and released, it is difficult for them to continue their work as journalists. Female journalists who have illegally entered the border and are fleeing are also facing financial difficulties as they cannot find work easily. So, the second thing they need is financial support. Here, I am referring to women journalists who find it difficult to find jobs and are unemployed.

Any message you would like to convey to women journalists around the world on 8 march?

Female journalists who sacrificed themselves to report during Myanmar's revolutionary process have proven that female journalists can work equal to male journalists. As women, we can continue to empower women by doing the best we can from where we are and showing that our actions are having a positive impact.
Basecamp, Power Mac Centers official training provider, is officially opening enrollment to its March training sessions. With Apple Certified Professionals teaching Apple certification courses, its perfect for individuals and groups seeking to reskill or upskill their tech knowhow and boost their competitiveness in the Apple ecosystem.

Start your learning adventure to boost digital competitiveness

Courses include Apple Device Support (Mar 7-9), Apple Deployment and Management (Mar 13-14), App Development with Swift (Mar 22-24), Pages, Numbers, and Keynote (Mar 27-31), and Final Cut Pro X (Mar 29-31). Delivered through specialized training methodologies and guided exercises, these are specifically designed to help learners deploy, support, and troubleshoot devices, as well as familiarize themselves with existing powerful applications or even create their own. Customized sessions can also be arranged for groups of at least 10 participants.

Other courses include macOS Fundamentals, macOS Technical Troubleshooting, Mac and Windows Integration Basics, Professional Development for IT and School Administrators, Professional Development for Educators, iOS/iPadOS Fundamentals and Troubleshooting, and 1-on-1 tutorial. There are also VIP courses on On-site Support for Mac or iPhone/iPad, and Zoom Video Conference Support, as well as certification exams, namely, Apple Deployment and Management Exam and Apple Device Support Exam for those looking to beef up their credentials.

If you want to invest in yourself, Basecamp is the starting point of your digital expedition. It helps people boost their productivity and work competitiveness so they can take advantage of the economic opportunities that the future will bring. Our course offerings are designed to empower individuals to maximize the utilization of Apple technologywhether its for growing in their current career, preparing for a new role, or simply for their creative pursuits, said Maleng Raysag, Basecamp Head.

Fresh name, improved quality of service

Basecamp carries courses tailored for learners across different age groups, i.e., kids, teens, and adults or professionals. Established in 2009 under the former name PMC Business Systems, Inc. (PBSI), it rebranded as Basecamp this year to strengthen its commitment to support Filipinos digital skills training needs and prepare them for an even more tech-driven future. Its on-site and online quality training and services equip customers with technical skills that help address the ever-changing demands of the modern workplace, as well as creative skills that enable them to pursue meaningful endeavors and unleash their full artistic potential.

Basecamp has 15 years of experience in servicing the training needs of close to 10,000 enrollees, with more than 50 students with Apple certification. It continuously aims to produce more Filipino Apple certified professionals and uplift the industry to support the growing number of customers in the country.

Invest in yourself! Book a training now at bit.ly/PMCBasecampCourses or inquire via basecamp@powermaccenter.com or +63 908 885 6277. You can also visit the training location at the 3rd Level of Glorietta 5, Ayala Center, Makati City. Follow Power Mac Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube to be updated on promotions and special deals on Basecamp training fees.
Highlight of the month was BASF outlaying measures to increase its competitiveness through fixed costs reduction and streamlining of asset base. The company has decided to shut down the TDI plant (~10% of global capacity) and caprolactam (~1.5% of global capacity), which would be positive GNFC (the only manufacturer of TDI in India) and GSFC (the only manufacturer of caprolactam in India) respectively. It also highlighted that competitiveness in Europe is declining, on the back of geopolitical tensions, Green deal and its ambition to go climate-neutral by 2050. Further, ~50% of the average annual capex (~EUR2.7 billion) is being incurred for China Verbund site and battery materials, while India does not find any mention (Negative for BASF India).

Government approves Nano-DAP

After Nano-Urea, the central government has approved the use of Nano-DAP. While the product is currently being launched by IFFCO, Coromandel is also in process of testing the efficacy of this product.

Global Agriculture update

Prices of key commodities in the US showed signs of cooling off, due to strong supplies and sharp rise in Russian exports. US wheat, corn, rice and soybean futures declined ~3-9% MoM. Soybean prices in Brazil fell a further ~3% MoM, on expectations of a healthy harvest this year. In line with global trends, commodity prices in India too have declined over the last month. Prices of paddy, maize and soybean declined ~1-3% MoM. Wheat prices declined ~15%, driven by the FCI's decision to launch open market sale.

Ongoing heat wave poses a risk of crop damage

Weather in the upcoming months will likely remain erratic. IMD has forecast a heat wave from March to May  which may negatively impact crop yields. The US government agency has forecast El-Nino to return as early as June 2023. El-Nino typically leads to lower-than-normal rainfall and erratic distribution.

Chemical prices

Trend in chemical prices through February 2023 was mixed. While prices of soda ash, phenol and acetone grew ~10-18% MoM, those of PVC, caustic soda and bromine corrected ~2-17%. TAN prices have started to cool off as export restrictions out of Russia have started to ease. Consequently, spreads of TAN have declined ~29% MoM. Phenol spreads increased ~18% MoM. Prices of key fertilizer inputs such as ammonia, phosphoric acid and sulphur corrected ~22-45% MoM.

Rainfall update

Season-to-date rainfall (since 1-January-2023) is ~76% below normal. Reservoir levels are below last-year levels, but above the 10-year average.

Fertilizer MRPs

Despite falling import prices, domestic MRPs of key fertilizers remained largely flattish in January 2023. As per news articles, IFFCO has taken price cuts in February 2023. Global prices of DAP and urea fell ~22-52% MoM in February 2023. Fertilizer subsidy disbursement remained healthy in January 2023, amounting to Rs258 billion.

Other highlights

1) The Centre is eyeing measures to lower the fertilizer subsidy outgo through a series of measures. Sources indicated that gas bids, which were upwards of $30 a unit, came down to a low of around $18. 2) Europes acetone, phenol and derivative chain has seen some small pockets of optimism, but challenges remain.

3) US contract prices for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) increased in January for the first time in nine months, driven by rising export prices and tightening domestic supplies.

4) Cooperative major IFFCO has cut the price of complex fertilizer (NPKS) with 20:20:0:13 by 200/bag to 1,200/bag.

5) US ITC has issued antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on sodium nitrite from India.

6) Aether Industries has acquired and taken possession of a new industrial premise in Surat. It has also signed a 10-year contract with Otsuka Chemical worth ~Rs51 million per year.

7) Adani Groups CFO said their coal-to-PVC project will be scrapped  this had been a 2mtpa $4 billion project to produce various PVC grades.

8) GHCL announced that a mechanical breakdown in one line of the lime kilns will likely result in ~30,000MT of lower production in Q4.

9) Central government has issued a draft order to prohibit three insecticides (Dicofol, Dinocap and Methomyl) for use in India.
Dr Reddy's Laboratories informed that the company is recalling over 4,000 bottles of a generic drug in the United States.

The Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company is recalling 4,320 bottles of Tacrolimus Capsules, which are used to prevent the body from rejecting an organ transplant. The pharma major is recalling bottles due to a packaging defect.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories Inc, based in New Jersey, is recalling the affected lot due to the 'presence of one Tacrolimus 1 mg capsule co-mingled in a bottle containing and labelled as Tacrolimus 0.5 mg capsules,' according to the USFDA's latest Enforcement Report.

The affected lot was manufactured at the company's Bachupally-based manufacturing plant and distributed in the United States by its American subsidiary.

On February 8, this year, Dr Reddy's began a nationwide Class II recall.

At around 12.42 PM, Dr Reddys was trading 0.28% lower at Rs4,428 apiece, against the previous close of Rs4,439.20 on NSE. The counter touched an intraday high and low of Rs4,444 and Rs4,401.25 respectively.

For feedback and suggestions, write to us at editorial@iifl.com
Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) shares rose more than 4% to Rs 2,833.90 in intraday trade on Wednesday after the company signed an agreement with India's defense ministry for supply of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft for Rs 6,800 crore.

On March 1, 2023, the Union Cabinet approved the purchase of 70 HTT-40 trainer aircraft from HAL for more than Rs6,800 crore, providing a significant boost to the government's efforts to achieve 'Aatmanirbharta' in defense.

The HTT-40 is a propeller-driven aircraft that offers superior handling at lower speeds, making it an ideal choice for pilot training. This aircraft has been specifically designed to enhance the effectiveness of pilot training, providing a more comprehensive learning experience. The air-conditioned cockpit, modern avionics, hot refuelling, running changeover, and zero-zero ejection seats of this fully aerobatic tandem seat turbo trainer.

According to the company, their aircraft will address the shortage of basic trainer aircraft for the Indian Air Force, specifically for training newly recruited pilots. The procurement will cover all necessary equipment and training aids, such as simulators, to support the training program.

As part of the contract, the company will supply the aircraft over a period of six years.

At around 11.10 AM, Hindustan Aeronautics was trading 4.36% higher at Rs2,822.10 apiece, against the previous close of Rs2,710.75 on NSE.

For feedback and suggestions, write to us at editorial@iifl.com
Hyundai Motor India Ltd announced a partnership with FMCG major ITC's Agri Business Division on Tuesday to strengthen its brand presence in rural markets. The automaker will promote its model lineup on ITC's extensive agro and rural platforms as part of the partnership, according to a statement from Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL).

The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to that effect, according to the statement.

HMIL stated that it will work with ITC's Choupal Saagar and e-Choupal platforms in rural hinterlands and that it will gradually expand ITCMAARS Rural services for a wider reach.

Tarun Garg, the Chief Operating Officer of HMIL, expressed that the goal of this partnership is to enhance the recognition of HMIL's brand and connect with potential customers in India's interior regions.

Rajnikant Rai, the Divisional Chief Executive of ITC Ltd's Agri-Business Division, mentioned that the association with Hyundai would aid in fulfilling the aspirations of farmers through the utilization of ITC's e-Choupal and ITCMAARS ecosystem.

For feedback and suggestions, write to us at editorial@iifl.com
Bharat Electronics Limited informed that ICRA has retained the credit ratings on instruments of the company.

The rating agency has reaffirmed the ICRA AAA rating on fund-based limits worth Rs 500 crore. Further, the rating on long-term unallocated limits worth Rs300 crore has also been reaffirmed at ICRA AAA. The rating agency has reaffirmed a Stable outlook on these instruments.

Companys non-fund based limits worth Rs 4,500 crore have been reaffirmed at ICRA A1+.

These ratings reflect the best credit quality in both the long and short term. Long-term and short-term credit risk is the lowest for instruments rated in these categories. These ratings are valid until March 1, 2024, stated the company in its filing with the bourses.

At around 11.51 AM, Bharat Electronics was trading 0.31% lower at Rs96.15 against the previous close of Rs96.45 on NSE. The counter touched an intraday high and low of Rs96.40 and Rs94.50 respectively.

For feedback and suggestions, write to us at editorial@iifl.com
The markets regulator returned the draft papers of BVG India and Fincare Small Finance Bank.

The integrated services company, BVG India had filed DRHP with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in September 2021 to raise funds through an initial public offering (IPO).

The proposed IPO of the company comprises fresh issue of equity shares worth up to Rs 200 crore and an offer-for-sale (OFS) of up to 71,96,214 shares by promoters and private equity investor 3i Group.

In an another update, SEBI has also returned the preliminary papers of Fincare Small Finance Bank.

Last year in August, the company had refiled its preliminary papers with the markets regulator to raise funds through IPO as Sebi's one-year approval given to the lender to launch the issue expired in July. As per the rules of SEBI, a firm gets one year to hit the primary market after receiving an approval from Sebi.

The IPO of Fincare Small Finance Bank comprises fresh issue of equity shares worth up to Rs 625 crore and an Offer For Sale (OFS) aggregating up to 1.7 crore equity shares by a promoter and investors selling shareholders.

As per the SEBIs update, the markets watchdog has returned the IPO papers of both the companies on March 2 and March 3.
Jerry Peltier, Kim Murray and Doug George Kanentiio (Mohawks) meet UN Indigenous Rights Rapporteur Francisco Cali Tzay In Montreal on March 2, to discuss missing Native children and residential schools.

On March 2, 2023, the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burials Sites Associated with Indian Residential Schools, Kimberly R. Murray and two Survivors, Doug George and Jerry Peltier, met with United Nati...
The Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) Student Senate held their annual Student Trustee Election on Tuesday, February 28 to elect the two new Student Trustees for the 2023-2024 school year.

Nominations were open from December 12 to Februa...
On Tuesday, Bollywood actress Sushmita Sen said she had returned to working out after taking a week off after suffering a heart attack. On March 2, Sen said she had just had a heart attack and had angioplasty surgery.

Instagram

The 47-year-old actor, who is recovering at home, also conducted a live session on Instagram on March 4, where she said she survived a "very big heart attack" courtesy of an active lifestyle.



"#wheeloflife cleared by my cardiologist! stretching begins!!! What a feeling!!! #oneweek #slowandsteady #breathe This is my "Happy Holi"! how was yours? I love you guys," the former Miss Universe captioned a picture of hers which showed her stretching.

Instagram/SushmitaSen

Sen was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition called Addisons disease in 2014 and had previously urged people in their 20s and women to monitor their heart health.



"Keep your heart happy & courageous, and itll stand by you when you need it the most, Shona" (Wise words by my father, @sensubir ). I suffered a heart attack a couple of days backAngioplasty donestent in placeand most importantly, my cardiologist reconfirmed, I do have a big heart. Many people to thank for their timely aid & constructive actionwill do so in another post!. This post is to inform you (my well-wishers & loved ones) of the good news that all is well & I am ready for some life again!!! I love you guys beyond!!!"



On Saturday, Sushmita went to social media to express her gratitude to her army of devoted followers all over the globe and to the team of doctors who leased a new life for her.

Unsplash

The Aarya actor said that the gym and healthy lifestyle she follows helped her survive a heart attack.



"I know many of you will stop going to the gym and say, it did not help her. But that is not good. It did help me. I survived a very big heart attack. It was massive, with 95 percent blockage in the main artery. I survived because I have kept an active lifestyle. I am very lucky to be on the other side. It doesnt put fear in me; instead, I now have a feeling of promise to look forward to something," said the actor.

Sushmita added, "When you get a new lease on life, you respect it and are careful, and that is when you learn to exercise and strengthen your will even more."

The actor also cautioned young people in their 20s to monitor their hearts regularly.

Sushmita said she is doing perfectly well, although she has not fully overcome her sore throat. The Biwi No. 1 actor is eager to return to the shooting floor.

She said, "Once I get a clearance from my doctors, I will be off to Jaipur to finish Aarya, and I will also be working on the dubbing for Taali."

(with PTI inputs)

(To get the latest updates from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment)


1. SRKs Security Breached! Mumbai Police Arrests Two Men For Trespassing Actors Bungalow Mannat

Security breaches are a rising threat amongst Indian celebrities. Recently, after a few media personnel entered Saif Ali Khans house at midnight, it is now that two men trespassed Shah Rukh Khans lavish bungalow, Mannat. Not just that, the duo managed to even wait for eight long hours in order to meet the actor. The incident happened last week when the trespassers barged into Mannat's premises through its outer wall. Read More!



ILN

2. 'Bollywoods Rom-com Era Is Back', Twitter Lauds Ranbir-Shraddhas Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar

Pyaar Hota Hota Hota Kai Baar Hai Arent we all humming this song every now and then these days? The track belongs to Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor's film Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar. This Luv Ranjan directorial was released on the occasion of Holi (8th March) and has painted everyone with the colours of joy and love. Well, thats not what we say, its the early verdict of Twitter that declares the film a super hit. Read More!

ILN

3. What A Great Opportunity! Slum Kid From Noida Bags A Role In Jaideep Ahlawat's 'Paatal Lok 2'



Paatal Lok 2's second season was previewed last year following the first season's massive success! And now we have some fab news! A slum child from Noida has suddenly been cast in a significant role in the next OTT series. Ayush Jha, a 10-year-old child actor, has already started filming for Paatal Lok's second season in Delhi. Ayush Jha, who lives in a slum in Noida, lost his father during the Covid-19 wave. He attended the Voice of Slum NGO, where the Paatal Lok team organised tryouts for the role of a large number of these slum children. Read More!

paatal lok

4. 'Vulgar & Obscene Language', Delhi High Court Orders FIR Against Web Series 'College Romance'



The Delhi High Court ordered the appropriate authorities to file a first information report (FIR) against the creators of the web series "College Romance.In the lawsuit against the online series creators, a single-judge panel presided over by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma affirmed the prior ruling. The Delhi police were instructed to file a police report (FIR) against director Simarpreet Singh and performer Apoorva Arora by an additional chief metropolitan magistrate (ACMM). Read More!

college romance

5. Motherhood Isn't A Roadblock! 15 Actresses Who Made Powerful Comebacks After Becoming Mothers



When it comes to showbiz, women have been similarly building a remarkable image for themselves. Be it Selena Gomez and Samantha Ruth Prabhu being the survivors of their respective diseases to Neena Gupta and Kris Houghton stealing the limelight by being single supermoms, its a film industry of powerful women. This Womens Day 2023, we are celebrating the women of Indian cinema who broke through the taboo of motherhood is a full stop and made a powerful comeback in the business after being real-life supermoms. Read ahead!

ILN

(For more news and updates from the world of celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment, and let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments below.)
On Wednesday, the police said that a couple in the Muradnagar neighborhood of Agrasen Vihar phase one died from what is thought to be asphyxiation caused by a gas leak from a geyser.

Deepak (40) and Shilpi (36) went to take a bath after celebrating Holi, and when they turned on their gas geyser, they did not discover that there was a leak in their home, as per police authorities.

As per police records, their kids discovered them lying on the ground unconscious after nearly an hour had passed.

According to the police, the couple was rushed to a hospital in Ghaziabad, where the doctors reportedly declared them both dead.

According to Satish Kumar, the SHO of Muradnagar, who spoke to PTI about the case, both bodies have been sent for a postmortem examination after all the legal steps were taken.

screenshot

The ability of gas geysers to operate off of LPG rather than a power source is one of the primary benefits of gas geysers over electric ones.



This is an ideal situation for households with many members. The water is heated by a gas burner perched above a tank holding the water.

Twitter

As the gas geyser reaches a specific temperature, it builds pressure, which causes the pressure valve to open and releases the tension. Many recommend positioning it in the hallway outside the restrooms if you haven't done so already.



If this is impossible, ensure the bathroom air fans are turned on.

Over the years and in various locations around the nation, many incidents of this kind have been reported. Take notice of the following items to guarantee your house gas geyser is entirely risk-free for your loved ones. Read more here.

(For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram.)
In the beginning, Python had no type decorations. That suited the overall goal of making the language fast and easy to work with. Flexible object types accommodate the twists and turns of writing code and help developers keep their code concise.

Over the last few years, though, Python has added support for type annotations, inspiring a whole culture of software devoted to type checking Python during development. Python doesnt check types at runtimeat least, not yet. But by taking advantage of a good type checker, riding shotgun in your IDE of choice, you can use Pythons type annotations to screen out many common mistakes before they hit production.

This article delves into four of the major type checking add-ons for Python. All follow roughly the same pattern, scanning Python code with type annotations and providing feedback. But each one offers its own useful additions to the basic concept.

Mypy

Mypy, originally developed at Dropbox to optimize its own internal codebase, was arguably the first static type checking system for Python. Work on it began in 2012, and its still under active development. It is essentially the prototype for how third-party type checking libraries work in Python, even if many others have come along since and expanded on its features.

Mypy can run standalone, or from the command line, or it can work as part of an editor or IDEs linter integration. Many editors and IDEs integrate Mypy; Visual Studio Codes Python extension can work with it directly. When run, Mypy generates reports about your codes consistency based on the type information it provides.

If your code doesnt include type annotations, Mypy will not perform the vast majority of its code checks. This way, if you're annotating a code base gradually, Myp doesn't waste its time or yours on code you are not actually trying to type-check.

You can use Mypy to manually flag unannotated code, though. This can be done with varying degrees of strictness depending on ones needs.

If youre starting from scratch with a codebase and you want a preemptively aggressive linting strategy, you can use the --strict option to prevent any untyped code. On the other hand, if youre working with a legacy codebase that doesnt have many type definitions, you can use more relaxed options such as preventing only untyped function definitions with --disallow-untyped-defs while allowing other untyped code. And you can always use inline comments like # type: ignore to keep individual lines from being flagged.

Mypy can make use of PEP 484 stub files when you want to use type hints for a modules public interfaces. On top of this, Mypy offers stubgen , a tool that automatically generates stub files from existing code. For untyped code, the stub files use generic types, which you can then mark up as needed.

Mypy also includes a tool called mypyc, which compiles type-decorated Python into a C module. It can speed up type-decorated code bases, so it could be considered an experimental way to make Python into a faster language with type annotations. That said, it can't speed things up as much as Cython, since mypyc doesn't allow annotating for machine-native types. On the other hand, Cython's custom syntax means most linters (like those listed here) can't work with it.

Pytype

Pytype, created by Google, differs from the likes of Mypy in using inference instead of just type descriptors. In other words, Pytype attempts to determine types by analyzing code flow, rather than relying strictly on type annotations.

Pytype errs on the side of leniency whenever it makes sense to do so. If you have an operation that works at runtime and doesnt contradict any annotations, Pytype wont squawk about it. However, this means that some problems that should be flagged (e.g., declaring a variable with a type at one point and then redefining it in the same context) pass by unannounced. The documentation states such things will be disallowed at some point in the future.

If you choose to add type annotations to your code, then Pytypes reveal_type function comes in especially handy. If you insert a statement in your code that reads reveal_type(expr) , Pytype evaluates expr and emits an alert that describes its type.

Note that certain Pytype behaviors are controlled by adding attributes to the code itself. For instance, if you want to stop Pytype from complaining about missing attributes or module members that are set dynamically, you have to add the attribute _HAS_DYNAMIC_ATTRIBUTES = True to the class or module in question, as opposed to setting some kind of Pytype configuration metadata.

Pyright / Pylance

Pyright is Microsofts Python type checker, included as part of the Pylance extension for Visual Studio Code. If youre already a VS Code user, the Pylance extension is the most convenient way to work with Pyright; just install it and go. Pyright provides a good all-in-one type checking and code linting experience, with many of the same conveniences and advances as previous Python analysis tools.

Like Pytype, Pyright can work with codebases that dont have any type information. In those cases, Pyright will do its best to infer what types are in play. Thus you can still get good results with Pytype on older codebases with no type declarations. But youll get better results over time as you progressively add type annotations to your code.

Pyright is highly flexible in ways that complement the designs of real-world Python projects. As with other type checkers, Pyright can be configured on a per-project basis with a JSON-formatted configuration file in the projects directory, or as part of a pyproject.toml file in a section named [tool.pyright] . Individual paths can be excluded (never checked) or ignored (errors and warnings suppressed) in the config file.

In VS Code, workspaces with multiple roots can each have their own Pyright config; this is in case different parts of the project need different linting configurations. In the same vein, you can define multiple execution environments within a project, each with its own venv or import paths. This makes Pyright easily the most granular of the linters profiled here.

Pyre

Created by developers at Facebook and Instagram, Pyre is actually two tools in one: a type checker (Pyre) and a static code analysis tool (Pysa). The two are designed to work hand-in-hand to provide a higher level of checking and analysis than other tools, although the user needs to do a little heavy lifting to take full advantage of them.

Pyre takes an approach similar to Pytype and Mypy. Untyped code is handled more leniently than typed code, so you can begin with an untyped Python codebase and add annotations function by function and module by module. Toggle on strict mode in a module, and Pyre will flag any missing annotations. Or you could make strict mode the default and opt out at the module level. Pyre will also work with .pyi -format stub files.

Pyre has a powerful feature for migrating codebases to a typed format. The infer command-line option ingests a file or directory, makes educated guesses about the types used, and applies the annotations to the files. Youll want to make backups of your code first, though! (If you want to obtain type information from a running Python program, you can do that with another Facebook/Instagram project, MonkeyType.)

While Pyres features echo those of the other packages detailed here, Pysa is unique. Pysa performs taint analysis on code to identify potential security issues, relying on a library of flow analyses for certain software comopnents and flagging code that appears to be vulnerable. Anything touched by that code will also be flagged as tainted, though you can specify components that sanitize data and remove that data from the taint graph.

One drawback is that Pysas library of third-party component taint analyses is not very large, so you might need to devise your own model. But many of the taint analyses are for software that is widely used, such as the Django web framework, the SQL Alchemy ORM, and the Pandas data science library, not to mention analyses for common filesystem issues.
JetBrains Qodana code quality platform, which provides visualizations of code inspections and errors, has added taint analysis. The new feature defends programs against malicious inputs from external users, the company said.

Currently available in an early preview stage for PHP developers, taint analysis includes an inspection that scans code and highlights a taint and potential vulnerability. Developers can open the problem in JetBrains PhpStorm IDE for PHP to immediately address it. The IDE presents a dataflow graph of the taint flow, alerting developers to problematic areas. JetBrains promises taint analysis support for other languages in the near future.

Working with JetBrains IDEs but not requiring one, Qodana supports languages including Python, JavaScript, Go, Java, Kotlin, and PHP, as well as Microsofts .NET platform. All but Java and Kotlin are in an early access stage at the moment.

Qodana automates code quality checks and performs tasks such as spotting duplicates, possible bugs, formatting issues, and checks for adherence to other rules of the users choice. The same code inspections and profiles leveraged in JetBrains IDEs are used in Qodana. Developers can try Qodana locally or in the cloud. The platform can integrate with CI pipelines to enable early detection of defects.
Meeting the needs of Malaysians

Insurance is the first piece and immediately after launching insurance, we have also launched our loyalty program, which is important in this day and age. There will be more to come, we will be able to share more details as we go along, MYAirline CEO Rayner Teo said in a statement made during the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony on Monday.
It has been a great pleasure working with Mike since I joined Sompo in 2021, and Ive seen up close his dedication and passion to lead with our core values and put our people, clients, and trading partners at the center of everything we do, he noted. Mike has been integral to the growth of our organization and has played a key role in bringing us to where we are today.
This transaction with JP Morgan effectively provides Swiss Re with cost-efficient capital that can be deployed in the current attractive market, said Philipp Ruede, head of Swiss Re Alternative Capital Partners. This deal also represents another important step on Swiss Re Alternative Capital Partners journey, where we are increasingly using alternative capital to address our wider capital management needs, with the objective of lowering Swiss Res cost of equity.
Shifting dynamics

The deal comes as One80 Intermediaries director of integration Barbara Ingraham has said that due to high interest rates and an uncertain economic landscape, the math behind mergers and acquisitions is most likely undergoing a change. Despite this, Ingraham told Insurance Business in a recent interview that M&A logic remains intact and are deal sprees are set to continue.
The introduction of a voluntary dairy reduction scheme is expected in 2024.

A collection of the latest news, views and analysis from the farming desk on the topic of Dairy.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has said that he is engaging with stakeholders in how to roll the scheme out and by the third quarter of this year, details will be clarified and he intends to have the scheme in place from next year.

One of the recommendations from the Food Vision Dairy Group was that we should explore and look to take forward the option of a voluntary reduction scheme, Mr McConalogue told a recent meeting of the Oireachtas joint committee on environment and climate action.

Our target is to have that clarified by the end of this year, he said.

I indicated a month or so ago that 2022 would be a reference year for any voluntary reduction scheme that we step out, to give as much clarity as possible to those that might be considering it.

This is also to make sure that there [arent] any unintended consequences of farmers increasing their cow numbers now to then decrease under the scheme, Mr McConalogue added.

He said that pending engagement with stakeholders in the meantime, he expects the scheme to be in place by the start of 2024.

A voluntary exit/reduction scheme was one of a number of proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the sector outlined in the Food Vision Dairy Groups final report, which was published in October 2022.

The report says that indicative income foregone per dairy cow removed is estimated at 1,770 for farms exiting dairy and 2,910 for farms reducing numbers.

In terms of emissions reductions, there would be an estimated 0.45Mt CO2 equivalent per 100,000 dairy cows reduced, the report notes

Scheme 'should be available to all'

A farm organisation has said that the cow number reduction/exit scheme, "should be available to all farmers".

Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association president Pat McCormack has said that more details are needed soon on the scheme that the minister has, in recent days, outlined his intentions to introduce.

With 2022 to be the reference year for the reduction scheme that is expected to be in place next year, Mr McCormack said he has concerns for the farmers "who for one reason or another exit this year, 2023".

"Hes being coy in how hes managing with 2024 as the year it starts given the huge change thats out there with cow banding and the effect thats having on the family farm model now," Mr McCormack said.

"By the time 2024 comes, there may be very little of a reduction in the national herd then because theres severe carnage at the moment at farm level."

Every measure that can be taken to reach the 25% emissions reduction is going to be important, Mr McCormack said, and what he sees as being "most critical" in the new scheme "is that it will afford people an exit or a reduction mechanism if thats the choice they make".

"It should allow for others who want to stay farming on a commercial basis into the future and solely dependent on dairying the opportunity to stay where they are numbers-wise," he said.

However: "Theres no good in the fire brigade coming the week after the fire, and the minister should be proactive if he is serious about this scheme delivering."

Mr McCormack added that the scheme should not be confined to just dairy farmers, "the scheme should be available to all farmers whether theyre suckler, dairy, if they wanted to reduce".

"I would have a number of dairy farmers on to me asking the question of whats the detail, and we dont have the detail," he said.

"Equally, I would have a number of suckler farmers on to me to know why theyre excluded and its very hard to give them an honest answer because in my view there is no reason, they should be included as well."

One of the concerns Mr McCormack has is around the "constraints on the land afterwards".

"We would certainly have put forward a view that it should be farmable and that it should be even leasable for another farmer, with provisions," Mr McCormack added.

Succession

Meanwhile, Macra na Feirme president John Keane has said that its young farmers across the country "are extremely angry and disappointed" that the department is pursuing the exit scheme.

Macra has said that under proposals it has seen, the land that would enter this scheme would no longer be available for use to breed animals, which Mr Keane said would "undoubtedly reduce the stock of land available for farmers who wish to rear breeding animals", and "further increase the price of land paid for lease and sale".

With less than 6% of active farmers under 35 in Ireland, Macra has said that a succession policy is needed rather than an exit policy.

Emissions reduction

Speaking to a meeting of the Oireachtas joint committee on environment and climate action, Mr McConalogue said the 25% target set for agriculture "relates to emissions reduction, not food or stock reduction".

"Around the setting of the climate targets and what the figure would be for agriculture, there was a sense out there among some that what we were talking about was a percentage reduction in food production or a percentage reduction in our herd. That is not what we want to do," he told the committee.

"We want to cut and reduce our emissions profile. Our 25% target is to reduce emissions from the food we produce and that is doable.

"We also need to continue to produce food and play a role domestically and internationally. We need more food internationally."

ICMSA president Mr McCormack told the Irish Examiner that Ireland "should be maximising" its ability to produce dairy in an environmentally-friendly way.

Over the coming years in this country, "certainly were going to see a change in terrain", he added.

"I dont say that lightly; farmers are becoming disillusioned with the level of regulation put on them now and the complexity of farming.

"Well always be out there as a food-producing nation, but our ability to expand has been severely curtailed."
This week has been one of reflection for me, a chance to sit with a cup of coffee in hand and think of how far I have come since I started dairy farming at the ripe old age of 35.

I was told at the time that I was "wasting my time", that I'd never be any good at it, I would have no business trying to calve a cow, that I should be at home keeping the house, having the dinner on the table for Pete and baking scones.

I'm so glad I ignored all that and I made it my business to prove these people wrong. Becoming a dairy farmer was one of the best decisions I have ever made; my passion for animals was always there, having worked with horses for over 20 years.

I was extremely lucky in having both my parents always pushing me to pursue my dreams, they always told me always listen to my gut, dont ever let anyone drag me down and work twice as hard to prove the doubters wrong.

I was blessed again with Pete, he always helped and encouraged me when I started the farming journey, always pushed me when I would turn around and say I can't do it. I will forever be grateful to him for his patience and always believing in me, and constantly telling me that I was more than capable of doing anything I put my mind to. Believe me, he was like a broken record at times, as my confidence in myself was at an all-time low.

Fast forward eight years, and thankfully, things have all changed for the better. There are now so many more women working in the agricultural industry, and I for one, have proved my doubters wrong.

I know so many female farmers who, every single day, get on with the tasks at hand and support each other. I have three daughters and I do my best to inspire them, I push myself outside my comfort zone to prove to them that no matter what anyone says, being a woman doesnt hold you back from what you want to achieve in your life.

My trip to Kenya is one example - I only agreed to do the auditions for that because the girls overheard us talking about it. Never in a million years did I think I would be heading off there to live with a Massai tribe.

How that trip changed me, Massai women are true warriors, they live in the harshest conditions and still get on every day and do what needs to be done with a smile on their faces. I am extremely proud of how far we have come on our farm as well, things have changed dramatically, hard work always pays off.

I no longer have people coming into the yard looking for The Boss, I'm finally recognized as a farmer in my own right, and everyone that we work with on the farm knows that we are a team.

I have been truly blessed and inspired by the amazing women I have met along my own journey over the last few years. There are so many inspirational women out there running their own business and knocking it out of the park every day.

Women running their own farms, managing farms, running farm safety workshops around the country in our national schools educating the next generation of farmers about the importance of safety on our farms, to setting up a women's workwear clothing business and a cattle tags company, and not forgetting my editor, Rachel, who believed in me that I could write a weekly column and gave me the confidence to put pen to paper.

With all of the above, I could write a full chapter on each and every one of them. They have worked extremely hard to get to where they are now and still, they always find the time to check in on me to see how things are going. I'm so proud to call each and every one of them a friend.

My non-farming friends also inspire me just as much. Onorina Jomir grew up in Moldova. Knowing my passion for cows, she told me over dinner one evening about her summers in the countryside with a family who had five cows.

She might laugh, but I often feel Onorina would have made a great farmer; her work ethic, attention to detail and down-to-earth attitude would have set her up for success.

Still, her passion was makeup, and now, at just 30, based in Paris, she is one of the most sought-after beauty stylists in Europe, with a team of women working for her.

Another inspirational friend is Gloria Villa, she has had her own bumps in the road along the journey of life. At the age of 30, she decided to change career, following her dream of becoming a photographer and moving to Paris.

A decade later, she is one of the very top photographers in Paris; her mission is simply for women to be themselves and to feel special, and then, with her artistic vision and a bit of magic behind the lens, she shows them are truly amazing they are.

Ive been lucky enough to have a shoot with Gloria, and she truly made me feel like I was on top of the world, but it is her passion for life and work that truly inspires me.

Im not sure the waiter at the cafe in Paris during my photoshoot saw me as a woman that milks 180 cows a day, ready to put on a calving glove on and check a cow whilst walking around covered in muck every day.

My wellies will ever define me, nor will a pretty dress, but I do hope that those that pass me by see a strong, confident woman with a huge work ethic and a passion for my job that has helped me achieve success.

In life, I have learned not to listen to those who wish to hold me back. I am getting far better at surrounding myself with so many who inspire me to be the very best I can be. With International Women's day upon us, let's all make a pact to lift each other up, inspire each other to achieve and show the next generation that you can be whatever you want in life.
The opposition is set to put the Government under pressure by forcing a vote on the eviction ban.

A number of Government TDs and Independents who have previously supported the Government have suggested to the Irish Examiner that they may support a Sinn Fein motion.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald told the Dail today that her party would be seeking a Dail vote on the decision to end the eviction moratorium at the earliest opportunity.

It is likely that this vote will now take place when the Dail returns after the St Patrick's Day recess.

Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan, who raised significant concerns over the Government decision to end the ban, has said she will be waiting to see the wording of any motion before making a decision on how she might vote.

She also called on Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien to provide clear and full information on the measures announced earlier this week to help tackle homelessness and support renters.

However, Childrens Minister Roderic OGorman said he didnt agree with criticism from his colleague Ms Hourigan that Green Party values had not been represented at Cabinet when the decision was taken to lift the eviction ban, despite party leader Eamon Ryan present at the meeting. Mr O'Gorman said:

I think Green Party principles and Green Party policy is woven into the Government's response on housing.

I think that's seen in the context of that overall critical need to increase supply and particularly on social housing.

There was success achieved there last year. And it is seen in the context of building public housing on public land.

That was something that was very much a key view of the Green Party and it has been secured now on some very major sites around Dublin City and Cork city," Mr O'Gorman said.

Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan said she will wait to see the wording of the Sinn Fein motion on the eviction ban before deciding if she will vote against the Government. Picture: Damien Storan.

Independent TD Denis Naughten, who has previously supported the Government in votes, said he would be seeking a meeting with Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien ahead of the vote.

Former Fianna Fail TD Marc MacSharry and Independent TD Sean Canney both said they will be waiting to read the text of any opposition motion.

While losing such a vote would be highly embarrassing for the Government, as an opposition motion it would not be binding.

Strongly defending the decision not to extend the eviction ban which has been in place since October, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said there is a false argument being made that there is a conflict between the rights of landlords and the rights of renters.

Mr Varadkar said 40,000 landlords have left the market in the last number of years and they havent been replaced. He said:

I do think that there has been a demonisation of landlords, by our political system and by wider society, over the past number of years.

That hasn't worked," he added. "In fact, it's caused harm. It's made rents higher, it's made fewer properties available.

The Taoiseach said the Government has to have regard to that now and not be afraid to introduce measures that will encourage landlords to stay in the market.
Features Myanmars Grieving Mothers Pray for Revolutions Success

Sons and daughters killed or detained by regime forces: (clockwise) - Khaing Myae, Aung Myo Lin, Nine Nine, Soe Pyae Aung, Lucia, An Kaw Nyat, Hein Phyo Oo, Than Htet Aung

It has been almost two years since Daw San San Aye, 48, last saw her four sons. All four were arrested in April 2021 by the military regime and subsequently sentenced to death for a murder they deny committing.

Daw San San Ayes four sons: Khaing Myae, Aung Myo Lin, Nine Nine and Soe Pyae Aung, were charged with killing a man in Yangons South Dagon Township on March 29, 2021, along with 14 other people. The junta said the corpse was subsequently burned.

The murder occurred less than two months after the Myanmar militarys coup, and at a time when daily protests against the putsch were being violently suppressed by the junta. On the day of the murder, at least 20 anti-coup demonstrators died at the hands of the regime.

The four sons of Daw San San Aye were sentenced to death by a military court a month after being arrested. They are currently being held in separate jails: Kyaikmaraw Prison in Mon State, Taungoo Prison in Bago Region, Myingyan Prison in Mandalay Region and Obo Prison in Mandalay.

Since her sons were detained, Daw San San Aye has been unable to see them and can only send them food supplies. Along with her daughter and eldest son, she saves money every month from her job as a food seller so that she can send them each a food parcel every three months. And since the July 2022 executions of four anti-coup activists, including Ko Jimmy and former National League for Democracy lawmaker Ko Phyo Zeya Thaw, she worries about them endlessly.

I couldnt eat or sleep after I heard that the four activists had been executed, Daw San San Aye told The Irrawaddy.

A total of 144 people have been sentenced to death by the regime as of March 1, and their families live in a constant state of anxiety that the executions will be carried out.

My sons might have been involved in an anti-coup protest but they didnt commit the crime they are accused of. They were in my house when the murder happened, said Daw San San Aye.

She is surely tragically unique in having four sons on death row.

I hope my children will return to me as soon as possible. I pray every day, she told The Irrawaddy.

Since the military takeover an ever-increasing number of mothers nationwide are grieving for their children who have been killed, imprisoned or who have simply disappeared after being detained

The mother who lost two daughters

Maw Ni Ka, 38, has frequently felt sick since her two daughters were killed by regime artillery fire in September 2022, while they were sheltering in the Mway Taw monastery in Moebye Town on the border of Kayah and Shan states.

Her youngest daughter Lucia was just seven when she was killed alongside her 11-year-old sister An Kaw Nyat. The sisters died in the early morning of September 16.

We were advised that it would be safe if we sheltered in the monastery. We thought the military might not shell the monastery, Maw Ni Ka told the The Irrawaddy.

However, junta artillery strikes hit the monastery, where some 300 civilians were taking refuge. Five of them died, including Maw Ni Kas daughters, and almost a dozen were injured.

Over 3,000 people have died at the hands of the military regime since the coup. Civilians in resistance strongholds like Kayah State are suffering indiscriminate air and artillery strikes. In the last two years, at least 130 displaced people in Kayah State have been killed by the junta, according to the Progressive Karenni People Force.

The death of Lucia and An Kaw Nyat has been a huge source of grief for their family. Her mother said they were clever girls and she cant get over their deaths.

I feel so much. I cry every day, Maw Ni Ka said in a low voice.

Mothers of fallen PDF fighters

Daw Khin Myo Myint, a 43-year-old mother of four children, bursts into tears whenever she talks about the death of her eldest son nine months ago. Hein Phyo Oo was a member of the Black Peacock Guerrilla Force resistance group, which operates in Sagaing Region.

Before the coup, 19-year-old Hein Phyo Oo sold vegetables in Magwe Regions Myaing Township alongside his father. But a year after the coup he joined the resistance in order to topple the military dictatorship, despite his mothers fears that her only son was risking his life.

I said to him Son, I have only one son among my four children, dont break my heart. He answered by telling me that he had a lot of things to do for the revolution, recalled Daw Khin Myo Myint.

As an elder son, Hein Phyo Oo helped his parents and loved his younger sisters. Although he behaved like a kid with his mother, he was very enthusiastic to join every single mission to fight the junta forces, according to his mother.

He was killed on May 29, 2022 by regime artillery fire after his resistance group had launched a landmine attack on the Pale-Gangaw Road. He had only returned from a training camp near the Myanmar-India border a week before.

Daw Khin Myo Myint got the chance to see her son before he died. Hein Phyo Oo held his mothers hand and called out Mother three times before dying.

Parents have to forgive children because they are very enthusiastic for the revolution, Daw Khin Myo Myint told The Irrawaddy through her tears.

Now, she tries to do her part for the revolution because she knows that is what her son would have wanted.

I am determined to do whatever it takes to end what my son died for. So I always cook for the members of my sons resistance group when they come to us, she said.

Many mothers of dead resistance fighters are determined to support the revolution their sons died for.

Daw Khin Moe, 56, lost her son, Than Htet Aung, on January 23, 2023. He was a member of Monywa The Boys resistance group and died after being arrested and tortured by pro-junta Pyu Saw Htee militia in his village in Sagaings Monywa Township. The 24-year-old never thought about not fighting for the revolution, despite suffering from colon cancer.

Than Htet Aung was urged to rest by his mother and resistance group leader because of the cancer, but he always refused to do so. Even when he was at home recovering from surgery, he collected rations to send to his group, said his mother.

In the early hours of January 23, Than Htet Aung and his cousin Htet Kaung Wai were arrested by the Pyu Saw Htee while they were sleeping in the village monastery. The two were interrogated and tortured in the monastery for an hour, before being taken to the outskirts of the village. Their mutilated bodies were discovered the next day.

He told me that even if he was arrested, he wouldnt tell them [junta forces] about his camp. He said he will be involved in the revolution until the end and he wanted me to welcome him with flowers if he came back, said Daw Khin Moe, her voice cracking with emotion. Now she tries to fulfil his wishes by supporting the revolution.

The wishes of mothers

All the mothers The Irrawaddy spoke to want the revolution to succeed and democracy to be restored to Myanmar. My son died young, but I am proud of his efforts, Daw Khin Moe told The Irrawaddy.

She urged the public to support the revolution so that it succeeds as soon as possible.

Maw Ni Ka also wants the revolution to be a success, so that no more civilians like her daughters die at the hands of the regime.

I dont want anyone else to feel the way I do, she said.
Burma Chinese Ambassador Visits Myanmar Junta Election Chief

Chinese ambassador to Myanmar Chen Hai and junta-appointed UEC chairman Thein Soe meet on March 7 in Naypyitaw. / MWD

Chinese ambassador Chen Hai visited junta-appointed Union Election Commission (UEC) chairman Thein Soe in Naypyitaw on Tuesday as the regime continues to plan for a general election.

The ambassador asked about election preparations, the status of political parties and the holding of a free and fair election in a peaceful and stable environment, according to junta media.

Chen previously met the UEC chair in April last year.

Lin Toa, a Chinese Embassy consul to political parties in Myanmar, attended the meeting.

Lin visited Khin Yi, the chairman of the militarys proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party in November last year, and called for stronger ties between the party and the Communist Party of China.

China has said it does not want Myanmars dominant National League for Democracy to be dissolved by the regime.

But China is largely supportive of the regime, engages with the USDP and has shown an interest in junta election plans.

The regime last month enacted its Political Parties Registration Law, which requires parties to reregister with the UEC. Seventeen parties have reregistered so far.

The junta has invited tenders to supply polling station materials and is planning to introduce electronic voting.

The regime has not announced an election date but it said voter lists will be prepared based on the census. The regimes immigration ministry this week announced a census for October next year, leading analysts to suggest an election is not being planned until early 2025 at the earliest.

The majority in Myanmar and the international community, including the US, European Union and Malaysia, have rejected the juntas proposed election.
Burma Myanmar Junta Has Committed 32 Civilian Massacres Since Coup: NUG

Rescue teams, villagers and resistance forces retrieve the dead bodies of Tatai residents from the Muu River on March 2. / Supplied

Myanmars military has committed more than 30 massacres of civilians throughout the country since seizing power on February 1, 2021, according to the parallel civilian National Unity Government (NUG).

We collected data on mass killings of civilians by junta forces and verified at least 32 cases, said U Aung Myo Min, the NUGs minister for human rights.

Speaking at an NUG press conference on Monday, he said the most recent massacre was recorded earlier this month in Sagaing Region.

On March 1, troops of the juntas Light Infantry Division 99 raided Tatai village in Shwe Li village tract, Sagaing Township. Locals said they initially killed a member of the local Peoples Defence Force and took 16 villagers hostage to use as human shields. When the junta troops retreated, villagers found the bodies of the hostages badly mutilated, cut and chopped from brutal beatings. Among them were the corpses of three women, undressed and showing evidence of repeated rape.

The NUG counts each mass killing of at least five civilians as a massacre, U Aung Myo Min explained.

The UN humanitarian office [UNOCHA] has recorded 24 massacres of civilians by the military regime. Our figure is a little higher. And there could be more cases that we couldnt verify despite strong clues and evidence of massacre, he said.

The 32 junta massacres documented and verified by the NUG include last years airstrikes on a school in Let Yet Kone village and a concert in Kachin State, and the mass killing of displaced civilians in Kayah state.

The NUG has condemned the crimes against humanity committed by the Myanmar military, including the recent massacre in Tatai village.

We take seriously our obligation to seek justice. Relevant ministries are collecting information about all the crimes committed by the terrorist junta army, including mass killings, war crimes, targeted attacks, killings of civilians, looting and destruction of peoples livelihoods and property, said the NUG statement released on Monday.

The civilian government also called on states at the current UN Human Rights Council session to strongly condemn the crimes against humanity and adopt an action-oriented resolution to halt them.

The NUG asked countries and international bodies to expand sanctions against the military junta and its associates, including direct bans on imports of arms, munitions, dual-purpose technology, aviation fuel and other equipment used by the junta to manufacture war material.
War Against the Junta Over 40 Myanmar Junta Forces Killed in Three Days of Resistance Attacks

A junta outpost seized by the Karenni Army in Kayah State last year / KAIC

At least 43 Myanmar junta forces were killed in the last three days as Peoples Defense Forces (PDFs) and an ethnic armed organization (EAO) continued to attack regime targets across the country.

Incidents were reported in Kayah State and Sagaing, Mandalay and Magwe regions.

The Irrawaddy has rounded up the following reports of significant attacks from PDFs and the EAO.

Some military casualties could not be independently verified.

Junta border outpost occupied in Kayah

A commando unit of the Karenni Army (KA), the armed wing of the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), managed to occupy a junta outpost near the Thai border in the east of Kayah State on Monday, said the Karenni Military Information Center (KMIC), the media unit of the KA.

At 5:45 a.m. on Monday, the resistance forces conducted a surprise raid on the border outpost, where regime forces and its allied border guard forces are stationed.

During the raid, seven weapons were seized and six bodies of dead soldiers were found on the base. Other junta forces fled after abandoning their outpost, said the KMIC.

Eighteen soldiers killed in coordinated PDF attacks in Sagaing

At least 18 soldiers are believed to have been killed and many others injured in Wetlet Township, Sagaing Region on Sunday when 10 PDF groups jointly attacked a military detachment raiding the villages, claimed Mandalay-PDF, which took part in the attacks.

In the attack, regime forces responded with artillery strikes after suffering heavy losses, the PDF group said.

Regime forces bombed by PDF fighters in Sagaing

Two junta soldiers were killed and three others injured in the town of Myinmu in Sagaing Region on Tuesday morning when resistance group True Fighter used a grenade to attack regime forces stationed at a school, according to the PDF group.

The PDF forces threw a grenade into a group of five regime forces preparing to rinse their dishes after eating.

Regime forces bombed in Magwe

At least six regime forces were killed or injured in the town of Yesagyo, Magwe Region on Tuesday when Yesagyo-PDF used land mines to ambush regime forces at a monastery, the PDF group said.

Regime forces were ambushed while arriving at the monastery after raiding villages in the township. The PDFs video shows regime forces being hit by a blast at a monastery.

Junta soldier killed by PDF drone strike in Magwe

A soldier was killed and another injured in Pauk Township, Magwe Region on Tuesday morning when Myaing-PDF and another PDF group used a drone to drop bombs on regime forces carrying a water tank on a bullock cart in Phalan Kaing Village, the PDF group said.

In the afternoon, regime forces randomly shelled nearby Htapauk Kone Village, killing a 42-year-old male resident and injuring another male villager.

Regime forces ambushed with land mines in Magwe

At least four regime forces were killed and some others injured in the town of Yesagyo, Magwe Region on Monday when PDF group Myingyan Black Tiger used land mines to ambush 100 troops invading a PDF-controlled area, the resistance group claimed.

The regime forces stationed at the junta-controlled General Administration Department in the town were ambushed with land mines while traveling into a ward controlled by the PDF forces, the PDF group said.

Regime forces looting civilian houses bombed by PDF drones in Magwe



A PDF drone drops a bomb on regime forces looting houses in Gangaw Township this week. / Hyper UAV Force

Local resistance group Hyper UAV Forces said on Monday it used drones to drop six bombs on regime forces from military Infantry Battalion 50 who were looting houses in Sai Due Village in Gangaw Township, Magwe Region.

Two soldiers were killed and four others injured in the drone strikes, the PDF group claimed.

Police station bombed in Magwe

PDF-Yenangyaung said it and two other PDF groups used a remote-controlled bomb to attack the police station in the town of Yenangyaung in Magwe Region on Sunday night.

However, details of the damage and casualties were unknown. The PDF groups also apologized for accidently harming a civilian on a motorbike who passed near the police station during the attack.

Military battalion attacked in Mandalay



A resistance fighter fires an improvised rocket-propelled grenade at a military battalion in Myingyan Township on Monday. / MG6 Guerrilla Force

Local PDF group MG6 Guerrilla Force claimed to have killed two regime soldiers when it used improvised rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) to attack the entrance gate of military Light Infantry Battalion 15 in the town of Myingyan in Mandalay Region on Monday.

Regime forces bombed by PDF drones in Mandalay

PDF drones drop bombs on a base of regime forces in Chaung Sone Village in Taungtha Township on Monday. / Natogyi-PDF

Natogyi PDF claimed to have killed two junta policemen and injured two others as it and other PDF groups conducted drone strikes on regime forces stationed at a monastery in Chaung Sone Village in Taungtha Township, Mandalay Region on Monday.

The PDF groups also bombed regime forces stationed at the monastery last Friday.
Analysis Myanmars Spring Revolution Aided by Ethnic Kokang Armed Group

Feat: MNDAA troops in 2021. / The Kokang

The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), an ethnic Kokang armed group based in northern Shan States Kokang region, is playing an increasing part in training and arming resistance groups.

That is quite a turnaround from 2009, when the MNDAA was widely believed to have been destroyed in a Myanmar military offensive. But by the end of 2013, small bands of MNDAA troops were active again to the west of the Salween River that marks the boundary with Kokang.

In early 2015, Chinas Global Times reported about the return of MNDAA leader Peng Jiasheng to Kokang. According to locals, the news of his return had already been circulating for nearly a year. So it appears that the MNDAA had been soliciting support in Kokang throughout 2014.

Fresh clashes broke out on February 9, 2015 when an estimated 1,200 to 1,600 MNDAA troops fought their way back into Kokang. Combined with MNDAA administrative, medical, logistical and communications teams, there could have between 1,500 and 2,000 troops entering Kokang.

The Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Arakan Army (AA) reportedly fought alongside the MNDAA in these battles. The Myanmar military brought in large reinforcements over time, with heavy fighting raging in Laukkai, Konkyan and in the hills along the Myanmar-China border.

China made a number of diplomatic protests after Myanmar military artillery shells and bombs repeatedly landed inside China. In one incident, five Chinese villagers were killed and nine others injured in the border city of Lincang in March 2015. In May that year, China imposed a ban on flying along the border and announced that it would organize military drills involving live ammunition for an indefinite period, which effectively de-escalated the fighting between the Myanmar military and the MNDAA.

Neither side disclosed their casualties, but sources estimated that hundreds were killed or wounded. Over 60,000 civilians were displaced by the fighting and fled to Lashio or China. At least 100 civilians were killed in the clashes and many houses were destroyed.

Although the MNDAA was unable to take back control of Laukkai and Konkyan, it was able to establish bases in the hills along the border and in the forest west of the Salween River. The MNDAA also won the sympathy of Chinas military and some Chinese people.

New policies after 2015 fighting

MNDAA leaders adopted new political and military perspectives after the 2015 fighting. Peng Jiashengs brother Peng Jiafu acknowledged that the MNDAA couldnt liberate Kokang on its own and needed to forge alliances with other ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and political groups.

The MNDAA joined the United Nationalities Federal Council and the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Council. It also allied with the TNLA and AA, conducting joint military operations with them and supplying arms to the two groups. The MNDAA has also promoted brotherly ties with the United Wa State Army and the National Democratic Alliance Army in Mong La. Like the MNDAA, both those groups formed after splitting from the Communist Party of Burma (CPB).

Expanding its areas of military operations, the MNDAA became active to the west of the Salween River, territory once controlled by the CPB.

Since then, the MNDAA has formed political and supply departments, as well as command and control and artillery battalions. Its political wing is the Myanmar National Truth and Justice Party (MNTJP).

Peng Daxun, a son of Peng Jiasheng, has consolidated his control as the general secretary of the MNTJP, and military chief of the MNDAA. Today, the EAO is estimated to have at least 5,000 well-equipped troops.

The Struggle for Kokang

During talks in 2015, then President Thein Sein told Peng Jiasheng that he could take a rest anywhere in the country. The underlying message was that the Myanmar military wanted him to become a full-time businessman like Lo Hsing Han, a Kokang drug lord, and that the military would support his business endeavors.

As far back as 2009, the then Myanmar military regime wanted Peng Jiasheng to transform the MNDAA into a pro-junta militia or border guard force similar to ones in other parts of Shan and Kachin states. The military twice offered Peng Jiasheng the chance to trade the MNDAAs weapons for business licenses, but Peng Jiasheng rejected the offers.

While some of Kokang rebels have sided with the Myanmar military, Peng Jiasheng and his supporters chose to fight for the freedom of Kokang. Their resistance was astonishing because Kokang is small and mountainous with a population of less than 100,000 people. Yet while the MNDAA is small, it is a dangerous enemy for the Myanmar military.

Current junta chief Min Aung Hlaings destiny is linked to the MNDAA. Min Aung Hlaing commanded the 2009 offensive that drove Peng Jiasheng and the MNDAA out of Kokang. And in 2015, it was again Min Aung Hlaing who led the Myanmar military operation against the MNDAA.

Many Kokang residents fled to China during the 2009 fighting. The 2015 clashes resulted in over 60,000 people  over half the Kokang population  being displaced. Migrant workers fled to Lashio, and ethnic Kokang fled to China. At least 100 civilians died and many houses were destroyed, while 40,000 acres of sugarcane fields were torched, prompting Chinas foreign minister to issue a statement asking the Myanmar government to protect the interests of Chinese people in Myanmar. However, the military punished only one Brigadier General.

From 2011 to the end of 2018, the Myanmar military insisted that MNDAA surrender or be excluded from peace talks. Along with the devastation caused by the 2009 and 2015 fighting, that is perhaps the reason why the MNDAA is now opposing the Myanmar military again.

MNDAA and the Spring Revolution

The MNDAA, TNLA and AA have shown support for the resistance since the Spring Revolution began in 2021. But the three EAOs rarely talk about their actions.

The leader of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF), which is fighting the regime, attended the 2022 funeral of Peng Jiasheng. And the Bamar Peoples Liberation Army (BPLA) has said that it receives assistance from the MNDAA and its allies, although the group undergoes military training in an area controlled by the Karen National Unions Brigade 5.

Peoples Defense Forces (PDF) in northern Shan State, which are under the command of the parallel National Unity Government (NUG), said last year that they are operating with the MNDAA. But neither the NUG nor the MNDAA have discussed that in public.

But their relationship came under the spotlight when the MNDAAs new brigade, Brigade 611, graduated and was armed on January 1 this year at its headquarters in northern Shan State. MNDAA deputy military chief Yang Guanhua was present at the ceremony, where 1,228 cadets graduated. A federal flag was hoisted and Brigade 611 was referred to as a multi-ethnic brigade. It appears that the brigade was originally intended to be based in Kutkai District, but the plan was later changed as other Spring Revolution forces emerged.

The majority of Brigade 611 fighters are not ethnic Kokang or from northern Shan State, but are young people from other parts of the country who decided to take up arms against the regime after the 2021 coup.

Besides the KNDF, BPLA, and PDFs from northern Shan State, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) is also working with the MNDAA. The PLA is said to be the successor of the now defunct CPB, and mainly consists of members of student unions in Sagaing Regions Shwebo District. So the MNDAA is now helping the younger generation of communists whom it once rebelled against.

The MNDAA is preparing or already providing military training for some 700 members of the PLA, BPLA, and the Sagaing-based Myanmar Royal Dragon Army led by Bo Nagar, one of the leading resistance figures, and two other PDFs. Over 1,000 troops trained by the MNDAA are already fighting the regime.

The fact that the MNDAA is training and arming resistance fighters reflects the groups financial power and its ability to procure weapons. It also reflects the MNDAAs growing political ambitions. Along with the Kachin Independence Army, the MNDAA is the EAO that is cooperating the most with the resistance in northern Myanmar. This will create mutual benefits for Kokang and Spring Revolution forces.

Of the forces cooperating with the MNDAA, only a few hundred PDF fighters are under the command of the NUG. Over 1,000 more from the KNDF, BPLA and the Myanmar Royal Dragon Army have no direct engagement with the NUG.

And there are at least six revolutionary groups operating in the territories of the MNDAAs allies, the AA and TNLA. Those groups are not under the command of the NUG. Separately, they are small groups but when combined they make a strong force. So the MNDAAs military coalition, which was mainly formed with people from central Myanmar, may take different forms in the future.

The MNDAA cant distance itself from China. Meanwhile, the NUG, Spring Revolution forces, and EAOs in southern Myanmar have ties to the United States and western countries. China will definitely not want to see western assistance and influence so close to the Myanmar-China border. Some might say that China is involved in the MNDAAs training and arming of new troops. But there is no proof that China has a policy to arm Spring Revolution forces via the MNDAA.

The MNDAA is fighting for the identity and self-determination of Kokang people. At the same time, it has close ties with China and is involved in the illegal drug trade in the borderlands. But it has also established political and military alliances with other EAOs in northern Myanmar, as well as some Spring Revolution forces. The MNDAA could be a serious threat to the regime. It will be interesting to see what it does for Myanmars Spring Revolution in the future.
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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY  GUEST RESEARCH: As Australians mark International Women's Day, new research shows women are not as confident as men when it comes to preparing, managing and responding to cyber attacks even though they are less likely to be scammed compared to their male counterparts.

The country's peak body for small businesses says it is critical women are supported in the workplace to help boost their confidence and understanding of the cyber risks associated with their roles.

A survey of more than 2000 small business owners and employees shows that while female business owners are less likely to be scammed compared to their male counterparts, they're not as confident as men when it comes to their general cyber security knowledge.

Of those surveyed, almost half of the male-led small businesses (48 percent) said they had experienced a cyber security threat or incident either to themselves or their business, compared to just 41 percent for businesses surveyed that were female-led.

The survey is part of the Council of Small Business Organisations' (COSBOA) Cyber Wardens program, developed in partnership with the Commonwealth Bank (CBA) and Telstra. The program is being rolled out this year to help safeguard Australia's 2.3 million small businesses and lock the digital front doors of businesses across the country.

The survey signals a warning for small business owners about the importance of proper training for team members to empower them to protect themselves and their workplace from cyber risks.

"International Women's Day is a good reminder for small business owners that beyond the gender pay gap, there are many other areas where urgent action is needed to make sure women are empowered and given the confidence to succeed in their roles at all levels," said COSBOA chairman Matthew Addison.

"With the Cyber Wardens program, small business owners can take matters into their own hands and ensure their business is protected from the risks of cyber attacks."

"Cyber security is everyone's responsibility. The Cyber Wardens program will equip business owners and their employees with the tools to stay safe online," said CBA general manager small business banking Sara Sutton.

"The Cyber Wardens program will enable businesses to ensure everyone has the skills they need," she said.

"This program is a frontline defence that will support Australia's five million-strong small business workforce against cyber threats."

Telstra small and medium business executive Anne Da Cunha said the findings reinforced the importance of training all team members within a business to ensure a collective approach to tackling cyber security risks.

"A true understanding of how to help ward off or deal with a cyber threat isn't just important for the business owner but for their entire team so that everyone can work together to help build a safer working environment," Da Cunha said.

The Cyber Wardens Female Founder Security Research Report is available here.

The Cyber Wardens pilot program was launched in early 2023. To be one of the first people to complete this training and better equip your small business against cyber risks, visit www.cyberwardens.com.au.

For more tips and tricks to keep your small business safe follow @cyberwardens.
FEATURE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY by Tanja Ivkovic, Partner, Heidrick & Struggles Australia: In the wake of the pandemic and socio-economic shifts, Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) rose to the top of the corporate agenda, and is often cited as the top priority for organisations across Australia, with good reason.

According to the Heidrick & Struggles 2022 DE&I report, 56% of Australian executives said DE&I efforts have made a significant contribution to their business success.

However, within Australias healthcare sector, there has been a shift in the definition of truly impactful DE&I, with an increasing emphasis on the I. Conversations around diversity have advanced to focus on inclusivity and the policies and frameworks that drive it. To be ahead of the curve in terms of DE&I, organisations must not only continue to achieve diversity quotas, but also think beyond creating an authentic sense of belonging among employees.

Based on insights from 420 executives in eight countries, including fifty executives in Australia, the Heidrick & Struggles 2022 DE&I Report investigates how companies define, measure the success of, and link their DE&I approach to their business and talent strategies.

Demand for a more robust DE&I strategy

The current state of play when it comes to DE&I in Australias healthcare sector is the collective move towards a more rounded culture of inclusion. Healthcare companies have made considerable progress in building gender parity, with a 46% female to male ratio across both frontline and managerial level positions. While gender diversity in the healthcare sector is important, many organisations now recognise the need to do more than fulfil gender quotas.

The pandemic has shown how important a sense of connection in the workplace is for employees. Forty-two percent of Australian executives cited Covid-19 as the main reason that DE&I has become a priority. Efforts now centre on inclusion with organisations looking at different ways to expand inclusivity in terms of LGBTQ+ workplace support, age diversity and parental leave systems. A prominent example is Harrison.ai, a healthcare technology company that has rolled out industry-leading programs to cater to its team, such as Becoming a Parent, which provides financial support for IVF and ultrasounds; and expanded leave days that factor in grandparent care and school readiness duties as well.

Inclusion as a business priority

Senior leaders are held accountable for DE&I in the workplace and are responsible for formulating policies to make sure the internal ecosystem is fit to support an inclusive workforce, with special attention to the LGBTQ+ segment. In recent years we have seen the addition of inclusive facilities such as gender-neutral bathrooms across offices or hospitals, the removal of gendered uniforms, and the formation of diversity councils and ally networks.

It has become an imperative for senior leadership to implement frameworks for their DE&I reports, benchmarking their progress through measurable KPIs. But instead of calculating DE&I progress with hard metrics, a growing number of organisations prefer to look at their programs holistically, using qualitative methods that are more indicative of the workforces sense of belonging.

Boards can struggle to maintain DE&I at the top of the organisation's agenda. Introducing DE&I strategies adds another layer of complexity to managing the workforce, especially against apparently competing priorities such as revenue maximisation and minimal resource allocations. In Australia it can be difficult to secure government funding, which pushes DE&I programs further down the list of priorities. To realise their DE&I goals, senior leaders need extra effort and commitment and must aim to set the tone for all levels of the organisation. Virtus Health, a company that specialises in reproductive technology, offers an example of successful DE&I prioritisation. It published a Diversity & Inclusion policy handbook in 2020, outlining what diversity means to the company and how it promotes it internally, guiding stakeholders through their values and objectives for a more inclusive future.

Considered DE&I investment carries tangible rewards

Becoming a DE&I-driven organisation is not easy, but our 2022 DE&I report shows that an inclusive workforce can bring a wealth of undeniable benefits. Among our executive respondents in Australia, 34% say DE&I has increased employee retention and improved talent acquisition, especially among Gen Z applicants who look for organisations that embody core DE&I values.

Healthy inclusivity level also fosters goodwill with customers and patients, who respond well to an engaged, happy and diverse workforce. Forty-two percent of Australian executives say DE&I has enhanced the companys brand reputation with current and potential employees, cultivating both employee and customer loyalty that allows the organisation to thrive and adapt. It is starting to play a crucial business role. Forty percent of executives say DE&I has helped to meet changing market conditions, while 56% point to a strong correlation between DE&I and business success, up from 27% three years ago.

It is high time for all healthcare companies to think of DE&I holistically and as a business-critical undertaking. Time, resources and commitment are at the heart of a successful DE&I approach. Organisations that are willing to invest what it takes stand to benefit from increased loyalty from employees and customers as well as business growth and resilience.
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Mexican president slams "hypocrisy" and "yellow journalism" of U.S. media outlets

Xinhua) 11:05, March 08, 2023

MEXICO CITY, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday accused U.S. media outlets of "hypocrisy" and "yellow journalism" in their coverage of four American kidnap victims in north Mexico, two of whom were found dead.

"It is very striking that these unfortunate events happen and all the media in the United States handle the news in a sensationalist manner, not like when they murder Mexicans in the United States, (then) they are as quiet as mummies," the president said during his daily press conference.

At the press conference, Lopez Obrador received a call from the governor of northern Tamaulipas state, Americo Villarreal, who said the four Americans who disappeared on March 3 were located, though only two had survived.

Lopez Obrador noted that U.S. media failed to cover a violent incident a month ago in which the victims were two Mexican day laborers, one of whom was killed and the other injured by American farmers on the outskirts of the city of San Francisco.

"They hypocritically clutch their pearls," said Lopez Obrador, referring to the way the media cherrypicks which cases to spotlight.

The four Americans had reportedly driven across the border into north Mexico for medical tourism when their vehicle with U.S. license plates was fired on and then surrounded by armed men who carted them away in a pickup truck, according to local media citing reports from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Today

Isolated thunderstorms during the evening. Mainly clear skies after midnight. Low 43F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

Tonight

Isolated thunderstorms during the evening. Mainly clear skies after midnight. Low 43F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.

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Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 43F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

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Ukraine's foreign minister on Monday urged the International Criminal Court to probe footage circulating on social media that he said showed Russian forces killing a Ukrainian prisoner of war.

"Horrific video of an unarmed Ukrainian POW executed by Russian forces merely for saying 'Glory to Ukraine'. Another (piece of) proof this war is genocidal," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on social media.

Kuleba said it was "imperative" that International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan "launches an immediate ICC investigation into this heinous war crime".

"Perpetrators must face justice," he added.

He was referring to what appears to be amateur footage of a detained combatant standing in a shallow trench, wearing camouflage and smoking a cigarette, being shot to death with automatic weapons after saying "glory to Ukraine".

AFP could not independently verify where or when the footage was filmed or whether it showed -- as some Ukrainian officials and social media users suggested -- a Ukrainian prisoner of war being shot.

The phrase spoken by the alleged detained Ukrainian soldier was trending on social media and senior officials in Kyiv blamed Russian forces and called for justice.

"Today, a video appeared of the occupiers brutally killing a soldier, who bravely said to their faces: 'Glory to Ukraine!'," Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address.

Moscow and Kyiv have on several occasions accused the other side of killing prisoners in the year since Russia invaded Ukraine.

The Wagner mercenary group spearheading Russia's assault on Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine is largely comprised of Russian men recruited from prisons throughout the country.
Israeli warplanes struck Aleppo airport before dawn Tuesday, causing significant damage that halted flights to and from Syria's war- and quake-battered second city, the defence ministry said.

The airport has been a major conduit for aid flights since a February 6 earthquake devastated swathes of southeastern Turkey and neighbouring Syria, and they too were brought to a stop, a transport ministry official said.

"At exactly 2:07 am (2307 GMT Monday), the Israeli enemy carried out an air attack from the Mediterranean west of Latakia targeting Aleppo international airport," the defence ministry said in a statement.

The damage forced authorities to close the airport to all flights, the ministry added. There was no immediate word on any casualties.

More than 80 aid flights have landed in Aleppo over the past month with relief supplies for quake-hit areas, transport ministry official Suleiman Khalil told AFP.

"It is no longer possible to receive aid flights until the damage has been repaired," he said, adding that the strike had put the runway out of service.

Aid deliveries have been diverted to Damascus and Latakia airports, a ministry statement said.

An Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment on the reported strike.

Syria's foreign ministry decried a "double crime", saying the strike targeted "a civilian airport... and one of the key channels for the arrival of humanitarian aid" for quake victims.

It marked the second Israeli attack on government-held areas since the devastating quake struck Turkey and Syria, killing more than 50,000 people in the two countries.

On February 19, an Israeli strike killed 15 people in a Damascus district housing state security agencies.

Damascus ally Iran condemned the strike, calling it a "crime against humanity".

"While the Syrian earthquake victims in Aleppo are experiencing difficult conditions, the Zionist regime (Israel) is attacking Aleppo airport," foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement.

Israel has attacked Aleppo airport several times in recent years, with a strike last September putting it out of service for a few days.

Since civil war erupted in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes against its neighbour, primarily targeting positions of the Syrian army and its Iranian and Hezbollah allies.

The Israeli military rarely comments on individual strikes against Syria, but has vowed repeatedly to keep up its air campaign to stop arch foe Iran consolidating its presence.
United Nations rights chief Volker Turk on Tuesday demanded action from Beijing to address "grave concerns" over the human rights situation in China's Xinjiang province.

Turk has been under pressure from Western nations and rights organisations to take a firm stand on Xinjiang following a bombshell report by his predecessor which cited possible crimes against humanity in the far-western region.

The UN is concerned about the protection of minorities such as the Uyghurs in Xinjiang and Tibetans, Turk said in his main speech to the current UN Human Rights Council session.

"Regarding China, we have opened up channels of communication with a range of actors to follow up on a variety of human rights issues," Turk said.

"In the Xinjiang region, my office has documented grave concerns -- notably large-scale arbitrary detentions and ongoing family separations -- and has made important recommendations that require concrete follow-up."

Turk also voiced unease over the far-reaching national security law in Hong Kong imposed in 2020 to stamp out dissent following huge and often violent pro-democracy demonstrations.

"We also have concerns about the severe restriction of civic space more generally, including the arbitrary detention of human rights defenders and lawyers, and the impact of the National Security Law in Hong Kong," he said.

- Torture allegations 'credible' -

Turk's remarks came during his first set-piece speech to the council in Geneva since taking office as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in October.

Just 13 minutes before her term ended on August 31, Turk's predecessor Michelle Bachelet published a long-awaited report on Xinjiang.

It detailed a string of rights violations against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, highlighting "credible" allegations of widespread torture, arbitrary detention and violations of religious and reproductive rights.

Beijing vehemently rejects the charges and insists it is running vocational training centres in the region to counter extremism.

Responding to Turk's speech, Chinese ambassador Chen Xu said that with Beijing's efforts to combat terrorism and radicalisation, human rights in Xinjiang were "well protected".

"Xinjiang and Tibet enjoy continuous economic growth, harmonious and stable society, constantly improved livelihood, prosperous culture, peaceful co-existence of all religions and unprecedented achievements in human rights development," he said.

And since the National Security Law came in, "all legitimate rights and freedoms of Hong Kong people are better protected".

Last October, Western countries, led by the United States, sought to hold a debate on the Xinjiang report at the Human Rights Council.

But intense Chinese lobbying among the 47 council members saw nations vote 19-17 against discussing the findings, with 11 abstaining.

US ambassador Michele Taylor urged the council Tuesday to "take action to address the egregious and ongoing violation of human rights in Xinjiang".

British ambassador Simon Manley meanwhile called on Beijing "to stop denying the facts and engage seriously and constructively" with the recommendations from Turk's office.

And Human Rights Watch's Geneva director Hilary Power urged the council to investigate "sweeping rights abuses in China, including in Xinjiang," pointing out that this call had "been made by hundreds of other NGOs from all regions and numerous UN experts."
The head of a panel tasked with uncovering abuses under Tunisia's autocratic past rulers said Tuesday she had been banned from leaving the country as prosecutors investigate her for alleged falsifications in the commission's report.

Sihem Bensedrine, head of the former Truth and Dignity Commission (IVD), is the latest public figure to face investigation in the birthplace of the Arab Spring pro-democracy uprisings.

A string of personalities, mainly critics of President Kais Saied, have been arrested since early February.

The IVD received testimonies from tens of thousands of victims of abuses including rape and torture following the country's 2011 pro-democracy revolution which had toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

After its mandate ended, the commission issued a vast final report that was published in Tunisia's official journal in 2020.

Bensedrine said in a statement on Tuesday that she had been under investigation since February 2021 on allegations that she falsified parts of the report.

She is accused of accepting a bribe to include a passage accusing the Franco-Tunisian Bank (BFT) of corruption, allegations she refuted.

Bensedrine said she had been banned from travelling after being summoned last Thursday by a financial crimes judge.

The judge told her she was charged with "having procured unjustified advantages", "harming the state" and "forgery", she said in her statement.

No court official could be reached for comment on the case.

The IVD collected some 65,000 complaints covering the period of Ben Ali's rule and that of his predecessor Habib Bourguiba.

Tunisia adopted a new, democratic constitution three years after Ben Ali was toppled, but despite a decade of tentative democracy, Bensedrine told AFP in 2020 that "the demons of the past came back".

Saied, who sacked the government and froze parliament in mid-2021 and later pushed through a new constitution concentrating power in his office, has been accused of attempting to restore an authoritarian system in the country.

He has accused those arrested in recent weeks of "terrorism" and "plotting against state security".
Israeli warplanes killed three people in a raid on Syria's Aleppo airport Tuesday, a war monitor said after the strike which, according to a Syrian official, halted earthquake aid flights.

The airport has been a major conduit for relief flights since a February 6 earthquake devastated swathes of southeastern Turkey and neighbouring Syria.

A transport ministry official in Syria said the aid flights were among those brought to a stop from Aleppo, Syria's second city.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a network of sources in war-torn Syria, said "a Syrian officer" and two people of unknown nationality were killed in the air strike.

Syria's defence ministry said the strike occurred at 2:07 am (2307 GMT Monday).

"The Israeli enemy carried out an air attack from the Mediterranean west of Latakia targeting Aleppo international airport," a ministry statement said.

It added that the damage forced authorities to close the airport to all flights.

More than 80 aid flights have landed in Aleppo over the past month with relief supplies for quake-hit areas, transport ministry official Suleiman Khalil told AFP.

"It is no longer possible to receive aid flights until the damage has been repaired," he said, adding the strike had put the runway out of service.

- Aid diverted -

Aid deliveries have been diverted to Damascus and Latakia airports, a ministry statement said.

State news agency SANA said Syrian air defences had gone into action against "enemy missiles".

An Israeli military spokesperson declined to comment on the reported strike.

The Observatory said the airport was expected to reopen in a few days after repair work.

Syria's foreign ministry decried a "double crime", saying the strike targeted "a civilian airport... and one of the key channels for the arrival of humanitarian aid" to victims of the quake which killed around 6,000 people in Syria.

It marked the second Israeli attack on government-held areas since the 7.8-magnitude quake that killed more than 50,000 people in the two countries.

On February 19, an Israeli air strike killed 15 people in a Damascus district housing state security agencies, the Observatory said.

Damascus ally Iran condemned the latest strike as "a "crime against humanity".

"While the Syrian earthquake victims in Aleppo are experiencing difficult conditions, the Zionist regime (Israel) is attacking Aleppo airport," foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said in a statement.

Israel has attacked Aleppo and Damascus airports several times in recent years.

A strike on the Aleppo facility last September put it out of service for a few days. That attack targeted a warehouse used by Iran-backed militias, the Observatory said at the time.

Since civil war erupted in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of air raids against its neighbour, primarily targeting positions of the Syrian army and its Iranian and Hezbollah allies.

The Israeli military rarely comments on individual strikes against Syria, but has vowed repeatedly to keep up its air campaign to stop arch foe Iran consolidating its presence.
Myanmar's junta has slammed the UN's human rights chief for making "irrelevant" remarks after he said the military may have committed war crimes as it struggles to crush resistance to its rule.

Two years after the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government, the human rights situation in Myanmar is a "festering catastrophe", the global body's rights office said last week in a report.

Stretched thin on the ground, the military was relying increasingly on air power and artillery to fight widespread opposition, with more than 300 air strikes in the last year, the UN said, including on schools and hospitals.

The junta's foreign ministry said the report was based on "sweeping allegations against the Government and its security forces", in a statement on its Facebook page on Tuesday.

"Myanmar, therefore, asserts its firm objection against the irrelevant recommendations made by the High Commissioner."

The junta acknowledged that the UN report recognised the violence committed by some of the groups arrayed against it, but only "slightly".

Swathes of the country are in turmoil, and killings of low-level junta officials and anti-coup fighters take place almost daily, with details murky and reprisals often following quickly.

The junta claims more than 5,000 civilians have been killed by "terrorist" groups since the coup.

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the bloody impasse led by the UN and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations regional bloc have made little headway, with the generals refusing to engage with opponents.

The UN Security Council passed its first resolution on the situation in Myanmar in December, urging the junta to release Suu Kyi and all "arbitrarily detained prisoners".

Security Council permanent members China and Russia abstained, opting not to wield vetoes following amendments to the wording.

India, which has close ties with the junta, also abstained.

More than 3,000 people have been killed in the military's crackdown on dissent according to a local monitoring group.

bur/pdw/smw

Meta
Since its release, "The Glory" continues to stir buzz in the online Hallyu world. Anticipation is doubled as Netflix Korea is set to release its long awaited Part 2 this March.

Although the work is not centered on romance, fans are still looking forward to seeing who Song Hye Kyo ends up with in the show. Here's what the actors and fans think.

'The Glory' Part 2 To Showcase Song Hye Kyo's Love Line

In December 2022, Netflix Korea released the A-graded revenge series "The Glory" starring Song Hye Kyo, Lee Do Hyun, Jung Sung Il and more!

It tells the story of a school violence victim who avenges herself from her abusers by becoming their child's homeroom teacher.

"The Glory" depicted the realistic school violence that takes place in many institutions in South Korea, earning praises from fans. Song Hye Kyo's performance was also lauded by critics, claiming that the Netflix show is her best work yet.

Amidst the acclaim, fans expressed their curiosity about the love line of the main character in the series. Song Hye Kyo flaunted her intense chemistry with Lee Do Hyun and Jung Sung Il-this romance dynamic is one of the most anticipated factors in Part 2.

While many fans are certain that Song Hye Kyo will end up with Lee Do Hyun, who plays as her executioner in the series, some viewers also want Jung Sung Il to be with her in the end.

Song Hye Kyo and Jung Sung Il truly elicited sexual tension as they became Go partners in the series. However, Jung Sung Il is married to Song Hye Kyo's abuser in the drama, played by Lim Ji Yeon.

Due to this, viewers predicted that a controversial cheating will take place in Part 2 involving the three. The speculations were solidified when the teaser for the drama was released.

In the clip, Jung Sung Il and Lim Ji Yeon engage in a heated argument about Song Hye Kyo. The latter then accuses her husband of cheating, who doesn't deny nor acknowledge the matter, raising tension to a new level.

Jung Sung Il On Fans' Cheating Predictions

Since the teaser video was released, viewers began to dig deeper into the lead characters' relationship.

Fans then realized that Jung Sung Il's character has always had concern and curiosity about Song Hye Kyo who seems aloof and detached.

With this, the speculation on a possible cheating is solidified. In an interview with Netflix Korea, Jung Sung Il addressed the fan's theory and intensified fans' excitement.

He stated, "I agree that there's something elegant about them [their characters]. Is it possible that Moon Dong Eun and Ha Do Young will become a couple in Part 2? Hmm, I'm not sure."

The actor's comment only aroused even more curiosity about the drama. In "The Glory" Part 2, all loose ends will finally be given clarity so don't miss it!

"The Glory" Part 2 airs on March 10 on Netflix! Catch the teaser here:

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
As Yoo Ah In's drug scandal continues, authorities raided the actor's home as part of the probe.

The award-winning actor is being kept under watch as Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's drug crime sustains the investigation into the top star's illicit drug use.

Since authorities have confirmed the suspicion of Yoo Ah In's drug use, the "Seoul Vibe" star has undergone various examinations, which include urine and hair strand tests to see if he is taking propofol substance.

However, as the results came out, Yoo Ah In tested positive not just for propofol but also for 3 other drugs. It includes marijuana, cocaine, and ketamine as examined by the National Forensic Service.

With this, the actor continues to participate in the activities required by the authorities, which include a search of his home.

Yoo Ah In's Home Raided By Police

According to a media outlet, police investigators raided Yoo Ah In's residence in Hannam-dong as part of their probe regarding allegations of illegal drug use.

Apart from it, authorities also conducted search in various plastic surgery hospitals in Gangnam District to obtain medical records of the top star.

Following the search on Yoo Ah In's home, the actor will be summoned for questioning, which is scheduled on March 14.

What Will Happen to Yoo Ah In After the Drug Scandal?

At the height of the controversy, Yoo Ah In's agency United Artists Agency (UAA) confirmed that the actor is being investigated by the police.

With this, the label said that the 36-year-old star "is actively cooperating in all investigations" and "plans to proactively address" the situation relating to their talent.

Unfortunately, after authorities found 4 drugs in the actor's system, the "Chicago Typewriter" star lost support from brands he had endorsed. Multiple brands dropped Yoo Ah In, and even removed traces of him from their advertisements.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Yoo Ah In Drug Scandal: Actor Reportedly Faked Pain to Get Propofol

According to various outlets, fashion brand platform MUSINSA, outdoor brand NEPA, and pharmaceutical brand I'm Vita, have removed the actor's image from their social media channels and other brand content.

As for his upcoming movies, the actor withdrew his appearance in the much-awaited "Hellbound 2." To recall, he played the role of cult leader Jung Jin Soo, who is the founder of the religious group, The New Truth.

With this, "Hellbound 2" will have a new lead star who will continue to play the role of the religious leader. Officials tapped "Our Beloved Summer" star Kim Sung Cheol to continue playing Jung Jin Soo, along with returning cast Kim Hyun Joo, Yang Ik Jun, Kim Shin Rock, and more.

His other projects "Goodbye Earth," The Match" and "High Five" are yet to confirm if they will push through despite the issue.
"Oasis" takes a dark turn in its second episode as Jang Dong Yoon faces a life-changing dilemma to save someone other than himself.

Selflessness, pain and regrets were painted across the television screen during the broadcast of the brand new episode of the drama.

Lee Doo Hak and Oh Jung Shin's Bittersweet Goodbye

In "Oasis" episode 2, Lee Doo Hak (Jang Dong Yoon) is on cloud nine as he goes on a date with Oh Jung Shin (Seol In Ah), the woman of his dreams.

Because of their societal differences, he never thinks that the other would like him back but thankfully, Oh Jung Shin's heart beats the same way.

However, their happiness is short-lived as Lee Doo Hak gets in trouble due to Choi Cheol Woong's (Chu Young Woo) carelessness.

Lee Doo Hak Takes the Fall

Choi Cheol Woong was outnumbered by a gang who punched and kicked the life out of him. He lets it pass not until Ki Young Tak (Jang Young Jun) slaps Oh Jung Shin. The fear in his eyes is gone as he decides to retaliate.

Choi Cheol Woong then engages in a duel with his bully. Blinded by rage, he picks up a huge stone and hits Ki Young Tak with it, sending him to coma.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Lee Doo Hak witnessed everything. Choi Cheol Woong then denies that he planned to kill him, saying that it was also self defense. Before their day ends, Ki Young Tak is announced dead.

Lee Do Hak Gets Imprisoned For Murder

With his name on the line, Choi Cheol Woong fears of becoming his family's big disgrace.

Because of this, he begs Lee Doo Hak to take the fall since he doesn't have anything to lose. Angered by this, he refuses and mocks Choi Cheol Woong, saying that he isn't his pig.

But because Lee Doo Hak's father is greatly influenced by Choi Cheol Woong's family, he forces his son to put the blame on himself to save the rich young man.

Lee Doo Hak then gets arrested for a crime he didn't commit. Oh Jung Shin, who knows the truth, cries her heart out.

Though Choi Cheol Woong's family promised to give them support, Choi Cheol Woong's father didn't get an attorney to prevent them from making a proper defense.

Ki Young Tak's brother, who happens to be in prison, avenges him by stabbing Lee Doo Hak with a toothbrush knife. His life in prison didn't get better as time passed by.

Lee Doo Hak and Choi Cheol Woong Meet Again

Four years later, Lee Doo Hak is released from prison. He meets Choi Cheol Woong at a pub, finally asking for his long overdue payment.

Lee Doo Hak then asks Choi Cheol Woong, who's now a psychiatrist, to fulfill his promise to take care of everything he needs.

It is revealed that Oh Jung Shin lived a sorrowful life after her aunt moved to Seoul after stealing the theater where they spent their sweet time together in the past.

Oh Jung Shin also struggles to pay off her late father's debts. Meanwhile, Lee Doo Hak bags a job as an errand boy with Go Pung Ho (Lee Han Hwi), a former real estate fraud, whom he met in prison.

As the three young adults' worlds collide once again, expectations are focused on whether they will be able to reunite despite fate's playful nature.





KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
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It is a fluke of the news cycle that if we dont hear a product warning frequently, we can forgive that product and think it has somehow become safe. While no one would forgive cigarettes, lead in drinking water or mercury in tuna, the public has definitely softened on the danger of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopause. So it is noteworthy that a recently released follow-up of subjects in the federal Womens Health Initiative found that breast cancer risk from menopause hormones may last decades. Specifically, women prescribed HRT had a 29% greater incidence of breast cancer 19 years after using the drugs than those who never used the drugs, said the analysis.

It has been over 17 years since the Womens Health Initiative found that HRT increased the risk of breast cancer by 26%, heart attacks by 29%, stroke by 41%, and doubled the risk of blood clots.

In a related study, HRT doubled the risk of dementia in women. Women on HRT were found to be more likely to lose their hearing, develop gallbladder disease, urinary incontinence, asthma, melanoma, and need joint replacement, said medical journals. They were at greater risk of ovarian, endometrial, and lung cancers and non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Not only did HRT increase the risk of breast cancer, it made detecting the cancer more difficult. As early as 1995, an article in the journal Radiology said, an increase in mammographic density was demonstrated in most subjects undergoing continuous combined HRT. In fact, the effect of HRT on breast cancer was so dramatic, in one year after millions of women dumped HRT, 2003, the incidence of breast cancer fell seven percent. It fell 15% in women whose tumors were fed by estrogen.

The results should have been embarrassing to cancer researchers and public health officials because a major cause of cancer was hidden in plain sight. Worse  the entire scenario had happened before.

After similar fears led to a drop off of menopausal hormones in 1975, the New England Journal of Medicine wrote: From July 1975 to July 1977, there was a sharp downward trend in the incidence of endometrial cancer that paralleled a substantial reduction in prescriptions for replacement estrogens.

What explains the tenacity of HRT?

Soon after the HRT meltdown, hormone makers and prescribers vehemently attacked studies that found risks. Subjects were too old, they said, and HRT was still a beneficial therapy  it just needed to be begun earlier.

But money was not the only reason for the aggressive HRT cheerleading. There was also sexism. When HRT surfaced more than 50 years ago, drug ads accused women of outliving their ovaries and having no value past fertility. One ad even suggested treating menopause with electroconvulsive therapy. Also, the understandable human desire to stay young looking is at play  likewise seen with testosterone supplements.

Still, the public ignores menopausal hormone risks at its own peril. The message is probably not clear that even short-term HRT can have lasting effects, said Dr. Rowan Chlebowski of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California, during at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in December.

In 2010, as HRT risks underwent revisionism in the media, I interviewed Dr. Chlebowski about the tenacity of HRT believers and prescribers.

Rosenberg: Why do doctors still promote HT despite its cancer, heart disease, stroke and blood clot risks? Are they influenced by drug companies? Chlebowski: Certainly the estrogen drug used in the trials, Premarin, and the estrogen plus progestin drug Prempro are best selling products of Pfizer, previously Wyeth. These companies are also big supporters of the gynecology community. It is reasonable for companies to support groups who use their products, so it becomes a chicken and the egg question. The gynecology community tends to focus more on heart problems than the data about breast or lung cancer that is increasingly emerging from WHI.

Clearly, an unsafe product remains unsafe despite the publics short memory or financial interests.

Martha Rosenberg is a health reporter and the author of Born With a Junk Food Deficiency.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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In this episode, we welcome special guest Ronald A. Zent, a family physician, to discuss the ongoing opioid crisis. With a fourfold increase in opioid prescriptions and overdose deaths from 1999-2010, Ronald shares his insights on how the medical community has been duped and the role of big pharmaceutical companies in influencing the prescription of dangerous and addictive medications.

Ronald also shares his views on pain management and encourages prescribers to think critically about their actions and consider the potential consequences for their patients. He encourages a more robust discussion on pain in general and emphasizes the importance of avoiding outpatient long-acting opioids and allowing fentanyl only in a hospital setting, if at all.

Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on the opioid crisis and the role of health care professionals in reducing the number of needless deaths from prescription overdoses.

Ronald A. Zent is a family physician.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, How were we duped and what can we do about the opioid overdose crisis?

The Podcast by KevinMD is brought to you by the Nuance Dragon Ambient eXperience.

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Last seasons Cheltenham Festival meeting was a Willie Mullins whitewash  and he is not leaving anything to chance in pursuit of something similar next week.

Having won a remarkable 10 races over the four days at Prestbury Park  taking his tally at the Festival to a record 88 winners  the Closutton handler revealed he has painted all the bars on his schooling fences and hurdles white.

White markings on the frames, guard rails and take-off boards replaced traditional orange colourings on obstacles at every British racecourse last year.

The British Horseracing Authoritys decision for the colour change, following guidance from experts at Exeter University into horse vision, came in the interests of horse welfare and safety.

In years past, Mullins has worked and schooled horses at Leopardstown prior to running at Cheltenham.

This year will be a little different, however. Speaking at the Dublin track to Racing TV on Sunday, he explained: I dont see much point in schooling here, if they all jump well.

Unless someone comes round with a bucket of whitewash tomorrow and paints those fences, I dont see much point in schooling over the orange bars.

Ive put in a whole new schooling operation with white hurdles and fences and well do our stuff at home.

Mullins is a stickler for details and knows that with competition so fierce at the Festival, every mistake is magnified.

He added: Some horses could go down (and jump) over blue fences, yellow fences, it wouldnt matter a damn to them  they are just that cool.

Other horses will look at them from a half-mile out and they will see something different, so you never know which one, especially in the shorter races if you want to be up there and and have your position.

You dont want to have them looking at the first hurdle and backing off it or the first fence and backing off it, because you just lose your position and then at Cheltenham you are playing catch-up the whole time.

Whereas round the country tracks or not at the big meetings, it doesnt matter so much, as youll get your ground back much easier  but at Cheltenham, no one gives you an inch.

So what you lose at the first hurdle or fence, its gone, you are not going to get it back.

Mullins said his powerful string has taken to the painted obstacles well and is looking forward to the meeting, which starts on Tuesday week.

They are jumping them every second day at home, so were good.

He added: Fingers crossed, toes crossed, everything crossed. We are very happy with how most things are.

You are always going to get little upsets, but we still have another week to go before we travel. Things will come right, but nothing major.
Fianna Fail TD for Carlow-Kilkenny Jennifer Murnane OConnor has welcomed the Government changes to the benefit-in-kind (BIK) regime for vehicles to reduce the tax bill for people with company cars.

Fianna Fail Finance Minister Michael McGrath announced on Tuesday that a 10,000 relief is to be applied to the Original Market Value (OMV) of cars in Category A-D to reduce the amount of BIK payable (this is not applicable to cars in Category E).

It means that for the purposes of calculating BIK liability, employers may reduce the OMV by 10,000. This treatment will also apply to all vans and electric vehicles.

For electric vehicles, the OMV deduction of 10,000 will be in addition to the existing relief of 35,000 that is currently available for EVs, meaning that the total relief for 2023 will be 45,000.

Minister McGrath made the changes as part of the Finance Bill. The measure will be backdated to January 1 and will remain in place until the end of the year.

The upper limit in the highest mileage band has also been amended by way of a 4,000km reduction, so that the highest mileage band is now entered into at 48,001km.

Deputy Murnane OConnor said that 'while the move to a C02 based Benefit-in-Kind system is an important part of achieving our climate targets, a significant number of employees with company cars and vans experienced large increases in their income tax since the start of the year'.

"In some cases taxable BIK went from 3,000 to 9,000 with no change in mileage," she added.

"The minister has recognised the difficulty experienced by some people facing BIK increases under the new regime and has made significant changes to help mitigate some of the increases associated with the new emissions-based calculation."
Ten enforcement orders have been issued to food businesses across Ireland for issues including inadequate pest control and poor hygiene practices.

According to the latest report from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), Environmental Health Officers in the HSE served nine closure orders and one prohibition order to the businesses during February 2023 for breaches of food safety legislation.

Some of the reasons for the Enforcement Orders include: a significant risk of cross contamination due to the condition of the staff toilet, with a water leak flowing into the food storage and preparation area and flooding a nearby carpet; E. coli detected in parsley mayonnaise, beetroot hummus, rocket pesto and chicken and chorizo bap, indicating that faecal pathogens may also be present or that poor hygiene practices occurred; and food debris and black mould found on surfaces, indicating inadequate cleaning procedures.

Other reasons include frozen meats being stored for an unknown duration with no traceability information could be found; no monitoring of food temperatures that are critical to food safety, with sausages and rice stored at potentially harmful temperatures; a dead rodent found near the kitchen, indicating inadequate pest control procedures; an extraction hood dripping grease down the canopy; and there were no handwashing facilities for staff.

Five Closure Orders were served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on Super Asia Food (retailer), White Rabbit (restaurant/cafe), and Il Capo (takeaway), all in Dublin 1.

Cork Oriental Supermarket Ltd restaurant and cafe (closed area: kitchen and kitchen storage area) in Cork, and Homesavers (closed activity: to cease the sale, packaging and/or processing of all food products on the premises) at Mile Height Retail Park in Tralee, Kerry were also served with closure orders.

Four Closuse Orders were served under the European Union (Official Controls in Relation to Food Legislation) Regulations, 2020 on East Oriental Take Out in Dublin 8, Top Oil Gala (closed area: the food service area/deli) in Dublin 11, Dook's Fine Foods (restaurant/takeaway) in Fethard, Tipperary, and Gianny's takeaway in Edenderry, Offaly.

One Prohibition Order was served under the FSAI Act, 1998 on Fish Seafood Deli Ltd at Carbery, Enterprise Park in Cork.

Commenting, Chief Executive of the FSAI, Dr Pamela Byrne, said maintaining a clean premises is essential and obligatory for every food business.

She said, "Consumers must be able to trust that the food they are being served is safe to eat and it is unacceptable that some food businesses fail to fulfil this duty. Storage and food preparation areas must be properly cleaned and maintained to avoid potential contamination of food. It is also important that businesses have proper pest control procedures in place and that they are regularly checking that there are no pests in their premises.

"Earlier this month we ran a free webinar on managing and monitoring pest control procedures in food businesses to address this reoccurring issue. This webinar can be accessed on the FSAI website."

Also, during the month of February, one prosecution was taken by the FSAI in relation to Healing with Hemp, T/A Kama Hemp, Burdautien, Clones, Monaghan.

Dr Pamela Byrne welcomed the ruling upheld by Judge Raymond Finnegan in Monaghan District Court on 22 February 2023 in relation to charges brought against Catherine Mullaney, Marcus John McCabe and Kamaceuticals Limited.

According to the FSAI, they were convicted on two counts of obstructing authorised officers of the HSE with total fines of 3,000. This ruling sends a strong message to food businesses that obstructing an authorised officer will not be tolerated under any circumstances and in this particular case, it resulted in prosecution.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

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U.S. agency investigating Norfolk Southern's safety practices after train accidents

Xinhua) 11:07, March 08, 2023

WASHINGTON, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced on Tuesday "a special investigation" of Norfolk Southern Railway's organization and safety culture.

The NTSB urged Norfolk Southern to take immediate action to "review and assess its safety practices," given the number and significance of recent accidents involving the company.

The announcement came more than a month after a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.

The Feb. 3 derailment resulted in a significant fire and hazardous materials release in the area of East Palestine, a village located on Ohio's border with Pennsylvania.

The NTSB said on Tuesday it has launched investigation teams to five "significant" Norfolk Southern accidents, including the East Palestine train derailment, since December 2021.

Earlier in the day, a Norfolk Southern employee was killed during a movement in Cleveland, Ohio.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted in response that several federal agencies "are investigating after a collision this morning killed a Norfolk Southern conductor in Cleveland."

"Our thoughts are with the family facing this preventable tragedy," Buttigieg wrote. "Now more than ever, it is time for stronger freight railroad accountability and safety."

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
A member of the Mexican security forces stands next to a white minivan with North Carolina plates and several bullet holes.


By Choi Jung-kiu





Digital customer journeys are now an essential part of any modern bank's offerings, but despite this clear imperative, six out of 10 financial service companies still fail to achieve their digital transformation goals.



Boston Consulting Group (BCG) works closely with financial institutions across the Asia-Pacific region, offering valuable insights on the importance of putting customers at the heart of transformation goals. In our report, "Taking Digital Banking Beyond Customer Journeys," we explore the challenges of a truly customer-focused transformation, and the remarkable rewards financial institutions can unlock by delivering on this need.



Our extensive experience supporting financial services partners around the globe tells us that digital transformation must capture the whole customer value stream, from customer-facing, front-end experience, right through to the foundations of process operations, risk, legal and compliance and technology that are ultimately so fundamental to an effective offering. The reality is that creating an encouraging picture above the surface must be accompanied by the right foundations to support sustainable success.



There are two fundamental parts to this journey. First, financial institutions must deeply understand customer pain points and unmet needs. Second, they should deliver the solution not just to customer interfaces, but with a front-to-back, end-to-end perspective that incorporates all relevant functions and roles into one agile team.



Rise of digital banking



BCG's "Global Retail Banking" report revealed that the use of online banking had increased by 23 percent globally, and mobile banking 30 percent over the previous year. This rapid growth has created fertile conditions for ambitious, emerging digital challenger banks, with over 250 of these pioneering banks now operating globally.



Digital transformation now offers an equally powerful opportunity for legacy banks, with our experience revealing successful delivery can reduce costs by 15 percent to 20 percent, improve efficiency and reduce error rates by 20 percentage points to 40 percentage points, and improve customer satisfaction by 20 to 30 points, while delivering a two- to four-fold acceleration in the delivery of new products and services.



Customer journeys are a pivotal part of this transformation. These journeys can come in many forms, but banks' own responsibilities are broadly characterized in five ways  helping customers open new accounts, helping them borrow money, helping promote financial well-being, helping with transactions and payments and helping solve problems and issues.



This transformation is not without its challenges. We see four common mistakes as banks seek to digitalize: First, investing big in digital focused on customer front-end experience, but neglecting back-end processes. Second, investing in automating the back-end, but failing to fundamentally resolve customer pain points. Third, investing in transforming and modernizing legacy technology, without addressing disconnects between IT and business processes. Fourth, fragmented investment silos that maintain the status quo.





gettyimagesbank



An agile approach to value streams



Banks seeking to remain competitive must embrace agile ways of working, ensuring that speed and flexibility are central to modern operations.



Moving to a front-to-back approach focused on customer value streams is a powerful opportunity to drive forward successful digital transformation. That means enhancing digital customer journeys, scalable tech-ops, governance and intelligence systems.



Customer journey digitalization should leverage world-class interfaces and workflows to deliver tangible and meaningful changes for customers. A focus on enhancing workflow processes from the customer perspective, with human-centric design principles, is critical.



Scalable tech-ops means preparing for growth in a rapidly evolving landscape. Leading institutions often leverage cloud technologies and advanced technology architecture to power these journeys in a scalable way. Unifying security and related functions in a "cyberfusion" approach, alongside robust digital anti-fraud capabilities, is also pivotal. Ultimately, good technology infrastructure is flexible, scalable and reliable.



Intelligent systems should utilize data science to support "smart" processes, with a self-learning system that continuously enhances insights on customers and processes. This will deliver hyper-personalized experiences to each customer. It requires data lake infrastructure that capture this information to generate ongoing insights.



Governance and policy guardrails create the framework to maintain this ecosystem. Customer journey, technology and market intelligence should all channel through a lens of risk and governance policies and procedures. These guardrails are established and then codified into the rule engines, models, workflows, deviations, escalations, flags, access privileges and so on.




Angola, IN (46703)

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If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
The Indianapolis native who managed the White House as chief of staff for President Joe Biden over the past two years is not interested in running next year to represent Indiana in the U.S. Senate.

Ron Klain declared Tuesday on Twitter he'll "never run for anything  not my role."

At the same time, Klain said: "I've helped others win, and Ill do whatever I can to help a Dem win #insen24," using a common abbreviation for Indiana's 2024 U.S. Senate race.

It was the second day in a row that Klain, who left the White House on Feb. 7, tweeted about the upcoming U.S. Senate contest in his home state.

On Monday, Klain encouraged the Indiana Democratic Party, seemingly out of nowhere, to "find some great candidates to run for U.S. Senate!"

That remark prompted several people to urge Klain to throw his hat in the ring, including Democratic former U.S. Rep. Jill Long Thompson, a one-time Valparaiso city councilwoman who lost a 1986 U.S. Senate bid to Republican Dan Quayle; and Chicagoan David Axelrod, a campaign strategist and senior adviser to former Democratic President Barack Obama.

Klain's subsequent announcement that he'll never run for any office quickly scuttled that possibility.

Meanwhile, a top Region Democrat is skeptical Klain even will follow through on his promise to help Indiana's Democratic U.S. nominee next year on the campaign trail.

"Neither you, nor the national Dems lifted a finger to help any Hoosier Dem win in the last election cycle. Now you post this? Get lost Ron," tweeted Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., the unsuccessful Democratic nominee in Indiana's 2022 U.S. Senate contest.

McDermott also described Klain on Twitter using a slang term for a "jerk." The five-term Hammond mayor further expounded on his feelings toward Klain on Tuesday morning on his semi-weekly "Left of Center" podcast.

"F--- you, Ron Klain. Right? What a d---," McDermott said. "Ron Klain: Your bosses, the big shots, wanted Tom McDermott to run for U.S. Senate in Indiana, and I said yes. I busted my a--, I raised $1.6 million, drove 75,000 miles, worked my a-- off for 18 months, and Ron Klain, you freaking ignored us. You ignored me, and you ignored all Hoosier Democrats."

"So you come in now and you say let's find some great candidates for U.S. Senate. Am I supposed to trust you Ron? You a--hole! You freaking screwed me. You guys screwed me and all Democrats in Indiana when we ran," McDermott said. "I'm a veteran. I'm a 20-year mayor. I was a good candidate. You had a good candidate and you freaking screwed me. So why are we supposed to trust this guy?"

Kevin Smith, the "Left of Center" co-host, concurred: "It's just tone-deaf. There are a lot of people in Indiana every day, that are Democrats, that are working their tails off."

McDermott, who so far has not definitively announced any political ambitions beyond his unopposed mayoral reelection bid this year, said that if Klain someday decides to run for the U.S. Senate from Indiana, McDermott would challenge him for the nomination.

"If he runs, I will be tormenting his a-- every city and town he hits. I will tear his a-- up," McDermott said. "I'm pissed. I'm pissed. A guy like that preaching to us? Screw you, man."

No Democratic candidates have stepped forward yet to run in Indiana's U.S. Senate primary election 14 months from now. Among Republicans, northeast Indiana U.S. Rep Jim Banks is the most prominent candidate seeking the GOP U.S. Senate nomination.

Banks joined McDermott in piling on Klain on Twitter and elsewhere Tuesday, even going so far as to ignore Monday's visit by First Lady Jill Biden to promote career education at Ivy Tech Community College in Valparaiso.

"If Biden's team had spent any time in Indiana recently, they'd see just how unpopular Biden's disastrous policies are. Hoosiers want a conservative fighting for them to put an end to the Democrats' reckless agenda," Banks said.

The Hoosier State has a rare open-seat U.S. Senate contest next year because the incumbent, U.S. Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., is choosing to run for Indiana governor instead of seeking a second six-year term in the Senate.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

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Auburn, IN (46706)

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A bill that would criminalize transgender people using restrooms that match their gender identity won initial approval in the Arkansas Legislature on Tuesday, March 7, introducing a restriction critics said would be the most extreme in the country. (SBG)
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Gov. John Bel Edwards speaks during a ceremony celebrating the opening of a $500 million polypropylene expansion at ExxonMobils polyolefins plant, Thursday, January 19, 2023, in Baton Rouge, La. (Photo by Hilary Scheinuk, The Advocate)
Bengaluru(Karnataka), March 8 (ANI): As part of the International Women's Day celebrations, the Bengaluru-Mysuru Rajya Rani Express was operated by an all-women crew on Wednesday.

The crew was led by Additional Railway Manager Kusuma Hariprasad along with other railway officers.

Also Read | Delhi Rains: Rain, Thunderstorm in NCR, Parts of National Capital on Holi 2023 Afternoon (See Pics and Videos).

"International Women's Day was meaningfully celebrated by all the women staff of the department by performing all the operations of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Rajya Rani Express", said the officials.

In another event, all-women AC Accompanying Staff started working on Bengaluru-Chennai Shatabdi Express today. Kavitha, Vandana as Tech/AC, Raichel Ullaji and Kalpana as Helper/AC are included as all-women AC Accompanying staff in the prestigious Bengaluru Chennai Shatabdi express which left KSR Bengaluru today at around 11 AM.

Also Read | Adenovirus Spread in West Bengal: Three More Child Deaths Reported From Kolkata in Past 24 Hours.

The four women employees carried out strenuous operations like connecting the power supply (The Head On Generation Connection) from the loco to the power car before the departure of the train, reported the railway sources.

AC Accompanying duties will be carried out by women employees regularly hereafter, as stated by the railways.

The employees were given rigorous and committed training for the past 3 weeks for carrying out accompanying duties.

Previously, all four women employees nominated for accompanying duties were involved in maintenance activities for a very long period. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Agartala (Tripura) [India], March 8 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda on Wednesday held a meeting with Manik Saha who was sworn in as the Tripura Chief Minister today, for the second time, and Tipra Motha Chief Pradyot Deb Barma among others.

The meeting was held at the the State Guest House here.

Also Read | Maharashtra Road Accident: Woman Dies After Being Hit by Duo Recording Instagram Reel on Motorcycle in Pune.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Tripura BJP in-charge Sambit Patra, Mahesh Sharma, Mahendra Singh were present during the meeting.

BJP won 32 seats with a vote share of around 39 per cent in the recently held elections in the state. Tipra Motha Party came second by winning 13 seats.

Also Read | Bihar: Canon Bomb Shell Explodes During Military Training in Gaya; Three Killed and Six Injured.

The meeting comes within hours after Manik Saha was sworn in as the Chief Minister in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Vivekananda Maidan in Agartala.

Other than chief minister Manik Saha, eight other leaders, namely, RL Nath, Pranjit Singha Roy, Sushri Santana Chakma, Sushant Chowdhury, Tinku Roy, Bikash Debbarma, Sudhanshu Das, and Sukla Charan Noatia also took oath as ministers.

Manik Saha, a dental surgeon joined the BJP in 2016 after quitting Congress. He was made party chief of the state in 2020 and elected to Rajya Sabha in March 2022.

Saha, who led BJP to victory, was BJP MP until the change of guard took place last year. In 2022, Saha replaced Biplab Kumar Deb to steer the party in the Assembly polls amid a multi-cornered contest in the northeast state.

Earlier on Monday, Chief Minister-designate Manik Saha called on Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya to stake claim to form the government in the Northeast state.

On Monday, there was a general meeting of all the newly elected BJP MLAs who unanimously proposed the name of Manik Saha for the leader of the legislature party.

BJP returned to power in the state by winning an absolute majority.

According to the Election Commission of India, BJP won 32 seats with a vote share of around 39 per cent. Tipra Motha Party came second by winning 13 seats. Communist Party of India (Marxist) got 11 seats while Congress bagged three seats. The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) managed to open its account by winning one seat. (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], March 8 (ANI): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in the national capital before starting meditation and prayers for the country.

The Delhi CM on Tuesday announced that he will meditate today and not celebrate Holi in the wake of the arrests of party leaders Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodia.

Also Read | Kerala Shocker: Bus Driver Beaten to Death for Meeting Female Friend at Her in Thrissur; CCTV Video of 'Murder' Surfaces.

In a video message, the Delhi Chief Minister said that the country's situation is worrying and therefore he will pray for the country.

Kejriwal also said that Sisodia and Jain are in jail but no action has been taken against Adani.

Also Read | Adenovirus Scare: Bengaluru Sees Huge Uptick in Cases of the Respiratory Infection, Says Report.

"A country where the Prime Minister jails people who provide good education and good health facilities to people and supports those who rob the country, it is worrying. I will meditate and pray for the country. If you also think what Prime Minister Narendra Modi is doing is wrong and you, too, are worried about the country, then I urge you, after celebrating Holi, please take out time to pray for the country," he added.

The Chief Minister said he was not worried about Jain and Sisodia being in jail.

"They are brave and are ready to sacrifice their lives for the country. But the sorry state of affairs in the country worries me," he said.

Satyendar Jain was arrested in May last year and Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26 in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Guwahati, March 8: Assam police have apprehended five persons for their alleged involvement in fraudulently procuring SIM cards from different service providers and supplying those to some Pakistani agents. The apprehended persons were identified as Ashiqul Islam, Bodor Uddin, Mijanur Rahman, Wahiduz Zaman and Baharul Islam.

These five persons belong to central Assam's Nagaon and Morigaon districts. Police also recovered 18 Mobile Phones, 136 SIM Cards and other items from their possession. Assam Police Arrest Five Suspects for supplying SIM Cards to Pakistani Agents, Mobile Phone Used To Share Defence Info With Foreign Embassy Seized.

Prasanta Kumar Bhuyan, IGP (L&O) and Spokesperson of Assam Police told ANI that the operation was launched based on the inputs of a Central agency. Pakistan's Cheap Tactics: Cornered By India, ISI Luring Sikhs With Money To Speak in Favour of the Country To Save Its Reputation.

"Based on inputs by a Central Agency and also inputs from reliable sources it came to light that approximately 10 persons from Nagaon and Morigaon districts are involved in procuring SIM cards from different service providers fraudulently and supplying those to some Pakistani agents and thus working against the integrity and sovereignty of the nation. Accordingly, last night an operation was led by Additional SP (Crime), SDPO Kaliabor and several Police Officers of Nagaon district which resulted in the apprehension of five persons," Prasanta Kumar Bhuyan said.

The police team seized 18 Mobile Phones, 136 numbers of SIM Cards suspected to have been procured for fraudulent purposes, one fingerprint scanner, one high-tech CPU, some related documents (Birth Certificates, Passbooks, Photographs etc) in possession from them and from other absconding suspect's houses.

"During interrogation till now, it has been revealed that accused Ashiqul Islam was using a mobile handset with two IMEI numbers from which a Whatsapp call was made sharing Indian Defense System related information with a foreign embassy (input shared by IB). That specific mobile handset was found in his possession. Other picked-up persons are also found technically involved in this connection. Thorough interrogation in collaboration with the IB officials is on," Prasanta Kumar Bhuyan said.

A case has been registered at Nagaon Police Station under Section 120(B), 121(A), 419, 468, 471, 34 of IPC, R/W Sec 18, 18B, 19 of UA(P) Act, 1967.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Patna (Bihar) [India], March 8 (ANI): Union Minister of State for Rural Development Ram Kripal Yadav on Wednesday celebrated Holi along with his supporters at Gandhi Maidan in Patna.

BJP leader Ram Kripal Yadav said, "Today is the great festival of Holi. For the last 30 years, Holi has been celebrated at Gandhi Maidan."

Also Read | Indian Navy Chopper Ditches off Mumbai Coast, No Casualties Reported; Rescue Operation Launched.

He also extended greetings on the occasion of International Women's Day.

He said, "I want to express my gratitude towards our PM who has taken many steps for the empowerment of women. Greetings to women on the occasion of Women's Day.

Also Read | Tripura Government Formation 2023: Manik Saha Takes Oath As State CM for Second Consecutive Time (Watch Video).

Yadav further thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the presidential candidate.

He said, "Droupadi Murmu is the first presidential women candidate who is from a poor tribal family."

"Hearty congratulations and best wishes to all of you on the auspicious occasion of Holi, the symbol of affection, harmony and goodwill and the holy festival of colours. May this festival drench your lives with every color of happiness, prosperity and prosperity, this is my best wish. #HappyHoli," said Yadav in a tweet.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday extended his greetings to the citizens of the country on the occasion of Holi.

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said, "Best wishes for Holi. May the colours of joy and enthusiasm always shower in your life. Wishing you all a happy and colourful Holi!." (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
ED gets gets custody of Anubrata Mondal till March 10 in Cattle smuggling case (Photo/ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 8 (ANI): A Delhi court on Wednesday sent TMC leader Anubrata Mondal to ED custody till March 10 in an alleged case of cattle smuggling case.

"TMC leader Anubrata Mondal has been sent to ED custody till March 10," Mudit Jain, lawyer of Anubrata Mondal told ANI.

Also Read | Haryana Shocker: Woman's Dead Body Found Stuffed in Suitcase Near Railway Overbridge in Panipat.

"We argued that my client is not involved in this case. We do not know anything about the matter. ED said they had to seek Mondal's custody for further investigation. Second, they said they have to see what happened to the trail of the money. ED had sought 14 days custody," Jain told ANI on the phone.

He was taken into custody by the officials of the ED from West Bengal on Tuesday.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Gym Trainer, Who Objected to Couple Kissing While Riding Scooter, Dies After Being Assaulted in Sahibabad; Six Held.

He was brought to the ED's office in Delhi later on Tuesday.

ED had sought 14 days of custody but the court gave the date till March 10 only.

The TMC leader was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged involvement in cattle smuggling across the Bangladesh border.

Mondal was arrested by the ED in connection with the case following an interrogation at Asansol jail that lasted more than five hours.

Earlier, on January 24, the Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi dismissed the default bail plea filed on behalf of the TMC leader.

On January 4, the trial court noted that the ED's case is based on the Scheduled Offence (CBI case), the proceedings of which were going on there at the CBI court in Asansol.

The court further noted that some of the accused in the cattle smuggling case were already behind bars.

Mondal was also arrested in July in a related case filed by the CBI. The ED had filed a chargesheet on the basis of the CBI case against Satish Kumar, the then commandant of the Border Security Force (BSF), 36 Battalion, Enamul Haque, Anarul SK, Golam Mustafa and other BSF and Customs officials for alleged commission of a cognisable offence under Section 120B of the IPC and multiple sections of the PC Act, 1988. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], March 8 (ANI): Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the State assembly V D Satheeshan on Wednesday demanded that the Kerala government should declare a health emergency following the fire that broke out at Brahmapuram Waste Plant, claiming that the toxic smoke from the waste mound fire has created serious health problems for the people living in the vicinity.

Smoke from the fire at the solid waste treatment plant of the Kochi Corporation that started on March 2 spread to surrounding region and can pose hazardous health issues the opposition leader said .

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Satheesan alleged that the government was not taking action in the matter. The smoke spread to not only Kochi but even the nearest districts. This, the Congress leader said it will cause serious health issues. He demanded the government declare a health emergency in the the affected place.

The LoP claimed that various departments including health, local self-government and disaster management were inactive at Brahmapuram

Also Read | Kerala: Smoke From Brahmapuram Waste Plant Fire Toxic; LoP VD Satheesan Urges State Government To Declare Health Emergency.

"The government should take action and effective implementation to cut the fire. But they are not taking any action. The LSGD, the health department, disaster management wing, and fire force are not taking sufficient action. The fire force is doing a lot of work but have been unable to douse the fire and had to seek help from the central government also. Otherwise, it will cause serious issues," Satheeshan said.

"Now itself is a serious matter. Unfortunately, what the minister for Local Self Government Department (LSGD) answered in the assembly was not fact. Even the next day high court judge went for a morning walk and had serious breathing issues. There are people who have fainted. There are so many patients in the hospitals, the the government has to declare a health emergency," Satheesan said.

The state Minister for Local Self Government Institutions M B Rajesh had in the Assembly said that that the situation at Brahmapuram was under control and there was no cause for concern or panic.

However, Satheesan said that the government should declare a health emergency and take necessary steps in this regard.

According to him, this is a clear case of corruption and the corrupt contractors are behind this. He demanded action against the corrupt people also.

The State Government on Saturday held a meeting and decided to explore a flooding approach to extinguish the fire. An official statement from the State Government stated that the meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary of Kerala discussed the ongoing efforts and options available for extinguishing the fire.

On Sunday, another meeting was held at Kochi by Kerala Health Minister Veena George and Law and Industries Minister P Rajeev with Ernakulam District Administration officials on this matter.On Monday, Congress workers today marched to the Kochi Corporation office as part of the protest seeking a High Court-monitored probe into the fire incident. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)[India], March 8 (ANI): The locals and foreigners thronged in large numbers to celebrate the festival of Holi at Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi.

People were dancing and spraying colours at the Dashashwamedh Ghat.

Also Read | Maharashtra Fire: Building Engulf in Blaze in Nagpur; Four Members of Family Rescued.

Foreigners from different countries such as Germany, Brazil and Japan were also seen celebrating the festival.

A German citizen who has travelled all the way to India spoke to ANI. "We have been in India for two weeks. We came to Varanasi to celebrate holi. Everyone here is celebrating holi. In the morning locals served us breakfast and they were nice towards us," he said.

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Another German citizen who has travelled to India on this festival said, "We planned our travel according to the holi. Varanasi is the best place for Holi. People are so nice here."

A Brazilian citizen stated that she is having the best time of her life on this occasion.

"I am having the best time of my life. I was expecting so many colours and people are so happy they are dancing. I am blessed to be here," she said.

Nationwide celebrations are going on in the country and leaders from different political parties sent their best wishes on this occasion.

Earlier Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter to send best wishes on the occasion of Holi.

"Best wishes for Holi. May the colours of joy and enthusiasm always shower in your life. Wishing you all a happy and colourful Holi!" PM Modi tweeted.

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjunan Kharge also tweeted on this occasion.

"Holi celebrates the spirit of togetherness and inspires us to enjoy the diversity of colours. It is a festival to bring people together and strengthen their bond. Hearty greetings and best wishes to everyone on the joyous occasion of Holi." Kharge tweeted. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], March 8 (ANI): Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan with his family was seen celebrating the festival of Holi at his residence in the state capital on Wednesday.

Some BJP leaders also joined the CM at his residence for the celebration. A grand event was organised at the Chief Minister's residence as part of the festival.

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CM Chauhan sang 'phaag' during the celebration. He was also seen cheering for those singing and dancing at the event.

The CM was also accompanied by his wife Sadhna Singh and other family members.

Also Read | International Women's Day 2023: Uttar Pradesh Government Announces Free Entry at Taj Mahal and Agra Fort for Tourists.

In various events across the country, many political leaders were seen celebrating the festival of colours, Holi, at their respective homes.

They were seen singing and dancing drenched in colours along with their family and friends. (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, Mar 8 (PTI) Cooperative Nafed will start procurement of kharif onion in Gujarat from Thursday from three mandis to provide relief to farmers, as prices have crashed in the wholesale markets, according to the Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry.

Nafed will begin onion procurement from Bhavnagar, Gondal and Porbandar mandis in Gujarat from March 9.

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More centres will be opened from time to time as required, it said.

"Farmers are requested to bring their good quality and dried stock to the procurement centres to avail better rates at these centres," the ministry said.

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Payments to the farmers will be done online, it added.

The ministry said the central government has planned this market intervention in order to give immediate relief to the farmers from crashing prices of onions in the state.

Nafed will procure kharif onion to address the issue of falling prices of onion in Gujarat and this move will provide stability to the onion market in the state, it added.

Onion is grown in all the states, however, Maharashtra is the leading producer with a share of around 43 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 16 per cent, Karnataka and Gujarat contributing around 9 per cent of national production.

The crop is harvested thrice a year during Kharif, Late Kharif and Rabi seasons.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Thiruvananthapuram, Mar 8 (PTI) On the International Women's Day, the Kerala government unveiled major schemes to support women entrepreneurs in the State including raising of the loan limit for women under the 'We-Mission Kerala' initiative of KSIDC to Rs 50 lakh from Rs 25 lakh with a five per cent interest from April 1.

Also Read | Delhi Rains: Rainfall, Thunderstorm in NCR, Parts of National Capital on Holi 2023 Afternoon (See Pics and Videos).

Announcing the decision at the women entrepreneurs' meet organised by the Department of Industries and Commerce here on Wednesday, Industries Minister P Rajeeve said the doubling of the loan amount will help women entrepreneurs under 'We-Mission Kerala' project of Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) to scale up their businesses.

Also Read | Madhya Pradesh: Superintendent of Police Transferred, Cop Suspended Over Schoolgirls' Molestation Case in Dindori.

Also, the moratorium period under the scheme, aimed at identifying, supporting and promoting women entrepreneurs, will be raised to one year from the current six months, the Minister said.

Rajeeve announced a composite grant of Rs five lakh for women cooperative societies, which will be available to the co-operative societies that commence operation in April or the existing ones that are planning for modernisation and technology advancement, Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion said in a release here.

The Minister also said from April 1, 2023, women entrepreneurs can avail the facilities at the incubation centre at Kozhikode by giving 50 per cent rent.

The meet, which brought together women entrepreneurs from all parts of the State on the International Women's Day, came within the larger framework of various programmes planned as part of the 'Year of Entrepreneurs'.

It focused on the current entrepreneurial friendly environment and policies offered by the State.

Minister for Health and Women and Child Development Veena George, who inaugurated the meet, said when a woman becomes an entrepreneur, people around her are also being empowered. In order to build a woman-empowered society, women have to become job providers, the Minister said.

Noting that women entrepreneurs are the role models of the society, George said Women Development Department is conducting training programmes in all 14 districts to encourage and nurture entrepreneurship among women.

In her address, Minister for Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development J Chinchurani said lot of women have come forward for setting up dairy farms and ventures in the animal husbandry sector.

The government is extending all support for women to become entrepreneurs, she said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington, Mar 8 (PTI) Ahead of the annual budgetary proposals by President Joe Biden later this week, Indian-American presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Tuesday blamed both the Democrats and Republicans for America's spending crisis and the massive debt that it has now accumulated over its head.

Asserting that the US needs to stop America sliding towards bankruptcy, Haley in an op-ed in the USA Today pledged that as president, she would veto spending bills that don't put America on track to reach pre-pandemic spending levels.

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"It's time someone in Washington stood up for taxpayers and stopped America's slide toward bankruptcy," she wrote as she acknowledged that her move would upset the stakeholders in both the Republican and Democratic party.

"These fights will inevitably pit me against Republicans as well as Democrats, but I'm used to it. As the governor of South Carolina, I took on both parties to stop wasteful spending and to put every spending vote on the record, a fundamental measure of accountability and protecting taxpayers. I won that fight," she said.

Also Read | Pakistan: After Lahore, Islami Jamiat-E-Talaba Student Wing Attacks Hindu Students Celebrating Holi in Karachi.

Noting that the current push to raise the federal debt limit is depressing, Haley said worse is the fact that this same fiasco will keep happening. Washington simply isn't serious about getting spending under control, she said.

"We must be honest: Both Democrats and Republicans are responsible for America's spending crisis. They have both supported multitrillion dollar deficits that have brought us to a USD31.6 trillion national debt and counting," said the former two-term governor of South Carolina and US ambassador to the United Nations.

"We need a president who will do what no one has done to date: Stand up to the big spenders in both parties," she said. "The past few years prove that while Democrats and Republicans can't agree on much, they do agree on spending America into bankruptcy," Haley wrote.

In an interview with "Ruthless, Haley expressed confidence over the kickoff of her campaign.

"To have thousands of people show up at the announcement, as a former governor it was heartwarming...Then we went to New Hampshire and Iowa. It was standing room only, hundreds of people showed up, overflow rooms, it was great. The momentum is there, the strength is therethe feeling overwhelmingly is that people want a better option than Biden and Trump," she said.

In response to a question, Haley said in 2022 she was the number one surrogate raising money for candidates.

"The half step ahead is that I got to be on the ground with people. I got to hear what they were saying. I got to look at the midterms and see what went wrong Americans are tired of the drama and the chaos. They are tired of everyone jumping on TV saying something and not getting in a room and doing it," she said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Singapore, Mar 8 (PTI) An Indian national is claiming trial to eight molestation charges involving four alleged victims when he was an instructor at a Yoga centre in the Centra Business District of Singapore.

The first alleged victim, who was then 24, was allegedly molested by Rajpal Singh on July 11, 2020. It was not stated in court documents if this was during a class at Trust Yoga.

Also Read | Pakistan: After Lahore, Islami Jamiat-E-Talaba Student Wing Attacks Hindu Students Celebrating Holi in Karachi.

The woman told a friend via WhatsApp about what had happened after her class, Deputy Public Prosecutor Selene Yap told the court at the trial of Singh, as reported by The Straits Times.

Singh, 33, was employed at Trust Yoga in Telok Ayer Street as a yoga instructor on April 1, 2019.

Also Read | Bangladesh Blast: 16 Killed, Over 100 Injured in Massive Explosion at Siddique Bazar in Dhaka.

The alleged victim also spoke to Arvind Ganaraj, who was a sales assistant manager at Trust Yoga at the time. The pair continued communicating with each other via text messages the next day.

On July 31, 2020, the woman posted on Twitter about her experience, and two other women, then 28 and 37 years old, reached out to her after reading it.

The 28-year-old also made a Facebook post about her experience.

The fourth alleged victim, who was then around 23 and 24 years old, saw an online review on Trust Yoga some time on or before Aug 25, 2020.

Court documents did not disclose details about this review.

She later contacted a person identified only as B2 in court documents via Facebook, and told the latter about her experience.

B2 then referred her to the first alleged victim, and the women spoke to each other via Instagram.

According to court documents, the four alleged victims made separate police reports in July and August 2020.

One of them testified on camera on Tuesday, in proceedings not open to the public, including members of the media.

Singh's trial resumes on Wednesday.

He has two other molestation charges linked to a fifth woman, which will be dealt with at a later date.

All five women cannot be named due to a gag order.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Islamabad [Pakistan], March 8 (ANI): The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday issued bailable arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Imran Khan and Fawad Chaudhry, Geo News reported. The ECP has taken the decision in a case pertaining to "contemptuous" remarks against Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja.

A four-member bench comprising ECP members Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Mohammad Jatoi, Babar Hasan Bharwana, and Justice (retd) Ikram Ullah Khan issued the order as the leaders did not appear in the case proceedings, as per the news report.

Also Read | Pakistan: After Lahore, Islami Jamiat-E-Talaba Student Wing Attacks Hindu Students Celebrating Holi in Karachi.

"Consequently, in the circumstances of the case, we have left with no alternative except to issue a bailable warrant of arrest against respondent in the sum of Rs 50,000/- (fifty thousand) with two sureties in the like amount each," the verdict issued by the ECP reads as per Geo News report.

In the verdict, the ECP said that the bailable warrants shall be executed through the Inspector General of Police, Islamabad and ordered the office to take follow-up action forthwith and list the matter on March 14.

Also Read | Bangladesh Blast: 16 Killed, Over 100 Injured in Massive Explosion at Siddique Bazar in Dhaka.

In its orders issued separately for former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, the ECP said that the respondents were directed to appear in person several times. However, the respondents failed to appear before the court, as per the Geo News report.

The election watchdog stated that the PTI chief deliberately sought adjournments on one or other pretext and was reluctant to appear before the bench which they stressed "amounts to a mockery of the law." As per the news report, the order reads, "Such conduct of respondent could not be tolerable, as his non-appearance before this Commission seems to be intentional."

Last week, the bench adjourned within a couple of minutes after former Pakistan PM Imran Khan and two other accused failed to appear at the commission in the case related to the contempt of ECP and Chief Election Commission Sikander Sultan Raja, Geo News reported.

Reacting to the ECP's order, Fawad Chaudhry said that the order violates the orders of the Lahore High Court. On January 6, the Lahore High Court suspended the ECP's arrest warrants for Khan, Fawad and the party's Secretary General Asad Umar in the case.

Fawad Chaudhry tweeted, "The Election Commission's order is a violation of the orders of the Lahore High Court, the Election Commission will be summoned in the High Court for contempt of court."

Last year, ECP started contempt proceedings against the PTI leaders for allegedly using foul language against the chief election commissioner, as per the Geo News report. Pakistan's top electoral body also served several notices on them, asking them to appear in person. However, the PTI leaders did not appear before the ECP and later challenged its powers in different high courts. (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 York [US], March 8 (ANI): South Sudan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Akuei Bona Malwal has thanked India for its support and valuable advice given to his country

He added that Juba is grateful for its friendship with New Delhi.

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Addressing the UN Security Council, Malwal said, "Allow me, President, to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the outgoing delegations of Kenya and India for their support and valuable advice offered to my country and our mission for the last two years," according to the video shared by Indian Counsellor Pratik Mathur on his Twitter account on Wednesday.

"They serve on this council. We will be forever grateful for their friendship with the people of South Sudan," he added.

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Sharing the video of Malwal's address in UNGA on Twitter, Mathur said, "A friend in need, is a friend indeed. PR of South Sudan, the youngest @UN member state, making a special mention of our support and #friendship for the Global South at the #UNSC meeting [?]today."

In the last week of January, Counsellor at India's Permanent Mission to United Nations reiterated India's strong support via UN Mission in South Sudan.

"At @UNPeacebuilding Commission's meeting on South Sudan, Counsellor @PratikMathur1 expressed India's strong support via @unmissmedia (#India provides 2400+ peacekeepers) & bilaterally to support peace process & capacity building in #SouthSudan in the journey for peace," tweeted Mathur.

Recently, India deployed an all-woman platoon of peacekeepers as part of the Indian Battalion to the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (on the border between South Sudan and Sudan).

The Abyei Area is a border area between South Sudan and Sudan that has been granted "special administrative status" by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict (Abyei Protocol) in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the Second Sudanese Civil War.

This is India's largest single unit of women peacekeepers in a UN mission since the deployment of the first-ever all-woman contingent in Liberia in 2007. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
International Women's Day is observed every year on March 8. This day aims to bring attention towards women's rights and violence and abuse against women. For International Women's Day 2023, we at LatestLY have curated a collection of Happy International Women's Day 2023 images, Happy Women's Day messages, International Women's Day 2023 HD wallpapers, Happy Women's Day 2023 greetings and WhatsApp status videos and much more that you can download and send to lovely women out there on this important day. International Women's Day 2023 Greetings and Images: Send WhatsApp Messages, Beautiful Quotes, and Sayings To Celebrate the Special Day.

International Women's Day started from the labour movements in North America and Europe during the early 20th century. The Socialist Party of America organised the earliest version of Women's Day in New York City on February 28 1909. It inspired German delegates at the 1910 International Socialists Women Conference to propose a Women's Day to be organised annually. Finally, the day became a national holiday on March 8 after women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917.

International Women's Day is observed with a specific theme every year. This year, the theme for the day is "DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality." Women have contributed much to the digital world of virtual reality and artificial intelligence. They have never been appreciated for their hard work in this field; this time, International Women's Day focuses on the same. Here is a collection of messages you can download and send to all your friends and family to wish them on this day with WhatsApp stickers, images, HD wallpapers and SMS.

Quotes for Women's Day (File Image)

WhatsApp Message Reads: It's Women's day! Feel special and unique on the top of the world!

Happy International Women's Day (File Image)

WhatsApp Message Reads: Women are always a source of inspiration for the family and the society. Happy Women's Day to you!

Happy International Women's Day (File Image)

WhatsApp Message Reads: Women can do anything! Congratulations on International Women's Day!

Happy International Women's Day (File Image)

WhatsApp Message Reads: I treasure you close to my heart. Here's my best wishes to you on International Women's Day!

Happy International Women's Day (File Image)

WhatsApp Message Reads: Hope your day is sunshine and flowers with happy thoughts to fill the house. Happy Womens Day

How to Download Women's Day WhatsApp Stickers and GIFs?

You can download International Women's Day 2023 WhatsApp stickers from the Play Store online. Here is the download link. You will also find Women's Day GIF messages and greetings!

Happy Women's Day 2023 Greetings, Wishes, Messages, Images and Powerful Quotes To Celebrate the Day

On women's day, corporate events are planned where information is provided about women's health and their rights. Fitness events are also organised, focusing on women and their interests. Wishing everyone a Happy International Women's Day 2023!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 08, 2023 06:55 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
The Assam Police on Wednesday said that they have seized a mobile phone which was used to share defence info with foreign embassy from an accused. The seizure comes after the police arrested five people for allegedly supplying SIM cards to Pakistani agents in the state. Reportedly, the sim cards were used by the agents to share defence information with foreign embassy. One Held for SIM Card Racket in Assam's Nagaon District.

Defence Info Shared With Foreign Embassy

Mobile phone used to share defence info with foreign embassy seized from accused: Assam Police  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 8, 2023

Five Arrested for Supplying SIM Cards

Five arrested in Assam for supplying SIM cards to Pakistani agents: Police  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 8, 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.)
Bihar Minister Tej Pratap Yadav celebrated Holi at his residence in Patna on Wednesday (March 8). He celebrated the festival with full fervour. He was seen playing the flute melodiously adorned the get-up of Lord Krishna. He wore a huge crown and a kurta, added with a scarf. People in the video can be seen playing Holi with colours. Holi 2023 Wishes & WhatsApp Status Video: Images, HD Wallpapers, Quotes, Greetings, Messages and SMS for the Loved-Filled Festival of Colours.

Bihar Minister Celebrates Holi At His Residence

#WATCH | Bihar Minister Tej Pratap Yadav plays the flute as he celebrates the festival of #Holi at his official residence in Patna. pic.twitter.com/rogLFOl3AP  ANI (@ANI) March 8, 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.)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hosted a Holi party at his residence on Wednesday. A rare sight of US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, was seen at the party. She was completely drenched in colours. She visited the national capital to attend a US-India Commercial Dialogue and CEO Forum and meet public and private sector leaders. Holi 2023 Wishes & WhatsApp Status Video: Images, HD Wallpapers, Quotes, Greetings, Messages and SMS for the Loved-Filled Festival of Colours.

US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo Celebrates Holi

#WATCH | Delhi: US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo participates in #Holi celebrations at the residence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. pic.twitter.com/Q4og4ypUfl  ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2023

US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo's Excitement

It's a great honour for me to be here, I want to thank the minister for hosting me. This is my first time and I am very excited to be part of it: US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo https://t.co/yjpefZssHQ pic.twitter.com/kCAmzV2pJJ  ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2023

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Chile is considered one of the most peaceful countries in Latin America, having the lowest number of serious felony reports in 2015.

According to Chile's travel website, a worldwide study by Newsweek also claimed that Chile is the best country in Latin America to live in.

Aside from its picturesque views and tourist spots, Chile is also known for its wine and beer, just like its neighboring countries, which have embedded alcoholic drinks into their culture.

Chile is also known for having the world's largest swimming pool, which is located at the San Alfonso del Mar resort.

Chileans are also big eaters, being the second biggest bread consumers in the world, just behind Germans, Cascade Travel reported.

READ NEXT: Ackee and Saltfish: The Origins of the Jamaican National Dish

Historical Sites in Chile

Chile's rich culture can also be seen in some of the country's historical sites. There are plenty of things to do in Chile, such as trekking and witnessing rock formations, which can be done in Torres del Paine National Park.

The park is also considered one of Chile's most sought-after attractions.

Isla Negra - Pablo Neruda's House & Museum

The house of Isla Negra is considered a "visual and material compendium" of Pablo Neruda, known for surrealist poems and historical epics.

It was originally called Las Gaviotas, but the poet renamed it Negra due to the color of the rocks in the area and "Isla" due to his frequent self-isolation to write.

Most of the important collections were kept in Neruda's house, with figures relating to the sea. An architect and friend of Neruda, Sergio Soza, made the new additions that started in 1965.

Cementerio General de Santiago

The Santiago General Cemetery in Santiago is one of the largest cemeteries in Latin America, but its expansiveness is not the only thing that can interest tourists and locals alike.

According to History Hit, the cemetery is also the final resting place of 172 of Chile's most famous and important figures, including all but two of its presidents.

A memorial was constructed to remember the victims of the Chilean general Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, with more than 1,000 "disappeared" and 3,000 more known to have been murdered during the regime.

Eastern Island

Easter Island in Chile is known for its stone statues of human figures called maoi. The island has inhabitants called Rapa Nui, while the first European visitors to the area were Dutch. In 1774, a civil war had erupted on the island before British navigator Captain James Cook arrived.

Pukara de Quitor

Pukara de Quitor is an ancient Indian fortress that has stood in the area for more than 700 years. It is closely located in the desert town of San Pedro de Atacama.

The Inca ruled the walled city before the 16th century when the Spanish struggled for two decades to subdue its local inhabitants. It was later preserved as an archaeological site and declared a national monument of Chile in 1982.

READ MORE: Chile Travel Guide: Tourist Attractions and Safety Tips to Know Before Your Trip to the 'Country of Poets'

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Chile Travel: History and Heritage Chile - From Chile Travel




A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Two of the four Americans at the Mexico kidnapping incident in Matamoros on Friday were found dead on Tuesday. The other two are alive, with one of them unharmed.

Two people were discovered dead, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown, according to a US person involved with the investigation, CNN reports.

Before being passed over to the American government, their remains would first be investigated by Mexican authorities, the official said.

Latavia Washington McGee and Eric Williams made it through the trauma. A hospital in Texas is now caring for and monitoring the two.

A government official in Mexico stated that Washington McGee was discovered unharmed, but Williams was hit in the leg by gunfire. The official said that word had reached their families.

The bodies were discovered in a "wooden house" near Matamoros. They had been moved around for many days to cause confusion and evade rescue efforts, according to Villarreal.

READ NEXT: Mexico: 4 Americans Kidnapped by Mistake

Mexico Kidnapping Incident

McGee is set to have a tummy tuck procedure, so Woodward and Brown traveled from South Carolina to Mexico with her and Williams, according to a relative, according to NY Post.

However, the group had barely crossed into Mexico on Friday when they found themselves in the middle of a deadly cartel fight in the dangerous city of Matamoros in the northern state of Tamaulipas.

The group was driven into the back of a pickup vehicle in broad daylight after being fired at in the terrifying shootout, which was captured on horrifying video.

After the attack, Mexican military Humvees and National Guard trucks with mounted.50-caliber machine guns escorted a convoy of ambulances and SUVs carrying McGee and James to Brownsville, Texas, on Tuesday.

The kidnapping occurred on the day when McGee's mother said her daughter was scheduled to have surgery.

The four victims were "placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men," the FBI reported.

One of the Mexico Kidnapping Suspects Was Arrested

A 24-year-old man was arrested after he was found protecting the cabin where the Mexico kidnapping victims had been held, Reuters said.

"We're very sorry to have this happen in our country and we send our condolences to the families of the victims, their friends, to the people of the United States," Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told an earlier news conference.

Mexican officials have promised to help American authorities to track down those responsible.

However, the kidnappings have cast a sharp light on fears of gang violence in Mexico, and provoked strong reactions from politicians in the United States who are critical of Mexico's attempts to tackle crime.

Mexican officials turned over the survivors to US border officials on Tuesday morning, followed by the remains a few hours later, according to Villarreal.

Meanwhile, despite his promise to bring the Mexico kidnapping suspects to justice, Lopez Obrador has lashed out at what he calls "tabloid" coverage of the incident, claiming that the media does not pay the same emphasis to murders of Mexicans in the United States.

It is unclear why the four Americans were abducted, but authorities suspect they were mistaken for drug traffickers from Haiti.

READ MORE: Avril Lavigne, Tyga Seem to Confirm Romance as They Share a Kiss in Paris

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Two Americans dead, two found alive in Mexico kidnapping - From CNN
Rupert Murdoch was reportedly worried about how Fox News' top hosts "went too far" in pushing false claims about the election, according to email and messages released in a lawsuit filed against the company.

Murdoch was complaining about the flak the network had been getting from Republican senators, including Kentucky's Mitch McConnell and South Carolina's Lindsey Graham, for the stories about false claims of the election being "stolen."

NBC News reported that the revelation was shown in hundreds of pages of testimony, private text messages, and emails from Fox News's top journalists and executives.

Murdoch said that "maybe Sean and Laura went too far," referring to the host of "The Sean Hannity Show" and host of "The Ingraham Angle" Laura Ingraham.

A judge unsealed the documents as part of the $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit the media giant is facing from Dominion Voting Systems.

Fox News responded to the unsealed documents by accusing Dominion of "dishonestly portraying key figures' internal communications."

The statement added that the voting systems company "has been caught red handed" in using more "distortions and misinformation" in their smear campaign against Fox News.

READ NEXT: Donald Trump Slams Fox News for 'Promoting' Ron DeSantis

Fox News Vs. Dominion Voting Systems Documents

Dominion responded to Fox News's allegations against them, saying that the "emails, texts, and deposition testimony speak for themselves."

The company said that they welcome all reviews of their evidence as "it all leads to the same place," which was the media network "knowingly spread lies" that caused enormous damage to an American company, as reported by CNN.

Dominion's brief earlier showed that even the top boss Murdoch rejected the conspiracy theories.

When asked by Dominion lawyers if Murdoch believes the voting systems company was "engaged in a massive and coordinated effort" to steal the 2020 elections, he answered "no."

Murdoch also reportedly called Donald Trump's claims of voter fraud to be "bulls---" and "damaging."

Dominion Voting System's Lawsuit

One Tucker Carlson producer reported had an exchange with an unidentified person, with the producer saying "one funny thing."

Alex Pfeiffer wrote that Dominion was used in Ohio and Florida, and the former U.S. president won those states.

Pfeiffer went on to ask if they "forget to rig those or all part of the plan?" according to The Washington Post.

The unsealed documents also showed that Carlson texted Pfeiffer two months after the election and days before January 6, 2021, how he wanted to stop covering Trump.

Carlson added that he hated Trump "passionately."

Pfeiffer then suggested that Trump "might never leave" the news reporting, especially if the Manhattan district attorney or New York attorney general charges him.

Raj Shah, a Fox Corp. senior vice president, noted that the network's brand was "under heavy fire from our customer base," adding that the company needed to "assess the damage."

Shah wrote in an email that they wanted to get "honest or deeper feedback from Fox viewers on the brand," specifically if they "feel like they have been somehow betrayed by the network."

READ MORE: Donald Trump Can Be Sued for Jan. 6 Capitol Riot, Justice Department Says

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Rupert Murdoch says Fox News hosts endorsed stolen election lies l WNT - from ABC News


Fox News host Tucker Carlson is receiving pushback from Republican senators after saying the January 6 riot was "mostly peaceful."

Carlson downplaying the January 6 insurrection as "mostly peaceful" even after obtaining footage of the incident from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, received widespread condemnation from a handful of Senate Republicans and even Democrats on Tuesday, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell saying that the Fox News host's portrayal of the events of that day was a "mistake."

However, the most scathing rebuke came from Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who stated that Carlson's claim that the January 6 riot was "peaceful chaos" is "bulls***."

Tillis was among the people hiding from the pro-Trump rioters as they breached the Capitol, NBC News reported.

"I was here. I was down there, and I saw maybe a few tourists, a few people who got caught up in things," the senator said. "But when you see police barricades breached when you see police officers assaulted, all of that... if you were just a tourist you should've probably lined up at the visitors' center and came in on an orderly basis."

READ NEXT: Fox News Was in a Panic After Calling Arizona for Joe Biden

Capitol Police Chief Says Tucker Carlson's Depiction of January 6 Is Offensive

On Monday, Tucker Carlson aired select never-seen-before clips from the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. He downplayed the insurrection that insulted many public servants who happened to be inside the Capitol when the riot occurred.

These Capitol officials include Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger, who wrote a letter to his officers, stating that Carlson's show was "filled with offensive and misleading conclusions about the January 6th attack."

Manger wrote that Carlson's program cherry-picked "the calmer moments of our 41,000 hours of video." He added that Carlson's commentary failed to give context about the chaos and violence that really happened during the January 6 riot.

He then concluded that the depiction was "false" and "disturbing." According to USA Today, McConnell agreed with Manger, saying, "Clearly, the Chief of the Capitol Police in my view correctly describes what most of us witnessed firsthand on January 6."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer Agreed With Mitch McConnell in Blasting Tucker Carlson

In a rare example of bipartisan agreement, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer agreed with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in their rebuke of Tucker Carlson, according to The Hill.

"Last night, Fox News with Speaker McCarthy as a willing, capable, and powerful accomplice, aired one of the most shameful hours we have ever seen in the entire history of cable television," Schumer said. "What has happened to any standards of honor, of honesty, of decency in America when this happens?"

Carlson's credibility has already come into question following leaked text messages he had with other Fox News hosts, executives, and producers.

These texts revealed that while Carlson helped push former President Donald Trump's already-debunked election fraud claims on air, he did not believe them in private.

Fox News and Fox Corp. are facing a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion Voting Systems, which claims that the conservative network defamed the company by repeatedly claiming, without evidence, election fraud claims involving their voting machines.

The company has since provided shocking evidence, including a sworn admission from Fox Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch that Fox News hosts knowingly pushed false information about the 2020 elections.

READ MORE: Tucker Carlson, Other Fox News Stars Privately Blasted Donald Trump's Election Fraud Claims

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: 'It's bulls---': Republican Senators Criticize Tucker Carlson's Portrayal of January 6 - From NBC News
A 25-year-old California hiker fell from a cliff and was washed away into the ocean over the weekend, according to Oregon authorities.

The hiker from West Covina, California, Henry Minh Hoang, tripped and fell roughly 20 feet to the water's edge while hiking in an area known as "the punch bowl" in the Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, according to a news release from the Oregon State Police.

"The victim was reportedly knocked unconscious from the fall and was swept into the ocean by the waves," state police said, adding that the rescue operation has turned into a recovery operation after witnesses lost sight of the victim.

Police from the state came out Saturday afternoon to assist in the search for the missing person, CNN noted.

However, the search and rescue operations were put on hold until Sunday morning, when searchers could safely restart their efforts, according to state police.

Hoang's body was brought to a local funeral home after he was discovered dead on the beach at the base of a neighboring cliff late on Sunday afternoon, according to officials.

The state police's hunt for Hoang was aided by the Nestucca Fire Department and the US Coast Guard, according to a press release on Monday.

READ NEXT: Teen Dies After Plunging 30 Feet While Hiking

Cape Kiwanda Officials Warn Visitors About Sandstone

Visitors to Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area in Oregon can get "one of the best viewpoints on the coast for witnessing the ocean's power" by ascending a "steep" and "towering" dune, as stated on the organization's website.

Due to safety concerns, visitors are also asked to respect the perimeter barrier.

Park officials warn that people have died after going over the safety railings because "the cliff edge can - and will - crumble without warning."

"Don't do it. The views are spectacular from the established viewpoints, on the safe side of the fence," the page warns.

Oregon Coast's Deadliest Spot Has Taken Several Lives

Cape Kiwanda, where the California hiker died, has been considered the most dangerous part of the Oregon coast for many years.

The park's unstable sandstone cliffs were responsible for the deaths of seven people, mostly teens, between 2009 and 2016.

At least eleven individuals died in Cape Kiwanda between 1960 and 1972. Several deaths occurred there again in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, as previously reported by the Statesman Journal, which is part of the USA TODAY Network.

The sandstone cliffs in the park are notoriously dangerous because of the prevalence of waves and falling rock.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has tried several different methods, including several iterations of a safety fence, to keep visitors out of the Cape's riskiest spots.

The fence, however, was routinely disregarded during the 2014-2016 death toll.

A ranger was once stationed to deter individuals from stepping over the fence, according to park officials.

They modified the fence's design in May 2021, enabling visitors to enjoy some more excellent views while trying to keep out regions like the "punchbowl," which has frequently been the scene of terrible events.

"We want visitors to enjoy better views without being tempted to cross a fence," said park manager Jason Elkins per Statesman Journal.

After public hearings and a report investigating the root of so many incidents in Cape Kiwanda, the plan was finally authorized in 2016.

READ MORE: Hugh Jackman Prepares to Play Wolverine Again in 'Deadpool 3'

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Hiker dies after falling at Cape Kiwanda, being swept into ocean - From KOIN 6
The son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has created speculations about his father's return to Brazil after he hinted in his tweet that his father is ending his stay in the United States as soon as next week.

According to Al Jazeera, Bolsonaro's son, Flavio Bolsonaro, tweeted on Tuesday that his father would return to Brazil on March 15. However, he quickly deleted the said post.

Flavio wrote instead that he was "sorry for the previous post" and might only be "missing" his father a lot. He then added that the March 15 date for his father's return to Brazil was "likely but still unconfirmed."

Bolsonaro fled to the U.S. after he lost his re-election bid to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. His departure was then followed by an incident wherein his followers stormed Brazil's Congress, Supreme Court, and the presidential Planalto Palace on January 8.

READ NEXT: Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva Launches First Anti-Deforestation Raids in Amazon in Vow To Protect Rainforest in Brazil

Jair Bolsonaro's Return to Brazil

Sources connected to Jair Bolsonaro told Reuters Tuesday that a criminal probe against the former Brazilian president could delay his return. Bolsonaro was accused of trying to illegally bring $3.2 million of jewelry into Brazil.

Justice Minister Flavio Dino ordered a police probe on the case on Monday while Bolsonaro was in a self-imposed exile in the U.S. after losing the presidential elections, U.S. News reported.

The expensive jewelry was a gift by the Saudi government to Bolsonaro and former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro. Customs officials confiscated it at Sao Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport in October 2021.

According to Brazilian law, anything over the value of $1,000 of goods is subjected to paying huge taxes. Local media reported that the Bolsonaro administration unsuccessfully tried to recover the jewelry multiple times through government officials.

Sources said a series of letters from Bolsonaro's admin officials were sent, asking for the jewelry items to be released.

One of the letters was reportedly sent before Bolsonaro left for the U.S. in December. Bolsonaro has indicated that he plans to run again for president in 2016.

Jair Bolsonaro in the U.S.

In January, the former Brazilian president reportedly applied for a six-month U.S. tourist visa. According to his lawyer, Felipe Alexandre, Jair Bolsonaro has dedicated 34 years of his life to public service and wants to "take some time off."

Alexandre previously told BBC News in a statement that Bolsonaro requested a B1/B2 tourism visa. The former Brazilian president has been staying in Florida since December 30.

Bolsonaro told NBC News on Saturday that he plans to return to Brazil this month. He noted that he had no responsibility over the riot as he was no longer the president and was "outside Brazil" at the time.

He added that "bad actors" from the left were to blame for the "destruction in Brasilia." Bolsonaro said their people "would never do what the people did on January 8," which made them certain that it was the people from the left "that planned all of that."

The former president also maintained that he does not respond to lawsuits and "was not cited in absolutely nothing" when asked if he would stay in Brazil and face the charges.

READ MORE: Brazil Election: Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva Wins but Not Outright Victory After He Failed to Secure Majority Over Jair Bolsonaro

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Bolsonaro Speaks Out on Protests in Brazil After Inauguration of His Rival - From NBC News




The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc around the world, with global tourism as one of the most affected since people were forced to stay home.

On Tuesday, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) shared some positive news, revealing new numbers that showed that the region has already recovered from the pandemic in terms of the tourism industry, especially in countries and territories like Puerto Rico, Curacao, and Dominican Republic, according to Travel Market Report.

In a press briefing in Barbados, Neil Walters, acting secretary general for the CTO, noted that in 2022, "the Caribbean tourism industry was resilient and built on the rebound that was noticeable from the middle of 2021."

Walters and CTO Chair Kenneth Bryan hosted a series of internal meetings and a regional press conference to outline the Caribbean's tourism industry performance in 2022.

A new report from the United Nations' World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) revealed that around 917 million tourists traveled internationally in 2022.

The report noted that by the end of 2022, some 28.3 million registered tourists had visited the Caribbean. That was around 52.4% more than in 2021.

The region also accounted for 3.1 percent of all arrivals worldwide, down by about 1% from the average recorded in 2021, which was around 4.1%.

Bryan said, "It's clearly apparent that even in the face of the devastating blows delivered by the pandemic, as a region, we have responded with hope, strength, and determination to prevail."

READ NEXT: Miss Curacao Makes it to the Top 5 of Miss Universe

Tourists From the U.S. Drove Caribbean Tourism the Most in 2022

According to the Associated Press, the U.S. market drove over half the number of arrivals in the Caribbean in 2022, with 14.6 million U.S. tourists visiting the region. That was three million more tourists than the year before.

More Europeans also visited the region, as the number of tourists from Europe doubled last year with 5.2 million tourists. However, the number of Canadians visiting the region dropped. Only 2.1 million visitors from the North American country were recorded.

Puerto Rico and 5 Other Caribbean Countries and Territories Surpassed Pre-Pandemic Tourism Numbers

The Barbados-based CTO revealed that six countries and territories largely enjoyed this new tourism boom in the Caribbean. These are the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, Turks and Caicos, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Curacao.

According to the Caribbean Journal, these six countries and territories surpassed their pre-pandemic numbers in 2019. Cruises to the Caribbean are also recovering and are projected to recover and even expand beyond the current numbers.

Currently, Caribbean cruise projections stand between 32 million and 33 million cruise passenger visits overall. That is around a 5 to 10% increase over pre-pandemic numbers set in 2019.

READ MORE: Barbados: 5 Incredible Places in Rihanna's Home Country

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Factors Influencing the Development of Caribbean Tourism - From Caribbean Social Studies Syllabus
A Baltimore teen from Patterson High School in Michigan was shot and killed at a nearby park on Monday afternoon, police said.

According to Baltimore Sun, responding cops went to Joseph E. Lee Park in the 5900 block of East Pratt Street in the Bayview neighborhood in Baltimore due to a shooting at around 2 p.m.

There, police found Izaiah Carter, 16, with multiple gunshot wounds and unresponsive. The Baltimore teen was brought to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

According to Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison, several witnesses saw the teen collapse after hearing gunshots and multiple people running away from the park.

Harrison noted that there were no suspects in the incident at this time. Investigators are still trying to determine why students were in the park during school hours.

School district spokesman Andre Riley said children were dismissed safely after a 15-minute delay due to police activities. Tuesday's classes were canceled at Patterson High School due to the shooting, but the school will be open for counseling and support from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

After the dismissal, police searched and canvassed the area. The park is just behind the high school. Teenagers wearing the school's hoodies watched across the field while some families played on a nearby playground and others walked dogs next to crime scene tape.

READ NEXT: Florida Shooting Spree: Teen Suspect Kills 3

Baltimore Police Offer $8,000 Reward for Information

The murder of the Baltimore teen from Patterson High School in Michigan has prompted the offering of an $8,000 prize for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

. @BaltimorePolice are asking for tips in the murder of 16 year old Izaiah Carter. He was killed in the 5900 blk of East Pratt Street in Joseph E. Lee Park, next to Patterson High School. Submit a tip 1-866-7-LOCKUP to be eligible for a reward up to $8,000 in this case. pic.twitter.com/1AimNUUsmP  MCS Maryland (@MCSMaryland) March 7, 2023

According to Fox 5, the Baltimore Police Department has yet to release any updates on the investigation, including what started the shooting and the students' presence in the park during school hours. Carter was a junior ROTC member, according to the district.

Baltimore Teen Is Just One of Those Killed in Various Shootings This Year

The latest shooting incident that killed the Baltimore teen from Patterson High School is one of the many shootings that involved teens in the city this year, CBS News reported.

Eighteen of these kids survived after being shot, but six other kids were less fortunate and died.

"There are some adults that know that these young people are carrying those guns, and if you're not saying something to them and challenging them and they are sleeping in your house or sleeping in your family member's house, this is also on you, this is on all of us," said Mayor Brandon Scott.

Another Baltimore teen, D'Asia Garrison, 17, was the first victim this year. Then, 16-year-old student Deanta Dorsey at Edmondson-Westside High School was fatally shot in January while shopping at the Edmondson Village Shopping Complex in Michigan.

First-year student LaRon Henderson from Forest Park High School also died following a Baltimore shooting incident in the school area in late January.

Councilman Zeke Cohen agreed with many of Scott's points.

"This is about how we as a city reconcile and address conflict in ways that are productive but are healthy and then don't result in a child losing his or her life," said Cohen.

READ MORE: Shocking Kidnapping of 4 Americans Leaves 2 Dead

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Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Patterson High School Student Killed in Park Near School - From BAL-TV 11 Baltimore
Elon Musk had an online row with a disabled Twitter worker after the employee was unsure whether or not he was still employed.

Haraldur Thorleifsson decided to tweet at Musk to see if he could catch the Twitter CEO's attention and get an answer to his job situation after nine days of waiting for a response from Twitter about whether he was still employed or not, according to The Guardian.

Thorleifsson wrote on Monday that "maybe if enough people retweet," Musk will respond to his concerns. The Twitter worker received an answer from Musk, who started to ask him about his work, his disability, and his need for accommodations.

Musk went on to tweet that Thorleifsson has a "prominent, active Twitter account," and that the Twitter employee "is wealthy."

The Twitter CEO also claimed that Thorleifsson tweeted at him publicly to "get a big payout." Thorleifsson has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair.

He explained to Musk that access to his computer was cut off nine days earlier when Twitter reportedly dismissed around 200 employees and received an email that he was no longer employed at Twitter.

He added that no one from the company replied to his "private messages." Musk then tweeted an apology to the Twitter worker, saying that his misunderstanding on the matter was "based on things I was told that were untrue."

READ NEXT: Elon Musk Cuts Twitter Content Moderation Team

Elon Musk and Disabled Twitter Worker

Elon Musk asked Haraldur Thorleifsson about the work he has been doing, which prompted the Twitter employee to provide a list of his task.

Musk then responded with "pics or it didn't happen." He also said in a separate tweet that Thorleifsson "did no actual work" and claimed that he had a disability as an excuse that prevented him from typing, CNN reported.

Thorleifsson clarified in a tweet that he has muscular dystrophy, a degenerative disease that placed him in a wheelchair more than 20 years ago. He noted that he has been unable to do manual work for extended periods of time without his hands cramping.

Thorleifsson said it was not a problem since he was a senior director and his job was to mostly help teams move forward, "give them strategic and tactical advice."

Thorleifsson founded a digital branding company acquired by Twitter in 2021. He has been recognized by the United Nations and the president of Iceland for pioneering a charitable initiative to create 1,000 wheelchair ramps around Reykjavik to up the city's accessibility. Musk tweeted that Thorleifsson is considering remaining at Twitter.

Elon Musk as Twitter CEO

Twitter had another outage, with thousands of users finding they could not access the site's links, photos, or other key features.

Elon Musk tweeted on Monday that there was a "small API change" that had huge "ramifications." He was referring to the tool used by third-party developers to run programs that draw on Twitter data.

Since becoming the Twitter CEO, Musk has laid off more than two-thirds of the company's staff and has engaged in cost-cutting initiatives.

Critical engineering teams also ended up with one or zero staff members. A former engineer at Twitter told The Washington Post in November that every mistake in "code and operations is now deadly."

The former engineer went on to say that those who were left would be "overwhelmed" and "overworked."

READ MORE: Elon Musk Warns World: Global Recession Could Last 'Until Spring' 24'

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Employee Tweets at Elon Musk to Find Out if He Still Has a Job - From CTV News




Ovidio Guzman Lopez, the son of Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, appeared Tuesday before a federal judge in Mexico to be notified about the formal extradition request by the United States government.

According to Borderland Beat, sources familiar with the matter said the proceedings were done through a video conference at the Federal Criminal Justice Center in the town of Almoloya de Juarez in the State of Mexico.

After the hearing, Ovidio's legal team can file for a writ of amparo in an effort to keep him on Mexican soil and block his extradition to the U.S., where he will face charges in a Washington D.C. court that accused him of trafficking drugs.

More than a month after his arrest, a judge based in Sonora released an arrest warrant against El Chapo's son. The warrant was issued for his crimes in Mexico in the past years.

Ovidio is currently imprisoned in Altiplano maximum security federal prison in Almoloya de Juarez municipality. The U.S. formally requested his extradition on February 27.

The U.S. Embassy's legal representative in Mexico presented the extradition request to the foreign ministry and attorney general's office.

It was the deadline week for the U.S. government to formally ask for the extradition of Ovidio, who is known to have led the Sinaloa Cartel amid his father's absence.

READ NEXT: Mexico: Former Security Chief Genaro Garcia Luna Embezzled $745.9 Million From Government Contracts

Arrest of El Chapo's Son, Ovidio Guzman Lopez

Military troops arrested Ovidio Guzman Lopez at his home in the Jesus Maria community in Culiacan, Sinaloa, last January 5. During the violent operation to capture him, at least 29 people were killed.

Mexican police noted that 10 soldiers and 19 individuals suspected to be Sinaloa Cartel members were killed during and after the arrest of El Chapo's son.

Aside from the deaths, BBC reported that 35 military personnel were injured and 21 gunmen were arrested. Immediately after Ovidio was apprehended, Sinaloa Cartel gunmen set up roadblocks, set fire to vehicles, and clashed with authorities.

They also shot at commercial planes in what appeared to be an attempt to stop officers from taking their boss elsewhere. The gunfight reportedly lasted for more than 10 hours.

After his arrest, Ovidio was immediately taken to the Altiplano maximum security prison. Last month, Ovidio, through his relatives, apologized to the people of Jesus Maria for the damage and terror brought about by his arrest and the chaos that happened afterward.

His relatives told Milenio that El Chapo's son said he was "sorry" and wanted this message to be passed or spread throughout the rural community as there was still fear because of what happened.

Many residents reportedly remained traumatized by the ordeal, while some expressed dismay over the state government because the support promised to them has yet to arrive.

A month after the operation to capture El Chapo's son occurred, the streets of Jesus Maria were reportedly still empty and spent shellings could still be found near the house of Ovidio.

Reports said there was also a military presence in the town, with a checkpoint installed at the entrance. The Mexican army also deployed food distribution and medical services to the community.

El Chapo's Sons: The Los Chapitos of Sinaloa Cartel

The four sons of El Chapo, known as Los Chapitos, had reportedly assumed leadership roles in the Sinaloa Cartel after their father was arrested and extradited to the U.S.

Ovidio Guzman Lopez, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar are collectively known as Los Chapitos.

Under their leadership, the Sinaloa Cartel has continued to be one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels. The U.S. State Department has offered $5 million rewards for any information that could help federal agents arrest El Chapo's four sons.

The State Department said the Los Chapitos are high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel and are each subject to a federal indictment for their involvement in the illegal drug trade.

Ovidio, born in 1990, is the youngest of four brothers on the State Department list. As young as 18, he reportedly took over the drug business in 2008 when his older brother, Edgar Guzman Lopez, was assassinated in a Culiacan supermarket.

READ MORE: Sinaloa Cartel Network Involved in Fentanyl 'Super Labs' Sanctioned by U.S. Treasury

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Ovidio Guzman, Hijo de 'El Chapo', Comparece por Peticion de Extradicion a EU - From MILENIO




Government approval has been given to extend the DART train service to commuter areas beyond Dublin, it has been confirmed.

The Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, has secured agreement from the Cabinet for the DART+ South West rail project to enter the planning system.

This major public transport project will extend DART trains from Dublin city centre to Hazelhatch and Celbridge train station in Co. Kildare, as part of a wider expansion of DART services in the coming years.

The project will provide a fast, high-frequency and electrified rail service to communities along the route at Islandbridge, Park West and Cherry Orchard, Clondalkin, Adamstown, and Celbridge and Hazelhatch.

Following Government approval today, a Railway Order (planning application) for DART+ South West, covering 20km of new electrified rail infrastructure, will be submitted to An Bord Pleanala by the end of March. Subject to planning permission and final funding arrangements, construction works for DART + South West could commence in 2025, with delivery of the infrastructure by the end of the decade.

In general, train services along the route will at least double in frequency, with up to 11 trains each way per hour at peak times serving stations upon completion of the project. This will increase the number of passengers that can travel to and from Dublin city along the route from circa 5,000 each way at present to 20,000 in future.

The project will see construction of a new station, Heuston West, at Islandbridge, and the quadrupling of rail track between Park West and Heuston. The project involves electrification of the Phoenix Park Tunnel along with the wider route, allowing DART trains to operate between Hazelhatch/Celbridge and Connolly station (and beyond), as well as Heuston station.

DART+ South West is part of the multi-billion euro DART+ Programme which will treble the current DART rail network from 53km to 150km, extending the DART to Drogheda to the north, Maynooth and M3 Parkway to the west and Hazelhatch and Celbridge to the south-west. This will allow many more people to travel conveniently and sustainably by public transport. The number of people living within 1km of a DART station will increase hugely from about 250,000 at present to 600,000 in future.

Minister Ryan said: The Governments approval of DART+ South West today highlights our commitment to invest in high-quality public transport and decarbonise Irelands transport system. This rail project will transform the lives of people living in communities along the route, giving them a fast, reliable and frequent train service into Dublin. It also means that we can move ahead with good, transport led planning, facilitating vital affordable new housing along the route.

"I look forward to the DART+ Programme rolling-out further in the coming years. Well start this with the delivery of the first batch of 90 new DART carriages arriving next year. This will see new DART services between Drogheda and Dublin city from early 2025, before then expanding to other areas including Hazelhatch and Celbridge.

Anne Graham, CEO of the NTA, commented: The DART+ South West project is a key deliverable in the Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy and will provide a major upgrade to rail services for passengers living along the rail corridor. This project will be particularly beneficial to commuters, as many of the DART trains will operate to and from Dublin city centre through the Phoenix Park tunnel to Connolly and Grand Canal Dock stations.

Jim Meade, CEO of Iarnrod Eireann, stated: We welcome this decision from the Government which shows clear progress in the roll-out of the ambitious DART+ Programme. DART+ South West will have a major beneficial impact on the quality of the service that we can provide on the Kildare rail line, increasing frequency, reliability and comfort for our passengers.
Minister of State Sean Fleming has contacted the Minister for Education Norma Foley over what he described as a serious set-back for a new Kolbe Special School in Portlaoise.

He contacted the education Minister after the school was notified that the tender for the long-awaited new building had been put on hold due to budgetary pressures.

Kolbe Special School operates out of primarily prefabricated buildings which are unsuitable for its 41 students who have complex needs. Planning permission was granted for a new 8.7 million school. Staff, parents and students had expected a new school to be delivered in the autumn of 2024.

However, the Department of Education contacted the school this week and said the project was on hold due to capital funding pressures. It was one of 58 schools nationwide to receive a similar email.

Minister Fleming, who is Minister of State in the Department of Foreign Affairs, spoke with the Principal of Kolbe Special School and the Minister for Education, Norma Foley in relation to the project on Wednesday.

The school received an e-mail on Monday, 6th March from the Planning and Building Unit in the Department of Education saying, currently there are 58 school building projects, including the major project for Kolbe Special School, on hold for proceeding to tender due to capital funding pressures, explained Minister Fleming.

This is a serious set-back and I am seeking clarity as to when this project which is now on hold can proceed to tender and construction stage, he said.

This school is an absolute priority for me to ensure a new school gets built on the site adjacent to the existing school in Portlaoise. I am fully committed and adamant that this will happen. This new school project will proceed despite this delay, he said.

Minister Fleming said as recently as last month he had been pressing the Department of Education for information in relation to the progress of the Kolbe Special School building.

I received information from the Minister on 21st February 2023 regarding progress on Kolbe Special School as I have been in constant contact with the Department on this matter, Minister Fleming said.

I acknowledge that while the process for this project going to tender is on hold there is significant good news in relation to works on this project progressing quickly. The school was informed last Friday that enabling works to be carried out by the ESB to divert electricity cables at the site can proceed straight away.

"I am in contact with the ESB for a timescale for them to complete their works. It has always been the case that until the ESB divert the cables that no works could commence on the site until their work is completed. This is the next stage in this project, and this is cleared to go ahead, Minister Fleming stated.

I fully understand that the pupils in Kolbe Special School are the most vulnerable in our society as they have severe and profound disabilities and special needs. I believe we should do everything possible to provide the best facilities for the pupils to spend their childhood and adolescent years as urgently as possible, he added.

A new Kolbe Special School is my top priority. This will happen despite this delay, said Minister Fleming.
County Kildare Chamber, the leading business voice for Kildare, will lead a trade delegation to Boston next week from Tuesday to Saturday.

The local business organisation has strong ties with the business community in Boston and visits the city annually.

While in Boston, the Chamber will host a series of business engagements, including a site visit to Keurig Dr Pepper who recently set up their EU Headquarters in Newbridge.

Further meetings are scheduled with both Quincy and Boston Chamber, the World Trade Centre and US political representatives with a particular focus on US-Ireland trade opportunities.

The delegation will also meet with Irish Network Boston, the Irish Consulate and the Irish American Partnership.

Leading the delegation is CEO Allan Shine and both the President and Vice President of the Chamber Mairead Hennessy and Brian Purcell.

In advance of the trade mission, Mr Shine said, Leading a business delegation to Boston during St Patricks Week enables the Chamber to meet with key political figures and stakeholders in Boston.

"Our aim is to promote Kildare and its world-class companies, in Boston as the ideal location for US investment.

"We will also meet with Quincy Chamber and City officials who we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with last year.

The Kildare relationship with the City of Boston has continued to grow over the last number of years, with annual trade visits and hosting a delegation from Boston to Kildare last year, to capitalise on this momentum for Kildare.
The course director of the acting degree taken by Paul Mescal has said he is enormously proud of the Irishmans subtle acting style which has grabbed Hollywoods attention.

Loughlin Deegan said Mescal portrays his characters in a way that isnt showy, isnt demonstrative, but resonates more with people as a result  earning him a best actor Oscar nomination at the age of 27.

When I went to see him in Aftersun, I thought what was so wonderful about his performance was that he did everything he needed to do and no more. It was a very egoless performance, I thought, Mr Deegan told the PA news agency.

It was a performance that was emotionally very finely calibrated, and very emotionally truthful.

I think Pauls work is demonstrating a real confidence in that regard, actually  theres nothing showy about the work, its about just basically honouring the truthful reality of the circumstance the character finds themselves in.

Mr Deegan, who is the director of The Lir drama school and the course director of its acting degree taken by Mescal, said the training the Kildare man received helped emphasise that nuanced style of acting.

Hes making very informed but subtle choices about the vocal reality of the character and the physical life of the character, he said.

So when I see him in Aftersun, Im often able to identify how Paul has used the training he received in The Lir to determine where in his body the character is carrying tension as a result of his mental health challenges, and the impact thats having on him physically.

Paul Mescal on challenging everything you think you know about him and the power of taking up creative space when filming his Oscar-nominated role in 'Aftersun.' (EXCLUSIVE) #Oscars95https://t.co/kE2DWjvlO5  The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 1, 2023

Mescal was first drawn to acting after taking part in his secondary schools production of The Phantom Of The Opera.

His mother Dearbhla  who said she was folding the washing due to nerves as the Oscar nominations were announced  will accompany her son to the Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 12.

He is among the plethora of Irish talent nominated for an Academy Award this year. Dublins Colin Farrell has also been nominated for the best actor gong for his role in The Banshees Of Inisherin.

Last month, Irish stars Barry Keoghan and Kerry Condon picked up Baftas for their supporting roles in the same film.

Mr Deegan said the number of Irish Oscar nominees is not a random collection of talented individuals who emerged together at the same time.

The number of nominations are very significant, but not a huge surprise, he said.

Theres been a sense that Irish TV drama and film has been operating at a very, very high level, increasingly working internationally in producing work to a very high international standard for some time now.

Success like this doesnt happen overnight, it happens because of policy, because of government intervention, because of sustained investment.

What this outcome will hopefully deliver is a proper realisation within the political class that Ireland has a unique asset in terms of its storytelling ability and in terms of the artistic output of this country, and how high above our weight we work.

He said that level of planning benefits young actors like Mescal so they are available when parts arise like that of Connell in hit TV series Normal People.

We have the perfect actor for the part whos really talented, really well trained, ready to really take that opportunity, make the most of it, and deliver a really beautiful performance and demonstrate his ability to be a lead actor in feature films, he said.
Main battle tank fires at mock targets on plateau

China Military Online) 12:41, March 08, 2023

A main battle tank attached to a unit under the PLA Xinjiang Military Command fires at mock targets during a live-fire training exercise in plateau area on February 20, 2023. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Shi Jinguang)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The manager of a Dublin youth club where the BAFTA-winning actor Barry Keoghan starred in one of his first drama roles has hailed the Irishman as a fantastic role model who is already inspiring the next generation.

The 30-year-old Dubliner  who is also nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor alongside the veteran Irish actor Brendan Gleeson  was praised after dedicating his Bafta win to Ireland and the kids that are dreaming to be something from the area I come from.

Keoghan, whose mother struggled with drug addiction and died when he was a child, was placed with a dozen foster homes along with his brother before going to live with his grandmother.

In the wake of the dizzying success of his acting career, pupils at Keoghans former school said he was inspiring  something that Gillian Collins, operations manager of Belvedere Youth Club, agrees with.

Its amazing, its so positive. Its great that the north inner city is out there in the media for positive news for a change, not all the negativity. Its so inspiring, she told PA.

Keoghan was a member at the club for several years as a young teenager, and starred as Link Larkin in their 2010 production of Hairspray  The Musical, one of the first acting roles he ever had.

He was a charmer, Ms Collins says.

He had the little gift to the gab, the little glint in his eye and was full of energy.

He was just a normal lad from the inner city who had a dream, and put his head down and worked hard and followed that dream, and hes a fantastic role model. Im very proud of him.

As they prepare to put on the next production of Hairspray in May, hes already inspiring young boys to try their hand at acting, she said.

The girls are always interested in dancing and singing, and its only the last couple of weeks that the boys have shown some sort of an interest.

I have a little chap that I just happened to pass by in a corridor and said Oh yeah, you got the main part, thats brilliant. You know, (Barry Keoghan) was the main part when we did Hairspray back in 2010 and now hes nominated for an Oscar? and it was like He is?

Its like a snowball has started now and is gathering momentum.

She said that the level of excitement for Barry Keoghan is similar to when Irish boxer Kelly Harrington  who is from the same area of Dublin  won an Olympic gold medal in 2021, and that theres a great buzz about his success.

Even to be nominated, youre putting yourself out there on the whole world stage  little Barry from the flats, thats amazing, she said.
Ahead of this weekends Oscars ceremony, excitement is building on an island located off Irelands west coast where The Banshees of Inisherin was partly filmed.

Achill Island publican Josie McLoughlin is planning to host an Oscars night party in his bar, and has obtained two life-sized cut-outs of the films stars, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, for people to pose next to.

At the height of filming the Banshees of Inisherin in 2021, nine sites on Achill Island were sealed off and guarded by 24-hour security.

In the build-up to the Academy Awards on March 12, islanders have an understandable emotional attachment to the film and its success.

We didnt really realise the enormity of it until they first came in the middle of July, Chris McCarthy says, managing director of Achill Tourism, adding that excitement grew from the moment the first email landed.

He told PA that the pub in the film was built from scratch in July, and stretched out over half of a road that forms part of Irelands popular tourism route, the Wild Atlantic Way.

Permission was also granted by the local owners to use the white-wash house on Keem Beach as a home for Gleesons character Colm  which had been used in the early 1900s by fishermen hunting basking sharks.

Although the island has several Catholic churches, they filmed the confessional scene in the only Protestant church it has  St Thomass Church in Dugort.

Confession boxes had to be brought in and removed after filming  with heating installed in the building afterwards in a gesture of thanks.

It was kind of a surreal event that was going on in our locality, Mr McCarthy adds.

Early on in the discussions, I remember standing at a car park where the pub was and (the films locations manager) was on about Oscars.

I was like, the only Oscar I had known up to that was on Sesame Street.

So I was totally on the backfoot, did not really know what was ahead.

Now the island is looking forward to a tourism boost this summer off the back of the films success, which Mr McCarthy is excited about, while also wary of protecting the areas natural beauty.

Instagrammers have started coming to Keem Beach, and thats great, he says.

Theyre down on the beach shouting up Colm, its two oclock! Are we going for a pint?'
The Health Service Executive has formally apologised to the family of a baby girl who was delivered stillborn at University Maternity Hospital Limerick more than 15 years ago.

Rebecca Collins, of Carrigaholt, County Clare, had initiated a court action against the HSE for negligence and breach of its duty of care after she was admitted to the hospital in December 2007.

A settlement was approved by the High Court this Wednesday morning.

HOMS Assist, the Limerick-based law firm which represented Ms Collins, has welcomed the settlement agreement.

It says the ruling is further evidence of the urgent need for mandatory disclosure of medical negligence and for the Patient Safety Bill to be passed and enacted into law as quickly as possible.

The company says the High Court ruling, the six-figure HSE settlement, the HSE's admission of liability and the public apology all give some final closure to Ms Collins who hopes no other victims of medical negligence will have to endure further hardship to find answers.

Ms Collins daughter died as a result of a true knot in her umbilical cord and it was only by chance, 10 years later, that she learned that her CTGs (Cardiotocography) had not been appropriately read at the hospital which was then known as St Munchins Maternity Hospital.

This led to a failure to identify and proactively manage the life-threatening risk to Ms Collins's baby.

I should have left the hospital in a haze of love and excitement with my little bundle of joy - my little girl Hannah who would turn 16 this year. Instead I left the hospital knowing my beautiful girl who I carried for nine months never got the chance to breathe life. That feeling of emptiness, immense loss and pain and a lack of understanding still haunts me to this day, said Rebecca Collins.

The Patient Safety Bill, which passed report stage in the Dail last month and which is now going through the Seanad for further scrutiny, will require disclosures of any serious patient safety incidents, where any unintended or unanticipated injury or harm has occurred, as soon as reasonably practicable.

Rachael OShaughnessy, Partner with Homs Assist has welcomed the High Court settlement.

"While a long-awaited milestone was celebrated to see the Patient Safety Bill pass the report stage last month, we still need to see it move forward swiftly to become law. Cases such as this highlight the real and urgent need for the Bill to be enacted. Sadly, this case also serves as a shocking reminder to patients to ask and keep asking the difficult questions in relation to patient care particularly if it involved the death or injury of a loved one.

Rebecca has fought this case with great dignity so that her daughters death was not in vain. Im honoured to have been able to support her and while we welcome the settlement, I know that no amount of money could ever compensate for Hannahs life which is gone forever - laughter that will never be heard and a daughter who will be forever loved and missed.

Admitting liability and a failure in its duty of candor, in an apology read to the court today, a spokesperson for the HSE said:

The willingness of the family to share their experience was invaluable to allowing this investigation to learn from their experience and in helping to make recommendations to improve the systems and processes in place.

The Maternity Hospital and the HSE confirms that they are committed to ensuring that the recommendations identified by this investigation report are implemented as a matter of urgency.
THE DECISION of the Minister for Justice to approve the request of convicted murderer Logan Jackson to be transferred from Limerick Prison to a prison in the UK has been strongly criticised.

Logan Jackson, aged in his mid-30s, of Longford Road, Coventry, England was sentenced to life imprisonment, in December 2021, after he was convicted, by a jury, of murdering champion Limerick boxer Kevin Sheehy.

The 20-year-old, who was tipped as a future Olympian, died after he was repeatedly run over by Jackson who was driving a 4x4 vehicle at Hyde Road, Limerick, on July 1, 2019.

Last year, his mother Tracey Tully initiated High Court proceedings in an effort to halt Jackson's proposed transfer to a prison in England.

While those proceedings were 'resolved' last November, it was confirmed last week that the current Minister for Justice, Simon

Harris has approved Mr Jackson's application for a transfer.

The Minister is obliged to act in a manner consistent with obligations under international law, specifically the Council of Europe

Convention on the transfer of prisoners and the European Convention on Human Rights, a statement by the Department of Justice reads.

Giving her reaction to the decision to Live95, Tracey Tully said she was bamboozled.

This is coming up on four years now. I have not been allowed my rights, my human rights, my family's human rights to grieve. You cannot heal from what you don't understand and I do not understand this decision.

The Minister also stated he had great difficulty allowing Logan Jackson to go home. He should try being me.
LIMERICK communities are being asked for their opinions to bring valuable on-the-ground experience and develop their localities.

A new national brand identity and awareness campaign for Public Participation Networks was launched by Minister for Community Development and Charities, Joe OBrien.

As a result, Limerick Public Participation Network (PPN) has issued an invitation to local and voluntary groups to join their local PPN and help build a better future for their county.

Limerick Public Participation Network (PPN) is a network of community, voluntary, social inclusion and environmental organisations and enables the community to be represented in decision-making processes such as Limerick City and County Council committees and local public consultation processes.

Speaking at the launch of the new campaign, Minister OBrien encouraged volunteer-led groups around the country, and particularly young people, to join their local PPN.

The strength and impact of PPNs can be seen in how they represented volunteers and community groups within the responses to Covid-19, working with local authorities and state agencies.

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 around the country," he added.

Each county and city in Ireland has its own PPN. Limerick 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, and after the launch of the campaign last Monday, groups across the county can build a better future for themselves.
THE LIMERICK Classical Concert Series will fill the air of University Concert Hall Limerick with sweet music on Sunday.

Melodic Masterworks featuring Fiachra Garvey and Mairead Hickey will take place on Sunday, March 12 at 3.30pm.

As part of its Limerick Classical Concert Series, the University Concert Hall hosts the fourth and final performance.

The finale event of the series sees Fiachra Garvey (piano) and Mairead Hickey (violin) join forces to present Melodic Masterworks.

The programme features works by Johannes Brahms, Deirdre McKay and Richard Strauss.

The series, presented by Liz Nolan of RTElyric fm, has featured classical music and artists from across Ireland over four concerts.

Fiachra Garvey says of the programme: "Im particularly pleased to perform a work from one of our most celebrated Irish composers, Deirdre McKay from County Down, whose work has been featured by filmmaker Des Bell into three of his productions which have been included at the Venice Film Festival, Jameson Dublin International Film Festival and Montreal World Film Festival".

Tickets are 20 and for a family of four they are 40.
A MEMORANDUM of Understanding has been signed between the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) and Ukraines O.M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv (O.M. Beketov NUUEK), beginning an academic partnership between the two universities.

The objective of the union between the twinning universities will be to offer crisis support during the ongoing war in Ukraine, and the collaboration of academic resources such as research support and the provision of research equipment.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in the Moylish Campus of TUS on March 6 by President of TUS, Professor Vincent Cunnane and virtually by Professor Volodymyr Babayev, President of O.M. Beketov NUUEK.

Todays signing solidifies the work undertaken by both universities to build a long-term relationship, the initial focus of which will be on identifying ways TUS can continue to support our colleagues and the students of O.M. Beketov National University during the current Russian aggression. It also outlines how this partnership will progress to provide a framework for further academic collaborations. said Professor Vincent Cunnane.

O.M. Beketov NUUEK has been bombarded throughout the war in Ukraine with attacks that destroyed important parts of the university, such as some of the dormitories. Despite this, the university that has a population of over 8,000 students has continued providing its services.

We highly appreciate all the assistance TUS is offering us under these harsh circumstances. Beketov University is the most damaged one in Kharkiv amidst the ongoing hostilities, Russian shelling and missile attacks. Despite all these misfortunes, the University continues its educational and research activities, and keep all our commitments on international projects. said Professor Volodymyr Babayev.

An assembly of representatives from O.M. Beketov NUUEK will be commencing the partnership as they visit TUS campuses and local points of interest.
AN AWARD has been launched in memory of the inspirational pilot of the doomed Rescue 116 helicopter.

To honour the pilot of the helicopter which crashed off the Mayo coast in 2017, The Irish Paramedicine Education and Research Network (IPERN) has launched an award at the University of Limerick.

Open to all women working within Irelands pre-hospital community, the inaugural Dara Fitzpatrick Award is being presented this Wednesday, March 8, on the occasion of International Womens Day.

Hosted by Dr Niamh Cummins, IPERNs Chair and Public Health Lecturer at UL and Grainne O'Shea, leader of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion special interest group at IPERN, the award aims to recognise the wonderful qualities valued by women in emergency medical services (EMS), such as compassion, bravery, leadership and professionalism.

Speaking of the late pilot, Dr Cummins commented: When one thinks of inspirational female leaders within Irelands EMS sector, Daras name is immediately at the forefront of our thoughts.

Dara was the Irish Coast Guards most senior pilot, and flew over 800 missions during her career. As a captain, she piloted the Dublin-based Rescue 116 helicopter and was tragically killed during a rescue mission in 2017, with her three crew members.

On Twitter, the IPERN commented: We were overwhelmed by the response for the call for nominations for the inaugural #DaraAward with 30 applications received from across the Emergency Medical Services EMS and Search and Rescue fields. Congratulations to all of our inspirational nominees! #IWD2023.

The five finalists, who have been described as an amazing inspiration and support to their colleagues.

Representing Sligo Bay RNLI, Eithne Davis has launched on service 164 times, trained at sea for over 396 hours and has been directly involved in the saving of 9 lives, while assisting in bringing 131 people to safety at sea.

Eunice Langley represents Defibrillation and Resuscitation Access (DARA), and with her tenacity over 16 years, she has seen 10,000 people trained in CPR.

CQMS finalist, Finola Lafferty represents the Irish Defence Forces Medical Corps and is a paramedic and company quartermaster. She has been nominated 11 times by her colleagues for her leadership in overseas deployments and compassion in civilian care during the pandemic.

Representing The National Ambulance Services, Frances Griffin is a paramedic who has responded to the recent tragedy in her local community of Creesloough, and who was an immense support to her colleagues in the aftermath.

Lastly, Michelle OToole of the RSCSI SIM and The Department of Paramedicine, Monash University is an advanced paramedic who is leading innovative work internationally, while being an advocate for the mental health of first responders and their families.
A false narrative that pits landlords against renters is exacerbating Irelands homelessness problems, the Taoiseach has warned.

Leo Varadkar said the demonisation of landlords had to stop, as he expressed concern at the numbers who are selling up and leaving the market.

The Fine Gael leader also dismissed as factually incorrect any suggestion that the Government was doing more to support Ukrainian refugees and international protection seekers than Irish citizens on homelessness lists.

He also urged a reality check on the potential of modular homes to address the housing crisis. He said that while they would help increase the housing stock, they too would take time to build.

Mr Varadkar made the comments as he defended the Governments decision not to extend the temporary ban on evictions that was introduced in November.

The prohibition will run out at the end of the month as scheduled, despite the Government facing vocal calls from homelessness campaigners and opposition parties to extend the ban.

While critics of the move claim it will result in more people becoming homeless, the Government has insisted that prolonging the measure will see more landlords leave the rental market, reducing an already low supply of accommodation even further.

Mr Varadkar stood by the Governments position as he fielded questions from reporters in Dublin on Wednesday.

I think one of the errors that is easily made in prescribing solutions to the housing crisis is only looking at one aspect of it and not seeing how everything is interlinked, and how one action here can actually make things worse there and thats something we have to give consideration to, he said.

And I think theres kind of a false argument being made at the moment that theres a conflict between the rights of landlords and the rights of renters. Renters need landlords and landlords need renters.

And whats happened in the past number of years is 40,000 landlords have left the market, and they havent been replaced by new landlords. And thats why people are in such long queues looking at a property when it becomes available. And thats why rents for properties that are new to the market are so high, because there are so few, and we need to get landlords back into the market. And we need to stem the number of that are leaving.

And when we made the decision that we did we were taking into account primarily the interests of people who are renting and who are tenants and future renters, not just the interest of landlords.

He added: I do think that there has been a demonisation of landlords by our political system and by wider society over the past number of years. That hasnt worked.

Taoiseach @LeoVaradkar is clear on what Fine Gael stands for:  Standing up for the squeezed middle Reward hard work Home ownership Rural Ireland and farmers Stronger, safer communities Law and order Helping families pic.twitter.com/Zyr7fRWiac  Fine Gael (@FineGael) March 3, 2023

In fact, its caused harm. Its made rents higher, its made fewer properties available, its really hurting people, particularly those who need to rent for the first time, young people, new arrivals in the country, and people who need to move who arent protected by the rent pressure zones.

And I think that needs to change. And we need to have regard to that now as the Government and not be afraid to introduce measures that do encourage landlords to stay and come into the market.

And also the Opposition needs to stop it too. You know, I hear what theyre saying  you know whats the Sinn Fein solution to this problem? They want a new tax on landlords, another 400 quid a year  how could that possibly make things better?

True to form Fine Gael & Fianna Fail show up again for wealthy investment funds over hard working renters. Sinn Fein will bring a vote to the Dail to REVERSE this cruel decision that puts renters already trapped & at breaking point in a nightmare scenario fearing eviction pic.twitter.com/reLt9SjuT6  Sinn Fein (@sinnfeinireland) March 8, 2023

Mr Varadkar was also asked about Government struggles to find accommodation for Ukrainians and other refugees  a situation that is set to become more acute over the coming weeks as five hotels used to house 1,600 refugees will exit the system.

I run into people in my constituency would say to me youre doing X, Y, and Z for the Ukrainians or you are doing X, Y, and Z for refugees, but youre not doing anything for the Irish homeless, said Mr Varadkar.

First of all, you know, nearly 40% of people who are in emergency accommodation or homeless arent Irish citizens, and thats often missed.

Green Party members in Cork blast decision to lift eviction banhttps://t.co/v0jLIUzowQ  Cork Greens (@CorkGreens) March 8, 2023

And, secondly, you know, what were doing for Ukrainians and what were doing for people whove international protection is probably less than what were doing for people who are registered as homeless.

Unfortunately, there are people seeking international protection who we are not able to offer accommodation at all to at the moment.

And, when it comes to Ukrainians, by and large what were doing is accommodating them in hotels and B&Bs. Its not great, but its the best we can do.

But the idea that somehow were doing more for people from abroad than we are for our own citizens, that just isnt factually correct.

Mr Varadkar was asked about the modular home projects being undertaken to provide more accommodation for Ukrainians and whether such an approach could also help more Irish citizens on social housing lists.

We are going to use modern methods of construction, including modular housing, to house people from Ukraine, refugees from other parts of the world and, indeed, people who are homeless and are on the social housing list, he said.

But he added: I think there does need to be a little bit of a reality check around modern methods of construction and modular housing.

Its great, its part of the solution, but it doesnt mean that you can put up tens of thousands of units in a few weeks or a few months, thats not the case.

And well see very good examples of modular builds in the next couple of weeks. And theyll be ready to occupy. But, you know, you still need to order them, they still need to be manufactured, they still need to arrive, they still need to be installed, the bridges that you have to pass under to get the modular home to the site have to be high enough and also the site has to be serviced with electricity, with water and gas.

So, I think sometimes people present this as a quick fix solution. And why isnt the Government doing it?

Weve done a huge amount of work on this, its going to happen, youre going to see these units very, very soon with people living in them.

But I need to be honest about a bit of reality around this. Its not particularly cheaper. In fact, its probably not cheaper at all. And while it is quicker, its not doable in a few weeks, you know, you still have to go through all those all those processes and have the site ready and the things I explained.

So, yes, its part of the solution. But lets not pretend that theres some sort of quick fix that we havent done already. Because there isnt.

On Tuesday, a Green Party TD criticised the Governments decision not to extend the eviction ban, saying it does not reflect the partys values.

Neasa Hourigan criticised her own party leader Eamon Ryan, who along with Mr Varadkar and fellow coalition leader Micheal Martin decided to end the prohibition as scheduled.

Ms Hourigan described three men in the room making this decision without wider consultation.

Green Party minister Roderic OGorman was asked about her comments as he appeared alongside the Taoiseach at Wednesdays press conference at Government Buildings.

I dont agree with that criticism of Eamon, he said.

I think Green Party principles and Green Party policy is woven into the Governments response on housing.

I think thats seen in the context of that overall need, the critical need to increase supply and particularly increase supply on social housing.

He added: I think Green Party policies are very much built into the governments housing response.
Lincoln University of Missouris (LU) Nyah Singh has been selected as the first LU participant for the Milken Institutes inaugural HBCU Fellowship Program, a program created in order to recruit top talent from a geographically diverse group of HBCUs. A junior at LU majoring in health and wellness (sports management) from Nassau, Bahamas, Singh is one of 16 fellowship participants selected from eight HBCUs across the nation.

Despite a decades-long history of producing global leaders in financial services, HBCUs continue to be overlooked as a resource for talent in the finance industry. With a goal to develop diversity, equity and inclusion across the business community, the Milken Institute introduced this fellowship program to help connect resources to talent. Supported by the Kauffman Foundation, the 8-week program offers virtual curriculum in finance, as well as professional development and in-person networking opportunities. It is designed to provide participants with financial fluency.

Lauren Carter, the LU Center Director for Small Business Development, which falls under the School of Business, recommended Singh for the fellowship. Carter noted that multiple faculty members recognized Singh would make an excellent candidate.

I wanted to pursue this opportunity because I believe that it is a great networking opportunity, Singh says about why she pursued the application process.

Milken Institute Senior Director of the Center for Financial Markets Blair Smith, who holds more than 20 years of financial services and capital markets experience, says he is glad to bring this fellowship opportunity to a LU student.

Our HBCUs strategic initiative and fellows program is designed to help tackle a specific program in what we call the asset management industry, Smith says. Thats an $87 trillion industry, but only 1.6% of that industry is represented by women and people of color.

Singh says she had a great experience and expanded her knowledge of finance while attending her first class for the Milken Institutes inaugural HBCU Fellowship Program.

She [Singh] is outstanding, Smith says about that first class and Singhs participation. We had a Q&A session with a guest speaker, and she was among the first to raise her hand.

The goals of the fellowship, according to Smith, are to create a quality cohort of fellows who will be recruited and as competitive as their counterparts, to create greater financial fluency and to offer a path to wealth creation.

We have the ability to put HBCUs on a global stage and show not just the U.S. the value of HBCU graduates, but the whole world the value and advantages of hiring top talent from HBCUs, Smith says.

The relationship with the Milken Institute is new, but its wonderful, Carter says. When we were first on a call and Blair was explaining the fellowship, at the end of it I said, Can I be a part of it? I know Im not a student anymore, but I wanted to be because of all the opportunities it presents and the benefits that students receive through this fellowship program.

The Milken Institutes inaugural HBCU Fellowship Program adds to the opportunities that Singh says her Lincoln University experience has created for her. Singh chose LU because she always wanted to attend an HBCU, and she says her favorite thing about the University is the people.

Its very family oriented, Singh says about LU. The opportunities here for me have been endless.

Thank you to the Milken Institute and the Kauffman Foundation for its generous support of this program.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is eager to expand the company's reign in the electric vehicle (EV) market by offering a diverse range of products, including a more affordable EV. Although he had previously stated his desire for a product cheaper than the current most affordable Tesla Model 3, Musk has now shared crucial details about the upcoming smaller EV.

Tesla is developing a new electric vehicle that is expected to be significantly more affordable than their current offerings. According to CEO Elon Musk, the new EV will cost about half as much to manufacture as the Model 3. Musk also revealed that the car will operate mostly in autonomous mode, but he did not provide any timeline for its release. These details are significant, given that Musk has previously acknowledged that Tesla's current EVs are desirable but not affordable for many consumers.

For Tesla, prioritizing affordability is crucial in order to tap into new markets and achieve its goal of producing 20 million EVs annually by 2030. To make this happen, the company has been exploring potential locations for new production facilities and is said to be in talks with Mexican officials for the construction of the world's largest EV factory.

In addition to the focus on affordability, Musk has stated that there are valid reasons to have a Tesla EV priced around $25,000 (approximately 20.52 lakh). Currently, the cheapest Tesla model available is the Model 3, priced at around $43,000 (approximately 35 lakh).

Tesla has already made efforts to attract more buyers by announcing price cuts in various markets, such as the US and China, which has led to competitors following suit. However, to succeed in new markets, particularly in developing countries, the company will need to maintain an affordable pricing structure. This is where the upcoming smaller EV could play a critical role.
Chinese online fashion retailer SHEIN is set to raise around $2 billion in a new funding round this month and is aiming for a U.S. listing in the second half of this year, three people with knowledge of its plans told Reuters.

Also Read: Requested China to roll over USD 2 billion deposits: Pakistan tells IMF

UAE's sovereign wealth fund Mubadala is a major investor in this round as are existing investors, private equity firm General Atlantic (GA) and venture capital group Sequoia Capital China, said two of the people and a separate person with knowledge of the matter.

Tiger Global Management became a new investor, said the first two people.

Also Read: Modi govt doesnt understand Chinas actual threat: Rahul Gandhi

SHEIN cut its valuation to $64 billion in this fundraising, down by a third from a funding round a year ago, according to six sources with knowledge of the matter.

The company last month held initial talks with several investment banks to pick lead bookrunners for the U.S. IPO, said two of the sources with direct knowledge of the plans.

Also Read: Why Li Qiang's appointment as next Chinese Premier is a major political shift?

The float, if successful, would be one of the biggest worldwide this year and a test of U.S. investor appetite for Chinese companies amid volatile capital markets and geopolitical tensions.

All sources declined to be identified as the information was confidential.

SHEIN said it does not currently have plans for an IPO and declined to comment further. Mubadala and Sequoia China declined to comment. GA and Tiger did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Investors who participated in SHEIN's 2022 fundraising will adjust the value of the stakes they bought earlier to reflect the company's current valuation, two of the sources said.

Also Read: US to lift Covid testing mandate for travelers from China: Report

SHEIN, founded by Chinese entrepreneur Chris Xu, has grown into one of the world's largest online fashion marketplaces since its 2008 launch in Nanjing. It produces clothing in China to sell online in the United States, Europe and Asia, selling items such as $10 dresses and $5 tops.

It had attempted to list in the U.S. in 2020, but shelved the plan partly due to unpredictable markets amid rising U.S.-China tensions, sources have previously said.

At the time, the company had hired Bank of America, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan to work on the IPO but has decided to re-select its advisors, said three of the sources.

A CHINESE COMPANY?

SHEIN's IPO plans are set to be closely watched after China last month introduced new rules laying out how companies can list overseas. Those rules followed a regulatory crackdown that has slowed U.S. listings by Chinese companies to a trickle.

Chinese companies raised only some $230 million in U.S. listings last year, a massive drop from $12.9 billion in 2021, according to Refinitiv data.

It was not immediately clear if SHEIN is planning to officially seek Chinese regulatory approval for its IPO.

In recent years, the company has made a Singapore firm its de facto holding company and Xu has also become a permanent resident of the city-state, Reuters reported last year. The moves were designed so that SHEIN could bypass seeking Chinese regulatory approval for the listing, sources have previously said.

SHEIN is expanding in Europe as it builds out its team in Ireland, said one of the sources and two separate people with knowledge of its business plans.

It has started manufacturing in Turkey and will open a large facility in Poland as part of its European expansion plan, they added.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
The share price of Hindustan Aeronautics jumped about 5% to touch 52-week high of 2,833 in morning trade, but pared some gains later. The stock opened at 2,712 against the previous close of 2,710 and then continued to gain. The stock gained investor attention after the government signed contracts with HAL and L&T for procurement of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft & three Cadet Training Ships, respectively.

At the time of writing this copy, the stock was up 4.23%, or 114.50, at 2,824.50.

Meanwhile, L&T was up 23.05, or 1.08%, at 2,163.65.

Ministry of Defence, on March 07, 2023, signed contracts with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) for procurement of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft & three Cadet Training Ships respectively in the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh in New Delhi. Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane along with other senior civil & military officials of MoD and representatives of HAL & L&T were present during the signing and exchanging of contracts," HAL said in an exchange filing.

The government earlier this month approved order worth 6,800 crore for HAL and order worth more than 3,100 crore for L&T to boost the Make in India initiative.

In a major boost to the Government's efforts to achieve 'Aatmanirbharta' in defence, the Union Cabinet had, on March 01, 2023, approved the procurement of 70 HTT-40 trainer aircraft from HAL at a cost of over 6,800 crore. The Cabinet had also cleared signing of contract with L&T for acquisition of three Cadet Training Ships from L&T, worth more than 3,100 crore under Buy {Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)} category," said the filing.

What is HTT-40 Trainer Aircraft?

The HTT-40 is a turbo prop aircraft possessing good low speed handling qualities and provides better training effectiveness. This fully aerobatic tandem seat turbo trainer has an air-conditioned cockpit, modern avionics, hot re-fueling, running change over and zero-zero ejection seats.

The aircraft will meet the shortage of basic trainer aircraft of Indian Air Force for training of newlyinducted pilots.

The HTT-40 contains approx. 56% indigenous content which will progressively increase to over 60% through indigenisation of major components and subsystems. The HAL would engage the domestic private industry, including MSMEs, in its supply chain. The procurement has the potential to provide direct and indirect employment to thousands of people spread over more than 100 MSMEs, the company said.

What is a Cadet Training Ship

The ships will cater to the training of officer cadets, including women, at sea after their basic training to meet the future requirements of the Indian Navy.
Are you familiar with the proverb All that glitters is not gold ?

Well, I believe the proverb should soon change. I guess it should be - All that glitters is not white gold. Allow us to explain

By white gold, were talking about Lithium. Lithium is a soft silvery-white alkali metal that has made its place formidable in recent times and has turned out to be a money maker.

Lithium is one of the most sought-after minerals in the world. It is called white gold because of its increasing demand and wide use.

But what makes Lithium so special? Lets take a deep dive into lithium and its uses.

Lithium: the white gold

Lithium is a special lightweight metal that can be used to manufacture lithium-ion batteries or Liion batteries. Li-ion batteries use lithium as a compound as the material at the positive electrode, and graphite at the negative electrode.

The best thing about Li-ion batteries is that they are lightweight rechargeable batteries. Li-ion batteries are designed to last for a long time. A lithium ion battery can perform between 500 to 10,000 recharge functions.

Li-ion batteries can safely store large amounts of energy, ensuring stable and predictable flows of electricity even in decentralized immobile (i.e., stationary) or mobile modes in remote areas.

Lithium batteries are used largely in consumer electronics during the 1990s and 2000s. Since then, because of their lightweight and high energy density, lithium batteries are used in many commercial and industrial goods beginning from smartphones to electric vehicles (EVs).

During the last decade, demand for these batteries went up exponentially because of the need for an alternative to conventional vehicles. The increasing popularity of passenger EVs is largely a result of the capacity improvement of Li-ion batteries and significant price declines due to investment in productive capacity.

Global Demand of Li-ion batteries

Data source: UN Report

Lithium-ion batteries have been a promising clean technology because the battery stores energy in its cells, as opposed to generating energy by combusting fossil fuels in a gasoline and diesel engine, to power a vehicle or provide electricity to a building.

However, Lithium is not just used for batteries. It is also used as a mood stabilizer in the treatment of a bipolar disorder, depression, and other mental health conditions.

It is also used in the production of special glass and ceramics, as it helps to reduce the melting temperature of these materials. It can also be used in the aerospace and military industries for its high heat transfer and thermal conductivity properties.

Hence, lithium is the need of the hour, which makes it white gold.

But who is cashing in on this opportunity?

Whos winning the lithium race?

China.

According to official data, the biggest producers of Lithium are Chile, Australia, Bolivia, and Argentina. China is also a Lithium producer however it owns only minor portion of Lithium mines.

However, it has roughly 60% of the worlds lithium chemical supply. China also produces three-quarters of all lithium-ion batteries.

Today, China controls the global processing industry and it has achieved this feat by buying mines all around the world.

This has put all other countries under duress. The scenario has changed especially after the Covid-19 pandemic because countries over the world are looking to reduce their dependence on China. This is good for India which can make the most of China plus one megatrend but until now, India did not have any Lithium deposits.

The biggest news last month was the discovery of Lithium in India. The discovery was made by the Geological Survey of India in the Salal-Haimana area, of the Reasi district, in Jammu & Kashmir.

The discovery has put India on the map of Lithium supply. India's mining secretary confirmed that the quality of the metal is high, around 500 parts per million (ppm). This compared to 200 ppm in normal grades of Lithium found in other countries.

However, it remains to be seen whether the opportunity is realistic. The official figures announced by India is the resource amount. The final reserve, that can be mined, will be lower. However, this will still be more than enough to make India one of the world's largest producers of Lithium, once the mining starts.

This could be a big opportunity for India. Companies involved in the Lithium ecosystem will lap up the opportunity, and in fact, a smallcap specialty chemical company has already taken a step forward with this regard.

Neogen Chemicals and Livent Corporation

On Monday this week, Neogen Chemicals entered into a definitive agreement with Livent Corporation to acquire 100% stake in BuLi Chem for cash consideration of 250 million (m).

BuLi Chem is a subsidiary of a foreign company owned by Livent USA Corporation. It owns the technology to manufacture N Butyl Lithium and other organolithium products using lithium metal, which are key reagents for lithiation reactions used in the manufacturing of several complex pharmaceutical and agrochemical intermediates.

BuLi Chem manufactures and supplies N Butyl Lithium to several leading pharma and agrochemical companies in India and across the world, and is built one of the very few commercial facilities outside of China for this chemistry.

According to the exchange filing, the companys management is of the view that the technology to use highly reactive Lithium metal and to manufacture N Butyl Lithium along with Neogen's ability to recycle Lithium will give a significant competitive advantage to Neogens existing as well as under-development pharma advanced intermediates and CSM projects.

Neogen Chemicals has also planned to develop cells for EV batteries. Recently, the company started manufacturing electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries.

This move by Neogen Chemicals is a definite step towards cashing in on the opportunity of Lithium mines found in India.

Shares of the company surged over 6% on Monday on the back of these developments.

The challenges

One of the major uses of Li-ion batteries is in electric vehicles. EVs are in limelight because they do not burn fossil fuels. However, a lot of fossil fuels are combusted to make Li-ion batteries.

The whole point of using EVs is to minimise greenhouse gas emission. However, electricity and heat emit more greenhouse gases than the transportation sector.

Data source: UN Report

This questions the whole use of EVs, which ultimately casts a shadow on the use of lithium-ion batteries.

But we all know that EVs are the next big thing. The Indian auto industry stands under the roof of the EV revolution with Lithium at its epicenter. The discovery of Lithium deposits could benefit multiple industries at the same time.

We are in for exciting times ahead. Watch this space for more.

Disclaimer: This article is for information purposes only. It is not a stock recommendation and should not be treated as such.

This article is syndicated from Equitymaster.com
Four years ago, on a Sunday morning, I woke up to the voice of my household help, Shampa softly but emphatically talking on the phone. She seemed to be negotiating a deal for a piece of land with someone from her village. I was surprised, confused, and intrigued all at once.

Shampa is a 30-year-old Bengali girl from a small village. She is married but single as her husband left her and her young son to fend for themselves. She has been working in Delhi for the last ten years. Her son lives with her parents. She works not only to support her young son but has created a support system for her parents, her two brothers, her sisters, and their children too.

One would think she would need the help of a financial advisor to do that and that maybe I helped her. Wrong!

Au contraire, I have learned a lesson or two from her over the last four years she has been with me.

Over the last few years, I have seen her save 15,000-20,000 every month from her earnings. As the amount accumulates in her bank account, she buys plots of agricultural land. Unknowingly she is following the first principle of saving regularly and investing regularly. She gives these to her father and brothers to manage who with the help of hired labour grow various crops. The income so earned is shared gives her family a livelihood whereas the land has appreciated in value. She says this is for her sons education and her old age. She has financial goals  childrens education and retirement planning and she is preparing for them by creating long-term assets.

In addition, a few times, she has acted as a money lender where a piece of land (Rs. 1-1.5 lakh per acre) is the collateral and interest is in the form of income earned from growing and selling the crop on that piece of land till the borrower returns her capital. This income is shared between her and her father which in the future will become the capital for further investment. She is applying the principle of compounding.

Last year, Shampa asked me to collect three months of salary for her. When it was a lump sum, she asked me to wire it to her brother in the village. With this amount, her brother bought a pregnant cow that cost him 40,000. The cow gave birth to a calf in a few months. He milks the cow every day, sells it for 40 per litre and earns a living. The cow is expected to give birth to another calf in a few months time and in some years, Shampa expects to gain by selling the cow and a few of the grown calves, recovering her capital, and making a return. The cow dung is used as fuel and they only use 1-2 gas cylinders in a year. Instinctively, she is investing in growth assets with a regular income too.

Last month she bought two female goats for 5,000 each from her savings. Each goat will give birth to four kids in six months. She plans to sell these in a years time when they would have grown up a little bit, recover her capital and make a handsome return. The cost of one cow is roughly equal to right goats. Shampa is making an investment in small assets also and following the principle of diversification and asset allocation so beautifully.

The livestock not only gives her family in the village an income stream which reduces her guilt of her family looking after her son but in the process, she is depending on these living assets to multiply and make her a profit. Land and (reproductive) livestock in some sense are non-depreciating assets.

Under the PM Gramin Awas Yojana, she has taken the govt assistance, contributed her capital, and built a house in the village which is where her family now lives. Additionally, last year when Shampas sister was diagnosed with breast cancer, she contributed to her treatment, which involved chemotherapy in Mumbai. She also funded her younger brothers education in addition to funding the air ticket for her older brother to go to Malaysia where he has got a job. And she has a LIC policy which gives her a small cover. Though I have encouraged her to keep aside some funds in the bank for a rainy day, she prefers to invest in what she understands best.

Shampa, without any formal education, with simple common sense at her command, understands the meaning of creating income-generating assets, investing for the long term and getting a return. These assets are not only in the form of land, or livestock, but also the goodwill she has created with her family, by being their backbone in their hour of need. The spark in her eyes when she talks of her plans lights my heart

We talk of New India, and this sounds like New Bharat to me.

But is this new?

Havent women done the same for centuries? From running households on thin budgets to stashing money away that is often used during emergencies, to making funds available for the dire needs of the family.

Why do we propagate the myth that women are not savvy in finance? Just because they prefer to focus on cooking, rearing children, cleaning and looking after the sick in the family, among other tasks, in most households they have relegated the investment planning to the men in the family.

We can all learn from the financial acumen of Shampa, imbibe the principles of saving and investing, create income-generating and growth assets based on our financial goals, take advantage of compounding in the long run, and pave our own paths towards financial independence. We should not let social conditioning come in our way. Lets break the barriers within and break out! Lets set ourselves free to empower ourselves.

Rajul Kothari is a partner at Capital League, a boutique wealth management firm.
"No struggle can ever succeed without women's participation side by side with men. There are two powers in the world. One is the sword; one is the pen. There is a third power, stronger than both, that of women"  Malala Yousafzai

According to World Bank data, though women in India represent 48% of the population, they contribute only around 17% of the GDP compared to 40% in China. For the year 2021, World Bank's data states that female labor force participation rate in the United States was 46%, while in India it was 21%. To make India a global superpower, it is thus necessary to have a more inclusive workforce comprising capable women, driving overall economic growth.

However, in recent years, India has made efforts to increase women's participation in the labor force and create a more gender-equal economy. These efforts include improving access to education and skills training, implementing policies and programs to support working women, addressing cultural and societal norms that discourage women from working outside the home, and encouraging private sector participation. By creating a more inclusive and equitable economy, India can unlock the full potential of its workforce and accelerate its economic growth.

Changing Winds

With the projected economic growth in India, it's more important than ever for women to invest wisely and plan for their financial goals. Understanding financial planning can help women take control of their financial future and make informed decisions about their money. By learning about budgeting, investing, and managing debt, women can build financial security and achieve their long-term financial goals. Women who are financially literate also serve as positive role models for their families and communities. By sharing their knowledge and expertise, women can empower others to take control of their finances and build financial security.

One of the ways for women to achieve their goals is by investing in mutual funds. Whether saving for a down payment on a house or planning for your retirement, mutual funds can help you grow your wealth and achieve your dreams.

Saving for the long term can be a daunting task for many people, but as a woman, you have a unique advantage: patience. This virtue proves to be a huge blessing in the world of investing, and with mutual funds, you can harness this trait to build a robust financial future. When you invest in mutual funds, you benefit from the expertise of seasoned professionals who are trained to make informed investment decisions. By investing in mutual funds, you can build a robust financial foundation that can help you achieve your dreams and aspirations.

One Investment, Multiple Benefits

When it comes to investing, mutual funds offer several benefits that make them an excellent option for women looking to save for the long term. One of the key advantages is simplicity. In addition, mutual funds offer the diversification, which helps to spread risk across a range of different investment securities.

Another critical advantage of mutual funds is the ticket size. Women may have different financial priorities or limitations, and mutual funds offer a range of investment options with varying minimum investment amounts to accommodate different budgets. Moreover, mutual funds provide flexibility by offering various types of funds that cater to different investment goals and time horizons.

Accessibility is another essential factor to consider when choosing a long-term investment option. Mutual funds can be easily purchased through a mutual fund distributor or even online. This accessibility means that women can easily invest in mutual funds with little or no hassle. Investing in mutual funds from home via online platforms is particularly valuable for busy moms or working women to fit seamlessly into their lifestyle. This ease of access also means women can quickly and easily review and adjust their investments as per their goals and requirement.

Lastly, the variety of mutual funds available in the market ensures that investors can select one that matches their investment philosophy and goals. Asset Allocation Products like Balanced advantage funds (BAFs) may be a good investment option for women who want to grow their wealth while minimizing risk. BAFs are mutual funds that invest in a mix of equity and debt securities intending to balance risk and returns. BAFs maybe an option for women because they provide diversification across asset classes.

To Make the Best use of Your Hard-Earned Money

Here are some tips for women before beginning to invest in mutual funds:

Set clear investment goals: Before investing in mutual funds, defining your financial goals and investment objectives is essential. This will help you choose suitable mutual fund schemes that align with your investment goals and risk appetite.

Do your own research: Conduct thorough research on the mutual fund schemes you are interested in investing in. Look at the fund's philosophy, riskometer, historical performance, investment portfolio, and expense ratios before investing.

Diversify your portfolio: Diversification is vital to minimizing risk in any investment portfolio. Consider investing in a mix of mutual funds across different asset classes, such as equity, debt, and hybrid funds, to spread your risk.

Invest regularly: Investing in mutual funds through a systematic investment plan (SIP) is an excellent way to invest regularly and build wealth over time. SIPs allow you to invest small amounts at regular intervals, making it easier to stay committed to your investment goals. SIPs are particularly helpful for working women as it helps to plan their finances effectively.

Monitor your investments: Keep track of your mutual fund investments to monitor their performance on a regular basis. Adjust your portfolio as and when needed to ensure that it continues to align with your investment goals.

Take Advantage of Compounding: Albert Einstein once said, "Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it; he who doesn't, pays it." When investing in mutual funds, compounding can be a potent tool for women who want to grow their wealth over the long term. As the mutual fund scheme returns are reinvested, the initial investment grows and generates returns over the long run.

To Sum Up

In conclusion, mutual funds offer a host of benefits that make them an ideal investment option for women. With their ease of accessibility, long-term growth potential, and range of investment options, mutual funds can help women take control of their financial future and achieve their goals. As we celebrate International Women's Day, it's essential to recognize the value of financial independence and the role that mutual funds can play in helping women achieve it. So why not take the first step towards a brighter financial future today and start exploring the world of mutual funds?

Author: Ms. Jigna Shyamyani, Head - Corporate Finance & Accounts, LIC Mutual Fund Asset Management Ltd

Disclaimer: This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author's employer, organization, committee or other group or individual.
After winning a gold medal earlier this week at Veer Narmad South Gujarat University for her work in MA Public Administration, Razia Muradi, an Afghan national, gave a valid response to her nation's Taliban leaders (VNSGU), the Times of India said.

Razia stated during her convocation that she speaks for the Afghan women who are still denied access to education. She told the Times of India that she wants to demonstrate to the Taliban government that, given the chance, women can succeed in any subject.

At the convocation, Razia was also given the Sharda Ambelal Desai Award.

Razia completed her MA in April 2022 and is now pursuing PhD in public administration. After arriving in India, she took up her studies online mode due to the Covid lockdown. Most of her classes and exams were held online in the first two semesters.

According to a Times of India story, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations has provided scholarships for some 14,000 Afghan students to study in India (ICCR). Razia was also sponsored by the ICCR.

Prior to enrolling in the programme at VNSGU, Muradi worked as a humanitarian aid worker in Afghanistan and participated in drought response recovery project activities in Bamyan. But, as funding dwindled in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Muradi's efforts ran into difficulties. Muradi arrived in India for a two-year MA programme, but she was unable to finish it since the Taliban took over in August 2021.

Muradi told the TOI that while she is thrilled about her accomplishments and unhappy that she won't be able to see her family for three years, obtaining the gold medal brings mixed emotions.

She also asked the international community to act and that she would like to return to Afghanistan once things were back to normal.
India tore into Pakistan after its foreign minister raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at a Security Council debate on women, peace and security, saying it is unworthy" to even respond to such malicious and false propaganda".

Responding to Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardaris remarks on Jammu and Kashmir, Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj on Tuesday termed his statement as baseless and politically motivated".

Before I conclude, let me dismiss the frivolous, baseless and politically motivated remarks made by the delegate of Pakistan regarding the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir," she said.

Speaking at the UN Security Council open debate on Women, Peace and Security, Kamboj said: my delegation considers it unworthy to even respond to such malicious and false propaganda."

"Rather, our focus is where it shall always be  positive and forward-looking. Todays discussion is critically important to strengthen our collective efforts to accelerate the full implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda. We respect the topic of the debate and recognise the importance of time. As such, our focus shall remain on the topic," she said.

Kambojs sharp retort came after Pakistan Foreign Minister Zardari referred to Jammu and Kashmir in his remarks to the Council debate held under Mozambiques Presidency for this month, on the eve of International Womens Day.

India has previously told Pakistan that the entire territories of the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have been, are, and shall always be part of India.

India has been maintaining that it desires normal neighbourly relations with Pakistan, while insisting that the onus is on Islamabad to create an environment that is free of terror and hostility for such an engagement.

The ties between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after India's warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot in February 2019 in response to the Pulwama terror attack.

The relations further deteriorated after India in August 2019 announced the withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir's special powers and the bifurcation of the erstwhile state into Union Territories.
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The Aam Aadmi Party has alleged that former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is facing life threats in Tihar Jail, cohabiting with hardened criminals with many murder cases. The claims have since been refuted by prison officials who insisted that the politician was residing in a segregated ward. Meanwhile party chief Arvind Kejriwal is undertaking a day long meditation to pray for India.

Manish Sisodia has been assigned a segregated ward keeping his security in mind. The ward of CJ-1, where he is lodged has minimum number of inmates who are not gangsters and are maintaining good conduct inside the jail," officials said on Wednesday afternoon.

Refuting the unfounded allegations levelled by top AAP leaders, prison authorities said that the arrangements had been made as per jail rules to ensure Sisodia's safety and security.

A separate cell makes it possible for him to meditate or do other activities without any disturbance," they added.

Also read: Sisodia refused 'Vipassana cell' in Tihar jail, alleges AAP's Saurabh Bharadwaj

Earlier on Wednesday AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj had alleged that the former Minister was being housed in Tihar's jail cell number 1 alongside criminals charged with heinous crimes.

An undertrial prisoner is never kept at cell no 1. They are very hardened criminals with many murder cases. Some of them are not even mentally sound. It won't matter to them if there is another case added. We are political rivals but will the Centre now commit political murders?" he had asked.

We have concerns that Manish Sisodia has life threats. Why are you so scared of him? Has any first-time prisoner been kept with such criminals?" added AAP MP Sanjay Singh.

Also read: Excise policy case: ED questions Sisodia in Tihar Jail; another businessman arrested

As two of his top lieutenants remain behind bars, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal performed a day-long pooja for the "betterment of the country" on Wednesday. A day earlier the CM had said he would pray for the country on Holi as those doing good work were being arrested while those looting the country were getting away.

(With inputs from agencies)
To mark the International Women's Day, the Tata Group-owned Air India said that 15 per cent of its 1,825 pilots are women pilots, making it an airline with the largest number of female pilots.

Air India, along with Air India Express and AirAsia India, has scheduled more than 90 all-women crew flights, and the carriers have been operating these all-women crew flights on international and domestic routes since March 1, according to a release.

"Of the 90 flights operated by all-women cockpit and cabin crew, Air India is flying 40 flights across domestic and international locations, whereas AI Express is operating 10 all-international flights to the Gulf route and AirAsia India is operating over 40 flights within India," it said.

According to the carrier, women constitute over 40 per cent of Air India's workforce, with 275 of its 1,825 pilots being women, representing 15 per cent of the cockpit crew strength and making it an airline having one of the largest numbers of female pilots.

Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson said India has the largest number of commercial women pilots in the world.

"With more Indian women pursuing careers in aviation, we are achieving gender equality in the workforce. We are proud of the women workforce with us at Air India today, and we thank each of them for sending out a powerful message that women can excel in any field," he said.

At Air India Express and AirAsia India, over a third of the workforce comprises women.

"Several women play a key role in various departments, including in the domains of finance, commercial, human resources, customer happiness, flight training, technology, flight dispatch, engineering, safety and operations control. The two airlines have a total of 97 women pilots," the release said.

Air India plans to triple its current fleet of 113 aircraft in a few years as it inducts new aircraft and refurbishes older planes as part of a bigger overhaul, Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Tata group-owned Air India has said that it would increase its fleet by a record 470 aircraft, funding the $70 billion order with internal cash, equity and through sale-and-leasebacks.

The airline will purchase 220 of the planes from Boeing and 250 from Airbus.

The airline, which was once considered a world-class service in India, saw its image tarnish in the mid-2000s due to financial troubles, an ageing fleet and poor service.

Air India is also in talks with other airlines that are a part of the Star Alliance group of carriers to enhance cooperation, Campell said at a press conference.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday questioned former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in Tihar jail in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case for six hours.

This was for the first time that the senior Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) leader was being quizzed by the ED. They questioned him for almost six hours between 11am and 5pm and is likely to continue further for a couple of day, officials told Hindustan Times.

The questioning will continue even as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi again over the arrest of Sisodia and another party colleague Satyendra Jain. Sisodia is lodged in Tihar jail after a CBI court on Monday remanded him to 14-day judicial custody in the same case.

Apart from this, the ED also made a fresh arrest in this case as it took into custody Hyderabad-based liquor businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai on Monday evening, officials told PTI.

Pillai, who is alleged to to have represented the so-called 'South Group' of liquor traders, is the 11th person to be arrested in the case by the ED. A Delhi court on Tuesday sent Pillai to the ED custody till March 13.

The ED investigators reached the Tihar Jail to question and record the statement of Sisodia under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The CBI also questioned Sisodia's personal assistant Devender Sharma in connection with the excise policy case.

Sisodia is lodged in a prison cell for senior citizens and like any other inmate has been given basic items and is being served food as per the jail manual, an official said. The AAP leader's cell is inside Tihar Jail Number-1 and it is meant for a single person who is a senior citizen, he said.

On Monday night, he was given basic items such as blankets, soap and oral hygiene products, and for dinner was served rice, chappati, dal as per the provisions of the jail manual, the official added. The CBI court on Monday allowed Sisodia to carry the Bhagavad Gita, spectacles and medicines to the jail and directed Tihar authorities to consider his request to be allowed to do Vipassana meditation.

As a political slugfest continued over Sisodias arrest, Chief Minister Kejriwal claimed that those doing good work are being arrested while those looting the country are getting away.

Addressing a digital press conference, the AAP chief said he was worried about the state of affairs in the country.

Delhi's health and education sectors were ignored for 65 years before Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain turned things around with their hard work and ensured quality education and healthcare to the poor, he said.

But Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "imprisoned those (Jain and Sisodia) doing good work for the country, while those looting it are being embraced", the chief minister said.

Kejriwal said he was not worried about Sisodia and Jain being in jail. "They are brave people who are ready to sacrifice their lives for the country. But the sorry state of affairs in the country worries me."

He said he will meditate and pray on Holi for the betterment of the country.

Kejriwal also said Prime Minister Modi should not talk about fighting corruption as a BJP MLA in Karnataka was not arrested despite a huge amount of cash being found at his home.

However, Sisodia was arrested although nothing was found during raids at the AAP leader's residence, he added.

"Mr Prime Minister, there was nothing found in raids at Manish Sisodia's residence. He was arrested by applying all sections of the law by CBI, ED. A huge amount of cash was found with your party MLA. He was not arrested?

"You should henceforth not talk about fighting corruption. It doesn't suit you," the AAP national convener said in a tweet in Hindi.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin also wrote to PM Modi regarding Sisodia's arrest. Stalin said that he is saddened and disappointed over the arrest of Sisodia and that the latter has been made to undergo all pain and pressure depriving him of constitutional guarantee. "One can notice a fact that in the last 9 years, the independence of investigating agencies has been robbed wherever the interest of the party in power at the Centre is involved," noted Stalin in a letter to PM. Prior to him, nine political leaders wrote to PM Modi over Sisodia's arrest. The letter dubbed it a "long witch-hunt" that smacked of a political conspiracy." The missive was signed by several chief ministers and party heads including Trinamool Congress' Mamata Banerjee, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao. Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal also signed the letter in support of their fellow AAP leader. The list of signatories included JKNC chief Farooq Abdullah, former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

After the President accepted the resignations of arrested AAP ministers Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, AAP MLAs Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj will be sworn in as ministers of the Delhi government's cabinet tomorrow i.e. on 9 March, said a party source told ANI.

Earlier, according to a notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs published on Tuesday, President Droupadi Murmu appointed both leaders as ministers in the Delhi cabinet on the advice of CM Kejriwal, with effect from the date they are sworn in. Kejriwal had forwarded the names to the Lieutenant Governor for their appointment to the Cabinet.

Atishi represents the Kalkaji constituency and has been a key member of Sisodia's education team. She had also contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from the East Delhi constituency and lost to BJP's Gautam Gambhir. Bhardwaj, the party's national spokesperson, had served the Delhi Jal Board as its vice chairman. The legislator from Greater Kailash was also a minister during the first stint of the AAP government.

Meanwhile, the CBI had arrested Sisodia on February 26 in connection with alleged corruption in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi liquor or excise policy for 2021-22. The ED obtained the court's permission to question the AAP leader in the jail for three days. The ED informed the court through its charge sheet that its probe found that at least 36 accused, including Sisodia "destroyed, used or changed" 170 phones to conceal evidence of "kickbacks" worth thousands of crores of rupees in the alleged scam.

(With inputs from agencies)
Investment firm GQG Partners Inc's founder, Rajiv Jain, is visiting Australia this week to meet with clients and investors. According to a statement by the company on March 7, Jain will be discussing several matters, including GQG's investment in Indian conglomerate Adani Group.

GQG Partners recently bought shares worth $1.87 billion in four Adani group companies. This marked the first significant investment in Adani since a critical report by short-seller Hindenburg Research in January sparked a stock rout. The report alleged stock manipulation and improper use of tax havens by Adani, raising concerns over its debt levels. Adani denied the allegations and denied any wrongdoing.

The stake purchase by GQG Partners has raised queries from an Australian pension fund client of the firm, especially since other major investors, including Norway's sovereign wealth fund, were selling Adani shares. Jain is meeting some of GQG's clients in person and conducting conference calls with others, according to two sources who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

GQG said that the trip was planned well in advance of the Adani purchase and that it's Jain's first visit to Australia since the company listed on the ASX in 2021. The company also stated that the visit is an opportunity to answer any questions investors might have about the business, including the Adani investment.

GQG purchased a 3.4% stake in Adani Enterprises for about $662 million, a 4.1% stake in Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone for $640 million, a 2.5% stake in Adani Transmission for $230 million, and a 3.5% stake in Adani Green Energy for $340 million. The firm purchased the shares from the Adani family trust, according to filings made by the Indian firms.

Many analysts see GQG's investment as a sign of investor confidence in Adani. The investment firm manages equity funds for institutional investors such as mutual funds, private funds, public agencies, and sovereign funds both in and outside the US. Morningstar expects GQG's funds under management to grow at a mid-teens' CAGR (compound annual growth rate) and exceed $180 billion by 2027, compared to $92 billion as of January 2023.

According to filings made by the investment firm, more than two-thirds of GQG's funds under management come from the Americas. GQG attracted net flows of $3 billion in January and February, more than two-thirds the haul for all of 2022.

(With agency inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sounak Mukhopadhyay Sounak Mukhopadhyay, who also goes by the name Sounak Mukherjee, has been producing digital news since 2012. He's worked for the International Business Times, The Inquisitr, and Moneycontrol in the past. He's also contributed to Free Press Journal and TheRichest with feature articles. He covers news for a wide range of subjects including business, finance, economy, politics and social media. Before working with digital news publications, he worked as a freelance content writer. Read more from this author
Immediately after its launch, ChatGPT has created buzz all across the globe. The OpenAI's chatbot is massively used by people to seek answer of their questions and pass examinations. Many are even using it to learn cooking recipes and conducting interviews. The multi-tasking AI chatbot is also seen as a threat to jobs of humans. Apart from its use to attain professional and academic success and satiating curiosity, here are some of the ways to earn money by using ChatGPT.

Also Read: ChatGPT vs ChatSonic vs Bard vs Ernie: The battle of AI-powered chatbots

Write paid content

With rising demand of well-crafted content for products, brands and website, people can use ChatGPT to create their content. They can simply ask the chatbot to give response on the said content and then tweak content to come up with the desired article.

Also Read: How ChatGPT is going to change future of work and our approach to education

Affiliate marketing

People can also use ChatGPT to earn by using affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is one of the method to sell products, services and brands by promoting them on your content or platform and get commission of that platform. It is quite a time-taking process, and before using ChatGPT you need to choose your medium to build your audience, like article, audio, video, etc.

Also Read: ChatGPTs meteorical rise-100 million users in 2 months; beats WhatsApp, mobile phones, Twitter, internet

After deciding, you can use ChatGPT to get responses for your articles. For videos and audios, you can get some best ideas to work upon by asking the AI chatbot to generate a thumbnail idea or title idea for your YouTube video or podcast.

Provide content editing service

In addition to provide writing service, you can use the software to provide editing services. Articles, blog posts, and other written content can be easily edited by using ChatGPT.

Conduct research

Apart from writing on several issues, ChatGPT can be used to conduct research on various issues and topics. There is a need to understand the topic and ask appropriate questions to ChatGPT to get desired answers.

Become an online tutor

There are many tutorial websites that asks for part-time job of answering to questions asked by students related to their academic course. With a sound knowledge a about any of the basic subject, you can use ChatGPT to create answer of the questions asked by the students and then build your own answer and upload on those tutorial websites.

Find keywords for SEO

You can also provide Search engine optimisation(SEO) service to other content producing firms by asking relevant keywords from ChatGPT. By giving right directions, ChatGPT can be used to generate strong keywords, titles and meta descriptions to increase visibility of the content on the internet. You have to simply ask for suggestions on title, intro, keywords, etc, for your desired topic from ChatGPT.
ICICI Prudential Life Insurance has implemented a holistic framework of initiatives to create a balanced workplace while offering proper guidance for Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) in the company. Based on the "ABCD" framework, the company's D&I initiatives include luring diverse talent and improving workplace belonging and inclusion through facilitating policies and awareness and sensitization programmes. Furthermore, it entails connecting with employees from various groups by providing supportive policies and platforms.

This encompasses both internal and external forums for women leaders to learn by modelling. The framework also discloses Diversity dashboards to track progress on gender diversity. The company's initiatives seek to enhance overall diversity, including the portrayal of women and the integration of people with disabilities and LGBTQs into the workforce. As part of its D&I agenda, the company recently established a Diversity Council. The Diversity Council, which includes senior women and men leaders, steers the D&I agenda, including strategic accountability for results, governance, and oversight of diversity efforts, and promotes company-wide communication on its progress.

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance said its efforts to strengthen gender diversity and foster an inclusive culture has resulted in the overall composition of women increasing to 27%. Significantly, womens participation in the Companys process and support functions is now 40%.

To enhance the participation of women in frontline responsibilities, the company has also launched a drive to recruit from women-only graduate universities. Furthermore, recruitment partners have been trained to provide a perfect balance of candidates for job openings at the company on a proactive basis. The company has a variety of enabling and supportive policies in place to meet the various life-stage needs of its employees. It intends that these policies will encourage more women to join the company's workforce and encourage them to stay committed to their careers in the long run.

Furthermore, in order to foster a perception of belonging and inclusion, the company has made employee policies gender-agnostic, removing gender binaries from the policy language. Furthermore, the company has broadened the scope of family, which previously only included spouses, to include same-sex partners. All primary carers, including male employees, are now eligible for adoption and surrogacy-related leaves.

Understanding that flexibility is a key issue for many working women as well as for men colleagues with specific lifestage needs, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance said it provides its employees with an option to avail of sabbatical or flexible working hours to meet their personal and official commitments. The company said it will also bear the cost of all primary caregivers, irrespective of whether they are male or female, wanting to take their child (upto 2 years), along with a caregiver, on official business trips.

Ms. Urvi Chhaya, Senior Vice President, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, said We are proud of being an equal opportunity employer and our endeavour is to strengthen our efforts to foster a genuinely inclusive culture in all our practices. We have instituted our equal opportunity, D&I policy with a focus on gender as one of our priority areas. Further, we have also formalised a Diversity Council comprising the leadership team that steers and reviews the D&I agenda in line with our ABCD" framework. Our people-centric policies and processes are anchored on the principles of our cornerstones of supportive environment, fairness and meritocracy and promoting a level playing field with the objective of ensuring the benefits can be availed by all our employees, thereby making them feel valued and included."

We believe Indian women have a huge role to play in realising India's dreams and aspirations to build a developed nation. Our policies and initiatives aim to ensure our women workforce feels supported, valued and respected at the organisation. We have been consistently working to balance the gender diversity of our workforce, which has led to an increase in the representation of women in the Company's workforce. We are committed to fostering diversity and building a culture of inclusion at our organisation," further added Urvi Chhaya.

As part of its connect and support agenda, the company recently established a Women Resource Group comprised of senior women employees who offer guidance and advice to younger female colleagues on managing careers, career challenges, and balancing work-life at various life stages, as well as other work-related aspects. Furthermore, the company has established an interactive forum - Udaan - that hosts exemplars who have reached the pinnacle of professional excellence, thereby encouraging learning through role modelling.
India and five central Asian countries, on March 7, expressed their shared belief that Afghanistan should not be a base for terrorist activities. This declaration came as India announced that it would provide an additional 20,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan. The wheat will be supplied in partnership with the UN World Food Programme and will be sent through the Chabahar Port in Iran.

This move comes several months after India pledged to provide 50,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan. The consignments were sent using the land route through Pakistan, which was granted after months of discussions.

During the first meeting of the India-Central Asia joint working group on Afghanistan in New Delhi, the participants discussed regional threats of terrorism, extremism, radicalisation, and drug trafficking. They explored ways to jointly counter these threats and emphasised that Afghanistan's territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning, or financing any terrorist acts.

Also Read: Afghan woman receives MA gold at Guj university, sends Taliban a suitable response

The meeting also highlighted the importance of forming a truly inclusive and representative political structure that respects the rights of all Afghans, including equal rights for women, girls, and minority groups. In December, India criticised the Taliban's decision to ban university education for women in Afghanistan.

Representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan attended the meeting alongside UN representatives from the Office on Drugs and Crimes and the World Food Programme.

They exchanged views on the current situation in Afghanistan, including the political, security, and humanitarian aspects. While emphasising the respect for sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, and non-interference in its internal affairs, they reiterated support for a peaceful, secure, and stable Afghanistan.

Also Read: Devil has returned: Afghan women forced to go back to abusive husbands

The participants also discussed providing humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people. The country representative of the World Food Programme in Afghanistan briefed the participants on the India-World Food Programme partnership to deliver foodgrain assistance to the Afghan people and made a presentation on the current humanitarian situation, including the aid requirements for the year ahead.

The country representative of the Office on Drugs and Crimes in Afghanistan highlighted the partnership of India and the Office on Drugs and Crimes in fighting the menace of narcotics in Afghanistan. India offered capacity building training courses for the relevant stakeholders/partner agencies of the Office on Drugs and Crimes and the relevant officials/stakeholders of Central Asian Republics in the field of countering illegal drug trafficking.

Also Read: Taliban terrorise people not to promote Western conspiracy to control Muslim population

The joint working group thanked India for holding the meeting at a senior officials level and agreed to continue consultations in this format on a regular basis. India has not yet recognised the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and has been advocating for the formation of a truly inclusive government in Kabul.

India has also been calling for unimpeded humanitarian aid to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the country. In June last year, India re-established its diplomatic presence in Kabul by deploying a "technical team" in its embassy. India had withdrawn its officials from the embassy after the Taliban seized power in August 2021 due to concerns over their security.

(With agency inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sounak Mukhopadhyay Sounak Mukhopadhyay, who also goes by the name Sounak Mukherjee, has been producing digital news since 2012. He's worked for the International Business Times, The Inquisitr, and Moneycontrol in the past. He's also contributed to Free Press Journal and TheRichest with feature articles. He covers news for a wide range of subjects including business, finance, economy, politics and social media. Before working with digital news publications, he worked as a freelance content writer. Read more from this author
While much has been said about Jawaharlal Nehru's erroneous decision to negotiate a ceasefire in Kashmir after independence, recent reports suggest there's more to the story. Correspondence with then commander-in-chief, General Sir Francis Robert Roy Bucher warns of fatigue among the Indian troops and an urgent need for the conflict to end in Kashmir.

According to a report by The Guardian, classified letters indicate that Nehru was urged to take the decision by his most senior general. Army personnel evince two weaknesses, lack of training in the junior leaders, tiredness and ennui in the other ranks  In brief, the army needs respite for leave, training, and vitalising," Bucher wrote in a missive dated November 28, 1948.

He opined that an overall military decision was no longer possible", prompting a concerned response from the Prime Minister. While Nehru touched upon the 'likelihood of war taking place with Pakistan' and the neighbouring country's plans to bomb Indian positions in the coming weeks, Bucher pushed for a 'political approach to the problem'.

Fascinating," opined Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, sharing the report on Wednesday.

Also read: India slams Pak foriegn minister Bilawal for raking up Kashmir at UNSC debate

It is pertinent to note that the ruling BJP has repeatedly referred to Nehru's many blunders while handling Jammu and Kashmirs accession to India. In October 2022 as the region marked its 75th year since accession party leaders had also demanded an apology from the Congress, insisting that PM Modi had corrected his predecessor's mistakes.

If a timely action was taken, then there would be no part of the state under Pakistans occupation. The Congress since then spread lies and suppressed truth about the issue. Nehru then took an internal issue to the United Nations, making Pakistan a party," party leader Gaurav Bhatia had alleged. He had also denounced Nehru for floating the idea of plebiscite.

Seven decades were lost due to these Nehruvian blunders and India paid a heavy pricefinally history took a turn in 2019 when India First was the only guiding principle," Union Minister Kiren Rijiju had tweeted.

(With inputs from agencies)
As the world celebrates Holi across the nation, several ministers joined the celebration in their own way. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan sang Phaag in chorus with fellow singers at his residence on Wednesday. Phaag is one of the popular folk songs of the state.

#WATCH | Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan sings 'phaag' and celebrates the festival of #Holi at his residence in Bhopal. pic.twitter.com/SNrqzFLN4R  ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) March 8, 2023

In a post Holi session, MP CM Shivaraj Singh Chauhan was seen sitting and singing the traditional folk song dedicated to Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha. Along with holding mic from one hand, the state CM was playing a musical instrument from his another hand on the occasion. During the celebration, he was accompanied by wife Sadhna Singh and other family members.

CM Shivaraj Singh Chauhan was not the only politician who was seen enjoying the festival of colour in a different way. Bihar MP Tej Pratap Yadav played flute while celebrating the festival in a traditional way. Wearing a crown over his head, the minister organised a program showcasing the traditional Holi dance of the state at his residence in Patna. During the program, everyone applied colour on each other's face and sang traditional folk songs.

All across the world, people are celebrating Holi with huge fervour and joy in different forms. From the famous Lathmar Holi to floral Holi, people across the nation are celebrating the festival with full energy. Several global leaders have also extended their wishes of the festival to India .
Congress MP from Wayanad Rahul Gandhi has been facing the ire of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for his statements made during the week long tour of the Congress leader in United Kingdom. The statements made suring a speech at the British Parliament, at Cmabridge University and several other congregations had compelled BJP leaders to point out at Sonia Gandhi and say that she should control her son.

Amid such rancorous exchange between the two rival parties in India, Nagaland's minister and state BJP chief Temjen Imna Along praised Rahul Gandhi's picture posted by the official handle of the Congress on Twitter.

The picture has Rahul Gandhi clad in a well-fitted suit, hands in the pockets, posing for the photo as he attended an interactive session at the Chatham House in London.

Tamjen Imna Along commented on the picture,  , Photo     Confidence  Pose  Next Level  ".

See the post here

 ,

Photo    



Confidence  Pose  Next Level    Temjen Imna Along (@AlongImna) March 7, 2023

The Nagaland BJP chief is known for his witty comments on social media. He has earlier caught attention of his followers with his witty comments about his eyes and at several other occasions.

However, a hint of sarcasm in what seemed like a blatant praise was later understood, when he Along took to micro-blogging site Twitter where he posted a screenshot of the Congress' tweet and another infographic that had the caption that Congress attached with the picture of Rahul Gandhi.

To put things in context, Congress had captioned the picture of Rahul Gandhi, Stand up for what you believe in, even if it means you stand alone."

Later, Along made another post implying that the caption with the photo was not original.

See the post here

   Caption      pic.twitter.com/YvHUyfKGZF  Temjen Imna Along (@AlongImna) March 8, 2023

Tamjen Imna Along's praise then jibe at Rahul Gandhi joins the plethora of scornful remarks BJP leaders have made against Gandhi's statements in the UK. The saffron party leader have maintained that Gandhi, who recently concluded his Bharat Jodo Yatra, has insulted India in foreign soil.

In his speeches that Rahul Gandhi made in London at different programmes, he talked about India, RSS, the India-China issue.

During his speech in the British Parliament, Gandhi had said that mikes in Indian Parliament are silenced for the Opposition, citing the questions on Adani-Hindenburg row that the Congress leader posed at Prime Miniter Narendra Modi int he parliament.

Countering this statement, the BJP cited Parliament attendance figures of Rahul Gandhi and said his attendance is way lower than the national average and the Kerala average. Rahul Gandhi is like an errant schoolboy who, when asked by his teacher wheres his homework, blithely lies: The dog ate my homework," BJP's Amit Malviya tweeted.

Rahul Gandhi is like an errant schoolboy who, when asked by his teacher wheres his homework, blithely lies: The dog ate my homework.



Thread. https://t.co/uI4HGUmSfh  Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) March 7, 2023

During his speech at the British Parliament, Gandhi also sought foreign intervention to fix democracy issues in India, but later said they were internal issues and needed in-house solutions."

Gandhi also said that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was built along the lines of 'Muslim Brotherhood" drawing a lot of flak from communal reservists. "You can call it a secret society. Its built along the lines of the Muslim Brotherhood and the idea is to use the democratic contest to come to power and then subvert the democratic contest afterwards," Rahul Gandhi had said.
In the north (the border between Somaliland and Puntland) foreign aid groups warn that that will shut down a hospital they operate in the town of Las Anod and halt other aid programs that are threatened by the weeks of fighting in the area between rival clan militias. So far over 200 have died and many more wounded. The hospital has been damaged and some aid has not arrived because of the fighting. In Somalia, aid groups often have to shut down operations and withdraw because local groups refuse to halt their battles that damage the air efforts. This self-destructive behavior is one reason that Somalia continues to be a mess.

Despite decades of effort and billions in foreign aid, Somalia still suffers from lack of unity and constant feuding between various factions. Islamic terrorism is nothing new in Somalia, but the growing worldwide affluence of the last century has made it easier to Islamic terror groups to get started in Moslem areas and remain active for longer periods. This is particularly true in Somalia. There is a reason for this; Somalia is the most corrupt nation in the world. More corruption means less prosperity and peace.

Its no coincidence that the least corrupt nations are the most successful. The most corrupt nations (currently Yemen, Venezuela, South Sudan, Syria and Somalia) are the poorest and often mired in civil war or chronic violence. The least corrupt nations (currently Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway and Singapore) are peaceful and prosperous.

This problem is most acute in Somalia, which explains why the latest annual Transparency International Corruption Perception Index showed that Somalia is the most corrupt nation in the world. Somalia continued to be as corrupt as it has been during the last decade, with a corruption score of 12, which is why Somalia is stuck at the bottom of the list. Transparency International measures corruption on a 1 (most corrupt) to 100 (not corrupt) scale. The nations with the lowest scores are currently Syria (score of 13), South Sudan (13) and Somalia (12). The least corrupt nation is currently Denmark, with a CPI of 90, followed by Finland and New Zealand, each with 87.

While the Middle East has a lot of corruption, there are exceptions. In the Persian Gulf the UAE (United Arab Emirates) is the last corrupt nation in the region, followed by Israel. Both Somalia and UAEs corruption score have not changed much since the 2011 Arab Spring revolution when it was 8 for Somalia and 68 for the UAE. The UAE achieved the most favorable corruption score in the region because it has long depended on foreign trade to survive and to make money in that business you must be known as an honest trading partner. The UAE is also different in that it is a federation of formerly independent emirates that realized the wisdom of joining forces. Laws and customs vary somewhat among the emirates and some are more gangster than others. Overall, the UAE is a place where foreigners feel comfortable doing business. The UAE has also partnered with Turkey to provide foreign aid to Somalia. This has proved very difficult to carry out and Somalia is not a place most foreigners want to do business in. Somalia is also a federation of seven (including separatist Somaliland and Puntland in the far north) clan-dominated regions that have never achieved the degree of unity and prosperity of the UAE.

The ongoing corruption in southern Somalia continues to threaten foreign aid in general and support for the peacekeeper force. UN and AU (African Union) officials are unable to agree on whether the peacekeeping effort has been a success. Discussions continue to determine if it has been worth the effort and how it should continue. The local (Somali neighbors) AU officials point out that the fourteen-year peacekeeping effort has made a difference as al Shabaab and ISIL personnel and areas they controlled have been steadily reduced. Both groups have started taking refuge in neighboring countries, where local security forces can deal with the Islamic terrorists even more effectively than the peacekeepers in Somalia. Once all, or over 90 percent, of Somalia is pacified it will be practical to revive foreign aid efforts that were crippled, and plundered, in the past. The AU points out that the UN keeps sending in the foreign aid before it is safe, or even possible, to distribute the aid to the intended recipients. One reason for this continued disagreement is that AU members have grown up with and continue to live with the Somali threat. UN officials are constantly new to peacekeeping and aid delivery, due to staff rotation, and out of ignorance and optimism constantly underestimate or ignore the unique problems found in Somalia. Despite these misgivings, in 2022 the peacekeeping force underwent a name change to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia. This new organization is supposed to oversee the reduction of the peacekeeping force and its complete elimination by 2025.

The United States has flown in more weapons for the SNA (Somali National Army). The recent 61-ton shipment, flown in on two American military transports, was largely composed of assault rifles, machine-guns and ammunition for these weapons. The SNA has about 20,000 troops and is about the same size of the AU (African Union) peacekeeping force, which is supported and largely financed by the UN. The SNA is supposed to be permanent while the agreement with the peacekeeper force is temporary. The peacekeeper force was supposed to begin reducing its size in 2020 but that was delayed by the unexpected collapse of the Afghan security forces in 2021 and takeover by the Islamic terrorist Taliban. UN peacekeeping specialists understand that the Taliban are a special case and there has not been any impact on Somalia because of the Taliban victory and Al Shabaab power continues to decline throughout Somalia. Despite that confidence, there is no guarantee that the SNA will remain intact and effective if the EU peacekeepers are withdrawn.

The UN and AU agreement to greatly reduce and eventually eliminate the current 19,400 strong peacekeeper force has been delayed because fears of it would result in the collapse of the SNA and more chaos in Somalia. Many of the peacekeepers come from neighboring countries which have centuries of experience with aggressive and unpredictable Somalis.

The peacekeeper force costs about $200 million a year. That is provided by the UN via contributions by the U.S. and EU (European Union). The UN approves the size and duration of the peacekeeper force annually. The peacekeepers have been in Somalia since 2007 at a cost of over three billion dollars. So far nearly a thousand peacekeepers have been killed and at least 4,000 wounded or injured. About a quarter of those were so badly wounded that they received disability payments while families of the dead received a lump sum in death benefits. Somalia is the most dangerous peacekeeping duty in the world.

The first AU peacekeepers arrived in March 2007 and these 8,000 troops were supposed to be gone within six months. That force did not disappear by the end of 2007 but kept growing and quickly reached 22,000, most of them soldiers plus a few thousand police, trainers and administrators. The peacekeeper force made some difference, but in the face of massive corruption in the Somali government and various Somali communities that demanded help, the operation proved far more expensive and time-consuming than expected. Peacekeepers are due to leave because the best they can do is reduce the violence and disunity, while UN donors are not willing to waste money on that when there are other disaster zones that can make better use of the limited foreign aid.

Because of the threat of peacekeeper reductions or elimination, the SNA, which is about the same size as the peacekeeper force, has been particularly active and effective since 2021. If the peacekeepers go the army will have to face all the fighting alone and current assessments conclude that the SNA might not survive that for long, and instead fall apart because of casualties, desertions and a lack of new recruits. The Somalis have been saying this for nearly a decade but the AU and UN are fed up and the major donors needed to support the peacekeeper force have warned that they will reduce or eliminate contributions because of the continued corruption and ineffectiveness of the Somali government. The increased SNA effort against al Shabaab has apparently paid off with more surrenders of veteran al Shabaab members including prominent leaders. Somalia has been in a state of war for three decades and if the foreign aid and peacekeepers leave Somalia will again become a failed state.

March 2, 2023: The United States has offered a reward of $5 million for information leading to the arrest of al Shabaab spokesman and attacks planner Ali Mohamed Rage. These reward programs tend to work in this part of the world where people are willing to risk betraying powerful Islamic terrorist leaders for a life-changing amount of money as well as relocation to a safe place to spend it. Rewards of this size come with added benefits, like moving the informant and family members to another country where they are safe from revenge attacks by al Shabaab. The informant rewards program has been around for over a decade and details of the results are rarely publicized because of the need to safeguard the informants and their families. Despite that, in many countries wanted Islamic terrorists were suddenly found and killed or, more rarely taken alive, there are many locals who were aware of the rewards program and would often note who recently left, along with many family members, for a new home overseas that was not identified. Finding out who played the dangerous informant game and won, as in lived to get out of the country with family, became a popular endeavor. Gossip travels faster and in more detail these days, what with cell phones and contacts in safe countries. This often-accurate gossip has helped the rewards program because it has demonstrated that if you have the opportunity and do it right, you can win big and live to spend the reward. Several al Shabaab and ISIL personnel have been killed in Somalia because of information from a local informant that is rarely identified by name, especially when a reward is involved. Details of how successful informants evaded retribution are kept secret but the fact that these relocations work is common knowledge in the region, especially Somalia.

March 1, 2023: Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya are sending more troops to join the ones they already have in Somalia to deal with al Shabaab violence. Nearly a million of Somalias 17 million people live in areas under al Shabaab control.

February 28, 2023: The international naval blockade around Yemen has been intercepting more weapons shipments from Iran. Interrogations of the crews of these smuggling ships reveals that some of these weapons are ultimately destined for rebel and Islamic terrorist groups elsewhere in Africa. These destinations include Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Central African Republic, South Sudan and Tanzania.
Bigg Boss-16 fame Archana Gautam had to face casteist slurs and even death threats when she requested to meet Congress National General Secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Raipur, Chattisgarh. Congress leader's Personal Assistant Sandeep Singh misbehaved with Archana Gautam on her request to meet Priyanka Gandhi.

Archana Gautam's father had registered a case against Priyanka Gandhi's Personal Assistant Sandeep Singh at Partapur police station. He alleged Priyanka's PA of misbehaving with Archana Gautam and even giving her death threats. He also accused the PA of using casteist words against the former contestant.

Before filling complaint, the Big Boss celebrity had informed about the incident on her Facebook Live, stated some media reports.

The Meerut police have informed that an investigation has been initiated in the case after registering a case against Sandeep Singh in Partapur police station under sections 504, 506 and SC, ST Act.

Meerut's city's SP Piyush Singh told ANI that the FIR registerd against Sandeep Singh is based on the complaint of Archana Gautam's father.

"A First Information Report has been registered against Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's PA for allegedly threatening former Bigg Boss contestant & Congress leader Archana Gautam," the officer said. He informed that the further probe is underway.

Notably, the Big Boss-15's top 5 finalist, Archana Gautam had attended the Congress General Convention in Raipur on 26 February. She was invited in the program by the party leaders. After the program, when Archana asked Priyanaka Gandhi's PA to fix a meeting with her, Priyanka's PA refused to do so. He not only refused to introduce Priyanka Gandhi to Archana but also insulted him and gave death threats, Archana's father Gautam Budh told ANI.

"But, he refused to introduce her to Priyanka Gandhi. Also used casteist words and indecent language while talking rudely to Archana. Apart from this, he also threatened to kill her," said Gautam Budh.

(With agency inputs)
The the Budget Session of the Parliament resumes, the Trinamool Congress is set to raise the Adani-Hindenburg issue yet again. Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O-Brien said that the party would also flag concerns such as LIC and SBI's risk exposure, price rise of essential commodities, unemployment and misuse of central agencies during the second phase of the Session.

We also want to raise the political vendetta against the Opposition-ruled states that also includes holding back funds in schemes such as MGNREGS and PMAY that are crucial for a large section of the vulnerable population," OBrien was quoted as saying.

Days after the arrest of AAP leader Manish Sisodia, several Opposition leaders including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had addressed a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over alleged misuse of central investigation agencies. O'Brien said that the TMC would rake up the issue yet again during the Session.

Also read: Long witch-hunt: 8 political parties write to PM Modi over Manish Sisodia's arrest

O'Brien said that the floor strategy had been decided by TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and the party's all-India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee following a meeting that was also attended by him and Sudip Bandyopadhyay (the TMC's Lok Sabha floor leader). He also said that a consultation with other opposition parties will be held before the session begins.

The party plans to highlight LIC's exposure to the Adani Group and the way price rise affects the lives of the common man. The second largest Opposition outfit in Parliament, TMC has also revived its demand for the introduction of the women's reservation bill.

While the Congress continues to demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the allegations related to the Adani group, others like the Samajwadi Party, the Left parties and DMK have lodged their strong protests against the alleged attack on federal structure and misuse of institutions.

(With inputs from agencies)
SoftBank Groups chief Masayoshi Son made a quick visit to Delhi on Tuesday and attended Oyo founder Ritesh Agarwal's wedding reception. Masayoshi Son also met some prominent start-up founders and CEOs in New Delhi.

Founder and CEO of digital payments platform Paytm Vijay Shekhar Sharma tweeted a photo of himself and the investor. He also posted another picture with various founders in it, including Lenskart CEO Peyush Bansal.

Vijay Shekhar Sharma said, Ultimate joy today, seeing Masa smiling, happy and enjoying his India trip. Everyone of us had tons of gratitude for his belief and support given to our startups."

Ultimate joy today, seeing Masa smiling, happy and enjoying his India trip.

Everyone of us had tons of gratitude for his belief and support given to our Startups. pic.twitter.com/pt33w0AwyE  Vijay Shekhar Sharma (@vijayshekhar) March 7, 2023

No more details on Masayoshis visit to New Delhi have been shared.

SoftBank has been a prominent and prolific investor in the Indian startup ecosystem, pumping in an estimated USD 15 billion over the years. Some of the notable, early bets it had made included Ola, Oyo, Lenskart and Meesho.

In December 2021, Masayoshi Son had said that he believes in the bright future of India and the passion of its young entrepreneurs.
Relativity Space Inc. plans to launch the first test flight of its mostly 3D-printed rocket, the Terran 1, on Wednesday afternoon out of the companys launch site in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

This would be the first-ever flight for the buzzy startup, in a mission its calling Good Luck, Have Fun." Despite only testing it on the ground, executives are optimistic Terran 1 will reach orbit, something no commercial company has done before on a debut.

If successful, it would be the first rocket that is almost entirely 3D printed to reach orbit, and the first to get there on methane fuel  innovations the company says could dramatically reduce production cost and boost the reusability of its future vehicles.

Chief Executive Officer Tim Ellis said in an interview that Relativity wants to prove its 3D-printed vehicle can handle Max Q  a moment during the first few minutes of flight when the rocket experiences the maximum amount of forces and stress.

The ground test actually does technically prove it, and the engineering proves it," said Ellis, a former engineer at Blue Origin LLC who co-founded Relativity in 2016. But I think doing it in flight is definitely a lot more visceral and a lot more exciting to the world to see."

The Good Luck, Have Fun" test mission is set to launch between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

Without ever launching a rocket, the closely held company from Long Beach, California, has created some big hype. Relativity has raised at least $1.3 billion and was last valued at $4.2 billion in June 2021. Its also secured various partnerships with NASA to use the agencys facilities for engine testing. The company claims to have invented the worlds largest metal 3D printer to create its vehicles and says its already sold future Terran 1 trips, priced at roughly $12 million per flight.

Relativity hopes to later scale its Terran 1 into the commercial workhorse Terran R, announced in 2021. That rocket would be able to carry as much as 20,000 kilograms, or 44,000 pounds, and is aimed at competing against other heavy hitters like SpaceXs Falcon 9 rocket. Relativity has already signed a combined $1.7 billion in launch contracts for Terran R, Ellis said.

Terran 1 is capable of carrying as much as 1,250 kilograms to low Earth orbit, the company said.

Grand Ambitions

By 3D printing the majority of its rockets, Relativity says it can be more agile throughout the design process while cutting down on labor and the overall cost of making the vehicle.

85% of Terran 1 is 3D printed, according to the company. Nearly all of the visible parts are 3D printed, Ellis said, referring to the nose cone, the rocket body, the internal propellant tanks and the majority of its Aeon engines. The electrical circuits and computers, and movable parts like rubber seals, are not.

Not everyone sees the need for creating a fully 3D-printed rocket. Peter Beck, the CEO of Rocket Lab USA Inc., has said theres zero sense" in making simple traditional structures for rockets with 3D printing.

3D printing is incredible for highly complex parts, generally when multiple parts have been combined into one," Beck said in a tweet last month. This is when real savings are made."

Ellis said Relativitys goal is to eventually create a rocket that is 95% 3D-printed.

As a nod to how far the companys 3D printing technology has come, the rocket will be carrying Relativitys first failed 3D printed part, from nearly six and a half years ago. We actually found the part in a pelican case, dug it out from the factory, and Ive been saving it the whole time," Ellis said. I thought that would be something very cool to send on the first rocket."

A Methane Future

If Relativity is able to achieve orbit on this launch, itll be the first time a rocket running on methane has done so.

A Chinese company called LandSpace was poised to capture that title in December during its first test launch, but the launch failed. Other next-generation vehicles like Space Exploration Technologies Corp.s Starship rocket and United Launch Alliances Vulcan use methane engines but have yet to launch to space.

Though methane is less efficient than the alternative hydrogen, meaning it requires more propellant to achieve the same amount of thrust, its become a popular rocket fuel choice because it doesnt need to be as cold to operate, requiring less complex machinery. Its also less prone to leakage, since hydrogen is a much smaller molecule.

Hydrogen fuel rocket engines are like the Ferraris of the rocket engine," said Martin Ross, an atmospheric scientist at the nonprofit Aerospace Corp. Theyre very complex, difficult to manufacture, difficult to reuse. But theyve got great performance."

Perhaps the biggest benefit of methane is that it burns more cleanly, producing less soot than another alternative fuel, kerosene. That means less waste during a launch, and less soot to clean out of an engine, making it easier to reuse again. Thats important for Relativity as it wants to make the Terran R fully reusable, with plans to land the vehicle propulsively after launch, as SpaceX does. The Terran 1 launch Wednesday is a non-reusable rocket.

I think any serious rocket company that is really pursuing reuse is using [methane] at this point," Ellis said.

Relativity and SpaceX have each said they want to build industrial bases on Mars, in part for the promise of creating methane fuel by breaking apart the Martian atmosphere into the necessary components. That way a rocket bound for the Red Planet doesnt need to bring all of the fuel for the return journey home. Methane can also be more easily synthesized here on Earth than kerosene, Ross said.

You have to pull it out of the ground and refine it to get rocket-grade kerosene," Ross said. But methane is so simple. You can make it in the laboratory and you can make it in a factory presumably with renewable electricity. So with methane we could be moving to a regime where rocket fuels are sustainable."

Methane first needs to get a rocket to space. Ellis, while cautious, is optimistic about Relativitys chances to reach orbit. I think theres a real shot that we do actually achieve that," he said. This is not a kind of prototype rocket or a development rocket; this is an honest-to-god orbital class rocket that could make it."
International Women' Day was first observed in 1975. Later in 1977, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 8 March as International Women's Day in favour of women's rights and world peace.

Women's rights. and World Peace.

On the eve of International Women's Day here's taking a look at the deplorable situation wherein women are being deprived of what is considered basic human rights. Hijab rules, strict Sharia law, moral police custody death, rampant rape, women murdered chopped up and stored in fridge- this has plagued the plight of the feminine self's existence.

The two biggest global concern now stands on the plight of women in Iran and that in Afghanistan

Let's take a look

Iran

Protests that started off as demonstration against the unjust authority of the Iran Moral police has now changed into a full blown anti-government protest. The massive protests in Iran joined by women and men was triggered by the death of 22 year old Mahsa Amini.

Amini had been arrested by the Guidance Patrol for allegedly violating Iran's mandatory hijab law by wearing her hijab "improperly" while visiting Tehran from Saqqez. According to eyewitnesses, she had been severely beaten by Guidance Patrol officers, an assertion denied by Iranian authorities.

This was followed by civil unrest. In addition to demands for increased rights for women, the protests have demanded the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, setting them apart from previous major protest movements in Iran, which have focused on election results or economic woes.

The Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei government has dismissed the protest entirely. They have called the protest as "riots" andhybrid war" caused by foreign states and dissidents abroad.

Experts say since after the Islamic revolution in 1979, these protests have now posed as the biggest challenge to the Iran government.

Protesters have resorted to boycotts, flash mobs, women chopping off their hair, and slogans to oppose the stringent rules imposed by the Islamist government. The women here have been rendered scrambling for their bare minimum rights of a peaceful survival.

Afghanistan

Since the Taliban rule reinstated itself in 2021, it also established an indirectly proportional relationship with the rights of women in the country.

Every other day the Taliban rules seems to cement monstrous, unimaginable restrictions on women in the country. The Taliban commanders have effectively squeezed women out of the public domain.

Women have been removed from many government jobs or are paid a fraction of their former salary to stay at home. They are also barred from going to parks, fairs, gyms and public baths, and must cover up in public.

Divorces have been annulled, forcing women to go back to their abusive husbands, while women have been banned from universities. News reports suggested that women sat protesting outside the Kabul University on 7 March, as male students rejoined their classes for a new academic session.

The reality, according to some Taliban officials, is that the religious scholars advising Afghanistans supreme leader Haibatullah Akhunzada are deeply sceptical of modern education for women, AFP had mentioned in a report.

As UN terms this gender-based apartheid women have fled and are in hiding in order to survive. The human rights situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating rapidly, and the Talibans relentless abuses continue every single day," said Agnes Callamard, Amnestys secretary general.
China has announced that it will not demand immediate repayment of debt from Sri Lanka for 2022 and 2023 and will expedite negotiations on "medium- and long-term debt treatment" to finalise specifics in the coming months, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

The letter was written by the Export-Import Bank of China (CHEXIM) to the Sri Lankan government on March 6, and Vice President Zhang Wencai confirmed that Sri Lanka would not have to repay the principal and interest of CHEXIM's loans during this period.

This decision was made to help relieve the short-term debt repayment pressure on Sri Lanka and is part of China's efforts to contribute to the debt sustainability of the country.

Also Read: Fallout of Sri Lanka's economic crisis: Long power cuts, food shortage

Sri Lanka is currently facing its worst economic crisis in over seven decades, and the shortage of dollars has disrupted the imports of essential goods. Last year, the situation worsened when protesters ousted a president.

As of the end of 2020, Sri Lanka owed CHEXIM $2.83 billion, which is 3.5% of its external debt, according to IMF data. Calculations by the China Africa Research Initiative show that Sri Lanka owes Chinese lenders $7.4 billion, which is almost a fifth of its public external debt, as of the end of 2022.

The announcement from CHEXIM comes after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on March 7 that Sri Lanka had secured financing assurances from China, India, and all its major bilateral creditors. This development sets the stage for final approval of the IMF's $2.9 billion, four-year bailout for the island nation on March 20.

Also Read: From Pakistan to Sri Lanka: Why worlds riskiest markets stumble into crisis?

The letter from CHEXIM added that China would call on commercial creditors to provide debt treatment in an equally comparable manner and encourage multilateral creditors to make contributions to help Sri Lanka better respond to the crisis and emerge from it.

The decision by China to offer debt relief to Sri Lanka is expected to have a significant impact on the country's efforts to recover from its financial crisis.

Overall, this development is expected to offer some respite to Sri Lanka as it tries to manage its debt and improve its economic situation.

(With agency inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sounak Mukhopadhyay Sounak Mukhopadhyay, who also goes by the name Sounak Mukherjee, has been producing digital news since 2012. He's worked for the International Business Times, The Inquisitr, and Moneycontrol in the past. He's also contributed to Free Press Journal and TheRichest with feature articles. He covers news for a wide range of subjects including business, finance, economy, politics and social media. Before working with digital news publications, he worked as a freelance content writer. Read more from this author
Dressed in camouflage, Zulma Stefania Perez reflected on her first weeks of training at a military base in the capital  and on her life as one of Colombia's first female recruits in more than two decades.

Also Read: In a first, woman officer set to take charge of an IAF combat unit

The physical drills we must endure are the same" as those for men, she said. Being women doesnt make us less capable. In fact, there are many skills and strengths we have that men may not have."

Perez, 24, is part of a cohort of 1,296 women who enlisted in Colombias army in February, when the South American country opened military service to women for the first time in 25 years.

Also Read: Defence ministry in pact with HAL for 70 trainer aircraft, L&T to supply cadet training ships

Colombia has long had compulsory military service for men ages 18 to 24. The army relies heavily on those young recruits to staff bases, protect infrastructure and carry out administrative tasks, while its professional soldiers confront drug trafficking gangs and rebel groups.

This year, officials allowed females in the same age range to voluntary join the military, in what the army says is part of an effort to strengthen the role of women" in its ranks.

Also Read: Turkish citizen kisses Indian Army personnel amid rescue operation, moment caught on camera

Recruits must live on military bases for several months and earn a monthly stipend of only about $75, but some of the women in the new program hope it helps them build a career in the armed forces. They see it as a chance for a stable job and educational opportunities.

I like the lessons we get here about human rights, and international humanitarian law, because thats my field of expertise" said Perez, who a has a law degree but has struggled to find work in the legal profession.

She said that after her basic training she will likely get a job in the militarys judicial affairs department.

First, she must undergo three months of basic training, waking up each day at 6 a.m. and being given only one minute to take a cold shower. She has also learned to run while carrying a 3-kilogram (6 1/2-pound) rifle.

The toughest thing has been to adapt to all of this exercise" she said. As a civilian you live a sedentary lifestyle."

Others said they decided to join the military because being in law enforcement runs in their families.

Since I was small I always wanted to wear this uniform with pride, discipline and honor" said Yariany Alvarez, a 20-year-old recruit in Bogota who has a police officer uncle.

She said she was not afraid of being a soldier in Colombia, where the army is still struggling to free some rural pockets of the country from the grip of drug gangs and rebel groups.

This is a dangerous job" she said. But if we learn our drills and follow instructions, I think we will be able to stand out."

Colombias army has around 200,000 soldiers. Around 1% are women, who until now joined after attending military universities or applying for administrative jobs.

Every year, the South American country drafts around 50,000 men into the armed forces for 12 months of compulsory military service.

It is a practice criticized by human rights activists and some politicians, who complain that most recruits are men from low income urban neighborhoods or rural areas, while wealthier Colombians who graduate from private schools find ways to avoid service.

The new push to allow females to enlist comes as Colombias congress debates a bill that would eliminate compulsory military service and enable young men to replace it with internships in educational programs, environmental projects or human rights initiatives.

Military officers in Colombia have opposed this legislation, saying it would diminish the armys capabilities.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
BRUSSELSThe European Union plans to spend at least $1.1 billion on ammunitions for Ukraine and rebuilding member countries stocks, after a year of supporting Kyivs war against Russia.
Germany is considering banning certain components from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in its telecoms networks, a government source said, in a potentially significant move to address security concerns.

An interior ministry spokesperson on Tuesday confirmed that the German government was carrying out a general review of telecoms tech suppliers, but said that this was not directed at specific manufacturers.

The German government, which is in the midst of a broader re-evaluation of its relationship with top trade partner China, has been wary of expressly singling out Huawei, even while pursuing legislation enabling it to crack down on the firm.

An interior ministry paper on the review obtained by Reuters said that a specific supplier could be banned from providing critical components if it were deemed to be directly or indirectly controlled by the government of another state.

"We cannot be reliant on components of individual suppliers," Finance Minister Christian Lindner told Welt TV.

The review could lead to Germany asking operators to remove and replace components already built into networks, the interior ministry spokesperson said, adding that current legislation did not foresee compensation for them.

"This is a sign that the German government may finally be taking China-related risks to national security seriously," said Noah Barkin, managing editor with research firm Rhodium Group's China practice who specialises in German-Chinese relations.

"But after years of dithering, the German 5G network is deeply dependent on Chinese suppliers. It will take many years to unwind this."

Critics of Huawei and ZTE say that their close links to Beijing's security services mean that embedding them in the ubiquitous mobile networks of the future could give Chinese spies and even saboteurs access to essential infrastructure.

Huawei, ZTE and China's government reject these claims, saying that they are motivated by a protectionist desire to support non-Chinese rivals.

Referring to reports in German media about a possible ban, the Chinese embassy in Germany said in a statement Beijing would be "very puzzled and strongly dissatisfied" if any such decision were taken.

A Huawei spokesperson said it did not comment on speculation and it had a "very good security record" during its 20 years of delivering technology to Germany and the rest of the world. A ZTE spokesperson said no evidence had been produced to suggest its products were insecure, but it welcomed external scrutiny.

Asked about the potential ban, two of Germany's top telecoms operators, Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone Germany, said they fully complied with current regulations but did not respond to political speculation.

GERMANY LAGGING

While several countries across Europe are still formulating telecom policies, only Britain and Sweden have so far banned Huawei and ZTE from supplying critical 5G network equipment.

"The devil is in the details, it would be a major step forward if this included all access network components where operators have made excessive use of Huawei in recent years," said Thorsten Benner, China expert and director of the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin.

Germany passed an IT security law in 2021 setting high hurdles for makers of telecommunications equipment for next-generation networks, but stopping short of banning Huawei and ZTE as some other countries have done.

A new report shows that Germany has actually become even more dependent on Huawei for its 5G radio access network equipment (RAN) than in its 4G network, even though operators have avoided using the firm's technology for the core networks.

The German government was last month unable to answer a parliamentary request about how many Huawei components operators were using in their 5G networks, filed in part in response to the report.

"It's disconcerting that the government only right now starts to do a thorough mapping of where operators use Huawei and ZTE components and that they don't have that information in real time," said Benner.

Sweden's telecom regulator PTS, which in 2020 banned Chinese companies from rolling out 5G, gave telecom operators taking part in 5G auctions until Jan. 1, 2025 to remove gear from China from their infrastructure and core functions.

Britain, meanwhile, wants telecom firms to remove equipment and services from Huawei in core network functions by Dec. 31, 2023, from an original target of Jan. 28, 2023.

The deadline to remove all Huawei gear from Britain's 5G networks by the end of 2027 remains unchanged.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
Pakistan's economic crisis is getting worse with every passing day. As per the latest report, the country's external debt rose sharply by 38% to PKR 20.69 trillion by the end of January 2023 as compared to the year-ago period.

The pkrevenue report mentioned that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP)'s external debt was PKR 14.98 trillion in 2022 January.

The report said the rise in debt could be attributed to massive devaluation in the local currency against the US dollar.

The local unit recorded a decline of 51% to the greenback as the exchange rate by the end of January 2023 was PKR 267.94 as against PKR 176.74 by end of January 2022.

Pakistan's government's overall debt jumped to PKR 54.94 trillion by end of January 2023. Domestic debt has increased to PKR 34.26 trillion by end of January 2023. While the long-term loans of the country increased to PKR 27.51 trillion.

Further, the pkrevenue mentioned that the debt has increased to PKR 24.44 trillion as compared with PKR 18.05 trillion a year ago. While foreign currency loans climbed up to PKR 11.3 billion as against PKR 7.5 billion.

Meanwhile, cash-strapped Pakistan has communicated to the IMF that it has requested China to roll over its $2 billion deposits for another year as the country awaits a much-needed $1.1 billion tranche of funding from the global lender.

Pakistan's finance ministry and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) shared their external financing plan in virtual talks with the IMF to strike a staff-level agreement with the Washington-based lender.

Pakistan communicated to the IMF its plans to raise its dwindling foreign exchange reserves to $10 billion by the end of June.

The total Chinese SAFE deposits stood at $4 billion, and the remaining are due to mature in a few months.

Pakistan informed the IMF about implementing various measures on the Fund's request for the release of the $1.1 billion tranches under the $7 billion loan facility.

It suggested that both sides should now move towards signing the staff-level agreement (SLA) without wasting further time.
Vladimir Putin has declared it a national priority to increase birth rates and life expectancy. Russias post-Soviet population decline is accelerating and Putin wants solutions that do not interfere with his efforts to rebuild the Russian empire by military conquest. Going public with the call for solutions is both a desperate and pragmatic effort to fix the problem. Putin has made open criticism of the war in Ukraine a felony and subject to harsh punishment. It is no secret that the Ukraine War is the primary obstacle to reversing the declining birth rate. Couples are reluctant to have children during a war because of the unstable conditions. Raising children is difficult enough in the best of times and becomes much more difficult during a war. The birth rate cannot be changed with threats of punishment and penalties for those who do not comply. Putin may be willing to accept a reasonable, if remotely possible, proposal for using coercion to generate additional births. The last time this sort of thing was tried was the Lebensborn project in Nazi Germany and conquered territories from 1935 to 1945. Lebensborn had some initial success, with a major assist from a declining unemployment rate, and got the German birth rate above the replacement rate by 1939. In wartime, Lebensborn didnt work because it could not overcome the uncertainty factor, the shortage of available young men plus reduced opportunities for couples to form and become parents. The Nazis also tried kidnapping ethnically-correct children from occupied nations who could be adopted and raised as Nazis.

Putin has a very clear preference for more Slavic children.. That means Ukrainian and Belarussian children are acceptable while those from groups that cannot at least pass as Slavic are not. Putin has another problem, there is substantial resistance from military-age Russian men to military service, even if it means leaving Russia. Women of a similar age are also discouraged from having children because of the wartime atmosphere and severe economic problems because of Western economic sanctions. The Nazis avoided this by looting as much food and other resources as they needed, from occupied nations. There was a lot of hunger but few German starvation deaths. Millions of other Europeans starved to death because of this, which was not a problem as far as the Nazis were concerned. This sort of atmosphere is not conducive to having children.

Putin may be out of options here. He tried most of the Lebensborn techniques and had less success than the Nazis. Putin, like the World War II Germans, has been unable to find a solution to wartime birth rate declines.

About seven million Russians have left Russia since Vladimir Putin took power in 1999. The exodus accelerated when he made his rule legally permanent in 2020. The exodus surged again after Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He described this as the first of several conquests that were necessary for Russias national survival. This is not working out well because increased internal repression and external violence have crippled the economy (fewer jobs) while forcing men into the army to fight in Ukraine have led to still more Russians leaving Russia. The departures are substantial and continually reduce the population and percentage of the population that is Russian.

This is all about Putin seeking to increase Russias Slavic population and rely less on migrants from former Soviet states in Central Asia to make up the difference in numbers. This is worse because the ethnic Russians have a much lower birth rate than the new arrivals. This lower birth rate is similar to what is happening in most industrialized nations.

When Putin became the Russian leader in 1999, there were 117 million ethnic Russians who formed 80 percent of the population. The other 20 percent were various less reliable minorities. That included Ukrainians living in Russia. By 2020 there were 109 million ethnic Russians and 34 million non-Russians. That meant 24 percent of the population was non-Russian. In 1999 the total population was 147 million while in 2020 it was 144 million. Russia added the population of Crimea (2.4 million) to the official total but that province belongs to Ukraine and the Ukrainians are now poised to take it back. So far the war has killed over 100,000 Russians and a about half as many Ukrainians.

Currently Russia is forcibly moving over a million Ukrainians to Russia. About ten percent of these forced migrants are kidnapped children who are to be adopted and raised by Russian families as Russians. That might work with the younger children, but those ten or older have been resisting this forced change. Adults want no part of becoming Russian and that is why many were moved to remote (from Ukraine) parts of Russia. This is an ancient Russian practice and usually does not work.

The Russians who have left since 1999 are largely better educated, more affluent and looking for a place to settle for good. In 2022 over half a million of these Russians fled to Europe or Central Asian states that were once part of the Soviet Union. These Russians were fleeing the surprise conscription of young Russians to fight in Ukraine. Putin was conscripting migrants from Central Asia as well as those in Russia as temporary workers. These non-Russians were angry at being forced into the army and many went back to Central Asia when they saw what was happening. Few of these older mobilized men made good soldiers and those sent to Ukraine were often untrained and poorly equipped. Their usefulness in combat was dismal. Some Russians who fled started businesses and the Central Asian governments appreciated this even though the sudden presence of so many Slavic foreigners was not popular. Many of these exiles plan to return if Putin is replaced by someone who is less lethal to young Russians and the economy. This was in sharp contrast to the 1990s, when many Russians living in these former parts of the Soviet Union found themselves under pressure to leave. Now a new generation with no memory of the Soviet Union initially welcomes these affluent and talented foreigners. That welcome did not last long because threats from Putin and the sudden presence of so many Russians created local resistance to the Russian exiles.

The exodus of Russians accelerated after the Russian war on Ukraine began in 2014 with the seizure of Crimea and a partially successful seizure of two provinces in eastern Ukraine. A quicker than expected Ukrainian military response halted the seizure of the two eastern provinces and that led to a shaky ceasefire and pointless peace talks. In February 2022 when Russia sought to conquer all of Ukraine, which also failed and the flight of Russians from Russia accelerated still more.

This aggressive behavior was not popular with many Russians, nor was Vladimir Putin, who became the Russian leader and in 1999 and after about six years decided that Russia needed a more permanent and totalitarian government under his leadership. Putin remained in power despite term-limits and by 2020 had managed to change the constitution to make his long-term rule legal. Putin has displayed considerable talent for political survival. One thing that might bring him down is the continued Russian failures in Ukraine, which Putin still insists is actually part of Russia. The invasion has unified Ukrainians as Ukrainians in ways that no one, Russian or Ukrainian, ever expected. Despite what Putin said, most Russians considered the fighting in Ukraine a foreign war against a very adept and motivated people.

Putin blamed it all on the West, especially the NATO alliance. Ukrainians were not eager to join NATO until the 2014 attack, now they are an unofficial NATO member and expect to formalize that when their NATO-supported war is over. Between 2014 and 2021 NATO provided considerable assistance to transform Ukraines Soviet-era military into a force that thought and fought like NATO troops did. This meant better training and leadership as well as more flexible tactics. This played a major role in the unexpectedly rapid defeat of the Russian invaders and the superior performance of the Ukrainians on the offensive. Because of heavy losses and the poor quality of replacement troops, the Russians find themselves, a year later, outnumbered by better trained, armed and led Ukrainian forces that also have a lot of combat experience. This is why Putin has resorted to attacks on Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure (electricity, water and transportation). To do that Russia had to buy cruise missiles from Iran and artillery ammo from North Korea because Russian production capabilities could not replace the artillery munitions fast enough.

Despite government censorship and control over mass media, Russians still find out about what is happening in Ukraine. The government suppressed public protests with mass arrests and jail sentences. That led to clandestine attacks (usually fire bombs) 0n military mobilization officers and lots of anti-war and anti-Putin graffiti. Other Russians simply left Russia. That exodus was so massive and sustained that it has clearly defeated Putins campaign to make Russia more Russian.
Several videos have recently surfaced on social media showing complaints from Russian troops who were drafted for Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. They claim they have not received adequate training and have been treated poorly. Many Russian soldiers are said to be suffering from low morale, especially after Putin announced a partial mobilisation in September. The mobilisation was widely regarded as botched, with many anecdotes of infirm and older recruits being called up in error and having to buy their own equipment.

In one video, a soldier standing in front of his uniformed comrades in a dimly-lit room speaks to the camera. He claims that they were drafted into the Belgorod region territorial defence brigade and stationed in Shebekino, a town in the Russian region bordering Ukraine. They were then transferred to the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) in Ukraine, where they were told to "storm villages," seemingly "without orders or explanations".

Also Read: China sending lethal aid to Russia, likely shift Ukraine war dynamics in Putin's favour

The soldier complains about the lack of equipment, communications, intelligence, and maps of the area, and refused to carry out the assigned tasks due to the heavy losses. His fellow soldiers want to continue serving, but only as part of Russia's armed forces.

Another video shows draftees from Russia's Orenburg region complaining that the militia of the DPR had been sending them to the frontlines as cannon fodder. In the video, one man addresses Putin, saying they were told they would be involved in territorial defence but were instead sent to Donetsk and handed over to local commanders.

He claims his colleagues did not have the skills to take part in assaults and had poor artillery, communications and reconnaissance support. He demanded that they be returned to Russian command, saying, "We are in a hopeless situation, as we are considered expendable, and the command is indifferent to our lives."

Also Read: One year of Russia-Ukraine war: A timeline of key moments so far

A third video shows a group of men, purportedly from Russia's 5th Motorized Brigade, also appealing to Putin about a lack of effective command. One man claims they had to use equipment from the 1940s and that "people die for nothing" adding, "we are not meat".

These videos have surfaced amid reports of high Russian casualties in Ukraine as a fierce battle for the Donetsk city of Bakhmut continues to rage. However, experts have said that Kyiv's forces have also suffered large losses.
KYIV, UkraineA year into Russias full-scale invasion, Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko is steadily gathering enough financial aid from the U.S. and other international allies to ensure the Ukrainian state can keep functioning. His new challenge is to assuage doubts about the countrys history of corruption.

Graft scandals at the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and other government agencies have added to calls in the U.S. for stricter controls over assistance for Ukraine, as more American voters and lawmakers are growing skeptical about the cost of financial and military support for the countrys defense against Russias invasion.

Republican members of the House of Representatives oversight committee wrote to the Biden administration in late February demanding more information on how U.S. taxpayer aid to Ukraine is monitored. It is critical that government agencies administering these funds ensure they are used for their intended purposes to prevent and reduce the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse," the letter said. The administrations assurances that the aid wasnt falling prey to corruption sat uneasily with recent revelations of corruption in Ukraine, the lawmakers said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently ousted a string of senior officials after Ukrainian investigative journalists revealed that the Defense Ministry was paying inflated prices for food for the army, among other procurement scandals. The oustings showed that Kyiv is capable of cracking down, but were also a reminder of Ukraines longstanding graft problem.

Mr. Marchenko, the 42-year-old finance chief, said U.S. and other foreign aid for Ukraines military and its budget is tightly monitored, but that Ukraine also needs to show progress in its broader fight against corruption to preserve the trust of its Western supporters.

We can show every individual who has received money from U.S. taxpayers. When were talking about our international partners money, its impossible to steal," Mr. Marchenko said. But our partners also want to see that no hryvnias are stolen from our own treasury."

Russias assault has devastated Ukraines economy, which shrank by about 30% last year. Kyiv is using its own tax revenues mainly to fight the war, while the U.S., the European Union and others have agreed to help cover Kyivs civilian budget deficit.

U.S. financial aid is tied to specific spending agreed between U.S. and Ukrainian officials. The $15.5 billion disbursed so far has helped to pay the salaries of Ukrainian teachers, healthcare workers and first responders, as well as support for nearly two million refugees displaced within the country and welfare programs for poor and disabled people, according to both governments.

Although no specific instances have emerged so far involving the misuse of U.S. financial aid, Ukraines poor general reputation for graft is causing unease as the cost of supporting the country rises.

Ukraine ranks 116 out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index compiled by Berlin-based anticorruption watchdog Transparency International. Among European countries, only Russia ranks lower, in 137 place.

Corruption in Ukraine has particularly afflicted areas such as public procurement, government permits and appointments, privatizations and court proceedings, said Andrii Borovyk, head of Transparency Internationals Kyiv office. The country has made significant progress in the past decade, including by using digital technology to make government activities visible, but there is still a long way to go, he said.

U.S. aid for Kyivs wartime budget is probably well protected, Mr. Borovyk said. I dont know how someone can steal or manipulate money that goes to civil servants salaries," he said, adding that U.S. officials should be able to check since everyone receiving a salary has a name and tax number.

Mr. Marchenko said Ukraines broader problem of corruption hasnt gone away despite the countrys fight for survival. War is not just brave soldiers. Sometimes its also corrupt and greedy civil servants and officials. A lot of people can use war for their own interests," he said.

We need to convey to Congress and to people in the U.S. who support Ukraine, not only with messages but also with deeds, that we are capable of handling this U.S. support," he said.

U.S. disbursements, which are handled by the U.S. Agency for International Development, mostly flow via the World Bank, which combines them with other governments bilateral contributions. Since September, the use of U.S. financial aid has been monitored by USAID and Deloitte Consulting LLP.

Mr. Marchenko estimates that Ukraine needs about $38 billion in budget assistance from its international allies this year. The U.S. has promised around $10 billion this year, while the EU has pledged $19 billion. Kyiv is currently negotiating with the International Monetary Fund about a loan program that would help cover part of its shortfall.

Western financial help is arriving more regularly this year than in 2022, when Ukraines central bank had to print money to keep the government afloat. Meanwhile, Ukraines economy is stabilizing, albeit at a depressed level, having withstood Russias attempts this winter to destroy the countrys energy infrastructure with missile attacks.

The EU is also pressing Kyiv to enact more anticorruption overhauls as a condition for starting talks about joining the bloc. EU leaders formally made Ukraine a candidate for membership in 2022 but warned that the process could take many years.

Ukraine this week named a new head for its National Anticorruption Bureau, which investigates corruption allegations, but which has often struggled to secure convictions in court because of problems of corruption in the judiciary.

Mr. Marchenko said he is pressing his government colleagues to reinstate Ukraines prewar system of online public tenders, called Prozorro, meaning transparently" in Ukrainian. The system, which anticorruption activists credit with reducing graft in recent years, was suspended for both military and civilian public procurement after Russias full-scale invasion last year.

The government said the suspension was necessary to ensure faster decisions and to hide plans from Russia. But the secrecy of decisions created opportunities for corruption, finance-ministry officials complain, pointing to the Defense Ministrys scandal over army food supplies.

Mr. Borovyk of Transparency International said the heightened Western scrutiny of Ukraines government is useful. Fighting corruption in Ukraine is like a sandwich: You need international pressure from above and civil-society pressure from below. Thats when reforms happen," he said.

Write to Marcus Walker at Marcus.Walker@wsj.com
The United States is set to end its mandatory Covid tests for travelers from China from Friday, a source briefed on the matter told Reuters. The source also said that the US will continue to monitor cases in China and around the world.

The source told Reuters Tuesday the CDC would keep that program, known as the Traveler-based Genomic Surveillance Program (TGS), which asks travelers to volunteer to help with early detection of new variants. TGS will continue to monitor flights from the China and regional transportation hubs, as well as flights from more than 30 other countries, the source said.

Last week, Japan too had dropped its requirement for Covid test on arrival from China.

In December 2022, the US had announced new Covid-19 testing requirements for all travellers from China from 5 January 2023 due to surge of infections. It had stated that all travellers to the US from China will be required to take a COVID-19 test no more than two days before travel and provide a negative test before boarding their flight.

China was battered with a surge in cases after it abruptly abandoned its zero-COVID policy in early December, unleashing the virus on its 1.4 billion population. In February, China's top leaders declared a "major victory" over COVID, claiming the world's lowest fatality rate, although experts have questioned that data.

Meanwhile, both are countries are currently a tiff due to many reasons right from spy balloon to Russia Ukraine war to question on Covid origin. FBI Director, Christopher Wray, had publicly stated that the bureau believes Covid-19 "most likely" originated in a "Chinese government-controlled lab."

Wray claimed that China is trying its best to thwart the efforts toward finding the origins of Covid 19 virus. I will just make the observation that the Chinese government  has been doing its best to try to thwart and obfuscate the work here, the work that were doing, the work that our US government and close foreign partners are doing," Wray told US news channel Fox News. After this, the WHO too urged all countries of the world to gather intelligence about the origins of the Covid-19 virus and share that with the global health body. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also affirmed that all hypotheses on the origins of the virus remain on the table.

Responding to comments by Wray, China dismissed US suggestions of a virus leak from a Chinese laboratory. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the involvement of the US intelligence community was evidence enough of the politicisation of origin tracing." By rehashing the lab-leak theory, the U.S. will not succeed in discrediting China, and instead, it will only hurt its own credibility," Mao said. We urge the U.S. to respect science and facts ... stop turning origin tracing into something about politics and intelligence, and stop disrupting social solidarity and origins cooperation," she said.

(More details awaited)
The Hindu community in Karachi, Pakistan, was seen celebrating Holi  the festival of colours. In a video shared by The Associated Press, people are seen applying colours to one another, taking selfies and dancing as Amitabh Bachchans iconic Holi song from Silsila, Rang Barse, plays in the background.

One of the community members is heard saying that Holi is a festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil. People are seen in the video as applying powdered colours on each other and taking photographs.

The Hindu community in Karachi, Pakistan, celebrated Holi  the festival of colors  this past week. pic.twitter.com/flEIEofnsN  The Associated Press (@AP) March 8, 2023

In a separate incident, at least 15 students belonging to the minority Hindu community were injured during an attack at the University of Karachi while celebrating the Holi festival. This was the second such incident to occur in Pakistan within two days, as 15 students were also injured during an attack at Punjab University.

While celebrating and throwing colours at each other, some students were attacked and injured by members of the radical Islamic student organisation, Islaami Jamiat Tulba (IJT). The University of Karachi is currently investigating the incident, as it goes against their policies.

Also Read: Pakistan to lose US financial aid worth billions of dollars If Nikki Haley becomes president

A Hindu girl student, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke out about the attack in a video posted on Twitter. She claimed that IJT activists came and attacked students, causing some injuries and harassment of female students. The student called for the government and the university to take action against those responsible.

The incident at Punjab University occurred when approximately 30 Hindu students gathered at the Law College to celebrate Holi but were allegedly stopped by IJT activists. When contacted by the press, the IJT spokesperson for Punjab University, Ibrahim Shahid, denied the involvement of its students in the incident.

Also Read: Will Modi become Pakistan's saviour and save it from economic crisis?

Hindus are a minority community in Pakistan, comprising approximately 2% of the population. In recent years, there have been reports of forced conversions, kidnappings, and attacks on Hindu temples and shrines.

Despite these challenges, many Hindus in Pakistan continue to practise their faith and celebrate their cultural traditions. Holi, Diwali and other Hindu festivals are celebrated in various parts of the country, often in small communities and with limited resources.
The Sunak-led Conservative government is expected to push legislation cracking down on illegal immigration with a special emphasis on illegal immigrants arriving in boats across the English channel.

In a tweet, Sunak noted that the government is turning a deaf ear towards giving asylum to illegal immigrants. The new legislation, if passed, would prevent migrants from claiming asylum in the first place.

If you come to the UK illegally:



 You cant claim asylum



 You cant benefit from our modern slavery protections



 You cant make spurious human rights claims



 You cant stay pic.twitter.com/026oSvKoJZ  Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) March 7, 2023

BBC's report highlights the UK government's belief that the issue of migrant crossings is significant to voters and will be a crucial factor in the upcoming election. In response, ministers are reportedly willing to push legal boundaries and explore new measures to address this issue.

Sunak stressed that illegal immigration is not fair for British taxpayers. He added, "Criminal gangs should not be allowed to continue their activities, which he called 'immoral trade'.

Sunak further added, Illegal migration is not fair on British taxpayers, it is not fair on those who come here legally and it is not right that criminal gangs should be allowed to continue their immoral trade. I am determined to deliver on my promise to stop the boats."

According to data compiled by the BBC from official government figures, a total of 45,756 migrants crossed the English Channel to Britain in small boats in 2022.

Sunak is stressing immigrants' movements in boats via the English Channel.

Meanwhile, in an opinion piece for the Sun, Sunak said the UK had a "proud history of welcoming those most in need."

The number of people entering the UK via Channel crossings surged to over 45,000 in 2020, a significant increase from just 300 in 2018.

Rishi Sunak has made it clear that every individual who enters the UK illegally will be deported and will not be allowed to remain in the country. Sunak reiterated this message during a press briefing, underscoring that there would be no exemptions or special cases. He stated unequivocally, "If you come to this country illegally, you will not be permitted to stay."

According to the most recent figures released by the UK Home Office, a total of 2,953 migrants have already crossed the English Channel using small boats in the current year. These individuals have originated from a diverse array of countries, including Albania, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, among others.
The smiling sculpture and the remains of a shrine were found during a university excavation mission in Qena, a southern Egyptian city on the eastern banks of the Nile.
Longtime Owner Glen Meadows posted a notice on the doors of Wally's announcing that the restaurant new hours would be Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
The derailment near Springfield, Ohio, just 1,000 feet from nearby homes, happened Saturday, just one month after another Norfolk Southern train wreck across the state in East Palestine, Ohio, put the company under intense scrutiny over contamination that seeped into the small town.
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Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: March 08 2023

Alleged Bloods Gang Member Floyd McNeil Was Out on Bail on an Attempted Murder Charge When He Was Caught with a Loaded and Defaced Firearm.

Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Floyd McNeil, 26, of Wyandanch, was sentenced to seven years in prison after he was found in possession of a loaded and defaced .40 caliber handgun while he was out on bail for a 2019 Attempted Murder charge in Nassau County.

Incredibly, this defendant despite being charged with Attempted Murder, was released on bail, and was then caught possessing a loaded gun in Suffolk County, said District Attorney Tierney. This dangerous defendant should have never been released in the first place. This is a textbook example of what happens because New York law prevents prosecutors from arguing that a defendant is dangerous when seeking bail, which leaves prosecutors without recourse and allows those defendants back onto the streets to continue to commit crimes with no consideration given to public safety. I will continue to fight for commensurate changes to our bail laws to keep our streets safe.

According to court documents and the defendants admissions during his guilty plea allocution, on January 25, 2022, at approximately 12:13 p.m., McNeil, who was out on bond for a September 2019 Attempted Murder charge in Nassau County, was observed by members of the Suffolk County Police Department driving a 2015 Honda Accord while looking at his cell phone on Straight Path in Wyandanch. Police initiated a traffic stop and as officers approached McNeils vehicle, they observed him adjusting his jacket. While they spoke with McNeil, he appeared extremely nervous and again adjusted an object underneath his jacket.

McNeil, who gave authorities a false address, initially complied with the officers request to exit the vehicle, however, once outside the vehicle, he immediately fled on foot. When the officers caught up to McNeil, a brief struggle ensued, but he was ultimately placed under arrest. Once in custody, McNeil told the officers he had a gun. Police recovered a loaded and defaced .40 caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol from a fanny pack he had around his chest and under his jacket.

While in custody on the Suffolk County weapons possession charge, McNeil was also indicted in Nassau County for a 2020 Murder. That case is still pending. In June 2022, McNeil was convicted at trial of the earlier Attempted Murder charge by a Nassau County jury, and was sentenced on December 6, 2022 to 25 years to life in prison.

Additionally, McNeil is a prior violent felony offender from a March 2017 conviction for Robbery in the First and Second Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison followed by three years of post-release supervision.

On September 29, 2022, McNeil pleaded guilty before County Court Judge, the Honorable Anthony S. Senft, Jr., to Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. On February 24, 2023, McNeil was sentenced to seven years in prison followed by five years of post-release supervision. McNeil was represented by Dave Besso, Esq. on his Suffolk County case.
School & Education, Press Releases

By Jacob Alvear Published: March 08 2023

Funding Secured Through the Smart Schools Bond Act.

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the approval of 61 Smart Schools Investment Plans focused on reimagining education in an evolving age and boosting school security. The approved plans, totaling $31.4 million, are part of the $2 billion Smart Schools Bond Act, a sweeping education technology program.

"Inefficient technology was a huge hurdle during the COVID-19 pandemic - perhaps nowhere more evident than in our schools - and our students' educational and social experiences suffered," Governor Hochul said. "This $31.4 million investment will allow students to access the technology to bring them the opportunity to learn at their own pace while providing interactive experiences both inside and outside of the classroom."

The Smart Schools Review Board met today for the 19th time to consider investment plans submitted by school districts and special education schools. The Board is composed of the Director of the Budget, the Chancellor of the State University of New York, and the Commissioner of the State Education Department.



The plans approved by the Board were submitted by 57 school districts and one special education school. Projects include $16.6 million for high-tech security, $7.2 million for classroom technology, $7.1 million for school connectivity, and $500,000 for nonpublic schools' classroom technology and school connectivity. A summary of the plans is available here.

The investments authorized today will help ensure student safety and modernize classrooms statewide. High-tech security tools supported by the Smart Schools Bond Act include entry control systems, video systems, and emergency classroom notification systems. These upgrades are critical as the State and local partners work to bolster the safety of all public spaces.

New technology purchases supported by the Smart Schools Bond Act include computer servers, interactive whiteboards, tablets, desktop and laptop computers, and high-speed broadband and wireless connectivity. These tools help students to learn at their own pace, extend opportunities for interactive experiences both inside and outside the classroom, and promote parent-teacher communication. These purchases are particularly vital in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, helping students to learn and succeed under multiple learning models including remote learning when necessary.

New York State Division of Budget Director Robert Menga said, "As we continue to emerge from the pandemic disruptions in the classroom, the Smart Schools Bond Act is helping schools prepare students to thrive in their academic career and in the workforce. The plans approved today will enhance school security to keep children safe, while providing the technology and enhanced tools of a modern, connected classroom."

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said, "Far too many students suffered educationally and socially during the pandemic because of a lack of reliable technology, and infrastructure to support it. In today's classroom, notebooks, pens, pencils, and even chalkboards are not sufficient, and must be accompanied by tablets, interactive whiteboards, and other new tools. Technology is constantly evolving, and so should our schools' use of technology to teach. For nearly a decade, the Smart Schools Bond Act has enhanced digital learning by providing students and educators the technology they need to succeed."

In 2014, New York State invested $2 billion in its schools through a Smart Schools Bond Actan initiative to finance educational technology and infrastructure, providing students access to the latest technology and connectivity needed to succeed and compete in the 21st century economy. New Yorkers agreed, as the voters authorized the Smart Schools Bond Act that November.

Following the proposal of the Bond Act, the Smart Schools Commission was established to gather information on strategies for how schools can most effectively invest the bond funds. This advisory commission recommended a focus on expanding robust broadband and wireless connectivity and utilizing transformative technologies. The plans approved today by the Smart Schools Review Board reflect many of the best practices identified by the Commission.
Business & Finance, Home & Garden, Press Releases, Politics

By Jacob Alvear Published: March 08 2023

Funds Will Be Used to Preserve and Expand Affordable Housing in NYC

NEW YORK  New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced she has secured nearly $420,000 from two Brooklyn landlords who ran an illegal single-room occupancy (SRO) rental business out of 881 Condominium, a building in Brooklyns Sunset Park neighborhood. Attorney General James reached a settlement with Ray Qi Wang Huang, Bao Qing Tang, and their company 758 Realty LLC (758 Realty) for illegally renting condo units and single rooms to non-purchasers, often without leases and for less than 30 days, in violation of the New York State Multiple Dwelling Law, and repeatedly lying to the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) in offering plans and related filings in violation of the Martin Act. As a result of the settlement announced today, Huang, Tang, and 758 Realty will correct all paperwork related to 881 Condominium, provide current tenants with rent-stabilized leases, and pay $420,000 to preserve affordable housing in New York City.

While New Yorkers were struggling to find safe, stable, and affordable housing where they could thrive, Ray Huang and Bao Tang were looking for new ways to cheat the system, only looking out for themselves and their own bottom line, said Attorney General James. I have always fought for tenants best interests, and I will not allow delinquent property owners to take advantage of their neighbors. My office will continue to stand up for tenants and will ensure these individuals and any other bad actors are held accountable.

In April 2017, Huang and Tang submitted an offering plan to OAG for the sale of ten residential units, two commercial units, and three parking spaces in a newly constructed condo at 881 54th Street in Brooklyn. In the paperwork filed with OAG, Huang and Tang represented that the building was vacant, and units would be offered for sale as condo units. Instead, before the offering plan was accepted for filing, Huang and Tang began to receive rental payments from tenants occupying residential units in the building and tenants renting illegal SROs, or individual rooms within units in the building. These tenants paid rent in cash, were not provided written leases, and often rented for less than 30 days, constituting illegal short-term rentals.

Huang and Tang never informed OAG that tenants were living in the building, instead they continued to represent that the building was vacant. They repeatedly provided false information to OAG and submitted multiple affidavits lying about the buildings occupancy status, claiming in 2020 that a squatter had moved in, and later that same year representing through their lawyer that only three tenants currently lived in the building. An investigation revealed that many more tenants had lived in the building at various times since 2018.

In addition to misrepresentations to OAG, Huang and Tang lied to the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to secure a tax exemption. In their application for 421-a benefits to HPD, they claimed the building would be a condo. Once they started renting units in the building before the offering plan was accepted for filing, they were then required to update their application with HPD to characterize the building as a rent-stabilized rental building, as well as register the units with New York Homes and Community Renewal (HCR). Huang and Tang did not comply, nor did they offer the tenants the protections of rent stabilization. Huang and Tang continued to receive 421-a benefits under these false pretenses.

As a result of todays agreement, Huang and Tang will pay $355,000 in penalties and $64,500 in disgorgement of rent received since 2018, for a total payment of $419,500 to Attorney General James Affordable Housing Fund with HPD, which finances the preservation and creation of affordable housing in New York City. Huang and Tang must provide all current tenants at 881 Condominium with rent-stabilized leases and will not engage in any form of tenant harassment or intimidation, or efforts to force tenants to abandon their stabilized units.

This settlement is the latest in Attorney General James ongoing efforts to protect tenants and hold property owners accountable. In November 2022, the Attorney General sued a fraudulent Brooklyn property owner for selling fake condo units and stealing more than $5 million from at least 20 Chinese immigrant families. In August 2022, she secured more than $4 million from landlords after uncovering an illegal kickback scheme to deregulate rent-stabilized apartments.

This matter is being handled by Enforcement Section Chief Louis M. Solomon of the Real Estate Finance Bureau under the supervision of Bureau Chief Jacqueline Dischell. Former Assistant Attorneys General Carly Weinreb and Kimberley Ver Ploeg assisted on the matter. The Real Estate Finance Bureau is a part of the Division for Social Justice, which is led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Meghan Faux and overseen by First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.
Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that up to $3.75 million is available to expand outreach and engagement services designed to connect vulnerable populations with addiction supports and other health services. Administered by the State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, the initiative is the latest to tap New York State's Opioid Settlement Fund and specifically designed to reach individuals in high-need populations that may not have access to care otherwise.

"We are taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to addressing the opioid crisis across New York State, including in underserved areas that are lacking addiction services and supports," Governor Hochul said. "The street outreach services funded through these grants will help marginalized populations access the life-saving care they need to break the vicious cycle of addiction."

The funding will provide up to 12 awards of $250,000 to cover operating expenses for street outreach services. The funding will also provide 10 awards of $75,000 for providers outside of the five-county New York City region to purchase vehicles for use in engaging hard-to-reach populations.

The outreach teams visit areas where high-risk populations tend to congregate  places such as parks and encampments of people experiencing homelessness  to offer overdose prevention and education, naloxone distribution, and basic supplies. During these visits, outreach workers also attempt to identify additional engagement opportunities that can help these individuals mitigate the harm associated with substance use.

OASAS now funds 20 providers offering these services in New York, Bronx, Richmond, Erie, Monroe, Sullivan, Tompkins and Albany counties. The goal through this funding opportunity is to establish one provider each in Kings County and Queens County, with 10 others to serve areas outside of New York City.

Providers certified by OASAS and the State Office of Mental Health, hospitals, syringe service programs, drug user health hubs, and federally qualified health centers are eligible to apply for the funding.

New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports Commissioner Chinazo Cunningham said, "We are continuing to work on addressing barriers that keep some people from accessing these life-saving services and meeting them wherever they are to connect them to the help that they need. These services have proven successful in the past and their expansion to more parts of this state will enable more people to access critical help and support."

New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Ann Sullivan said, "Reaching and engaging people in high-needs populations who are not receiving care for their substance use issues is critically important. These funding opportunities presented by OASAS will increase engagement efforts, save lives and help people recover from addiction. I applaud Governor Hochul and my colleagues at OASAS for their commitment to expanding their outreach efforts and access to treatment."
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of share dealings by London-listed company directors and managers announced on Tuesday and Wednesday and not separately reported by Alliance News:

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Hutchmed (China) Ltd - Hong Kong-based treatments of cancer and immunological diseases - Chief Financial Officer Johnny Cheng sells 1.3 million shares at average HKD27.07, worth HKD35.2 million, about GBP3.8 million, on Friday and Monday in Hong Kong. The sale represented about half of his total holding. Hutchmed reported 2022 results on Tuesday last week.

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Man Group PLC - London-based hedge fund manager - President Robyn Grew sells 156,717 shares at 287.77 pence, worth GBP450,992, on Tuesday.

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RIT Capital Partners PLC - invests across various asset classes, industries and currencies - Director Philippe Costeletos buys 20,860 shares via Nisaki Family Trust at 2,005p, worth GBP418,243, on Tuesday. RIT Capital Partners reported 2022 results last week.

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Haleon PLC - Weybridge, Surrey-based consumer healthcare products - Chair Dave Lewis buys 31,476 shares at GBP3.18, worth GBP99,999, on Friday last week. Non-Executive Director Marie-Anne Aymerich buys 19,550 shares, also at GBP3.18 and also on Friday. Haleon reported annual results on Thursday last week.

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By Tom Waite, Alliance News editor

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Hill & Smith PLC on Wednesday reported a steep rise in annual profit as it posted record revenue on the back of strength in its US-focused business.

For 2022, the infrastructure construction company said pretax profit increased by 62% year-on-year to GBP69.3 million from GBP42.8 million in 2021. Revenue totalled GBP732.1 million, a record figure and up 17% from GBP625.2 million the previous year.

Hill & Smith proposed a final dividend of 22 pence, a 16% increase from 19p a year earlier. It meant a total yearly payout of 35.0p, up 13% from 31.0p.

Executive Chair Alan Giddins noted 2022 was a year of "significant progress," particularly for its US business, which now represents 64% of the company's operating profit.

Looking ahead, Chair Giddins said Hill & Smith is "well positioned for the longer term."

The company added: "The benefits of our agile, autonomous operating model provide the board with confidence that Hill & Smith will continue to make good progress in 2023, despite the macro-economic headwinds."

Separately, the firm said it completed the acquisition of the business and assets of Korns Galvanizing Co Inc for USD11.3 million. Korns is based in Johnstown in the US state of Pennsylvania. It has a single site specialising in spin galvanizing and generated revenue of USD5.5 million in 2022.

Hill & Smith added that Korns' operating profit margin is "modestly below the divisional average" but said it expects this to improve as its own operating model is adopted.

Hill & Smith shares fell 4.1% to 1,356.51 pence each on Wednesday morning in London.

By Tom Budszus, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Hiscox Ltd on Wednesday reported its highest underwriting profit since 2015 but a steep drop in annual profit, as its chair, Roberts Childs, announced his retirement.

In 2022, the Hamilton, Bermuda-based insurer reported a pretax profit of USD44 million, down sharply from USD190.8 million in 2021.

The company suffered an investment result loss of USD187.3 million compared to a profit of USD51.2 million a year earlier, as a result of "unrealised mark-to-market losses in our bond portfolio which are expected to unwind as the bonds mature", it said.

Gross premiums written totalled USD4.42 billion, up from USD4.27 billion, while net premiums earned totalled USD2.928 billion, up slightly from USD2.919 billion. Jefferies had previously anticipated gross written premiums of USD4.49 billion.

Underwriting profit totalled USD269.5 million, up from USD215.6 million in 2021. Hiscox said this was its highest since 2015, notwithstanding another year of elevated large natural catastrophe and man-made losses.

Looking forward, Chief Executive Aki Hussain said the outlook for 2023 was "very positive" thanks to "favourable" market conditions in all its key markets.

He said: "I am very pleased with the progress made across the group during 2022, as we delivered the strongest underwriting result in seven years. The outlook for 2023 is very positive. We are facing favourable market conditions in all of our key markets; our talented teams supported by a strong balance sheet and financial flexibility are set to make the most of the significant opportunities ahead."

Hiscox declared a final dividend of 24.0 cents per share, taking the total dividend to 36.0 cents, up 4.3% from 34.5 cents in 2021.

Separately, Hiscox announced that Childs will step down as chair during 2023. He joined the company ins 1986.

The company has began a process to identify his successor. The process will be led by Senior Independent Director Colin Keogh.

Childs said: "It has been a privilege to lead the board and be part of Hiscox's journey over the past 37 years. Hiscox has a strong management team, and is well-positioned to grow and deliver for customers around the world. When the time comes, I will leave knowing that Hiscox is in great shape with huge opportunities ahead of it."

Shares were up 1.2% at 1,086.00 pence each on Wednesday morning in London.

By Xindi Wei, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Wednesday and Tuesday not separately reported by Alliance News:

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Poolbeg Pharma PLC - London-based infectious disease-focused biopharmaceutical company - granted US Patent & Trademark Office patent for methods of treating hypercytokinaemia using POLB 001. Hypercytokinaemia refers to an immune system reaction which sees the body release too many cytokines too fast. It is also known as a cytokine storm.

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Resolute Mining Ltd - gold miner, developer, and explorer - Says mineral resource increases by 1.7 million ounces to 11.2 million ounces of gold, "after accounting for the effects of mining depletion, improved productivities underground and exploration success". "The continued success of the drilling program at Syama North over the second half of 2022 exceeded our expectations," Chief Executive Officer Terry Holohan says.

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Predator Oil & Gas Holdings PLC - oil and gas company with operations in Trinidad, Morocco and Ireland - Long-form legal documentation entered into with Challenger Energy Group PLC for acquisition of T-Rex Trinidad Ltd. Challenger owns 84% stake in T-Rex. Challenger has option to repurchase 25% stake. Predator pays USD2 million in cash in two USD1 million instalments. Further USD1 million will be payable when Cory Moruga field production first reaches 100 barrels of oil per day. The deal may end up being worth USD9 million in total.

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Neometals Ltd - minerals and materials project development company - Hails "strong" feasibility study results for vanadium recovery project. Study shows pretax net present value at 10% discount of USD323 million. Vanadium oxide could average 19.1 million pounds per year, study suggests.

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Chariot Ltd - Africa-focused transitional energy company - Completes the front-end engineering and design on the key components of its flagship Anchois gas development project, offshore Morocco. Chariot holds a 75% interest and operatorship in the gas field. Adds that engineering, procurement and construction commercial proposals have been requested, and other technical work is progressing. Chief Executive Adonis Pouroulis says: "The conclusion of the FEED stage, largely performed by the Subsea Integration Alliance, is an important step in defining the initial development plan to deliver gas to our anchor customers."

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Ariana Resources PLC - mineral exploration and development company with gold mining interests in Europe - Updates on Venus Minerals Ltd's plans to float in London. Ariana says its stake in Venus will increase to 58% after the conversion of an existing loan of GBP500,000 and an additional loan of GBP200,000. Says Venus portfolio has several drill-ready targets, including the Margi Prospect and Troulli prospect at the Mariner project in eastern Cyprus.

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Afentra PLC - Africa-focused energy company - Plans to acquire 4% stake in INA-Industrija DD taking longer than expected due to "documentation delays". "Completion is still expected to occur ahead of the INA Acquisition SPA long stop date of 17 April 2023," Afentra adds. In addition, says remaining conditions needed to seal purchase of non-operating interests in Block 3/05 and Block 2 in offshore Angola now expected to occur after longstop date of March 31. "We are therefore working, together with Sonangol, to extend the long stop date for the Sonangol acquisition from 31 March 2023 to 30 June 2023 in order to facilitate completion," company adds.

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San Leon Energy PLC - Nigeria-focused oil and gas production, development and exploration company - Says 11% economic interest in OML 18 in Nigeria unaffected by doubts on asset's operatorship. Statement on Nigerian Petroleum Development Co Ltd website from non-operating partners of OML 18 removed Eroton Exploration & Production Co Ltd as operator. "San Leon has contacted Eroton who has advised the company that this purported takeover of operatorship was done without any legal or contractual basis and, furthermore, that Eroton considers that the action is without any legal effect, through both a lack of due process and a breach of the rule of law. Eroton is currently taking advice on its legal rights to address the matter expeditiously and considers that it remains the operator of OML 18," San Leon explains. "The lack of production from OML 18 alluded to in the press has been primarily due to the unavailability of Nembe Creek Trunk Line in the last two years and not to production issues suffered by Eroton. This is an industrywide problem due to widespread and well known crude oil theft and sabotage of pipelines in the Niger Delta."

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SDX Energy PLC - Middle East and North Africa-focused oil and gas exploration and production company - At request of Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Co, SDX subsidiary Sea Dragon Energy (Nile) BV and Energy Flow Global Ltd reconstitute South Disouq disposal deal. Original deal saw Energy Flow gain 18% South Disouq interest through acquisition of 33% of Sea Dragon. Under new pact, Sea Dragon assigns 18% interest in asset to EFGL by deed of assignment. EFGL returns 33% stake in Energy Flow for nominal fee of USD1.

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Mycelx Technologies Corp - Georgia, US-based clean water and clean air technology company - Enters into second pilot testing pact for treatment of PFAS remediation system in landfill leachate in US. "We are pleased to announce the signing of a second pilot testing agreement for PFAS remediation in the United States so far this year. We are firmly focused on expanding our footprint in the PFAS remediation market in 2023, and this is further evidence of us delivering on this objective," Chief Executive Connie Mixon says.

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MGC Pharmaceuticals Ltd - Perth, Australia-based medicinal cannabis company - Says USD500,000 funding request has been approved under USD10 million convertible securities financing facility with Mercer Street Global Opportunity Fund LLC. Will issue 550,000 convertible notes to Mercer. "The USD500,000 of funds received from Mercer will be used as working capital to fund MGC's ongoing operations, including its clinical trial programme," MGC says.

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By Eric Cunha, Alliance News news editor

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - Vodafone Group PLC on Wednesday said it has completed the sale of 50% of its German fibre-to-the-home company to Altice Ltd as part of a joint venture.

The Berkshire, England-based telecommunications company said the JV, which received European Commission approval in February, will see FibreCo deploy fibre-to-the-home to about seven million homes in Germany over six years.

Vodafone said FibreCo will invest around EUR7 billion, to be partly financed by debt, which will be non-recourse to Vodafone and Altice. Debt facilities of EUR4.6 billion have been arranged to support the deployment of FibreCo's fibre network.

Vodafone will receive EUR1.2 billion in cash as part of the transaction, including EUR120.0 million upfront, the company had said back in October.

Vodafone shares were down 0.6% trading at 98.11 pence per share on Wednesday morning in London.

By Harvey Dorset, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
LIVONIA, MICH.  Mary Philimona, president of the Black Student Union organization, fellow students, and their advisors, Jesse Cox and Mercedes Williams visited the Solanus Casey Center, on Feb. 24. The students, from Detroit, Gary, Indiana, and Chicago spoke to a gathering of some 60 people; each shared their story of dealing with racism.

Sr. Janet talked about racism as a sin and the need for white people to address power, and fix the systems that keep racism alive, i.e. legislation and education.

This was an outstanding opportunity to engage with the Capuchin priests and secular Franciscans. Photos are of the students and advisors.
Manchester, VT (05254)

Today

Mostly cloudy with some showers after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with some showers after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
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Chinas current flu infection remains at the level of seasonal disease like before COVID: CDC chief epidemiologist

(Global Times) 13:50, March 08, 2023

Chinas current flu infection still remains at the level of a seasonal flu like in previous years before the COVID-19 epidemic, Wu Zunyou, chief epidemiologist of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), said on Tuesday in response to the publics concerns over the current influenza spreading that shows an upward trend.

The annual influenza outbreak has entered its high level lately with the influenza A (H1N1) virus sweeping across the country in a matter of weeks, bringing up the proportion of influenza-like illnesses in both southern and northern areas. A total of 390 influenza-like illness outbreaks were reported nationwide during the eighth week of 2023 between February 20 and 26.

The alternating seasons of winter and spring is a period with high incidence of respiratory infectious diseases when influenza cases in China show an upward trend, Wu said in a Sina Weibo post on Tuesday.

Wu said that monitoring data from the sentinel hospitals nationwide set up by the China CDC shows that among influenza-like illness cases with the major indicator of a temperature above 38 C accompanied by cough or sore throat, the positive rates of infections with influenza virus have risen significantly in recent weeks from 0.7 percent between January 30 and February 5 to 4.1 percent between February 6 and February 12. The positive rates of influenza virus continued to rise to 14.3 percent between February 13 and 19 and further rose to 25.1 percent between February 20 and 26.

Based on that trend, Wu predicted that the flu epidemic will continue for a couple of weeks but compared with the situation in the same period before the COVID-19 epidemic, Chinas current flu epidemic is still at the level of a seasonal flu.

He explained that the prevention measures against COVID-19 in the past three years also prevented the spreading of influenza, which led to the decreased immunity of the population toward influenza and provided favorable conditions for the spreading of the virus.

He also noted that there is no cross-protection against each other between COVID-19 and influenza thus infection of COVID-19 recently would not protect people from contracting the influenza viruses.

In terms of the COVID-19 epidemic, Wu said that the current epidemic situation presents the smearing phenomenon of the nationwide epidemic with the main characteristics of low-level prevalence with sporadic cases and local clusters of cases. Over the past week, the daily number of positive infections for COVID-19 remained over 10,000.

Based on the global COVID-19 situation and the monitoring on mutated strains of the virus, as well as Chinas tracing and observation on these mutant strains, Wu thinks they will not cause a new wave of COVID-19 in the near future.

According to China CDC, monitoring on the mutants of the viral strains shows that all the prevalent variants in China since December 1, 2022 are Omicron variants of 44 lineages. The predominant lineages are BA.5.2.48 (60.0 percent) and BF.7.14 (29.2 percent). Besides, the composition of the predominant strains in cases reported in February is basically consistent with that in December 2022 and January this year.

China CDC also detected 30 mutant strains that have to be attached great importance to, including XBB.1, XBB.1.5, XBB.1.5.5, XBB.1.9, BQ.1, BQ.1.1, BQ.1.1.17, BQ.1.2 and BQ.1.8.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Opioids were responsible for more than half of all fatal poisonings in children ages 5 and younger, more than double the proportion of fatal poisonings caused by opioids in 2005, according to researchers from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, underscore the need for improved intervention to prevent further fatal poisonings.



Current Trend in Fatal Opioid Poisonings Among Children

More than half of all reported poisonings affect children ages 5 and younger and have the highest rate of emergency department visits for unintentional drug-related poisonings. While child-resistant packaging for many medicines has decreased the number of unintentional fatal poisonings, the escalating opioid epidemic in the United States has contributed to recent child poisoning deaths.Studying fatal poisonings in young children on a broad scale in the U.S. has been challenging for researchers. Every state conducts child death reviews, which investigate how and why these deaths happen and what steps can be taken to prevent them.
The Phillies announced that theyve acquired lefty Cristopher Sanchez from the Rays in exchange for minor league infielder Curtis Mead. Sanchez has been selected to the 40-man roster, per the team, as have three other players: right-hander Mauricio Llovera and left-handers Garrett Cleavinger and JoJo Romero.

The 22-year-old Sanchez had been with the Rays since they signed him out of the Dominican Republic in 2013. He has pitched almost exclusively in the low minors since then, and is now coming off a season in which he threw 34 innings of 1.85 ERA ball with 9.53 K/9, 3.44 BB/9 and a 54.1 percent ground-ball rate at the Single-A level.

The Australian-born Mead, 19, signed with the Phillies since May 2018. He impressed over 175 plate appearances in 2019 at the rookie level, where he batted .285/.351/.462 and hit four home runs.
Ghanaian actress-cum-musician, Efia Odo, has rubbished Fred Nuamah's political ambition to contest John Dumelo on the ticket of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the Ayawaso West Wuogon seat.

Efia Odo, on the United Showbiz celebrity show, revealed that she feels Fred Nuamah, the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Music Awards, cannot perform his role as an MP when voted to represent constituents at Ayawaso West Wuogon.

Her outburst against Fred Nuamah is a result of his inability to deliver her award plaque after winning her first-ever award at the Ghana Movie Awards, Best Leading Actress of the Year award category in 2018.

I'm not saying Fred is not a good candidate but am saying that you organise an award ceremony without delivering the most basic thing like a plaque, how can you deliver when given the nod as the MP?

A lot more people are complaining about Fred's inability to provide the plaque, its very bad, she stated.

When asked what delivering of plaque got to do with Fred's bid to contest for the parliamentary primaries, Efia Odo answered saying, its about delivery, you start a programme, and the basic thing is when one wins awards, you are supposed to reward the winner with the plaque, but if you are unable to deliver that you cannot deliver as MP.

Actor Fred Nuamah has declared his intentions to represent the people of Ayawaso West Wuogon on the ticket of the NDC.

Ayawaso West Wuogon is the same constituency Fred's best friend, John Dumelo has been doing his possible best to win for the NDC.

DGN online
Government communications team member, Eric Okyei Baffour has lashed out at former President John Dramani Mahama, saying he lacks the capacity to become President of Ghana again.

He urged Ghanaians to reject the National Democratic Congress (NDC) potential presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama in the 2024 elections.

Eric Okyei Baffour accused the former President of leaving the economy in tatters during his tenure.

Worst of it all, Ghanaians were made to endure a painful life of Dumsor for over four years. A precarious situation the country did not witness even in the dark days of military regimes.This was the life of the Ghanaians under President Mahama. How were jobs going to be created or saved? Even Mahamas solution to dumsor was merely an opportunity for his transaction agents to make more money," he said.

According to him, the NDC cannot be trusted with the countrys resources and future.

"The path to the Presidency can not be realized through fabrications, misrepresentations and outright lies, because the Ghanaian people will never accept that as a way to office in the country," Eric Okyei Baffour told Accra-based Original FM 91.9.

He advised former President Mahama to bear in mind that Ghanaians were not forgetful as he assumed. He added that Ghanaians still remember the hardship he took them through during his tenure.

Eric Okyei Baffour claimed the former President would be unable to change the situation If given a second chance to lead the nation.

"The data demonstrate that he lacks the ability to run this economy as smoothly as he says. When he had the potential to be President, he never helped the economy expand even a fraction. He is not allowed to discuss the economy or the exodus of citizens from this nation. Now that he wants to return, we must inform him that we kicked him out and that his performance disqualifies him," Eric Okyei said.

Eric Okyei Baffour said NPP had laid the foundation for the development and progress of the country in the first term and the second term would be used to bring prosperity and progress.
French MPs have adopted measures to protect the privacy of children online. Later on Tuesday, they are expected to vote on a text concerning the health risks linked to overexposure to screens by young people.

MPs unanimously agreed on the bill on the image rights of minors, put forward by Bruno Studer (from Macron's Renaissance party) on Monday.

The text, which must now be examined by the Senate, aims to protect children from the excesses of certain parents exposing them without restraint, in particular on social networks.

It introduces the concept of "private life" of the child in the definition of parental authority of the civil code and specifies that the image rights of minors are exercised jointly by both parents.

In case of disagreement, a judge may prohibit one of them from publishing images of the child.

In serious cases, the way is open "to a forced delegation of parental authority", allowing a judge to entrust a third party with the exercise of the child's image rights.

This law aims to "empower parents", but also to show minors that "parents do not have an absolute right over their image," Studer argued.

Cyberharassment

According to figures quoted by parliamentarians, a child appears on average "in 1,300 photographs published online before the age of 13" and "50 percent of the photographs which are exchanged on child pornography forums had been initially published by parents on their social networks.

Associations denounce abuses, such as those of family "vlogs" (video blogs) kept by parents racing for "likes" by exposing their children, some in search of advertising revenue,sometimes with degrading staging.

Some images can lead to "cyberharassment" or "compromise their credibility for future school or professional applications", underlined the Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti who supported the text "with strength and conviction".

The deputies also began discussing a second text, put forward by another MP of the presidential camp, Caroline Janvier.

It is designed to make adults aware of the risks of excessive exposure of children up to 6 years old, an "evil of the century still largely underestimated by those around young children," Janvier said.

This bill provides for the inclusion in the public health code of risk training for health and early childhood professionals, and the insertion of prevention messages on the packaging of computers, tablets and telephones.

It also provides that early childhood structures and schools incorporate restrictive rules for the use of screens for supervisors.

The text also calls for the insertion of recommendations into the leaflets given to pregnant women and their partners.

Widespread phenomenon

Excess screen exposure is a "widespread phenomenon", with "increased risks of obesity", "sleep disorders" and "high blood pressure", Janvier has warned.

Far-left LFI and conservative LR deputies said the measures should be extended, but their amendments asking to ban tablets in places of reception of young children have so far been rejected.

Secretary of State in charge of Children, Charlotte Caubel said the text "makes it possible to raise awareness even more and even earlier of children and parents, in the services of Maternal and Child Protection (PMI), in schools or kindergartens, but also in outdoor centers or during extracurricular activities".

Last Thursday, the National Assembly voted on the obligation for TikTok, Snapchat or other Instagrams to verify the age of their users as well as the agreement parental for the registration of children under 15 years old.

"These various initiatives constitute a legal arsenal which will make it possible to complete the systems for protecting children online" Caubel said.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang warned Tuesday that Beijing and Washington are headed for conflict and confrontation if the US doesn't change course, striking a combative tone at a moment when relations between the rivals are at a historic low.

In his first news conference since taking office late last year, Qin's harsh language appeared to defy predictions that China might abandon its aggressive wolf warrior diplomacy in favor of more moderate rhetoric as the two countries face off over trade and technology, Taiwan, human rights and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Washington's China policy has entirely deviated from the rational and sound track, Qin told journalists on the sidelines of the annual meeting of China's rubber-stamp legislature, when leaders lay out their economic and political priorities for the coming year.

If the United States does not hit the brakes, but continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailing and there surely will be conflict and confrontation, said Qin, whose new position is junior to the Communist Party's senior foreign policy official, Wang Yi.

Such competition is a reckless gamble, with the stakes being the fundamental interests of the two peoples and even the future of humanity.

Qin's comments echoed remarks made by leader Xi Jinping in a speech Monday to legislators.

Western countries led by the United States have implemented all-round containment, blockade and suppression of China, which has brought unprecedented grave challenges to our nation's development, Xi said during a speech to entrepreneurs attending sideline events at the meeting.

In the face of that, China must remain calm, maintain concentration, strive for progress while maintaining stability, take active actions, unite as one, and dare to fight, he said.

US officials have grown increasingly worried about China's expansive political and economic goals and the possibility of war over Taiwan, and many officials in Washington have called for the U.S. to make a bigger effort to counter Chinese influence abroad.

In recent weeks, concerns about Chinese spying on the U.S. and Beijing's influence campaigns there have drawn particular concern, and officials from the two countries have frequently traded accusations.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a planned visit to Beijing after Washington shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that flew over American territory. The massive balloon and its payload, including electronics and optics, have been recovered from the ocean floor and are being analyzed by the FBI.

Then last week, China responded with indignation when U.S. officials raised the issue again of whether the COVID-19 pandemic began with a lab leak. The Foreign Ministry accused the US of politicizing the issue" in an attempt to discredit China.

And the two countries have traded angry words over Taiwan as China has stepped up its diplomatic isolation and military harassment of the self-governing island democracy that it claims as its own territory.

(Agencies)
08.03.2023 LISTEN

The National Communications Director of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah has disagreed with Ghanaians who are calling for Independence Day celebrations to be scrapped due to financial constraints.

Prior to the nations 66th anniversary, some notable personalities petitioned the government not to organise any ceremony for the occasion to save the country some money.

They say it is better for the nation to use the Independence Day funds to address critical issues such as providing vaccines for children to prevent them from six killer diseases.

Ghanaian actor and politician John Dumelo suggested that the President address the nation via television instead of organising an expensive event.

Greetings Nana Akufo-Addo, respectfully we are in hard times, can you please cancel all state, regional and district Independence Day celebrations? You can do your usual fellow Ghanaians broadcast on tv. This will save us millions of cedis. Thanks so much, read his tweet on Wednesday, March 1.

Former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo also advise government to channel the monies into ramshackle district hospitals and construct schools for deprived communities.

All these suggestions, according to Mr. Ahiagba, do not justify why the countrys memorable day shouldnt be celebrated.

In a tweet on Tuesday, March 7, he noted that celebrating the day is very important because it helps citizens reflect on their past.

He stressed that doing so will instill in Ghanaians the spirit of patriotism as it afford them the opportunity to learn from the sacrifices made by their forefathers.

"I don't buy the view that we should have suspended 6 March. It reconnects us with the inspiration of our forebears to liberate this land from colonial rule.

Its annual observance reminds us of the sacrifice and responsibility to add to the legacy. It's worth it!" read his tweet.
An astute banker, Alhassan Adam, has declared his intention to contest the National Democratic Congress parliamentary primaries in the Nanton Constituency of the Northern Region.

Mr. Adam is among the over 800 individuals who have picked up nominations form to contest on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in upcoming primaries.

Aspirants who have picked up the forms are expected to file their nomination forms on March 20, 2023.

The Banker, Alhassan Adam who declared his intention in an interview with Kesmi News said he intends to lead a transformation drive to build a strong base for the opposition party to bring back the zeal and passion of its members in the Constituency to recapture the seat from the NPP.

He indicated that he would focus attention on human resource development of the constituency when given the nod to represent the NDC in the parliamentary elections and eventually win the seat.

I am ever ready and presenting myself as the axis that binds, set the Constituency on fire and use the flame to light the paths to recapture the lost seat from the NPP having destroyed the constituency with its bad leadership by Hardi Tuferu."

Speaking to Kesmi News, Mr. Adams said his main aim was to introduce and implement policies in the agriculture sector that would contribute to increasing yields of farmers since Nanton is a farming constituency which is one of the main contributors to the food basket of the country.

My team will be providing farmers with equipment and move them from using the age old way of farming. We will provide at least a tractor and a combined harvester for them to stop the manual operations, he said.

He described himself as a development fanatic who is recognized in the constituency coming from the Zhieng electoral area, for his leading roles in the supporting some key developmental projects like schools, clinics and the construction of bridges in some areas.

I have made constructed and made donations to maintain boreholes some areas like Sindigu, Jegun Kukuo, Digu,Tampion Chief palace, Looni, Nanton Bogli, supporting the constructions of bridges in Guntigli and Batang-yili, cement for the renovation Nagdigu Nurses quarters etc, he stated.

The Astute banker when ask why he is leaving Tamale Central for Nanton Constituency after failing to be given the chance to lead his party in 2012, 2016 and 2020, indicated that he was satisfied with the current works of the Member of Parliament of the area Comrade Ibrahim Mohammed Murtala.

Mr. Adams stated that he has contributed to improving literacy by providing scholarships to some persons to study medicine at the University for Development Students and will continue to provide scholarships to Senior High School students.

This has to be expanded across the constituency in a transparent manner, he stressed.

He also seeks to mobilize funding to refurbish and make the Tampion Library functional as it was constructed by the Member of Parliament, Comrade Ibrahim Mohammed Murtala to help provide a solid foundation for pupils.

The astute banker also outlined his vision of enhancing vocational and technical education in the Constituency by providing opportunities for the youth to engage in skills training.

There is the need to construct a vocational school at the constituency and such other facilities so skill training for the JHS graduates can continue, this, if constructed, will reduce migration of the youth to other regions to seek jobs.

"Master craftsmanship scheme, to support in training the youth in carpentry, masonry, tailoring, dressmaking, hairdressing etc will be introduced, he concluded.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye, a presidential staffer and a member of the ruling New Patriotic Partys communications team, has defended former President John Dramani Mahama over calls to refund his ex-gratia.

Following Mr. Mahamas promise to scrap the payment of ex-gratia to Article 71 officeholders, some Ghanaians have challenged him to prove his honesty by returning the ones he received already.

In a TV discussion, a Ghanaian legal practitioner, lawyer Martin Kpebu, told the former President to show his commitment by towing the steps of Togbe Afede, who refunded his ex-gratia back to the nation.

"Mahama should do introspection and return it [ex-gratia] as a sign of good faith; once I have returned the money, I am committed," he said.

In a sharp rebuttal, Mr. Mahama, in an address to some supporters of the NDC in the Volta Region on Saturday, March 4, described the comment as "silly."

He explained that his ex-gratia abolition is a future call. According to him, policies are progressive and for that matter do not apply to the past.

"If the economy is in crisis, why should we continue to take ex-gratia when the rest of the public and civil service does not take it?

"And then somebody who should know better, a lawyer [Martin Kpebu], said I should refund all the ex-gratia I took before to show Ghanaians that we [NDC] are serious," Mahama jabbed.

"He doesnt even know the principle in our constitution that says you cannot pass retroactive legislation and what he says is a bit silly, because its like saying because we have introduced Free SHS, all of us should get a refund of our fees we paid in the past; thats how silly it is," Mahama stressed.

Reacting to this, the former Akuapem North Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said there is no need for the one-time president to refund the money he took some years ago.

He, however, noted that Mr. Mahama deserves to be given such pressure because he tried to mislead Ghanaians with his promise.

"I disagree with the calls for Prez JDM to refund his end-of-service benefits. But of course he brought this upon himself in his attempt to mislead with his comment on Ex-Gratia.

"His insults on everyone are completely uncalled for. Citizens dont seem to trust him much," he said in a tweet on Tuesday, March 7.
An estimated around 100,000 people have fled fighting in Somalia's breakaway Somaliland region into a remote drought-hit area of Ethiopia, UN and Ethiopian refugee agencies said on Tuesday.

Citing authorities in Doolo, located in the southeastern tip of the country, more than 1,300 kilometres (more than 800 miles) from the capital Addis Ababa, the UN refugee agency said it believes more than 98,000 people have crossed the border since February 6.

"We will substantiate numbers," Tesfahun Gobezay, director general of the Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), an Ethiopian government agency which has started registering the arrivals, told reporters.

"This is an area that is lacking infrastructure and social development and of course coped with drought that has lasted for four years but they have shown us that we can still be considerate to others," continued Tesfahun.

"Even before we were able to arrive they were the ones who were sheltering them in their homes, who were sharing the minimum food they are having."

So far, 29,000 refugees have been registered, according to Mamadou Dian Balde, the UNHCR representative in Ethiopia.

"These numbers are growing, and growing, and growing," Dian Balde said, adding they were "women and children mostly".

"They do not have shelters, they need food, they need water, they need medical support and these needs are quite urgent," he continued.

Somaliland borders Ethiopia. By (AFP)

"It's not people who want to stay in that refugee situation, they want to go home."

If the numbers are confirmed the refugees could swell the population of the three districts concerned by 40 percent, with around 236,000 people already suffering severely from the drought affecting the Horn of Africa.

A former British protectorate, Somaliland has claimed independence from Somalia since 1991 but has never been recognised internationally and is usually seen as a beacon of stability in a chaotic region.

Political tensions, however, have surged in recent months, leading to deadly violence between government forces and militias loyal to Somalia.

Ethiopia, with a population of around 120 million, is already hosting an estimated 880,000 refugees, mostly from South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan, according to UNHCR.
During the 66th Independence Day Anniversary parade held in the Garu District of the Upper East Region, Monday, 6th March 2023, the Ghana Education (GES) Director of Education Philip Fredrick Alale is reported to have collapsed.

Mr Alale, was standing on the dais, together with other dignitaries at the Garu Junior High School (JHS) park when the incident occurred.

While the cadet were displaying their drills, the GES District Director collapsed.

He was, however, rushed to the hospital.

A close source revealed that prior to the parade, the District Director had malaria.

Mr Alale has since been discharged.
Around 60 people were killed when suspected jihadists attacked a community in eastern Burkina Faso last month, but no official toll was given, a human rights group said Tuesday.

National and regional authorities did not respond to AFP's requests for comment.

On February 26, "armed terrorist groups invaded the commune (Partiaga), killing, destroying property and taking away cattle," the Burkinabe Movement for Human and Peoples' Rights (MBDHP) said in a statement.

"In the absence of any intervention by the security forces, the horror lasted all day, with (a volunteer force supporting military anti-jihadist efforts) quickly overwhelmed," it said, adding that "around 60 people were killed as well as those missing".

The MBDHP criticised the absence of an official toll. The governor of the eastern region where Partiaga is located, Hubert Yameogo, said last week that a toll would be established "as soon as possible".

The MBDHP, which said the attack caused extensive damage and "massive displacement" of people, called on the authorities to "secure the population and their property".

After the attack, local residents described the "horror" hitting their community, saying the army had left the area and "abandoned the population".

Three days after the attack, several thousand people demonstrated in the nearby town of Diapaga to demand "more security".

Jihadist violence has intensified in Burkina Faso since the start of the year, with dozens of civilians and soldiers killed almost weekly.

In February, after another attack that killed 51 soldiers in the north of the country, Captain Ibrahim Traore, the transitional president who came to power in a coup nearly six months ago, had shown and reiterated his "determination" to fight the jihadists.

Violence blamed on groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group has killed more than 10,000 civilians and soldiers since 2015, according to non-governmental organisations.
The 2023 edition of the Ghana Technical Students Awards would be launched on Friday, March 10, 2023 by Yellow Events, a communication and events organising entity.

The Ghana Technical Sector Awards is an industry award scheme which aims at recognizing and honoring excellence in technical education, industry and technical related fields.

The objectives of the awards, according to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Yellow Events, Mr Emmanuel Kodua is to celebrate achievements, innovation and technological brilliance of the technology sector in Ghana.

He added that the awards is to also reward youths, institutions and industry players who have made significant contributions in the areas of technical education and industry, with a demonstrated track record across a wide variety of domains including innovation, operational excellence, and sustainability, among others.

Mr Kodua said nominations for awards would also be open on the same day of the launching to the public.

He however urged players in the technical industry and students to avail themselves to be recognized and awarded for the pivotal role they play in Ghanas economic growth.
MBABANE  Business Eswatini (BE) is of the view that the issue of energy security and the urgency thereof cannot be overstated.

BE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nathi Dlamini said the issue of the baseload cannot be outsourced any longer, it needed to be domesticated for reasons that go beyond geopolitical implications. As the private sector, we are vigorously pushing green projects that we think would lend themselves to the ministers pronouncements on energy. Equally, we hope this energy mix will be consistent with the national NDCs (Nationally Determined Contribution) that the country promised under the Paris Accord to COP26 regarding the reduction of greenhouse gases, he said.

Understood

The CEO mentioned that the matter of the strategic oil reserve, which the minister spoke about, had not been understood by the private sector before. He said they were pleased that, after consultation with a wider network of stakeholders, ENPC in particular, they were now generally aligned. Given the sporadic and pervasive disruptions in fuel supply this country has experienced in the past two years, and the deleterious economic impact it has had on business, we feel a fuel strategic reserve is tactically important. That being said, we are happy that we already have strong, competent oil companies of international repute in the country, he added. Dlamini also alluded to the fact that mining holds huge prospects for this country, both from the point of view of employment creation and export opportunities; however, he said these prospects were undermined by the existing policy framework, which is not attractive to both local and international investors. The CEO also mentioned that agriculture was one of the critical sectors driving the economy, and continued investment in it is wise.

Develop

He said the pronouncement of the Agricultural Development Fund (ADF) would ensure that they further develop this sector and take advantage of the opportunities that lie within the value chains. The agriculture business sector is led by the private sector and as such, we feel it would be beneficial to have the private sector represented as a member of the committee charged with overseeing the fund, he added. Meanwhile, Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg mentioned that the government, through the Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority (ESERA) has approved the implementation of the 75MW solar PV, the 13.6MW Lower Maguduza hydropower plant, the 3 MW Maguga Expansion, and the Lower Maguga Hydro Power Plants. 80MW of biomass power generation capacity, in addition to the already approved 40MW, has been assessed and confirmed viable for an additional generation. He said the country was also assessing the market for the development of wind generation capacity. All these projects are expected to add to the installed capacity.
08.03.2023 LISTEN

Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has explained their mission in Ashaiman in the wee hours of Tuesday March 7.

The operation, according to the military was not for vengeance but to fish out the killers of their colleague, Trooper Imoro Sherrif who was in the community on a permission to visit his parents.

A statement issued by Brigadier General E. Aggrey-Quashie, Director General Public Relations at GAF, revealed that about 184 suspects aged between 21 and 47 have been picked up and will soon be handed over to the police for further investigations.

GAF wishes to state categorically that the military operation, which was sanctioned by the Military High Command, was NOT to avenge the killing of the soldier but rather to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

Following the operations at Ashaiman-Taifa and Tulaku, the military personnel picked up about 184 suspects aged between 21 and 47 years old and have since handed them over to the Military Police and subsequently to be sent to the Ghana Police Service for screening and for further action, a portion of the statement reads.

The operations also retrieved some Indian hemp, amnesia and other drugs from the suspects they rounded up, the military said.

During the course of the swoop, the personnel seized 29 slabs and 57 mini slabs of suspected Indian hemp and amnesia among other forms of the narcotics, it stated.

The military again acknowledged the impact their operations may have caused some innocent citizens of the community, explaining that they were only victims of circumstance which wasnt the militarys intention.

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) also wishes to place on record that the swoop was not targeted at innocent civilians but was an intelligence-led operation conducted on suspected hideouts of criminals and crime-prone areas in the general area.

GAF however acknowledges that regrettably some innocent persons might have been caught up in the operation and consequently suffered some distress due to the location they found themselves at the time, the statement added.

Residents of the community locked themselves up in their rooms following the invasion of military personnel in the town.

Videos shared on social media captured moments of deep panic and fear as people seen on the streets lashed on their backs.
Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has taken into custody some 184 suspects in connection to the killing of a soldier in Ashaiman, a suburb of Accra.

The military has indicated that the 184 suspects aged between 21 and 47 have been picked up and will soon be handed over to the police for further investigation.

A statement issued by Brigadier General E. Aggrey-Quashie, Director General of Public Relations at GAF, explained that the mission in the community was not for vengeance but to fish out the perpetrators who caused the death of their colleague, Trooper Imoro Sherrif who was in the community on a permission to visit his parents.

GAF wishes to state categorically that the military operation, which was sanctioned by the Military High Command, was NOT to avenge the killing of the soldier but rather to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime.

Following the operations at Ashaiman-Taifa and Tulaku, the military personnel picked up about 184 suspects aged between 21 and 47 years old and have since handed them over to the Military Police and subsequently to be sent to the Ghana Police Service for screening and for further action, a portion of the statement reads.

The operations also discovered some substances suspected to be Indian hemp, amnesia and other narcotics from the suspects they rounded up.

During the course of the swoop, the personnel seized 29 slabs and 57 mini slabs of suspected Indian hemp and amnesia among other forms of the narcotics, it stated.

The military acknowledges the inconveniences their operations may have caused some innocent citizens of the community, explaining that they were only victims of circumstance which wasnt the militarys intention.

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) also wishes to place on record that the swoop was not targeted at innocent civilians but was an intelligence-led operation conducted on suspected hideouts of criminals and crime-prone areas in the general area.

GAF however acknowledges that regrettably some innocent persons might have been caught up in the operation and consequently suffered some distress due to the location they found themselves at the time, the statement added.

Residents of the community locked themselves up in their rooms following the invasion of military personnel in the town.

Videos shared on social media captured moments of deep panic and fear as people seen on the streets receiving lashes on their backs.
A former Deputy Minister of Information in the erstwhile John Mahama-led NDC government, Felix Kwakye Ofosu has waded into the recent brutality on some Ashaiman residents by the military.

He described the situation as despicable.

He petitioned the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to see to it that such brutalities do not happen again.

How can any sane human support this kind of abuse as a response to the killing of a soldier when there are established laws for dealing with murder? he quizzed.

According to Kwakye Ofosu, the level of deployment that went into the Military madness at Ashaiman this morning suggests complicity on the part of the High Command. The Commander-In-Chief must take stern action to prevent a recurrence. This must never happen again.

He added that those justifying the brutalization of Ashaiman residents by soldiers on the premise that their colleague was killed are worse than the soldiers perpetrating those atrocities.What kind of ignorance, philistinism and callousness makes you support such abuse?

This comes after residents of Ashaiman, a suburb in Ghanas capital, Accra, locked themselves up in their rooms following the invasion of military personnel in the town.

This was after some unknown persons of the town stabbed a military man to death in the community over the weekend.

In an attempt to avenge their colleagues assassination, some uniformed military men stormed the area in the early hours of Tuesday, March 7 and subjected many to torture.

Videos shared on social media captured moments of deep panic and fear as people seen on the streets receiving lashes on their backs.
Oliver Barker Vormawor, a Ghanaian lawyer and human rights activist, has joined scores of Ghanaians to condemn the brutality meted out to some Ashaiman residents by military men.

He promised to offer free legal presentations for people who have been brutalised by the military over something they have no knowledge of.

While he acknowledged that the killing of the young soldier by some people in the community was unlawful, he says soldiers have no right to investigate crimes regardless of who is involved.

"I am willing to provide pro bono legal representation to anybody who was injured, brutalised, or even detained by the Military for their stupidity in Ashaiman.

"If you know any victim, direct them to my inbox," he said.

He explained that "We all, lawyers in particular, have a responsibility to ground the rule of law even in the face of institutionalized tyranny."

In a post on his social media handles, he added, "The Military have no law enforcement powers. They cannot investigate crime that occurs when committed by civilians. Even if it's against a Military personnel.

"The rampant way in which military officials roam our streets and decide to take the law into their own hands must be watched ooo."

The write-up continued, "I totally condemn the killing of the young military officer in Ashaiman. However, to think that Military persons can just storm communities and brutalize them in revenge under a democracy is a really, really dangerous trend oooo.

"When we refuse to prosecute them for Ejura and for Wa. We are encouraging many more Ashiaman."

Residents of Ashaiman, a suburb in Ghanas capital, Accra, locked themselves up in their rooms following the invasion of military personnel in the town.

This was after some unknown persons of the town stabbed a military man to death in the community over the weekend.

In an attempt to avenge their colleagues assassination, some uniformed military men stormed the area in the early hours of Tuesday, March 7 and subjected many to torture.

Videos shared on social media captured moments of deep panic and fear as people seen on the streets receiving lashes on their backs.
Women were beginning to hit the streets en masse across the globe on Wednesday to defend rights that are coming under increasing attack.

To mark International Women's Day, capitals across the world are hosting marches, rallies and demonstrations, including Madrid, where broad tree-lined boulevards are regularly packed with a sea of purple, a colour often associated with women's rights.

Marches took place on Wednesday in Thailand and Indonesia, where a few dozen women gathered in front of the country's parliament to urge lawmakers to pass a long-awaited bill to protect domestic workers and some chanted "long live Indonesian women".

With the Taliban government's banning of women from universities in Afghanistan, Iran's repression of the Mahsa Amini protests, new US restrictions on abortion rights and the Ukraine war's impact on women, there are many reasons to protest.

Global progress on women's rights is "vanishing before our eyes," UN chief Antonio Guterres warned on Monday, saying gender equality would take another three centuries to achieve.

Women guides hold placards with a design of their uniform and a message (top) reading "Happy Women's Day" during a gathering to celebrate International Women's Day in Hyderabad, India. By NOAH SEELAM (AFP)

"Women's rights are being abused, threatened, and violated around the world," he added, pointing to Afghanistan, where "women and girls have been erased from public life".

Afghan universities reopened on Monday after a winter break, but only men returned to classes with the Taliban authorities' ban on women in higher education still in force some 18 months after they seized power.

Afghan women stage a protest for their rights to mark International Women's Day, in Kabul. By - (AFP)

On the eve of International Women's Day, the European Union imposed sanctions on individuals and entities deemed to be responsible for violence and rights abuses against women.

The Taliban's higher education minister Neda Mohammad Nadeem was sanctioned for depriving women from university learning.

The sanctions also targeted officials from five other countries -- Iran, Russia, South Sudan, Myanmar and Syria.

Mobilising over abortion rights

In Europe, marches will take place in many countries, including France, where demonstrators will demand "equality both at work and in life" in around 150 towns and cities, a far higher number than in previous years, organisers say.

The protests will focus on the fight against France's deeply-unpopular pension reform which critics say is unfair to women.

In London, the Madame Tussauds museum will mark the day by unveiling a new waxwork of suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst, who began an intense struggle 120 years ago that won women's right to vote.

Elsewhere, demonstrations have been banned.

To mark International Women's Day, capitals across the world are hosting marches, rallies and demonstrations. By BAY ISMOYO (AFP)

In Pakistan, where marches are criticised for promoting liberal Western values and for not respecting religious and cultural sensitivities, organisers have had to fight multiple court challenges to press ahead with demonstrations.

And in communist-run Cuba, activists seeking permission to demonstrate were arrested earlier this year, with feminist organisations instead urging people to join a "virtual march" on social media to raise awareness about gender violence and femicides.

Wednesday will see feminists mobilising in particular over abortion rights following the US Supreme Court's decision in June to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that had guaranteed a woman's constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy.

In Europe, that right has also been undermined recently in Hungary and Poland.

"We are fighting against a patriarchy... that fights ad nauseam against rights -- such as the right to abortion -- that we have won through struggle," read the manifesto of the Madrid march, which is set to begin at 1800 GMT.

burs-mig/mg/hmw/mca
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has said its military operation in Ashaiman on Tuesday dawn, 7th March 2023, where some residents were brutalised and some 184 suspects rounded up was sanctioned by the Military High Command.

The Armed Forces, however, clarified that the operation was not to avenge the killing of a soldier, Trooper Imoro Sherrif, who was murdered in the area by a mob when he visited his parents over the weekend in but rather, to fish out the perpetrators of the crime.

The GAF in a statement noted that following its operations at Ashiman-Taifa and Tulaku, they arrested 184 suspects between the ages of 21 and 47 and have since handed them over to the Military Police and subsequently sent them to the Ghana Police Service for screening and for further action.

During the course of the swoop, personnel from the armed forces seized 29 slabs and 57 mini slabs of suspected Indian hemp and amnesia among other forms of narcotics.

The GAF stressed that the swoop was not targeted at innocent civilians but was an intelligence-led swoop conducted on suspected hideouts of criminals and crime-prone areas in the general area.

GAF said it, however, regrets that some innocent persons might have been caught up in the operation and consequently suffered some distress due to the location they found themselves at the time.

GAF is calling on the public to provide information and support the security agencies in weeding out criminals and miscreants from the community and to desist from shielding and conniving with such suspects in order to curb criminal activities in the country.

classfmonline.com
08.03.2023 LISTEN

Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been told to act against the recent brutalities meted out to civilians by some military officers.

On Tuesday, March 7, Military officers stormed the homes of some civilians in Ashaiman on Monday, March 6 and brutalized them after a soldier was killed in the area.

the Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Ernest Norgbey said on the Sunrise show on 3FM that They can be peeved because one of their own is gone but brutalizing people is not the solution to this problem.

He added I know the men (military men) are coming from Michel's camp. I have called the head there but his line is unreachable.

Commenting on this in a tweet, Chief Operations Officer at Dalrex Finance Mr Joe Jackson said I have several young men I call my sons in Ashaiman. This situation scares and infuriates me in equal measure. The army must be brought to book. Soldiers who participated must be court marshaled and thrown into jail. HE Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo , please act.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister of Defence, Kofi Amankwa-Manu, has apologized to the people of Ghana for the excesses recorded on Tuesday, March 4 when some soldiers launched a swoop in Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region.

The soldiers stormed Ashaiman to fish out perpetrators of a heinous crime, which resulted in the stabbing to death of 21-year-old soldier Imoro Sherrif.

Imoro Sherrif, a Sunyani-based trooper in the Ghana Armed Forces, was found in a pool of blood in the early hours of Saturday near the Amania Hotel in Ashaiman.

The Military High Command sanctioned the operation, 3news.com has been told.

Speaking on TV3's Ghana Tonight on Tuesday night, Mr Amankwa-Manu, who is also the Member of Parliament for Atwima-Kwanwoma Constituency, confirmed that the operation was a sanctioned coordinated military operation.

He, however, apologised for any excesses that may have resulted in the operation.

There were excesses, he conceded. I will apologise.

He continued: Sometimes when missions are being carried out, you get one or two people who are being carried away and engage in excesses.

If anybody has suffered, that we apologise but what I want to put on record this is a sanctioned coordinated military operations.

So far, 184 persons have been picked up and handed over to the Military Police.

The Military Police has, in turn, handed the suspects over to the Ghana Police Service for screening and for further action.

Mr Amankwa-Manu warned that the military will stop at nothing until we get those who committed this heinous crime.

It's becoming [one] too many.
More than 200 prisoners of war were released from captivity, in an exchange between Russia and Ukraine.

About 90 captured Russian soldiers will be released by Ukraine and flown to Moscow for medical treatment, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

In Kiev, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said 130 Ukrainian soldiers have returned from Russian captivity.

Yermak said the released prisoners, included 87 defenders of the port city of Mariupol, which has now been under Russian occupation for 10 months, and another 35 soldiers captured near Bakhmut and Soledar in eastern Ukraine.

The two countries have repeatedly exchanged soldiers, since Russia launched its full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

According to the Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets, a total of 1,993 Ukrainians have returned from Russian captivity. Russian officials did not immediately provide figures about the total number of released Russians.

GNA
On International Women's Day, the Electoral Commission of Ghana, led by Mrs Jean Mensa celebrates women.

The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to promoting equal participation of men and women in elections.

The electoral management body issued a statement on Wednesday, March 8, recounting women's active participation in Ghana's 2020 general elections.

It was noted that women made up 51.7% (8.8 million) of all registered voters and 51.1% (6.91 million) of all votes cast on Election Day.

A statement signed and issued by Mrs. Jane Mensa read, The Electoral Commission of Ghana joins the United Nations and its partners to wish all women a Happy International Women's Day.

We stand in solidarity with the UN on the theme of this occasion, "DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality", and acknowledge the digital gender gap, especially on the continent, and its adverse effect on social and economic progress.

As a Commission, we have introduced and will continue to implement innovative, reliable technology to enhance and promote equal participation of both men and women in elections.

Women were actively involved in the 2020 General Elections, and represented 51.7% (8.8 million) of the total number of registered voters, and 51.1% (6.91 million) of the total number of votes cast on Election Day. We remain committed to safeguarding their full participation as well as that of other vulnerable groups at every level of the electoral process. From registration through to elections, the Commission will continue to ensure that our electoral activities are inclusive, equitable and accessible to all.

On this International Women's Day, I recognize and applaud all women, and pray the blessings of God upon you all.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has denied report that he was supporting a candidate against the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for Asawase Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Mohammed Munkata Mubarak.

The former president's denial of support for a candidate in the NDC primary is contained in a statement dated March 8, 2023, and signed by Joyce Bawa Mogtari, Special Aide.

Below is the full statement from the former president's office:

Our attention has been drawn to yet another false publication by the NPPs Daily Guide Newspaper suggesting that President John Dramani Mahama is supporting a candidate against the incumbent Member of Parliament for Asawase, Hon. Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak.

That is false! While the motive of the pro-NPP newspaper is well known, we wish to emphasize that President Mahama does not have any preferred candidate(s) in the ongoing internal parliamentary elections of the NDC.

Just like the many lies fabricated and published against him, we note that this unintelligent and false publication is calculated to instigate confusion in the NDC.

The NDC has always trusted and relied on the ability of its delegates to choose, out of the many excellent NDC candidates ready to serve the people of Ghana in various offices, the very best to lead them.

President Mahama has no doubt that they would continue to do so without any difficulty.

Unlike the NPP, the NDC does not take the people of the Ashanti Region for granted.

It is for this reason that we have no doubt that we will win many more seats in the region in addition to Asawase; and in the other regions in the upcoming 2024 elections.

The NDC will secure an emphatic working majority of seats in the next Parliament that will support the next NDC government to fix the mess created by the NPP and build the Ghana that we all want, together

Source: Classfmonline.com
In my last article I pondered on the budget and I contended that it was a good budget, a sentiment which I maintain thus far.

I had promised that this week I would delve into an analysis of the likely impact of the budget on the basic life of emaSwati and its impact on economic growth. However, since the Appropriation Bill is not yet public, I am left wanting for data to complete the ex-ante (before the implementation) impact assessment. The Appropriation Bill is crucial for the calculation of the multipliers and its likely impact on growth. Hence this week I will delve into budget monitoring.

Budget monitoring is a process by which citizen groups observe meetings and analyse public documents during the formulation and approval stages of the budget cycle. They do this type of monitoring in order to determine and raise awareness of how public funding is allocated by government. Budget monitoring is not just confined to the formulation and approval stages of the budget, but its embodied through the budget cycle; being planning and execution and post-ante analysis (when the actual expenditure has occurred). This is a call to civil society organisations and interest groups to hold government accountable in actual expenditures versus planned expenditures.

An example of budget monitoring would be asking questions around the E22 million budget for the dialogue in the current budget, the item has not been spent yet E30 million is budgeted for the financial year 2023/24. Civil society should demand accountability on the E200 million COVID-19 allocation; government ought to be demanded to explain how this money was spent and if re-allocated, a proper explanation be given. Civil society organisations and interest groups elected to keep quiet around these very glaring issues. Civil society and interest groups, we need you to come to play and call for transparency and make the right noise. Below is a primer on the tools that can be used for budget monitoring.

Back to envelope analysis  finance method

This entails digging through the estimate books, which are readily available and accessible across all ministries. The estimate books contain actual expenditure and budget information by head (different departments within ministries) for the previous year. A financial analysis of the expenditure items will show deviances (differences between planned expenditure and actual expenditures). It is critical that the deviances are followed as they reveal areas that are either overspent or underspent. They will show where re-allocations have been effected, it is the re-allocations that are dangerous and allow for the mismanagement of the budget, they open up room for corruption. Interest groups should ensure to follow up, even though the analysis and the budget may lag behind the budget and actual expenditures, it gives great insight into the prudence of government expenditures. To ensure that civil society and other interest groups move with the cycle, this technique must be executed in parallel with other budget techniques.

Gender-based budgeting

This involves conducting a gender-based assessment of budgets, incorporating a gender perspective at all levels of the budgetary process, and restructuring revenues and expenditures in order to promote gender equality. This may be a bit tricky in that the impacts of the budget may seem neutral on the citizens, however, applying the gender lens in the budgeting process reveals the gender biases that may be inherent within the budget. It involves an analysis of the capital expenditures, recurring expenditures and transfer payments and the determination of how the budget affects people of different genders, race, age, class, ethnicity and geographic analysis.

This analysis can be done at budget speech level, planning level and expenditure levels. It is important to analyse the wage bill for the proportion of the budget that falls on women compared to men. Social expenditures and transfer payments must be analysed and determination of the proportion of the budget that falls on men versus women. The budget should also be analysed for its impact on the practical gender needs and the strategic gender needs. A budget that focuses largely on practical gender needs is deemed as not challenging the status quo, simply entrenching gender inequalities that exist.

Issue-based budgeting

Issue-based budgeting is the practice of making budget decisions and allocating funds based on the needs of the community. Civil society can analyse the budget and follow up on how it addresses a particular issue pertinent to the society at large; an example is that of pro-poor budgets. In this case, civil society analyses the budget and checks for the relevance of the tabled budget on poverty alleviation. This technique can be used to analyse the budget across the vast spectrum of issues facing society, it can be done ex-ante, during implementation and post ante.

A call to CANGO

As a coordinating body and an entity which is said to have a budget monitoring component, your efforts are wanting. Budget monitoring is not just about organising a roundtable to analyse the budget speech, but an in-depth process of monitoring throughout the budgeting cycle. This is a call to civil society and interest groups to come to the podium.
08.03.2023 LISTEN

A Political Science Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo has said Ghanaians should be applauding former President John Dramani Mahamas pledge to scrap ex-gratia when he becomes President of the country again.

The Political Science lecturer who described the calls on the former president, by a section of the public, to lead by example first by refunding the ex-gratia he received when he left the office of the presidency as cheap, says he is supportive of the abrogation of the ex-gratia for Article 71 office holders.

Former President Mahama said he will scrap the payment of ex-gratia to Article 71 office holders should he be re-elected President of Ghana in the 2024 elections.

Mr Mahama said this in the Volta Region, on Thursday, 2 March 2023, at the launch of his campaign.

Speaking at the Cedi Auditorium at the University of Health and Allied Sciences in Ho, Mr. Mahama said The payment of ex-gratia to members of the executive will be scrapped. The necessary Constitutional steps to do this will start in earnest in 2025. We will also persuade members of the other arms of government to accept its removal.

The public has since been reacting to Mr Mahamas proposed abrogation of ex-gratia, with mixed feelings.

Some have commended Mr Mahama for the idea, while others are urging him to refund the ex-gratia he took as Vice-President and President under the NDC government.

Reacting to this in a write-up, the Political Science lecturer described the idea of ex-gratia paid every four years as nauseating.

He noted that: After enjoying it in the past, I am sure President Mahama has heard the criticisms that have been levelled against recipients and he is now vowing to discontinue such an arrangement. I am of the view that we should rather be applauding such a bold resolve whose implementation would require serious constitutional hurdles to be scaled over.

It appears the discourse on this is being led or shaped by a few greedy politicians who want to keep enjoying the dissipation of our meager resources on the unwarranted payment of pension to themselves every four years. Their argument in calling on President Mahama to refund his already used ex-gratia, to my mind, is quite cheap and disingenuous.

Professor Gyampo, further stated that: I do not honestly understand why in this country, we tend to allow a few not too smart people to lead very important debates with the support of the media. This hasnt helped our democratic maturity and it is certainly a serious affront to our quest to extricate ourselves from the quagmires of poverty and under-development.

The Political Science lecturer, quizzed why Ghanaians did not ask for those who were murdered under the regime of Rawlings PNDC jurisdiction to be resurrected by Rawlings after Ghanas Truth and Reconciliation Process? In Britain and other countries, there were laws that supported hanging and death penalties.

When these laws were abrogated, why didnt people ask for the resurrection of those who had been killed? When the current regime reversed the ECG-PDS deal, the revenues accrued under PDS were not refunded even when they legitimately have to refund those monies.

Prof Gyampo said he supports every move to ensure that we do not pay pensions to appointees and some public office holders every four years. As a teacher, I am entitled to pension only after I retire at age 60.

Anyone who insists to be paid ex- gratia every four years, which is a form of pension, at this time when we have allowed our resources to be plundered, must not have a place in public service. I think John Mahama should rather be commended for resurrecting this thorny issue of national rape of the public purse by some politicians. He should be commended again for pledging to halt this greedy practice.

According to Professor Gyampo, those asking Mr Mahama, who is now campaigning to become flag bearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), and subsequently President of the country if given the nod, to refund what hes already taken and consumed must lift the bar of their reasoning on this all important matter of national interest.

If a witch repents and boldly confesses never to go back to his or her old ways, you dont go demanding that he resurrect the human beings hes already killed. Else, we may be telling the person we are not interested in genuine repentance and change of mind from a negative practice, he added.

He indicated that: It takes a bold person to concede what hes done was wrong and to promise amends. When this is done, we applaud the person rather than asking him or her to go back to re-right or repay what has already been destroyed or consumed.

Enough of important national discourse being shaped by greedy propagandists who always wants a certain bad status-quo to remain immutable because of the parochial personal benefits they stand to gain to the neglect of what is in the interest of the nation.

In his opinion, scrapping the payment of ex-gratia, it is to be admitted, would require quite some laborious efforts at amending a provision of the constitution. But this certainly should not be difficult for a person whose regime supervised the review of the entire 1992 Constitution. For where there is a will, there is a way.

Source: classfmonline.com
Nairobi, March 7, 2023In response to a U.S. federal courts conviction of two men, Mohamed Tahlil Mohamed and Abdi Yusu Hassan, in the 2012 hostage-taking of German American journalist Michael Scott Moore, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement welcoming the conviction:

The conviction of Mohamed Tahlil Mohamed and Abdi Yusuf Hassan in a U.S. court sends a message of hope that justice is possible for journalists who have been attacked, kidnapped, or even killed while reporting in Somalia, said CPJ Sub-Saharan Africa Representative Muthoki Mumo. It is high time that Somali journalists can equally find justice at home. Somali authorities must end the high rates of impunity for crimes against the press by ensuring accountability.

The two men were convicted on February 24 of hostage-taking, conspiracy, providing material support for acts of terrorism, and other crimes that carry potential life sentences, according to the Associated Press, which said they are expected to be sentenced in September. Abdi is a naturalized U.S. citizen and was a Somali government official at the time of Moores abduction, and Mohamed worked as a Somali army officer, that report said.

On January 21, 2012, Moore was taken hostage by a group of Somali pirates while on assignment in the country. They released him in September 2014 after receiving a ransom payment.

Previously, in 2018, a Canadian court convicted Ali Omer Ader of participating in the 2008 abduction in Somalia of Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout, Australian photographer Nigel Brennan and their fixer, Abdifatah Mohamed Elmi.

Somalia has topped CPJs Global Impunity Indexwhich spotlights countries with the worst records for prosecuting murderers of journalistsfor the past eight years.
Omanhene of Agona Nsaba Traditional Area in the Agona East District of the Central Region, Nana Okeseku Afari Minitah III has asked Ghanaians to stop blaming politicians for all the wrongs in the country.

He said they must also blame themselves for contributing to nation's economic crisis.

In a welcome address to mark the 66th Independence Day celebration at Agona Nsaba on Monday, Nana Okeseku Afari Minitah III noted with concern the rate at which people were milking the country in public offices but rather turn around to blame political leaders for corruption.

"We take undue advantage in wherever we find ourselves and engaged in several corrupt activities forgetting that such petty petty things add up to the economic crisis and it affects the citizenry. Brown envelopes are collected at various public offices at the blind side of political leaders but we sweep them under the carpet.

"It is time we see ourselves as contributing factors to the nation's failure and stop blaming politicians for every misfortune. We use political leaders, especially those in government as sacrificial lambs forgetting that those of us in government departments and agencies outnumbered politicians in various positions.

"We must all share the blame and start to correct it if we really want Ghana to be as we expected it to be. We must change our attitude toward work and other corrupt practices.

"Those of us in traditional leadership in the District will continue to collaborate with the Agona East District Assembly in its quest to improve the quality lives of the people in the various communities," he noted.

Touching on the theme for the 66th Independence Celebration: "Our Unity, Strength and Our Purpose," Nana Okeseku Afari Minitah III called for all hands on deck to restore the economy back to its track.

The District Chief Executive for Agona East, Hon. Janet Odei Paintsil in her speech acknowledged the undoubted contributions of Nananom since time immemorial in the building of mother Ghana.

"Traditional leaders therefore remain a very significant element in the society that cannot be ignored, because they are one of the key stakeholders in governance and development.

"After 66 years of Independence, we all agree that our nation has gone through her economic ups and downs but amidst all the difficulties, the Ghanaian people have remained steadfast and always forged ahead with great determination to achieve the economic breakthrough which we so much desire.

"Ghana is a beautiful country blessed with valuable and versatile natural resources coupled with gallant efforts from hardworking Ghanaian people. I believe that until we achieve our economic goals, we won't be complacent and relent in our efforts. The lessons learnt in the process of our economic challenges will prove useful as we move towards our next milestone in the journey of the nation.

"We all recognise that education provides stability in life and the future growth of our country largely depends on it. It is therefore a good thing that we are usually hard on ourselves in that area.

"His Excellency, the President of the nation, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo believes that quality and affordable education for all should be counted as a success for the nation. I shared in this view and it is, for this reason, I would go all out to make our young boys and girls develop keen interest in schooling," Hon. Paintsil stated.

Still on education, the Agona East DCE disclosed that a 3-unit classroom block has been constructed for Agona Tawora and Agona Duakwa Basic Schools. Eight Hundred (800) pieces of dual desks have been distributed to 32 Basic Schools in the District, while a good number of sanitary pads have also been distributed to girls in 10 Basic Schools.

"Our Health sector cannot be said to be the best but it has definitely seen several improvement over the years, and I believe that gradually, we will witness a great transformation.

"This year's Theme: "Our Unity, Our Strength and Our Purpose" are strong words that sum up where we have been and where we desirably intend to be in the near future. As a country, we have a history of peaceful coexistence among ourselves despite the diversity of tribes, religion and ethnicity.

"We have remained indivisible even in our diversity and we can boldly say that what we have in common exceeds what divides us. This has and will always be our source of strength. We look out for each other regardless of our differences and harness all our potential to create a better Ghana

"Our beloved country has given us everything we have in life. We should pledge to give everything we can for the sake of security, progress, and prosperity of Ghana," Hon. Janet Odei Paintsil noted.

A total of 1,240 students drawn from 14 primary department, 13 Junior High Schools and four Senior High Schools took part in this year's 66th Independence Day celebration held in the Agona East District.
Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) has presented five motorcycles and one pickup vehicle on March 7, 2023 to the District Police Command in Fodome for attaining the status.

This followed a courtesy call he paid on March 5, 2023, to Togbega Gbedegbleme Akpatsa II and his elders at the Fodome Helu, together with other commissioners, and regional and divisional heads of the service.

The IGP believes there is a disconnect between the police and the community they are tasked with, and it is therefore his intention to bridge the gap.

"My men and I have so far covered about 88 percent of the communities nationwide," Dr. George Akuffo Dampare stated. "As we have walked the cities, we have walked the villages, we have walked the forests, and we have walked the deserts just to reconnect with the people.

During the interactions, the IGP promised Togbega and his people an allocation of a pickup vehicle and five motorcycles to the police station, which has been elevated to a district status to promote effective policing.

The police were supposed to use the motorbikes to assist with patrols in areas with high crime rates, the IGP hinted.

In a brief ceremony with the chiefs and people that took place at the forecourt of the Roman Catholic church in Fodome Helu, the Ghana Police shared that the presentation is a demonstration of the service's commitment to providing the district station with the logistical support it needs in order to operate efficiently.

Accepting the donation, Togbega Gbedegbleme Akpatsa II, the Paramount Chief of the area, expressed gratitude to the government and the IGP and gave the officers his utmost assurance that the community will work tirelessly with the police to protect lives and properties.

Accompanying the IGP were Deputy Commissioners, the Regional Commander, and a number of Divisional Commanders.
The suspects

08.03.2023 LISTEN

An Accra High Court yesterday heard that the family of one of the two teenagers alleged to have killed an 11-year-old boy at Kasoa have relocated from their old place with the police investigators yet to locate them.

One of the family members was billed to enter the witness box yesterday for the case to commence, but the prosecution indicated that they were yet to locate the witness and the family's new place of abode.

Nana Adoma Osei, a Senior State Attorney told court that our first three witnesses are a family and they have relocated from Kasoa, and so our investigators are taking steps to trace the family.

She, therefore, indicated that they will be calling another witness out of turn, thereby affecting the order in which they intended calling their witnesses.

Due to the short notice and also in order for us not to delay the court's time, we will pray that the case is adjourned to Thursday, March 9, 2023, by which time our witness would be ready to testify in court, Ms. Osei prayed the court.

The court, presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, adjourned the case to March 9, 2023, for the prosecution to call Frank Mensah as their first witness.

The two teenagers were committed by a Kaneshie Magistrate Court in August 2021 after it found that there was enough evidence for them to stand trial for the alleged murder of Ishmael Mensah Abdallah.

The court, during the committal proceedings, was shocked when one of the teenagers 'confessed' that they killed a pregnant woman prior to the gruesome killing of 11-year-old Ishmael Mensah Abdallah for money rituals.

They have all pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder, while one of them who is believed to be the prime suspect and had confessed to the crime during the committal proceedings, pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit murder, but the court entered a plea of not guilty for him.

In all, the prosecution would be calling seven witnesses to prove its case in the trial of the two (name withheld) who have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit murder and a substantive charge of murder.

DGN online
The Minority Caucus in Ghanas Parliament were surprised following President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's rejection of reckless borrowing and overspending in his government.

The NDC side however shouted in disagreement with the presidents assertion.

Delivering the State of the Nations address in the Parliament House in Accra on Wednesday, March 8, Mr. Akufo-Addo said his government has never engaged in reckless borrowing.

He noted that every amount received through loans were channelled into developmental projects such as roads, education and others.

"We have not been reckless in borrowing and in spending. It is worth noting that the debts we are servicing were not only contracted during the period of this administration," noted the president.

He continued, "We have spent money on building roads, and bridges and schools; training our young people; and equipping them to face a competitive world."

"Considering the amount of work that still needs to be done on the state of our roads, the bridges that have to be built, considering the number of classrooms that need to be built, the furniture and equipment needed at all stages of education, considering the number of children who should be in school and are not, considering the number of towns and villages that still do not have access to potable water," he stressed.

For that matter, the President noted that it will be very unfair for anyone to accuse his government of borrowing and spending recklessly.

The president stated that there is even more to do for the nation aside from what the loans have been able to provide.

"I dare say no one can suggest we have overborrowed or spent recklessly," he stated.

The President emphasised, "This includes massive developments in agriculture, education, health, irrigation, roads, rails, ports, airports, sea defence, digitization, social protection programmes, industrialisation and tourism. We can be justifiably proud of the many things we have managed to do in the past six (6) years.

"As I go around the country, I hear the pleas for roads, schools, hospitals, and, as the rainy season comes, I wish, as every other Ghanaian does, that we would have built more drains than we have. And I wish we had the resources to do more. Roads constitute the largest number of questions asked in this House by Members of Parliament; a large amount of the monies we borrow are for road construction. Shall we dare stop constructing roads?"
08.03.2023 LISTEN

As part of activities marking his birthday, the Sempe Muslim Akwashongtse, Nii Adotey Odaawulu I on Sunday March 5, 2023 donated provisions, foodstuffs, used clothes and toiletries to D Rose Foundation in Accra.

Nii Adotey Odaawulu I, a philanthropist and a businessman stated that children at the orphanage need to be remembered hence his decision to celebrate his birthday at the facility.

According to him, he always shared the feelings of the children who do not have parents or homes and called on fellow philanthropists and traditional rulers to periodically visit orphanage homes and support the needy.

The event, which was attended by friends, well wishers and the members D Rose Foundation was followed by cake cutting, eating and dancing with the children as one could see joy and happiness on their faces.

According to him, the donation was a service to God and humanity.

However he decided to use the media to call the attention of others and motivate them to also extend their support to orphans and the needy in society.

Receiving the items, the founder of D Rose Foundation Rosedarling Sowah expressed her profound appreciation to the Sempe Muslim Akwashongtse for his support and care for the children. She commended him for his decision to donate and put joy and happiness on their faces.

She prayed for God's blessings, guidance and long life for the philanthropist and wished him well in all his endeavors.

The Founder and Executive Director of D Rose Foundation, Rosedarling Sowah presented a citation of honour to the Sempe Muslim Akwashongtse for his role in touching the lives of many Children in Ghana.

"We appreciate your kind gesture, the free water supply and the media coverage," she stated. She described the donation as precious gifts which will linger in the heart of the children.
08.03.2023 LISTEN

There is a need for improved collaborations across sectors to bridge the gender gap and ensure equality and access to digital skills in Nigeria and throughout the continent of Africa.

As the world celebrates the 2023 International Womens Day, Development Communications Network (DevComs) calls on Civil Society Organizations, women movements, and other stakeholders to come together for the achievement of the key approaches proposed in several reports upon which the 2023 celebration is based. To achieve the 2023 theme, DigitAll: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality, requires intentional actions from all stakeholders.

Women in Africa and especially Nigeria have suffered all forms of discrimination and denial such as lack of access to healthcare services, business and entrepreneurship opportunities and use of digital technology. While women represent more than half of the global population, they are still under-represented in the digital sector, especially in developing countries like Nigeria.

With the current situation in Nigeria, it has become pertinent to acquire knowledge and digital technology skills due to the numerous benefits for individuals, businesses and organizations which transcends the promotion of equal opportunities for both genders, access to digital skills is also of economic significance.

Considering some of the significant benefits of digital skills; it gives women access to better and improved financial services and enables them to make informed financial decisions, it is useful to female business owners to enable them stay ahead of the competition and exploit opportunities such as in e-commerce. Likewise, women in agriculture can access more advanced agricultural techniques.

Just as this years theme focuses on how technology and education in the digital age can help the empowerment of women and girls across the world, it can enhance gender equality, open up opportunities to access education virtually while also accessing better healthcare systems and healthy life.

DevComs therefore calls on CSOs, NGOs and experts from the fields of technology and innovation, as well as gender equality activists to channel more efforts towards improving access to digital tools and bridging the digital skills gap among women and girls. This we believe, will contribute to ensuring that all people, especially women and girls have equal access to digital technology and the opportunities it provides, says Omobonike Adebayo, DevComs Head of Programmes.

In a related development, Mama Bobi III, Executive member of Progressive Queen Mothers Association, Ghana has called for deliberate women's participation in digital technology which offers immense prospects in addressing development challenges.

"My concern is that growing inequalities are becoming gradually obvious in the context of most sub-Saharan African women's access to technologies and digital skills. Most women in this part of the world are being left behind because of this digital gender divide."

Mama Bobii, queen mother from the Bake clan of Ho Bankoe made the call in an engagement with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) as the world marks 'International Women's Day (IWD)' today, Wednesday, March 8 which is on theme "DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality."

"As a woman, I stand in the gap for all who may not be able to address and have the platform to talk to the critical issues of digital divide and technology's double-edged-ness. The IWD campaign theme resonates with a gender-responsive approach to innovation, technology, and digital education."

This she said, if embraced, would ensure a future where women and girls would be aware of their rights and civic engagement, as well as achieving the 2030 agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mama Bobi further called on all to create a space to talk about what she stated 'why equal opportunities are often not enough in our technology expansions' after realising that the prospects of the digital transformation may also present a risk of spreading existing patterns of gender inequality.

"With equity, we should be able to come to terms with the fact that the need for gender inclusiveness in transformative technology and digital education is crucial for a sustainable future when an equitable space is provided," she said.

According to her, the United Nations' call to observe this year's IWD with the given theme would bring together technologists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and gender equality activists to provide an opening to focus on stakeholders' role in enhancing access to digital tools.

Mama Bobi, who is also a circuit court judge, however, said the theme called for confronting the issue of gender in a logical and commonsensical way as well as avoiding the uniform ways of addressing women's concerns and interests.

She also appealed to women as well as men, who know the relevance of women in national development to have a mental and paradigm shift in addressing women in general terms.

"Consequently, the 2023 IWD theme encourages us to also rethink leadership and practical problems facing women today. As we celebrate the women and girls who are advocating the progress of technology and digital education, we should start tackling the issue of equity in access to technology as well.

I believe the role of a leader is to impact the lives of others positively, and in my case, I am highly concerned about education and communal activities, particularly for women and girls, to enhance their quality of life, she added.

IWD also marks the accomplishments achieved by some of the most inspirational women in society.
The Minority in Parliament has asked President Akufo-Addo to put the interest of Ghanaians first.

The opposition MPs sang a patriotic song when the President ended his State of the Nation address in Parliament.

The songs lyrics, which were in the local dialect, Twi can be translated as: "Let things about the country be your utmost priority and think about Ghanaians in the morning, afternoon, and evening.

"That is what shows you are a true citizen who loves his nation dearly."

While exiting the Chamber, the NDC MPs borrowed a stanza from the national anthem saying God should help them resist oppressors rule.

The songs were sung as the opposition MPs rejected several claims made by the president in his statement.

In the address, the President rubbished claims by the NDC that the NPP government misapplied COVID-19 funds and engaged in reckless borrowing and overspending which have landed Ghana in a ditch.

President Akufo-Addo indicated that his government has never been involved in reckless borrowing and overspending.

Deliberation on the President's address has been adjourned to Thursday, March 9, at exactly 10:00 am.
President Nana Akufo-Addo has said he is proud of the achievements of his government with regard to the countrys road sector.

According to the president, a large amount of money that the country borrows goes into road construction and the subject of roads also constitutes a large number of questions that arise in the House of Legislature.

Delivering the State of the Nation Address (SONA) before Parliament on Wednesday, 8 March 2023, the president indicated that roads have been a priority of the people whenever he tours the country.

As I go around the country, I hear the pleas for roads, schools, hospitals, and, as the rainy season comes, I wish, as every other Ghanaian does, that we would have built more drains than we have. And I wish we had the resources to do more, the President stated.

He stressed that: I am proud of the amount of work that we have done, especially in the road sector. Roads constitute the largest number of questions asked in this House by Members of Parliament; a large amount of the monies we borrow are for road construction. Shall we dare stop constructing roads?

President Akufo-Addo noted that his government has constructed more roads than any government under the 4th Republic.

Mr Speaker, I would like to state categorically that this Government has built more roads than any government in the history of the 4th Republic, and Mr Speaker, the details of all these roads are attached in the annex to this Message, he said.

The president further noted that he had to make details of the roads his government has worked on so far available for evidence sake.

I have done so because, last year, when I made a similar pronouncement, I was met with howls and gasps of incredulity from the Minority benches, and so I thought it appropriate, this time, to present it as an annex to the Statement, which will be part of Hansard, he stated.

Source: classfmonline.com
Sir,



It is not uncommon for a company to have a frequently asked questions (FAQ) tab on its website. This can be a very helpful resource for consumers to find out what a company is about. It is also a platform that can be used to glimpse into concerns that fellow consumers harbour about the institution of interest. That should be enough reason to include an FAQ page on your website. If you do not have a website for your business, go ahead and get one. Why?  Because it is 2023! More seriously  although it is upsetting that Africa has dismal internet penetration (its not just your country bro), one of the lowest in the world actually, you have to consider globalisation.

Reliable

Economic interconnectedness is ever increasing. There could be someone out there with a reliable internet connection (must be nice) who could really use your product. Ntsiki Biyela, South Africas first black female winemaker, exports more than half of her produce to Texas and China. The crux of Ntiskis vineyard  Stellekaya  is international trade. She exemplifies what online presence can do for your business. We took the long way around to get to the first point of discussion, which relates to questions asked around business and finances.

Product

I dont know how we got here as a species; where money is such a huge part of staying alive. Were running to half-baked Forex and Bitcoin presentations nje asitenti. Surely, something has to give. A product that makes money always, at all times, with no exceptions! Conversations around finances are objectively difficult and it is not always easy to answer questions arising there from, but children will ask you even more devastating questions that make how do I pay off my mortgage in five years look like a slice of carrot cake. My seven-year-old cousin hit me with the why do we exist question. Ill tell you, Im not the most religious person in the world but I responded; Well pray about it, baby. I have never seen anyone lose so much respect for me so quickly. I swear, the respect he had for me just evaporated through his big brown eyes. I couldnt answer a childs question! And its not because I thought he wouldnt be able to comprehend the complexity of my philosophical argument or anything like that  no  I just pulled a blank.

Life

I wish life came with a users guide with an FAQ section filled in generation after generation for posterity. If the first thing you read was wisdom collected from generations past, you wouldnt be so ill-prepared for this life thing man. Sometimes it comes at you too fast. Like how we expect high school pupils to make career choices at adolescence. I mean, what does a teenager know  can someone tell me? A user guide for life would avert so many miserable careers with a single sentence: Check your premise and question everything ( frequently).
President Akufo-Addo has said the current shortage of some childhood vaccines in the country is of great concern to him.

This shortage, if prolonged, according to the President, will affect negatively Ghanas Childhood Immunisation Programme, which has been recognised as one of the most successful in the world.

The WHO has only recently expressed worry about a steady decline in measles vaccination coverage globally, because of the concentration on the fight against COVID-19.

In accordance with our desire not to become part of this global trend, Government has taken steps to ensure that stocks of these vaccines are procured and supplied, as a matter of emergency, the President told Parliament on Wednesday, 8 August 2023, in his State of the Nations Address.

The Ghana Health Service, he noted, has developed an elaborate programme to catch up on children who have missed their vaccinations immediately stocks arrive.

Nana Akufo-Addo encouraged all parents and caregivers to ensure that eligible children are vaccinated, once this programme begins adding that No child should be denied access to vaccination.

He reiterated what the Health Minister Kweku Agyeman-Manu said at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, 7 March 2023 that Mercifully, so far, not a single child has died as a result of the outbreak.

He said Parliament has already passed into law the National Vaccine Institute Bill, which is yet to be brought for his assent.

In the near future, he noted, this Institute will ensure that, no matter what happens to the global vaccine supply chain, we can produce our own vaccines locally.

Source: Classfmonline.com
President Nana Akufo-Addo has rejected claims by the opposition political party, National Democratic Congress (NDC) that his government has been reckless in borrowing with nothing to show.

He pointed out that his government has not been reckless in borrowing and spending since it assumed office.

The President in his State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on Wednesday, March 8 said that albeit the questions that have been asked regarding the debt situation of the country are legitimate, there are numerous projects across the length and breadth of the country to show for the borrowings that have been done over the period.

We have not been reckless in borrowing and in spending,. We have built roads, schools and I am proud of the road projects undertaken by my government, he said.

On the issue of Covid funds utilization, the President said that the funds were not misused but they were appropriately used for the purpose of curbing the pandemic.

Covid funds were not misused. It is critical that we do not lose the confidence of the people that the crisis we were all in together was being abused. Nothing dishonourable was done with Civid funds, he said.

He mentioned among other things that frontline health workers were given 50 percent tax relief for the period. Also, he said, electricity and water tariffs were subsidized for Ghanaians during the period.

This comes in the wake of a recent audit report on Covid spending issued by the Auditor General.

According to the Auditor-General report, During our review, we noted that senior management staff and other supporting staff of the Ministry of Information paid themselves a total amount of GH151,500.00 as COVID-19 risk allowance for coming to work during the lockdown.

DGN online
President Nana Akufo-Addo has buttressed the statement made by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that Ghana's economy was doing well before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.

This, he said the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recognised in her recent statement.

Delivering the State of the Nation on Wednesday March 8, 2023, President Akufo-Addo bemoaned the situation some people seeking to take political advantage of the fact that the economy was doing well prior to COVID.

I have said, and the Managing Director of the IMF has also said, our economy was doing well until Covid 19, and Russia Ukraine conflict, he said.

Touching on COVID Fund, the president pointed out that funds used in the fighting against Covd-19 were not misapplied.

According to him, the funds were appropriately used for the purpose of tackling the pandemic.

He said Covid funds were not misused. It is critical that we do not lose the confidence of the people that the crisis we were all in together was being abused. Nothing dishonourable was done with Civid funds.

The president noted that frontline health workers were given 50 percent tax relief for the period. Also, he said, electricity and water tariffs were subsidized for Ghanaians during the period.

DGN online
Agona West Municipal Assembly and the Gomoa Central District Assembly last Monday joined Ghanaians to celebrate this year's 66th Independence Day celebration at Agona Swedru and Gomoa Afransi respectively.

Agona West Municipal Chief Executive, Hon Evans Addison Coleman in his address saluted heroes both known and unknown who fought for Ghana's Independence. He mentioned the likes of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Dr. J. B Danquah, Arko Adjei, Obestebi Lamptey, William Ofori Atta, Edward Akufo Addo and Paa Grant as those who deserve to be appreciated.

The MCE also salute students, teachers, labourers, market women, drivers, doctors, nurses, artisans and everything Ghanaian past and present who contributed and continue to contribute to the growth and development of Ghana.

"Many were those who shed their blood for our Independence and we salute their memory for their selfless dedication to giving life to Ghana.

"The journey has not been an easy one, we have gotten this far through our collective determination and we must not relent in our efforts to move forward in the right direction as we strive to build a prosperous Ghana.

"Today is the day to celebrate the values that have sustained us over the years. It is also the time to celebrate the very essence of our Ghanaian heritage and the things that have not only defined us as a people, but also inspired countless numbers across the world.

"This day continues to be a constant reminder that with determination and hard work, there is nothing we cannot achieve as a people united in pursuit of a common purpose.

"This year's theme could not have come at a better time than now. Ghana is generally a country of peace, unity and hospitality. This has been fostered mainly by the good nature of our wonderful people and our collective resolve to allow for democracy and the rule of law to shape our national lives.

"At no point in time should we take the peace we are enjoying for granted. Our fallen heroes and founding fathers toiled to give us this dear nation and we dare not destroy what they have strived to build," the MCE cautioned.

Hon. Evans Addison Coleman concluded that education is the key that will open the doors of future opportunities.

"The future belongs to you ( the Youth), be it in the area of medicine, law, engineering or entrepreneurship, education is key that will unlock your potential and equip you with the capacity to take control of your destiny. It is important that you work hard and set educational goals for yourself.

"Teachers have a responsibility to inspire you, parents have a responsibility of making sure you stay on track by providing your educational needs, government has the responsibility to set high educational standards by supporting teachers to give off their best, as well as providing the right atmosphere for teaching and learning.

"At the end of the day, if you have the best teachers, have the most supportive parents, have a government that invest heavily in education and you do not take advantage of the opportunities available to you, you will fail to benefit from the talents and potential God has given to you. Remember there is no shortcuts in life. Hard work pays," Hon. Addison Coleman admonished the youth.

Similarly, the Gomoa Central District Chief Executive, Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo lamented over the uncultured lifestyle of most of the youth in the District.

According to him, recent academic records state that girls were performing better in education than boys in the Gomoa Central District.

Later in an interview with newsmen at Gomoa Afransi soon after the 66th Independence Day celebration, Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo lamented over the rather high rate at which some of the youth had taken to drug addiction and other anti-social activities.

He noted that the government was committed to investing in the youth in order to build the critical mass that will not only sustain the development agenda but more importantly move it to higher heights.

"For example, the Free Senior High School policy was introduced to give every Ghanaian child irrespective of social status, the opportunity to attain at least a secondary education.

"I will therefore appeal to Nananom, religious leaders, Civil Society groups and stakeholders to collaborate with the Gomoa Central District Assembly and the security agencies to eradicate these antisocial activities which also affect peace and stability in the various communities in the district," he stressed.
A member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Ghanas Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has slammed President Akufo-Addo over what he described as "arrogance" towards the diplomatic community.

The North Tongu MP noted that the decision to indirectly attack the diplomatic community in the State of the Nation Address was wrong.

Speaking to Accra-based JoyNews Parliamentary correspondent, Kwaku Asante in the Parliament Mr. Ablakwa said, "It was totally uncalled for the President to take a swipe at the diplomatic community. I was very disappointed."

H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, delivering the SONA, reacted to a recent statement made by the German Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Daniel Krull.

Mr. Krull advised the Akufo-Addo-led administration to reduce, among other things, its expenditure and the huge size of government if indeed it needs Germany's intervention in convincing China and the international community to agree to a debt relief package.

While addressing the press recently, he noted that it is strange for Ghana to be crying out to the international community for help but continue to operate a huge size of government bigger than that of Germany.

"I can only compare with other countries like my own, and I can just come to the conclusion that the number is much higher than in my country. So that might bring me to the conclusion that maybe theres room for improvement."

"Well, of course, it depends very much on what kind of expenditures youre looking at... Im convinced this is true, for if I look at the budget of the German Foreign Ministry of the German government, Im convinced there are important tasks that can be cut without hurting economic development.

"And Im convinced without going into details this also is true for Ghana. There are certain expenditures that can be lowered substantially and make an important impact, and it has to be part of the package," he said.

He reiterated, "I mean, I cannot go out to the international community and say I need help, but Im not willing to cut my own budget expenditures. I have to be careful not to cut the social expenditures that are destroying lives and families. I have to be very careful not to take measures that might negatively impact economic growth.

"But Im convinced there are many expenditures that could be looked at very carefully and can be lowered substantially."

His assertion comes at a time when Ghana was imploring Germany to convince China to commit to a creditors' meeting to agree on a debt relief package for the country.

However, delivering the State of the Nations Address on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, March 8, the President noted that freedom of speech has given the opportunity to outsiders to dictate the country.

"Freedom of speech has reached such heights that members of the diplomatic core can now pronounce on matters [in Ghana] that will be difficult [for them] to do in their own countries," the president said.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, has slammed President Akufo-Addo for attacking the diplomatic community.

He described the Presidents jab at H.E. Daniel Krull, the German Ambassador to Ghana, as arrogance.

Speaking to Kwaku Asante, Accra-based JoyNews Parliamentary correspondent, after the delivery of the State of the Nation Address, he noted that the President has proven to be a beggar with arrogant pride.

"You are the same person who carried his two left legs to the German Ambassador to help you beg China, and now he is telling you that you are proving your arrogance.

"You are a beggar with arrogant pride," said Sam George.

H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, delivering the State of the Nations Address at the Parliament House in Accra, on Wednesday, March 8, reacted to a recent statement made by the German Ambassador to Ghana, H.E. Daniel Krull.

Mr. Krull advised the Akufo-Addo-led administration to reduce, among other things, its expenditure and the huge size of government if indeed it needs Germany's intervention in convincing China and the international community to agree to a debt relief package.

While addressing the press recently, he noted that it is strange for Ghana to be crying out to the international community for help but continue to operate a size of government bigger than that of Germany.

I can only compare with other countries like my own, and I can just come to the conclusion that the number is much higher than in my country. So that might bring me to the conclusion that maybe theres room for improvement."

Well, of course, it depends very much on what kind of expenditures youre looking at... Im convinced this is true, for if I look at the budget of the German Foreign Ministry of the German government, Im convinced there are important tasks that can be cut without hurting economic development.

And Im convinced without going into details this also is true for Ghana. There are certain expenditures that can be lowered substantially and make an important impact, and it has to be part of the package," he said.

He reiterated, "I mean, I cannot go out to the international community and say I need help, but Im not willing to cut my own budget expenditures. I have to be careful not to cut the social expenditures that are destroying lives and families. I have to be very careful not to take measures that might negatively impact economic growth.

But Im convinced there are many expenditures that could be looked at very carefully and can be lowered substantially."

His assertion comes at a time when Ghana was imploring Germany to convince China to commit to a creditors' meeting to agree on a debt relief package for the country.

However, delivering the State of the Nations Address on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, March 8, the President said freedom of speech has given the opportunity to outsiders to dictate the country, things they cannot dictate for themselves.

Freedom of speech has reached such heights that members of the diplomatic core can now pronounce on matters [in Ghana] that will be difficult [for them] to do in their own countries," the President said.
Iran has sentenced an Irish-French citizen to six-and-a-half years in jail. Bernard Phelan has been held since his arrest in October in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

The 64-year-old suffers from a number of health problems, some requiring daily medication. His family say his life is in danger.

Bernard Phelan, a Paris-based travel consultant, is accused of transmitting information to an enemy state, a charge he denies.

At an initial hearing on 20 February, where he was assisted by a regime-appointed lawyer, Phelan was sentenced to three and a half years, a reduced penalty in view of his health condition and age.

However, a second hearing on 26 February saw the sentenced increased to six-and-a-half years.

Bernard Phelan is one of some two dozen foreigners jailed in Iran.

The jailed man's family said that his health has "deteriorated considerably" in detention stressing that he needs daily medication for a number of health problems. His family fear his medical supplies are running out.

Phelan's health issues include cardiovascular problems, hypertension, high risk of stroke and kidney failure, as well as a bone condition that generates significant chronic pain. His eyesight is also deteriorating.

Phelan went on hunger strike in January to protest his detention but stopped the action at the request of his family, who feared he would die.

Prison with Benjamin Briere

Phelan has been accused of taking photos of a burned mosque and police officers during anti-regime protests, and sending images to a British newspaper, the family said, adding that he denies the accusations.

He has also been accused of taking 900-year-old pieces of pottery from a village, which he also denies.

Six French citizens, described as "hostages" by the French foreign ministry, are currently held in prison by Iran.French-Iranian academic Fariba Adelkhah was released from prison in February but it remains unclear if she will be able to leave the country.

French citizen Benjamin Briere, detained in May 2020 and later sentenced to eight years in prison for espionage, was acquitted by an appeals court but remains in prison in a situation deemed "incomprehensible" by his family.

Phelan and Briere are held in the prison of Vakilabad in Mashhad. Briere is continuing the hunger strike he started a month ago, and is "exhausted physically and mentally," according to his French lawyer.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said his government called for an audit into the spending of Covid funds.

Assuring Parliament that the funds were not utilized properly, he said in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Wednesday, March 8 that Mr Speaker, it was government that asked for the COVID funds to be audited, and I can assure this House that nothing dishonorable was done with the COVID funds.

The responses from the Ministers for Health and Finance, on January 23 and 25, 2023, respectively, have sufficiently laid to rest the queries from the Auditor General's report, and I believe any objective scrutiny of these statements from the Health and Finance Ministries would justify this conclusion.

He further gave a breakdown of how the funds were utilized.

We provided five hundred and eighteen million cedis (GH518 million) of grants and loans to micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) through the NBSSI, now the Ghana Enterprise Agency, in which three hundred and two thousand, five hundred and fifteen (302,515) enterprises benefitted, of which sixty percent (60%) were women-owned.

These were MSMEs that were in distress as a result of the pandemic. For some traders, the receipt of one thousand cedis (GH1,000) made the difference between the ruin of the household and survival.

In addition, fifty-eight thousand and forty-one (58,041) health workers were employed to supplement the existing health sector workforce. Subsequently, all of them have been absorbed as permanent workers in the health sector. Frontline health workers were also granted fifty percent (50%) tax relief for the period. Was that something to regret? We should be forever grateful for the work that so many people did to keep all of us safe. All households enjoyed free water supply and huge discounts on electricity bills, because access to water was a necessity to ensure people adhered to hygiene practices, and access to electricity was important as everybody was encouraged to stay at home. It also provided an economic cushion to protect lives and livelihoods at a time of difficulty. Today, the government support for utility bills is being projected by some as a waste or to use that word, so beloved of some commentators, profligate.

This comes in the wake of a recent audit report on Covid spending issued by the Audoeo General.

The Auditor-General report stated that During our review, we noted that senior management staff and other supporting staff of the Ministry of Information paid themselves a total amount of GH151,500.00 as COVID-19 risk allowance for coming to work during the lockdown.

It further indicated that the Ministry of Health (MoH) entered a contract signed on 15 December 2021 for the supply of 26 Toyota Hiace Deluxe Ambulances valued at US$4,049,460.12 out of which US$607,419.02 was paid to vide PV No. IPF 22-007 of 2 September 2022 is to be delivered by 15 January 2022.

However, the report said, the ambulances remained undelivered as of 28 November 2022.

-3news.com
The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the national chapter of Transparency International (TI), on this day of International Womens Day (IWD) joins all Ghanaians and people across the globe to congratulate women for their immense contribution to nation-building.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union-UN Women Map of Women in Politics, 2023 edition, shows that there are more women currently holding political decision- making positions globally than ever, notwithstanding the fact that gender parity is still a long way off. In Ghana, only 40 out of the 275 Members of Parliament are women, representing 14.5% which is lower than the global average of 23% and the African average of 24%.1

According to UN Women, womens equal participation in leadership, political and public life are essential to achieving the SDGs and national development. One of the major obstacles that have plagued the achievement of gender parity in decision-making is corruption. There is considerable evidence that corruption disproportionately affects women more than men.

It is against this background that, GII on this day, is calling on the Government and all the accountability institutions to rethink their commitment to the fight against corruption by taking concrete actions to address issues of discrimination and Embrace Equity.

This years theme for the IWD is Embrace Equity. To embrace equity as prescribed, a shift in thinking and commitment to taking concrete actions toward gender equality is necessary. Specifically, we implore the Executive and Parliament to fast-track the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law. This singular act would facilitate intentional policies to promote womens rights to representation in politics and public life, curb discrimination, and contribute to promoting gender equality in public spaces. In the spirit of leaving no one

behind, there couldnt have been a better time than now to ensure that Ghana becomes one of the few countries in Africa that actualises the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5

In line with the global theme for this years IWD, GII also calls on Government and political parties to adopt national gender policies and create opportunities for women to occupy public offices.

As we commend women across the globe, GII holds the firm belief that, should every Ghanaian work diligently towards promoting gender equity and inclusion for vulnerable groups at risk of discrimination, Ghana will achieve significant results. Finally, GII uses this opportunity to call on all women in Ghana to stand up, speak up, denounce and report all injustices including corruption as we strife in the quest for gender equity in Ghana.

We say Ayekoo to all Women.
The Dormaa Akwamuhene of the Dormaa East District in the Bono Region, who doubles as the Kontihene of Mansen Traditional Area, Barima Oppong Kyeremeh Sikafuo, has blamed the current difficulties as a nation partly on the gradual surge of societal indiscipline.

He has therefore called for a collective responsibility by all and sundry to deal with the canker that has the tendency to mar peace and development.

He made the call at the Districts 66th National Independence Day Celebration held at Dormaa Akwamu Roman Catholic Park on 6th March, 2023.

The colorful event which brought together the chiefs and their people was characterized by match pass, speech reading and awards. It was also replicated in other seven (7) major towns of the district to enable all schools participate in locations near them. In all, 10 schools including both private and public took part in the parade. Other associations such as tailors, hairdressers and market women were not left out.

The chief who was the chairman of the ceremony attributed the ineffectiveness and the gradual collapse of the Ghanaian societal systems to indiscipline among the current generation.

In his remarks, Barima Kyeremeh Sikafuo who called for a holistic approach to tackle the menace.

The District Chief Executive, Hon. Emmanuel Kofi Agyeman, who read the Anniversary Speech to commemorate the occasion on the theme Our Unity, Our Strength, Our Purpose, acknowledged and commended forefathers for sacrificing their lives to secure the independence of the country.

He also acknowledged that without peace and unity, even with all the resources of the country, there cannot be development.

For this reason, he indicated that the District has invested in several security posts and police stations dotted across the district to ensure security and peace.

The DCE, who also expressed dissatisfaction with the level of indiscipline in the Dormaa East District, called on all stakeholders involved to instil good moral training in the youth.

He was optimistic, certain strategies being considered by the District Education Oversight Committee if fully implemented will go a long way to help the District rectify indiscipline lifestyles and attitudes among the youth and give them a sense of direction and purpose.

However, he was disturbed about the increasing rate of HIV/AIDS among people in the District. He announced three hundred and thirty (330) newly recorded cases just last year 2022. He cautioned the youth to be disciplined in order to stay safe and alive for the development of the country.
PowerChina, a state-owned construction company from China, has completed over 100 projects in Pakistan including some major hydropower projects, key to the South Asian country's energy lifeline.

The company has expressed its committment to Pakistan through investment in various sectors, inlcuding market energy, electricity, water management, and infrastructure.

PowerChina's role is part of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and has seen it complete 103 projects in Pakistan over the past 36 years, including some major energy projects like the the Gomal Zam Dam, the first roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam in Pakistan; Ghazi-Barotha Hydropower Project, the first mainstream hydropower station on the Indus River; Tarbela 4th & 5th Extension Hydropower Projects; and the Tricon Boston 150 MW Wind Power Project, the largest wind farm located in the Sind province.

This year Pakistan celebrates the 10th anniversaries of both the BRI and the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), where PowerChina is a key participating company, having completed 11 projects, including the first 20 energy and infrastructure projects.

The company is currently constructing Pakistan's largest hydropower hub project - the Diamer Basha Dam Project, which will become the tallest and largest RCC dam in the world. Once complete, the dam is expected to provide Pakistan with 18.1 billion KWh of clean electricity every year. The project will also provide more than 20,000 job opportunities.

Furthermore, PowerChina has undertaken clean energy projects as its committment to furthering sustainable development in Pakistan. --TradeArabia News Service
08.03.2023 LISTEN

The Defence Minister, Mr. Kofi Amankwa-Manu has acknowledged and expressed sympathy with those affected by military brutalities in Ashaiman.

However, the Minister maintained that the Tuesday, March 7, military invasion in the community was justifiable.

Mr. Amankwah-Manu insisted on Accra-based JoyNews PM Express that government will never apologize for the operation.

It is only proper that we admit when there are excesses and in operations of this nature, you may get one or two people who may get carried away.

So if decent, innocent residents were caught up in this, in my capacity as the Deputy Defence Minister will want to apologise for that, he said.

That of course we will apologise, but, my brother, were not going to apologise for the operations, he added.

This comes after the residents of Ashaiman, a suburb in Ghanas capital, Accra, locked themselves up in their rooms following the invasion of military personnel in the town.

The incident happened after some unknown persons in the town stabbed a military man to death in the community over the weekend.

In an attempt to avenge their colleagues assassination, some uniformed military men stormed the area in the early hours of Tuesday, March 7 and subjected many to torture.

Videos shared on social media captured moments of deep panic and fear as people were seen on the streets receiving lashes on their backs.
The Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, James Agalga has said Parliament will probe alleged brutalities visited on residents of Ashaiman by some personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces in retaliation over the murder of their colleague military personnel.

James Agalga intimated that it was wrong for the military to invade the community and subsequently beat young men in the area in an attempt to hunt for the suspects.

Speaking on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, the Builsa North legislator said the actions of the military during the Tuesday dawn raid are condemnable and that investigations must be conducted to punish those liable for the act.

He disclosed that the MP for Ashaiman, Ernest Henry Norgbey has indicated that he had reported the matter to the Speaker of the House for onward action and that they will wait on the decision of the Speaker but will go ahead to investigate the issue regardless of whichever response the Speaker of the House may give.

Lets wait and see what direction the Speaker will give and if the Speaker so desires that the Committee for Defense and Interior look into the matter, we shall, and we will look into the matter. Even if the Speaker doesnt direct, we have the power to look into the matter and will.

The Ashaiman MP spoke and made it clear that the police have begun investigations into the matter, so one would have thought the Army would have collaborated with the police to sniff out the suspects and bring them to our law courts and prosecute them if enough evidence is established against them, he further bemoaned.

Mr. Agalga added that professionalism in Ghanas security services has diminished over time and that it was time something is done to correct the periodic military brutalities.

Professionalism was thrown to the dogs and something needs to be done urgently to ensure that we dont have a repetition.

-citinewsroom
President Nana Akufo-Addo has commended labour unions in the country for their co-operation and contribution towards governments Domestic Debt Exchange (DDE) programme.

I want to take this opportunity to thank organised labour, pensioners, pension fund managers, the Ghana Association of Banks (GAB), Ghana Securities Industry Association (GSIA), Ghana Insurers Association (GIA), the Individual Bond Holders and Retirees Forum, and all others who have contributed to make the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme a success, President Akufo-Addo said during the presentation of the State of the Nation Address (SoNA), Wednesday, 8 March 2023.

The President also reiterated his governments commitment to honouring coupon payments on both new and old bonds.

I know it has been said over and over again in the past few weeks, but the voluntary nature of the DDE Programme bears repeating, as is the fact that the Government is committed to honouring all coupon payments and maturities in respect of both old bonds and the new bonds in line with Government fiscal commitments, he assured.

He further gave updates on the progress of the countrys external debt negotiations, thus, far.

Mr. Speaker, we are also making progress on the external debt negotiations since the Government announced an external debt service suspension on 19th December 2022 for certain categories of external debt, to ensure an orderly restructuring.

This suspension is an interim emergency measure toward a comprehensive external debt operation which will contribute to the restoration of our debt sustainability in line with our request for a debt treatment under the G20 Common Framework, he said.

The President also commended the government of China and members of the Paris Club for their co-operation in aiding the countrys debt negotiations.

I want to express our appreciation to the members of the Paris Club and to the Peoples Republic of China for the co-operation they have so far exhibited to us in attempting to reach an agreement, and in their attempt to establish an Official Credit Committee.

We look forward to their fast-tracking the needed financing assurances for IMF approval. We are confident that, with their co-operation, we will reach our March deadline for going to the Fund, President Akufo-Addo stated.

"Mr. Speaker, we remain resolute in our vision to restore macroeconomic stability and promote inclusive growth," President Akufo-Addo emphasised.

Source: classfmonline.com
Tunisia's president Kais Saied recently called for urgent measures against illegal immigration of sub-Saharan African nationals. He said they were a source of violence, crime and unacceptable acts. His comments were condemned by the international community and the World Bank paused talks over its future engagement with Tunisia. They also led to widespread protests in Tunisia while hundreds of migrants fled the country.

Moina Spooner, from The Conversation Africa, asked Jean-Pierre Cassarino, an expert on international migration in the Maghreb and Africa region, to shed light on migration to Tunisia and what might be behind the president's comments.

What is the history of sub-Saharan migration to Tunisia. How many migrants are there?

Sub-Saharan migrants in Tunisia come primarily from western Africa. Immigrants in Tunisia account for 0.5% of the national population. Official, documented migrants number around 21,000 persons out of a total immigrant population of around 58,000 according to a recent study .

These basic figures are important. They show that immigrants make up a very small number of foreigners compared with the national population.

There are different types of sub-Saharan migrants. Many students from west Africa come to Tunisia because they obtained a scholarship or wish to continue their training in Tunisian universities. There are several bilateral university agreements between Tunisia and various west African countries.

Other migrants come to Tunisia for labour, or because they are en route to Europe. However, for these, there are no precise statistical data as they are irregular. To give an idea of a figure though, in 2021, at least 23,328 irregular migrants were intercepted by Tunisian authorities trying to get to Europe.

Note that a migrant from subSaharan Africa can come with a regular status and may become irregular . Irregularity is far from being a choice in Tunisia. There is a lot of administrative paperwork and bureaucracy that lengthen the procedure for getting a regular status in Tunisia. Procedures are so cumbersome that migrants - such as students - find themselves in a legal limbo when they need to extend their stay.

What are the country's current policies towards migrants like?

Let me be clear and concise: it is selectively discriminatory. Tunisia is quite open with European immigrants and very restrictive with non-EU citizens.

The bottom line is that Tunisia's approach to migration and migrants' rights oscillates between the need to comply with international standards and the necessity to maximise the benefits of its citizens living abroad  such as remittances or the transfer of skills acquired abroad. This means it needs to try and keep its migration policies quite open. At the same time it wants to act as a credible player in the fight against irregular migration in its interactions with the EU and its member states. This means that Tunisia needs to show it can cooperate with the EU and its member states as well as control its own borders.

Are there social and political factors behind the president's comments?

A law against racism was adopted in Tunisia in 2018. It was an important step in defending the rights of Tunisians who identify as black, as well as the country's migrants.

It is quite staggering to hear a political leader using such statements publicly.

When it comes to social tensions migration has been used in many countries as a means to discipline public opinion while scapegoating foreigners. One example of this is in South Africa where migrants were scapegoated as inequality and unemployment surged. Another is in the US where business cycle downturns led to blaming Latino migrants.

The common denominators include rising domestic unemployment (especially youth unemployment), public deficits, the crisis of the welfare state and of the economy, and, last but not least, social tensions. This is true in Tunisia too.

The link between the conditions of labour migrants and native workers' rights is well documented by scholars across disciplines .

Tunisia is behaving like many other countries confronted by social, political and economic challenges. Public opinion needs radical positions regardless of their responsiveness to the malaise of a society. Our recent history abounds with examples, even the worst we could ever imagine. It is much easier to refuse to come to terms with what is really happening. This is a kind of escape from reality. Making the public believe that the containment of foreigners' rights will somehow protect citizens from the containment of their own social and economic rights is a classic political strategy used by many leaders. Of course, there are variations across countries.

Tunisia's economy is in crisis : state finances are on the brink of bankruptcy and there are shortages of key goods. President Saied has also been seizing more power and recently had a massive crackdown on critics that accuse him of trying to install a new dictatorship in the country.

Read more: 5 xenophobic myths about immigrants in South Africa debunked by researchers

Clearly, the anti-immigrant rhetoric in Tunisia is profoundly problematic but it is not exceptional. It is not specific to Tunisia. That being said, this same rhetoric is paradoxical because Tunisia is predominantly an emigration country with a large diaspora living in various countries. Tunisians are confronted with similar discriminatory and nationalist discourses abroad. I wonder how a country can credibly protect its own citizens living abroad against discrimination and racism when similar facts are glaringly happening at home.

Meanwhile, I am afraid that more restrictive provisions will be adopted in the near future. When I refer to escape from reality I mean that it is easier for a government (and a part of its constituencies) to place blame elsewhere than to come to terms with what is really happening.

Jean-Pierre Cassarino does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

By Jean-Pierre Cassarino, Senior Research Fellow, College of Europe
08.03.2023 LISTEN

As we celebrate International Womens Day (IWD), I doff my hat off to all women in Agriculture who have continuously overcome barriers and positioned themselves as key drivers of economic growth.

Marking the day with the theme, Embracing Equity, it has become necessary to advance gender equality by raising continuous awareness about discrimination and creating a platform for equal opportunities for both men and women.

Although the role of women in agriculture is undeniably important to the economic development of our country, many of them continue to face challenges such as lack of access to land for farming, lack of collateral to access financing, inadequate basic tools and processing equipment.

Some of these challenges are as a result of some misconceptions and one way of closing the gap would be to expose and discredit them.

Misconceptions about women in Agric - Women do not play significant roles in large- scale agriculture

There is a misconception that women engage only in small-scale agriculture and do not play a significant role in large-scale agriculture. Over the years, women are now seen to be more involved in the entire agricultural value chain, from farming to production to marketing of the final produce, thus the need for their contribution to the sector to receive the needed recognition to show that women have evolved from small-scale agriculture to large-scale farming just like their male counterparts. This will go a long way toward motivating more women to enter the industry.

Women are not a profitable consumer market

Because of the fight towards gender equality, companies within the various stages of the value chain have started engaging female farmers to provide them with input and resources to be at par with their male counterparts. As the fight towards gender parity continues to increase globally, we will begin to see a more prominent shift toward catering to women in agric.

Embracing equality

Providing women with the necessary support in terms of the prerequisite skills for production, processing and marketing will serve as a way of ensuring equality in the agricultural sector, putting them at par with their male counterparts.

In the past, it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it was for a woman in agric to get access to lands for farming. Although this is gradually changing, many women still face this challenge. To sustain the agricultural sector, it is imperative that women be granted land as easily as it is for men to access farmlands.

Knowledge they say is power. However, I believe that power lies in knowing how to apply knowledge. We have seen that in the fight for gender parity, there are plethora of seminars and workshops for women in Agric. But when it comes to hands on training where women can implement what has been taught in the seminars on the farm, women are found to be lacking in that regard. Opportunities such as hands-on practical training must be made available to enable female farmers to stay abreast of what needs to be done on the farm or in their various agribusinesses for wealth creation.

Female farmers find it difficult accessing funding because of lack of collateral. When a woman wants to start or expand her Agribusiness, the chances of securing a loan are heavily stacked against her as compared to her male counterparts. As we search for measures to put in place to ensure equality between men and women in accessing finance, the financial ecosystem should be redesigned to provide opportunities for women to access funding without being asked to present collateral, especially in instances where they may not have any.

The practical story of two successful women in agribusiness

That notwithstanding, it is worth highlighting the remarkable contributions and or achievements of 2 women in the Agriculture sector as well as some challenges still facing them.

Edith Wheatland Akorsa

Edith Wheatland Akorsa, CEO of Rockland Farms Company Limited operates a 100,000 capacity integrated poultry farm located in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Established in 2013, The company has two subsidiaries  Eco Feeding Company and Rockland Meats. Rockland Meats is into the production, processing, and distribution of locally produced chicken, which is packaged under the brand name Akoko Tasty. Together the companies have over 150 workers, which included trained broiler out-growers that support Rockland Farms supply chains, boosting its production capacity to more than 200,000 birds per cycle. Rockland Farms provides training and other support to 3000 maize out growers (2 acres average) who supply maize to feed the farm. Edith attributed the growth of Rockland Farms Company to funding from the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) PLC in 2015 and at the time, the company was an 8500 capacity farm with seven workers. Through ADBs support, the company met its financing obligations enabling it to grow to over 100,000 capacity today with over 30 staff, she added. Describing the poultry sector and gender, the CEO of Rockland Farms Company, stated that the sector is traditionally male dominated and is not accepting of women leading in most of the segments along the value chain. However, she had observed that over the years, there has been a certain level of acceptance and getting support as a woman entrepreneur is better and easier now than it used to be. She also added that the general work environment in the poultry sector is improving and economic as well as leadership opportunities for women are opening up more speedily. Edith stated that support from males in the sector is also more accessible now than before. She noted that there was the need for the reorientation of women to leverage the wind of change blowing through capacity building and self-confidence to achieve their potential.

Janet Adade

Janet Adade, owner of Elsjyne Enterprise, an Agribusiness venture in the Oti Region. She is a rice and cocoa farmer who also processes, packages and markets her produce. She is also into mechanization and provides machinery and training for about 2000 women farmers. Janet Adade began farming in 2010 when she decided to relocate to the Oti Region from the Greater Accra Region. Her first challenge she stated as a woman venturing into Agribusiness was her being prevented to farm on her fathers land just by being a woman and not having the right to do so because women do not inherit in their family. Janet mentioned that she had observed that, although over the years, many organizations have been established to support women in Agribusiness, most women belittle themselves into thinking that they are still not good enough to be at par with their male counterparts and think that their male counterparts should receive these grants. She said there was the need for sensitization and education of women for a renewal of minds for them to know that they are enough and capable to do what their male counterparts are doing and more. On the issue of access to financing, Janet mentioned that it was still a struggle as majority of women did not have adequate resources to access loans or facilities to expand their businesses and most often than not, men are prioritized. If women are given the same opportunities as men, it will pave the way for female farmers to increase production 20-30 times more.

Conclusion

While times are changing and women seem to be given more opportunities than they were before paving the way for equality, the Agricultural sector still remains a male dominated sector with women still facing some of the challenges, including those stated above.

Therefore, as we celebrate International Womens Day, let us all rise together to promote womens equality within the Agricultural sector and all other sectors.
The President of the Republic, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, March 8, delivered a State of the Nation Address in Parliament.

During his address, he admonished the citizenry to believe in the countrys capability to overcome the current economic challenges confronting the nation.

He assured that his government is determined to work to bring Ghana out of this difficult phase.

Throughout history, there are many instances of nations going through periods where dark clouds create shadows that momentarily shield the yearned-for vision from sight. Such moments should not be ones in which despair takes over. Such moments call for strength of character, sense of purpose, and an abiding commitment to the general good.

Fellow Ghanaians, let us believe in ourselves, and in our capacity to overcome the problems that are before us. This is a phase, and, with every fibre of my being, I am certain that this too shall pass, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said.

The President further stressed, We have done it before, and we will do it again. May God bless us all, and our homeland Ghana, and make her great and strong.

In his address today, the President rubbished allegations that his government misused funds meant to combat the Coronavirus pandemic.

President Akufo-Addo has disclosed that his government has decided to focus on tourism.

According to him, the decision to prioritise tourism, as a key policy for economic diversification, job creation, and growth, is clearly paying off.

He stressed that the potential contribution of tourism and the arts to GDP is, one that Ghana must nurture.
The President of the Republic, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed his delight at the gains Ghana is making in the tourism sector.

Delivering a State of the Nation Address on Wednesday, March 8, the President stressed that the decision to prioritise tourism, as a key policy for economic diversification, job creation, and growth, is clearly paying off.

To this end, he has disclosed that his government will continue to make more investments in the sector to make it a strong primary source of growth for the Ghanaian economy.

Over the next couple of years, my government will deepen even further our efforts to make tourism a strong primary source of growth for the economy, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said.

In the last few years, Ghanas tourism industry has seen a massive boost with a lot of people abroad making the country their preferred destination during holidays, especially Christmas.

It came as no surprise when the World Economic Forum Report 2021 Travel Index ranks Ghana as the number one tourism destination in West Africa.

According to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the potential contribution of tourism and the arts to GDP is, therefore, one that the country must nurture and emphasise.

After the ravages of the Covid pandemic, both domestic and international tourism is rebounding significantly from the severely disruptive impact of COVID on the travel and tour industry.

Last year, international arrivals nearly trebled, from a low of three hundred and fifty-five thousand, one hundred and eight (355,108) in 2020, to over nine hundred and fifteen thousand (915,000).

Domestic visits to tourist sites are also up by over 55.7% during the period.

It is obvious that all these have been made possible by deliberate marketing initiatives and upgrades of tourist infrastructure by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture and its Agency, the Ghana Tourism Authority.

In 2019, President Akufo-Addo launched the Beyond The Return initiative as a sequel to the Year of Return, which has re-ignited excitement about Ghana as the hub and a Mecca for the Global pan-African, a home every person of African descent must visit at least once in their lifetime

Later this year in May, President Akufo-Addo will be chairing a Tourism Stakeholder Retreat on "Rethinking Tourism for National Development & Job Creation".

Ahead of the retreat, the President has tasked the Ministry and its Agency, the Ghana Tourism Authority, to work on the modalities to bring together all the stakeholders within the industry.
Prof. Ransford Gyampo

08.03.2023 LISTEN

Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Prof. Ransford Gyampo has opined that persons calling on former President John Dramani Mahama to return his ex-gratia are not being sincere.

According to him, such calls especially when the ex-gratia has been used by John Mahama already are not only cheap but very disingenuous.

After enjoying it in the past, I am sure President Mahama has heard the criticisms that have been leveled against recipients and he is now vowing to discontinue such an arrangement. I am of the view that we should rather be applauding such a bold resolve whose implementation would require serious constitutional hurdles to be scaled over.

Unfortunately it appears the discourse on this is being led or shaped by a few greedy politicians who want to keep enjoying the dissipation of our meagre resources on the unwarranted payment of pension to themselves every four years. Their argument in calling on President Mahama to refund his already used ex-gratia, to my mind, is quite cheap and disingenuous, Prof. Ransford Gyampo said in a statement on Facebook.

The Political Science Lecturer is of the view that the criticism that has been directed at the former President since announcing that he will scrap ex-gratia payment when he becomes President again is being fueled by greedy propagandists who always want a certain bad status quo to remain immutable because of the parochial personal benefits they stand to gain to the neglect of what is in the interest of the nation.

While Prof. Gyampo admits scrapping the payment of ex-gratia would require quite some laborious efforts at amending a provision of the constitution, he is confident that it is doable.

Read Prof. Gyampo's take on the matter below:

1. It is only a fool who doesn't change his mind. The idea of ex-gratia paid every four years is nauseating. It is that very greedy milking arrangement that allow some politicians and appointees to always cheat all other public servants, which has attracted severe criticisms from very well-meaning Ghanaians.

2. After enjoying it in the past, I am sure President Mahama has heard the criticisms that have been leveled against recipients and he is now vowing to discontinue such an arrangement. I am of the view that we should rather be applauding such a bold resolve whose implementation would require serious constitutional hurdles to be scaled over.

3. Unfortunately it appears the discourse on this is being led or shaped by a few greedy politicians who want to keep enjoying the dissipation of our meagre resources on the unwarranted payment of pension to themselves every four years. Their argument in calling on President Mahama to refund his already used ex-gratia, to my mind, is quite cheap and disingenuous.

4. Legislations and policies do not take retrospective effect and this is a basic or elementary A.V. Dicey principle on rule of law. I do not honestly understand why in this country, we tend to allow a few not-too-smart people to lead very important debates with the support of the media. This hasn't helped our democratic maturity and it is certainly a serious affront to our quest to extricate ourselves from the quagmires of poverty and under-development.

5. Why did we not ask for those who were murdered under the regime of Rawlings' PNDC jurisdiction to be resurrected by Rawlings after Ghana's Truth and Reconciliation Process? In Britain and other countries, there were laws that supported hanging and death penalties. When these laws were abrogated, why didn't people ask for the resurrection of those who had been killed? When the current regime reversed the ECG-PDS deal, the revenues accrued under PDS were not refunded even when they legitimately have to refund those monies.

6. I support every move to ensure that we do not pay pensions to appointees and some public office holders every four years. As a teacher, I am entitled to pension only after I retire at age 60. Anyone who insists to be paid ex- gratia every four years, which is a form of pension, at this time when we have allowed our resources to be plundered, must not have a place in public service. I think John Mahama should rather be commended for resurrecting this thorny issue of the national rape of the public purse by some politicians. He should be commended again for pledging to halt this greedy practice.

7. Those asking that he refunds what he's already taken and consumed must lift the bar of their reasoning on this all-important matter of national interest. If a witch repents and boldly confesses never to go back to his or her old ways, you don't go demanding that he resurrect the human beings he's already killed. Else we may be telling the person we are not interested in genuine repentance and change of mind from a negative practice. It takes a bold person to concede what he's done as wrong and to promise amends. When this is done, we applaud the person rather than asking him or her to go back to re-right or repay what has already been destroyed or consumed.

8. Enough of important national discourse being shaped by greedy propagandists who always want a certain bad status quo to remain immutable because of the parochial personal benefits they stand to gain to the neglect of what is in the interest of the nation.

Scrapping the payment of ex-gratia, it is to be admitted, would require quite some laborious efforts at amending a provision of the constitution. But this certainly should not be difficult for a person whose regime supervised the review of the entire 1992 Constitution. For where there is a will, there is a way.

Yaw Gyampo A31, Prabiw PAV Ansah Street Saltpond & Suro Nipa House Kubease
08.03.2023 LISTEN

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Mr Pius Enam Hadzide has suggested a better way to eradicate Ghanas economic challenges.

He says President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will need the continuous support of the citizens to set the countrys economy back on track to prosperity.

Speaking to the media at Adaklu/Ho in the Volta Region of Ghana during the countrys 66th birthday observation on March 6, Mr. Enam Hadzide said the recent crises are temporary.

He noted that the only way the country will be safe is through unity and collective efforts rather than petty, divisive partisan politics.

The economic challenges we are facing are temporary, and we need unity of purpose, not petty divisive partisanship, and politics," Mr. Hadzide stated.
08.03.2023 LISTEN

The Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chapter in the United Kingdom and Ireland Alhaji Alhassan Mbalba has on behalf of the Chapter issued a press statement to mark International Women's Day.

BELOW IS THE FULL PRESS STATEMENT:

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (NDC) -UK/IRELAND CHAPTER STATEMENT TO MARK THE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

The leadership of NDC-UK/Ireland Chapter would like to congratulate the gallant women and girls of Ghana for their relentless sacrifices and selfless contributions to the development of mother Ghana over the years.

The International Women's Day (IWD), originally called International Working Women's Day is observed and celebrated on March 8 every year.

The IWD is set aside to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and to highlight issues affecting the progress of women worldwide.

This year's theme, DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality, highlights the role of innovative technology in promoting gender equality and meeting the health and developmental needs of women and girls.

Let us mark this years IWD by highlighting some of the socio-cultural and economic factors mitigating against the progress of women - some of which are:

* Female Genital Mutilation

* Witchcraft

* Domestic Violence

* Rape in Marriage

* Outmoded Bride price

* Child marriage

* Forced Marriage

* Outmoded Widow's rites

* Poor girl child education

* Women walking long distance to fetch water and firewood

* Child Sexual Exploitation(CSE)

* Teenage pregnancy.

Lets advocate for effective systems and actions using technology to reduce or eradicate completely the above cultural practices mitigating against womens progress and aspirations in Ghana.

Wishing women globally and Ghanaian women in particularly a reflective, relaxing and joyous International Womens Day.

Thank you.

Alhaji Alhassan Mbalba

Chairman

NDC-UK/Ireland Chapter
Chinese automaker JAC's sales, exports surge in February

Xinhua) 15:04, March 08, 2023

HEFEI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese automaker Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (JAC) has reported a year-on-year increase of 41.57 percent in sales for the month of February.

Last month, JAC sold a total of 49,700 vehicles, among which 15,700 were exported, marking a staggering increase of over 171 percent year on year, according to the company.

JAC's booming business was highlighted by a major delivery ceremony held on Feb. 27, with a shipment of 3,000 vehicles exported to the United Arab Emirates. By September, a total of 10,000 vehicles will be delivered to the United Arab Emirates, according to the contract.

JAC had exported more than 800,000 vehicles to over 130 countries and regions by the end of 2022. About 80 percent of JAC's exports went to Belt and Road countries.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Kabul, March 8 (UNI) The Afghan police have killed eight alleged kidnappers in a crackdown against outlaws in Mazar-i-Sharif city, the capital of northern Balkh province, provincial police spokesman Mohammad Asif Waziri said on Wednesday.



"Units of police launched an operation against the hideout of a kidnapping gang in Khwaja Khairan locality, Police District 7 of Mazar-i-sharif city Wednesday morning, killing eight and discovered arms and ammunitions including three assault rifles, two pistols and three cars from the site of the operation," Waziri told Xinhua.



Two police personnel had been injured during the fire exchange with the gang, the official added.

In similar operations, the police arrested 10 people on the charge of involvement in criminal activities in Balkh province some two weeks ago.



The Afghan caretaker government has vowed to crack down on criminal elements in Afghanistan to ensure law and order in the war-torn country.

UNI XINHUA RKM
Former President John Dramani Mahama celebrated women on the occasion of International Womens Day (IWD).

In a Facebook post, the former President, said men owe women a debt of eternal gratitude.

He said: Today, we honour and celebrate our incredible mothers, sisters, wives, female staff and friends.

Continue to make our world so much better, Mr Mahama urged women.

According to the former President You [women] inspire us all to be better and to do better, and for that, we owe you a debt of eternal gratitude.

Today, Wednesday, 8 March 2023, marks IWD under the theme "DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality."
Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan vowed Wednesday to restore competitive politics in the country and jump start a stalled process to review the constitution, long a demand of the opposition.

Hassan, in power for 23 months, has sought to restore democratic norms in the East African nation and extended overtures to her political rivals, including lifting a ban on opposition rallies in January.

"I promise you more reforms to build our new nation with competitive politics," the 63-year-old told an opposition gathering celebrating the International Women's Day.

Tanzania held its first multi-party elections in 1995 and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party has won every election since.

CMM won the last general elections in 2020 with an improbable 84 percent of the vote in a ballot dismissed by the opposition and some diplomats as a sham, over alleged rigging and a crackdown on his rivals.

In 2019, CCM won local elections with 99 percent after an opposition boycott.

No president has attended an event organised by the opposition in three decades, Hassan said.

"We are writing a new history today in efforts to unite our nation," she told cheering supporters.

"If there is an issue, let us sit together, discuss and move on after consensus."

Hassan has been under pressure to break with the hardline policies of her predecessor John Magufuli, who died in 2021 after six years of heavy-handed rule.

On Wednesday, she promised to form a committee for constitutional reforms, without specifying the timelines.

Rights groups and opposition parties have been pushing hard for a rewriting of the constitutional to include change to limit presidential powers.

Adopted in 1977, Tanzania's latest constitution has been amended more than 10 times since, including with provisions to introduce a multiparty system.

Previous attempts to change the basic law stalled in 2014, with the opposition push for reforms met with government crackdowns.

'Shown good intention'

While Hassan has reversed some of the most controversial policies imposed by Magufuli, hopes however dimmed in July 2021 when opposition Chadema party leader Freeman Mbowe was arrested on terrorism charges.

He was released after seven months but some critics labelled Hassan a "dictator".

Mbowe, who attended the meeting on Wednesday, said they were ready to forge ahead with the government but demanded an overhaul of the electoral body and constitution ahead of the 2025 polls.

"We are ready to forgive whatever we experienced in the past and move ahead because you have shown a good intention for that," Mbowe said.

Hassan has battled division within her CCM party since taking office, shuffling her cabinet three times in 2022 as internal fissures broke into the open.

She has accused rivals inside the government of trying to damage her leadership, and last year suspended a party-owned newspaper for publishing a story saying she would not run in elections set for 2025.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) is calling on the public for help to clamp down on persons stealing water meters.

In a press release, the management of Ghana Water Company Limited said it has observed with grave concern the alarming rate at which some members of the public are stealing water meters and water connection materials in its operational area.

Already, one person has been arrested for breaking water connections and stealing the materials.

On Tuesday, March 2023, we caused the arrest of a gentleman in Nyanyano who was on the rampage breaking water connections and stealing the materials. The gentleman is currently in Police custody at the Ngleshie Amanfrom Police Station and will face the full rigors of the law, a release from the Ghana Water Company Limited said.

According to the release, the thievery of water meters takes place predominantly in its Kasoa, Nyanyano, Amasaman, and Dansoman Operational Districts.

It is estimated that on a day, as many as 10 cases of meter thefts are recorded in some of the Districts mentioned above, especially within the Kasoa and Nyanyano enclave of the Accra West Region.

Concerned about the development, the Ghana Water Company Limited is appealing to the public to be on the lookout for such perpetrators and report all suspected cases to the Police or GWCL to help curb the incidence of meter theft.

Below is a copy of the release by the GWCL on the matter.
Mr. Abraham Koomson General Secretary of Ghana Federation of Labour

08.03.2023 LISTEN

Mr. Abraham Koomson General Secretary of Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) has called the Electoral Commission (EC) to reconstitute the Inter Party-Advisory Committees (IPAC) which according to him has brought some cordiality and diplomacy between parties and catalyzed an indirect decision-making process on our electoral process since its inception.

He recounted that the concept of IPAC was conceived by the EC based on experiences gained from the 1992 general elections, based on which the Commission came under intense criticism especially from political parties in opposition ranging from the electoral process or the conduct of the polls through to suspicion.

He noted that the current political environment is not different from what pertained after the 1992 elections, we expect the EC to work with all political parties with respect and not portray itself as an appendix of any political party.

Mr. Koomson made the recommendation at the Ghana News Agency Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue platform when reacting to the ongoing debate, and parliamentary discourse on continuous Voters Registration Constitutional Instrument (CI) which has drawn divergent arguments from parliamentarians, political parties, civil society organizations, and the public.

He said no one is against any reforms aimed at improving the electoral systems, let us go back to the basis for which IPAC was formed, stressing that IPAC was formed to bring together representatives of the political parties on a monthly basis with members of the EC to discuss and try to build a consensus on electoral issues.

Representatives of the international donor community that have assisted the electoral process were also invited to observe proceedings at IPAC, this is what we must do currently to address the issues at stake on the CI.

He also called on the EC to consult all political party actors across the broad spectrum, and build on consensus to navigate technical issues which have the potential to create tension in the country.

Mr. Koomson urged the EC to scan the environment for the actions and inactions of political parties both in opposition and in government and the conduct of the electorate and other stakeholders in the electoral systems to build bridges to accommodate views in a give-and-take manner.

The GFL General Secretary reminded the current advocates for electoral reforms, that call for reforms have also been part of the political and electoral system, people must not be trumpeting the call with dynamism as if they are the first proponents of electoral reforms in Ghana.

He revealed that electoral reforms have become part of Ghanas electoral system, stressing it is in fact a four-year ritual as politicians, always try to take advantage of the electoral system, hence the need for constant and periodic reforms.

He, therefore, called on the EC to go back to the drawing table, and listen to other political parties, civil society organizations, media, religious and traditional leaders, and broader society to share ideas on the new CI.

The GFL General Secretary also cautioned EC officials about their posture in the public domain, especially when engaging in public discussion, sometimes the body language and the pronouncements of some EC Commission members is that of politicians and not Election Management Body.

Mr. Koomson explained that since the dispensation of the 1992 Constitution, political parties have formed the bedrock upon which Ghanas democracy has evolved.

He said the role played by these political parties has contributed immensely to making Ghana the beacon of hope for the African continent, therefore the EC Chairperson and the leadership of the commission must engage all stakeholders and not behave as a take it or leave it offer.

-CDA Consult II Contributor
Some National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament have expressed dissatisfaction with President Akufo-Addos 2023 State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Reacting to the SONA, Mr Nelson-Rockson Etse Kwame Dafeamekpor, the NDC MP for South Dayi, described as unfortunate the Presidents declaration that the widespread and long lasting nature of the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic clearly showed that the COVID-19 funds were not misused.

It was the Government that asked for the COVID funds to be audited, and I can assure this House that nothing dishonourable was done with the COVID funds, the President had said.

The responses from the Ministers for Health and Finance, on January 23 and 25, 2023, respectively, have sufficiently laid to rest the queries from the Auditor-General's report.

Mr Dafeamekpor said it was unfortunate for the President to make a declaration that no COVID Fund was misused, whereas the Auditor-General, who was constitutionally mandated to audit state accounts had indicated, in a comprehensive audit report, had indicated some misapplication of Funds.

He said the issue of the misuse of the Funds had come before Parliament and that the Speaker had referred same to the committees of Finance and Health for investigation.

He said the Parliamentary enquiry would also establish the exact state of expenditure related to the COVID Funds.

Mr Dafeamekpor told the Ghana News Agency that the President dwelled much on history, instead of telling Ghanaians what the situation was in 2022 compared to 2023.

He critiqued the SONA for talking about okada riders (commercial motorbike riders) now abiding by traffic regulations, saying those matters should have been left for programme managers, while the President concentrated on critical issues.

Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Ranking Member, Parliament Health Committee, and MP for Juaboso, expressed worry over the Presidents inability to tell Ghanaians exactly when the shortage of vaccines for the six childhood killer diseases would be resolved and urged the Government to tackle the issue as a national emergency.

Dr Kwabena Donkor, MP for Pru East, touching on energy generation, said the stability in the sector, being witnessed by the country, which the President spoke about, was as a result of investments made by previous governments.

GNA
08.03.2023 LISTEN

The Manhyia government hospital in Kumasi has recorded its first case of measles after many years of zero recordings of the disease at the facility.

The authorities of the facility expressed worry about the emergence of the disease and its possible spread in the area due to shortages of vaccines for the treatment of the disease, which mostly affected babies from birth up to at least 18 months.

Currently, the facility does not have vaccines for measles, polio, yellow fever and tuberculosis (BCG).

Mr Darius Adjei Baffour, the Disease Control Officer at the hospital, told the Ghana News Agency during a visit that the situation was becoming unbearable, but hoped the supplies would come in soon.

He said the facility had in stock pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, tetanus diphtheria, inactivated polio vaccine, penta and meningitis vaccines.

Mr Baffour said the hospital had for many years recorded zero cases of measles and other six childhood killer diseases, but the current situation could pose a serious challenge.

Some of the nursing mothers, who had brought their babies to the facility for vaccination, were disappointed when they were told to go back due to lack of vaccines.

They told the GNA that they were worried about the current situation in the country and its possible effects on the health of children.

Mma Ayisha Mohammed explained that she was supposed to come for the last vaccination for her baby but surprisingly, she was told to go away due to the absence of the vaccines.

Another nursing mother, who gave her name only as Sister Amma, appealed to the government to urgently do something about the situation before things got worse.

The nationwide shortage of childhood vaccines has the potential to increase the vulnerability of children to the various diseases the vaccines seek to protect them against.

The government has, however, assured the nation that the vaccines would be available in the country in the few weeks but until that, Ghanaians need to pray to avert possible outbreak of some of these diseases across the country.

Already, there have been reported cases of some of these diseases in some parts of the country.

GNA
Advocacy groups, Imani Africa and the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) have jointly issued a press release to react to the AGM Petroleum decision to relinquish its interest in the South Deepwater Tano (SDWT) block, which hosts one discovery, the Nyankom-1X.

Although Imani Africa and ACEP welcome the decision, the advocacy groups insist that there is a need for an inquiry as the relinquishment of the interest raises fundamental questions.

In the joint release, the President of the Republic, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been urged to sanction a commission of enquiry into the Aker-AGM transaction for fair treatment for Ghana.

We welcome this development but wish to add that more needs to be done regarding this matter and the whole issue of Aker Energys oil holdings in Ghana to ensure the rule of law and fair treatment for Ghana as the sovereign.

This relinquishment of the interest raises fundamental questions about the assessments conducted by GNPC and the Ministry of Energy to commit to paying for such an asset, the joint press release shared.

Imani Africa and ACEP argue that given that AGM did not conduct appraisal post-discovery, it is fair to say that GNPC, as a partner to AGM, should have known the status of the discovery by interpreting the same dataset available to AGM.

The two advocacy groups share the view that the turn of events questions the capacity of GNPC as the national oil company and the Ministry of Energy to protect the nation against speculative investments.

The situation Imani Africa and ACEP opine is that it signals that the government overrates the technical capacity of GNPC and Ministry of Energy at its peril, requiring a relook at some of the technical advice that has landed Ghana in court.

The call for an enquiry into the Aker-AGM transaction, they stressed, is to inject a culture of accountability into the management of the petroleum industry and ensure that the country can count on leadership to avert paying hundreds of millions of dollars on avoidable transactions.

The enquiry will also come out with recommendations required to develop the Pecan field after Aker has failed to submit an acceptable Plan of Development in five years as an operator of the Deep-Water Tano Cape Three Points (DWT/CTP) block.
Mr. Allen Ekow Enninful also known Culture, a Ghanaian based in Denmark has said most of the people in Cape Coast have not done enough to help the metropolis.

He said this while donating some medical equipment and other assorted items to the Cape Metropolitan Hospital as part of his contribution towards improving the healthcare delivery at some hospitals within the metropolis.

During the presentation ceremony at the hospital, Wednesday, 8th March, 2023, Mr. Enninful shared that "Having done similar donations to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital and University Hospital, it's now the turn of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Hospital to have their fair share. I do this to thank God for his mercies and to also give back to society."

According to him, most elders within Cape Coast don't normally help the city. "I'm not from hear but once I come around, I'm compelled to contribute my quota to help Cape Coast", Mr. Enninful revealed the reason for his philanthropic exploits.

According to him, he would continue to support various hospitals within the metropolis.

The items donated were 7 pairs of elbow crutches, 1 pair of cane, 34 bottles of infusion, 1 adjustable bed and 40 pieces of care fusion.

He took the opportunity to visit the Children's Ward of the hospital and promised to donate a television set to ward the next day.

Dr. Derek Agyeampong Bonsu, the Medical Superintendent of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Hospital in a statement, showed appreciation for the kind gesture.

"The donation was timely and we wish to assure you that all items would be used for it's intended purpose", Dr. Bonsu ended.
An Accra Circuit Court has granted bail to a 42-year-old businesswoman who allegedly defrauded five people of GH48,600.00 under the pretext of enlisting them into the Ghana Immigration Service.

Madam Ayisha Hamidu, who was charged with five counts of defrauding by false pretence, pleaded not guilty.

The Court presided over by Mrs Afia Owusuaa Appiah granted the accused person bail in the sum of GH70,000.00 with two sureties to be justified.

It directed that the sureties should be residents within the jurisdiction of the Court.

The prosecution was also directed by the Court to file and serve all disclosures and witness statements within two weeks.

The case has been adjourned to April 4, 2023.

The facts as presented by Police Inspector Wisdom Alorwu, prosecuting, was that the complainants; Mr Abdul-Jalil, Mr Belad Kwame, Mr Benjamin Opoku Agyemang, Mr Charles Opoku, Madam Diana Fobi were traders, unemployed, teacher and entrepreneur, respectively.

The prosecution said the complainants were residents of Agbogbloshie, Nsuaem, Obuasi and Kasoa respectively, while the accused person resided at Alajo.

It said in June 2022, Mr Abdul-Jalil, who was desperately in need of a better job met Ayisha who told him that she had an insider at the Immigration Headquarters who could facilitate his enlistment into the Ghana Immigration Service if he could pay an amount of GH10,000.00.

The prosecution said Abdul-Jalil brought the said amount and handed it over to Ayisha at Alajo.

It said Ayisha then informed Abdul-Jalil of the availability of slots and asked if he had other friends who were also interested in becoming Immigration Officers.

The prosecution said Abdul-Jalil in turn informed Belad, Agyemang, Opoku, Fobi and others who showed interest in the opportunity.

It said Ayisha then charged them various amounts ranging from GH5,900.00 to GH10,900.00.

Investigation however disclosed that, after all the 17 victims had paid various amounts of money to the accused person, she took them to Lapaz Community Hospital and Police Hospital respectively where their blood samples were taken as medical examinations were carried out on them, the Prosecution said.

The prosecution said Ayisha promised her clients that they would be called for training two weeks after the said medical examinations but went into hiding and all efforts made by the complainants to reach her proved abortive.

It said four months later, the complainants reported the matter to the Police and Ayisha was arrested.

The prosecution said during interrogation, Ayisha admitted collecting money from the complainants and other victims to the tune of GH163,415.00.

GNA
The following statement was issued during the International Conference on Islam and Climate Emergency, which was organized by the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) in partnership with the Faculty of Sharia at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Leave it in the Ground Initiative (LINGO), Germanwatch and GreenFaith. The event brought together climate experts and Islamic scholars on a discussion with the aim of consolidating pathways to achieving climate justice from an Islamic perspective.

Representatives and members of Islamic communities and people of other faiths, alongside experts in climate change science and policy, from ten countries, gathered in the historic city of Fes on February 24-26, 2023 for a Conference on Islam and Climate Emergency.

The conference was hosted by the Faculty of Sharia [Islamic law] at University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah in Fes, which is known as the Kingdoms spiritual capital for its harboring of different faiths. Morocco, an African and Arab Islamic country, is recognized for its commitment to its pluralist religious and multiethnic identity, as well as for tackling climate change by being a leader in renewable energies, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohamed VI.

Following a thorough discussion that took into consideration Islamic Jurisprudence and the scientific study of the issues under discussion, the participants made the following conclusions and recommendations.

Conclusions:

Humanity is in an unprecedented climate emergency. The balance in the atmosphere, which existed since the dawn of human civilization of two hundred and eighty parts of carbon dioxide per million, has been disrupted by an increase of half of this amount to four hundred and twenty parts per million. Human interference has already resulted in the warming of the world by 1.1 Celsius relative to pre-industrial temperatures, whereas 1.5 Celsius is the limit agreed by all nations in 2015, to lessen the probability of crossing dangerous tipping points toward uncontrollable climate disruption. Present warming has already resulted in clear loss and damage all around the world from climate catastrophes, including human death, loss of property and livelihoods, and mass extinction of many other species of life. Impacts of climate change, such as drought, heatwaves, storms and floods, are being felt severely in regions of North, West, and East Africa, Western, Southern, and Southeastern Asia, which are also historic homelands for much of the world's Muslim communities, who do not bear historic responsibility for this climate change. The vast majority of human greenhouse gas emissions originate from the extraction and burning of fossil fuels, namely coal, oil, and gas. Whereas fossil fuels have provided appreciable benefits, their use currently presents, overall, an extraordinary risk to humanity, and their use should be phased down and phased out on the basis of equity, just transition, and support to the vulnerable from the historically responsible developed countries. Islam considers human beings relationship with the environment to be that of Caretaker [Khalifa] on Earth based on the consideration that it is a Sacred Trust [Amana] that must be kept, and within this we are responsible and accountable for our actions. Thus, we have agency while being within a Divine Framework. With respect to the relationships of human beings with our human siblings, our society and our environment, these are strongly contextualized within the Islamic doctrine and are framed by legal texts that call for the necessity of mutual cooperation [al-taawun al-mushtarak] in order to preserve and repair the environment. On this, Allah said: Cooperate in righteousness and piety, and do no corruption [pollution] on the earth after it has been set in order. Also, Prophet Muhammad [the Blessings of God and Peace upon him] said: Show mercy to those on Earth and the One in the Heavens will show mercy to you.

The combination of the three meanings (mercy, cooperation and repair) outlined in the abovementioned texts helps to tackle climate issues on the one hand, and encourages the implementation of relevant projects on the other hand.

With respect to Almizan, Islam considers balance and moderation to be general principles and particular characteristics of Islamic law, and people are partners in the three: water, feeding, and fire. Therefore, it is necessary to work on preserving Balance as it is an Original State of existence and innate to Creation. The conferences members agree to strive to deepen the understanding of Islamic perspectives on the environment and climate, to raise awareness within Muslim communities around the globe, and to promote sustainable practices and behavior. To this end, we suggested the launch of the Initiative on Islam and Climate Action during the International Conference on Islam and Climate Emergency, held on 24-26 February, 2023. The initiatives mission statement includes a set of tasks as outlined in the following recommendations.

The Initiative is a partnership of international and national organizations, academic institutions, and existing initiatives. Relevant researchers, associations, and foundations are welcome to join the initiative. The secretariat of the Initiative will lie within the High Atlas Foundation, who will be responsible for providing the convening space (e.g. annual conference, frequent network calls), supporting the individual partners where needed, and ensuring coherence and collaboration between all partners.

Recommendations:

Call for rapid transformations of economies toward renewable energies so as to eliminate humanity's interference with the climate system. With regard to the aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Islam considers the necessity of adopting two main components.

The first element is mediation and moderation in using the Earths resources by giving priority to necessities over luxuries, in accordance with the higher purposes of Islamic law [Maqasid al-sharia al-Islamiya].

The second is accountability and accounting based on the principle that all humans are shepherds and humanity is responsible for the divine parish [raya].
Catherine Blavo Lotsu (Mrs) - Women Affairs Manager, United Nations Association - Ghana

08.03.2023 LISTEN

As we celebrate International Women's Day, we recognize the need to embrace equality for continued efforts to achieve gender equality in all aspects of life, including innovation and technology. Innovation and technology have the potential to drive progress and transform lives, but we must ensure that their benefits are equally accessible to all, regardless of gender.

Despite progress in recent years, women remain underrepresented in STEM fields, which limits their opportunities for leadership and innovation. We must work to address this gender gap by promoting equal access to education and training, removing barriers to entry, and increasing representation of women in leadership positions in tech.

At the same time, we must ensure that technology and innovation are designed with gender equality in mind. This means incorporating diverse perspectives and experiences into the design and development process, recognizing and addressing the biases and discriminatory algorithms that can perpetuate gender inequality, and prioritizing the development of technologies that benefit all members of society, including women and girls.

The United Nations Association of Ghana (UNAGH) would like to call on governments, tech companies, and civil society to work together to promote innovation and technology for gender equality. This requires sustained investment in education and training for women and girls, as well as the development and implementation of policies and practices that ensure equal access and opportunities in the tech industry.

By embracing innovation and technology as tools for gender equality, we can create a more just and inclusive society that benefits everyone, regardless of gender.

#EmbraceEquality

Signed:

Catherine Blavo Lotsu (Mrs)

Women Affairs Manager

United Nations Association - Ghana
Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has wished all Ghanaian women a Happy International Womens Day.

In a statement on Facebook, the Vice President admonished women to take breast cancer and cervical cancer screening seriously.

He strongly believes that early detection will give victims a fighting chance to beat the disease when diagnosed.

As part of activities marking this year's International Women's Day, I urge all, especially women, to take screenings for breast and cervical cancer very seriously to help early detection and treatment.

Early detection is crucial in the fight against cancer, and I commend Breast Care International, who organised a free screening today, for leading the cause for early detection all these years, H.E Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia said.

The Vice President was a Special Guest of Honour at the free screening organised by Breast Care International.

In his celebration of women, he said it is a fact that women have played and continue to play very important roles in the country's national development efforts.

.on such an important Day, I celebrate the women of Ghana for being such able leaders and partners.

Happy International Women's Day to all the incredible women of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia shared in his post on Facebook.
General Secretary of the Ghana Mineworkers' Union, Abdul-Moomin Gbana

08.03.2023 LISTEN

The Ghana Mineworkers' Union on Wednesday, March 8, honoured an invitation from the National Labour Commission (NLC) in hopes of settling the impasse with Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited.

The Union earlier filed a complaint to the NLC over the unfair termination of contracts of three members who work for Sunon Asogli.

The affected workers whose contracts have been terminated by Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited include the Branch Union Secretary, Assistant Secretary, and Chairperson.

Their only offense according to the Ghana Mineworkers Union was taking the decision to exercise their inalienable right to freedom guaranteed under the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana as well as the Labour Act 2003 (Act 651).

Briefing the media on what transpired at the National Labour Commission on Wednesday, General Secretary of the Union, Abdul-Moomin Gbana said the matter could not be resolved as expected.

We came to the commission today at the instance of the commission because we were supposed to have met on March 1 but the company didnt show up and rather requested the adjournment to March 8.

The expectation today was for the commission to provide or give specific orders to the effect that our members are reinstated and in terms of the failure to negotiate the party should negotiate as well as the subscription and deduction of same. The company however came and argued that they were not served with a complaint on the termination of the union leaders and for that matter, they needed time to look at the complaint and respond accordingly, Abdul-Moomin Gbana said.

After listening to the argument by Sunon Asogli, the National Labour Commission has adjourned the matter to Wednesday, March 15.

Although the Ghana Mineworkers Union is unhappy that the resolution of the matter has taken long, General Secretary Abdul-Moomin Gbana says his outfit will remain patient in hopes of settling the issue next week.

The next line of action we are going to touch base with our members and let them know this is what transpired.

They should keep cool heads whiles we work together to reappear on March 15. We are not ruling anything out. We will work with them with the hope that on March 15 we will able to resolve the matter once and for all, the Ghana Mineworkers Union General Secretary told the media.
Hydrogen and graphite processing company Hazer Group was rising 12% in share price today, as the group provided an update on its demonstration plants progress in WA.

Hydrogen and graphite production processing pioneer Hazer Group [ASX:HZR] was reporting from Perth earlier today, looking to update its shareholders on its commercial demonstration plant and related operations, including its schedule and Phase 1 testing.

The update must have resonated with shareholders on Wednesday, with the alternative energy production group experiencing a share price movement of 12% up on its last closing price.

HZR has had a rough ride in the full year, however, having declined more than 36% in share value.

Its also down 40% in both is sector and the wider market average.

In the early afternoon, HZL shares were sitting at 56 cents:

www.TradingView.com

Hazer Groups commercial demonstration plant on schedule for H2 2023

Hazer wished to update its shareholders regarding the progress it has made with its Commercial Demonstration Plant (CDP).

The company wished to confirm its plant remains on schedule for beginning its planned hot operations for hydrogen and graphitic carbon, for the second half of 2023, provided installation of reactors and heat exchanger equipment are carried out efficiently.

Hazer said Phase 1 testing for the CDP is ongoing, and the groups targeted objectives are processing as expected with the plat achieving successful gas flow.

Testing for Phase 1s program will continue to present technical data, which will be needed for derisking its operations and maintaining a steady state of operation testing.

Hazer also noted that fabrication and delivery of equipment to the CDP is in line with its operational start-up schedule, the group relaying replacement heat exchanger material orders have been placed with Special Metals Wiggin (UK).

Another order for high temperature alloy material has also been placed with Tubacex, a global leader in the supply of high-alloyed tubular products.

Hazer is developing multiple reactor technology options for its CDP operations, looking into optimising risks and accelerating technology development for the commercial scale-up phase.

Conceptual design assessments have been completed with engineering solutions addressing design risks and as a result, detailed engineering, procurement and delivery of fabricated units have also been accelerated. This will help to align the groups delivery with its hot operations start-up schedule.

CEO of Hazer Group Glenn Corrie stated:

Delivering CDP start-up this year is a strategic imperative and fundamental to demonstrating our technology at industrial scale on a continuous basis in preparation for commercial scale-up. We have spent the past few months rigorously reviewing our CDP schedule to find ways to accelerate Ready For Start Up (RFSU) to address the supply-chain challenges we encountered mid-last year. Im confident we have a robust plan with built-in contingency to manage risk that has placed us on solid footing to deliver our CDP hot operations start-up in 2023.

Mr Corrie said that the groups strategies are firmly on track, with the group working to open its technology to a commercial scale as soon as possible, with Hazer being very eager to become a leader in the global decarbonisation industry.

Source: HZR

Is Australia on the brink of another commodity boom?

Our resources expert and trained geologist, James Cooper, thinks the Australian resources sector is set to enter a new commodities boom brought on by the Age of Scarcity.

Similar patterns that occurred 20 years ago are happening again.

James is convinced the gears are in motion for another multi-year boom in commodities.

A boom where Australia (and ASX stocks) stands to benefit

The next big mining boom is predicted to happen in the next few years.

The same investors that got rich last time are preparing to make their move. Dont let them take the monopoly again.

You can learn from Jamess experiences with his personalised attack plan, right here.

If that isnt enough to sate your curiosity, check out the highly-debated topic in last years interview with James and Greg at ausbiz.

Regards,

Mahlia Stewart

For Money Morning
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry (Image via RLDF.org)

The head of Louisianas largest business lobby confirmed Tuesday morning that hes thinking about running for governor, potentially shaking up a field of Republican candidates who have disappointed some major Republican political donors so far.

My wife and I are taking a look at it  and praying, reflecting and talking to friends, said Stephen Waguespack, a Republican who runs the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI). This is one of the most important elections in generations here.

Were going to take our time and think through it, but we dont have a decision yet, he said.

Others said Waguespack had already made up his mind and started telling members of LABIs executive committee this week that he will enter the race. Hes expected to announce his campaign Thursday, just seven months shy of Louisianas gubernatorial primary.

Before overseeing LABI, Waguespack worked for Gov. Bobby Jindal as his executive counsel and chief of staff. Jindal also appointed him to the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Waguespacks potential run is the latest sign that many in the conservative business community arent happy with its current options for governor.

There are already four GOP candidates in the race: Sen. Sharon Hewitt, Attorney General Jeff Landry, Treasurer John Schroder and Rep. Richard Nelson. Former Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson, a Democrat, and wealthy attorney Hunter Lundy, a political independent, have also launched campaigns.

None of them have been able to unite the corporate base. A few wealthy Republicans in the donor class are particularly concerned about Landry, who has far more campaign cash on hand than other candidates and acts as the presumptive frontrunner in the race.

Business leaders and state lawmakers privately complain about Landrys temperament  the attorney general has a reputation for bullying people who disagree with him and starting feuds with other elected officials.

They also say hes too focused on divisive social issues  such as what books are available in libraries  to the detriment of tackling the states more significant challenges, like low literacy rates and economic development.

Most high-profile Republicans concerned about Landry will only air their feelings behind closed doors, saying they fear retribution if he ends up winning the election. Only a small group of Republicans have been willing to speak openly about their worries. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE

Rolfe McCollister, the former owner of the Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, publicly complained last month about the various warnings and threats [Landys] sending to potential opposing candidates and their supporters.

[Landrys] also tossing out threats such as you wont work in this state, if you dont get behind Landrys campaign, wrote McCollister, a former member of the LSU Board of Supervisors and Jindal booster, in a column. Is this what one should expect from someone who claims he can lead our state to a better future?

Waguespack have not been the first choice of candidates for these Anybody but Jeff Republicans though. A number of GOP officials  including Sen. Bill Cassidy, Sen. John Kennedy, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and U.S. Rep. Garret Graves  were pushed to run as an alternative to Landry over the last year. In the end, none of them got into the race.

Graves is the most recent of those candidates to announce he wont be running for governor, but the congressman hinted in a lengthy statement Tuesday morning that he expected another Republican to join the field. Hes likely talking about Waguespack, who is a friend of Graves.

In the coming days, the field for governor will brighten. And Louisiana will have a generational opportunity to write Americas greatest comeback story, Graves said.

A Waguespack campaign could capitalize on the underwhelming performances of the other Republican candidates at the LABI annual meeting last week.

In his capacity as LABIs president, Waguespack conducted one-on-one interviews in front of hundreds of people with each of the four Republicans already in the race. With the exception of Nelson  who is struggling to raise money  the GOP candidates didnt offer much in the way of specific policy platforms, and some politically-active business folks came away disheartened by the performances.

But Waguespack could face challenges as a late-comer to the race as well. While hes well-known among political insiders, its not clear that rank-and-file voters are familiar with him. The other candidates, especially Landry, also have a significant head start when it comes to raising money.

The attorney general will have a much easier path to future fundraising. Landrys early endorsement from the Louisiana Republican Party allows the state GOP to help his campaign financially  an advantage other candidates wont have.

Some of the states most prolific conservative campaign donors are also already publicly backing Landry in the governors race. Lane Grigsby, founder of Cajun Industries, and Eddie Rispone, a Baton Rouge businessman and the Republican gubernatorial candidate in 2019, have already endorsed the attorney general.

Waguespacks association with Jindal could also be a problem. Democrats and Republicans alike are still upset with Jindal for leaving state government in financial shambles. GOP lawmakers are among those most peeved because it fell to them to raise state taxes in 2016 and 2018 to keep state services intact.

The post Anybody but Jeff Republicans may have found a candidate for Louisiana governor appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator.
March 08, 2023 Nord Stream Attack - 'Officials' Throw More Chaff To Hide The Real Perpetrators Right at the same moment the New York Times publishes a shoddy 'officials say' story about alleged intelligence about the Nord Stream terror attack the Germany weekly Die Zeit, which has strong U.S. secret services ties, comes up with an equally unbelievable tale of a 'Ukrainian owned' sailing boat playing the major role in the attack: Nord-Stream-Ermittlungen: Spuren fuhren in die Ukraine

Ermittler haben das Boot identifiziert, von dem aus die Anschlage auf Nord Stream ausgefuhrt wurden. Offenbar wurde es von einer Firma gemietet, die Ukrainern gehort. My translations: Nord Stream investigation: Traces lead to Ukraine

Investigators have identified the boat from which the attacks on Nord Stream were carried out. Apparently, it was rented by a company owned by Ukrainians. No, it is not the USS Kearsarge, the U.S. amphibious assault ship which 'trained' 'mine removals' near Bornholm island next to the pipelines just days before they blew up, which the 'investigators' identified. AZ @AZmilitary1 - 13:52 UTC  Sep 27, 2022 An expeditionary detachment of US Navy ships led by the universal amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge days ago was in the Baltic Sea

It was 30 km from the site of the alleged sabotage on the Nord Stream-1 gas pipeline and 50 km from the threads of Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline

bigger The new claim is that some rather small yacht, which would not even be able to carry the necessary equipment to perform such a deed, was the main instrument in this: Following joint research by [German main public TV news unit] (ARD's capital city studio), the ARD political magazine Kontraste, [German public TV] SWR and DIE ZEIT, it was possible to reconstruct to a large extent in the course of the investigation how and when the explosive attack was prepared. According to this, traces lead in the direction of Ukraine. However, investigators have so far found no evidence of who ordered the destruction.

...

Specifically, according to information from [these news sources], investigators have managed to identify the boat that was presumably used for the secret operation. It is said to be a yacht rented from a company based in Poland, apparently owned by two Ukrainians. The clandestine operation at sea is said to have been carried out by a team of six people, according to the investigation. It is said to have involved five men and one woman. According to the report, the group consisted of a captain, two divers, two diving assistants and a female doctor, who are said to have transported the explosives to the crime scenes and placed them there. The nationality of the perpetrators is apparently unclear. The assassins used professionally forged passports, which are said to have been used, among other things, to rent the boat. According to the investigation, the commando set off from Rostock on September 6, 2022. The equipment for the clandestine operation was previously transported to the port in a van, it is said. In the further course, the investigators succeeded in locating the boat the following day again in Wieck (Dar) and later at the Danish island Christians, northeast of Bornholm, according to the research. The yacht was subsequently returned to the owner in uncleaned condition. On the table in the cabin, the investigators were able to detect traces of explosives, according to the research. According to information from [the mentioned news sources], a Western intelligence service is said to have sent a tip to European partner services as early as in the fall, i.e. shortly after the destruction, according to which a Ukrainian commando was responsible for the destruction. Thereafter, there have allegedly been further intelligence indications suggesting that a pro-Ukrainian group could be responsible. No. You do not dive down to 80+ meter for an industrial size job, involving the placement of hundreds of pounds of explosives in eight individual charges on very sturdy pipelines, from a sparsely manned boat. Such deep dives require special gases, special breathing equipment, special training, a decompression chamber for emergencies and lots of well trained people to maintain all that stuff. This is just more chaff thrown up to divert the attention from Seymour Hersh's revelations that the U.S. military, under order from the White House, carried out the sabotage act. Gonzalo Lira @GonzaloLira1968 - 18:54 UTC  Mar 7, 2023 Just now, the German news site Zeitung is ALSO blaming the Ukraine for the Nord Stream pipeline bombing!

Coupled with The NY Times piece earlier today, this is clearly a coordinated misinformation campaign.

Was this why Olaf Schultz and Biden met?

Nord-Stream-Ermittlungen: Spuren fuhren in die Ukraine --- Gonzalo Lira @GonzaloLira1968 - 5:21 UTC  Mar 8, 2023 Zelenskys regime can deny its involvement in the Nord Stream pipeline terrorist attack all it wantsbut it wont matter. Clearly, a very strong faction of the Deep State wants to blame UA so the West can pull out of the Ukraine disaster. ft.com - Ukraine denies any involvement in Nordstream pipeline explosions What we are seeing here is a disinformation campaign comparable to the Skripal 'poisoning' affair in Britain. Following that tens of 'officials say' news items were released that were each more illogical and unbelievable than the previous ones. The campaign was designed to flood the information space with so much nonsense that no one would be drawn back to the roots of the story (i.e. a UK turncoat asset getting violently silenced after he attempted to go back to Russia). I am pretty sure that soon more will be released about the real perpetrators of the Nord Stream attack. This sudden throwing of 'officials say' chaff, a month after the Hersh story, is just an attempt to preemptively divert from it. Posted by b on March 8, 2023 at 6:20 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
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Carl Gutierrez, president of the Guam Visitors Bureau, sits with Philippine Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez in this September 2019 file photo, for an endorsement of visa waivers for Filipino travelers wanting to visit Guam and the CNMI.
Staff Reporter

Richelle obtained a bachelor of arts degree in mass communications from the Far Eastern University in Manila, the Philippines. She was a junior reporter for Marianas Variety from 2009 to 2010, and from 2014 to 2015. In the Maldives, she worked as a news reporter and marketing executive. In her free time, shes a painter, pianist, and mom baker.
guest column

Lusaka  One of my mentors, human rights lawyer Yasmin Jusu-Sheriff of Sierra Leone, once told me: "Individuals can be broken, they can be silenced. But it is very hard to kill an organisation of women".

Women lawyers across the African continent are proving that assertion by using the law to create a better world for women and girls. Examples are many: challenging child marriage in Tanzania, overturning a ban on pregnant girls in school in Sierra Leone, challenging discriminatory petty offences laws in Malawi and upholding rights for domestic workers in South Africa. When not in the court room, women legal experts are on the streets or in Parliaments, championing gender-just laws and policies.

Despite their impact, women in the legal profession continue to face multiple challenges, including being sexually harassed, dismissed, ignored, or ridiculed because of their gender. It is disgraceful that in 2023, more than a century after women were allowed to practice law, they are still dealing with these issues.

Women lawyers working for human rights also face such risks as threats and arbitrary arrests. Tanzanian lawyer Fatma Karume was permanently disbarred after her involvement in a constitutional challenge against the former president. Alice Nkom, a lawyer from Cameroon, is regularly harassed for her work defending the LGBTIQ community against threats of violence and detention.

Discrimination against women lawyers limits gender equity more broadly.

Women lawyers have spoken about the rampant discrimination they face. A lawyer from Swaziland noted that judges often give preferential treatment to male lawyers. Lawyers in Zimbabwe reported that they were given cases men didn't want  the "soft law" cases concerning family law and wills. Lawyers have spoken out about being penalised professionally for being unable to participate in after-work events and networking because of family commitments. These examples are consistent with many conversations I have with friends and colleagues on a regular basis.

The discrimination that women lawyers face has damaging consequences, not just to individual lawyers but to the broader cause of advancing gender equality beyond the court room. A recent report by the International Development law Organization has spotlighted the critical role women play in advancing justice outcomes for women and the numerous barriers they face, especially in advancing to more senior positions and leadership roles.

The law must be used as a catalyst for equal rights.

Advancing gender equality requires a multi-sectoral approach that recognises law as a catalyst for change. Despite gains that further gender justice in courtrooms across the world, funding for justice-focused initiatives remains a fraction of total aid and philanthropy. The much larger expenditures that go towards health and education will be more effective alongside increased investment in gender equality.

Total funding for justice-related projects between 2018  2020 was only 1.37 percent of total aid worldwide. This lack is compounded by limited funding for women's rights organisations, particularly in poorer countries.

Ninety-nine per cent of gender-focused aid does not directly reach women's rights organizations, while 94 percent of all foundation grants go to non-governmental organizations in the USA and Europe. The Legal Empowerment Fund, the first fund created in 2021 to support justice-led initiatives, received 4,800 applications from 153 countries in their first grant call but could fund only 49 grantees.

Waging Justice for Women

Investing in women lawyers is a key step in countering this reality and pushing gender equality forward. That is why, on this International Women's Day, the Clooney Foundation for Justice has chosen to launch the Waging Justice for Women Fellowship to provide funding, mentorship and training to bolster the next generation of women lawyers across Africa.

An initiative by Amal Clooney, a human rights lawyer who exemplifies the impact that lawyers can make in fighting for gender justice, the new fellowship will place ten early-career women lawyers in leading human rights organisations across Africa. It will provide them with an annual salary, as well as monthly on-line training sessions and in-person convenings to strengthen networks of feminist lawyers and movements.

Mentorship and role models are proven to have a positive effect in inspiring women to embark on or progress in legal careers. The ATLAS Network  bringing together over 8000 women  provides mentorship, advice and support to women working in human rights, helping them to combat challenges and increase the number of women in senior positions.

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Role models, such as Vera Chirwa, Malawi's first woman lawyer who spent years on death row for her activism, and Frances Claudia Wright, Sierra Leone's first woman lawyer who set up the first women-only law firm, paved the way for women like myself to enter the legal profession and to dream boldly about how we could use and shape the law to create a more equal world.

But across the world there is a global backsliding in women's rights, endangering many of the protections hard won by women of previous generations. We need to do more  from increased funding and protection to programmes such as the Waging Justice for Women Fellowship  to ensure our two interrelated goals are realised. First, that women are equally represented in the justice sector, and, most importantly, that justice for women is prioritised, rather than seen as a luxury or secondary to other rights.

Sabrina Mahtani is a Zambian-British lawyer. She has over 15 years experience working on access to justice for women across Africa. She is a Senior Advisor to the Clooney Foundation for Justice's Waging Justice for Women program. Twitter: @sabrina_mahtani
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Desperate to will a preferred candidate to victory, Western journalists fell into a tunnel vision on Nigerian politics.

Across the Western media, the outcome of Nigeria's just concluded general election has been both shocking and disappointing. While the shock owes to the triumph of candidate Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC)--a contender the Western press had given next to no chance of winning--disillusionment at the outcome is attributable to the conviction that, being an icon of the old guard, a Tinubu presidency suggests a continuation of politics as usual at a moment when many Nigerians strongly desire everything but.

That a cross section of Nigerians also share this disappointment goes without saying, and it remains to be seen what policy options the president elect will pursue (provided he survives the legal challenge to the election by the Labour Party's (LP) Peter Obi and the People's Democratic Party's (PDP) Atiku Abubakar respectively) to win over his doubters, particularly young Nigerians who justifiably perceive that their country is headed in the wrong direction.

Beyond the shock and disappointment, however, it is important to reflect on why the Western media got it wrong on the outcome of the election, and why Western journalists, in many instances using more or less the same language, persisted in presenting Peter Obi as the election's front runner when there was simply no evidence to support the assertion.

As an increasing number of young Nigerians--the "Obi-dient"--gravitated towards the 61-year-old Obi, raising the tantalizing prospect of a breakup of the duopoly which has monopolized power since Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999, Western media sympathy for Obi (allied with fawning portrayal of his platform) rose in tandem.

This was understandable. In Nigerian politics, Obi was the closest thing to a unicorn--an energetic candidate who spoke the language of transparency and good governance and appeared to mean it--and perhaps for the first time in a long while, Nigerians of a certain generation had real hope that governance could be set on a new pedestal. Obi's political rallies testified to this newfangled buoyancy and bullishness about the country's prospects, and disillusionment at his failure at the polls has to be set against this specific affective backdrop.

But if sympathy for Obi was understandable, that he came up short, a heartbreaking outcome from the perspective of his supporters, was also not unexpected. As a matter of fact, I predicted it. In the first place, the passion of the Obi-dient, pivoting on the cultural influence of the urban educated, entertainers, influencers, celebrities, and assorted agents mobilizing a nascent digital power, could only radiate so far. Structurally, as the Nigerian media goes, so goes its social media. The political map the morning after the election confirms this.

Furthermore, and for all his undeniable bond with young people, Obi faced a practically insurmountable challenge to achieving his presidential ambition precisely because of his failure (his part in this is a matter of debate) to forge a coalition with power brokers in the predominantly Muslim north. The choice of Kaduna State-born Datti Baba-Ahmed as his running mate was clearly meant to obviate the disadvantage of not having an agreement with the core north in place, but the founder of the Abuja-based Baze University is more technocrat than pugilist, and his political footprint even at the best of times was always light. Obi's abysmal numbers across the northern region, where the presidential contest was more or less a two-horse race between Tinubu and Abubakar puts his failure to connect in the region in bold relief.

If all this was obvious to the average student of Nigerian politics, that it continued to elude Western journalists is one of the more puzzling aspects of their coverage of the election. Their first error was to characterize as a "political outsider" a savvy veteran who only four years ago ran as running mate to Abubakar on the platform of the PDP, and in May 2022 was still gearing up to pick up the same party's presidential ticket until he was outmaneuvered by Abubakar. By the same illogic, Obi would soon be anointed as the "front-runner" in the election even when it was abundantly clear that Tinubu and Abubakar, for political and structural reasons sketched above, were the two candidates to beat. That these reasons might have been unpalatable if one were favorably disposed to Obi's candidacy does nothing to change their status as brute facts.

There were other mistakes. Pressured as to the reason for their confidence in Obi as a front-runner in the election, Western journalists regularly cited surveys, many of which, by omission or design, seem to have been armored against evidence. Persistent warnings about the limitations of polling in light of Nigeria's sociological and ethnoregional particulars went unheeded. Nor did many Western journalists seem willing to make the simple admission that the voice of young Nigerians as encapsulated in the Obi-dient movement, while legitimate, did not necessarily aggregate the voice of every young Nigerian. No allowance was made for the country's obvious political and cultural heterogeneity, nor was there any curiosity about parts of the country where comparatively low levels of literacy and technological diffusion have historically signaled a contrary sensibility.

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Perhaps Western journalists might have seen things differently if only they bothered to look, but such was their hurry to report a feelgood story of youth resurgence and political revitalization about an African country where such tends to be scarce; such, in addition was the umbilical connection between the same journalists and the Obi-dient, that the only "facts" available to them were those afforded by the bubble into which they had sealed themselves. Hence the spectacle of an echo chamber in which both the Western and Obi-dient media glibly cross-referenced each other, impervious to the kind of contrary information or perspective that might have forced them to adjust their lens.

That the Western press meant well is not in question. Obi was a breath of fresh air in a country where political criminality is a tautology more or less, and he ran against two representatives of the establishment deeply loathed by many. While that may be understandable, there is simply no excuse for its mischaracterization of Obi, never mind its scandalous negligence of the basic realities of Nigerian politics.

By recklessly propping up Obi, hence giving the impression that he was on his way to the presidency, they have contributed to the public's loss of confidence in the integrity of the Nigerian election.
Twain Harte, CA  The new warden of the Salinas Valley State Prison in the Monterey area is a resident of Twain Harte.

Trent Allen has been the acting warden for the Salinas Valley State Prison since 2021. On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced he had been promoted to Warden of that corrections facility. Before that, Allen was the Chief Deputy Administrator at the Sierra Conservation Center from 2020 to 2021. Prior to that, he was the Correctional Administrator at San Quentin State Prison from 2017 to 2020.

Allen served as a correctional captain at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Headquarters from 2015 to 2017 and the year before that, at California Correctional Health Care Services.

Allens background also includes being a correctional lieutenant at multiple institutions, including California State Prison, Avenal State Prison, Salinas Valley State Prison, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Headquarters from 2008 to 2014, and a correctional sergeant at the Salinas prison from 2005 to 2008. After serving as an E-5 Sergeant in the U.S. Army from 1995 to 2001, Allens first job was as a Calipatria State Prison Correctional Officer from 2002 to 2005 in Imperial County in Southern California.

Senate confirmation is not required for this position, with a salary of $175,332. Allen is registered without party preference.
Mountain Tunnel Related Road Closure Marked By Yellow View Photo

Groveland, CA  Work by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on the Mountain Tunnel Improvements Project will close a road in the Stanislaus National Forest through the end of the year.

Stanislaus National Forest Supervisor Jason Kuiken has signed an order to close Forest Road 1S28B through the remainder of 2023. He says, Due to the nature of the work to be undertaken on the steep canyons narrow road, maintaining the road open would place the public at risk.

The project addresses deficiencies of the SFPUCs Mountain Tunnel and makes needed repairs. SFPUC reports, Mountain Tunnel is an approximately 19-mile-long water tunnel that has been serving the Bay Area since 1925 as part of the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System. It transmits drinking water originating from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir through Kirkwood Powerhouse, where it generates hydropower, to Priest Reservoir downstream. Water flows entirely by gravity through this tunnel, which is unlined upstream for over 7 miles and has an unreinforced concrete lining for 11 miles in its downstream section.

The Forest Service reports that as part of the restoration project, crews will be doing rock scaling, vegetation clearing, road surface and drainage work, and installation of rock fence/netting.

The $238-million project commenced last year and is anticipated to pick up again when the weather improves in the Spring.
Washing hands helps to prevent the spread of cholera (file photo).

Following two confirmed cases of Cholera in Chegutu district recently, government has reportedly put an umbrella ban on all official public gatherings to avert an outbreak.

Sources told NewZimbabwe.com Monday that scheduled International Women's Day (IWD) commemorations set for Wednesday in the district were cancelled amid fears the large crowd could spawn bacterial infections resulting in a health disaster.

The responsible ministry confirmed cancellation without giving any reasons.

"The Ministry of Women Affairs, Community Small And Medium Enterprises Development would like to inform development partners, invited stakeholders, and the nation of Zimbabwe that the national commemoration of the International Women's Day, which was scheduled to be held on the 8th of March 2023 in Chegutu District (Norton), Mashonaland West Province has been postponed until further notice due to circumstances beyond our control. Any inconveniences caused are sincerely regretted," reads a notice issued Monday.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by eating or drinking food or water that is contaminated with the bacterium.

Government has activated health emergency response mechanisms following a cholera outbreak in the Sadc region and the recording of two cases in Chegutu.

Health authorities have confirmed full recoveries for the two Chegutu cases, while the outbreak has so far claimed 1 400 lives in the region, with 43 000 confirmed cases.

The current cholera outbreaks within the Sadc region is affecting neighbouring countries Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.

Zimbabwe has since taken a proactive stance to avert an outbreak in the country.

The ministry has advised the public to be on alert for symptoms of watery diarrhoea amongst travellers from regional countries to seek treatment at their nearest health facilities.

On February 15, Zimbabwe confirmed a case of cholera in Chegutu, Mashonaland West Province, with the patient having presented with watery diarrhoea and vomiting on February 12.

On February 17, a second case was reported, again in Chegutu.

A raft of measures to control the spread of cholera include drinking and using safe and boiled water at all times.

Citizens are urged to practise good hygiene, including washing hands before eating, after visiting the toilet and use proper latrines and other sanitation systems.

Cooking food well and keeping it covered and hot are the other prescribed measures.
Its instructive to see how having a captured press, plus having well-seeded the public with fables about Ukraine derring-do, allows the Administration and its co-conspirators to run intelligence-insulting stories. A colleague who describes himself as possessing sang froid somewhere between that of a Chinese sage and a dead dog was irate over the latest howler, that of stories in the New York Times and German press, released in very close proximity to each other, presenting the Nord Stream pipelines bombings as the doings of a mysterious pro-Ukraine group.

What got my friends dander up wasnt just the ridiculousness of the claim, but als the suspicious media footprints. The German and New York Times stories came out so close to each other, with the New York Times piece presenting itself as completely independently sourced, that they were clearly coordinated. As well explain, the German stories, with Die Zeit first out of the gate, relied on reports from German prosecutors. The New York Times piece did not mention German reports or German officials, but instead cited only US officials.

Im told by German speakers that the summary in Politico is accurate. The Ukraine link part is awfully slippery, since rental of a Ukrainian owned ship does not establish the owners were in on the plot. From Politico:

German prosecutors have found traces of evidence indicating that Ukrainians may have been involved in the explosions that blew up the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022, according to German media reports Tuesday. Investigators identified a boat that was potentially used for transporting a crew of six people, diving equipment and explosives into the Baltic Sea in early September. Charges were then placed on the pipelines, according to a joint investigation by German public broadcasters ARD and SWR as well as the newspaper Die Zeit. The German reports said that the yacht had been rented from a company based in Poland that is apparently owned by two Ukrainians.. According to the investigation by German public prosecutors that is cited by the German outlets, the team which placed the explosive charges on the pipelines was comprised of five men  a captain, two divers and two diving assistants  as well as one woman doctor, all of them of unknown nationality and operating with false passports. They left the German port of Rostock on September 6 on the rented boat, the report said.

Contrast this with the New York Times version in Intelligence Suggests Pro-Ukrainian Group Sabotaged Pipelines, U.S. Officials Say. As we wil show as we go through the article, it states that this intelligence was developed separately from the European investigations:

New intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials suggests that a pro-Ukrainian group carried out the attack on the Nord Stream pipelines last year, a step toward determining responsibility for an act of sabotage that has confounded investigators on both sides of the Atlantic for months Ukraine and its allies have been seen by some officials as having the most logical potential motive to attack the pipelines.

How cute is this? Pro-Ukraine covers a huge amount of terrain, including the Poles, who John Helmer argued were the perps. And the Times manages to skip over that the US was the biggest, as well as baddest, opponent to the pipelines.

And then the Times admits that this intelligence is sketchy:

U.S. officials declined to disclose the nature of the intelligence, how it was obtained or any details of the strength of the evidence it contains. They have said that there are no firm conclusions about it, leaving open the possibility that the operation might have been conducted off the books by a proxy force with connections to the Ukrainian government or its security services.

And this intel did not come from the European investigations:

A spokeswoman for the C.I.A. declined to comment. A spokesman for the White Houses National Security Council referred questions about the pipelines to the European authorities, who have been conducting their own investigations.

Needless to say, the Twitterverse treated this news with the respect it deserved:

pro-Ukrainian group makes it sound like the Ukrainian Cultural Association of Ohio recruited military deep sea divers with 1,000 pounds of explosives  Sam Biddle (@samfbiddle) March 7, 2023

BREAKING NEWS: The CIA alleges that 5 random clowns in a sailboat penetrated the most highly patrolled body of water on earth, drilled through concrete at incredible depths, and planted 1,000 Kilograms of highly unstable C4 plastique, then remote detonated it with pulse sonar.  Garland Nixon (@GarlandNixon) March 8, 2023

"Aaaaa there was an attack against Nord Stream pipelines aaaa an act of aa sabotage aaaaaa but we have not been able aaaaa to determine who was behind aaaaa there are ongoing national investigations"  Jens Stoltenberg pic.twitter.com/jkK4uYE2cI  AZ  (@AZgeopolitics) March 8, 2023

Remember kids, Sy Hershs Nord Stream report is untrustworthy because it is unproven and relies on anonymous sources. pic.twitter.com/vu3RjlxgFf  Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) March 7, 2023

Recall that even though the US has succeeded in burying the Sy Hersh story depicting Biden and his top foreign policy officials as the instigators of the bombing, its gotten traction in Germany.

The timing of the sudden discovery of new US intelligence at the same time German prosecutors leaked (or were unable to stop leaks) about their finding is miraculously convenient. In fact, it appears to be not at all new. But now that information is coming out from channels the US does not control fully, it looks to have gone into Get in front of a mob and call it a parade mode:

Moon of Alabama provided a more detailed takedown, relying on the Die Zeit account:

The new claim is that some rather small sailing yacht, which would not even be able to carry the necessary equipment to perform such a deed, was the main instrument in this: Following joint research by [German main public TV news unit] (ARDs capital city studio), the ARD political magazine Kontraste, [German public TV] SWR and DIE ZEIT, it was possible to reconstruct to a large extent in the course of the investigation how and when the explosive attack was prepared. According to this, traces lead in the direction of Ukraine. However, investigators have so far found no evidence of who ordered the destruction.



Specifically, according to information from [these news sources], investigators have managed to identify the boat that was presumably used for the secret operation. It is said to be a yacht rented from a company based in Poland, apparently owned by two Ukrainians. The clandestine operation at sea is said to have been carried out by a team of six people, according to the investigation. It is said to have involved five men and one woman. According to the report, the group consisted of a captain, two divers, two diving assistants and a female doctor, who are said to have transported the explosives to the crime scenes and placed them there. The nationality of the perpetrators is apparently unclear. The assassins used professionally forged passports, which are said to have been used, among other things, to rent the boat.According to the investigation, the commando set sail from Rostock on September 6, 2022. The equipment for the clandestine operation was previously transported to the port in a van, it is said. In the further course, the investigators succeeded in locating the boat the following day again in Wieck (Dar) and later at the Danish island Christians, northeast of Bornholm, according to the research. The yacht was subsequently returned to the owner in uncleaned condition. On the table in the cabin, the investigators were able to detect traces of explosives, according to the research. According to information from [the mentioned news sources], a Western intelligence service is said to have sent a tip to European partner services as early as in the fall, i.e. shortly after the destruction, according to which a Ukrainian commando was responsible for the destruction. Thereafter, there have allegedly been further intelligence indications suggesting that a pro-Ukrainian group could be responsible. No. You do not dive down to 80+ meter for an industrial size job, involving the placement of hundreds of pounds of explosives in eight individual charges on very sturdy pipelines, from a sparsely manned sailing boat. Such deep dives require special gases, special breathing equipment, special training, a decompression chamber for emergencies and lots of well trained people to maintain all that stuff. This is just more chaff thrown up to divert the attention from Seymour Hershs revelations that the U.S. military, under order from the White House, carried out the sabotage act.

There is the cynical take that the blame it on people who like Ukraine is meant to weaken Ukraine support. That seems unlikely. Pinning blame on mystery operatives with superpowers turns scrutiny as far as possible from government actors, and the big point is to exculpate the US, particularly its top brass. Conveniently, that sort of caper is such a staple of action movies that great swathes of the public have been pre-programmed to believe it.

But the alleged link may still blunt Germany sympathy for Ukraine:

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius says claims that pro-Ukrainian group behind Nord Stream SABOTAGE may have consequences for Western support to Ukraine.  pic.twitter.com/o28CqhMhwl  pocalypsis pocalypseos    (@apocalypseos) March 8, 2023

Before you get your hopes up, until Robert Habeck and Annelina Baerbock get lobotomies, I dont see German policy changing. They are diehard hawks and still very much in the drivers seat.

Its clearly the US hope that this deflection will make the Nord Stream whodunit go away. But Sy Hersh was already promising more stories on this case, and this mini-barrage gives him additional grist. Pass the popcorn.
Yves here. Thanks to those who read Lamberts Water Cooler Special on NYC Mayor Adams telling businesses to have their patrons remove masks as a condition of entry and circulated his post or better yet, filed a complaint. Its not too late to act if you havent yet had time!

Our experience with CalPERS showed that on the state level, it takes comparatively few messages from upset citizens to change the trajectory of policy. And remember, New York City draws in many people who dont live in the five boroughs: commuters, tourists, patients seeking specialized treatments. So if you visit the city more than occasionally, please weigh in, since New York depends on income from these many transients too, and has to respect state and Federal laws in dealing with them (yes, the Adams edict is procedurally improper too, but better to go with the substantive abuses).

I complained to the New York attorney general (link to be found in Lamberts WC) without the benefit of his piece and it took only 15 minutes. Im also a slow typist so it would likely take most of you less time.

That form asks for a short description of the civil rights violation. Its not much more work to copy and paste that text and send it to your state Senator and Assemblyman.

In terms of enlisting allies, nurses and advocates for HIV and other immunocompromised groups would be prime candidates. And if you sent the post to anyone who tries telling you that a study shows masks dont work, the simplest rebuttal is the Cochrane study was an obvious bad faith exercise: a metastudy based on 78 studies. Only 2 were on Covid and the 2 Covid studies found masks were beneficial. And of course you can also send on Lamberts long-form evisceration.

* * *

Bumblebees puzzle-solving powers suggest a capacity for animal culture NPR (David L)

What hunter-gatherers demonstrate about work and satisfaction aeon (Anthony L)

The Ancient Boundaries of Classics Antigone (Anthony L)

How sugar substitutes sneak into foods and affect your health Washington Post (furzy)

Can Our Brains Be Taken Over? Quanta (Anthony L)

Los Angeles Is Burning: Ian Winwood on Rock Music in L.A. Los Angeles Review of Books (Anthony L)

#COVID-19

 https://t.co/Hc5sun42au  T. Ryan Gregory (@TRyanGregory) March 6, 2023 Frequent emergence of resistance mutations following complex intra-host genomic dynamics in SARS-CoV-2 patients receiving Sotrovimab "Across all Omicron lineages, the acquisition of resistance delayed SARS-CoV-2 clearance (40.67 vs 19.5 days)"https://t.co/0Ebp3EBdsw  Cassandra  (@Jul101Vie) March 5, 2023

China?

Koreas

La belle France

New Not-So-Cold War. We are covering the ludicrous New York Times/Die Zeit pinning o the Nord Stream pipeline bombings on a small freelance team that did miracles with a comparatively tiny boat in a separate post, so please have fun with it there.

Syraqistan

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

FTC: BetterHelp pushed users to share mental health info then gave it to Facebook The Register (Kevin W)

Imperial Collapse Watch

1/6

Biden

2024

Never, Ever, Ever Haley The American Conservative

Abortion

Police State Watch

Norfolk Southern Chemical Bomb

Our No Longer Free Press

THE MORAL CASE AGAINST EQUITY LANGUAGE Atlantic (Anthony L)

School thats part of notoriously woke Virginia district BANS white and Asian students from college prep program, as sister school faces probe for withholding merit awards to boost equity Daily Mail

Crapification

As Customer Problems Hit a Record High, More People Seek Revenge Wall Street Journal. ZOMG, confirming my earlier comment about the woman who drove her SUV into a Popeyes over missing biscuits, there is a Customer Rage survey! BTW, the perception of quality of customer service is not based on the number of screwups but how the vendor handles a screw up. That is why horrible phone trees and tech companies that as a matter of policy allow no human contact are feeding this problem. Oh, and pro tip: archive.ph is you friend.

AI

The Bezzle

As far as Im concerned, MMT has been vindicated by the rate hikers as they have adopted their version of MMT per their own language & definitions, in that they are using govt deficits to fund their rate hikes. And nobody seems to give a flying f#%k.  Charles Hayden (@CarlitosMMT) March 8, 2023

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour. Celia C: I attach a picture that might be useful as an antidote du jour. The mother sheep is named Platypus and lives in Ireland. She is shown here with her baby, just born in the last week or so.

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
The messy reconfiguration of energy supply chains following Europes severance from Russia continues, and it has the West pushing ahead at all costs  even funding much of fighting in a resource-rich region of Mozambique.

Frances Totalenergies is moving forward with efforts to get a Mozambique LNG project back on track despite serious concerns over violence and human rights abuses in the region. The project was mothballed back in early 2021 due to violence, but is now expected to restart this summer.

Mozambiques natural gas reserves are the third largest in Africa after Algeria and Nigeria, and if all the deposits are tapped, the country could become one of the worlds ten biggest gas exporters. Much of the reserves were discovered in the Muslim-majority northern province of Cabo Delgado back in 2010.

Massive amounts of money began pouring into the region, the government prioritized the interests of foreign investors, and private security and a local insurgency began fighting. While the conflict in the region is blamed on terrorists, the reality is more complicated. From Friends of the Earth:

The Mozambique government is promoting a narrative of foreign Islamic terrorists disrupting the LNG projects, but this doesnt represent the reality of the situation, nor reflect the role that the LNG projects have had in drawing those eager to cash in, and fuelling violence in an impoverished region of a country which is both one of the poorest in the world, and still recovering from a bloody civil war. Since 2017 thousands of civilians have been killed, and almost 700,000 have been forced to flee  being chased from their homes with very few possessions. Beyond the conflict, 550 families were directly displaced via corporate land grabs, and the blocking of access to fishing grounds, to make way for the infrastructure required for the LNG projects. Promises from the LNG industry of new land and jobs have not been met, and displaced families now struggle to make a living without their traditional livelihoods.

Thus far, Mozambique and its international backers in the West have failed even to recognise the grievances of the insurgents, which goes far beyond And Responsible Statecraft:

According to displaced Mozambicans, the insurgency today was born out of anger over government corruption, poverty, and poor economic policies. In 2013, three Mozambican state-owned companies secretly borrowed $2 billion from international banks, but the loans were contracted without parliamentary approval plunging the 8th poorest country in the world into a financial crisis yet to be recovered from. This did little to help the 46 percent of Mozambiques population, especially those in the north, who live below the poverty line. While Cabo Delgado is resource rich with vast mineral and gas deposits, local Muslim ethnic groups, namely the Mwani and Makua who make up the core of [Ahlu Sunna Wa-Jamo], are excluded from the benefits; including those of French Totals, a European multinational energy and petroleum company, $20 billion Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) project off the northern coast. The states inability to address these social, religious, and political dynamics served as ASWJs tipping point into armed action.

TotalEnergies halted its $20 billion LNG project, which is partially financed by the US government, in 2021 due to the violence. In 2020, the US Export-Import Bank approved a $4.7 billion loan for the LNG facility. The Exim statement said that the loan would support 16,700 US jobs and keep China out of the gas field.

Soon after Total was forced to halt the project, French President Emmanuel Macron rushed off to Rwanda, offering the country millions in loans. Macron announced an additional 370 million to finance various development projects in Rwanda. For example, earlier this year the French Development Agency loaned the country 37 million euros in large part to construct a drone operations center.

Shortly after Macrons visit and his pledging of more money, Rwandan forces were deployed to northern Mozambique in July of 2021.

Through the European Peace Facility mechanism, the EU is funding the deployment of Rwanda Defence Forces in Cabo Delgado in order to fight terrorism. Mozambique is also receiving EU funds to secure the area for Total. There are currently around 2,500 Rwandan troops in Cabo Delgado, engaged in joint operations with the Mozambican army.

EU funding of the Rwandan military continues despite the thousands of deaths in Mozambique and displacement of roughly one million people. The Rwandan military also (allegedly) supports militant groups that are constantly pillaging the resource-rich Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The US also supports and trains the Rwandan military as its trying to increase control of resources in the region and box out China.

Much the same way the US uses Rwanda for proxy forces in the DRC, the EU is using Rwandan forces in Mozambique. And so with the financial support of the EU and help from Rwanda, Mozambique has been able to quell much of the insurgency in Cabo Delgado through massive displacement, but sporadic violence continues.

As Total faced problems getting its LNG operation up and running, the description of the insurgency changed from a battle over economic grievances to one of international Islamic terrorism. The US entered the fray, sending Green Berets to Mozambique to prevent the spread of terrorism and violent extremism. It also conveniently provided a cover for the US and France, who have important economic interests in Cabo Delgado and want to keep Russia and China out of the region.

Beijing has a longstanding relationship with Maputo, the Mozambican capital, which features a recently refurbished airport and Africas longest suspension bridge, both courtesy of Chinese companies. China is also Mozambiques third-largest source of imports and second largest export destination.

Last year the Chinese National Offshore Oil Company was awarded five exploration blocks in the most recent Mozambique licensing round. The China National Petroleum Corporation has 20 percent of area 4 off the coast of Cabo Delgado, where LNG shipments from a floating platform began late last year. The two main owners of area 4 are the Italian energy company Eni and ExxonMobil with 25 percent each.

Mozambique is important source of timber, titanium, sand processing as well as other resources, for China. Beijing also uses Mozambique as an entry-exit point for landlocked and resource countries Zimbabwe and Zambia.

China has also been increasing its footprint in Mozambique by buying stakes in Portuguese companies. From Dr Joseph Hanlon, a visiting Senior Research Fellow in the Department of International Development at the London School of Economics who has been writing about Mozambique for 40 years:

China has become the fourth largest foreign investor in Portugal. The state-owned China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) recently took a controlling interest in Mota-Engel, the largest Portuguese construction company which also is largest in Mozambique. It is involved in construction relating to the Cabo Delgado LNG production facility, mining, and Maputo apartment blocks. Most recently it has been involved in constructing wharf and unloading facilities in Palma and Afungi. The Fosum group is the biggest shareholder in Portugals largest bank, Millennium bcp, with 29.95%; Millennium bcp owns 66.7% of Millennium bim, the largest bank in Mozambique. China Three Gorges (CTG) is the largest shareholder in EDP Energias de Portugal with 20.22%. EDP is a leader in renewable energy and has projects in Mozambique.

Mozambican government officials regularly praise Chinese aid and investment, as Beijing is the countrys largest bilateral creditor at $2.2 billion. Every president since Mozambican independence in 1975 has made multiple trips to China, and it has also hosted every Chinese president and almost every premier for official state visits over the same time period.

***

Beyond the natural gas, the US is also interested in using Mozambique to bypass China in the control of critical minerals, in this case graphite, for the green energy transition.

Mozambique was one of five African countries invited to the US Minerals Security Partnership on the sidelines of last years UN General Assembly. At the meeting Secretary of State Anthony Blinken mentioned the importance of a mine in Cabo Delgado from which graphite will be sent to Louisiana for processing. More from allAfrica:

The US Department of Energy (DoE) in an 18 April statement said today the United States is 100% reliant on imported graphite as China produces nearly all of the high-purity graphite needed to make lithium-ion batteries. The DoE is providing $107 mn loan to the Australian owners of Balama, Syrah Resources, to build a processing factory in Vidalia, Louisiana, to produce graphite-based anodes for lithium-ion batteries. The DoE said the plant would create 98 good-paying, highly skilled operations jobs within the clean energy sector. Yet again, Mozambique gets nothing but a hole in the ground, while the manufacturing is in the US.

***

The Total LNG project is now set to be restarted in July. The companys chief executive Patrick Pouyanne took a road trip around Cabo Delgado province last month, and said the security situation has improved significantly since Total had to close up shop in 2021. Pouyanne also commissioned an independent fact-finding mission to assess the human rights situation, which will presumably give the green light for work to resume.

It will be the first onshore LNG plant in Mozambique. In November, the first LNG exports from the area left Mozambique for Europe, but it was produced at Coral Sul, a floating facility managed by the Italian company Eni.

The Total project off the northern coast contains approximately 65 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas, and the company plans to expand up to 43 million tonnes per year. According to the International Gas Unions World LNG Report, Mozambique will be one of the biggest beneficiaries from additional LNG capacity between 2022-2026 after Russia (although the status of upcoming projects is uncertain amid the Ukraine conflict), Qatar, and the US.

Eni, the major Italian energy company, shipped its first cargo from the Coral South field in November. Eni has said Coral-Sul is the first of three FLNG projects planned in Mozambique.

Eni was still receiving around 80 percent of its supply from Russia before the EU ended that arrangement last year. The company is now planning on receiving zero Russian gas moving forward and is aiming to replace 80 percent of the gas it received from Russia before next winter.

Of course it is having to spend a lot more in order to accomplish that. From Natural Gas Intelligence:

Eni is aiming to fully replace the gas it previously received from Russia with 20 billion cubic meters (Bcm) of additional annual supply from imports and equity production projects by 2025. It assumes 9 Bcm will be supplied by pipeline and 11 Bcm will come from growing its integrated LNG portfolio. Eni upgraded its guidance for capital expenditures over the next four years by 15%. It now expects to spend around $39 billion as it seeks to progress production and energy transition projects.

Even if US and EU backing help Rwandan and Mozambican forces completely clear Cabo Delgado so the LNG projects can hum along uninterrupted, it will still be a drop in the bucket of the effort to replace Russian gas. According to GIS, the entire African continents proven gas reserves are equivalent to 34 percent of Russian resources. In 2020, total gas trade between Europe and Russia was nearly 185 bcm. Mozambique might be able to hit 14 bcm by 2025 if everything breaks right.
He noted that a total of N869 billion ($1.88 billion) will be required for the census including post census activities; N626 billion ($1.36 billion) for census at $6 per capita and N243 billion ($527 million) for post-census activities up to 2025.

17 years after the last national census (2006), Nigeria is set to conduct a green census.

The counting exercise will be held between 29 March and 2 April in all 774 local government areas of Africa's largest population.

Nigeria's population is estimated to be about 216 million according to the UN population agency, UNFPA and according to statistical projections, if Nigeria continues in its current direction, there will be a 100 per cent increase in its population by 2050 - 400 million people.

Speaking at the high-level partners engagement in Abuja on Monday, Nigeria's Minister of State for Budget and National Planning Clem Agba said the census will be conducted in partnership with various development partners including the UNFPA, EU amongst others.

He noted that a total of N869 billion ($1.88 billion) will be required for the census including post census activities; N626 billion ($1.36 billion) for census at $6 per capita and N243 billion ($527 million) for post-census activities up to 2025.

Mr Agba noted that the government has committed N291.5 billion ($632 million) representing 46 percent of the total funding needed for the exercise.

The Minister of Finance Zainab Ahmed also noted that digital technology will be deployed for credible, reliable and acceptable outcomes, adding that censuses allow the government to correctly capture changes in the population, the age structure or movement of population for alignment of public policy, and also for investment decisions.

According to Mr Agba, 885,000 persons will be trained to conduct the dual purpose census; population and housing.

773 local governments have been demarcated with the exception of Abadam local government in Borno State where residents were not very receptive of the personnel. The government has now adopted a hybrid enumeration strategy.

Other areas with similar challenges include Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State and other localities in Zamfara State. However, the census planning committee assured that its security and logistics committee have all it takes to handle the situation.

For this year's census, people will not be asked about their ethnicity and religion owing to their sensitive nature.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

"Including ethnicity and religion in the census will create tensions and controversy that will divert attention from the relevance of census data for national planning. It is therefore prudent to leave out these items to safeguard the census from controversies and risk of rejection by certain sections of the country," the National Population Commission (NPC) explained.

"We have to stand up together figuring out how we take this to the goal post. If we do not, the world will actually fail to deliver the SDGs. It is not only about Nigeria's influence in Africa, it is about Nigeria's global influence as the third most populous country in the world, 25 years from now," said Ulla Mueller UNFPA resident representative in Nigeria while enjoining all stakeholders to support the exercise.

She added that the world cannot deliver on the SDGs if we do not deliver the census in Nigeria; so when you contribute to the census in Nigeria, you also contribute to the global promise of achieving and delivering on sustainable development.
Yves here. Back in the day, workers were less compromising. The word sabotage does originate with factory laborers messing up production to thwart factories, as in automation, but not the throwing shoes into machinery version. From Wordfoolery:

Sabotage entered English in 1907 as a borrowed word from French. The French word derived from the verb saboter (to sabotage or bungle) whose origins lie in footwear. The sabot was a wooden shoe (from around 1200s) worn often by lower class workers as they toiled through muddy streets. They were clunky things but their thick soles got you above the level of the dirt and they were cheap to make, albeit wobbly. The wealthier might wear them too, but they would change into fancier leather or silk shoes when they reached their destination. The sabots were pretty noisy objects, everybody would hear you coming and saboter translated literally as to walk noisily in sabots You might assume that the source of sabotages modern meaning is that the disgruntled would destroy property by throwing shoes at it (we know its way to express disrespect in Iraq, for example). I suspect a shoe in a factory machine would bung up the works pretty well. Sadly theres no evidence on the whole shoe-chucking notion. Sabotage was used in French for all types of clumsiness  from wobbling along on wooden shoes to playing music badly. Its reported in 1907 as being a workmans way of protesting  instead of striking they would work badly, annoy customers, and cause a loss to their employer. Grammar Phobia debunked the sabot throwing theory beautifully in this piece and adds the information that rural workers wearing sabots were sometimes mocked for being as clumsy and slow as their footwear. This led to sabotage being a type of go slow work protest in the late 1800s in France.

The post below indicates that modern employees worried about automation dont attack or undermine workplace operations but try to bargain for more of the pie, either at the job via unionizing or via more generous government policies.

By Marta Golin, Postdoctoral Research Associate University of Zurich and Christopher Rauh, Professor University Of Cambridge. Originally published at VoxEU

Automation can have important social and political consequences, as well as large impacts on the labour market. This column provides experimental evidence on the causal link between perceived automation risk and workers employment responses, preferences, and attitudes. The authors find that fear of automation leads workers to demand higher taxation and more redistribution. Workers plan to join a union to protect their employment rather than adopt new skills or switch occupation. The findings highlight the pressure that automation may put on public budgets, and provide new insights into how technological advancements may alter the political landscape.

Increased automation and the use of robots and artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to drastically change the nature of work, and whilst new jobs may be created that are complementary to machines and algorithms, future automation also poses a threat to the existing jobs of many workers (Acemoglu and Restrepo 2020). Labour displacement due to automation can have important social and political consequences, as shown by the impact of past technological advancements (Caprettini and Voth 2020). The threat of future automation waves is therefore likely to play a critical role in shaping workers response, the public discourse around economic inequality, and the role of the government in mitigating its effects. Despite the importance of understanding the link between the perceived threat of automation and workers responses, research on this topic has been held back by the difficulty of identifying exogenous sources of variation in perceived automation risk. To fill this gap in the literature, in a new paper (Golin and Rauh 2022), we provide evidence on the effect of fear of automation on workers behaviour, intentions, and preferences from a sample of almost 4,300 workers in the US.

How Workers Fear of Automation Relates to Preferences, Attitudes, and Intentions

How concerned are workers about the threat that automation poses to their jobs in the near future? To measure workers perceived automation threat, we ask respondents to estimate the probability that, in the next ten years, they will lose their job/not find a job due to automation, robots, or AI. Our data show that workers in our sample are on average concerned about automation, with almost 40% of respondents believing their probability of being replaced by a machine, robot, or algorithm to be higher than 50%. Younger respondents and the less educated are amongst the most concerned groups, and fear of automation is highest amongst respondents working in occupations related to food preparation and serving as well as transportation and material moving. Those least in fear are working in protective services or community and social services.

We then proceed to examine the correlational relationship between perceived automation risk and workers preferences, attitudes, and employment responses. Workers can insure themselves against the automation threat by demanding more redistribution from the government, or by reskilling and changing occupations. Understanding the link between fear of automation and workers preferences and behaviour is important to predict the societal consequences of future automation waves. In our survey, we measure workers responses to automation with a series of questions capturing (1) preferences for redistribution; (2) workers support for government spending towards adult training programmes and income support programs for the poor; (iii) workers employment responses, as measured by their intentions to join or remain part of a union, join a retraining programme, or switch occupations; (iv) populist attitudes; and (v) voting intentions.

We find that perceived automation risk strongly relates to workers preferences for redistribution, employment responses, and populist attitudes. In Figure 1 we show, for example, that workers who are more concerned about the automation threat to their job favour higher income tax rates, request higher universal basic income, are more likely to be looking to join a union, are more likely to want to retrain, are more likely to consider themselves anti elite, and are also more likely to abstain from the next presidential elections.

Figure 1 Fear of automation and preferences, intentions, and attitudes



Notes: The x-axis shows the binned perceived probability of losing ones job due to automation within the next 10 years versus average outcomes indicated in the title and on the y-axis. The sample is restricted to the control group. Thin lines represent 95% confidence intervals.

The Causal Effect of Fear of Automation

The above relationships between perceived threat of automation and workers preferences, intentions, and attitudes cannot be interpreted causally because the same factors that might be driving automation risks might also be driving opinions. To overcome endogeneity concerns, we use an experiment that we embed in our survey which allows us to affect workers beliefs about the threat posed by automation. After eliciting respondents perceived fear of losing their job due to automation, participants of our study are randomised into either a control group or one of two treatment groups. While respondents in the control group did not receive any information, treated participants were informed about the average expectation of job automation of other labour force members working in similar jobs as theirs. The figures provided were derived from data collected as part of the Covid Inequality Project (Adams-Prassl et al. 2020), which featured information on the perceived automation risk of a representative sample of members of the labour force in the US.

Fear of Automation Increases Demand for Larger Welfare State and Alters the Political Landscape

Results from our information experiment show that receiving information on expected automation leads to some significant changes in workers preferences and attitudes. However, we do not find any significant effect of fear of automation on intentions to switch occupations or participate in a retraining programme. Economic models looking at optimal taxes assume that workers respond to automation by adopting non-routine skills (Rebelo et al. 2020). However, the only causal effect on employment responses that we find is a much higher likelihood of intention to join a union when exposed to a job loss probability that is higher than ones initial fear (see Figure 2). This is suggestive of the fact that workers will not respond to future automation waves with re-skilling or switching occupations, but will rather seek job (and task) protection through a union. In terms of the political landscape, automation risk also causally reduces workers intentions to turn out to vote at the next presidential elections and shifts their political ideology to the left.

Figure 2 Treatment effect on employment responses



Notes: The figure plots the coefficients of the treatment intensity. The outcomes on the y-axis are workers intended employment behaviour. Thick lines indicate the 90% and thin lines the 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 3 shows how respondents preferred mean tax rate on income (left) and level of universal basic income (right) change depending on the intensity of the information treatment they received. The green bars represent the treatment effects on workers being informed about good news, i.e. lower job loss probabilities than they feared. The red bars display treatment effects of bad news, i.e. workers being informed about a higher job loss probability than they expected. The fact that the far-right red bars  the treatment effects of receiving very bad news  are largest indicates that workers informed about much higher job loss probabilities request higher taxes on income and higher levels of universal basic income. Overall, we find that for most cases, treatment effects are not symmetric. The treatment effects tend to be driven by respondents who saw an automation probability that was higher than the level of fear they had.

Figure 3 Treatment effects on preferred taxes and UBI by treatment intensity

Notes: The figures plot the sum of the coefficient on the treatment dummy and the dummy capturing the intensity range indicated on the x-axis. The outcomes on the y-axis are the mean tax rate on income and the log of the preferred level of UBI + 1. Thick lines indicate the 90% and thin lines the 95% confidence intervals.

Taken together, the results from our survey experiment raise concerns about the potential for future automation waves to put pressure on public budgets through increased demand for redistribution and a larger welfare state. With democracy already on decline (Frey et al. 2020), we find that automation has the potential to stir anti-elite sentiments as well as reduce voter turnout and trust in politicians. Given the pending waves of automation, in particular in the service sector (Baldwin 2022), policies need to carefully consider how to prepare workers for, and accommodate those left behind by, the changing landscape of work.

See original post for references
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) Four Americans who crossed the Texas border went missing and a Mexican bystander died after getting caught in a shootout in Matamoros, a northeastern city in Mexico, on Friday, March 3.

United States ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said in a statement on Monday that the Americans were kidnapped at gunpoint and an innocent Mexican citizen got killed in the attack. The four, who were said to have crossed into Mexico from Texas to get healthcare, were in a white minivan with North Carolina (NC) license plates, the FBI San Antonio division office said in a statement, confirming that a $50,000 reward has been placed for the return of the victims.

Shortly after crossing into Mexico, unidentified gunmen shot the passengers of the vehicle. The gunmen herded the four U.S. citizens into another vehicle and fled the scene with them, according to the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.

A video posted to social media on Friday shows armed men, some wearing tan body armor, who loaded four people into the bed of a pickup truck in broad daylight. The woman was alive and sitting up, but the others appeared to be either dead or wounded.

ABC News reported that the victims have been identified as Latavia Tay McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown and Eric James Williams. Sources close to the Mexican investigation also mentioned that Williams NC drivers license was found at the scene.

Barbara Burgess, 54, McGees mother, told the media outlet that her daughter traveled from South Carolina to Mexico for a cosmetic medical procedure and that before the trip, she warned her not to go.

Meanwhile, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said during his daily press conference on Monday that the four were going to buy medicine and ended up in the crossfire between two armed groups, without offering details. He assured that the entire Mexican government is there working on the case.

Jean-Pierre said Biden informed of the assault, declined to address other questions due to privacy concerns

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden is aware and has been informed of the four missing U.S. citizens. The State Department, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Mexican authorities are working together on the case, she said.

She declined to answer other questions, citing privacy concerns.

Matamoros is home to warring factions of the Gulf drug cartel as leadership changes have led to bloody infighting. Shootouts last week were so bad that the U.S. consulate issued an alert about the danger and local authorities warned people to shelter in place. The alert also reminded U.S. citizens that this particular part of Mexico is a Level 4: Do Not Travel, which is the highest warning in the governments travel advisory system.

Organized crime activity  including gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assault  is common along the northern border and in Ciudad Victoria, the State Department reported. Criminal groups target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles traveling through Tamaulipas, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments.

The consulate in Matamoros has posted at least four security alerts since February 2020, warning of drug cartel violence, crime, kidnappings and clashes involving armed groups.

CBS News noted that three American siblings disappeared near Matamoros in October 2014 and were later found shot and burned. They had disappeared two weeks earlier while visiting their father in Mexico. Their parents said they had been abducted by men dressed in police uniforms identifying themselves as Hercules, a tactical security unit in the violent border city.

Victims of violence in Matamoros and other large border cities of Tamaulipas often go uncounted, because the cartels have a history of disappearing the bodies of their victims. Local media often avoid reporting on such incidents out of safety concerns, the news agency reported. (Related: Crimes at the border: Illegal immigrants, illegal drugs flow freely in southwest border.)

Head to Violence.news for more stories related to violent crimes.

Watch the video below that shows the Mexico kidnapping incident.

This video is from the Pool Pharmacy channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Mexico considers deploying national guard troops to defend high-crime highways and put a stop to cargo theft.

Californians now so desperate to escape state they are moving to Mexico to avoid inflation, crime.

Biden committing another impeachable offense by refusing to assert operational control over U.S.-Mexico border: Report.

Wisconsin airs warning over 97% rise in fentanyl deaths from 2019 to 2021 as southern border drug smuggling pipeline remains wide open.

Sources include:

NewsWars.com

TheGuardian.com

Twitter.com

ABCNews.go.com

Travel.State.gov

CBSNews.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) When Dr. Anthony Fauci lied directly to Congress about offshoring banned gain-of-function coronavirus engineering in Wuhan, China, there was always going to be more to the story. Now, a new Congressional investigation finds that Dr. Anthony Fauci prompted leading scientists to fabricate a science paper  The Proximal Origins of SARS-CoV-2 to quickly disprove the covid-19 lab leak theory, all the way back in February of 2020. The Congressional investigation finds that the authors of the paper (who were summoned to a Fauci-led teleconference) skewed available evidence to disprove the lab leak investigation. One of the figures who played a critical role in the coverup included Dr. Jeremy Farrar, the chief scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO).

Fauci, Collins, and Farrar conspired to shut down investigation into potential laboratory origins of SARS-CoV-2

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the national Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), Dr. Jeremy Farrar, chief scientist at WHO, and Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), convened an emergency teleconference with eleven other scientists on February 1, 2020. Five participants on the call had serious concerns that SARS-CoV-2 was the result of a laboratory leak from a coronavirus strain that was intentionally genetically manipulated. These concerned scientists included Scripps Research virologist Kristian Andersen, University of Sydney virologist Edward Holmes, Tulane School of Medicine virologist Robert Garry, University of Edinburgh virologist Andrew Rambaut and Columbia University virologist Ian Lipkin. These scientists did not go public with their initial lab-leak concerns; they were later revealed in private email conversations.

Instead, the scientists were summoned to an emergency teleconference led by Dr. Fauci, Collins, and Farrar. After the teleconference, their scientific concerns and research were shut down. Immediately after the meeting, all scientists involved began to change their tune, coalescing behind a new narrative. After the teleconference, the scientists quickly produced the paper Fauci used to debunk the lab-leak theory, The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2.

We do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible, the article concluded. This research paper was used to promote a narrative that covid-19 was a natural virus crossing from pangolins to humans. Despite there being no identifiable, natural animal reservoir, this theory was used to promote a scientific consensus, and all debate on the topic was censored by the corporate media and Big Tech. In fact, the media cited the paper over 2,000 times. Anyone who spoke against this narrative was derided as a conspiracy theorist. Strangely enough, after falling in line with Faucis narrative and blatant coverup of SARS-CoV-2 origins, Dr. Anderson and Dr. Garry would go on to receive millions of new dollars in NIH grants  a sure payout for their silence and obedience.

Fauci, of all people, had an ethical and national security obligation to investigate the Wuhan Institute of Virology, and the coronavirus engineering that he had funded. It was Fauci who approved and oversaw these grants with Dr. Peter Daszak through EcoHealth Alliance. It was Fauci who was part of multiple studies that involved enhancing the transmissibility and lethality of coronaviruses. Faucis prompting of leading scientists to shut down an investigation reeks of a serious coverup  a coverup that ultimately led to multiple crimes against humanity.

Dr. Andersens private communications reveal new evidence of Fauci et al.s corruption and coverup

The Committee on Oversight and Reform pressed Dr. Andersen on his Proximal Origins paper and the narrative that was pushed thereafter. Scripps responded to then Ranking Member James Comer and then Committee on the Judiciary Ranking Member, Jim Jordan. Scripps asserted that Dr. Andersen was not influenced by Dr. Anthony Fauci.

According to Scripps, Dr. Andersen was working objectively to investigate the origins of SARS-CoV02. On August 18, 2021, Scripps wrote on behalf of Dr. Andersen: At every point, Dr. Andersen has objectively weighed all the evidence available to himDr. Andersens view evolved consistent with the evidence at this disposalScientist must make conclusion support by available evidence, even when it conflicts with early assessments.

Andersens private communications, however, reveal that he hadnt objectively weigh all evidence. In a February 8, 2020 email, Dr. Andersen admitted, Our main work over the last couple weeks has been focused on trying to disprove any type of lab theory The Congressional investigation finds that Dr. Andersen was given direction and sought to formulate a paper, regardless of available evidence that would disprove a lab leak.

In fact, Dr. Andersen wrote to Nature on February 12, 2020, requesting publication of what would become The Proximal Origins of SARS-CoV-2. He wrote: There has been a lot of speculation, fear mongering, and conspiracies put forward in this space and we thought that bringing some clarity to this discussion might be of interest to Nature [sic]. Prompted by Jeremy Farrah [sic], Tony Fauci, and Francis Collins, [it is] Eddie Holmes, Andrew Rambaut, Bob Garry, Ian Lipkin, and myself [who] have been working through much of the (primarily) genetic data to provide agnostic and scientifically informed hypothesis around the origins of the virus.

Andersens letter to Nature is just more evidence showing that covid-19 was a planned terror and money laundering operation from the start  an operation of carefully crafted narratives, coercion, and medical and scientific malfeasance.

Sources include:

Zerohedge.com

Nature.com

Twitter.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) During the first day of the 2023 CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference), two Republican congresswomen discussed the federal governments radical use of force against pro-lifers and innocent Americans.

(Article by Jean Mondoro republished from LifeSiteNews.com)

Katie Pavlich, Townhall editor and Fox News contributor, hosted a panel on Thursday featuring U.S. Congresswomen Kat Cammack of Florida and Harriet Hageman of Wyoming. The women addressed the ongoing issue of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) targeting pro-lifers and Christians while showing little effort to prosecute abortion activists who attack crisis pregnancy centers.

Both Cammack and Hageman are members of the House subcommittee investigating the weaponization of federal agencies.

During the session, Pavlich brought up a recent hearing conducted by a Senate Judiciary Committee, where Republican senators questioned Attorney General Merrick Garland about the lack of consistency between prosecuting peaceful pro-lifers and violence-inciting activists. Garland responded to questions by claiming that because pro-lifers prayed outside during the day, it was easier to find them. On the other hand, abortion activists typically make their attacks at night, which challenges the FBI to track perpetrators.

It is absurd, but it is reality, and the Department of Justice claims that there is no double standard. So, on the pro-life issue and on just the general issue of equal application of the law and equal justice, what is your committee doing to address that issue? Pavlich asked.

I think we also need to be careful not to refer to it as a double standard. Its a violation of the Constitution and Equal Protection Clause, Hageman responded. Governments fail when you have an unequal justice system.

Any three-year-old knows that you should treat everybody the same. Thats why we have an Equal Protection Clause in the Fifth Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment. So, we need to call these things out for really what they are.

Cammack, who called Garlands excuse laughable, also pointed out how telling it was when the attorney general started speaking very slow because he was trying to run the clock out. She said that, knowing each lawmaker has a limited time to ask questions in a hearing, drawing out a response is by design because they dont want to answer.

Pavlich also asked the congresswomen about their thoughts on the general weaponization of the government, which she described as weaponization on steroids from when she entered the political media world, and why their subcommittee is necessary.

Sunshine is the best disinfectant, and the reality is that these agencies believe theyre now in charge, Hageman added. This country is of, by, and for the people. And we have weaponized the federal government against the citizens of this country.

These agencies have decided that theyre going to pick winners and losers, and now the conservatives and Republicans and parents are the targets of these folks and we need to ferret it out. We need to expose it. We need to be passing laws to stop it and we need to make sure that this nonsense never happens again.

In the past year, the FBI has consistently targeted pro-lifers with heavily weaponized raids and charges of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. The first of these excessive acts took place in September with an early morning SWAT raid at the Pennsylvania home of Mark Houck, where dozens of federal agents arrested the pro-life author and sidewalk counselor in front of his terrified children.

Houck has since been acquitted of all charges brought against him but remains the face of the Biden administrations abuse of power against pro-lifers and Christians.

Weeks after the Houck raid, another pro-life advocate and father was taken into federal custody in a similar stunt. More recently, a memo leaked from the FBI Richmond field office showed plans to monitor Catholics, comparing those who attend the Latin Mass to white nationalists.

On the other hand, while the FBI has admitted that nearly 70% of abortion related, post-Roe violence was committed against pro-life pregnancy centers and churches, the federal government has not prosecuted a single person in connection to these attacks.

Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com
(Natural News) Footage featuring a large amount of American military equipment was captured at a port in Poland, stoking fears that these could be deployed in Ukraine.

The video clip  which had also been shared by a Latvian news outlet  featured an array of tanks, armored personnel carriers (APCs) and military trucks at the northern Polish port of Gdynia. According to the Latvian outlet, the military vehicles belonged to the U.S. Armys 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team. The said vehicles were at the port in preparation for redeployment to the continental U.S. after serving in Operation Atlantic Resolve on Feb. 22.

Operation Atlantic Resolve, which has been carried out by Washington since 2014, seeks to bolster American presence in Europe. About 700 combat vehicles, including M1 Abrams tanks  the U.S. main battle tank  were deployed to Poland in December 2022.

Neither the White House nor the U.S. Department of Defense has commented on the footage. However, some media outlets from Poland and Ukraine insinuated that these military vehicles could be redeployed  this time in the Ukrainian war zone.

In January of this year, the U.S. said it would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks and eight M88 recovery vehicles to Ukraine. However, it noted that the delivery of these 39 military vehicles would take considerable time. Poland and Germany also pledged to provide a number of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Since the Russia-Ukraine war broke out in February 2022, the U.S. and its allies have been providing Kyiv with various types of military aid. These include air defense missiles, multiple-launch rocket systems, tanks, self-propelled artillery and anti-aircraft guns.

Austria, Hungary: NO WEAPONS for Kyiv

While the U.S. continues to send military aid to Kyiv at the expense of its own national security, Austria and Hungary went against the grain and agreed not to send any weapons to Ukraine.

Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner and Hungarian Defense Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky inked the agreement during a Jan. 30 meeting in the Hungarian capital Budapest. The defense ministers reiterated their clear position against providing Ukraine with war materiel to prevent a further escalation.

We live in a time of danger, Szalay-Bobrovniczky remarked. Continuing that close cooperation is of utter importance. The Hungarian defense minister added that his country would only supply humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees, reiterating that Budapest and Vienna would be on the side of peace.

Meanwhile, Tanner warned that the greatest danger is the war  which now involves hybrid warfare  could spread to the rest of Europe. The effects are not only enormously felt in Austria, but also in Hungary. Eventually, the routes run through our neighboring country to us, the Austrian defense minister said. (Related: Austria, Hungary agree NOT to send any weapons to Ukraine (perhaps they wish to avoid being destroyed by Russia.))

Over in Russia, Moscow has repeatedly warned the West that it is prolonging the Russia-Ukraine war by sending weapons and military vehicles to Kyiv. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that Western countries are directly involved in the war through their continued assistance to Ukraine.

Lavrovs office, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, underscored that countries part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization play with fire by supplying weapons to Kyiv. It also emphasized that any convoy of arms for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russian forces.

Head over to MilitaryTechnology.news for more stories about military aid to Ukraine.

Watch this video about Ukraines European allies scrambling to find tanks for the besieged country.

This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Europol fears that weapons sent to Ukraine will end up in the hands of criminals.

Ukraine aid scam: Only 30% of weapons shipped to besieged country have made it to the front lines.

U.S. tells Ukraine it cannot provide strategic missiles because American forces simply dont have enough.

Where are the tens of billions being spent in Ukraine really going? Analysis dares to ask the tough questions.

Outdated weaponry sent by US to Ukraine prone to breaking down quickly and will be difficult to repair, expert fears.

Sources include:

SputnikNews.com

News.Yahoo.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) When officials decided on Feb. 6 to burn off the hazardous chemicals in Norfolk Southerns derailed freight train in a controlled burn in East Palestine, Ohio, the fire released a plume of highly toxic chemicals  many of which are key elements in plastics production.

(Article by Brenda Baletti, Ph.D. republished from ChildrensHealthDefense.org)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that of the 20 railcars transporting toxic chemicals, at least five contained vinyl chloride  a carcinogenic gas used to make PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic.

The other railcars contained other chemicals used to make plastic, including butyl acrylate and ethylhexyl acrylate, which were all burned and released into the air, surface water and surface soils.

As of Feb. 16, a chemical plume of butyl acrylate was moving from the Ohio River toward Virginia, according to the Ohio EPA and Gov. Mike DeWine.

Norfolk Southern, the company that owns the train, and the EPA, which is monitoring toxins released in the spill, repeatedly assured residents that levels of chemicals in the air and water are at levels below those deemed safe for human consumption.

But there is widespread concern about safety, especially given the confirmation that 3,500 fish died in local streams, numerous reports of other dead animals, and resident complaints about lingering headaches and irritated eyes.

There are still many unknowns about how many chemicals were released and how they may be affecting the environment.

As with most environmental spills, it is difficult to determine the exact amount of material that has been released into the air, water, and soil, James Lee, an Ohio EPA spokesperson, told BuzzFeed.

Crews have been digging up soil and pumping out water from a 1,000-foot swath around the track. Norfolk Southern on Monday said 15,000 pounds of contaminated soil and 1.1 million gallons of tainted water had been removed.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), prominent environmental activists and local residents have been calling for an investigation into the chemicals released. Bowman tweeted:

Nearly 1 million pounds of vinyl chloride were on this train. Now, the EPA has confirmed its entered the Ohio River basin which is home to 25 million people. This is one of the deadliest environmental emergencies in decades and no one is talking about it. https://t.co/HTsZhokEo4  Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) February 13, 2023

The Ohio Environmental Council also underscored the need to continuously monitor the situation in order to fully understand the extent of the environmental and health effects.

We know from decades of environmental injustices that Ohioans and Americans have experienced, that it takes time to understand the full picture of health impacts a community faces in the event of an environmental disaster, Ohio Environmental Council said in a statement.

DeWine announced plans to open a medical clinic early next week in East Palestine to evaluate those who are worried and to analyze their symptoms.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan on Tuesday announced the EPA would take control of the disaster response. That means the EPA is using its authority under the federal Superfund law to require Norfolk Southern to clean up the contamination, the Associated Press reported.

Both moves came after frustrated residents and officials in Ohio and Pennsylvania widely criticized the Biden administrations response to the situation.

Some wonder if this move goes far enough. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., chairman and chief litigation counsel of Childrens Health Defense, tweeted:

Q: How do you make a vinyl chloride mushroom cloud over Ohio? Put a McKinsey consultant in charge of a captive agency. President Biden needs to fire @SecretaryPete Buttigieg + make regulators accountable. https://t.co/kVQ6OwqpeS  Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) February 21, 2023

How dangerous are these chemicals?

According to the National Cancer Institute, vinyl chloride, the chemical released in the greatest quantity in the controlled burn, is associated with lymphoma, leukemia, brain and lung cancers, and angiosarcoma, a rare form of liver cancer.

It also can cause a nonmalignant liver disease known as TASH, or toxicant-associated steatohepatitis and may cause neurological symptoms, such as dizziness and light-headedness.

Vinyl chlorides health risks have been known since the 1970s when several workers at a B.F. Goodrich factory in Rubbertown, a Louisville, Kentucky, neighborhood, developed the rare liver angiosarcoma, which led to the worldwide recognition of vinyl chloride as a carcinogen.

Vinyl chloride has been found in the air near PVC factories and hazardous waste sites, and can leach into groundwater.

The gas can be consumed by humans through inhalation. Outdoors, sunlight can break it down within 11 days of being released. But it can also be dispersed in water. If a water supply becomes contaminated with vinyl chloride, it can infiltrate homes that use that water source for drinking, showering, cooking or laundry.

The largest vinyl chloride train spill prior to East Palestine happened in 2012 when a train derailed in New Jersey releasing about 20,000 gallons of vinyl chloride. Hundreds of nearby residents and emergency workers went to local hospitals reporting coughs and neurological symptoms.

But in that case, the vinyl chloride did not burn.

When vinyl chloride burns, it releases hazardous chemicals phosgene and hydrogen chloride into the air.

Phosgene is a colorless gas with a pungent odor that can cause vomiting and breathing difficulties, and was once used as a weapon in World War I.

Hydrogen chloride is a colorless to yellowish gas with a strong odor and is known to cause skin, eye, nose and throat irritation.

Neil Donahue, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University, told the AP he worries the burning may have formed dioxins, which are created from burning chlorinated carbon materials.

Vinyl chloride is bad, dioxins are worse as carcinogens and that comes from burning, Donahue said.

Dioxins are a group of toxic chemical compounds classified as persistent organic pollutants, meaning they take a long time to break down once they are in the environment. The EPA reports they can cause cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, immune system damage and can interfere with hormones.

The thing about dioxins is theyre potent at really low levels, and are persistent and bioaccumulative, Ted Schettler, science director of the nonprofit Science and Environmental Health Network, told Wired.

You dont want dioxins deposited in the soil around East Palestine that are not going to go away, and are going to bioaccumulate in people who are exposed to it.

EPA head Regan said he isnt sure if the EPA is testing for dioxins.

The flames and the plume could have spread toxicants well beyond the disaster site. There have been numerous unconfirmed reports of fallout from the event across the northeast. The Ohio Chapter of the Sierra Club is tracking the fallout.

PVC plastic, a toxic time bomb

Sadly, this is yet another painful reminder of the dangers of making, transporting, using, and disposing of chemicals in plastics, especially polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic Toxic-Free Future, a nonprofit, said in a statement about the unfolding East Palestine catastrophe.

Thousands of research papers have linked chemicals used in plastics to a host of environmental and health impacts. These include endocrine-disrupting compounds that cause problems in the bodys hormonal systems and are linked to reproductive issues, obesity, diabetes, ADHD and autism.

They also include microplastics, which are linked to respiratory, immune, reproductive and digestive system problems and increased cancer risk.

A report published last year by Minderoo Foundation estimated the plastics industry is costing society around $100 billion annually in environmental clean-ups, ecosystem degradation, shorter life expectancy and medical treatments.

PVC is widely considered to be the most toxic plastic, releasing dioxin and phthalate plasticizers at every phase of its life cycle. It is one of the most commonly used and discarded forms of plastic, despite the fact that its toxic environmental and health effects have been extensively documented.

PVC is most commonly used in building materials like piping and vinyl siding, in medical devices and in packaging and consumer products.

The production process for PVC exposes workers and surrounding communities not only to vinyl chloride but also to asbestos and the industrial forever chemicals known as PFAS.

PVC is a key replacement material for lead pipes, despite evidence that it leaches chemicals into the water supply and that pollutants from soil and water can pass through the pipe walls.

The Center for Biological Diversity has been pressing the EPA since 2014 to regulate PVC waste as hazardous, calling it, a toxic time bomb and the most hazardous consumer products ever made.

In January, the EPA tentatively denied the request, arguing that regulations would not have a meaningful impact and that the agency didnt have the time or resources to create new PVC regulations.

As long as we continue to use PVC, we will continue to have accidents like this and it is entirely preventable, Emily Jeffers, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, told Inside Climate News.

If we regulate PVC as the hazardous waste that it is, that could potentially force producers to develop materials with less toxic properties, she added.

But according to a report published last week by The Intercept, lobbying by industry groups like the Vinyl Institute, which have poured millions of dollars into convincing lawmakers and the public that PVC is safe, makes it challenging to regulate the chemical.

Lobbyists include a number of high-profile people with deep ties to the Democratic establishment, along with at least one former employee from the Trump presidential campaign.

Funders include petrochemical giants like Formosa Plastics, Westlake, Shintech Inc., and OxyVinyls, an affiliate of Occidental Petroleums OxyChem subsidiary.

These companies have been cited 245 times for safety and environmental violations and paid over $50 million in fines. Theyve also faced civil lawsuits.

The Vinyl Institute has lobbied against efforts to ban toxic chemicals and decrease reliance on plastics. The report says that because of its strong congressional allies, the PVC industry is poised for massive expansion.

Another industry cover-up?

Despite the EPAs announcement that it has taken control of the cleanup, Norfolk Southern is still the entity entirely responsible for carrying it out.

The rail company hired private contractor CTEH (Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health), to test air, water and soil quality in East Palestine. According to Mother Jones, The New York Times and Kanekoa News, the company has a history of minimizing the effects of environmental disasters to protect corporations.

CTEH was accused of mishandling data collection in a crude oil spill that happened during Hurricane Katrina, a coal ash spill in Tennessee, a case of defective Chinese drywall affecting Florida Homeowners and the BP oil spill in 2010.

In all of those cases, the Big Chemical corporations used CTEHs findings to assure people that the chemicals spilled posed no risk to public health  when in fact they did.

Northfolk Southern also hired CTEH when one of its trains derailed in Graniteville, South Carolina, releasing 90 tons of chlorine gas that killed nine people.

The Times reported when CTEH confirmed BPs assertion that there were no significant exposures in the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Nicholas Cheremisinoff, a former Exxon chemical engineer who now consults on pollution prevention said, Its essentially the fox guarding the chicken coop.

According to the Times:

Another toxicologist familiar with CTEH, who requested anonymity to avoid retribution from the firm, described its chemical studies as designed to meet the goals of its clients.

Theyre paid to say everythings OK, this source said. Their work product is, basically, they find the least protective rules and regulations and rely on those.

CTEH even provided analysis for Chevron-Texaco when it was sued by tens of thousands of indigenous people for failing to clean up the oil spill on their land in Ecuador.

In that case, CTEH found there was no evidence that the oil spill was related to the health outcomes. Chevron lost that case in an Ecuadorian court.

In East Palestine, there were several reports that residents having their homes tested by CTEH have been asked to sign waivers saying they would not hold Norfolk or their affiliates, including CTEH, responsible for any future liabilities.

One resident told Glenn Beck that 340 residents signed the contracts.

Kanekoa News tweeted a description of its interaction with CTEH:

#28 Katlyn Schwarzwaelder tells Glenn Beck four of her dogs were projectile vomiting, her eyes and throat get itchy and burn when she visits her home, and she plans to abandon East Palestine forever because of her long-term health concerns: I had four https://t.co/8lBlOhcAtZ https://t.co/ph4pUGAIgtpic.twitter.com/sFeYdv3jjm  kanekoa.substack.com (@KanekoaTheGreat) February 15, 2023

Read more at: ChildrensHealthDefense.org
South Africa: New Ministers ready to work after swearing-in

The new members of the National Executive, who were sworn in on Tuesday evening, say they are ready to take on the mammoth task that lies ahead as South Africa works to stabilise the economy and advance its development agenda.

The new members were sworn in at a ceremony officiated by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo presided over the swearing-in of Deputy President Paul Mashatile and other new members of the National Executive at Tuynhuys in Cape Town.

Mashatile led seven Ministers and nine Deputy Ministers in taking their oath of office. The swearing-in comes after the much anticipated Cabinet reshuffle that took place on Monday.

Ministers who were sworn include the newly established Minister in the Presidency Responsible for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.

Speaking to media following his swearing-in, Ramokgopa said he is going to be a hands on Minister, who will focus on reducing the frequency and intensity of rolling blackouts.

This is one of the few occasions you will find me wearing a suit. We are on the ground, project managers are on the ground. I don't [only want the problem] explained [to me], I need to experience the problem.

"What will help is that I am an engineer and engineers are trained to resolve problems, so this is my forte I am more than confident that we will resolve load shedding, he said.

Ramokgopa said he will be working with the existing Energy Action Plan and deliver within the set timeframes.

New Cabinet

The President on Monday made the following changes to his Cabinet:

- Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele, replaces Khumbudzo Ntshavheni.

- Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Thembi Nkadimeng, replaces Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

- Minister of Public Service and Administration, Noxolo Kiviet, replaces acting Minister Thulas Nxesi.

- Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sihle Zikalala, replacing Patricia de Lille.

- Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Zizi Kodwa, replaces Nathi Mthethwa.

- Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, replaces Lindiwe Sisulu.

- Minister of Transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga, replaces Fikile Mbalula.

With respect to Deputy Ministers, the President made the following appointments:

- Deputy Ministers in the Presidency, Nomasonto Motaung and Kenneth Morolong.

- Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sisisi Tolashe.

- Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Pinky Kekana.

- There will be two Deputy Ministers for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Parks Tau and Zolile Burns-Ncamashe.

- There will be two Deputy Ministers for Water and Sanitation, David Mahlobo and Judith Tshabalala.

- Deputy Minister of Public Works, Bernice Swarts.

- Deputy Minister of Small Business Development, Dipuo Peters.

- Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises, Obed Bapela.

- Deputy Minister of Transport, Lisa Mangcu.

- SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-03-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Fluorescent functional materials used in cancer treatment

Xinhua) 15:06, March 08, 2023

LANZHOU, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have explored a new cancer-treating strategy that uses fluorescent functional materials, according to Lanzhou University Second Hospital.

Researchers from Lanzhou University Second Hospital and Nanchang Hangkong University jointly carried out the study, which proposes a new, cost-effective and efficient therapy for cancer.

The rapid development of advanced optical technologies, such as cancer diagnosis and treatment, fluorescent sensors and bio-imaging, requires abundant highly efficient fluorescent materials, said Liu Tao, researcher with Lanzhou University Second Hospital.

The study team designed and synthesized a series of cyanostyrene-based aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) by coupling different electronic donors and fluorescent quenching groups.

The researchers also demonstrated the excellent performance of AIEgens in fluorescence sensing, organelle imaging, and photodynamic therapy.

This study provides a new approach for developing more sensitive, stable and adjustable fluorescent materials. It will contribute to the organelle targeted imaging and photodynamic therapy of cancer cells, said Liu.

The study results have been published in the Chemical Engineering Journal.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Before her latest appointment, Mrs Masha was a member of Nigeria's Presidential Advisory Council On the Economy.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday congratulated the newly appointed Director and Head of Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four, (G24), Dr. Iyabo Masha.

In a letter signed by him, President Buhari noted that by the appointment, Dr. Masha has made history, becoming the first African to hold the position since the organization was founded in 1971.

According to a statement by presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, the President enjoined Dr. Masha to use the position to champion the cause of developing countries, especially on the key economic challenges of economic diversification, debt resolution, tax policy and financial sector development.

"Having worked closely with Dr. Masha during her time with the Presidential Economic Advisory Council, I have no doubt in my mind that she has the drive, dedication to duty, and professionalism to rise to the responsibilities of the position.

"Congratulations, Nigeria is proud of your achievement, and I wish you a successful tenure," the President added.

Before her latest appointment, Mrs Masha, a highly regarded economist, was a member of Nigeria's Presidential Advisory Council On the Economy.
(Natural News) The sale of bump stocks has resumed in three states  Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas  after the Department of Justice missed its deadline to challenge a ruling invalidating the bump stock ban.

A bump stock is a modified stock that can be attached to a semiautomatic firearm to enable it to fire bullets more rapidly. Several months after the deadly 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, in which the shooter attached bump stocks to several of his semi-automatic weapons, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issued a federal rule banning the use of bump stocks.

The ATFs administrative decision made semi-automatic firearms with bump stocks equivalent to machine guns because they allow a shooter of a semi-automatic firearm to initiate a continuous firing cycle with a single pull of the trigger. (Related: Federal appeals court overwhelmingly overturns Trump-era ban on rifle bump stocks.)

The ban went into effect in 2019 and made possession of bump stocks. a federal crime carrying a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Supreme Court refused to intervene to block the ATF from enforcing this ban. This led Michael Cargill, owner of Central Texas Gun Works in Austin, to challenge the law in federal court. He initially lost his challenge in federal district court before a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit. He appealed this decision and won in the Fifth Circuits appeals court.

The appeals court agreed with Cargill, who argued that the ATF lacked the legislative authority to include bump stocks under the statutory definition of a machine gun, writing: A plain reading of the statutory language, paired with close consideration of the mechanics of a semi-automatic firearm, reveals that a bump stock is excluded from the technical definition of a machine gun.

The ATF failed to file a motion to block the Fifth Circuits ruling by Feb. 27, the court-appointed deadline. Thus, the appeals courts ruling stands.

Cargill not surprised by the decision

I wasnt surprised, said Cargill when he found out about the Fifth Circuits decision. I was excited, because I felt that this was the absolute right decision to make.

Other firearms entrepreneurs were also excited by the Fifth Circuits ruling, including Jeremiah Cottle.

Cottle invented and patented one of the most modern iterations of the bump stock, which he calls a slide stock. He ran a company based out of Moran, Texas, called Slide Fire Solutions that sold these devices for over eight years before the Las Vegas shooting.

And then the government came after me, said Cottle. By the time the ban was passed in December 2018, Cottle was forced to shut down the company amid lawsuits, and another company took over selling off the remaining inventory.

Around 10 days before the ATFs deadline to file a motion of reconsideration, Cottle rebranded Slide Fire Solutions into the American Bump Stock Company and resumed sales thru the companys website. Business has so far been slow. Cottle blames this on trouble processing credit card payments and uncertainty over how long it will remain legal for gun owners to own bump stocks.

People are afraid of what the government is going to do, he said.

They could relitigate it as it goes to remand, warned Dru Stevenson, professor at the South Texas College of Law Houston. Were kind of waiting to see what happens.

Furthermore, these devices can only be sold to gun owners in Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana, as the ban reversal only affects buyers, sellers and owners within these three states. The ATF can still enforce the ban in the rest of the country.

Learn more about gun rights and gun control in America at SecondAmendment.news.

Watch this clip from the Next News Network as Elijah Schaffer reports on the disturbing possibility that the ATF could abolish the Second Amendment.

This video is from the News Clips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Were gonna ban assault weapons, come hell or high water, Biden vows.

Michael Boldin: Americans must carefully watch people who are merely CLAIMING to protect the Second Amendment.

Illinois sheriffs rebel, vow to not enforce restrictive new gun control law that includes assault weapons ban, registration.

ATF bans stabilizing braces on pistols that were legally purchased, turning millions of gun owners into instant criminals.

After meeting with anti-Second Amendment extremists, CDC quietly removed defensive firearm use statistics to support bad faith gun control agenda.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

DallasNews.com

TheEpochTimes.com

TheTexan.news

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Western powers are trumpeting the claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin is sick and dying; is losing the war in Ukraine; and will soon run out of weapons and manpower to continue his fight against the West. Former United Nations (UN) weapons inspector Scott Ritter, however, says otherwise.

In a powerful interview with Mike Adams, the Health Ranger  be sure to watch below  Ritter explains in detail how Russia actually has the upper hand in all this. Americas military stands no chance, he says, against Russias advanced nuclear missiles and hyperglide vehicles, which are much more powerful than anything the West currently has in its arsenal.

The United States since 1992 has treated Russia as a defeated enemy, and we have sought to keep them down, Ritter explains to Adams on his Health Ranger Report program. We succeeded in doing that for 10 years under Boris Yeltsin  a new president came in, Vladimir Putin, who wasnt going to play that game, and weve been trying to get rid of Putin ever since.

We do that by trying to destabilize Russia, and one of the key aspects of destabilizing Russia was to expand NATO to Russias border to include stripping away Ukraine from a Russian spear of influence, knowing that this would provoke a confrontation with Russia.

(Related: Learn more about what transpired to cause Russia to transition from a special operation in Ukraine to a full-scale demilitarization of Ukraine.)

The U.S. and NATO miscalculated, Ritter says

According to Ritter, this is a fight the West thought it could win, easily. The reality, though, is that Russia flipped the script and is actually now winning the war while the West wobbles on the verge of collapse.

We miscalculated, Ritter says about the U.S. and NATOs efforts. The Russian economy is doing well, and getting better. Europes economy, on the other hand, isnt doing well. And the last time I went to the supermarket and looked at food prices, weve got some issues too.

What began as a localized conflict in Ukraine has also since spread to the rest of the world, hence all the talk about World War III. The U.S. and NATO are poking the Russian bear, to the detriment of the West.

Because they are now using Ukraine as a proxy to fight Russia, the West is escalating the situation into a global conflict, and surprise, surprise: were not doing well, Ritter warns.

Its a year into the conflict and the fact is the Russians have mobilized successfully; they have positioned their military on the battlefield in a manner which will lead to victory over Ukraine  Ukraine has been propped up by American taxpayer dollars and NATO weaponry.

For revealing all of this and more, Ritter landed himself on two separate blacklists, one of which is a propaganda outlet that operates right out of the office of the presidency in Ukraine.

The Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD), a unique name because its purely a propaganda outlet of the office of the president in Ukraine, so they work directly for Volodymyr Zelensky, Ritter says.

This is an office that was created by the U.S. State Department actually, funded by U.S. taxpayers, and they take anybody who speaks out in a manner that opposes the narrative being pushed by the Ukrainian government, by the U.S. government, by the mainstream media, if you dare challenge this, then you get put on this list, its a blacklist, they call you a Russian propagandist, they call you an information terrorist, they call you a war criminal, and the idea is to have you canceled.

Be sure to watch the full interview above. You will also find the latest news about the escalating skirmish between Russia and the West at RussiaReport.news.

Sources for this article include:

Brighteon.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A congressman from Texas introduced a bill to prevent the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) from keeping records of gun purchases.

Introduced by Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX), the No Retaining Every Gun In a System That Restricts Your (No REGISTRY) Rights Act mandates the ATF to destroy firearm purchase records in its database. Gun stores closing down are also mandated to destroy their purchase records, preventing the law enforcement agency from obtaining them.

My bill would dismantle ATFs recordkeeping, restore privacy for American gun owners and reverse the groundwork laid for the creation of a federal firearms agency, Cloud said in a press release.

The Second Amendment is clear: The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The federal government does not have the right to subject its law-abiding, citizen firearm owners to excessive scrutiny.

Aidan Johnston, director of federal affairs at Gun Owners of America (GOA), said the ATF has no business maintaining nearly a billion guns and gun owner records in a digital, searchable database.

ATFs recordkeeping authority has been weaponized, and all statutory protections against the creation of a gun registry have been maliciously circumvented.

Johnston stressed that GOA proudly supports [the]  No REGISTRY Rights Act to rein in this rogue agency and completely eliminate ATFs unconstitutional gun registry. Aside from GOA, the National Rifle Association and the Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition threw their support behind the Texas congressmans proposal.

The bill, a reintroduction of an earlier proposal, also indicated 62 of Clouds colleagues as co-sponsors. While the bill could easily pass through the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, getting through the Senate will be more difficult. Ultimately, President Joe Biden could veto the bill once it reaches his desk instead of signing it into law.

No REGISTRY Rights Act seeks to stop ATF surveillance

Clouds bill came amid the ATF tightening its oversight of gun stores across the U.S.  a clear affront to the Second Amendment.

Back in February, GOA obtained the ATFs federal firearms licensee (FFL) inspection guidance from January 2022. This guidance, which was later shared with Fox News, made it easier for the law enforcement agency to revoke gun retailers federal licenses.

The guidance stated that the ATF has zero tolerance for willful violations that greatly affect public safety and ATFs ability to trace firearms recovered in violent crime. It also implied that revocation  is the assumed action whenever a gun owner commits such violations. When an FFL loses its license, it will likely close shop and be mandated to send gun purchase records to the ATF  which will keep the records indefinitely.

Last year, GOA accused the ATF of maintaining an illegal gun registry in a report. According to documents obtained by the gun rights group through a Freedom of Information Act request, the federal agency is maintaining a digital, searchable, centralized registry of guns and gun owners in violation of various federal prohibitions.

In November 2021, an internal ATF memo leaked by GOA revealed that [the agency] had processed and digitized over 50 million out of business records of gun dealers in FY 2021. This report was picked up by major pundits and news outlets, including Fox News Tucker Carlson and the Blaze.

According to the GOAs report, the ATF had already converted almost one billion records from gun stores into a single, centralized and searchable national gun registry that is routinely searched by multiple data fields  except, reportedly by gun owner name. (Related: Leaked documents prove Bidens ATF is involved in aggressive push to shutter gun stores by any means necessary.)

Meanwhile, the ATF declined to comment on the legislation introduced by Cloud.

SecondAmendment.news has more stories about attacks on the right to keep and bear arms.

Watch Health Ranger Mike Adams talk with GOA legislative policy assistant Ben Sanderson about halting ATF overreach on the Health Ranger Report below.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Sheila Jackson-Lee demands a national gun ownership database that would expose your home address to criminals nearby.

TYRANNY ALERT: Bidens ATF to force millions of gun owners to register arm brace pistols or face felony charges.

Biden admin amassing millions of records on US gun owners amid new crackdown on firearms.

Clearly ATF needs to go as 4 million+ face gun registration.

ATF reversal could turn millions of gun owners into felons.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

FoxNews.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) has revealed that infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci was opposed to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) lab leak theory because they were doing gain-of-function research in the capital of Chinas central Hubei province.

During a recent episode of Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News, the Ohio congressman touched on this issue alongside the House Oversight Committees inquiry into the origins of COVID-19. Jordan is a member of the aforementioned committee chaired by Rep. James Comer (R-KY).

The fundamental question is: Why was Dr. Fauci so consumed with making sure the narrative wasnt about the lab? I think it is because they were doing gain-of-function research there. He didnt want that out, Jordan disclosed. And that was the narrative that everyone on the left bought into, even though the facts and common sense, maybe most importantly, pointed to the lab leak theory.

According to the Ohio congressman, Fauci received an email on Jan. 31, 2020 from virologist Dr. Kristian Andersten stating that SARS-CoV-2 looked engineered. The following day, Fauci received another email from Dr. Robert Garry, another virologist.

Now, these are doctors hes handed out our tax dollars to over the years. The e-mail said that Garry does not know how this happened in nature and that it would be easily done in a lab, Jordan noted. That same day  Feb. 1, 2020  Fauci organized a conference call with Dr. Francis Collins, Garry, Andersen and all other virologists. And three days later, everybody changes their story.

Jordan also mentioned that three months after that conference call, both Garry and Andersen received grants from Fauci worth several million dollars to continue their research.

DoE confirms COVID-19 most likely began from a lab leak in Wuhan

On Feb. 27, Jordan shared on social media a link to a Wall Street Journal article about the Department of Energy (DoE) admitting that the COVID-19 pandemic most likely started from a laboratory leak in Wuhan, China.

The conclusion was made after the White House and House of Representatives received a classified intelligence report on the real origin of the said virus. However, mainstream news outlets reported that the department made its conclusion with low confidence. (Related: Energy Department now admits COVID-19 most likely originated in Wuhan lab.)

President Joe Bidens administration has been standing firm against the lab leak theory. Fauci even refuted former President Donald Trumps claim, citing a study that found the viruss mutations are consistent with a jump of a species from an animal to a human.

The shift by the DoE was noted in an update to a 2021 document by the office of Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence. It now joins the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the belief that the virus likely spread via an accidental transmission at a Chinese laboratory.

Jordan suggested that the assessment from the Energy Department raised additional questions about the pandemic response, including lockdowns, vaccine mandates and other restrictions that have long been conservative targets.

Why did they lie about #COVIDs origins? Why did they lie about gain-of-function research? Why did they lie about natural immunity? he recently posted on Twitter.

Visit Pandemic.news for more news about the COVID-19 lab leak theory.

Watch the full episode of Sunday Morning Futures with Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and Maria Bartiromo below.

This video is from the Red Voice Media channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

THREE YEARS LATE: Energy Department finally concludes that COVID probably came from a Chinese lab.

WHO finally ready to investigate COVID lab-leak theory after denying it for years.

Lab leak cover-up? WHO coronavirus origin investigator thanked Fauci for dismissing lab leak theory.

Fauci threatened the careers of scientists who publicly supported the coronavirus lab leak theory.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

Twitter.com

WSJ.com

FT.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the voluntary recall of contaminated eye drops that could cause bacterial infection and eventual blindness with continued use.

According to a March 3 announcement by the regulator, the Phoenix-based Pharmedica is recalling two lots of its Purely Soothing 15 Percent MSM Drops due to non-sterility issues. It warned that use of contaminated eye drops can result in the risk of eye infections that could result in blindness. The product is used as an anti-inflammatory to assist with symptoms of ocular irritation and/or swelling, the announcement said.

Products included in the recall include one ounce (oz) eye drops from Lot No. 2203PS01, and one-half oz eye drops from Lot No. 1808051. To date, Pharmedica has not received any reports of adverse events or illness related to this recalled product, the FDA stated.

Pharmedica is advising customers to immediately stop using the product and return it to the place of purchase. Wholesalers and retailers should stop distributing/return [affected products] to Pharmedica immediately or confirm that the product has been disposed of with proper verification.

Two days prior, the FDA published a voluntary recall notice from Canadian pharmaceutical company Apotex over certain lots of Brimonidine Tartrate 15 Percent Ophthalmic Solution out of an abundance of caution.

According to the March 1 notice, the recall was instigated due to cracks that have developed in some of the units caps of the solution. It added: There is a possibility the broken cap may impact sterility and, if so, the possibility of adverse events.

Affected lots of the brimonidine tartrate solution include five milliliter (ml) bottles under Lot Nos. TJ9848 and TJ9849 with an expiry of February 2024, and Lot Nos. TK0258 and TK5341 with an expiry of April 2024. Also affected are 10 ml bottles under Lot No. TK0261 and 15 ml bottles belonging to Lot No. TK0262.

Eye products infected with drug-resistant bacterial strain

Concurrent with the voluntary recall notices, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cautioned consumers and medical providers against purchasing or using contaminated eye products.

Back in February, the two agencies warned against using artificial tears made by the New York-based Delsam Pharma and the New Jersey-based EzriCare over potential contamination. They also extended this warning to Delsams Artificial Eye Ointment.

Using contaminated artificial tears increases the risk of eye infections that could result in blindness or death. Patients who have signs or symptoms of an eye infection should talk to their health care provider or seek medical care immediately, the FDA said. According to the regulator, it also recommended that the ointment be recalled  which Delsam agreed to.

A March 1 health alert from the CDC said about 61 people suffered were infected with a drug-resistant strain of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria across about a dozen U.S. states. The infections claimed the life of one person and caused loss of vision in at least eight. The majority of patients told the public health agency that they used artificial tears, noting more than 10 different brands.

Lab tests performed by the CDC detected P. aeruginosa in some EzriCare bottles from several lots. These specimens were collected in both outpatient and inpatient healthcare settings, the agency noted. Commonly found in soil and water, P. aeruginosa poses the most risk to people using ventilators or catheters, or among those with wounds from burns or surgery. (Related: FDA announces recalls for powdered milk products for fear of salmonella contamination.)

EzriCare defended itself in a statement, emphasizing that it had no role in the formulation or manufacturing of the eye drops. It added: We are not aware of any testing that definitively links the P. aeruginosa outbreak to EzriCare artificial tears.

Nonetheless, we immediately took action to stop any further distribution or sale of [the contaminated product]. To the greatest extent possible, we have been contacting customers to advise them against the continued use of the product.

Visit FDA.news for more stories about product recalls.

Watch this video about the FDA recalling two million Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) test kits over false positives.

This video is from The Sword & Shield channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

CDC: Listeria outbreak linked to deli meat and cheese kills 1, infects 16.

Over 2M at-home COVID-19 test kits recalled due to false positive results.

FDA recalls frozen oysters in 13 states over fears of sapovirus contamination.

FDA probing cases of FOOD POISONING from Lucky Charms breakfast cereal.

Popular sunscreens recalled over cancer-causing ingredient; FDA investigating.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

FDA.gov 1

FDA.gov 2

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Gen. Michael Flynn sued the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under its purview over the two agencies malicious prosecution of him, demanding at least $50 million in compensation.

Defendant maliciously investigated and prosecuted Gen. Flynn by initiating and continuing a baseless counter-intelligence investigation and by filing a criminal information lacking probable cause, according to the complaint filed March 3 at the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The suit added that the FBI and the prosecutors from the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller targeted him for political reasons.

The complaint described Flynn as a hand-on disruptor at the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) who had publicly excoriated the politicization of the intelligence community. Flynn had also expressed his desire to overhaul the national security structure and the inter-agency process.'

However, Flynns actions made him a threat to the self-interest of entrenched intelligence bureaucracies and the federal officials involved [in the] prior and ongoing efforts to derail and discredit [former] President [Donald] Trump.

The suit also accused the government of abusing the legal process by coercing Flynn into a plea by threatening prosecution of his son as well as by targeting him with baseless probes and charges. The charges followed reports of the former national security advisor allegedly lying about conversations he had with Russian diplomat Sergey Kislyak in 2017. (Related: PROOF the FBI used unethical entrapment technique to catch Michael Flynn dishonest, lawless justice now the norm in America.)

Ho: Flynn waited for precise timing to file lawsuit

Former Trump campaign photographer-turned-program host Gene Ho announced Flynns filing of the suit on his program About GEORGE with Gene Ho, adding that most mainstream media sources have not reported on the move.

This is a timely, precise and important filing for all Americans. This level of corruption and undermining of our rule of law cannot stand, said Flynns tweet which was read by Ho. The former Trump official also thanked attorney Jesse Binnall of the Binnall Law Group in the tweet for his firms assistance

Notice what he says here: The key word is precise and important filing for all Americans,' said Ho, who is also a close friend of Flynn. The host also pointed out that the suits filing was timed alongside Republican lawmakers gaining the majority in the House of Representatives  ensuring that GOP members get chairmanships in key committees.

Aside from this, Ho mentioned the recent move by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) chairman of the House Judiciary Committee  to look into a long list of accusations against the FBI. Jordan already sent several subpoenas for this purpose, he added.

When the Republicans gained the House back, the Jan. 6 Select Committee disappeared. Now, Jordan started this new select committee, basically on DOJ and FBI weaponization of their departments.

The photographer stressed that both Trump and Flynn are students of great generals, who dont make their attacks under fire. They make it when they are clear to proceed. Now, what theyre doing is the Deep State is retreating, reloading and or out of bullets, he said. This timing is just amazing.

Watch the full episode of About George with Gene Ho below.

This video is from the AMPNews channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

FBI, DOJ sued for $50M by General Michael Flynn over Spygate probe.

Chase Bank cancels Mike Flynns credit cards as woke corporate America continues to punish American patriots.

Flynns alleged crime of lying to the FBI is disputed by actual notes made by agents who interviewed him.

Family of Michael Flynn blasts Obama-Biden administration for massive corruption following FBI text message revelations.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

TheEpochTimes.com

Twitter.com

TheIntercept.com
(Natural News) The Supreme Court of Panama last month delivered a crucial win for traditional marriage advocates and a major blow to an ongoing effort to obtain legal recognition for same-sex marriages in the Central American country, declaring that a union between two people of the same sex is not protected by the constitution and isnt a human right.

(Article by Ashley Sandler republished from LifeSiteNews.com)

The ruling, dated February 16 but published Wednesday, followed multiple appeals by same-sex couples dating back to 2016, according to a March 1 report by Agence France Presse (AFP).

The court said that the idea of homosexual unions in Panama lacks conventional and constitutional recognition, and explained that its Family Code prioritizes traditional marriage and family structures.

That code, according to the decision, has been objectively and reasonably justified in the general interests of giving precedence to those unions capable of establishing families, giving continuity to the human species, and therefore, to society.

There is a reality, and it is that, until now, the right to equal marriage is no more than an aspiration, even though a legitimate one for the groups involved, and it does not fall into the category of a human right or a fundamental right, the court declared.

AFP observed that the Catholic Church continues to hold sway in Panama, suggesting the judicial decision not to recognize same-sex marriage was influenced by the Churchs teaching that marriage is between one man and one woman.

Panama is a majority-Christian country, with 49% of the population identifying as Catholic and 30% as Evangelical Protestant as of June, 2022, according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of State.

According to the State Department, the constitution of Panama recognizes Catholicism as the religion of the majority of citizens and requires Catholic instruction in public schools, with exemptions allowed.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explicitly defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman, which is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring..

Moreover, the Church states that tradition, based on Sacred Scripture, has always declared that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered, going on to explain that such acts are contrary to the natural law close the sexual act to the gift of life do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity, and [u]nder no circumstances can they be approved.

The Churchs teaching and the Supreme Court of Panamas recent ruling on marriage align with the laws currently on the books in most other Central American countries (with the exception of Costa Rica), which also continue to uphold the traditional understanding of marriage.

That preservation of marriage comes even in the face of a 2018 declaration by the Interamerican Court of Human Rights that all member nations, including Panama, must grant the same rights under the law to same-sex couples as to opposite-sex couples, AFP noted.

Meanwhile, Panamas decision to legally recognize only marriages between one man and one woman come as other non-western nations increasingly cave to the same LGBT ideology already widespread in the U.S., U.K., and much of Europe.

Last month, Kenyas Supreme Court ruled in a 3-2 decision to allow homosexuals to establish pro-LGBT organizations, despite the fact that homosexual actions and relationships remain illegal in the African country, LifeSiteNews previously reported.

Kenyan lawmakers, religious leaders, and others have expressed outrage concerning the ruling, arguing that the decision will help to normalize homosexuality and erode Kenyan culture.

In addition, a South Korean high court last month granted men in same-sex relationships eligibility to be considered a couple for the purposes of national health insurance coverage, LifeSite reported.

The decision was South Koreas first move in awarding privileges under the law for people in homosexual unions.

Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com
(Natural News) On March 5, members of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic received a memo informing them that disgraced government career criminal Tony Fauci spearheaded the infamous Nature Medicine study that claims to debunk the lab leak theory of the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19)  and now its Republican members want answers and accountability.

Fauci, who formerly headed up the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), commissioned the paper after learning that the lab leak theory was gaining traction over the bat soup theory that was heavily pushed at the start of the scamdemic.

Along with at least eleven other scientists, the memo explains, Fauci held a conference call on Feb. 1, 2020, during which it was discussed that the Fauci Flu may, in fact, have originated in a laboratory in Wuhan, China. Just three days after that call, Fauci lined up the creation and publishing of a paper to debunk the lab leak theory.

We know from the memo that four participants of the conference call authored a paper entitled The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2 (Proximal Origin) and sent a draft to Drs. Fauci and Collins. This proves that Fauci and his comrades are liars in that they directly interfered with science to push their own agenda.

Prior to final publication in Nature Medicine, the paper was sent to Dr. Fauci for editing and approval, the memo further reveals, adding that Fauci used said paper two months later in a public attempt at dismissing the lab leak theory.

New evidence released by the Select Subcommittee today suggests that Dr. Fauci prompted the drafting of a publication that would disprove the lab leak theory, the authors of this paper skewed available evidence to achieve that goal, and Dr. Jeremy Farrar went uncredited despite significant involvement.

(Related: A top government official from the Trump administration said the lab leak theory is the most credible story to explain the source of covid.)

Sen. Eric Schmitt tells Americans to follow the money

In response to the memo, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) tweeted that Fauci must be held accountable for his clear interference with the scientific process, which led to widespread confusion and misinformation about the true source of covid.

Follow the $the $ for the Wuhan Lab he approved, Schmitt wrote. This line of questioning was pursued in our depo of Fauci as well. He didnt want to be implicated in the Lab Leak so he dismissed it & smeared anyone who thought it plausible.

Author and filmmaker Dinesh DSouza also commented on the matter via Twitter, writing:

This reminds me of how Hillary Clinton cooked up the Russia Hoax, planted it in the media, and then cited media reports to provide independent evidence for the fabricated theory.

The White Coat Waste Projects Justin Goodman added to the conversation that Fauci orchestrated a fraudulent paper he then used to dismiss the lab leak theory of covid.

A 3/20 blog by his boss / co-conspirator Francis Collins: this study leaves little room to refute a natural origin for COVID Lab origin is outrageous claim & rumor,' Goodman added.

Then we have Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) who has long questioned Fauci and the various things he has claimed throughout this saga. Paul retweeted a clip of MSNBCs Nicolle Wallace referring to the lab leak theory as a Trump conspiracy theory without validity.

After funding gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab, Fauci smeared those of us who suggested the possibility of a lab leak. He must be held accountable, added Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) to the Twitter conversation about Faucis crimes against humanity.

The latest news about Fauci can be found at Evil.news.

Sources for this article include:

Breitbart.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) There is a very strong possibility that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of Childrens Health Defense (CHD) will run for president in 2024 against fake president Joe Biden  as a Democrat.

Kennedy told a crowd in New Hampshire this week that he is seriously considering standing as a challenger against the Biden Crime Regime, which some would say is the most incompetent and perhaps most evil regime in American history.

I am thinking about it yes, Kennedy said when asked by someone at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics if he plans to run. I have passed the biggest hurdle, that my wife has greenlighted it.

The nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy, Kennedy Jr. says he is a lifelong Democrat who faced immense criticism for speaking out against Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines. He launched his famous Defeat the Mandates campaign to try to stop mandatory covid injections.

Kennedy Jr. also wrote an open letter to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) chastising its leadership for upsetting the presidential nominating calendar. The Biden regime successfully pushed to make New Hampshire third in the primaries as opposed to the traditional first.

New Hampshire, which prides itself on its well-informed electorate and its emphasis on small-scale and grassroots retail politics, has for a century held the first primary in the race for the White House, reported Fox News.

While Republicans are making no changes to their presidential nominating calendar in the 2024 election cycle, the DNC last month voted overwhelmingly to approve a new top of the calendar, pushed by Biden, that upends the traditional schedule.

(Related: In 2021, Kennedy Jr. warned that Tony Fauci and Bill Gates were committing mass genocide against humanity with their covid jabs.)

Would you vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for president in 2024?

Thanks to Biden, New Hampshire will now vote second on the DNCs calendar along with Nevada, while South Carolina will be first in line under the new schedule.

Kennedy Jr. wants New Hampshire to remain first because of the states long history advocating for civil rights and election transparency, the latter of which was nonexistent during the last presidential election cycle.

New Hampshire runs the most secure and transparent election in America, Kennedy wrote in his letter. It should be a model for our country at a time when we need it most.

New Hampshire Democrats, meanwhile, have indicated that they will still go first in the primaries regardless of what Biden and his cronies think. Should Biden refuse to participate, well, that could spell serious trouble for the fake president going into 2024  assuming he formally launches a campaign.

Based on past statements, Biden does still plan to run again in 2024  assuming he does not completely lose his mind before them (though many would argue he already has).

From the very beginning, Kennedy Jr. was right about covid injections. He knew it was a fraud, and recognized that the powers that be, many of them in the Biden regime, were lying about the effectiveness of alternative remedies such as hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and ivermectin.

Im a conservative but would very seriously consider voting for him, one commenter wrote in response to Kennedy Jr.s statements.

Biden is not mentally fit to run for president in 2024, said someone else, pointing to Kennedy Jr. as a viable alternative.

No doubt hed be a game changer for the Dems, said another about Kennedy Jr. He would be the only candidate who actually did anything of substance. Hes a staunch environmentalist who believes in letting the market find a solution to the so-called climate crisis.

The latest news about the upcoming 2024 election cycle can be found at Rigged.news.

Sources for this article include:

FoxNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) An attorney with the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an organization that frequently lists mainstream conservatives alongside hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), has been charged with domestic terrorism after allegedly rioting with Antifa in Atlanta.

(Article by Paul Bois republished from Breitbart.com)

Over the weekend, far-left agitators allegedly threw Molotov cocktails and launched fireworks at an Atlanta police training facility that has been under construction. Among the 23 people arrested for what police called a coordinated attack is Thomas Jurgens, 28, a staff attorney at the SPLC. Following the arrest, Jurgens Linkedin page was deleted. Per the New York Post:

Of the 23 people slapped with domestic terrorism charges over the violent protest, Jurgens and only one other man, Jack Beaman, hail from the state of Georgia. Police said the majority of those arrested are from other parts of the US  as well as France and Canada. The SPLC didnt immediately respond to The Posts request for comment in the wake of Jurgens arrest. In total, 35 violent agitators were nabbed after they attacked the future site of the $90 million police training facility, cops said.

It wasnt immediately clear if the remainder of those arrested will also be hit with domestic terrorism charges.

During the demonstration over the weekend, protesters allegedly threw Molotov cocktails, fireworks, rocks, and bricks at police officers. Atlanta Police Chief Schierbaum later described it as a coordinated attack and that multiple pieces of construction equipment were set on fire.

This was a very violent attack, very violent attack, Schierbaum said. This wasnt about a public safety training center. This was about anarchy and we are addressing that quickly.

According to the Georgia Department of Public Safety, some left-wing agitators even tried blinding police officers by shining green lasers into their eyes.

Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also condemned the violence, calling it an act of domestic terrorism.

As Ive said before, domestic terrorism will NOT be tolerated in this state, Kemp said. We will not rest until those who use violence and intimidation for an extremist end are brought to full justice.

As Breitbart News reported, far-left rioters lit a police car on fire and broke the windows of several local businesses this past January in response to the death of 26-year-old activist Manuel Teran, who was killed during a police sweep in what the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said was an exchange of gunfire with police that wounded a state trooper, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC).

The protest eventually turned violent, with a police car being set aflame while businesses were broken into. Police responded to multiple instances of property damage along Peachtree Street. The Atlanta Police Foundation also had its glass doors smashed in.

Antifa is burning down Atlanta right now pic.twitter.com/UH3H8CVV6X  Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 22, 2023

The SPLCs listing of conservatives alongside legitimate hate groups almost had deadly consequences in 2013 when domestic terrorist Floyd Lee Corkins II attempted a mass shooting at the Family Research Council (FRC) after the SPLC listed it as a hate group.

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, wrote in the Washington Post that the centers use of hate labels destroys public discourse.

The wickedness of the SPLCs blacklist lies in the fact that it conflates groups that really do preach hatred, such as the Ku Klux Klan and Nation of Islam, with ones that simply do not share the SPLCs political preferences, he wrote. The obvious goal is to marginalize the organizations in this second category by bullying reporters into avoiding them, scaring away writers and researchers from working for them, and limiting invitations for them to discuss their work.

The SPLC acknowledged a member of their organization was arrested during the event in a tweet Monday, describing them as a legal observer:

Law enforcement detained at least 35 demonstrators in Atlanta on Sunday, including an SPLC employee who was arrested while acting  and identifying  as a legal observer on behalf of @NLGnews#StopCopCity  Southern Poverty Law Center (@splcenter) March 6, 2023

Read more at: Breitbart.com
NiDCOM added that to date, only a few Nigerians have agreed to return home, however, the mission is working with the UN Migration agency in Nigeria (IOM) to arrange tickets for those who wish to return.

The government of Nigeria has said it is consulting and yet to take a decision on the evacuation of nationals from Tunisia following controversial comments of Tunisian President Kais Saied.

Mr Saied at a meeting of Tunisia's National Security Council on 21 February, described alleged illegal border crossings from sub-Saharan Africa into the country as a "criminal enterprise hatched at the beginning of this century to change the demographic composition of Tunisia."

He said the continuous illegal immigration aims to turn Tunisia into a strictly African population, dissociating it from its Arab and Muslim affiliations.

Speaking through the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), the Nigerian government while noting that some countries evacuated their nationals last week, in a tweet said "our Ambassador, Amb Alloey is in consultation with the Nigerian Community on a decision on evacuation."

NiDCOM added that to date, only a few Nigerians have agreed to return home, however, the mission is working with the UN Migration Agency in Nigeria (IOM) to arrange tickets for those who wish to return.

"The many others want to wait it out, praying it will soon pass, following the intervention of the AU @_AfricanUnion and the African Group of Ambassadors," it said.

The African Union had strongly condemned the statements by the Tunisian government, describing it as "shocking."

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Nigeria Governance Tunisia By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

"The Chairperson reminds all countries, particularly African Union Member States, to honor their obligations under international law and relevant African Union instruments to treat all migrants with dignity, wherever they come from, refrain from racialised hate speech that could bring people to harm, and prioritize their safety and human rights," spokesperson of the Chairperson, Ebba Kalondo, said.

CNN is reporting that several sub-Saharan countries, including Ivory Coast, Mali, Guinea and Gabon, are helping their citizens return from Tunisia following controversial remarks from the country's president last month concerning illegal immigration into the North African country.

Meanwhile, Ivory Coast said 145 citizens will be repatriated on Saturday, the state Ivorian Press Agency reported on Friday.

Mali also announced the voluntary repatriation of its citizens from Tunisia, according to a Thursday report by state newspaper L'Essour.

Meanwhile, Guinea posted images on Twitter of junta leader Col. Mamady Doumbouya welcoming returning Guineans at the airport in Conakry on Saturday and last Wednesday.

The Gabonese embassy in Tunisia said many migrants from sub-Saharan countries no longer feel safe in Tunisia and offered to repatriate its citizens, who have until Sunday to register for voluntary repatriation.

Mr Saied in another speech on 23 February, maintained there is no racial discrimination in Tunisia and said "our African brothers residing in Tunisia legally" are welcome in the country.
(Natural News) A transgender fanatic dressed in a rainbow LGBT flag screamed himself hoarse while attacking a state legislator and police officer at the Oklahoma State Capitol this week.

The incident occurred on February 28 after the Oklahoma House voted to ban the gender affirming mutilation of children. House Bill 2177 prohibits sex changes for children, which have become all the rage in the United States.

Co-authored by state representatives Kevin West and Jim Olsen, HB 2177 makes it illegal for any medical professional in Oklahoma to provide, attempt to provide, or refer for puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or other sex change surgeries, including mastectomies and castration, for minors.

The bill passed by a margin of 80 to 18, and will now advance to the state senate. If it passes there, Gov. Kevin Stitt will sign HB 2177 into law as he has promised to do, and it will then take effect immediately.

The passage of HB 2177 by the Oklahoma House so upset the trans extremist that he (or it?) went into a hysterical rampage, pouring water on and assaulting two public servants  watch below:

A transgender activist was arrested at the Oklahoma State Capitol on Tuesday after pouring water on a state representative and hitting an OHP trooper. Read more: https://t.co/MutECAW8xm pic.twitter.com/g3QarOcP8K  Lexit (@LexitMovement1) March 4, 2023

(Related: The globalists hope to transform everyone into a tranny by 2025.)

Oklahoma wants to be trans-free

Dad activist Chris Elston, more popularly known as Billboard Chris, was excited by the display, which he video-recorded. Elston said in response:

The sounds of wailing and gnashing of teeth are like a lullaby to me, as legislators put an end to this child abuse.

In a statement, Rep. West explained that the point of HB 2177 is to protect Oklahoma children from being exploited by LGBT perverts who would seek to profit from their gender confusion.

As a state, we must not be partner to irreversible health practices that permanently change the bodies of our children before they are of an age where they can fully understand the consequences of their decisions, West added.

Rep. Olsen also spoke out about the need for HB 2177, which aims to protect innocent children from causing permanent damage to their bodies while brainwashed within the deception of gender euphoria.

Common sense tells us that the decisions people make as a teenager may be short-sighted and later regretted, especially in regard to a major action like these irreversible procedures, Olsen said.

Even one child who undergoes a life-altering procedure and later laments their decision is one too many. Im proud to stand against these reprehensible actions and proud to protect Oklahomas children.

The Senate version of HB 2177, known as SB 2177, would also ban the use of insurance coverage for any sex change services  including for adults. The only exception is for minors with a medically verifiable disorder who would be allowed to take gender-bender pharmaceuticals for a six-month period.

These demonstrators are quite clearly mentally disordered and a danger to children, wrote one commenter on a story about the deranged tranny in the above video. They should be incarcerated in secure facilities.

This is full-on psychopathy and / or demonic possession, said another.

Numerous others, including one woman from West Virginia which recently passed similar legislation, speculated that people like the deranged tranny in the above video are being bussed in from other states.

It could be that George Soros is funding these activists, one said. He heavily supports anything that will destroy our culture and create chaos.

Defund Planned Parenthood! said another, noting that the nations largest abortion provider is a vehement supporter of the transgender mutilation of children.

More related news coverage can be found at Transhumanism.news.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Just weeks after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) agreed to hand over all remaining surveillance video footage of the so-called riot at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021, to Fox News host Tucker Carlson, we are beginning to see just how deep the lies Americans have been told actually run.

On his Monday show, Carlson began to release snippets of the more than 40,000 hours of video  previously unseen by the general public  which included a clip proving that Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick was not killed by protesters, countering defamatory allegations made by supporters of the Democrats and traitorous Republicans Orwellian Jan. 6 show trial last year, according to Big League Politics.

To this day, media accounts describe Sicknick as someone who was slain on January 6th. The video we reviewed proves that is a lie. Here is surveillance footage of Sicknick walking in the Capitol AFTER he was supposedly murdered by the mob outside, Carlson said during a segment.

The January 6th Committee knew perfectly well that Brian Sicknick was walking normally through the Capitol after he was supposedly murdered by Trump supporters. And they know that because they saw this tape. We can be sure because the footage contains an electronic bookmark that is still archived in the Capitols computer system, he added.

WATCH:

Tucker Carlsons Report On The Never Before Seen Footage Of Officer Brian Sicknick On January 6th To this day, media accounts describe Sicknick as someone who was slain on January 6th. The video we reviewed proves that is a lie. Here is surveillance footage of Sicknick https://t.co/wlrMvyDznW pic.twitter.com/yVMSdBMM2t  The Columbia Bugle ?? (@ColumbiaBugle) March 7, 2023

Sicknicks mother reported shortly after he died that she suspects that her son died of a stroke, rather than a blow to the head, as mainstream media outlets had claimed without substantiating evidence. And in fact, that is what an eventual autopsy revealed.

Francisco J. Diaz, the medical examiner for Washington, D.C., determined that the autopsy revealed no indications that the 42-year-old officer experienced an allergic reaction to the chemical irritants used during the unrest. Diaz stated that if an allergic reaction had occurred, Sicknicks throat would have constricted rapidly.

Furthermore, Diaz concluded that there was no evidence of internal or external injuries on Sicknicks body, implying that his death was a coincidence that occurred immediately after the false flag event.

Diaz has stated that Sicknick did suffer two strokes at the base of his brain stem as a result of the encounter, which were caused by a blood clot in an artery that supplies blood to the brain. Due to privacy laws, it is uncertain if Sicknick had a preexisting health condition.

Natural News reported at the time:

What this all means, of course, is that acting U.S. attorney general Jeffrey A. Rosen lied in his Jan. 8 statement when he claimed that Sicknick died from the injuries he suffered defending the U.S. Capitol. The Capitol Police also lied when they said Sicknick was injured while physically engaging with protesters.

To back its lies, the deep state even went so far as to falsely accuse two men of assaulting Sicknick with chemical spray during the incident. At the time of their arrest, an autopsy on Sicknicks body had not even been completed.

If theres one takeaway from the corpus of footage that we spent three weeks looking at, its that the January 6th committee lied, Tucker said Monday. Its members are liars, and as the result of those lies, core civil liberties in this country were eroded, people went to prison. Theyre in prison as of right now, unjustly. So those lies had consequences.

So you have to ask yourself, whatever happened to the members of the January 6th committee, these liars who hurt people and the country? he added. Well, lets see, Adam Schiff is running for Senate. Adam Kinzinger got a job at CNN. Liz Cheney somehow wound up a professor at the University of Virginia, the august University of Virginia. Theyre all still there. Benny Thompson. Ooh, listen to his wisdom. But theyre liars, and above all, the video proves it, he added.

Sources include:

BeckerNews.com

NaturalNews.com

BigLeaguePolitics.com
(Natural News) Democrats around the country continue to prove that they are the party of anti-constitutional authoritarianism and tyranny as they seek to criminalize any dissent against their policies much in the way that King George did in the 18th century, leading our founders to rebel.

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson is being accused of devising an illegal and alarming scheme to redefine domestic terrorism that targets speech and could lead to the arrest or involuntary commitment of conservatives for expressing objection mainstream positions.

Ferguson has taken the position that certain conservative viewpoints, or any information it deems as misinformation, constitute examples of domestic extremism. Furthermore, Ferguson has expressed a desire to establish a Washington-based equivalent of the Ministry of Truth, which would finance journalists to promote his political agenda, according to KTTH talk host Jason Rantz.

The host noted further on his site:

HB 1333 would create a left-wing Domestic Violent Extremism Commission in the AGs office. The members are asked to recommend legislative solutions to combat disinformation and misinformation, address early signs of radicalization, and develop a public health-style response.

But this isnt a public health issue, or it would be housed in the Department of Health. Its intended to legally penalize, or legally commit, political adversaries. The commissions comprehensive report must evaluate current laws and tools to tackle what theyre calling extremism and propose new legislation where there are holes.

Based on the title and the public-facing press statements, Washingtonians may be fooled into thinking this is about violence or terrorism. It even has a built-in means of deflection: If you criticize the bill, bad-faith partisans like Ferguson and his enablers will accuse you of supporting white supremacy. Dont let them fool you, Rantz noted.

The commission has been structured to specifically target conservatives and silence any dissent against the government, which is why the legislation deliberately excludes Antifa and Black Lives Matter (BLM) extremists, and even goes so far as to endorse their tactics. Snohomish County Councilmember Megan Dunn testified in support of the bill, and has previously approved of Molotov cocktail attacks as a good reminder for people to become civically engaged.

So, literally, she and leftist Democrats who think like her are the domestic terrorists, not conservatives who legitimately raise questions of doubt in certain circumstances.

But even if conservatives did not raise legitimate questions and concerns, the Constitutions First Amendment speech and expression guarantees protect such remarks; they amendment does not distinguish what constitutes a lie, since one persons lie may actually be the truth, and vice-versa.

The Attorney Generals definition of domestic violent extremism extends beyond political violence, and may not even involve physical violence at all. Ferguson includes activities such as online disinformation and anti-government ideologies as examples of the conduct that they aim to target, Rantz continued.

During a House Committee presentation on extremism in Washington, a representative from the Anti-Defamation League presented examples of extremist behavior at the local and regional levels, with a primary focus on white supremacist violence and propaganda. This focus remained despite the fact that the state has seen relatively few incidents perpetrated by such hate groups, he continued.

Notably, the presentation did not include a single mention of Black Lives Matter or Antifa violence, despite a sustained, months-long, and relentless stream of politically-inspired violence and threats that led to the murder of two black boys inside the so-called Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ), a violent bat attack to the head of a police officer, and attempt to burn officers alive inside a police precinct that left-wing radicals attempted to seal shut, Rantz wrote.

The American left is a counterrevolutionary force that seeks to destroy our existing culture, society, and traditional values so they can reimpose top-down Marxist/Communist control. Legislation and rules like Ferguson is pushing prove that.

Sources include:

MyNorthwest.com

Tyranny.news
(Natural News) Newly proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) would give the World Health Organization (WHO) dictatorial control over public health, which now includes free speech that is deemed to be misinformation or disinformation.

If ratified, these amendments would force all United Nations member states, including the United States, to adopt vaccine passports. When the next plandemic arrives, in other words, the WHO will only allow those in compliance with the latest vaccine mandates to travel, work, eat, and live.

The WHOs director-general would also be granted the authority to declare an international public health emergency at any time, just like Donald Trump did on March 11, 2020, in response to the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19), plunging the country into a totalitarian police state.

If the WHO gets its way, these will become global public health emergency declarations that inevitably lead to more lockdowns, mask mandates, jab mandates, travel restrictions, and whatever else the powers that be deem suitable as final solutions for the next disease scare.

The WHOs plan is to invoke a Pandemic Treaty, allowing it to basically control the affairs of the entire world. And this is all being forged at a time when the media is distracting everyone with the lab leak scandal and the so-called Lockdown Files.

Is it a coincidence? Or are they distracting us so theres less resistance? asks The Expose. Or are they hoping the worlds population will beg for WHO to take over because our governments have failed us?

Who are they? Only 13% of WHOs budget comes from member states. The other 87% comes from mostly private institutions and individuals.

(Related: Meanwhile, BlackRock and Vanguard are seizing control over Americas food supply.)

Amendments to 2005 IHR coupled with Pandemic Treaty spells game over for health freedom

There are actually two agreements the WHO is working on right now that will massively expand its powers in the event of a declared health emergency or pandemic: the IHR amendments and the Pandemic Treaty, which are similar but separate in scope.

The proposed amendments to the 2005 IHR include changing WHOs advisory activities to mandatory, even when there is just a potential emergency rather than a real one. These amendments also allow the WHO to mandate medical treatments, overriding national sovereignty, in many cases.

Adoption of amendments only requires a simple majority, notes The Expose about how easily this threat could become a reality. NO signature by country leaders and NO Senate or Parliament votes are needed.

The Pandemic Treaty poses similar threats while creating additional ones. This would allow the WHO to arbitrarily speed up the drug approval process, sending to market every new emergency drug or vaccine at warp speed.

The Pandemic Treaty also supports and promotes gain of function research, which is believed to be what led to the creation and unleashing of the Fauci Flu.

Adoption of WHO CA+ requires a 2/3 vote by the World Health Assembly and can enter into force upon signature by nations leader, reports explain.

A conceptual zero draft of the Pandemic Treaty was discussed back in December and shared with member states on Feb. 1, 2023. From Feb. 27 through March 3, relevant stakeholders and WHO member states considered it, and the next thing to occur is a progress report that will be presented at the 76th World Health Assembly in 2023.

If all goes as planned, a final draft of the Pandemic Treaty will be submitted for consideration by the 77th World Health Assembly in 2024. As for the IHR amendments, those will likewise be presented to the World Health Assembly in 2024.

The latest news about the WHOs push for dictatorial control over the entire world can be found at Tyranny.news.

Sources for this article include:

Expose-News.com

TrumpWhiteHouse.archives.gov

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) The latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that females today are overwhelming miserable and unhappy, with one out of three of them now considering suicide as the solution to their hopelessness.

Radical feminism has brainwashed three out of five girls into hating their lives, while at least 33 percent of young women is now contemplating suicide as a way out of the hell the globalists have created for them.

Whats especially troubling about this report is how it runs counter to todays conventional wisdom, wrote Auguste Meyrat in a column about the suicide trend, which has spiked 60 percent since a decade ago.

After all, our society allegedly celebrates women more than ever and offers abundant opportunities to girls. Furthermore, women are doing much better than men in some crucial areas, outnumbering them at colleges and in the workplace. Moreover, strong female protagonists abound in popular movies and television shows. Women have more representation in politics and sports. Schools continually push girls to achieve and break glass ceilings. No longer do girls live in a world where theyre expected to find a husband, have children, and submit to lifelong domestic drudgery. They can do anything.

In other words, females have everything their most militant predecessors demanded in the name of equality, but their unhappiness levels are off the charts  and so much so that many young women just want to die in order to quell their persistent misery.

Girls would be happier if they rejected toxic femininity and embraced their God-given femininity

How did we get here? The answer is toxic femininity, also known as feminism. It was branded and sold to girls as the solution to all their problems, when in actuality it is one of the causes of their misery.

Social media and the so-called transgender movement are additional factors in the demise of healthy and normal femininity, which barely even exists anymore in modern America.

Writing for The New American, Alex Newman wrote his own column about the matter arguing that public school indoctrination has destroyed childrens minds, including those of young girls who are being told to reject their God-given instincts in exchange for modern woke ideals.

 the federal government suggested that government schools could and should be the solution to the crisis they have caused, Newman writes.

In reality, the escalating godlessness, immorality, humanism and ever-more extreme Comprehensive Sex Education being forced on children in indoctrination centers masquerading as public schools are almost certainly the primary source of the problem. Adding more of the same is tantamount to throwing gasoline on this deadly dumpster fire.

(Related: Pervert teachers and school administrators are abusing children with gender fluid curriculum.)

When you really break down what the leftists are actually telling young girls in the name of female empowerment, the clear message is that simply being a girl is not good enough. In order to be an empowered woman, a girl must try to become a boy in her appearance, behavior, and work.

Yes, being a girl is no longer good enough, writes Patrice Lewis for WND. Maybe if they chop off their lady parts and replace them with man parts, that will all change. Forget brains  they must be disregarded at worst and remolded into the opposite gender at best.

Gone are the days when girls were told they had to deny any biological urge toward motherhood and compete in the work place as purely intellectual creatures, matching men with their brains. Now, the radical leftists are encouraging girls to compete in the workplace by  becoming men. And people wonder why teen girls are suicidal? Its too much for vulnerable adolescents to handle.

More of the latest news about the downfall of America at the hands of woke perverts can be found at Wokies.news.

Sources for this article include:

WND.com

NaturalNews.com
According to experts, the vampire squid discovered in the South China Sea has the makings of a new species.

A strange "vampire squid" has been discovered in the ocean, and some scientists think that the creature may be a brand-new species. The specimen in question was gathered in 2016 by an expedition led by the Natural Science Foundation of China in the northwest South China Sea at a depth of roughly 2,600-3,300 feet.

Following that, a team of Chinese researchers examined the specimen while taking numerous pictures. In a paper that was released last month, they concluded that the specimen belonged to a new species of vampire squid.

Vampire Squid

The vampire squid is a peculiar deep-sea creature that can be found all over the world in temperate and tropical areas of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans, but because they live so deep, humans hardly ever get to see them.

These elusive creatures typically favor deep, cold, and dark habitats that are 2,000-3,000 feet below the surface.

Low oxygen levels are typical of the ocean layers where the vampire squids typically reside. Vampire squids, however, have developed a variety of unique adaptations that allow them to survive in such hostile environments.

The vampire squid flips over its cape when provoked, exposing the thick spines that run along the underside of its arms. This species appears rather intimidating when it adopts this posture, but it is indeed very harmless.

Rather than being predatory, it relies instead on food particles that it traps with the help of sticky cells located on its lengthy, filamentous tentacles. It feeds opportunistically in this way by consuming animal and plant matter that sinks from the ocean's surface, Oceana reports.

New Species

This creature is neither an octopus nor a squid, despite its name and outward appearance. Instead, vampire squids are a member of their order of cephalopods, a group of mollusks that also includes cuttlefish and all the animals mentioned above.

The only known surviving animal from the Vampyromorphida order is the vampire squid, which has a maximum length of about 12 inches.

Vampyroteuthis infernalis, which translates to "vampire squid from hell," was the name given to the single species of vampire squid that was first identified in 1903.

The existence of additional vampire squid species is unknown, despite efforts by some scientists to find the answer.

According to Bruce Robison, a Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute senior scientist, only one species of vampire squid has been identified despite the fact that some of them appear to be superficially different.

For instance, vampire squid off the coast of California typically has a reddish rust color, while those seen elsewhere in the world are black.

For Peer Review

Although Vampyroteuthis infernalis is the sole accepted species to date, the authors of a recent bioArxiv post stated that morphological variations between specimens collected from the Gulf of Guinea, Africa, and California have raised the possibility that other species exist.

Based on the specimen discovered in the South China Sea, which they refer to as Vampyroteuthis southchinaseais, they claimed that their data strongly fully supports the existence of at least two different vampire squid species. They examined the animal's genetics and body shape and concluded that it was a new species.

The form of its "tail" and lower beak, the location of its photophores, or light-producing organs, and its genetic traits, according to the researchers, set V. southchinaseais apart from V. infernalis.

Also Read: 5 Octopus Facts that Every Cephalopod Enthusiast Must Know

The vampire squids have photophores all over their bodies, which allows them to produce brilliant light displays that may help to frighten away predators or even draw in prey.

V. southchinaseais also has two photophores between the fins and tail, and the lower beak has a broad, protruding wing. They contrasted this with V. infernalis, which, according to the authors, appears to lack a tail, has photophores close to the fins, and has a lower beak with a wide but short wing.

This discovery raises an interesting question for subsequent research on the ecological roles of new species of Vampyroteuthis in deep-sea ecosystems, according to Dajun Qiu from the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and an author of the paper.

However, some researchers doubt that the specimen the Chinese team characterized in their study actually belongs to a novel species of vampire squid.

Robison stated that the anatomical results of the research published in bioRxiv ought to be interpreted with extreme caution, although he lacked the expertise to assess the team's molecular data. Moreover, he mentioned that the paper has not yet undergone peer review, Newsweek reports.

Related Article: Rare 8-Foot Giant Squid with Terrifying Thick Arms Spotted on Western Coast of Japan
As a strong atmospheric event with snowmelt and flooding is expected, officials advise residents to get two weeks' worth of necessities ready.

Early on Wednesday, about 16 million people in central and northern California, which includes Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area, were under flood watches because of a storm that was expected to drench the area with dangerous amounts of rain on Thursday in most of the locations where there are already thick snowfall layers from previous severe storms.

The Sierra Nevada western foothills will be most at risk for flooding from rain and snowmelt, and creeks and streams there may experience flooding as a result of the combination of heavy rain and snowmelt.

Strong Atmospheric River Event

Officials in Monterey and Marin counties have started preparing for the impending storm, which is anticipated to hit the region as a strong atmospheric river event, in response to the looming forecast.

The emergency services office for the Big Sur neighborhood in Monterey County even advised locals to stock up on necessities that would last them at least two weeks. Sandbags have also been made available by the county to residents who require them to protect their property.

One of central California's most popular tourist destinations in the Big Sur region, which is located approximately 150 miles south of San Francisco and features picturesque, rugged cliffs, mountains, and undiscovered beaches by the Pacific Coast Highway.

According to county Fire Chief Jason Weber, the Marin County Fire Department will have personnel ready to perform rescues in the event of flooding.

As a result of storms earlier this year, Weber announced that all of their reservoirs were full. When reservoirs are full, the streams and creeks will rise more quickly because the majority of the rain will become runoff.

Also Read: Winter Weather Advisory in Effect Over Colorado as Freezing Drizzle Brings Colder Temperatures

Flood Watch

One of California's urban search and rescue task forces is based in Marin County, where a flood watch will go into effect on Thursday. According to Weber, this task force will make its resources available to other counties as needed.

The threat of severe weather this week comes as a large portion of California has been battered by multiple rounds of back-to-back heavy snowfall that rendered roads impassable for several days. The severe weather also knocked out power for thousands of residents as temperatures plummetted, CNN reports.

Crews carried out dozens of rescues over the weekend in hard-hit San Bernardino County. In these counties, homes were buried in several feet of snow. The county continued its well-checks and community outreach on Monday night, according to the sheriff's office. Some roads were still closed early on Wednesday even though significant amounts of snow had been removed, KCAL/KCBS reported.

2 Weeks' Worth of Essentials

After a crisis, you might need to live independently for a few days, says Ready. Being ready entails having enough food, water, and other supplies on hand to last several days. A disaster supply kit is a collection of essential items that your family might require in an emergency.

Related Article: California National Guards Going Door-To-Door Digging Out Homes From Several Feet of Snow
Many motorists in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been groaning over the current fuel crisis and continuous queues at the fuel stations.

A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who monitored fuel stations in Abuja on Tuesday reports that many stations are not dispensing products, while the few that are dispensing are causing serious traffic due to long queues.

The motorists also expressed displeasure over the cash in the country, which they said is compounding the issue, and appealed to the Federal Government to intervene swiftly.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL) had attributed the fuel queues in Abuja and some parts of the country to restrictions on businesses and movement during the presidential and National Assembly elections.

The NNPCL said operations had resumed at the depots and trucks are being dispatched to various parts of the country.

A motorist, Mr Aloysius Osita, told NAN that the resurfacing of fuel scarcity is adding to the demoralised state of residents.

He added that "I thought that the issue of fuel scarcity has been addressed finally, but I was surprised to see queues everywhere.

"It has worsened the situation, in view of queuing for fuel and Point of Sale (POS) payment at the same time.

"After queuing for fuel, you will also queue for POS, which may decline and alter the fuel purchase."

Another motorist, Mr Gbemi Olugbenga, expressed concern over the unavailability of products and urged the regulatory authority to hasten products distribution to cushion the effect.

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Olugbenga said "sometimes, some fuel stations are taken over by touts who usually hijack the fuel station's management, causing more hardship and traffic for other commuters."

Some of the residents also lamented over the lack of fuel to power their generators for businesses and domestic use.

NAN reports that "black marketers" are also seen making brisk sales, selling 10 litres of petrol at N4,000 through electronic transfer or POS payment, and N3,500 for cash payment.

One of the sellers who would not want to be identified said the "black marketers" had been facing difficulties in getting fuel from the stations, adding that most of them insist on cash payment instead of transfer or POS payment.

Meanwhile, the NNPCL retail outlets sell a litre of petrol at N940, while other fuel stations sell at N950 per litre.

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) had said it was working with other stakeholders to mitigate the tightness being experienced in the distribution of fuel.
Justice Akintayo Aluko of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has issued a warrant for the arrest and extradition of three foreign nationals, Prem Garg, Devashish Garg and Marcus Wade, to enable them to stand trial in Nigeria over allegation of fraud amounting to $42,485,900.

Court documents exclusively obtained showed that the arrest warrant was issued on January 17, 2023.

The trio are accused of fraud by Ecobank Nigeria, in a petition to the Department of Public Prosecutions, Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja, that two companies, Agrico Agbe Limited and Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai, had requested a loan facility from them for the importation of rice in 2015.

According to the documents obtained by our correspondent, Ecobank opened letters of credit in the sum of $42,485,900 in favour of Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai for the importation of rice.

The bank alleged that the company had requested an Import Finance Facility loan for the importation of Indian parboiled rice to Nigeria which was granted by the bank.

The facility was to be repaid primarily from the proceeds of the sales realised from the imported products and other revenues realised from the business in accordance with the agreement.

In charge number FHC/L//562C/2022, dated October 7, 2022, before the Federal High Court, Lagos, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, had, in consideration of a police (INTERPOL NCB) investigation report indicted Wilben Trade Limited Dubai, Marcus Wade and three others in a five counts charge of conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence, cheating and criminal conversion.

Count one: "That you, Prem Garg, and Devashish Garg both of Indian nationality, Agrico Agbe Ltd. (a company registered in Nigeria), Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai (a company registered in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai), Marcus Wade (Chairman of Wilben Trade Ltd, Dubai) of British nationality, sometime in the month of May and September 2015 at Eco Bank Plc. Lagos within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired between yourselves to commit an offence thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 422 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

"That you, Prem Garg, and Devashish Garg, both of Indian nationality, Agrico Agbe Ltd. (a company registered in Nigeria), Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai (a company registered in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai), Marcus Wade (Chairman of Wilben Trade Ltd, Dubai) of British nationality, sometime in the month of May and September 2015 at Eco Bank Plc.

Lagos within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court conspired between yourselves to commit an offence to wit: Cheating in that you caused Eco Bank Plc to deliver monies to the tune of $42,485,900m which was intended by contract for the purchase and import into Nigeria India parboiled rice but never utilised the sum of money for the contract and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 421 of the Criminal Code Act, Cap, C38 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004."

It was gathered that having heard a motion for the issuance of a warrant of arrest in the first instance moved by the prosecuting counsel, an Assistant Director in the office of the AGF and Minister of Justice, Pius Akutah with A.S. Bello; the Presiding Judge, Justice Akintayo Aluko considered it deserving and granted the warrants for the arrest of Marcus Wade, Prem Garg and Devashish Garg with the view to, and for the purpose of their extradition to enable them to stand trial in Nigeria.

Available documents further showed that Wilben Trade Limited Dubai and its founder allegedly conspired, aided and abetted the alleged fraud against Ecobank Nigeria when it willfully and deliberately communicated to the bank that the commodities (Indian parboiled rice) for which the letter of credit was established had been supplied and shipped to Nigeria while knowing or having reason to know that no such commodity was shipped to Nigeria.

Sources at the office of the AGF also revealed that Malami was fully prepared to ensure that the perpetrators of the fraudulent activities were brought to book in Nigeria.

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"The office of the AGF is working with relevant local and International law enforcement agencies and partners to ensure that they are repatriated to Nigeria to face their trial," a source noted.

Investigation revealed that Marcus Wade caused a mail to be forwarded to Ecobank Nigeria to honour its credit to the tune of $20m on a Standby Letter of credit knowing full well that no commodity was in transit to Nigeria to the benefit of Ecobank Nigeria from Prem Garg and the trio.

Impeccable sources informed our correspondent that the investigation was extended to the Law Union and Rock Insurance Plc, Nigerian Shippers Council and Nigerian Port Authority to verify the purported shipping documents forwarded by Wilben Trade Limited, Dubai and Marcus Wade to perpetrate the fraudulent scheme against Ecobank Nigeria Plc.

It was, however, confirmed that the listed vessels did not berth in any Nigerian Port within the period in view, and all the documents were unverified as genuine for rice importation into Nigeria.
There were many surprises from the 25 February Nigerian National Assembly elections.

Like a cyclone, the Peter Obi wave on 25 February swept across the South-east, part of the South-south and Lagos, and redesigned the political landscape of Nigeria.

Those who dismissed the movement as a "social media" noise were left astonished and embarrassed as numbers emerged from polling units.

The former governor of Anambra State, who ran as the candidate of Labour Party in the presidential election, garnered over six million votes to place third. His party has also taken 40 seats in the National Assembly from the results so far declared.

This feat was achieved by handing defeats to candidates many considered to be "institutions", and the concepts of structure and strongholds demystified to a certain extent.

As it stands, Labour Party's six senators and 34 reps are the third largest caucus of lawmakers-elect for the 10th Assembly.

Here are some of the major victims of the electoral upsets.

Bankole Wellington (Banky W)

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Eti Osa Federal Constituency of Lagos State once again lost his bid for a seat in the House of Representatives, this time around to a relatively unknown candidate of the Labour Party, Attah Thaddeus.

The Labour Party candidate polled 24,075 votes against Mr Wellington who polled 18,666 votes.

Many had believed that the election was going to be a rematch of the 2019 election, when Babajide Obanikoro and Mr Wellignton went head to head. However, the little-known Mr Thaddeus sneaked in to take the prize.

Mr Thaddeus' victory has been generating mixed reactions on social media because Mr Wellington, a popular Afro-beat superstar, is also popular among the young people, the demographic considered as the core of the "Obidients".

Unfortunately, Mr Wellington became a victim of the "top to bottom" voting style. Interestingly many of his celebrity friends are not taking the outcome of the election very well.

Controversial radio personality, Ifedayo Olarinde, popularly called Daddy Freeze, in a video posted on social media, claimed that Mr Thaddeus did not campaign but had the election rigged in his favour.

Toke Makinwa, another celebrity friend of Mr Wellignton, also took to social media to express support for the PDP candidate, while also taking a dig at Mr Thaddeus, saying: "We don't know him".

Uche Ewenife

The senator representing Anambra South also fell to the Obidient wave. However, she was defeated by a familiar opponent, Victor Umeh, the candidate of the Labour Party.

Mr Umeh polled 103,608 votes while Dozie Nwankwo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) emerged as runner-up with 69,702 votes, leaving the incumbent in third position with 49,532 votes.

Ms Ekwenife and Mr Umeh's rivalry go way back to 2015 when the two first fought for the senatorial seat. Ms Ekwuenife won that first face-off and repeated the feat in 2019.

This time around, the Obidient movement came to Mr Umeh's rescue. With the margin so wide, Ms Ekwenife quickly accepted defeat and congratulated her opponent.

Stella Oduah/Ebele Obiano

In Anambra North Senatorial District, two "heavyweights"--Stella Oduah of the PDP, who is the incumbent senator and the state's former First Lady, Ebele Obiano of APGA, were swept apart by Tony Nwoye of the Labour Party.Mr Nwoye, a former governorship candidate in the state, polled 94,779 votes to defeat Ms Oduah who polled 50,146 votes and Mrs Obiano who scored 48,212 votes.

Ms Oduah, a former Minister of Aviation at the centre of a 2013 N225 million car scandal, has been at the Senate since 2015, while Mrs Obiano exited the Government House with her husband last year after a scandalous fist fight with Bianca Ojukwu.

Ndudi Elumelu

The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, who represents Anochia/Oshimili federal constituency of Delta State, was also defeated on Saturday by the candidate of the Labour Party, Ngozie Okolie, who polled 53,879 votes to Mr Elumelu's 33,456 votes.Mr Elumelu was not the biggest political figure who fell in the state. The vice presidential candidate of the PDP, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, could not also deliver the state to his party.

The Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly and son of former Governor Theodore Orji had a nightmarish experience on Saturday as his quest to move to the National Assembly was cut short by Obi Aguocha of the Labour Party.

Mr Aguocha won the Umuahia Federal constituency seat with 48,199 votes to defeat Mr Orji, who scored 35,196 votes.

Ifeanyi Ugwanyi

The Governor of Enugu State will not be going to the National Assembly this year as he was defeated in his senatorial race by Okechukwu Ezea of the Labour Party.

Mr Ezea scored 104,492 votes to emerge as the Senator-elect for Enugu North Senatorial District. Mr Ugwanyi polled 46,948 votes to return second.

The governor, a member of the rebellious G5 governors, is a former member of the House of Representatives. His attempt to retire to the Red Chamber has been truncated by the Obidient wave.

Nkerukah Onyejeocha

The deputy chief whip of the House of Representatives also lost her re-election bid to a Labour Party candidate, Amobi Ogah.

Ms Onyejeocha has been representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency in Abia State since 2007. However, her 8,752 votes were not sufficient against the 11,822 votes scored by Mr Ogah.

Ms Onyejeocha, who decamped to APC in 2018 also became a victim of the Obidient wave in the South-east.

Meanwhile, several other incumbent lawmakers and candidates also fell, not necessarily connected with the Obi Wave. In some instances, local politics cost them their seats

Abiodun Olujimi

The Senator representing Ekiti South Senatorial also got swept away on 25 February, although not by the Obidient wave.

The former Senate minority leader, who polled 36,191, was defeated by a former newspaper catoonist, Yemi Adaramodu of the APC, who polled 63,189.

Ms Olujimi was a victim of a division in the PDP in Ekiti State, as the rivalry between her and former Governor Ayodele Fayose has weakened the party in the state.

Last year, the PDP lost the governorship election and got swept away.

Although, a similar thing happened to her in 2019, when she was defeated by Dayo Adeyeye of the APC, however, the court upturned the election and subsequently declared Ms Olujimi as the winner.

Bashiru Ajibola

Mr Ajibola, a former university don, was also defeated in Osun State. In his case, he was a victim of Governor Ademola Adeleke's wave in the state.

Governor Adeleke, whose election was nullified by the state governorship election petition tribunal, appears to be ready to show his opponents that he is in charge ahead of the determination of his appeal by the Court of Appeal.

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PDP won the presidential election and all the National Assembly seats in the state-- Mr Ajibola, who is the spokesperson of the Senate, was one of the victims of that takeover.

Mr Bashiru lost to Fadeyi Olubiyi of the PDP.

Mr Ilubiyi polled 134 229 votes to defeat Mr Bashiru, who scored 117, 609 votes.

Okezie Ikpeazu

The governor of Abia State also lost his senatorial bid as he was defeated by former Minority Leader of the Senate, Eyinnanya Abaribe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

The former minority leader got 49,903 votes, while the governor had 28,422 votes to come third behind Labour Party (LP) candidate, Chinedu Onyeizu, who scored 43,903.

Mr Abaribe left the PDP in 2022 after the "zoning" arrangement of the party schemed him out of the governorship race, and he moved to APGA to seek reelectiin to the Senate.

Ben Ayade

The governor of Cross River lost his bid to the National Assembly as he was defeated by the incumbent senator for Cross River North, Jarigbe Agom-Jarigbe of the PDP.Mr Ayade, who was in the Senate between 2011 and 2015, polled 56,595 votes against Mr Jarigbe of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 76,145 votes.

Interestingly, Mr Ayade was the only loser among his party's three senatorial candidates in the state.

The governor left the PDP in 2021 for the ruling party, and Saturday's election was the first time he contested an election outside the PDP.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Windy this evening with rain showers mixing with snow showers overnight. Low near 35F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of precip 50%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph..

Tonight

Windy this evening with rain showers mixing with snow showers overnight. Low near 35F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of precip 50%. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
So far, only seven of the 18 political parties in the country have at least a member in the Senate, said INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has presented 98 senators-elect with their certificates of return.

They are the winners of the senatorial elections held alongside the presidential elections on Saturday 25 February.

The certificates of return were presented to them at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

INEC said the certificates of return for the members-elect of the House of Representatives will be presented to them on Wednesday.

The commission had last week presented the certificates of return to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, and the Vice President-Elect, Kashim Shettima.

So far, only seven of the 18 political parties in the country have at least a member in the Senate, said INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu.

The parties are --the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the Young People Party (YPP).

As it stands, the ruling APC retains the majority members in the Senate with 57 seats while the PDP got 29 seats.

The LP has six seats, NNPP and SDP have two seats each. APGA and YPP have one each.

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More than 25% of parents surveyed report that they were less than truthful about their children's COVID-19 status or that they didn't follow the disease's preventive guidelines during the pandemic for their offspring, according to a nationwide study led in part by University of Utah scientists.

Among the most common reasons cited were an inability to stay home from work to care for their sick children and wanting to make decisions about their child's health care without input from outside authorities. In some cases, parents had a different motivation for lying. Some parents of younger children lied about their child's age so they could get vaccinated.

The study appears in the March 6, 2023, issue of JAMA Network Open.

The finding raises concerns that parental reluctance to disclose that their children had the disease or didn't adhere to COVID-19 prevention protocols could have contributed to the spread of the infection and exacerbated its high rates of hospitalization and death, according to Angela Fagerlin, Ph.D., senior author of the study and chair of the Department of Population Health Sciences at U of U Health.

The pandemic created tremendous stress for all of us, particularly parents." Andrea Gurmankin Levy, Ph.D., co-first author of the study and professor of social sciences at Middlesex Community College, Connecticut

In addition to Levy, Fagerlin and her colleagues at U of U Health conducted the study in conjunction with researchers in Colorado, Iowa, and Great Britain.

"Like everyone else, parents worried about getting sick with COVID-19 or about losing their job, but parents also had to manage juggling job responsibilities while their children were home in quarantine," Levy says. "And it's quite possible that some parents misrepresented their child's COVID-19 status or didn't adhere to testing or quarantine rules in an attempt to ease some of this burden."

The new study follows up on earlier findings by the same research team that concluded four of 10 American adults misled others about whether they had COVID-19 or adhered to public health measures to help corral the disease.

A subset of 580 participants in the original study who reported being parents or guardians of children younger than 18 years old living with them during the pandemic were asked additional survey questions about COVID-19 choices they made on behalf of their offspring.

However, the researchers emphasize that comparing the results of the two studies is difficult because they asked the parents different questions, which were specifically about their children.

Parents had many motivations for lying

Overall, about 26% of parents misrepresented a child's COVID-19 status in some way. Of those:

About 60% reported that they deceived others about their child's vaccination status when they wanted their unvaccinated children to participate in an activity that required vaccination.

Among parents who reported misleading others about their child having COVID-19 or not following public health recommendations, more than 50% reported doing so because they wanted the freedom to do what they thought best for their family.

Nearly 43% of parents said they didn't tell others that their children had COVID-19 because they didn't want them to miss school.

About 35% of parents didn't disclose that their child had COVID-19 because, in part, they could not afford to miss work to care for them.

"Based on our study, it appears that many parents were concerned about their children missing school, and as a parent of three school-aged kids, I can understand that," Fagerlin says. "Yet, at the same time, they're potentially exposing other kids to a serious illness. So, it's tricky because what you might think is best for your child might not be best for other children in the classroom."

Some parents misled others but did so in ways that were unlikely to harm others, according to the researchers. For instance, some parents told health care workers that their child was older than they actually were so they could be vaccinated.

"Parents might have thought that fibbing about their child's age was a good thing because it would help them stay healthy and safe from the virus and potentially protect others around them," Fagerlin says. "But there was a cut-off age for a reason. The vaccine hadn't been tested in younger aged children and it wasn't clear that it would be safe or effective for them."

About 70% of the participants were women, indicating that the study doesn't fully represent the demographic makeup of the United Statesan important consideration when interpreting the findings, according to Alistair Thorpe, Ph.D., co-first author of the study, a former post-doctoral student at U of U Health, and currently a post-doctoral research scientist at University College London. The researchers also suspect that some participants may have fudged some of their survey answers.

"Lying about lying is certainly a possibility," Fagerlin says. "If anything, 26% is probably the minimum number of parents who misrepresented their children's COVID-19 status during the pandemic."

In the future, the researchers conclude, health officials will need to develop policies and technologies that don't depend on the honor system or jeopardize privacy to protect public health.

"We need to do a better job of providing support mechanisms like paid sick leave for family illness so that parents don't feel like their only option is to engage in misrepresentation or non-adherence to public health guidelines during a future infectious disease outbreak that matches or exceeds the magnitude of COVID-19," Levy says.

In addition to Dr. Fagerlin, University of Utah Health scientists Holly Shoemaker and Jorie M. Butler contributed to this study. Other researchers involved in this research were from the Middlesex Community College in Connecticut, University College London, University of Colorado School of Medicine, University of Iowa School of Medicine, the Veterans Affairs Denver (Colorado) Center for Innovation, and the Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Heath Care System.
Scientists in the United States have conducted a simulation study to estimate the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) deaths that could have been prevented by increasing vaccination coverage in the country.

The study is currently available on the Research Square preprint* server while under consideration for publication in the journal Scientific Reports.

Study: Estimating vaccine-preventable COVID-19 deaths under counterfactual vaccination scenarios in the United States. Image Credit: Gargantiopa / Shutterstock

*Important notice: Research Square publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

Background

The deployment of effective COVID-19 vaccines was initiated in the United States in early 2021. Although there was a shortage in vaccine supply at the initial phase of deployment, the country successfully increased its vaccine coverage by mid-April 2021.

Studies conducted in real-world setups have shown that COVID-19 vaccines are more than 80% effective in preventing severe disease and hospitalization and over 90% effective in preventing COVID-19-related deaths.

Vaccine hesitancy has been observed among a significant proportion of US adults despite these benefits. An accurate estimation of vaccine-preventable COVID-19 deaths would be helpful in informing policymakers to increase vaccine uptake in the general population.

In the current study, scientists have simulated state-level COVID-19 mortality and vaccination frequency to estimate the number of COVID-19 deaths that could have been prevented by increasing COVID-19 vaccine coverage in the United States.

Study design

The simulation model was developed based on two assumptions. One assumption was that a state could maintain the peak indefinitely upon reaching peak vaccination capacity. Moreover, for a given state, the model assumed that the vaccination rate is maintained at its peak until 85%, 90%, or 100% of the state population is vaccinated.

Another assumption was that there would be no change in the effective reproduction number of COVID-19 cases. The effective reproductive number refers to the number of secondary cases from an index case in a given population of both susceptible and non-susceptible individuals.

The model was used to estimate the number of vaccine-preventable deaths both at the state- and national levels between January 2021 and April 2022.

Important observations

Considering that 100% of the US adult population became fully vaccinated during the study period, the model predicted that about 50% of COVID-19 deaths could have been prevented nationally.

Considering a vaccine coverage rate of 85%, the model predicted that about 28% of actual COVID-19 deaths could have been prevented in the country.

The model identified a significant variation in the proportion of vaccine-preventable deaths between states, with Massachusetts showing 25% and Alaska showing 74% vaccine-preventable deaths.

Demonstration of the model, showing the process for estimating vaccine-preventable deaths had 85% (left, orange) or 100% (right, blue) of the adult population been vaccinated. The figure is a representation and does not reflect data for a particular state.

Study significance

The study demonstrates that about 50% of COVID-19 deaths could have been prevented in the United States by maintaining the population-level vaccination rate at its peak. In addition, the high effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines observed in the study would help inform policymakers to increase vaccine coverage at both state- and national levels.

As mentioned by the scientists, the study does not include age- and race-specific data. Thus, the study could not explore the effect of age and race on vaccine efficacy.

*Important notice: Research Square publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
In a recent study published in the journal Toxicology Letters, researchers discuss the effect(s) of fluoride exposure on the human microbiome.

Study: Does fluoride exposure impact on the human microbiome? Image Credit: Photozero / Shutterstock.com

The toxicology of fluoride

Community water fluoridation (CWF) significantly improves oral health by decreasing the prevalence of caries. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 1 mg/L of sodium fluoride in water for good oral health.

However, chronic exposure to high concentrations can result in dental fluorosis. Skeletal fluorosis is reported in areas with high fluoride levels in groundwater and can cause damage to the joints and bones. Fluoride can also cause tissue damage and exert toxic effects at extremely high concentrations.

Given its toxicity concerns, research efforts are currently investigating the impact of CWF on health. Systematic reviews have found no convincing evidence for the long-term effects of fluoridation at WHO-recommended concentrations in humans.

In the present study, researchers review previous publications to evaluate how fluoride exposure affects the human microbiome.

Fluoride exposure and the microbiome

A healthy microbiome in the oral cavity is essential to prevent periodontal disease and dental caries. It is speculated that fluoride can disrupt the homeostasis between humans and the microbiome.

The microbiome in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract remains exposed to fluoride after drinking fluoridated water. The oral cavity is likely the most exposed to fluoride, as it is the first exposure point.

Fluoride accumulation in dental plaque is well established in people using fluoride dentifrices; however, data on fluoride levels in the mid/lower GI tract are scarce.

Fluoride absorption into tissues increases down the GI tract, with 40% absorbed in the stomach and the remaining in the small intestine. Nearly 10% of fluoride is excreted in feces, thus suggesting all GI tract regions are exposed to fluoride.

Fluoride exhibits antifungal and antibacterial activity and has been shown in vitro to inhibit bacterial growth that may result from enzyme inhibition or acidification of the cytoplasm. Much research has been centered around the effects of fluoride on Streptococcus mutans, a species involved in caries development, with several reports suggesting that acid tolerance is pivotal for its survival in acidic caries.

Effects of fluoride exposure on the microbiome in humans and animals

The researchers performed a literature search using relevant terms on Scopus and PubMed databases. They identified 190 articles published between 1986 and 2022, 41 of which were selected for the final analysis after exclusions were applied. Most human studies examined the effects of fluoride dentifrices, mouthwashes, and varnishes on the oral microbiome.

Several studies found no or limited effects on the oral microbiome, with some suggesting benefits. A few studies examining the impact of silver diamine fluoride on the oral microbiome in caries treatment reported minor plaque microbiome changes in the intervention arm. Likewise, different research groups have studied stannous and fluoride (F/Sn)-containing products.

In general, using F/Sn-containing toothpaste might decrease cariogenic bacteria; however, larger studies are required to corroborate this finding.

Only one study from China analyzed the potential effects of excessive fluoride exposure from drinking water. This study revealed significant changes in the oral microbiome, which included lower Bacteroidetes and higher Firmicutes levels, of children with moderate/severe fluorosis, albeit its significance from a health perspective was unknown.

Among animal studies, many have explored the effects of fluoride on the microbiome. Most studies focused on acute fluoride toxicity and only one assessed the impact of prolonged exposure to low fluoride concentrations.

Rats ingesting water with 50 mg/L fluoride for 30 days exhibited inflamed ileum and gut microbiome alterations. Increasing fluoride concentrations to 100 mg/L caused more extensive changes in the cecum, with reductions in Firmicutes and elevations in Bacteroidetes.

More research is needed to determine if such changes to the gut microbiota also occur in humans exposed to fluoride at recommended concentrations. Besides fluoride, arsenic is present in water in some regions. Mice exposed to 100 mg/L fluoride, 50 mg/L arsenic, or both exhibit cardiovascular defects and gut microbiome changes.

Concluding remarks

Precious studies on the oral microbiome suggest that topical fluoride use has little impact and, rather, may be beneficial. However, exposure to fluoride in water at higher concentrations might have a much more severe effect on the oral microbiome.

Animal studies suggest significant changes in the gut and oral microbiomes due to fluoride exposure. Overall, population-based studies are required to determine how CWF and fluoride exposure affects the human microbiome.
On the vast Texas Panhandle, raked by wind and relentless sun, women might drive for hours to reach Haven Health, a clinic in Amarillo.

One of more than 3,200 federal family-planning clinics nationwide, Haven serves both English and Spanish speakers, providing contraception, testing for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, and cervical cancer screening, all at low cost or without charge to patients who are anxious, impoverished, or both.

Those patients include teenage girls  under 18  seeking birth control pills or long-acting contraception.

But under a startling court decision issued in December, a federal judge ruled that such clinics violate Texas state law and federal constitutional rights, effectively cutting off a vital source of health care for young women across Texas.

Women's health advocates and health care providers alike have decried the decision by a conservative judge appointed by President Donald Trump who is at the center of other reproductive rights cases. They say it is overly broad and unprecedented. (The ruling applies to the national regulations, but for now is followed only in Texas.)

"We cant even provide contraception for a gynecological issue," said Carolena Cogdill, CEO of Haven Health, adding that the ruling by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk has had a chilling effect on care. "We had a young lady come in who had abnormal bleeding, and we wanted to prescribe contraception to help control that bleeding. And we couldnt do it because she was 16." The patient had said her mother would not understand, believing that her daughter was "going to go out and have sex and she just didnt want to go there," Cogdill said.

Texas law has long required that teenage girls have a parent's permission to get prescription contraception. But under the federal program Title X, certain clinics could provide contraception without parental consent. Established in 1970, Title X evolved out of the "War on Poverty" era and passed with broad bipartisan support. The legislation was signed by then-President Richard Nixon, a Republican, to provide family-planning services to low-income people, including minors, with the goal of reducing teen pregnancy.

But in July 2022, weeks after the Supreme Court rescinded constitutional protection for abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Alexander R. Deanda, a father of three adolescent daughters who lives in Amarillo, sued the Department of Health and Human Services. He argued that the government had violated his constitutional right to direct the upbringing of his children.

In his suit, Deanda, a Christian, said he was raising each of [his] daughters in accordance with Christian teaching on matters of sexuality" and that he could have no "assurance that his children will be unable to access prescription contraception" that "facilitate sexual promiscuity and premarital sex."

In his opinion, Kacsmaryk agreed, writing that "the use of contraception (just like abortion) violates traditional tenets of many faiths, including the Christian faith plaintiff practices."

Moreover, Kacsmaryk, who is a Christian, said the existence of federal clinics operating in Texas, where state law otherwise requires parental permission for teenage girls to receive contraception, posed an "immediate, present-day injury."

"Title X clinics are open most days and, therefore, they post an ongoing, continuous, and imminent risk," the judge wrote.

The decision, which referenced Catholic catechisms and fourth-century religious text, stunned legal experts like Elizabeth Sepper, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, who said it was part of the rising influence of conservative Christian theology in the courts.

"Weve seen religious arguments that increasingly come into the courts dressed up as legal arguments," Sepper said. "I think were seeing a movement that began with a religious exemption, saying 'Let me structure my health care to suit my morals,' and were moving toward an agenda that says, 'Let me structure all of health care according to my morals.'"

Neither Deanda nor his attorney, Jonathan Mitchell, the architect of Texas' pre-Dobbs abortion ban, responded to requests for comment.

The effects of teenage pregnancy on the arc of a woman's life can be profound. Half of teenage mothers receive a high school diploma by age 22, compared with 90% of young women who do not give birth as teens. Teen births can lead to poor outcomes for the next generation: Children of teenage mothers are more likely to drop out of high school and end up in jail or prison during adolescence.

Dr. Stephen Griffin, an assistant professor at Texas Tech University in Lubbock and a practicing OB-GYN, described access to birth control for young women as a "safety issue," adding that many parents underestimate their teenagers' sexual activity.

"We know that people who identify as regular church attendees are more likely to underestimate their childs risk-taking behavior in terms of sex," Griffin said. "We know that parents who feel they have open lines of communication with their children" also underestimate the risk.

Texas has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the nation and the highest rate of repeat teen pregnancy  more than 1 in 6 teenagers who gave birth in Texas in 2020 already had a child. Health experts say the court decision banning access to contraception is likely to increase those numbers, following on the heels of other restrictions on reproductive health care in the state.

"Abortion is illegal in Texas. Kids arent getting comprehensive sexual education in schools. A vast [number] of folks in Texas are living without health insurance," said Stephanie LeBleu, acting director of Every Body Texas, which administers the state's more than 150 Title X clinics. "So it does make it very difficult to get sexual health services."

The Biden administration appealed the Texas decision in February. In the meantime, LeBleu said, there is no safety net left here for teens.

"It robs them of their humanity," she said. "It robs them of their future, potentially. And it robs them of their bodily autonomy, and I think young people are more than capable of making decisions about their own health care."

Decades of research shows that teens are more likely to seek sexual health care if they can do so confidentially. But for Texans like Christi Covington, the belief is that the law shouldn't make exceptions even in the hardest cases.

Covington lives in Round Rock, an Austin suburb. She was raised in a large evangelical family and is passing those teachings on to her three children. Leaving aside religious objections to birth control, she said, the family unit should be respected.

"God designed the world for there to be parents and then we have our offspring and that the parents care for those children, and that is design," she said. "And we do see that reflected in nature."

As for birth control, she said, "It feels like a band-aid."

"Lets give them birth control, and then we dont actually have to deal with whats happening in our society where these teens are getting pregnant so quickly and so easily," Covington said.

She added she already is required to give permission for her children's health care, including inoculations. "Honestly, I have to give consent all over the place for my childrens other medical care," she said. "Why would we decide that this one area is exempt?"

But Rebecca Gudeman, senior director of health at the National Center for Youth Law, said 60% of teens involve their parents in such decisions.

"They do that not because the law requires them to do that, but because thats what they want to do," Gudeman said.

Some young people, she said, simply can't involve their parents or guardians, including couples like Victoria and Richard Robledo, who began dating  and having sex  when they were both minors. During those early days, Victoria said, she decided to get birth control but couldn't turn to her mother, a devout Catholic, for advice.

"We were a typical Hispanic household," Victoria recalled. "And so usually in households like mine, they dont want to talk about boyfriends or sex or anything like that."

But Victoria found a clinic less than a mile from her high school and was able to obtain birth control free. The couple, now married and living in town, just across the New Mexico border, has two children.

Victoria said being able to protect herself from pregnancy as a teenager changed the course of life, allowing her to go to college and her husband to join the military.

"We werent worried about the fact that we may have a kid," she said. "We both were able to go out and live our own lives."
When Matthew Boyd was released from a Georgia state prison in December 2020, officials sent him home without medicines he uses to manage chronic heart and lung conditions and high blood pressure, he said.

Less than a month later, he spent eight days in an intensive care unit, the first of more than 40 hospital stays since. These days, he can barely get out of bed in his home south of Atlanta.

"It makes my life so miserable," said Boyd, 44, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He told his story to KHN over email and text because he sometimes has trouble talking without losing his breath.

While Medicaid is generally prohibited from paying for the services people receive inside a prison or jail, the Biden administration opened the door for the federal program to cover care not long before a person is released, to help them better manage their health conditions during the transition. In February, the administration announced that states could also use Medicaid to pay for substance abuse treatment in state jails and prisons. Congressional efforts to reactivate Medicaid before inmates' release nationwide have so far failed.

And across much of the South, where many states have not expanded Medicaid, reentry services that connect people like Boyd to health care resources are often minimal or nonexistent.

More than 600,000 people are released from state and federal prisons every year in the U.S. and the majority have health conditions. A 2019 judicial decision suggested that people who are incarcerated have a constitutional right to adequate medical discharge planning before their release, including supplies of medication or prescriptions. But it's far from clear whether states are required to do so.

In Georgia, correctional facilities are supposed to create a discharge plan that includes making medical appointments and supplying medications. Joan Heath, director of the public affairs office at the Georgia Department of Corrections, didn't respond to questions about why the official policy wasn't followed in Boyd's case.

Despite official policies, people regularly leave prison or jail lacking medications, medical records, a provider appointment, or health insurance. About 84% of men and 92% of women who were incarcerated had a physical or mental health condition or substance use disorder, according to a sample of people interviewed before and after their release from prison by the Urban Institute, a nonprofit that researches issues around equity.

Without timely care, formerly incarcerated patients are more likely to develop a health crisis and turn to costly emergency rooms. Or they experience a mental health episode or commit crimes related to substance use disorder that lands them back in prison or jail.

"There is no bridge," said Stephanie Jones-Heath, CEO of Diversity Health Center, a federally qualified health center in southeastern Georgia. By the time formerly incarcerated patients come to the center, their health conditions are uncontrolled and they have no medical records, she said. "We have to start all over because we have no continuity of care," she said.

The United States has one of the highest rates of incarceration in the world. Conditions such as the use of solitary confinement, limited health care access, high stress, and poor-quality food can also create or exacerbate illness.

"This is the sickest population in the country," said Dr. Marc Stern, a University of Washington public health faculty member who previously worked for the state's Department of Corrections. Stern co-authored one of the few studies on the topic. That 2007 study found people who were incarcerated were 3.5 times as likely to die as other state residents  many deaths took place within the first two weeks of a person's release.

In January, California became the first state to obtain a partial waiver allowing incarcerated people to get services through Medicaid 90 days before release. More than a dozen other states are pursuing similar waivers. They argue that more seamless care will reduce deaths from overdose  the leading killer of people leaving prison  improve health outcomes, and save money by keeping patients out of the emergency room.

In Georgia, even basic discharge planning can be rare, said Craig Burnes, a certified peer-support specialist for incarcerated people. In 2014 he was released from state prison after a nearly 15-year stay with a $20 debit card that mistakenly hadn't been activated, he said. Burnes, who has bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders, depression, and anxiety, said he found his own way to a safety-net foundation for mental illness treatment near his home in Dalton.

Most of the people Burnes works with have no idea how to access care. Often, they lack family support and stable housing, struggle with mental health or substance abuse issues, and lack the skills to navigate the bureaucracy that comes with reclaiming their life after prison.

"It's a terrible circle that has no beginning," he said. Burnes regularly sends people to the emergency room so they can get medications and a referral to a free clinic.

Stephen McCary, 40, couldn't find treatment for a heroin addiction after he was released from an Alabama prison in 2011.

In May 2019, an addiction recovery facility told him that funding to pay for his care was not immediately available. McCary, who also struggled with periodic homelessness, never followed up. He suffered an overdose, was re-arrested for a pharmacy theft, and is now serving another prison sentence.

"None of these crimes I would have committed if I had somewhere to go," he said in a phone call from Ventress Correctional Facility in Alabama.

Alabama has not expanded Medicaid, which could have helped McCary secure care after his release. In Connecticut, a study found that when people are connected with primary care after incarceration they are less likely to be hospitalized or to be re-incarcerated, which can save the state money.

"We have to look at the big picture," said Dr. Shira Shavit, who is a clinical professor of family and community medicine at the University of California-San Francisco and executive director of the Transitions Clinic Network, and worked on the studies. "If we invest in Medicaid, we can save money in the prison system."

Black people, who are more likely than the general population to be incarcerated and lack insurance coverage, are disproportionately affected by the absence of post-incarceration health services.

One reason people fall through the cracks is because no one agency takes responsibility for the problem, said Dr. Evan Ashkin, a professor of family medicine at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and director of the North Carolina Formerly Incarcerated Transition Program, which helps former inmates obtain health care. Health systems often don't differentiate the needs of people who were imprisoned from others lacking insurance, he said. Justice systems don't have budgets or a mandate to care for people once they leave custody. About 90% of patients in the program's clinics lack insurance. North Carolina has not yet expanded Medicaid, though lawmakers recently struck a deal to do so.

A key piece of the new California waiver is the ability for providers to get reimbursed to coordinate care, which is especially important for people coming out of prison, Shavit said. "All of their basic needs are up in the air at once, and often health care takes a back seat," she said.

Medicaid expansion along with a program for enrolling patients in Medicaid just before release has helped people coming out of Louisiana's notoriously grim prison health care system, said Dr. Anjali Niyogi, a Tulane University School of Medicine professor who founded a clinic serving formerly incarcerated people. Still, insurance coverage alone isn't enough to compensate for the lack of care people receive while incarcerated, she said.

Anthony Hingle Jr. never got the results of a biopsy that took place just days before he was released from Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola in 2021 after 32 years of incarceration.

Hingle, 52, learned he had prostate cancer after calling the New Orleans hospital on his own to request the biopsy results. Even though he had Medicaid coverage, he had to wait several more months for insurance from his job to kick in before he could afford treatment and surgery to remove his prostate. Hingle, who works as an office assistant at Voice of the Experienced, a nonprofit that advocates for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, wonders how his life might have unfolded if he had been diagnosed sooner.

Without a prostate, "having children with my wife, that's gone," he said.
analysis

Militant Islamist violence in Africa set new records for violent events and fatalities this past year. This continues a relentless decade-long upward trend. To give a sense of the accelerating pace of this threat, both violent events and fatalities have almost doubled since 2019.

In a recent Africa Center for Strategic Studies analysis, we found that there were 6,859 episodes of violence involving militant Islamist groups in Africa in 2022. This is a 22% increase from 2021. Fatalities linked to these events shot up 48% to 19,109 deaths. This reflects a sharp rise in deaths per event.

Notably, the spike in violence was marked by a 68% increase in fatalities involving civilians. This figure is significant: these militant groups are not focused on winning hearts and minds so much as intimidating local populations into compliance.

This analysis draws from data compiled by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) - a non-profit data collection and crisis mapping organisation. It aggregates violent events from local and international news sources, as well as UN, government and NGO reports. The Africa Center then corroborates the data through independent sources. These include the jihadist monitoring group SITE Intelligence, the International Crisis Group and Stanford University's Mapping Militants Project.

Having monitored the trends of Africa's militant Islamist groups for many years, we are concerned by this spike. A more comprehensive and contextualised response is needed. This must integrate the efforts of local communities with those of national, regional and international actors.

Violence concentrated in Sahel and Somalia

The militant Islamist threat is not monolithic but comprised of over a dozen different militant groups. Each has distinct leadership, objectives, organisational structure, funding and supply of weapons.

They are motivated by a host of factors. These include: religious ideology, money, revenge against real and perceived government abuses, criminality, ethnic polarisation and political ambition.

The threat is concentrated in five theatres: the Sahel, Somalia, the Lake Chad Basin, northern Mozambique and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. The Sahel and Somalia accounted for 77% of all such violent events in the past year.

The Sahel - specifically Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger - experienced the most rapid expansion of militant Islamist violence of any theatre over the past year. It accounted for 7,899 deaths, more than 40% of the continental total of fatalities. The groups driving this violence are the Macina Liberation Front, Ansaroul Islam, Ansar Dine and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.

Militant Islamist violence in the Sahel has also spread geographically. From northern Mali, violent events have shifted to the more populated regions of central and southern Mali. This includes the capital, Bamako, which has seen attacks on an increasingly regular basis after years of relative insulation.

Militant Islamist violence has similarly spread rapidly into northern, western, and eastern Burkina Faso. Today, Burkina Faso experiences more violent events than any other country in the Sahel.

Once seen as highly unlikely, there is now a real chance that Bamako and Ouagadougou - the capital cities of Mali and Burkina Faso, respectively - could fall under militant control. Both countries have struggled with a breakdown in governance and an acceleration of militant Islamist violence following coups starting in 2020.

The erosion of security in Burkina Faso, in turn, threatens bordering countries, especially Togo and Benin. Both nations saw double digit increases in the number of violent events involving militant Islamist groups in the past year.

In Somalia, fatalities linked to al-Shabaab shot up from 2,606 in 2021 to 6,225 in 2022. This 133% increase was accompanied by a 29% rise in violent events. This reflects an escalation in both the pace and lethality of violence. The tempo of fighting significantly accelerated after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud called for an all-out offensive against al-Shabaab. Driven from areas it once controlled, al-Shabaab has reverted to retaliations against soft targets. One example is the October 2022 twin bombings in Mogadishu that killed over 100 people.

The Lake Chad Basin region (northern Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and southeastern Niger) saw a levelling out of violence from Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) in the past year. However, this obscures a 33% increase in violence against civilians. There's also been a geographic spread of attacks from northeastern Nigeria to regions in the west and centre.

In northern Mozambique, violent events linked to Ahlu Sunnah wa Jama'a (ASWJ) rose by 29% in 2022. They had initially dropped when forces from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and Rwanda intervened in 2021. Dislodged from the coastal cities of Palma and Mocimboa da Praia, ASWJ has shifted its attacks to districts further west and south. ASWJ is notorious for mounting a higher share of violent attacks against civilians than seen in any other region in Africa.

North Africa is the one region that has seen a demonstrable drop in activity over the past year. There's been a 32% decline in violent events. Roughly 90% of these incidents, resulting in 276 fatalities, were in Egypt involving the Islamic State in Sinai.

Time for a rethink

These developments underscore that the overall trajectory of militant Islamist violence is trending in the wrong direction. African militant groups are becoming increasingly resilient, particularly in the Sahel and Somalia.

In both regions, these groups have been operating for years. They've established the capacity to recruit, train, supply and deploy their forces. Vitally, they've also become adept at generating revenue. This occurs through a combination of looting, extortion, control of mining sites and trade route domination. In most cases, this equates to becoming more criminally rather than ideologically motivated. This operational and financial resiliency suggests that these groups are unlikely to fade away anytime soon.

The flipside of this reality is that these militant groups thrive in regions with weak governments. They are a symptom of fragility rather than a demonstration of militant strength. When confronted with an effective and capable statutory force, they take heavy losses and are forced to retreat.

This points to the central role that governance plays in defeating an insurgency. Experience shows that effective counterinsurgency requires: government legitimacy, political will, control of corruption, investment in development activities and the mitigation of human rights abuses, among other factors. This makes sense. Successful counterinsurgency entails gaining the trust and support of local populations.

The ineffectiveness of the military juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso are illustrative of this. In addition to intimidating dissenters and forsaking government services, the Malian junta, by partnering with the notorious Russian paramilitary Wagner Group, has become party to serial human rights abuses. Four out of five people killed by the Wagner Group alongside the Malian junta were civilians. Meanwhile, militant violence is accelerating.

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In addition to reestablishing legitimate governance processes, effective counterinsurgency efforts will require:

sustaining pressure on militant groups, including holding territory retaken

protecting civilians

building support with and providing services to local populations

cutting off revenue flows for militant groups.

Regional security forces

Experience from countering militant Islamist groups in Africa has also highlighted the vital role played by regional security forces.

AMISOM/ATMIS in Somalia, SADC in Mozambique and the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Basin have all been instrumental in mitigating the threats faced, supporting overstretched government forces.

The juntas in Mali and Burkina Faso, meanwhile, have done just the opposite. They have alienated the G-5 Sahel, MINUSMA and European Union forces. This has resulted in a dramatic downsizing of security partner support at the very time that militant Islamist activity is accelerating.

Effective counterinsurgency operations are hard. Moreover, success is not guaranteed. Even when legitimate governments demonstrate political will, it takes six years on average to prevail in a counterinsurgency.

African countries facing insurgencies and their regional partners should be prepared for a long slog to reverse the deteriorating trends of militant Islamist group violence. The alternative is an ever more emboldened and enriched Islamist militancy with expansive ambitions on neighbouring countries.

Joseph Siegle, Director of Research, Africa Center for Strategic Studies, University of Maryland

Wendy Williams, Associate Research Fellow, Africa Center for Strategic Studies
analysis

A new book, Convening Black Intimacy, explores the history of Christianity, gender and precolonial marriage and sex traditions in South Africa in the late 1800s and early 1900s. To conduct her study, historian Natasha Erlank drew on court records of cases of seduction, church records, anthropological texts, and many sources from black authors, including black newspapers and novels as well as songs sung by black women. What is clear is that black South Africans had loving, intimate relationships that they fought hard to maintain under the destruction brought about by colonialism and apartheid. We asked her more about her fascinating book.

How were views of intimacy shaped before colonialism?

Before colonialism in the 1700s, black South Africans viewed sex and its relationship to morality very differently than it's viewed today. Views of intimacy were largely shaped by the expectations of the extended family. When a young man married, his family transferred ilobolo (bridewealth) to a young woman's family as an acknowledgement of the joining of families. Ilobolo cemented families together and introduced a bride not only into her husband's extended family or lineage, but also to his family's ancestors.

Sexual or intimate relationships were governed by the importance of strengthening this lineage.

Historical sources tell us that even unmarried young men and women regularly engaged in a range of sex acts. Ukumetsha or ukusoma (the isiXhosa and isiZulu language words for thigh sex) were regarded as a good way for young people to have healthy sexual relationships without falling pregnant. Sexual behaviour like this was socially acceptable. Potential moral wrongdoing lay in a pregnancy not recognised by the ancestors, not in the sex itself. Even married women and men might have affairs, as long as they were discreet, because any child born of an affair still belonged to the husband's lineage.

What changed with colonialism?

Under colonialism, Africans found their intimate practices considerably changed. Colonial rule introduced laws and policies that taxed polygamous men more than men who had only one wife. The colonial legal system viewed Africans as immoral because of practices like polygamy and ilobolo.

Africans found it less and less easy to conduct love affairs and marriages in the way they had before. Black intimate relationships became a "problem", an issue of "black hypersexuality" or immorality, for white South Africans, who seldom considered that black relationships could be loving and supportive.

How did Christianity introduce a new moral code?

Christianity spread rapidly in southern Africa after the start of the 1800s. European mission societies established mission stations beyond the borders of the Cape Colony. The real work of conversion, however, was undertaken by black evangelists who learnt about the gospel from the missionaries, translated it into local languages, and spread it. In some parts of southern Africa, a royal family might convert first, and a kingdom's subjects then follow their leader. In the Eastern Cape province, women were generally the first in their families to convert - this helps to explain why, today, women make up over 50% of African church membership.

Read more: How colonial history shaped bodies and sport at the edges of empire

European mission families imported their own ideas about sex and sexuality to South Africa, ideas that viewed premarital sex, polygamy and ilobolo as sinful. Africans who converted found that they had to adopt moral codes, especially around sex, that had no historical precedent in their own societies.

The stage was set for a clash between following a so-called Christian code of behaviour with respect to sex and respecting indigenous practices around marriage and sex.

What is the result of this today?

My research covered the late 1800s and early 1900s. Historical evidence in the form of testimony given in court cases around seduction shows that African women disproportionately shouldered the moral burden of Christianity and its teachings about sex. When young women fell pregnant outside marriage, they bore the brunt of any shame, as church records and letters from the period show. Their male partners largely got off free of consequence. At the same time, men away on labour contracts at South Africa's urban centres found it difficult to marry with ilobolo, because they earned too little to fund the cattle needed to marry. Or because their fathers in the rural areas were unable to supply the cattle needed.

Both these factors - men separated from family responsibilities and marriages without the support of ilobolo - had negative impacts. The period after 1948, the start of apartheid white minority rule, saw a decline in the rate of African marriages and a rise in the number of female-headed households surviving without male earnings. Paradoxically, Christianity should have supported family life, but it also promoted male authority within the family. Control over wives and female family members, especially their sexuality, was no doubt one way in which black men could compensate for a lack of power and authority outside the family.

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Read more: How Sarah Baartman's hips went from a symbol of exploitation to a source of empowerment for Black women

Today, African intimate relationships bear the imprint of this complicated and conflictual history, which includes the slow erosion of stable relationships and the rise of the notion that sex can be free of consequence for men but not for women.

There isn't space to summarise my findings here. However, one reason (among many) for current levels of domestic and gender-based violence can be found in a history that made it difficult for black South Africans to pursue trouble-free intimate lives.

The book is available from Wits University Press

Natasha Erlank, Professor of History, University of Johannesburg
analysis

Economists have urged African countries to shift to low-cost manufacturing - the path that led countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan - to industrial prosperity. These East Asian economies - which recorded high growth rates of at least 7% between the 1950s and 1990s - are commonly referred to as the Asian Tigers.

Starting in the 2000s, many of Africa's top economies achieved high growth rates through natural resource extraction. Mineral resources such as oil, natural gas and coal were the main export items.

Economists have cautioned that growth based on natural resources is vulnerable to global price fluctuations. Other limitations include weak linkages to domestic economies, low employment creation, negative impacts on local communities, tax avoidance by multinationals involved and climate change impacts.

By contrast, economists regard growth that is driven by low-cost export-producing manufacturing as more beneficial for development. This is because it is seen as globally competitive and able to create a lot of low-wage jobs. The Asian Tigers partly relied on it to achieve their economic prosperity.

As a result, economic commentators have been urging African countries to embrace export-led manufacturing.

A recent book written by some of Africa's influential leaders and advisors sums up the call:

The relevance of Asia's example comes as Africa is facing a population boom, which can either lead to crisis or prosperity; and as Asia is again transforming, this time out of low-cost manufacturing into hi-tech, leaving a void that is Africa's for the taking.

Many African countries have heeded the call, specialising mainly in the manufacture of textiles, cloth, food and beverages. They include Kenya, which has mainly been producing textiles at its export processing zones for sale to the US, and South Africa, where manufactured products, mostly food items, are key exports. Others include Botswana, which has been trying to diversify its mineral-driven economy, Mauritius, where export of services has taken root, and Madagascar.

Between 2005 and 2014, manufacturing production across the continent more than doubled from US$73 billion to $157 billion. This was faster than the global average.

But the call to emulate the Asian Tigers could be ill-advised. As I argue in a recent paper, such a move has significant gendered implications. It can lead to increased discrimination, widening inequality and crises in family life.

In particular, there are four lessons Africa's fastest growing economies should learn from the four Asian Tigers.

Lessons from Asia

1. Exploitation and control of low-waged female labour. The Tigers have relied heavily on women's labour as a specific asset which is cheap, productive and easy to control. Records show that low wages, poor working conditions, frequent layoffs and a lack of rights and union protection for women working in manufacturing industries have been rife in Asia since the 1980s.

Rapid economic growth and wealth for a few have come at the expense of many, with wages often insufficient to support families and working conditions undermining family life.

2. Pushing more women into the informal economy. As women have sought to supplement the meagre incomes they get from their manufacturing work, female participation in the informal economy has surged. Studies from Asia reveal a direct correlation between growth in female participation in formal manufacturing sectors and growth in female participation in informal sectors.

In Africa, women already dominate the informal economy. In addition to the risks of unstable earnings and no access to health insurance or to other economic and social safety nets, women carry the double burden of informal work and care responsibilities in the home. They experience a disproportionate impact from lack of access to social protection. They are more likely to experience discrimination in accessing financial and other services. And they are more likely to be intimidated and abused by others in the informal sector.

3. Growing inequalities accompany growth. Tigers have succeeded in reducing poverty to varying degrees. But inequality has increased. A wide range of studies track the polarising impacts of changes in labour market and income distribution at both economic and social levels across the region. There's a common pattern: highly skilled workers with more education see their incomes rise as those of low-skilled workers either stagnate or reduce. This trend is disproportionately felt by women. The pay gap is apparent even in countries where women have higher education attainment than men, such as Taiwan.

Widening inequalities are already a feature of many African states. In the absence of state policies to regulate wages, such inequalities are likely to deepen.

4. A crisis in social reproduction. The impossibility of juggling paid work with unpaid work at home and within the community has resulted in a crisis in social reproduction in Asia. Studies show increases in marriage age, decreases in fertility rates and growing numbers of divorces across the region. This may signal a newfound independence among Asian women - but it also represents a broader crisis in family life.

This crisis also threatens the very economic system which depends on it. African countries don't usually have state support for family and community care. A similar crisis seems inevitable on the continent, where the nature and composition of families is already rapidly changing.

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What can be done?

Asia's labour-intensive and export-driven manufacturing path does provide an alternative to the environmentally damaging and socially dislocating natural resource exploitation which is also of limited benefit to Africa's local economies. Yet not everyone stands to benefit from it equally.

The overall lesson from Asia's decades of experience is that export-led policy is not gender-neutral. The export-oriented manufacturing increases gendered inequalities and discrimination. African countries should not replicate Asian experiences, but instead learn from them.

African analysts and policymakers should promote fair and progressive pay and working conditions for all workers. Greater public investment in infrastructure and social services is needed. And there should be policies that support and redistribute unpaid domestic labour.

As the Asian experiences have demonstrated, failure to act will worsen existing gendered inequalities and discrimination, and eventually undermine the essential social base of economic growth.

Niamh Gaynor, Associate Professor of International Development, Dublin City University
analysis

This year, we are commemorating International Women's Day alongside the three-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While COVID-19 affected everyone, it did not affect everyone equally. The pandemic exposed many aspects of inequality, including socioeconomic inequality, accessibility and gender inequality.

The pandemic destroyed the momentum towards more emancipatory gender relations by disproportionately harming women and gender diverse people, according to the United Nations and Canadian Human Rights Commission.

As the world reopens after the global catastrophe, I join in on the urgent call to reset "normal" in a more emancipatory way. There is an opportunity to capitalize on the potential offered by the pandemic to rebuild our professional, business and personal lives.

To echo Winston Churchill's words from the Second World War: we cannot "let a good crisis go to waste." We will waste the COVID-19 crisis if we don't address the inequalities -- specifically the gender inequalities -- the pandemic both exacerbated and revealed.

Burden of unpaid labour

Women do an unequal share of unpaid labour in Canada, as they do around the world.

The term "silent partner" has been used to refer to the unpaid work spouses -- usually wives -- do behind the scenes to support the paid careers of their husbands and male co-parents.

Another term, "double shift," has been used to refer to women's combined paid an unpaid labour, as has been documented by Statistics Canada.

Usually, unpaid and paid labour was done sequentially, with a double shift of unpaid work occurring before and after the paid workday. This second shift grows longer as time passes.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this by creating a context where both paid and unpaid work occurred simultaneously.

The pandemic compounded the impossibility of women's professional lives -- especially those of professionals and academics, like myself, who are mothers. It also made women's unpaid work more visible than it had ever been before. Speaking figuratively as well as literally, no digital Zoom background could hide this reality.

Potential for change

As the lockdowns progressed, businesses and governments began to acknowledge the unpaid care labour done largely by women in unprecedented ways, as myself and other authors discussed in this anthology of feminist writing about the pandemic.

The Canadian government, for example, has announced a plan to bring $10-a-day child care to every province and territory by 2026.

The pandemic also demonstrated how changeable and contingent things are: we stopped doing many normal activities, creating space for possibility and changing the future of how certain things, like work, are done.

Although hybrid work has become widely practiced around the world, there has been little or no change to the accommodations offered in relation to unpaid work.

Hybrid work, while beneficial, is no panacea for those with caregiving roles whose care work can be made invisible by hybrid work itself.

Resetting normal

As we mark International Women's Day, we remain in a limitless space of possibility resulting from the pandemic, but we won't remain here for long.

While we are still re-establishing norms, we need to work within businesses, governments, and our own personal lives to reset -- not replicate -- gender relations, doing as the Canadian Women's Foundation recommends and building gender equality into our new normal.

It is not enough to return to the way things were because social and gender inequality was already rampant in Canada before the pandemic.

We must undertake policy actions to subsidize childcare, ensure flexible work schedules, identify opportunities to promote equitable health care, close gender wage gaps, normalize male parental leave, and provide mental health support for employees.

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As gender consultants Stephenie Foster and Susan Markham wrote of gender equity and the pandemic:

"We can use this as an opportunity to reimagine a different future, one that values gender equality, women's participation and women's leadership. Women must be part of COVID-19 response and recovery planning and decision making. We must value the unseen work done by women."

The radical shifts that result from crises like the pandemic invite us not to just restore old patterns when the calamity has passed, but to learn from them and move meaningfully forward. We urgently need to make meaningful change now, before the potential for us to learn from the lessons offered by the pandemic disappears.

Rebecca Jaremko Bromwich, Academic Co-Director, Desautels Centre, Robson Hall Law School, University of Manitoba, Adjunct Professor, Carleton University
Indian navy helicopter makes emergency landing off Mumbai coast, crew rescued

Xinhua) 16:16, March 08, 2023

NEW DELHI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- A helicopter belonging to the Indian navy on Wednesday made an emergency landing off the Mumbai coast, with three crew members on board rescued, according to the Indian navy.

The Indian Navy Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) was on a routine sortie in the area when it made an emergency landing on water close to the Mumbai coast, a spokesperson of the Indian navy said.

"Immediate search and rescue ensured safe recovery of crew of three by naval patrol craft," the spokesperson said.

"An inquiry to investigate the incident has been ordered," the spokesperson added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Annalena Baerbock, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, addresses the third plenary meeting of the eleventh General Assembly Emergency Special Session on Ukraine in March 2022.

Germany wants to empower women and girls worldwide with new feminist foreign and development policy strategies. The need in Africa is great, but major discussions loom.

"If women are not safe, then no one is safe," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wrote in her guidelines for feminist foreign policy. According to her own account, she heard the line from a Ukrainian mother just before Russia invaded. She has quoted it several times since then, including in a village in northern Nigeria that was devastated by the Boko Haram militia.

Baerbock's travels usually include visits that allow her to witness firsthand the living conditions of local women. Not everyone is enthusiastic about her direct approach. During a visit to Uzbekistan last fall, her counterpart, Vladimir Norov, was surprised that the German foreign minister wanted to visit a women's shelter and see how women lived there. When Narov expressed interest in coming along, she said that was not possible, as she wanted the women to feel like they could talk openly without a male government representative present.

Equal rights for all

Germany's new guidelines for a feminist foreign policy are intended to improve the situation of women all over the world. And it is not only intended to target women -- the aim is "what should be self-evident in the 21st century, namely that all people have the same rights, freedoms and opportunities, regardless of gender, regardless of religion, regardless of who their parents are, what they look like or who they love," Baerbock said.

Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze also presented guidelines for a feminist development policy. "We want our development cooperation to help fight global hunger, to fight poverty," she said. "We want to make societies more equitable. You can't do that without half the potential, without women."

Both strategies focus on what is known as the "three Rs:" rights, resources and representation for women and other disadvantaged groups. By the end of the election period, the Federal Foreign Office wants to spend 85% of its project funds in a "gender-sensitive" manner, which means a project would only be funded if the concerns of women are taken into account. By 2025, the development ministry stipulates that more than 90% of newly committed funds are to go to projects that advance gender equality.

Huge progress, huge differences

The need in Africa is great. "Feminist strategies are very helpful within the African context," said Ottilia Maunganidze of the South African ISS think tank. The African Union has also adopted a gender strategy. Women are more represented in politics than they were a few years ago.

"Some countries such as Kenya and South Africa have made some notable constitutional steps for inclusive representation in politics," Grace Mbungu of the Berlin-based Africa Policy Research Institute told DW. But that does not apply equally everywhere: In Cape Verde, almost 38% of all deputies are female, but Nigeria's House of Representatives listed fewer than four.

Much remains to be done in other areas, too. The World Health Organization estimates that 33% of all African women will be abused by a partner or ex-partner in their lifetime. Eighteen of the 20 countries with the highest frequency of child marriage are in Africa. In Guinea and Somalia, 90% of all women and girls between the ages of 15 and 49 have experienced some form of female genital mutilation, according to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund UNICEF.

Tensions over reproductive rights

Germany's strategies could also cause friction with African countries. Though well intended, they "could face a lot of scrutiny, and in some cases rejection from sections of the society," Mbungu warned.

Sexual and reproductive rights might be one such example. The German development ministry wants to promote access to safe abortion for women and girls, something that is contested "in a number of countries and among African leaders," Maunganidze told DW. "This is an area where some African countries enshrine the right to safe abortions within their laws, and other countries do not. So in countries where abortion is not legal, that particular aspect will be contested," she added.

Another controversial issue are gay and lesbian rights, which both federal ministries also want to strengthen. Consensual homosexual sex is considered a criminal offense in many African countries. Ghana is planning even tougher rules: If a new bill is passed, members of the LGBTQ community could face up to 10 years in prison.

About four out of five Africans surveyed disapprove of gays and lesbians, according to a recent Afrobarometer review.

"We have social and cultural values that have existed for a very long time and often take generations to shift," said Mbungu, adding it had been a similar process in Germany, the US, and other countries. "The German government and other Western governments need to be cognizant that their guidelines could come across as an interference of social and cultural values in some countries, or in parts of society in these countries."

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Not a 'missionary pamphlet'

Both German ministries still have their work cut out for them. Even if Foreign Minister Baerbock made it clear her strategy was not meant to be a "missionary pamphlet to naively improve the world," there has been criticism in Germany.

The Free Democratic Party (FDP) coalition partner opposed a motion in which the Bundestag would have symbolically backed Baerbock's guidelines. Members of the Christian Democrats (CDU) demanded Baerbock should "stop uttering catch phrases and come up with something concrete" -- for instance concerning Iran. "With an immediate and unequivocal positioning at the side of protesting women in Iran, the German government could have shown what feminist foreign policy means in practice," argued Jurgen Hardt, a CDU foreign policy expert. It would seem, a lot of work lies ahead to convince partners -- in Germany and abroad.

This article was originally written in German.
The court of appeal has refused to restrain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from reconfiguring the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) ahead of the governorship and state assembly elections.

In the ruling delivered on Wednesday, a three-member panel of the court of appeal led by Joseph Ikyegh, held that restraining the electoral commission would constrain INEC from conducting the March 11 elections.

In an application, Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), had sought an order of the court restraining the 1st respondent (INEC) from tampering with the information embedded in the BVAS machines until the due inspection is conducted and certified true copies (CTC) of them issued.

Obi and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, on Friday, secured leave of the court to have access to all the sensitive materials used by the INEC in the conduct of the election held on February 25.

However, INEC filed an application to vary the orders of the court.

Tanimu Inuwa, counsel to the INEC, spoke on Tuesday while moving an application seeking to vary the orders of the court which gave permission to Obi and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to inspect all the sensitive materials used in the conduct of the presidential election held on February 25.

Each polling unit has its own particular BVAS machine which we need to configure for the forthcoming elections, he said.

It will be very difficult for us, within the period, to reconfigure the 176, 000 BVAS for the election.

We have already stated in our affidavit that no information in the BVAS will be lost as we will transfer all the data in the BVAS to our backend server. Our backend server preserves the data.

So, granting this application will be a clog in the process and disrupt the conduct of the elections.

Ruling on Obi and LPs application, the court which also doubles as the presidential election petitions tribunal, said granting the sixth relief in the application would amount to tying the hands of the respondent (INEC).
A Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Tinubu/Shettima 2023, has applauded Nigerians for rejecting calls by opposition leaders to protest against the outcome of last Saturday's presidential election.

The CSOs who rallied support president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the last presidential election berated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its leaders over what they described as attempt by the opposition to incite Nigerians into chaos and anarchy.

The Tinubu/Shettima supporters were reacting to the decision by opposition leaders led by the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to protest at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against the 2023 presidential poll.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, leaders of the Tinubu/Shettima group said Nigerians have accepted the outcome of the presidential election, and no Nigerian will agree to be coaxed into causing chaos in the country.

One of the leaders of the CSOs, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, stated: "Today we are here to throw weight behind the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the President-elect of Federal Republic of Nigeria and we are saying that as Civil Society Organisation, we will always be the watchdog of the society, we will be there always to guide the conscience of society and we also

"I want to add that no Nigerian will agree to be coaxed into causing chaos. We saw what happened yesterday where some elements of the opposition, who are supposed to be elder statesmen decided to take to the street in protest.

"They called on Nigerians to join them but Nigerians disappointed them because Nigerians have come to agree with the reality that the election was free and fair, so they decided to abandon the PDP elements. We want to appreciate Nigerians and encourage them to continue to stand on the Prof truth."

Also speaking, convener of the group, Dr. Lilian Ene Ogbole, noted that no real and patriotic Nigerian will join the opposition to cause crisis against Nigerians.

Dr Ogbole said the fact that certain people did not win the just concluded presidential election does not mean the country should go down.

She stated: "Nigeria was there before they came and Nigeria will continue after them. If we are pand we believe in Nigeria's project, and of course we believe that what we are doing by contesting an election is to build a better Nigeria for all and sundry. We will not in turn want to destroy that which we want to build because some people lost election.

"I want to thank Nigerians for rebuking the call for chaos. I want to thank Nigerians for rejecting the call for anarchy. I want to thank Nigerians for rejecting the call to disintegrate our country. Yes, what do you expect of a man with questionable nationality? What he owes the country that is not his is to destroy that country. But we bonafide Nigerians, patriotic Nigerians will not heed to that. We will reject any call to disintegrate our country, we will reject any call to ruin our country, we will reject any call to destroy us. Asiwaju Tinubu is the man the God has ordained.

"We want to thank particularly the INEC for a job Well done. There is nowhere in the world where elections are devoid of hitches. Nigeria is not an exception. Be that as it may, We will all agree to the fact that the just concluded presidential election is the most transparent one since independence in 1960, and any man or woman who says this election is not credible is just being unfair.

"We want to thank INEC for keeping to its word; we want yo thank President Muhammadu Buhari for creating an enabling environment for an improved electoral system in Nigeria.

"I want to talk to Nigerians very sincerely. This country is ours. We have nowhere else to call our own. If Nigeria goes down we all go down. Nigeria is our hope we must do everything possible to keep her standing.

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"We are not unaware of the movement of some elements we called themselves Patriots, I do not like to use abusive words on personalities."

While assuring Nigerians that they will see the difference within six months of Tinubu's administration, Ogbole said: "Nigerians have gone beyond certain levels, Asiwaju's victory is divine.

"Asiwaju's election right from day one has been God's project. Against all odds God showed himself strong. Against all odds God proved that the ways of men are not the ways of God and he emerged the winner. Yet there are rumours and speculations of rigging in the election. I am surprised because we are not ignorant of the pictures and videos going round on the social media.

"We have seen cases where the Labour Party rigged out of control, particularly in the South-east. The Suoth-east was a hub of rigging as far as the just concluded election is concerned. The Visuals are everywhere on the social media. They saw it as they are right to rig the election and these things are everywhere, but nobody is talking about it."




President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Vice President Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo on the occasion of his 66th birthday.





According to a statement on Wednesday by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Buhari, the President equally felicitated with the entire Osinbajo family, wishing them many happy returns, as their son, husband and father turns another year, in good health and sound mind.





He lauded the sterling service the celebrant has provided to the country, as an academic, Attorney-General of Lagos State (1997-2007), and Vice President (2015 till date).





Buhari applauded the deft way Osinbajo, a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has combined scholarship with governance, and pastoral work, commending such dedication to the younger generation whom the number 2 man serves as a torchbearer.





President Buhari wishes the Vice President and his family joyful celebration, and greater grace ahead, the statement said.




The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says it will honour President Muhammadu Buhari with an award in recognition of his achievements in the defence and promotion of democracy in the subregion.

Garba Shehu, the presidents spokesperson, said in a statement on Tuesday, that Umaro Sissoco Embalo, the ECOWAS chairman, announced the decision at a bilateral meeting with Buhari on the sidelines of the ongoing 5th United Nations conference on least developed countries (LDCs) in Qatar.

Buhari is expected to be back in the country on Wednesday, March 8.

Shehu quoted Embalo as saying that Nigerias leader had done more than any other to support democratic governments in West Africa just as he had done exceptionally well in waging battles against the emergence of non-democratic regimes.

The ECOWAS chairman said Buhari would have his name on the Roll of Honour in the communitys new headquarters building upon its completion in Abuja.

This, he said, would enable future generations of West African citizens to know about the greatness Buhari achieved and to emulate his laudable examples.

Buhari welcomed the proposition, saying that democracy remained the best pathway to bringing together diverse people and a dependable vehicle for the achievement of national development.




Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has asked Nigerians to vote for the party in the governorship and state houses of assembly elections on Saturday.

In a statement issued by his media office, Abubakar asked the partys supporters not to be discouraged by the outcome of the February 25 presidential election which Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was announced as the winner.

The former vice-president said he is challenging the election results in court, noting that he is hopeful that justice will be delivered in his favour.

I thank Nigerians immensely for their high sense of patriotism in bracing the odds to perform their civic duty during the February 25 presidential election. I truly appreciate their resilience, tenacity, and courage. It is indeed heart-warming that they have faith in rescuing and rebuilding our great country, as envisioned by our great party, the PDP, he said.

As attested to by both local and international observers, the result of the February 25 presidential election as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was grossly tainted and did not reflect the will of the electorates. Nigerians have demonstrated against this blatant injustice through different mediums. And for that, I thank them again for their non-violent conduct despite the provocations.

Indeed, what INEC did in announcing the manipulated result was a clear breach of not only the 2022 Electoral Act but also of its own guidelines which the electoral commission had repeatedly claimed would uphold the standards we had seen in the Osun and Ekiti elections. Curiously, the INEC chairman further ignored calls for a review of the process in line with the amended law.

But all hope is not lost. As citizens desirous of a better Nigeria, we must never give in to apathy. The electoral fraud perpetrated by INEC will be reversed in due course as we step up the cause to reclaim our mandate. We must continue to show resilience in the defence of our democracy and in the exercise of our right to vote.

Consequently, I urge all our supporters to turn out in large numbers on March 11 to cast their votes for the PDP in the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly election.

There is no better way to demonstrate against the sham of an election of February 25 than for patriotic citizens like you to turn out en masse this Saturday to vote for a greater and prosperous Nigeria as envisioned by the PDP.

Abubakar said Nigerians should cast their votes peacefully and in strict compliance with the electoral law while being vigilant to protect the votes.
The fresh move by some Deposit Money Banks to re-circulate old N500 and N1,000 notes suffered a setback on Tuesday as motorists, fuel stations, retailers, traders, and other categories of bank customers rejected the old currencies.

The development came about 48 hours after some commercial banks, particularly Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Zenith Bank Plc and Sterling Bank, began the disbursements of the controversial N500 and N1,000 notes across their branches in major Nigerian cities.

Commercial banks decision to re-circulate the old notes followed last weeks Supreme Court order approving the use of old N1,000 and N500 and N200 notes as legal tender for 10 months.

The Supreme Court had last Friday ordered that the old naira notes should be allowed in circulation along with the new notes until December 31, 2023.

The court had said the Federal Governments naira redesign policy contravened the 1999 Constitution.

However, investigations revealed that key bank customer groups had started rejecting the re-circulated old N500 and N1,000 notes.

Most of them hinged their arguments on the fact the CBN, the banking sector regulator, had yet to approve the use of the old notes as legal tender, except the old N200 note.

Oil marketers, on Tuesday, refused to collect the old N500 and N1,000 notes from customers in Abuja, Nasarawa and Niger states, insisting that Deposit Money Banks had yet to instruct them to accept the old naira bills.

Some filling stations, particularly those operated by independent oil marketers, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, refused to accept the old naira notes on Tuesday despite the order of the Supreme Court and the Central Bank of Nigeria.

At the NNPC Limiteds retail outlet in Nyanya, a major border town between Abuja and Nasarawa State, attendants at the filling station said they had yet to receive instructions from their superiors as regards accepting the old notes.

Similarly, at Khalif filling station, operated by an independent marketer in Kubwa, Abuja, the attendants said they would not accept the old naira bills, but asked customers to pay using a Point of Sale Service machine or via bank transfers.

Aside from filling stations, it was also observed that most traders in the capital city and neighbouring states had yet to start accepting the old notes.

We are waiting for the presidential directive. The President has not spoken. However, if the banks say we should collect the old notes, of course, we will accept the notes, the Secretary, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abuja-Suleja, Mohammed Shuaibu, stated.

He added, But as it is now, we have not got any official confirmation. We are only hearing it from people. Once the banks tell our members to accept it, then I can assure you that we will comply with ease.

We are hearing that the banks have started giving out the old notes, but as for me, Ive not set my eyes on the old N500 and N1,000 notes till this minute that Im speaking to you. We are only hearing it.

Shuaibu admitted that marketers were aware of the order of the Supreme Court, but insisted that it was a presidential directive to CBN that the old bills should be returned to the banks.

Well, if they have agreed that the money should be used, as marketers we want the economy to move on smoothly and we are ready to cooperate. But as it is right now, I dont think the banks have directed their customers to bring the old notes.

Ive not heard about such, and at the same time Ive not seen it, because I dont know where they are going to manufacture the money, for we were told that the presidential directive was that they should destroy the old notes, the IPMAN official stated.

Also, petrol stations and commercial buses in Lagos and Ogun states refused to accept the old naira notes as a medium of payment despite the Supreme Court order.

Findings showed that several petrol stations in Ogun and Lagos rejected the old N500 and N1000 notes from their customers while accepting only the old N200 notes, new notes, Point of Sale payments, and transfers.

Passengers were also left hanging at major bus stops across the two states, as most commercial bus drivers refused to accept the N500 and N1000 notes on the grounds that filling stations were yet to commence accepting the same from them when purchasing petrol for their businesses.

A commercial bus plying the Berger-Mowe axis rejected the old N500 and N1000 notes.

Also, several supermarkets were yet to come to terms with accepting the old N500 and N1000 notes.




Ahead of Saturdays governorship election, the Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi on Tuesday urged the Obidients to campaign for the partys governorship candidates in Nasarawa, Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Delta, Edo, Rivers, Plateau, and Borno States.





Obi urged the Obidients to vote for LP candidates in all the states during Saturdays governorship and State Assembly elections.





He made the call while lamenting over his inability to campaign for the partys candidates across the country.





In a series of tweets, Obi wrote: I am supposed to commence our whistle-stop campaign for our various Labour Party Governorship and State Assembly Candidates today. Initially, my trip was to take me to Nasarawa, Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Delta, Edo, Rivers, Plateau, Borno, etc.





However, following INECs refusal to allow our party to inspect the materials (including BVAS) from the 25th February presidential elections, I am personally heading to the Court today with our lawyers.





As we pursue due process and defer to the rule of law, I urge all the Obidients in the various states to continue campaigning for our candidates, namely, Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour in Lagos, Chijioke Edeoga in Enugu, Patrick Dakum in Plateau, Alex Otti in Abia, Ken Pela in Delta, Ibrahim Mshelia in Borno, to name just a few.




A medical doctor, Mrs Sekinat Oredoyin, on Wednesday told an Ikeja High Court how one Prophet Olushola Akinsipe allegedly defiled a 13-year-old visually-impaired girl on the pretext of praying for her.





Oredoyin, a public health physician at Yaba Local Council Development Area, made the disclosure when she was led in evidence by the state counsel, Mr Michael Adewoye.





NAN reports that the witness told the court that the victim presented herself for medical examination alongside her father, on Dec. 12, 2020.





According to her, the victim narrated how the defendant, the pastor of Power of the Home Deliverance Ministry, had forceful s_xual intercourse with her on five different occasions.





She said: The survivor and her father were referred from Owutu Police Station. They came into the facility at about 2:36 pm, and the survivor complained of forceful penetration.





The survivor is a visually-impaired child, and her father took her to the defendant for deliverance.





She said the defendant gave her an unknown substance to drink and after that, she could not remember anything, but she was able to narrate to her father after he discovered a brownish discharge under her pant and interrogated her.





Dr Oredoyin further told the court that the victim had hyper-pigmentation around her face and some marks on her waist which resulted from injuries she sustained during the deliverance.





The survivor said that the defendant beat her with banana leaves during the deliverance and also scrubbed her back with salt.





The medical examination findings were in keeping with forceful vagina penetration. The blood samples showed pregnancy test was negative but because of the sore on her body, I directed her to Domestic S_xual Violence Agency for counselling.





At that time, she was depressed as she believed that she was the one that killed her mother and she was made to believe that her father was not progressing because of her. I concluded my report and sent it back to the police, the court heard from her.




The Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate in February 25 election, Peter Obi, has reacted to the fire outbreak at Akere Spare Parts Market in Olodi-Apapa, Ajegunle, Lagos, which destroyed properties worth millions of Naira.





Obis reaction came in a statement via his verified Twitter handle on Wednesday.





It was earlier reported that the Akere Spare Parts Market in Lagos went up in flames early Wednesday morning.





A statement by Margaret Adeseye, Fire Service Director, who confirmed the incident, said the Ajegunle Fire Station was the first respondent at the scene.





Meanwhile, Obi has commiserated with all those affected by the fire disaster, calling on the government and relevant authorities to investigate the cause of the fire outbreak in order to forestall future occurrences.





He also urged the government to find ways to help the affected victims, emphasizing the responsibility of government to protect lives and property.





Obi said, This morning, I received the sad news of the fire outbreak at Akere Spare Parts Market in Olodi-Apapa, Ajegunle, Lagos. Hopefully, no life was lost, but the means of livelihood and properties, worth millions of naira, lost to the inferno are of great concern to me.





I commiserate deeply with all those affected by this fire disaster. I call on the government and relevant authorities to investigate the cause of the fire outbreak thoroughly and forestall future occurrences while finding ways to help the affected victims.





The need for equal protection under the law; and the governments meeting of her responsibility to protect lives and property cannot be overemphasised.




Veteran Nollywood actor, Ojo Arowosafe, popularly known as Fadeyi Oloro, is dead.





He died Tuesday after a protracted illness.





The details of Fadeyis death were still sketchy as of press time.





Born September 15, 1957, the veteran actor died at 66.





Confirming his death Tuesday night, actor and comedian, Bayegun Oluwatoyin aka Woli Arole, shared the news via his Instagram account saying, So happy I reached out to you sir, so happy we played our part, so happy we laughed together, so happy we were able to show our support. Rest in Peace the Legend Fadeyi Oloro.





Lets check up on people when dey (they) are alive, Lets show love when people can feel. Lets help when it can be seen.





Until his death, the veteran actor battled an undisclosed ailment for years.





The Ekiti-born actor rose to prominence during the 80s and late 90s for his trademarked herbalist character.





Last year that the late actor once called on Nigerians to help him financially in order to take care of his health.





The ailing actor once told newsmen, Nigerians should help me. Everything needed for me to be in a healthy state requires money.





I am getting better with the support of people, but I have not fully recovered. That is why I am pleading with Nigerians across all walks of life who I have impacted in one way or the other to help me.





He noted that though he had not gotten enough help, he would not cast aspersions on associations in the industry. He said, Everyone has different things they are battling with. I dont want it to seem like I am insulting members of our association of actors.





Though I did not get the kind of support I would have wanted, some individuals called me to greet me once in a while. I dont blame them because they are going through different things.
Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-political group, says Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), won the election conducted on February 25.

In a communique issued on Wednesday by Sola Ebiseni, Afeniferes secretary, the group, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of manipulating the results of the election to favour the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Afenifere said the results it obtained through credible sources confirmed that the candidate of the LP won the polls.

That Afenifere recalled the sustained struggles of the Nigerian people culminating in the amendment of the Electoral Act 2010 and the enactment of the Electoral Act 2022 by the National Assembly, the communique reads.

That pursuant to the said power enabling it in that behalf the Commission issued the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022 and in Clause 38 thereof provides that upon completion of all the Polling Unit voting and results, procedures, the Presiding Officer shall:-(i) Electronically transmit or transfer the result of the Polling Unit, direct to the collation system as prescribed by the commission. (ii) Use BVAS to upload a scan of ES8A to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), as prescribed by the commission.

That the results of the lawful votes at the election available to the Afenifere through credible sources confirm that His Excellency Peter Gregory Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party won the said election and we thus support his decision challenging the contrary Declaration by the INEC.

That the General Meeting hereby denounced in strong terms and dissociated Afenifere from any congratulatory message in the name of the Organisation or howsoever to any candidate as illegally declared by the INEC.

That Afenifere reiterates that for equity, fairness, national cohesion and peaceful corporate existence, the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be person of its Southern part and specifically the South East.

The group also called on residents of Lagos to vote for Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party during the forthcoming governorship polls.

We unequivocally endorse and urge the people of Lagos to vote for him. Afenifere calls on INEC to ensure free and credible Gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections in accordance with the constitution, the extant Electoral Act and its mandatory Guidelines earlier mentioned, it said.

That in accordance with the hallowed Yoruba culture of civilised conduct, Afenifere assures all persons resident in Yorubaland, indigenes and non-indigenes, of protection in the conduct of their lawful duties and particularly the free exercise of the rights to vote for candidates of their choice in all elections and thus warn all threats mongers and merchants of violence to desist therefrom.

That Afenifere calls on the President and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and all security agents to guarantee the safety of the people, and free, fair and peaceful elections throughout Nigeria.

That the international community should show special concerns in the ongoing electioneering process in Nigeria in the interest of peace in the global community.
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has reacted to the viral claim that Chibuike Amaechi voted for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the presidential election.

Amaechi was said to have voted for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, with Governor Nyesom Wike of the PDP backing and voting for the APC.

The news went viral that Amaechi, a former minister of transportation and leader of the APC in Rivers State, voted for the PDP.

A former Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Government and member of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers State, Tony Okocha had alleged that Amaechi voted for Atiku.

Okocha alleged that the action of Amaechi was the height of anti-party activity, claiming he had long abandoned the party.

But during an interview on Arise TVs Prime Time, Cole said, This is news to me.

The same person Ive heard of voted for the Labour Party. Ive also heard he voted for Tinubu and now PDP. Amaechi has been silent and has decided to stay away especially because he was accused of bringing me in 2019.

He has kept away and has remained silent, kept away from the brouhaha, went back to the law school and has been silent and that silence has made a way for people to come in to say all manner of things about him.
Veteran Nollywood actor, Ojo Arowosafe, popularly known as Fadeyi Oloro, has died.

The Ekiti State-born actor, who rose to prominence during the 1980s and 1990s for his notorious antagonistic character of a dreaded 'Fadeyi Olori', died on Tuesday evening after a long battle with kidney-related ailment. He wad aged 66.

The Yoruba movie icon had last month, through his son on an Instagram live session with popular OAP, Daddy Freeze, begged Nigerians for help after the actor was served a six-month eviction notice over unpaid rent.

Subsequently, a UK-based Nigerian pastor, Tobi Adegboyega, of Salvation Proclaimers Anointed Church, donated N3million for Arowosafe's treatment and other outstanding bills.

Fadeyi Oloro was born on September 15, 1957 in Igbara Odo, present-day Ekiti State, and became a household name during the cinematic era for his antagonistic roles in Yoruba movies accompanied by his ever-vibrant recitation of chants and incantations.
Richard Hugh Montgomery has been appointed as the new British high commissioner to Nigeria.

The United Kingdom government announced his appointment in a statement on Tuesday.

The high commissioner is the UK governments representative in a commonwealth nation.

They are responsible for the direction and work of the consulate, including political relations, trade and investment, press and cultural relations, and visa and consular services.

Montgomery succeeds Catriona Laing who has been been the UKs representative in Nigeria since 2018.

The statement said Laing will be transferred to another diplomatic service appointment.

Montgomery served as the counsellor (development) and head of office, Department for International Development (DFID), Abuja, from 2009-2013.

He holds a Ph.D in social anthropology from the University of Cambridge, alongside other research-related qualifications from GKW Consult Mannheim and Manchester University.

The diplomat was, most recently, the UK executive director for the World Bank Group in Washington.

He has also held executive development roles in Zambia, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.

Montgomery is expected to begin his new role in April 2023.
Ahead of Saturdays governorship election, Asari Dokubo, a former Niger Delta militant leader, has revealed what he wants from the next Governor of Rivers State that will take over from Gov. Nyesom Wike.

Speaking on Arise Televisions The Morning Show on Wednesday, Dokubo said he wants the next Governor of Rivers State to divert the wealth of the state to investment.

According to him, he doesnt want the next governor to be building flyovers without investing in the people and investing to make them stronger.

Dokubo said, What I want the next governor to do is to divert the wealth of Rivers people to investment. To invest in the economy of Rivers State and to create wealth.

That should be first and foremost to create wealth and that is the direction of Tonye Cole [the All Progressives Congress, APC gubernatorial candidate in Rivers State]. I would not want a governor who will be building flyovers, and so on or who will be building skyscrapers without investing in the people and investing to make them stronger.

To send Rivers people to be skilled people. If you come to Rivers State today, our people, when they finish their tertiary education, they are not employable because the schools did not provide a good environment for them to be employed.
Former federal lawmaker and a spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP presidential campaign council for the just concluded election, Senator Dino Melaye has issued a stern warning to the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike.

Wike, who is the leader of the aggrieved governors elected on the platform of the PDP popularly known as G-5, had repeatedly attacked the partys presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar for not allowing the opposition party to field a southern candidate.

Wike and other members of the G-5 had, prior to the February 25th election, vowed to work against the former vice president.

The Rivers Governor was said to have contributed to the victory of the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu.

Shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC announced Tinubu as president-elect, Wike mocked Atiku saying he owes nobody an apology.

However, Dino in a tweet on Tuesday night said the G-5 were not relevant in the elections.

Issuing a last warning to Wike, Dino asked the governor to bury his head in shame, citing how some members of the G-5 failed in the election.

He wrote, Wike should bury his head in shame and shut up. I warn him to stop insulting Atiku, enough is enough. Last warning. G-5 has no relevance in the just concluded presidential election.

The G5 who could not deliver themselves for their senate bid cannot be the ones claiming glory in purported Atiku loss. Even Wike outside thuggery and coercion of INEC officials had nothing to contribute to APC votes in Rivers. [sic].




Former Militant leader, Oweizide Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo has denied making any comments about the outcome of the 2023 Presidential election in an alleged online viral video wherein he was quoted to have hailed the outcome of the election.





Tompolo spoke through his Media Consultant, Dr. Paul Bebenimibo in a statement signed and made available to newsmen.





Dr . Bebenimibo in the statement said, For the avoidance of doubt, Tompolo did not do any video of sort.





He said the alleged video on the 2023 general election is fake.





According to Dr. Bebenimibo,The attention of High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo has been drawn to an alleged viral video on the 2023 general election, where some online media quoted him to have hailed the outcome of the election.





He also noted that,He is not an enemy to any of the Presidential candidates as well as the governorship candidates.





According to Dr. Bebenimibo,He(Tompolo) is a friend to all. And so, he has not asked anyone to use his name to campaign for any of the candidates.





Dr. Bebenimibo also said the general public should beware of characters that are out there to smear his name.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos, says his administration has attracted billions of dollars into major infrastructure and manufacturing projects in the state.

On March 11, Sanwo-Olu will contest with Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour of the Labour Party (LP), and Abdul-Azeez Adediran of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the governorship position.

In a letter addressed to the resident of Eti-Osa, a highbrow area in the state on Monday, the governor urged the residents to vote for him to continue this special journey of achieving our collective vision of a greater Lagos.

Sanwo-Olu said if voted for the second term, his administration would continue to serve with diligence and seriousness to make the state more prosperous.

As your governor for the last four years, I am asking you to please join hands with us to continue this special journey of achieving our collective vision of a greater Lagos. We have, over the last four years, left no one in doubt as to how deeply committed we are, in our quest to positively transform the fortunes of Lagos State on behalf of all its people, he said.

Let me also say that, regardless of how we may have wanted the presidential elections to go, we are all united, as Lagosians, by the compelling dream of a greater Lagos.

This is why I am extending an invitation to you, to support this all-important task of bettering our state, by voting for me, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu on March 11. I promise to continue to serve you with seriousness and diligence, and to continue the journey toward Lagos, which is the most dynamic and prosperous state in the country.

There is so much that we have been able to accomplish over the last four years, and much more we can achieve over the next four, with your support.

The first phase of the Blue Line Rail has been completed, and the Red Line will equally be completed very soon. The Lekki-Epe Expressway is undergoing reconstruction from Ajah to Epe T-Junction; we have recently completed the section of it between Eleko Junction and Epe.

Work is at an advanced phase on the new Lekki regional road that will serve as an alternative to the Lekki-Epe Expressway, connecting Freedom way to VGC. We are investing in several new hospitals, upgrading our public schools, and empowering pupils and teachers with digital tools to improve teaching and learning outcomes.

We have attracted billions of dollars into major infrastructure and manufacturing projects in our dear state, including the newly commissioned Lekki Deep Sea Port, which will create tens of thousands of jobs and uplift the economy of Lekki. We are pushing ahead with the construction of the 4th Mainland Bridge that will connect Lekki to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.




The Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi on Wednesday disclosed why he would be heading to the Court of Appeal.





Obi said he was heading to the Appeal Court over the refusal of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to allow the LP inspect electoral materials used during the presidential election.





He disclosed this while lamenting over his inability to campaign for LP governorship candidates across the country.





Obi came third behind Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the winner, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC.





Following his defeat, Obi had approached the court to contest his loss and asked to be allowed to inspect materials used during the election.





However, Obi, in a series of tweets, wrote: I am supposed to commence our whistle-stop campaign for our various Labour Party Governorship and State Assembly Candidates today. Initially, my trip was to take me to Nasarawa, Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Delta, Edo, Rivers, Plateau, Borno, etc.





However, following INECs refusal to allow our party to inspect the materials (including BVAS) from the 25th February presidential elections, I am personally heading to the Court today with our lawyers.





As we pursue due process and defer to the rule of law, I urge all the Obidients in the various states to continue campaigning for our candidates, namely, Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour in Lagos, Chijioke Edeoga in Enugu, Patrick Dakum in Plateau, Alex Otti in Abia, Ken Pela in Delta,





Ibrahim Mshelia in Borno, to name just a few. It is also imperative that Obidients vote for candidates with Competence, Character, Capacity, and Compassion. I remain committed and will give more attention to our mission of retrieving our mandate. A new Nigeria is possible!
As veteran Nollywood actor and producer Pete Edochie celebrates his 76th birthday anniversary on Tuesday, one of his sons, Uche Edochie, has revealed why they loathed their father while growing up.

On his verified Instagram page, in a post to celebrate the birthday anniversary of his father, Uche noted that they erroneously hated their fathers strict and firm lifestyle, which he said was aimed at adding value to their lives.

Describing his father as a strict man who ensured his childrens success, Uche said: Isnt it funny how we felt the exact opposite way when we were growing up? Back then, we hated our dads because they wouldnt allow us to endanger our careers and lives in the name of having fun.

We thought they were the problem, and we grew up to realise that we were the problem and we needed our asses kicked. Thanks for kicking my ass when you had to, dad. Im glad I grew up in the 70s and 80s and had a solid father like you to raise me.

A very happy birthday to my dad, who turns 76 today. Thanks for everything, pops. You are the best father a man can wish for. I hope you have a super wonderful day. I love you.
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The High Court has rejected a bid by opposition CCC Member of Parliament Allan Markham to compel Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to release the voters' roll in electronic format after agreeing with ZEC that this could compromise the security of the database.

Mr Markham took ZEC to the higher court in October last year demanding the provision of the voters' roll in the electronic format alleging that the 58 days ZEC said it needed to produce a printed copy was excessive.

ZEC has offered, for a fee, to print voters rolls and in any case any voter has the right to walk into the ZEC offices and look at the roll free of charge.

In an extempore ruling, Justice Never Katiyo declined the request by Harare North MP Mr Markham citing the database security concerns as well as his premature application while he was still negotiating with ZEC. He saw no merit in the suit.

"The applicant approached the court prematurely before exhausting the available remedies. Also the Electoral Act mandates ZEC to safeguard the electronic voters roll. To say 58 days wait (for a printed version) is unreasonable period cannot be understood.

"The parties were still engaging up to the time the application was launched thereby violating the doctrine for ripeness.

"Further the delimitation report is already finalised so this issue has been overtaken by events."

Several political activists and non-governmental organisations are piling pressure on the electoral body to release the electronic version of the voters' roll into the public domain, rather than the printed copies.

ZEC has been refusing to release the electronic version of the voters roll on the grounds that this would compromise the security of its database, a contention which Justice Katiyo accepted and ruled in its favour.

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Mr Markham, in his application, had argued that between February and April last year, he analysed an electronic copy of the voters roll prepared and released by ZEC before the by-elections that took place in March 2022 and noticed irregularities.

He claimed to have written to ZEC illustrating various anomalies on the voters roll, but was informed that the electoral body was in the process of producing an updated version.

However, any registered voter can walk into the ZEC offices and inspect the voter's roll free of charge while any individual or organisation can get a soft copy of the national roll for US$200.

But to guard against the manipulation and abuse of the voters roll the physical copy costs US$1 per page, or US$187 000 for the full national roll, a price that does not affect any Zimbabwean voter directly or indirectly as anyone can access it even from their mobile phones.

To avoid tampering and duplication of the voters roll, ZEC created an online portal where one can log in and analyse the roll.

The voters roll copy is available in both electronic and hard copy format.

According to the Government Gazette of Statutory 145 of 2022 titled, Electoral (Voter Registration) (Amendment) Regulations, 2022 (No. 1) a hard copy of a monochrome copy of the voters' roll shall be US$1 per page.

The US$1 a page is applicable whether it is the national voters roll, a polling station voters roll, a ward voters roll or a constituency voters roll that is sought.

According to the gazette, the fees are payable in Zimbabwe local currency at the official market rate.
Sounds good. Swiping a card is convenient

I just hope tech problems won't back up the lines

Cash is easy. I don't see why they can't accept both

I'd rather the vendor get all my money instead of the credit card companies

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This article was published in partnership with The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletter, or follow The Marshall Project on Facebook or Twitter.

The crime that landed Kevin OBrien Allen a spot among the more than 4,100 Louisianans now serving life-without-parole sentences wasnt a bloody one: He sold $20 in marijuana to a childhood friend.

Then he made some bad decisions.

Allen and Justin Shealey were tight growing up in Bossier Parish, he said. But as they hit their 30s, Shealey was working as an informant for a local narcotics task force, and he recorded a pair of $10 pot sales inside a vehicle with Allen.

Agents booked Allen on two counts of marijuana distribution, and prosecutors in District Attorney Schuyler Marvins office made him an offer: a 5-year sentence if he pleaded guilty. Allen, a father of two with a steady job but a handful of drug convictions, balked.

I was being dumb. I wasnt thinking, he said in a recent call from the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. I felt like (Shealey) wasnt going to testify on me because he was my best friend. I wasnt thinking he was going to use me up like that.

Shealey helped convince a jury to convict Allen on both counts at a 2014 trial. Twenty-sixth Judicial District Judge Michael Craig sentenced him to two concurrent 10-year prison terms, but it was only a placeholder.
THE marriage of Bona Mugabe, daughter of late President Mugabe, has now collapsed and yesterday she filed for divorce from Simba Chikore on the grounds that there was a total break down with no prospects for restoring the union.

The couple tied the knot on March 1, 2014, in a lavish ceremony at her father's private home in Harare's plush Borrowdale. Thousands of people attended the no-expense-spared family event broadcast live by the ZBC-TV.

The wedding also drew the attention of the world after it was attended by African heads of state and government and other high level dignitaries.

Bona Nyapudzai Ouma Mugabe filed the papers at the High Court yesterday seeking an order for a decree of divorce.

According to the court papers, the parties have lost all love and affection for each other and have been living apart for more than nine months. She cited Mr Chikore's activities outside marriage as one reason for the breakdown.

The couple has three children aged seven, five and two.

Ms Mugabe sought full custody of the children arguing that it was in their best interests but with Chikore granted access to them every alternate weekend.

She also seeks maintenance for the children of US$2 700 monthly per child until they attain their majority or become self-sustaining, whichever occurs first."

Mugabe said during the subsistence of the marriage, the parties jointly and individually acquired movable and immovable property but dealing with the property issues in the divorce suit would delay the grant of the divorce decree.

The couple's wedding was billed as the wedding of the year. They were showered with gifts that came to hundreds of thousands of US dollars in cash, cattle and all manner of goodies from relatives, friends and visiting heads of state and government among other VVIPs.

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The gifts were unveiled at a cocktail after the official ceremony. The late President Mugabe and former First Lady Mrs Grace Mugabe gave the new family US$100 000 and 55 head of cattle.

A local mining company weighed in with another US$100 000.

Equatorial Guinea President Mr Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and his wife gave the newly weds US$35 000.

Businessman Mr Ihmad Ahmed made a gift of US$50 000, while Mr and Mrs Gabriel Mugabe showered the couple with US$25 000, plus 10 head of cattle.

ZAOGA (FIF) Qatar, where Mr Chikore is a senior elder, gave him and his new wife US$2 600. Late Zambian President Mr Michael Sata and his wife Dr Christine Kaseba congratulated the couple with a gift hamper worth about US$4 000.

Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister then Mr Nicholas Goche came in with US$2 000, while the Zimbabwe Republic Police -- represented by ex-Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri -- presented the newlyweds with US$10 000.

After the wedding, Bona and Simba went to Seychelles, on the Indian Ocean, for their honeymoon. The honeymoon came courtesy of former Tourism and Hospitality Minister Engineer Walter Mzembi.
Jefferson Parish Council member Jennifer Van Vrancken plans to challenge incumbent Ricky Templet in this year's race for the Division A at-large seat, setting up another parishwide council race.

Van Vrancken, a Republican who is term-limited in her 5th District seat representing much of Metairie, announced her candidacy in a news release Wednesday.

I believe Ive led with integrity, innovation, fiscal responsibility, care, and energy in my district and hope to put those same skills to work for all the people of our parish, Van Vrancken said in the release.

The announcement sets the stage for yet another battle among Parish Council colleagues for an at-large seat. The election is Oct. 14.

Parish Council member Dominick Impastato in November announced plans to run against incumbent Scott Walker for the Division B at-large seat.

+2 Dominick Impastato to challenge Scott Walker for Jefferson Parish Council at-large seat Jefferson Parish Council member Dominick Impastato challenges incumbent Scott Walker for the Division B at-large seat.

With Jefferson Parish's population hovering around 440,000 people, at-large council members have among the largest base of constituents in Louisiana.

Templet, who was elected to the Division A at-large seat in 2019, said Wednesday he plans to run for reelection.

"I think Jefferson Parish is more united than it's ever been," Templet said. "We're all pulling in the same direction. I think I've been part of that success."

Before she was elected to the Parish Council in 2015, Van Vrancken was parish government's chief operating officer under former Parish President John Young. Prior to joining parish government, she worked as a television news reporter and anchor.

Van Vrancken had initially planned to run for Lieutenant Governor, but her plans changed after incumbent Billy Nungesser announced he would seek re-election instead of running for governor.

With Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng unlikely to face a serious challenger, the at-large Parish Council races are gearing up to be the marquee contests in this year's election in Jefferson Parish.
The Supreme Court announced it will take up a Mississippi law banning almost all abortions after 15 weeks, in a case that will have major ramifications on the right to abortion.
UN peacekeepers serving with MONUSCO patrol close to Beni town, in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (file photo).

The UN Secretary-General has urged leaders of the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to respect a ceasefire agreement due to come into effect on Tuesday.

In a statement released by his Spokesperson, Antonio Guterres welcomed the international and regional efforts which took place last week, led by the President of Angola and African Union (AU) Champion for Peace and Reconciliation, Joao Lourenco, with the Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23).

Eastern DRC is home to multiple armed groups, including the rebel M23 force, which has been fighting a major campaign against Government troops in recent months, supported by the UN mission there, known by its French acronym MONUSCO, which puts the protection-of-civilians at the centre of its mandate.

Years of violent unrest

Hundreds of civilians have been killed during years of violence at the hands of armed groups, including women and children. More than 600,000 have reportedly been displaced in eastern North Kivu, amidst a territorial advance in recent months by M23 and other groups.

According to news reports, the European Union announced on Saturday that it would set up a "humanitarian aid bridge" to deliver aid to eastern DRC.

In response to what the head of MONUSCO described in the Security Council last December as a "dramatically" deteriorating security situation, and concerns over allegations from the Government of DRC that neighbouring Rwanda has been giving support to M23 - a charge it strongly denies - peace talks have been taking place in Kenya and Angola's capital, Luanda.

A ceasefire was announced last Friday, in compliance with the decisions of the African Union Peace and Security Council on 17 February in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

'Unfettered humanitarian access'

"The Secretary-General urges the M23 to respect the ceasefire in order to create conditions for its full and effective withdrawal from all occupied areas in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo", the statement released on Monday reads, "in line with the decisions of the Luanda Mini-Summit held on the 23rd of November 2022."

The Secretary-General made clear he "condemns all violence against civilians and renews his call on all Congolese and foreign armed groups to lay down their weapons and disarm unconditionally."

Mr. Guterres also urged all parties involved in fighting to ensure "immediate and unfettered humanitarian access to the affected population", ensuring that civilians are protected, paying respect to international humanitarian law.

End hate speech

"He also calls on all actors to refrain from hate speech and incitement to violence."

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The Secretary-General reaffirmed the UN's support to the peace process which continues in the Angolan and Kenyan capitals, through his Special Representative in the DRC, and his Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region.

He added that the UN stands ready "to step up efforts to bring about peace and security" in the restive eastern DRC region.

Ceasefire must be shown 'rigorous respect': Keita

On Saturday, the head of MONUSCO, Bintou Keita, concluded a mission to the region, with a press conference in the largest city there, Goma.

She outlined that the Mission is maintaining a robust presence in M23-controlled areas to protect civilians and continues to provide support to the Congolese armed forces, in strict compliance with the Human Rights Due Diligence Policy", said UN Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric.

"Ms. Keita echoed the calls for a rigorous respect of the ceasefire that was announced on Friday and urged the M23 to withdraw from the occupied areas and disarm unconditionally."
Food is delivered to 450,000 people in northern Ethiopia who have been affected by conflict.

Dozens of youth delegates, representing some 226 million young people from 46 least developed countries (LDCs), took centre stage on Tuesday at a United Nations conference under way in Doha, Qatar, to spotlight a range of development issues affecting them and their countries.

Today, the world counts 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24: the largest such generation in history. Close to 90 per cent of those in this age range live in developing countries, where they make up a large proportion of the population.

However, from the ever-increasing effects of climate change to the ongoing global health and socio-economic fallout of COVID-19 pandemic and the consequences of the measures to counteract it, young people worldwide are suffering the repercussions of issues caused by previous generations. In all this, the present and future of young people in LDCs - already highly vulnerable to economic and environmental shocks and have low levels of human assets - are at stake.

Against this backdrop, the Fifth Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) is working to ensure young people are at the heart of the plans to realize the Doha Programme of Action (DPoA) - which aims at removing structural obstacles to comprehensive growth and sustainable development - by addressing their needs and empowering them in furthering progress.

'No generation left behind'

"If young people are not meaningfully included in our work, the goals we set in the DPoA, and the 2030 Agenda, will remain unfulfilled," warned Rabab Fatima, the UN High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (UN-OHRLLS) during an Intergenerational Dialogue at LDC5.

The Dialogue brought together young people from the LDCs, with world leaders, heads of state and government, decision-makers, senior UN officials and senior diplomats.

"We must listen to the voices of young people and include them in the decision-making process, and in follow-up actions, as they are the ones who will be most affected by the outcomes," explained Ms. Fatima, who is also the Secretary-General of the LDC5 Conference.

She stressed: "It was always our ambition for this Conference to bring together every part of society - every decision maker, the private sector, youth, civil society organizations and every other stakeholder - to ensure that no voice was unheard, no idea untested, no generation left behind."

During the interactive discussion, young people shared their actions, ideas and good practices and identified challenges in the implementation of the Doha action plan, while UN Member States and other stakeholders shared their commitments to involve young people in its implementation at the national, regional, and global levels.

Youth speak out

Although young people from many LDCs were unable to travel to Doha due to funding and travel restrictions among other reasons, some of their representatives came to LDC5 to speak on behalf of their cohort among the 46 LDCs.

UN News spoke to a cross-section of the inspiring young people who made the journey to LDC5.

"We have come from very far away, where young people were called at the end [when decisions are finalized]. But now what we want, and hope is to be involved from the beginning, when plans are being made, when policies are made, to be involved and to be present when decisions are made," said Humphrey Mrema, and youth delegate from Tanzania, told UN News.

For her part, Shaimaa Barakat from Yemen said: "I am here to represent Yemeni youth and to shed light on the struggles affecting [us]. Some of the most prominent issues facing war-torn Yemen include the vast number of opportunities lost by Yemeni youth and the lack of Yemeni youth involvement in peace-building discussions. Today, through this conference. I want to be a voice of Yemeni youth and a voice of our aspirations to play a role in peace building in Yemen."

The next impassioned young person to speak with us was Sangay Loday, youth delegate from Bhutan, who said working in the youth sector, he had at times felt that there was and still is a gap between the youth and the government.

"But now I feel that there is a lot of intersectionality between the youth, the government, the conversations, and the communication that is happening. So, in a way we are working together rather than separately. We do not see each other as enemies, we see each other as advisors and partners. And that allows us to work together rather than apart," he explained.

Next up was Irina Sthapit, from Nepal, who said: "I am here today in LDC5 as a youth participant representing women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Women in STEM is very important. There are needs to be diversity and less biased awards for women to go into STEM fields, and we need to have our place at the table to make decisions around science and technology."

Spotlighting what the UN Secretary-General has called "the defining issue of our time", Dircia Sarmento, of Timor-Leste, said that while climate change is indeed a burning global issue, in Timor-Leste it was not a topic usually discussed among youth.

"So, we are doing a lot of workshops and conferences to share information, to raise awareness, and during the conferences I have seen a lot of young people. They are really interested in climate action, and they really want to do something for the country. But they cannot do that because of the lack of support in terms of their funding. But that's why I'm here today at the LDC."

Raising another critical issue was Florence Pouya, of Afghanistan, who told UN News that: "Women in our country are denied their basic right, which is education. But we try to inspire them and show them that they shouldn't give up and that they should try to be brave and strong."

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Promoting economic inclusion of youth

Also today, a session was held on promoting youth economic inclusion and entrepreneurial skills where the discussion touched on ways to motivate and empower youth people.

Dejene Tezera, Director of Agricultural Economics at the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) addressed the importance of taking into account the views of young people in any development process.

"This is t is not an option but rather a necessity," she said, explaining that more than half of the world's population today is under the age of 30, and the vast majority of them live in developing countries, so clearly, their voices, experiences and ideas should inform development processes, particularly regarding education, skills training and employment.

She stated that there is a need to create about 600 million jobs in the next decade to meet the needs of young people, and there is a need for more efforts to provide them with appropriate skills and enable them to learn and find decent work or become entrepreneurs through inclusive and sustainable industrial development and the creation of opportunities for better future.
THE Government has rolled out the second phase of engaging citizens in South Africa as part of finalising the process of a smooth return of Zimbabwe Exemption Permit (ZEP) holders.

The Zimbabwe Embassy will be conducting an outreach programme across South Africa to engage citizens. On Monday, the embassy released a two-week schedule during which officials will hold meeting with ZEP holders in all nine provinces of South Africa.

Zimbabweans living in South Africa under the ZEP are due to return home in June when this facility expires after the neighbouring country opted against renewing their permits in 2021.

Government has committed to assist returnees with a fresh start in the country and is already working on modalities of assisting the citizens coming back home.

The Second Republic has pledged to help the citizens so that they can get home with their possessions and settle well. The special permits were granted to about 180 000 Zimbabweans working, studying and living in South Africa.

A fair number have or are in the process of obtaining other work permits so they can stay, but a lot will have to leave. Addressing thousands of youths during the National Youth Day commemorations in Lupane last month, President Mnangagwa said Government is ready to welcome back Zimbabweans from South Africa.

He recently revealed that Government had partnered with the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) for the technical support in the mass movement of citizens coming from South Africa.

As part of the preparations for the return of ZEP holders, the Zimbabwean Embassy in South Africa between February 2 and last Friday conducted an online mapping exercise to identify citizens who may require Government assistance as they prepare to return home.

In an interview yesterday, Zimbabwe Ambassador to South Africa Ambassador David Hamadziripi said the online mapping exercise has birthed the second phase of physical meetings with ZEP holders.

"We have issued another notice because from next week we are starting the in-person mapping exercise in all the nine provinces," he said.

Ambassador Hamadziripi said embassy officials are still collating data on the number of citizens who registered online to be assisted in returning back home.

He said during the outreach programmes across the South African provinces, citizens will be assisted in obtaining birth certificates, passport application form processing, and issuance of temporary travel documents.

"The Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe in South Africa wishes to recall its announcement on 2 February 2023 that the Government of Zimbabwe has taken a decision to assist and facilitate the repatriation of its nationals, holders of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEPs), who voluntarily wish to return home before the expiry of their permits on 30 June 2023," said Ambassador Hamadziripi.

"In that regard, an in person/physical mapping exercise will be undertaken across all the nine provinces of South Africa from 12 to 31 March 2023, to identify and register ZEP holders and their dependants who may require assistance or facilitation to return to Zimbabwe."

The Embassy said the in-person outreach programme will start in Mpumalanga province where meetings will be held in Nelspruit at the Oewesig Community Hall near Lowveld Show Ground from March 13 to 15, and in the same province, another meeting will be held at Witbank at Gereformeerde from March 16 to 18.

The Embassy said in Limpopo province the meetings will be held in Polokwane at Openview, 135 Orpen Road from March 14 to 17 while in North West province holders will be met at Hellenic Centre from March 20 to 22 at the same time.

In North West province further meetings will be held at Mocoseng Sundown Resorts from March 25 to 27.

In Gauteng province, the meeting will be held in Johannesburg at the Consulate of the Republic of Zimbabwe offices from March 29 to April 1.

The Embassy said in the Free State Province the meeting will be held at Bloemfontein City at Ramblers Club from March 20 to 22.

In Kwa-Zulu Natal, the meetings will be held in New Castle on March 24 and 25 at Status Hall and another in Durban at the Jewish Club from March 27 to 31.

In Western Cape, the meeting will take place in Cape Town at Scalabrini Centre from March 13 to 15 while a second one in George city from March 16 to 17 at Conville Community Hall.

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The Embassy said in the Eastern Cape, the meetings will be held in Port Elizabeth at the Anglican Church, the Cathedral Church St Mary's Terrace from March 19 to 20 , and in East London at the Orient Theatre, Quigney Beach from March 22 to 23.

In the Northern Cape, the Embassy said the meeting will be held in Kimberley at the City Hall from March 26 to 28 while in Western Cape the meetings will be held in Vredenburg at the Vredenburg Hall on March 31.

All the meetings will commence at 9AM ending at 3pm.

The Embassy said ZEP holders who are unable to register in-person can utilise the online platform to register.

In a statement, the Embassy urged members of the public to desist from engaging third parties as it has not incorporated any agents.

"The Zimbabwe Embassy in Pretoria and the two Consulates in Johannesburg and Cape Town do not have agents who act on their behalf. Anyone purporting to be such is a fraudster. Members of the public are strongly urged to verify facts with the Embassy and the Consulates through the above listed contact numbers," reads the statement.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  The United Nations Refugee Agency is calling for urgent support to help tens of thousands of Somalis who fled fighting in a disputed border town in Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland.

The refugee agency is seeking urgent support for an estimated 100,000 Somalis who have fled to Ethiopia's Somali region.

The Somalis were displaced by fighting in the town of Las Anod, the center of a conflict between the breakaway Somaliland region and locals who want to be governed by Somalia.

The support is necessary to reduce the risk of conflict between host communities in Ethiopia's drought-affected Somali region, said Mamadou Dian Balde, the agency's representative in Ethiopia.

"If we do not support the population who are hosting and who are doing their part, you know, we can do as much as possible, but, you know, we cannot reduce that risk," Balde said.

The communities affected by drought in Ethiopia were the first responders in welcoming the refugees, says Tesfahun Gobezey, director general of Refugees and Returnees Service in Ethiopia.

He says they are getting help from the U.N. World Food Program.

"So far, we have been able to communicate with WFP, and they have generously agreed to the idea that they will consider all host communities that are affected by the drought to be included in the food distribution that would be happening to the refugees," said Gobezey.

The UNHCR is also appealing for solutions to the problem in Las Anod so that people can return home.

Somaliland Foreign Minister Essa Kayd says his government is open to dialogue -- but not on the territorial integrity of Somaliland.

"We want to give a chance to talks. We want peace and stability to take place. We want to be inclusive and have Las Anod, and Sool and Sanaag regions in Somaliland as they were before. As you know, members of the clan who live there are in the Somaliland government," said Kayd.

Garaad Mukhtar Garaad Cali, one of the traditional leaders in the Sool region, says the most important prerequisite to dialogue is a cease-fire, and that this is yet to be achieved.

"Each time the Somaliland administration mentions the word cease-fire, it might mean something to the international community, but it has a different meaning to us, which is the preparation of a new attack to the city. So long as Somaliland troops are in and out, in and around the city and can fire at us easily, it won't be possible to have a cease-fire successfully," said Cali.

The first asylum-seekers arrived in Ethiopia on February 6. And while estimates by local authorities in Ethiopia put the figure at nearly 100,000, this number has yet to be substantiated.
Venture capital investment in Indiana exceeded $1 billion for the second straight year.

Investment in Hoosier startups totaled $1.099 billion, the second-highest year on record after the $1.4 billion invested in 2021, according to Elevate Ventures.

Elevate Ventures' 2022 Indiana Venture Report found more than 190 venture capital deals were made in the state last year, a 19% year-over-year increase. Pre-seed deals of less than $500,000 accounted for 27% of the deals made last year, or 52 transactions total.

Most of the venture capital investments, 63 in total, fell within the $1 million to $4.9 million range.

About 23 later-stage investments exceeded $10 million, which Elevate Ventures said suggested the venture capital ecosystem was maturing in Indiana.

I believe the market is more robust than ever. Were seeing disparate stakeholders from across the state lean in with new ideas to help companies get started and grow. Companies in Indiana also grow more efficiently than other markets throughout the country, so we are expecting another record-breaking year, said Elevate Ventures CEO Christopher Day.

While Indiana is not a high-tech hub like Silicon Valley, Boston or Austin, the report found Indiana trailed only Illinois in deal activities in the Great Lakes and Midwestern regions.

The state accounted for 0.4% of the nation's venture capital dollars, the same as the previous year. About 57% of the venture capital dollars invested in Indiana went to the business-to-business tech sector. Another 31.4% went to life sciences and ag sciences.

Most of the venture capital investments took place in central Indiana and west central Indiana.
Ready for some sticker shock?

The Tinley Park Village Board has voted 5-1 to give residents a break and eliminate vehicle stickers, a practice that has been going on for more than 50 years.

Stickers have cost $10 for motorcycles, $25 for cars, $35 for small trucks and $55 for trucks over a ton.

Senior citizens were given a break and paid $1.50 for cars.

While it doesnt save each household a great deal of money, I think more important, this is simply the right thing to do, Village Clerk Nancy OConnor said of the vote taken Feb. 21. Its a fee that doesnt necessarily make a huge difference to our village, especially with how its been reduced over the years. Its the right thing to do at the right time.

Officials said that in 2017, the village made more than $700,000 via the stickers. But that has melted to $309,000.

There are a lot of reasons for that, said Hannah Lipman, the assistant village manager. We have more seniors and we are selling them at a a discount.

Also, some people are just not buying them. Unfortunately, residents just arent necessarily paying their fair share across the board.

Stickers will be offered for free for those who want one in their window so they dont get ticketed in other communities.

The village is doing well and if you look at all of the revenue thats coming in and all of the different cost savings that our staff has come up with, it would be ludicrous not to cancel the sticker, Mayor Michael Glotz said.

Not everyone was on board.

During the committee of the whole meeting before the regular board meeting, Trustee Diane Galante argued that if there is a potential of the village making $1 million a year by selling the stickers, the program should not be dropped.

She also pointed out that the village will tax residents in other ways to make up for the shortfall.

OConnor vehemently denied that the cost will hit residents in another area.

Lipman said that the money from stickers goes into the villages Pavement Maintenance Program. She said that the PMP recently restructured its engineering needs and are using in-house engineers rather than third parties. That saves $200,000. Plus, it costs $75,000 to administer the sticker process, so there will be savings there. She said there is additional revenue from new development and businesses that have come to town.

Were not worried, by any means that we will be unable to make up for this revenue source, she said. Our revenue remains strong.

Board members also said the Tinley Park Police Department should spend more time keeping residents safe rather than busting people for not having stickers.

We still enforce it but only on public property, Police Chief Matt Walsh said. We cant go onto your driveway and look to see if you have a sticker. We cant go into apartment complexes unless we have an agreement with them. The enforcement is difficult. We rely on good citizens paying for their stickers and that has gone down.

Galante voted against the board taking the proposal to the regular board meeting, where she then asked for a motion to table the decision.

After that motion died for lack of a second, Galante was the only no vote on the elimination of the stickers.

OConnor was happy to see this come to fruition.

When I took office, this was one of the first things that (Deputy Village Clerk Laura Godette) and I talked about, OConnor said. I would be remiss not to state that part of my thought process came from the former clerk (Kristin Therion) because I know she was very, very much in favor of just eliminating this ordinance as well.

Im happy that Ive been able to carry that forward for her.
PORTAGE  Police say they discovered a 23-year-old homeless man who had been living for three weeks in a payloader parked in the busy downtown area while he worked at a nearby McDonald's.

Julian Salamanca of Whiting was taken into custody and faces charges of criminal trespassing, possession of marijuana, unlawful entry of a motor vehicle, possession of paraphernalia and criminal mischief, Portage police said.

Police said they were called out at 6:20 p.m. Friday to the Strack & Van Til parking area along Central Avenue in response to a suspicious person smoking inside a payloader owned by a snow-removal company.

The caller reportedly told police he was with the company and had found the man inside the payloader after arriving to use the piece of equipment.

After having Salamanca exit the vehicle, police said they smelled marijuana.

Salamanca told officers he had been living in the vehicle after finding a hidden key to gain access.

"Julian stated he would also use the locked cabin to store his property while he was away," police said.

Police said they found a used glass smoking pipe inside the vehicle, as well as various food, drinks and garbage, "indicating Julian had been using the tractor for a period of time."

The company reported a cut seat belt and a broken computer console in the vehicle, which amounted to much more than $1,000 in damages.

Among Salamanca's belongings were a 9-mm and a .233-caliber round of ammunition, police said.
MICHIGAN CITY  Three men were recently arrested in connection with an armed robbery Feb. 21, Michigan City police said Tuesday.

Michigan City residents Brian Young Jr., 23, Daveon Troutman, 21, and Jared Higganbotham, 20, each face multiple felony charges for the alleged robbery of a 22-year-old man, police said.

An officer patrolling the area of Michigan Boulevard and Ridgeland Avenue in the early morning hours heard a person calling for help. When the officer approached and asked what happened, the 22-year-old said he was robbed, police said.

The victim provided a vehicle description to officers, who located the vehicle an hour later on the 600 block of Black Oak Drive. Police said two handguns, ammunition and other evidentiary items were recovered from the suspect vehicle. All suspects were taken into custody.

All three men were charged with felony armed robbery. Young was also charged with felony unlawful possession of a handgun, and Troutman was charged with felony possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

Bond was initially set at $25,000 cash only for all three men.

The Michigan City Police Department asks anyone with information about this case to contact Lt. Anna Painter at 219-874-3221 ext. 1077 or apainter@emichigancity.com.
GARY  On Saturday, Gary Community School Corp. will host a transition fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Gary Area Career Center designed to connect families of soon-to-be graduates with community partners and organizations, the school district announced.

Families with children 14 and older are encouraged to attend to help them navigate life post-graduation and to support students in gaining the skills and knowledge necessary for a career after high school. GCSC said it designed the transition fair based on the requests, feedback and questions submitted by parents.

Partners from post-secondary options as well as employers will be at the event, GCSC said. The event is for both special education and general education students, and there will be dozens of organizations, including TradeWinds, Mental Health of America and Geminus Corp., that specifically support disabled people.

"We are introducing students to the choices they have after high school whether its to learn a trade, attend college, enlist in the armed forces or go straight to the workforce," Shavette Grady, director of special populations for GCSC, said. "The sooner they know what they are interested in, the easier it becomes to connect them to the resources to succeed."

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GARY  Speaking over Zoom video conferencing, Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner chatted with a crowd of Northwest Indiana principals gathered at Indiana University Northwest's Gary campus Tuesday.

Jenner lauded the principals for their work in teaching literacy and encouraged them to continue these efforts.

"Many of you have taken advantage of the science of reading opportunities to push the third grade literacy," Jenner said, referring to a set of researched literacy teaching practices.

Jenner explained that the state set a goal of having 95% of the third grade students literate by 2027.

Jenner also discussed how schools can tailor their education to better meet students' post-graduation wishes.

"Not every state collects data on what seniors are planning to do when they graduate," she said. "But in Indiana we do."

Jenner explained that 76% of graduates in the most recent cohort said they planned to attain some sort of higher education after high school, whether that be a two-year degree, four-year degree or technical training.

"The challenge is, as many of you see," she said, "that many of our graduates who have the dream don't actually make it, or they make it there but they don't make it beyond the first year or the second year."

The data, Jenner said, shows that only 53% of those high school graduates actually attain post-secondary education.

"We know that educational attainment matters significantly for every student," she said. "Education beyond high school equates to better quality of life, increased wages, healthier lives, better jobs."

However, Jenner noted that this educational attainment can look different for everyone. She commended School City of Hammond for an alternative graduation pathway it created and got approval for in December. That graduation pathway allows students in the district's JROTC program to fulfill alternative graduation requirements that focus on JROTC.

"How can we improve what we're doing to make those four years  or really those 13 years  as valuable as we can," she said. "And I know, as educators, you have lots of ideas because we've heard from you."

Jenner also boasted that the Indiana Department of Education completed its updated Indiana Graduates Prepared to Succeed dashboard ahead of the July 2024 deadline it was given by the Legislature to do so. The online dashboard allows Hoosiers to view data and information including literacy rates, percentage of students earning college credit before graduation and the number of students completing graduation requirements. The dashboard can be found online at indianagps.doe.in.gov.

Afterwards, principals received an opportunity to ask Jenner questions. One asked why there was pushback in the Legislature to early education initiatives.

"When you're here at the statehouse, all 150 members, just like you as principals, have their key priorities, right?" she said. "And by the way there are some general assembly members that are 100% on board and are doing everything they can to push."

Jenner said the education community needs to "keep our foot on the gas" to promote early education and she encouraged any school with early education programs to share their success stories with her department.

Another principal said he received an email telling schools to pause curriculum adoption due to potential legislation in the statehouse. He asked if Jenner foresaw schools being able to resume adoption soon.

"I'll tell you, we debated on sending that memo," she said. "But because we knew how much schools invest in curriculum, its really really important and we just really wanted to put it on your radar because I know you don't have time to track these  we had over 1,100 bills filed, you all, in January, many of them touched education ... What we didn't want to happen to any of our schools is that you all are caught flat footed."

She explained she didn't want schools to have invested a lot of money into curriculum only for the Legislature to pass a law that would impact that curriculum.

Gallery: The Times Photos of the Week Riding shotgun with the Gary Fire Department Valparaiso gymnastics regional Valparaiso gymnastics regional Valparaiso gymnastics regional Class 4A Sectional semi-final Class 4A Sectional semi-final 030523-spt-bbk-mor_1 030523-spt-bbk-mor_11 030523-spt-bbk-mor_2 Munster Superintendent Shadows Eads Elementary Student Munster superintendent shadows Eads Elementary Student Class 4A Sectional 2 quarterfinal Class 4A Sectional 2 quarterfinal 030223_spt-bbk-mun_4 030223_spt-bbk-mun_6 030223_spt-bbk-mun_1 Malden Solar hearing draws angry crowd Malden Solar hearing draws angry crowd 030123_spt-bbk-mun_1 030123_spt-bbk-mun_2 Ballet Hispanico hosts a dance workshop at IUN Screw Conveyor Corporation marks 90 years in Hammond Tri Kappa sorority is back in the chocolate egg business Tri Kappa sorority is back in the chocolate egg business Tri Kappa sorority is back in the chocolate egg business Gallery HTML code Class 4A Sectional semi-final Class 4A Sectional 2 quarterfinal
GARY  A 6-year-old girl died in a car crash that left two children and two adults with life-threatening injuries, Indiana State Police reported Wednesday.

A silver Nissan Altima was stopped in the right lane on Interstate 80 east of Burr Street around 1:30 a.m. when a driver in a Volvo semi-trailer smashed into the back of the car, ISP Sgt. Glen Fifield said. Upon arrival, first responders discovered the occupants trapped inside the vehicle.

The children were not properly restrained in child-safety seats, Fifield said. The driver of the Nissan  TaQuana L. Crawford, 27, of Milwaukee  her passenger and the three children in the vehicle were either airlifted or transported to hospitals for treatment of their injuries. The 6-year-old died from her injuries en route to a hospital.

The semi driver, Orlando Shaw, 49, of Wheeling, Illinois, was not injured, Fifield said. His large trailer was full of mail.

The crash is in its early stages of investigation, Fifield said. It is unclear why Crawford's vehicle was stopped in the right lane.

Indiana State Police Crash Reconstruction, Indiana State Police Criminal Investigations Division, Indiana State Police Commercial Motor Vehicle Division, the Gary Police Department, Gary Fire/EMS and Double T Towing assisted.
Yaounde, Cameroon  Tourism officials in Cameroon are meeting to revamp the country's most important wildlife reserve, Waza National Park, which has suffered from terrorism, poaching, and deforestation. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Cameroon's northern border with Chad and Nigeria that used to attract thousands of visitors per year. Officials say Boko Haram terrorists scared off most tourists while poachers and illegal loggers continue to wreak havoc on the park. Moki Edwin Kindzeka reports from Yaounde, Cameroon.

Cameroon's Waza National Park, on the borders with Chad and Nigeria, is the country's most diverse wildlife reserve, with lions, elephants, giraffes, antelopes and numerous species of birds.

The 170,000-hectare park has been recognized since 1979 as a UNESCO World Heritage biosphere reserve.

But the government says the number of tourists visiting Waza dropped from close to 4,000 in 2013 to less than 300 last year.

Atsia Tailati is a tourism official in Logone and Chari, the administrative unit in charge of Waza.

She spoke to VOA via a messaging app from the northern town of Kousseri.

Tailati says terrorism started harming tourism in Waza in 2013, when Boko Haram at gunpoint abducted a French family of seven who were vacationing in northern Cameroon. She says in 2014 the Nigerian Islamist group again forced their way into a Chinese construction camp in Waza and abducted 10 road engineers.

Boko Haram released the hostages after some weeks but Tailati says the attacks scared off tourists.

Tailati says Cameroon's tourism officials are meeting in the region this week to discuss how to attract tourists back to the park.

The militants' attacks on farms and shops, including some that depended on tourism, forced youth in the area to turn to poaching and illegal logging to make a living.

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Officials say improved security on both sides of the borders has reduced the threat from terrorists, with no large-scale attacks reported in the area for more than a year.

But officials say poachers and illegal loggers continue to destroy the park.

The governor of Cameroon's Far North Region, Midjiyawa Bakari, spoke to VOA by messaging app from the region's capital, Maroua.

He says about 70 poachers and illegal loggers were arrested at Waza National Park this week. Bakari says those arrested are Cameroonians, Nigerians and Chadians who kill animals in the park, harvest wood from the park for charcoal and sell the wood and game to neighboring countries like Chad and Nigeria.

Bakari says they've created local militias to assist ranchers and troops in protecting the park.

The head of the European Union delegation to Cameroon, Philippe Van Damme, says restoring the park would bring a multitude of benefits to the area.

He spoke Tuesday to Cameroon Radio Television.

Van Damme says protecting Waza National Park will stabilize the environment and climate, create jobs for several hundred unemployed youths, and bring in revenue from tourism. He says Cameroon and the European Union are evaluating what is needed to protect, redevelop, and bring back to life to the park, which was devastated by terrorism, poaching, and deforestation.

Van Damme, who took a group of five EU ambassadors to the park this week, said reviving it would also reduce poverty and inequality in the region.
For the first time in more than 40 years, Alan Alda and Mike Farrell sat down for a table read of a new scene of M*A*S*H, stepping into their old roles of Hawkeye Pierce and B.J. Hunnicutt, two bantering doctors in a Korean War mobile surgical unit.

But the script wasnt by Larry Gelbart or any of the other writers who shaped the television show over more than a decade  it was the work of ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence software that has become a global phenomenon in recent months.

Alda, who hosts a podcast called Clear+Vivid, had decided to ask the tool to write a scene for M*A*S*H in which Hawkeye accuses B.J., his right hand man and fellow prankster, of stealing his boxer shorts.

The result, after plenty of behind-the-keyboard prompting from Alda, was a brief, slightly stilted scene between the two men, recorded for the podcast while the actors were on opposite coasts.
One of President Bidens nominees to the Federal Communications Commission, Gigi Sohn, withdrew from consideration for the job on Tuesday, saying she had faced unrelenting, dishonest and cruel attacks on my character and my career as an advocate for the public interest.

Ms. Sohns announcement came shortly after Senator Joe Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia, said he would vote against her nomination, denying her a crucial vote in a closely divided Senate. In a statement, Mr. Manchin said the commission must remain above the toxic partisanship that Americans are sick and tired of, and Ms. Sohn has clearly shown she is not the person to do that.

The F.C.C. has been in a deadlock  with two Democratic commissioners and two Republicans  for years. Although the agency has approved some measures on bipartisan grounds, the split has made it impossible for the Biden administration to pursue its more ambitious priorities like net neutrality rules for internet service providers.

Mr. Biden nominated Ms. Sohn to the commission in October 2021. She had long been a fixture of progressive tech policy in Washington, having pushed for consumer protection measures before serving as an aide to Tom Wheeler, a former chairman of the F.C.C. With Ms. Sohn at his side, Mr. Wheeler pursued sweeping net neutrality rules, which would stop internet providers from favoring certain content, and a measure to open up the market for television set-top boxes.
The whole thing seems insane to me, he wrote. And Sidney Powell wont release the evidence. Which I hate. Ms. Powell, a legal adviser to the Trump campaign, was making everyone paranoid and crazy, including me, Mr. Carlson added.

Text messages like these, released on Tuesday evening as part of Dominions $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, offer some of the clearest evidence yet about the serious misgivings that many inside the network expressed to one another even as they told their audiences of millions a very different story of fraud and malfeasance at the polls.

Some Fox hosts and guests have continued to air claims about widespread election fraud and advance a revisionist account of what happened during the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021  few more so than Mr. Carlson, whose evolution from skeptic to election denier was on full display in the newly disclosed messages.

This week, the host broadcast selectively edited footage, given to him by Speaker Kevin McCarthy, that tried to recast the attack as little more than what Mr. Carlson said was an orderly and meek procession of curious sightseers who were rightfully upset with how the election had been conducted.

Mr. Carlson  who ridiculed claims about a plot to steal the election as shockingly reckless and absurd in his November 2020 text messages  also continued to give credence to lies about widespread voter fraud this week.
Walgreens landed at the center of a consumer and political firestorm in recent days, after saying it would not dispense an abortion pill in 21 states where Republican attorneys general have threatened legal action against pharmacies that try to distribute the medication.

The company confirmed late last week that it would not distribute mifepristone, the first pill in a two-drug medication abortion regimen, weeks after it and other large pharmacy chains received letters signed by those attorneys general. In each of the states, abortion is either banned or laws or proposed or pending legislation would prevent pharmacists from dispensing pills.

The situation starkly reflects the patchwork legal framework that sizable pharmacy chains like Walgreens, which is the second largest in the country, must navigate after last summers Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which for nearly 50 years had enshrined a national right to an abortion.

Since then, 13 states have made abortion illegal while others have tightened access to it, including through restrictions related to abortion pills.
Jump to: Tricky Clues | Todays Theme

WEDNESDAY PUZZLE  Congratulations to Miranda Kany, who is making her New York Times debut with this puzzle befitting the owner of a boutique catering company. Ms. Kanys grid uses circles and italics to convey her theme, and the puzzle comes with an extra note instructing solvers on how to use the circled letters after they finish filling in the grid.

Solvers have mixed views on added notes, but I personally dont mind them  although I often try to figure out the gimmick before looking at the note. This approach can sometimes require great cleverness, so dont feel bad if you glance at the note before youre done. Today, the note is helpful but not strictly necessary, as Im guessing many (greatly clever) solvers were able to ascertain the purpose of the circles without it.

More on the theme and those circles below, but first, lets take a look at some of this puzzles more challenging clues.

Tricky Clues

39A/35D. I initially entered ahh as the Sound at the doctors office and guessed that the From Here to Eternity setting at 35D must be Ohio (clearly Ive never seen the movie or read the novel). When the crosses didnt work with Ohio, I had to backtrack until I realized the Sound at the doctors office was actually AAH, making the From Here to Eternity setting OAHU  that sounds like a much better place to spend eternity, no offense to Ohio.
Used judiciously, the snappy tidbits of food etymology in Romaine Wasnt Built in a Day, a new book by the medieval scholar Judith Tschann, could make you a hit at dinner parties.

Say someone shows up in a seersucker suit. You could inform her that the British took the word seersucker from the Hindi sirsakar, which itself came from a Persian word meaning milk and sugar. The smooth stripes are the milk, the bumpy ones the sugar.

Over the Caesar salad, you could casually mention that the English word romaine comes from the medieval French laitue romaine, or Roman lettuce, which possibly arrived in France along with the popes who moved to Avignon from Rome to escape some nasty politics in the early 1300s.

But heres a pro tip: When sharing food lore at a meal, its easy to cross the line. Do your friends dipping into a bowl of guacamole need to know that the word avocado started out as ahuacatl, a Nahuatl term that the Aztecs likely used as slang for testicles? Or that souffle comes the French word for blown, which stems from the same root as the word flatulent?
If you spend enough time chasing ramen in Japan, you eventually encounter noodle shops where the exterior wall looks like a vending machine. The menu is illustrated in rows of photographs showing every variety of soup on offer. Next to each picture is a button. You feed a few hundred yen into a slot, select the soup you want, and wait while a ticket is printed. Then you walk inside so you can hand your ticket to a cook behind the counter, who will prepare your bowl. After youve slurped your last noodle, all you have to do is get up and leave.

New York City has never gone in for giant walk-in ramen vending machines. Since October, though, the Lower East Side has had a noodle shop that approximates the speed and efficiency of the Japanese model.

It is called Okiboru House of Tsukemen. While you settle in to one of its two dozen or so stools, you scan the QR code on the counter in front of you. These blurry square patterns have become all too familiar since the start of the pandemic, but few restaurants exploit them as fully as Okiboru. You open the link, select your meal and pay with a credit card or Apple Pay. Your order goes to the kitchen, tagged with your seat number, and a few minutes later your noodles appear before you. After eating, you simply walk out.

Okiboru is like many popular Tokyo ramen shops in another way: It sticks to noodles. There are no gyoza or pork buns or even steamed edamame to start the meal, and no matcha soft-serve at the end. The menu is bracingly short, with just two items. One of these is what you probably picture when you think of ramen, a twirled nest of noodles submerged in a bowl of steaming broth. Well get to that in a minute, but Okiboru is a house of tsukemen, almost certainly the citys first, and tsukemen (pronounced tskeh-men) is the reason for the lines outside on Orchard Street, so lets start there.
The company that makes Makena, the only drug aimed at preventing preterm birth, announced on Tuesday that it was voluntarily pulling the medication off the market after advisers for the Food and Drug Administration concluded that the treatment did not help pregnant women at all.

Makenas drugmaker, the Covis Pharma Group, said its decision had been made in deference to an F.D.A. advisory committee that agreed unanimously in October that a large study had showed that the drug offered no benefit to newborns.

Makena had been cited by critics as a flawed example of the F.D.A.s accelerated drug approval program because the agencys original green light for sale was based on indications that the drug would be effective. But a succession of manufacturers could not provide convincing proof after years of study that the drug halted sometimes dangerous preterm births.

Makena is now owned by Covis Pharma Group, a private-equity-backed company based in Switzerland.

While we stand by Makenas favorable benefit-risk profile, including its efficacy in women at highest risk of preterm birth, we are seeking to voluntarily withdraw the product and work with the F.D.A. to effectuate an orderly wind-down, Raghav Chari, chief innovation officer at Covis, said.
A former New York City correction officer admitted on Tuesday that he stole nearly $120,000 in public money by collecting his salary while falsely asserting that he was too injured to work for more than a year, federal prosecutors said.

The former officer, Eduardo Trinidad, was the third jail guard to plead guilty to federal program fraud  cheating an organization that receives federal money  in the past several weeks, prosecutors said. The others, Steven Cange and Monica Coaxum, pleaded guilty last month, prosecutors said.

The pleas came a few months after the former officers were charged with criminally abusing their sick leave benefits amid a staffing emergency fueled by a surge in chronic absenteeism starting in early 2021, and that has helped worsen conditions at the troubled Rikers Island jail complex.

Despite Mr. Trinidads claims of being too injured to work, video and photographic surveillance showed Mr. Trinidad doing home improvement work, bowling and traveling abroad without difficulty or the aid of the orthopedic boot, sling or cane he used when checking in with Correction Department medical officials, prosecutors said.
A federal prosecutor told a jury Tuesday that Sayfullo Saipov, who killed eight people in a 2017 truck attack on a Manhattan bike path, was a proud terrorist whose actions merit the most severe punishment the law provides  the death penalty.

He chose to come to this country and then fight for an enemy, the prosecutor, Amanda Houle, said during the closing arguments of the penalty phase of Mr. Saipovs trial in Federal District Court in Manhattan. The jurors in January convicted Mr. Saipov, a native of Uzbekistan, for carrying out the attack, which he has said was inspired by the Islamic State.

When ISIS called upon him to fight overseas or attack here, he chose here  this city, Ms. Houle said. He chose to murder an innocent person and then he chose to do it again seven more times.

She added: Those are his choices, and he stands by them, so that is what brings us to this point.

On Wednesday, the 12 members of the jury will begin weighing Mr. Saipovs fate: whether to impose the death penalty or to sentence him to life imprisonment without the chance of release.
Feature: Cuba introduces Chinese language course for int'l relations students

Xinhua) 16:29, March 08, 2023

HAVANA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Rachel Dominguez on Tuesday was overjoyed to start learning Chinese as her optional subject.

She is among 47 university students from Cuba's Higher Institute of International Relations "Raul Roa Garcia" (ISRI) to attend Chinese language classes from this semester.

"China is playing a fundamental role in global politics," she said. "The bilateral relations between China and Latin American countries continue to strengthen."

According to the syllabus, students will learn writing and speaking skills in Chinese. And they will also have a chance to study Chinese calligraphy.

"This is a new chapter in the history of cooperation between China and Cuba," Chinese Ambassador to Cuba Ma Hui told students during the opening ceremony of the course.

"If you study hard with the support of Chinese language professors, you will be able to make it," he said.

Over the past few years, learning the Chinese language and culture has become increasingly popular across the island country, thanks to the efforts by social organizations and cultural institutions. One of them is Havana's Confucius Institute, from which thousands of students have graduated since it was founded in 2009.

"I want to learn about Chinese culture," second-year student Silvio Javier Jimenez told Xinhua. "I would like to work as a diplomat in Asia."

ISRI rector Rogelio Sierra said that the Chinese language is increasingly being spoken around the world as China's influence is growing in the international arena.

"This course has a special meaning and extraordinary importance for us," he said. "China is a great country, and we have long received solidarity gestures from the Chinese people."

The course comes one year after the Cuban Ministry of Education first introduced the Chinese language course into secondary education for 130 seventh graders from Havana's Fructuoso Rodriguez secondary school.

Chinese language classes at ISRI will be taught by professors from Havana's Confucius Institute, one of whom is 28-year-old Chang Xiaoyu.

"I have been in Cuba for over a year," she said. "I strongly believe this initiative will help spread knowledge of the Chinese language among university students and population."

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Nairobi  Kenyans seeking to be the next Chairperson and members of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) have until March 28, 2023, to apply for the posts.

This is after the Selection Panel overseeing the recruitment process of the new team at the electoral body advertised the posts.

"The panel invites applications from qualified persons who satisfy the provisions of the Constitution and the IEBC Act," the panel said in a notice.

The vacancies arose at the Commission following the retirement of the outgoing Chairman Wafula Chebukati and Commissioners Abdi Guliye and Boya Molu whose six-year tenure at the helm of the electoral agency ended in January 2023.

Former Vice-Chairperson Juliana Cherera and commissioners Justus Nyang'aya and Francis Wanderi resigned after President William Ruto formed a tribunal to investigate their conduct in the August 2022 polls.

They had rejected the electoral results that handed Ruto the presidency, calling the election count opaque.

The tribunal led by Justice Aggrey Muchelule subsequently recommended to President Ruto to sack Commissioner Irene Masit who opted not to resign.

-Chairperson-

The panel is seeking to fill one vacant position of the Chairperson at the agency.

Interested Kenyans seeking to be the Chairperson of the Commission must be qualified to hold the office of Judge of the Supreme Court under the Constitution.

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The panel notified that interested candidates must among other requirements have at least fifteen years experience as a superior court judge, at least fifteen years experience as a distinguished academic, judicial officer, legal practitioner, or such experience in other relevant legal fields.

Additionally, those interested must meet the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution.

Those found to have at any time within the preceding five years found to have held office or stood for election as a Member of Parliament or County Assembly or has been a member of the governing body of a political party or holds any State Office will be disqualified for appointment in compliance with the Constitution.

-Member-

Five vacancies are up for grabs for members of the Commission.

For those interested to be members, the panel notified that they must hold a degree from a recognized university, have a proven relevant experience in electoral matters, management, finance, governance, public administration, or law, and meet the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution.

The disqualification standard will also be like that of seeking to be the Commission Chairperson.

Applicants shall be required to attach to their applications current and valid clearances from Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Higher Educations Loans Board (HELB), Credit Reference Bureau, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC).

The Nelson Makanda seven-member-led panel will shortlist the names of the successful candidates and subsequently schedule their interviews.
Ever since Israels founding in 1948, supporting the countrys security and its economic development and cementing its diplomatic ties to the U.S. have been the religion of many nonobservant American Jews  rather than studying Torah or keeping kosher. That mission drove fund-raising and forged solidarity among Jewish communities across America.

Now, a lot of American Jews are going to need to find a new focus for their passion.

Because if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu succeeds with his judicial putsch to crush the independence of the countrys judiciary, the subject of Israel could fracture every synagogue and Jewish communal organization in America. To put it simply: Israel is facing its biggest internal clash since its founding, and for every rabbi and every Jewish leader in America, to stay silent about this fight is to become irrelevant.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency just ran an article that offered a revealing glimpse into this reality. It quoted a Los Angeles rabbi, Sharon Brous, as beginning her sermon on Israel last month with a content warning to her congregants: I have to say some things today that I know will upset some of you.

Every American rabbi knew what she meant: Israel has become such a hot-button issue that it cannot be discussed without taking sides for or against Netanyahus policies.
The death of the girls mother was the catalyst for the Crumps move north from Florida. Each of them is still undone by grief, perhaps Godfrey most of all. A baker by trade, he is newly sober and celibate, clinging to the teachings of the messianic leader Father Divine, whose portrait hangs on the living room wall. (The set is by Brendan Gonzales Boston.)

Asceticism is anathema to the girls glamorous Aunt Lily (Sharina Martin), their mothers sister, who shows up unexpected from Harlem one day. Luggage in tow, flask ever-present, she announces that her own mother has asked her to take care of the girls.

She dont think its proper that a man be living alone with his daughters once they sprung bosom, Lily says, vividly.

And thats that, despite how objectionable Godfrey finds Lilys fervent Communism and how disconcerting he finds her sexual availability.

In Colette Roberts quiet, mostly sure-handed production for Keen Company, Crumbs From the Table of Joy is a pleasure for several reasons: rarity, for one, this being the plays first New York revival since its premiere in 1995.
Florida Republicans introduced parallel bills on Tuesday in the House and Senate that would further restrict the states abortion ban to six from 15 weeks of pregnancy.

If a ban passes and is signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida would prohibit abortion before many women even realize they are pregnant.

Filed on the first day of the 2023 legislative session, the bills had been telegraphed for weeks, as Republican leaders who control Tallahassee sought to build on the anti-abortion momentum generated by the U.S. Supreme Courts overturning of Roe v. Wade last summer.

Mr. DeSantis, a Republican who is widely expected to run for president, said on Tuesday that he supported additional restrictions, though the bills also offer a reminder of the political complexities that he must navigate.
First to leave was Louisiana, followed by Alabama.

Then, in one fell swoop, Florida, Missouri and West Virginia announced on Monday that they would drop out of a bipartisan network of about 30 states that helps maintain accurate voter rolls, one that has faced intensifying attacks from election deniers and right-wing media.

Ohio may not be far behind, according to a letter sent to the group Monday from the states chief election official, Frank LaRose. Mr. LaRose and his counterparts in the five states that left the group are all Republicans.

For more than a year, the Electronic Registration Information Center, a nonprofit organization known as ERIC, has been hit with false claims from allies of former President Donald J. Trump who say it is a voter registration vehicle for Democrats that received money from George Soros, the liberal billionaire and philanthropist, when it was created in 2012.

Mr. Trump even chimed in on Monday, urging all Republican governors to sever ties with the group, baselessly claiming in a Truth Social media post that it pumps the rolls for Democrats.
WASHINGTON  A federal judge in Kansas City on Tuesday struck down a Missouri law that restricted local and state law enforcement agencies in carrying out federal gun laws, ruling that the statute violated the Constitution and posed a grave threat to public safety.

Judge Brian C. Wimes of the Western District of Missouri ruled that the Second Amendment Protection Act, passed in 2021 by the Republican-controlled state legislature, represented a blatant attempt to illegally usurp the federal governments constitutional right to enforce federal laws without state interference.

In his 24-page decision, Judge Wimes wrote that Missouri is now prohibited from any and all implementation and enforcement of the law, which had allowed gun owners to seek damages of up to $50,000 from local police and sheriffs departments that enforced federal gun laws deemed to conflict with Second Amendment rights.

The law  passed as part of a right-wing backlash to President Bidens pledge to press for new gun control legislation  was popular with the states Republican politicians but faced skepticism from conservative law enforcement officials who said it hampered their capacity to fight surging gun violence in the state.
WASHINGTON  Republicans on Capitol Hill split on Tuesday over a broadcast by Tucker Carlson, the Fox News host, in which he falsely portrayed the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol as a largely peaceful gathering, with House G.O.P. leaders promoting his report while top Republican senators condemned it.

The divide reflected a continuing rift in the party between those who want to move on from Jan. 6, regarding it as a political liability, and those who want to relitigate it publicly to feed the anger of the partys hard-right base, which continues to revere former President Donald J. Trump, believe the lie that the election was stolen from him and insist that the riot at the Capitol two years ago was a justified response.

The broadcast on Monday night came about two weeks after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy granted Mr. Carlson and his team exclusive access to Capitol surveillance footage from Jan. 6, effectively outsourcing the task of rewriting the history of the riot to the right wings favorite news commentator, who has circulated conspiracy theories about the attack.

It came as court filings have revealed that Fox News hosts and executives, including Mr. Carlson, raised doubts privately about Mr. Trumps claims of a stolen election, but continued to promote them on the air anyway.
Toni Morrison, the acclaimed author who became the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, will be memorialized on a Forever stamp, which was unveiled Tuesday by the United States Postal Service.

The portrait featured on the stamp  with Ms. Morrison smiling, looking straight into the camera, against a yellow backdrop  was part of a 1997 photo shoot by Deborah Feingold for the cover of Time magazine.

The United States Postal Service made the announcement at a ceremony at Princeton University, where Ms. Morrison taught from 1989 to 2006. The event was part of a series throughout the 2022-23 academic year dedicated to Ms. Morrisons work, including lectures and an exhibit of her writing, said Gene Jarrett, dean of faculty at Princeton.

In a letter read at the unveiling, former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, the former first lady, said Ms. Morrisons writing challenges readers consciences and brings out their empathy.
That being said, researchers from one review of 26 studies that was published in 2020 reported that there was promising preliminary evidence that cannabinoid therapies, including THC and CBD, should be investigated as possible treatments for sleep issues like insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome and nightmares related to post-traumatic stress disorder.

Cannabiss effects on sleep and sleepiness can also be influenced by how you take it, said Dr. Ashima Sahni, a pulmonologist and sleep specialist at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Oral forms, like pills or edibles, will take longer to kick in than inhaled forms, she said, but their effects on sleep will last longer throughout the night. Inhaled cannabis, via vaping or smoking, will yield faster results, but they wont last as long. Of course, Dr. Sahni added, vaping and smoking can come with certain health concerns including damage to the lungs and inflamed airways.

There is also some evidence that cannabis might indirectly help with sleep by alleviating chronic pain and anxiety  the two top concerns motivating new patients to try medical cannabis, said Rahim Dhalla, a pharmacist specializing in medical cannabis in Ottawa, Canada, who has studied patient experiences with cannabis for sleep. Though research in this area is limited and the data are kind of all over the place, Dr. Kaufmann said.

What to consider before trying cannabis for sleep

In her clinical experience, Dr. Bidwell said that people who use cannabis products for sleep seem to be the most satisfied with them when they use them every now and then but not every day. This is because using THC too frequently can lead to a tolerance or dependency, she said, which can reverse the benefits of cannabis on sleep.

As you start taking it more chronically, you fall into this trap that, for the same amount of effect, you have to go up in the quantity, Dr. Sahni added. And eventually, you might get to a point where it doesnt work at all.

At the same time, you might become so dependent on it that you have to keep taking it to stave off withdrawal symptoms. In such people with marijuana addictions, Dr. Bidwell said, stopping its use can result in symptoms like anxiety, irritability, nausea and even unsettling dreams that can disrupt sleep. Thats one of the main reasons they go back to using it, or why they cant fully quit, she said, because of how hard it is to sleep as part of that withdrawal.

And some people who use too much THC can report a weed hangover the next morning, which can include symptoms like fatigue, headache and dry eyes and mouth. Using CBD, however, does not seem to lead to a tolerance or dependency.
KYIV, Ukraine  Russias Wagner mercenary group has been forced to use more of its professional recruits in Bakhmut to replace its depleted supply of enlisted prisoners, who are perishing by the thousands in the longest battle of the war, a Ukrainian official said on Tuesday.

The claim suggested that Ukraine sees an opportunity, despite the heavy casualties it has suffered in the eastern city, to exhaust Wagners nearly suicidal prisoner assaults, which Ukraines commanders regard as one of Russias most effective tactics.

This is their last stand, Col. Serhiy Cherevaty, a spokesman for Ukraines eastern group of forces, told Radio Liberty in an interview, referring to Wagners forces in Bakhmut, where Russia and Ukraines vicious, monthslong struggle has left thousands of soldiers dead and the city in rubble.

Ukrainian officials have claimed that nearly 30,000 of Wagners 50,000 troops have deserted or been killed or wounded, many around Bakhmut. That number could not be independently verified, and Ukraine has not disclosed its own losses in the region. Russias defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, claimed on Tuesday that Ukraine had lost more than 11,000 troops in February.
KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraines former chief prosecutor, Yuriy Lutsenko, was a central figure in the events leading to the first impeachment of President Donald J. Trump, when Mr. Trump was accused of withholding military aid from Ukraine in an effort to persuade President Volodymyr Zelenskys administration to investigate Hunter Biden.

Mr. Lutsenko, an opposition party member who now serves as a military officer, emerged from the impeachment trial in 2019 a tainted figure in Ukraine. As the prosecutor general under Mr. Zelenskys predecessor, Mr. Lutsenko had met with Mr. Trumps lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, and had discussed starting an investigation of Hunter Biden, President Bidens son.

So when Mr. Lutsenko received a military promotion last month, it raised some eyebrows in Kyiv. Some saw it as a tone-deaf provocation of the Biden administration, sure to irritate Mr. Zelenskys aides at a time when the Ukrainian Army is deeply dependent on military aid from the United States.

Then last week, Mr. Lutsenko abruptly lost his new assignment as the commander of a platoon of drone operators near the embattled city of Bakhmut. That prompted accusations of political retribution and raised the possibility of friction not just between Ukraines political parties, but between Mr. Zelensky and his military leadership as well.
Nairobi  Kenya is now engaging her neighbours to rein in cross-border smuggling of illegal firearms that have been fuelling violent conflicts and crimes in the region.

According to Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, the government has now reached out to Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Somalia with the intent of stepping up the joint efforts against the proliferation of small arms and light weapons among border and nomadic communities.

"Due to their easy availability and low cost, these are the weapons of choice for terrorists, insurgents, and criminal gangs in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa," he said.

The PS stated that Kenya's prime focus is to pare down the availability of these weapons, and ultimately end years of inter-communal conflicts, banditry and livestock rustling.

The resultant atrocities of the foregoing trends, according to Dr. Omollo, partly constitute the "high cost" the country has paid for illegal firearms, particularly in the North Rift, northern frontier counties, and parts of Eastern region.

He noted: "Unsurprisingly, these three regions cumulatively account for approximately 30 percent of all the small arms and light weapons in the country, a trend that has hindered progress towards social and economic development."

Of great concern for Kenya is how criminals and unscrupulous profit-seekers continue to devise new strategies to covertly traffic and smuggle the weapons into the country.

In response, Dr. Omollo relayed the government's commitment to the establishing a robust border control system, which will feature next-level surveillance technology.

"Those of us in the security sector can attest to the complexity of these criminals' methods and the extension of their networks," the PS noted, "This move will help us conduct surveillance and respond to illegal crossing and movement of proscribed goods, including dangerous weapons."

The PS was speaking in Nairobi during the opening ceremony of a three-day workshop organized by the Regional Centre on Small Arms and Light Weapons (RECSA), as the Centre seeks to strengthening cross-border arms control cooperation.

The workshop brought together various local, regional and international law enforcement agencies, and the discourse will revolve around enhancing the SALW marking, record-keeping and tracing regime.

On his part, Lt. Gen. Badreldin Elamin Abdelgadir, RECSA Executive Secretary, emphasized on the importance of enhancing cross-border capacity to counter illicit trafficking of weapons which will directly complement national, regional and global instruments, key among them the Nairobi Protocol on the Prevention, Control and Reduction of SALW in the Great Lakes Region, Horn of Africa and Bordering States.

"The development and implementation of border security and management strategies; efforts to detect and seize parts and components of weapons and ammunition; enhanced stockpile management; and the fight against the illicit manufacture of weapons are effective tools to disrupt the supply of illicit small arms and light weapons to unintended end users," noted Gen. Abdelgadir.

During the training, the representatives will also canvass better ways to strengthen border security and reinforce stakeholder understanding of field identification and tracking of the weapons, with the ultimate objective of countering diversion into wrong hands.

The Kenya National Focal Point (KNFP) described diversion as "loss, theft, leakage and proliferation" of weapons, and prescribes efficient security of arms and ammunition stockpiles.

Through its representative, the agency stated: "The systematic control of stockpiles is in keeping with a philosophy of 'due care' and therefore States should take a proactive, rather than re-active, stance in ensuring that arms are accounted for and secured to the highest standards."

According to the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization/Counter-Terrorism Centre of Excellence (EAPCCO-CTCoE), which is also among the agencies represented in the workshop, the most notorious weapons used by terrorists, bandits and armed gangsters include the Kalashnikov rifle (AK47), colt M16, H&K G3 rifle, PKM machinegun and RPG7.

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"All these weapons have serial numbers and can be easily traced to manufacturers if governments were to take this menace seriously," stated the Deputy Director, Gideon Kibunjah.

Interpol, through its representative, vouched for the effectiveness of its I-24/7 global police communications system, which enables police around the world to share alerts, data and intelligence on various security issues.

The agency further undertook to remain a committed partner in the quest to improve cooperation on international cases and efforts to tackle transnational organized crimes.

Among agencies involved in the training include: Germany's Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC), the African Union Commission (AUC), the Regional Economic Communities, and the International Conference on the Great Lakes (ICGLR) among others.
Protests erupted in more than a dozen cities across Iran on Tuesday over what some fear may be the poisoning of thousands of schoolgirls and the governments inability to contain the growing crisis, videos posted on social media show.

Death to the child-killing regime, protesters chanted, some holding signs reading, Protect the safety of schools, the videos showed.

They were the first protests seen in multiple Iranian cities simultaneously after two months of relative calm. The large uprisings led by women and girls that rocked the nation toward the end of last year had largely fizzled after a brutal government crackdown that included mass arrests and the execution of four protesters.

But the school illnesses have reignited public fury, with many calling once again for an end to the Islamic Republics rule.
For years, the photographer Tommy Kha hardly spoke to his mother, except for the occasional times they made portraits together at home in Memphis, Tenn. At times, the distance grew, turning mean. He was queer; she was disappointed. He left the South, first for grad school at Yale, then to New York City. But in the past decade, he returned to Memphis as often as he could to make work.

In the intervening years, those portraits he made with his mother, May Kha, as the central subject, untangled some of the knots between them. And as Kha started to make photographs around home, he revealed Memphis in a way only a second-generation Asian American could.

Half, Full, Quarter, his new monograph from Aperture, and Ghost Bites, an exhibition of his at Baxter Street at the Camera Club of New York, tell part of that story.

Kha, 34, grew up in the Whitehaven neighborhood of Memphis, the home of Elvis Presleys Graceland. Outside the South, people met his origin story with disbelief. But where are you really from? theyd asked. You dont have an accent or seem Southern. His grandparents fled China for Vietnam in the 1930s, and then his parents fled Vietnam in 1983, spending eight months at sea, before settling in Memphis, where Kha was born.
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.

Whos the Lucky Lady?

A report says Donald Trump is considering a female running mate for 2024, in hopes of winning over suburban white women. On Tuesday, Stephen Colbert noted that Kari Lake, who still denies that she lost Arizonas gubernatorial race last year, was said to be a contender.

Lake lost her election and refuses to admit it, but she has got one win under her belt, Colbert said, referring to a conservative conference in Washington where a straw poll found her to be the top choice for the vice presidency.
Did a lab leak cause Covid?

U.S. lawmakers opened hearings yesterday into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic. The hearing, which quickly became politically charged, underscored how difficult it may be to ascertain the origins of Covid-19.

Republicans on the House panel investigating the pandemics origins made an aggressive case that the virus may have been the result of a laboratory leak. The lab-leak hypothesis recently gained a boost after new intelligence led the Energy Department to conclude, albeit with low confidence, that a leak was the most likely cause.

The first public hearing came as the debate intensifies about one of the great unsolved mysteries of the pandemic. The committee is made up of seven Democrats and nine Republicans, including Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known for her embrace of conspiracy theories.

Heres what we know, and dont know, about the origins of the pandemic.

Two theories: The lab-leak hypothesis centers largely around the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which studied coronaviruses. But some scientists say the virus most likely jumped from animals to humans at a market in Wuhan, China.
Documents released in recent weeks as part of a $1.6 billion defamation suit against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems have revealed extraordinary private communications and depositions from the networks star hosts and executives. In those statements, many of them expressed disbelief about President Donald J. Trumps false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, even though the network continued to promote many of those lies on the air.

Regardless of the outcome of the case, which is scheduled to go to trial in April, one host in particular  Tucker Carlson  appears to have a tricky road to navigate with his audience. In his private messages, Mr. Carlson, who generally provides strong support of Republicans on the air, repeatedly showed contempt for Mr. Trump and some of his closest aides.

Documents from a lawsuit filed by the voting machine maker Dominion against Fox News have shed light on the debate inside the network over false claims related to the 2020 election. Running Fox: Emails that lawyers for Dominion have used to build their defamation case give a peek into Emails that lawyers for Dominion have used to build their defamation case give a peek into how Rupert Murdoch shapes coverage at his news organizations.

Behind the Curtain: Texts and emails released as part of the lawsuit show how Fox employees Texts and emails released as part of the lawsuit show how Fox employees privately mocked election fraud claims made by Donald Trump, even as the network amplified them to appease viewers.

Tucker Carlsons Contempt: The Fox hosts private comments, revealed in court documents, The Fox hosts private comments, revealed in court documents, contrast sharply with his support of Trump on his show.

Attacks on Dominion: Despite the stark warning that Dominion has sent by filing several lawsuits, including the one against Fox, Despite the stark warning that Dominion has sent by filing several lawsuits, including the one against Fox, unfounded assertions about the company are still proliferating online.

In a statement, Fox News said the fact that Dominion was using the contents of the legal filings to twist and even misattribute quotes to the highest levels of our company is truly beyond the pale.

Here are five examples of Mr. Carlsons views on Mr. Trump from the documents:

Nov. 6, 2020

1. On Trumps Business History

As votes were being counted in the 2020 presidential election, Mr. Carlson texted with his producer, Alex Pfeiffer, fretting about viewers turning away from Fox News after the network called Arizona for President Biden.

Alex Pfeiffer: Trump has a pretty low rate at success in his business ventures. Tucker Carlson: Thats for sure. All of them fail. What hes good at is destroying things. Hes the undisputed world champion of that.

Nov. 10, 2020

2. On Trumps Plan to Skip Bidens Inauguration

A staff member texted Mr. Carlson to say theyd heard Mr. Trump was planning not to attend the inauguration, an important symbol of the peaceful transfer of power.

Carlson: Id heard that about the inauguration. Hard to believe. So destructive. Carlson: Its disgusting. Im trying to look away.

Nov. 23, 2020

3. On His Interactions With Trumps Team Over Sidney Powell, a Trump Lawyer

Mr. Carlson texts with the Fox News host Laura Ingraham about Sidney Powell, a lawyer for Mr. Trump and one of the biggest promoters of the unfounded election fraud claims.

Carlson: I had to try to make the WH disavow her, which they obviously should have done long before. Laura Ingraham: No serious lawyer could believe what they were saying. Carlson: But they said nothing in public. Pretty disgusting. And now Trump, I learned this morning, is sitting back and letting them lose the senate. He doesnt care. I care.

Jan. 4, 2021

4. On His Desire to Move On From Trump

Mr. Carlson texts with members of his staff, two months after the 2020 election and two days before the insurrection at the Capitol building, about looking forward to not having to cover Mr. Trump.

Carlson: We are very, very close to being able to ignore Trump most nights. I truly cant wait. Carlson: I hate him passionately.

Jan. 7, 2021

5. On the Aftermath of the Capitol Riots

After the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, Mr. Carlson texts with Mr. Pfeiffer about Mr. Trumps culpability in the insurrection and how to deal with viewers who still support him. It was two weeks before the inauguration of President Biden.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, repeated those remarks at a briefing with reporters on Wednesday and added that Mr. Carlsons depiction of the violent events at the Capitol is just shameful.

On his Monday and Tuesday night broadcasts, Mr. Carlson aired a compilation of Capitol surveillance footage from Jan. 6 and downplayed the violence that occurred. He presented the footage as evidence that the attack was an orderly and meek gathering of sightseers who had good reason to doubt the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

Fox News did not immediately respond on Wednesday to a request for comment.

In a deposition released on Tuesday, an executive at Fox News Media, David Clark, who previously oversaw Fox Newss weekend programming, said he did not consider Mr. Carlsons program  or the program hosted by Sean Hannity  to be a credible source of news.

And in a previous lawsuit, in which Fox News defended Mr. Carlson against an allegation of slander, the networks lawyers argued that his program consisted of hyperbolic opinion commentary and described his on-air remarks as loose, figurative or hyperbolic. The suit was dismissed.

Aides to President Biden have privately lamented Fox Newss negative depiction of the president and his administration, but it is rare for a White House official to issue an on-the-record criticism of the network or one of its stars by name.
GENEVA  Four bankers went on trial in Zurich on Wednesday charged with helping to cover up the movement of tens of millions of Swiss francs through accounts opened in the name of a Russian musician with close links to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.

The case focuses on two bank accounts in the name of Sergei P. Roldugin, a concert cellist and director of a Moscow musical academy who is known as an old friend of Mr. Putins and as a godfather to the presidents eldest daughter. The accounts were opened in the Swiss unit of Gazprombank, a prominent lender in Russia.

The trial raises wider questions about the role of Swiss banks as the destination of choice for billions of dollars of deposits linked to Russian officials, oligarchs and ultimately to Mr. Putin, especially in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine last year.

Swiss prosecutors say the defendants  Gazprombanks chief executive and three other employees at the bank  were criminally negligent in failing to perform robust due diligence to determine the real beneficiary of the assets flowing through the accounts. The bankers, three Russians and a Swiss, deny the charge.
Of all the women who have made dramatic entrances at Cartier, Maria Felix, one of Mexicos most famous actresses, may have been the most memorable. The jewelry house still talks about the day she arrived, carrying a baby crocodile that she wanted to be the model for a necklace.

The relationship between Cartier and the woman known to her fans as La Dona (in English, the Lady) started in the 1950s and spawned a stylistically creative chapter in the jewelers history that included a line of watches named for the movie star.

Some of those creations are to be displayed in a new exhibition at the Jumex Museum in Mexico City, titled Cartier Design, A Living Legacy, scheduled to open March 15 and run through May 14. The show traces Cartiers design history, with a special focus on influences from Latin America.

Maria Felix brought her outsized boldness to Cartier, and trusted Cartier to create imposing pieces that were always in good taste, Pierre Rainero, Cartiers image and heritage director, said in a video interview from the jewelers Paris headquarters. Did Maria Felix influence Cartier or was it the other way around? I would say it was a two-way street.
The word incipient has appeared in 30 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Feb. 8 in An Artist With Roots in Nairobi and New York Imagines a New Destiny by Aruna DSouza:

The Nigerian American writer, photographer and art historian Teju Cole met Mutu more than a decade ago at a party that had migrated from the Afropunk festival to Mutus house in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn; the crowd, like the festival itself, he recalled, was African American, African, futuristic, cosmopolitan, politically alert. While underlining the creative leap that Mutus move to sculpture represents, he also noted the continuities between the New York and Kenyan phases of her career, after she began traveling with her husband, Mario Lazzaroni, a manager for Estee Lauder in Africa, and their two young daughters. I think the move really expanded her language  a kind of disciplined maximalism  into the earth, and into the natural materials, into clay, into wood, Cole said. And it contains all the stuff that had been incipient in her work: disregard of boundaries between human and animal, mythical and documentary, organic and cyborg.

Daily Word Challenge

Can you correctly use the word incipient in a sentence?

Based on the definition and example provided, write a sentence using todays Word of the Day and share it as a comment on this article. It is most important that your sentence makes sense and demonstrates that you understand the words definition, but we also encourage you to be creative and have fun.

Then, read some of the other sentences students have submitted and use the Recommend button to vote for two original sentences that stand out to you.

If you want a better idea of how incipient can be used in a sentence, read these usage examples on Vocabulary.com.
Soldiers of the Somali National Army (SNA) are silhouetted against the setting sun in the town of Jawahar in Middle Shabelle region, north of the Somali capital Mogadisu, December 10, 2010.

Officials in Somalia say an al-Shabab attack on a military base in the south of the country has been "repulsed."

The deputy president of Jubaland state, Mohamud Sayid Aden, told VOA Somali that al-Shabab militants used explosives and armed fighters to attack Janaa Cabdalle, 60 kilometers west of Kismayo.

"This morning the Khawarij (deviants) attacked Janaa Cabdalle base, a strategic base which was captured from them before," he said, using a term for al-Shabab militants.

"As is the hallmark for their attacks they used a series of explosives and suicide bombing, but the Somali troops defended the base," he added.

He said Tuesday's al-Shabab attack "failed" as government troops fought off the militants. Aden said barriers erected by the soldiers in anticipation of the al-Shabab attack prevented explosives penetrating the base.

Five soldiers were killed and more than 10 others injured, according to Aden.

"Brave men are among the dead, and as opined in fatwa (ruling) by the religious scholars, they will be in paradise," he said.

He said al-Shabab suffered higher casualties as a result of the attack.

Al-Shabab said its fighters "overran" the base and killed 89 soldiers, a figure that has not been independently verified.

The group's military affairs spokesperson, Abdulaziz Abu Mus'ab, told al-Shabab media that 20 vehicles were seized from the government forces.

Abu Mus'ab also said that al-Shabab ambushed reinforcements the government sent from Yontoy and Bar Sanguni bases, east of Janaa Cabdalle.

Aden denied al-Shabab claims of high casualty figures among regional and federal forces.

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"It's baseless," he said.

Somali government forces supported by local fighters have driven al-Shabab from large areas in Hirshabelle and Galmudug states in operations that began last August.

The government's national security adviser, Hussein Sheikh-Ali, told VOA last week that authorities are preparing a second phase of military operations which will involve additional troops sent by the three countries bordering Somalia - Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya.

Aden said government forces are in control of the Janaa Cabdalle base, which he said is key to advancing on al-Shabab strongholds in the Middle Juba region.

"The target is their biggest base in Middle Juba, a final offensive on Jilib and Buale and the other big bases they have been occupying for a long time," he said. "Janaa Cabdalle is the closest strategic base to launch an offensive from."

The government has been fighting al-Shabab for more than 15 years. Al-Shabab wants to remove the government and impose its brand of strict Islamic law.
My brother-in-law and his wife adopted a dog a year ago. Since then, every time they have come over to our home, they have brought the dog too. My husband and children arent incredibly fond of pets. This creates some uncomfortable situations for us. I dont think we truly enjoy their company, because they are always running around after the dog while they are with us. I have tried to indirectly hint that getting a dog sitter may be an option, but thats hit or miss.

Nowadays we dont feel that comfortable inviting them over as often. I feel sad, because its creating a distance between us. Shouldnt they just accept the fact that not everyone is comfortable with a pet and find ways to leave it at home (for a few hours) instead of taking it with them everywhere they go? I hate bringing this up with my husband, because I know he is torn as well. How can we delicately and politely let them know without hurting their feelings?  Name Withheld

From the Ethicist:

I agree that visitors  including family members  should ask their hosts if theyre OK with pets being brought to their home. Still, pet lovers arent always aware that not everyone finds their furry friends as charming as they do (and that, either way, many have allergies to contend with). If you had spoken up at the start, this whole thing would have probably been a nonissue. Instead, the approach you chose  avoiding tension by staying silent  is now driving you all apart. Its a shortsighted form of conflict avoidance that simply magnifies the conflict over time.

Your in-laws cant take your aversion into account if you dont tell them about it. Your indirect hinting is clearly a dog whistle theyre unable to hear. Being truly courteous calls for being clear: You want to see them without their furry companion. At this point, you may have to explain why you didnt convey your concerns earlier, and you may not be able to avoid hurt feelings altogether. But affectionate candor would be an improvement over what youre currently doing: rolling over while growling inaudibly.
Like any police encounter, this one was set off by a unique mix of events. The man in the yellow hoodie, a witness later told the Capitol Hill Seattle blog, came onto the street to calm down after an argument: The speaker in his hand was for listening to music; the gunshot sound that prompted the call to 911 was reportedly the sound of him slapping a stop sign. But like any police encounter of the present moment, its contours were sharpened and shaped by the history within which it unfolded.

It has been almost a decade since George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman in Florida, was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old wearing a hoodie and carrying a pack of Skittles  a real suspicious guy, according to Zimmerman. Police violence against people of color was nothing new. But Martins death was followed by those of Michael Brown and Eric Garner and Tamir Rice and Walter Scott and Philando Castile and an ever-growing list of victims. Over and over, videos emerged, revealing how often police narratives were incommensurable with what actually happened. Where police reported threats worthy of deadly force, viewers saw racist overreaction, often to ordinary or benign or misunderstood situations. They watched as a variety of possible outcomes  the other ways these stories could have gone, if only different decisions were made  dropped away, leaving only the most tragic.

And then came the 911 call from Capitol Hill in February, reporting a sound like gunfire. A young Black man in a hoodie holding something in his hand. Lights flashing and phone cameras recording.

In the video, the police keep telling the man in the hoodie that he should walk toward them, toward the bright glare of lights and the mouth of the rifle. He seems terrified and stays where he is, shouting that hes unarmed. The man ignored commands, is the ominous description the police blotter later provides.
What does it mean to grow up now, in a period when society is shifting at a breakneck pace? Ethan Engs Therapy Dogs, a bracing, exhilarating film that tracks one high school classs senior year, has a simple answer: Youth is, as it always has been, about being young. Young and reckless, existential and inarticulate, hopeful and hopeless.

The film, written by Eng and his co-star Justin Morrice, is mostly shot as real documentary footage, often with GoPro and cellphone cameras. The boys tell their fellow students theyre part of the class of 2019s yearbook committee  but, they explain at the start of the film, its all a ruse to chronicle and reveal the truth about high school. Its the kind of naively dramatic proclamation one expects from 17-year-olds.
New York City will launch a new Black studies curriculum next fall that could eventually be used across hundreds of schools, part of a local effort to embrace lessons on race and culture that have sharply divided school districts around the country along political lines.

The Black studies curriculum in social studies will launch in a handful of classrooms in September, before expanding across grades pre-K to 12. An Asian American and Pacific Islander curriculum, which was taught in about a dozen schools this fall, will also expand across the system in 2024. Some schools had already adopted an L.G.B.T.Q. curriculum supplement for children in fourth through twelfth grades last year.

More than 40 states have introduced or passed laws to restrict how issues of race and racism are taught. Recently, in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis banned a new Advanced Placement class in African American studies.

But there is another movement to expand teaching about race, discrimination and sexuality in some left-leaning places, marking a widening divide in what American students learn about the nations history and culture in school. Connecticut, Illinois and Washington, D.C., are adding new lessons about the experiences of people of color, while California will soon require students to take an ethnic studies course to graduate from high school.
He was delusional at the time he got into the ambulance, Mr. Barton said.

The verdict ended a case that once roiled the city. The death of Ms. Arroyo, a mother of five sons, put a spotlight on the risks that emergency medical workers face when they encounter people in the throes of crisis. Last year, Lieutenant Alison Russo-Elling, a 24-year veteran just shy of retirement, was stabbed to death by a man outside her station in Queens.

Image Yadira Arroyo was trying to help a teenage boy when she died. Credit... Fire Department of New York

The murder also ignited renewed debate over the so-called dangerousness standard in New Yorks bail law, which prevents judges from considering criminal history when they set the terms of pretrial release.

Three weeks before Ms. Arroyos murder, Mr. Gonzalez had been accused of kicking out the back window of a police van and trying to punch an officer. The judge in that case had released Mr. Gonzalez, who was already awaiting trial on separate assault charges  a decision that was put under the microscope following Ms. Arroyos death.

Mr. Gonzalez encountered Ms. Arroyo, 44, a 14-year Fire Department veteran known as Yari, while she was driving an ambulance along White Plains Road in the Bronx.

Her partner, Monique Williams, was in the passenger seat as they rolled up to a red light near Watson Avenue, according to surveillance video played in court on Monday. They were working overtime to answer a call from a pregnant woman who needed medical aid, Ms. Williams testified during the trial.
During Mr. Douds trial, company emails entered into evidence included descriptions of a pharmacy that was dispensing a staggering number of pills to so many suspicious doctors that the data was screaming red. Another pharmacy was likened to a stick of dynamite waiting for DEA to light the fuse.

Rochester Drug Cooperative, known as R.D.C., and its former head of compliance, William Pietruszewski, were indicted along with Mr. Doud and on the same charges. They were also charged with failing to disclose suspicious orders of controlled substances to the D.E.A.

R.D.C. entered into an agreement under which the government said it would not prosecute as long as the company paid a $20 million fine, followed the law and submitted to five years of supervision by an independent monitor. Mr. Pietruszewski pleaded guilty and testified in Mr. Douds trial.

Fentanyl Overdoses: What to Know Card 1 of 6 Devastating losses. Drug overdose deaths, largely caused by the synthetic opioid drug fentanyl, reached record highs in the United States in 2021. Heres what you should know to keep your loved ones safe: Understand fentanyls effects. Fentanyl is a potent and fast-acting drug, two qualities that also make it highly addictive. A small quantity goes a long way, so its easy to suffer an overdose. With fentanyl, there is only a short window of time to intervene and save a persons life during an overdose. Stick to licensed pharmacies. Prescription drugs sold online or by unlicensed dealers marketed as OxyContin, Vicodin and Xanax are often laced with fentanyl. Only take pills that were prescribed by your doctor and came from a licensed pharmacy. Talk to your loved ones. The best way to prevent fentanyl use is to educate your loved ones, including teens, about it. Explain what fentanyl is and that it can be found in pills bought online or from friends. Aim to establish an ongoing dialogue in short spurts rather than one long, formal conversation. Learn how to spot an overdose. When someone overdoses from fentanyl, breathing slows and their skin often turns a bluish hue. If you think someone is overdosing, call 911 right away. Buy naloxone. If youre concerned that a loved one could be exposed to fentanyl, you may want to buy naloxone. The medicine can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose and is often available at pharmacies without a prescription. Narcan, the nasal spray version of naloxone, has received F.D.A. approval to be sold over the counter and should be widely available by late summer.











Lawyers for Mr. Doud had asked Judge George B. Daniels for a sentence without prison time, describing their client, who they said was appealing his conviction, as a pillar of his community who posed no threat to the public and had consistently helped others.

They added that the prosecution was not typical, suggesting that Mr. Doud had resembled an ordinary white-collar criminal motivated by financial gain rather than a drug kingpin. They wrote that in his case: Threat of physical force or violence was nonexistent.
Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., was elevated in 2020 to become the Catholic Churchs first Black cardinal. He was the first Black president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as far back as the early 2000s  a time at which Dennis Archer was also the first Black president of the American Bar Association.

Lowes and Walgreens, two of the nations largest retailers, are run by Black chief executives. The reason you probably didnt know that is because there are now enough Black chief executives to bypass the notion of firsts. This contrasts with 2000, when there were only two prominent Black chief executives of Fortune 500 companies  Franklin Raines at Fannie Mae and Lloyd Ward at Maytag  although that, too, was awesome progress over what had come before.

Successes of this kind should be held up front and center, not dismissed as footnotes or all but buried in equal coverage of remaining disparities  although those should of course be covered elsewhere in a curriculum. The question is how people like this achieved as much as they did despite the obstacles, largely but not exclusively racial, they all faced. We might ask why there isnt more focus on that question.

I often sense that we are supposed to think of people like this with a certain formulaic admiration. They are what are sometimes called Blacks in wax (after, presumably, the museum in Baltimore): nice to know about but ultimately fluky superstars irrelevant to what some might say Blackness is really about. Is the idea that, because they have not usually dedicated themselves to political protest in deed or gesture, it somehow makes them less impressive or less important? That itself would be a radical proposition.

Something else: A modern history of Black America should include how Black English has become, to a considerable extent, a youth lingua franca since at least the 1990s. It is absolutely a fact that attitudes toward Black English can be influenced by racism. However, this is neither the most important nor even the most interesting thing about the dialect. Beyond its awesome grammatical structures, it is fascinating that such a dialect primarily confined to Black usage just 50 years ago now decorates the speech of countless Americans who are not Black at all. And that is because how Black people talk has become an integral part of how America talks.
Among the provisions:

State university boards of trustees appointed by the governor will be responsible for hiring faculty for the university.

Each state university board of trustees may, at the request of its chair, review any faculty members tenure status.

General education core courses may not suppress or distort significant historical events or include a curriculum that teaches identity politics, such as critical race theory, or defines American history as contrary to the creation of a new nation based on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence.

Mandatory removal from college and university course offerings of any major or minor in critical race theory, gender studies or intersectionality or any derivative major or minor of these belief systems.

DeSantis is playing with fire.

In a February Inside Higher Education article, Brian Rosenberg, a president emeritus of Macalester College in Minnesota and a visiting professor at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard, raised the issue of accreditation. He cited the standards used by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, which suggest that DeSantiss proposals could result in the revocation of accreditation by the commission.

Among the standards Rosenberg points to are:

Effective governing boards adhere to the laws and regulations that underpin the institutions legitimacy while championing its right to operate without unreasonable intrusions by governmental and nongovernmental agencies and entities. This applies to any governing board, whether public, private not-for-profit or private for-profit. The board protects and preserves the institutions independence from outside pressures.

Because student learning is central to the institutions mission and educational degrees, the faculty has responsibility for directing the learning enterprise, including overseeing and coordinating educational programs to assure that each contains essential curricular components, has appropriate content and pedagogy and maintains discipline currency.

The essential role of institutions of higher education is the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge. Academic freedom respects the dignity and rights of others while fostering intellectual freedom of faculty to teach, research and publish. Responsible academic freedom enriches the contributions of higher education to society.

I wrote to a number of experts in education policy  across the ideological spectrum  asking for their take on Ron DeSantiss latest education reform proposals and the legislation introduced by his allies in the Florida House, HB 999. Are his proposals a legitimate effort to restrain liberal ideological excesses, or do they represent the use of the coercive power of government to impose an agenda on schools and colleges or somewhere in between?

Very few conservatives voiced concern, in response to my inquiry, over the use of government to set an ideological agenda.

Yoram Hazony, chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation, replied to me by email:

We are supportive of DeSantis and Christopher Rufos attempts to find ways to improve the ideological balance within the university system. The university system relies heavily on public funding, and so it should be roughly balanced between left-leaning and conservative professors. The fact that under 10 percent of professors are drawn from conservative academic circles means that academic research is too susceptible to groupthink and that a university education is at this point too similar to indoctrination. We would like to see a variety of means adopted for rectifying these problems.

Along similar lines, Nate Hochman, a staff writer at National Review, emailed to say:

Im a fan. I think the bill is right on the merits, but I also dont recognize the allegations of authoritarianism that are made about these and related efforts from DeSantis as it pertains to higher-education reform. To the contrary, this is democracy in action; the fact that its effects are at odds with the policy preferences of progressives doesnt make that any less true.

Hochman argued:

These are state or state-funded institutions were talking about, and DeSantis and the Florida Legislature are the representatives that Floridas voters (overwhelmingly!) elected to govern said institutions. To suggest that they should be insulated from oversight, reform or accountability to elected lawmakers is to reject a basic principle of democratic self-determination  that the voters, via the representatives they elect, get the final say in how their tax dollars are spent.

One of the conservatives I contacted raised constitutional questions about DeSantiss approach while voicing overall approval.

Adam Kissel, a former deputy assistant secretary of education in the Trump administration and now a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundations Center for Education Policy, wrote: Rather than respond in terms of ideology, I would say his proposals are a welcome effort to return public colleges and universities to their traditional, core mission of seeking out and transmitting knowledge.

But, Kissel added, HB 999 has some constitutional infirmities, especially viewpoint interventions that are likely to fail in court. The unconstitutional provisions can easily be reworded or omitted, leaving several excellent features intact. Kissel described how to deal with those infirmities in an essay published by The Federalist, The Smart Lawmakers Guide to Writing Anti-Critical Race Theory Laws That Will Stand Up In Court.

What is striking about most of the responses I received from conservatives is the minimization or complete absence of concern over the politicization of higher education when the driving force is from the right.
There have been other troublesome missteps and delays. Residents were most at risk during, and immediately following, the moment the large toxic cloud spread across the community. Yet the E.P.A. waited until just a few days ago to announce that residents living within one mile of the train derailment could get money to relocate temporarily. Weeks after the evacuation order was lifted, residents were offered commercial cleaning inside their homes, long after many cleaned on their own. That, too, should have happened on Day 1.

Many of these failures most likely happened because the E.P.A. deferred too much to the less experienced Ohio E.P.A. That agency answers to Gov. Mike DeWine, who since the beginning has not seemed to grasp the seriousness of the situation.

But by acting as a reluctant regulator, the E.P.A. has left the residents of East Palestine and the surrounding areas desperate for answers. In a recent community meeting, residents demanded more information. These are people who are concerned for their health, the safety of their own homes and the well-being of their children. They deserve better.

I proudly served as an E.P.A. regional administrator during the Obama administration. And I saw the consequences of the agencys culture of deferring to states, including states with lax environmental enforcement. It happened in Flint, Mich., where residents were left to continue drinking lead-contaminated water while the E.P.A. waited for the state to act. It was only when the public spoke out and the national press started paying attention that the E.P.A. finally stepped up.

You can see this excessive deference in nonemergency situations, too, in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In these states, the E.P.A. has stood by for decades as serial polluters pumped contaminants into the air and the water in communities where petrochemicals are manufactured. According to E.P.A. records, people in Louisiana and Texas were breathing in air with more toxic chemicals than the residents of any other part of the country. Yet the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality approved permits for a giant Formosa Plastics complex in St. James Parish, and the E.P.A. did nothing publicly to oppose them. (The permits were later thrown out by a judge, but that ruling has been appealed.) Time and time again, the state has failed its people and the E.P.A. hasnt done enough to step in.
On the evening of Oct. 19, 2020, as reporters and photographers for The Kashmir Times rushed to meet deadlines, government officials and the police swept into the newspapers offices in the city of Srinagar, chased out the staff and put a lock on the door that remains to this day.

To me, the raid was punishment for daring to question the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. The newspaper, for which I am the executive editor, has been an independent voice in the state of Jammu and Kashmir since it was founded by my father in 1954, weathering several tumultuous decades of war and military occupation. But it may not survive Mr. Modi. His repressive media policies are destroying Kashmiri journalism, intimidating media outlets into serving as government mouthpieces and creating an information vacuum in our region of about 13 million people.

Now Mr. Modi is taking steps that could replicate this disturbing model on a national scale. His Hindu-chauvinist movement, which has normalized intolerance and violence against Indian Muslims, has already put severe pressure on Indias once-rambunctious press, with journalists surveilled and jailed and the government using strong-arm tactics against media outlets to ensure favorable coverage. But in January, draft amendments to digital media guidelines were introduced that would essentially allow the government to block any content it doesnt like.

In other words, the rest of India may end up looking a lot like Kashmir.

In 2019, Mr. Modis government abruptly revoked Kashmirs autonomous status without public input from the territorys people, sent in thousands of troops and shut down internet access. The shutdown lasted nearly six months, forcing hundreds of journalists to line up for hours to file their stories via a single designated site that had internet access. Each had 15 minutes to do so. Internet speeds have been excruciatingly slow since.
Amid the worst Cholera outbreak, the Ministry of Local Government, Unity and Culture is reviving the National Clean-Up Day, beginning with a reminder to all relevant stakeholders that the country observes the day every second Friday of every month.

The ministry has said this in a press release dated 6th March 2023 and signed by Secretary for Local Government, Unity and Culture, James Chiusiwa.

Reads the press release: "With the increase of registered Cholera cases in Malawi, which is fuelled by unhygienic practices, the ministry urges all stakeholders in public and private sectors, CSOs and the general public at large to identify surroundings where the cleaning and greening activities will be observed on Friday, 10th March, 2023".

The ministry also advises all households, institutions and communities to have big containers, large enough to keep their waste.

It further reminds the general public that failing to properly handle waste is illegal under the laws of Malawi.

Launched with pomp and hype by President Lazarus Chakwera in November 2020, the National Clean-Up Day sought to achieve good hygienic practices among Malawians by encouraging citizens to sweep and clean their homes, workplaces and other community surroundings every second Friday of a month.

In January this year, environmental activists expressed disappointment with the dying momentum of the campaign meant to promote proper waste management in the country and called for its revival.
But ChatGPT and similar programs are, by design, unlimited in what they can learn (which is to say, memorize); they are incapable of distinguishing the possible from the impossible. Unlike humans, for example, who are endowed with a universal grammar that limits the languages we can learn to those with a certain kind of almost mathematical elegance, these programs learn humanly possible and humanly impossible languages with equal facility. Whereas humans are limited in the kinds of explanations we can rationally conjecture, machine learning systems can learn both that the earth is flat and that the earth is round. They trade merely in probabilities that change over time.

For this reason, the predictions of machine learning systems will always be superficial and dubious. Because these programs cannot explain the rules of English syntax, for example, they may well predict, incorrectly, that John is too stubborn to talk to means that John is so stubborn that he will not talk to someone or other (rather than that he is too stubborn to be reasoned with). Why would a machine learning program predict something so odd? Because it might analogize the pattern it inferred from sentences such as John ate an apple and John ate, in which the latter does mean that John ate something or other. The program might well predict that because John is too stubborn to talk to Bill is similar to John ate an apple, John is too stubborn to talk to should be similar to John ate. The correct explanations of language are complicated and cannot be learned just by marinating in big data.

Perversely, some machine learning enthusiasts seem to be proud that their creations can generate correct scientific predictions (say, about the motion of physical bodies) without making use of explanations (involving, say, Newtons laws of motion and universal gravitation). But this kind of prediction, even when successful, is pseudoscience. While scientists certainly seek theories that have a high degree of empirical corroboration, as the philosopher Karl Popper noted, we do not seek highly probable theories but explanations; that is to say, powerful and highly improbable theories.

The theory that apples fall to earth because that is their natural place (Aristotles view) is possible, but it only invites further questions. (Why is earth their natural place?) The theory that apples fall to earth because mass bends space-time (Einsteins view) is highly improbable, but it actually tells you why they fall. True intelligence is demonstrated in the ability to think and express improbable but insightful things.

True intelligence is also capable of moral thinking. This means constraining the otherwise limitless creativity of our minds with a set of ethical principles that determines what ought and ought not to be (and of course subjecting those principles themselves to creative criticism). To be useful, ChatGPT must be empowered to generate novel-looking output; to be acceptable to most of its users, it must steer clear of morally objectionable content. But the programmers of ChatGPT and other machine learning marvels have struggled  and will continue to struggle  to achieve this kind of balance.
Dr. Hamlin of the University of Florida also delved into the magnetic measurements and said it looked more as though the raw data had been derived from the published data and not the other way around.

Dr. Hamlin was also disturbed when he found that several passages from his doctoral thesis, written in 2007, had appeared, word for word, in Dr. Diass dissertation.

Dr. Dias dismisses the continuing criticism and says his group provided explanations. I just felt like it was just noise from the background, he said. We try to keep pushing our science forward.

He said that he still stood by the earlier results and that Wednesdays paper employed a new technique for the magnetic measurements. He said that the paper had gone through five rounds of scrutiny by the reviewers and that all of the raw data underlying the findings were being shared.

It is back again in Nature, Dr. Dias said. So that tells you something.

Sara Miller, a University of Rochester spokeswoman, said that after two university inquiries, it was determined that there was no evidence that supported the concerns. She also said that the university had considered the matter of the September 2022 retraction of the Nature paper and came to the same conclusion.
SAN FRANCISCO  When Aaron Levie, the chief executive of Box, tried a new A.I. chatbot called ChatGPT in early December, it didnt take him long to declare, We need people on this!

He cleared his calendar and asked employees to figure out how the technology, which instantly provides comprehensive answers to complex questions, could benefit Box, a cloud computing company that sells services that help businesses manage their online data.

Mr. Levies reaction to ChatGPT was typical of the anxiety  and excitement  over Silicon Valleys new new thing. Chatbots have ignited a scramble to determine whether their technology could upend the economics of the internet, turn todays powerhouses into has-beens or create the industrys next giants.

Not since the iPhone has the belief that a new technology could change the industry run so deep. Cloud computing companies are rushing to deliver chatbot tools, even as they worry that the technology will gut other parts of their businesses. E-commerce outfits are dreaming of new ways to sell things. Social media platforms are being flooded with posts written by bots. And publishing companies are fretting that even more dollars will be squeezed out of digital advertising.
SEATTLE  For years, working on a project that didnt make a lot of sense to outsiders but was championed by the boss was a badge of honor for employees at some of the tech industrys biggest companies. Google tried to create augmented reality glasses. Amazon developed its own high-end smartphone. Facebook changed its name to Meta and jumped headlong into the virtual world of the metaverse.

When those projects have fizzled, workers have often slipped into another job at the company. The business usually bore the risk of a failed product or bad idea  not the employee.

But as tech companies have turned to mass layoffs in recent months, the big bets have increasingly looked like bad bets for holding on to a job. When companies have looked for cuts, they have turned to the groups that could be years from making something that will turn a profit.

At Amazon, the ax fell on teams working on the Alexa voice system, drones and automated stores, all projects championed by Amazons founder, Jeff Bezos, who no longer runs the company. At Google, it hit ventures like autonomous trucks and other so-called moonshots once championed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who also no longer run their company.
Winter weather in the Golden State, of all places, continues to draw national attention this year.

First, atmospheric rivers flooded towns and swallowed cars. Then, snow fell in Silicon Valley, Santa Cruz, Oakland and a whole host of places unaccustomed to it. Graupel, an ice-snow combo, dusted the Hollywood sign. Yosemite National Park closed indefinitely after record snowfall buried cabins and blanketed roads.

And starting Thursday, another set of heavy storms is expected to hit much of the state, which could bring more flooding and rain damage. I dont need to tell you  its been a wild winter.

Late last month I was driving in Paso Robles, a city on the Central Coast known for its wineries and olive groves, when I noticed the tops of the gently sloping green hills sprinkled with snow. Id never seen anything like it.
Swaths of California are once again bracing for days of heavy rain and snow, with flooding and avalanches threatening areas of the state.

The severe weather, caused by back-to-back atmospheric rivers starting on Thursday, comes on the heels of recent winter storms that dumped several feet of snow in parts of the state, leaving many stranded while others are still trying to dig their way out.

The atmospheric rivers, sometimes described as rivers in the sky, were expected to blanket higher elevations with heavy snow and to bring heavy rain across portions of northern and central California, with lighter rainfall in the Los Angeles area. With the potential for up to seven inches of rain in some spots by the end of the weekend, forecasters said flooding was possible and that rain could cause mudslides. The rain is especially concerning in areas that have already received a near-record run of snow this winter, including at low elevations in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

The first atmospheric river is expected to move into California on Thursday, and another is forecast to arrive on Monday, said Bob Oravec, a forecaster with the Weather Prediction Center.
A Washington, D.C., police sergeant who fatally shot a man found unconscious at the wheel of a car has been charged with murder, according to a federal indictment unsealed on Tuesday.

Sgt. Enis Jevric faces three charges for the August 2021 shooting, including second-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit murder and a civil rights violation, the indictment read. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Sergeant Jevric was among the officers dispatched to a Washington, D.C., intersection in the early morning of Aug. 25, 2021, according to the citys Metropolitan Police Department.

Police body camera footage of the incident shows a group of armed officers, including one holding a shield, approaching a stationary car near a crosswalk. Inside, they see an unresponsive man, later identified as AnTwan Gilmore, 27, at the wheel. Officers noted a handgun in Mr. Gilmores waistband, according to the department.
Interviewed before her swearing-in, Ms. McClellan said her run for Congress after nearly two decades as a state lawmaker was much easier than her first, when she was 32 and had never held public office but had been highly involved in Democratic politics. But she said her trajectory showed the higher standards Black women must meet.

We have to prove ourselves at another level that others are not required to, she said. I just want to emphasize that because someones experience may be different, it doesnt mean it is less valuable.

Black leaders and advocates working to increase womens representation in politics still see signs for optimism. The dearth of Black women in government has encouraged more to seek higher office. And much like the generation of Black female politicians in the mold of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress, in 1968, this next wave of leaders has high-profile role models. They include Ms. Harris; Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the Supreme Court; and Stacey Abrams, whose first campaign for governor in Georgia in 2018 propelled her to prominence as a political tactician, even if her second run exposed her limitations.

The possibilities of the electoral map for Black womens leadership has expanded over the last 10 years, and the numbers of Black women running and winning  and running and losing  are all rich data points to be able to build the blueprint forward, said Glynda C. Carr, president and co-founder of Higher Heights for America, which is dedicated to helping Black women win elected office.
WASHINGTON  Chinas government is increasingly convinced it can only make itself the pre-eminent power in Asia, and a major power globally, by diminishing American influence, the top U.S. intelligence official said Wednesday.

The goal of weakening U.S. power and influence is one reason China has continued to pursue a deepening partnership with Russia, according to an annual intelligence threat assessment that was also released Wednesday.

Avril D. Haines, the director of national intelligence who appeared before a Senate committee to present the threat assessment, said China believes it can achieve its goals of dominating its region and expanding its global reach only at the expense of U.S. power and influence.

The Peoples Republic of China, which is increasingly challenging the United States economically, technologically, politically and militarily around the world, remains our unparalleled priority, Ms. Haines said.
WASHINGTON  Hard-right House Republicans are readying a plan to gut the nations foreign aid budget and make deep cuts to health care, food assistance and housing programs for poor Americans in their drive to balance the federal budget, as the party toils to coalesce around a blueprint that will deliver on their promise to slash spending.

Republicans are ready this week to condemn President Bidens forthcoming budget as bloated and misguided, and have said they will propose their own later this spring, a timetable that has slipped as they continue to debate what should be in their plan. But uniting his fractious conference around a list of deep cuts to popular programs will be the biggest test yet for Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who will need to win the support of Republicans in competitive districts and conservative hard-liners to cobble together the 218 votes needed to win the passage of a budget outline.

Privately, even some top party officials have questioned how Republicans will meet their spending objectives while keeping their members in line.

The most conservative lawmakers in his conference  who are emboldened after their four-day standoff with Mr. McCarthy, a California Republican, earlier this year during his election as speaker  are pursuing cuts that they concede could cause political pain and blowback among their colleagues.
The Government of Malawi, with the support of the Africa CDC and the World Health Organization, will host a High-level Emergency Ministerial meeting for cholera affected countries, those at risk, relevant regional economic communities and partners.

The meeting is scheduled from 9th to 10th March 2023 at Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe, according to a statement dated 6th March 2023 and signed by Minister of Health, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda.

The Vice President, Saulos Klaus Chilima, will be the guest of honour.

The statement says the high-level meeting aims on countries to share information on the cholera outbreak and response to date, facilitate experience sharing in managing cholera outbreaks, discuss preparedness and readiness priorities and align on cross border collaboration and coordination mechanisms to better prepare for and to rapidly respond to the current cholera outbreak and any other health emergencies.

"Moreover, the meeting will highlight the proactive preparedness and concerted effort to address climate change impacts like cyclones and climate change related health emergencies.

"This will help to strengthen and enhance collaboration and coordination for cross-border preparedness and response to the ongoing cholera outbreak and other health emergencies.

"The meeting will be building on existing experiences and previous collaborations within the region and beyond, including the collaborative framework to coordinate cholera outbreak and other public health preparedness and response in member states at risk".

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The statement further says it is expected that after the meeting the participating member states will issue a joint communique resolving to strengthen cross border collaboration, coordination, timely sharing of data related to cholera and other emerging and re-emerging diseases of regional concern, including climate-related emergencies.

"The meeting will also facilitate the establishment of the Africa Elimination of Cholera Epidemics Coordination Task Force (AECECT), championed by the President of the Republic of Zambia, His Excellency Hakainde Hichilema, the current Cholera Elimination Champion.

"The Member States will also produce roadmaps related to cholera and other emerging and re-emerging diseases of regional concern including climate-related emergencies.

"As we live in a global village, the fight against Cholera outbreak requires good collaboration and coordination among member states. Together we will win this war against Cholera and other emerging and re-emerging diseases".

According to the statement, the meeting will be attended by the ministers of health and water and sanitation from 14 countries within the Africa Region, international organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners.
WASHINGTON  An Israeli government effort to weaken the countrys judiciary, which critics call a threat to the nations democratic foundations, is drawing unusually pointed protest from American Jewish leaders and organizations, including ones that generally avoid commenting on internal Israeli politics.

The alarm within the United States reflects growing concern among prominent Jewish political and religious figures  not just about the substance of the proposal, but also about its potential impact on U.S.-Israel relations at a time when polls have shown that Israel is losing support among younger Americans as its politics lurch to the right.

The response, from Washington offices to neighborhood synagogues and protests in some American cities, also increases public pressure on President Biden, who has called the defense of democracy abroad one of his top priorities. The Biden administration has not been openly critical of the plan, instead broadly encouraging democratic values and consensus.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus proposal would, among other things, allow Israels Parliament to overrule Supreme Court decisions by a one-vote majority, and also effectively give the government the power to appoint judges. To supporters of the government, the changes it is pushing through Parliament are a way to curb the influence of unelected judges.
WASHINGTON  The police department in Louisville, Ky., engaged in a far-ranging pattern of discriminatory and abusive law enforcement practices, the Justice Department said on Wednesday after conducting a two-year investigation prompted by the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor by the police in 2020.

In a damning 90-page report, investigators painted a grim portrait of the Louisville Metro Police Department, detailing a variety of serious  at times shocking  misconduct. They included the use of excessive force; searches based on invalid and so-called no-knock warrants; unlawful car stops, detentions and harassment of people during street sweeps; and broad patterns of discrimination against Black people and those with behavioral health problems.

The conduct of the police department has undermined its public safety mission and strained its relationship with the community it is meant to protect and serve, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said at a news conference in Louisville, appearing alongside the citys mayor and acting police chief. This conduct is unacceptable. It is heartbreaking.

The Justice Departments findings, he said, were succinctly captured by an unnamed Louisville police leader shortly after the investigation began: Breonna Taylor was a symptom of problems that we have had for years.
The man who accused Matt Schlapp, the head of one of the nations largest conservative advocacy groups, of groping him after a campaign event last year in Georgia agreed on Wednesday to drop his anonymity in a lawsuit against Mr. Schlapp after a judge stipulated that doing so was necessary for the case to proceed.

The man, Carlton Huffman, 39, a longtime political aide, said he had sought anonymity in his initial lawsuit out of concern about potential retaliation from supporters of former President Donald J. Trump. Mr. Schlapp has been an adviser to Mr. Trump for several years.

The judge ruled the way she did, but were ready to move forward, Mr. Huffman said in a brief interview after a videoconference hearing in the Virginia Circuit Court in Alexandria.

In court filings, Mr. Schlapp has denied the accusations, and a spokesman for him reiterated that on Wednesday. From before he even filed suit, the plaintiff chose to litigate this in the media while hiding behind anonymity to avoid scrutiny of his unsavory past, troubled work history and issues with honesty, said Mark Corallo, the spokesman. We are confident that when his full record is brought to light in a court of law, we will prevail.
WASHINGTON  The Pentagon is blocking the Biden administration from sharing evidence with the International Criminal Court in The Hague gathered by American intelligence agencies about Russian atrocities in Ukraine, according to current and former officials briefed on the matter.

American military leaders oppose helping the court investigate Russians because they fear setting a precedent that might help pave the way for it to prosecute Americans. The rest of the administration, including intelligence agencies and the State and Justice Departments, favors giving the evidence to the court, the officials said.

President Biden has yet to resolve the impasse, officials said.

The evidence is said to include details relevant to an investigation the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, began after Russias invasion of Ukraine a year ago. The information reportedly includes material about decisions by Russian officials to deliberately target civilian infrastructure and to abduct thousands of Ukrainian children from occupied territory.

In December, Congress modified longstanding legal restrictions on American help to the court, allowing the United States to assist with its investigations and eventual prosecutions related to the war in Ukraine. But inside the Biden administration, a policy dispute over whether to do so continues to play out behind closed doors.
The U.S. military on Wednesday repatriated a U.S.-educated Saudi engineer who had been held for more than 20 years at Guantanamo Bay under suspicion of having made bombs for Al Qaeda, but was never brought to trial.

The transfer of the detainee, Ghassan Abdullah al-Sharbi, 48, was authorized in September by Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III after months of diplomatic efforts by the Biden administration but was then delayed for reasons U.S. officials declined to explain.

The repatriation reduced the detainee population at the U.S. military prison in Cuba to 31 men, 17 of whom are approved for resettlement or repatriation after security agreements are reached with countries willing to take them in.

Mr. al-Sharbi was of particular interest to the United States after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, because he had taken flight school courses in Phoenix with two of the hijackers. He had lived in Europe and the United States, where he attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona and was fluent in English.
WASHINGTON  To pay for three presidential campaigns, Donald J. Trump has raised billions of dollars from corporate executives, online donors and, during his first race, even his own pocket.

One source of money Mr. Trump has never successfully tapped: the people closest to him.

While other recent presidents routinely drew financial support from key campaign aides and West Wing advisers, contributions to Mr. Trump from his team have been the exception rather than the norm.

The lack of contributions from the Trump team is surprising, given the former presidents penchant for testing his top staff members allegiances and his tendency to view loyalty through a starkly transactional lens. Mr. Trump is also known to harbor deep resentment over the manner in which aides  in real or perceived ways  have leveraged their connections to him for their own financial gain.

The contrast also offers a window into how Mr. Trump, whose temperamental management style led to record turnover in the West Wing, has treated the people he has worked with most closely.
MEMPHIS  Two months after Tyre Nichols was brutally beaten by a group of Memphis police officers, city officials are preparing to release about 20 hours of additional video and audio that could provide more details about what happened on that night in early January.

The public release of the footage had been expected as early as Wednesday afternoon, a day after the city announced that it had concluded administrative investigations into a total of 13 Memphis police officers and four Fire Department employees. Five of those officers  Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith  have already been charged with second-degree murder, official misconduct, official oppression and kidnapping.

But a few hours before the footage and other materials were expected to be made public on Wednesday, a judge granted a request from Blake Ballin, a lawyer for Mr. Mills, to delay the release of any video, audio, personnel files or reports until both prosecutors and defense lawyers for the officers could review them.

It is unclear how long those reviews will take. The judge, James Jones Jr., said the release of the materials in the public interest, will be ordered as soon as practicable. In a statement on Wednesday night, Mr. Ballin said the actions were the result of the need to balance the interests of transparency with the defendants right to a fair trial.
WASHINGTON  The Biden administration is planning to end on Friday a requirement that travelers coming from China present a negative Covid-19 test before entering the United States, according to a person familiar with the plan.

The plan to roll back the restriction comes as a once-enormous viral wave subsides in China, and after other countries have announced their own easing of restrictions for people traveling from China. The administration considered both factors in making the decision, the person said, and will continue monitoring flights from China and other countries to help detect new variants of the virus.

The restriction was put into place two months ago, as the end of Chinas zero Covid policy prompted a surge of Covid cases in the country  overwhelming hospitals, morgues and crematories.

U.S. officials said at the time that the testing requirement was needed because of Chinas lack of transparency about the outbreak. In the absence of credible information from Beijing, scientists had to essentially guess the size and severity of the outbreak that began in December by sifting through social media reports and other unreliable sources of information.
WASHINGTON  A top Democratic senator on Wednesday criticized the Biden administration for refusing to show Congress classified documents found at the homes of Donald J. Trump, Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Mike Pence, tying the renewal of a surveillance law to how forthcoming it chooses to be.

The admonition, by Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat who is chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, came during a hearing on worldwide threats at which top national security officials urged Congress to reauthorize the law, which is set to expire this year.

Portraying the law as a vital national security tool, the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, disclosed newly declassified information about a matter that has contributed to the debate over the reauthorization effort: how the bureau searches for information about Americans in the repository of messages intercepted without a warrant under that law, known as Section 702.

The Justice Department said last week that such queries had dropped drastically after changes to F.B.I. systems starting in summer 2021, but did not say how many there were. Mr. Wray testified that there had been a drop of about 93 percent last year, and a senior F.B.I. official later specified that estimate to be fewer than 204,090 queries.
Last week, four Americans were kidnapped in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, after crossing the border from Texas. Two were later found dead. A sister of one of the victims said they had gone to Mexico so one of them could get an abdominoplasty, better known as a tummy tuck.

Every year, millions of Americans visit Mexico and other countries to obtain health care, a practice often called medical tourism. The National Exterior Commerce Bank in Mexico estimated that the industry was worth $5 billion before it declined during the coronavirus pandemic. For patients, the motivation is often financial.

Some of it is a desperate search for access to medical care, said Felicia Marie Knaul, director of the Institute for Advanced Study of the Americas at the University of Miami.

Many people cross the border for pharmaceuticals at greatly decreased prices from what you pay in the U.S. Others, especially Americans and Canadians in the past two decades, are traveling for surgeries or treatments. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says dental care, surgeries, fertility treatments, organ and tissue transplants and cancer treatment are the most common procedures for which people go abroad. Elective procedures are a major component of medical tourism, said Daniel Beland, a professor of political science at McGill University who has studied health policy.
Malawi President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has appealed for the resumption of direct budgetary support from development partners, saying this would invigorate foreign exchange (forex) flows and by extension pave way for greater economic movement.

Chakwera made the appeal on Tuesday morning during his engagements with Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen of the European Union (EU) on the sidelines of the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in Doha, Qatar.

He also made a plea for substantial support towards Malawi's cholera epidemic, which has claimed at least 1, 500 lives and affected 50, 000 people at present.

President Chakwera highlighted that Malawi needs both technical and financial assistance to eradicate the epidemic entirely.

The Malawi leader further sought technical support and enhanced collaboration with the EU to see the realization of Malawi's mega farms initiative through mechanization.

On the other hand, President Chakwera commended the EU for its assistance in a number of projects, including the 56.5 million Greening and Growing Malawi Programme (Ulimi ndi Chilengedwe m'Malawi), the 10.5 million Malawi Energy Programme (Wala Malawi); and the 17 million Access to Justice Programme (Chilungamo II), among several others.

He also reminded the EU delegation of a request for support to establish regional transport corridors (to connect Malawi and her neighbours) under the Global Gateway, which was made during emphasizing Malawi's challenge as a landlinked (or landlocked) country. His Excellency stressed that the corridors be prioritized and accorded the urgency that they deserve if Malawi is to develop.

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Chakwera disclosed that the global shocks like climate change, war and the Covid-19 pandemic that have impacted various countries have inevitably affected Malawi by virtue of the country being part of a global village resulting in the skyrocketing of food, fuel and fertilizer etc.

President Chakwera further pointed out that what is needed is exponential growth for the LDCs and the domestication of the Doha Programme of Action adding that the terminology should now be "next to develop countries", as opposed to Least Developed Countries adding that public debt is another obstacle to the development of LDCs due to the vicious circle that it perpetuates.

EU expressed the possibility of aligning resuming budgetary support to specific sectors in particular education and pledged its continued support to Malawi.
As night fell in the tiny Himalayan village of Dhangri, a dozen armed men emerged from their homes one after another, their rifles slung over their shoulders, as if they were bound for war. With stealthy movements, they scanned the moonlit surroundings for signs of danger, their figures silhouetted against the horizon.

During the day, the men are drivers, shopkeepers and farmers. At night, they are members of a once-dormant local militia that the Indian government is reviving in the Jammu and Kashmir region in response to deadly militant attacks targeting Hindu families.

We cant sit back and watch our people being killed, said Vijay Kumar, a member of the volunteer group who works as an electrician.

That the Indian government has felt compelled to arm thousands of civilians in one of the worlds most militarized places shows the limits of Prime Minister Narendra Modis more muscular approach to controlling the long-restive region.
Solo hiking will be banned from Nepals national parks starting next month, a move that the countrys tourism board said would reduce the risks for the tens of thousands of adventure seekers who travel to the Himalayan country each year.

The decision, announced last week by the Nepal Tourism Board, comes after incidents in which tourists became lost and sometimes died while hiking alone, the boards director, Mani R. Lamichhane, said on Tuesday.

There were many cases where tourists have disappeared, Mr. Lamichhane said. Deadly incidents involving solo trekkers had given some tourists the misperception that Nepal was an unsafe destination, he said.

The decision was reported earlier by The Kathmandu Post, an English-language newspaper in Nepal.

The new rules apply to international tourists of all experience levels on treks in Nepals national parks, such as the popular Annapurna Circuit, a 150-mile route that circles the Annapurna mountain range. Trekkers can still embark on solo hikes outside of national parks, such as around the city of Kathmandu.
Ms. Beyer was sent to live first in a Salvation Army home, then with her maternal grandparents in Taranaki, a region northwest of Wellington, until she was about 5. After her mother remarried, Ms. Beyer returned to live with her, eventually changing her surname to that of her stepfather, Colin Beyer, a prominent New Zealand lawyer.

She knew she was a girl from an early age, she told the New Zealand publication Stuff in 2018. I played it out till it got disciplined out of me, bullied out of me, abused out of me, she said, until I found myself in control of my own life.

She boarded at Wellesley Preparatory College, a private boys school in Wellington, before her mothers marriage broke down and the family relocated to Auckland. There, she attended Papatoetoe High School. She left the school in her late teens, hoping to find work as an actor and conscious that she would prefer to present as a woman.

Transitioning helped her to feel complete, as she put it. But it made finding work all but impossible. Her only choice, she told the New Zealand publication The Spinoff in 2018, was to claim a psychosexual disorder to receive a health benefit or to work illegally in the sex industry, as she chose to do. She later worked as an actor, radio host and nightclub performer.

Visiting Sydney in 1979, Ms. Beyer said, she was sexually assaulted by a group of men but did not report it to the police because she feared she would not be taken seriously. The attack left her suicidal for months, she said, but ultimately gave her conviction that she should be trying to change hearts and minds.
The European Unions defense ministers are gathering on Wednesday in Stockholm to consider proposals to use the blocs budget to order and purchase up to one million shells for Ukraine at an estimated cost of 4 billion euros ($4.2 billion).

That point is to address a production problem. Ukraine is going through shells faster than the West can supply them, but making more shells is expensive. If arms manufacturers are to increase production and build new factories, they want large orders with guaranteed money  and those factories can take two to three years, or more, to come online.

The idea of a huge advance order for shells is one the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, likens to the one used by Europe to secure vaccines early in the Covid-19 pandemic  pooling resources to offer more money up front, as a means of encouraging manufacturers to invest in new production lines now for the standardized products that Ukraine needs desperately.
TBILISI, Georgia  Thousands of demonstrators marched toward Georgias Parliament on Wednesday, protesting a draft law on foreign agents that critics say highlights the countrys democratic backsliding and pushes it closer to Moscow.

As the evening went on, a group of protesters tried to storm the government building, but were repelled by police officers who used water cannons, stun grenades and tear gas to deter the crowd.

Later, riot police officers in helmets and with shields used all those measures, along with smoke grenades, to push the crowd away from the Parliament building. They have been making sporadic arrests, and some protesters tried to respond with force, turning one police car upside down.



The demonstrations came one day after riot police officers used tear gas, water cannons and arrests to disperse a large-scale rally there.
Riot police officers in Georgia violently broke up a rally in the capital, Tbilisi, on Tuesday as thousands of demonstrators protested legislation against foreign agents that they said represented the latest anti-democratic, pro-Russia move in the country.

The events in the former Soviet republic have also attracted attention because of Georgias history as the first country that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia invaded, in 2008. Despite losing a chunk of its territory to Moscow in that conflict, Georgias government has increasingly tilted toward Russia and away from the West.

Here is some background on Georgia and the demonstrations.

The protests focus on a proposed law surrounding foreign agents.

Lawmakers this week gave initial support to a draft law that would require any organization that receives more than 20 percent of its funding from overseas to register as a foreign agent or risk a hefty fine. The protesters say they fear it would harm the countrys chances of joining the European Union.

The protesters note that a similar law in Russia has been used to stifle freedom of expression by cracking down on rights groups and other independent organizations.
TBILISI, Georgia  When Russia invaded its neighbor Georgia 15 years ago, it gobbled up swaths of land, rained missiles on Stalins hometown and halted its tanks just outside Tbilisi, the Georgian capital and seat of a defiantly pro-Western government.

This week, however, a stealthier Russian import entered the capital, setting off stormy street demonstrations and protests by Western diplomats. Its arrival raised a flurry of questions about how Georgia, once a democratic trailblazer among former Soviet lands, had become an export market for anti-democratic techniques pioneered and promoted by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.

The immediate cause of the turmoil in Tbilisi for the past two days was the preliminary approval on Tuesday by Parliament of an innocuous-sounding draft law on transparency and foreign influence. It demanded that nongovernmental groups and news media outlets that receive more than 20 percent of their funding from a foreign power register as agents of foreign influence. Violators would incur a hefty fine.

The Georgian government, firmly controlled by the Georgian Dream party, insisted that the legislation simply aimed to promote greater openness about foreign funding and was inspired by an American law dating back to 1938.
Service on the route on which the crash happened has been suspended since the crash. Mr. Gerapetritis said steps would be taken to restore travel, possibly by the end of the month, adding that service would resume only if absolute safety were secured. He said that in the future there would be two station masters at every stop and a reduced number of trains. Additional workers will be hired to offset a significant reduction in staffing on the railways over the past 15 years, and training will be improved, he added.

A 59-year-old station manager has been charged with manslaughter through neglect in connection with the train collision. He is accused of putting a passenger train carrying more than 350 people and a freight train on the same line, leading to the Feb. 28 crash.

After initially blaming the crash  Greeces worst on record  on a tragic human error, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who is up for election, revised his stance on Sunday and asked for the Greek peoples forgiveness for the chronic failings of the Greek state.

On Wednesday, Mr. Gerapetritis also apologized for the authorities failure to avert the tragedy. I am in shock, he said. I understand the collective pain that this disaster has caused to society, he continued, adding that the anger unleashed by the crash was very reasonable.

Across town, there was proof that outrage over the crash had not subsided, as thousands of Greeks took to the streets of Athens, the capital, holding banners saying, We will never forget the crime! Our lives matter! and Let anger lead to overthrow now! Similar rallies were held in other major cities, including Thessaloniki and Larissa, the city in central Greece closest to the site of the crash.
Swap spying for marriage and you have, more or less, the argument of Deniz Kandiyotis famous 1988 article Bargaining With Patriarchy. She analyzed the ways that women in India and the United States are first pressured into accepting the bargain of becoming reliant on a man in exchange for the promise of his support and protection, and then become invested in preserving the patriarchal system, because they fear that any threat to it would mean men are released from their obligations under those traditional rules.

Feminism and the release from patriarchal norms can benefit younger generations, Kandiyoti writes. But for the generation of women caught in between, this transformation may represent genuine personal tragedy, since they have paid the heavy price of an earlier patriarchal bargain, but are not able to cash in on its promised benefits. Those women are often deeply opposed to feminism, and fearful of the changes it can bring. (This is a theme of another great TV drama, Mrs. America, about the rise of the conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly, in case youre looking for another series for your gender-inequality watch party.)

Last spring, I interviewed Angie Maxwell, a political scientist at the University of Arkansas who studies voting patterns among white, Southern women. She found that the Republican Party managed to build support among that group partly by connecting to their fears that the womens movement would leave wives and mothers vulnerable to abandonment by their husbands.

If youre financially dependent and people are saying that youre going to have to fend for yourself, that if you get divorced your husband wont have to pay child support, thats terrifying, she told me.

Its a pattern that shows up in more subtle ways too, even among people who do support womens equality and feminism, but whose individual choices are constrained by the realities of an unequal world. A new report from Price Waterhouse Coopers, a consulting company, found that the motherhood penalty  the loss in lifetime earnings experienced by women raising children  has become the most significant driver of the gender pay gap. And the main reason for the motherhood penalty, it finds, is that mothers take on most of the burden of child care in almost every country around the world. In Britain, the report found, the high costs of child care cause many women to leave the work force entirely.
German officials were treading a careful line on Wednesday in response to reports that a pro-Ukrainian group could be behind last years attack on the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline that links Russia and Germany, saying that they were waiting for the results of further investigations.

The New York Times reported that new intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials suggested that the attack, in September of last year, was carried out by pro-Ukrainian perpetrators, and similar reports followed in the German news media. U.S. officials told The Times that they had no evidence that the attack was done at the direction of the Ukrainian government, and Kyiv has denied any responsibility.

Boris Pistorius, Germanys defense minister, said on Wednesday, without elaborating, that the attack could also have been a false-flag action to make it appear that it had been carried out by pro-Ukrainian groups.

The likelihood of either is equally high, he told a German public broadcaster, saying that he would wait on further developments before commenting on what he called hypothetical research.
The Russian Government has invested 20,000 metric tons of fertilizer to Malawi which is part of the Russian Federation commitment made in 2022 to help least developed countries with agriproducts and agricultural expertise to boost food security.

Russian ambassador to Zimbabwe and Malawi, Nikolai Krasilnikov said: "There is a global crisis of rising food costs and we hope this fertilizer will help farmers realise better yields either from rain fed agriculture or irrigation."

The Ambassador further pledged Russia's support to Malawi in fighting the cholera outbreak.

The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that over 3,000 households would benefit from the donation, with it's Minister, Sam Kawale reaffirming government's commitment in ensuring that the affordable input programme (AIP) yields desirable results -- citing several reforms that are expected to be implemented within the system.

Speaking in Lilongwe at Mkwinda EPA, Traditional Authority (T/A) Chiseka where he received the consignment, Kawale expressed gratitude to the Russian Federation for the gesture, saying it is an act of goodwill stemming from good bilateral relations.

He said the investment will go a long way in ensuring that the programme closes on a good note, saying: "Malawi Government reached out to World Food Programme (WFP) to assist in the procurement of fertilizer for AIP and they managed to get Russia's support.

"We are grateful for the response because, as it is, Malawi is the first of other targeted African countries to benefit from Uralchem-Uralkali fertilizer from Russia," said the Minister.

The Russian Ambassador has since extended an invitation to Malawi to attend the second Russia-Africa summit at the humanitarian and economic forum in Moscow in July this year.

"We hope to see a Malawi delegation at the summit which will advance our relations and ensure that the Malawian business community takes advantage of such ties," he said.

In response, Kawale stressed the importance of attending the conference, saying government would do so upon assessing its engagements at the time.

"Malawi Government treasures bilateral relations," he said. "With our focus on the MW2063, whereby agricultural commercialisation, mechanisation and establishment of mega farms are priorities, we hope to tap from Russia's expertise in agriculture.

"We take this invitation as an extension of goodwill that the Russian government has towards Malawi."

The initial fertilizer consignment, according to the Russian Ambassador is 30,000 metric tons but 10,000 of it is held up due to sanctions the country is facing following the conflict with Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Minister Kawale apologised for the delay in the implementation of the AIP which people at the function lamented, saying the unfortunate development was a result of the devaluation of the country's currency and increased global fertilizer prices.

"We acknowledge that the fertilizer has come at a time when crops are almost ready in the fields," he said. "I urge beneficiaries whose rain-fed crops have already matured to either use the fertilizer for irrigation farming or keep it for use during the next farming season."

According to Kawale, government has put in place a number of reforms to ensure that the next AIP programme does not face similar hurdles.

"We have learnt from what has happened and we will ensure that there is no repetition of such," he said, adding that the Ministry has so far managed to solve network issues that were choking the exercise by intensifying mobile vending using trucks and increasing devices and clerical staff for the programme."

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This was a reaction from concerns raised by representative from Lilongwe District Council, Luciano Botomani and Senior Chief Chitseka over looming hunger as a result of delays in the AIP implementation.

"The AIP is a goof intervention only if farmers access inputs in good time," Botomani said. "Currently, crops in most fields have wilted due to lack of fertilizer. We hope government will keep its word to roll out the programme in time this year."

While Senior Chief Chistseka called on those to benefit from the fertilizer to resist the temptation of selling it once acquired and also requested authorities to consider opening a Smallholder Farmers Fertilizer Revolving Fund Malawi (SFRFM) branch in the area to help farmers easily access inputs.

One of the beneficiaries, Eviness Kajiwa said with the hunger threat in the area, the best she will do is keep the fertilizer for use for the next farming season.
KYIV, Ukraine  New intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials has moved a step closer to solving the mystery of who blew up the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines last year. But the intelligence, which suggests that the perpetrators were members of a pro-Ukrainian group, is extremely vague.

The U.S. officials underscored that there was much they did not know about those responsible for the blasts and their affiliations. A number of groups claiming to support Ukraine have sought involvement in the war, although their activities and claims cannot always be independently verified. The intelligence suggests that the saboteurs were opponents of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia but had no known government affiliations, a description that only slightly narrows the range of suspects.

A wide range of pro-Ukrainian groups operate in a murky world with unclear ties to the intelligence or security agencies of Ukraine or other nations. They include groups fighting in southeastern Ukraine or carrying out sabotage operations in Russia and its ally Belarus. Here is a look at the activities of some of them, although there is no evidence that any were involved in the pipeline attack.

Russian Volunteer Corps

A Russian partisan group with ties to the Ukrainian military, this group claimed on March 2 to have conducted a cross-border raid from Ukraine into Russias Bryansk region to take control of a small village for several hours, before backtracking into Ukraine. The groups leader is a Russian nationalist in exile who opposes Mr. Putins rule and has said he wants to inspire armed resistance inside Russia. It is unclear whether the group, which does not appear to have any significant support inside Russia, operates with the assent of the Ukrainian authorities.
BRUSSELS  So desperate is Ukraine for ammunition, it is firing considerably fewer artillery shells than it otherwise would, its defense minister says.

But it is still going through shells faster than the West can produce or supply them, and making more shells is expensive. If arms manufacturers are to increase production and build new factories, they want large orders with guaranteed money  and those factories can take two to three years or more to come online.

Hoping to address these problems, the European Unions defense ministers will gather on Wednesday in Stockholm to consider proposals to use the E.U. budget to order and purchase up to one million shells for Ukraine at an estimated cost of four billion euros.

It is an approach the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, likens to the one used by Europe to secure vaccines early in the Covid-19 pandemic  pooling resources to offer more money up front to encourage manufacturers to invest in new production lines now for the standardized products that Ukraine needs desperately.
Though I have been a reader of crime fiction all of my adult life, I avoided the work of Patricia Highsmith (1921-95) until my early 30s. Bleak worldviews werent the issue; perhaps it was the unconscious feeling that spending too much time in Highsmiths brain might alter mine irrevocably.

What finally opened the trapdoor was Joan Schenkars nonlinear, idiosyncratic biography, The Talented Miss Highsmith (2009). (Another Highsmith biography, released in 2003, Andrew Wilsons Beautiful Shadow, is also worth seeking out, though Id skip Richard Bradfords 2021 effort, Devils, Lusts, and Strange Desires.) Schenkar, who died in 2021, made Highsmith seem so relentlessly complicated, maddening and fascinating that I had to know how that specific mind produced her books.

So what is it about Patricia Highsmith that keeps us reading? Ill answer strictly for myself: Her concepts are daring, her portrayals of men in the throes of personality disorder and psychopathic leanings are equally repulsive and propulsive, and there is enough sublimated autobiography in her work that searching out the facts of her life reveals all manner of infuriating contradictions.

She was a lesbian who identified more with men; an ardent pursuer of pleasure, especially in her youth (which emerges more wholly in a new documentary, Loving Highsmith); a devotee of cats and snails; a raging antisemite; and a longtime expat still deeply and identifiably American. Because she could never hold on to happiness, Highsmith subsumed it in her work, always her best and most lasting love.
Atlantas plan to build a sprawling police and fire training center amid a 1,000-acre stretch of urban woodland has become the focus of intense protest, drawing opposition from environmentalists who want to preserve the woods and activists who say the center will accelerate the militarization of the police.

The protesters, who refer to the planned training center as Cop City, also include people who are opposed to the corporate funding of the $90 million project. Some have set up barricades at the site, taken up residence in trees, damaged property and come into direct confrontation with the authorities.

In January, police officers tried to expel demonstrators from the woods, and what they described as a shootout left one protester dead, a state trooper seriously wounded and Georgias governor authorizing the National Guard to intervene.

City officials say that the site is needed to replace inadequate training facilities and would become one of the largest such centers in the country. They have said that some of the protesters have crossed the line from civil disobedience into domestic terrorism.
While women make up 40 percent of the global workforce, theyre still lagging behind when it comes to equal treatment in areas ranging from the workplace to STEM disciplines to the online world. Thats the conclusion of a new report from TEAM LEWIS Foundation.

Participation Parity, which was conducted in support of HeForShe (the UN Women Solidarity Movement for Gender Equity) and International Womens Day, finds that while women are definitely gaining in all those areas, the hurdles they face have not been overcome yet. The studys authors add that the contributions of male allies could play a major role in moving the needle forward.

Although three out of 10 of the women surveyed (30 percent) said that there was a lack of female mentors and role models in their organizations, the number of women in senior management positions is on the rise. More than half of the women responding to the survey (56 percent) said that there were women in senior management roles at their workplaces, while 82 percent said that there were women in high-level roles.

For women working in STEM disciplines, the hurdles seem to be a bit higher. 55 percent of the young women noted that there is a stigma surrounding women in STEM jobs. For women from 18 to 24, the biggest obstacle cited was stereotyping or unconscious bias, while women from 25 to 34 were most aware of a lack of opportunities or visibility.

Although women are entering online spaces that were once overwhelmingly male-dominated (such as gaming), they are facing relatively high levels of sexism and misogyny there. More than half of the women surveyed (53 percent) and nearly as many men (47 percent) said that the number of sexist comments they see online makes them uncomfortable.

But many of those who are bothered by those comments avoid confronting the perpetrators. More than four in 10 (42 percent) women surveyed said that they avoid addressing sexism online because they fear retaliation, with 29 percent of men agreeing.

There does, however, appear to be widespread belief that its necessary to combat online sexism, with over three-quarters (76 percent) of women and 72 percent of men saying it is important for individuals to take a stand against sexist comments.

Men are also becoming more aware of the role they can play in addressing the problem. Almost half (47 percent) said they have made a conscious effort to become more aware of sexism.

TEAM LEWIS study polled more than 6,000 respondents across the US, UK, Germany, France, Mexico, Singapore, China, Spain and the Netherlands from February 16-27.
Met Eireann has issued a nationwide warning for snow and a number of other warnings with the national forecaster stating that accumulations are expected in many areas.

Met Eireann has issued a Status Yellow Snow Ice Warning for Ireland from 3am on Thursday until 11pm on Thursday.

Met Eireann is warning that rain, sleet and snow will spread northwards across the country later on Wednesday night and during Thursday accompanied by strengthening easterly winds. Accumulations of snow are expected in many areas along with icy conditions.

Sleet and snow will likely transition to rain in southern areas for a time.

Met Eireann says possible impacts include: Hazardous driving conditions, Travel disruption and Poor Visibility.

Status Yellow Snow-Ice warning for Ireland



Possible Impacts:



Hazardous driving conditions

Travel disruption

Poor Visibility



Valid 03:00 Thursday 09/03/2023 to 23:00 Thursday 09/03/2023 https://t.co/l8JdKfwZt9 pic.twitter.com/Sah6Onq9Ye  Met Eireann (@MetEireann) March 8, 2023

Met Eireann has also issued Status Yellow Low Temperature/Ice Warning for Ireland from 9pm on Thursday until 10am on Friday

A third warning for Snow and Ice has also been issued. This warning applies to Leinster, Cavan and Monaghan. This warning cautions that sleet and snow will slowly clear eastwards on Thursday night and early on Friday with further accumulations of snow expected.
Kismayo  Al-Shabaab fighters launched a morning attack on a military camp outside the port city of Kismayo, which is housing the SNA and Jubaland Darwish.

The attack that started with the explosions was followed by a direct fight between the forces at the Janay Abdalle Base and the Al-Shabaab fighters, according to the villagers.

Speaking to Radio Shabelle, a resident said that the fight was very intense and lasted for almost one hour. The combined forces managed to successfully repel the ambush.

The preliminary reports from the area indicated that the attack resulted in losses on the two warring parties, but the number still remained unclear.

The area lies between Kismayo and Afmadow and was previously controlled by the Al-Shabaab before it was taken over by the government forces and the Jubbaland soldiers in January of 2023.

Al-Shabaab has announced on pro-group's websites that they its fighters stormed the base in Janay Abdalle, but there is no independent source that confirms the claims.

There are no statements from Somali Government and Jubaland regarding the casualties.
The Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) began operations on January 6, 2003, as part of the creation of the consolidated city-county government in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It was formed by the merger of the Jefferson County Police Department and the Louisville Division of Police. The Louisville Metro Police Department has been headed by Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel since January 2, 2023. LMPD divides Jefferson County into eight patrol divisions and operates a number of special investigative and support units. The LMPD is currently under investigation from the United States Department of Justice to assess whether they engaged in a pattern of civil rights abuses.
Dressed in his trademark suit, Frances most famous public intellectual, Bernard-Henri Levy issues a cri de coeur to support Ukraine in a conflict he views as nothing less than a battle for the future of Europe and the free world.
A potential ban could be on the table, media reports said. A German government spokesperson rejected the claim, while China said it was "strongly dissatisfied."
The Wagner mercenary group claimed control of "everything east of the Bakhmutka River." Meanwhile, the Kremlin rejected US media reports on the Nord Stream pipeline attacks. DW has rounded up the latest.
NATO head Jens Stoltenberg said Russia could capture Bakhmut "in the coming days." Meanwhile, Germany said it inspected a ship suspected of carrying Nord Stream pipelines explosives. DW has rounded up the latest.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed a special Minister of Electricity to deal with the country's energy crisis. Widespread blackouts have been blamed on the 100-year-old state energy firm Eskom.
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EU countries agreed to buy more shells to help Ukraine but still have to work out the specifics. Ukraine and the UN chief called for an extension of the Black Sea grain deal. DW has the latest.
Newsy 08 Mar 2023

ViewSome of the biggest questions are still unanswered in the disappearance of four Americans in Mexico  two of whom are now..
Mekelle, Ethiopia  The war in Tigray is over but the trauma lingers.

Tsega Fitsum is a volunteer teacher at the Mai Weyni school in the Tigray regional capital, Mekelle. She says that when school resumed soon after the cease-fire in November of last year, her students' minds were still focused on the conflict.

"They used to be inclined to draw guns instead of writing alphabets and numbers," she told VOA. "But now, we say 'The war has stopped. There is peace and there is no fear, and they should work freely.' When we tell them that, they started working on numbers and alphabets."

Even with that positive sign, the effects of the war are sure to be felt for years to come. The school compound is home to more than 8,500 people who were displaced by the war. About 5,100 are children under the age of 18, most of whom have been deprived of education for more than two years.

The war between Ethiopia's federal government and Tigrayan forces left many children orphaned or separated from their families. The impact of those emotional wounds linger for the children, experts say, as the challenges of healing the war-torn nation begin.

Etsedingel Hadera is a psychiatrist in Mekelle's Ayder Hospital. He said parents can make a difference in helping ease the hidden scars the children carry.

"When parents see behavioral changes, they should give their children hope and let them know it's okay and that it will all pass," he told VOA. "If they are not comforted that way, they listen to everything around them, even when we think they are not paying attention. But they record everything and are exposed to stress and suffering, there is more pressure on them because it is saved internally."

Tsega said the priority now must be healing the children in the school compound and reuniting them with their families.

"Many children were hurt and some were forced to live parentless although they have parents. But if there is peace, they want to go back to school and return to their families. We need to make an effort, especially for the children," she said.

Meresu Gebru, a mother who sought shelter in the compound after fleeing Mai-Kadra, agrees.

"Education is a solution for all. I want education, stability and a place where they can entertain themselves, like a playground. If there is an area where they can play, I think it might help calm them," she said.

Meresu fled the town where some of the war's worst violence occurred with one of her five children. Her four other children, along with her husband, fled to Sudan, seeking refuge. But even residents of the regional capital who live around the school compound say life is far from normal for children.

Mekelle was a site for government aerial bombardments, including a playground at a kindergarten. A resident of Mekelle, Gebregziabher Hadush, said the trauma left from aerial attacks is still felt.

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"During the war, children were psychologically traumatized, especially when there were airstrikes and drone attacks," he said. "Even now children have doubts and feel pressured. They don't think planes are coming in for peaceful purposes. They also need physiological treatment."

Now that there is a peace deal, advocates say mental health services should be offered to children as they reenter the classrooms. Psychiatrist Etsedingel said the long-term effects of the war will impact the next generation.

"Children are experiencing behavioral changes in every household. Where can they go? What should they do?" he asked. "What's so sad is some of my patients under 18 say they have lost hope. They are thinking about committing suicide. Some ask, 'What is our hope? School has stopped and we are suffering.' They need psychosocial support."

According to a 2022 report by the U.N., 1.39 million children in the Tigray region are out of school because of Ethiopia's civil war.
The Biden administration is preparing to relax COVID-19 testing restrictions for travelers from China as soon as Friday. That's according to two people familiar with the decision who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. They say the administration has decided to roll back the testing requirements as cases, hospitalizations and deaths are declining in China and the U.S. has gathered better information about the surge. The restrictions were put in place on Dec. 28 and took effect on Jan. 5 amid a surge in infections in China after the nation sharply eased pandemic restrictions.
King Charles is said to be torn over whether to allow his disgraced brother to don the theatrical regalia for the event in May.
The Princess of Wales braved the snow to help administer first aid to a wounded soldier as part of an exercise on Salisbury Plain.
The Mexican president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, says a suspect has been arrested over the kidnapping of four Americans  two of whom were found dead on Tuesday.
Israeli forces raided a refugee camp in the West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday, killing at least six Palestinian gunmen, including a Hamas member suspected of shooting
The two surviving Americans of a group of four savagely kidnapped in Mexico last week returned to the US on Tuesday, one with a non-life-threatening leg injury.
Canadian soldiers are on in Poland training their Ukrainian counterparts on how to use the Leopard tanks donated by the West. CBC News has exclusive access, to the firing range designed to teach battle-hardened Ukrainians on the sophisticated tanks sent by Canada and European nations.
HERZOGENAURACH, Germany, March 8 (Reuters) - Adidas (ADSGn.DE) will slash its 2022 dividend, the sporstwear maker said on Wednesday, warning a split with rapper and fashion designer Ye could push it to its first annual loss in three decades this year. Chief Executive Bjorn Gulden, who will speak



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Volkswagen has told the EU it is making faster progress in building a US battery factory than one in eastern Europe because of huge subsidies made available by the White House  adding to pressure on Brussels to offer bigger green incentives. Europes largest carmaker has warned the EU it is being



#volkswagen #312bn #korean #marossefcovic #thierrybreton #umicore #northvolt #thomasschmall #salzgitter #valencia
ViewIs the United States out to sabotage China? Chinese leaders think so.



President Xi Jinping accused Washington this week of trying to isolate his country and hold back its development. That reflects the ruling Communist Party's growing frustration that its pursuit of prosperity and global influence is threatened by U.S....
Geneva  The United Nations' top human rights official says the proliferation of crises brought on by conflict, climate change, poverty and discrimination are eroding people's fundamental rights and freedoms and threatening the stability of nations worldwide.

In a brisk overview of recent human rights developments around the globe, Volker Turk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, told delegates attending the U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday that "one quarter of humanity is living today in places affected by violent conflict, and it is the civilians who suffer the most."

He then launched into a critique of Russia's war in Ukraine, which he said has led to "civilian casualties and destruction of a shocking magnitude."

"The rights of Ukrainians will be harmed for generations to come, and the war's impact on fuel and food prices, as well as geopolitical tensions, are impacting negatively on people in every region of the world," he said.

The invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago led to Russia being suspended from the U.N. Human Rights Council.

While the war in Ukraine is in its second year, Turk noted that people in Syria have endured 12 years of excruciating bloodshed, calling it "a microcosm of the wounds inflicted by utmost contempt for human rights."

He deplored alarming security situations in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, while welcoming the implementation of an agreement ending hostilities between the Ethiopian government and rebels of the Tigray People's Liberation Front, or TPLF.

Despite this progress, he warned that the presence in Tigray of Amhara regional forces and the Fano militia, as well as Eritrean Defense Forces, could result in "very serious violations." He added that "the human rights situation in other regions of Ethiopia is of great concern, particularly Oromia."

The Fano militia is an ally of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and fought alongside Ethiopian forces to stop the TPLF. Eritrean troops also fought on the side of the Ethiopian government.

Communal violence has been continuing in parts of the southern Oromia region between ethnic Oromo and Amhara. They are Ethiopia's two largest ethnic groups.

The U.N. rights chief presented a snapshot of human rights conditions in dozens of countries in all regions of the world. He spoke of widespread violence in Libya, of armed gangs who have taken control of Haiti, and of the worrying human rights situation in the Kashmir region, which India and Pakistan claim.

He highlighted the virulent threats to human dignity posed by discrimination and racism, noting the unparalleled "repression of women in Afghanistan."

A fact-finding report submitted to the council on Monday accused the de facto Taliban rulers of pursuing a policy "tantamount to gender apartheid." A U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan reported that "the Taliban's intentional and calculated policy is to repudiate the human rights of women and girls and to erase them from public life."

Turk criticized Iran for its discriminatory behavior toward women and girls and denounced the executions of four people protesting the government's authoritarian rule and the death sentences handed down to 17 other protesters.

The high commissioner also took aim at the policies of powerful countries such as the United States, where, he said, "People of African descent are reportedly almost three times more likely to be killed by police than are 'white' people."

He added, "In the U.S. and all countries, swift and determined action to hold perpetrators accountable in each case should be the rule, not the exception."

Regarding China, Turk said his office had opened channels of communication to follow up on a variety of human rights issues, including the protection of minorities, such as for Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other groups.

"In the Xinjiang region," he said, "My office has documented grave concerns, notably large-scale arbitrary detentions and ongoing family separations -- and has made important recommendations that require concrete follow-up."

A landmark report issued by the previous high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, concluded that Beijing's incarceration of nearly a million Uyghurs and other Muslims in so-called vocational centers in Xinjiang could constitute "crimes against humanity." China denies these charges.

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Hilary Power, Geneva director, Human Rights Watch, said the test of the high commissioner's commitment to "follow up" on government abuses in Xinjiang "will be his willingness to continue monitoring and reporting on the situation, and to brief the U.N. rights council on his report and its key findings."

While the high commissioner's assessment of the state of global human rights was generally pessimistic, he sounded a positive note on progress being made in three African countries.

He praised Tanzania for opening civic and democratic space over the past two years. "Bans on media outlets and political rallies have been lifted and reform of restrictive legislation is promised," he said.

He said Zambia has "taken positive steps towards greater respect for human rights and the rule of law" and that Kenya has made some advances "towards accountability for serious human rights violations."
Upworthy 09 Mar 2023

DETROIT  U.S. safety regulators are turning up the heat on Tesla, announcing investigations into steering wheels coming off some..
Johannesburg, South Africa  South Africa's ruling ANC party has brushed aside criticism of a large donation it accepted from a mining company linked to a Russian oligarch under U.S. sanctions.

Viktor Vekselberg is an investor in United Manganese of Kalahari Ltd, which last year donated $826,000 to help fund the ANC's electoral conference. Critics say the donation undermines the party's claim to a "neutral stance" on the Ukraine war and its refusal to criticize Russia's invasion.

The donation, worth 15 million rand in the local currency, was made public recently when South Africa's electoral commission released a statement detailing funds received by political parties in the third quarter of the 2022/23 financial year.

Asked by VOA whether a donation by a company linked to a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin affected the ruling party's stance on the war in Ukraine, spokeswoman Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri demurred.

"The ANC receives both solicited and unsolicited financial support from various parties from all over the world," she said by text message. "Some get accepted and others returned if found not to be aligned to the ANC's values and policies. This current support will be looked at in the same light.

"The ANC's stance on Russia-Ukraine conflict will remain the same. We do not believe that anything progressive can come out of conflict and war. We still urge all parties to meet and find amicable solutions."

Solly Malatsi, national spokesman for the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, criticized the donation.

"This explains what the ANC government's approach to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is because it's on the receiving end of millions of rands in donations from Russian oligarchs," Malatsi said. "It flies in the face of South Africa's quest for and respect for human rights as the light that guides our foreign policy."

The money went toward the ANC's December electoral conference in which President Cyril Ramaphosa was given a second term. There had been problems in funding for the event, with the heavily indebted party battling to meet its costs.

United Manganese of Kalahari, Ltd., or UMK, is a South African company that mines the metal crucial to the production of iron ore.

One of the shareholders is the ANC's funding front Chancellor House, according to investigative reports in South African media, while a Vekselberg-linked company owns another share of less than 50% - effectively allowing UMK to avoid U.S. sanctions.

The Russian businessman, who is reportedly close to the Kremlin, was on U.S. sanctions lists even before the invasion of Ukraine last year. After the war started, his luxury yacht was seized by the U.S. government and his U.S. properties searched by the FBI.

South Africa, which has a history of close ties with Russia, has abstained from condemning Moscow's invasion of Ukraine at the U.N.

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The donation raises questions about Pretoria's political stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, said Steven Gruzd, a Russia expert at the South African Institute of International Affairs.

"Viktor Vekselberg has been linked to the ANC before; this is not the first time his name has come up, and this is a sizeable donation to a very cash-strapped political part," Gruzd said.

"They're trying to spin it that this is a regular donation, a run of the mill contribution to a political party among many others, and that they will screen it to see that it's in line with their values."

Last month, South Africa hosted the Chinese and Russian navies for joint military exercises off its east coast, despite the concerns of the United States and European Union.

In August, Putin is expected to visit South Africa for the annual summit of BRICS - a group of emerging economies made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the government of national unity, Najla al-Mangouch, affirmed here Wednesday the insistence of Libyans to overcome their differences and not return to the conflict
Photo: (Photo : Pexel/Cottonbro Studio)

Two years ago, it was announced that the hit British parenting comedy series was coming to life in an American setting. Now, it is officially happening.

The ABC television network is reportedly signing a pilot order for the American adaptation of the sensational BBC comedy series about parenthood - "Motherland."

The show was supposedly for airing on Hulu with Liongate co-financing and distributing. However, an announcement last year confirmed that it migrated to ABC, a much broader platform for the series, Variety reported.

Lead role to be played by Ellie Kemper

Motherland is one of the UK's most loved contemporary comedies. It has aired on BBC since 2016 and is now in its third season. The story follows a group of moms, along with one dad, as they encounter "trials and traumas" of middle-class parenting and experience the "competitive side and unromantic take" of parenthood in an attempt to be in the trend of modern motherhood.

Julieanne Smolinski, the amazing woman behind "Grace and Frankie," is writing the American remake.

Motherland revolves around the character of Julia, who is said to be played by actress Ellie Kemper, according to Deadline.

Julia is a working mom who feels like nothing is working for her until she finally finds "her village," a set of new friends; Calvin, the role reportedly being given to actor Karan Soni, and Liz, who helped her realize that there can be victory in balancing work and parenting.

Read More: Parenting On TV: Funniest Sitcoms That Influence Moms And Dads In Real Life

Based on real people

British critics are so insanely in love with the comedy series that they cannot help but praise it. They love it for its frankness and hysterical commentary on the "thankless nature of parenthood."

Motherland won best-scripted comedy at BAFTA last year with its knockout performances by its cast - Anna Maxwell Martin, Diane Morgan, Lucy Punch, Paul Ready, Philippa Dunne, and Tanya Moodie.

Johanna Thomas-Corr of the Evening Standard expressed that the script could have been taken straight out from the life of anyone with kids, especially the ultimate struggle of most mothers in losing their personhood and identity.

When Holly Walsh, one of the UK writers alongside Helen and Graham Linehan, and Sharon Horgan, was asked whether the characters were fresh from scratch or based on people she has met in real life, she admitted that many of them were based either on themselves or people they know.

As to the success of the American adaptation and how well the audience in the US will be able to relate, those are some things to look forward to.

ABC has yet to comment on the negotiations with actress Kemper and the status of the series that is causing so much excitement among American viewers.

Related Article: Disney's 'Moana' Shows Parents How Helicopter Parenting Doesn't Help Their Children
Julianne Moore, who starred in the Apple Studio Film 'Sharper,' is teaming up with Sydney Sweeney for a new Apple Studio film titled "Echo Valley." The duo will play a mother and daughter in the feature, which has a screenplay from Brad Ingelsby, the creator of HBOs Mare of Easttown. Michael Pearce, who won a BAFTA for Beast, will direct Echo Valley, which counts Ridley Scott as a producer.

Echo Valley centers on Kate Garrett (Moore), who is reeling from a personal tragedy and spending her days boarding and training horses at the picturesque Echo Valley Farm, located in southeast Pennsylvania. When her wayward daughter Clare (Sweeney) arrives late one night covered in someone elses blood, the story veers into thriller territory and examines how far a mother will go to save her child. For more, read the full report by The Hollywood Reporter.

New Cast Member added to the Apple Original Film 'The Instigators'

Last week Patently Apple posted a report titled " Hong Chau Joins Matt Damon in a new Movie titled 'The Instigators' from Apple Original Films." Today we're learning that Paul Walter Hauser, who earned rave reviews on the Apple limited series "Black Bird," is returning to the studio joining Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in the Apple Original Film titled "The Instigators."

Damon and Ben Affleck are producing through their newly announced banner Artists Equity, along with Jeff Robinov and John Graham through Studio 8 and Kevin Walsh through his The Walsh Company.

The film follows two thieves who go on the run with the help of one of their therapists after a robbery goes awry. The script was penned by Chuck MacLean and Affleck and was developed by Robinov, Graham and Casey Affleck. For more, read the full Deadline report.

Last Night in L.A., Apple Hosted the Third Season World Premier of 'Ted Lasso'

Cristo Fernandez and Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, take a selfie with cast at the Apple TV+ multiple Emmy Award-winning comedy Ted Lasso season three world premiere at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles.

Last night at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles, Apple TV+ celebrated the world premiere of the third season of Ted Lasso. Following its history-making, back-to-back Emmy Award wins for its freshman and sophomore seasons, the 12-episode third season of Ted Lasso will premiere globally with the first episode on Wednesday, March 15, followed by new episodes weekly, every Wednesday on Apple TV+.

Bingers, who hate having to watch it weekly, could watch the series in its entirety on May 24.

Red carpet attendees included ensemble cast members Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Jeremy Swift, Phil Dunster, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Anthony Head, Toheeb Jimoh, Cristo Fernandez, Kola Bokinni, Billy Harris, James Lance and Juno Temple alongside executive producers Bill Lawrence, Jeff Ingold, Joe Kelly, Jane Becker, Jamie Lee and Liza Katzer. For more photos and credits, view Apple's full press release.

Archive: Apple TV News
This is an installment of a series of replies (see the Introduction and Master List), starting with #56, to portions of Book III of Institutes of the Christian Religion, by early Protestant leader John Calvin (1509-1564). I utilize the public domain translation of Henry Beveridge, dated 1846, from the 1559 edition in Latin; available online. Calvins words will be in blue. All biblical citations (in my portions) will be from RSV unless otherwise noted.

Related reading from yours truly:

Biblical Catholic Answers for John Calvin (2010 book: 388 pages)

A Biblical Critique of Calvinism (2012 book: 178 pages)

Biblical Catholic Salvation: Faith Working Through Love (2010 book: 187 pages; includes biblical critiques of all five points of TULIP)

John Calvin: Catholic Appraisal (Web Page)

Calvinism & General Protestantism: Catholic Critique (Web Page)

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III, 2:10, 21, 31

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1) Faith: Its Definition Set Forth, and Its Properties Explained. Section 10: View to be taken of this. Who those are that believe for a time. The faith of hypocrites. With whom they may be compared. But as this shadow or image of faith is of no moment, so it is unworthy of the name. How far it differs from true faith will shortly be explained at length. Here, however, we may just indicate it in passing. Simon Magus is said to have believed, though he soon after gave proof of his unbelief, (Acts 8:13-18.) In regard to the faith attributed to him, we do not understand with some, that he merely pretended a belief which had no existence in his heart: we rather think that, overcome by the majesty of the Gospel, he yielded some kind of assent, and so far acknowledged Christ to be the author of life and salvation, as willingly to assume his name. In like manner, in the Gospel of Luke, those in whom the seed of the word is choked before it brings forth fruit, or in whom, from having no depth of earth, it soon withereth away, are said to believe for a time. Such, we doubt not, eagerly receive the word with a kind of relish, and have some feeling of its divine power, so as not only to impose upon men by a false semblance of faith, but even to impose upon themselves. They imagine that the reverence which they give to the word is genuine piety, because they have no idea of any impiety but that which consists in open and avowed contempt. But whatever that assent may be, it by no means penetrates to the heart, so as to have a fixed seat there. Although it sometimes seems to have planted its roots, these have no life in them. The human heart has so many recesses for vanity, so many lurking places for falsehood, is so shrouded by fraud and hypocrisy, that it often deceives itself. Let those who glory in such semblances of faith know that, in this respect, they are not a whit superior to devils. The one class, indeed, is inferior to them, inasmuch as they are able without emotion to hear and understand things, the knowledge of which makes devils tremble, (James 2:19.) The other class equals them in this, that whatever be the impression made upon them, its only result is terror and consternation. (III, 2:10) [T]he saying of John, in his Epistle, is fulfilled, This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith, (1 John 5: 4.) It is not said that it will be victorious in a single fight, or a few, or some one assault, but that it will be victorious over the whole world, though it should be a thousand times assailed. (III, 2:21) These examples certainly show that error is often mingled with faith; and yet that when faith is real, it always obtains the preeminence. For as the particular error of Rebekah did not render the blessing of no effect, neither did it nullify the faith which generally ruled in her mind, and was the principle and cause of that action. In this, nevertheless, Rebekah showed how prone the human mind is to turn aside whenever it gives itself the least indulgence. But though defect and infirmity obscure faith, they do not extinguish it. (III, 2:31)

Here, Calvin is trying to draw a distinction between the true saving faith of the elect and what he calls not true faith and some kind of assent and a false semblance of faith and (in the next section 11) not the same faith. The problem he has (as so often) is with Holy Scripture and Jesus.

Luke 22:32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail . . .

From this we learn two important things: 1) Peter had faith, and 2) it could possibly fail. If it couldnt possibly fail, then Jesus prayer makes no sense. Neither Jesus nor anyone else prays for things not to happen that cant ever possibly happen anyway. We dont pray that basic mathematics not fail, so that, tomorrow, 2+2 wont = 5. It cant change, and so there is no need to pray that it wont change. No one could pray that God would cease being eternal, or that Jesus wouldnt return in the Second Coming, because those things are impossible and can never happen.

Therefore, Peters faith could have possibly failed, which means (by straightforward logical extension) that anyones faith could do so. But Calvin does the notorious Calvinist runaround and special pleading (circular reasoning) and asserts that faith which is not possessed forever by someone (faith in a person who falls away) wasnt ever really faith. Sorry, we must go with what the inspired biblical revelation teaches (in this case, from Jesus Himself). But there is much more:

Acts 11:23 . . . he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose; Romans 11:20-22 They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. [21] For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. [22] Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but Gods kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cut off. 1 Corinthians 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. 2 Corinthians 1:24 . . . you stand firm in your faith. 2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are holding to your faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?  unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 1 Timothy 2:15 Yet woman will be saved through bearing children, if she continues in faith and love and holiness, with modesty. 1 Peter 5:9 Resist him, firm in your faith, . . . Revelation 2:10 . . . Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

These passages all presuppose and therefore demonstrate the same idea: one can possess true faith (we know that because the inspired Bible stated that they did) and that this faith can be rejected or lost. Losing it or potentially doing so (which warnings against losing it presuppose) dont prove that it was inauthentic. If that were the case, then the Bible could never refer to faith in these instances being possessed and possibly or actually lost. Its a lot of Scripture (nine very clear passages) for Calvin to directly oppose. But he tries in vain to do so, anyway (bless his heart).

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Practical Matters: Perhaps some of my 4,200+ free online articles (the most comprehensive one-stop Catholic apologetics site) or fifty-one books have helped you (by Gods grace) to decide to become Catholic or to return to the Church, or better understand some doctrines and why we believe them.

Or you may believe my work is worthy to support for the purpose of apologetics and evangelism in general. If so, please seriously consider a much-needed financial contribution. Im always in need of more funds: especially monthly support. The laborer is worthy of his wages (1 Tim 5:18, NKJV). 1 December 2021 was my 20th anniversary as a full-time Catholic apologist, and February 2022 marked the 25th anniversary of my blog. PayPal donations are the easiest: just send to my email address: apologistdave@gmail.com. Youll see the term Catholic Used Book Service, which is my old side-business. To learn about the different methods of contributing, including 100% tax deduction, etc., see my page: About Catholic Apologist Dave Armstrong / Donation Information. Thanks a million from the bottom of my heart!

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Photo credit: Historical mixed media figure of John Calvin produced by artist/historian George S. Stuart and photographed by Peter dAprix: from the George S. Stuart Gallery of Historical Figures archive [Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license]

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Summary: John Calvin argues that genuine, authentic faith can never be lost, & if faith is lost, it wasnt ever the real thing. I refute this error with nine clear Bible passages.
Food is delivered to 450,000 people in northern Ethiopia who have been affected by conflict.

Government leaders and experts attending the Fifth UN Conference on Least Developed Countries (LDC5) and weighing the main challenges facing the world's most vulnerable countries, have called for the LDCs to be supported through, among others, promoting agricultural investment and using modern technologies to achieve food security.

Among the many challenges they face, the world's least developed countries (LDCs) remain hotspots of chronic and acute food insecurity, with an average prevalence of chronic undernourishment of 22.1 per cent, and in some countries, reaching more than 50 per cent.

Despite some progress since 2020, the overall situation has worsened over the past decade due to conflict and climate shocks, as well as economic and demographic pressures.

During a panel discussion at LDC5, Andrzej Duda, the President of Poland, called for support for LDCs in agricultural and rural development.

'Together we can achieve more'

"It is so important to support the least developed countries in agricultural and rural development so that they could ensure their own food security," said President Duda.

Poland, which he said was the fifth largest food producer in the European Union with a 10.5 percent share in EU production, "stands as an example of success that can be achieved by investing in agriculture and modernization of the agrifood sector".

Mr. Duda argued that the LDCs should be helped with implementing various solutions to modernize their domestic agrifood sectors, including artificial intelligence tools, navigation systems, satellite images and digital platforms for farmers.

"I once again pledge [Poland's] readiness to support you through our enterprises, which have adequate experience in modernizing the sector and expanding their presence on foreign market. Together we can achieve more," he declared.

A climate smart agriculture

Like many LDCs, The Gambia is a mostly agrarian country, with a large proportion of the population relying on subsistence farming. The effects of climate change, such as higher temperatures and changing rain patterns, are affecting the productivity of the country's crops, leading to lower yields and reduced incomes for the farmers.

"Agriculture is the backbone of The Gambia, but we need to also divert this into a climate smart formula," Rohey John Manjang, Minister of Environment Climate Change and Natural Resources of The Gambia told UN News.

She added: "At least in as much as we want to grow food - the food to be efficient, to respond to the impact of climate change - that means this should be climate smart, that will give revenue and also build on the resilience when it comes to the impact of climate change."

"We need finance to come our way," stressed the Minister. "We need support from the developed countries. We need support from the bigger emitters, at least to neutralize the situation on the ground."

Building resilient agrifood systems

"We need to build resilience in our agrifood systems," urged Maximo Torero, the Chief Economist of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

He explained that LDCs are the most vulnerable nations to agrifood systems' risk and uncertainty brought by climate change, water stresses, pests and diseases, trade and macroeconomic policies and unexpected events.

"Our agrifood systems operate and will continue to operate under risk and uncertainty, and LDCs will be the most vulnerable countries to this," he stressed.

To build resilience in agrifood systems, the FAO Chief Economist said that investments are needed in early warning systems to identify areas of food insecurity, the One Health approach to address the emergence of new zoonotic reservoirs, and targeted social protection to support the most vulnerable, such as cash transfers and food-for-work programmes.

"We need to connect energy, water, technology and human capacity to transform agrifood systems," the FAO expert underlined, adding that a new social contract is needed to guide our common life and our shared planet.

"This social contract has as pre-condition that we work together to increase resilience to secure for all people recognition of the universal right to food and provision of the means to attain it," he concluded.

Food security and nutrition programme launched

On the margins of the LDC5 Conference, the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and FAO launched on Monday the Agrifood Systems Transformation Accelerator (ASTA), a global programme to help LDCs make their agrifood systems more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable by fostering partnerships and leveraging public-private investment.

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"Addressing the future of agrifood systems requires a holistic view covering many topics, such as the climate crisis, agricultural production, value chain efficiency, inclusion, nutrition, land use and biodiversity, among others," said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu.

"ASTA offers a concrete tool to help countries realize the objective of agrifood systems transformation," he explained.

Since 2018, the ASTA approach has been piloted in 15 countries around the world. One example where the ASTA model has been successfully tested is in Suriname, where $2 million in public funding was secured to leverage $8 million in private investment to transform the pineapple value chain.

Looking ahead, ASTA aims to generate at least $300 million in private investment over the next five years.

"ASTA identifies investment opportunities and helps channel those investments into food value chains," Gerd Muller, the UNIDO Director General, said.
Nothing is more frustrating than gaming on a slow monitor that cant keep up with your games. If youre in the market for a speedier display, Best Buy is the place to be today. The online retailer is selling the Samsung Odyssey G5 gaming monitor for $279.99, which saves you $120. The 165Hz refresh rate is perfect for more intense FPS games where every second counts. It also measures 27-inches, which is a good size for a smaller gaming space.

The Odyssey G5 features a resolution of 25601440, a refresh rate of 165Hz, and a response time of 1ms. Expect smooth visuals as well as a crisp picture. It also has FreeSync and G-Sync compatibility, which syncs the monitors refresh rate with your computers GPU. This helps reduce annoying screen tearing issues. As for connectivity options, youre getting one HDMI and one DisplayPort 1.2.

This is a solid monitor, especially for $120 off. Wed recommend grabbing it sooner rather than later, as we dont expect this deal to last much longer.

Get the Samsung Odyssey G5 gaming monitor for $279.99 at Best Buy
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appreciated the management of the National Health Insurance Authoritys (NHIA) technological reinforcement to attain hundred percent electronic Claims management by June 2023.



He acknowledged the NHIS in his State of the Nation Address (SONA 2023) on the floor of the House of Parliament, on March 8, 2023.



President Nana Addo thus urged persons yet to sign up for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to take advantage of the digital platform dubbed, MyNHIS and join the Schemes soaring active membership.



He said the introduction of the MyNHIS App coupled with the Mobile Renewal platform will make the Scheme accessible to all residents in Ghana and beyond.



He further talked about the linkage of the Ghana Card with the NHIS card using *929# to enable them to use one card, Ghana card in accessing healthcare services.



MyNHIS App Benefits



It is a convenient mobile App solution inaugurated to enable residents in Ghana and beyond to use their Ghana cards and sign up for the NHIS at their own convenience.



MyNHIS mobile App enables corporate clients and other citizens to use their Ghana Cards to register for the NHIS without necessarily visiting any of the NHIA district offices for the same service.



The new App also enables NHIS members to securely pay registration and membership renewal fees from their mobile money wallets, Bank and Visa cards.



The new App issues digitized NHIS cards that provide a mechanism for the NHIA to fulfill its statutory obligations.

Most importantly, the innovation delivers a vastly improved renewal experience to NHIS members as it saves time and money, thereby making the Scheme more accessible to all residents in Ghana and beyond.



It is of utmost importance that Ghanaians home and abroad will take advantage of the newly introduced MyNHIS App to save time, and expenses, increase higher levels of convenience, eliminate data entry errors, and improve efficiency.



NHIA Digitalization enthusiasm



The NHIA is leveraging on the national digitalization drive to shift from a paper to a paperless regime.

The Authority is continually building robust

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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The Chairperson of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), Nana Akosua Frimpongmaa-Sarpong Kumankumah, has urged the youth to take up their destiny and change the economic situation of the country.



It is only the youth that can make the economic independence of the country a reality by voting the right person into office, she said.





Addressing some students of the University of Ghana at the Elizabeth Sey Hall in Accra yesterday to mark the independence celebration, she said the CPP believed in the youth and therefore had handed over the mantle of power to them to bring the needed change that would affect their lives positively.



She said Independence Day was a very important day in the life of Ghanaians, noting that apart from the March past, the day needed to be readjusted and repositioned for the youth to understand its importance.



She reminded the students that if they wanted to achieve economic independence then they have to take the mantle today, else the problems of tomorrow will swallow you.



Whatever you want to do this is the time to do it, if you dont get up today dont ever blame the leadership of the country, she said.



Can-do spirit



The chairperson encouraged the students to allow the flag of Ghana to ignite the spirit of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghanas first President and said that spirit included the can-do spirit in them that can build something for their country.



She said they should not just follow political parties just because they like them but support people who worked in their interest in terms of governance.



I believe that if the youth can examine themselves and ignite their spirits today, that same spirit of God within them can help them solve problems facing the country, and that is the legacy of the CPP, she said.



Agricultural squad



A broadcaster, who is also a member of the CPP, Blessed Godsbrain Smart, aka Captain Smart, tasked the various universities in the country to come up with courses that would promote the development of the country and make students more employable after school.



He noted that the youth were not lazy but because of bad leadership they were unable to position themselves to be employable in the field of work.



He, however, called on the country to establish an agricultural squad aimed at employing the youth to feed the nation.



The youth should be employed and paid at least GH5,000 a month to do agriculture and this can make the country self-sufficient, he said



He also urged the media to speak out for the youth to find their level place in politics and the governance of the country.



Uphold integrity



The immediate past Vice president of the Students Representative Council (SRC) of the University of Ghana, Wisdom Ndukwe, indicated that young people normally chastised the elderly over issues of values and integrity but said most of the youth were most culpable in that regard.



He, therefore, entreated them to uphold good values and integrity as young people as they had a lot they could contribute to the development of the country.



The National Spokesperson for the Economic League Fighters, Nii Ayi, said the youth had always led and been at the centre of revolutionary activism, noting that it was time for them to step up to the responsibility of rescuing and reconstructing the country.



















Source: graphiconline.com









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Ghanaians in New York City in the United State of America also joined their counterparts in Ghana in the celebration of Independence Day Celebration on the 6th, of March by hoisting a flag in a short ceremony in New York.



The occasion saw New York City Mayor Eric Adams happily joining Consul General, Ghana Permanent Mission UN, New York, Hon Daniel Kingsley Atta Boafo hoisting the Ghana flag to commemorate the day.



Hon Atta Boafo underscored the need to cherish and uphold the values of Ghana to sell the country to the world reiterating the respect the Mayor of New York City has for Ghana hence his visit to the country after winning an election.



Ghana attained its independence in 1957 after being colonized by the British Empire. Since then Ghanaians have been commemorating this day every year by marching past Security Services, School Children, organizations, associations and market women.



This year's own was held in the Volta Region of Ghana with the President of Guinea Bissau who doubles as the Chairman of the ECOWAS, H.E Umaro Sissoco Embalo Umaro as the Special Guest of Honor.



Since time immemorial, Accra has been hosting the occasion every year but from 2019 to update, the event has been rotating from one region to another every year allowing Ghanaians in another part of the country to have a feel of the occasion.



New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the Independence Anniversary is a very historic day in the history of Ghana as they trace their road to sovereignty 66 years ago.



He said many people have lost their loved ones through slavery saying many people have left the shores

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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As the sun peeks over the horizon, commuters traverse the 19-kilometre stretch of road that links the Harbour City of Tema to Accra, a reminder of the grand design of Kwame Nkrumah, the countrys first president, linking major towns and cities.



After 56 years of use, the Accra-Tema Motorway has outlived its purpose but remains the only one in the country that is serving the growing population of commuters and transit trucks transporting goods from the Tema port to countries like Burkina Faso and Mali.



Indeed, it is sad, and a testament of our collective failure as a country that the motorway has deteriorated beyond recognition, with deep potholes, some of which have been patched with bitumen, eroded with time and the elements, leaving the free lane in a dangerous state.



Death trap



Shoulders of the Accra-Tema Motorway worn out



While the Tema to Accra stretch remains the more deplorable, the portion around the Ashaiman tollbooth, where transit trucks park on the shoulders, sometimes for hours, has been destroyed by potholes, while erosion has also eaten into the edges.



The stretch just before the Abattoir Bridge, which was recently fixed, has developed potholes that force drivers to slow down, creating traffic congestion all the way to the Ashaiman under-bridge area during peak hours.



On four occasions, while monitoring activities on the motorway for a series of articles, I came across vehicular accidents, one of which resulted in injuries to the victims.



On my most recent tour of the motorway in November last year, a tanker truck driver, Raymond Nkrumah, who was seen stranded on the Tema-Accra side, with his vehicle in a ditch, said he had loaded the truck with diesel from the Bulk Oil and Storage Transportation (BOST) Limited in Tema and was headed for Kumasi when the truck hit a pothole, resulting in the removal of the tyre rod.



"I hit a pothole and my tyre rod came off, tossing the vehicle from one side to the other before entering the ditch," he said.

That experience, he said, was scary.



Stubborn nation



Exposed iron rods on a portions of the Accra-Tema Motorway



There is also growing indiscipline on the part of road users, with illegal activities such as road diversions, illegal U-turns, illegal bus stops, the dumping of refuse, farming alongside the stretch, among others, resulting in pedestrian knockdowns, car crashes and the deterioration of the motorway.



A policeman once told me how he was overwhelmed by the spate of indiscipline on the stretch and sometimes was forced to look the other way.

Our people are too stubborn, my brother, drivers behave like children that you have to babysit and like you can see, I am alone here, the policeman said, with stress and sweat on his face.



The absence of illumination on some sections of the road, especially after dark, is another cause for concern due to the fact that half of the street lamps are currently not working.



The lack of visibility creates a hazardous situation, exposing drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to potential risks and is a major issue that needs to be addressed to ensure the safety of everyone using the road.



Context



Since December 2020, I have focused on safety on the motorway and produced six stories to highlight some of the acts of indiscipline that portend danger for road users as well as the bad state of the road.



Three of the stories have since won local and international awards but the situations highlighted have only become worse. And that cuts deep into my heart.



As a journalist, my business is to shed light on situations that need to be addressed. Yet my personal philosophy on journalism is that stories are useless if they don't resolve issues.





The first story: "Motorway menace on increase", focused on some of the illegal activities perpetrated by both motorists and squatters along the motorway.



That was followed in January this year by another, "Indiscipline unabated: Accra-Tema Motorway without rules", which also threw light on the indiscipline on the motorway that was threatening the safety of road users.



Another story: The lights go dim: Accra-Tema Motorway in focus, was published on April 15, 2021, to highlight the concerns of motorists over visibility on the motorway and how challenging it was to drive on it at night.



After the publication, the Director-General of the Ghana Standards Authority, Professor Alex Dodoo, told the Daily Graphic that the streetlights did not conform to the countrys standard for street lighting.



That revelation was then captured in a follow-up story with the headline: Motorway lights substandard  GSA, which was published on April 16, 2021.



Our attention then shifted to the state of the motorway with a story that was published on June 1, 2022, with the headline: A year on: Accra-Tema Motorway still in bad shape.



Each of the stories was published with a number of photos to signal the urgency to restore the motorway to improve safety.



For the revival of the motorway, the government holds the key to the reconstruction due to the financial commitment involved, and there should be no excuses.



But I am optimistic that the motorway can pay for its reconstruction when it is properly tolled and the revenue from it well managed.







Source: graphiconline.com









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Vodafone Ghana has partnered with the Institute of ICT Professionals Ghana (IIPGH) to offer free coding training to girls aged 7 to 18 through its Code-Like-a-Girl program.



The Code-Like-a-Girl program is an annual Vodafone Ghana initiative started to provide free basic knowledge in computer languages and development programs such as HTML, CSS, and GitHub.



The virtual program will run on Saturdays from March 11th to April 1st, 2023. Participants will gain coding skills, work experience, and will be able to create a website by the end of the course.



This initiative is part of Vodafone Ghana's commitment to using its resources, expertise, and technology to help the youth acquire new skills that will prepare them for the future of work.



The Code-Like-a-Girl program is also expected to increase employment opportunities for females in STEM fields, as they will be equipped with in-demand skills and be better positioned to bridge the technological gender gap.



Vodafone Ghana has previously launched other initiatives such as the Discover Graduate Program, the Female Engineering Scholarship Program (FESSP), and internship opportunities, all designed to equip young people for the job market.



Interested persons can register through this link: http://bit.ly/3XDdSSD.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Former president John Dramani Mahama has asked president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to take governance serious and to take control and command of the government.



Mahama is particularly concerned about the state of the economy and the fact that government refuses to take any cuts despite begging for debt restructuring from external creditors.



He lamented how the presidency reportedly spent over 15 million cedis on tyres and batteries of cars according to an official expense list submitted to Parliament.



Portions of the list were released by North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa months back.



Its just a comedy. This government is jaguar jokers and until the president wakes up and takes control, he must take control and command, Mahama said whiles addressing party faithful during his campaign to win the National Democratic Congress flagbearership contest.



There are 1000s of presidential staffers and personal assistantsall over the place writing stupid things on social media, he jabbed.





This Akufo-Addo led administration are bunch of jaguar jokers - J.D Mahama#MetroNews pic.twitter.com/mWuqkhDAwM  Metropolitan Television (@metrotvgh) March 6, 2023

Source: ghanaweb.com









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Former President John Dramani Mahama on March 5, 2023 disclosed that he would not be attending Ghanas 66th Independence Day celebration in the Volta Region.



According to the aspiring presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Independence Day celebration is a national event in the country but has unfortunately been turned into a political jamboree by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), hence his decision not to associate himself with political events.



"I am not going to be in Ho because I don't want to be part of an NPP jamboree," the former President said, whilst speaking with the media concerning the celebration.



The decision by John Dramani Mahama was met with mixed reactions from internet users. A section of them described the former presidents decision as apt and a bold statement, while others believe his absence does not show statesmanship.





Source: ghanaweb.com









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On Tuesday, February 28, 2023, the Parliament of Ghana hosted representatives of the Electoral Commission, National Identification Authority and Ministry of Finance to debate on the proposed Constitutional Instrument (C.I) for voters ID registration.



The electoral commissioner, Madam Jean Mensah during her presentation mentioned the laid out requirement for the exercise which is yet to take place.



The ECOWAS Identity Card otherwise known as Ghana card appeared to be the basic and the sole required document for the voter ID registration.



The proposed C.I also recommends registration centers will be cited at the commissions office at the various districts instead of the polling stations as in previous C.Is.



This means that, every citizen of the age 18 years or more would have to move to the electoral commission office in his district with his Ghana card to register for the voters ID.



Meanwhile, article 42 of the 1992 constitution of the republic of Ghana guarantee citizens the right to vote.



It states that every citizen of Ghana of eighteen years or above and of sound mind has the right to vote and is entitled to be registered as a voter for the purposes of public elections and referenda.



However, under regulation 1(3) of the proposed C.I by the electoral commission states that a person who applies for registration as a voter shall provide as evidence of identification the national identification card issued by the National Identification Authority.



This means that, the regulation by the EC seeks to restrain many Ghanaians from exercising their voting rights.



According to the National Identification Authority (NIA) statistics, over 3.5 million cards have been locked up due to financial constraints from the government and other millions of citizens have not started the process yet.



This means that, all persons at eighteen or more who are a victim of this would have their voting right seized by the EC only because they do not have the Ghana card.



There have been so many factors to be looked at as far as the 1992 constitution is concerned. This proposed C.I is flawed. It has no credibility and it poses a threat in the coming elections.



Many Ghanaians would have to travel miles to get to their district capitals where the EC offices are mostly located.



This will make it very difficult for people who have the district offices at such distances to get registered thereby disenfranchising them. Coupling the distances with current economic state where almost everything is expensive will keep many eligible voters unregistered.



In view of this, the leader of the 18Plus4NDC group, Miss Bridget Bonnie, has vehemently opposed the new proposal tabled before parliament by the EC and is asking members to disallow its passage.



She argues that the new C.I will disenfranchise many young but qualified voters in so many ways.



Miss Bonnie said that, the National Identification Authority (NIA) do not have offices in every district.



This means that, to register for the card, one may have to move from one district to another district access NIA offices before they can register for their Ghana Cards.



She believes will be challenging to young people who may not have the economic power to make such trips just register to obtain their cards, which the EC is proposing as the sole requirement for voter registration in the coming elections.



Young eligible voters will be denied their mandate to vote with the new C.I she said, adding this will frustrate young people turning 18 but without the financial capacity to travel to available offices to obtain their cards.



Moreover, Miss Bonnie has argued that, although there are NIA premium centers facilitating the process of obtaining the Ghana Card, it is quite expensive for many young people to obtain the services of such centers.



It is therefore going to be pandemonic to insist on the national ID card for registering new voters.



There are regions without NIA premium service centers and to access a premium center for a card, one must pay Ghc250.00, she said.



If this is not properly done, it may lead to chaos come 2024.



The E.C chairperson, Madam Jean Mensa, in parliament, has argued that, the Ghana card will be the sole document to register all new eligible voters that want to register for the voters ID card.



She explained that, the position of the EC is to do away with the guarantor system because the guarantor system allows non- Ghanaians and under-age persons to register for voting. She also claimed passports and birth certificates are not prove of age and nationality, which is quite debatable.

Another case of interest to the 18Plus4NDC is that, the current C.I makes it easier for registered persons to identify their polling stations just on the day of registration since the process is coordinated at the polling centers.



This makes it easier on the voting day as new voters to be familiar with where to vote.



In view of the above, the 18Plus4NDC insists that the EC is employing tactics to favor the current government by entrenching their mandate.



The leadership of the group insists that, many youth will find it easier registering at known polling centers where they will cast their votes come 2024.



It will be, therefore, frustrating to new voters who may register to vote at EC determined offices, far away from polling centers, to identify their polling stations on the day of elections.



Ghanaians will be displeased in their members of parliament if they allow this C.I to hold. It is the fervent call of all Ghanaians and a constitutional mandate to vote when eligible and there should not be any law that will deter citizens from enjoying their rights.



The members of parliament should not allow the EC to lay proposed C.I as it lacks credibility and put the safety of the country in danger. Our long existed peace and unity cannot be taken for granted.

Source: Akudugu Haruna Ibrahim/student









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Addis Ababa  At least three civilians were killed, two were injured and several others were arrested in ongoing protests in the Guji zone, Southern Oromia, following the establishment of the new zone of 'East Borana', comprising 10 districts from Borana, Bale and Guji zones, residents told Addis Standard.

The Caffee Oromia, on Monday, February 27, 2023, announced that, East Borana zone will be formed as the 21st zone of Oromia, and the former zonal capital of Guji zone Nagelle would be the seat of the administration of the newly formed East Borana zone, while the administration of the Guji zone moves to Adola Rede.

The decision which the regional parliament said was made "to respond to the long-standing demands of development, security and good governance of the people" was outright rejected by residents of the Guji zone leading to massive demonstrations in several cities and towns of the zone.

Boru Meshi, a native of Guji and a journalist who is closely following the issue, told Addis Standard that the reason for the protests was the announcement of the incorporation of three districts including Negelle, the capital of Guji zone, to the newly established 'East Borana' zone.

"Negelle is a town with a great history among the Guji people and it is a town that the people and intellectuals have paid a high price for. It is unacceptable to simply move it to another zone without consulting the people," Boru said.

Following the decision of establishment of the new zone, protests have been going on in all districts of the Guji zone including Shakiso town, Bore and Adola Wayu districts, since Tuesday, Boru said, adding that three people, including two students, were shot dead and one injured in a clash between community police and civilians in Bore district on Tuesday.

A resident of Shakiso town who did not want to be named for his safety also confirmed to Addis Standard that normal activities have been suspended and public protests are underway in Shakiso town since last Tuesday.

Gelchu Boru, another resident, and a lawyer by profession, said the decision to include Negelle town and three districts from Guji to the East Borana zone faced strong and wide protests as it is "not in accordance with the culture, tradition and history of the people."

Gelchu said, "the decision to add the capital and districts of Guji zone to another zone is not intended to provide faster services as the government claims but a conspiracy to destroy the sense of brotherhood between the communities of the two zones [Guji and Borana]."

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"Negelle town is the center of culture, tradition and history of the Guji people," Gelchu said, adding that the protests that started in Bule Hora district have spread to all districts of Guji zone following the announcement of the incorporation of Negelle town into the newly established zone. Gelchu said the decision was also opposed by intellectuals and the wider community of Guji zone.

He said civilians were also killed in the protests in these districts. "Four people were shot and three died in the Bore district. I also have information that one person was hospitalized after being beaten by police in Adola Wayu district. Many have been arrested."

Gelchu said that he was informed that the officials of Guji zone were also opposed to the decision of the Caffee Oromia, adding that today [Friday], a committee sent from the Oromia regional state government is holding discussions with the community together with zone officials.

Attempts by Addis Standard to reach Guji zone administration officials and security bureau of the zone for further information on the matter were unsuccessful. AS
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has refuted claims that the Coronavirus funds that his government obtained during the pandemic were misappropriated.



According to an Auditor-General's report released this year, over $80 million worth of vaccines were paid for by government but has not yet been delivered.



The Auditor-General further revealed that the government paid over $120 million to the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) for vaccines but only $38 million worth was delivered.



We noted that the Ministry of Health on behalf of the government of Ghana paid an amount of $120,192,379.80 to UNICEF/AVAT for the supply of vaccines.



However, 5,109,600.00 doses of vaccines valued at $38,322,000.00 were supplied to the National Cold Room leaving a difference of US$81,870,379.00 with UNICEF/AVAT.



We recommend that the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health should renegotiate with UNICEF/AVAT to recover the outstanding amount, the report said.



Delivering the 2023 State of the Nation Address in Parliament today, President Nana Addo stated emphatically that nothing dishonorable was done with the COVID-19 funds by his government.



He told the House that the funds were used for its intended purposes, stating "it is important to show clearly that the COVID-19 funds [COVID funds] were not misused".



He added; "It is critical that we do not lose the confidence of the people that the crisis they were led to believe we were all in together was abused for personal gains."



"Mr. Speaker, it was government that asked for the COVID funds to be audited and I can assure this House that nothing dishonorable was done with the COVID funds. The responses from the Ministers for Health and Finance on January 23rd and 25th, 2023 respectively have sufficiently laid to rest the queries from the Auditor-General's report and I believe any objective scrutiny of these statements from the Health and Finance Ministries will justify this conclusion", the President stressed.





Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has refuted claims that his government has been irresponsibly borrowing and wasting state funds despite Ghanas ailing economy.



Addressing Parliament in his 2023 State of the Nation Address, President Akufo-Addo said: Let me state emphatically that we have not been reckless in borrowing and in spending. It is worth noting that the debts we are servicing were not only contracted during the period of this administration.



He, however, noted that his government has spent prudently on urgent needs of the country such as roads and schools.



We have spent money on things that are urgent, to build roads and bridges and schools, to train our young people and equip them to face a competitive world. Considering the amount of work that still needs to be done on the state of our roads, the bridges that have to be built, considering the number of classrooms that need to be built, the furniture and equipment needs at all stages of education, considering the number of children who should be in school and are not, considering the number of towns and villages that still do not have access to potable water, I daresay no one can suggest we have over-borrowed or spent recklessly.



Yes, I have been in a hurry to get things done, and this includes massive developments in agriculture, education, health, irrigation, roads, rails, ports, airports, sea defence, digitisation, social protection programmes, industrialisation and tourism. We can be justifiably proud of the many things we have managed to do in the past six years. As I go around the country, I hear the pleas for roads, schools, and hospitals, and, as the rainy season comes, I wish, as every other Ghanaian does, that we would have built more drains than we have. And I wish we had the resources to do more, he said.



I am proud of the amount of work that we have done, especially in the road sector. Roads constitute the largest number of questions asked in this House by Members of Parliament; a large amount of the monies we borrow are for road construction. Shall we dare stop constructing roads? Akufo-Addo questioned his critics.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









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Nollywood veteran actor, Kanayo O. Kanayo had decided not to celebrate his birthday on March 1 because he says Nigerians are not happy about the outcome of their Presidential election.



Nigerias electoral commission chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, announced the former Lagos governor as the winner of the February 25 election at the National Collation Centre in Abuja.



The actor, who turned 61 on March 1, made it known that he is not happy about the results and that the Independent and National Electoral Commission, INEC, sold shame in the market.



He wrote, I am not celebrating my birthday today because INEC sold shame in the market. God bless you, my fans and well-wishers, for your support and prayers.



Tinubus victory in the 2023 Nigerian presidential election has elicited a range of reactions from celebrities across the country.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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The new Co-op gas station at the corner of South Main Street and Skaha Lake Road in Penticton. Its one of three former Husky stations in the city that are under new ownership.
An advocacy group is accusing a Toronto elementary school of anti-Black racism after receiving reports alleging three students were locked in a closet-sized room on separate occasions. The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) logo is seen in this undated handout. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO
Peel Regional Police logo is shown on a vehicle in Brampton, Ont., on November 7, 2019. Peel police are investigating after they say six high schools were named in shooting threats posted online. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Addis Abeba  Several journalists at the TPLF owned Dimtsi Woyane Television and Radio (DW) headquartered in Mekelle, Tigray region, have resigned from their jobs in protest against lack of editorial freedom and bad media leadership.

Addis Standard spoke to at least five journalists who have already resigned from their roles, and learned that over two dozen other journalists are in a process of submitting their resignations.

Haftom Hayle, a journalist, who is among those who have already submitted their resignations, told Addis Standard that he resigned because the media only entertains ideology of one group, and that he couldn't practice his profession freely.

He said: "Tigray people's agenda is not the priority of the media, and journalists are promoted based on party membership despite their knowledge and experiences".

Despite being owned by the party [TPLF], Haftom said "the media shouldn't be led by the idea of one or two individuals or groups, it should be led according to the editorial", adding that, "we are not even allowed to express our ideas on our personal [social media] pages".

Kahsay Mesele, assistant editor and one of the senior journalists who resigned from DW, told Addis Standard that the leadership of the media is politically loyal to the party and that they lack professional experience.

"Experience, hard work, and knowledge has no value in the media unless you are a cadre," Kahsay said.

Kahsay said "after programs and documentaries were made ready for broadcast, if they are not to the liking of the [party] officials, they would be dropped with a phone call".

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Abadi Gebreselassie, head of Dimtsi Woyane Television and Radio (DW) however refuted the accusations against the leadership saying that they are "totally far from the truth", and added that the journalists who accusing the media are those who were fired due to lack of reputable discipline, some of them resigned in connection to salary issue a year ago.

"We don't have journalists who resigned or submitted resignation letters due to bad leadership in the institution, I have never heard of such an issue," Abadi told Addis Standard.

Due to the war in Tigray, at least 330 employees of DW have not been paid their salaries for over two years, and as a result there are journalists who resigned to seek better opportunities, said Abadi.

Abadi reiterated that journalists who have political interests and are cooperating with external forces, are on a campaign against the leadership of the media. He however admitted that the media has banned its journalists from writing their opinions on their social media pages.

This comes amidst growing tension between TPLF, the party ruling the war torn Tigray region, and opposition parties operating in the region over issues of inclusion in the ongoing establishment of the Interim Regional Administration (IRA) pursuant to the peace agreement reached between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF in November last year.

On 16 February, Three major opposition political parties in the region invalidated a committee authorized to lead the establishment of an Interim Regional Administration (IRA) saying that it excluded the opposition political parties. AS
Addis Abeba  Residents of the restive Gurage zone in Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region (SNNPR) told Addis Standard that security forces have intensified arrests including on senior government officials, the youth and activists since Tuesday.

Menur Reshid, member of Gurage Zone Council, Taje Demeke, former chairwoman of the Zone's Council, Asrat Tadele, Head of Urban Trade and Enterprise, Sefa Jamal, Head of Revenue Office of Wolkite City, Mulugeta Fikade, Head of Security of Addis Sub-city of Wolkite City, Fikre Azata, head of the regional industrial center, and Tesfaye Minuta, the director of Wolkite University's registrar directorate are among government officials who were arrested in Wolkite by the SNNPR special forces and the federal police, a resident of Wolkite who did not wish to be named, told Addis Standard.

In addition, leadership of the Gurage Media Network Beyene Wondemu and Zermaw Yitbarek and lawyer and legal advisor Jember Abdo have also been arrested in Addis Abeba.

The resident said that more than 15 community leaders and youths are in prison, adding that "they were arrested because they peacefully struggled for the rights of the Gurage people".

According to the resident, the arrests have been going on since Tuesday and security forces broke into the homes of the individuals at around 3:00 am without any warrant and arrested them.

Residents of the zone have long complained against heavy-handed measures by regional and federal security forces to contain their continued protests against government-backed clustering of the zone into a new region together with four other zones and a special district. The Gurage Zone Council had from the get go opposed to the restructuring as it was seeking its own regional state status, which it tabled as far back as November 2018.

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On 15 February, security forces killed six people in Wolkite city, while more than 15 were seriously injured after security forces opened fire on protesters who were demonstrating against lack of fresh water, carrying empty jerry cans.

Following the killings, public and business activities were halted for a week in protest against security forces' crackdown on civilians, and later resumed after the mayor of Wolkite promised residents to carry out deployment of the SNNPR special forces out of the city.

The resident who spoke to Addis Standard about the ongoing arrest on conditions of anonymity however said, the SNNPR special forces are still operating in Wolkite wearing federal police uniforms.

Another resident of the city, Seid, (whose name has been changed for his safety), said that some of the arrested people were severely beaten by the security forces, adding that security forces are currently hunting to arrest more people.

According to Seid, Taje Demeke, who was the chairman of the Gurage Zone Council, and dismissed for rejecting the clustering of the zone into a new region, is seven months pregnant, and detained illegally.

Seid said the government has been unwilling to answer the demands of the Gurage people peacefully, but instead threatens them leading ongoing confrontations for four years.

The Gurage zone, including its capital Wolkite city, has been under a command post since November last year following consecutive stay-at-home protests as part of the zone's push for its own statehood. AS
Addis Ababa  The Tigray region has announced that it has finished preparations to establish Interim Regional Administration (IRA) pursuant to the Pretoria peace agreement reached between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF in November last year, and is awaiting to strike a negotiated deal with the federal government on the IRA.

"The process of establishing an interim government has been concluded from Tigray's side, the next step is to negotiate with the federal government," deputy chairperson of the IRA establishing committee Muluwork Kidanemariam told Addis Standard.

According to Muluwork, after conducting various tasks, the committee of nine members set up to oversee the establishment of the IRA held a two day conference since 02 March, and 400 representatives from across the region have taken part in the formation of the IRA.

Muluwork said, "everything including who will hold what position has been sorted out" adding that, power sharing among the ruling TPLF, the military, opposition groups and scholars have been agreed upon.

Despite efforts according to Muluwork, to make the IRA inclusive, the conference however was boycotted by the three major opposition political parties operating in Tigray region, who also invalidated the establishing committee from the get go.

The parties; Tigray Independence Party, Salsay Weyane and National Congress for Greater Tigray in a joint media briefing on 16 February, announced that they will not accept the committee that will oversee the establishment of Interim regional government, adding that they have no relationship with the committee.

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The Parties also questioned the legitimacy of the TPLF led regional government which is leading the initiative of establishing the IRA including setting up the committee.

Kinfe Hadish, Communication Director of Salsay Weyane Party disclosed during the joint media briefing that the Tigray government ceased to exist as of 03 October, 2022 and the non-existing government can't establish a committee.

Muluwork however said, the ruling TPLF is mandated in the Pretoria peace agreement to lead the establishment of the IRA and that parties' question over the legitimacy of the whole process is unacceptable.

He said despite their absence at the conference, they have been allocated a cotta in the IRA and they are expected to submit a list of their representatives and take up positions given to them. He added, if they fail to do so the cotta allocated for them would be divided between the military and the scholars according to a decision made during the conference.

The deputy chairperson noted that the federal government, according to the Pretoria agreement, should have a place in the IRA, adding that a deal would be negotiated accordingly if it does not accept and approve the outcomes of the conference.

Article 10 of the Pretoria agreement stipulated that "...until elections for the Regional Council and the House of Peoples' Representatives are held under the supervision of the Ethiopian National Election Board, the establishment of an inclusive Interim Regional Administration will be settled through political dialogue between the Parties". AS
Uganda 's military adventurism is set to be tested again in South Sudan, as President Museveni put his military generals on standby to come to the rescue- again of his counterpart Gen Salva Kiir, Nile Post exclusively reveals

Information coming in from Uganda People's Defense Forces (UPDF) headquarters in Mbuya, Kampala indicates that the army leaders have been put on standby to deploy to State House in Juba to ensure the safety of President Salvar Kiir.

Tensions have been building up in Juba for the last three days ever since President Salva Kiir sacked the country's Defense Minister Angelina Teny, who is also his long time political rival Riek Machar's wife, and interior minister Mahmoud Solomon in a presidential order read on state TV late on Friday.

Machar's office issued a statement and noted that the sacking of the Defence Minister occurred without consultations.

Angelina Teny a member of the Riek Machar's SPLM-IO that is a key party to the 2018 peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war.

According to the terms of the peace deal, the ministry of defense is to be led by Machar's party and the interior ministry by Kiir's, and therefore the sacking of Angelina Teny has been seen as a violation of the 2018 Peace Agreement.

Following the rise of tensions between the two camps of Riek Machar and President Slava Kiir, sources inside State House Juba indicate that Slava Kiir has been in touch with the Kampala administration to seek for assistance should there be need for it.

A source inside State House Entebbe has also told the Nile Post that President Yoweri Museveni has asked the army leaders to monitor the situation and brief him frequently on their own assessment of the situation.

Sources inside the army also indicate that the force has also put on alert with the commandant of the Special Forces Command, an elite force mandated to protect the president and his family, to be ready to be deploy soldiers and specialised fighting equipment to State House Juba should the tensions between President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar escalate.

Nile Post has contacted the UPDF spokesperson Brig Gen Felix Kulayigye to comment on the possible deployment but he declined to comment saying that he was not aware of any arrangement of sending soldiers to Juba, yet. 'There's nothing like that for now,' Brig Gen Kulayigye told our reporter via a phone call.

SPLA (IO) protests Kiir decision

In a statement written by Riek Machar on March 4, 2023, he protests President Kiir's decision to sack the Defense and Interior Ministers. Riek called upon the President to; revoke the unilateral decree and the Republican order, and reinstate Angelina Teeny as Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs. Riek in the same statement further states such decisions should be done 'with continuous consultations within the President, between the President and the first vice president, and the four Vice Presidents to ensure effective governance during the transitional period.'

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End of peace agreement

South Sudan political parties key to the revitalised agreement announced a new transitional two year period starting February 22, 2022, the day the unity government was formed.

Initially, the unity government was to be in power for three years and elections were conducted in 2023 but according to a statement read by the Minister of Cabinet Affairs Martin Elia Lomoro, the extended transitional period to peace would them end in February 2025 with elections held by December 2024.

Uganda's role in South Sudan Peace

Uganda has played a key role in the unification of the forces in South Sudan since 2019 when President Museveni, as one of the guarantors of the peace agreement for South Sudan, sent then Maj Gen Paul Lokech(RIP) to Juba to monitor on behalf of the guarantors of the peace process, the assembling, screening, demobiliSation and integration of the armed forces of South Sudan.
Shocked is how some Houndslake residents are feeling after a man was arrested and charged with killing his 70-year-old wife.

Yeah, we were really surprised because we didnt really know him well and its really sad, Houndslake resident Peyton Taylor said.

Ruth Ann Whitaker, 70, of Aiken, was found shot at a residence in the 1400 block of Woodbine Road on Tuesday.

Police arrested her husband, Robert Whitaker, 70. He was charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in connection to the shooting.

The death was attributed to a domestic violence incident, the Aiken Department of Public Safety said Thursday in a news release.

Whitaker is listed as an inmate at the Aiken County detention center and has no bond.

Taylor has lived in Houndslake for a little over 18 months and was surprised because when she typically sees police cars, it is for a medical emergency.

"I didn't know either of them, but I think my husband said he spoke with the husband (Robert Whitaker) a couple of times and said he was pretty nice," Taylor said.

Neighbors told her they heard gunshots coming from the Whitaker residence.

"I think generally it's a very safe neighborhood," Taylor said. "I haven't experienced anything funky like this (shooting) at all."

Another resident, Rachel Farmer, was sitting on her porch and thought it was a drug bust or something else after seeing several police cars.

I was reading and I heard a car come by and it was police, and it was another police car and then I saw the lights, Farmer said.

Farmer said her neighborhood is safe and she leaves her door unlocked, but after the incident she is reconsidering.

Other neighbors spoke of Richard Whitaker as a nice person and said he would be the last person they would suspect to commit the crime.

It was a domestic situation and it is pretty tragic," said Aiken City Council member Kay Brohl, who represents the area.

Brohl has lived in the Houndslake area for 30 years but said she didnt personally know the Whitakers.

I do know the police will get to the bottom of it and find out all the background, Brohl said.

Residents like Taylor said the neighborhood feels safe even with a recent tragedy, but she made sure she checked on her neighbors after the shooting.

I am not really freaking out and its obviously really sad and devastating," she said.
The Moncks Corner Market Pavilion was alive with local produce, plants, handcrafted goods, handmade products, a petting zoo, and crowds of people, as the town kicked off its highly anticipated Farmers Market on Thursday, April 6. Read moreCalling all shoppers: Moncks Corner kicks off Annual Farmers Market
A handful of hotel projects are coming before the city of Charleston for review March 8, including a plan to redevelop a long-vacant 10-story office building near the peninsula's hospital district.

An affiliate of Bennett Hospitality has filed plans with the Board of Architectural Review, which meets Wednesday, to convert the former MUSC Harborview tower at 19 Hagood St. into a nearly 250-room hotel.

The Charleston-based firm has owned the aging building since 2018, when it paid the Medical University of South Carolina $18.6 million for the structure.

The company did not respond to a request for comment this week.

The 1970s-era structure sits on 3.27 acres near the Septima P. Clark Expressway, the mixed-use WestEdge development, the Medical University of South Carolina and The Citadel. The developer's plans include amenities such as a pool, breakfast area, fitness center, meeting space, and a rooftop bar and indoor restaurant.

Several other hotel projects also are set to come before the BAR on Wednesday, including a series of improvements for The Charleston Place, which occupies the block bound by King, Market, Meeting and Hasell streets.

Filings show major upgrades to the 434-room luxury property's exterior facade, vehicular entrance, courtyard and rooftop. The last time the hotel and retail complex went through a major overhaul was in 2016, when a $34 million renovation of the guest rooms was completed.

The Charleston Place changed hands less than two years ago, when Ben Navarro's locally based Beemok Hospitality Collection bought it for $350 million from the parent of Louis Vuitton and later announced that long-term renovations would begin in phases starting around 2023.

Nearby, a dual-hotel project planned for the Rainbow Market Shops on North Market Street thats been years in the making is undergoing its first city design review. Last month, the BAR approved demolition of the building except for the facade.

Property owner Pinnacle 4th and Peabody LLC is requesting a pair of 50-room lodgings to be built on two adjoining lots that it has owned since last year at 40 N. Market St. and at 2 Anson St.

The Nashville-based hospitality firm paid $15.5 million for the neighboring properties in June.

Plans for the Anson Street lot show a 4-story building with a white brick color scheme and a first-floor coffee shop.

Proposed for the Market Street lot is a hotel with a three-to-four-story setback with amenities that include a bar, spa, restaurant, conference space and a number of private balconies.

The fourth hotel project before the BAR is a previously submitted property at 200-210 Spring St., not far from Bennett Hospitality's site. JJR Development LLC is proposing a 152-room accommodations with a rooftop terrace on side-by-side lots that previously housed a Pizza Hut restaurant and a convenience store.

A hotel has been proposed for the site since at least August 2019, and it was the first lodging to be approved after the city rewrote its accommodations rules.

At a previous meeting, the BAR praised JJR's project overall but had extensive discussions about simplifying what it felt was a contemporary design.
Pepper spray, small jabbing blades and knives disguised in lipstick tubes are just a few of the defensive items found in carry-on bags at Charleston International Airport recently.

The surge in discoveries of prohibited goods can be linked to students traveling for spring break and passengers who are unaware of the regulations, according to Mark Howell, regional spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.

"Those are just a fraction of the things people bring to the airport in their carry-on bags that should be in checked bags," Howell said.

Brass knuckles, bottles of liquor, aerosol cans, sunscreen, box cutters, drill bits, lighters, tools and guns were among items displayed March 7 at the security checkpoint as examples of some of the many objects found daily in travelers' screened bags.

Eventually it adds up, creating delays for other passengers.

"Every day there is something in a bag that cannot come through," TSA officer Brenda Grant said.

Tuesday was no exception. As the agency's presentation wound down, airport police surrounded a passenger after a folding, counter-rotating butterfly knife was discovered in his carry-on bag as it went through the screening process.

Unlike items such as oversized bottles of sunscreen, law enforcement are required to be summoned when knives are found because they are considered weapons.

The passenger was allowed to proceed to his flight but not before he was detained and a report was filed to document the incident, Howell said.

Firearms are also a chief concern. Last year, a record 79 guns were discovered in carry-on bags at airports across the Palmetto State. Thirty-two were detected in Charleston alone.

The number of guns discovered in carry-on bags at the state's airports is already trending at last year's levels.

Through March 5, 16 were found at three of the state's six passenger airports. Nine of them were at Greenville-Spartanburg, more than any other terminal.

Myrtle Beach reported four so far this year while Charleston, which usually leads the state since it's the busiest airport in South Carolina, showed three firearm discoveries.

Howell attributed the surge at Greenville-Spartanburg International to the return of business travelers and spillover of passengers from nearby Georgia, where a new law took effect this year that does not require a person to have a permit to carry a handgun.

"Also, there are a lot of inexperienced and first-time travelers who want to go somewhere after the pandemic," he said. "Some people just don't know the rules."

Gun discoveries can lead to fines up to $15,000, loss of pre-flight clearance for five years and other penalties.

"It's a very costly and avoidable mistake," Howell said. "And it's a problem that seems to be getting worse."

He suggested people start packing at home with an empty bag because most offenders say they forgot the gun was inside.

Guns can travel by air, but they must be packed and unloaded in a separate hard-sided case and checked at the airline ticket counter.

On average about 100 pounds of prohibited items are discovered each month at Charleston International.

The surrendered items are collected and either transferred to the state as surplus property or, in the case of liquids, disposed of through a contractor in an environmentally friendly way.

"Pay attention to what you bring to the airport," Howell said.

The TSA's attention to aviation security issues follows a March 5 incident, when a 33-year-old passenger tried to open an emergency exit on a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston and then tried to stab an attendant in the neck with a broken metal spoon. Other passengers then tackled the man, who was arrested upon landing.
When law enforcement officials first launched an investigation into the cancellation of a $9 billion nuclear power project in South Carolina, many in the Palmetto State assumed the criminal probe would end with the prosecution of a pair of high-ranking SCANA Corp. executives who served as the public face of the construction effort.

Instead, after three years of intrigue and speculation, the investigation into the V.C. Summer nuclear plant expansion remains ongoing, even after former SCANA CEO Kevin Marsh and Chief Operating Officer Steve Byrne agreed to plead guilty to defrauding South Carolina ratepayers.

Their plea deals may now serve as a launching point for prosecutors to charge other people involved in the decade-long project, which is widely considered the biggest business failure in South Carolina history.

Potential clues filed in federal court documents seem to hint at a broader investigation that could focus on other SCANA employees and executives and the "lawyers who advised them."

Marsh and Byrne's cooperation with federal prosecutors could also provide an opportunity for the U.S. Attorney's Office to investigate the role of Westinghouse Electric, the lead contractor on the failed nuclear project.

Two valuable witnesses

The FBI, U.S. Department of Justice, State Law Enforcement Division and S.C. Attorney General's Office began investigating the V.C. Summer fiasco shortly after SCANA and its partner, state-owned Santee Cooper, aborted the project in July 2017 after years of cost overruns and construction delays.

The project's failure put more than 5,000 construction workers out of a job, led to SCANA's sale to Virginia-based Dominion Energy and left millions of South Carolinians on the hook to pay off the project's debts.

Marsh and Byrne, who guided the project as SCANA's top two executives, announced three months later they were retiring. Lawmakers and ratepayers accused the pair of covering up the project's flaws and reporting overly rosy projections of its costs and construction schedule, even as the utility jacked up customers' power bills to pay for the reactors.

Amid the political, regulatory and legal fallout from the project's failure, the criminal investigation into what happened progressed largely behind the scenes.

The first results of that investigation finally burst into public view this summer when prosecutors announced a guilty plea from Byrne, who directly oversaw the project for SCANA. Byrne formally admitted to participating in a conspiracy to mislead investors, utility regulators and the public as SCANA raised its customers' power bills nine times to pay for the doomed project.

Marsh reached a similar plea deal last month, agreeing to go to prison for at least 18 months and pay back some $5 million he earned in salary and bonuses from his work on the project.

Prosecutors who lead such complex investigations typically bring charges against lower-level offenders first, pressuring them to plead guilty and agree to cooperate and testify against other alleged co-conspirators.

The federal prosecutors' willingness to offer such deals to Marsh and Byrne could indicate they are trying to build criminal cases against other people and companies that played a role in the abandoned nuclear project.

Another indicator is the prosecutors' decision to delay the two men's sentencing hearings until the broader investigation is closed. If Marsh or Byrne are unhelpful or uncooperative, prosecutors could ask a judge to impose stiffer sentences on them.

"The investigation is complex with additional targets remaining," prosecutors told a federal judge in October. "The government believes that the investigation will continue over at least the coming year."

The U.S. Attorney's Office for South Carolina declined to comment for this story, noting the investigation is ongoing. The S.C. Attorney General's Office also declined to comment.

Efforts to reach attorneys for Marsh and Byrne for comment were unsuccessful.

The 'lawyers who advised them'

It is unclear how the investigation will develop from here. But prosecutors appear to have taken a keen interest in the attorneys who advised SCANA's leaders in the lead-up to the project's abandonment.

In the criminal complaints filed this year, prosecutors prominently noted the role those attorneys played in the nuclear project.

And in Marsh's case, they alleged SCANA's leaders used disingenuous representations of attorney client privilege to hide a critical audit of the project, which warned that the nuclear reactors would not be completed in time to qualify for billions of dollars in federal tax credits.

Prosecutors don't list any of the attorneys who advised SCANA by name in the publicly-available court records, and it's unclear if they will actually try to press charges against those lawyers.

In general, attorneys can be charged with fraud just like anyone else, said Bart Daniel, who served as the U.S. attorney for South Carolina from 1989 to 1992.

The main difference is that prosecutors have more hurdles to clear in order to bring a case against a lawyer acting in their legal capacity, Daniel said. Namely, the U.S Attorney's Office would have to overcome the attorney-client privilege that protects the relationship between SCANA and its attorneys.

That can be accomplished in one of two ways, Daniel said.

Prosecutors can either persuade SCANA's new owner, Dominion Energy, to waive that attorney-client privilege, or they can provide evidence in court that the lawyers in question actively participated in the alleged crime.

Once they clear that hurdle, I don't think it would be any more difficult to prosecute them, said Daniel, who now works as a white collar criminal defense attorney with Nelson Mullins.

The U.S. Attorneys Office already has a cooperation agreement with Dominion, which took over SCANA and its subsidiary S.C. Electric & Gas in 2019.

That agreement doesn't require Dominion to waive its attorney-client privilege with SCANA's former attorneys. It leaves that decision up to the company. But the document does call on Dominion to "cooperate fully" with the investigation or face criminal penalties.

Dominion declined to comment for this story, but the company has every reason to play nice with the federal prosecutors. If Dominion upholds its bargain with the U.S. Attorneys Office, the company cant be prosecuted for SCANAs role in the nuclear project.

The former chief financial officer

After the nuclear project's cancellation, SCANA's top three executives were all called before the S.C. Legislature to answer for what went wrong.

Two of those executives  Marsh and Byrne  are now preparing to be sentenced in federal court. But Jimmy Addison, who served as SCANA's chief financial officer during the V.C. Summer project, has so far avoided the allegations that were leveled against his former coworkers.

Addison, who took over as SCANA's CEO after Marsh's departure, was not named in the civil lawsuit filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this year. And there is no evidence to date that he will be charged as part of the criminal probe.

Addison and his attorney declined to comment for this story.

As chief financial officer, Addison was not involved in the day-to-day operations at V.C. Summer like Marsh and Byrne.

But Addison did play a key part in testifying about the nuclear project in front of the S.C. Public Service Commission, which approved nine rate hikes to help SCANA finance the project. He also helped lead the earnings calls for SCANA as the company's leadership explained how much progress had been made on the two new nuclear reactors to investment analysts.

Addison has already been questioned about the nuclear project several times. During a deposition taken as part of a class-action lawsuit filed by SCANA's ratepayers, Addison chose to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights and declined to answer questions in order to avoid potentially incriminating himself.

He did, however, speak in front of the PSC in 2018. That testimony was closely monitored by an FBI agent and an assistant U.S. attorney.

As the federal law enforcement officials took notes, Addison testified that he never read the audit of the nuclear project that was put together by Bechtel Corp., one of the country's largest construction and engineering firms.

That audit is at the center of the criminal charges filed against Marsh and Byrne. It pointed out serious problems with the reactors' designs, criticized SCANA's oversight and questioned the completion dates that SCANA's executives continued to promote in public.

The Bechtel audit only became public after the project was called off.

Internal emails reviewed by The Post and Courier suggest Addison contemplated whether to tell SCANA's investors about Bechtel's work on the nuclear project in 2015. But that was before the audit was actually completed and its unflattering results were shared with SCANA's leadership.

The project's lead contractor

SCANA and Santee Cooper's decision to cancel the nuclear expansion project in 2017 was years in the making, but it was hurried along by one major event: Westinghouse's bankruptcy.

Westinghouse served as the designer and primary contractor for the new nuclear reactors in Fairfield County. But in early 2017, Westinghouse informed the South Carolina utilities it was unable to finish the nuclear project and that the company was entering federal bankruptcy court to restructure its finances.

It was that decision that Marsh, Byrne and SCANA's other executives primarily blamed for the failed nuclear project when they were called into legislative hearings in 2017. They told state lawmakers it was Westinghouse's failures that ultimately doomed the project, not theirs.

But over the past three years, Westinghouse has largely avoided the kind of scrutiny that SCANA and Santee Cooper have endured in South Carolina.

State lawmakers understood that Westinghouse played a major part in the project. State officials at one point unsuccessfully sought construction records from Westinghouse, but their focus remained primarily on the decisions made by SCANA and Santee Cooper, South Carolina's homegrown utilities.

The question is whether that changes now that Marsh and Byrne are acting as witnesses for the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office.

S.C. Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, who led one of the legislative committees that investigated the V.C. Summer expansion, said Westinghouse's role in the project's collapse remains one of the unanswered questions.

"My impression at the time was that Westinghouse probably misrepresented their expertise in building a nuclear reactor," Massey said. "The only thing I don't know about Westinghouse is whether that incompetency was criminal."

Prosecutors mentioned Westinghouse in the documents that charged Marsh and Byrne with fraud, but only to note that the company served as the V.C. Summer project's lead contractor.

Westinghouse declined to comment for this story or to answer questions about whether the company is a potential target in the ongoing criminal investigation.

Westinghouse has reportedly prepared for the possibility it could get wrapped up in the criminal probe.

Bankruptcy records show Westinghouse paid outside attorneys over the past three years to review newspaper stories about the V.C. Summer project's failure. The company also paid those attorneys to research the statute of limitations for criminal charges in South Carolina and to attend S.C. legislative hearings to monitor the political fallout of the project's failure.

Westinghouse was also subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in South Carolina in recent years, according to the bankruptcy records, and the company was instructed not to delete or destroy any documents related to that request.

The bankruptcy records don't explain what the grand jury was after. That remains a mystery.
COLUMBIA  South Carolina lawmakers gave the first nod to a record-breaking $1.3 billion to entice Volkswagen subsidiary Scout Motors to build in Richland County.

A S.C. House subcommittee was the first to recommend the deal for approval March 7, with legislators praising it as "a huge win for South Carolina."

The incentives package must still make its way through the full committee and the rest of the legislative process.

If approved, South Carolina will exhaust $1.2 billion in budget surplus dollars sitting in the Contingency Reserve Fund from previous budget cycles, as well as another $86 million in anticipated surplus revenue coming in by the end of this fiscal year.

The incentives package requested by S.C. Department of Commerce will pay for a railroad bridge across Interstate 77 and a new interchange, as well as other road, water, sewer and power infrastructure and soil stabilization at the site.

Scout, in return, plans to build a $2 billion electric vehicle manufacturing plant in the Columbia suburb of Blythewood, employing 4,000 workers as part of the record-breaking deal for Richland County.

"South Carolina is making this pivot with the industry and were doing that to ensure that our children and our grandchildren have great jobs for the decades to come," Commerce Secretary Harry Lightsey said.

Lightsey told lawmakers the state has the ability to claw back as much as $800 million of its investment in the site if the company does not meet its commitments under the investment agreement.

The average annual pay for hourly workers at the plant is estimated to be $58,000. Salaried workers could make an average of $100,000, Lightsey said.

Lightsey said VW also anticipates the need for a second phase that could later double the size of its investment and employment in Richland County.

The 1,100-acre manufacturing campus will produce 200,000 vehicles annually, with production expected to begin by the end of 2026.

The Scout incentives surpass all past state agreements. On top of the $1.3 billion, Scout has been approved for further state tax credits based on wages and the number of people it employs, the state Commerce Department said.

In addition to the state-led incentives, Richland County Council is weighing tax breaks of its own that for 40 years would reduce its property tax rate for Scout to 4 percent, down from the 6 percent currently applied to manufacturers.

A second set of special incentives would reimburse the company for millions in permit fees early on and later allow it to further buy down its tax bill by another 50 percent for the final 24 years of the deal.

The county is considering gifting the land, valued at nearly $32 million, to Scout, as well as paying for improvements to a nearby fire station and offering up child care stipends that the company can dole out to its employees, helping to attract workers and possibly bringing more of those caretaking adults into the workforce.

South Carolina is becoming a leader in the nation's EV industry, with its top vehicle manufacturers making the shift to the production of battery-powered cars.

Scout is the fifth auto manufacturer to build electric vehicles in South Carolina, joining Mercedes, Volvo and Volvo subsidiary Polestar, all outside of Charleston, and BMW in Greer.

Editors note: This article has been changed to correctly reflect the revenue source that will be used to pay for an incentives package offered by the state to Scout Motors.
COLUMBIA  Richland County Council gave initial approval to incentivize a gun manufacturer looking to expand despite concerns from some council members.

Identified as Project Charlie Echo, the company would bring in an estimated $16.5 million in investment and create 100 jobs, according to county documents.

Little other information was publicly available about the company, as is typical for a first vote on an economic development deal.

During discussions, council members let slip that the company is currently located in northeast Columbia and manufactures weapons.

"I feel I'm obligated to look out for the young people that have been killed by various automatic weapons," Councilwoman Yvonne McBride said. "I'm obligated to look out for adults, I'm obligated to look out for the community.

"I have no issues with supporting a manufacturer that manufactures things that the military could use and things that law enforcement can use, but if certain things get in the hands of people that are irresponsible, (they) could cause havoc," McBride continued. "Not only havoc, but death."

She said she could not "in good conscience" vote to use public funds to incentivize a weapons manufacturer.

Councilwoman Alison Terracio echoed McBride's line of thought, adding that she would like the public to be informed as soon as possible about what kind of deal the county is discussing.

"I think they would have some strong words and thoughts and feelings to share with this body about that," Terracio said.

She referenced the county's deal to build a $2 billion electric vehicle plant run by Volkswagen subsidiary Scout Motors announced March 3 as a deal that will bring in "a lot of positivity to Richland County."

"There is plenty of money in this other industry, and they don't need our extra dollars," Terracio said about the weapons manufacturer.
Patients in mental health crisis in South Carolina might finally find a place nearby to treat them after the state put up $35 million in grants to encourage hospitals to create new units.

The money is a first step toward showing providers how the program could actually work for patients and for them, the South Carolina Hospital Association said.

The S.C. Department of Health and Human Services is offering the grants to hospitals to build specialized units that would function like psychiatric emergency rooms or observational units separate from main emergency departments.

Those seeking mental health care in South Carolina can call the 988 hotline and there are mobile units that can respond to all 46 counties, but there is no immediate place to take those patients outside ERs or state hospitals, which might not be the most appropriate place for them, state officials have said.

"Its to get those individuals the care that they need right away within that really critical first 24-hour period," said DHHS spokesman Jeff Leieritz. "And it will also help alleviate some pressure we are seeing in emergency rooms" from patient who should be treated elsewhere.

It is part of the larger effort to create more immediate mental health services where patients might stay three to four days and receive intensive services designed to help get them back on track without a hospital stay.

The state currently has only one true Crisis Stabilization Unit, which is in Charleston, but discussions have been underway for years to try and establish them in Columbia, Greenville and elsewhere. Other states, like Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, have had crisis stabilization networks for years.

The S.C. Legislature this fiscal year appropriated $64 million to address the dearth of services and also the lack of cohesion in the mental health system across the state.

"Its to help make that entire continuum a smoother process," Leieritz said.

The South Carolina Hospital Association has been working with the state on getting the funds appropriated and on addressing the need, said Christian Soura, executive vice president of the group.

The grants are "a pretty significant and important change to the way the entire state provides crisis stabilization services," he said. The department "is leading the way in asking hospitals to help step into this gap that we have right now.

The state's proposal prompted a lot of interest from hospital CEOs but also a lot of questions about how the crisis services and the units would work in practice, he said.

Both the state and hospitals want to reduce crowding in ERs and also ensure that patients don't "wind up coming back to it because they still have unmet needs in some way," Soura said.

"Theres good goal alignment in terms of what the state and hospital leaders are hoping to accomplish," he said.

But having access to a physical location open around the clock is one part of making the new system work. There must also be providers to deliver the care and a way to pay for the care.

The state has envisioned a team-based approach that could employ a number of different providers, but it would be difficult to have psychiatrists, for instance, available in many locations around the state, Soura said. Being able to employ telehealth services could help stretch that coverage to multiple locations, he said.

DHHS, which administers the state's Medicaid program, has proposed a daily rate to pay for the services, and hospital administrators are now crunching the numbers to see if it will work long term.

The state told providers it could be a starting point, and "I am sure that will be part of the give and take between hospitals and the state in the coming weeks and months," Soura said.

But Medicaid is only one payer, and many patients are covered by commercial insurance or are uninsured. It is unclear what happens to those patients.

The state has "done a pretty good job of throwing the gauntlet down and calling out other carriers to see if they are ready to be part of this initiative, too," Soura said.

Ultimately, it is about finding what is right for the patient and family, said Eunice Medina, chief of staff to HHS Director Robert M. Kerr and deputy director of programs.

"Its beneficial to that person to receive the right treatment in the right setting," she said.
Nairobi  Small businesses are set to pay more in taxes as the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) moves to tax every single product.

The move will hurt small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which usually import goods in consolidated forms, cutting the high cost of importation.

Through this, KRA will open containers and calculate taxes for every product on consolidated form.

Ordinarily, consolidators charge Sh896 for a kilo of cargo transported by air and Sh640 by sea.

Last year, the Government sought to expand tax collection by taxing every Kenyan with an ID card.

President William Ruto said every Kenyan above the age of 18 should be issued the Kenya Revenue Authority's (KRA's) pin, qualifying them as taxpayers.

Expansion of the tax base is part of the President's administration's target to raise Sh3 trillion by the end of the financial year ending June 30, 2023.

"Every Kenyan with an ID should have a PIN number. Technology, and a considerate, fair and professional mobilisation will do the job quite well," Ruto said earlier.

To achieve this, the President challenged KRA to build on Safaricom's M-Pesa success.

"There are only 7 million people with KRA pin numbers. At the same time, in the same economy, Safaricom's MPESA has 30 million registered customers, transacting billions daily," he said.

"The fact that this opportunity remains unclear to KRA demonstrates why radical changes are necessary. Safaricom, a telco, has registered more people than KRA, a powerful state organisation. It is very clear that the magic lies in technology and strategy, not power and resources," he added.
COLUMBIA  The South Carolina State Fair announced the first increase to its statewide college scholarship fund in a decade, upping it from $300,000 to $500,000, on March 7.

Each year the State Fair awards scholarships to 50 students across the state. Starting this year, the scholars will receive $10,000 over four years, a $4,000 per student increase from last year, about a 67 percent boost.

Our commitment has always been to education and making an impact on future generations. We are honored to expand this program and create more opportunities for each of our scholarship recipients," State Fair board President Cantey Heath Jr. said.

The hike in scholarship funds came on the heels of the State Fair's return and bounce-back year following the COVID-19 pandemic. Smith attributed the $200,000 bump partly to new attractions separate from the annual fair, which started after the main event's return from the two-year slump.

Some of our newer events, such as the Spring Fair Food Drive Through and Carolina Lights, are enabling us to bring in additional revenue, which ultimately reflects in how much we are able to invest back in our community," Smith said.

Any high school senior in the state can apply for the scholarship, dubbed the "Ride of Your Life Scholarship" by the State Fair. With nearly $5 million awarded over the past 25 years, the scholarship is partly need-based and partly based on academic and extracurricular achievement. Students must have a 3.0 GPA and enroll in at least 30 credit hours each academic year.

The 50 recipients will each be paid $2,500 per year for tuition, housing, computers or textbooks at a South Carolina college or university.

"Although I had exemplary grades ... I still had some funds missing," said Chelsea Gourdine, a 2022 recipient of the scholarship and Keenan High School graduate. "The Ride of Your Life Scholarship has really given me the opportunity fulfill my education dreams."

"I always dreamed of going to college, escaping my hometown and furthering my education. With the Ride of Your Life Scholarship, I'm able to do that," said Sheridan Carpenter, a Lander University student out of Edgefield County who also received the scholarship last year."

The application deadline for the S.C. State Fair scholarship is March 15.

Click here for more news from Columbia, S.C.
Everywhere you look, universities are going green. Trees are leafing out and sustainability efforts seem to be ramping up. But a new study suggests that corporate polluters have a large and often hidden role on American campuses.

A report released March 1 by the nonprofit organization Data for Progress investigated six fossil fuel companies. Its authors tracked by way of tax-form 990s how much the philanthropic arms of those companies donated to 27 U.S. universities from 2010 to 2020. The total was a staggering $700 million in research funds.

None of South Carolina's universities were included in this study. But there's plenty of evidence that money from fossil fuel companies is reaching higher education in the Palmetto State.

Koch Industries, a multinational conglomerate that includes companies focused on oil and gas, is linked to four foundations that donate heavily to universities. From 2005 to 2019, nine South Carolina universities and colleges received approximately $5 million from Koch foundations. Clemson University received the most: $3,451,084.

Few universities have policies about disclosing donations made by fossil fuel companies. The Post and Courier could find no evidence that any university in South Carolina hosts a dashboard or database where they disclose these kinds of donations.

"No, that doesn't exist. No (university) has a place you can go to look this stuff up," said Bella Kumar, a sophomore at George Washington University and lead author of the study.

Kumar was an intern at Washington-based Data for Progress when she proposed focusing on tax-forms of the foundations affiliated with fossil fuel companies. She soon became an affiliated researcher and received funds to complete the study. She focused on 27 universities that together produce the most climate change focused research, places like Duke University and Vanderbilt University and Stanford University.

She and other students formed the group Fossil Free Research last Arpil. The organization is now disseminating the results of the study and providing resources to students who want greater transparency and action around this kind of corporate influence in higher education.

The lack of transparency can be a major frustration for students, alumni and faculty.

Professors are increasingly scrutinized for any perceived biases. But faculty are not always aware when fossil fuel-linked monies are used for new hires or research projects in their own department.

Information about fossil fuel companies funding research is often revealed in ad-hoc ways, a press release here or event signage there.

In 2018, Clemson University announced that ExxonMobil was sponsoring the development of a "sustainability concept vehicle" within their automotive engineering graduate program. The goal of the project was to create lighter-weight materials to manufacture a gasoline-burning car in more efficient ways. The program arguably benefited ExxonMobil's interests in the gasoline-dependent car market and not cleaner market alternatives, like electric vehicles.

Another Clemson press release from 2019 mentioned a major gift from the Charles Koch Foundation to support a research center that "examines the potential for an open marketplace of goods and ideas to promote human flourishing." The College of Charleston also received money from the Charles Koch Foundation to promote "free market" ideas. According to a spokesman, the college has received over $500,000 since 2008 to fund a speaker series focused on the free market, which includes an annual "Adam Smith Week."

Adam Smith, a classical liberal economist, is considered the father of free market ideas. But Naomi Oreskes, a professor at Harvard University, argues that fossil fuel lobbyists have created a false myth around Smith, who actually recognized the critical role of governments to regulate industries for public benefit.

As the author "The Big Myth" and "Merchants of Doubt," Oreskes' work has carefully documented how climate change deniers successfully argued against fossil fuel regulation for decades under the false notion of a pure free market.

"The reality is 'the free market' doesn't exist ... there's no such thing," said Oreskes. "All markets are structured by regulations and policies and so forth."

Oreskes and others argue that the seeming banal research topics that some fossil fuel companies fund on campuses, like economics, can still insert powerful political biases on campuses that work against sensible steps toward sustainability.

Not all donations linked to fossil fuel interests push overt corporate bias.

The Charles Koch Foundation said it contributes to academic institutions to support a range of research projects.

Scholars play a critical role in studying and helping communities understand the challenges we face," said spokesman Mike Danylak. "The Charles Koch Foundation is proud to support universities in South Carolina and across the country that are undertaking research into pressing issues ranging from criminal justice to immigration reform, from economic progress to civil liberties. And its the case here.

Claflin University in Orangeburg is one of the nation's historically Black universities. It has received at least $30,000 of scholarship money from Koch Industries and the Charles Koch Foundation to help Black students pay for college.

The Koch Scholars program is not without controversy. But the scholarship program is implemented in partnership with the United Negro College Fund and few would argue that financially supporting hundreds of Black college students is an unworthy cause.

Upon request, The Citadel and the College of Charleston voluntarily disclosed to The Post and Courier information about donations linked to six fossil fuel companies.

The Citadel reported receiving $4,500 in 2012 for the Koch Foundation School of Business Reading Group, which is an inactive student group. It has not received monies since, a claim supported by the tax filings of the Koch foundations.

In addition to a speakers series funded by Koch Industries, the College of Charleston has received at least $3,000 from BP America for "faculty research on ecological watershed studies" on BP-owned lands. An additional $70,000 came from Exxon Mobil for "computer science faculty to do research on Development of Cyber Infrastructure to Support Laser Ablation ICP Mass Spectrometry."

On campuses where a lack of transparency persists, cynicism about university leadership flourishes. Students claim campus climate commitments, like Clemson's goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2030, are just for show, a form of so-called greenwashing.

"The fact that Clemson doesn't publicly disclose all donations tied to fossil fuels does not surprise me," said Anna McClendon, a senior at Clemson University and president of Solid Green, Clemson's major environmental student club. She referenced the fact that Clemson built a new coal-fired power plant on campus in recent years, instead of doing what she believes students really want: "invest(ments) in forms of renewable energy like solar, wind, and biofuels."

"I think the nature of (Clemson's) 2030 net zero commitment is kind of weak," said Clemson alumnus Cody Eimen, who formerly led the student group Solid Green.

Last year, Eimen said he and two other student leaders met with a Clemson official about strengthening the school's climate commitment, including divestment of the school's endowment from fossil fuel companies. Students at Vanderbilt and Duke have filed legal complaints to try to compel their universities to divest, as well.

Some universities, like Georgetown and Harvard, fully divested their endowments after years of student lobbying. Those decisions have been widely applauded, viewed as clear dedications  even if symbolic  to a clean energy future.

But at Clemson, according to Eimen, such conversations have so far gone nowhere.
Three Greenville County apartment complexes owned by a housing nonprofit have been plagued with serious health and safety issues for years.

At two of the properties, substandard conditions persisted and units were allowed to deteriorate further, according to inspection reports. Some of the inspections predate the current owner.

In recent weeks, The Post and Courier spoke with more than a dozen residents of Greenville County apartments owned by Dallas-based Atlantic Housing Foundation who reported serious problems with their homes, including a lack of heat, bug infestations, leaks and flooding, and electrical issues. They said property management has been unresponsive to work orders.

The inspection reports, which were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act Request, align with those accounts and show a history of substandard conditions.

Atlantic Housing bought the three Greenville County properties in 2019  Boulder Creek on Furman Hall Road just north of the Greenville city limits, Spring Grove in Taylors, and Shemwood Crossing in the Pleasant Valley community in Greenville. Each complex is publicly subsidized, support that comes with strings attached, including health and safety standards. Each of the complexes have 200 units and were purchased with federal support.

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) subsidizes rent at all three properties and last year provided Atlantic Housing roughly $4.7 million to operate the complexes.

Three inspections at Boulder Creek apartments between December 2019  just months after Atlantic Housing Acquired the property  and January 2023 all found the complex was not in compliance with minimum housing requirements. Each inspection, which evaluates at least 20 percent of the units at a complex, found hundreds of violations, among them wasps nests, roach infestations, exposed wires, broken windows, inoperable appliances, leaks and mold.

The two most recent inspections at Boulder Creek happened four months apart, with one in September 2022 and the other in January. While both had similar findings, Atlantic Housing was given a notice of default following the most recent inspection, with 60 days to resolve the issues. The January evaluation came after dozens of residents reported in December they had no heat during the coldest stretch of the year, drawing the attention of local advocates, officials and media.

Reports from Spring Grove reflect a similar history of problems. A 2016 inspection found issues that included an apartment that had no electricity, inoperable appliances and broken windows. The most recent review of the property, completed in April of last year, found close to 200 deficiencies, many of which posed serious health and safety concerns.

SC Housing, the state agency responsible for administering federal housing programs, only had one report on file for Shemwood Crossing, now called Waters at Augusta. That 2017 inspection, which predates Atlantic Housing's ownership, found the property was out of compliance, though the report contains sparse details. In an email, Atlantic Housing spokeswoman Christy Hardy said the complex was in serious need of renovations when the nonprofit acquired it. Pressure to improve conditions at the property mounted in 2021 after a ceiling at one of the buildings collapsed, temporarily trapping two people and displacing four families.

With support from the Greenville Housing Fund, a local nonprofit, Atlantic Housing refinanced the property and used federal low-income housing tax credits to begin a $20 million renovation of the complex. Hardy wrote the improvements will be extensive.

Greenville Housing Fund CEO Bryan Brown said while his organization's role in funding the renovations was limited, it was important to help improve and preserve the units as Greenville faces an affordable housing crisis. Atlantic Housing bought all three properties with the intention of eventually renovating them, he said, and is starting with Waters at Augusta.

Atlantic Housing Foundation operates 46 complexes in six states, according to its website. It owns 13 properties in South Carolina, four of which are in the Upstate, including the three in Greenville County and another in Spartanburg County. It also owns three in Columbia and Summerville respectively, and one each in Orangeburg, Beaufort and Charleston.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 53F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 53F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
CLEMSON  A memorial event to help a Bataan Death March survivor honor his fellow prisoners of war is preparing for its third year, and the second without the man who inspired its creation.

Clemson 8, which kicks off March 11, started in 2021 to give Col. Ben Skardon a local option when the Bataan Memorial Death March in New Mexico was canceled for a second consecutive year.

That annual trip in which Skardon walked 8 miles is what motivated him to keep moving on a daily basis, Clemson 8 co-founder John Seketa said.

Skardon died Nov. 15, 2021 at 104. He was the last of six Clemson area veterans who survived the Bataan Death March, a forced march of Allied POWs during World War II when Japan conquered the Philippines. He started participating in the annual memorial when he was 89.

He was posthumously the first signed up for the Clemson 8 this year and will always be the first name on the participant list, Seketa said.

A few new categories have been added to this years even, which now includes an 800-meter walk for children 10 and younger, an 8-kilometer route, an 8-mile option, a college ROTC ruck race and remote options for those who cant attend.

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Its just about remembering the 23 Clemson POWs and all POWs" Seketa said. "It doesnt matter if theyre from Clemson, South Carolina, Virginia, New York, Illinois or wherever.

There will be a prisoner of war roll call during the opening ceremony on March 11 at 10 a.m. near Memorial Stadium. Family members of those being remembered will speak up in their absence. For those with no representatives, a member of the Landrum High School JROTC program will simply respond, absent, sir.

The entry fee goes toward creating a $100,000 endowment that will send five students  likely cadets from Clemsons ROTC program  to the Bataan Memorial Death March each year, Seketa said. Theyre up to about $70,000, he said, and the remaining funds should be raised in the next two years.

Once the goal is met, the fund should be self-sustaining to send the group to New Mexico, where each member will wear their uniform and a 35-pound ruck sack over the rocky terrain. Each has to cross the finish line within 20 seconds of one another.

Theyve been doing this for 30-plus years in New Mexico, Seketa said.

For more information on the local and virtual events, visit facebook.com/TheClemson8.
Mount Pleasant, SC (29464)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 56F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low 56F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Two Colleton County brothers played an outsized role in the double-murder trial of the now-notorious Alex Murdaugh: One was the second deputy to arrive at the crime scene in June 2021. The other voted to convict him March 2.

Juror James McDowells relationship to Colleton County Sheriffs Cpl. Chad McDowell was not a secret. Answering questions as juror No. 530, James McDowell disclosed his family ties at least twice in open court during the jury selection process.

He was also pulled aside for further questioning by Judge Clifton Newman and the attorneys trying the case before both sides agreed to have him seated as an alternate. He made it onto the final panel when another juror took ill five weeks into trial.

The day after James McDowell was sworn in as an alternate, his brother took the witness stand as the second person to testify. Chad McDowell described how hed been on patrol with his police dog, Evo, when he was dispatched to Murdaughs sprawling, remote hunting estate, known as Moselle.

Jurors watched footage from his body camera, which showed the slain bodies of Murdaughs 52-year-old wife, Maggie, and 22-year-old son Paul near Moselles dog kennels. It also showed the now-disbarred attorney greet him with a casual, friendly tone, asking him, How you doin? Prosecutors used that interaction to cast suspicion on the emotion Murdaugh, 54, displayed in other moments.

The Murdaugh trial saw first responders  including Chad McDowell  come under repeated scrutiny for what his defense team described as missteps that threatened to disturb evidence.

For instance, they called attention to how Chad McDowell traversed the crime scene before it was processed for evidence, placing bits of police tape near bullet casings he noticed. He testified that he wanted to make sure no one stepped on them; the State Law Enforcement Division had not yet arrived to take control of the scene.

At a supervisors direction, the deputy also walked into the kennels storage room, where Paul Murdaugh was fatally shot. McDowell was asked to help lift a sheet placed over the body to see if Paul had a weapon when he died. Defense attorney Dick Harpootlian questioned whether he could have destroyed evidence in the process.

James McDowell, 22, was not identified by name in court, but he has granted several on-camera interviews since the trial concluded. He did not respond to a request for comment from The Post and Courier.

In a Fox and Friends interview that aired March 7, James McDowell said his brother didnt tell him much about what he saw after arriving home from the crime scene. He knew there had been a double homicide, but he said his brother was good about keeping work separate from his home life.

He said he didnt know how gruesome a scene his brother encountered at Moselle, and he said he was surprised he was picked for the jury given their relationship.

There was no way that he would want to talk to me about that and make me go through that, James McDowell said. They followed up with, Do you think you can be a fair and honest juror? And I told them that I would and that I could.

In a separate interview with Law & Crime, he said he was relatively removed from the case and the local grapevine prior to his selection: He was away from home attending Clemson University and now works in Charleston.

The defense had a strike remaining when James McDowell was seated on the jury. Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, another defense attorney for Murdaugh, did not respond to a request for comment about their thinking. Nor did a spokesman for the S.C. Attorney General's Office, which prosecuted the case.

I think they made a good decision because I think I was a fair and honest juror, James McDowell said. He said he was careful not to decide how he would vote until after closing arguments concluded.

University of South Carolina law professor Rob Wilcox, who teaches legal ethics, said Newman could have disqualified the juror if he felt he couldnt be impartial. The fact that he didnt suggests the judge was satisfied he could be fair, Wilcox said.

The questions he faced from the judge would have focused on his bias, not the relationship itself, Wilcox said. In small counties, it can be difficult to find jurors who have no connection to a case.

That was particularly challenging in the Murdaugh trial, for which more than 250 potential witnesses were identified. Prospective jurors disclosed all manner of previous connections as they were questioned over two days: One was engaged to a first responder. Others had sold a truck to a witness, detailed cars for witnesses and installed HVAC systems for them. Even the clerk of courts daughter was called for jury duty.

To address the web of connections, court officials sent questionnaires to some 900 possible jurors  more than 2 percent of Colleton Countys population.
CONWAY  The future of a former Conway school for Black students that operated during the segregation era is in doubt after a March 7 fire consumed parts of the historic school, leaving many local leaders to debate what's next.

The school that educated nearly all of Horry Countys Black students near the end of the Jim Crow era is in state of flux, leaving city officials and school alumni angry on what led to the demise on the building located at 1904 Maple Ave.

We wanted to preserve it for our history because we only had the elementary school which sits behind the Whittemore High School and when those two landmarks go, so goes all of our history, said Dr. Kenneth E. Floyd Sr., who attended the school as a child.

Conway officials requested the State Law Enforcement Division Arson Unit complete the investigation of the fire since the former school is city-owned.

Conway City Council had plans to hold a March 9 virtual meeting to discuss what to do with the land, even potentially leveling the school property to the ground, but announced hours before the Zoom meeting that it would be rescheduled to a later date.

The Whittemore schools  including the middle and high school  operated at various locations between 1936 and 1970 under Americas separate but equal system of segregation, with Conway's elementary building opening along Horry Street in 1954.

Since integration in the 1970s, the Whittemore elementary building stood vacant  its fate turning with the punishing floodwaters of Hurricane Florence in 2018, when plans by the city to convert it into a community center were derailed. Catastrophic storm damages had pushed the price tag to nearly $20 million for renovations.

A Whittemore Racepath Historical Society plan formed by school alumn, would have turned the school into a high-tech learning and community center.

But the former school was condemned by the city due to asbestos found in the building and damage from Hurricane Matthew, pausing those plans.

Activist Cedric Blain-Spain said when he received word that the school was on fire it brought tears to his eye, not only knowing that it was a historical structure, but that it mysteriously went up in flames.

You try to put up a good front, but so many of our Black historical landmarks are demolished in this city, Blain-Spain added. And to see another one, it really became overwhelming and heart wrenching.
LAKE CITY  This small, Pee Dee city experienced a wave of shock after a road trip to Mexico ended with two of their own dead  and two others found alive  following a violent shootout and abduction involving members of a drug cartel that was captured on video.

As a convoy of ambulances and SUVs rushed the surviving Americans back to U.S. soil March 7, residents in this Florence County town of about 6,000 were going about their normal routines, seemingly unaware of the trauma that had unfolded below the border over the weekend.

A relative told CNN that Latavia Tay Washington McGee, Zindell Brown, Shaeed Woodard and Eric Williams  all of whom were raised in Lake City  had driven from the Carolinas to Mexico so one of them could get a tummy tuck surgery from a doctor in Matamoros, a city just across the border near Brownsville, Texas.

The four were found in a wooden shack in Ejido Tecolote, a rural area east of Matamoros on the way to the Gulf coast that also is known as Bagdad Beach, Tamaulipas state chief prosecutor Irving Barrios said at a press conference. Mexican authorities arrested a man who was guarding them, Tamaulipas Gov. Americo Villarreal said.

The remains of the deceased, believed to be Brown and Woodard, will be turned over to U.S. authorities following forensic work at the Matamoros morgue, the governor said.

Williams suffered a gunshot wound to his left leg but is expected to survive, Villarreal said. An FBI escort took Williams and McGee, who was found unharmed, to Valley Regional Medical Center for treatment, the Brownsville Herald reported. A spokesperson for the Texas hospital referred all inquiries to the FBI.

Lake City Mayor Yemekia Robinson held a brief press conference March 7.

The city of Lake City sends its condolences to the families of the citizens affected in this incident, she said.

Robinson didnt take any questions, referring them instead to the U.S. Department of State.

The close-knit group of friends entered Mexico around 9:15 a.m. March 3 in a white minivan, Villarreal said. The car was caught amid fighting between rival cartel groups in the city just before noon.

Video and photographs taken during and immediately after the abduction show the Americans' car sitting beside another vehicle, with at least one bullet hole in the driver's side window. A witness said the two vehicles had collided. Almost immediately, several men in tactical vests and toting assault rifles arrived in another vehicle to surround the scene.

The gunmen walked one of the Americans into the bed of a white pickup, then dragged and loaded the three others. Terrified civilian motorists sat silently in their cars, hoping not to draw their attention. Two of the victims appeared to be motionless.

Officials said a Mexican woman a block and a half away from the scene also died in the crossfire.

Investigators believe it was confusion, not a direct attack that caused the U.S. citizens to be targeted, Barrios said. He would not elaborate on whether the suspect is involved with any criminal organizations, nor how many people were involved with the abduction.

The shootings illustrate the terror that has prevailed for years in Matamoros, a city dominated by factions of the powerful Gulf drug cartel who often fight among themselves. Amid the violence, thousands of Mexicans have disappeared in Tamaulipas state alone.

The U.S. State Department posted a "do not travel" warning for Tamaulipas, citing "organized crime activity" including gunbattles, murder, carjacking and kidnapping as common occurrences along the northern border. Criminal groups target private cars traveling through the state, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments, the warning message states.

Reached by phone in North Carolina, Robert Williams said he didn't know his brother Eric was traveling to Mexico until after the abduction hit the news. But from looking at his brother's Facebook posts, he thinks his brother did not consider the trip dangerous.

"He thought it would be fun," the man said.

The brothers, whom he described to The Associated Press as fairly close, are from South Carolina but now live in the Winston-Salem area.

Zalandria Brown of Florence said she was in contact with the FBI and local officials after learning that her younger brother, Zindell, was among the victims. Brown told the AP her brother lives in Myrtle Beach.

This is like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from, she said in a phone interview. To see a member of your family thrown in the back of a truck and dragged, it is just unbelievable.

The group was aware of the dangers in Mexico, she added, and her brother had expressed some misgivings.

Zindell kept saying, We shouldnt go down,' " Brown said.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the people responsible would be punished. He referenced arrests made in the 2019 killings of nine U.S.-Mexican dual citizens in Sonora near the U.S. border.

State Department spokesman Ned Price thanked members of U.S. law enforcement and their Mexican partners for their help in finding the four innocent victims.

The next task is to ensure justice is done, he said at a March 7 press conference. Price labeled drug cartels in the country as a long-running challenge, and he didnt rule out designating them as terrorist organizations  something Republican lawmakers in South Carolina have called for.

Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina plans to unveil legislation March 8 that addresses this, according to a press advisory. The bill would label Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and authorize the use of military force against them, it states.

Graham raised the issue in a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting last week. He emphasized the cartels role in the poisoning of America through fentanyl, the advisory states. The abduction and deaths of the current and former South Carolina residents only reinforces his points, it adds.

Republican U.S. Rep. Russell Fry of Surfside Beach criticized those who continue to turn a blind eye to deadly cartel activity. The March 3 incident shows the type of violence stemming from the cartels rampant illicit activity, Fry tweeted.

His 7th District includes the Pee Dee region of the state and Lake City, which is located about 24 miles south of Florence and 60 miles west of Myrtle Beach.

The congressmans staff is working with federal agencies and the family of one of the victims who lives in his district, he added.

And state Rep. Roger Kirby led a moment of silence on the South Carolina House floor. Kirby said information on the unbelievable and senseless" killings seemed fairly limited and called for his hometown of Lake City to rally around the families.

It's a time for us to all stick together and support these families and keep our prayers ongoing for the safe return of the two hostages, Kirby told The Associated Press.

The Post and Courier's Jocelyn Grzeszczak from Charleston and Chris Day from Lake City contributed to this report. Associated Press writers Alfredo Pena, Fabiola Sanchez, Travis Loller, Lindsay Whitehurst, Aamer Madhani, Matthew Lee, Matthew Barakat and James Pollard also contributed.
A woman who died on a Carnival Sunshine cruise out of Charleston appears to have died from natural causes, according to a new release from Carnival Cruise Line on March 7.

The FBI has still not released the name of the female who died on the ship that left Feb. 27 for a five-day voyage to Nassau, Bahamas.

The FBI boarded the ship upon its return to Charleston on March 4 to search the room she shared with her husband on the cruise, FBI spokesman Kevin Wheeler said in a news release. Her death was considered suspicious.

Contacted the morning of March 7, Wheeler said the agency had nothing new to release.

Carnival Cruise Line provided an update. While we continue to cooperate with authorities, all indications pertaining to the death of a guest on board Carnival Sunshine suggest that it was a natural death due to a medical condition," according to the news release.

The note continued, "We will defer to the FBI on any specific details which may possibly be released at a later date as we fully respect the investigative process, but our initial emergency medical response was appropriate and it appears that this was indeed a medical situation that sadly resulted in the death of a guest.

The total number of passengers who have died globally on cruise ships is difficult to determine because ships are owned by different countries that have different reporting practices. But a report published in November 2020 in the International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health put the number of deaths at 623 deaths between 2000 and 2019.
Nairobi  Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu has ordered the immediate reinstatement of Meru University Vice-Chancellor Professor Romanus Odhiambo.

The University Council had sent Professor Odhiambo on terminal leave which subsequently led to student unrest on Monday, indefinite closure of the institution, and a postponement of the graduation ceremony that was to take place on March 11, 2023.

"The decision by the University Council is unlawful," CS Machogu said.

He pointed out that the council acted in total disregard for the consequences that would result at a time the University was preparing to hold the graduation.

Machogu further faulted the Council for not consulting his office prior to undertaking their decision contrary to the requirements of the University Act.

The Act stipulates that University Councils should appoint a Vice Chancellor in consultation with the Cabinet Secretary for Education.

"Regrettably, the Council fell short of its legal duty of fidelity to the applicable law," Machogu said.

Consequently, Machogu also directed the University management to facilitate the reopening of the University for the return of students and the resumption of normal operations no later than March 8, 2023.

Machogu also directed that the scheduled graduation should proceed as planned.

In the meantime, Machogu notified the current university council that their term will lapse on March 9, 2023.

"The Ministry is taking the necessary steps to constitute a successor Council in accordance with the law. The Council so appointed, shall, in line with its legal mandate, address the matter of the position of Vice-Chancellor," he said.

Machogu's decision immediately sparked celebrations on the street near the University with the students welcoming it.
COLUMBIA  The former second-in-command of SCANA Corp. was sentenced to 15 months in prison for defrauding South Carolina power customers as he oversaw the now-defunct companys doomed attempt at a $9 billion nuclear power expansion.

Steve Byrne, former chief operating officer of the once-proud Cayce-based power company, also will pay back $1 million in ill-gotten income he earned after lying to state regulators in July 2016 about the status of the secretly foundering V.C. Summer nuclear plant construction project.

U.S. District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis fined him an additional $200,000, noting Byrne still has considerable net worth even after his exile from the nuclear industry.

Byrne, 63, is the second SCANA executive sentenced to prison in connection with the sudden collapse of the twin-reactor construction venture in July 2017, widely considered the worst business failure in South Carolina history.

Byrnes former boss, SCANA chief executive Kevin Marsh, was sentenced to two years behind bars in October 2021 and ordered to cough up more than $5 million in restitution. Records indicate Marsh was released March 1, about 17 months into his sentence.

Byrne received a more lenient sentence March 8 in large part because he was the first target to cooperate with the state and federal investigation into the project's failure, providing key insight that led to the indictments of three other defendants, including his old boss, Marsh.

Byrne sat in on nearly every major meeting concerning the progress at the V.C. Summer construction site. His meticulous notes from those meetings  which detailed who attended, who spoke and what they said  proved critical as investigators sought to pinpoint what utility executives knew about problems dooming the project, and when, federal prosecutor Winston Holliday said March 8.

Prosecutors have been clear that executives like Byrne did not mismanage the project into the ground. But supply-chain problems, contractor dysfunction and budget overruns plagued the effort almost from the beginning, yet utility executives lied about the construction progress in order to keep the project alive and profits flowing, investigators said.

Byrne apologized to SCANA's ratepayers and shareholders, the state of South Carolina and the nuclear energy industry at his sentencing hearing.

He said he should have raised alarms with state regulators and shareholders that something was wrong. Byrne insisted he was motivated not by greed and the lucrative personal bonuses tied to the project, but out of a desire to finish the V.C. Summer expansion and provide clean energy in South Carolina for decades to come.

"I'm sorry," Byrne told the judge. "This project  building these two plants  was going to be the crowning achievement of my life. But I failed."

With Byrne's help, investigators ensnared two more defendants after Marsh: executives from Westinghouse, the projects lead contractor.

Carl Churchman, Westinghouses top official at the Fairfield County construction site, pleaded guilty to perjury in May 2021 and awaits sentencing. But former Westinghouse senior vice president Jeff Benjamin insists he is innocent and plans to take the 16 federal charges against him to an October trial in Greenville. Byrne is expected to testify against Benjamin as a government witness. He will report to prison shortly after that trial.

Byrne faced up to five years in prison. His defense attorneys, Maggie Fox and Jim Griffin, pleaded for a lighter sentence  no more than 15 months  in return for his cooperation. Federal prosecutors did not oppose that request.

Fox and Griffin said their client met with state and federal investigators 15 times, including for eight all-day sessions, to detail what he knew about the projects flaws and the lies that kept it going. They wrote that his cooperation led directly to the indictments of Marsh, Churchman and Byrne, as well as agreements with SCANA and Westinghouse that required the companies to cough up a combined $45 million to the federal government.

Construction at the V.C. Summer site in Jenkinsville spanned nearly a decade but was beset by slow productivity and other significant problems that SCANAs executives hid from the public.

The project was a lucrative venture, at least at first. SCANA raised its electric rates nine times to finance the construction, generating millions of dollars in bonuses for executives like Marsh and Byrne and more than $500 million in dividends for its shareholders.

Meanwhile, by the time construction stopped on July 31, 2017, those nine rate hikes were costing SCANAs electric customers about $27 a month on their power bills.

Byrne was heavily involved in the management of the project and the efforts to cover up its fatal flaws.

He participated in monthly construction meetings with Westinghouse and negotiated with the leaders of state-owned utility Santee Cooper, SCANAs minority partner on the project. He also was involved in pivotal internal discussions about a secret 2016 report on the projects myriad shortcomings and how to shield it from public view.

Byrnes attorneys argued he only began making misleading statements to state regulators and the public before the last of those rate hikes in summer 2016.

Byrne knew by then the construction had fallen hopelessly behind schedule and the new reactors wouldnt come online by an important December 2020 deadline, they wrote. That meant SCANA would miss out on $1.4 billion in federal tax credits, which were widely seen as critical to funding the project.

Yet in written, sworn testimony to a regulatory panel, Byrne attested that the expansions lead contractor, Westinghouse, had made significant progress and could get the project back on course.

Byrne did so because he wanted to see the project through to completion, not out of a desire to continue raking in profits and bonuses, his lawyers wrote. They said Byrne even turned down two lucrative job offers around that time out of loyalty to SCANA and a desire to finish his work at V.C. Summer.

Mr. Byrne deeply regrets the false and misleading statements he made in July 2016  and the damage those statements have caused to those where were negatively impacted by them, his lawyers wrote.

Byrne's attorneys argued his mistakes have cost him enough, rendering a lengthy prison sentence unnecessary.

The failure of the V.C. Summer project made Byrne unemployable in the nuclear power industry, strained his marriage and ruined his personal and professional relationships, they said.

In short, he is a convicted felon and his reputation is ruined, Fox wrote in a court filing.

They forwarded the judge 23 pages of letters attesting to Byrnes character and pleading for mercy from relatives, friends, former colleagues and others who know him.

In sentencing Byrne, Judge Lewis said she appreciated that Byrne "did the right thing" and cooperated with the criminal investigation. But she said she did not want to discount the harm he caused "just because it was done from a fine office at the top of a building somewhere."

SCANA's former ratepayers, who are now served by Virginia-based Dominion Energy, will be paying for the useless project on their power bills for decades to come, though it never generated a watt of electricity.

"We have a huge fraud," Lewis said. "We have shareholder victims. We have ratepayer victims . It's obviously a severe offense that has affected a lot of people."

Griffin told Lewis his client had lived an "exemplary life" until the V.C. Summer fraud, donating time and money to charities. Since his January 2018 retirement from SCANA, he has worked for Habitat for Humanity, working to build homes for the less fortunate, Griffin said.

Griffin said Byrne's run-ins with law enforcement are over: He will never be back in front of a judge again.

When Byrne stood moments later, he corrected his attorney. He will be back in court in October to testify against Benjamin, the last remaining defendant in this case.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low around 55F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. Low around 55F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
COLUMBIA  Most people take their birthday for granted.

But for some in South Carolina, especially African Americans born at home in rural areas of the state before the 1970s, proving when they were born can be a difficult.

A state House of Representatives Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs subcommittee began work March 8 on a bill to make it easier for people to use a family Bible or informal genealogical records as proof of their date of birth to obtain whats called a delayed birth certificate.

The bill would require individuals to provide a sworn statement attesting to their birth date and corroborating medical, financial or governmental records in addition to the family Bible or genealogical records before obtaining a birth certificate.

Some state officials pushed back on the legislation, saying it could open the process up to fraud.

We have to strike a balance between the ease of getting these documents and the security of these documents, said Caleb Cox, the states director of vital statistics told the committee.

Cox and Scott Jaillette, the director of legislative affairs for the Department of Health and Environmental Control, told the committee the process for obtaining a delayed birth certificate is difficult on purpose to prevent fraud, and that a family Bible is too easy to fake.

Someone recently presented DHEC with a Bible purchased the day before with the ink of the claimed inscription practically still wet, Jaillette said.

Normally, those seeking a delayed birth certificate present the vital records division with five to 10 records, including a family Bible. Regulations only require three documents, so the Bible is very rarely the decisive document, Cox said. In rare circumstances, the division will accept an inscribed Bible as the third document if the other two are very secure, Cox said.

The departments criteria for legitimate documents are only specified in internal regulations, so adding family Bibles and genealogical records to state law would make them unique.

Especially when (the family Bible) is the only document that is specifically specified in the code of law, that makes it difficult for us when we see a document that we dont feel is authentic, Cox said. It kind of undercuts our ability to say, No, were not going to accept that document. 

Rep. Marvin Pendarvis, D-North Charleston, said he and a relative have been doing a deep dive on their family genealogy and have had to rely heavily on family Bible inscriptions because thats where their family, like many Black families, recorded vital statistics.

Youre going to prevent people with legitimate claims  simply because you believe theres some other corroborating evidence you believe can be submitted when in actuality thats literally the only one, Pendarvis said.

The lack of birth certificates is part of a broader rural problem associated with absent records that continue to cloud modern day matters, among them settling heirs property.

In the face of the criticism from DHEC, the subcommittee voted unanimously to adjourn debate and keep working on the bill. The House passed a similar bill last session before it died in a Senate committee.

Rep. Sylleste Davis, R-Moncks Corner, told the subcommittee about an elderly man who was born in the backwoods of Berkeley County and called her office asking for help getting a birth certificate.

I understand the concerns about fraud, but the problem still exists, Davis said.
Veteran Nigerian actor, Arowosafe, popularly known as Baba Fadeyi Oloro, is dead.

Mr Arowosafe, who played Fadeyi Oloro in a Yoruba TV series titled Arelu in the 80s, had been ill for over three years before his shocking death.

Fadeyi Oloros daughter, Fasunwon Bidemi oluwafunke, confirmed the news when PREMIUM TIMES called her Tuesday night but declined to share additional details.

Mr Arowosafe, who played Fadeyi Oloro in a Yoruba TV series titled Arelu in the 80s, has been ill for over three years.

His daughter recently joined an Instagram live session with popular OAP Daddy Freeze in February to share details of her fathers predicament.

According to her, he was diagnosed with kidney-related ailments, among other things, from the University College Hospital (UCH)

She revealed that her fathers landlord served them an eviction notice for failing to pay his rent, the amount she did not specify.

More details shortly.

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Top officials from key law enforcement bodies in Seychelles are expected to acquire a better understanding of human rights issues through a half-day training course on Tuesday, said a top official.

The police, immigration and prison officers are among the participants in the training focused on the Seychellois charter of fundamental human rights and freedoms in Chapter III of the Constitution of Seychelles.

"We expect to notice major changes as this is the first time that we sit with our key partners where we are trying to understand each other where Chapter III of the Constitution is concerned," said Elvis Julie, the chief executive of the Seychelles Human Rights Commission (SHRC).

Julie said the participants in the training have a crucial role in the realisation of human rights and have been chosen as they are at the "forefront of keeping law and order, of assuring that the rest of us can live in a safe and functioning society."

He revealed that so far, the Commission recorded around 50 complaints annually and that this is a figure that is steadily increasing.

According to the Commission's latest figures, a large majority of these complaints are about law enforcement, the prisons department and immigration.

In addition to imparting knowledge on the subject in an interactive setting, the exercise aims at facilitating "discussion to strengthen the implementation of the domestic and international human rights obligations of Seychelles in relation to the rights of liberty and dignity," he explained.

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Errol Fonseka, said in his address at the opening of the training session that "we come from bad times and human rights records are not perfect in the country, but we must always work to improve them."

He added that his officers are "educating ourselves and we would like everyone else to do the same where human rights are concerned. Human rights are part of relationship building in the country, where everyone has their rights and they may exercise them within the constructs of the law, all of which people need to understand how they work."

The CEO of the Seychelles Humans Rights Commission hopes that "after the session, all the parties will have a better understanding and appreciation" of each other's roles, responsibilities and challenges."

The SHRC, which was established by the Seychelles Human Rights Commission Act 2018, is a self-governing, neutral and independent body that is not subject to the direction or control of any person or authority. Its role is to investigate alleged violations of human rights and to assist victims of such violations to seek redress.

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"It is not there to point fingers but rather to establish working relationships with its partners based on respect, trust and the adoption of progressive and protection measures for the promotion of human rights within the framework of the Constitution," stressed Julie.

The short training course, being held at L'Escale Resort Marina and Spa on the main island of Mahe, is a follow-up of previous sessions the commission held last year.

Others in the island state who have benefitted from the sessions include secondary school students and other government officials.

Seychelles - an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, with a population of 100,000 inhabitants - is ranked second in the Overall Governance category of the Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance for 2022.

The Index is the most comprehensive assessment of governance performance in 54 African countries incorporating an expanded governance scope, including environment and equality; strengthened indicators, and a section fully dedicated to Africa's Citizens' Voices.
Nearly 10 years after talks began on protecting international water bodies, United Nations member states on Saturday reached a historic agreement.

After 38 hours of negotiation, delegates of the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreed to place 30 per cent of the worlds oceans into protected areas, put more money into marine conservation, and cover access to and use of marine genetic resources.

Prior to Saturdays agreement, only 1.2 per cent of these waters were protected by the international agreement on ocean protection that was signed 40 years ago in 1982  the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Countries could fish, navigate, investigate, and mine unchecked, which implied that marine life in these waters were unprotected.

This sparked a global conversation and effort on protecting these waters which started in 2004. The effort met several brick walls including disagreements on funding and fishing rights.

Ladies and gentlemen, the ship has reached the shore, the President of the Conference, Rena Lee, said as she announced the agreement to an extended standing ovation in the meeting room. Delegations would later reconvene to formally adopt the text.

The treaty must first be formally adopted at a later session, and then it only enters into force once enough countries have signed up and legally passed it in their own countries.

UN applauds step

This action is a victory for multilateralism and for global efforts to counter the destructive trends facing ocean health, now and for generations to come, said the UN chief, Antonio Guterres, in a statement issued by his spokesperson.

Mr Guterres added that the treaty is crucial for addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

It is also vital for achieving ocean-related goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the statement said, referring to the so-called 3030 pledge to protect a third of the worlds biodiversity  on land and sea  by 2030 made by a historic UN conference in Montreal in December.

The conference, which convened from 20 February to 4 March at UN Headquarters in New York, was attended by over 400 delegates, representing governments, specialised agencies of the UN, non-governmental organizations, and academia.

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Only 25,286,616  about 28.63 per cent of all eligible voters in Nigeria, participated in last Saturdays Presidential election, the election data has shown.

There are a total of 93,469,008 registered voters in Nigeria but only 87,209,007  93.3 per cent collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), making them the only ones eligible to vote in the 2023 general elections, according to the electoral commission, INEC.

Last Saturday, the Presidential and National Assembly elections were held across the country and the Governorship and States Houses of Assembly elections scheduled for 11 March.

However, by the total number of accredited voters, the elections data shows that only 28.63 per cent of all eligible voters participated in the February elections.

The low turnout of voters have characterised Nigerian elections, and have witnessed a steady decline which reached a new low during last weeks presidential and National Assembly polls.

In 2011, voter turnout was at what can now be described as an impressive 53.7 per cent of the voting population. By 2015, it dropped to 43.7 per cent and 34.75 per cent in 2019.

The data analysed by PREMIUM TIMES revealed that all the 18 candidates in the February elections received a total 24,025,940 votes, which is 27.55 per cent of the eligible voters.

The top four candidates APCs Bola Tinubu, PDPs Atiku Abubakar, LPs Peter Obi and NNPPs Rabiu Kwankwaso got 23,377,466 or 26.81 per cent of all eligible voters, and 97.30 per cent of the total number of the total valid votes. i.e. the total number of votes received by all political parties involved in the elections excluding rejected votes.

The cumulative votes of the remaining 14 political parties was 648,474 or 2.70 per cent of the total valid votes.

Mr Tinubu, the winner of the election, has a total of 8,794,726 votes, which accounts for 36.61 per cent of total votes, and 10.08 per cent of all eligible voters.

Rejected, Cancelled Votes

Meanwhile, 939,278 votes or 3.76 per cent of the total votes cast were rejected. Also called invalid votes, a vote is rejected when the choice of the voter is not clear or when the voter selected multiple parties on the same ballot paper.

This is lower compared to 1,289,607 or 4.51 per cent (of 28,614,190 total votes cast) rejected votes in the previous 2019 elections.

Borno, Delta and Cross River states have the highest number of rejected votes when compared with the total number of the votes cast in the individual states.

Leading on this list is Borno State, which has the highest number of rejected votes with 32,658 or 6.56 per cent of the 497,945 total votes cast in the state rejected. In Delta 39,309 or 6 per cent of the total 654,650 votes cast in the state were rejected. In Cross River 24,608 or 5.57 per cent of the total 441,576 votes cast in the state were rejected.

Anambra, Ekiti and Plateau have the least number of rejected votes with 1.72 per cent, 2.00 per cent and 2.07 per cent of the total votes cast of the states respectively.

In the meantime, votes were cancelled in at least 1,566 polling units with 886,026 eligible voters, according to the data gathered from the pronouncements of state collation officers at the National Collation Centre, Abuja. The cancelled votes make up at least 3.55 per cent of the total votes cast.

Votes are considered cancelled in polling units where the voting procedures are violated. In almost all the states, it is due to over voting, according to the collation officers.

Over voting happens when the total number of votes cast in a polling unit exceeds the number of accredited voters on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

Other reasons, according to the state collations officers, are refusal of voters to use the BVAS or bypassing of the BVAS, insecurity, disruption of voting activities, violence, threat of violence, malfunctioning of the BVAS and the destruction of voting materials.

When any of these happens, the result of the polling unit is cancelled. Therefore, the number of cancelled votes in this piece refers to the total number of eligible voters in such polling units, or regions. (i.e total number of collected PVCs in the region or polling unit).

Also, the data on cancelled votes used in this story is limited to the pronouncements by the stares collation officers at the National Collation Centre.

It is also limited to 28 states including the Federal Capital Territory.

We couldnt get the total number of cancelled votes in Adamawa, Jigawa, Lagos, Enugu, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara, and Ekiti states as their respective state collation officers did not specify when announcing results.

According to the available data, the North-west region recorded the highest number of cancelled votes with 408,511 or 46.11 per cent of the cancelled votes. It is followed by the North-central where 196,213 or 22.15 per cent of the total cancelled votes were recorded. While the South-south recorded 128,353 or 14.49 per cent of the cancelled votes, the South-east recorded 87,385 or 9.86 per cent.

The North-east recorded 62,408 or 7.04 per cent of all the cancelled votes and the South-west recorded 3,156 or 0.36 per cent of the cancelled votes. Only one South-west state, Ondo, was sampled here.

Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano and Kogi recorded the highest number of cancelled votes, according to the available records.

The state with the highest number of cancelled votes is Sokoto state, with 103,089 cancelled votes, which make up 11.63 per cent of the total cancelled votes. It is followed closely by Kano with 97,484 or 11.23 per cent, and Zamfara with 103,089 or 11 per cent of the total cancelled votes. Kogi State recorded 85,556 of 9.66 per cent of the total cancelled votes.

Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe

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The Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Wednesday, granted INEC permission to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used for the 25 February presidential and National Assembly elections across the country.

A three-member panel of the appellate court led by Joseph Ikyegh granted permission to the electoral body to reconfigure the machines ahead of Saturdays governorship and Houses of Assembly elections across the 36 states of the federation.

The panel, however, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upload the data on the BVAS machines to the back-end server and make certified true copies of the data to the respondents.

The court had earlier granted an order permitting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku, and his Labour Party rival, Peter Obi, to inspect the BVAS machines and other sensitive electoral materials.

The opposition candidates who came second and third behind the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had requested access to the electoral materials preparatory to filing their petitions to challenge the outcomes of the 25 presidential elections in court.

Apart from granting them access to the materials, the court had, in its ruling delivered on 3 March, also restrained INEC from tampering with the BVAS machines pending the inspection to be conducted by the candidates.

But INEC subsequently filed an ex parte application on 4 March urging the Court of Appeal to vary the ex parte order made in favour of the PDP and the Labour Party candidates.

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that INEC asked the court to vary the order to allow it to reconfigure the BVAS machines for the 11 March governorship and state houses of assembly elections.

INECs lawyer, Tanimu Inuwa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said the application became necessary following an order restraining it from tampering with the information embedded in the BVAS machines until the due inspection was conducted and Certified.

He added that the commission would require sufficient time to reconfigure the BVAS needed to conduct the election that would take place on Saturday.

He told the court that INEC would upload from the back end.

BVAS data wont be lost

In a filing dated 6 March, INECs deputy director, ICT department, Lawrence Bayode, said there is the need for reconfiguration of the BVAS devices for the state governorship and House of Assembly election.

Mr Bayode explained that the reconfiguration of the BVAS devices entails purging the accreditation data on the BVAS devices.

But he clarified that before the purging is approved by the BVAS devices, the data on the BVAS devices have to be uploaded to the accreditation backend server.

The INEC IT expert further noted that the accreditation data on the BVAS devices cannot be tampered with and/or lost during upload to the accreditation backend server.

INEC has said 176,000 BVAS machines will be deployed for the Saturday polls.

Counter-argument

In his argument, counsel for Mr Obi, Onyechi Ikpeazu, a SAN, prayed the court not to grant INECs application which he said would mean losing the data they were interested in.

 All we are seeking is for a physical inspection of the BVAS so that the evidence is obtained before it will be configured, he told the court.

He, therefore, opposed the INECs application and urged the court not to grant it.

PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mr Obi, in company with top personalities of his party, attended Wednesdays proceedings.

Mr Obi arrived at the Court at about 1:35 p.m . in company with the Labour Party national chairman, Julius Abure, and senator-elect, Victor Umeh.

The former Anambra State governor who came third in the results of the presidential election announced by INEC had announced his decision to challenge the outcome of the poll in court.

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The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has arrived at the Court of Appeal, Abuja, ahead of ruling on a request by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reconfigure the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines.

Mr Obi had obtained the appellate courts permission to inspect sensitive electoral materials including the BVAS machines that were deployed in the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections on 25 February.

But INEC approached the court seeking to reconfigure and deploy the equipment for the conduct of the Saturday, 11 March governorship and state parliamentary elections.

The appellate court will rule on the electoral umpires application today, Wednesday.

Mr Obi arrived at the Court at about 1:35 p.m . in company with the Labour Party national chairman, Julius Abure, and senator-elect, Victor Umeh.

The former Anambra State governor who came third in the results of the presidential election announced by INEC had announced his decision to challenge the outcome of the poll in court.

Details later

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The police in Delta State, south-south Nigeria, said they have killed a suspected member of a gang of kidnappers in Ozoro, a community in Isoko North Local Government Area of the state.

The police spokesperson in the state, Bright Edafe, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, said the police rescued a victim during the operation.

How he was killed

Mr Edafe, a deputy superintendent of police, said the suspect was killed on Monday when operatives intercepted members of the gang conveying their victim to an unknown location.

The police spokesperson said the Divisional Police Officer of the Ozoro Police Divisional Headquarters, Ogedengbe Areguamen, had mobilised the police operatives alongside vigilante operatives from Akiweh and Ozoro communities in the state, who stationed along the road conducting intensive stop and search operation.

The operation followed a distress call by Mr Areguamen, a chief superintendent of police, that an unnamed man was being conveyed in a Toyota Corolla car by the suspects, he said.

While conducting the intensive stop and search operation along the road, the combined team of police and vigilante operatives sighted the Toyota Corolla vehicle, the police said.

Mr Edafe said the suspects attempted to reverse when they noticed that they were being pursued, but that the combined team gave them a hot chase and demobilised them.

The police spokesperson said the suspects consequently abandoned the vehicle and fled into a nearby bush from where they fired gunshots at the combined team, which also fired back.

In the ensuing gun duel, one of the suspects later identified as Oghene Fejiro, m 27 years old of Oleh was arrested with gunshot injuries. One-cut-to-size double barrel gun, two live cartridges were recovered and the victim who is from Effurun was rescued unhurt and his Toyota car recovered, Mr Edafe said.

The injured suspect was taken to the general hospital where he died while receiving treatment, he stated.

He added that the police had begun an investigation to track down other members of the fleeing kidnap gang.

Arrest of a suspected cultist

Mr Edafe said the police from Agbarho Divisional Police Headquarters arrested a suspected cultist on 23 February in the state.

The police spokesperson said the suspect, Kingsley Vejeta, had been terrorising residents of Agbarho and Ughelli Areas.

A deputy superintendent of police, Habu Haman, led the police operatives, and some vigilantes from the community, to arrest the suspect from his hideout, according to the police spokesperson.

During the course of investigation and interrogation of the suspect, he made useful statement and, at about 2:30 p.m., he led the police to the hideout of his other gang members at Ekrehavwe, Agbarho in Ughelli North Local Government Area where on sighting the police, they took to their heels, he said.

The police said they had launched a manhunt for other fleeing members of the gang.

Seven locally-made cut-to-size rifles and four live cartridges were recovered from the suspects during the operation, according to the police.

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ANAP Foundation, based on an opinion poll it conducted, has predicted which of the candidates would win the Rivers governorship election on 11 March.

The poll was conducted in collaboration with NOI Polls Ltd for Rivers and concluded in February before the Presidential elections.

Atedo Peterside, the president, ANAP Foundation said in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Siminalayi Fubara is the most likely candidate to succeed Governor Nyesom Wike.

He said the results showed a significant lead for Mr Fubara, with 20 per cent of voters proposing to vote for him if the governorship elections were to be conducted today.

He said 11 per cent proposed to vote for Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) who fell in second place, adding that Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress candidate was third with 10 per cent.

Dumo Lulu-Briggs of the Accord came fourth with six per cent of voters proposing to vote for him.

Mr Peterside said Mr Fubaras nine per cent point lead at this stage was significant but not sufficient to separate him from a pack of candidates scoring 11 per cent 10 per cent, six per cent, among others.

He described it as a severely fragmented race, adding that undecided voters and those who preferred not to reveal their preferred candidates added up to a whopping 24 per cent.

According to him, this is likely due to the fact that the PDP is the most popular political party in the state and the current governor is a member of the party.

As such, the PDP is likely to maintain its hold on the state and Fubara is the most likely candidate to win the governorship race, he said.

He said the primary objective of the poll was to gauge the opinions of voters in the state on the likely pattern of voting in the governorship election.

Mr Peterside said it also determined the key issues that would influence their voting decision.

(NAN)

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Following the 25 February presidential election, The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), has called on security agencies to be proactive in tackling individuals making unsubstantiated claims and threats capable of jeopardising the peace of the country.

This is even as the apex Muslim body in the country expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the elections organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The NSCIA made the call in a statement signed by Salisu Shehu, its deputy secretary general and Zubairu Haruna, its director of administration.

It also calls on the security agencies to be proactive and rise up to their responsibility by decisively dealing with the unlawful utterances and actions of such elements and individuals, no matter their status, who have continued to fan the embers of disunity and discord in the country. This should be done with all sense of seriousness and urgency. A stitch in time saves nine! It said.

The council said the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) has improved the electoral process and added to the credibility of the results.

The NSCIA lamented that despite the use of BIVAS and other methods to ensure a credible election, several people especially highly placed individuals have been making threats to the unity of the country through their statements.

However, the Council has observed with serious concern the high level of unsubstantiated claims, threats and incitements emanating from certain quarters of the country, especially from people who ought to be the preachers of peace and serve as moral compass for the society, consequent to the declaration of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 2023 presidential election.

The level of unwarranted provocation and unnecessary heating up of the polity, which are capable of creating disunity and threatening the security of the nation is worrisome, the statement said.

The council appealed to Nigerians to be law abiding and exercise decorum.

The council also called on aggrieved politicians to seek redress through legal channels as provided for in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The NSCIA said there was no need for anyone to resort to violence and or any unlawful act to protest irregularities

The council once again calls on INEC to remain steadfast, committed and not be dissuaded in the discharge of its lawful duties. It should focus adequate attention on the conduct of the forthcoming March 11 gubernatorial and state assembly elections. The Commissions should do everything within its powers to address the challenges it faced during the February 25 election so as to prevent a reoccurrence.

The Council enjoins all well-meaning Nigerians, national and international organisations to join hands with and support INEC in the task of bringing about new leadership to administer the affairs of our dear country at different levels, it added.

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The first witness took the stand on Tuesday looking very sad, he explained to the court why he appeared that way.

Today is my birthday and I am about to give a reflection of something that happened many years ago which changed my life, said Civilian 17.

Civilian 17 told appeal hearings in Monrovia for Gibril Massaquoi, a former commander of the Revolutionary Front (RUF) that his wife was raped and killed along with six other women on Mr Massaquois orders.

He also his aunt was among the civilians that were burnt in the house in Kamatahun, Lofa county, as alleged by other witnesses in these proceedings.

The witness said he had gone in search of food and that when he returned, he was told by the people in the town that his wife and six other women were taken by the soldiers to a blacksmith shop in the town.

He said out of bravery, he went to beg for the release of his wife, but he was severely beaten by the RUF soldiers.

Civilian 17 also alleged that a man was killed in his presence.

He was accused of being part of the LURD rebels, said Civilian 17. His heart was given to a woman cook but she could not continue because her hands were shaken out of fear, Massaquoi then ordered Zizar Marzah to do the butchering, something which he did.

Civilian 35, Tuesdays other witness corroborated Civilian 17s allegations of the mans butchering.

The man they brought from the bush was executed in front of us on the orders of Gibril, said Civilian 17. And a lady was given his heart cook for them.

READ ALSO:

He also reflected on another incident, which he said very traumatic for him.

It was the border point between Kolahun and Sierra Leone, there was a counter argument between the RUF soldiers due to a pregnant woman, few argued that it was a girl the lady was carrying in her belle while the others argued that it was a boy, to confirm their argument, they splatted the pregnant lady stomach.

Massaquoi has denied all the charges.

The hearings continue on Thursday.

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that there is a move by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to destroy evidence of rigging of the 25 February presidential election.

The PDP spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday claimed that the motion filed by INEC requesting to reconfigure the BVAS machines used for the election was a move to wipe out relevant information required by the party and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to prosecute its case at the Presidential Election Tribunal.

The Court of Appeal had on 3 March granted leave to Atiku and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, to inspect documents used by INEC for the conduct of the election.

They had alleged that substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022 in addition to violence and rigging marred the conduct and outcome of the election.

They, therefore, approached the court for a leave of the court to inspect the sensitive materials used for conducting the election.

But on Monday, INEC filed a motion requesting that it be allowed to reconfigure the BVAS machines for the governorship elections to be held on Saturday.

Mr Ologunagba said if the commission had nothing to hide, why would it rush to court asking to be allowed to reconfigure the devices?

Apparently panicked by the Order, INEC rushed to court to file a motion requesting the court to allow it reconfigure the BVAS devices with the view to erasing the information contained therein.

.This reprehensible action by INEC to frustrate the desire of Nigerians to get redress through the court is a clear recipe for crisis and a deliberate design by the commission to derail our democracy and trigger anarchy in the country,  he said.

Read the full text of PDPs press conference

Text of Press Conference by the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Debo Ologunagba, Today, Tuesday, March 7, 2023, on the Moves by INEC to Destroy Evidence of its Rigging of the February 25, 2023 Presidential Election

Gentlemen of the Press, we have called you to alert Nigerians and the International Community of the atrocious move by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to destroy and erase evidence of its intolerable rigging of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election.

Late yesterday at 10: 10 pm, INEC in a desperate move to prevent our Party and Candidate from obtaining necessary evidence as Ordered by the Court, filed a motion requesting that it be allowed to reconfigure the BVAS machines and wipe out relevant information that our Party and Candidate require to prosecute our case at the Presidential Election Tribunal.

This reprehensible action by INEC to frustrate the desire of Nigerians to get redress through the court is a clear recipe for crisis and a deliberate design by the Commission to derail our democracy and trigger anarchy in the country.

Nigerians can recall how the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu superintended over the manipulation of the results of the Presidential election and hurriedly announced a winner in spite of widespread outcry and complain over numerous evidence of malpractices and violation of several provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 by INEC and its officials.

The INEC Chairman bypassed all the steps and procedures provided by the Electoral Act, 2022 for the declaration of results, including to announce and declare only results that were transmitted directly from the Polling Units to the INEC Server/Website and to review the results in the event of disputes and objections as to the correctness and consistency of the collated result.

For emphasis Section 64 (6) of the Electoral Act clearly states that;

(6) Where during collation of results, there is a dispute regarding a collated result or the result of an election from any Polling Unit, the collation officer or returning officer shall use the following to determine the correctness of the disputed result-

(a) the original of the disputed collated result for each Polling Unit where the election is disputed;

(b)the smart card reader or other technology device used for accreditation of voters in each polling unit where the election is disputed for the purpose of obtaining accreditation data directly from the smart card reader or technology device

(c) data of accreditation recorded and transmitted directly from each polling unit where the election is disputed as prescribed under section 47 (2) of this Act

(d) the votes and result of the election recorded and transmitted directly from each polling unit where the election is disputed, as prescribed under section 60 (4) of this Act.

Furthermore, Section 65 (1)(c) of the Electoral Act, 2022 states as follows;

S. 65.-(1) The decision of the returning officer shall be final on any question arising from or relating to-. (c) declaration of scores of candidates and the return of a candidate;

Provided that the Commission shall have the power within seven days to review the declaration and return where the Commission determines that the said declaration and return was not made voluntarily or was made contrary to the provisions of the law, regulations and guidelines, and manual for the election.

Instead of being guided by the law, the INEC Chairman brazenly announced and declared results that were not transmitted directly from the Polling Units to INECs Server/Website while ignoring the objections and complaints raised during the collation in complete disregard to the provisions of the Electoral Act.

Despite the provocative act of the INEC Chairman, the PDP as a law-abiding Party approached the court and obtained an Order directing INEC to, among other things, grant our Party and Candidate unrestrained access to carry out a forensic examination of the ballot papers, Data forms, BVAS/and or card readers and all other necessary information, material and evidence to get redress for Nigerians at the Election Tribunal.

Apparently panicked by the Order, INEC rushed to court to file a motion requesting the court to allow it reconfigure the BVAS devices with the view to erasing the information contained therein.

In the obnoxious motion, INEC admitted that; the BVAS Application stores the Accreditation Data for all voters accredited on the device for the Presidential, Senatorial Districts and House of Representatives elections conducted on the 25th February, 2023 and that the reconfiguration of the BVAS devices entails purging the Accreditation Data on the BVAS devices.

This action by INEC is vexatious, provocative and only points to the impunity and culpability of the Commission with regards to the reported manipulations and alteration of results to deny our Party and its Candidate their victory at the Presidential election. It further validates the fact that our Party and Presidential Candidate won the February 25, 2023 Presidential election, based on the actual votes cast at the Polling Units.

If INEC has nothing to hide, why was it in a hurry to declare manipulated results without recourse to the provisions of the Electoral Act and without consideration of the disputes, objections and complaints raised by Parties during the collation process? Why is INEC panicky and desperate to erase the data in the BVAS if not that they contain evidence of malpractices and its culpability in the election?

The PDP as a law-abiding Party will continue to pursue the matter in accordance with the law. We believe that despite the shenanigans by INEC, justice will be served at the end of the day.

Thank you and God bless Nigeria.

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President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Doha, Qatar, called on Nigerians living in the country to support President-elect, Bola Tinubu, as he takes over the reins of government on May 29.

Speaking at a Town Hall meeting as part of his visit to the State of Qatar, President Buhari said his administration set forward to emplace credible, transparent and fair elections which will conclude on Saturday, March 11, with the Governorship and State Assembly elections. He therefore called on them to support the incoming government of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, so that Nigeria will continue to be the beacon of hope and prosperity in our continent and an example for other African countries to emulate.

Speaking further, President Buhari acknowledged the noble roles that Nigerians in Diaspora all over the world have been playing in the development of Nigeria, adding that his administration had approved a National Diaspora Policy, and supported the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) all the way to develop programmes for the engagement of Nigerians in the Diaspora for the ambassadors to contribute their quota towards the development of their fatherland.

In his remarks, the Nigerian Ambassador to the State of Qatar, Yakubu Ahmed congratulated Mr Buhari on conducting successful Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25, 2023.

He said the process has proven that Nigerias democracy is indeed strong while praying for an equally successful governorship and State assembly elections.

Ambassador Ahmed informed the President that Nigeria and the State of Qatar have maintained brotherly bilateral relationship since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 2013 noting there are currently about 7,000 Nigerians residing in Qatar, and gainfully engaged in diverse areas of human endeavours.

Im proud to inform you, Your Excellency that majority of our nationals in Doha are professionals who have excelled in their chosen careers, playing critical roles in healthcare, safety, oil and gas, aviation, construction, among other sectors, he added

Speaking on behalf of the Nigerian community in the country, Dr Arabo Ibrahim, a Senior Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, said he had every reason to thank President Buhari especially for restoring peace in the North-eastern part of Nigeria.

Our people were chased out of Mubi in Adamawa State by Boko Haram terrorists, peace is back. Now we go there and sleep peacefully. There is a lot of food now. People from the neighboring countries even come to buy food in Nigeria, he added.

Another member of the community, Professor Akintunde Akinade, also thanked President Buhari for conducting an electoral process alluded to as one of the best. We have gone through elections many times before and we all know what its all about. This is an election where money has taken a back seat. Were very grateful to see what has happened this time in the presidential election. Thank you for bringing sanity to the country and the electoral process. We wish that this would continue.

He equally lauded the President for the infrastructural revolution in the country, his anti-corruption war, keeping Nigeria together as well as his well-known democratic crusade in Africa. I really want to thank you for your unwavering critique of African Presidents that really want to stay in office forever. I wish you a well-deserved rest, he added.

The event was put together by the Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri Erewa.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media & Publicity)

March 8, 2023

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Kampala, Uganda  There was an uproar during plenary on Tuesday when the State Minister for Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, Persis Princess Namuganza decided to sit on the front bench reserved for Ministers despite her censure on January 23, 2023.

At least 348 out of the 356 legislators voted to censure the minister for alleged misconduct and violation of the oath of parliament. Namuganza's decision to sit on the front bench didnt go down well with some legislators.

Citing rule 109 of the Rule of Procedure of Parliament, Solomon Silwanyi, the Bukooli Central Constituency legislator protested the sitting arrangement and asked Speaker Anita Among to pronounce herself if it was procedurally right for the censured Minister to sit on the front bench.

Hon. Solomon Silwany is concerned that Hon. Persis Namuganza continues to sit on the front bench of the House despite #Parliament's decision to censure her on 23/01/2023.

".... the Minister has majestically walked into the same Parliament on the front bench." #PlenaryUg pic.twitter.com/ZqqetUfmrA

-- Parliament Watch (@pwatchug) March 7, 2023

Namuganza, who doubles as the Namutumba District Woman Member of parliament was attending plenary for the first time since her censure. Among noted Silwany's concern without delving into the matter and called on the House to proceed.

Although the Constitution requires a Minister against whom such a motion of censure is carried to resign her position in the exercise of moral integrity, the Ministers do not necessarily lose their seat.

Close Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top Headlines Uganda Governance By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. Success! Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. Error! Error! There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.

Namuganza's Censure

The minister's trouble started when she was accused of making various 'hateful' and 'reckless media statements aimed at attacking the person of the Speaker. A seven-member Select Committee appointed by the Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa found Namuganza guilty and recommended her censure.

The select Committee Chairperson, Mwine Mpaka Rwamirama also found Namuganza guilty of contempt of Parliament and failure to appear before the probe team to defend herself against the allegations raised against her, thus violating the Rule of Procedure of Parliament.

Following her censure, the Taybwa reassured legislators that he would within 24 hours, relay to the President the decision of the House, who will 'take appropriate action' as required under Rule 109 of the Rules of Procedure, and Article 118(2) of the Constitution.
The Labour Party Chairman in Rivers State, Dienye Pepple, on Tuesday said his party had resolved to support the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

Mr Pepple, who made this known to journalists in Port Harcourt, said the party endorsed a credible candidate irrespective of party affiliation in the state.

According to him, the candidate to be voted for must be young, vibrant and must hail from the senatorial district that hasnt produced a governor.

The LP in Rivers will be voting a riverine candidate in the person of Sir Siminlalayl Joseph Fubara of the PDP from the South East Senatorial District of the state during the upcoming gubernatorial polls.

The Labour Party and her members are defenders and ambassadors of the values that have set her and the Obidient Movement apart from all other parties.

According to Mr Pepple, the LP governorship candidate Beatrice Itubo, stepped down and adopted the All Progressives Congress candidate in the state.

The party in the past few days in the state was hit by a major shock of an unknown person surfacing and claiming to be our gubernatorial candidate.

This followed the news making rounds on social media that the gubernatorial candidate of the party, Mrs Beatrice Itubo, had stepped down and adopted the APC candidate.

In order for us not to remain in the dark, the party, in line with the 23 LGAs chairmen, has decided to support a credible candidate irrespective of the party affiliation.

Our Labour Party and its candidate till date Mr Peter Obi, put up a robust and most impressive representation of people power not seen in recent Nigerian history, Mr Pepple said.

Mr Pepple urged all LP members, supporters and our Obidient team in Rivers to come out in their numbers on 11 March to vote Mr Fubara from the South East District of Rivers for governor.

He also urged them to vote for all other LP candidates for the State House of Assembly in their various constituencies.

Meanwhile, the Head, Voters Education and Publicity, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers, Mike Usolor told journalists that the LP governorship candidate for Rivers remained the same candidate on INEC list.

(NAN)

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The British government on Tuesday announced the appointment of a new high commissioner to Nigeria.

Richard Montgomery will succeed Catriona Laing as Britains representative in Nigeria.

According to the statement announcing his appointment, Mr Montgomery will take up his appointment in April.

This is however not his first posting to Nigeria as he had worked as a Counsellor (Development) and Head of Office, DFID Nigeria, from 2009 to 2013.

Ms Laing who has spent a little over four years in Nigeria will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment, the statement said.

About Mr Montgomery

Before his appointment, Mr Montgomery served as World Bank Group, UK Executive Director, Washington, from 2018 to 2022.

From 2015 to 2018, he worked with the Department for International Development (DFID) as director, Asia, Caribbean & Overseas Territories (AsCOT) Division; from 2013 to 2015 Islamabad, Counsellor (Development) and Head of Office, DFID Pakistan.

READ ALSO: British court grants Nnamdi Kanus family permission to challenge UK govt

Additionally, he was DFIDs Deputy Director and Head of Corporate Human Resources, and Head of Security, East Kilbride from 2006 to 2009; DFID Deputy Team Leader, Top Management Group from 2005 to 2006; Lusaka, Deputy Head, DFID Zambia from 2002 to 2005.

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Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege holds the mantle for a positive transformation and upscale development of Delta State and is most deserving of the mandate to lead the state at this crucial time. He deserves your vote! Accordingly, I endorse DSP Omo-Agege for the office of Governor of Delta State. He is the best for this job at this very critical time to lead our dear state from its current economic straits occasioned by a leadership void

On Saturday, 11th March, 2023, Deltans will join their counterparts in other participating states to elect their choice of leaders in gubernatorial and Houses of Assembly elections. Several political parties have presented candidates for Deltas top seat. However, the line-up of governorship candidates in the states election leaves no one in doubt as to who the cap truly fits. From the dossiers, character audits, credentials and antecedents of all the candidates, it is clear that the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Deputy President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (CFR) stands head and shoulders above the other contenders.

Why Deltans Will Vote Massively for Omo-Agege

For preparedness, Omo-Agege unveiled a 60-page manifesto dubbed the EDGE  E for Employment and Empowerment, D for Development (Economic, Infrastructural and Industrial), G for Good Governance, and E for Enduring Peace and Security. In his laudable and painstaking plan to positively transform the commercial ecosystem of Delta State and create an investment-friendly charter that makes access to funds and infrastructure a natural way of life, he proved his connection, and indeed excellent understanding of the intersection between emerging global realities and capacity to domesticate such designated best practices for the overall growth and development of Delta State. He also demonstrated his deep knowledge and firm grasp of the issues in the state he aspires to govern and indeed lead by placing human capital development, agricultural revolution, food security, infrastructure, housing, tourism, security/peace building and related labour-intensive interventions at the core of his agenda.

A leader of a multi-cultural and dynamic state as Delta must recognise the need for inclusive development. To that end, DSP Ovie Omo-Agege has pledged to facilitate the establishment of one cluster industry in each of the 25 local government areas in the state as governor, through his well-articulated Delta State Employment, Entrepreneurship and Empowerment Programme (DEEP).This strategy provides renewed hope for Deltans to benefit from developmental programmes right at the local government and ward levels.

Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege, the Delta state APC gubernatorial candidate, in his broad vision for a truly revamped Delta State, has equally articulated plans to create an enabling environment for industries and manufacturing; to establish tech hubs, set up small businesses, offer funds guarantee schemes, promote skills acquisition and enable the institution of a Career Development Centre for Deltans (CDC). Indeed, his manifesto forges a clear path to Deltas renaissance. Remarkably, it holds vast promises for many, including the youth and women demographics, who are ever willing to unleash their talents and potentials for the overall development of Delta State.

Delta State, under the current and outgoing Peoples Democratic (PDP) administration, is on its knees. The state is on a clear economic, financial and developmental backslide. Sadly, Delta State became one of the least performing states on many indices. Its capital city, Asaba, showed no marked development and its commercial hub of Warri has reversed to a parlous state.

At the Heart of the Issues

But beyond its articulation, the broader hope of the good people of our beloved Delta State lies in the fact that Omo-Ageges APCs manifesto will be superintended by a man of stellar vision, courage, excellent education, unshakable determination and integrity, whose tireless commitment and devotion to service and unbridled positive transformation of the lives of all Deltans, is needed at a time when our dear state is in dire straits.

As many public commentators and public spirited Deltans have rightly asserted: since 2015 the overall development of the Big Heart has been relatively hamstrung, showing very abysmal, poor outlooks, especially in terms of economic dynamics. Not a few people think this is a misnomer for a frontline oil producing state embedded with rich human capital. Yet, the near absence of strategic thinking in Asaba over the last eight years has exacerbated the states uncomplimentary socio-economic status.

Delta State, under the current and outgoing Peoples Democratic (PDP) administration, is on its knees. The state is on a clear economic, financial and developmental backslide. Sadly, Delta State became one of the least performing states on many indices. Its capital city, Asaba, showed no marked development and its commercial hub of Warri has reversed to a parlous state.

Omo-Agege has the right networks to tap open the right doors across various jurisdictions, including Abuja, in order to lift the state from its current parlous condition! Because we all deserve a Delta State we can all truly be proud of! Go out and vote for Ovie Omo-AGEGE on Saturday, 11 March.

The people of the state endorsed their recognition of the leadership void in government house, Asaba, through the vote of no confidence passed on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state during last weeks elections. Leadership of a state government is serious business and the people of Delta deserve the very best of it, as represented by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege. DSP Ovie Omo-Agege is a man who would drive a realistic developmental agenda with credibility and capacity. In him, we have a leader who can offset the many upsets of the last eight years; a person who understands and envisions the concepts of planning, policy design, innovation, socio-economic development, technology and human resources. As he has done with the office of the Deputy President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he will assemble the right team with the skills-set needed for contemporary governance and improve the socio-economic lives of all Deltans drawn from all the three senatorial zones, namely Central, North and South. (In alphabetical order). Omo-Agege understands the pains of Deltans. And he has the capacity to unlock the door that has sadly inflicted so much harm on Deltans in the last eight years of PDPs years of the locust!

Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege holds the mantle for a positive transformation and upscale development of Delta State and is most deserving of the mandate to lead the state at this crucial time. He deserves your vote! Accordingly, I endorse DSP Omo-Agege for the office of Governor of Delta State. He is the best for this job at this very critical time to lead our dear state from its current economic straits occasioned by a leadership void, undisputed reports of a hanging debt profile of N850 billion  money borrowed by the outgoing Governor Ifeanyi Okowas PDP led government!

Omo-Agege has the right networks to tap open the right doors across various jurisdictions, including Abuja, in order to lift the state from its current parlous condition! Because we all deserve a Delta State we can all truly be proud of! Go out and vote for Ovie Omo-AGEGE on Saturday, 11 March.

Oma Djebah, is Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Nigeria to Thailand and two-time Delta State Honourable Commissioner for Information. He is also a well known international journalist by profession and an author of the compelling book, Niger Delta Crisis: Media and Peace Building Options!

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Between 2010 and 2019 when he was in the opposition, Bello Matawalle derived pleasure in challenging the ruling party in Zamfara State. He was vocal and intimidating that his antics took him above the reach of his most ardent rival, then Governor Abdulaziz Yari.

Mr Matawalle won the sympathy of people in the state mainly because he knew how to weave his words at political gatherings to make himself look like the victim while Mr Yari, ex governor Ahmad Yarima and other politicians of the ruling party appeared to be the villains.

That was Mr Matawalles campaign style until he clinched the top seat in the state through a Supreme Court ruling in 2019.

Although Mr Matawalle emerged as governor on the platform of the then-opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he later defected to the ruling party, APC.

It is safe to say that the saying What goes around comes around is catching up with Mr Matawalle, who is now the incumbent governor seeking a second term.

Dauda Lawal, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has taken over Mr Matawalles gauntlet of playing the victim and that is one of the reasons the contest is exciting.

While Mr Matawalle is now taking the heat, being blamed by the opposition, Mr Lawal is enjoying the sympathy of the people. In virtually all his campaign rallies, he speaks of how the state government is using security agents to frustrate him and his party.

Messrs Matawalle and Lawal are not the only candidates in Saturdays gubernatorial election in the state. There are 13 other contestants but the two are without a doubt the frontrunners.

Background

Mr Matawalle has solidified his grip on the APC with the reconciliation that saw his top two rivals for the leadership of the party, Mr Yari and Kabiru Marafa, throwing their support behind him. He had one of the easiest pathways to primary election in the country this year as the party and other stakeholders gave him the greenlight to seek a second term.

With the blessings of Messrs Yari, Yerima and Marafa, the governor secured the partys ticket with a promise to carry everyone along. He later carried out a minor cabinet reshuffle to accommodate his new friends in his government and it seemed all was going well until Mr Lawal emerged.

Mr Lawal, on the other hand, had to fight a retinue of opponents to secure his nomination. A former House of Representatives member, Ibrahim Shehu-Gusau, Wadatau Madawaki, Aliyu Mohammed and others contested against Mr Lawal.

After the primary election, a legal battle ensued that ended at the Supreme Court. The contest took Mr Lawal to five different courts before he could heave a sigh of relief.

Mr Lawals decision to contest had come to many as a surprise because it was thought Mahadi Ali-Gusau, the impeached former deputy to Mr Matawalle, would be the PDP candidate. His father, Aliyu Gusau, a former defence minister and national security adviser, is the leader of PDP in the state. But it seems Mr Mahadi prefers to support Mr Lawal to fight his erstwhile principal.

The Issues

As the incumbent governor, Mr Matawalle has the upper hand in the contest.

His party has been the dominant party in the state since 1999. From the All Peoples Party (APP) to All Nigerians Peoples Party (ANPP) to the APC, the party has always won elections in the state. In 2007, Governor Mahmuda Shinkafi crossed over to the PDP but failed to get a second term. In 2019, Mr Matawalle won through the Supreme Court under the PDP but quickly left for the APC. Aside that, the state has always been an APC state.

Mr Matawalle also has the party and its stalwarts behind him. There is no doubt that Mr Yari is the most influential party member in the state with a good national reach and a huge following in the state. His decision to support Mr Matawalle for a second term has energised the party and its members.

Mr Yari is influential in the state because of his readiness to splash money and gifts to constituents. His support is genuine as he once said during a Sallah homage to the governor last year.

If you support me but you dont support the governor, kindly withdraw your support for me because the governor and I are one, he said.

The party has other bigwigs like Messrs Yerima, Marafa and Shinkafi. Others like former deputy governors Mukhtar Ahmed and Ibrahim Wakkala have also joined Mr Matawalles league of supporters. One of the governors major successes was uniting the party.

Another factor that may work for him is the fact that the state gave the APC 298,396 votes in the just concluded presidential election. The partys success in the election is seen as a sign of good things to come for the party.

Mr Matawalle has also been one of the governors with highest number of aides in the country. The argument is that those appointed would work assiduously for his return to power. He has also employed more civil servants in the state, especially in the health and education sectors, more than his last two predecessors. To be fair to him, Mr Matawalle has fulfilled his promise of recruiting more hands for schools and hospitals across the state, though labour issues including none payment of salaries have been on the rise.

While he has the incumbency factor and the unity of the party behind him, Mr Matawalle, however, has a headache to contend with. The clamour for power to shift to the central zone of the state has been on since 1999. Mr Matawalle is from the western zone which has produced three governors since 1999.

Mr Yarima (1999-2007), Mr Yari (2011  2019) and now Mr Matawalle. In between, Mr Shinkafi from the northern zone led from 2007-2011. The central zone has a deputy governor, Mr Wakkala from (2011-2023) and the incumbent Hassan Nasiha. The fight is for the zone to have a shot at the top job and thats why Mr Lawal, who is from Gusau in the central zone, keeps waxing stronger.

One of Mr Lawals greatest strength is the number of those hoping that the central zone gets the seat this time around.

The PDP candidate and the party in general have also accused Mr Matawalle of not doing enough capital projects. They have challenged Mr Matawalle and the APC to show their projects but the latter have not responded to the challenges.

One other thing that may work in favour of Mr Lawal is widespread economic harship, poverty and insecurity in the state. The PDP has used the problem of banditry specifically to campaign against the APC in the state. And with the rising number of terrorists attacks, residents of the state may feel the APC, despite being in power for eight years, is not capable of bringing an end to the menace.

Mr Lawal also has better educational qualifications than Mr Matawalle. While the PDP candidate has a PhD in Business administration and worked in the banking sector to reach the position of a an executive director, Mr Matawalle has a bachelor degree from Thames Valley University, London and had worked as a teacher and later at the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

While Mr Matawalle has been in politics since at least 1998, serving as a House of Assembly member, commissioner, House of Representatives member and now governor, Mr Lawal does not have much political experience and that may count against him.

The PDP candidate has argued that with his background in the business and economic sector, he can turn around the fortunes of the state.

While the PDP is strong and has the blessings of the retired general (Mr Gusau) who can help financially, Mr Lawal has another headache. He has a long way to convince the trio of Messrs Ibrahim Gusau, Madawaki and Aliyu Muhammad who see him as an intruder in the PDP. The Supreme Court verdict that was passed less than a week to the election has opened more wounds to Mr Lawals journey because he may not have the time to convince some of his opponents in the PDP to support him. Mr Matawalle can use that to his advantage and get the trio and their supporters to his side.

The PDP is strong and united in the central zone while the APC is divided in that zone. The inconclusive senatorial election in the zone has also emboldened the PDP that is seen as the favourite in the zone while it cast doubts on the minds of several APC top shots.

Jabaka and others

Other notable contestants include Kabiru Jabaka and Aliyu Dansadau of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and National Rescue Movement (NRM) respectively.

Mr Jabaka was the deputy chairman of the PDP before he left the party to take the NNPP governorship ticket while Mr Dansadaus major weapon is his father, Saidu Dansadau, a veteran politician who was a senator from 1999-2003.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday said it will conduct a supplementary election in Tudun Wada, Doguwa federal constituency in Kano state.

The constituency is being represented by Ado Doguwa, who is facing a murder charge after he was allegedly involved in a violent disturbance after the 25 February presidential and National Assembly elections.

INEC cancelled the election held in the constituency saying Mr Doguwa was declared the winner by the returning officer, Ibrahim Yakassai, under duress.

INEC faulted Mr Doguwas victory days after he was arrested, charged and arraigned on murder charges which he allegedly committed on the day of the election.

Announcing the reviewed results, Mr Yakassai, a professor, stated that elections show that Mr Doguwas APC got 39,732, while his main challenger of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) got 34, 798, and the PDP candidate scored 7,091.

According to the returning officer, results from 13 polling units were cancelled.

He said the total number of voters in the polling units that were cancelled was more that the margin of vote difference cast in favour of the APC and NNPP.

He explained that the total number of PVCs collected in the 13 polling units that were cancelled stood at 6,917 as against the over 4000 votes margin between APC and NNPP.

READ ALSO: House majority leader Ado Doguwa remanded in prison for alleged murder

He said INEC will conduct supplementary elections in the affected units to determine the winner of the election.

The official did not, however, announce the date on which the supplementary election will be conducted.

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The former governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, on Tuesday, dismissed insinuation that he collected money from Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to endorse him as the next governor.

Mr Chime is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC)

Reacting to the insinuation making the rounds, Mr Chime said he endorsed Mr Mbah because of his impressive pedigree and competence.

The former Enugu governor said he supported Mr Mbah for the progress and development of the state.

He stressed that the PDP governorship candidate would add more value to the state.

People say I collected money to endorse the PDP governorship candidate, but it is not true.

I have examined the credentials of all the candidates and I am convinced that Mbah will perform better than the others.

By March, I will be 64 years old and I want a good future for my grandchildren. With Mbah, the future of Enugu State is secured and assured, he said.

Mr Chime added that people should vote for competence, character and capability and not for parties.

He described Mr Mbah as someone who knew what to do at any time and was approachable for advice and corrections.

The Enugu PDP governorship candidate is a former CEO of a flourishing oil and gas firm, Pinnacle Oil and Gas Ltd, he said.

With what he did at Pinnacle Oil and Gas, he will transform the state. I urge people to turn out on 11 March and vote for Mbah, Mr Chime stressed.

He also charged Enugu State people to shun violence during the election.

Mr Chime said Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was not performing to expectation, and that that was why he left the PDP for the APC.

He denied joining the APC to evade arrest and investigation of his administration as governor of Enugu State.

(NAN)

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"By March, I will be 64 years old and I want a good future for my grandchildren."

The former governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime, on Tuesday, dismissed insinuation that he collected money from Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to endorse him as the next governor.

Mr Chime is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC)

Reacting to the insinuation making the rounds, Mr Chime said he endorsed Mr Mbah because of his "impressive pedigree and competence".

The former Enugu governor said he supported Mr Mbah for the progress and development of the state.

He stressed that the PDP governorship candidate would add more value to the state.

"People say I collected money to endorse the PDP governorship candidate, but it is not true.

"I have examined the credentials of all the candidates and I am convinced that Mbah will perform better than the others.

"By March, I will be 64 years old and I want a good future for my grandchildren. With Mbah, the future of Enugu State is secured and assured," he said.

Mr Chime added that people should vote for competence, character and capability and not for parties.

He described Mr Mbah as someone who knew what to do at any time and was approachable for advice and corrections.

The Enugu PDP governorship candidate is a former CEO of a flourishing oil and gas firm, Pinnacle Oil and Gas Ltd, he said.

"With what he did at Pinnacle Oil and Gas, he will transform the state. I urge people to turn out on 11 March and vote for Mbah," Mr Chime stressed.

He also charged Enugu State people to shun violence during the election.

Mr Chime said Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi was not performing to expectation, and that that was why he left the PDP for the APC.

He denied joining the APC to evade arrest and investigation of his administration as governor of Enugu State.
NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nobu Hospitality, the luxury lifestyle brand founded by Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro and Meir Teper, in collaboration with Millenium Hospitality Real Estate SOCIMI ("MHRE"), is pleased to announce the development of Nobu Hotel and Restaurant Sevilla. Set to open spring 2023, the property marks the brand's sixth Spanish hotel and third project between Nobu Hotels and MHRE, following the announcements of Nobu Hotel Madrid and Nobu Hotel San Sebastian.

Welcome Nobu Hotel and Restaurant Sevilla

Situated in front of the City Hall at the vibrant Plaza San Francisco in the heart of the Andalusian capital, Nobu Hotel Sevilla features stylish guest rooms and suites, a Nobu restaurant with views of the Roman wall complete with terrace seating, fitness center, and a huge rooftop with swimming pool & dining area which boasts spectacular views of the Cathedral and the Golden Tower. The hotel is the marriage of two 19th-century residences, with a unique, circular reception area complete with traditional pillars, and four guest floors.

Famous for its charming traditional Seville architecture, cobbled streets, fiery flamenco dancing, trail-blazing tapas bars, and signature scent of orange blossom that permeates throughout the city, Seville is the perfect addition to Nobu Hotel's growing portfolio. Appealing to the top Spaniard clients and discerning international travellers, the city also plays host to the famed Feria de Abril, a colourful celebration that takes place following the Holy Week when the streets come alive for a week of festivities.

Trevor Horwell, CEO of Nobu Hospitality comments, "We are delighted to be partnering with MHRE on our third hotel and restaurant, following the announcements of San Sebastian and Madrid, and to be opening our sixth Spanish hotel for the brand. Seville is a charming, historic city that has emerged as a must-visit destination for many of our Nobu guests and we are confident that the Nobu brand will be embraced by local residents and international travellers alike."

Javier Illan Plaza, President and CEO of Millenium Hospitality Real Estate comments, "This announcement further fortifies MHRE's partnership with Nobu Hospitality, and I'm thrilled to be bringing the brand to the city of Seville. This marks our third project together and me and the team very much look forward to opening each of the properties and inviting guests to experience the Nobu lifestyle."

www.nobuhotels.com/sevilla

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHPxIIU2-G8

SOURCE Nobu Hospitality
ABERDEEN, Scotland , March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fern Communications, an OEG Offshore company, has opened a new office in Aberdeen and appointed an experienced engineering team to service Scotland's mixed offshore energy sector.

Managing Director Jennifer Cushion and Technical Director Clive Cushion formed Fern Communications in 2002, with the acquisition in 2021 by OEG Offshore as part of their commitment to the offshore energy transition.

Pictured: Jennifer Cushion, Managing Director and co-founder and of Fern Communications officially opens the new Aberdeen office

Fern's new facility is located at Cairnrobin Business Park, Marywell, south of Aberdeen city, and will act as a regional hub for the company to service its clients across the northeast of Scotland.

The past twelve months has been a successful period for Fern with the contract award for Moray West Offshore Wind Farm (MOWL) to supply, install, support and maintain the communications system along with celebrating 20 years of business.

Jennifer Cushion, Managing Director at Fern Communications said, "Having premises in Aberdeen has been a dream of Clive and I for over fifteen years. Fern can now support customers, giving them the confidence that we are local with the ability to roll with them through the demands of the offshore industry."

The Fern Aberdeen team is headed by James Coverley, who is responsible for supporting key customers and delivering growth in the renewables and offshore energy sectors.

A range of ATEX certified radio equipment was on display at the opening including the FRX-1 repeater along with digital radios and accessories, ready for rental or purchase to dramatically increase radio coverage in hazardous offshore environments.

Clive Cushion, Technical Director added, "We're delighted that several long-standing customers joined us for Fern's big moment along with providing an opportunity to interact with our products and enjoy some cake!"

Issued by OEG Offshore on behalf of Fern Communications.

About Fern Communications: Fern Communications has established itself as one of the largest suppliers of specialist two-way communication solutions in the UK. Fern supply and hire ATEX Radios, repeaters and accessories to the renewables, oil and gas, nuclear and emergency response sectors from their bases in Lowestoft and Aberdeen.

https://www.ferncom.com

About OEG Offshore: OEG Offshore is a leading provider of a range of support services to the offshore energy industry across marine, topside, and subsea services as well as equipment supply. Headquartered in Aberdeenshire, UK, OEG Offshore's team of more than 750 personnel, operate in every major offshore energy province from more than 65 main bases around the world.

https://www.oegoffshore.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2018492/Fern_Communications_Aberdeen.jpg

SOURCE OEG Offshore
XCMG Brazil hosts breast health training and "Listen to Her" workshop, and launches language and professional skill training programs to empower women's career development

POUSO ALEGRE, Brazil, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- To mark the 2023 International Women's Day, XCMG Machinery (SHE:000425, "XCMG") has hosted the first "Listening to Her" workshop in Pouso Alegre, Minas Gerais, Brazil. About 20 female employees of XCMG Brazil, who come from different backgrounds, shared their experiences of work and life, and offered advice and suggestions to the company's management and development.

2023 IWD: Promoting Gender Equity, XCMG Machinery Supports Women to Broaden Career Development Opportunities in Construction Machinery Industry.

XCMG Brazil is committed to support women in the construction machinery industry through a series of events and programs. Every October, the company organizes breast health training sessions for the female employees. Also, its language and professional skills training programs have supported many female employees to achieve greater career success.

Laura Lopes, who works in sales, has taken training sessions to not only learn about the products and functions, but also operating the machinery equipment.

"During my three years at XCMG Brazil, I always have a sense of achievement when I communicate with the customers. I've been learning how to operate the machineries so I can demonstrate to the customers in a more engaging way, and I believe that through working at XCMG Brazil and growing in an industry that I love, I will achieve greater success," said Laura.

Priscila Nogueira who works in finance and accounting at XCMG Brazil, has been learning and upskilling herself, and she has achieved the CRCMG (Conselho Regional de Contabilidade de Minas Gerais) regional accounting council qualification. Nogueira said that the XCMG Brazil has provided a platform for growth and development, and that she will continue to reach for the stars in her career.

Yu Ziqiao is a teacher from XCMG Technicians College who has been working in Libreville, Gabon to carry out training sessions and courses to the local technicians, college teachers and government staff. Yu customizes courses that not only provide the students with a solid theoretical foundation, but also equip them with practical skills that suit each person's skill level. She has compiled the college's first bilingual textbook, "Construction Machinery English," and teaches the specialty English course.

Yu has served as the lecturer in national teacher trainings for assembly, commissioning and maintenance twice. Together with her team, Yu has visited manufacturing bases to learn in-depth the operation and maintenance technologies of 22 products from nine series, with the goal of better serving their customers.

"The XCMG spirit encourages me to keep progressing and support more students who will make significant contributions in the construction machinery industry," said Yu.

For more inspiring story from XCMG sheroes, please visit XCMG and its pages on Meta, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2018712/b6b33818e24e68ec42a0d9ccea1833f.jpg

SOURCE XCMG Machinery
Research from Aite-Novarica Group, supported by Finastra, indicates that banks must invest in new technologies as business customers demand more robust payment capabilities

LONDON, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Aite-Novarica Group research reveals that payments is an important area of growth and innovation within the commercial banking space, and legacy systems cannot support end-user demand for better payment capabilities. Almost half of banks surveyed say fintechs, which typically provide a smooth customer experience, have already taken at least 10% of their payments volume. Recognizing this trend, the majority of banks globally are investing in modern payments technology, with 94% of respondents considering varied levels of investment in the next 24-36 months. Of those respondents, 65% plan a significant or moderate level of investment in payments technology during the same period.



The 'Payments Modernization and Technology: Priorities, Challenges, and Partnerships' survey finds that Real-time payments are one of the largest drivers of payments modernization. Many financial institutions are somewhere in the process of deploying new payment rails, with about 72% of respondents having completed a project, having one in-progress, or with plans to implement. This suggests that most banks are welcoming modernization as a key differentiator and opportunity to innovate. Despite this shift to real-time payments, many banks experience implementation challenges, with 57% of respondents reporting that adapting legacy infrastructure makes modernization efforts extremely or very challenging.

Many banks report that they lack the resources for integrating legacy systems and modern technology, making modernization efforts even more complex and demanding. About 70% of banks believe that the technical challenges of integrating with legacy systems are either somewhat of an obstacle or a major obstacle, highlighting the need for technology partners that offer agility and streamlined implementation.

The research was conducted amongst 108 banks in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. It reports on the payments strategies, priorities, and challenges that these banks are experiencing in both the short and long-term.

Other insights include:

Cross-border payments present significant challenges: For all banks, the biggest challenges around cross-border payments are compliance and security concerns. 56% of banks report compliance and security to be either extremely or very challenging.

For all banks, the biggest challenges around cross-border payments are compliance and security concerns. 56% of banks report compliance and security to be either extremely or very challenging. Positive views of the cloud are now mainstream: Banks are recognizing the importance and benefits of moving payments processing to the cloud, with only 9% of respondents having rejected the move altogether.

Banks are recognizing the importance and benefits of moving payments processing to the cloud, with only 9% of respondents having rejected the move altogether. Payments-as-a-Service (PaaS) reduces time to market: There is a clear perception that PaaS can help reduce time to market and offer businesses more robust payment capabilities. 73% of those surveyed reported that PaaS will enable them to launch new services faster.

"As we can learn from the survey findings, the payments industry is facing a perfect storm of challenges, but with it comes new opportunities for growth. Selecting the right partner to navigate these challenges has become more critical than ever before," said Barry Rodrigues, EVP, Payments Business Unit at Finastra. "At Finastra, our mission is to be that partner and to help our customers successfully unlock new opportunities."

"As businesses demand more efficient and advanced payment capabilities, banks across the world are recognizing that if they do not invest in more robust technology, they will quickly find themselves falling behind their competitors," said Erika Baumann, Director, Commercial Banking and Payments at Aite-Novarica Group. "Our research shows the common global theme of creating a better, more innovative suite of payment services built on the right infrastructure with the right partner is crucial to success in a real-time environment."



Access the full report and findings here.

Survey Methodology

This report is based on a survey of 108 global bank payments and product executives in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Aite-Novarica Group undertook the research in Q4 2022 and Q1 2023. Survey respondents represented a near-even distribution of FIs by size, including 36 lower-tier (US$3 billion to US$30 billion), 38 mid-tier (US$30 billion to US$100 billion), and 34 top-tier (over US$100 billion) banks. The FIs have commercial clients ranging in number from 2,000 to 350,000, with an average of 30,000. Respondents were all qualified senior leaders with significant knowledge of treasury, cash management, payments, product strategy, and products at their FIs. The report also leverages the author's extensive knowledge of the payments industry.

This report and the survey on which it is based were produced in collaboration with Finastra. Aite-Novarica Group retains full editorial control over the findings, methodology, and data analysis.

About Finastra

Finastra is a global provider of financial software applications and marketplaces, and launched the leading open platform for innovation, FusionFabric.cloud, in 2017. It serves institutions of all sizes, providing award-winning solutions and services across Lending, Payments, Treasury & Capital Markets and Universal Banking (Retail, Digital and Commercial Banking) for banks to support direct banking relationships and grow through indirect channels, such as embedded finance and Banking as a Service. Its pioneering approach and commitment to open finance and collaboration is why it is trusted by ~8,600 institutions, including 90 of the world's top 100 banks. For more information, visit finastra.com.

About Aite-Novarica Group

Aite-Novarica Group is an advisory firm providing mission-critical insights on technology, regulations, strategy, and operations to hundreds of banks, insurers, payments providers, and investment firmsas well as the technology and service providers that support them. Comprising former senior technology, strategy, and operations executives as well as experienced researchers and consultants, our experts provide actionable advice to our client base, leveraging deep insights developed via our extensive network of clients and other industry contacts.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1916021/FINASTRA_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Finastra
SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global AI in genomics market size is expected to reach USD 9.99 billion by 2030 to expand at a CAGR of 46.0% from 2023 to 2030, based on a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market growth can be attributed to the rising need for big data management, growing preference for precision medicine, improved accuracy & efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and advancements in AI technology. These factors are creating a demand for innovative software solutions that can help to manage and analyze large amounts of genomic data to advance the genomics industry.

Key Industry Insights & Findings from the report:

Based on components, the software segment dominated the market with a revenue share of 40.7% in 2022 owing to the rapid adoption of software solutions in genomics driven by the increasing availability of genomic data, the rise of personalized medicine, the need for cost-effective solutions.

Based on the technology, the machine learning segment dominated the market with a revenue share of 63.5% in 2022 pertaining to the growing demand for machine learning in genomics as it provides new insights, improves accuracy, and enables the development of personalized medicine.

Based on functionality, genomic sequencing held the majority of the market with a revenue share of around 44.2% in 2022. AI-powered software solutions can help to automate many of the manual tasks involved in genomic sequencing, reducing the need for human labor and making the process more cost-effective.

Based on application, the drug discovery and development segment held a majority of the market share of 33.5% in 2022 AI solutions help to manage and analyze big data, enabling researchers to uncover new insights and knowledge that can be used to advance drug discovery and development.

Based on end users, the pharmaceutical and biotech companies segment held a majority of the market share in 2022 as the AI algorithms are used by these companies to analyze large amounts of genomic and chemical data to identify new drug targets and predict the efficacy and safety of potential drugs.

North America held the largest market share of around 29.3% in 2022 owing to the rising demand for AI in genomics driven by several factors such as technology advancements, a large amount of genomic data, a growing focus on personalized medicine, and significant investments in research and development.

Read full market research report, "AI In Genomics Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Component (Hardware, Software), By Technology (Machine Learning), By Functionality, By Application, By End-use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030", published by Grand View Research.

AI In Genomics Market Growth & Trends

The industry had a significant impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to increased investments, a focus on personalized medicine, and the growth of telemedicine. The pandemic led to increased investments in the fields of AI and genomics, as governments, organizations, and private companies looking for ways to cope with the impact of the pandemic. These developments helped to accelerate the expansion of new AI tools and technologies in the genomics industry.

AI has nearly endless potential applications in the field of genomics, and it is already starting to revolutionize healthcare. For instance, AI is being used by Freenome, a U.S.-based company, to detect cancer as the technology from Freenome examines a patient's blood sample to detect any indications of cancer. Leading healthcare organizations like the Mayo Clinic use the company's test, and it has raised around USD 100 million from investors.

AI In Genomics Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global AI in genomics market based on component, technology, functionality, application, end-use, and region:

AI In Genomics Market - Component Outlook (USD Million; 2018 - 2030)

Hardware

Software

Services

AI In Genomics Market - Technology Outlook (USD Million; 2018 - 2030)

Machine Learning

Deep Learning



Supervised Learning



Unsupervised Learning



Others

Computer Vision

AI In Genomics Market - Functionality Outlook (USD Million; 2018 - 2030)

Genome Sequencing

Gene Editing

Others

AI In Genomics Market - Application Outlook (USD Million; 2018 - 2030)

Drug Discovery & Development

Precision Medicine

Diagnostics

Others

AI In Genomics Market - End-use Outlook (USD Million; 2018 - 2030)

Pharmaceutical and Biotech Companies

Healthcare Providers

Research Centers

Others

AI In Genomics Market - Regional Outlook (USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

UK



Germany



France



Italy



Spain

Asia Pacific

Japan



China



India



Australia



South Korea



Singapore

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico



Argentina



Colombia

Middle East & Africa

& South Africa



Saudi Arabia



UAE



Israel

List of Key Players in AI In the Genomics Market

IBM

Microsoft Corporation

NVIDIA Corporation

DEEP GENOMICS

Data4Cure, Inc.

Freenome Holdings, Inc.

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Illumina, Inc.

SOPHiA GENETICS

BenevolentAI

Fabric Genomics

Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research:

AI In Medical Imaging Market - The global AI in medical imaging market size is expected to reach USD 8.18 billion by 2030, based on a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 34.8% from 2023 to 2030 owing to the growing aging population and increased investment in the healthcare ecosystem by government and private players. Moreover, developed countries have been investing in offering people access to inexpensive and advanced healthcare systems in response to this demographic challenge, ultimately boosting the market growth. Additionally, X-ray imaging technology is utilized to identify a variety of disorders, including fractures, infections, various malignancies, and arthritis. As a result, the rise in the incidence rate of these diseases is expected to have a positive impact on the market growth.

- The global AI in medical imaging market size is expected to reach by 2030, based on a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 34.8% from 2023 to 2030 owing to the growing aging population and increased investment in the healthcare ecosystem by government and private players. Moreover, developed countries have been investing in offering people access to inexpensive and advanced healthcare systems in response to this demographic challenge, ultimately boosting the market growth. Additionally, X-ray imaging technology is utilized to identify a variety of disorders, including fractures, infections, various malignancies, and arthritis. As a result, the rise in the incidence rate of these diseases is expected to have a positive impact on the market growth. AI In Cancer Diagnostics Market - The global AI in cancer diagnostics market size is expected to reach USD 996.1 million by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 28.0% from 2022 to 2030. Rising prevalence of cancer and growing demand for the early detection of the condition are some of the key factors driving the market.

- The global AI in cancer diagnostics market size is expected to reach by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 28.0% from 2022 to 2030. Rising prevalence of cancer and growing demand for the early detection of the condition are some of the key factors driving the market. AI In Life Science Analytics Market - The global AI in life science analytics market size is expected to reach USD 3.6 billion by 2030. According to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., it is expected to expand at a CAGR of 11.1% for the forecast period 2023-2030. One of the major factors contributing to the growth of the market is increased clinical trials, drug discovery, and growing focus on rare diseases. Furthermore, technological advancements in deep learning and artificial intelligence are also the prime reasons for expanding the market.

Browse through Grand View Research's Healthcare IT Industry Research Reports.

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com

Grand View Compass | Astra ESG Solutions

Follow Us: LinkedIn | Twitter

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/661327/Grand_View_Research_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
Although the official launch of the Public Trust Media Group (PTMG), public fund drive campaign to sustain its 2023 ELECTIONS UPDATE radio magazine program was sparsely attended, the organizer managed to get a total donation of one thousand US dollars (US$1,000) from invited guests who showed up. Internal Affairs Minister Varney Sirleaf made the highest donation, as his proxy, the Director of Project at the Ministry, Emmanuel Wenyou presented a check of US$500.00, because the program coincided with his worship at the regular Friday Muslim prayer service. The program, which was held on Friday, March 3, 2023 in the Auditorium of the University of Liberia Graduate School on Capitol Hill, was the launch of the PTMG's Sustainability Fund Drive of the program with the slogan--"Ballots, Not Bullets, " is a public service Journalism civic education initiative via radio and online on YouTube. Minister Sirleaf hailed the initiative of the PTMG to produce a radio program exclusively devoted to election issues and not personalities, with the objective to promote free, fair, credible, transparent and violence-free Presidential and Legislative Elections on October 10, 2023. The Internal Affairs Minister said this is the kind of project that the Peacebuilding Office at his Ministry would like to partner with. Presented by prominent Liberian Journalist, Frank Sainworla, Jr. who is Managing Editor of PTMG--which operates the news website, www.newspublictrust.com, 2023 ELECTIONS UPDATE kicked off two months ago to give early elections information to the Liberian public, ahead of Oct 10 and beyond. The seven radio stations which have so far being broadcasting the show are ECOWAS Radio, Truth, Bana FM, Prime FM, United Methodist Radio, LUX FM, and Power FM, with plans to extend the coverage to many other urban and rural stations. At the launch of the sustainability fund drive on Friday, the Head of Communications and Public Affairs at the YMCA Liberia, Morris Kamara said the YMCA's Youth Radio in Gbarnga, Bong County would be added to the list of seven stations airing the program. Former Public Works Minister, Atty. Samuel Kofi Woods is now the new Chairman of the YMCA Board. Mr. Kamara stressed the importance of this radio program in an election year that is tension packed, while making a pledge to the fund drive. The full list of those who made pledges will later be published on the Facebook page of PTMG. Meanwhile, the latest edition (8th) of the elections update program hits the airwaves this weekend. Topping the list of an array of personalities invited to the event is President George Manneh Weah, opposition politicians, private citizens and the general public. PTMG is an independent and nonpartisan media outlet committed to pursuing public service Journalism. This entity reflects my passion for Good Journalism as an indispensable element of democracy.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AkzoNobel (AKZA; AKZOY) continuously elevates women to create equity in the workplace. In celebration of Women's History Month and International Women's Day, Amy Smith recently spoke about her role as part of AkzoNobel's Integrated Supply Chain (ISC) team as the Engineering Manager at the company's Pontiac, Michigan factory and her work in a traditionally male-dominated field. Amy's recent vlog encourages women to join the supply chain industry, describing the rewards of a career in industrial manufacturing and her impact that has contributed to the success of AkzoNobel. Karen-Marie Katholm, AkzoNobel's Chief Integrated Supply Chain Officer, stated: "This past week, I had the opportunity to visit many of our resilient employees at sites across the U.S. Diversity is crucial for the success of our business and while I see many great examples of workplace diversity, there is still work to be done. AkzoNobel is working to close the gender gap by bringing more visibility to female leadership and opportunities. In celebration of Women's History Month, I hope my role in ISC and as a member of the Executive Committee will encourage women to make bold career moves and enjoy the opportunities we have available at AkzoNobel."

"When women are empowered, they lift their communities with them." - AkzoNobel's Michelle Sullivan Tweet this

AkzoNobel's Women Inspired Network (WIN) North America Chapter presented a panel discussion to help all colleagues become better allies to women in the workplace. The panelists discussed why they are passionate about being allies to women in the workplace, why it matters that senior executives are active allies to women and explored ways that everyone can contribute to the advancement of women at work.

"When women are empowered, they lift their communities with them," said Michelle Sullivan, Vehicle Refinishes sales manager for the U.S. East Region and the company's Women's Inspired Network North America Board president. "Our programing for International Women's Day and Women's History Month aligns with the theme 'Elevating Women' and showcases how women are influencing the paint and coatings industry which has historically been male dominated. We are excited to share women's journey from within our company and externally, where involvement in industry organizations inspire women across North America to reach their full potential."

AkzoNobel's goal is to have 30% of females in the workplace holding leadership-level positions by 2025. The company recently conducted a region-wide town hall discussing the importance of men holding one another accountable for uplifting women and being their allies. A study by the Boston consulting group found that when men become directly involved in gender diversity, both men and women believe that their company is making much more significant progress in achieving gender parity. The data showed that among companies where men are actively involved in gender diversity, 96% report progress. Conversely, among companies where men are not involved, only 30% show progress.

Senior male leaders in the ally panel discussion emphasize the best way to support their female colleagues is first to take responsibility for their actions, research why women need allies in the workplace and constantly challenge themselves daily to be better by taking time to self-reflect. Dr. Pam Wilson, Product Sustainability manager for the Industrial Coatings business and WIN NAM Board member, stated: "One example of how men can be an ally in the workplace is by providing opportunities to elevate women into leadership roles." Forging gender equity isn't limited to women solely fighting the good fight. Allies are essential for women's social, economic, cultural and political advancement. Join the conversation with us this month on Twitter , Facebook and LinkedIn as we discuss the impact women are making at AkzoNobel using #EmbraceEquity.

About AkzoNobel

We supply the sustainable and innovative paints and coatings that our customers, communities  and the environment  are increasingly relying on. That's why everything we do starts with People. Planet. Paint. Our world-class portfolio of brands  including Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon  is trusted by customers around the globe. We're active in more than 150 countries and have set our sights on becoming the global industry leader. It's what you'd expect from a pioneering paints company that's committed to science-based targets and is taking genuine action to address globally relevant challenges and protect future generations.

SOURCE AkzoNobel
NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Operation Heat Ukraine, a non-profit venture between Earle I. Mack, Former Ambassador to Finland and Founder of the Earle I. Mack Foundation, and George E. Pataki, Former Governor of the State of New York and Founder of the George E. Pataki Leadership Center, today announced a fourth humanitarian mission to Ukraine.

Soon after Russia invaded Ukraine, Mack and Pataki visited in March 2022 and saw firsthand the desperation and need for basic resources. Following several discussions with high-ranking government officials and local leaders in Ukraine, they launched Operation Heat Ukraine, a nonprofit initiative focused on helping those suffering due to ongoing Russian attacks on critical infrastructure.

"As we reach the one-year mark of the war in Ukraine, it has never been more important to bring awareness to the struggles of innocent civilians," said Ambassador Mack. "We hope that, through our support, some of the basic needs of Ukrainian civilians will be met and urge anyone who can help to get involved."

On this mission, Ambassador Mack will be delivering more than 220 heaters and generators to Western Ukraine. Through Operation Heat Ukraine, Ambassador Mack and Governor Pataki have donated and delivered close to one thousand industrial and residential heaters benefiting over one million Ukrainian civilians.

"Ambassador Mack has always been one to lend a hand to those in need," said Governor Pataki. "At the onset of war in Ukraine, he immediately felt called to devote his time and effort to helping the people of Ukraine who are facing unimaginable hardships. I am proud to call him a friend and thank him for his dedication to this important mission."

As an American philanthropist, patron of the arts, Ambassador, and real estate executive, Mack has a long history of leveraging his connections to help the world around him from the arts and culture to public policy, education, and medical research. He has served with distinction as an army infantry officer. With Operation Heat Ukraine, Mack formed a network of individuals, foundations, and corporations to raise awareness and encourage others to support Ukraine's civilians. He has made it his mission to make an impact, personally traveling to Ukraine and deploying millions of dollars' worth of heaters and generators for homes, hospitals, schools and refugee centers.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand commented: "As the war in Ukraine enters its second year, it has exacerbated what was already the most significant global humanitarian crisis since World War II. Much has been done, but more work remains, which is why initiatives like Ambassador Mack's have never been more important. I commend him for bringing together individuals from organizations, local governments, the private sector, and beyond to rally around the people of Ukraine."

"Ambassador Mack's dedication to the people of Ukraine has provided a glimmer of hope to those who have lost so much," said Cardinal Dolan. "Initiatives like Operation Heat Ukraine bring together people from all different walks of life for the greater good and I commend him for his extraordinary humanitarian efforts."

"I commend my friend, Ambassador Earle Mack, philanthropist and humanitarian, who throughout his public life has always responded to people in need," said Rabbi Arthur Schneier, Founder of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation. "Joined by distinguished Governor George Pataki, in March 2022, Ambassador Mack initiated humanitarian aid that delivered medicine, food, clothing, and most recently heating units to the Ukrainian people."

For more information and to support this important cause, visit www.heatukraine.org.

SOURCE Operation Heat Ukraine
Blackwell's March auction will offer historical items never exhibited or sold anywhere

CLEARWATER, Fla., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 18, 2023, Blackwell Auctions will hold its American Sale, featuring important historical art, documents and artifacts from the early colonial period to the present day.

Theodore Roosevelt's personally owned pocket watch

Teddy Roosevelt's pocket watch, a gift from his sister, 1898. Portrait of Sitting Bull by Caroline Weldon, 1890.

Formerly the centerpiece of a private collection, a historic Waltham watch will be sold. Inside the cover is engraved "Theodore Roosevelt" and "From D.R. and C.R.R." In her 1924 book, My Brother Theodore Roosevelt, Corinne Roosevelt Robinson (C.R.R.) includes a letter he wrote just prior to his engagement in Cuba. It began: "You could not have given me a more useful present than the watch; it was exactly what I wished  thank old Douglas [D.R.] for the watch "

In his 1914 book, Through the Brazilian Wilderness, the former president writes about a particularly difficult bayou crossing. "One result of the swim, by the way, was that my watch, a veteran of Cuba and Africa, came to an indignant halt."

On the inside lid is incised a tiny mark from a watchmaker, which includes "4/16"  presumed to be April 1916  corresponding to the repair of the watch that saw San Juan Hill, an African safari, a storied presidency and a jungle expedition that nearly ended Roosevelt's life.

Portrait of Sitting Bull by Caroline Weldon, 1890

Among the headliners is an oil painting of one of the most historically important figures of the 19th century, Sitting Bull, the chief who united the Sioux to defeat Custer at Little Big Horn. The portrait was one of four known to have been painted of Sitting Bull by Caroline Weldon (1844-1921), a New York artist who traveled to North Dakota and became his personal secretary. A fictionalized account of their relationship was the subject of a 2017 movie, Woman Walks Ahead, with Jessica Chastain as Weldon.

"The cultural significance of this piece can hardly be overstated," said Edwin Bailey of Blackwell, "because the painting represents at once the poignant intersection of two marginalized groups: the indigenous peoples of America and women artists."

Personal items that belonged to Annie Oakley

The sale will offer several items personally owned by Annie Oakley, including an engraved carriage clock gifted to her for her birthday during the American Exposition in London in 1887. Several other items will also be offered, including books from her library.

"Annie Oakley is a veritable icon of the American West," said Bailey. "She earned the nickname 'Little Sure Shot' from none other than the legendary Sitting Bull. It's such a privilege to handle these historic treasures obtained directly from her descendants."

According to the letter of provenance (written by a direct descendant of Oakley's niece, Irene), the clock was gifted to Oakley for her birthday while in London. Family history maintains that it was with her in 1901 when she was involved in the train disaster that injured her badly.

An outstanding signed document collection

The sale boasts a collection of important American documents from 1650 to the mid-20th century. The selection includes pieces signed by Abraham Lincoln, William Henry Harrison, Mark Twain, Robert E. Lee, signers of the Declaration of Independence, and dozens more.

For additional information, visit www.blackwellauctions.com or contact Edwin Bailey at 727-546-0200. Bidding is available online through LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, Bidsquare, HiBid and through the Blackwell Auctions app (IOS and Android), as well as absentee and by phone.

SOURCE Blackwell Auctions
SEATTLE, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- "Antimicrobial Coatings Market" is the title of a new report from Data Bridge Market Research. Key growth strategies, drivers, opportunities, key segment, Porter's Five Forces analysis, and competitive environment are all dissected in detail in the research. Antimicrobial Coatings market analysis report offers meticulous investigation of current scenario of the global market, which considers numerous market dynamics. The report identifies and analyses the rising trends along with key drivers, challenges and opportunities in the Antimicrobial Coatings industry. The data and information about Antimicrobial Coatings industry are taken from reliable sources such as websites, annual reports of the companies, and journals, and then validated by the market experts. This market report comprises of historic data, present market trends, market environment, technological innovation, upcoming technologies and the technical progress in the related industry. Antimicrobial Coatings marketing report covers major manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, traders, customers, investors, and major types, major applications.

Antimicrobial Coatings market survey report presents key information about the industry, helpful and important data, expert opinions, and the latest developments across the world. In this report, a methodical SWOT analysis & investment analysis is performed which forecasts forthcoming opportunities for the market players. The market report includes data on patterns and improvements, target business sectors and materials, limits and advancements. Antimicrobial Coatings report encompasses a chapter about the international Antimicrobial Coatings market and all its associated companies with their profiles, which gives precious data pertaining to their outlook in terms of finances, product portfolios, investment plans, and marketing and business strategies.

The global antimicrobial coatings market is expected to gain significant growth in the forecast period of 2022 to 2029. Data Bridge Market Research analyses that the market is growing with a CAGR of 12.8% in the forecast period of 2022 to 2029 and is expected to reach USD 14,431.20 million by 2029. The major factor driving the growth of the global antimicrobial coatings market is the growing demand for heating, ventilation and air conditioning to improve indoor air quality.

Get Access to Sample PDF of the Antimicrobial Coatings Market @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-antimicrobial-coatings-market

Antimicrobial coatings assist in maintaining the quality of applied surfaces by preventing the growth of microorganisms such as fungi, parasites, and bacteria. The usage of these antimicrobial coatings provides improved cleanliness and hygiene as they end the requirement of frequent cleaning. As a result, antimicrobial coatings are more cost-effective and offer lasting protection against pathogens. These coatings are generally applied on walls, vents, counters, and door handles. Moreover, as these coatings help sterilize medical tools, surgical masks, gloves, and clothing, they find vast applications in clinics, hospitals, and healthcare centers.

The application of antimicrobial coatings improves the durability and appearance of the applied surface and aids in shielding the surface from the attack of microbes. As a result, these coatings are widely used to eliminate the germination of pathogens that can cause infectious diseases such as ebola, influenza, mumps, measles, chickenpox, and rubella.

Competitive Landscape

The research promotes high-end commercialization and profit-steering opportunities, and it takes market dimensions and volatility into account.

This section of the report also focuses on accurately decoding the competitive landscape with astute high-end identification of frontline players, complete with an in-depth analytical study of their business choices and investment discretion, to ensure thoroughly impeccable investor participation and noteworthy growth prospects.

To ensure a smooth ride and hopeful business returns despite numerous odds and unprecedented hurdles, this research has carefully gauged facts pertaining to portfolio advancements, geographical presence, and other essential market details.

The Antimicrobial Coatings Market is dominated by Firms Such as

Coating Systems, LLC

Akzo Nobel N.V.

PPG Industries, Inc.

DSM

The Sherwin-Williams Company

Arxada AG

Microban International

Fiberlock

Burke Industrial Coatings

Aereus Technologies

Linetec

Katilac Coatings

Nano Care Deutschland AG

SANITIZED AG

Dow

Specialty Coating Systems Inc.

DuPont

Flowcrete

GBneuhaus GmbH

Kastus Technologies Company Limited

Recent Developments

In April 2022 , Specialty Coating Systems , Inc. announced the addition of Specialty Coating Systems ( Vietnam ) Co. Ltd. The ISO 9001:2015-certified facility provides conformal coating services to customers across the consumer and industrial electronics, transportation, aerospace, and medical device industries. This development will help the company to generate more business and goodwill in Vietnam .

, , Inc. announced the addition of Specialty Coating Systems ( ) Co. Ltd. The ISO 9001:2015-certified facility provides conformal coating services to customers across the consumer and industrial electronics, transportation, aerospace, and medical device industries. This development will help the company to generate more business and goodwill in . In March 2021 , Specialty Coating Systems, Inc., a global leader in Parylene conformal coating services and technology, announced its acquisition of Diamond-MT, Inc., a provider of Parylene and liquid conformal coating services. This development will give new growth opportunities to the company.

, Specialty Coating Systems, Inc., a global leader in Parylene conformal coating services and technology, announced its acquisition of Diamond-MT, Inc., a provider of Parylene and liquid conformal coating services. This development will give new growth opportunities to the company. In November 2021 , DuPont entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Rogers Corporation ("Rogers") for USD 5.2 Billion . DuPont announced a series of actions advancing its strategy as a premier multi-industrial company focused on market-leading high-growth, high-margin businesses with complementary technology and financial characteristics. This development will help DuPont expand its business with the help of Rogers Corporation.

Download the Complete Research Study Here in PDF Format @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/checkout/buy/enterprise/global-antimicrobial-coatings-market

The Global Market Is Analyzed in Depth in the Latest Study. Taking into account the current level of competition and its projected evolution over the next few years.

Rapidly increasing demands, a rise in industrialization, consumer awareness, growing sectors, and technical improvements are fueling the expansion of the global Antimicrobial Coatings market. Sales and revenue in this sector have increased at an exponential rate. The market's size and growth are both expected to increase thanks to the factors driving the market's expansion over the projected period.

Leading businesses in the worldwide Antimicrobial Coatings market are investing heavily in R&D in order to build a larger client base and expand their share of the market by reintroducing improved products to consumers. All of the companies' strategy, as well as their financial health, revenue, gross margin, and growth rate, are detailed in the study.

Opportunities for Key Players:

Technological advancements in antimicrobial coatings

Rapid development and employment of antimicrobial coating coupled with rapid technological advancement is an opportunity for the development of the global antimicrobial coatings market. The new product innovations and development help the product gather new applications and gather more consumer interest, which will boost the demand for these coatings.

Key Market Segments Covered in Antimicrobial Coatings Industry Research

Product Type

Silver Antimicrobial Coatings

Copper Antimicrobial Coatings

Coatings

Silver

Chitosan

Copper

Zinc

Gallium

Aluminum

Titanium Dioxide

Type

Escherichia Coli

Pseudomonas

Listeria

Additive

Silver Ion Antimicrobial Additives

Zinc Antimicrobial Additives

Copper Antimicrobial Additives

Organic Antimicrobial Additives

Material

Graphene Materials

Polycationic Hydrogel

Silver Nanoparticles

Polymer Brushes

Dendrimers

Resin Type

Acrylic

Polyester

Polyurethane

Epoxy

Form

Liquid

Aerosol

Powder

Application

Hospitals

Indoor Air/HVAC

Pharmaceutical Equipment

Mold Remediation

Corrosion Protection

Building & Construction

Food Packaging Equipment

End-Users

Pharmaceutical Industry

Paint and Coating Industry

Packaging Industry

Textiles Industry

Electronics Industry

Metal Industry

Water Treatment Industry

To Access Further Insights into the Market Analysis, Visit @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-antimicrobial-coatings-market

Key Industry Drivers:

Growing demand for heating, ventilation and air conditioning to improve indoor air quality

The awareness regarding indoor air quality has increased owing to the increased spread of diseases. This has increased the demand for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems to improve indoor air quality, which is expected to be a driving factor for the global antimicrobial coatings market as antimicrobial coatings are preferred for coating the surface of these air conditioning systems.

Significant demand from the medical device industry

Antimicrobial coatings have great potential in preventing and controlling pathogenic growth in the medical device and healthcare sector. Thus, there is a significant demand for antimicrobial coatings from the medical device industry, and this is expected to drive the antimicrobial coatings industry

Antimicrobial Coatings Market Regional Analysis/Insights:

The global antimicrobial coatings market is further segmented into North America, South America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. North America is segmented into U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Europe is segmented into Germany, U.K., Italy, France, Spain, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and the Rest of Europe. Asia-Pacific is segmented into Japan, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Philippines, rest of Asia-Pacific. Middle East and Africa is segmented into South Africa, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Israel, and the Rest of the Middle East and Africa.

U.S. is expected to dominate the North America antimicrobial coatings market in terms of market share and market revenue and will continue to flourish its dominance during the forecast period. This is due to the presence of major key players and a well-developed food industry in the country. Germany is expected to dominate the Europe antimicrobial coatings due to the rising demand for safe environments in the region. China is expected to dominate the Asia-Pacific antimicrobial coatings due to the region's increasing construction and renovation activities

It's in your best interest to take this report into consideration because:

Strong and extensive research methods were used to construct this study. The thoroughness and precision of the market reports produced by Data Bridge Market Research have earned them a great reputation.

A complete picture of the competitive scenario of Antimicrobial Coatings market is depicted by this report.

The wide range of research on how these innovations may affect market expansion in the future.

The report's findings are presented in an approachable format, with accompanying visuals (such as histograms, bar graphs, pie charts, etc.) that make the data readily digestible.

The potential, threats, and difficulties in the Antimicrobial Coatings market, as well as the factors driving and restraining it, are discussed at length.

It gives an all-encompassing evaluation of the anticipated conduct of the future market and the changing market condition.

This study provides a number of strategic business approaches to assist you in making educated business decisions.

Table of Contents:

Introduction Market Segmentation Executive Summary Premium Insights Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market: Regulations Market Overview Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market, By Product Type Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market, By Coatings Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market, By Type Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market, By Additive Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market, By Material Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market, By Resin Type Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market, By Form Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market, By Application Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market, By End-Users Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market, By Region Global Antimicrobial Coatings Market: Company Landscape SWOT Analyses Company Profile Questionnaires Related Reports

Get the Full Table of Contents @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/toc/?dbmr=global-antimicrobial-coatings-market

Explore More Reports:

North America Antimicrobial Coatings Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/north-america-antimicrobial-coatings-market

Europe Antimicrobial Coatings Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/europe-antimicrobial-coatings-market

Asia-Pacific Antimicrobial Coatings Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/asia-pacific-antimicrobial-coatings-market

Europe Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/europe-antimicrobial-susceptibility-testing-market

Asia-Pacific Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/asia-pacific-antimicrobial-susceptibility-testing-market

Middle East and Africa Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/middle-east-africa-antimicrobial-susceptibility-testing-market

Antimicrobial Additives Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-antimicrobial-additives-market

Antimicrobial Agent Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-antimicrobial-agent-market

Antimicrobials Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-antimicrobials-market

Antimicrobial Peptides Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-antimicrobial-peptides-market

Antimicrobial Medical Textiles Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-antimicrobial-medical-textiles-market

Antimicrobial Powder Coatings Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-antimicrobial-powder-coatings-market

Antimicrobial Wipes Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-antimicrobial-wipes-market

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) Antimicrobial Medication Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-sexually-transmitted-diseases-stds-antimicrobial-medication-market

Antimicrobial Plastics Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-antimicrobial-plastics-market

Antimicrobial Hospital Textiles Market  Industry Trends and Forecast https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-antimicrobial-hospital-textiles-market

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SOURCE Data Bridge Market Research
AALBORG, Denmark, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Reference is made to the stock exchange announcement published by Asetek A/S (the "Company") on 8 March 2023 regarding a contemplated fully underwritten rights issue in the Company, to raise gross proceeds of minimum DKK 140 million (the "Rights Issue").

Key information relating to the Rights Issue is set out below.

Date on which the terms and conditions of the preferential rights issue were announced: 8 March 2023

Last day including right: 19 April 2023

Ex-date: 20 April 2023

Record date: 21 April 2023

Date of approval: 18 April 2023

Maximum number of new shares: Will be determined and announced on 18 April 2023, see "Other information" below

Subscription price: Will be determined and announced on 18 April 2023, see "Other information" below.

Ratio preferential rights: Will be announced on 18 April 2023

Subscription ratio: Will be announced on 18 April 2023

Manager: Carnegie AS and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ)

Will the rights be listed - yes/no: The Company will apply for listing of the preferential rights on Oslo Brs

ISIN for the preferential rights: Will be announced on 18 April 2023

Other information: The final amount to be raised in the Rights Issue will be determined by the Company's board of directors in connection with publication of the prospectus on 18 April 2023, subject to the general meeting's approval of the proposal to authorise the board of directors to issue new shares and the board of directors' decision to launch the Rights Issue. The subscription price for the new shares offered in the Rights Issue will be based on the theoretical ex rights price ("TERP"), based on the volume-weighted average price ("VWAP") of the Company's shares on Oslo Brs on the last trading day prior to the date of publication of the prospectus prepared in connection with the Rights Issue, less a discount of at least 40%, to be finally determined by the Company's board of directors following consultation with the managers for the Rights Issue.

The final number of new shares being offered, the final discount and the final subscription price for the new shares to be issued in the Rights Issue, are expected to be announced through a stock exchange announcement on 18 April 2023 in connection with publication of the prospectus and launch of the Rights Issue.

This information is published in accordance with the requirements of the Continuing Obligations.

For further information about the Company, please contact:

CEO and Founder Andre S. Eriksen, +45 2125 7076, email: [email protected]

CFO Peter Dam Madsen, +45 2080 7200, email: [email protected]

For information about the Rights Issue, please contact the managers:

Carnegie AS, tel +47 22 00 93 60

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ), tel +45 33 28 29 00

About Asetek

Asetek (ASTK.OL), a global leader in mechatronic innovation, is a Danish garage-to-stock-exchange success story. Founded in 2000, Asetek established its innovative position as the leading OEM developer and producer of the all-in-one liquid cooler for all major PC & Enthusiast gaming brands. In 2013, Asetek went public while expanding into energy-efficient and environmentally friendly cooling solutions for data centers. In 2021, Asetek introduced its line of products for next level immersive SimSports gaming experiences. Asetek is headquartered in Denmark and has operations in China, Taiwan and the United States.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

This announcement does not constitute an offering memorandum or a prospectus as defined by Regulation (EU) No. 2017/1129 of 14 June 2017, as amended, and nothing herein contains an offering of securities. No one should purchase or subscribe for any securities in the Company, except on the basis of information in the prospectus published by the Company in connection with the offering and admission of such securities to trading and official listing on Oslo Stock Exchange. Copies of the prospectus will, following publication be available from the website of the Company.

This announcement is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy any securities issued by the Company in any jurisdiction where such offer or sale would be unlawful and the announcement and the information contained herein are not for distribution or release, directly or indirectly, in or into such jurisdictions.

This announcement and the information contained herein are not for distribution in or into the United States of America (including its territories and possessions, any state of the United States of America and the District of Columbia) (the "United States"). This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to purchase, any securities in the United States. The securities of the Company have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") and may not be offered or sold within the United States absent registration or an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. There is no intention to register any securities referred to herein in the United States or to make a public offering of the securities in the United States.

In any member state of the European Economic Area ("EEA Member State"), other than Denmark and Norway, this announcement is only addressed to, and is only directed at, investors in that EEA Member State who fulfil the criteria for exemption from the obligation to publish a prospectus, including qualified investors, within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No. 2017/1129 of 14 June 2017, as amended.

This announcement is only being distributed to and is only directed at: (A) qualified investors, as such term is defined in Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018; and who are also (B)(i) persons outside the United Kingdom or (ii) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the U.K. Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (iii) high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) - (d) of the Order (the persons described in (A) and (B)(i) through (iii) above together being referred to as "relevant persons"). The securities are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such securities will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.

The Managers and their affiliates are acting exclusively for the Company and no-one else in connection with the offering. They will not regard any other person as their respective clients in relation to the offering and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to their respective clients, nor for providing advice in relation to the offering, the contents of this announcement or any transaction, arrangement or other matter referred to herein.

In connection with the offering, the Managers and any of their affiliates, acting as investors for their own accounts, may subscribe for or purchase shares and in that capacity may retain, purchase, sell, offer to sell or otherwise deal for their own accounts in such shares and other securities of the Company or related investments in connection with the offering or otherwise. Accordingly, references in the offering memorandum or prospectus, to the securities being issued, offered, subscribed, acquired, placed or otherwise dealt in should be read as including any issue or offer to, or subscription, acquisition, placing or dealing by, such Banks and any of their affiliates acting as investors for their own accounts. The Managers do not intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligations to do so.

Matters discussed in this announcement may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and that can be identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intends", "estimate", "will", "may", "continue", "should", and similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this announcement are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond its control. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in this release by such forward-looking statements. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any updates or revisions to the forward -looking statements set forth herein. Accordingly, the Company urges readers not to place undue reliance on any of the forward-looking statements set forth herein. The information, opinions and forward-looking statements contained in this announcement speak only as at its date, and are subject to change without notice.

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE Asetek
A premier partnership with the Painting Contractors Association (PCA) spotlights the stories of four professional women painters to initiate Behr Paint Company's pledge to amplify voices and support educational opportunities.

SANTA ANA, Calif., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, on International Women's Day, Behr Paint Company announces 'Women in Paint', a program created to highlight the company's commitment to elevating professional women painters' voices, celebrating their achievements, and inspiring the next generation. In partnership with the Painting Contractors Association (PCA), Behr seeks to help grow the presence of women in a male-dominated industry by spotlighting career-journeys and providing educational opportunities and training resources to women through the PCA's Women in Paint group.

Behr Paint Company announces Women in Paint, a program created to amplify professional women painters voices.

"Women comprise only 10% of the building trades workforce nationally1, but this number is on the rise thanks to training programs and diversity and inclusion efforts that encourage more women to enter the skilled trades," said Jodi Allen, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Behr Paint Company. "By partnering with the PCA and spotlighting the stories of professional women painters, we hope to spark conversation around increasing the presence of tradeswomen and learn how we can be a stronger ally to women in the industry."

"Women are the unsung heroes, movers and shakers, doers and leaders in the painting industry," said Nigel Costolloe, Executive Director of PCA. "PCA is proud to partner with Behr on supporting Women in Paint."

To kick off this commitment, Behr worked with the PCA to produce an episode for its 'Business Anatomy' docu-series that highlights four professional women painters' journeys, capturing both their challenges and successes in the industry:

Gillian Nielsen , President, Contemporary Surface Solutions, LLC (CSS): After starting her painting career residentially, Gillian became San Diego's first commercial painting forewoman and cultivated an expertise in management, project estimating and executive leadership throughout her 30-plus years in the commercial painting industry. Since her start, Gillian has been determined to break down barriers and pave the way for other women to follow her footsteps through mentoring and employing women painters. CSS is a woman-owned division for specialty finishes and is considered one of San Diego's top commercial painting contractors.





After starting her painting career residentially, Gillian became first commercial painting forewoman and cultivated an expertise in management, project estimating and executive leadership throughout her 30-plus years in the commercial painting industry. Since her start, Gillian has been determined to break down barriers and pave the way for other women to follow her footsteps through mentoring and employing women painters. CSS is a woman-owned division for specialty finishes and is considered one of top commercial painting contractors. Gina Koert , President, Shamrock Painting Inc. (SPI): In addition to having more than two decades of experience with people and project management, Gina served as Board Director and Chair of PCA. For the last year, Gina has served as Chair for the PCA Education committee where she laid the groundwork for creating Trade Best Practice and training videos. A strong believer in the power of positive culture in the workplace, Gina regularly develops internal work/life balance campaigns to assist employees achieve the balance of "working hard and playing hard."





In addition to having more than two decades of experience with people and project management, Gina served as Board Director and Chair of PCA. For the last year, Gina has served as Chair for the PCA Education committee where she laid the groundwork for creating Trade Best Practice and training videos. A strong believer in the power of positive culture in the workplace, Gina regularly develops internal work/life balance campaigns to assist employees achieve the balance of "working hard and playing hard." Billie Machain , Co-Owner/Managing Partner, Billie's Painting Solutions: After starting out with stocking duties in a paint store, Billie has served in the industry for 30 years and is now a co-owner of a commercial painting company, specializing in residential projects with her daughter. Their combined experience helps them see the big picture on the job and approach each project with a teamwork mindset.





After starting out with stocking duties in a paint store, Billie has served in the industry for 30 years and is now a co-owner of a commercial painting company, specializing in residential projects with her daughter. Their combined experience helps them see the big picture on the job and approach each project with a teamwork mindset. Veronica Tucci , Co-Owner/Managing Partner, Billie's Painting Solutions: While studying accounting at school, Veronica began working for a national paint manufacturer in 2008. She climbed the ranks from assistant manager to sales representative and had the opportunity to discover her true passion: helping people achieve their goals. Despite taking brief breaks to try sales and management, she always found her way back to the painting industry where her mom worked. In 2022, Billie and Veronica decided to take a chance and partner together to start their own painting company.

Behr plans to execute on its pledge to women paint contractors by providing in-person training events, helpful resources, and educational opportunities in the future. "There is a promising opportunity to increase the exposure and career growth of professional women painters, and we're focused on uplifting and inspiring future generations," said Allen.

For more information on the Women in Paint program, visit www.behr.com/womeninpaint.

About Behr Paint Company

Founded in 1947, Behr Paint Company is one of the largest manufacturers of paints, primers, decorative finishes, stains, surface preparation and application products for do-it-yourselfers and professionals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The Santa Ana, Calif.-based company and maker of the BEHR, KILZ, WHIZZ and E&J brands is dedicated to meeting the project needs of DIYers, professionals, architects and designers with an unwavering commitment to quality, innovation and value. For more information, visit Behr.com. Professional contractors can visit BEHRPRO.com to learn about BEHR Products and BEHR PRO Services. Behr Paint Company is a subsidiary of Masco Corporation (NYSE: MAS).

Behr and the Behr logo are registered trademarks of Behr Process Corporation.

1 "Diversity in the Trades," Contractor Magazine, March 11, 2022.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Behr Paint Company
Rise in industrialization, increased demand for water, declining freshwater supplies, and growing water shortages drive the growth of the global biological wastewater treatment market.

PORTLAND, Ore., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Biological Wastewater Treatment Market by Process (Aerobic, Anaerobic, Anoxic), by Type (Municipal Waste, Industrial Waste): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031". According to the report, the global biological wastewater treatment industry generated $9.1 billion in 2021, and is anticipated to generate $15.1 billion by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 5.2% from 2022 to 2031.



Request PDF Brochure: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/7360

Prime determinants of growth

Rise in industrialization, increased demand for water, declining freshwater supplies, and growing water shortages drive the growth of the global biological wastewater treatment market. However, the high cost of wastewater treatment, including the cost of sludge movement, operational costs, and other potential costs associated with water purification restricts the market growth. Moreover, numerous government agencies and non-profit organizations are launching numerous campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of consuming clean, safe water during this chaos. Such measures are raising the need for water treatment services, thereby presenting new opportunities in the coming years.

Covid-19 Scenario

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the global biological wastewater treatment market, as the epidemic slowed down expenditures for the construction of new water and wastewater treatment plants in many micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises/businesses during the lockdown.

Due to lockdowns and travel restrictions, there was a drop in demand from major industrial and commercial customers, which resulted in lower revenues for water utilities

The aerobic segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

Based on process, the aerobic segment held the highest market share in 2021, accounting for nearly three-fifths of the global biological wastewater treatment market, and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. This segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 5.5% from 2022 to 2031, attributed to advantages offered by aerobic process. The aerobic biological wastewater treatment work faster and results in clean water compared to other types of wastewater treatment methods.

Procure Complete Report (250 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures) @ https://bit.ly/3JmT78Q

The industrial waste segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

Based on type, the industrial waste segment held the highest market share in 2021, accounting for more than half of the global biological wastewater treatment market, and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. As large volume of wastewater is generated from industries across the world, the demand for biological treatment for wastewater from industrial sources has increased significantly. However, the municipal waste segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 5.6% from 2022 to 2031. owing to rising wastewater discharge from domestic sources. The wastewater generated from domestic sources comprises of organic and biodegradable waste which can be easily treated by using microorganisms.

North America to maintain its dominance by 2031

Based on region, North America held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2021, accounting for more than one-third of the global biological wastewater treatment market, and is likely to dominate the market during the forecast period, due to presence of many industries which generate huge volume of industrial wastewater. Also, the government in the region has imposed strict regulations on the industries for biologically treating their generated wastewater before discharging it in the environment. However, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 6.1% from 2022 to 2031, owing to growing industrialization and urbanization which further contributes to higher generation of wastewater.

Leading Market Players: -

Veolia,

Suez Water Technologies & Solutions,

Aquatech International,

Evoqua Water Technologies LLC,

Ecolab Inc.,

Pentair Plc.,

Xylem Inc.,

Samco Technologies, Inc.,

Dryden Aqua Ltd.,

DAS Environmental Expert GmbH

Want to Access the Statistical Data and Graphs, Key Players' Strategies:

https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/biological-wastewater-treatment-market/purchase-options

Similar Reports:

About Us

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

Pawan Kumar, the CEO of Allied Market Research, is leading the organization toward providing high-quality data and insights. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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SOURCE Allied Market Research
ST. LOUIS, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Birch Creek Energy, LLC ("Birch Creek"), a St. Louis based renewable energy company, today announced the launch of its independent power producer entity, Birch Creek Power, augmenting its development entity, Birch Creek Development. This move adds a significant component to the "develop to own" model that Birch Creek is employing in key markets, providing additional optionality for Birch Creek's 8 gigawatts (GW) of solar and storage development pipeline.

Birch Creek Power Launch

Birch Creek Power will focus on owning and operating renewable energy assets, building on Birch Creek's expertise in developing and financing utility-scale solar and storage projects. The launch of this new entity will allow the company to take a more active role in the renewable energy market, enhancing the platform through participating directly as a long term sponsor and renewable energy operator.

Key Hires

In support of its continued growth plans, Birch Creek is also announcing today the appointment of Bill DuFour as Chief Legal Officer and Executive Vice President, and Louis Pollman as Vice President  Mergers and Acquisitions.

Bill DuFour was previously the co-founder of DuFour Conapinski Ha LLP, a boutique law firm specializing in renewable energy transactions since 2015. Prior to co-founding DuFour Conapinski Ha LLP, DuFour was a member of Foley & Lardner's internationally-ranked Energy Industry Team and previously worked at the U.S. Department of Energy in the Office of General Counsel. Bill has been counsel to the successful development of over 15 GW of solar projects in the past 13 years. He has extensive experience in negotiating a number of acquisitions and sales of renewables projects, as well as representing a variety of companies in PPA, EPC, procurement and other project development-related matters.

Louis Pollman was previously Senior Director, Capital Markets with Strata Solar, and prior was in various structured finance roles with GCL, Brite Energy and Verengo Solar. Pollman's role at Birch Creek will be focused on project acquisitions and divestitures, along with assisting in the capital market strategy.

"Adding IPP capabilities to our platform is a natural evolution of our business," said Dan Siegel, CEO of Birch Creek. "Over the last year we have built a significant pipeline in key markets, and have worked tirelessly to develop an independent development machine capable of yielding high quality and high value solar projects. In the process, we've brought on key team members with extensive experience in developing projects and building portfolios. The additions of Bill DuFour and Louis Pollman are incredible examples of industry veterans joining our dynamic platform," Siegel said.

Team Growth

With the addition of DuFour and Pollman, the team at Birch Creek has grown to 23 renewable energy professionals across 6 states. Birch Creek recently opened its headquarters location in St. Louis, Missouri, adding a local presence to key markets in MISO and PJM territories.

Birch Creek, a St. Louis based utility scale solar development platform formed in 2019, develops, finances and owns utility scale solar and storage projects in the United States. Since its inception, Birch Creek has developed 36 utility-scale solar projects, totaling 872 megawatts (MW), and has a portfolio of over 8 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale solar and storage projects in various stages of development across MISO, PJM, ERCOT and the Southeast.

Birch Creek Company Highlights

Birch Creek Energy ("Birch Creek") is a utility-scale solar and storage developer, financier and independent power producer with over 8 GW of active solar and storage development pipeline across MISO, PJM, Texas , and the U.S. Southeast

, and the U.S. Southeast Since inception, Birch has developed 36 utility scale solar projects, totaling 872 MW.

Birch Creek has is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri , with 23 employees across 6 states

SOURCE Birch Creek Energy
New Name and Visual Branding Embodies a Transformational Experience Available to All

DALLAS, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Boardroom Salon for Men announced today a full corporate visual and name rebrand as Boardroom Styling Lounge. The new branding embodies the company's emphasis on relaxation and transformation through best-in-class service experiences, with the visual elements of the rebrand to be reflected in new and existing locations, the company's website and social media.

BOARDROOM SALON REBRANDS AS BOARDROOM STYLING LOUNGE

"We are excited to roll out our new brand as we highlight the customer experience of transformation, both through style - something unique and personal to each of us, and in how each person feels after a relaxing service," said Josh Goodell, CEO of Boardroom Styling Lounge. "As a leader in the grooming industry, we know that people desire experiences, not just services, and at Boardroom we're committed to creating an indulgent and relaxing experience for each person who walks through our doors."

The Boardroom Inwood Village in Dallas is the first to reveal its upgraded new look. However, in the future, clients from Arizona to Texas and east to Virginia and Maryland will begin to witness the conversion of Boardrooms' 45 existing and new locations to reflect the new brand identity. In 2023, new Boardroom Styling Lounge locations will feature the updated branding, starting with Fenton, North Carolina in the spring and a new location in Austin, Texas, opening before summer.

Led by the company's branding partner, creative firm GoDo Discovery Co., Boardroom Styling Lounge was conceived after in-depth research among consumers, clients, stylists, managers and stakeholders. Boardroom sought to align with the new brand's truth and tone to convey a transformative brand that is trusted by its clients.

"We chose the descriptor 'Styling Lounge' because it embodies the relaxed experience our clients enjoy when they walk through the door and unwind in a comfortable chair with a drink in their hand," added Goodell. "Our goal is to provide The Boardroom Experience to everyone who walks through our doors so each person leaves feeling as great as they look."

New Visual Identity

Boardroom's new visual identity is represented by three colors that symbolize the brand's heritage: razor black, leather gold, and clean white. Denim blue was added for a bold and versatile look that reflects today's modern identity.

The Boardroom Styling Lounge primary mark will be comprised of the scissors badge, Boardroom Wordmark and Styling Lounge qualifier.

The exteriors of the styling lounges will display the new visual branding, and in some cases, a barber pole, an age-old symbol for men's grooming.

New Advertising Campaign

With nearly 20 years of history transforming the men's grooming experience, Boardroom raises the bar again. Boardroom's new advertising campaign encourages clients to "Look Beyond" their ideas of a barber and allow the stylists to use their artistic skills to create an amazing look. Boardroom is nothing like the typical haircut experience and instead, offers an indulgent, relaxing experience that allows guests to feel as good as they look.

For consumers who have not tried The Boardroom Experience, the brand is offering 50% off to try The Benchmark, its signature, upgraded full-service experience. The Benchmark includes a personal consultation, a tailored haircut, a precision neck shave and spa services such as a paraffin hand dip, shampoo and conditioning, scalp massage, pressure point facial massage, steamed towel and stress-relieving hand massage. The Benchmark 50%-off offer ends March 31, 2023.

About Boardroom Styling Lounge

Since 2004, Boardroom has been a leader in the grooming industry. From the industry's signature service, The Benchmark, to a variety of cuts and shaves, Boardroom provides the ultimate experience in grooming through relaxing services and personalized experiences. Boardroom currently has 45 locations throughout Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. For more information, visit www.boardroomstylinglounge.com or follow us on Instagram @theboardroomstylinglounge and on Facebook @boardroomstylinglounge.

SOURCE Boardroom Styling Lounge
Local nonprofit helps to foster productive members of society with learning opportunities

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Broward Sheriff's Advisory Council made a donation of $10,000 to the Friendship Circle of Greater Fort Lauderdale in support of special-needs children in South Florida, and was recently honored to see the impactful dollars in action.

Broward Sheriff's Advisory Council Presenting $10,000 Donation to The Friendship Circle of Greater Fort Lauderdale

The donation contributed to the Friendship Cafe Life Skills Training and Employment Program, an initiative to provide a safe, supervised environment for adults with developmental, learning, physical and intellectual disabilities, or other medical issues. This program is molded for individuals who need additional skills training before attempting to transition to competitive, community employment, and independent living. It encourages independence for participants to learn daily living, social, pre-employment, and self-advocacy skills through age and culturally appropriate activities.

"Our goal is to help working-age Americans with disabilities leverage their unique abilities to build meaningful careers. We believe that everyone has talent, and all people can make significant contributions in the workplace," shared Macey Markowitz, Senior Director of Development and Corporate Relations of Boys & Girls Club of Broward County. "With this gift, we were able to provide even more students with special needs a safe place to learn the skills they need to become productive members of society while developing meaningful relationships with staff and other students."

The Broward Sheriff's Advisory Council's Community Outreach program is one of five, devoted to strengthening relationships among the diverse communities of Broward County. Through numerous activities, the organization funds programs to enhance communication, trust, and public safety.

"Honoring our organization's mission, we strive to strengthen relationships among diverse communities of Broward County with initiatives that enrich the lives of our youth," shared Valerie Silverman, Chief of Staff for the Broward Sheriff's Advisory Council. "We were so proud to support a program that makes a difference in the lives of so many."

About Broward Sheriff's Advisory Council

Broward Sheriff's Advisory Council is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with a mission to support the first responders of Broward County. It provides injured or killed first responders and their families with financial assistance. The Council also develops and offers programs to strengthen the connection between the community and responders. It focuses on improving the community as a whole by providing it with a host of initiatives, such as specialized training courses for Broward first responders, wellness programs for first responders, and community outreach. For more information or to become a member, visit https://www.browardsheriffsadvisorycouncil.com.

Media Contact

The Pontes Group / Lais Pontes Greene

[email protected]

954-960-6083

SOURCE Broward Sheriff's Advisory Council
...Former Nimba Lawmaker, Dunah Unveils

Former Nimba County Lawmaker and a steward of the opposition Unity Party, Worlea-Saywah Dunah mentioned that he will take a side in the upcoming 2023 Presidential and Legislative Elections, and will defend it very well.

The Former Lawmaker made the statement yesterday, March 6, 2023, when he appeared on OK FM afternoon conversation.

According to him, in any election, it is important to take a side that one can defend.

When quizzed about the side supports, Mr. Dunah said, "Consultations are ongoing" and he will come up with the name of the party he is supporting for the Liberian Presidency.

He was not definite but the former Lawmaker said in his analysis that the people of Nimba are not ungrateful to abandon development taking place in their county.

Mr. Dunah noted that what is happening in the rural area is different from what is ongoing in the urban.

He indicated that those in the urban areas are educated, and politically conscious but those in the rural areas are seeing the roads and developmental initiatives being carried out by the current government.

"Anyone who thinks that the Nimba's votes are in a bag on their backs is delusion," the former Lawmaker said.

Those who placed calls during the interview pleaded with the former Lawmaker to give his support to President George Weah.

One of those who called and backed the former Nimba Lawmaker was the newly appointed Head of the Governance Commission of Liberia, Garrison Yealue also a former lawmaker from the same county.

In his statement, Yealue said people from the county will love to see their children at the top of governance and will not want to take that from them.
"Beating Cancer Daily" bursts onto the audio scene with a unique 365-day podcast and comprehensive support community, with a sense of humor, serving patients, survivors, caregivers, and oncologists

NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES and TENAFLY, N.J., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Center for Disease Control reports that as many as three out of every four cancer survivors experience symptoms of psychological distress or cognitive concerns, which can negatively affect their overall well-being and health outcomesyet, one-third or fewer cancer survivors have talked to their doctor about their psychosocial needs and concerns.

"Beating Cancer Daily" offers those impacted by cancer 365 days of mindset strategies, motivational practices, fun tips, and comedy. Tweet this "These 365 "Beating Cancer Daily" recordings sprouted out of my 'Mindset and Metastatic Cancer Research Study'. Patients asked if I could speak, teach, and laugh with them every day; these recordings feel more like a fun love letter, says Saranne Rothberg who launched The ComedyCures Foundation from her chemo chair in 1999 by throwing a Chemo Comedy Party. Today she is cancer-free, helping over one million people at live and digital events worldwide. Rothberg is a sought-after healthcare thought leader, researcher, and happiness expert. @SaranneLive To learn more about "Conducting Your Cancer", and other powerful strategies, from stage IV survivor and cancer researcher Saranne Rothberg, listen to the bite-sized "Beating Cancer Daily" podcast every day wherever you enjoy podcasts. Listeners can also record their tips and progress, and share them with Rothberg at www.ComedyCures.org. Learn more about the BCD community team, which includes medical professionals, comedians, movement, mental health, food, and mind/body experts. Monthly Health Builder Sessions, Comedy Events, and live Q&As round out the fun. "20/20 Cancer-Free Vision" is the inaugural podcast episode of "Beating Cancer Daily" with stage IV cancer survivor and researcher, Saranne Rothberg. In addition to sharing 365 bite-sized free episodes to uplift and empower listeners throughout the year, Rothberg and The ComedyCures Foundation have enlisted many talented and funny experts to join the BCD community for innovative and exciting live and digital ComedyCures programming. The ComedyCures Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit that relies on donations and grants to deliver its robust award-winning programs.

To address this oncology and mental health crisis, ComedyCures Foundation's C.E.O. and stage IV cancer survivor, Saranne Rothberg, just launched the unique 365-day "Beating Cancer Daily" podcast, including an extensive live and digital cancer support community with a multitude of experts.

"Beating Cancer Daily" Episodes Include:

Chemo Comedy Party

20/20 Cancer-Free Vision

Your Cancer Voice

Kickstart Your Cancer Day

Mirror: Friend or Cancer Foe

Cancer Humor Buddies

Creator/Host Saranne Rothberg explains, "Beating Cancer Daily" offers those impacted by cancer transformative daily coping strategies proven to decrease stress, anxiety, and depression while increasing resilience, self-empowerment, and comic perspective.

For over two decades, Rothberg is still cancer-free and has taught her strategies and unique humorous point-of-view at the NIH/NCI, MSKCC, World Health Organization, United Nations, Harvard, Stanford, and American Cancer Society. Her two pilot research studies catapulted her to the attention of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Rothberg also collaborated with Dr. Kelly Turner on "Radical Remission". Oprah named Rothberg as her "Hero" in her NY Times Bestseller.

ComedyCures founding podcast supporter and world-renowned sculptor Will Ryman details, "There are many other notable cancer podcasts helping patients like "Cancer Straight Talk from MSK", the BBC's "You, Me & The Big C", and Asco's Cancer.Net, but I am fascinated by Saranne's ambitious 365-day "Beating Cancer Daily" episodes, humor, and vision to build the world's most fun, user-friendly, daily support group."

Rothberg continues, "Our ComedyCures experts provide creative, quality-of-life tips and lots of 'tumor humor'. I wish I had this daily audio playbook and live sessions when I was diagnosed with cancer in 1999, and especially when I was told, 'Get your affairs in order'."

Listeners can join the BCD Membership Circle as a "Supporter" for as little as $5.00 per month or $50.00 annually, receiving two months free.

Listen, subscribe, join, gift, donate to The ComedyCures Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit: www.ComedyCures.org

@ComedyCures

SOURCE The ComedyCures Foundation
BEIJING, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- China's top legislator on Tuesday urged the National People's Congress (NPC) to uphold and improve the people's congress system and continuously enhance whole-process people's democracy.

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the 13th NPC, made the remarks while delivering a work report at the first session of the 14th NPC.

Whole-process people's democracy is a model of socialist democracy that covers all aspects of the democratic process and all sectors of society, according to a white paper titled "China: Democracy That Works," released by China's State Council Information Office in 2021.

'Strong vitality and superiority' of the NPC

The NPC and its standing committee have stayed committed to the Party's leadership, the people's position as the masters of the country and law-based governance, according to the report.

Li said the five-year term of the 13th NPC Standing Committee coincides with a period of "great historical change" in which the cause of the Party and the country is flourishing.

Talking about the most important achievement of the NPC Standing Committee during the five years, Li highlighted that the concept of whole-process people's democracy profoundly explains the basic connotation, essential features and fundamental principles of socialist democracy in China.

In 2021, a central conference on work related to the people's congresses was held in Beijing. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said at the meeting that the whole-process people's democracy in China "not only has a complete set of institutions and procedures but also full participation and practices."

"It is the broadest, most genuine and most effective socialist democracy," Xi said.

Meanwhile, the work report said the 13th NPC has ensured the full implementation of the Constitution and upheld its authority and sanctity during its five-year term.

Over the past five years, improvements have been made to the Constitution and other relevant laws, noted the report.

In particular, the NPC adopted the Constitutional amendment, which made it clear that the leadership of the Communist Party of China is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The constitutional amendment also established the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in China's political and social activities.

Adhering to whole-process people's democracy

The practice of the past five years has further deepened the understanding of the scientific connotation, basic characteristics and essential requirements of the system of people's congresses, said the report.

"We must uphold the leadership of the CPC and ensure that the constitutional principle that CPC leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics is fully implemented," according to the report.

The year 2023 marks the first year for China to fully implement the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the CPC, the report said.

On the work of the NPC Standing Committee for the coming year, the report highlighted efforts in enforcing the Constitution, implementing legislation, strengthening the supervision of people's congresses, improving the work of deputies, among others.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-03-07/Li-Zhanshu-delivers-NPC-Standing-Committee-work-report-1hYFWddsbmM/index.html

SOURCE CGTN
Awards nomination for Community Impact highlights company's commitment to fostering local outreach, job creation and awareness for essential production and trade work

SIMI VALLEY, Calif., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chatsworth Products (CPI), a global manufacturer of products and solutions that power and protect technology investments around the world, was recently named a finalist for the Community Impact Award at the 2022 Austin Regional Manufacturing Awards.

During a special luncheon and awards ceremony hosted by the Austin Regional Manufacturers Association (ARMA) on February 23 in Austin, TX, members of CPI's executive team and CPI's Georgetown, TX facility attended and represented the organization among a wide variety of Central Texas manufacturers and nominees, including Tesla, Firefly Aerospace and NXP Semiconductors. The afternoon also featured a special panel discussion on the partnerships formed between manufacturers and the local communities in which they live and work, which included CPI HR Business Partner Manager, Amanda Siek.

The award nomination highlights CPI's commitment to fostering local outreach & job creation for essential trade work. Tweet this

"We are incredibly proud to have been nominated for the ARMA Community Impact Award," said Melissa Aleman, CPI Chief Human Resources Officer and one of CPI's luncheon participants and attendees. "Not only does it help shine a light on the hard work and passion that our CPI Employee Owners display each and every day, but it represents CPI's dedication to working within our local communities throughout the yearand on special occasions like Manufacturing Daywhich introduces new generations to how essential production work is while inspiring young minds to find their calling through real-world experience and exposure."

The awards recognition not only highlights CPI's commitment to innovation and excellence in the manufacturing industry, but the company's dedication to serving the local communities in which it resides and works. These include CPI's global headquarters and manufacturing facility in Simi Valley, CA, its Research, Development and Training Center (RD&T) and manufacturing facility in Georgetown, TX (for which the ARMA award nomination pertains), its Electronics and Software Technology Center in Round Rock, TX, and the company's U.S. east coast operations and manufacturing facilities in New Bern, NC and State College, PA. Internationally, the company also maintains sales offices and presence in Toronto, London, Mexico City, Dubai, Qatar and Shanghai.

As indicated in the statement from CPI's Melissa Aleman, above, one of the company's most meaningful community outreach events has been its annual participation in helping promote manufacturing education through Manufacturing Day. For seven years and counting, CPI has joined other local Central Texas manufacturers in partnering with the Georgetown Independent School District (GISD) to welcome high school students to visit CPI's Georgetown manufacturing facility. Not only does the occasion give students a unique, first-hand look at the manufacturing process in action, but it introduces them to the various career paths available in the field. This is especially useful at a time when staffing and retaining skilled workers in production roles is critical to company success and longevity.

Through CPI's partnership with GISD, the company continues to help inspire the next generation of manufacturers and innovators. And by sharing its knowledge and expertise with students in a real-world setting, CPI is helping to break down the barriers that often prevent young people from pursuing careers in manufacturing. As a result, the partnership has been instrumental in creating a pipeline of new, young talent that is more readily equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the industry and help CPI continue to thrive.

Furthermore, CPI's commitment to continuing education extends well beyond Manufacturing Day. The company also supports various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) initiatives across all of its U.S.-based facilities, including sponsorship of local robotics competitions and mentorships for students pursuing STEM degrees.

As the manufacturing industry continues to evolve and grow, CPI looks forward to continuing to contribute to the future of the manufacturing workforce by continuing to support the people and organizations whose hard work and passion for these essential jobs remains as vital as ever.

To learn more about manufacturing opportunities and careers at CPI, visit the webpage.

About Chatsworth Products

Chatsworth Products (CPI) is a global manufacturer of products and solutions that power and protect your ever-growing investment in information and communications technology for IT and industrial automation applications. We are a trusted business partner, uniquely prepared to respond to your requirements with global availability and rapid product customization, giving you a competitive advantage. With decades of experience engineering thermal, power and cable management solutions for the data center, enterprise networking and industrial enclosure markets, CPI is well positioned to provide you with unequaled application expertise, customer service and technical support, and a global network of industry-leading distributors.

CPI is listed with the General Services Administration (GSA) under Federal Supply Schedule IT 70. Products are also available through GSA Advantage and through Government Wide Acquisition Contracts (GWACs), including GSA Connections and NITAAC-ECS III (chatsworth.com/gov).

Media Contacts

Jeff Cihocki, Public Relations

[email protected]

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of all information, CPI does not accept liability for any errors or omissions and reserves the right to change information and descriptions of listed services and products.

2023 Chatsworth Products, Inc. All rights reserved. Chatsworth Products, Clik-Nut, CPI, CPI Passive Cooling, CUBE-iT, Secure Array, eConnect, Evolution, GlobalFrame, MegaFrame, QuadraRack, RMR, Saf-T-Grip, SeismicFrame, SlimFrame, TeraFrame, Motive and Velocity are federally registered trademarks of Chatsworth Products. EuroFrame, H-Plane, Hi-Bar, In-Plane, M-Frame, NetPoint, Simply Efficient, Skybar, Wi-Tile and ZetaFrame are trademarks of Chatsworth Products and Oberon, a division of Chatsworth Products.

Chatsworth Products Corporate Office

4175 Guardian Street

Simi Valley, CA 93063

Phone: (818) 735-6100

Fax: (818) 735-6199

www.chatsworth.com

SOURCE Chatsworth Products (CPI)
PHILADELPHIA, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With fresh food waste being a critical challenge for grocers, Checkpoint Systems is committed to providing solutions that can enable stores to waste less and sell more. Checkpoint is happy to announce their return to FMI's 2023 Asset Protection & Grocery Resilience Conference.

Checkpoint's bottle cap protection portfolio has been designed to bring security, ease of use, and aesthetics to the forefront, for nearly every size bottle. Checkpoint's family of EAS solutions offer exceptional detection for grocery and beyond

FMI will take place from the 19th to the 22nd of March 2023 in Orlando, Florida, where grocers from all over the country will have an opportunity to learn more about loss prevention, risk management, workplace safety and crisis management and how it pertains to the food retail industry. This conference provides an opportunity to network and collaborate with fellow grocers and suppliers attending the conference, all while attending beneficial thought leadership seminars.

In 2023 the conference will focus on a series of discussion topics that include: Business Continuity Planning, Organized Retail Crime, Civil Unrest, Workplace Violence, and Cybersecurity. Join Checkpoint Systems in FMI's Thought Leadership Series, Breakfast Bites, where industry thought leaders will present their solutions on a variety of asset protection topics in a small group setting.

"As grocers face challenges regarding inventory management, fresh food waste, as well as asset protection, Checkpoint is ready to assist. Our team is excited to participate in this year's APGR Thought Leadership Series, where we will showcase innovative solutions for the grocery market to help retailers sell more and lose less." - Frank Panebianco (Checkpoint Vice President, MAS).

Meet with Checkpoint at FMI to learn about how we could help with our existing and new innovative solutions.

View the FMI APGR Agenda:

FMI | Agenda

About FMI

As the food industry association, FMI works with and on behalf of the entire industry to advance a safer, healthier and more efficient consumer food supply chain. FMI brings together a wide range of members across the value chain  from retailers that sell to consumers, to producers that supply food and other products, as well as the wide variety of companies providing critical services  to amplify the collective work of the industry.

www.FMI.org

About Checkpoint Systems

A division of CCL Industries, Checkpoint Systems is a global leader in RF EAS, RFID and Alpha High Theft solutions for the retail industry, delivering loss prevention and merchandise visibility in a growing omni channel environment. As pioneers of retail technologies for over 50 years, Checkpoint Systems is a vertically integrated RF/RFID solution provider for the retail industry. Our Alpha High Theft Solutions provides retailers with innovative and technologically advanced products engineered to protect high-theft merchandise. Checkpoint Retail Solutions provides a unique offering of software, hardware, labels, tags and connected cloud-based solutions. Our solutions optimize retail operations and efficiencies with improved on-shelf availability, reduced shrink and intuitive real-time data throughout the supply chain and in-store, resulting in improved profitability and an enriched consumer experience.

Reach out to our team here or via [email protected] if you would like to learn more.

www.Checkpointsystems.com

www.Alphaworld.com

REGISTER NOW:

FMI | Registration

SOURCE Checkpoint Systems, Inc.
CINCINNATI, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cincinnati Children's partnered with Kolar Design to invite friends from near and far to send Valentine's Day cards to patients, utilizing curated card designs from artists Helen Wells, Cedric Cox, and Lindsay Nehls and printing services from RPI Graphic Data Solutions.

Those interested in sending cards simply chose one of six designs through an easy online form and then the cards were printed and delivered accordingly. The campaign also sought to raise money for the hospital, with Kolar Design matching up to $20,000 toward the effort.

Cincinnati Childrens and Kolar Design raise over $76,000 with Valentines Card Campaign.

Through the campaign, Cincinnati Children's was able to raise $76,500, including Kolar's full $20,000 match amount. More than 245,000 cards were sent to patients, from 49 different countries and all 50 states in the U.S.

"We're honored to be able to support this cause year after year, and we're overjoyed to see such fantastic results from the campaign this year. It's an honor to give back to Cincinnati Children's, an organization so near and dear to our hearts," said Kelly Kolar, President and Founder of Kolar Design.

About Kolar Design

Kolar is an award-winning design strategy rm that specializes in insights, interiors, and experiential graphic design. Kolar excels in building brand experiences derived from data that delivers measurable business results using purposeful, creative, and deeply collaborative design. Kolar's best-in-class team works closely with organizations using unique design thinking methodologies to build a strategy and vision that align with business goals and desired brand experiences. Learn more about Kolar today .

SOURCE Kolar Design
MCLEAN, Va. and ELKINS, W.V., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 22nd Century Technologies Inc. (TSCTI) is pleased to announce the opening of a new secured Managed Services Facility in Elkins, WV to support their government customers.

22nd Century's WV Center, has been designed to support their Federal, State & Local government contracts throughout the United States in providing Cyber Security, Business Operations, Contact Center, Managed IT Services and other backend support services. Starting with Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Elkins Center will leverage 22nd Century's proven Cyber Security domain and IT Expertise, and deploy state-of-the-art technology to create high quality, 24 x 7 services that do not strain budgets. TSCTI is hiring and plans to kick start operations with 20 locally sourced employees, ramping up to 40+ in the next 12-18 months with additional positions as anticipated contracts are awarded. The center will train employees on latest tools, technologies, and processes, and provide the Elkins Community a new set of growth opportunities.

22nd Century Technologies started hiring local workforce for one of their recent contracts with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and has plans to provide employment to many others in the City's communities, as they expand their customer base in Federal, State, Local and Education (SLED) markets.

The Mayor of Elkins, Honorable Jerry Marco has been instrumental in positioning West Virginia and in particular, the City of Elkins as "Open for Business". Under the leadership of Governor Jim Justice, Mayor Marco along with Director Robbie Morris of the Randolph County Development Authority, Mitch Carmichael, Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, helped fast track 22nd Century's Elkins Center.

22nd Century Technologies, Inc.(www.tscti.com) is one of the fastest growing public sector focused company head quartered in McLean, VA. With 6000+ FTE nationwide, 22nd Century is currently supporting many of nation's mission-critical programs including Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Cloud Migration, Application Modernization, IT Infrastructure, O&M, and Workforce Solutions. 22nd Century holds 400+ government contracts with Federal, State, Local and Educational entities in all the 50 States. 22nd Century and it's leadership has been recognized by Newsweek and Forbes, for their focus on diversity, inclusion and employee development.

SOURCE 22nd Century Technologies, Inc,
Recognizing those who have empowered and bettered the lives of girls and women through STEM education

TOKYO, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cle de Peau Beaute, the luxury skincare and makeup brand, is proud to announce their fifth year of the 'Power of Radiance Awards' and name Dao Thi Hong Quyen from Hanoi, Vietnam as this year's recipient. Cle de Peau Beaute's long-term philanthropic commitment includes the annual 'Power of Radiance Awards' and a multi-year partnership with UNICEF, which aims to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education, employment and empowerment programs for girls across the world to empower a better world.

Ms. Dao Thi Hong Quyen, 2023 Award Recipient of the Power of Radiance Awards

Scientific and technological solutions are critical in targeting some of the world's biggest problems, including climate change and poverty. As such, the boundless potential from half of the world's population that includes girls and women cannot be overlooked. Girls, in particular from underprivileged areas, are even more deprived of STEM education. As ICT (Information and Communications Technology) skills become more in demand, the gender gaps have further increased due to the limited participation of women within these industries.

Ms. Quyen is a passionate biology teacher who is working to close the gaps in STEM education and tackle gender bias in her community. In Vietnam, education disparity is particularly prevalent amongst children from the poorest provinces,[1] which consist of higher amounts of ethnic minority groups, those with disabilities, and girls. This is especially true in STEM education, geared mostly to boys,[2] causing academically isolated girls to be blocked from entering the workforce.[3] The number of girls taking the 10th grade entrance examination in 2019 reached about 10.5% in the remote, mountainous Lao Cai province in Northwest Vietnam, a province with high concentrations of ethnic minorities.[4] The onset of the pandemic has further exacerbated the already dire learning crisis in Vietnam.[5]

Ms. Quyen is determined to change this by promoting STEM education for marginalized girls and groups in Vietnam, opening up their opportunity to join and contribute to these crucial fields. As the head of Science at Genesis school, Ms. Quyen has made significant contributions to STEM education over the past 8 years. As founder of project "STEM for Rural Area" in 2018, Ms. Quyen has supported more than 10 schools, benefitting more than 1,200 girls. As an ambassador for project Girl in STEM under British Council, her project at Le Hong Phong High School saw female student's participation in STEM activities increase up to 70%. During Covid-19, she conducted 28 online webinars for teachers on STEM education, with new content on STEM and soft skills development including counselling skills for more than 84,000 teachers in Vietnam.

"For the past four years, Cle de Peau Beaute has been greatly privileged to be uplifting outstanding individuals to drive positive change through education and empowerment. Ms. Quyen has an unwavering focus on education for vulnerable students. Her drive and meaningful achievements in her community perfectly encapsulate the spirit of our aspirations to transform the world through positive and proactive change," said Ms. Mizuki Hashimoto, Chief Brand Officer of Cle de Peau Beaute. "We believe that the future is bright and through the 'Power of Radiance Awards', we hope to continue creating a more radiant world and inspire others to take action."

"I wish to tackle the gender biases in Vietnam by changing society's mindset towards girls with a more equal approach, and provide girls with the confidence to choose and learn STEM, so that they can make the most of their potential and not accept the limits imposed upon them. Receiving the award will allow me to meaningfully contribute to the cause and scale up gender transformative STEM initiatives in Vietnam," said Ms. Quyen.

As the recipient of the 2023 'Power of Radiance Awards', Ms. Quyen will be awarded a grant that will go towards supporting STEM education for vulnerable adolescent girls in three components: STEM for Ethnic Minority Adolescents, STEM for Students with Disabilities, and Communication activities on STEM.

Ms. Quyen joins an impressive list of 'Power of Radiance Awards' recipients who continue to inspire through their work advocating for girls around the world. Past recipients include Muzoon Almellehan, Syrian Education Advocate and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Binita Shrestha and Pratiksha Pandey, Co-Founders of WiSTEM Nepal, Alyona Tkachenko, STEM Education Advocate in Kazakhstan, and Amanda Simandjuntak, CEO and Co-Founder of MARKODING Indonesia. The power to unleash an inner radiance that can accomplish real and positive change is within every individual, and through the 'Power of Radiance Awards', Cle de Peau Beaute is standing with girls and women globally as they transform the world for themselves, their families and their communities.

Cle de Peau Beaute's journey as advocates for education began with a dream for a better world. This is why the brand has selected one of their most iconic first-step products, The Serum, and pledged a share of its sales towards this mission. The 'Power of Radiance Awards' are funded by a percentage of global sales of The Serum.

UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, product, or service.

About Dao Thi Hong Quyen

Ms Quyen is the head of Science at Genesis school, a pioneer school in Vietnam for Green education, where she oversees the design of science programs. Born and raised in a poor village, Quyen was inspired by her late father who passionately promoted education in her village for more than 10 years. She seeks to spread education and support girls by closing the gender gap in STEM Education and tackling the gender bias. In 2018, she founded project "STEM for Rural Area", impacting more than 10 schools and 2,000 students. In 2019, she clinched the winning prize under the "SL  STEM of SL  STEM (STEAM) competition" by Vietnam National University of Science for her eco-project. She was also the Ambassador for project Girl in STEM by the British Council. From 2021, with grants from US supported projects, she has been scaling up STEM education and career orientation nation-wide. During Covid-19, she conducted 28 online webinars for teachers on STEM education, resulting in upgraded contents on STEM and soft skills development, including counselling skills, for more than 84,000 teachers in Vietnam. In 2022, she was selected to participate in the Fulbright Teaching Program.

About Cle de Peau Beaute

Cle de Peau Beaute, the global luxury brand from Shiseido Co Ltd, was founded in 1982 as the ultimate expression of elegance and science. Cle de Peau Beaute means the key to skin's beauty. The philosophy of the brand is to unlock the power of a woman's radiance by harnessing makeup technologies and advanced skincare from around the world. Forever guided by an exquisite aesthetic sensibility and intelligence, Cle de Peau Beaute has instilled its products with modernity, enchantment, and dynamism to emerge as an industry leader in delivering radiance so remarkable, it emanates from within. Available in 23 countries and regions worldwide.

Cle de Peau Beaute Official Website: https://www.cledepeau-beaute.com/int/powerofradiance-2023.html

Cle de Peau Beaute Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cledepeaubeaute/

[1] Source: Worldbank, 2022. https://blogs.worldbank.org/eastasiapacific/reducing-gaps-education-remains-important-vietnam-new-school-year-kicks

[2] https://vietnamnet.vn/en/stem-education-experiencing-growing-pains-in-vietnam-E175882.html

[3] Source: Worldbank, 2022. https://blogs.worldbank.org/eastasiapacific/reducing-gaps-education-remains-important-vietnam-new-school-year-kicks

[4] Prof. Ian Coxhead, 2019 Educational progression from 9th grade to 10th grade among Vietnamese children: interim findings from test score data.

[5] UNICEF, 2021 https://www.unicef.org/eap/media/9346/file/Sit%20An%20-%20Viet%20Nam%20case%20study.pdf

SOURCE Cle de Peau Beaute
BOISE, Idaho, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Clearwater Analytics Holdings, Inc. ("Clearwater Analytics" or the "Company") (NYSE: CWAN), a leading provider of SaaS-based investment accounting, reporting, and analytics solutions, today announced that it has launched an underwritten secondary public offering of an aggregate of 13,000,000 shares of the Company's Class A common stock. The Company is conducting a resale of Class A common stock on behalf of certain affiliates of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (collectively, the "Selling Stockholders"). The Selling Stockholders also intend to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,950,000 shares of Class A common stock at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The Company will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the Company's Class A common stock by the Selling Stockholders. The Company's Class A common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CWAN."

J.P. Morgan is acting as representative of the underwriters for the potential offering.

The proposed 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.

The shares of Class A common stock in this offering are being offered pursuant to an automatically effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on March 8, 2023. A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to and describing the terms of the proposed offering will be filed with the SEC and may be obtained from: J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, by telephone at (866) 803-9204, or by email at [email protected]; or by accessing the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. Any offers, solicitations or offers to buy, or any sales of securities will be made in accordance with the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

About Clearwater Analytics

Clearwater Analytics (NYSE: CWAN), a global, industry-leading SaaS solution, automates the entire investment lifecycle. With a single instance, multi-tenant architecture, Clearwater offers award-winning investment portfolio planning, performance reporting, data aggregation, reconciliation, accounting, compliance, risk, and order management. Each day, leading insurers, asset managers, corporations, and governments use Clearwater's trusted data to drive efficient, scalable investing on more than $6.4 trillion in assets spanning traditional and alternative asset types.

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. These forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements include information concerning the terms of the proposed public offering, the underwriters' option to purchase additional shares of Class A common stock, the Company's possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, technology developments, financing and investment plans, dividend policy, competitive position, industry, economic and regulatory environment, potential growth opportunities and the effects of competition. Forward-looking statements include statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by terms such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "seek," "should," "will," "would" or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control, that may 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 statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those discussed under "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 filed with the SEC on March 3, 2023, and in other periodic reports filed by the Company with the SEC. These filings are available at www.sec.gov and on the Company's website. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent management's beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as representing the Company's expectations or beliefs as of any date subsequent to the time they are made. The Company does not undertake to and specifically declines any obligation to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company.

SOURCE Clearwater Analytics, LLC
RUST, Germany, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Get ready to be a part of the largest and most innovative cloud computing event of the year! CloudFest 2023 will take place in Rust, Germany from 21-24 March, and is set to be a game-changer for cloud computing enthusiasts.

This year we're inviting journalists and media representatives to attend CloudFest 2023 and cover the latest advancements in cloud technology.

The event will take place in Europa Park, the largest theme park in Germany, and of course the park will be open for attendees to explore throughout the event!

As an attending journalist, you will receive a complimentary VIP pass to the event, worth 999, giving you access to the main conference, exclusive sessions, and after-hours networking events.

The VIP pass also includes access to a chauffeured luxury car service, VIP lounge access, and gourmet catering at specialist on-site restaurants.

In addition, you will have exclusive access to research that predicts trends, advancements, and behaviours surrounding cloud technology in the upcoming year.

The research lays out what industry leaders prioritise for the health of their business, for the benefit of cloud-based technology end users, and for continued cloud-based success.

This year's lineup of speakers is a who's who of the cloud computing industry. You'll have the opportunity to hear from some of the most influential people in the field, including Paul Vixie, Director of SIE Europe U.G, who will discuss the need for privacy-preserving collection of Internet metadata for the purpose of detecting and preventing e-crime.

In anticipation of the event, speaker Paul Vixie said: "I'm thrilled to be a part of CloudFest 2023; this event provides a unique opportunity to exchange ideas, share best practices and explore the latest innovations in the field.

"This event brings together many of the brightest minds in the industry and I'm looking forward to meeting speakers and attendees to discuss the latest advancements in cloud technology."

In addition to the panel of speakers, you will also have the opportunity to interview representatives from our event sponsors, including Intel, Dell and Webpros. From C-level executives to technical experts, you'll have a chance to engage with some of the most influential people in the cloud computing industry.

CloudFest 2023 will feature more than 100 hours of content, including in-depth sessions, hands-on workshops, and networking opportunities with industry peers. With more than 7,500 attendees expected, you'll have access to the latest cloud solutions, emerging technologies, and new business models.

CloudFest CEO, Christian Jaeger said: "CloudFest is a celebration of the cloud technology community and a gathering of like-minded individuals who are shaping the future of computing.

This year's event will be no exception, with a lineup of outstanding speakers and industry leaders, as well as cutting-edge content and networking opportunities."

Don't miss this opportunity to be a part of the future of cloud computing at CloudFest 2023!

Notes to editors:

To register for a media pass to CloudFest 2023, please reply with your full name, contact details and the media outlet you represent.

About CloudFest:

CloudFest is the world's largest and most innovative cloud computing conference, bringing together cloud experts, thought leaders, and industry professionals to explore the latest advancements in cloud computing.

What you will receive:- Unlimited standard tickets for your team- Unlimited free standard tickets for your readers (value 399) with unique tracking code- Media Partnership announcements (social media)- Your logo as a CloudFest media partner on our website with a link to your company's URL- 1x Newsletter with all media partners close to the start of the event- regular press releases about the conference- Exclusive interviews with CloudFest C-Level, Advisory board and selected C-Level representatives of our industry- Exclusive access to press releases and media teams of our partners to promote your media services to them

In return, we'd love the following:- regular updates about CloudFest via your social media channels (CF will highlight/share them to increase visibility)- CloudFest featured on event calendar page- Mentioning in at least 2 Newsletters (1x about the event, 1x about global market survey)- Attendance on site (if possible)- Signup to media partner list

www.radialpath.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2018691/CloudFest_Logo.jpg

SOURCE CloudFest

Related Links

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VA approved mortgage broker goes the extra mile for veterans during a time of rapidly increasing mortgage rates.

ALLEN, Texas, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Competitive Home Lending, a Texas mortgage broker, expands home buying benefits for Veterans by increasing purchase power, reducing mortgage payments, and offering VA one-time close construction loans. Veterans looking to buy a home can take advantage of a wholesale VA mortgage rate that makes homeownership more affordable.

Affordable Veteran homeownership. JacobLund/shutterstock.com

Veterans are leveraging the difference between a retail and wholesale VA mortgage rate to improve home buying power. Wholesale rates can be between 25 to 50 basis points lower than retail rates which allows Veterans to maintain the same home loan payment but increase their home purchase price. Competitive Home Lending is showing Veterans how to use the difference between a retail rate and a wholesale rate to reduce or eliminate any cash needed for closing on their VA home loan.

Current wholesale VA loan rates.

Additionally, Competitive Home Lending is adding one-time close construction VA loans to expand the purchasing options for Veterans. The VA construction loan allows Veterans to build a custom home and even allows for the purchase of the land. Homebuilders can work with Competitive Home Lending and gain an opportunity to assist more Veteran homebuyers while reducing their financial risk during the construction period.

New construction project approval.

Through wholesale pricing from the nation's best VA mortgage lenders, Veterans will never pay a retail mortgage rate for their home loan. "We are excited to offer these incredible benefits to our Veterans. Competitive Home Lending recognizes the sacrifice and service of our Veterans and wants to do everything possible to make homeownership more accessible for them," said Raul Hernandez, Mortgage Broker of Competitive Home Lending.

Competitive Home Lending is also expanding homeownership with lower credit score requirements for Veterans. Approximately 15% of Americans have a credit score below 600 which can prevent Veterans from taking advantage of the VA home loan benefit. Competitive Home Lending offers 100% financing of the home's purchase price with credit scores as low as 500.

Minimum credit score needed for a home loan.

About Competitive Home Lending

Competitive Home Lending is a VA approved wholesale mortgage broker specializing in affordable VA loans to help Veterans achieve their dream of homeownership. For more information, visit Competitive Home Lending  NMLS #1047944.

SOURCE Competitive Home Lending
Nakuru  The prolonged drought and drying up of river Molo and Rongai has negatively affected the production of flowers in Nakuru county.

The chairman of Rosette farm based in Rongai-sub-county Richard Desai said they were currently rationing flowers and only supplying to their long-term customers who have supported them for four to three years.

Desai observed that they were not selling flowers to new customers since they hardly have enough even for the regular customers due to water scarcity.

He said growing flowers required adequate and regular irrigation and any little shortage naturally reduces the production leading to loss of foreign currency.

Other flower farms in the Rongai and Molo sub-counties confirmed the serious challenges with the irrigation of their farms due to scarcity of water.

Some of the farms that depended on water managed by the Nakuru water company said the reduced and rationed supply has negatively affected their production.

Recently, the residents of Rongai held demonstrations at Kambi ya Moto over the diversion of water from river Molo and Rongai to influential people's farms.

However, the diversions were removed the reduced water levels to small streams have not solved the water shortage, with the majority of them are forced to purchase from water boozers.

A resident of Rongai, Gilbert Kaplich said the horticulture industry was a major water consumer in the sub-county, competing for water with animals and home consumption, thus the need for increased water to reduce the escalating conflicts, especially during dry spells.

According to the 2022 Kenya National Bureau of Statistics report, the earnings from fresh-cut flowers increased by seven percent to what was recorded in the year 2021 and became the leading foreign earner beating tea exports.

Despite the water conflicts, flower farms in the county provide easily available employment, especially for women engaged in plucking and packaging.

The common flower markets such as church decorations and wedding organizers are feeling the pinch of flower shortage in the county. - Kna
DUBLIN, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) Market - Forecasts from 2023 to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The continuous glucose monitoring market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 19.16%, from an initial value of US$4.896 billion in 2021 to US$16.698 billion by 2028.



Drivers:

Growing prevalence of diabetes



Continuous glucose monitoring enables diabetic patients to keep their sugar level under control and it provides necessary data to the doctors that enable them to decide the type of treatment that needs to be given to the patient. Over the years diabetes prevalence has shown a significant increase owing to the lack of physically active, insulin resistance, unhealthy lifestyle, and gene factors.

For instance, according to the data issued by International Diabetes Federation in its Atlas 2021 report, the total number of people aged 20 to 79 years who had diabetes stood at 537 million which showed an increase of 15.9% in comparison to 463 million reported in 2019.

Furthermore, as per the same source, the number is expected to increase to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045. Such an increase in the number of people having diabetes globally will create a surge in the demand for continuous glucose monitoring devices for keeping a closer watch on the sugar level of the people, which will propel the overall market growth in the future.



Governments all over the world have established programs and provided subsidies to train and distribute continuous glucose monitoring devices to diabetes patients and healthcare providers.

For instance, the Department of Health and Aged Care, Australia announced in February 2020 that Australians with type 1 diabetes will soon be able to use the FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring equipment for free. Australians would ordinarily spend $92.50 every two weeks for the FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitoring kit if the government did not subsidize it. Through the National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) Initiative, the Australian Government has recently expanded access to subsidized Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) for Australians with type 1 diabetes.



Market Developments:



The rising investments by companies operating in this segment to commercialize their products are also expected to push the demand for such devices.For instance, in September 2022, Transdermal Diagnostics received investments of 1.1 million from Innovate UK to commercialize the production of the company's wearable continuous glucose monitor. Also, in November 2021, US-based medical device start-up Biolinq Inc. raised investments of US$100 million which will be used for the production of continuous glucose monitor devices containing needle-free biosensors for tracking the sugar level of type-2 diabetes patients.



Furthermore, product launches and innovations are also acting as additional factors driving the continuous glucose monitoring market growth. For instance, in May 2022, DexCom launched its new CGM device "Dexcom ONE" in the United Kingdom, which can continuously monitor and send real-time values of glucose levels to a compatible smart device through the Dexcom ONE app.



Innovations have made equipment smaller, more convenient, and more reliable; networked, innovative, and automated monitoring is on the horizon. For instance, The FDA approved Senseonics' long-lasting continuous glucose monitor. The FDA-approved CGM from Senseonics includes a sensor that lasts six months, a first for any CGM. Other rival systems from Medtronic and Dexcom last three to ten days.



Based on application, it is anticipated that the diabetes patients' segment would continue dominating the continuous glucose monitoring market due to factors such as the rising rate of diabetes, growing demand for diabetes monitoring devices with favorable reimbursement policies, and the introduction of cutting-edge technology. This growth is being driven on account of the faster rising prevalence of diabetes in low- and middle-income nations than in high-income countries. Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke, and amputation of lower limbs.



Market Segmentation:

By Application

Diabetes Patients

Critical Patients

By End-User Industry

Hospitals

Diagnostic Centers & Clinics

Home Care

By Geography

North America

United States

Canada

Mexico

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Others

Europe

UK

Germany

France

Spain

Others

The Middle East and Africa

and Saudi Arabia

UAE

Israel

Others

Asia Pacific

Japan

China

India

South Korea

Taiwan

Indonesia

Thailand

Others

Key Topics Covered:



1. INTRODUCTION



2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY



3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



4. MARKET DYNAMICS



5. CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITORING (CGM) MARKET BY APPLICATION



6. CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITORING (CGM) MARKET BY END-USER INDUSTRY



7. CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITORING (CGM) MARKET BY GEOGRAPHY



8. COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT AND ANALYSIS



9. COMPANY PROFILES



Companies Mentioned

Dexcom Inc

Abbott Laboratories

Medtronics Pvt. Ltd

GlySens

Medtrum Technologies Inc.

Tandem Diabetes Care

Sensonics

A. Menarini Diagnostics s.r.l

Roche Diagnostics

Ypsomed AG

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/i8cooh

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Hunters Point Founder prevails on all points over Chicago billionaire Sam Zell's MHC Cortez Village, owner of Loggerhead Village Cortez Marina

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Marshall Gobuty, president of Cortez Road Investments & Finance (CRIF) and founder of Pearl Homes, the developer of Hunters Point, the first-ever NET Zero certified & LEED Platinum community of sustainable homes, has prevailed over MHC Cortez Village (MHC) in Cortez Road's quest for a permit to build docks for its Hunters Point canal-side homes.

The ruling by Administrative Judge J. Bruce Culpepper ( LINK TO PDF ) struck down all the points raised by MHC in its petition to have dock permits revoked and recommended that a permit for the 49 Hunters Point docks should be issued by Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) with no modifications. He noted that MHC failed to meet its burden of proof that the proposed dock is contrary to public interest or that the docks negatively impact navigation safety.

Hunters Point Founder prevails on all points over Chicago billionaire Sam Zell's MHC Cortez Village Tweet this

Judge Culpepper's recommendation also stated that the addition of navigational aids by CRIF may actually improve navigational safety on the canal. The court recommendation will be forwarded to SWFWMD, which will issue a final order to proceed following a short period to file exceptions and responses.

MHC Cortez Village, owned by Chicago billionaire Sam Zell's firm Equity Lifestyle Properties, had filed the petition with the court in May 2021. The petition caused a two-year delay in the construction of homes along the canal, which is adjacent to Hunters Point.

"It took two years of a David and Goliath fight, but we won and we're improving safety on the canal for boaters as well as our precious manatees," said Marshall Gobuty, president of CRIF and Pearl Homes. "This was a significant victory and Hunters Point will now address all the issues surrounding the two-year delay and see how we can move forward."

Attorney for CRIF, Susan Martin of the Nason Yeager firm, praised the SWFWMD permit review process, which fully considered all issues in the permitting process, and SWFWMD counsel. She also said "We appreciate Judge Culpepper's recommendation that the permit be issued with no modifications, and for determining that there will not be a hazard to navigation as claimed by MHC. MHC tried to shut down the most advanced sustainable community in the U.S. We knew from the outset that we were in the right and that their arguments had no credible support."

About Pearl Homes

Pearl Homes, developers of Hunters Point, is a Florida-based homebuilder and real estate developer with sustainable and workforce housing projects underway in the Sarasota-Bradenton area and other locations throughout Southwest Florida

Founded in 2015 by Marshall Gobuty, Pearl Homes focuses on building single-family and multi-family communities that meet at the intersection of affordability and sustainability. Pearl Homes communities are a step towards solving our nation's livability crisis by working closely with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Department of Energy (DOE).

In 2019 Pearl Homes founder, Marshall Gobuty was named the recipient of the USGBC's Visionary Award for his pioneering work to bring LEED Platinum focused design and construction to the residential housing market.

SOURCE Pearl Homes
The grand opening marks the first of six trucks coming to the DMV in the next 12 months.

RICHMOND, Va., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cousins Maine Lobster, leading food truck concept and provider of the tastiest Maine lobster rolls across the country, announces their upcoming grand opening on Saturday, March 11, 2023.

Cousins Maine Lobster Virginia will be led by brothers Yunus and Thameem Shahul. Yunus Shahul joined the Cousins Maine Lobster Franchise Family when he launched his first food truck in Connecticut in September 2018. Six months later, Shahul added a second truck dedicated to New York City. For expansion into the DMV market, Yunus will partner with his brother, Thameem. The brothers have worked together for the last four years as Yunus grew his operations in New York and southern New England. Yunus currently owns and operates five trucks across his territories. "We are committed to investing in the DMV with the goal of building the same strong customer base that we have in our established markets," Yunus explained. The Virginia truck started service at the end of January and has steadily been building a loyal following as it travels to various locations across the state.

Cousins Maine Lobster operates fifty trucks in twenty states and maintains a tight-knit group of franchisees. "Our growth has been measured and strategic," explained Jim Tselikis, Cousins Maine Lobster co-founder, who will attend the Grand Opening celebration on Saturday. "Not only has Yunus grown with Cousins Maine Lobster, but Cousins Maine Lobster has grown with Yunus. We truly believe that our strength is in our franchisees and we are thrilled to move into Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. with the Shahul brothers at the helm."

Cousins Maine Lobster  Virginia Grand Opening

Saturday, March 11, 2023

1:00  9:00 PM

Vasen Brewing Company

3331 W Moore St.

Richmond, VA 23230

FMI: https://www.facebook.com/CMLVirginia

About Cousins Maine Lobster

Founded in 2012 by real-life cousins and Mainers, Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac, Cousins Maine Lobster began with a food truck and a shared vision to extend the highest-quality Maine lobster to the lobster-starved masses by making it affordable and accessible. After appearing on Shark Tank a few months later, Jim & Sabin partnered with Barbara Corcoran and began franchising, partnering with local entrepreneurs to bring Maine lobster to over 40 cities nationwide. For more information on Cousins Maine Lobster franchise opportunities, visit https://www.cousinsmainelobster.com/franchise/ or call 207-387-2707.

Annie Tselikis

Cousins Maine Lobster

[email protected]

SOURCE Cousins Maine Lobster
PHILADELPHIA, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Day & Zimmermann (D&Z), the century-old, family owned provider of construction and maintenance, engineering, staffing, and defense solutions for leading corporations and governments around the world, announced today that Joe Ritzel will be retiring from Day & Zimmermann effective April 1. Mr. Ritzel's retirement comes after 40 years with the company, having served as only the second Chief Financial Officer at Day & Zimmermann in more than 50 years.

Mr. Ritzel joined Day & Zimmermann in March of 1983 as controller for a Systems Engineering subsidiary (SEACOR) after leaving Touche Ross & Co (now Deloitte). In 1991, he was promoted to vice president and corporate controller for Day & Zimmermann, moving into the role of vice president and treasurer in 1994. Three years later he was named vice president and group controller for the company's Government Systems Group and then senior vice president and group controller for Day & Zimmermann's Mason & Hanger Division, prior to assuming his current role in 2001.

As CFO, Mr. Ritzel worked to continuously improve the company's financial policies and processes, including leading many important technology improvements over the years. He was instrumental in the growth of the company through joint-venture, merger and acquisition structuring and negotiations. He also built a culture of inclusion and innovation among the company-wide Finance team. In addition to his service to the company, Mr. Ritzel has been a tireless advocate for those with disabilities and retires as the Executive Sponsor of the Abled and DisAbled Advocates Partnering Together (ADAPT) Employee Resource Group as well as working with three non-profit boards: Pride Ventures, Special Olympics New Jersey, and the Kingsway Learning Center.

Kathleen King, Vice President, Corporate Development, will succeed Mr. Ritzel, effective April 1. The company wishes to thank Joe for his many years of service and commitment to D&Z and wishes him well.

ABOUT DAY & ZIMMERMANN

When you've been around for more than a century, you know a thing or two. At Day & Zimmermann, we take our lifetime of experience and make things better. Our 51,000+ employees help bring big ideas to life every day. We're pushing the boundaries of innovation in construction & engineering, operations & maintenance, staffing, and security & defense. And that's not all. Did we mention that we have 150+ worldwide locations with $2.7 billion USD in annual revenue? We put people to work, we protect American freedoms, and we help our customers power and improve the world. We do what we say. http://www.dayzim.com

Press Contact:

Katie Miller

Braithwaite Communications

(215) 564-3200 x114

[email protected]

SOURCE Day & Zimmermann
DUBLIN, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Debt Collection (European) - Industry Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Debt Collection (European) Analysis provides a detailed overview of the Debt Collection (European) market and delivers a comprehensive individual analysis on the top 240 companies, including Accountor Credit As, Argus Kreditt As and Axactor Capital As.



This report covers areas such as debt, finance, collection, collect, repayment and includes a wealth of information on the financial trends over the past four years.



The publisher's latest Debt Collection (European) analysis is ideal for anyone wanting to:

See the market leaders

Identify companies heading for failure

Seek out the most attractive acquisition

Analyse industry trends

Benchmark their own financial performance

Using the publisher's exclusive methodology, a quick glance of this Debt Collection (European) report will tell you that 36 companies have a declining financial rating, while 51 have shown good sales growth.



Each of the largest 240 companies is meticulously scrutinised in an individual assessment and analysed using the most up-to-date and current financial data.



Every business is examined on the following features:

The Publisher's Chart: A graphical assessment of a company's financial performance

Four year assessment of the profit/loss and balance sheet

A written summary highlighting key performance issues

Subsequently, you will receive a thorough 100-page market analysis highlighting the latest changes in the Debt Collection (European) market.



This section includes:

Best Trading Partners

Sales Growth Analysis

Profit Analysis

Market Size

Rankings

The publisher provides busy managers with a set of tools to monitor the financial welfare of their company, their rivals, or those they wish to acquire. The reports are used to assess the attractiveness of potential acquisitions, gain better understanding of a market and identify sound companies with whom to trade.





Key Topics Covered:



The Debt Collection (European) analysis is the most definitive and accurate study of the Debt Collection (European) sector in 2021.



The report is split into two sections and uses both a written and graphical analysis - analysing the 240 largest Debt Collection (European) companies.



The Debt Collection (European) report contains the most-up-to-date financial data and the publisher applies these figures to create their unique and authoritative analysis.



Indeed, the first section thoroughly scrutinises the market and this section includes the following:

Best Trading Partners: These are companies that are winning in both sales and financial strength - for example Kruk ESPANA Sl. has been ranked as a best trading partner in the industry.

Sales Growth Analysis: This section reviews the fastest growing and fastest shrinking company - for example FINANS2 As is among the fastest growing.

Profit Analysis - Analysis of gross profit and pre-tax profit over the last ten years and a profitability summary comparing profits in the industry against small, medium and large companies.

Market Size: Based on the largest 240 companies, this is a comparison between last year's market size and the most current figure.

Rankings: The top 50 companies ranked by: Market Share, Sales Growth, Gross Profit and Pre-tax Profit.

The next section focuses on company analysis and provides an in-depth analysis of the largest companies within the Debt Collection (European) industry.



Each business is analysed using the publisher's unequivocal model and culminates in the production of The Publisher's Chart. The Publisher's Model uses a series of charts to graphically analyse an individual company and measure its ability to achieve sales growth while maintaining financial strength.



The Publisher's Chart is a quick and dependable method of analysing a company's financial well-being. It's simple to understand: a rising line is good news and a falling line is bad news.



Therefore, this company analysis will tell you if a company is:

Strong or heading for failure

Utilising their investments

Becoming burdened by debt

Getting the most from their resources

The Debt Collection (European) analysis also provides you with full business name and address, name and ages of directors and registration address.



A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

Accountor Credit AS

Argus Kreditt AS

Axactor Capital AS

Subject to change on a month-by-month basis.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8vp8ow

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
ALLENTOWN, Pa., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Going to school when the student's parents are incarcerated can be challenging. That is why Dr. John Manzella decided to establish a scholarship grant for students who have incarcerated parents. The scholarship grant, named after Dr. John Manzella and the Dr. John Manzella Scholarship for Second Opportunities, is open for students residing in the United States with incarcerated parents or guardians. To submit an application, applicants must send in their full name, location, contact details like their phone number and email address, high school background, where the applicant is currently studying, biography, and GPA. Along with this information comes an essay answering a question that can be seen through the scholarship website of Dr. John Manzella.

The Dr. John Manzella Scholarship was established to assist deserving students who are the children of incarcerated parents with educational costs. The scholarship is awarded to the children of incarcerated parents attending a full-time accredited college or university. The scholarship may be used for tuition, books, fees, room and board, and other educational expenses incurred during the recipient's academic year. With Dr. Manzella's experience, he knows how hard it is to earn a degree when the student's guardian or parents are in prison. Every qualified student is openly encouraged to submit their application. Nowadays, the tuition fee is rising, and Dr. Manzella aims to help every student through his scholarship grant.

The man behind the scholarship grant, Dr. John Manzella, is a professional entrepreneur and physician. He studied Bachelor of Science with the degree in Biology at Marquette University. In 1995, he earned his doctorate at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Manzella went to the University of Rochville, and there he got his Ph.D. in Health Care Management. In 2009, he established a start-up business called Housecalls.com. Currently, Dr. Manzella serves as their Medical Director and Practice Manager.

Applicants who want to know more about the grant may visit the scholarship webpage of Dr. John Manzella. Interested students and collaborators for the scholarship can also submit their inquiries by filling in the box on the webpage's contact page. He'll be happy to answer every question and request. Dr. Manzella wishes everyone the best of luck and extends his gratitude to everyone who will participate in his grant.

SOURCE Dr. John Manzella Scholarship
250-MW plant now online in Navarro County, Texas

Three companies purchased output under 15-year VPPAs

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions (DESS), a nonregulated commercial brand of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), is now operating its largest solar power plant ever  the 250-megawatt (MW) Pisgah Ridge Solar project in Navarro County, Texas.

"We're excited to continue to grow our Texas solar portfolio," said Chris Fallon, president of Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions. "This project demonstrates how we can continue to expand our renewable energy resources while providing unique sustainability solutions for commercial customers."

Charles River Laboratories International Inc., a leading provider of critical research tools and integrated support services that enable innovative and efficient drug discovery and development, has a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) for 102 MW of the project over the next 15 years.

This commitment will address the entirety of the company's North American electric power load with clean, renewable energy by 2023.

"Charles River has committed to sourcing 100% of our global electricity needs through renewable sources by 2030," said Gregg Belardo, executive director of EHS & sustainability at Charles River. "Our VPPA with DESS provides coverage for our North American facilities and moves us significantly closer to that global goal. We are proud to partner with Duke Energy and are excited that Pisgah Ridge is now online."

Midwest retailer Meijer signed a separate 15-year VPPA agreement for 83 MW of solar energy generated by the Pisgah Ridge Solar project. One other company has a third 15-year VPPA agreement. Together, the three agreements account for more than 90% of the facility's output.

All three VPPAs associated with the site will settle on an as-generated basis tied to the project's real-time energy output.

"Lessening our impact on the environment through a continued commitment in reducing carbon emissions is an issue that is important to us and our customers," said Erik Petrovskis, director of environmental compliance and sustainability at Meijer. "We've made significant progress over the years, but this project with Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions puts us on the right path to making an even bigger impact."

The engineering and construction for the project was performed by Moss, while Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions will own and operate the project.

Currently, the company operates nearly 1,500 MW of wind, 750 MW of solar and a 36-MW battery storage facility in Texas.

The project employed around 300 workers at peak construction. Along with indirect economic benefits that accompany solar project development, such as increased local spending in the service and construction industries, the Pisgah Ridge Solar facility will also have a positive economic impact on the local community by providing significant tax revenues for the Corsicana Independent School District.

Helping the Community

The Duke Energy Foundation has given the city of Richland, Texas, in Navarro County, a $50,000 DESS grant to support the revitalization of Richland Community Park. The grant was used to replace existing playground equipment with a new playscape and park benches and enhance landscaping around the new equipment.

The Foundation also awarded two grants to the Richland Volunteer Fire Department totaling $37,000 to help the department maintain the critical safety services it provides to local businesses and residents in Richland, Texas, and surrounding Navarro County.

Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions

Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions is a leader in sustainable energy, helping large enterprises reduce power costs, lower emissions and increase resiliency. The team provides wind, solar, resilient backup power and managed energy services to over 1,000 projects across the U.S., with a total electric capacity of more than 5,100 megawatts of nonregulated renewable energy.

Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions is a nonregulated commercial brand of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company and one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S., headquartered in Charlotte, N.C.

The brand includes the following subsidiaries of Duke Energy Corporation that are registered to transact business in various states and may be branded as Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions for marketing purposes: Duke Energy One, Inc.; Duke Energy Commercial Enterprises, Inc.; Duke Energy Renewables, Inc.; Duke Energy Renewables Commercial, LLC; Duke Energy Renewable Services, LLC.; Duke Energy Renewables Storage, LLC; Duke Energy Renewables Wind, LLC.; Duke Energy Renewables Solar, LLC.; and REC Solar Commercial Corporation.

Contact: Randy Wheeless

24-Hour: 800.559.3853

Twitter: @DE_RandyW

SOURCE Duke Energy
AUSTIN, Texas, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DuraStat LLC, a medical device company innovating in the area of surgical tissue closure, has been awarded a Breakthrough Technology group purchasing agreement with Premier, Inc. Effective March 15th the new agreement allows Premier members, at their discretion, to take advantage of special pricing and terms pre-negotiated by Premier for DuraStat.

"We greatly appreciate Premier's focus on expediting and broadening access to Breakthrough Technologies. As a transformative solution, both for patient outcomes and provider economics, DuraStat is a natural fit for the Breakthrough Technology program, and we are honored by the recognition. We believe DuraStat will ultimately be available at every spine care facility as the gold standard for dural repair  the new agreement with Premier will help shorten the timeframe to realize this inevitability," said Adam Azzara, DuraStat CEO.

DuraStat is a dural repair technology used to help prevent persistent cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks following incidental durotomies (dural tears), one of the most common complications of spine surgery. Also a procedure-enabling technology, surgeons utilize DuraStat in cases where planned openings of the dura are required, such as for intradural tumor resection, tethered cord and transsphenoidal approaches. The technology eliminates the wrist rotation associated with suturing to enhance closure precision, reduce tissue trauma, and save time. DuraStat is currently utilized at spine and neurosurgical treatment facilities across 48 U.S. States and the District of Columbia.

Premier, Inc. is a leading healthcare improvement company, uniting an alliance of more than 4,400 U.S. hospitals and health systems and approximately 250,000 other providers and organizations to transform healthcare. With integrated data and analytics, collaboratives, supply chain solutions, and consulting and other services, Premier enables better care and outcomes at a lower cost.

About DuraStat LLC

DuraStat LLC is a medical device company with a unique approach to precision suturing, enabling fast, atraumatic tissue approximation by eliminating wrist rotation. DuraStat was invented by Greg Anderson, MD and Mark Kurd, MD (Thomas Jefferson University and Rothman Institute) and developed for global scalability with Kevin Foley, MD (Semmes-Murphey) and Alex Lukianov (Founder and past chairman & CEO of NuVasive).

For additional information on DuraStat, please visit www.durastat.com.

Contact Information

[email protected]

SOURCE DuraStat
HOUSTON, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gimmal, the market's only end-to-end information governance platform, announced its partnership with leading data discovery and review platform, CloudNine. Together, CloudNine and Gimmal deliver a streamlined, holistic solution covering the entire EDRM model.

Customers can leverage the combined solution to:

Reach content in more data repositories, including employee workstations

Make faster, more informed, and relevant decisions

Protect and manage their sensitive data, and ensure compliance

CloudNine provides the eDiscovery industry standard for self-service processing, analysis, review, and production for traditional data sources, as well as a complete, modern data discovery platform for law firms and corporations of all sizes.

"CloudNine is focused on providing eDiscovery flexibility and performance for both traditional and modern data. Our software is designed to optimize efficiency across the EDRM, from collection, early case assessment, and analysis, through to review and production," said Georges Sabongui, CEO at CloudNine. "We're excited to partner with Gimmal to enhance our capabilities in market."

With more than 20 years of experience providing information governance software and services, Gimmal's Discover solution provides cost-effective data search and collections of desktop, file shares, Office365, and many cloud data sources at scale for in-office and remote-working enterprises and government agencies.

"Gimmal has an exceptional history of delivering enterprise grade software solutions to help customers successfully navigate a rapidly-evolving legal and regulatory landscape," said Dean Gonsowski, CRO at Gimmal. "Partnering with CloudNine extends our ability to move to the far right-hand side of the EDRM model, allowing customers to benefit from two best-of-breed solutions."

Both industry leaders will be in New York, NY, for this year's Legalweek from March 20-23, 2023, where they will be hosting product demonstrations to highlight the new partnership.

About Gimmal

Gimmal is information governance, simplified. As the market's only end-to-end information governance software platform, Gimmal helps enterprises and government agencies tackle their most complex, mission-critical information governance challenges at scale across the full information lifecycle. From information classification to migration, and data discovery to remediation, learn more about Gimmal's comprehensive information governance solutions at www.gimmal.com.

About CloudNine

CloudNine empowers legal, information technology, and business professionals with on-premise and SaaS eDiscovery automation software and professional services that simplify litigation, investigations, and audits for law firms and corporations. Learn more about CloudNine at www.cloudnine.com.

SOURCE Gimmal, LLC
South African Ambassador to Liberia, Professor Iqbal Jhazbhay has called on Liberian youths to take advantage of the many opportunities being created by ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML) to empower themselves educationally and economically, as the company progresses with its Phase II expansion project and the construction of a concentrator which requiring various technical skills.

Visiting the AMLYekepa concession recently, Ambassador Jhazbhay said he was impressed curriculum and scope of the ArcelorMittal Liberia Training Academy, which is giving skills to young people in vocational areas associated with mining. AMLTA has four vocational areas of concentration wherein trainees can specialize during the three-year period. Areas of specialization include Diesel Mechanics, Boilermaking, Machining,Electricity/Electronics, and Fitting. The South African diplomat observed that setting up thevocational training center serves as a "solid" example to help train Liberians to contribute to their country, society, and their livelihoods. Ambassador Jhazbhay said he sees Liberia as a center for mining in West Africa, with enormous mineral resources that should encourage young people to specialize in various areas of mining. "When Liberian students specialize in mining to develop the resources here, it can also put Liberia on the development par in the way it has never been before," said Ambassador Jhazbhay. With a longstanding mining history, South Africa has some of its citizens working with ArcelorMittal in Liberia. Besides the expertise they bring to AML, Liberia and South Africa also have a longstanding diplomatic relationship. Ambassador Jhazbhayrecalled that in 1962, President William V.S. Tubman hosted former South African President and liberation leader, Nelson Mandela and other South Africans and gave them a lot of support. He said President William Tubman strongly supported the liberation struggle in South Africa, and Liberia hosted a lot of its leaders and lecturers who taught at the University of Liberia. Ambassador Jhazbhay commended South Africannationals for the work they are doing at AML saying, "My message to you is to continue on the same trajectory. And of course, South Africans should make time available to share their expertise and skills with resilience and patience; it's time to give back to Liberia." At the AMLTA facility, the Manager, Dawie Loots took the Ambassador and his delegation on a tour of the facility and explained the processes leading to the training and recruitment of trainees. In his explanation, Loots indicated that establishing a training program requires analyzing the kind of business that the training will support, identifying the skills and attitudes, and profiling the supervisors and the skills. He stressed that the training, being practical andtechnical requires management to conduct a rigorous assessment of candidates, thereby bringing onboard the most prepared group of applicants into the Academy. Loots also told the Ambassador that AMLTA motivates the trainees by giving them free accommodation, daily meals, and a monthly stipend. To succeed in implementing the training, the AMLTA Manager said he usually acquaints his co-workers with the goal and objectives of the institution, and they as an institution evaluate their activities periodically to determine their progress and shortcoming. Meanwhile, the South African Ambassador said as Liberia celebrates 20 years of peace, South Africa, learning from her past mistakes, should also help sustain Liberia's peace to develop a brighter economic future for the youths, while they avoid mistakes of the past. To pursue this goal, the Ambassador indicated that South Africa has begun the process of developing scholarship and student exchange programs between the II countries. The visit took Ambassador Jhazbhay and his entourage to the newly opened Yuelliton mines after touring the facilities of AMLTA. At the mines, Edgar Nunes, Infrastructure Manager, guided the Ambassador and entourage, showing them the site where the concentrator is being built, the YuellitonPit, and other mining infrastructures.
DUBAI, UAE, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EMURGO Africa , an Africa-focused entity of EMURGO Middle East & Africa ("EMURGO MEA"), and Kepple Africa Ventures Inc. ("Kepple"), a pan-African venture capital firm, today announced the establishment of a business joint venture EMURGO Kepple Ventures to further accelerate its strategic partnership investing in African Web3 businesses.

EMURGO Kepple Ventures

EMURGO Africa and Kepple signed an MoU in September 2022 to jointly spearhead Web3 investment opportunities including token investments in Africa. Despite recent challenges such as the crypto winter and regulatory setbacks, EMURGO Kepple Ventures believes there is a long-term fundamental need for blockchain-based solutions in Africa.

While there has been wide adoption of cryptocurrencies, active trading at various crypto exchanges, and growing money transfer services through stablecoins, startups are now creating diverse real use cases from Africa using blockchain technology and smart contracts.

For example, land title registry has not been properly functioning under the existing centralized system in many African countries. This has been a significant bottleneck in the growth of the real estate and property markets. To solve this issue, Web3 startups are creating decentralized registry systems to ensure transparent and immutable transactions. Another Web3 use case is crop insurance for farmers. Under the current insurance system, trigger events such as flooding or droughts have to be certified manually, causing errors and delays to cover insurance claims. Using smart contracts combined with satellite, climate, and ecological data, payouts to farmers can now be automated based on predetermined parameters.

The mission of EMURGO Kepple Ventures is to create a better world by empowering businesses and people with a more transparent and efficient system backed by products and services leveraging blockchain-based Web3 technologies. EMURGO Kepple Ventures aims to accelerate this transformation by creating more collaboration and synergies between Web2 and Web3 startups, and by catalyzing the capital flow from conventional businesses and financial institutions to Web3 startups in Africa.

EMURGO Kepple Ventures will be led by current EMURGO MEA co-CEO Yosuke Yoshida who will serve as CEO. Yoshida is the former CEO of EMURGO Japan, where EMURGO was first established, and brings nearly 20 years of professional experience in M&A and cross-border trading as the manager of Japan's largest investment company in the power sector, having led multiple international and government projects in Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Aoi Narita will serve as Director and is a venture capitalist with experience engaging with African startups for two years. Before EMURGO Kepple Ventures, she was an analyst at Accenture in charge of the implementation of the ERP system.

About EMURGO Africa

EMURGO Africa invests and partners with Africa-focused enterprises, startups, and accelerators to foster the development of socially impactful solutions on Cardano's third-generation and environmentally-sustainable blockchain. To connect and learn more, visit https://emurgo.africa

About Kepple Africa Ventures, Inc.

Established in October 2018, Kepple Africa Ventures is a venture capital firm with operations in Kenya and Nigeria, investing in startups with the mission of "Creating New Industries from Africa." Currently, Kepple Africa Ventures has completed investments in 103 companies in 11 countries, supporting the growth of local startups and creating a framework for collaboration with Japanese companies in Africa. For more information, please visit https://kepple-africa-ventures.com

For more information:

Aoi Narita

Director

[email protected]

+65 6978 5823

SOURCE EMURGO Africa
At Liberty Health Care Center in Liberty, Texas

LIBERTY, Texas, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Services Management (HSM) announced today that Evelyn Burrell, an extraordinary Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Scheduling Coordinator, will celebrate 53 years of purposeful service at their Liberty Health Care Center nursing community.

Evelyn Burrell Celebrates 53 Years of Service at Liberty Health Care Center

Throughout her five decades of service, Evelyn has played an integral role in providing compassionate and skilled care to countless residents. As a CNA, she has worked tirelessly to ensure residents receive the highest quality of care, taking the time to listen to their concerns and needs and providing support and encouragement whenever needed. In addition to her role as a CNA, Evelyn has also served as the Scheduling Coordinator at Liberty Health Care Center. In this capacity, she has been responsible for managing the schedules of the nursing staff, ensuring that all shifts are adequately staffed and that patient care is never compromised.

"As she celebrates her 53rd work anniversary, Evelyn serves as a testament to the importance of hard work, dedication, and commitment in the healthcare profession," stated Jim Shatz, CEO of Health Services Management. "We are incredibly grateful for her years of service," added Josh White, COO of HSM.

About Liberty Health Care Center

Liberty Health Care Center is a 120-bed, Medicare and Medicaid certified facility offering skilled nursing, short-term rehabilitation located in Liberty, Texas. In August of last year Liberty Health Care Center was named Business of the Month by the Dayton Texas Chamber of Commerce. https://daytontxchamber.com/businessofthemonth

About Health Services Management

Health Services Management. HSM, has extensive experience and a proven track record as an operator, manager, and owner of skilled nursing and long-term care communities. Since 2000, HSM has operated nineteen skilled nursing facilities, and two assisted living communities in Florida, Texas, Indiana, and Tennessee. The Health Services Management network proudly employs more than 2,000 individuals and has developed multiple long-lasting strategic partnerships in each of the communities that it serves. The management team continuously seeks out and evaluates facilities for acquisition to provide continued company growth. For more information: https://www.HSMgroup.org

Media Contact: Laurie Stogniew

Bayshore Marketing Group

[email protected]

727-316-5578

SOURCE Liberty Health Care Center
Solution Spotlight to Showcase Payment Dispute SaaS

HOUSTON, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FINBOA Inc., a leading innovator in intelligent process automation software for financial institutions, will present their innovative Payment Dispute solution at Fintech Meetup's Solution Spotlight on March 20, 2023 in Las Vegas. Raj Singal, CEO and founder of FINBOA will take the stage to discuss the company's Payment Dispute software, highlighting the business case outcomes achieved by a $4B financial institution currently using the FINBOA solution. All Fintech Meetup attendees are invited to attend.

Trusted by over 150 banks and credit unions nationwide, FINBOA Payment Dispute software reduces dispute processing time by up to 90 percent and claim related write-offs by an average of 25%, while improving regulatory compliance and customer experience. FINBOA was named as a finalist in the 2022 Fintech Banking Tech's Tech of the Future award and ranked #11 on the Houston Business Journal's 2022 Top 100 List. FINBOA's industry-recognized SaaS products digitize and modernize inefficient manual processes or systems commonly used to manage regulatory compliance processing for Payment Disputes, Exception Management, and Onboarding for Treasury and Loan clients.

To explore FINBOA's portfolio of automation solutions, request a Fintech Meetup meeting with any FINBOA Team Member, or visit FINBOA exhibit #522 at the March event in Las Vegas.

About FINBOA

FINBOA provides intelligent automation SaaS to banks and credit unions to simplify and improve regulatory compliance processing by eliminating manual systems. Leveraging extensive industry experience and a commitment to exceptional customer service, FINBOA delivers transformative software solutions proven to enable institutional growth by reducing operational complexity, costs and risk. FINBOA is headquartered in Houston TX. Learn more at www.finboa.com or follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook and Twitter .

SOURCE FINBOA
GENEVA, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Firmenich, the world's largest privately owned perfume and taste company confirms that on March 7th, 2023, certain competition authorities commenced an industry wide investigation into the fragrances sector. As part thereof, unannounced inspections were carried out at its offices in France, Switzerland and the UK.

Unannounced inspections are a preliminary step in anti-trust investigations into suspected infringements of competition rules. This does not mean that the company has engaged in anti-competitive behavior nor does it prejudge the outcome of the investigation itself.

Firmenich is closely monitoring the situation and is fully cooperating with the investigators. The Company is unable to comment further at this stage.

About Firmenich

Firmenich, the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895, and has been family-owned for 128 years. Firmenich is a business-to-business company specialized in the research, creation, manufacture and sale of perfumes, flavors, and ingredients. Renowned for its excellent research, as well as its leadership in sustainability, Firmenich offers its customers innovation in formulation, a broad palette of ingredients, and proprietary technologies such as biotechnology. Firmenich delivered CHF 4.9 billion in sales for the calendar year ended 31 December 2022. More information about Firmenich is available at www.firmenich.com.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/798187/Firmenich_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Firmenich
Launch Panel at The Equality Lounge at SXSW with Leading Voices

Delivers Action-Based Metrics for Executive Leadership with Findings on Lawsuit Likelihood, Revenue Risk, and Retention

AUSTIN, Texas, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SXSW  The first annual [email protected] | Gender Report, a groundbreaking survey for inclusion practitioners, executive leadership, and board directors will be released by lead pollster Prisca and discussed at a March 12 panel hosted by The Female Quotient's Equality Lounge at SXSW in Austin, TX.

The Gender Report is part of a national survey that yielded seven annual reports (Gender, Latino, Black, Asian, Indigenous, Silicon Valley, Generations) being released throughout 2023. The first report on Black American Workers was released on January 30th.

The [email protected] survey and reports were introduced during the Davos World Economic Forum, at the UN Women hub (at the HCL Tech House) with the first-ever panel on the main or side stages of the World Economic Forum to include all five major ethnic groups of North America. Five executives shared their experiences as women during the pre-release of the [email protected] survey.

"Our Davos panel being first-ever shows the magnitude of the opportunity to find action-based metrics to make inclusivity not just a concept but part of operations"

Najoh Tita-Reid, Global Chief Marketing Officer, LOGITECH

The purpose of the study is to give inclusion champions the hard data needed for budgeting processes around diversity and inclusion. The new research offers quantitative data needed to provide the insights to meet new 2021 ISO 30415 requirements. Each annual report has different data sets, regressions, and action-based metrics for executive leadership.

"We need real metrics, not heartfelt conversations, to tackle workplace diversity"

Joan Williams, FORBES MAGAZINE

The research was conducted by pollsters Prisca, Momentive , and AAPI Data, organized by Dr. Karthick Ramakrishnan and Dr. Pelin Kesebir. Sponsors include lead sponsor APCO Worldwide, and associate sponsors Novartis, Ascend, Multicultural Media & Correspondents Association (MMCA), Urban League, MCCA, and PowerToFly.

[email protected] | Gender Report

In large numbers, women and men are noticing their companies are not prioritizing gender equality. The survey found Women of Color feel the most unseen and unincluded. Of any group, women value ERG, BRG, and DEI programs the most, to such a degree it surprised researchers. Men of Color, White Women, and White Men also reveal how they feel unincluded at work, but in ways and frequencies, different and divergent from stereotypes and running hypotheses. A major takeaway was that seeing the challenges of gender did not equal seeing the challenges of being of color. Similar experiences of being in the minority did not by default mean if you saw one, you saw the other  what researchers call the Blindspots Paradox. The data also showed that valuing diversity is different than seeing it. (This report looks at women and men but will expand to include nonbinary in subsequent years.)

"The collective minority is greater than the majority.

It's time we created a new equitable playbook designed by conscious leaders for everyone."

Shelley Zalis, THE FEMALE QUOTIENT

TOUGH QUESTIONS CEOS WANT TO ASK

Lead pollster, Prisca, benchmarked other major, national surveys on inclusion and spoke to hundreds of Fortune 500 C-Suite executives and chief diversity leaders globally. Prisca's review found few studies asked the tough questions C-Suites want to, but are sometimes afraid to ask. This independent, third-party investigation provides industry first-party questions at an arm's length, reducing risk concerns, and allowing organizational inclusion strategies to evolve individually as they stretch towards transparency.

"Diversity and Inclusion is not a fad. We need teachable, practical data and metrics that link transformative action to business imperatives for executive leadership"

Tracy Gee, Chief People Officer, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CORPORATE DIRECTORS (NACD)

Commonly such reports were authored from a single expertise  an academic, business, community, or research perspective  not together as with the [email protected] reports.

UNIQUE FINDINGS*

The following are some of the key findings from the newly released report on Gender:

Stronger Business

Only 26% of workers say gender equity is a company priority.

2/3 of women say leaders using inclusive language increases productivity by a third.

Half of men and women say racial issues cost their company ~7% in revenue

Almost 1 in 2 AAPI men report feeling disadvantaged at work because of their ethnicity.

Hiring, Retention, and Career Development

79% of Black Women say improving racial climate at work is like a 13% pay raise.

When a company has ERG, BRG, and/or D&I Programs, almost all women say they would stay longer (90%) compared to women at companies without such programs (60%).

Only 14% of women of color feel they have access to senior management.

17% of women consider filing a lawsuit because of treatment at work based on identity or background.

*Monetary values indicated are for contextual and comparisons of value, not representations of a price that is attached to inclusion.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Martine Charles, [email protected], direct: 206-295-9114

Jenny McIntosh, [email protected]com, direct: 480-202-7112

Prisca is a not-for-profit formed in 2017 (non-profit status in Spring 2023). It creates high production value content for narrative change campaigns. Its work is inclusive of underrepresented groups related to 11 categories: 50+ and Generations, Asian American Pacific Islander, Black / African American, Disabilities and Caregiving, Geographic Inclusion, Latino American, LGBTQ+, Military and Veteran Families, Native American, Religious Inclusion, and Women and Gender Equity.

AAPI Data is a nationally recognized publisher of demographic data and policy research on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, with hundreds of news mentions in national and local outlets. Our reputation is built on data and research that is accurate, compelling, and timely. In addition to our news impact, community organizations, government agencies, and decision-makers regularly reach out to us, to better understand key aspects of AAPI communities.

Momentive delivers intuitive, people-centric solutions that help industry leaders quickly and confidently make important decisions, take action, and achieve tangible results. Its AI-powered platform is built with a purposeful balance of humanity and technology, weaving together over 20 years of experience with data derived from billions of real questions and responses. Today, Momentive offers enterprise solutions for agile experience management and insights through its three product brands: Momentive, GetFeedback, and SurveyMonkey.

Richard Lui is a veteran journalist with more than 30 years in television, film, technology and business. He is a Senior Fellow at the think tank German Marshall Fund, DEI Research Fellow at PowerToFly, and former Research Fellow at the University of California. He has op-eds in USA Today, Politico, San Francisco Chronicle and others. Currently at NBC / MSNBC and previously with CNN Worldwide, he is the first Asian American man to anchor a daily national cable news program, and a team DuPont and Peabody winner. Lui directed the award-winning feature documentary Sky Blossom , about young family caregivers, and Hidden Wounds , a film on mental health. In addition to journalism, Richard's 15-year business career involves a fintech patent and launching six tech brands over three business cycles. Lui was a pro bono advisor on the [email protected] series through the Asian American Journalists Association.

Dr. Karthick Ramakrishnan is associate dean of the UC Riverside School of Public Policy, and professor of public policy and political science. He is also a Board Member of The California Endowment, Chair of the California Commission on APIA Affairs, and adjunct fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). He received his Ph.D. in politics from Princeton University. He directs the National Asian American Survey and is founder and director of AAPIData.com. He has provided consultation to public officials at the federal and local levels, and has written dozens of op-eds and appeared in over 1,000 news stories, many in major news outlets such as the New York Times, Economist, Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, PBS Newshour, MSNBC, CBS Evening News, and CNN.

Dr. Pelin Kesebir works as a scientist at the Center for Healthy Minds, specializing in the psychology of happiness. Studying various elements of happiness (e.g., a healthy mind, healthy relationships, a healthy sense of self), Dr. Kesebir aims to arrive at an integrated understanding of what happiness is and how it can be cultivated. Her research has particularly focused on character strengths and virtues (e.g., humility, resilience, optimism) and their relation to well-being. Dr. Kesebir is also an expert in existential psychology, having examined how inescapable realities of life, such as our mortality, impact our psychological dynamics and how we should approach these realities to live happy lives. Dr. Kesebir received her doctoral degree in Social Psychology and Personality Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009, and is originally from Istanbul, Turkey.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Martine Charles, [email protected], direct: 206-295-9114

Jenny McIntosh, [email protected], direct: 480-202-7112

SOURCE Prisca
First partial license obtained for Rock Tech's lithium conversion plant in Guben, Germany ;

Groundbreaking is planned for 27 March 2023 ;

Regional construction partner awarded first onsite works.

GUBEN, GERMANY, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Rock Tech Lithium Inc. (TSXV: RCK) (OTCQX: RCKTF) (FWB: RJIB) (WKN: A1XF0V) (the "Company" or "Rock Tech") has obtained the first partial license ("TG1") in accordance with the Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG) for its lithium hydroxide conversion plant in Guben, Germany (the "Guben Converter"). The official groundbreaking is planned for Monday, March 27th, 2023.

Rock Tech obtained first partial license for its lithium hydroxide conversion plant in Guben, Germany (CNW Group/Rock Tech Lithium Inc.)

The Licensing Authority South of the Brandenburg State Office for the Environment issued the first partial permit to Rock Tech's lithium conversion plant submitted in February 2022. The permit follows the project's Early Start Permissions received in December 2022 and January 2023. It secures first works onsite, which were recently awarded to a regional construction company.

The permit received allows complete construction for all non-process buildings and site infrastructure and approves the general plant layout and functions for the spodumene to lithium hydroxide conversion.

"It is a great day, and a remarkable milestone has been reached. We have already achieved an essential progress in securing critical planning and pre-agreements for long lead items, and the basic engineering is done. The Bankable Project study completed last year, and Front End Loading Study Level 3 is in its final stage and should be completed soon. We are strongly convinced that this first partial license supports and accelerates further progress in the realization of this first of its kind project in Europe," said Rock Tech's Chief Operating Officer Klaus Schmitz.

Rock Tech has already submitted all required permits. The Company submitted the second tranche ("Application for the 2nd Partial License for the Construction of the Production Plant and Commissioning of the Entire Plant") in November 2022 and is in close contact with the local authorities and involved third party experts in order to get this permit approval secured in due time.

Rock Tech's lithium converter is estimated to cost USD 683 million1 and is a strategic investment to meet Europe's growing demand for resilient supply of critical battery raw materials. It will allow the Company to process spodumene from any global source into battery-grade lithium hydroxide. Therefore, the conversion plant will be an important contributor to in a European battery value chain.

ABOUT ROCK TECH

Rock Tech is a cleantech company on a mission to produce lithium hydroxide for EV batteries. The Company plans to build lithium converters at the door-step of its customers, to guarantee supply-chain transparency and just-in-time delivery. To close the most pressing gap in the clean mobility story, Rock Tech has gathered one of the strongest teams in the industry. The Company has adopted strict ESG standards and is developing a proprietary refining process aimed at further increasing efficiency and sustainability. Rock Tech plans to source raw material from its own mineral project in Canada as well as procuring it from other responsibly producing mines. In the years to come, the Company expects to also source raw material from discarded batteries. Rock Tech's goal: to create a closed-loop lithium production system.

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.

CAUTIONARY NOTE CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

The following cautionary statements are in addition to all other cautionary statements and disclaimers contained elsewhere in, or referenced by, this press release.

Certain information set forth in this press release constitutes "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, which information is based on Rock Tech's current expectations, estimates, and assumptions in light of its experience and perception of historical trends. All statements other than statements of historical facts may constitute forward-looking information. Often, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words or phrases such as "estimate", "project", "anticipate", "expect", "intend", "believe", "hope", "may" and similar expressions, as well as "will", "shall" and all other indications of future tense. All forward-looking information set forth in this press release is expressly qualified in its entirety by the cautionary statements referred to in this section.

In particular, this press release contains forward-looking information pertaining to: expectations concerning the Guben Converter, including the design and features of the Guben Converter, as well as the expected costs, capital expenditures, timing and outcomes thereof; statements regarding the Company's future plans, estimates, and schedules relating to the Guben Converter, including the anticipated timing of future activities taken in support of the development thereof; Rock Tech's expectations regarding the FEL3 study including the related activities, findings and uses thereof; potential financing arrangements; the expected economic performance of the Guben Converter and anticipated production of battery-grade lithium hydroxide and related processing methods employed; the estimated capital and operating costs of the Guben Converter; the anticipated timing and outcomes of a final investment decision, construction activities and commissioning of the Guben Converter; statements regarding the Company's sustainability and ESG related goals and strategy, including the benefits and achievement thereof and future actions taken by the Company in relation thereto; expected regulatory processes and final outcomes, including in relation to the timing of TG-1 and TG-2 approvals; expectations regarding the electric vehicle industry, including the demand for and pricing of battery-grade lithium hydroxide and the benefits therefrom, and the development of political and regulatory frameworks especially in Germany and the European Union; Rock Tech's opinions, beliefs and expectations regarding the Company's business strategy, development and exploration opportunities and projects; and plans and objectives of management for the Company's operations and properties.

Forward-looking information is based on certain estimates, expectations, analysis and opinions that are believed by management of Rock Tech to be reasonable at the time they were made or in certain cases, on third party expert opinions. It should be noted that, in order to proceed with the planned investment of USD 683 million contained herein, Rock Tech will be required to raise additional funding and the availability of financing on satisfactory terms is not guaranteed. This forward-looking information was derived utilizing numerous assumptions regarding, among other things, the supply and demand for, deliveries of, and the level and volatility of prices of, intermediate and final lithium products, expected growth, performance and business operation, prospects and opportunities, general business and economic conditions, results of development and exploration, Rock Tech's ability to procure supplies and other equipment necessary for its business, including development and exploration activities, and timing related to government approvals. The foregoing list is not exhaustive of all assumptions which may have been used in developing the forward-looking information. While Rock Tech considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect. Forward-looking information should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results.

In addition, forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond Rock Tech's control, that may cause Rock Tech's actual events, results, performance and/or achievements to be materially different from that which is expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events, results, performance and/or achievements to vary materially include the risk that Rock Tech will not be able to meet its financial obligations as they fall due, delays in government approval for the construction of the Guben Converter, changes in commodity prices, Rock Tech's ability to retain and attract skilled staff and to secure feedstock from third party suppliers, unanticipated events and other difficulties related to construction, development and operation of converters and mines, the cost of compliance with current and future environmental and other laws and regulations, title defects, competition from existing and new competitors, changes in currency exchange rates and market prices of Rock Tech's securities, Rock Tech's history of losses, impacts of climate change and other risks and uncertainties discussed under the heading "Financial Instruments and Other Risks" in Rock Tech's most recently filed Management Discussion and Analysis, a copy of which is filed electronically through SEDAR and is available online at www.sedar.com. Such risks and uncertainties do not represent an exhaustive list of all risk factors that could cause actual events, results, performance and/or achievements to vary materially from the forward-looking information.

It can not be guaranteed that actual events, results, performance and/or achievements will be consistent with the forward-looking information and management's assumptions may prove to be incorrect. This forward-looking information reflects Rock Tech management's current views as at the date of this press release. Except as may be required by law, Rock Tech undertakes no obligation and expressly disclaims any responsibility, obligation or undertaking to update or to revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, to reflect any change in Rock Tech's expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such information is based.

The forward-looking information contained herein is presented for the purposes of assisting readers in understanding Rock Tech's plans, objectives and goals and is not appropriate for any other purposes.

_________________________________________________ 1 as disclosed and explained on 04 Nov 2022 within the release "Rock Tech Lithium completes Bankable Project Study for its Guben Converter Project"

SOURCE Rock Tech Lithium Inc.
Capital Accelerates the Chinese Pantry Cult Classic to Scale as a National Heritage Brand

LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fly by Jing , the first modern Chinese food brand that popularized chili crisp, has secured $12M in Series B funding to continue its explosive growth. Fly by Jing's existing investor Prelude Growth Partners funded the round alongside Pendulum . The capital positions the company for continued significant growth by propelling it into Kroger, Albertsons and other national grocery retailers, in addition to the existing 4,000+ doors the brand is already in, including Whole Foods Market, Wegmans, Target, and Costco.

Fly By Jing is the first premium Chinese food company that brings thoughtfully crafted pantry staples to the modern kitchen

In addition to being the first modern Chinese food brand on the market when it launched in 2018, Fly By Jing's hero product, Sichuan Chili Crisp , became one of the top-selling hot sauces on Amazon in the U.S. shortly after launch and has since become one of the fastest-growing condiments on the market, demonstrating the product's wide appeal and trajectory to become the new standard for hot sauce among American consumers.

"I'm so proud of the Fly By Jing team and how far we've come in four short years to transform the 'ethnic aisle' of the grocery store into a destination of bold, global flavors and innovation," said Jing Gao, Founder of Fly by Jing. "In the continued, unwavering support from the woman-led team at Prelude Growth Partners, combined with Pendulum's dedication to underrepresented founders of color, Fly by Jing has the kind of guidance and stewardship that will truly make it a household name. We look forward to partnering with our retailers to make our flavors accessible to even more people and to further our mission to evolve culture through taste."

As has been widely documented, women are massively under-represented when it comes to capital and fundraising, and the data is bleaker still for women of color. Fly by Jing's Series B is hence even more significant as it also deeply matters where founders of color accept capital from, and why. Fly by Jing's existing investor Prelude Growth Partners is a firm founded by two women, while Pendulum is an inclusive and strategic growth investing and advisory platform designed for founders of color. With this capital and guidance in her corner, Gao is now poised to make Fly by Jing a national heritage brand, moving past the startup stage while paving the way for other AAPI brands to follow suit. Continuing to build on that momentum, Fly by Jing has also made two executive level hires with new CFO/COO Matt Dunaj (formerly of Follow Your Heart) and Chief Commercial Officer Jason Parasco (formerly of Sovos/Raos) joining the team.

"We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Jing and her exceptional leadership team to build one of the most disruptive condiment brands in America," said Neda Daneshzadeh, Co-Founder of Prelude Growth Partners. "The brand has become a cult favorite by bringing authentic, bold flavors to the category and we are excited to further support investment in the company's retail expansion and product innovation strategy."

"Fly By Jing is redefining the condiment category with their popular and ever-expanding line of culturally inspired products," said Robbie Robinson, Co-Founder and CEO of Pendulum. "We're honored to invest in their vision, and believe they  like so many companies led by founders of color  are poised to grow formidable businesses, while remaining authentic to their brand."

About Fly by Jing:

Where highly charged flavors meet 100% real ingredients: Fly By Jing is the first premium Chinese food company that brings thoughtfully crafted pantry staples to the modern kitchen. Developed by Jing Gao, a chef, entrepreneur and renowned expert on Chinese cuisine, the Los Angeles-based company is on a mission to bring uncensored Chinese flavors to the table. Fly By Jing's hero product, Sichuan Chili Crisp, became the top-selling hot sauce on Amazon within six months on the platform, and its products can be found at Target and Whole Foods Market locations nationwide. The company has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Los Angeles Times, Fast Company, Forbes, and more. Learn more at flybyjing.com and at @flybyjing .

About Prelude Growth Partners:

Prelude Growth Partners, based in New York City, is a growth investor focused on providing capital and value-added support to fast-growing, high potential consumer brands with a passionate consumer base. Prelude focuses on building iconic consumer powerhouse brands through its world-class set of value-add strategic and operating resources and industry-specific network. Prelude invests across branded consumer categories including food & beverage, personal care & beauty, health & wellness, pet and other consumer categories. For additional information on Prelude Growth Partners, please visit www.preludegrowth.com .

About Pendulum:

Pendulum is a strategic investment and advisory platform. Founded in 2019 by D'Rita and Robbie Robinson, Pendulum reimagines how great companies and brands are builtand who gets to build them. Through its investment arm, Pendulum Opportunities, and strategic advising arm, Pendulum Partners, the firm seeks to accelerate opportunity and value creation for founders and leaders of color. Pendulum Opportunities invests in momentum building businesses meeting the evolving expectations of a values-driven consumer. For more information, visit http://pendulumholdings.com/.

Media Contact:

Emel Shaikh

949.232.9249

SOURCE Fly by Jing
As Art for Justice enters its final phase of grantmaking, "No Justice Without Love" displays a selection of artworks bringing together the depth and breadth of talents elevating the Fund's mission.

NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ford Foundation Gallery is pleased to present No Justice Without Love, an exhibition featuring the transformational work of artists, thought partners, and supporters who make up the Art for Justice Fund (A4J) community. The exhibition is an invitation to engage with the Fund's mission of bringing together artists, activists, and allied donors in the movement to end mass incarceration. By emphasizing the voices, experiences, and artistic practices of those most directly impacted by the nation's criminal justice system, No Justice Without Love aims to reflect collectively, and actively, on the possibilities of a future where safety is shared and available to all. No Justice Without Love opens on April 4 with a public opening from 6 to 8 p.m. featuring a special performance by artist/composer/musician Paul Rucker. The exhibition will be on view at Ford Foundation Gallery in New York through June 30, 2023.

Inaugurated in 2017 under the unprecedented philanthropic vision of Agnes Gund, A4J launched with $100M generated from the sale of Agnes' favorite painting, Roy Lichtenstein's Masterpiece. This spurred artists, collectors, and supporters to donate an additional $25M in support of the Fund's mission to advance policy reform, shift public narratives on criminal justice, and promote the leadership of formerly incarcerated people while centering art as a catalyst to propel change. Most recently, A4J's creative approach has inspired new opportunities in the art world and the larger reform movement, including initiatives such as the Mellon Foundation's Imagining Freedom, which will continue to accelerate the movement, investing in numerous mutual grantees and seeding new collaborations.

With the support of the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, A4J has leveraged its agility and momentum as a time-limited six-year fund to support 200+ outstanding artists and arts and advocacy organizations. By June 2023, A4J will have allocated over $125M to the field.

No Justice Without Love, guest curated by Daisy Desrosiers, will present work by artists, grantees, and allied donors including Benny Andrews, Halim Flowers, Faylita Hicks, Szu-Han Ho, James Yaya Hough, Maria Gaspar, Jesse Krimes, Julie Mehretu, Faith Ringgold, Cameron Rowland, Jared Owens, The People's Paper Co-op, Samora Pinderhughes, Sherrill Roland, jackie summel, Stanley Whitney among others, alongside activations by For Freedoms and Writing on the Wall.

Featured in the exhibition are formerly incarcerated and allied artists who by visualizing aspects of America's carceral statethrough and beyond the confines of prisons, jails, and detention centersunderscore current conditions and the urgency for social change. By charting the evolution of their practices, this exhibition presents the ways in which the artists create new aesthetics around humanity, resilience, and self-determination while elevating themes of redemption, rehabilitation, and transformation.

"No Justice Without Love speaks to the many ways art connects, heals, and binds us together. This exhibition is a testament to the power of art to make visible the injustices of mass incarceration," says A4J's philanthropist and founder Agnes Gund. "Through her curatorial vision, Daisy Desrosiers has captured the rich, expansive spirit of our community of artists and advocates by weaving together those in the movement who came before us, those who are with us now, and those who will continue to reimagine justice in the future."

The presentation will incorporate submissions by former and current grantees who have been invited to a Call and Response to express how A4Jand the remarkable community it supportshas affected their practice. The Call and Response hopes to capture the collective nature of advocacy, the dynamic community that has emerged as a result of the Fund, and the force of art as a catalyst for profound change.

"This exhibit is a thoughtful culmination of the powerful, impactful work that Agnes Gund and the Art for Justice Fund have brought to life in the past six years. At its heart, the work has always centered the dedicated artists, activists, and allies building a world without mass incarceration," says Ford Foundation president Darren Walker. "As we celebrate the Fund's ongoing legacy and momentum, we hope viewers will witness deeply the power of art and advocacy to create empathy, to question harmful narratives about incarceration, and to draw light to society's biggest inequalities."

No Justice Without Love articulates contemporary artists and those impacted by the criminal legal system as some of the greatest advocates for ending mass incarceration. The artists situate their vision at the intersection of radical imagination and tangible space. In this light, the exhibition is a celebration of A4J's investment in artists as advocates and a call to continue these investments to envision a more just and equitable society and world.

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' president & CEO Melissa Berman has served on the governing board of A4J since its launch. "As part of this exhibition, we want to recognize our community of A4J donors. Inspired by Agnes Gund's transformative gift, over 250 donorsincluding artists, art collectors, family foundations, corporate donors, and other individualsgave generously to expand A4J's impact," says Berman. "We at RPA are invigorated by the strong response from the philanthropic community to advance this work during A4J's lifespan and into the future."

ABOUT THE FORD FOUNDATION GALLERY

Opened in March 2019 at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice in New York City, the Ford Foundation Gallery aims to shine a light on artwork that wrestles with difficult questions, calls out injustice and points the way toward a fair and just future. Our hope is for this to be a responsive and adaptive space, one that serves the public in its openness to experimentation, contemplation and conversation. Located near the United Nations, the space is situated to draw visitors from around the worldand address questions that cross borders and speak to the universal struggle for human dignity.

The gallery is located inside the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice and is accessible to the public through the building entrance on 43rd Street, east of Second Avenue. Gallery events are open to the public, but registration is required.

ABOUT THE FORD FOUNDATION

The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Learn more at www.fordfoundation.org.

ABOUT ART FOR JUSTICE FUND

The Art for Justice (A4J) Fund aligns artists, advocates, and allied donors to transform the criminal legal system and create empathy, envisioning a future of what shared safety looks like for all. Through the work of grantees, the Fund seeks to end mass incarceration and shift the narrative around criminal justice reform through art. A project of the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Art for Justice is a time-limited fund that concentrates on three major policy areas: bail reform to reduce the number of people needlessly detained in jail; sentencing reform to eliminate the excessive and disproportionate punishment of young people and people of color; and the creation of meaningful reentry opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals to support themselves and their families. Now in its sixth and final year, A4J seeks to leave behind a lasting legacy, embodying a model wherein art becomes the very means by which justice is secured. By leveraging partnerships and impact, A4J elevates the power of art to end mass incarceration, inspiring future reform efforts while building a foundation for lasting change.

ABOUT ROCKEFELLER PHILANTHROPY ADVISORS

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) is one of the world's largest philanthropic advisory services and has facilitated over $3 billion of giving in 50+ countries. RPA's mission is to accelerate philanthropy in pursuit of a just world by making philanthropy more thoughtful, equitable, and effective. RPA is leading programmatic, grantmaking, and governance activities for the Art for Justice Fund, which is a fiscally sponsored project of RPA.

SOURCE Ford Foundation
TORONTO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Franco-Nevada Corporation ("Franco-Nevada" or the "Company") (TSX: FNV) (NYSE: FNV) has been advised by its partner First Quantum Minerals Ltd. ("First Quantum") of the following:

First Quantum's subsidiary, Minera Panama, S.A. (" MPSA "), has agreed and finalized the draft of a concession contract (the " Proposed Concession Contract ") with the Government of Panama for the Cobre Panama mine. The Proposed Concession Contract will have an initial 20-year term, with a 20-year extension option and additional extensions for the life of mine

"), has agreed and finalized the draft of a concession contract (the " ") with the Government of for the Cobre Panama mine. The Proposed Concession Contract will have an initial 20-year term, with a 20-year extension option and additional extensions for the life of mine The Proposed Concession Contract is subject to a 30-day public consultation process and approvals by the Panamanian Cabinet, Comptroller General of the Republic and the National Assembly

The Panama Maritime Authority has confirmed that it will issue a resolution today for MPSA to resume concentrate loading operations at the Punta Rincon port. Ore processing is expected to resume and restore the mine to full production levels over the next several days

For more detailed information, including certain key terms of the Proposed Concession Contract, please refer to First Quantum's press release dated March 8, 2023.

For more information, please go to our website at www.franco-nevada.com

Forward- Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, respectively, which may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Proposed Concession Contract and its terms, the Proposed Concession Contract being subject to a public consultation process and the necessary approvals thereof and the expected timing of commencement of concentrate loading operations and of full restoration of production at Cobre Panama. 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. Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

For additional information with respect to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, please refer to Franco-Nevada's most recent Annual Information Form filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities on www.sedar.com and Franco-Nevada's most recent Annual Report filed on Form 40-F filed with the SEC on www.sec.gov. The forward-looking statements herein are made as of the date of this press release only and Franco-Nevada does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE Franco-Nevada Corporation
Founder of the first-ever Generation Z marketing agency, Connor Blakley is back at the helm of Youth Logic with a strategy to disrupt how brands engage modern consumers

Youth Logic's distinctive approach to generational research, the creator economy, and deep experience in activating Gen Z culture is tailored to fit the speed of the internet.

NASHVILLE, Tenn., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Connor Blakley , the founder of the first-ever, full-service Gen Z innovation and marketing agency Youth Logic , today announced that he has reacquired the agency, which he started when he was 15 years old (and sold when he was 19). Since its original founding in 2015, Youth Logic's clients have included PepsiCo, Kraft-Heinz, T-Mobile, Viacom, Discord, McCormick, The NHL, and more. Connor has regained the reins of his company with a mandate to reframe the way brands, new and old, engage with youth culture.

Connor Blakley

Youth Logic was reacquired from The Campus Agency, which purchased Connor's company in 2018. "We're all aware of the important role content plays in the modern marketing landscape," said Connor Blakley, "but genuinely connecting with the youth is difficult if you're not privy to the most current cultural trends and consumer behavior. This is why so many campaigns get placed in the "dad joke" bucket by Gen Z."

Connor and the Youth Logic team heavily emphasize content production capabilities, leveraging deep personal relationships with well-known Gen Z talent and UGC (user-generated content) creators. As a full-service agency catering to the preferences of young modern consumers, Youth Logic offers a full-service suite of multidisciplinary creative execution capabilities that includes:

Actionable insights: Youth Logic revolutionizes research by conducting custom, qualitative assessments and data collection with tailored reports to help companies figure out what Gen Z means for their business.

Gen Z consulting: Youth Logic incorporates the creator economy to work directly with brands on cultural audits, strategic collaboration, consumer feedback, creative exploration, and brand invigoration.

Curated Culture CampCustomized and direct feedback from Gen Z experts



Youth Culture Playbook a proprietary methodology that gives each brand they work with insights into the current and future trends specific to their industry and goals.

a proprietary methodology that gives each brand they work with insights into the current and future trends specific to their industry and goals. Gen Z innovation: Youth Logic works cross-functionally with companies to revitalize dying brands and breathe life into new ones, from idea to finished product.

Execution: Multidisciplinary, full-service execution capabilities range from campaign management to design + branding and more. Content + execution are tailored to bring Y.L.'s strategies to life.

"The days of your "talent agency" partner adding on tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars in needless fees just to work with talent are over," said Connor. "The relationships we've fostered over the past nine years allow us to communicate and directly work with creators of all sizes, from the largest names in this space to micro influencers and smaller UGC accounts.

"We tend to stay away from projects that involve large partner agencies who are just looking to carelessly check the Gen Z box. Our entire model and execution strategy is predicated on measuring culture and activating against it with timely, culture-centric creativity," he added.

A mission to authentically reach and represent young modern consumers

Youth Logic's mission is simple, targeted at solving one core problem: brands don't know how to authentically position themselves for today's young consumers. Y.L. offers an antidote for companies across industries who are about to get disrupted by competing startups run by Gen Z professionals who understand the digital landscape and culture better.

"Youth culture moves at such a rapid speed that in today's landscape, if you're not positioning for the future, or actively working to create culture, you're already behind," said Connor. "You need to be playing offense, and to get ahead in this environment, an understanding of modern cultural nuance is a must."

A creative bridge between corporate and culture

Though young consumers are easily reachable via social media, they are hard to genuinely engage. This results in companies burning through marketing budgets on campaigns that may have high visibility and impressions but minimal bottom-line or cultural impact. The cause? Flawed research and strategy.

"I absolutely disdain the way generational research is done today," said Connor. "From the polling methods to the actual questions asked, it's all pseudoscience. It's one of the driving factors behind why I started Youth Logic."

"For example, let's consider one of the most commonly held tropes out there: Gen Z's attention span is roughly 6-8 seconds. Is this true? There might be some data that supports that number, but the issue in this case, and in many others, is that there's no context. That 6-8 second window actually serves as a B.S. meter for what they'd like to spend their time and valuable attention on. This lack of context is rampant throughout much of today's beliefs surrounding Gen Z. My goal is to read between the lines to ensure our collaborators know what the stats actually mean, so nothing is lost in translation," he said.

Connor and his team have spent the last nine years decoding and demystifying what makes Gen Z tick. "Most people don't realize that Gen Z controls north of $360 billion in spending power . If brands continue to rely on antiquated research and strategies, they'll leave a lot on the table," added Blakley.

Leveraging a network of over 10,000 members of Gen Z for real-time cultural understanding

A core feature of Youth Logic's positioning lies in its ties with Gen Z influencers of all sizes, from university students to the most prominent names in youth culture. Youth Logic's work spans many different industries. That depth has garnered an intimate discord community of over 10,000 cultural tastemakers, students, and influencers across various subsets and categories throughout youth culture. As a result, Y.L. claims a truly calibrated foothold on Gen Z culture.

Positioning brands within the creator economy, for the present day and beyond

A key aspect of Gen Z consumers is their dislike for one-size-fits-all approaches, an insight that guides much of Youth Logic's strategy for impactful marketing and innovation. Whether companies need direct feedback from the Gen Z creators themselves, available in Y.L.'s "Curated Culture Camp," or assistance with guiding the vision for a rebrand that reinvigorates a dated product line, or figuring out a new one, Connor and his team begin with the end in mind and frame their work within the context of the creator economy.

"Youth Logic is always authentic and on point with content, creative, and vision," said actor and producer Jace Norman. "Too often, it's difficult to meaningfully collaborate with agencies and brands because they don't get it. Y.L. gets it."

Forging an avenue for young leaders

It's no secret that Gen Z's preferences will have a lasting impact on how work life and work culture progress. Companies must utilize a cross-organizational approach to reposition and adapt for a future that is being forced upon them, a significant factor being Gen Z's deeply entrepreneurial spirit and preference for location freedom.

"Some leaders hear about Gen Z's propensity for entrepreneurship and freedom and wince, but it actually makes them much more capable as employees; they're hungrier, more agile, and more efficient than their older counterparts," said Connor.

Youth Logic is committed to supporting employee-employer relationships that are built on shared common goals. Y.L. recognizes that companies that fail to pivot in hiring and employment will be left in the dust by a generation that by 2030 will comprise over 30% of the overall U.S. workforce .

For more details on Youth Logic's entire array of service offerings and their work, visit youthlogic.com . To reach Connor and his team directly or to enquire about a potential collaboration, please email [email protected] .

To stay on top of the latest from the world of Gen Z, check out the Youth Logic YouTube channel where Connor and his team break down current culture and trending topics. The Y.L. podcast will be dropping soon, where Connor will sit down with the highest-level Gen Z shakers and cultural tastemakers to share a candid look into the thoughts and approaches employed by the biggest names in the space.

About Connor Blakley

A Generation Z expert and thought leader, Connor Blakley is the founder and CEO of Youth Logic. He started his first company  a social media agency for small businesses  at age 13. His first client was the deli across from his high school and he was paid in free food. After building an impressive roster of small- to medium-sized businesses as clients, he founded Youth Logic in 2015 as the first Gen Z-focused agency serving some of the top businesses across industries in the United States and abroad. Youth Logic delivers insights, strategy, and creative execution that focuses on Gen Z and youth culture. Now in his early 20s, Connor is recognized as the leading marketing voice of the new generation. He was the youngest person to be named an Adweek "Young Influential," and was recognized by Forbes as the "#1 Gen Z Expert to follow."

Connor has collaborated with major brands that include T-Mobile, Kraft-Heinz, Discord, and Johnson & Johnson, and industry leaders that include Jay Abraham, Harvey Mackay, Tony Robbins, and Daymond John. He has taken the stage as a keynote speaker and panelist worldwide for many top brands, governments, conferences, and associations, including Viacom, Association of National Advertisers, PepsiCo, Darden, McCormick, The NHL, and more. Connor has been interviewed for major publications, including INC, Entrepreneur, TIME, DigiDay, Mashable, The Washington Post, the BBC, and more.

A Cleveland, Ohio native, Connor brings his mission and message across borders and currently strategizes from his headquarters in Nashville, TN. In addition to leading Youth Logic, Connor is the CEO of a Gen Z-positioned alcoholic beverage company, BRU, set to launch in Q3 of 2023. You can connect with Connor Blakley on LinkedIn .

About YouthLogic

Youth Logic is a full-service Gen Z marketing and innovation agency that operates at the intersection of the creator economy and culture. The agency's core focus is assisting the world's leading brands in developing and executing against strategies that drive genuine consumer engagement and enduring advocacy amongst Gen Z through social media, influencer and experiential marketing, research, and data insights. The most prolific brands in the world utilize Youth Logic's services, including PepsiCo, T-Mobile, Raising Cane's, and Levi's.

Learn more by exploring youthlogic.com , or reach out to [email protected]. Follow us on Instagram @YouthLogic.

Media Contact:

Debby Fireman

610-547-2229

[email protected]

SOURCE Youth Logic
A displaced family leaves a UN protection camp in Juba to return to their home in the Jonglei region of South Sudan (file photo).

press release

With International Women's Day taking place on Wednesday 8 March, access to power, inclusivity and effective participation for women in the implementation of the Revitalised peace agreement remain a challenge.

Speaking during a workshop convened by the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring & Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) in collaboration with the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) and the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO), RJMEC Chairperson, Amb. Maj. Gen. Charles Tai Gituai said:

"In spite of the fact that Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on the role of women in conflict resolution and peace processes, which calls for the adoption of gender perspectives, especially of women's and girls' needs in peace agreements, and their implementation mechanisms, and for the protection and respect of their rights, women continue to face obstacles in the realisation of this aspiration, and do so during the implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement."

The UNSCR 1325, which was passed in the year 2000, is the first resolution to link women's experiences of conflict to the international peace and security agenda, focusing attention on the disproportionate impact of conflict on women, and calling for women's engagement in conflict resolution and peace building.

In his address to the participants, Amb. Gituai noted that lack to proper access to power, inclusivity and effective participation in the peace process and gender bias, continue to hinder advancement of women in South Sudan.

Unless such challenges are adequately addressed, he said, perspectives and concerns of women will be overlooked in politics as well as in the implementation of the Roadmap of the R-ARCSS.

"This therefore, calls for women to be respected and not to be ignored or undermined, and women should be assertive in making their voices heard," he said.

Additionally, as the Revitilised Transitional Government of National Unity continues to implement the Roadmap, Amb. Gituai called for the inclusion of women in key intstitutions such as the Political Parties Council, the National Elections Commission and the National Constitutional Review Commission.

Also related to the Constitution-making process., he said, is the establishment of the Preparatory Sub-Committee for the National Constitutional Conference, and recruitment of the Constitutional Drafting Committee.

Amb. Gituai said, the gender provisions of the Agreement enhances the inclusion and empowerment of women, as they cover the participation and representation of women in decisionmaking positions, in all governmental bodies, and institutions and mechanisms that drive political, economic, social and judicial reforms, as well as the constitution-making process.

"This remains equally valid and important in the Roadmap," he said.

The Agreement mandates 35% level of women's participation in such bodies, and the nominees to these bodies need to reflect the gender, political, social, ethnic, religious, and regional diversity of South Sudan.

"RJMEC takes these considerations very seriously, and as we conduct our monitoring and evaluation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, we will ensure that these parameters get the proper level of attention," Amb. Gituai said.

Amb. Gituai noted provisions in the Revitalised Peace Agreement which refer to the prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls, including measures to prevent gender-based violence in general and sexual violence in particular.

Further, he continued, "it is evident that the letter and spirit of the gender provisions in the Revitalized Peace Agreement are deep and far-reaching, and aimed at creating a conducive environment for women in South Sudan to actively participate in the political, economic and social life of their country."

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In his conclusion, Amb. Gituai called for the recognition of the role and value of women in all aspects.

"Women are capable in decision-making, especially those affecting the social fabric and the environment, and they share information well. They bring additional perspectives, especially on issues that affect other women and girls. Women also provide holistic approaches and dimensions in today's complex and evolving challenges in all spheres," he said.

The workshop brought together over 60 South Sudanese women under the theme "understanding the Roadmap and women's participation in implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS)."
The inaugural DreamLab concept is opening on Girl Scouts' 111th Anniversary in Denver, Colorado.

NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) announced the grand opening of the first-ever Girl Scout DreamLab, an innovative program-based experience center concept designed to enhance the Girl Scout presence in communities and host one-of-a-kind programming for children, families, and Girl Scouts.

Girl Scouts of Colorado will cut the ribbon and open the doors to the Movements first-ever DreamLab in Denver, Colorado, on Girl Scouts 111th Anniversary, March 12. Bringing the Girl Scout DreamLab concept to life, the Colorado destination will host a hands-on STEM center, Girl Scout boutique, podcast booth, bouldering wall, and an outdoor skills area with a faux fire pit and tent to practice camping skillsin a new, central Denver location that is open and welcoming to all. The DreamLab concept builds upon Girl Scouts iconic national properties model which includes camps, offices, and programmatic facilities such as STEM centers. This innovative program-based experience center concept designed to enhance the Girl Scout presence in communities and host one-of-a-kind programming for children, families, and Girl Scouts. The DreamLab concept builds upon Girl Scouts iconic national properties model which includes camps, offices, and programmatic facilities such as STEM centers. This innovative program-based experience center concept designed to enhance the Girl Scout presence in communities and host one-of-a-kind programming for children, families, and Girl Scouts.

The DreamLab concept builds upon Girl Scouts' iconic national properties model which includes camps, offices, and programmatic facilities such as STEM centers. Through independent research groups working closely with councils, Girl Scouts, and communities, GSUSA developed the innovative Girl Scout DreamLab concept. This is a new model for Girl Scout councils to consider as they evaluate their own property plans, membership needs, and their place within their broader communities.

"We're so excited to launch the first-ever Girl Scout DreamLab with the incredible team at Girl Scouts of Colorado," said GSUSA Chief Executive Officer Bonnie Barczykowski. "DreamLabs are all about inspiring and engaging current and future Girl Scouts with our unique program experiences and offering community members the opportunity to explore new activities the Girl Scout way. Through this initiative, we aim to increase our reach and impact, elevate the Girl Scout experience among those who are new to or unfamiliar with Girl Scouting, and provide an exciting new space for everyone to make those important in-person connections."

Girl Scouts of Colorado will cut the ribbon and open the doors to the Movement's first-ever DreamLab in Denver, Colorado, on Girl Scouts' 111th Anniversary, March 12. Bringing the Girl Scout DreamLab concept to life, the Colorado destination will host a hands-on STEM center, Girl Scout boutique, podcast booth, bouldering wall, and an outdoor skills area with a faux fire pit and tent to practice camping skillsin a new, central Denver location that is open and welcoming to all.

"At Girl Scouts of Colorado, we are thrilled to be the first in the nation to offer this new way to experience Girl Scouting," said Girl Scouts of Colorado Chief Executive Officer Leanna Clark. "It's been so exciting to see the DreamLab take shape and to see our girls' eyes light up when they've come to explore it. The Lowry location is ideal because it's within easy reach of many of our current members and gives us a location where we can invite the community and future Girl Scouts to experience what Girl Scouting is really all abouttrying new things, giving back, building friendships, and becoming leaders."

The Girl Scout DreamLab Concept

For participating councils, DreamLabs are strategically placed to bridge the barriers of accessibility and make Girl Scouts a destination for members and new families. Anticipating the varied city and rural landscapes of their 111 councils, Girl Scouts developed three models varying in size, layout, and functionality to fit each council's needs. The DreamLabs are designed to:

Bridge the gaps of accessibility by providing an innovative multi-use programmatic experience center, open to community and troop use.

Increase membership and community engagement, providing inspiring spaces for Girl Scouts seeking in-person connection.

Deliver a consistent and elevated brand experience across the Girl Scout Movement and improve access to staff for volunteers, troops, and girls.

Be intentionally curated as modern, engaging, and appealing to reflect the contemporary requirements of today's girl.

To envision an entirely new properties model, GSUSA partnered with industry leader Newmark Group Inc. to develop the DreamLab concept.

"For the past two years, we worked closely with our partners at Newmark, a world leader in commercial real estate and stakeholders across Girl Scouts to create a future vision for Girl Scout properties to better meet the needs of our girls and volunteers," said Anne Smith, senior vice president, property strategy. "Together, we created the Girl Scout DreamLab, an environment that is inclusive, accessible, and designed for today's girl."

Girl Scouts and Newmark developed three property models varying in size, layout, and functionality to fit varying council needs. This summer, Girl Scouts Louisiana East and Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey are both preparing to debut DreamLabs. This new property model is available to councils, with the potential to offer communities an inspiring space to learn, grow, and explore, paired with knowledgeable staff and resources to facilitate key programming for Girl Scouts, youth, and families.

"It was an honor for Newmark to work hand-in-hand with Girl Scouts of the USA to create an experiential real estate strategy to further its mission," said Elizabeth Hart, Newmark's president of leasing for North America. "The creativity and collaboration exhibited by both parties allowed us to develop an out-of-the-box strategy; DreamLabs, an experience I wish I had as a Girl Scout many years ago. The new concept is anticipated to further advance Girls Scouts' ethosinspiring and empowering girls as future leaders. We believe our partnership in helping identify the model and secure the locations based on individual council needs will benefit the Girls Scouts and communities nationwide."

We Are Girl Scouts of the USA

Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challengeswhether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alums, Girl Scouts lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscouts.org.

About Newmark

Newmark Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NMRK), together with its subsidiaries ("Newmark"), is a world leader in commercial real estate, seamlessly powering every phase of the property life cycle. Newmark's comprehensive suite of services and products is uniquely tailored to each client, from owners to occupiers, investors to founders, and startups to blue-chip companies. Combining the platform's global reach with market intelligence in both established and emerging property markets, Newmark provides superior service to clients across the industry spectrum. Newmark generated revenues of approximately $2.7 billion for the year ending December 31, 2022. Newmark's company-owned offices, together with its business partners, operate from approximately 180 offices with nearly 6,700 professionals around the world. To learn more, visit nmrk.com or follow @newmark.

SOURCE Girl Scouts of the USA
DUBLIN, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global High Voltage Cable Market 2023-2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



MARKET OUTLOOK



Based on the publisher's estimates, the global high voltage cable market is anticipated to witness a growth trend at a CAGR of 5.52% during the forecast period 2023-2030.



The market's growth is driven by factors such as the rise in infrastructure activities and development in emerging nations. Other than this, the rise in offshore power projects and electricity demand due to economic growth is anticipated to create opportunities for the global high voltage cable market.



On the contrary, the volatile cost of metals such as copper and aluminum is predicted to hamper the overall development of the studied market.



REGIONAL OUTLOOK



The global high voltage cable market covers North America, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa regions.



The Asia-Pacific is anticipated to witness the fastest growth over the forecast period. The region's robust growth is mainly on account of the high need for electricity due to urbanization in China, Japan, and India. Over the years, China has emerged as the leading energy producer, which has elevated the demand for high voltage cables for power transmission. This has ultimately led various players to enter the market to expand their footing. Therefore, these factors are widening the scope of the HVC market across the region.



COMPETITIVE OUTLOOK



The notable companies thriving in the high voltage cable market are NKT Cables, Dubai Cable Company Pvt Ltd, Furukawa Electric Co Ltd, Finolex Cable Ltd, Hitachi Ltd, Nexans SA, Prysmian Group, Siemens AG, Southwire Company LLC, and Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.



Siemens AG is a technology company offering services for automation, electrification, and digitization. It provides solutions and services for medical imaging, power generation, oil and gas production, infrastructure and building technologies, etc. The company serves clients across multiple regions, including Europe, Latin America, North America, and Asia-Pacific. It is headquartered in Germany.

Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Increase in Infrastructure Activities

Development in Emerging Countries

Market Challenge

Volatile Price of Metals

Market Opportunities

Rise in Offshore Power Projects

Electricity Demand Due to Economic Growth and Industrialization

Key Topics Covered:



1. Global High Voltage Cable Market - Summary



2. Industry Outlook



3. Global High Voltage Cable Market - by Installation

3.1. Underground

3.2. Submarine

3.3. Overhead



4. Global High Voltage Cable Market - by Vertical

4.1. Renewable Energy

4.2. Industrial

4.2.1. Mining

4.2.2. Oil & Gas

4.2.3. Chemical & Petrochemical

4.2.4. Power & Utility

4.2.5. Other Industrial Verticals

4.3. Infrastructure

4.3.1. Commercial

4.3.2. Residential



5. Global High Voltage Cable Market - Regional Outlook



6. Competitive Landscape



7. Research Methodology & Scope



A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

Dubai Cable Company Pvt Ltd

Furukawa Electric Co Ltd

Finolex Cable Ltd

Hitachi Ltd

Nkt Cables

Nexans Sa

Prysmian Group

Siemens AG

Southwire Company LLC

Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/o8yocd

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

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Media Contact:

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Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.j

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Military Robotic and Autonomous System (RAS) Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Application, Platform, Operation Mode, and Country - Analysis and Forecast, 2023-2033" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

In 2022, the global military RAS market was valued at $17,575.1 million and is expected to reach $19,794.0 million by the end of 2033, growing at a CAGR of 1.10% during the forecast period 2023-2033.

The growth in the global military RAS market is proliferated by the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), and its integration with military RAS has the potential to change future warfare. It will help in reducing endangering risks to soldiers, air forces, and marines that possibly result in a generation of less expensive manned systems.

The U.S., Russia, and China are the prominent competitors in the advancement of military robotic and autonomous systems. Military of key countries with high defense spending across the globe are focusing on strategies that articulate near-, mid-, and long-term priorities of their forces.

Market Lifecycle Stage

The market demand for military RAS is expected to propel over the forecast period 2023-2033 due to its capabilities to serve across various applications such as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), combat operations, target acquisitions, and infantry support. The use of military RAS in high-risk missions such as explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), route clearance, obstacle breaching, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) will further increase revenue generation and bring in the advancement of technology.

Several countries are spending heftily on research and development to design and develop attack drones. Various countries are acquiring drones from the U.S. and Israel to study the drones and then indigenously develop these drones to support their armed forces. Such drones are anticipated to enhance the deterrent power of the country's self-defense force. For instance, in June 2022, Japan planned to develop unmanned aircraft that would fly and support manned fighter aircraft. This is expected to strengthen the defense of Japan's airspace and deter attacks.

The rising initiatives for indigenous aerospace platforms and increased adaption rate among countries are propelling production and reducing the price of military robotic and autonomous systems. The potential new operational concepts will help to saturate an operational area with small autonomous systems that force an adversary to move, be detected, and be targeted by friendly forces.

Industry Impacts

The global military RAS market is expected to cater to an increase in global defense expenditure. Growing demand for several military applications in hazardous and complex environments is supporting the procurement of military RAS in the armed forces.

Military RAS manufacturers are anticipated to enhance payload and propulsion systems, which will result in improved operational capabilities and a shorter development cycle time. The improving economic conditions of the emerging economies, as well as the rising cross-border infiltration, terrorism, and geopolitical instability, led to creating the demand for military RAS, which can safeguard a nation's territory.

Many emerging countries, such as India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are looking to implement a layered approach to attacks by deploying unmanned aircraft systems for surveillance, target acquisition, and counter aerial threats from hostile nations and terrorist outfits.

As the situation of global tension and instability rises, many emerging countries could increase their military spending on acquiring military robotic and autonomous systems. Consequently, it provides an opportunity for established defense contractors to supply military robotic and autonomous systems to safeguard these nations.

North America is a leading region in terms of military RAS manufacturing due to the presence of key military RAS providers such as The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, General Dynamics Corporation, and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

The market growth is attributed to the increasing military budget of the U.S. and Canada. Perceptions of the advent of asymmetrical warfare integrated into modern combat are propelling the North America military RAS market.

How can this report add value to an organization?

Product/Innovation Strategy: The product segment aids the reader in understanding the different types of military RAS and their potential globally.

Growth/Marketing Strategy: The global military RAS market has witnessed major development by key players operating in the market, such as business expansion, contracts, mergers, partnerships, collaborations, and joint ventures.

The favored strategy for the companies has been contracts, enabling them to strengthen their positions in the global military RAS market. For instance, in March 2022, ideaForge secured a contract for delivering 200 drones that are capable of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) to the Indian Army. The drones would be delivered over a period of two years.

Competitive Strategy: The key players in the global military RAS market analyzed and profiled in the study involve military RAS manufacturers.

Moreover, a detailed competitive benchmarking of the players operating in the global military RAS 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 contracts, partnerships, agreements, acquisitions, and collaborations will aid the reader in understanding the untapped revenue pockets in the market.

Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis

The companies that are profiled have been selected based on inputs gathered from primary experts and analysis of the companies' coverage, product portfolio, and market penetration.

In 2022, the top segment players leading the market included established players providing military RAS, which constituted 70% of the presence in the market. Emerging market participants included startup entities that accounted for approximately 30% of the presence in the market.

Market Segmentation

Based on application, the global military RAS market is expected to be dominated by the target acquisition segment.

Based on platform, the global military RAS market is expected to be dominated by the unmanned aircraft systems segment.

Based on region, the global military RAS market is expected to be dominated by North America .

Recent Developments in the Global Military Robotic and Autonomous System (RAS) Market

In December 2022 , the U.K. Ministry of Defense awarded the company an initial $158 million (129 million) contract for the purchase of two types of drones for the troops. The drones that would be bought are 99 Stalker UAVs and 15 Indago UAVs.

, the U.K. Ministry of Defense awarded the company an initial (129 million) contract for the purchase of two types of drones for the troops. The drones that would be bought are 99 Stalker UAVs and 15 Indago UAVs. In August 2022 , Kratos Defense & Security Solutions secured a contract worth $14 million to provide its tactical jet drone system, which includes the XQ-58A Valkyrie, UTAP-22 Mako, and X-61A Gremlin, to the U.S. Air Force.

, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions secured a contract worth to provide its tactical jet drone system, which includes the XQ-58A Valkyrie, UTAP-22 Mako, and X-61A Gremlin, to the U.S. Air Force. In October 2022 , Garuda Aerospace signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lockheed Martin Canada CDL Systems to integrate its Made-in- India drones with the Lockheed Martin Canada CDL System's advanced unmanned aircraft systems software solutions for defense and commercial applications.

Industry Outlook



Military Robotic and Autonomous System (RAS) Market: An Overview

Current and Emerging Technological Trends

On-going and Upcoming Projects: Major Military Programs

Startup and Investment Landscape

Patent Analysis (2020-2022)

Supply Chain Analysis

Business Dynamics

Business Drivers

Growing Need for Enhancing Battlefield Situational Awareness

Growing Defense Budget

Rising Demand for Reducing Human Involvement in Battlefield Activities

Generating Mass and Scalable Effects through Human-Machine Teaming

Business Challenges

Evolving Cyberthreats to Military Robotic and Autonomous Systems

Challenges Related to Deployment of Complex Systems and Control Frameworks

Contractor Challenges and Supplier Issues in Final Delivery of Military Robotic and Autonomous Systems

Business Opportunities

Increasing Innovations in the Field of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Growing Threat Perception due to Ukraine-Russia Conflict Driving Missile Defense Spending

Business Strategies

Partnerships, Collaborations, Agreements, and Contracts

Mergers and Acquisitions

Markets - Competitive Benchmarking & Company Profiles

Role in the Global Military Robotic and Autonomous System Market

Product Portfolio

Business Strategies

Partnerships, Collaborations, Agreements, Investments, and Contracts

R&D Analysis

Analyst View

Key Market Players

AeroVironment, Inc.

BAE Systems plc

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)

General Dynamics Corporation

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Saab AB

The Boeing Company

Key Unmanned Maritime Systems Market Players

AutoNaut Ltd

Elbit Systems Ltd.

ECA Group

Saildrone, Inc.

Key Unmanned Ground and Robotic System Market Players

Milrem AS (Milrem Robotics)

Israel Aerospace Industries

Hanwha Defense

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8hwlcv

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
2,017 g/t AgEq over 2.8m within 42.3m of 288 g/t AgEq

Halifax, NS, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - GoGold Resources Inc. (TSX: GGD) (OTCQX: GLGDF) ("GoGold", "the Company") is pleased to announce additional drilling results from Los Ricos South, within the Eagle and Main Deposits. Hole LRGAG-22-125 intercepted 42.3m of 288 g/t silver equivalent ("AgEq"), containing 2,017 g/t AgEq over 2.8m. See Table 1 for breakdown of silver and gold values.

Figure 1: Eagle + Main Area Grade Thickness Longitudinal Section (CNW Group/GoGold Resources Inc.) Figure 2: Eagle Longitudinal Section (CNW Group/GoGold Resources Inc.) Figure 3: Los Ricos District Overview (CNW Group/GoGold Resources Inc.)

"We continue to see strong results from our drilling program at Los Ricos South, such as those from hole 125 which expands on the high-grade area shown in Figure 1," said Brad Langille, President and CEO. "It is drilling results such as these which we anticipate will provide a very positive impact when our Mineral Resource Estimate and Preliminary Economic Assessment at Los Ricos South is updated later this year. "

Table 1: Drill Hole Intersections

Hole ID Area / Vein From To Length1 Au Ag AuEq2 AgEq2



(m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) LRGAG-22-116 Eagle 57.6 72.3 14.7 1.45 68.9 2.37 177.6

including 57.6 62.6 5.0 2.56 162.0 4.72 353.9

including 58.6 59.6 1.0 5.18 257.0 8.61 645.5 LRGAG-22-117 Eagle 64.5 89.5 25.0 1.09 133.1 2.87 214.9

including 65.5 74.5 9.0 1.96 306.8 6.06 454.1

including 65.5 66.5 1.0 8.08 1,460.0 27.55 2,066.0 LRGAG-22-119 Eagle 162.0 174.5 12.5 0.89 81.5 1.98 148.3

including 186.0 187.4 1.4 2.77 321.0 7.05 529.1 LRGAG-22-120 Eagle 229.0 242.3 13.4 1.44 44.9 2.04 152.7

including 239.2 240.3 1.2 9.92 119.7 11.52 863.9 LRGAG-22-122 Eagle 203.7 216.0 12.4 1.54 28.2 1.91 143.6

including 205.1 207.3 2.2 6.05 45.6 6.65 499.0 LRGAG-22-124 Eagle 128.7 130.7 2.0 2.07 95.1 3.33 250.1

and 140.2 142.6 2.4 7.05 56.3 7.80 584.9

including 141.0 141.9 0.8 14.35 66.0 15.23 1,142.3 LRGAG-22-125 Eagle 127.9 170.2 42.3 2.14 127.9 3.84 288.3

including 153.9 161.3 7.3 9.66 485.8 16.13 1,210.0

including 153.9 156.7 2.8 15.35 865.7 26.89 2,016.8 LRGG-22-228 Main Area 235.7 251.5 11.9 1.30 120.1 2.90 217.5 LRGG-22-231 Main Area 30.0 32.0 2.0 0.59 95.3 1.86 139.8 LRGG-22-232 Main Area 112.6 122.8 10.2 2.60 60.9 3.41 255.7

including 113.4 114.2 0.8 24.60 238.0 27.77 2,083.0 LRGG-22-233 Main Area 280.2 299.0 18.9 0.51 78.2 1.56 116.7

including 281.1 282.0 0.9 1.84 400.0 7.17 538.0





1. Not true width 2. AgEq converted using a silver to gold ratio of 75:1 at recoveries of 100% 3. Holes LRGG-22-121, LRGG-22-229 and LRGG-22-230 did not intercept significant mineralization 4. Hole LRGG-22-123 was abandoned due to technical difficulties

The Eagle Deposit adjoins the Main Deposit and represents a northern extension of the previously defined Mineral Resource Estimate in the Los Ricos South PEA. The Eagle concession covers 1,107 hectares, including the area between the Main Deposit and the Company's Jamaica concession located 3km to the northwest, where the Company holds the rights to additional concessions. Drilling at the Eagle has returned the highest grade intercepts to date in the district. These wide high-grade intercepts are consistent with geophysical targets on the new concession.

The LRGG holes contained in the results above are part of a new drilling program at the Main Deposit. The purpose of the program is to better define the very high-grade portions of the current deposit that may be amenable to bulk underground mining. The Company is carrying out a trade-off study to better define what portion of the deposit could be mined in a lower strip ratio pit and what portion would best be mined in more selective bulk underground mining. These holes are in addition to those drilled in 2019 and 2020 which formed part of the initial resource upon which the Los Ricos South Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") was based upon when it was released on January 20, 2021.

A summary of Eagle zone drilling highlights are included as Table 2 below.

Table 2 : Eagle Deposit Drill Intercept Highlights

Hole ID Area / Vein From To Length1 Au Ag AuEq2 AgEq2



(m) (m) (m) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) (g/t) LRGAG-22-118 Eagle 95.6 150.6 55.0 7.80 2,152.7 36.51 2,737.9

including 95.6 120.6 25.0 16.07 4,664.2 78.26 5,869.3

including 104.6 119.6 15.0 26.74 7,755.8 130.15 9,761.3

including 107.6 114.6 7.0 55.87 16,524.6 276.19 20,714.5

including 107.6 110.6 3.0 121.97 36,953.0 614.67 46,100.5

including 108.6 110.6 2.0 145.25 52,764.5 848.78 63,658.3 LRGAG-22-035 Eagle 69.0 179.6 110.6 1.64 264.6 5.17 387.5

including 129.0 140.5 11.5 11.31 2,198.3 40.62 3,046.7

including 130.4 133.8 3.5 30.24 6,392.5 115.48 8,660.8

including 130.4 131.9 1.5 63.24 12,729.3 232.96 17,472.0

including 131.0 131.9 0.9 104.50 13,742.5 287.73 21,580.0 LRGAG-21-014 Eagle 144.3 216.9 72.6 5.13 76.0 6.14 460.6

including 198.8 210.7 11.9 28.58 115.9 30.13 2,259.8

including 208.6 210.7 2.1 146.03 176.8 148.39 11,128.9

including 208.6 209.3 0.7 266.00 319.0 270.25 20,269.0 LRGAG-22-031 Eagle 58.0 126.0 68.0 4.25 109.4 5.71 428.4

including 78.0 113.9 35.9 7.83 184.9 10.29 771.8

including 80.0 95.0 15.0 15.61 273.3 19.26 1,444.4

including 84.0 86.0 2.0 46.80 272.5 50.43 3,782.5 LRGAG-22-032 Eagle 48.1 113.8 65.8 1.36 107.7 2.79 209.6

including 85.8 113.8 28.1 2.96 216.6 5.85 439.0

including 88.5 92.9 4.3 7.17 1,012.8 20.68 1,550.7

including 88.5 89.1 0.6 25.00 3,020.0 65.27 4,895.0 LRGAG-22-041 Eagle 109.5 145.5 36.0 1.46 134.5 3.26 244.3

including 134.0 143.5 9.5 4.55 389.9 9.75 731.1

including 134.0 134.8 0.8 6.01 577.0 13.70 1,027.7

also including 137.0 143.5 6.6 5.62 453.6 11.67 875.3

including 141.0 142.2 1.2 17.10 1,345.0 35.03 2,627.5 LRGAG-22-113 Eagle 132.8 149.0 16.3 3.29 357.7 8.06 604.8

including 133.8 135.6 1.8 20.05 2,000.0 46.72 3,503.7

including 134.8 135.6 0.8 40.00 3,490.0 86.53 6,490.0

and 160.5 190.0 29.5 2.32 57.8 3.09 231.7

including 165.1 177.4 12.3 5.20 72.1 6.16 462.4

including 169.0 170.0 1.0 21.10 170.0 23.37 1,752.5 LRGAG-21-018 Eagle 127.6 163.0 33.6 1.57 85.5 2.71 203.5

including 156.9 159.3 2.4 10.51 436.5 16.33 1,225.0

including 156.9 157.6 0.8 15.00 1,155.0 30.40 2,280.0

and 177.9 178.6 0.7 36.20 1,500.0 56.20 4,215.0 LRGAG-22-030 Eagle 42.9 79.5 36.7 1.77 156.2 3.85 289.0

including 51.9 61.0 9.1 6.00 553.3 13.38 1,003.2

including 54.1 54.8 0.7 14.00 1,260.0 30.80 2,310.0 LRGAG-22-029 Eagle 74.0 94.6 20.6 1.52 217.5 4.42 331.3

including 75.5 77.5 2.0 8.00 1,865.5 32.87 2,465.5

including 75.5 76.5 1.0 14.15 3,520.0 61.08 4,581.3 LRGAG-21-007 Eagle 148.5 191.0 42.5 1.64 137.5 3.47 260.6

including 188.6 190.2 1.6 6.83 1,269.5 23.76 1,781.8

Figure 3, which follows, provides a summary of the Los Ricos District, including both the Los Ricos North and Los Ricos South projects. The map includes an outline of the concession areas and a summary of the current Mineral Resource Estimates ("MRE") on the projects, as well as stars locating each of the deposits included within the current MREs.

Table 3: Drill Hole Locations

Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip Length LRGAG-22-116 610068 2328476 1277 50 -45 127 LRGAG-22-117 610067 2328475 1277 50 -70 146 LRGAG-22-118 610066 2328475 1277 0 -90 181 LRGAG-22-119 610050 2328304 1283 50 -63 256 LRGAG-22-120 610014 2328144 1319 50 -68 297 LRGAG-22-121 610141 2328156 1329 50 -56 234 LRGAG-22-122 609993 2328421 1259 50 -77 253 LRGAG-22-123 610141 2328185 1325 50 -60 173 LRGAG-22-124 610057 2328341 1282 50 -61 202 LRGAG-22-125 609956 2328624 1267 50 -78 210 LRGG-22-228 610432 2327584 1263 50 -53 270 LRGG-22-229 610243 2327712 1236 50 -56 164 LRGG-22-230 610337 2327788 1256 50 -60 190 LRGG-22-231 610312 2328038 1299 50 -44 77 LRGG-22-232 610384 2327771 1264 50 -45 150 LRGG-22-233 610396 2327552 1251 50 -55 305

VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation

VRIFY is a platform being used by companies to communicate with investors using 360 virtual tours of remote mining assets, 3D models and interactive presentations. VRIFY can be accessed by website and with the VRIFY iOS and Android apps.

The VRIFY 3D Slide Deck for GoGold can be viewed at: https://vrify.com/companies/gogold-resources-inc and on the Company's website at: www.gogoldresources.com.

Los Ricos District Exploration Projects

The Company's two exploration projects at its Los Ricos Property are in Jalisco state, Mexico. The Los Ricos South Project began in March 2019 and an initial Mineral Resource was announced on July 29, 2020, which disclosed a Measured & Indicated Mineral Resource of 63.7 million ounces AgEq grading 199 g/t AgEq contained in 10.0 million tonnes, and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 19.9 million ounces AgEq grading 190 g/t AgEq contained in 3.3 million tonnes. An initial PEA on the project was announced on January 20, 2021, indicating an NPV 5% of US$295M. The Eagle Concession was acquired in October 2022 and is adjacent to the Main Area which contains the initial Mineral Resource.

The Los Ricos North Project was launched in March 2020 and an initial Mineral Resource was announced on December 7, 2021, which disclosed an Indicated Mineral Resource of 87.8 million ounces AgEq grading 122 g/t AgEq contained in 22.3 million tonnes, and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 73.2 million ounces AgEq grading 111 g/t AgEq contained in 20.5 million tonnes.

Procedure, Quality Assurance / Quality Control and Data Verification

The diamond drill core (HQ size) is geologically logged, photographed and marked for sampling. When the sample lengths are determined, the full core is sawn with a diamond blade core saw with one half of the core being bagged and tagged for assay. The remaining half portion is returned to the core trays for storage and/or for metallurgical test work.

The sealed and tagged sample bags are transported to the ALS Chemex facility in Guadalajara, Mexico. ALS Chemex crushes the samples and prepares 200-300 gram pulp samples with ninety percent passing Tyler 150 mesh (106m). The pulps are assayed for gold using a 30-gram charge by fire assay (Code AA23) and over limits greater than 10 grams per tonne are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code ME-GRAV21). Silver and multi-element analysis is completed using total digestion (Code ME-ICP61 Total Digestion ICP). Over limits greater than 100 grams per tonne silver are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (ME-GRA21).

Quality assurance and quality control ("QA/QC") procedures monitor the chain-of-custody of the samples and includes the systematic insertion and monitoring of appropriate reference materials (certified standards, blanks and duplicates) into the sample strings. The results of the assaying of the QA/QC material included in each batch are tracked to ensure the integrity of the assay data. All results stated in this announcement have passed GoGold's QA/QC protocols.

Mr. David Duncan, P. Geo. is the qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the technical information of this release.

About GoGold Resources

GoGold Resources (TSX: GGD) is a Canadian-based silver and gold producer focused on operating, developing, exploring and acquiring high quality projects in Mexico. The Company operates the Parral Tailings mine in the state of Chihuahua and has the Los Ricos South and Los Ricos North exploration projects in the state of Jalisco. Headquartered in Halifax, NS, GoGold is building a portfolio of low cost, high margin projects. For more information visit gogoldresources.com.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT:

The securities described herein 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, or for the benefit of, U.S. persons (as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) except in compliance with the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy of any of GoGold's securities in the United States.

This news release may contain "forward-looking information" as defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Los Ricos South and North projects, and future plans and objectives of GoGold, including the intention to undertake further exploration at Los Ricos North, and the prospect of further discoveries there, constitute forward looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information is based on a number of factors and assumptions which have been used to develop such information but which may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to, assumptions in connection with the continuance of GoGold and its subsidiaries as a going concern, general economic and market conditions, mineral prices, the accuracy of mineral resource estimates, and the performance of the Parral project. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information.

Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from GoGold's expectations include exploration and development risks associated with GoGold's projects, the failure to establish estimated mineral resources or mineral reserves, volatility of commodity prices, variations of recovery rates, and global economic conditions. For additional information with respect to risk factors applicable to GoGold, reference should be made to GoGold's continuous disclosure materials filed from time to time with securities regulators, including, but not limited to, GoGold's Annual Information Form. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date of this release.

SOURCE GoGold Resources Inc.
On International Women's Day 2023, three executives share their views on how to #EmbraceEquity

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- True advancement in diversity, equity and inclusion in the technology industry requires a greater commitment to the cause by individuals and organizations, according to three executives associated with CompTIA, the nonprofit association for the information technology (IT) industry and workforce.

On International Women's Day 2023 and its theme of #EmbraceEquity, Tracy Pound, chair of the CompTIA Board of Directors; Tracey Welson-Rossman, founder of the nonprofits TechGirlz and Women in Technology Summit; and CompTIA executives Jennifer Browning, chief people officer, and Nancy Hammervik, chief solutions officer, shared their viewpoints on the current state of equity in the industry, along with actions to expand inclusion.

Everyone in the organization needs to be aligned with  and invested in  an organization's DEI strategy and practices. Tweet this

"As a woman in tech, I've had many men over the years say they don't think it's 'fair' that women should be given a different opportunity to advance, get promoted or recognized," said Pound, founder and managing director of MaximITy, IT training, consultancy and project management firm in Tamworth, England. "Minority groups need that helping hand precisely because they don't yet have an equal voice. They need the support to feel included and valued to shine, whether that's based on gender, ethnicity, beliefs, disabilities, or any other potential points of bias."

"Embracing equity begins with the mindset of impact over intent," Browning said. "Only those organizations that move beyond policies and training with their authentic commitment to tangible outcomes with be the trailblazers for equity."

"Everyone in the organization needs to be aligned with  and invested in  an organization's DEI strategy and practices," said Hammervik. "Not only is it the right thing to do, but it also improves greatly the company's overall productivity, innovation, market perspective and favorable reputation."

"Equity and inclusion have been part of the conversation in the tech industry for almost 20 years," said Welson-Rossman, founding member and chief marketing officer at Chariot Solutions, a leading Philadelphia area enterprise application and mobile development consulting firm. "It took a bit to admit that there was a problem, and while progress had been made, we are still not where we need to be."

Welson-Rossman believes a bold "moon shot" plan is needed to expand the number of women and underrepresented people working in tech. This includes increasing money and support for K-12 STEM curriculum; providing support for these groups in college or other non-college programs; and increasing the number of companies recruiting at these colleges, not just large organizations.

"But it requires more than that," she continued. "It requires changing the culture to continue to accept underrepresented groups are part of this industry, make sure there are child-care resources, and make every effort to keep these people in the workforce. We have to for our economy to grow and thrive."

"Women, people of color, and other diverse populations, still struggle to advance to senior leadership positions, and many diverse employees abandon or change jobs mid-career due to lack of feeling included," Hammervik added. "Employers cannot just talk the talk. They must walk the walk and hold themselves and staff accountable for practicing DEI concepts every day, in every workplace activity, from hiring to building leadership teams."

"At CompTIA, inclusion is the first step to equity and can pave the way for new ideas and innovation," Browning said. "We support it through our culture committee and Employee Resource Groups, including our Women of CompTIA ERG. These groups are empowered and funded to create an impact through their elevated voices and actions that shine a light on the importance of equity and create real opportunities for growth and advancement."

About CompTIA

The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is a leading voice and advocate for the $5 trillion global information technology ecosystem; and the estimated 75 million industry and tech professionals who design, implement, manage, and safeguard the technology that powers the world's economy. Through education, training, certifications, advocacy, philanthropy, and market research, CompTIA is the hub for unlocking the potential of the tech industry and its workforce. https://www.comptia.org/

Media Contact

Steven Ostrowski

CompTIA

[email protected]

+1 630.678.8468

SOURCE CompTIA
KIRYAT SHMONA, Israel, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Galilee Culinary Institute by JNF (GCI by JNF) will officially open its doors on May 7, 2024. Located in the Greater Kiryat Shmona Region - Israel's northernmost point -- the first-of-its-kind institution will enable a new generation of students to experience the region's rich melting pot of culinary traditions while providing a syllabus that sets it apart from other schools.

Rendering of GCI by JNF's campus (Credit Totem. Copyright Openmind Art) Rendering of GCI by JNF's campus (Credit Totem. Copyright Openmind Art)

"Israel's Galilee region is home to over 80 unique cultures," explained Jewish National Fund-USA World Chairman's Council Ambassador, Steve Rosenfield. "Where else in the world can you learn about Ethiopian and Druze food in the morning, Lebanese cooking in the afternoon, and Jewish Sephardic cuisines from North Africa in the evening? GCI by JNF will mark a new era in culinary education, yet it will also bring transformational economic development to Israel's north thanks to the jobs and tourism it will attract."

Further emphasizing the Institute's positive economic impact, Rosenfield added: "The upper eastern Galilee has been out of the spotlight for too long because of the complicated economic and security situation. Through Jewish National Fund-USA's philanthropic investments in the region, we are adding new housing sites, a new medical center, a food technology center, and a food incubator in addition to GCI by JNF."

GCI by JNF CEO, Nathan Hoffman, echoed Rosenfield's excitement. "The opening of the school means everything to me," he said. "I've been waiting for this day since I started in May 2019. To me, this solidifies everything and provides a timeline for executing our strategic plan."

Housed within GCI by JNF, the Rosenfield School of Culinary Arts will welcome students from around the world with plans underway to also offer shorter culinary programs for tourists and locals.

"It's always incredible to see a vision evolve into reality," said GCI by JNF Chief Culinary Officer and Co-founder, Lior Lev Sercarz. "The opening of our institution will be a watershed moment for Israel's north, yet it will also mark a new chapter in how our industry approaches culinary education as our impact is felt around the globe."

"I am so proud to see our game-changing initiative come to fruition," added GCI by JNF Chair and Co-chair of the Go North East Task Force, Sheryl Buchholtz. "In everything we do at Jewish National Fund-USA, we always ask, 'what's the Return on Investment (ROI) for the people of Israel?' Projects like GCI by JNF help change the narrative in previously underserved places like Kiryat Shmona. We are bringing jobs and tourism to the region, yet most importantly, we are creating hope and a reason for the next generation to stay and develop their communities."

Regarding the Institute's target demographic, Hoffman explained: "We are looking to attract the next generation of culinary leaders. Many places accept anyone who can pay. However, we will focus on engaging students with the most passion, promise, and potential."

GCI by JNF will differentiate itself from other institutions by focusing on transforming culinary education. While most institutes strictly focus on the kitchen, with students usually learning about their workstations and how to use the different kitchen supplies on 'day one,' GCI's students will first start on the farm. They will see where food comes from with the Institute's experiential approach to learning. "You learn about wine from the vineyard, bread from the wheatfields, and fruit from the orchards, not from a book or video," explained Hoffman.

For more information or to apply, visit galileeculinaryinstitute.org. For philanthropic opportunities, visit my.jnf.org/gci or contact Michael Feinman at [email protected] / +1.212.879.9305 x503.

MEDIA CONTACT

Stefan Oberman: 212.879.9305 x222 or [email protected]

SOURCE Jewish National Fund-USA
ABU DHABI, UAE , March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HAYAH Insurance Company marks its first anniversary as an independent player in the UAE with bold ambitions to further enhance and digitise its workplace savings offering, encouraging a more effective savings culture.

As the provider of the only workplace savings product approved by the Central Bank of the UAE for distribution locally, HAYAH plans to extend its domestic reach by adding greater flexibility and a more user-friendly, digital-first approach to its solution.

HAYAH Insurance Company marks its first anniversary as an independent player in the UAE with bold ambitions to further enhance and digitise its workplace savings offering, encouraging a more effective savings culture.

The firm's enhanced Employee Secure Saver will ensure that companies can further customise the pension plan they offer their employees. Employers can also fully digitise the solution to give staff 24/7 access to how they manage their funds.

For employees, they benefit from the first pension plan in the UAE specifically tailored to their needs that also has a fully capital protected investment option, backed by France's AXA.

This newly developed solution is designed to encourage long-term and disciplined savings in the workplace in the UAE.

It also enables HAYAH, which already supports over 350 companies and 150,000 employees across the GCC with life insurance, to help companies and their employees in the UAE be ready for the expected changes to local pension rules.

"We are committed to this market. We offer ringfenced gratuity savings for companies to offset their end-of-service liabilities, easy AI-powered administration, Arabic outputs and local support," said Mohamed Seghir, Chief Executive Officer of HAYAH, which is regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE and listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. The firm also has offices and employees located in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Among key features of HAYAH's Employee Secure Saver solution are its ability to enable companies to:

Decide their contributions and vesting schedules

Have the flexibility to mix and match charges according to their requirements

Protect employees' capital and gains by saving in a secure currency, namely US dollars

Onboard their employees within 48 hours

Taking transformative steps in savings

From an investment perspective, the Employee Secure Saver is product agnostic. HAYAH achieves this by partnering with AllFunds to only offer funds from established asset managers, while ensuring there is transparency as well as zero commission or incentives.

For the rest of 2023 and beyond, HAYAH is also looking to develop its reputation as a digital innovator. "We are now working on the HAYAH app, which we will launch this year to offer new and innovative life and savings solutions," added Seghir. "We will also continue to upgrade our secure online platforms and a suite of added wellness benefits."

Further, as HAYAH looks to widen and deepen its footprint in the UAE, it will soon reveal the results of a unique YouGov survey. This will uncover the preparedness of C-level executives for offering effective workplace pension plans.

About HAYAH Insurance Company P.J.S.C.

HAYAH Insurance Company P.J.S.C., is regulated by the UAE Central Bank and is a licensed provider of life insurance, medical and savings products in the United Arab Emirates. Public Joint Stock Company funded by a paid-up capital of AED 200 million, registered at the Central Bank of the UAE with registration no. 83 dated 16/09/2008.

HAYAH is the UAE's digital insurance company, specialising in life, medical and savings and providing a fully digital experience that is simple, secure and timesaving. HAYAH aims to transform the regional insurance landscape by utilising cutting edge technology to provide truly affordable and accessible solutions. HAYAH Insurance Company P.J.S.C. is registered with the Central Bank of the UAE and listed on the Abu Dhabi stock exchange. www.hayah.com

Headquarters: Floor 16, Sheikh Sultan Bin Hamdan Building, Corniche Road

P.O. Box 63323, Abu Dhabi  United Arab Emirates

Follow HAYAH on social media: LinkedIn and Instagram

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2017414/HAYAH_Mohamed_Seghir.jpg

SOURCE HAYAH
ATLANTA, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Serving employers in thirty-nine states, boutique ERISA law firm Hall Benefits Law (HBL) welcomes Los Angeles-based attorney Alex M. Brucker to the Firm as Of Counsel.

HBL is a 2021 Inc. 5000 Company and 2022 Inc. Regionals Southeast honoree. HBL's Managing Partner Anne Tyler Hall is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, and she was selected a 2023 Georgia Super Lawyer, one of four in her practice area. Of Counsel Alex Brucker is a California Super Lawyer seventeen years running.

Brucker boasts almost fifty years as an employee benefits attorney, lecturer, and author, having begun his career in benefits law in 1974, the same year ERISA was enacted. He has been recognized seventeen consecutive years (2006-2023) as a California Super Lawyer, having the Super Lawyer accolade in common with HBL Managing Partner Anne Tyler Hall and fellow HBL Of Counsel attorneys Nancy Pridgen and Fred Dawkins.

In addition to ERISA legal compliance work, Brucker acts as counsel and co-counsel in ERISA and tax litigation, and he has been an expert witness in ERISA and retirement and welfare plan cases in both Federal and State Courts.

HBL Managing Partner, Anne Tyler Hall, shares that, "Alex is a talented, experienced ERISA attorney. Alex abides by and is aligned with our mission to think creatively with respect to nuanced and complex ERISA issues. We look forward to a long relationship with Alex and more opportunities to provide proactive, strategic ERISA counsel for our clients across the country."

A Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel (ACEBC), Brucker is also a Director and Officer of the Small Business Council of America (SBCA), a legislative advocate representing the interests of America's small businesses and their owners. From 2008 through 2010, on behalf of the SBCA, he actively worked with the Senate Finance Committee to obtain needed relief from disproportionate IRS penalties. The results of his efforts were enacted into the Small Business Jobs and Credit Act of 2010, for which he received the SBCA Special Appreciation Award.

HBL's Chief Marketing Officer, David Hall, adds, "This cadre of talented and experienced ERISA attorneys, representing HBL's client-first mission, vision, and values, gives HBL clients the best experience this industry has to offer, in my opinion. Having Alex on the team only improves our ability to offer excellence in legal services to clients, regardless of size or location, and it is fun to watch this team grow and collaborate."

About HBL

HBL is an ERISA and employee benefits law firm comprised of experienced, responsive attorneys who are passionate about proactive counsel for their business clients. Team members share a common mission: To provide comprehensive, personalized, and practical ERISA and employee benefits legal solutions that exceed client expectations. Strategically designed, legally compliant benefit plans are a cornerstone of long-term business stability and growth, and as such, HBL provides comprehensive legal guidance on benefits in M&A, ESOPs, executive compensation, health and welfare benefits, and retirement plans.

HBL Partner Grant Shuman leads the Firm's ERISA litigation arm from HBL's Charleston, West Virginia office, remaining deeply involved in the Firm's compliance counsel efforts. In 2020, HBL launched its employment law practice to provide complementary services to its ERISA clients, and leadership is committed to finding new ways to add value to every client relationship.

From January of 2018 to date, HBL has saved its plan sponsor clients $75 million via legal compliance penalty abatement, and with its proactive approach to ERISA legal compliance, the Firm is creating successful outcomes by advocating for employers with employee benefits plans around the country.

The Firm has offices in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Charleston, West Virginia, with full-time attorneys and Of Counsel operating remotely from a variety of locations.

Learn more about Hall Benefits Law at www.hallbenefitslaw.com

Media Contact:

David Hall, Chief Marketing Officer:

(470) 571-1007

[email protected]

SOURCE Hall Benefits Law
HealthKeeperz will continue to serve North Carolina communities with hospice care, home medical equipment and supplies, and case management services.

BAYADA, a national home health provider with a strong presence in North Carolina , will grow its footprint in the state.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthKeeperz , a community-based health care service provider founded in Pembroke, NC in 1966, has signed an agreement to sell its home health business to BAYADA Home Health Care , a leading not-for-profit home health care provider.

The agreement will transition HealthKeeperz's Fayetteville and Laurinburg Home Health locations to BAYADA locations and will help BAYADA achieve its mission to care for more clients across the state of North Carolina. The acquisition will allow BAYADA to combine the passionate and talented HealthKeeperz Home Health workforce with BAYADA's management, expertise, operating platforms, and clinical excellence, to make a large impact on the local community.

"The transition of our home health services is an evolution in HealthKeeperz's commitment to providing quality health care to the southeastern region of North Carolina," said HealthKeeperz President Tim Brooks. "By partnering with Bayada, we can concentrate on the areas of health care where we have long-term strategies to scale and innovate, such as hospice care. We are grateful for the continued trust placed in HealthKeeperz by our local communities, and we look forward to the positive impacts that Bayada will bring alongside the HealthKeeperz team to our neighbors and friends in Fayetteville and Laurinburg."

BAYADA, which transitioned to a not-for-profit organization in 2018 to ensure the company's mission would endure, is headquartered in the Philadelphia region and provides nursing, rehabilitative, therapeutic, hospice and assistive care services to children, adults and seniors in the comfort of their homes. BAYADA provides community-based services from more than 50 locations across the state.

"BAYADA is thrilled at the opportunity to partner with HealthKeeperz to continue their strong commitment to the North Carolina community and to continue to grow in this region." said David Baiada, CEO of BAYADA Home Health Care. "We look forward to welcoming the HealthKeeperz Home Health staff and patients into the BAYADA family, and to work together through this mission-aligned partnership to continue to improve health care outcomes in our region."

BAYADA and HealthKeeperz expect the transition to be complete by the Spring of 2023, with a strong focus in minimizing impact for current HealthKeeperz employees, patients and partners.

About HealthKeeperz

Founded in 1966, HealthKeeperz provides palliative care, equipment, and services that combine state-of-the-art medical care with emotional and spiritual support for the patient and their family. As part of an integrated health system, HealthKeeperz offers end-of-life dignity across North Carolina through a compassionate team of 150-plus caregivers.

SOURCE HealthKeeperz
WALNUT CREEK, Calif., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Heffernan Network Insurance Brokers, a subsidiary of Heffernan Insurance Brokers providing market access and support services to local insurance agencies, has acquired Kettering Rose Insurance Services located in La Mesa, CA. Founder and president, Robyn Kettering, joined Heffernan Network, along with 10 of her team members, effective January 1, 2023.

Kettering has been family-owned and operated since its founding in 2004. Kettering focuses on commercial lines and personal lines clients with a specialty in the public auto sector. The company will operate autonomously as a subsidiary agency of Heffernan Network, leveraging its market access, resources and support to grow.

"This is an exciting announcement for us that will provide important benefits to our clients. We will continue to be run by the same experienced management team that is in place today and continue to provide the best products and level of service to our clients," said Robyn Kettering, president of Kettering Rose Insurance Services. "Becoming a member of the Heffernan team has been an absolute pleasure. We believe this alliance will provide important value-added services, products and programs for our clients, while allowing us to continue providing the personal service and commitment to excellence to our clients that Kettering Rose has always embraced."

"We are so excited to join forces with Kettering Rose, bringing Heffernan Network a solid team of insurance professionals in a new region, with big opportunities for growth," said John Prichard Jr., president of Heffernan Network Insurance Brokers. "Robin, Rachel and the team at Kettering have a fantastic energy and desire to leverage the resources and mentorship of the Network to take the agency to the next level. We look forward to working closely to do so."

As part of Heffernan's growth strategy, we are interested in collaborating with privately held independent brokers across the United States. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Matt McKenna, Director of Corporate Development, at 925-746-7962 or [email protected].

About Heffernan Network Insurance Brokers

Heffernan Network Insurance Brokers, formed in 2017, helps small independent agencies grow by providing exceptional market access, new business fulfillment, back-office support, and technology solutions to help improve efficiency as well as initiate revenue streams outside their core competencies (i.e. employee benefits, life insurance, personal lines, and property & casualty). For those agents nearing retirement, HNIB also offers an exit strategy solution. For more information, visit HeffNetwork.com License #0L59890

SOURCE Heffernan Network Insurance Brokers
Women and girls all over the world are tomorrow, Wednesday, March 8, 2023 expected to observe International Women's Day.

March 8 each year is observed and celebrated as International Women's Day worldwide.

International Women's Day, also known as IWD for short, grew out of the labor movement to become a recognized annual event by the United Nations (UN).

The seeds of it were planted in 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote. A year later, the Socialist Party of America declared the first National Woman's Day.

The idea to make the day international came from a woman called Clara Zetkin, a communist activist and advocate for women's rights. She suggested the idea in 1910 at an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. There were 100 women there, from 17 countries, and they agreed on her suggestion unanimously.

It was first celebrated in 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. The centenary was celebrated in 2011, so this year we're technically celebrating the 111th International Women's Day.

Things were made official in 1975 when the United Nations started celebrating the day. The first theme adopted by the UN (in 1996) was "Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future".

International Women's Day has become a date to celebrate how far women have come in society, in politics and in economics, while the political roots of the day mean strikes and protests are organized to raise awareness of continued inequality.

The theme for this year's International Women's Day 2023 Campaign theme is #EmbraceEquity.

"For International Women's Day and beyond, let's all fully #EmbraceEquity," a statement said.

Equity isn't just a nice-to-have, it's a must-have.

A focus on gender equity needs to be part of every society's DNA and it's critical to understand the difference between equity and equality.

The aim of the IWD 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme is to get the world talking about why equal opportunities aren't enough. People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action.
TAOYUAN, Taiwan, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hi Sharp Electronics (Hi Sharp), a leading Taiwanese video surveillance brand, is building upon its core competency in solutions that are compliant with the USA's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to expand its reputation as a trusted source of security solutions for American enterprises.

Hi Sharp Embraces Focus on NDAA-Compliant Security Solutions

The USA's NDAA has generated a shift in global security requirements as the country continues to take measures to secure its supply chain. Establishing high standards for products, with NDAA-compliant offerings maintaining top quality levels, is a key aspect of the law that has the added benefit of supporting businesses that work with US government agencies.

Such businesses are key customers for Hi Sharp  a security brand known for reliability and an extensive range of products, including its various NDAA-compliant Wi-Fi and IP cameras. As part of the brand's efforts to bring the cutting edge to customers, it is continuously innovating and creating new security solutions.

With competitive expertise in NDAA compliance and a strong commitment to creating products according to exacting standards, Hi Sharp is solidifying its position to cater to this growing market.

A Trusted Security Brand

With over 35 years of experience building a reputation for reliable video surveillance solutions, Hi Sharp has amassed a wealth of expertise and insight into the security industry, continuously demonstrating its ability to get ahead of security trends and provide solutions that work against present and future threats.

"Our internal research and development teams on both the software and hardware fronts have allowed Hi Sharp to move past our competition not just on the basis of our quality products, but also because of our wide range of solutions that cater to every security need," said Jerry Chiang, Chairman of Hi Sharp. "Our teams of over 80 senior, experienced R&D engineers and product experts will always be on hand to keep us ahead of the curve, and we look forward to continuing to push the envelope for the security space in the future."

The company's extensive capabilities across artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence of things (AIoT), original equipment and design manufacturing (OEM and ODM), and more allows Hi Sharp to deliver leading-edge security solutions to the USA and other top markets.

Additionally, while its main products come from in-house development, Hi Sharp also has a strong reputation as an OEM and ODM partner.

History of Success

The legacy of success at Hi Sharp is not just evident in corporations it partners with, but also in its work in other integral areas of national and public security. Previous projects have seen Hi Sharp provide monitoring of railway sections and engineering operations, as well as assist in special monitoring of national prisons, hospitals, police stations, bus lanes, and more at its home base in Taiwan.

In addition, construction sites for key infrastructure  power plants, airports, mass rapid transit, and public works  have been enhanced by Hi Sharp's sophisticated solutions for AI smart construction site management. This includes face and vehicle recognition clearance, behavior recognition detection, smoke detection, electronic fencing, and machine tool detection.

To showcase its solutions, Hi Sharp will be attending a number of trade shows in 2023, including the IFSEC exhibition in London in May, where interested parties can learn more about what the company offers in the security space.

For further information online, please visit https://www.hisharp.com/.

About Hi Sharp Electronics

Hi Sharp has been established in the security industry for over 35 years and is dedicated to research, development, original equipment manufacturing, original and joint design manufacturing, and marketing of high-quality video surveillance solutions across camera hardware and integrated systems and services.

SOURCE HI SHARP ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Northwest Region of Highstreet Insurance Partners (HSIP) announced today the acquisition of Pendleton, Oregon-based - Stratton Agency (Stratton). Stratton is a full-service insurance agency with offices in Pendleton, Hermiston, La Grande and The Dalles. Todd Tennant, President, and the Stratton Executive team including Mike Stratton will continue to lead the business and will now report to Jacob Neighbors, Agency President of Hermiston, Oregon-based Simmons Insurance Group, a Highstreet Insurance Partner. "Stratton Insurance have long been pillars of our communities and we are excited to welcome the entire team and their clients to Highstreet," said Neighbors.

Highstreet, one of the insurance industry's fastest growing brokers has now completed 144 acquisitions since mid-2018. This marks the fourth transaction of 2023 for the Traverse City, Michigan-based business. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About Highstreet Insurance Partners

Highstreet Insurance Partners (HSIP) is a full-service independent insurance agency. Founded in 2018, the Traverse City, Michigan-based company provides a broad array of business insurance, employee benefits, personal insurance, retirement services, and specialty risk solutions that are delivered through community focused agencies. Additional information can be found at www.hsip.com.

SOURCE Highstreet Insurance Partners Inc.
100% of the Eligible Employees Earned an Individual Achievement, Upholding the FAA's Rigorous Standards of Excellence

GREENSBORO, N.C., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Honda Aircraft Company announced that it has once again received the AMT Employer Diamond Award for 2022, the highest level in the William (Bill) O'Brien Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) Awards program developed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This prestigious award recognizes the exceptional knowledge and skills of the Honda Aircraft Company's maintenance team, as well as the company's commitment to promoting and fostering effective technical training programs that exceed FAA regulatory requirements.

From left: Honda Aircraft Company Head of Commercial Business Unit and VP of Customer Service Amod Kelkar, Honda Aircraft Company President and CEO Hideto Yamasaki, FAASTeam Program Manager Tim Haley, FAASTeam Program Manager Dan Kelly

"I am proud of our customer service team for their hard work and dedication in achieving this honor again," said Honda Aircraft Company President and CEO Hideto Yamasaki. "I would like to specially recognize their focus and dedication towards maximizing safety and reliability of the HondaJet fleet. Developing the next generation of aviation talent who shapes the future of skyward mobility is the key to pioneering the next frontier of innovation. Honda Aircraft will continue to create a culture of excellence and provide employees with the training and resources they need to thrive in their field."

All eligible AMTs of Honda Aircraft's maintenance team have earned individual AMT Certificates of Training for the calendar year, upholding the FAA's standards of excellence. This achievement reflects Honda Aircraft's promise for the development and support of its maintenance workforce and demonstrates its continuous commitment to the aviation maintenance profession.

Honda Aircraft Company Head of Commercial Business Unit and VP of Customer Service Amod Kelkar said, "We are thrilled to win the AMT Employer Diamond Award again. This achievement is a testament to our maintenance team's dedication to attaining the highest level of safety and quality in HondaJet service center and further validates our efforts to offer unmatched service and support to our customers. I encourage all my colleagues to always aspire for amazing customer experience."

Since the first delivery of the HondaJet in 2015, Honda Aircraft Company has led the aviation industry with innovation and technology while maintaining an unparalleled focus on customer support. The company's recent efforts to improve customer satisfaction include the addition of the Flexible Phased Maintenance Program and new Authorized Service Centers for the HondaJet. In January 2023, the global HondaJet fleet surpassed 160,000 flight hours with a class-leading dispatch reliability of 99.7%. Honda Aircraft Company has once again demonstrated its commitment to excellence in all aspects of its operations by receiving the FAA AMT Employer Diamond Award.

About Honda Aircraft Company

Honda Aircraft Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Founded in 2006, Honda Aircraft's world headquarters is located in North Carolina, the birthplace of aviation. The challenging spirit upon which Mr. Soichiro Honda founded Honda Motor Co., Ltd. is alive today as Honda Aircraft fulfills one of Honda's longstanding dreams to advance human mobility skyward.

For more information, visit HondaJet.com.

SOURCE Honda Aircraft Company
COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntington National Bank has received 11 awards from Coalition Greenwich for the banking, financing and investing services its Commercial Banking segment delivered to middle market business customers last year.

Coalition Greenwich, a global provider of strategic benchmarking, analytics and insights to the financial services industry, awarded Huntington seven national and one regional Greenwich Excellence Awards:

Overall Satisfaction

Overall Satisfaction with Relationship Managers

Cash Management  Customer Service

Cash Management  Ease of Product Implementation

Cash Management  Overall Satisfaction

Cash Management  Overall Satisfaction (Midwest region)

Cash Management  Product Capabilities

Relationship Manager Proactively Provides Advice

Huntington also received three Best Brand Awards from Coalition Greenwich:

Best Brand  Ease of Doing Business

Best Brand  Trust

Best Brand  Values Long-Term Relationships

Honorees of the 2022 Greenwich Excellence and Best Brand Awards in middle market banking "stand out for their ability to combine high-quality day-to-day service, innovative digital banking tools and insights that help optimize business performance," according to Coalition Greenwich.

"This recognition is particularly meaningful because it's based on what our customers are saying about us," said Scott Kleinman, president of Huntington's Commercial Banking segment. "We're honored to be recognized again for our insights-driven approach to help businesses thrive, from capitalizing on new opportunities and improving efficiency to navigating uncertainty and mitigating risks."

Greenwich Excellence Awards methodology

For the 2022 evaluation period, Coalition Greenwich evaluated the middle market banking platforms of more than 500 banks. Of these, only 23 have the distinctive quality required to win a Greenwich Excellence Award. The awards are based on nearly 10,000 interviews with businesses with sales of $10 million to $500 million across the country.

Greenwich Best Brand Awards methodology

For the 2022 evaluation period, the Best Brand Awards are based on distinctive customer ratings from the nearly 10,000 interviews with businesses with sales of $10 million to $500 million across the country. Comparisons are based on all banks covered across the United States.

About Huntington

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (Nasdaq: HBAN) is a $183 billion asset regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1866, The Huntington National Bank and its affiliates provide consumers, small and middle-market businesses, corporations, municipalities, and other organizations with a comprehensive suite of banking, payments, wealth management, and risk management products and services. Huntington operates more than 1,000 branches in 11 states, with certain businesses operating in extended geographies. Visit Huntington.com for more information.

SOURCE Huntington Bancshares Inc.
For the first time in the organization's 24-year history, its highest leadership roles are held by women.

LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is celebrating an important milestone. For the first time in its 24-year history, the organization has two women at its highest positions.

During the ICANN Annual General meeting held in Kuala Lumpur in September 2022, Malaysia, Tripti Sinha was elected ICANN Board Chair. Sinha has been a member of the ICANN community for more than 8 years and has served as ICANN Board member since 2018.

Sally Costerton, ICANN Senior Advisor to the President and Senior Vice President, Global Stakeholder Engagement, was named Interim President and CEO in December 2022. Costerton has led ICANN's global offices and internationalization strategy for more than 10 years.

Sinha is the second female Board Chair in ICANN's history. In 1998, Esther Dyson was named ICANN Board Chairman. Costerton is the first female in ICANN's history to serve in the President and CEO role.

"There are many ways that women around the world can participate in ICANN, whether they come from academia, civil society, the public or the private sector," said Costerton. "The ICANN community of Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees offers many opportunities for women to take a seat at the table, and to be at the forefront of policy-making processes that govern different aspects related to the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS)."

DNS Women is an example of how women effectively participate in the DNS space. Founded in 2009 in Mexico, DNS Women is dedicated to promoting and empowering women in the DNS industry globally. The group will hold a session next week during ICANN's public meeting, in Cancun, Mexico, as the U.S. and other countries celebrate Women's History Month.

Overcoming the gender gap in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) can enhance women's economic security and increase their opportunities. It can also help enrich the STEM field by broadening the viewpoints and preventing biases in the products produced and the services delivered, according to research by the American Association of University Women .

"Women leaders have a transformative effect on other women. Not only through mentoring, which I believe is vital to helping women succeed, but also because good representation can promote a sense of belonging. This is particularly important in the technology field," said Sinha.

The ICANN community is convening for the ICANN76 Community Forum in Cancun, Mexico, from 11 to 16 March 2023. This online and in-person event is the first of three ICANN public meetings to be held in 2023.

About ICANN

ICANN's mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you need to type an address  a name or a number  into your computer or other device. That address must be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a nonprofit public benefit corporation with a community of participants from all over the world.

SOURCE ICANN
SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global identity and access management market size is anticipated to reach USD 41.52 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 12.6% over the forecast period, according to a new study by Grand View Research Inc. Identity and access management (IAM) is a security discipline that ensures the right entities to use the right resources (data or apps). Advancements in the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), rising awareness about regulatory compliance management, and increasing reliance on digital platforms & automation across industries are anticipated to drive the industry over the forecast period. The integration of IAM solutions and MDM is anticipated to drive market growth over the forecast period. The rising fraudulent and cybercrime activities are driving enterprises to implement IAM systems as a result of the rapid adoption of the cloud and the advancement of new technologies, such as AI and ML. IAM uses identity analytics and intelligence to monitor unusual user account activity.

Key Industry Insights & Findings from the report:

The provisioning component segment accounted for the largest revenue share in 2022. Identity management as a service provides an additional layer of security by identifying, validating, and granting individuals access to a company's information systems.

The cloud-based deployment segment is anticipated to register the highest growth rate over the forecast period.

The public sector & utilities end-use segment held the highest market share in 2022due to rapid digitalization adoption and increased investment in public sector applications.

The BFSI segment is estimated to grow at the fastest CAGR over the forecast period. The growing popularity of online payments, e-wallets, and digital/retail banking is expected to increase the adoption of these types of solutions across the BFSI sector.

Asia Pacific is expected to register the fastest growth rate over the forecast period due to the rising internet penetration, rapid digital infrastructure development, presence of a large number of SMEs adopting such systems, and rising operational digitalization.

Read 143-page market research report, "Identity And Access Management Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By End-use (BFSI, Education), By Component (Directory Service, Provisioning), By Deployment (Cloud, On-premise), And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030", published by Grand View Research.

Identity And Access Management Market Growth & Trends

Furthermore, IAM systems reduce the cost of services, such as outsourcing, among others. Hence, the rising enterprise identity and security concerns and the elimination of service costs drive the growth of the industry over the forecast period. Furthermore, high installation costs of identity and access management systems are expected to stifle the growth of the industry over the forecast period. The identity and access management industry is adopting the latest IAM business technologies as capital technology. These technologies have increased market opportunities for identity and access management which have been purchased and implemented in recent years. IAM contracts' market revenue necessitates extensive implementation. Hence, cloud-based IAM services and technology are becoming more accessible by the day which creates opportunities for market growth over the forecast period.

Identity And Access Management Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global identity and access management market on the basis of component, deployment, end-use, and region

IAM Component Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Audit, Compliance & Governance

Directory Service

Multifactor Authentication

Provisioning

Password Management

Single Sign-On

IAM Deployment Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Cloud

Hybrid

On-premise

IAM End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

BFSI

Energy, Oil & Gas

Telecom & IT

Education

Healthcare

Public Sector & Utilities

Manufacturing

Others

IAM Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

North America

U.S.



Canada

Europe

U.K.



Germany



France



Italy



Spain

Asia Pacific

China



India



Japan



Australia



South Korea

Latin America

Brazil



Mexico



Argentina

Middle East & Africa

& UAE



Saudi Arabia



South Africa

List of Key Players of Identity And Access Management (IAM) Market

Amazon Web Services, Inc.

Broadcom

One Identity LLC.

ForgeRock

HID Global Corp.

IBM

McAfee, LLC

Microsoft

Okta

OneLogin

Oracle

Ping Identity

SecureAuth

Evidian

Intel Corp.

Check out more related studies published by Grand View Research:

Identity As A Service Market - The global identity as a service market size is expected to reach USD 14.89 billion by 2027 expanding at a CAGR of 22.0% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The rapid growth in IT infrastructure, ease of scalability, and cost-effectiveness of the Identity as a Service (IDaaS) solutions are anticipated to be the key factors driving the market. Rising threats and vulnerabilities across crucial organizational data have compelled companies to enhance their cybersecurity stand and focus on managing identities. This will support market growth.

The global identity as a service market size is expected to reach by 2027 expanding at a CAGR of 22.0% over the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The rapid growth in IT infrastructure, ease of scalability, and cost-effectiveness of the Identity as a Service (IDaaS) solutions are anticipated to be the key factors driving the market. Rising threats and vulnerabilities across crucial organizational data have compelled companies to enhance their cybersecurity stand and focus on managing identities. This will support market growth. Application Security Market - The global application security market size is expected to reach USD 10.7 billion by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 17.7%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing targeted attacks on the applications is anticipated to be a major factor that is expected to drive market growth. In addition, BYOD adoption in the organizations that are deploying application security services and solutions to protect against potential threats has contributed to the market demand.

- The global application security market size is expected to reach by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 17.7%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing targeted attacks on the applications is anticipated to be a major factor that is expected to drive market growth. In addition, BYOD adoption in the organizations that are deploying application security services and solutions to protect against potential threats has contributed to the market demand. Messaging Security Market - The global messaging security market size is expected to reach USD 11.10 billion by 2025, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to witness a CAGR of 13.7% over the forecast period, owing to increasing demand for cloud-based secure messaging products and solutions is driving the growth of the market. This can be attributed to the increasing popularity of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and virtual appliance-based solutions.

Browse through Grand View Research's Network Security Industry Research Reports.

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519

Email: [email protected]

Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com

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SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.
DUBLIN, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Innovations in Concentrated Solar Power, Lithium-ion Batteries, Saltwater Electrolysis, Perovskite Solar Cells & Hydrogen Storage" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This edition of the Energy & Power Systems (EPS) TOE features information about the use of paraboidal and solar tower based concentrated solar power technologies integrated with thermal energy storage systems for uninterrupted renewable energy generation. The TOE covers innovations based on the use of membrane-free saltwater electrolysis for hydrogen generation and ballast water treatment in ships. The TOE provides latest innovations in utilizing floating systems for the generation of cost-effective and reliable wave energy. The TOE provides the latest insights in the use of silicon-based anodes for enhancing performance characteristics of lithium-ion batteries. Finally, the TOE also provides insights about the use of silicon-based nanoparticles to increase the performance efficiency of perovskite solar cells and the use of micrometer sized metal hydrides for hydrogen storage.

The Energy and Power Systems TOE provides insights on the latest advances in the broad range of technology related to the energy industry. The topics regularly presented range from energy storage technologies (solid-state batteries, solar chemical storage and other advanced energy storage devices) to non-renewable energy such as oil and gas. Special emphasis is given to emerging areas in the renewable sector such as photovoltaics, wind energy, and geothermal energy, and emerging alternative fuels such as hydrogen, syngas, ethanol and biofuels. The EPS TOE keeps clients abreast of the latest R&D developments at major corporate and academic research centers, provides competitor intelligence and helps create strategic alliances.

The Energy and Environment cluster provides global insights and intelligence on a wide variety of disruptive emerging technologies and platforms ranging from energy storage, advanced batteries, solar and wind energy, to unconventional oil, bioenergy, geothermal energy, and energy transmission.





Key Topics Covered:





1. Innovations in Concentrated Solar Power, Lithium-ion Batteries, Saltwater Electrolysis, Perovskite Solar Cells & Hydrogen Storage

Paraboidal Solar Collectors Integrated With Superheated Steam-based Molten Salts (SUMO) for Uninterrupted Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Generation

Sunrise CSP - Value Proposition

Sunrise CSP - Investor Dashboard

Solar Tower-based CSP Plants for Continuous On-demand Power Generation

Aalborg CSP - Value Proposition

Aalborg CSP - Investor Dashboard

Saltwater Electrolysis using a Membrane-free Electrolyzer for Hydrogen Generation

sHYp BV Ltd - Value Proposition

sHYp BV Ltd - Investor Dashboard

Innovative Design Enhances the Cost-efficiency and Reliability of Wave Power Generation

EcoWave Power - Value Proposition

Eco Wave Power - Investor Dashboard

- Investor Dashboard Silicon-based Anode for Enhancing Performance Characteristics of Lithium-ion Batteries

Group14 Technologies' Value Proposition

Group14 Technologies - Investor Dashboard

Use of Silicon-based Nanoparticle Paste to increase Perovskite Solar Cell Efficiency

ITMO University's Value Proposition

Microgrid to Replace Conventional Power Production for Off-grid Consumers

Enernet Global's Value Proposition

Enernet Global - Investor Dashboard

Specially Tailored Micrometer-sized Metal Hydrides For Hydrogen Storage

Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon's Value Proposition

2. Key Contacts

3. Appendix

Criteria for Rating of Innovations - Explanation

A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

Aalborg CSP

Eco Wave Power

EcoWave Power

Enernet Global

Group14 Technologies

Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon

ITMO University

sHYp BV Ltd

Sunrise CSP

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qvh0ua

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
ST. LOUIS, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mini Varghese's experience as a nurse has taken her around the world to care for patients in her native India, in Saudi Arabia and in Dubai. She has even treated VIP patients at a military hospital in Bahrain, an island country in the Persian Gulf.

But her experience as a Mercy nurse in the United States has been exceptional. Varghese feels comfortable, confident and respected, and despite being in a new country, she's making it her home.

"I'm treated with dignity. Everyone works together, nurses, doctors, all caregivers at Mercy," said Mini Varghese. Tweet this After serving more than a year as part of Mercy's international nurse program, Mini Varghese makes St. Louis her permanent home and accepts a full-time core nursing position at Mercy.

When Varghese was completing her time in Bahrain, she knew she wanted to come to the U.S. next to serve patients needing intensive care. She had many options across the country, so she dug in and did her research in hopes of finding the right fit. She wanted a hospital providing quality care that was the right size in a city she could see herself living in. After eliminating many other options, Varghese found Mercy and believed Mercy Hospital South in St. Louis would be right for her. Find nursing career opportunities at Mercy.

Varghese packed her bags and came to the United States alone, with no family or friends waiting for her. After joining the Mercy South team in November 2020 as a nurse in the cardiac-medical intensive care unit, she made an immediate impact on patient care. And Mercy made an immediate impact on her.

"I have the autonomy to work here. I'm treated with dignity," Varghese said. "I'm not separated because I'm a nurse or new or different. Everyone works together, nurses, doctors, all caregivers at Mercy."

Leading the way

Varghese was the first of the 120 international nurses now working at Mercy South. Another 20 international nurses are working at Mercy Hospital Fort Smith in Arkansas, and the first international nurses have begun working at Mercy's other acute care hospitals across multiple states. They are internationally educated and have the licensing and permits to work in the U.S.

"Mercy South's international nurse program initially began as a strategic effort to bridge the workforce gap created by the multi-decade national nursing shortage in the United States, but it has grown to be so much more," said Stacy Blankenship, chief nursing officer for Mercy Hospital South.

Blankenship started the program at Mercy South in late 2019 with a vision of attracting 100 internationally educated nurses to Mercy South. Three years later, that goal has not only been met but exceeded due to the collaboration, resources and support across Mercy.

"When these international nurses arrive at Mercy, they come with skills and talents that are very complementary to our nurses," said Betty Jo Rocchio, Mercy's chief nursing officer. "They are grateful for the opportunity and work hard to care for our patients."

Mercy provides its international nurses up to 12 weeks of orientation along with regular educational opportunities and other benefits provided to Mercy co-workers. Mercy also has developed a specific internationally educated nurse fellowship program designed to meet the unique and individual needs of these nurses.

"We provide any additional support these nurses may need" said Stephanie Whitaker, chief nursing officer for Mercy Hospital Fort Smith. "We are finding they fit in well with our existing teams and feel like part of the Mercy family from the first day."

Fitting in

"Leaders regularly ask what I need, including education and clinical support. My co-workers ask what they can do to help and are kind and supportive," Varghese said.

Varghese knew there would be an adjustment period to learn a new language and culture. On top of that, she joined Mercy during a peak in COVID-19 cases.

"Obviously, everyone's focus is on the patient, where it needs to be," Varghese said. "But they also focused on me, making sure I was comfortable. I was confident my co-workers would support me in whatever I needed."

That support includes teaching Varghese about things she had never had to deal with before. Electronic documentation was completely new to her. Mercy uses technology she had never seen before. She is now fully up to speed on all of it through her Mercy training.

Varghese also had a lot of learning to do in her personal life. She had never dealt with credit cards, insurance or ATMs prior to coming to America. She says driving is different, but she's comfortable getting around town now and handling new situations thanks to Mercy's network of support.

"I've worked in many places where we don't get that kind of support," Varghese said.

The support extends outside of Mercy, such as when Varghese saw snow for the first time. As the snow covered the ground, she says her neighbors shared with her how to deal with it, including tips for driving on the slick roads.

Meeting the needs of patients and nurses

As the U.S. faces a national nursing shortage and overall worker shortage, international nurses are helping meet patient needs in Mercy hospitals.

"Increased, stabilized staffing helps us ensure we can continue to provide high-quality care to our patients and makes us more efficient," Whitaker said.

"This isn't just about bringing more nurses into Mercy but expanding our diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging lens," Rocchio said. "We may be helping them learn nursing from an American perspective, but they are teaching us how important culture and inclusion are to compassionate care."

International nurses aren't just embraced at Mercy, they are celebrated. Mercy South hosts its International Nurses Dinner Club every three months. Each event highlights one of the home nations of Mercy international nurses. The dinner features a traditional meal from that country, and nurses speak about their culture and heritage. All hospital co-workers are invited to these free dinner events.

"International nurse dinner club is my favorite night of each quarter," Blankenship said. "We have celebrated our nurses from India, the Philippines, Jamaica and Zimbabwe. It brings me great joy to see the nurses arrive in their native dress for the evening and have the opportunity to share their heritage with us."

Growing the program

Mercy is actively growing its international nurse program. All 12 of Mercy's acute care hospitals are seeking international nurses. Mercy is planning to attract an additional 500 international nurses, but it doesn't happen quickly. The process can take months or even years.

As the first international nurse at Mercy South, Varghese now finds other international nurses turn to her for support and advice. It is a role she embraces, and it is the kind of community that helps lift each other up.

"I am so incredibly proud of and thankful for Mini. She has forever changed my personal and professional life," Blankenship said. "I remember when we first interviewed her, and now she's a mentor for many other international nurses. She has gone out of her way to help them feel comfortable, to get resources they need, and to be a listening ear. I find myself reaching out to her for advice."

Varghese's original contract with Mercy has expired, but she's not going anywhere. In fact, she loves working at Mercy and living in St. Louis so much, she is making it home. She has accepted a full-time core nurse position at Mercy South. And she bought a house, the first home she has ever owned. Her husband is moving from India to join her.

"It's all God's grace that any of this happens," Varghese said. "Here, I am trusted and valued. This is why I am staying."

Anyone interested in joining the Mercy nursing team can find nursing career opportunities online.

SOURCE Mercy
VANCOUVER, BC, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (the "Company") - (TSX: ITH) (NYSE American: THM) today announced that it has filed its audited Year-End Financial Statements and associated Management Discussion and Analysis on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had working capital of US$4.7 million.

The Company also announced the approval of the 2023 work program that will advance the baseline environmental data collection in critical areas of hydrology and waste rock geochemical characterization needed to support future permitting, as well as advance community engagement.

Shareholders can obtain copies of the Company's audited Year-End Financial Statements and associated Management Discussion and Analysis and Form 10-K on SEDAR at: www.sedar.com, EDGAR at www.sec.gov and on the Company's website at: www.ithmines.com. The Company will also provide hard copies of these documents, free of charge, to shareholders who request a copy directly from the Company.

About International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.

International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. has a 100% interest in its Livengood Gold Project located along the paved Elliott Highway, 70 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska.

On behalf of

International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.

(signed) Karl L. Hanneman

Chief Executive Officer

This news release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States.

SOURCE International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.
The President of Liberia, George M. Weah, has pledged the Government of Liberia's commitment to promoting women's empowerment in the country. President Weah stressed that there is a need for the full participation of more women in leadership, especially the political process which is fundamental to the growth and development of mama Liberia. The Liberian Leader is optimistic that more women will register to vote and contest various public offices ahead of the crucial Presidential and Legislative Elections scheduled to take place on October 10, 2023. He maintained that the government will ensure all women across the country understand the new transition of the voting process, the biometric voter's registration exercise. "We will make sure that the majority of our mothers and sisters get registered within the time bond set up by the National Elections Commission". President Weah added. The Liberia Chief Executive spoke Friday, March 3, 2023, at a program marking the observance of the International Women's Day at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex in Congo Town. At the same time, the Feminist-In-Chief has assured his government's commitment to working with partners and stakeholders in ensuring the empowerment and upliftment in technology is given priority. President Weah furthered that he will enhance an approach based plan partnership design for private sectors with the support of key stakeholders to execute such an initiative through a needed financial outcome. "From now onwards, anyone caught accomplishing their desire of violence against women in these elections will face the full weight of the law. Women, your voice is strong, your voice is powerful and therefore, I President George Manneh Weah declare this month of March as women's month to be observed as a working holiday throughout the length and breadth of our country". The Liberian Leader asserted. The Liberian Chief Executive has also assured the 30% women's participation in elections to be signed once it is conquered by the Liberian Senate. Meanwhile, the International Women's Day through out of the labor movement, became a recognized annual event by the United Nations in 1908, when women marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay, and the right to vote. It is observed globally on March 8 of every year and is being celebrated under the global theme "Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality" and using a national theme "Innovating with Technology to Promote Gender Equality".
ABUJA, Nigeria, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- March 8 marks International Women's Day, recognizing the important accomplishments of women worldwide. In Nigeria, a team of talented women from the Diplomatic Corp, are working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria and Federal and State government leaders to restore eight communities in northeastern Nigeria  a region devastated by years of insurgency caused by the Boko Haram.

Twenty percent of all the jobs to rebuild the community were mandated to go to women. Tweet this  UNDP/Niyi Fagbemi

The team encompasses a stabilisation steering committee which includes six women from the Ngarannam community. It also features an architect, an engineer and other key UNDP staff and partners from Nigeria, Sweden, Germany, and the EU.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock travelled to Nigeria in December to visit Ngarannam, the newly-constructed community that recently reopened with the support of the UNDP's Regional Stabilisation Facility (RSF). The community has received strong support from Germany, along with other EU partners including the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the Nigerian government.

Thousands of residents have returned home to Ngarannam, where twenty percent of all the jobs to rebuild the community were mandated to go to women.

The RSF, led by the Nigerian Government and the Borno State Government with support from UNDP and partners, is designed to curb extremism by reversing recruitment.

Developed from ruins, Ngarannam is proof that the RSF concept should be scaled to reach more affected communities.

Centered on inclusion and responsiveness to community needs, the reconstruction strategies employed emphasizes security and prioritizes income generation and essential services, ensuring individuals can recover with dignity and move out of dependency.

Minister Baerbock acknowledged that security in Northeast Nigeria requires more than defeating extremism: "Security also means being able to rely on state structures, to again place confidence in the police force, and to see a future for their children  thanks to education, healthcare and especially food security."

The team of women behind the work happening in Northeast Nigeria also includes:

Annett Gunther, German Ambassador to Nigeria

Catriona Laing , British High Commissioner to Nigeria

, British High Commissioner to Annika Hahn-Englund , Sweden Ambassador to Nigeria

, Ambassador to Cecile Tassin-Pelzer , Head of Cooperation, European Union

, Head of Cooperation, European Union Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo, Hon Commissioner Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development - Borno State Government

Tosin Oshinowo , Architect

, Architect Asmahan Alawaisheh, UNDP Nigeria Sr. Engineer

Lilian Dawa , UNDP Nigeria Livelihood Analyst

, UNDP Nigeria Livelihood Analyst Amalachukwu Ibeneme, UNDP Nigeria Communications Sub-Office

Ngele Ali, UNDP Regional Advisor Africa

Background: Strategy for Integrated Peace Engagement

Download images: bit.ly/rsf-trello-g

SOURCE UNDP Nigeria
MARCH 8, 2023

World renowned human rights lawyers, activists and leaders of both Afghan and Iranian descent have teamed together to interpret the legal definition of apartheid to include gender, charting a path to set a historical precedent to end the treatment of women as second-class citizens.

NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This International Women's Day a diverse coalition of Iranian and Afghan women leaders, international legal practitioners, and activists, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, the first woman deputy speaker of Afghan parliament Fawzia Koofi, the former Afghan deputy minister for parliamentary affairs Atefa Tayeb and more are calling on states to recognize the crime of gender apartheid to hold accountable and eventually end the systems of gender apartheid currently in place in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and in Afghanistan under the Taliban.

The campaign titled, "End Gender Apartheid Today" looks to address, head on, the reality that women and girls who live under the regimes of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Taliban in Afghanistan live in an extreme, systematic and structural war against them designed to dehumanize and repress for purposes of entrenching power.

"This campaign will seek to expand the set of moral, political and legal tools available to mobilize international action against and ultimately end systems of gender apartheid," states human rights lawyer Gissou Nia. "The definition of apartheid under international law should be interpreted to include gender hierarchies, not just racial hierarchies."

The open letter states, "the components of systematic segregation and subjugation that make up apartheid are present in Afghanistan and Iran today. Under the Taliban, women in Afghanistan are banned from education, employment in NGOs and in government, and from traveling long distances without a male guardian, all while having to abide by a severe dress code. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, women are banned from many fields of study, sporting events, and from obtaining a passport and traveling outside the country without their husband's permission. Women's lives and their testimony are worth half a man under the law and they are forced to wear compulsory hijab. These bans, and the broader legal systems they belong to, seek to establish and maintain women's subjugation to men, and the State. Violation of these laws can lead to violence, imprisonment, and death."

The coalition continues by stating, "In order to fully realize the goals of the woman-led revolution in Iran and to support the courageous defiance of Afghan women who have had their rights brutally stripped away, the international community must properly recognize the harms of a legally enshrined system in which women are treated as second-class citizens and acknowledge this not only through condemnation but through effective, concerted action."

The collective has three chief demands to governments, including interpreting and/or expanding the legal definition of apartheid to include gender apartheid under international and national laws to create pathways for justice. The group has shared a three part path to realizing this historic goal on their campaign website.

"In Afghanistan, women face gender apartheid in various forms, including limited access to education, health care, employment opportunities, as well as restrictions on movement and participation in public life," says Judge Lida Kharooti Sayeed, founder and vice president of the Afghan Women Judges Association. "It is essential that the international community supports Afghan women and girls in their struggle for equal rights and tries to hold those responsible for gender apartheid accountable."

"Gender apartheid, as systematic discrimination against women and girls, has existed in the depths of political, legal and social structures in patriarchal societies for a long time," says Judge Najla Ayoubi, the co-founder of Every Woman Treaty. "Now, this is the time for global policymakers to call for an end to gender apartheid by criminalizing this act and making states accountable. I urge my fellow sisters to never stop demanding your rights to equality and freedom."

Members of the public are invited to sign the petition and learn more at www.endgenderapartheid.today

Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE END GENDER APARTHEID
AMSTERDAM, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the last two months ISCorp's infrastructure team has been working hand-in-hand with its European based customers to assure functionality, connectivity and security through the new addition to the ISCorp Global Data Center Network.

ISCorp is proud to offer a flexible solution with a new data center location that allows for organisations of all sizes to expand their coverage into the highly regulated European Union controls. ISCorp's compliance and Security Operations teams have worked tirelessly to adhere to ISO:27001 Standards while making the addition to the ISCorp customer network.

ISCorp latest Data Center addition is a testament to the people, process and technology pillars for which the ISCorp business has built a global cloud solution. With an emphasis on technology ISCorp has used the most advanced and secure technologies in this data center addition that will continue to provide the highest levels of compliance across all industries.

By expanding their global footprint ISCorp continues to embrace new and updated security policies and procedures that have upped commitment to compliance and continues to make ISCorp a global leader in the managed secure cloud space.

"We are very excited to continue our growth and share with our customers and prospects our commitment to them, their products and most importantly their end users. Our physical growth will provide us an additional competitive advantage when comparing the ISCorp Managed Secure Private Cloud to the large commodity cloud options. We are excited to showcase the positive impact this has on our customers and I am very appreciative for our entire global team for their impact on our strategic growth plan," said Mike Weber, President & CEO ISCorp.

ISCorp EMEA is an extension of the ISCorp United States based team which provides ISCorp with a follow the sun approach to support and security operations on all ISCorp hosted products.

"A global footprint is a benefit to all of ISCorp's customers as heightened cyber security measures are taken as part of the continuous security improvement model," said Mike Germany  Director, European Operations.

ABOUT ISCORP (Integrated Systems Corporation)

Integrated Systems Corporation (dba ISCorp) is a global provider of custom-design managed secure private cloud services. Born out of the Financial Services industry in 1987, today ISCorp serves millions of end users globally across multiple industries.

SOURCE ISCorp
CHICAGO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification Technology (INAAT) is a revolutionary, rapid, and cost-effective technology for amplifying and detecting nucleic acid targets. INAAT is being explored for a wide range of applications including diagnostic testing (e.g., detection of infectious diseases and cancer), food safety, and environmental monitoring. The isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology market is projected to witness remarkable growth in the near future, owing to increasing government initiatives in the field of diagnostics, rising prevalence of infectious diseases, and technological advancements in the field. Moreover, increasing adoption of INAAT by healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies to reduce costs and improve the accuracy of diagnostics is expected to drive the growth of the market.

Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification Technology Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $4.4 billion in 2023 and is poised to reach $6.8 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 9.2% from 2023 to 2028 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The growth of the market is attributed the growing funding initiatives for molecular diagnostics & infectious diseases, and recent launches of INAAT consumables by prominent market players. However, the unfavorable reimbursement scenario for in vitro diagnostic tests is a major factor restraining market growth.

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Browse in-depth TOC on "Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification Technology Market"

226 - Tables

46 - Figures

235 - Pages

Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification Technology Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2023 $4.4 billion Estimated Value by 2028 $6.8 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 9.2% Market Size Available for 20212028 Forecast Period 20232028 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Product, Application, Technology, and End User Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities INAAT tests as point-of-care tools Key Market Drivers Recent launches of INAAT consumables by prominent market players

Assay, kits and reagents segment accounted for the largest share of the INAAT market

Based on the product, the INAAT market is segmented into assay, kits, and reagents, and systems. The assay, kits, and reagents segment accounted for the largest share in 2022, which is attributed to increasing demand of infectious disease diagnostic tests, infectious diseases-the continuous launch of newer, faster, and more reliable POC products and extensive use of INAAT products.

LAMP segment accounted for the largest share of the INAAT market

Based on technology, the isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology market is segmented into loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), transcription-mediated amplification (TMA), strand displacement amplification (SDA), nicking enzyme amplification reaction (NEAR), single-primer isothermal amplification (SPIA), and other technologies. The loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) segment dominated the market in 2022. The largest share of this segment is attributed to the prominent players in the market offering LAMP kits and rising of LAMP kits in infectious diseases diagnostics.

Infectious disease diagnosis segment accounted for the largest application segment of the market

Based on application, the INAAT market is segmented into infectious disease diagnosis, blood screening, and other applications. The disease diagnosis segment is expected to dominate the market in 2022. Various factors drive the growth of the segment are launch of INAAT covid-19 kits and extensive use of INAAT in diagnosis of Hepatitis and HIV.

Hospital segment accounted for the largest share of the global INAAT market

Based on the end user, the market is divided into hospitals, reference laboratories, academic and research institutes, and other end users. The hospital segment is expected to account for the largest share of the INAAT market in 2022. This is owing to high demand for fast test and kits, increase in patient population, extensive use of moleucular diagnostic kits and need for early doagnostic solutions.

North America accounted for the largest share of the market

North America is expected to account for the largest share of the global INAAT market, followed by Europe in 2022. The largest share of the North American market is attributed to the presence of a leading market players, growing burden of infectious diseases and availability of R&D funding for molecular diagnostics.

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Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification Technology Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

Recent launches of INAAT consumables by prominent market players Growing funding initiatives for molecular diagnostics & infectious disease diagnostics High prevalence of infectious diseases

Restraints:

Unfavorable reimbursement scenario for in vitro diagnostic tests

Opportunities:

INAAT tests as point-of-care tools Start-ups focusing on INAAT

Challenges:

Dominance of PCR

Key Market Players:

The prominent players operating in INAAT market are Grifols, S.A. (Spain), Hologic, Inc. (US), Abbott Laboratories (US), Becton, Dickinson and Company (US), Meridian Bioscience (US), Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd. (Japan), bioMerieux SA (France), Tecan Trading AG (Switzerland), New England Biolabs (US), QIAGEN N.V. (Germany), DiaSorin S.p.A. (Italy), General Electric (US), OptiGene Limited (UK), Quidel Corporation (US), Thermo Fisher Scientific (US), Genomtec (Poland), Mast Group Ltd. (UK), Ustar Biotechnologies (China), Jena Bioscience GmbH (Germany), Atila BioSystems (US), TwistDx Limited (UK), LGC Limited (UK), Life Sciences Advanced Technologies (US), GenoSensor Corporation (US), and PCR Biosystems (UK).

Recent Developments

In May 2022 , Hologic, Inc. (US) received CE marking for two new molecular assays, Panther Fusion EBV Quant Assay and Panther Fusion BKV Quant Assay, expanding its transplant pathogen monitoring menu on the Panther Fusion system.

, Hologic, Inc. (US) received CE marking for two new molecular assays, Panther Fusion EBV Quant Assay and Panther Fusion BKV Quant Assay, expanding its transplant pathogen monitoring menu on the Panther Fusion system. In December 2021 , Hologic, Inc. (US) launched Panther Trax, which offers full automation to meet high-volume testing demands and will be commercially available in the US, Europe , Canada , Australia , and New Zealand .

, Hologic, Inc. (US) launched Panther Trax, which offers full automation to meet high-volume testing demands and will be commercially available in the US, , , , and . In September 2020 , Abbott (US) received approval from Health Canada for the ID NOW rapid COVID-19 testing device for use in Canada .

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Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification Technology Market Advantages:

Isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology provides a rapid and reliable method for the detection of infectious agents.

The technology is more cost-effective than traditional PCR methods.

It has a shorter turnaround time and requires fewer steps.

The technology is highly sensitive and can detect even small amounts of DNA.

It is less prone to contamination and false positives.

It is more amenable to automation and miniaturization.

The technology is suitable for point-of-care applications.

Isothermal Nucleic Acid Amplification Technology Market- Report Highlights:

Additional points, such as trends/disruptions impacting customers' businesses, pricing analysis, value chain analysis, ecosystem analysis, regulatory landscape, Porter's five forces analysis, key conferences & events in 20232024, technology analysis, key stakeholders and buying criteria, and patent analysis have been added to the market overview chapter.

The new edition of the report provides updated financial information till 2022 (depending on availability) for each listed company in a graphical representation. This will help analyze the present status of profiled companies in terms of their financial strength, profitability, key revenue-generating region/country, and business segment focus in terms of the highest revenue-generating segment.

Recent developments help understand market trends and growth strategies adopted by players in the market.

Tracking the product portfolios of prominent market players helps analyze the major products in the isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology market. The new edition of the report provides an updated product portfolio of the companies profiled.

The new edition of the report provides an updated product portfolio of the companies profiled in the report. A total of 25 companies have been profiled.

Key market strategies, market share analysis for 2022, revenue share analysis of key market players from 2020 to 2022, and competitive leadership mapping have been added to the competitive landscape section of the report.

The new version of the report includes competitive leadership mapping for companies operating in the isothermal nucleic acid amplification technology market. This new section is an output of a comprehensive study of the key vendors offering INAAT products. The top 25 vendors were shortlisted from a list of 50+ vendors, and these were evaluated based on market shares/rankings and product footprint.

Recession Impact:

The new version of the report considers the impact of the recession at the global and regional levels. The impact of the recession on year-on-year growth during the forecast period (2023 to 2028) has been considered.

The recession impact section has been included in the research methodology and regional analysis chapters of the report.

Related Reports:

In Vitro Diagnostics Market - Global Forecasts to 2027

Molecular Diagnostics Market - Global Forecasts to 2027

Nucleic Acid Isolation and Purification Market - Global Forecasts to 2027

Blood Screening Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

Western Blotting Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

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AUSTIN, Texas, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Night , an Austin-based talent management company, has announced the hiring of Jared Jacobs as vice president of development for Night Studios, the company's original content production arm.

Night Studios helps digitally-native artists create and package their own shows for television, podcasts, and other streaming platforms. In his role, Jacobs will oversee the creation and distribution of original content for a talent roster that garners more than 5 billion views per month across YouTube and Twitch. Night's productions will span across all genres, including scripted, unscripted, animated, live event, feature films, podcasts, and documentary programming.

"Night Studios is uniquely positioned to merge the creative passion and engaged audiences of the biggest digital creators in the world with the distribution and star-making capabilities of traditional media," said Alex Piper, Head of Night Studios. "Jared will help us develop a slate of unique multi-format and multi-genre programming that is as diverse as the creators we represent."

Jacobs has specialized in unscripted and non-fiction programming throughout his eight-year career. He joins Night Studios after serving as director of development at Unrealistic Ideas, an unscripted production company co-founded by Mark Wahlberg. Before that, he spent more than two years at Blumhouse Productions, where he contributed to unscripted series such as HBO's "What Happened, Brittany Murphy?" and Netflix's "Our Father." Jacobs began his career with William Morris Endeavor.

"I'm incredibly excited to join the Night team and to help build out our original content arm," Jacobs said. "Night is the preeminent talent management company in the digital space, representing the biggest and best creators in the world. I look forward to working with our creators to develop intellectual property and programming that brings the core DNA of their creative content to the premium space."

Night Studios operates out of Los Angeles.

About Night

Night is a next-gen talent representation platform for the world's best artists, helping them reach their full potential as entertainers and entrepreneurs. Founded in 2015 by Reed Duchscher, a former sports agent turned talent manager, Night represents more than 50 of the biggest digital creators in the world, including MrBeast, Dream, and Unspeakable. To learn more, visit night.co .

SOURCE Night
NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- It is with great sadness that Rehs Contemporary Galleries, Inc. announces the passing of John Stobart, one of the world's most renowned maritime artists, on March 2nd, 2023. He was 93 years old.

John Stobart is widely celebrated for his breathtaking depictions of historic maritime scenes both at sea and important port cities. His works can be found in the collections of museums, corporations, and private collectors around the world.

John Stobart (1929-2023) John Stobart (1929 - 2023) Clipper Ship Dashing Wave Entering the Golden Gate, San Francisco - Image courtesy of: Rehs Contemporary Galleries, Inc., New York

Born in Leicester, England, John was surrounded by the beautiful countryside and developed an early appreciation for the landscape he always considered himself a landscape painter at heart. But at the age of 8, a visit to his grandmother's home in the north allowed him an excursion to the port of Liverpool - at the time, the busiest port in England. This sparked his lifelong desire to capture the excitement of world trade that comes to life in a port. Stobart would go on to study at the Derby College of Art and the Royal Academy in London, where he developed his skills in composition and perspective.

After that first exposure to a busy port, John's passion for the sea and ships grew, leading him to pursue a career in maritime art. Shortly after completing his service in the Royal Air Force, John received a gift from his father; a ticket to board a ship destined for Cape Town, South Africa  his first ocean voyage. The adventure provided the young artist with a detailed understanding of how ships and ports function on a daily basis. Around this time, Stobart first had the idea that British shipping companies might be interested in paintings of their ships in exotic port cities not only was he right, but this idea laid the foundation for Stobart's entire body of work.

By the early 1960s, shipping companies weren't just buying his paintings, but commissioning works and sponsoring his travel overseas. If you ever had the chance to speak with John, he would likely tell you his "life was a series of miracles." One of the most notable of these miracles happened early in his career on a train ride from Toronto to New York City, Stobart unknowingly befriended Donald Holden, the editor of American Artist Magazine. That unlikely meeting would lead him to Kennedy Galleries, which would host Stobart's first solo exhibition in 1967.

Stobart became known for his meticulous attention to detail and incredible ability to capture the atmosphere and mood of historic ports. He quickly gained a reputation as one of the best in his field and was soon exhibiting his paintings in galleries throughout North America and Europe. In 1970, Stobart emigrated to the United States and settled in the coastal town of Darien, Connecticut. Later, while the family lived in the Washington, D.C. area, he established the Atlantic Gallery near his Georgetown studio - the first of five galleries. He continued to produce stunning works that captured the imagination of collectors and enthusiasts alike. His compositions include views of iconic locations such as Boston Harbor, New York Harbor, San Francisco Bay, Pittsburgh, Hilton Head, Venice, London, Bermuda, Cape Town and many others; his paintings are not just works of art but also historical records of a bygone era.

While Stobart enjoyed making his ships and structures historically precise, he could not hold back his deep love for friends and family. Throughout his oeuvre, Stobart consistently renamed dinghies and port-side shops after those who meant the most to him. Several of his later works are also fondly known for their inclusion of a well-hidden wine bottle. John would routinely tell the tale of the time his son, Bill, exclaimed that a supposedly completed painting was, in fact, incomplete as his father forgot the bottle! John had not realized Bill was paying such close attention, but it became their little game from then on. Thought these details are subtle, they are incredibly meaningful and a testament to the kind of person John Stobart was.

In 1978, John played a pivotal role as one of the founding members and Vice President of the esteemed American Society of Marine Arts (ASMA), a distinguished organization that is dedicated to acknowledging, fostering, and advancing the field of marine art and maritime history. Through its various initiatives, ASMA aims to promote collaboration and open dialogue among artists, art teachers, art students, publishers, and other individuals engaged in creative pursuits that pertain to marine art and the rich history surrounding it.

Over the course of his career, Stobart received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to the art world; among them was his election to the prestigious National Academy of Design in New York and the Royal Society of Marine Artists in 1979. During the 1990s, the government of Bermuda acknowledged him with the Order of Merit for his impact on the island's maritime heritage. In 1997, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Marine Maritime Academy, and the American Society of Marine Artists presented him with the Award of Excellence, the society's highest honor. In 2008, he returned home to Derby, U.K., where he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Derby, which had subsumed the Derby College of Art years earlier.

In addition to his artistic achievements, Stobart was a generous philanthropist. He established the Stobart Foundation to support recently graduated artists, particularly those influenced by the history and tradition of the plein-air painters, in their transition to becoming professional artists. Stobart recognized, from personal experience, that this time is crucial in an artist's development. His goal was to offer an environment of support and provide financial assistance at a time when the artist's energies and resources were at their lowest point. Despite his overwhelming success, John remained humble and approachable and was widely admired for his generosity.

John Stobart's legacy will live on through his paintings, which will continue to inspire artists and captivate audiences for generations to come, as well as through the works of the Stobart Foundation recipients.

John Stobart is survived by his wife Anne, whose devotion to the man and his career was unbounded, his three children, Diana Wild, Elizabeth Stobart, and Bill Stobart from his first wife Kay Stobart; his son-in-law Fred Wild, daughter-in-law Sherry Stobart, three grandchildren Sam, Lilly and Zoe, and three great grandchildren Layana, Lucas, and Reggie. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and the countless people around the world who admired his work and were touched by his kindness.

A private memorial service will be held for family members. Donations in Stobart's memory may be made to The Stobart Foundation.

For more information, please contact [email protected].

About Rehs Contemporary

Rehs Contemporary is regarded as one of the top galleries in New York City and is a platform for new, emerging and established contemporary artists; many of whom have received extensive academic training. The gallery offers high quality works to art lovers of all kinds, from first-time buyers to major collectors.

Alyssa T. Rehs, Director

Lance J. Rehs, Director

Rehs Contemporary

(212) 355-5710

[email protected]

https://www.rehscgi.com

SOURCE Rehs Contemporary Galleries, Inc.
Junior Achievement Receive Funds to Deliver JA Finance Park and Financial Literacy Programs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Junior Achievement announced today that it has received a grant of $820,000 from American Express Foundation to deliver JA Finance Park and other financial literacy programs to local schools during the 2022-2023 school year through JA of Arizona, JA of New Jersey, JA of New York and JA of South Florida. Junior Achievement shares American Express Foundations' passion to provide students the power of hope and financial confidence to succeed in life.

"Our research shows that most students who have engaged with JA's proven financial literacy programs say they have a strong financial footing," said Jack E. Kosakowski, President and CEO of Junior Achievement USA. "With American Express Foundations' support in delivering these programs in our community, together we will empower students with the financial confidence they need to succeed in life."

"We believe that our strength comes from the impact we can make in people's lives," said Alice Fabiano, Vice President of Community Impact, American Express. "Through our 30-year partnership, we're proud to continue to work together with Junior Achievement to make a meaningful difference in the lives of young people."

With American Express Foundations' help, students will have the tools, resources, and support they need to navigate uncertain times, reach their full potential, and create a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities.

About American Express

American Express is a globally integrated payments company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress, instagram.com/americanexpress, linkedin.com/company/american-express, twitter.com/americanexpress, and youtube.com/americanexpress.

Key links to products, services and corporate responsibility information: personal cards, business cards, travel services, gift cards, prepaid cards, merchant services, Accertify, Kabbage, Resy, corporate card, business travel, diversity and inclusion, corporate responsibility and Environmental, Social, and Governance reports.

About Junior Achievement USA

Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. JA programs are delivered by corporate and community volunteers, and provide relevant, hands-on experiences that give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. Today, JA reaches more than 3.3 million students per year in 102 markets across the United States as part of 12.5 million students served by operations in more than 100 other countries worldwide. Junior Achievement USA is a member of JA Worldwide. For more information, visit www.ja.org.

SOURCE Junior Achievement USA
LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- It is with great honor to announce the strategic partnership between Justice For Women International/Children Uniting Nations and The Hip Hop Alliance to eradicate the verbal and physical abuse against women and children. Led by Daphna Edwards Ziman, Co-Founder and President of Cinemoi, and Founder of Justice For Women International/Children Uniting Nations, this partnership exemplifies the union between two powerful entities that are dedicated to transforming our society. This union is committed to raising awareness and elevating human consciousness against the devastating issues facing women and children today including Human Trafficking, Violence Against Women, the right to live with dignity, and the Equal Education & Empowerment of Women at risk.

Justice For Women International and The Hip Hop Alliance

The Hip Hop Alliance, represented by Co-Founders Chuck D, Kurtis Blow, and KRS-ONE, are taking a bold stance to be in alignment with Justice For Women International by making a commitment to unite the Hip-Hop community to lead by example, by condemning verbal and physical violence against women and children. In addition, The Hip Hop Alliance is strongly committed to taking a stance to protect our women and children against any form of violence which has drastically impacted our society.

Human Trafficking is now the second-largest criminal industry worldwide and has become the fastest-growing criminal industry with global profits estimated at 44.3 billion annually (ACLU, 2023). It is estimated that more than 27.6 million people are victims of human trafficking worldwide with many unaccounted for, as many victims fear disclosing their maltreatment to conduct sexual and illegal forced labor acts organized by human traffickers (State, 2023). In addition, human trafficking is often hard to detect as these traffickers have attempted to disguise their operations from plain sight when in reality, it is happening in front of our eyes.

Justice For Women International/Children Uniting Nations and The Hip Hop Alliance are taking bold actions to stop these illegal activities causing harm to our society that can no longer be ignored. With both entities having a strong influence within our community, a series of events will be held in 2023 to create awareness, raise funds, provide safety to victims, and put programs together to help transform our world.

The first event will take place on March 12, 2023, at the Original Warner Brothers Estate in Beverly Hills, CA being held on Oscars Night for the Academy Awards. This star-studded red-carpet event will have many celebrities joining forces to help advocate against human trafficking and violence against women and children. In addition, the victim known as "Jane Doe" in the public case against Hollywood Producer Harvey Weinstein, will be in attendance and will finally reveal her identity to talk about her story and advocate against the violence of women.

For tickets or tables to this event, please email [email protected] or call 310-271-7855.

As many will be celebrating the Oscars on March 12th, more than 28 million women and children are being trafficked against their will depriving them of their dignity and dreams. It is imperative that we take action NOW to reverse this criminal activity often happening right in front of our eyes!

To get involved with this movement, please visit https://www.justiceforwomenintl.org/ and visit https://www.hiphopalliance.org/

For Media Inquiries Please Contact:

Dr. Jacqueline Yvette

[email protected]

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE Justice For Women International and The Hip Hop Alliance
Info-Tech's new trends report highlights the nine leading-edge data trends that tech leaders need to prepare for over the coming months.

TORONTO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - To help tech leaders and their organizations stay on top of the latest trends, global IT research and advisory firm Info-Tech Research Group has released its Data and Analytics Trends 2023 report. The report covers a range of topics, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, data marketplaces and monetization, and identity authenticity.

The nine data use cases for emerging technologies that can improve on capabilities needed to compete in the data-driven economy, as detailed in Info-Tech Research Group's "Data and Analytics Trends 2023" report. (CNW Group/Info-Tech Research Group)

In today's data-driven world, organizations increasingly rely on data and analytics to drive decision making and gain a competitive edge. However, keeping up with key developments and new technologies in this rapidly evolving field can be challenging. By staying informed about these trends, technology leaders and organizations can better leverage their data assets to drive growth and innovation in the months ahead.

"As we enter a new era of data and analytics, a data-driven culture and embracing emerging technologies are essential for organizations to remain competitive in the digital age," says Chris Dyck, advisory lead for the Data, Analytics, and Enterprise Architecture practice at Info-Tech Research Group. "The changing landscape can be overwhelming, but technology leaders that leverage these trends will be able to identify opportunities to optimize their data strategies, unlock the full potential of organization's data assets, and drive better business outcomes."

Info-Tech's Data and Analytics Trends 2023 report will help teams tackle the challenges of identifying trends in data and analytics while modernizing their current capabilities. By examining nine data use cases for emerging technologies, the report aims to inform and educate data leaders, CXOs, and IT professionals on key trends and provide guidance on which ones to adopt, empowering them to enhance their organizational capabilities to remain competitive in a data-driven economy.

The firm has identified the following nine trends for the coming months:

Data Gravity  Data gravity is the tendency of data to attract applications, services, and other data. A growing number of cloud migration decisions will be made based on the data gravity concept. It will become increasingly important in data strategies, with failure potentially resulting in costly cloud repatriations. Democratizing Real-Time Data  Data democratization means data is widely accessible to all stakeholders without bottlenecks or barriers. Success in data democratization comes with ubiquitous real-time analytics. Augmented Data Management  Augmented data management will enhance or automate data management capabilities by leveraging AI and related advanced techniques. It's possible to leverage existing data management tools and techniques, but most experts have recognized that more work and advanced patterns are needed to solve many complex data problems. Identity Authenticity  Veracity is a concept deeply linked to identity. As the value of the data increases, a greater degree of veracity is required. For example, more proof is provided to open a bank account than to make friends on an online social platform. As a result, there is more trust in bank data than in social media data. Data Monetization  Data monetization is the transformation of data into financial value and demands an organization-wide strategy for value development. However, this does not imply selling data alone. Monetary value is produced by using data to improve and upgrade existing and new products and services. Adaptive Data Governance  Adaptive data governance encourages a flexible approach that allows an organization to employ multiple data governance strategies depending on changing business situations. The other aspect of adaptive data governance is moving away from manual and often slow data governance and toward aggressive automation. AI-Driven Storytelling and Augmented Analytics  AI and natural language processing will drive future visualization and data storytelling. These tools and techniques are improving rapidly and are now designed in a streamlined way to guide people in understanding what their data means and how to act on it instead of expecting them to do self-service analysis with dashboards and charts. Ultimately, understanding how to translate emotion, tropes, personal interpretation, and experience, as well as how to tell what's most relevant to each user, is the next frontier for augmented and automated analytics. Data Marketplace  The data marketplace can be defined as a dynamic marketplace where users decide what has the most value. Companies can gauge which data is most popular based on usage and choose where to invest. Users can shop for data products within the marketplace and then join these products with others they've created to launch truly powerful data-driven projects. DevOps > DataOps > XOps  The merger of development (Dev) and IT Operations (Ops) started in software development with the concept of DevOps. Since then, new Ops terms have formed rapidly, such as AIOps, SalesOps, SecOps, and more. All these methodologies come from Lean manufacturing principles, which seek to identify waste by focusing on eliminating errors, cycle time, collaboration, and measurement.

Download and read the full Data and Analytics Trends 2023 report to learn more about each of the trends for the year ahead.

To learn more about Info-Tech Research Group, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Info-Tech Research Group

Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world's leading information technology research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals. The company produces unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For 25 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with IT teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and over 200 IT and Industry analysts through the ITRG Media Insiders Program. To gain access, contact [email protected] .

SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group
ATLANTA, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlanta-based Precision Aviation Group, Inc. (PAG), a leading provider of products and value-added services to the Aerospace and Defense industries worldwide, is pleased to announce that Keystone Turbine Services (KTS - a PAG Company located in Coatesville, Pennsylvania), for the third year in a row, received the prestigious Rolls-Royce Best in Class Award for 2023. This award recognizes significant achievements by KTS in providing continuous world-class MRO services and support to operators of the M250 and RR300 series of gas turbine engines and related components to customers worldwide.

KEYSTONE TURBINE SERVICES (A PAG COMPANY) RECEIVES ROLLS-ROYCE "BEST IN CLASS" AWARD FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW Tweet this KEYSTONE TURBINE SERVICES (A PAG COMPANY) RECEIVES ROLLS-ROYCE BEST IN CLASS AWARD FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW

"We are proud to again recognize Keystone Turbine Services as this year's 'Best in Class' award winner," stated Scott Cunningham, Helicopter Program Director for Rolls-Royce Corporation. "Their longstanding commitment to service excellence gives M250 and RR300 customers the peace of mind to know they will receive only the very best in quality, performance and reliability every time."

"This award represents PAG's ongoing commitment to further enhance our Rolls-Royce M250 and RR300 MRO capabilities at KTS and is part of PAG's long-term strategy to further expand and strengthen the deep-rooted relationships we have built with our key OEM's and customers," said David Mast, President & CEO of Precision Aviation Group. "KTS has a great team of engine professionals, and I'm proud their peers have again recognized their unwavering commitment to providing complete customer satisfaction plus superior service and support."

"Amongst all the members of the Rolls-Royce FIRST network, I'm proud Keystone was again chosen as this year's winner of the 'Best in Class' award, stated John Fraser, General Manager of KTS. "This award recognizes our employee's commitment to continuous improvement and dedication to always providing world class service excellence each and every day. I'm proud to share this award with them."

About the Rolls-Royce FIRST network

The Rolls-Royce FIRST (Fully Integrated Rolls-Royce Support Team) network is an authorized global support network for operators of the M250 and RR300 series of small gas turbine engine, providing affordable and reliable support solutions. The FIRST network includes more than 30 approved, licensed service centers around the world. With its competitive structure, operators will find affordable and reliable services anywhere for Rolls-Royce M250 and RR300 engines and related components.

About Precision Aviation Group

Precision Aviation Group (PAG) is a leading provider of products and value-added services to the aerospace and defense industries worldwide. With 20 Repair Stations, and over 850,000-square-feet of sales and service facilities in the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Brazil  PAG's 23 locations and customer-focused business model serve aviation customers through Supply Chain and Inventory Supported Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (ISMRO) services.

Keystone Turbine Services (KTS - a PAG Company located in Coatesville, Pennsylvania) has over 47 years of gas turbine engine experience. KTS is Rolls-Royce's second largest certificated Authorized Maintenance Repair & Overhaul Center (AMROC) supporting all variants of the M250 and RR300 Series of gas turbine engine including related modules, accessories and components. In addition, KTS is an FAA and EASA certificated Part 145 Repair Station and a certificated Honeywell Authorized Warranty and Repair Station (AWARS) for Maintenance, Overhaul, Repair and Testing of Rolls-Royce M250 & RR300 plus Pratt & Whitney PT6A and PT6T series Fuel Controls, Power Turbine Governors, and related accessories.

PAG provides MRO and Supply Chain Solutions for Fixed- and Rotary-wing aircraft. PAG has MRO and manufacturing capabilities on over 100,000 product lines in four MRO segments  Avionics, Components, Engines and Manufacturing/Sub-Assembly/DER Services. PAG is dedicated to keeping mission critical, business, military, and defense operators in the air.

(www.precisionaviationgroup.com)

SOURCE Precision Aviation Group
Nairobi  Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi was trapped at Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters on Tuesday as agents pressed him over misinformation on an alleged raid at his home.

Once a powerful operator in government who sanction raids against politicians, Matiangi presented himself at DCI at 8.30am a day after he sought to have the agency revise his scheduled appearance from 9.30am to 8am citing pressing engagements. He however remained trapped by the time this article went live at 3pm.

Matinagi arrived in the company of about twelve lawyers, former Cabinet collogue Eugene Wamalwa and two senators from Nyamira and Kisii.

Outside, scattered supporters chanted at armed agents drawn from several DCI formations including the Anti-Terrorism Unit.

"Protect our man!" one supporter shouted.

Matiangi, who remained silent, waved to acknowledge the supporters.

Misinformation, graft charges

His appearance on Tuesday came a day after DCI served his lawyer, Dunstan Omari, with summons weeks after he snubbed a summon. The agency warned that "failure to comply with the requisition constitutes an offense liable to prosecution."

Lawyers Otiende Amollo (Rarieda MP), and Okong'o Omogeni (Nyamira Senator) formed part of his legal team.

Senior Superintendent of Police Michael Sang had earlier said that Matiang'i should appear at the agency's office at 9:30 am without fail or risk facing arrest.

Sang explained that he was investigating allegations of Publication of False Information contrary to section 23 of the Computer Misuse and Cyber Crimes Act 2018, among other offenses, in relation to the supposed raid at Matiangi's home on February 9.

"I have reasons to believe that Matiang'i can assist me in my investigations," he said.

In addition to the investigation by the DCI, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has also launched an inquiry into Matiangi's wealth accumulation since he joined the government.

The EACC probe covers a ten-year period during which Matiangi served in government.
NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kinderhook Industries, LLC ("Kinderhook") announced today the recapitalization of AWI Holdings, LLC ("Auto-Wares" or "AWI") in partnership with management. Auto-Wares is a leading distributor of aftermarket automotive parts to independent service centers, independent parts stores, and direct to consumer through its network of 200+ company-owned stores. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Subsequent to the recapitalization, Auto-Wares acquired Lafayette Warehouse, Inc. ("Lafayette"). Lafayette is a warehouse distributor of OEM and aftermarket automotive parts in North Central Indiana. Lafayette is the 83rd acquisition completed by Auto-Wares since its founding and Kinderhook's 202nd automotive / light manufacturing-related transaction. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Auto-Wares is a Grand Rapids, Michigan based warehouse distributor of aftermarket automotive parts to installers, parts stores, and consumers through its company-owned stores. Founded in 1976 by Fred Bunting, Auto-Wares has grown into one of the largest automotive parts distributors in the United States. AWI leverages its extensive inventory and deep product knowledge to serve its customers. In addition to its Grand Rapids headquarters and distribution center, Auto-Wares serves its customers through a dense regional network of strategically located distribution centers and company-owned stores throughout the Midwest.

Todd Leimenstoll, CEO of Auto-Wares, said, "Kinderhook is the perfect partner to help Auto-Wares accelerate growth during this exciting new chapter. Auto-Wares is confident that Kinderhook's expertise, resources, and vision for future growth will allow our business to expand our operations and build upon our reputation as a leading warehouse distributor. Our commitment to customer satisfaction remains at the forefront of our business strategy, and we look forward to continuing to grow alongside our loyal customer base."

Paul Cifelli, Managing Director at Kinderhook, stated, "we are thrilled to partner with the exceptionally talented and experienced management team of Auto-Wares. We share a common vision for the future of Auto-Wares and believe that this partnership will unlock tremendous potential. With our collective resources and industry expertise, we are confident that Auto-Wares will continue its long history of growth alongside operational excellence."

"I knew from the start of this process that finding the right partner was critical to our long-term success, and I am confident that we have found the right partner in Kinderhook. The firm's deep industry expertise and track record of success in the automotive sector was a major factor in Auto-Wares' decision to partner with Kinderhook. Equally important was Kinderhook's cultural fit with our own organization. We share a common vision for growth, customer service, and operational excellence. I'm excited about what we can achieve together, and I look forward to a bright future for our company," said Fred Bunting, Founder of Auto-Wares.

In combining Lafayette with Auto-Wares, Pat James, President at Lafayette, commented, "first and foremost, we want to thank our employees and customers for the success we have had over the past 96 years. We could not have done it without all of their support. Auto-Wares presented an opportunity for our legacy to continue by offering great opportunities for our current employees and customers. We also would like to thank Auto-Wares for welcoming us into their family of companies."

Todd Leimenstoll, CEO of Auto-Wares, stated, "all of us at Auto-Wares are excited to have the Lafayette Warehouse team join the Auto-Wares Group of Companies. Lafayette Warehouse has a very successful history and tremendous reputation. I am thankful for the trust that Pat James and the James family have placed in us. We look forward to the next chapter in growing the company."

Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel and Stifel served as buy-side financial advisor to Kinderhook for the transaction with Auto-Wares. Honigman LLP served as legal counsel to Auto-Wares for the transaction with Lafayette. Financing for both transactions was provided by a Truist-led debt syndicate that included Union Bank, Fifth Third, KeyBank, Stifel, and Regions.

About Kinderhook Industries



Founded in 2003, Kinderhook Industries, LLC is a private investment firm that manages $5.4 billion of committed capital. We have made in excess of 400 investments and follow-on acquisitions since inception. Kinderhook's investment philosophy is predicated on matching unique, growth-oriented investment opportunities with exceptional financial expertise and our proprietary network of operating partners. Our focus is on middle market businesses with defensible niche market positioning in the healthcare services, environmental / business services, and automotive / light manufacturing sectors. We have a track record of successfully and consistently building industry leaders.

For more information, please visit: www.kinderhook.com

About Auto-Wares

Auto-Wares Group of Companies is an aftermarket automotive distribution company headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving the Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin markets. Auto-Wares Group of Companies is a member of the Aftermarket Auto Parts Alliance. The Alliance and Auto-Wares pride themselves on responding to the individual automotive needs of each customer.

Service is the Difference. We Get It! For more information please visit: www.autowares.com

About Lafayette

Lafayette Auto Supply, founded by the late Paul James, first opened its doors in 1928. He began by selling tire repair supplies out of a Ford Model T. As the company grew, it opened its current location at 118 S. 4th Street in 1944. In 1960, Lafayette Auto Supply decided to expand its portfolio into small engine parts and opened Lafayette Warehouse, Inc. Then in 1973, Lafayette Warehouse, Inc. (LWI) moved into its current location at 115 S. 3rd Street. LWI continued to grow its Automotive Division by establishing Kokomo Auto Supply in Kokomo, IN (1999), NWI Auto Supply in Merrillville, IN (2003) and Lafayette Auto Supply Distribution Center (2015). In December 2021, LWI shifted their business concentration to focus on the ever-growing OEM and aftermarket auto parts division ending their small engine business after 60 years of uninterrupted service to their customers.

For more information please visit: www.lascolwi.com

SOURCE Kinderhook Industries
PHOENIX, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Colling Media, a Phoenix-based Advertising Agency has announced Kristen O'Neall has been named Director of Client Services. The promotion is her fourth in two years.

Kristen O'Neall

In her new role as Director of Client Services, she oversees the company's client services team, working closely with the leadership team to develop strategic initiatives for exceptional customer service and improved advertising outcomes for agency partners. O'Neall continues to serve as Chair of the Culture Committee, playing a critical role in cultivating a positive work environment, and remains an active member of both the Hiring and Health and Wellness Committees.

"Colling Media is ecstatic to have Kristen lead one of the most important departments at our agency. Her passion for work, clients, and staff success is second to none. Kristen brings tremendous value and a wealth of experience to her staff and peers. We look forward to her continued contributions as we strive to exceed our clients' expectations and achieve our goals," said Chief Digital Officer, Jordan Schuster.

O'Neall joined the company in 2020 as an Account Coordinator, where she cultivated knowledge and skills in logistics and project management. Following in 2021, O'Neall was promoted to Account Manager, where she was given her own book of business and discovered a passion for building and fostering client relationships. As Account Manager, O'Neall created internal onboarding and training processes for new Colling Media employees.

In 2022, O'Neall became the first Account Coordinator Manager, where she managed the Account Coordinator team, and continued to manage her book of business. Six months later, O'Neall was promoted to Client Services Manager, overseeing and leading the client services department, including Account Managers and Account Coordinators.

Since then, O'Neall continues to prioritize the development of the client service internal processes, such as pairing team members' unique personality types with complementing clients, resulting in personalized customer service, and working to create a culture of growth and creating paths to promotion.

"I am incredibly excited to take on this new role and create a culture of excellence and innovation in our client service department. It's not about standing out from our competitors, but about helping our clients achieve their desired outcomes. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement, we can ensure that our clients receive the best possible service and achieve the results they need to succeed," said O'Neall.

"We are thrilled to have Kristen step into this new role," added Brian Colling, Founder and Chief Executive Officer. "Our mission of helping people succeed extends beyond our clients, and I'm excited and proud to see Kristen's amazing leadership growth. We can't wait to see the impact she will have on our clients and our team's success."

About Colling Media

Based in Phoenix, AZ, Colling Media is a full-service national digital advertising and marketing agency specializing in advertising branding and strategy, digital and traditional advertising, media buying, paid search, lead generation, content marketing, and SEO. For more information, visit collingmedia.com , or follow the company on LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter and TikTok .

Media Contact:

Rebeca Moreno

602.456.4395

[email protected]

SOURCE Colling Media
ATHENS, Ga., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Landmark Properties, a fully-integrated real estate firm specializing in development, construction, investment management, and operation of high-quality residential communities, announces plans to develop a second student apartment community in the Los Angeles market. Construction is scheduled to begin by the end of 2023 on the 435-unit community located 0.3 miles from The University of Southern California's campus. The new residential community will be one of the largest purpose-built student housing developments at USC. While plans are still progressing, Landmark expects to deliver more than 1500 beds for the Fall of 2026.

We are excited to break ground on our first project at USC, said Landmark President and CEO Wes Rogers. Tweet this Landmark Properties announces plans to develop a second student apartment community in the Los Angeles market. Construction is scheduled to begin by the end of 2023 on the 435-unit community located 0.3 miles from The University of Southern Californias campus.

"We are excited to break ground on our first project at USC," said Landmark President and CEO Wes Rogers. "As the nation's largest developer of student housing serving students at Tier 1 universities across the country, we have been attracted to the USC market for some time. We look forward to providing more USC students with a luxury off-campus living option steps from campus."

Located at the corner of West 39th and South Figueroa streets in "the New Ninth" district of Los Angeles, the site was acquired from Ventus Group, an Orange County based mixed-use developer. "This was a complex land assemblage and entitlement process that our team worked on for many years to create this rare, urban infill opportunity," said Scott Gale, CEO of Ventus Group. "A project of this magnitude requires patience, persistence and vision, and it is rewarding to be an integral part of something that is set to have a big impact."

"This asset represented a true labor of love given the difficulty and time associated with the land assemblage," said Kevin Shannon, Co-Head of Newmark's U.S. Capital Markets group. "This best-in-class student housing development will be an attractive addition to the USC community."

The residential community will offer several distinct floorplans, ranging from studio to five-bedrooms. The careful design of these units will stand out to potential residents when weighing options among comparable apartments. The development will also include 87 units reserved for those identified at the low-income level or below.

Apartments in the development feature a gourmet-style kitchen with ample cabinet space, quartz countertops and stainless appliances. Each residence comes fully furnished with washers and dryers, offers luxury vinyl tile flooring, and includes technology-related amenities in the common living area, along with high-speed internet and cable included with rent.

Additionally, residents will enjoy clubhouse and social amenities in several areas of the community, most notably on the rooftop level adjacent to a resort-style pool. The lounge, computer lab, and fitness center amenities will be open 24-hours for convenience. The rooftop outdoor amenity spaces add more opportunities for recreation and socialization with a grilling area and pool. In addition to the fully programmed amenity package, the apartment community will include over 20,000-square-feet of retail fronting Banc of California Stadium. Onsite parking will be available for residents and retail guests.

Construction on the development is expected to be complete ahead of the fall 2026 semester. The proximity to campus attractions will provide quick and convenient options for students commuting to and from campus. In addition to on-site retail, residents will be a brief stroll to popular shopping and restaurants, including Chick-fil-A, Subway, and McDonald's.

Landmark Urban Construction will serve as general contractor for this project. Newmark's Shannon, Executive Managing Directors Ken White, Greg Galusha and Bryan Norcott, Vice Chairman and Head of Newmark's Student Housing group Ryan Lang and Director Jack Brett, in cooperation with Senior Managing Director Chris Benton and Managing Director Anthony Muhlstein brokered the deal, along with Eric Bergstrom at Bergstrom Capital Advisors.

The University of Southern California is the oldest private research university in the state and has an enrollment of 49,500 students.

About Landmark Properties

Headquartered in Athens, Ga., with an office in Atlanta, Landmark Properties is a fully integrated real estate firm, specializing in the acquisition, development, and management of high-quality residential communities. With more than $11 billion assets under management, Landmark's portfolio includes almost 100 residential communities across the country with nearly 65,000 beds under management. Additionally, Landmark benefits from an active development pipeline with 22 student and multifamily projects under construction with an estimated value at $4.4 billion. Landmark's mission is to be the leader in development, construction, operations, and investment management of luxury housing communities, by delivering unrivaled service and experience to residents, partners and employees. For more information, visit www.landmarkproperties.com.

About Ventus Group

Ventus Group focuses on opportunistically assembling properties for mixed-use and residential developments in core infill areas. The team is well-versed in every phase of the development process and brings a unique combination of vision, experience, discipline, and dedication to the challenges associated with complex real estate opportunities to deliver unparalleled value to the stakeholders of every investment. For more information, visit www.ventusgroup.com.

About Newmark

Newmark Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NMRK), together with its subsidiaries ("Newmark"), is a world leader in commercial real estate, seamlessly powering every phase of the property life cycle. Newmark's comprehensive suite of services and products is uniquely tailored to each client, from owners to occupiers, investors to founders, and startups to blue-chip companies. Combining the platform's global reach with market intelligence in both established and emerging property markets, Newmark provides superior service to clients across the industry spectrum. Newmark generated revenues of approximately $2.7 billion for the year ending December 31, 2022. Newmark's company-owned offices, together with its business partners, operate from approximately 180 offices with nearly 6,700 professionals around the world. To learn more, visit nmrk.com or follow @newmark.

SOURCE Landmark Properties
Unique Structure Provides True Equity Ownership and Offers Participants Significant Benefits and Value Creation While Positioning Firm for the Future

CHICAGO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LaSalle St., a family of wealth management firms encompassing independent broker-dealer and two registered investment adviser (RIA) platforms, today announced its evolution to a financial advisor-owned business model. The firm reported the offering of a significant percentage of its equity to affiliated and qualified reps and advisors. The new program is considered unique to the independent marketplace and sets the firm on its future path.

In order to deliver an additional pathway for significant value creation for the firm's reps and advisors, a portion of the firm's equity was made available for purchase to those who qualified in a transaction that closed at the end of January. Participants in the program are considered true equity shareholders. Additionally, the firm has developed a group health plan for advisor equity owners. The firm will form an Advisory Board comprised of financial advisor owners who will meet several times a year to provide input on the firm's direction.

Planning for the Future

"Over the last several years, we have worked hard on positioning the firm for the future," said Mark Contey, LaSalle's Senior Vice President and Head of Business Development. "While other firms in our space continue to consolidate into larger firms or private equity, we are committed to a different path. We continue to be excited about our business as well as the mission of the independent financial advisor and this unique offering makes LaSalle St. and even more compelling value proposition for those looking for a true independent affiliation."

Daniel Schlesser, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer added, "Advisors are extremely excited about the new structure. We have heard from many who believe that being able to position themselves as owners of the firm will be a game changer for both existing clients and prospects. Being advisor-owned strengthens LaSalle's value proposition of enabling conflict-free affiliation for entrepreneurial-minded advisors who operate as true fiduciaries to their clients."

About LaSalle St.

LaSalle St. is a family of firms comprising LaSalle St. Securities, an independent broker-dealer; LaSalle St. Investment Advisors, two SEC-registered investment advisers; and LaSalle St. Insurance Services, a provider of annuity and insurance products. It has a singular mission of supporting the growth and success of independent financial advisors across the country. Founded in 1974 and based in Chicago, Illinois, LaSalle St. supports more than 300 financial advisors, has approximately $12 billion in total client assets and is registered in all 50 states. The LaSalle St. companies offer a wide range of services, including brokerage, advisory, investment and insurance. The firm clears primarily through Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions, with custodial services through parent Fidelity Investments. For more information, visit https://www.lasallest.com/.

Media Inquiries

Donald Cutler or Lorene Yue

Haven Tower Group

[email protected] | [email protected]

424 317 4864 | 424 317 4854

SOURCE LaSalle St.
CHICAGO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On International Women's Day, Canna Bella Lux (www.cannabellalux.com), a luxury women's brand owned by Latina Tiffany Woodman, proudly announces its portfolio expansion as the first Latina-owned brand in the Illinois legal cannabis market.

Currently, Canna Bella Lux offers an extensive line of luxury items for women like pre-roll cones, rolling trays, vaporizer batteries, and other cannabis-related merchandise. However, until now, the company did not have any plant products in its portfolio. This new line of cannabis products will include pre-rolls, flower, infused teas, edibles and more, all curated for women's health needs and wellness.

Canna Bella Lux solidified a partnership with The 1937 Group, the first minority-owned, vertically-integrated cannabis company in Illinois, to provide all aspects of plant-touching services, including obtaining raw materials, manufacturing and processing, and distribution through the licensed cannabis transportation company Highwaymen Security. Furthermore, The 1937 Group has secured a supply agreement with a local woman-owned cannabis company, Bedford Grow, to cultivate exclusive, strain-specific luxury cannabis flower focused on terpenes and relief.

Tiffany Woodman, the owner and CEO of Canna Bella Lux, is excited to share this product line with women who deserve a brand that resonates with them, focused entirely on women's health along with her signature femme aesthetics. "The goal is that women will be able to have their Canna Bella products on the shelf, on the go, and whenever they need relief with fashion and function."

Woodman was looking for a partner that could provide the highest quality products and services, while also having the same shared ethos and passion for social equity and creating generational wealth. She found that with The 1937 Group. Ambrose Jackson, CEO of The 1937 Group, expressed his pride in helping launch one of the nation's first Latina woman-owned cannabis brands. He said, "This is a true testament to our focus on increasing equity and inclusion in the space. The fact that we could launch this woman-owned, woman-focused brand on International Women's Day makes it even more beautiful."

ABOUT CANNA BELLA LUX

Canna Bella Lux started in 2019 when Tiffany Woodman saw the need for a physical space where women interested in cannabis accessories could shop and connect. With a focus on women, wellness, and wisdom, Canna Bella Lux is committed to cultivating their W.E.E.D see you (Women, Experiences, Education, Diversity) mission and helping others grow on a national level, connecting them personally and/or professionally through their blog, retail, events, lifestyle, and community. Canna Bella Lux was voted Chicago's Reader's Best Cannabis Accessories Boutique in 2022.

Connect with Canna Bella Lux

Website: www.cannabellalux.com

Instagram: @cannabellalux

ABOUT THE 1937 GROUP

The 1937 Group is the first minority-owned, vertically-integrated cannabis company based in Chicago, and is committed to creating opportunities for others whose voices often get overlooked. The name "The 1937 Group" is inspired by the Marihuana Act of 1937, which fueled racial discrimination against Mexican-Americans and Blacks, and widespread imprisonment for what is now a legal activity in the majority of the United States.

Connect with The 1937 Group

Website: www.the1937group.com

Instagram: @the1937group @helios.labs @parkwaydispensary

Media Contact:

The Innovation Agency

310-571-5592

[email protected]

www.inov8.us

SOURCE The 1937 Group
CONCORD, Calif., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LightRiver , the premier optical network integration solution provider for next generation, multi-vendor, Factory Built Networks and netFLEX Transport Domain Orchestration and Control Software solutions, announces the release of netFLEX 4.7.1. This latest netFLEX platform release continues to expand upon its industry leading Open Optical support of multi-vendor and multi-technology automation of DWDM Open Line Systems, Coherent Pluggable Optics, Switch/Router Packet Edge, and next generation DCI/Transponders.

netFLEX 4.7.1 features support an API-first methodology for realtime inventory, programmable analytics, and control automation, as leveraged for Open Optical networking and broader inclusion within LightRiver's award winning Alien Aware Networking solution that provides network design, build, deploy, and end-to-end automation.

Examples of new technologies now supported by netFLEX include:

Nokia 1830 PSS-8x/12x OTN Switching Inventory, Maintenance, & Provisioning Support

Nokia 1830 PSS OTDR feature set, including baseline and historical tracking

Cisco NCS4200 Series Circuit Emulation Support (layer 1 & 2) providing end to end inventory and maintenance of TDM & Packet services along the same path

Smartoptics DCP-404 & 1610 transponder's

Smartoptics r7.1.1 for DCP-R-9D, M40, DCP-2

Expanded Cisco NCS2000 Series equipment & services library

Expanded Ciena 6500 RLS equipment & services library

Additional Juniper router models with Layer 1 inventory & maintenance support

"This latest release provides another significant expansion of the netFLEX Open Optical Network ecosystem," states Mike Jonas, President, Global Customer Operations at LightRiver. "Our focus on practical automation is enabling operators from every market to modernize their operations and deliver new services more quickly and cost-effectively."

About LightRiver

LightRiver is the premier provider of next generation, multi-vendor, Factory Built Networks and netFLEX vendor neutral, Optical Domain Orchestration and Control Software solutions. LightRiver is an expert in Packet Optical, DWDM/ROADM, MPLS and Carrier Ethernet systems and designs, engineers, commissions, automates and supports next generation, software controlled, transport networks for mission-critical clients that require the highest capacity, reliability, resiliency and manageability that today's optical communications technology can deliver.

LightRiver is a portfolio company of Grain Management, LLC, a leading Washington, D.C.-based investment firm, focused on the global communications sector. LightRiver delivers unique value with turnkey hardware and software solutions, carrier-grade quality and unparalleled customer care in multi-technology networking. For additional information about LightRiver, please visit https://lightriver.com .

About Grain Management

Grain Management, LLC is a leading global investment firm that focuses on broadband infrastructure and technology companies that connect the world to the information economy. Founded in 2007, Grain invests exclusively in the global telecommunications sector, employing a rigorous, data-based process buoyed by deep industry expertise to identify investment opportunities in key areas of telecommunications infrastructure, including fiber networks, wireless spectrum and cell towers.

For more information visit www.graingp.com .

Media Contact

Jaymie Scotto & Associates (JSA)

+1 888.695.3620 ext. 6

[email protected]

SOURCE LightRiver
ST. LOUIS, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The California Independent System Operator ("CAISO") today announced that it has selected LS Power Grid California, LLC, to finance, construct, own, operate and maintain two new projects to support electric reliability in California: the Newark  Northern Receiving Station HVDC Project ("Newark Project") and the Metcalf  San Jose B HVDC Project ("Metcalf Project").

"LS Power is pleased to be selected in CAISO's competitive processes to improve the reliability of the power grid in the San Jose area," said Paul Thessen, President of LS Power Development. "The projects will employ some of the most advanced grid technologies to reliably serve San Jose's growing electric load and support California's energy transition."

CAISO conducted a competitive selection process pursuant to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Order No. 1000 and selected LS Power's proposals from a total of six qualified proposals for the Newark Project and five qualified proposals for the Metcalf Project. These selections represent LS Power's sixth and seventh competitively procured transmission awards by CAISO. CAISO's selection of LS Power is based on a comparative analysis, which identified the sponsor best able to implement the project in a cost-effective, efficient, prudent, reliable, and capable manner over the lifetime of the facility while maximizing overall benefits and minimizing risks.

The Newark Project and Metcalf Project were planned by CAISO to reinforce the electrical grid in and around San Jose, enhance reliability, and increase access to cost-effective, renewable electricity. Each project provides a new high voltage source to the San Jose area with the ability to control power flows via high voltage direct current (HVDC) converter stations connected to existing substations in the area. The projects are pre-planned for future expansions that can facilitate enhanced power control on the California grid to reliably accommodate future growth.

"LS Power thanks CAISO for its efforts in conducting a thorough, competitive process to achieve cost-efficient transmission solutions to the benefit of electric consumers," Thessen said. "Our team looks forward to collaborating with CAISO, the California Public Utilities Commission, and local communities in advancing these projects together."

About LS Power:

LS Power is a development, investment, and operating company focused on the North American power and energy infrastructure sector. Since its inception in 1990, LS Power has developed, constructed, managed, or acquired more than 46,000 MW of power generation, including utility-scale solar, wind, hydro, natural gas-fired, and battery energy storage projects, of which ~17,000 MW are currently operating. LS Power's Energy Transition Platforms include CPower Energy Management, Endurant Energy, EVgo, Rise Light & Power, and REV Renewables, as well as Waste-to-Energy initiatives. In addition, LS Power developed and operates over 680 miles of high-voltage transmission, with an additional 100+ miles and multiple substations under construction. Across these efforts, LS Power has raised $50 billion in debt and equity financing to support North American infrastructure. Through 2021, assets under LS Power control avoided 80.67 million metric tons of CO2e, equivalent to nearly 187 million barrels of oil not consumed or over 17.5 million cars taken off the road for one year. For more information, please visit www.LSPower.com.

SOURCE LS Power
Webinar panelists, including Joe McKeska of A&G Real Estate Partners, cite gap between landlords' longstanding expectations and the post-pandemic reality for restaurants

CHICAGO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Landlords need to reset their expectations about restaurant profitability in the post-pandemic eraa "new abnormal" in which more restaurants are losing money despite rebounding sales, advised panelists in a Restaurant Finance Monitor webinar.

Joe McKeska

"A paradigm has been established over many years as to what constitutes a healthy restaurant with a supportable lease and rent, but in many cases that no longer applies," said panelist Joe McKeska, a Chicago-based Principal at A&G Real Estate Partners and leader of the firm's restaurant industry practice. "Whatever you want to call the new normalit's more like the 'new abnormal'we're in it. You have to play the hand you've been dealt."

"Strengthening Restaurant Portfolios in a Challenging Business Environment" was moderated by Restaurant Finance Monitor President John Hamburger. Turnaround and restructuring expert Dan Dooley, Principal & CEO of MorrisAnderson, joined McKeska on the panel, along with restaurant executive and former Wall Street attorney Robert Cornog, Jr., Chairman and CEO of both Punch Bowl Social and Wagamama USA.

Hamburger kicked off the hourlong discussion by asking about the industrywide effects of challenges such as lower traffic and higher food, materials and labor costs.

In response, Cornog noted that many office workers are back in New York City for just three days a week, a shift that creates the prospect of "Fridays turning into Thursdays" for restaurants.

"What is your lunchtime-dinner mix given that 40 percent of office workers in New York aren't there?" Cornog asked. "Operators are trying to figure out, 'What is the business we have, and how do we run that business going forward?'"

For some downtown restaurants, Dooley added, the hybrid-work model has contributed to decreases in average unit volumes of 40 or 50 percent.

Many restaurants have raised their prices enough to boost their sales totals, but they may still be on the bubble or losing money, McKeska noted. "What's scary to me is, we have seen cases where sales are actually up by 5 or 10 percent but the restaurant operator's profitability is down by 30, 40, 50 percent or more," he said.

In this context, the panelists said, portfolio optimization is even more critical to turning around distressed restaurants or positioning healthier chains for the future.

McKeska, who routinely renegotiates and terminates leases on behalf of restaurant clients, encouraged operators to engage with landlords and be willing to close underperforming stores. Chains pursuing out-of-court restructurings, in particular, should huddle with their secured lenders to gain clarity on what it will take to avoid going into default. "You really need to have alignment with your senior secured lender before you go out to the landlord community, because otherwise you're trying to hit a moving target," McKeska said.

Operators should make sure they have enough cash to fund early lease terminations, and as they seek to lower their rents and exit underperforming stores, they need to be transparent with landlords, McKeska said. That could include signing nondisclosure agreements and handing over financials. "The landlord has to understand why you're asking for this and, frankly, why what you're offering is better than the alternative," the executive noted.

Restaurants often have a strong argument. McKeska asked the audience to imagine a situation in which a restructuring restaurant offers to pay six or nine months of additional rent prior to early termination of a lease with 10 years of remaining term. "The alternative for the landlord is, the restaurant goes into bankruptcy, the lease is rejected, and the landlord gets an unsecured, 502(b)(6) claim, which generally has a smaller recovery," McKeska said.

In out-of-court restructurings, Dooley added, restaurants need to remember the importance of settling the majority of their termination claims, because a half-successful effort accomplishes nothing. "You cannot live with 50 or 60 percent," Dooley said. "That number has got to be 85 or 90 percent. Otherwise, you pay out a bunch of money and end up filing for bankruptcy anyway."

Ideally, restaurants will be able to show their landlords that key stakeholders such as vendors, corporate executives and sponsors are contributing to the restructuring effort. "That's everything from lenders taking loan write-downs, to franchisors easing up to some degree on royalty and ad payments, at least until the business gets back on its feet," McKeska said.

An aggressive effort also involves negotiating lower rents and additional lease options for on-the-bubble or even healthy stores. "For those stronger-performing locations, you can say to the landlord, 'Hey, maybe I will extend your lease if you give me a rent reduction,'" McKeska said. "To generate enough value to position the company for an out-of-court restructuring, restaurants need all of these components to come together across the portfolio through a thoughtful and strategic approach which is specific to each restaurant operator."

New York-based A&G has saved approximately 750 clients more than $10 billion in occupancy costs since 2012, selling $12 billion in real estate and leases in connection with M&A transactions, restructurings and other projects.

The full webinar is available at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/8637608745979518047

Media Contacts: At Jaffe Communications, Elisa Krantz, (908) 789-0700, [email protected].

SOURCE A&G Real Estate Partners
New President Leads ESOP Transition of SoCal General Contractor

ESCONDIDO, Calif., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mat Gates, Certified Construction Manager (CCM) and LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP), has been appointed President of Erickson-Hall Construction Co. A poised and effective leader with a 30-year career in the construction industry, Mr. Gates has extensive experience delivering complex projects throughout Southern California. His appointment comes at a pivotal time in Erickson-Hall's history as it transitions ownership to its employees.

Mat Gates, CCM, LEED AP, President of Erickson-Hall Construction Co.

Mat Gates

Mr. Gates began his construction industry career in 1992 upon graduating from San Diego State University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. He joined Erickson-Hall in 2004, and has risen through the ranks from a Project Manager to the company's most senior leader as its President. In his role, Mr. Gates leads the Erickson-Hall team to deliver quality projects and excellent service. His priorities include developing talent, overseeing company operations, and creating a culture that positions the company for expanding new business and sustained strategic growth.

ESOP Transition

Mr. Gates is also leading Erickson-Hall while it transitions ownership to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). An ESOP is a retirement plan which provides an ownership interest for the employees who contribute to the company's success. Shares of stock held by the ESOP are allocated to employees over time. Erickson-Hall's ESOP provides a unique opportunity to reward existing and future employees, and provides for sustainable future growth of the company.

Mr. Gates states, "It's an honor to be leading such a talented and committed group of individuals. This team absolutely deserves to benefit from the hard work they put in every day to ensure Erickson-Hall's success as employee owners."

About Erickson-Hall Construction Co.

Erickson-Hall is a recognized industry leader and has completed over $2 billion in successful construction projects, of which $1.5 billion has been for K-12 and higher education developments. The employee-owned company has been serving the Southern California markets of San Diego, Imperial, Orange, South LA, and Riverside Counties since 1998. Services include preconstruction, general contracting, construction management, design-build, design assist-build, lease-leaseback and program management for educational, fire, essential services, civic, parks, recreation, faith-based, office and healthcare facilities. The company has an award-winning portfolio of completed projects and has received numerous awards for safety. For more information, visit www.ericksonhall.com and find us on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/erickson-hall-construction-company.

Media Contact: Beth Binger

BCIpr

619-987-6658

[email protected]

SOURCE Erickson-Hall Construction Co.
USCM to Return to Austin for Civic I/O Mayors' Summit, Sessions on Renewing Opportunity in American Cities

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- American mayors will be in Austin, Texas this week for the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, where the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) will co-host the Civic I/O Mayors' Summit and mayors will participate in panel discussions about the challenges and opportunities facing American cities in 2023. The Civic I/O Mayors' Summit is an annual event that USCM, SXSW, and the City of Austin have organized and held since 2016. Taking place this year from March 9-12, the mayoral summit brings together city leaders, creatives, and entrepreneurs to discuss solutions to some of our cities' most pressing challenges.

The Summit will conclude on Sunday, March 12, with the return of the Mayor's Matchup Civic Tech Pitch Competition. In the style of "Shark Tank," entrepreneurs will pitch a product, company, or program to a panel of mayors and industry experts, presenting their big ideas to improve American cities. The panel of mayors and experts will vote to determine the winner, who will receive a monetary prize to support their startup. Last year's winner was Good Call  a company offering immediate access to legal support for individuals in need. To learn more about this year's participants, see here.

In addition to the Civic I/O Mayors' Summit, mayors will participate in SXSW interactive panels. Details are below:

Friday, March 10

Does the American Dream Still Exist?

Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon A

2:30pm  3:30pm CT

Mayor Ron Nirenberg , City of San Antonio

, Mayor Levar Stoney , City of Richmond, Virginia

, Liz Crampton , POLITICO

Saturday, March 11

Cities of Tomorrow: Opportunities Transforming Urban Life

Hilton Austin Downtown, Salon B

2:30pm  3:30pm CT

Mayor Bruce Harrell , City of Seattle

, Mayor Rex Richardson , City of Long Beach

, Jennifer Kingson , Axios

Panels and the Tech Pitch competition will be on the record and open to media with an official SXSW badge. All other Civic I/O programming, including evening events, are closed to press.

About the United States Conference of Mayors -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are more than 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

SOURCE U.S. Conference of Mayors
NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- WebMD Health Corp., an Internet Brands company and a leader in health information services for physicians, other healthcare professionals and consumers, today announced that it has acquired Grupo SANED, Spain's leader in health and medical information services.

Grupo SANED is a preeminent provider of medical education, scientific communications, clinical news, and regulatory advice. The acquisition extends the Medscape healthcare professional footprint in Spain by reaching more than 200,000 registered physicians, nurses, pharmacists and 1 million Spanish-speaking consumers. The acquisition is a significant expansion for WebMD's flagship global brand, Medscape, which boasts an unrivalled reach of more than 6.5 million physicians worldwide. The deal assures its position as the leading global source of healthcare communications, clinical news, and health education for healthcare professionals.

"Grupo SANED strengthens our ongoing mission to deliver best-in-class medical information and tools to even more Spanish speaking physicians worldwide," said Jeremy Schneider, Senior Vice President, and Group General Manager, WebMD Global. "With Grupo SANED, we further deepen our connection to Spanish speaking scientific organizations, professional associations, and universities within Spain and Latin America."

Grupo SANED has provided communication, marketing, publishing, research, and onsite training for the medical and healthcare sector for more than 40 years. Close collaboration with prestigious academics, along with its partnerships with universities, business schools and scientific societies, has enabled the creation of a highly valued accredited training, which has been key to driving membership loyalty.

"We are delighted to be part of Medscape. Together we will be able to provide Spanish doctors and other healthcare professionals with the broadest and most complete medical education and scientific information offered worldwide," said Francisco Bascuas, CEO, Grupo SANED. "We both share a commitment to contribute strongly to improve patient care and quality of life through providing high standard information and education services to healthcare professionals."

The acquisition is part of Medscape's strategic growth plan, which has seen the purchase of other country specific clinical and health information providers which target healthcare professionals including MGP (UK) in 2021, Coliquio (Germany) in 2020 and MediQuality (Benelux) in 2018.

Grupo SANED will continue to operate as an independent subsidiary of WebMD, as the companies build on and integrate products, platforms, and services. Terms of the deal are not being disclosed.

About Grupo SANED

Based in Madrid, Grupo SANED is the leading company in Spain for scientific communication and medical education services, with over 41 years in the Spanish healthcare sector. More than 50 employees and 400 external collaborators (healthcare communication experts, marketing professionals, journalists, medical education advisors) help provide the highest quality services in the areas of communication, education, and research.

Together they offer continuous medical education; interpersonal, intrapersonal and management skills development; therapeutic updates; consensuses; clinical cases; patient records; a picture atlas; clinical studies, and other development possibilities in communication and training. Grupo SANED combines these tools, designing the right projects to deliver on the goals of the healthcare industry, through a blend of target content and channels.

Grupo SANED's online portals "El Medico Interactivo" and "Aula de la Farmacia" are benchmarks for doctors, pharmacists and other HCPs in Spain searching both for the best information in the healthcare sector and the highest quality scientific education. Grupo SANED engages approximately 30,000 HCPs in its medical education programs each year and more than 200,000 Spanish-speaking HCPs, divided into 59 specialties, have registered to its services. In SANED's online media, more than 4,000 news articles are published every year, with more than 2 million pages viewed per month.

About Medscape

Medscape is the leading source of clinical news, health information, and point-of-care tools for health care professionals. Medscape offers specialists, primary care physicians, and other health professionals the most robust and integrated medical information and educational tools. Medscape Education (medscape.org) is the leading destination for continuous professional development, consisting of more than 30 specialty-focused destinations offering thousands of free CME and CE courses and other educational programs for physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals.

Both Medscape and Medscape Education are part of WebMD Health Corp., an Internet Brands company.

About WebMD Health Corp.

WebMD Health Corp., an Internet Brands Company, is the leading provider of health information services, serving patients, physicians, health care professionals, employers, and health plans through our public and private online portals, mobile platforms, and health- focused publications. The WebMD Health Network includes WebMD Health, Medscape, Jobson Healthcare Information, prIME Oncology, MediQuality, Frontline, QxMD, Vitals Consumer Services, MedicineNet, eMedicineHealth, RxList, OnHealth, Medscape Education, and other owned WebMD sites. WebMD, Medscape, CME Circle, Medpulse, eMedicine, MedicineNet, theheart.org , and RxList are among the trademarks of WebMD Health Corp. or its subsidiaries.

About Internet Brands

Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., Internet Brands is a fully integrated online media and software services organization focused on four high-value vertical categories: Health, Automotive, Legal and Home/Travel. The company's award-winning consumer websites lead their categories and serve more than 250 million monthly visitors, while a full range of web presence offerings has established deep, long-term relationships with SMB and enterprise clients. Internet Brands' powerful, proprietary operating platform provides the flexibility and scalability to fuel the company's continued growth. Internet Brands is a portfolio company of KKR and Temasek. For more information, please visit www.internetbrands.com.

SOURCE WebMD Health Corp.
NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Establishing a business from scratch entails considerable patience, time, and unwavering determination to succeed at every step, especially for women. Bronwyn Sciarrino and Ciara Geraghty , founders of Elite Private Recovery , remain grateful for the tremendous support provided by their family and friends, including their original nursing coordinator and the renowned Dr. Ryan Neinstein, who offered invaluable assistance throughout their entrepreneurial journey. As women founders, Sciarrino and Geraghty have imbibed many lessons that strengthened their business acumen.

Ciara Geraghty & Bronwyn Sciarrino Founders of Elite Private Recovery

Over the past decade, the dynamic duo forged connections with world-renowned plastic surgeons, worked with other talented medical professionals, and created meaningful relationships with clients who trusted in their expertise as nurses specializing in plastic surgery nursing. They established Elite Private Recovery together and disrupted the health and wellness industry with tailored recovery plans to meet unique needs.

The company's driving force has remained consistent for years: to deliver top-tier care to every client and ensure a seamless recovery process, whether from a home or hotel setting.

Sciarrino emphasizes that more women should take on the role of founders and create an impact in male-dominated industries. "Women should feel empowered to make a difference at a higher level and earn respect in their respective fields. There is nothing more liberating than becoming your own boss. Create your legacy and see where it leads you," she adds.

Meanwhile, Geraghty remains optimistic about the progress of female founders in the business landscape. She thinks that small, women-owned businesses deserve recognition. "We make a conscious effort to support other women as much as we can," she reveals.

Bronwyn Sciarrino and Ciara Geraghty firmly believe that challenges are growth opportunities. Committed to delivering exceptional aftercare services, these female founders constantly strive to improve their brand. "Find your passion and strive to improve it," highlights Geraghty. For leaders, continuous learning is crucial. Founders can enhance their abilities and drive their teams toward success by learning from peers, teaching, and inspiring others, especially women.

Elite Private Recovery is represented by ZavoMedia PR Group, a global public relations and personal branding agency headquartered in NYC. Elite Private Recovery is located in multiple cities such as New York, Dallas, Palm Beach and Los Angeles. At Elite every patient is special and has their own, individual recovery journey post surgery. The team of experts offer private 1:1 care for the patient. The clinicians are highly trained registered nurses who specialize in plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Contact:

Liana Zavo

212 814 7176

[email protected]

SOURCE Elite Private Recovery
CHICAGO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- According to Arizton's latest research report, the Mexico data center market will grow at a CAGR of 9.75% from 2022-2028.

TO KNOW MORE, DOWNLOAD THE FREE SAMPLE REPORT NOW: https://www.arizton.com/request-sample/3745

Mexico Data Center Market

BROWSE IN-DEPTH TOC ON THE MEXICO DATA CENTER MARKET

103 - Pages

10 - Tables

14 - Charts

The Mexican government aims to invest around $1.5 billion to boost internet connectivity and expand it to rural areas, generating more data. The investment will also attract data center investments in the country. The rising demand for cloud computing services and data storage will likely boost the country's construction of new greenfield facilities. The country currently has an availability of white floor area with an average of over 27,000 square feet.

MEXICO DATA CENTER MARKET REPORT SCOPE

Report Attributes Details Market Size (Investment) USD 1.15 Billion (2028) Market Size (Area) 230 thousand sq. Feet (2028) Market Size (Power Capacity) 50 MW (2028) CAGR Investment (2022-2028) 9.75 % Historic Year 2021-2022 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023-2028 Market Dynamics Cloud Adoption Driving Data Center Investments

Big Data & IoT are accelerating Data Center Investments in Mexico.

A Rise in Digital Economy in Mexico

GET A FREE SAMPLE! (CORPORATE EMAIL IDs WILL BE ON TOP PRIORITY) https://www.arizton.com/request-sample/3745

Big Data & IoT are Accelerating Data Center Investments in Mexico

As internet penetration is increasing and expected to grow further among organizations and households, it is likely to enhance the demand for Big Data & IoT in Mexico. INTERSOG, Systems-X, ADES Technologies, IDW Innovation Studio, RedGPS, and ModusLink are the major IoT companies operating in Mexico.

In 2022, the Mexican government announced that it plans to invest more than $1 billion to improve internet connectivity in isolated rural areas. In 2022, Mexican data centers reached around $200 million in revenue from the IoT segment, which is expected to double in the future.

This report analyses the Mexico data center market share. It elaboratively analyses the existing and upcoming facilities and investments in IT, electrical, mechanical infrastructure, general construction, and tier standards. It discusses market sizing and investment estimation for different segments. The segmentation includes:

THE REPORT INCLUDES THE INVESTMENT IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

IT Infrastructure

Servers



Storage Systems



Network Infrastructure

Electrical Infrastructure

UPS Systems



Generators



Transfer Switches & Switchgears



PDUs



Other Electrical Infrastructure

Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems



Racks



Other Mechanical Infrastructure

Cooling Systems

CRAC & CRAH Units



Chiller Units



Cooling Towers, Condensers & Dry Coolers



Economizers & Evaporative Coolers



Other Cooling Units

General Construction

Core & Shell Development



Installation & Commissioning Services



Engineering & Building Design



Fire Detection & Suppression



Physical Security



Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)

Tier Standard

Tier I & Tier II



Tier III



Tier IV

CUSTOMIZE YOUR REPORT NOW:

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/3745

MAJOR VENDORS

IT Infrastructure Providers

Arista Networks

Broadcom

Cisco Systems

Dell Technologies

HPE

Huawei Technologies

IBM

Juniper Networks

Lenovo

NetApp

Oracle

Pure Storage

Super Micro Computer

Data Center Construction Contractors & Sub-Contractors

AECOM

Aceco TI

Fluor Corporation

Gensler

KMD Architects

Syska Hennessey Group

Turner Construction

Support Infrastructure Providers

ABB

Axis Communications

Bosch Security Systems

Caterpillar

Cummins

Daikin Applied

Delta Electronics

Detroit Diesel

Eaton

Generac Power Systems

Legrand

Mitsubishi Electric

Munters

Piller Power Systems

Panduit

Rittal

Rolls-Royce

Schneider Electric

Siemens

STULZ

Vertiv

Data Center Investors

Ascenty

CloudHQ

Equinix

HostDime

ODATA

Scala Data Centers

TO KNOW MORE, DOWNLOAD THE FREE SAMPLE REPORT NOW: https://www.arizton.com/request-sample/3745

WHY SHOULD YOU BUY THIS RESEARCH?

Market size available in the investment, area, power capacity, and Mexico colocation market revenue.

colocation market revenue. An assessment of the data center investment in Mexico by colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise operators.

by colocation, hyperscale, and enterprise operators. Investments in the area (square feet) and power capacity (MW) across cities in the country.

A detailed study of the existing Mexico data center industry landscape, an in-depth industry analysis, and insightful predictions about industry size during the forecast period.

data center industry 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 Mexico

Facilities Covered (Existing): 32



Facilities Identified (Upcoming): 4



Coverage: 16 Cities



Existing vs. Upcoming (Area)



Existing vs. Upcoming (IT Load Capacity)

Data center colocation market in Mexico

Market Revenue & Forecast (2022-2028)



Retail Colocation Pricing



Wholesale Colocation Pricing

Mexico's market investments are classified into IT, power, cooling, and general construction services with sizing and forecast.

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.

TO KNOW MORE, DOWNLOAD THE FREE SAMPLE REPORT NOW: https://www.arizton.com/request-sample/3745

CHECK OUT SOME OF THE TOP SELLING RESEARCH REPORTS

Colombia Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2023-2028: Colombia data center market will witness investments of over USD 705 million by 2028.

Brazil Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2023-2028: The Brazil data center market is expected to reach USD 4.43 billion by 2028.

Peru Data Center Market - Investment Analysis & Growth Opportunities 2022-2027: Peru data center market is expected to reach USD 178.7 million by 2027.

Latin America Data Center Market - Industry Outlook & Forecast 2022-2027: Latin America data center market will witness investments of USD 9.11 billion by 2027.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Chapter 1 Existing & Upcoming Third-Party Data Centers in Mexico

Historical Market Scenario

30+ 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

Queretaro

Other Cities

Chapter 2 Investment Opportunities in Mexico

Microeconomic & Macroeconomic Factors for Mexico Market

Investment Opportunities in the Mexico

Investment by Area

Investment by Power Capacity

Chapter 3 Mexico Data Center Colocation Market

Mexico Colocation Services Market

Retail vs. Wholesale Data Center Colocation

Colocation Pricing (Quarter Rack, Half Rack, Full Rack) & Add-ons

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 Key Market Participants

IT Infrastructure Providers

Construction Contractors

Support Infrastructure Providers

Data Center Investors

Chapter 8 Appendix

Market Derivation

Quantitative Summary

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.

CONTACT US

Call: +1-312-235-2040

+1 302 469 0707

Mail: [email protected]

Contact Us: https://www.arizton.com/contact-us

Blog: https://www.arizton.com/blog

Website: https://www.arizton.com/

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2018458/Mexico_Data_Center_Market.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/818553/Arizton_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Arizton Advisory & Intelligence
Mojuraa, a direct-from-manufacturer furniture company, offers a wide range of customizable packages made with premium materials. Customers can cut out the middleman and save money because Mojuraa makes the furniture and ships it directly to consumers for free.

LOS ANGELES, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mojuraa crafts its furniture with luxury materials and unique techniques that allow for stylish comfort and extraordinary durability. The company takes its name from the Japanese word for "modular" and creates pieces with endless combination options and changeable layout designs. Mojuraa released the transformer collection on March 7th, and proposed a People-first Modular concept. The selling point of this collection is endlessly combination. Mojuraa modular system is designed to grow with you. It's flexible and can accommodate numerous arrangements.

Combining the modular approach with premium materials and stylish, comfortable affordability, Mojuraa believes customers should be able to secure durable, versatile furniture without breaking the bank.

"At Mojuraa, we share the same values in our approach to the 'art-of-making,' referred to as 'monozukuri' in the Japanese philosophy of craftsmanship. We engineer a people-first modular design around our customer's experience reasonably, rather than a warehouse pallet or shipping container extremely," Mojuraa Chief Designer Andrew Chan said.

Revolutionizing the furniture industry

Mojuraa is taking its place as a game changer in the furniture industry, with free shipping on every order and a consistent dedication to fast, safe, and reliable delivery services. The company's furniture arrives in easy-to-move boxes intentionally designed to effectively maneuver through tight spaces and put together with simple partial assembly.

"We use durable materials like substantial wood frames, luxury wax leather, and reclaimed fibers," Chan said. "As a forward-looking furniture brand, we aim to design the most eco-friendly sofas. We attach great importance to using recycled materials in our products and packaging to minimize waste and maximize environmental impact."

The traditional retail process often involves numerous stops between the manufacturer and the customer's home, particularly if the furniture is produced overseas. The costs of those extra steps are frequently passed on to the customer, but Mojuraa ships furniture directly to customers from its manufacturing facility, passing the savings on to consumers.

Committed to quality

Mojuraa maintains a commitment to quality as a core value. The company stands firmly behind its products, offering a limited three-year warranty. Utilizing stain-resistant materials, Mojuraa furniture can withstand water, coffee, pet urine, ketchup, and even red wine.

"We believe that luxury furniture shouldn't break the bank," Chan said. "Our direct-from-manufacturer model truly removes the middleman in order to pass the savings on to the consumer."

After arrival, Mojuraa furniture is easy for one person to assemble, and it's as easy to take it apart as it was to put together, so users can take it with them if they move to a new living space. The endless configurations allow customers to adapt their furniture to fit their space and lifestyle.

Versatile modular design

Combining the modular approach with premium materials and stylish, comfortable affordability, Mojuraa believes customers should be able to secure durable, versatile furniture without breaking the bank.

"Our modular system is designed to grow with you. It's flexible and can accommodate numerous arrangements," Chan said.

Loyalty program

Mojuraa offers customers a loyalty program with a simple three-step process. Sign up for the loyalty program through the website, shop for incredible furniture to earn points, and redeem points for discounts on future purchases. Customers receive one point for every dollar they spend and can redeem coupons in various amounts: $50 for 500 points, $100 for 1,000 points, etc.

Conclusion

Visit Mojuraa's website to learn more about the company and its selection of modular design furniture. Reach out on Instagram and TikTok to connect with the brand through social media.

Contact Details

Business: Mojuraa

Contact Name: Lucy

Contact Email: [email protected]

Country: United States

Website: https://mojuraa.com/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=newswire&utm_campaign=pr1

SOURCE Mojuraa
Now is the moment to celebrate the artichoke in Monterey County

MONTEREY, Calif., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau (MCCVB) is excited to announce the launch of its Artichoke Trail, turning the spotlight to the region's edgiest of veggies in the run-up to National Artichoke Hearts Day on March 16, 2023. The Artichoke Trail incorporates over 20 stops, including restaurants, farm stands, and attractions that highlight the numerous ways visitors can enjoy and experience this unique vegetable in Monterey County.

The Artichoke Trail features over 20 stops showcasing the numerous ways visitors can experience this unique vegetable in Monterey County, California. Trail stops are found throughout the Monterey Peninsula, along Highway 1 and in Castroville, the Artichoke Capital of the World.

Nearly two-thirds of the world's artichokes are grown in Monterey County, which is home to the town of Castroville, dubbed the "Artichoke Capital of the World." This region, where the rich, fertile soil of the Salinas Valley meets the sands of Monterey Bay, provides the optimal growing conditions for artichokes year-round. Arguably a vegetable that has long been misunderstood, the Artichoke Trail encourages visitors to discover the versatility and importance of this regional delicacy.

"Promoting Monterey County's vast mosaic of inspiring experiences is all about connecting the dots," said Rob O'Keefe, president and CEO of MCCVB. "The artichoke is part of our agricultural heritage and a connector between those dots. A vital role in our agricultural industry and a key ingredient to unique culinary experiences throughout our region. The Artichoke Trail is a path to those one-of-a-kind experiences."

Artichoke Trail stops in Castroville  which celebrates its 160th anniversary this year  make up the trail's Artichoke Alley. Notable stops found along Artichoke Alley and Highway 1 include:

In addition to the year-round trail, visitors are invited to celebrate at Monterey's annual Artichoke Festival, held this year from June 10-11. In its 63rd year, this festival is a long-standing event in Monterey County, and even crowned Marilyn Monroe (then Norma Jean) as the first Artichoke Queen in 1948. This year's festival will include an array of family-friendly activities and culinary offerings that are sure to please the most avid artichoke lover, with the theme Thistle Be Fun!

To learn more and explore the Artichoke Trail, visit www.SeeMonterey.com/Artichokes or follow along with the Monterey County Artichoke Trail Map.

Images are available to download HERE (credit: SeeMonterey.com).

ABOUT MONTEREY COUNTY CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

The Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau (Monterey County CVB) is a 501c6 non-profit organization that drives tourism for Monterey County. Tourism is the largest industry on the Monterey Peninsula and the second largest in the County. The MCCVB is a partnership of the hospitality community and local governments that aims to drive business growth through compelling marketing and targeted sales initiatives that maximize the benefits of tourism to its guests, members and the community. Travel spending in Monterey County was $2.5 billion in 2021, supporting 21,600 jobs and generating $264 million in state and local tax revenue that directly benefited the community. For more information, visit www.SeeMonterey.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT

Emily Evans

[email protected]

831-657-6434

SOURCE Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Entrepreneur, Executive, Investor, Advisor and Philanthropist shares her expertise on leading, learning and living an inspired life

MIAMI, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nancy Twine, Entrepreneur, Executive, Investor, Advisor and Philanthropist, today launched NancyTwine.com, a content site designed to "empower your best you." The introduction of NancyTwine.com on International Women's Day marks the latest leg of the founder & CEO of Briogeo Hair's personal and professional journey to support others in unlocking their potential.

Nancy Twine

"I was inspired to create this content site through learning, over time, the fundamentals of how to go about achieving my goals and crafting a life that's meaningful, purpose-driven and, most importantly, fun! By being intentional about what I want in life, I've been able to architect detailed goals and milestones that have manifested into incredible opportunities and outcomes in many areas of my life," says Twine.

"Defining what my dream career looked like, what amount of savings would lead me to financial independence, what kind of relationships I derived the most joy and growth from, and which places in the world I wanted to experience has become my ever-evolving blueprint for living a balanced and fulfilling life. My mission with this site is to empower others with the tools, resources, insights and connections that will help unlock your best potential."

NancyTwine.com launched with six content pillars: Careers & Entrepreneurship; Personal Finance; Personal Relationships; Health & Wellness; Travel & Lifestyle; and Growth Mindset. Content will be published weekly under these inaugural verticals, written by Twine herself as well as trusted third-party experts. Additionally, Twine will introduce an "Ask Nancy" column to provide an open forum for crowd-sourced conversations.

Twine founded Briogeo in 2013, becoming a leading authority on "green beauty," and the youngest African-American to launch a product line at Sephora. In 2022, less than 10 years after launch, Twine sold Briogeo to Wella Company. While Twine continues in her role as Founder & CEO of Briogeo globally, she is now evolving once again, harnessing the power of her business expertise and life experience to enrich the lives of others. In addition to helping to bridge the gap in funding for female-led businesses, Twine is a proud investor in roughly 40% of the Black female founders on-shelf at Sephora, where she has provided both critical capital and expertise to support their in-store roll out at locations across the country.

The introduction of NancyTwine.com on International Women's Day is an intentional representation of Twine's dedication to inspiring, empowering and uplifting women. "Over the years, I've also dedicated space to help mentor other women who are navigating critical pathways - whether related to entrepreneurism, careers or networking by developing the right personal relationships. I've learned through my journey the importance that health & wellness and growth mindset play in reaching our full potential  not just as women, but as humans," shared Twine.

By providing meaningful connections to information, tools and resources, Twine is helping to open up a world of possibilities for othersand to empower everyone to create a life well lived.

ABOUT NANCY TWINE

ENTREPRENEUR, EXECUTIVE, INVESTOR, ADVISOR & PHILANTHROPIST

Nancy Twine has carved her own unique path in the business world. Pivoting from her first career as a VP at Goldman Sachs, she sought a different life filled with inspiration and purpose. Tapping into her mother's roots in natural product formulation, she created Briogeo  the clean, high-performance hair care line that pioneered the "skinification" of hair movement. At the age of 29, Nancy became the then-youngest African-American woman to launch a product line at Sephora, and the brand has gone on to win dozens of awards for innovation, including the Allure Best of Beauty Awards in the prestige hair care space.

In 2022, less than 10 years after launch, Nancy sold Briogeo to The Wella Company. Nancy is one of the few African-American CEOs and businesswomen who have successfully launched & scaled a global business, raised over $20M of Private Equity Funding, and who has sold her company in a strategic M&A process  all before the age of 40.

While Nancy continues in her role as Founder & CEO of Briogeo globally, she is now evolving once again, harnessing the power of her business expertise and life experience to enrich the lives of her community. By providing meaningful connections to information, tools and resources on NancyTwine.com, Nancy is helping to open up a world of possibilities for othersand to empower everyone to create a life well lived.

Today, Nancy is an active investor in multiple startups across the Beauty, Wellness, Food & Beverage, FinTech, and Real Estate industries. She is also considered a leading expert in entrepreneurship, growth mindset, and female leadership and has been sought out for profiles and opinion from publications such as Inc., Forbes, WWD, NPR, Allure and Vogue. Nancy is the recipient of the Goldman Sachs Builders + Innovators Award, Entrepreneur's 100 Women of Impact and Inc's Female Founders 100. Nancy currently serves on the board of Cosmetic Executive Women and the philanthropic organization, Room to Grow.

For more information, visit nancytwine.com or @NancyTwine on social media.

PR Contact: Foundation, [email protected]

SOURCE NancyTwine.com
Learning Ally's 2023 Great Reading Games

PRINCETON, N.J., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Learning Ally, a national nonprofit working with U.S. schools to strengthen reading outcomes and improve equitable access to grade-level books, has wrapped up its seventh annual Great Reading Games. The organization celebrated a record number of K-12 participants, more than 186,600 students who read more than 39 million pages in just seven weeks.

The finale of this award-winning audiobook challenge coincides with "Read Across America," and is designed to support teachers who encourage at-risk students to read. Students with dyslexia and other learning barriers explore personal reading interests, while building foundational skills in vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. As a result, many students feel more empowered as independent readers and learners.

During the Great Reading Games, educators report deeper connections with students and positive academic outcomes, such as the ability for more struggling readers to read grade-level material, doubling reading frequency in just 50 days, and enhancing reading scores. Innovative teachers have also leveraged this event to enhance their teaching capacity, and to expand their class and school libraries with accessible books. Literacy leaders have implemented school-wide initiatives to create a culture of strong, inclusive readers, and taken steps to broaden their professional knowledge on the science of reading.

This year's top school winners are:

Roosevelt Elementary School, CA

Independence High School, IN

Patrick Francis Healy Middle School , NJ

, NJ Weirton Heights Elementary School, WV

Atascocita Middle School, TX

East Woods Intermediate School, OH

Atascocita High School, TX

East Orange STEM Academy, NJ

Vertical Skills Academy, CO

Dionne Warwick Institute, NJ

Renner Academy, TX

Mid Prairie Home School Education Center, IA

Dr. Terrie Noland, Learning Ally's VP of Educator Initiatives said, "It's always thrilling to wrap up another successful year of the Great Reading Games. When educators tell us, "I can't believe how many students are now reading on grade-level," or a particular student "shined" in this reading challenge," or that schools have implemented a "read for 20 minutes a day initiative," these are the best results we could hope for."

Pre-made teacher resources for the Great Reading Games are ready to launch for educator members. Learning Ally's app tracks students' reading activity on a sliding point schedule incentivizing students to read in and out of the school day. Students accumulate points in one of 12 brackets based on grade-level and school size. Top winners include schools, teachers and students, who can win digital gift cards and national recognition.

The Great Reading Games concluded in a celebrity livestream event to discuss the importance of reading to learn and reading for pleasure. This year's guest author, Carmen Agra Deedy, wrote several bestsellers, including The Library Dragon, The Cheshire Cheese Cat, 14 Cows for America, and Wombat Said Come In! "Never give upkeep reading," was Agra Deedy's parting message to students.

Learn more about the Great Reading Games.

About Learning Ally

Learning Ally is a leading education nonprofit dedicated to empowering educators with proven solutions that help new and struggling learners reach their potential. Our range of literacy-focused offerings for students in Pre-K to 12th grade and catalog of professional learning allows us to support more than 2 million students and 445,000 educators across the United States.

www.learningally.org/educators. 800-221-1098.

Media Contact: Valerie Chernek

[email protected]

410-960-4060

SOURCE Learning Ally
"Riveting" True Stories Reveal Bright and Dark Sides of Human Behavior

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sixty Degrees Publishing will release award-winning journalist Michael Bowker's twenty-first book on April 23, 2023. The book is a riveting collection of provocative tales from the author's storied career.

A former Time Magazine editor called the book, "Beautiful and well-written. A must read." Publisher's Weekly called Bowker's writing, "Riveting and compelling."

Publisher's Weekly called Bowker's writing, "Riveting and compelling." Tweet this

These are personal stories, beginning with Bowker's close encounter with a serial killer. The first part of the book is filled with mysteries and true crime stories. The heart of the book, though, is his collection of heroic tales describing how ordinary people chose to act with extraordinary courage to help others.

Bowker is an expert on what's known as the 'ripple effect', where a single good deed a person does can have shockingly positive results.

The book highlights the courage of firefighters and others, including the gripping story of an Irish immigrant who has literally saved a million lives worldwide since Bowker first reported his heroics in Reader's Digest.

Bowker has interviewed celebrities, political figures, athletes, adventurers, presidents, and a few serial murderers. No Ordinary Days takes readers behind-the-scenes of famous figures and some crazy-but-true encounters around the world.

Michael's stories run the gamut from close encounters with the Golden State Killer to a startling interview with broadcast legend Walter Cronkite.

For additional information, visit: sixtydegreespublishing.com High resolution images available upon request. View book trailer here: https://youtu.be/8Cpl0VVxeTE

The book is available here: https://www.sixtydegreespublishing.com/no-ordinary-days

About Michael Bowker

An investigative journalist and author, Michael has written twenty-one books and articles for publications including the Los Angeles Times, Reader's Digest and others. He served as the senior speech writer for a recent two-time mayor of Los Angeles, and as the Executive Editor for Hispanic Business Magazine. His novel, Gods of Our Time, just won the International Novel of the Year Award awarded by the Southern California Book Publicists Association.

About Sixty Degrees Publishing

Established in 2003, Sixty Degrees Publishing is a book promotional company based in Santa Barbara, California. Other titles by Sixty Degrees Publishing include Gods of Our Time, Finding Father, Winning the Battle Within, Fatal Deception, Playing from the Heart, Takin' Over, Beating Long Hauler's Syndrome, The Visionary Leader, The Health Care Solution, The Whole Systems Approach and numerous other inspirational and transformative works. For more information, visit: sixtydegreespublishing.com

SOURCE Sixty Degrees Publishing
Vast Majority of Workers Say Layoffs Via Email are Wrong

ARLINGTON, Va., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As the economy and labor markets remain volatile, a new Eagle Hill Consulting poll of U.S. workers finds a high level of worry about a recession. Sixty-one percent of workers report concerns, with more women concerned about a recession (68 percent) than men (55 percent).

The research also finds that a looming recession could help address the Great Resignation. Eighty-four percent of workers indicate they are more likely to stay in their jobs should the U.S. economy enter a recession.

85% of U.S. workers say layoffs via email are wrong, and they prefer an in-person meeting for a layoff notification. Tweet this

While only a small portion of workers are concerned about layoffs (33 percent), employees reported clear views on how to handle worker layoffs. Eighty-five percent say layoffs via email are wrong. Instead, employees say they prefer an in-person meeting (72 percent) to provide notification of a layoff.

"There's been a recent spate of workers learning via email that they no longer have a job, and that clearly does not sit well with workers," said Melissa Jezior, president and chief executive officer of Eagle Hill Consulting. "While leveraging technology to provide employees with information can be efficient, relying on email isn't the ideal approach for layoff notifications."

"Implementing a large-scale layoff does present logistical challenges for employers. But employers should make every effort to tell employees face-to-face that they've lost their job. Taking the time to carefully plan and deliver layoff notifications is an important investment. Over the long term, employers that fail to lay off workers with dignity will develop a reputation as disrespectful to its workforce. And that will eventually harm a company's brand, reputation, ability to attract workers, and the bottom line," Jezior said.

The data findings are based on Eagle Hill Consulting's 2023 Employee Sentiment Survey conducted by Ipsos from February 7-10, 2023. The research included 1393 respondents from a random sample of employees across the U.S.

Eagle Hill Consulting LLC is a woman-owned business that provides unconventional management consulting services in the areas of Strategy & Performance, Talent, and Change. The company's expertise in delivering innovative solutions to unique challenges spans across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. A leading authority on employee sentiment, Eagle Hill is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, with employees across the U.S. and offices in Boston and Seattle. More information is available at www.eaglehillconsulting.com.

SOURCE Eagle Hill Consulting
WASHINGTON, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) finds that, as of 2022, American taxpayers shell out at least $151 billion each year to cover the cost of illegal immigration. Broken down, the data reveals that taxpayers pay $182 billion annually to provide services and benefits to illegal aliens and their dependents. These costs are offset by about $31 billion in taxes that are collected from the estimated 15.5 million illegal aliens living in the United States, bringing the net cost to $150.7 billion annually.

The 2022 costs represent a 30 percent increase to taxpayers in just five years. A former version of this study, conducted in 2017 by FAIR, placed the annual net cost of illegal immigration at $116 billion. Most of the additional costs have been added in the past two years, as the Biden administration's de facto open borders policies have triggered a historic surge of new illegal migrants pouring across our borders. Moreover, the updated price tag of $151 billion is a conservative estimate as there are additional costs incurred from illegal immigration, but there is currently insufficient data to provide reliable cost estimates.

FAIR's comprehensive analysis looks at available federal, state, and local programs and services that are directly accessible to illegal aliens, or indirectly, through their U.S.-born children who qualify for all means-tested programs. In addition to the surge of illegal immigration since 2021, state and local governments have offered a variety of new benefits and services to illegal aliens, which have exacerbated the situation for struggling taxpayers.

Among the key findings in FAIR's report, The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers:

The gross annual cost of illegal immigration (the total amount before taxes paid by illegal aliens are factored in) is now $182 billion , annually.

, annually. Taxes paid by illegal aliens only cover around 17.2 percent of the costs they create for American citizens, bringing the net cost to $150.7 billion a year.

a year. The largest component of the cost is K-12 education, which must be provided under a 1982 Supreme Court ruling. The annual K-12 education cost for illegal aliens (and their U.S.-born children) is $78 billion , of which $70.4 billion is borne by states and localities.

, of which is borne by states and localities. Health care for illegal aliens costs taxpayers about $42.7 billion annually.

annually. A variety of food assistance and nutritional programs used by illegal aliens and their children cost taxpayers about $13.5 billion annually.

annually. Combined federal, state, and local criminal justice costs associated with illegal immigration run about $47 billion annually  not including the cost of damages to victims.

"As America struggles to meet countless societal needs while facing the realities of our staggering $31 trillion national debt, the costs of providing for millions of people who have no legal right to be in the United States continues to grow at an alarming rate," commented Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "To be clear, most of this enormous financial burden has been inflicted on taxpayers by the open borders advocates at every level of government. Not only is the Biden administration refusing to rein-in illegal immigration or remove the people who are breaking our laws, they are promulgating policies that actually encourage more of it while offering new protections and benefits to those who settle here illegally. Likewise, a growing number of states and localities create their own costly magnets for illegal aliens by declaring themselves sanctuaries and offering new benefits and services. This has to stop."

"The American people viscerally understand that no nation can flourish without controlling its borders and enforcing its immigration laws. The purpose of this report is to provide them with the true costs of these ruinous policies -- $150.7 billion a year and growing with no inclination on the part of the current administration to address the problem," Stein concluded.

Contact: Ron Kovach, 202-328-7004 or [email protected].

ABOUT FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)
Highlights from six oral presentations and posters include:

Pairing the AI computer-aided-detection system Transpara with Volpara volumetric density assessment improved screening efficacy for women with dense breast tissue compared to a traditional double read by radiologists

Using Tyrer-Cuzick with volumetric density assessment from Volpara Scorecard to identify and triage intermediate and high-risk patients for ultrasound resulted in a higher cancer detection rate than traditional biennial mammography

Evaluating radiographer performance with Volpara Analytics software helped improve quality regardless of experience level

LYNNWOOD, Wash., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Volpara Health Technologies Ltd. (ASX: VHT), a global leader in software for the early detection of cancer, was highlighted in research presented at the 2023 European Congress of Radiology (ECR). The new studies demonstrate the important role artificial intelligence plays in objective breast density assessment, cancer risk assessment, and mammography quality evaluation to personalize and optimize breast cancer detection.

Volpara's robust algorithms have firmly established the company as a trusted research partner. The new study results presented at ECR add to numerous other published, high-profile studies in that validate Volpara's position as a leader in the industry. The research includes personalized screening and optimization studies, such as the DENSE1, TOMMY2, and To-Be3 trials, and the PROCAS I/II4 and KARMA5 studies. A prime example, the DENSE trial, led by Professor Carla van Gils from the University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands, relied on Volpara's TruDensity volumetric density product to identify women with extremely dense breasts in their randomized controlled trial of supplemental MRI that influenced the European Society of Breast Imaging's latest screening recommendations. The recommendations encourage reporting density to all women receiving mammography and recommending MRI for women aged 50 to 70 with extremely dense breasts.

"Increasing our understanding of breast cancer risk, detection and prevention is essential to ensuring every patient is given the right care at the right time," said Teri Thomas, Volpara CEO. "The evidence presented at ECR comes at a moment when European screening programs are realizing AI gives them an opportunity to help more women with more personalized care. I'm eager to see this research put into practice."

A list of studies and posters supported by Volpara technology is below.

AI for Breast Density and Cancer Risk Assessment Triage

Artificial intelligence (AI) and mammographic extremely dense breasts in BreastScreen Norway: could AI-based screening be an alternative to screening with MRI? Henrik Wethe Koch , et al.



Notable finding: Pairing the AI computer-aided-detection system Transpara with Volpara volumetric density assessment improved screening efficacy for women with dense breast tissue compared to a traditional double read by radiologists.

Notable finding: Pairing the AI computer-aided-detection system Transpara with Volpara volumetric density assessment improved screening efficacy for women with dense breast tissue compared to a traditional double read by radiologists. Risk-based breast screening (RIBBS) in young women: stratification of population and cancer detection rate (CDR) from recruitment. Francesca Caumo , et al.



Notable finding: Using Tyrer-Cuzick with Volpara volumetric density assessment to identify and triage intermediate and high-risk patients for ultrasound resulted in a higher cancer detection rate than traditional biennial mammography.





Notable finding: Using Tyrer-Cuzick with Volpara volumetric density assessment to identify and triage intermediate and high-risk patients for ultrasound resulted in a higher cancer detection rate than traditional biennial mammography. Contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) as an alternative to breast MRI for screening of women at increased risk for breast cancer: preliminary results. Gisella Gennaro , et al.





Automated breast ultrasound in comparison to 2D mammography, digital breast tomosynthesis, hand-held ultrasound in the detection of breast cancer: a cohort of 4500 examinations. Athina Vourtsi, et al.

Commenting specifically on the efficacy of Volpara Scorecard, Dr. Athina Vourtsi of Athena Medical stated, "quantitative assessment of breast composition using Volpara Scorecard is a great tool to give a reliable density score, especially in breast tomosynthesis where the synthetic view may not display density in the same way as what is seen by scrolling through the slices."

AI for Mammography Quality Evaluation and Optimization

Breast positioning and compression in screening with tomosynthesis: use of automatic software to improve the performance of breast radiographers. Gisella Gennaro , et al.



Notable finding: Evaluating radiographer performance with Volpara Analytics software helped improve quality regardless of experience level.

Notable finding: Evaluating radiographer performance with Volpara Analytics software helped improve quality regardless of experience level. Breast positioning indicators associated with mammograms repeated due to blur. Melissa Hill , et al.

Visit volparahealth.com for full study descriptions and results.

About Volpara Health (ASX: VHT)

Volpara Health makes software to save families from cancer. Healthcare providers use Volpara to better understand cancer risk, empower patients in personal care decisions, and guide recommendations about additional imaging, genetic testing, and other interventions. Our AI-powered image analysis enables radiologists to quantify breast tissue with precision and helps technologists produce mammograms with optimal image quality, positioning, compression, and dose. In an industry facing increasing staffing shortages, our software streamlines operations and provides key performance insights that support continuous quality improvement.

Volpara is the preferred partner of leading healthcare institutions around the world. Our software is used in over 2,000 facilities by more than 5,000 technologists, impacting nearly 15 million patients globally. It helps providers conduct more than three million cancer risk assessments each year and can be deployed stand-alone or fully integrated with electronic health record systems, mammography reporting systems, imaging hardware, and genetic laboratories. Volpara holds the most rigorous security certifications and numerous patents and regulatory registrations, including FDA clearance and CE marking. Since listing on the ASX in April 2016, the Company has raised A$132 million. With an office in Seattle, Volpara is based in Wellington, New Zealand.

For more information, visit www.volparahealth.com.

SOURCE Volpara Health, Inc.
TOKYO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NEXT MEATS Co., Ltd. a Japanese subsidiary of NEXT MEATS Holdings, Inc. (OTC Market in the U.S.A. listed corporation as "NXMH") Tokyo based food-tech venture company starts to sell the newest Non-GMO soybean protein based alternative meats product "Next Short Rib 2.1 (Marinated Japanese BBQ)" at all 31 Costco Wholesale locations (as of 23 June 2022) in Japan starting the beginning of March 2023.

Containing two sets of 200g "Next Short Rib 2.1 (Marinated Japanese BBQ)" in the larger package exclusively designed for Costco Wholesale Japan, Ltd. It is 100% vegetable-based product without any additives, preservatives and artificial flavors that has 90 days shelf life in a refrigerator. The live demonstration cooking and tasting are also offered at selected locations for Costco Wholesale customers to try the sizzling and flavorful "Next Short Rib 2.1 (Marinated Japanese BBQ)".

Costco Wholesale Corporation operates an international chain of membership warehouses, under the "Costco Wholesale" name, that carry quality, brand name merchandise at substantially lower prices than are typically found at conventional wholesale or retail outlets. https://www.costco.co.jp

NEXT MEATS Co., Ltd. a Japanese subsidiary of NEXT MEATS Holdings, Inc. (OTC Market in the U.S.A. listed corporation as "NXMH") is Tokyo based food-tech venture company that has been devoted for the research, development and in-house production of premium Japanese-style alternative meat products made with non-GMO soy bean protein since 2020. Our range of products started from the world's first plant-based Yakiniku Short-Rib and Skirt-Steak to Beef Bowl, Chicken, Burger Patties, Pork, Tuna and Milk for both professional and family use. We continue to develop new products and grow business both in Japan and around the world, focusing on Southeast Asia in order to pass down a sustainable global environment to the next generation. We venture into the global market with a proposal of "NEXT Food" choices from Japan.

SOURCE Next Meats Co., Ltd
The landmark pilot program will provide the largest grants of their kind in the nation and aims to ensure those negatively impacted by the war on drugs have equitable access to the industry

TRENTON, N.J., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) announced today that the Eligibility Assessment Tool for the first phase of its Cannabis Equity Grant Program will open on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. The $10 million state-funded pilot program consists of 2 phases and the first phase is for the Joint Ventures Grant of $250,000, the largest of its kind in the nation. The Cannabis Equity Grant Program is focused on supporting businesses and startups in the recreational cannabis industry and ensuring that communities that were adversely impacted by the war on drugs have equitable access to the industry. To this end, 40% of the funding in Phase I is reserved for qualifying social equity applicants primarily characterized as those who have previous cannabis convictions or live in economically disadvantaged areas. Additionally, 5% of the total program funding is reserved for businesses located in Impact Zones, which are areas targeted based on previous levels of marijuana arrests, population, unemployment rates, and additional socioeconomic factors.

Cannabis Entrepreneur

The purpose of the Eligibility Assessment Tool is to help applicants determine their eligibility prior to the launch of the Phase I application. There is no cost for this tool.

"By 2025, the cannabis industry is expected to contribute approximately $2.4 billion to New Jersey's economy. However, access to capital remains a significant barrier to entry, particularly for people of color. NJEDA is thrilled to take the first step in ensuring that businesses that have been historically and intentionally locked out of funding opportunities have access to the capital needed to participate in this growing industry," said Tim Sullivan, CEO of NJEDA. "I want to thank our partners in this crucial work, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission and the Business Action Center, for collaborating with NJEDA to make sure that these dollars help to fulfill Governor Murphy's commitment to building stronger and fairer communities in our state."

"Through NJEDA's work, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative impact that access to capital can have on New Jersey small businesses and startups, especially those owned by people of color. Cannabis entrepreneurship opportunities can play an integral role in building and returning wealth to individuals and communities that have been significantly harmed by the criminalization of cannabis," said Tai Cooper, Chief Community Development Officer of NJEDA. "NJEDA recognizes that this pilot grant program alone will not address all of the barriers to entry for small businesses and those who have suffered unfairly as a result of the war on drugs, which is why it is the first in a series of initiatives aimed at increasing equity and access to this industry."

The Joint Ventures Grant will allocate a total of $6 million in funding to 24 entities that have a conditional or annual license, have obtained site control over their real estate, and have municipal approval. Each $250,000 Joint Ventures Grant will be disbursed in two rounds with the first allocation in the amount of $100,000 occurring upon the execution of the grant agreement. The second disbursement of $150,000 will occur once the grantee receives its annual license and demonstrates that it utilized the first disbursement for eligible costs.

The goal of the Joint Ventures Grant is to support businesses that do not need technical assistance but that still have carrying costs and capital issues associated with converting their conditional license to an annual license. Eligible applicants must have formed their business after March 9, 2020 and employ 50 or fewer full-time employees.

Eligible uses for the Joint Ventures Grant include expenses such as rent and mortgage payments, payroll and independent contractors, utilities, legal, accounting, marketing, and more. To learn more about the program and the eligibility requirements, visit Cannabis Equity Grant Program - NJEDA .

Applicants who are not eligible for the Joint Ventures Grant may qualify for Phase II of the program that will launch later this year. The Phase II grant in the amount of $150,000, the Seed Equity Grant, is solely for applicants who meet the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission's criteria for social equity and have obtained a conditional license but have not secured the real estate or municipal approval (defined as a resolution from governing body or letter of support from the Municipal Executive and land use/planning/zoning approval) and need assistance in converting their conditional license to an annual license. Additionally, all applicants who do not qualify for the Phase I grant will be connected to training and other programmatic resources.

SOURCE New Jersey Economic Development Authority
Daily, nonstop flights to Fort Lauderdale and Orlando start today

Photos and video available HERE

MIRAMAR, Fla., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Virginia is for travel lovers, and now there's even more to love as Spirit Airlines (NYSE: SAVE) launches service at Norfolk International Airport (ORF). The carrier kicked off its new service with daily routes to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Orlando (MCO), giving Norfolk travelers More Go to top leisure destinations in Florida.

"Our Norfolk Guests are in for a great ride when they discover our low fares and convenient nonstop flights to two popular destinations boasting amusement parks, beaches and attractions," said John Kirby, Vice President of Network Planning at Spirit Airlines. "We can't wait to welcome Norfolk travelers onboard, and look forward to investing in the airport and the community through the Spirit Charitable Foundation."

Spirit Airlines Routes at Norfolk (ORF) Destination: Flights Available: Launch Date: Fort Lauderdale (FLL) Daily March 8, 2023 Orlando (MCO) Daily March 8, 2023



"We have sought Spirit Airlines service at Norfolk International Airport for quite some time," said Mark Perryman, President and CEO of the Norfolk Airport Authority. "These new flights to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale are already being well received, and we anticipate great success."

This month marks the airline's fifth anniversary serving the state of Virginia after entering Richmond (RIC) in March 2018. One-stop connection options can take Virginia Guests even further with destinations across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Soar With Us

There is no limit to how fast and how far you can grow within Spirit. We're growing and hiring Pilots, Flight Attendants, Aviation Maintenance Technicians and other roles across the company. Visit spirit.com/careers for information.

Spirit's Elevated Guest Experience

Spirit continues its commitment to invest in the Guest, which entails a number of initiatives aimed at delivering the best value in the sky:

Spirit's Fit Fleet is one of the most fuel-efficient fleets in the industry, with dozens more planes projected for delivery in 2023.





Recently announced more cabin enhancements with wider seats, added cushion, new headrests, and upgrades to our unique Big Front Seat.





Fast onboard Wi-Fi that allows Guests to watch content from streaming services.

Recognition

Spirit was recognized by Forbes as one of America's Best Employers for Diversity 2022 following its active efforts to create and celebrate a diverse workplace environment. Spirit was also recently named the Value Airline of the Year by Air Transport World (ATW). In addition, the airline was recognized as one of LinkedIn's Top Companies in Travel & Hospitality in 2022, which ranks the 25 best workplaces to grow a career in the industry. Spirit was also recognized for safety with the FAA's "Aviation Maintenance Technician Diamond Award of Excellence" for the fourth consecutive year.

About Spirit Airlines:

Spirit Airlines (NYSE: SAVE) is committed to delivering the best value in the sky. We are the leader in providing customizable travel options starting with an unbundled fare. This allows our Guests to pay only for the options they choose  like bags, seat assignments, refreshments and Wi-Fi  something we call A La Smarte. Our Fit Fleet is one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient in the United States. We serve destinations throughout the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean, making it possible for our Guests to venture further and discover more than ever before. We are committed to inspiring positive change in the communities where we live and work through the Spirit Charitable Foundation. Come save with us at spirit.com.

SOURCE Spirit Airlines, Inc.
Customized prescription safety glasses ensure safety, comfort, and convenience for workers everywhere.

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y., March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ocusafe.com, a leading provider of prescription safety glasses, is paving the way to a safer workplace for millions as they celebrate Workplace Eye Wellness Month. As overall job satisfaction, and ultimately performance, are closely tied to optimal comfort and safety, Ocusafe glasses solve a common problem for both employees and employers alike.

Owned by actual eye doctors with over 25 years of experience, Ocusafe has built a strong presence in the eye care industry thanks to their unmatched expertise, exceptional quality, and unrivaled customer service. Oftentimes, workers are forced to choose between their prescription glasses or safety glasses, forcing some to wear both at the same time to be able to work both efficiently and safely. Ocusafe glasses solve this dilemma with one durable pair of custom prescription lenses that wrap safety and comfort into one convenient package.

Workers are forced to choose between prescription glasses or safety glasses, forcing some to wear both at the same time. Tweet this

With safety a number one priority for customers, Ocusafe.com has developed a fine-tuned production process that leaves no room for errors. Every single pair of glasses go through a thorough quality assurance inspection process, as all lenses and frames must pass strict ANSI standards before being shipped off to the customer.

Ocusafe also offers a unique corporate program, providing advanced customizations that are tailored to individual company requirements. An organization simply applies for a custom line of safety glasses, and employees can seamlessly order directly from their unique landing page.

"We understand that certain industries, and even the unique organizations within those industries, require different specifications for their safety glasses. We're here to make the process as quick and seamless as possible," said Marc Weinstein, Ocusafe Founder and CEO.

While standard safety glasses can be found almost anywhere, Ocusafe.com has cornered the market in not only providing the highest quality shatterproof lenses and frames, but also offering the ability to customize each lens to an individual's exact prescription. Every pair is custom crafted in the USA and includes 100% UV protection and a worry-free guarantee.

"No industry is off limits. We are listening to our customer's needs, and working hard to develop the premium solutions that maximize safety and comfort in every work environment," Weinstein added.

SOURCE Ocusafe
D.C.- based filmmaker streams documentary short about Black female gangster crowned Queen of the Underworld

WASHINGTON, March 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This Women's History Month, award-winning filmmaker Robin Hamilton releases her newest documentary short about a risk-taker and ruler-breaker who refused to live on anyone's terms but her own.

Odessa's Reign tells the story of the "Queen of the Underworld": a Black, lesbian gangster who ran the most lucrative gambling ring in D.C. in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, while keeping the D.C. police in her back pocket.

Odessa's story is about a woman's refusal to be cowed by society's rules. Tweet this Odessa Madre, a Black queer woman, and flamboyant hustler, rises to power as one of Washington D.C.'s top crime lords during the 1940s, 50s and 60s.

A little know historical figure with a big rap sheet, Odessa's story explores how an African American woman, born in a time with limited options, leveraged her incredible mind and quick wit to become one of the wealthiest women in Washington, D.C. "running numbers", which was the lottery before it was legal.

The 'Numbers Game' was popular among many, especially African Americans, looking for a way to get ahead financially when opportunities were scarce.

"I wanted to release this film during Women's History Month because I believe Odessa's story shows what happens when you have extraordinary talent  and no place to use it. This film is not about glorifying crime. It's about how one woman refused to be cowed by society's rules and would go to any length to taste the American Dream," Hamilton explains.

A biography woven with a cautionary tale, this 30-minute film delves into the life of a complicated woman who challenged the idea of what a lady could be, and what risks she was willing to take to get what she wanted.

Odessa's Reign is now streaming live. You can purchase your ticket and watch here.

About the director:

Robin Hamilton is a 4 time-Emmy-award-winning television host, producer, and moderator for town halls and forums. She is the founder and principal of the ARound Robin Production Company, where she creates videos for non-profits to help with fundraising, marketing, and messaging.

Working at the intersection of media and policy, Ms. Hamilton's work is guided by the principle of providing information that can promote transformation.

She has directed four documentary films about pioneering female leaders, including This Little Light of Mine: The Legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer which chronicles the life of famed civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer. Odessa's Reign is her fourth film.

To learn more about the director, visit https://www.aroundrobin.com/

Contact: Robin N. Hamilton

[email protected]

(202) 968-3659

SOURCE ARound Robin Production Company, LLC
Nationally Expanding Coworking Franchise Continues Growth in the Sunshine State

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As more Florida-based companies and entrepreneurs look for new ways to maintain productivity, innovation, and connection, Office Evolution has the perfect solution. The coworking provider is continuing to address demand and help small businesses and entrepreneurs by offering convenient and affordable coworking spaces in some of the region's busiest suburban markets. In response to the state's growth, Office Evolution's Franchisee Michael Wielgus recently opened a third location in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida, located at 245 Riverside Avenue.

The state of Florida is becoming a hub for many different small and medium-sized businesses. According to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the state welcomed 300,000 new residents last year. Entrepreneurs continue to relocate to Florida as the state attracts individuals from around the country.

"As the business landscape continues to evolve, we are looking for very intentional growth into new markets like Boca Raton as well as markets where we know Office Evolution has already been successful like Jacksonville," said Jason Anderson, President of Office Evolution. "Florida is a state with a growing business presence, and we are thrilled to expand our footprint to businesses looking for workspaces on their terms."

Michael Wielgus, Franchise Owner and Area developer in Jacksonville opened his first location in 2018 and has seen tremendous success in the area. He had been eyeing the Brooklyn neighborhood and noted that this expansion offered additional geographic reach to his existing members. This 14,420-square foot facility is just 10 miles north of his Town Center space and 20 miles north of the Bartram Park location.

With the recent openings, Office Evolution will have eight total locations across the state with approximately 80,000 square feet. Every Office Evolution workspace includes private offices, meeting rooms, virtual offices and business services, so medium-sized businesses and entrepreneurs have the space to work and run their businesses effectively.

"We are excited about our third location in Jacksonville," said Wielgus. "This Class-A, riverfront location is easily accessible for new members that reside in the Riverside, San Marco, Avondale, Ortega and downtown communities. Our goal is to bring great flexible workspaces close to where our members live. The new way people work today aligns perfectly with our workplace offerings."

The center will serve more than 300 members and feature 55 private offices, multiple coworking areas, phone booths, three conference rooms and a lounge.

Members of Office Evolution benefit from being part of the brand's nationwide network of coworking locations, where they have access to over 80 other business locations in 25 states when traveling. Office Evolution is a member of the Starpoint Brands family, the franchise division of United Franchise Group (UFG).

For more information about Office Evolution, please visit: https://www.officeevolution.com/.

About Office Evolution

Office Evolution (OE), a shared workspace  coworking environment, founded in 2003 and cultivated on the principles of 'Ohana', the Hawaiian tradition that references family working toward a common goal. Office Evolution is among the Starpoint Brands constellation of trusted companies representing the very best in their industries. Office Evolution is serious about supporting small business owners  the Dreamers, Risk-Takers and Doers who dare to chase their passions. For more information about Office Evolution visit www.officeevolution.com and for information about franchise opportunities visit www.officeevolutionfranchise.com .

About Starpoint Brands

A family of trusted brands representing the very best in their industries, including retail, food & beverage and professional services, Starpoint Brands is the mark of quality for customers. It brings together a constellation of brands within United Franchise Group  (UFG), including Signarama, Fully Promoted, Transworld Business Advisors, Venture X, Office Evolution, Network Lead Exchange, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill and Graze Craze. A brand under the Starpoint Brands division is one that business-to-consumer and business-to-business customers can be sure will provide the ultimate in service, reliability and value.

About Coworks

Coworks specializes in franchising within the coworking industry, offering solutions, expertise, and shared service options within the flexible workspace franchise community. Part of the United Franchise Group  (UFG) family of affiliated brands and consultants, Coworks was founded in 2021 by Ray Titus, founder and CEO of United Franchise Group, with the express intention of building a framework to connect a variety of coworking brands, services, and amenities within the coworking industry, providing the largest privately owned affiliated franchise network of flexible, professional, and shared office space options on the planet. For more information about Coworks, visit www.coworksllc.com .

SOURCE Office Evolution
Initiatives Range from Spotlights of Women-Owned Businesses to Talks with Women Leaders on Advancing at Work

NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- OUTFRONT Media (NYSE: OUT), one of the largest out-of-home media (OOH) companies in the U.S., is celebrating Women's History Month in March with several initiatives to spotlight women-owned businesses, appreciate the works of women artists, and celebrate their women colleagues all month long.

Photo of Bodily Landscapes, an art series in collaboration with Artsy as part of the ongoing OUTFRONT: Moments in Culture program.

One such initiative includes an art series in collaboration with Artsy entitled "Bodily Landscapes," as part of the ongoing OUTFRONT: Moments in Culture program. This series features work from the renowned up-and-coming artist Loie Howell, whose art is setting auction records worldwide.

OUTFRONT is also honoring women's achievements with a special social media campaign spotlighting women-owned businesses. Each week through March, OUTFRONT will spotlight one woman-owned business that is also an OUTFRONT client on its social media platforms.

A special Women's History Month event has also been planned as part of the OUTFRONTX A-List series, with Jenn Wiley, CEO and Founder of Wet Cement set to share her strategies for women to advance at work. The event which takes place on March 9 at 3:30 PM ET, will provide leaders and allies with resources for cultivating an inclusive culture at work.

On a more personal note, OUTFRONT is also releasing special Women's History Month e-cards, which the company's staff can use to send a note of appreciation to women colleagues who have especially inspired and impacted them.

About OUTFRONT Media Inc.

OUTFRONT leverages the power of technology, location and creativity to connect brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in North America. Through its technology platform, OUTFRONT will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage audiences on-the-go.

OUTFRONT Media Contacts:





Don Ciaramella / Matt Biscuiti The Lippin Group +1.212.986.7080 [email protected] Courtney Richards OUTFRONT Media 646) 876-9404 [email protected]



Stephan Bisson OUTFRONT Media, Investor Relations 212-297-6573 [email protected]



SOURCE OUTFRONT Media Inc.
Recognized on the annual list of groundbreaking companies changing the world and named one of the top 10 most innovative companies in healthcare

BOSTON, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Overjet, the industry leader in dental artificial intelligence, has been named to Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies for 2023, joining the ranks of OpenAI, NASA, DeepMind, Nvidia, Slack, Canva, and more. Earning the standing of No. 7 in the Healthcare category, Overjet is recognized by Fast Company for pioneering AI efforts to improve oral health. Fast Company's editors and writers sought out the companies making the biggest strides around the globe and vetted thousands of candidates. This year's list highlights the businesses at the forefront of their respective industries, paving the way for the innovations of tomorrow. These companies are setting the standard with some of the greatest accomplishments of the modern world.

"What a strange and thrilling year it has been to honor this year's Most Innovative Companies. This year's list compiles some of the most cutting-edge groundbreakers who are changing our world every single day, from legacy organizations like McDonald's to upstarts like MrBeast and institutions such as NASA. Everyone on this list does something completely, uniquely different, yet, they all have one thing in common: innovation," said Fast Company editor-in-chief Brendan Vaughan.

Overjet's AI analyzes and annotates X-rays in real time to help dentists detect disease, enhance clinical consistency, and elevate provider-patient communication. Overjet is the only dental AI technology that is FDA-cleared to quantify bone level measurements, detect and outline decay (cavities), and detect calculus on radiographs.

Wardah Inam, PhD, the CEO and Co-founder of Overjet, said: "Our mission is to improve oral healthcare for millions of people. Overjet is deeply honored to be included on Fast Company's prestigious annual list of the World's Most Innovative Companies. The recognition is a powerful validation of our mission and of the efforts of our partners and customers who are trailblazers in using AI to improve patient care."

Overjet's partners and customers span multiple industries, including insurance, dental, research, and education. The company's insurance sector customers include some of the major health plans reaching over 75 million people in the United States.

This is the latest honor for the Overjet team. Forbes named Overjet to its list of "Top 50 Most Promising AI Companies Shaping the Future." Inc. magazine named Dr. Inam to its Female Founders 100 list, Fortune magazine invited her to speak at their Most Powerful Women Next Generation summit, and she received the prestigious "Excellence in Industry" award from the Edward B. Shils Entrepreneurial Fund. To learn more about Overjet, visit www.overjet.com .

ABOUT OVERJET

Founded by experts from MIT and Harvard School of Dentistry, Overjet is the industry leader in dental artificial intelligence, helping both providers and payers improve patient care. By combining deep expertise in dentistry and advanced engineering, Overjet develops accurate and quantified ways to detect pathologies and integrates actionable insights into clinical and operational workflows. Every day, dental groups (DSOs), private dental practices, and dental payers rely on the information provided by Overjet to enhance patient care. To learn more, visit overjet.com .

ABOUT FAST COMPANY

Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with its sister publication Inc., and can be found online at www.fastcompany.com .

CONTACT

Overjet PR

[email protected]

SOURCE Overjet
BEIJING, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from chinadaily.com.cn:

Speaking on the economic growth of Hong Kong after the COVID-19 epidemic, Pansy Ho Chiu-king, a CPPCC National Committee member, expressed strong confidence in the city's future development with the reopening of border with the mainland.

Pansy Ho expresses confidence in HK's future

Ho, who began serving her five-year term as a national political adviser during the ongoing two sessions, said the new identity gives her more perspectives to see the country and it's her life's goal to contribute to the motherland.

She has inherited the love for the country from her family, Ho said, adding that patriotism is an anchor for the successful implementation of "one country, two systems".

SOURCE chinadaily.com.cn
TORONTO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Papaya Reusables, the sustainable reusable paper towel brand, is pleased to announce the launch of their first ever female-founder grant in honor of International Women's Day and Women's History Month. The Papaya Grant will award $10,000 to one incredible and deserving female entrepreneur to support the growing efforts for long-term success of a female-owned small business as they chart a path forward.

The Papaya Grant will award $10,000 to one incredible and deserving female entrepreneur. Tweet this

"We created this grant to be your biggest cheerleaders as you navigate the most rewarding (and exhausting) ride to fulfilling your dreams. Since we launched Papaya in 2020, we've received so much love and positivity from you, our community! So, this International Women's Day, it feels like the perfect opportunity to give that love and support right back to you.", said Rena Green, co-founder of Papaya Reusables.

Since Papaya's launch in 2020, the brand has continued to provide high-quality sustainable products to simplify eco-friendly living, while striving to prioritize female-empowerment as a brand. In addition to the $10,000 grant, Papaya is celebrating this year's International Women's Day with their Female Artists of the World collection, made in collaboration with three talented artists located around the globe, all inspired by female power, inclusivity, and activism.

Open through March 31st 12am EST, US-based female business owners can apply for the Papaya Grant at https://www.papayareusables.com/pages/grant. Founders and brands will be evaluated by insight provided on entrepreneurial challenges faced thus far, brands' larger missions, and intent of grant use.

https://www.papayareusables.com/

https://www.instagram.com/papayareusables/?hl=en

Papaya Grant Imagery and Video: HERE

Product Imagery: HERE

Female Artis of the World Imagery: HERE

Media Contact:

Michele Marie PR  [email protected]

About Papaya

Founded by female entrepreneur and creative Rena Green, Papaya offers reusable paper towels that are all natural, 100% compostable, dishwasher safe, insanely absorbent, and never smell. One sheet replaces 17 ROLLS of disposable paper towels and rids your house of waste as well as mildewed rags, extra loads of laundry, and bacteria-filled sponges. Papaya is great to clean dishes, countertops, bathroom surfaces  the list goes on. Sheets come in an array of designs to add flair to your home, with subscription boxes with 2, 3, or 4-month refill options to make getting replacements simple. Product is available on the brand site for $18-54.

SOURCE Papaya Reusables
AUSTIN, Texas, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- OsteoCentric Technologies, an innovative technology company in the orthopedic and dental markets focused on the implant to bone interface, is thrilled to announce that Paul Hoelscher is joining the company as Chief Commercial Officer. In this new role, Paul will be responsible for driving key commercial initiatives in orthopedic and dental segments. In addition to driving topline growth, he will also be focused on hiring and developing top talent and instituting a winning culture.

Paul Hoelscher, Chief Commercial Officer at OsteoCentric Technologies. In this new role, Paul will be responsible for driving key commercial initiatives in orthopedic and dental segments. In addition to driving topline growth, he will also be focused on hiring and developing top talent and instituting a winning culture.

With more than 25 years of leadership experience at Stryker, Paul is a highly successful commercial executive who has managed large cross-functional teams and designed and launched leading-edge medical device technologies and solutions.

"We are excited to welcome Paul to our team at OsteoCentric," said Eric Brown, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of OsteoCentric Technologies. "His extensive experience and expertise in sales and marketing, integration initiatives, and clinical operations will be critical in driving our strategic growth."

"I am delighted to be joining OsteoCentric Technologies," said Hoelscher. "The company's Mechanical Integration platform (UnifiMI) is a game-changer in the orthopedic and dental market segments and I look forward to working with the team to expand on their initial success with KOL surgeons in 80+ teaching hospitals."

Mr. Hoelscher and other key OsteoCentric leaders are attending this week's 2023 American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, NV (Booth #2250).

About OsteoCentric Technologies

OsteoCentric Technologies is a privately held technology development company empowering surgeons with Mechanical Integration ("MI"), a revolutionary new method of instantly securing implants to bone. This less-invasive, forward-thinking technique was developed by OsteoCentric Technologies to directly address the problem of implant instability across all orthopedic, spine, and dental surgical segments. The company was founded in 2015 and is funded by a group of sophisticated single-family offices. The corporate headquarters are in Austin, Texas, with a state-of-the-art innovation and product development center located in Logan, Utah.

SOURCE OsteoCentric Technologies
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Plexus Worldwide (Plexus), a leading health and wellness company based in Scottsdale, released impressive numbers and milestones following a successful year for the company, its Brand Ambassadors, and nonprofit partners.

Plexus Worldwide employees held a walk to raise funds for local children's charities in March 2022

In 2022, the company shipped more than 3.2 million orders to customers worldwide and generated more than $454 million in total gross sales. This success was fueled in part by the launch of 12 new products, including Plexus Reset, a 3-day nutritionally supported fast that is designed to help revitalize, restore, and reset the body's metabolism and provide optimal nutrition.

More than 7,500 Brand Ambassadors attended the company's signature event in Columbus, Ohio this past June at the 2022 Ignite convention. The 3-day celebration was centered around recognizing top sellers, learning best business practices from industry experts, and discovering new products in gut health, weight management, skincare, and nutrition.

Plexus also hosted the 2022 Evolucion Convention in Mexico City with more than 460 Plexus Brand Ambassadors. Leaders from Plexus Mexico gave inspiring presentations and unveiled a brand refresh that embraces Mexican culture and highlights vibrant concept art created by artist Asero Rodriguez.

The wellness company also celebrated 45 long-standing team members who reached their five-year anniversaries by awarding them free vacations to Orlando, Florida. Plexus has created a strong culture of recognizing employees for performance and tenure by providing stellar benefits that include learning and development opportunities and 16 paid volunteer hours every year to give back to the community.

Plexus's dedication to supporting important causes resulted in donations of over $949,000 to various nonprofits, including Feeding America, Mary's Meals, The Salvation Army, Phoenix Children's, Arizona Helping Hands, and more. The company provided over $4.7 million worth of in-kind donations to nonprofits across the United States and Mexico. In addition, Plexus team members continued to give of their time generously, donating over 1,900 hours to volunteer at over 35 different events and organizations.

"Throughout the year, our team members demonstrated the talent and commitment of our 'One Plexus' culture, working together to impact lives within our community," said Gene Tipps, CEO of Plexus Worldwide. "It is incredible to see the shared commitment between our staff, Brand Ambassadors, and leadership to carry out our mission to promote hope, health, and happiness initiatives year after year."

In an effort to help end hunger globally, Plexus launched the Nourish One campaign in 2018. Through this initiative, the company has helped provide over 35 million meals* to people experiencing hunger, with 34 million meals* to children and families in the U.S., in partnership with Feeding America, and over 1 million meals through our international partner, Mary's Meals.

In September, Tipps was named CEO to allow founders Tarl Robinson and Alec Clark to begin their new roles as Chair and Vice-Chair of Plexus' Strategic Council. As former President of Global Operations for Plexus, Tipps was the driving force behind the delivery of dozens of new products and oversaw operations and information technology in domestic and international markets.

In 2022, Plexus ranked #25 in revenue on the Direct Selling News (DSN) Global 100 list of top direct-selling companies and was selected for the DSN Bravo Impact Award for its unwavering commitment to giving back to the community. Plexus was also recognized among the Best Places to Work in Direct Selling for the 5th time.

About Plexus Worldwide:

Plexus Worldwide, LLC, is a leading health and wellness company featuring products that enable people to improve their lives and well-being. With hundreds of thousands of independent business owners ("Brand Ambassadors") worldwide, Plexus is among the top 25 largest direct sales companies globally, according to Direct Selling News. Plexus products and opportunities help individuals meet their health and financial goals. For more information about the company, visit www.plexusworldwide.com

*Every Plexus Lean sold contributes a donation equivalent to 10 meals and every Plexus Reset sold contributes a donation equivalent to 3 meals to Feeding America, helping to provide at least 1.5 million meals annually. $1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks.

For more information, contact:

Joanne Sgro-Killworth

10 to 1 Public Relations

480-363-0403

[email protected]

SOURCE Plexus Worldwide
MONTREAL, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pow.re Holdings Limited ("Pow.re" or the "Company"), a high-density computing ("HDC") and fintech enterprise, has entered into a binding agreement with a local partner to secure a 100 MW power allocation at a fixed rate for 5 years from ANDE's newly built Yguazu substation in Paraguay.

This week, construction began on the power transformation and computation center infrastructure at Pow.re's 8.5 hectare site directly adjacent to ANDE's newly commissioned substation.

On February 26th, 2023, ANDE, Paraguay's national public utility, energized the first of three 500 kV transmission lines between the Itaipu dam and Yguazu. ANDE President, Felix Sosa, announced on Twitter that Paraguay would "for the first time in history be able to withdraw 100% of the power corresponding to it in the ITAIPU Binacional, thus achieving our national energy sovereignty". The Itaipu dam is the third largest in the world with a 14 GW production capacity, the ITAIPU Binacional agreement entitles Paraguay and Brazil to consume 50% of this capacity each (historically, Paraguay has sold the bulk of its share of Itaipu power capacity to Brazil).

The project is a singular opportunity to generate emission-free computing power from a world-class hydroelectric power plant, made even more timely as the US energy sector has been plagued with soaring electricity prices due to regional reliance on natural gas. Pow.re Director of Engineering, Maxime Bisaillon stated, ''This is a unique opportunity to access a large amount of 100% renewable power at a competitive price. We believe this set of circumstances doesn't exist anywhere else in the world'' adding, "This further validates our position that stranded sustainable power can be put to use for the mutual benefit of green power producers like Paraguay and HDC enterprises like Pow.re''

When fully operational, the Yguazu site would allow Pow.re to produce an additional estimated 4.5 EH/s (exahash per second) of computing power.

In conjunction with deploying this project, the Company also welcomes Andres Romero and Matthew Carson as advisors. Mr. Romero has an extensive understanding of the South American business landscape and the digital asset mining sector, while Mr. Carson brings a wealth of experience deploying large-scale projects such as Project Spokane and Whinstone. Both advisors formerly held positions at Canaan Creative and Northern Data and are respected industry veterans that will help advance the Company's business development goals.

About Pow.re Holdings Limited

Pow.re is a high-density computing operator deploying data centers in proximity to sustainable stranded energy sources to produce computing power. Pow.re will leverage its growing production to commodify computing power markets for hedging and investment.

Company Website: https://www.pow.re

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pow-re-holdings

Twitter: @powremines

SJ Oh

Cofounder/COO

[email protected]

SOURCE Pow.re Holdings Limited
Custom Technology and Distribution Agreement Is First of its Kind for Pretium

NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pretium, a specialized investment firm with over $50 billion in assets under management, and iCapital 1, the global fintech platform driving access to alternative investments for the wealth management industry, today announced a custom technology and distribution agreement.

"We're excited about our new partnership with iCapital and the range of tech-enabled solutions it will unlock for our private wealth investors and their advisors now and into the future," said Don Mullen, Founder and CEO of Pretium.

Since its founding in 2013, iCapital's end-to-end digital platform has efficiently improved the client experience through automated subscriptions, investment process transparency, and the seamless integration of alternative investment performance and reporting.

"We are thrilled to partner with Pretium to support their priority of providing institutional-style access of alternatives to advisors and their clients," said Lawrence Calcano, Chairman and CEO of iCapital.

1 Institutional Capital Network, Inc., and its affiliates (together, "iCapital Network" or "iCapital")

About Pretium

Pretium is a specialized investment firm focused on U.S. residential real estate, residential credit, and corporate credit. Pretium was founded in 2012 to capitalize on investment and lending opportunities arising as a result of structural changes, disruptions, and inefficiencies within the economy. Pretium has built an integrated analytical and operational ecosystem within the U.S. housing, residential credit, and corporate credit markets, and believes that its insight and experience within these markets create a strategic advantage over other investment managers. Pretium's platform has more than $50 billion of assets, comprising real estate investments across 30 markets in the U.S., and employs more than 4,000 people across 30 offices, including its New York headquarters, Dubai, London, Seoul and Sydney. Please visit www.pretium.com for additional information.

This material is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as, and may not be relied on in any manner as legal, tax or investment advice, a recommendation, or as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to purchase or a recommendation of any interest in any fund or security offered by Institutional Capital Network, Inc. or its affiliates (together "iCapital"). Alternative investments are complex, speculative investment vehicles and are not suitable for all investors. This material does not intend to address the financial objectives, situation or specific needs of any individual investor. The information contained herein is subject to change and is also incomplete. This industry information and its importance is an opinion only and should not be relied upon as the only important information available. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed, and iCapital assumes no liability for the information provided.

This material is confidential, is the property of iCapital and may not be shared without the written permission of iCapital. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission of iCapital.

Products offered by iCapital are typically private placements that are sold only to qualified clients of iCapital through transactions that are exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933 pursuant to Rule 506(b) of Regulation D promulgated there under ("Private Placements"). An investment in any product issued pursuant to a Private Placement, such as the fund described, entails a high degree of risk and no assurance can be given that any alternative investment fund's investment objectives will be achieved or that investors will receive a return of their capital. Further, such investments are not subject to the same levels of regulatory scrutiny as publicly listed investments, and as a result, investors may have access to significantly less information than they can access with respect to publicly listed investments. Prospective investors should also note that investments in the products described involve long lock-ups and do not provide investors with liquidity.

Relationship Between iCapital and Underlying Fund GPs (defined as Underlying Fund GPs of products offered on the iCapital platform where iCapital is acting in an investment advisor capacity). iCapital is not a current client of, or investor in a private fund advised by, the Underlying Manager; however, iCapital sponsors and manages the Access Fund, which is or is expected to be an investor in the Underlying Fund, a private fund managed by the Underlying Manager. Prospective investors in the Access Fund should be aware that, as a result of the relationship between iCapital and Underlying Fund GPs and its affiliates created by the access fund arrangement discussed herein (1) iCapital is financially compensated for the arrangement by payment of certain management fees (which are calculated as described in "SUMMARY OF PRINCIPAL TERMS OF THE ACCESS FUND  Management Fee" or corollary section of the Access Fund Offering Memorandum) and, if applicable, certain fees for placement of investors in the Access Fund or the Underlying Fund (which are typically calculated as a percentage of an investor's aggregate commitment to the relevant fund), and (2) the existence of such compensation may create conflicts of interest whereby, for example, iCapital may be more inclined (a) to establish access funds (including the Access Fund) (i) for investment in underlying funds (including the Underlying Fund) sponsored or managed by the Underlying Fund GPs and its affiliates, than for investment in investment funds sponsored or managed by other fund managers, and (ii) upon terms and conditions more favorable to the Underlying Fund GPs and its affiliates than iCapital would otherwise agree to in the absence of such compensation; (b) to make positive statements about the Underlying Fund GPs and its affiliates in order to encourage investors to make a larger commitment to the Access Fund, thereby increasing the fees paid to iCapital, or (c) to vote or exercise consent rights in respect of interests in underlying funds (including the Underlying Fund) held by access funds (including the Access Fund) in a manner more favorable to the Underlying Fund GPs and its affiliates than iCapital would otherwise vote or exercise in the absence of such compensation.

Securities and services may be offered through iCapital Securities, LLC, Axio Financial LLC, and/or SIMON Markets LLC, each of which is a registered broker/dealer, member FINRA and SIPC, and subsidiary of Institutional Capital Network, Inc. ("iCapital"). iCapital Advisors, LLC, a subsidiary of iCapital, is an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). These registrations and memberships in no way imply that the SEC, FINRA or SIPC have endorsed the entities, products or services discussed herein. iCapital and iCapital Network are registered trademarks of Institutional Capital Network, Inc. Additional information is available upon request.

 2023 Institutional Capital Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Contacts

Jon Keehner / Kate Thompson / Lyle Weston

Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher

212-355-4449

[email protected]

SOURCE Pretium
BUSAN, South Korea, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Compound drought and heatwaves cause massive damage to human lives and society, and their occurrence has been increasing in northern East Asia since the late 1990s. To understand the dynamics of these events, researchers looked at the coupling between soil moisture and temperature in the region. They found that the lack of soil moisture from spring to summer causes enhanced interactions between land and atmosphere which brings with compound drought and heatwaves.

Researchers from Pusan National University report that the interaction between soil moisture and temperature was the major driving force behind the increase in compound droughts and heatwaves in the region, since the late 1990s.

With global warming on the rise, the severity and frequency of extreme weather events are also rising dramatically; this includes an increase in the number of compound extreme events. The latter term describes scenarios in which bad weather and climate events combine together, making the event more devastating than a separate weather and climate event. Compound drought and heatwaves (DHWs), for example, can cause massive damage to society through agricultural losses, wildfires, and deaths. Thus, there has been a lot of research into the mechanisms of these DHWs based on the interaction between land and the atmosphere. However, most previous studies have primarily focused on Europe, with little research looking at DHW mechanisms in northern East Asia, a region that has been experiencing an increased occurrence of DHWs since the late 1990s.

Fortunately, a team of researchers led by Professor Kyung-Ja Ha from Pusan National University in South Korea, has stepped in to bridge this gap. In their paper published on 15 December 2022, in Volume 5 of npj Climate and Atmospheric Science, the team looked at the occurrence of DHWs in northern East Asia by exploring the soil moisturetemperature coupling. According to Prof Ha, "Regional differences in temperature and precipitation can have a large impact on compound extreme events. By looking at the connection between soil moisture and air temperature, we were able to find the land-atmosphere interaction that serves as the mechanism for the occurrence of DHWs in this specific region."

The team studied the aforementioned data, along with the occurrence of DHWs for regions in northern East Asia, like parts of northern China and eastern Mongolia, from 1980 to the present day. They found that, since the late 1990s, the continuous lack of moisture in the soil from spring to summer led to reduced evaporation and transpiration of water from the soil, which increased evaporative stress and amplified heatwaves, triggering a compound DHW that led to a further reduction in soil moisture. This increased moisturetemperature coupling enhances landatmosphere interactions, leading to compound DHWs in the region.

"Compound DHWs can cause damage, often times more than either droughts or heatwaves alone, thus understanding them is important for society to better handle the risks associated with these events. As global temperatures keep increasing, soil moisture deficits are bound to increase, causing more DHWs in the region. Understanding and predicting them is going to be of utmost importance. Our study shows that soil moisture may be used to predict the occurrence of DHWs in the region," concluded Prof Ha.

Understanding the complicated dynamics of compound extreme events is crucial for societal safety, and this study takes us one step closer towards this goal. We can then learn to combating the increasing risks associated with extreme events, especially in the face of global climate change.

Reference

Title of original paper: Changes in land-atmosphere coupling increase compound drought and heatwaves over northern East Asia

Journal: npj Climate and Atmospheric Science

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-022-00325-8

*Corresponding author's email: [email protected]

About Pusan National University

Website: https://www.pusan.ac.kr/eng/Main.do

Media contact:

Jae-Eun Lee

[email protected]

82 51 510 7928

SOURCE Pusan National University
SHARJAH, UAE, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Seeking to strengthen its participation in local and international cultural events and promote the UAE's publishing industry, the Emirates Publishers Association is taking part in the 60th edition of the Bologna Children's Book Fair, taking place 6  9 March in Bologna, Italy.

Participation at Bologna Children's Book Fair

The association is showcasing a variety of publications for children, including literary, scientific, and educational books, both authored and translated, at its special pavilion. Emirati publishers, such as Aisha Al-Zaabi from Dar Al-Dhabi for Publishing, Nour Arab from Dar Al-Nour for Publishing, and Abdullah Al-Kaabi from Dar Al-Ramsa Publishing, are participating.

In addition, the association is facilitating a series of meetings between its representatives, Arab and international publishers, and intellectuals. These meetings aim to exchange expertise in the publishing industry, foster communication between Emirati and international publishers, and assist those interested in establishing publishing companies in Arab markets.

Exchange of experiences

The Emirates Publishers Association is also participating in the 'BolognaBookPlus' activities, which offers in-depth training on rights selling, author representation and scouting. Through its stand there, the association seeks to give Emirati publishers a wider platform to trade books with general publishers beyond children's books.

Rashid Al-Kous, Executive Director of the Emirates Publishers Association, said: "Our association's participation in the 60th session of the Bologna Children's Book Fair is part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen the presence of Emirati publishing houses in major international book fairs. We aim to promote our work and expand our strategic relationships with international peers to foster interaction between different cultures and human civilizations. Additionally, we aim to learn about the most important international experiences in producing children's books."

In a new initiative aimed at supporting the participation of Emirati publishing houses in local and international book fairs while keeping pace with the latest technologies, the association is now allowing its member houses not physically present at the exhibition to display their publications remotely. This can be done using QR codes, which allow for the conclusion of purchase and sale deals of publishing rights. Through this initiative, exhibition visitors can scan these codes and view the publications of 25 Emirati publishing houses, as well as remotely initiating deals with Emirati publishers and helping promote and spread Emirati content globally. This effort is part of the association's ongoing efforts to introduce the publishing movement and the book industry in the United Arab Emirates.

Moreover, the Emirates Publishers Association's stand will feature a Twitter wall and a mirror that allow visitors to interact by sharing the titles of their favourite books or novels on social media. Additionally, the pavilion will serve as a platform for publishers to communicate with association members and discuss opportunities for book circulation and translation possibilities, focusing on translating Emirati literature into international languages.

A celebration of women

As the exhibition coincides with International Women's Day, the association celebrates the achievements of Emirati women writers, empowering them to compete, and encouraging them to leave their mark in the publishing sector.

This is reflected in the views of writer Aisha Al Zaabi, who acknowledges that Arab women, particularly Emirati women, have established their presence in the publishing industry thanks to the support provided by the UAE. The association works to enable Emirati publishers to overcome the challenges they face in the publishing market by providing various means of support.

According to Al Zaabi, participating in international exhibitions, such as the Bologna Children's Book Fair, is one of the ways in which the Emirates Publishers Association enables local publishers to market their publications and benefit from new experiences in bookmaking. Such exhibitions provide opportunities for local publishers to showcase their works and gain exposure to a wider audience, which can lead to increased recognition and sales.

Abdullah Al-Kaabi also commended the Emirates Publishers Association's efforts to support the Emirati publishing industry, promote Emirati writers, and expand the reach of Emirati publishers both locally and internationally. The association also provides the necessary support for Emirati writers to participate in cultural forums at the Arab and international levels. He acknowledged the association's active role in advancing the Emirati book industry through various qualifying and training programmes that enhance the efficiency of workers in the field. Additionally, he noted the association's efforts to improve the conditions and laws of the profession and its focus on protecting all rights related to publishing, including intellectual property and translation.

Attached photo:

1- General photo for the Emirates Publishers Association stand at Bologna Children's Book Fair 2023

CONTACT: Reem Masswadeh, M: +971 (05)0 583 9330, E: [email protected]

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2018932/Emirates_Publishers_Association.jpg

SOURCE Emirates Publishers Association
ATLANTA, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pye-Barker Fire & Safety  the largest fully integrated fire protection, life safety and security services provider in the United States  has acquired Amherst Alarm, an industry-leading fire alarm, security and monitoring provider in Western New York. This addition expands Pye-Barker's alarms footprint outside of New York City and Long Island to the western part of the state. The company has gained market dominance in the Northeast United States through rapid growth and an aggressive acquisition strategy.

"Pye-Barker is the best fit to meet the needs of the communities we serve and help them protect life and property." Tweet this Eric Garner, President of Pye-Barker's Alarm Division, meets with Tim and Maryann Creenan of Amherst Alarm.

Amherst Alarm, headquartered just outside of Buffalo in Amherst, New York, provides expert-level life safety solutions including security alarms, fire detection, 24/7 monitoring, video surveillance, access control and emergency service for businesses such as offices, restaurants, retail stores and warehouses. Tim Creenan, an experienced security technician, founded Amherst Alarm in 1984 with his wife Maryann and one part-time installer. Since then, Amherst has acquired several additional companies and become a leader in the Western New York market.

"Amherst Alarm has been in my family for nearly 40 years, so it was important for me to find the right organization to continue the work we've done for our team and clients," said Tim Creenan, CEO and Founder of Amherst Alarm. "We believe Pye-Barker is the best fit to meet the needs of the communities we serve and help them protect life and property."

"Pye-Barker is honored to build on the success of the Creenans and Amherst Alarm," said Bart Proctor, Pye-Barker CEO. "Over 100 fire and life safety business owners have entrusted Pye-Barker to continue their legacies, in large part because of our commitment to upholding the family-oriented environments they've created."

Amherst Alarm's team of highly skilled staff will continue to be led by the Creenans to serve customers in New York.

About Pye-Barker Fire & Safety

Pye-Barker Fire & Safety is the U.S. leader in fire protection, life safety and security systems. Founded in 1946, Pye-Barker has become the largest single-source provider of testing, maintenance and installation of fire detection systems, fire alarms, extinguishers, fire suppression and sprinkler systems, security and monitoring services for businesses nationwide. The company operates over 145 locations and puts significant focus on customer experience and taking care of its 4,500 team members with best-in-class training, competitive benefits, and a caring working environment.

Contact:

Eric Garner

President, Pye-Barker Alarm Division

(801) 395-8738

[email protected]

SOURCE Pye-Barker Fire & Safety
Regulus Supports Virginia's Global Defense Program

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Regulus Global announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce honored the company with an Export Achievement Certificate at a ceremony held at The MacArthur Memorial Visitors Center in Norfolk, Virginia.

Regulus Global CEO Chris Burgess Receives Export Certificate from Arun Venkataraman, U.S. Department of Commerce

"The Export Achievement Certificate recognizes Regulus Global's contributions to U.S. exports around the world," said Arun Venkataraman, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets, and Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, U.S. Department of Commerce. "Also, notably, Regulus Global is committed to hire those who have admirably served their country, with veterans comprising 30% of its workforce. They have done a fantastic service to our community by ensuring our nation's veterans have a place to work and contribute their skills and talents."

Chief Executive Officer Chris Burgess was honored with the certificate during a ceremony recognizing companies and key partners in Virginia who serve the veteran-owned business community.

"Regulus Global is committed to supporting the Virginia Commonwealth's global defense program," said Chief Executive Officer Chris Burgess. "We're proud to employ our military veterans, collaborate with veteran-owned businesses, and provide our government and partner nations with solutions to enable their success."

About Regulus

Regulus Global, a leader in innovative design, enables capability from initial requirement through delivery to sustainment. Specializing in the humanitarian, expeditionary, national security and defense industries, Regulus works to understand the mission and then provides the requirements analysis, emerging technologies, equipment, and scalability to meet the critical needs of organizations and agencies worldwide. Transforming the end-to-end lifecycle, Regulus supports organizations, businesses, and government agencies worldwide with its systems design, development, and execution expertise. Regulus Global is headquartered in Virginia Beach, Va., with subsidiary offices in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Mexico City, Mexico; Sao Paulo, Brazil and operates in more than 80 countries worldwide.

Regulus Global

1528 Taylor Farm Rd, Ste 105

Virginia Beach, VA 23453

www.regulusglobal.com

SOURCE Regulus Global
High levels of oxygen can cause lasting health problems in humans. Now scientists know why.

SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to oxygen, you can have too much of a good thing. Breathing air that contains higher levels of oxygen than the usual 21 percent found in Earth's atmosphere can cause organ damage, seizures, and even death in people and animals, particularly if it's in excess of the body's oxygen needs. Until now, however, scientists have mostly speculated about the mechanisms behind this phenomenon, known as oxygen toxicity, or hyperoxia.

Alan Baik is part of the team in Isha Jains lab at Gladstone Institutes that uncovered why high levels of oxygen can cause lasting problems in humans. Photo: Michael Short/Gladstone Institutes

Now, researchers at Gladstone Institutes have discovered how excess oxygen changes a handful of proteins in our cells that contain iron and sulfura chemical process similar to the rusting of iron. In turn, those "rusty" proteins trigger a cascade of events that damage cells and tissues. The findings, published in the journal Molecular Cell, have implications for conditions such as heart attacks and sleep apnea.

"This study allowed us to put together a very specific timeline for what happens in hyperoxia," says Gladstone Assistant Investigator Isha Jain, PhD, senior author of the new study. "The results weren't at all what we were expecting, but it's very interesting and exciting to now know how this sequence of events unfolds."

An Understudied Question

At high levels, oxygen is toxic to every form of life, from bacteria and plants to animals and people. Of course, not enough oxygen is also fatal; there's an intermediate, "Goldilocks" amount under which most life on Earth thrivesnot too much and not too little.

While clinicians have long studied the details of how oxygen shortage impacts cells and tissues (for example, in heart attacks and strokes), the effects of excess oxygen have been relatively understudied.

"For many years, the medical teaching was that, to a certain degree, more oxygen was better, or at least benign, when treating patients with conditions such as heart attacks," says Alan Baik, MD, a postdoctoral scholar in Jain's lab and a cardiologist at UC San Francisco (UCSF). "But there has now been a growing number of clinical studies showing that excess oxygen actually leads to worse outcomes. This motivated us to better understand why excess oxygen can be toxic."

Studies have recently revealed, for instance, that breathing too much supplemental oxygen might be detrimental to heart attack patients and premature infants. Similarly, in obstructive sleep apnea, the sudden bursts of oxygen that follow pauses in breathing have been shown to be a key component of how the disorder increases patients' risks of chronic health problems.

Still, the mechanisms of these effects remained murky. Many researchers assumed that reactive oxygen speciesunstable and highly reactive oxygen derivatives that can damage our genome and many molecules in our cellslikely played a role in hyperoxia, but there was little evidence to demonstrate how excess oxygen affects specific enzymes and pathways.

How CRISPR Found the Answer

Jain's groupincluding Baik, postdoctoral fellow Galih Haribowo, PhD, and graduate student Kirsten Xuewen Chen, who are co-first authors of the new paperturned to the genome editing technology CRISPR to test the roles of a variety of genes in hyperoxia.

Using CRISPR, the researchers removed, one at a time, more than 20,000 different genes from human cells grown in the lab and then compared the growth of each group of cells at 21 percent oxygen and 50 percent oxygen.

"This kind of unbiased screen let us probe the contributions of thousands of different pathways in hyperoxia rather than just focusing on those we already suspected might be involved," says Jain, who is also an assistant professor of biochemistry at UCSF. "It led us toward molecules that have never been uttered before in the same sentence as oxygen toxicity."

Four molecular pathways stood out in the screen as being involved in the effects of hyperoxia. They related to diverse cellular functions including the repair of damaged DNA, the production of new DNA building blocks, and the generation of cellular energy.

Protein Clusters in Common

At first, the team couldn't pinpoint what the four pathways had in common and why they were all impacted by high oxygen levels. It took some molecular sleuthing to discover that each pathway had a critical protein that contained iron atoms connected to sulfur atomsso-called "iron-sulfur clusters"in its molecular structure.

The researchers went on to show that, in as little as 30 percent oxygen, the iron-sulfur clusters in the four proteins become oxidizedthey chemically react with oxygen atomsand that change causes the proteins to degrade. As a result, cells stop functioning correctly and consume even less oxygen, causing a further increase in oxygen levels in the surrounding tissues.

"One important takeaway is that hyperoxia is not impacting cells and tissues solely through reactive oxygen species, as many had assumed," says Jain. "That means the use of antioxidantswhich can combat reactive oxygen species to some degreeis unlikely to be sufficient to prevent oxygen toxicity."

About the Study

The paper "Oxygen Toxicity Causes Cyclic Damage by Destabilizing Specific Fe-S Cluster-Containing Protein Complexes" was published in the journal Molecular Cell on March 8, 2023.

Other authors are: Bruno Queliconi, Alec Barrios, and Ankur Garg of Gladstone; Mazharul Maishan and Michael Matthay of UCSF; and Alexandre Campos of Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute.

The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (T32 HL007731, DP5OD026398), a Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub Physician-Scientist Fellowship, a Sarnoff Scholar Award, and the Sandler Program for Breakthrough Biomedical Research at UCSF.

About Gladstone Institutes

Gladstone Institutes is an independent, nonprofit life science research organization that uses visionary science and technology to overcome disease. Established in 1979, it is located in the epicenter of biomedical and technological innovation, in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco. Gladstone has created a research model that disrupts how science is done, funds big ideas, and attracts the brightest minds.

Media Contact: Julie Langelier | Associate Director, Communications | [email protected] | 415.734.5000

1650 Owens Street, San Francisco, CA 94158 | gladstone.org | @GladstoneInst

SOURCE Gladstone Institutes
Simply NUC Chapel Rock features the latest 12th Gen Intel Core embedded processors with vPro technology, Intel Iris Xe graphics, support for high-speed 3200MHz DDR4 memory, and is built to last with a 7-year commitment to supply.

AUSTIN, Texas, BELFAST, United Kingdom and DUNLEER, Ireland, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Simply NUC, Inc , a leading mini computer solutions company, today announced a new Simply NUC branded mini PC product family called Chapel Rock. The ultracompact long life mini PC is built for several use cases, from embedded units like kiosks and vending machines, to edge devices like security systems and sensor arrays. Chapel Rock brings the same reliability and customizability as its predecessor, Chimney Rock, with upgrades like dual 2.5Gb Ethernet and the all-new 12th Gen Intel Architecture. Simply NUC is currently taking orders on Chapel Rock with units expected to ship by the end of March.

Chapel Rock Mini PC

"Since launching our long life NUC product line, our customers have successfully leveraged these mini PCs for an array of applications where longer development cycles are required for validation and certifications," said Aaron Rowsell, Simply NUC CEO, "and we're thrilled to extend our long life NUC offering with Chapel Rock."

Two new Chapel Rock Long Life NUC SKUs are being added to the Simply NUC roadmap with pricing starting at $969 USD. The Simply NUC i5 Chapel Rock (LLN12CRv5) is based on the 12th Gen Intel Core i5-1245UE vPro embedded processor and the i7 Chapel Rock (LLN12CRv7) is based on the 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1265UE vPro embedded processor and is intended for usage where higher performance is most essential. More information on the Chapel Rock family can be found at: https://simplynuc.com/chapel-rock/ .

Enhanced specifically for Edge and IoT computing needs, Chapel Rock excels with optimized performance in a tiny 4"x4" form factor. Further expand Chapel Rock's abilities with up to 64GB of 3200-DDR4 RAM and up to 10TB of storage between a Gen 4 compatible NVMe socket and a secondary SATA socket.

The mini PC supports a plethora of I/O including up to four display outputs and provides expansion lid options such as additional HDMI, USB or even serial ports giving Chapel Rock endless potential in a small footprint. With vPro technology, Chapel Rock allows for pushing software updates from the office, to managing an entire deployment, to remote troubleshooting a unit at the airport, saving valuable time and manpower when managing a fleet of mini PCs. With a 7-year commitment to supply and numerous processor, storage, OS, and mounting options, Chapel Rock can be customized to meet a wide array of embedded, edge computing, and IoT needs.

Formed in 2015 and headquartered in Round Rock, Texas, Simply NUC, Inc. is a global company specializing in mini computers. Simply NUC provides fully configured, warrantied, and supported mini PC systems to businesses and consumers, as well as end-to-end NUC project development, custom operating system installations, and NUC accessories. For more information about Simply NUC visit www.simplynuc.com .

Contact: John Deatherage, CMO [email protected]

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2016616/Simply_NUC__Inc_Chapel_Rock_Mini_PC.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1027326/simplyNUC_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Simply NUC, Inc.
ASHLAND, Va., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Stegmann has proven that shoes can be cute, insanely comfortable, sustainable, and vegan with the release of two new all-vegan shoe designs. The brand also debuted two new sleek sandal styles in its spring 2023 collection.

"We've always prioritized sustainability in our sourcing and production," says Stegmann USA President Andy Jacobs. "It all starts with the foundation of a cork sole in 95% of our shoe designs. The material is not only great for your feet, but it's a completely sustainable resource."

The Layna Wedge Sandal is the brand's first wedge design. The sandal features a low slope wedge and cozy heel cup, which makes the sandal super stable to stand and walk in. The material for Stegmann's newest ultra-breathable basket weave cork shoe designs is sourced from Portugal where it is sustainably grown and harvested from the bark of the cork oak.

The material for Stegmann's newest ultra-breathable basket weave cork shoe designs is sourced in much the same way as the cork soles in the brand's clog, boot, and shoe designs. All the cork used in Stegmann products is sourced from Portugal where it is sustainably grown and harvested from the bark of the cork oak. The trees are not damaged during harvest, which is important because the cork oak forests in southern Portugal are home to numerous plant and animal species. The forests are also critical for both the local and global ecosystems.

The full Stegmann spring collection launch, now available, includes these four women's spring shoes:

"Women want comfort without sacrificing style and it's harder to come by than you think," says Jacobs. "We want to fill that gap and empower women with our growing sandal collection."

All of Stegmann's spring shoes feature a cushioned soft suede footbed with arch support and anatomical contouring. The sustainable cork and latex midsoles absorb shock to relieve or prevent foot and joint pain commonly associated with flat, unsupportive sandal designs.

The Layna Wedge Sandal is the brand's first wedge design. The sandal features a low slope wedge and cozy heel cup, which makes the sandal super stable to stand and walk in. The cushioned suede footbed has padded arch support that provides the comfort and support customers expect from Stegmann. The Layna Wedge is available in black, tan, and violet vegetable-tanned leather colorways.

The Mia Slide is inspired by Stegmann's 'Maria' Mule and features a gorgeous vegetable-tanned leather wrap that gives it a polished and sophisticated look. An elastic gusset adds more flexible comfort to the sandal. The new slide comes in three versatile colors.

Stegmann's spring styles are expected to begin shipping by March 20, just in time for Spring Break around much of the country. Last year, Stegmann sold out of many sandal sizes during its first presale week.

More about Stegmann: Born and based in Austria, the Stegmann brand has been handcrafting wool felt comfort footwear since 1888. Famous for its iconic styling, seamless wool upper and contoured comfort sole, this timeless heritage brand is experiencing a resurgence in the US with fresh styles and finishes to bring sophisticated comfort to new admirers and loyal fans. For more information about Stegmann, visit stegmannusa.com.

Media Contact: Megan Wilson | 540-894-6245 | [email protected]

SOURCE Stegmann
CHICAGO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- STG Logistics ("STG"), a leading provider of logistics and transportation services, is pleased to welcome industry veteran Brian Nemeth as its new chief growth and strategy officer.

In this role, Nemeth will be responsible for driving growth, revenue and competitive advantage both organically through operations and workforce development and through mergers and acquisitions.

Brian Nemeth, Chief Growth and Strategy Officer, STG Logistics

"In this role I'll be executing a progressive expansion strategy, leading the commercial teams and bridging various departments in pursuit of growth," says Nemeth. "I'll also be directing STG through acquisition mode to identify companies that fit with our core products and are aligned with our company's positioning, values and goals."

Nemeth comes to STG from AlixPartners where he served for 12 years in several leadership capacities, most recently as managing director.

"With the recent acquisition of XPO Intermodal, STG is positioned for aggressive growth. This pivotal role, which was created for Brian, is a signal to the market that STG is open to M&A activities" says STG CEO Paul Svindland. "Brian has the perfect combination of expertise in both domestic and international markets and experience from both sides of the carrier/shipper relationship. Brian will hit the ground running to lead and execute STG's initiatives."

Nemeth brings more than 22 years of industry experience in the global shipping, freight forwarding, and 3PL industries. In addition to transportation expertise, Nemeth has had extensive strategic supply chain and logistics experience in a variety of industry sectors including energy, retail, consumer foods, automotive, and industrials. Prior to joining AlixPartners, Nemeth held various positions in the United States, Hong Kong, and Vietnam within the A.P. Mller  Maersk Group. He is a sought-after speaker, having recently participated on a panel at TPM2023 in Long Beach. Nemeth has a BS from the University of Maryland, Robert H. Smith School of Business and an MBA, NYU Stern School of Business.

About STG Logistics

STG Logistics is the leading comprehensive national network offering "Port-to-Door" services for containerized goods. STG offers services across North America including Intermodal, Drayage, Deferred LTL, Container Deconsolidation, Reconsolidation, Transloading, Warehousing, and Outsourced Transportation Solutions including Final Mile. STG has an extensive facility network comprised of more than 100 locations (including all major port locations). In addition to the national network STG logistics owns and operates assets up and down stream, including 15,000, 53-foot Intermodal containers.

At STG Logistics, Our People Are The Difference. We empower our team with industry leading visibility, inventory management tools, state-of-the-art technology, and equipment on the warehouse floor and in-office. Combined, we create a solution that leads the industry and one that our competitors cannot match in the United States.

Additional information about STG Logistics is available at www.stgusa.com .

Contact:

Dyana Flanigan

Flanigan Communications, Inc.

[email protected]

(312) 213-6233

SOURCE STG Logistics
Women now make up the majority of the tech company's Executive Leadership Team.

SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NextRoll , the marketing technology company delivering products for ambitious marketers to grow their businesses, welcomed Sue Choe to its Executive Leadership Team as CFO. She is now one of four women who make up the majority of the company's Executive Leadership Team  a first in the company's 17-year history.

Choe brings 25 years of experience building and scaling transformative global teams, and has previously served in leadership roles at Promethean, a global edTech company, and RealNetworks, a software and mobile games company.

Sue Choe becomes the new CFO of NextRoll, Inc.

"I'm thrilled to join NextRoll and help take the company into its next phase of growth," said Choe. "With its innovative and inclusive culture, the NextRoll team is well positioned to unlock its superpower of amazing people and products. I look forward to partnering with leadership, the Board, and all Rollers to make a huge impact on NextRoll's next chapter."

Choe joins Roli Saxena, CEO and President of AdRoll, Amy LeBold, EVP of People, and Sophia Chen, Chief of Staff, to become part of a woman majority on the company's Executive Leadership team. They work alongside Mihir Nanavati, President of RollWorks, Patrick Mee, EVP of Engineering, and Brian Focarile, Sr. Director of Strategy & Corporate Development, to deliver dynamic marketing technology products that meet the needs of modern businesses.

"Sue brings a wealth of financial expertise and leadership experiences that is invaluable for us as we continue to accelerate growth of our SaaS business," said Roli Saxena, CEO of NextRoll."

"Beyond Sue's impressive track record as a Finance leader at multiple growth businesses, she's an excellent fit for our values and culture here at NextRoll," Saxena added. "Sue stands with us in our mission to create a more supportive and diverse workplace. We're thrilled to have her on board and look forward to learning from her and growing with her in 2023 and beyond."

About NextRoll

NextRoll is a marketing technology company delivering products ambitious marketers use and rely on to grow their businesses. Powered by machine learning and integrated data platforms, NextRoll's technology serves tens of thousands of businesses globally through its two business units: RollWorks, an account-based platform for business-to-business marketing and sales teams, AdRoll, an e-commerce marketing platform for direct-to-consumer brands. NextRoll is a privately-held company headquartered in San Francisco, CA. To learn more visit nextroll.com.

Contact:

Alyssa Dowdalls

Sr. Brand Marketing Manager, NextRoll

[email protected]

SOURCE NextRoll Inc.
DentaQuest President Steve Pollock cohosted recent 5-year anniversary breakfast recognizing the organization's efforts to combat the opioid crisis

WELLESLEY, Mass., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun Life U.S. and DentaQuest, part of Sun Life U.S., have donated $100,000 to RIZE Massachusetts, an independent nonprofit foundation solely dedicated to funding and creating solutions to end the opioid crisis.

Steve Pollock, RIZE co-chair and president of DentaQuest, polls the audience on whether they know someone affected by the opioid epidemic. All hands went up, creating a powerful moment across the audience of more than 70 state leaders and corporate executives. DentaQuest

On March 2, a breakfast was held in recognition of the dedication, support and progress the organization has made in the Bay state. RIZE's "Five Years of Fighting Together to End the Opioid Crisis" Anniversary Breakfast brought state legislators, including Governor Maura Healey, House Ways & Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, together with RIZE supporters, donors, and leaders from Massachusetts-based companies to spotlight the ongoing and evolving nature of the crisis.

DentaQuest President and RIZE Board Chair Steve Pollock served as co-host of the event. "It was an honor to help spotlight the important work RIZE is accomplishing and recognize the support our state's leadership has provided," said Pollock. "Governor Healey not only spoke at last week's breakfast, she participated in our inaugural event five years ago when she served as Attorney General, and we're grateful for her ongoing support."

According to research from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, opioid-related overdose deaths increased by 9.4% in 2021, taking an average of six lives per day, every day.

"We must ensure ongoing funding and support for effective solutions to combat this terrible disease," continued Pollock. "DentaQuest and Sun Life support RIZE because we share a commitment to advancing health equity, which starts by expanding access to care and benefits, particularly for underserved populations. We've seen firsthand how the opioid epidemic is inextricably linked to oral health. A healthy smile may seem trivial, but for those in treatment it can provide the confidence and courage to seek employment, reengage with friends and family and make the first step toward a healthier future. I am excited for Sun Life and DentaQuest to leverage our combined power and help more people access the dental care, mental health support and health services they need to live healthier lives."

DentaQuest has supported RIZE since 2018, when Pollock joined the Board. RIZE is committed to achieving zero stigma and zero deaths related to opioid use disorder by investing in meaningful solutions and employing broad perspectives that will save lives, reduce harm and end the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts.

"RIZE is grateful to receive this incredible gift from Sun Life and DentaQuest, which will help further our mission to end the overdose crisis in Massachusetts and improve quality of life for people with substance use disorders," said Julie Burns, president and CEO of RIZE Massachusetts Foundation. "These organizations have made a commitment to supporting the health and well-being of individuals and families across a wide range of needs and issues they face. This contribution to RIZE reflects a keen knowledge that overall health includes mental health and oral health, as well as the intersection of social factors that influence the trajectory of a person's life. We are honored that Sun Life has joined us in the fight to end this crisis in our state and look forward to the work that has been made possible by this investment."

Sun Life and DentaQuest support many initiatives nationwide that enable and empower people to live healthier lives, with a focus on providing access to the care and coverage they need. Dental-focused partnerships include America's Toothfairy and TeamSmile, which provide oral health education and preventive care for children, as well as Missions of Mercy, which offers dental care to those who do not have access to a local dentist. Partnerships to support food equity, nutrition, and diabetes include the American Diabetes Association, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Kansas City and the YMCA of Greater Boston. Mental health partnerships include support for community outreach programs with the Black Alliance for Mental Health and the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

About Sun Life

Sun Life is a leading international financial services organization providing asset management, wealth, insurance and health solutions to individual and institutional Clients. Sun Life has operations in a number of markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia and Bermuda. As of December 31, 2022, Sun Life had total assets under management of C$1.33 trillion. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com.

Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.

Sun Life U.S. is one of the largest providers of employee and government benefits, helping more than 50 million Americans access the healthcare and coverage they need. Through employers, industry partners and government programs, Sun Life offers a portfolio of benefits and services, including dental, vision, disability, absence management, life, supplemental health, medical stop-loss insurance, and healthcare navigation. Sun Life U.S. and affiliated companies in asset management employ approximately 5,500 people in the U.S. For more information visit our website and newsroom.

About DentaQuest

DentaQuest, part of Sun Life U.S., is a purpose-driven health care company dedicated to improving the oral health of all. We do this through Preventistry  our inclusive approach to quality care and expanded access built on trusted partnerships between patients, providers and payors. As one of the nation's largest and most experienced Medicaid dental benefits administrators, we manage dental and vision benefits for more than 34 million Americans through a nationwide network of providers in all 50 states. Our outcomes-based, cost-effective dental solutions are designed for Medicaid and CHIP, Medicare Advantage, small and large businesses, and individuals. At the same time, we are expanding our footprint of more than 70 oral health centers in six states to deliver direct patient care in rural and underserved populations. Learn more at www.DentaQuest.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Direct Media Inquiries to:

Devon Fernald

Sun Life U.S.

[email protected]

781-800-3609

Farrah Phillipo

DentaQuest

[email protected]

781-654-6764

Connect with Sun Life U.S.

Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter

SOURCE Sun Life U.S.
MELBOURNE, Australia, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: TLX, Telix, the Company) today announces presentations from the Company's carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) targeting kidney and bladder cancer programs at the 38th Annual European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress to be held in Milan from 10  13 March 2023.

Further data from Telix's completed pivotal Phase III ZIRCON study of TLX250-CDx (89Zr-DFO-girentuximab) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03849118) will be presented in a "Game Changing" oral session.

Game Changing sessions are reserved for Phase III trials or other developments that the EAU's Scientific Congress Office believes will have a large impact on daily practice.

In addition, presentations will report on the potential utility of TLX250-CDx in urothelial carcinoma or bladder cancer (ZiPUP study, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05046665); and a preclinical evaluation of a Telix targeted radionuclide therapy candidate in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor.

Dr Colin Hayward, Telix Chief Medical Officer, said, "In support of Telix's vision to drive innovation in urologic oncology, we are pleased that our programs in renal and bladder cancer will be presented at EAU 2023, the largest urological event in Europe. Notably, Professor Peter Mulders from Radboud UMC will be presenting further data from the Phase III ZIRCON study of TLX250-CDx, our investigational renal cancer imaging agent, which is generating significant interest in the medical community, following a highly positive result. We are also excited to announce two additional presentations on Telix's CAIX-targeting candidates further exploring potential theranostic applications beyond ccRCC."

EAU presentation details are as follows:

Session: Game Changing Session

Title: 89Zr-DFO-girentuximab for PET/CT imaging of clear cell renal cell carcinoma  results from phase 3 ZIRCON study

Date and Time: 11-Mar-2023, 10:00 AM-10:15 AM

Presenter: Prof. P.F.A. Mulders, Radboud UMC, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Session: Clinical Trials in Progress

Title: 89Zirconium-labelled girentuximab (89Zr-TLX250) PET in Urothelial Cancer Patients (ZiPUP)  A phase I trial of a novel staging modality for urothelial carcinoma

Date and Time: 12-Mar-2023, 10:45 AM-12:15 PM

Presenter: Dr. D. Hayne, University of Western Australia, Australia

Abstract ID: A0520

Session: Cell biology and novel biomarkers in kidney cancer

Title: Preclinical evaluation of targeted radionuclide therapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibition

Date and Time: 13-Mar-2023, 10:45 AM-12:15 PM

Presenter: Ass. Prof. E. Oosterwijk, Radboud UMC, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Abstract ID: A1032

About Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited

Telix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialisation of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Telix is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with international operations in the United States, Europe (Belgium and Switzerland), and Japan. Telix is developing a portfolio of clinical-stage products that aims to address significant unmet medical need in oncology and rare diseases. Telix is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: TLX). For more information visit www.telixpharma.com and follow Telix on Twitter (@TelixPharma) and LinkedIn.

TLX250-CDx has not received a marketing authorisation in any jurisdiction. Telix's lead product, gallium-68 (68Ga) gozetotide (also known as 68Ga PSMA-11) injection, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),[1] and by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA),[2] and by Health Canada.[3]

Telix Investor Relations

Ms. Kyahn Williamson

Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited

SVP Corporate Communications and Investor Relations

Email: [email protected]

Legal Notices

This announcement is not intended as promotion or advertising directed to any healthcare professional or other audience in any country worldwide (including Australia, United States and the United Kingdom). This announcement may include forward-looking statements that relate to anticipated future events, financial performance, plans, strategies or business developments. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of words such as "may", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "outlook", "forecast" and "guidance", or other similar words. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company's good-faith assumptions as to the financial, market, regulatory and other risks and considerations that exist and affect the Company's business and operations in the future and there can be no assurance that any of the assumptions will prove to be correct. In the context of Telix's business, forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about: the initiation, timing, progress and results of Telix's preclinical and clinical studies, and Telix's research and development programs; Telix's ability to advance product candidates into, enrol and successfully complete, clinical studies, including multi-national clinical trials; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, manufacturing activities and product marketing activities; the commercialisation of Telix's product candidates, if or when they have been approved; estimates of Telix's expenses, future revenues and capital requirements; Telix's financial performance; developments relating to Telix's competitors and industry; and the pricing and reimbursement of Telix's product candidates, if and after they have been approved. Telix's actual results, performance or achievements may be materially different from those which may be expressed or implied by such statements, and the differences may be adverse. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Except as required by applicable laws or regulations, Telix does not undertake to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements. Past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance. Readers should read this announcement together with our material risks, as disclosed in our most recently filed reports with the ASX and on our website.

2023 Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited. The Telix Pharmaceuticals and Illuccix name and logo are trademarks of Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited and its affiliates (all rights reserved).

[1] ASX disclosure 20 December 2021. [2] ASX disclosure 2 November 2021. [3] ASX disclosure 14 October 2022.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1920208/Telix_Main_Logo_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited
NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Since 2010, the Cheesemongers Guild LTD has brought together hundreds of cheesemongers from across the country, as well as, the world's finest cheese to create The Cheesemonger Invitational aka Cheesemonger Olympics meets Cheese Rave.

CMI Masters is where we take 12 of America's best cheese professionals and put them thru an expert level cheesemonger competition. At the end of the night we will select two cheese professionals to become Team USA. And next September we will take Team USA to compete in an International Cheesemonger Competition called Le Mondial Du Fromage in the south of France.

What is a cheesemonger? The lovely people who cut your cheese. What is a cheese professional? Cheesemongers who have made a career in cheese. CMI Masters is an over the top competition showcasing what elite cheesemongers can do: 1) compose a cheese plate 2) create a combination of tastes 3) transform a cheese into a new cheese 4) build a gigantic cheese catering presentation 5) sculpt an artistic presentation only using cheese.

Yes, we are making Cheesemongering a sport.

Not only will our guests be able to witness things done with cheese never before seen on American soil. They will also be able to enjoy (translation: gorge themselves) with a fifty foot grazing table featuring over 50 of the finest artisan cheeses from Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, England, Germany, California, Wisconsin and Vermont. Beverages will also be provided.

This event is supported by Le Gruyere AOP, Columbia Cheese, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Cellars of Jasper Hill, Essex Street Cheese Co, Neals Yard Dairy, Vermont Creamery, Forever Cheese and the California Milk Advisory Board.

The Date is Sunday March 12th. Doors open at 2:30 PM. Tickets are $35.

Learn more at www.cheesemongerinvitational.com

SOURCE Cheesemonger's Guild LTD
ORRVILLE, Ohio, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The J.M. Smucker Co. (NYSE: SJM) today announced that Mark Smucker, Chair of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Tucker Marshall, Chief Financial Officer, will participate in a fireside chat at the BofA Securities 2023 Consumer and Retail Conference on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

A listen-only live webcast of the fireside chat can be accessed on the Company's website: investors.jmsmucker.com. A replay of the webcast will be available following the event.

About The J.M. Smucker Co.

At The J.M. Smucker Co., it is our privilege to make food people and pets love by offering a diverse portfolio of brands available across North America. We are proud to lead in the Coffee, Consumer Foods, Dog Snacks and Cat Food categories by offering brands consumers trust for themselves and their families each day including Folgers, Dunkin', Cafe Bustelo, Jif, Smucker's Uncrustables, Smucker's, Milk-Bone and Meow Mix. Through our unwavering commitment to producing the highest quality products, operating responsibly and ethically and delivering on our Purpose, we will continue to grow our business while making a positive impact on society. For more information, please visit jmsmucker.com.

The J.M. Smucker Co. is the owner of all trademarks referenced herein, except for Dunkin' which is a trademark of DD IP Holder LLC. The Dunkin' brand is licensed to The J.M. Smucker Co. for packaged coffee products sold in retail channels such as grocery stores, mass merchandisers, club stores, e-commerce and drug stores. This information does not pertain to products for sale in Dunkin' restaurants.

SOURCE The J.M. Smucker Co.
The donation will support academic and enrichment opportunities to students in traditionally under-resourced communities throughout the state of California.

SANTA ANA, Calif., March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Think Together, California's leading nonprofits serving K-12 schools, is thrilled to announce a new philanthropic partnership with Loop Neighborhood Market, commemorated by a $50,000 donation for afterschool and expanded learning programs in traditionally under-resourced communities throughout California.

Think Together, California leading provider of afterschool and expanded learning programs, celebrates a new philanthropic partnership with Loop Neighborhood Market, commemorated by a $50,000 donation.

The donation will help Think Together continue its mission of providing students with access to high-quality educational resources and experiences outside of the traditional school day. With the support of partners like Loop Neighborhood Market, Think Together is able to make a lasting impact on the lives of nearly 200,000 students throughout the state annually.

"We are proud to partner with Loop Neighborhood Market to support our mission of providing students with the opportunities they need to succeed," said Think Together Founder and CEO Randy Barth. "This generous donation will help us reach even more students and make a positive impact in their lives."

Loop Neighborhood Market has a long history of serving philanthropic endeavors. In addition to educational causes, organizations that benefit from their fundraising efforts include San Francisco Pride, the California Fire Foundation, Bay Area Deputy Sheriff's Association and its Annual Christmas Shopping event, Bay Area food banks, and RotoCare Bay Area. Over the last three years, over $400,000 went back to organizations making a positive impact in Bay Area communities.

"At Loop Neighborhood Market, we believe in giving back to the communities we serve," said President and CEO of Loop Neighborhood Market Varish Goyal. "We are proud to support Think Together and their efforts to provide students with the tools and resources they need to succeed."

The contribution comes after the conclusion of Loop, Au Energy and Shell USA's three-month initiative "The Giving Pump" that used proceeds from a colorful, specially designated pump at over 100 gas stations in the Bay Area to assist the non-profit organization. Loop and Au Energy are a joint venture between Vintners Distributors and Shell USA (Shell).

About Think Together

For 25 years Think Together has partnered with schools to pursue educational equity and excellence for all kids. Think Together's program areas include early learning, afterschool, school support services and leadership development for educators. For more about Think Together, visit thinktogether.org.

SOURCE Think Together
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Thompson Thrift, a full-service nationally recognized real estate company, announced today the sale of The Grove, a 320-unit Class A multifamily community in Grand Rapids. A private real estate investment firm purchased the community for an undisclosed amount.

"Our team at Thompson Thrift is proud to have developed a top-notch community where residents can enjoy a lifestyle focused on convenience and luxury," said Josh Purvis, managing partner for Thompson Thrift Residential. "The Grove has been an overwhelmingly successful residential community from the start, and we're pleased to complete a successful sale of this generational real estate asset."

Completed in August 2022, the 24-acre community offers two-story farmhouse-style apartment homes with a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom layouts that average 1,200 square feet. Apartment homes feature designer interiors including quartz countertops, stainless steel and energy-efficient appliances, walk-in pantry, hardwood-style flooring, large walk-in closets, patio and balcony options and full-size washers and dryers. Residents are treated to resort-style amenities including a resident social lounge, 24/7 fully equipped fitness center, heated pool and spa, community grilling areas, pickleball courts, dog park and pet spa.

With frontage on Beltline Avenue, a major north/south thoroughfare, the location offers residents a short commute to downtown Grand Rapids, where they can enjoy local museums, the John Ball Zoo, and a host of breweries and restaurants. A great majority of the area's major employers, including Axios, Meijer and Spectrum Health, are within a 15-mile radius.

Jason Krug with Berkadia brokered the sale for Thompson Thrift.

"The Grove set a new standard for quality construction and luxury apartment living in the Grand Rapids market," said Jason Krug, senior managing director for Berkadia. "Our team was able to generate demand and ultimately identify an ideal buyer for this transaction in the face of a transitioning marketplace. The asset's quality and burgeoning Grand Rapids economy provide for a very bright future for The Grove."

Thompson Thrift has made a name for itself by being one of the few developers to build Class A residential communities in markets across the country with a range of conventional, luxury leased villa and townhome-style communities. Throughout its history, the company has invested more than $4 billion and has become known as a trusted partner committed to developing high-quality, attractive communities.

About Thompson Thrift Real Estate Company

Thompson Thrift is an integrated full-service real estate company with offices in Indianapolis and Terre Haute, Indiana; Denver; Houston and Phoenix. Three business units drive Thompson Thrift's successThompson Thrift Residential which is focused on upscale Class A multifamily communities and luxury leased homes, Thompson Thrift Commercial which is focused on ground-up commercial development, and Thompson Thrift Construction, a full-service construction company. Through these business units, Thompson Thrift is engaged in all aspects of development, construction, leasing, and management of quality commercial real estate projects across the country. The company earned national recognition as a winner of a 2023 Top Workplaces USA award, the latest accolade that reflects the company's ongoing commitment to excellence in the community and workplace. For more information, please visit www.thompsonthrift.com

Contact:

Jennifer Franklin

Spotlight Marketing Communications

949.427.1385

[email protected]

SOURCE Thompson Thrift
Having previously invested in Tesla, Coinbase, Ethereum, Polygon and SpaceX, Draper has a proven track record in backing bonafide industry disruptors. Draper also joins EtherMail's Advisory Board to provide strategic counsel to leadership team as company gears up for expansive growth pipeline.

SCHAAN, Liechtenstein, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EtherMail , the first Web3 Email Solution setting the standard for anonymous and encrypted wallet-to-wallet communication, has successfully raised $4 million USD in a pre-Series A funding round led by Tim Draper and Draper Associates , a global venture capital firm investing in industry transforming companies. The round also included participation from MS&AD Ventures .

Tim Draper Leads $4 Million Pre-Series A Round for EtherMail, the Web3 Email Leader

The funding will be leveraged to drive recruitment and ongoing market expansion while expediting the roll out of the EtherMail SSO (Single Sign-on Solution) and the AMS (Advertising Marketplace Solution) together with a personalized protective layer for email users to filter spam and earn rewards for receiving inbound advertising emails.

Since closing a $3.3 million seed round in August 2022, EtherMail has experienced rapid growth in terms of user onboarding with more than 500,000 users and established partnerships with popular NFT projects such as Probably Nothing, Toxic Skulls Club, inBetweeners and Prime Planet. EtherMail's Web3 email solution also facilitated Web3 voting for Decrypt Studios' inaugural Crypties Awards 2022 with more than 10,000 participants  the crypto industry's preeminent annual awards initiative. Most recently, EtherMail announced its integration with ENS (Ethereum Name Service) and Draper-backed Unstoppable Domains, extending the reach of its Web3 email solution to millions of registered UD and ENS users.

With four generations of investing expertise, Draper Associates has underscored its credentials as a leader in early-stage venture capital, having invested in a range of household name brands such as Hotmail, EtherScan, Skype, Coinbase, Baidu, Tesla, SpaceX and Twitch.

MS&AD Ventures invests in startups at the cutting edge of A.I., Big Data, Cybersecurity, Fintech, Insurtech, SaaS, Infrastructure and Digital Health, with a penchant for deploying 'smart money' towards next-gen solutions that tie in with evolving market trends and access to asian markets. MS&AD Ventures is backed by MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, the fifth largest insurance conglomerate in the world and the leading player in Asia.

Shant Kevonian, CEO and Founder of EtherMail said: "Today's announcement represents a significant seal of approval for our Web3 email solution from one of the world's foremost tech investment visionaries. Draper Associates has an unrivaled track record when it comes to backing early-stage industry disruptors, and we're proud to join the likes of Tesla, SpaceX and our partners Unstoppable Domains as Draper-backed innovators. Additionally, the support of MS&AD will be invaluable as we continue our Asian expansion, setting the standard for anonymous and encrypted wallet-to-wallet communication."

Gerald Heydenreich, Founder of EtherMail said: "Securing funding from investors the caliber of Draper Associates and MS&AD is a huge moment for EtherMail, and follows a rich phase of early market validation from our growing list of top-tier industry partners. As our development roadmap switches into high gear, we will have ample financial runway to execute and expedite our global expansion prior to our planned token launch."

Tim Draper, Founding Partner of Draper Associates said: "The EtherMail team has quickly established a dominant market position at the forefront of Web3 email innovation, underpinned by a firm understanding of evolving Web3 market dynamics. With an expanding partnership network, exciting set of integrations with prominent Web3 platforms, and comprehensive product roadmap on the horizon, the company is gearing up for a massive growth trajectory in 2023 and beyond."

Jon Soberg, Managing Partner at MS&AD Ventures said: "EtherMail has developed a category-leading solution that is already providing significant value to Web3 companies across the industry spectrum. We are firmly aligned with the EtherMail vision to redefine the dynamics of email economics with its native utility token EMT, and see EtherMail playing an integral role in incentivizing Web2 users to join the Web3 space. We look forward to helping the team with its ongoing Asian expansion in the months ahead."

Join the official EtherMail Telegram channel here: https://t.me/ethermail_official and follow the latest developments on twitter: https://twitter.com/ethermail_io

For more information on how EtherMail can help your project maintain a direct and secure line of communication with your asset holders, visit: https://ethermail.io/daos

About EtherMail

EtherMail is the first Web 3.0 Email Solution setting the standard for anonymous and encrypted wallet-to-wallet communication. With EtherMail, companies can send rich, relevant content directly to their asset holders based on blockchain-synced real time information. EtherMail also allows fully anonymous P2P communication and rewards its users for reading relevant content in their inbox.

About Draper Associates:

Founded in 1985 by Tim Draper, Draper Associates is the leader in early-stage venture capital that continues to invest in technology companies that show exceptional promise. The firm's investments have included Coinbase, Baidu, Tesla, Skype, SpaceX, Twitch, Hotmail, Focus Media, Robinhood, Carta, and other industry unicorns at the early stage. Draper Associates has built a reputation for encouraging entrepreneurs to drive their businesses to greatness, to transform industries with new technologies, and to build platforms for extraordinary growth, jobs and wealth creation. Send plans to [email protected]. To learn more, visit www.draper.vc .

MS&AD Ventures, Inc.

Founded in 2018, MS&AD Ventures is a corporate venture capital firm of MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings based in Menlo Park, California. The firm invests in start-up companies worldwide, operating in the information technology sector such as A.I., big data, cybersecurity, fintech, insurtech, SaaS, mobility, and life and health. The CEO, Jon Soberg, and President, Takashi Sato, have been named to the "Top 100 Powerlist" of investors in the GCV Powerlist Award 2020, which is an award given by Global Corporate Venturing, a global media company related to corporate venture capital (CVC).

Media contact:

[email protected] or [email protected]

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2018532/EtherMail.jpg

SOURCE EtherMail
Tombras is the latest agency to fully adopt Flight Control's suite of SaaS solutions for primary ad serving, and omnichannel dynamic creative optimization and measurement activity

NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Clinch, the leader in dynamic ad serving and personalization and creator of Flight Control, the Omnichannel Campaign Activation Platform, today announced that the Company has been selected as the primary ad serving and dynamic creative optimization (DCO) partner of Tombras, one of the largest independent national advertising agencies in the United States, to power their enhanced suite of digital creative solutions.

As part of the partnership, Tombras will utilize Flight Control's SaaS capabilities as a powerful extension of their existing operations, streamlining workflows and processes and ultimately enabling the agency to achieve unmatched scale and speed to market. To meet Tombras' rigorous commitment to operational efficiency, Clinch's award-winning platform will provide Tombras with a competitive advantage by automating the process of planning, activating and optimizing more campaigns with fewer resource requirements and deepening their understanding of cross-channel campaign performance through robust real-time reporting.

"As a leading independent agency it is important for us to work with partners who can keep us at the forefront of media and advertising technology, and help us embark upon a new era of performance-driven creative solutions," said Alexander Potts, SVP Programmatic at Tombras. "With Flight Control and advanced DCO capabilities, Clinch has not only proven that they can help us leapfrog competitors with deeper efficiency and insights, but also that they can help us find ways to invest our resources into other areas of our business by cutting down on redundancies in the campaign execution process. Clinch's impressive SaaS offerings have even helped us win new business from prominent brands like RE/MAX."

Tombras has already onboarded a number of notable clients into the Flight Control platform including RE/MAX, which is leveraging Clinch's for multivariate creative testing at scale and localization of their creative messaging on a consumer by consumer basis.

"More buyers and sellers think of RE/MAX than any other real estate brand*. We are #1 in brand awareness which creates a powerful competitive advantage for RE/MAX agents and teams. Part of our success can be attributed to working with strategic partners that allow us to constantly innovate with our audience in mind" said VP of Media Strategies, Stuart Ketelsen. "The unique DCO capabilities and efficiency offered by Clinch directly support our 'video everywhere' initiatives aimed at increasing brand awareness and engagement with buyers and sellers, across multiple screens."

*"Source: MMR Strategy Group study of unaided awareness among buyers, sellers, and those planning to buy or sell; asked, when they think of real estate brands, which ones come to mind?")

Tombras plans to transition all applicable campaigns to Flight Control in 2023.

"Too many resources, and ultimately brand dollars, are wasted each day in the process of building disparate campaigns with confusing taxonomies and overlapping performance insights," said Oz Etzioni, CEO, Clinch. "Agencies like Tombras understand that in order to maintain a leadership position, brands need to continue to find operational efficiencies and supercharge campaign insights with advanced technology like Flight Control. We are thrilled to work with Tombras to showcase the power of Flight Control to their clients."

About Clinch

Clinch is the recognized leader in omnichannel ad serving. The company's AI-driven dynamic personalization technology delivers custom-tailored ad experiences across all channels, driving best-in-class performance and ROI. Flight Control, Clinch's Omnichannel Campaign Activation Platform, enables agencies and brands to manage the entire campaign lifecycle, from strategy through activation and measurement, on a single platform that makes them massively more productive, efficient, and profitable. In everything Clinch does, it automates workflows and leverages data to personalize and optimize display and video ad experiences at scale, across programmatic, CTV, social media, in-app, native, and Digital Out of Home (DOOH). For more information visit: www.clinch.co

About Tombras

Tombras is one of the top independent agencies in North America. We're impact-driven, creative storytellers with performance at the heart of everything we do. Connecting Data + Creativity for Business Results is our guiding mission. The foundation beneath it all is independence, which has been a force multiplier in the data + creativity equation, allowing us to invest and reinvest in our people and technology. From strategy, creative and media to digital design and development, a social media command center, ecommerce, in-house production, a trade desk and customer experience lab and much more, we do it all with nearly 500 strategists, creatives, designers, copywriters, media specialists, data scientists, researchers, tech and social media experts, producers, and directors. https://tombras.com/

Media Contact:

Sofya Epelman

[email protected]

718-614-1184

SOURCE Clinch
CHICAGO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Topstep, the futures industry's first and leading funded trading opportunity, today announced a new relationship with Quantower, a top-tier, multi-functional trading platform. Quantower is now one of Topstep's recommended trading platforms while Quantower has designated Topstep as a preferred vendor.

To kick off this partnership, Quantower will offer an exclusive premium feature bundle to Topstep traders purchasing a new Trading Combine. These features offer a unique display of data that isn't typically available with standard charts. This bundle is included at no additional charge and will allow traders to execute advanced trading strategies using:

TPO Profile Charts organize market information in a simple graphic that changes in real time. The chart helps traders analyze the market and make better trading decisions.

organize market information in a simple graphic that changes in real time. The chart helps traders analyze the market and make better trading decisions. DOM Surface provides an in-depth market view by displaying real-time order book and Level II market data. Traders can place and adjust orders directly from the DOM Surface.

provides an in-depth market view by displaying real-time order book and Level II market data. Traders can place and adjust orders directly from the DOM Surface. Volume Analysis Tools identify potential reversal and breakout areas and give insight into the strength of the current market trend. This includes volume profile, historical time and sales as well as a Cluster chart, known as a Footprint chart on other platforms.

"We appreciate that Quantower created an exclusive premium feature bundle for our traders who use their platform to earn funding, and are excited that we're the first trader evaluation and funded trading company to provide these features for free," said Michael Patak, Topstep founder and CEO. "We're always looking for ways to provide our members with the best funded trading experience as well as the tools they need to become sustainably successful."

With the addition of Quantower, Topstep traders can now choose between 15 different trading platforms to access either the Trading Combine or their Funded Account.

Patak explained that when evaluating funded trader programs, those who have previously traded will look for "their" platform.

"Quantower is a popular trading platform with global reach," Patak added. "Through this new relationship, Quantower will be introducing our program to thousands of traders around the world."

Quantower is a broker-neutral, full-featured trading platform that covers global financial markets and allows trading different asset classes such as Equities, Futures, Options, ETFs and FX. The platform provides both buy- and sell-side traders with access to reliable real-time data, liquidity and trade execution.

About Topstep

Topstep is an innovative, Chicago-based company that turns people who trade into better traders with healthier trading habits. The company's industry-leading Trading Combine allows individuals to learn how to trade in a simulated environment without risking their personal capital. Once they achieve certain trading objectives, Trading Combine participants have the opportunity to trade Topstep's capital in a Funded Account.

Topstep's CEO, Michael Patak, created the funded trading concept when he launched the company in 2012. Today, Topstep continues to reflect Michael's belief that healthy, sustainable trading habits and a respect for risk management are critical to becoming a consistently profitable trader.

To learn more about Topstep, please visit our website.

SOURCE Topstep
-- The documentary "The Next Exit" will air soon

BEIJING, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new documentary filmed by CMG Film, Drama and Documentary Programming Center is set to air this month.

David, a Russian Phd. Student at Peking University, has spent ten years living and learning in China. He speaks Chinese fluently and is a better calligrapher than most Chinese university students. However, he had always yearned to see more of China for a deeper understanding of its vibrant and authentic culture. Recently, David got the opportunity when CMG Film, Drama and Documentary Programming Center called him to take part in a highway trip that would follow the viewpoint of the international students in China. The other lucky international student in this program was Haruka, a girl from Japan who was also a PhD candidate at Peking University now and had spent quite some years living in China.

Over the course of this four-month journey along the 3,700 kilometers long G15 Highway, which runs across 7 provinces and the international metropolis Shanghai, David and Haruka not only experienced the breathtaking sunrise over the sea and the beautiful scenery of the wetland landscape, but also spoke with the scientists, engineers, artists, and businesspeople who worked on the nation's most high-tech industry, and were exposed to "Nanyin Song" and "Yingge Dance," two of China's intangible cultural legacies.

Talking about the feeling of this journey, David said, "This decade, I saw China's tall buildings, neon lights flashing, and a lot of people rushing forward, but through this trip, I saw another side of her and some Chinese people calmly engaged their life in only one pursuit, who gained my respect." Haruka thought that what touched her the most along the way was the people who worked so hard, which made her think more about herself and dare to explore more possibilities in her life.

What's more, the documentary "The Next Exit" will air on March 8th to 11th at 20:00 on CCTV-9, and there will be more exploits.

SOURCE CMG Film, Drama and Documentary Programming Center
Lawsuit brought by Bailess Law Firm alleges female employee feared for her safety due to hostile work environment and retaliation

BUFFALO, W.Va., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A civil lawsuit is moving forward against Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia, Inc., four plant supervisors, Peoplelink, LLC, and Global SQ, LLC, accused of fostering a work environment with pervasive sexual harassment against a female employee. The suit also claims the worker was retaliated against after reporting the sexual harassment. A trial date is set in Putnam County for Feb. 26, 2024.

Hailey Donahue was working the high voltage line at the Toyota plant in Buffalo, West Virginia, when she was subjected to repeated sexual harassment. Her complaints about the inappropriate behavior were "laughed off" by supervisors, according to the lawsuit, which also alleges that Donahue experienced repeated unwanted touching, lewd comments, and stalking by one Toyota team leader. Evading his advances when he pressed her up against a machine resulted in her ripping the back of her pants. The suit claims management responded to her report by simply offering her duct tape to fix her pants so she could continue her shift. The suit continues that on a separate occasion, the same man grabbed Donahue in such a forceful manner, he broke the clasp of her bra.

Another supervisor, Donahue claims in the lawsuit, made unwanted salacious comments and even propositioned her to engage in a threesome with his wife, to which she refused.

Donahue feared for her safety after multiple reports to management fell on deaf ears, including her requests to be transferred away from the aggressive team leader, claims the suit.

"Appalling is the only way to describe what Ms. Donahue experienced," says Todd Bailess of Bailess Law Firm who represents Donahue in this suit. "Women should feel safe in the workplace without fear of being sexually harassed."

After reporting the sexual harassment to Toyota's human resources department, Donahue claims in the lawsuit that a male supervisor violated safety directives from the company by refusing to walk Donahue to her car at the end of her shift. The suit states he also let others know about her complaints to HR. According to the filing, Donahue interpreted the blatant disregard of her complaints and safety protocols as retaliation, forcing her to quit her job.

The case is Hailey B. Donahue v. Peoplelink, LLC, Global SQ, LLC, Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia, Inc., Yuri Hager, Paul Anderson, Tommy Cathell, and Gary Allen, Cause No. CC-40-2022-C-15 in Putnam County, West Virginia.

About Bailess Law Firm

The attorneys at Bailess Law Firm have zero tolerance for sexual harassment in the workplace. The West Virginia-based law firm takes pride in helping restore dignity and bring hope to workers who have been subjected to unlawful employment practices.

SOURCE Bailess Law Firm
Company adds an additional state to its footprint for first time in 17 years

LOUISVILLE, Ky., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Trilogy Health Services is continuing its mission to be the Best Healthcare Company in the Midwest with the expansion of its operations into Wisconsin. Two campuses, Sun Prairie Senior Living in Sun Prairie, and Waunakee Valley Senior Living in Waunakee are now under Trilogy's management.

The last time Trilogy expanded into a new state was in 2006 when the company added The Oaks at Northpointe Woods in Battle Creek, Michigan to its roster of campuses. Trilogy now operates nearly 130 senior living communities across five states.

"Trilogy is thrilled to deliver our best-in-class level of hospitality and elevated clinical excellence to the residents of these two communitiesand to a whole new state," President and CEO Leigh Ann Barney said. "Having just marked our 25th year as a company, it is exhilarating to see this growth and development into the future as we continue to celebrate such a milestone year."

Waunakee Valley will offer residents independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation services. Sun Prairie offers assisted living, skilled nursing, and rehabilitation services.

Since 1997, Trilogy Health Services has been the home for unrivaled senior living options with a Midwestern footprint across Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and now Wisconsin. By caring for our employees while they care for others, our residents get to enjoy the best that senior living has to offer  delivered by a team committed to exceeding their expectations every day.

Offering a full continuum of care, Trilogy leads the industry in providing unmatched senior living services to the families that call their communities home. We pride ourselves in delivering a four-star dining experience that complements our active, engaging lifestyle  including an activities calendar filled with Theme Weeks, community outings, campus retreats, and more.

Trilogy Health Services is an industry-leading operator of nearly 130 senior living communities throughout five states including Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The company has the honor of providing over 10,000 seniors with world-class clinical support, innovative lifestyle programs, and a culture built on the tenets of servant leadership and hospitality. Trilogy employs over 14,000 team members, is a certified Great Place to Work, one of Glassdoor's Top 100 Best Places to Work, and was named one of FORTUNE's Best Places to Work in Aging Services. To learn more about Trilogy Health Services, visit www.trilogyhs.com. To learn about job openings at Trilogy, visit www.trilogyjobs.com

SOURCE Trilogy Health Services, LLC
BERWYN, Pa., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Triumph Group, Inc., (TRIUMPH) [NYSE:TGI] is pleased to announce a cooperative effort for logistics and leasing of OEM certified engine shipping stands between its Asia-Pacific facility, TRIUMPH Product Support - Asia (TASA) and Aerofield Services LLC., headquartered in Aurora, Colorado. Per the agreement, engine stands will be available for lease from TASA for customers and industry service partners within the APAC and China regions and in turn positions TASA's avenues to grow its product and service offerings as the relationship expands beyond the leasing agreements.

"This agreement directly supports innovative collaboration and enhanced service options within Asia, both of which are key parts of our growth and product diversification strategy," said Monty Richardson, President of TRIUMPH Product Support - Asia. "Partnering with multi-faceted organizations such as Aerofield contributes to the expansion of our product and service sets and provides additional avenues for our customers to address their needs in a timely manner."

"We are excited to forge this opportunity with TASA," said Phil Wilson, President of Aerofield Services. "We are looking forward to the opportunities and synergies that this transnational effort brings for both our organizations."

About Aerofield Services

With 20 years of proven technical services to lessors, aviation funds, and airlines, Aerofield Services has an established record of excellence in performing various records, physical airframe and engine borescope inspections, as well as engine storage and repairs. As a licensed FAA 145 Repair Station (MRO), with additional accreditation from EASA and TCCA, Aerofield leases engine stands worldwide. Aerofield has received various awards, including recognition as one of top 200 companies in Colorado.

TRIUMPH Product Support (TPS), TRIUMPH's third-party Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) business provides total life cycle solutions for commercial, regional and military aircraft. TRIUMPH Product Support's extensive product and service offerings include full post-delivery value chain services that simplify the MRO supply chain. TPS aftermarket capabilities include repair of aircraft structures, nacelles, and engine and aircraft accessories and components.

TRIUMPH, headquartered in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, designs, engineers, manufactures, repairs, and overhauls a broad portfolio of aerospace and defense systems and components. The company serves the global aviation industry, including original equipment manufacturers and the full spectrum of military and commercial aircraft operators. More information about TRIUMPH can be found on the company's website at www.triumphgroup.com .

SOURCE Triumph Group
ESPOO, Finland, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Valmet hosts a Capital Markets Day for institutional investors and other capital markets representatives today, Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at 12:00  15:40 EET in Espoo. The aim of the Capital Markets Day is to provide an update on Valmet's businesses and drivers for growth and profitability. Valmet's strategy and financial targets remain unchanged. The day will include presentations by Pasi Laine, President and CEO, Katri Hokkanen, CFO, and the Business Line Presidents.

"Valmet has a strong position in growing markets. Our three segments benefit from the growing demand for bio-based products and energy, and the large and growing global installed base. Furthermore, Valmet has future growth possibilities through new sustainable innovations, and opportunities to grow in energy and process industries in the Automation segment. Valmet's EUR 2.8 billion stable business was further strengthened by the merger with Neles in 2022. The stable business has high margins, strong track record of growth and resilience to market cycles. We are continuously developing and improving our technology, processes, and personnel, while keeping customers at the core of Valmet's operations. Our systematic work for building the future continues", says Pasi Laine, President and CEO of Valmet.

Presentation material and webcast

The presentation material will be available at www.valmet.com/cmd2023 at approximately 9:30 a.m. EET.

Anyone can follow the event via a live webcast. The live webcast of the Capital Markets Day will begin at 12:00 p.m. EET at https://valmet.videosync.fi/cmd-2023. The recording of the webcast will be available shortly after the event at the same address. The language of the event and presentation material is English.

It is possible to ask the management questions throughout the event, also via the webcast.

Agenda of Valmet's Capital Markets Day 2023

12:00 Opening of Valmet's CMD 2023 Pekka Rouhiainen, Vice President, Investor Relations 12:05 Opening remarks Pasi Laine, President and CEO 12:20 Services: Demand driven by large and growing global installed base Aki Niemi, Business Line President, Services

Q&A on Services segment

12:45 Flow Control: Diversified and resilient growth business Simo Saaskilahti, Business Line President, Flow Control 13:00 Automation Systems: Profitable growth in attractive market Emilia Torttila-Miettinen, Business Line President, Automation Systems

Q&A on Automation segment

13:30 Break

13:55 Paper: Leader in board and tissue  markets supported by global megatrends Jari Vahapesola, Business Line President, Paper 14:10 Pulp and Energy: Strengthening the position in growing biomass conversion market Sami Riekkola, Business Line President, Pulp and Energy

Q&A on Process Technologies segment

14:40 On solid growth track with concrete actions to reach the financial targets Katri Hokkanen, CFO 14:55 Strong position in growing markets and building new opportunities Pasi Laine, President and CEO

Q&A for CEO and CFO

~15:40 Event ends



For further information, please contact:

Pekka Rouhiainen, Vice President, Investor Relations,Valmet, tel. +358 10 672 0020

VALMET

Katri Hokkanen

CFO

Pekka Rouhiainen

Vice President, Investor Relations

Valmet is a leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. With our automation systems and flow control solutions, we serve an even wider base of process industries. Our 17,500 professionals around the world work close to our customers and are committed to moving our customers' performance forward  every day.

The company has over 220 years of industrial history and a strong track record in continuous improvement and renewal. In 2022, a major milestone was achieved when the flow control company Neles was merged into Valmet. Valmet's net sales in 2022 were approximately EUR 5.1 billion.

Valmet's shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki, and the head office is in Espoo, Finland.

Follow us on valmet.com | Twitter | Twitter (IR) | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram |

Processing of personal data

SOURCE Valmet Oyj
The Boutique Law Firm is Dedicated to Serving the Burgeoning Small Business Acquisition Market

DALLAS, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today SMB Law Group announced its official launch as a law firm dedicated to serving the burgeoning small and medium-sized business acquisition market. The boutique firm is headed by three veteran lawyers with extensive backgrounds in M&A and capital markets at major law firms: Kevin Henderson, Eric Pacifici , and Sam Rosati.

Research shows that nearly $7 billion in small and medium businesses (SMBs) currently held by Baby Boomers will be available for purchase by 2030. Contrary to past wealth transfers, a majority of these businesses will not be passed on to younger family members. Instead, they'll be bought by unrelated, third-party entrepreneurs  meaning that there will be a large influx of entrepreneurs seeking to buy small businesses, many for the first time. Filling a gap in the market, SMB Law Group will provide top-tier entrepreneurship-through-acquisition counsel to these prospective small business owners; combining the expertise of a major law firm with the high-touch customer support and affordability of a boutique firm.

"Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of our communities  they make up 99% of all of the businesses in this country. However, because M&A law has traditionally focused on massive corporations with millions of dollars to spend, those law firms don't have the expertise and bandwidth to serve SMB clients. That's where we come in," said Henderson.

"SMB Law Group is a firm comprised of experienced M&A lawyers who have dedicated themselves exclusively to small business M&A. That means we are in the perfect position to directly serve this undersupported, yet, rapidly growing population of small business owners and prospective buyers," said Rosati.

"Each of our founders has held roles at large, prestigious law firms, but ultimately decided we wanted to start a small business of our own. That means we intimately understand our clients' wants, needs, and priorities," said Pacifici. "We couldn't be more thrilled to be embarking on this new venture to support clients who share our values of entrepreneurship, family, and financial freedom."

SMB Law Group is a remotely-operated boutique law firm with a national scope. They focus on entrepreneurship-through-acquisition transactions, providing legal counsel, legal forms and documents, market and business expertise, and more. SMB Law Group also supports larger AmLaw 200 law firms to provide M&A counsel for their clients pursuing small business acquisitions for which those firms are too expensive to support. To learn more, visit the SMB Law Group website at: https://www.smblaw.group/

About SMB Law Group:

SMB Law Group is a boutique, remote-first law firm focusing on small and medium-sized business mergers and acquisitions for clients in all 50 U.S. states. Founded by three veteran lawyers with decades of combined experience in M&A and capital markets, SMB Law Group has the industry expertise of a major law firm, combined with the personalized touch and client support of your neighborhood small business. Champions of entrepreneurship, family, and financial freedom, the founders of SMB Law Group are dedicated to supporting the small business owners and small business buyers who form the backbone of our nation.

SOURCE SMB Law Group
LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vision Films Inc. ("Vision") announces the digital release of the inspirational, family equestrian film If I Could Ride on April 4, 2023 in a deal with global film sales company MPX Films. Based on the book of the same name by Donald Miller, the full-length feature was directed and produced by Shawn Welling, Welling Films, and written and produced by Miller. It will be available on transactional video on demand, cable, and streaming platforms, across the US and Canada. Welling also produced the films The Great American Action Hero, Mission From Outerspace, and the popular short, If I Could Talk. Set and filmed entirely on location in Vermont and New Hampshire, the film strives to demonstrate various iterations of unconditional love and themes including friendship, honesty, coming-of-age independence and perseverance that remind us all that setbacks, tragedies, and even bullying can all be part of life`s journey. And of course, there are beautiful horses!

If I Could Ride Family Equestrian Movie Poster

Synopsis: A young girl dreams of a life riding horses but can't because of a disability. When Bridget, the reigning equestrian champion is injured, the two girls come together to learn the importance of following your dreams and never giving up. A family movie to be enjoyed by all ages.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/LFbWAPbs-jo

The film stars Eva Igo (The Last Astronaut, World of Dance finalist), Alexis Arnold (Sanitatum), Tom Vera (The Shipment, Walker), stage and screen actors Michael Coppola and Ursula Minich-Boutwell, Rhyleigh Russell (Prey 2: Predator's Obsession), and Hawk Meisenbach.

Lise Romanoff, CEO and Managing Director of Vision Films says, "This is a beautiful and emotional family-friendly film that can be enjoyed by all generations. It shares important lessons about friendship and perseverance, invaluable for us all!"

Writer/Producer Don Miller shares, "My hope is that this movie might inspire someone to find the strength and courage to face their own unique struggle and never give up. A family story for all ages with an ending that exemplifies life's lessons."

Director Shawn Welling adds, "The story of this film, by Don Miller, I felt from the start was something I was going to be deeply proud to be a part of. Every moment of the project was as special on set as it is to witness the film come to life on the big screen. Nature blessed us every day with a perfect backdrop and the actors blew us away. This wholesome story is never stagnant, always moving, speeding to a perfect end."

If I Could Ride will be available on major streaming and cable platforms across the US and Canada on April 4, 2023.

This film has won over 60 festival awards worldwide in all categories including acting, directing, screenplay, cinematography, and more. Visit www.ificouldride.com for more info.

About Vision Films

Vision Films is a leading independent sales and VOD aggregator specializing in the licensing, marketing, and distribution of over 800 feature films, documentaries, and series from some of the most prolific independent film producers in the world. Led by Lise Romanoff, Managing Director/CEO Worldwide Distribution, Vision Films releases 2-4 films a month across Theatrical, VOD, DVD, and television platforms. visionfilms.net

About Welling Films

Welling films is a Houston-based production company dedicated to producing innovative feature films that reflect the diversity from action adventure, sci-fi fantasy to family narrative. The company was founded in 2002 by Shawn Welling with extensive experience conceiving, producing, and choreographing off-Broadway shows. www.wellingfilms.com

About MPX

Motion Picture Exchange  MPX  is a global film sales agency that serves to represent high quality feature length motion pictures to distributors in North America and all territories around the world.

In a constantly changing marketplace, distributors of all shapes and sizes are always in need of multiple levels of content. We focus our acquisitions efforts into three clear categories Premiere, Documentaries, and Completed.

The company was launched in Cannes of 2019 by CEO and Founder James Andrew Felts and SVP of Acquisitions and Sales, Ryan Bury. www.mpxfilms.com

Media contact:

Andrea McKinnon

[email protected]

8184159442

SOURCE Vision Films, Inc.
White Castle's campaign, which celebrates the microwave as a portal to the Castle, follows exponential growth and expanded capacity of consumer packaged goods business

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain and the first fast-food restaurant to offer its menu items in grocery stores for preparation at home, is kicking off National Frozen Food month with the launch of a new national campaign, MicroCastle. The campaign celebrates the idea that anyone with a microwave has a portal to the Castle!

White Castle is kicking off National Frozen Food month with the launch of new national MicroCastle campaign. Tweet this White Castle's new campaign celebrates the microwave as a portal to the Castle.

White Castle first delivered its iconic Sliders to Cravers via retail stores in 1987, when it launched its retail division, the first fast-food chains to do so. In the 36 years since the Slider's retail debut, Cravers have warmed up more than 6.5 billion frozen Sliders. Offerings that began with frozen Original Sliders have since expanded to include Classic Cheese Sliders, Chicken Breast Sliders, Chicken & Cheese Sliders and Jalapeno Cheese Sliders.

"We make no distinction on where Cravers purchase our menu items, just as long they enjoy every hot and tasty bite," said Lynn Blashford, chief marketing officer for White Castle. "The ability for families to prepare White Castle and experience the same great taste in the comfort and convenience of their home, office or any other kitchen, will always remain a top priority for us."

The simplicity of the preparation is what makes frozen Sliders the perfect option for just about any occasion. They're easy to heat and fun to eat. Whether serving dinner to the family, satisfying a late-night Crave or preparing for company, White Castle has made it super easy to enjoy the unique beefy, oniony taste of Sliders, complete with the soft, steamy buns, with just a touch of a button. The microwave is the portal that allows everyone into White Castle, even when they're at home!

"White Castle is a leader in frozen foods because the burger found in the freezer aisle at your local grocery store is the same burger found at a White Castle restaurant," said Jamie Richardson, vice president at White Castle. "When you open up your microwave, you are unlatching a doorway to deliciousness. Your personal White Castle and the solution to satisfying the Crave is available 24 hours, seven days a week."

The MicroCastle campaign comes on the heels of a recently completed expansion at White Castle's retail manufacturing plant in Vandalia, Ohio, near Dayton, to keep up with the growing demand for White Castle's retail lineup. The $27 million expansion, completed in October 2022, effectively doubled the size of the plant to approximately 150,000 square feet and also doubled its production capacity. Fed by White Castle's own bakery and meat processing facilities, the newly expanded retail plant delivers the very same one-of-a-kind taste to frozen food aisles that can be found in White Castle restaurants. White Castle recently gave the public a behind-the -scenes look at the retail manufacturing plant for its Crave Chronicles video series.

About White Castle

White Castle, America's first fast-food hamburger chain, has been making hot and tasty Sliders since 1921. Based in Columbus, Ohio, the family-owned business owns and operates more than 350 restaurants as well as a retail division providing its famous fare in freezer aisles of retail stores nationwide. As part of its commitment to offering the highest quality products, White Castle owns and operates its own Slider Provider meat plants, bakeries and frozen-Slider retail plants. White Castle has earned numerous accolades over the years including Time magazine's "Most Influential Burger of All Time" (2014, The Original Slider) and Thrillist's "Best Plant-Based Fast-Food Burger" (2019, Impossible Slider). In 2021, Fast Company named the fast-food pioneer one of the "10 Most Innovative Dining Companies." White Castle, which earned the Great Place to Work Certification in 2021 and 2022, is known for the legendary engagement of its team members, more than 1 in 4 of whom have worked for the business for at least 10 years. White Castle is beloved by its passionate fans ("Cravers"), many of whom compete each year for entry into the Cravers Hall of Fame. The official White Castle app makes it easy for Cravers to sign up for the Craver Nation loyalty program, access sweet deals and place pickup orders at any time. They can also have their orders delivered using one of White Castle's delivery partners. For more information on White Castle, visit whitecastle.com.

SOURCE White Castle
Released on International Women's Day, Women Impact Tech 100 celebrates standout organizations driving equity and inclusion into the tech industry

NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Women Impact Tech launched the 2023 Women Impact Tech 100 list to honor the top 100 organizations whose DEIB statements go above and beyond in fostering an equitable work environment for women. Launched on International Women's Day, the recognition honors those 100 organizations making it clear through tangible action that diversity is a central component of company success.

In a prolonged bleak period for the tech sector  fraught with layoffs and reports of gender discrimination at every level  the Women Impact Tech 100 ushers in a turning point for the tech sector, celebrating those 100 companies who are taking a leading role in achieving gender equity in the tech industry.

The second annual Women Impact Tech 100 was compiled through extensive research, utilizing public data about employee feedback on workplace culture for women and other under-represented groups, company benefits and perks, and organization DEI efforts. Also considered was how intentional each company is around their diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring efforts through open IT and tech positions. Those honored on the list possess proven commitment and urgency needed to expand and grow DEI in tech.

Organizations honored on the Women Impact Tech 100 list will be awarded throughout the year at Women Impact Tech's national Accelerate conferences.

"The organizations highlighted in the Women Impact Tech 100 are building work cultures where all employees feel empowered in contributing to the company's success. These companies are taking major strides to level the playing field for women and under-represented groups," says Paula Bratcher Ratliff, CEO of Women Impact Tech. "These companies are defining the future of work  one where women cannot just survive but thrive in their careers."

See the full list of companies honored on the Women Impact Tech 100 here: http://womenimpacttech100.com/.

ABOUT WOMEN IMPACT TECH

Women Impact Tech is an organization driving diversity, equity and inclusion for women in technology. Through their talent solutions offering, membership platform, and flagship events in San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta, Denver, Chicago, Boston and NYC, Women Impact Tech provides women technologists with knowledge and insights, creates avenues to make meaningful connections, and offers career guidance, opportunities and mobility. Women Impact Tech is a community that allows women in technology positions to thrive in their career and organizations to have a culture of equity and inclusion.

Media Contact:

Emma Kemp

207-289-5647

[email protected]

SOURCE Women Impact Tech
OAKLAND, Calif., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Women's Foundation California (WFC), a leading philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing racial, economic and gender justice in California, announced today that Chief Executive Officer Surina Khan will step down from her position this September as Bia Vieira, currently WFC's chief strategist, becomes the first Latina CEO to lead the Foundation.

Surina Khan will step down in September after nine years as CEO of the Women's Foundation California. Bia Vieira will become the first Latina CEO to lead the Women's Foundation California when she assumes the role in September.

"It has been an honor to lead an exceptional team dedicated to advancing issues at the core of California's racial, economic and gender justice movements, and I am excited for the future of the Foundation under Bia's leadership as she takes us to even bigger heights, "said Khan. "During her time at WFC, Bia has established deep and trusted relationships with our community partners, staff and Board, and I have no doubt that she will be a strong voice for our vision to build a feminist future for California."

WFC has a long history of growing leaders from within and is proud to have Vieira, a proven leader, take the helm as she celebrates five years at the Foundation in September. She has extensive national and global experience in philanthropic grant making, furthering gender, racial, economic and social justice priorities, and managing the efforts of nonprofit organizations in communities around the world. Vieira and the entire WFC team are deeply committed to advancing the Foundation's mission, keeping its feminist values to invest, train and connect at the forefront as they continue to make California a more dignified and inclusive space for all.

"Leading the Women's Foundation California into this next phase is a great privilege as our work becomes even more vital to so many communities in our state," said Vieira. "Thanks to Surina's fearless leadership, the Foundation is at its healthiest, and I look forward to working with our dedicated team and allies to build on our mission to co-create a more equitable future for all Californians."

Khan's tenure at WFC began in 2004 when she served as a volunteer for WFC's Grants Review Committee. Shortly after, she joined the organization in a full-time position and went on to become CEO in 2014, refocusing the organization's mission and expanding its work related to racial, economic and gender justice.

During her time as CEO, Khan more than doubled the Foundation's operating budget allowing the organization to build a larger team than ever before and, in turn, further its grant making and training efforts. Under Khan's leadership, WFC established the Solis Policy Institute-Local program, the Funders Policy Institute, the HOME Cohort, the Culture Change Fund, California Women Rising, the Youth Leadership Institute, and the California Gender Justice Funders Network  all integral elements of WFC's work in communities statewide.

Marlene Garcia, chair of the Board of Directors of the Women's Foundation California, expressed gratitude to Surina for her leadership and dedication to the organization and shares the Board's confidence as Vieira transitions to CEO.

"Under Surina's leadership, the Women's Foundation California has become the leading voice in California in support of communities led by women and non-binary leaders in pursuit of racial, gender and economic justice. Because of her great work and vision, the Foundation has achieved unprecedented fundraising success in support of its mission," said Garcia. "Surina leaves the Foundation well-positioned for great success in the future. The Board and I have every confidence in Bia's leadership as the new CEO to take the organization to the next level."

Vieira will officially become CEO in September 2023 as Khan moves to a strategic advisor role through June 2024 to ensure a smooth transition.

About Women's Foundation California: Women's Foundation California is a statewide organization with more than four decades of experience leading the pursuit of racial, economic and gender justice and the advancement of gender expansive, intersectional feminist policies by investing in, training and connecting Californians most impacted by these critical issues. For more information, please visit the Women's Foundation California website at www.womensfoundca.org .

SOURCE Womens Foundation California
Mental Health and Financial Challenges Top the List of Concerns for Injured Veterans and Families During Congressional Testimony

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Testifying before the Senate and House Committees on Veterans' Affairs today, Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) CEO Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Linnington implored Congress to support key policies and legislation that will improve the health and well-being of wounded veterans.

Wounded Warrior Project has served these warriors for 20 years, and their needs continue to grow and evolve. Tweet this Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) CEO Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Linnington testified before the Senate and House Committees on Veterans Affairs today.

"Many warriors and their family members face a lifetime of living with visible and invisible wounds. Wounded Warrior Project has been serving these warriors for 20 years and their needs continue to grow and evolve, especially as they age," said Linnington. "Congress can help change the landscape for America's veterans and their families. I urge our nation's leaders to ensure veterans receive the vital services and resources they have earned through their sacrifice to our country."

Read WWP's full written testimony and learn more about the organization's 2023 Legislative Priorities.

Linnington called on the committees to address policies that will benefit wounded veterans as they transition to civilian life. He highlighted several pressing issues impacting veterans, their families, and caregivers, including:

Mental health and suicide prevention , which continues to be the top service-related health issue reported by warriors registered with WWP. According to the latest WWP Annual Warrior Survey, approximately 3 in 4 warriors report experiencing PTSD (75.9%), anxiety (75.7%), and depression (74.3%)  and all of these conditions negatively impact their quality of life.

, which continues to be the top service-related health issue reported by warriors registered with WWP. According to the latest WWP Annual Warrior Survey, approximately 3 in 4 warriors report experiencing PTSD (75.9%), anxiety (75.7%), and depression (74.3%)  and all of these conditions negatively impact their quality of life. Financial wellness , which is at the forefront of concerns reported by WWP's warrior community. The unemployment rate for warriors is 6.8%, almost double the national average, with 64.2% indicating that at some point in the past year, they did not have enough money to make ends meet.

, which is at the forefront of concerns reported by WWP's warrior community. The unemployment rate for warriors is 6.8%, almost double the national average, with 64.2% indicating that at some point in the past year, they did not have enough money to make ends meet. Increased support for women warriors , who are a growing population of veterans in need of gender-specific care, ongoing support, and improved coordination of care and benefits for survivors of military sexual trauma (MST). Women account for more than 30% of the increase in veteran enrollment in Department of Veterans Affairs health care over the past five years.

, who are a growing population of veterans in need of gender-specific care, ongoing support, and improved coordination of care and benefits for survivors of military sexual trauma (MST). Women account for more than 30% of the increase in veteran enrollment in Department of Veterans Affairs health care over the past five years. Support for those dealing with the effects of combat-related toxic exposure. Last year's passage of the Honoring our PACT Act marked a major turning point for veterans dealing with toxic exposure-related health concerns. Now, it is imperative that Congress supports its oversight and implementation, especially regarding disability claims processing and health care access.

Concurrent with this testimony, wounded warriors from across the U.S. joined WWP this week in Washington, DC, to advocate before members of Congress for legislation that addresses key issues impacting the veteran community.

WWP will continue to support the post-9/11 generation of injured veterans and will work with elected leaders, policymakers, and the warrior community to support our nation's heroes.

About Wounded Warrior Project

Since 2003, Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) has been meeting the growing needs of warriors, their families, and caregivers  helping them achieve their highest ambition.

Learn more about WWP's legislative priorities here.

SOURCE Wounded Warrior Project
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to Florida House Speaker Paul Renner's 2023 legislative session kickoff, Executive Director Craig Hulse released the following statement on behalf of yes. every kid.

"The proposed expansion of educational freedom and customized learning with House Bill 1 is a win for all of Florida's families. Speaker Paul Renner and the Florida Legislature understand that families deserve the power to make the educational decisions that are best for their child. House Bill 1 is an opportunity to listen to families' desire for more innovative approaches to learning and trust them to choose the best-fit education. With a universal voucher program as well as a part-time enrollment provision, this legislation will allow families to have flexibility in customizing their children's education and demonstrates what's possible when we prioritize families by expanding educational options.

House Bill 1 is an opportunity to listen to families' desire for more innovative approaches to learning. Tweet this

"As Speaker Renner kicks off this legislative session, we look forward to working with Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, Sen. Corey Simon, Rep. Kaylee Tuck, the rest of the Florida Legislature, and Gov. Ron DeSantis to expand Florida's education freedom to every kid."

About yes. every kid.

yes. every kid. supports policies that respect the dignity of every student, welcome innovative ideas and foster a diversity of approaches to learning. yes. every kid. will support and build coalitions to advance new conversations and bold visions by bringing together differing voices and perspectives to revolutionize the K-12 education experience.

SOURCE yes. every kid.
St Petersburg, March 8 : Trade turnover between Russia and the European Union grew 2.3 per cent in 2022, reaching its highest level since 2014, RIA Novosti reported citing data from the Eurostat.

Exports of goods from Russia to the EU in 2022 increased by a quarter and reached 203.4 billion euros, 230 million less than the historical maximum in 2012 (203.6 billion euros). In the meantime, exports from the EU to Russia fell by about 38 per cent to 55.2 billion euros, the lowest since 2005. This did not affect the fact that total trade turnover between the EU and Russia grew by 2.3 per cent over the previous year to 258.6 billion euros, Xinhua news agency reported.

Since the beginning of the Ukraine war, EU countries have introduced packages of sanctions against Russia. Kirill Logvinov, Russia's acting permanent representative to the EU, said that European restrictions have hit mutual trade hard, but trade flows have not completely dried up. However, as sanctions come into force, the volume of trade between the two sides will decrease.
United Nations, March 8 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on Wednesday, a UN spokesman said.

"The secretary-general has just arrived in Poland on his way to Ukraine," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Guterres and Zelensky will discuss the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in all its aspects, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the statement.

On July 22, 2022, Russia and Ukraine separately signed a document in Istanbul with TArkiye and the United Nations on grain and fertiliser exports from Ukraine and Russia to ensure supplies to global markets amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

The deal, due to expire on November 19, 2022, was extended for another 120 days. Guterres has repeatedly called for the deal's further extension.

While in Kiev, Guterres will also talk with Zelensky about "other pertinent issues", Dujarric said in the statement, noting that it is the UN chief's third visit to Ukraine in the past year.

Guterres will be back to the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday, according to the statement.

Later at a noon press briefing Tuesday, Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the UN chief "is currently in Ukraine", making his way to Kiev.

There's no visit to Moscow planned, Haq said, pointing out that prior to leaving New York, Guterres had a conversation with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin.

"And from the secretary-general's standpoint, he's willing to go wherever he's needed and whenever it's useful. But, of course, we'll see how that develops," he said.

A delegation from Russia is expected to be in Geneva next week for further discussions, said Haq, adding that "so those will be conducted at a high level there concerning the Black Sea Grain Initiative." "I think we are engaged in serious discussions and we'll continue to do so," he said. "And I think it should be clear to all participants the advantages, the very real advantages in continuing this initiative." Under the initiative, more than 20 million metric tons of foodstuffs have been safely reconnected to global supply chains on more than 700 ships, helping to bring down prices around the world, Guterres told a UN Security Council high-level meeting on Ukraine on Feb. 24.

"I want to underscore the importance of all parties remaining engaged in this initiative, and reiterate our call for it to be extended beyond March 2023," he then said.
Ottawa, March 8 : Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly have announced new support for Ukraine to help address its critical energy and security needs.

According to a new release from the Foreign Ministry, Canada will be donating seven electrical transformers to help repair Ukraine's power grid. These transformers, delivered via the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism, will enable Ukrainians to power their homes and use the most basic appliances, Xinhua news agency reported.

Additionally, Canada is announcing an additional 3 million Canadian dollars ($2.4 million) in funding to support mine action in Ukraine, the release said.

This funding will bolster important recovery and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine, and it complements the more than 32 million Canadian dollars ($25.6 million) in funding that Canada is already providing to support mine action in the country, the release added.

In 2022, Canada committed over 5 billion Canadian dollars ($4 billion) in funding for direct financial, military, humanitarian and immigration assistance to Ukraine.
Lucknow, March 8 : Mafia don-turned politician Atiq Ahmad will be brought to Prayagraj from the Sabarmati jail in Ahmedabad next week, a senior police official said.

"Immediately after Holi, we will initiate paperwork and get necessary permission from court after which Atiq will be brought to Prayagraj for interrogation in the Umesh Pal murder case," he added.

Atiq has been identified as the master conspirator of the murder of Umesh Pal and two police guards.

"We will soon apply for a warrant B (production warrant) to the jail in Gujarat where Atiq is lodged. We are working on expediting the cases against him in the state," said the official.

Atiq was shifted to Sabarmati jail in June 2019. The Supreme Court had, on April 22, 2019, ordered to shift him to a high-security jail in Gujarat after he was accused of orchestrating the kidnapping and assault on a real estate businessman, Mohit Jaiswal, from the Deoria jail.

On December 28, 2018, Jaiswal had filed an FIR stating that he was kidnapped from Lucknow and taken to a jail where he was assaulted by Atiq and his aides and forced to transfer his business to them.

The incident had taken place at Deoria jail in Uttar Pradesh.

Later, the case was handed over to CBI which had filed a chargesheet on December 31, 2020 in the case and indicted Atiq and his son Umar along with others.

Meanwhile the mystery over the two minor sons of Atiq has deepened after his wife Shaista Parveen filed an application at a Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court saying her two minor sons, Ahzaan and Abaan, are missing.

She said the two boys went missing after the Uttar Pradesh Police picked them up in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case and they have not been seen since.

The police had stated that the two minor sons were in a juvenile shelter home but Shaista said that the sons were not in the shelter home.

CJM judge Dinesh Kumar Gautam asked the child protection officer in Prayagraj and the station-in-charge of the Dhoomanganj Police Station, Rajesh Kumar Maurya, to submit a report on the 'missing' boys.

The hearing for this report will be held on March 10.

Umesh Pal, the prime witness in the 2005 BSP MLA Raju Pal murder case, was shot by unidentified assailants outside his house in Prayagraj.

As many as 160 criminal cases have been lodged against Atiq Ahmad's family members, according to Uttar Pradesh Police.

Atiq has been named in 100 cases, while his brother Ashraf has 52 cases, wife Shaista Praveen has three, and sons Ali and Umar Ahmad have four and one cases, respectively, against them.

Ali is currently lodged in Naini Central Prison in Prayagraj, while Umar is in Lucknow jail. UP Police has announced a reward of Rs 2.5 lakhs for Atiq's son Asad in connection with the Umesh Pal murder case.

Atiq's minor sons, Ahzaan and Abaan, are in Class 12 and Class 9 respectively.
Cairo, March 8 : At least two people were killed and 16 others injured after a train derailed in Qalyub, a city in the Qalyubia Governorate about 23 km north of Egypt's capital Cairo.

Egypt's Health Ministry said that 10 of the 16 injured people were receiving medical treatment at the Qalyub Specialist Hospital, adding that their injuries were not life-threatening, Xinhua news agency reported.

The other six injured people were released after suffering minor injuries and bruises.

Meanwhile, Egyptian National Railways said in a statement that the train went through the "closed semaphore" at the Qalyub Train Station and headed toward a blocked railway before colliding with the protection at the end of the railway.

As a result, the locomotive and the first carriage were derailed, the statement said, adding the Egyptian Transportation Ministry formed a committee to investigate the accident.

Meanwhile, Egypt's Public Prosecutor also ordered an investigation into the Qalyub train collision.

Egypt's railway system has long been troubled by poorly maintained equipment and poor administration, which frequently results in train derailments and crashes. At least 32 people were killed in a train collision in 2021 in Tahta, a city in southern Egypt. Later that year, a train derailed in Qalyubia, killing 11 people.
Jerusalem, March 8 : At least six Palestinians were killed in the West Bank in an Israeli raid aimed at arresting a suspect involved in the killing of two Israeli brothers the previous week, Palestinian and Israeli officials said.

In a video statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Palestinian suspect was killed during the raid on Tuesday in the refugee camp of Jenin in the northern West Bank, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Palestinian Health Ministry stated in a press release that six individuals were killed by gunshots, and at least 16 others were wounded during a gunbattle between Palestinians and Israeli troops in Jenin.

Shin Bet, Israel's internal security agency, said in a statement that the Israeli troops surrounded a building where the suspect, identified as 49-year-old Abdel Fattah Hussein Kharousha, and other militants were hiding.

The troops fired shoulder-launched missiles at the building. Video footage on social media showed large clouds of smoke emerging from a building in Jenin.

The Israeli authorities said Kharousha, a member of the Palestinian armed group and movement of Hamas, shot dead two Israeli settlers outside the town of Hawara in the northern West Bank on February 26. The attack prompted hundreds of Israeli settlers to go on a rampage in Hawara and other nearby towns, torching Palestinian houses, cars, and shops.

Netanyahu on Tuesday praised the Israeli forces, while vowing to continue to pursue Palestinian assailants who attack Israelis. "Whoever hurts us -- his blood on his head," he said.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Presidential Spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh condemned the Israeli raid in a statement, saying that the "crime committed by the occupation forces reaffirms the Israeli government's intention to thwart all regional and international efforts aimed at stopping all unilateral actions." The raid is the latest in a series of Israeli military operations in the West Bank to arrest Palestinians suspected of killing Israelis.

The Israeli-Palestinian tension has been escalating since the start of this year, leading to the killing of more than 70 Palestinians and 13 Israelis amid a vicious circle of violence.
Dharamsala, March 8 : In an apparent attempt to thwart any potential incidents during the sensitive period surrounding the anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising of March 10, 1959, Chinese authorities have announced the closure of the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa for pilgrims from March 8 to 10.

The Jokhang is considered the most sacred place for Tibetan Buddhists and lies in the centre of Lhasa, Tibet's capital. Many Tibetans visit it daily.

The Jokhang temple has been the site of protests by Tibetans against Chinese misrule in the past. There have also been incidents of self-immolations by Tibetans in front of the temple.

Sources said that a notification from the Jokhang Management Committee, dated March 6, that was pasted in public places in Lhasa states that there would be no public access to the temple during the period as it will undergo "cleaning up." The notification added that the temple will be open from March 11 as usual.

Interestingly, Chinese state media said the Lhasa Traffic Police on March 2 announced restrictions on certain roads in the city on account of "upgrading and transformation of water supply network." The announcement said that the restrictions will be imposed between March 6 and March 12. These roads are not in the city centre, and the stated reasons for restrictions might have a valid basis, but the timing of the work around the sensitive political anniversaries period, including the Tibetan National Uprising of 1959 and pan-Tibetan demonstrations in 2008, raises questions.

However, this year, besides the general lockdown of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) to foreigners, the authorities have not issued any additional notice barring foreign travellers. In the past, there would have been such a ban for foreigners for a period of several weeks around the sensitive period.

Meanwhile, there are reports that the re-opening of the TAR, which spans about half of China-occupied Tibet, for foreign tourism is decided. A posting by the Lhasa Tourism Development Bureau on Chinese social media on March 4 invited probable visitors to let them know how they would like to arrive in Tibet, whether by train or by plane, saying the bureau is ready.

Sources say travel agencies have been told to get ready, and that the reopening can happen from as early as April, although the permit would be restricted to group tours.

Some travel agencies have already started announcing tours for pilgrimage to the sacred Gang Rinpoche (Mount Kailash) region in Western Tibet, with first group scheduled to leave in April.

It also seems that the reopening might include permission for foreign students to study in Tibetan institutions.

For instance, Canada-based historian Tsering Shakya tweeted on March 5 that Tibet University in Lhasa will restart a Tibetan language programme for international students in September 2023.

The TAR has been closed since 2020 to foreign tourists on account of the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021 it was announced that foreigners residing in China could get permits to visit the TAR.

However, in its latest report, the Foreign Correspondents Club of China said that all three of its member journalists who applied to go to the TAR in 2022 were denied permits. Even those who went to other open Tibetan areas faced restrictions.
Lucknow, March 8 : A DCM driver was shot at by a scooty-borne assailant here on Wednesday morning near a culvert in Para police circle.

The assailant fled after committing the crime and the driver was admitted to the Trauma centre.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Dr S. Chinappa said that the driver, Prem Singh Yadav worked for one Sanjeev Singh who had asked him to transport a cow in the vehicle.

The DCP said that the incident was being investigated.
New Delhi, March 8 : Two Uzbekistan nationals were held at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) by the Customs officials for allegedly smuggling medicines worth Rs 67,52,204, an official said.

The Customs official said that the accused were held on the basis of a pre-check marking exercise. This led to the detection of medicines.

"On the basis of RR (Pre-Check) marking passengers, the officers at Terminal-3, have booked a case of smuggling of medicines against two Foreign national passengers who intended to depart to Tashkent," said the official.

The official said that the detailed examination of the baggage and personal search of the passengers resulted in the recovery of various medicines worth Rs 67,52,204.

"Both the passengers have committed offences punishable under section 132 and 135 of the Customs Act, including attempting to smuggle medicines. The recovered medicines have been seized under section 110 of the Customs Act. Both the passengers have been placed under arrest in terms of section 104 of the Customs Act," said the Customs official.
Singapore, March 8 : A former yoga instructor from India has claimed trial to eight molestation charges involving four alleged victims in Singapore.

Rajpal Singh, 33, who was employed at Trust Yoga as a yoga instructor, allegedly molested his first victim, then 24 years-old, on July 11, 2020, Deputy Public Prosecutor Selene Yap said on Tuesday.

Yap told the court that the woman told a friend via WhatsApp about what had happened after her class, The Straits Times reported.

After posting her ordeal on social media on July 31, 2020, two other women, then 28 and 37 years-old, reached out to her, citing similar experiences.

The fourth alleged victim managed to get in touch with the first one and narrated her ordeal.

According to court documents, the four alleged victims made separate police reports in July and August 2020, The Times reported.

One of the victims testified on camera on Tuesday, in proceedings not open to the public, including members of the media.

Singh, whose trial resumes Wednesday, has two other molestation charges linked to a fifth woman, which will be dealt with at a later date. All five women cannot be named due to a gag order.
New Delhi, March 8 : Tech giant Google on Wednesday celebrated International Women's Day with a doodle that illustrates various ways women support each other.

International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8 every year to recognise the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women worldwide.

"The vignettes within each "GOOGLE" letter highlight just a few of the many areas in which women around the world support each other to progress and improve each other's quality of life," Google said in a statement.

The illustration shows women in positions of influence who advocate for progress across issues central to the lives of women everywhere; women who come together to explore, learn, and rally for their rights; women who are primary caregivers to people of all walks of life; and women who are critical support systems for each other in motherhood.

In addition, when one clicks on the Doodle, purple confetti falls on the screen, and women raise purple flags while wearing wristbands in the same shade.

"What it means to be a woman certainly can't all be captured in one image," said Alyssa Winans, the doodle artist, who created the illustration, in the statement.

The doodle is "merely a jumping off point to reflect on how broad, complex, nuanced, and powerful the notion of womanhood is", Winans added.

"In honour of women across the globe who are supporting each other across all aspects of life -- Happy International Women's Day!" Google said.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Chennai, March 8 : The Tamil Nadu forest department is probing the role of a farmer, who is reportedly absconding after the death of a large number of peafowls in Poomangalam village of Madurai.

The farmer, whose name has been withheld by the forest department, is under the lens after 39 peafowls were found dead in his farm and surrounding areas on Monday and Tuesday.

D. Guruswamy , District Forest Officer, Madurai, while speaking to IANS on Wednesday said, "There are no external injuries on these peafowls, we have sent the samples to the lab to find out the cause of death. We have booked the paddy field owner in whose premises a large number of peafowls were found dead." He said that the forest department is probing the farmer as he was absconding since the peafowls were found dead.

It is to be noted that the Tamil Nadu forest department under its wildlife awareness programme has been conducting awareness among the farmers on the importance of such animals and birds in the environment.

Sources in the forest department told IANS that the department is tracking the farmer who is absconding after finding the carcasses of a large number of peafowl and will be taken into custody soon.
New Delhi, March 8 : Women entrepreneurs' share of startups in the Indian tech industry has exceeded 8 per cent, and surpassed more than 18 per cent among funded companies share, a new report said.

Out of the 2,200 women-led startups in India that have received funding, 36 per cent have progressed to the Series A stage, and 24 per cent have gone on to Series D stage or beyond, according to Tracxn, a leading market intelligence platform.

The number of active investors investing in women-led startups has seen a steady increase since 2010, with a sharp year-on-year jump of 42 per cent in 2021, the findings showed.

Women-led startups have outperformed the Indian startup ecosystem generally in 2022 as per the stage-by-stage breakdown.

Among the cities in India, Women-led startups in Bengaluru have raised the highest funding of $11.3 billion, followed by Delhi-NCR ($5.7 billion) and Mumbai ($3.5 billion).

In 2021, 5 startups led by women went public, while in 2022 there was only 1 woman-led company that had an IPO, the report said.
Bengaluru, March 8 : Accused BJP MLA from Channagiri constituency, Madal Virupakshappa is likely to appear before the Lokayukta officers in connection with the alleged bribe for tender scam on Wednesday in Bengaluru.

Sources in Lokayukta have prepared a questionnaire for the BJP MLA, who is the prime accused in the case. He is supposed to appear before the officers within 48 hours after getting the order copy. The High Court granted him interim bail on Wednesday.

The Lokayukta officers served him notice after he obtained bail. The investigation officers will question him based on the information revealed by his son Prashanth Madal, who was caught red-handed by the Lokayukta sleuths while accepting Rs 40 lakh bribe. The authorities will also record his statement.

Meanwhile, the Advocates' Association, Bengaluru has objected to the immediate posting of the interim anticipatory bail application of Madal Virupakshappa and expressed serious concern.

In a letter to Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, the President of the Advocates' Association, Vivek Subba Reddy stated that the usual practice in the High Court of Karnataka is that new matters like anticipatory bail take several days and weeks for posting.

But, VIP matters are entertained overnight. This practice would lead to the common man losing faith in the judicial system. It is of utmost importance that the MLA also should be treated as a common man, the letter said.

The letter also urged that the association appeals to the Chief Justice of Karnataka to direct the registry to post all anticipatory bail matters in one day, so that the common man is treated as VIP.
New Delhi, March 8 : Salesforce Ventures, the company's global investment arm, has launched a new $250 million generative artificial intelligence (AI) fund to bolster the startup ecosystem and spark the development of responsible AI.

The fund will initially invest in four companies, including Anthropic, Cohere, Hearth.AI and You.com.

"Salesforce Ventures has been investing in high-potential enterprise technology businesses for more than a decade, and these initial investments from the fund in generative AI companies fit squarely into that strategy," John Somorjai, EVP Corporate Development and Salesforce Ventures at Salesforce said.

More than two-thirds of leaders will be prioritising generative AI over the next 18 months, but technical and ethical concerns with the technology remain a top concern.

"This fund will accelerate our commitment to fostering the next generation of innovation and we're excited to see how these companies reinvent how the world works," he added.

Daniela Amodei, President, Anthropic said that Anthropic and Salesforce share a vision for creating innovative technology that is rooted in safety, and "we're looking forward to introducing more useful AI services into the world."
New Delhi, March 8 : 'Shaadi Mubarak' actor Manav Gohil walked down memory lane and and shared how his way of celebrating the festival has changed with time: he is now more cautious about nature.

He shared: "Holi is one of my favourite festivals. I enjoy celebrating it and have the fondest memories associated with the festival from my childhood. I remember when I was a kid, we used to play Holi with dark colours but as we grew up, we switched to eco-friendly colours." Manav, who is known for his roles in 'Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii', and also participated in a dance reality show 'Nach Baliye 2' and was seen in 'C.I.D' and 'Tenali Rama', added further that now he keep in mind to be cautious about the usage of water and avoid any wastage.

"I also feel that there is a lot of water wastage on the day of Holi and it is a growing concern in today's time. Hence, I always tell people around me to not play Holi with water. I will bring in the festival of colours with my daughter and wife and relive the childhood days once again. Here is wishing everyone a safe Holi," added the 'Main Hoon Aparajita' actor.
Lucknow, March 8 : Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav will begin touring Lok Sabha constituencies after the Holi festivities.

The party is planning to launch a sustained campaign against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and will highlight its failures.

The BJP government's failure to address issues related to farmers will be the focus of the campaign.

According to a party functionary, the party leadership will first restructure the party by reconstituting its state executive besides making fresh appointments in district units and frontal organisations.

On July 4 last year, a week after the party lost the Rampur and Azamgarh LS seats to the BJP in the by polls.

Akhilesh had dissolved the national and state executives of the party (barring the positions of the national and state presidents).

It was in January this year when the party began reorganising its structure. It first set up a new national executive that included senior leaders Shivpal Singh Yadav and Swami Prasad Maurya as national general secretaries.

The party is likely to reorganise its structure considering the organisational capabilities and balanced representation of different communities.

SP state spokesperson and national secretary Rajendra Chaudhary, said, "After Holi, the party president will start his visits to Lok Sabha constituencies and their assembly segments. By that time, we expect the announcement of the party's renewed organisational structure." Akhilesh will tour different constituencies in a phased manner.

In some constituencies in western UP, he is likely to be joined by RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary.
New Delhi, March 8 : Every year, Women's Day celebrates the talent, uniqueness, and heights that women across industries are achieving every day and making their mark for a more diverse, equitable and inclusive future.

To celebrate this day and raise a hearty toast to all women, Diageo India's Brand Developers and expert mixologists, Disha Mankikar and Shibani Surkund, have created flavourful cocktails that you can try yourself! Get crafty and show your appreciation to the women in your life by shaking or stirring these delicious cocktails. Pick your favourites from gins, whiskies, single malts, and liqueurs.

BAILEYS TIRAMISU COCKTAIL Ingredients:

Baileys Irish cream: 60ml

Monin Tiramisu Syrup: 20ml

Coffee Decoction: 15ml

Fresh Cream: 10ml

Method:

Put all the ingredients in a shaker, shake well and pour in a chilled coupe glass, rim the glass with chocolate sauce.

ASIAN MULE Ingredients:

Smirnoff Vodka: 60ml

Galangal ginger: 1pc

Kafir lime leaves: 4nos

Lemon grass: 1 stick

Lime juice: 15ml

Sugar syrup: 15ml

Ginger Ale: Top Up

Method:

In a shaker muddle, ginger, lemongrass, tear the kafir lime

Add lime juice, sugar syrup and vodka

Add ice and shake rigorously

In a mule mug add cracked ice and pour the cocktail and garnish with lemon grass and kafir lime

CHICAGO SMASH

Ingredients:

Royal Challenge American Pride Bourbon: 50ml

Orange juice: 30ml

Lime juice: 15ml

Sugar Syrup: 15ml

Orange Chucks

Basil Leaves

Method:

Crush orange chunks and basil leaves in a glass

Add Bourbon, orange juice, lime juice, sugar syrup and ice.

Top with soda and crushed ice BLONDE LEMONADE

Ingredients:

Johnnie Walker Blonde: 45ml

Sprite or Bitter lemonade: 10ml

Ice Cubes

Orange Wedge: 1no.

Method: In a highball glass add ice cubes, Johnnie Walker Blonde, Sprite/Bitter lemonade & stir.

Garnish with a fresh orange wedge.

ORANGE BLOSSOM FIZZ Ingredients:

Tanqueray No.10: 45ml Lime juice: 10ml

Monin Triple Sec: 15ml

Fresh Orange Juice: 45ml

Soda To Top Up

Ice Cubes

Method:

In a highball glass add ice cubes, Tanqueray No. 10, Triple Sec, lime Juice & fresh orange juice.

Top with Soda and stir gently. Garnish with an orange wedge/slice and edible flower.

Glassware: Highball Garnish:

Orange Slice/Wedge: 1no.

Edible flower: 1no.

ORCHARD HIGHBALL Ingredients:

Singleton of Glendullan 12-Year-Old: 45ml

Peach & Passion Fruit cordial: 30 ml

Lemon juice: 10ml

Soda Water to Top Up

Method:

Build all the ingredients in a glass, top up with soda water and garnish it with lime slice.

TANQUERAY PALOMA Ingredients:

Tanqueray No 10: 60ml

Sugar syrup: 20ml

Fresh Grapefruit juice: 60ml

Soda: Top up.

Method: Take a highball glass, rim it with salt

Fill it up with ice and build the cocktail with Tanqueray, sugar syrup, Grapefruit juice

Finish it with splash of soda.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
New Delhi, March 8 : Everyone will unavoidably take stock of women's accomplishments and advancement in social, economic, and artistic spheres as Women's Day draws near. The media industry has made progress in portraying strong female characters and women's depiction, even though there is still work to be done for gender equality. We've selected 10 must-listen audiobooks from Audible's selection of female-centric and women-led audiobooks, episodes, and podcasts for you.

This International Women's Day, celebrate women everywhere and lose yourself in engrossing audio amusement with Audible. These books, which range in genre from memoirs, history, horror, and real life to fiction, will undoubtedly have an effect on you that lasts a lifetime.

Adulting: It's a Jungle Out There Written by: Pocket Aces, Neha Pawar, Jayanti Kandwal; Narrated by: Aisha Ahmed, Yashaswini Dayama, Rohit Varghese

Adulting, a 20-episode Audible original podcast series, narrates the coming-of-age story of the lives of two young women balancing the responsibilities of adulthood in the hustle and bustle of Mumbai. The series takes us along on a journey of adulting as Ray & Nikhat (played by Yashaswini Dayama and Aisha Ahmed respectively) grapple with daily life obstacles. A relatable listen for young adults, it is an ideal series to binge on this Women's Day.

Mine and Yours S2 Written by: Mishkka Singh Shekhawat, Mantra; Narrated by: Nakuul Mehta, Sayani Gupta, Kubbra Sait

Written by and centered around a woman, Mine, and Yours S2 is a first-of-its-kind love triangle for India. Jaiveer (Nakuul Mehta) and Priya (Sayani Gupta) have been in a wholesome live-in-relationship for almost three years. As they figure out what's the ideal next step for them as a couple, their equation is aflutter when Rashi (Kubbra Sait), Priya's first and only girlfriend stays with them for a month. The unexpected arrival of Rashi triggers jealousy followed by a competitive race between Jaiveer and her for Priya's heart. To understand how Priya navigates the complications of sexuality, soulmates, and what she wants in her love life, tune in to Audible now! Twisted by Chandrima Das

Written by: Chandrima Das; Narrated by: Nisa Shetty

A gripping audiobook that explores how fear can infiltrate our lives, no matter how far removed we may feel from the darkness. This must-listen title on Audible delves into the unsettling reality of how fear can twist our perception of reality and leave us vulnerable to our deepest fears.

The Light Podcast Written and narrated by: Michelle Obama

Based on Michelle Obama's tour promoting her recent bestselling book 'The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times', the 8-episode podcast features her conversations with special guests like Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Tyler Perry, and David Letterman, among others. The Light Podcast transcends the book and explores themes like substantial relationships, racial issues, gender gap, visibility, adapting to change, and more. Peppered with her trademark wit, candor, and compassion, the podcast makes for a fun and uplifting listen.

Unfinished Written and narrated by Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Unfinished by Priyanka Chopra Jonas offers a glimpse into her life, from her formative years to navigating her career and what it takes to succeed in the Indian film industry. It is an honest account of the challenges she faced and learnings from her dual-continent 20-year-long career in India and Hollywood. With all the elements to make it a must-listen for all, her story will definitely inspire a generation worldwide to gather their courage, embrace their ambition, and commit to the hard work of following their dreams.

A Balancing Act Written and narrated by Monisha Singh Katial

A Balancing Act is a podcast series that serves as an ode to every hard working and multi-tasking Indian woman. The series is a tribute to all the lovely daughters, doting mothers, and responsible daughters-in-law who also stick to their passions in life. Narrated by the humorous Raveena Tandon, celebrity wife Mridula Tripathi, and renowned entrepreneur Kalpana Saroj, the series highlights their inspiring journey right from being the sole breadwinner, starting their career early on to reinventing themselves for a second shot at their career.

Mad Mommas Written by: Anu Singh Choudhary; Narrated by: Richa Anirudh

Mad Mommas is an 8-part Audible Original series that deals with the poignant realities of different stages of motherhood experienced by four women through marriage, career, kids, family, life, and the Covid lockdown. Richa Anirudh, the narrator is a TV anchor who has just become a mother, the other women we learn about as the series progresses include a stay-at-home mum, a psychotherapist, and a mother of a teen who is her counselor. This fictional audio drama series unravels many untouched aspects of the lives of urban women through secrets they fear to share openly: insecurities, professional & domestic struggles, and the tug between 'what should be' and 'what I want'.

When Women Ruled the World Written and narrated by: Kara Cooney

This compelling Audiobook deep dives into the remarkable lives of six female stalwarts from Hatshepsut to Cleopatra. Women who ruled with grit and power, and served as a beacon of light for feminist revolutions throughout history. Eminent Egyptologist Kara Cooney illustrates inspirational anecdotes of female leadership and liberation of women breaking patriarchal obstacles in ancient Egypt, making it an empowering listen this Women's Day.

Indomitable Written by: Arundhati Bhattacharya; Narrated by: Shivani Vakil Savant

Indomitable is the account of Arundhati Bhattacharya who hailed from small settlements in Bhilai and Bokaro and then went on to chair India's largest bank. The listeners get a glimpse of her childhood, early education, and the commencement of her career at SBI. Regular job transfers made her life as a woman banker difficult with added family responsibilities. Grappled by a male hierarchical setup in the banking world, Arundhati emerged as a pioneer in customer-centric and digitally advanced banking on a national level. Indomitable will invigorate you to break barriers, push forward and achieve greater heights.

Valmiki's Women Written by: Anand Neelakantan; Narrated by: Meher Acharia Dar

Anand Neelakantan a well-known author explores various themes of Valmiki's timeless saga - Ramayana. These stories of love, compassion, bravery, and devotion look at women's lives through the Vedic civilisation gaze. In this narration, listeners get to experience ancient tales from a feminist perspective centered around lovers, sisters, wives, and mothers who hold the epic Ramayana together.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
Mumbai, March 8 : Actress Kangana Ranaut was seen celebrating the festival of colours, Holi on the sets of her upcoming film 'Chandramukhi 2'.

Kangana took to Instagram, where she shared a reel. In the video, the actress is seen dressed in a white kurta and pyjama paired with sunglasses as she starts putting colours on her crew and cast members of the film.

In one frame, designer Neeta Lulla can be seen putting colours on Kangana. The actress chose the song 'Rang Barse' sung by Amitabh Bachchan for her reel.

She captioned the video, which currently has 290,000 views on the photo-sharing website: "Holi this morning on Chandramukhi set."

'Chandramukhi 2' is directed by P. Vasu. The film's prequel, which released in 2005, starred superstar Rajanikanth and Jyothika Saravanan.

'Chandramukhi' was a remake of the Malayalam film 'Manichitrathazhu' and was adapted in Hindi as the Akshay Kumar-starrer 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa'.

In 'Chandramukhi 2', Kangana will be seen playing the role of a renowned dancer in the king's court who's known for her breathtaking beauty.

Meanwhile, Kangana also has 'Tejas' in which she essays the role of an Indian Air Force pilot, 'Emergency' and 'Noti Binodini' in the pipeline.

-- Syndicated from IANS
Mumbai, March 8 : An Indian Navy's Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) during a routine sortie off Mumbai, ditched close to the coast, an official said.

A search and rescue operation was launched immediate Search and ensured safe rescue of the three-member crew by a naval patrol craft.

The causes leading to the mishap is not clear and the Indian Navy has ordered an inquiry, an official spokesperson said.

Details were awaited.
New Delhi, March 8 : A Delhi court on Wednesday sent Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mondal to the Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s custody in connection with the ongoing probe into the West Bengal's multi-crore cattle smuggling scam, till March 10.

Special Judge Rakesh Kumar of the Rouse Avenue Courts directed the agency to produce the accused next before the regular court for further proceedings in the matter.

On Tuesday, the ED first took Mondal to their national headquarters and later to Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in the national capital for medical check-up.

During the course of the hearing, the ED counsel sought 14-day custody for Mondal.

However, after hearing all the parties, the judge remanded Mondal to ED custody.

The judge ordered that the accused will undergo a medical examination daily till March 10 and his counsels will be allowed to meet him daily for 30 minutes during the interim period.
Cooch Behar : , March 8 (IANS/ 101Reporters) At a time when the country is warming up to the idea of queers having a life and even becoming biological parents, can small towns be left behind? Definitely not, shows the pride event organised recently in West Bengal's Cooch Behar.

Aptly titled 'An evening with pride - love is love and we are we: free and equal', the January 21 event was a first-time experience for most of the nearly 80 participants who came from villages located in Cooch Behar, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Kurseong in the state's northern region.

"Of course, we have come a long way. Being able to organise this event is in itself proof. A decade ago, terms such as LGBTQIA+ or transgender did not exist in rural areas. Today, we are talking about who is what, and the difference between a hijra and a trans person," said transgender rights activist Sumi Das (35), also the founder of the NGO Moitrisanjog Society formed in Cooch Behar district in 2019.

"People in society are yet to understand the existence of LGBTQIA+. Most members of our community remain hidden as they do not feel accepted. This is why we only conducted a pride event and not a pride parade," said Sumi, who worked together with PRISMATIC &+ founder Grace (24) to put the event together.

The confidence to speak out It was a dream come true for Subha Das (18), who always followed pride parades of metro cities through social media and dreamt of making them one day. "Such events give us the confidence to speak what we feel. After meeting several people during the event, I feel for the first time that I am not alone in this journey anymore. We need to come together as a community, only then can we support each other," said the transwoman from Ghughumari village.

Subha dropped out of school after Class 10 due to bullying and sexual harassment, and makes leaf plates and dining table cover in a manufacturing unit set up by Moitrisanjog.

"Just because someone is from the community does not mean we need to dress up, dance at weddings, beg on streets or end up in flesh trade. People in rural areas need to come out of this notion and realise that there are respectable ways to earn a livelihood," voiced Raja Dutta (25), an Odissi dancer from Birpara in Alipurduar.

"Most of us are not aware of our rights. If I am facing violence, I need not sit at home crying and should instead seek help. Through this programme, I shared my own story to tell the community that they should not fear approaching a police station," said Dutta, who stood up for herself in an abusive relationship, and took legal action against the other person.

The transperson also shared the need for gender-neutral public spaces, citing the case of a friend whose hospital admission following a suicide attempt was delayed because hospital staff could not figure out where to admit the patient.

"Finally, when we intervened and sought admission in the male ward, they took it in writing that they would not be responsible for the patient's safety. That was appalling," said Dutta, whose efforts made alma mater Vivekananda College in Alipurduar district set up a gender-neutral toilet last year.

"Milestones like these make us believe that there is a hope for change in society," said Dutta, who performed Ardhanarishwara Odissi dance at the event.

The right to choose Educating people in the community about livelihood options and choices was a key part of the event. A discussion was held on conducting sensitisation programmes with police, healthcare workers, media and public, in general, to create awareness and curb crimes against the community. The need for a system to offer immediate help to victims of violence and injustice was highlighted.

"Our aim is to first educate people about our legal rights. Through discussions, we need to gather confidence to be able to express ourselves and come out," said Sumi. When the event was announced on social media, many messaged the organisers but wanted to keep their identity private in view of safety concerns.

"We have never hosted an event like this before... We all grew up here, but it is rather strange that we have never seen or heard about LGBTQIA+...It does feel good to be a part of social change," said Prakash Barman, the manager at Hotel Jyotsna.

PRISMATIC &+, a queer and ally-based organisation formed in June 2022, has so far conducted pride parades and events in different parts of Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong, Sikkim and Gangtok. A practising advocate in the Calcutta High Court, Grace (preferred name and is non-binary) said the NGO was established to provide free-of-cost legal aid to the community. It has so far handled four criminal cases from North Bengal.

"When we conducted events in the hills, we got both bouquets and brickbats. In some places, authorities were not aware of LGBTQIA+ or pride events. We faced many homophobic and transphobic slurs... We need to conduct more such programmes in villages, where many have to hide their identities," said Grace. In fact, during the event, there were discussions on support-building groups to reach out to the rural populace.

B.Ed student Paulami (22) from Cooch Behar district attended the event with her friend, an ally. "Rural events will pave the way for changes at the grassroots level as that is where the majority of our country's population lives," said the lesbian community member.

At home, her mother is the only person who understands and supports her. "Since there is not much awareness about our existence, crime incidents often happen with most of us. If events are regularly organised, especially in schools and colleges, I am hopeful that bullying and harassment will slowly come down and people will become inclusive." "I also feel we need to bring every person in the society on board, including the teachers who need to learn to be empathetic," said Paulami, who has never been to a pride event before.

"It is commendable to see people living in rural areas making an effort to attend. If people from our hometown start recognising our existence, then that itself is a big win for us," Raja Dutta said.

(Purnima Sah is a West Bengal-based journalist and a member of 101Reporters, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters)
Deoria : , March 8 (IANS) The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Uttar Pradesh has arrested a man accused of selling fake stamp papers, causing a revenue loss of nearly Rs 50 lakh to the government almost two decades ago.

The case was registered under various sections of the IPC and later, the probe was handed over to the EOW, he said.

The SHO of Kotwali police station, Rahul Singh said that between 1999 and 2001, cases of sale of fake stamp papers in Deoria and neighbouring districts had come to light, following which a case was registered against nine people, including the person arrested in Varanasi by the EOW, on orders of the then divisional commissioner in December 2003.

Singh said during the probe, it emerged that the fake stamp papers were not issued from the Deoria treasury.

The accused persons, despite knowing that the stamp papers were fake, used them in government departments in an illegal manner and caused losses to the government, he said.

Harishankar, who has been arrested, had been living in the Garulpar locality under the Kotwali police station to evade arrest, he said.
The abysmal gender ratio at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) is nothing new.

For example, IISER Pune has a total of 1,136 students enrolled in its BS-MS programme (as of March 31, 2022), of which only 314 are women; IISER Bhopal's male to female ratio stands at 2:1. Of the approximately 120 students who joined the undergraduate course in electrical engineering at IIT Kanpur in 2017, only four were women.

The systemic deterrents to women's admission into these public institutions of eminence are well documented - take these two pieces that brilliantly lay down the leaky pipeline. Unfortunately, the battle does not end with securing seats; it is just the beginning of their real struggles.

The lack of women in positions of power makes a major dent on the self-belief of female students, besides limiting their aspirations. Of the total 63 professors in the electrical engineering department at IIT Kanpur, only five are women.

IISER Pune's biology department fares better in comparison, but still does not have a healthy representation: only five out of 35 regular faculty members are women. A professor at an IISER explains how the arduous challenges faced by women PhD candidates in the 1980s and 90s have translated into a present deficit of women in the role of professors and in positions of power at prestigious institutes of science.

"Several faculty members were not willing to supervise women students, or provide them with active mentorship and guidance then. It was also rare for women to get adequate support from their families in the personal sphere, due to which they could not prioritise research. As a result, very few could continue in academia, and rise to senior positions," she says.

According to Priyanka

, (BS-MS, IISER Pune, 2022), approaching professors for admission into their labs is a more daunting task for women and non-binary students than for men since most professors are also men. Male professors usually remain more informal with male students right from the beginning, which facilitates the initial conversation of working together. But the exclusion from this informal circle also makes it challenging for other students to reach out to professors.

"Having a Principal Investigator (PI) who mentors you is essential at the beginning. A positive experience is very likely to make sure you enjoy research and pursue it, even if you eventually move out of that particular PI's lab. Unfortunately, male PIs sometimes have reservations talking to young women students, especially when compared with how open their communication with male students is," she exclaims.

Lack of peer groups Science is too difficult to be done alone. The lack of a peer group can not only hamper the overall experience and holistic growth of a student, but also dilute the quality of their academic experience.

Women find it incredibly tough to make friends in IITs and IISERs as compared to their male counterparts.

Sristi Jain (BTech CSE, IIT Jodhpur, 2021) explains: "Since there are only very few of us on campus, the likelihood of finding like-minded people among women remains low." Avisha (BTech Electrical Engineering, IIT Kanpur, 2021) echoes Sristi, when she says "The camaraderie that the residents of a men's hostel share is often missing in a women's hostel." In several IIT and IISER campuses, there are no informal physical spaces for women and men to interact on a regular basis. For example, IIT Jodhpur and IISER Pune do not allow movement into another gender's residence halls at all.

"There are no space for a group of women to hang out with a group of men even just to watch a movie," elaborates Priyanka

.

In IISER Bhopal, extensive hostel rules prevent inter-batch mingling. All these restrictions invariably mean women have less access to their seniors, who are mostly men.

Sexism persists "A lot of predatory attention is directed towards you. It is like being watched all the time by people to label you either a 'slut' or a 'bitch'," Avisha mentions.

Aishwarya

(Engineering PhD candidate, IIT Madras) says sexual harassment by faculty is often not reported for the fear of a bad recommendation letter. She says women still have to answer (and sometimes lie too) questions regarding their marriage and maternity plans in doctoral programme interviews. "Women who return to complete their PhDs after a maternity break often fail to even get a word of encouragement from their guides.""Anything that we achieve is attributed to diversity quotas, in the most derogatory manner. Our male classmates do not think we are capable," Sristi says.

"My friend got an internship at the Max Planck Institute and it was automatically relegated to what is commonly called CQ (cunt quota, to be precise)," Avisha adds. This particular problem was exacerbated after the introduction of supernumerary seats in 2018, as most male students neither take an effort to understand the rationale behind the move nor comprehend that these are extra seats.

Priyanka

explains how women are more often burdened with lab housekeeping tasks, like washing beakers, for the entire team in IISER Pune's Chemistry Department and how professors say things like "women can't do math".

Aishwarya

also alleges that many male PIs allot receding attention to women students towards the end of the PhD thesis because they think "women are usually not as career-oriented as men".

Even professors not spared Dr Preeti Aghalayam, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering at IIT Madras, says "Success in academic research is contingent upon collaboration, and there is certainly resistance to accepting women colleagues as equal collaborators by men." "Why are you teaching? Why don't you go make a sandwich?" Priyanka



recounts how male students once shouted at a woman professor during a classroom session. "Women PIs are not taken seriously by male undergraduates. The after-term feedback for classes with women professors are rife with sexist comments," she adds.

IISER Pune's Internal Committee (POSH)'s mandate includes addressing complaints from women faculty, in addition to students of all genders. However, they did not comment on whether any instance of sexism against women professors has been reported.

Avisha wonders how students like her would feel encouraged to pursue careers in STEM, when women professors are treated badly. "It affects your morale when you find only very few people like you in a career that you aspire towards," she says.

There is progress, albeit slow. "We still have a long way to go, but my generation of women faced fewer obstacles than the ones before us. I expect this domino effect of better mentorship will translate to higher numbers of women rising to full professorships and leadership roles in a few years," Dr Kaneenika Sinha, Associate Professor in Mathematics at IISER Pune, says.

Dr Aghalayam adds many in IITs now acknowledge the issue of gender imbalance in numbers and the more subtle aspect of inequity in experiences. Efforts are certainly afoot to address these issues within the system.

Possible solutions 1. Supernumerary seats are working and this policy should continue. The gender ratio is much better now. Sristi's juniors (the 2018 batch when supernumerary seats for women were piloted in IIT Jodhpur) have six times the number of women as compared to the batch that joined in 2016. Additionally, IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras are on the list of 30 pilot institutes for the Department of Science and Technology's GATI (Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions) initiative.

2. Policies and infrastructure that facilitate healthy socialisation among different genders should be in place. For instance, IIT Kanpur allows free movement into hostels, irrespective of gender, except between 12 am and 6 am. Simran (BTech Aerospace Engineering, IIT Kanpur, 2022) affirms how this has helped her make friends and study buddies.

3. Aggressive diversity hiring for faculty positions is needed. IIT Bombay instituted the "Shobha Dixit Chair Professorship" in 2021 to celebrate its women faculty's contributions to STEM. This is the first chair endowment in an Indian university meant exclusively for women.

4. Effective prevention of sexual harassment through sensitisation workshops and functional redressal mechanisms should work without curtailing the freedom of women or alienating them.

IISER Pune's IC and IIT Kanpur's Women's Cell conduct mandatory gender-sensitisation/anti-sexism orientation programmes for new students every year. IISER Pune has had such sessions organised exclusively for staff and faculty. The success of these workshops, committees and women's cells is yet to be determined. Perhaps, active monitoring mechanisms like student/faculty surveys will help.

5. Creation of feminist reading groups and women collectives by students is another good measure. IISER-Pune has a Women in Science Committee that aims at encouraging and celebrating women's participation in the sciences.

Notes: *Name changed to protect identityAll comments made by the subjects are only in their individual personal capacities

All mentioned institutes were contacted for comments

(This piece was originally published by Rukhmabai Initiatives, an endeavour by 101Reporters to make Indian STEM more inclusive.)
Chennai, March 8 : Six Sri Lankan refugees who were trying to escape illegally to the island nation were arrested by the elite 'Q' branch of the Tamil Nadu police.

The refugees had left their refugee camp a few days before and were staying in Velankanni.

In a statement on Wednesday, police said that the six refugees were identified as Kanujan(34), Jennibaraj(23), Bhuvaneswari (41), Satheeshwaran (34), Dinesh(18) and Dushyanthan (43).

Acting on a tip-off, the police raided the hotel where they were staying in Velankanni and arrested them. On interrogation, they revealed that they had paid an amount of Rs 17 lakhs for being transported to Lanka illegally in a power boat.

The arrested also said that the power boat belongs to a person called Selvam from Mayiladuthurai district. Police found Rs 17 lakh from Selvam and confiscated his boat.

Selvam and the six arrested Sri Lankan nationals are being interrogated in the custody of 'Q' branch police.

Highly placed sources in the Tamil Nadu police headquarters told IANS that a detailed investigation is being conducted to ascertain the motive behind the escape to the island nation paying such a huge amount of money. It is to be noted that Sri Lanka is reeling under an economic crisis and the decision of the migrant labourers to go back to the Island nation needs to be investigated in a detailed manner.

A senior officer of the aQ' branch police while speaking to IANS from Chennai said, "We have acted on a specific tip-off and arrested the six Sri Lankan refugees as well as the boat owner who had taken Rs 17 lakhs to transport these six persons illegally to Lanka."
Hyderabad, March 8 : Hyderabad Police on Wednesday detained YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) leader Y.S Sharmila when she staged a silent protest against atrocities on women.

Sharmila was leading the protest at the Rani Rudrama Devi statue located on the Tankbund road to commemorate the International Women's Day.

Talking to media persons, she said that Telangana has turned into a place filled with landmines for women under KCR's rule. She further said the state now has the dubious record of registering most number of rapes and kidnapping cases against women.

"The state has turned into a fill of land mines for women, planted in the form of crimes and atrocities. One never knows when they explode," she said.

Sharmila stated that for Chief Minister KCR only his daughter represents women and she has put the women to shame and disgrace by being caught in liquor scam.

Stating that women representation in KCR's cabinet itself is dismal, she said Kavitha has no moral right to fight in Delhi on women's representation because her father himself had not kept the word.

The YSRTP leader alleged that the BRS leaders are engaged in crimes against women. She said the constituency being represented by industries minister K. T. Rama Rao witnessed rapes against minors. "Hyderabad sees rapes in broad daylight. Dalit women are assaulted, killed in lockups but KCR won't say a word. His assurances for women are fake," she said.

She said even the Governor was not spared and foul language used against her by an MLC made way for his elevation as the government whip in the Legislative Council. "Even I was not spared as a woman and they hurled choicest abuses against me when I exposed their failures," she said.

Sharmila wanted to know where was the Bharosa app flaunted by KTR? "I checked myself and it's defunct. The State Women's Commission is a dummy," he said.

She called zero interest loans, women business hubs and industrial areas all fake promises. She said that even government schools and colleges have no toilet facilities for girl students.
Dhaka, March 8 : The death toll in the explosion at a seven-storey building in Dhaka's Phulbaria area of Gulistan has risen to 18. Three are still missing.

The Dog Squad team of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) is searching to rescue if any of the missing are stuck inside the damaged building.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told IANS that, "We are investigating if there was proper precaution to protect from any blast. After the investigation, we will be able to know the cause of the blast.

Brig Gen Tajul Hoque, Director of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), said, "We have 11 patients, we're trying our best to save them." Dr Samantalal Sen, chief of Sheikh Hasina Burn Institute, said that, four of them are on life support, all are critical, burnt patients need time to get cured. Three are in ICU, others are at death risk, as they are more than 85 per cent burnt.

11 critically injured are getting treatment in Sheikh Hasina Burn Institute, 20 are in DMCH, 170 were discharged from hospital after treatment, said a doctor on Wednesday.

Khandakar Golam Faruq of Dhaka Metropolitan Police told IANS that, military bomb disposal team, CTTC experts and other experts did not get any explosive here. These old buildings' basement was like a gas chamber, the blast occurred due to the Methane Gas of such an old building.

Some of the officials claimed that the Methane forms explosive mixtures with air and the loudest explosions occur when one volume of methane is mixed with 10 volumes of air (or 2 volumes of oxygen) (Windholz et al., 1976). Air containing less than 5.5 per cent Methane no longer explodes.

The deceased were identified as Md Sumon, Md Ishak Mridha, Md Munsur Hossain, Md Ismail, Md Al Amin, Md Rahat Hossain, Mominul Islam, Nodi Begum, Md Maeen Uddin, Nazmul Hossain, Obaidul Hasan Babul, Abu Jafar Siddiq, Akuti Begum, Md Idris Mir, Nurul Islam Bhuyan, Md Hridoy, Md Samrat and Mohammad Siam.

More than 50 people, who were injured in the explosion, are undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Bachchu Miah, In-charge of DMCH police camp, confirmed on Wednesday.

The explosion occurred on the ground floor of the seven-storey building at Siddique Bazar of Phulbaria of the Capital at about 4:50 p.m. on Tuesday. Eleven firefighting units were rushed to douse the blaze.

Resumption of rescue operations at the Gulistan building, where the deadly explosion took place, was progressing slowly on Wednesday as there are fears about the building's stability.

Police said the beams and pillars at the basement of the building are damaged, and operating heavy machinery in the area, such as excavators, could create vibrations that might cause the building to collapse.
Mumbai, March 8 : For Bollywood actress Isha Koppikar Narang, who's best known for her roles in movies such as 'Company', 'Kaante' and 'Shabri', Holi means going back to her hometown Indore, where it extends into the celebration of Rang Panchami, five days after the festival of colours.

In this city-wide celebration of colours dating back to the time of the Holkars, water coloured with 'gulal' is poured over the tens of thousands of people who partake of the festivities. Today, the city's municipal corporation does the job of pouring coloured water in old Indore.

For Isha, Holi means going to Indore and joining the extended celebrations with her family. The 'Ek Vivaah... Aisa Bhi' actress added: "I adore my hometown and I enjoy celebrating Holi with my family and friends. I'm looking forward to celebrating Holi with my daughter Riaana now that everything is safe." Isha concluded by talking about the deeper significance of the festival of colours and how it promotes friendship and unity, saying, "Holi brings together people of all ages, backgrounds, and religions. It's a time to have fun and celebrate together."
Hyderabad, March 8 : Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Wednesday reacted sharply to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) notice to its leader K. Kavitha in Delhi excise scam and called it a part of political conspiracy against Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Several state ministers and BRS leaders slammed the BJP-led government at the Centre for the ED notice to Kavitha, a member of Telangana Legislative Council and daughter of Chandrasekhar Rao.

They alleged that the notice was issued to Kavitha due to political malice as the BJP is scared of BRS growing strong.

Ministers Jagdish Reddy, S. Niranjan Reddy, E. Dayakar Rao, Satyavathi Rathore and P. Ajay Kumar lashed out at Narendra Modi government for what they called its political vendetta.

Energy minister Jagdish Reddy described the central government as an epitome of evil. He alleged that the BJP was misusing constitutional institutions.

"This is not a notice issued as part of investigation by the agencies but this is done with political malice," he said.

The minister believes that it is part of the conspiracy by the BJP to trouble the AAP government in Delhi and BRS government in Telangana. He also dubbed this as an attempt to damage the self-esteem of BRS leader KCR. He, however, said these tactics would not work against KCR.

"Those who think that by doing this they can stop BRS are fools," he said, adding that dictators can't stand for long.

"Modi's misdeeds are about to end and our fight will continue till the BJP government is unseated from power," he said.

Jagdish Reddy remarked that cases and jails are not new for BRS and recalled that in 2001 while launching the movement for Telangana state, KCR had said that those who work for people will have to face cases and go to jail.

Agriculture minister termed the notice to Kavitha as the pinnacle of hate politics. "Unable to face KCR, they are implicating Kavitha in a false case with political vendetta," he said.

He alleged that by corrupting the investigating agencies, the BJP government has damaged their confidence. "People are laughing at ED, CBI and I-T notices. Why are they silent on Adani who destroyed the country's economy," he asked.

Minister for tribal welfare Satyavathi Rathore said that those who speak against the Central government are being booked and arrested by the Modi government.

She said the CBI came and questioned Kavitha and left, but now the ED arrested Arun Pillai and called him benami of Kavitha. "They immediately issued a notice to her and asked her to appear tomorrow thus trying to project her as an accused," he said She said since Kavitha was to stage a protest in Delhi over women's reservation Bill, the ED notice was issued to muzzle her voice.

"I want to tell the BJP government at the Centre that your downfall will start in Telangana. We will fight whatever case they register," she said and asked why no case was booked against Adani who is involved in scams of lakhs of crores and who is close to the Prime Minister.
Washington, March 8 : Children using Microsoft-owned game-based learning platform Minecraft can now build and launch a rocket to the Moon like the real NASA Artemis team, the US space agency has said.

Minecraft Artemis Missions was developed to engage students ages 8 and up in NASA's next chapter in human spaceflight and encourage them to see themselves as future astronauts or scientists.

"Just like the real NASA Artemis team working to return humans to the Moon, gamers in these new Minecraft worlds can build and launch a rocket, guide their Orion spacecraft," NASA said in a statement.

The children can "even establish a lunar base alongside their team", it added.

The collaboration between NASA and Minecraft is part of an existing partnership between NASA's Office of STEM Engagement and Microsoft.

"NASA strives to reach the broadest audience and inspire the Artemis Generation to prepare them for the missions of tomorrow," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, in the statement.

Minecraft has built two new immersive worlds based on the real-world Artemis missions to come, in which astronaut crews, including the first woman and first person of colour, will establish a long-term human presence on the Moon.

Students will learn basic rocket engineering and mechanics as they build and launch their rocket in Minecraft's "Artemis: Rocket Build" mission.

In the next mission, "Return to the Moon," they'll test their coding skills as they programme the Orion spacecraft to successfully land on the Moon.

"Artemis: Rocket Build" is available for free on both the Minecraft Marketplace and in Minecraft Education, while "Artemis: Return to the Moon" and "Artemis: Moon Base" are exclusive to Minecraft Education.

Minecraft Artemis Missions are positioned to reach the Artemis Generation of students just as NASA's Artemis era begins.

The Artemis I mission in late 2022 marked the first integrated flight test of the agency's mega Moon rocket, the Space Launch System, and the uncrewed Orion spacecraft.

During the three-week flight, Orion demonstrated its capabilities in deep space and performed two lunar fly-bys, setting the stage for increasingly complex and ambitious missions with astronauts.

--IANS rvt/vd

A
Bangkok, March 8 : A Thai man has been sentenced to two years jail for "defaming the monarchy" by selling calendars which featured rubber ducks - a symbol of pro-democracy protesters - in royal regalia, reports said on Wednesday.

Narathorn Chotmankongsin, 26, was among about 200 people who have been arrested under 'lese majeste' laws since 2020, the BBC reported.

Rubber ducks were used in demonstrations by protesters seeking a democratic transition - a movement which also includes demands for reforms to the monarchy.

Narathorn was arrested in December 2020 for selling the calendars on the pro-democracy Facebook page Ratasadon. The political satire featured illustrations of ducks in royal regalia, and controversial and satirical captions.

Prosecutors argued the images and descriptions ridiculed and defamed King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

A court on Tuesday sentenced Narathorn to three years, before commuting the sentence to two years.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the sentence showed Thai authorities were punishing any activity they deemed insulted the monarchy, the BBC said.

"This case sends a message to all Thais, and to the rest of the world, that Thailand is moving further away from - not closer to - becoming a rights-respecting democracy," said HRW Asia director Elaine Pearson.
Chennai, March 8 : Senior Congress leader and newly-elected legislator from Erode East, E.V.K.S. Elangovan, told mediapersons on Wednesday that the BJP in Tamil Nadu is raising non-existent issues as it failed to win the bypoll to the Erode East Assembly constituency.

In the bypoll held on February 27, Elangovan defeated K.S. Thennarasu of the AIADMK by a huge margin of 66,233 votes, Elangovan told reporters that the statement of Chief Minister M.K. Stalin that evil forces are trying to dislodge the DMK government from power is true.

He said the BJP knows that it cannot come to power in Tamil Nadu through elections, that is why it is raising non-existent problems, including the North Indian migrant worker's issue.

The senior Congress leader said that the BJP is trying to raise the issue of migrant workers being 'attacked' in Tamil Nadu, but people know that it is a lie.

He also slammed Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) leader Seeman, saying that people like him are trying to discriminate against people to incite riots in the state.

He also said that people of the state will not fall prey to the misconceptions of Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai and NTK leader Seeman.

Asked about the BJP IT cell secretary and other leaders joining the AIADMK, Elangovan said that cadres and leaders moving from one party to the other is an indicator that both parties are heading for a disaster.

Elangovan also said that he would take oath on March 10 and would work to fulfil the demands of the people. The newly-elected legislator thanked the people of Erode East constituency for handing him a massive victory.
Chennai, March 8 : Tamil outfit Tamizh Desiya Periyakam on Wednesday demanded an Inner Line Permit (ILP) system - as existing in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland and Manipur - for Tamil Nadu too to protect jobs for Tamil people in the state.

Outfit leader P. Maniasaran, speaking to reporters here, said that the state government should insist that the Union Government extend the ILP to Tamil Nadu. He said that this would protect avenues for local job openings to Tamil people.

He hit out at the BJP for making "concocted" videos about purported attacks on migrant workers -- and for the subsequent panic that ensued -- to defame and belittle the people of Tamil Nadu and the Tamil culture. However Maniarasan also criticised the DMK government for providing all assistance to the Bihar government's fact finding team. He also lashed out against it for deputing a senior party functionary to Bihar to present a detailed ground situation to the Bihar Chief Minister.

He said that such acts would belittle the Tamil people and the culture of Tamil Nadu and said that the pride of Tamil was important.

Spreading of fake videos had led to several north Indian migrant workers moving out of the state, before Chief Minister M.K. Stalin intervened and assured them of all security. Several migrant workers from North Indian states, however, attributed their sudden departure as linked to the Holi festival and many said that they would be back after the festivities.
Los Angeles, March 8 : Peter Gabriel, English rock music legend and human rights champion who's best-known for his anti-apartheid anthem, 'Biko', has been dropping, according to 'Variety', new songs with each full moon this year.

The latest one sees not only the arrival of a new song from his forthcoming album 'i/o' - 'Playing for Time', but also provides details of his first full North American tour in many years.

Produced by Live Nation, the newly announced dates will find Peter Gabriel performing in Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, notes 'Variety'.

The announcement adds: "Fans should also stay tuned for future tour date announcements in Washington, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, St Paul, Denver, Austin, Dallas and Houston." 'i/o - The Tour' will see Gabriel accompanied by his longtime bandmates Tony Levin, David Rhodes and French drummer Manu Katche.

The new single, written and produced by Gabriel, was recorded at his Real World Studios in Wiltshire and The Beehive in London, and features Tom Cawley on piano. The orchestral arrangement, by Ed Shearmur, was recorded at British Grove Studios in London.

In a note on it, reproduced by 'Variety', Gabriel writes: "Playing For Time is a song that I have been working on for a long time and have performed live, without lyrics, so some people may be familiar with it. It's been an important song for me. It's about time, mortality and memories and the idea that each of us has a planet full of memories which get stashed inside the brain.

"It is more of a personal song about how you assemble memories and whether we are prisoners of time or whether that is something that can actually free us. I do think it's good to push yourself towards more bold or interesting experiences because then you will have richer memories to feed you when you get to my age. You also get taught by every meaningful experience that you go through."
Thiruvananthapuram, March 8 : State CPI(M) state secretary M.V.Govindan on Wednesday came under heavy criticism over his alleged rude behaviour with a mike operator at a recent party rally.

Slamming the senior leader, the Thrissur unit of the Mike Operators body termed the behaviour "unacceptable". It has left the aggrieved person deeply disturbed as he was humiliated in full public glare, they told the media.

"We are not demanding any apology but want to tell the leader that the mike operator is deeply sad and demoralised with the public admonishment. All the operator did was ask Govindan to move closer to the mike in the middle of his speech. Speakers should know to balance the mike when speaking was all what the operator said," they stated.

The incident took place when the CPI(M)'s ongoing state-wide yatra reached Mala in Thrissur. When Govindan -- who is leading the yatra -- was speaking, the mike operator tried to adjust the mike and in the process ended up standing in front of him.

When the operator asked him to move closer to the mike, an angry Govindan asked him not to teach him how to use a mike and that the sound equipment was faulty." He then continued with his speech telling the gathering how a mike operator should function.
Bengaluru, March 8 : A day ahead of its two-hour bandh, the Karnataka unit of the Congress party on Wednesday decided to postpone it on account of the second year pre-university exams.

The bandh slated to be held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Thursday had been called to press for the resignation of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai over the spate of corruption allegations against the ruling BJP government in Karnataka which is due for assembly elections in the next few weeks.

Congress state president D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday stated that the decision to withdraw the two-hour bandh was taken in view of the requests from students and their parents.

More than 7 lakh students will be appearing for the Board examinations which begins on Thursday.

"Parents & students have reached out to me & CLP Leader to withdraw the 'Karnataka Bandh' call for 9th March by the Congress in view of PUC Exams on 9th March. Our youth is 1st priority. KPCC has decided to withdraw the bandh. Our struggle against BJP corruption shall continue," Shivakumar tweeted.

The withdrawal announcement on Wednesday comes despite Shivakumar's earlier claims that the exams, and medical services would remain unaffected by the bandh.
New Delhi, March 8 : Any participation in transactions involving virtual digital assets or cryptocurrency, would come under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act or PMLA, the Centre has said.

This was announced through a gazette notification, issued on March 7.

The step has been taken to tighten misuse of digital assets.

Government in the gazette has warned investors against "participation in and provision of financial services related to an issuer's offer and sale of a virtual digital asset".

"Exchange and transfer of virtual digital assets would also fall under PMLA laws," the notification further said.

According to the Income tax act, a virtual digital asset refers to any information, code, number, or token generated through cryptographic means.
New Delhi, March 8 : Amid allegations that former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia has been lodged with dreaded criminals which was rebutted by Tihar jail authorities, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday grilled him for the second consecutive day in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

ED sources told IANS that the agency has got permission to quiz Sisodia for three days.

Like Tuesday, the ED reached Tihar jail at 11 a.m. on Wednesday and questioned Sisodia about the alleged kickbacks of Rs 100 crore which the AAP/its leaders received through hawala channel from the South Group.

Sisodia was also asked about Arun Pillai and K. Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI and later remanded to judicial custody by the Rouse Avenue District Courts. His bail plea is pending before the court which will heard on March 10.
Hyderabad, March 8 : Actor politician Pawan Kalyan on Wednesday demanded that women should be provided 33 per cent reservation in legislatures.

Making the demand on the occasion of the International Women's Day, the Jana Sena Party (JSP) leader stressed that it was included in the election manifesto of his party.

Wishing all women on the day, he assured them that he will continue his political efforts to achieve 33 per cent reservation.

"I strongly believe that there must be an increase in the number of seats for women in the legislatures to ensure women stand on their own as financially self-reliant, and achieve empowerment.

"The woman is the form of power.. The woman is seen in multi forms..The woman has multifaceted talents..The woman is the originator of human creation. What can be given in return to such a great woman? The services of a female, who was among us, in different forms as a mother, a sister, a life partner and a daughter are priceless. A home without a woman is like a temple sans a light," Pawan Kalyan said in his message.

"We believe that where women are respected the goddesses will make a stay there. It's true. I earnestly believe that in a place where women are honoured, peace and wealth will flourish there. But, society and governments must pay much more attention to achieve complete empowerment of women and make them live with freedom. Stringent steps have to be taken to establish an atrocity-free society for women," he added.
Kolkata, March 8 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has convened a special meeting of its officers and legal associates linked to the agencys ongoing probe into the multi-crore teachers recruitment scam in West Bengal on Friday.

CBI sources said that the meeting is scheduled to be held at the headquarters of the CBI directorate in Delhi and will be attended by a couple of senior agency officials and legal associates who are involved with the investigation process in the said scam.

It is learnt that the top brass of the agency is likely to brief the officers on some changes in the line of probe into the scam to accelerate the pace of the investigation.

Sources said that at the meeting, senior agency officials are likely to give special emphasis on developing greater coordination between the investigating officials and the counsels appearing in the court during hearings in the matter.

The top brass of the agency is likely to ask the investigating officers about the additional support that they might need from the CBI headquarters to add pace to the probe process.

"Senior officials are also likely to brief the investigating officers on how to develop better coordination with the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is conducting a parallel probe into the money-trail angle of the scam," a CBI source said.

Recently, a number of middlemen in the scam have been netted by central agencies and many of them have made explosive statements about the involvement of several influential persons in the scam.

The contents and merits of the statements will also be discussed at the meeting on Friday on the basis of which senior officials will guide the investigating officers on how to proceed further with the available clues.

Recently, the CBI faced criticism from judges in various courts, including the Calcutta High Court, for the slow pace of investigation.

Opposition parties in West Bengal, including the Left Front and Congress, have also alleged that this slow pace of investigation is a result of clandestine understanding between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress.
New Delhi, March 8 : Two men were killed while five others were injured as a quarrel turned violent in Mundka area on the outskirts of Delhi on Wednesday, a police official said .

The deceased were identified as Sonu and Navin.

According to police, three police control room calls were received at 1.36 p.m., 1.42 p.m. and 1.47 p.m. regarding a quarrel, stabbing and death of a person at Gali number-7, Friends Enclave in Mundka.

"A police team rushed to the spot and found that the quarrel was between Sonu and Abhishek, who lives in Gali number-14. Abhishek and his friends assaulted and stabbed Sonu and also those who intervened. After that, Abhishek was overpowered and stabbed," Deputy Commissioner of Police, Outer, Harendra K. Singh said.

"These people have been working as labourers in a namkeen factory in Mundka area. Initial reason for the assault has not been conclusively established," he added.

According to the official, a total of seven injured people were rushed to a nearby hospital where Sonu and Navin were declared dead, while Abhishek and one other were seriously injured and referred to Safdarjung Hospital.

Other three are stable and undergoing treatment in a nearby hospital, he added.

"The crime and FSL teams were called to the spot. A case has been registered," the DCP said.
Jammu, March 8 : Several job aspirants were detained by police on Wednesday during protests in J&K's winter capital Jammu against the engagement of an allegedly black-listed company for recruitment process by J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB).

Aspirants for government jobs gathered in Dogra Chowk of the city and raised slogans against the JKSSB alleging that it had engaged black-listed APTECH company for the recruitment process.

Police undertook a baton charge to disperse the protesters several of whom were bundled in police vehicles and detained.

Commenting on the protests by the job aspirants, a JKSSB official said that there was no justification for the protest as the matter with regard to the hiring of APTECH is sub-judice.

The official contended that the company was hired as per the Central and J&K government guidelines as it has already completed the blacklisting period of three years in May last year.

"When we are selecting a company for conducting a written examination, we also employ checks and balances to ensure transparency, accountability and fairness in the selection. We are following a procedure which is matching the standards of major national level recruitment agencies," the official said.

The selection process of sub-inspectors of police in the UT had to be cancelled after it came to light that the question papers had been leaked and sold at exorbitant price.

Candidates from a particular area and some belonging to the same family had managed very high marks in that process became of their access to the leaked question papers.
Mumbai, March 8 : Shiv Sena (UBT)'s ex-Minister Aditya Thackeray on Wednesday urged Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia to sanction two new airports in Palghar and Fardapur (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar), and sought clarity on the status of the proposed airports in Pune and Nashik.

He said that the development of these airports would boost progress and enhance passenger connectivity, industry, agriculture and tourism in these regions.

Thackeray Jr. referred to the Union Budget 2023-2024 and welcomed the plans for 50 airports/helipads/ports to be developed/upgraded in the country, but since details were lacking leading to confusion, he asked Scindia to accord priority for civil aviation development in Maharashtra.

He pointed out that during his tenure as a Maharashtra Minister, his focus was to push several key projects including a third airport for Mumbai at Palghar and the development of the Fardapur airfield.

While the Navi Mumbai Airport will be ready soon, Mumbai will require a third airport in the next 10 years, and the former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had asked the Maharashtra Airport Development Company to start working on the Palghar airport.

This, he claimed in the 2-pager, would provide many benefits, including a revenue generator if it turned out to be a passenger airport, cargo hub and offer parking facilities for aircraft.

On the Fardapur project which the Thackeray government was exploring, Thackeray Jr. said that thousands of tourist flock to view the marvels of Ajanta-Ellora caves in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), but the nearest airport there is 160 kms away, making the trip arduous.

Thackeray Jr. also urged Scindia to resolve the issues pertaining to the Nashik and Pune airport - the latter's expansion plans or a new airport has been a long-debated demand that can afford the state's cultural capital a global connectivity.

Referring to Nashik, he said it is a matter of great pain as it is one of the holiest cities with a rich heritage like Pune and needs to be tapped with an airport of global standards.

"I have only mentioned a few of Maharashtra's multiple points of potential and roadblocks in the sector of civil aviation, directly linking it to industry, agriculture, tourism growth... I hope you will take cognisance of my humble request and give justice to Maharashtra's civil aviation needs," Thackeray Jr concluded.
Hyderabad, March 8 : K. Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in the Delhi excise policy case, left for New Delhi on Wednesday evening.

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader was spotted at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport here amid tight security to catch a flight for the national capital.

According to sources, Kavitha has written to the Enforcement Directorate seeking time till March 15 to appear before the agency for questioning in the Delhi liquor policy case. The ED is yet to comment on the matter.

Kavitha is one of the representatives of the 'South Group', which allegedly paid kickbacks of Rs 100 crore to the leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi. She might be confronted with Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Pillai, who was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the case.

Meanwhile, Kavitha's travel to Delhi is as per the schedule. She is planning to lead a day-long hunger strike in the national capital on Friday over delay in passing the women's reservation Bill.

Earlier on Wednesday morning, the Member of Legislative Council said in a statement that as a law-abiding citizen, she will fully cooperate with the investigating agencies.

She, however, said that in view of the planned dharna in Delhi over women's reservation Bill on Friday and other prefixed appointments, she will seek legal opinion on the date of appearing before the ED.

She also said that BJP's tactics of intimidation will not deter her.

"I would also like the ruling party at the Centre to know that these tactics of intimidation against the fight and voice of our leader, Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, and against the entire BRS party will not deter us. Under the leadership of KCR, we will continue our fight to expose your failures and raise our voice for a brighter and better future for India," she said "Let me also remind the power mongers in Delhi that Telangana has never and will never bow before the oppressive anti-people regime. We will fearlessly and fiercely fight for the rights of the people," she added.

The ED notice came a day after the agency arrested Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Pillai, allegedly the frontman for Kavitha.

Kavitha was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the same case in December last year.

In the remand report filed in a Delhi court on Tuesday, the ED stated that Pillai is one of the key persons in the entire scam involving payments of huge kickbacks and formation of the biggest cartel of the South Group.

According to the agency, South Group comprises Sarath Reddy (promoter of Aurobindo Group), Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy (MP Ongole), his son Raghav Magunta, K. Kavitha (MLC, Telangana) and others. The South Group was being represented by Arun Pillai, Abhishek Boinpalli and Butchi Babu.
Guwahati, March 8 : The Government Railway Police (GRP) on Wednesday seized a sizable amount of gold biscuits at the Guwahati railway station, officials said.

The market value of the seized gold is around Rs 3 crore, a GRP officer said.

Acting on a tip-off, the GRP personnel conducted a raid at the Paltan Bazar railway station, where they seized 20 gold biscuits wighing 3.20 kg from inside the Rajdhani Express and detained one person in connection with the seizure, who has been identified as Sharif Alam.

The gold biscuits were being smuggled from Manipur to the national capital via Guwahati.

On Tuesday, 320 gm gold was seized by the railway police from the same railway station. The police arrested a person named Sampat Rao in connection with the seizure, who was allegedly taking the smuggled gold from Agartala toDelhi.
Hyderabad, March 8 : The government of Telangana is on a mission to make the state a women entrepreneurs' hub, Industries Minister K.T. Rama Rao said on Wednesday.

Rao said the upcoming launch of a single window mechanism and targeted interventions will provide a professional identity for women entrepreneurs and enable them to scale their businesses, creating more employment opportunities in Tier 2 and 3 cities.

The minister was speaking at an event organised to mark the fifth anniversary of 'WE HUB', India's first and only state-led incubator.

He said WE HUB has played a significant role in engaging with over 35,000 women entrepreneurs across India.

The achievements of women entrepreneurs were recognised and they were honoured for their contributions at the event organised on the occasion of International Women's Day.

According to the organisers, WE HUB has been a beacon of hope for women entrepreneurs in India over the past five years, providing them with the resources and support they need to succeed in the business world.

A video presentation was made showcasing the projects, initiatives and programmes that have helped women entrepreneurs in their entrepreneurial journey. Five successful women entrepreneurs shared their inspiring stories of overcoming challenges and achieving success in their respective fields at the event.

Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Information Technology (IT), emphasised the importance of women's participation in entrepreneurship and applauded WE HUB's role in promoting women entrepreneurs.

Over the past five years, WE HUB has incubated 3,194 startups and SMEs founded by women. It has successfully engaged with over 5,000 women entrepreneurs, 1,247 students, 986 social impact entrepreneurs and 609 urban entrepreneurs. The incubator has been actively working towards enabling women-led startups across sectors.

"At WE HUB, we believe that women entrepreneurs are a force to be recognised. Our mission is to provide them with the resources and support they need to succeed, regardless of their background or social circumstances. Through our work, we have seen first-hand the incredible impact that women can have on their communities and the economy," said WE HUB CEO, Deepthi Ravula.

WE HUB is the first-of-its-kind and only state-run platform for women entrepreneurs run by the government of Telangana. It aims to create a supportive community for aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs where they can interact with venture capitalists for funding, connect with corporates for scaling up their business, get advice from mentors to fine-tune ideas and benefit from technical mentoring.
Chennai, March 8 : With BJP's Tamil Nadu President K. Annamalai slamming the AIADMK for inducting former leaders of his party and the AIADMK leadership hitting back, the relationship between the two alliance partners is at a low ebb.

The BJP's national leadership, however, wants a truce as it knows clearly that without the backing of the AIADMK, the party will be a big zero in Tamil Nadu, despite the super victories of Pon Radhakrishnan and C.P. Radhakrishnan in the Lok Sabha elections without any alliance.

The latest issue between the AIADMK and BJP cropped up after state BJP IT cell President C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar quit the party and joined the AIADMK in the presence of its interim General Secretary K. Palaniswami. The very next day, state BJP IT cell Secretary Dilip Kannan also quit and after a day joined the AIADMK again in presence of Palaniswami. Both the leaders lashed out against Annamalai, saying that his "dictatorial line of functioning would not help the BJP in Tamil Nadu".

Annamalai did not take this lying down and in a Twitter post subtly threatened the AIADMK that he would also poach from its ranks. This led to a stern response from AIADMK leader, D. Jayakumar.

The BJP national leadership does not want such a flare up in the relationship between the two parties as it knows clearly that the BJP can get gains only if it piggy rides the AIADMK.

Sources in the BJP told IANS that the BJP national President J.P. Nadda and senior office-bearers including General Secretary and Tamil Nadu in charge C.T. Ravi will be communicating with Palaniswami directly. The party leaders have conducted private surveys and found that without the support of the AIADMK, the BJP cannot even win a single seat in the state.

While Annamalai has lashed out against the AIADMK leadership, the national leadership of the party does not support this as it knows for sure that without the backing of a powerful Dravidan entity, the BJP will not be a force to reckon with in Tamil Nadu.

The DMK-Congress alliance is looking to gain maximum seats from the state and Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has already told cadres that all the 40 seats in offing in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry must be won in 2024.

The BJP was expecting to better the chances of its alliance from the present one seat of Theni won by expelled AIADMK leader O.P. Panneerselvam's son O.P. Ravindranathan. However the recent rift between the AIADMK and BJP has not gone down well with the national leadership which was desperately trying to gain maximum seats from south India.

Except from Karnataka, the party does not have much expectations and hence the national leadership does not want the situation in Tamil Nadu to be fanned up further.

Sources in the BJP told IANS that the national leadership have already communicated to Annamalai to keep calm and have also spoken to Palaniswami. If needed, Nadda will soon reach Chennai and have a meeting with the AIADMK leadership to iron out the differences.
Kolkata, March 8 : At a time when the education sector in West Bengal is daily hitting the national headlines for negative reasons after being saddled by the multi-crore teachers' recruitment scam, a proposal from an education outfit under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has come as a breather for the state education department.

It is learnt that UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, one of the six educational institutes of UNESCO, has forwarded a proposal to West Bengal government with the intention of partnering with the state education department for the development of the education sector in West Bengal.

"The state government has acknowledged and welcomed the proposal and written to the institute accepting the same.

"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself sent the acknowledgement reply," said a senior official in the education department.

The official also said that a representative team from the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning is scheduled to visit the state shortly and hold a meeting with the Chief Minister, Education Minister Bratya Basu and the top officials of the education department.

"A memorandum of understanding might be signed between the institute and the state government following the meeting," the official said.

In 2021, Kolkata's Durga Puja made its place in the list of "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" of UNESCO. It was the first Asian festival to receive the prestigious recognition.

Political observers feel that the proposal from UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning to partner with the education department will also provide the Trinamool Congress with a tool to counter the opposition's criticism of the state's education sector.

UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning is a non-profit international research, training and information outfit promoting literacy, non-formal education and adult and lifelong learning.

Its mission is to get all forms of education and learning, formal or informal, recognised, valued and made available for meeting the demands of the individual communities worldwide.
New York, March 8 : US State Department spokesperson Ned Price will step down from his duties this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Wednesday.

Price, whose replacement is yet to be announced, will continue to serve at the State Department, working directly for Blinken.

"Throughout the more than 200 briefings he has since held, he's treated journalists - as well as colleagues and everyone else he interacts with - with respect," Blinken said in a statement.

Within days of taking on the role of a spokesperson in January 2021, "Ned restored the Department's daily press briefings, giving journalists the chance to regularly ask tough questions of our policy".

Stating that Price's contributions will benefit the Department long after his service, Blinken said that he has helped the US government defend and promote press freedom around the globe and modelled the transparency and openness that the US advocates for in other countries.

Thanking Price for his "remarkable service", Blinken said that his firm grasp of the policies underlying our messaging made him that much more effective in his role.

Earlier, Price served in the CIA and was spokesperson of the National Security Council during Obama's administration.
Jaipur, March 8 : Rajasthan Tourism is participating in the ongoing International Travel Bourse, the world's largest tourism trade fair, in Berlin with focus on the European market.

Among the European tourists visiting the international tourism circuit, about 65 per cent come to Rajasthan, said Principal Secretary (Tourism), Gayatri Rathod.

"Rajasthan tourism has a unique identity on the international tourism map. It is the endeavor of the tourism department that the tourists coming here return with an indelible impression and memories of Rajasthan. In such a situation, the tourism department is constantly motivating tourists to come to Rajasthan in maximum numbers through innovations," she said.

On March 7, the pavilion of the Rajasthan Tourism was inaugurated in Berlin by Indian Ambassador to Germany, P. Harish, and Union Tourism Secretary, Arvind Singh, in the presence of the state tourism delegation.

On behalf of the state tourism delegation, the Indian Ambassador and the Union Tourism Secretary were welcomed in traditional Rajasthani style.

Joint Secretary Rajesh Sharma and officials of the tourism department are participating in the International Travel Bourse (ITB) under the leadership of Gayatri Rathore, Chief Secretary, tourism department.

The main objective of the tourism department is to attract more and more European tourists to Rajasthan.

International tour and travel operators have shown a lot of interest in the Palace on Wheels, a luxury tourist train that was launched by the Indian Railways in association with the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation to promote tourism in the desert state.

An exhibition on Rajasthan tourism has also been set up in the state's pavilion at ITB. Officials of the tourism department are participating in more than 30 B2B meetings in Berlin.
Chennai, March 8 : Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi on Wednesday returned the Bill to ban online gambling, including on online rummy games.

The Bill against online gambling was unanimously passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly on October 18, 2022 based on a recommendation by a committee headed by Justice K. Chandru (retd.

The Bill has been lying in the table of the Governor since then.

The Governor had in November 2022 written to the state Legal Affairs Department seeking clarification on some sections of the bill to ban online rummy and to regulate online gaming.

The state government had decided to bring a law to ban online gaming following the death of 22 people, who had committed suicide after they have lost heavily playing these games. After the bill was unanimously passed and the bill awaited the Governor's consent, several people again committed suicide.
Islamabad, March 8 : Imran Khan's PTI has claimed that he had not sought to meet army chief, Gen Asim Munir but as per sources, the former PM had reached out to him but was rebuffed, media reports said on Wednesday.

Geo News programme "Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath" anchor Shahzeb Khanzada, citing unnamed sources, said that Gen Munir told businessmen meeting him on Monday night that Imran Khan sent him a message seeking a meeting, but he told the PTI chief that it was not his job as army chief to meet politicians, Geo News reported.

The army chief asserted that the army "would neither interfere in politics nor would play any role in it", the anchor quoted the sources as saying. Gen Munir maintained that he would not interfere in political matters and the political leadership itself should resolve its issues.

Participating in the programme, veteran journalist Hamid Mir said President Arif Alvi had tried to arrange a meeting between Gen Munir and Imran Khan, but the army chief told the President that he wants to stay away from politics.

A day earlier, PTI leader and former Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhary had claimed that former Prime Minister Imran Khan "never made any request" personally or through his "representatives" to meet the army chief.
Chennai, March 8 : BJP's Tamil Nadu BJP state President K. Annamalai has been claiming an euphoric growth in the state, but the state IT cell is fast losing its staff with 13 more office-bearers quitting on Wednesday in wake of its state President and Secretary's departure.

The new leaders to quit on Wednesday include the party's Chennai West District IT unit chief Orathi Anbarasu, as well as 10 Secretaries and 2 Vice Presidents of the unit. All 13 are likely to join the AIADMK in the foot steps of party IT Cell President C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar and state Secretary Dilip Kannan who resigned and joined the AIADMK.

Annamalai had stated that his BJP can also poach from the other side, adding that AIADMK taking BJP leaders into its fold is a sign that the party was growing in Tamil Nadu.

Anbarasu, after leaving, said: "An unusual situation has prevailed in the party so far and for the past few days many people have been contacting me. Now I have to inform everyone about my situation. I have travelled with the BJP for many years. Everyone around me knows that party responsibility is only for a few years, and I am not a person looking for a position. I hope you all know my work. It amazes me how I have faced threats and complaints against me for so long." In the statement, he also said that he was not joining the DMK and that he "do not want to fall into the machinations of selfish people who had classified him as unworthy".

"Respecting the thoughts of my dear brothers who are working with me in the party. It has been decided to travel along with our beloved CTR Nirmal Kumar," he added.

The resignation of 13 more leaders from the BJP is indeed a jolt to the saffron party even as the national leadership has commenced firefighting operations with party President, J.P. Nadda and General Secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu C.T. Ravi commencing discussions with AIADMK's interim General Secretary K. Palaniswami.
Mumbai, March 8 : Fantastic fifties from Harleen Deol and Sophia Dunkley propelled Gujarat Giants to a commanding 201/7 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the WPL 2023 match at the Brabourne Stadium, here on Wednesday.

Sophia set the tone for Gujarat's big total through a breath-taking 65 off 28 balls, including slamming fastest fifty of the tournament in 18 balls. In her blazing knock, she slammed 11 fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 232.14.

Once she fell, Harleen shined to ensure Gujarat didn't lose momentum. From being 18 off 17 at one point, she impressed everyone with her timing and placement to score 67 off 45 balls, hitting nine fours and a six at a strike-rate of 148.89.

For the third consecutive time in the competition, Bangalore's bowling was taken apart, barring Shreyanka Patil and Heather Knight taking four wickets while conceding 49 runs off six overs between them. Their fielding and catching wasn't up to the mark too.

After playing eight consecutive dot balls, including a maiden in the opening over, Sophia got Gujarat off the mark with nice scoop over fine leg off Ellyse Perry. She then went after Megan Schutt in the next over, hitting two boundaries over point and backward point.

Despite Megan taking out Sabbhineni Meghana in the third over, there was no stopping Sophia. She chipped and clipped off Renuka Singh Thakur for two boundaries, but the pick of the shots was a well-timed inside-out lofted six over extra cover.

Sophia went on to make full use of anything coming in the slot from Preeti Bose, smashing three fours and six, to reach her fifty in 18 balls and take 23 runs off the fifth over. The carnage continued as Sophia pulled off Ellyse for four, before slog-sweeping and whipping off Shreyanka Patil for six and four respectively.

Her knock came to an end when Shreyanka, coming from over the wicket, got the right-handed batter to mistime a loft to long-off. Harleen took over by getting some exquisite timing on her punch, sweep, pull and pick-up shots.

Bangalore continued to take wickets as Heather Knight foxed Ashleigh Gardner with a straighter delivery and was stumped easily from behind by Richa Ghosh. Dayalan Hemalatha timed her two fours and six very well, before slicing to short third man to become Heather's second scalp of the match.

But there was no stopping for Harleen as she brought up her fifty in 35 balls with a pull over short fine leg off Ellyse. She feasted on short balls from Ellyse, pulling and slapping well to collect back-to-back boundaries.

She even got a life when Preeti Bose dropped her catch in the 17th over. But ran out of support from the other end as Annabel Sutherland holed out to long-off while Sneh Rana was run-out in the 19th over.

Harleen was finally out in the final over when a full and fast ball from Shreyanka crashed into the stumps. A boundary down the ground from Sushma Verma on her first ball took Gujarat over 200.

Brief Scores: Gujarat Giants 201/7 in 20 overs (Harleen Deol 67, Sophia Dunkley 65; Heather Knight 2/17, Shreyanka Patil 2/32) against Royal Challengers Bangalore
Kolkata, March 8 : Following a surprise raid by the officers of the Bidhannagar Police Commiserate on Wednesday evening, unaccounted cash worth around Rs 4 crore was seized from a fake call centre in the Rajarhat-Newtown area on the outskirts of Kolkata.

A police officer said that the exact amount seized was a little over Rs 3.82 crore.

"Apart from the cash, gold and silver jewellery in substantial quantities as well as several high-end premium brand wrist watches were also recovered from the fake call centre. The valuation of the seized items is yet to be done," the officer said.

Apart from that, four high-end premium vehicles were also seized from outside the call centre.

The police have arrested six persons in this connection, out of whom two are residents of Liluah in Howrah district, two are from Maharashtra and one from Gujarat. The police suspect that besides running the fake call centre, the arrested persons were also involved in illegal hawala transactions.

The officer said that through this call centre, these persons mainly targeted elderly citizens in different parts of the globe.

"We suspect that the arrested persons are part of an international forgery racket. We will interrogate them to collect information on their partners and masterminds in this illegal trade," the officer said.
New Delhi, March 8 : The University of Karachi administration on Wednesday formed a three-member committee to probe allegations of Hindu students being prevented from celebrating Holi on campus, according to a media report.

The development came after reports emerged that some students were prevented from celebrating the Hindu religious festival, prompting outrage on social media and condemnation from rights groups and activists, The Express Tribune reported.

A video clip was shared widely on social media in which Hindu students of the varsity could be heard accusing members of the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT) students organisation of forcefully stopping them from celebrating Holi.

The students also alleged in the video that they were subjected to violence by IJT members, The Express Tribune reported.

In response to the allegations, Karachi University Vice Chancellor Khalid Iraqi said the university is committed to interfaith harmony.

"It is the only university in the country that has a mosque, a temple and a church. Our employees had celebrated Holi on the campus a day earlier," he said.

Iraqi said that a group of students has requested permission to celebrate Holi on Thursday for which arrangements are being made.

Campus Security Advisor Mueez Khan claimed that no incident of violence against students had been reported in the security office, nor has any such incident been reported in the university clinic.

A similar incident was reported from the University of Punjab two days earlier when members of IJT, a right-wing student organisation, allegedly attacked Hindu students who had gathered in the varsity to celebrate Holi, The Express Tribune reported.

However, Punjab University administration denied that any such clash took place. It also ruled out that some students were injured, dismissing the reports of attack by IJT members on the Hindu students.
New Delhi, March 8 : A worker at a CNG pump in west Delhi was beaten to death by two youths after a quarrel on Wednesday evening, a police official said.

Both the accused have been arrested.

The deceased was identified as Vikas Chandra, a resident of Swaroop Nagar.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, West, Ghanshyam Bansal said that at 4.51 p.m,, a call was received from Maharaja Aggarsen Hospital regarding a 34-year-old man, who was declared brought dead.

A police team reached the hospital and found that Chandra, who was working as a salesman at CNG pump in Punjabi Bagh area near the Golden Park Jhuggi on New Rohtak Road, had gone to buy something from a nearby shop when he had a quarrel with nearby jhuggi residents Karan and Arjun.

"There was a heated argument between them and Chandra was beaten to death. A case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered and both accused have been caught," a police official said.
New Delhi, March 8 : A shopkeeper in south Delhi was injured after being shot at by unidentified assailants on Wednesday evening, a police official said.

Police said that a police control room (PCR) call was received at 7.58 p.m. stating that five rounds have been fired near House No. 30, Balka Chowk in Ayanagar and one person is injured.

"Acting on the call, a police team rushed to the spot. The injured was identified as Surender, a local resident. He has a small grocery store next to his house. He was shot at in the evening," Deputy Commissioner of Police, South, Chandan Chowdhary said.

"The injured is in the hospital. Necessary legal action is being taken," said the DCP adding that further investigation is in process and police teams are scanning CCTV cameras in the area to crack the case and nab the accused.
Hyderabad, March 8 : A key meeting of Telangana's ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) will be held on Friday.

A joint meeting of the BRS Parliamentary Party, Legislature Party and the State Executive will be held at Telangana Bhavan, the BRS headquarters here.

The meeting will be presided over by BRS supremo and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

In view of this being an election year, the meeting will discuss widely about the implementation of government programmes, party activities, etc.

BRS MPs, MLAs, MLCs, party State Executive Committee, district party Presidents, Zilla Parishad Chairpersons, state level Corporation Chairpersons, DCMS and DCCB Chairpersons will participate in the extended meeting.

Chandrasekhar Rao has said that all the invitees must attend this meeting.

The meeting also assumes significance of the notice issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to BRS MLC K. Kavitha in Delhi excise policy scam.

Kavitha, daughter of KCR, has been directed to appear for questioning in the case on Thursday in Delhi.

Kavitha, a Member of Legislative Council, has already left for Delhi but it was not clear if she will be appearing before the ED on Thursday.

The MLC said in a statement on Wednesday morning that as a law-abiding citizen, she will fully cooperate with the investigation agencies.

She, however, said in view of the planned dharna in New Delhi over women's reservation Bill on Friday and prefixed appointments, she will seek legal opinions on the date of attending it.

Reacting strongly to the ED notice, BRS leaders have termed this as a political conspiracy by the BJP-led government at the Centre.

Kavitha's father or her brother and state minister K.T. Rama Rao are yet to react to the development.
Grozny : , March 8 (IANS) Russia's Chechen Republic President Ramzan Kadyrov on Wednesday mocked Czech police following the alleged theft of his sanctioned racehorse from stables near Prague and said he suspected "foul play" in the incident.

Czech media reported on Tuesday that a horse named Zazou, believed to be owned by Kadyrov and stuck in the Czech Republic since 2014 when the Chechen leader was targeted by Western sanctions in wake of the Crimea episode, had "vanished without a trace" from its stable in Krabcice village last week and local police were probing, RT reported.

As per authorities, a chain securing the stable doors had been removed and Zazou taken away, presumably at night.

"How is that even possible? Had he been kept on some remote farm where one could just take him so easily? Where's the security? Where are the brave police with their democratically efficient and advanced investigative techniques?" the Chechen leader wrote on Telegram on Wednesday.

He said anyone "can leave their car open at night" without having to worry in Chechnya, and expressed surprise that a sanctioned horse could disappear in a European country with "the police learning about it only several days later".

"I don't believe in coincidences. Those horse thieves are unique: stupid enough to steal a sanctioned mount, yet cunning enough not to be found by the police. I don't buy it." Kadyrov also urged Czech officials and media, who said Zazou had cost $18,000, not to underestimate the value of his horse. "Surely this artificial underestimation is a result of some financial schemes by those responsible for his upkeeping," he claimed, adding that the 16-year-old thoroughbred mount, which he reportedly bought in Dubai back in 2011, cost at least $10 million.

"Having learned its real price, someone will now make a big buck," he said.

Kadyrov added that he was sorry "a beautiful and noble animal" had to suffer as a result of these unfortunate events. "I'm concerned that Zazou may end up in bad hands," he wrote.
Jaipur, March 8 : The deadlock between the Rajasthan government and four widows of Pulwama martyrs turned murkier on Wednesday with one of them, Manju Jat, writing to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot alleging that the police beat her up, stripped her clothes and even pricked her with a pin.

Manju, the wife of Pulwama martyr Rohitash Lamba, alleged that the police threw her as if she was a gunny bag when she was going to meet the Chief minister.

"Unable to bear the torurtue by the police, I am on an infinite hunger strike since March 4 and the Chief Minister will be responsible if something happens to me," she said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra has also written to Gehlot, asking him to look into the matter. Mishra said that the four war widows have sent a letter to him seeking permission for euthanasia, as he urged the Chief Minister to ensure that the right action is taken.

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has shared a video of CRPF jawan Rohitash Lamba's widow Manju, saying that Gehlot should stop this 'dictator-like' behaviour.

Refering to Manju's allegations of police brutality, Shekhawat said that instead of taking the necessary action, the Chief Minister is issuing statements on Twitter to blame her.

"The government should break the fast of the widows of Pulwama martyrs. Gehlot ji, this dictatorship will not work," Shekhawat said.

Meanwhile, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena, who is also protesting with the widows, said, "On Tuesday, two ministers -- Pratap Singh Khachariawas and Shankuntala Rawat -- came to meet the protesting women. Both listened to their demands and assured to solve the issue. It was expected that there would be an announcement from the state government on Wednesday accepting their demands, but nothing happened. Instead, the Chief Minister is raising questions over the demands of these widows despite two of his own ministers assuring to solve the matter."
Mumbai, March 8 : Fantastic fifties from Harleen Deol and Sophia Dunkley coupled with Ashleigh Gardner's three-fer propelled Gujarat Giants to 11-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore and their first win of WPL 2023 at the Brabourne Stadium, here on Wednesday.

Electing to bat first, Sophia set the tone for Gujarat's big total through a breath-taking 65 off 28 balls, including slamming fastest fifty of the tournament in 18 balls. In her blazing knock, she slammed 11 fours and three sixes at a strike rate of 232.14.

Once she fell, Harleen shined to ensure Gujarat didn't lose momentum. From being 18 off 17 at one point, she impressed everyone with her timing and placement to score 67 off 45 balls, hitting nine fours and a six at a strike-rate of 148.89.

For the third consecutive time in the competition, Bangalore's bowling was taken apart, barring Shreyanka Patil and Heather Knight taking four wickets while conceding 49 runs off six overs between them. Their fielding and catching wasn't up to the mark too.

With immense pressure of chasing 202, Sophie Devine came out all guns blazing, slamming eight fours and two sixes in her 45-ball knock while sharing a 54-run opening partnership with Smriti Mandhana and a promising stand of 43 runs with Ellyse Perry for the second wicket.

Heather Knight also landed some big blows to keep Bangalore in the hunt. But Gujarat taking five wickets after the half-way stage meant Bangalore ended up at 190/6 in 20 overs and are now rooted to the bottom of points table.

After playing eight consecutive dot balls, including a maiden in the opening over, Sophia got off the mark with a nice scoop over fine leg off Ellyse. She then went after Megan Schutt in the next over by hitting two boundaries.

Despite Megan taking out Sabbhineni Meghana in the third over, there was no stopping Sophia. She chipped and clipped off Renuka Singh Thakur for two boundaries, but the pick of the shots was a well-timed inside-out lofted six over extra cover.

Sophia went on to make full use of anything coming in the slot from Preeti Bose, smashing three fours and six, to reach her fifty in 18 balls and take 23 runs off the fifth over. The carnage continued as Sophia pulled off Ellyse for four, before slog-sweeping and whipping off Shreyanka Patil for six and four respectively.

Her knock came to an end when Shreyanka, coming from over the wicket, got the right-handed batter to mistime a loft to long-off. Harleen took over by getting some exquisite timing on her punch, sweep, pull and pick-up shots.

Bangalore continued to take wickets as Heather got Ashleigh to be stumped easily from behind by Richa Ghosh. Dayalan Hemalatha timed her two fours and six, before slicing to short third man off Heather.

But there was no stopping Harleen as she brought up her fifty in 35 balls with a pull over short fine leg off Ellyse, followed by pulling and slapping well to collect back-to-back boundaries. She even got a life when Preeti dropped her catch in the 17th over. But ran out of support from the other end as Annabel Sutherland holed out to long-off while Sneh Rana was run-out in the 19th over.

Harleen was finally out in the final over when a full ball from Shreyanka crashed into the stumps. A boundary down the ground from Sushma Verma on her first ball took Gujarat over 200.

In reply, Smriti got Bangalore's chase off to a solid start by hitting two boundaries off Tanuja Kanwer in the second over. Sophie joined the party by slashing and pulling off Kim Garth to collect back-to-back fours, with Smriti ending the over through her trademark cover drive.

Sophie upped the ante by pulling off Ashleigh for four while clipping, bringing a forehand smash and slap down the ground against Annabel for a hat-trick of boundaries in the fifth over.

Bangalore lost Smriti in the fifth over when she miscued a heave to mid-on off Ashleigh. Though they slowed down a little, Ellyse hit five delightful boundaries to give much-needed acceleration to Bangalore's chase.

Just when it looked like Ellyse would shift gears, Mansi Joshi took her out as the right-handed batter gave a simple catch to backward point. Though Richa stumps were left in a mess against Ashleigh, Sophie continued to march forward.

As Kim made a return to the bowling attack in the 13th over, Sophie took a brace of boundaries through mid-wicket and long-off, before getting her fifty in 36 balls. After slogging off Tanuja over deep mid-wicket, Sophie pulled off Annabel into the same region. But on the very next ball, she holed out to long-on.

Despite losing Sophie, Heather reverse-swept and chipped over cover off Ashleigh. She then tore into an erring Annabel, hitting a hat-trick of well-timed fours in the 17th over. From the other end, Kanika Ahuja took two boundaries off Sneh Rana, but was stumped off Ashleigh in the 19th over.

Annabel took out Poonam Khemnar on the first ball of the last over, and despite Shreyanka hitting a six and four respectively, she was able to defend 24 in the final over as Gujarat got off the mark in points table.

Brief Scores: Gujarat Giants 201/7 in 20 overs (Harleen Deol 67, Sophia Dunkley 65; Heather Knight 2/17, Shreyanka Patil 2/32) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 190/6 in 20 overs (Sophie Devine 66, Ellyse Perry 32; Ashleigh Gardner 3/32, Annabel Sutherland 2/56) by 11 runs.
Johannesburg, March 9 : South Africa's Department of Health has said that the ongoing violent and disruptive strike by public sector workers has impacted more than 40 healthcare facilities in the country.

"There are a number of major hospitals in six provinces that have been affected by this violent strike," Foster Mohale, the department's spokesperson, told Xinhua news agency.

The strike by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union started on Monday as the workers demanded a 10-to-12-per cent salary increment, but the administration had only put forward an offer of less than 5 per cent.

Some striking employees were obstructing ambulances from bringing patients to hospitals, while some were locking the canteens where patients were served food, Mohale said.

"We are concerned about patients dying. Health workers should know that they are essential workers, and they should not be embarking on strikes," he said, adding that some hospitals were releasing patients because no one was available to care for them.

"Any form of violence and intimidation directed at health workers, patients, and infrastructure is condemned in the strongest terms," he said.
NAIC-ISAO, AUSCF, & TBI The fact that the strategy document calls for international partnering to reinforce critical infrastructure defense, amongst other things, aligns perfectly with the vision of the National Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity ISAO, stated Mr. Thiessmeier.

The Biden Administration released the long-awaited national cybersecurity strategy, a policy document that will help address cybersecurity issues in this period of highly volatile international tension. The Government is seeking to redefine roles and responsibilities amongst private and public stakeholders and reordering the burden of cybersecurity in a more effective manner. The strategy calls for a shift towards building resilience through long-term investments whilst pressing for immediate threat defenses.

The new National Cybersecurity Strategy is reflective of the serious situation we find ourselves in. The widespread implementation of AI comes with unprecedented opportunities, but where there is an opportunity, there is also great risk. Especially given the current conflict with Russia and the never-ending barrage of data breaches, neither the government nor the private sector can afford to continue on the current path. This document can be the first step in the right direction if it is turned into meaningful action," said Michael Thiessmeier, Executive Director of the National AI and Cybersecurity ISAO.

The five central elements of the strategy are:



The defense of critical infrastructure and promoting private-public partnerships.

Disruption and dismantling of threat actors.

Shaping market forces to drive security and resilience.

Investing in a resilient future.

Forging international partnerships to pursue shared goals.

"The 2023 National Cyber Strategy represents a significant step forward in the ongoing commitment to safeguarding our digital ecosystem through comprehensive cybersecurity measures. The strategy's emphasis on securing software supply chains and critical infrastructure, and promoting responsible behavior in cyberspace, coupled with international partnerships, is imperative in protecting our digital landscape from evolving threats. Successful strategy implementation necessitates unwavering leadership, significant resources, and stakeholder collaboration. Investing in emerging technologies and cultivating a skilled, diverse cyber workforce support the establishment of a secure digital future for the global community. The strategy's overarching objectives include safeguarding the American people and critical infrastructure, fostering innovation and growth in the digital economy, promoting responsible behavior in cyberspace, and developing cyber capabilities and partnerships. Collaboration among government agencies, private sector organizations, and international allies is paramount in achieving these objectives. Moreover, the strategy recognizes the need to prioritize investments in emerging technologies and build a dynamic cyber workforce capable of keeping pace with evolving cyber threats. Our collective efforts can shift the narrative and disrupt cybercrime and threats in the United States and globally. As we continue to navigate the complex digital landscape, the 2023 National Cyber Strategy will serve as a critical guidepost, guiding our efforts towards a secure digital future," stated Jennifer Gold, founding member of the NAIC-ISAO and President and Board Chair of NY Metro InfraGard.

This is a major step in the right direction for the whole of the US Government, stated Dan Van Wagenen, Vice President and co-founder of the Association of US Cyber Forces (AUSCF). It shows that the US is taking cybersecurity seriously and that the current administration is prepared to make sweeping changes in how America defends itself in Cyberspace. It should signal to our adversaries that the status quo will no longer be tolerated.

The fact that the strategy document calls for international partnering to reinforce critical infrastructure defense, amongst other things, aligns perfectly with the vision of the National Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity ISAO, stated Mr. Thiessmeier.

About National Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity ISAO (a program of the Tortora Brayda Institute)

The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the cybersecurity ecosystem is a force multiplier, supplementing operational efforts across all phases of the cybersecurity lifecycle. In a world of rapidly evolving threats, AI can transform tasks like monitoring and adversarial attack detection while reducing security costs. Inversely, AI technology needs to improve in cybersecurity controls, regulations, and the policies to govern it. While AI benefits cybersecurity, it also presents new risks and threats. AI is vulnerable to exploitation and weaponization by bad actors and cybercriminals. AI systems require ethical and technical guardrails to ensure integrity. The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity requires the framework, policies, laws, and solutions to support it. Maintaining a technological advantage while defending against threats requires a whole-of-nation approach that should be adopted and operated with cohesion across all sectors. The National Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity ISAO addresses these challenges, supports National Security, promotes innovation, and cultivates digital diplomacy with our allies. The NAIC-ISAO is a program of the San Francisco-based think tank, the Tortora Brayda Institute. To learn more about the National AI and Cybersecurity ISAO, visit https://www.naicisao.org/.

About Association of United States Cyber Forces

The Association of the US Cyber Forces (AUSCF) is the first 501(c)3 Military and Veteran Support Organization (MSO) dedicated to being a voice for the Cyber Warfighter. Comprised of current and former Cyber Operators and cybersecurity professionals from the US Armed Forces, as well as the Intelligence Community, elements from the Department of Homeland Security, private industry, and academia, AUSCF is dedicated to driving national conversation and policy changes that strengthen US military cyber forces and the overall security posture of the nation in Cyberspace. AUSCFs goals include advocating for positive changes to laws and policies that better serve our membership and US national security and help to reduce the gaps between private and public cybersecurity efforts. To learn more about AUSCF, visit https://www.auscf.org.

About Tortora Brayda Institute

Tortora Brayda institute is a multi-stakeholder Think Tank that brings together thought leaders from the private and public sectors and academia to address critical topics of national interest. The organization engages business, cultural, government, and thought leaders worldwide to reshape and develop collaboration and partnering practices to improve and secure the world. The Institute focuses on the impact of advanced technologies on society, particularly Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and the Cloud. It was established as a not-for-profit entity headquartered in San Francisco, California. The National Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity ISAO is a program of the Tortora Brayda Institute. To learn more about Tortora Brayda Institute, visit https://www.tortorabrayda.org/.
The Sonoma Garagiste Festival is the only place where area wine lovers have this many opportunities to taste the regions greatest micro-production wineries all under one roof

Americas Best Wine Festival[1], The Garagiste Festival: Northern Exposure, returns to Sonoma for the fifth time on April 29th, offering rare and first-look access to the best, hard-to-find wines from over 40 micro-production, commercial wineries. Held at the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall, walking distance from Sonomas historic downtown plaza, the festival features wineries from Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Lodi, Sierra Foothills, Suisun Valley, Anderson Valley, El Dorado County and Santa Clara Valley. Tickets now on sale here.

Micro, hand-crafted, hard-to-find and quality are terms that define the Garagiste Festival, and nowhere is this more in evidence than at our Sonoma festival: 90% of these wineries do not have a tasting room you can visit, 60% make less than 600 cases and four are pouring their very first vintage, said Garagiste Co-founder Douglas Minnick. The Sonoma Garagiste Festival is the only place where area wine lovers have this many opportunities to taste the regions greatest micro-production wineries. all under one roof. While the festival ethos is no-snobs allowed, its wine discovery opportunity is exclusive because we keep our crowds small for one-on-one interaction with the winemakers.

Minnick noted that 17 of this years wineries, are brand new to the Garagiste Festival, including: Bard Clan Wines, Belong Wine Co., Darling Wines, Elaine Wines, Fest Wine Co., Mangels Vineyards, Manzanita Grove Vineyard, Monroy Wines, Moose Mountain Vineyards, Parea Wines, Puppione Family Wines, Stressed Vines Cellars, Sugarloaf Wine Co., The Elkhoury Family Vineyard, Thomas T Thomas Vineyards, Tiny Vineyards Wine Co and Tognetti Family Winery.

The line-up for the 5th annual Garagiste Festival: Northern Exposure includes:



VIP Rare and Reserve Access (1-2pm), featuring library, club only or reserve wines, only being poured during this first hour (VIP tickets only)

Grand Tasting (2pm-5pm) featuring over 40 winemakers pouring150+ wines and 20+ different grape varieties. Includes complimentary cheese and charcuterie, along with delicious food samples from local artisan vendors and a souvenir crystal wine glass.

Silent Wine Auction with proceeds supporting the Garagiste Scholarship at Cal Poly SLO, to help fund the future of California winemaking.

The Northern Exposure festival is the second event of the 2023 Garagiste Festival season, preceded by the sold out Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure in Solvang in February, and followed by The Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure in Los Angeles (June 17) and the OG Festival in Paso Robles (November 10-11). The Garagiste Festival premiered in Paso Robles in 2011 and is the only wine festival that exclusively features high quality wines from commercial California garagiste winemakers. Unlike other festivals, the wines are poured by the winemakers/owners themselves, offering a rare opportunity to interact with the creative forces behind the wines, while making brand new wine discoveries. The festival expanded to the Sonoma region in 2018 to highlight the wines of Sonoma, and surrounding Northern California AVAs.

Among the 40+ winemakers scheduled to pour are:

Alta Orsa Wines, *Bard Clan Wines, *Belong Wine Co., Boonville Road Wines, Burning Bench, Calstar Cellars, Carpenter Wine, Cazadero Winery, Dane Cellars, *Darling Wines, *Elaine Wines, Enriquez Wines, *Fest Wine Co., Fields Family Wines, Forgotten Union Wines, Gondak Cellars, Greyscale Wines, Intent Wines, Kendric Vineyards, Kitson Wines, Lussier Wine Co., *Mangels Vineyards, *Manzanita Grove Vineyard, *Monroy Wines, *Moose Mountain Vineyards, Murder Ridge, Omega Road Winery, *Parea Wines, Perri Jaye Vineyards, Pine Mountain Vineyards, Prima Materia, *Puppione Family Wines, Read Holland Wines, Ricci Vineyards, Rock & Clay Wines, *Stressed Vines Cellars, *Sugarloaf Wine Co., *The Elkhoury Family Vineyard, The Grenachista Wine Co., *Thomas T Thomas Vineyards, *Tiny Vineyards Wine Co and *Tognetti Family Winery.

*New to the festival

For more information and full Garagiste Festival: Northern Exposure schedule details, go to: http://www.garagistefestival.com/

Tickets are limited for Garagiste Festival Northern Exposure. Garagiste Festivals always sell out in advance. To buy tickets, go to: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-garagiste-wine-festival-northern-exposure-tickets-269198980397

For breaking Garagiste Festival news and special discounts, sign-up for our free newsletter, The Dirt, at https://www.garagistefestival.com/garagiste-blog or follow us on Twitter (@GaragisteFest) or Facebook.

Sponsors include:

G3 Enterprises, Bank of Marin, ETS Laboratories, Laffort USA, Digital Dogma, AgWest Farm Credit, mWEBB Communications, Fortis Solutions Group, Glenn Burdette, Sonoma Valley Sun, TricorBraun winepak, WIVI.

For sponsorship info, email nfo@garagistefestival.com.

About The Garagiste Wine Festival

The Garagiste Wine Festival (http://www.garagistefestival.com), named Best of the Fests for 2019 by Fest Forums and the Best Wine Festival in the US in 2018 in USA Todays 10Best Readers Choice Awards, is the first and only wine festival dedicated to the undiscovered and under-recognized American artisan garagiste micro-wineries who are making some of the best, most exciting, handcrafted small-lot production wines in the world. Founded by fellow garagistes Stewart McLennan and Douglas Minnick, the Garagiste Festivals are committed to discovering the best and most innovative limited-production winemakers and promoting and showcasing them to a broad audience of discerning wine consumers. In addition to its flagship annual festival in Paso Robles, CA, the Garagiste Festival line-up includes Garagiste Festival: Southern Exposure, featuring Santa Ynez Valley garagistes; the Garagiste Festival: Urban Exposure, in Los Angeles; the Garagiste Festival, Northern Exposure, in Sonoma; winemaker dinners, a newsletter, garagiste profiles and more.

In addition to being named the US Best Wine Festival, the Garagiste Festival was named one of the Top Nine Incredible Epicurean Vacations in the world by ABC News, one of the premier wine events of the year, by the LA Times and Best Festival by Sunset Magazines Best of the West. The festivals are produced by Garagiste Events, a non-profit dedicated to furthering the education of future winemakers and those training for employment within the wine industry. Proceeds from the festivals support the Garagiste Festival Scholarship fund of the California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo Wine and Viticulture Department.

*Garagiste (garage-east) is a term originally used in the Bordeaux region of France to denigrate renegade small-lot wine makers, sometimes working in their "garages" (anything considered not a chateau), who refused to follow the rules, and is now a full-fledged movement responsible for making some of the best wine in the world. The Garagiste Festivals were the first to shine a light on the American garagiste winemaker in 2011.

Media Contacts:

mWEBB Communications for The Garagiste Festivals

Melanie Webber, Melanie(at)mwebbcom(dot)com,949-307-1723

Elizabeth Johnson, Elizabeth(at)mwebbcom(dot)com, 213-713-4865

[[1]] The Garagiste Wine Festival was named Best of the Fests by Fest Forums and the Best Wine Festival in the US in USA Todays 10Best Readers Choice Awards
W3 Intelligence Research Group Inc., experts in the location and collection of online content supporting the defence of fraudulent insurance claims, announced today that its Social Media and Open Source Investigations was named winner of Corporate Visions 2023 Canadian Business Award. These awards delve into the top industries, regions, executives, and developments spearheading both current and future growth in Canadas dynamic business landscape.

We are very pleased that our Social Media and Open Source Investigations has been recognized as a best in class solution within the private investigation sector said Frank Cutruzzola, President and Director of Cyber Investigations. It is only because of the dedication of our team members across all departments that positions us to impact insurance fraud and intersecting crimes as we do."

Judged by an independent panel of five on client dedication, innovation, business growth, longevity, online reputation, customer feedback and business performance; W3 Intelligence Research Group Inc. has been recognized for leading by the premise of quality and customer experience with their Social Media and Open Source Investigations. With their capabilities having significantly evolved over the years, W3 Intelligence Research Group Inc. continues to add value to the management of insurance claims that have triggered red flags due to potential insurance fraud. This award assures both our team and the clients we serve nationally, that we are on the right path as we continue to expand our impact on insurance fraud into the United States, as well internationally, said Frank Cutruzzola.

About W3 Intelligence Research Group Inc.

Working collaboratively with insurers, industry partners and stakeholders, W3 Intelligence Research Group Inc. employs qualified expert staff along with an infrastructure of processes and technology, to have a direct impact on insurance fraud and protect the consumer.
ATELIER Playa Mujeres was the ideal setting for filming the movie At Midnight, which will give global projection to our brands, as well as to the destination. Commented Vicente Madrigal, Commercial Director of ADH.

In the plot of At Midnight, a Hollywood production made by the Paramount+ international studios in association with Three Amigos, Automatik, and Teorema, the actor Diego Boneta gives life to Alejandro, a hotel manager, and the character of Sophie, played by Monica Barbaro, who is a movie star who discovers that her partner and co-star, Adam (Anders Holm), is cheating on her.

At ATELIER Playa Mujeres, we are beyond proud to be part of projects that, in addition to showcasing the natural beauty of our country, give Mexico a leading role that goes down in the history of cinema. In this sense, ATELIER Playa Mujeres was the ideal setting for filming the movie At Midnight, which will give global projection to our brands, as well as to the destination. This type of proposals and formats are avant-garde, as is our chain, ATELIER de Hoteles, commented Vicente Madrigal, Commercial Director of ADH.

The film will be available on the Paramount+ streaming platform in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Latin America, Brazil, and Italy, in this first release and with subsequent release dates for other international markets, which will be announced later.

For his part, Diego Boneta, the actor and star of the film "At Midnight," mentioned: Filming at the ATELIER Playa Mujeres was a magical experience. The atmosphere that was created in this spectacular resort was an important factor in making our film so special. It has been an experience to remember with lots of love because, without a doubt, the handcrafted hospitality can be perceived at every moment. We are very happy to have found ATELIER de Hoteles as a great ally for this incredible project .

Actions like this allow ATELIER de Hoteles and ATELIER Playa Mujeres to continue their position as a leading company in the industry, consolidating their presence in the national and international markets.

To book stays with the best rates and exclusive benefits at ATELIER Playa Mujeres, you just have to visit the portal https://atelierdehoteles.com and prepare to live a memorable experience.

About:

ATELIER de Hoteles is an innovative and disruptive Mexican hotel chain that was born in 2015, with Mexican art as a differentiating value and common thread of its concepts, which include strategy, passion and commitment. ATELIER de Hoteles offers in its four brands ATELIER, ESTUDIO, OLEO and MET, the concept of Barefoot Luxury, with high standards of service in its properties, currently located in the Cancun Hotel Zone and Playa Mujeres, both in Cancun, Quintana Roo and with upcoming openings projected in the most important beach and business destinations in Mexico.
Savan Group announced the appointment of Dan Albarran as Chief Strategy Officer. Mr. Albarran will help lead Savan Group corporate strategy functions, closely coordinating with President and Chief Executive Officer, Veeral Majmudar. In his new role, Mr. Albarran will have primary responsibility for strategy formulation and management, including developing the corporate strategy, overseeing strategic planning efforts, and leading strategic initiatives, transformation, and technology partnerships to ensure that the company is well-positioned to effectively scale and to ensure financial strength and operating efficiency while maximizing the enterprise value of the firm.

He will be responsible for managing critical aspects of the firms strategy implementation, including supporting the companys growth by developing the firms data and information management-focused technology capabilities and solutions. In addition, Mr. Albarran will also help develop the necessary policies, processes, and tools for advancement and compliance; maintain efficient team structures and performance through analytics; and work with the leadership team to develop plans to meet future needs.

While Dan has been a long-time leader in our company as our Chief Technology Officer for the last several years, this transition to the Chief Strategy Officer role is a natural and well-deserved appointment. I am truly excited about what Dan will accomplish given his expertise and strong understanding of our firms vision, mission, and growth plans, said President and CEO, Veeral Majmudar. More importantly, he has proven himself to be a natural leader and mentor throughout his career, which is something that our entire firm will greatly benefit from in his new role.

Mr. Albarran is eager to help Savan Group grow. I am thrilled to serve Savan Group as Chief Strategy Officer at a pivotal and exciting time when the governmental digital ecosystem is becoming increasingly complex. Savan Group has a vital role in enhancing the value of data and information to improve the American experience and maximize impact. I am honored by the opportunity to continue building on the companys strategic mission and success.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

About Savan Group

Savan Group, LLC is a data and information management-focused firm that is a trusted partner to public sector clients, helping them solve their most critical data challenges with sustainable success that is uniquely tailored to their environment. Savan Group is headquartered in Vienna, Virginia
Summit BHC, a leading national provider of behavioral health and addiction treatment services headquartered in Franklin, has promoted Daniel Krasner and Kim Brady to key leadership positions within the company and has announced two new additions to the management team.

Hiring and promoting the right talent is a critical element of Summit's continued growth and success, said Brent Turner, CEO of Summit BHC. These leaders have consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to the communities we serve, and their expertise is essential to our organization. We are proud of the leadership team weve assembled and look forward to their continued contributions to improve the lives we touch.

"Daniel Krasner has been named Chief Marketing Officer for Summit, after previously serving as the Executive Vice President of Business Development. During his tenure, Krasner spearheaded several successful business development initiatives, including the growth of the alumni department, and the veteran services department. In his new role as CMO, Krasner will lead and implement Summit's overall marketing strategy, with a focus on continuing the company's growth trajectory and increasing its visibility in the marketplace.

Kim Brady has been named Chief Human Resources Officer for Summit. In her previous role as Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Brady expanded the Human Resources department to support the rapid growth of the company. Brady led the selection and recent implementation of a new human resource management and payroll system, which has streamlined processes and improved employee satisfaction. Brady will continue to oversee the growth and development of the Human Resources department, ensuring that Summit attracts and retains top talent.

Summit has also recruited John Flanagan and Jeanne Sands to the leadership team.

John Flanagan, Vice President of Development, joined Summit in December 2022. Flanagan brings leadership in strategy, planning, and growth guidance for substance use disorder initiatives. He has more than 30 years of experience in developing and expanding behavioral health systems and networks, as well as opening new inpatient facilities and outpatient programs with a national footprint. Above all, Flanagan recognizes Summits commitment to deliver quality, evidence-based treatment, and care to the communities we serve.

Jeanne Sands also joined Summit in December 2022 and serves as the Chief Information Officer. She has developed leading healthcare technology solutions and has assembled high-performing teams for more than 20 years. Most recently, Sands served a large health system delivering key digital, EHR, imaging, and system strategies while improving the patient and clinician experience. She was also key in responding to the technology challenges raised by COVID in healthcare settings. She leads by example, anticipating future needs, focusing on the future, and governing the present.

About Summit

Headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee and founded in 2013, Summits mission is to develop and operate a network of leading behavioral health hospitals and addiction treatment centers throughout the country while improving all the lives we touch. The Companys primary focus is on the provision of psychiatric services and substance use disorder treatment within a flexible, compassionate, and dynamic continuum of care. The leadership team at Summit is composed of senior executives with decades of combined experience in the behavioral healthcare industry at the national level. The Company currently owns and operates 33 freestanding facilities nationwide.
The opportunity to eventually cut up to 3 gigatons of CO2 annually in one of the most underserved markets of the clean energy transition  heavy industry  was too important for me to pass by. -Bryan Guido Hassin, DexMat CEO

DexMat, a climate tech startup that grew out of materials science breakthroughs at Rice University, today announced the close of its seed round, totaling nearly $3 million in funding. Shell Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Shell committed to accelerating the energy and mobility transformation, led the investment round, joined by Overture Ventures, Climate Avengers, another global energy company, and several individuals. DexMats flagship product is GalvornTM, a family of high-performance carbon materials that have the potential to displace steel, aluminum, copper, carbon fibers, Kevlar, and other CO2-intensive materials. Galvorn products can eventually displace up to 3 gigatons of hard-to-abate industrial CO2 emissions from the global economy annually, according to a life cycle analysis (LCA) conducted with Shell.

In tandem with its seed round, DexMat also welcomes Bryan Guido Hassin  previously a member of DexMats board of directors  as its new CEO. Hassin has led multiple climate-tech startups through rapid growth, most recently cofounding Third Derivative and leading it to become the worlds largest climate-tech innovation ecosystem. DexMats previous CEO, Dmitri Tsentalovich, Ph.D., steps into the role of CTO, where his deep background in engineering, carbon, manufacturing, and product development will inform the companys ongoing technology evolution.

High-performance Galvorn is an advanced carbon nanomaterial that can be formed into yarns, cables, tapes, woven fabrics, composites, and three-dimensional structures for use in a wide range of industries and applications, including energy, automotive, aviation, and wearables. Its high strength, ultra-light weight, conductivity, flexibility, corrosion resistance, and other properties make it a superior alternative to traditional materials such as steel, aluminum, copper, carbon fiber, and Kevlar. DexMat has seen its revenue from commercial sales of Galvorn products nearly double annually since the companys inception.

Before joining DexMat, as CEO of Third Derivative, I was introduced to easily over 2,000 innovative new concepts and technologies. DexMats solution was one of the most impactful I came across, which is precisely why Im so excited to be joining the team, said Hassin. The opportunity to eventually cut up to 3 gigatons of CO2 annually in one of the most underserved markets of the clean energy transition  heavy industry  was too important for me to pass by.

Galvorn is a high-performance, advanced material created using carbon nanotubes (CNTs). It presents a climate-positive opportunity on two fronts: 1) in the production process, carbon is 'locked' into the Galvorn material structure as a form of long-term carbon storage, and 2) Galvorn displaces carbon-intensive materials such as steel, aluminum, and copper. In the near term, feedstocks for creating Galvorn include methane, including renewable natural gas and biogas, as well as other hydrocarbons. This prevents potent GHGs such as methane from entering the atmosphere, and diverts hydrocarbon fuels from combustion, so they don't release carbon into the atmosphere. In the longer term, as carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies such as direct air capture (DAC) mature and scale, Galvorn can create a lucrative market for these carbon streams and become even more carbon negative.

DexMat presents an opportunity to capture methane, an abundant and inexpensive resource, and use it to replace materials such as steel, aluminum, and copper with a more sustainable option. We are excited to be part of DexMats journey going forward and to realize their ambitions, said Aimee LaFleur, investment principal at Shell.

"The world's net zero future is entirely dependent on electrifying everything and decarbonizing the built environment. Metals like copper and steel sit at the heart of these trillion-dollar markets, and DexMat's technology promises carbon-negative, lighter, and stronger versions of what we currently mine and melt. Companies like this can help cement America's leadership in the most important transition of our lifetimes, said Shomik Dutta, co-founder and managing partner at Overture Ventures.

If we want to give a 1.5-degree future a real shot, we need revolution, not evolution  but we cant electrify everything without finding a better, less expensive way to produce metal conductors. We chose to back DexMat because we believe their technology is capable of powering the energy transition with conductors made of a material we have in great abundance  carbon, said Nico Johnson, venture partner at Climate Avengers and founder of SunCast Media

I have backed DexMat because I am impressed with a team poised to bring its vision of a new low-carbon steel alternative to reality. Galvorn itself is an exponential technology in terms of its potential applications. DexMats success will prove that we can decarbonize our economy while delivering on an equitable prosperity, said Azeem Azhar, founder of Exponential View.

DexMat was founded to commercialize breakthroughs in the manufacturing of advanced carbon nanomaterials, based on technology originally developed in the Rice University laboratory of co-founder Professor Matteo Pasquali. The company was built on more than $20 million in non-dilutive funding, with Rice University included in the list of original investors. Grants from the Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), and the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded early research and development for high-performance applications in aerospace and wearables. ARPA-E is funding research on process intensification and cost reduction. DexMat is the exclusive licensee of multiple Rice university patents, including from the original collaboration between Prof. Pasquali and the late Nobel laureate Rick Smalley.

To learn more about DexMat, visit http://www.dexmat.com or email mailto:info@dexmat.com [info@dexmat.com __title__ null].

###

About DexMat

At DexMat, were a climate tech moonshot company that believes carbon is the problem  and the solution. Thats because our flagship material, Galvorn, is made entirely of carbon! We transform hydrocarbons, renewable fuels, and captured carbon into a Space Age material that vastly outperforms traditional alternatives like steel, aluminum, and copper.

Its the promise of science fiction made into reality, thanks to research by Professor Matteo Pasquali and his team at Rice University  refined and commercialized with support from Shell Ventures, the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the United States Air Force, ARPA-E, and others.

When adopted at scale across industries such as power, aviation, and automotive, Galvorn represents a multi-gigaton carbon reduction impact by creating the building blocks necessary for a cleaner economy.
In partnership with Rainbow Boosters and Pune Properties, Kuma Foundation will create a fully functioning computer lab in the remote village of Pune, India - providing computers, a computer teacher, and digital literacy curriculum to get 187 boys and girls from all grade levels online.

Kuma Foundation, a non-profit organization built on the principle that all kids deserve a chance at a high-tech future, is taking its work further by setting in motion a plan to build a STEAM lab and provide STEAM education at a rural school on the outskirts of Pune, India - a small village about 90 miles outside of Mumbai. In partnership with Rainbow Boosters and Pune Properties, Kuma Foundation will create a fully functioning computer lab, provide a computer teacher and digital literacy curriculum, and get 187 boys and girls from all grade levels online.

The digital divide is perpetuating inequalities that already divide countries and communities, and young people from the poorest households in rural and lower income regions often fall behind their peers, being left with very little opportunity to catch up. Students cannot develop necessary technical abilities unless they have access to the internet, and digital literacy requires special attention in schools and colleges.

Lack of connectivity doesnt just limit young peoples ability to connect online - it prevents them from competing in the modern economy, it isolates them from the world, and it causes them to lose out on education. The students at this school are falling behind, and their families cannot afford the more resourced schools in the area.

Schools are an ideal starting point for fostering the technological acumen that will allow them to thrive professionally in adulthood. It is our hope that building this computer lab will empower the students with foundational computer proficiency, increased computer and digital literacy, and increased interest in furthering their education, says Ray Kimble, Founder and Chairman of the Kuma Foundation.

Construction has begun, and the lab will open in Pune, India on June 27, 2023.

###

ABOUT KUMA FOUNDATION

Although STEAM careers are among the fastest-growing and highest-paying jobs out there, there are significant gender, racial, and socioeconomic gaps in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. As we move into an ever more technological future, we must ensure that all students are prepared to thrive in the future workforce. At the KUMA Foundation, we are committed to ensuring that all students - regardless of gender, race or zip code - have access to essential STEAM skills. Our programs are designed to empower kids with the tools theyll need to succeed in the 21st century. Visit https://www.kumacares.org/ to learn more.
Ionic Partners Names John Jonson Principal, Capital Formation The combination of finding the right companies along with Ionics specialized focus and expertise is a unique and highly appealing value proposition to many, and I'm incredibly excited to join and contribute

Ionic Partners ("Ionic") announced today that John Jonson has joined the firm to lead Ionic's capital formation efforts, bringing his decades of experience as a leader in fundraising, investment entity structuring, and business development.

We created Ionic to bring to bear world class software and technology expertise to an untapped part of the market. As we are now poised to apply our teams experience and skills to a targeted and significant opportunity set, we are thrilled to have someone of Johns extensive background and deep relationships on board to help enable this inflection point," said Donald Park, Co-Founder & President of Ionic Partners. He added, "John has a proven track record of translating unique manager strategies across various industries for major institutions and family offices. As we expand our offering to investors across both the equity and credit spectrum, John will be an essential addition to our team."

Translating top tier investment strategies to all types of investors has been a gratifying experience during my career. Having been an allocator for family offices as well as a university endowment, I understand and enjoy the substantial process in finding optimal fits, said Jonson.

He added Donald and Andy have created at Ionic an exceptional team at an opportune time. With experienced, discerning, and steady hands on the wheel, they and their team have become one of the most stellar emerging software managers in one of the most attractive investment spaces for the coming decade. The combination of finding the right companies along with Ionics specialized focus and expertise is a unique and highly appealing value proposition to many, and I'm incredibly excited to join and contribute."

Jonson joins Ionic as its third Principal, joining Audrey Pang and Tanner Cerand who joined the firm from Vista Equity Partners and focus on Operations and Origination, respectively. Prior to joining Ionic, John served as Head of Capital Formation at Pantera Capital, the first blockchain hedge and venture fund in the United States and considered one of the pre-eminent firms in the space. While at Pantera, John led the successful raise of the $1.3B Blockchain Fund. Prior to that, John was a Managing Director at Lyrical Partners from 2013 to 2020, where he led the single and multi-family office, university endowment and institutional capital formation efforts, and also helped source, diligence and manage the firms venture investments. Before Lyrical, John was a co-founding Managing Principal of Capricorn Investment Group, originally the single-family office for Jeff Skoll, the first president of eBay. John served as Capricorns Chief Operating Officer and led Strategic Business Development for Capricorn and its affiliates. During his tenure, the firm was an early investor in Tesla, VitaminWater, SpaceX, TrueCar, HeartFlow, and Yammer.

John received a BA in Public Policy from Duke University and an MBA with high honors from the International Business Program at the Moore School at the University of South Carolina, with a focus on Japanese finance. He has served on the University Endowments Investment Oversight Committee since 2009.

About Ionic Partners

Ionic Partners brings together over 50 years of global software industry expertise as both operators and investors. The company is led by Andy Tryba and Donald Park, formerly of ESW Capital and Vista Equity Partners, respectively. Ionic has experience investing in businesses as entrepreneurs from startup to growth stage, to IPO and Fortune 500-scale. They have also been advisers and partners to management teams and boards. Ionic acquires recurring revenue software businesses and creates value through a proven operating model, a dedicated team of software operators and executives, and change management experts with deep experience in building world-class culture, processes, and successful outcomes.

For more information, visit http://www.IonicPartners.com.
We are excited to welcome Daniel into our executive team. His skills and experience as an exceptional collaborator and strategist will be a great addition to Sentrillion, says President Brannon Donlon.

The Sentrillion Corporation is proud to announce and welcome Daniel Dreyfus as the company's Vice President of Strategic Growth and Business Development. Daniel will lead Sentrillion's strategic growth initiatives by, strengthening existing and developing new, key relationships with agency stakeholders, strategic partners, and suppliers. He will lead the acceleration of growth through the launch of new relevant services by leveraging existing products and services to maximize efficiencies and continue Sentrillions hallmark of exceeding customer expectations. We are excited to welcome Daniel into our executive team. His skills and experience as an exceptional collaborator and strategist will be a great addition to Sentrillion, says President Brannon Donlon.

Daniel has more than 25 years of government and commercial consulting experience. Most recently, Daniel was Ernst & Youngs (EY) Global Customs Leader for the Government and Public Sector (GPS) practice. Daniel established EYs Global Customs Community of Practice (CCoP), creating a framework and internal professional network for collaboration, business development and delivery. The CCoP combined the extensive experience and innovative capabilities of EYs commercial Global Trade and Supply Chain together with the public sector teams around the world to drive business and innovative solutions for Customs administrations.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) with double degrees in Linguistics and Spanish from Lawrence University, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in International Finance from The American University. Daniel is fluent in Spanish, is a certified PMP, and is a long-time member of the Project Management Institute (PMI). He is a member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of Border Patrol Foundation and a member of the Trade Committee of the National Foreign Trade Council.

For greater than a quarter of a century, Sentrillion has been helping secure Americas borders and safeguarding national assets. Our full-lifecycle security solutions are critical to protecting the nation and its citizens. Whether protecting our nations borders, seaports, and airports or securing critical facilities, assets, and systems  weve got it covered.
Today Halcyon Financial Technology, L.P. (HalcyonFT), announces that it has been recognized by WealthTech Americas Awards as Best Implementation/Partner (US) of 2023. Now in its second year, the annual award program recognizes outstanding organizations that are deemed by a prestigious panel to have demonstrated innovation and excellence.

WealthTechs prestigious global award programs celebrate the achievements of the wealth management, private client and niche family office sectors. The WealthBriefing WealthTech Americas Awards recognize and celebrate the technology partners servicing the wealth management industry. HalcyonFTs award in the Consultancy & Training Category is a tangible demonstration of the value of the firms services and notable achievements, as well as an opportunity to showcase top-class performance and innovation.

HalcyonFT leverages decades of experience in the financial services industry to anticipate the technology needs of new and established firms, said HalcyonFT Founder and Managing Partner, Rodric OConnor. Its an honor to be recognized by WealthTech for delivering innovative solutions that maximize reliability and data security in an ever-evolving technology landscape for our wealth management and family office clients.

We are honored by this award, which recognizes our focus on excelling in each implementation for our clients, said HalcyonFT Founder and Managing Partner, Rodric OConnor. We embrace the opportunity to serve as true partners with our clients, ensuring that our goals and objectives are aligned throughout each implementation.

Based in San Francisco, HalcyonFT provides technology to private equity, hedge fund, investment management firms, and family offices with an aggregate AUM of more than $320 billion. Through outsourced IT, HalcyonFT serves as an internal IT team and Chief Information Security Officer for clients, becoming a true implementation partner. In this way, HalcyonFT helps its clients identify and implement best practices that propel their success.

ClearView Financial Medias CEO, and Publisher of WealthBriefing, Stephen Harris, was first to extend his congratulations to all the winners. He said, The organizations and individuals who triumphed in these awards are all worthy winners, and I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to the winners and to those who have put so much work into each winning submission.

These awards were independently and expertly judged solely on the basis of entrants submissions and their response to a number of specific questions, which were answered by focusing on the client experience rather than purely quantitative performance metrics, explained Mr. Harris. These awards recognize the very best operators in Americas wealth management, with independence, integrity, and genuine insight the watchwords of the judging process, such that the awards truly reflect excellence in Americas wealth management.

WealthTech, published by ClearView Financial Media, presents all the 2023 award winners, including HalcyonFT, online at https://clearviewpublishing.com/events/the-second-annual-wealthbriefing-wealthtech-americas-awards-2023/.

About Halcyon Financial Technology

Halcyon Financial Technology, L.P. (HalcyonFT), is an information technology services firm founded in 2010 by industry veteran Rodric OConnor. Focused exclusively on serving financial services firms, HalcyonFT delivers outsourced IT solutions with a comprehensive understanding of industry trends, challenges and expectations. HalcyonFT offers an unparalleled degree of professional IT service encompassing top-level strategic leadership from an award-winning CTO, along with deep knowledge and focus of all staff in the specific requirements of the financial services industry. For more information, please visit http://www.halcyonft.com.

About ClearView Financial Media Ltd (ClearView)

ClearView Financial Media was founded by Chief Executive, Stephen Harris in 2004, to provide high quality need to know information for the discerning private client community. London-based, but with a truly global focus, ClearView publishes the WealthBriefing group of newswires, along with research reports and newsletters, while also running a pan-global thought-leadership events and awards program.
Social and environmental performance is critical even in an economy with rising cost of living. Now more than ever, if brands want to retain and win consumers, they must stand for something."

US Food and Grocery (F&G) brands take note - missing the mark on sustainability comes with a higher cost than ever before. One-in-two consumers have changed F&G brands based on environmental, social or governance considerations, with the number rising to seven in ten among Millennials, according to the 2023 US Brand Sustainability Benchmark Report.

The report, produced by research technology company Glow with global information services company NIQ, provides sustainability benchmarks for the US Food and Grocery Industry through NIQ data and Glows proprietary measure Social Responsibility Score (SRS). The SRS assesses consumer perceptions of brand Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance and is based on 33,000 respondents and their views on over 150 brands collected from April to December 2022.

The Benchmark shows that consumers are changing brands to better align with their values, and are switching to brands with the strongest perceived sustainability credentials at twice the rate of the average brand. One-in-two consumers have changed F&G brands based on ESG considerations, with the number rising to seven-in-ten among Millennials.

Based on this behavior, its little surprise that consumers have high expectations of brands, with 85% believing that its important for businesses to act responsibly when it comes to society and the environment. More than one in three expressed that its very important for businesses to do so with this number rising to almost four in ten for Gen Z and Millennials consumers.

As exhibited by brand switching behavior, sustainability is a significant decision-driver, as one in five consumers rank sustainability as a top three decision criteria, with one-in-ten millennials rating sustainability as their most important decision criteria in selecting F&G brands, above price and quality.

It is vitally important for companies to contribute to supporting society and the planet. And there is a growing body of evidence that doing so is more than the right thing to do, it is good for business, says Julia Collins, Founder & CEO, Planet FWD. This report provides further evidence from Glow and NIQ that those who are leading in consumers' minds are already reaping the commercial benefits and are best placed for future success.

Two separate studies by Glow, based on over $1 trillion in annual sales data, identified a positive relationship between ESG credibility, as measured by SRS, and revenue growth. A two point increase in SRS equates to an additional one percentage point increase in revenue growth.

Across all F&G departments, sustainability efforts from brands can reduce the risk of consumers trading down, as the report found that across seven out of the 10 departments measured, at least one in 10 consumers reported sustainability as the main reason they are not trading down in that area.

Social and environmental performance is critical even in an economy with rising cost of living. Now more than ever, if brands want to retain and win consumers, they must stand for something," comments Mike Johnston, Managing Director Data Products, Glow. All consumers are looking for ways to save money. They will need a compelling reason why they shouldn't walk away from your brand for a cheaper alternative! Along with quality, sustainability is a key barrier to change, especially for Millennials.

Overall, the F&G industry was seen to be a leader in ESG practice, ranked second out of 20 industries measured in the research behind supermarkets/convenience stores.

However, while brands are pushing efforts forward, there remains a gap between consumer expectation and industry delivery. The industrys biggest opportunity to improve perception is by addressing key environmental concerns including reducing emissions and climate change and respecting and protecting natural resources as well as demonstrating strong corporate governance by taking care of supplier welfare.

Consumers want to hear about what brands are doing to support people and the planet. And they want that information through credible sources, including close to point of purchase: on-pack and through digital discovery on retailer sites, expresses Sherry Frey, VP Total Wellness, NIQ. Brands doing that well can be seen as sustainability leaders and reap the benefits in terms of growth.

The most socially and environmentally responsible brands for consumers according to the report are:



Dawn

Seventh Generation

Love, Beauty & Planet

Band-Aid

Dove (body care)

Kleenex

Cheerios

Lysol

Dettol

Quaker

Download the report to discover:



What is driving switching behavior

Which consumer groups are most active in switching

Which food & grocery brands are seen as sustainability leaders (top 20)

How the top brands made the list

How sustainability is good for business growth

What environmental, social and governance (ESG) areas brands must address to win

Where brands should communicate their ESG story to drive impact

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To stay up to date with Glow, follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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Media Enquiries:

High quality images are available for download here. For more information, or to arrange an interview with Mike Johnston, Managing Director Data Products at Glow please contact glow@sourcecodecomms.com

About Glow:

Glow is a research technology (restech) company founded in Australia, with offices in the UK, Hong Kong and the US.

Glow is on a mission to make consumer research faster, more transparent and accessible so that businesses can make better decisions that fuel their growth and support their customers, stakeholders and the planet. It is a proud member of the data for good movement which encourages businesses to use data to help better the world.

Glow used its own platform to develop the IP and features for the SRS product, demonstrating how the platform can be used to gather, package and present quality data products.
Nissan and Acerta Demo Day Feb 2023 Nissan recognizes the strength in Ontarios thriving automotive ecosystem and expertise in AI and manufacturing. We worked with Acerta to accelerate development of this technology. Were excited to continue our partnership. Kazuhiro Doi, Nissan Corporate VP / Alliance Global VP Research Division

Acerta Analytics  provider of manufacturing technology and Industry 4.0 solutions for the automotive industry  is pleased to announce the completion of a specialized platform of predictive machine learning models developed with Nissan, Japan. The project was funded in part through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI).

Acerta's custom analytics solution detects subtle anomalies in vehicle data to predict a potential failure within an engine component. Additionally, it estimates the remaining distance that the vehicle can travel before it needs to warn the driver.

Nissan wanted a predictive analytics solution that would contribute to fewer unexpected repairs and ultimately help their customers save money, said Greta Cutulenco, CEO at Acerta.

Nissan elected to start research into the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence (ML/AI) to predict engine failures and initially focused on fuel injection failures because fuel injectors are essential parts in vehicles with internal combustion engines. Without AI, failures are extremely difficult to detect ahead of time.

Nissan and Acerta shared the innovative technology at a demonstration in Waterloo on February 23, 2023. Watch this Nissan and Acerta Failure Prediction Analytics Demonstration Day video to see some highlights from the event.

Nissan recognizes the strength in Ontarios thriving automotive ecosystem combined with expertise in AI and manufacturing. We worked with Acerta to accelerate the development of this new technology for our vehicles to bring future tangible benefits to our customers, and were excited to continue our partnership, said Kazuhiro Doi, Nissan corporate vice president and Alliance Global VP, Research Division. He visited from Japan to attend the demo event.

Honourable Victor Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, announced the collaboration at the ribbon-cutting for the Electric City OVIN Corner at the 2023 Canadian International AutoShow on February 16.

The $1.36M CAD project was made possible in part with support from the Government of Ontario through the OVIN R&D Partnership Funds C/AV & Smart Mobility program, led by OCI. The project received $344,000 and a further $1.016M in industry contributions.

OCI is helping to shape the future of automotive in Ontario and to drive the adoption and deployment of new technologies on our roads and in our vehicles. The Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network supports innovative companies like Acerta to partner with global leaders like Nissan so we can enable safer, cleaner, and more accessible transportation in our province, said Raed Kadri, Head of OVIN.

About Acerta

Forged from industrial experience and driven by data science, Acerta assists precision manufacturers to take their digital transformation beyond manually crunching sensor data. Our ML/AI-powered software services enable companies to make the right decisions fast, optimize production, and improve product quality. We translate complex product data into actionable insights. Founded in 2017, Acerta Analytics Solutions Inc. is based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

About Nissan

Nissan is a global car manufacturer that sells a full line of vehicles under the Nissan and INFINITI brands. For more information about Nissans products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit nissan-global.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube. Nissan Canada Inc. (NCI) is the Canadian sales, marketing and distribution subsidiary of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., situated in Mississauga, Ontario.

About OVIN

The Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) is an initiative of the Government of Ontario, led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), designed to reinforce Ontarios position as a North American leader in advanced automotive technology and smart mobility solutions such as connected vehicles, autonomous vehicles and electric and low-carbon vehicle technologies. Through resources such as research and development (R&D) support, talent and skills development, technology acceleration, business and technical supports, and demonstration grounds, OVIN provides a competitive advantage to Ontario-made automotive and mobility technology companies.
We are proud to be recognized by e.Republic again for our marketing departments achievements in communicating our customers success.

SimpliGov, the leader in government workflow automation, is proud to announce that it has earned the first-ever SLEDIE Award in the Best Overall Marketing category. The inaugural SLED Industry Excellence Awards (a.k.a., the SLEDIEs) were created by media, events, research and data company e.Republic to recognize the best marketing and communication initiatives in the state, local and education markets.

SimpliGovs no-code, integrated digital forms, workflow automation and eSignature solution is integral to states, counties and cities efforts to deliver digital services to citizens and be nimbler and more responsive to their communities needs. The SLEDIE Award validates the companys success in communicating the value its broad array of constituent-facing and internal, administrative use cases bring to agencies, cities and counties in every region of the country.

It takes more than just world-class products and functionality to make an impact in the public sector; it is equally important to convey how those solutions help our customers deliver a better experience for constituents and employees alike with unmatched time-to-value, said Gary Leikin, CEO of SimpliGov. We are proud to be recognized by e.Republic again for our marketing departments achievements in communicating our customers success.

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 presented in person at the annual Beyond the Beltway conference in Tysons Corner, Va. on Feb. 23. In January, e.Republic named SimpliGov to its prestigious GovTech 100 list for the third straight year. For more information, please visit http://www.simpligov.com.

About Us:

SimpliGov is the leading government workflow automation, secure digital forms and electronic signature platform. SimpliGov empowers state and local governments to automate manual, repetitive workflows, accelerate and optimize business processes, and improve experiences for both employees and constituents. SimpliGov easily integrates with existing system infrastructure, and the no-code intuitive platform includes SimpliSign, the e-signature solution thats purpose-built for the government from SimpliGov.
The BIPOC housing fund will infuse capital into minority-led organizations that have been denied wealth-building opportunities for far too long, said Cindy Holler, President and CEO of Community Housing Capital.

Today, Community Housing Capital (CHC) announced a $34 million fund to increase access to affordable housing for people of color. The CHC BIPOC Affordable Housing Development Fund (BIPOC Fund) is initially made possible by a $17 million commitment from Arnold Ventures, with another $17 million coming from CHCs own capital. With this commitment, CHC aims to address racial inequality in the housing market across 12 southern states plus Washington, DC, and reduce the racial wealth gap.

The racial wealth gap is wide and persistent. More than 50 years after the Civil Rights movement, the typical U.S. Black and Latino families possessed $24,100 and $36,050 in wealth, respectively, while the typical white family had $189,100. Housing security and housing affordability are impediments to building wealth for Black, Indigenous, and other families of color, some of whom have been excluded from homeownership and are more likely to be renters. BIPOC families ability to build wealth is more likely to be harmed during economic downturns, such as the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008 which wiped out half of Black wealth, and the pandemic which widened the racial wealth gap.

The BIPOC Fund will provide capital and strategic guidance to counter the trend through debt financing and prioritizing minority-led non-profit housing developers working in communities of color. It will preserve naturally occurring affordable housing and enable the building of new units for families earning less than 80% of area median income (AMI) across 12 southern states and Washington, DC.

Too often, executives of color are excluded from funding opportunities or receive higher rates than their white counterparts, due to bias and other systemic challenges, said Cindy Holler, President and CEO of Community Housing Capital. The fund will infuse capital into minority-led organizations working in communities of color that have been denied wealth-building opportunities for far too long.

Dana Chestnut, SVP and Chief Lending Officer, said, NeighborWorks organizations across the southern region are aiming to develop $2.4 billion in real estate. However, because of liquidity concerns, they only pledge 1% of that amount, whereas for market-rate housing, developers typically pledge 25% to 30%. We looked at that gap and saw an opportunity to provide early, patient, and debt capital to the communities that would most benefit from it. The BIPOC Fund will offer pre-development loans, land loans, bridge multi-family acquisition loans, and revolving lines of credit.

Arnold Ventures has committed more than $70 million in investment to affordable housing projects since 2021. We believe that developers of color are an essential partner in closing the affordable housing gap in Americaespecially in communities of color, said Chris Hensman, Director of New Programs, Arnold Ventures.

CHC aims to continue to build the BIPOC Fund, eventually expanding its reach beyond southern states and across the U.S. in places where housing affordability remains an acute challenge for families. In addition, CHC will collect data from its borrowers annually to understand its impact and reach.

About Community Housing Capital

Community Housing Capital (CHC) is a 22-year-old Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and 501(c)(3) created to facilitate the creation and preservation of affordable housing. Since 2000, CHC has, through its lending activity, created or preserved over 21,400 units of affordable housing and facilitated $2.9 billion in total development. Community Housing Capital is headquartered in Decatur, Georgia. For more information, visit its website at https://www.communityhousingcapital.org.

About Arnold Ventures

Arnold Ventures is a philanthropy dedicated to tackling some of the most pressing problems in the United States. Driven by a mission to maximize opportunity and minimize injustice, it invests in sustainable change, building it from the ground up based on research, deep thinking, and a strong foundation of evidence. Arnold Ventures is headquartered in Houston, with offices in Washington, D.C., and New York City.
"It doesnt matter if you have a dog, cat, rabbit, bird, fish or reptile, you will be pleasantly delighted by all that has been put in place. The O Zone International Pet Expo really is more than an expo.its an experience."

Tens of thousands are expected to converge upon the Atlanta metropolis May 5-7, 2023 for the O Zone International Pet Expo. Held at the Georgia International Convention Center (GICC), located at 2000 Convention Center Concourse in College Park, this unique experience for pet lovers and suppliers will be amazingly unforgettable. The expo will offer a plethora of attractions to include a pet fashion show, celebrity pop-ins, grooming competitions, onsite shopping from hundreds of vendors, home shopping network, free self-pet washing stations, pet education, a childrens station, and so much more. Attendees will also have the opportunity to have their photos taken with their pets in front of luxury cars, thanks to Dream Exotics, an event sponsor. This warm and fuzzy experience promises not to disappoint.

We are beyond elated to bring the O Zone International Pet Expo to the Atlanta area, states Maria Lee-Driver, the events visionary. We have something for everybody, and were not simply talking cats and dogs. It doesnt matter if you have a dog, cat, rabbit, bird, fish or reptile, you will be pleasantly delighted by all that has been put in place. The O Zone International Pet Expo really is more than an expo.its an experience. Maria was inspired to host the event at the encouragement of Virginia-based pet enthusiast, Waldron Tony Lee, owner of Pet Zone in Gloucester and Yorktown. Lee also happens to be her cousin. I would not have done this without him asking, she adds. Our mutual love for pets brings a lot to this arena.

When it comes to all things pets and business, Maria Lee-Driver is no novice. The serial entrepreneur is the mastermind behind Fresh Mink PetsO, an all-natural pet deodorizing line featuring four products: pet perfume, moisturizing shampoo and conditioner as well as natural sage. In the summer of 2021, she received an invitation to attend SuperZoo in Las Vegas to display her line. In so doing, she made history as the only African American participant at the conference of 1,000 attendees. Maria later discovered she was the first African American to have a national line of pet products. Her business acumen caught the attention of Chewy.com, an online retailer of pet food and other pet-related products, who was so impressed that they offered her the opportunity to carry Fresh Mink PetsO products on their platform. Additionally, Lee-Driver has a track record of running several successful businesses for more than 30 years.

Registration, exhibitor opportunities and other information on the O Zone International Pet Expo is available at http://www.ozonepetexpo.com.
We have seen that the technology solutions from AML RightSource will bring accuracy, efficiency, and consistency to our compliance program and help our existing team keep pace. - Joseph Harrison, SVP and Chief Compliance Officer for Golden 1 Credit Union

AML RightSource, the leading provider of Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Know Your Customer (KYC), and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) compliance solutions, announced it has signed a three-year technology agreement with Golden 1 Credit Union, the sixth-largest credit union in the United States. Golden 1 selected AML RightSource technology solutions to mitigate risk, automate investigations, and more efficiently meet AML compliance requirements.

As a result of rapid growth and on-going expansion, Golden 1 sought AI-enabled technology to augment its existing compliance team and boost the efficiency of its enhanced due diligence (EDD) and transaction monitoring efforts. Golden 1 will deploy these AML RightSource solutions to automate its financial crime compliance efforts:



AML RightSource Automated EDD is an AI-powered solution that automates periodic risk reviews using a financial institutions customer data as well as screening corporate registries, adverse media, PEP/SOE, watchlists, and more. The solution also screens transactions to spot anomalous activity and produces algorithmic risk scores for focal entities and their counterparties, dynamically determining customer risk segmentation based on a financial institutions specific risk definitions. The solution presents its findings to AML investigators in highly explainable High-Risk Entity Reports (HRERs) that provide key details including auto-generated case narratives. By reviewing HRERs, investigators can accurately assess and report on significantly more cases each day.

AML RightSource AI Automated Investigator solution automates the investigation of alerts produced by transaction monitoring systems (TMS). In addition to handling alert investigations at much higher volumes and levels of consistency, investigative results are made fully transparent through AML RightSource Financial Crime Investigation Reports (FCIR), enabling investigators time and talents to be applied to more cases, particularly those that involve the most complex financial crime. FCIRs include the supporting documentation needed to efficiently analyze cases and to create suspicious activity reports (SARs) when indicated.

Golden 1 is a longstanding customer of AML RightSource for both financial crime advisory and managed services. It has relied on AML RightSource for FinCrime compliance tasks ranging from TMS selection to supplementing in-house financial crime investigators when alerts surged, or in-house staffing shifted. With the addition of AML RightSource technology, Golden 1 is anticipating a 50% efficiency increase for customer risk reviews and TMS alert investigations.

In 2023, Golden 1 Credit Union is focused on making our compliance operations more efficient through AI-enabled automation, explained Joseph Harrison, Sr. Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for Golden 1 Credit Union. We have seen that the technology solutions from AML RightSource will bring accuracy, efficiency, and consistency to our compliance program and help our existing team keep pace as we continue to grow and mature, and compliance demands escalate.

With AML RightSource solutions operating in a secured cloud environment, the IT and compliance teams at Golden 1 appreciate the ease and speed of implementation. In initial demonstrations, the IT team found data extraction to be both secure and streamlined. Golden 1 expects to be fully operational with both AML RightSource solutions in less than 90 days.

We are excited to bring effective solutions to Golden 1 and other financial institutions dedicated to strengthening AML compliance through innovation, explained David McLaughlin, Executive Vice President of Technology Sales at AML RightSource. Our AI-powered solutions will reduce Golden 1 investigators need to manually sift through multiple databases and websites to determine customer risk and to clear false positives. Financial crime investigators can now evolve from researchers desperately unearthing relevant data into insightful analysts, with AML/BSA outcomes becoming more consistent.

With more than $18 billion in assets and 2,200 employees, Golden 1 is one of the largest and most admired credit unions in the United States, proudly serving more than one million members. Golden 1 delivers financial solutions with value, convenience, and exceptional service to its members, and is committed to enhancing the financial well-being of Californians and their diverse communities.

About AML RightSource, LLC

AML RightSource is the leading technology-enabled managed services firm focused on fighting financial crime for our clients and the world. AML RightSource provides custom solutions to financial institutions, FinTechs, money service businesses, and corporations. Using a blend of highly trained anti-financial crime professionals, cutting-edge technology tools, and industry-leading consultants, AML RightSource assists clients with their AML/BSA, transaction monitoring, client onboarding (KYC), enhanced due diligence (EDD), and risk management needs. We support clients in meeting day-to-day compliance tasks, urgent projects, and strategic changes. Our global staff of more than 4,000 highly trained analysts and subject matter experts is the industrys largest group of full-time compliance professionals. AML RightSource is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. With our clients across the globe, we are Reimagining Compliance. For more information, visit http://www.amlrightsource.com.
The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is pleased to announce the 2023 Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellows in American Art. This year, the program recognizes seven exceptional doctoral candidates and their projects on American art and visual culture. The program is made possible by the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation.

The Luce/ACLS program supports early-career scholars as they pursue dissertations on the history of the visual arts of the United States, including all facets of Native American art, with a particular focus on elevating voices, perspectives, and subjects that have been historically underrepresented in the academy. This years fellows represent diverse backgrounds, institutions, and fields of study including art history, visual studies, communications and media studies, and anthropology. The 2023 Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellows in American Art join a community of over 300 past awardees, including some of the country's most distinguished college and university faculty, museum professionals, and leaders in the cultural sector.

ACLS is proud to support this group of promising scholars of art through our continued partnership with the Luce Foundation, said ACLS President Joy Connolly. Their work, which connects the study of American art with disability studies, Indigenous studies, and Chicanx studies, among others, exemplifies how the study of art and visual culture can provide invaluable insights into American history and issues currently facing our society  as well as understanding of the ineffable impact of artworks on human beings.

Among this years awarded projects are a study of Hodinohso:ni' carved combs, intertwining Indigenous methodologies with archaeology, art history, and digital humanities; an examination of the role photography played in the development and practice of US-Korean adoption; and a project on the ways Black women use alternative media to represent themselves outside the stereotypes that dominate mainstream media. In addition to producing written doctoral dissertations, several projects include public-facing research, such as a community-based digital collection, virtual exhibitions, and an online platform for adoptees to connect via archival photographs.

Each fellow will receive $42,000 to support one year of research and writing as well as fellowship-related travel between July 2023 and May 2025. The 2023 fellowship recipients are:



Dusti Bridges, Cornell University, (Re)lating Archaeological Collections: Hodinohso:ni' Art, Colonialist Histories, and Indigenous Futurities in Archaeological Research

Ashley Duffey, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (Re)visioning Kinship: Photographies of U.S.-Korean Adoption since 1953

Sonja Gandert, City University of New York, The Graduate Center, La resolana: Chicano Artistic Imaginaries of Place, Race, and Activism in New Mexico and Texas, 19691985

Emma Kennedy, Northwestern University, Entangled Lives: The Representation of Blackness and Indigeneity in Contemporary Art

Phillippa Pitts, Boston University, Pharmacoepic Dreams: Art and Americas Medical Democracy, 1800-1860

Elizabeth Smith, University of California, Santa Barbara, Build/Live/Work: Artist-Built Environments and the Expanded Vernacular in the Twentieth Century (Ellen Holtzman Fellow)

Meshell Sturgis, University of Washington, The Political Aesthetics of Black Girl Magic: Self-Representation in Alternative Media

Meet the new Luce/ACLS fellows and learn about their research projects.

Since 1992, the Luce/ACLS Dissertation Fellowships in American Art have served to promote the next generation of leaders in the field and advance groundbreaking scholarship in American art history.

Formed a century ago, the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) is a nonprofit federation of 79 scholarly organizations. As the leading representative of American scholarship in the humanities and interpretive social sciences, ACLS upholds the core principle that knowledge is a public good. In supporting its member organizations, ACLS utilizes its $155+ million endowment and $37 million annual operating budget to expand the forms, content, and flow of scholarly knowledge, reflecting our commitment to diversity of identity and experience. ACLS collaborates with institutions, associations, and individuals to strengthen the evolving infrastructure for scholarship. In all aspects of our work, ACLS is committed to principles and practices in support of racial and social justice.

The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to enrich public discourse by promoting innovative scholarship, cultivating new leaders, and fostering international understanding. Established in 1936 by Henry R. Luce, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Time, Inc., the Luce Foundation advances its mission through grantmaking and leadership programs in the fields of Asia, higher education, religion and theology, art, and public policy.
We are excited to recognize Anastasias contributions and are confident she will continue to excel in her new role," said Stephanie Haas, vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for Amerisure.

Amerisure Insurance is pleased to announce the promotion of Anastasia Gale to vice president, assistant general counsel. In her new role, Gale will hold responsibility for leadership in operational key objectives as well as overseeing a team of employees who support with legal matters related to the companys corporate functions.

Throughout her nearly 20 years at Amerisure, Anastasia has offered her knowledgeable expertise and valuable support for numerous corporate and strategic initiatives, said Stephanie Haas, vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for Amerisure. We are excited to recognize Anastasias contributions and are confident she will continue to excel in her new role.

Gale joined Amerisure in 2005 as a legal operations attorney, working primarily on insurance coverage opinions for property & casualty claims in Amerisures operating states. In 2017, Gale transitioned to the corporate legal department to focus on regulatory compliance. Over the next few years, she took on additional responsibilities, including primary legal support to Human Resources, Information Technology, Financial Services, Risk Management, Agency Distribution and Amerisure Programs (AMP).

Most recently, Gale was instrumental in negotiating agreements for the companys policy and billing initiative and served as the primary legal resource for Amerisure Surety as it officially launched. Gale earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and her Juris Doctorate from Wayne State University.

About Amerisure Insurance

Amerisure is a leading provider of commercial property and casualty insurance solutions for U.S.-based construction, manufacturing and healthcare businesses. Licensed in all fifty states and available through an exclusive network of elite independent agents, the company upholds an A (Excellent) financial strength rating, industry-leading service scores, and multiple awards for innovation. Amerisure has been in business for more than 100 years and is consistently named among the best places to work in the industry and throughout the nation. To learn more, visit amerisure.com.
Source: Kalorama Information Between 2022-2027, the IVD market in Latin America is forecast to have a CAGR of 2.4% and thus provide IVD companies with new regional business opportunities.

There are exciting opportunities in Latin America for in vitro diagnostic (IVD) manufacturers exploring expansion and sales growth, particularly in nations such as Brazil and Mexico, but also in more than a dozen other nations throughout the region. Between 2022-2027, the multi-billion dollar IVD market in Latin America is forecast to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.4% and thus provide IVD companies with the potential for new and notable regional business opportunities, according to leading medical market research firm Kalorama Information in the report The Market for In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) Tests in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and Other Nations).

Brazil and Mexico represent the two largest countries in terms of population, accounting for more than half of Latin Americas total population--exceeding 340 million in a region with 646 million people. For this reason, these two countries have been the focus for many IVD suppliers in recent years. However, as economic conditions strengthen in other countries and demand increases for quality health services, there are additional opportunities in countries such as Chile, Colombia and especially Peru.

GROWTH FACTORS

Population growth, government insurance, newly insured patients, advancing technology and updated healthcare facilities will drive IVD growth in Latin America. An aging population that will significantly outpace total population growth will also be a factor.

The regions aging population will place additional pressure on health systems to deliver care to a population that will likely need more involved treatment as they grow older, says Bruce Carlson, publisher for Kalorama Information.

In vitro diagnostic manufacturers investing in the region must be aware that Latin American countries differ in their use of the IVD testing market. Some countries are demonstrating higher growth than others due to economic factors.

Brazil is the number one IVD market in the Latin America with sales of more than $1 billion in 2022. Mexico is second in the area for IVD sales approaching $800 million. The Brazilian market is growing at steady pace with some ups and downs, as well as Chile, Colombia and Peru. The current political and economic climate is hindering growth in Argentina and Venezuela. However, the market region as a whole is an attractive market for IVD companies to develop.

REGIONAL CHALLENGES

Even though market growth is steady in Latin America, there are big challenges for the IVD industry to overcome. One of the challenges is that each country is a world on its own: different regulations on sales, many different reimbursement policies, diverse geography, various market access strategies and a number of logistic issues amongst others.

Since all the countries in Latin America also vary in size, healthcare infrastructure and affordability, the IVD companies need to tailor strategies for approaching each countrys market. Tailored strategies are needed for each different country and will assure success if they are conscientiously planned.

To learn about these recommended strategies and other insights purchase The Market for In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) Tests in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and Other Nations).

PURCHASE THE REPORT

"The Market for In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) Tests in Latin America" focuses on the market for reagents and instruments in the most important countries of the region. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela are singled out for a deeper level of analysis; the countries of Bolivia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, and Uruguay were also considered to provide a complete overview of the region.

For more information or to purchase the market research report. "The Market for In Vitro Diagnostic (IVD) Tests in Latin America," visit: https://kaloramainformation.com/product/in-vitro-diagnostics-ivd-in-latin-america/.

ABOUT KALORAMA INFORMATION

Kalorama Information, part of Science and Medicine Group, is the leading publisher of market research in healthcare areas, including in vitro diagnostics (IVD), biotechnology, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals. Science and Medicine Group supports companies seeking to commercialize the rapidly changing marketplace at the intersection of science, medicine, and technology. Comprised of industry-leading brands, Science and Medicine Group serves analytical instrument, life science, imaging, and clinical diagnostic companies by helping them create strategies and products to win markets and provide platforms to digitally engage their markets through a variety of innovative solutions. Kalorama Information produces 30 reports a year. The firm offers a Knowledge Center, which provides access to all published reports.


Individuals can purchase a vehicle online from Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale, an automotive dealership in Scottsdale, Arizona, provides an Express Purchase Tool to buy a vehicle online. Car buyers can utilize this tool to purchase a new or used model from the comfort of their homes. With this tool, individuals can provide all their documents, choose financing options and select a payment method online. Once all the information is saved, customers can head to the dealership for the final purchase step. Interested parties can contact the dealerships team of experts by dialing 480-845-0012 for any questions.

Once the buyers have selected a model from the dealerships online inventory, they can start using the Express Purchase Tool by clicking the Express Purchase button on the vehicle information page. While the dealership has an extensive inventory of new Mercedes-Benz cars, they also have a range of certified pre-owned models in stock. The certified pre-owned vehicles by Mercedes-Benz are highly capable and available for buyers with various budgets. The dealership also has a comprehensive inventory of used cars with hi-tech features, such as heated seats, leather seats, all-wheel drive capability and more.

In addition to selling new Mercedes-Benz, used and certified pre-owned models, the dealership has a state-of-the-art service department to provide services for these vehicles. From a simple oil change service to a complex engine check, drivers can visit the dealership for various maintenance services and repairs. Moreover, Mercedes-Benz owners can purchase genuine OEM parts and accessories from the dealership without hassle. Buyers can fill out a straightforward form on the dealerships official website to order an OEM part or accessory in Arizona.

Individuals interested in learning more about the services offered at Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona, can dial 480-845-0013 for further assistance.
Our indigenous communities suffer in silence, not knowing that there is help for them. We will work hard to break the barriers that make it difficult for them to leave abusive relationships.

Coalition for Family Harmony (Coalition) is proud to announce a second domestic violence shelter serving indigenous survivors of domestic violence that opened in February 2023. Coalition was awarded funding from Cal OES in a competitive application to provide emergency housing to a specialized population. Using a peer-based model of service, the new shelter is staffed with trilingual advocates of various languages to better serve survivors who hesitate to reach out because they are undocumented and have language barriers.

Coalition domestic violence counselors have long understood that when a survivor of domestic violence leaves their abusive partner, they are often forced to leave their home and their community to keep themselves and their children safe. These issues are compounded for victims of abuse from the indigenous community, as they find themselves in a country with few legal rights, a severe lack of language access, and a skyrocketing cost of living. Furthermore, indigenous survivors working in the agriculture sector or in factories oftentimes work at the same place of employment as their abuser and rely on shared friends and family to afford to live in Ventura County.

Severing ties with a community that provides spiritual healing and a sense of social connection can cause lasting mental and emotional harm for generations. Using a peer model, the goal of our new shelter is to create a safe space for our indigenous community members to have the time to heal, receive legal and therapeutic support, and help children with the impacts of domestic violence in their lives.

Through trilingual domestic violence support and advocacy, our new program emphasizes identifying avenues for income and housing to help the survivor maintain economic independence and build community with other survivors of domestic violence.

Since 1976, Coalition for Family Harmony has served survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Ventura County. The Coalitions mission is to provide direct services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault; to educate the community regarding multiple forms of violence; and to prevent the cycle of violence. Since its inception, Coalition has helped save thousands of lives and stop the deadly cycle of violence in families.

Since then, the agency has transformed to address multiple factors in the cycle of violence including victims, perpetrators, children who have witnessed or experienced family violence, early prevention, and socioeconomic barriers victims may have prevented them from thriving. These barriers include safe and permanent housing, accessing mental health services, and legal counsel or representation in cases related to their victimization such as restraining orders, property disputes, child custody, divorce, and immigration. Last year, the Coalition served over 5,000 clients across all programming.

"Our indigenous communities suffer in silence, not knowing that there is help for them. We will work hard to break the barriers that make it difficult for them to leave abusive relationships. The shelter will be a haven where they can get all the help they need in a way that they understand and feel understood," said Laura Morales, Housing Services Manager.

The new shelter is in addition to the portfolio of housing options available through the Coalition including emergency shelter and transitional housing.

Survivors may call our 24-hour trilingual hotline at 800-300-2181.
The number of securities class action settlements increased to a 15-year high in 2022, coming off a record 2021 that had seen settlements reach their highest point in more than 10 years, according to a new report released today by Cornerstone Research. The report, Securities Class Action Settlements  2022 Review and Analysis, also found similarly dramatic increases in the total dollar value of settlements and median settlement amount, simplified tiered damages, and total assets of defendant issuers.

In 2022, the number of securities class action settlements increased to 105, up 21% from the prior years 87, while the total value of those settlements nearly doubled, from $1.9 billion in 2021 to $3.8 billion. Likewise, the median settlement amount of $13 million increased 46% year-over-year. Median simplified tiered damages also reached a record high, growing by 125% to $481 million in 2022 from the previous year.

The historically high number of settlements in 2022 can likely be explained by several factors, including a correspondingly high number of case filings between 2018 and 2020, when over 70% of the 2022 settled cases were filed, said Dr. Laarni T. Bulan, a report coauthor, and principal at Cornerstone Research. The higher median settlement amount indicates relatively larger settlements overall, which was likely driven, in part, by the record-high level of simplified tiered damages, our rough proxy for potential shareholder losses.

The dramatic increase in total settlement dollars was also driven by the eight mega settlements (those exceeding $100 million) reached in 2022. These ranged in value from $100 million to $809.5 million and were more than twice the number in 2021 and the most since 2016.

Settlements in 2022 involved substantially larger defendants and took longer to resolve than in prior years, said Cornerstone Research senior advisor and report coauthor, Dr. Laura E. Simmons. As we look ahead, the latest trends in securities class action filings suggest we may see a slowing in settlement activity, as well as some shifts in the focus of case allegations, such as towards cryptocurrency-related issues.

Contrasting the historic highs seen across many metrics in 2022, settlements in relation to potential shareholder losses were down sharply from 2021. Both the median and average settlement as a percentage of simplified tiered damages in 2022 fell to their lowest levels among postReform Act years. These levels are consistent with a low presence in 2022 of factors often associated with higher settlement amounts, including SEC actions, criminal charges, and accounting irregularities during the period in which most of the settled cases were filed.

Key Trends



Compared to issuer defendants involved in cases that settled in 2021, defendant firms involved in 2022 settlements were 97% larger, as measured by median total assets.

The increase in the proportion of midsize settlement amounts ($10 million to $50 million) was accompanied by a decrease in the proportion of cases that settled for less than $10 million.

Median disclosure dollar losses reached an all-time high, growing by more than 160% year-over-year.

The historically low rate of settled cases involving a corresponding action by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) observed in 2021 persisted in 2022, remaining below 9%.

About Cornerstone Research

Cornerstone Research provides economic and financial consulting and expert testimony in all phases of litigation and regulatory matters. The firm supports clients with rigorous, objective analysis. Working with an extensive network of leading academics, former regulators, and industry specialists, Cornerstone Research identifies the most qualified experts for every case.

Founded in 1989, Cornerstone Research has always been guided by its core values: commitment to clients, experts, and staff, and to delivering consistently high-quality service. The firm has over 700 staff and offices in Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington.

http://www.cornerstone.com
The healthcare system can benefit tremendously from the collaboration between Microsoft and Dedalus... Together, we will build a solid foundation for the future of healthcare by improving the experience for patients and clinicians. - Elena Bonfiglioli

Focusing on the development of the first Microsoft Italian Data Center Region, the relationship reinforces our joint commitment to sovereignty of data and cloud services to boost the digital transformation of the country.

The new Region will enhance the migration of public and private organizations on local and secure cloud services, a key priority in the healthcare industry, where Dedalus has forged a significant position in accelerating the cloud journey for many companies.

Dedalus is a leading healthcare and diagnostic software provider in Europe and one of the largest in the world, providing solutions that touch more than 540 million people across 6,700 healthcare organizations in 40 countries. Dedalus has more electronic health records (EHRs) installed in hospitals outside the U.S. than any other vendor and manages more than 4 billion diagnostic results per year.

Globally, this relationship builds on Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare and incorporates Nuances conversational AI to help unburden clinicians and care teams with efficient ways to capture clinical information across the continuum of care. At a local level, this collaboration enables Dedalus to accelerate innovation and deliver greater value to the broader Italian health system and a more efficient service to Italian citizens.

Microsoft Azure provides critical IT and business operations infrastructure for Dedalus - from the use of Microsoft 365 and employee experience platform Viva to improve collaboration, productivity, and wellbeing to Microsoft Dynamics 365 to drive organizational process efficiencies. By migrating Dedalus solutions on Microsoft Cloud and integrating them with other Microsoft technologies, healthcare organizations will be able to respond to the industrys urgency for transformation and address the increasing need to provide value-based care and better meet patients priorities.

Healthcare lags behind many other industry sectors in terms of digital transformation," said Andrea Fiumicelli, CEO of Dedalus Group. At the same time, our clients are increasing their focus and the demand for new digital solutions while addressing the challenges of security, business continuity, reliability, flexibility, performance, and costs. The cloud is seen as the way to meet these challenges while reducing their carbon footprint and delivering best-in-class solutions to end users.

"The healthcare system can benefit tremendously from the collaboration between Microsoft and Dedalus. The security, speed and computational power provided by the Microsoft Azure cloud platform combined with Nuance's AI-powered solutions, such as the conversational AI workflow assistant and documentation companion Dragon Medical One will complement the vertical expertise and ad hoc solutions built by the Dedalus team. Together, we will build a solid foundation for the future of healthcare by improving the experience for patients and clinicians," comments Elena Bonfiglioli, General Manager Healthcare, Pharma Life Sciences at Microsoft Healthcare.

With this announcement, Dedalus will accelerate the transformation of its portfolio services including interoperability and digital data platform to create next generation digital solutions that enable new models of care designed around whole Persons care:



Prevention: Dedicated solution for General Practitioners, built on 40 years of experience and collaboration with doctors

Early Detection and Screening: Support complex workflows related to screenings, vaccinations, and population health management

Diagnostics: Full spectrum of integrated solution that pivots paradigm from In vitro diagnostics to in vivo diagnostics

Treatment: Supporting healthcare professionals in providing safe and effective care to patients.

Follow-up, Rehabilitation and End-of-Life: Providing a full set of functionalities to ensure effective collaboration between the different actors and institutions to provide the needed continuity of care to patients and their families.

The two companies will continue to explore new areas of innovation and use our joint expertise and skills to develop new vertical solutions for new use cases that will be available in Microsoft Azure Marketplace.

ABOUT DEDALUS

Dedalus Group is the leading healthcare and diagnostic software provider in Europe, globally supporting the digital transformation of 6700 Healthcare Organizations and 5700 Labs and Diagnostic centers, impacting more than 540 million people worldwide. Dedalus supports the whole continuum of care, offering open standards-based solutions serving each stakeholder of the Healthcare Ecosystem to provide better care in a healthier planet. Life flows through our software.
Elgin Volkswagen Now Provides Special Offers on Financing New Volkswagen SUVs in Elgin, Illinois

Drivers in Elgin, Illinois, in search of a rugged and powerful SUV should check out the new Volkswagen SUVs now available at Elgin Volkswagen, a well-reputed automotive dealership in the area. The SUVs currently in stock at this dealership include the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas, 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, 2023 Volkswagen Taos and 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan.

For the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan SE, you can get a 36-month lease offer at $359 per month with $3,999 due at signing. When it comes to highly qualified customers through Volkswagen Credit, a 4.9% APR for a 72-month lease offer is available for the 2023 Volkswagen Atlas models. Interested car shoppers can also purchase a 2023 Volkswagen Taos using the 36-month special lease offer at $289 per month with $3,999 due at signing. To learn more about the other exclusive offers on financing Volkswagen SUVs in Elgin, Illinois, drivers should visit the Elgin Volkswagen website.

Prospective buyers are encouraged to visit Elgin Volkswagen located at 2630 Auto Mall Dr. Elgin, Illinois 60124. Interested customers can also schedule a test drive of their favorite Volkswagen SUV online and reach out to the friendly and professional customer care team by dialing 847-428-2000 for any further information.
Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against Noble Pursuit, LLC, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The San Diego employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against Noble Pursuit, LLC, alleging the company violated the California Labor Code. The lawsuit against Noble Pursuit, LLC is currently pending in the Imperial County Superior Court, Case No. ECU002766. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here.

The Complaint alleges Noble Pursuit, LLC failed to reimburse employees for required business expenses. California Labor Code  2802 expressly states that "an employer shall indemnify his or her employee for all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee in direct consequence of the discharge of his or her duties..." During employment, Plaintiff and other California Class Members were allegedly required to use their personal cellular phones as a result of and in furtherance of their job duties.

According to the class action complaint, the company's non-exempt employees were allegedly unable to take off-duty meal breaks due to their rigorous work schedules. California labor laws require an employer to provide an employee required to perform work for more than five (5) hours during a shift with, a thirty (30) minute uninterrupted meal break prior to the end of the employee's fifth (5th) hour of work and a second uninterrupted meal break when employees are required to work ten (10) hours. The Complaint claims that the company did not provide their employees who forfeited meal breaks additional compensation.

For more information about the class action lawsuit against Noble Pursuit, LLC, call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County, and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and other types of illegal workplace conduct.

***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT***
A great education can unlock a world of possibilities. Under Governor Sanderss direction, the next generation of Arkansas kids will be able to unlock the full measure of their potential and grab hold of their American Dream.

Today, the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) praised the sweeping education reform signed into law by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The Arkansas LEARNS package includes provisions on parental empowerment, universal school choice, early childhood education and intervention, a stronger education workforce, student career readiness, and more. The bill passed both chambers of the state legislature with supermajority support and is now law.

Governor Sanderss bold leadership has fundamentally altered the course of Arkansass future. This was not an easy fight, but it was the right fighta chance for greater opportunity for our kidsand she won, said Nick Stehle, native Arkansan, and vice president of communications at FGA. Anytime you challenge the failing status quo with transformational change, you can expect resistance. But in the face of heavy opposition from legacy educational institutions and national media, Governor Sanders made this dream reform a reality.

Battles worth fighting are rarely easy. And the leaders willing to fight them are even more uncommon. Governor Sanders stood tall in the face of unbelievable pressure and prevailed. This is how we reinvigorate Arkansas, and this is how we revive Americas struggling education systemone state, one law, one act of true leadership at time, said Stehle.

A great education can unlock a world of possibilities. Under Governor Sanderss direction, the next generation of Arkansas kids will be able to unlock the full measure of their potential and grab hold of their American Dream, Stehle added.

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The Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA) is a non-profit, multi-state think tank that promotes public policy solutions to create opportunities for every American to experience the American Dream. To learn more, visit TheFGA.org.


Salesian missionaries provide programs that ensure girls and young women have equal access to education and the supports needed to graduate and find stable employment, said Father Timothy Ploch, interim director of Salesian Missions.

Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian organizations and countries around the globe in celebrating International Womens Day on March 8. The day celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of women while focusing the worlds attention on areas requiring further action.

Each year, International Womens Day focuses on a theme, with this years theme being #EmbraceEquity. The theme calls for gender equity to become part of every societys DNA and seeks to help forge worldwide conversation about this important issue and its impact.

According to U.N. Women, equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome.

Further, U.N. Women noted, Forging gender equity isnt limited to women solely fighting the good fight. Allies are incredibly important for the social, economic, cultural and political advancement of women.

Salesian missionaries living and working in more than 130 countries are focused on achieving gender equity through programs targeted specifically for young women and girls. These programs strive to empower young women and girls by providing opportunities for education and training that lead to livable wage employment.

Salesian missionaries provide programs that ensure girls and young women have equal access to education and the supports needed to graduate and find stable employment, said Father Timothy Ploch, interim director of Salesian Missions. These programs work to help women achieve long-term self-sustainability and include nutritional and health services as well as workforce development activities.

In honor of International Womens Day, Salesian Missions is proud to share Salesian programs around the globe that empower young women and girls.

BURKINA FASO

The Womens Vocational Training Center, located in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, trains more than 300 young women each year in specializations like tailoring, hairstyling, fabric design and pattern making, computer maintenance, and secretarial work. The center, which provides inclusive, equitable and quality education, receives funding from Bosco Global.

Recently, the cutting-tailoring and hairstyling workshops were equipped with supplies, and the spaces for theoretical-practical courses were expanded.

Refresher courses were also provided for the centers teaching staff. In addition, students in extremely vulnerable situations were provided with the necessary kits to carry out their courses of study.

The Womens Vocational Training Center was developed to address the precarious situation experienced by many women and girls. It includes literacy courses, support for work placement, and education in values and time management. The main objective of the project is to train women and girls so they can work and earn an income while breaking free from a life of poverty.

DR CONGO

Young women in need of vocational training turn to Don Bosco Ngangi Youth Center in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo*, for courses at Salesian centers such as Maison Marguerite and Foyer Annuarite. Recently, 166 young women, including many single mothers, graduated from vocational training. More than 80 of them were trained in cutting and sewing, 49 as hairdressers and beauticians, and 33 in culinary arts.

International Voluntary Service (VIS) supported Salesian efforts to train young women as part of a project to eradicate forms of violence against adolescent girls and adult women in vulnerable situations as well as victims of conflict in Goma. Empowering women is only one step in the fight to end violence.

Don Bosco Ngangi Youth Center has been providing social development, medical, and educational services to poor youth and their families since 1988. Started first as a youth center, it expanded to provide assistance to those in the region affected by war, other violence and natural disasters. In 1997, the center added kindergarten, elementary, secondary and vocational education as well as a literacy center and medical facility. In the midst of wars, violence, and poverty, the center has welcomed, educated, cared for, and supported more than 26,000 children.

INDIA

Fifty young women who live at the Salesian Surakshita Home, located in the town of Ravulapalem in Andhra Pradesh, India, were supported through donor funding from Salesian Missions. Surakshita Home provides living facilities for young women who have been in legal trouble. There are dorms, bathrooms, a dining hall, a work room and a training hall.

The funding, which provided support from March to October 2022, was used for empowering women with information about their rights, along with skills training in tailoring, Maggam and other handicrafts. Funds were also used for the purchase of training materials.

When young women enter the program, they are given clothing and proper nutrition. They are sent for a medical examination, and women with special health needs receive individual follow-up care. They are also able to access a counselor and legal support for their cases in court.

During eight months, 50 women completed the tailoring course and some found jobs at tailoring shops. Others were able to do dress making and embroidery work for themselves and for others. Twenty of the women were given tailoring machines to earn an income and sustain themselves.

PHILIPPINES

Fifteen young women who are freshmen students at Don Bosco College, located in Canlubang, Philippines, have been awarded scholarships that will allow them to pursue their dreams of becoming skilled electrical technicians thanks to The Manila Electric Co. through One Meralco Foundation.

Each scholarship will cover tuition fees and allowances for students in the dual NC II program in electrical installation and maintenance and mechatronics. The scholarship program also provides a four-month on-the-job training for the students, who will be given the opportunity to join the Meralco workforce afterwards, according to the article.

This initiative falls under Meralcos Gender Diversity and Inclusion Program called MBrace that aims to provide inclusive opportunities to empower women and increase the ratio of women in the company to 40 percent by 2030.

*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


Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the lawsuit against Pro Unlimited, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The San Francisco employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a lawsuit against Pro Unlimited, Inc. alleging the company violated Labor Code  2699, et seq. seeking penalties for DEFENDANTs alleged violation of California Labor Code  201-203, 204 et seq., 210, 221, 226(a), 226.7, 227.3, 510, 512, 558(a)(1)(2), 1194, 1197, 1197.1, 1198, and 2802. The lawsuit against Pro Unlimited, Inc. is currently pending in the Marin County Superior Court, Case No. CIV2300419. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here.

According to the lawsuit filed, Pro Unlimited, Inc. allegedly failed to pay employees for all the time they were under the employer's control. This, allegedly, includes the time Plaintiff and other Aggrieved Employees had to submit to mandatory COVID-19 screening prior to clocking in for the day. To the extent that the time worked off the clock did not qualify for overtime premium payment, Defendant allegedly failed to pay minimum and overtime wages for the time worked off-the-clock.

PAGA is a mechanism by which the State of California itself can enforce state labor laws through the employee suing under the PAGA who do so as the proxy or agent of the state's labor law enforcement agencies. An action to recover civil penalties under PAGA is fundamentally a law enforcement action designed to protect the public and not to benefit private parties. The purpose of PAGA is not to recover damages or restitution, but to create a means of "deputizing" citizens as private attorneys general to enforce the Labor Code.

For more information about the lawsuit against Pro Unlimited, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County, and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and other types of illegal workplace conduct.

***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT***
The Crescent City Connection is an iconic feature of the New Orleans skyline that will now illuminate the landscape even more. Were honored to partner with LADOTD to improve the look and efficiency of the bridge lighting, and we look forward to city residents and visitors enjoying it as well,

Modjeski and Masters, a nationwide leader in the design, inspection, and rehabilitation of all bridge types, including long-span and movable structures, has been selected by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) to design a new decorative lighting system for the Crescent City Connection bridges in New Orleans.

Modjeski and Masters will design programmable color-changeable LED lights illuminating the top and sides of the trusses of both bridges, along with the main piers. This will replace the original decorative amber-only lighting system which was installed in 1987. The age of the system, as well as damage from weather, necessitated a replacement. The project includes design plans, construction estimates, illumination analysis, renderings and engineering calculations for the replacement.

We are excited to bring this updated technology to the Crescent City Connection, said Jonathan Gerhart, PE, Project Manager for Modjeski and Masters. Bringing in the new programmable LED lights to replace the old amber necklace lights will not only elevate the look of the bridge but will be a more efficient and sustainable lighting solution that will also be easier to maintain.

Modjeski and Masters has been a fixture in New Orleans since the 1920s when the firm was awarded the design contract for the Huey P. Long Bridge. The firm opened its first office in New Orleans in 1947 and went on to design the Crescent City Connection as well as many other important crossings in the region.

The Crescent City Connection is an iconic feature of the New Orleans skyline that will now illuminate the landscape even more. Were honored to partner with LADOTD to improve the look and efficiency of the bridge lighting, and we look forward to city residents and visitors enjoying it as well, said Cullen Ledet, PE, Senior Project Manager and New Orleans Regional Director for Modjeski and Masters.

The design is now underway with construction anticipated to begin later this year. The project will be completed by the end of 2024.

For more project information on the Crescent City Connection Decorative Lighting Project, visit http://wwwapps.dotd.la.gov/administration/announcements/Announcement.aspx?key=32268

To learn more about Modjeski and Masters history with the Cresent City Connection, visit https://www.modjeski.com/about/history-timeline/1950-1959/crescent-city-connection

About Modjeski and Masters

Modjeski and Masters is one of the worlds leading bridge engineering firms, with a reputation for technical excellence and innovation that goes beyond current standards. Established 130 years ago, the firm is responsible for the design and maintenance of some of our nations most recognizable structures. Services include fixed and movable bridge design, inspection and rehabilitation, and all facets of life-cycle maintenance, research and code development. For more information, including in-depth videos of Modjeski and Masters at work, please visit http://www.modjeski.com.
All-Women Surgical Team Operating on a Patient During Operation Smile Women in Medicine Surgical Program in Morocco 2022 Inequity is a lost opportunity to equip a whole generation of girls and women with the tools to become talented health care leaders

International Womens Day, recognized each year on March 8, is a global day celebrating the achievements of women and marking a call to accelerate womens equality. This International Womens Day, Operation Smile is honoring the importance of health equity for women and what it means to empower women in medical leadership positions to inspire new generations of health care practitioners.

As part of this celebration, Operation Smile is launching #HealthEquityHeroes, a social media campaign to support the 2023 International Womens Day theme, #EmbraceEquity. This campaign will invite women working in different areas like medicine, health, science, research, leadership, education, and more to join the organization in celebrating International Womens Day. The series will begin on March 8 and continue throughout the year to help raise awareness of the importance of empowering women to achieve health equity. Participants are encouraged to write a brief note to their younger selves addressing the heights in their careers, paying it forward, acknowledging mentors who have supported them along the way, and other factors that contributed to their overall success.

We know right now that 70% of the workforce in medicine is women, but yet they only have 25% of the senior leadership, said Kathy Magee, Operation Smile Co-Founder and President. How do we balance that out a little bit? she continued.

Operation Smile believes that we can achieve health equity through gender equity. As a result, the organization continues to support the success of women through leadership initiatives like the Women in Medicine Initiative. Since its pilot program in 2020, Women in Medicine brought together teams of women health care professionals worldwide in 2022 to perform surgeries and provide comprehensive care to patients in need of cleft care at Operation Smile sites in Morocco, Peru, Malawi, and the Philippines. This initiative aims to educate women on advanced medical practices, empower women to become leaders in global medicine, expand opportunities for women in the health care workforce, and elevate cleft surgery and comprehensive care. As part of Operation Smiles 10-year strategy, Women in Medicine will achieve these goals through continued surgical outreach programs, educational and mentorship opportunities, scholarships, gender and health equity innovation and research, and thought leadership that emphasizes the importance of women in global health.

When you think about those women that help take care of you when you were little, that were there when you were hurt or afraid, what can you do for them? Imagine that we could create a different paradigm, said Elizabeth Cote, Vice President of Global Medication Education, Operation Smile. Women in Medicine is about bringing women into the workforce, helping them to advance and train in the health care workforce, lifting them and emboldening them in leadership positions.

Through initiatives like Women in Medicine and #HealthEquityHeroes, Operation Smile hopes to demonstrate that representation matters. If she can see it, she can be it. Inequity is a lost opportunity to equip a whole generation of girls and women with the tools to become talented health care leaders and Operation Smile is taking steps to elevate the voices and actions of women all over the world.

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.
One of the best things that ever happened to us was meeting Jason Stopnitzky of Performance Brokerage Services. Jasons word is his bond and weve never felt this good about working with someone. Jasons assistance with our acquisition of Worthington Ford was priceless.

Performance Brokerage Services, North Americas highest volume dealership brokerage firm, is pleased to announce the sale of Worthington Ford in Long Beach, California from Nick Worthington and Dave Karalis to Bob Nouri and Pete Shaver of Nouri/Shaver Automotive Group.

Cal Worthington, Founder of Worthington Ford, was born in 1920 in the now-defunct town of Bly, Oklahoma. Cal grew up living amidst the Dust Bowl of the 1930s during the Great Depression, which played a fundamental role in shaping his hard work ethic and his savvy, opportunistic ability to build what would become an empire.

Worthington enlisted as an army pilot as a young man and was awarded medals for his service in active combat. After WWII ended, Cal moved to Corpus Christi, Texas where he got his start in business. He bought and sold a gas station, and then, entered the automotive industry selling used cars. In 1949, Cal moved to Huntington Park, California and established his first dealership, Hudson Motor Cars.

Cal acquired Worthington Ford in 1963 and rose to fame in Southern California with his attention-grabbing television commercials. Cal was best known for appearing with exotic animals including a tiger, a chimpanzee on roller skates, and once rode in on a hippopotamus. His outlandish animal guests would be introduced as Cals dog, Spot- a playful jab at the ads of a local competitor that used to appear in commercials with his pet German Shepherd. He also employed catchy jingles that inspired countless customers to Go see Cal.

For over 40 years, Cal operated Worthington Ford with his trusted business partner and General Manager Dave Karalis. Cal and Dave worked side-by-side as an inseparable team, and eventually became family when Cals grandson Nick Worthington married Daves daughter.

At the height of his career, Cal operated 29 dealerships across five states, as well as profitable businesses in oil and gas. Cal's dedication and business acumen made him one of the most prolific figures in the automotive industry, selling more than one million vehicles over the span of his career.

Cal passed away in 2013, leaving a tremendous legacy behind. Nick Worthington succeeded Cal as President after his passing, and successfully operated Worthington Ford with Dave Karalis for the last decade.

Over the last 5 years, Performance Brokerage Services has advised on the sale of over 300 dealerships, making it the highest volume dealership brokerage firm in North America. In 2022, the company consummated 92 transactions, marking a record-breaking year. Jason Stopnitzky, the exclusive agent for this transaction and Co-Founder of Performance Brokerage Services commented, This transaction has been one of the most exciting and fulfilling moments in my career. Cal was an absolute legend, and his commercials inspired countless people to join the automotive industry. When I got the call to sell Worthington Ford, I immediately knew what a special opportunity this was! Over the decades, if anyone in the auto business has demonstrated how to draw in customers, it has been Cal Worthington. It has been a blessing and a privilege to be trusted to work with Nick Worthington and his family to transition Cals legacy into the next chapter.

Worthington Ford was acquired by dealers Bob Nouri and Pete Shaver, who are actively growing their dealership group, the Nouri/Shaver Automotive Group. The Ford dealership will be led by Nouri, Shaver, and their newly appointed CEO, Armina Mgerian. This acquisition marks Nouri and Shaver's 17th dealership. In 2022, the duo generated over $2 billion in revenue and currently employs over two thousand individuals. Bob Nouri remarked, One of the best things that ever happened to us was meeting Jason Stopnitzky of Performance Brokerage Services. Jasons word is his bond and weve never felt this good about working with someone. Jasons assistance with our acquisition of Worthington Ford was priceless.

The dealership will be renamed BP Ford of Long Beach, which stands for Bob Pete Ford of Long Beach, and remain at its current location at 2950 North Bellflower Boulevard in, Long Beach, California. Nouri plans to pay homage to the Worthington legacy by using Cals catchphrase with a twist- customers looking for a better car can now Go see Bob.

Bob Nouri was represented by business transaction law expert Monica Hoenshell, Partner at Calvert Law in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Nick Worthington was represented by Larry Miles of Miles McLeod, LLP in Sacramento, California.

About Performance Brokerage Services

Performance Brokerage Services, Inc. is North Americas highest volume dealership brokerage firm, specializing in buy-sell activity for automotive, RV, commercial truck, powersports, and equipment dealerships.

With over 25 years of experience, 700 dealerships sold, and a 90% closing rate, the companys reputation is unmatched and governed by the utmost ethical conduct and integrity.

The company offers a unique approach by providing complimentary estimates of value with no upfront fees or retainer, no reimbursement of costs, and paid a success fee only after the transaction closes.

Headquartered in Irvine, California, and supported by 9 regional offices in Utah, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Virginia, Ohio, New Jersey, Alberta and Ontario, clients benefit from national exposure with local representation.

As trusted and respected experts in the field, the company utilizes an extensive network of industry related attorneys, accountants, hundreds of registered buyers, and longstanding relationships with various vehicle manufacturers.

For more information about the services offered by Performance Brokerage Services, visit https://performancebrokerageservices.com.
Microsoft MVP Ragnar Heil When Rencore asked me to join their team I looked no further. I look forward to forming long-lasting partnerships with organizations that share the vision to provide the most optimal cloud collaboration experience for their clients.

Rencore, the provider of award-winning software for governing cloud collaboration technology, today announced Microsoft MVP Ragnar Heil as a new team member. Joining the team as Global Director of Partners & Alliances, Ragnar will leverage his deep knowledge of business collaboration productivity within the Microsoft 365 space to synergize Rencores product offerings and the global partner channel.

As Global Director of Partners & Alliances, Ragnar will direct the rapidly growing Rencore partner channel and boost Rencores successful trajectory in the cloud governance space. His long-standing career in the technology industry includes roles at Microsoft and most recently Quest, where he successfully built a partner channel around cloud technologies. Ragnar will now help SIs and MSPs around the globe to provide their clients with efficient, secure, cost-effective, and future-proof Microsoft 365 services.

We at Rencore are delighted to welcome a top professional and overall great person in Ragnar, said Matthias Einig, CEO and Co-founder at Rencore. Since 2013, Ragnar has been a strong advocate for Rencore solutions to help clients better develop SharePoint code and migrate to Microsoft 365. Now he will help our partners and their clients realize the full potential of their Microsoft 365 investment with our market-leading tool Rencore Governance.

I am absolutely convinced about the quality and extra value that Rencore Governance provides for Microsoft 365 customers, said Heil. When Rencore asked me to join their team I looked no further. I look forward to forming long-lasting partnerships with organizations that share the vision to provide the most optimal cloud collaboration experience for their clients.

Ragnars community activities have earned him his Microsoft MVP status seven times, with his first award coming in January 2017. Ragnars contributions to the MVP community focus on the M365 Apps and Services space. He is the Co-Host of the bi-weekly Microsoft 365 News Show Alex & Ragnar and also curates content and blogs for IT News Portal Tekki Gurus.

Alongside Ragnars new role for Rencore, he is the founding member of Working Out Loud Community and Responsive Organisation Movement in Germany. He has published several books and articles about Social Intranets, Digital Business and Brand Ambassadors.

For further information or comment, please contact Rencore today.

About Rencore:

Rencore is a B2B software company providing award-winning solutions essential for operating a secure, performant and cost-efficient cloud collaboration environment. Our customers rely on our tools to simplify, automate, and speed up their everyday governance, cost, adoption, security and compliance challenges. Rencores diverse, global customer base ranges from mid-sized businesses to enterprises that use their products as SaaS or self-hosted tools. Consultancies and managed service providers build their cloud governance and operations services around Rencores powerful solutions.
We believe our wines' unique character and terroir-driven approach resonates with American wine enthusiasts, and we trust Colangelo & Partners' expertise to help us tell our story and share our passion for winemaking.

Susana Balbo, one of Argentinas most iconic and pioneering wineries, announces Colangelo & Partners as its agency of record to develop and execute a strategic, dynamic and comprehensive communications strategy in 2023. This partnership will focus on growing the legacy of Susana Balbo, Argentinas first female winemaker, and highlighting the next generation of the family in daughter Ana Lovaglio Balbo and son Jose Lovaglio Balbo, along with Susana Balbos award-winning portfolio of wines, which includes the brands Crios, Susana Balbo Signature, Nosotros, and BenMarco.

I remember the first steps I took to get my wines in the US market two decades ago, when we were a very small team, said Susana Balbo. Today, I am happy to see my evergrowing winery partner with a respectful and professional agency such as Colangelo & Partners, who can help us spread the word about our wines even further throughout the USA.

Since creating the first world-class Torrontes in the early 1980s in Cafayate in the Salta province, to the present day at the foot of the Andes in Mendoza, Susana Balbos vision has forged a path to position the winery as a leader of Argentine wine. With an intrepid and entrepreneurial spirit, Susana Balbo is synonymous with innovation, excellence and sustainability. And, her passion for creating wines of outstanding quality has spanned generations and passed onto Ana and Jose, along with nearly 100 strong team members that complete the family.

"We are delighted to partner with Colangelo & Partners to bring our wines to a wider audience in the United States," said Ana Lovaglio, Principal at Susana Balbo. "We believe our wines' unique character and terroir-driven approach resonates with American wine enthusiasts, and we trust Colangelo & Partners' expertise to help us tell our story and share our passion for winemaking."

Colangelo & Partners will create a program designed to reinforce Susana Balbos momentum by focusing on the winerys four main pillars:



1. Courage: The Susana Balbo team believes that there are triumphs even in defeat, and creating means assuming challenges. They are accepting of all risks, avoiding the safe and easy route, to produce exceptional wines that transcend time.

2. Quality: Susana Balbo represents quality, consistency and identity. The team is dedicated to producing unique wines that are true expressions of Argentinas best soils.

3. Love & Commitment: The family has a strong sense of pride and passion for their origins and community. That, naturally, translates into the harmonious end result in the bottle.

4. Innovation: Susana Balbo continues to surpass the established limits within the wine world, always looking ahead for new ways to reveal the strong identity that has been solidified.

Additionally, the agency will strategically increase visibility for the core lines, which are all classic, modern and inspired by the vineyard:

Crios: Translating to offspring, the wines from the Crios line are produced by Susana as a demonstration of love, dearness and dedication towards her children. The wines are sourced from the highest quality vineyards in the most unique Andean terroirs: Valle de Uco, in Mendoza, Agrelo, in Lujan de Cuyo, and Cafayate, in Salta. Every variety is nurtured to elevate its intrinsic character.

Susana Balbo Signature: Susana Balbo's Signature wines are elegant, bold wines with an artistic finesse that defies the limits of enology. The wide range of styles highlights Susanas brass to create elevated and innovative wines, as well as her ability to merge terroir knowledge, new and antique winemaking techniques and the latest technology.

Nosotros: This roaming wine line reflects the passion, experience and spirit of each of the members of the Susana Balbo family. Always 100% Malbec, Nosotros wines are complex, high-end and limited, and come from the vineyard that performed the best in a certain vintage to create the most intense and expressive fruits of the year.

BenMarco: BenMarco wines are conceived as viticulturist wines. They are produced under the watchful eye of Edgardo Del Popolo, one of the most renowned and experienced Argentinian viticulturists.

Colangelo & Partners COO and Partner Felipe Gonzalez-Gordon expressed his excitement about the new partnership, "Susana Balbo wines is a jewel in Argentina's wine industry, and we are honored to represent them in the United States. Their commitment to sustainability, innovation, and excellence aligns with our values, and we look forward to introducing their portfolio of outstanding wines to the American market."

A leading Argentine winery, Susana Balbos wines are made sustainably and/or certified organic. Each line supports a social cause from breast cancer awareness and womens health programs to wine auctions for various charities. The family is an enterprise that represents consistency, identity and the vanguard of innovation.

The wines of Susana Balbo are imported by Folio Fine Wine Partners and are available nationwide.

# # #

About Susana Balbo - http://www.susanabalbowines.com.ar

Susana Balbo is a family winery, focused on high-end wine production, located in Agrelo, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, at the foothills of the Andes mountain range. It was founded in 1999 by Susana Balbo, Argentina's first female winemaker. The winerys multidisciplinary team is made up of more than one hundred people, including Jose and Ana, Susana's children, who all share the same values, vision and passion for creating quality wines.

About Colangelo & Partners - http://www.colangelopr.com

Colangelo & Partners specializes in premium food, wine and spirits brands, and has long-established relationships with the key press that drive these business categories and help determine the industry leaders. Agency principals have years of experience in retail and distribution as well as communications, a rare combination that gives Colangelo & Partners invaluable insights into consumer purchasing behavior.

The agency focuses on 'closing the loop' between creative communications programs, distribution, promotion, publicity and the consumer in order to maximize the efficiency of its communications programs and deliver measurable results. Founded in 2006, Colangelo & Partners was honored as one of the years top integrated communications firms at the 2013 Agency Elite Awards and for one of the best digital marketing campaigns at the 2014 Digital PR Awards.
Angelo Collins was selected as the next Executive Director of the Vertical Flight Society (VFS), effective June 1, 2023. (VFS photo by Warren Liebmann) I am truly humbled by the opportunity to serve as the latest steward of the Society that I love so much, said Collins. I appreciate the confidence that the Board of Directors has placed in me, and I look forward to serving the membership and expanding the global impact of VFS.

The Vertical Flight Society (VFS), the worlds leading non-profit organization working to advance vertical flight, today announces the selection of Angelo N. Collins as its executive director, effective June 1, 2023. Outgoing Executive Director Mike Hirschberg, who has led the organization for 12 years, will be staying on staff in a supporting role as Director of Strategy. Collins will be only the seventh leader of VFS in its 80-year history.

Mike has done a fantastic job over the past 12 years, said Tomasz Krysinski, VFS Chair of the Board and chair of the selection committee, and the VP of Research and Innovation at Airbus Helicopters. We are fully confident that Angelo will continue Societys upward trajectory for years to come.

VFS is the worlds only international non-profit dedicated to the advancement of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft and technology. It was founded in 1943 as the American Helicopter Society, Inc. (AHS) by the visionaries of the early helicopter industry, who believed that technological cooperation and collaboration were essential to support this new type of aircraft. Today, history is repeating itself, with VFS playing a similar role helping to advance todays revolutionary electric VTOL aircraft.

The Society is comprised of 6,500 individual members in industry, academia and government agencies worldwide, as well as 185 corporate members and 30 educational members. It rebranded as the Vertical Flight Society five years ago. On Feb. 25, 2023, VFS marked 80 years since it was founded.

It has been the honor of my professional career to lead VFS since 2011, said Hirschberg. I have poured everything I could into expanding it into the Vertical Flight Society. Now its time to pass the baton to lead the Society into its next decade.

The competitive process to select the new executive director was begun six months ago, when Hirschberg informed the Board of his intention to step down from the top position. Six highly qualified VFS members from around the world applied for the position, with the final candidates interviewed on March 6. The VFS Boards Selection Committee was unanimous in its selection of Collins as best representing the Boards strategic vision for the Society.

Collins, a member of VFS since 2008, is a distinguished leader and subject matter expert in the vertical flight industry, with 15 years of experience in aerospace engineering, project management and technical consulting, primarily related to vertical flight. Most recently, he has been serving as an aerospace engineer with Booz Allen Hamilton, managing the science and engineering technical assistance (SETA) support contract to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Tactical Technology Office (TTO). In this role, he supervised a team of 18 engineers and analysts supporting numerous cutting-edge technology initiatives. Collins has been supporting DARPA/TTO in various roles since starting as an engineering intern with CENTRA Technology, Inc. in 2008, when he was hired by Mike Hirschberg, then a principal engineer at CENTRA (now part of Amentum, Inc.).

Collins also served as the Science and Technology (S&T) Portfolio Manager and S&T Affordability Lead in the F-35 Joint Program Office, primarily responsible for oversight of S&T projects associated with development, production and sustainment for various systems, including the F135-PW-600 engine and Rolls-Royce LiftSystem for the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) jet fighter.

As a SETA at DARPA, he supported numerous vertical flight-related programs, including Tern, Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System (ALIAS), Gremlins, DiscRotor, Mission Adaptive Rotor, Otter, Blackjack, Goblin, Angler, Silent Marauder and High-Speed VTOL. He also supported the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS) VTOL program.

In parallel, Collins served as a program manager for Skyworks Aeronautics on a part-time basis, leading a team of international engineers, analysts and lawyers in development of the Hawk 5 Gyroplane.

Collins was also the Administrative Chair of the first VFS Transformative Vertical Flight (TVF) Workshop, held at CENTRA headquarters in August 2014. This event, now held annually as the VFS Electric VTOL Symposium, was the worlds first meeting of the emerging eVTOL pioneers.

I am truly humbled by the opportunity to serve as the latest steward of the Society that I love so much, said Collins. I appreciate the confidence that the Board of Directors has placed in me, and I look forward to serving the membership and expanding the global impact of VFS.

Collins has a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland (UMD) and an M.S. in Engineering Administration from Virginia Tech. He is the author/co-author of six technical papers (primarily at VFS events) and several articles in Vertiflite, the VFS membership magazine. He was a student of and co-author with then-UMD Prof. Gordon Leishman, winning a best paper award in 2011.

Collins is a native of the greater Boston, Massachusetts area but has lived and worked in Arlington, Virginia, for 14 years, where he resides with his wife Nicole, daughter Camila and son Loukas, with a third child expected soon.

VFS holds the largest and longest-running vertical flight technical conference in the world, which this year will be its 79th Annual Forum & Technology Display on May 16-18, 2023, in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA: http://www.vtol.org/forum. The leadership transition will be marked at the 79th Annual Grand Awards Ceremony on May 18.

VFS is @VTOLsociety on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Mastodon, Twitter, Vimeo and YouTube, and has @ElectricVTOL channels on Facebook, Mastodon and Twitter.

The Vertical Flight Society

2700 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 275, Fairfax, VA 22031, USA

1-703-684-6777  fax: 1-703-739-9279

staff@vtol.org  http://www.vtol.org
A panel on Tuesday morning at the Bologna Book Fair, moderated by Barbara Marcus, president and publisher of Random House Childrens Books, addressed the growing trend of book censorship around the world. Giorgia Grilli, professor of childrens literature and cofounder of the Center for Research in Childrens Literature in the Department of Education at the University of Bologna, began by pointing out that in the U.S. it is estimated that there are more than 1,000 titles banned in schools. In Italy, we have a deeper problem: we dont have books in schools, Grilli said, sardonically.

Grilli noted that banning books in democratic societies may backfire. Talking about the book [being banned] makes it more widespread; it gives it more power, she said, reminding everyone that the best way to get someone to read a book may very well be to ban it. Her deeper concern is about self-censorship, when artists are not willing to write about something that is ideologically charged. When artists adapt to the dominant view, this is the world that worries me, she said, adding that she longs for more representations of children in picture books as mysterious and melancholy creatures with a wide range of emotions, and not just as open-mouthed, starry-eyed and smiling. In which world had they grown? I want books with unconventional representations of children, Grilli said.

Grilli went on to describe how Thames & Hudson in the U.K. asked author-illustrator Beatrice Alemagna to redraw a picture from The Wonderful Fluffy Little Squishy to remove the depiction of a bloody knife from an illustration featuring a butcher threatening a little girl, the protagonist. The knife was replaced with a pointed finger. Why?, asked Grilli. Children are obsessed with blood.

Author David Levithan drew a comparison between Vladimir Putins book banning in Russia with Ron DeSantiss bans in Florida, both of which target books with LGBTQIA+ content. What the far right is doing in our country, conservatives in your countries are taking notes from, he said. Its systematic, and a book censorship playbook is at work. The harm wont be to publishers or libraries, but to the children themselves, he said. The books dont matter in this. The children do. Its an effort by the far right to push the kids back into the closet. The far right dont care if they kill themselves there, he said.

Levithan referenced a survey from PEN America and the American Library Association, which found that 2,500 books have been banned since August 2022, written by a total of 1,800 authors. Levithan pointed out that the recent discussion around revising Roald Dahls books was merely a distraction from the larger, more urgent issue at hand. Many authors have asked me: Do you think this means I wont be published anymore?  he said, adding that he came to Bologna to ring the alarm. This is a crucial moment. We need to keep publishing these books! The whole [publishing] chain needs to be there. Even a wobble in one part might cause a chilling effect.

An audience member asked panelists, which included Jon Anderson, president and publisher of Simon & Schusters childrens division, Where do publishers step in? What have you seen done [by publishers] so far?

We were really caught off-guard, Anderson said. Its a fight. A major fight, but the forces of good are becoming fully mobilized.
Epic. Innovative. Intimate. Those were the adjectives used by the jury to describe Sakana Sakatsukis Planetarium Ghost Travel, which won the 2023 BolognaRagazzi Award for Comics in the Young Adult category. The 256-page book from Tokyo-based PIE International revolves around the philosophical and emotional musingson loneliness, restlessness, and sorrow, for instanceof a young space traveler.

The uniqueness of Planetarium Ghost Travel lies in its three-part composition with each section expressing a different visual style. The first chapter is a collection of illustrations like an art book, editor Kaori Saito said. The second and the fourth chapters, respectively titled Insomniac Boy Goes to the Moon and The Journey of Two Tobiases, have picture book-style illustrations and short poetic text while the third chapter is a monochrome manga. The four chaptersresembling an elaborate puzzle but with sufficient ambiguities to ignite the readers imaginationare tied together by a theme color, which is a deep blue to represent the tranquil sci-fi world.

Production-wise, two types of paper were used. For the monochrome manga, we chose a paper with a slight yellow tint to better match the atmosphere of the story, which is bathed in gentle night light, Saito said. The rest of the pages were printed on a paper that best replicates the colors of the authors original full-color illustrations. By using these two types of paper, we are able to create different impressions and moods within a single book.

The cloth-textured book jacket hides a surprise. When the reader removes the jacket, some illustrations that exist in the book but are not drawn in detailthe hotel room plan and the menu of the cafe, for instanceare revealed, Saito said. This element of playfulness is our way of entertaining the reader.

Planetarium Ghost Travel is set in the same universe as the authors popular manga series Hoshitabi Shounen (i.e., Star Tripper). The first volume of the latter is PIE Internationals bestselling manga with around 42,000 copies in circulation. Both Planetarium Ghost Travel and Star Tripper will be translated into Simplified Chinese in 2024.

For president Hiromoto Miyoshi, winning the BolognaRagazzi Award is an exciting and surprising occasion. We started the Star Tripper web-manga series only about two years ago and decided to publish its paper edition last April, said Miyoshi, who is at the Bologna Book Fair with his team to further promote and sell Planetarium Ghost Travel. The creation of this award category marks a new trend in childrens book publishing and is a reflection on the global popularity of comics.

Back home, Planetarium Ghost Travel won the Jury Selections award in the manga category at the 25th Japan Media Arts Festival, which received more than 3,500 entries from 95 countries and regions around the world. As for Star Tripper, it came in fifth in the female readers category at the popular and influential Kono Manga ga Sugoi (This Manga Is Amazing) annual competition.

The Japanese manga industry, Miyoshi said, is growing rapidly not just in sales but also in its variety. Many publishers are entering this segment and leveraging their unique capabilities. For PIE International, our strengths come from our origin as a design book publisher and so our goal is to create and publish quality manga that are not only unique and entertaining but also offer great visual aesthetics.

It is indeed surprising that PIE International is the first Japanese publisher to win the BolognaRagazzi Award for Comics since the category was launched in 2020. Japan is, after all, renowned for its manga and manga artists (or mangaka), and is the largest comics market in the world with a share of around 43%. (South Korea, the U.S., and France are the next three major comics markets.)

According to the Tokyo-based Research Institute for Publications, the overall manga sales in Japan in 2022 were estimated at 677 billion yen (or $4.97 billion), a marginal increase of 0.2% compared to the 10% hike in the previous year when people stayed indoors during the pandemic and read more. Still, manga sales were at a record high for three consecutive years now and accounted for 41.5% of the total Japanese publishing market, exceeding 40% for a second year running.

Sales of comics in digital format went up 8.9% last year to hit 447.9 billion yen ($3.29 billion), representing roughly 89.3% of the countrys digital publishing market while print comics saw a 13.4% drop compared to 2021.
Jade Adias highly anticipated YA debut There Goes the Neighborhood sold to Disney-Hyperion in a six-figure, seven-house auction. A fictional South Los Angeles serves as the backdrop for best friends Rhea, Zeke, and Malachi, whose lives are upended when rent hikes in their gentrifying neighborhood threaten to force Zeke and his family out of their home. Rhea resolves to scare off newcomers with the invention of a fake gang but faces real trouble when an act of violence raises tensions within the community. We spoke with L.A. native Adia about her ode to her hometown, whats at stake in gentrifying communities, and using a murder mystery as a vehicle for discussing policing.

Can you share a bit about your process for creating your debut novel and what drew you to writing YA?

When I decided to start writing it, the context in which I was writing was during the summer of 2020, which we all remember as a tumultuous, horrible, stressful summer. I was also in law school at that time, so I was off for the summer, and I had a lot of time to go to protests and community meetings. One of the things that stood out to me the most was there were so many young people, and they were really changing the tone and character of protests in a very positive way. Prior to that summer, Id never been to a protest where people brought speakers and were dancing, and were having so many moments of connection and joy as well.

I had started writing novels for the first time not that long before that, and I wasnt clear about if I wanted to write YA, but that summer I knew I wanted to write a book that was about gentrification. I was really moved by the Gen Z protesters, and thats what made me think not only did I want to write a YA book, I want to write a YA book that celebrates what they were bringing to these spaces, which was joy, and subversion.

Speaking of joy, in the introduction to the novel, you note that despite its weightier subject matter, this book is also a comedy. Why was it important to you to highlight Black joy during difficult times and what was the most fun aspect of the book for you to write?

I really love the breadth and diversity of Black books in YA right now. I think were in an incredible moment where people are writing amazing stories. But I still think that there is a tendency for publishing professionals to kind of pigeonhole Black books: if its about systemic racism or politics, then it has to be a certain type of tone. And thats not to say that all of those books that get marketed in that way arent incredible, but I do think that there is room for books that capture how complex our lives really are. When I was growing up, we all dealt with racism, and classism, and were dealing with all this stuff. But were also still having crushes, were still falling in love, still going roller skating with our friends and walking around the neighborhood. Also, I think that a lot of the visual content of gentrification is absurd. Its dark, but its kind of hard not to laugh at how crazy some of it is. Ill see these new restaurants and Im like, Are you kidding me? Like $70 for a rose brunch? I do think that I see the worlds absurdity and kind of laugh at it a lot of times.

And the most fun part was writing about this friend group. I knew that I wanted to have the main story be about gentrification, but also, the main character Rhea; shes seeing her neighborhood and her friend group change. I think that is the core of the coming-of-age experience, where youre having so much change within your life, yourself, your body, your friend group, and how that can be echoed with the changes youve seen in our neighborhood. [I also enjoyed] writing about walking around that drum circle on Sunday that I grew up going to, and really remembering all those moments of sweetness during that time. So that was my favorite partall the scenes in the book where the kids are just running around L.A. and hanging out and having fun and having crushes.

As a Los Angeles native, what did you want to highlight about L.A. culture and community in the novel, both as it once was and how its changing? Are there any nods to real-life L.A. that natives might catch?

I did set the book in a fictional neighborhood in South L.A., because I wanted to be able to pull from a bunch of different neighborhoods that exist and kind of have Easter eggs from all these different neighborhoods. I also didnt want to curse my real neighborhood where I grew up and potentially accelerate gentrification. Maybe Im being a little superstitious. One of the things that is so amazing about South L.A. in particular is that it is a huge geographic area that incorporates so many different communities and cultures. I think people are missing out on understanding what makes this place so special. Theres a ton of diversity in South L.A. in terms of culture, language, nationality, and socioeconomic status, and the characters in the book reflect that. There are queer characters, trans characters, sex workers, Black lawyers, Black educators, and principals. Theres this really exciting mix of people. I want to let people know that the strength of the community comes from the variety of the people there, and my biggest goal [was] to celebrate that.

How did you develop the voice of your protagonist Rhea?

I pulled from the collective voices of me and a lot of my close girlfriends when we were growing up, because I think we were all deeply nerdy Black girls. A huge part of my upbringing was being really into tabletop board games and anime and not really into the parties, and being a little bit socially awkward. But one thing that I do think often lacks representation in Black nerd culture is theres also a side of it where we are also filled with rage. I still am a Black girl filled with rage, where Im seeing all these things happening around me. On one hand, Rheas very nerdy and extremely wholesome. For this book and the crazy plan that the kids create to work, it must be clear that these are good kids with good intentions. Its just that at 15, youre gonna make some weird choices, and theyre not always going to be the best ones. So, theres this nerdy girl with good intentions, but shes not going to let you put her in a box. She is mad and she is willing to fight. Her loyalty isnt a passive one. I like to think of Rhea as the epitome of ride or die in terms of how she sees the world and her friendships, and it maybe goes a little bit too far. I drew on my own experiences growing up to bring all those different contradictions together into a very messy main character.

How does the theme of intrusion appear in different ways in your novel, and why is it such a substantial struggle for Rhea?

I wanted her character to represent what I think is one of the main cores of whats at risk with gentrification, which is how it scatters and displaces low-income communities of color, and changes the character of neighborhoods. Whats at stake is the connections that people have to one another and how those connections form social safety nets. I grew up in a tight-knit neighborhood that very much inspired this book. If something was going wrong in my family, there was a neighbor who was able to pick me up from school. I was able to walk to my friends house and have dinner there. I was able to have a sleepover with a play auntie. I gave Rhea some of those similar experiences.

So when it comes to the idea of intrusion, I cant think of anything more threatening to someone who has found joy and safety in things staying the same than for things to all of a sudden change. For Rhea, intrusion represents a threat to this social safety net that shes come to rely on and has built a lot of her personality around as well. At the start of the book, Rhea sees all change is inherently bad, and over the course of the story, her relationship with this idea of change is really challenged on multiple levels.

Theres also a murder mystery element to the novel surrounding the groups investigation into a dead white man. Are you a big fan of mystery books, and what made you want to have that element to the story?

I am a fan of mystery books, and Ive always been. To be honest, I have no idea why I decided I wanted it to be a murder mystery. I knew that there were themes I wanted to explore in the book that needed a plot device to bring it out: for example, the idea of increased surveillance that happens with gentrification, and harms that come along with increased surveillance of public spaces and Black and brown bodies. Having a crime happen was a natural way to explore that. I also wanted to explore these issues about racial profiling, and a lot of the mystery hinges on the police not being able to tell these two [brown] characters apart who couldnt be more different. It shows the absurdity of the ways in which police investigations deal with crimes and communities of color, and how that detachment from the community just leads to so much chaos and harm. The murder mystery was a way to have some critique and dialogue about policing in L.A. and show that gentrification is an issue that is as serious as police brutality and all these other issues that were talking about as well. Its a violent process, and peoples lives are at stake.

Whats next for you?

I have another YA contemporary book coming out in 2024 that also takes place in L.A. Its about this 16-year-old Black girl who, because of her anxiety about the world, really gets into doomsday prepping through online communities. Then shes forced to join a Black outdoors group because she ditched physical education for an entire year. Its about the people who can help bring us back to living and out of the mentality of just survival.

There Goes the Neighborhood by Jade Adia. Disney-Hyperion, $18.99 Mar. 7 ISBN 978-1-368-08432-1
The Book Industry Study Group has announced that Publishers Weekly editorial director Jim Milliot will receive the group's Sally Dedecker Award for Lifetime Service. The annual award honors book publishing professionals whose "tireless and persistent" work has made a positive impact on the book publishing industry. Milliot is recognized for his "decades-long commitment to reporting on the book industry."

Previous award honorees include Joe Gonnella, formerly of Barnes & Noble; Maureen McMahon of Kaplan Publishing; the late David Cully of Baker & Taylor; Mike Shatzkin of the Idea Logical Company; and Michael Bamberger of Dentons. The award was created in 2013.

"I am happy to accept this award on behalf of all my colleagues, past and present, at PW," said Milliot in a statement about the honor. "We have always done our best to provide the information the industry needs to make informed decisions, and it is truly appreciated that those efforts have not gone unnoticed."

Book Industry Study Group added that Milliot's reporting highlighted the publishing industry's "best moments and many of its most challenging," informing on the changing scope, structure and color of the business.

Milliot joined PW in April 1993 after then-publisher Fred Ciporen invited him to lunch where editor-in-chief Nora Rawlinson offered him the job of business editor. Prior to joining the magazine, Milliot served as executive editor of Simba Information, helming the business of publishing newsletter, the BP Report, and serving as editor for the Educational Marketer and IDP Report newsletters.

Serving as news editor at PW, Milliot regularly helped launch innovative such as fast-growing indie publishers and the Publishers Weekly annual salary surveys. He also oversees coverage for Person of the Year, Bookstore and Rep of the Year, and Star Watch programs.

For BISG, Milliot served on the organization's statistics committee, formed under Sandy Paul, BISG's first executive director. He wrote commentary for a number of BISG Trends reports, including several published under the leadership of Jeff Abramson and Angela Bole. From 2014 to 2018, Milliot served on the board of directors of the Independent Book Publishers Association.

The Sally Decker Award for Lifetime Service award will be presented as part of a lunchtime program at the BISG annual meeting, hosted at the Harvard Club of New York on Friday, April 28.
Indigo Books & Music, Canada's leading retail bookstore chain, continues to deal with the fallout from a ransomware attack on its computer systems that stole employee data from the company and crippled its online store. The attack first took place on February 8 and the bookseller has only recently rebuilt its website, having refused to pay a ransom demanded by the cybercriminals.

One month later, the company's stores are again accepting all forms of payment and the Indigo website is again functioning.

The hackers posted a countdown timer on the LockBit website, which threatened to reveal stolen employee information on March 2 if the company would not pay. Indigo indicated it would not pay the ransom, noting there was no guarantee that the information would not be released and fear that the money would be used by terrorists or for other malfeasance. There are conflicting reports of the data having been leaked to the dark web.

An FAQ about the hack posted last week offered details. "We immediately engaged third-party experts to investigate and resolve the situation. As part of this remediation work, we proactively shut down some of our systems to prevent data from being improperly accessed, and have been working with third-party experts to strengthen our cybersecurity practices, enhance data security measures and review our existing controls." The post said Indigo had no reason to believe consumer data had been stolen.

Regarding the possible leaked employee data, Indigo wrote, "To provide additional assurance and protection to all employees, we have retained the assistance of TransUnion of Canada, Inc., one of Canada's leading consumer reporting agencies, to offer two years of myTrueIdentity credit monitoring and identity theft protection services at no cost."

The company will continue to monitor the situation for updates and indicated it would stay in touch with current and former employees who may be affected.
Christian historical fiction author Stephanie Landsem is turning her attention to a true story in a new thriller, Code Name Edelweiss (Tyndale, out now). In 1933, a Jewish lawyer, Leon Lewis, convinced a handful of young Christians to spy on Nazis who were plotting to murder Jewish movie studio moguls and establish a German propaganda machine.

Landsem imagines the lives of two people who are persuaded to infiltrate groups the Nazis actually established in Los Angeles  a social club and a bookstore. Liesl, an unemployed single mother, becomes their secretary, and Wilhelm, a former detective with regrets about his past, becomes a driver. Both agree to their risky roles after Lewis shares a saying from first-century Rabbi Hillel: "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?"

PW talks with Landsem about her characters' journey to a deeper sense of what faith required of them.

How did you find the idea for Code Name Edelweiss?

I was researching the history of Hollywood for my previous book (In a Far-Off Land, Tyndale, 2021) when I read Steven Ross's book, Hitler in Los Angeles (Bloomsbury, 2019, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for history) about Leon Lewis and his spies. When I'm looking for a book idea, something has to really click. This wasn't a click, it was a slam! Lewis was prophetic in a time when most people thought Hitler was just another world leader and nobody much cared if the German Chancellor was antisemitic. Antisemitism was common in those days. Those stories have been told. I asked myself, whose point of view would be most exciting in my story? It's the spies.

Why did you make Rabbi Hillel's words a thread throughout your book?

In my research, I learned that Lewis himself was not a well man and that he had a family to support. Yet, inspired by his faith, he put himself, and a lot of his spies, the women in particular, in a lot of danger because he knew how important it was to stop the Nazis from taking over Hollywood.

Your character Liesl (whom Lewis has code-named Edelweiss), observes. "There have to be good people, good Christians, who could do something." And Wilhelm, concludes that God, works his purposes through "good people like Leon Lewis, not-so-good people like himself. [God] gave them what they needed and let them at it." Why show your characters' struggles with God?

Sometimes it is hard to trust God. We think, "God, you say you have a plan here, but what the heck is it?" The question of why God allows evil is a question people have asked throughout the ages and especially now. I think historical fiction is so popular because it often sheds light on our own time period.

How so?

We see people dividing by "us" and "them." I want readers to see that we must stand up for whoever is seen as "them" even if we are the only ones to stand up for them. I live in Minneapolis. I was here during the riots (after the murder of George Floyd). I see what is happening and I know we can't live with the idea that the only people we can stick up for are people like ourselves.
Kristina Vandiver has joined Christian publisher Kregel as director of its two imprints, Kregel Academic and Ministry (KAM), in a response to growing interest in the categories, according to the publisher.

Prior to joining Kregel, Vandiver most recently served in a product management role at Faithlife. Her experience also includes marketing and product development roles at Lifeway Christian Resources. In her new role, Vandiver is responsible for leading the KAM team as well as spearheading strategic marketing and editorial initiatives for the imprints, which publish 15-18 books per year. Vandivers position had been vacant since 2021 following Laura Bartlett's departure.

While Kregel has no plans for additional hires at this time, KAM is on a growth trend at Kregel, and so well be watching this and evaluating how we can best support it, says Kregel publisher Catherine Devries. We continue to utilize several core staff as well as freelancers, and so we can flex with the needs of our publishing list.

Speaking to PW about the new role, Vandiver cited Kregels long and respected reputation in academic as well as Christian publishing. It is a privilege to join the team and to work hand-in-hand with them to grow their strong academic and ministry titles and the spectrum of voices their content represents across a variety of platforms, she says. Im especially eager to continue the good work already established in the Kerux Commentary series for preaching, and the Through Old Testament Eyes series with great authors like Tremper Longman III.
Hozan Alan Senauke, a former executive director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship in Oakland, Calif. and the current abbot at the Berkeley Zen Center in Berkeley, Calif., is looking back on 35 years of Buddhist practice in his new book, Turning Words: Transformative Encounters with Buddhist Teachers (Shambhala, out now). It features turning words, or crucial moments that led to lessons he learned from Buddhist leaders such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Joan Halifax, Joanna Macy, and Senaukes primary teacher, Sojun Mel Weitsman, as well as dozens of other spiritual friends.

In an interview with PW, the Zen priest says the collection is medicine for the challenges readers of all backgrounds face today.

How did you choose which teachers and friends to include, and what was the writing process like?

I just looked for the best stories. I did try to do some free-associating; that was fruitful. At first there were only a few things, and as I unclenched my mental fist, other stories appeared. I made space for reflection. All of our lives are like that if we just take the space for reflection. Its a very common human experiencereminiscing, reflecting on our lives; looking at what moves us.

One of the lessons in the book is, Let things fall apart. Why is this so important for readers to understand, especially post-pandemic?

Every teaching, first of all, is a remedya form of medicine. And second, this advice was given to me by my teacher when I was trying to control things without accepting the fact that not everything can be controlled. Things will fall apart; things are falling apart. They will do that. Its inevitably what happens. But how can we meet that with dignity and compassion, and not a foolish effort to control what cant be controlled? My teacher said everything is going so well; in a moment, it can go away. And it did to all of us. I think just as a community, we didnt waste a lot of time wallowing around in loss. We said, Well what can we do? And we turned to technologies and other ways of connecting, we maintained community, and have grown stronger. Transitions and destabilization called forth new strength.

While you share some of what you have learned about life and socially-engaged Buddhism, you also point out, I still have a ways to go. Where do you find encouragement to continue learning?

I am encouraged by living and practicing in sanghafrom the example of others and for the continuing opportunity to see the effect of my words and actions. I ask myself whether these words and actions tend towards harmony or division. Living in sanghaor communityinvolves engagement with others, which can be a stiff remedy for self-delusion.

Who is the intended audience for this book?

These are vivid, compressed stories. Anyone interested in the Buddhist religion might find these interesting. Buddhism is not just something that happens in the meditation hall or with some precious, careful life. Buddhism arises in the small activities of life, and those can be points of awakeningquite apart from any fixed doctrine. The emphasis is on what I refer to as the ordinary mind: what is amazing and transcendent in our lives occurs in ordinary moments.

What is the #1 thing you want readers to take away from it?

Keep your eyes open and enjoy your life. Its happening all the time, irrespective of your religious or spiritual tradition.
Produced by Emmy Award-winning director/producer Paul Saltzman, Meeting the Beatles in India , has now been picked up by Germanys Koch Media, Italys Nexo Digital and Norways Film Pa Farta. The 89-minute documentary, executive produced by David Lynch and narrated by Morgan Freeman, revisits 1968, when 23-year-old Saltzman spent a week hanging out with the Beatles at the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.The narrative retraces Saltzmans life-changing journey, which started with a broken heart and ended with studying transcendental meditation with John, Paul, George and Ringo at a remote retreat in northern India.VRPO the Netherlands and YLE Finland are the latest European broadcasters to acquire France Televisions topical documentary A President, Europe and War, which provides a, fly-on-the-wall account of French president Emmanuel Macrons handling of the Russian Ukrainian conflict in its first few months.The 115-minute film, which was licensed by SVT Sweden, VRT Belgium and NRK Norway in the run-up to its official launch at MIPCOM, chronicles Macrons progression from political wrangling through last-ditch diplomacy to the tough negotiations needed to persuade the 27 EU member states to impose economic sanctions on Russia and provide military and financial support to Ukraine.One measure of a good documentary is access  and its fair to say that both Meeting the Beatles in India and A President, Europe and War offer access on a scale that most filmmakers can only dream of, commented Scorpion managing director David Cornwall.It was clear to me from the outset that both documentaries are exceptional in their own way  Meeting the Beatles because it explores our shared cultural heritage and A President, Europe and War because it offers a unique perspective on Europes worst crisis since the Second World War. Im delighted, but unsurprised, that Europes broadcasters agree with me.
Part of the SF Studios group owned by Nordic media company Bonnier, SF Anytime was founded in 2002 and claims to be the leading video-on-demand service (rent and buy) in the Nordic and Baltic region. SF Anytimes service is available both through its direct-to-consumer platform www.sfanytime.com and TV operators. It offers and offering everything from the latest Hollywood blockbusters to arthouse films and TV series.The deal will see SF Anytime acquiring the right to use the Blockbuster brand and all customer relationships across the Nordic region. The two businesses will continue to operate under their own brands and their customers will experience an aligned and even broader content offering.SF Anytime has distribution deals with all major film studios and most of the local distributors and claims to offer the largest library of content in the Nordics, an offering that also Blockbusters customers will benefit from. Both SF Anytime and Blockbuster are available through their own digital direct-to-consumer platforms. SF Anytime is also distributed through leading TV operators in the Nordics and will through the acquisition of Blockbuster take over the distribution via the Danish TV-operator YouSee. We are excited and proud to acquire the leading Danish streaming service Blockbuster and integrate their service into our business. The two businesses complement each other very well as SF Anytime has its strength in Sweden while Blockbuster's focus is on the Danish market. Our combined experience and offering create a better service for millions of households across the Nordics, said SF Anytime managing director Michael Holmberg commenting on the deal.With this acquistion, we will continue to focus on the digital rental and purchase market in the Nordics and become a stronger streaming service with more resources to manage and market the industrys largest catalogue of local and international content. The acquisition will also strengthen our relationship with leading international film studios and IT partners and enable us to offer our over one million customers with the best film and TV content."Blockbuster has undergone strong business development under our ownership, and we are proud to be able to hand over a Danish market leader in the digital rental and purchase of films to SF Anytime, which we are convinced is a better long-term strategic owner of Blockbuster", added Nuuday executive vice president Jens Grnlund.
ABC/Craig Sjodin

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/07/2023



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

bachelorette Kat Izzo has revealed she was blindsided by Zach Shallcross ' decision to let her go, mainly because she was convinced he was The One for her."I did [feel blindsided]. I definitely could reflect on where my feelings were at in that moment, and they were feeling off. But I wasn't thinking that that was going to be something that overtook our relationship," Kat told Us Weekly at : The Women Tell All taping in late February.On 's latest Season 27 episode that aired Monday night on ABC, Zach ousted Kat, a 26-year-old registered nurse from Tampa, FL, at the Rose Ceremony in Budapest, Hungary preceding hometown dates.Kat demanded to know why Zach was sending her home, and Zach explained while they had "the best and strongest connection" for a while, their dynamic changed in the past couple of weeks and he no longer felt confident in their future together.Zach, for instance, sensed a disconnect or something off with Kat during the witchcraft group date in Estonia."I tried in any way I could to make sense of [what had changed between us], but I wouldn't ever lie to you," Zach told Kat after denying her a rose, adding, "It was nothing you did... The feeling in my stomach, that's me -- and it's not you."Kat explained to Us that while she and Zach "had one hard week," she didn't think that was going to break them."We also had five good weeks," Kat acknowledged. "So I thought that was going to be something to show my family that like, 'Yeah, sometimes we're not perfect. Sometimes we struggle. But he's wanting to love them through that.'"Kat admitted, "I was hoping that was going to be him. Unfortunately, it wasn't. But it's okay."Kat suggested that her departure was particularly difficult because she had believed Zach was her person, the man she's been searching for."I think that he showed me characteristics that I would definitely pursue even outside of here, like, his goofiness and his presence was something I, like, really was so drawn to," Kat disclosed."And even up until the point that we left, I was like, 'What? You're supposed to be my husband.'"The blonde beauty recalled, "I mean, I never didn't feel those feelings. Even when I was wanting to give up because it was hard, I was like, 'Nope, this is my person at the end of this.' I would never give up on it."But Kat has had time to heal since filming, and so she said "it's okay" that her relationship with Zach didn't work out."I just need a man to love me through all layers and be present in every moment," Kat said of what she wants from her future husband."And I want to have, like, the fun and silly goofy times but also have the hard and serious times, and just do life with me without any regret."Zach, for his part, told the magazine that he had a "strong relationship" with Kat "very early on," but his feelings for his Final 4 bachelorettes -- Ariel Frenkel Gabi Elnicki and Kaity Biggar -- grew stronger during his time in Estonia and Budapest."It never, like, fell off by any means. Nothing ever happened that was wrong, but the other relationships that were growing were just being stronger and stronger and I couldn't deny those," Zach explained."[But] you can kind of see I don't take the goodbyes well because the feelings just don't evaporate once you make that decision."Zach said letting Kat go was "a very tough decision," clarifying that "there was nothing she did wrong or anything like that."When Kat left the show, Zach bawled his eyes out and received comfort from host Jesse Palmer.Zach said he never expected his relationship with Kat to end so soon. In fact, during his week in The Bahamas, Zach told Jesse that he was certain he'd be meeting Kat's family weeks from that point.Kat lamented in her final words, "This hurts... I gave this man my entire heart, and I never thought I'd be saying goodbye to him. Every time I put myself out there, this sh-t happens, and it's so exhausting and painful. I'm so sick of feeling that way. It's not fair. It's just not fair."Kat said she just hoped to find her person, who would want and love her, because that's what she deserves."And he just wasn't that," Kat concluded.Zach also eliminated Greer Blitzer and Brooklyn Willie during his week in Budapest.will now be heading into Zach's hometown dates with Ariel, Charity, Gabi and Kaity on the next episode airing Monday, March 13 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC. The Women Tell All special will air the following night on Tuesday, March 14.Interested in more news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
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International Women's Day on 8 March celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call for action for accelerating womens empowerment and gender equality. Why does commemorating the International Womens Day in Myanmar matter?

I started writing this op-ed wanting to explain to the unborn generation of children why gender equality and the empowerment of women matters in Myanmar today. It is the ingrained hope of a mother wanting to pass on a better future to her child. It is also my call for action to all involved to further advance on gender equality and the empowerment of women as we are facing an erosion of many hard-earned gains in terms of gender equality.

Myanmars women and girls have been hit disproportionately hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Feb. 1, 2021 coup and the pursuant security, humanitarian, and socio-economic crisis. The economic downturn has led to an increasing pay gap between women and men, and women-led businesses, which are often small and micro-enterprises or in the informal sector, have struggled more to make a recovery.

Access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services has been severely diminished. While reliable figures are not available, all indicators point to an increase in various forms of sexual and gender-based violence across Myanmar, while access to response services and to justice for survivors is often minimal to non-existent.

Women and their babies, displaced by recent fighting between government security forces and ethnic rebels in their area, take refuge at a monastery in Namlan township, Shan state, Myanmar, May 25, 2021. Credit: AFP/ MNWM/Shwe Phee Myay News Agency Why does gender equality matter, will you ask? If society is like a bird with two wings, if one is broken the bird will not be able to fly will I answer. If women, who make 52 per cent of the population are not equally represented in decision making bodies, lack equal access to basic rights, equal employment and income opportunities, and continue to face the threat of violence in their day-to-day lives, they will not be able to fully claim and exert their rights, then society will never be able to fully thrive and to use its full socio-economic potential towards a sustainable and prosperous future.

Women in Myanmar have shown tremendous resilience but continue to face unequal access to productive resources, reproductive rights and suffer violence and abuse.

The multiple crises have seen an extraordinary amount of womens engagement socially and economically, with women playing central and life-saving roles in local and community-level pandemic and humanitarian responses, often in extreme circumstances. Previously marginalized women have begun playing increasingly visible leadership roles, and the unity within the womens movement is at an all-time high.

Threats of violence

However, all of this has come at a high cost, with individual women leaders and womens organisations finding themselves under-resourced, often at a risk of depletion and over-burdening, and facing increasing threats and violence both online and in real life for their outspoken and brave leadership.

The 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan reports that women have been hit disproportionately by conflict, the political and economic crisis, and their subsequent economic impacts due to social norms around work, disempowerment in the workplace and their traditional role in their households and communities. Of the 4.5 million people prioritized for life-saving humanitarian support this year, 52 percent are women.

A member of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force takes part in a training session for female special forces members and womens battalions at a camp in the forest near Demoso in Myanmar's eastern Kayah state, May 28, 2022. Credit: Karenni Nationalities Defence Force Despite the extremely challenging circumstances, the United Nations in Myanmar together with its local partners will reach 2.3 million women and girls in humanitarian assistance covering prevention and response to gender-based violence, HIV/AIDS prevention, cash transfer and food distribution in 2023.

Undoubtedly, the multiple crises have led to an across-the-board erosion of many hard-earned gains of the past decades in terms of gender equality and womens empowerment as the ratification of the United Nation Convention on Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) or the National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women. But as dire as the situation is in Myanmar, the continued prominence of women in all aspects of social, political, and economic life give reason for hope as well.

To halt the regression of gender equality and womens empowerment, Myanmar women and womens rights organizations need the urgent support of the international community, including from UN agencies, to listen to their appeals and to continue advocating on their behalf. This includes adaptive and flexible support to womens organisations providing aid to populations in need in remote areas relying on their knowledge and networks to be able to localise and deliver aid efficiently and effectively.

A bird with two equally strong and intact wings will fly high and far towards a prosperous and sustainable future. On March 8 and beyond I, on behalf of UN Women, commit to stand for gender equality in Myanmar, today and always.
Analysts say the government sees data as crucial in staving off threats to Communist Party rule.

In this Sept. 26, 2022 photo, security personnel stand at a checkpoint near security cameras across Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

China has announced plans to set up a central data bureau to tighten control over big data intelligence on its 1.4 billion citizens, as well as implement tighter Communist Party control over the banking system and financial markets, state media reported.

The restructuring of the State Council included moves to stabilize government control over the massive amounts of big data generated by people in their day-to-day interactions, as well as implement stricter governance in the financial sector, analysts told Radio Free Asia.

The institutional reform plan is aimed at streamlining the countrys bureaucracy, and putting strategic planning and resource management directly into the hands of party leaders, current affairs commentator Bi Haitao said.

Its also about guarding against financial risks, Bi said. The establishment of a new financial management bureau will integrate the Securities Regulatory Commission and the Insurance Regulatory Commission into a department directly under the State Council.

Controls over Chinas financial markets are going to get stricter.

In this Feb. 17, 2022 photo, workers install the nameplate of the Beijing Stock Exchange on the Financial Street in Beijing. (Andy Wong/AP)





Profound impact on industry

Meanwhile, a National Data Center in Chinas equivalent of Silicon Valley  Beijings Zhongguancun district  will bring the management of all online data generated by internet users under one roof and outside of the control of the powerful Cyberspace Administration, he said.

I believe that this will have a huge impact on law enforcement, the national economy and the internet in China, Bi said. It will also have a profound impact on industry, albeit quietly.

At the same time, the Central Cybersecurity and Informatization Commission will formulate plans for a digital China, promote the digitization of public services and social governance, as well as promoting the construction of smart cities, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The moves are part of structural reforms that will bring government security and intelligence functions under the direct control of the ruling party, rather than the countrys cabinet, suggest a further bid to consolidate political power in the hands of leader Xi Jinping as well as a possible preparation for war, analysts told RFA in recent interviews.

Reforms that will streamline the system for commissioning and applying scientific and technological research, allowing for centralized planning and strategic innovation, are also underway, Xinhua reported, in a move that seems aimed at cutting Chinas reliance on imported technology.

Last month, Chinese search engine giant Baidu said it would launch its own artificial intelligence chatbot Ernie amid reports that regulators have warned major tech companies not to offer the Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence bot ChatGPT to the public.

In this June 28, 2021 photo, Chinese President Xi Jinping is displayed on a giant screen as performers dance at a show ahead of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing. (Ng Han Guan/AP)





The equivalent of Skynet

Song Defu, a Jiangxi-based financial scholar, said the plan will mean far tighter controls over the financial system and over big data.

The security of the regime and of the financial system are all about the data, Song said. Every time you transfer funds out of your personal account, it will immediately show up in the big data, and they will know where the money is going.

Song said the big data center was the digital equivalent of the Skynet system of nationwide surveillance cameras and facial recognition AI that enables law enforcement to track the movements of any individual anywhere in the country.

Big data is a form of Skynet, and there is no way that these controls will be relaxed, he said. They already started using it during the pandemic.

He said the role played by big data and algorithms in law enforcement and security would continue to be a crucial one for the government.

The role of numbers is so huge that it can affect intelligence [conclusions], Song said.

In this Jan. 20, 2022 photo, the national flag flies in front of China's central bank in Beijing, China. (Andy Wong/AP)





The cuts to central government jobs show that the government needs to cut its financial commitments now that coffers have been drained by the huge costs of Communist Party leader Xi Jinpings zero-COVID policy, which ended in December 2022, he added.

There are too many people who rely on government finances, and actually 5% is not much ... layoffs are only just getting started, Song said, adding that he expects to see further cuts of 10-15% of government posts at lower levels of government after the National Peoples Congress ends, as part of the cost-cutting exercise in the spirit of the recent annual session.

The jobs will likely be reassigned to strategically important areas of government, the reform plan reported by Xinhua said.

Xi told military and armed police leaders at the National Peoples Congress in Beijing on Wednesday that the restructuring and streamlining of military-industrial systems would also be important for a planned approach to strategic and military research, as well as the management of stockpiled resources, the agency said in a separate report.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Matt Reed.
China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang speaks during a press conference at the Media Center of the National People's Congress in Beijing on Tuesday, March 7, 2023.

The United States and China are destined for conflict if Washington refuses to hit the brakes as it speed[s] down the wrong path of engagement with Beijing, Chinas new Foreign Minister Qin Gang said Tuesday during his first media appearance in the role.

Qin spoke on the sidelines of the two sessions annual meeting of Chinas National Peoples Congress, which kicked off on Sunday and is expected to showcase a major political reshuffle following President Xi Jinpings securing of an unprecedented third term as leader.

Qin dismissed calls by the Biden administration for guardrails to prevent increasingly sour U.S.-China relations from deteriorating into full-blown hostility.

If the U.S. does not hit the brakes but continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrail can prevent derailing, and there will surely be conflict and confrontation, said Qin, the former ambassador to the United States who became Chinas top envoy in December.

Qin also called the Biden administrations plans to outcompete China without conflict code for all-out containment and suppression and said it was a zero-sum game.

Working with Moscow

Rather than discussing ways to improve ties between the worlds two largest economies, Qin highlighted cooperation between Beijing and Moscow, which he said set an example for global foreign relations.

With China and Russia working together, the world will have a driving force, he said. The more unstable the world becomes, the more imperative it is for China and Russia to steadily advance their relations.

Western nations have been closely watching the relationship between China and Russia following the latters invasion of Ukraine, which Beijing has supported. Some observers say China is gauging the Wests reaction to the conflict to determine whether it will invade Taiwan, which has self-governed for decades, but which Beijing claims is a runaway province.

Qin laid the blame for increasing tensions over Taiwan with the United States, which is obligated to provide Taipei with defense capabilities under the Taiwan Relations Act.

The Taiwan question is the bedrock of the political foundations of U.S.-China relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in U.S.-China relations, he said, before reading a passage from a copy of Chinas constitution which claims Taiwan as a sacred part of China.

Qin also made comparisons between Taiwan and Ukraine, where he said the conflict has been guided by an invisible hand  using the Ukraine crisis to serve certain geopolitical agendas. He accused the U.S. of hypocrisy for defending Ukraines sovereignty but refusing to acknowledge Chinas claim over Taiwan.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang reads from the Chinese constitution when answering a question about Taiwan during a press conference held on the sidelines of the annual meeting of China's National People's Congress in Beijing, Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Credit: Associated Press Qins hawkish comments followed similar ones from Xi Jinping in an address he made to political delegates on Monday, when he accused the U.S. of working to suppress Chinese ambitions.

Western countries led by the United States have implemented all-round containment, encirclement and suppression of China, which has brought unprecedented severe challenges to our countrys development, Xi said.

Upholding the rules-based order

At a State Department briefing in Washington on Tuesday, spokesman Ned Price reiterated that the U.S. has no intention of entering into a conflict with China.

I couldn't speak to the motivation for some of the statements we've heard from senior PRC leaders over the course of the past several days, but what I can tell you - and this is a message intended for the American people [and] the Chinese people around the world - that United States does not seek conflict, he said.

The United States seeks a relationship with the PRC that has a floor, that has guardrails, and that ultimately is a relationship that has measures in place to prevent competition from veering into conflict.

Price told reporters that the United States views competition as healthy and something that we seek out on a constructive basis.

This is not about containing China. This is not about suppressing China. This is not about holding China back, he said. This is about upholding the rules-based order. The rules-based order that countries like China have signed on to - that they signed on to in the earliest days of the U.N. system.

Price also said that the United States wants to maintain communication with Beijing to prevent a conflict, noting that Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently met with Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi in Munich.

He pointed out that Chinas Peoples Liberation Army cut contact with the U.S. Department of Defense earlier this year after the U.S. shot down what it said was a Chinese spy balloon flying in American airspace, and suggested reopening the communication channel to help avoid a confrontation.

Economic downturn

Despite the bravado from Qin, three years of zero-Covid policies in China have taken their toll on the countrys economy and Beijing needs to maintain trade relations with the West.

At the opening of the National Peoples Congress on Sunday, party officials set a target for 2023 GDP growth at around 5% following an expansion of only 3% in 2022  the countrys slowest rate of growth in nearly 50 years.

Tan Yaonan, the chairman of the Cross-Strait Policy Association in Taiwan, told RFA that Beijing is concentrating on alleviating Chinas economic challenges, while hoping to maintain a competitive relationship with the U.S.

[Beijing is] trying to control differences  so as not to deliberately attract greater conflict, or allow the Western world to join forces against China, he said.

In recent months, Beijing appeared to have toned down what has been termed its standoffish wolf warrior brand of diplomacy amid a worsening economic outlook. The appointment of Qin, who is seen as less brash than his colleagues, was viewed as an extension of that toning down.

However, Qin on Tuesday warned that if faced with jackals and wolves, China has no choice but to face them head on, suggesting that China may be returning to its earlier aggressive style of foreign relations.

With additional material from Jerry Zhao. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Senate also told that TikTok enables our adversaries efforts at espionage amid moves to ban the platform.

The U.S. intelligence community is divided over whether COVID-19 originated from a lab in Wuhan or from natural exposure to an infected animal, and is only sure it wasnt a deliberate bioweapon, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the Senate on Wednesday.

Asked by Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, why she would not say categorically that COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese virology lab, Haines said the intelligence community remains divided on this issue, with different agencies offering different analyses.

Basically, there's a broad consensus in the intelligence community that the outbreak is not the result of a bioweapon or genetic engineering, Haines said. What there isn't a consensus on is whether or not it's a lab leak, essentially ... or natural exposure to an infected animal.

We've been trying to collect additional information, she explained. China has not fully cooperated, and we do think that's a key critical gap. That would help us to understand what exactly happened.

Haines was appearing before a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee  alongside the directors of the Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency  to answer questions relating to the intelligence communitys latest annual worldwide threat assessment report.

FBI Director Christopher Wray told the committee his agency believed the so-called lab-leak theory was accurate. The FBI has long said, going all the way back to the summer of 2021, that the origin of the pandemic was likely a lab incident in Wuhan, Wray said.

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats, in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (AFP)

But Haines stressed that was not a universal view, with analysts trying to do the best that they can to figure out what exactly happened.

The Department of Energy has changed its view slightly, with low confidence: It says that a lab leak is most likely, but they do so for different reasons than the FBI does, and their assessments are not identical, she said. So you can see how challenging this has been.

TikTok threat

Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner, a Democrat from Virginia, on Tuesday had announced a new bipartisan bill that would give the Biden administration the authority to ban TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned social media platform, across the United States.

The bill, which has bipartisan support in the Senate and has also been backed by the White House, would allow the secretary of commerce to ban any foreign-owned technology deemed a national security threat.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chairman, and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), vice chairman, listen to testimony during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on "worldwide threats," on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (Reuters)

None of the intelligence chiefs were asked if they supported the bill, but each said TikTok created an intelligence threat for the United States.

In terms of our national security, it obviously enables our adversaries efforts at espionage, CIA Director William Burns said. It enables them to steal intellectual property, it enables them to get access to sensitive technologies, it enables them to spy on our citizens as well. So it offers enormous opportunities, I think, for our adversaries.

Wray said that TikToks threat stemmed from the inability of its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, to refuse to follow orders from the Chinese Communist Party given Chinas authoritarian system.

The difference between an ostensibly private company and the CCP is essentially a distinction without a difference, Wray said. So if you were to ask Americans, Would you like to turn over all your data, control of your devices, control of your information to the CCP? Most Americans would say I'm not down with that, as my kids would say.

Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican and the vice-chair of the committee, said that he believed the failure of Congress so far to ban TikTok came down to the fact that we've forgotten what it's like to live in a world where we have near-peer competitors like China.

The commentary class, think tanks, academia, to some extent even Congress, is still filled with officials who came of age in the post-Cold War fantasy about the end of history, Rubio said, also blaming business for becoming reliant on off-shoring. Weve become a society addicted to cheap products from China, and viral videos on TikTok.

He asked Wray whether TikTok could be used for propaganda.

Could they use it to drive narratives, like to divide Americans against each other  for example, let's say China wants to invade Taiwan  to make sure Americans are seeing videos arguing why Taiwan belongs to China [and] why the U.S. should not intervene? Rubio asked.

Yes, Wray responded, adding: We're not sure that we would see many of the outward signs of it happening if it was happening.

U.S.-China relations

Before shutting its doors for a closed hearing, the committee did not ask about a number of other claims made in the threat assessment report released by the intelligence committee on Wednesday.

The report notably said that North Koreas cyber program could cause temporary, limited disruptions of some critical infrastructure in the United States, and that the situation in Myanmar is heading toward a stalemate with neither side able to achieve military superiority.

From left, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray, National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Scott Berrier testify before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on "worldwide threats," on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (Reuters)

Instead, the meeting focussed mainly on the threat posed by China, which has become one of few areas of bipartisanship in Congress.

Haines, the national intelligence director, told the hearing Beijing would likely soon seek a calming of tensions to allow China to get its house further in order, while outwardly signaling opposition to Washington.

We assess that Beijing still believes it benefits most by preventing a spiraling of tensions, and by preserving stability in its relationship with the United States, she said, explaining that Chinese President Xi Jinping seeks a period of relative calm to give China the time and stability it needs to address growing domestic difficulties.

Beijing wants to preserve stability in East Asia, she said, even as it adopts an increasingly aggressive approach to the world.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has confirmed he will meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen when she visits the United States in coming weeks, according to a report by Bloomberg.

The planned meeting, first reported by the Financial Times a day prior, would take place in McCarthys home state of California with the Taiwanese president en route to visit a number of the self-governing islands allies in Central America.

McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday night that the meeting did not mean his plans to lead a congressional delegation to Taiwan later this year had been called off, according to the Bloomberg report.

That has nothing to do with my travel, if I would go to Taiwan, McCarthy was quoted as saying, rejecting reports that the pair were trying to avoid angering Beijing during a tense moment in U.S.-China relations. China cant tell me where and when I can go, he said.

McCarthys office has not responded to requests for comment from Radio Free Asia about his plans to meet with Tsai.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosis trip to Taiwan in August caused a rupture in relations between China and the United States, due to Beijings claims that the democratic island is its territory.

The relationship appeared on the mend, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken scheduled to visit Beijing last month. But that trip was postponed at the last minute after U.S. authorities discovered what they said was a Chinese spy balloon in American airspace.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Wednesday that Beijing was gravely concerned about any meeting between McCarthy and Tsai and had reached out to U.S. officials.

Taiwan is part of the sacred territory of the Peoples Republic of China, Mao said at a press conference. I need to stress that China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the U.S. and the Taiwan region, firmly opposes any visit by Taiwan independence separatist leaders to the U.S. in any name under whatever pretext.
Protesters march along a street during a rally for the victims of a deadly fire and to China's harsh COVID-19 restrictions in Beijing on Nov. 28, 2022.

Stymied by strict censorship and the fear of political persecution at home, Chinese women are finding allies in the international feminist movement, as well as standing with Uyghur women activists overseas.

Xiao A, a Chinese millennial currently studying in Munich, said she has recently been involved in activism alongside women from Germany, Iran, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Somalia and Xinjiang, home to the mostly Muslim Uyghur ethnic group targeted by the Chinese Communist Party for mass incarceration, surveillance, forced labor, forced marriage and religious persecution.

As a Chinese woman living overseas, I feel I need to let the rest of the world see Chinese and East Asian women [clearly], by breaking stereotypes of silence or resignation [around women from those cultures], Xiao A told Radio Free Asia in an interview for International Women's Day.

[We want to] change explicit and implicit discrimination that we face in academia, in the workplace, and in life generally, she said, adding that she has been particularly inspired by recent waves of protests in Iran by women and girls protesting mandatory veiling and other forms of discrimination against them under an authoritarian regime.

When our sisters from all over the world are standing strong, and people all around the world are applauding the courage of Iranian women [in protesting the veil], neither I nor the tens of millions of other Chinese women should stay silent, pretend not to see, or wait for someone else to step up, Xiao A said.

Getting ready for this year's International Women's Day events, Xiao A feels that she is truly experiencing the meaning of the day for the first time, compared with the anodyne and sentimental rhetoric that official media and propaganda channels typically put out every March 8.

A woman holds a blank sheet of paper as demonstrators protest the deaths caused by an apartment complex fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, on the campus of the University of California, Irvine, in Irvine, California, on Nov. 29, 2022. Credit: AFP





Situation inside China

Since the detention of five feminists  Wu Rongrong, Li Tingting, Wei Tingting, Wang Man and Zheng Churan  as they planned a public campaign against sexual harassment on public transport ahead of March 8, 2015, activists say the situation for women's rights activism inside China has continued to deteriorate under ruling Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping.

While feminism is seemingly discussed everywhere on social media, systemic misogyny persists in China, according to a March 2021 essay by feminist writer Mimi Yana, who blamed "the continued presence of misogyny and social stigma, intensified authoritarian controls over every aspect of our lives, as well as government censorship that silences the most active and outspoken.

These things set hard limits on how creative and critical the feminist movement can be, and divide the womens rights community, she wrote on RFAs affiliated site, WhyNot.

For Xiao A, watching the white paper anti-lockdown protests that were sparked last November by an outpouring of support for the victims of a fatal lockdown apartment fire in Xinjiangs regional capital Urumqi, was a difficult experience.

I felt very sad and powerless, she said. So I hope to do something [for this years International Women's Festival], and if my compatriots overseas see it, maybe that'll make me feel less lonely. If my sisters in China see it, that would be better still.

Feminists [clockwise from top left] Wang Man, Wei Tingting, Zheng Churan, Wu Rongrong and Li Tingting were detained by Chinese authorities in 2015 as they planned a public campaign against sexual harassment on public transport. Credit: AFP photos





Prisoners of conscience

On the eve of International Women's Day, the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation projected images of Hong Kongs female political prisoners onto the exterior walls of a skyscraper in New York, listing the days they have lost their freedom.

One of the prisoners is journalist, Ho Ching-lin, who has been imprisoned for more than 700 days on charges of conspiring to subvert state power. Others are former legislative council member, Claudia Mo; former vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, Chow Hang-tung; and former members of the student organization Scholarism, Yanni Ho and Agnes Chow, who have been imprisoned for more than 500 days on other charges under the Hong Kong national security law.

Additionally, on Wednesday, 25 human rights groups, including Human Rights in China and PEN America, jointly called on the Chinese government to release Cao Zhixin, Li Siqi, Li Yuanjing and Zhai Dengrui  the latest group of Chinese female conscience prisoners arrested for participating in the white paper movement protest.

Hong Kong has the highest ratio of female prisoners in the world, including a large number of female political prisoners, the youngest of whom is only 14-years-old, according to Huiying Ng, policy and advocacy director of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation.

This white paper movement is very different from previous protests. In addition to being a protest mainly of young people, the participation of women is very admirable, said Zhou Fengsuo, the head of Humanitarian China. The courage and love they have shown are what people should have in a normal society.

The writings of Lu Xun

Generation Z student Li Xinyu has been taking part in a forum in New York on Chinese feminism with a few other women, titled After Nora Walks Out, a reference to a famous 1923 essay by late Chinese literary giant Lu Xun.

In his famous feminist speech ... influential Chinese writer Lu Xun raises his concerns about the future and the impasses of women who have awakened with a gender consciousness in a society that is not ready for their emancipation, the forum description reads.

After almost one hundred years, the theme of his speech seems still relevant to the gender issues and feminism in China today, it says, citing ongoing systematic discrimination against women in households and workplaces across the country.

Ive been interacting a lot more with international students here [in New York] since I went to some gatherings linked to the white paper movement last year, Li said. Ive begun to pay more attention to activism focusing on human rights and women's rights in China.

The white paper movement served as a late awakening for me, and I realized the kind of role I could play as a Chinese student overseas, she said.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party is keen to point to its support for gender equality, on paper at least, including the incorporation of womens rights into the countrys constitution in 1954. Late supreme leader Mao Zedongs slogan, women hold up half the sky, still makes an obligatory appearance every year on International Women's Day.

Yet the country ranked 102nd out of 146 countries and territories in the World Economic Forums Global Gender Gap Report for 2022, a significant fall from its 63rd place in 2006, while the most recent political leadership lineup under Xi Jinping at the 20th party congress in October 2022 revealed no women at all in the 25-member Politburo, breaking with a two-decades-old tradition that at least one woman would sit on the high-ranking body.

Protesters hold up blank papers and chant slogans as they march in protest against strict COVID-19 measures in Beijing, Nov. 27, 2022. Credit: AP





Women under dictatorships

For Germany-based millennial student Deng Luxing, thats just not good enough.

This is why we have to stand up, said Deng, who will be marching in a demonstration for equal rights on March 8, and who says she too was deeply inspired by the white paper movement and the protesters who have been subsequently detained or silenced, the majority of them young women.

Its not just about the women protesters who were suppressed after the white paper revolution, Deng said. Its also about the chained woman in Jiangsu, the Tangshan attacks, the family planning policies and divorce cooling-off period under the Chinese Communist Party.

We need to keep a close eye on women living under dictatorships; repression is an important topic, she said.

Growing social awareness and feminist consciousness among younger Han Chinese women, largely as a result of the white paper movement, is having a spillover effect for Uyghurs, too, according to Ipar Can, a 20-year-old Uyghur student studying in Germany.

They would come to me and ask how they could help out, and what initiatives I was working on, she said. I felt so grateful.

I love interacting with them and doing activism with them, she said. The more people can stand together, the better.

For her, though, it's not all about March 8.

Its important to have our voices heard, no matter what day it is, but International Women's Day is a great opportunity to spread awareness, she said. I want people to know about the persecution Uyghur women are suffering locally: forced birth control, sexual violence, and all of that, Ipar Can said.

For Xiao A, there is plenty of common ground with women from other backgrounds.

I think what we have in common is that we love life, and are unwilling to resign ourselves to our fates, she said.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie and Victor Sun. Edited by Matt Reed.

Names have been changed throughout to protect the identities of interviewees.
Women who sent 7 or 8 children to serve in the military are lionized.

Residents of Pyongyang, North Korea, bow before the statues of presidents Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on Mansu Hill on the 23rd anniversary of Kim Il Sung's demise in Pyongyang on July 8, 2017.

In honor of International Womens Day, North Korean women have been urged to bear more children who will grow up to serve in the nearly 1-million strong Korean Peoples Army  praised as an act of the greatest patriotism, sources in the country told Radio Free Asia.

The message has come in a series of ideological lectures for housewives, a resident in the northeastern province of North Hamgyong said on condition of anonymity to speak freely.

Last week, a lecture was held on active support for the People's Army, saying that having many children and sending them to the People's Army is the greatest patriotism, the source said.

A second source, based in the northern province of Ryanggang, said the lectures held up legendarily fertile women as the greatest example of patriots.

They introduced some patriots who sent seven or eight of their kids to the military as an example, the Ryanggang resident said. The lecturer emphasized the need to have a patriotic spirit that puts the needs of the country ahead of the family, like these women have.

But the lectures may really have been aimed at collecting donations from housewives to support the military, the Ryanggang source said.

In our current difficult living situation, how many citizens can provide material support?

Manpower  and womanpower

The North Korean military makes up for its lack of advanced technology through sheer numbers.

Compared to the more prosperous and democratic Souths 555,000 military personnel who are equipped with modern weaponry, North Korea has 1.15 million personnel in all its military branches, and many are using equipment that sometimes dates back to the Soviet era.

To maintain such large numbers, every able-bodied North Korean man must serve seven or eight years in the military, and women are strongly encouraged to join for up to five years. The number of enlisted women has been increasing due to a shortage of enlisted men in recent years.

North Korean soldiers march in a military parade celebrating the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army in Pyongyang, Feb, 8, 2023. Every able-bodied North Korean man must serve seven or eight years in the military. Credit: AFP/KCNA via KNS

The recent lectures also dedicated a lot of time to highlighting historical women who worked to support soldiers in wartime, the North Hamgyong source said.

The lecture said that all women should learn from the patriotic spirit of the Namgang village women who supported the front lines in the 1950s, said the second source.

During the 1950-1953 Korean War, women from the small village in the eastern province of Kangwon are said to have shuttled ammunition and food to North Korean soldiers fighting nearby. Their exploits were lionized in film to the point that they are now held up as one of the chief examples of female patriotism.

Rewarded with trip to Pyongyang

These days, North Koreas most patriotic women  presumably those who have sent many children to the military  are honored with a trip to Pyongyang, according to the North Hamgyong source. The lecture explained that the countrys leader Kim Jong Un publicly promised he would personally invite active supporters to be special representatives to important military celebrations.

These included the 75th Army Foundation Day events that were held in mid-February, and in July, the anniversary of the 1953 armistice that ended hostilities in the Korean War, which the North calls the Day of Victory in the Great Fatherland Liberation War.

The lecture recapped how Kim welcomed the patriots in February, the source said.

A woman and a child lay a bouquet of flowers as they pay their respects before the statues of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il to mark the 10-year anniversary of the death of Kim Jong Il, the father of current leader Kim Jong Un, in Pyongyang on Dec. 16, 2021. Credit: AFP

Kim Jong Un met with them and took commemorative photos, the source said. He also had them visit various places in Pyongyang, and benevolently gave them the opportunity to rest at the Yangdok Hot Spring Resort.

Additionally, the lectures said that each city, county and province is supposed to register people as military support enthusiasts.

In some cases, the Central Committee of the Korean Workers Party will choose outstanding contributors as enthusiasts, the source said, adding that the objective is to create a social atmosphere that is conducive to military support.

Translated by Claire Shinyoung Oh Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.
It also arrested more 3,125 women and sentenced 11 to death, according to the National Unity Government.

Tens of thousands of mourners take to the streets of Naypyidaw for the funeral of Mya Thwe Thwe Khing on Feb. 22, 2021. She was shot dead during an anti-junta demonstration shortly after that month's coup.

UPDATED at 1:17 P.M. EST on 03-08-2023

Myanmars shadow National Unity Government marked International Womens Day Wednesday with a bleak statistic.

It said 483 women across the country have been killed by the junta in the 25 months since the military seized power from the democratically elected government.

The joint statement by the National Unity Governments Ministry of Women, Youth and Childrens Affairs and the National Unity Consultative Councils Coordinating Committee on Gender Policy said the junta had also detained 3,125 women, 11 of whom received the death sentence and 15 life imprisonment.

Troops sexually assaulted 122 women, according to the statement, which said the National Unity Government would fight for justice for women whose rights were violated.

In one of the latest incidents, junta troops raided Tar Taing village in the seat of Sagaing region on March 1, killing at least 17 civilians -- three of whom were women.

A friend of one of the women's families told RFA Burmese that soldiers brutally gang raped Pan Nwe, Pan Thwal and Swe Swe Oo before ending their lives.

All three females were found with their blouses and longyis tattered. We found signs that they had been raped. There were bruises on their breasts. Their vaginas were swollen and bleeding. One woman was found with an onion stuffed into her vagina," said the friend, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing fear of reprisal.

"There are no words to explain how I feel about these heartless military soldiers. We are all grief-stricken. We have called on the international community to help us again and again. We've produced evidence of our tragedies. But there has been no response to our requests and I no longer want to ask for any help.

Call for international cooperation

Nang Moh Moh, secretary general of the Women's League of Burma, said international cooperation is key to ending the junta's violence against women.

On International Women's Day, Id like to say that the junta is majorly responsible for the threats to safety and security for women and children," she told RFA. "It is necessary for all of us, including the international community, to work together to end the juntas use of sexual assaults, rape and violence against women as weapons of war."

Naw Susanna Hla Hla Soe, the National Unity Government's minister for women, youth and children affairs, said that the shadow government is compiling documentation of the juntas imprisonment, sexual assaults and killings of women to hold the military accountable for its crimes.

We are submitting this evidence to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar of the United Nations and will take action through international courts to serve justice for the victims, she said.

Calls by RFA to junta Deputy Information Minister Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun regarding the NUG's statement about the targeting of women went unanswered Wednesday.

Women of the opposition

People across Myanmar have been marking International Womens Day by holding discussions on gender equality and womens rights.

The countrys women have been very active in both non-violent protests and armed rebellion since the Feb. 1, 2021 coup.

Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing, 20, died two weeks after the coup, the first protester to die at the hands of the military regime. She was shot in the head during a demonstration in Naypyidaw on Feb. 9, 2021 and succumbed to her injuries on Feb. 19. Two days after her death tens of thousands of mourners and protesters took to the streets of the capital for her funeral procession.

Jewel, a female member of the Pazundaung-Botataung Protest Movement Committee, told RFA that she and other women working to end military rule will not back down from their fight, despite junta tactics designed to strike fear into the hearts of the opposition.

We are deprived of basic human rights in our country ... and our lives can be taken away by the military forces as if we were livestock," she said.

"We cannot accept this power grab by the military dictators, so we risk our lives to protest as much as possible, no matter how dangerous the situation, because we are determined to strike until the end.

Since the coup, the junta has repeatedly ignored the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which Myanmar signed on July 22, 1997.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn and Joshua Lipes.

This story has been updated to include details of junta attacks against women, as well as comments from women's rights defenders and activists.
Dolkun Isa, president of the World Uyghur Congress, gestures as he speaks during a demonstration against China during its Universal Periodic Review by the Human Rights Council in front of the United Nations Office in Geneva, Switzerland, Nov. 6, 2018.

UPDATED at 2:23 P.M. EST on 03-09-2023

The World Uyghur Congress has been nominated by parliamentarians from Canada and Norway for the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for its contributions to human rights and shedding light on Chinese repression of the Uyghur people in the far western region of Xinjiang.

Its the first time the Germany-based group has been nominated for the prestigious prize.

China has faced intensifying international criticism for treatment of the 11 million predominantly Muslim Uyghur people, whose culture, language, religion, dress and food is distinct from those of the Han Chinese majority.

The United Nations human rights office issued a damning report in August that highlighted widespread arbitrary detentions and other actions by China that it said may constitute crimes against humanity.

China has also taken steps to try to eradicate Uyghur culture and assimilate Uyghurs into China.

The United States, the European Parliament and the legislatures of several other Western countries have declared that the abuses, including the arbitrary detention of an estimated 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities, constitute genocide and crimes against humanity.

Crucial contribution

The World Uyghur Congress has made a crucial contribution in drawing international attention to the overwhelming campaign of physical, religious, linguistic, and cultural repression currently being waged by the Chinese Communist Party against the Uyghur and other Turkic people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, a campaign that many parliamentarians define as genocide, wrote Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, a Canadian member of parliament, in the nomination letter.

Brunelle-Duceppe joined fellow Canadian parliamentarian Sameer Zuberi, who is chair of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights, and Ane Breivik, leader of the Liberal Party of Norway, in nominating WUC.

"The World Uyghur Congress is doing very important work around what's happening to the Uyghur people, what many believe is a genocide and what is without question serious crimes against humanity occurring," Zuberi told Radio Free Asia.

"And it is critical that we highlight that work," he said.

WUC President Dolkun Isa said it was a great honor for his organization to be nominated.

This is despite Chinas incessant demonization to conflate our peaceful international advocacy for Uyghur rights with terrorism and separatism, he told RFA. Through decades-long global efforts to demonize the WUC, China has attempted to put roadblocks to our advocacy work, silence our voice in the world, thus continuing its ongoing crimes against the Uyghur people unabated.

Isa said the nomination shows that Chinas attempts to suppress Uyghur advocacy by defamation, diplomatic attacks and political manipulation has failed.

This also shows that the international community led by the Western democracies is convinced by our advocacy work, he said. The fact is no matter how strong China might be, justice and truth shall eventually prevail.

More than a dozen individuals and about 10 other organizations have already been nominated for the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize.

The winner of the international peace prize will be announced in October 2023 by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo and awarded on Dec. 10.

Translated by RFA Uyghur. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.

The story was updated to include comments from Sameer Zuberi.
The religion is not officially registered in the country, which is on a US watchlist for religious persecution.

A ceremony of followers of the Church of God the Mother.

The police in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam have ordered followers of the Church of God the Mother to stop following their religion.

According to a police statement on Monday, the police in Cam Ha Commune inspected a village house where they found six women and four men carrying out a ceremony for the illegal religion.

They seized a laptop, three computer speakers, 10 bibles, five notebooks, 14 white sheets and a podium.

In April 2018, the governments religious affairs committee asked central and local authorities to monitor the religion, also known as the World Mission Society Church of God.

Then-committee head Vu Chien Thang called on provincial and city authorities to strengthen propaganda work and provide guidance to the groups leaders.

The Church of God was established in South Korea in 1964 by Ahn Sahng-hong, who followers believe to be Christ. According to its website it has more than 3.3 million members in 175 countries.

Vietnam's Law on Belief and Religion requires religious groups to register their organizations and places of worship. Only organizations that have operated for at least five years can apply for registration. Once registered, the organizations are granted status as legal entities. Many groups refused to register out of fear of persecution or concern for their independence.

In December, the United States placed Vietnam on its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom. The designation means the U.S. does not consider violations against religious freedom widespread or severe enough to label it a Country of Particular Concern, but the State Department is closely monitoring it for possible future inclusion.

Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn.
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.
Mursal Ahmadzai, 20, lives in Kabul. Ahmadzai was a graphic design student until the Taliban banned women from attending university. Unfortunately, like other Afghan girls, I now stay at home," she says. "I portray the pain and suffering of Afghan girls, which I don't like because I want to portray the joys of Afghan girls and the beauty of my homeland. Ahmadzai, who was in her third semester of university at the time of the forced school closures, wants to depict the aspirations of Afghan women hidden behind the burqa.

Mina Mamik's family is from Nangarhar Province. Her family moved to the Netherlands when she was a child. Our motherland went through terrible times, but now we are in one of the darkest stages of our history, as we are the only country in the world where girls can't go to school and educate themselves and are being restricted from many more things, she says. Mamik painted Hope to express her desire that Afghanistan will rise from the ashes again one day. "Women are a source of light, courage, and motivation in their own homes but also on a greater scale. They are the core pillars of every society, and so are they the pillars of our society," she adds.

Lema Sarwan is from Ghazni Province. She has been living in Prague for more than a decade. This painting symbolizes the oppression of women in Afghanistan. The school girl is all ready to attend school but cannot because of the system put in place by the Taliban, she says.

Sara Rahmani was born and raised in Afghanistan. She moved to the United States five years ago and is currently studying civil engineering. Her untitled painting above depicts the three stages of life for refugees, especially girls, who fled to a foreign country after the Taliban returned to power. "The first phase is of Kabul's beauty, happiness, and freedom, while girls went to school like boys," she says. The second stage follows the chaos during Taliban rule. "The sad situation of closing schools for girls, the struggle of women and girls to regain their rights, and the attempts of people to escape Afghanistan, where the Taliban have created an environment like prison," she says. Rahmani ends her piece with "the stage of regret and nostalgia after migration."

Sara Barack is a native of the western Herat region. She won a scholarship to study art and film in Turkey after finishing high school. She is renowned for being Afghanistan's first female animator. She writes: They made me unseen, shrouded and a nonbeing. A shadow, no existence, made silent, Denied of freedom, restricted to my cage. Tell me how to handle my anger and my passion? Tell me how can I be alive in this world?

Rokhsar Rahimi, 18, was born and raised in Kabul. She has held a number of art shows while a student in Kabul. She was in her final year of high school when the Taliban barred her and other young woman from finishing her studies. Fearing persecution, Rahimi and her family fled Afghanistan. Her painting, Breaking The Chains, captures the plight of young women. As you can see in the picture, the chain tied to the girls' feet is breaking and they are moving toward the light for their future. The painting symbolizes the current situation of Afghan girls who are banned from education. But they do not accept this state, and millions of Afghan women and girls are fighting for their rights to education and work, Rahimi says. Today, even though Afghan women are deprived of the right to education, they still study in secret and do not let others decide their fate.

Atena Sultani is from Herat Province and is a graduate of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Herat University. In Afghanistan, women were and are victims of the war. These days, when Afghan girls are going through a cold war waged upon them, I want to ask to please support them and speak out wherever you are in the world. Sultani is unable to continue her education elsewhere due to the Taliban's refusal to provide female graduates with their diplomas.
A Russian court is expected to deliver a verdict in the trial of journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who faces 25 years in prison on charges of treason and spreading false information, which he denies. Rights groups say the trial is an attempt by the Kremlin to persecute one of its most prominent critics.

The Moscow City Court is scheduled to deliver a verdict in the trial on April 17, just over a year after Kara-Murza, who twice nearly died after what he says were deliberate poisoning attacks, was arrested on the charge of spreading "false information" about Russia's armed forces.

In August, Russian authorities added the charge of involvement in an "undesirable" foreign organization, and in October they added the treason charge for the 41-year-old's public criticism of the Russian authorities in the international arena.

The trial was delayed last month after his lawyer told the court his client's health had "significantly deteriorated." A certificate from the medical unit of Kara-Murza's detention facility stated he was being treated for polyneuropathy, which he says is a result of the poisonings.

"Vladimir Kara-Murza has been detained, prosecuted, and is facing a monstrous prison term for no more than raising his voice and elevating the voices of others in Russia who disagree with the Kremlin, its war in Ukraine, and its escalating repression within Russia," Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a report ahead of the verdict.

"The Kremlin's persecution of Kara-Murza, which is part of its efforts to demoralize and quash civic activism, should be condemned in the strongest possible terms," he added.

In his final statement to court on April 10, Kara-Murza, who Amnesty International has designated a "prisoner of conscience," said the level of opaqueness about the charges against him surpassed the trials of Soviet dissidents in the 1960s and 1970s, and the language used against him was reminiscent of the 1930s, when Soviet citizens were arrested on fabricated charges and put on show trials.

Kara-Murza, a longstanding proponent of democratic values and a vocal opponent of the current Russian government, said he was jailed for his political views, "for speaking out against the war in Ukraine, for many years of struggle against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's dictatorship."

"Not only do I not repent of any of this, I am proud of it," he said, adding that he looks forward to a day "when those who kindled and unleashed this war, and not those who tried to stop it, are recognized as criminals."

Russia adopted a law criminalizing spreading "false information" about its military shortly after it sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Kara-Murza is the latest in a string of opposition activists, reporters, and others who have been arrested and prosecuted under the legislation amid a growing Kremlin crackdown on civil society.

Kara-Murza was a key advocate for the U.S. Magnitsky Act, which sets out sanctions for human rights violators in Russia. He has also called for sanctions to be imposed on culpable Russian officials.

On March 3, the United States designated six people, including three judges, for sanctions due to their role in Kara-Murza's detention.

The late U.S. Senator John McCain was a proponent of Kara-Murza's efforts, and Kara-Murza served as a pallbearer at McCain's funeral in 2018.
The EU General Court has annulled Ukraine-related sanctions imposed on the mother of Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the chief of the Wagner mercenary group that is spearheading Moscow's war in eastern Ukraine.

The EU sanctions, which were first initiated after Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, included a travel ban and potential asset freezes slapped on those involved in Moscow's actions.

Violetta Prigozhina was added to the EU Ukraine sanctions list last year on February 23, the eve of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, together with members of the Russian government, banks, businesspeople, and lawmakers.

In response to a contest filed by Prigozhina, the bloc's second-highest court ruled on March 8 that her inclusion on the sanctions list was based only on her family connection with Prigozhin, which the court said was insufficient proof she was complicit to her son's role in the Ukraine war.

Prigozhin, an oligarch known as "Putin's Chef" due to his onetime Kremlin catering business, is the owner of the infamous private mercenary company Wagner and has been behind Russian "troll factories" aimed at interfering in U.S. elections.

Prigozhin's mercenaries have been heavily involved in the invasion of Ukraine, mainly in the ongoing offensive on the eastern town of Bakhmut, where heavy fighting has been under way for months.

The EU, the court said, placed Prigozhina, 83, on the sanctions list on the grounds that she was the owner of Concord Management and Consulting LLC, part of the Concord group founded and owned until 2019 by her son, and also owned other business interests with links to him.

The court said it had established that Prigozhina, although owning shares in Concord, has not been the owner of company since 2017. The EU also failed to prove that Prigozhina owned other ventures linked to her son when the sanctions were adopted.

"Even if [Prigozhin] is responsible for actions undermining the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine, the link between Ms. Prigozhina and her son established at the time of the adoption of the contested acts is based solely on their family relationship and is therefore not sufficient to justify her inclusion on the contested lists," the court statement said.
There have been clashes with police in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, after a controversial new law passed its first reading in the national parliament. The law would require companies with over 20 percent funding from abroad to register as "foreign agents" and has been compared to legislation that has been used in Russia to restrict independent media and the work of nongovernmental organizations.
Riot police clashed with thousands of protesters on the streets of the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, on March 7 after the country's parliament passed the first reading of a controversial "foreign agent" law. Critics, including the United States and EU, say it will impact freedoms in the country. Police reportedly used pepper spray, water cannons, and stun guns on protesters. Some chanted: "Down with the Russian law" because it mirrors Russian legislation that has restricted the work of independent journalists and democratic institutions.
Assal appeared in public for months without a hijab, or Islamic head scarf, in solidarity with the antiestablishment protests that rocked Iran.

Even as the demonstrations that erupted in September have waned in recent weeks following a deadly state crackdown, the Tehran resident has continued to flout the countrys hijab law, in a direct challenge to Irans clerical regime.

I want to demonstrate to [the authorities] that this revolution is still alive, and our people will [fight] them with any means they can, the 32-year-old obstetrician, who requested that her full name not be used for fear of retribution, told RFE/RLs Radio Farda.

When I walk past [security officers in the street] without a hijab, its not easy. My whole body shakes. But I will never back down. I will keep protesting, she added.

Tanya, another Tehran resident, said women are removing their head scarves to take a stand against the clerical establishment that has deprived them of their most basic rights, including the right to choose how they appear in public.

Women see it as their absolute right, a right they have been denied for years, said the psychologist, who also requested that her full name not be used. Im protesting the status quo.

Assal and Tanya are among a growing number of Iranian women who are appearing in public with their hair uncovered, including in the streets of major cities as well in restaurants, cafes, and shopping malls. They have been emboldened by the anti-regime protests in which women played a major role.

The demonstrations erupted following the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini soon after she was arrested by Irans morality police for allegedly violating the hijab law.

The protests began as a rebuke against the brutal enforcement of the hijab law but soon snowballed into one of the most sustained anti-regime demonstrations against Irans theocracy, with protesters calling for an end to clerical rule and demanding their social and political freedoms.

During the demonstrations, women and girls removed and burned their head scarves. With the protests subsiding after a state crackdown that left over 500 dead, women are venting their anger through acts of civil disobedience.

Tehran-based womens rights activist Leyla Mirghafari said the antiestablishment protests have intensified womens opposition to the hijab, a key pillar of the Islamic republic.

Many Iranians have had enough of the unjust, repressive, and anti-women law, Mirghafari, who was arrested in 2018 for removing her head scarf in public, told RFE/RL.

'The Youth Are Fearless'

The hijab became compulsory two years after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The law requires women and girls over the age of 9 to wear a head scarf in public.

Many women have flouted the rule over the years and pushed the boundaries of what officials say is acceptable, including exposing more of their hair and wearing smaller and more colorful head scarves.

In 2018, dozens of women protested the hijab law by standing on utility boxes in major cities and waving their head scarves, in unprecedented acts of defiance.

Under President Hassan Rohani, a relative moderate who was in office from 2013 to 2021, the enforcement of the hijab law was relaxed. But under ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi, Irans morality police have become increasingly active and violent in enforcing what the authorities have called the complete hijab.

That has fueled growing opposition to the hijab, which has long been a symbol of the states repression of women.

Mahsa, a mother of two, said that even in the holy city of Mashhad an increasing number of women are appearing in public without a hijab.

I go shopping without my head scarf. I keep it around my neck. But the youth are fearless. Some dont even have a head scarf, Mahsa, who requested that her full name not be used for fear of retribution, told RFE/RL.

Authorities announced in December that the morality police, which enforced the hijab rule, had been abolished. But they warned that the judiciary would continue to regulate womens public appearances and behavior.

In recent weeks, officials have warned women to respect the hijab law and threatened to punish violators. The authorities have also shut down businesses, restaurants, cafes, and in some cases pharmacies, due to the owners' or managers' alleged failure to observe Islamic laws and hijab rules.

Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei warned on March 6 that women who violate the hijab rule will be punished, saying that removing the head scarf shows enmity towards the establishment and its values.

Assal is aware that she could be arrested or fined for flouting the law. But she remains defiant.

Even if they arrest me, they cant do [much]. My protest is more important, she said.

In recent weeks, even women newly released from prison have appeared in public without their head scarves.

They include filmmaker Mojgan Ilanlou, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 74 lashes after appearing in public without a hijab in October.

After being released in February as part of an amnesty ordered by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ilanlou stood outside Tehrans notorious Evin prison without a head scarf and flashed the victory sign.

Some commentators inside Iran have suggested that the authorities are fighting a losing battle.

The number of women who appear in the streets without a head scarf is impressive, conservative commentator Mohammad Mohajeri wrote in an opinion piece published in November.

It is possible that what were seeing will become the norm, he said, comparing the hijab rule to laws banning satellites dishes and receivers that Iranians widely ignore.

Canada-based rights activist Azam Jangravi said the hijab is the symbol of "the problems women face in Iran.

The [mandatory] hijab is the naked face of all the injustice and oppression women have faced, Jangravi, who was among women arrested in 2018 for protesting the hijab, told RFE/RL.
Ukrainian forces continued to hold their ground in Bakhmut, the military said on March 8, despite claims by Russian mercenaries that they were holding the eastern part of the city in the Donetsk region, as the European Union was readying plans to supply much needed ammunition to Ukraine.

Ukrainian defenders repelled more than 100 enemy attacks over the past 24 hours, Ukraine's General Staff said in its daily battlefield report, with Bakhmut and its surroundings the focal point of Russia's offensive in the east.

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.

"Unsuccessful [Russian] offensive actions continue in the districts of Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Bakhmut, Kamyanka, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka in the Donetsk region," the military said.

The Russian Army, despite significant losses, continues its assault on Bakhmut, it said.

On March 6, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that the military-political leadership of the country decided to continue the defense of Bakhmut .

Ukrainian leaders continue to insist that their troops are holding on in Bakhmut even as the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner said early on March 8 that his forces, who have been leading the assault on the city, had managed to take its eastern part.

There was no independent confirmation of Prigozhin's claim.

Both sides are believed to have suffered heavy losses in the battle for the city, which had a prewar population of 70,000, but has now largely been deserted as civilians flee the fighting.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on March 8 that Russian forces, despite incurring serious losses, may still be on the verge of taking Bakhmut.



"They have suffered big losses, but at the same time we cannot rule out that Bakhmut may eventually fall in the coming days," Stoltenberg said ahead of a European Union defense ministers' meeting in Stockholm to discuss supplying Ukraine with more ammunition.

The EU defense ministers agreed at the meeting to speed up supplies of artillery rounds and to purchase more shells to aid the Ukrainian war effort. Under a plan proposed by foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, EU member states would receive 1 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in incentives to send ammunition from their own stockpiles to Ukraine, and 1 billion euros more would be allocated to fund the joint purchase of more artillery shells.



"There has been a general agreement on this procedure but there are questions pending. Everything has to be discussed in detail," Borrell said following the meeting. He said the agreement could be finalized on March 20, when EU foreign and defense ministers are scheduled to meet.

The ministers were joined by their Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov to discuss ways to meet Kyiv's immediate needs and the European defense industry for the longer term to ensure an uninterrupted flow of ammunition for Kyiv.



Ahead of the meeting, Reznikov had said that 1 billion euros' worth of ammunition was a long way short of what was needed.



"We need more," said Reznikov, adding that Ukraine needs 1 million rounds of artillery shells, costing around 4 billion euros.



The Ukrainian military needed 90,000-100,000 artillery shells monthly to be ready to deter enemies and start a counteroffensive, he said.

Ukraine is currently facing a critical shortage of 155-millimeter howitzer shells, the staple of the ammunition used in the battle for Bakhmut and other eastern objectives.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Zelenskiy on March 8 in Kyiv to discuss the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal to ensure that Ukraine can keep shipping grain to global markets, was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July 2022 and was extended in November, but it is due to expire on March 18 unless an extension is agreed.

After the talks, Zelenskiy and Guterres called on March 8 for the extension of the deal with Moscow. Zelenskiy said the initiative was necessary for the world.

The visit is the third by Guterres after trips to Ukraine in April and August last year following Russia's invasion on February 24, 2022.

Guterres spent March 7 in Poland, where leaders there announced that Warsaw would send 10 Leopard 2 tanks this week to Ukraine.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa
Ukraine has again said it was not involved in the sabotaging of the Nord Stream gas pipeline amid media reports that intelligence reviewed by U.S. officials indicates that a pro-Ukrainian group was behind last year's attacks.

The New York Times reported on March 7 that according to U.S. intelligence, a "pro-Ukrainian group" was behind the September attacks on the pipelines that spewed gas into the Baltic Sea.

Sweden and Denmark, in whose exclusive economic zones the explosions occurred, have concluded that the pipelines carrying natural gas from Russia to Germany were blown up deliberately but questions remain as to the culprits and who may have ordered the attacks, which severely damaged Russia's ability to ship gas to the West to generate revenues during its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

"This is not our activity," Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told reporters in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, ahead of a meeting with EU defense ministers on March 8.

A day earlier, presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak also denied any official involvement in the incident, adding the government had no information about "pro-Ukrainian groups" who could have been involved.

Four explosions caused leaks in three of the four links that make up the Russian-owned Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in September, sending tons of pressurized methane gas into the Baltic Sea at a time of heightened concerns in Europe over a potential energy crisis due to supply disruptions from Russia amid its ongoing war with Ukraine.

A Swedish prosecutor has said traces of explosives were found at the site, confirming that sabotage had taken place.

The New York Times reported that U.S. intelligence officials said evidence suggested "opponents" of Russian President Vladimir Putin were behind the blasts.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, attending a meeting of the bloc's defense ministers in Stockholm on March 8, warned against jumping to conclusions on the matter.



"I am not afraid of the truth. Any truth. But we are talking about...speculations," he said.



"As long as investigations are ongoing, we cannot draw definitive conclusions. I have to wait for having a clear understanding for what has (been) happening,"



The German Federal Prosecutor's Office said in a statement that a ship was searched between January 18-20 "in connection with a suspicious ship rental" which may have been used to transport explosive devices that exploded at the pipelines in the Baltic Sea.



"The identity of the perpetrators and their motives are the subject of ongoing investigations," the statement said, noting that "reliable statements" on the question of state involvement could not yet be made.



"As part of the further investigation, all clues to clarify the facts will be investigated. There is no suspicion against employees of the German company that rented the ship," it said.

With reporting by Mike Eckel in Prague, The New York Times, Reuters, and AFP
Mark Lane (left), one of the Break the Ban organizers, spoke about El Cajons ordinance against food sharing in city parks at a January press conference in Balboa Park.

A dozen people given misdemeanor citations at an El Cajon park in January for sharing food with homeless people in defiance of a city ordinance learned Thursday the charges have been dropped.

Activist Mark Lane, part of a group that calls itself Break The Ban, said he found out the charges filed by the city of El Cajon were dismissed against him and the others who were cited on Jan. 14 for giving out food to homeless individuals.

El Cajon City Attorney Morgan Foleys letter dated Feb. 26 informed Robert Scott Dreher, the lead lawyer for Break the Ban individuals, that the city would not be prosecuting those who were issued citations at Wells Park, including a 14-year-old child. Those cited were told they would have to appear in court, as well.

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His letter said the city was working with the El Cajon Police Department to be sure that all persons cited would receive a notice of dismissal.

No further action or appearance is necessary, Foley wrote.

El Cajon officials enacted a ban on sharing food in city parks last October as a safety measure after the San Diego County Board of Supervisors declared the regions growing hepatitis A outbreak a public health emergency. On Jan. 23, the county ended its health emergency and El Cajon also lifted its ban.

This was always about preventing hepatitis A, said El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells. Now that the emergency has been lifted, there is no compelling reason to press charges.

Shane Parmely, who also represents the group, said she wasnt surprised the charges were dropped, but she was still concerned about the plight of the homeless in El Cajon.

Its really the only logical thing to do, she said. The bottom line, though, is that homelessness is still criminalized in El Cajon. El Cajon, San Diego, Escondido and other cities in the county need to re-examine their laws and rescind laws that criminalize homeless and poor people.

Lane said he would still be part of a group called Food Not Bombs that continues to feed the homeless at Wells Park at 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Lane said the group was able to form an East County branch of Food Not Bombs because of a large response to the citys ordinance.

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
The Oceanside Unified School District has launched a search for a new superintendent to replace Duane Coleman, who will retire in June.

The district hired national search firm Hazard, Young and Attea to conduct the search, which is expected to conclude in June. A candidate is expected to be hired in time to plan for the next school year that starts July 1.

Former San Diego County Office of Education Superintendent Rudy Castruita will lead the search, with assistance from Joseph Farley, a former deputy superintendent for Oceanside, and superintendent for Capistrano Unified School District and Anaheim Union High School District.

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They will hold focus groups and community and staff meetings to find out what qualities Oceanside families, teachers and others would like to see in the new superintendent. Once they crunch the results of those meetings, theyll draw up criteria for candidates, Farley said.

Once the leadership profile is developed, that becomes the basis for evaluating and screening and interviewing candidates for the position, he said.

Coleman, 56, announced his retirement plans in February after four years as superintendent, and years before that as a teacher, principal and administrator in the district. Coleman is an Oceanside High School graduate and second-generation Oceanside educator whose mother taught at Laurel Elementary School.

Farley said most California positions are filled by administrators who are working in the state, but the firm recruits candidates nationally. He said he expects to receive about 30 to 40 applicants, and recommend five or six for interviews with the school board.

The new superintendent will probably earn a salary similar to what Coleman currently receives, Farley said. According to Transparent California, a state compensation database, Coleman earned $247,114 in base pay in 2016, with total compensation of $301,367.

Typical applicants have prior classroom teaching experience, as well as backgrounds in school administration in the role of principal, superintendent or assistant superintendent, Farley said. They should have expertise in curriculum and instruction, as well as strong interpersonal and business skills, he said.

Were seeing theres an interest in experience with budgeting and finance, because districts are facing reduced enrollment and reduced income, Farley said.

The Oceanside district serves 18,500 students at 23 schools and employs more than 2,000 teachers and other staff. School officials have warned that the district faces spending deficits this year and next year, and the district declared a qualified budget in January, which means that it may not be able to meet all its financial obligations.

This month, Farley and Castruita will hold meetings with school district administrators and cabinet members and labor leaders.

Starting at the end of the month, it will also hold community meetings for students, parents, and other interested residents. Those meetings will be:

Wednesday, April 25, 6 p.m., community parent meeting, Mission Elementary multipurpose room, 2100 Mission Ave.

Thursday, May 3, 6:30 p.m., Cesar Chavez Middle School multipurpose room, 202 Oleander Drive.

Monday, May 7, 6:30 p.m., El Camino High School, Truax Theater, 400 Rancho Del Oro Drive.

This story has been modified to reflect the correct background of Former San Diego County Office of Education Superintendent Rudy Castruita.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
Archaeologists discovered a sphinx monument whose face may reflect the Roman emperor Claudius while excavating an ancient temple in Egypt, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on March 6.

However, some researchers who were not part of the study are not confident that the sphinx-like structure looks like Claudius. From 41-54 A.D., the Roman Empire ruled ancient Egypt and it might be that Claudius visited the country and was given the honor of being represented in a statue. Claudius is well-known for invading Britain and for being poisoned to death by his wife, Agrippina.

Mini Sphinx With Smiley Face, Dimpled Cheeks

Archaeology professor Mamdouh Eldamaty from Ain Shams University in Egypt and a former minister of antiquities said in the statement that the beautifully and perfectly sculpted sphinx was unearthed near the Hathor Temple, one of Egypt's best-preserved ancient structures.



According to the statement, the basin was discovered on a limestone platform and dates to roughly 500 years after Claudius' rule. It's unclear why the statue was placed there.

The sphinx's smiling face evidently has a dimple, and some yellow and red colors can still be seen. The team compared the mini sphinx with surviving depictions of Roman emperors and found that it closely resembles Claudius.

As per AP News, archaeologists will conduct additional research on the markings on the stone slab, which could reveal more information about the statue's identity and the area. The statue is much smaller than the famous Great Sphinx of Giza complex, which stands 66 feet (20 meters) tall.

A Roman-era stone slab with demotic and hieroglyphic inscriptions was also discovered during the excavation. The ministry said that the limestone shrine features a two-tiered platform and a Byzantine-era mud-brick basin.

The Egyptian government regularly publicizes such findings in the hopes of luring more visitors, who are a vital source of foreign currency for the cash-strapped North African country.

READ ALSO: Ancient Egypt: Archaeologist Unearthed Fragments Of Ramses II Statue In Cairo

Does It Look Like Roman Emperor Claudius?

Egyptian, Persian, and Greek mythologies often mention sphinxes, and their likenesses are often found near tombs or religious buildings. Therefore, it is not unusual for sphinx statues to be found in Egypt. The most famous Great Sphinx of Giza from 2000 BC even represents the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Khafre.

However, scholars who were not part of the research said that they could not be certain whether the recently found mini sphinx looks like the face of Roman emperor Claudius based on the released images.

Associate professor of art history at Emory University in Atlanta told Live Science in an email that the photos are a little small to confirm if it is indeed Claudius or not.

More so, other scholars gave similar assessments and said that they find it impossible to make any conclusion regarding the resemblance of the ancient artifact. Some also said that they do not even know the face of Claudius.

But if the sphinx statue is indeed a representation of Claudius, then it would not be the only time that a Roman emperor was treated like Egyptian royalty. A carving was also discovered in 2014 that depicts Claudius as a pharaoh at the Temple of Isis at Shenhur. For now, the ministry said that excavations at the site and analysis of the artifacts are ongoing.



RELATED ARTICLE: Life-sized Statue of Roman Emperor Posing as Hercules Was Discovered, Implying There Could Be More Hidden Remains To Be Found

Check out more news and information on Archaeology in Science Times.
L'OMS limoge le directeur regional Takeshi Kasai accuse de racisme

L'Organisation mondiale de la sante a "mis fin au contrat" du directeur regional pour le Pacifique occidental, le Japonais Takeshi Kasai, qui a ete accuse de racisme et de mauvaises pratiques, a appris l'AFP aupres d'une source diplomatique a Geneve.







La decision de se separer du Dr Kasai vient apres une reunion de deux jours du Comite executif de l'organisation a Geneve et fait suite a la recommandation de renvoi emise la semaine derniere par le comite regional pour le Pacifique occidental.





La decision a ete prise "apres un examen minutieux", precise dans son courrier l'OMS, selon la meme source.





En octobre 2021, des dizaines de collaborateurs de l'OMS avaient emis une plainte interne contre le Dr Kasai, qui avait pris en 2019 la tete de la direction regionale du Pacifique occidental - qui couvre 1,9 milliard de personnes dans 37 pays -, avant d'envoyer un courriel a la mi-janvier 2022 aux pays membres du Conseil executif de l'agence onusienne pour les alerter.





Ils y accusaient le Dr Kasai d'avoir un "leadership autoritaire et raciste" mais aussi d'avoir partage regulierement des informations privilegiees avec le ministere japonais des Affaires etrangeres, de n'avoir pas voulu critiquer la Chine ou encore d'avoir "gaspille" l'argent des donateurs.





Ces graves accusations avaient ete revelees fin janvier 2022 par l'agence de presse Associated Press.





C'est la premiere fois qu'une telle situation se produit a l'OMS, qui a fait temporairement remplacer le Dr Kasai par la directrice generale adjointe de l'OMS, Zsuzsanna Jakab.





Selon la source diplomatique a Geneve, celle-ci gardera ces fonctions jusqu'a ce qu'un ou une remplacante soit elue par le comite regional.





L'election doit se tenir en octobre 2023.





Elus par les Etats membres de la region qu'ils dirigent, puis par les Etats membres du Conseil executif de l'OMS, les directeurs regionaux de l'OMS ont des pouvoirs importants.








Politics

spotlight

Breed doubles down on police spending, pressures supervisors

Craig Lee/The Examiner Mayor London Breed campaigned for increases in public safety spending ahead of scrutiny from the Board of Supervisors, which will want to know how the Police Department has so seriously exceeded its budget.

In a flurry of indignation, and for the second time in less than a year, Mayor London Breed is pushing to significantly increase The Citys spending on law enforcement.

Breed took to the Tenderloin on Tuesday to champion a suite of proposals related to public safety. They include a proposed $27.6 million increase to the Police Departments existing budget to pay for police overtime, as well as a new $84 million, three-year labor agreement with the officers union that would significantly increase pay and create new recruitment incentives for officers.

The mayors advocacy took place ahead of what is sure to be heavy scrutiny from the Board of Supervisors, which will look to understand how the department has so seriously exceeded its budget.

Breed warned residents of dire consequences if supervisors dont sign on. In doing so, she attempted to place the immediate future of public safety in San Francisco squarely at the feet of the Board of Supervisors.

If it rejects her plan, Breed cautioned, you think its challenging to get police officers in this community now? It will be virtually impossible.

You think that our city is unsafe? It will be terrible for the City and County of San Francisco, Breed said. Absolutely terrible.

Aaron Peskin, president of the Board of Supervisors, addressed the issue in comments at the boards meeting later on Tuesday afternoon. Months after it received a $57 million boost to its budget, we are not even three-quarters of the way through the year, and theyve burned through that budget in face of a very large tentative agreement (with the police union).

We have an obligation to the taxpayers to ask those questions. That does not mean that we dont believe in public safety, Peskin said.

The Police Department is not Breeds only focus.

The mayor has also asked for a second supplemental request of $200,000 to hire three new prosecutors in the District Attorneys Office who would be dedicated to prosecuting fentanyl dealers. The funding would allow the new prosecutors to be hired immediately and paid through the end of the fiscal year, at which point the positions would have to be funded in next years budget.

Breed is campaigning for approval of a $23.6 million contract extension with Urban Alchemy, the nonprofit that deploys community ambassadors to clean and monitor the streets of the Tenderloin and Mid-Market neighborhoods. A $13.2 million contract with the San Francisco Tourism Improvement District Management Corporation would preserve the orange-clad community ambassadors common around Union Square and other tourist magnets.

If the extensions are not approved, Breed warned that the programs would have to lay off ambassadors and pull people off the streets.

Lena Miller, Urban Alchemys CEO, touted the nonprofit as helping to create a new model of public safety.

Things are changing, things are shaking up, Miller said.

Breed and her supporters contend that things have already changed for the better. The Tenderloin is flooded with Urban Alchemys camouflage-clad community ambassadors, and new District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has pledged to more aggressively prosecute drug dealers.

But without additional funding, Breed and her allies warned, San Francisco will quickly regress.

Breeds proposals come as public safety continues to dominate the narrative about San Francisco both within The City and outside of it. Anecdotes abound, like the armed thefts of photographers at the Palace of Fine Arts and shots fired at a man attempting to intervene as his catalytic converter was stolen.

The answer Breed has drafted features more boots on the ground, both in the form of police and community ambassadors.

Breeds supplemental budget proposal would bring the police departments budget to $714 million this year alone, compared to the $668 million it spent in the 2020 budget.

Both the $27.6 million request for overtime spending and the proposed labor agreement will require the Board of Supervisors approval.

Its unclear if the Board of Supervisors will ultimately stand in the way of Breeds agenda. She was joined by her moderate allies on the board on Tuesday, but not by those shell need to convince.

Supervisor Dean Preston tweeted Tuesday that we should pay teachers at least as much as we pay police officers. But he also expressed support for non-police alternatives to increase public safety, and called on The City to expand community ambassadors' coverage of The Tenderloin.

The contract

The proposed labor agreement with the San Francisco Police Officers Association has already been approved by the unions members.

The proposed labor agreement would run from July 1 this year through June 2026 and includes raises to officers base pay in each of its three years.

The officers base salary would increase at four points, amounting to 10.75% in raises. It includes new retention and recruitment bonuses. Officers who stay with the department will receive 3% increases in pay at five, seven and eight years of service. New officers will be paid a one-time lump sum of $600.

Officials hope that will add up to more applicants to the police department, which has 331 fewer officers today than it did in 2019, according to the mayors office.

If approved, the contract would purportedly make San Francisco the highest-paying city for starting officers.

Officer pay has a substantial impact on the departments budget. Of the $713 million budgeted this year, nearly $600 million went to salaries and benefits.

Overtime

Breed announced the $27.6 million budget supplemental at her State of the City address last month. On Tuesday, she criticized supervisors for failing to yet hold a committee hearing on the proposal. The item is slated to be heard in committee on March 15.

With the department understaffed (a claim that itself is contested by some progressives), Breed said the department has been forced to rely heavily on overtime shifts. That is forcing it to run over budget.

If the Board of Supervisors doesnt approve the supplemental request, Breed has warned that the department would have to freeze hiring and slash service.

Editors note: This story was corrected on March 8, 2023, to clarify that while Supervisor Dean Preston requested an expansion of community ambassadors in The Tenderloin, he did not specify that they be employed by Urban Alchemy.
Tiger Global-backed fintech company Slice has picked up a 5% stake in North East Small Finance Bank, various sources aware of the topic said, in what is possibly the first time a new-age fintech venture is investing in a bank. The investment amount currently is less than Rs 30 crore, the sources said.

The move is an indication of the growing thrust by fintech firms to partner with licensed banks in India. Sources said Slice may also explore further investments in the bank but those discussions have yet to be finalized.

An investment of up to 5% in a bank does not require approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Additional stake purchases will need the banking regulators clearance.

Slice, which has been exploring a potential investment in a bank for a few quarters, bought the stake in the Assam-based bank in September last year but it has not been reported before.

There is more at play between Slice and North East Small Finance Bank which is why its been under the wraps thus far, a person aware of the goings-on said.

Sources said Slice, which is focused on serving digitally savvy young customers, is exploring multiple integrations and customized offerings for its users through investment and partnership with the bank.

North East Small Finance Bank CEO Rupali Kalita did not respond to an email till press time Tuesday.

More on cards?

Slices move to invest in a small finance bank comes at a time when its been running its own non-banking financial company, or NBFC, for over four years.

It will be eligible to convert itself into a bank through a fresh license after operating the NBFC unit for five years. Last year that slice had received an in-principle prepaid payment instrument (PPI) license from the RBI.

It would make things easier for them (Slice) to work closely with the bank and open many doors for partnerships. Essentially, it makes sense to have more stake in the bank and own the stack for its businesses. They have been very sensitive about it since it would involve the regulators clearance, one of the sources added.

The Bengaluru-based startup valued at over $1 billion  came under pressure in 2022 after the banking regulator barred prepaid cards from being loaded with credit lines. It made multiple changes in its products since then for regulatory compliance with the new guidelines.

Slice was earlier asking users to open prepaid accounts that would be linked to its cards. However, following RBIs note, Slice unbundled payments and credit into two separate business verticals, stepping away from the practice of providing credit through PPI (or payment) cards.

Lending is still the companys core product, though it is betting on new ones like its Unified Payments Interface (UPI) offering.

A clarity will emerge over the coming months over the nature of partnerships between Slice and North East Small Finance Bank on products and ownership, one of the people mentioned earlier added, indicating further developments could be on the cards.

Paytms parent One 97 Communications has a payments bank license and had sought the regulators nod to convert itself into a small finance bank to enable it to lend directly. This was, however, done before its public market listing.

Bank operations

North East Small Finance Bank is majority owned by RGVN (North East) Microfinance Ltd which had about 84% stake as of September last year, data from business intelligence platform Tracxn showed.

RGVN Microfinance has been operating its microfinance business and the small finance bank is a wholly owned subsidiary. It was granted an in-principle banking license in September 2015 after which it started operations in October 2017, according to the banks website.

Regulatory documents sourced from Tofler  which tracks such filings at the Registrar of Companies (RoC)  showed it slipped into losses of Rs 123 crore in FY22 against a profit of around Rs 7 crore in FY21.

It had clocked profits of Rs 12.6 crore and Rs 36.9 crore in FY20 and FY19, respectively, Tracxn data showed. The bank reported revenue of Rs 329 crore in FY22 compared to a little over Rs 332 crore in the previous year.
Bicol Albay, located in the Bicol Region of Luzon, features five highly popular tourist spots that are worth checking out if youre planning to visit this part of the Philippines. From its stunning beach-front resorts to its collection of historical sites, Bicol Albay has it all. Make sure to add these five cant-miss tourist spots in Bicol Albay to your travel itinerary and discover the beauty of ecotourism sites in the Philippines at its finest.

Tinago Falls

This popular scenic spot has the widest waterfall in Bicol and the second highest in the Philippines. This makes it a spectacular place to spend a leisurely day or for you to cool off on a hot summer's day. Bring your family, friends, or classmates and have lunch at restaurants near the falls before exploring all of its trails and taking some unforgettable photos.

Penafrancia Basilica

The Pasafrancia Basilica is the first stop on your list of must see tourist spots in Bicol Albay. This church is home to the Virgin Mary and has a steady flow of pilgrims and tourists that visit daily. The feast for this basilica is the third Sunday of September and it was established during Spanish colonial times by Franciscan missionaries led by Father Francisco Estrada from Manila. Inside the church, you will find images of saints, such as Saint Michael, Saint Sebastian, Saint Anthony, Saint Joseph, and others.

Banawe Rice Terraces

Beautiful views abound from the lookout point at the foothills of Mount Malinasog. You'll feel as if you're floating in rice paddies as you look across different rice terraces, with each varying altitude and colour. Hike up a flight of stairs to see what Banawe is really all about, or take an easier route by driving up and down the roads of these stupendous stone monuments. Visit this place during summer when the green leaves are lush and the surrounding mountains are free of fog. The cool breeze that sweeps over you will make for a relaxing day away from it all. There's no shortage of church ruins in Bicol but few have been preserved as well as Cabiao Church, complete with its spires still intact, even after being abandoned for decades.

Hinoba-an Cave Park

The Hinoba-an Cave Park is one of the Philippines most interesting natural attractions. Spread across a 50-hectare area, visitors are given the opportunity to explore the mouth of a large, unnamed cave or hike through low mountain ranges with lush vegetation and large limestone rocks. The cave is located on Mount Mantalingajan and has several geological formations like stalactites, stalagmites, columns, curtains, concretions, and flowstones.

Mayon Volcano

Laced with green rolling hills, rainforests and mineral springs, the province of Albay is home to the iconic Mount Mayon. Known as one of the most perfect volcanoes in the world due to its symmetry, this 466 metre high stratovolcano dominates all others on a clear day. With a diameter of more than six kilometres at the base, its also one of the largest volcanoes in the Philippines. If you find yourself climbing it for sunrise or sunset views, do your best not to get too close to its edge  accidents have occurred there before.
Emami Ltd is open to making an investment in the more direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands, particularly in personal care and healthcare segments, as the homegrown fast-moving consumer products company looks at increasing its presence beyond its core categories.

Last year, the company picked up a minority stake in Tru Native F&B which markets nutrition products under the TruNativ brand. It also acquired a 30% stake in pet-care startup Cannis Lupus Services India.

Emami is open to partnering with and investing in, more such brands, director Harsha V. Agarwal said at an event organized by industry body FICCI in New Delhi on Monday.

Emami sells a range of personal care brands such as Navratna, Kesh King, and Fair and Handsome. In FY22, its revenue from operations stood at Rs 3,192 crore.

DTC brands have been gaining popularity as they offer more choices to consumers beyond the large traditional brands. This has prompted traditional companies to look at participating in emerging consumer trends by investing in DTC brands. These companies are also using their offline distribution heft to expand the reach of these brands in general trade channels.

We are always on the lookout. It is always a good time to buy, but it depends on strategically what youre able to do with that, and at what value youre able to buy something," he said.

Earlier, the company had said such smaller direct-to-consumer players are playing a key role in educating consumers and making the respective category more innovative and exciting. Consumer goods makers have also seen an uptick in demand for their goods online.

In FY22, Emamis e-commerce revenues doubled, contributing 5.5% to its domestic business. The company also launched DTC websites for its Zandu, Kesh King and BoroPlus brands. In March 2022, it acquired Dermicool from Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare India Pvt. Ltd for Rs 432 crore. The company owns majority stakes in Brillare Science and Helios Lifestyle that sells male grooming products under The Man Company brand.
GQG Collaborators might probably expand its investment in the Adani group, the fund company's founder Rajiv Jain said it on Wednesday, a week after its $1.9 billion infusion into the embattled Indian conglomerate.

"Chances are we'll probably buy more because we typically initiate a position and then depending on how things go and how the earnings come through we tend to get it to full size because we're not at full size at this point," Jain said on a call with journalists in Sydney.

GQG Partners, co-founded by Jain in 2016, bought shares worth $1.87 billion in four Adani group companies, marking the first major investment in the Indian conglomerate since a short-sellers critical report in January sparked a stock rout.

Jain, based in Florida, flew to Australia this week for talks with investors, which include some of Australia's largest pension funds. Last week, pension fund investor Cbus Super, with A$71 billion ($46.82 billion) under management, told Reuters they had queried GQG about the Adani purchase.

A GQG spokesperson said Jain's trip had been planned for some time and the discussions included topics other than Adani.

"The response actually has been, frankly, more positive than I would have anticipated because they feel that's how we differentiate ourselves," Jain said, when asked how the clients have responded to the Adani deal. "We do our deep dive, and we don't follow the herd," he said.

Jain said he has not had a conversation with the Adani group since the transaction because "there is nothing to talk about".

"We feel that we got an incredible opportunity to initiate positions and over time, the size will increase and most likely will increase depending on the price and how they deliver...," he said.

New York-based short-seller Hindenburg Research accused the Adani group in a Jan. 24 report of stock manipulation and improper use of offshore tax havens that it said obscured the extent of Adani family stock ownership in group firms. The group has denied the charges.

The allegations resulted in seven of the Indian group's listed firms losing about $130 billion in market value, and the group also shelved a $2.5 billion share sale.

Adani has major coal assets, which could affect the environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets of superannuation and other Australian investors.

Jain said he agrees on the long-term energy transition but fossil fuel cannot be shut off now.

"It's a more convenient issue rather than a substantive issue. A lot of people simply do box-checking exercise. We feel that you need to make the transition, but the transition has to be based on some realistic aspects," he said.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is poised to near extra contracts worth $1 billion with British retailer Marks & Spencer in next few weeks, people who are aware of the developments said.

This will mark this years biggest deal win for Indias top software exporter, which is also in line to renew its existing five-year engagement with the UK-headquartered company.

Apart from the 2018 deal renewal, there are multiple additional deals in the pipeline with a cumulative value of over $1 billion that M&S is expected to close, an industry executive. As an existing partner, TCS is in the frontline to win these deals, the person added, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

The new deals in the pipeline include mandates for business process services and digital transformation programs, among others. These engagements are expected to be spread out over a duration of 8-10 years. M&S representatives did not respond to queries till press time.

As per policy, we do not comment on market speculation, TCS said in an emailed response to queries. These large deal wins are significant at a time global enterprises turn cautious about technology spending.

Many companies are also resorting to more outsourcing as they drive costs and organizational efficiencies in a tough macro environment. There are vendor consolidation deals worth $160 billion, which are coming up in the January-March quarter led by companies searching for better pricing.

With a weakening macro environment, clients have started cutting discretionary spends with an increased focus on cost optimization. In general, cost optimization deals are of longer duration and larger in size, a recent report by Motilal Oswal said.

In 2018, TCS became a strategic partner to the global fashion retailer. It has since worked on human resource solutions addressing over 80,000 employees of the British company, as well as a solution using the Oracle supply chain management platform.

The Indian IT services exporter was also designated as a strategic technology partner as it helped M&S transition to a new technology operating model. Large-cap Indian IT service providers have an edge when it comes to snagging large deals aimed at cost optimization.

TCS reported a $700 million plus order from UK-based Phoenix Group last month, the largest deal so far in this fiscal year. The deal came from the extension of a $2 billion engagement it had won in 2019 from the same group.

Recent big deals bagged by Indian IT firms include Wipros five-year multi-million dollar transaction with Mazda Motors and Finastra.

While HCLTech has snagged a multi-year deal to digitize security and workplace solutions for Mondelez Internationa, in addition to a digital transformation deal from State Farm, among others. Infosys has reported that it has signed large orders worth $3.3 billion during the October-December quarter but it did not disclose further details.

TCS had said in January that it sees increasing caution among clients that is leading to more deals focused on cost optimisation and vendor consolidation.

Recently, TCS took over a project for UK-based National Employment Savings Trust (Nest) after it terminated its 18-year $1.8 billion IT transformation contract with French provider Atos.

While the organization is still evaluating the new vendor, TCS stands a good chance as a frontrunner to bag the deal in its entirety, sources said. The company has also won a mandate from Boeing to outsource a third of the airline manufacturers jobs. Several big tech companies have even rationalized employee headcount citing overestimation of demand.

Industry experts are of the view that there is a need to look at all the renewal deals and whether they see increasing components of consolidation or remain with the same vendors.

A lot of them will stay with the same provider, but with reduced cost or some other advantages. Because service providers are also incurring much higher costs on labour and they will be smart about these deals, said Phil Fersht, chief executive, HfS Research.

Pareekh Jain, founder of EIIRTrend, a technology advisory, said there will be both components of cost optimization and transformation in deals going forward.

There will be a significant share of transformation because it helps the vendors optimise delivery costs as well, especially if they can loop in their platform offerings, he added.
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TILL 

(M) 130 minutes

A heavy sense of foreboding hangs over the opening scenes of Till. Even if you know little of Americas racist south in the 1950s, Mamie Tills worried face gives warning enough of the tragedy to come.

Shes living in Chicago with her 14-year-old son, Emmett. After her husbands death in World War II, she became the only black woman working for the US Air Force and for her, life is sweet apart from having to endure the occasional racist remark lobbed by a pushy shop assistant. But Emmett is going to visit his relatives in Mississippi and his high spirits and love of a laugh are signs hes not taking his mothers advice about being careful.

Danielle Deadwyler as Mamie Till-Mobley in Till. Credit: Lynsey Weatherspoon/Orion Pictures

After Emmett (Jalyn Hall) wolf-whistles Carolyn Bryant (Haley Bennett), the white cashier at the local store, the inevitable occurs. Bryants husband and a couple of accomplices kidnap him from his great-uncles house and when his body is recovered in the river, its scars are proof of the viciousness meted out to him.
ABC News Breakfast presenter Lisa Millar has publicly addressed the social media abuse she has received this week, and raised concerns about how some news outlets chose to cover the story.

Millar was targeted by social media trolls on Monday who focused on her appearance. The attacks were then boosted by news outlets news.com.au and the Daily Mail, with both publications republishing the social media commentary.

Lisa Millar called the social media abuse upsetting but also criticised news sites that chose to republish hurtful comments.

On Wednesday morning, Millar addressed News Breakfast viewers directly, taking aim at both the abuse and the way in which it was covered.

Id like to take a minute to talk about what went on during the last 48 hours. If youre blessedly oblivious, and youve just been getting on with your life  great!  I wont dwell on it, she said. The fact that what I wore on Monday attracted obnoxious commentary on Twitter  foul, disgusting personal abuse that I couldnt and wouldnt repeat  was upsetting.
A former Labor MP has told a court she hosted a meeting at her home where a teenage boy signed away a police complaint alleging politician Milton Orkopoulos behaved inappropriately with him.

Orkopoulos, the former NSW member for Swansea, is facing trial in Sydneys Downing Centre accused of indecently and sexually assaulting four boys between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. He has pleaded not guilty.

Former Labor MP Jill Hall outside court and her successor Milton Orkopoulos (inset). Credit: Kate Geraghty / Isabella Porros

His predecessor in the seat of Swansea, Jill Hall, was called to court to give evidence about a meeting she held between Orkopoulos and one of his young accusers two decades ago.

Hall told the court Orkopoulos wanted her to formally witness the boy, who was in early high school, signing a document.
Terrorist threat: Royal tour

Counterterrorist measures have been put in place following information that the IRA may try to assassinate the Queen during the current royal tour. The security operation, which involves Customs officers and special squads of Federal Police, is the largest ever seen at airports in Australia. At least five Irishmen were detained for questioning at Sydney Airport and their baggage searched during the week. Industrial action prevented body searches being carried out.

Man makes a wrong turn

Trouble erupted in Pitt Street yesterday during a march by 400 women celebrating International Womens Day. A man who unwittingly turned his car into the procession was caught in a confrontation with some of the marchers which resulted in his car being extensively damaged - he had to be comforted by a passerby. More than 400 women turned out to march in the procession with the theme being creativity, solidarity and power.

Revolutionary hangar houses blimp

Perth millionaire Mr Alan Bond has contracted the construction of a new hi-tech hangar to house his Swan airships, soon to be seen wafting through Sydneys skies. The first of the blimp-like airships will be housed in a hangar of revolutionary design at Schofields Aerodrome, west of Sydney. The soon-to-be completed hangar had all structural, electrical and roofing work done at ground level and the structure was then pumped up hydraulically to a height of 10 storeys.
Melissa Caddicks victims have banded together to fight a claim by the fraudsters parents that the couple should get preferential treatment in the distribution of their daughters estate, as investors attempt to stem legal costs expected to top $1 million.

Documents obtained by the Herald reveal that $647,000 has already been spent on legal fees which include fighting claims mounted by Caddicks family, including her husband Anthony Koletti, her parents Barb and Ted Grimley and her brother Adam. Ongoing legal action is projected to cost a further $440,000.

Barbara and Ted Grimley leaving the inquest into their daughter Melissa Caddicks presumed death. Credit: James Brickwood

The legal matters and the complicated unravelling of Caddicks affairs have already drained $2 million from the asset pool, which the Herald can reveal is currently worth about $7 million after the sale of her Dover Heights house, jewellery, luxury cars and other possessions.

Out-of-pocket investors, who lost $23.5 million in Caddicks Ponzi scheme, may recover about 30 for every $1 that is owed to them.
Melissa Caddicks victims have banded together to fight her parents claim that they should get preferential treatment when it comes to distributing the fraudsters estate.

The Herald can reveal that with the sale of her jewellery and property the current estate is now worth $7 million. The ongoing legal matters and the complicated unravelling of Caddicks affairs have already drained $2 million from the asset pool.

Barbara and Ted Grimley leaving the inquest into their daughter Melissa Caddicks presumed death. Credit: James Brickwood

Caddick, 49, disappeared in November 2020, hours after her house was raided by the corporate regulator, ASIC, in relation to a fraudulent investment scheme she had been running.

Her partial remains washed up in her running shoe at a remote beach 400 kilometres south of Sydney in February 2021.
Police interviewed notorious criminal Arthur Neddy Smith in the months before he died in a final attempt to elicit a confession to the murder of Mark Johnston, whose bones were found in Sydneys south in 2007 after he vanished two decades earlier.

But when detectives arrived at a secure hospital ward to speak to the jailed double killer, who had dementia and Parkinsons disease, they found him mostly unintelligible. Asked if he knew what happened to Johnston, Smith responded: No, do you?

On Wednesday, a coroner delivered the answer: Smith was responsible for Johnstons homicide.

Model Mark Johnston starred in commercials for Ford and KFC.

Johnston, 36, a cocaine dealer and former model who appeared in advertisements for Ford and KFC, was last seen leaving the Bellevue Hotel at Paddington on the afternoon of September 1, 1986. He left to retrieve $60,000 from Dover Heights and planned to meet up with friends later.
PM holds historic meeting with Indigenous leaders in WA

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The family of Indigenous woman Shiralee Deanne Tilberoo has called on the coroner to prevent any more degrading deaths in custody.

Ms Tilberoo, known as Aunty Sherry, died at the Brisbane City Watch House on September 10, 2020.

Police face off with protestors in Brisbane after the death of Aunty Sherry Tilberoo in the city's police watchhouse. Credit: Nine

The 49-year-olds death prompted Black Lives Matter protests across Brisbane in the following days.

The Queensland Coroners Court on Tuesday heard evidence for the second day of a joint inquest into Aunty Sherrys death and that of another woman, Vlasta Wylucki, who died in Southport Watch House in 2018.
A would-be social media crocodile hunter has been fined $12,000 for illegally catching freshwater crocs.

Jayden Wilson was sentenced in the Townsville Magistrates Court for catching, or attempting to catch, 16 reptiles from the Ross River in northern Queensland.

Townsville man Jayden Wilson posted videos to TikTok showing himself catching juvenile crocodiles from the river. Credit: TikTok

He was charged with 12 counts of taking a protected animal.

Wilson, 27, must pay $1500 in legal costs and his convictions have been recorded.
British superstar Ed Sheeran is expected to make history when he performs at Optus Stadium on Sunday night, on track to sell a record number of tickets for an event in Western Australia.

The 32-year-old musician is bringing his +  =  x Tour (pronounced The Mathematics Tour) to Perth, almost five years to the day since he last performed in the west to a crowd of 62,622.

British musician Ed Sheeran is bringing his Mathematics Tour to Perth. Credit: James Brickwood

If the expected crowd of 70,000 patrons turn up on Sunday, he will beat fellow English pop phenomenon Adeles record-breaking concert of 65,000 at Subiaco Oval in 2017.

A VenuesWest spokeswoman said they werent expecting the chaotic scenes seen at HBF Park ahead of Harry Styles performance last month.
The Greens have joined the opposition in demanding more detail on the Indigenous Voice to parliament, while a key adviser on Labors Indigenous expert panel also called for the government to release more information.

Greens First Nations spokeswoman Dorinda Cox, who strongly supports the Voice and who has pledged to work with Labor, said the Albanese government needs to communicate what the referendum is all about more effectively.

Greens First Nations spokeswoman Dorinda Cox. Credit: James Brickwood

Cox said: There is no pathway to Truth and Treaty if we have a No vote to Voice.

In sharp contrast with Lidia Thorpe, her predecessor as the Greens spokesperson, Cox said she wants to work with the Albanese government and secure a Yes vote, but Im also saying where is Makaratta [treaty]?
The union representing workers at the scandal-plagued Moira Shire Council is calling for a clear-out of senior managers implicated in an inquiry that found a litany of failures by a dysfunctional leadership that led to an unsafe and toxic workplace.

Local Government Minister Melissa Horne announced on Tuesday that the council had been sacked and it would be run by administrators after a commission of inquiry report was tabled in parliament.

Senior Moira Shire Council worker Rick Devlin was murdered by a colleague in 2021.

The state government launched an investigation into the council after a senior employee was murdered by a colleague in 2021, and a slew of other issues  including the councils financial practices  have now been referred to the anti-corruption commission.

Tash Wark, the Australian Services Unions deputy branch secretary for Victoria and Tasmania, said any person who had contributed to the toxic workplace reported in the inquiries findings should be sacked.
Ukrainian military and political leaders now speak of hanging on to positions and inflicting as many casualties as possible on the Russians to grind down their fighting capability. President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a nightly video address of the battle for Bakhmut and the surrounding Donbas region: This is our first priority. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, earlier said his fighters had captured the eastern part of Bakhmut. If true, Russian forces would control nearly half the city in a costly pursuit of their first big victory in several months. Everything east of the Bakhmutka River is completely under the control of Wagner, Prigozhin said on Telegram. Volunteer soldiers fire towards Russian positions close to Bakhmut on Wednesday. Credit: AP

The river bisects Bakhmut, which sits on the edge of a swathe of Ukraines Donetsk province that is already largely under Russian occupation. The city centre is on the west side of the river. Prigozhin has issued premature success claims before and Reuters was not able to verify the situation on the ground. On Tuesday, near Bakhmut, a Ukrainian National Guard chief medic who gave his name as Artem said all roads out of the city were under constant heavy shelling. Ambulances and other vehicles come under shelling and for that reason it is very difficult to evacuate people. There are high losses, and among medics in particular, he said. Destroyed buildings in the town of Bakhmut, Ukraine, in late February 2023. Credit: AP

Russia was throwing more troops into the battle, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said before a meeting of European Union defence ministers in Stockholm. They have suffered big losses, but at the same time we cannot rule out that Bakhmut may eventually fall in the coming days, Stoltenberg said. This would not necessarily be a turning point in the war, he added, but it showed we should not underestimate Russia, we must continue to provide support to Ukraine. EU defence ministers agreed to speed up the supply of artillery rounds and buy more shells to help Ukraines military, which is burning through shells faster than its allies can manufacture them. Under the plan, EU states would get financial incentives worth 1 billion euros to send more of their artillery rounds to Kyiv, while another 1 billion euros would fund joint procurement of new shells.

Russia, which claims to have annexed nearly 20 per cent of Ukraines territory, says that taking Bakhmut would be a step towards seizing the whole of the eastern industrial Donbas region, made up of Donetsk and Luhansk provinces. Western analysts say Bakhmut has little strategic value, although its capture would be a boost to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military after a series of setbacks in what they call their special military operation in Ukraine. Loading Kyiv says the losses suffered by Russia there could determine the course of the war, with Ukraine expected to launch a counter-offensive when the weather improves and it receives more Western military aid, including heavy battle tanks. The months of warfare in the east have been among the deadliest and most destructive since Russia invaded in February 2022, adding Bakhmuts name to a list of devastated cities such as Mariupol, Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk.

A Ukrainian military drone showed the scale of destruction in Bakhmut, filming apartment blocks on fire and smoke billowing from residential areas. Iryna Vereshchuk, a deputy Ukrainian prime minister, said fewer than 4000 civilians  including 38 children  out of a pre-war population of some 70,000 remained in Bakhmut, now largely in ruins after months of bombardment. The situation in the city is difficult. The enemy actively storms our positions. However, they dont have any success and suffer colossal losses, a Ukrainian border guard said in a video released by the State Border Service. The city stands because Bakhmut was, is, and will be Ukraine. Avril Haines, the main intelligence adviser to US President Joe Biden, described the fighting in Ukraine as a grinding, attritional war.

Speaking as the Senate Intelligence Committee began its annual hearing on threats to US security, she said US intelligence did not foresee the Russian military recovering enough this year to make major territorial gains. Russia casts its invasion of Ukraine as a response to threats to its security from its neighbours ties to the West. Loading Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said Russias strategy in eastern Ukraine was to take the remaining areas of Donetsk and Luhansk that it does not control. As for tactics  they understand that they are not able to make any rapid advance, so they have one tactic  they advance where they can. If they see that there is any success somewhere, they throw all the reserves into it, he told Ukrainian TV.
Former Fiji prime minister Frank Bainimarama says he will continue to lead his opposition party from outside parliament after announcing his resignation as an MP.

The twice-elected prime minister lost power following the 2022 elections, when Fijis three other parties formed a coalition under new Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.

Sitiveni Rabuka is sworn in as the prime minister of Fiji in Suva, on Christmas eve last year. Credit: Fiji Sun/AP

Last month, Bainimarama was suspended from parliament for three years after an inflammatory speech.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Bainimarama said the punishment meant it was best for him to depart.
The first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, blazed a trail for the many female spaceflyers who would follow. Tereshkova, a Soviet cosmonaut, was selected from more than 400 applicants to launch on the Vostok 6 mission on June 16, 1963. She was 26 at the time.

Born in the village of Maslennikovo northeast of Moscow, Tereshkova volunteered for the Soviet cosmonaut program after Yuri Gagarin made history as the first man to fly in space on April 12, 1961. She was not a pilot, but had extensive parachuting experience, with 126 jumps under her belt. (Gagarin parachuted to Earth, ejecting from the Vostok capsule during descent as part of the landing sequence.)

Infographic: How Valentina Tereshkova's 1963 Vostok 6 flight worked

Tereshkova was one of four women who received 18 months of training for Vostok 6 and was ultimately selected to pilot the flight. The mission launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome two days after Vostok 5, piloted by cosmonaut Valeriy Bykovsky, with the two spacecraft coming within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of each other.

Tereshkova spent 70 hours in space and orbited Earth 48 times during her mission. Though an icon of Soviet space exploration, she never flew into space again and became a test pilot and instructor.
Through the $1.49 million grant awarded from the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Research and Curriculum Unit (RCU) at Mississippi State University has partnered with Transfr to introduce virtual reality technology into the workforce education realm for students of Clay, Kemper, Lowndes, Noxubee and Oktibbeha counties. In a special kickoff event held at the East Mississippi Community College Communiversity in Columbus on Monday, March 6, students and teachers got their first on-hands experience using Oculus VR systems for workforce training simulations.
Nadlac II Border Crossing Point police officers caught 16 people from Bangladesh and Morocco who tried to cross the border illegally into Hungary, hidden in a truck carrying car parts.

The driver is a 31-year-old Romanian and was on his way to France." Based on a risk analysis, the border police carried out a thorough check of the vehicle, finding 16 foreign nationals hidden among the goods in the cargo compartment. The persons in question were taken to the border police headquarters for investigation. During the checks, our colleagues established that the persons are citizens from Bangladesh and Morocco, aged between 20 and 40 years," Arad Border Police informed on Wednesday.The driver is being investigated for smuggling migrants and the foreign nationals are being investigated for fraudulently attempt to cross the state border.
Romania's anti-communist political prisoners from 1944 to1989 will be commemorated on Friday, March 10, in Brasov, in two events - a military and religious ceremony and the Brasov premiere screening of the episode "Octav Bjoza - Romanian Youth Guard" of the "Memorial of pain" documentary series.

The military ceremony will take place in Teatrului Square, at the Monument to the Fighters of the Anti-Communist Resistance, organised by the Brasov Prefecture and the Brasov garrison, and it will be attended by local administration officials, the garrison command, and soldiers.

On the Day of Anti-Communist Political Prisoners from 1944-1989, the Astra Cinema Hall will host a screening of the documentary about Octav Bjoza, where admission is free subject to seat availability. AGERPRES
The European Commission has approved a contribution of more than EUR 160 million from the Cohesion Fund for larger and better sewage networks in Iasi County.

"This new major project will improve access to water and sewerage in Iasi County. It is a concrete example of how Cohesion Policy improves the life of citizens on the ground. The project will enhance public health and the quality of life of the county's population through clean drinking water and adequate collection and treatment of wastewater leading to less pollutants in the soil, groundwater and rivers," European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira is quoted as saying in a press statement released by the commission on Wednesday.

The project will lay 256 km of main pipes and 312 km of a distribution network for water supply.

It will also build 23 water treatment facilities, 43 water storage tanks and 50 pumping stations of which 43 will be located on the network and 7 within treatment facilities. Finally, it will construct 230 km of discharge pipes, 536 km of gravity sewers and 4 new wastewater treatment plants.

This investment will contribute towards Romania's compliance with the EU Urban Wastewater Directive and create jobs, benefitting all social groups in the area.

The full project is expected to be finalised in 2026 and it complements a project funded in 2007-2013 programme period. AGERPRES
The extension of the Schengen area is not on the agenda of the Council of Justice and Internal Affairs (JAI) for Thursday and Friday, even after Wednesday's meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the European Union ( COREPER), when the JHA's provisional agenda could still have undergone changes.

Thus, according to the website of the EU Council, the agenda includes, in the non-legislative activities section, 'The general situation of the Schengen area' (The operation of the Schengen area and the future of visa policy) and 'The entry into operation of the consolidated Schengen Information System (SIS)', but not the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen.

Thursday's meeting is the first official meeting of the JHA Council after the one in December when Romania and Bulgaria failed, only Croatia being accepted in Schengen. In the case of Romania and Bulgaria, there was no unanimity, although the two countries met all the necessary technical conditions, something recognized by the European Commission since 2011, including following the evaluations made by European experts. The opposition came from Austria and the Netherlands, the latter specifying that Bulgaria is not yet ready to enter Schengen.

In the opinion of the MEP Victor Negrescu (S&D), the absence of the Schengen extension from the agenda of the JAI Council on Thursday and Friday makes it difficult for the process of re-launching the debate on the accession to the Schengen space during this year, as a new strategy is needed to achieve this objective for our country until the 2024 European Parliament elections.

For his part, MEP Dragos Tudorache (Renew Europe) is of the opinion that Romania should have a strategy together with Bulgaria with a view to joining the Schengen area, being at the same time extremely important not to remain anchored in the logic in which as long as the migration file is not closed, the subject of Schengen cannot be discussed. He believes that Romania's main strategy must be to convince the Netherlands to work on a scenario in which Romania and Bulgaria together obtain a calendar and concrete steps to reach the desired decision.AGERPRES
The Ministry of European Investment and Projects (MIPE) will implement a raft of measures worth almost 450 million euros to meet specific needs of women and children who are in difficult circumstances, according to a MIPE press statement released on Wednesday.

In 2021 - 2027, mothers from vulnerable groups will qualify for support measures in excess of 446 million euros funded under the Social Inclusion and Dignity Programme 2021 - 2027 and the Education and Employment Programme 2021-2027, with employment, support services for single-parent families, for children with parents gone abroad, material support for mothers and newborns from vulnerable groups being the main targets.

"In 2021 - 2027, Romania has a special programme designed for vulnerable people, the Inclusion and Social Dignity Programme, and 10% of the total budget of this programme is European money allocated to support measures for mothers and children in difficult circumstances," according to Minister of European Investment and Projects Marcel Bolos.

Among the measures under the Social Inclusion and Dignity Program 2021 - 2027 and the Education and Employment Program 2021-2027 are actions to support mother-newborn couples from disadvantaged groups, with a total budget of 120 million euros

The measure also unfolds for the 2014-2020 programming period, with approximately 15,000 mothers and newbornsfrom the most disadvantaged categories receiving aid to the tune of RON 2,000 in kits in the first 3 months after the birth of the children, through social vouchers on electronic support. The total amount for support is 6 million euros, under Operational Programme Helping Disadvantaged Persons.

Another measure is counselling services and material support for children in vulnerable circumstances that has a total funding of 160 million euros

Another objective is to increase labour opportunities for women by offering programmes for personal development, vocational counselling, continuation/reintegration with the education system, ensuring employment measures, counselling, training, aid for social and professional insertion/reinsertion, including through information campaigns regarding the conditions and benefits of accessing paternity leave, to increase the involvement of fathers in the family life in order to reinsert women into the labour market.

To facilitate access of single parents to the labour market, vouchers will be granted before and after school and vouchers for weekend activities for children (activities in the field of sports, creativity, arts, etc.). The duration of the support will be 12 months.

Another 44 million euros is the budget for support measures for the Romany community, including information and professional counselling actions, mediation and facilitation of employment to increase employability among the Romany population with an emphasis on young people and women.

According to MIPE, information and counselling campaigns regarding reproductive health, prevention and combating domestic violence and human trafficking among the Romany population will also be financed. AGERPRES
Her Majesty Margareta, the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, stated, on Wednesday, during a speech held at the Swedish Institute of International Relations in Stockholm on the Romanian perspective on the eastern borders of the EU and NATO, that the procedures for accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union must be accelerated, emphasizing the fact that Moldova and Ukraine "will not find peace unless they are part of the European family."

Her Majesty Margareta, together with Prince Radu, had, on Wednesday, a meeting with Jakob Hallgren, director of the Swedish Institute of International Relations, and Nicholas Aylott, director of the institute's European studies program, analysts and experts on security issues and members of the diplomatic corps.

During the speech, Her Majesty Margareta congratulated Sweden for the current presidency of the Council of the European Union, for the clear sense of priorities and the efficient management of the European Union's affairs, at a time when the continent could not be more turbulent and when the dangers it faces they couldn't be more pressing.

"The objective that I have assumed now, both with the support of the Government of Romania and with the support of the Government of the Republic of Moldova, is to be sure, simply, that the Republic of Moldova is not consumed by the tragedy that is now affecting Ukraine; that its reformist government is supported in achieving its goal and that the citizens of Moldova are allowed to decide their own future instead of having their future decided by others. I welcome the European Union's decision last year to grant Moldova candidate status. (...) I feel obliged to add that we need to be aware of the urgency in supporting the Republic of Moldova. Having accepted the Republic of Moldova as a candidate country, the EU should begin as soon as possible to identify the objectives on which the government of the Republic of Moldova must focus in order to to hasten its accession to the EU," said the Custodian of the Crown.

Her Majesty Margareta specified that, as the tragic example of Ukraine fully shows, the alternative of not taking advantage of the opportunity of European integration would mean a much more expensive and desperate integration effort at a later stage, after the end of the war in Ukraine.

During the visit that the Royal Family of Romania is making this week to Sweden, Her Majesty Margareta and Prince Radu will meet, on Wednesday afternoon, with the ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland, Liliana Gutan. AGERPRES
Victims of domestic violence could benefit from free legal assistance throughout the lawsuit, and the maximum duration of the protection order could be extended to one year, according to a draft law submitted by the Save Romania Union (USR).

USR deputy Monica Berescu, initiator of the bill, drew attention to the fact that in Romania almost 500 women were killed in the last ten years, as a result of domestic violence. In the first 11 months of 2022, 11,891 protection orders were issued.

"Tougher laws are needed for the aggressors, but it is equally important to better protect the victims and to support them to escape from the nightmare of a house where beatings and abuse of any kind define an ordinary day," said Monica Berescu.

The USR bill modifies the Law for the prevention and combating of family violence (no. 217/2003) so that the protection order is instituted for a maximum period of 12 months (compared to the current 6 months).

At the same time, the bill modifies the current law, whereby the victim benefits from free legal assistance only at the first appearance in court. Specifically, USR proposes that the victim benefit from free legal assistance throughout the lawsuit, including the appeal.AGERPRES
The Vice-Chair of the Health and Family Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Emanuel Ungureanu (USR), said on Wednesday, in Iasi, that he filed a criminal complaint with the General Prosecutor's Office in connection with the case of implantable stimulators and defibrillators.

According to the quoted source, the complaint was filed against the Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, "under the aspect of committing the crime provided for in art. 297 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code, an act committed by the illegal holding in position the manager of the Saint Spiridon Iasi County Emergency Clinical Hospital.

In the same address sent to the Prosecutor's Office, deputy Emanuel Ungureanu also filed a complaint against the general economic director of the Ministry of Health, "under the aspect of committing the crime provided for in art. 298 of the Criminal Code, an act committed by not checking and not informing the minister of health about the existence of arrears at the level of the 'Sf. Spiridon' Iasi County Emergency Clinical Hospital."

At the same time, the complaint of the deputy Emanuel Ungureanu also targets the president-general director of the Iasi County Health Insurance House (CJAS) and the chief doctor, "under the aspect of committing the crime provided for in art. 298 of the Penal Code, a deed committed by not taking the necessary measures as a result of the address of the County Emergency Clinical Hospital, through which they were informed about the reuse of implantable devices."

The USR parliamentarian also stated that the problem of second-hand medical devices is also practiced in other medical centers in the country.

Cardiologist Dan Tesloianu was detained on February 17 by the General Prosecutor's Office for committing the crimes of abuse of office, in continuous form (238 material documents), complicity in the continuation of carrying out works after the order to stop them by the competent control bodies, according to law, and bribery.

The investigators show that a large part of the interventions to insert some implantable cardiac devices, including those extracted from deceased patients, carried out/recommended by the doctor, were not necessary, proceeding to their operationalization either by recording fictitious diagnoses or by recommending previous use of some drugs that cause reactions of the nature leading to the specific symptomatology.

In the same file, seven other doctors are prosecuted for bribery, four patients are investigated for bribery. AGERPRES
Rector of the Bucharest School of Economics (ASE) Nicolae Istudor said on Wednesday that a bill on higher education currently under consideration is "much better" than the Education Law of 2011, as it solves many of the problems that universities have faced in recent years.

"It is much better than the 2011 law because it solves many of the problems we have faced in recent years," Istudor told AGERPRES.

He said that the bill is also the result of a "thorough consultation, respecting the principle of transparency" by the management teams from the Ministry of Education.

"We can still discuss certain points of the law. We at ASE, have already forwarded them to the ministry. They are not so important that we say that the law should be stopped and should not be put up to a vote. We mean here mainly the involvement of NGOs in training, we don't see it as necessary. (...) They should be subject to an evaluation in terms of quality because we are assessed once every five years at least institutionally (...) Doctoral schools would seem correct to me, for a doctoral school to have a bachelor's and master's programme behind it. The extension of the activity of teaching staff over 65 years should follow a methodology based on criteria and so forth. They are not so important that we can say that the law is not good. It is very good from my point of view," said the ASE official.

As regards the rectors' tenures, Istudor is of the opinion that two tenures of five years each is a "better" period for the implementation of projects by the rectors.
The President of the People's Movement Party (PMP), MEP Eugen Tomac, on Wednesday stated, during a press conference held in Bistrita, that Romania's chances of entering Schengen by the end of 2024 are increasing "significantly" after he sued the Council of the European Union with the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

This action calls for the annulment of the decision of the JHA Council of last December, regarding the rejection of Romania and Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area.

The PMP leader believes that this process is the fastest way to solve the problem of Romania's accession to Schengen, considering that next year is an electoral one.

"We will achieve the goals we set for ourselves, and I think that in a year and a half we will have this process. That's about the practice, a year and a half, two years. But another faster way to solve this problem does not exist because Sweden has proposed on the agenda the subject of Schengen, but without enlargement, because Austria is still opposing the matter. Austria will be opposed in June as well, and from the autumn of next year everyone will enter the electoral campaign, Spain also has internal elections, so I don't see how this file will be able to be unlocked until after the elections in 2024. However, on this process, on this procedure that I have opened, the chances of entering until the end of the year 2024 increase significantly, and once the Parliament is involved in this CJEU lawsuit process, then things will be even more accelerated and obviously our chances are getting bigger and bigger," stated Eugen Tomac. AGERPRES
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca sent a message on March 8 (International Women's Day, ed.n.) assuring that the Government will continue to support women, through concrete measures, in everything they want to achieve.

"Today we celebrate the women in our lives and send them our best thoughts of gratitude, respect and appreciation. March 8 is also about women's rights and I assure them that the Government I lead will continue to support them, through concrete measures, in everything they want to achieve," the prime minister wrote on Facebook.According to the head of Government, women set new standards of professionalism in the most important fields of activity and are trailblazers in many sectors."They bring life, hope and balance. They are trailblazers in many fields, they are creative and embrace innovation and progress. They are on the front line of the most difficult missions. Today and every day we are grateful to them for what they do, always with responsibility. They set new standards of professionalism in the most important fields of activity. In health, education, in the entrepreneurial environment, in the associative sector, in the public sector, in sports, culture, research, diplomacy and national security, ladies perform. And besides professionalism, they stand out for their empathy, balance, mediation capacity. It is no coincidence that the word peace, with its multiple meanings, is feminine," reads the Prime Minister's message, according to a press release sent by the Government Press Office.It is a responsibility and an honor, at the same time, to support, promote and involve women in social, economic and political decisions to the same extent that they participate in the development of society, Nicolae Ciuca added."An inclusive and modern society, as we want in Romania, brings out the competence and abilities of all its citizens and offers women a correct position in social and professional life. It is a responsibility and an honor, at the same time, to support, promote and involve them in social, economic and political decisions to the same extent that they participate in the development of society," the PM mentioned.Furthermore, the National Liberal Party initiates and implements projects through which it actively encourages the involvement of women in political life, Nicolae Ciuca also specified.Dear ladies, have a sunny spring! Happy Anniversary!'," the head of government concluded his message.
National chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu said on Wednesday that the Financial Oversight Authority (ASF) and the government "will make the best decision" regarding RCA third-party car insurance policies, adding that the deputy chairman of ASF asked to meet him on this subject .

Ciolacu was asked what he thinks about a 40% surge in RCA policy fees.

"You know very well that it is possible that bankruptcy will be announced. I am firmly convinced that the government of Romania will step in, as it did once before," said Ciolacu at the Parliament House.

He added that the ASF deputy chairman requested a meeting on this subject, and the chairman of ASF will meet Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca. AGERPRES
Architectures most prominent award went this week to David Chipperfield, a British designer who made a major contribution to St. Louis with the modern wing of the St. Louis Art Museum.

When the museums East Building opened a decade ago, Chipperfield was in St. Louis from London discussing his work: What we tried to hold tightly to here, always, was to make good space for art. Which seems, nowadays, a slightly old-fashioned concept in museum design  that an architect should be concerned about how the art looks. But I am a bit old-fashioned.

On Tuesday, the Pritzker Architecture Prize committee announced Chipperfield, now 69, was its new winner. The jury said, He has in every case skillfully chosen the tools that are instrumental to the project instead of those that might only celebrate the architect as artist. Such an approach explains how it is that a gifted architect can sometimes almost disappear.

The New York Times said Chipperfield is known for merging elegant, modern spaces with historic buildings, pointing to St. Louis polished concrete-and-glass counterpart to the Beaux-Arts museum designed by Cass Gilbert for the 1904 Worlds Fair.

The East Building, the main part of a $160 million project, added 210,000 square feet and 21 galleries, a 300-space underground garage and a restaurant to the museum.

When it debuted, the museum was able to show off artwork that had been kept in storage and a new installation of outdoor stone arches by Andy Goldsworthy.

Chipperfield is the 52nd laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, established in 1979 by the late entrepreneur Jay A. Pritzker and his wife, Cindy. Winners receive a $100,000 grant and a bronze medallion.

According to the Associated Press, organizers called Chipperfields work  more than 100 projects over four decades ranging from cultural, civic and academic buildings to urban planning to residences, and including a recent addition to Berlins famed Museum Island complex  subtle yet powerful, subdued yet elegant.
Scream movies are like pizza: When theyre good, theyre great, and even when theyre not as good, theyre still satisfying. Thankfully, Scream VI is a tasty slice. Even though with each new installment, the Scream franchise creeps closer and closer to the fictional in-movie Stab franchise that these films ostensibly skewer, writers James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick keep the blade sharp, while directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett bring a brawny, bruising and bloody style to this requel sequel.

This is the second Scream movie not directed by Wes Craven (Ready or Not directors Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett took over with the previous legasequel) and the first without franchise star Neve Campbell as Sydney Prescott. While its a shame that Campbell didnt return due to an inadequate salary offer, it was time to let Sydney ride off into the sunset, to release her from Ghostface-chasing duty. Theres a new Scream queen in town  Melissa Barrera  and she stabs back.

This time, the Woodsboro crew of most recent Ghostface survivors are in New York City  one could say its Ghostface Takes Manhattan. Tara (Jenna Ortega) is attending fictional Blackmore University, trying to live a normal life but with her overprotective big sis Sam (Barrera) in tow. As usual, the film opens with a call from Ghostface, who would like to play a game, this time elevating the horror nerd trivia to the level of the ivory tower, with references to a 20th-century slasher film studies class taught at Blackmore. From the beginning, its a Ghostface inception, the copycats folding into themselves, unclear who is targeting whom and why.

The closest analogue to Scream VI is Scream 2, which is directly stated by the films resident Randy, his niece Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown). Both films leave the high school setting for college, introduce new characters and tangle with the academic side of horror. Its bigger, shaggier and a bit messier than its predecessor, and while it bears other fun similarities to Scream 2, to mention them all would venture into spoiler territory.

The script of this teams previous Scream outing felt a bit more incisive, cutting straight to the heart of the toxic fanboy matter. Here, the message is a bit scattered. Is it film students who are the problem? Letterboxd users? Redditors? Theres a swirling message about the power of online rumor and misinformation, as Sam has become public enemy No. 1, thanks to a few nasty trolls and the revelation of her genetic lineage as the daughter of original Scream villain Billy Loomis.

What makes Sam the Evolved Final Girl is precisely her killer instinct. While the vulnerable Sydney harnessed her emotions to fight back, Sams Loomis DNA makes her Ghostfaces most dangerous foe: She is physically powerful and possessed of a near feral energy. Barrera walks that tightrope of fearful and menacing well, and she and Ortega make a winningly blood-spattered sisterly duo.

Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett take us swaggering through the New York City streets via cinematographer Brett Jutkiewiczs dizzying, disorienting camera. The centerpiece sequence, on a subway packed with Halloween revelers, is a beautiful piece of suspense filmmaking, utilizing the sights, sounds and geography of the space to create an all-too-real sense of public terror that gestures toward the notion of bystander effect. How can one be safe from Ghostface in a world of copycat murderers, online rumor and an increasingly ironic and apathetic world?

2021s Scream proved that this filmmaking team were worthy heirs to Cravens iconic franchise, and while Scream VI underlines that point, it also illustrates that theres still a rich vein to tap in the Scream franchise, using established lore to take the preeminent slasher movie franchise of 20th and 21st centuries in new and fascinating directions.

What Scream VI  Three stars out of four  Run time 2:03  Rating R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and brief drug use  Where In theaters
When Matthew Boyd was released from a Georgia state prison in December 2020, officials sent him home without medicines he uses to manage chronic heart and lung conditions and high blood pressure, he said.

Less than a month later, he spent eight days in an intensive care unit, the first of more than 40 hospital stays since. These days, he can barely get out of bed in his home south of Atlanta.

It makes my life so miserable, said Boyd, 44, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He told his story to KHN over email and text because he sometimes has trouble talking without losing his breath.

While Medicaid is generally prohibited from paying for the services people receive inside a prison or jail, the Biden administration opened the door for the federal program to cover care not long before a person is released, to help them better manage their health conditions during the transition. In February, the administration announced that states could also use Medicaid to pay for substance abuse treatment in state jails and prisons. Congressional efforts to reactivate Medicaid before inmates release nationwide have so far failed.

And across much of the South, where many states have not expanded Medicaid, reentry services that connect people like Boyd to health care resources are often minimal or nonexistent.

More than 600,000 people are released from state and federal prisons every year in the U.S. and the majority have health conditions. A 2019 judicial decision suggested that people who are incarcerated have a constitutional right to adequate medical discharge planning before their release, including supplies of medication or prescriptions. But its far from clear whether states are required to do so.

In Georgia, correctional facilities are supposed to create a discharge plan that includes making medical appointments and supplying medications. Joan Heath, director of the public affairs office at the Georgia Department of Corrections, didnt respond to questions about why the official policy wasnt followed in Boyds case.

Despite official policies, people regularly leave prison or jail lacking medications, medical records, a provider appointment, or health insurance. About 84% of men and 92% of women who were incarcerated had a physical or mental health condition or substance use disorder, according to a sample of people interviewed before and after their release from prison by the Urban Institute, a nonprofit that researches issues around equity.

Without timely care, formerly incarcerated patients are more likely to develop a health crisis and turn to costly emergency rooms. Or they experience a mental health episode or commit crimes related to substance use disorder that lands them back in prison or jail.

There is no bridge, said Stephanie Jones-Heath, CEO of Diversity Health Center, a federally qualified health center in southeastern Georgia. By the time formerly incarcerated patients come to the center, their health conditions are uncontrolled and they have no medical records, she said. We have to start all over because we have no continuity of care, she said.

The United States has one of the highest rates of incarceration in the world. Conditions such as the use of solitary confinement, limited health care access, high stress, and poor-quality food can also create or exacerbate illness.

This is the sickest population in the country, said Dr. Marc Stern, a University of Washington public health faculty member who previously worked for the states Department of Corrections. Stern co-authored one of the few studies on the topic. That 2007 study found people who were incarcerated were 3.5 times as likely to die as other state residents  many deaths took place within the first two weeks of a persons release.

In January, California became the first state to obtain a partial waiver allowing incarcerated people to get services through Medicaid 90 days before release. More than a dozen other states are pursuing similar waivers. They argue that more seamless care will reduce deaths from overdose  the leading killer of people leaving prison  improve health outcomes, and save money by keeping patients out of the emergency room.

In Georgia, even basic discharge planning can be rare, said Craig Burnes, a certified peer-support specialist for incarcerated people. In 2014 he was released from state prison after a nearly 15-year stay with a $20 debit card that mistakenly hadnt been activated, he said. Burnes, who has bipolar and post-traumatic stress disorders, depression, and anxiety, said he found his own way to a safety-net foundation for mental illness treatment near his home in Dalton.

Most of the people Burnes works with have no idea how to access care. Often, they lack family support and stable housing, struggle with mental health or substance abuse issues, and lack the skills to navigate the bureaucracy that comes with reclaiming their life after prison.

Its a terrible circle that has no beginning, he said. Burnes regularly sends people to the emergency room so they can get medications and a referral to a free clinic.

Stephen McCary, 40, couldnt find treatment for a heroin addiction after he was released from an Alabama prison in 2011.

In May 2019, an addiction recovery facility told him that funding to pay for his care was not immediately available. McCary, who also struggled with periodic homelessness, never followed up. He suffered an overdose, was re-arrested for a pharmacy theft, and is now serving another prison sentence.

None of these crimes I would have committed if I had somewhere to go, he said in a phone call from Ventress Correctional Facility in Alabama.

Alabama has not expanded Medicaid, which could have helped McCary secure care after his release. In Connecticut, a study found that when people are connected with primary care after incarceration they are less likely to be hospitalized or to be re-incarcerated, which can save the state money.

We have to look at the big picture, said Dr. Shira Shavit, who is a clinical professor of family and community medicine at the University of California-San Francisco and executive director of the Transitions Clinic Network, and worked on the studies. If we invest in Medicaid, we can save money in the prison system.

Black people, who are more likely than the general population to be incarcerated and lack insurance coverage, are disproportionately affected by the absence of post-incarceration health services.

One reason people fall through the cracks is because no one agency takes responsibility for the problem, said Dr. Evan Ashkin, a professor of family medicine at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and director of the North Carolina Formerly Incarcerated Transition Program, which helps former inmates obtain health care. Health systems often dont differentiate the needs of people who were imprisoned from others lacking insurance, he said. Justice systems dont have budgets or a mandate to care for people once they leave custody. About 90% of patients in the programs clinics lack insurance. North Carolina has not yet expanded Medicaid, though lawmakers recently struck a deal to do so.

A key piece of the new California waiver is the ability for providers to get reimbursed to coordinate care, which is especially important for people coming out of prison, Shavit said. All of their basic needs are up in the air at once, and often health care takes a back seat, she said.

Medicaid expansion along with a program for enrolling patients in Medicaid just before release has helped people coming out of Louisianas notoriously grim prison health care system, said Dr. Anjali Niyogi, a Tulane University School of Medicine professor who founded a clinic serving formerly incarcerated people. Still, insurance coverage alone isnt enough to compensate for the lack of care people receive while incarcerated, she said.

Anthony Hingle Jr. never got the results of a biopsy that took place just days before he was released from Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola in 2021 after 32 years of incarceration.

Hingle, 52, learned he had prostate cancer after calling the New Orleans hospital on his own to request the biopsy results. Even though he had Medicaid coverage, he had to wait several more months for insurance from his job to kick in before he could afford treatment and surgery to remove his prostate. Hingle, who works as an office assistant at Voice of the Experienced, a nonprofit that advocates for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, wonders how his life might have unfolded if he had been diagnosed sooner.

Without a prostate, having children with my wife, thats gone, he said.

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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This story can be republished for free (details).
Joe Holleman Joe Holleman is a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Joe Holleman Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

The old wisdom that one has to spend money to make money has been given a twist by the St. Louis County Council.

The council voted Tuesday to spend taxpayer money to get more taxpayer money.

By a 5-2 vote, the council approved spending $300,000  doubling the $150,000 that County Executive Sam Page asked for just last week  to hire a firm to mount an an educational campaign to inform voters of the marijuana measure which will appear on the April 4 ballot.

The measure, a 3% sales tax imposed on the retail sale of recreational marijuana in unincorporated St. Louis County, is projected to raise about $3 million a year. A number of municipalities in the county also plan to ask voters to approve a similar 3% measure.

Councilman Dennis Hancock, R-3rd District, opposed the spending, saying the measure is just not the right thing to do.

It starts as (a request for) $150,000 and then it gets doubled to $300,000, he said. Thats a lot of taxpayer money to be throwing into the wind.

Hancock said a more appropriate move for those supporting the sales-tax increase would be for them to form a committee and raise money to support their aims.

Im no expert on the marijuana industry, he said, but it just seems to be a bad use of taxpayers money.

Councilwoman Rita Heard Days, D-1st District, also opposed the spending.

But then on Tuesday, bill sponsor and council chair Shalonda Webb, D-4th District, amended it to $300,000.

Councilwoman Lisa Clancy, D-3rd District, who once worked for a law firm that orchestrated marijuana licensing efforts in the county, voted in favor of the spending. Others council members in support were Kelli Dunaway, D-2nd District; Ernie Trakas, R-6th District; and Mark Harder, R-7th District.

Such educational campaigns by local governments seeking tax increases have been called into question before.

In February 2022, the Missouri Supreme Court affirmed a state law that bans the use of public funds for campaigning. That ruling stemmed from a move in 2019 by several municipalities to have the law overturned.

The high court ruled against the cities argument that the prohibition limited public officials free speech, ruling that the law did not does not limit or prohibit officials speech; it merely prohibits them from using public funds to facilitate or augment that speech.

Then in August, some University City residents filed suit in connection to an educational campaign for a sales-tax increase in 2022.

The residents accused the city of advocating for a quarter-percent sales tax for the fire department, arguing that literature the city produced on the ballot issue broke state law by clearly leaning in favor of the measure.

St. Louis County Circuit Judge Krista Peyton dismissed the lawsuit without explanation.

One of the plaintiffs in the University City lawsuit, which is being appealed, is longtime local government watchdog Tom Sullivan.

Sullivan also criticized the County Councils action on Tuesday.

The law is clear: no public funds can be spent on a campaign, he said. There is no exception for any phony informational campaign.
Joe Holleman Joe Holleman is a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Joe Holleman Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Color Elad Gross interested in running for Missouri attorney general.

In a social media post Wednesday, the St. Louis civil rights lawyer said he has launched an exploratory campaign to help determine if he will run for the office in 2024.

Today, I'm launching an exploratory campaign for Attorney General of Missouri because I believe we deserve better.



If we can reach our goals by March 31, we'll get the real campaign started.



Sign up right now at https://t.co/madJsGYhND pic.twitter.com/uHRKs3EuXm  Elad Gross  (@BigElad) March 8, 2023

Gross says that he needs to raise $25,000 and enlist 50 volunteers by March 31 for his campaign to move forward.

A native St. Louisan and a Democrat, Gross ran unsuccessfully for Missouri attorney general in 2020. In 2021, he won a major Sunshine Law case at the Missouri Supreme Court after he sued Gov. Mike Parsons administration for overcharging for public records.

Two other candidates, both Republicans, have announced their candidacy: current Attorney General Andrew Bailey, appointed to the post earlier this year to replace U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt; and former federal prosecutor Will Scharf, who also was a policy adviser to former Gov. Eric Greitens.
Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

ST. LOUIS  Its important to remember when Missouris elected Republicans made the decision to try to crumple up the U.S. Constitution and toss it in the trash bin of history.

It was after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012.

Thats the day 20 children and six adults were slaughtered by a madman with an assault weapon. The nation was horrified  most of us anyway. But some Republicans believed the conspiracy theories pushed by radio talk show host Alex Jones that the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, was a false flag operation, that those children didnt actually die.

About a month later, then-President Barack Obama signed 23 executive actions seeking to begin a national debate on gun safety. Most of the executive orders were in line with ideas that a majority of Americans, regardless of party, believe in  like directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study gun violence as the public health problem that it is.

But the presidents swift action fed another invented Republican narrative: Obamas coming for your guns. And so almost immediately, the effort began to pass the so-called Second Amendment Preservation Act in Missouri.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Brian C. Wimes declared the latest version of the SAPA unconstitutional. It was not a close call.

The measure seeks to nullify federal gun laws. It makes Missouri law enforcement officials civilly liable if they work with federal officials to enforce such laws. It wreaked havoc on task forces that are common in Missouri, with local, state and federal law enforcement officers hamstrung by the laws bizarre provisions.

Thats why the Department of Justice went to federal court to overturn the law. Two lawsuits in state court, including one filed by St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones and St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, are pending.

At best, this statute causes confusion among state law enforcement officials who are deputized for federal task force operations, and at worst, is unconstitutional on its face, Wimes wrote. While purporting to protect citizens, SAPA exposes citizens to greater harm by interfering with the Federal Governments ability to enforce lawfully enacted firearms regulations designed by Congress for the purpose of protecting citizens within the limits of the Constitution.

In 2013, the first time a version of this law was passed, there was a lone Republican in the Missouri House who stood to oppose it. State Rep. Jay Barnes was a Republican from Jefferson City. He dedicated his life to defending the Constitution, in law and in public service.

Our Constitution is not a Chinese buffet, Barnes said in casting his lonely but courageous vote.

That law would pass the Legislature but was vetoed by Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat. Lawmakers kept tinkering with it and waiting for the right moment to pass it, which came along in 2021.

By then, the Constitution had become a blur to most elected Republicans. These days, theyre banning books, erasing American history, telling women what they can do with their bodies and turning people in the LGBTQ community into second-class citizens.

When it comes to keeping our children safe in school buildings, or theaters, or malls, or synagogues and churches, there should be no room for partisan ideologues to hijack the debate. More than 10 years after Newtown, though, there are cracks in the right-wing conspiracy machine.

Jones has lost about a half-billion dollars, and counting, in libel lawsuits brought by the parents of the dead children. Last year, following another massacre of children  this time in Uvalde, Texas  a bipartisan gun safety bill passed Congress. It expands background checks and includes incentives for red-flag laws, which are intended to keep guns from people with mental health issues, such as the man who killed Alexzandria Bell and Jean Kuczka at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in south St. Louis. Police had visited the shooter previously. His parents wanted them to take his guns. Missouri law wouldnt allow it.

Now, thanks to Wimes and Congress, law enforcement officers could have more options at their disposal.

Missouri politics being what it is, Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, has vowed to defend the law and appeal it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Its a waste of time and money, and a distraction from whats really at play here.

Yes, the children of Sandy Hook Elementary were real and they died brutal deaths. No, Obama wasnt taking your guns, and neither is President Joe Biden. And yes, the people charged with law enforcement in this country, the ones who are behind the various lawsuits to overturn SAPA, want bipartisan solutions to help reduce gun violence.

In St. Louis, police are begging lawmakers to help them be able to take guns from kids on the street, to reduce gun violence, to protect Missouri citizens. Earlier this legislative session, Republicans said no.

How many dead kids will it take to change their minds?
JEFFERSON CITY  A federal judge on Tuesday struck down a Missouri law prohibiting local police from enforcing some federal gun laws, marking a victory for law enforcement and elected officials who have criticized the measure.

U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes ruled that the 2021 law, which barred police from enforcing federal laws not mirrored in state statutes, violated the U.S. Constitutions supremacy over local laws and was unconstitutional in its entirety.

The law has been widely panned by St. Louis-area police and officials who said it kept authorities from cooperating with federal gun investigations and slowed efforts to crack down on gun violence, including before a school shooting last fall.

Local leaders said they were encouraged by the federal court ruling in a joint statement from St. Louis City Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page and Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr.

Year after year, Jefferson City politicians have continued to pass dangerous bills that make it more difficult to prevent gun violence in our communities, they said. HB 85 makes it harder for police to do their jobs and strips away critical tools we need to protect our neighborhoods.

Missouris Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey vowed to appeal.

As Attorney General, I will protect the Constitution, which includes defending Missourians fundamental right to bear arms, Bailey said. We are prepared to defend this statute to the highest court, and we anticipate a better result at the Eighth Circuit.

The 2021 Second Amendment Preservation Act declared some federal restrictions, including laws regarding gun registration and tracking and firearms possession by domestic violence offenders, invalid and allowed private citizens to sue agencies for $50,000 if they felt their Second Amendment rights were being violated.

Supporters said the rules were intended to protect law-abiding Missourians from future gun control measures enacted by President Joe Biden, a Democrat. But enforcement agencies said the bill was confusing and could hinder local police participation in federal task forces or investigations.

Almost immediately after it passed, police departments stopped providing ballistics evidence to federal investigators. The state crime lab stopped processing evidence used in federal gun prosecutions. A partnership between U.S. prosecutors and lawyers from the states attorney generals office to prosecute violent crime ended.

In October, when 19-year-old Orlando Harris killed two people and wounded several others at two St. Louis high schools, police cited the Second Amendment Preservation Act to explain why they didnt confiscate his gun after his family complained.

The police chief in OFallon, Missouri, resigned soon after the law was passed. Among the reasons he gave were the bills poor wording and unintended consequences.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit in February 2022 arguing the law undermined federal investigations, and on Tuesday, a federal judge largely agreed with their arguments.

Public officials, anti-gun violence groups and law enforcement officials praised the decision.

The Missouri Police Chiefs Association, which had long urged legislators to amend the law, said that Tuesdays ruling would allow agencies to assist in federal investigations again.

Our hope is that this ruling grants our legislators a chance to work with law enforcement ... on a clear and concise piece of legislation, the statement said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
ST. LOUIS  Federal investigators late last year subpoenaed documents concerning a local church and a nonprofit that each billed over $20 million in recent years to two child nutrition programs.

The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Missouri in December issued subpoenas to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services seeking records on Influence Church, led by pastors Darnell and Rochelle West, and nonprofit New Heights Community Resource Center, led by Connie Bobo.

Both Influence Church and New Heights were the subjects of lengthy Post-Dispatch investigations last year. The existence of the subpoenas was first reported Tuesday by the Missouri Independent.

The subpoenas were released by DHSS, which oversees the U.S. Department of Agriculture child nutrition programs in Missouri, after a public records request from the Independent. The Post-Dispatch obtained copies from the state Tuesday.

Influence Church, which has locations in south St. Louis County, Bellefontaine Neighbors and University City, claimed almost $29 million in federal reimbursement through the USDA program over two years. Darnell West  who uses a helicopter to fly between his church properties  did not respond to a request for comment. Rochelle West, his wife and an accountant who managed financial records for the churchs participation in the program, also did not respond to a request for comment.

The Influence Church subpoena, requested by Assistant U.S. Attorney Derek Wiseman, asks DHSS to turn over to the FBI all records relating to the church, including reimbursement claims, purchase receipts, meal counts, bank accounts where payments were directed and correspondence with the Wests. The subpoena was dated Dec. 22, a few days after the Post-Dispatch published its report.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll, who heads white collar crime in the office, sought the same types of records from New Heights in a subpoena to DHSS dated Dec. 16. The Post-Dispatch published a story Nov. 28 detailing how New Heights billed over $20 million since 2020, and the nonprofit bought a $975,000 house for Bobo in St. Charles.

A lawyer for Bobo, prominent local defense attorney Scott Rosenblum, did not respond to a request for comment.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorneys Office declined to comment.

The USDA child nutrition programs  the Summer Food Service Program and Child and Adult Care Food Program  are meant to feed children at risk of going hungry during the summer or after school. Nonprofits that provide the service are paid as much as $4.50 a meal, payments meant to cover all program costs, including transportation and labor.

But during the pandemic, oversight rules were relaxed and providers were allowed to distribute over a dozen meals at a time in to-go containers rather than feeding children on site. Scenes of large drive-thru-style distribution events became common, and payments to some organizations ballooned to over $1 million per month.

The program became lucrative enough that some organizations, such as New Heights and Influence Church, began trucking meals to sites across the state in order to claim more and more meal reimbursements.

In a matter of months, New Heights and Influence Church became two of the largest participants in Missouris program, as measured by the amount of money they claimed in meal reimbursement. And, when Missouri tightened its rules back up as the pandemic wound down, they stopped participating.

DHSS officials and Gov. Mike Parson drew headlines last summer when Missouri became the first state to stop allowing grab-and-go food distribution under the programs. Advocates called the move cruel and said it limited access to food for poor kids. But state officials cited concerns about program integrity and hinted that they were worried some organizations had been gaming the system under the COVID-19 rules.

DHSS does cooperate with federal law enforcement on investigations related to the CACFP and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), but cannot confirm or deny any federal investigations since those are not department activities, a health department spokeswoman said.

Records released by the state also indicate three other nonprofits that participate in the programs in the Kansas City area may be under investigation.

The investigations into the food programs here follow a major federal investigation of the USDA program in Minneapolis where dozens were charged in what prosecutors said at the time was the largest fraud yet tied to the emergency pandemic programs that pumped trillions into the economy.

Updated at 5:40 p.m.
Eddie Johnson III, 30, was killed just before 2:45 p.m. inside an apartment in the 1600 block of Burd Avenue. Police said preliminary investigation indicates he was in a dispute with the mother of his child when the suspects, two men in their 20s, intervened and shot him in the torso.
EAST ST. LOUIS  A sprawling federal jury trial that spanned six weeks ended Monday with guilty convictions of four high-ranking gang leaders for crimes that included a pair of killings in a power struggle for board member seats in the gang.

The trial spanned 23 days of testimony in East St. Louis, covering the hierarchy and inner workings of the Gangster Disciples street and prison gang. The Chicago-based gang was founded in the 1960s and has a defined chain of command including national leaders called board members and governors that lead each states faction.

After about four hours of deliberation, jurors found Monday that struggles for the leadership roles led four gang leaders to plot two murders of gang members who opposed their regime  one in Bridgeton and another in Chicago, according to court records and an announcement from the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Southern District of Illinois.

Evidence at trial showed two Cape Girardeau members, Sean Clemon, 52, who held the position of governor of Missouri in the gang, and Dominique Maxwell, 30, Missouris assistant governor in the gang, shot 37-year-old gang member Leroy Allen in Bridgetons Matthews Park on April 28, 2019. Two others were also shot but survived.

Prosecutors showed Clemon and Maxwell carried out the shooting as part of a leadership dispute on the orders of national gang board member Frank Smith, 49, of Naperville, Illinois. Smith texted the order for the killing under the code: Mike Tyson Punch Out, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorneys Office Monday. Clemon and Maxwell were promoted within the gang after the killing.

Clemon, Maxwell and Smith were all found guilty Monday of murder in aid of racketeering, among other charges, and face a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Less than a month after the Bridgeton killing, prosecutors say Anthony Dobbins, of Troy, Illinois, and Warren Griffin, carried out a second killing, taking out rival gang board member Ernest Don Smokey Wilson, 65, in Chicago because he opposed their status as board members.

Dobbins was arrested in August 2018 in his Troy home, where authorities found heroin, crack cocaine, gang literature and weapons. He pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy Jan. 17, admitting that he shot Wilson four times. He has not yet been sentenced in the case.

Griffen was convicted Monday of murder in aid of racketeering in the Chicago killing. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison, prosecutors say.

Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Southern District of Illinois presented more than 360 pieces of evidence in the case, according to court records, including extensive recordings of jail calls, text and phone conversations and audio of gang meetings.
JEFFERSON CITY  A drastic change to the states public education system that would allow students to transfer to school districts where they dont live narrowly won final approval Wednesday in the Missouri House.

Final passage followed two days of debate that saw two dozen Republicans joining with Democrats to vote against the plan when it came up for initial approval Tuesday.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Brad Pollitt, R-Sedalia, on Wednesday escaped the House with a slim majority  85-69  three more votes than constitutionally required to advance legislation to the Senate. Kansas City Democratic Rep. Mark Sharp voted present.

The legislation allows districts to limit the number of students transferring out to 3% of the districts previous years enrollment. And districts wouldnt be required to accept students under the program.

The transfer program wouldnt begin until the 2024-2025 school year.

Opponents said the bill would leave certain school districts behind, but proponents said the program would encourage competition and force lagging districts to improve.

Pollitt asked, Why should any school district in the state who is supported by taxpayer dollars be afraid to compete in their academic programs?

Rep. David Tyson Smith, D-Columbia, said while some children would be placed in a better situation, he said, we can open up sinkholes around the state where people are devastated.

Pollitt said state aid schools receive would transfer with the student to the nonresident school. But, local revenue sources would not travel with the student to the new district, he said.

The local taxes stay local, Pollitt said. If a district loses a student, any local property taxes  that all stays in the district where the parent lives. The only money that follows the student is the state money.

The legislation creates an $80 million Parent Public School Choice Fund to cover special education and transportation costs.

Rep. Sarah Unsicker, D-Shrewsbury, questioned whether it would be enough.

Basically theyd be taking students at a loss, she said of receiving districts. That would automatically put a cap on the number of students they can take. And if one of those children had extraordinary needs ... they would either reject that student or reject other students because of that childs needs.

No, I wouldnt say that, Pollitt said. Thats the reason Im asking for the $80 million in the parent fund to pay for transportation costs and pay for any additional special ed costs in addition to what they receive from state formula aid.

That doesnt seem like a lot for special education needs, Unsicker said.

Pollitt reiterated the program was voluntary and that districts dont have to accept any transfer students.

I think they look at class sizes, and how many students they have in a class, and whether they can accomodate, he said.

Rep. Deb Lavender, D-Manchester, said the measure would pose special challenges in the St. Louis metropolitan area. St. Louis County alone has 22 separate school districts, including some of the states richest and poorest, she said.

Lavender sought to contrast St. Louis County with Springfield Republican Rep. Bill Owens account of the situation in his hometown.

He said Springfield had already implemented an open enrollment system that had been successful. Springfield Public Schools is the largest single school district in the state.

If theyre smart, theyre going to say how do we compete? Owen said of St. Louis County districts. Thats really what we had to do, because (if not), there wouldve been movement.

Lavender said it is wonderful if a district has multiple high schools to choose from. But thats not what St. Louis looks like, she said. How we think these are the same, and (how) one policy fits everyone, is beyond my grasp.

Rep. Raychel Proudie, D-Ferguson, said the measure disproportionately affects African American children and excludes individuals with disabilities.

This bill is trash, she said. It is absolute trash.

In regard to students with disabilities, Pollitt referenced a 2019 decision by the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding a Wisconsin open enrollment law limiting transfer options for students with disabilities.

They can reject a child if they dont have staff or a program already in place, Pollitt said.

The proposal now moves to the Senate for consideration, where similar legislation has died in 2021 and 2022.

The legislation is House Bill 253.

Updated at 2 p.m.
JEFFERSON CITY  Democrats, through a filibuster, held off a vote Wednesday on a plan to restrict transgender health care for minors, with the Republican majority eventually moving to adjourn and leave for spring break.

Wednesday evening, Senate Majority Leader Cindy OLaughlin, R-Shelbina, moved that the Senate adjourn and said no regular business would occur until Monday, March 20.

The adjournment represented a temporary win for Democrats, who also dodged use of a rare parliamentary maneuver by Republicans to cut off debate and force a vote on the controversial measure.

But, the Republicans who control the chamber could bring up the restrictions, which have become a priority for many right-wing commentators, activists and elected officials, after the annual spring break. The legislative session ends May 12.

The proposal, by Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, would block gender-affirming care for transgender minors, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries.

With the Senate stuck on the transgender plan for a second day, at 1:18 p.m., Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, said in a tweet that if Democrats continued to filibuster, the only recourse we have is to consider moving to force a vote through the rare parliamentary maneuver.

Democrats were holding the floor at about 4:45 p.m. when Moon asked that action on the bill be postponed. The Senate then went into recess, coming back shortly after 6:15 p.m. to adjourn.

If the bill is signed into law, Missouri would join a wave of other GOP-led states to approve such restrictions amid an increasing focus by right-wing activists, commentators and elected officials on transgender people as a political issue.

This is real life. Were making medical decisions on kids that this body doesnt understand, said Sen. Greg Razer, a Kansas City Democrat and only openly gay member of the Senate.

Hoskins said adults should be able to transition, but for those kids and children who are not of legal age yet  they cant vote, they cant buy a six-pack of beer  theyre too young to be making these life-altering decisions for themselves.

The latest version of Moons legislation, which had yet to be adopted as of Wednesday evening, would prohibit physicians and other health care providers from knowingly providing gender transition procedures to individuals younger than 18.

Providers also wouldnt be allowed to knowingly refer minors to other clinics that provide gender-affirming care without risking disciplinary action from a state licensing entity or disciplinary review board.

Under the bills definition, gender transition procedures wouldnt include care for those born with a medically verifiable disorder of sex development including individuals with irresolvably ambiguous genitalia.

It also exempts services offered when someone is otherwise diagnosed with a sex development disorder and the physician determines the individual does not have normal sex chromosome structure, sex steroid hormone production, or sex steroid hormone action, according to the bill.

Treatment of infections, diseases, injuries or disorders caused or exacerbated by past gender transition procedures would also be permitted, along with procedures undertaken if the individual suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the individual in imminent danger of death or impairment of a major bodily function unless surgery is performed.

The legislation is Senate Bill 49.

Updated at 6:45 p.m.
JEFFERSON CITY  Members of the Missouri Senate began debate Tuesday on a plan to restrict gender-related health care for minors, but Democrats were able to delay a vote and the upper chamber adjourned for the day.

The sponsor of the measure, Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, shelved the measure Tuesday evening after more than four hours of debate. He said the Senate had to adjourn for a banquet.

Ive been assured that well bring it up again the next time we meet, he said.

The Republican-backed legislation would ban gender transition procedures  including hormone therapy and puberty blockers  for individuals under 18 years old.

If the bill is signed into law, Missouri would join a wave of other GOP-led states to approve such restrictions amid an increasing focus by right-wing activists, commentators and elected officials on transgender people as a political issue.

Proponents in the Missouri Legislature used a report last month by a former employee of the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Childrens Hospital as evidence that the state needed to crack down on gender-affirming care.

The employee, Jamie Reed, alleged that instead of providing mental health treatment to children who needed it, the center gave them puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones. She also alleged the center regularly referred minors for gender-transition surgery, contrary to public assurances by its doctors.

Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican, said that in recent years as lawmakers had focused on restrictions for transgender athletes and locker room issues, and nobody really wanted to talk about the crux of the matter and what was really occurring and unfortunately whats occurring in our medical community, he said.

This has to be the providence of God, Brattin said. He said opponents had been able to reject claims by proponents that children were being harmed.

Her signed affidavit ... comes out, and the testimony is just heart-wrenching to me, Brattin said, going on to say it would be criminal of this body not to act.

Brattin added that the bill doesnt address treatments for adults. (But, in GOP-led states, other legislation has been introduced to restrict care for transgender adults. In Missouri, the House legislation limiting care for minors would also bar public funds from entities that provide gender-affirming care to prisoners.)

Moon said people he had spoken to had reported that they know people who decided to transition in their 30s and theyre doing well.

It is possible that this can be done without destroying a persons life, he said.

Almost two dozen parents of children seen at the clinic, which opened in 2017, told the Post-Dispatch in an article published last week that their experiences sharply contradict the examples supplied by Reed, a case manager who left the WU center after being employed there for more than four years.

There are real families, real Missourians that are counting on us to do the right thing and I feel fortunate that my district and my constituents live close to Illinois, said Sen. Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette, adding that constituents with the means will be able to go out-of-state for care.

Im hearing a lot of judgment masquerading as concern in this chamber, said Sen. Lauren Arthur, D-Kansas City. This is an example of misplaced priorities.

For the legislation to advance to the House, debate would need to end in the Senate and the bill would have to win preliminary and final votes. The full House on Tuesday had yet to take up similar legislation, after it cleared the House General Laws Committee on Feb. 16.

The legislation is Senate Bill 49.

Updated at 6:30 p.m.
ST. LOUIS  The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday kept intact the St. Louis city treasurers control of revenue from city parking funds, overturning a key part of a city judges 2018 ruling on the issue.

The unanimous decision by the high court ended a complex case that dragged on more than six years over who decides how much money generated by city parking garages, lots and meters goes into the city general fund.

Had the earlier ruling by St. Louis Circuit Judge Michael Stelzer remained in effect, control of the parking fund would have shifted from the independent elected office of treasurer, now held by Adam Layne, to the Board of Aldermen. The city administration also would have gained more influence on the matter.

The lawsuit was filed in 2017 by critics of then-Treasurer Tishaura O. Jones, who in 2021 was elected mayor.

The administration of the mayor at the time, Lyda Krewson, generally sided with the plaintiffs. The city counselors office under Jones also did so in a court filing.

Shortly after her election, Jones named Layne to fill the remainder of her final term as treasurer.

What this did is it clarified and expanded the treasurers authority over parking meters and parking revenue, Chuck Hatfield, a lawyer who represented Layne in the case and had previously represented Jones, said of the high courts ruling.

The decision likely will have more impact politically in the future than in the short term. Thats because Jones as mayor now heads the city administration and is in sync politically with Layne.

The plaintiffs attorney, Elkin Kistner, couldnt be reached for comment. One plaintiff was former Alderman Jeffrey Boyd, who is serving a three-year prison sentence on bribery charges unrelated to the case.

While the Supreme Court agreed with Judge Stelzer that the Legislature acted illegally when it set up a city parking commission to oversee some of the St. Louis treasurers duties, the court said the judge erred by also voiding other parts of those laws.

That included a state provision requiring the treasurer each year to transfer to the general city fund up to 40% of the net increase after payments for capital improvements and debt service were made.

Had that provision been stricken, it would have been replaced by a backup city ordinance setting the amount at 40%. Aldermen also could have later increased that amount by revising the ordinance.

The court said it threw out state laws setting up the parking commission because they assigned additional duties to three city officials on that panel  the comptroller, streets director and chair of the aldermanic Streets Committee.

That, the court said, violated a state constitutional provision barring the Legislature from changing the duties of officials in cities with their own charters such as St. Louis.

Under the state laws, those three were on the parking panel with the city treasurer  a county-type office  and an official in the treasurers office. St. Louis is considered both a city and a county.

One plaintiff, former City Counselor James Wilson, said he was happy with that part of the decision, which he said backed up city home-rule powers.

Jones office didnt comment on the Tuesday ruling.

Hatfield, Laynes attorney, said its unclear what role a smaller parking commission created by a city ordinance passed several years ago on a contingency basis will now have; Layne, the treasurer, is among three members.

Hatfield said the Supreme Court ruling clearly gives Layne, the treasurer, authority over parking operations. I think the city commission still exists, Hatfield said. The question is what authority they have.
JEFFERSON CITY  House lawmakers heard testimony Tuesday on a resolution supporting federal compensation for residents exposed to radioactive materials as a result of the St. Louis regions role in developing the atomic bomb.

Mallinckrodt Chemical Works processed uranium ore for the Manhattan Project beginning in the 1940s; radioactive waste from that production contaminated areas in north St. Louis County along the Coldwater Creek watershed and around Weldon Spring in St. Charles County. Some waste also was buried at West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton.

Citing an unusual number of cancers, as well as a high incidence of rare cancers, including among family members, two Wentzville-area Republicans, Reps. Tricia Byrnes and Richard West, are sponsoring legislation that directs state officials to investigate the health effects of atomic waste and produce a report by Dec. 31, while urging the states congressional delegation to press for additional federal compensation for more Missourians who were exposed.

Byrnes, testifying Tuesday evening before the House General Laws Committee, accused the federal government  specifically the U.S. Department of Energy  of negligence for failing to promptly remove the considerable amount of waste around the region.

Plenty of people have died, she said. Theres been a ton of injury.

Others testifying Tuesday evening included representatives of environmental, activist and neighborhood groups. During the four-hour hearing, many witnesses described medical issues that they said were caused by exposure.

Several sites that were contaminated, including the downtown Mallinckrodt plant as well as two storage sites in North County, have been remediated.

At Weldon Spring, where Mallinckrodt processed uranium ore from 1957 until 1966, about 1.5 million cubic yards of low-level radioactive and chemical waste are piled 75 feet high in a rock-capped disposal cell along Highway 94 South, near Francis Howell High School.

Byrnes and West both expressed concern Tuesday about students who attended Francis Howell during the Mallinckrodt operations and later during the cleanup.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is still testing areas along Coldwater Creek, with cleanup expected to stretch late into the next decade. And the waste at West Lake Landfill has not been removed.
From the moment St. Louis police Chief Robert Tracys compensation package was made public, we raised concerns over the fact that an outside group, the St. Louis Police Foundation, would be providing $100,000 a year toward his $275,000 pay. We werent the only ones to raise concerns over the implications and overall bad look of influential donors supplementing 40% of the police chiefs salary. Paying the chief should be the taxpayers exclusive job.

Area resident John Chasnoff also was concerned and started asking questions, which prompted a stern cease and desist response from attorney and foundation board member Catherine Hanaway. Hanaway is no stranger to Missouris Sunshine Law and citizens right to ask questions when something involving their government doesnt seem quite right. Shes the former state House speaker, former federal prosecutor and former Missouri gubernatorial candidate. If her understanding of state open-records laws and court rulings on the subject are any indication, its a good thing Hanaway has former ahead of so many titles.

Chasnoff wrote a letter to the St. Louis Police Foundation asking for details about who is providing the money for Tracys salary and seeking other details of the unusual partnership. As the Post-Dispatchs Tony Messenger reported, Hanaway fired off a stern reply with not-so-subtle hints of potential litigation if Chasnoff persisted with his pesky questions. Please cease and desist immediately from harassing the police foundation for non-public information, Hanaway wrote.

Non-public? Opinions by Missouris attorney general suggest otherwise.

The response comes in sharp contrast to a statement filed on the nonprofits response to an Internal Revenue Service form when asked how the organization made its governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements available to the public during the tax year. The response was that foundation information is available by contacting the executive director/president as provided on the foundations website. It appears to welcome public inquiries on the very subject of Chasnoffs request. But Hanaway termed it harassment.

Even more ironic is that the work Tracy is supposed to provide in exchange for his $100,000 supplement is to increase transparency between the police department and the public. But the moment Chasnoff requested an element of transparency, the harsh response suggests that transparency is the last thing on foundation leaders minds.

The foundations expansive board consists of some of the biggest names in corporate St. Louis, including corporations that rely directly on police protection for their ability to function. Imagine St. Louis Cardinals President Bill DeWitts ability to do business without on-duty and off-duty police protection and traffic control.

Questions regarding the sources and potential influence of private donors funding Tracys salary are absolutely the right ones to ask. For the police chief to be fully accountable to the people of St. Louis, he or she needs to be fully compensated by taxpayers  and no one else.
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has been a beacon of anti-Trump sanity in a Republican Party that has too little of it these days. In that sense, his announcement that he wont seek the 2024 presidential nomination, made in a New York Times op-ed Sunday, is something of a disappointment. But his reasoning is valid: Having multiple Republicans in the primary race could create another multicar pileup, giving former President Donald Trump a path to again capture the nomination  an outcome Hogan rightly views as unacceptable.

Hogans advice is worth heeding. Republicans of good faith must coalesce around one reasonable Trump alternative rather than risk fragmenting the non-MAGA vote among multiple moderates. Hogan has apparently surmised, probably correctly, that he doesnt have the national base for it. But its crucial that the party find that candidate.

Hogan, who served eight years as Marylands governor before his term-limited tenure ended in January, has long been among the GOPs most vocal critics of Trump. While Hogans essay Sunday cites family stress as a reason for deciding not to seek the presidency, he expounds extensively on the urgency of unifying the party against Trump.

Since Donald Trump won the nomination in 2016, I have fought to make clear that our party cannot be successful if we put personality before principle, if our elected officials are afraid to say publicly what they freely admit behind closed doors, he writes, and if we cant learn from our mistakes because of the political cost of admitting facts to be true. That should stand as an indictment of the partys distressing continued embrace of Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, along with that of Trumpian media propagandists like Fox News.

Hogan bemoans that the GOP didnt even bother passing a campaign platform in 2020  and how could it, really, when long-held Republican principles of respect for the law, personal responsibility and morality had been rendered so clearly hypocritical by the partys standard bearer?

I still believe in a Republican Party that stands for fiscal responsibility and getting the government off our backs , Hogan writes. I still believe in a Republican Party that backs law enforcement and the rule of law.  And I still believe in a Republican Party that upholds and honors perhaps our most sacred tradition: the peaceful transfer of power.

All of which is bluntly, often angrily rejected today by the Trump wing of the Republican Party.

America needs two functioning political parties, and at the moment, a large portion of one is more accurately defined as a right-wing cult of personality. No one in the current field of GOP hopefuls looks to be both interested in and capable of changing that. Its urgent for the sake of both the party and the country that some Hogan-like hero arise.
Iran and Russia are becoming closer allies. This includes Russian plans to provide Iran with S400 air defense systems and cooperating with Iran in Syria, where Israeli air strikes have prevented Iran from launching attacks into Israel. At the same time Israel is improving its relationship with Ukraine. This is influenced by its worsening relationship with Russia because of Russias closer relationship with Iran. Israel has been sending economic aid to Ukraine but not weapons. So far.

Russia is obsessed with conquering Ukraine and losing. At the same time, Iran remains obsessed with destroying Israel and losing too. Irans presence in Syria is Israels chief threat, so Israeli efforts to make a peace deal with the Syrian Assad government depend on convincing the Assads that with Israeli help they can survive declaring their independence from Iranian domination. Israel has long recognized this opportunity and in mid-2022 sent Basher Assad an ultimatum that, if he did not cease cooperating with the Iranians (especially the movement and storage of Iranian missiles to Syria), Israeli airstrikes would go after Assad and family members by bombing the many luxury residences (palaces'') used by the Syrian family in and around Damascus. The Assads had earlier denied this degree of cooperation but this time Israel pointed out it was sharing intel with Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies and that means it is a lot more difficult for Assad to get away with lying to the Israelis. Arab nations and Israel were trying to get the Assads to switch sides and the Assads made a decision to stick with Iran without telling the wealthy Gulf Arab states he was hoping would invest in rebuilding the Syrian economy once the war was finally over. The Israelis did not follow through on their threat and it was believed that the Iranian threat to kill Assad and his family was a more compelling offer. The Assads are survivors and apparently continuing their negotiations with Arab nations and Israel. The Iranians are increasingly preoccupied with problems inside Iran as well as their new military alliance with Russia. This makes Iran a participant in the Ukraine war on the Russian side. That makes Iran even more unpopular internationally. Despite that, Iran is determined to hold onto its current power in Syria.

Israel treats Iran as a major threat, especially because of the Iranian presence in Syria though Irans nuclear program is starting to rival that. Israel has been at war with Iran in Syria for nearly a decade, during which Israel carried out hundreds of airstrikes and a few commando operations against Iranian operations in Syria. This cost Iran a lot of lives and money, and is one of the things restive Iranians want to halt by pulling Iranian forces out of Syria and Lebanon. But first the Iranians have to shut down the Iranian religious dictatorship, which, as expected, resists efforts to shut down operations in Syria.

Iran controls irregular forces in Syria along with the more organized Hezbollah in Lebanon and the inept Hamas in Gaza. Iran also has short-range ballistic missiles that can reach Israel and keeps trying to smuggle guided rockets and short-range ballistic missiles into Syria and Lebanon. Hundreds of Israeli air strikes have prevented the guided weapons buildup and formidable Israeli BMD (ballistic missiles defense) systems neutralize the use of missiles launched from Iran. So far the defenses have worked. Israel has now offered to sell its BMD systems to their new Arab allies, and help them use whatever BMD systems they do obtain to keep the Iranian missiles out.

March 7, 2023: In the West Bank, Israeli soldiers raided a house where a suspected Hamas terrorist lived. The suspect was believed responsible for two Israelis last month. The suspect opened fire and was killed in a brief battle, along with five other Palestinians who attacked the soldiers. Another twelve Palestinians were wounded as well as three Israeli soldiers. Palestinian leaders complained about the high Palestinian casualties that occurred when Palestinians in the area attacked the soldiers. As expected, the Palestinians in the south (Gaza) later launched a rocket towards southern Israel. Israeli radar detected the launch but the rocket malfunctioned and landed inside Gaza.

In northern Syria (Aleppo) an Israeli airstrike put the Aleppo airport out of service. This was apparently part of the effort to disrupt shipments of weapons to Syria and Lebanon.

March 5, 2023: In the north (Lebanese border) an Israeli army patrol crossed the border and was confronted by Lebanese troops who physically attacked the Israelis. Before this could escalate, UN peacekeepers arrived and resolved the situation.

March 4, 2023: France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Britain called on Israel to curb the activities and presence of Israeli settlers in the West Bank. For a decade now the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank has been increasing. This is partly in reaction to the Israel does not exist strategy of the Palestinians. This backfired by 2013 when an opinion survey showed that 83 percent of Israelis did not believe that returning to the 1967 borders (in a peace deal with the Palestinians) would end the Palestinian terrorism. This is a big shift from 2000, when Israel offered the Palestinians a peace deal that most Palestinians would accept in 2013. But back then the Palestinian leader (Yasser Arafat), facing pressure from Palestinian leaders instead launched a terror campaign against Israel. This was defeated by the Israelis by 2005 but is still sputtering along. After 2005 the Palestinians split into Fatah (more corrupt, less Islamic) and Hamas (less corrupt, more Islamic) factions. Both groups continue to spew death to the Jews messages via their media outlets (with a more moderate tone in non-Arabic pronouncements). In response to the death threats from the Palestinians, many Israelis have backed Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Originally these were efforts by extremist groups to begin the process of annexing the West Bank to Israel. The most extreme of these groups want the Arabs expelled from this territory which, thousands of years ago was part of ancient Israel. The Israeli government has never backed the expulsion idea, but does support the settlements, if only because it makes the West Bank less of a threat to Israel. Israelis are well aware of these Palestinian media messages and have given up hope of making a real and lasting peace deal with the Palestinians. The Israeli goes through the motions to placate foreign allies who disregard Palestinian attitudes towards Israel and insist on a peace deal. Palestinian attitudes since 2013 have been consistently anti- peace. Arafats widow later confirmed that her husband deliberately began the 2000 terror campaign in order to coerce Israel into sweetening the peace deal. Israel would not submit to coercion and fought back. Arafat had long claimed that the 2000 terror campaign was a spontaneous Palestinian response to the Israeli peace offer. At the time, most Palestinians were willing to accept it. But the Palestinian radicals wanted Israel destroyed and nothing less would do. As long as the Palestinians insist that Israel must be destroyed, most Israelis support the Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

March 3, 2023: The Israeli domestic intelligence service (Shin Bet, similar to the British MI5) revealed that it had arrested four members if a Hamas terrorist cell (group) that had received training in Syria and Turkey before returning to the West Bank, where they were arrested.

March 2, 2023: In the West Bank one Palestinian was killed and another wounded during an attack on Israeli soldiers. Since these attacks often involve fire bombs or large rocks, If Israeli troops feel their lives are in danger, they can fire at their attackers and not just into the air.

March 1, 2023: In the north, across the Syrian border in Quneitra and Daraa provinces, Israeli aircraft dropped thousands of leaflets warning Syrians to not cooperate with Hezbollah members who operate intelligence networks and seek to recruit Syrians to work with Hezbollah to network of pro-Iran operatives who would help Iran establish a military presence on the border and attack Israel. The leaflets pointed out that Israeli air and artillery strikes often hit Hezbollah operations near the border. For several years Israel has been increasingly active in attacking their hostile operatives near the border. Since the 1980s the Lebanese Hezbollah Shia militia has been supported financially and with weapons by Iran. That led to the Iranian 2011 order that sent Hezbollah forces into Syria to protect the Shia Assad government and later to take control of the Syrian side of the Israeli border and work with Iranian troops to launch attacks on Israel. Israeli efforts to prevent Iranian forces from operating close to the Israeli border or gaining support from the border population in the border provinces of Quneitra, Daraa and Suwayda have increased. Total population of these provinces in 2011 was 1.4 million but only about 20 percent of that was on or near the border. After the 2011 Civil War began much of the Sunni population fled. How much remains on the border is unclear but is apparently at least 100,000. Only Quentera and Daraa border Israel. Israel has occupied most of Quentera province since the 1967 War and the Israeli controlled area is mostly the Golan Heights. This is the high ground overlooking northern Israel and the Syrians made a major and ultimately failed effort in the 1973 War to retake Golan. Control of the Daraa border with Israel was sought by Iranian forces but Russian and Syrian troops blocked many of the Iranian efforts and are now pushing away Iranian-backed forces already there.

February 27, 2023: The IAEA reports that they found traces of uranium enriched to 83.7 percent, just short of the 90 percent required for nuclear weapons. These samples were found at the Fordow procession facility where uranium is only supposed to be enriched to 60 percent.. This comes at the same time information about an agreement between Russia and Iran for Russia to pay for weapons by supplying highly enriched uranium.

February 26, 2023: In the West Bank two Israelis were killed by Palestinian gunmen. One of the dead held dual Israeli-American citizenship.

February 25, 2023: In the West Bank a Palestinian man was shot dead when he tried to attack an Israeli civilian with a knife. This sort of attack on Israelis, usually with knives or vehicles, usually takes place in the West Bank. This began in 2015 when Palestinian leaders called for suicidal knife terrorism attacks. These attacks soon lost their popularity despite Fatah continuing to encourage these attacks energetically in all the Palestinian media. This can be seen in the number of Palestinian terror attacks disrupted each year. It was 217 in 2014, 187 in 2013, 112 in 2012 and 88 in 2011. In the last decade knife attacks are less common and almost always occur in the West Bank or Jerusalem. Since 1948 some 2,600 Israelis have died from terror attacks inside Israel. Nearly five percent of those dead were foreigners. Palestinian terrorism efforts have never recovered from the defeat they suffered, when Israel adopted new tactics that largely shut down the terror campaign the Palestinians began in 2000. Fatah and Hamas have been trying to revive that effort ever since and have largely failed. The 2022 Israeli deaths are hailed as a great victory while the 70 Palestinians killed during these attacks, especially the many that failed. These attacks are often described by Palestinians as Israeli oppression of peaceful Palestinians.

February 23, 2023: In the south (Gaza) five rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel, where they were intercepted by Israeli air defenses. Later in the day, Israeli air strikes destroyed a Hamas weapons manufacturing facility as well as a weapons storage warehouse.

February 22, 2023: In the West Bank, soldiers sought to arrest three terrorism suspects but the three refused to surrender and opened fire and were killed by return fire. Hundreds of Palestinians then attacked the soldiers and tried to block their withdrawal. More soldiers arrived and nine more Palestinians were killed and over a hundred wounded.

February 20, 2023: Turkish interference in Libyan internal affairs is making the formation of a Libyan national government even more difficult. The UN agrees that the Turkish demands are illegal but refuses to do much about it. That is actually normal for the UN. The United States and European governments are demanding that the UN act but the UN refuses without admitting that it is simply impossible for the UN to obtain enough international support to pressure the Turks to get out of Libya. UN efforts in Libya to help establish a national government have failed and are now seen as part of the problem. The UN still considers its efforts as a positive force in Libya. While most Libyans are ready to form a national government, the UN and Turkey remain the primary obstacles to achieving that. There are other obstacles, like Egypt, which has long been a major factor in Eastern Libya politics because the Egyptians want to look after the many Egyptians who work in Libya as well as keeping Islamic terrorists in Libya from getting into Egypt or smuggling weapons into Egypt.

February 19, 2023: In southern Syria (Damascus) an Israeli airstrike at night damaged a ten-story building in a residential neighborhood that was being used as the headquarters for Iranian and Hezbollah operations in Syria. Iran believed that a building in a residential area would discourage Israel from carrying out an air strike. The upscale residential area is where a lot of senior government officials and their families live. Israeli aircraft used at least two air-to-surface guided missiles for the attack. The building was not completely destroyed, but much rubble fell into surrounding streets and windows in some adjacent buildings were broken. The airstrike took place after midnight when February temperatures are near freezing and not many people are on the streets in residential neighborhoods. Iran tried to use civilians as human shields by placing this headquarters in a residential area and it is unclear if the Syrian government agreed with this policy or were forced to go along. In Gaza the Hamas government regularly puts key military facilities in residential areas and Israel attacks them, usually after first hacking the telephone system to call all the civilians who might be and danger and warning them to leave their building. This reduces civilian casualties and annoys Hamas. The situation is different in Syria where Iranians are an unwelcome guest the Assad government cannot refuse.

February 15, 2023: Iran is converting a container ship to an aircraft carrier. This is complicated by the fact that the superstructure (crew quarters, work spaces and offices) stretches across the ship and is over a hundred meters from the rear of the ship. Using a container ship as a carrier means building an odd shaped flight deck. Reconstruction of the container ship Perarin began about nine months ago and recent satellite photos show an angled flight deck that partially overhangs the hull. The area behind the superstructure is apparently being used as a helicopter landing pad with anti-aircraft guns mounted at the rear of the ship. The new carrier will carry and operate several types of UAVs, including the Shahed 129A. Iran has about three dozen of these and while they look like an American Predator, they are smaller (less than half a ton) and the tech was obtained from reverse engineering an Israeli Hermes 450 that crashed largely intact in a place the Iranians could recover it. The 129A entered service in 2013 and is not used as a cruise missile, like the smaller (less than a quarter ton) Shahed 136 used in Ukraine as a cruise missile. The 129a can carry four Sadid guided bombs. Each of these weighs 34 kg (75 pounds) and has a max range of six kilometers. Accuracy is (at several meters) not as precise as missiles like Hellfire which can hit within a meter of the target, Sadid was proved effective when used in Syria. Operating relatively large UAVs like the 129A from a carrier deck may lead to a few accidents and possible loss of some 129As. This is less of a problem with the smaller UAVs used as cruise missiles on one-way missions. Most of the UAVs carried by the new carrier will be these smaller models. They are built in large quantities and Iran assisted the Russians in building a factory in Russia to produce several types of Iranian UAVs. The larger UAVs are often built in smaller quantities, often no more than 30 or 40. The exceptions are particularly successful models, like the more than 200 Mohajer-6s built since 2018. Irans UAV carrier can carry over a hundred UAVs if most of them are the smaller models used as cruise missiles. The larger UAVs are essential for reconnaissance and surveillance and training operations can be monitored because they have to be held at sea under realistic (windy with rough waters) to be effective. Some Western navies operate large UAVs off carrier decks. Turkey has built an amphibious assault ship with a carrier deck designed for operating large, jet powered, UAVs. The only problem with the Iranian carriers is that they are easy to spot and track by nations (like Israeli) with their own surveillance satellites and warplanes carrying long-range air-to-surface missiles that can be used against ships. Israel also has submarines operating in the region. Iran appears to be converting a second ship (a tanker) into a carrier and apparently has ambitious plans for these new ships. Iran lives in a dangerous neighborhood, made so largely by the mischief Iran creates, and the neighbors, especially the wealthy Arab oil states are heavily armed and well trained to handle whatever Iran aims at them.

February 6, 2023: A massive earthquake registering 7.8, on a scale where anything over six is considered major, devastated the Turkish-Syrian border in northeast Syria. Iran ordered its Islamic terrorists support units (Quds Force) in the area to provide any quake relief they are capable of. Some other Islamic terrorist groups did the same. This has long been a major combat zone on the Syrian side of the border. Most of the earthquake damage took place on the Turkish side. Total deaths are expected to exceed 50,000 and the total won't be known until the massive numbers of collapsed structures, especially in residential areas, are searched. The quake brought a halt to combat in Syria and Turkish military operations in the area as well as the food and other aid for the many civilians trapped in the Syrian Idlib province combat zone. This disrupts the operations of Islamic terror groups in the area. Islamic terrorists in other parts of Syria, particularly near the Israeli and Iraqi borders, reduced or suspended operations because of fears they would be subject to more attacks as a result of the temporary neutralization of Islamic terrorist operations in northern Syria. Israel and Iraq have both sent rescue and relief aid to Turkey.

January 30, 2023: : Israel has developed another, the fifth, version of its Merkava tank. The Merkava 5 was quietly developed, built, tested and deployed in small numbers during late 2022. This was ahead of schedule because the original delivery date was supposed to be early 2023. Like the earlier Merkava models, Merkava 5 is an improved version of the previous model. The 65-ton Merkava 4 entered service in 2005, with an upgraded version appearing in 2011. Further upgrades of Merkava 4 turned out to be so extensive that this version was designated Merkava 5, which weighs the same as Merkava 4. Several hundred Merkava 4 tank deliveries will instead incorporate the Merkava 5 features and enter service as Merkava 5s. This means there will be 360 Merkava 4s and 300 Merkava 5s. The price per tank will also increase from $4.5 million for each Merkava 4 and about $5 million for each Merkava 5. Improvements in the Merkava 5 include a more effective engine along with upgrades to the Iron Vision system that provides the commander a view of what is happening outside the tank. The new version provides a more realistic day/night view of what is outside as well as indications of where enemy fire (bullets or projectiles) hitting the tank is coming from and how best Merkava can respond. This was the result of upgrading the fire-control system. The Trophy APS (Active Protection System) has also been updated to be more effective and incorporate some of the lessons of the war in Ukraine. Israel is the smallest nation in the world to design and build its own tanks. This was the result of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, which took Israel by surprise and inflicted heavy losses before Israel counter-attacked and defeated Egypt and Syria and their larger number of modern Russian tanks. Israel carefully analyzes the results of each war it fights and makes changes to deal with problems encountered. The 1973 war prompted Israel to start designing and building its own tanks.

January 29, 2023: In eastern Syria (Deir Ezzor province) unidentified armed UAVs attacked a convoy of trucks that had just left Iraq and were moving towards a nearby base used by Iran-backed militias. Many of these militiamen are from Iraq or Lebanon (Hezbollah). Sometimes the UAVs are American but sometimes they are Israeli, which has UAVs capable of doing this and intelligence assets (photo satellites and local informants) to detect and track such Iranian supply convoys. Iraq doesnt care who does it as long as the attacks take place on the Syrian side of the border.

January 27, 2023: In the north (Golan Heights) a Hezbollah agent trying to sneak into Israel from Syria was caught by an Israeli army patrol. The Hezbollah agent was seeking to meet with an Israeli Arab he had recruited to observe and report on Israeli military operations in the Golan Heights. The Hezbollah agent entered Israel twice a month to meet with Israeli Arab operatives to pay him and receive new data they had collected. There were originally two Arab Israelis doing this for Hezbollah but the other operative was killed in May 2022 and Hezbollah continued to pay his widow. While Arab Israelis prosper in Israel compared to Arabs in neighboring states, they do not take advantage of educational opportunities to the extent that Jewish Israelis did. As a result, Arab Israeli income is now about 60 percent that of Jewish Israelis. Arab Israelis are still better off in terms of income and security compared to Arabs in Arab majority nations. Despite that, there has been a growing problem with the loyalty of Israeli Arabs since the 2006 war with Hezbollah. At least fifty Israeli Arabs are known to have joined ISIL and most appear to have died there or otherwise disappeared from view (or at least contact with their families back in Israel). A 2007 opinion survey of Arab Israelis revealed some scary attitudes. For example, 48 percent believed the Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel in 2006 were justified, even though Israeli Arabs suffered a disproportionate number of the Israeli casualties because most Israeli Arabs live in the north. Moreover, half saw the Hezbollah kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers, which triggered the 2006 war, as justified, and 89 percent considered the Israeli attack on Lebanon a war crime while 44 percent believed the Hezbollah rocket attack was a war crime. A third of Arab Israeli high school and college graduates don't believe that six million Jews were killed during World War II, compared to 28 percent of all Israeli Arabs. Arab Israelis also have fears, like the possibility of mass expulsions from Israel (60 percent), or transfer of their communities to a new Palestinian state (62 percent). In fact, 68 percent would prefer to live in Israel even if there were a peace deal that led to the creation of a Palestinian state. Meanwhile, 63 percent of Israel Jews avoid entering Arab towns or neighborhoods, and 68 percent fear civil unrest among Israeli Arabs. Since 2007 these anti-Israel attitudes among Arab Israelis has gotten worse and Hamas, Hezbollah and ISIL try to take advantage of it. ISIL has been the most successful, mainly because it is the most radical Islamic terrorist group and that appeals to the young (especially teenage) Moslem males who are most attracted to Islamic terrorism. In 2020 another Arab-Israeli was arrested and charged with working as a spy for Iran. Police have observed the suspect meeting with Iranian intel personnel and then seeking to recruit other Arab-Israelis to work for Iran and help destroy Israel. Since 2014, and the appearance of ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant), there has been a sharp increase in Arab-Israelis actively working to destroy Israel. Police estimate that over 50 Arab-Israelis have actually made it to Syria and joined ISIL and about as many were detected in Israel or in Turkey before they got to Syria. Not many Palestinians (about a hundred) have actually gone to Syria. At least seven Israeli citizens (all Arabs) have died fighting for ISIL, which considers the destruction of Israel very important and called on Arab-Israelis to join the fight. Many of those who did not want to fight in Syria were receptive to Iranian efforts, via Hezbollah, to recruit Arab-Israelis to serve as spies. In most cases Iran simply wanted a reliable source of basic information any Israeli citizen could pick up by driving around the country or consulting local media. Iran also found that recruiting Arab-Israelis to assist in carrying out attacks inside Israel often worked. These attacks are carried out by Palestinians or Israeli Arabs but organized by Iranian agents in Gaza or Iranian-trained Palestinians in the West Bank. These Arab-Israeli terrorists are the great-grandchildren of the Arabs who decided to remain in Israel in 1948.
Three diamond core drill holes have been completed and samples submitted for analyses as drilling progresses on schedule.

Drill holes have all intersected high-grade manganese mineralization close to anticipated depths.

Metallurgical and battery test work will resume when the majority of planned drill holes in the eastern portion of the deposit are completed.

Barr Engineering will undertake environmental studies on recently acquired land in preparation for additional drilling.

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / Nevada Silver Corporation ("NSC" or the "Company") (TSXV:NSC)(OTCQB: NVDSF) is pleased to provide an update on the inaugural drill program, and other technical and permitting activities at its high-grade Emily Manganese project in Minnesota, USA. The Emily Project ("Emily") is located in the Cuyuna Iron Range of central Minnesota, USA (Figure 1), an area with a rich mining history and support from established local infrastructure, a skilled mining workforce and abundant power and gas.

Figure 1. The Emily Project is part of the Emily District of the Cuyuna Iron Range in Crow Wing County, Central Minnesota. The Emily District includes the highest-grade manganese resource in North America.

A total of 2,243.9 feet (684 metres) of diamond core drilling has been completed to date at the Emily Project. The initial three holes (Figure 2) have been completed to target depth and samples forwarded to the ALS laboratory facility in Reno, NV for analyses.

Figure 2. Location map showing land under NSC control, Emily Iron Formation bedrock which is the host strata to manganese mineralization and locations of the three completed NSC drill holes.

Visible manganese mineralization, including high-grade manganese oxide (manganite), was intersected in all the completed drill holes (Fgure 3).

Figure 3. High-grade manganese oxide mineralization identified as mostly manganite, in drill hole NSC-23001 (between 350-358 feet).

With occurrences of apparent high-grade and considerable thicknesses of mineralization in the completed holes, NSC is pleased to announce fast-tracking of metallurgical and battery test work now due to commence at the completion of the current phase of drilling in the eastern portion of the Emily deposit. This work will include flow sheet development as well as bench top and pilot studies to produce manganese chemicals including high purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM) for future supply to a burgeoning manganese cathode market. These metallurgical tests will complement previous test work which has confirmed viable laboratory extraction of battery materials.

Initial bulk samples will be supplemented by additional material as drilling continues across the deposit, including recently acquired ground (refer NSC announcement of 23rd February 2023).

NSC has commissioned Barr Engineering of Minnesota, NSC's environmental consultant, to commence environmental studies for permitting of additional drill holes within the recent land acquisition in the central portion of the deposit. These studies will commence as snow cover recedes and will include water, biologic, cultural and archeological assessments.

NSC's CEO Gary Lewis commented, "in spite the high-level of planning and technical oversight undertaken last year in relation to the current drill program, there is always a degree of anticipation as the first drill core is extracted, however the team couldn't be more satisfied with what they're seeing. Not just in relation to the wide intercepts of visible manganese mineralization, including high-grade manganite, but also that the mineralization is being encountered at expected depths consistent with the geological model."

We're excited that samples from the first three holes are on their way to the lab and wait with expectation for the results to be returned in coming weeks".

"We're also pleased to be accelerating our test work and environmental studies with the ultimate aim of transitioning to the development of the Emily project, and we look forward to further updating shareholders further as these programs advance."

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical data contained in this news release was reviewed and approved by Ian James Pringle PhD, who is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Nevada Silver Corporation

Nevada Silver Corporation (TSXV: NSC) (OTCQB: NVDSF) is a U.S.-based mineral development company with manganese and silver projects geared to supporting the transition to clean energy. NSC's principal asset is the Emily Manganese Project in Minnesota, which has been the subject of considerable technical studies, with US$24 million invested to date. The Company's mission in Minnesota is to become a domestic U.S. producer of high-purity, high-value manganese metal and chemical products for supply to U.S. energy, technology and industrial markets. With manganese playing a critical and prominent role in lithium-ion battery formulations, and with no domestic supply or active mines in North America, this represents a significant opportunity for NSC shareholders. In addition, NSC owns and operates the Corcoran Silver-Gold Project in Nevada. Both Corcoran and Emily have been the subject of National Instrument 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimates.

NSC will seek shareholder approval to change its name to Electric Metals USA Limited at the Company's Annual General Meeting in May 2023.

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.

For further Information please contact:

Gary Lewis, Group CEO & Director: (647) 846 5299 - [email protected]

Forward-Looking Statements: Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this document are made as of the date of this document and Nevada Silver Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation. Although management believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any securities that may be described herein and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such.

SOURCE: Nevada Silver Corporation

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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 7, 2023 / Voyager Metals Inc. ("Voyager") (TSXV:VONE) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Cerrado Gold Inc. ("Cerrado") (TSXV: CERT) (the "Arrangement Agreement") whereby Cerrado will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Voyager (the "Arrangement"). Under the terms of the Arrangement Agreement, all of the issued and outstanding Voyager common shares will be exchanged on the basis of one (1) common share of a Cerrado ("Cerrado Shares") for each six (6) common shares of Voyager ("Voyager Shares") or approximately 0.1667 Cerrado Shares for each Voyager Share (the "Exchange Ratio").

The Exchange Ratio implies a consideration value of C$0.1523 per Voyager common share, based on the 20 day volume weighted average price ("VWAP") of Cerrado common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") as of March 3, 2023, representing an implied 16.8% premium to the 20 day VWAP of Voyager over the same period ending as of March 3, 2023.

Upon completion of the Arrangement, existing Cerrado and Voyager shareholders will own approximately 82% and 18% of the combined company, respectively, on a fully-diluted basis. The combined company will continue trading under the name Cerrado Gold Inc. and ticker symbol TSXV:CERT.

In connection with the Arrangement, Voyager intends to complete a non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") for proceeds of up to C$4.725 million. Cerrado has entered into a subscription agreement (the "Subscription Agreement") to subscribe for and purchase that number of Voyager Shares under the Private Placement at a price of C$0.1523 per Voyager Share (the "Subscription Price") that would result in Cerrado holding approximately 19.9% of the issued and outstanding Voyager Shares on an undiluted basis and approximately 17.0% on a fully-diluted basis, representing proceeds to Voyager of up to C$3.7 million. The Subscription Price is equal to the price per Voyager common share implied by the Exchange Ratio. Certain additional subscribers beyond Cerrado are expected to purchase Voyager Shares at a price per common share equal to the greater of the Subscription Price and the lowest subscription price allowable under the policies of the Exchange.

Proceeds of the Private Placement are intended to further advance Voyager's ongoing development and feasibility study on its Mont Sorcier iron project near Chibougamau, Quebec, now scheduled for completion by the end of 2023, to fund certain other short term payable obligations prior to closing of the Arrangement and for general corporate purposes.

Key Transaction Benefits

The Arrangement and the Private Placement are expected to offer a number of significant benefits to Voyager shareholders by creating a company with the potential to generate significant long term cash flows while minimizing shareholder dilution, including:

cash flow generated by Cerrado's operations could support ongoing development and future construction of Voyager's Mont Sorcier project, thus creating a company with wider commodity and geographic diversity with a robust long term production profile and cash generating capacity;

the combination will provide Voyager shareholders with immediate exposure to Cerrado's portfolio of gold production and development assets;

the Private Placement immediately addresses Voyager's short term funding requirements and the Arrangement improves Voyager's access to capital to fund the Mont Sorcier project, all while providing shareholders with improved share liquidity with reducing long term share dilution; and

immediate Private Placement funding to be used to recommence work to deliver Mont Sorcier project feasibility study, now expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

For additional information please see Voyagers corporate presentation on the company's web site at https://voyagermetals.com/assets/Voyager-Combination-CerradoGold.pdf

Recommendations

The entry into the Arrangement Agreement and Subscription Agreement and the completion of the Arrangement and Private Placement have been unanimously approved by the members of the respective boards of directors of Cerrado and Voyager eligible to vote thereon. In the case of Voyager, the board of directors approved the Arrangement and Private Placement upon receipt of the unanimous recommendation of a special committee composed exclusively of independent directors of Voyager (the "Special Committee"). In connection with the recommendation, Echelon Capital Markets provided an independent opinion to the Special Committee, stating that, and based upon and subject to the assumptions, limitations, and qualifications set forth therein, the consideration offered pursuant to the Arrangement is fair, from a financial point of view, to the Voyager shareholders.

John Priestner, Chairman of the Voyager Special Committee, commented: "Upon careful review and in light of current market conditions, we believe this transaction is in the best interest of Voyager shareholders. This transaction is positioned to deliver to shareholders enhanced share liquidity, access to immediate gold production cash flow thereby addressing current funding issues while minimizing future dilution. This transaction puts the Mont Sorcier projecton a viable path to development within a stronger operating entity to create long term value for all shareholders".

Arrangement Summary

The transaction resulting in the proposed business combination between Cerrado and Voyager will be effected by way of a plan of arrangement completed under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario). The Arrangement will require approval by 66% of the votes cast by the shareholders and option holders of Voyager at a special meeting of Voyager shareholders. Holders representing 28% of the issued and outstanding Voyager Shares and options as of the date of the Arrangement Agreement have entered into voting support agreements, pursuant to which they have agreed to vote their common shares and options held in favor of the Arrangement, subject to certain conditions.

The Arrangement Agreement includes customary representations, warranties, covenants and conditions and certain other provisions including non-solicitation provisions and other deal protection clauses.

The Subscription Agreement contains representations, warranties, covenants and conditions customary for transactions of a similar nature. The Voyager Shares to be issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a statutory four-month hold period from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities legislation.

In addition to the required approval of Voyager shareholders and option holders described above, the Arrangement is subject to court approval as well as the acceptance by the Exchange on behalf of Voyager and Cerrado, respectively. The Private Placement is also subject to acceptance by the Exchange.

Timing

The Private Placement is expected to be completed as promptly as possible following receipt of the conditional approval of the Exchange. Full details of the Arrangement will be included in the management information circular of Voyager expected to be mailed to shareholders and option holders of Voyager in April 2023. It is anticipated that the special meeting of shareholders and option holders of Voyager and closing of the Arrangement will take place in the second quarter of 2023, subject to the satisfaction of all necessary conditions and receipt of all required approvals.

Advisors and Counsel

WeirFoulds LLP is legal counsel to Cerrado. Echelon Capital Markets acted as financial advisor to the Special Committee and Bennett Jones LLP is legal counsel to Voyager.

Qualified Person

The technical information contained in this news release with respect to the Mont Sorcier Project has been reviewed and approved on behalf of Voyager by Mr. Clinton Swemmer of Voyager Metals, who is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

The scientific and technical information in this press release and presentation has been reviewed and approved by Sergio Gelcich, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration for Cerrado, who is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101.

About Voyager Metals Inc.

Voyager Metals Inc is a mineral exploration company headquartered in Toronto,Canada. The company is focused on advancing its Mont Sorcier,Vanadium-rich, Magnetite Iron Ore Project,located just outside of Chibougamau, Quebec.

At Mont Sorcier, Voyager is rapidly advancing the project towards feasibility and permitting The project currently has Indicated Resources of 679M tonnes grading 27.8% magnetite and 0.20% V 2 O 5 , with the potential to produce 195M tonnes of magnetite concentrate grading at least 65% Fe and 0.52% vanadium pentoxide (V 2 O 5 ) and a further Inferred Resource estimated at 547M tonnes grading 26.1% magnetite and 0.17% V 2 O 5 , with the potential to produce 148M tonnes of magnetite concentrate grading at least 65% Fe and 0.52% vanadium pentoxide (V 2 O 5 ).

For further information, please contact Voyager:

Cliff Hale-Sanders, Chief Executive Officer

Tel: 416-819-8558

[email protected]

www.voyagermetals.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This release contains "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation, respectively. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements or information related to: the expected benefits of the Arrangement and Private Placement and the details related to the expected completion of each of these transactions.

Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analyses and opinions of management of Voyager, made in light of its experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that Voyager believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Voyager's management believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: obtaining shareholder, regulatory and court approvals, and the timing therefor; the ability and timing for the completion of the Arrangement and Private Placement (if at all); the timing to hold the special meeting of Voyager shareholders and option holders and mailing of the management information circular regarding same; Cerrado's and Voyager's abilities to carry on exploration and development activities, including construction; the timely receipt of required approvals; the price of gold, iron ore and other precious and base metals; prices for key mining supplies, including labor costs and consumables, remaining consistent with the two companies' current expectations; production at Minera Don Nicolas meeting expectations; plant, equipment and processes operating as anticipated; there being no material variations in the current tax and regulatory environment; Cerrado's and Voyager's abilities to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner;the exchange rates among the Canadian dollar, United States dollar, Brazilian real and Argentine peso remaining consistent with current levels; and the combined company's ability to obtain financing as and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used.

Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analyses and opinions of management of Voyager, made in light of its experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that Voyager believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Voyager's management believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable. Assumptions have been made regarding, among other things: obtaining shareholder, regulatory and court approvals, and the timing therefor; the ability and timing for the completion of the Arrangement and Private Placement (if at all); the timing to hold the special meeting of Voyager shareholders and option holders and mailing of the management information circular regarding same; Cerrado's and Voyager's abilities to carry on exploration and development activities, including construction; the timely receipt of required approvals; the price of gold, iron ore and other precious and base metals; prices for key mining supplies, including labor costs and consumables, remaining consistent with the two companies' current expectations; production at Minera Don Nicolas meeting expectations; plant, equipment and processes operating as anticipated; there being no material variations in the current tax and regulatory environment; Cerrado's and Voyager's abilities to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner; the exchange rates among the Canadian dollar, United States dollar, Brazilian real and Argentine peso remaining consistent with current levels; and the combined company's ability to obtain financing as and when required and on reasonable terms. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive of all factors and assumptions which may have been used.

Although management has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There is 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 forward-looking statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Voyager does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except as, and to the extent required by, applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information contained herein is provided as of the date of this news release and Voyager disclaims any obligation, other than as required by law, to update any forward-looking information for any reason. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate or that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all and the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking information.

Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

SOURCE: Voyager Metals Inc.

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Retirement of Dr Sarah Ryan and Dr Christopher Haynes from the Woodside Board

PERTH, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / The Board of Woodside announces the retirement of Dr Sarah Ryan and Dr Christopher Haynes as Directors of Woodside. Dr Ryan and Dr Haynes will be standing down from their respective offices with effect from the conclusion of Woodside's 2023 Annual General Meeting, scheduled to be held on 28 April 2023 (2023 AGM).

Dr Haynes has served on Woodside's Board since 2011 and is a member of the Audit & Risk Committee, the Sustainability Committee and the Nominations & Governance Committee.

Dr Ryan joined the Woodside Board in December 2012 and serves on the Audit & Risk Committee, the Sustainability Committee and the Nominations & Governance Committee.

Woodside Chair Mr Richard Goyder said that Dr Ryan and Dr Haynes have provided outstanding service to the Woodside Board during their tenure and their contribution to Woodside's success has been invaluable.

"In recent years, Chris and Sarah, together with the other Directors, have guided Woodside through a global pandemic, volatile energy markets and other challenging external conditions, and each played a significant role in the successful completion of Woodside's merger with BHP Petroleum in 2022. On behalf of the Woodside Board, I sincerely thank Chris and Sarah for their efforts during their time at Woodside," Mr Goyder said.

Appointment of Mr Arnaud Breuillac

The Woodside Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Arnaud Breuillac as a non-executive Director, effective immediately.

"We warmly welcome Arnaud to the Board of Woodside," Mr Goyder said.

"Arnaud has a deep understanding of the energy transition and the corresponding role of energy suppliers through this period, and beyond and brings a wealth of relevant experience to the Woodside Board. We expect Arnaud will bring invaluable leadership insights to the Woodside Board."

A graduate of French engineering school cole Centrale de Lyon, Mr Breuillac has had a forty-year tenure with major global energy player, TotalEnergies, holding positions across the Middle East, continental Europe and central Asia before retiring from his role as President Exploration & Production at the end of 2021 after seven years in the seat. Mr Breuillac holds directorships on the boards of UK-based Trident Energy Ltd and French underground hydrocarbon products storage facility operator, Geosel Manosque SAS.

Mr Breuillac joins Woodside as an independent non-executive Director and member of the Human Resources & Compensation, the Sustainability and the Nominations & Governance Committees.

Mr Breuillac will stand for election as a non-executive Director at the 2023 AGM.

Recommendation to elect Ms Angela Minas at 2023 AGM

The Board of Woodside is also pleased to recommend Ms Angela Minas for appointment as a Director of Woodside at the 2023 AGM. Further information regarding the Board's recommendation will be contained in the 2023 AGM Notice of Meeting.

"We are looking forward to welcoming Angela to the Board of Woodside after the 2023 AGM," Mr Goyder said.

"Angela has extensive experience in regulated industries internationally and an impressive background in finance, risk and compliance (including in US Sarbanes-Oxley Act ('SOX') financial reporting compliance), performance management, business transformation and mergers and acquisitions.

We consider these attributes complement the Board's existing mix of skills and experience at an important time in Woodside's history," Mr Goyder noted.

Ms Minas is an experienced financial executive with strong capital market experience and broad exposure to the energy and natural resources spectrum, including exploration and production, midstream, oilfield services, petrochemicals, mining and basic materials. Ms Minas holds directorships on the boards of natural gas gathering, processing and storage business Crestwood Equity Partners L.P. (NYSE: CEQP), multinational manufacturing group Vallourec S.A., (EN: VK) and ethylene production facilities operator Westlake Chemical Partners (NYSE: WLKP).

If elected at the 2023 AGM, Ms Minas will join the Woodside Board as an independent non-executive Director and a member of the Audit & Risk, the Sustainability and the Nominations & Governance Committees.

Contacts: INVESTORS Matthew Turnbull (Group) M: +61 410 471 079 Sarah Peyman (Australia) M: +61 457 513 249 Rohan Goudge (US) M: +1 (713) 679-1550 E: [email protected] MEDIA Christine Forster M: +61 484 112 469 E: [email protected]

This announcement was approved and authorised for release by Woodside's Disclosure Committee.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact [email protected] or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Woodside Energy Group Ltd

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MEXICO CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of B (Fair), the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of bb (Fair) and the Mexico National Scale Rating (NSR) of a.MX (Excellent) of Armour Secure Insurance S.A. de C.V. (Armour) (Mexico). The outlook of the FSR is stable, while the outlook of the Long-Term ICR and NSR is positive.

The Credit Ratings (ratings) reflect Armours balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strong, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and marginal enterprise risk management (ERM).

The positive outlook on the Long-Term ICR and NSR reflects the corrective actions taken on financial leverage at the holding company level, which was derived from changes in the organizational structure of the group.

The strong balance sheet assessment reflects Armours capital base, consistently strengthened through the reinvestment of earnings. Armour has been able to sustain a profitable domestic operation through its underwriting results and investment income.

Armours business profile is limited due to its concentration in the niche market of title insurance in Mexico, coupled with challenges ahead for the real estate market there amid Mexicos weakened economy.

AM Bests view of the companys ERM is marginal due to concerns regarding governance and availability of information at its holding company, Trebuchet Group Holdings Limited.

Positive rating actions could take place if Armours holding company maintains a prudent growth strategy and stabilizes its structure and capital management in AM Bests view. Negative rating actions could take place if operating performance deteriorates to the point of affecting the companys risk-adjusted capitalization.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Bests Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Performance Assessments, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2023 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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Inger Rodriguez

Associate Financial Analyst

+52 55 1102 2720, ext. 108

[email protected]

Christopher Sharkey

Manager, Public Relations

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159

[email protected]

Eli Sanchez

Associate Director, Analytics

+52 55 1102 2720, ext. 122

[email protected]

Al Slavin

Senior Public Relations Specialist

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5098

[email protected]

Source: AM Best
FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE: AMRC), a leading clean technology integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, today announced that members of its management team will attend the following investor conferences:

On March 13, 2023, Amerescos Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, George Sakellaris and Executive Vice President, Distributed Generation Systems, Michael Bakas will host investor meetings at the 35th Annual ROTH Conference. This event will take place at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, CA.

On March 21, 2023, Amerescos Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Doran Hole will host a fireside chat at the Piper Sandler 23rd Annual Energy Conference at 4.00 pm PT. This event will take place at the Waldorf Astoria in Las Vegas, NV. Josh Baribeau, Vice President of Finance and Corporate Treasury, will join Doran Hole at investor meetings throughout the day.

About Ameresco, Inc.

Founded in 2000, Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE: AMRC) is a leading independent clean technology integrator of comprehensive services, energy efficiency, infrastructure upgrades, asset sustainability and renewable energy solutions for businesses and organizations throughout North America and Europe. Amerescos sustainability services include upgrades to a facilitys energy infrastructure and the development, construction and operation of renewable energy plants. Ameresco has successfully completed energy saving, environmentally responsible projects with Federal, state and local governments, healthcare and educational institutions, housing authorities, and commercial and industrial customers. With its corporate headquarters in Framingham, MA, Ameresco has more than 1,000 employees providing local expertise in the United States, Canada, and Europe. For more information, visit www.ameresco.com.

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Media Relations

Leila Dillon, 508.661.2264, [email protected]

Investor Relations

Eric Prouty, Advisiry Partners, 212.750.5800, [email protected]

Lynn Morgen, Advisiry Partners, 212.750.5800, [email protected]

Source: Ameresco, Inc.
Awardees Reflect Increasing Importance of Stakeholder Economics

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Big Path Capital (Big Path), impact investings investment bank, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 MO 100 Top Impact CEO Ranking, a list celebrating the 100 top executives catalyzing positive environmental and social impact through the high-growth companies they lead. This years winners reflect the growing relevance of leaders who prioritize a broader set of stakeholdersincluding the environment, their employees, their customers, their shareholders, and their communities. The full 2023 MO 100 ranking, presented in partnership with BackBay Communications, can be viewed here.

Differentiating the MO 100 from other CEO rankings, the MO 100 focuses on momentum-fueled executives who are driving one of the most dynamic segments of the economy. These agents of change are leveraging the engine of capitalism to create positive outcomes for all its stakeholders.

As a group, the MO 100 awardees represent the most significant leaders in the rapidly scaling impact economy. The ranking is determined by a Force for Good score, which is calculated based on a formula accounting for the companys scale via its total revenue, its growth via its revenue growth rate, and its positive impact on people and planet via the B Impact Assessment (a standard developed by B Lab to assess a companys true impact) or other impact certifications.

The 2023 MO 100 ranking reveals the diverse landscape that the impact economy represents, including: climate infrastructure, compostable packaging, better-for-you and for-the-planet food and beverage, ethical banking, clean energy, Open Hiring employers, sustainable fashion, and green construction.

The 2023 MO 100 leaders are redefining capitalism by creating value for a broader set of stakeholders. They are charting a new path toward a more circular, just economy away from an extractive, exclusive economy, said Michael Whelchel, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Big Path, which assists purpose-driven companies and private equity funds in raising capital and company exits. These leaders are demonstrating that every transaction has the potential for prosperity and positive impact.

The honorees will be recognized at the MO 100 Awards Gala at the 2023 MO CEO Summit, taking place from April 24-26, 2023 in Austin, Texas. The event will gather 200 purpose-driven CEOs and will include both panels and deep networking.

About Big Path Capital

Big Path Capital advises leading impact companies and funds in capital raises and in mergers and acquisitions. As the first certified B Corp investment bank over 14 years ago, Big Path Capital has worked with over 250 company and fund clients, connecting them to the largest network of impact investors in the world. www.bigpathcapital.com.

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George Spencer

BackBay Communications

[email protected]

Source: Big Path Capital
BEIJING--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co., Ltd. ("Biocytogen") (HKEX: 02315), today announced the signing of a non-exclusive license agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen). Under the agreement, Biocytogen grants Janssen and its affiliates a non-exclusive worldwide license to use Biocytogens proprietary RenLite platform and underlying intellectual property to discover, research, develop, manufacture and commercialize fully human antibody therapeutics with a common light chain and other biological therapeutics for an unlimited number of drug targets and indications. The agreement was facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC.

RenLite is a member of Biocytogens fully human antibody RenMice family. RenLite mice can generate fully human antibody candidates with high specificity, affinity, diversity and good druggability, with a common light chain for subsequent assembly of bispecific and multispecific antibodies with a low mismatch and high success rate. The bispecific and multispecific antibodies assembled after RenLite discovery have a traditional antibody structure and exhibit ideal physiochemical properties that are advantageous for downstream CMC development.

Dr. Yuelei Shen, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Biocytogen, said: We are pleased to partner with Janssen to accelerate the discovery of new antibody-based drugs for patients.

About RenMice

RenMice are Biocytogens proprietary genetically modified mice that generate antibodies with fully human variable domains. The models, which include RenMab, RenLite and RenNano mouse platforms, as well as substrains containing additional modifications, were developed using Biocytogens size-unlimited, precise chromosome engineering technology (SUPCE), which allows for in situ replacement of the murine immunoglobulin genes with their human counterpart. All RenMice platforms contain the entire human heavy chain VDJ loci, with the RenMab mouse harboring all human light chain VJ loci. In contrast, the RenLite mouse contains a single human VJ locus in situ to facilitate future bispecific antibody assembly, while the RenNano mouse has modified heavy chain constant regions to generate functional heavy-chain-only antibodies (HCAbs).

RenMice can generate robust immune response and produce fully human antibodies with great diversity, specificity, affinity and druggability. The development of RenMice has allowed Biocytogen to launch 6 fully human antibody discovery platforms: monoclonal antibody (RenMab), bispecific antibody and bispecific ADC (RenLite), nanobody (RenNano), TCR-mimic antibody for intracellular targets (HLA/RenMice, i.e., MHC humanized RenMice), and a RenMice HiTS (hyperimmune target specific) antibody platform designed for GPCR and other challenging targets.

As of June 30, 2022, RenMice have been licensed by 16 biopharmaceutical companies around the world, including Merck KGaA, Xencor, BeiGene, and Innovent.

About Biocytogen

Biocytogen (HKEX: 02315) is a global biotechnology company that drives the research and development of novel antibody-based drugs with innovative technologies. Using its proprietary RenMab/RenLite/RenNano mice platforms for fully human monoclonal, bispecific/multispecific antibody and nanobody development, respectively, Biocytogen has integrated its in vivo drug efficacy screening platforms and strong clinical development expertise to streamline the entire drug development process. Biocytogen is undertaking a large-scale project to develop first-in-class and/or best-in-class antibody drugs for more than 1000 targets, known as Project Integrum. As of June 30, 2022, this project has resulted in 28 drug co-development agreements and 16 RenMice licensing agreements with companies around the world, including several partnerships with multinational pharmaceutical companies (MNCs). Biocytogen's internal pipeline includes 12 core products, among which two products are in phase II multi-regional clinical trials and two products are in phase I. Headquartered in Beijing, Biocytogen has branches in Haimen Jiangsu, Shanghai, Boston, USA and Heidelberg, Germany. For more information, please visit http://en.biocytogen.com.cn.

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Biocytogen

Antibody platforms and antibody assets: [email protected]

Media: [email protected]

Source: Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co., Ltd.
Operated approximately 213,000 owned and colocated bitcoin miners

Produced 1,362 self-mined bitcoin and 403 bitcoin for colocation customers

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Core Scientific, Inc. (OTC: CORZQ) ("Core Scientific" or the Company), a leader in high-performance blockchain computing data centers and software solutions, today announced production and operations updates for February 2023.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005342/en/

Core Scientific is one of the largest blockchain computing data center providers and miners of digital assets in North America. (Graphic: Business Wire)

Data Centers

As of month-end, the Company operated approximately 213,000 bitcoin miners for both colocation and self-mining, representing a total potential hash rate of 22.3 EH/s at its data center facilities in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, North Dakota and Texas.

Self-Mining

Core Scientifics self-mining operations produced 1,362 bitcoin in February. As of month end, the Company operated approximately 161,000 bitcoin miners, accounting for approximately 76% of its total number of miners and representing a total potential self-mining hash rate of 16.7 EH/s.

Colocation Services

In addition to its self-mining fleet, Core Scientific provided data center colocation services, technology and operating support for approximately 52,000 customer-owned bitcoin miners, representing approximately 24% of the bitcoin miners operating in the Companys data centers as of February 28. Customer-owned bitcoin miners produced approximately 403 bitcoin in February.

Grid Support

The Company powered down its data center operations on several occasions. Curtailments in February totaled 6,580 megawatt hours. Core Scientific works with the communities and utility companies in which it operates to enhance electrical grid stability.

ABOUT CORE SCIENTIFIC

Core Scientific (OTC: CORZQ) is one of the largest blockchain computing data center providers and miners of digital assets in North America. Core Scientific has operated blockchain computing data centers in North America since 2017, using its facilities and intellectual property portfolio for colocated digital asset mining and self-mining. Core Scientific operates data centers in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, North Dakota and Texas. Core Scientifics proprietary Minder fleet management software combines the Companys colocation expertise with data analytics to deliver maximum uptime, alerting, monitoring and management of all miners in the Companys network. To learn more, visit http://www.corescientific.com.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS AND EXPLANATORY NOTES

This press release includes forward-looking statements'' within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as estimate, plan, project, forecast, intend, will, expect, anticipate, believe, seek, target or other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those related to the Companys ability to scale and grow its business, meet its expected operating plan, source clean and renewable energy, the advantages and expected growth of the Company, future estimates of revenue, net income, adjusted EBITDA, total debt, free cash flow, liquidity and future financing availability, future estimates of computing capacity and operating capacity, future demand for colocation capacity, future estimate of hash rate (including mix of self-mining and colocation) and operating gigawatts, future projects in construction or negotiation and future expectations of operation location, orders for miners and critical infrastructure, future estimates of self-mining capacity, the public float of the Companys shares, future infrastructure additions and their operational capacity, and operating capacity and site features of the Companys operations and planned operations. These statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of the Companys management. These forward-looking statements are not intended to serve, and must not be relied on by any investor, as a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of the Company. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the Companys ability to obtain bankruptcy court approval with respect to motions in its Chapter 11 cases, successfully enter into and implement a restructuring plan, emerge from Chapter 11 and achieve significant cash flows from operations; the effects of the Chapter 11 cases on the Company and on the interests of various constituents, bankruptcy court rulings in the Chapter 11 cases and the outcome of the Chapter 11 cases in general, the length of time the Company will operate under the Chapter 11 cases, risks associated with any third-party motions in the Chapter 11 cases, the potential adverse effects of the Chapter 11 cases on the Companys liquidity or results of operations and increased legal and other professional costs necessary to execute the Companys reorganization; satisfaction of any conditions to which the Companys debtor-in-possession financing is subject and the risk that these conditions may not be satisfied for various reasons, including for reasons outside of the Companys control; the consequences of the acceleration of the Companys debt obligations; the trading price and volatility of the Companys common stock as well as other risk factors set forth in the Companys reports filed with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.

Month over month comparisons are based on the combined results of Core Scientific and its acquired entities and are unaudited.

Core Scientific provides this and any future similar unaudited updates to provide shareholders with visibility into the Companys results and progress toward previously announced capacity and operational projections.

Please follow us on:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/corescientific/

https://twitter.com/core_scientific

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Investors:

[email protected]

Media:

[email protected]

Source: Core Scientific, Inc.
Key Investments and Customer Successes Underpin Growth in the Region

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Epicor, a global leader of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth, today discussed significant momentum in customer cloud adoption in Asia for 2022 at the companys 2023 Asia ReConnect Customer Day held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Cloud adoption by Epicor customers across the region increased by more than 190 percent year-over-year in 2022, with businesses migrating or choosing to implement Epicor Kinetic in the cloud  a purpose-built, flexible, and scalable platform that helps manufacturers better compete and grow their businesses.

Epicor customers in Asia prioritised cloud last year to take advantage of the security, flexibility and scalability that cloud delivers, said Vincent Tang, Epicor Regional Vice President, Asia. Were also expanding in the region and making investments across markets including China, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam to help our customers modernise and future-proof their solutions, whilst benefitting from deep industry expertise and a company that understands its customers challenges.

The customer day was also an opportunity to celebrate and award standout customers who have leveraged Epicor solutions to transform their businesses and bring about positive, innovative, and impactful outcomes.

The winners of the awards included:

Journey to the Cloud Excellence Award: Mobility Werk Advantech was recognized for taking the journey to the cloud to better automate processes and stay current with the latest technology to meet their smart factory objectives. With Epicor Kinetic in the cloud, they can more easily share data and connect with their customers and suppliers.

Business Transformation Excellence Award: Custom Molded Products transformed their business operations by implementing Epicor Kinetic and Epicor Advanced MES  which has supported their business in driving multiple operational efficiencies. Their molding rate has increased significantly, and their export sales revenue has nearly doubled.

Digital Transformation Excellence Award: Wise Ally Holdings took advantage of Epicor Kinetic to support the compliance, tracking and traceability requirements of medical and healthcare devices. They have been able to significantly speed up their quotation process through automation with less manual errors, supporting cost management and more accurate real-time financial reports.

Technology Innovation Excellence Award: Cat Thai has been using Epicor technology for 10 years and continues to adapt, evolve, and innovate to remain competitive in the market. Using Epicor Kinetic, they have strengthened their operational excellence and reduced planning versus production variance to almost zero.

Andy Coussins, Epicor Senior Vice President and Head of International Sales added, Customer recognition is hugely important to Epicor, and it has been wonderful to celebrate these successes in person. Hearing our customers stories demonstrates how our solutions enable them to keep the world turning, even during challenging times. We thank our customers for their continued commitment to Epicor and look forward to helping them deliver future success.

About Epicor

Epicor Software Corporation equips hard-working businesses with enterprise solutions that keep the world turning. For nearly 50 years, Epicor customers in the automotive, building supply, distribution, manufacturing, and retail industries have trusted Epicor to help them do business better. Innovative Epicor solution sets are carefully curated to fit customer needs and built to flexibly respond to their fast-changing reality. With deep industry knowledge and experience, Epicor accelerates its customers ambitions, whether to grow and transform, or simply become more productive and effective. Visit www.epicor.com for more information.

Epicor and the Epicor logo are trademarks of Epicor Software Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries. Other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners. The product and service offerings depicted in this document are produced by Epicor Software Corporation. Results are not guaranteed, and each users experience will vary.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230307005540/en/

Charlotte Stretton

Public Relations Lead, International

Tel: +44 (0)1344 468261

Email: [email protected]

Source: Epicor Software Corporation
Leading space agency in Europe and science-based technology company partner to nurture and accelerate the development of new space startups and innovations

Letter of intent is looking to extend an existing collaboration between ESA Business Incubation Center (ESA BIC) Bavaria and Dassault Systemes in Germany to ESA BICs across Europe

European startups to benefit from Dassault Systemes 3DEXPERIENCE platform, 3DEXPERIENCE Lab mentoring, and networking support

VELIZY-VILLACOUBLAY, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dassault Systemes (Euronext Paris: FR0014003TT8, DSY.PA) (Paris: DSY) and the European Space Agency today announced the signature of a letter of intent to support the European community for innovation in the new space sector  commercialization of space driven by private companies. The announcement was made today during the New Space Networking event held at Dassault Systemes headquarters in France to kick off Paris Space Week.

The two organizations will collaborate to nurture and accelerate new space startups within ESAs Business Incubation Centers network in Europe by providing them with technology, mentoring and networking support to develop their innovations. The agreement is looking to build upon an existing partnership established in Germany in 2022 between ESA BIC Bavaria and Dassault Systemes, with a view to extend it to other ESA BICs.

Dassault Systemes and ESA recognize the importance of digitalization in the successful development of innovations for space. In recent years, digital technology has enabled disruptive startups to introduce new concepts for satellites, space travel, exploration and other aerospace systems that have transformed traditional industry dynamics.

Dassault Systemes  through its 3DEXPERIENCE Lab open innovation laboratory  and ESA will drive new levels of innovation in the sector by providing startups within the ESA BIC network with access to Dassault Systemes 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud. The platform offers new ways to conceptualize, design, manufacture, test, certify and sustain new space vehicles. Startups will benefit from industry-leading applications to engineer their projects in a 3D virtual environment, and streamline collaboration within teams and with a network of mentors worldwide.

The ESA BIC network has supported over 1,300 startups and in the Directorate for Commercialisation, Industry and Procurement it is our objective to further support these companies in their journey of scaling-up through building bridges with corporate partners, investors and internally with other ESA Programs. In the agency we are also learning from them in adopting a new space approach to shape the space ecosystem of tomorrow, said Geraldine Naja, Director for Commercialisation, Industry and Procurement, ESA.

We are at the forefront of a huge wave of innovation in space. Ten years from now, we will have more than 10 times the number of satellites orbiting the earth. As the democratization of space opens up new possibilities in these areas, this race to innovate is thriving across new space startups in Europe. Our collaboration with ESA will enable these startups to accelerate the design, manufacturing, testing and operation of breakthrough technologies driving a new global space economy, said David Ziegler, Vice President Aerospace & Defense Industry, Dassault Systemes.

ESA, the leading space agency in Europe, has a network of 29 ESA Business Incubator Centers across Europe to foster the development of space-enabled ideas, startups and innovations. For 40 years, Dassault Systemes has enabled aerospace companies to create new industry sectors and transform existing ones with trailblazing firsts  from the first aircraft entirely designed and developed digitally to advances in eVTOLs, solar-powered flight, and closed-loop habitats that may eventually support life on other planets.

###

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Dassault Systemes 3DEXPERIENCE platform, 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions: http://www.3ds.com

Connect with Dassault Systemes on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube

ABOUT DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Dassault Systemes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, is a catalyst for human progress. We provide business and people with collaborative 3D virtual environments to imagine sustainable innovations. By creating virtual twin experiences of the real world with our 3DEXPERIENCE platform and applications, our customers push the boundaries of innovation, learning and production to achieve a more sustainable world for patients, citizens, and consumers. Dassault Systemes brings value to more than 300,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 140 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com

 Dassault Systemes. All rights reserved. 3DEXPERIENCE, the Compass icon, the 3DS logo, CATIA, BIOVIA, GEOVIA, SOLIDWORKS, 3DVIA, ENOVIA, NETVIBES, MEDIDATA, CENTRIC PLM, 3DEXCITE, SIMULIA, DELMIA, and IFWE are commercial trademarks or registered trademarks of Dassault Systemes, a French societe europeenne (Versailles Commercial Register # B 322 306 440), or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005597/en/

Dassault Systemes Press Contacts

Corporate / France

Arnaud MALHERBE

[email protected]

+33 (0)1 61 62 87 73

North America

Natasha LEVANTI

[email protected]

+1 (508) 449 8097

EMEA

Virginie BLINDENBERG

[email protected]

+33 (0) 1 61 62 84 21

China

Grace MU

[email protected]

+86 10 6536 2288

India

Kriti ASHOK

[email protected]

+91 9741310607

Japan

Yukiko SATO

[email protected]

+81 3 4321 3841

Korea

Jeemin JEONG

[email protected]

+82 2 3271 6653

AP South

Minming CHEN

[email protected]

+65 6511 7931

Source: Dassault Systemes
DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Gold Resource Corporation (NYSE American: GORO) (the Company, We, Our or GRC) has taken measurable strides to ensure proper care and respect is extended to our employees, communities, and environment. The inaugural environmental, social and governance (ESG) report articulates not only the efforts extended but the framework established for which we hold ourselves accountable.

You will find in this report an outline of our approach to sustainability across key governance, health and safety, social and environmental topics, along with a summary of our 2022 performance and plans for the future. We are committed to advancing our framework as we mature and refine our approach. Our Don David Gold Mine in Mexico has been making investments in ESG endeavors for over ten years. Our Back Forty Project in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan has also invested heavily in ESG including ensuring our environmental impact assessment is robust and thoughtful in identifying culturally significant sites that will be honored and respected.

The Company is committed to enhancing and improving transparency. The ESG report can be found on the Companys website at:

www.goldresourcecorp.com/responsible-mining/esg-reports/.

We are committed to a vision of creating value responsibly, respectfully and resourcefully. Our mission is to accomplish disciplined growth and responsible resource development for the benefit of all our stakeholders. We have a duty to increase the quality of life of the people and communities in our area of influence. Moreover, we have a unique opportunity to dignify the lives of those around us.

About GRC:

Gold Resource Corporation is a gold and silver producer, developer, and explorer with its operations centered on the Don David Gold Mine in Oaxaca, Mexico. Under the direction of an experienced board and senior leadership team, the companys focus is to unlock the significant upside potential of its existing infrastructure and large land position surrounding the mine in Oaxaca, Mexico and to develop the Back Forty Project in Michigan, USA. For more information, please visit GRCs website, located at www.goldresourcecorp.com and read the companys Form 10-K for an understanding of the risk factors associated with its business.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005784/en/

Kim Perry

Chief Financial Officer

[email protected]

www.goldresourcecorp.com

Source: Gold Resource Corporation
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Grant Thornton LLP, one of Americas largest audit, tax and advisory firms has named Women in Training to its Purple Paladin program, which helps emerging nonprofit organizations move from start-up to unstoppable. As part of the program, Grant Thornton provides funding, business advice and volunteer support, while also helping nonprofits raise awareness of their work and mission.

Founded in 2019 by 12-year-old twins from Alabama  Brooke and Breanna Bennett  Women in Training is dedicated to ending period poverty, a struggle many low-income women and girls face while trying to afford menstrual products. Women in Training provides packed canvas bags full of menstrual products, and other hygiene supplies, called WITKITS, and offers menstrual education to young women and girls.

On average, one in five girls miss school because they dont have access to feminine hygiene products, and when the Bennett sisters saw their mother, a teacher, provide menstrual products to students that couldnt afford them, they were motivated to act and founded the organization.

We founded Women in Training because we believe having a period shouldnt stop you from living your life, said Brooke Bennett. Young women and girls deserve to feel comfortable and clean wherever they go  and they should have equal access to the products they need.

Women in Training distributes about 600 WITKITS monthly across Alabama, Washington, D.C., and New Orleans, with plans to expand nationally and globally. The kits are delivered to public schools, after-care programs, homeless shelters, orphanages, foster care facilities and more.

Young women should never have to miss out on opportunities because they lack resources for basic wellness, said Rashada Whitehead, Grant Thorntons national managing director of Culture, Immersion & Inclusion. Were so impressed by what Brooke and Breanna have accomplished addressing an important and often ignored issue, especially at such a young age. They are exactly the types of proactive and creative advocates we set out to support when we created our Purple Paladin program: everyday heroes who dare to dream  and to take action to make a difference.

The Bennett sisters were instrumental in championing House Bill 50 in Alabama, which was signed into law in 2020 and mandates free period products be provided in public schools. They hope to help pass similar laws in other states and at the national level through the Menstrual Equity for All Act.

To learn more about Women in Training, visit womenintraining.org.

Women in Training joins 14 other nonprofits that Grant Thornton previously selected as Purple Paladins: Digs with Dignity, Fair Opportunity Project, Free Mom Hugs, WeaveTales, Warrior Reunion Foundation, Go Team Therapy Dogs, Find Your Anchor, Foster Nation, Hope in a Box, Weird Enough Productions, Invisible Hands Deliver, Pal Experiences, Sneakers for Soldiers and Coming Up Rosies.

Digs with Dignity is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps elevate the lives of those transitioning from homelessness by furnishing their houses to create a dignified home. To learn more, visit digswithdignity.org .

. Fair Opportunity Project is 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers high-quality college counseling resources at no cost to aspiring students. To learn more, visit fairopportunityproject.org .

. Free Mom Hugs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that creates allies who support the LGBTQIA+ community through visibility, education and conversation. To learn more, visit freemomhugs.org .

. WeaveTales is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps refugees of all kinds share their stories via books, exhibits, films and other channels. To learn more, visit weavetales.org .

. Warrior Reunion Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that reconnects combat veterans via life-changing reunion experiences. All events are provided at no cost to those who attend. To learn more, visit warriorreunionfoundation.org .

. Go Team Therapy Dogs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces well-trained therapy dogs and places them at disaster sites, hospitals, and other places where they can offer comfort and care. To learn more, visit goteamdogs.org .

. Find Your Anchor is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on suicide prevention. To help people who are struggling to find hope, the organization creates and distributes boxes of curated items known as anchors. To learn more, visit findyouranchor.us .

. Foster Nation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps former foster youth overcome the challenges associated with aging out of the foster-care system. To learn more, visit fosternation.org .

. Hope in a Box is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides educators with literature, detailed curriculums and coaching to improve classroom environments for LGBTQIA+ students. To learn more, visit hopeinabox.org .

. Weird Enough Productions is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that develops free, interactive online content designed to combat media misrepresentations of minority communities. The organization is best known for its hallmark comic book series, The UnCommons. To learn more, visit weirdenough.com .

. Invisible Hands Deliver is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that taps more than 12,000 volunteers to deliver groceries, prescriptions, and other necessities to people vulnerable to COVID-19 and facing hunger insecurity  including the elderly, disabled and immunocompromised. To learn more, visit invisiblehandsdeliver.org .

. Pal Experiences is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps people with non-visible disabilities  such as autism  have more inclusive experiences at museums, entertainment venues, sporting events and more. To learn more, visit palexperiences.org .

. Sneakers for Soldiers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides properly-fitted athletic shoes to deployed combat troops in all branches of the military. To learn more, visit sneakersforsoldiers.org .

. Coming Up Rosies is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides smile kits to hospitals so children  particularly those suffering from hair loss  can engage in therapeutic art activities to create custom head scarves, neck scarves and superhero capes based on their own unique designs. To learn more, visit cominguprosies.com.

Grant Thorntons Purple Paladins program derives its name from the word paladin, a champion of a cause. Grant Thornton and its professionals have donated more than $1 million to Purple Paladin nonprofits, and more than 650 Grant Thornton professionals have volunteered their time and skills to support to the firms Purple Paladins.

To learn more about Purple Paladins, or to nominate a nonprofit for potential support, visit Grant Thorntons website: www.grantthornton.com/PurplePaladins.

About Grant Thornton LLP

Grant Thornton LLP (Grant Thornton) is one of Americas largest audit, tax and advisory firms  and the U.S. member firm of the Grant Thornton International Ltd global network. We go beyond the expected to make business more personal and build trust into every result. With revenues of $2.3 billion for the fiscal year that ended July 31, 2022, and almost 50 offices nationwide, Grant Thornton is a community of more than 9,000 problem solvers who value relationships and are ready to help organizations of all sizes and industries create more confident futures. Because, for us, how we serve matters as much as what we do.

Grant Thornton refers to Grant Thornton LLP, the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL). GTIL and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership. Services are delivered by the member firms. GTIL and its member firms are not agents of, and do not obligate, one another and are not liable for one anothers acts or omissions.

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Jon Rucket

T +1 404 984 6249

E [email protected]

S twitter.com/grantthorntonus

linkedin/grantthorntonus

Source: Grant Thornton LLP
VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Lucidea, developer of the Argus Web CMS and leader in innovative museum collections management software, will participate in the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums conference on March 12-14, 2023. Their powerful software is a perfect fit for attendees focused on building a solid foundation for the future with a sustainable collections management system.

Visit Lucidea in the Exhibit Hall during the conference. When you do, they will demonstrate why they are a trusted technology partner in the museum community. Learn about capabilities that enable expanded curation to educate your visitors, as well as innovative options that go beyond traditional collections management as you share your collections online. See what is new with the Argus CMS, including their exciting Showcase feature, and their Mobile Engagement App.

Lucideas Argus CMS offers comprehensive collections management capabilities, and takes museum professionals furtheroffering community curation/co-curation, a dynamic online presence, and full multimedia support for an engaging and immersive digital visitor experience. Argus is flexible, extensible, and always up-to-datesolving todays collections management challenges, and supporting museums of all sizes and budgets.

For further information about Argus, visit https://lucidea.com/argus , phone 604 278 6717, or email [email protected].

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Mark Maslowski

Marketing Manager

604-278-6717

[email protected]

Source: Lucidea
MEXICO CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Activists and public health experts in Mexico demand that officials of the Mexican Ministry of Health (SSA) and the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) authorize the use of monkeypox (mpox) vaccines in the country.

"Despite the fact that mpox was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) in July 2022, the vaccine recommended by the WHO to prevent infections is not yet authorized for use in Mexico," said Dr. Jorge Saavedra, Executive Director of the AHF Institute for Global Public Health, and one of the authors of the reply letter published in The Lancet Regional Health Americas. Dr. Saavedra added, Strangely, Mexico is the only country in the top 10 with the most accumulated cases of mpox, which has not authorized the vaccine, as the other top nine have: USA, Brazil, Spain, UK, Colombia, Germany, France, Peru and Canada.

In the current outbreak, mpox has disproportionately affected gay and bisexual men and severely affected those with advanced HIV, including cases that ended in death.

To deal with this health emergency, the WHO and the Centers for Disease Control have recommended the use of the vaccine for people at higher risk of exposure. The European Medicines Agency and the US FDA have also authorized the use of the vaccine.

Curiously, mpox vaccines were also recommended by officials of the Mexican Ministry of Health as a measure to contain the disease in a study published by the prestigious journal The Lancet. These officials, in their capacity as authors, correctly pointed out that the measures containment programs should, whenever available, include vaccines targeted at higher-risk groups. Among the authors of this study is the highest decision-maker in public health in Mexico, Dr. Hugo Lopez-Gatell, Undersecretary of Health.

Dr. Gatell and the other authors of this study, which include Dr. Gustavo Reyes Teran (Head of the Coordinating Commission of National Institutes of Health and High Specialty Hospitals), Dr. Alethse de la Torre (General Director of the National AIDS Center-CENSIDA), who is in charge of HIV and STI policies and creating communication materials on mpox, as well as Dr. Gabriel Garcia Rodriguez (General Director of Epidemiology) are the heads of the formulation of mpox policy in Mexico.

It is disconcerting that Dr. Lopez Gatell and these high level officials of the Ministry of Health, who are authors of this study, recommend the use of vaccines when addressing an international audience of health professionals through The Lancet, but they refuse to authorize any use of the mpox vaccine in their own country, says Alain Pinzon of VIHve Libre, a local NGO that advocates for an effective response to HIV and mpox. They say that there is not enough scientific evidence to authorize the vaccine, but they promoted the authorization in Mexico of the Chinese, Russian and Cuban vaccines against Covid-19, which had much less scientific evidence; so, for many of us, this not only sounds like hypocrisy, but institutional homophobia, concluded Mr. Pinzon.

Human rights and public health activist Dr. Ricardo Baruch, another author of this letter, who has been pushing for the vaccine to be licensed since the beginning of this outbreak, says, When we first read the article, we are very encouraged because high-level officials from the Mexican Ministry of Health expressed an opinion that was fully aligned with our advocacy efforts, as well as with the recommendations of the WHO, the EU and the CDC. However," he continues, "This was not what happened: Despite trying to raise awareness among officials in many ways, they have been reluctant to authorize its use."

After many unsuccessful attempts to convince Ministry of Health officials to follow the science and approve the use of mpox vaccines in Mexico, activists and public health professionals decided to write a reply to The Lancet to highlight the contradiction and express their concern. The letter was accepted and finally published by the same magazine in its correspondence section titled "MPOX vaccines are needed in Mexico, on March 6, 2023. The authors of the letter highlight the discrepancy between words and actions and that, to date, mpox vaccines are not yet authorized for use by any person at serious risk in the country and they have not been purchased from the public sector either.

It has been demonstrated that vulnerable populations in Mexico need access to this vaccine that saves lives in the most serious cases and avoids unnecessary suffering in mild or not-so-serious cases. Currently, the only Mexicans who have been able to get vaccinated against mpox are those who have had money and/or a visa to travel to the United States, Canada, or Europe.

Mpox is a viral disease that was rarely seen outside of Africa until last year but has since affected more than 86,000 people in more than 110 countries and territories. Among the countries most impacted by the disease is Mexico, which has repeatedly been among the top ten countries, not only with the highest number of accumulated cases of mpox since the beginning of this outbreak, but also with the highest number of new cases in 2023.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is a global non-profit organization providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to over 1.7 million people in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Europe. We are currently the largest non-profit provider of HIV/AIDS medical care in the world. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare.

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LATIN AMERICA MEDIA CONTACT:

Sergio Lagarde Moguel

AHF Latin America & Caribbean Bureau

Marketing, Advocacy & PR Director

[email protected]



US MEDIA CONTACT:

Ged Kenslea, Senior Director, Communications, AHF

+1 323 308 1833 work +1.323.791.5526 mobile

[email protected]



Denys Nazarov, Director of Global Policy and

Communications, AHF

+1 323.308.1829

[email protected]

Source: AIDS Healthcare Foundation
The partnership will enable Puro to become a data-led cannabis cultivator, streamline its operations & adhere to the highest pharmaceutical standards.

MARLBOROUGH, New Zealand & VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Puro, New Zealands largest and most successful cultivator of medicinal cannabis, has selected Elevated Signals as its manufacturing execution system (MES). Following a rigorous procurement process that evaluated multiple seed-to-sale and track & trace systems worldwide, Puro chose Elevated Signals for its ability to streamline operations, manage data collection, and ensure compliance with pharmaceutical standards.

Elevated Signals replaces systems of spreadsheets, paper, and outdated software with a fully-digital centralized platform that manages inventory, quality recordkeeping, compliance and environmental data. Its GMP-validated system enables significant improvements to supply chain visibility, operational productivity, and yield optimization, ultimately increasing profitability for cannabis producers.

Tom Forrest, Co-founder & Cultivation Director of Puro, said, at Puro, our focus is on cultivating the highest quality medicinal cannabis. In order to do this, we have to implement the best-in-class systems throughout our operation. Collecting data is crucial not only to achieve the best outcomes in cultivation but also to guide our decision-making and improve the productivity of our team. Elevated Signals will enable us to digitally track the entire life cycle of our crops, ensuring compliance at every stage. Both in terms of the superiority of the product and the ethos of their team, it was clear that Elevated Signals was the perfect fit for us.

Amar Singh, Co-founder & CEO of Elevated Signals, said, "our platform was built and battle-tested in Canada, the world's most stringent cannabis market, and is now used by top producers internationally. Were dedicated to bringing best practices in operational excellence to cannabis businesses across the globe, so were thrilled to be expanding into the emerging market of New Zealand through our partnership with Puro and its talented team.

In 2022 Puro was awarded a grant for NZD 13 million (CAD 11 million) from New Zealands federal government to help fast-track the countrys organic medicinal cannabis industry. Under the agreement, Puro will develop production systems, support skills and training, explore contract growing and identify pathways to market for industry growth. Elevated Signals system will play a key role in helping Puro build a comprehensive blueprint for cannabis best practices in New Zealand.

About Elevated Signals

Elevated Signals provides advanced manufacturing software for the cannabis industry. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, it is used by some of the largest cannabis operations in North America, as well as mid-sized and craft cultivators and processors worldwide. By replacing fragmented systems of spreadsheets, paper, and outdated seed-to-sale software with a fully-digital central platform, Elevated Signals unlocks supply chain visibility, operational productivity, and yield optimization, ultimately increasing profitability. More information: https://www.elevatedsignals.com/

Find out more about Puro: https://puro.co.nz/

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Libby Cutress / Dana Baranovsky

Elevated Signals

[email protected]

Source: Elevated Signals
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has signed a $200 million judgment for the parents of Noah Benardout, a 24-year-old musician who was struck and killed by a vehicle following a collision caused by a drunk driver. The landmark judgment, signed on what was scheduled to be the first day of trial, includes $100 million in past and future wrongful death damages for Noah's father, Marc, and $100 million in past and future wrongful death damages for Noah's mother, Marie. Plaintiffs are represented in the matter by Spencer Lucas, Marguerite Sanvictores, and Alec Clark of Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP. The Parties reached an agreement regarding the judgment of which the terms of payment remain confidential.

"In an instant, one drunk man behind the wheel robbed the Benardout family of their son, their brother, and their best friend -- there is no amount of money that will make them feel whole again," said lead trial attorney, Spencer Lucas. "We are honored to have stood beside Marc, Marie, and Lily in seeking justice for Noah and we are incredibly proud of the work they have done, and continue to do, to raise awareness and bring change to end the tragedies of drunk and drugged driving."

On August 1, 2019, Defendant Jacob D. Gralitzer was attending a ViacomCBS employee premiere party for the now-cancelled Comedy Central late night talk show Lights Out With David Spade. As alleged in the complaint, Defendant Gralitzer became intoxicated at the party and then proceeded to get behind the wheel of an Infiniti Q60S and drove through the streets of West Hollywood at recklessly high speeds. As Gralitzer traveled eastbound on Melrose Avenue, he violently collided with the driver of an Acura MDX traveling westbound on Melrose and making a left turn onto Martel Avenue. The intense impact of the collision caused the Acura MDX to careen onto the southwest corner of the intersection of Melrose and Martel, striking pedestrian Noah Benardout while he was standing on the sidewalk. Noah sustained major blunt force trauma to his head and died as a result of his injuries.

Following the collision, Defendant Gralitzer was criminally charged and pled no contest to felony gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. On February 1, 2022, he was sentenced to four (4) years in state prison  yet he served just six (6) weeks in Los Angeles County jail followed by seven (7) weeks in North Kern County Prison. On May 3, 2022, Gralitzer was transferred to a Male Community Reentry Program location where he will serve less than one-third of his sentence before being released later this month, due to his classification by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as a nonviolent offender.

Defendant Jacob D. Gralitzer was represented in the civil matter by Stephen C. Pasarow of Knapp, Petersen & Clarke.

Marc Benardout et al v. Jacob D. Gralitzer

Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, Central District

Case No. 19STCV32057

Hon. Yolanda Orozco

About Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP

Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP is a nationally recognized personal injury law firm representing plaintiffs in wrongful death, catastrophic injury, sexual abuse/assault, product liability, mass torts, and business litigation cases. With offices in California and Nevada, firm attorneys are repeatedly recognized for their excellence by other trial attorneys, legal organizations and publications nationwide and have dedicated themselves to obtaining justice for clients who are often dealing with a life-altering injury, death of a family member or other challenges caused by the wrongful act of another. With this mission at the heart of its work, the firm has a proven track record of obtaining significant, and often record- breaking verdicts for our clients. Learn more about our work and our attorneys at psbr.law

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Angela Bailey 909.286.4040

[email protected]

Source: Panish | Shea | Boyle | Ravipudi LLP
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Celebrating their 40th anniversary, Rubios Coastal Grill, home of The Original Fish Taco, is pleased to donate $54,846 to WILDCOAST, an organization working to conserve some of the worlds most significant coastal and marine ecosystems in the U.S. and Mexico. On January 25, guests celebrated the companys 40th anniversary and Baja roots by enjoying a total of 55,400 Original Fish Tacos for 99, the original price when Rubios first opened their doors in 1983.

We are thrilled to help raise awareness and donate to a very worthy cause near to our hearts  protecting the ocean and its ecosystem for future generations, said Rubios Co-Founder Ralph Rubio. Making this donation wouldn't be possible without the generosity of Rubios guests, and we're grateful for their ongoing support."

Rubios is continuing their year-long celebration with a Fish Taco Battle, new menu items, rebranding in each of the Rubios restaurants, and an unwavering commitment to protect the ocean.

Rubios gift will allow WILDCOAST to continue conserving our precious coastal and marine ecosystems, said WILDCOAST Director of Development Ann Wycoff. As a fellow San Diegan, I personally know how passionate Rubios is about the importance of supporting initiatives that help preserve our healthy oceans. We are incredibly thankful for Rubios generosity.

About WILDCOAST

WILDCOAST is an international team that conserves coastal and marine ecosystems and addresses climate change through natural solutions. Through the establishment and management of protected areas, the protection and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems, and partnering with local communities, WILDCOAST is currently helping to conserve more than 38.3 million acres of some of the most ecologically important coastline, ocean habitat, wetlands, islands, and wildlife-rich wilderness in the world.

About Rubios Restaurants:

Rubios first opened in 1983 in the San Diego neighborhood of Mission Bay. Today, Rubios uses responsibly sourced seafood and continues to expand its menu with innovative recipes ranging from seafood tacos and burritos to California Bowls and crisp, fresh salads. In addition, Rubios offers all-natural chicken, raised without antibiotics, and all-natural USDA Choice steak, no fried pinto beans, handmade guacamole, a variety of proprietary salsas, and craft beer and hard seltzer beverage options. The award-winning restaurant regularly receives accolades for its famous Original Fish Taco. Rubios is headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., has over 3,000 employees and currently operates nearly 160 restaurants.

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[email protected]

Source: Rubios Coastal Grill
Exec who helped build and run Wells Fargos near $1 trillion servicing portfolio brings ops expertise to accelerate Sagents modernization of servicing software

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sagent, a Warburg Pincus-backed fintech software company modernizing mortgage servicing for banks and lenders, today appointed former Wells Fargo and Homepoint Financial top servicing executive Perry Hilzendeger as EVP of Servicing, reporting to CEO Dan Sogorka. The move doubles down on Sagents stance that nuanced, technical software powering Americas highly regulated $13 trillion mortgage servicing sector must be built and led by servicing operators who get the details.

Perry will help refine Sagents cloud-native, open-API servicing and default platforms, ensure theyre relevant for our customers multivariate and complex use cases, and help drive adoption of our platforms with major bank and nonbank servicers, said Sagent CEO Dan Sogorka. Perry will also lead Sagents relationships with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Ginnie Mae, and work with regulators to ensure responsible, compliant innovation as we modernize our industry.

Most recently, Hilzendeger was President of Servicing for Homepoint Financial, helping it become one of Americas fastest growing nonbank servicers with modern technology and expert customer service. Prior to that, he served in key Wells Fargo executive leadership roles, including head of retail and servicing operations, leading Americas largest mortgage servicer with a $954 billion portfolio*.

Hilzendegers focus has been on building, developing, and growing high-performing teams in both bank and nonbank mortgage lending and servicing organizations. His Sagent responsibilities will include driving granular and nuanced innovations and execution across scaled operations with an emphasis on the customer experience and compliant programming. He joins Sagents deep bench of subject matter experts with long resumes in the servicing trenches.

Successfully powering Americas $13 trillion mortgage servicing sector requires expertise in both technology and operations, and Sagent is the only scale software provider with both, said Hilzendeger. They already had a formidable team of servicing software specialists, then doubled it with their acquisition of Mr. Coopers industry-best fintech team. Im honored to join these and other servicing and fintech pros like COO Marianne Sullivan to fundamentally change the dynamics of Americas housing ecosystem and deliver positive homeowner outcomes.

Sagent has the industrys only enterprise, default, and consumer mortgage servicing platforms that are all synced by real-time-data. This is the latest in a series of Sagent moves to transform the homeowner experience for financial orgs servicing millions of consumers with trillions in mortgage balances.

About Sagent

Sagent powers Americas top bank and nonbank lenders to engage, care for, retain, and modernize the homeownership experience for millions of borrowers. Servicers use our flexible, scalable, and configurable solutions to engage borrowers and earn customer loyalty, lower servicing costs, ensure compliance, and increase the value of servicing rights throughout full market cycles. Sagent is backed by Warburg Pincus, one of the worlds leading private equity investors, and powers trillions in outstanding mortgage servicing for its customers. Visit www.sagent.com to learn more.

*According to Inside Mortgage Finance as of 4Q22.

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Chelsea Mize

Director of Marketing

[email protected]

(208) 220-4654

Source: Sagent
Schneider Electric earns Women in Governance Parity Certification in Canada.

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- To mark International Womens Day, Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, is pleased to announce it has earned Silver-level Parity Certification by Women in Governance (WiG) for its commitments to gender parity in workplace practices.

With the theme of #EmbraceEquity leading the conversation for International Womens Day, Schneider Electric is doing their part and committing to fostering a more equitable working environment for employees. Schneider is being recognized by WiG for their efforts to promote a progressively-equitable workplace through policies and practices to showcase their efforts to reach gender parity.

We are pleased to be awarded with this certification to spotlight our commitment to equity in the workplace, said Claire Guichard, Vice President, Human Resources, Schneider Electric. We live in a wonderfully diverse world that brings new levels of innovation and creativity to workplaces. Our focused attention on gender parity and equitable practices ensures employees are uniquely valued and are part of an inclusive environment so they can develop and contribute their very best.

Women in Governance Parity Certification: The Women in Governance Parity Certification involves a thorough review of an organizations position on gender parity as it relates to the strategies, actions and results they yield to reach parity in the workplace. To be awarded with this certification, companies are reviewed by three primary drivers: governance and vision, collective enablers, and equity. These key areas focus on the multiple impacts of diversity in womens career advancement, demonstrating an equitable representation of women at all levels of Schneider Electric, including promotion, recruitment and compensation.

Schneider Electric continually sustains an equitable workplace through their policies and practices, including but not limited to:

Recognized for their Global Pay Equity initiative: In early 2023, Schneider Electric was recognized by the World Economic Forum for promoting inclusion and care, and advancing the pay equity across all locations. Schneider Electrics Global Pay Equity initiative began in 2014 with pilots in 12 countries. Since then, it has been implemented in over 100 countries, reaching 99.6 percent of the companys total workforce. Schneider is also committed to attaining and maintaining a pay gap of

Global Family Leave Policy: this family-friendly policy supports a healthy work-life balance and allows employees to take time off for lifes moments that matter the most. This year, Schneider Electric has implemented its Global Family Leave Policy 2.0 to reflect the changing dynamics of families, and includes increased paid time off for primary and secondary parental leave and for care leave.

Schneider Women in Leadership: a global mentorship program is available to harness the leadership growth of women at Schneider Electric. The company also has an Open Talent tool, an AI-driven career management platform, to match all employees skills and ambitions to career opportunities and projects within the Schneider Electric ecosystem.

Schneider Electric continually tracks and measures its gender equity performance and assesses policies to maintain equitable practices. In fact, the companys Schneider Sustainability Impact (SSI) program features global and local targets to meet Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments, among which, includes quarterly progress on Schneider Electrics equity and gender balance commitments. Learn more here. See the latest SSI results.

About Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric is an #ImpactCompany that provides energy and automation digital solutions to drive efficiency and sustainability for all. We combine world-leading energy technologies, real-time automation, software and services into integrated solutions for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries. We make process and energy safe and reliable, open and connected, and efficient and sustainable. www.se.com/ca

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Media: Media Relations - Edelman on behalf of Schneider Electric, Juan Pablo Guerrero

Phone: +1 416 875 7173, Email: [email protected]

Source: Schneider Electric
EL PASO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- SYNAPS Dx (SDx), a privately held company focused on the research, development and commercialization of a diagnostic test for Alzheimers disease (AD), is pleased to announce that the Advanced Neurology, Epilepsy and Sleep Centers (ANESC) with locations in the El Paso, Texas area will be among the first in the country to offer area residents access to DISCERN, a minimally invasive diagnostic test. DISCERN assesses the factors directly related to the formation of synaptic connections in the brain, impacting loss of memory and cognition in people living with AD, as well as regulators of amyloid plaque and tau formationhallmarks of AD at autopsy. The test is the first of its kind to earn Proprietary Laboratory Analyses (PLA) Codes 206U and 207U, has received Breakthrough Designation by the FDA and has been reimbursed for people insured with Medicare Fee-For-Service.

Dr. Aamr Herekar, CEO, ANESC, says, With the significant rates of dementia in El Paso, ANESC is proud to be among the first practices to offer the DISCERN test to our community and looks forward to better serving patients living with dementia. Individuals, families and caregivers can now benefit from the determination of whether a patient truly has AD or another form of dementia, which is becoming increasingly important as disease modifying therapies such as lecanemab are introduced. DISCERN complements other diagnostic tools which can help detect AD years in advance and make appropriate treatment changes to positively impact patient outcomes.

AD is a major public health issue in Texas, and according to the Alzheimers Association, approximately 400,000 Texans are living with AD. The Texas State Plan for Alzheimers Disease 2019-2023 includes emerging issues and trends identified by various health and government organizations, as well as strategies on the following topics:

Improving early detection of, reducing disease onset risks for, and improving treatment of AD and other dementias

Educating health care professionals, caregivers and the public

Providing caregiver support

Advancing research related to AD and other dementias

Collecting and evaluating information on efforts to prevent and treat AD and other dementias.

In 2018, approximately 1.4 million unpaid caregivers provided care to Texans with AD, which equates to 1.6 billion hours of unpaid care at a cost of approximately $20.6 billion per year. Nationally, the economic burden of AD is estimated at over $290 billion.

Texans are among the first in the nation to have access to DISCERN which has demonstrated >95% specificity and sensitivity in identifying AD, even in people recently diagnosed with dementia, says Frank Amato, CEO and president, SDx. DISCERN has been tested through long duration, autopsy-validated, blinded clinical trials with reference to the National Institutes of Health criteria that define AD at autopsy.

About SYNAPS Dx

SYNAPS Dx is a privately held company focused on the research, development and commercialization of a diagnostic test for Alzheimers disease (AD). The Company offers DISCERN, the first highly accurate, minimally invasive test supporting a clinicians definitive diagnosis of AD versus other forms of dementia, even in people recently diagnosed with dementia. SYNAPS Dxs laboratory is certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) as qualified to perform high complexity clinical laboratory testing. Physicians and patients seeking more information can visit https://discerntest.com/. For more information on the Company, visit https://www.synapsdx.com/. Contact: [email protected].

About Advanced Neurology, Epilepsy and Sleep Centers (ANESC)

Advanced Neurology, Epilepsy and Sleep Centers, in El Paso, Texas, provides a comprehensive range of neurological testing and treatments for patients from the age of 12 and above. Together with its sister company, Advanced Neuro Research Centers, ANESC is the largest integrated clinical and research neurology practice in West Texas with 5 clinic locations, in-house IV infusion units, 3 sleep centers, in-patient epilepsy monitoring unit and 2 state-of-the art clinical research laboratories for investigational therapies and diagnostics tests. Led by board-certified neurologist, Dr. Aamr Herekar and his team, the practice helps patients with a variety of Neurological Disorders, including back pain, Neurology, Multiple Sclerosis, Dementia, and Parkinsons disease. Visit anesc.net.

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Media:

Caroline Chambers

CPR Communications

[email protected]

201.641.1911 x 21

Source: SYNAPS Dx
TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Toku Inc, the comprehensive and global solution for token payroll and tax compliance, today announced it has raised $20 million from a consortium led by Blockchain Capital with Protocol Labs, GMJP, OrangeDAO, Orrick, Reverie, Quantstamp, Next Web Capital and prominent angel investors including Protocol Labs founder Juan Benet and Alchemy co-founders Nikil Viswanathan and Joe Lau.

Amidst an environment of increasing regulatory scrutiny in web3, Toku provides their customers peace of mind with 100% tax compliance on all token-based compensation in over 100 countries globally. Tokus growing list of customers includes Aragon, Astar, Filecoin Foundation, Gitcoin, Gnosis, Hedera Hashgraph, PleasrDAO, Protocol Labs, Teller, Safe, Storyverse, and others.

Crypto is fundamentally shifting how talent coordinates and works together. As people are paid in tokens, the need for Tokus services is clear. Co-founders Ken OFriel and Dominika Stobieckas vision at Toku is setting the bar for what it means to offer compliant and comprehensive employment services to all Web3 contributors and employees alike, said Kinjal Shah, General Partner at Blockchain Capital.

Tokus comprehensive suite of services include: Token-based payroll, token-based grant administration, employment and tax compliance, and WorkDAO  a unique set of employment and compensation services tailored for the needs of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs).

Christoph Simmchen, co-founder of Gnosis Safe, said, Toku is on the front lines of solving operational challenges of hiring and compensating contributors. We needed a partner that understands token payroll and token grant administration in different countries. Tokus services allow each contributor to focus on their tasks while knowing their compensation is handled compliantly. They are a partner to us and the broader ecosystem.

Toku has rapidly emerged as a leader in token compensation. Since the beginning, we have brought on board stakeholders who share our vision of the future and understand the problem space from different perspectives, said co-founder and CEO Ken OFriel.

Toku was founded in 2021 after co-founders OFriel and Stobiecka were working in Japan, and met Michael Carter (StartX, Playco) who incubated the company and agreed to join as Chairman of the Board. Toku further evolved through the teams conviction that nearly all tokens, irrespective of their many and varied real-world applications, can and are being used to compensate employees. For this reason, token-based compensation and tax compliance is a problem that affects the entire crypto ecosystem. Toku brought in senior legal partners from Goodwin  Craig Schmitz  and Orrick  Clem Roberts and Joseph Perkins  who invested and played an instrumental role in the legal infrastructure and product design. Founding investors Walter Kortschak (Summit Partners, Firestreak Ventures) and Josh Buckley (Buckley Ventures) also joined Toku's Board of Directors.

This investment will accelerate Tokus global expansion and scale its platform to support the entire crypto ecosystem. There are clear laws and regulations around how people get employed and compensated that have been around for hundreds of years. These laws arent going away, and organizations need to follow them for the industry to grow. Our vision is to make it simple for organizations, from traditional companies to DAOs, to compensate their employees and contractors with tokens globally, added OFriel.

Additional investors in the round include Justin Waldron (Zynga), Peter Bell (Amity), Matt Ocko (DCVC), Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, Richard Ma (Quantstamp), Lee Wittlinger (Silverlake), Harry Stebbings (20vc), Cameron Teitelman (StartX), Tashi Nakanishi (Dreamers & Hartbeat), Eiji Araki (GREE), Batara Eto (East VC), Joi Ito, Michael Gruen, Jesse Clayburgh (Protocol Labs), Phil Karl (Protocol Labs), Ryan Berkun (Teller), TJ Kawamura (Everyrealm), Marshall Sandman (Animal Capital), Paul Veradittakit (Pantera), Teddy Cross (Instaco), and Griffin Johnson (Animal Capital).

For more information visit www.toku.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005608/en/

Media Inquiries:

[email protected]

Source: Toku Inc
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Yesterday, UNITE HERE Local 11 sent a letter to Machine Investment Group, Ten Five Hospitality, Taconic Capital, and Miramar Capital, reminding those investors and the operator of the Tommie and Thompson Hotels in Hollywood, California, of their predecessors commitment to union neutrality at those hotels.

The letter informed the investors and the hotel operator of an arbitration decision dated May 20, 2022, in which an arbitrator determined that Hyatt Hotels Corporation, the former hotel manager and current franchisor of the hotels, must comply with a union neutrality agreement and ensure that any successors also agree to union neutrality. While Hyatt persuaded a federal district court judge to overturn the arbitrators award in late 2022, Local 11 immediately appealed and the case is now pending in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Regardless of the outcome of the appeal, Hyatt is still required to ensure that successor hotel operators agree to union neutrality.

Workers at these hotels have the right to organize free from employer coercion, said Kurt Petersen, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11. This letter reminds investors that the case is ongoing and Local 11 intends to vigorously pursue its rights.

Even before they opened in 2021, the Tommie and Thompson Hotels have operated under a cloud. After bailing out the original hotel developer, Relevant Group, in 2021, Taconic Capital and Machine Investment Group scheduled UCC foreclosure auctions for the properties. Originally scheduled for December 21, 2022, the foreclosure auctions were delayed until this month. In the meantime, the food and beverage operator at the Thompson now faces a federal unfair labor practice charge alleging that it unlawfully fired three workers after they engaged in protected, concerted labor activity regarding working conditions at the hotel. The allegations are under investigation by the National Labor Relations Board.

UNITE HERE Local 11 is a labor union representing over 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona who work in hotels, restaurants, universities, convention centers, and airports.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005661/en/

Maria Hernandez | 623-340-8047 | [email protected]

Source: UNITE HERE Local 11
THE WOODLANDS, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Vitrian, a national platform providing an end-to-end solution for mission-critical biomanufacturing facilities, and The Howard Hughes Corporation (NYSE: HHC) announced today their formation of a joint venture to develop cGMP/Biomanufacturing facilities in HHCs award-winning master planned community of The Woodlands.

Building upon the rapidly growing cluster of life science research and development and biomanufacturing in The Woodlands, anchored by Cellipont Bioservices, Millipore Sigma, VGXI, and KBI Biopharma, among others, the Vitrian/HHC venture is positioned to meet the needs of companies focused on in-house manufacturing (from biopharma to industrial biology) as well as contract development manufacturing organizations (CDMOs).

The Woodlands has emerged as an attractive location for advanced biomanufacturing given its strength of the healthcare industry within the community with Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center and its position within the Greater Houston region with its global healthcare leadershipin clinical trials and patient care through the Texas Medical Center. Healthcare is The Woodlands largest employment sector, highlighted by the deeply skilled workforce living in the communitysought after for its top-ranked quality-of-life, amenities, and walkable urban center that makes The Woodlands a compelling option for life science companies and businesses in general looking to attract and retain todays top talent.

Vitrian is excited to join The Howard Hughes Corporation in developing next-generation cGMP facilities in The Woodlands, said Scott Nudelman, co-founder and managing principal of Vitrian. Our experience partnering with Cellipont Bioservices on their new headquarters and manufacturing site in The Woodlands Research Forestas well as our overall engagement in the Greater Houston regionhas convinced us that we are in the early innings of growth in biomanufacturing. The dynamic environment and amenity base created and nurtured by Howard Hughes provides a unique place to attract and retain life science companies and their workforce.

This joint venture further diversifies the innovative industries that are represented in The Woodlands with the advancement of life science, said Jim Carman, President of the Houston Region for The Howard Hughes Corporation. The Woodlands continues to attract companies from a variety of industries seeking a highly-skilled talent pool, business-friendly environment, and high quality of life for their employees.

About Vitrian

Vitrian is the first fully integrated company dedicated exclusively to providing end-to-end solutions for biomanufacturing and cGMP facilities. Its mission is to foster the next generation of drugs and therapies through facility real estate development, improving the capitalization process, and building capacity for future growth through civic engagement and workforce development. Vitrian is a member of the Greater Houston Partnerships Life Sciences committee and is actively engaged in training/capacity building for entry-level biomanufacturing workforce. Vitrians current engagements span modalities from advanced therapeutics to synthetic biology to regenerative medicine. For more information, visit www.vitrian.com.

About The Howard Hughes Corporation

The Howard Hughes Corporation owns, manages and develops commercial, residential and mixed-use real estate throughout the U.S. Its award-winning assets include the country's preeminent portfolio of master planned cities and communities, as well as operating properties and development opportunities including: the Seaport in New York City; Downtown Columbia, Maryland; The Woodlands, The Woodlands Hills, and Bridgeland in the Greater Houston, Texas area; Summerlin, Las Vegas; Ward Village in Honolulu, Hawai'i; and Teravalis in the Greater Phoenix, Arizona area. The Howard Hughes Corporation's portfolio is strategically positioned to meet and accelerate development based on market demand, resulting in one of the strongest real estate platforms in the country. Dedicated to innovative place making, the company is recognized for its ongoing commitment to design excellence and to the cultural life of its communities. The Howard Hughes Corporation is traded on the New York Stock Exchange as HHC.

About The Woodlands

The Woodlands, a 28,500-acre award-winning master planned community located 27 miles north of downtown Houston, was recognized two consecutive years, 2022 and 2021, as the #1 Best Community to Live in America by Niche. The Woodlands offers an unprecedented 28% of green space, leading the way among master planned communities that practice environmental preservation. It is home to 120,000 people, and nearly 67,000 people work in the community. The Woodlands has received numerous past accolades including the Vision Award, Development of Distinction from the Urban Land Institute; three-time honoree of Master Planned Community of the Year, four-time recipient of Humanitarian of the Year and Trailblazer of the Year in 2018 by the Greater Houston Builders Association; American Trails Developer Award; Environmental Planning Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects, Texas Chapter Houston Section. The Woodlands is a community of The Howard Hughes Corporation, which supports over 180 local causes in the Houston region through its HHCares program. For more information, visit thewoodlands.com. For additional details, find us on Facebook and Twitter.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230307005930/en/

Vitrian

Marty Schnider

Director, Investor Relations

[email protected]

The Howard Hughes Corporation

Lorrie Parise

Director, PR & Community Relations

[email protected]

Source: Vitrian
Franco-Nevada Corporation ("Franco-Nevada" or the "Company") (TSX: FNV) (NYSE: FNV) has been advised by its partner First Quantum Minerals Ltd. ("First Quantum") of the following:

First Quantum's subsidiary, Minera Panama, S.A. ("MPSA"), has agreed and finalized the draft of a concession contract (the "Proposed Concession Contract") with the Government of Panama for the Cobre Panama mine. The Proposed Concession Contract will have an initial 20-year term, with a 20-year extension option and additional extensions for the life of mine

The Proposed Concession Contract is subject to a 30-day public consultation process and approvals by the Panamanian Cabinet, Comptroller General of the Republic and the National Assembly

The Panama Maritime Authority has confirmed that it will issue a resolution today for MPSA to resume concentrate loading operations at the Punta Rincon port. Ore processing is expected to resume and restore the mine to full production levels over the next several days

For more detailed information, including certain key terms of the Proposed Concession Contract, please refer to First Quantum's press release dated March 8, 2023.

For more information, please go to our website at www.franco-nevada.com
Stellantis (NYSE: STLA) announced Wednesday in a press release that the automaker has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) to develop a manufacturing facility in South Africa.

The signing ceremony took place at the office of Mr. Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, and was attended by Mr. TP Nchocho, CEO of the IDC, Mr. Samir Cherfan, Stellantis Middle East and Africa Chief Operating Officer, and Mr. Leslie Ramsoomar, Stellantis South Africa Managing Director.

I am pleased that Stellantis is looking to South Africa to expand its manufacturing footprint, Mr. Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition said today. The company is a large global- automaker, with a range of well-known brands. South Africa is a great investment destination with significant car-making capacity. We look forward to working closely with Stellantis to enable the company to set up a plant that will expand our manufacturing base and create local jobs, he said.

This is an important step in our Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan towards strengthening our leadership in the Middle East and Africa region and becoming a major player in South Africa, said Mr. Samir Cherfan, Stellantis Middle East and Africa Chief Operating Officer. The manufacturing site in South Africa will be a new building block in our industrialization strategy that includes the plan to sell one million vehicles in the region by 2030 with 70% regional production autonomy and will bring us closer to our customers needs in the region.

The plan is for the factory to be built in a South African Special Economic Zone (SEZ), with the aim to complete this manufacturing project by 2025.

An investment partner like Stellantis is an amazing opportunity for South Africa, said Mr. TP Nchocho, CEO of the IDC. Their track record in manufacturing plants around the world is impressive and we look forward to a joint venture with Stellantis to build a successful plant in South Africa. Another brick in the foundation towards our target of producing a million cars locally in SA.

Shares of STLA are up 0.49% in pre-market trading on Wednesday.

By Michael Elkins | [email protected]
Stellantis and the South African Authorities Sign Framework Agreement to Manufacture Vehicles in South Africa

Stellantis signs Memorandum of Understanding with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) to develop a manufacturing facility in South Africa

Cements the Regions Dare Forward 2030 ambition to sell one million vehicles by 2030 with 70% regional production autonomy

Strengthens position in South African market with manufacturing project to be completed by 2025

Stellantis has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) to develop a manufacturing facility in South Africa. The signing ceremony took place at the office of Mr. Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, and was attended by Mr. TP Nchocho, CEO of the IDC, Mr. Samir Cherfan, Stellantis Middle East and Africa Chief Operating Officer, and Mr. Leslie Ramsoomar, Stellantis South Africa Managing Director.

I am pleased that Stellantis is looking to South Africa to expand its manufacturing footprint, Mr. Ebrahim Patel, Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition said today. The company is a large global- automaker, with a range of well-known brands. South Africa is a great investment destination with significant car-making capacity. We look forward to working closely with Stellantis to enable the company to set up a plant that will expand our manufacturing base and create local jobs, he said.

This is an important step in our Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan towards strengthening our leadership in the Middle East and Africa region and becoming a major player in South Africa, said Mr. Samir Cherfan, Stellantis Middle East and Africa Chief Operating Officer. The manufacturing site in South Africa will be a new building block in our industrialization strategy that includes the plan to sell one million vehicles in the region by 2030 with 70% regional production autonomy and will bring us closer to our customers needs in the region.

The manufacturing plant is planned for setup in a South African Special Economic Zone (SEZ). The aim is to complete this manufacturing project by 2025.

An investment partner like Stellantis is an amazing opportunity for South Africa, said Mr. TP Nchocho, CEO of the IDC. Their track record in manufacturing plants around the world is impressive and we look forward to a joint venture with Stellantis to build a successful plant in South Africa. Another brick in the foundation towards our target of producing a million cars locally in SA.
Paid press release content from Evertise Financial. The StreetInsider.com news staff was not involved in its creation.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, March 8, 2023 / The Women Automotive Network celebrated International Womens Day on Tuesday, March 7th, with a LinkedIn LIVE virtual event that brought together inspiring women from the automotive industry to discuss leadership, career development, and other critical elements for professional growth.

The event featured a panel of accomplished female professionals from leading automotive companies, including Berveleen Mashonga, Product Manager at Hyundai Mobis; Gulnaz Ones, Global CIO at Mercedes-Benz Mobility; Judith Gaspar, Talent Management in EMEA at Flex; Daniela Behrens, Business Development Manager at Flex; Melanie Schuttenberg, Vice President of Business Development at Flex; Virginia Lin, Strategic Marketing at Subaru of America; and Katrin Zimmermann, Managing Director  Americas at TLGG.

Throughout the event, the speakers shared their experiences, challenges, and strategies for success in the automotive industry. The panel covered a range of topics, including leadership, career development, diversity, and inclusion.

Thank you so much for the chance to meet and hear so many amazing women in automotive, said an attendee, Their stories will inspire and empower other women in the industry to reach their full potential.

Speaking at the event, Gulnaz Ones, Global CIO, of Mercedes-Benz Mobility said Create an environment of physical and mental wellbeing so the team feel comfortable in the way they bring their contribution.

Judith Gaspar, Talent Management in EMEA, Flex, also stated four major Undermining habits to avoid being: Of out-of-power language, overexplaining, diminishing your achievement, hiding behind opinion questions, and drawing attention to mistakes.

Women Automotive Network would like to extend its gratitude to the speakers for their valuable contributions to the event and the companies that attended.

For those who missed the event, the Women Automotive Spring Meetup will be held on May 23rd. Interested parties can register for the event and take advantage of the early bird discount by visiting the link.

About Women Automotive Intl.

Women Automotive Network is a community dedicated to empowering women in the Automotive industry. Our focus is on diversity, technology, and career advancement, providing a platform for networking, professional development, and advocacy. We collaborate with the worlds leading manufacturers, suppliers, tech companies, consultancies and more, to support and celebrate women in automotive with our activities. Join 22,000+ people who are driving change and making an impact and be part of our events, mentorship programmes, job opportunities, Newsletter updates, and more.

Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter

Contact:

Caleb Essang

Worldwide Partnerships

+44 7467 253223
FILE PHOTO: A journalist attends the presentation of the new iPhone 14 at an Apple event, at their headquarters in Cupertino, California, U.S. September 7, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

(Reuters) - Apple Inc is backing a music startup launched by one of its former executives.

The company, called Gamma, is the brainchild of former Apple Music Global Creative Director Larry Jackson and veteran music executive Ike Youssef. It positions itself as an alternative to traditional record labels.

"The artists shaping today's culture not only create music, but also video, film, podcasts, fashion, and more," Jackson said in a statement Wednesday. "They shouldn't have to jump through multiple hoops to express themselves.

Gamma says it will support content creation -- whether that is music, video or podcasts, and provide audio and video distribution through Vydia, a company it acquired in December 2022.

Early projects will include work with Snoop Dogg and his Death Row catalog, Rick Ross, and Naomi Campbell, Gamma said. It also plans to collaborate with Todd Boehly's Eldridge, whose investments include the Los Angeles Dodgers, which is a major backer.

The independent studio A24 is among the start-up's investors. Gamma declined to comment on a published report that it has access to about $1 billion in capital.

(Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Editing by Sandra Maler)
By Stephen Nellis

(Reuters) - Humane Inc, a startup founded by former Apple Inc employees, said on Wednesday it has raised $100 million and will release its first products this spring.

The company, founded in 2018 by Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno, has now raised $241 million but has yet to disclose what it is building, saying only that it is a "software platform and consumer device built from the ground up for artificial intelligence."

A video posted by the company and patent filings suggest that a wearable device will project information onto the real world and allow users to manipulate that information with their hands.

Humane also said that it is collaborating with OpenAI, the creator of AI products such as ChatGPT that can generate human-like conversational text and Dall-E that can generate images, to integrate OpenAI's technology into Humane's device.

Sam Altman, OpenAI's founder and a previous Humane investor, participated in funding round on Wednesday, the company said.

Humane also said that Microsoft Corp, which has built a massive cloud computing infrastructure specifically for AI, took part in the funding round.

Humane said it will partner with Microsoft's cloud to bring Humane's software services platform to market.

"Our products are built on an integrated device and cloud platform that will allow us, and others, to create AI-driven experiences that feel natural, fun and needed," Patrick Gates, another Apple veteran who is Humane's chief technology officer, said in a statement.

Humane also said that it is working with Korean electronics giant LG Electronics Inc "on potential (research and development) projects for the next phase of Humane products" and with Volvo Car's Tech Fund on "a potential future collaboration which would be the first example of Humanes offering being applied to the automotive industry."

(Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
FILE PHOTO: Boeing 777X and Boeing 737 MAX 10 airplanes are seen parked in an aerial view at King County International Airport-Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, U.S, June 1, 2022. REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson/File Photo

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is ramping up oversight of Boeing and plans to add nearly 300 employees to its safety office following two fatal 737 MAX crashes in recent years, the agency's acting head said on Wednesday.

Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen told the Senate Commerce Committee that the aviation safety office, which currently has 7,489 employees, plans to have 7,775 by the end of September. The committee held a hearing on FAA safety reforms that Congress directed in 2020 after the 737 MAX crashes killed 346 people in 2018 and 2019.

The FAA currently has 107 full-time staff members providing regulatory oversight on Boeing, up from 82 just a couple of years ago, Nolen said.

Additionally, he said the FAA has augmented its Boeing oversight team with the equivalent of 35 full-time employees from across the agency to support oversight activities.

Boeing declined to comment.

A 2020 House of Representatives report said the two fatal 737 MAX crashes "were the horrific culmination of a series of faulty technical assumptions by Boeings engineers, a lack of transparency on the part of Boeings management, and grossly insufficient oversight by the FAA."

Nolen told reporters the agency is continuing the review tow new versions of the MAX -- the MAX 7 and 737 10 -- for certification but declined to offer a timetable for when they might be approved. "Safety will dictate that timeline," Nolen said.

Nolen said he met with Boeing last month. "We've had a good level of responsiveness with Boeing," Nolen said. "They are committed to the process."

Boeing in 2021 agreed to pay $6.6 million in penalties after the FAA said it failed to comply with a 2015 safety agreement and cited other safety concerns.

The FAA has closely scrutinized Boeing's quality and other issues in recent years. The FAA continues to inspect each 737 MAX and 787 aircraft before an "airworthiness certificate is issued and cleared for delivery." Typically the FAA delegates airplane ticketing authority to the manufacturer.

During the hearing, Republican Senator J.D. Vance raised questions about two recent Boeing 737 MAX flights and asked whether the 737 MAX was actually safe after the FAA mandated safety and software updates before lifting a 20-month grounding in late 2020.

"I can say categorically that the 737 MAX airplane is safe," said Nolen.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Josie Kao)
Greenville, South Carolina, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ARCpoint Inc. (TSXV: ARC) (the Company or ARCpoint) a leading US-based franchise system and healthcare company providing drug testing, alcohol screening, DNA and clinical lab testing services announced today that it is undertaking a realignment of its business units and operations to effect cost savings, given reduced revenues and better align its structure with business development activities.

ARCpoint CEO, John Constantine commented, Over the last two years our corporate efforts have been focused on developing our technology platform, processes, and franchisee network. While we continue to have a focus on building out our franchisee network, it is now time to transition from the development of tools and operational processes to a focus on driving more business through our current 130 franchisee locations as well as other channels, while at the same time reducing our monthly cash burn.

Effective April 1, 2023, the Company is enacting a headcount reduction representing approximately 30% of the Companys salary costs. The majority of these cuts will take place at the upper management and executive levels, allowing the Company to continue to serve its franchisees with the same direct contacts. It is expected that after accounting for severance costs and any needed new hires, this will represent cost savings of over two-hundred thousand dollars in 2023, with annualized savings of over eight-hundred thousand dollars going forward. All dollar figures in this release are stated in US dollars.

The Company announced that as part of the Companys realignment, Dano Jukanovich, ARCpoints COO, will be leaving the Company effective April 1, 2023.

Mr. Constantine stated, We are grateful to all the leaders who have helped us get to this point. We would not be where we are today without their leadership in developing the financial, operating and marketing teams that will be driving us forward. In particular, we would like to say a special thanks to Dano, who has been instrumental in helping drive the Company forward and complete our 2022 reverse takeover of RSI International Systems to become a public company.

As part of the cost-cutting process, the Company has undertaken a thorough audit of its operations and identified operational cost-saving measures representing approximately 20% of current operating costs.

ARCpoint has been a tremendous financial beneficiary of the COVID pandemic. The increased revenue from COVID testing and the successful completion of the previously announced reverse take-over transaction of RSI International Systems Inc. and concurrent financing, have helped the Company fund significant improvements to its traditional core business services and offerings with the creation of an integrated technology platform comprised of MyARCpointLabs and Total Reporting. The MyARCpointLabs portal for direct to consumer testing and deployment in alternative channels, is expected to be transformative in how consumers will be able to find and order the clinical tests that are available within the ARCpoint system. Total Reporting, the Companys Business to Business portal, will allow ARCpoints franchisees to market more services, such as background checks and employer physicals through a more efficient, integrated platform. Both MyARCpointLabs and Total Reporting are expected to be launched in the second quarter of 2023.

Preliminary Q4 Financial Results of ARCpoint GroupARCpoint is in the process of finalizing its Q4 and year end 2022 financial results in conjunction with its auditors and announces the following expected, preliminary unaudited consolidated financial results. Management intends to disclose more preliminary results for the interim and annual periods ended December 31, 2022 as they become available. All dollar figures for the results below are reported for ARCpoint Group under International Financial Reporting Standards and in US dollars.

Total revenue for the three months ended December 31, 2022 is anticipated to be around $1.3 million compared to $5.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2021. During Q4 2021, high complexity PCR testing and low complexity rapid tests volumes were higher due to the COVID pandemic.

Total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022 is anticipated to be around $10.9 million compared to $19.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The COVID pandemic resulted in a significant rise in testing revenue for ARCpoint, including revenue from both high complexity PCR testing and low complexity rapid tests.

The financial information contained in this press release relating to the interim and annual periods ended December 31, 2022 is preliminary and is based on the latest unaudited management accounts for the twelve-months ended December 31, 2022. The information contained in this press release has not been, and is not based on information that has been audited or reviewed by ARCpoints independent auditor. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these preliminary estimates.

About ARCpoint Inc.ARCpoint is a leading US-based franchise system and healthcare company providing drug testing, alcohol screening, DNA and clinical lab testing, corporate wellness programs, and employment and background screening, among other services. The Company is based in Greenville, South Carolina, USA. ARCpoint Franchise Group LLC, formed under the laws of the state of South Carolina in February 2005, is the franchisor of ARCpoint Labs and supports 130 independently owned locations. ARCpoint sells franchises to individuals throughout the United States and provides support in the form of marketing, technology and training to new franchisees. ARCpoint Corporate Labs LLC develops corporate-owned labs committed to providing accurate, cost-effective solutions for customers, businesses and physicians. AFG Services LLC serves as the innovation center of the ARCpoint group of companies as it builds a proprietary technology platform and a physician network to equip all ARCpoint labs with best-in-class tools and solutions to better serve their customers. The platform also digitalizes and streamlines administrative functions such as materials purchasing, compliance, billing and physician services for ARCpoint franchise labs and other clients.

For more information, please contact:

ARCpoint Inc.Jason Tong, Chief Financial Officer Phone: (604) 889-7827E-mail: [email protected]

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:Preliminary and unaudited financial results herein are subject to customary financial statement procedures by the Company and its auditors. Actual results could be affected by subsequent events or determinations. While the Company believes there is a reasonable basis for these preliminary financial results, the results involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially. These preliminary fiscal results represent forward-looking information.

Financial Outlook - this news release contains a financial outlook within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. The financial outlook has been prepared by management of the Company to provide an outlook for ARCpoint Groups forecasted revenue for the Q4 2022 ended December 31, 2022 and may not be appropriate for any other purpose. The financial outlook has been prepared based on a number of assumptions including the assumptions discussed under the heading Forward Looking Information below. The actual results of the Companys operations for any period will likely vary from the amounts set forth in these projections and such variations may be material. The Company and its management believe that the financial outlook has been prepared on a reasonable basis. However, since this information is highly subjective and subject to numerous risks, including the risks discussed under the heading Forward Looking Information below, it should not be relied upon as necessarily indicative of future results.

Future Looking Information  this news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws which are based on ARCpoints current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs and views of future events. Forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as expect, likely, may, will, should, intend, anticipate, potential, proposed, estimate and other similar words, including negative and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions may, would or will happen, or by discussions of strategy. Forward-looking information included in this press release includes, but is not limited to, statements in respect to the Companys forested financial results for ARCpoint Groups Q4 interim period ended December 31, 2022 and the expected timeline for deploying ARCpoints online portals.

The forward-looking information in this news release is based upon the expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and views of future events which management believes to be reasonable in the circumstances. Forward-looking information includes estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, targets, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Froward-looking information necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; loss of markets; future legislative and regulatory developments; inability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on favourable terms; the ability of the Company to implement its business strategies, the COVID-19 pandemic; competition and other risks.

Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all such factors. When considering the forward-looking information contained herein, readers should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in the Companys disclosure documents filed with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The risk factors and other factors noted in the disclosure documents could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking information.

Neither the Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this Press release.

Source: ARCpoint Inc.
BURNABY, British Columbia, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trendi, Canadas agri-food robotics company, is giving the global community a new way to help combat food waste with the creation of its first ingredients line. Officially launching at SXSW, Trendis rescued ingredients feature nutritious, sustainable, and shelf-stable powders and purees made from rescued fruits and vegetables, which can be used across a variety of industries.

Trendis rescued ingredients are currently sourced directly from farm partners in Ecuador, using misfit and unsold fruits and vegetables. At launch, they will feature four blended flavours in both powder and puree form, such as Berry Breeze, Mango Tango, Strawburst, and Groovy Guava.

When we first started Trendi, we always knew we wanted to create a product line that uses rescued fruits and vegetables, and make nutritious ingredients accessible and affordable at the same time, says Carissa Campeotto, co-founder, TrendiTech Inc. Our ingredients are versatile and have many different applications - from smoothies, baked goods, to marinades, sauces and also pet food. They will help make an impact and work towards our goal to reduce food waste in a positive way.

Both the powders and purees have intense flavours, particularly the powders because freeze-drying locks in the flavour and nutrients in about 10 percent of their original size and weight. The powders are lightweight, shelf-stable, and easy-to-store - no refrigeration is required. Both formats allow chefs and manufacturers to have flavourful natural ingredients on hand at all time while also reducing the inventory headaches of fresh ingredients that spoil quickly.

On Saturday, March 11, 2023, Trendi is hosting the Future of Food Culinary Showcase during SXSW. This event was created in collaboration with Austin Community College, where culinary students team up with local chefs to create new dishes incorporating innovative ingredients, such as Trendis rescued ingredients. Others include plant-based meats, upcycled ingredients, cultivated fats and proteins, and more.

Attendees will have the chance to taste the dishes, while celebrity chefs will judge and offer feedback on each creation.

Were sending the teams Berry Breeze and Mango Tango flavours and are excited to see what the students and chefs come up with, adds Christine Couvelier, president, Trendi. Students are our future, and Trendi has already been working with several other culinary colleges to design similar food waste innovation challenges.

Trendis rescued ingredients are already on the market, available to wholesale clients. Companies or organizations interested in trying samples or learning more can contact [email protected].

For more information about Trendi, please visit www.trendi.com.

About TrendiTech Inc.TrendiTech Inc. is a Canadian-based start-up dedicated to creating robotic product solutions for the food and beverage industry through its agri-food technology. Its mission is to rescue misfit and excess foods at the source and upcycle them into nutritious shelf-stable products for human consumption - creating a circular economy and helping to feed more people.

www.trendi.comInstagram: @trendi.technology | Facebook: TrendiTech.Technology | Linkedin: TrendiTech

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bc13a824-a987-426d-8c54-3bbc3042eb49

Trendis rescued ingredients Officially launching at SXSW, Trendis rescued ingredients feature nutritious, sustainable, and shelf-stable powders and purees made from rescued fruits and vegetables, which can be used across a variety of industries.

Source: TrendiTech Inc
MONTREAL, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Doug MacDonald, Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer (TSX: CNR) (NYSE: CNI), will address the J.P. Morgans 2023 Industrials Conference on March 15, 2023 at 8:50 a.m. Eastern Time (ET).

CN will provide a live webcast via the Investors section of its website at www.cn.ca/investors. A replay of the webcast will be available following the event.

About CNCN is a world-class transportation leader and trade-enabler. Essential to the economy, to the customers, and to the communities it serves, CN safely transports more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America every year. As the only railroad connecting Canadas Eastern and Western coasts with the U.S. South through a 18,600-mile rail network, CN and its affiliates have been contributing to community prosperity and sustainable trade since 1919. CN is committed to programs supporting social responsibility and environmental stewardship.

Contacts:

Media Investment Community Jonathan Abecassis Paul Butcher Senior Manager Vice-President Media Relations Investor Relations 438-455-3692 [email protected] (514) 399-0052 [email protected]

Source: Canadian National Railway Company
Las Vegas, Nevada., March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EKIMAS Corporation (OTC PINK: ASNB) (EKIMAS or the Company) and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Nordicus Partners A/S (Nordicus), a financial consulting company specializing in providing Nordic companies with the best possible conditions to establish themselves on the U.S. market, today announced the exercise of 115,000 warrants at $1.00 per common share. The warrants were exercised on February 14, 2023. The exercised warrants were part of an original grant of 6,000,000 warrants made in April 2022 to a private investor that is a major shareholder of EKIMAS.

Henrik Rouf, the companys CEO, stated: This injection of capital is pivotal in executing EKIMAS and Nordicus short- and long-term strategic plans. The initial tranche of $115,000 received from the Companys largest shareholder, provides us with the working capital to continue expanding our presence in the U.S. Additional funding anticipated from the exercise of the remaining warrants should provide the resources necessary to our team and brand in the Nordic region as well as the U.S.

About Nordicus Partners A/S

Nordicus Partners A/S is a Denmark-based financial consulting company and wholly-owned subsidiary of EKIMAS Corporation, specializing in providing Nordic companies with the best possible conditions to establish themselves on the U.S. market, taking advantage of managements combined +90 years of experience in the corporate sector, serving in different capacities both domestically and globally. The companys core competencies lie in assisting Danish as well as other Nordic and international companies in different areas of corporate finance activities, such as: business valuations, growth strategies, attracting capital for businesses & company acquisitions and sales.

Forward-Looking Statements

The Company believes that this press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Terms such as may, might, would, should, could, project, estimate, pro-forma, predict, potential, strategy, anticipate, attempt, develop, plan, help, believe, continue, intend, expect, future, and terms of similar import (including the negative of any of these terms) may identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements regarding the plans and objectives of management for future operations, are based on managements current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Actual results and the timing of certain events and circumstances may differ materially from those described by the forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties. Factors that may influence or contribute to the accuracy of the forward-looking statements or cause actual results to differ materially from expected or desired results may include, without limitation, market acceptance of the companys products and services; competition from existing products or new products that may emerge; the implementation of the companys business model and strategic plans for its business and our products; estimates of the companys future revenue, expenses, capital requirements and need for financing; current and future government regulations; and developments relating to the companys competitors. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because of the risks and uncertainties related to them. For further information on such risks and uncertainties, you are encouraged to review the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its Current Report on Form 8-K relating to the reverse acquisition and related transactions which was filed with the SEC on March 1, 2023. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events or developments, except as required by law.

For further information contact:

Mr. Henrik RoufChief Executive OfficerPhone +1 310 666.0750Email [email protected]

Source: EKIMAS Corporation
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Finhaven Technology Inc. entered into a memorandum of understanding with Woori FIS, Co., Ltd., a financial technology company of Woori Financial Group in Seoul, Korea at the Woori FIS headquarters. Woori FIS is a company of Woori Financial Group, a leading financial holding company in South Korea that has banking, credit cards, asset management, and financial research institute among others.

The Korea Financial Services Commission recently announced security token regulations and their roadmap of building Koreas security token ecosystem with their new regulatory framework. Against this backdrop, Finhaven and Woori FIS intend to collaborate to license and implement Finhavens security token platform in South Koreas markets.

About Woori FISWoori FIS is a leading financial technology company in South Korea with over 1,000 employees that provides a wide range of software solutions and services to financial institutions. The companys products and services include core banking systems, card and payment solutions, risk management tools, and digital banking platforms. The companys solutions are designed to help financial institutions improve their operational efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance customers experience.

About FinhavenFinhaven simplifies and improves business transactions using blockchain technology. Finhaven built the Finhaven Investment Platform in its distributed network. Finhaven Technology Inc., Finhaven Capital Inc. (operator of Finhaven Private Markets), Finhaven Gateway Inc. and Finhaven Asia, Inc. are the Finhaven companies. Finhaven Technology Inc. licenses the platform and plans to release the platforms SaaS products.

Press Contact:[email protected]

Source: Finhaven
(In United States dollars, except where noted otherwise)

TORONTO, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Quantum Minerals Ltd. (First Quantum or the Company), today announced that its Panamanian subsidiary, Minera Panama, S.A. (MPSA), has agreed and finalized the draft of a concession contract (the Proposed Concession Contract) with the Government of Panama (the Government) for the Cobre Panama mine.

The Proposed Concession Contract meets the objectives outlined by the Government in January 2022 related to government revenues, environmental protections and labour standards. It also provides legal protections necessary to both parties to ensure durability and stability. The Proposed Concession Contract is subject to a 30-day public consultation process and approvals by the Panamanian Cabinet, Comptroller General of the Republic and the National Assembly. The Proposed Concession Contract will have an initial 20-year term, with a 20-year extension option and additional extensions for the life of mine.

Additionally, the Panama Maritime Authority has confirmed that it will issue a resolution today for MPSA to resume concentrate loading operations at the Punta Rincon port. Ore processing is expected to resume and restore the mine to full production levels over the next several days.

Tristan Pascall, Chief Executive Officer, said, After a lengthy and arduous negotiation process, the finalized Proposed Concession Contract outlines the basis for the future of Cobre Panama for all stakeholders, including the Government, our investors and the country of Panama. I am pleased that we now have a pathway to continuing our ongoing substantial investments in the country. I wish to thank our Panamanian and international employees and their families and our suppliers for their patience and resilience during this time. We now await formal approval of the Proposed Concession Contract and look forward to a long and constructive partnership with the Government of Panama for many years to come.

The Proposed Concession Contract will include the following principal economic terms once it takes effect:

Payment by MPSA of $375 million plus an additional $20 million to cover taxes and royalties up to the year end 2022

Payment by MPSA starting in 2023 of an annual minimum contribution of $375 million in Government income, comprised of corporate taxes, withholding taxes and a profit-based mineral royalty of 12 to 16 percent, with downside protections

Downside protections to the annual minimum contribution under the following conditions: Until the end of 2025, copper price below $3.25 per pound From 2026 and beyond, a total tax contribution for that year of less than $300 million



Applicable royalty rate at various operating margins as shown below:

Operating Margin Effective Royalty Rate 0% - 20% 12% >20% - 30% 13% >30% - 40% 14% >40% - 50% 15% > 50% 16%

Application of the general regime of income tax, including deductions for depletion, and withholding taxes in Panama.

For further information, visit our website at www.first-quantum.com or contact:

Bonita To, Director, Investor Relations (416) 361-6400 Toll-free: 1 (888) 688-6577E-Mail: [email protected]

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON 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. The forward-looking statements in this news release include statements as to the Proposed Concession Contract meeting the Governments objectives as to revenues, environmental protections and labour standards and containing long-term legal protections necessary and the effects thereof; the Proposed Concession Contract being subject to a public consultation process and to approvals by the Panamanian Cabinet, Comptroller General and National Assembly; the initial term and extension term of the Proposed Concession Contract; the principal terms of the Proposed Concession Contract such as the annual minimum contribution by MPSA of US$375 million, the applicable royalty rate and downside protections for copper price or copper production levels; and the expected timing of commencement of concentrate loading operations at Punta Rincon and of full restoration of production at Cobre Panama. With respect to forward-looking statements and information contained herein, the Company has made numerous assumptions, including as to the receipt of necessary approvals of the Proposed Concession Contract and the ability of the Company to remobilize its workforce and to obtain supplies and services from local Panamanian companies. 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 actual results, performance or achievements 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, political stability in Panama, potential social and environmental challenges, and events generally impacting global economic, political and social stability. There may also be other factors that cause actual results, performance, achievements or events not as anticipated, estimated or intended, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed in the Companys Annual Information Form. The Company undertakes no obligation to reissue or update forward-looking statements or information as a result of new information or events after the date hereof except as may be required by law.

Source: First Quantum Minerals Ltd.
Kia Niro voted World's Best Car for 2023 in the 2023 WWCOTY awards

The Kia Niro combines innovation and high-tech user convenience to deliver a step change in sustainable mobility

63 women motoring journalists from 43 countries across five continents choose their BEST CAR OF THE WORLD 2023

SEOUL, South Korea, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kia announced today its highly acclaimed the all-new Niro has won the World's Best Car for 2023 accolade at the 2023 Women's World Car of the Year. The announcement of the winner coincides with International Women's Day, a very special day not only because it gives women a voice but also because of the link in many countries between the automobile and personal autonomy.

Before casting their votes, the 63 motoring journalists from 43 countries tested dozens of models and evaluated every detail. In the first round of voting, the best cars in each category were chosen from a total of 59 candidates. In the second round, these finalists were used as the basis for the selection of the World's Best Car 2023. In the end, and after much scrutiny, the scales tipped heavily in favor of the Kia Niro.

The all-new Niro has been designed from the ground up to meet and exceed the expectations of eco-minded consumers. An integral part of Kias growing eco-friendly model line-up, the next-generation Niro has been designed from the ground up to meet the complex and varied needs of todays sustainability-conscious consumers.

The second generation of the Niro has already won several awards, including a Golden Steering Wheel award for the category Compact SUV and first place in the mass-market category in the J.D. Power 2022 Electric Vehicle Experience Ownership Study. Furthermore, the model was shortlisted for the 2023 World Car of the Year awards.

All voting has been verified by Grant Thornton from their office in Auckland, New Zealand. This auditor has certified the results of the WWCOTY since its inception in 2009.

For more information about the Women's World Car of the Year, please visit the official website: www.womensworldcoty.com

Kia Corporation  about us Kia (www.kia.com) is a global mobility brand with a vision to create sustainable mobility solutions for consumers, communities, and societies around the world. Founded in 1944, Kia has been providing mobility solutions for more than 75 years. With 52,000 employees worldwide, a presence in more than 190 markets, and manufacturing facilities in six countries, the company today sells around three million vehicles a year. Kia is spearheading the popularization of electrified and battery electric vehicles and developing a growing range of mobility services, encouraging millions of people around the world to explore the best ways of getting around. The companys brand slogan  Movement that inspires  reflects Kias commitment to inspire consumers through its products and services.

For more information, visit the Kia Global Media Center at www.kianewscenter.com

Media contact: Jiwon HanGlobal PR Content TeamT. +82-2-3464-8503 E. [email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ff54a0f9-39e6-4e54-b34d-7093e67439c0

Kia Niro Kia Niro Named Supreme Winner of the Womens World Car of the Year

Source: Kia Canada Inc.
ST. JOHNS, Newfoundland, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kraken Robotics Inc. (TSX-V: PNG, OTCQB: KRKNF), announces a $1.3 million purchase order from an unnamed customer for our AquaPix synthetic aperture sonars (SAS). These systems will be integrated to a NATO Navys Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) for use in minehunting and security applications. Delivery is expected in 2023.

Krakens AquaPix is an off the shelf, configurable SAS that replaces high end sidescan systems at an affordable price, while delivering higher resolution, range, and area coverage rates (ACR). The increased range, resolution, and therefore higher useable ACR of SAS over traditional Side Scan Sonar systems significantly expand the capabilities of naval, scientific, and commercial applications. Krakens AquaPix is capable of 2 cm x 2 cm Ultra High-Definition SAS imaging at long ranges. AquaPix is uniquely positioned within the industry to bring this capability to the increasingly popular small, man-portable vehicle class. AquaPix is modular and has been integrated and deployed on over 20 different underwater vehicle platforms from shallow water to full ocean depth. Krakens SAS is modular and versatile, demonstrated by being one of only two companies in the world that has sold and integrated SAS into small, man portable vehicles, towed systems, and deep-water vehicles. This ability to cross several platforms enables military customers to streamline their Post Mission Analysis by having the same sonar resolution and ATR performance across their entire fleet of vehicles and mission requirements.

ABOUT KRAKEN ROBOTICS INC.Kraken Robotics Inc. (TSX.V: PNG) (OTCQB: KRKNF) is a marine technology company providing complex subsea sensors, batteries, and robotic systems. Our high-resolution 3D acoustic imaging solutions and services enable clients to overcome the challenges in our oceans - safely, efficiently, and sustainably. Kraken Robotics is headquartered in Canada and has offices in North and South America and Europe. Kraken is ranked as a Top 100 marine technology company by Marine Technology Reporter.

LINKS:www.krakenrobotics.com

SOCIAL MEDIA:LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/krakenrobotics Twitter www.twitter.com/krakenrobotics Facebook www.facebook.com/krakenroboticsinc YouTube www.youtube.com/channel/UCEMyaMQnneTeIr71HYgrT2A Instagram www.instagram.com/krakenrobotics

Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, the words "may", "would", "could", "will", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "seek", "propose", "estimate", "expect", and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking statements with respect to, among other things, business objectives, expected growth, results of operations, performance, business projects and opportunities and financial results. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events based on certain material factors and assumptions and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, changes in market, competition, governmental or regulatory developments, general economic conditions and other factors set out in the Company's public disclosure documents. Many factors could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to vary from those described in this news release, including without limitation those listed above. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this news release and such forward-looking statements included in, or incorporated by reference in this news release, should not be unduly relied upon. Such statements speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange Inc. nor its Regulation Services Provide (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release, and the OTCQB has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

For further information:

Stephen Griffin, Group Marketing Manager[email protected]

Joe MacKay, Chief Financial Officer(416) 303-0605[email protected]

Greg Reid, President & CEO(416) 818-9822[email protected]

Sean Peasgood, Investor Relations(647) 955-1274[email protected]

Source: Kraken Robotics Inc.
MONTREAL, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lynx Air (Lynx), today announced the addition of Montreal to its network from June 5, 2023, taking the total number of North American destinations served by Lynx to fifteen.

Canadas new ultra-affordable airline will operate services from Montreal  Trudeau International Airport (YUL) to both Calgary International Airport (YYC) and St. Johns International Airport (YYT). Frequencies range from 2 to 4 services a week, depending on the market.

Tickets go on sale today, and Lynx is launching a limited-time seat sale with up to 50 per cent off all base fares to and from Montreal. The sale will run from 8:00 AM EDT on March 08, 2023, and end at 11:59 PM EDT on March 10, 2023, and is accessible with promo code: MONTREAL. Fares are truly ultra-affordable, starting from $59* one way, including taxes and fees. For complete details, and to book an ultra-affordable fare, visit FlyLynx.com.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/09d9974f-ed83-418f-9c2a-5c590823012d

"We are delighted to be adding the vibrant city of Montreal to the Lynx Air network in the lead up to summer. While Montreal is a very popular destination, it is currently under-served by low-cost carriers, and Lynx aims to change that, said Merren McArthur, CEO of Lynx. We are pleased to offer an ultra-affordable option to connect Montreal and Quebec to the rest of Canada. Whether you are traveling to wander the cobblestone streets of Vieux-Montreal; to explore the iconic Notre-Dame Basilica; or to visit your loved ones, Lynx will ensure a great flying experience at an ultra-affordable price.

"ADM Aeroports de Montreal is very pleased to welcome Lynx Air to YUL for the first time. The announcement of these direct flights to Calgary and St. Johns is a great contribution to the development of domestic air services at YUL. ADM is always looking for ways to offer our passengers the best possible service for both business and leisure travellers, and Lynx Air will certainly enhance the domestic flight options from Montreal, said Stephane Lapierre, Vice President, Airport Operations and Air Services Development, ADM.

We are thrilled with the expansion of Lynx Airs service out of St. Johns, said Lisa Bragg, Director of Business Development and Marketing with the St. Johns International Airport Authority. This new Lynx route from St. Johns to Montreal and onward to Calgary further enhances our passenger choices in flying and reinforces the partnership we are building with Lynx.

The addition of Montreal to Lynx Airs route offerings out of YYC showcases the success it has seen in its YYC operations. We are thrilled with the success our collaboration has had over the last year and look forward to continuing to support Lynxs growth and expansion in the years to come, said Carmelle Hunka, Vice President, External Affairs, ESG, Enterprise Risk & General Counsel for The Calgary Airport Authority.

* Available for a limited time; restrictions apply.

About Lynx Air

Lynx Air (Lynx), Canada's leading ultra-low-cost airline, is on a mission to make air travel accessible to all, with ultra-affordable fares and a customer-focused flying experience. The airline was recently awarded Youngest Fleet in North America by ch-aviation. Lynx operates a brand-new fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, bringing an elevated customer experience to low-cost travel in Canada. These ultra-efficient and reliable aircraft reduce Lynxs carbon footprint, making Lynx one of Canadas most sustainable airlines. Lynx is a privately owned Canadian airline with the financial backing and industry expertise required to transform the Canadian aviation landscape.

Visit FlyLynx.com or connect with Lynx on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to learn more.

Media contact:Rose BoltonDirector, PR and Communications[email protected] 403-648-2800 ext. 2110FlyLynx.com

LYNX AIR ADDS MONTREAL TO ITS NETWORK Lynx Air flies to Montreal

Source: Lynx Air
SALT LAKE CITY, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Wednesday, February 22, 2023, Mountain America Credit Union signed a Statement of Support agreement with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) committing to not only assist, but to go above and beyond the requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) to support National Guard and Reserve employees.

Mountain America has always been committed to supporting our service members and the sacrifices they make to uphold our freedoms and way of life, said Sterling Nielsen, president and CEO of Mountain America Credit Union. Were honored to work with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve to meaningfully support our guard members and reservists throughout our communities, knowing how critical they are to the overall national defense strategy.

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below:

Studies show that employer support enhances retention rates in the National Guard and Reserve Components for each of the Services. Recognizing supportive employers is vital to ESGR's mission. ESGR's 54 state committees actively promote awards as a key element in furthering employer support, while strengthening relationships between service members and employers.

Recently, Mountain America Regional Manager Julius Aiono and Service Center Assistant Manager Dylan Carter received Patriot Awards for their assistance provided directly to service members and their families. The Patriot Award recognizes individual supervisors and bosses for their efforts to support citizen warriors through a wide range of measures including flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families, and granting leaves of absence if needed.

ESGR has served our country for more than 50 years, fostering a culture in which employers like Mountain America Credit Union support and value the employment and military service of members of the National Guard and Reserve in the United States, said Kim Watts, volunteer Utah state chairman for ESGR. Citizen warriors could not defend and protect us at home and abroad without the continued promise of meaningful civilian employment for themselves and their families.

Established in 1972, ESGR, a Department of Defense office, exists to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve Component service members and their civilian employers. It also assists in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment. ESGR is supported by a network of more than 3,000 volunteers in 54 committees from across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam-CNMI (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Were thrilled to support our military personnel, specifically our Guard and Reserve who play an essential operational role in our nations defense, said Sharlene Wells, senior vice president of public relations and organizational communications at Mountain America. We recognize that our support of them as an employer gives our guard members and reservists the ability to perform their duties at the highest level of skill and expertise and answer the call of duty whenever that comes. Mountain America is privileged to support and honor them.

To learn more about Mountain America Credit Union, visit macu.com.

About Mountain America Credit Union

With more than 1 million members and $15.9 billion in assets, Mountain America Credit Union helps its members define and achieve their financial dreams. Mountain America provides consumers and businesses with a variety of convenient, flexible products and services, as well as sound, timely advice. Members enjoy access to secure, cutting-edge mobile-banking technology; 100 branches across six states; and more than 50,000 surcharge-free ATMs. Mountain Americaguiding you forward. Learn more at macu.com.

Contact: Jeremy Kartchner, [email protected], macu.com/newsroom

Source: Mountain America Credit Union
MONTREAL, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Saputo Inc. (TSX: SAP) (Saputo or the Company) announces today the appointment of Frank Guido as President and Chief Operating Officer, Dairy Division (USA), and of Haig Poutchigian as President and Chief Operating Officer, Dairy Division (Canada). These changes will be effective April 1, 2023.

Mr. Guido joined Saputo in 2015 and serves as President and Chief Operating Officer, Dairy Division (Canada) since April 2019. Over the last 25 years, Mr. Guido has held senior management positions in operations, supply chain, continuous improvement, and finance at other public companies in the consumer-packaged goods industry. Mr. Poutchigian joined Saputo in 2016 as Senior Vice President, Finance, Dairy Division (Canada) and also brings over 25 years of experience to the role, primarily in finance and operations.

Frank is a seasoned, values-driven business leader who brings to the table a proven track record of operational excellence and delivering on strategic priorities. As such, I am thrilled to have Frank transition his talents to our USA team at a pivotal time in our Global Strategic Plan journey, said Carl Colizza, President and Chief Operating Officer (North America). I am equally excited to have Haig take the lead role in our Canadian business. Haig has been instrumental to the Divisions growth and ongoing success, and his results-oriented focus will be key in driving the execution of our strategy.

Frank and Haig stepping into these roles reflects our deep bench of talent and leadership that can move cross-divisionally as our Company continues to grow, said Lino A. Saputo, Chair of the Board, President and CEO. I have tremendous confidence in these two outstanding leaders and the value they will continue to bring to our organization as we build on our current momentum and advance the Companys strategic objectives.

Both Mr. Guido and Mr. Poutchigian will report to Carl Colizza, who has been assuming the leadership of the Dairy Division (USA) since June 2022, in addition to his duties as President and Chief Operating Officer (North America).

About Saputo

Saputo produces, markets, and distributes a wide array of dairy products of the utmost quality, including cheese, fluid milk, extended shelf-life milk and cream products, cultured products, and dairy ingredients. Saputo is one of the top ten dairy processors in the world, a leading cheese manufacturer and fluid milk and cream processor in Canada, and the top dairy processor in Australia and Argentina. In the USA, Saputo ranks among the top three cheese producers and is one of the largest producers of extended shelf-life and cultured dairy products. In the United Kingdom, Saputo is the largest manufacturer of branded cheese and a top manufacturer of dairy spreads. In addition to its dairy portfolio, Saputo produces, markets, and distributes a range of dairy alternative cheeses and beverages. Saputo products are sold in several countries under market-leading brands, as well as private label brands. Saputo Inc. is a publicly traded company and its shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol SAP. Follow Saputos activities at Saputo.com or via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Investor InquiriesNicholas EstrelaDirector, Investor Relations 1-514-328-3117

Media Inquiries1-514-328-3141 / 1-866-648-5902[email protected]

Source: Saputo Inc.
Program successful in upgrading Indicated Resources to the Measured category and adding Inferred Resources along the boundaries of the deposit(All amounts expressed in U.S. Dollars unless otherwise stated)

TORONTO, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Torex Gold Resources Inc. (the Company or Torex) (TSX: TXG) is pleased to report results from its 2022 drilling program at Media Luna. The program was focused on upgrading Indicated Resources to the Measured category and targeting spatial gaps in prior drilling to expand Inferred Mineral Resources.

Jody Kuzenko, President & CEO stated:

We are pleased with the results of the 2022 drill program at Media Luna. Infill drilling has reinforced our confidence in the quality of the resource model and provided valuable information which will be incorporated into future mine planning activities. Additionally, drilling targeting spatial gaps along the existing southern and northern boundaries of the deposit was successful in delivering the required drill density to bring incremental mineralization into the Inferred Resource category.

Infill drilling within three higher-grade zones of the Media Luna deposit returned assay results with similarly impressive grades and widths as prior drilling. Based on the additional drilling, we expect to convert a high percentage of Indicated Resources within these areas to the Measured category when year-end Mineral Reserve and Resource estimates are released later this month. Drilling targeting these higher-grade zones returned some notable grades over favourable core lengths (not true widths), including 46.0 grams per tonne gold equivalent (gpt AuEq) over 28.4 metres (m), 17.1 gpt AuEq over 58.1 m, 21.4 gpt AuEq over 26.4 m, 8.6 gpt AuEq over 34.7 m, and 9.6 gpt AuEq over 26.1 m.

Infill drilling targeting spatial gaps to ensure the drill density required to classify mineralization as Inferred Resources was also successful, with several holes returning intersects with favourable lengths including 8.0 gpt AuEq over 25.4 m, 3.8 gpt AuEq over 48.0 m, 3.0 gpt over 26.8 m, and 2.6 gpt over 18.9 m.

We are also pleased to announce the appointment of Raul Guerra as Vice President, Exploration. Raul will be responsible for supporting the Companys exploration and drilling efforts across the Morelos Property as well as analyzing potential business opportunities related to exploration stage assets. Mr. Guerra has over 30 years of industry experience, including 13 years with Barrick where he served as Vice President Exploration, Latin America for 7 years. Prior to joining Torex, Raul was Vice President Exploration for Austral Gold.

Table 1: Highlights from the 2022 drilling programs at Media Luna

Drill Hole1 Drilling Type From(m) To(m) CoreLength1(m) Au(gpt) Ag(gpt) Cu(%) AuEq2(gpt) ML22-823D Infill  Measured 452.63 481.03 28.40 40.48 86.64 2.76 46.05 ML22-804D Infill  Measured 453.01 511.09 58.08 10.79 100.84 3.09 17.08 ML22-768D Infill  Measured 415.00 441.39 26.39 13.98 111.78 3.69 21.39 ML22-762A Infill  Measured 420.34 442.77 22.43 13.27 17.27 0.46 14.23 ML22-835D Infill  Measured 453.19 487.94 34.75 6.72 29.38 0.92 8.58 ML22-767D Infill  Measured 501.68 527.83 26.15 4.57 79.70 2.50 9.63 ML22-913 Infill  Inferred 335.66 361.09 25.43 4.75 29.50 1.76 8.00 ML22-910 Infill  Inferred 301.00 349.05 48.05 1.06 54.39 1.25 3.78 ML22-877A Infill  Inferred 266.00 292.77 26.77 1.53 25.12 0.73 3.03 ML22-915 Infill  Inferred 354.16 373.01 18.85 1.94 5.79 0.34 2.56

Notes to Table: 1) Intersections are reported as core lengths (not true widths/thickness). 2) The gold equivalent grade calculation used is as follows: AuEq (gpt) = Au (g/t) + Ag (gpt) * 0.011889+ Cu (%) * 1.648326 account for the same metal prices ($1,550/oz gold (Au), $20/oz silver (Ag) and $3.50/lb copper (Cu)) and metallurgical recoveries (85% Au, 79% Ag and 91% Cu) used in the Mineral Resource estimate for the Media Luna deposit.

Assay results from the 2022 infill drilling program targeting Measured Resources can be found in Table 2 and results from the 2022 infill drilling program targeting Inferred Resources can be found in Table 3. Highlights from both drill programs can be found in Figure 1.The gold equivalent grade calculation accounts for the same metal prices ($1,550/oz gold, $20/oz silver and $3.50/lb copper) and metallurgical recoveries (85% gold, 79% silver and 91% copper) used in the current Mineral Resource estimate for the Media Luna deposit, set out in the March 2022 Technical Report.

2022 MEDIA LUNA DRILLING PROGRAM

During 2022, approximately 27,400 metres were drilled at Media Luna, for which 100% of assays had been received by the end of January. Drill results from the 30,100 metres drilled at EPO in 2022 are expected to be released shortly.

Drilling at Media Luna in 2022 was focused on both upgrading and expanding Mineral Resources. Infill drilling was primarily targeted on upgrading Indicated Resources to the Measured category within three higher-grade zones of the deposit. Expansion drilling was primarily targeted on filling in spatial gaps from previous drill programs, with the intent to expand Inferred Mineral Resources along the northern and southern boundaries of the property.

In addition to drilling conducted in 2022, multiple holes completed as part of the 2021 infill program will be incorporated into the year-end 2022 Mineral Resource estimate at Media Luna. These holes were not included in the year-end 2021 Mineral Resource estimate as assay results were received after the cut-off date for completion of the March 2022 Technical Report. The drill holes from the 2021 program were focused on upgrading Inferred Mineral Resources to the Indicated category within the middle of the Media Luna deposit.

Figure 1: 2022 Media Luna drilling program successful in upgrading Mineral Resources to the Measured category and expanding Inferred Resources along boundaries of the deposit

In total, the Company invested over $19 million in drilling within the Media Luna Cluster in 2022. A similar level of drilling is anticipated in 2023, with the 2023 program focused on upgrading Inferred Resources at EPO and expanding the overall mineralized footprint of the Media Luna Cluster, specifically the western flank anchored by the EPO deposit to the north and Media Luna West target to the south.

Infill Drilling Program

Approximately 17,500 metres of drilling in 2022 was directed towards upgrading Indicated Resources within three higher-grade zones of the deposit to the Measured category. Based on the results of the drilling program, which has reduced the drill spacing to 15 m by 15 m (from 30 m by 30 m), the Company anticipates a high conversion rate from the Indicated Mineral Resource category to the Measured category.

Information gathered from the tighter space drilling will support future mine planning activities, given the drill program has provided incremental information to inform drill spacing for grade control and definition drilling.

Results from the 2022 infill drilling program targeting Measured Mineral Resources are outlined in Table 2.

Expansion Drilling Program

Approximately 11,500 metres of drilling in 2022 was directed towards expanding Inferred Mineral Resources along the northern and southern boundaries of the Media Luna deposit. Based on the results of the drilling conducted in 2022, a modest increase in Inferred Resources is expected within these areas. The 2022 program targeted spatial gaps in prior drilling to achieve minimum drill spacing of 70 m, which is the drill spacing required to support the classification of mineralization within the Inferred Resource category.

Results from the 2022 infill drilling program targeting Inferred Mineral Resources are outlined in Table 3.

MEDIA LUNA REGIONAL GEOLOGY

The Media Luna deposit is hosted within the Mesozoic carbonate-rich Morelos Platform, which has been intruded by Paleocene stocks, sills, and dykes of granodioritic to tonalitic composition. Skarn-hosted gold-silver-copper mineralization is developed within the sedimentary rocks along the contacts of intrusive rocks as well as within altered dykes of the skarn envelope. The main portion of this mineralized package dips to the southwest at approximately 30; in the lowest part of the known mineralization, the dip steepens to approximately 60, while the northernmost portion of the deposit dips to the north, resulting in a broad antiformal geometry of the deposit.

Mineralization at Media Luna is hosted in skarn that developed at the contact of the intrusive granodiorite and overlying sedimentary rocks. The skarn is characterized by a mineral assemblage of pyroxene, garnet, and magnetite. Metal deposition and sulfidation occurred during retrograde alteration and is associated with a mineral assemblage comprising amphibole, phlogopite, chlorite, and calcite  quartz  epidote as well as variable amounts of magnetite and sulfides, primarily pyrrhotite. Additional mineralization is associated with skarn developed within and along dykes and sills above the main granodiorite intrusion.

Additional information on the Media Luna deposit, the Media Luna Feasibility Study and the analytical and sampling process is available in the Companys technical report entitled the Morelos Property, NI 43-101 Technical Report, ELG Mine Complex Life of Mine Plan and Media Luna Feasibility Study, Guerrero State, Mexico, dated effective March 16, 2022 filed on March 31, 2022 (the Technical Report) on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and the Companys website at www.torexgold.com.

QUALITY ASSURANCE / QUALITY CONTROL

At the Companys Morelos Property (see description below), all the Media Luna project drill core is logged and sampled at the core facility within the project camp under the supervision of Nicolas Landon, Chief Exploration Geologist for the Media Luna Project. A geologist marks the individual samples for analysis and sample intervals, sample numbers, standards and blanks are entered into the database. The core is cut in half lengthwise using an electric core saw equipped with a diamond tipped blade. One half of the core is placed into a plastic sample bag and sealed with zip ties in preparation for shipment. The other half of the core is returned to the core box and retained for future reference in the Company core shack with the assay pulps and coarse rejects. The core samples are picked up at the project camp and delivered to Bureau Veritas (BV) to conduct all the analytical work.Sample preparation is carried out by BV at its facilities in Durango, Mexico and consists of crushing a 1 kg sample to >70% passing 2 mm followed by pulverisation of 500 g to >85% passing 75 m. Gold is analyzed at the BV facilities in Hermosillo, Mexico following internal analytical protocols (FA430) and comprises a 30g fire assay with an atomic absorption finish. Samples yielding results >10 g/t Au are re-assayed by fire assay with gravimetric finish (FA530-Au). Copper and silver analyses are completed at the BV facilities in Vancouver, Canada as part of a multi-element geochemical analysis by an aqua regia digestion with detection by ICP-ES/MS using BV internal analytical protocol AQ270. Overlimits for the multi-element package are analyzed by internal protocol AQ374.

Torex has a sampling and analytical Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) program in place that has been approved by BV and is overseen by Nicolas Landon, Chief Exploration Geologist for the Media Luna Project. The program includes 5% each of Certified Reference Materials and Blanks; blind duplicates are not included, but Torex evaluates the results of internal BV laboratory duplicates. Torex uses an independent laboratory to check selected assay samples and reference materials and has retained a consultant to audit the QA/QC data for every drill campaign at Media Luna. The QA/QC procedure is described in more detail in the Technical Report filed on SEDAR.

QUALIFIED PERSONS

The scientific and technical data contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Carolina Milla, P.Eng. Ms. Milla is a member of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (Member ID #168350), has experience relevant to the style of mineralization under consideration, is a qualified person under NI-43-101, and is an employee of Torex. Ms. Milla has verified the data disclosed, including sampling, analytical, and test data underlying the drill results; verification included visually reviewing the drillholes in three dimensions, comparing the assay results to the original assay certificates, reviewing the drilling database, and reviewing core photography consistent with standard practice. Ms. Milla consents to the inclusion in this release of said data in the form and context in which they appear.

ABOUT TOREX GOLD RESOURCES INC.

Torex is an intermediate gold producer based in Canada, engaged in the exploration, development, and operation of its 100% owned Morelos Property, an area of 29,000 hectares in the highly prospective Guerrero Gold Belt located 180 kilometres southwest of Mexico City. The Companys principal asset is the Morelos Complex, which includes the El Limon Guajes (ELG) Mine Complex, the Media Luna Project, a processing plant, and related infrastructure. Commercial production from the Morelos Complex commenced on April 1, 2016 and an updated Technical Report for the Morelos Complex was released in March 2022. Torexs key strategic objectives are to optimize and extend production from the ELG Mine Complex, de-risk and advance Media Luna to commercial production, build on ESG excellence, and to grow through ongoing exploration across the entire Morelos Property.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

TOREX GOLD RESOURCES INC. Jody Kuzenko Dan Rollins President and CEO Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Investor Relations Direct: (647) 725-9982 Direct: (647) 260-1503 [email protected] [email protected]

CAUTIONARY NOTES

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTSThis press release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information also includes, but is not limited to, statements about: regarding three higher grade zones of the Media Luna deposit, the expected conversion of a high percentage of Indicated Resources within these areas to the Measured category when year-end Mineral Reserve and Resource estimates are released later this month; a similar level of drilling within the Media Luna Cluster is anticipated in 2023, with the 2023 program focused on upgrading Inferred resources at EPO and expanding the overall mineralized footprint of the Media Luna Cluster; regarding the areas along the northern and southern boundaries of the Media Luna deposit, the expected modest increase in Inferred Resources within these areas; and the Companys key strategic objectives to extend and optimize production from the ELG Mining Complex, de-risk and advance Media Luna to commercial production, build on ESG excellence, and to grow through ongoing exploration across the entire Morelos Property. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as strategy, target, focus, continue, expect, potential or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results will, or is expected to" occur. 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 to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with: the ability to upgrade mineral resources categories of mineral resources with greater confidence levels or to mineral reserves; risks associated with mineral reserve and mineral resource estimation; uncertainty involving skarns deposits; and those risk factors identified in the Technical Report and the Companys annual information form and managements discussion and analysis or other unknown but potentially significant impacts. Forward-looking information is based on the assumptions discussed in the Technical Report and such other reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date such statements are made. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.

Table 2: Results from 2022 infill drilling at Media Luna targeting to upgrade Indicated Mineral Resources to the Measured category

Final Intersection Drill-Hole Area UTM-E UTM-N Elevation Hole Mother Azimuth Dip Depth From To Length1 Au Ag Cu AuEq2 Lithology (m) (m) (m) Type Hole (m) (m) (m) (m) (gpt) (gpt) (%) (gpt) ML22-760 MLL 422,498.33 1,984,514.35 1,224.43 CD 345.69 -75.44 497.40 422.40 443.00 20.60 5.51 50.98 1.29 8.01 No significant values ML22-761 MLU 422,647.99 1,985,019.04 1,463.99 CD 78.45 -70.69 116.40 Mother hole Finished ML22-761A MLU 422,647.99 1,985,019.04 1,463.99 CD ML22-761 386.55 Mother hole Finished ML22-762 MLU 423,315.84 1,985,097.54 1,585.26 CD 321.23 -74.68 105.60 Mother hole Finished ML22-762A MLU 423,315.84 1,985,097.54 1,585.26 CD ML22-762 454.50 378.14 378.74 0.60 3.69 61.80 4.68 12.14 Skarn Composite 1 420.34 442.77 22.43 13.27 17.27 0.46 14.23 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-767D MLU 422,647.99 1,985,019.04 1,463.99 DD ML22-761A 554.40 466.87 468.45 1.58 13.67 10.00 0.16 14.05 Skarn Composite 1 483.88 485.46 1.58 3.88 40.70 1.06 6.12 Skarn Composite 2 501.68 527.83 26.15 4.57 79.70 2.50 9.63 Skarn Composite 3 ML22-768D MLU 423,315.84 1,985,097.54 1,585.26 DD ML22-762A 452.45 371.90 377.43 5.53 1.78 9.79 0.57 2.83 Skarn Composite 1 408.01 409.65 1.64 1.88 17.22 0.36 2.68 Skarn Composite 2 415.00 441.39 26.39 13.98 111.78 3.69 21.39 Skarn Composite 3 ML22-770D MLU 423,315.84 1,985,097.54 1,585.26 DD ML22-762A 473.45 387.16 389.65 2.49 12.56 571.34 16.36 46.31 Skarn Composite 1 422.31 423.80 1.49 9.76 347.03 11.06 32.11 Skarn Composite 2 429.06 441.79 12.73 10.71 21.51 0.49 11.77 Skarn Composite 3 446.92 455.88 8.96 2.32 3.65 0.11 2.54 Skarn Composite 4 ML22-771D MLU 422,647.99 1,985,019.04 1,463.99 DD ML22-761A 539.15 No significant values ML22-772 MLL 422,543.72 1,984,585.20 1,255.01 CD 10.06 82.46 278.35 Mother hole Finished ML22-772A MLL 422,543.72 1,984,585.20 1,255.01 CD ML22-772 380.25 Mother hole Finished ML22-774D MLU 423,315.84 1,985,097.54 1,585.26 DD ML22-762A 444.95 378.08 381.90 3.82 0.30 6.91 1.16 2.29 Skarn Composite 1 426.10 430.05 3.95 0.82 20.94 0.57 2.01 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-775D MLU 422,647.99 1,985,019.04 1,463.99 DD ML22-761A 554.40 503.00 513.50 10.50 1.98 35.66 1.13 4.26 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-776D MLU 423,315.84 1,985,097.54 1,585.26 DD ML22-762A 461.45 376.89 377.95 1.06 3.68 60.42 2.89 9.17 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-777D MLL 422,543.72 1,984,585.20 1,255.01 DD ML22-772A 404.75 Abandoned ML22-777DA MLL 422,543.72 1,984,585.20 1,255.01 DD ML22-777D 560.50 494.71 517.24 22.53 0.63 62.80 1.53 3.90 Skarn Composite 1 528.00 531.32 3.32 1.44 77.55 1.99 5.71 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-779D MLU 423,315.84 1,985,097.54 1,585.26 DD ML22-762A 452.45 386.64 388.62 1.98 3.82 158.00 5.80 15.27 Skarn Composite 1 403.09 405.65 2.56 21.03 95.85 4.20 29.08 Skarn Composite 2 410.87 433.00 22.13 3.16 50.00 2.43 7.76 Skarn Composite 3 ML22-780D MLU 422,647.99 1,985,019.04 1,463.99 DD ML22-761A 560.50 478.68 479.55 0.87 5.17 5.30 0.16 5.48 Breccia with Py in matrix 505.90 518.48 12.58 1.90 31.77 0.88 3.73 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-782D MLU 423,315.84 1,985,097.54 1,585.26 DD ML22-762A 470.05 370.92 371.71 0.79 4.08 5.70 0.73 5.34 Skarn Composite 1 428.00 429.00 1.00 4.74 9.40 0.14 5.08 Skarn Composite 2 434.96 438.58 3.62 45.80 179.01 4.91 56.02 Skarn Composite 3 457.18 459.41 2.23 16.85 2.31 0.01 16.89 Qz veinlets in granodiorite ML22-783D MLL 422,543.72 1,984,585.20 1,255.01 DD ML22-772A 559.40 494.92 527.35 32.43 0.63 41.53 1.04 2.84 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-784D MLU 422,647.99 1,985,019.04 1,463.99 DD ML22-761A 560.50 500.07 524.15 24.08 1.94 33.94 1.01 4.02 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-785D MLU 423,315.84 1,985,097.54 1,585.26 DD ML22-762A 440.45 371.00 374.46 3.46 2.02 31.98 2.20 6.03 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-786D MLL 422,543.72 1,984,585.20 1,255.01 DD ML22-772A 553.40 451.13 453.20 2.07 0.08 66.14 2.81 5.50 Skarn Composite 1 461.70 491.26 29.56 34.07 101.53 3.24 40.62 Skarn Composite 2 498.55 500.40 1.85 1.20 164.06 5.12 11.59 Skarn Composite 3 506.28 509.00 2.72 0.55 71.35 1.70 4.20 Skarn Composite 4 522.00 524.53 2.53 0.35 62.50 1.45 3.49 Skarn Composite 5 529.50 541.00 11.50 0.43 76.49 1.81 4.33 Skarn Composite 6 ML22-789D MLU 423,315.84 1,985,097.54 1,585.26 DD ML22-762A 488.45 381.56 385.58 4.02 3.68 11.36 0.46 4.57 Skarn Composite 1 402.86 416.14 13.28 7.51 36.64 1.83 10.97 Skarn Composite 2 439.07 441.03 1.96 34.82 109.33 3.45 41.81 Skarn Composite 3 ML22-790D MLU 422,647.99 1,985,019.04 1,463.99 DD ML22-761A 499.50 465.36 470.97 5.61 1.02 13.87 0.61 2.19 Skarn Composite 1 477.73 494.99 17.26 3.46 48.20 1.65 6.75 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-791D MLL 422,543.72 1,984,585.20 1,255.01 DD ML22-772A 557.50 468.53 478.53 10.00 6.14 8.23 0.30 6.73 Skarn Composite 1 485.28 528.84 43.56 9.58 98.73 2.36 14.65 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-793D MLU 423,315.84 1,985,097.54 1,585.26 DD ML22-762A 455.45 399.84 443.31 43.47 7.86 41.79 2.20 11.98 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-794D MLU 422,647.99 1,985,019.04 1,463.99 DD ML22-761A 557.65 511.48 525.12 13.64 3.56 54.31 1.53 6.73 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-795D MLL 422,543.72 1,984,585.20 1,255.01 DD ML22-772A 574.55 481.18 483.38 2.20 2.89 4.47 0.07 3.06 Skarn Composite 1 488.65 516.43 27.78 36.62 47.81 0.99 38.83 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-796D MLU 423,315.84 1,985,097.54 1,585.26 DD ML22-762A 257.75 Abandoned ML22-797D MLU 423,315.84 1,985,097.54 1,585.26 DD ML22-762A 461.45 408.51 409.51 1.00 15.00 2.30 0.01 15.04 Skarn Composite 1 427.71 442.14 14.43 7.84 78.40 2.86 13.49 Skarn Composite 2 449.00 457.00 8.00 1.22 8.98 0.45 2.06 Skarn Composite 3 ML22-798D MLU 422,647.99 1,985,019.04 1,463.99 DD ML22-761A 573.00 510.11 526.00 15.89 2.12 27.38 0.87 3.89 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-800D MLL 422,543.72 1,984,585.20 1,255.01 DD ML22-772A 551.45 498.66 528.06 29.40 0.70 68.08 1.73 4.36 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-802D MLU 423,315.84 1,985,097.54 1,585.26 DD ML22-762A 443.45 362.47 365.80 3.33 4.50 3.03 0.29 5.02 Skarn Composite 1 388.72 389.44 0.72 11.90 2.40 0.01 11.95 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-804D MLL 422,543.72 1,984,585.20 1,255.01 DD ML22-772A 557.40 422.09 424.45 2.36 6.27 31.21 0.72 7.83 Skarn Composite 1 453.01 511.09 58.08 10.79 100.84 3.09 17.08 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-805D MLU 423,315.84 1,985,097.54 1,585.26 DD ML22-762A 395.45 347.19 352.64 5.45 1.06 15.03 1.04 2.96 Skarn Composite 1 359.00 360.25 1.25 3.60 82.07 5.09 12.97 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-806D MLU 422,647.99 1,985,019.04 1,463.99 DD ML22-761A 539.15 507.02 514.35 7.33 2.44 51.07 1.55 5.61 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-808 MLU 423,316.69 1,985,098.21 1,585.52 CD 315.66 63.83 105.60 Mother hole Finished ML22-808A MLU 423,316.69 1,985,098.21 1,585.52 CD ML22-808 434.75 368.03 375.94 7.91 2.58 9.56 0.88 4.14 Skarn Composite 1 384.69 385.48 0.79 9.06 18.50 1.04 10.99 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-810D MLU 422,647.99 1,985,019.04 1,463.99 DD ML22-761A 508.60 459.50 478.73 19.23 4.63 35.43 1.16 6.96 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-812D MLL 422,543.72 1,984,585.20 1,255.01 DD ML22-772A 530.45 449.66 458.88 9.22 17.36 33.84 0.92 19.28 Skarn Composite 1 466.24 475.84 9.60 4.94 135.18 3.84 12.88 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-813D MLU 422,647.99 1,985,019.04 1,463.99 DD ML22-761A 521.30 452.18 453.01 0.83 5.10 11.30 0.22 5.60 Skarn Composite 1 465.40 494.00 28.60 3.35 93.43 2.34 8.31 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-814D MLU 423,316.69 1,985,098.21 1,585.52 DD ML22-808A 428.25 390.24 391.76 1.52 5.40 11.62 1.02 7.22 Skarn Composite 1 411.46 414.81 3.35 7.13 1.60 0.00 7.16 Qz veinlets in granodiorite ML22-816D MLL 422,543.72 1,984,585.20 1,255.01 DD ML22-772A 545.45 410.51 413.15 2.64 0.56 56.07 1.34 3.43 Skarn Composite 1 475.88 476.86 0.98 7.08 1.20 0.04 7.16 Skarn Composite 2 484.00 509.07 25.07 1.71 60.51 1.53 4.95 Skarn Composite 3 524.87 537.65 12.78 2.46 100.04 2.56 7.87 Skarn Composite 4 ML22-817D MLU 422,647.99 1,985,019.04 1,463.99 DD ML22-761A 508.65 478.47 479.47 1.00 30.10 25.60 0.65 31.48 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-818D MLU 423,316.69 1,985,098.21 1,585.52 DD ML22-808A 465.05 369.49 371.14 1.65 6.18 18.33 1.32 8.57 Skarn Composite 1 379.78 381.88 2.10 6.93 33.77 2.00 10.63 Skarn Composite 2 437.64 446.05 8.41 3.41 2.94 0.03 3.49 Skarn Composite 3 ML22-819D MLL 422,543.72 1,984,585.20 1,255.01 DD ML22-772A 542.45 407.44 410.88 3.44 1.86 61.04 1.42 4.92 Skarn Composite 1 502.24 510.95 8.71 1.24 20.37 0.51 2.33 Skarn Composite 2 521.37 523.30 1.93 0.52 34.73 1.04 2.64 Skarn Composite 3 ML22-821D MLU 423,316.69 1,985,098.21 1,585.52 DD ML22-808A 417.55 352.44 355.75 3.31 0.87 10.91 0.96 2.59 Skarn Composite 1 360.14 360.95 0.81 4.76 34.10 1.54 7.70 Skarn Composite 2 371.59 372.12 0.53 26.90 163.60 4.82 36.79 Skarn Composite 3 ML22-822 MLU 422,647.77 1,985,020.06 1,464.36 CD 60.19 -68.93 370.55 Pilot ML22-823D MLL 422,543.72 1,984,585.20 1,255.01 DD ML22-772A 545.45 452.63 481.03 28.40 40.48 86.64 2.76 46.05 Skarn Composite 1 521.51 529.00 7.49 0.78 33.11 0.87 2.61 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-825D MLU 423,316.69 1,985,098.21 1,585.52 DD ML22-808A 482.20 377.76 385.52 7.76 2.05 8.15 0.84 3.54 Skarn Composite 1 428.02 429.43 1.41 6.82 28.83 0.11 7.34 Qz veinlets in granodiorite 444.43 457.00 12.57 4.44 3.98 0.10 4.65 Qz veinlets in granodiorite ML22-826D MLU 422,647.77 1,985,020.06 1,464.36 DD ML22-822 505.60 447.53 476.77 29.24 1.82 22.86 0.75 3.33 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-827 MLL 422,545.11 1,984,585.16 1,254.25 CD 54.77 -83.28 389.10 Mother hole Finished ML22-827A MLL 422,545.11 1,984,585.16 1,254.25 CD ML22-827 383.20 No significant values/Abandoned ML22-828D MLU 422,647.77 1,985,020.06 1,464.36 DD ML22-822 508.60 458.21 477.24 19.03 5.07 44.50 1.81 8.58 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-829D MLU 423,316.69 1,985,098.21 1,585.52 DD ML22-808A 401.65 No significant values ML22-832D MLU 422,647.77 1,985,020.06 1,464.36 DD ML22-822 545.35 470.00 505.95 35.95 1.88 32.40 1.08 4.04 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-833D MLU 423,316.69 1,985,098.21 1,585.52 DD ML22-808A 425.20 391.00 394.00 3.00 2.44 24.42 1.62 5.40 Skarn Composite 1 404.03 405.03 1.00 3.91 2.20 0.04 4.00 Skarn Composite 2 409.58 413.49 3.91 2.23 3.91 0.06 2.37 Skarn Composite 3 ML22-835D MLU 422,647.77 1,985,020.06 1,464.36 DD ML22-822 548.25 453.19 487.94 34.75 6.72 29.38 0.92 8.58 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-836D MLU 423,316.69 1,985,098.21 1,585.52 DD ML22-808A 470.25 397.49 401.24 3.75 4.36 18.32 1.80 7.54 Skarn Composite 1 414.85 418.85 4.00 4.37 0.88 0.01 4.39 Skarn Composite 2 427.72 429.72 2.00 7.14 1.20 0.01 7.16 Qz veinlets in granodiorite ML22-837D MLL 422,545.11 1,984,585.16 1,254.25 DD ML22-827 575.50 485.71 514.90 29.19 4.96 70.78 2.09 9.24 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-838D MLU 423,316.69 1,985,098.21 1,585.52 DD ML22-808A 462.35 No significant values ML22-839D MLU 422,647.77 1,985,020.06 1,464.36 DD ML22-822 505.65 454.00 462.28 8.28 1.46 18.60 0.66 2.77 Skarn Composite 1 468.00 477.10 9.10 6.05 42.66 1.80 9.52 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-840D MLL 422,545.11 1,984,585.16 1,254.25 DD ML22-827 531.75 493.00 517.07 24.07 7.41 41.38 1.01 9.57 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-842D MLU 423,316.69 1,985,098.21 1,585.52 DD ML22-808A 470.30 377.63 380.56 2.93 2.92 51.82 2.91 8.32 Skarn Composite 1 420.58 421.16 0.58 9.86 1.60 0.00 9.88 Skarn Composite 2 428.76 436.22 7.46 15.05 108.43 4.81 24.27 Skarn Composite 3 450.88 459.11 8.23 1.84 6.01 0.51 2.76 Qz veinlets in granodiorite ML22-844D MLU 422,647.77 1,985,020.06 1,464.36 DD ML22-822 572.75 436.00 436.73 0.73 7.84 0.25 0.00 7.85 Marble with Py+ Ca in bands. 462.97 466.00 3.03 5.34 26.94 0.70 6.81 Skarn Composite 1 477.00 477.58 0.58 18.00 2.30 0.03 18.08 Skarn Composite 2 493.00 512.53 19.53 2.22 40.04 1.49 5.14 Skarn Composite 3 ML22-845D MLL 422,545.11 1,984,585.16 1,254.25 DD ML22-827 632.50 484.42 485.59 1.17 10.78 1.06 0.01 10.81 Skarn Composite 1 494.25 496.19 1.94 1.78 38.29 1.28 4.34 Skarn Composite 2 499.92 510.82 10.90 1.04 67.98 2.07 5.25 Skarn Composite 3 522.34 528.39 6.05 0.91 103.36 2.64 6.50 Skarn Composite 4 ML22-846D MLU 423,316.69 1,985,098.21 1,585.52 DD ML22-808A 405.45 No significant values ML22-847D MLU 422,647.77 1,985,020.06 1,464.36 DD ML22-822 496.50 459.58 466.32 6.74 7.10 23.85 0.77 8.65 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-848D MLL 422,545.11 1,984,585.16 1,254.25 DD ML22-827 557.40 479.55 486.99 7.44 2.92 0.86 0.07 3.06 Skarn Composite 1 493.41 496.41 3.00 1.38 51.80 1.39 4.29 Skarn Composite 2 507.10 515.36 8.26 1.21 33.73 1.03 3.31 Skarn Composite 3 ML22-850D MLU 423,316.69 1,985,098.21 1,585.52 DD ML22-808A 414.60 396.13 402.09 5.96 2.50 1.29 0.02 2.55 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-852D MLU 422,647.77 1,985,020.06 1,464.36 DD ML22-822 488.85 411.12 417.00 5.88 4.09 55.46 1.24 6.79 Skarn Composite 1 439.35 445.05 5.70 2.16 41.31 1.14 4.53 Skarn Composite 2 455.74 461.57 5.83 1.04 16.39 0.60 2.22 Skarn Composite 3 with dike intersections 468.08 473.16 5.08 9.67 12.03 0.89 11.28 Skarn Composite 4 ML22-853D MLL 422,545.11 1,984,585.16 1,254.25 DD ML22-827 539.40 495.00 522.57 27.57 1.77 39.13 1.00 3.89 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-855D MLU 422,647.77 1,985,020.06 1,464.36 DD ML22-822 502.60 416.83 424.68 7.85 1.41 18.93 0.43 2.34 Skarn Composite 1 441.27 445.54 4.27 1.26 19.25 0.45 2.22 Skarn Composite 2 459.70 463.00 3.30 1.69 28.31 0.96 3.62 Skarn Composite 3 468.40 469.93 1.53 7.14 15.58 0.71 8.49 Skarn Composite 4 475.81 477.50 1.69 10.30 423.10 13.37 37.37 Skarn Composite 5 ML22-856D MLL 422,545.11 1,984,585.16 1,254.25 DD ML22-827 531.75 502.00 509.49 7.49 2.55 19.20 0.56 3.70 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-858D MLU 422,647.77 1,985,020.06 1,464.36 DD ML22-822 502.80 444.74 449.10 4.36 1.29 13.68 0.49 2.26 Skarn Composite 1 465.56 476.25 10.69 4.28 25.63 1.26 6.66 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-859D MLL 422,545.11 1,984,585.16 1,254.25 DD ML22-827 542.40 494.44 509.00 14.56 2.28 5.68 0.19 2.66 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-863D MLL 422,545.11 1,984,585.16 1,254.25 DD ML22-827 542.40 490.65 504.02 13.37 5.76 10.36 0.34 6.44 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-868D MLL 422,545.11 1,984,585.16 1,254.25 DD ML22-827 546.90 507.00 517.44 10.44 0.51 28.28 0.80 2.15 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-871D MLL 422,545.11 1,984,585.16 1,254.25 DD ML22-827 534.90 514.86 518.16 3.30 0.58 59.16 1.57 3.88 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-875D MLL 422,545.11 1,984,585.16 1,254.25 DD ML22-827 590.40 510.19 512.74 2.55 2.69 1.59 0.08 2.85 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-879D MLL 422,545.11 1,984,585.16 1,254.25 DD ML22-827 577.15 480.44 507.75 27.31 6.50 40.97 1.22 9.00 Skarn Composite 1 515.43 518.43 3.00 0.37 60.50 1.67 3.85 Skarn Composite 2

Notes to Table

Intersections are reported as core lengths (not true widths/thickness). The gold equivalent grade calculation used is as follows: AuEq (g/t) = Au (g/t) + Ag (g/t) * 0.011889+ Cu (%) * 1.648326 account for the same metal prices ($1,550/oz gold, $20/oz silver and $3.50/lb copper) and metallurgical recoveries (85% gold, 79% silver and 91% copper) used in the Mineral Resource estimate for the Media Luna deposit.

Table 3: Results from 2022 infill drilling at Media Luna targeting to expand Inferred Mineral Resources along the boundaries of the deposit

Final Intersection Drill-Hole Area UTM-E UTM-N Elevation Hole Mother Azimuth Dip Depth From To Length1 Au Ag Cu AuEq2 Lithology (m) (m) (m) Type Hole (m) (m) (m) (m) (gpt) (gpt) (%) (gpt) ML22-764 MLU 423,233.76 1,985,002.22 1,563.46 CD 134.89 -65.30 578.65 527.19 528.16 0.97 4.77 8.40 0.46 5.63 Skarn Composite 1 547.38 549.34 1.96 2.99 7.18 0.22 3.44 Qz veinlets in granodiorite ML22-854 MLL 423,017.43 1,984,428.53 1,307.61 CD 323.72 -69.78 177.45 No significant values/ Mother hole finished ML22-854A MLL 423,017.43 1,984,428.53 1,307.61 CD ML22-854 491.55 422.74 424.74 2.00 0.31 45.25 1.12 2.70 Skarn Composite 1 434.09 438.51 4.42 0.41 44.56 1.07 2.70 Skarn Composite 2 447.54 453.35 5.81 1.13 28.37 0.87 2.91 Skarn Composite 3 ML22-860 MLL 423,018.29 1,984,429.81 1,307.68 CD 344.91 -59.75 488.45 441.00 446.29 5.29 1.64 48.25 1.30 4.36 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-862 MLU 423,211.26 1,984,572.05 1,281.86 CD 351.22 -44.84 75.10 No significant values/ Finished ML22-862A MLU 423,211.26 1,984,572.05 1,281.86 CD ML22-862 392.70 351.01 352.30 1.29 2.85 111.72 4.20 11.10 Skarn Composite 1 358.92 359.42 0.50 9.90 74.80 3.89 17.21 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-866 MLL 423,021.56 1,984,429.81 1,307.74 CD 37.24 -67.67 171.50 No significant values/ Finished ML22-866A MLL 423,021.56 1,984,429.81 1,307.74 CD ML22-866 442.00 No significant values ML22-867 MLU 423,212.20 1,984,571.32 1,281.83 CD 40.05 -54.76 301.25 266.93 268.18 1.25 1.29 44.64 1.03 3.52 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-870 MLU 423,211.39 1,984,570.64 1,281.82 CD 38.26 -73.72 310.60 287.36 291.58 4.22 0.93 23.22 0.61 2.21 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-872 MLL 423,021.26 1,984,429.32 1,307.70 CD 73.96 -84.02 476.55 No significant values ML22-873 MLU 423,212.97 1,984,571.58 1,281.90 CD 14.08 -59.48 311.10 259.44 268.74 9.30 1.50 14.74 0.68 2.80 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-876 MLL 423,019.11 1,984,426.51 1,307.61 CD 221.40 -84.61 530.60 No significant values ML22-877 MLU 423,210.74 1,984,571.14 1,281.90 CD 347.92 -68.56 125.55 Mother hole Finished ML22-877A MLU 423,210.74 1,984,571.14 1,281.90 CD ML22-877 359.45 266.00 292.77 26.77 1.53 25.12 0.73 3.03 Skarn Composite 1 307.46 316.40 8.94 1.60 8.82 0.49 2.51 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-880 MLU 423,212.06 1,984,571.92 1,281.92 CD 29.61 -48.25 343.35 295.40 299.63 4.23 4.08 34.23 1.70 7.29 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-882 MLL 423,022.33 1,984,429.15 1,307.74 CD 74.70 -67.54 452.85 No significant values ML22-883 MLU 422,749.89 1,985,376.24 1,543.83 CD 76.24 -69.83 305.40 118.48 127.95 9.47 2.64 123.93 0.20 4.45 Marble with oxided breccia associated ML22-884 MLU 423,213.08 1,984,570.93 1,281.91 CD 46.05 -45.26 84.75 No significant values/ Finished ML22-884A MLU 423,213.08 1,984,570.93 1,281.91 CD ML22-884 345.10 No significant values ML22-887 MLL 423,019.43 1,984,424.83 1,307.65 CD 181.94 -71.57 573.80 546.31 548.62 2.31 0.63 68.86 1.66 4.19 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-888 MLU 422,751.06 1,985,373.60 1,543.83 CD 35.08 -74.16 299.55 198.85 199.81 0.96 4.06 31.90 0.01 4.46 Marble with oxides ML22-890 MLU 422,749.06 1,985,372.52 1,543.82 CD 109.21 -60.45 341.35 313.71 314.51 0.80 5.63 25.00 1.18 7.86 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-896 MLU 422,749.13 1,985,373.75 1,543.85 CD 290.02 -66.02 377.80 No significant values ML22-906 MLU 423,207.79 1,984,568.75 1,281.75 CD 319.42 -73.58 353.65 340.45 341.50 1.05 2.25 20.12 1.22 4.50 Qz veinlets in granodiorite ML22-910 MLU 423,207.31 1,984,565.21 1,281.65 CD 283.39 -72.42 387.20 301.00 349.05 48.05 1.06 54.39 1.25 3.78 Skarn Composite 1 355.99 362.93 6.94 2.61 19.02 0.83 4.22 Skarn Composite 2 ML22-913 MLU 423,208.05 1,984,568.21 1,281.81 CD 307.65 -63.76 386.00 335.66 361.09 25.43 4.75 29.50 1.76 8.00 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-915 MLU 423,209.23 1,984,570.31 1,281.90 CD 333.87 -57.24 393.10 307.46 308.77 1.31 2.56 72.30 1.87 6.50 Skarn Composite 1 317.39 322.61 5.22 1.85 19.11 0.76 3.33 Skarn Composite 2 344.00 347.10 3.10 1.83 5.04 0.76 3.14 Qz veinlets in granodiorite 354.16 373.01 18.85 1.94 5.79 0.34 2.56 Qz veinlets in granodiorite 386.08 388.63 2.55 4.81 0.41 0.01 4.83 Qz veinlets in granodiorite ML22-917 MLU 423,209.51 1,984,571.15 1,281.83 CD 339.69 -49.32 365.35 340.70 341.70 1.00 11.70 35.00 0.93 13.65 Skarn Composite 1 ML22-922 MLU 423,209.58 1,984,572.31 1,281.79 CD 355.24 -53.44 346.80 309.74 313.46 3.72 3.93 33.41 2.19 7.93 Skarn Composite 1

Notes to Table

Intersections are reported as core lengths (not true widths/thickness). The gold equivalent grade calculation used is as follows: AuEq (g/t) = Au (g/t) + Ag (g/t) * 0.011889+ Cu (%) * 1.648326 account for the same metal prices ($1,550/oz gold, $20/oz silver and $3.50/lb copper) and metallurgical recoveries (85% gold, 79% silver and 91% copper) used in the Mineral Resource estimate for the Media Luna deposit.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e6c41351-97b9-4601-9b24-6ec63a5c8be5

Figure 1 Media Luna drilling program successful in upgrading Mineral Resources to the Measured category and expanding Inferred Resources along boundaries of the deposit

Source: Torex Gold Resources Inc.
TORONTO, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wallbridge Mining Company Limited (TSX:WM, OTCQX: WLBMF) (Wallbridge or the Company) is pleased to report the commencement of its 2023 drill program to test new exploration targets surrounding the 2023 Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) footprint at its Fenelon gold project (Fenelon), in addition to exploration drilling at Martiniere and other prospective greenfield targets on the Companys Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend Property.

In February, Wallbridge mobilized three drills to Fenelon to test some of the prospective areas surrounding the existing deposit, which are described in more detail below. These were developed through the interpretation of combined geologic and geophysical data as well as, where present, historic drill results.

Attila Pentek, Wallbridges Vice President, Exploration, commented:

In addition to drilling in the vicinity of the Fenelon deposit targeting larger step-outs on the existing zones (see March 6, 2023 Press Release), our 2023 drill program is testing various targets on a regional scale. These will focus on areas of promising geology such as favorable host rocks and structures with the objective of identifying new zones of mineralization elsewhere on the Companys 830 km2 Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend Property. In April two of the drills will be mobilized to Martiniere to commence exploration drilling with similar objectives of assessing the deposits size potential and discovery of nearby zones.

2023 Fenelon Exploration Drill Targets

The Jeremie Diorite has been identified as a key host rock for gold mineralization at Fenelon, which is associated with quartz veining within the body itself (Area 51 and Ripley), as well as along the contact of the intrusion (Contact Zone) and into the sediments (Tabasco and Cayenne). In addition to the diorite, the Jeremie Fault represents another key control on the distribution of the gold mineralization. It is interpreted as a long-lived fault with multiple stages of activation, of which one phase is interpreted to be linked to the mineralizing event.

The 2023 drill program at Fenelon will focus on testing exploration targets on the property using knowledge that has been gained through the development of the Fenelon resource since discovery. In addition to the immediate extensions of known zones, several targets have been identified in the area surrounding the Fenelon deposit (see Figure 2) that are of interest for this years program:

Target 1) Northwest magnetic low: This target was identified through the re-processing of the 2020 drone-magnetics data, revealing geophysical signatures that are comparable to the Jeremie Diorite. Preliminary results from the first two 2023 drill holes testing this target area have intersected a unit that is visually comparable to the Jeremie Diorite, containing zones of alteration with trace chalcopyrite mineralization. These results have established a large area of favorable geology for future exploration. Target 2) West magnetic fold: In many orogenic gold deposits, the hinges of folds play an important role in controlling gold mineralization. A potential fold hinge has been identified through geophysics, approximately three kilometres to the west of the deposit.Target 3) Jeremie Fault corridor to the west: Based on magnetic signatures, the Jeremie Fault is interpreted to extend several kilometres beyond the western limits of the Fenelon deposit.Target 4) Magnetic high and electro-magnetic (EM) plates: A massive sulfide layer, similar to the one occurring adjacent to the Fenelon deposit, exhibiting strong magnetic and EM responses can be traced across the property providing new exploration targets to the east.Target 5) Jeremie Fault corridor to the east: This target is immediately southeast of, and interpreted to be within, the same geologically favourable gold hosting environment as Target 4.Target 6) East magnetic low: Approximately three to four kilometres to the east of the deposit is a magnetic low that has a similar signature to the Jeremie Diorite with a corresponding E-W structure.

Figure 1. Wallbridges Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend land package

Figure 2. Fenelon Gold, Total Magnetic Intensity and Geology

Qualified Persons

The Qualified Person responsible for the technical content of this press release is Christopher Kelly, M.Sc., P.Geo., Senior 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 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.

For further information please visit the Companys website at www.wallbridgemining.com or contact:

Wallbridge Mining Company Limited

Marz Kord, P. Eng., M. Sc., MBAPresident & 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 at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/727a5c6c-b6c7-405b-ac94-dc847dd83acahttps://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c8f0c743-02d6-4a36-a4d4-550f9d3fac55

Figure 1 Wallbridges Detour-Fenelon Gold Trend land package Figure 2 Fenelon Gold, Total Magnetic Intensity and Geology

Source: Wallbridge Mining Company Limited
FILE PHOTO: Airplane model is placed on displayed Spirit Airlines and jetBlue Airways logos in this illustration taken, June 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustrations/File Photo

By Nate Raymond and Diane Bartz

BOSTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department's lawsuit seeking to halt JetBlue Airways Corp's planned $3.8 billion acquisition of ultra-low cost carrier Spirit Airlines Inc was reassigned on Wednesday to a judge known for trying to speed cases along to trial.

U.S. District Judge William Young in Boston was randomly assigned the case despite the Justice Department's contention that the lawsuit should be heard by another judge who is overseeing a separate antitrust case involving JetBlue.

That case brought by the Justice Department seeks to force American Airlines and JetBlue to scrap their U.S. Northeast partnership because it would mean higher prices for consumers. U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin presided over a trial last year in that case but has not yet issued a ruling.

The Justice Department on Tuesday argued that Sorokin should hear the Spirit case as well because both involved "an assessment of JetBlue's network plans, aircraft orders and configurations, and pricing strategy."

Sorokin, an appointee of Democratic former President Barack Obama, on Wednesday in a brief order said the Spirit case was wrongly assigned to him because it was "incorrectly marked as related and thus not randomly assigned."

It was then assigned to Young, a veteran jurist known for setting quick schedules to get cases to trial. Young, appointed by Republican former President Ronald Reagan, has served on the bench since 1985.

The Justice Department and JetBlue declined to comment.

The lawsuit is the latest attempt by President Joe Biden's administration to push back against further consolidation in industries with the fewest competitors.

In the case filed on Tuesday, the Justice Department said the merger of JetBlue and Spirit would "combine two especially close and fierce head-to-head competitors." It called the deal "presumptively illegal." It also said that JetBlue planned to remove 10% to 15% of seats from every Spirit plane.

The Justice Department's lawsuit was joined by the states of Massachusetts and New York as well as Washington, D.C.

JetBlue has argued that the merger, which would create the fifth-largest U.S. carrier with a market share of 9%, was good for competition and would allow it to better compete with the big airlines.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston and Diane Bartz in Washington; Additional reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Will Dunham)
FILE PHOTO: Southwest Airlines' Bob Jordan speaks as he is interviewed by CNBC outside the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., December 9, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

By David Shepardson and Valerie Insinna

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Bob Jordan said on Wednesday the carrier is not counting on deploying the Boeing MAX 7 plane this year, which is still awaiting certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

"We're dependent on Boeing. And there's progress. It's about six months between when it's certified and we can put it into service," Jordan told reporters at an Aero Club event in Washington. "We're not counting on it to be in service here in 2023."

Jordan said his "best guess" is it will be in service by Southwest in early 2024.

Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen earlier on Wednesday declined to comment on the timeline of when the agency might approve the MAX 7.

Boeing said it continues to work with the FAA to meet the requirements for MAX 7 and MAX 10 certification. "As always, we will follow global regulators' lead in the steps ahead on all certification matters," a company spokesman said.

Boeing, which has faced supply chain issues, delivered 69 planes to Southwest in 2022, down 45 jets from the 114 the company planned to deliver, Jordan said, adding Boeing has agreed to boost deliveries this year.

Boeing has unfilled orders of 388 737 MAXs for Southwest and 271 of those are for MAX 7s.

"Boeing is committed to 100 this year, so that's going to push aircraft into '24. The good thing is, it's really not having an impact on our capacity because right now the constraint is pilots," Jordan said. "The constraint is not aircraft. So until you get to early '24, it really doesn't change our capacity plan."

Jordan added that, if MAX 7 entry into service is delayed, Boeing will deliver additional MAX 8s to Southwest this year in lieu of MAX 7s. Boeing deferred to Southwest on its delivery plans for the company.

Congress late last year granted Boeing a waiver lifting a December deadline imposing a new safety standard for modern cockpit alerts for the MAX 7 and MAX 10, the new versions of the U.S. planemaker's best-selling 737 MAX aircraft.

Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun said in January the planemaker thinks the first delivery for the 7 "will be this year and probably for the 10 the next year."

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Valerie Insinna; Editing by Chris Reese and Diane Craft)
Expansion of first-phase deployment follows excellent published results, showing cross-cultural validity, leading to further expansion and market traction in Asia

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2023) - Cognetivity Neurosciences Ltd.(CSE: CGN) (OTCQB: CGNSF) (FSE: 1UB) (the "Company" or "Cognetivity"), a technology company that has created a unique brain health screening platform for use in medical, commercial and consumer environments, is pleased to announce that it is extending the deployment of its CognICA technology with Lions Befrienders Service Association ("Lions Befrienders" or "LBSA"), a leading Singapore-based senior healthcare provider.

Established in 1995, Lions Befrienders has addressed the varied needs of more than 86,000 senior citizens across Singapore via a spectrum of integrated eldercare services from preventive to intervention through comprehensive programmes, including social, emotional, mental and physical rehabilitation. LBSA's initiative is backed by major pharmaceutical companies including Abbott, GSK, Roche, Abbvie and MSD, is supported by over 1,500 regular volunteers.

Cognetivity has entered into an agreement with Lions befrienders that delivers assessment of cognitive development within this seniors population in Singapore. The project has been designed into two phases, the first, now completed, assessed 250 individuals over a period of 3 months, with phase two seeing the expansion of testing to 1,250 senior citizens. The initial deployment started in June 2022 and saw Cognetivity's CognICA" brain health screening platform used with a select group of seniors to identify, assess and evaluate those suffering from, or at risk of, cognitive impairment due to dementia. This generated excellent results from which Cognetivity has published a white paper which can be read here.

The results of the study demonstrated the effectiveness and usability of CognICA in screening and monitoring senior participants in the comfort of community settings across Singapore, rather than having to attend a medical clinic. The tool proved capable of highlighting those at risk of cognitive decline, and these were then followed up by LBSA's active aging program, providing early intervention before cognitive decline becomes severe.

The use of CognICA allows the measurement of the effectiveness of LBSA's active aging programs, which showed a positive impact on the cognitive health of the seniors. The number of individuals highlighted as at-risk or impaired by CognICA were significantly reduced when re-assessed after completion of the intervention program and, in addition, feedback from the users showed a strong preference to being assessed at or close to home rather than in a hospital setting, as well as finding CognICA user-friendly and easy to use.

This demonstrable effectiveness of the technology further evidences its cross-cultural performance and shows its ability to both detect brain health issues at an early stage and, importantly, its ability to be used as an ongoing monitoring tool to objectively measure the positive impact of treatment programs and interventions.

With the success observed in phase one of the deployment, CGN and Lions Befrienders have agreed to proceed to the next phase of the engagement. With the ongoing support of the large pharmaceutical companies funding the project and with the support from the Singapore Ministry of Health (MoH), Lions Befrienders plan to expand the service to 1250 seniors within their care. This project is now being observed by the MoH in Singapore and this success moves closer to the replication of this approach across all the integrated care networks of the MoH, towards a national screening program in advance of new disease treating drugs coming to market for conditions such as Alzheimer's.

"We are delighted to share the results from this very successful deployment with Lions Befrienders in Singapore. The positive feedback both from a scientific and an end-user perspective from this, and the expansion of the program is great confirmation of the power of our CognICA platform in helping deliver the best possible care to people wherever they are in the world." said Dr. Sina Habibi, Chief Executive Officer of Cognetivity. "Successful deployment of our technology to APAC shows huge global scalability of the solution in a variety of use cases within and outside clinics, enabling mass scale screening at speed. We're extremely excited with the role that CognICA will play in helping millions of people live longer and fuller lives globally."

According to the Lancet Commission, almost one billion people worldwide suffer from a mental disorder and the estimated costs of these disorders is estimated to have a global economic cost of US$16 trillion by 2030. Early detection of brain health disorders has the potential to significantly reduce costs of care while improving patient outcomes. Cognetivity's CognICA" technology is a unique and highly scalable software-as-a-service solution able to accurately detect the earliest stages of the majority of major brain health disorders.

About Cognetivity Neurosciences Ltd.

Cognetivity is a technology company that has created a cognitive testing platform for use in medical, commercial and consumer environments. Cognetivity's ICA uses Artificial Intelligence and machine learning techniques to help detect the earliest signs of cognitive impairment by testing the performance of large areas of the brain. The ICA is currently available for clinical use in the USA, UK, Europe and the Middle East, with regulatory approval for other regions planned for 2023.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Sina Habibi"

Sina Habibi

Chief Executive Officer and Director

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

Certain statements included in this news release constitute forward-looking information or statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), including those identified by the expressions "anticipate", "assume" "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "should" and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect current expectations regarding future results or events. This news release contains forward looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict. Such statements are based on current expectations and various estimates, factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law. Readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements.

The Canadian Securities Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information: Please visit: www.cognetivity.com or contact: [email protected]; for media inquiries please contact [email protected].

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/157673
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2023) - INCA ONE GOLD CORP. (TSXV: INCA) (OTCQB: INCAF) (FSE: SU92) ("Inca One" or the "Company") a gold producer operating two mineral processing facilities in Peru, (the "Plants") reports consolidated sales (unaudited) for January and comparative month over month ("MoM") operational results.

Sales in January reached US$3.48 million, a slight decrease of 1% from the prior month of December sales of $3.53 million. Accounting for the small decrease was a lower volume of gold sold (1,779 ounces versus 1,894 ounces) from the prior month of December. Average gold price received was US$1,909/oz this month, as opposed to US$1,788/oz in December 2022.

Deliveries in January were 2,427 tonnes to both Plants. Seasonal holidays generally accounted for the lower supply of raw material available for milling this month.

Combined milling activities reached 3,005 tonnes, averaging 97 tonnes per day ("TPD") throughput for the month. Gold production in January reached 1,428 ounces.

Consolidated Operations Jan-23 Dec-22 MoM change Sales (US$) 3,480,192 3,525,811 -1% Deliveries (tonnes) 2,427 4,671 -48% Milling (tonnes) 3,005 3,979 -24% Gold Produced (ounces) 1,428 1,682 -15%





The Company continues discussion with suitors for a non-dilutive solution to its capital constraints for the purpose of increasing its ore purchases.

About Inca One

Inca One Gold Corp is an established gold producer operating two fully permitted, gold mineral processing facilities in Peru. The Company possesses a combined 450 TPD permitted operating capacity at its two fully integrated plants, Chala One and Kori One and has produced more than 130,000 ounces of gold, generating over US$200 million in sales from its processing operations. Inca One is led by an experienced and capable management team that has established the Company as a trusted leader in servicing permitted, artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) in Peru. Peru is one of the world's largest producers of gold, and its ASM sector is estimated by government officials to be valued in the billions of dollars annually. To learn more, visit www.incaone.com.

Figure 1. Inca One's gold processing facilities in Peru (left: Chala One facility; right: Kori One facility)



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2645/157679_c7362477b472995a_001full.jpg

On behalf of the Board,

Edward Kelly

President and CEO

Inca One Gold Corp.

For More Information Contact:

Konstantine Tsakumis

[email protected]

604-568-4877

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.

Statements regarding the Company which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as "may", "expect", "estimate", "anticipate", "intend", "believe" and "continue" or the negative thereof or similar variations. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, they involve inherent risks and uncertainties by their very nature. Actual results in each case could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements due to factors such as: (i) fluctuation of mineral prices; (ii) a change in market conditions; and (iii) the fact that future operating results may not be accurately predicted based on this limited information to date. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to update any changes to such statements. Inca One believes the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included herein should not be unduly relied upon.

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 these securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/157679
Amman, Jordan--(Newsfile Corp. - March 7, 2023) - On Feb. 22, 2023, Jasmine Wang and Robin J. Lewis, Co-Chairs of Worldview Global Impact (WGI), a New York-registered non-profit committed to promoting the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) around the world, met with representatives of the Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development (QRF), established by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah to improve educational outcomes for children and young people in Jordan and the Middle East.

During the meetings, WGI and QRF discussed important social issues of mutual interest, including plans for the expanded early childhood development program supported by WGI and GEMO - the leader of science-backed anti-aging technology. Wang lauded Her Majesty and QRF's contributions to education and Arabic literacy.

For its part, QRF expressed its appreciation for both organizations and their contributions towards effective social impact initiatives. WGI and GEMO's support has further enabled QRF to move towards a multi-year campaign to empower parents as their children's first educators. This partnership will have a direct impact on supporting parents and their children in the first years of their life.

QRF - Transforming Education

QRF believes every child and young person in Jordan and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) deserves a quality education. It works to identify and address gaps in the education system, particularly in the area of Arabic literacy. The foundation develops innovative, evidence-backed, and often technology-driven programs that are designed to accelerate and improve the learning outcomes . By partnering with subject matter experts and using a rigorous strategy of piloting, evaluating, and improving project implementations before scaling deployments, QRF is focusing on system-changing initiatives for the MENA region.

WGI - Working Toward the SDGs Around the World

WGI was established to help bring the world's most promising social impact initiatives to life. By promoting new visions of sustainability and positive social impact via forums, conferences, impact investing, training, education, art exhibitions, and other innovative pathways, WGI aims to raise young people's awareness of the SDGs, create local youth communities and networks that work toward achieving the SDGs, and promotes the global scale-up of best practices while also cultivating the sustainable development leaders of the future.

Jasmine Wang actively seeks organizations, institutions, and individuals around the world that are dedicated to promoting sustainability and social impact programs. GEMO has been recognized by Jasmine Wang as a major contributor to social advancement for years, which is why this support to the Queen Rania Foundation was deemed appropriate.

GEMO and the Science of anti-aging therapy

GEMO is a pioneer in the medical cosmetology and regenerative medicine spaces, whose anti-aging technology delivers exceptional results and more youthful skin. Created in collaboration with subject matter experts, scientists and researchers, and it is rewriting the anti-aging script by helping women around the world stay younger for longer.

GEMO's breakthroughs in anti-aging therapy and youth treatment systems are rooted in European imperial anti-aging technology that has led the European market for more than half a century.Incorporating the long-lasting anti-aging technologies of the Switzerland-based Clinic Lmanic, which was founded in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1998 by Darrell Jacobs and Dr. Veronique Emmenegger, whom has had a long-lasting impact on anti-aging and youth technologies for several decades.

To learn more about this news or for more stories on how high-impact social causes are changing lives around the world, please reach out to Jasmine Wang at [email protected].

Resources

WGI: https://www.worldviewglobal.org/about-us-1

QRF: https://www.qrf.org/en

GEMO: http://www.gemoglobal.com/index.php/brand

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/157636
New Space Offers Advanced Development Capabilities for the PREVA (TM) Clot Removal Device for Ischemic Stroke Treatment

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2023) - Investor partner Therma Bright Inc. (TSXV: THRM) (OTCQB: TBRIF) ("Therma" or the "Company"), developer and investor in a range of leading edge, proprietary diagnostic and medical device technologies, is pleased to provide an update on its partnership with Inretio Inc. ("Inretio"), a leading Israeli medical device startup and developer of PREVA" a novel clot removal device for ischemic stroke treatment. Inretio announced earlier this week it is moving into a new facility of its own in Sapirim Industrial Park, Israel, which is a hub for major technology and medical devices companies in Israel and home for several FDA approved facilities.

The new development site will feature a large manufacturing floor and a cleanroom, which will allow the Company to design, develop and manufacture its groundbreaking PREVA" stroke treatment. The facility spans 10,700 square feet and features state-of-the-art equipment and dedicated spaces specific for research and development, manufacturing, and quality control. In fact, Inretio's new facility is designed to scale production of the PREVA" device up to 5,000 units per month, whereas the former space had a maximum production capability of 500 units per month. Overall, the new location allows the Company to meet demand for the growing global ischemic stroke treatment market. On average, the current clot retrievers from top competitors sell for between $6200 to $7000 USD per unit. These current competitive ischemic stroke treatment solutions are single use only, much like the PREVA" device will be a single use solution.

"We are excited to move into our new facility at Sapirim Industrial Park and to have a dedicated space that is tailored to our needs," shared Raviv Vine, CEO of Inretio. "Having our own manufacturing facility is a game-changer for us. It will enable us to produce our PREVA device at scale, which is critical as we move towards clinical trials and potential commercialization."

"This expansion into a new space with the right equipment to bring this innovative, leading-edge ischemic stroke solution to market faster is fully supported by Therma Bright," shared Rob Fia, CEO of Therma Bright, who has invested in Inretio and the PREVA" clot removal device. "With initial tests wrapping up and preparation for human trial approval and clinical study, the new site offers the right environment for the Inretio team's success."

Inretio's move to Sapirim Industrial Park comes at a time of significant growth. The Company has been making significant strides in the development of the PREVA" clot removal device, and has demonstrated promising results from a Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) animal study, at the Shamir Medical Center's Research Unit. The GLP animal study is expected to be completed in second quarter of 2023. Inretio then plans to submit the study's data, as well as mechanical verification and validation (V&V) testing data, to the Israeli Ministry of Health for Clinical Trial clearance in humans, which will be a significant milestone towards commercialization. Furthermore, as recently announced, Inretio has received funding and support from various investors and organizations, including a non-dilutive investment from the Israel Innovation Authority.

Further to the Company's news release of January 19, 2023, in which it announced its acquisition of up to 25% in Inretio, at the request of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV"), the Company clarifies that with respect to the portion of the purchase price that is comprised of US$500,000 in Therma Bright shares, the number of shares to be issued will be calculated based on the 5 day VWAP prior to the date of issue of the shares, subject to a minimum price per share equal to yesterday's closing market price (being CAD$0.10).

Similarly, further to the Company's news release of February 16, 2023, in which it announced the signing of an exclusive license agreement with AI4LYF, the Company clarifies that US$420,000 of the cash consideration payable to AI4LYF may be issued in Therma Bright shares if certain funding is not achieved by June 30, 2023. In such event, the price per share will be determined based on the share price on closing on June 30, 2023, subject to a minimum price per share equal to yesterday's closing market price (being CAD$0.10).

About Inretio

Inretio was born out of the need for improving stroke care and reducing thrombectomy complications. Inretio has set itself the goal of reducing stroke's burden and patients' suffering, by being a leader in the neurovascular field, and bringing value to physicians with simple, yet innovative solutions. For further information, go to http://www.inretio.co.il.

About Therma Bright Inc.

Therma Bright, is a developer and partner in a range of leading edge, proprietary diagnostic and medical device technologies focused on providing consumers and medical professionals with quality, innovative solutions that address some of today's most important medical and healthcare challenges. Therma Bright is the developer of the smart-enabled AcuVid" COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Saliva Test, currently undergoing regulatory review. Therma Bright Inc. trades on the TSXV (TSXV: THRM) (OTCQB: TBRIF) (FSE: JNX). Visit: www.thermabright.com.

Therma Bright Inc.

Rob Fia, CEO

[email protected]

Follow us on Twitter

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking" statements. These statements relate to future events such as development and commercialization of a rapid COVID-19 viral assay and related instrumentation. as described in the news release. All such statements involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to vary from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, they should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and they will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions on the date of this news release, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This press release is not an offer of the securities for sale in the United States. The securities 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 exemption from registration. 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/157675
FILE PHOTO: Former acting Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Daniel Werfel testifies before a Senate Finance Committee hearing on his nomination to be commissioner of the IRS, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., February 15, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin said on Wednesday he will vote against Daniel Werfel for Internal Revenue Service commissioner, a week after President Joe Biden's nominee to head the agency was approved by a Senate committee.

Manchin, who has often blocked Biden's legislative priorities, said he was opposing Werfel on the basis of the Biden administration's implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, a sprawling tax and climate bill that Manchin was key in passing.

"At every turn, this Administration has ignored Congressional intent when implementing the Inflation Reduction Act," Manchin said in a statement.

"While Daniel Werfel is supremely qualified to serve as the IRS Commissioner, I have zero faith he will be given the autonomy to perform the job in accordance with the law and for that reason, I cannot support his nomination," he added.

Manchin's vote is important as Democrats currently control the Senate by a thin 51-49 majority, including three independents who caucus with them. Two Democrats - Senators John Fetterman and Dianne Feinstein - are currently out with medical issues.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Werfel received bipartisan support in a Senate committee vote advancing his nomination last week.

Manchin this week helped scuttle Biden's pick for a key fifth seat on the Federal Communications Commission by signaling his opposition to nominee Gigi Sohn, who withdrew on Tuesday.

Manchin represents West Virginia, a former Democratic stronghold state that has trended Republican in recent decades. He has not yet said if he will run for re-election in 2024, but would likely face a tough battle to retain his seat.

(Reporting by Moira Warburton and Kanishka Singh; writing by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) will host a conference call on Tuesday, April 25, 2023 at 4:30 PM Eastern time to discuss first quarter financial results and provide a business update for the second quarter to date.

A press release with first quarter financial results will be issued at approximately 4:10 PM Eastern time on Tuesday, April 25, 2023.

Participants can join the conference call by dialing 1-888-317-6003 and will be prompted to enter the code 3598907. International callers can dial 1-412-317-6061 and will be prompted to enter the code 3598907.

The call will also be webcast live from the Company's website on the investor relations page at ir.chipotle.com and registration is available at https://app.webinar.net/J8qRpbd2PwB. An archived webcast will be available approximately one hour after the end of the call.

ABOUT CHIPOTLEChipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Chipotle had nearly 3,200 restaurants as of December 31, 2022, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants. Chipotle is ranked on the Fortune 500 and is recognized on the 2023 list for Fortune's Most Admired Companies. With over 100,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. For more information or to place an order online, visit WWW.CHIPOTLE.COM.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chipotle-mexican-grill-to-announce-first-quarter-2023-results-on-april-25-2023-301760747.html

SOURCE Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.
Company to open behavioral health crisis response center providing treatment and care to individuals in crisis in North King County

PHOENIX, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Connections Health Solutions, the leading innovator of immediate access behavioral health crisis care, is proud to announce it has secured a location in the 405 Kirkland Corporate Center in Kirkland, WA, for the county's first person-focused, multi-service behavioral health crisis response center. Within a safe, dedicated space for high-quality care, the center will provide a spectrum of care services, from walk-in behavioral health urgent care to continued stabilization, to individuals experiencing all types of behavioral health or substance use crises.

"The cities of the North King County Coalition recognize the importance of life-saving treatment and mental health care, and our communities have long sought a solution to get individuals in crisis the care they need, at the time it is needed most," said City of Kirkland Mayor Penny Sweet. "Connections Health Solutions' proven expertise in providing high-quality, community-based behavioral health crisis care will help meet the unique needs of our community. Kirkland is honored to be the location of this resource."

Addressing the unmet need in behavioral health crisis care has been a priority for leaders in North King County and its cities. Connections will work in partnership with a coalition of five North King County cities  Bothell, Kenmore, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, and Shoreline  to continue advancing the coalition's focus on maintaining a safe community for all.

"We're honored to partner with the coalition to provide immediate access to care and to connect the North King County community to a local crisis response center where high-quality treatment occurs and hope is restored," said Colin LeClair, Chief Executive Officer for Connections Health Solutions. "Connections is in our name, and we have experienced, firsthand, the stabilization and treatment success that can be achieved when city and county officials, members of the community, law enforcement and local providers come together to help put people experiencing a behavioral health crisis on the journey to recovery. We look forward to the ongoing collaboration between the five cities and all partners as we strive to connect people to the immediate care they need and the community resources that will continue to support health and recovery."

The building where Connections will operate can accommodate upwards of 14,000 individuals annually across the behavioral health crisis care spectrum. The building's extensive space also allows for multiple care services within the same building, from an outpatient clinic providing walk-in access, to 23-hour observation care, and continued stabilization beds for individuals who need extended care. Importantly, the location is accessible to North King County cities and in close proximity to Interstate 405 and State Route 522, so that transportation is not a hindrance to care, whether individuals walk in, are transferred from regional emergency rooms, or arrive in the care of first responders.

"Providing a 24/7 place for people in crisis to receive effective care helps make recovery possible as part of a connected behavioral health system that provides people with the care they need when they need it in their communities," said King County Executive Dow Constantine. "King County invested $11.5 million of state and local dollars toward this crisis center in Kirkland, and it's the start of what we can achieve together when it comes to community behavioral health."

While behavioral health crises look different for everyone, a dedicated therapeutic center will provide individual access to high-quality behavioral health crisis care while relieving the necessity to put pressure on emergency rooms and strained community resources needed for physical health emergencies.

"The benefit to individuals in crisis, first responders, healthcare providers, and our community comes at a critical time, as the lasting impacts of the pandemic continue to be felt across our communities  and especially for those in need of life-saving behavioral health care," said City of Shoreline Mayor Keith Scully.

Connections is open to all regardless of severity of need or insurance, care will be available 24/7, and no appointments will be required. Connections expects to open the crisis response center in 2024.

"The arrival of Connections Health Solutions represents a critical step toward needed access to dedicated behavioral health crisis care resources in North King County," said City of Kenmore Mayor Nigel Herbig. "A crisis does not only occur during business hours. In turn, our community must have additional resources when making an appointment or a waiting room does not suffice."

"This center is an important part of a sustainable solution for a strengthened behavioral health community care continuum," said City of Bothell Mayor Mason Thompson. "We look forward to continuing to work alongside our coalition cities and Connections to open this critical resource for our residents."

"Connections has been serving communities for more than 30 years. Expertise and experience of that caliber matter in behavioral health crisis care and treatment," said City of Lake Forest Park Mayor Jeff Johnson. "The positive impact of this center will be felt among families across the five North King County cities for generations to come."

Founded and developed by emergency department psychiatrists, Connections Health Solutions is widely recognized as the national leader in crisis care; pioneering the 23-hour observation model and welcoming any, and all, members of the community experiencing a behavioral health crisis to receive care and treatment, with respect and without judgment. The Company currently operates two of the largest and most studied behavioral health crisis response centers in the country and has expanded operations to meet the needs of both rural and urban communities.

ABOUT CONNECTIONS HEALTH SOLUTIONSConnections Health Solutions, LLC is the leading innovator of behavioral health crisis care. The Company operates the two largest behavioral health crisis facilities in the nation and provides a range of services to help stabilize and treat people with mental health and substance use diagnoses. Connections' model emphasizes providing treatment in the least restrictive setting and has demonstrated improved quality and cost savings, including significantly reducing hospital admissions in Medicaid and behavioral health populations. For more information and crisis resources, please visit: www.connectionshs.com

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SOURCE Connections Health Solutions
JUPITER, Fla., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Els for Autism Foundation today announced the appointment of visionary autism expert, Dr. Michael Alessandri, Ph.D. as Chairman of the Board. Alessandri, who joined the Els for Autism board in 2019, succeeds Marvin R. Shanken, Co-Founder, Els for Autism Foundation and Publisher and Founder of M.Shanken Communications.

"We look forward to what's to come under the direction of Dr. Michael Alessandri." Ernie and Liezl Els, Els for Autism.

"We are so proud to have available to us, a leading expert in autism with vast academic credentials and experience for our entire program." Honorary Chair, Marvin Shanken

Dr. Michael Alessandri is the Executive Director of the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (UM-NSU CARD). Dr. Alessandri has been a professor at UM since 1996 and has worked with individuals with autism and their families since 1981 in various capacities.

"I am honored to assume the role of Chairman of the Board of the Els for Autism Foundation, a one-of-a-kind autism center of excellence that is transforming lives through its innovation in research and educational and therapeutic programming for clients across the lifespan and the globe. I'm especially humbled that the baton has been passed to me by a man I deeply admire, Marvin Shanken, who has led the Foundation with passion and determination. Together, with our first-rate board, leadership team, and staff, the next phase for the Els for Autism Foundation will be one of breathtaking and impactful growth and expansion." states Dr. Alessandri.

Dr. Alessandri has presented, consulted and published internationally on developing appropriate and effective educational programs for students with autism. In addition, he has received numerous research and service grants and several notable awards within the field including being named Visionary Leader of the Year Award by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, David Lawrence Jr. Champion for Children by The Children's Trust, and Wendy F. Miller Autism Professional of the Year by the Autism Society of America.

"We are grateful to Marvin for all that he has done for the foundation from inception and look forward to what's to come under the direction of Dr. Michael Alessandri." Ernie and Liezl Els, co-founders of Els for Autism.

For additional information on Els for Autism Foundation, please visit: https://www.elsforautism.org/

MEDIA CONTACTWhitney WoznickWhitewater Marketing Agency[email protected](561) 268-2539

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SOURCE Els For Autism Foundation Inc.
Capital Accelerates the Chinese Pantry Cult Classic to Scale as a National Heritage Brand

LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Fly by Jing, the first modern Chinese food brand that popularized chili crisp, has secured $12M in Series B funding to continue its explosive growth. Fly by Jing's existing investor Prelude Growth Partners funded the round alongside Pendulum. The capital positions the company for continued significant growth by propelling it into Kroger, Albertsons and other national grocery retailers, in addition to the existing 4,000+ doors the brand is already in, including Whole Foods Market, Wegmans, Target, and Costco.

In addition to being the first modern Chinese food brand on the market when it launched in 2018, Fly By Jing's hero product, Sichuan Chili Crisp, became one of the top-selling hot sauces on Amazon in the U.S. shortly after launch and has since become one of the fastest-growing condiments on the market, demonstrating the product's wide appeal and trajectory to become the new standard for hot sauce among American consumers.

"I'm so proud of the Fly By Jing team and how far we've come in four short years to transform the 'ethnic aisle' of the grocery store into a destination of bold, global flavors and innovation," said Jing Gao, Founder of Fly by Jing. "In the continued, unwavering support from the woman-led team at Prelude Growth Partners, combined with Pendulum's dedication to underrepresented founders of color, Fly by Jing has the kind of guidance and stewardship that will truly make it a household name. We look forward to partnering with our retailers to make our flavors accessible to even more people and to further our mission to evolve culture through taste."

As has been widely documented, women are massively under-represented when it comes to capital and fundraising, and the data is bleaker still for women of color. Fly by Jing's Series B is hence even more significant as it also deeply matters where founders of color accept capital from, and why. Fly by Jing's existing investor Prelude Growth Partners is a firm founded by two women, while Pendulum is an inclusive and strategic growth investing and advisory platform designed for founders of color. With this capital and guidance in her corner, Gao is now poised to make Fly by Jing a national heritage brand, moving past the startup stage while paving the way for other AAPI brands to follow suit. Continuing to build on that momentum, Fly by Jing has also made two executive level hires with new CFO/COO Matt Dunaj (formerly of Follow Your Heart) and Chief Commercial Officer Jason Parasco (formerly of Sovos/Raos) joining the team.

"We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Jing and her exceptional leadership team to build one of the most disruptive condiment brands in America," said Neda Daneshzadeh, Co-Founder of Prelude Growth Partners. "The brand has become a cult favorite by bringing authentic, bold flavors to the category and we are excited to further support investment in the company's retail expansion and product innovation strategy."

"Fly By Jing is redefining the condiment category with their popular and ever-expanding line of culturally inspired products," said Robbie Robinson, Co-Founder and CEO of Pendulum. "We're honored to invest in their vision, and believe they  like so many companies led by founders of color  are poised to grow formidable businesses, while remaining authentic to their brand."

About Fly by Jing:

Where highly charged flavors meet 100% real ingredients: Fly By Jing is the first premium Chinese food company that brings thoughtfully crafted pantry staples to the modern kitchen. Developed by Jing Gao, a chef, entrepreneur and renowned expert on Chinese cuisine, the Los Angeles-based company is on a mission to bring uncensored Chinese flavors to the table. Fly By Jing's hero product, Sichuan Chili Crisp, became the top-selling hot sauce on Amazon within six months on the platform, and its products can be found at Target and Whole Foods Market locations nationwide. The company has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Los Angeles Times, Fast Company, Forbes, and more. Learn more at flybyjing.com and at @flybyjing.

About Prelude Growth Partners:

Prelude Growth Partners, based in New York City, is a growth investor focused on providing capital and value-added support to fast-growing, high potential consumer brands with a passionate consumer base. Prelude focuses on building iconic consumer powerhouse brands through its world-class set of value-add strategic and operating resources and industry-specific network. Prelude invests across branded consumer categories including food & beverage, personal care & beauty, health & wellness, pet and other consumer categories. For additional information on Prelude Growth Partners, please visit www.preludegrowth.com.

About Pendulum:

Pendulum is a strategic investment and advisory platform. Founded in 2019 by D'Rita and Robbie Robinson, Pendulum reimagines how great companies and brands are builtand who gets to build them. Through its investment arm, Pendulum Opportunities, and strategic advising arm, Pendulum Partners, the firm seeks to accelerate opportunity and value creation for founders and leaders of color. Pendulum Opportunities invests in momentum building businesses meeting the evolving expectations of a values-driven consumer. For more information, visit http://pendulumholdings.com/.

Media Contact:Emel Shaikh949.232.9249

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SOURCE Fly by Jing
KIRYAT SHMONA, Israel, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Galilee Culinary Institute by JNF (GCI by JNF) will officially open its doors on May 7, 2024. Located in the Greater Kiryat Shmona Region - Israel's northernmost point -- the first-of-its-kind institution will enable a new generation of students to experience the region's rich melting pot of culinary traditions while providing a syllabus that sets it apart from other schools.

"Israel's Galilee region is home to over 80 unique cultures," explained Jewish National Fund-USA World Chairman's Council Ambassador, Steve Rosenfield. "Where else in the world can you learn about Ethiopian and Druze food in the morning, Lebanese cooking in the afternoon, and Jewish Sephardic cuisines from North Africa in the evening? GCI by JNF will mark a new era in culinary education, yet it will also bring transformational economic development to Israel's north thanks to the jobs and tourism it will attract."

Further emphasizing the Institute's positive economic impact, Rosenfield added: "The upper eastern Galilee has been out of the spotlight for too long because of the complicated economic and security situation. Through Jewish National Fund-USA's philanthropic investments in the region, we are adding new housing sites, a new medical center, a food technology center, and a food incubator in addition to GCI by JNF."

GCI by JNF CEO, Nathan Hoffman, echoed Rosenfield's excitement. "The opening of the school means everything to me," he said. "I've been waiting for this day since I started in May 2019. To me, this solidifies everything and provides a timeline for executing our strategic plan."

Housed within GCI by JNF, the Rosenfield School of Culinary Arts will welcome students from around the world with plans underway to also offer shorter culinary programs for tourists and locals.

"It's always incredible to see a vision evolve into reality," said GCI by JNF Chief Culinary Officer and Co-founder, Lior Lev Sercarz. "The opening of our institution will be a watershed moment for Israel's north, yet it will also mark a new chapter in how our industry approaches culinary education as our impact is felt around the globe."

"I am so proud to see our game-changing initiative come to fruition," added GCI by JNF Chair and Co-chair of the Go North East Task Force, Sheryl Buchholtz. "In everything we do at Jewish National Fund-USA, we always ask, 'what's the Return on Investment (ROI) for the people of Israel?' Projects like GCI by JNF help change the narrative in previously underserved places like Kiryat Shmona. We are bringing jobs and tourism to the region, yet most importantly, we are creating hope and a reason for the next generation to stay and develop their communities."

Regarding the Institute's target demographic, Hoffman explained: "We are looking to attract the next generation of culinary leaders. Many places accept anyone who can pay. However, we will focus on engaging students with the most passion, promise, and potential."

GCI by JNF will differentiate itself from other institutions by focusing on transforming culinary education. While most institutes strictly focus on the kitchen, with students usually learning about their workstations and how to use the different kitchen supplies on 'day one,' GCI's students will first start on the farm. They will see where food comes from with the Institute's experiential approach to learning. "You learn about wine from the vineyard, bread from the wheatfields, and fruit from the orchards, not from a book or video," explained Hoffman.

For more information or to apply, visit galileeculinaryinstitute.org. For philanthropic opportunities, visit my.jnf.org/gci or contact Michael Feinman at [email protected] / +1.212.879.9305 x503.

MEDIA CONTACTStefan Oberman: 212.879.9305 x222 or [email protected]

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SOURCE Jewish National Fund-USA
South Africa: Team set up to investigate R143m drought relief in Moutse

Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu, has set up a team to investigate a report on the R143 million drought relief project, which was meant to address water supply challenges in Moutse in the Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality, Limpopo.

In 2020, the Department of Water and Sanitation set aside a budget to address the water shortage in the area due to drought.

The funds administered by Lepelle Northern Water, as the implementing agent, were meant to supply and deliver water tankers and tanks in the villages of Moutse, and to develop and refurbish boreholes in order to ensure water security for the residents within the Sekhukhune District Municipality.

According to the report presented by Lepelle Northern Water during a recent community engagement hosted by Mchunu, 30 boreholes were drilled and refurbished, with 20 of them operational, as part of the drought relief programme.

A total of 1 800 water tanks were also installed, with 20 tankers procured to deliver water to communities.

However, members of the community disputed the report presented by Lepelle Northern Water and voiced a number of concerns ranging from corruption to non-functionality of the infrastructure that is meant to provide water to them.

Mchunu acknowledged the concerns and complaints raised by the community pertaining to the report, and later set up a team to follow-up and investigate the contents of the report.

The team will include the Chief of Staff from the Office of the Minister, Sikhumbuzo Zondo; Limpopo Provincial Head, Lucy Kobe, and the Mayors of Sekhukhune and Elias Motsoaledi.

Mchunu said he expects the team to keep him in the loop about the progress of investigation.

He also called on local leadership to ensure constant engagement with the communities they serve.

It is clear to me that communities are not updated on the projects and programmes currently underway to address water supply challenges in their area. There is a need for frequent engagement with residents and they should be kept informed on what is being done to bring water to their area.

We have noted with concern a feeling of resentment from community members in Moutse about the delivery of water, but we are hard at work, and we intend to provide the much-awaited water to the communities of Moutse, Mchunu said.

The community engagement followed Mchunus visit together with Deputy Minister David Mahlobo and former Deputy Minister Dikeledi Magadzi to the Loskop Regional Bulk Water Supply Project, a trans-boundary water project between Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces that is under construction along the Elias Motsoaledi and Thembisile Hani Local Municipalities.

The project is expected to abstract water from the Loskop Dam and supply water to 21 villages under Thembisile Hani Municipality in Mpumalanga, and eight villages in Moutse-East in Limpopo, upon its completion.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-03-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Workers pack flowers at the Kunming Dounan Flower Market in southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 31, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)

KUNMING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- In the run-up to International Women's Day, a frenzy of flower-buying has swept the bustling Dounan Flower Market in the city of Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, thanks to the booming "she economy."

The expanding consumer power of women, based on China's historic progress on promoting gender equality and women's all-around development, has already garnered the attention of various sectors in a big way, including the flower industry.

As Asia's largest fresh-cut flower trading market with a yearly trade volume of 11 billion, the Dounan Flower Market is considered a reliable barometer of the performance of China's flower markets.

To embrace the buying bonanza in women-targeted categories, the market entered a preparation period on Feb. 22, with a stable and continuous increase in stock.

During the period, the market's highest average price for major flower categories on a single day was 4.54 yuan (about 66 U.S. cents) per unit, up 26 percent year on year. Meanwhile, the registered number of buyers and sellers in the market increased by 16 percent and 5 percent year on year, respectively.

According to Li Zhijun, with the Kunming International Flora Auction Trading Center, the flower trading index exceeded 1,000 points for two consecutive days last week, setting a recent trading record.

"The age range and coverage of the consumer group for the festive flower purchases are wide, with an increasing variety of popular flower types. Furthermore, with the abundance of seasonal spring flowers, consumers have a greater range of options to choose from," Li told Xinhua.

Between Jan. 1 and Monday, the trading center has logged a trade volume of nearly 200 million, with a year-on-year increase approaching 10 percent.

The flower consumption market has gradually recovered this year, and the diversification of sales channels and convenient logistics systems have contributed to a significant increase in sales volume, Li added.
A community created specifically for founders, Inc. Founders House provides inspiration, insight, and boldly honest truths from business ownerswhether on stage or across the bar.

AUSTIN, Texas, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. announced today it will host its third annual Inc. Founders House at SXSW, March 1013, at Foxy's Proper Pub (201 Brazos Street).

A crossroads of intellect, guts, strategy and excitement, this year's Inc. Founders House headliners include Deepak Chopra, founder of The Chopra Foundation; Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani; Beatrice Dixon, co-founder and CEO of The Honey Pot Company; and Nicolas Jammet, co-founder and chief concept officer of Sweetgreen; among others.

This one-of-a-kind event brings together those starting, running, and growing businesses at a four-day exclusive hub. Inc. Founders House invites founders to refuel, recharge, and connect with peers in an intimate setting curated exclusively for entrepreneurs. More than 3,000+ invite-only attendees are expected to visit the hub during the four days.

Complimentary lunch and drinks will be served daily, including classic cookies with a twist from Cookie Rich that will be showcased on the edible cookie wall. Join Waterboy co-founder, Connor Saeli on Sunday, March 12, for cocktails as he guest-bartends and supplies complimentary hydration sticks for attendees.

Inc. Founders House Headliners:

Deepak Chopra , Founder, The Chopra Foundation

Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO, Chobani

Chip Conley , Founder and CEO, Modern Elder Academy

Nicolas Jammet, Co-Founder and Chief Concept Officer, Sweetgreen

Beatrice Dixon, Co-Founder and CEO, The Honey Pot Company

Tina Wells, Business Strategist, Advisor, Author, and Founder, RLVNT Media

Jim McKelvey, Founder, Block (Formerly Square) and Invisibly

Angela Benton, Founder, CEO, and Board Director, Streamlytics

Riana Lynn, Founder and CEO, Journey Foods

Cassey Ho, CEO and Head Designer, POPFLEX/Blogilates

Inc. Founders House Meetups:

Friday, March 10: Black Founders Meetup, co-hosted by Brian Brackeen , general partner, Lightship Capital

, general partner, Saturday, March 11: CPG Founders Meetup, co-hosted by Michael Walters , founder, studio503 and Colin McGuire , co-founder and CEO, BOOMN

, founder, , co-founder and CEO, Monday, March 12: Female Founders Meetup, co-hosted by Female Founders Collective

Inc. is honored to collaborate with Inc. Founders House sponsors on a fascinating lineup of sessions, networking opportunities, and spaces during SXSW 2023. From thought-leadership sessions to on-site activations, founders will find valuable opportunities to learn and connect.

SPONSOR HIGHLIGHTS:

TRINET TriNet PeopleForceX brings its incredible talent to Inc. Founders House where Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, and Chief Communications Officer Michael Mendenhall will lead a powerful session on helping businesses identify and understand the importance of purpose, culture, and brand promise. A lively happy hour, perfect for networking, will immediately follow the session. TriNet will also host a unique activation featuring coffee, espresso martinis, and oatmeal coffee stout ale where you can have a selfie printed right onto your cup.

CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) will explore the emotional aspects of selling a business, and help founders learn how to deal with this important part of the exit strategy. In this session, an owner transition advisory professional will provide tips on how to help reduce anxiety around leaving a company in the hands of someone else as well as preparing for their own financial security.

DWEN (Dell Women's Entrepreneur Network) will deliver insight into the best cities for women entrepreneurs and its WE Cities Index. Women business owners and other experts will share how the five critical pillarsmarkets, talent, capital, culture, and technologymeasured by the WE Cities Index can fuel growth for female founders and their companies. A female founders' happy hour will immediately follow the panel.

GS1 US will revisit the supply chain issues that became a daily challenge for so many businesses over the past few years. In a timely and informative panel, an expert from GS1 US joins business owners to offer solutions that businesses can use to optimize supply chains and keep customers happy.

PITCHBOOK will examine the variables affecting the venture capital (VC) sector, and what they mean for founders seeking funding. In addition to covering the market conditions, regulatory changes, and technological advancements that have shaken up the VC industry during the past three years, this vital panel will also track new trends and developments for 2023. PitchBook will offer a complimentary breakfast, a custom gift station, and an exclusive preview to upcoming product features.

XSOLLA will host a forward-thinking panel on the future of digital payments and how businesses need to prepare now for a cashless future. Expert voices from Xsolla and Mastercard will share the challenges and solutions, as well as how to deliver a seamless, secure, and rewarding experience for customers.

Inc. Founders House in Austin is open to invited guests and credentialed members of the media only. To request press credentials or for media requests, please contact: [email protected] events.inc.com/inc-founders-house-2023 | #IFH | @Inc.

Inc. Founders House is growing!Thanks to overwhelming interest in opportunities for founders to connect with each other, Inc. Founders House is opening its doors in Atlanta, GA, in May, for National Small Business Week, and in Cincinnati, OH, in July, for Black Tech Week.

ABOUT INC. 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 every 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. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

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SOURCE Inc.
GUIYANG, China, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by Huanqiu.com:

In the Vlog of American influencer Katherine's Journey to the East, a picturesque scene shows that among the continuous mountains and mists sits an ancient and plain village with clear stream wandering through.

"The scenes here are unbelievable." "It looks like a paradise. Just imagine going on an adventure here!" The comments of this Vlog are full of surprises and praises left by people from different countries. This "dreamy land" that attracted so many people is China's Libo County, a place of world natural heritages located in Qiannan Prefecture of Guizhou.

In recent years, the videos posted by influencers like Katherine have opened a window for more and more foreigners to see the true charms of China. Quite a lot of foreigners even came to Libo and other places of Guizhou to experience the "poetic lifestyle faraway" and some of them even feel like "home" here.

Bernardino Regazzoni, former Swiss Ambassador to China said "both Switzerland and Guizhou have beautiful views and rich natural resources. We have a lot of experiences in transforming natural resources into future advantages, especially in utilizing mountain resources for green development." As Regazzoni said, Guizhou is not only similar to Switzerland in natural conditions, but also complementary to it in the areas including new energy, energy-saving and environmental protection and clean technology. The opportunities for cooperation are plenty.

With the further opening-up of Guizhou, more and more foreign students come to China to study. The Yemen student of Guizhou University, AL-Akhali Adham, has stayed in Guizhou for 4 years. Before coming here, he knew very little of Guizhou and the remarks about Guizhou on the Internet were mostly linked with "mountainous region" and "isolation".

However, he was deeply impressed by the multi-faced and vivid image of the place after coming here himself. He was amazed at the colorful ethnic culture. Different ethnic groups gather in front of fire, singing and dancing for their beautiful life. What also surprised him was the rapid development of Guizhou. Bridges were built spanning the mountains and waters to smooth the way to rural rejuvenation.

AL-Akhali Adham said that in the mountainous Guizhou, people need pool their wisdom to co-exist with nature. "The clever locals in Guizhou built their homes and developed terrace agriculture based on local conditions. More importantly, they also built up many bridges which is very essential to the development of rural areas." Just as AL-Akhali Adham said, there was nearly half of the world's 100 highest bridges in Guizhou.

In the recent decade, benefiting from the great changes in transportation including the construction of feeder airports and expressways in Guizhou and the platforms such as Eco Forum Global Guiyang, Big Data Expo and China (Guizhou) International Alcoholic Beverages Expo, Guizhou's tourism has seen rapid development with amount of tourists and days of stay constantly soaring. More and more foreigners like AL-Akhali Adham started to learn about Guizhou and came here in person to experience its real and diversified styles.

As one of China's inland open economy demonstration zones, Guizhou deeply integrated itself into the big picture of the "Belt and Road" initiative to constantly promote the building of new system for open economy at a higher level. According to the statistics published by Guiyang Customs, Guizhou's foreign trade reached a record-high scale with export volume exceeding RMB 80 billion in 2022, marking the high-quality and leapfrog development.

When asked what he wanted to say to Guizhou, AL-Akhali Adham said with affection, "I believe coming to Guizhou is my best life choice. Seeing Guizhou is seeing China. In the future, I'd like to stay in this beautiful place to appreciate the different sides of Guizhou."

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SOURCE Huanqiu.com
SHANGHAI, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LovelyWholesale ("LW" or "the Company"), an international online shopping e-commerce clothing brand, adheres to the consistent concept of "customer-centricity" in its 2023 Spring-Summer collection, to meet the needs of all lovely women. LovelyWholesale is committed to providing inexpensive fashion trends products that are suitable for women of different styles. "I noticed some of our customers leaving comments on our social media saying that they can find everything they want on our website. I think that's what we're after", Leon, CEO of Lovelywholesale said.

To better meet the needs of our customers, this year we updated two of our major collections "LW Edgy" and "LW Basic" this Spring. At the same time, we invited Ronhire and Fernanda, two popular influencers on TikTok, to shoot videos for these two fashion collections.

LW Basic collection is made for comfort, durability, and wearability. The hue of the clothing is simple, as well as the cutting. On one hand, this design is to let customers, according to their own style and matching rules, create and style clothes that suit themselves and show their beauty and confidence. On the other hand, based on the concept of sustainable development, LovelyWholesale hopes that its clothes can have a high utilization rate.

LovelyWholesale invited Ronhire to present this series. Ronhire is a famous Fashion Model and Tiktok Star. "In the beginning, Ronhire attracted us was that she made all her try on haul videos on a treadmill. It is fresh and close to real daily life occasions" said Jovan, the head of the Marketing dept. "It turns out that her amazing looks, cute smile, and cool personality did not disappoint us. The way she mixes and matches these basic casual outfits just gave LW Basic collection new life. "

The LW Edgy collection is totally different from the LW Basic collection. LW Edgy is made for birthdays, vacations, and some formal occasions with exquisite craft and unique style. In this collection, you can find birthday dresses with complicated craftsmanship, going-out dresses in sequins, and unique cut-out styles. Some dresses with beads are hand-sewn, which will be more durable than machines, and more wearable.

LovelyWholesale invited Fernanda, a famous fashion model, and big Tiktok influencer, to present this collection. "Fernanda is very attractive to us, and her self-confidence is also what we want to pass on to our customers through our LW Edgy collection. Every time Fernanda walks in our dresses, it makes me feel like she's in a top luxury show." Jovan said, "We think she can perfectly express the energy we want to convey in this collection."

LovelyWholesale can provide you with clothing options for various occasions. Whether you're shopping at the supermarket, heading to a friend's party, or a music festival, LW's 2023 Spring-Summer Collection will give everyone the confidence they need.

About LovelyWholesale:

Founded in 2010, LovelyWholesale supplies more than 10 thousand types of fashionable clothing, shoes, jewels, sexy lingerie, and accessories. The company focuses on providing higher-quality products at competitive prices to customers all over the world. LovelyWholesale customers know they can trust us for everything they need from the latest trend-led pieces to celebrity inspired looks, to the everyday wardrobe staples and that ultimate party piece. LovelyWholesale expects every customer can find their loved style and enjoy shopping here.

LovelyWholesale has factories and warehouses all around the world. With the great advantage of fabric resources and hundreds of fashion buyers, LovelyWholesale can provide customers with the latest fashion trends and affordable prices for the first time. Over the past 11 years of operation, LovelyWholesale has become one of the most popular online fashion stores in North America.

To learn more about LovelyWholesale, follow us at lovelywholesale.com and instagram.com/lovelywholesale_online

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SOURCE Lovelywholesale
INDIANAPOLIS, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mack Trucks revealed today its Mack MD Electric, the company's first electric vehicle in the medium-duty segment of the trucking industry. Mack revealed the truck for the first time during an event at the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) 2023 Work Truck Show, March 6-9 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.

The MD Electric will complement its highly efficient, diesel-powered MD model sibling, which has experienced growing customer demand since its introduction in 2020. The addition of a zero-tailpipe emissions battery-electric vehicle (BEV) to the Mack medium-duty lineup also supports the company's long-term sustainability goals.

"Mack established itself as an electrification leader with the heavy-duty Mack LR Electric refuse vehicle, and we're excited to add the MD Electric to our zero-tailpipe emissions lineup," said Martin Weissburg, global president of Mack Trucks. "This is another important step in our efforts to drive decarbonization and a more sustainable future, and we plan to continue investing in technologies that help improve the environment and society."

The MD Electric is the second electric vehicle introduced by Mack Trucks to the industry. The first was the Mack LR Electric, which went into production in December 2021.

The Mack MD Electric will be available like its diesel counterpart in Class 6 and Class 7 ratings. The Class 6 model has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 25,995 pounds, and the Class 7 model has a GVWR of 33,000 pounds. Both models are exempt from the 12 percent Federal Excise Tax (FET). The Mack MD Electric will be produced at Roanoke Valley Operations (RVO) in Roanoke Valley, Virginia, where Mack began production of the Mack MD Series in 2020.

"The Mack MD Electric joins the full lineup of Class 6 to 8 vehicles Mack offers to help customers meet their application needs," said Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America. "Building on the success of the diesel-powered Mack MD Series, the Mack MD Electric will help our customers meet their sustainability goals without sacrificing the durability, reliability and total cost of ownership for which Mack is known."

The MD Electric's three-phase Permanent Magnet Synchronous motor and all on-board accessories are powered by Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) Oxide lithium-ion batteries, either in a 150kWh or 240kWH configuration. The MD Electric can be charged through AC or DC charging units. The regenerative braking system helps recapture energy from the multiple stops the vehicle makes each day.

Developed specifically for medium-duty applications, the Mack MD Electric is built with the same focus on reliability, durability and productivity customers have come to expect from a Mack truck. Designed with the heavy-duty quality of its diesel-powered counterparts, the MD Electric is available in 4x2 configurations featuring a sharp wheel cut for enhanced maneuverability in tight urban settings.

The MD Series cab design features a short bumper-to-back-of-cab (BBC) measurement of 103 inches, an industry best. Similar to the diesel-powered Mack MD Series, Mack matched the bold look and styling of the Mack Anthem, Mack's highway model, as a basis for the MD Electric grille and hood design. The Mack MD Electric will be supported by Mack dealers, many of which are already Mack Certified Electric Vehicle (EV) dealers.

The MD Electric will meet the needs of trucking applications requiring dry van/refrigerated, stake/flatbed and dump vocations. The MD6 model does not require a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) to operate for non-hazardous payloads.

For more information about the Mack MD Electric, please visit Booth No. 3223 at the NTEA 2023 Work Truck Show, your local Mack dealer or www.macktrucks.com/futureofmd

Dedicated to durability, reliability and meeting the needs of customers, Mack Trucks has provided purpose-built transportation solutions for more than a century. Today, Mack is one of North America's largest producers of heavy-duty trucks, and Mack trucks are sold and serviced through an extensive distribution network in more than 45 countries. Mack trucks, diesel engines and transmissions sold in North America are assembled in the United States. Mack manufacturing locations are certified to the internationally recognized ISO 9001 standard for quality, ISO 14001 standard for environmental management systems and OHSAS 18001 standard for health and safety management systems. Mack is also a proud sponsor of Share the Road, an American Trucking Associations public information campaign aimed at enhancing the safety of our nation's roadways.

Mack Trucks is part of the Volvo Group, which is driving prosperity through transport and infrastructure solutions, offering trucks, buses, construction equipment, power solutions for marine and industrial applications, financing and services that increase customer uptime and productivity. Founded in 1927, the Volvo Group is committed to shaping the future landscape of sustainable transport and infrastructure solutions. The Volvo Group is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden, employs almost 100,000 people and serves customers in more than 190 markets. In 2022, net sales amounted to about $47 billion. For more information, please visit www.volvogroup.com.

For more information about Mack, visit our website at www.macktrucks.com

FOR INFORMATION CONTACT

KIMBERLY PUPILLODIRECTOR  PUBLIC RELATIONSMACK TRUCKS, INC.336-662-1787[email protected]

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SOURCE Mack Trucks
PRINCETON, N.J., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Miami International Holdings, Inc. (MIH), owner of Miami International Securities Exchange, LLC (MIAX), MIAX PEARL, LLC (MIAX Pearl), MIAX Emerald, LLC (MIAX Emerald), Minneapolis Grain Exchange, LLC (MGEXTM), The Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX), and Dorman Trading LLC, today announces its participation in the World Federation of Exchanges' ninth annual "Ring the Bell for Gender Equality" Campaign for International Women's Day on March 8, 2023.

MIAX will host a ceremonial bell ringing in its MIH corporate headquarters in Princeton, N.J., on March 8, at 9:30 a.m., EST, to mark this event.

"MIAX is pleased to participate in the Ring the Bell for Gender Equality 2023 ceremony to show our support for women and to recognize the important contributions that they provide to our exchanges and the financial industry as a whole," said Thomas P. Gallagher, Chairman and CEO of MIH. "MIAX is committed to providing equal opportunities to all of our employees and fully supports programs that enhance the responsibilities and advancement opportunities for women in our company."

"MIAX continues to make great advances in providing opportunities for women at all of our exchanges and I am proud to have MIAX celebrate the accomplished women who contribute to our work and culture through our participation in this important event," added Barbara J. Comly, Executive Vice President and General Counsel. "At MIAX, we strive to provide an equitable and inclusive work environment in which all of our employees can be inspired to contribute to the success of our company and pave a path for future generations."

This is the ninth consecutive year that exchanges and central counterparty clearing houses (CCPs) around the world will be participating in the Ring the Bell for Gender Equality Campaign for International Women's Day. The Ring the Bell for Gender Equality Campaign is a partnership between UN Women, UN Global Compact, Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, International Finance Corporation (IFC), and World Federation of Exchanges.

The UN Women's theme for International Women's Day 2023 is "DigitAll: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality." The theme recognizes and celebrates the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education.

See the full list of global "Ring the Bell" events here.

Learn more about this year's International Women's Day theme here.

About MIAX

MIAX's parent holding company, Miami International Holdings, Inc., owns Miami International Securities Exchange, LLC (MIAX), MIAX PEARL, LLC (MIAX Pearl), MIAX Emerald, LLC (MIAX Emerald), Minneapolis Grain Exchange, LLC (MGEX), The Bermuda Stock Exchange (BSX) and Dorman Trading, LLC (Dorman Trading).

MIAX, MIAX Pearl and MIAX Emerald are national securities exchanges registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that are enabled by MIAX's in-house built, proprietary technology. MIAX offers trading of options on all three exchanges as well as cash equities through MIAX Pearl Equities. The MIAX trading platform was built to meet the high-performance quoting demands of the U.S. options trading industry and is differentiated by throughput, latency, reliability and wire-order determinism. MIAX also serves as the exclusive exchange venue for cash-settled options on the SPIKES Volatility Index (Ticker: SPIKE), a measure of the expected 30-day volatility in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY).

MGEX is a registered exchange with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and offers trading in a variety of products including Hard Red Spring Wheat Futures and also serves as the exclusive market for SPIKES Futures. MGEX is a Designated Contract Market (DCM) and Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO) under the CFTC, providing DCM, DCO and cash market services in an array of asset classes.

BSX is a fully electronic, vertically integrated international securities market headquartered in Bermuda and organized in 1971. BSX specializes in the listing and trading of capital market instruments such as equities, debt issues, funds, hedge funds, derivative warrants, and insurance linked securities.

Dorman Trading is a full-service Futures Commission Merchant registered with the CFTC.

MIAX's executive offices and National Operations Center are located in Princeton, N.J., with additional offices located in Miami, FL, Minneapolis, MN, Hamilton, Bermuda and Chicago, IL.

To learn more about MIAX visit www.MIAXOptions.com.

To learn more about MGEX visit www.mgex.com.

To learn more about BSX visit www.bsx.com.

To learn more about Dorman Trading visit www.dormantrading.com.

Disclaimer and Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities of Miami International Holdings, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, the Company), and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer; solicitation or sale would be unlawful. This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may," "future," "plan" or "planned," "will" or "should," "expected," "anticipates," "draft," "eventually" or "projected." You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

All third-party trademarks (including logos and icons) referenced by the Company remain the property of their respective owners. Unless specifically identified as such, the Company's use of third-party trademarks does not indicate any relationship, sponsorship, or endorsement between the owners of these trademarks and the Company. Any references by the Company to third-party trademarks is to identify the corresponding third-party goods and/or services and shall be considered nominative fair use under the trademark law.

Media Contact:Andy Nybo, SVP, Chief Communications Officer(609) 955-2091[email protected]

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SOURCE MIAX
Mojuraa, a direct-from-manufacturer furniture company, offers a wide range of customizable packages made with premium materials. Customers can cut out the middleman and save money because Mojuraa makes the furniture and ships it directly to consumers for free.

LOS ANGELES, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mojuraa crafts its furniture with luxury materials and unique techniques that allow for stylish comfort and extraordinary durability. The company takes its name from the Japanese word for "modular" and creates pieces with endless combination options and changeable layout designs. Mojuraa released the transformer collection on March 7th, and proposed a People-first Modular concept. The selling point of this collection is endlessly combination. Mojuraa modular system is designed to grow with you. It's flexible and can accommodate numerous arrangements.

"At Mojuraa, we share the same values in our approach to the 'art-of-making,' referred to as 'monozukuri' in the Japanese philosophy of craftsmanship. We engineer a people-first modular design around our customer's experience reasonably, rather than a warehouse pallet or shipping container extremely," Mojuraa Chief Designer Andrew Chan said.

Revolutionizing the furniture industry

Mojuraa is taking its place as a game changer in the furniture industry, with free shipping on every order and a consistent dedication to fast, safe, and reliable delivery services. The company's furniture arrives in easy-to-move boxes intentionally designed to effectively maneuver through tight spaces and put together with simple partial assembly.

"We use durable materials like substantial wood frames, luxury wax leather, and reclaimed fibers," Chan said. "As a forward-looking furniture brand, we aim to design the most eco-friendly sofas. We attach great importance to using recycled materials in our products and packaging to minimize waste and maximize environmental impact."

The traditional retail process often involves numerous stops between the manufacturer and the customer's home, particularly if the furniture is produced overseas. The costs of those extra steps are frequently passed on to the customer, but Mojuraa ships furniture directly to customers from its manufacturing facility, passing the savings on to consumers.

Committed to quality

Mojuraa maintains a commitment to quality as a core value. The company stands firmly behind its products, offering a limited three-year warranty. Utilizing stain-resistant materials, Mojuraa furniture can withstand water, coffee, pet urine, ketchup, and even red wine.

"We believe that luxury furniture shouldn't break the bank," Chan said. "Our direct-from-manufacturer model truly removes the middleman in order to pass the savings on to the consumer."

After arrival, Mojuraa furniture is easy for one person to assemble, and it's as easy to take it apart as it was to put together, so users can take it with them if they move to a new living space. The endless configurations allow customers to adapt their furniture to fit their space and lifestyle.

Versatile modular design

Combining the modular approach with premium materials and stylish, comfortable affordability, Mojuraa believes customers should be able to secure durable, versatile furniture without breaking the bank.

"Our modular system is designed to grow with you. It's flexible and can accommodate numerous arrangements," Chan said.

Loyalty program

Mojuraa offers customers a loyalty program with a simple three-step process. Sign up for the loyalty program through the website, shop for incredible furniture to earn points, and redeem points for discounts on future purchases. Customers receive one point for every dollar they spend and can redeem coupons in various amounts: $50 for 500 points, $100 for 1,000 points, etc.

Conclusion

Visit Mojuraa's website to learn more about the company and its selection of modular design furniture. Reach out on Instagram and TikTok to connect with the brand through social media.

Contact DetailsBusiness: MojurraContact Name: LucyContact Email: [email protected]Country: United StatesWebsite: https://mojuraa.com/?utm_source=affiliate&utm_medium=newswire&utm_campaign=pr1

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SOURCE Mojuraa
VANCOUVER, BC, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - ("NexOptic") (TSXV: NXO) (OTCQB: NXOPF) (FSE: E3O1) announces a dual rollout strategy on the commercialization of Nexcompress. NexCompress is part of NexOptic's ALIIS suite of artificial intelligence imaging solutions and enables significant bandwidth reduction when coupled with existing video compression technologies.

NexCompress is the latest offering added the Company's patented and patent-pending artificial intelligence technologies, and as previously reported it reduces bandwidth and file size of videos by between 20% and 60%. NexOptic will be offering it to customers as either a cloud service or an on-premises solution. In this vein, the Company has shortlisted several hardware and cloud providers as part of its supplier selection process. Final selection is expected to be completed early in the 2nd quarter of this year. Updates for the NexCompress cloud and on-premise offerings will be provided as execution continues. After finalizing compute providers, the Company anticipates full commercial availability of NexCompress by no later than the 4th quarter of this year. A number of companies are currently evaluating NexCompress including cloud storage companies as well as streaming and video analytics providers.

Today's lifestyles and business practices are increasingly reliant on cloud data centres. Shopping online, streaming movies, TV & videos, and gaming, require vast amounts of data to be stored and readily available on demand. A large cloud facility will use as much electricity as the average sized North American town. There are already over 8,000,000 data centres globally with no slowdown in sight.

As part its commercialization strategy, NexOptic is already onboarding a select group of interested companies onto NexOptic's evaluation portal. This self-serve, private portal allows a multitude of potential customers to test NexCompress in real time with their own video data and is helping to accelerate the number of potential customers that can evaluate NexCompress while reducing load on NexOptic's internal engineering resources. Initial feedback has been very positive.

Further to the Company's January 6, 2023, news release, in-house evaluations and advancements to NexCompress efficiencies continue. Forthcoming announcements will provide additional specifics on bandwidth reduction, image quality as well as overall power savings and potential savings in a variety of different video input scenarios.

What You Need to Know About NexOptic

NexOptic is an innovative imaging AI company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada with operations in Seoul, South Korea, offering world-leading patented and patent pending AI solutions for imaging known as ALIIS (All Light Intelligent Imaging Solutions). NexOptic simultaneously influences the imaging and AI industries and is a Preferred Partner in the NVIDIA Partner Network, a member of the Arm AI Partner Program, and a member of the Qualcomm Platform Solutions Ecosystem. For more information, visit www.nexoptic.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans," "expects," "estimates," "intends," "anticipates," "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "would," "might," "will be taken," "occur," or "be achieved." Forward-looking statements in this news release include, without limitation, the Company's expectations concerning the size of the Financing, its ability to close the Financing in whole or in part or at all and its plan for the proceeds of the Financing. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in NexOptic's filings with Canadian securities regulators, that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although NexOptic believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing these forward-looking statements are reasonable based upon the information currently available to management as of the date hereof, actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. Readers are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed times frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether because 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 news release.

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SOURCE NexOptic Technology Corp.
Team of experts will provide counsel to real estate investment firm's leadership.

WILMINGTON, Del., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Oasis Realty Investment Group, a Delaware-based real estate investment firm, is proud to announce its new Board of Advisors. This board joins a leadership team with decades of combined experience in the real estate investment, financial, and technology sectors to advise CEO Ivel Turner as he manages the firm.

The board will consist of Dr. Christopher Alan Bullock, James F. Kibler, Jurudoe Ann Martin, and Henry Gotlob.

Dr. Bullock served as the first African-American President of the New Castle County Council, is the former Chairman of the Delaware Black Caucus, and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc. Mr. Kibler has over 50 years of experience in positions as the vice president of property managing firms.

Ms. Martin is an information technology professional with standout achievements in project management, system implementation, process improvements, and consulting in the IT arena. Mr. Gotlob, formerly of Morgan Stanley, has held the distinction of being the Top Regional Director in 2004.

These individuals are well-positioned to benefit and assist Oasis Realty Investment Group in providing quality investment advisement to accredited investors. In turn, contributing to the firm's mission to cultivate financial peace of mind for its clients.

About Oasis Realty Investment Group

Oasis Realty Investment Group gives accredited investors access to pre-vetted, proven real estate funds, safely and securely maximizing their returns. These funds are housed smartly in a diversified investment portfolio that will surely provide higher than normal returns and long-term wealth. With consistently reliable returns that real estate historically offers over time, Oasis ensures predictable cash flow, even in volatile economic times. To learn more about Oasis Realty Investment Group, visit oasisrealtyig.com.

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SOURCE Oasis Realty Investment Group
Teamsters Criticize Weak Labor Law Enforcement, Howard Schultz a No-Show

WASHINGTON, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien testified at a hearing held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). The committee hearing  "Defending the Right of Workers to Organize Unions Free from Illegal Corporate Union-Busting"  was initiated by HELP Committee Chair Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in response to unlawful anti-union activity at Starbucks, Amazon, and other multi-billion-dollar corporations.

"There are no meaningful consequences for businesses and CEOs like Starbucks and Howard Schultz when they break our labor laws," O'Brien said. "When any employer  be they rail carriers, package companies, or coffee shops  gets away with repeated abuse of American workers, the legislators who let it happen are complicit in these crimes."

O'Brien gave extensive testimony to senators about the various ways that corporations break the law with impunity and shut down operations in response to union organizing and collective bargaining efforts, often with no consequences. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) pointed to Energizer Holdings' recent decision to shutter two Teamster-represented battery facilities in Wisconsin and ship them out of state as an example of this. Weeks prior to its decision to kill 600 union jobs, Energizer submitted a request for a taxpayer-funded federal grant.

"Unions provide the job security and wages necessary for workers to develop the skills and institutional knowledge that are the bedrock of innovation," Baldwin said. "The American people should not have to subsidize billion-dollar corporations that ship jobs overseas or close union facilities just to add pennies to next [fiscal] quarter's earnings per share."

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Service Employees International Union International President Mary Kay Henry also testified. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is expected to appear in front of the committee at a later date. He initially refused to testify but was compelled by a possible subpoena.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org to learn more. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

Contact: Kara Deniz, (202) 497-6610[email protected]

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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center joins Caris' extensive network of leading cancer institutions committed to utilizing clinical data to advance patient care and outcomes

IRVING, Texas, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Caris Life Sciences(Caris), the leading molecular science and technology company actively developing and delivering innovative solutions to revolutionize healthcare, announced today that the University of Chicago (UChicago) Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center has joined the Caris Precision Oncology Alliance (POA). The POA is a growing network of leading cancer centers across the globe that collaborate to advance precision oncology and biomarker-driven research. POA members work together to establish and optimize standards of care for molecular testing through innovative research focused on predictive and prognostic markers that improve the clinical outcomes for cancer patients.

The Caris Precision Oncology Alliance includes 79 cancer centers and academic institutions.

The UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center includes more than 200 cancer specialists who offer innovative treatments, leading-edge research and clinical trials not available elsewhere in the Midwest. UChicago Medicine scientists study disease at the molecular level and clinical researchers apply the knowledge discovered in the institution's laboratories to create and test promising new cancer treatments and procedures. The academic health system's physician-scientists also specialize in cancer control, prevention and population research while implementing new approaches to screening and prevention. The institution is one of two NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers in Illinois and a key part of its mission is community research to eliminate health disparities between ethnic and social groups.

"As home to a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, UChicago Medicine is excited to join colleagues across the country in this collaborative effort to advance precision medicine," said Walter M. Stadler, M.D., Senior Advisor to the Director of the UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center and Dean for Clinical Research. "We look forward to working with colleagues throughout the country to translate genomic data into better care for cancer patients here in Chicago and around the world."

"We are excited to welcome the UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center to the growing Precision Oncology Alliance network," said Chadi Nabhan, M.D., MBA, FACP, Chairman of the Caris Precision Oncology Alliance. "As a former UChicago Medicine faculty member, I know firsthand the dedication its physicians and researchers have to providing the most advanced and innovative therapies available to their patients. Our missions are the same  to improve the outcomes of all patients suffering from cancer through precision medicine."

The Caris Precision Oncology Alliance includes 79 cancer centers and academic institutions. These institutions have early access to the extensive database and artificial intelligence platform within Caris to establish evidence-based standards for cancer profiling and molecular testing in oncology. By leveraging the comprehensive genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic profiling available through Caris molecular profiling, Caris seeks to provide this network with the ability to prioritize therapeutic options and determine which clinical trial opportunities may benefit their patients. POA members are also able to integrate with a growing portfolio of biomarker directed trials sponsored by biopharma. Additionally, as a member of the POA, institutions have access to Caris CODEai, the most comprehensive data solution in the industry with cancer treatment information and clinical outcomes data for over 350,000 patients covering over 1 million data points per patient.

About Caris Life SciencesCaris Life Sciences (Caris) is the leading molecular science and technology company actively developing and delivering innovative solutions to revolutionize healthcare and improve patient outcomes. Through comprehensive molecular profiling (Whole Exome and Whole Transcriptome Sequencing) and the application of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms, Caris has created the large-scale clinico-genomic database and cognitive computing needed to analyze and unravel the molecular complexity of disease. This information provides an unmatched resource and the ideal path forward to conduct the basic, fundamental research to accelerate discovery for detection, diagnosis, monitoring, therapy selection and drug development to improve the human condition.

With a primary focus on cancer, Caris' suite of market-leading molecular profiling offerings assesses DNA, RNA and proteins to reveal a molecular blueprint that helps patients, physicians and researchers better detect, diagnose and treat patients. The company's latest advancement, Caris Assure, is a blood-based, circulating nucleic acids sequencing (cNAS) assay that combines comprehensive molecular analysis (Whole Exome and Whole Transcriptome Sequencing from blood) and serial monitoring  making it the most powerful liquid biopsy assay ever developed.

Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris has offices in Phoenix, New York, Tokyo, Japan and Basel, Switzerland. Caris or its distributors provide services in the U.S., Europe, Asia and other international markets. To learn more, please visit CarisLifeSciences.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer CenterThe mission of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center is to discover the determinants of cancer, develop novel therapies for cancer, and prevent cancer through innovative and collaborative research, compassionate patient care, education, and community engagement. The UChicago Medicine Cancer Center has been listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's Best Hospitals" for cancer since 1999. Learn more at www.uchicagomedicine.org/cancer.

Caris Life Sciences Media Contact: Lisa Burgner[email protected]214.294.5606

University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center Media Contact:Ashley Heher[email protected]773.726.8746

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SOURCE Caris Life Sciences
As an Official Sponsor, California Credit Union is the Corporate Supporter of the Zoo's Volunteer Program

LOS ANGELES, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) announces California Credit Union, a 90-year-old $4.5 billion financial institution serving educators and community members throughout Southern California, as the official credit union of the Los Angeles Zoo. Through a multi-year partnership agreement, California Credit Union will provide invaluable financial support for the Zoo's volunteer program. As the exclusive credit union of the Los Angeles Zoo, California Credit Union will be an official sponsor of GLAZA's annual Volunteer Appreciation Day, Beastly Ball, and Walk for the Wild.

"GLAZA and the L.A. Zoo are honored to receive this significant support for our volunteer program from California Credit Union," states Tom Jacobson, president of GLAZA. "Our volunteers lead thousands of school tours each year, educating school-aged children on the animals that reside in our care and the importance of conservation," he goes on to say. "Our volunteer corps of more than 400 individuals is invaluable to our institution and the fulfillment of our mission."

Sponsorship dollars will fund volunteer training and orientation fees, student volunteer scholarship programs, volunteer education and training materials, the uniform budget of all volunteers, and more. As part of GLAZA, Los Angeles Zoo, and California Credit Union's shared commitment to education, the credit union will also host a community day with a local under-resourced school for teachers and students to experience the Zoo during the upcoming year.

"As one of our most treasured and long-standing institutions in the Greater Los Angeles area, the opportunity to partner with GLAZA and the L.A. Zoo was a natural fit, with a shared commitment to supporting our communities and local youth," said California Credit Union President/CEO Steve O'Connell. "We are excited to support its fantastic volunteer program through this partnership, along with furthering its important mission. We look forward to helping bring the L.A. Zoo experience and its important education and conservation messages to our members and the children of our communities."

The benefits of the partnership between the two institutions will be brought directly to California Credit Union members with discounted ticket pricing and promotions for tickets and Zoo experiences. Throughout the year, California Credit Union also will be on-site at the Zoo with innovative sponsor activations and to share information about its unique credit union benefits and services with residents of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties.

About GlazaFounded in 1963, the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA) is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve and protect wildlife and enrich the human experience. GLAZA's primary role is to seek and provide financial support for animal welfare, animal species conservation, capital projects, Learning & Engagement, community outreach programs, and marketing at the Los Angeles Zoo, and GLAZA's operations. GLAZA's additional functions include membership sales and relationship management, special events, site rentals, customer service, publications, and volunteer training and management. There are currently over 40,000 GLAZA member households and a volunteer corps of over 400.

About California Credit UnionCalifornia Credit Union is a federally insured, state chartered credit union founded in 1933 that serves public or private school employees, community members and businesses across California. With more than 170,000 members and assets of over $4.5 billion, California Credit Union has 24 branches throughout Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. The credit union operates in San Diego County as North Island Credit Union, a division of California Credit Union. California Credit Union offers a full suite of consumer, business and investment products and services, including comprehensive consumer checking and loan options, personalized financial planning, business banking, and leading-edge online and mobile banking. Visit ccu.com for more information, or follow the credit union on Instagram or Facebook @CaliforniaCreditUnion.

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SOURCE California Credit Union
3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Chubb Producer Compensation Practices & Policies Chubb believes that policyholders should have access to information about Chubb's practices and policies related to the payment of compensation to brokers and independent agents. You can obtain that inform ation by accessing our website at http://www.chubbproducercompensation.com or by calling the following toll-free telephone number: 1-866-512-2862. ALL-20887a (09/19) Page 1 of 1 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 1/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Important Notice: The SEC Requires Proof of Your Fidelity Insurance Policy Your company is now required to file an electronic copy of your fidelity insurance coverage (Chubb's ICAP Bond policy) to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), accordin g to rules adopted by the SEC on June 12, 2006. Chubb is in the process of providing your agent/broker with an electronic copy of your insurance policy as well as instructions on how to submit this proof of fidelity insurance coverage to the SEC. You can expect to receive this information from your agent/broker shortly. The electronic copy of your policy is provided by Chubb solely as a convenience and does not affect the terms and conditions of coverage as set forth in the paper policy you receive by mail. The terms and conditions of the policy mailed to you, which are the same as those set forth in the electronic copy, constitute the entire agreement between your company and Chubb. If you have any questions, please contact your agent or broker. Form 14-02-12160 (ed. 7/2006) file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 2/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Chubb Group of Insurance Companies 202B Hall's Mill Road Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889 NAME OF ASSURED (including its Subsidiaries ): HOMESTEAD FUNDS, INC. (See Endorsement) 4301 WILSON BLVD., MAS9 118 ARLINGTON, VA 222031860 DECLARATIONS FINANCIAL INSTITUTION INVESTMENT COMPANY ASSET PROTECTION BOND Bond Number: 82416760 FEDERAL INSURANCE COMPANY Incorporated under the laws of Indiana a stock insurance company herein called the COMPANY Capital Center, 251 North Illinois, Suite 1100 Indianapolis, IN 46204-1927 ITEM 1. BOND PERIOD: from 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2023 to 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2024 ITEM 2. LIMITS OF LIABILITY--DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNTS: If "Not Covered" is inserted below opposite any specified INSURING CLAUSE , such INSURING CLAUSE and any other reference shall be deemed to be deleted. There shall be no deductible applicable to any loss under INSURING CLAUSE 1. sustained by any Investment Company. SINGLE LOSS DEDUCTIBLE INSURING CLAUSE LIMIT OF LIABILITY AMOUNT 1 . Employee $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 2 . On Premises $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 3 . In Transit $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 4 . Forgery or Alteration $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 5 . Extended Forgery $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 6 . Counterfeit Money $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 7 . Threats to Person $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 8 . Computer System $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 9 . Voice Initiated Funds Transfer Instruction $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 10 . Uncollectible Items of Deposit $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 11 . Audit Expense $ 100,000 $ 5,000 ITEM 3. THE LIABILITY OF THE COMPANY IS ALSO SUBJECT TO THE TERMS OF THE FOLLOWING ENDORSEMENTS EXECUTED SIMULTANEOUSLY HEREWITH: 1 - 11 ICAP Bond (5-98) - Federal Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 1 of 1 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 3/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing IN WITNESS WHEREOF, THE COMPANY has caused this Bond to be signed by its authorized officers, but it shall not be valid unless also signed by an authorized representative of the Company. Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 2 of 2 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 4/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing The COMPANY, in consideration of payment of the required premium, and in relianc e on the APPLICATION and all other statements made and information furnis hed to the COMPANY by the ASSURED, and subject to the DECLARATIONS made a part of this Bond and to all other terms and conditions of this Bond, agrees to pay the ASSURED for: Insuring Clauses Employee 1 . Loss resulting directly from Larceny or Embezzlement committed by any Employee , alone or in collusion with others. On Premises 2 . Loss of Property resulting directly from robbery, burglary, false pretenses, common law or statutory larceny, misplacement, mysterious unexplainable disappearance, damage, destruction or removal, from the possession, custody or control of the ASSURED, while such Property is lodged or deposited at premises located anywhere. In Transit 3 . Loss of Property resulting directly from common law or statutory larceny, misplacement, mysterious unexplainable disappearance, damage or des truc tion, while the Property is in transit anywhere: a. in an armored motor vehicle, including loading and unloading thereof, b. in the custody of a natural person acting as a messenger of the ASSURED, or c. in the custody of a Transportation Company and being transported in a conveyance other than an armored motor vehicle provided, however, that covered Property transported in such manner is limited to the following: (1 ) written records, (2 ) securities issued in registered form, which are not endorsed or are restrictively endorsed, or (3 ) negotiable instruments not payable to bearer, which are not endors ed or are restrictively endorsed. Coverage under this INSURING CLAUSE begins immediately on the receipt of such Property by the natural person or Transportation Company and ends immediately on delivery to the premises of the addressee or to any representative of the addressee located anywhere. ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 1 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 5/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Insuring Clauses (continued) Forgery Or Alteration 4 . Loss resulting directly from: a. Forgery on, or fraudulent material alteration of, any bills of exchange, checks, drafts, acceptances, certificates of deposits, promissory notes, due bills, money orders, orders upon public treasuries, letters of credit, other written promises, orders or directions to pay sums certain in money, or receipts for the withdrawal of Property , or b. transferring, paying or delivering any funds or other Property , or establishing any credit or giving any value in reliance on any written instructions, advices or applications directed to the ASSURED authorizing or acknowledging the transfer, payment, delivery or receipt of funds or other Property , which instructions, advices or applications fraudulently purport to bear the handwritten signature of any customer of the ASSURED, or shareholder or subscriber to shares of an Investment Company , or of any financial institution or Employee but which instructions, advices or applications either bear a Forgery or have been fraudulently materially altered without the knowledge and consent of such customer, shareholder, subscriber, financial institution or Employee ; excluding, however, under this INSURING CLAUSE any loss covered under INSURING CLAUSE 5. of this Bond, whether or not coverage for INSURING CLAUSE 5. is provided for in the DECLARATIONS of this Bond. For the purpose of this INSURING CLAUSE, a mechanically reproduced facsimile signature is treated the same as a handwritten signature. Extended Forgery 5 . Loss resulting directly from the ASSURED having, in good faith, and in the ordinary course of business, for its own account or the account of others in any capacity: a. acquired, accepted or received, sold or delivered, or given value, extended credit or assumed liability, in reliance on any original Securities, documents or other written instruments which prove to: (1) bear a Forgery or a fraudulently material alteration, (2) have been lost or stolen, or (3) be Counterfeit , or b. guaranteed in writing or witnessed any signatures on any transfer, assignment, bill of sale, power of attorney, guarantee, endorsement or other obligation upon or in connection with any Securities, documents or othe r written instruments . Actual physical possession, and continued actual physical possession if tak en as collateral, of such Securities, documents or other written instruments by an Employee, Custodian , or a Federal or State chartered deposit institution of the ASSURED is a condition precedent to the ASSURED having relied on such items. Release or return of such collateral is an acknowledgment by the ASSURED that it no longer relies on such collateral. ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 2 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 6/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 7/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Insuring Clauses Extended Forgery For the purpose of this INSURING CLAUSE, a mechanically reproduced facsimile (continued) signature is treated the same as a handwritten signature. Counterfeit Money 6 . Loss resulting directly from the receipt by the ASSURED in good faith of any Counterfeit money. Threats To Person 7 . Loss resulting directly from surrender of Property away from an office of the ASSURED as a result of a threat communicated to the ASSURED to do bodily harm to an Employee as defined in SECTION 1.e. (1), (2) and (5), a Re la tive or invitee of such Employee , or a resident of the household of such Employee , who is, or allegedly is, being held captive provided, however, that prior to the surrender of such Property : a. the Employee who receives the threat has made a reasonable effort to notify an officer of the ASSURED who is not involved in such threat, and b. the ASSURED has made a reasonable effort to notify the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement authorities concerning such threat. It is agreed that for purposes of this INSURING CLAUSE, any Employee of the ASSURED, as set forth in the preceding paragraph, shall be deemed to be an ASSURED hereunder, but only with respect to the surrender of money, securities and other tangible personal property in which such Employee has a legal or equitable interest. Computer System 8 . Loss resulting directly from fraudulent: a. entries of data into, or b. changes of data elements or programs within, a Computer System , provided the fraudulent entry or change causes: (1 ) funds or other property to be transferred, paid or delivered, (2 ) an account of the ASSURED or of its customer to be added, deleted, debited or credited, or (3 ) an unauthorized account or a fictitious account to be debited or credited. ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 3 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 8/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Insuring Clauses (continued) Voice Initiated Funds 9 . Loss resulting directly from Voice Initiated Funds Transfer Instruction direc ted Transfer Instruction to the ASSURED authorizing the transfer of dividends or redemption proc eeds of Investment Company shares from a Customer's account, provided suc h Voice Initiated Funds Transfer Instruction was: a. received at the ASSURED'S offices by those Employees of the ASSURED specifically authorized to receive the Voice Initiated Funds Transfer Instruction , b. made by a person purporting to be a Customer , and c. made by said person for the purpose of causing the ASSURED or Customer to sustain a loss or making an improper personal financial gain for such person or any other person. In order for coverage to apply under this INSURING CLAUSE, all Voice Initiated Funds Transfer Instructions must be received and processed in accordance with the Designated Procedures outlined in the APPLICATION furnished to the COMPANY. Uncollectible Items of 10 . Loss resulting directly from the ASSURED having credited an account of a Deposit customer, shareholder or subscriber on the faith of any Items of Deposit which prove to be uncollectible, provided that the crediting of such account causes: a. redemptions or withdrawals to be permitted, b. shares to be issued, or c. dividends to be paid, from an account of an Investment Company . In order for coverage to apply under this INSURING CLAUSE, the ASSURED must hold Items of Deposit for the minimum number of days stated in the APPLICATION before permitting any redemptions or withdrawals, issuing any shares or paying any dividends with respect to such Items of Deposit . Items of Deposit shall not be deemed uncollectible until the ASSURED'S standard collection procedures have failed. Audit Expense 11 . Expense incurred by the ASSURED for that part of the cost of audits or examinations required by any governmental regulatory authority or self-regulatory organization to be conducted by such authority, organization or their appointee by reason of the discovery of loss sustained by the ASSURED and c overed by this Bond. ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 4 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 9/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing General Agreements Additional Companies A. If more than one corporation, or Investment Company , or any combination of Included As Assured them is included as the ASSURED herein: (1 ) The total liability of the COMPANY under this Bond for loss or losses sustained by any one or more or all of them shall not exceed the limit for which the COMPANY would be liable under this Bond if all s uch los s were sustained by any one of them. (2 ) Only the first named ASSURED shall be deemed to be the sole agent of the others for all purposes under this Bond, including but not limited to the giving or receiving of any notice or proof required to be given and for the purpose of effecting or accepting any amendments to or termination of this Bond. The COMPANY shall furnish each Investment Company with a copy of the Bond and with any amendment thereto, together with a copy of each formal filing of claim by any other named ASSURED and notification of the terms of the settlement of each such claim prior to the execution of such settlement. (3 ) The COMPANY shall not be responsible for the proper application of any payment made hereunder to the first named ASSURED. (4 ) Knowledge possessed or discovery made by any partner, director, trustee, officer or supervisory employee of any ASSURED shall constitute knowledge or discovery by all the ASSUREDS for the purposes of this Bond. (5 ) If the first named ASSURED ceases for any reason to be covered under this Bond, then the ASSURED next named on the APPLICATION shall thereafter be considered as the first named ASSURED for the purposes of this Bond. Representation Made By B. The ASSURED represents that all information it has furnished in the Assured APPLICATION for this Bond or otherwise is complete, true and correct. Such APPLICATION and other information constitute part of this Bond. The ASSURED must promptly notify the COMPANY of any change in any fac t or circumstance which materially affects the risk assumed by the COMPANY under this Bond. Any intentional misrepresentation, omission, concealment or incorrect statement of a material fact, in the APPLICATION or otherwise, shall be grounds for recision of this Bond. ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 5 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 10/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing General Agreements (continued) Additional Offices Or C. If the ASSURED, other than an Investment Company , while this Bond is in force, Employees - Consolidation, merges or consolidates with, or purchases or acquires assets or liabilities of Merger Or Purchase Or another institution, the ASSURED shall not have the coverage afforded under this Acquisition Of Assets Or Bond for loss which has: Liabilities - Notice To (1 ) occurred or will occur on premises, or Company (2 ) been caused or will be caused by an employee, or (3 ) arisen or will arise out of the assets or liabilities, of such institution, unless the ASSURED: a. gives the COMPANY written notice of the proposed consolidation, merger or purchase or acquisition of assets or liabilities prior to the proposed effec tive date of such action, and b. obtains the written consent of the COMPANY to extend some or all of the coverage provided by this Bond to such additional exposure, and c. on obtaining such consent, pays to the COMPANY an additional premium. Change Of Control - D. When the ASSURED learns of a change in control (other than in an Investment Notice To Company Company ), as set forth in Section 2(a) (9) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, the ASSURED shall within sixty (60) days give written notice to the COMPANY setting forth: (1 ) the names of the transferors and transferees (or the names of the benefic ial owners if the voting securities are registered in another name), (2 ) the total number of voting securities owned by the transferors and the transferees (or the beneficial owners), both immediately before and after the transfer, and (3 ) the total number of outstanding voting securities. Failure to give the required notice shall result in termination of coverage for any loss involving a transferee, to be effective on the date of such change in control. Court Costs And E. The COMPANY will indemnify the ASSURED for court costs and reasonable Attorneys' Fees attorneys' fees incurred and paid by the ASSURED in defense, whether or not successful, whether or not fully litigated on the merits and whether or not s ettled, of any claim, suit or legal proceeding with respect to which the ASSURED would be entitled to recovery under this Bond. However, with respect to INSURING CLAUSE 1., this Section shall only apply in the event that: (1 ) an Employee admits to being guilty of Larceny or Embezzlement , (2 ) an Employee is adjudicated to be guilty of Larceny or Embezzlement , or ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 6 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 11/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing General Agreements Court Costs And (3) in the absence of 1 or 2 above, an arbitration panel agrees, after a review of Attorneys' Fees an agreed statement of facts between the COMPANY and the ASSURED, (continued) that an Employee would be found guilty of Larceny or Embezzlement if such Employee were prosecuted. The ASSURED shall promptly give notice to the COMPANY of any such suit or legal proceeding and at the request of the COMPANY shall furnish copies of all pleadings and pertinent papers to the COMPANY. The COMPANY may, at its sole option, elect to conduct the defense of all or part of such legal proceeding. The defense by the COMPANY shall be in the name of the ASSURED through attorneys selected by the COMPANY. The ASSURED shall provide all reasonable information and assistance as required by the COMPANY for such defense. If the COMPANY declines to defend the ASSURED, no settlement without the prior written consent of the COMPANY nor judgment against the ASSURED s hall determine the existence, extent or amount of coverage under this Bond. If the amount demanded in any such suit or legal proceeding is within the DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNT, if any, the COMPANY shall have no liability for court costs and attorney's fees incurred in defending all or part of such suit or legal proceeding. If the amount demanded in any such suit or legal proceeding is in ex c ess of the LIMIT OF LIABILITY stated in ITEM 2. of the DECLARATIONS for the applic able INSURING CLAUSE, the COMPANY'S liability for court costs and attorney's fees incurred in defending all or part of such suit or legal proceedings is limited to the proportion of such court costs and attorney's fees incurred that the LIMIT OF LIABILITY stated in ITEM 2. of the DECLARATIONS for the applicable INSURING CLAUSE bears to the total of the amount demanded in such suit or legal proceeding. If the amount demanded is any such suit or legal proceeding is in ex cess of the DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNT, if any, but within the LIMIT OF LIABILITY stated in ITEM 2. of the DECLARATIONS for the applicable INSURING CLAUSE, the COMPANY'S liability for court costs and attorney's fees incurred in defending all or part of such suit or legal proceedings shall be limited to the proportion of such court costs or attorney's fees that the amount demanded that would be payable under this Bond after application of the DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNT, bears to the total amount demanded. Amounts paid by the COMPANY for court costs and attorneys' fees shall be in addition to the LIMIT OF LIABILITY stated in ITEM 2. of the DECLARATIONS. ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 7 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 12/48

Computer System means a computer and all input, output, processing, storage, off-line media libraries, and communication facilities which are connected to the computer and which are under the control and supervis ion of the operating system(s) or application(s) software used by the ASSURED. Counterfeit means an imitation of an actual valid original which is intended to deceive and be taken as the original. Custodian means the institution designated by an Investment Company to maintain possession and control of its assets. Customer means an individual, corporate, partnership, trust customer, shareholder or subscriber of an Investment Company which has a written agreement with the ASSURED for Voice Initiated Funds Transfer Instruction . Employee means: (1 ) an officer of the ASSURED, (2 ) a natural person while in the regular service of the ASSURED at any of the ASSURED'S premises and compensated directly by the ASSURED through its payroll system and subject to the United States Internal Revenue Service Form W -2 or equivalent income reporting plans of other countries, and whom the ASSURED has the right to control and direct both as to the result to be accomplished and details and means by which such result is accomplished in the performance of such service, (3 ) a guest student pursuing studies or performing duties in any of the ASSURED'S premises, (4 ) an attorney retained by the ASSURED and an employee of such attorney while either is performing legal services for the ASSURED, (5 ) a natural person provided by an employment contractor to perform employee duties for the ASSURED under the ASSURED'S supervision at any of the ASSURED'S premises, (6 ) an employee of an institution merged or consolidated with the ASSURED prior to the effective date of this Bond, (7 ) a director or trustee of the ASSURED, but only while performing ac ts within the scope of the customary and usual duties of any officer or other employee of the ASSURED or while acting as a member of any committee duly elected or appointed to examine or audit or have custody of or access to Property of the ASSURED, or 3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Conditions and Limitations Definitions 1 . As used in this Bond: a. b. c. d. e. ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 8 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 13/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Conditions and Limitations Definitions (8 ) each natural person, partnership or corporation authorized by written (continued) agreement with the ASSURED to perform services as electronic data processor of checks or other accounting records related to such checks but only while such person, partnership or corporation is actually performing such services and not: a. creating, preparing, modifying or maintaining the ASSURED'S computer software or programs, or b. acting as transfer agent or in any other agency capacity in issuing checks, drafts or securities for the ASSURED, (9 ) any partner, officer or employee of an investment advisor, an underwriter (distributor), a transfer agent or shareholder accounting recordkeeper, or an administrator, for an Investment Company while performing acts coming within the scope of the customary and usual duties of an officer or employ ee of an Investment Company or acting as a member of any committee duly elected or appointed to examine, audit or have custody of or access to Property of an Investment Company . The term Employee shall not include any partner, officer or employ ee of a transfer agent, shareholder accounting recordkeeper or administrator: a. which is not an "affiliated person" (as defined in Section 2(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940) of an Investment Company or of the investment advisor or underwriter (distributor) of such Investment Company , or b. which is a "bank" (as defined in Section 2(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940). This Bond does not afford coverage in favor of the employers of persons as set forth in e. (4), (5) and (8) above, and upon pay ment to the ASSURED by the COMPANY resulting directly from La rceny or Embezzlement committed by any of the partners, officers or employees of such employers, whether acting alone or in collusion with others, an assignment of such of the ASSURED'S rights and causes of action as it may have against such employers by reason of s uch ac ts so committed shall, to the extent of such payment, be given by the ASSURED to the COMPANY, and the ASSURED shall execute all papers necessary to secure to the COMPANY the rights provided for herein. Each employer of persons as set forth in e.(4), (5) and (8) above and the partners, officers and other employees of such employers shall c ollectively be deemed to be one person for all the purposes of this Bond; excepting, however, the fifth paragraph of Section 13. Independent contractors not specified in e.(4), (5) or (8) above, intermediaries, agents, brokers or other representatives of the same general character shall not be considered Employees . ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 9 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 14/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 15/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Conditions and Limitations Definitions f. Forgery means the signing of the name of another natural pers on with the (continued) intent to deceive but does not mean a signature which consists in whole or in part of one's own name, with or without authority, in any capacity for any purpose. g. Investment Company means any investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and listed under the NAME OF ASSURED on the DECLARATIONS. h. Items of Deposit means one or more checks or drafts drawn upon a financial institution in the United States of America. i. Larceny or Embezzlement means larceny or embezzlement as defined in Section 37 of the Investment Company Act of 1940. j. Property means money, revenue and other stamps; securities; including any note, stock, treasury stock, bond, debenture, evidence of indebtedness, certificate of deposit, certificate of interest or participation in any profit- sharing agreement, collateral trust certificate, preorganization certific ate or subscription, transferable share, investment contract, voting trust certificate, certificate of deposit for a security, fractional undivided interest in oil, gas, or other mineral rights, any interest or instruments commonly known as a security under the Investment Company Act of 1940, any other certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or interim certificate for, receipt for, guarantee of, or warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase any of the foregoing; bills of exchange; acceptances; checks; withdrawal orders; money orders; travelers' letters of credit; bills of lading; abstracts of title; ins urance policies, deeds, mortgages on real estate and/or upon chattels and interests therein; assignments of such policies, deeds or mortgages; other valuable papers, including books of accounts and other records used by the ASSURED in the conduct of its business (but excluding all electronic data processing records); and, all other instruments similar to or in the nature of the foregoing in which the ASSURED acquired an interest at the time of the ASSURED'S consolidation or merger with, or purchase of the principal assets of, a predecessor or which are held by the ASSURED for any purpose or in any capacity and whether so held gratuitously or not and whether or not the ASSURED is liable therefor. k. Relative means the spouse of an Employee or partner of the ASSURED and any unmarried child supported wholly by, or living in the home of, s uc h Employee or partner and being related to them by blood, marriage or legal guardianship. l. Securities, documents or other written instruments means original (including original counterparts) negotiable or non-negotiable instruments, or assignments thereof, which in and of themselves represent an equitable file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 16/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing interest, ownership, or debt and which are in the ordinary course of business transferable by delivery of such instruments with any necessary endorsements or assignments. ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 10 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 17/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Conditions and Limitations Definitions m. Subsidiary means any organization that, at the inception date of this Bond, (continued) is named in the APPLICATION or is created during the BOND PERIOD and of which more than fifty percent (50%) of the outstanding securities or voting rights representing the present right to vote for election of directors is owned or controlled by the ASSURED either directly or through one or more of its subsidiaries. n. Transportation Company means any organization which provides its own or its leased vehicles for transportation or which provides freight forwarding or air express services. o. Voice Initiated Election means any election concerning dividend options available to Investment Company shareholders or subscribers which is requested by voice over the telephone. p. Voice Initiated Redemption means any redemption of shares issued by an Investment Company which is requested by voice over the telephone. q. Voice Initiated Funds Transfer Instruction means any Voice Initiated Redemption or Voice Initiated Election . For the purposes of these definitions, the singular includes the plural and the plural includes the singular, unless otherwise indicated. General Exclusions - 2 . This bond does not directly or indirectly cover: Applicable to All Insuring a. loss not reported to the COMPANY in writing within sixty (60) days after Clauses termination of this Bond as an entirety; b. loss due to riot or civil commotion outside the United States of America and Canada, or any loss due to military, naval or usurped power, war or insurrection. This Section 2.b., however, shall not apply to loss which occurs in transit in the circumstances recited in INSURING CLAUSE 3., provided that when such transit was initiated there was no knowledge on the part of any person acting for the ASSURED of such riot, civil commotion, military, naval or usurped power, war or insurrection; c. loss resulting from the effects of nuclear fission or fusion or radioactivity; d. loss of potential income including, but not limited to, interest and dividends not realized by the ASSURED or by any customer of the ASSURED; e. damages of any type for which the ASSURED is legally liable, except compensatory damages, but not multiples thereof, arising from a loss covered under this Bond; f. costs, fees and expenses incurred by the ASSURED in establishing the existence of or amount of loss under this Bond, except to the extent covered under INSURING CLAUSE 11.; g. loss resulting from indirect or consequential loss of any nature; ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 11 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 18/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Conditions and Limitations General Exclusions - h. loss resulting from dishonest acts by any member of the Board of Direc tors Applicable to All Insuring or Board of Trustees of the ASSURED who is not an Employee , acting Clauses alone or in collusion with others; (continued) i. loss, or that part of any loss, resulting solely from any violation by the ASSURED or by any Employee : (1 ) of any law regulating: a. the issuance, purchase or sale of securities, b. securities transactions on security or commodity ex changes or the over the counter market, c. investment companies, d. investment advisors, or (2 ) of any rule or regulation made pursuant to any such law; or j. loss of confidential information, material or data; k. loss resulting from voice requests or instructions received over the telephone, provided however, this Section 2.k. shall not apply to INSURING CLAUSE 7. or 9. Specific Exclusions - 3 . This Bond does not directly or indirectly cover: Applicable To All Insuring a. loss caused by an Employee , provided, however, this Section 3.a. shall not Clauses Except Insuring apply to loss covered under INSURING CLAUSE 2. or 3. which results Clause 1. directly from misplacement, mysterious unexplainable disappearance, or damage or destruction of Property ; b. loss through the surrender of property away from premises of the ASSURED as a result of a threat: (1 ) to do bodily harm to any natural person, except loss of Property in transit in the custody of any person acting as messenger of the ASSURED, provided that when such transit was initiated there was no knowledge by the ASSURED of any such threat, and provided further that this Section 3.b. shall not apply to INSURING CLAUSE 7., or (2 ) to do damage to the premises or Property of the ASSURED; c. loss resulting from payments made or withdrawals from any account involving erroneous credits to such account; d. loss involving Items of Deposit which are not finally paid for any reason provided however, that this Section 3.d. shall not apply to INSURING CLAUSE 10.; e. loss of property while in the mail; ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 12 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 19/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Conditions and Limitations Specific Exclusions - f. loss resulting from the failure for any reason of a financial or depository Applicable To All Insuring institution, its receiver or other liquidator to pay or deliver funds or other Clauses Except Insuring Property to the ASSURED provided further that this Section 3.f. shall not Clause 1. apply to loss of Property resulting directly from robbery, burglary, (continued) misplacement, mysterious unexplainable disappearance, damage, destruction or removal from the possession, custody or control of the ASSURED. g. loss of Property while in the custody of a Transportation Company , provided however, that this Section 3.g. shall not apply to INSURING CLAUSE 3.; h. loss resulting from entries or changes made by a natural person with authorized access to a Computer System who acts in good faith on instructions, unless such instructions are given to that person by a s oftware contractor or its partner, officer, or employee authorized by the ASSURED to design, develop, prepare, supply, service, write or implement programs for the ASSURED's Computer System ; or i. loss resulting directly or indirectly from the input of data into a Computer System terminal, either on the premises of the customer of the ASSURED or under the control of such a customer, by a customer or other person who had authorized access to the customer's authentication mechanism. Specific Exclusions - 4 . This bond does not directly or indirectly cover: Applicable To All Insuring a. loss resulting from the complete or partial non-payment of or default on any Clauses Except Insuring loan whether such loan was procured in good faith or through trick, artifice, Clauses 1., 4., And 5. fraud or false pretenses; provided, however, this Section 4.a. shall not apply to INSURING CLAUSE 8.; b. loss resulting from forgery or any alteration; c. loss involving a counterfeit provided, however, this Section 4.c. shall not apply to INSURING CLAUSE 5. or 6. Limit Of Liability/Non- 5 . At all times prior to termination of this Bond, this Bond shall continue in forc e for Reduction And Non- the limit stated in the applicable sections of ITEM 2. of the DECLARATIONS, Accumulation Of Liability notwithstanding any previous loss for which the COMPANY may have paid or be liable to pay under this Bond provided, however, that the liability of the COMPANY under this Bond with respect to all loss resulting from: a. any one act of burglary, robbery or hold-up, or attempt thereat, in whic h no Employee is concerned or implicated, or b. any one unintentional or negligent act on the part of any one person resulting in damage to or destruction or misplacement of Property , or c. all acts, other than those specified in a. above, of any one person, or ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 13 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 20/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 21/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Conditions and Limitations Limit Of Liability/Non- Reduction And Non- Accumulation Of Liability (continued) d. any one casualty or event other than those specified in a., b., or c. above, shall be deemed to be one loss and shall be limited to the applic able LIMIT OF LIABILITY stated in ITEM 2. of the DECLARATIONS of this Bond irrespective of the total amount of such loss or losses and shall not be cumulative in amounts from year to year or from period to period. All acts, as specified in c. above, of any one person which i. directly or indirectly aid in any way wrongful acts of any other person or persons, or ii. permit the continuation of wrongful acts of any other person or persons whether such acts are committed with or without the knowledge of the wrongful acts of the person so aided, and whether such acts are committed with or without the intent to aid such other person, shall be deemed to be one loss with the wrongful acts of all persons so aided. Discovery 6 . This Bond applies only to loss first discovered by an officer of the ASSURED during the BOND PERIOD. Discovery occurs at the earlier of an officer of the ASSURED being aware of: a. facts which may subsequently result in a loss of a type covered by this Bond, or b. an actual or potential claim in which it is alleged that the ASSURED is liable to a third party, regardless of when the act or acts causing or contributing to such loss oc curred, even though the amount of loss does not exceed the applicable DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNT, or the exact amount or details of loss may not then be known. Notice To Company - 7 . a. The ASSURED shall give the COMPANY notice thereof at the earliest Proof - Legal Proceedings practicable moment, not to exceed sixty (60) days after discovery of los s , in Against Company an amount that is in excess of 50% of the applicable DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNT, as stated in ITEM 2. of the DECLARATIONS. b. The ASSURED shall furnish to the COMPANY proof of loss, duly s worn to, with full particulars within six (6) months after such discovery. c. Securities listed in a proof of loss shall be identified by certificate or bond numbers, if issued with them. d. Legal proceedings for the recovery of any loss under this Bond shall not be brought prior to the expiration of sixty (60) days after the proof of loss is filed with the COMPANY or after the expiration of twenty -four (24) months from the discovery of such loss. e. This Bond affords coverage only in favor of the ASSURED. No c laim, s uit, action or legal proceedings shall be brought under this Bond by anyone other than the ASSURED. ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 14 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 22/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 23/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Conditions and Limitations Notice To Company - f. Proof of loss involving Voice Initiated Funds Transfer Instruction shall Proof - Legal Proceedings include electronic recordings of such instructions. Against Company (continued) Deductible Amount 8 . The COMPANY shall not be liable under any INSURING CLAUSES of this Bond on account of loss unless the amount of such loss, after deducting the net amount of all reimbursement and/or recovery obtained or made by the ASSURED, other than from any Bond or policy of insurance issued by an insurance c ompany and covering such loss, or by the COMPANY on account thereof prior to pay ment by the COMPANY of such loss, shall exceed the DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNT set forth in ITEM 3. of the DECLARATIONS, and then for such excess only, but in no event for more than the applicable LIMITS OF LIABILITY stated in ITEM 2. of the DECLARATIONS. There shall be no deductible applicable to any loss under INSURING CLAUSE 1 . sustained by any Investment Company . Valuation 9 . BOOKS OF ACCOUNT OR OTHER RECORDS The value of any loss of Property consisting of books of account or other rec ords used by the ASSURED in the conduct of its business shall be the amount paid by the ASSURED for blank books, blank pages, or other materials which replace the lost books of account or other records, plus the cost of labor paid by the ASSURED for the actual transcription or copying of data to reproduce such book s of account or other records. The value of any loss of Property other than books of account or other records used by the ASSURED in the conduct of its business, for which a c laim is made shall be determined by the average market value of such Property on the business day immediately preceding discovery of such loss provided, however, that the value of any Property replaced by the ASSURED with the consent of the COMPANY and prior to the settlement of any claim for such Property shall be the actual market value at the time of replacement. In the case of a loss of interim certificates, warrants, rights or other securities, the production of which is necessary to the exercise of subscription, conversion, redemption or deposit privileges, the value of them shall be the market value of such privileges immediately preceding their expiration if said loss is not discovered until after their expiration. If no market price is quoted for such Property or for such privileges, the value shall be fixed by agreement between the parties. OTHER PROPERTY The value of any loss of Property , other than as stated above, shall be the ac tual cash value or the cost of repairing or replacing such Property with Property of like quality and value, whichever is less. ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 15 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 24/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 25/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Conditions and Limitations (continued) Securities Settlement 10 . In the event of a loss of securities covered under this Bond, the COMPANY may , at its sole discretion, purchase replacement securities, tender the value of the securities in money, or issue its indemnity to effect replacement securities. The indemnity required from the ASSURED under the terms of this Section against all loss, cost or expense arising from the replacement of securities by the COMPANY'S indemnity shall be: a. for securities having a value less than or equal to the applicable DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNT - one hundred (100%) percent; b. for securities having a value in excess of the DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNT but within the applicable LIMIT OF LIABILITY - the percentage that the DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNT bears to the value of the securities; c. for securities having a value greater than the applicable LIMIT OF LIABILITY - the percentage that the DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNT and portion in ex c ess of the applicable LIMIT OF LIABILITY bears to the value of the securities. The value referred to in Section 10.a., b., and c. is the value in acc ordance with Section 9, Valuation, regardless of the value of such securities at the time the los s under the COMPANY'S indemnity is sustained. The COMPANY is not required to issue its indemnity for any portion of a los s of securities which is not covered by this Bond; however, the COMPANY may do s o as a courtesy to the ASSURED and at its sole discretion. The ASSURED shall pay the proportion of the Company's premium charge for the Company's indemnity as set forth in Section 10.a., b., and c. No portion of the LIMIT OF LIABILITY shall be used as payment of premium for any indemnity purchased by the ASSURED to obtain replacement securities. Subrogation - Assignment  11. In the event of a payment under this Bond, the COMPANY shall be subrogated to Recovery all of the ASSURED'S rights of recovery against any person or entity to the extent of such payment. On request, the ASSURED shall deliver to the COMPANY an assignment of the ASSURED'S rights, title and interest and causes of action against any person or entity to the extent of such payment. Recoveries, whether effected by the COMPANY or by the ASSURED, shall be applied net of the expense of such recovery in the following order: a. first, to the satisfaction of the ASSURED'S loss which would otherwise have been paid but for the fact that it is in excess of the applicable LIMIT OF LIABILITY, b. second, to the COMPANY in satisfaction of amounts paid in s ettlement of the ASSURED'S claim, c. third, to the ASSURED in satisfaction of the applicable DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNT, and ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 16 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 26/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Conditions and Limitations Subrogation - Assignment  d. fourth, to the ASSURED in satisfaction of any loss suffered by the Recovery ASSURED which was not covered under this Bond. (continued) Recovery from reinsurance or indemnity of the COMPANY shall not be deemed a recovery under this section. Cooperation Of Assured 12 . At the COMPANY'S request and at reasonable times and plac es des ignated by the COMPANY, the ASSURED shall: a. submit to examination by the COMPANY and subscribe to the s a me under oath, b. produce for the COMPANY'S examination all pertinent records, and c. cooperate with the COMPANY in all matters pertaining to the loss. The ASSURED shall execute all papers and render assistance to secure to the COMPANY the rights and causes of action provided for under this Bond. The ASSURED shall do nothing after loss to prejudice such rights or causes of action. Termination 13 . If the Bond is for a sole ASSURED, it shall not be terminated unless written notic e shall have been given by the acting party to the affected party and to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, D.C., not less than sixty (60) days prior to the effective date of such termination. If the Bond is for a joint ASSURED, it shall not be terminated unless written notic e shall have been given by the acting party to the affected party, and by the COMPANY to all ASSURED Investment Companies and to the Sec urities and Exchange Commission, Washington, D.C., not less than sixty (60) day s prior to the effective date of such termination. This Bond will terminate as to any one ASSURED, other than an Investment Company : a. immediately on the taking over of such ASSURED by a receiver or other liquidator or by State or Federal officials, or b. immediately on the filing of a petition under any State or Federal statute relative to bankruptcy or reorganization of the ASSURED, or assignment for the benefit of creditors of the ASSURED, or c. immediately upon such ASSURED ceasing to exist, whether through merger into another entity, disposition of all of its assets or otherwise. The COMPANY shall refund the unearned premium computed at short rates in accordance with the standard short rate cancellation tables if terminated by the ASSURED or pro rata if terminated for any other reason. ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 17 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 27/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Conditions and Limitations Termination If any partner, director, trustee, or officer or supervisory employee of an (continued) ASSURED not acting in collusion with an Employee learns of any dis hones t ac t committed by such Employee at any time, whether in the employment of the ASSURED or otherwise, whether or not such act is of the type covered under this Bond, and whether against the ASSURED or any other person or entity, the ASSURED: a. shall immediately remove such Employee from a position that would enable such Employee to cause the ASSURED to suffer a loss covered by this Bond; and b. within forty-eight (48) hours of learning that an Employee has committed any dishonest act, shall notify the COMPANY, of such action and provide full particulars of such dishonest act. The COMPANY may terminate coverage as respects any Employee sixty (60) days after written notice is received by each ASSURED Investment Company and the Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, D.C. of its des ire to terminate this Bond as to such Employee . Other Insurance 14 . Coverage under this Bond shall apply only as excess over any valid and collectible insurance, indemnity or suretyship obtained by or on behalf of: a. the ASSURED, b. a Transportation Company , or c. another entity on whose premises the loss occurred or which employed the person causing the loss or engaged the messenger conveying the Property involved. Conformity 15 . If any limitation within this Bond is prohibited by any law controlling this B ond's construction, such limitation shall be deemed to be amended so as to equal the minimum period of limitation provided by such law. Change or Modification 16 . This Bond or any instrument amending or affecting this Bond may not be changed or modified orally. No change in or modification of this Bond shall be effective except when made by written endorsement to this Bond signed by an authorized representative of the COMPANY. If this Bond is for a sole ASSURED, no change or modification which would adversely affect the rights of the ASSURED shall be effective prior to sixty (60) days after written notice has been furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, D.C., by the acting party. ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 18 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 28/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Conditions And Limitations Change or Modification If this Bond is for a joint ASSURED, no charge or modification which would (continued) adversely affect the rights of the ASSURED shall be effective prior to sixty (60) days after written notice has been furnished to all insured Investment Companies and to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, D.C., by the COMPANY. ICAP Bond (5-98) Form 17-02-1421 (Ed. 5-98) Page 19 of 19 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 29/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing FEDERAL INSURANCE COMPANY Endorsement No. 1 Bond Number: 82416760 NAME OF ASSURED: HOMESTEAD FUNDS, INC. (See Endorsement) REVISE ITEM 2. ENDORSEMENT It is agreed that this Bond is amended by deleting ITEM 2. in its entirety on the DECLARATIONS and substituting the following: ITEM 2. LIMITS OF LIABILITY-DEDUCTIBLE AMOUNTS: If "Not Covered" is inserted below opposite any specified INSURING CLAUSE, such INSURING CLAUSE and any other reference to such INSURING CLAUSE in this Bond shall be deemed to be deleted. There shall be no deductible applicable to any loss under INSURING CLAUSE 1 sustained by any Investment Company . SINGLE LOSS DEDUCTIBLE INSURING CLAUSE LIMIT OF LIABILITY AMOUNT 1 . Employee $ 2,500,000 $ 0 2 . On Premises $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 3 . In Transit $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 4 . Forgery or Alteration $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 5 . Extended Forgery $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 6 . Counterfeit Money $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 7 . Threats to Person $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 8 . Computer System $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 9 . Voice Initiated Funds Transfer Instruction $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 10 . Uncollectible Items of Deposit $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 11 . Audit Expense $ 100,000 $ 5,000 12 . Telefacsimile Instruction $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 13 . Unauthorized Signature $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 14 . Stop Payment $ 100,000 $ 5,000 15 . Fraudulent Transfer Instruction $ 2,500,000 $ 25,000 This Endorsement applies to loss discovered after 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2023. ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS BOND REMAIN UNCHANGED. Date: January 31, 2023 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 30/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 31/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing ICAP Bond Form 17-02-1582 (Ed. 5-98) Page 2 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 32/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing FEDERAL INSURANCE COMPANY Endorsement No.: 2 Bond Number: 82416760 NAME OF ASSURED: HOMESTEAD FUNDS, INC. (See Endorsement) TELEFACSIMILE INSTRUCTION FRAUD ENDORSEMENT It is agreed that this Bond is amended as follows: 1 . By adding the following INSURING CLAUSE: 12 . Telefacsimile Instruction Loss resulting directly from the ASSURED having transferred, paid or delivered any funds or other Property or established any credit, debited any account or given any value on the faith of any fraudulent instructions sent by a Customer , financial institution or another office of the ASSURED by Telefacsimile directly to the ASSURED authorizing or acknowledging the transfer, payment or delivery of funds or Property or the establishment of a credit or the debiting of an account or the giving of value by the ASSURED where such Telefacsimile instructions: a. bear a valid test key exchanged between the ASSURED and a Customer or another financial institution with authority to use such test key for Telefacsimile instructions in the ordinary course of business, but which test key has been wrongfully obtained by a person who was not authorized to initiate, make, validate or authenticate a test key arrangement, and b. fraudulently purport to have been sent by such Customer or financial institution when such Telefacsimile instructions were transmitted without the knowledge or consent of such Customer or financial institution by a person other than such Customer or financial institution and which bear a Forgery of a signature, provided that the Telefacsimile instruction was verified by a direct call back to an employee of the financial institution, or a person thought by the ASSURED to be the Customer , or an employee of another financial institution. 2 . By deleting from Section 1., Definitions, the definition of Customer in its entirety, and substituting the following: ICAP Bond Form 17-02-2367 (Rev. 10-03) Page 1 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 33/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing d. Customer means an individual, corporate, partnership, trust customer, shareholder or subscriber of an Investment Company which has a written agreement with the ASSURED for Voice Initiated Funds Transfer Instruction or Telefacsimile Instruction. 3 . By adding to Section 1., Definitions, the following: r. Telefacsimile means a system of transmitting written documents by electronic signals over telephone lines to equipment maintained by the ASSURED for the purpose of reproducing a copy of said document. Telefacsimile does not mean electronic communication sent by Telex or similar means of communication, or through an electronic communication system or through an automated clearing house. 4 . By adding to Section 3., Specific Exclusions Applicable to All Insuring Clauses Except Insuring Clause 1. the following: j. loss resulting directly or indirectly from Telefacsimile instructions provided, however, this exclusion shall not apply to this INSURING CLAUSE. This Endorsement applies to loss discovered after 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2023. ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS BOND REMAIN UNCHANGED. Date: January 31, 2023 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 34/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing ICAP Bond Form 17-02-2367 (Rev. 10-03) Page 3 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 35/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing FEDERAL INSURANCE COMPANY Endorsement No.: 3 Bond Number: 82416760 NAME OF ASSURED: HOMESTEAD FUNDS, INC. (See Endorsement) UNAUTHORIZED SIGNATURE ENDORSEMENT It is agreed that this Bond is amended as follows: 1 . By adding the following INSURING CLAUSE: 13 . Unauthorized Signature Loss resulting directly from the ASSURED having accepted, paid or cashed any check or Withdrawal Order made or drawn on or against the account of the ASSURED'S customer which bears the signature or endorsement of one other than a person whose name and signature is on file with the ASSURED as a signatory on such account. It shall be a condition precedent to the ASSURED'S right of recovery under this INSURING CLAUSE that the ASSURED shall have on file signatures of all the persons who are signatories on such account. 2 . By adding to Section 1., Definitions, the following: s. Instruction means a written order to the issuer of an Uncertificated Security requesting that the transfer, pledge or release from pledge of the specified Uncertificated Security be registered. t. Uncertificated Security means a share, participation or other interest in property of or an enterprise of the issuer or an obligation of the issuer, which is: (1 ) not represented by an instrument and the transfer of which is registered on books maintained for that purpose by or on behalf of the issuer, and (2 ) of a type commonly dealt in on securities exchanges or markets, and (3 ) either one of a class or series or by its terms divisible into a class or series of shares, participations, interests or obligations. ICAP Bond Form 17-02-5602 (Ed. 10-03) Page 1 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 36/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing u. Withdrawal Order means a non-negotiable instrument, other than an Instruction , signed by a customer of the ASSURED authorizing the ASSURED to debit the customer's account in the amount of funds stated therein. This Endorsement applies to loss discovered after 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2023. ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS BOND REMAIN UNCHANGED. Date: January 31, 2023 ICAP Bond Form 17-02-5602 (Ed. 10-03) Page 2 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 37/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing FEDERAL INSURANCE COMPANY Endorsement No.: 4 Bond Number: 82416760 NAME OF ASSURED: HOMESTEAD FUNDS, INC. (See Endorsement) STOP PAYMENT ORDER OR REFUSAL TO PAY CHECK ENDORSEMENT It is agreed that this Bond is amended as follows: 1 . By adding the following INSURING CLAUSE: " 14 . Stop Payment Order or Refusal to Pay Check Loss resulting directly from the ASSURED being legally liable to pay compensatory damages for: a. complying or failing to comply with notice from any customer of the ASSURED or any authorized representative of such customer, to stop payment on any check or draft made or drawn upon or against the ASSURED by such customer or by any authorized representative of such customer, or b. refusing to pay any check or draft made or drawn upon or against the ASSURED by any customer of the ASSURED or by any authorized representative of such customer." 2 . By adding the following Specific Exclusion: "Section 4.A. Specific Exclusions  Applicable to INSURING CLAUSE 14 This Bond does not directly or indirectly cover: a. liability assumed by the ASSURED by agreement under any contract, unless such liability would have attached to the ASSURED even in the absence of such agreement, b. loss arising out of: (1 ) libel, slander, wrongful entry, eviction, defamation, false arrest, false imprisonment, malicious prosecution, assault or battery, (2 ) sickness, disease, physical bodily harm, mental or emotional distress or anguish, or death of any person, or (3 ) discrimination." This Endorsement applies to loss discovered after 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2023. ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS BOND REMAIN UNCHANGED. Date: January 31, 2023 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 38/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing Authorized Representative ICAP Bond Form 17-02-2365 (Ed. 10-00) file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 39/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing ENDORSEMENT/RIDER Effective date of this endorsement/rider: January 1, 2023 FEDERAL INSURANCE COMPANY Endorsement/Rider No. 5 To be attached to and form a part of Bond No. 82416760 Issued to: HOMESTEAD FUNDS, INC. (See Endorsement) FRAUDULENT TRANSFER INSTRUCTIONS ENDORSEMENT (For use with the ICAP bond) In consideration of the premium charged, it is agreed that this bond is amended as follows: (1 ) The following Insuring Clause is added: FRAUDULENT TRANSFER INSTRUCTIONS Loss resulting directly from the ASSURED having, in good faith, transferred money on deposit in a Customer's account, or a Customer's Certificated Security or Uncertificated Security , in reliance upon a fraudulent instruction transmitted to the ASSURED via telefacsimile, telephone or electronic mail ; provided, however, that: A. the fraudulent instruction purports, and reasonably appears, to have originated from: i. such Customer , or ii. an Employee acting on instructions of such Customer , or iii. another financial institution acting on behalf of such Customer with authority to make such instructions; and B. the sender of the fraudulent instruction verified the instruction with the password, PIN, or other s ec urity code of such Customer ; and C. the sender was not, in fact, such Customer , was not authorized to act on behalf of such Custome r , and was not an Employee ; and D. the instruction was received by an Employee specifically authorized by the ASSURED to receive and ac t upon such instructions; and E. for any transfer exceeding the amount set forth in paragraph (8) of this endorsement, the ASSURED verified the instructions via a c all back to a predetermined telephone number set forth in the ASSURED's written agreement with such Customer or other verification procedure approved in writing by the COMPANY; and F. the ASSURED preserved a contemporaneous record of the call back, if any, and the ins truc tion which verifies use of the authorized password, PIN or other security code of the Customer . (2 ) For the purposes of the coverage afforded by this endorsement, the following terms shall have the following meanings: Certificated Security means a share, participation or other interest in property of, or an enterpris e of, the issuer or an obligation of the issuer, which is: (1 ) represented by an instrument issued in bearer or registered form, and (2 ) of a type commonly dealt in on securities exchanges or markets or commonly recognized in any area in which it is issued or dealt in as a medium for investment, and 14-02-21330 (10/2014) Page 1 of 3 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 40/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing (3 ) either one of a class or series or by its terms divisible into a class or series of shares, participations, interests or obligations. Customer means any individual, corporate partnership, proprietor, trust customer, shareholder or subscriber of an Investment Company which has a written agreement with the ASSURED authorizing the ASSURED to transfer Money on deposit in an account or Certificated Security or Uncertificated Security in relianc e upon instructions transmitted to the ASSURED via telefacsimile, telephone or electronic mail to transmit the fraudulent instruction. Uncertificated Security means a share, participation or other interest in property of or an enterpris e of the issuer or an obligation of the issuer, which is: (1 ) not represented by an instrument and the transfer of which is registered on books maintained for that purpose by or on behalf of the issuer, and (2 ) of a type commonly dealt in on securities exchanges or markets, and (3 ) either one of a class or series or by its terms divisible into a class or series of shares, participations, interests or obligations. (3 ) It shall be a condition precedent to coverage under this Insuring Clause that the ASSURED assert any available claims, offsets or defenses against such Customer , any financial institution or any other party to the transaction. (4 ) Solely with respect to the Fraudulent Transfer Instruction Insuring Clause, the following Exclusions are added: A. Loss resulting directly or indirectly from a fraudulent instruction if the sender, or anyone acting in collusion with the sender, ever had authorized access to such Customer's password, PIN or other security c ode; and B. Loss resulting directly or indirectly from the fraudulent alteration of an instruction to initiate an automated clearing house (ACH) entry, or group of ACH entries, transmitted as an electronic message, or as an attachment to an electronic message, sent via the internet, unless: i. each ACH entry was individually verified via the call back procedure without regard to the amount of the entry; or ii. the instruction was formatted, encoded or encrypted so that any altercation in the ACH entry or group of ACH entries would be apparent to the ASSURED. (5 ) Solely with respect to the Fraudulent Transfer Instruction Insuring Clause, Exclusion 2.k. is deleted and replaced with the following: k. loss resulting from voice requests or instructions received over the telephone, provided however, this Section 2.k. shall not apply to INSURING CLAUSE 7. or 9. or the Fraudulent Transfer Instruction Insuring Clause. (6 ) For the purposes of the Fraudulent Transfer Instruction Insuring Clause, all loss or losses involving one natural person or entity, or one group of natural persons or entities acting together, shall be a Single Loss without regard to the number of transfers or the number of instructions involved. (7 ) For the purposes of the Fraudulent Transfer Instruction Insuring Clause, the Single Loss Limit of Liability shall be $ 2,500,000. The Deductible Amount shall be $ 25,000. (8 ) The amount of any single transfer for which verification via call back will be required is: $ 450,000. 14-02-21330 (10/2014) Page 2 of 3 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 41/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing The title and any headings in this endorsement/rider are solely for convenience and form no part of the terms and conditions of coverage. All other terms, conditions and limitations of this Policy shall remain unchanged. 14-02-21330 (10/2014) Page 3 of 3 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 42/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing ENDORSEMENT/RIDER Effective date of this endorsement/rider: January 1, 2023 FEDERAL INSURANCE COMPANY Endorsement/Rider No. 6 To be attached to and form a part of Policy No. 82416760 Issued to: HOMESTEAD FUNDS, INC. (See Endorsement) COMPLIANCE WITH APPLICABLE TRADE SANCTION LAWS It is agreed that this insurance does not apply to the extent that trade or economic sanctions or other similar laws or regulations prohibit the coverage provided by this insurance. The title and any headings in this endorsement/rider are solely for convenience and form no part of the terms and conditions of coverage. All other terms, conditions and limitations of this Policy shall remain unchanged. 14-02-9228 (2/2010) Page 1 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 43/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing ENDORSEMENT/RIDER Effective date of FEDERAL INSURANCE COMPANY this endorsement/rider: January 1, 2023 Endorsement/Rider No. 7 To be attached to and form a part of Bond No. 82416760 Issued to: HOMESTEAD FUNDS, INC. (See Endorsement) DELETING VALUATION-OTHER PROPERTY AND AMENDING CHANGE OR MODIFICATION ENDORSEMENT In consideration of the premium charged, it is agreed that this Bond is amended as follows: 1 . The paragraph titled Other Property in Section 9, Valuation, is deleted in its entirety. 2 . The third paragraph in Section 16, Change or Modification, is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following: If this Bond is for a joint ASSURED, no change or modification which would adversely affect the rights of the ASSURED shall be effective prior to sixty (60) days after written notice has been furnished to all insured Investment Companies and the Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, D.C., by the COMPANY. The title and any headings in this endorsement/rider are solely for convenience and form no part of the terms and conditions of coverage. All other terms, conditions and limitations of this Bond shall remain unchanged. 17-02-2437 (12/2006) rev. Page 1 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 44/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing FEDERAL INSURANCE COMPANY Endorsement No. 8 Bond Number: 82416760 NAME OF ASSURED: HOMESTEAD FUNDS, INC. (See Endorsement) VIRGINIA AMENDATORY ENDORSEMENT It is agreed that this Bond is amended by adding a new Section reading as follows: "Section 17. Countersignature Absence of a signature by an Authorized Representative on this Bond's DECLARATIONS will not affect the validity of this Bond when issued by the COMPANY on a risk located in Virginia. If, however, this Bond is not signed, please contact the COMPANY." This Endorsement applies to loss discovered after 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2023. ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS BOND REMAIN UNCHANGED. Date: January 31, 2023 State Amendatory-General Use Form 17-02-1427 (Ed. 1-97) file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 45/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing ENDORSEMENT/RIDER Effective date of FEDERAL INSURANCE COMPANY this endorsement/rider: January 1, 2023 Endorsement/Rider No. 9 To be attached to and form a part of Bond No. 82416760 Issued to: HOMESTEAD FUNDS INC AUTOMATIC INCREASE IN LIMITS ENDORSEMENT In consideration of the premium charged, it is agreed that GENERAL AGREEMENTS, Section C. Additional Offices Or Employees -Consolidation, Merger Or Purchase Or Acquisition Of Assets Or Liabilities-Notice To Company, is amended by adding the following subsection: Automatic Increase in Limits for Investment Companies If an increase in bonding limits is required pursuant to rule 17g-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 ("the Act"), due to: the creation of a new Investment Company , other than by consolidation or merger with, or (i) purchase or acquisition of assets or liabilities of, another institution; or (ii) an increase in asset size of current Investment Companies covered under this Bond, then the minimum required increase in limits shall take place automatically without payment of additional premium for the remainder of the BOND PERIOD. The title and any headings in this endorsement/rider are solely for convenience and form no part of the terms and conditions of coverage. All other terms, conditions and limitations of this Bond shall remain unchanged. 14-02-14098 (04/2008) Page 1 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 46/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing FEDERAL INSURANCE COMPANY Endorsement No: 10 Bond Number: 82416760 NAME OF ASSURED: HOMESTEAD FUNDS, INC. (See Endorsement) PREMIUM ENDORSEMENT It is agreed that: 1 . The premium for this Bond for the period January 1, 2023 to January 1, 2024 is: Premium: Six thousand five hundred ($6,500.00) 2 . It is further agreed that this premium is subject to change during this period if amendments are made to this Bond at the request of the ASSURED. This Endorsement applies to loss discovered after 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2023. ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS BOND REMAIN UNCHANGED. Date: January 31, 2023 ICAP Bond Form 17-02-0735 (Rev. 1-97) file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 47/48

3/3/23, 11:59 AM p82416760_2023.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing FEDERAL INSURANCE COMPANY Endorsement No: 11 Bond Number: 82416760 NAME OF ASSURED: HOMESTEAD FUNDS, INC. (See Endorsement) NAME OF ASSURED ENDORSEMENT It is agreed that the NAME OF ASSURED in the DECLARATIONS is amended to read as follows: Homestead Funds Inc Homestead Funds Trust Short- Term Government Securities Fund Short Term Bond Fund Stock Index Fund Value Fund Growth Fund Small Company Stock Fund International Equity Fund Daily Income Fund Intermediate Bond Fund Rural America Growth and Income Fund any partner, officer or employee of an investment adviser, an underwriter (distributor), a transfer agent or shareholder accounting record keeper, or an administrator, subadvisor or sub- administrator, for an Investment Company , including any partner, officer or employee of National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and RE Advisers Corporation(REA), while performing acts coming withi n the scope of the customary and usual duties of a partner, officer or employee of an Investment Company or acting as a member of any committee duly elected or appointed to examine, audit or have custody of or access to Property of an Investment Company This Endorsement applies to loss discovered after 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2023. ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS BOND REMAIN UNCHANGED. Date: January 31, 2023 file:///C:/Users/rxh8/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/9DW8JHGQ/p82416760_2023.htm 48/48





CERTIFICATE OF SECRETARY



HOMESTEAD FUNDS, INC.

HOMESTEAD FUNDS TRUST

I, Jeremy Sperlazza, do hereby certify that I am the duly elected, qualified and acting Secretary of Homestead Funds, Inc. (the Corporation) and Homestead Funds Trust (the Trust, and together with the Corporation, Homestead or Homestead Funds, and each series thereof, a Fund), and I do hereby further certify that the resolutions set forth below were duly unanimously adopted by the Corporations Board of Directors and the Trusts Board of Trustees (collectively, the Board)1 , including those Directors who are not interested persons as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, at a meeting of the Board held December 13-14, 2022, and that said resolutions have not been revoked or amended and are now in full force and effect.

RESOLVED , that the terms and provisions of the Fidelity Bond issued by Chubb Group of Insurance Companies with a term of January 1, 2023 to January 1, 2024 (the Fidelity Bond) naming Homestead Funds, Inc., Homestead Funds Trust, and the Homestead Funds as insured parties (the Insured Parties), in substantially the form presented at the meeting and with such changes as may be deemed necessary by the officers of the Homestead Funds, upon the advice of counsel, be and they hereby are, approved by the full Board of Directors and by a separate vote of a majority of the Directors who are not interested persons of the Homestead Funds as defined in the 1940 Act (the Independent Directors); and it is

FURTHER RESOLVED , that the amount of the fidelity bond coverage is approved after consideration of all factors deemed relevant by the Board of Directors, including, but not limited to, the existing and projected value of the aggregate assets of the Funds to which any covered person may have access, the amount of the premium for such bond, the type and terms of the arrangements made for the custody and safekeeping for such assets, and the nature of the securities held by each Fund; and it is

FURTHER RESOLVED , that, subject to the ratification of the Board of Directors, the officers of the Funds be, and hereby are, authorized to increase the amount of such bond as may be necessary to satisfy the requirements of Rule 17g-1(d) under the 1940 Act; and it is

FURTHER RESOLVED , that any officer of the Homestead Funds be, and each of them hereby is, authorized, empowered and directed to make the filings and give the notices required by Rule 17g-1 under the 1940 Act, and to make any other filings necessary or advisable in connection with the Fidelity Bond and to take all actions deemed necessary or advisable to carry out the intent of the foregoing resolutions; and it is

FURTHER RESOLVED , that the form, terms and provisions of the Fidelity Bond Agreement (the Fidelity Bond Agreement) by and among the Insured Parties for the purpose of allocating recoveries under the Fidelity Bond in compliance with Rule 17g-l under the 1940 Act, as previously approved by the Directors, be, and they hereby are approved, and that the officers of the Homestead Funds shall have the authority to execute and to deliver such Fidelity Bond Agreement in substantially the form presented to the Directors, with such changes as the officer so acting may deem necessary or desirable, the execution and delivery thereof to be conclusive evidence of its authorization hereby; and it is

FURTHER RESOLVED , that the portion of the premium to be paid by each Fund in respect of the Fidelity Bond, taking all relevant factors into consideration including, but not limited to, the number of the other parties named as insured, the nature of the business activities of such other parties, the amount of the joint insured bond, and the amount of the premium for such bond, the ratable allocation of the premium among all parties named as insured, and the relationship of the share of the premium allocated to each Fund to the premium such Fund would have had to pay if it had provided and maintained a single insured bond, be and it hereby is, approved by the full Board of Directors, and by a separate vote of a majority of the Independent Directors.

IN WITNESS HEREOF I have duly set my hand this 8th day of March, 2023

/s/ Jeremy Sperlazza Jeremy Sperlazza Secretary

11 Hereinafter, the terms Director or Directors shall refer to the Directors of Homestead Funds, Inc. and the Trustees and Homestead Funds Trust, as applicable.





SCHEDULE A Registered Investment Company Gross Assets September 30, 2022 Minimum Bond Limit Under Rule 17g-1 Daily Income Fund $218,148,535 $600,000 Short-Term Government Securities Fund $69,185,293 $400,000 Short-Term Bond Fund $489,810,239 $750,000 Intermediate Bond Fund $129,442,850 $525,000 Rural America Growth & Income Fund $6,376,476 $150,000 Stock Index Fund $178,164,244 $600,000 Value Fund $812,783,486 $1,000,000 Growth Fund $240,228,401 $600,000 International Equity Fund $71,391,288 $400,000 Small-Company Stock Fund $224,657,216 $600,000





FIDELITY BOND AGREEMENT

This Agreement (the  Agreement) dated December 14, 2022, is made by and among each series of Homestead Funds, Inc. (the Company) and Homestead Funds Trust (the Trust), as specified in Schedule A, as amended from time to time, to this Agreement (each series a Fund and, collectively, the Funds).

WITNESSETH:

WHEREAS, the Company and Trust are each an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act);

WHEREAS, the Funds jointly hold a fidelity bond required by the 1940 Act and Rule 17g-1 promulgated thereunder under which the Funds are named insureds; and

WHEREAS, Rule17g-1 under the 1940 Act requires that the named insureds under such a bond enter into an agreement with respect to certain matters;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the terms and provisions hereinafter set forth, the parties hereto agree as follows:

1. Description of Bond . A fidelity bond has been issued by the issuer named in Schedule B of this Agreement that designates the Funds as named insureds (the Bond). The issuer or the amount of the Bond may change or be adjusted from time to time, and any change in the issuer shall be reflected in Schedule B to this Agreement, as amended from time to time.

2. Minimum Recovery . In the event recovery is received under the Bond as a result of loss sustained by one or more of the Funds, each Fund shall receive an equitable and proportionate share of the recovery which shall be at least equal to the amount which each Fund would have received had it provided and maintained a single insured bond with the minimum coverage required by Rule 17g-1(d)(1) under the 1940 Act.

3. Term . The terms of this Agreement shall commence on the date hereof and shall terminate upon the termination or cancellation of the Bond or upon notice from any party hereto.

4. A copy of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Trust, as amended, is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and notice is hereby given that this instrument is executed on behalf of the Trustees of the Trust as Trustees and not individually, and that the obligations of or arising out of this instrument are not binding upon any of the Trustees or shareholders individually but are binding only upon the assets and property of the Trust.

[Signature page follows]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed on December 14, 2022.

HOMESTEAD FUNDS, INC. , on behalf of each Fund specified in Schedule A

By: /s/ Jeremy Sperlazza

Name: Jeremy Sperlazza

Title: Secretary

HOMESTEAD FUNDS TRUST , on behalf of each Fund specified in Schedule A

By: /s/ Jeremy Sperlazza

Name: Jeremy Sperlazza

Title: Secretary

SCHEDULE A

Homestead Funds, Inc.

Funds

Daily Income Fund

S hort-Term Government Securities Fund

Short-Term Bond Fund

Stock Index Fund

Value Fund

Small-Company Stock Fund

International Equity Fund

Growth Fund

Homestead Funds Trust

Funds

Intermediate Bond Fund

Rural America Growth & Income Fund

SCHEDULE B

Issuer

Chubb Group of Insurance Companies








UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 13G

Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No. )*

Enservco Corporation

(Name of Issuer)

Common Stock, par value $0.005 per share

(Title of Class of Securities)

29358Y102





(CUSIP Number)

February 27, 2023

(Date of Event which Requires Filing of this Statement)

Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule is filed:

Rule 13d-1(b)

X Rule 13d-1(c)

Rule 13d-1(d)

* The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person's initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

The information required on the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be "filed" for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 ("Act") or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the Notes).





1. NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS

I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) Corsair Capital Partners, L.P. 2. CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (a) [x] (b) [ ] 3. SEC USE ONLY 4. CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Delaware NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: 5. SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6. SHARED VOTING POWER 1,323,229 (1) 7. SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8. SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 1,323,229 (1) 9. AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 1,323,229 (1) 10. CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9)

EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES [ ] 11. PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 8.3% 12. TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON PN





(1) This excludes certain currently exercisable warrants (the Warrants) owned by the reporting person due to a beneficial ownership blocker as described in Item 4.





1. NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS

I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) Corsair Capital Partners 100, L.P. 2. CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (a) [x] (b) [ ] 3. SEC USE ONLY 4. CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Delaware NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: 5. SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6. SHARED VOTING POWER 192,781 (1) 7. SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8. SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 192,781 (1) 9. AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 192,781 (1) 10. CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9)

EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES [ ] 11. PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 1.2% 12. TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON PN





(1) This excludes certain Warrants owned by the reporting person due to a beneficial ownership blocker as described in Item 4.





1. NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS

I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) Corsair Capital Investors, Ltd 2. CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (a) [x] (b) [ ] 3. SEC USE ONLY 4. CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Cayman Islands NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: 5. SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6. SHARED VOTING POWER 80,991 (1) 7. SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8. SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 80,991 (1) 9. AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 80,991 (1) 10. CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9)

EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES [ ] 11. PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) Less than 1% 12. TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON CO









(1) This excludes certain Warrants owned by the reporting person due to a beneficial ownership blocker as described in Item 4.





1. NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS

I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) Corsair Capital Management, L.P. 2. CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (a) [x] (b) [ ] 3. SEC USE ONLY 4. CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION Delaware NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: 5. SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6. SHARED VOTING POWER 1,597,000 (1) 7. SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8. SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 1,597,000 (1) 9. AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 1,597,000 (1) 10. CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9)

EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES [ ] 11. PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 9.9% 12. TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON IA; PN





(1) This excludes certain Warrants owned by the reporting person due to a beneficial ownership blocker as described in Item 4.





1. NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS

I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) Jay Petschek 2. CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (a) [x] (b) [ ] 3. SEC USE ONLY 4. CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION United States NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: 5. SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6. SHARED VOTING POWER 1,597,000 (1) 7. SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8. SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 1,597,000 (1) 9. AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 1,597,000 (1) 10. CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9)

EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES [ ] 11. PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 9.9% 12. TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON IN





(1) This excludes certain Warrants owned by the reporting person due to a beneficial ownership blocker as described in Item 4.





1. NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS

I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) Steven Major 2. CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (a) [x] (b) [ ] 3. SEC USE ONLY 4. CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION United States NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: 5. SOLE VOTING POWER 0 6. SHARED VOTING POWER 1,597,000 (1) 7. SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER 0 8. SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER 1,597,000 (1) 9. AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON 1,597,000 (1) 10. CHECK BOX IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9)

EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES [ ] 11. PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) 9.9% 12. TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON IN





(1) This excludes certain Warrants owned by the reporting person due to a beneficial ownership blocker as described in Item 4.

This statement was filed with respect to the Common Stock of Enservco Corporation (the Issuer) beneficially owned by the Reporting Persons identified below as of February 27, 2023.





Item 1.

(a) Name of Issuer: Enservco Corporation (b) Address of Issuers Principal Executive Offices: 14133 County Road 9 Longmont, Colorado 80504

Item 2.

(a) Name of Person Filing

The names of the persons filing this statement on Schedule 13G (collectively, the Reporting Persons) are: Corsair Capital Partners, L.P. (Corsair Capital) Corsair Capital Partners 100, L.P. (Corsair 100) Corsair Capital Investors, Ltd (Corsair Investors) Corsair Capital Management, L.P. (Corsair Management) Jay R. Petschek (Mr. Petschek) and Steven Major (Mr. Major) Corsair Management acts as the investment manager of Corsair Capital, Corsair 100 and Corsair Investors. Messrs. Petschek and Major are the controlling persons of Corsair Management. (b) Address of the Principal Office or, if none, residence

The principal business address for each of Corsair Capital, Corsair 100, Corsair Management, Mr. Petschek and Mr. Major is 366 Madison Ave, 12th floor, New York, NY 10017. The principal business address for Corsair Investors is M&C Corporate Services Ltd, Box 309, George Town, Cayman Islands KY1-1104. (c) Citizenship

Each of Corsair Capital, Corsair 100 and Corsair Management is a limited partnership formed under the laws of the State of Delaware. Corsair Investors is an exempted company formed under the laws of the Cayman Islands. Each of Mr. Petschek and Mr. Major is a citizen of the United States. (d) Title of Class of Securities

Common Stock, par value $0.005 per share (Common Stock) (e) CUSIP Number 29358Y102

Item 3. If this statement is filed pursuant to 13d-1(b) or 13d-2(b) or (c), check whether the person filing is a:

Not Applicable.

Item 4. Ownership.





(a) Amount beneficially owned: Collectively, the Reporting Persons beneficially own 1,597,000 shares of Common Stock, including 197,000 shares of Common Stock underlying currently exercisable warrants, subject to the Blocker (as defined below). Corsair Capital individually owns 1,323,229 shares of Common Stock, including 163,229 shares of Common Stock underlying currently exercisable warrants. Corsair 100 individually owns 192,781 shares of Common Stock, including 23,781 shares of Common Stock underlying currently exercisable warrants. Corsair Investors individually owns 80,991 shares of Common Stock, including 9,991 shares of Common Stock underlying currently exercisable warrants. Corsair Management, as the investment manager of each of Corsair Capital, Corsair 100 and Corsair Investors is deemed to beneficially own 1,597,000 shares of Common Stock. Mr. Petschek, as a controlling person of Corsair Management, is deemed to individually beneficially own 1,597,000 shares of Common Stock. Mr. Major, as a controlling person of Corsair Management, is deemed to individually beneficially own 1,597,000 shares of Common Stock. (b) Percent of class: Collectively, the Reporting Persons beneficially own 1,597,000 shares of Common Stock, representing 9.9% of all of the outstanding shares of Common Stock based on the 15,788,846 outstanding shares of Common Stock as reported on the Issuers Prospectus Supplement (File No. 333-269265) filed by the issuer pursuant to Rule 424 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on February 24, 2023 and the Issuers Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on February 28, 2023, plus, with respect to each Reporting Person, the number of shares of Common Stock underlying currently exercisable warrants held by such Reporting Person as indicated in Item 4(a) above, subject to a beneficial ownership blocker (the Blocker). The total number of shares of Common Stock underlying currently exercisable warrants held by the Reporting Persons in the aggregate, subject to the Blocker, is 197,000. Due to the Blocker, the Reporting Persons are prohibited from exercising the warrants if, as a result of such exercise, the Reporting Persons would beneficially own more than 9.99% of the total number of shares of Common Stock then issued and outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise. Consequently, as of the date of the event which requires the filing of this statement, the Reporting Persons were not able to exercise all of their Warrants due to the Blocker. Corsair Capitals individual ownership of 1,323,229 shares of Common Stock, including 163,229 shares of Common Stock underlying currently exercisable warrants, represents 8.3% of all the outstanding shares of Common Stock. Corsair 100s individual ownership of 192,781 shares of Common Stock, including 23,781 shares of Common Stock underlying currently exercisable warrants, represents less than 1.2% of all the outstanding shares of Common Stock. Corsair Investors individual ownership of 80,991 shares of Common Stock, including 9,991 shares of Common Stock underlying currently exercisable warrants, represents less than 1% of all the outstanding shares of Common Stock. Corsair Managements beneficial ownership of 1,597,000 shares of Common Stock represents 9.9% of all the outstanding shares of Common Stock. The 1,597,000 shares of Common Stock deemed to be beneficially owned by Mr. Petschek represents 9.9% of all the outstanding shares of Common Stock. The 1,597,000 shares of Common Stock deemed to be beneficially owned by Mr. Major represents 9.9% of all the outstanding shares of Common Stock.





(c) Number of shares as to which the person has: (i) Sole power to vote or to direct the vote shares of Common Stock Not Applicable





(ii) Shared power to vote or to direct the vote. Corsair Capital, Corsair Management, Mr. Petschek and Mr. Major have shared power to vote or direct the vote for 1,323,229 shares of common Stock owned by Corsair Capital. Corsair 100, Corsair Management, Mr. Petschek and Mr. Major have shared power to vote or direct the vote for 192,781 shares of common Stock owned by Corsair 100. Capital Investors, Corsair Management, Mr. Petschek and Mr. Major have shared power to vote or direct the vote for 80,991 shares of common Stock owned by Corsair Investors. (iii) Sole power to dispose or to direct the disposition of shares of Common Stock Not Applicable (iv) Shared power to dispose or to direct the disposition of: Corsair Capital, Corsair Management, Mr. Petschek and Mr. Major have shared power to dispose or direct the disposition of the 1,323,229 shares of common Stock owned by Corsair Capital. Corsair 100, Corsair Management, Mr. Petschek and Mr. Major have shared power to dispose or direct the disposition of the 192,781 shares of common Stock owned by Corsair 100. Capital Investors, Corsair Management, Mr. Petschek and Mr. Major have shared power to dispose or direct the disposition of the 80,991 shares of common Stock owned by Corsair Investors.

Item 5. Ownership of Five Percent or Less of a Class.

Not Applicable.

Item 6. Ownership of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another Person.

Not Applicable.

Item 7. Identification and Classification of the Subsidiary Which Acquired the Security Being Reported on By the Parent Holding Company.

Not Applicable.

Item 8. Identification and Classification of Members of the Group.

See Exhibit B.

Item 9. Notice of Dissolution of Group.

Not Applicable.

Item 10. Certification.

By signing below the undersigned certifies that, to the best of its or his knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect.













Signature





After reasonable inquiry and to the best of its knowledge and belief, each of the undersigned certifies that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.





Dated March 8, 2023

CORSAIR CAPITAL PARTNERS, L.P.

By: Corsair Capital Advisors, L.L.C.,

General Partner





By: /s/ Jay R. Petschek

Jay R. Petschek, Managing Member





CORSAIR CAPITAL PARTNERS 100, L.P.

By: Corsair Capital Advisors, L.L.C.,

General Partner





By: /s/ Jay R. Petschek

Jay R. Petschek, Managing Member





CORSAIR CAPITAL INVESTORS, LTD.

By: Corsair Capital Management, L.P.,

Attorney-in-Fact

By: Corsair Capital Management GP, L.L.C.,

General Partner





By: /s/ Jay R. Petschek

Jay R. Petschek, Managing Member





CORSAIR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LP.

By: Corsair Capital Management GP, L.L.C.,

General Partner





By: /s/ Jay R. Petschek

Jay R. Petschek, Managing Member





/s/ Jay R. Petschek Jay R. Petschek

/s/ Steven Major Steven Major









































EXHIBIT A

JOINT FILING AGREEMENT





The Undersigned hereby agree that the statement on Schedule 13G with respect to the Common Stock of Enservco Corporation, dated as of this March 8, 2023 is, and any further amendments thereto signed by each of the undersigned shall be, filled on behalf of each of the undersigned pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of Rule 13d-1 k) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Amended.





Dated March 8, 2023

CORSAIR CAPITAL PARTNERS, L.P.

By: Corsair Capital Advisors, L.L.C.,

General Partner





By: /s/ Jay R. Petschek

Jay R. Petschek, Managing Member





CORSAIR CAPITAL PARTNERS 100, L.P.

By: Corsair Capital Advisors, L.L.C.,

General Partner





By: /s/ Jay R. Petschek

Jay R. Petschek, Managing Member





CORSAIR CAPITAL INVESTORS, LTD.

By: Corsair Capital Management, L.P.,

Attorney-in-Fact

By: Corsair Capital Management GP, L.L.C.,

General Partner





By: /s/ Jay R. Petschek

Jay R. Petschek, Managing Member





CORSAIR CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LP.

By: Corsair Capital Management GP, L.L.C.,

General Partner





By: /s/ Jay R. Petschek

Jay R. Petschek, Managing Member





/s/ Jay R. Petschek Jay R. Petschek

/s/ Steven Major Steven Major













































EXHIBIT B





Corsair Capital Partners, L.P.





Corsair Capital Partners 100, L.P.





Corsair Capital Investors, Ltd.





Corsair Capital Management, L.P.





Jay R. Petschek





Steven Major




























WASHINGTON  The Air Force for the first time has carried out a static fire test for the solid rocket motor that will power the services next-generation Sentinel ballistic missiles, officials said.

The test evaluated the rocket motor at a northern Utah site late last week, officials at the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center and developer Northrop Grumman said. The solid rocket motor, or SRM, is the first of three stages that will power the future missiles and is the largest of the three.

Development of the Sentinel was first announced during former President Barack Obamas administration as part of modernizing the U.S. nuclear triad  nuclear-capable missiles that can be launched from land, sea and the air.

This test is just one part of our comprehensive ground and flight test program designed to help us shake down the design as we approach its critical design review, said Maj. Gen. John Newberry, commander of Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center and program executive officer for strategic systems. By testing early, we reduce risk to the overall weapon system schedule.

The open-air test was performed March 2 at Northrop Grummans facility in Promontory, Utah. Company officials said the motor fired for the expected duration and met performance parameters and objectives within the expected ranges.

Promontory is about 75 miles northwest of Salt Lake City and is the same location where Morton Thiokol tested the solid rocket boosters that powered the Space Shuttle fleet from 1981 to 2011. The SRM test last week resembled the shuttle booster tests carried out in the 1980s.

The SRM test was the first of several that will be conducted to validate whether the motor is safe for use on Sentinel missiles, Northrop Grumman said. Analyses and qualification testing must also be done before the motor, as well as the other propulsion stages, can become operational.

Our investments in digital design, test and advanced manufacturing help to ensure we develop this next-generation missile more affordably and with innovation at its core, delivering to the Air Force a safe, secure, reliable and flexible capability, said Sarah Willoughby, Northrop Grummans vice president of the Sentinel program.

Northrop Grumman and Boeing won contracts to explore building the Sentinel missile system, but Northrop Grumman gained the right to manufacture the new system when Boeing opted not to bid.

The Sentinel will replace Minuteman III ICBMs that have been in the U.S. nuclear arsenal since 1970. The Air Force said about 400 Minuteman IIIs remain operational at various locations in Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska and North Dakota. Deactivated Minuteman III silos are also still intact in South Dakota and Missouri.

The Sentinel is expected to make its first flight sometime in late 2023, according to a report last month by Aviation Week. The Air Force expects the first Sentinel missiles to be active by the end of the 2020s and operational until at least the 2070s.

Several other companies will work on the Sentinel as subcontractors, including Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics.

The Trident II submarine-launched missile, which entered service in the 1990s, and the AGM-86 ALCM air-to-ground missile are also part of the U.S. nuclear triad. The Air Force is in the process of replacing the AGM-86 with the Long Range Stand Off Weapon, which is being developed by Raytheon Technologies and expected to enter service in the 2030s.
(Tribune News Service)  The Air Force is doing some additional analysis before announcing whether the U.S. Space Command Headquarters will remain in Colorado or move to Alabama, the Air Force secretary says.

I hoped to make a decision and make an announcement earlier, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said Tuesday at the Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colo., according to Military.com . Were doing some additional analysis; we want to make very sure we got this right and have a well-defended decision.

Colorado has been fighting since Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville came out on top in the official Pentagon review of competitors for the base. The command was started in Colorado Springs and Colorado has fought furiously to keep it. The latest attack came on Alabamas ban on abortion.

Colorado has been on the offensive attacking the 2021 Pentagon ranking that had Huntsville ranked on top of the list of competitors. But in Military.coms report, Kendall suggested that one factor would be potentially putting two combatant commands in Colorado. Colorado is already home to the U.S. Northern Command.

Kendall said his office is doing sensitivity analysis, calling that a type of financial modeling that looks at what-if scenarios to measure risks.

The fight over the Space Command headquarters started in 2019 when the Pentagon narrowed a large field of states vying for the command down to six suitable locations for the commands permanent home. The Pentagon had asked communities to self-nominate to host the headquarters and 66 communities from 26 states responded.

After a lengthy and detailed review, the Air Force said in January 2021 that it had visited the six finalists to compare factors related to mission, infrastructure capacity, community support and costs and Huntsville compared favorably across more of these factors than any other community. The finalist bases were in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Nebraska, New Mexico and Texas.

A General Accounting Office (GAO) review of the decision said the Air Force selection process identified Redstone Arsenal as the highest scoring location in the Evaluation Phase, the highest ranked location in the Selection Phase and the location with the most advantages in the decision matrix.

In August 2021, however, former President Trump claimed during a radio interview on Alabamas Rick & Bubba show that he single-handedly made the decision to favor Alabama. Colorado has pointed to that interview since as evidence of presidential interference.

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Elements of the Armys 10th Mountain Division are deploying to Europe to replace a 101st Airborne Division team that has been operating out of a strategic hub in Romania for the past nine months, the service said this week.

Besides the 500-soldier 10th Mountain headquarters, nearly 4,000 soldiers from the 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, Ky., will replace that divisions second brigade.

The Mountain Division is no stranger to deployments across the globe. Our formations are trained, ready and prepared, Maj. Gen. Gregory Anderson, commander of the 10th Mountain Division, said in a statement Tuesday.

The changeover means the Army is continuing with an enhanced presence along NATOs southeastern flank. Last summer, President Joe Biden ordered a rotational brigade to Romania, the first such mission of its size in the region.

In the past, most Army rotational brigade combat teams were dispatched to Poland for missions aimed at deterring Russian aggression.

The Bastogne Brigade is ready to assume the critical mission of assuring our NATO allies and deterring Russian aggression on NATOs eastern flank, Col. Kevin Sharp, commander of the 1st BCT, 101st Airborne, said in the statement.

In a nod to the 101st Airborne soldiers who fought in the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, Sharp said his brigade was ready to secure the peace in Europe that was built on the sacrifices of those first soldiers of the 101st Airborne.

The Army noted that the new deployments are one-for-one unit replacements and that they dont represent a change to force posture levels.

Currently, about 100,000 U.S. troops are carrying out missions in Europe, up from the roughly 80,000 ahead of Russias full-fledged invasion of Ukraine one year ago.

The 101st units were initially ordered to Romania in June. They operated mostly out of Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, which serves as a hub for the Army in the Black Sea region.

During their time in Europe, 101st soldiers have been tasked with monitoring events in Ukraine for potential spillover into allied countries and incorporating lessons from the war into American ground forces training.

The (new) deployments will ensure that the United States continues to be well-positioned to provide a robust deterrent and defensive posture alongside our allies across the European continent, the Army said in its statement.
Nine Army units are slated for overseas deployments in the summer as part of regular troop rotations to Europe, Korea and the Middle East, the Pentagon announced Wednesday.

The bulk of the troops deploying to Europe will come from Fort Stewart, Ga., while units from Fort Bliss, Texas, and Fort Bragg, N.C., will join them on the rotations meant to strengthen NATO partnership and deter Russian aggression. Units from Fort Drum, N.Y., Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Sill, Okla., will deploy to the Middle East. A brigade from Fort Carson, Colo., will head to South Korea.

From Fort Stewart, the 3rd Infantry Divisions headquarters, its sustainment brigade and its 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team will deploy to Europe to train alongside NATO partners in Poland, Latvia and other eastern flank countries for about nine months, Army officials said. The division headquarters and sustainment brigade will replace the 4th Infantry Divisions headquarters and sustainment brigade. The 2nd ABCT will replace the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division.

Also going to Europe will be the 1st Armored Divisions 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team from Fort Bliss, which will replace the 1st Infantry Divisions 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team.

Fort Braggs 525th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade will also deploy to Europe, replacing the 504th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade, according to the Army.

The deployments will keep U.S. troops in Europe at about 100,000, which the Pentagon has maintained on the Continent since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon has tapped the 10th Mountain Divisions 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team from Fort Drum for a deployment to the Middle East in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the mission to ensure the defeat of the Islamic State. That brigade will replace the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, an Ohio National Guard brigade that has been serving in Kuwait, Iraq and Syria.

Also deploying to the Middle East is Fort Sills 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade headquarters, which will replace the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade headquarters in the region. Fort Hoods 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command will also deploy to the Middle East to replace the 143rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, a Reserve unit from Florida.

The Pentagon will send the 4th Infantry Divisions 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Carson to South Korea. It will replace the 2nd Infantry Divisions 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, which was the Armys first Stryker brigade to serve a rotation to South Korea under a policy shift from rotating tank-heavy brigades to the Korean Peninsula in favor of the more infantry-centric Stryker units.
(Tribune News Service)  A historical marker was recently unveiled in honor of Second-lieutenant Thadd H. Blanton, an airman from Gainesville who participated in the legendary Doolittle air raid over Japan in April 1942.

The marker was placed in Fairview Cemetery near the place where Blanton is buried. The ceremony corresponded with his birthday. The Sea Cadets Red River Battalion acted as the honor guard and family members of Blanton were in attendance.

Blanton was born on Feb. 25, 1919, and graduated from Newsome Doughtery Memorial High School, which would later become Gainesville High School, in 1936. He attended Gainesville Junior College (now North Central Texas College) from 1936 to 1939 before transferring to North Texas State Teachers College (now University of North Texas) in Denton.

On Nov. 25, 1940, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet and trained as a pilot at the West Coast Army Air Corps Training Center at Sunnyvale, California. He received his wings and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Force at Moffett Field, California on July 11, 1941.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Japan attacked the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii, the first attack of World War II on American soil. President Roosevelt asked the military to come up with a plan for a retaliatory air raid on Japan. Blanton and 139 other men volunteered for the dangerous mission which has since become known as the  Jimmy Doolittle Raid, named for Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle who led the raid.Of the 140 men, 20 were mechanics, radio operators, maintenance personnel and other jobs on the ground. The remaining 120 were divided among the 24 planes. The plan was for each plane to drop four 5000-pound bombs on a 120-mile stretch of cities, including Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka and Kobe. The men were told to bomb various plants and factories but to not attack civilians, schools, hospitals or the Imperial Palace.

Blanton was the co-pilot of The Fickle Finger of Fate, the 12th bomber to leave the aircraft carrier, the Hornet. Along with him were pilot Lt. William M. Bower, navigator Lt. William R. Pound, bombardier Sergeant Waldo J. Bither and engineer/gunner Staff Sergeant Omer Adelard Duquette.

The crew bombed an area inland east of Yokohama destroying two buildings and damaging a third. No one was killed. They then had to abandon the aircraft in flight due to insufficient fuel to make it to an area of China not occupied by Japanese forces.

Blanton flew 35 missions in his career, serving in combat as a pilot until he was removed in July 1943 to perform other duties in the United States. He married Sarah Helen Weed on Sept. 15, 1945, and retired from the Air Force in 190. He passed away on Sept. 27, 1961, and was buried in Fairview Cemetary with military honors.

(c)2023 the Gainesville Daily Register (Gainesville, Texas)

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SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (Tribune News Service)  Members of the Jewish War Veterans across the Capital District Council recently joined with Albany Post 105 of the JWV to remember the service and sacrifice of the Four Chaplains of World War II and present the 58th annual Brotherhood Award to Rabbis Jonathan Rubenstein and Linda Motzkin of Saratoga Springs.

For more than a half-century, the annual event has honored the four Army chaplains who gave their lives in the sinking of the troopship Dorchester on Feb. 3, 1943. The presentation of the Brotherhood Award honors those whose services and devotion in the practice of brotherhood are deserving of community recognition.

We honor people who, in their lifetime, have shown and given the type of selfless service that is commensurate with the legacy of the Four Chaplains, said Fred Altman, Albany Post 105 commander, during the award presentation on Sunday, March 5 at the First Reformed Church of Schenectady.

The Four Chaplains aboard the Dorchester were Reverend George Fox, a Methodist minister from Lewiston, Penn., Rabbi Alexander Goode from Brooklyn, Dutch Reformed Reverend Clark Poling from Schenectady, and Father John Washington, a Roman Catholic priest from Newark, N.J.

The ship was torpedoed shortly before 1 a.m. on Feb. 3, 1943. The chaplains provided comfort and direction to soldiers as the ship rapidly sank. They gave up their own life jackets to others and calmly prayed as the ship slipped under the North Atlantic waters.

The ceremony, representing the selfless service and courage of the Four Chaplains on the torpedoed and sinking SS Dorchester in 1943, takes place at the former pulpit of one of those immortal chaplains, Clark Polings First Reformed Church in Schenectady, Past Post 105 Commander Lance Allen Wang said in a press release.

The Jewish War Veterans have held an annual ceremony to remember the Four Chaplains and recognize those who live up to their legacy since 1966, Altman said, three years before even the national Four Chaplains Memorial Foundation established its own annual award event.

The rabbis, a married couple who retired on Jan. 1 from Temple Sinai in Saratoga Springs after 36 years, had been co-rabbis serving the Jewish community of Saratoga as it grew from around 60 to 190 families.

More than 80 representatives from across the community attended the program, including Gold Star Mothers, veterans organizations, representatives of the First Reformed Church, the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York, Capital District Jewish Community Centers, members of the New York State Assembly, New York State Senate, the regions congressional representative, Congressman Paul Tonko and the mayor of Saratoga Springs Ron Kim.

Each year we talk about the legacy of the Four Chaplains as unity without uniformity, to highlight that as Americans, we can and must work together, across our differences, whether it be our faiths or our politics to do better, Altman said in the release.

Beyond their service to their congregation and community, Rabbis Motzkin and Rubenstein each pursued efforts to assist and support those most in need.

Rabbi Rubenstein led Temple Sinais Slice of Heaven bakery project, a non-profit bakery operated from the synagogues kitchen which continues to produce baked goods to help those less fortunate. Rabbi Motzkin, one of only 13 female scribes in the world, initiated the Community Torah Project, a long-term process of making a Torah scroll, involving more than 4,000 participants in the U.S. and internationally.

The two combined their work in a project known as Bread and Torah in 2004 and share their passions with interactive educational programs around the world. The couple have been educators and ambassadors of goodwill to 15 states and Washington, D.C., and to Jewish communities in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand, Hungary and Poland.

We accept this award with deep humility, gratitude and a sense of honor, said Rabbi Rubenstein in the release.

I can honestly say that I dont know what I would have done on the deck of the Dorchester on that fateful night, he continued. And not knowing that, it motivates me to [be] the best I can.

Rabbi Motzkin drew parallels to the visual of the Four Chaplains, holding hands together in their individual faith, to support each other.

Motzkin said the pair just returned from a trip to Israel where they visited a local school for both Israeli and Palestinian Arab children. The program is called Hand in Hand and Motzkin said she couldnt help but draw the parallel to the Four Chaplains. The school provides bilingual, integrated education to more than 2,000 students enrolled in six Hand in Hand schools from Jerusalem to Galilee.

Yad Byad, hand-in-hand, we embrace each other for strength and progress, as the Four Chaplains did for each other and the soldiers they served on the Dorchester, Motzkin said.

I am humbled. Im very aware of everything weve done in 36 years, she said in the release. But this award is really accepted in the name of all of you, who we have been blessed to join hands with for all these years.

So much hand-in-hand work is never acknowledged in our community, she continued. Were all working hand in hand, and that is perhaps the lasting legacy of the Four Chaplains.

Gary Ginsburg, senior vice commander for the Jewish War Veterans Department of New York said the Capital District chapter executed an outstanding Four Chaplains memorial service and recognition ceremony, thanking all those involved, including the members of JWV Posts 105, 106, 36 and 401.

(c)2023 The Saratogian, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

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This article first appeared in Stars and Stripes Europe edition Jan. 21, 1969. It is republished unedited in its original form.

NUERNBERG, Germany  Despite bad weather, Reforger Is debut in Nuernberg was a spectacular show of timing and coordination, seemingly without opening-day jitters.

The show began early Monday with a brass-band review for the first arrivals. There were speeches and handshakes.

The show opened when the 5th Surgical Hospital from Ft. Knox, Ky., marched out of the first swoop-winged C141 StarLifter  the workhorse heavy in this production.

Maj. Callie Carson, the hospitals chief nurse, is the only woman involved in Reforger I.

She and Capt. Robert Turman, hospital commander, led their units, dressed in pressed fatigues and bright scarves, behind a flowing guidon.

More than 70 newsmen from many nations, including Spain, Italy, Holland, Japan and the United States, hurried around, snapping cameras and gathering interviews.

About 200 Germans watched the show. Cars lined the incoming roads, creating a mild traffic bottleneck at the airport.

Scene two wasnt as grand, but there was still a brass band. The 4th Armd. Div. band greeted the second aircraft to land, which contained the first of the 24th Inf. Div. units to arrive.

The troops marched out of the StarLifter with gas masks, packs and rifles on their shoulders. They climbed into trucks and were shuttled to a railway pick-up point, where they left for Grafenwoehr.

Meanwhile, it was curtains for Rhein-Main Air Base, when weather conditions prevented the big jets from landing. It was previously planned that the C141s would drop the troops in Nuernberg. Then every other flight would go to Rhein-Main or Fuerstenfeldbruck in Munich.

The planes were to refuel, change crews and roar back to the United States. But a ceiling of 200 feet and a visibility of less than half a mile ended the airports role in Reforger I.

Brig. Gen. Hugh E. Wild, senior commander of the European Airlift Control Element, said that the increased air traffic to Fuerstenfeldbruck would not disturb the airlift.

At Camp Aachen in the Grafenwoehr training area, vehicles and barracks are ready for the 5,000 Reforger I troops who will be brought here during the 36-hour airlift operation.

M. Sgt. Gerald Hostetler, operations sergeant for the 2nd Brigade of the 24th Inf. Div. and a veteran of Operation Big Lift in 1963, was impressed with the flow of traffic through Nuernberg.

As the sergeant climbed into the back of a truck, he said, This operation is smoother and seemingly more organized. Its a relief not to have to sit around and wait for hours. The layover at McGuire Air Force Base was only three hours.

Want to read other articles about Reforger I and all subsequent Reforgers? Subscribe to Stars and Stripes historic newspaper archive. We have digitized our 1948-1999 European and Pacific editions, as well as several of our WWII editions and made them available online through https://starsandstripes.newspaperarchive.com/
Back in 2015 I had a successful career as a business analyst and was enjoying a stable, financially secure life. Then early one morning I got a horrifying call from my daughter-in-law. My 33-year-old son Keegan, an Air Force combat veteran who served in the Iraq War, had been in a motorcycle accident.

Keegans wreck left him brain damaged, unable to walk and in need of 24-hour care. I was shocked to find out that, because of limited program options and a severe workforce shortage, its very challenging for veterans to access consistent, quality home care services. So Im speaking out for all military families who are in desperate need of more home care support for our disabled or aging loved ones.

My sons whole life was all about serving others. He had a big heart and loved people, which led him to be an active volunteer in his church and a chaplain during his time in the Air Force. He also had big dreams. He earned an MBA while serving in Iraq, and when he returned he ran for elected office. He was intelligent, extroverted and had a great sense of humor.

His life and the lives of everyone in our family were drastically upended by his accident.

Not long after Keegans hospital stay, the Department of Veterans Affairs wanted to refer him to a nursing home. I said, No way, not my son, thats not gonna happen. I tried to arrange for my son to be taken care of in his home, but the VA only offered four to eight hours of service a day, and Keegan required round-the-clock support. So, like thousands of military moms throughout the country, I started on the long, arduous and complex journey of trying to navigate in-home care for my son.

At first, I tried to find programs that would bring in outside workers to provide care. But because home care agencies were paying less than $15 an hour, it was extremely difficult to find qualified personal care aides.

Finally, our family made the decision that we would care for Keegan ourselves. I gave up my career, and my husband and I sold our home. We took out a large mortgage and bought a house in a more rural area that was big enough to fit the whole family. We all moved in: me, my husband, our daughter, our son, his wife and their three children.

Together, our family carries out all the duties that allow Keegan to live at home with well-being, including bathing, feeding, changing his catheter, giving him his medications and taking him to doctors appointments.

Im the kind of person who lives for my family, and I have no regrets about this decision. I would do it all over again for Keegan. But I was making six figures in my former career, and our new life has taken a heavy financial toll.

Im 67 now, and my biggest worry is about who will care for Keegan when Im no longer able to. Is one of my grandchildren  ages 8, 12 and 13  going to have to sacrifice their future to become their fathers caregiver?

More and more military families are facing the same struggles as the veteran population rapidly ages. There are more than 18 million veterans in the U.S. Almost half are over the age of 65 and around a third have disabilities.

Demand for home care services is spiraling, but there are not enough programs to meet the full range of veterans needs. In particular, it can be difficult for many veterans to choose their own family and friends as their paid caregivers.

Another dire problem is the embarrassingly low wages for caregivers, which fail to attract and keep people in the field. We need to make home care into a beautiful, viable career with good, middle class wages and benefits.

Im grateful that my family had the resources to reshuffle our lives and become our sons caregiving team. But there are many military families who are in far worse situations, and are plunged into poverty once they make the decision to care for a loved one full time. As the need for home care continues to grow, there must be expanded and improved programs to support the veterans who have defended our country.

Kerry Adelmann is a home caregiver for her son, who is a disabled Iraq War veteran, and a SEIU Home Care Minnesota member. They live in Lakeville, Minn.
Martha Washington and hundreds of women with children joined soldiers at the Valley Forge encampment during the American Revolution in 1777. The future inaugural FLOTUS (First Lady of the United States) fashioned an example emulated by generations of American military wives since: to extend support and deeply comfort their soldiers during times of peace and war.

Americans must critically gauge, appreciate, and understand the labor and sacrifices military spouses deliver today and in the future. We mark 20 years since American forces rolled across Iraq from Kuwait into Baghdad to begin Operation Iraqi Freedom on March 19, 2003. While already in Afghanistan, the reality of a two-front war began for soldiers. Tens of thousands of military spouses and children have since endured another U.S. forward deployment.

Indeed, positive public esteem for service members during the Global War on Terror vastly outmatched the negative respect and ambivalent treatment of service members following the Vietnam War. Veterans are revered today for their military service to the nation with regular thanks for their service and more. Like the demure waiting wives of the Vietnam War, todays military spouses, children, and loved ones have quietly endured two decades of deployments  but often long, multiple ones  further defining a unique military family reality.

Undeniably, the idea of a military family as a notion  where the family has become militarized  is a modern American phenomenon. But should we continue to impose a war footing existence on spouses? We dont have medical families, religious families, or educational families. But perhaps, military spouses are like professional and amateur athletes, who send off their deployees, separated for lengthy periods and possibly suffering career-ending injuries (and hopefully not killed). In their worlds, they are also hampered by a masculine-dominated culture, moving from unit/team to unit/team around the globe, stomaching long working hours, and tolerating restraints on their behavior more strident than those on civilians. They even retire early.

Roughly half of the military members are married today. Some as dual-dwelling duos (DDD) or LATs (living apart together) in commuter-type marriages with a spouse at home or trailing along with their, affectionately known, military brats in tow. There are many of them. In 2003, there were 493,563 active Army family members, 539,675 in 2008, and 471,990 in 2018. Two-thirds are white. Most of the children are young  under 5. Military women tend to marry active or former military service members. Single parents are abundant, with the mass being single fathers, not mothers. Three in 10 recruits have a parent that served to move toward a military caste in the U.S.

Separation became aberrant normality for military-civilian spouses of the GWOT in the U.S., Britain, Estonia, Denmark, Germany, Fiji, and other countries. Their lives on the surface may resemble others where an adult is absent from home for extended periods. But military families have multiple periods with the added element of extreme danger, uncertain return times and continued deployments, erratic communication, and perceived or actual psychological and physical changes to their soldiers. Not since World War II and the Vietnam War have so many spouses become what the Germans call Strohwitwe (grass-widows)  essentially, temporary widows.

I have interviewed hundreds of such Army spouses. I learned of the families experiences finding consistent and varied events across the five major stages of an emotional cycle of a military deployment  from pre-deployment, early, mid, and late deployment, and post-deployment. Over 15 years, the spouses identified the pre-deployment as the beginning of an anxiety-filled and emotionally challenging period. Across the cycle, they consume a dizzying array of support services on and off the military post, from supplement child care to readiness groups, resume writing workshops, and casualty assistance. Americans must decide if they should have none or more of such services compensated for, but certainly, they should be known and considered.

Spouses followed their soldiers on live TV via embedded journalists and exercised recording and viewing strategies from hyper-compulsive to complete self-censoring. The home and war front merge happened not only with TV but significant increases via social mediums with varied access, connectivity difficulties, costs, family member use variance, the casualty notification process, restrictions due to OPSEC, and self-regulation. What is new and nuanced are features from the home front, such as the role of timing between the two fronts, connectivity, self-regulation, and uses and gratifications differing within a household among different family members.

Roughly 245 years later, Martha Washington might be pleased to see military spouses, boy/girlfriends, and loved ones again visit forward-deployed service members deployed to Eastern Europe. But she might take pause of the legacy of long and multiple wars that are continuing to take a sustained and quiet toll in profound ways.

Morten G. Ender is a sociology professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He is the author of the forthcoming book Army Spouses: Military Families during the Global War on Terror. The views expressed here are his own and do not purport to represent the views of the United States Military Academy, U.S. Army, Department of Defense, or U.S. government.
Born and raised in a Himalayan valley, Saral Shrestha came from Nepal to school in the United States at age 17. At 24, he won the U.S. Armys Best Warrior competition and became the Armys Soldier of the Year. His Army enlistment was made possible by a Department of Defense program called the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest, a recruiting program that allowed foreign-born individuals with critical skills to join the U.S. military.

The U.S. military is facing its greatest recruiting challenge since the inception of the volunteer service. The Army fell more than 15,000 soldiers short of its recruitment goal in Fiscal Year 2022. Foreign-born individuals wishing to join the military can fulfill urgent recruitment needs at a time when U.S. population growth is at its slowest and the interest in military service is near its lowest. The United States must create incentives for its foreign-born population to serve in the armed forces. Pathways such as MAVNI will close this critical gap by leveraging the talent of those who strongly believe in the American way of life and boosting U.S. military readiness.

Its time to restore the MAVNI program.

Created during the George W. Bush administration, MAVNI enabled the recruitment of foreign-born, nonresident individuals legally in the United States. MAVNI targeted those non-citizens possessing skills vital to the U.S. military, such as fluency in Chinese or Russian and medical training. More than 10,000 foreign-born recruits have joined the military since its start in 2008, enlisting mostly in the Army.

Many MAVNI recruits became squad and platoon leaders, tended to stay in the service longer, scored about 20 points higher in entry tests, and had three to five years more education than U.S.-born recruits. Some MAVNI recruits graduated from universities such as Harvard and MIT.

The United States needs the MAVNI program today, now more than ever.

First, every branch of the U.S. armed forces is struggling to make its yearly recruitment goals. According to the Pentagon, 77% of young Americans do not qualify for military service due to insufficient education, physical and mental health challenges, or drug use. Leveraging its young foreign-born population will help the United States close this critical gap. Welcoming this population into the U.S. military is a win-win strategy that will instill a sense of patriotic duty in future Americans.

Second, foreign-born individuals possess the language, regional, and cultural skills vital to the U.S. militarys mission readiness. As the late Gen. Ray Odierno, former Army Chief of Staff, once said, The best equipped Army in the world can still lose a war if it doesnt understand the people its fighting. The alternative to a MAVNI recruit is an estimated $62,000 to $215,000 spent per service member to learn these skills. Even after U.S.-born service members complete costly language training, they are unlikely to achieve the expertise level that foreign-born native speakers already possess.

Third, language skills will only become more important for the U.S. military in the era of great power competition. They matter both for operating on the ground with allies or for gathering intelligence against adversaries. Language proficiency will be particularly crucial for Special Forces operatives and foreign area officers working directly with partner nations. A reliable way to fulfill the need for foreign language proficiency is by recruiting native speakers in these career tracks. Programs such as MAVNI provide just that.

The MAVNI program was suspended in 2009 after Army Maj. Nidal Hasan killed 13 people and injured many more at Fort Hood, Texas. However, Hasan was born and raised in Arlington, Va., and had no connection to the MAVNI program. Later, the Trump administration suspended the program again over national security and insufficient vetting concerns. Several American-born recruits have been charged with terrorism, but no MAVNI recruit has ever been charged with terrorism. Some critics of the program say that recruits treated the program as a shortcut to U.S. citizenship. The low attrition rates of MAVNI recruits belie this claim.

The United States remains the only nation not bound by blood, geography or religion but by its commitment to liberty, equality and democracy. As such, it attracts the best and the brightest from all parts of the world. We must draw on this uniquely American advantage by recruiting talented foreign-born individuals like Saral Shrestha into our armed forces. We must restore MAVNI and create more pathways like it to sustain the greatest military force the world has ever seen. Leveraging our diverse population will ensure that the U.S. military remains the ultimate deterrent of war and the global guarantor of peace.

Yagmur Fitzwater is a graduate student in Security Policy Studies at George Washington Universitys Elliott School of International Affairs.
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan  Over the past five years, an animal-rescue volunteer has found new homes for 30 cats, many of them left behind by relocating Air Force families at this airlift hub in western Tokyo.

Natalie Kuri, an analyst with Yokotas 374th Civil Engineer Squadron, has spent countless hours and her own money to feed, trap and house stray cats on the base. She is caring for a group of 11 cats, or a clowder, at her home in the nearby city of Tachikawa and has taken in as many as 15.

Six felines are currently roaming Yokota, Kuri said March 1 by Facebook Messenger.

Shes working hard for animals, taking them to the vet if theyre sick, taking care until they are healthy and ready to find a forever family, Mari Matsushima, an Auto Hobby Shop employee at Yokota who has donated cat food to Kuri, told Stars and Stripes on Feb. 27.

Sometimes people leave their pets behind, Kuri told Stars and Stripes on Feb. 15. She will care for the animals or leave them with foster families until she finds them a permanent home.

Megumi Onozawa, an accountant for Defense Finance and Accounting Services at Yokota, and her husband, Nikolas Lyon, fostered two cats, Kuntaro and Kuko, for three months and adopted a third, Lyon said.

She is helping to keep the stray cat population low and helping the animals find new homes, Onozawa said Feb. 26 by Facebook Messenger.

The 374th Airlift Wing at Yokota acknowledges the stray cat problem and Kuris work to keep them in check.

Our Civil Engineer Squadron leadership have been made aware of and support Ms. Kuris volunteer efforts, wing spokesman 1st Lt. Danny Rangel said via email Wednesday.

We recognize the dedication of base members who volunteer their time to improve our community and benefit our base residents. Leadership has not provided funding support to her voluntary efforts but has expressed appreciation for her efforts in caring for the more furry members of our community.

Kuris most recent charge is Luna, who fled from her family in December just as they were boarding a plane for a new duty assignment. Kuri is providing the cat a temporary home and veterinary care.

One of the most challenging tasks about being an animal rescuer is the time spent caring for the animals, including constant vet visits, Kuri said.

It's a lot, she said. Time is very tough.

Though she spends much of her own time and money helping the Yokota cats, Kuri also receives help from the local community, including donations of food and blankets.

Onishi Animal Clinic in Tachikawa and Kimoto Animal Hospital in Hino discount their spay and neuter services for Kuris animals. Theyll charge her about $37 for a procedure that typically costs 10 times that much.

Before Kuri rehomes the cats, she screens the candidates to make sure theyll properly care for the animals. She also has them sign a protective cat transfer agreement. The contract includes a list of other agreements, including neutering the cat after six months of age and keeping the cat indoors.

Though animal rescue seems like a thankless job, Kuri said it has been worth her time.

I have pride, responsibility and respect for animals and their families, she said. The lives I have connected become even more connected and happy. Volunteering has been so much fun to me.
KADENA AIR BASE, Okinawa  Airmen with the 18th Wing opened the first food pantry for U.S. service members on Okinawa recently in a nondescript building near the bases main gate.

The Kadena Food Pantry is available to any service member or Defense Department civilian and their families on the island, as long as they have base access and a common access card, said Senior Airman Christina Pruch, one of two pantry organizers.

Food insecurity can happen to anyone, Pruch, of Omaha, Neb., said at the pantry Friday. Just being available to someone can help them out.

More than 25% of active-duty service members in recent years reported hardship providing their families enough to eat, or food insecurity, according to a Rand Corp. study released in January.

Of those affected, 67% were early- to mid-career enlisted personnel between the pay grades of E-4 and E-6, the report said. It cited a 2018 Defense Department survey that found 40% of food insecure respondents were Army, 26% were Navy, 18% were Air Force, 14% were Marines and 3% were Coast Guard.

Data specific to service members on Okinawa is not tracked, 18th Wing spokesman Staff Sgt. Juan Torres Chardon told Stars and Stripes in an email Tuesday.

Many factors contribute to food insecurity, from the demands of a growing family to past debts and the upheaval from marital strife, Pruch said. She and fellow pantry lead Senior Airman Armanda Jackson want people to feel comfortable coming to the pantry. No personal information is required.

We dont want someone to feel like they cant come here because someone is going to find out," said Jackson, of Owensboro, Ky.

Since it opened Jan. 25, the pantry has received more than 3,500 donated items and provided 1,172 of those to over 70 families, Pruch said. Just under half of those patrons are in the Air Force; about 20 percent are Marines.

Chief Master Sgt. Ronnie Woods, 18th Wing command chief, brought the pantry idea to the Airmen Committed to Excellence committee in early 2022, Pruch said. She and Jackson volunteered to take the lead.

In December, they moved into a small room inside Building 9918, across Douglas Boulevard from the wing headquarters entrance.

The pantry had only a table to greet customers and several large metal shelves. On Friday, the shelves were stocked with canned goods, and donations were piled in a corner waiting to be processed.

Pruch and Jackson plan to apply after this month to take over the entire building but first must demonstrate a community need.

The pantry is open from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, Jackson said. Patrons are allowed 10 items per visit, although the pantry has two-for-one specials and other offers. Children are allowed five items for themselves during each visit.

The pantry accepts any unopened, unexpired, nonperishable food item, Jackson said. Donations can be dropped off during operating hours and also at the Military and Family Readiness Center, the Kadena Thrift Store, the Schilling Center, the Risner and Habu fitness centers and the McDaniel Center.

The commissary also sells Kadena Cares bags for $9.99, Pruch said. The prepackaged bags of most-needed items go directly to the pantry.

The pantry mostly needs kid items, or things that will fit in a lunchbox, breakfast items, cereals, oatmeal, granola bars, pancake mix and rice. Volunteers are always welcomed, Pruch said.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/kadenafoodpantry.
Two Navy sailors added another commendation to the accolades they received for saving a Japanese man from a burning car last year near their base in northeastern Japan.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Sorrem, of Wyoming, Minn., and Petty Officer 1st Class Andre Griffith, of Sunrise, Fla., received certificates of commendation on March 1 from Oirase Mayor Takashi Narita. Sorrem was present at the brief ceremony; Griffith has already moved on to a new duty station.

"You conducted rescuing efforts with fast and unerring judgment heedless of danger," reads the certificate Narita presented, a town official told Stars and Stripes by phone Tuesday. Some government officials in Japan customarily speak to the media on condition of anonymity.

It felt great to feel like a part of the local community, Sorrem told Stars and Stripes in an email Tuesday.

Of 26 people the mayor commended in the past year for good deeds, four went to individuals for their actions on April 17  Sorrem, Griffith and two Japanese men, the official said.

Sorrem and Griffith recalled the event for Stars and Stripes in June, when they received commendations from the Oirase Fire Department.

Sorrem, a gunners mate with the base security forces, heard a crash as he walked to a vending machine that evening in Oirase, eight miles from Naval Air Facility Misawa. He rushed toward the sound and found a car had struck a light pole; the driver, dazed, was inside with his foot pressing down on the accelerator.

Smoke filled the vehicle as a fire grew from the engine compartment.

Griffith arrived shortly afterward and worked with Sorrem to pull the driver from the car. The Japanese men called an ambulance and attempted to put out the fire.

I attempted to break the window but managed to get the driver to roll down the window enough to let me open the door and pull him from the vehicle to safety with the help of another sailor, Sorrem said Tuesday.

The sailors moved the driver away from the car and administered first aid until paramedics arrived.

It was pretty scary to see firsthand, Griffith, an electronics technician, said last year. But I rushed down and saw [Sorrem] there who was the only one doing anything, so I knew I had to help, as well.
CAMP ZAMA, Japan  Once a year, hundreds of ornate dolls decorate the steps of a Shinto shrine near the U.S. Armys headquarters in Japan.

And every year on that day, March 3, called Hinamatsuri, or Girls Day, the Army Community Service at Camp Zama hosts a walking tour of Zama Shrine for military families.

On this holiday, Japanese families pray for the happiness and success of their girls. Its marked by elaborate displays of dolls, or hina, that represent the imperial family.

This year, for the first time, residents of Naval Air Facility Atsugi arrived via shuttle bus to join the tour. Sixty people made the trip this year, said Maiki Mayhew, a community service tour coordinator.

The hundreds of dolls in Zama Shrines collection include emperors, empresses and their courtiers in traditional, multilayered robes modeled after royal wardrobes of the Heian period.

The dolls are exhibited in tiers on a vibrant red backdrop, against which visitors photograph their daughters.

Refreshments are served: hot amazake, a slightly fermented, alcoholic rice drink; and botamochi, a dessert of glutinous rice and sweet red beans.

For some, the bright displays evoke feelings of home.

Keikoa Villarin, an Army veteran and spouse of a military contractor newly stationed at Camp Zama, said the Girls Day celebration reminded him of his familys Hinamatsuri celebrations while growing up in Hawaii.

About 14% of the population in Hawaii claims Japanese ancestry, according to the National Geographic Society, and many traditional Japanese holidays have been adapted by residents of the Aloha State. Some display the traditional hina dolls, while others instead present their daughters with mochi and little candies.

Army spouse Audrey Sikes and her family made their own traditions to celebrate Hinamatsuri by making pink pancakes for breakfast. The Sikes family arranged to attend the event with other homeschooling military families nearby who had connected through Facebook.

Army spouse Jennifer Thomas joined the tour for the second year in a row. Last year, the Hinamatsuri at Zama was her familys first outing in Japan, which smoothed their arrival at their new home. She loved the experience so much, she said, that she had to return this year.

Zama Shrine holds more than 1,000 dolls in its collection, although no formal count has been done, according to a geki, or male shrine attendant, at Zama. The oldest set of hina in the collection is from the early to mid-Edo period (1716-1735) and is displayed once a year inside the shrines main building.
TOKYO  Four out of five Japanese people polled by Japans government about their nations military worry the country could go to war.

Of 1,600 people over age 18 who responded to the mail-in poll, 86.2% saw a danger of Japan being attacked or getting involved in a conflict, according to results released by Japans Cabinet Office on Tuesday. The office conducted the poll between Nov. 17 and Dec. 25. It did not ask respondents to predict when a conflict would take place.

The last poll four years ago found 85.5% saw a risk of war, according to the Cabinet Office website.

The Japanese publics heightened concern follows Russias invasion of Ukraine, a massive Chinese military buildup and record-breaking number of North Korean missile launches last year.

The survey reflects the increasingly severe security environment surrounding Japan, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense said in an email Wednesday. Japanese government officials often speak to the press on condition of anonymity.

We will use the result as reference and take necessary measures to secure peace and security of our country and the safety of the Japanese citizens in order to meet their expectations appropriately, the spokesperson said.

Respondents cited international tensions (85.7%) as the primary cause of their fears; a poorly functioning United Nations (38.2%); and Japan lacking sufficient defenses (28.2%).

A strong majority, 89.7%, said the U.S.-Japan security treaty helps Japan, versus 9.1% who said it doesnt help. In 2018, 77.5% said it helps and 15.6% said it didnt help.

The top five defense issues cited most often included nuclear weapon and missile development by North Korea (68.9%); Japans defense capabilities and posture (64%); modernization of Chinas military and its activities in areas surrounding Japan and the East and South China Seas (61.3%); and Russias invasion of Ukraine (52.1%).

Respondents placed less emphasis on Russias military development and activities in areas surrounding Japan (37.6%); the U.S. militarys posture in areas surrounding Japan (30.4%); arms control and disarmament (23.9%); information warfare (22.5%); and activities in space and cyberspace (20.2%).

Fewer respondents (53%) were satisfied with Japans military capability last year than four years ago (60.1%).

Those who thought Japan should enhance its defense capability increased to 41.5% from 29.1% in 2018. Only 3.6% said Japans defense power should be reduced, down from 4.5% in the previous poll.

The survey coincided with a commitment by Japans government to double military spending and acquire the capability to strike targets in enemy territory.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang warned Japan on Tuesday to reject a "new Cold War" led by America to pressure Beijing, according to a press conference readout posted by Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Should some people from the Japanese side choose the beggar-thy-neighbor approach rather than a friendly partnership and take part in a new Cold War to contain China, bilateral relations will only suffer new wounds when the old ones are yet to be healed," Qin told reporters in Beijing.

America is seeking "hegemony" and "camp-based confrontation," and is trying to contain China, added the former ambassador to the U.S. who took over as foreign minister in December.

China will "continue to pursue peaceful reunification" with Taiwan but retains "the option of taking all necessary measures," he said.

No nation, including the U.S., has the right to interfere in Taiwan affairs, he said.

The Taiwan issue is "the first red line that cannot be crossed in Sino-U.S. relations," Qin said.
U.S. troops in Syria are seeing more Russian fighter jets flying over their positions, the Air Forces top general in the Middle East said.

Russian planes flew over U.S.-controlled airspace in Syria this week, said Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, commander of Air Forces Central, who in the past has decried Russias troubling behavior of buzzing over U.S. troops without any warning.

AFCENT confirmed that Grynkewich made the comments, first reported by Aviation Week, during a media roundtable Tuesday at the Air Force Association conference in Aurora, Colo.

To protect operational security, we cant release exact numbers of Russian aircraft overflying U.S. and partner positions, but we will try to characterize trends when able, Lt. Col. Michael Hertzog, an AFCENT spokesman, said in an email late Tuesday.

The proximity of U.S. and Russian forces in Syria has required frequent use of deconfliction phone lines to ensure that the two forces do not inadvertently shoot down each others aircraft, military officials have said.

The U.S. has accused Russia in the past of violating agreements about where each side is supposed to be within Syrias borders.

The U.S. has roughly 900 troops in Syria, according to the Pentagon. These troops, along with contractors, work with Kurdish fighters to battle the Islamic State group.

The U.S. launched 17 missions against ISIS in February, a report by U.S. Central Command said. One raid on Feb. 16 that killed a senior ISIS leader also led to injuries for four U.S. troops and a working dog, CENTCOM said.

Russian troops and affiliated military contractors like the Wagner Group also are in Syria to support the government of Bashar al-Assad.

In 2018, a firefight between U.S. troops and 500 pro-Assad forces led to the deaths of dozens of Russian mercenaries, The New York Times reported then.

Russias presence in Syria became more aggressive following Moscows invasion of Ukraine last year, Grynkewich said at a conference in September.

He attributed that to the personal motivations of some Russian officers.

Generals who were in charge of certain aspects of the Ukrainian invasion have been sent into Syria as their follow-up assignment because of their failure in Russia, and I believe some of those Russian leaders are trying to rebuild their reputation, Grynkewich said last year.
(Tribune News Service)  Virginia Marine Corps spouse Natalie Ealy is a finalist in the Armed Forces Insurance Military Spouse of the Year competition.

On Monday, she was chosen as the Marine Corps representative in the annual program, which recognizes the important contributions and unwavering commitment made by more than 1.1 million military spouses to community and country, according to the MSOY website.

Ealy is one of seven finalists representing each branch of the military: Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard and National Guard.

Everyone that was picked is really awesome, Im kind of awestruck by some of them, she said about the spouses whose profiles are listed online. This level is unbelievable and fabulous and Im really happy to be here, even if I dont win overall.

After she was notified on Monday, Ealys first call was to her husband, Dan, an officer assigned to Bahrain. He was so excited, I think more than me.

Ealy, 42, said in a Free Lance-Star story last week that shes not comfortable in the spotlight but wants whatever attention comes her way to benefit the Ohana Homefront Foundation. Thats an organization she and fellow military spouse Sarah Otto created in 2021 to highlight the need for mental health services in the military community, not just for those in uniform but also for their families.

Shes already received calls since the finalists were announced from friends and military members her husband has served with, asking how they can help.

Dan Ealy has been in the Marine Corps since 1998, both enlisted and as an officer. His wife doesnt publicize his rank because she doesnt want to suggest she can only associate with wives whose husbands are on the same level.

I dont wear his rank, she said. He earned that, not me. Im not gonna let that determine who Im going to be friends with. Her friend Otto, who lives in Caroline County, said thats one of many ways in which Ealy is rare.

Natalie has a heart like no other military spouse that I have ever met, and I am proud to call her my friend, Otto wrote in her nomination. She has gone out of her way time and time again to make a difference in the lives of others.

Ealy said she and Otto have been serial volunteers with all kinds of organizations at the various bases where their husbands have been assigned. But as they worked with family readiness groups or mentored new military spouses, both realized there isnt one overarching group that can help all those associated with the military find mental-health services.

The two hope their foundation, Ohana  the Hawaiian word for family  will provide a one-stop shop, as Otto called it, for people in crisis or those who need to confide in someone outside their base. Theyre looking for licensed counselors in each state who can help military members and their families as well as veterans who may need help.

The Military Spouse of the Year program is in its 13th year. Representatives are chosen on the base level, and because Dan Ealy is not stationed at a particular base, his wife initially was selected in Marine Corps unattached category. The top three spouses from each branch were selected next, then the competition was narrowed to the seven finalists.

The winner, whom will be announced May 12, will be determined by popular vote, which accounts for 25% of the total, and interviews with two teams of judges. The popular voting takes place this Thursday and Friday only at msoy.afi.org.

(c)2023 The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Va.)

Visit The Free Lance-Star (Fredericksburg, Va.) at www.fredericksburg.com/flshome

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A recruiting pilot program that uses medical data collected on service members through the Pentagons new health information system could change enlistment policies on up to 38 health conditions that now disqualify people from military service, defense officials said.

The pilot program includes 38 health conditions that require the military to waive it as disqualifying for service, with the most notable being a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, said Lin St. Clair, deputy director of the Defense Departments accession policy directorate. Nearly 900 recruits have enlisted in the last nine months with the diagnosis.

Many of those affected are typically still able to join the military but doing so without the medical waiver would create a more efficient enlistment process for those impacted, officials said.

Other conditions included in the pilot program, such as specific eye conditions, have time frames of three, five or seven years in which a recruit must not take medication or show symptoms of the condition.

We want to make sure that those time standards that we're using don't have an adverse impact on the individual once they get the basic training and into their units, St. Clair said.

In March, the Defense Department employed a new health information system called Genesis at all 67 military processing stations. Genesis improves the departments ability to track the recruits as they move through the service because it holds all medical records in one digital location.

Using the records, the Pentagon can monitor service members who enlisted under the pilot program to see whether they completed their initial enlistment contract, which is typically about four years.

Because of that, it will be at least another year before officials will have data to review about the recruits admitted through the pilot program, St. Clair said.

We continuously review accession medical standards. This is more data for us to then take a look at those standards and see if they shouldn't be disqualified," he said.

The review comes as the Defense Department looks to recover from a difficult year in recruiting in 2022. The Army missed its recruitment goal by about 15,000 soldiers, according to the service. The Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps met their goals, but service officials have expressed concern about doing so in the new fiscal year, which began Oct. 1.

Military entrance stations conducted 215,000 medical exams in fiscal 2022, which ended Sept. 30, according to the Defense Department. Of all applicants, nearly 30% are disqualified during the exam. That drops to just 16% denied once medical waivers are applied.

While recruits typically could receive a waiver for the conditions in the pilot program, enlisting without the waiver could speed up the process. St. Clair said any obstacle to enlistment, such as locating medical paperwork and scheduling consultations with specialists, which are necessary for the military to waive a disqualifying condition, can cause a potential recruit to give up or lose interest. These things can also take more time since the coronavirus pandemic has stretched medical offices thin and wait times can be longer than they were before the pandemic.

The Rand Corp. published a report in 2021 that looked at whether military recruits who did receive a waiver for ADHD, anxiety or depression had different outcomes than those without a diagnosis. The think tank found recruits seeking waivers did not have a higher likelihood of dropping out than other recruits.

However, if they did leave the service, it was more often related to health reasons than other recruits, said Beth Asch, a senior economist who specializes in defense manpower issues and who authored the report.

I think it's imperative, frankly, that they revisit these standards, because there's so many of them, she said. "Medicine is changing, our understanding of treatment is changing, our understanding of diseases is changing and understanding of what people are capable of doing with those conditions, and their performance is changing.
WASHINGTON  A lack of oversight guidance within the Pentagon is a major reason why its still the only large government department that has yet to pass an independent audit, though it spends billions trying to modernize its fiscal systems, a watchdog report said Tuesday.

The Pentagon has been unsuccessful in overseeing its financial systems and imposing the necessary guidance to make them fully effective, according to the report conducted by the Government Accountability Office.

The Defense Department has one of the federal governments largest budgets annually, which makes the department a frequent target of criticism  especially because it has yet to pass its annual independent audit that accounts for how it spends its money.

DOD spends billions of dollars each year on its business and financial systems. However, DODs business systems modernization and financial management efforts have been on GAOs High Risk List since 1995, the 88-page GAO report states. These high risk areas remain obstacles to DODs efforts to achieve [a clean] audit.

The GAOs High Risk List identifies federal programs and operations that are particularly susceptible to fraud, abuse, mismanagement and waste. The list, which is updated at the start of every new Congress, also identifies areas that need reform.

The report issued Tuesday found the department  without proper guidance for monitoring its fiscal and business systems  will probably keep spending large amounts of money on lackluster oversight that produces records that cannot pass an audit.

Last fall, the Pentagon again failed its yearly independent audit mainly because auditors said the department couldnt provide a complete set of fiscal records for review. The Pentagon has never passed the yearly audit, which has led Congress to propose a bill to penalize any federal department that cant pass one. Neither chamber has yet passed the bill, however.

Effective oversight of systems is essential to moving DOD in the right direction, the GAO report states. Key elements of such oversight include establishing oversight processes, using and communicating quality information, sustaining leadership commitment, and managing risk.

The watchdog agency made nine recommendations for the Pentagon, such as making certain data is complete and accurate, documenting detailed system compliance and ensuring strategic planning for staffers who maintain fiscal systems. Specifically, the report identified a particular lack of guidance for initial approval and yearly certification of the Pentagons management systems.

The lack of detailed guidance puts DOD at risk of making decisions based on a check the box exercise that does little to make meaningful improvements, the GAO study concluded, adding the deficiencies could lead the Pentagon to make decisions based on faulty information and continue using systems that will continue to fail audits.

The Pentagon responded to the GAO report by agreeing or partly agreeing with all nine recommendations.

We acknowledge evolving and enhancing our oversight is critical to DODs efforts to achieve [a clean] audit, Robin Farley, the Pentagons acting deputy comptroller for enterprise financial transformation, wrote in a letter to the GAO.

The Pentagon said it will take steps to improve accuracy of data collection and analyze capability gaps between existing staff and future needs.

Some experts have said part of the auditing problems could be the Defense Department operated without an inspector general for almost seven years between 2016 and last December when Robert Storch was given the job. During that period, defense spending rose by more than $200 billion, according to the Project on Government Oversight, a Washington-based nonprofit group that investigates waste and government failures.

While there is much work remaining, and some of our most complex problems still lay before us, the audit has been a catalyst for business reform across the department, the Pentagon said last November after it failed the 2022 audit.

Congress approved a Pentagon budget of nearly $800 billion for fiscal 2023, an increase to its $728 billion budget for the previous year. The defense budget typically accounts for about half of all federal discretionary spending each year, the GAO noted.

The Pentagon will have its next opportunity to pass the annual independent audit in the fall, but the GAO said unless the department is serious about complying with all nine recommendations, it is only delaying the goal of receiving a clean audit.

The DOD systems environment that supports its business functions, including financial management, has been overly complex and error-prone, the report said. DODs financial management continues to face long-standing issues -- including its ineffective processes, systems, and controls; incomplete corrective action plans, and the need for more effective monitoring and reporting.
WASHINGTON  U.S. Cyber Command is closely tracking the potential for renewed Russian cyberattacks in the spring as Ukraine and Russia launch offensives to seize Ukrainian territory, the commands leader told senators on Tuesday.

Army Gen. Paul Nakasone warned the Senate Armed Services Committee that Russia remains a very capable adversary in cyberspace and could unleash a barrage of cyberattacks against Ukraine and the West as part of a military push deeper into Ukraine or reprisal for a successful Ukrainian counteroffensive.

By no means is this done, said Nakasone, who also serves as the director of the National Security Agency. As Russia looks at armaments coming into [Ukraine], as Russia looks at different support, how do they react? This is something that were working closely every single day on.

Nakasone disputed a prevailing view that Russia has not been as aggressive in the cyber realm as on the physical battlefield since launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year. Russians have been very active in conducting disruptive and destructive operations against Ukraine, including attacks on government websites that intensified as the invasion got underway, he said.

Those efforts did not have the crippling effect Russia intended partly because of U.S. involvement, Nakasone said. A hunt-forward team deployed to Kyiv, Ukraines capital, in December 2021 to shore up Ukrainian cyber defenses and U.S. agencies and private companies continue to help, he said.

Weve been able to bring a series of partners, including the private sector, that have tremendous capability and capacity against the Russians, Nakasone said.

The U.S. military is also working with the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to ensure the security of domestic infrastructure, he said. Information on the type of tradecraft that Russia uses in its cyberattacks is also passed on to NATO, he said.

The military alliance, whose members have rallied around Ukraine, has been of particular interest to Russian computer operatives, according to a June 2022 investigation by Microsoft. American organizations were the top targets of Russian hacking attempts outside of Ukraine while Poland, the gateway for Western-supplied military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, was second.

Russia was able to successfully penetrate the defenses of governments, think tanks, humanitarian organizations, technology companies and critical infrastructure suppliers 29% of the time, according to the Microsoft report. About 25% of those breaches resulted in stolen data.

Nakasone said Tuesday that U.S. Strategic Command is ensuring the security of the most important network: nuclear command, control and communications. The NC3 system connects senior nuclear commanders with their nuclear forces.

As we move forward, we continue full spectrum operations with a series of partners to include Ukraine to provide them assistance as they battle the Russians, Nakasone said.

Viktor Zhora, a top official at Ukraines cyber defense agency, said in January that Russia most often uses data erasing malware in its cyberattacks but also sometimes pairs cyberattacks with missile strikes.

In November, Russian hackers carried out 10 attacks per day to maximize the effect of Russian bombardment of energy facilities and other critical civilian infrastructure, according to a report that the Ukraine agency released in January. The Russian campaign to plunge Ukrainians into darkness and cold reached a critical point on Nov. 24, when several waves of cyber and missile attacks forced all Ukraines nuclear plants offline.
WASHINGTON  A Marine injured in a suicide attack during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 choked up as he told House lawmakers on Wednesday that he had spotted the suspected bomber hours before the blast.

Sgt. Tyler Vargas-Andrews, 25, said his unit had warned commanders that they saw two suspects in the chaotic crowd outside Kabuls Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 26, 2021, that fit a description flagged by U.S. intelligence, but the Marines were denied permission to shoot.

Plain and simple, we were ignored, Vargas-Andrews said.

The ensuing explosion at the airports Abbey Gate killed 13 U.S. troops and about 170 civilians and wounded 45 service members. Vargas-Andrews lost an arm, leg and kidney as a result of the attack and has since undergone 44 surgeries.

His emotional testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday was part of a revived effort by Republicans since taking control of the House in January to examine the tumultuous end of the 20-year war in Afghanistan.

What happened in Afghanistan was a systemic breakdown of the federal government at every level and a stunning failure of leadership by the Biden administration, said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the committee chairman. I will not rest and this committee will not rest until we determine how this happened and hold those responsible for it accountable.

McCaul said our game plan was to ultimately bring Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Army Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to Capitol Hill for further scrutiny.

Vargas-Andrews cried several times as he recounted the days and hours before the deadly suicide attack. He described the desperate attempts of exhausted and dehydrated Afghans to reach evacuation planes as the Taliban killed and brutalized them in full view of U.S. service members. Troops were not allowed to engage, he said.

We were just helpless, Vargas-Andrews said. We passed over intel, let people know what was going on but [we were] unable to do anything.

Vargas-Andrews, a gunman and radio operator, belonged to a scout sniper team and was tasked with scanning and controlling the crowd and helping the State Department process evacuees.

He said an intelligence bulletin went out at 2 a.m. on the day of the suicide attack describing a potential bomber and his male companion. Vargas-Andrews said he and others saw the individuals, nervously looking up at our position, between noon and 1 p.m. When Marines relayed their findings to a commander and asked for permission to shoot, the commander said he did not have the authority to approve such an action, he said.

We asked who did and [the commander] said he didnt know and would find out, Vargas-Andrews said. In that time, the two individuals disappeared into the crowd.

The Marine and veterans who testified Wednesday expressed frustration with a lack of accountability for the haphazard withdrawal and deep regret for the thousands of Afghan allies who were left behind.

Vargas-Andrews said no one from the military or any other government agency had interviewed him about his experiences at the Kabul airport. He said he feels his service is not valued to this country by the government.

Aidan Gunderson, a former Army specialist with the 82nd Airborne Division, described the withdrawal as an organizational failure at multiple levels. He said the two weeks that he spent on the ground in Kabul after the city fell to the Taliban were harrowing. Scenes of mothers carrying dead babies and the smell of feces and urine in the airports corridors continue to stay with him, he said.

And he remains plagued by the faces of all the people the U.S. military could not save.

Departing on Aug. 31 on one of the last flights out of the country, I was relieved to be headed home, but I wondered how the horror I just witnessed had just changed me  how it would change us all, Gunderson said. I can assure that it has. This war is not over for millions of people in Afghanistan and the U.S.

David Scott Mann, a retired Green Beret who served three combat tours in Afghanistan, warned lawmakers of a swelling mental health tsunami. He said a moral injury had been heaped on veterans and their family members, who are now wondering whether their service had a purpose. More than 800,000 U.S. troops served in Afghanistan and nearly 2,500 were killed.

The fact of the matter is the only way to move from a moral injury to moral recovery is for leaders to step forward, first and foremost, and take responsibility for what happened, Mann said. I think yes, it starts with the commander in chief, but it needs to go all the way down to our retired admirals and generals and sergeants major, all of them. We're going to have to really lean into this mental health issue. Its going to take all leaders at all levels to acknowledge that this thing was a serious mistake, and it can never happen again.

Mann founded Task Force Pineapple, a volunteer group of U.S. veterans, to help rescue an Afghan commando, his family and more than 1,000 other refugees as the Taliban took over Afghanistan. He said America has been building a reputation of abandonment, leaving smoldering, human wreckage from Vietnam to Syria.

Veterans pressed lawmakers on Wednesday to continue efforts to get an estimated 200,000 remaining Afghan allies and partners out of Afghanistan. Camille Mackler, executive director of the legal advocacy group Immigrant Advocates Response Collaborative, urged members of Congress to improve the immigration process and pass the Afghan Adjustment Act. The bill would provide a path to permanent residency to tens of thousands of evacuated Afghans.

Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the foreign affairs panel, placed much of the blame for immigration backlogs and the disordered evacuation on visa program caps, staffing cuts and other policy decisions initiated by former President Donald Trumps administration. Democrats on Wednesday pointed out President Joe Biden had inherited a lousy deal that Trump had made with the Taliban to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan by May 2021.

Yes, what happened in August was messy and violent and something to be avoided at all costs, said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va. But it had a history and there was a context and there were previous decisions made that led to that tragedy and to try to now make this a partisan advantage cheapens the experience of so many who gave so much.

Vargas-Andrews said there was one moment from the evacuation that has defined his service in the Marine Corps.

He fondly recalled how a young Afghan girl squeezed through the crowd at Abbey Gate with her two younger siblings and went up to Vargas-Andrews for help. The girls dirt-stained face was streaked with tears as she cried for her father, Vargas-Andrews said. She held a baby whose skin had turned blue and the hand of her little brother.

Vargas-Andrews said he got medical aid for the baby and after lifting the girl to survey the throngs of people, reunited her with her father. The family was among the 120,000 people airlifted out of Kabul.

For me, that was a moment that [made] my personal injury  worth it, Vargas-Andrews said. I know those three little kids will have a life of freedom and opportunity now because of that.
(Tribune News Service)  A member of the Florida National Guard is fighting for his life after a car hit him and drove off in Miramar early Sunday morning, the second hit-and-run crash on the same stretch of road in the past three months.

Jahmaar Williams, 31, had gone out to the 954 Ultra Lounge with his brother, Chris, when they decided to head home shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday. As they crossed the 6500 block of Pembroke Road toward the parking lot, a white BMW struck Williams and continued on.

The car was close enough to hit both of us, Chris Williams said at a media briefing Wednesday, but somehow I was unscathed, untouched, and survived.

As Williams lay unconscious in the street, his brother covered his body with his own until the ambulance came, his mother, Eleska Moore, said, to protect him.

Williams was a miracle son, born prematurely at 28 weeks in Germany, his father, John Williams, said.

He has served in the National Guard for the last 12 years and went to Kuwait, Moore said. He has a 4-year-old son.

His parents described him as the life of the party and a loyal person with a big heart and a voice so deep it was sometimes hard to understand what he was saying.

Chris Williams joined the military with his brother, who he said is both a best friend and a mentor.

He brought me out of so many difficult, dark spots, dark places, Chris Williams said. But the two also had a typical brotherly relationship; he recalled how Jahmaar Williams would always make fun of his hair.

Four crashes, three of them fatal, have occurred along the same stretch of road in the past six months, according to Tania Rues, a spokesperson for the Miramar Police Department. Two of them were hit-and-runs. The road is located near several nightlife spots.

In November, Silvio Jose Ortega Martinez was crossing the same stretch of road, also about 2 a.m. on a Sunday, when a driver hit and killed him, then drove off.

The area of the road where Martinez and Williams were struck has no crosswalk, said Jose Rosales, a traffic homicide investigator for the Miramar Police Department, but pedestrians are legally allowed to cross there, even though cars have the right of way. The road is illuminated, like all state roads, by standard light poles.

Rosales also investigated the crash that killed Martinez.

Vehicles travel at excessive speed on that roadway, he said when asked why the area seems to be a hot spot for accidents. Sometimes speeds of 100 plus.

But Rosales also said doesnt believe speed was a factor in this weeks hit-and-run crash.

Williams hasnt woken up since the crash. He is currently in critical condition with a diffused axonal injury, his father said. Recently, doctors placed a metal probe in his brain to relieve pressure.

Not being able to hear his voice, not being able to touch my baby, and he doesnt respond, its extremely extremely hard, Moore said.

Williams parents begged anyone who knows something to come forward. They said they harbored no resentment towards the driver who hit their son. Moore said she forgave them.

Im not seeking retribution, John Williams said.  ... thats not my job. Thats between that person and their God and whoever they serve. But we want to know what happened to my son.

Police are seeking a white BMW, built between 2013 to 2016, that is missing its front BMW emblem. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Broward Crime Stoppers at (954) 493-8477.

smoolten@SunSentinel.com

2023 South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

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A top Pentagon official told lawmakers Wednesday that she was wary of growing calls to deploy American troops into Mexico to battle cartels responsible for at least some of the deadly drugs pouring into the United States across the southern border.

Melissa Dalton, the assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and hemispheric affairs, told House Armed Services Committee members that the Pentagon has found increasing violence in Mexico and the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl into the United States deeply concerning.

But Dalton also warned unilateral U.S. military action into Mexico could harm the relationship between the U.S. and its southern neighbor, after lawmakers in both chambers this year have raised the idea of designating some cartels as terrorist groups and sending U.S. troops into Mexico to confront them.

In terms of weighing the advantages and disadvantages of some of the steps that are under consideration in terms of use of force or certain designations, I think we need to be clear-eyed about what some of the implications might be for the lines of cooperation we do have with Mexico, Dalton said in response to an inquiry from Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif. I do worry, based on signals  very strong signals we've gotten from the Mexicans in the past, concerns about their sovereignty, concerns about potential reciprocal steps that they might take to cut off our access, if we were to take some of these steps that are in consideration.

Recent calls to deploy U.S. forces alongside U.S. law enforcement into Mexico to deal with the drug cartels have largely come from Republicans. In an op-ed published last week by The Wall Street Journal, former Attorney General Bill Barr, who served in that role under former presidents Donald Trump and George H.W. Bush, called for a far more aggressive American effort inside Mexico than ever before. He called on President Joe Biden to deploy select military capabilities into Mexican regions dominated by the cartels and endorsed a resolution proposed in January by Reps. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, and Michael Waltz, R-Fla., to provide presidential authority to battle Mexican cartels with the U.S. military.

The cartels have Mexico in a python-like stranglehold, Barr wrote March 2. American leadership is needed to help Mexico break free. We cant accept a failed narco-state on our border, providing sanctuary to narco-terrorist groups preying on the American people.

On Monday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he would introduce legislation designating Mexican cartels foreign terrorist organizations and granting Biden authorities to use American troops in Mexico. Graham made the announcement after four Americans were kidnapped in the Mexican border city of Matamoros. Two of those individuals were found dead on Tuesday.

Panetta on Wednesday told Dalton that he understood the calls for the United States to do more in Mexico, including using its military, without explicitly endorsing the idea.

Dalton said she was preparing to fly to Mexico after the hearing to meet with officials there to discuss myriad security topics including intelligence and cyber cooperation. She did not rule out discussing U.S. troop presence in Mexico.

In Air Force Gen. Glen VanHercks prepared testimony for the hearing, the commander of U.S. Northern Command labeled drug cartels in Mexico one of his top concerns. The cartels are well-armed and have been emboldened recently by using improvised explosive devices and small drones to attack Mexican security forces, he wrote.

While VanHerck committed to continuing to partner with the Mexican military to counter cartels, he told House lawmakers that decisions about the deployment of American forces into that country were not his to make.

If directed to plan and execute and use military force then I would do that, VanHerck said.

But the general also told lawmakers that the drug problem, which kills some 100,000 Americans each year, was largely a homeland security and law enforcement issue not easily solved by the U.S. military, which is barred by federal law from conducting law enforcement operations inside the homeland. He told the panel increased information and intelligence sharing between U.S. institutions and Mexico and other regional partners would be a starting point to better address the cartels and drug smuggling.

I think everybody can do more than we are right now to look at this problem, [the Mexicans] are doing a significant amount, they have tens of thousands of forces applied to the problem [but] the problem just continues to grow, he said.

VanHerck and Dalton testified Wednesday alongside Army Gen. Laura Richardson, who leads the U.S. Southern Command. She linked China to cartel and drug activity in her area of responsibility, which encompasses South America, most of Central America and the Caribbean.

Richardson warned the Chinese were making inroads to garner more influence in South America, often using their predatory infrastructure program  known as the belt and road initiative  to exploit struggling countries. While China has not built a military base in South America, as it has in Africa, she warned Beijing could aim to do so within seven to 10 years.

Richardson also warned the Chinese were exploiting and contributing to cartel violence in the region.

Cartels use Chinese banking institutions to launder money, Richardson alleged. She said seven Chinese banks have opened some 275 branches in the SOUTHCOM region, which transnational criminal organizations have used to launder millions of dollars obtained through drug and human trafficking and illegal mining and logging.

She and VanHerck also charged many of the chemicals that the cartels use to make fentanyl flow from Chinese vendors. While China banned fentanyl production in 2019 under international pressure, the U.S. generals testified Wednesday that Beijing does nothing to stop the drugs or ingredients produced in China from flowing into the United States. VanHerck said the U.S. has unsuccessfully raised the issue with the Chinese government.

It comes from individuals and companies in China, but the [Peoples Republic of China] themselves are turning a blind eye, VanHerck said. So it's crucial that we expose it  that we name and shame their activities.
Michael Byrne (63) was also verbally abusive to staff at the venue and was arrested when gardai arrived

A concert-goer headbutted a security guard in the face while he was at a Rod Stewart gig in Dublins 3Arena.

Michael Byrne (63) was arrested after he struck the man, causing a slight injury and was abusive to staff, a court was told.

The case against him was adjourned for the alleged victim to be asked if he wants to make an impact statement.

Mr Byrne, with an address at Croftwood Park, Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty to assault. Dublin District Court heard the incident happened on November 19 last year.

Michael Byrne (63) headbutted a security supervisor in the face. Photo: Paddy Cummins

Garda Sergeant Maire McDevitt gave evidence that the accused was attending a concert at 9.05pm when he headbutted a security supervisor across the face, causing a slight injury to the mans forehead.

Sgt McDevitt said the victim suffered some bruising around his eye as a result.

Byrne was also verbally abusive to staff at the venue and was arrested when gardai arrived. The accused had previous road traffic convicitions.

But had not been convicted recently.

Judge Bryan Smyth asked if the victim had been canvassed as to whether or not he wished to make an impact statement.

The sergeant said that he had not. The judge adjourned the case for that to be done, as well as mitigation by the defence and finalisation of the case.

The accused, who remained silent during the brief hearing, was remanded on continuing bail to appear in court again on a date later this month.
Veronica Guerins killer has so far done 18 months time in the open prison and probably thought he would be released by now

They are all being forced to serve longer sentences at Shelton Abbey open prison in Co Wicklow while the new Independent Parole Board deals with their cases and also objections to some of their proposed releases from the families of the victims.

Normally when a prisoner is sent to Shelton they are allowed back on the streets under licence and subject to certain conditions, after a year or two.

Now they are being forced to stay for a much longer period - two to four years - while the Parole Board deals with each case.

It is understood that the cases of over 100 prisoners eligible for early release are waiting to be dealt with by the Board.

But they are currently dealing with around 12 cases a month due to the right of crime victims to submit a written objection so each case has to be looked at individually and it is taking a greater amount of time.

A prison source said; " There are currently about 12 men who are all serving life sentences waiting to be freed from Shelton Abbey.

" Veronica's killer Brian Meehan is among them. He has so far done 18 months time in the open prison and probably thought he would be released by now.

" It will now probably be at least another two years before he gets out because it will take the Parole Board that long to deal with his case after the Guerin family objected.

" The victims of every serious like murder or rape has a right to object to the culprit being freed early. It is also taking time for the new Independent Parole Board to deal with each case."

A life sentence with a 25pc remission for good behaviour is now around 18 to 19 years in Ireland.

Meehan has served 23 years in custody after being convicted of murder in 1999. He is still a relatively young man at 56 year of age.

The prison source added ; "These lifers are just going to have to wait and do more time in the open prison until the backlog of cases is cleared by the Parole Board.

" Families also don't want to see their loved ones' killers back on the street, to them life should mean life. They find it hard to comprehend why any killer should be freed early."

Meehan drove the motorbike that carried the assassin who shot the fearless Sunday Independent reporter.

The gunman was believed to have been notorious Dublin criminal the late Patrick "Dutchy" Holland but Meehan has never spilled the beans and kept his mouth shut.
The bank was able to retrieve 16,200 of the funds after Christian Prestons account was frozen, but the victim was at a loss of about 21,000

Christian Preston had spent about 1,200 booking himself a holiday, which he didn't take due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Collins Courts   Collins Courts

A man who took part in a money laundering operation which saw a home buyer lose most of their deposit, bought himself a holiday with his portion of the stolen money, a court has heard.

Christian Preston (22) pleaded guilty to one count of possessing the proceeds of crime  37,000  at Bank of Ireland, Marino, Dublin on December 19, 2019. He has no previous convictions.

Detective Garda Enda Connolly told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that the victim in the case was exchanging emails with his solicitor in December 2019 about a property he was buying and he then sent a deposit across to the solicitor, which the solicitor confirmed receiving.

The following month, it emerged this email exchange had been hacked and the money had instead gone into Preston's account. Preston, of Clanmahon Road, Donnycarney, Dublin, had withdrawn various sums of money and had spent about 1,200 booking himself a holiday.

The bank was able to retrieve 16,200 of the funds after Preston's account was frozen, but the victim was at a loss of about 21,000, the court heard.

Det Gda Connolly said Preston withdrew some of the money and handed it over to a third party while purchases were made from his account on designer goods and Apple items. It was not known who made those purchases. Det Gda Connolly agreed with Emmet Nolan BL, defending, that Preston was not the mastermind behind the operation and was not involved in the email hacking.

Christian Preston was given a two-year suspended jail sentence. Photo: Collins Courts   Collins Dublin

He was paid a sum of money for allowing his account to be used, which he used to book the holiday. He never went on that holiday due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the court heard.

Mr Nolan said his client was just 18 at the time and was now very embarrassed by his actions. He has a baby with his partner, works as a data technician and is also a talented boxer, defence counsel said.

Sentencing Preston today, Judge Martin Nolan said he had dealt with a lamentable number of similar cases in the courts. It seems that a lot of young people can't withstand the temptation of a small reward, the judge said, adding there was no doubt Preston knew his account was going to be used for illegal purposes.

The judge noted: Up to now I have not imprisoned these people. He handed Preston a two-year suspended sentence and ordered him to hand over a sum of 2,500 to the victim in the case within a year.
Gheorghe Rafaila (32) pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the toddler while both were resident at a Dublin hotel in 2019.

A man has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for sexually assaulting a three-year-old boy at a homeless hub in Dublin.

Gheorghe Rafaila (32) pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the toddler while both were resident at a Dublin hotel on July 22, 2019.

At a hearing at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court today, Judge Martin Nolan handed down a two-and-a-half year sentence but suspended the final year on the basis that the sexual assault was at the lower range of offending.

Judge Nolan ordered Rafaila to leave the country immediately on his release from custody and return to his native Romania.

Sergeant Eoin Treacy told counsel for the State that the assault lasted about four minutes and took place in a courtyard where Rafaila was sitting on a bench beside his wife.

CCTV footage of the entire incident was played to the court showing a small boy approaching the bench and interacting with Rafaila and his wife until he is called back by his mother, who had witnessed the incident from inside her room.

In a statement to gardai, the mother of the child said she looked out her window and saw the accused putting his hand over her sons leg over his shorts and on his groin.

The woman said she could see the man joking and laughing with his wife and that she went out to the courtyard and called her son back.

When the woman asked her son what had happened, the boy demonstrated that the man had pulled out his penis and played with his testicles.

The boy said: Mam, are you going to kill him? and the mother replied she was not.

She brought the child back to the accused and the boy said Do not touch my willy again, to which Rafaila burst out laughing, the court heard.

The woman filed a complaint to gardai and the child told specialist interviewers what had happened.

Rafaila was arrested on the day of the incident and cooperated with gardai.

The court heard he was apologetic but that when gardai asked him whether he thought it was appropriate to touch a childs genitals, he replied: In the Roma community, this is something playful; maybe here it is not.

Maurice Coffey SC, defending, said that while the assault was indecent, distasteful and reprehensible in our society, Rafaila had denied that there was any sexual motive behind his actions.

While it is outside our ken and belief and understanding of what is normal, there seems to be some credence to Rafailas account that there was no sexual motive, given the close proximity of his wife, said Mr Coffey.

Sergeant Treacy responded by saying that he was not aware of any society where such behaviour was acceptable.

The sergeant accepted that Rafaila had apologised for his actions in that they had caused upset to the child and his family.

Judge Nolan said that without a doubt, Rafaila had sexually assaulted the child.

The judge said he was not sure that there was any practice among a certain segment of Romanian nationals to act in a certain way towards childrens genitalia.

The accused was highly reckless in coming to the conclusion that the same customs were present in this country.

He knew where he was. Its hard to believe that this defendant would have thought that the same customs would operate within this country, added Judge Nolan.

The judge added that the young age of the child was an aggravating factor in the assault.

Rafaila has a number of previous convictions from another jurisdiction, including theft, assault and robbery, but nothing of a sexual nature, the court heard.

The childs mother was present in court and her victim impact statement was handed to the court, but not read aloud.

The court heard that Rafaila was arrested in the UK, taken into custody and later extradited to Ireland.

Mr Coffey said Rafaila has five children and had been working with Panda Waste as a sorter at the time of the offence.

Rafailas wife wrote a letter to the judge explaining that she was in a very difficult situation without her husband providing for the family, as he had been the primary earner.

The sentence was backdated to last October 14, when Rafaila went into custody in the UK.

Rafaila was also ordered to be of good behaviour for one year on his release from prison.
Patrick Smith (27), who has 177 previous convictions, believed he was being targeted for searches and was extremely cross

A Mountjoy prison inmate made a false sexual assault complaint against staff in revenge for what he thought was a rough search.

Patrick Smith (28) believed he was being targeted for searches and was extremely cross when he lied to gardai and a medical examiner about having been sexually assaulted by an unnamed prison guard.

He was given an extra four months in jail when he admitted the charge at Dublin District Court.

Smith pleaded guilty to knowingly making a false report or statement that an offence had been committed in August last year.

Garda Sergeant Michelle Lynch told Judge Bryan Smyth the accused had complained that an unidentified prison guard sexually assaulted him while he was being searched on suspicion of having a contraband phone on August 23 last year.

An investigation was carried out and Smith repeated the allegation to the forensic medical examiner from the sexual assault treatment unit.

However, witness statements and CCTV footage completely undermined his account and when the inconsistencies were put to him, he withdrew the complaint.

Smith had 177 previous convictions for offences including assault, robbery and drug dealing.

He was serving a seven-and-a-half-year sentence, due for release in July 2027.

Smith was extremely cross at the time he made the complaint, his solicitor said.

He felt he was being targeted for searches when he had done nothing wrong and nothing was found on him.

On the day, it was his third time to be searched in two weeks and it felt like it happened every time he went out on the landing.

They jumped him and gave him a bit of a going over, he said.

Smith felt he was rough handed but he went over, above and beyond the truth of what happened.

He made his statement very soon after and when later asked if he wanted to proceed with the complaint, he said no and stopped it in its tracks.

Smith accepted it was an awful allegation to make against anybody and he made a poor enough error of judgment. 

The judge said it was a serious matter to make such an allegation.

There was no victim impact statement as nobody had been named in the complaint.

Judge Smyth made the four-month sentence consecutive to Smiths existing jail term.
Jimmy Loughlin (20) was killed after a man he did not know burst through the front door of his home and killed him with a crowbar

Michael and Paula Loughlin pictured outside the Four Courts in Dublin on Monday.

The father of a young man who received an apology from the HSE in the High Court after his son was killed in Sligo, by a stranger with a severe psychiatric condition, said there are still questions to be answered.

Jimmy Loughlin (20) was killed after a man he did not know, Richard McLaughlin, burst through the front door of his home in Sligo and killed him with a crowbar in February 2018.

Speaking after the High Court settlement in Dublin on Tuesday, Michael Loughlin said the family were thinking of contacting local representative to bring the matter to government level so that other families would not have to endure five years of agony.

It does represent a bit of closure for us and the good thing about today is that we no longer have to deal with the court system, we no longer have to deal with the civil case.

So, for the past five years since Jimmys murder we could not really say what we felt as there were on-going court proceedings hanging over us.

But we cant understand why it took so long for us to get some sort of justice for Jimmy.

We had all the reports from two years before the Coroners Court and we had to wait and then when the Coroners Inquest took place there were so many errors.

"There was so much history with Richard McLaughlin, there were so many red flags, there were so many things that were wrong, and I feel that we still have to get to the bottom of it

And we expect a type of enquiry into how all these mistakes were allowed to happen.

We need answers to all the errors that took place. I am not sure about what type of enquiry, but we still have questions as to how so many things went wrong.

This guy was a threat for ten years and doing bad stuff. For him to end up killing Jimmy and posting 1400 files under the name Lucifer and smoking cannabis is just so far off the Richter scale and not going to clinics.

He was just able to do what he wanted, and it seemed that nobody really cared about him. That ended up with him killing Jimmy.

He added:

We are glad that part of its over, but we still have questions for politicians and the Minister for Health to say heres our story and can we tell you what has happened and then you decide whether something needs to be done or something needs to be improved upon.

We dont want this terrible thing to happen to any other family and it was so random and barbaric, and it should not have happened.

That would be our last request and then we could say we had done our best for Jim.

We waited for due process and the HSE have given us an apology which we accept. But we would expect someone higher up to say hold on a minute and see whether there are any lessons to be learned, otherwise what is the point.

We have good TDs in Sligo and now they will know that they the civil case has been settled and we would hope to be in touch with one of them. I am not a politician ,and I dont know how you get in touch with the Taoiseach, but it is public health issue, its of national interest and its for the people of Sligo so that it does not happen again, said Mr Loughlin.

Jimmy Loughlin.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) Sligo/Leitrim Mental Health Services have acknowledged in the High Court on Monday shortcomings in the care of McLoughlin.

In July 2019, at the Central Criminal Court, Mr McLaughlin, with an address at The Laurels, Woodtown Lodge, Sligo, was found not guilty by reason of insanity of the murder of Mr Loughlin.

At the High Court on Monday, a representative of the clinical and management team at the HSE Sligo/Leitrim Mental Health Services sincerely and unreservedly apologised to Mr Loughlins parents for the breaches of duty in the care provided, which it acknowledged and accepts led to untold upset, distress and harm to them and their family.

The service wished to acknowledge the shortcomings in the care of Jimmys assailant, Richard McLoughlin, as were highlighted at the inquest into Jimmys death, together with the verdict of unlawful killing rendered by the jury.

Mr Loughlins parents, Michael and Paula Loughlin, of Ballintogher, sued the HSE over the care provided prior to the unprovoked fatal attack on their only son while he was getting ready for work.

Their counsel, Eoin McCullough SC, instructed by Damien Tansey Solicitors, told the High Court that the Loughlins case against the HSE has been settled.

Mr Justice Paul Coffey expressed his deepest sympathy to Mr and Ms Loughlin.

Outside the Four Courts, Mr Loughlins parents said in a statement that the HSE should today hang its head in shame.

Michael and Paula Loughlin pictured outside the Four Courts in Dublin on Monday.

"On the day our son Jimmys life was taken over five years ago all our lives ended. To add insult to grievous injury, the coroners inquest found he was unlawfully killed and established shortcomings by the HSE in the management of Jimmys assailant, they said.

Jimmy was a son to whom so much was promised and yet everything was taken, they said, adding: Unfortunately, no apology will now bring our son back to his loving family.

Mr Loughlins inquest in May 2022 heard a consultant forensic psychiatrist attached to the Central Mental Hospital found Mr McLaughlin was schizophrenic and had started drinking and smoking cannabis at age 11 or 12. Mr McLaughlin admitted to having used ecstasy and cocaine, but told the psychiatrist he had given them up some years ago.

The inquest jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing, finding Mr Loughlin died due to traumatic head injuries from the assault.

In their High Court action seeking damages for personal injuries suffered, the Loughlins alleged the assailant was a patient of the defendants and was known to them as a person with a history of mental illness and violent tendencies.

Mr McLaughlin has been known to and/or in the HSEs care for an extended period of time, they claimed. He was first referred to the adult mental health service in 2008 and has ben re-referred for paranoid ideation, paranoid schizophrenia and drug-induced psychosis on several occasions since, they alleged.

The HSE, the Loughlins claimed, has at all times been aware that Mr McLaughlin has a sustained history of episodes of violent behaviour.

It failed, omitted and/or neglected to take adequate steps to avoid the real and present risk to people living in proximity to Mr McLaughlin, they alleged.

The assailant consistently missed scheduled appointments and ceased taking medication for his mental illness, they claimed. The HSE failed to maintain him in its care notwithstanding their knowledge or notice that he was acting in a suspicious and paranoid manner, they alleged.

Liability was at issue in the case and the claims were denied.
This is sick psychiatric nurse Martin Doyle whose brave victims waived their anonymity to expose him

A psychiatric nurse who sexually molested his young daughter at a county Sligo lake and repeatedly raped his wife has been jailed for 12 and a half years.

After a trial at the Central Criminal Court, Martin Doyle (53) of Esker, Knock, Co Mayo was convicted of raping his wife twice in May 2009 and on a third occasion in November 2011, and 24 counts of sexual assault of his daughter on various dates between 2004 and 2011. He had pleaded not guilty to all the charges and continues to deny the offending.

Cathleen Noctor SC, prosecuting, told Justice Caroline Biggs that both victims wished to waive their anonymity.

Doyle's daughter Siobhan Moore was aged around seven or eight years old and the family were staying at a house in Kells, Co Meath in 2004 when Doyle first sexually assaulted the child. After the family moved to Doon Rock, Gurteen, Sligo, Doyle went on to repeatedly and routinely sexually assault the girl until she turned 15.

He was convicted of 27 counts of sexual assault in total, including 11 sample counts covering sexual assaults of the child while she was showering. The victim told the trial that these assaults took place two to three times a week.

Nine charges related to sexual assaults committed at Lough Gara, Gurteen. During the particularly hot summers of 2010 and 2011, Doyle would take the girl, then aged 13 to 15, to a secluded area of the lake away from the main area where others would be swimming.

He would get her to remove her swimsuit or take it off himself and take his own off and he would then molest her. Doyle also sexually assaulted the girl in a tent at the family home when she and her father were camping.

On an unspecified date in May 2009, Doyle raped his wife, Olivia Tuite, on the night before he was due to go to England to bury his mother. He and his wife were in the sitting room when he told her he needed relief before the funeral but the victim told him she was ovulating and it wasn't safe.

He grabbed her, twisted her around and pushed her down on the couch, breaking it. After raping her he grabbed the beer bottle he had been drinking from, put the neck of it into the woman's vagina and tilted it to pour the remaining beer out.

He said that will take care of that and she understood that he was saying the alcohol would prevent her from getting pregnant. He got up, leaving the bottle inside her, told her to clean up the mess and went to bed.

The sexual assault with the bottle is the basis for the second rape offence. Justice Biggs said the use of the bottle was degrading and humiliating and that this, along with his disregard for the woman after the rape, was an aggravating factor.

The third rape took place in May 2011 after Doyle had drank a full bottle of whiskey and eight cans of lager. He was out cold on the couch when the victim went to bed.

Some time later she heard Doyle coming into the bedroom and slamming the door before grabbing her arm and twisting it up her back. The woman was struggling to get away but Doyle was pushing her face down and she was finding it hard to breath.

The woman told the court that she was thinking I am going to die and there will be no one to look after my children. Doyle then raped her and she lost consciousness and she woke up later on the floor of the room with a bruise on her temple.

She felt sick and in pain. Doyle was lying in the bed with a blanket over him and was mumbling my bed.

Reading from her victim impact statement, Ms Tuite said that she suffers from depression and doesn't know if she will ever trust men again or be in a physical relationship again.

She said that in the immediate aftermath of the rapes she didn't want anyone touching her and hated herself because she couldn't hug her children. She said she felt ashamed and angry with herself for not being able to stop the rape.

I used to be a bubbly and chatty person who only saw the good in people but now I am closed off and never let anyone get close to me, she said. The woman said that she turned to comfort eating and is now clinically obese and unable to work as a result.

After the 2011 incident she said she had little or no self-worth. She started to hate her body even more and suffered from depression and panic attacks.

Ms Moore said her father had stolen her childhood. She said he had robbed her of her innocence and replaced it with humiliation, worthlessness and anger.

She said she had been asked during the trial why she didnt just say stop. But, she said, she couldnt even breathe during the assaults. All she could do, she said, was to keep her eyes shut. She said she felt "so small, so weak, so helpless."

She told the court that my father stole my childhood, he robbed me of innocence and replaced it with humiliation, feelings of worthlessness and anger.

The man who was meant to be my hero turned out to be the villain, she said. She said the fear of her father kept her silent and she also blamed herself. She said she later turned to alcohol and other mind numbing substances to cope.

She said she only decided to go to gardai after her parents separated and her father began seeking visitation rights to her younger sisters.

It was and always has been about protecting those girls,, she said. She told the court that she still endures the trauma of the abuse and that deep down I am still that little girl who is completely lost and terrified.

Defending counsel Desmond Dockery SC told the court that as his client does not accept the jury verdicts he was limited in what he could offer in mitigation. He said the offending ran up to 2012 when his client left the family home, after intervention from social services.

Since 2012 he said Doyle has not come to garda attention, has continued to work and rebuild a life. Doyle has no other criminal convictions.

Justice Biggs said Doyle's abuse of his daughter was a systematic pattern of sexual interference with a young child by person who in a position to have total control over her. She said it resulted in the almost complete destruction of her childhood and said the damage done to the victim cannot be quantified.

She told both survivors that they are both incredibly strong women and that Irish society owes them a debt of gratitude because without women like them sex offenders could not be prosecuted.

They are both magnificent women, I hope that some day they will both see how truly truly magnificent they are, she said.

She set a headline sentence of 15 years. She said in the absence of any remorse shown by Doyle, she was limited in terms of mitigating factors but noted Doyle's work history since the offending, his mental health issues and his lack of any previous offending.

She reduced the sentence to 12 and a half years but also ordered that Doyle be subject to two years of post-release supervision, noting that he is assessed as being at a moderate risk of reoffending.
Mr Burke and members of his family had to be removed by force from the Four Courts yesterday

Ammi Burke being ejected from the Court of Appeal by gardai   PA

Teacher Enoch Burke was sacked after refusing to refer to a student by their preferred pronouns. Photo: Frank McGrath

Sacked schoolteacher Enoch Burke has turned up at his former workplace again this morning the day after appeal judges rejected his appeal against High Court injunctions directing him not to trespass there.

He and members of his family had to be removed by force from the Four Courts yesterday amid chaotic scenes when the judgement was made.

His younger brother Simeon (24) was charged with threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour.

Enoch Burke was driven to the Wilsons Hospital school in Multyfarnham, Co Westmeath, this morning by his father, arriving at 9.10am.

He has now resumed the spot he has taken, standing outside a door of the property as temperatures struggle to rise above zero degrees.

Burke is being fined 700 a day for every day he is in contempt of court for breaching the order not to go to the school.

Todays arrival at the school means his fines now stand at 28,700.

Ammi Burke being ejected from the Court of Appeal by gardai   PA

At the Court of Appeal hearing yesterday, Enoch Burke lost an appeal aimed at overturning court orders preventing him from teaching or attending the school.

The three-judge court, in three separate judgments, dismissed the appeal. The delivery of the judgments was interrupted several times with gardai eventually intervening to remove members of the family.

Officers moved in and requested that the Burkes leave the courtroom after the three-judge court abandoned the delivery of its judgment because of repeated interruptions.

There were tense scenes as at least 10 gardai arrived in the court to escort the Burkes out, only for members of the family to angrily refuse to comply with requests to leave.

The first to be physically removed was Mr Burkes sister Ammi, a solicitor, followed by his brother Simeon, who is studying to be a barrister at Kings Inns

One by one the family members were removed despite strongly resisting, holding onto benches and each other as gardai sought to get them out.

Enoch Burke appeared to cut his hand while grabbing hold of a table as a garda tried to pull him away.

Throughout the incident, which went on for around ten minutes, angry comments were directed at gardai by the Burkes.

Simeon Burke being removed from court

The confrontation broke out after the Burkes got to their feet and loudly objected to comments by the president of the court, Mr Justice George Birmingham.

The judge said offensive terms used by Enoch Burke during his appeal caused him to wonder whether this is not an exercise in creating sound bites.

Enoch Burke got to his feet, shouting: Thats a disgrace judge.

His mother Martina repeatedly shouted: You are bowed prostrate at the altar of transgenderism.

Gardai moved in and Ammi Burke was the first to be physically removed.

Sean and Martina Burke were also bundled out of the court after a stand-off.

Then four gardai were required to drag Enoch Burke out a back door.

As a garda wrestled with him, Mr Burke repeatedly shouted: Dont you dare touch me and accused the gardai of being a disgrace.

The last of the family to be removed was Isaac Burke, who was dragged out with his feet trailing on the ground.

Mr Burke was appealing against High Court orders restraining him from turning up at Wilsons Hospital School.

Mr Justice Birmingham, sitting with Mr Justice John Edwards and Ms Justice Maire Whelan, had only managed to read out one part of the courts decision before the hearing descended into chaos.

The judge said the court had no hesitation in dismissing an appeal Mr Burke had against a temporary injunction granted by Ms Justice Siobhan Stack last August restraining him from attending for work at the Co Westmeath school

Despite the orders, Mr Burke continued to go to its premises in Multyfarnham each school day despite first being suspended and later dismissed from his job there as a teacher of history and German.

He spent 108 days in prison last year for contempt of court orders and is currently being fined 700 for each day he remains in contempt.

His suspension last August came after Mr Burke, an evangelical Christian, refused to comply with a request from the then principal to call a transgender pupil by a new name and by their preferred pronouns.

A number of incidents, in which Mr Burke expressed opposition on religious grounds to the request, prompted the schools board of management to put him on paid administrative leave.

He was sacked by the board of management in January, a decision he is appealing to a tribunal.

During the appeal hearing, the teacher claimed the request, was an unlawful demand that he participate in transgenderism, and was in breach of his constitutional rights to the freedom of religious expression.

But Mr Justice Birmingham said the communication from the principal fell well short of a demand.

The judge said he had no hesitation in dismissing the appeal against the order of Ms Justice Stack, as on the evidence presented to her there was a case for an interim injunction.

The Court of Appeal decided not to hear appeals against two other High Court decisions, made by Mr Justice Conor Dignam and Ms Justice Eileen Roberts. These included the dismissal of an application brought by Mr Burke aimed at setting aside his suspension.

The hearing of the full cases between the school and Mr Burke remains pending before the High Court, and is expected to be heard later this year.

A younger brother of Enoch Burke was yesterday charged with threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour following the chaotic scenes at a Court of Appeal.

Simeon Burke (24) was arrested and brought before Dublin District Court accused of causing a breach of the peace at the Four Courts.

The disturbance is alleged to have happened as appeal judges rejected Enoch Burke's appeal against High Court injunctions directing him not to trespass at a Co Westmeath school.

The accused, of Cloonsunna, Castlebar, Co Mayo, is charged with using threatening, abusive and insulting words or behaviour at the Four Courts under Section 6 of the Public Order Act.

Judge Paula Murphy granted him bail and adjourned the case to Cloverhill District Court next Tuesday. Mr Burke told the court he would not sign the bail bond and was remanded in custody with consent to bail.
The victim had been helping a friend to load a van in south Belfast before he was approached by three men

Stock Image: Police at the scene of an incident in Belfast (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)   Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph

Police have launched a murder investigation following the death of a man who was attacked in south Belfast on January 29.

The victim, who was aged in his 40s, was assaulted in the early hours of the morning while waiting for a lift.

Detectives are awaiting the results of his post mortem and will consider the findings as part of their investigation.

Three men who were arrested in connection with the incident remain on police bail.

Detective Inspector Michelle Griffin said: Sadly the victim of the assault has now passed away in hospital. I am appealing for witnesses to come forward.

The assault occurred between 3.00am and 3.30am on Sunday, January 29th when the victim was waiting for a lift in the car park beside licensed premises.

It has been reported that three men approached the victim and his friend before an altercation occurred which spilled out onto the Malone Road, at the junction of Eglantine Avenue.

We know that this area would have been relatively busy with vehicles at the time, particularly taxi drivers, and would appeal to anyone who may have been in the vicinity to check their dash cam for relevant footage.

The assault was only reported to police on February 16, more than a fortnight after it happened. It is not clear why at this stage.

In their initial appeal, the PSNI had said the victim had been helping a friend to load a van parked in the car park outside licensed premises before he was approached by three men.

Botanic SDLP councillor Gary McKeown sent his condolences to the dead mans family.

"I am very sorry to learn that the man who was assaulted on the Malone Road has died. My thoughts are with those close to him, he said.

"An incident like this will cause great concern for people living nearby, as this is an area heavily populated with students and long-term residents, and would be very busy at weekends.

"Police investigations are ongoing, so I would urge anyone with any information to please come forward."

Police have asked anyone with information to contact them via 101.
Margaret Buttimer claimed she had been assaulted while praying in her cell

Prison authorities do not believe a jailed grandmother who appeared in court sporting two black eyes and a bruised face was the victim of an assault in her cell.

Sources say inquiries into allegations previously made in court by 68-year-old Margaret Buttimer that she was assaulted by her cellmate, indicate her injuries occurred as a result of a fall or similar mishap.

The Sunday World further understands that no prisoner has been subjected to P19 disciplinary proceedings as a result of Buttimers claims.

On Friday, Buttimer received a 16-week jail term for causing a scene at a hotel accommodating Ukrainian refugees, with a court hearing she was shouting that they were rapists and criminals.

During a previous sitting, Buttimer  who had been on remand in Limerick Prison  alleged she had sustained two black eyes and bruises to her chin and mouth when she was standing with the Lord.

Margaret Buttimer had claimed she was assaulted

Buttimer said she had been in her cell, which she shared with two other women, and had been praying.

One of the people, the girls, she began tearing up the holy bible and burning the leaves, she said.

She took two crosses off the rosary beads and burnt them.

I stood over her and I was praying to myself. This went on for a few hours.

Buttimer said that at 2am another cellmate told her to go to bed.

I said no one tells me to go to bed. So, I sat in the chair.

So, she punched me in the head, she assaulted me inside the cell.

Sources have since confirmed to the Sunday World that authorities in Limerick Prison have carried out a probe into the claims.

The results of those inquiries do not substantiate allegations that an assault took place, the source said.

The belief is these injuries may have occurred as a result of a fall or similar mishap but did not involve an assault by a third party.

The source said a decision was later made to move Buttimer to a single cell for her own welfare and in order to avoid allegations of a similar nature being made against any other inmate.

A spokesperson for the Irish Prison Service said it does not comment on queries relating to individual inmates.

The charges against Buttimer related to allegations she attended the hotel in Bandon and demanded to know how many Ukrainians were accommodated there and the cost to the Irish public.

She refused requests to leave, including from gardai, the court was told.

She was previously convicted in January of similar offences at the same venue and was sentenced last month to 28 days in prison.

Buttimer had pleaded not guilty to the two public order offences before the court on Friday.

Gardai had attended at the hotel at 3.05pm on January 26 following reports of a woman causing a disturbance there.

On arrival, they encountered Buttimer demanding to know how many Ukrainians were staying at the hotel, what the cost was, and heard her state that these Ukrainians are rapists and criminals.

Judge McNulty found charges of engaging in offensive conduct and failure to comply with a direction of gardai proven.

He sentenced her to 16 weeks in prison, backdated to when she entered custody.

Half of her sentence was suspended on condition that she keep the peace.
Brooklinn Khoury (23) from Mission Viejo, California has undergone numerous surgeries since her cousin's pit bull attacked her without warning

A model who made a dramatic recovery after her upper lip was ripped off by a pit bull has revealed how she has been blessed with the results of surgery.

Brooklinn Khoury (23) from Mission Viejo, California has undergone numerous surgeries since her cousin's pit bull attacked her without warning and tore off her lip and part of her nose in November 2020.

Brooklinn, who has been documenting her recovery on social media, revealed last month in her most recent update how her surgeon was able to reconstruct her central columns, lip, and cupid's bow.

She took to Instagram on Saturday to post a photo of her doctor tracing her lip with a blue marker at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. She also included a snapshot of her side profile as she smiled.

Almost three weeks post-op! Everything is healing so well. Still pretty swollen but so blessed with the results!' she captioned the images, which have received tens of thousands of likes.

Brooklinn has documented her recovery on social media

She shared more pictures of herself a few days later, showing off her new smile, while revealing on her Instagram Stories that all of her stitches were out.

In her latest set of images, the professional skateboarders lip appears to be almost completely healed

Khoury, who had met the eight-year-old dog named Diesel on numerous previous occasions, was visiting her family in Arizona and standing in the kitchen when the horrific incident unfolded.

I was like, You're such a good boy, she told People in 2021. He literally sprung from a sitting position like onto my face. I was standing, and he was sitting  he literally just sprung up.

And he was literally, hanging  literally like arms, legs hanging off of my lip. And my first instinct was like, Oh my God, get on the ground with him, hold his head, go wherever he goes.

When the pit bull finally let go, something flew and hit the wall.

Recalling that there was blood everywhere she then saw a pink lump on the floor and realised it was her lip.

She rushed to the emergency room with the chunk of her lip but surgeons were unable to reattach it.

Three days after she was mauled, she started documenting her recovery on Instagram, on November 6, 2020, when she posted a photo of herself cuddling a teddy bear in the hospital.

In November 2021, she had her first reconstructive surgery, a 20-hour procedure that reportedly cost $400,000. Her surgeon created a skin graft from her forearm to replace the skin on her upper lip.

Khoury opened up about her first surgery in a video shared on her YouTube channel, saying it was a success.

Its crazy how your life can change so dramatically in the split of a second, she wrote.

Everything went well. The nerve, the tissue, the skin, is all well, alive, and healing, which is really good and really rare, she explained. "My fingers can move, [there's no] nerve damage... so thank God.

Although some people advised her not to post any videos or photos of her face because of the way that it looks, she wanted to be open about the process so others who are in similar situations would feel less alone.

I know I look different. I know I look crazy right now because of how swollen my face is but no point in hiding, she said. I'm happy to share this. I'm happy to help anyone that I can.

Khoury, who was isolated from her family and friends during her initial hospitalisation because of the Covid-19 pandemic, admitted that being in the hospital was difficult for her because it brought back traumatic memories from the attack.

'Hospitals kind of give me problems because of the first attack, because I was alone, she said. So when I'm in hospital I just get anxiety, which is unfortunate because I'm going to have a lot of surgeries. So I am trying to have a positive view on them in my head, but it's taking a lot of patience.

In February 2022, Khoury filmed a video with her girlfriend, the former Dance Moms star Chloe Lukasiak, who recalled the heart-breaking moment she learned about the pit bull attack.

Lukasiak who had only been talking to her for five days when Khoury was attacked, insisted that she never saw her any differently and never once considered leaving her.

Brooklinn says she is 'blessed' after recent surgery

What makes me mad about this society is that some people have expressed surprise and praised me for not leaving her because of that and it just makes me angry, the reality star said.

I understand that's what we're taught to think and feel, but it just makes me upset because if you spend five minutes with Brooklinn you'd understand how incredible of a human being she is.

Khoury has now revealed in a new YouTube vlog that she is obsessed with the way her doctor shaped her upper lip.

The model included post-surgery pictures, writing, I'm very swollen right now, but once the swelling goes down it will look amazing. Thank God.

Two days after the procedure, she posted a video of herself getting her quilting sutures out and was happy to report that the blood flow was still strong.

I was kind of worried about that because I had been going through surgeries the last year. I didn't want to end up with something I wasn't going to love, she admitted.

I absolutely love my upper lip. I think it matches my bottom lip perfectly. I cannot believe that I am looking like this, she added. I think if you were to tell me a year ago I would look how I look today, I wouldn't believe you. This is insane."
The iconic store put a sign up in the shop with the dire warning to thieves

The Dublin bookshop Chapters' threat to make shoplifters read James Joyce's Ulysses, with repeat offenders handed down Finnegans Wake has left some book lovers aghast.

The iconic store that closed in January 2022 before re-opening two months later, put a sign up in the shop with the dire warning to thieves.

A photo of the sign, which reads 'Shoplifters will be made read Ulysses. If we catch you twice its Finnegans Wake' was shared to the Ireland subreddit - with some joking that the punishment did not fit the crime.

Please, no. Not again. I did it once and I'm not doing it again! one wrote, while another added, that's worse than the actual punishment you'd get for being arrested.

The dire warning

Another suggested a third offender should be made to read Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace.

Ulysses, the ground-breaking modernist novel by James Joyce, marked its 100-year anniversary last year.

First published on February 2, 1922, the poet TS Eliot declared the novel to be "the most important expression which the present age has found.

However, both novels are often considered to be some of the most difficult novels in literature to actually read.

The English writer Virginia Woolf called Ulysses an illiterate, underbred book as she raged in her diaries about the pressure to finish it.

I... have been amused, stimulated, charmed interested by the first 2 or 3 chapters--to the end of the Cemetery scene; & then puzzled, bored, irritated, & disillusioned as by a queasy undergraduate scratching his pimples.

Chapters' novel approach to shoplifters follows the example set by Boots shops in the UK which have also adopted a new strategy to deal with potential thieves.

The shop's speakers telling shoplifters that they're being monitored, and that police will be called if they don't return the items.

This is Boots CCTV, this store is being monitored and recorded, the clip, originally aired on Channel 4, said. Any evidence of theft will be given to police. You are being monitored and recorded.

Another clip for a potential shoplifter tells them Be aware we are actively monitoring this store. Put the items back and leave the store. You are being recorded and the police will be contacted.

''When the staff press a panic button in the store it comes straight through to here and the team is then able to listen to what is going on and make a dynamic risk assessment of the situation in the store and then make a broadcast depending on what they see and what they hear, Fiona Blake, the company's Security and Incident manager told Channel 4 News.
Gerard Doherty was jailed for 15 years for the 1972 bomb and the attempted murder of a British soldier the same year

A former IRA man once convicted of blowing up Derrys Guildhall is to take on the role of John Hume in a new play at the same venue.

Gerard Doherty was convicted of planting a bomb in the Guildhall in June 1972.

No one was injured in the attack but massive damage was caused to the historic city centre building.

Doherty, who was jailed for 15 years for the 1972 bomb and the attempted murder of a British soldier the same year, will be at the Guildhall for a much different reason later this month.

He will play the former SDLP leader in the new musical production which is called Hume  Beyond Belief - The Life and Mission of John and Pat Hume.

Doherty studied acting after leaving prison and has featured in a number of films and plays.

John Hume

He will perform as John Hume in the latter stages of the new production which will performed at the Guildhall from March 31 to April 7.

The show, which is already sold out, will tell the story of Mr Hume and his wife Pats efforts to bring peace to Ireland.

The play is a partnership between the John and Pat Hume Foundation and The Playhouse theatre in Derry.

HUME-Beyond Belief trailer

Speaking earlier this year, the Humes daughter, Aine Abbott, said they were huge admirers of the peacebuilding work of the staff at The Playhouse.

"Both my parents were inspired and heartened by the rich creativity, humanity and international reach of The Playhouses work over many decades.

We are confident that The Playhouse will honour the ideals and aspirations held by my parents and the many people who worked alongside them.

"My fathers career held both triumph and hardship, but he was a warm (slightly eccentric), kind and funny family man, a man who loved nothing more than to sing.

"He was a proud Derry man. It will be emotional for us to see his presence step on the stage of the Guildhall.
We think it is unacceptable to teach children about gender identity under the pretext of teaching them about diversity

The Irish Muslim Council has said it is not appropriate to teach children about gender identity issues in primary schools.

In a letter posted on their Twitter account, the council says it supported the position of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA), which has written to the Irish Government arguing that students should not be taught what it means to be transgender.

In the letter, Chair Dr Umar Al-Qadri, says the Irish Muslim council believes it's not appropriate to teach primary school children such a complex and contested topic, particularly when there is a lack of scientific consensus about the best way to treat children with gender dysphoria.

He said the Taoiseach should focus instead on solving the health crisis, the housing crisis and many other challenges we face as a nation.

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The Irish Muslim Council supports the position of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association about the teaching of gender identity issues in primary schools.

The Irish Muslim Council believes every child in primary school should be supported, respected and treated with consideration. We think it is unacceptable to teach children about gender identity under the pretext of teaching them about diversity.

The Irish Muslim council shares the concerns with CSPMA and believes is not appropriate to cover this topic in primary schools.

The number of children in Ireland who are questioning their gender identity is increasing but so too is the number of detransitioners who regret steps they took to socially, medically, and surgically transition. We believe the topic of general identity should be dealt with the utmost of caution particularly when it comes to children.

This week the CPSMA, which represents 89 per cent of primary schools in Ireland, challenged views expressed by Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman, who recently told the Irish Independent that children should be taught more about what it means to be transgender.

According to the Irish Independent, the CPSMA said in its letter to O'Gorman and Minister for Education Norma Foley that teaching primary children what it means to be transgender would require to teach something about which there is neither a scientific nor social consensus to highly impressionable young children.

It would be counterproductive, generating unnecessary divisions in school communities where none now exist," the group said, adding that more seriously, it might add to a growing psychological contagion amongst young and vulnerable children."

The group added: We believe a more prudent and sensible policy is to teach children to respect every human being and to allow children to be children.

We should not prematurely introduce children to complex and sensitive topics around which there is no scientific or medical consensus.

BeLonG To, a charity representing young LGBT people, reportedly said it was "very disappointed" by the CPSMA's calls for children not to be taught about transgender issues.

The charity said children as young as six or seven can know that they are LGBT, adding that educating children about transgender issues can help trans children feel safe and included in their schools.

Moninne Griffth, the charity's CEO, told Newstalk Breakfast that there is no harm in ensuring that children feel safe at school.

"What I am concerned about is the safety of children," Griffith told Newstalk Breakfast.

"I know from talking to teachers and parents all over the country that there are young people as young as six and seven who know they are LGBT.

"It is a small number but what is the harm in making sure that they feel safe and included in their school?"
It recently emerged that new anti-drone technology will not be deployed at Dublin Airport for several weeks

TD Catherine Murphy has criticised Minister of State Jack Chambers stance when it comes to tackling drone interference at Dublin Airport.

The Social Democrats representative says geo-zone data needs to be published in a common format in order to help solve drone disruption.

Geo-zones are virtual boundaries formed around a location that handles specific traffic and data within that location. A geo-zone is created as part of a larger network that provides location data to any device within the borders.

It recently emerged that new anti-drone technology will not be deployed at Dublin Airport for several weeks.

We dont publish geo-zone data in a common digital format. As a result, manufacturers cannot incorporate an accurate representation of a geo-zone onto their devices, Ms Murphy said.

"This would either stop the drone from flying into the area or alert the operator when they are about to enter a restricted zone, she added/

The TD believes there has been a lack of urgency surrounding the issue.

The most recent drone interference at Dublin Airport came just hours after I raised the issue of disruption and air safety with the Minister of State, Jack Chambers.

We have had two State safety plans for aviation since 2017. It was identified in the first plan that drone use in and around airports and aerodromes was an emerging risk.

That in itself required an immediate response. Given the seriousness of the situation, the lack of urgency from the Minister is staggering.

I have pointed to how important the timeline will be in terms of implementing the necessary measures to deal with illegal drone activity.

The safety of people on the ground and in the air is the paramount concern here. If we look at the current exclusion zone of a radial 5km from Dublin Airport, it does not take a genius to figure out how densely populated the area under the flight path is.

Current sanctions do not seem to be a deterrent. It is well past the time for the State to invest in other methods to mitigate the risk, the TD said.

The comments have been made at the same time as Ryanair chief, Michael OLearys plea for urgency. Speaking on RTE Radio One, the aviation boss said: Every time for the last six weeks it has been shut Mr Ryan has been holding meetings, he has been promising action, he has been meeting stakeholders; which of course is political speak for doing nothing.

Dublin Airport showcases new runway

The solution to this is reasonably easy; we dont want 15-year jail sentences, we want Dublin Airport to have the power to disable drones.

Airports such Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and Schiphol all have anti-drone technology in place, operated by airport police.

We need the minister to authorise Dublin Airport to spend 100,000 to buy the electronic equipment which will disable these drones once theyre identified and bring them down. We need that done today, we dont need a memo to Cabinet next Tuesday. What happens if the airport is shut again on Saturday or Sunday? Mr OLeary asked.
The Fianna Fail politician was speaking after the Government voted against extending the eviction ban beyond this month during a heated Dail debate yesterday.

Irish people are worried about Sinn Feins attitude towards landlords and the rental market, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly claimed.

The Fianna Fail politician was speaking after the Government voted against extending the eviction ban beyond this month during a heated Dail debate yesterday.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney said the Government was trying to make a decision for the greater good and that extending the ban would put pressure on the rental market as it would cause landlords to sell their properties.

Criticising the decision, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said yesterday's verdict shows that the Government is not on the side of hard-pressed renters.

Speaking on The Pat Kenny Show this morning, Minister Donnelly said that Sinn Fein politicians were keen to throw in the towel on landlords but would not help to solve the housing crisis if they won the next election.

Anecdotally, yes, I have heard people say that they are worried about a Sinn Fein-led Government, he said.

When they listen to Eoin O Broin, who on the radio yesterday morning seemed to throw in the towel on the rental market and small landlords.

86pc of... rental properties are rented out by small landlords who have one or two properties.

Minister Donnelly acknowledged that many landlords in the capital are selling their properties, causing a shortage of housing and driving prices up.

He added that the Housing Minister hopes to introduce various short-term schemes that are really important for tenants protection.

What Government has to do really is two things, he said.

We have to make sure that tenants have security of tenure and they have to have protections in place.

And we have to make sure that theres enough properties to actually rent.

Like if someone is selling a property and youve got a tenant in situ, the local authority comes in and says, Well buy the property, well keep the tenant in situ and well increase the social housing stock.

These [reforms] are really important but ultimately, what matters is we increase housing stock.

Minister OBrien has overseen the biggest increase in social housing stock last year in 48 years - I think that is very encouraging - but we have to make sure there are sufficient rental properties available for renters.
Rain, sleet and snow will spread northwards across the country later tonight and during Thursday

Met Eireanns nationwide Status Yellow snow warning could be upgraded to Orange in places over the coming days, meaning some schools may opt to close depending on local conditions.

A snow alert comes into effect at 3am Thursday until 11pm, with forecasters warning that rain, sleet and snow will spread northwards across the country later tonight and during Thursday accompanied by strengthening easterly winds.

"Accumulations of snow are expected in many areas along with icy conditions, Met Eireann said.

"Possible impacts [include] hazardous driving conditions, travel disruption and poor visibility.

Flowers dusted with snow in Bilboa, Co Carlow. PA   PA

Read more Ireland weather: Met Eireann forecast wintry showers and snow as temperatures plummet

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritages National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) crisis management team held a virtual meeting today with Met Eireann, the local authorities, the principal response agencies, key Departments and responding national organisations, in preparation for the cold snap.

A further meeting of the group is scheduled for tomorrow morning.

Meteorologist Gerry Murphy said there will be pockets of Status Orange snowfall over the coming days, meaning between 3cm and 10cm of snow is expected.

Mr Murphy said the lowest temperature in Northern Ireland since 2010 was recorded in Castlederg, Co Tyrone, last night when temperatures fell to -8.5 degrees.

The air over us is very cold at the moment, he said.

Overnight tonight and into tomorrow we have a weather system pushing up from the South and once that meets that very, very cold air, its going to fall as both rain, sleet and snow but there will be a significant amount of sleet and snow in that system as it moves up.

Snow blankets the townland of Ardateggle in Co Laois. PA   PA

Mr Murphy said tonight will start off cold and dry, but sleet and snow will dominate over the Munster and southern Leinster and Connacht as people begin their morning commute.

Over the southern half of the country, between six and 8am when people get going for the day tomorrow, there will be quite a bit of sleet and snow over that southern area of Munster, South Leinster and possibly South Connacht at that stage as well, he said.

The snow will be substantial in places Weve issued a Yellow level warning but we do expect in our communications that there will be pockets of Orange level snow in that, which means it will be greater than 3cm to 10cm in places.

Mr Murphy said the snowfall will be even higher on high ground and the weather system will bring noticeable snow.

Its not just a question of a few flurries here and there. This will be noticeable and lying snow, which will cause disruption in places as we go through tomorrow. [Its] very difficult to pin down the exact places where the most significant amounts will be, other than to say that some areas will get fairly substantial amounts and certainly enough to cause disruption to travel etc, he added.

Holy Trinity Church in Bilboa in Co Carlow. PA   PA

A second Status Yellow snow warning has been issued for all of Leinster, Cavan and Monaghan from 11pm on Thursday until 7am on Friday morning, while a nationwide Status Yellow low temperature and warning has been issued from 9pm tomorrow until 10am on Friday morning.

The rest of the week is due to stay very cold with falls of rain, sleet and snow at times, but becoming milder and wetter over the weekend, Met Eireann said.

Where a Status Yellow notice applies, schools in an area have the discretion to decide whether to open, taking account of a number of factors, including whether school buses are running.

Unless there is a Status Red weather warning, decisions as to whether school transport routes operate are taken at local level based on local knowledge of driving conditions.

Sometimes when a Status Yellow makes travel to school difficult, a school may decide to open later in the day to avoid hazardous conditions in the early morning.

Dublin Airports authority (daa) said specialist teams are ready to deploy in the event that snow and ice causes disruption over the coming days.

It comes as this weekend is set to be another busy one for air travellers, with many flying into the country ahead of St Patricks Day, while Irish rugby fans will also hope to make the Six Nations clash with Scotland in Edinburgh on Sunday afternoon.

"Dublin Airport's dedicated snow and ice teams remain on standby to ensure that Dublin Airport remains open and operational. As always, passengers should check with their airline for the latest flight information regarding their specific flight, a daa spokesperson said.

The UKs Met Office has issued snow and ice advisory for Scotland until 6pm on Friday, with a warning that there is a small chance that long delays and cancellations on bus, rail and air travel could occur.

A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport said: Our teams will monitor forecasts and conditions as you would expect and will respond but that is normal practice for us. Our advice for passengers would always be to check with their airline for the latest information on their flight.

Meanwhile, Aer Lingus said it does not expect any disruption.

Aer Lingus plans to operate our full schedule this coming weekend and do not expect any disruption. We will continue to monitor weather conditions as usual. For added reassurance customers travelling this weekend can check the status of their flight on aerlingus.com or via the App, a spokesperson for the airline said.

Severe weather conditions have caused disruption at several UK airports this morning.

Meanwhile, in a statement from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage this afternoon, the public were urged that:
The Deadly Cuts star announced this week that her partner Steve Jacob popped the question as she flaunted her new rock on Instagram.

Irish actress Victoria Smurfit's new engagement ring may have cost up to 65,000, a luxury jeweller has estimated.

The Deadly Cuts star announced this week that her partner Steve Jacob popped the question as she flaunted her new rock on Instagram.

And Kyron Keogh, co-founder of British jewellery brand ROX, has estimated that the stunning diamond ring could retail for around 58,000 (65,000).

He said that Victorias ring features a 2.5 carat brilliant cut diamond, which is designed to catch peoples attention by reflecting as much light as possible.

If it's a natural diamond of superior colour and clarity, it would retail for around 58K, Mr Keogh explained.

The brilliant cut diamond is one of the most popular diamond cuts due to its ability to maximize the diamond's brilliance, fire, and sparkle. The cut is designed to reflect as much light as possible, creating a dazzling display that catches the eye and exudes beauty and elegance.

This classic and timeless design has endured for generations and continues to be a popular choice for modern brides.

Victoria revealed that she and Steve were happily engaged almost a decade after splitting from her ex-husband Douglas Baxter, whom she married in 2000 and shares three kids with.

Sharing a photo of her newly decorated left hand and a snap of her planting a kiss on Steves cheek, the 48-year-old admitted that she thought her beau was taking the mick when he got down on one knee.

She wrote: If you know #Himself youll understand why I assumed he was taking the mick. He wasnt. Said YES. A lot. Maybe too many times. Have to retire this sign now very happy Smurf. #himself is a keeper.

Fand and friends flocked to the comments section to congratulate the couple on their big news, with Laura Whitmore and Amy Huberman leading the tributes.

Miriam OCallaghan wrote: Thats just the best news Victoria - thrilled for you both. Sometimes in this crazy world, good things happen to good people. I know hes fab, but I hope he knows what a truly lucky guy he is.

Australian fashion designer Storm Keating, who is married to Ronan Keating, added: Congratulations!!!! Thats wonderful news - so happy for you both!

Deirdre OKane left a series of heart emojis and said: vicky!!!!

While Victorias Once Upon A Time co-star Sean Maguire chimed in: Couldnt be happier for you my darling. Massive congrats!! What a lucky man he is. Xx
The Tauranga Parkrun will be celebrating International Womens Day with a celebratory run this Saturday.

Parkrun co-director Jez Rogers says its about acknowledging the large number of women and girls in the local parkrun community.

Parkrun is an incredibly inclusive event and we have many women and girls of all ages and abilities who join us, so because International Womens Day is this Wednesday we decided it would be great to acknowledge this at our weekly Tauranga parkrun this Saturday at 8am.

We also warmly welcome any new walkers and runners who would like to join us.

Parkrun is a weekly, free and friendly 5km community event that happens in towns and cities across the world, with a primary vision of creating an inclusive and empowering community environment for people of all physical abilities to come together for a walk or run.

Parkrun co-director Sally Cooke says its about improving the communitys health and well-being and creating a strong community environment for that to happen.

We have an amazingly connected and empowered community of men, women, children, families and visitors who join us each Saturday morning at Tauranga parkrun, says Sally.

Where it specifically aligns with International Womens Day is in the large number of women who are part of our parkrun community and in our shared sense around the importance of empowering women.

Tauranga resident Ros Frost has been a member of the Tauranga Parkrun group for the past three years and says that as well as improving her health and fitness it provides the enjoyment of running or walking, with no pressure, alongside like-minded people.

The gentle encouragement from others and support when required is empowering, says Ros.

The environment is inclusive with lots of laughter and friendly faces welcoming anyone who chooses to turn up.

Parkrun has become such a huge part of my life now, in that, when I go away, I will look for a parkrun to participate in and if I happen to be unable to do a parkrun on a Saturday morning my day is just not right.

I have met some great people and eagerly look forward to Saturday mornings wherever I may be!

Ros says the parkrun community has also assisted with recovery from injury by providing her with a platform for rehabilitation.

The opportunity to volunteer (and therefore still be involved) whilst unable to walk any distance was great for my mental wellbeing.

As I slowly regain the strength in my ankle the ability to walk/run a 5k distance with the support and encouragement of fellow park runners/walkers is immense.

Throughout my time in the parkrun community I have found it does not matter how fast, how slow or what your level of fitness is, you are always made to feel welcome.

Tauranga Parkrun starts every Saturday morning from 8am at Kopurererua Valley.

Fellow Tauranga Parkrun participant Ciara Young says its great to see groups of women running or walking together, combining social connection and movement.

For many women parkrun is a chance to do something for themselves each week, in amongst their busy work and home life. Its a chance to set goals, and work towards achieving them.

This summer my parents were visiting from Canada, and I was able to introduce my mum to Tauranga Parkrun.

We also checked out other parkruns around New Zealand during our travels. I loved seeing her gain confidence in her running, and am thrilled that she plans to participate in her local parkrun now that shes back home.

Tauranga Parkrun is free to participate in and is staged through a strong network of volunteers who opt out of running some Saturdays to instead fill the volunteer roster.

I find volunteering as a course marshal as much fun as running in the event, says Ciara.

I get a real buzz out of seeing mums running alongside their little ones, sharing that love of exercise and being outdoors together.

Sally says for women across Tauranga, and men who support them, this Saturday might be just the day to check out the amazing parkrun community.

Lets celebrate International Womens Day and the amazing women in our community. Whatever your age or fitness level we have an incredibly supportive community at parkrun and you get to walk or run through the beautiful Kopurererua valley. It really is the best way to kick off your Saturday.

Come celebrate International Womens Day this Saturday at Tauranga Parkrun.

To find out more go to https://www.parkrun.co.nz/tauranga/

Tauranga Parkrun happens every Saturday morning from 8am at Kopurererua Valley Reserve, with runners and walkers assembling from 7.30am at the end of 17th Avenue West just down from the Historic Village.
New Zealand Police are celebrating their female officers and encouraging more join.

Police senior media advisor Jill Reid is speaking to some of the growing number of female staff who have chosen a career in police, whether in a constabulary role or not.

As at 31 January this year we had 2,679 full time equivalent constabulary women," says director of recruitment Paula Hill.

"This means 25.6% of all constabulary are women - this is the first international womens day where more than 1 in 4 of the constabulary workforce in New Zealand Police are women.

"During the 1800 growth period total constabulary numbers have grown 19%, but female constabulary numbers have grown by 55%. At the same time, we had 3,027 female police employee in full time roles, which is a pretty good achievement.

Superintendent Jill Rogers is the District Commander for Counties Manukau. Photo New Zealand Police.

However, shes currently seconded to the Police Executive at Police National Headquarters supporting People and Capability.

Her 30-year career has spanned work in all fields, including general duties (or as it's now known, Public Safety Teams) and Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB), and in all three Tamaki Makaurau districts.

Over my career Ive worked with some incredibly inspirational women and have no hesitation in recommending Police to those wahine who are thinking about starting a career with us," she says.

"One of my current roles is working alongside the team at the Royal New Zealand Police College and I really enjoy seeing our new colleagues as they work towards graduating into a career with Police.

"The past 30 years have been busy and challenging but no two days are ever the same. Its one of the reasons I love my job so much. With Police Ive been able to progress my career, skills and education as well as be there to raise my daughter.

Senior Sergeant Sonia Sherborne, left, works in the District Command Centre in Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, and is a dedicated cop with nearly 23 years in the job. Photo: New Zealand Police.

"My passion has always been the front line - like the classic quote 'better work stories'. I am now guiding staff and supporting them through work and at times challenging incidents.

"I love where I am working currently as I am still in touch with our staff. I have the responsibility of overseeing the BoP and information-sharing with my fellow team members.

"The organisation is fantastic and really ensures a work life balance. Family always come first and that is constantly echoed from management, which is awesome."

Also working in Rotorua is Ethnic Liaison Officer (ELO) for the Bay of Plenty, Constable Weiwei Verran, pictured above right, who moved to New Zealand from China 20 years ago. Its her fourth year in New Zealand Police.

Weiweis the only serving Chinese female police officer in Rotorua and the staff and the community have embraced her and the cultural awareness she carries.

At the present my role as the ELO is the platform that I use to strengthen the relationship between Police and all ethnic communities," she says.

"I love my job so much because in this role I have been able to utilise my language skills and cultural awareness in a variety of situations to support and better respond to our ethnic communities as well as assisting internal work groups."

Weiwei says the most rewarding part of her role is seeing our ethnic community groups feel more comfortable and confident in engaging with Police.

I am so glad that I can help bridge the gap between Police and ethnic communities and build partnerships where we are working alongside each other to keep our community safe.

Police deputy chief executive corporate operations Ruth Currie, taken while she was working as the United Nations chief observer in Lebanon. Photo: New Zealand Police.

Ruth Currie is the lead for our People, Finance, ICT, Legal, Property and Supply Chain operations.

Ruth led a group of more than 25 nations to monitor and observe the blue line between Israel and Lebanon during her time as the United Nations chief observer in Lebanon. This meant visiting remote observation points, such as this one in the far east of Lebanon, which overlooked the Golan Heights.

Her wealth of experience in operations includes time with the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), where she managed the operational delivery of health, policing, and logistics support in New Zealand and overseas. She also led a programme bringing together a set of individual business units to provide support to the entire NZDF.

I have experienced first-hand the difference women can make on operations, having been invited into the homes of women who culturally could not connect with my male counterparts, which in turn opened up different opportunities to support people in the local community.

"I see the same opportunity for us here in New Zealand Police. Diversity of all kinds is a team multiplier.

Inspector Paula Enoka. Photo: New Zealand Police.

When Inspector Paula Enoka (Ngati Whatua) became Otago Lakes Central Area Commander in 2021, she became the first ever wahine Maori Area Commander in Southern District. Paula has also recently served as Acting Southern District Commander and says its important to take up the many opportunities that a career in Police provides.

There are so many different paths within Police that allow you to find the best fit for yourself, you can grow as a person and help to mould your own version of leadership.

Something thats always been really important to me is to take as many opportunities as they arise, and Ive enjoyed extending my abilities and tried to become a better leader as a result.

Being open to everything that comes your way in the job, and even treating obstacles as potential opportunities for growth  that would be my advice for anyone joining Police. And also, how important it is to embrace humility and kindness in the way you deal with everybody  they are qualities that go a long way in New Zealand Police."

Police inspector Freda Grace pictured in her former role as Waikato Area Commander. Photo: New Zealand Police.

With 39 years service under her belt, Inspector Freda Grace brings the experience on her impressive CV to the role of Commander Operations Support, based at Police National Headquarters.

This role is responsible for the Special Tactics Group and the work they do, as well as shaping the policy, practice, training and equipment for all Armed Offender Squads (AOS). She also managed Police Dive Squad capability and Specialist Search Groups to name a few.

Freda is a former Hamilton City Area Commander, Waikato Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) Commander, Road Policing Manager, and Deployment and Prevention Manager.

Policing is an amazing career," she says. "The opportunity to work with our communities when they are experiencing crisis and chaos is a privilege.

"It is not always an easy job, there are often challenges, but it is always a rewarding one, whether its about the community or our people in Police.

"Policing offers the opportunity to have a number of careers in one place, gain experience and opportunities to learn, grow, and develop personally and professionally.

"For me, it has been an absolute privilege to lead an Armed Offenders Squad, and now the National Special Tactics Group. They are amazing roles working with an extraordinary group of people.

"I encourage all women to give policing a go  general policing and any of our specialist groups.

Police executive director Angela Brazier. Photo: New Zealand Police.

Executive Director Angela Brazier is the Executive Director for Te Tari Pureke - Firearms Safety Authority, which is a new branded business unit within Police and launched in November 2022.

Angela is also leading the work to design and implement New Zealands first digital Firearms Registry which will go live in June 2023.

Te Tari Pureke  Firearms Safety Authority is about keeping people safe while enabling the legitimate and safe use of firearms in New Zealand," she says.

"The establishment of a new firearms regulator and firearms registry is a big responsibility and a tremendous opportunity to truly make New Zealand a safer place for all.

"Like so many of my Police colleagues, I come to work each day to make a difference and its an absolute privilege to be leading Te Tari Pureke  Firearms Safety Authority and working with so many great people helping to keep our communities safe.
State Highway 25, between Hikuai and Opoutere, remains closed this morning following further collapse of the underslip overnight.

Convoys were allowed through for a short window this morning, but Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency advises the highway needed to re-close once the convoys were cleared.

The closure is to allow allow urgent work to continue, says a spokesperson for the roading agency.

"Contractors are cutting further into the hillside to widen the road further away from the underslip.

"The road was originally closed early Monday morning following a washout caused by heavy rain over the weekend.

"Expect another update early afternoon or as soon as the situation changes."

SH25A and SH25 are currently closed.

Meanwhile, SH25A between Kopu and Hikuai remains closed.

Part of the highway collapsed following a large washout on January 27.

It is not yet know when the road will be re-opened.
Five people pulled from two near drowning incidents at Mount Maunganui have bystanders to thank for saving their lives on Tuesday evening.

Local surfer and Mount Maunganui College teacher aide Glenn Osborne was walking with his wife along the beach on Tuesday afternoon, when she decided to have a swim, a safe 20 metres away from a rip. It was about 5.30pm. Within minutes Glenn found himself diving into the rip, racing to save three people who were being swept away.

Ive been around the ocean all my life and this has shocked me, says Glenn. While I was watching my wife, I noticed two children going into the water.

In a few seconds, I saw they were being pulled out in the rip. They had gone from just below their knees to being in trouble. They lost their footing within 30 seconds of entering the water.

The rip at Sunbrae Grove beach access at low tide. When the tide comes in, deep holes and the fast moving water currents are not apparent. Photo: Glenn Osborne.

He says the children started yelling to their mother.

She rushed into the water in a panic after them. I dived in and went after them. She got to the young girl who was about eight years old and grabbed her. I grabbed the boy who was about the same age.

By that stage they had swallowed a lot of water. They were panicking. There was no footing and they were about a minute from drowning.

The dangerous rip is off the beach at the end of Sunbrae Grove, Arataki. Photo: Chaz Gibbons-Campbell.

He says at this point the children were screaming uncontrollably.

I told them to kick, but we kept being dragged out. So I took the kids and steered them towards the side of the rip. This man on the sandbar came in up to his chest but he had firm footing; we went sideways and got to him. I was up to my chin on tippy toes and he was able to take them off my hands."

The flat calm patches on the water identify where the rip is located. Photo: Chaz Gibbons-Campbell.

The red lines show were the rip is located. Photos: Chaz Gibbons-Campbell.

At that stage I turned around. The kids were screaming for their mum. She was being dragged out by the rip so I swam out quite a way to get her and had to fight to keep her safe as well," says Glenn.

By this time the mother was approximately 30-40 metres off shore and struggling. Glenn made it back to the beach with the mother who he says was realizing quite quickly that all three would have drowned if he hadnt been there.

The realisation that she wasnt able to save her children or herself was hard to deal with, says Glenn. She was being taken very quickly. With only another two minutes they would have drowned. And the mum wouldnt have been able to save herself.

Glenn says the rip has been there for years but he has seen it grow 10-fold in the last three months.

Its about 15 to 20 metres wide. Just severe. I have never felt such a strong rip, its so deep as its out from a stormwater pipe so theres a big hole there. My wife and I have been watching this rip for quite a few years and its got so wide.

Over time, Glenn has saved a few people in the waves around Papamoa.

But this is the worst rip Ive ever been in in my life. If I hadnt had the knowledge I have. A friend wouldnt have gone in. And if a fourth person had gone out they would have been in trouble too.

He says during the rescue he was calling out back to shore for more people to come and help.

There were two elderly people on the beach but they couldnt have helped. With only another two more minutes and the children would have drowned. And the mum wouldnt have been able to save herself.

Surf Lifesaving NZ Eastern Region Manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell has erected a warning sign at the Sunbrae Grove rip.

Surf Lifesaving NZ Eastern Region Manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell says there had been two rescues carried out near the Sunbrae Grove beach access within an hour of each other on Tuesday evening.

It was nearly all over rover, says Chaz. Another person rescued two elderly people in the same spot, about 4.30pm.

Chaz says these two rescue reports follow others which were received over the weekend with more bystanders carrying out rescues off Waiariki Street on Sunday after the lifeguard patrols had turned around and headed back to Omanu.

The coastline from Mount Maunganui all the way down to Papamoa east is littered with large holes and troughs which feed into very strong rip currents, even though the surf is only 0.5m  1m  these currents are extremely strong.

There are no lifeguards on patrol during the weekdays, only on weekends between 11am and 4pm.

We are very concerned for peoples safety as the hot weather is encouraging people to the beach after school and work  we need to get the message out there that the coastline is very dangerous and people need to be extra careful, says Chaz.

He says the rip at Sunbrae Grove beach accessway is getting stronger, and he has placed a Danger Rips! No Swimming sign at the location. The sign also has Dial 111 ask for police on it.

The rip at the storm water pipe is about 20 to 30 metres wide, and really deep, says Chaz. The two kids and mum that Glenn rescued nearly died.

Glenn agrees.

We would have had three fatalities if I hadnt of gone for a walk with my wife. Or if I had hesitated, says Glenn.

I lost my glasses which is a bit of a bummer but you cant compare that to losing a life, says Glenn.

An Omanu Beach Surf Life Saving club member pointing out the rip at the Sunbrae Grove beach access where five people nearly drowned on Tuesday evening. Photo: Chaz Gibbons-Campbell.

Key Safety messages

Swim Between the Flags - If you are heading out to the beach, choose a lifeguarded one and remember the red and yellow flags show the safest area to swim. Go to www.safeswim.org.nz to find your nearest lifeguarded beach.

3Rs RIP Survival Plan - Rips are a major hazard on New Zealand beaches and can be deadly. Learn the 3Rs Rip Survival Plan  it could save your life! Relax & Float, Raise your hand, Ride the tide.

Talk to Surf Lifeguards - Even though conditions can change quickly, our lifeguards keep a constant eye on the beach situation as they continuously scope the beach for hazards, and keep on top of weather forecasts and understand the swell and tide conditions  theyre a friendly bunch too!

Know your Limits - Too many people get into trouble in the water because they simply overestimate their abilities and under-estimate the conditions.

Chaz says volunteer lifeguards will be back on patrol this coming weekend at Hot Water Beach, Whangamata, Waihi Beach, Mount Maunganui, Omanu and Papamoa. Weekend patrols at these beaches continues through until Easter weekend.
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According to reports, she employed the use of violence and threats to keep her victims in line

The most wanted Nigerian woman has been extradited to Italy.

She was one of the few women on Italys 100 most wanted criminal list.

Joy had been on the list of the 100 most dangerous fugitives since 2010 and had a leading role in the illegal transporting of Nigerian girls to Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain so they could be initiated into prostitution.

According to reports, she employed the use of violence and threats to keep her victims in line.

Joy had been sought after since 2010 for charges of criminal conspiracy, enslavement, trafficking in people, exploitation of prostitution and other offenses. She has been sentenced to 13 years in prison in absentia by the Italian authorities.

The successful extradition was made possible due to the excellent collaboration between both countries, with the Italian Immigration Expert providing support to the local police forces.

The extradition marks a unique event in relation to Italy and Nigeria as it was the first case since the extradition treaty came into power in 2020.

The process started immediately following her arrest on June 4, 2022 in Nigeria by local intelligence departments. Subsequently, on February 10, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, informed Italys ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Stefano De Leo, that Joy would be handed over.

This event serves as critical evidence for how Africa is becoming an influential area for searching fugitives and fighting against organised crime.

It also proves that Italy is determined to take control at an international level by creating penal and administrative processes to track down Mafia assets for confiscation.

The police forces central director Vittorio Rizzi also expressed his enthusiasm for this development.

Today, Africa is confirmed as a strategic area for the search for fugitives and the fight against organised crime. Developing African countries also represent elective places for the laundering of the illicit capital of organised crime and Italy is committed at an international level to facilitate, through penal and administrative instruments, the tracing of the illicit assets of the mafias for their seizure and confiscation, Italian news media, agenzianova, quoted the European countrys Deputy Director General of the Department of Public Security and Central Director of Criminal Police, Vittorio Rizzi, as saying.
ClassNK issues four AiPs for GTTs latest development projects in alternative fuels

ClassNK has issued four Approvals in Principle to GTT, following latest development projects in alternative fuels, which were handed over during a ceremony in Tokyo

Tokyo - ClassNK has issued four Approvals in Principle (AiPs) to GTT, following latest development projects in alternative fuels, which were handed over during a ceremony in Tokyo on 6 March 2023.



- Concept of 12,500m3 LNG Dual-fuelled VLCC fitted with Mark III Flex system

- Concept of LNG Fuel Tanks with NH3 ready notation that includes material compatibility with NH3, risk assessment and Boil-off gas management

- Concept of 8,000 CEU PCTC LNG Dual-fuelled with NH3 ready notation

- Recycool system applied to LNG fuelled vessels which is designed for allowing the reliquefaction of LNG evaporation in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and economic losses



ClassNK carried out the verification on those accomplishments in line with its rules including Part N incorporating the IGC Code, Part GF incorporating the IGF Code, and its Guidelines for Ships Using Alternative Fuels. Among the above, the AiP for Recycool marked a world-first AiP for a system of its kind.



Philippe Berterottiere, Chairman and CEO of GTT, said: We are very pleased to have received these Approvals in Principle in person and to be back in Japan after the global pandemic. These certifications confirm the research and innovation work performed by GTT engineers and technicians. We thank ClassNK for their trust in our technologies on alternative fuels.



Masaki Matsunaga, Corporate Officer / Director of Plan Approval and Technical Solution Division, ClassNK said: It is a great honor to welcome GTTs team back to Japan and hand over four AiPs for their innovative and inspiring concepts pursuing low and zero carbon shipping upon our rigorous verification process in line with the appropriate standards for each solution. We congratulate GTT on achieving these milestones and look forward to continuing our partnership with them in implementing sustainable energy initiatives.




StormGeo offers CII solutions to support charterers

StormGeo offers CII solutions to support charterers for CII BIMCO clauses

Bergen, Norway, 7 March 2023  StormGeo, a leading provider of weather intelligence and decision-support solutions for the shipping industry and part of Alfa Laval, announced today the launch of a new Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) Simulator for Charterer. The new tool provides a quick and easy way for time charterers to simulate the end-of-voyage CII values and ratings. This is based on the vessel's status before the voyage to assure charter party (C/P) compliance for CII BIMCO clauses. According to the CII Operations Clause for Time Charter Parties by BIMCO, both the owner and charterer require working together to achieve the best possible operational efficiency on the vessel towards compliance with CII. Furthermore, BIMCO recommends the owner and charterer agree on a specific CII to be achieved each year. By leveraging the charterers obligation on CII compliance, the new tool can help charterers to assess the impact of CO2 emissions along a planned route to determine the optimal speed and consumption based on the latest weather forecast that fits both the operational requirements and the obligation from the charter party in terms of the CII. Dr. Thomas Weber, Director of Fleet Performance Products at StormGeo, says, We aim to provide a simple tool that helps charterers to tackle the challenges imposed by the CII BIMCO clauses. StormGeos CII Simulator for Charterer does not require a complicated setup or too much data. Once you have the underlying details for the CII before the voyage, then you can run the CII simulation. Charterers can subscribe to StormGeos s-Insight | Environmental Performance module to unlock the full capabilities of StormGeos CII Simulators. Charterers can not only simulate the impact of the voyage on the CII but also track their vessels estimated CII and attained CII. These insights provide the charterer with more confidence to implement different operational strategies during the chartering period.



Jostein Mlan, Chief Commercial Officer at StormGeo, says, The beauty of the CII solution is to provide a platform for data transparency and visualization so that the owner and charterer can develop a closer collaboration toward tightening emission regulation in the future. Either owner or charterer can incorporate different CII tools to achieve their objectives from CII compliance to decarbonization.




Synergy Group rolls out tailor-made PPE to female seafarers on more than 60 vessels

New Hercules Safety PPE was designed by textile engineers in conjunction with female seafarers and maritime safety experts.

Synergy Group, one of the world's leading ship managers with a diverse fleet of over 540 vessels, is rolling out new tailor-made Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to its growing number of female seafarers. Synergy, which employs over 20,000 seafarers, commissioned Hercules Safety to manufacture the new gear to the highest specifications. The PPE was designed by textile engineers in conjunction with female seafarers and maritime safety experts to ensure the final cut maximised comfort and versatility for crew deployed in a maritime work environment where the highest standards of protection are required.

The material consists of 100% soft and durable cotton, with seams reinforced in high stress areas to ensure both safety and comfort over extended periods of time. The PPE is also highly visible with 3M reflective strips designed to maximise visibility in all maritime working environments.





The new Hercules Safety PPE is currently being distributed to all female crew as port rotations allow. The roll-out takes in on over 60 Synergy-managed vessels worldwide on which female seafarers are currently deployed.



Captain Radhika Menon, winner of the 2016 IMO award for exceptional bravery at sea and a mentor to Synergy's young female seafarers, said: "These new coveralls are a great fit and super-functional: breathable, weatherproof, lightweight and comfortable. The fabric is suitable and protective for the bridge and for the engine room where it gets hot. It's also resilient, just like our seafarers; a quality we are happy to celebrate as International Women's Day draws near. This new PPE enhances safety which is always Synergy's priority."



Chief Officer Reshma Murkar said the commission of the new PPE sent a positive message about equality to the maritime community. "To be 100% work fit, we need the best fit, and that is what we have now," she added. "These new PPE designs represent a clear commitment to supporting the role of women in shipping and illustrate why Synergy is making so much progress in its efforts to attract more women to our marvellous industry."

Third Officer Noopur Mohire said that many seafarer products were designed with only men in mind, rendering them ill-fitting for women. "Synergy prioritises crew safety and this new PPE clearly offers that," she added. "But it's also very comfortable to wear and I'm glad female seafarers were consulted during the design process by Hercules Safety. I've got plenty of pockets to carry my tools, but not too many that they are a hazard. I can move around easily, and I've got protection when I'm on deck conducting duties."



Synergy's progressive policies on diversity, inclusivity and equality have enabled women employed by Synergy, as well as the company itself, to grow and prosper. Synergy's commitment to encouraging women to become seafarers now includes its own Chakra Scholarship which enables 14-15 years old students to begin training to join the maritime industry.



Synergy's CSR team is also active at major maritime outreach events in India, with Chennai-based SEVALAYA and a municipal school run by Muktangan in Mumbai amongst its NGO partners.



Captain HS Swaminathan, COO Crew Management of Synergy Group, commented: "We've been expanding the number of women in the Synergy ranks at sea and ashore for many years as part of our diversity, equality and inclusivity programmes. We want them to feel at home and safe in their place of work. Making sure they have comfortable PPE designed to the highest safety and functional standards is, of course, a foundational, but critical, part of that process."




The Bahamas amongst the first members to pay for annual IMO member state assessment

The Bahamas is once again amongst the first members of the IMO Council to pay its annual IMO member state assessment

On 27 February The Bahamas continued its long-held tradition of making its annual member state assessment payment to the International Maritime Organisation in full and well in advance of the payment deadline. The contribution for 2023 was presented to IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim by The Bahamas Minister of Transport and Housing, JoBeth Coleby-Davis MP, and The Bahamas newly-appointed Ambassador to the IMO, Paul Rolle, who attended the IMO with The BMA Boards Deputy Chairman, Peter John Goulandris, and BMA Managing Director and CEO, Capt Dwain Hutchinson. As one of the worlds leading Ship Registers, The Bahamas annual assessed contribution represents just under 4% of the IMOs overall 2023 budget at 3.58%, making The Bahamas one of the largest financial contributors to the organisation. The Bahamas is a long-standing Council member of the IMO and has a history of taking a leading role in areas relating to safety, security, environment and human element within the IMO committees, sub-committees, working and correspondence groups. It also actively participates at meetings of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Mobile Satellite Organisation (IMSO), International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Funds and regionally within the Caribbean Port State Control Committee. Capt Hutchinson said: We are particularly pleased this year to have our Minister and IMO Ambassador with us for the presentation of our member state assessment contribution to the IMO. As a Small Island Developing State Council member which nonetheless has one of the worlds largest ship registries, we are committed to upholding the IMOs stance on the UN sustainable development goals and, as such, we are proud to be among the first IMO Member States every year to pay their contribution in full.




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The second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan) BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The people's congress system has been brought into full play in the past five years and displayed tremendous vitality and strengths in practice, according to a report submitted to the National People's Congress (NPC) on Tuesday. The system serves as China's foundational political system that underpins the governance system and capacity, read the work report of the 13th NPC Standing Committee at the end of its five-year term. Li Zhanshu, chairman of the 13th NPC Standing Committee, presented the report to a plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC. According to Li, a highlight of the work of the national legislature was adopting the amendment to the Constitution at the first session of the 13th NPC in 2018. The past five years have seen the Standing Committee ensuring the implementation of the Constitution and upholding its authority and sanctity. As part of the efforts, the Standing Committee revised the Electoral Law and submitted the draft revisions of the NPC Organic Law to the NPC for deliberation, to optimize the organizational and electoral systems of people's congresses and their operating mechanisms. The draft amendment to the Legislation Law submitted to the ongoing annual session for deliberation is expected to improve the legislative system and mechanism and enhance the quality and efficiency of legislation. In addition, the top legislature has maintained the constitutional order in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) by enacting the Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong SAR and adopting a decision on improving the electoral system of Hong Kong SAR, which have fully demonstrated the central government exercises overall jurisdiction over the SAR and provided a strong legal foundation for Hong Kong's entry into a new stage. In promoting high-quality development, the Standing Committee formulated a raft of laws, including the milestone Civil Code. The Foreign Investment Law and the Hainan Free Trade Port Law were enacted to support a new round of high-standard opening up. Legislative work in environmental protection was stepped up to promote ecological advancement, with the Law on the Prevention and Control of Soil Pollution, the Law on the Prevention and Control of Noise Pollution and the Wetland Conservation Law formulated over the past five years. With these legislative efforts, the Standing Committee improved the socialist legal system with Chinese characteristics and made good laws to promote development and ensure good governance, Li said. During the period, the national legislature enacted 47 laws, revised 111 ones, and passed 53 decisions on legal questions and other major issues. Regarding fulfilling the duty of oversight, the report said that over the past five years, the Standing Committee heard and deliberated the first comprehensive reports on the management of state-owned assets, the first report on financial work, and the first work report by the National Supervisory Commission. It also conducted the first special inquiries into the work reports of the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. In the course of exercising oversight, the Standing Committee ensured that the powers of all state organs and their employees were subject to oversight and checks. While carrying out inspections into the implementation of laws, the Standing Committee introduced third-party evaluations and adopted various measures like random inspections, unannounced visits, big-data analysis, and questionnaire surveys. It also delegated local people's congresses to do inspections nationwide. During inspections into the implementation of laws concerning environmental protection, nearly 900,000 questionnaires were gathered, according to the report. The Standing Committee has set a plan for the legislative work this year, saying that it will draw up the legislative plan for the next five years, enhance oversight over state-owned asset management, and step up training deputies.
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Help choose a small SUV in Canada



I moved to Canada 6 months ago and am looking to buy a new car and seek your valuable inputs to pick the right car.



I'd prefer a small SUV with AWD that is reliable and has low running costs. Since I will be retaining the car for minimum of 5 years, I'd like some decent interiors and feature set as well, instead of an absolute barebones one.



Budget

On road price including insurance: 50k CAD

Including financing cost: ~ 60k CAD



Not considering the pre-owned route because of the crazy prices with price differences that barely cover the cost of replacing wear and tear items like tyres.



Usage

Average annual running for first two years: 50k - 60k km

Usage: 60% highway usage + 20% suburbs + 20% downtown traffic

Frequent stops: The sub-urban and city usage will involve frequent stops



After the first 2 years:

Average annual running: 25k-30k km

Usage: 40% highway usage + 60% sub-urbs



My must haves: 1. AWD

2. Reliable

3. Lower running costs

4. Comfortable seating

5. Decent interiors and features, not absolutely barebones

6. Preference for mileage over performance - am a sedate driver

7. Reverse Parking camera

8. Adaptive Cruise Control Nice to haves 1. 360 degree camera

2. Sunroof - Panoramic would be great

3. Good boot space

4. Android Auto Should I get a Hybrid for the better mileage or stick with petrol engines?

The average cost of a hybrid engine is about 3K CAD and gives about 40% better mileage for my usage. Toyota Hybrid system is said to be more tested and reliable than others in the price bracket, but that is typical of Toyota. The marginal increase in monthly EMIs for a Hybrid are almost off-set by the lower insurance rates they get, even without the fuel savings.



I'd like to know of the downsides of getting a Hybrid in a 2023 model, given my use case - like the additional long term maintenance costs, if any.





Please find below the cars I am considering right now, in descending order of cost (EMI+Insurance+Petrol Expenses):





*all prices/costs are in CAD *Hyundai model prices include cost of extended warranty (6 year/120,000 km)



Hyundai Tucson

Pros: 1. Excellent set of features, that makes it super VFM even though the Hybrid Ultimate is slightly above my price budget ceiling.

2. Driver assist features - blind spot views on turn indicators, especially

3. The hybrid offers decent power and good mileage ~ 15 Kmpl. The N-Line offers punchy performance with decent mileage ~ 10 Kmpl

4. Huge panoramic sunroof Cons: 1. The exterior look. I much preferred the 2018 model look. But not a deal breaker since it is slowly growing on me.

2. The all touch interface in the cabin. No buttons or knobs for even AC operation or volume control. Even with the controls on the steering wheel, I'd have much preferred some physical buttons and knobs.

3. All the features bundled in makes me worry about the potential issues down the lane. And none of them cheap to replace.

4. Came across some reports of the 2022 Hybrid model breaking down due to transmission issues, where the vehicle loses power and comes to a crawl out of the blue, and works properly after some time. While the warranty on offer is quite comprehensive, it would still mean weeks at the workshop. Leaves a lingering apprehension.

5. Lower resale value than the other models Mazda CX-5

Pros: 1. Fantastic engine that is time tested and one of the most reliable engines in the market here, according to several friends here

2. Love the understated looks and timeless design

3. Feels like a hatch while driving - masks the size very well

4. Interiors feel better put together than the competition at the same price point Cons: 1. No hybrid available

2. The ICE screen has no touch at all. Instead, there's a joystick-cum-rotary dial that is used to interact with the screen. I'd have liked to have basic touch responses along with the joystick. This is another extreme compared to the only touch interface of Tucson.

3. Reversing camera has okayish resolution and no dynamic guidelines.

4. Limited driver assist features Toyota RAV4

Pros: 1. IT'S A TOYOTA

2. Well, IT'S A TOYOTA. That seems to be the market sentiment as well. But the reliability and resale value of this is second to none in the market.

3. The LE AWD Hybrid version checks almost all my requirements with a function over form approach Cons: 1. The interiors feel one or even two classes below the Hyundai and Mazda's interiors.

2. Limited set of features, and not many options to customize the interiors unless I move up the trim

3. The VFM factor would be much lower compared to other options here. But the reliability and resale value drown out such arguments

4. Huge demand and with it comes longer waiting periods than any other option here

5. While I don't crave exclusivity, this model is the WagonR of Canada. Everywhere, at all times. Toyota Venza

Pros: 1. Beautiful looking car that is a class above the rest of cars I'm considering

2. Checks all my requirements

3. I would probably retain this car much longer than the others because of the size and comfort. Gadgetry aside, I'd be set for a decade with this. Cons: 1. The most expensive option in my list, and it's pretty much the base version

2. While I find the exteriors of this car to be the best of all cars in the list, the interiors of the Tucson Ultimate Hybrid are much better and offer so much more in terms of features Honda CR-V

Pros: 1. Good engine, good reliability

2. Comfortable interiors, good looking car on the outside

3. Has a decent set of features that covers all my requirements

4. Good resale value Cons: 1. Overpriced, plain and simple. Pricing on par with one level higher trim of competition.

2. One of the most stolen cars in Canada. Would need to take additional precautions every time I park it outside Kia Seltos

Pros: 1. Tremendous VFM

2. Good set of features

3. Meets most of my requirements Cons: 1. I feel it's not as solidly built as the rest of the cars on the list

2. Poor resale value

3. Good number of thefts happen of this vehicle as well, though not as much of Honda CR-V Had considered Subaru Forester AWD as well, but while it is a rugged car, the long term maintenance cost is higher than these other cars.



Given that these are my feelings about these cars, would appreciate your input on choosing the right car for my use case.



Thanks in advance for your valuable inputs. Hi team,I moved to Canada 6 months ago and am looking to buy a new car and seek your valuable inputs to pick the right car.I'd prefer a small SUV with AWD that is reliable and has low running costs. Since I will be retaining the car for minimum of 5 years, I'd like some decent interiors and feature set as well, instead of an absolute barebones one.On road price including insurance: 50k CADIncluding financing cost: ~ 60k CADNot considering the pre-owned route because of the crazy prices with price differences that barely cover the cost of replacing wear and tear items like tyres.Average annual running for first two years: 50k - 60k kmUsage: 60% highway usage + 20% suburbs + 20% downtown trafficFrequent stops: The sub-urban and city usage will involve frequent stopsAfter the first 2 years:Average annual running: 25k-30k kmUsage: 40% highway usage + 60% sub-urbsThe average cost of a hybrid engine is about 3K CAD and gives about 40% better mileage for my usage. Toyota Hybrid system is said to be more tested and reliable than others in the price bracket, but that is typical of Toyota. The marginal increase in monthly EMIs for a Hybrid are almost off-set by the lower insurance rates they get, even without the fuel savings.I'd like to know of the downsides of getting a Hybrid in a 2023 model, given my use case - like the additional long term maintenance costs, if any.Please find below the cars I am considering right now, in descending order of cost (EMI+Insurance+Petrol Expenses):*all prices/costs are in CAD *Hyundai model prices include cost of extended warranty (6 year/120,000 km)Pros:Cons:Pros:Cons:Pros:Cons:Pros:Cons:Pros:Cons:Pros:Cons:Had considered Subaru Forester AWD as well, but while it is a rugged car, the long term maintenance cost is higher than these other cars.Given that these are my feelings about these cars, would appreciate your input on choosing the right car for my use case.Thanks in advance for your valuable inputs.
We have provided a detailed help file which can be accessed by clicking on the question mark symbol shown here circled in red on the upper left side of the screen. This help file gives detailed information on each function of the SSD toolbox. Clicking the question mark will open the help file in a browser.

Your main screen at launch shows the drive information of single drives attached to the system. Other drives will appear in the drive information window but core functionality is restricted to authorized Corsair SSDs. RAID volumes will not be seen as single drives as the tool cannot address them individually. The "i" symbol will show you the toolbox version number and license agreement. The circular arrows will refresh the tool.

Individual drive information is shown in the center of the main window. When your SSD controller is in AHCI mode, you can update your SSD firmware from this page using the button circled in red below. The firmware update requires AHCI mode. AMD/nVidia chipset systems may require different storage drivers for proper operation. USB connected SSD drives must use SAT-capable cables/enclosures that support ATA/SAT-pass-through.

After you select firmware update the tool will scan your drive and check for firmware updates. If there is an update available, the dialogue will prompt you to update the firmware or cancel the operation.

Note: Firmware updates can only be executed when the SSD controller is in AHCI mode. Firmware updating via this toolbox is enabled for The Corsair Series Force 3, Force Series GT, Force Series GS, Neutron Series, and Neutron Series GTX SSDs. Earlier and EOL Corsair drives with firmware updates can be updated manually using the tools supplied on our website.

The next screen will prompt you to backup your data before updating your firmware. The updates are intended to be non-destructive but we strongly encourage users to back up any critical data before performance a firmware update. If you wish to continue, press Apply.

Once your drive is updated, close the toolbox window using the close button.

Note: Corsair recommends that users update their OS drive as attached storage when possible. Some systems will require the SSD to be disconnected briefly before the new firmware version will appems will require the SSD to be disconnected briefly before the new firmware versih the column of buttons down the left side of the toolbox. Corsair is now producing SSDs that do not have factory overprovisioning. For users that desire to manually overprovision their drives, we have provided a function for this. Overprovisioning your drive can contribute to maintaining better performance and adding longevity to your SSD.

Users desiring to monitor the S.M.A.R.T status on their drives can do so using the S.M.A.R.T. button. Find more details on Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology here.

We have a disk cloning feature under development. At the time of this article, this feature is not complete but it is expected along very soon. For now as you can see, it's under construction. This feature will allow users to easily clone to and from their Corsair SSDs.

Users have asked for a feature to allow them to manually send a TRIM command to their drives and to also schedule a TRIM operation so that they can optimize their SSD's performance.

SSD users also occasionally have need to perform a secure erase operation. The tool allows for this in one easy step.

What's New:

Bug fixes

Fixed an issue where drive information was not displayed for PCIe devices

Software Enhancements
TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

What just happened? The US has taken a step closer to banning TikTok after the White House backed legislation introduced by a dozen senators that would enable the Commerce Department to impose restrictions, including bans, on apps and technologies that pose a national security risk.

The bipartisan Senate bill endorsed by the White House empowers Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to review deals, software updates, or data transfers by information and communications technology in which a foreign adversary has an interest, writes CNBC. There are six foreign adversary nations named in the bill: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and Cuba. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan urged Congress "to act quickly to send the bill to the President's desk."

The bill, called the RESTRICT act (Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology), could have a huge impact on TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance.

Despite its massive popularity, TikTok has for years come under scrutiny for its data-collection practices and ByteDance's alleged ties to the Chinese government. Trump tried to ban the app completely when he was in office, and the FCC commissioner has called on Google and Apple to remove TikTok from their stores. Senators previously called for a total ban, and the FBI director said the app is China's best espionage tool.

It's not just the US that has concerns over the app; the EU Commission recently banned TikTok from employee devices over cybersecurity fears. TikTok CEO to Shou Zi Chew will testify before Congress on March 23 over the security concerns.

Glad to join @MarkWarner, @SenJohnThune, and our colleagues in introducing the RESTRICT Act, providing @CommerceGov with the tools necessary to identify, prevent and mitigate technological threats, like TikTok, originating from foreign adversaries. pic.twitter.com/Y4d6D6yaan --- Sen. Dan Sullivan (@SenDanSullivan) March 7, 2023

TikTok, which rejects the spying accusations and says it has spent more than $1.5 billion on data security, responded to the bill with a statement that claimed any "US ban on TikTok is a ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion-plus people who use our service worldwide."

"We hope that Congress will explore solutions to their national security concerns that won't have the effect of censoring the voices of millions of Americans."

NEW: The White House has endorsed this bill. We have a broad, bipartisan coalition to get it done. https://t.co/C2sBQktt8f --- Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) March 7, 2023

While TikTok could be the biggest casualty, Senators that introduced the bill said it was not singling out the app. "The RESTRICT Act is more than about TikTok. It will give us that comprehensive approach," said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Should TikTok ever be banned in the US, it's likely that many users will circumvent the ban by using VPNs, which, ironically, is how many Chinese citizens access western internet services that are prohibited in the country.

Via Reuters, CNBC
What just happened? Lonestar Data Holdings is a Florida-based startup that wants to preserve Earth's atmosphere by bringing data centers and edge computing to the Moon. The company has just announced its latest funding round, and is now ready to send the first experimental data storage unit to space.

Lonestar has closed its round of seed funding by collecting $5 million, and the company is now ready to start a series of missions to bring functioning data centers to the most remote location ever: the Moon's surface. Lonestar will work with Huston-based company Intuitive Machines, which was already awarded a contract by NASA to deliver technology demonstrations to the Moon as a part of the Artemis program.

In 2021, Lonestar ran a first test with its data center in space - or better still, on the International Space Station. The new plan is to send a small data box to the Moon with Intuitive Machines's second lunar mission (IM-2), while launch of the IM-1 mission is expected for June.

The miniature data center aboard the IM-2 lander will have a capacity of 16 terabytes in a 1kg payload, Lonestar founder Chris Stott said in April 2022. The first lunar data centers would provide a backup solution for (very) remote data storage and disaster recovery, while assisting commercial and private ventures working to establish a lunar presence.

Stott previously said data is "the greatest currency created by the human race," as we rely on it for nearly everything we do here on Earth. But data has become "too important" to be stored solely in Earth's "ever more fragile biosphere." Earth's largest satellite would represent the ideal place to "safely store" our data-based future.

The first Lonestar data center to be sent to the Moon will rely on the IM-2 lander for its power and communication needs. Any subsequent data center sent up will have its own power and communication facilities, and it could be deployed on the lunar surface by the end of 2026. The IM-2 mission is expected to last between 11 and 14 days.

Brad Harrison, founder and managing partner at the company which led the Lonestar funding round (Scout Ventures), said that expanding the world's economy to the Moon is the "next whitespace in the New Space Economy." Data security and storage are a necessary part of the next-gen lunar exploration, and Lonestar clearly wants to play a pivotal role in this otherworldly pioneering frontier.
TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

What just happened? Amazon has defeated an attempt by an employee to bring a class action lawsuit against the company for not paying home office expenses that staff incurred while working from home during the pandemic. But while the tech giant may have won this battle, it hasn't won the war.

US District Judge Vincent Chhabria in San Francisco said plaintiff David Williams, a California-based Amazon engineer, failed to show the nearly 7,000 employees had enough in common to sue as a group.

The judge added that Williams had not shown sufficient evidence that Amazon had a company-wide policy of not reimbursing employees for expenses such as internet bills and phone calls, and that the company only made reimbursements for "incremental" increases in home internet costs.

Chhabria added that 619 of the 7,000 California workers from the proposed suit were reimbursed an average of $66.49 for home internet expenses. "Not only does this seem more than 'incremental,' it appears to be far more than what California law requires," the judge wrote. Some of the workers were reimbursed in full.

Does your employer pay you for home office expenses?

There was some good news for Williams: his motion for class certification was denied without prejudice, meaning he could file a renewed motion. His lawyer, Craig Ackermann, said they plan to file a new motion that excludes the 619 workers who received reasonable reimbursement.

"We are very pleased and happy to accept the court's challenge to try again for certification following a bit more discovery," said Ackermann.

Back in 2021, Williams sued Amazon over claims it was violating California state law by not reimbursing workers who were incurring phone, internet, and electricity costs while working remotely.

Amazon previously tried to have the case dismissed, but this was denied by Chhabria in January. The company argues that it does not owe reimbursements because the stay-at-home orders came from the government and not Amazon.

Williams does have an advantage: his lawyers have filed similar lawsuits against several other companies, including IBM, Fox, and Oracle. Some of these cases have been settled, with the firms agreeing to pay remote workers up to $83 per month to cover home office expenses.

Amazon is trying to cut costs wherever it can these days. In addition to laying off a record 18,000 employees, it is closing eight more Amazon Go stores, abandoning plans for dozens of US warehouses, and pausing construction on its second headquarters in Virginia.
TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

In brief: Google's annual I/O developer conference is set to kick off on May 10 from the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California. The keynote will be hosted in front of a live limited audience, we are told, but everyone is invited to watch online for free.

Prior to the pandemic, Google I/O was a multi-day event with a flashy keynote and high ticket prices. Covid-19 prompted the tech titan to cancel the event entirely in 2020. A year later, I/O returned as a virtual showcase before welcoming a limited audience back in 2022.

Google has not yet said what it plans to discuss at I/O 2023 but we can make some educated guesses. Artificial intelligence is everywhere as of late and you can bet Google will look to integrate it into as many products as possible. Also look for an update on Google's AI chatbot Bard - that is, if we don't hear something sooner.

Excited that this year's #GoogleIO will be on May 10, live from Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View and online at https://t.co/sWxfPsVvJi pic.twitter.com/QtNXE6wjl5 --- Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) March 7, 2023

Google introduced Bard in early February but a misstep out of the gate left it with egg on its face. It wasn't alone, however, as Microsoft's Bing chatbot went through its own embarrassing saga and was even found to be susceptible to prompt injection attacks.

It is almost a given that we'll also hear a great deal about the next version of Android and perhaps the upcoming Pixel 7a.

Rumors suggest Google's next entry-level Pixel handset could ship with a 1080p, 90Hz AMOLED panel and be powered by the same Tensor G2 SoC used in the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Other goodies are said to include a 64-megapixel IMX787 image sensor from Sony alongside a 13-megapixel Sony IMX712 for the ultra-wide camera. Assuming no price adjustments, it will likely start around the same $450 mark as the Pixel 6a.

Interested parties can register for the event over on Google's I/O portal. Registration is not required to view keynotes and sessions, but it will keep you in the loop regarding scheduling and other relevant developer news.
Google announced its 1,000 Languages Initiative in November 2022, months before making the headlines for its Bard AI Chat.

This languages project seeks to create a machine-learning model that supports the world's one thousand most spoken languages.

Machine learning is the application of artificial intelligence (AI). It is the implementation of mathematical models of data to help a computer learn without being explicitly instructed.

Google says the initiative aims to increase global inclusion for billions of people, and in the latest update, the initiative is now taking ground.

Translating 1000 Languages with Machine Learning

Google's team worked to develop the Universal Speech Model (USM) for several months. The USM is a set of advanced speech models made up of 2 billion parameters trained on 12 million hours of speech and 28 billion sentences of text, encompassing more than 300 languages.

This model will support the 1000 Languages Initiative by performing automatic speech recognition (ASR) on widely spoken but under-resourced languages such as Ethiopia's Amharic, the Philippines' Cebuano, Assamese from Burma, and Azerbaijani.

However, TechXplore tells us that due to the few people who speak less common languages, Google has decided to temporarily limit the number of languages they are attempting to support to 100. Such rare languages lack datasets for training.

Google has also published a paper on the arXiv pre-print server describing the introduction of its Universal Speech Model (USM).

Challenges with Making the Model

In a recent blog post, Google explains that obtaining enough data to train high-quality models for all these languages is one of the primary challenges in developing this technology.

Google's solution to this issue is self-supervised learning, which enables the model to learn from audio data without requiring manual labeling or pre-transcriptions.

This method is more scalable and can utilize more significant quantities of audio-only data across languages.

Read Also: Google Docs, Sheets, Slides Get Material You Redesign: Slight Difference for the Apps

A training pipeline for the USM consists of three steps: self-supervised learning on speech audio covering hundreds of languages, optional pre-training on text data to improve quality and language coverage, and fine-tuning on downstream tasks like ASR or automatic speech translation using a small amount of supervised data.

Testing the USM on YouTube

According to Google, the USM has already been tested on YouTube Caption's multilingual speech data, which includes 73 languages and less than 3,000 hours of data per language on average.

Despite limited supervised data, Google claims the model achieved an average word error rate of less than 30% across 73 languages. On 18 languages, the USM outperformed the recently released large model Whisper with a word error rate that was 32.7% lower.

Bring People Closer with Inclusive Language

Google's Universal Speech Model is an advanced speech recognition tool that can recognize one thousand of the world's most widely spoken languages.

Utilizing self-supervised learning and fine-tuning with a small amount of supervised data is a crucial step in addressing the tool's scalability and computational efficiency issues while expanding language coverage and quality.

This technology can potentially increase global inclusion by making communication more accessible and encompassing billions of people.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: Microsoft Introduces CoPilot AI Features to Dynamics 365 for Customer Relationship Management

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Researchers tested an artificial intelligence tool to identify and diagnose abnormal chest x-rays in a clinical setting accurately. This will speed up the process to assist health professionals and reduce their workload.

(Photo : ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Italian Professor Roberto Mezzanotte and a nurse nurse view the lung x-rays of a Covid patient on October 13, 2021 at the Casalpalocco hospital, south of Rome.

AI-Diagnosing Tool

Doctors need to identify an abnormal chest as soon as possible to know if a patient is suffering from lung cancer, emphysema, pneumonia, tuberculosis, heart failure ad more chest-related problems. Additionally, there is a growing demand for medical imaging and a global shortage of trained radiologists.

Fortunately, researchers studied a new artificial intelligence tool that is claimed to speed up the process of diagnosing chest and lung problems. Interesting Engineering reported that the tool's accuracy is at par with clinical board-certified radiologists.

Department of Radiology at the Herlev and Gentofte Hospital Doctor and Co-Author Louis Line Plesner, M.D led the whole team. The claims are backed by the findings from an experiment with 1,529 patients involved, consisting of outpatients, in-hospital patients, and emergency patients.

Testing the Tool

All of these patients' chest x-rays were studied by the researchers and the AI program assorted some x-rays as "high-confidence normal" and "not high-confidence normal." For comparison, the performance comes close to three medical board-certified chest radiologists. The two were used as the reference standard while the other one was used in cases of disagreements.

Eureka Alert reported that the AI tool was very careful with abnormal x-rays with a sensitivity of 99.1 percent. Plesner stated, "The most surprising finding was just how sensitive this AI tool was for all kinds of chest disease. In fact, we could not find a single chest X-ray in our database where the algorithm made a major mistake."

Despite these, the AI tool identified a negative finding after diagnosing the chest x-ray of a 44 -year-old patient with pneumonia as normal. But most of the time, the tool did excellently to identify problems. Out of 429 429 chest x-rays, human radiologists stated that the AI program classified 120 as normal.

Also Read: Babies Beat AI in 'Commonsense Psychology', According to New Study

Plesner added that the AI tool automatically checked nearly 8 percent of all the x-rays they examined through the study, which is very important since every small percentage of automatization can save time for health experts and prioritize other matters during the testing process.

Science Daily reported that the team sees the AI tool's potential as it spots abnormal x-rays very quickly. This can speed up the traditional diagnosing process for chests at hospitals. But for this to release. Several studies were required to test the program to check it on a large scale and enhance the system.

"Chest X-rays are one of the most common imaging examinations performed worldwide. Even a small percentage of automatization can lead to saved time for radiologists, which they can prioritize on more complex matters," Plesner noted.

Relate Article: AI Predicts Alzheimer's Risk With Above 90% Accuracy

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A company based in Spain called X1 Wind recently shared their success in generating their first kWh with their latest prototype that puts a wind turbine in the middle of the sea. This is their development which centers on a floating wind farm, but while it is not exactly floating as it is anchored underwater, it still stands out in the waters.

Building renewable energy sources is hard, as people are already accustomed to sourcing their energy from traditional power grids that use fossil fuels to generate electricity.

X1 Wind Successfully Tests Prototype, Generating Power

(Photo : X1 Wind)

A Barcelona, Spain-based company, X1 Wind, announced via a press release that the latest prototype of its wind platform stands tall in the water. It centers on a tension leg platform (TLP) mooring system that enables it to stand firm amidst the massive waves and strong winds present in the middle of the sea where it is located.

The company calls this prototype the X30 Floating Wind, and their first device was installed in the Canary Islands region near Spain and Africa.

The energy which its X30 prototype generated ran along its subsea cable which runs 0.84 miles underwater to export the power gathered by its turbine.

Read Also: The Tallest Wind Turbine Installation Ship On Its Way to Help Build the World's Biggest Wind Farm

Its Wind Turbine Generates its First kWh at the Sea

"First power represents a huge milestone for X1 Wind, and the 'lift-off' moment we've been building towards for many years," claims Carlos Casanovas, CTO and co-founder of X1 Wind.

The team believes that floating wind farms and wind power will soon be the future source of energy along with other sustainable technology present in the world.

"Floating wind is set to play a vital role supporting the future energy transition, global decarbonisation and ambitious net-zero targets," he added.

Floating Wind Farms in the Future

Many companies make it their goal to create floating wind farms to unlock a new sustainable power source that would not need to add to the planet's carbon footprint or generate pollutants in the environment. This is done by utilizing the wind powers near bodies of water or open areas through wind turbines.

One of the most iconic developments in the world is the first-ever floating wind farm in Norway which was launched to begin its operations last November 2022. These floating turbines will help utilize the strong winds present in the sea and use it to their advantage to power their basic needs in the country, as well as its other applications.

The goal now is to reduce people's reliance on destructive technology and center on renewable, alternative sources that would not further harm the planet in its use.

Floating Wind Farms are significant developments now, and among the many companies developing them is X1 Wind, with its first prototype showing significant results, with its next goals centering on expanding more of its developments.

Related Article: China Begins Construction for its First Ever Offshore Wind Farm Powered by 16 MW Turbines

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One of Barcelona's main hospitals has experienced a ransomware cyberattack, causing its system to shut down and forcing the cancellation of 150 non-urgent operations and 3,000 patient checkups.

(Photo : Cesc Maymo/Getty Images)

BARCELONA, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 11: Doctor Pedro Castro, a doctor at the ICU of the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona, speaks on the phone on November 11, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain, Clinic Hospital's ICU Unit has a capacity for 48 beds and half of it is occupied by patients with coronavirus.

Cyberattack in Barcelona

Hospital Clinic de Barcelona was cyberattacked on Sunday, March 5th. Associated Press reported that the attack shut down computers at the hospital's laboratories, emergency room, and pharmacy at three main centers and several external clinics.

Hospital Director Antoni Castells stated that they are still unable to give a date or any prediction as to when the system will be back to normal. Through the hospital's contingency plan, the healthcare workers would be able to function for several days as they hoped that the system would be back to normal as soon as possible.

As per Regional Government Telecommunications Secretary Segi Marcen, the hackers still had not made any ransom demand towards the hospital or any person related to this matter where he also clarified that no money would be paid.

Also Read: Ransomware Attacks COVID-19 Vaccination Registration System in Italy, Appointment Booking Blocked

Contingency Plan

Additional health assistants and administrative staff were added to the hospital to decrease the impact of the attack. Bleeping Compter reported that this would help the facility bridge communication between several departments in the hospital. Meanwhile, radiology, endoscopic tests, radiological scans, dialysis, and outpatient pharmacy services are operating normally.

The hospital is currently in "all-written work" where the operating things are done on paper as the attack cut off access to patient records and communication between units. The press department of the hospital also stated that they are diverting other cases that are considered urgent to other hospitals in the city temporarily.

Aside from the 819-bed hospital that serves half a million people who seek medical needs, the cyberattack also impacted the emergency services of three medical centers associated with Clinic Barcelona. This includes CAP Casanova, CAP Borrl, and CAP Les Corts.

Ransom House

The region's Cybersecurity Agency is currently working on the system to restore, as per a Catalonia regional government statement. As per Tech Monitor, "Ransom House" was the name of the attacker that was believed to come outside of Spain, and launched in May last year as a data extortion marketplace.

The attacker claims that they are not using ransomware in their attacks. However, they were recently linked to the WhiteRabbit ransomware encryptor where numerous ransomware attacks happened. This includes ShopRite, ADATA, and eight municipalities in Italy.

As of the moment, the Ransom House data leak website has not yet released any data belonging to the hospital as it might be too early for this to happen.

Related Article: US Marshals Report Ransomware Attack Exposing Sensitive Law Enforcement Data

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With the Greenlink West project, state politicians and conservationists are asking for a similar resolution, which includes more study of the area where it crosses the monument.

Potential Discovery of Thousands of Ice-age Fossils Delays Greenlink West Project

According to the story by Interesting Engineering, with its lengthy environmental review, the National Park Service favors a proven solution. Reports suggest officials could approve Greenlink West if similar protective measures are implemented.

The debate over the controversial Greenlink West power line is ongoing after a proposed plan to build a transmission line stretching nearly 500 miles from Nevada to millions of households was delayed due to the potential discovery of thousands of ice-age fossils.

Protecting Fossils from Potential Damage Caused by NV Energy's Power Line

The line, overseen by NV Energy and backed by the Biden administration, was scheduled to be released in January, according to an article by E&E News. However, an environmental study reported potential fossils in the line's path within the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument designated by the National Parks Service in 2014, pushing the project back to at least May.

The Pleistocene Period fossils discovered in the area are thought to date back more than 12,00 years and include mammoth, sabertoothed cats, coyotes, jackrabbits, and snails. How exactly do scientists plan to protect such fossils from potential damage caused by NV Energy's power line?

A Viable Solution: Scientists Unearth Fossils and Preserve History

In September, the National Park Service suggested ground-penetrating radar to locate any hidden fossils, which was linked with NV Energy funding and conducted by Geotech Global Consulting, as also explained on Peer. The scans detected vertebrate fossils, mammalian fragment remains, and even two proboscidean tusks extending 33 feet deep.

However, these issues have previously been encountered by projects involving similar power lines. Scientists discovered a viable solution when faced with fossils blocking the progress of the Harry Allen to El Dorado 500-kilovolt transmission line. Thousands of fossils were carefully unearthed, cataloged, and mapped, preserving the fossils and allowing for the project's progression.

Balancing Preservation and Renewable Energy: Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument

Unfortunately, until the environmental study is completed, the public may not know the full extent of the fossils found at the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument- and what impact this will have on the potential power line.

While many would agree that preserving such fossils is important, providing access to renewable electricity is also a national priority, and it's yet to be seen exactly how these projects can be balanced.

Read Also: Floating Wind Farms to Soon be a Thing, as X1 Wind Reports Successful Test on Prototype

Preserving the Historical Significance of Ice-Age Fossils During the Greenlink West Project

The Greenlink West project is a priority of the Biden administration. The significant interconnection of power sources and households will have wide-reaching and long-term impacts, including the successful transfer of clean energy, an expansion of renewable sources, and a decrease in fossil fuels.

However, this importance is not lost when considering the Ice-Age fossils' significance and their crucial role in preserving history. As such, it is the responsibility of those managing such developments to adopt the right measures to alleviate the effects of construction, such as those seen at Tule Springs.

Related Article: First-ever Artificial Energy Island 'Princess Elisabeth' Set To Be Installed in the North Sea

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A new AI manga translator could solve the issue with pirated translations.

(Photo : Photo credit should read JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images)

Books of the "Berserk" manga collection are displayed at the Paris Book Fair 2019 (salon du livre) at the Parc des Expositions in Paris on March 18, 2019 in Paris. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)

Due to the fact that the Japanese comic industry's popularity is widespread, many people want to take advantage of it illegally.

Pirated translations have been in the manga industry for quite some time now. There are two reasons why this happens.

First, translating Japanese comics into English takes a long period. Second, only a few manga books have English translations. Because of this, the new Mantra Engine AI was created.

New AI Manga Translator Could Prevent Pirated Translations!

According to Inquirer.Net's latest report, the new Mantra Engine AI is created by Tokyo-based startup Mantra.

(Photo : Photo by BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP via Getty Images)

In this picture taken on March 6, 2020, Japanese manga artist Makoto Kobayashi works on his judo manga series on a computer screen in Tokyo. - When the Tokyo Olympics eventually open a year late, one of the hottest tickets in town will be for judo.

Also Read: DC Comics Relaunches 'Justice Society of America' and 'Stargirl for 'New Golden Age' Comics Coming in November

This AI-powered translation tool produces highly accurate and natural-sounding English texts based on Japanese texts.

The Mantra Engine AI can do this shorter than the traditional translation methods used by manga artists.

Developers were able to pull this off because they discovered a technique that the translator system can use to match Japanese symbols with English text.

Because of its efficiency, Mantra CEO Ishiwatari Shonosuke said that it could prevent pirated translations in the comic industry.

"If we heighten the efficiency and release translated versions without any time lag, we can prevent pirated manga translations from emerging," explained Shonosuke.

Mantra Engine AI's First Manga Translation

Nikkei Asia reported that the Mantra Engine AI was already used to translate the manga "READ" into English text.

"READ" is an African sci-fi Japanese comic that was distributed in 12 countries across Europe, Africa, and other nations.

Hakusensha, the Japanese comic publisher behind "READ," explained that they were trying to find ways how to speed up their translations.

Because of this, they decided to use the Mantra Engine. In just 10 business days, the comic publisher was able to translate an entire episode of the sci-fi comic.

If you want to learn more about the Mantra Engine AI, you can click this link.

In other news, the world's first AI-powered radio station, RadioGPT, has been launched. We also reported about the new photorealistic AI app of the Israeli startup D-ID.

For more news updates about AI translators and other artificial intelligence models, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: 'One Piece' Author Eiichiro Oda Asks ChatGPT to Generate New Anime Chapter: Here's What Happened

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Artificial insemination is now being used by the Brevard Zoo to help white rhinos avoid extinction.

(Photo : Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

A White Rhinoceros feeds in its shelter at Knowsley Safari, near Liverpool, northern England on May 14, 2020, whilst the safari park is closed to visitors during the nationwide lockdown due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Although white rhinoceros are not endangered, they are already near threatened; with less than 16,000 population. Because of this, the Brevard Zoo wants to help revive the population of white rhinos.

The Florida-based zoo already used cutting-edge science tech to help two white rhinos, Kibibi and Uzuri, to reproduce.

Artificial Insemination Helps White Rhinos Avoid Extinction!

According to Spacecoast Daily, the Brevard Zoo is working with SEZARC (South-East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction and Conservation), a non-profit animal organization, as well as with Omaha's Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.

(Photo : Photo credit should read TONY KARUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)

Najin (L) and Fatu, the only two remaining female northern white rhinos graze in their paddock on March 20, 2018 at the ol-Pejeta conservancy in Nanyuki, north of capital Nairobi.

Also Read: Scientists Dissect 3,500-Year-Old Bear, Found in Siberian Permafrost as Perfectly Preserved

The artificial insemination was already done in mid-February. As of writing, the Brevard Zoo is checking the status of the two white rhinos.

However, it would take more than a month before early pregnancy stages are identified. The zoo said that they will continue to conduct ultrasounds and bloodwork to monitor the health of Kibibi and Uzuri.

Once the two white rhinos are pregnant, it would still take around 16 months before the babies come out.

Fun Facts About Rhinos

Many rhinoceros species are also being threatened because of poaching. Aside from the white rhinos, Sumatran, Indian, Black, and Javan rhinoceros are also facing declining populations.

Rhinoceros are among the most interesting animals because of their giant horns and armored-like bodies.

If you are not familiar with them, here are some fun facts about rhinos that the World Wildlife Fund provided:

Most rhinos weigh over three tonnes.

Black and white rhinoceros are actually grey in color.

A group of rhinos is called a "crash."

Rhino horns are also made up of keratin; the same protein that forms your nails and hairs.

Rhinoceros have poor vision, making them unable to spot a motionless object at a distance of around 30 meters.

Since rhinos have poor vision, they rely on their strong sense of smell.

Rhinos communicate with each other through their poo, sneezes, and honks.

If you want to learn more about the rhinoceros, you can visit this link.

Other stories we recently wrote about animals:

Satellite imagery was used to find a new emperor penguin colony, which consists of 1,000 birds. We also reported about China's new super cow cloning activity.

For more news updates about rhinos and cows, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: [LOOK] World Nature Photography Awards Features the Best, Most Fascinating Wildlife Captures

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Alibaba is making a push to the South Asian textile and clothing powerhouse by targeting Bangladeshi companies to sell more of their products on its website, as reported by NikkeiAsia.

(Photo : by ERIC LALMAND/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images)

Illustration picture shows the inauguration of the logistics platform of Cainiao, the logistics branch of Alibaba, Monday 08 November 2021 at Liege airport in Grace-Hollogne.

The Chinese e-commerce leader is offering Bangladeshi manufacturers to promote their products overseas through its platform for an annual fee. Alibaba is putting more focus on small and medium-sized enterprises.

This will give the platform a boost, at the same time, providing Bangladesh with another channel to make more export earnings from its garments as it struggles with dwindling foreign currency reserves.

Alibaba has been operating in Bangladesh for 20 years now, but so far, only 160 companies are supplying products through its website.

A Special Proposal

Alibaba offers a special package to the participating companies, in which they only need to pay $5,000 annual membership fee if the number of newly listed suppliers reaches 30 or more. The fee will be adjusted to $4,800 if 50 or more suppliers sign up.

However, many companies think the charge is very high and are looking into pushing for a discount.

The platform also offered to make a Made in Bangladesh page on its website to showcase the goods from the country. According to the Chinese platform, it will help Bangladeshi companies gain quick access to nontraditional export markets as a buffer to help with climate change, recessional, and geopolitical ordering.

Alibaba also added that it would help the country be the top apparel product and sourcing destination for eCommerce websites, retailers, and online marketplaces globally.

Also read: Alibaba Looks To Create 1 Million New Jobs In US, Billionaire Founder Jack Ma Tells Trump

A Welcome Offer

Despite the concerns over the annual fee, many SME representatives welcome the proposal. They believe that a separate page for Bangladesh will be a huge benefit. In addition, most of them think that the stronger digital presence they have, the better for their market.

Still, there seems to be a need for a cross-country study regarding the fees, facilities, and conditions before the deal pushes through.

With this move, Alibaba aims to help Bangladesh become an even more attractive destination for global businesses, as well as to strengthen its own position in the South Asian market.

Through this initiative, the company hopes to create more opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses in the country. Alibaba is confident that this initiative will create an even bigger impact on local economies by helping entrepreneurs boost sales and easily reach out to customers worldwide.

With these efforts, it aims to become one of the most preferred platforms for small business owners in Bangladesh and other countries across the South Asia region. Now, we just have to wait and see if Bangladeshi SMEs will agree to the proposal or will they find a middle ground.

Related article: Alibaba Cloud Experiences System Failure that Caused Suspension of Cryptocurrency Withdrawals in OKX

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The White House has backed new bipartisan Senate legislation that might give the Biden administration the authority to prohibit TikTok in the US. The bill was introduced on Tuesday, Mar. 7.

TikTok is not explicitly mentioned in the law, as per reports. Still, it does encompass corporations based in nations that are at odds with the US, such as China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela.

Notably, ByteDance is a Chinese internet firm that owns the TikTok app and has become a viral success in the US by enabling users to make and share short videos.

The RESTRICT Act

When a foreign opponent shows interest in a business transaction, a software update, or a data transfer via information and communications technology (ICT), the new law would require the Commerce Department to investigate.

According to CNBC, the proposed legislation would allow the Commerce Secretary to submit a transaction to the President for action, including compulsory divestiture. This happens if the secretary finds the transaction creates an "undue or unacceptable risk" to US national security.

The bill's official title, the RESTRICT Act, is an acronym for its intended purpose: Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology.

Democratic Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner of Virginia introduced the bill on Capitol Hill with the support of a diverse coalition of Republican and Democratic senators. When Warner was doing his press conference, the White House issued a statement supporting the bill.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said this bill establishes a methodical framework for tackling technology-based threats to the security and safety of Americans. It would also give the government new powers to reduce national security vulnerabilities in the tech industry.

Sullivan demanded that the bill be sent to the President's desk without delay.

Related Article: Experts Say TikTok Ban on Australian Government-issued Phones Should Also Apply To Other Social Media Apps

TikTok's Claims and Pledges

TikTok has frequently rejected the principal concern of federal investigators, that it saves data from American users in China.

Verge reported that the firm has been in talks with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to remain operational in the US for almost three years, despite claims and pledges to decrease safety hazards.

Earlier this week, a representative from TikTok gave a keynote address outlining Project Texas, the company's most extensive attempt to protect American data from potential invasion. The plan would isolate the majority of TikTok's activities in the US from its Chinese parent firm, ByteDance. Oracle, founded by Larry Ellison, would contribute to auditing data transfers inside the US.

Later this month, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Related Article: New US Legislation Seeks to Ban Foreign Technology Products Coming to America

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Scammers are going after hotel chains, putting at risk the personal information of Eurovision fans who have booked accommodations in Liverpool, UK, for the song contest in May.

Compromised Internal Systems

Booking.com admitted to BBC News that certain lodging partners had been targeted by phishing emails. It was stated that some companies have unintentionally infiltrated their own internal systems by clicking on links included in these emails.

"[We have] actively been supporting our partners, as well as any potentially impacted customers ... to make security and data protection a top priority," Booking.com stated.

In response to cyber intrusions, the travel business immediately froze a number of accounts that had been impacted. However, Booking.com still denied any kind of data security compromise.

A Close Call

Some Eurovision enthusiasts emailed the BBC's podcast Eurovisioncast to share stories of their near-falls for scams involving hotel reservations for the May song contest.

With the help of the travel site, Marc Deruelle was able to find a four-bedroom flat in Liverpool for what he deemed a quite good price for a group of friends' trip there.

A person posing as a receptionist contacted him on WhatsApp in early February, asking first if he needed parking. The person then stated there was a problem with his payment, with a similar issue showing up on his Booking.com account.

"I thought this must be OK," he told the news outlet. "I got a text message from my bank and I had a phone call from them and they said someone was trying to scam me out of my money."

Around 800 (over $900) was going to be wired to Uganda, but the transfer was halted.

Deruelle said that ruined the experience for him, and now he does not want to attend the May event since scammers have all his information and will know he is not at home at the time of the contest.

When Marc called his lodging provider, the company confirmed that it had also received reports consistent with his story.

Also Read: Trio Scam Targeting iPhone, Android Users Impersonate DHL, FedEx, Apple; How Can You Spot Them?

Quick Word of Advice

More than 700 companies are represented by UKHospitality, which advises clients to contact hotels directly rather than use a third-party booking site if they have any issues.

A hotel's chief executive officer, Kate Nicholls, has said that guests very seldom get WhatsApp messages from establishments.

The scope of such phishing attacks is thought to go well beyond Eurovision and the city of Liverpool, according to BBC News.

To reiterate, Booking.com has never asked for a credit card over the phone, over text message, or via email for a legitimate purchase.

Also Read: Phishing Attacks Cost Businesses Millions: Here's How To Protect Yourself

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
TikTok has proposed a data security framework for protecting user information throughout Europe as political pressure grows in the US to ban the social video app.

In a blog post published on Wednesday, Mar. 8, TikTok's European VP of government relations and public policy, Theo Bertram, introduced the new Project Clover and described it as "a secure enclave for European TikTok user data."

According to BBC News, data transfers will be monitored by a third-party security firm as part of Project Clover. ByteDance-owned TikTok will make it more difficult to single out specific users from aggregated data. It also states that "security gateways" will increase the level of protection for European user data and transfers outside of Europe.

Rigorous US Scrutiny

TikTok has been under regulatory scrutiny for some time now because of its links to the Chinese internet firm ByteDance.

The European Union (EU) has ordered its employees to uninstall the video-hosting app.

On Tuesday, Mar. 7, New bipartisan legislation was introduced that may empower the government to block or ban foreign-based technology like TikTok if they pose a danger to national security. The White House has voiced its support for the proposed bill.

Strategic Plans for Europe

Notably, TikTok intended to make a significant investment in data center facilities in European countries. The first of these was supposed to open in Ireland last year but has been repeatedly delayed due to technical difficulties.

The corporation has just revealed plans to build two more data centers in the area: Ireland and Norway. It was said that the Norwegian data center would only use green energy.

TikTok has announced that it will begin moving user data from its current Chinese servers to European servers this year, with the migration expected to continue until 2024. This announcement comes after reports surfaced that TikTok employees in China had access to data belonging to European users.

Related Story: Experts Say TikTok Ban on Australian Government-issued Phones Should Also Apply To Other Social Media Apps

'Project Clover'

Project Clover is a collection of TikTok's privacy and security efforts, as TechCrunch reported. Some of which were previously revealed, and some of which are brand new.

Along with the data centers TikTok is planning for Europe, Project Clover will provide new data access and control methods, including security gates that select which staff may access European TikTok user data. TikTok said it would hire a European-based independent security firm to evaluate its data controls and processes.

"We are in discussions with a third-party and will announce more details in due course," Bertram stated.

Bertram said that TikTok plans to work with other companies to incorporate the newest sophisticated technology into its current infrastructure. Included in this category is a process called "pseudonymisation," which modifies personal data so that it is harder to trace back to specific users in case of a data breach.

Related Story: New US Legislation Seeks to Ban Foreign Technology Products Coming to America

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A group of scientists has developed a synthetic survey that predicts what the future observations of NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will reveal.

Although it only represents a small portion of the telescope's upcoming survey, this simulation includes an impressive 33 million galaxies and 200,000 foreground stars within our own galaxy.

The purpose of this simulation is to aid scientists in developing the best possible observing strategies and to test various methods of mining the vast quantities of data that the telescope will collect.

It will also provide opportunities to study the benefits of pairing Roman's observations with those of other telescopes.

"The volume of data Roman will return is unprecedented for a space telescope," Michael Troxel, an assistant professor of physics at Duke University, said in a press release statement.

"Our simulation is a testing ground we can use to make sure we will get the most out of the mission's observations."

Roman and Rubin Simulations

To create the simulation, the team drew data from a mock universe initially created to support science planning with the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, which is located in Chile and is scheduled to begin full operations in 2024.

As the Roman and Rubin simulations use the same source data, astronomers can compare the two and determine what they can expect to learn from pairing the telescopes' observations once they are both in operation.

Roman's High Latitude Wide Area Survey will use both imaging and spectroscopy across the same vast swath of the universe.

Spectroscopy involves measuring the intensity of light from cosmic objects at different wavelengths, while the imaging will reveal the precise positions and shapes of hundreds of millions of faint galaxies that will be used to map dark matter.

Even though dark matter is invisible, astronomers can infer its presence by observing its effects on regular matter.

Read Also: NASA's Upcoming Roman Space Telescope to Rewind Universe, Solve Cosmic Mysteries

Gravitational Lensing

The distortion of the fabric of space-time occurs with the presence of any object with mass. The degree of distortion is proportional to the mass of the object, resulting in a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing, according to NASA.

This phenomenon causes the light emanating from far-off sources to become distorted when passing through intervening objects. In the case of massive galaxies or galaxy clusters, the background sources can appear as multiple images or be smeared.

On the other hand, weaker lensing effects are created by less massive objects. The Roman observatory will have the sensitivity to detect these weak lensing effects and use them to study how clumps of dark matter distort the appearance of distant galaxies.

Through these observations, scientists will be able to expand our knowledge of dark matter by filling in previously unknown gaps.

The Roman survey spans 20 square degrees of the sky, equivalent to 95 full moons. Rubin's survey will cover 18,000 square degrees of the sky with lower resolution.

Pairing Roman and Rubin simulations will help detect objects in both sets of images and address the difficulties of "deblending" objects in Rubin images.

Roman's survey will allow astronomers to accomplish more than the primary goals, including studying the structure and evolution of the universe, mapping dark matter, and understanding the accelerating expansion of the universe. Scientists can also explore the bonus science from the new simulated Roman data.

Related Article: Nancy Grace Roman Telescope is 1,000x Faster than Hubble in its Broad Space Survey

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
According to the Women in Tech Network, it will take 133 years to close the economic gender gap. In recognition of International Womens Day 2023, unified communications company Ringover shines a light on two of its newest female talents. Recently appointed Brooke Hammel, sales support manager and Angela Clodfelter, US channel management director, discuss their experiences and challenges as women in tech and what they hope for the future female workforce.

This years International Womens Day theme is embracing equity. Simply providing equal opportunities is not enough. Instead, we must provide inclusive opportunities that help people of all backgrounds to thrive. In the U.S., nearly half of the workforce is female, but only 27% make up the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce, according to the United States Census Bureau. More specifically, women made up 28% of the tech industry workforce in 2022.

With over 50 years of combined experience working in the tech and telecoms industry, Hammel and Clodfelter have had turbulent, yet insightful careers, climbing the ladder to achieve success and lead them to where they are today.

Finding your feet

Making waves early on in her career, Angela Clodfelter founded two telecom companies in the late 1990s. She saw success early on, achieving recognition as one of the first female-owned and operated companies in the Southeast to successfully implement an international VoIP call center.

Clodfelters expertise varies from account management, through to the technical installation of infrastructure including some of the first Private Branch Exchange (PBX) lines installed in the US.

Angela Clodfelter

The constant change within telecoms is what attracted me to this industry, said Clodfelter. I like being kept on my feet. One of the most notable changes I witnessed was the introduction of voicemail and IVR. Considering businesses used to take messages by hand, voicemail was one of the first steps to improving business communications and management.

Hammel began her career in 2000 working for telecoms equipment supplier Lucent Technologies, before moving over to Avaya for ten years, where she worked in roles including support manager and business operations analyst.

My relationship with the tech and telecoms industry was formed when I realized that communication is the most fundamental ability in human nature, said Hammel. We can literally attribute the transformation of our culture and society to technology and I wholly believe that technology is the key for business expansion and development.

Although Hammel and Clodfelter have achieved longstanding careers in this industry, its been found that, generally, retention can be difficult. Deloittes 2021 Women at Work study , which polled 500 women in the global technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT) workforce found that almost a quarter of women are considering leaving their roles due to workload increases affecting their wellbeing. The report also indicates that only 38% of women feel sufficiently supported in their roles by their employers.

Breaking biases

According to McKinseys Women in the Workplace 2021 report, only 86 women are promoted to manager for every 100 men at the same level. But the gender gap for women in technical roles is even more pronounced  with just 52 women being promoted to manager for every 100 men. However, its worth noting that the tides are beginning to turn. HP, for example, has pledged to reach gender parity in roles at director level and above by 2030.

The obstacles that women encounter in technical fields begins long before they reach the promotion stage.

At the start of my career, operating in a time where all the decision makers were men, I found myself having to prove I was worthy of doing the same job as my male peers, said Clodfelter. The biases towards women were very present.

Ive experienced situations in the workplace where my knowledge and achievements have been dismissed because I am a woman, added

Brooke Hammel

Hammel. It can be a difficult pill to swallow when you realize you arent viewed as equal or as having the capability to effectively execute your role because of your gender. Attitudes like this can be damaging and hinder womens progress in the workplace, but perseverance is key.

International Womens Day 2023

This years theme of equity is poignant when you consider that not all students have the same access and opportunities to STEM programs and initiatives, said Hammel. The case is that more opportunity is available for children in private school education  which isnt accessible for most of America. There needs to be more opportunity across the U.S. so that every child, regardless of their socioeconomic position, has access to STEM programs, said Hammel.

Children are the future and its so important to nourish their interests and provide them with equal opportunities, said Clodfelter. We need more voices championing the opportunities in STEM and TMT roles and I hope that this years International Womens Day makes that realization.

When discussing their tech heroes, it wasnt the tech giants that sprung to mind. In fact, both Hammel and Clodfelter acknowledge their heroes as fellow women in the industry.

I felt like I was not able to achieve in a male dominated industry until I worked with Paulette Carter, a local contact center leader, said Hammel. I met her when we both worked for Avaya, and she saw in me what I , myself, did not. She has extensive experience in transforming businesses customer experience and operations and I attribute where I am today to her.

Karin Fields is my inspiration, said Clodfelter. She was an owner of MicroCorp, one of the largest telecom services brokers in the U.S. I relate to her so much because she was a woman in the late 1980s and early 1990s, who dove into the world of telecom and was able to achieve great things in a male-dominated environment.

Marilyn Dooley is also another inspiration who took me under her wing in the late 90's, Clodfelter added. She built a very lucrative regional TSB and was a great mentor.

Offering her advice to the younger generation of the workforce, Clodfelter opined: If you set your sights on it, dont give up. The notion of women holding mostly male-dominated roles is changing. There is more of an opportunity for everyone to succeed. All someone can say is no.

Reflecting on what International Womens Day means to them, Hammel explained, It doesnt matter where youre based in the world, history and statistics show that women have experienced unfair biases because of our gender. To finally be celebrated with occasions like International Womens Day is extremely important for us.

Clodfelter added, The world is finally recognizing women for what they are  superheroes, each and every one of us.

As we celebrate International Womens Day, we must acknowledge that women are still hugely underrepresented in many STEM and TMT roles across the U.S. However, IWD is a celebration that provides the opportunity for women to share their stories, giving a voice to those that need it and offering hope to the next generation of the female workforce.

Edited by Erik Linask
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Campana internacional #PeruAhora vuelve a poner al pais ante los ojos del mundo! ??????

Con imagenes en vivo desde la ciudadela de #Machupicchu y en el marco de #ITBBerlin, Alemania, #PROMPERU presento la campana que muestra al pais como destino diverso, seguro y competitivo. pic.twitter.com/mbF9qV3Jem
19:51 | Toronto (Canada), Mar. 7.





"We have had the opportunity to inform about the huge mining potential of Peru, about minerals, deposits and investment opportunities," he said in statements to TV Peru Noticias.









This year, precisely on Tuesday, the country held Peru Day at PDAC 2023, highlighting the fact that it is the leading producer of tin and lead in the Americas, the second-largest producer of copper and zinc in the world, as well as the second-largest producer of silver, gold, and molybdenum in Latin America.





"This event that is progress, called PDAC 2023, is the most important convention hosting miners and investors from all over the world," the minister stated.





Vera reiterated that Peru has a portfolio of mining projects worth about US$53 billion, which is expected to create jobs for many Peruvians.





"We seek to attract investors to exploit minerals within a framework of social and environmental harmony," he remarked.





The government official noted that most mining operations in Peru are running normally, bearing in mind that mining centers are distributed in various regions.





(END) CNA/JJN/RMB
The chief executive of Optus has maintained that the cyberattack on her telco in September was perpetrated by a skilled cyber criminal and revealed the company lost customers in its immediate aftermath.

At a business summit in Sydney on Wednesday, Optus boss Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said the attack was carried out by a motivated individual and crafted specifically for the company.

Optus chief executive Kelly Bayer Rosmarin said the company did not pay a ransom. Credit: Michael Quelch

The cyberattack was not a casual crime of opportunity, Rosmarin said. The skilled criminal had knowledge of Optus systems and cycled through many tens of thousands of internet protocol addresses in an attempt to evade our automated cyber monitoring.

In September, Optus systems were breached in one of the largest cyberattacks in Australian history, accessing names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses and drivers licence numbers of millions of the telecommunications giants customers.
CBD was saddened on Tuesday at the news of 500 job losses at Aussie tech darling Atlassian.

Bon voyage: Matt Agnew picked a good time to farewell Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes. Credit: John Shakespeare

At least the companys billionaire co-founders Mike Cannon-Brookes  currently engaged in a time-consuming struggle with mining billionaire Andrew Forrest for control of the Sun Cable energy venture  and Scott Farquhar, who needed no mortgage to settle last month on a $130 million Point Piper pad, were good enough to apologise to those workers who learnt by email that they were out.

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Recognising the connection between womens economic dependence on men and their vulnerability to violence and poverty, feminists have lobbied over many decades for measures to achieve womens economic independence. It is time we heeded this struggle by paying a decent living wage to single mothers in recognition of their crucial work.

Professor Marilyn Lake, professorial fellow in history, University of Melbourne Give workers a fair go

Good to see the International Womens Day celebratory supplement on inspiring women leaders (The Age, 8/3). Next year, could you focus on child and aged care workers, nurses, cleaners and single mothers? While huge advances have been made for the advancement of women, in Australias highly gendered workforce we are far from giving the majority a fair go.

Anne Sgro, Coburg North Rising up

Your pull-out Inspiring leaders  the women who are making their mark on Australia and its many ads from elite fee-paying girls schools sends the implicit message: if you want the girls in your family to rise to the top, pay up. I look forward to a publicly funded supplement about women joining unions to improve their pay and working conditions, and about women who have made changes in education, health, and politics without the advantages of the leadership programs and private school alumnae networks.

Mirna Cicioni, Brunswick East THE FORUM Awake to the threat

The Age series on the potential global conflicts and how they will affect Australia has provoked many respondents decrying warmongering. No sane person wants a war but when despots unilaterally attack their neighbours (North Korea, Yemen, Ukraine), are we to sit back and cover our heads with a blanket?

This is not warmongering. President Xi Jinping has openly stated that he would unite China and Taiwan, by 2049 at the latest. He is already threatening our supply lines by creating militarised bases. He has refused to accept mediation on the South China Sea and laid claim to large areas.

Ukraine was invaded. It had not threatened Russia, and as former major general Mick Ryan pointed out (The Age, 9/3), there are two types of wars being fought. One breaking the laws of war, and the other (apparently) not. We owe it to humanity to support Ukraine, and hopefully not Taiwan.

Earle Orenstein, Caulfield South War not unthinkable

Many of the letters responding to your Red Alert articles had consistent themes: avoid war; promote diplomacy; concentrate on climate change. All fair enough, but there was a lack of engagement with the arguments proffered by the panel of five: that Australia could become a target for Chinas self-defence; that China could strangle Australias supply lines; that China could become the controlling hegemony in our region. Im unqualified to offer authoritative opinions on these and related topics, and I personally find the war option appalling  but not unthinkable. Therefore, I believe the topic needs a great deal more input from qualified experts  and more thought from all Australians concerned about the future of the world, and their place in it.

Peter Greig, Colac Strength will deter war

Mention diplomacy to the Chinese communist leaders and they will just giggle. They respect only strength. Australian defensive and offensive capabilities, powerful enough to sting and deter a potential aggressor, are required now, not in five years. I mean missiles, drones, sea mines and frigates for our navy. These measures will help to avoid war, not encourage it.

Tim Nolan, Brighton Fates worse than death

The assertion better red than dead by one of your correspondents ignores the attested fact that under despots, life can be the hell of a slavish existence in constant fear of summary arrest and imprisoned re-education.

So, there can be fates equivalent to, or even worse than, death. Hence, despite the costs and horrors of war, the words of Patrick Henry: Give me liberty or give me death.

Peter Drum, Coburg Money needed elsewhere

Modern China has no record of aggression against other countries and Australia should continue to foster good relations with it and other nations while properly condemning Russias war on Ukraine. The so-called Red Alert will be used by some to promote more defence spending when our dollars are far better spent on needed programs for disadvantaged Australians.

Tony Delaney, Warrnambool Recognise the realities

It is disappointing to read how reporting by Peter Hartcher and The Age asserted we face the risk of going to war with China within three years. It seems they feel we should avoid recognising China as a global power and support America in its struggle to maintain supremacy across the Pacific. Hartcher and his colleagues would do well to read Hugh Whites Quarterly Essay of last year. White says that by supporting the United States against China, we are sleepwalking to war. White tells us that the US can neither contain China, nor win a war with it over Taiwan. We dont have to like everything about China to recognise these realities. We must stop doing Americas bidding and accept China as a regional and global power alongside the US.

David Rothfield, Black Rock US in a state of decline

It is extremely disturbing to see the provocative headline Australia faces the threat of war with China within three years  and were not ready in The Age. Would it not be worth taking into consideration those China experts who have a different view? Yes, China has become more powerful over the past four decades. It has taken 800 million people out of poverty and is extending its influence throughout the world by using soft power.

But the real problem is that the American empire is in a state of decline and the military-industrial complex is lashing out against what it sees as any rising power to ensure it remains in control of the so-called international rules-based order. And the Australian government is tagging along, too frightened to stand up to its ally, which remains the principal opponent to world peace. We should aim for rapprochement with China, not warmongering at the behest of America.

Greg Bailey, St Andrews Time to act

It might be worth reminding the prime minister of this quote from Shakespeares Julius Caesar: There is a tide in the affairs of men./Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;/Omitted, all the voyage of their life/Is bound in shallows and in miseries.

The bard got it right. Anthony Albanese must grasp this opportune moment in Australia  opportune for taxation reform, social equality and, above all, climate change  to mark himself in history for all the right reasons.

Nick Jans, Princes Hill Tax reform too costly

I am bemused by your many correspondents criticising Labor for its softly, softly approach to tax reform. They should go harder! they write. Have they forgotten the 2019 election when Labor proposed a range of tax reforms, including to capital gains and negative gearing? They lost, leaving us with a Coalition government who gave us stage 3 tax cuts for the wealthy, and no real action on climate change. The voting public have shown that they will vote against tax reform and criticise any Labor government who attempts it.

Robyn Westwood, Heidelberg Heights Offer something

I am amazed how negative the federal opposition can be about almost everything. The crossbenchers and Greens can have reasonable discussions with the government to improve legislation. Surely, it would be in the best interests of Australia if the Liberal Party joined these discussions. Peter Dutton, Sussan Ley and Angus Taylor, please become a constructive opposition and offer some alternative ideas.

Jane Dubsky, Glen Iris

Outstanding Australian

I read with interest the list of the most influential women in Australian sport. Being a lover of the international game, I was delighted to see Sam Kerr as No.1, a position well earned. I turned the page with great anticipation expecting to see Jamie Kah as No.2, but she was not in the top 10. Why? Apart from being the best horsewoman in Australia, she has competed against men and showed shes one of the best jockeys in the world.

Brian Tait, Blackburn North Not free, not fair

Ross Gittins is off the mark when he describes the student loan schemes of HECS and HELP as fair (Theres a fate worse than debt, 8/3). Having spent time in Germany on and off for 15 years as well as time studying education systems in a range of other European countries, colleagues are amazed that Australian higher education is not free and open. They see education as an individual right and an investment in the prosperity of their nation. An argument behind the schemes was that they would enable universities to offer more places through increased revenue and that less advantaged students could gain entry. In fact, the introduction of HECS and later HELP was accompanied by decreased tertiary funding and greater dependence on international students.

Stephen Dinham, Metung Reform councils

Council sacked after murder probe (8/3) provides a brief overview of the complex relationship between well-remunerated chief executives, senior management and elected, albeit lowly paid, councillors. As a former councillor and mayor with a metropolitan council during the early 2000s and more recently (2016-2020), I observed a general deterioration in understanding of good governance, respect and courtesy from councillors towards each other, staff and the community. And there seems to be a contradiction  or lack of understanding  of the various relationships. Memo to the state government: yes, it is broke, please fix it.

Sally Davis, Malvern East

Injecting room failure

That the Richmond injecting facility is now permanent is no surprise. The facility has been a success. It has saved thousands of ambulance call-outs and therefore (probably) millions of dollars. It has saved dozens of lives. Unfortunately, it has also been a failure. It is a magnet for drug users and dealers from across the metropolitan area. The increased numbers of users in the area and the flow-on of overdosed people, discarded syringes etc in public. Why arent there more facilities across greater Melbourne? We can never win the war on drugs, and it is time for dramatic change. There are pharmacies that dispense methadone. How many of those have facilities that could be used as a local safe injecting facility and a distribution point for heroin? What will the government do to ensure that rehabilitation facilities are immediately available to those who express a desire for help? More is desperately needed but there is too much cowardice and ignorance from politicians.

Douglas Potter, Surrey Hills And another thing

Credit: Illustration: Matt Golding Interest rises

Normally, when people cant afford the cost of things, they just do without them. But what are people supposed to do when they cant afford the cost of living?

Ron Mather, Melbourne Note to RBA board: You cannot get blood from a stone, no matter how hard you try.

Mark Kennedy, Sebastopol Red Alert

Could The Age now assemble a panel of five optimists who can see how Chinas growth can become a force for human achievement.

John Walsh, Watsonia Chamberlain tried diplomacy with Hitler. Didnt turn out all that well. By all means, lets try diplomacy first. But being prepared for it not to work seems like a sound idea.

Helen Gardner, Caulfield South

If there is one thing that history tells us, the experts and their relatives will be nowhere near the front line if a war eventuates.

David Fry, Moonee Ponds Last month marked 20 years since 100,000 people marched in Melbourne to protest against the Iraq War. Diplomatic and peaceful options should always be the priority.

Sam Drummond, Brunswick East Furthermore

It seems that liberals and oppose are two words that appear together regularly in headlines.

Tim Douglas, Blairgowrie Inadequate train service? Try no train all day, every day, every year in Doncaster. Still waiting on promises from the 1960s 

Gill Riley, Doncaster East When Whitlam was PM, 10 per cent of school-leavers went to university; now, its 40 per cent. Given that all benefit from education, is it time for universities to be funded by taxpayers?

Howard Brownscombe, Brighton
A man has been arrested, ending a police operation in Melbournes north after another man was fatally stabbed and a woman seriously injured on Wednesday morning.

Shaun Sanderson, 32, was arrested after he allegedly fled the crime scene following an hours-long siege.

An armed officer aims their weapon at a Reservoir home where a man was killed on Wednesday morning. Credit: Joe Armao

Police initially believed he was still inside the home and attempted to negotiate with him. After specialist officers entered the property, they discovered that he had allegedly fled.

Officers arrested the 32-year-old at the corner of Murray and St Georges roads, Preston, about 3pm. It is believed police also seized wads of cash.
La presidenta Dina Boluarte participo en la ceremonia por el Dia Internacional de la Mujer en la sede de la @CancilleriaPeru, donde destaco el importante rol y aporte que cumplen las peruanas por un futuro mejor para sus familias y el desarrollo de la patria. pic.twitter.com/nJEy2Ba2Y9
Australia will open the door to more Indian students in a bid to expand a $4.2 billion education business and use the stronger trade links to support a growing security partnership.

A new agreement will make it easier for students to have their degrees recognised in each country, in a long-awaited step to increase the 130,000 students from India already studying in Australia.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will fly from India to the US for talks with President Joe Biden on defence. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the arrangements in the Indian city of Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat on Wednesday night, during the first stage of a three-day visit with a crowded agenda of commercial and strategic talks.

In a sign of the importance India puts on the visit, Albanese is expected to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the cricket on Thursday to watch some of the fourth Test along with up to 100,000 fans.
Jennings is one of five of the nations top security minds assembled by The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age for Red Alert, an in-depth independent national security review. They say Australia faces the real prospect of a war with China within three years that could involve a direct attack on our mainland and expose the vulnerabilities of our unprepared defence force. They warn Australia likely needs to double its defence spending to preserve peace.

Thats roughly the combined annual revenues of Australias wheat and beef industries, or more than the cost of the NDIS last year. The problem is, the submarines are not expected to arrive for 15 to 20 years, which could be on the other side of a war with China.

Former Defence Department deputy secretary Peter Jennings estimates the eight boats will eventually cost taxpayers the equivalent of 1 per cent of Australias gross domestic product or some $20 billion each year.

Eighteen months after the Morrison government conceived the initiative, it falls to Albanese to midwife it  and to foot the bill.

Their purpose? To reveal the specifics of what the prime minister last month called the single biggest leap in our defence capability in our history : the nuclear-powered submarines promised under the AUKUS agreement.

Next week Anthony Albanese will appear at the San Diego naval base, on Americas west coast, standing shoulder to shoulder with US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.

To survive a confrontation with an aggressive great power as soon as 2026, the Red Alert panellists say the nation must move with urgency and be willing to break longstanding political taboos.

While Australia waits for the submarines to arrive, the nation has short-term vulnerabilities and gaps that must be addressed.

Technology expert Lesley Seebeck, who was appointed to the federal governments naval shipbuilding advisory board in 2019, says: The submarines are in never-never land, as far as were concerned. We need to talk about the next two to three years.

AUKUS was a major step that the government took, but what a tragedy it doesnt actually address the strategic situation were dealing with now, says Australias former chief defence strategist. We have been mugged by time.

Jennings is an AUKUS advocate, but is blunt about the submarines usefulness in the near term.

Finkel says: I think its wonderful we develop our own capabilities. I just get upset when I hear about us taking some other existing design and customising it to our needs and getting bogged down.

In an urgent crisis, survival must take priority over domestic industry, the panellists argue in their joint communique , which we publish in full today. For our most urgent needs, we should not be Australianising gear bought overseas to create jobs. To procure weapons and systems needed urgently, an off-the-shelf import usually will be better than a slower, custom-made equivalent, they say.

One bold idea: Australia must focus on securing the military equipment it needs as soon as possible, rather than using defence projects as a way to create local manufacturing jobs.

We have got to break the entire paradigm, says Jennings. The current way of doing things will not work.

What works during peacetime isnt going to be appropriate for conflict, Australias former chief scientist Alan Finkel says.

Then there is the ultimate untouchable issue of Australian politics: nuclear weapons. While everyone longs for a nuclear-free planet, this is not the world we live in. History has shown that if you have a nuclear weapons capability, you are less likely to be subject to authoritarian pressure by nuclear states, says Lesley Seebeck, chair of the National Institute of Strategic Resilience.

It need not be limited to young people, the Red Alert panel says. Australia should consider some variety of this option using the strength and energy of Australians to build national resilience in our economy, society and critical infrastructure.

One is national service, which could take both civil and military forms. France and Sweden are among the countries reintroducing some form of national service. In Frances case, it is initially voluntary, but by 2026 will be mandatory for people aged 16 to 25. Sweden is introducing conscription of civilians for its emergency services.

The good news is that we need not despair, the national security specialists say. Australia  a global superpower in food and energy that commands its own island continent  is stronger than it realises. As the experts joint statement says: Australia has many strengths, some unique. It is much more than a middle power.

The Red Alert panellists repeatedly emphasised that Australias critical threshold change must be psychological. The nation needs to snap out of its complacency and discover urgent effort across society. The coming war likely would be the most consequential since the defeat of global fascism in World War II. And the stakes are every bit as high.

Such a policy of nuclear weapons sharing is a standard part of the NATO alliance, the group explains. Such a decision would violate Australias existing treaty commitments and so should not be made lightly, but it would provide a compelling deterrence against attack.

The panel stresses this would be an option only to be considered in the most extreme circumstances. It would involve basing US long-range missiles armed with nuclear weapons on Australian territory if the US were interested in doing so.

South Koreas President, Yoon Suk-yeol, has raised the prospect of his nation acquiring its own nuclear weapons in response to North Koreas nuclear adventurism.

They agree: Australia has agency and can use its power to influence events  to deter some Chinese Communist Party behaviours, to support allies, to shape some regional institutions and events, to defend itself and to strike the enemy where necessary. But it needs a cohesive national security strategy to bring these strengths together and build on them.

The fact that Australia  unlike many other developed countries  does not have a national security strategy might surprise the public, but its true. The late Liberal Senator Jim Molan, a former army major general, pressed his leader, Scott Morrison, for three years to produce such a policy. He was ignored.

A national security policy is much more than a shopping list of defence equipment. As we explored in part two of Red Alert, Australias critical infrastructure assets  its ports, electricity grid, communications networks  are vulnerable to attack. So are its military bases. If imports were blocked, Australia would run out of petrol, diesel and aviation gas within a month or two, and pharmaceuticals in six to 12 months.

Military strategist Mick Ryan says it is vital the nations policymakers reject the cult of the offensive that has dominated strategic thinking for decades. We have to be able to defend ourselves, he says. Australias vital national assets  including its military bases  need to be hardened now against missile, drone and cyberattack. An urgent plan is also needed to protect the dozen or so undersea fibre optic cables that connect us to the global internet and communications systems.

Seebeck makes the point that Australia needs to stockpile ammunition. The rate of expenditure of munitions in Ukraine is fairly indicative of the way that were going to have to deal with future conflict. And were really unprepared for that.

Ready-made solutions

Another defensive option is sea mines: underwater explosives that can blow up encroaching vessels. Jennings says: Sea mines are a great example of cheap systems that are able to be deployed by many different methods, from expensive submarines to fishing trawlers, or pushed out the back of aircraft  and now with such smarts that they can pick the ship they want to destroy, they sit on the bottom and rise to the surface, all sorts of really clever things. Its a testament to the way Defence has done business for so many years that they were almost completely off the agenda until 2020.

US Navy submarine USS Santa Fe joins Royal Australian Navy Collins-class submarines in formation, as an MH-60R Seahawk flies overhead in the West Australian Exercise Area. Credit:LSIS Richard Cordell/ navy.gov.au

The government says it is planning Australias first significant investment in sea mines in decades, but has not yet released any detail.

Australias most pressing need is medium- and long-range strike weapons. Our missile cupboard is remarkably bare. The panel is clear: we need as much strike power as possible, as soon as possible, to deter a potential attack from China or another nation.

We should have long-range surface-to-water missiles, says Finkel. We should have surface-to-air missiles.

Jennings is blunt about the reason Australia needs strike power: I want us to think about what can we do which gives us a capacity, at the furthest projection from our shores, to be able to sink the Chinese Navy and to bring down their aircraft? If weve got that capacity that will be useful in a whole variety of different ways, including against other potential adversaries as well.

The Albanese government announced in January it was buying 20 land-based High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers from the United States, but more is needed. Jennings points to Tomahawk missiles  a long-range cruise missile used by the US and UK navies for land-attack operations  as a capability Australia should buy. Another is the SM6, the only weapon that can perform anti-air warfare, ballistic missile defence and anti-surface warfare missions.

Finkel brings up the latest birthday present he received from his kids  an autonomous underwater drone, essentially a robot submarine.

For every one of these [AUKUS] submarines that were going to get 20 years from now, you could probably develop and build 1000 autonomous torpedoes with fairly long ranges because you dont have to keep human beings alive or anything like that. Finkel explains.

He cites the Boeing-made Orca, a 16-metre-long robot sub with a 10,000-kilometre range that can conduct underwater spying, mine sweeping and attack. It can run for several months at a time. Other countries are developing similar drone subs, with the Germans planning the worlds biggest yet.

As well as autonomous underwater vehicles, Jennings argues there is an urgent need to invest in armed drones.

We need autonomous systems everywhere, he says. The US military has been using armed drones for two decades, and they have played a crucial role on the battlefield in Ukraine. Yet Australia does not yet possess lethal drone technology after the Morrison government scrapped an armed drone program, known as SkyGuardian, last year.

The ADF has been extraordinarily resistant to autonomous systems, says Ryan, pointing to a deep-seated bias in favour of submarines, frigates, bombers and helicopters. Were a long way behind the rest of the world and there are lots of Australian companies that can do this.

The price of living in a really difficult neighbourhood

Finkel argues Australia could be a world leader in defence innovation  like it is in clean energy and biomedicine. Yes, we should build frigates or missiles or drones or autonomous underwater torpedoes, but we should do them as standalone projects rather than trying to create jobs in Adelaide by taking an existing good product and cracking it apart and wrecking it, he says.

One avenue might actually be a part of AUKUS  but not the submarines. The expert group unanimously embraces the opportunity offered by AUKUSs so-called Pillar Two, which is a US-UK-Australian collaboration on advanced technology, including quantum computing, quantum communications, artificial intelligence and hypersonics.

French soldiers loading a French Reaper drone with two GBU 12 missiles on Niamey airbase, Niger. Credit:Malaury Buis/EMA/DICOD via AP

I look at AUKUS Pillar Two, and thats the kind of thing that we should be focusing on for now, says Lavina Lee, a Macquarie University expert on foreign policy and international security.

I think thats something thats been underrated. Perhaps were capable of achieving that in the next three to five years and that could actually make a difference if we do have a war with China. The nuclear submarines are just way out there. We shouldnt even be thinking about it.

To spur longer-term innovation, the panellists call on the Australian government to create a local version of Americas acclaimed Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The agency  which prides itself on taking big risks and having a high tolerance for failure  has played a crucial role in the development of weather satellites, GPS, drones, stealth technology, voice interfaces, the personal computer and the internet.

Labor promised to create an Australian version of DARPA at last years election but has not turned it into a reality. Seebeck stresses the agency should be based outside of Canberra  probably in Sydney or Melbourne  to give it as much independence from the defence bureaucracy as possible.

All this would not come cheap. Including the cost of the AUKUS submarine project, the experts say national defence spending likely needs to double to accomplish the necessary upgrades. This would take defence spending as a proportion of gross domestic product from 2 per cent currently to 4 per cent.

That would lift the defence budget from $40 billion a year to $80 billion, explains Jennings. Obviously, we cant do that in a year, but thats the price of living in a really difficult neighbourhood.

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Such an increase sounds huge but would put Australia in lockstep with Japan, which has announced it would double its military spending over the next five years to counter threats posed by China and North Korea. Australias greatest ally, the United States, is no longer the worlds sole superpower, meaning the nation will need to take more responsibility for its own defence.

The experts stress the point of their proposals is not to make Australia bellicose. The aim is to make conflict less likely through deterrence. Rather than terrified, they want Australians to feel galvanised to act before its too late.

There is much we can do as a nation in the realms of alliance diplomacy, economics, information, intelligence and the military, the panel says in its joint communique. The clock is ticking. It is time to get to work.

Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter here.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has become personally involved in the high-profile workplace dispute between independent MP Monique Ryan and her former chief of staff, Sally Rugg, that is headed for trial in the Federal Court.

The involvement of the nations chief law officer in the case  which is centred around whether Rugg was mistreated for refusing to work unreasonable hours  reflects the potential significance for other government and public service employees who routinely work excessive hours. It also appears to have made the prospect of a pre-trial settlement unlikely.

Mark Dreyfus has become personally involved in the dispute between Independent MP Monique Ryan (left) and her former chief of staff Sally Rugg (right). Credit: Jason South/Alex Ellinghausen

As the minister responsible for overseeing the case, Dreyfus is at arms length from any negotiations between the parties but his approval is required for any settlement. Multiple sources with knowledge of the case said the Commonwealth rejected a proposal from Ruggs legal team to resolve the dispute for about $280,000.

It was a big amount, a source familiar with the Commonwealths thinking said.
4. Our assessment of the risk of war is based on President Xi Jinpings aggressive stance and rapid military build-up. China has growing capability and sense of entitlement. The balance of military power is moving in Chinas favour. President Xi has been clear about his ambitions. Beijings actions in the South China Sea and Hong Kong are examples of its revisionism. The new threat assessment by Japan and the doubling of its defence budget is an example of how other countries see the risk rising. 5. We assess the likelihood of war within three years because a tipping point is about to be reached. Beijing will have military superiority over the US in the Taiwan Strait because China has focused on strengthening its offence and defence in this theatre for several decades, and partly because the US and other countries need to rebuild their stocks of munitions dispatched to Ukraine. Xi judges China to have greater political will than the US and its allies. Yet Xi must fear that this advantage could be temporary as Chinas population shrinks and its economy slows. This window of opportunity will not be open for long. Xi may be tempted to strike at the moment of greatest opportunity. A weakening China is no less dangerous. 6. Beijing covets Taiwan. With each passing year Beijing intensifies its military intimidation of the island. Any attack on Taiwan is neither a marginal matter nor a local one. If successful, it would strike at the heart of global norms that have underpinned international security and prosperity. Global autocracy would be strengthened and liberty wounded. Japan would be in direct threat, the US military at risk of direct attack at its bases in the region. South-East Asia and the Pacific island states could then be dominated by Beijing. Australias commercial and security lifelines to the world would operate only at Beijings pleasure. Australia would be highly vulnerable to economic coercion, military intrusion or both. Its sovereignty would be conditional on Xis policies towards a subject power. 7. An attack on Taiwan is the subject of most speculation but not the only scenario which would threaten Australias security and prosperity. Australia must not prepare itself for a single scenario. Instead, it must put a priority on flexibility to deal with many contingencies. Democracies rarely predict their next war, and the next war is guaranteed not to be like the last.

8. Australia must prepare itself. Most important of all is a psychological shift. Urgency must replace complacency. The recent decades of tranquillity were not the norm in human affairs but an aberration. Australias holiday from history is over. Australians should not feel afraid but be alert to the threats we face, the tough decisions we must make and know that they have agency. This mobilisation of mindset is the essential prerequisite to any successful confrontation of China. 9. Australia has many vulnerabilities. It has long and exposed connections to the rest of the world  sea, air and undersea  yet is incapable of protecting them. So its dependency on imports of essentials  including fuel, pharmaceuticals, electronics and weaponry  could be a fatal weakness in a crisis. This was exposed in World War II yet remains unaddressed. Some critical infrastructure, including the electricity grid, is vulnerable to cyberattack. Australias military bases are unprotected and could be disabled quickly. Australia has no long-range military strike power to protect its approaches or hold an enemy at a distance. Overarching all else, it has no national security policy to deal with these vulnerabilities. 10. Australia has many strengths, some unique. It is much more than a middle power. Its diffidence constrains its potential. Its advantages outstrip its ambitions. Uniquely in command of an entire continent and unthreatened by any immediate neighbour, it has great wealth of every variety. It is a global superpower in production of food and energy. Its people are among the most educated and capable on Earth. We are inventive and enterprising. Australia has a robust democratic system and rule of law. It has living standards among the very highest anywhere, at any time in human history. Uniquely, it combines the oldest surviving culture on Earth, the liberties bestowed by its British-derived system of government and the richness of the most multicultural population of any developed nation. It is intensely networked with other countries at the family, community, commercial, professional and strategic levels, including its military alliance with the US and its growing cooperation with Japan, Britain, India and NATO, among others. Australia has agency and can use its power to influence events  to deter some Chinese Communist Party (CCP) behaviours, to support allies, to shape some regional institutions and events, to defend itself and to strike the enemy where necessary.

11. However, it has no national strategy to build on these strengths. Australia must equip itself for the age of crisis. It should plan for war in the near, medium and long term, understanding that a stronger Australia would help deter conflict by raising the risks and costs of war for the CCP. The key to avoiding conflict is deterrence. 12. For the near term, the priority must be on building strength and resilience with utmost speed. Cyber systems, satellites and global supply lines are the likely first victims of any crisis. Australias cyber defences need urgent attention, not a 10-year rollout. Supply lines and systems designed for a finely tuned world of just-in-time delivery are obsolete. Domestic manufacture and inventory may be more costly, yet are the price of resilience. Military bases must be hardened. 13. Australias failure to arm itself with long-range strike missiles and provide robust missile and drone defence should be corrected as a high priority. It should emphasise quick and nimble supply of capability over big and yearslong programs. Drones for delivering explosives, for instance. 14. Even if the US were to agree to supply more weapons to Australia in a crisis, they would likely take at least six months to arrive. But if the US is occupied with the same crisis, it might not have any surplus to supply. Australia needs to stockpile weapons and systems accordingly. Australia urgently needs a plan to protect the dozen or so undersea fibre-optic cables that connect it to the global internet and communications systems and to invest in fallbacks such as hardened satellite communications.

15. Instead of using defence procurement as industry policy by another name, Australia needs a careful rethinking. In an urgent crisis, survival must take priority over domestic industry. For our most urgent needs, we should not be Australianising gear bought overseas to create jobs. To procure weapons and systems needed urgently, an off-the-shelf import usually will be better than a slower, custom-made local equivalent. And an off-the-shelf import will always be better than Australianised products that achieve Australian requirements at the expense of other capabilities in the original product. Domestic manufacture can be suitable to supply medium and longer-term needs. We need to be disciplined about telling the difference. 16. For the medium term, the priorities should be strengthening international influence through partnerships, building more durable resilience, developing technological and industrial capacity, and creating extra scale and lethality of military power. Australia has shown that it can develop technological leadership in medical research and clean energy; it should translate the systems for doing so into military and dual-use fields. Its universities are a source of fundamental research and should be encouraged. In addition, the federal government should create an Australian version of the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), incubator of the internet, among other inventions. Promised by the Albanese government, such an agency has yet to materialise. It should be located outside Canberra. 17. Australia should exploit the technological promise of the AUKUS agreement. While the submarines are its better known part, Pillar Two is the more timely  it brings the US, UK and Australia together to develop for military use quantum computing, quantum communication, artificial intelligence, hypersonics and autonomous vehicles. 18. The national defence effort, as measured by defence spending, likely needs to be doubled to accomplish the necessary upgrades. It currently sits around the equivalent of 2 per cent of GDP and probably will need to be increased to the equivalent of 4 per cent. This is not expensive if it equips Australia to remain sovereign and free. Australia spent as much as 40 per cent of GDP equivalent in World War II.

19. In the long term, the AUKUS agreements Pillar One  for the US and UK to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines  could prove useful. The submarines are intended to give Australia the ability to threaten Chinas territory directly, increasing Australian coercive power and thus strengthening deterrence. However, its long gestation makes it irrelevant to near-term war. It should not be factored into any assessment of Australias ability to deter or coerce China in the high-risk phase of the next three years. There is always the risk that anti-submarine technologies in the future will render nuclear-propelled submarines less useful, However, based on reasonable and foreseeable trends, these submarines will be of enormous strategic value in the longer term. 20. Australia should be prepared to break political taboos to survive a confrontation with an aggressive great power. Other countries have introduced, or reintroduced, compulsory national service to boost the peoples preparedness. This can be civil or military, or both, and it can be voluntary or mandatory. It need not be limited to young people. Australia should consider some variety of this option, using the strength and energy of Australians to build national resilience in our economy, society and critical infrastructure. Another option, only to be considered in the most extreme circumstances, would be basing US long-range missiles armed with nuclear weapons on Australian territory if the US were interested in doing so. Such a policy of nuclear weapons sharing is a standard part of the NATO alliance. Such a decision would violate Australias existing treaty commitments  and so should not be made lightly  but it would provide a compelling deterrence against attack. Loading 21. In addressing the threat from China, Australia must distinguish rigorously between the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese-Australian people. The CCP is Australias strategic rival and greatest threat; the Chinese-Australian people are fellow Australians and valued citizens.
As governments around the world set their sights on TikTok, the company is defending itself with what it does best  distraction.

Last week, TikTok chief operating officer Vanessa Pappas said that social media apps needed industry-wide legislation and that calls for TikTok to be banned were xenophobic.

Vanessa Pappas, the Australian-born chief operating officer at TikTok, claims criticism of the platform is xenophobic. Credit: Bloomberg

Should there be national legislation? The answer is yes, but it should not be held to companies based on where theyre located, the Australian-born executive told the Upfront Summit in Los Angeles. It has to be an industry-wide conversation and not predicated on some xenophobia that were seeing.

Pappas is right to point to industry-wide problems. Most major social media apps, regardless of their country of origin, pose risks of data-harvesting and content-manipulation to influence public opinion, sowing discord, or even tilting an election  which are the main national security concerns about TikTok.
Bangkok: A Thai man has been sentenced to two years in prison for selling calendars featuring satirical cartoons of yellow ducks that a court said mocked the countrys monarch, a legal aid group said.

Bangkoks Criminal Court ruled that the calendar for 2021 contained pictures of yellow ducks in poses resembling and ridiculing King Maha Vajiralongkorn, diminishing his reputation, the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said.

A boy lies on an inflatable yellow duck, a symbol of the protest movement, during a rally in Bangkok in 2020. Credit: AP

The defendant was charged under the countrys lese-majeste law, which provides for three to 15 years imprisonment for anyone who defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir apparent or the regent.

The legal aid group said the 26-year-old defendant, whom it identified by the nickname Ton Mai, had his sentence reduced to two years because he cooperated with the court.
US Senator clashes with Federal Reserve boss

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Death is often just as much of a beginning as an ending. This is true for the family at the center of Crumbs From the Table of Joy, an early play by Lynn Nottage now receiving a heartfelt revival from Keen Company at Theatre Row.

Crumbs begins in 1950 with the death of Sandra Crump, wife of Godfrey (Jason Bowen) and mother of Ernestine (Shanel Bailey) and Ermina (a hilarious Malika Samuel). Bereft, Godfrey falls under the sway of the charismatic preacher Father Divine and decides to move his family from Pensacola to Brooklyn to be closer to his peace mission. Godfreys austere, God-fearing household is disrupted by the arrival of Sandras sister Lily (Sharina Martin), a self-described Communist in a gorgeously tailored red suit. Skeptical of Father Divine but always up for a party, she is determined to fill the maternal void left by her late sister. This plan is complicated when Godfrey meets Gerte (Natalia Payne), a recent immigrant from Germany looking to make her own fresh start.

First produced at Second Stage in 1995, Crumbs is an early work from Nottage, penned long before she won Pulitzer Prizes for Ruined and Sweat. As in those later plays, Nottage displays a shrewd understanding of the beautiful contradictions of existence. Big ideas enter the Crump household, but they do not drive the plot. Rather, they offer color and context to a truthful depiction of messy human motivation, in which characters may not be entirely honest with themselves. Under Colette Roberts sensitive direction, the actors deliver memorable three-dimensional performances, bringing vibrant color to an era too often cast in black-and-white.

The story is filtered through the memories of Ernestine, whom Bailey convincingly inhabits both as a teenager and a much older woman looking back at her formative years. Warm and engaging as a narrator, it is from her imagination that much of the magic of this play springs.

Like a Black Mame Dennis, Lily is both outrageous and delightful to watch, supported by Martins larger-than-life performance. She upbraids Gerte for making the girls feel like servants in their own house, yet sees no hypocrisy in demanding Ernestine bring her an ashtray just minutes later. But honestly, who wants to watch a character whose actions perfectly comply with their finely cultivated opinions?

Little is said about Gertes backstory, but Paynes haunted expression and steely determination tells us all we need to know: She has seen horrible things and shes going to make this new American life work, because shes never going back.

Bowen delivers a remarkable performance as a father with big plans for his progeny, bringing specificity and personality to the larger story of the Great Migration. My gals are going to have the best. Theyre gonna rise above you and I, he tells Lily. Clad in a three-piece suit (which he wears to work the late shift at a bakery) and clinging to his copy of the New York Times, Godfrey is driven by the same impulse that convinces people to design and build cathedrals they will never see completed. He firmly believes that the choices he makes today will reverberate through the generations, which makes his dance with temptation thrilling to watch.

Brendan Gonzales Bostons set is a fine example of how to enhance the tone of a play on an off-Broadway budget: The spartan basement emphasizes the things indelibly burned into Ernestines memory (a framed photo of Father Divine, a dress model, a single high window) while also conveying the oppressive abstinence on her life in Brooklyn. Johanna Pans costumes are similarly excellent, with Lilys suit immediately making a big splash. Anshuman Bhatias lighting helps to create some of the dramatic asides and alternate realities that make Crumbs such a fun watch. And Broken Chords sound design brings the outside world into the small apartment  especially the sound of televisions from neighboring apartments, a great source of covetousness for the girls who have to make do with a standing radio.

An underappreciated gem from an incredibly talented dramatist, Crumbs From the Table of Joy is the kind of play that Keen Company does best. The company makes a meal out of Crumbs with this outstanding revival, giving it a much-deserved second look in New York.
Moreover, the Cabinet chief extended greetings to all women in the country, highlighting their efforts and sacrifices in the fight to bring peace, tranquility and, above all, progress to their homes.

"I think that, on a special day like International Women's Day, we should reflect on the same perception about the need to work together towards the unity and peace of the country," Otarola stated.

According to the head of the Ministerial Cabinet, the aforementioned event has been important for Peru, as it has served to restore the confidence of foreign investors and relaunch its economy .

At PDAC 2023, Otarola highlighted Peru's investment opportunities and fiscal sustainability before leaders of the world's mining sector, who gathered at said event.





"Peru is a safe country for investment and offers great opportunities in mining and energy on a global scale. This is guaranteed by our country's macroeconomic fundamentals, which foreign investors can continue to trust," he said at a meeting with foreign investors, representatives of Canadian industries, among others.
YEREVAN, MARCH 8, ARMENPRESS. The EU remains concerned that the continuing disruption to freedom of movement through the Lachin corridor is affecting human rights in Nagorno Karabakh, including rights to health, education and food, ARMENPRESS reports, the official website of the EU said in a statement.

The EU calls on the Azerbaijani authorities and all responsible to guarantee freedom and security of movement along the corridor, in line with the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020, and to abide by the order of the International Court of Justice of 22 February 2023. The EU urges Azerbaijan and Armenia to continue to engage in dialogue, including at the leaders level. We look forward to continuation of President of the European Council Michel facilitated peace process, reads the statement.
YEREVAN, MARCH 8, ARMENPRESS. Today, Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), is circulating a letter for his colleagues to sign outlining key congressional priorities for Armenia and Artsakh. The letter, to be sent to House State Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Ranking Member Barbara Lee (D-CA), specifically calls for $100 million in aid to Armenia, $50 million in aid to Artsakh, $2 million for demining efforts, as well as enforcing Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, and releasing Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians who were supposed to be freed under the terms of the trilateral statement signed in November 2020, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Armenian Assembly of America.

Citing Azerbaijan's "inhumane" and illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which is now in its third month, the letter emphasized that the region's Armenian people are "on the brink of a humanitarian crisis" that "threatens to have lasting consequences on the region's security."

While the Armenian people are still trying to recover from the "severe hardships caused by the deadly 44-day war" that Azerbaijan, with the full and open support of Turkey, waged on Artsakh in September 2020, the letter highlighted that these ongoing "cruel actions" of blockading the Lachin Corridor and denying access to medical treatments, food, and essential goods, have created "overwhelming needs" and therefore "the assistance provided to date by the U.S. government is wholly insufficient."

In order to bolster the security of Armenia and champion democracy in the region, the letter also urges assistance to Armenia to "protect their sovereignty" in the face of constant "Azerbaijani expansion and authoritarianism." The "critical investment" will build on the past support for Armenia and Artsakh and further strengthen U.S.-Armenia relations and partnerships.

Cutting off military assistance to Azerbaijan is another point underscored in the letter, which states that it is "abundantly clear that the continued waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, amidst Azerbaijans unabated policy of aggression, has emboldened this violent pattern of behavior."

Tracing President Ilham Aliyev's brutal 2020 assault on Artsakh not long after receiving over $100 million in security assistance through the Section 333 Building Partner Capacity Program in Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019, the letter states that "holding Azerbaijan accountable is long overdue and must begin with Congress encouraging the Administration to fully enforce Section 907, restricting the Administrations authority to waive this law, and enacting statutory prohibitions on any new or pending U.S. military or security aid to Azerbaijan."

Despite agreeing to the terms of the trilateral statement, Azerbaijan continues to detain over 130 Armenian prisoners of war, hostages, and detained persons, and the letter urges their immediate return.

"The Assembly urges Members of Congress to join this important initiative spearheaded by Congressman Pallone and the Armenian Caucus," said Assembly Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan. "Securing aid for Armenia and Artsakh, stopping military assistance to Azerbaijan, and ensuring the release of Armenian prisoners of war are vital. With so much at stake as the Armenian people face a humanitarian crisis and genocidal threats to their very existence, we urge the community to join with us for our upcoming Advocacy Summit and make our voices heard in the halls of Congress." Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
YEREVAN, MARCH 8, ARMENPRESS. The role of the US in the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement process is not mediation, no text will be imposed on the parties. ARMENPRESS reports Louis Bono, the American co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the senior adviser of the US State Department on negotiations in the South Caucasus, told "Azatutyun" radio station.

"Our role in this process is not mediation. We are not here to impose a text, to wrap conditions around the neck of either side. What we are trying to do is facilitate peace. I mean, we want the parties themselves to work out the text and the terms and agree on them together. They must work on it together, because any lasting, sustainable and balanced peace must come from both sides. It cannot come from a third party, from outside," said Bono.
Batavia, NY (14020)

Today

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 44F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers overnight. Low 44F. Winds SW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
GLOBALink | What impresses foreign diplomats during China's 'two sessions' Pub Date:23-03-08 09:53 Source:Xinhua The "two sessions" underway in Beijing are not only of great significance in China's political calendar, but also closely watched internationally. Xinhua's Wu Yao talked with foreign ambassadors to check out what topics they care about this year. #GLOBALink

Produced by Xinhua Global Service Editor:Zheng Chen

Related News People's congress system displays tremendo... China's national legislature holds 2nd ple... NPC deputies interviewed before 2nd plenar... CPPCC National Committee members from Anhu...
Today, Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), is circulating a letter for his colleagues to sign outlining key congressional priorities for Armenia and Artsakh. The letter, to be sent to House State Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Ranking Member Barbara Lee (D-CA), specifically calls for $100 million in aid to Armenia, $50 million in aid to Artsakh, $2 million for demining efforts, as well as enforcing Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, and releasing Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians who were supposed to be freed under the terms of the trilateral statement signed in November 2020, informed the Armenian Assembly of America.

March 8, 2023, 12:17 Frank Fallon calls on the House of Representatives to allocate 100 million USD to Armenia, 50 million USD to Artsakh

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 8, ARTSAKHPRESS: Citing Azerbaijan's "inhumane" and illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which is now in its third month, the letter emphasized that the region's Armenian people are "on the brink of a humanitarian crisis" that "threatens to have lasting consequences on the region's security."

While the Armenian people are still trying to recover from the "severe hardships caused by the deadly 44-day war" that Azerbaijan, with the full and open support of Turkey, waged on Artsakh in September 2020, the letter highlighted that these ongoing "cruel actions" of blockading the Lachin Corridor and denying access to medical treatments, food, and essential goods, have created "overwhelming needs" and therefore "the assistance provided to date by the U.S. government is wholly insufficient."

In order to bolster the security of Armenia and champion democracy in the region, the letter also urges assistance to Armenia to "protect their sovereignty" in the face of constant "Azerbaijani expansion and authoritarianism." The "critical investment" will build on the past support for Armenia and Artsakh and further strengthen U.S.-Armenia relations and partnerships.

Cutting off military assistance to Azerbaijan is another point underscored in the letter, which states that it is "abundantly clear that the continued waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, amidst Azerbaijans unabated policy of aggression, has emboldened this violent pattern of behavior."

Tracing President Ilham Aliyev's brutal 2020 assault on Artsakh not long after receiving over $100 million in security assistance through the Section 333 Building Partner Capacity Program in Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019, the letter states that "holding Azerbaijan accountable is long overdue and must begin with Congress encouraging the Administration to fully enforce Section 907, restricting the Administrations authority to waive this law, and enacting statutory prohibitions on any new or pending U.S. military or security aid to Azerbaijan."

Despite agreeing to the terms of the trilateral statement, Azerbaijan continues to detain over 130 Armenian prisoners of war, hostages, and detained persons, and the letter urges their immediate return.

"The Assembly urges Members of Congress to join this important initiative spearheaded by Congressman Pallone and the Armenian Caucus," said Assembly Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan. "Securing aid for Armenia and Artsakh, stopping military assistance to Azerbaijan, and ensuring the release of Armenian prisoners of war are vital. With so much at stake as the Armenian people face a humanitarian crisis and genocidal threats to their very existence, we urge the community to join with us for our upcoming Advocacy Summit and make our voices heard in the halls of Congress." Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have both been invited to the coronation. (Reuters)

British people are more likely to say Meghan Markle should stay away from King Charles's coronation  but would be happy to see Prince Harry attend, according to a new poll.

The Bloomberg and Deltapoll survey revealed 41% of Brits were keen for Harry to be at the event in May, with 37% saying he shouldnt go, and a further 22% saying they did not know.

When asked if they wanted to see the Duchess of Sussex accompany him, 39% said they wanted her there, while 43% thought she should stay home.

A spokesperson for the Sussexes confirmed that they had been invited to the coronation but did not say if they would be attending.

Read more: 'It's revenge'  How people have reacted to Harry and Meghan eviction

The Royal Family pictured in 2018. (Reuters)

It comes after the couple confirmed they had been asked to leave their Frogmore Cottage home in Windsor just weeks after Harrys autobiography Spare was released.

Last week, it emerged the King had offered the keys to Frogmore Cottage to Prince Andrew, who it is believed has been told by his brother to leave his nearby Royal Lodge residence by this autumn.

The decision is likely to be interpreted as a major rebuke by Charles to his son, who since moving to North America in 2020 has criticised the monarchy and individuals within the institution.

Harry and Meghans favourability rating with the British public has been on a downward trend since 2018, according to YouGov.

Recent polling showed how their popularity in the UK had declined particularly since the release of the prince's book.

Read more: Prince Harry could lose another royal role after Frogmore Cottage eviction

Prince Harry and Meghan have criticised the monarchy and individuals within the institution. (Reuters)

The YouGov tracker showed only a quarter of Brits (24%) think positively of Harry, while 68% have a negative opinion of him  giving him his lowest ever favourability rating of -44.

Meghan performs even worse, with a positive rating of 22% and a negative rating of 68%, giving her a net favourability of -46.

Across all age groups, only Prince Andrew beats Meghan and Harry in the unpopularity stakes.

Story continues

The survey showed even fewer Brits (46%) wanted the disgraced Andrew at the coronation, with 36% saying he should be there and 17% unsure.

King Charles's coronation will take place on the morning of Saturday 6 May.

It will be held at the historic Westminster Abbey, where the ceremony has taken place for the last 900 years.

Camilla, the Queen Consort, will also be crowned alongside the King, using the Queen Mary Crown.
23 Face Domestic Terror Charges Over Attack on New Georgia Police Training Center

Video footage released on March 5, 2023, shows left-wing rioters throwing fireworks and Molotov cocktails at officers in Atlanta, Georgia. (Atlanta Police Department/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

The Atlanta Police Department arrested and charged 23 individuals with domestic terrorism after they set fire to construction equipment at a new police training facility and threw rocks, bricks, and fireworks at police officers on Sunday.

Among those arrested was Thomas Jurgens, a lawyer and employee of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a non-profit organization that documents extremist activity.

On March 5, 2023, a group of violent agitators used the cover of a peaceful protest of the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center to conduct a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers, the Atlanta Police Department said of the arrest. They changed into black clothing and entered the construction area and began to throw large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at police officers.

Videos shared on social media showed members of the riotous crowd vandalizing and burning construction equipment and throwing rocks and fireworks at police officers.

The Atlanta Police Department said it detained a total of 35 people and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) subsequently charged 23 with domestic terrorism, including Jurgens.

The SPLC confirmed Jurgenss arrest in a statement on Monday, saying he was merely acting as a legal observer on behalf of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) at the time.

An employee at the SPLC was arrested while acting  and identifying  as a legal observer on behalf of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG), the SPLC statement read. The employee is an experienced legal observer, and their arrest is not evidence of any crime, but of heavy-handed law enforcement intervention against protesters.

At a Monday Atlanta City Council meeting, law enforcement officials shared footage of individuals near the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center changing out of clothes they had worn moments earlier during the violent riot and said the footage showed that attackers were attempting to pass themselves off as attendees of a nearby music festival.

Events that are shown to be peaceful and being publicized as being peaceful are being used by individuals as cover to launch illegal and criminal attacks, said Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum.

Construction equipment set on fire by a group protesting the planned public safety training center in Atlanta on March 4, 2023. (Atlanta Police Department via AP)

Escalating Violence

The under-construction police training facility, known as the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, has been the site of ongoing protests. Opponents of the new training facility have referred to it as Cop City and have formed the Stop Cop City movement in response.

The Stop Cop City movement has seen activists attempt to block efforts to cut down trees to clear space for the new facility. By late 2021, some activists began living in trees to prevent certain trees from being cut down, slowing progress to clear and develop the land.

In December, GBI arrested and charged five activists with domestic terrorism after allegedly finding explosive devices, gasoline, and road flares in their tree sites.

In January, police killed an activist after an exchange of gunfire while attempting to clear protesters out of the area. Georgia law enforcement officials said the activist, Manuel Esteban Paez Teran, opened fire, injuring a Georgia state trooper. State troopers then returned fire, killing Teran.

The Monday SPLC statement made no mention of the attacks on police officers and destruction of construction equipment that preceded Jurgens arrest but described his arrest as part of a pattern of escalating behavior by police against the Stop Cop City activists.

This is part of a months-long escalation of policing tactics against protesters and observers who oppose the destruction of the Weelaunee Forest to build a police training facility, the SPLC statement read. The SPLC has and will continue to urge de-escalation of violence and police use of force against Black, Brown and Indigenous communities  working in partnership with these communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements and advance the human rights of all people.

NTD News reached out to the SPLC for further comment, but the organization did not respond before this article was published.

Defend the Atlanta Forest, an organization affiliated with the Stop Cop City movement, released a statement on Monday saying the police response to the events that occurred the day before only reaffirmed their arguments for opposing the new police training center. The organization claimed the 35 individuals that police arrested were part of a music festival protesting the new police training center and had no connection to or awareness of the violent clash going on near the construction site.

Cop City will never be a legitimate project. It continues to be widely opposed by Atlantans, Defend the Atlanta Forest said, quoting an anonymous organizer. The civil rights violations committed by police yesterday reaffirms that this cop training facility should never be built. We stand steadfast in our conviction to build a new world in which all people are safe from police terror.

From NTD News.
4 Dead After 2 Planes Collide Over Central Florida Lake: Officials

Four people have died after two aircraft collided over Lake Hartridge in Winter Haven, Florida, on March 7, law enforcement officials said.

Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Polk County Chief of Staff Steve Lester said police received a phone call about two planes that were involved in an in-air collision over the lake at around 2:04 p.m. local time.

The Polk County chief of staff said one of the planes was a Piper J-3 Cub seaplane operated by Jack Browns Seaplane Base in Winter Haven, and the other was a Cherokee Piper 161 fixed-wing plane operated by Sunrise Aviation on behalf of Polk State College.

After arriving on scene, police found one of the planes was partially submerged in the lake and another 21 feet underwater, Lester said. Multiple agencies, including Winter Haven Police, Winter Haven Fire, and Polk County Fire Rescue, assisted in the search for the victims, he said.

It happened above this lake and it was an in-air collision, both planes immediately went to the ground, to the water, Lester said, noting that the lake is located just behind the airport.

The Polk County official could not provide further details regarding what caused the crash, citing the ongoing investigation.

Victims Identified

He added that the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident, while local police are interviewing witnesses.

The Polk County Sheriffs Office identified the victims as Faith Irene Baker, 24, a pilot and flight instructor with Sunrise Aviation; Zachary Jean Mace, 19, a student at Polk State College, and Randall Elbert Crawford, 67, from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, as three of the people who died in the collision.

Deputies are working to confirm the identity of a fourth deceased person, officials said.

All four of the located individuals were the only occupants of the two planes, according to the sheriffs office, and law enforcement teams are no longer conducting a search and rescue operation but a recovery operation, they said.

Baker and Mace were in a Cherokee Piper 161, while Crawford and the fourth victim were in a Piper J-3 Cub, according to the sheriffs office.

My heart goes out to the families and friends of those who were killed in todays crash. The NTSB and FAA will be investigating the cause and circumstances of the collision, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement. Please keep the families in your prayers during this difficult and stressful time.

Devastated by This Tragedy

Shortly after three of the four victims were identified, Polk State College said in a statement that it was mourning the loss of student pilot Mace and flight instructor Baker.

Our Polk State College family is devastated by this tragedy, Polk State President Angela Garcia Falconetti said. We extend our deepest condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues.

Falconetti added that the college is providing support to students on its campuses, by phone, and through a virtual assistance program.

Winter Haven Police also called on members of the public to avoid boating in Lake Hartridge as law enforcement officials continue to probe the area.

Recovery efforts of the downed aircraft continue and with the late hour of the evening, it continues to be challenging, police said. Additionally, we ask for citizens to please refrain from going to the Lake Hartridge Boat Ramp to include the Lake Hartridge Nature Park due to the increased law enforcement activity.
There's a safe place to be found in the Hundred Acre Wood, and comfort for children and adults alike

Every adult knows that the world is a scary place. We try to shield our children in a safe environment that allows them to develop the confidence and assurance to, one day, confront this scariness. Children that lack this nurturing atmosphere sadly tend to learn maladaptive ways of dealing with the world.

Less obvious is that adults, too, sometimes need to experience the nostalgia of childhood to prevent being overwhelmed by cares and anxieties. Often, the best way to do this is by sharing the experience of an imaginary world with ones own child. And theres one author, more than any other, who captures the essence of both childhood hope and grown-up wistfulness.

The Birth of Pooh

Alan Alexander Milne was born in 1882 in England. He grew up in a boarding school, Henley House, that was run by his father; one of Milnes teachers was famous science fiction writer H.G. Wells. He found his first literary success as a humorist for Punch magazine before enlisting in World War I, during which he witnessed firsthand the horrors of the Somme. Although he had always been opposed to war, he became an ardent pacifist upon returning to Britain. After attaining prominence as a playwright, he achieved immortality when he turned his hand to childrens literature.

Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of when Milne published When We Were Very Young, the book of poetry that introduced the world to Christopher Robin. Only four poems in the collection are actually about him, while only one poem, Teddy Bear, hints at what would later become one of the most famous creations in all of childrens literature:

A bear, however hard he tries, Grows tubby without exercise. Our Teddy Bear is short and fat, Which is not to be wondered at; He gets what exercise he can By falling off the ottoman, But generally seems to lack The energy to clamber back.

Those who know anything about the life of Milne probably know that the characters were based on his own son, Christopher Robin, and the toys in his nursery. In physical appearance, Winnie the Pooh was based on the teddy bear of the son of the books illustrator, E.H. Shepard. In habit, however, it was the teddy bear the young Christopher took everywhere with him. The names Winnie and Pooh were taken, respectively, from a black bear at the London Zoo and a swan in Sussex, both of which Christopher was fond of.

When We Were Very Young was an instant bestseller, taking Milnes publisher by surprise. It was immediately recognized as the most important work of childrens literature since Alice in Wonderland. Three more books followed: another book of verse, Now We Are Six, and two prose collections, Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner.

Analyzing Pooh

Academic criticism has sought to explain Pooh through the lenses of every conceivable paradigm: Freudian, Marxist, Feminist, Taoist, and more. Milnes biographer, Ann Thwaite, summarized some of these theories: Chasing honey represents sexual cravings or the crass competition of the free market, Heffalumps are symbols of colonialism, and the Hundred Acre Wood is an anti-patriarchal paradise (A.A. Milne: The Man Behind Winnie-The-Pooh, Random House: New York, 1990). Theyre classic examples of reading into the text what you want to see. No other authorial creation of modern times has been subjected to such a mountain of conjectural baloney (although the Tao of Pooh, the most successful of these publications, has merit in the moral lessons it draws).

Since, all things being equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the right one, we can take the stories at face value for what they overtly depict: kindness, cooperation, freedom from constraints, and the spirit of adventure. The characters represent universal personality types: the neurotic Eeyore, the timid Piglet, the intellectually arrogant Owl, the zany outgoing Tigger, the bossy Rabbit, and the brainless Pooh. Their faults make them lovable, and their attempts to overcome them avoid caricature. Theres often an imaginary monsterHeffalump, Jagular, Backsonthat catalyzes a quest, forcing everyone to face their limitations. In the process, Piglet must demonstrate bravery, Rabbit realizes he cant control everything, and Owls pretensions are deflated. Pooh often speaks in rhymes and riddles, employing a strange dream logic that, while it gets him into trouble, expresses a deeper wisdom about how things should be.

Just when it seems that the group of animals is facing the end, Christopher Robin arrives to rescue them. Its Christopher Robin who plays the role of the responsible parent, making sure no harm comes to anyone and explaining how the world works. In Chapter 8 of Winnie-the-Pooh, he announces that theyre going on an expedition:

Were going to discover the North Pole. Oh! said Pooh again. What is the North Pole? he asked. Its just a thing you discover, said Christopher Robin carelessly, not being quite sure himself. Oh! I see, said Pooh. Are bears any good at discovering it? Of course they are!

After gathering everyone for the search, Pooh finds a long pole to help Roo out of a pool he had fallen in. Then they stick the pole in the ground. Christopher Robin ties a sign to it, convincing everyone that its the North Pole and that Pooh discovered it. The story demonstrates both the importance of helping others and the need to give children reassuring answers to lifes questions. Even when Christopher Robin is fallible (as all parents are), the animals find emotional comfort in accepting his explanations. Hes the ideal responsible authority figure.

The Afterlife of Pooh

Even after the series made him a wealthy international celebrity, Milne didnt change his modest lifestyle. He also refused to keep going after the fourth book. He wanted to be known as a playwright and serious novelist, not a childrens author. In his later years, he took pains to distance himself from the Pooh books, going so far as to state that he didnt like children. His son, Christopher Robin Milne, confirmed this in his own autobiography, where he described a childhood very different from the one portrayed in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Whether Milne liked children or was good with his own, its certainly the case that he understood them in a way that few adults ever have. Even more than capturing a childs mindset, he understood the adult need for fond memories. The Pooh books were devoured by presidents, royalty, and business leadersevery grown-up, high and low, saw something of their own early lives in the Hundred Acre Wood, where imagination is safe to roam. Although Milnes plays, novels, and other writings are long out of print, Winnie the Pooh will likely endure for as long as humanity does.

The closing sentence of The House at Pooh Corner, the final book in the series, remains an apt expression of Milnes legacy.

Wherever they go and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.
A Family of Three in China Die From Persecution One After Another

Falun Gong adherents hold a candlelight vigil in front of the Chinese Consulate to mark the 23 years of persecution by the Chinese Communist Party in Los Angeles on July 18, 2022. (Debora Cheng/The Epoch Times)

Zhang Jiuhai, a Beijing resident, died in early 2023, about one and half years after he was released from a 4-year prison term for practicing Falun Gong.

After Zhang was released from prison in May 2021, he struggled with poor health from the long-term torture he had endured while in custody, according to a Minghui.org report. Minghui is a U.S.-based online platform that reports on the CCPs persecution of Falun Gong in China. He was 56.

When he was first arrested in 2000 for practicing Falun Gong, he was only 33.

Zhang was predeceased by both of his parents. After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began to persecute Falun Gong in 1999, the three of them were arrested on numerous occasions, according to the report.

A Brutal Persecution

Falun Gong is a mind and body practice based on universal principles of truth, compassion, and tolerance. Since its introduction in 1992, the cultivation practice has benefited more than a hundred million practitioners worldwide.

However, Falun Gong believers have been subject to severe persecution by the regime.

On July 20, 1999, former CCP leader Jiang Zemin began the persecution of Falun Gong when the number of Chinese people practicing had grown larger than the CCP, and while people were enthusiastically embracing it across China.

After more than two decades of brutal persecution, an unknown number of practitioners have been persecuted to death.

Arrests and Torture

Before the four-year imprisonment, Zhang had been detained in labor camps four times for a total of seven years, according to the report.

For more than 20 years, Zhang and his parents suffered brutal persecution. They had their home ransacked and had their personal belongings stolen. They endured beatings.

In 2002, Zhang was sentenced to two years of forced labor. At one point he was tied up for 40 days. He went on a hunger strike and the guards extended it another 32 days, according to the report.

The guards receive awards if they are able to have a Falun Gong practitioner renounce their beliefs. At times they offer prisoners reduced sentences if they monitor or beat practitioners.

In 2003, Zhang was put into a special section for Falun Gong practitioners who refused to renounce their faith, according to the report. There he was subjected to intensified torture. The aim was to force him to renounce Falun Gong and follow communism.

In the special section, he was deprived of sleep and not allowed to drink water. For meals, he was given half of a steam bun and two pickles, according to Minghui.

Zhang was confined to sitting on a small chair. He would be beaten if he moved a little. Four ribs were broken and his right cheekbone was broken. When he refused to renounce Falun Gong, the sitting time was extended to 20 hours a day, the report said.

In 2008, Zhang was arrested again and put in another labor camp for two years.

On March 29, 2012, police arrested him again when he was distributing information on a bus about Falun Gong and the persecution by the CCP. He was sentenced to two years of forced labor at Xinan Forced Labor Camp, where he was forcibly fed with unknown drugs, according to the report.

Zhang was arrested again on May 8, 2017, according to the report. The police had stopped him when he went out. They ransacked his home and confiscated his laptop, printer, and Falun Gong books.

Zhangs mother passed away on Nov. 6, 2014, the Minghui report said.

Following Zhangs last arrest in May 2017, his father fell and broke a hip. He was unable to take care of himself. Meanwhile, Zhangs requests to be released to care for his father were rejected.

The elderly man died seven months later at home, according to the report.
Two Auburn museums will host lunchtime lectures over the next week, one of which is returning with a new twist.

The Seward House Museum will host Trinity Pawling historian John Taylor talking about former Secretary of State William H. Seward's relationship with China from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, March 10, at the New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center, 25 South St., Auburn. Taylor will also talk about how Seward received objects like the large silk embroidery still on display at the museum today.

The talk is free and open to the public. For more information, visit sewardhouse.org or call (315) 252-1283.

From noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 15, the Cayuga Museum of History & Art will revive its lunchtime lecture series as Out of the Attic at its Carriage House Theater at 203 Genesee St., Auburn.

The new series will feature local experts leading discussions using items from the museum's collection. It will begin with guest curator Megan Gillen leading a discussion about the stories told by clothing pieces that once belonged to Florence Snow Lee. Gillen developed the museum's current exhibit "Fabrication: Telling Stories Through Clothing" and researches the history of clothing and cosmetics.

Admission to Out of the Attic is $5 for the general public and free for museum members. Bringing bagged lunches is welcome. For more information, visit cayugamuseum.org or call (315) 253-8051.

Textile tales: Cayuga Museum reopening with clothing exhibit, fashion show The Cayuga Museum of History & Art will explore the storytelling power of clothing in its next featured exhibit, opening March 1.
Hotel business owner, Daniel Diaz, and Monica Romero, watch Shen Yun at the Cartuja Center Cite in Sevilla, Spain, on March 7, 2023. (Maya Marinova/The Epoch Times)

SEVILLA, SpainHotel business owner, Daniel Diaz, said he was impressed by the philosophy and spiritual nature of traditional Chinese culture after he watched Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Cartuja Center Cite on March 7.

[Shen Yun] awakens us a little that part thats being lost, spirituality and of knowing the nature, the culture, because Chinese culture is very much based on the philosophy of nature and life, said Mr. Diaz, who had made a 200-kilometer trip to see the performance.

It is a philosophy that is necessary to transmit. That is why it has been the part that has surprised us.

Traditional Chinese culture and its revival form the basis of Shen Yuns mission. From the companys classically trained dancers to its bel canto vocalists, Shen Yun artists bring to life characters and events of Chinas different time periods with unparalleled clarity, according to the companys website.

A marvel of sensations, Mr. Diaz said. Its quite impressive because I didnt know anything about Chinese culture, and we were very, very, very surprised.

Ancient China was once known as The Land of the Divine, where it was believed that the culture of China was brought down from the heavens, influencing all areas of society. The ancients thus sought harmony between Heaven, Earth, and humankind, following the course of nature.

But this divine culture was almost lost once the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seized power in 1949. The CCP saw Chinas ancient culture as a threat and for decades sought to destroy these traditions.

It is to be appreciated that they have rescued something millenary and ancestral, Mr. Diaz said, adding that he got goosebumps as he watched the performance.

Mr. Diaz was accompanied by his girlfriend, Monica Romero, who said Shen Yuns portrayal of traditional Chinese culture had relevance to modern times.

I think it is necessary to be able to connect with yourself and society, and at the end of the day, we are in the same tune to move forward in this world, Ms. Romero said.

So much technology is separating us from our inner connection and with nature that surrounds us, and I think that the Chinese culture has a lot to tell us.

Mr. Diaz added that he knew they were going to see something historic when they decided to see Shen Yun.

Because in Spain, it was one of the first times it was going to come, and we wanted to see this unique and wonderful show.

Reporting by Maya Marinova and Henry Jom.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
Ahead of Detransition Awareness Day, Survivors Offer Warnings and Hope

'I was trying to destroy myself through gender ideology'

Prisha Mosley after her gender transition to present as male (L) and Mosley after her detransition. (Courtesy of Prisha Mosley)

Detransition Awareness Day is March 12. Ahead of this little-known holiday, survivors of transgender indoctrination offer warnings and messages of hope.

According to the Detrans Awareness Day website, those in the process of transitioning feel an overwhelming degree of affirmation from doctors, mental health practitioners, and friends. But on the other side, those cheering voices are silent, and their existence is ignored.

Some say that detransition is very rare, the message reads further. Others refuse to acknowledge that we exist. We want all to see that we are a group that is rapidly growing.

As noted by Advocates Protecting Children (APC)an organization dedicated to fighting the gender industrythe number of members on detrans page on Reddit, an online social platform, stood at 44,200 members as of Feb. 9. That was an increase of more than 1,100 in one month. By Feb. 28, the number had grown by another 400. By March 6 the number grew by another 200. The next day, another 100 joined.

Erin Brewer is the co-founder of APC. She holds a doctorate in instructional technology. Brewer is also a former self-described trans kid.

Erin Brewer testifying before the Utah House Health and Human Services Committee regarding S.B. 16, a Transgender Medical Treatments and Procedures Amendment in Salt Lake City on Jan. 24, 2023. (Courtesy of Erin Brewer)

I Had Gender Dysphoria

When I was a child I had gender dysphoria, Brewer told The Epoch Times. I would have been considered a transgender child. I was insistent, consistent, and persistent that I was a boy. Thankfully, I went through it during a time when my teachers recognized this as a mental health issue and referred me to the school psychologist.

The Mayo Clinic defines gender dysphoria as the feeling of discomfort or distress that might occur in people whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth or sex-related physical characteristics.

The World Health Organization decided in 2019 that being transgender is no longer classified as a mental illness.

In a 2014 op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Paul McHugh, former psychiatrist-in-chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital, described transgenderism as a mental disorder that deserves understanding, treatment and prevention, rather than an identity to be defended. He also said that its biologically impossible for someone to change their sex.

Brewer said she was horrified when she started to hear that children were being told they could be born in the wrong body and advised to seek medical treatment to change their external appearance to that of the opposite sex.

It broke my heart that these kids are being told there is something so wrong with them that they have to change who they are in order to survive, when the majority of these kids will come to terms with who they already are as they progress through puberty, she said. Many of us who develop a trans identity are victims of sexual assault and trauma and use the trans identity as a coping mechanism. So, to deny psychological treatment to these children is just a travesty.

As previously reported by The Epoch Times, many schools have made headlines for instituting policies and practices to facilitate the transition of a childs gender identity, frequently without the knowledge or consent of the parents. One 12-year-old girl attempted suicide after a counselor held secret meetings for months trying to convince her she was a boy.

Political ideology appears to determine peoples views on the transgender issue.

While Californias progressive government passed a law establishing itself as a safe haven for minors seeking transgender proceduresincluding sterilizing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and mastectomiesFloridas more conservative government set legislation in motion to prohibit all gender clinical interventions for minors and the changing of a persons biological sex from that which appears on their birth certificate .

Another bill in Florida would require employers that provide coverage for gender dysphoria treatment to also cover the full costs associated with treatment that reverses such gender dysphoria treatment.

When the Online Trans Community Found Me

While Brewer credits the intervention of caring teachers for saving her from making irreversible, life-altering decisions, Prisha Mosley was not as fortunate.

Prisha Mosley during her struggle with anorexia and depression. (Courtesy of Prisha Mosley)

While avoiding the ugly details, Mosley had what she describes as a very troubled childhood. Because of that, she had no friends. Before the age of 12, the emotional stress and loneliness of her dysfunctional home life manifested in a diagnosis of anorexia.

Eventually, she was hospitalized because she couldnt stand or walk without blacking out. At the age of 14, she was sexually assaulted. The assault resulted in a pregnancy. With her frail body barely able to sustain her own life, it rejected the baby. Mosley sank deeper into depression. Her body was now covered with self-harm scars. By 17, she was madly suicidal. In one of her many efforts to end her own life, she said she almost succeeded.

Prisha Mosley in the days just before she began taking testosterone. (Courtesy of Prisha Mosley)

Thats when the online trans community found me, Mosley said.

They embraced her. They welcomed her, and they quickly began to encouraged her to become one of them.

They found me and totally convinced me that I was born in the wrong body and that all of my problems would go away if I was a boy, she recalled.

Mosley said she was already deep in the trenches of the pro-ana community, explaining that pro-ana is an online pro-anorexia community where people post photos of themselves and encourage each other not to eat for days on end. She found the trans community to be similar. They also share pictures of themselves with each other. They also encourage each other to lie, both to their parents and their doctors.

Desperate for acceptance and to be free of her pain, Mosley followed their directions willingly. They taught her how to locate a gender-affirming therapist, how to get her letter of recommendation, and how to find a doctor to start her transition.

Prisha Mosleys transition began with taking testosterone. (Courtesy of Prisha Mosley)

It began with testosterone. Her beard earned praise from the online trans community. It was intoxicating, but it didnt last. She needed another high. A year later she had her breasts removed. The adulation she received from the trans community gave her another addictive rush of euphoria. When that wore off, she began seeking the next high.

With the surgeries came new scars.

What they did was assist me in mutilating myself, she said. I was doing the same thing at home. I was trying to destroy myself through gender ideology and my doctors completely assisted me.

Two years later, Mosley met a man who had a daughter whodespite her beard and the absence of breastsclocked Mosley as a woman and started calling her mommy.

That was it. That was the moment she realized she wasnt a boy. She didnt want to be a man. She wanted to be mommy.

For Mosley, detransitioning was a two-part series. She began with dialectical behavioral therapy, a type of cognitive behavioral therapy thats used to identify and change negative thinking patterns.

Thats when all of the healing and all of the magic happened that they told me I would find when I transitioned, Mosley confessed. I realized I didnt have to take poisons and have surgeries to feel better. I just needed to heal my traumas.

Prisha Mosley after her detransition. (Courtesy of Prisha Mosley)

In hindsight, Mosley said she also finds it ironic that the doctors who would not provide liposuction to a minor with anorexia were more than eager to treat a child with gender dysphoria by removing her breasts.

Warnings and Hope

For those being drawn into the trans world with promises of happiness, Brewer offers a warning.

Anybody who tells you that you have to change who you are and to medically damage yourself in order to survive is not to be trusted, she asserted. We know these interventions are dangerous and have lifelong consequences. When you are told to kill who you are and to become someone else in order to survive, thats a predatory message.

Mosley shared her own warning.

You are poisoning your body if you take hormones, she said. Your previously healthy body will be destroyed and you will not be able to produce your own hormones, and the side effects are severe. Do not change your body to solve mental or emotional distress.

Both also shared messages of hope.

Brewer advised that support is out there, and suggested those who want help should contact APC.

You are being betrayed by the very people who should be supporting you, so its understandable that you are in despair, Brewer said. But there are people out here who are ready to support you and care for you.

Mosley says she has met the most amazing people through her detransition.

I am supported and loved, she said. I am no longer living in denial of myself. I feel so much better.
Alberta Tables Provincial Firearms Legislation to Push Back Against Ottawa

The Alberta government has followed through on previous promises, tabling a provincial firearms bill intended to push back against Ottawas efforts to confiscate certain types of guns.

Justice Minister Tyler Shandro introduced Bill 8, the Alberta Firearms Act, in the legislature on March 7, with the stated purpose of providing the province with more tools to protect areas of provincial jurisdiction over firearms while expanding the role of the Alberta Chief Firearms Office.

Once passed, the Alberta Firearms Act will strengthen Albertas ability to regulate, administer, and advocate on behalf of firearms owners, says a government news release.

One of the proposed changes would prevent municipalities and municipal police forces from entering into firearms related funding agreements with the federal government.

At a news conference on March 7, Shandro said the province had great concerns about the federal government providing money to municipal employees to act as confiscation agents in the seizure of weapons.

Shandro said the province has opposed the confiscation program from the beginning because it does not enhance public safety. He said the federal government is reducing the mandatory minimum penalties for people who are accused and convicted of weapons trafficking, and instead they should be working with the provinces to improve safety and reduce gun crime.

The confiscation program doesnt do that, said Shandro, who added that with Bill 8, anyone who acts as a seizure agent must be licensed by the province.

We dont think that there should be anyone involved in being engaged as a seizure agent for the confiscation program, he stated. Alberta stands unequivocally with hunters, farmers, sport shooters, and Indigenous peoples, all of whom understand the importance of responsible firearm ownership to Albertas heritage and culture.

Federal Gun Ban Efforts

The federal government first moved to ban a long list of over 1,500 types of legally purchased firearms in May 2020 and reclassify them as prohibited under an Order-in-Council. Trudeau followed with the announcement of a handgun ban and freeze that came into effect on Oct. 21, 2022.

In November, the government tabled sweeping last-minute amendments to Bill C-21, which was being debated by a House of Commons Committee before the session ended for the holidays.

If passed, the bill will ban most semi-automatic shotguns and riflesincluding many ordinary hunting shotguns and rifles purchased legally. The proposed amendments would also ban any gun that can hold a detachable magazine.

The bill and sweeping last-minute amendments sparked an uproar from firearms owners and opposition parties, who said it targets hunters, farmers, ranchers, and sport shooters and involves thousands of popular, common makes and models of rifles and shotguns, most of which were never required to be registered and were legally purchased by licensed, trained firearms owners with a permit.

Shandro said at the time that the legislation will criminalize hundreds of thousands of Canadians overnightthe majority of which reside in Western Canada.

Bill 8 provides roughly 60 sub-clauses on how the province can make regulations on firearms. For example, one clause allows the province to decide the types or classes of firearms licenses, while another covers application fees for licenses and rules regarding the issuance and renewals of licenses.

Alberta could create regulations to respond to federal actions that negatively impact law-abiding firearms owners here in the province, Shandro said, citing the seizure and confiscation of firearms as one example.

The bill would also mandate that the Chief Firearms Office, which was created in 2021 to administer firearms legislation, produce annual reports. The firearms office will have a budget this year of $5.8 million and will more than double the number of staff, going from 30 employees to 70.

It would further require forensic testing of confiscated firearms that may have been used in a crime, and would develop a firearms compensation committee to ensure owners receive fair compensation for their firearms.

Alberta had previously indicated it will not allow the RCMP to act as confiscation agents. The province has jurisdiction over policing agreements in Alberta.

Alberta NDP justice critic Irfan Sabir said Bill 8 does nothing to get assault weapons off the streets or improve safety for families. However, he added that the federal government needs to withdraw and reconsider their amendments that would have captured many firearms, including those used by Albertans and Indigenous peoples for hunting.

There are 341,988 individuals in Alberta licensed to possess or acquire a firearm. Alberta has 127 approved shooting ranges and more than 650 firearms-related businesses.

The Alberta government said gun ownership is on the rise, from approximately 30,000 who complete the mandatory firearms safety training each year on average, to 38,000 in 2021.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
Amazon Worker Loses Bid for California Class Action Over Remote Work Expenses

The logo of Amazon at the company logistics center in Boves, France, on Aug. 8, 2018. (Pascal Rossignol/Reuters)

Amazon.com Inc. on Tuesday defeated a proposed class action lawsuit on behalf of nearly 7,000 workers in California that claimed the company should have reimbursed employees who worked remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic for home office expenses.

U.S. District Judge Vincent Chhabria in San Francisco said the named plaintiff, David Williams, failed to show that Amazon had a company-wide policy of not reimbursing employees for internet, cell phone and other costs, and the judge denied his motion to certify the workers as a class.

The judge said that more than 600 of the 7,000 proposed class members were reimbursed $66.49 on average for home internet expenses, and some were reimbursed in full.

Williams motion for class certification was denied without prejudice, meaning he can file a renewed motion later on.

Amazon and lawyers for Williams did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Williams sued Amazon in 2021 individually and added class-action claims last year. He has accused Amazon of violating a California law requiring employers to reimburse workers for reasonable work-related expenses.

Chhabria in January denied Amazons motion to dismiss the case. The company had argued that it did not owe reimbursements because the costs resulted from government stay-at-home orders and not any decision by Amazon.

Williams lawyers have filed similar lawsuits against several other companies including IBM Corp., Fox Broadcasting Co., and Oracle Corp. Some of those cases have settled, with businesses agreeing to give remote workers stipends of up to $83 per month to cover home office expenses.

By Daniel Wiessner
As TikTok Faces Scrutiny, American Chinese Ask If WeChat Should Be Next

Icons for the smartphone apps TikTok and WeChat are seen on a smartphone screen in Beijing, on Aug. 7, 2020. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)

The U.S. Congress recently banned the use of TikTok on government devices, and at least 19 states have also issued a ban on the Chinese-owned video app over security concerns. The moves have made some wonder about the more problematic messaging, social media, and mobile payment app, WeChat. A social media group recently conducted a survey to find out public opinion among Chinese Americans.

The telegram group MoshangUS, which focuses on American news and politics, launched a survey on Feb. 25, asking more than 6,400 people in the group which direction they would like to take in relation to the problems WeChat causes for the Chinese community in the United States.

The questionnaire gave several options: (1) willing to be a plaintiff in a lawsuit against WeChat and Tencent, the Chinese tech company that owns WeChat; (2) willing to donate money to support the lawsuit; (3) willing to be a volunteer to promote rights protection; (4) ask the U.S. government to ban WeChat, and demand financial compensation for users who were banned; (5) push for local bans of WeChat in schools, government, etc., and mark WeChat as an app affiliated with CCP; (6) Tencent should rectify the situation in accordance with the U.S. law and compensate the victimized users in the United States.

So far, among the 244 respondents who have turned in the questionnaire, 46 percent chose option six, 33 percent chose option five, and 28 percent chose option four which called on the U.S. government to ban WeChat.

Forty-nine respondents chose option 1, the action that requires the most couragewilling to file a lawsuit against Tencent as a plaintiff.

Defending Freedom of Speech

Lydia Liu is the manager of MoshangUS Telegram group, and in a Feb. 27 interview with The Epoch Times, Liu said she intends to sue WeChat for infringement overseas to defend freedom of speech. She is doing this because of WeChats practice of deleting posts and blocking accounts for political reasons.

Liu came to the United States from China as an international student and holds a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina. In 2018, she opened the WeChat public account MoshangUS to comment on current affairs and politics in the United States and gradually became an opinion leader and a popular self-media writer. She has more than 250,000 followers and millions of views per month.

However, any of her WeChat posts that contradicted the stance of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on the U.S.-China trade war or the COVID-19 pandemic were repeatedly taken down by the site, and she was often harassed and verbally attacked.

After being blocked, she had to switch to platforms outside China, such as YouTube, Telegram, and Twitter, but the traffic on these platforms is not comparable inside China to that of WeChat.

In this photo illustration, a mobile phone can be seen displaying the logos for Chinese apps WeChat and TikTok in front of a monitor showing the flags of the United States and China on an internet page, on Sept.22, 2020, in Beijing, China. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

WeChat is like an all-in-one app for Chinese people which they can use for many aspects of their work and life, with many relying on it as their source of information. For Lui, the loss of her public account was a heavy blow.

WeChat is a Chinese-speaking American exclusion App. It should be fined and regulated in the US. WeChat needs to pay Chinese Americans reparations for vicious community #invasion and mentally enslaving us for interests of China, which holds strong adverse views on the US, Liu said in a Twitter post in October 2022.

In Lius recent interview with The Epoch Times, she said: The Chinese have to act to stop the long arm of the Chinese Communist Party.

She described what she posted in the group.

I didnt even touch upon Chinas affairs, Im only concerned about things unfolding in the United States, and I was very careful to avoid WeChat censorship and not to touch the red line of the CCP. The CCP has stretched its hands too long, she said.

It is well known that WeChat is censoring chat messages and posts by American users according to the interests of the Chinese regime.

The CCP has oppressed the Chinese American community so much that all Chinese WeChat circles can only discuss in the direction that favors the CCP, she said.

If you are neutral or take a different stance, you will be banned by WeChat. It is tantamount to turning the whole Chinese community into a spy community. Isnt this going to destroy all of us? We certainly cannot allow that to continue.

WeChat app on a smartphone in a photo illustration taken on July 13, 2021. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

The problem with WeChat is not just content censorship but also surveillance, which violates U.S. law.

When the CCP tramples on any of our rights granted by the U.S. Constitution, it has already crossed the line, Liu said. Moreover, when its intention is to turn the entire Chinese American society into a Trojan horse for the CCP inside the United States, if you dont resist it at this point, then when?

Professor Seth D. Kaplan of Johns Hopkins University shared Lius experience in an op-ed he wrote for Wall Street Journal published on Jan. 24. Kaplans article, TikTok Is Bad, but WeChat Is Worse, exposed the dangers of WeChat to American society.

Beijing uses the popular app to steal data, censor, propagandize and spread disinformation in the U.S., Kaplan wrote.

Banned Over Chinese Spy Balloons

Ling Fei, another social media group manager in New York, said he was permanently banned from WeChat in early February for posting an article saying that the U.S. Army F-22 fired only one missile to shoot down the balloon, not three missiles as some in mainland China believed.

I just explained to my readers some basic aviation knowledge. It was as simple as that, Ling told The Epoch Times.

Ling said he is concerned about two ongoing U.S. Supreme Court lawsuits on Google and Twitters liabilities under the anti-terrorist law.

Both cases involve Section 230, which provides protection for social media platforms. When the final judgment comes out, it should play a big role in suing WeChat, Ling said.

The Section 230 controversy includes the blocking of former President Donald Trumps account by Twitter and Facebook in 2020 for misleading tweets and false claims.

The issue at hand is over whether the two tech giants will be viewed as violating freedom of speech or will be exempted from Section 230.

The judgment involves how to define freedom of speech, which will affect the operating rules of the entire Internet.

The Supreme Court should rule on both cases by June 30.

If Section 230 is amended to narrow its protections, then it would be illegal for WeChat to delete MoshangUS account at will.

So, at this point, wed better wait for the trial results before taking legal action, Ling said.

Convenience vs Harm

There have been two WeChat-related lawsuits filed by U.S.-based civil organizations.

One is a class action lawsuit filed by a U.S. non-government organization, Citizen Power, and six plaintiffs against WeChats parent company Tencent in California in 2021, accusing it of violating the constitutional rights to privacy and free speech. In 2021, the judge rejected Tencents request to transfer the case to private arbitration, ruling that the class action must be conducted in court. It is reported that WeChat has requested arbitration in Hong Kong, but the plaintiff has refused.

The Tencent headquarters in Shenzhen, in Guangdong province, China, on May 26, 2021. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

The other lawsuit, U.S. WeChat Users Alliance v. Trump, was filed by a group of WeChat users in 2020 against Trumps WeChat ban on grounds of national security. The users claimed that the ban could undermine the freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution and bring difficulties to the Chinese community using WeChat.

Ironically, the six individual plaintiffs who sued Tencent WeChat all had to remain anonymous to protect themselves from retaliation by the CCP, but several of the individual plaintiffs in the U.S. WeChat Users Alliance v. Trump case used their real names, as they did not have to fear that the U.S. government will persecute them. And they won the lawsuit.

At a recent meeting of the House Select Committee on the CCP in Chinatown, New York, President of Humanitarian China Zhou Fengsuo told The Epoch Times that in China, no entity can exist free from the control of the CCP.

So all entities from China are likely to be controlled directly or indirectly by the CCP, which is a problem and a reality, he said.

Zhou pointed out that WeChat is like a Trojan horse and that U.S. judges are treating WeChat like a normal U.S. company, leading to wrong judgments.

We absolutely cannot allow another countrys agent to have such power in the United States, he said.
Australian Premier Defends Using Taxpayer Funds to Poll Reaction to Lockdowns, Restrictions

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews delivers his victory speech at the Labour election party in his seat of Mulgrave in Melbourne, Australia on Nov. 26, 2022. (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)

Premier Daniel Andrews has defended the use of taxpayer funds to gauge public sentiment during the worlds longest COVID-19 lockdowns in the state of Victoria.

The state leader was responding to revelations that a research firm, QDOS, was hired to test the communitys reaction towards restrictions like the five-kilometre travel radius, curfews, shutting down industries, childcare closures, and the differences in sentiment between the regions and metro areas.

QDOS, which has received $2 million (US$1.32 million) worth of contracts with the government, carried out polling on a daily basis online, as well as via focus groups fortnightlyboth in Melbourne and regionally.

The results would be sent to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, providing real-time analysis of the mood of the people, according to documents obtained by The Australian newspaper. The data was also what compelled Premier Andrews to deliver daily press conferences with updates on COVID-19 with over 120 consecutive appearances.

One briefing note on Aug. 5, 2020, revealed that a focus group in Colac, Victoria found residents were likely to jump to the defence of the government and Dan Andrews using reasons like: Unprecedented times, Doing his best in really difficult times, Listening to the experts, Really difficult decisions.

An empty Bourke Street is seen in Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 17, 2021. (Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Another focus group in Mornington on Aug. 4, 2020, found that while the hotel quarantine episode took some gloss off the government, there was still strong support for the Andrews government and a broad acknowledgement of the good job he and the government are doing in very difficult circumstances.

People have become less likely to freely offer support for Dan Andrews, but if he is criticised by one person, a bigger number stridently come to his defence, the note said.

We can reasonably conclude that the government and the primary spokesperson, Dan Andrews, still have credibility and the confidence of the people who will trust, support and follow the decisions that need to be taken.

The documents also revealed surveys were carried out on the publics perception of health measures like handwashing, social isolation, sneezing into the arm, masks, and working from home.

A large crowd gathers to protest lockdown restrictions, at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 23, 2020. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

The government was revealed to have engaged QDOS more frequently during tighter lockdowns.

The city of Melbourne in Victoria held the world record for the most locked-down city in the world.

Premier Denies Polling Was Done for Political Reasons

Premier Andrews said the surveys were carried out to gain insight into public health information and not for political purposes.

If the message doesnt get through, people die. We had a wildly infectious virus and no vaccine, he told reporters at Parliament on March 8.

We made very difficult decisions. They were not popular. They were designed to be effective in keeping people safe, and thats exactly what we did.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, Health Minister Martin Foley and Victorian COVID-19 Testing Commander Jeroen Weimar arrive at the daily press conference on July 27, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

The Victorian government said polling was generally carried out for political leaders and health officials, including Victorias Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton, federal Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly, then-federal Health Minister Greg Hunt, then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Victorias Health Minister Martin Foley, and Acting Premier James Merlino.

This community feedback helped us understand the most effective health message carriers, the spokesperson said in a statement to AAP.

Programs like this are not unusual in emergency situations, and we expect all levels of government were conducting research to help shape health communications.

Victorian opposition leader John Pesutto said he did not buy the premiers reasoning.

This was about telling Daniel Andrews and his government what politically would work for them, he said.

We went through lockdowns and smashed businesses, destroyed many livelihoods and put people through deep periods of distress, and yet he was spending their money, our money, on political polling.
Bank of America CEO Proclaims We Are Capitalists After Critics Blast ESG Stance

Brian Thomas Moynihan, chairman and CEO of Bank of America, testifies during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Hearing on the Annual Oversight of the Nation's Largest Banks, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Sept. 22, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan told shareholders this week that we are capitalists, after a massive backlash from critics over his banks stance on the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) agenda.

The head of Americas second-largest bank is under heavy fire as Wall Street executives face increasing criticism across the country for adopting progressive ESG goals.

Ive sometimes been surprised to be asked, including at congressional hearings, Are you a capitalist?' Moynihan said in the banks annual report published on Mar. 7.

You might also find the question unusual. Of course I answered, Yes,' he proclaimed.

The word capitalism is mentioned 22 times in BofAs latest annual report, spanning 222 pages, rising from 16 times from first quarter 2022, reported Reuters.

Reuters also noted that the number of references to ESG fell to 36 in 2023 from 59 last year.

Capitalism provides the money, the creativity, and the expertise to solve the needs of society, wrote Moynihan, adding, we enable our customers to drive capitalism.

Financial Industry Under Attack for Promoting ESG Agenda

BofA rose to become the industry leader in ESG bonds across the United States last year after creating a new ESG advisory and financing solutions board in late 2021.

The bank is also North Americas top player in green and sustainability-linked loans and in U.S. municipal green bonds.

BofA has been further expanding its presence in ESG equity capital markets, but dozens of states are now opposing these equity goals.

Meanwhile, several financial giants, including BlackRock, KKR, Carlyle Group, and Blackstone Group have reportedly noted in their annual reports that the backlash against ESG investing could present a material risk to their businesses, especially involving fundraising, reported the Financial Times.

Several Republican lawmakers and state governors have warned the CEOs of banks and asset managers to avoid imposing what they call woke capitalism on their clients and American businesses.

Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), in a bipartisan move, voted this week to block a Department of Labor rule allowing retirement fund managers to use ESG standards in their investment decisions, but the resolution is likely to be vetoed by President Joe Biden, and there are not enough votes to overturn it.

The anti-ESG backlash is expected to become a major political issue for the 2024 presidential election season.

Woke Capitalist Agenda Accused of Endangering Investment Earnings

Many top financial lending institutions and investment firms have been accused of defunding companies, canceling certain individuals and organizations who do not agree with ESG talking points, such as climate change, workforce diversity quotas, gun control, and abortion.

Conservative activists and politicians have accused executives and financiers who are pushing this agenda of putting their ESG considerations ahead of their shareholders and company earnings.

However, many investors have already started to pull back from ESG funds, after recently defunding U.S. energy companies, as skyrocketing oil prices hurt returns.

Still, some of the largest asset managers like Blackrock, which lost $4 billion in a state-led backlash, have largely stood by their social justice and environmental goals, despite mounting pressure from conservatives.

Legislators in Republican-controlled states have considered or have passed laws requiring state pension funds to divest from money managers who use climate or racial equity goals as a litmus test in their investments.

Authorities in states like Texas, Florida, Louisiana, and Missouri have each pledged to pull investments in their government pension funds from Blackrock, citing concerns that its pro-ESG efforts could impact investor returns.

State officials nationwide have also launched investigations into BlackRock and State Street over their votes on shareholder proposals.

Although BofA is the largest corporate issuer of ESG-themed bonds in America, it still maintained $36 billion in lending commitments to energy companies at the end of last year.

BofA CEO Still Supports ESG Agenda Despite Claims

Moynihan told Reuters back in in January that capitalism is the system that will drive the best outcome, and so we believe in profits and purpose, he said, pointing to the banks record earnings in 2021 alongside its rising wages and a raft of employee benefits across childcare, health, and education.

On the other hand, the BofA CEO remains one of the loudest proponents of stakeholder capitalism, an ideology promoted by the World Economic Forum in Davos, in which the socially correct opinions of private corporations supersedes that of their own shareholders, investors, and even governments.

Moynihan wrote about his concern whether companies should share profits or pay people fairly and equitably.

His report further outlined BofAs ESG additional goals, including a pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and issue $1.5 trillion in sustainable finance by 2030.

In stakeholder capitalism, the personal interests of shareholders, workers, and local communities are no longer taken into account, as they are to be guided by a socially and environmentally aware business elite.

Proponents of ESG at investment firms and businesses believe that it is essential that companies take environmental and social factors into account. They say that failing to address rising sea levels or successfully market to marginalized groups would have a negative affect on future profits.

Reuters contributed to this report.
BC Companies Prepare to Become Hard-Drug Manufacturers on a Commercial Scale

Martin Steward holds cocaine he received from the Drug User Liberation Front, in Vancouver on April 14, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

News Analysis

The recent gaffe in which two B.C. companies announced they had licences to sell cocaine brings attention to the plans such companies may be making to commercialize hard drugs on a broad scale.

Cannabis company Adastra Labs announced on Feb. 22 that it had received approval from Health Canada to include cocaine as a substance that it can legally possess, produce, sell and distribute.

The company later revised its statement, saying it is not currently undertaking any activities with cocaine. It clarified that its licence would only allow it to sell the drug in very limited circumstances, such as for use in government-approved scientific studies.

On March 2, Sunshine Earth Labs Ltd. made a similar announcement of having received a Health Canada licence to sell hard drugs such as cocaine, opium, and morphineand then later made a similar retraction.

In its cocaine licence announcement, Adastra noted that it was evaluating the commercialization of the drug and was looking to position ourselves to support the demand for a safe supply of cocaine.

Adastra also referred to B.C.s recent decriminalization of small amounts of the substance. So, despite its later retraction and clarification, it appears the company has its sights set on a broader market.

Other companies seem to be thinking along the same lines.

MDMA at an Unmatched Scale

Optimi Health Corp., a B.C.-based company with a licence to produce MDMA (Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as ecstasy), has speculated that B.C.s decriminalization could signal the beginning of a broader legalization. And Optimi says its ready to take the business opportunity that broader legalization would present.

The regulatory landscape in the U.S. and Canada is always evolving, specifically with the Canadian governments recent decision to decriminalize MDMA up to 2.5 grams in British Columbia, said Optimis regulatory affairs adviser Michael Kydd in a press release last August.

Governments often use incremental shifts in policy to test public sentiment, which sometimes triggers broader policy change down the road.

Optimi, which has two facilities comprising a total of 20,000 square feet in Princeton, B.C., is poised to produce MDMA at an unmatched scale, Kydd said, noting that it will benefit the company when we eventually see these wholesale policy changes.

The release said Optimi is currently the largest psilocybin and MDMA cultivator in North America, and its goal is to be the number one trusted, compassionate supplier of safe drug products throughout the world.

While the possession of 2.5 grams of cocaine and MDMA, along with opioids and methamphetamine, is temporarily decriminalized in B.C. (from Jan. 31, 2023, to Jan. 31, 2026), sale to the general public is still prohibited. But the limits of medicinal uses and distribution to addicts are being tested in the province and nation.

For example, MDMA is undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Cocaine is used as a topical anesthetic in sinonasal surgery in Canada, though the incidence of heart problems has called it into question. A recent study of patients in Ontario suggested, however, that there is no concern in using cocaine as an anesthetic.

Subtle Move

Jeremy Kalicum, co-founder of Drug User Liberation Front, said he sees B.C.s drug regulation policies as heading incrementally toward less and less restriction, and that decriminalization signals a likely further expansion of permitted drug possession and use in the future.

I think this is probably a subtle move towards more like a medical-based system, like being able to provide people with cocaine through a prescriber, he told The Epoch Times.

Kalicums group seeks to provide a safe supply of cocaine to recreational drug users in B.C., but he says they are operating in a legal grey area.

We are still at risk of arrest.  Its the kind of grey area when youre in a public health emergency, he said, referring to the provinces high number of overdoses, about 2,300 in 2022, due in part to contaminated drugs.

His group is technically distributing drugs illegally, he said, but the regulatory climate is such that he doesnt expect prosecution. They have the drugs tested at local universities for purity. The organization says it targets confirmed regular drug users and examines how receiving a safe supply affects them over time.

Kalicum said he recognizes there are no safe drugs, but he believes that offering a cleaner supply helps. The group applied for a section 56 licence from Health Canada to be permitted to handle cocaine as a research group, which would qualify it to purchase from Adastra and similar companies. However, the licence was denied.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has criticized B.C.s relatively open drug policy for causing overdose deaths, and he has said the most recent efforts at further drug decriminalization will only make the situation worse.

Theyve allowed heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and other drugs to flood our streets, Poilievre told NTD Television, The Epoch Times sister media, earlier this year. It has created hell on earth in parts of our major cities, particularly east central Vancouver.

He said on Twitter March 3 that the answer to addiction is more treatment and recoverynot more poison.

The Liberal government has been supportive of the B.C. decriminalization plan, with federal Mental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett saying on Jan. 30 that it will reduce the stigma, the fear, and shame that keep people who use drugs silent about their use, or using alone.

Not a Permission

When Adastra made its announcement that it had obtained a licence to sell cocaineand that announcement made headlinesit garnered attention from B.C. Premier David Eby and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, both of whom said they were surprised at the news.

There are limited and very restricted permissions for certain pharmaceutical companies to use that substance for research purposes and for very specific narrowly prescribed medical purposes, but it is not a permission to sell it commercially or provide it on an open market, Trudeau told reporters in Winnipeg on March 3.

He said that decriminalizing the commercial sale of cocaine is not something that this government is looking at furthering.

Adastra did not reply to an Epoch Times inquiry as of press time, and Sunshine Earth Labs declined to comment.

Health Canada told The Epoch Times via email that licences of these types have been issued for decades, but it did not respond to questions about how many such licences have been issued and whether the number has increased in recent years.

An increase might signal how many companies are preparing for a potential opening of commercial opportunities in the hard-drug market.
BC School Trustee Traumatized by Detailed Child Rape in School Library Book

Explicitly sexual, and even violently sexual, books found in B.C. school libraries have sparked an outcry that has especially flared up in Chilliwack School District 33.

One of the books, Identical, by Ellen Hopkins, details a father raping his 7-year-old daughter. I was traumatized, District 33 Trustee Heather Maahs told The Epoch Times. I cannot imagine what that would do to a child reading it or an adolescent.

Maahs is one of a minority of trustees on her board who has expressed grave concerns over this book and others, including Gender Queer, a Memoir, by Maia Kobabe. Kobabes book includes detailed drawings of sexual acts between two males.

It needlessly sexualizes children before they are even remotely mature enough to digest some of the suggestions in these books and pictures, she said. You can never unsee these pictures. The books equate to pornography, she said, and they start children on the wrong path in a world where pornography addiction is a problem.

Board Chair Willow Reichelt has positioned herself on the opposite side of the issue.

At a school board meeting on Feb. 7, she said most teenagers have sex in their lives or on their minds and theres going to be some sexual content in your books. I think that trying to ban all such content is just illogical. She did not respond to a request from The Epoch Times for further comment.

She said in a Feb. 19 Facebook post, The book banners keep showing a one-page excerpt from [Gender Queer] out of context that depicts a sex act. The books author is asexual, Reichelt said, and the scene is meant to show how uncomfortable the author had become with sex or romantic relationships.

I found Gender Queer interesting and educational. It gave me insight into what it means to be nonbinary in a way that I hadnt thought about before, Reichelt said.

She said the book is available in two of the districts high school libraries and the only reason a younger reader would see the images in question is because the books critics keep sharing them.

Politically Correct Educational Resources Policy

The board passed a new learning resources policy at the Feb. 7 meeting, with Maahs and Trustee Richard Procee as the only dissenting voices. The policy is now several pages long and filled with a lot of politically correct verbiage, Maahs said at the meeting, having grown from an earlier version of only one paragraph.

Maahs read out a couple of excerpts from the policy, saying she doesnt know what exactly they mean. One said that the learning resources should provide an appropriate context for complex issues all the while highlighting the importance of having an awareness of personal bias. Another said the policy should create dynamic programming in order to foster innovative and inclusive opportunities.

A woman with grandchildren in the school district spoke at the meeting saying the policy lists several principles for learning resources, but most arent about academics. All the diversity and the  ideology seem to be the first criteria, she said. She also took issue with the appropriate context stipulation. Who is deciding what is appropriate?

Reichelt said during the meeting that the books are reviewed by a panel of educators. This puts education in the hands of education professionals, which is where it should be, she said. Some parents at the meeting and Trustee Procee expressed concerns that parents were being excluded.

A provincial learning resources policy with similar wording is set to roll out after spring break, according to Superintendent Rohan Arul-Pragasam. He read excerpts from it at the meeting.

Regarding parental concerns about the sexual content of library books, Arul-Pragasam said the boards policy includes a process for parents to submit complaints about particular resources. Maahs said such processes are onerous.

Illegal Pornography

Maahs said her piece at the meeting, for the most part, but when she started talking about the books being illegal pornography, Reichelt cut her mic. Reichelt cut the mics of other speakers who made similar comments.

This is certainly not the way a chair should act, Maahs told The Epoch Times afterward. I actually spoke to her after the meeting and I asked her not to cut my mic just because she didnt like what I was saying, or didnt agree with me. And the following meeting, she cut my mic twice.

Maahs said she has received 360 emails objecting to both the books and the way Reichelt ran the meeting. I have never, ever seen that many emails from concerned parents.

Reichelt defended her actions, saying on Facebook that she would not allow people to say teachers are distributing illegal child pornography because its a defamatory lie.

The RCMP got involved.

Sgt. Krista Vrolyk said in a Feb. 22 press release that, after investigating the matter, the RCMP has determined the content of concern in the Chilliwack school libraries does not meet the definition of child pornography under the Criminal Code of Canada.

However, the investigator did find the material may be deemed inappropriate or concerning to some people.

Pierre Barns, a father in Abbotsford, B.C., finds the material very concerning, and he also finds the RCMPs statement on it concerning.

It makes it even worse, because the people will interpret this [as], OK, well, I can show all kinds of sexual stuff to my children, and its completely legal, Barns told The Epoch Times.

He has emailed school boards all over Canada asking them to remove the books from their libraries. So many books contain sexually explicit material. They contain images of people having sexual intercourse. And they dont just use proper language to define the sexual intercourse, they actually use very vulgar language, Barns said.

Images Shunned at Meetings

Barns and other activists on the issue have received pushback from some trustees for displaying the images from the books in question while voicing complaints about them.

Tanya Gaw, founder of advocacy group Action4Canada, was at the Chilliwack meeting and had also presented at a school board meeting in Mission, B.C., in January. She has been working with parents in various parts of the province to raise concerns about these library books. She said school boards dont want these materials presented at board meetings.

The whole crazy thing about it is that were trying to find ways to go to these board meetings and expose the books, Gaw said. Its hard to do so without showing the images in them or reading the excerpts, she said. She showed the images from Gender Queer at the Mission meeting, breaking protocol because she hadnt applied to make a visual presentation. Action4Canada was banned from future meetings.

At the Feb. 7 Chilliwack meeting, a parent and educator in the district spoke of mental health concerns for her students. She said she works with vulnerable students, including those in the LGBTQ community, who have experienced sexual violence. She said some of the books are potentially revictimizing our youth and children.

Im not here to suggest any kinds of books be taken, banned, she said. Im just here as a concerned youth care worker.
Biden Administrations Catch and Release Border Policy Struck Down by US Judge

President Joe Biden speaks during the 2023 International Association of Fire Fighters Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C., on March 6, 2023. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

The federal governments program of releasing many illegal immigrants rather than holding them until their cases are resolved violates federal law, a U.S. judge ruled on March 8.

The evidence establishes that Defendants have effectively turned the Southwest Border into a meaningless line in the sand and little more than a speedbump for aliens flooding into the country, U.S. District Judge Judge T. Kent Wetherell, a Trump appointee, said in the ruling.

Wetherell struck down Alternatives to Detention, a program through which President Joe Bidens administration has released more than one million aliens into the U.S. interior.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, a Republican, sued the government in 2021 over the policy, arguing the catch-and-release policy violated federal law.

Biden administration officials have claimed they had the discretion not to hold immigrants and that Florida lacked standing.

Under Supreme Court precedent, immigration officials have broad discretion in carrying out immigration laws, but must adhere to laws established by Congress. The Immigration and Nationality Act, one such law, states that immigrants who arrive at the border without proper documents are subject to quick removal without a hearing or review. Immigrants who claim asylum can have their claims heard but shall be detained until the claims are resolved.

The shall be detained wording means what it says and that is a mandatory requirement, Wetherell said in the new ruling.

The governments position would render mandatory detention under the law meaningless, he added later.

The judge also said Florida has standing because it has a procedural right under Administrative Procedure Act and a quasi-sovereign interest in its territory and on illegal aliens being within that territory. The governments failure to hold immigrants as required by the Immigration and Nationality Act, according to the judge, harms states because they cannot do anything to keep those aliens out of the state. States are also harmed because they have to spend money to deal with the aliens, the ruling said.

Wetherell vacated the policy under the procedure act, remanding it back to the government for further work consistent with his order.

Moody said in a statement: Todays ruling affirms what we have known all along, President Biden is responsible for the border crisis and his unlawful immigration policies make this country less safe. A federal judge is now ordering Biden to follow the law, and his administration should immediately begin securing the border to protect the American people.

Federal officials did not respond to requests for comment.

The ruling was stayed for seven days to allow the government time to appeal.

Minors lie inside a pod at the Donna Department of Homeland Security holding facility, the main detention center for unaccompanied children in the Rio Grande Valley run by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Donna, Texas, on March 30, 2021. (Dario Lopez-Mills/Pool/AP Photo)

Urgent Humanitarian Need

Alternatives to Detention started in the early 2000s, but has been used more frequently under the Biden administration.

A summer 2021 email on expanding the program said Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents would have the ability to parole immigrants after considering whether there was room in detention for them and what risk they posed, among other factors. Under federal law, immigration authorities can grant parole on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.

An immigrant released on parole would not receive a notice to appear in court. They would be told to report to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office nearest their final destination within 60 days or face removal from the United States. Deportations still happen under the Biden administration, but have plunged from Trump-era levels.

The email setting out the expanded program did not mention COVID-19 or other health issues.

In a Nov. 2, 2021, memorandum, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz formally detailed the updated policy, asserting it was necessary due to an urgent humanitarian need to protect the workforce, migrants, and American public against the spread of COVID-19 that may be exacerbated by overcrowding in CBP facilities. Once COVID-19 conditions improve, it is expected that there will no longer be a need for this alternative pathway, he said.

But authorities later reauthorized the program despite the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moving to terminate Title 42, a public health order. The Supreme Court has halted the termination of the order. The centers cited the easing of pandemic conditions. In the reauthorization memo for the immigration program, COVID-19 was not mentioned. The program was needed for disease mitigation, the memo stated.

The program and other actions were akin to posting a flashing Come In, Were Open sign on the southern border, Wetherell said. The unprecedented surge of aliens that started arriving at the Southwest Border almost immediately after President Biden took office and that has continued unabated over the past two years was a predictable consequence of these actions.

Officials have also asked for lower detention capacity in budget requests while asking for increased funding for alternatives to detention.

Thus, like a child who kills his parents and then seeks pity for being an orphan, it is hard to take Defendants claim that they had to release more aliens into the country because of limited detention capacity seriously when they have elected not to use one of the tools provided by Congress in 1225(b)(2)(C) and they have continued to ask for less detention capacity in furtherance of their prioritization of alternatives to detention over actual detention, the judge said.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wants answers from freight rail operators about how they are working with upstate New York communities to address rail safety concerns.

Schumer, D-N.Y., sent a letter to seven companies, including CSX and Norfolk Southern, demanding information about their outreach to local governments and how they ensure that municipalities are capable of responding to incidents involving trains carrying hazardous materials.

The questions come after a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in February. In the aftermath of the derailment, there have been environmental and health concerns due to the hazardous materials that were dumped from the train.

Schumer noted that CSX has a freight rail line that runs along a similar path as the Erie Canal and passes through several upstate cities, including Syracuse. Norfolk Southern's route runs through the Southern Tier.

"Our tracks regularly carry trains with hazardous materials," he said. "That's a risk to our communities and these major rail companies have a responsibility, if they are going to carry this stuff, to make sure New Yorkers are kept safe."

One concern raised by Schumer is whether rail companies are communicating with local governments about the hazardous materials being carried on the trains. If there is an incident that requires an emergency response, he explained that fire departments and other first responders need to have the proper equipment and materials to address a spill.

On a call with reporters Tuesday, Schumer urged rail operators to increase transparency and share information with local agencies.

"These rail companies need to be crystal clear and consistent with our public officials, with our firefighters and first responders so they have all the info they need to keep upstate safe," he said. "It's not an option. It's a necessity."
Biden FCC Nominee Withdraws Following Manchin Opposition Announcement

Gigi Sohn testifies during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee confirmation hearing examining her nomination to be appointed Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission in Washington on Feb. 9, 2022. (Pete Marovich-Pool/Getty Images)

Gigi Sohn, President Joe Bidens nominee to fill the vacant seat on the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), announced on Tuesday her decision to withdraw from consideration.

Sohn said in a statement, first obtained by The Washington Post, that the unrelenting, dishonest and cruel attacks on my character and my career as an advocate for the public interest over the past 16 contentious months since Biden first nominated her for the position have taken an enormous toll on me and my family.

It is a sad day for our country and our democracy when dominant industries, with assistance from unlimited dark money, get to choose their regulators, she said. And with the help of their friends in the Senate, the powerful cable and media companies have done just that.

Sohn made the announcement after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) put out a statement earlier on Tuesday saying that he would vote against Gigi Sohn for Democratic Commissioner on the FCC.

Referring to the bipartisan opposition to her nomination for her years of partisan activism, inflammatory statements online, and work with far-left groups, Manchin said that he cannot support [Sohns] nomination to the FCC, and I urge the Biden Administration to put forth a nominee who can bring us together, not drive us apart.

Especially now, the FCC must remain above the toxic partisanship that Americans are sick and tired of, he said, and Ms. Sohn has clearly shown she is not the person to do that.

Biden first nominated Sohn, a former aide to Obama administration-appointed FCC Chair Tom Wheeler, to an open seat on the five-member FCC board in October 2021, which had been vacant since January 2021, according to fair.org.

Her nomination was stalled after her December 2021 confirmation hearing when she refused to disclose to the Senate details about a legal matter concerning nonprofit streaming service Locust with which she was deeply involved. This, added to previous issues that surfaced regarding some left-leaning social media posts (critical of the police, conservative politicians, and media outlets) that she had made in the past and a tech policy think tank that she had founded with funding from George Soros, left Republicans with serious concerns about her ability to remain impartial.

In January 2023, Biden renominated her, hoping that the Democrats new 5149 Senate majority would ensure her confirmation, Axios reported.

On Feb. 14, Sohn appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee, where afterward a few Democratic senators and Sen. Krysten Sinema (I-Ariz.) seemed somewhat cool on the nomination even though they voted to move Sohns nomination out of committee. This left the committee vote with a 14 to 14 deadlock and the nomination in danger of failing to reach a full Senate vote, according to taxpayer advocacy group Americans for Tax Reform.

The FCC is an independent government agency that regulates interstate radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable communications in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories. Congress oversees the agency, which is responsible for implementing and enforcing U.S. communications laws and regulations.

The FCC has five commissioners, who are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. No more than three of those five commissioners can be affiliated with the same political party.

The Biden administrations FCC is currently deadlocked at two Democratic and two Republican commissioners with one empty seat, leaving the agency unable to advance some portions of Democrats agenda, The Hill reported, such as pushing forward action to reinstate Obama-era net neutrality laws.

From The Epoch Times
Bipartisan Lawmakers Dismiss Chinas Threat of Catastrophic Conflict

Chinese leader accuses U.S. of 'encirclement and suppression of China'

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) (L) is joined by Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) to introduce the RESTRICT Act at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 7, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Lawmakers from both parties hit back at China after the communist regimes foreign minister demanded the United States stop viewing Beijing as a rivalor face consequences.

On March 7, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) dismissed Chinas threat and reminded the Chinese regime of its actions against the United States.

Ill just point out this$500 billion a year of intellectual property theft, Warner said during a press briefing when answering a question from an NTD reporter. For years, the use of entities called the Confucius Institutes at many universities that were used to prey upon Chinese exchange students.

Warner also pointed to TikTok, criticizing the popular Chinese video-sharing app for allowing Chinese engineers access to American user data. TikTok is owned by China-based parent company ByteDance, which has close ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Together with a bipartisan group that included Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Warner held the Tuesday press conference to unveil the senators new legislationthe RESTRICT Actwhich aims to address threats posed by technology from foreign adversaries, including Chinas TikTok.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) speaks during a news conference to introduce the RESTRICT Act with (L-R) Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.), Sen. Michael Bennett (D-Colo.), Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 7, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

We have seen an authoritarian regime that literally changed Chinese law in 2016, that requires that any company based in China, their number one responsibility is not to their customers, not to their shareholders, it is to the Communist Party of China, Warner added. That is a very different system than what we have in this country.

Chinas national intelligence law, which went into effect in 2017, requires Chinese individuals and organizations around the world to support, assist, and cooperate with national intelligence efforts and protect national intelligence work secrets they are aware of.

Threat

Chinas foreign minister Qin Gang, formerly the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, leveled the threats during a press conference on Tuesday on the sidelines of an annual Party meeting in Beijing.

Qin accused the United States of harboring a distorted perception by seeing China as its primary rival and biggest geopolitical challenge.

If the United States continues to go down this wrong path, Qin warned, no amount of guardrails could prevent conflict and confrontation.

Who will bear the catastrophic consequences? Qin asked.

National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby and Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) also dismissed Qins threat on Tuesday.

We seek a strategic competition with China. We do not seek conflict, Kirby told reporters.

Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) questions Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell during a hearing at the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 14, 2022. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Lets start with whats distorted in China, Cammack told Fox News. How about the fact that theyve been distorting and manipulating their currency for decades? How about the fact that they have a distorted human rights record where they are actively engaging in genocide within their own country?

The U.S. government has declared Chinas suppression against Uyghurs in its far-western region of Xinjiang as genocide and crimes against humanity.

I would say that theyre trying to distract from whats really going on, when they threatened us for shooting down their spy balloon, when they are starting to talk tough now, because were getting closer to the origins of COVID and their responsibility in that, that is when theyre starting to get scared, Cammack added.

So this tough talk, its nothing more than a cover for people who are extraordinarily worried about the truth coming out.

Xi Jinping

Separately on Tuesday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping also condemned what he called the U.S.-led suppression of China.

Western countries led by the United States have implemented all-round containment, encirclement, and suppression of China, Xi said in a speech at an annual Communist Party congress in Beijing.

In response to Xis remarks, Warner said the United States and China are in competition even though the economies of the two nations are inexorably tied.

Their administration lies on a daily basis, Thune said in response to Xis remarks. The message is yes, we have some symbiotic relationship with China when it comes to our two economies. But that has to be conducted in an open, transparent way in which we have an opportunity to determine whether or not they are playing by the rules.
California Lawmaker Seeks to Classify Sex Trafficking as Violent Felony

Sex trafficking could be reclassified as a violent felony in California under proposed legislation set to be heard next week.

Everything wrong about California criminal law is laid out in our statutes pertaining to human trafficking: currently, trafficking children for sexual purposes is not considered a violent felony, Assemblyman Joe Patterson (R-Rocklin) said in a release Jan. 11, the same day when he introduced the bill. These perpetrators need to be held accountable and AB 229 will do just that.

A hearing is set for March 14 in the Assemblys Committee on Public Safety, Pattersons spokeswoman Christina Paxton told The Epoch Times.

The bill aims to make it a violent felony to commit sex trafficking and qualify it as a strike offense under Californias Three Strikes Law, which imposes a state prison term of 25 years to life for those who are convicted of a violent or serious felony after already having two prior convictions for these offenses. Some examples of such crimes include murder, arson, rape, and robbery.

Tens of thousands of children and adults have been sex trafficked right here in the Sacramento region, including Placer and El Dorado Counties, since 2015, Patterson said on the Assembly floor when he introduced the bill Jan. 11 on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonpartisan think tank, nearly half of those trafficked in California are U.S. citizens.

The share of foreign-born victims in the Golden State rose to 54 percent in 2021, up from 36 percent in 2015. Nationally, the share rose from 38 percent to 62 percent during the same period, the institute reported.

Human trafficking is among the most heinous crimes the FBI encounters, the bureaus Director Christopher Wray said last August. Unfortunately, such crimesagainst both adults and childrenare far more common than most people realize.

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery, according to California Attorney General Rob Bontas office. It involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services or engage in sex acts for money.

In 2020, the latest reported year, nearly 2,200 suspects were referred to U.S. Attorneys for human trafficking offensesa 62-percent increase from 2011and 1,343 people were prosecuted, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics.

There were over 27.6 million reported global human trafficking cases in 2021, according to a 2022 report released by the International Labour Organization (pdf), a United Nations agency promoting labor rights internationally. Of this number, 6.3 million were sexual exploitation victims, the report stated.
Australia May Be Arming Hostile Governments, Calls for an Inquiry

Shadow Minister for Cyber Security James Paterson at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on March 6, 2023. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

The Coalition is calling for a federal investigation into reports that Australian universities could be arming hostile foreign governments with skilled cyber hackers.

This comes after allegations from academic whistleblowers revealed that Australian universities were potentially training Chinese hackers through teaching collaborations with Chinese universities.

Shadow Minister for Cybersecurity and Countering Foreign Interference, Senator James Paterson, has called on the federal government to launch an urgent investigation into the reports via the federal governments Universities Foreign Interference Taskforce (UFIT).

The mass training of students offshore to potentially go to work for the very agencies that are targeting Australia is deeply disturbing and concerning. Ive worked with these whistleblowers directly, and Im alarmed by their reports, Paterson said.

Our universities have said theyre on top of this issue.

Clearly, theyre not, and more action is required.

UFIT was set up in 2019 to provide better protection for universities against foreign interference.

Most recently, UFIT, in collaboration with the university sector, generated a set of guidelines to help manage and engage with risk to deepen resilience against foreign interference in the university sector.

The Epoch Times reached out to Universities Australia, the peak body for the sector, to ask if universities in the country should be mindful of the geopolitical risks students from hostile countries pose. Acting Chief Executive Peter Chesworth responded in a statement that said the sector was able to respond to the national security challenges because of UFIT.

He also said: All courses offered by Australian universities are regulated and assessed by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency.

Experts Call for Security Clearances For All Cyber Students

Australian cyber experts raised the alarm on Tuesday in a report by The Australian, noting they were concerned that universities were teaching students in China the techniques that would allow them to initiate attacks on civilian infrastructure like power grids, banks and services agencies.

Cybersecurity expert Val Wats said that Australian universities should require security clearances for all students studying high-level cyber security tactics, including those residing in Australia.

Its a big problem and a scary one, he told The Australian. There needs to be regulation of what information is given to foreigners that can be used against us. If you give them the knowledge and understanding to bring down systems, you literally sabotage yourself, and that is what is happening.

Echoing Wats, Paterson noted that Australias critical infrastructure and government networks are under near constant attacks from our adversaries.

Among the course content, which is being alleged by whistleblowers to be taught to students in China, is tactics about how to attack critical civilian infrastructure, he said.

We need action from the government here. Im calling on the Albanese government, particularly through the Universities Foreign Interference Taskforce, to launch an urgent investigation to get to the bottom of these very serious reports. 

Paterson said he was currently working with whistleblower academic staff who had told him they were self-censoring coursework, so they did not teach this material to overseas students. He noted that this behaviour was not robust protection for Australia in the long term.

Australian Universities Refuse to Discriminate Against Students

Meanwhile, Australian universities have refused to discriminate against students enrolled in their courses, with a spokesperson for the University of Sydney telling The Epoch Times that the university does not discriminate on the grounds of race or nationality when delivering coursework and that all course content is available to all our enrolled students.

The spokesperson also noted that the university works hard to comply with all laws and manage risks.

We work carefully and diligently to comply with all laws and identify and manage relevant risks in a constantly changing legal and operating environment, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the University of New South Wales, which runs the academic sector of the Australian Defence Force Academy, told The Australian that the university works with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of Home Affairs to guarantee that any overseas partnerships are the national interest.

The teaching of cybersecurity to international students, both onshore and offshore, and domestic students is identical, the spokesperson said.

We support and encourage our researchers to collaborate with international partners in line with all applicable Australian and international laws and government guidelines and with the universitys objectives, values and policies.
Canadas Intelligence Agency Says Foreign Interference Activity by Beijing On the Rise

A sign for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service building in Ottawa, in a file photo. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) said its seeing the continued growth of foreign interference activities from state actors like China, a statement that follows a string of recent reports about Beijings interference in Canadian society and democratic systems.

CSIS continues to observe increasing foreign interference activity by state actors, including the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), said the federal intelligence agency in a Twitter post on March 6.

Given the nature of todays geopolitical environment, these activities will almost certainly intensify.

CSIS continues to observe increasing foreign interference activity by state actors, including the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). Given the nature of todays geopolitical environment, these activities will almost certainly intensify. pic.twitter.com/yI48UU5Vde  CSIS Canada (@csiscanada) March 6, 2023

In a following tweet, CSIS urged Canadians to remain vigilant against such threats and learn how you can help protect Canadas #NationalSecurity, including a link to a report titled Foreign Interference and You.

Canadas fundamental institutions (e.g. academia, free press, democratic institutions), governance processes, and diverse Canadian communities are all active targets of foreign interference activities, said the report.

While the report didnt name any countries in particular, it says that malign foreign actors target Canada for a variety of reasons, and all seek to exploit the openness of our society and penetrate our fundamental institutions to meet their objectives.

CSIS has observed and investigated multiple instances of foreign states targeting Canada and Canadian interests through the use of human intelligence operations, state-sponsored or foreign influenced media, and sophisticated cyber techniques, said the report.

Traditional interference through human intelligence operations remains the greatest danger, but interference through hostile cyber activity is a growing concern.

Media reports in recent weeks have cited leaked CSIS documents showing how Beijing and its envoys in Canada carried out extensive efforts to influence Canadas federal elections in 2019 and 2021, including mobilizing local associations and individuals to advocate on their behalf.

The Chinese regimes interference also made headlines in recent months regarding the alleged operation of secret Chinese police service stations overseasincluding three in the Greater Toronto Area and one in Vancouver, B.C. While the RCMP said operations in these locations have ceased, investigations remain ongoing.

Also raising concerns are reports of a Chinese surveillance balloon that was downed by the U.S. military after it trespassed through North American airspace in early February. Chinese spy buoys have also been identified and intercepted by the Canadian military in Arctic waters.

The Epoch Times reached out to CSIS for additional comment but didnt hear back by publication time.
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Former acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf joins us to discuss the crisis at the southern border. How are Mexican drug cartels benefiting from human trafficking?

A private lender sues the Biden administration over the student loan payment pause. Its a step toward lifting the payment suspension from three years ago.
CCP Steals Up to $600 Billion a Year in US Intellectual Property, Experts Warn

Chinese Leader Xi Jinping raises his hand as he votes during the closing session of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party at The Great Hall of People in Beijing, on Oct. 22, 2022. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

The Chinese Communist Party has been stealing U.S. intellectual property for years, costing Americans up to $600 billion annually, the equivalent of $6,000 for every family, an expert testified on Capitol Hill on March 8.

The theft has been systematic, deliberate, and obviousbut not adequately addressed by the federal government, witnesses said.

When it comes to intellectual property, the Chinese Communist Party has been eating our lunch for many years across both parties administrations, Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) said, then corrected his comment.

I think it needs to be changed to, Theyve been stealing our lunch money and parading in front of us.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) speaks during a news conference in El Cajon, Calif., on Sept. 26, 2019. (Gregory Bull/AP Photo)

To stop the thievery, the United States must employ a multidimensional strategy that begins with developing a bipartisan, societal will to confront the problem, experts said.

The testimony came at a hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet on March 8, during which members of both parties acknowledged the ongoing theft of U.S. intellectual property and resolved to find a solution.

Uncivil Actions

The United States has embraced trade with China since President Richard Nixon reestablished diplomatic relations with the country in 1972.

While generally beneficial, the open trading relationship hasnt produced the hoped-for moderating effect on the behavior of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), subcommittee chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said.

American national security is at risk because of Chinas governments quest to achieve superiority using both internal and external gotten technology through both legal and illegal means, Issa said.

Ranking Member Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) agreed with the assessment.

We know that the sale scale of Chinas IP theft is enormous. We know that it hurts our inventors ability to compete and succeed, Johnson said.

A model of the Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China Ltd. (Comac) C919 aircraft at the Singapore Airshow in Singapore on Feb. 6, 2018. (Seong Joon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

And we know that we need to improve our laws and policies to not only protect Americas intellectual property from the Chinese government but also to mitigate the damage already done.

Johnson and other speakers noted that U.S. competitiveness with China shouldnt fuel anti-Asian racism.

We are in an innovation war with China. But we dont win that war by giving our values and giving in to hate, Johnson said.

Anything Not Nailed Down

Witnesses described the CCPs IP theft program as a whole society approach.

China uses intelligence services, science and technology investments, academic collaboration, research partnerships, joint ventures, front companies, mergers and acquisitions, and outright theft via insider threats and cyber intrusions, said William Evanina, founder and CEO of the Evanina Group, a consulting firm specializing in intellectual property security.

China steals pretty much everything having to do with intellectual property, he said.

The list is clear, concise, at the same time strategic and comprehensive. Just to name a few: aerospace deep-sea technology, biotechnology, information technology, manufacturing, clean energy, electric battery technology, and DNA genomics, he said.

Chinese company Comacs C929 airplane, to be debuted next month, was created almost entirely with stolen technology, Evanina said.

Addressing Vulnerabilities

Predatory use of patent laws is a primary tactic of Chinese companies, witnesses said.

Chinese companies will steal U.S. ideas and innovations, sometimes aided by state laws prohibiting noncompete contracts, then obtain patents on the work and sue the innovating U.S. company for patent infringement.

To combat that, the U.S. patent process should be improved to ensure that patents are correctly reviewed and that legal enforcement is fair both here and in China, according to Charles Duan, a professor at American University Washington College of Law and a member of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offices public advisory committee.

TikTok advertisement in Union Station, Washington, on Feb. 17, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Joint ventures between Chinese and U.S. companies have also provided opportunities for intellectual property theft.

We dont play by the same rules as the Communist Party of China, Evanina said.

While acknowledging that U.S. investment in Chinese countries is legal and often lucrative, Evanina asked business leaders to weigh the trade-off between profit and national security.

We are in a place right now where our global supremacy, our capitalist mindset is clearly superseding and overlapping with our national security interests, he said.

Tech innovators and research institutions arent the only points of vulnerability. Social media apps are another, especially those that send data back to the app makers, many of which are based in China.

This is really a matter of evaluating the backdoor risks that are posed. I think we need to do a better job of that, said Mark Cohen, distinguished senior fellow and director of the Asia IP Project at Berkeley Center for Law and Technology.

Previous attempts to reform the behavior of the CCP by multiple administrations have failed. The starting point for any future attempt is to develop a bipartisan, public-private approach to the problem, according to Evanina.

You have to have the political will across parties and administrations and, importantly, in the U.S. business community, he said.

Absent the sustained will, it will be increasingly difficult to protect the U.S. economy and American workers from the negative impact of Chinese policies and practices on [intellectual property].
China Remains USs Unparalleled Priority Amid Beijings Increasing Aggression: DNI Haines

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the U.S. intelligence communitys unparalleled priority as the regime in Beijing draws increasing pushback over its aggression toward Taiwan and its relationship with Russia, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines told lawmakers on March 8.

The CCP represents both the leading and most consequential threat to U.S. national security and leadership globally in its intelligence-specific ambitions and capabilities, making it for us our most serious and consequential intelligence rival, she said at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats, and as the U.S. intelligence community released the unclassified version of its annual threat assessment report (pdf).

Expansion at US Expense

Haines warned that Chinas aggressiveness, particularly toward Taiwan and its Western allies, is accelerating as the communist regime seeks to maintain its ascendancy on the world stage.

[China], which is increasingly challenging the United States economically, technologically, politically, and militarily around the world, remains our unparalleled priority, Haines said in her opening statement.

However, she warned that the CCP is still seeking to expand its influence and is increasingly convinced that they can only do so at the expense of U.S. power and influence and by using coordinated whole-of-government tools to demonstrate strength and compel neighbors to acquiesce to its preferences. She cited Chinas ongoing territorial disputes with nations such as India, Japan, and its ongoing aggression toward Taiwan, the self-ruled island the CCP claims as its own.

Haines listed a litany of Chinas overarching policy goals: the continued expansion of its military and nuclear capacity, research and development of counter-space weapons to challenge burgeoning U.S. control of the upper atmosphere, and others that seek to unseat the United States from the top of the world stage.

Chinese leader Xi Jinpings primary foreign policy goal is to reshape global governance in line with its preferences and governance standards that support its monopoly of power within China, she said.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the committees chairman and one of the chambers more moderate Democrats, echoed that warning about Chinese ascendancy, saying in his opening statement that the CCP recently passed the point of becoming a near-peer competitor with the United States.

Sen. Mark Warner (R-Va.), then-vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, speaks to media in the Senate subway area of the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 28, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Xi Takes Aim at US

Xi and the Chinese regime have become increasingly aggressive, Haines said, pointing to the Chinese leaders remarks on the sidelines at this weeks opening of the National Peoples Congress, the regimes rubber-stamp legislature.

Xis March 6 remarks were notable because he directly referenced the United States in blaming Washington-led efforts for his nations economic challenges. Xi typically avoids direct references in such instances.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping applauds during the opening of the 3rd Session of the 12th National Peoples Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5, 2015. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Western countriesled by the U.S.have implemented all-round containment, encirclement, and suppression against us, bringing unprecedentedly severe challenges to our countrys development, Xi said, according to a readout from state-media outlet Xinhua.

Haines cited that speech as a cause for alarm, saying it indicated that China is losing faith in reaching a settlement with the United States through diplomacy.

Xis speech this week was the most public indirect criticism that weve seen from him to date and probably reflects growing pessimism in Beijing about Chinas relationship with the United States, as well as Xis growing worries about the trajectory of Chinas domestic economic development and indigenous technology, innovation challenges that he now blames on the United States.

Xi was seeking to present rising tensions with Washington as being the fault of the United States rather than the CCP, Haines said.

China Still Seeks to Avoid Escalation

Still, Haines also reported intelligence officials assessment that Beijing doesnt wish to actively alienate the United States, as this would risk further sanctions even as the countrys economic growth has begun to plateau.

Intelligence officials suspect that China will continue to have trouble kindling growth, she said.

Specifically, China is having issues continuing to grow economically because Chinas era of rapid catch-up growth is ending and structural issues such as dead demographics, inequality, overreliance on investment, and suppressed consumption remain, Haines said.

Notwithstanding Chinas blustering over the U.S. militarys destruction of an espionage balloon over the continental United States, the CCP continues to believe that it benefits most by preventing a spiraling of tensions and by preserving stability in its relationship with the United States, she said.

Of particular concern to the United States is that China may seek to take advantage of the international confusion caused by the RussiaUkraine war to attempt its long-held goal of taking over Taiwan. Intelligence officials also worry that China may continue to make overtures to Russia, an alliance that could be catastrophic for U.S. interests if it comes to fruition.

Congress Turns Up Heat on China

Recently, U.S. lawmakers of both parties have taken an increasingly aggressive stance on the CCP, particularly following the violation of U.S. airspace by a Chinese espionage balloon.

In February, both chambers of Congress voted unanimously in favor of a resolution that condemned the CCP for the territorial violation, a rare show of unity in an otherwise divided Congress.

The Senate hearing occurred as House members begin their investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent weeks, the FBI director and the Department of Energy each concluded that it was likely that the pandemic resulted from a lab leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.

Warner took the opportunity to reference the lower chambers hearing and offered his endorsement.

Lets be clear, despite Chinas denials, it is entirely fair for us to ask whether a virus that has killed at least 6.8 million people so far might have been accidentally released from a lab.
Chinese Regime Represents Existential Threat to Canada, Says Liberal MP

Liberal MP John McKay, chair of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security, waits for the start of a meeting in Ottawa on July 15, 2019. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang)

The Chinese regime represents an existential threat to Canadas national security, says Liberal MP John McKay, whose comments come amid a flurry of reports that Beijing interfered in Canadas past two federal elections.

McKay, who chairs the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence, made the comments to reporters in Ottawa on March 8.

The government of China is an existential threat to Canada on a multiplicity of levels, he said, according to Global News.

We need as a nation to come to grips with the desire of the government of China to turn us all into vassal states.

McKays comments come on the same day Global News journalist Sam Cooper published an article saying two high-level national security reports from 2019 and 2022 suggest that senior federal officials were informed of alleged funding of candidates by Beijing in the past two federal elections.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has denied several times ever being briefed specifically about the Chinese regime funding federal candidates. Yet, one of the high-level national security reports cited in the Global report was prepared by the Privy Council Office (PCO) for the Trudeau government, dated January 2022, and was finalizedwhich suggests it was intended to be read by the prime minister and his senior aides.

A large clandestine transfer of funds earmarked for the federal election from the PRC Consulate in Toronto was transferred to an elected provincial government official via a staff member of a 2019 federal candidate, says the PCO document from January 2022 titled, Special Report.

Foreign Interference

Trudeaus national security and intelligence adviser, Jody Thomas, previously said her office has seen no evidence of the Chinese regime funding candidates in past federal elections.

However, Thomas recently told the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs that Trudeau has been briefed on foreign interference in the elections multiple times between 2019 and 2021 and 2022.

She also said she would try to provide the committee with the exact dates the prime minister was briefed on the matter.

Opposition parties have been calling on Trudeau to initiate a public inquiry into the election interference reports, but he has so far refused to do so. The prime minister announced this week that he will instead appoint an independent special rapporteur to look into foreign interference in Canadas elections.

Opposition MPs on the Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs all voiced support on March 7 for a motion that wouldve called on Trudeaus Chief of Staff Katie Telford to testify before the committee on Beijings election interference.

However, Liberal MP and committee chair Bardish Chagger suspended the meeting around 2:00 p.m. before a vote could be taken, and Liberal members of the committee did not return following question period in the House.

In a scrum after question period, MPs from the three opposition parties said they were ready to continue the meeting but Liberals MPs were not present and a quorum could not be reached.

Noe Chartier contributed to this report.
Committee Report Demanding Inquiry on Election Interference to Be Tabled in Commons

Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs chair Bardish Chagger waits to begin a meeting of the committee, in Ottawa, Feb. 21, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

A House committee report demanding an independent inquiry into election interference is expected to be introduced in the Commons on March 8, in response to reports of Beijings meddling in Canadas last two federal elections.

Liberal MP Bardish Chagger, who is chair of the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) told MPs at the committee meeting on March 7 that the report will likely be presented today.

The reportstay tunedit will be presented in the House [on March 8] if everything goes well, said Liberal MP Bardish Chagger, chair of the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC).

That report will be presented, she added, as first reported by Blacklocks Reporter.

The report says cabinet must launch a national public inquiry into allegations of foreign interference in Canadas democratic system including but not limited to allegations of interference in general elections by foreign governments. The inquiry must also investigate abuse of diaspora groups by hostile foreign governments.

It also says that any appointee named to head the inquiry be selected by unanimous agreement of Liberal, Conservative, NDP, and Bloc Quebecois House leaders.

PROC members passed a motion last week urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to launch an inquiry to investigate media reports of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) foreign interference operations in Canada that include, but not limited to, Beijings meddling in the 2019 and 2021 elections.

Liberal MPs on the committee voted against the motion introduced by NDP MP Peter Julian.

Canadians need answers. Canada needs an independent, non-partisan public inquiry, he wrote on social media on March 8.

Election Interference

Allegations of Beijings interference stemmed from reports by the Globe and Mail in recent weeks, based on leaks from national security sources alleging the Chinese consulates in Canada formulated a sophisticated strategy that aimed to re-elect a Liberal minority in the 2021 election while defeating Conservative MPs critical of the communist regime.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has opposed an independent inquiry, saying there are existing mechanisms to deal with the matter, pointing to the National Security and Intelligence Committee and PROC, which has been investigating Chinas interference in the 2019 election since last November. The committee launched its study after a Global News report alleged that intelligence officials had warned Trudeau and cabinet that Beijing provided illegal funding to at least 11 candidates in the 2019 race.

Facing mounting pressure for a public inquiry, the prime minister announced this week that he will appoint an independent special rapporteur to look into foreign interference in Canadas elections. Trudeau further confirmed on March 7, that the rapporteur will be named in the coming weeks.

Bloc MP Alain Therrien described the issue as a test for Parliament.

If we cant assess the integrity of our elections in a transparent way, honestly, were in big trouble, Therrien said at the PROC meeting on March 7. Were straying into banana republic territory here with all due respect to bananas.

Bloc MP Marie-Helene Gaudreau told the committee her constituents were outraged by allegations of CCP agents interfered in the 2019 and 2021 campaigns and were calling her office daily over the issue.

People believe the government is afraid, Gaudreau said, citing recent polls that said the majority of Canadians are concerned about Chinese interference.

I spoke to some citizens yesterday who are saying to me, What the heck, what is happening now with the government?' she said.

I am not the only person embarrassed by all of this, she added. We want to save our democracy.

An Angus Reid survey published this month showed nearly 70 percent of Canadians believe the federal government is afraid to stand up to Beijing, amid mounting evidence showing Beijings interfered in Canadian elections.

Peter Wilson contributed to this report
An upstate man who scammed a Moravia homeowner out of $6,000 is going to prison.

Cayuga County District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonacci announced that Ryan Clement, 40, of Carthage, pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree grand larceny in Cayuga County Court Wednesday.

Charges against Clement arose from a transaction that occurred on Sept. 21, 2021 in the town of Moravia where Clement fraudulently contracted to build a shed. He received $6,000 upfront as a down payment from the victim, the DA said, despite having no intention of building such a structure.

He was charged after failing to start construction for months and refusing to reimburse the victim. The DA's office said Clement has been convicted of stealing from multiple people throughout New York state using this same scheme.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 29 to the maximum statutory term of 3  to 7 years and will also be required to pay full restitution to the victim.

The case was handled by Assistant District Attorney Richard Pado.
COVID-19 More Likely Originated in Chinese Lab Than in Nature: Former CDC Director

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Commissioner Robert Redfield speaks during a White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, on Nov. 19, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

The currently available evidence supports the theory that COVID-19 originated in a Chinese laboratory, former U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield told members of Congress on March 8.

From the earliest days of the pandemic, my view was both theories about the origin of COVID-19 needed to be aggressively and thoroughly examined. Based on my initial analysis of the data, I came to believeand I still believe todaythat it indicates that COVID-19 more likely was the result of an accidental lab leak than a result of a natural spillover event, Redfield, who directed the CDC during the Trump administration, said in his prepared opening remarks to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic.

This conclusion is based primarily on the biology of the virus itself, including the rapid high infectivity for human-to-human transmission, which would then predict rapid evolution of new variants as well as a number of other important factors, which also include the unusual actions in and around Wuhan in the fall of 2019, all of which I am happy to discuss today, Redfield added.

Redfield was one of four people testifying on Wednesday to the new committee, which is controlled by Republicans and is seeking to pin down where COVID-19 came from.

Some scientists still strongly support the natural origin theory, but more than two years after the pandemic started, no host animal has been identified. Additionally, the virus itself contains signs it was engineered, according to some experts.

U.S. intelligence officials are divided over the origins. The FBI assesses that COVID-19 likely originated in the Wuhan lab, as does the Energy Department, but some other agencies lean towards the natural origin theory.

Redfield was also prepared to tell the panel that researching the origins is important.

Even given the information thats surfaced in the three years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, some have contended that there is really no point in investigating the origins of this virus. I strongly disagree. There is a global need to know what we are dealing with in COVID-19 virus because it affects how we approach the problem to try to prevent the next pandemic, he wrote in his opening statement.

Because the current evidence supports the lab origin theory, and because the labs in China were conducting research that increased one or more functions of a virusknown as gain-of-functionthere should be a halt to such experiments, Redfield asserted.

Gain-of-function research has long been controversial within the scientific community, and, in my own opinion, the COVID-19 pandemic presents a case study on the potential dangers of such research. While many believe that gain-of-function research is critical to get ahead of viruses by developing vaccines, in this case, I believe it was the exact opposite, unleashing a new virus on the world without any means of stopping it and resulting in the deaths of millions of people, he said.

Because of this, it is my opinion that we should call for a moratorium on gain-of-function research until we have a broader debate and we come to a consensus as a community about the value of gain-of-function research. This debate should not be limited to the scientific community. If the decision is to continue gain-of-function research then it must be determined how and where to conduct this research in a safe, responsible, and effective way.

Fauci

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who prompted the drafting of a 2020 paper that was meant to disprove the lab leak theory, was not called to testify. During an appearance on CNN on Tuesday night, he said its hard to know whether COVID-19 originated from nature or a lab.

Whether or not we ever will know, Im not sure, he said. The one thing is that we have to keep an open mind about this until theres definitive evidence.

If a lab leak is proven, then you want to be very much more stringent in the controls of the experiments that you allow to be done, Fauci said. If nature is determined to be the origin, then controls should be placed on animal-human interactions at places such as wet markets, he added.

Fauci also said that he would testify before a panel if he is called, as he did multiple times during the previous Congress.

Another Witness

Jamie Metzl, senior fellow at The Atlantic Council, another witness and a self-identified Democrat, told the congressional panel on Wednesday that an investigation into the origins was important because of the devastating impact of COVID-19, including a death toll in the millions.

It is inconceivable that over three years after this deadly pandemic began, no comprehensive and unfettered investigation into pandemic origins has been carried out nor is one currently planned. Twenty million dead and counting and no comprehensive investigation. This injustice is an insult to every victim of this crisis and a clear threat to future generations, Metzl said in his opening remarks. Theres a reason we leave no stone unturned when investigating a plane crash. We do it to make flying safer. Similarly, understanding how this pandemic began is essential to prioritizing our response. If, for example, we knew for certain the pandemic stems from a lab incident in Wuhan, I can assure you that efforts to regulate the rapid proliferation of high-containment, and all-too-often high risk, virology labs across the globe would get a massive boost.

Metzl noted that the Chinese Communist Party has blocked efforts to investigate the origins, including destroying evidence and imprisoning journalists.

This hearing must be only the beginning, he said. The most substantial work is ahead of us. We must fully investigate pandemic origins and begin building the national and international norms, systems, and structures to prevent this type of catastrophe from ever happening again.
Death, Disease, and Despair: Tragedy in San Franciscos Tenderloin

SAN FRANCISCOAs JJ Smith stands in the infamous Tenderloin district on a cold, windy day in late February, he recounts the last time he saw his older brother, Rodney, alive.

That day, in early October, Rodney rode up on his bicycle and asked him for $20, he said.

I didnt ask him what it was for, Smith said. He was homeless.

Moments later, Rodney handed the money to a drug dealer, a Honduran with a red backpack, he said.

I was standing right here. I saw the whole transaction, he said, pointing up the sidewalk on Ellis Street.

Two hours later, I got a phone call, Smith said. My brother died. He ODd.

Rodney was 55.

Smith said he knows his brother would have likely obtained the drugs whether he had given him money that day or not. But, it haunts him.

I watched him buy the drugs, he said. I could have helped out my brother, but he didnt want the help.

JJ Smith on the streets of the Tenderloin district in San Francisco on Feb. 23, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Harm Reduction and Housing

Harm reduction kitsclean needles, pipes and other paraphernalia that churches and non-profit agencies hand outare only enabling addicts, and the homeless and drug crises to fester, Smith said.

He calls them assisted suicide kits.

Smith, 52, who lives in the Tenderloin, wakes before dawn every day to walk the tent-covered sidewalksstrewn with needles, crack pipes and dirty clothing. Since retiring as a private chef two years ago, he has made it his mission to check in on the homeless, he said.

He doesnt believe subsidized housing, single-room occupancy hotel rooms known as SROs, are helping either.

My brother stayed in a tent for a long time, but as soon as they placed him in an SRO by himself, they gave him a harm reduction kit. He went inside the room by himself. He shot the dope and killed himself, he said.

At least on the streets, even when he was sleeping in a tent, his brother had other people around watching when he was doing drugs, Smith said.

A drug user displays a fentanyl hit in San Francisco on Feb. 23, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

SROs are also known as residential hotels, typically featuring 8-by-10-ft. rooms with shared toilets and showers down the hallway.

Despite efforts to house San Franciscos homeless, according to city data from 2022, nearly 7,800 remain living on the streets, hundreds of them concentrated in the Tenderloin, a gritty downtown district spanning about 50 blocks between Union Square and the Civic Center.

Housing the homeless in SROs alone wont solve the homeless crisis, he said.

Giving them housing aint helping them get off the drugs. You have to attack the situation that led them to be unhoused, that led them to be on drugs. Giving them a room is not going to cure them, he said.

Smith also said some in the Tenderloin arent down on their luck. Some with wives, children, and parents, have chosen to live on the street, just so they can use drugs.

They know this behavior is not acceptable anywhere else, but its acceptable here in San Francisco, and you will get paid for being here, he said.

Policing and Injustice

Citing high-profile cases where drug dealers were arrested in fentanyl overdose deaths, Smith said he is disappointed police wont investigate his brothers death.

I can actually tell them who he got it from, and I can go to court and testify. But its not going to do no good when theyre not going to prosecute, he said.

He blames the system for ignoring such overdose cases in poor communities, like the Tenderloin.

JJ Smith points to the area he last saw his brother alive on the streets of the Tenderloin District in San Francisco on Feb. 23, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Once you get to these upper-class communities, theyll do an investigation, he said. It has to be some rich person. When its in the poor community, they dont care.

Last summer, Smith was attacked by Honduran dealersone wielding a macheteafter asking them not to sell drugs near a youth recreation center, he said.

He was hospitalized for a day, and treated for machete wounds on his head, back, and arm. The gash on his head was deep and wide, requiring eight large staples.

His Mission

During his walks in the Tenderloin, which usually start around 4:30 a.m., he films what he sees and posts the videos on Twitter.

Those on the street know hes there to help if they need him.

They dont mind me filming them or speaking with them. They keep it real with me. I keep it real with them. I respect them. They respect me, he said. I treat them like my brothers, my sisters.

Smith believes the videos and commentary he shares in online posts will help dissuade young people from doing drugs, and encourage those who are addicted to get clean.

He wants to tell the world how drugs destroy peoples lives and devastate families, and show the death, disease, and despair he sees daily, he said.

A homeless man lies passed out on the streets of the Tenderloin District of San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 23, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Everybody knows drugs kill and drugs hurt, but a lot of people have never seen someone that died on drugs. I show that, he said.

Even though he has been accused by some of shaming homeless drug addicts, Smith said many want to be filmed and talk openly about their plight and addictions.

Im not shaming anyone.  Its therapeutic for them to talk about their situation, he said. Maybe theyll see the light in what theyre doing by speaking about it. It might help them to make a change. You never know.

Smith said his greatest detractors are activists and politicians who claim to be working to solve the homeless crisisbut arent.

My biggest threat is some of these political people who say I shouldnt feel what I feelthat I shouldnt have conversations with people on the streets, and I shouldnt interview people.  Those are the people Im really afraid of, he said. My brother is gone. I can tell his story, but theres a lot of other stories that need to be told.

On the Streets

Recently, Smith tried to help a meth addict with a festering open wound on the back of her leg. Smith and a community supervisor asked the woman to move her scattered belongings away from the entrance to a park where children were playing. But she refused unless Smith could get her medical treatment.

Drug users are prone to skin and soft tissue infections, a significant cause of injury and death, that have escalated nationally in recent years, according to the National Institute of Health.

Smith called authorities, and she was eventually taken to a shelter.

John Howard, 39, a friend of herswho has lived at the Drake Hotel across from the park for nearly two monthstold The Epoch Times he has used drugs since he was a child.

John Howard stands on the sidewalk of the Tenderloin District in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 23, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Howard said he has been to several rehab facilities over the years, but nothing has worked.

When youve been doing drugs since you were five years old and thats all you really know is drugs, its not easy to give up, he said. Just like, its life.

Howard said he overdosed on fentanyl once, but was revived by police with two cans of Narcan, and has stayed away from it since.

After that, I said Id never touch it again, and I havent, he said.

But, he said, he still uses methamphetamines, even though he is on probation.

They test me all the time, but they know Im gonna fail, he said.

Originally from Odessa, Tex., Howard said he has lived in the San Francisco Bay area for about the last 20 years and is now taking computer information and networking classes in college.

San Francisco has changed a lot in the last 20 yearsa whole lot, he said. When I first came here, there were no tents  on the street. Now its full of tents. Theres more tents than there are apartments.

Another man who goes by the name Alabama, told the Epoch Times he normally uses crystal meth.

But one time, when he was smoking crack, somebody put fentanyl in his pipe, he said.

Once I hit it, whoa!straight to the head. I was out. I was gone, he said. It took seven cans of Narcan and they had to hit me with paddles. All I remember was waking up at the hospital with my brand new polo shirt cut open.

And another man, who goes by the name Sevi, and lives in an SRO, said Honduran drug dealers control the fentanyl trade in the Tenderloin.

Men stand on the sidewalk in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 23, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Theyll sell to anybody as long as youre not wearing a cop uniform, he said.

Fentanyl is known to often enter the U.S. through Mexico from China as counterfeit M30, or 30 mg pharmaceutical pills, sometimes called Mexican blues, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Theyre disguising [fentanyl] as blue M30 pillsthe more pure form of it, Sevi said.

Most of the fentanyl sold in the Tenderloin is cut to less than 20 percent pure to make it cheap, Sevi said.

Its such a strong drug that if theyre selling it for $10 a gram, youre not going to get [pure] fetty, which would most likely cost at least $100 a gram, and kill most people the first time they use it, he said. They take one little hit, and theyre on the [expletive] ground  even if theyve been using for 10 years.

And the penalties for selling it are lax, Sevi said.

For an ounce of fentanyl, youre going to get charged. Youre going to have to go to trial, but youre getting out the next day, he said.

Sevi, too, overdosed on fentanyl, once mistaking it for his drug of choice: crack cocaine.

The first 10 seconds of fentanyl high is the best crack that I ever took, he said. But, he said, within minutes he realized he had taken fentanyl.

When people are that high on fentanyl, theyre incapable of asking for help, he said. Some people noticed Sevi was overdosing, they called an ambulance, and he was revived with Narcan.

He has a 13-month-old daughter who lives with my baby mama in the Mission district.

She got clean when she got pregnant, he said.

He knows the Tenderloin isnt the best place for his daughter.

Ideally, I would like to get the [expletive] out of here because I dont want to bring my kid to the Tenderloin every time I want to hang out with her or have to watch her, he said.

Spencer, a homeless person, in San Francisco on Feb. 23, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Tenderloin Tragedy

Spencer, 37, another homeless man living in a tent in the Tenderloin, recently told The Epoch Times he was 19 when he started doing drugs. He said he started with marijuana, and then moved on to cocaine and ecstasy.

But, by his early 20s, he was hooked on OxyContin.

Wearing an oversized jacket a security guard had given him, Spencer crawled out of his tent to smoke fentanyl blended with tobacco.

Originally from Tacoma, Wash., Spencer said he had lived in San Francisco for about a decade. He had been homeless for more than three years.

I had a partner for a while, quite a few years ago. I was staying with somebody, and things didnt work out. One day I came home after work and the locks were changed, he said. I was living on the street with a little cart and a couple of bags.

Over the years, Spencer moved on to harder drugs, like heroin, and eventually fentanyl. While there is still heroin on the street, fentanyl is cheaper and more plentiful, he said.

Spencer fatally overdosed on March 2.

Smith said Spence was his friend for about two years. He was permanently hunched over with a back condition caused by heavy drug use. Everybody on the street respected him and looked out for him like he was their little brother, he said.

Spencer had that effect on everybody, he said. He was a lovable guy. He was a sweet guy.

About 20 people gathered on the street near Spencers tent the morning after he passed.

People are sad. Theyre down and depressed, Smith said. He will be missed.

But, death is part of everyday life in the Tenderloin and the homeless are soon forgotten, he said.

A certain situation might come up when people will say, Oh, yeah, I remember Spencer used do that  but eventually  hell be forgotten, Smith said. It dont take long.
Democrat Himes Backs Republican Push to Declassify Intelligence on Origins of COVID

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) arrives for a closed door briefing with Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson before the House Intelligence Committee in Washington on Oct. 4, 2019. (Pete Marovich/Getty Images)

During testimony on March 7, the top Democrat in the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence said that he would support a GOP-led measure that would require the Biden administration to declassify details about possible connections between the coronavirus pandemic and Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology.

In the House Rules Committee hearing, Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said of the COVID-19 Origin Act, I plan to support this legislation, both in committee, where we will mark up a companion bill this evening and the full House later this week.

Determining the precise origins of a pandemic disease is challenging under the best of circumstances. But because COVID originated in China, the efforts to definitively determine its source have been even more difficult, Himes said.

At every juncture, the  [CCP] has obfuscated and obstructed legitimate inquiries, a deeply irresponsible approach to global public health, he added.

Exploring COVID-19 Origin

The COVID-19 Origin Act is not the bill I would have necessarily drafted on the topic, but I support it because I share the belief that the intelligence community should continue to get to the bottom of COVIDs origin, Himes said, praising the bi-partisan cooperation behind the proposed legislation.

And importantly, I believe that they should make as much [of it] public as they can so the American people can consider the best available information we have, as opposed to marinating and conjecture, and speculation, and conspiracy theories, he continued.

The COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023 was co-sponsored by Republican Reps. Andy Biggs (Arizona), Michael Cloud (Texas), Mike Gallagher (Wisconsin), Mark Green (Tennessee), August Pfluger (Texas), John Rutherford (Florida), Elise Stefanik (New York); Chris Stewart (Utah), and Daniel Webster (Florida).

Its been three years since COVID-19 upended our lives and were still asking basic questions about the origins of this virus. Thats unacceptable, Gallagher said.

Its time for Congress to act and force the administration to declassify the relevant intelligence surrounding the pandemic, he added.

FBI Says Most Likely Began in Laboratory

FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a television interview last week that COVID-19 most likely started in a China-based laboratory.

The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan, Wray said. Here you are talking about a potential leak from a Chinese government-controlled lab.

Last week, the Senate unanimously passed a companion bill introduced by Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Miss. and Mike Braun (R-Ind.).

On March 8, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic will hold a hearing on the coronavirus origins issue.

Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield is scheduled to testify.

The House companion bill that mirrors the proposed legislation unanimously passed by the Senate last week is expected to get support from many Democrats.

Since 2020, many Republicans have contended that COVID-19 originated from a lab in China, amid objections from critics who claimed that the belief was racist and invalid.

At the height of the pandemic, anyone who spoke out suggesting that COVID-19 might have come from a lab leak in China, they were denounced as a conspiracy theorist, a spreader of misinformation, they were canceled, they were shadow banned on social media platforms, their accounts were suspended, peoples reputations were damaged and destroyed, Rep. Nicholas Langworthy (R-N.Y.) said at the Rules Committee hearing on March 7.

Now, Langworthy added, we have the Department of Energy and the FBI both publicly reporting that their conclusions are that COVID-19 emerged as a result of a lab leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a research institute in Wuhan, China, controlled by the Peoples Republic of China, and ultimately, the CCP.

Americans Deserve Answers

Mike Turner (R-Ohio), who is Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, opened the hearing by saying the American public deserves answers to every aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic including how this virus was graded and specifically whether it was a natural occurrence or was the result of a lab related event.

The House Intelligence Committee, Turner explained, is aware of classified information that would help inform the public as to why the FBI director has indicated that COVID-19 lab leak is not just a possibility, but approaches the idea that its likely the intelligence community does have more information about COVID-19 than the public has seen.

Turner noted that Biden could veto the bill, but giving the president the understanding that he has bipartisan, bicameral support to take this action would allow him to cite that support to critics.

House Rules Committee member Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has been one of the most outspoken legislators about COVID-19 mandates. At the hearing, he talked about how many mainstream media outlets and Democratic lawmakers called the discussion about natural immunity to the virus a conspiracy theory.

Natural immunity is a biological fact. Theres a whole list of things that were [thought to be] conspiracy theories that finally I think everybodys starting to acknowledge [are true], Massie said. For instance, masks never really did prevent COVID transmission. School closures never really slowed down the spread of this virus.

Wrong Hypothesis

Massie referenced that these claims are supported by Dr. Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins University professor who told the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic last week that the greatest perpetrator of misinformation during the pandemic has been the United States government.

Published by Cochrane Library, Makarys study Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses explored the impact of interventions like masks and hand washing on the spread of COVID.

What public health officials did is they hedged on the wrong side of the issue. They had the wrong hypothesis, Makary said. And when overwhelmingly strong evidence came out time after time, 65 studies on masks, 160 studies on natural immunity. Study after study, they didnt evolve their position. They dug in.

Makary also said that it is a no-brainer that COVID-19 originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Not a Conspiracy Theory

Obviously, its not a conspiracy theory, Massie noted after adding Makarys quote. Were going to find out more about that.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) recalled that there was a pretty significant amount of dismissal both by some of our other colleagues but importantly in the press when mentioning that the virus originated from a lab leak in Wuhan.

Turner urged lawmakers and the public to understand that there will not be a clear answer to where COVID-19 originated.

Obviously, our committee deals with classified information, not necessarily the public discourse that happens in the media. But you are absolutely correct, of course, that during the public discourse as to the origins of COVID, there was an extreme polarization that did occur, Turner said in response to Roys comments.

But I do want to caution, the record that were asking to be declassified will not provide you an absolute conclusion as to the origins of COVID. There is no smoking gun in this report.

Correction: A previous version of this article misidentified which committee Massie is a part of. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Democrats Accuse Expert Witness at COVID Origin Hearing of Racist Views

Former New York Times editor and author Nicholas Wade testifies to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 08, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Considered one of the most outspoken authorities exploring the possibility that COVID-19 originated from a lab leak in China, British author and science journalist Nicholas Wade was called by Republicans to testify at the initial Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic hearing on March 8.

His presence drew the ire of several Democratsincluding Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-N.M.), the subcommittees ranking Democratwho accused Wade of having racist views that will hurt the credibility of this hearing.

Wades 2014 book, A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History, examines the genetic makeup of race and contends that recent human evolution has created racial differences in economic and social behavior.

Ruiz said during the hearing that the book was motivated by racism.

Todays hearing marks a concerning step down the path of letting extremism get in the way of an inquiry that should be led by science and facts, Ruiz said.

When House Republicans announced this hearing with their slate of hand-picked witnesses, I was alarmed to see someone who wrote a book applauded by white supremacists, Ruiz added.

Ruiz noted that he sent a letter to Republicans on the subcommittee asking that they disinvite Wade so as not to give legitimacy to a man of such discredited, unscientific, and harmful views.

The notion that people of different racial or ethnic groups are more successful or intellectually superior to another because of predisposed genetic makeup is grossly inconsistent with the consensus of scientific and medical scholarship, Ruiz said.

In this screengrab, Raul Ruiz speaks during the Latino Inaugural 2021: Inheritance, Resilience and Promise event hosted by the Biden Inaugural Committee on Jan. 19, 2021. (Handout/Biden Inaugural Committee via Getty Images)

These views are dangerous and have no place in a hearing examining the origins of a pandemic that has disproportionately and overwhelmingly harmed communities of color in the United States, Ruiz continued.

There is still time for this select subcommittee to change course to reject extreme partisan rhetoric, discard conspiratorial accusations and work constructively to save lives, Ruiz added. The American people deserve nothing less.

Originally called the Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis when it was created in April 2020 by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the panels initial focus was to provide congressional oversight of the Trump administrations management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Republicans regained control of the House in January 2023, it was renamed the Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic and tasked with investigating COVID-19s origins.

Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) is the subcommittees chair.

After Ruiz finished his opening remarks, Wenstrup reminded him that he was informed of our witnesses seven days ago yet objected this morning.

Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio) speaks during a news conference following a weekly House Republican caucus conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 19, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Now I understand that they had some problems getting their witness because of COVID, but we just received who their witness was today, Wenstrup added.

A former New York Times science editor, Wade also served as editor of two of the worlds most prominent science journalsNature and Science. Wenstrup pointed out that those credentials are why he was invited as a witness.

So we will proceed, and I think that we will proceed and I expect that our witnesses will proceed and stick to the topic at hand today, as opposed to trying to deviate from it, Wenstrup said.

Non-Racist Book

When he was given the opportunity to speak for the first time, Wade defended his background and called Ruizs comments a distraction.

I think I should briefly try to respond to the attempt by ranking member Ruiz to discredit my testimony by saying a number of untrue things about the book I wrote 10 years ago on the biology of race. This was a determinedly non-racist book, Wade said.

It has no scientific errors that I am aware of. It has no racist statements, and it stresses the theme of unity that we are all variations on the same human genome, Wade continued.

My book was vigorously attacked by obscurantist academics who want everyone else to believe that there is no biological basis to race. And my book was as welcome to them as pictures of the Earth from space are to flat-earthers.

I have nothing to be ashamed of in my book, Wade said. Its the only place you can now read about what the genome says, about human races. And I hope that Mr. Ruiz if he reads it, will be pleasantly surprised to find that it says none of the things he says it said.

As an independent journalist, Wade in May 2021 wrote a 10,000-word article on Medium titled The origin of COVID: Did people or nature open Pandoras box at Wuhan?

In the piece, Wade questioned coronavirus origins and provided details that suggested it could have leaked out of the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

For three years, the answer to where and how COVID-19 originated has been unknown.

During his opening statement, Wenstrup described the subcommittees purpose.

Where Did COVID-19 Come From?

We are tasked to review all the effects of the pandemic, as well as decisions made during the pandemic, not just the origins of COVID-19.

However, we are here today at our first hearing to ask the fundamental question that this body  failed to ask three years ago. Where did COVID-19 come from? Wenstrup said.

Did it come from a natural spillover transferred from a bat to an intermediate source to a human? In other words, did it come from nature? Or was it the result of a laboratory or research-related accident, in other words, that come from a lab? he added.

This question is fundamental to helping us predict and prevent future pandemics, protecting our health and national security, and preparing the United States for the future, Wenstrup continued.

The subcommittee will conduct an investigation based on facts, expert opinions, and without intentional or unintentional bias, Wenstrup explained.

That is what the select subcommittee is tasked to do. Follow the facts, conduct a fair investigation, and seek to deliver the truth to the American people.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Robert Redfield speaks during a briefing with members of the presidents Coronavirus Task Force in Washington, DC, on Jan. 31, 2020. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Dr. Robert Redfield served as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under President Donald Trump.

He was one of three witnesses invited by Republicans, along with Wade, and Jamie Metzl, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former State Department official.

Dr. Paul Auwaerter, the clinical director of the infectious diseases division at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, testified at the invitation of Democrats.

Ruiz asked Redfield if Wade was a credible witness.

I do think that Nicholas Wadeand Ive followed his work over 30 yearsis an outstanding science reporter and contributed substantially both in natural science and, of course, leading the New York Times.

Discussion at the March 8 hearing explored the Wuhan Institute of Virologys potential role in the pandemic, gain-of-function research funded by the National Institutes of Health, attempts to silence the lab-leak theory by Dr. Anthony Fauci and other officials and obfuscation and obstruction by China.

Steeped In Racism

During the course of the hearing, though, more Democrats weighed in with their disapproval of Wade.

Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.) spent most of his allotted time chastising Wade and claiming that his theory regarding COVID-19s origins is steeped in racism.

Im a bit appalled that this hearing now gets layered over with the issue of race in a very strong way with the presence of Mr. Wade. And Mr. Wade I have read your book and Im appalled by it, Mfume said, before telling Wade that he hopes that giving you this platform does not detract from the issue that were trying to get to.

Youre not a physician, you are not a physicians assistant. Youre not a scientist, you have never done a peer-reviewed paper and yet youve got an opinion, which is fine, except that its steeped in this conspiracy theory that somehow other minorities are so genetically different that they are culpable in some sort of way. I dont like that, Mfume said.

Mfume added that former KKK leader David Duke says that he really endorses your position on blacks and Jews and that Wades book has been promoted on the neo-Nazi forum that is linked to almost 100 racially motivated, attempted murders over the last five years.

I dont want to take away from this hearing. I dont want to take away from what I said earlier, weve got to go down both paths, but it just burns me that I would know that Im doing that on a forum where somebody with these sorts of beliefs is also a part of, Mfume said.

Wades view that COVID-19 could have leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology was not directly addressed by Ruiz, Mfume, and other Democrats on the panel.

Redfield enthusiastically shared his insight.

Evidence that is currently available supports the theory that COVID-19 originated in a Chinese laboratory, Redfield told the subcommittee.

From the earliest days of the pandemic, my view was both theories about the origin of COVID-19 needed to be aggressively and thoroughly examined.

Based on my initial analysis of the data, I came to believeand I still believe todaythat it indicates that COVID-19 more likely was the result of an accidental lab leak than a result of a natural spillover event, Redfield said in his opening remarks.

This conclusion is based primarily on the biology of the virus itself, including the rapid high infectivity for human-to-human transmission, which would then predict [the] rapid evolution of new variantsas well as a number of other important factors, which also include the unusual actions in and around Wuhan in the fall of 2019, all of which I am happy to discuss today, Redfield added.
West Virginias governor is expected to sign a bill that passed the state House this weekend. According to the Wall Street Journal, the bill would cut income tax rates by about 21 percent altogether.

In Utah, the state legislature approved a $400 million tax cut package. Axios reports, if Utahs governor signs it, it could save a family earning $80,000 over $200 per year.

According to the Tax Foundation, 21 states have cut income tax rates since 2021.

NTD spoke with Jonathan Williams, chief economist at the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

ALEC is a nonpartisan organization of state legislators who draft and share model legislation for distribution among state governments.

Williams says its been an incredible two years of tax cuts and theres been a revolution across the states in tax cuts: States decided to get rid of their formerly progressive income tax codes, and stop penalizing people for being more successful and in their states and stop penalizing small businesses.

He also said states are saying they need to provide a counterbalance to whats going on in Washington with taxes going up and proposals for even higher taxes.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday proposed increasing the Medicare tax rate from 3.8 to 5 percent on those earning more than $400,000 a year.
Experts Condemn Chinas Advisory Bodys Special Operation in Taiwan Proposal

Delegates take part in the closing session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on March 10, 2022. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

A member of Beijings political advisory body proposed creating a blacklist of pro-Taiwan Independence figures and a special operation in Taiwan targeting the individuals on the list to promote unification at all costs.

Commentators condemned the proposal as a form of terrorism and accused the regime of manipulating false public opinion and populist brainwashing.

Terrorist Propaganda

On March 4, essayist and blogger Zhou Xiaoping, a newly appointed delegate, proposed to create an execution list, the Taiwan Separatists Blacklist, and punish the separatists during the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing.

He publicized part of his proposal on his Weibo account and claimed that during the special operation in Taiwan, anyone can arrest or shoot the target without not only being held accountable but also honored for promoting the reunification of Taiwan and the Peoples Republic of China.

The CPPCC was said to have adopted the proposal, according to Zhou in his Weibo post.

That the state censorship allowed his post to remain online to this day signals the approval of the vicious message, former Chinese diplomat Han Yang said in a Twitter post on March 7.

Alan H. Yang, executive director of the TaiwanAsia Exchange Foundation (TAEF), characterized Zhous comments as those of a terrorist and criticized his proposal as being terrorism.

He also called on the public to safeguard Taiwans civil and orderly democracy.

Free expression is limited to trampling on the lives, security, and peace of others, and Zhous remarks are a violation of international laws and universal values of mankind and civilization, Yang said to the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times on March 5.

He believes that Zhou was trying to catch the attention of the Chinese leadership. Yang said, I found his words extremely aggravating, and he strongly condemned such propaganda.

The United Front Flower Vase

Feng Chongyi, associate professor of China studies at the University of Technology, Sydney, indicated that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been manipulating populism and relying on public figures such as Zhou to brainwash and fool the populace.

The 41-year-old Zhou is best known as the Big 50 Cent, a pro-CCP and anti-West blogger.

Feng said that Zhou earned his publicity with his ideological posts, which earned material rewards from the CCP.

His posts provide the CCP with convenient propaganda. The overseas pro-CCP members would advocate Zhous online posts as the mainlanders public opinion; the CCP would then import the overseas agents comments back to China and touted them as praise from the international arena, according to Feng.

Together, they control Chinese cyberspace, Feng said.

Now Zhou has won himself a new titlea member of the CPPCCalso known as the political flower vase. Members of the CPPCC act as if they work on behalf of all Chinese people, functioning as the surface advisory body for CCP political and economical policy, but in fact, they kowtow to the CCP and abide by its united front work.

Zhou was arrested in 2009 for being involved in operating an online porn site, but very soon, his online posts also found their niche by praising the CCP and got him appointed as chairman of the Sichuan Network Writer Association in 2015.

Chinese netizens mocked his writings as vulgar and rubbish. In 2018, he resigned from the association.

In June 2022, he proposed with bloody tears that the authorities should establish Ideology Management and vowed to devote his life to dealing with the anti-Communist, pro-West figures in the literature and art sector, he said in his long article.

Chinese netizens believe this post was how he pleased the high leadership and earned his new title.

Haizhong Ning and Luo Ya contributed to this report.
Fauci Testimony Not Credible in Light of Other Evidence: Lawyers

Statements made by Dr. Anthony Fauci under oath arent credible because of evidence that contradicts him, lawyers told a court in a new filing.

That includes the claim that Fauci didnt think he had ever met with Dr. Ralph Baric, an American virologist who helped perform risky research on bat coronaviruses in China.

I know who he is. I doubt if Ive ever met him, Fauci said during the late 2022 depositionthe first time he answered questions under oath since the pandemic began.

Fauci acknowledged the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which he headed until around the New Year, provided funding for Baric.

But you dont remember ever meeting him in person? he was asked.

I dont recall. I could have met him. I run into several thousands of scientists that we refer to, but I dont recall, certainly, having a relationship with him, Fauci responded.

But Faucis official calendar lists a one-on-one meeting with Baric on Feb. 11, 2020. And a newly revealed message from a professor who recounted Barics account of the meeting showed they talked about man-made virus combinations.

I talked to Ralph for a long time last night. He sounds beat, Matt Frieman, a University of Maryland professor, wrote in a Feb. 18, 2020, message. He said he sat in Faucis office talking about the outbreak and chimeras.

A chimera is a combination of viruses.

The materials, unearthed from Freedom of Information Act requests from the nonprofits OpentheBooks.com, Judicial Watch, and U.S. Right to Know, and other evidence, including a 2020 email of talking points for Fauci that mentioned Baric being on our team, show that Dr. Faucis testimony on this point is not credible, the attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana told a federal court in the new filing.

Fauci also claimed that he was not 100 percent certain of the name of Dr. Shi Zhengli, known for her experiments on bat viruses in China. I get sometimes confused with Asian names, Fauci testified.

Yet Dr. Shi Zhengli, the so-called bat woman, is world-renowned as the researcher who may have caused the COVID-19 pandemic, and has been so since the beginning of the pandemic, and the name Shi is included in the title of the article that Dr. Fauci forwarded to Dr. Hugh Auchincloss after midnight on February 1, 2020. Dr. Faucis testimony is not credible on this point, Andrew Bailey and Jeff Landry, the attorneys general, wrote.

Fauci also repeatedly said in the deposition that he could not recall details about a secret phone call, held after he and deputies discussed how the NIAID had funded coronavirus experiments in Wuhan, China, where the first COVID-19 cases were detected. Shortly after the existence of the call became public, though, Fauci told USA Today, I remember it very well.

Dr. Faucis testimony about lack of recall is not credible, the lawyers said.

They also noted that when Fauci did characterize the call, he said that it involved a good faith discussion back and forth between people who knew each other and that the general feeling among the participants on the call is that they wanted to get down to the truth and not wild speculation about things. After the call, a number of participants wrote papers decrying the theory that COVID-19 started in a lab.

Dr. Fauci thus seeks to have his cake and eat it toohe claims both to remember little or nothing of what was said on the call, and to clearly remember that the entire discussion was done in good faith and without any bias, the attorneys general said. In any event, subsequent communications and events make clear that Dr. Faucis testimony on this point is not credible.

The filing was issued to U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, who is overseeing a lawsuit brought against the federal government for its censorship campaign with Big Tech firms.

The lawyers are asking Doughty to block the government from violating the First Amendment rights of Americans.

Fauci, who stepped down from his government positions around the New Year, could not be reached for comment.

CNN, while interviewing Fauci on Tuesday, played a clip of a 2021 clash between Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Fauci, in which Paul noted that the U.S. government has funded risky research in China and named both Baric and Zhengli. Paul has described Fauci as a liar who should be charged with perjury, while Fauci has said that Paul is wrong.

In an appearance on Fox News on Tuesday, Paul said Fauci has orchestrated a cover-up, referring in part to a newly disclosed message that indicates Fauci prompted the drafting of a paper that said COVID-19 couldnt have come from a lab.

Fauci said in the new interview that he has been honest.

The most important thing weve got to do is stick with data, stick with science, be transparent and be honest, which I have been very much so literally for the entire 50 years that Ive been at the NIH and the 38 years that I directed the institute, he said.
Feds Used Lax Security on 1 Million Americans Accounts Because of Equity: IG

A technology arm of the federal government had lax security on about 1 million online accounts because it rejected using facial recognition technology over equity concerns, according to an inspector generals (IG) report released on Tuesday.

The General Services Administrations (GSA) failed to provide other federal agencies accurate information about the level of security and privacy protection via its Login.gov platform, a report from the GSAs IG report (pdf) found. It stated that the GSA misled customers on Login.govs compliance with federal digital identity standards.

Notwithstanding GSA officials assertions that Login.gov met SP 800-63-3 Identity Assurance Level 2 (IAL2) requirements, Login.gov has never included a physical or biometric comparison for its customer agencies. Further, GSA continued to mislead customer agencies even after GSA suspended efforts to meet SP 800-63-3, according to the report. SP 800-63-3 refers to federal digital identity guidelines.

Whats more, the GSA knowingly billed IAL2 customer agencies over $10 million for services for alleged Level 2 services that did not meet federal standards, said the IG report, adding that it GSA used misleading language to secure additional funds for Login.gov.

As of May 2022, Login.gov had 906,187 users of Login.gov services that GSA purported to be IAL2 (Level 2) but did not comply. Notwithstanding GSA officials assertions that Login.gov met [federal] requirements, Login.gov has never included a physical or biometric comparison in production, the IG report said. Login.gov officials informed us that biometric comparison was not included in products offered to customer agencies, initially because the feature required testing before implementation and later because they further delayed it due to equity concerns.

Top leaders with GSAs technology arm found out that the website didnt comply with the requirements but still did not notify customer agencies of the noncompliance, the IG said.

The General Services Administration (GSA) Headquarters building in Washington on Nov. 21, 2016. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

The inability to meet IAL2 NIST standards became the topic of discussions among Login.gov leaders and personnel at least as early as 2019, and included concerns that using individuals selfies to verify their identity could impact Login.govs rejection rates based on physical traits, the report added, such as skin color and tone.

In response to this weeks IG report, Federal Acquisition Service Commissioner Sonny Hashmi issued a statement saying that prior misrepresentations about Login.govs compliance with the standard were completely unacceptable. He added, When we uncovered those misrepresentations in early 2022, we immediately referred the matter to the Inspector General, and initiated a series of actions to strengthen transparency, accountability, and oversight to correct the problem.

As the Inspector General rightly reports, this was a serious issue, but one GSA identified and addressed, Hashmi added. GSA has also taken significant actions to strengthen the Login.gov program to ensure it better delivers for the needs of our customers and meets high standards of security, equity, and integrity.

The GSA, according to the report, also obtained $187 million in federal funding after current and former GSA officials argued that the login service is currently used in production and complies with NISTs 800-63-3 standard for strong authentication (AAL2) and identity verification (IAL2) when it wasnt the case.

In June 2021, then-Technology Transformation Services (TTS) Deputy Commissioner Vladlen Zvenyach said in a Slack message that he would not be taking steps to make the program compliant, according to the report. The reason why, he said, is because that in order to make it more complaint, it may have a discriminatory impact.

Hey team, I have been hearing that there is still some ambiguity around TTS position on liveness detection/PAD [Presentation Attack Detection] as an IAL2 proofing requirement. The position of TTS is that the benefits of liveness/selfie does not outweigh any discriminatory impact, and therefore should not be used as a proofing requirement, he wrote at the time, the report said.

But the report found that Zvenyach did not notify customer agencies when TTS suspended efforts to implement selfies to meet the NIST biometric comparison requirement, adding that the GSA kept information from customer agencies about Login.govs lack of biometric comparison capabilities.

The Epoch Times has contacted the GSA for additional comment, including questions about whether the security of 1 million accounts was jeopardized due to the lower security standards.
Forget Ukraine, the US Military Should Annihilate the Cartels

A heavily armed army convoy departs the prosecutor's building where Ovidio Guzman, one of the sons of former Sinaloa cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, is in custody in Mexico City, on Jan. 5, 2023. (The Canadian Press/AP/Fernando Llano)

Commentary

Im not a great fan of Vladimir Putin, to say the least. (I suppose I have to say that for the record.) Unfortunately, although I thought I liked Volodymyr Zelenskyy until he started restricting press and religious freedoms, Im not much of an admirer of his, either.

Moreover, I spent time in Crimea in the 80s visiting, among other things, the former homes of Anton Chekhov and Sergei Rachmaninoff, neither of whom, I think we can agree, is Ukrainian.

Its an endless story. The borders in that part of the world have been moving back and forth for hundreds, probably thousands of years.

If Putin attacks Poland or other NATO members, I reserve the right to change my view, but for now, call me a Ukraine War skeptic. That were making the world safe for democracy is risible. More likely, its a kleptocracy.

Most importantly, no American lives have been threatened by this border conflagration that I can see.

But if youre worried about American lives, we have a genuine ruthless enemy on our own soil thats murdering our people on a literally unprecedented scalethe Mexican drug cartels.

They do this, as has been widely known for some time, in cahoots with the communist Chinese, who send fentanylwhich is 50 to 100 times more powerful than heroinin raw form to the cartels, which repackage it in colored pills attractive to children or used to lace other, supposedly less dangerous drugs.

The result has been 106,693 overdose deaths in 2021, which was an increase from 91,789 a year earlier. These are Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics and probably undercounted. An undoubtedly higher number is expected in 2023.

In other words, welargely our youngare being killed in massive numbers by the cartels and China working together.

The cartels are getting richer by the day to the tune of billions and are now able to use many aspects of modern technology, including advanced internet communications and clandestine laboratories, not to mention drones for delivery and targeted assassinations, if necessary.

They also have their hands in human trafficking, which is also growing, and destroying the lives of generations of young people, largely women.

In October 2022, the U.S. State Department placed a do not travel restrictionits strongest warningon six Mexican states.

In case youre thinking of a trip, they are Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa (home of one of the leading cartels), Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas. (Ive been to many of them, back in the day. Not now, thank you.) This places Mexico on a list with Afghanistan, Belarus, and Iran.

President Joe Bidens open border policy has, in essence, wrecked Mexico by empowering the cartels to almost unimaginable levels. They rule that country now, or most of it.

But the cartels arent just in Mexico. Theyre all over the United States, in about 120 of our biggest cities. If youre interested in the status of your home city, you can check here at an official document from the National Drug Intelligence Center. It will even tell you which cartel or drug trafficking organization, in the parlance, is there.

My hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, is blessed with the presence of the Gulf and Los Zetas. Not to be outdone, Atlanta has BeltranLeyva, Gulf, Los Zetas, Juarez, La Familia, and Sinaloa. Chicago has even more. Theyre all over New York, too.

How do we put up with this?

Biden, through his inaction, has made it clear that he doesnt intend to do anything about it. He seems to smirk anytime anyone brings up the fentanyl epidemic. To its members eternal shame, the Democratic Party is his accomplice, not wanting to talk about something that might hurt them with the voters.

At this years Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), former President Donald Trump reiterated that hell shut down the border, presumably finishing the wall, and increase the number of border personnel in various divisions.

New candidate Vivek Ramaswamy did him one better, advocating, during his CPAC speech and elsewhere, that the U.S. military should be called upon to annihilate the cartels.

Ramaswamy is implying that the cartels are basically at war with us, which is certainly arguable, and should be treated as a military adversary, on our soil and on Mexicos.

He didnt say this, but its also arguable that we would be doing Mexico a favor, ridding it of a scourge that has made the murder rate in that country nearly five times ours.

It will be interesting to see how Trump responds to Ramaswamys proposal, if he does. The 45th president, after all, was the one who waged a similar war of annihilation against ISIS and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Trump had great support for this action, as he should have. He certainly saved the lives of Americans and people of many other nationalities.

Its interesting, however, that the total number of terrorist deaths ascribed to ISIS since its emergence in 2014 is 27,947, according to VisionOfHumanity.orgnot much, horrific as it is, compared to the ongoing and escalating destruction being perpetrated by the cartels.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Georgia Nuclear Plant Begins Splitting Atoms for First Time

ATLANTAA nuclear power plant in Georgia has begun splitting atoms in one of its two new reactors, Georgia Power said Monday, a key step toward reaching commercial operation at the first new nuclear reactors built from scratch in decades in the United States.

The unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co. said operators reached self-sustaining nuclear fission inside the reactor at Plant Vogtle, southeast of Augusta. That makes the intense heat that will be used to produce steam and spin turbines to generate electricity.

A third and a fourth reactor were approved for construction at Vogtle by the Georgia Public Service Commission in 2009, and the third reactor was supposed to start generating power in 2016. The company now says Unit 3 could begin commercial operation in May or June.

Unit 4 is projected to begin commercial operation sometime between this November and March 2024.

The cost of the third and fourth reactors was originally supposed to be $14 billion. The reactors are now supposed to cost more than $30 billion. That doesnt include $3.68 billion that original contractor Westinghouse paid to the owners after going bankrupt, which brings total spending to more than $34 billion.

The latest set of delays at Unit 3 included a pipe part of a critical backup cooling system that was vibrating during startup testing. Construction workers had failed to install supports called for on blueprints. The company has also said it had to repair a slowly dripping valve and diagnose a problem involving water flow through reactor coolant pumps.

Georgia Power said Unit 3 would continue startup testing to show that its cooling system and steam supply system will work at the intense heat and pressure that a nuclear reactor creates. After that, operators are supposed to link the reactor to the electrical grid and gradually raise it to full power.

We remain focused on safely bringing this unit online, fully addressing any issues and getting it right at every level, Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power, said in a written statement. Reaching initial criticality is one of the final steps in the startup process and has required tremendous diligence and attention to detail from our teams.

Georgia Power owns a minority of the two new reactors. The remaining shares are owned by Oglethorpe Power Corp., the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and the city of Dalton. Oglethorpe and MEAG would sell power to cooperatives and municipal utilities across Georgia, as well in Jacksonville, Florida, and parts of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

Georgia Powers 2.7 million customers are already paying part of the financing cost, and state regulators have approved a monthly rate increase of $3.78 a month as soon as the third unit begins generating power. The elected Georgia Public Service Commission will decide later who pays for the remainder of the costs.

Vogtle is the only nuclear plant under construction in the United States. Its costs and delays could deter other utilities from building such plants, even though they generate electricity without releasing climate-changing carbon emissions.

By Jeff Amy
Beijing (Gasgoo)- In February 2023, Chinese automaker Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd. (Changan Automobile) saw its monthly sales recover from the downturn in January with a double-digit year-on-year growth.

In the second month of this year, Changan Automobile sold 191,007 vehicles, representing a 11.17% increase over the previous month and a 38.27% jump over the previous year. Among the vehicles sold last month, 20,574 units were new energy vehicles (NEVs) under Changan Automobile's wholly-owned brands, soaring 103.38% year on year.

Photo credit: Changan Automobile

In the first two months of 2023, Changan Automobiles cumulative sales volume amounted to 362,812 vehicles, down 12.66% year on year. Cumulative sales of the automakers wholly-owned brands summed up to 309,424 units, dropping 7.55% over a year ago. Among which, 36,695 vehicles were sold in overseas markets to reflect a 2.93% increase from the same period in 2022.

In addition, sales of passenger vehicles under Changan Automobiles self-owned brands amounted to 242,286 units in the Jan.-Feb. period, climbing 6.01% from the earlier year.

As to the two joint ventures, Changan Ford and Changan Mazda, a respective 19.93% year-on-year increase and a 61.21% year-over-year plunge confronted the two companies February sales, which stood at 14,312 units and 3,863 units successively.
Gov. Josh Shapiros First Budget Sheds Light on Priorities for Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro presents his first budget at the state Capitol in Harrisburg on March 7, 2023. (Commonwealth Media Services)

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiros budget address Tuesday laid out his vision of policies to prioritize in his proposed $44.4 billion budget, and he made an attempt to unify those listening.

Lets work together, he urged House and Senate members who assembled to hear his plan. And, believe in us, Shapiro, a Democrat, asked of those who didnt vote for him.

He offered ideas that have potential for bipartisan support such as better funded police and expanding the property tax rent rebate program for seniors and for disabled residents, increasing the maximum rebate from $650 to $1,000 a year and raising the participation income gap to $45,000.

Lets focus on that, Shapiro said of his priorities at the end of his speech. Because we all know that there are certain debates that will go nowhere with me.

As long as he is governor, he said, Pennsylvania will not be a right-to-work state, LGBT Pennsylvanians will have the right to marry, and abortion access will remain available.

I personally was very excited to hear the many Republican initiatives that Governor Shapiro has covered, said Bryan Cutler, Republican House leader. If Gov. Shapiro tried to implement many of the promises he had made during his campaign, he will find many of our members eager to work with him to lower taxes, improve our economic climate, and make the government less burdensome.

But Shapiro intends to take money from the states surplus and rainy-day funds, and that has Republicans worried about over spending.

Shapiro called for a $1 billion increase in education funding. He proposed spending a half a billion dollars over the next five years on environmental repairs and upgrades to school buildings; tax breaks for new teachers; and bolstering career and technical and apprenticeship programs to connect the dots between students and trade unions; and providing universal free breakfast to all students.

We need to feed our kids, Shapiro said. And for those who choose to pursue college, I think its on us to rethink our system of higher education, because right now it is not working. He will create a time-limited working group of university presidents to develop plans for higher education that he can offer next year.

New Spending Structures

Gov. Josh Shapiro presents his first budget in the Pennsylvania House chamber in Harrisburg, Pa., on March 7, 2023. (Commonwealth Media Services)

State police funding has long been taken from the motor license fund, which was originally meant to fund transportation infrastructure. Shapiro proposed using those funds to repair roads and bridges and start a new $100 million Public Safety and Protection (PSP) Fund dedicated to state police. The fund would provide for four additional police training classes and result in nearly 400 more state troopers.

Policing is a noble profession and good people want to do it, Shapiro said.

To attract more nurses, police, and teachers, Shapiro wants to offer new hires in the state a $2,500 tax incentive for three years.

In response to the budget, state Rep. Seth Grove, GOP chairman of the Appropriations Committee, said he is pleased to see the end of the defund the police movement and more investment in career and technical education jobs, but he said hes worried about where Shapiro is getting the money.

I am extremely concerned we are draining our reserves and rainy day fund over the next five years. Using one-time revenues for recurring costs will only add to our structural deficit, Grove said.

Minority Whip Tim ONeal said the proposed budget is a year-over-year increase of 6 percent.

Thats a gigantic spending increase on the back of Pennsylvanians, ONeal said. State government should not be looking to spend more, and more, and more. Under this budget, our states structural deficit only gets worse. Gov. Shapiro is creating a rainy day. That means that we will need to dip into our hard-earned surplus and rainy day fundour reserve accounts that are supposed to help keep us from raising taxes in the future. Under the spending plan announced today, the surplus would be eliminated in three years and the rainy-day fund eliminated in five.

Business and Consumers

He promised to put sustainable state funding in the Historically Disadvantaged Business Program to provide long overdue funding to minority-owned businesses, Shapiro said. They chose Pennsylvania. Now we have to help them succeed and boost the local economy.

This plan got a lengthy applause from Democrat House members.

The Shapiro administration is looking at the cumbersome permitting process for building projects and business starts. He said he has directed all state agencies to compile a catalogue of all the licenses, certifications, and permits that they issue by May 1. Then the executive office will define a firm timeline for each application and agencies will be expected to meet those timelines. If the state fails to deliver permits on time, applicants will get their application fees back.

The spending plan calls for the elimination of the state cell phone tax, which consumers feel in their monthly bills; the lowering of the corporate income tax; and nearly doubling the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

Im asking you, respectfully, to work with me to finally raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, Shapiro said. This feels like one of those fights that has gripped our politics for so long that some people entrenched on the other side dont even know why theyre opposing Pennsylvania workers anymore. Enough is enough. Let us raise the minimum wage.

He would spend $66.7 million on a child care program for low-income workers.

And the state is going to watch businesses more closely.

This budget provides funding to hire a new class of labor law compliance investigators, Shapiro said, so we can make sure every employer follows the law and treats their workers with dignity and respect. I would say to those employers who choose to lobby against this funding, Ive got a simple question for you: what are you afraid we might find when we investigate? When it comes to dignity and respect, all workers should have the right to organize and bargain collectively.

And Shapiro aims to attract at least one regional hydrogen hub to the state.

Double SNAP Benefits

Last week, emergency benefits that padded the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), with extra benefits for recipients, decreased back to prepandemic levels. Benefits were increased when businesses were mostly closed and few people were working. SNAP recipients are still getting the benefits that they were receiving before COVID.

Shapiro wants them to have more.

Last week, those emergency benefits ended, leaving families once again wondering where their next meal would come from, Shapiro said. And let me be very, very clear about something: we didnt create this problem. None of us did in this room.

Shapiro proposes the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services create a new state fund for SNAP and raise the minimum monthly benefit by 50 percent.
Graham and Kennedy Push for Designation of Mexican Drug Cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations

Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) made a statement about the importance of designating Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and authorizing the U.S. military to retaliate.

The senators argued in their March 8 press briefing that these cartels are responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans every year and that the United States needs to take drastic action to stop them.

Drug cartels in Mexico have been terrorizing Americans for decades. Were going to destroy their business model and their lifestyle because our national security  depends on us.

The proposed bill would include the following cartels in the FTO designation: Senile Cartel, Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Gulf Cartel, Los Zetas, Northeast Cartel, Juarez Cartel, Tijuana Cartel, Beltran-Leyva Cartel, La Familia Michoacana.

Graham and Kennedy argue that the designation of these cartels as FTOs would allow the U.S. military to wipe them out and increase the cost to others of doing any business with them.

They also said they believe the designation would allow the United States to go after foreign companies that support the cartels.

Graham noted that law enforcement could bring Chinese chemical companies with known ties to the cartels into court in the United States to stand trial.

The senators argue that the cartels are driven by fentanyl and due to the drugs power to kill, the aggressive opioid should be seen as a weapon of mass destruction.

Heres what I hope will happen: were going to terrorize the terrorists, Graham said. If you get on the cell phone, it may be the last call you make.

The terrorists live in caves; theyre committed to their cause. The narco-terrorists live in mansions out in the open, buying fancy cars. We know where you live, and we know how you make your money.

The lawmaker outlined his plan in categorizing the cartels as terrorists.

My goal is to make sure that you dont sleep well at night. That the cost of doing businesswhen it comes to poisoning Americagoes up. Thats when you try to get someone to join your cartel, theyll say no, thank you, the last guy got killed or went to jail.

Until you do that, nothings going to change.

Graham asserted that Mexico is a haven for the cartels, and the senators argue that the country has become a narco-state.

They called on both President Joe Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to take action against the cartels and eradicate them.

Were not going to sit on the sidelines and watch our neighbor become a narco-state that kills more Americans every year than we lost in Vietnam, Graham said.

Graham and Kennedy hope that the bill will receive bipartisan support and that the United States can work with Mexico to stop organized crime in that country.
Researchers have carried out a clinical trial of a freeze-dried, temperature-stable experimental tuberculosis vaccine that could one day be an alternative to the BCG vaccine, which has significant drawbacks.

At present, BCG is the only vaccine licensed against TB. BCG is a freeze-dried powder that must be stored under frozen conditions and can be readily destroyed by sunlight, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) manual (pdf). The powder needs to be reconstituted before use by combining it with a diluent that must never be frozen. After reconstitution, the vaccine must be used within six hours as it rapidly loses potency.

According to WHO estimates, almost 2 billion people worldwide are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB. The disease is calculated to have infected 10.6 million people in 2021 as well as taken 1.6 million lives.

TB used to be widespread in the United States. However, it now infects less than 8,000 individuals annually in the country. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 526 deaths were attributed to TB in 2019.

A new TB vaccine candidate developed by the Access to Advanced Health Institute (AAHI) was subjected to a Phase 1 clinical trial. AAHIs single-vial TB vaccine is a freeze-dried formulation that can be stored at higher temperatures of up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit for months.

The AAHI vaccine has two partsa fusion protein called ID93 and an immune-stimulating adjuvant called GLA-SE.

Clinical Trial

The Phase 1 trial looked at whether administering a thermostable single-vial regimen of ID93 and GLA-SE would be as effective as administering non-thermostable ID93 and liquid GLA-SE that are held in two vials and combined prior to injection.

Thermostable is a term used in biochemistry to refer to any substance that does not lose its characteristic properties when subjected to a moderate degree of heat.

Recipients of the single-vial formulation were found to have robust T-cell responses as well as producing higher levels of antibodies in blood than those who received the two-vial solution.

The freeze-dried formulation does not require refrigeration and is mixed with sterile water just prior to injection. Thermostable vaccines are desirable in settings where maintaining cold or frozen vaccines for long periods can be costly and difficult, according to a March 6 press release from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Better Vaccine Access

Dr. Corey Casper, CEO at AAHI, pointed out that equitable access to vaccines has been significantly impeded by the cold-chain requirements of existing TB vaccines, according to a March 6 press release.

Adjuvanted subunit vaccines have re-energized the field of TB vaccine development, said Christopher Fox, who leads the development of vaccine adjuvant formulations at AAHI.

An effective thermostable TB vaccine would not only be better suited to reach areas of the world most burdened by the disease, but it would also mitigate costs and reduce wastage associated with more stringent cold-chain storage requirements.

The vaccine is supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the NIH.

An infection that invades the lungs, TB spreads through droplets in the air via sneezing or coughing. In the 19th century, it was known as consumption.

According to the CDC, some people have a higher risk of getting infected with tuberculosis. This includes individuals who have come into contact with someone who has infectious TB disease, and health care workers who live or work in places at high risk of TB transmission like jails, homeless shelters, and nursing homes.

People who are born in or travel frequently to nations where TB is common like Mexico, India, Vietnam, China, and so on are also at higher risk of getting infected.
Hong Kong Watch Unite Forces of Canadian Parliament Members to Expand Lifeboat Scheme for More Hongkongers

4,000 Hongkongers did not know they were ineligible to migrate after entering Canada with Open Work Visas

On the afternoon of March 7, 2023, 1617 Alliance members submitted a petition letter to Garnett Genuis MP, a member of the Canadian Parliament, hoping that Canada will expand and extend its Lifeboat Program Stream B permanent residence policy. (Donna Ho/The Epoch Times)

Canada has become one of the popular destinations for Hongkongers to migrate to in recent years. However, as of June 2022, nearly 4,000 Hongkongers did not know they were ineligible to migrate after entering Canada with Open Work Visas (OWP).

Aileeen Calverley, co-founder and trustee of Hong Kong Watch, has been marching through the Canadian Parliament for the past year, attending various meetings and meeting with Congress cross-party members to plead for the Canadian governments extension and expansion of the lifeboat scheme.

On March 5, Calverly conducted an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times to discuss the proposal of Canadas lifeboat scheme by Hong Kong Watch and untangle some of the misunderstandings Hongkongers might have regarding the Canadian lifeboat plan.

Aileeen Calverley (R), co-founder and trustee of Hong Kong Watch, visited Ottawa with its policy consultant Katherine Leung (L) from Oct. 17 to Oct. 20, 2022, to meet with Canadian Congressman Garnett Genius MP (C). (Courtesy of Aileen Calverley)

On Feb. 6, the Canadian government announced an extension and expansion of the OWP plan for eligible Hong Kong residents. However, the authorities did not mention any updates to the Hong Kong Pathway Stream B Immigration Program. Calverley immediately got in touch with the immigration department. I will announce their feedback as soon as possible, she said.

Calverley noted that the organization would report on Stream B after receiving an answer.

On the afternoon of March 7, several members of the 1617 Alliance (Classes of 2016 and 2017 Graduates) arrived in Ottawa to petition the Canadian Immigration Department.

Several 1617 Alliance members (Classes of 2016 and 2017 Graduates) arrived in Ottawa, Canada, to petition the Canadian Immigration Department on the afternoon of March 7, 2023. (Donna Ho/The Epoch Times)

During the two-day trip, they met with 11 members of Congress, submitted a petition, and put forward a request to remove the requirement of the 5-year graduation limit. The group hoped the Canadian government would extend its Stream B Lifeboat Program Residence Policy to more Hongkongers.

Callverley, the head of the Canadian branch of Hong Kong Watch, as one of the event organizers, appreciated the efforts and courage of young people in Hong Kong. Fight for what you think is unfair, fight for your rights, I think this is something that can be achieved in a democratic society, she said.

She believed that it should be something the Canadian government should look into. Canadas Lifeboat Program is the missing piece of the BNO puzzle. After the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law in July 2020, the human rights situation in Hong Kong has deteriorated by the day.

BNO Visa

The United Kingdom launched a policy for Hongkongers with British National Overseas Passports to apply for a five-year limited residence permit in the United Kingdom.

With the limited residence permit, Hongkongers can move to the United Kingdom to study and work; they can also apply for residence status after five years and officially apply for British nationality 12 months after obtaining residence status.

Hong Kong Watch has been closely monitoring the human rights situation in Hong Kong and communicating with the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The group has also submitted many proposals to the Ministry to find a resolution for young people who do not have BNO to move to Canada.

Canada Lifeboat Visa

Calverley explained that Canada is a founding member of the Commonwealth and has always been a partner with the United Kingdom. What Britain cant do, Canada can fill the gap. She detailed that the lifeboat proposal at the time was to aid people under 24 in Hong Kong who did not have BNO to escape their difficult situation.

When they received the information, the final launch of the Lifeboat Scheme had been tied with a restriction of graduating within five years and then obtaining permanent residence status through the Stream B plan of the Hong Kong Pathway.

Although the proposals outcome was imperfect, Calverley said it marked the first step of Canadians lending a helping hand to Hong Kong people.

While many people might believe that it is Canadas responsibility to help struggling Hongkongers, I disagree: It is a moral responsibility. This lifeboat plan intends to fill the shortcomings of BNO.

The Great Misconception

The Canadian Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) announced the Open Work Visa program for Hong Kong students and their families in November 2020.

Students who have graduated from post-secondary education institutions within the last five years can apply for OWP visas to work in Canada. As of June 2022, about 18,000 people have submitted their applications.

Calverly pointed out that many Hongkongers are confused about the policys relationship between work and migration.

For example, students who graduated in 2016 and 2017 can apply for an OWP visa if they meet the graduation criteria within five years as soon as the OWP policy becomes available to eligible Hongkongers. Calverley stressed that it was only a work visa, not an immigration visa plan.

The Canadian immigration plan includes Stream A and Stream B. Both programs require applicants to have already entered Canada before applying. Only applicants who have completed a course in Canada or have at least one year of full-time work experience in Canada can apply for the program. In other words, the Stream B program is unavailable to students who graduated after 2018.

Calverly mentioned that Hong Kong Watch had received many Hongkongers calls asking for aid. Most came from young people who graduated in 2016 and 2017 and arrived in Canada with OWP visas.

She explained that many did not realize they could only apply for Stream A or Stream B upon arriving in Canada. The applicants also need at least one year of complete study or work experience before applying.

She also said many people were unaware that the five-year graduation restriction criteria in the Stream B plan would start counting on the day they applied for the visa, not the day they received the permits. According to the statistics of CFSO (Community Family Services of Ontario), nearly 4,000 Hong Kong applications failed because of it.

However, many people would have already quit their jobs in Hong Kong, brought their families, and purchased their property in Canada before getting a visa.

The Hong Kong police registered many of these Hongkongers during the anti-extradition protests. They might face danger if they ever return to Hong Kong.

Many felt helpless and stranded and did not know what to do. Stream A and Stream B plans do not accept applications in Hong Kong. Another group of Hongkongers receives rejection letters because they do not know how different departments of the Canadian government work.

Calverley emphasized that applying for OWP and student visas is only for working and studying in Canada, not immigration. She mentioned that applicants should not fill in Immigration when applying for OWP in Hong Kong, or the application will be rejected.

The Canadian immigration department handles Stream A and Stream B programs. Therefore, you must be physically in Canada before applying for either.

As for the criteria of graduating within five years, which led to applicants who graduated in 2016 and 17 being ineligible, Calverley believed that the related department might have made a mistake in the calculation, which the authorities should rectify.

Calverly also proposed to extend the application period of OWP until Feb. 7, 2025, and expand the scope of applicant qualifications. The change from the original graduation at a junior college education institution in the past five years to the past ten years will allow more eligible Hongkongers to work in Canada. If the original condition of graduating within five years is not abolished, the current issue of ineligibility will continue.

Calverley detailed what she had learned, Some institutions suggested that Hongkongers currently staying in Canada be transferred to Stream A, from studying abroad to immigration planning. I believe that is quite challenging for the majority of people. Many young people cannot afford the two-year tuition fee unless with the support of their parents.

Most of the applications I have seen for Stream A are middle-aged, but only a few students are around their 20s.

Calverley believed they should continue to help Hongkongers extend and expand Stream B instead of encouraging them to transfer to a school for the sake of immigrating to Canada.

Gathering Canadian Parliamentarians for the Lifeboat Expansion

Calverley told the newspaper that Hong Kong Watch did not experience too many problems while communicating with the members of the Canadian Parliament, as the organization is in good relations with the members.

They are very supportive of extending and expanding the lifeboat scheme, Calverley attended the Canadian Parliaments Special Committees hearing on the Canada-China relationship on Oct. 4, 2022.

Calverley and Hong Kong Watchs policy adviser Katherin Leung visited Ottawa from Oct. 17 to Oct. 20, 2022. They met with cross-party members of Parliament, including Sen. Leo Housakos and MPs Jenny Kwan, Tom Kmiec, Brad Redekopp, Garnett Genui, Marcus Powlowski, John McKay, and James Bezan.

In the meeting, Hong Kong Watch received solid support for its proposal to better the Canadian lifeboat scheme.

On Jan. 26, Calverley assisted in contacting the Canadian Conservative Party and the New Democratic Party. The two party leaders MP Pierre Poilievre and MP Jagmeet Singh publicly called on the Canadian government to improve the program for Hongkongers.

Hong Kong Watch co-founder and trustee Aileen Calverlery (L) and policy adviser Katherine Leung (R) visited Ottawa from Oct. 17 to Oct. 20, 2023. they met with members of Shadow Minister of Immigration MP Tom Kmniec (Center). (Courtesy of Aileen Calverley)

The Latest Progress of the Lifeboat

By Feb. 14, 28 signatures had been received for the House of Commons Petition. By sponsoring Hong Kong Watch, MP Garnett Genuis successfully brought the lifeboat for Hongkongers subject to the House. And the topic has now entered the debate process. Should the proposal pass, the limited graduation term of five years will be lifted, which means more Hongkongers will benefit from the program.

Hong Kong Watch co-founder and trustee Aileen Calverley (L) and policy consultant Katherin Leung (R) visited Ottawa to meet with Canadian Vice Chair of immigration committee Brad Redekopp MP between Oct. 17 and Oct. 20, 2022. (Courtesy of Aileen Calvarley)

Hong Kong Watch co-founder and trustee Aileen Calverley (L) visited police adviser Katherin Leung (R) visited Ottawa to meet with the Canadian Vice Chair of the immigration committee, Salma Zahid MP, between Oct. 17 and Oct. 20, 2022. (Courtesy of Aileen Calvarley)

Members of 1617 Alliance met on March 7, Salma Zahid, chairman of the immigration committee, Ken Hardie, chairman of the special committee on Canada-China relations, and Melissa Lantsman, deputy leader of the Conservative Party and sponsor of Hong Kong Watch Canada.

Former Hong Kong Governor Christopher Patten has consistently supported expanding the Stream B Permanent Residence Lifeboat Policy.

On Nov. 8, 2022, Patten wrote to Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly and Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Sean Fraser, urging for the open work visa change.

On March 2, Patten sent another letter to Sean Fraser. In the letter, Patten urged the Canadian Immigration Department again to open up to Hong Kong graduates who cannot obtain permanent residence due to the five-year graduation restriction in the program.

Canadas High Praise of Hong Kong Immigrants Quality

Calverly is optimistic about extending and expanding Canadas lifeboat program. Canada is not scared of the additional immigrants going into Canada. When I spoke with the Associate Deputy Minister, he praised Hong Kong immigrants and said they are of high level. Their contribution to Canada has been outstanding, and the Canadian government did not mind sheltering Hongkongers.

Calverley pledged Hong Kong Watch will continue to speak for Hongkongers overseas, and they welcome more volunteers to support their work.
House GOP Questions Whether Biden Admin Suppressed National Archive Statements in Classified Documents Case

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) questions witnesses during the first public hearing of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 8, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Republican-led House Committee on Oversight and Accountability is raising new questions as to whether the Biden administration pressured the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to avoid issuing a public statement on President Joe Bidens handling of potentially classified documents.

The questions about the White Houses role in the classified documents case come about after NARA general counsel Gary Stern appeared for a transcribed interview with the Oversight Committee on Jan. 31. Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said that, during this interview, Stern described having prepared a statement on Jan. 9 on NARAs behalf, addressing the news that documents with classified markings were found at Bidens former office space and Delaware residence. NARA did not release Sterns initial statement and Stern testified that someone from outside NARA held back the release of the prepared statement. He did not specify which outside individual withheld the NARA statement on the Biden classified documents case.

Comer sent a letter to White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients on Tuesday, asking whether anyone from the Biden administration was involved in suppressing the NARA statement. Comer specifically asked Zients if any White House employee or representative of the president inform[ed] any employee of NARA to withhold any public statements regarding President Bidens mishandling of classified documents. Comer also asked for any documents or communications the White House may have regarding a potential request that NARA avoid releasing a public statement on Bidens classified documents case.

During the Jan. 31 interview, the committee also asked Stern whether Biden can release any statements between his attorneys and NARA. Stern testified that Biden is free to release his communications with NARA, adding that we treat them as confidential, but the recipients, you know, can act independently if they want to.

Differences to Trump Classified Documents Case

In his letter to Zients, Comer said NARAs response to the Biden classified documents case was in complete contrast to how the agency responded to reports the year prior about former President Donald Trumps handling of classified documents after he left office.

While NARA agreed to an outside request to withhold its statement on Bidens handling of classified documents, NARA shared a statement with the Washington Post within hours of its Feb. 7, 2022, report that Trump had classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

NARAs February 2022 statement said the records in Trumps possession should have been transferred to NARA from the White House at the end of the Trump Administration in January 2021 and the agency said its continuing to search for additional records in his possession.

Trump has repeatedly said he declassified the documents that were recovered from Mar-a-Lago, and has said Biden did not declassify the documents that were discovered in his possession.

On Tuesday, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.)the ranking Democrat on the Oversight Committeeissued his own statement, claiming Stern and NARA were complying with Republican requests for information while being careful not to interfere with any ongoing investigations.

Committee Republicans continue to make unfounded accusations of disparate treatment by the National Archives and the Department of Justice in their efforts to preserve presidential records and secure classified records, Raskin wrote.

Raskin further alleged Comer made a misleading claim that the Biden Administration improperly suppressed information about his handling of classified documents.

NTD reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.

From NTD News
The U.S. House Oversight and Accountability subcommittee holds a hearing at 9:00 a.m. ET on March 8 on Investigating the Origins of COVID-19.

Former CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield, Atlantic Council Senior Fellow Dr. Jamie Metzl, and former The New York Times Science and Health Editor Nicholas Wade will testify.
U.S. House Oversight and Accountability Committee Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs subcommittee holds its first hearing at 2:00 p.m. ET on March 8 on the depleting of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve: Burning the Midnight Oil: Why Depleting the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is Not a Solution to Americas Energy Problem, Part I.

Center for Industrial Progress President Alex Epstein and Pentathlon Investments Managing Partner Dr. Ilia Bouchouev will present their testimony.
House Republicans Criticized for Changing Earmarks to Favor Rural, Exurban Districts With GOP Officials

President Joe Biden (C) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (C, L) meet with a bipartisan group of members of Congress, including Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) and Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) in Washington on April 19, 2021. (Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images)

House Republican leaders are revamping their approach to earmarksa legislative tool that enables individual representatives to direct tax dollars to favored projects in their districtsby barring them from four major appropriations bills in the 118th Congress.

House Appropriations Committee Chair Kay Granger (R-Texas), along with the GOP leaders of that panels 11 subcommittees, on Feb. 28 issued new guidance on earmarks, which are now referred to as community funding projects (CPF).

The new guidance excludes earmarks from the four appropriation bills covering the Department of Defense, Labor-Health and Human Services-Education, Financial Services, and Foreign Affairs categories. Earmarks sought in those categories tend to come most heavily from Democrats representing big-city and suburban districts, while Republican earmark requests are often for projects in rural and exurban districts.

The House GOPs new approach differs markedly from how Democrats, who controlled the House of Representatives during the 117th Congress, conducted the process. Under the Democrats rules, each individual representative could request up to 10 CFPs, and each request had to be accompanied by a written explanation of the purpose, amount requested, and benefits to be gained.

Their requests were made public soon after being submitted, and there were no guarantees of how many, if any, of them would be approved. A Brookings Institution analysis of earmarks in the 117th Congress produced some unexpected results.

Because earmarks by their very nature spend government money, we might expect Democrats to use the earmarking process more. But that supposition is just partially correct, the analysis states. On average, in the 117th Congress, Democratic representatives requested two more earmarks than their Republican colleagues at a ratio of about 10-to-8.

But looking at just the number of earmarks requested undersells the partisan differences in earmarking behavior. When we change our unit of analysis to the earmark amount, we see that Republicans asked for $3 million more per earmark than Democrats ($4.7 million for Republicans; $1.7 million for Democrats). At the individual member level, Republicans requested over $20 million more than Democrats.

The irony of those numbers is that the GOP House majority elected in the 2010 Tea Party Revolution approved a moratorium on all earmarks in 2011. The Senate Republican majority did the same thing, but not until 2015, even though public pressure to do away with earmarks entirely began in 2005, when Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) exposed the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska.

The earmark moratorium unofficially went out the window for Republicans in both chambers when Democrats regained the House in 2018, however, and then officially in 2021 when the Republican conference approved lifting it.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), who is the top Democrat on the appropriations panel in the 118th Congress after serving as the chair in the 117th Congress, issued a statement declaring her disappointment with how Republicans are changing the earmark process.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), chair of the House Appropriations Committee, speaks during testimony by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar in Washington on Feb. 26, 2020. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

I am saddened by the majoritys guidance on Community Project Funding (CPF), DeLauros Feb. 28 statement reads. It is unfortunate that they have chosen to prevent Members of the House from requesting CPFs in the [excluded categories]. This is not about Democrats or Republicans. It is about communities that need federal support. By excluding these subcommittees, they are decreasing opportunities for Members to help people in their districts and to meet urgent needs directly.

All the projects included in the final funding packages over the last two years started with demonstrated community need. People on both sides of the aisle agreed that the process we created to govern CPFs last Congress worked  We should be building upon this success and continuing the practices that worked, not decreasing the availability of resources that have benefited our communities.

First Branch Forecast editor Daniel Schuman told The Epoch Times that, in addition to barring four categories of earmarks, the Republican-led appropriations panel is making it more difficult for members of the public and interested advocacy groups to access details on what is requested.

The Republicans are requiring members to disclose on their website and on a central website their requests for earmarks, but theyre doing it with a bunch of PDFs, so you cant follow it instead of doing it with a spreadsheet, which would be useful, he said, referring to the digital Portable Document Format, which is a picture of a document that is useful for reference purposes but makes analyses of data contained on multiple documents more difficult.

However, Schuman also said: It is a step better from before where you had to read the appropriations bills and committee reports to see what made it in there. It is slightly more transparent, but you would have thought that the Republicans, at least if they are interested, at least in theory, in a more transparent and accountable process would have used the more modern technology.

Schuman also noted that the largest category of CPFs is in the Labor-HHS-Education area, which is traditionally dominated by Democratic requests.

Labor-HHS is one of the biggest appropriations and its primarily Democratic requests, so it looks neutral on its face but its targeted, he said.
House Votes Down Resolution to Remove US Troops From Syria

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) walks to a closed-door GOP caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 10, 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The House of Representatives rejected a resolution on March 8 that would have required President Joe Biden to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria within 15 days of its enactment.

About 900 U.S. troops remain in Syria, where they have been stationed mainly to fight the ISIS terrorist group.

The tally was 103321.

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed opposition to the resolution, which was introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.). Ahead of the vote, McCaul warned that a U.S. troop withdrawal would be a win for the ISIS terrorists.

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), the committees ranking Democrat, also objected to the resolution, saying that a withdrawal would be a premature end to the U.S. mission in Syria and would threaten U.S. allies and partners, including the Kurds. He also said that a withdrawal would enable an ISIS resurgence.

In a speech ahead of the vote, Gaetz explained why his fellow lawmakers should vote in favor of the resolution.

Since we have been there, we have seen Americans die. We have seen tens of billions of dollars wasted, he said.

The 2001 AUMF, or Authorization for the Use of Military Force, allowed U.S. forces to combat those responsible for 9/11.

What is hilarious about the 2001 AUMF that the neoconservatives wave around like some permission slip for every neoconservative fantasy of turning an Arabian desert into a Jeffersonian democracy is that very 2001 AUMF would justify attacking the people that were fighting against and the people were funding because both have ties to Al Qaeda, Gaetz said.

He rebutted those who said that withdrawing troops would allow for the reemergence of ISIS.

I do not believe what stands between a caliphate and not-a-caliphate are the 900 Americans who have been sent to this hellscape with no definition of victory, no clear objective, and purely existing as a vestige to the regime-change foreign policy of multiple former presidents, he said.

Congress has never authorized the use of military force in Syria. The United States is currently not in a war with or against Syria, so why are we conducting dangerous military operations there? President Biden must remove all U.S. Armed Forces from Syria. America First means actually putting the people of our country firstnot the interests of the military-industrial complex.

Then-Presient Donald Trump withdrew U.S. troops from northeastern Syria in October 2019 in what was criticized as a betrayal to Kurdish allies. Following the withdrawal, Turkey invaded northeastern Syria to go after the Kurds.
Iranian Warships Docking in Latin America Reflects New Axis of Power, Analysts Say

People rest while the Iranian warship IRIS Makran sails on the coast of Rio de Janeiro on Feb. 27, 2023. (Carl de Souza/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran appears to be making inroads toward its stated goal of sending warships to the Panama Canal before the end of 2023, but analysts say thats just the beginning.

Brazil permitted two Iranian warships to moor off Rio de Janeiros famous beaches from Feb. 26 to March 4, causing a stir among democratic nations throughout the region.

The arrival of the warships is a consequence of a new wave of leftist leaders who have swept into office across Latin America in recent years, including Brazils new president, political and security insiders say. Iran is capitalizing on its strong ties to the regions socialist regimes.

The big picture here doesnt look good, Brazils former minister of foreign affairs, Ernesto Araujo, told The Epoch Times.

He said it was alarming to see his native country roll out the red carpet for Iranian warships.

Im very concerned as a Brazilian and as someone who has an idea of what Iran is up to in the world, Araujo said.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvacommonly known as Lulaembraced the arrival of the warships IRIS Makran and IRIS Dena on Feb. 26 after more than a months delay. The timing was no coincidence but rather a strategic hold because of Lulas plan to visit U.S. President Joe Biden on Jan. 13.

Documents from the Ministry of Defense in Brazil show that the warships originally were authorized to enter the port of Rio de Janeiro on the same day as Lulas Biden visit.

The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned both the Makran and the Dena on Feb. 3. Concurrently, Washington pressured Lula to deny the vessels entry to Brazilian waters.

Brazils President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during the inauguration ceremony of the new Banco do Brasil President Tarciana Medeiros in Brasilia, Brazil, on Jan. 16, 2023. (Adriano Machado/Reuters)

Lula granted port entry to the ships, and his administration even doubled down by attending a celebration aboard the Dena on Feb. 28.

Araujo said multiple high-level Brazil officials within Lulas regime attended the event, which was confirmed by a local media report. The party commemorated 120 years of diplomatic relations between Iran and Brazil.

Washington was already aware of Irans intentions to put warships in Americas backyard.

In January, Iranian navy commander Rear Adm. Shahram Irani told the Tehran Times that Irans military would station warships at the Panama Canal before the end of the year to strengthen our maritime presence in international waters.

The army navy has been present in all the strategic straits in the world to date, and we have not been present in only two straits. We will be present in one of these straits this year.  We are planning to be present in the Panama Canal, he said.

Araujo isnt the only Brazilian politician whos concerned by the unprecedented arrival of Iranian warships in Brazilian waters.

If I were president, these warships would not be there, former President Jair Bolsonaro said during an interview with The Epoch Times.

The United States responded to the docking with some concern.

Brazil is a close democratic partner of the United States, but warships like these have no place in the Western Hemisphere, given the signal it sends, State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a press briefing.

We want to continue to work with our Brazilian partners to send the right message to Iran, to others who would pose a threat, pose a challenge to our collective interests around the world, he said.

Countries are going to make their own decisions. The Monroe Doctrine is a legacy of history. It is not something that the United States espouses.

The Monroe Doctrine was a foreign policy declaration by President James Monroe in 1823 that any intervention in the political affairs of the Americas by foreign powers is considered a potentially hostile act against the United States.

When asked whether Brazil might be subject to U.S. sanctions for hosting the Iranian warships, Price sidestepped the question.

Some regional security analysts say a tepid Biden administration response and U.S. sanctions wont hinder Irans plans in the West.

Make no mistake, Iran is challenging [the] U.S. at home, on its own turf, Irina Tsukerman, a security analyst and owner of Scarab Rising, told The Epoch Times.

This ship in Panama signals Irans expanding reach, not only in terms of physical relations with these countries but its willingness to chase [the] United States out of its own neighboring vicinity.

Its a demonstration of Irans growing influence and U.S. weakness and receding impact.

She noted that Iran would do much more than pay an occasional visit to the region in the long run.

Regional analyst and author Dr. Orlando Gutierrez-Boronat agrees that the arrival of Iranian warships is the harbinger of something bigger: a shift of geopolitical priorities in the region.

There is an evident process of institutionalization of Irans geopolitical presence in Latin America, he told The Epoch Times.

Step By Step

The Iranian government has been building alliances with sympathetic regimes in Latin America for decades, ranging from building nuclear facilities in countries with entrenched socialist governments to supporting the election campaigns of leftist leaders.

In 2012, Irans growing influence in Latin America was noted during a U.S. Senate hearing as a security red flag. Countries clamoring for benefits such as humanitarian aid and outside investment, including Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, were particularly friendly with Iran.

In a report, the lawmakers called Irans relationship with Latin American nations a serious concern.

Iran has developed, in the last two decades, a clear strategy towards Latin America, Boronat said. The presence of Iran in Venezuela has occurred through a very solid commercial and financial exchange.

In January, Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro called for a consolidation of a new geopolitical power and regional integration.

He suggested that with the support of Argentina, Colombia, and Brazils socialist regimes, a special new hour is coming to unite the efforts and paths of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (R) greets Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Luiz Iecker Vieira in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 13, 2015. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

Maduro made his proclamation on Jan. 13, the same day that Brazil granted initial permission for the Iranian warships to dock, and Lula met with Biden in the United States.

Irans economic and recruitment activity in Latin America was always geared toward building up its proxies and strengthening local leftist movements, Tsukerman said.

Whats new is  [Irans] willingness to expand its naval capabilities. Thus, for the first time, showing a capacity for endangering maritime security, potentially blocking access to ports, and putting a target on U.S. vessels and others operating in the vicinity.

Tsukerman noted that a long-term Iranian presence in Latin America is the modern-day equivalent of Soviet missiles in Cuba.

In Brazil, Araujo believes that Lula is playing a double game of sorts: the political equivalent of the old adage to have your cake and eat it too.

Lula is trying to be on good terms with both the democratic West and the totalitarian East, Araujo said.

Security Red Flags

One week before Irani boasted the goal of warships arriving at the Panama Canal in the coming months, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vowed revenge for the death of Gen. Qasem Soleimani, who was killed during a U.S. drone strike on Jan. 3, 2020.

The Americans must know that revenge for martyr Soleimanis blood is certain, and the murderers and perpetrators will have no easy sleep, Raisi said during a public speech in Tehran.

And then, warships arrived in Brazil.

The incident highlights the increasing geopolitical ambitions of a confederacy of authoritarian powers. This includes Iran, China, and Russia, which appear to work closely to undermine the United States and the greater, rules-based international order.

Raisi visited China in February and met with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping. The leaders have remained steadfast in their support of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Chinese COSCO Shipping Rose container ship sails near the new Cocoli locks in the Panama Canal on Dec. 3, 2018. (Luis Acosta/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese state-owned media outlet China Daily stated that Xi and Raisi discussed a comprehensive cooperation plan and the expansion of their strategic partnership.

The language is similar to that used by the CCP to refer to its support of Russia.

Xi and Raisi issued a joint statement at the time urging that international sanctions against Iran be abandoned in exchange for compliance on nuclear nonproliferation issues. Likewise, the regime has demanded that international sanctions on Russia for its attempted conquest of Ukraine be abandoned and that they are illegitimate.

Leaders from the aforementioned authoritarian powers said in September 2022 that they would promote the development of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction.

The United States is facing a multifaceted threat from Iran, China, and Russia in its own backyard, all of which have solid alliances in Latin America, Boronat says.

Its an additional challenge amid the growing tension the United States faces with autocracies and dictatorships. Today, the main battlefield for democracies is Ukraine. There, the United States faces Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, he said.

They are dictatorships with nuclear potential or with the aspiration to access it. Iranian warships in the Panama Canal pose a challenge far from that battlefield and close to the United States.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co. Ltd. announced on Tuesday a major personnel appointment. Jan Madeja, the company's President and CEO, will be stepping down from his nearly four-year tenure in the Chinese market and returning to Mercedes German headquarters for a new position.

Photo credit: Mercedes-Benz Group AG

Meanwhile, Duan Jianjun, the current Sales Chief Operating Officer of the company will take over as President and CEO of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co. Ltd. These appointments will officially take effect on May 1, 2023.

Jan Madeja joined Mercedes-Benz Group AG (former Daimler AG) in 1992 and has held senior management positions in multiple functional departments within the group. He has also served as CEO and President of Mercedes-Benz in several important regional markets. In 2019, Jan Madeja became the CEO and President of Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Beijing Co. Ltd., responsible for the operation of Mercedes-Benz's passenger vehicle brands in China.

With his outstanding leadership, rich management experience, and keen business insights, Jan Madeja led his team to work closely with all dealer partners, focusing on luxury brand positioning, actively promoting electrification, accelerating digital innovation, strengthening customer service systems, and continuously consolidating Mercedes-Benz's leading position in the luxury car segment of the Chinese market.

Photo credit: Mercedes-Benz Group AG

On the other hand, Duan Jianjun, the upcoming leader of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co. Ltd., holds nearly 30 years of experience in the automotive industry and has held senior management positions in several multinational companies, accumulating rich management experience in sales management, brand operation, marketing, and after-sales services.

As one of the core management members of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co. Ltd., Duan Jianjun has made significant contributions to the high-quality, high-speed, and high-efficiency development of the brand in China over the past decade. He is also committed to integrating the Mercedes-Benz brand with Chinese culture and trends, and has continued to win the recognition of younger-generation consumers.
Peaceful Parenting: What It Is and How to Implement It
Liberal MPs Filibuster Motion Calling For Trudeau Adviser to Testify on Foreign Interference

A Canadian flag hangs from a lamp post along the road in front of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa on June 30, 2020. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Liberal MPs ran the clock on a motion supported by all opposition parties calling for the prime ministers top adviser to testify at committee on foreign interference by the Chinese regime.

A March 7 meeting of the Commons Procedure and House Affairs Committee starting at 11:00 a.m. was suspended around 2:00 p.m. by Liberal MP and committee chair Bardish Chagger before a vote could take place.

I am suspending this meeting. Stay tuned, she said, without providing further details. Question period started in the House at 2:15 p.m.

After filibustering for 3 hours this morning, the Liberals decided to stop the meeting from resuming by refusing to show up, tweeted Conservative MP Michael Cooper after question period, calling it a cover-up.

In a scrum after question period, MPs from the three opposition parties said they were ready to continue the meeting but Liberals MPs were not present and a quorum could not be reached.

Before the suspension, the NDP joined the Conservatives and the Bloc Quebecois to seek testimony from the Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus Chief of Staff Katie Telford. MPs sitting on the committee are currently conducting a study on foreign interference.

Liberal MPs on the committee spoke in turn and at length, saying that inviting political staff to committee breaches protocol and that the Conservatives are playing political games.

Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull said he found Coopers suggestion that somehow the PM has instructed us to do some obstructionary work really troubling and 100 percent false.

Our government has been getting to the bottom of these matters, and has demonstrated a real dedication and commitment to addressing foreign election interference.

Fourth Motion

Three previous attempts by Cooper to have Telford testify failed, twice due to the NDP voting against his motions.

On March 1 NDP MP Peter Julian indicated his party supported calling Telford to testify, but there were disagreements on the language of the motions and amendments and time ran out before a vote could take place.

Coopers latest motion calls for Telford to testify under oath for three hours next week.

The Prime Minister has been briefed, according to his National Security Adviser, repeatedly about Beijings interference, and yet notwithstanding serious interference in Canadian democracy, we have seen no action taken by this prime minister, Cooper said.

He remarked that no charges have been laid nor have any diplomats been expelled.

NDP MP Rachel Blaney said she resists heavily having political staff instead of decision-makers testify, but called the current circumstances exceptional.

Sadly, what we have seen in this country is a continuous leak from CSIS that tells us that theres something serious that we need to be concerned with, she said in explaining that her party also seeks to hear from Telford.

Blaney passed an amendment to Coopers motion with Bloc and Conservative support that also calls for Conservative Party staffers to testify.

Blaney suggested that had Trudeau announced a public inquiry as requested by the NDP on March 6, the party might not have pushed to have Telford testify.

The Prime Minister had an opportunity yesterday in his announcement  he chose not to. So here we are today having this discussion, she said.

The Trudeau government has said it has implemented a number of mechanisms to protect the country against interference, such as elections bodies.

Officials have also said there has not been significant foreign interference in the two previous elections that met a certain threshold.

However, a recent core allegation yet to be categorically denied is that CSIS briefed Trudeaus team in 2019 that a Liberal candidate was being supported by Beijing, but the team still let him run.

When Trudeau was asked about the allegation he didnt directly comment on it and instead said concerns were related to anti-Asian racism.

The implicated individual, Liberal MP Han Dong, has called the allegation inaccurate and irresponsible.

With mounting pressure to hold a public inquiry in Beijings election interference, Trudeau announced on March 6 he would appoint a special rapporteur to look into the issue.

The rapporteurs first task will be to determine what next steps need to be taken to solidify Canadas defences against the interference threat, which Trudeau said could include recommending a public inquiry or another mechanism.
Loneliness and Hoarding: Two Overlapping Issues Tormenting Americans

Commentary

What do squirrels, woodpeckers, fiddler crabs, rats, and human beings have in common? At first glance, very little. But they all hoard. However, unlike the other animals listed, humans have developed an unhealthy obsession with the excessive accumulation of stuff. This is especially true in the United States, where hoarding is now considered an epidemic of epic proportions (pdf).

We are the descendants of hoarders. Hoarding played an integral role in the survival of our ancestors. The desire to hoard appears to be rooted deep in the human brain. In modern society, with everything just one click away, theres very little, if any, reason to hoard. Nevertheless, from Flint to Fort Lauderdale, hoarding is on the rise.

Scientists, up until very recently, placed compulsive hoarders in the same box as those with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Now, though, most agree that its very much a distinct disorder that deserves much greater attention. For those who find themselves sniggering at the silliness of the subject, theres nothing funny about a hoarding disorder. The psychologists bible, also known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, refers to clinical hoarding as a constant inability to discard objects, regardless of their actual value, without feeling a great deal of anxiety. The object could be something as basic as a paper bag or a plastic fork. The point here is that the individuals desire to hold onto the object is totally detached from its actual value, or lack thereof.

Human beings are capable of hoarding just about anything, from canned goods to canines. Hoarding is hazardous and can even result in death. In October of last year, an 86-year-old woman and 31 dogs were killed in a Phoenix house fire. As KPTV reported at the time, Phoenix police said a total of 37 dogs were found in the home, a vast majority of them locked inside small, metal cages. The dogs, malnourished and infested with ticks, lived in hoard-like conditions, according to the report. In December, an elderly woman in Deltona, Florida, lost her life in a house fire. Neighbors described her as a known hoarder.

Sadly, across the United States, hoarding is a problem thats likely to get much worse over the coming decades. Heres why.

Americans have never been lonelier. The negative effects of prolonged loneliness cant be overstated. Chronic loneliness costs the U.S. economy billions each year. Its strongly associated with severe inflammation, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. Loneliness also increases the risk of developing dementia (by 2030, more than 9 million Americans are expected to have dementia; by 2040, 12 million).

Moreover, this distressing state of mind is also associated with the propensity to hoard. Its very possible that those who lack adequate human connection instead form bonds with their belongings. Some even anthropomorphize their objects, and the lonelier the person, the more likely they are to do so. This explains why its so difficult for those struggling with a hoarding disorder to part with their various objects.

Theres a strong link between the elderly and hoarding. Although loneliness affects Americans of all ages, the problem is especially prevalent among those older than 65. Today, some 25 percent of Americans 65 or older live in social isolation. The U.S. population is aging rapidly; by 2040, one in five Americans will be 65 or older.

As AgingCares Anne-Marie Botek has noted, the aging process is connected with a dramatic decline in the quality and frequency of an individuals social interactions. Fueled by profound feelings of loneliness, people may turn to the accumulation of things for comfort.

Loneliness is a public health emergency that needs immediate attention. In 2018, the UK appointed the worlds first minister for loneliness. In 2021, Japan, a country thats experiencing its own troubles with loneliness, did the very same thing. Isnt it about time the United States, supposedly the greatest country in the world, followed suit? By appointing an individual qualified to dissect the problem, the United States would be going a long way to addressing both loneliness and hoarding, two serious issues that are very much intertwined.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Los Angeless Homicides, Gun Violence Down This Year, so Far, but May Be Due to Weather

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles in 2021 saw a surge in violent crime with the highest annual tally of homicides in 14 years. But two years later, Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) data show that crime may be on a downward trend so far this year.

According to the data, first reported by Crosstowna nonprofit connected to the University of Southern Californias journalism department analyzing crime data across Los Angeles neighborhoodsthe city has experienced a dip in homicides and gun violence in the first two months of 2023.

But spokesperson Tom Saggau, with the Los Angeles Police Protective Leaguewhich represents the LAPDs more than 9,000 sworn officerstold The Epoch Times that while its always encouraging to see less crime, rare winter storms that swept through Southern California in January and February may be the cause.

During the first two months of the year, it was probably the most weather-challenging time that its been in a lot of places on record, Saggau said. And typically, if you live in Buffalo and theres a snowstorm, theres not a lot of crime going on.

Researchers have long studied the impact of seasons on the types of crimes committed.

According to a 2021 blog post by Pinkerton, a Michigan-based private security and detective company, violent crime and property crime have significant seasonal variations with more generally occurring during the warmer months.

From the start of the year through the end of February, the LAPD reported 40 murders, a 31 percent decrease from the same period last year and a 39 percent decline compared to 2021.

We continue to see an improvement in our violent crime numbers, specifically in our shooting violence, LAPD Police Chief Michel Moore told the Los Angeles Police Commission on Feb. 28.

Los Angeles Police Department K9 officers prepare for an operation in Los Angeles on Dec. 13, 2018. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The Crosstown analysis found that 72 percent of homicides thus far in 2023 were committed with a firearm, similar to the past two years, but cited that overall gun violence has fallen sharply in the city.

According to LAPD data, those injured by gunfire have been progressively declining since September 2022. From January through the end of February, 97 people were shot, marking five consecutive months where the number of shooting victims remained below 100.

The last time such a trend occurred was between January 2020 and May 2020, Crosstown noted.

Saggau said that when looking at crime trends, its also valuable to look at data from 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, to see how current criminal activity fares when compared to a normal year.

According to another set of statistics from the LAPD through Feb. 18, crime has increased by nearly 41 percent when compared to the same time in 2019, with shootings up by almost 40 percent and victims shot up by nearly 65 percent.

Criminologists and statisticians are still trying to figure out the COVID impacts on everything, from buying power to home sales to crime, and theyre still not at a place where theyve weeded through everything, Saggau said.

Some of those impacts are currently being studied.

Last month, researchers at the Public Policy Institute of California published an analysis showing the correlation between COVID-19 and arrest trends, as well as crime spikes at the pandemics peak.

But pre-COVID versus year-to-date tells a different story on the types of crime recorded, Saggau said, noting that from January to February isnt enough time to know whether crime will decrease for the rest of the year.
Maine Lobstermen Face Extinction Threat From Big Wind Corporations, Environmentalists

Fishermen question apparent contradictions between whale conservation, offshore wind proponents

Carlton Joyce (L) and Pacita Joyce (R), parents of Maine lobsterman Jason Joyce haul in lobster traps on Joyce's boat. (Courtesy of Jason Joyce)

SWANS ISLAND, MaineFor more than 200 years, the Joyce family has weathered storms, the troughs and crests of the economy, and the inherent danger of working on the ocean to draw its living from the sea.

They wouldnt have it any other way.

Ive always been immersed in this, eighth-generation lobsterman Jason Joyce told The Epoch Times.

But after a lifetime of contending with nature, the lobstermen say they face new adversaries who threaten to end their way of life. Offshore wind corporations, with the backing of the federal government, plan to anchor towering windmills in the waters where they fish.

The wind corporations have, for years, funded environmental groups, which, in turn, have accused the lobstermen of endangering the North Atlantic right whale.

Theyve been after us for 25 years now, Galen Sput Staples, Joyces neighbor and a fellow lobsterman, told The Epoch Times.

A few of the Joyce family lobstermen: Llewellyn Joyce (L), Robert Joyce (2L), Carlton Joyce (2R), and Jason Joyce (R). (Courtesy of Jason Joyce)

Swans Island is roughly 80 square miles of hilly, forested land with a small harbor, picturesque homes, and an automated lighthouse.

Situated about six miles off the coast, the island is only accessible by ferry. The only hotel is the Harbor Watch Inn. The management advises customers to pick up groceries before catching the ferry, as there are no restaurants on the island.

Joyce and his fellow lobstermen gather in the Swans Island Fishermens Co-op most mornings for bad coffee and good talk.

Most learned their trade from their fathers and grandfathers; all have stories of setting their first traps as boys.

They grew up in the business working as stern men on their familys boats until they could purchase their own. Some fish full-time, and some work side jobs. None of the lobstermen in the co-op can fathom doing anything else.

Christopher Sawyer (L) visits Jason Joyce (R) at the Swans Island Fishermens Co-op on Feb. 26, 2023. (Michael Clements/The Epoch Times)

Llewellyn Joyce did his work in much the same way that his descendant Jason Joyce and other modern lobstermen ply their trade today. (Courtesy Jason Joyce)

By law, Maine lobstermen are owneroperators. No corporate factory boats are fishing for Maine lobsters. Instead, the lobsters are caught by small craft, usually crewed by fewer than five people. That promotes conservation because a small operator is less likely to cut corners and risk his entire business, Joyce said.

But it also makes them easy targets for corporate interests who want to control the sea.

Were the little guy. We cant fight back, Staples said.

The lobstermens main tools have changed little since James Joyce dropped his traps in 1806. James would likely be able to captain Jasons boat after just a little training. Todays lobstermen use a trap, a buoy, and a line to connect the two, just as their ancestors did. This assembly is called a haul.

The lobsterman baits the trap and drops it to the bottom of the sea. The buoy marks the traps location and identifies who set it. The line connecting the buoy to the trap enables the lobsterman to retrieve the trap. And that line is the crux of the accusation by the environmental groups.

A host of wildlife conservation and environmental groups, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Marine Fisheries Service, are calling to eliminate those lines to protect the North Atlantic right whale.

The NOAA claims that a significant factor in whale mortality is human encounters. According to the agency, the whales become tangled in the lobster trap lines, hindering movement and causing injuries that can lead to death.

The NOAA website reports that 97 right whales have had dangerous and sometimes lethal encounters with humans since 2017.

Of that number, 36 were killed, 22 were severely injured, and 38 received survivable injuries. Government agencies and environmental groups responded by springing into action.

Of the 36 deaths documented by NOAA, only nine involved entanglements. And of those, not a single one was linked to Maine lobster gear.

An endangered North Atlantic right whale entangled in a fishing rope was sighted with a newborn calf in waters near Cumberland Island, Ga., on Dec. 2, 2021. (Georgia Department of Natural Resources/NOAA Permit #20556 via AP)

Environmental and animal rights groups have mounted campaigns to save the right whale that have generally portrayed the seafood industry and the lobstermen as hostile to it. As a result, in November 2022, Whole Foods decided to stop selling Maine lobster in its stores.

The grocery chain stated that it made the decision based on information from California-based Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and the London-based Marine Stewardship Council.

Both groups claimed that the method of fishing for lobster is unsustainable and endangers whales.

The National Marine Fisheries Service began issuing regulations to save the whales.

Lobstermen were required to use nonfloating lines on their traps to reduce the chance of entanglement. If a buoy becomes separated from a line, the line will sink to the bottom, reducing the possibility that a whale or some other animal will become entangled.

It also virtually ensures the lobsterman will lose that trap.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills in 2019. (Rebecca Hammel/U.S. Senate/Public Domain)

Lobstermen are also required to use weak links in their lines. These are sections designed to separate if too much pressure is placed on them. The idea is for a whale to be able to pull itself free if it becomes entangled.

Then, the government wrote rules requiring all lobstermen to increase the number of traps on each haul. The logic behind this rule is that more traps on each line mean fewer lines in the water.

These rules are part of a 10-year plan to require lobstermen to reduce the risk to whales by 98 percent by 2024.

According to the Maine Lobstermens Association, its members have done their best to comply with the rules because they want to be good stewards of the environment; however, they say a 98 percent reduction is an impossible goal.

The association sued to block the governments plan but lost its lawsuit.

Maines U.S. congressional delegation inserted a provision into the 2023 Omnibus Appropriations bill that delays the rule until December 2028 and recently a move has been made to repeal that section of the bill.

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the ranking Democratic member and former chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, on Feb. 27 introduced the Restoring Effective Science-based Conservation Under Environmental Laws Protecting Whales Act of 2023, or the RESCUE Whales Act.

A spokesman from Grijalvas office said theres no need for the delay in enforcing the 98 percent reduction requirement, since the omnibus bill also provides funding to assist lobstermen in transitioning to new, ropeless fishing gear.

We want to continue to incentivize the deployment of this technology and get it in the water as quickly as possible, which is why Rep. Grijalva championed the passage of $20 million in funding in the FY 2023 omnibus to help transition the lobster fishing industry to ropeless gear, Jason Johnson, Grijalvas communications director, wrote in an email to The Epoch Times.

However, the lobstermen say that ropeless technology hasnt been widely tested and is very expensive.

Joyce said Grijalva should probably be focused on issues closer to home.

Why dont you introduce a bill to assist the enforcement needs of Cochise County [Arizona] Sheriff Mark Dannels in managing your border and leave Maine Lobstermen alone as we continue to maintain a perfect record of zero right whale deaths ever, and zero entanglements since 2004, Joyce wrote in response to Johnsons email.

Joyce and his fellow lobstermen dont dispute NOAAs whale numbers, but they say those numbers dont tell the whole story. The lobstermen claim that the government ignores scientific evidence that right whale migration patterns have changed and the whales are moving further away from Maine.

Simply putthe federal government is wrongly holding Maine lobstermen accountable for the decline of the right whale population, the Maine Lobstermens Association website reads. Its plan will end the Maine lobster fishery but wont save right whales.

Amid all this, the offshore wind lobby has entered the fray.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, has voiced support for her states lobster industry. But she also plans for Maine to get 100 percent of its electricity from green energy sources by 2040. A major element of her plan is offshore wind.

The Biden administration is also pushing ahead with its plan to promote offshore wind, and the Gulf of Maine, where the lobstermen of Swans Island live and work, is part of that plan, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.

In August 2022, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced a request for interest to assess interest in the development of commercial wind energy leases within a 13.7-million-acre area in the Gulf of Maine, according to the Department of the Interior. It has already invested $80 million to collect baseline information in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine.

The lobstermen say windmills would ruin their fishing grounds, decimate their industry, and pose a more significant hazard to whales.

However, Mills says that the two can coexist.

Developments further down the Eastern Seaboard are raising questions about the effect that windmills would have on the ocean and sea life even before the first windmills are operational.

Since December 2022, at least 25 whales have turned up dead on beaches in New York and New Jersey. Whales also have washed ashore in Maryland and Virginia.

Some say the deaths have coincided with seismic surveys for offshore windmill construction; there is concern that sound from the testing interferes with whales ability to navigate and may damage their ears.

Three congressmen and more than a dozen mayors whose coastal districts are near offshore wind energy sites are calling for a moratorium on new Atlantic Coast projects until a thorough investigation into a recent spate of whale deaths can rule out wind farm activity as the cause.

Offshore wind farm. (Photocreo Bednarek/Adobe Stock)

The NOAA and pro-offshore wind factions say theres no evidence of any connection between testing for offshore wind development and whale deaths. However, thats not to say theres no effect at all.

During a media teleconference on Jan. 18, representatives from the National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management took questions from reporters about whale deaths and the offshore wind work.

One of the speakers acknowledged that the testing might have some effect, although he said it wasnt connected to mortality.

I think the way weve been describing it  it has the potential to have a behavioral influence, said Brian Hooker, biology team lead with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Managements Office of Renewable Energy Programs. And thats whats the very effect that we anticipate could occur.

Benjamin Laws, deputy chief for the permits and conservation division for NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, was quick to interject.

Well, I just want to be unambiguous, there is no information that would support any suggestion that any of the equipment thats being used in support of wind development for these site characterization surveys could directly lead to the death of a whale, Laws said.

Environmentalists have raised concerns about seismic testing in the oil industry for years. But seismic equipment used by offshore wind interests differs from that in the oil industry, according to Erica Staaterman of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Managements Center for Marine Acoustics.

Offshore wind equipment is smaller, quieter, and more focused than that used by oil and gas, she said.

So, for example, many of them are used for very short periods of time with a long quiet time in between. So that means that theyre only on for several milliseconds, and then for about 15 seconds, it would be quiet, Staaterman told reporters.

Scientists are investigating the recent whale deaths and will continue doing so, NOAA spokesperson Lauren Gaches said in a statement to The Epoch Times. She said theres no conclusive evidence that seismic surveys caused any deaths.

Strandings and inconclusive necropsies have occurred long before offshore wind was a factor, so correlating the two now is not based in science, Gaches wrote. Necropsies can take weeks to months to complete the tissue sample analyses, so that work remains underway.

A whale carcass washed up on the Oregon coast on Jan. 14, 2023. (Courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

Joyce noted that many environmental groups that have been critical of lobster traps are silent regarding surveying. Some have even voiced support, saying that offshore wind development is necessary to counteract climate change.

Hes curious how a temporary line from a lobster trap is a hazard to whales, while permanent underwater cables, pilings, and related infrastructure for hundreds of offshore windmills arent an issue.

According to a report by the Save Right Whales Coalition, there may be more than climate change concerns behind the environmentalists position.

The group is a coalition of people along the East Coast who are concerned about offshore wind developments impact on the ocean and their coastal communities. The group published its report, Conflicts of Interest: Environmental Organizations Take Offshore Wind Industry Money, on its webpage.

A recent investigation found many conservation groups accept millions of dollars in donations from the offshore wind industry, the group wrote.

One Swans Island lobsterman uses his truck to express his feelings about the National Marine Fisheries Service on Feb. 26, 2023. (Michael Clements/The Epoch Times)

Danish wind energy company Orsted Global donated $500,000 to U.S.-based nonprofit Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in 2018, according to the latters website.

The following November, the institute announced that it was excited to use Department of Energy funds to make offshore wind more sustainable.

Orsted, along with energy company Eversource, donated $1.25 million to Mystic Aquarium, a marine aquarium in Connecticut, according to Eversources website. Eversource serves customers in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.

Mystic Aquarium reportedly used the funds to build a state-of-the-art exhibit and finance media projects promoting wind, solar, geothermal, and other renewable energy sources.

In November 2021, the aquarium developed a video titled The Promise of Offshore Wind, with Orsted listed as a supporter in the credits, the report reads.

Federal Agencies Involved

In 1984, the federal government founded the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation as a 501(c)(3) corporation to connect public projects with private financing to preserve wildlife and habitat.

In 2019 and 2020, energy company Avangrid Renewables gave between $100,000 and$499,999 to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the report states.

According to a statement on its website, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation entered an agreement in 2021 with U.S.-based wind company Apex Clean Energy. Under the agreement, Apex would donate to the foundation $1,000 per megawatt of generating capacity that Apex commercializes, and the foundation would match the donation dollar-for-dollar to finance grants.

On its website, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation includes a link to a program to protect whales from entanglement in fishing gear but makes no mention of possible threats from the offshore wind industry, according to the report.

You Guys Arent Concerned About Whales at All

While the local activists may be motivated by good intentions, Sawyer Spencera lifelong lobsterman and a regular at the co-opdoubts the motivations of the moneyed interests. He told the co-op gathering that his view was summed up by a fisherman he saw quoted on a local news broadcast.

He said, You guys arent concerned about the whales at all, Sawyer said.

Elias Joy (L), 4, of Swans Island, Maine, plays with building blocks as his father, Samuel Joy, prepares his lobster traps for the coming fishing season on Feb. 25, 2023. (Michael Clements/The Epoch Times)

Samuel Joy is a 30-something island native and the son of a minister who has spent his life lobstering.

One cold February morning, Joy built new lobster traps in front of a wood-burning stove as his 4-year-old son Elias played with building blocks, and Joyce, his father-in-law, watched from a chair near the stove.

Joy is an amiable, friendly man with dark hair and a calm demeanor. Like the other lobstermen who spoke with The Epoch Times, he said hes all for conserving whales and wants to preserve the environment. He also wants to maintain the life and work that he loves.

Ive been fishing every summer since I was 5 years old. I want to give [Elias] as much opportunity as I had when I was a kid, he said.

Joy says that hes cautiously optimistic and is quick to answer when asked if he would recommend that a young man consider lobstering as a vocation.

Just fish until they make you stop, he said.

Sawyer said the negative effect of implementing the whale regulations and establishing offshore wind farms would extend beyond just displacing the lobstermen. Considering the ancillary jobs connected to lobstering, the economic impact could devastate the coastal communities and beyond.

The whole state of Maine is going to be displaced, Sawyer said. What were doing is trying to survive.
Man, 70, Pleads Guilty to US-Mexico Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy

SAN DIEGOA 70-year-old man who prosecutors say ran a Mexican drug trafficking organization that moved substantial quantities of cocaine into the United States over the course of several decades pleaded guilty March 8 in San Diego federal court.

Raul Flores-Hernandez, of Guadalajara, Mexico, ran the Jalisco-based trafficking organization from sometime in the 1980s until 2017, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Prosecutors say Flores-Hernandez, who is also known as El Tio, arranged for cocaine to be transported from Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia to Mexican ports. There, the drugs were moved by land into the United States.

Flores-Hernandez was arrested in 2017 by Mexican authorities and extradited to the United States in 2021. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, knowing and intending that it would be imported into the United States, authorities said.
McCarthy Confirms Plan to Meet With Taiwans President in US

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks to reporters outside of his office in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, on March 07, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy confirmed on March 7 that hell meet with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in the United States next month, adding that the meeting wouldnt replace his anticipated trip to the democratically governed island.

That has nothing to do with my travel and if I would go to Taiwan, the California Republican told reporters, adding that China cant tell me where or when to go.

The Chinese Communist Party has long claimed Taiwan as its territory and has never disavowed using force to take it over. That ambition has been increasingly on display in recent years as the regime steps up military harassment, sending warplanes and ships toward the island on a near-daily basis, which experts have termed as a gray zone tactic aimed at eroding public morale and exhausting Taiwans defensive resources.

Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng warned on March 6 that Taiwan this year has to be on the alert for a sudden entry by the Chinese military into areas close to its territorial space, which the island defines as 12 nautical miles from its coast.

Chiu Kuo-cheng, Taiwans defense minister, at a news conference in Taipei, Taiwan, on Aug. 2, 2019. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

I think they are making preparations, Chiu said. Looking forward, they would use force if they really have to.

The rising threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is causing concern in Washington. The U.S. House Financial Services Committee has approved several measures to deter a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait, and after the island reported a second day of large-scale Chinese aerial incursions near the area in early March, the State Department also authorized a potential sale of $619 million in new weapons to Taiwan.

Beijing has lodged a formal complaint with Washington over McCarthys upcoming meeting with Tsai, according to Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, who called the Taiwan question the core of the core interests of China and maintained that it would oppose any form of official interaction between the United States and the island.

But neither McCarthy nor Taiwans officials appear likely to be swayed by the narratives. McCarthy has indicated that he still hopes to visit Taiwan as a speaker, alongside a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers.

I dont think China can tell me where to go, at any time, at any place, McCarthy, who has garnered Republican support for a Taiwan trip, said in response to a question from The Epoch Times sister media outlet NTD in February.

Taiwans armed forces hold two days of routine drills to show combat readiness ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays at a military base in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on Jan. 12, 2023. (Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)

On March 7, Taiwans defense minister responded to Chinese foreign minister Qin Gangs claim that Taiwan is the first red line in SinoU.S. relations.

The Chinese communists use any reason to send troops, Chiu told Parliament. But we wont just say bring it on. We will take a peaceful and rational approach.

If the Chinese communists move again, the armed forces job is to fight, he said. We wont allow repeated provocations against us. We cant accept that.

Asked on March 7 how China might react to McCarthys plans, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the department respects the decisions of any member of Congress.

Our broader concern, he told reporters, is that the PRC has consistently sought to undermine the prevailing status quo, the status quo that has upheld decades of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Mexican Police Arrest Suspect in Connection With Kidnapping, Deaths of Americans

A woman is carried to the back of a white pickup truck in this still image obtained from social media video that allegedly shows the kidnapping of Americans in Matamoros, Mexico, on March 3, 2023. (Video obtained by Reuters)

Mexican police have arrested a suspect in connection with last weeks kidnapping of four U.S. citizens in the city of Matamoros that resulted in the deaths of two of the Americans and a bystander to the incident, officials said.

The suspect was identified as Jose Guadalupe, 24, by Mexican Secretary for Security and Citizen Protection Rosa Icela Rodriguez Velazquez during a press conference, according to local reports.

Guadalupe had reportedly been guarding the house where kidnapped Americans Latavia Tay McGee, 35, Shaeed Woodard, 33, Zindell Brown, believed to be in his mid-20s, and Eric James Williams, 38, had been held captive and tortured, officials said.

The Americans were located on March 7 in a wooden shack in a field near Matamoros, according to Americo Villarreal, governor of Tamaulipas, the Mexican state in which Matamoros is located. Two of them, Woodward and Brown, were found dead, according to officials.

The survivors were taken to Brownsville, Texas, the New York Post reported. Williamss wife told CNN that he had been shot multiple times in the legs; McGee reportedly was found uninjured.

Derived from the joint search actions, the four American citizens deprived of their liberty last Friday were found, Tamaulipas Attorney General Irving Barrios Mojica wrote on Twitter. Unfortunately, two dead. Investigation and intelligence work continue to capture those responsible. Details will be given later.

Survivors Return to US

In a later post, Barrios confirmed that the two survivors were taken to the border and handed over to U.S. authorities.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland also said in a statement on March 7 that two of the Americans were killed and another was injured.

The two surviving Americans are now receiving medical treatment in the United States, he said.

The U.S. citizens were assaulted and kidnapped in Mexico on March 3, shortly after they crossed into Matamoros in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates, according to the FBI.

The FBI had offered a reward of $50,000 for their safe return, as well as the arrest of the kidnappers.

Shortly after crossing into Mexico, unidentified gunmen fired upon the passengers in the vehicle. All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City stated on March 5.

Video footage posted on Twitter allegedly shows the moment that the Americans were held at gunpoint and forced into the back of a white pickup truck by men who appeared to be wearing bulletproof vests and carrying long rifles.

McGees mother, Barbara Burgess, told ABC that her daughter traveled to Mexico from South Carolina for a cosmetic medical procedure.

State Department Updates Travel Advice

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on March 7 that the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have all been working in collaboration with Mexican authorities since the kidnapping incident.

Were still working with Mexican officials to learn more and to have all Americans returned to the United States. President [Joe] Biden has been kept updated on this incident. Senior members of the White House have also been engaged, she said at a press conference.

We will continue to work closely with the Mexican government to ensure justice is done in this case. Since day one of this administration, we have been focused on disrupting transnational criminal organizations, including Mexican drug cartels and human smugglers.

Jean-Pierre also noted that Washington was in touch with the families of the individuals.

Following the kidnapping, the State Department issued an advisory warning Americans not to travel to the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, citing increasing violent criminal activity and kidnappings.

The department states that organized crime activityincluding gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, forced disappearances, extortion, and sexual assaultis common along the northern border and in Ciudad Victoria.

According to the advisory, criminal groups in the state regularly target public and private passenger buses, as well as private automobiles, often taking passengers and demanding ransom payments.

Mexican authorities didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
Light comments about interesting art

The Sun King, Louis XIV (16431715) launched haute couture, the business of fashion. It was a brilliant move. He made personal appearance important for social interaction.

At court, the king himself was impeccably dressed, and he required the same of his courtiers. Clothing had to fit perfectly, be made with beautiful fabrics, and be impeccably clean. This strict dress code affected every part of ones life. The king required a certain etiquette of dress for every time of the day: dressing gowns for morning, day dress for the afternoon, and evening gowns for social events. Certain fabrics were made for each season (which we still use today): silk in summer, velvet in winter. These changes made aristocrats in France aware of their behavior and appearance.

Awareness of ones personal appearance continued after Louiss reign but lent itself to extremes. Women wore high, intricately structured powdered wigs bedecked with jewels, feathers, and ribbons that were a sight to behold. A ladys gown, over a corset, was voluminous, open from the waist down displaying an underskirt or petticoat, and had to be colorful. There were hooks and laces galore.

Perhaps the only benefit to come from the French Revolution and its devastation was that it did help curve excesses in fashion. Fashion extremes ended when the Estates General convened in 1789, and a new fashion statement soon emerged. Three colors, blue, white, and red became de rigueur. French citizens, high and low, felt compelled to wear the tri-color cockade, or knot of ribbons, on their hats.

From sizeable, powdered coiffures, women adopted a natural hair color, with curls forming closely around the face. Styles were simplified with dresses of one piece and in ordinary fabrics, such as cotton.

A Natural Beauty

The portrait of the Comtesse de Sorcy (1790) by eminent artist of the day, Jacques-Louis David, gives us a young woman who presented this simple yet elegant style to perfection. The comtesse was one of two sisters and daughter of Swiss-born Parisian banker Jacques Rilliet. Both sisters married rich and titled husbands; Anne-Marie-Louises husband was also of Swiss ancestry.

Portrait of Anne-Marie-Louise Thelusson, Comtesse de Sorcy, 1790, by Jacques-Louis David. Oil on canvas. (Art Renewal Center)

The lady is dressed modestly in a simple white cotton gown and shawl with patterned edges. She sits comfortably on a red velvet chair, against a bare taupe backdrop. Her dark blonde hair falls around her face highlighting her natural composure, beautiful features, and kind expression.

The simple gown flows wonderfully around her, thanks to the artists skill. The soft tan shawl seems to imitate the wrap of her arms. From the shawls tip, the line flows upward to her shoulder, where the focus continues around her hair that frames her face. How far she had come from the extremes of aristocratic dress. As noted in The History of Art website, the sisters did not wish to have their portraits to be too extravagant, wearing relatively simple but smart clothing which they would have felt best represented their own characters.

David painted in the classical style and was in demand as a portrait painter for wealthy aristocrats. He accepted this commission one year after the revolution had begun just as the countrys political and social upheaval was gaining steam. As the revolution wore on, it was not kind to French elites. Most lost everything, and in some cases, even their lives.

It has been said that, for generations, French women have cultivated their natural beauty to perfection and the lady de Sorcy certainly shows it in this compelling portrait.
Ned Price to Step Down as State Department Spokesman

State Department spokesman Ned Price speaks on the situation in Afghanistan at the State Department in Washington, on Aug. 18, 2021. (Andrew Harnik/Pool via Reuters)

State Department spokesman Ned Price will step down from his position later this month, department officials announced Tuesday.

For people in America and around the world, Ned Price has often been a face and voice of U.S. foreign policy, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. Hes performed with extraordinary professionalism and integrity. On behalf of the Department, I thank Ned for his remarkable service.

Price, who has held the position since the beginning of the Biden administration, will continue working directly with Blinken in a new capacity.

I started as a public servant as an analyst at the CIA, and I ended up in this job because of a series of accidents, fateful accidents, Price told NBC News. I have loved being in this line of work for the past several years. And one of the things I love most about it is the connection to the policy.

In his statement, Blinken credited Prices contributions to the State Department, including his restoration of daily press briefings, which he said had been inconsistent during the Trump administration.

Throughout the more than 200 briefings he has since held, hes treated journalistsas well as colleagues and everyone else he interacts withwith respect, Blinken said.

Blinken said Price has been a face and voice of U.S. foreign policy, who has performed with extraordinary professionalism and integrity.

Price served in various roles during the Obama administration, including as a special assistant to the president and senior director for strategic communications and spokesman at the National Security Council. In February 2017, he publicly resigned from the government, citing then-President Donald Trumps criticism of the Intelligence Community.

Ned has helped the U.S. government defend and promote press freedom around the globe and modeled the transparency and openness we advocate for in other countries, Blinken said. His contributions will benefit the Department long after his service.

Before serving as the State Departments top spokesman, Price worked as a senior analyst and spokesman at the CIA. He has also taught at Georgetown University and worked as an analyst and contributor for NBC News.

Having taken his current position in January 2021, Price is the longest-serving federal agency spokesman in the Biden administration, surpassing Jen Psakis tenure at the White House podium. Meanwhile, John Kirby, who previously served as the Pentagon spokesman, is now the dean of the administrations communication team as part of the National Security Council.

During his tenure, Price helped shape the Biden administrations foreign policy messaging when the United States navigated a complex relationship with countries like Russia and China.

His deputy, Vedant Patel, will take over as interim spokesman until a permanent replacement is named.
With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

All-new GAC Trumpchi GS3 to hit market today

The all-new Trumpchi GS3 small SUV is scheduled to go on sale on March 8. Presale of the model has already kicked off previously, with a price range of 88,000 yuan- 112,000 yuan. The new GS3 will come with four trim levels.

Photo credit: GAC Trumpchi

Geely sets up automotive software tech company with ThunderSoft

Zhejiang Xingchuang Automotive Software Technology Co., Ltd. was recently established with a registered capital of 40 million yuan, according to Chinas corporate database Tianyancha. The company is authorized to operate in such areas as AI intelligent basic software R&D, computer software and hardware sales, etc. The new company is indirectly jointly-owned by Geely-affiliated Zhejiang Jirun Automotive Co. Ltd., and Chinese software developer ThunderSoft.

Changan Mazda CX-50 to roll off line on March 16

The Changan Mazda CX-50 compact SUV will officially roll off the production line on March 16. The model will ride on the automakers newly developed hybrid electric platform, signifying that except of the initial oil-fueled version, the CX-50 will also be offered in a hybrid-electric version. In addition, the Changan Mazda CX-50 is expected to hit the market in May this year.

Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service appoints new president & CEO

Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co. Ltd. announced on Tuesday a major personnel appointment. Jan Madeja, the company's President and CEO, will be stepping down from his nearly four-year tenure in the Chinese market and returning to Mercedes German headquarters for a new position.

Chinas autonomous truck solution developer Corage closes new strategic financing round

Chinese commercial vehicle autonomous driving company Corage announced on March 7 that it has secured strategic investment from Sumitomo Corporation Equity Asia Limited, a strategic investment arm of Sumitomo Corporation.

China's locally-made PV retail sales grow MoM, YoY in Feb. 2023

China's passenger vehicle (PV) retail sales amounted to 1.418 million units in Feb. 2023, growing 10.4% from the previous year, while also rising 8.8% from the previous month, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

GAC AION puts AION Y Younger onto market, starting at 119,800 yuan

On March 7, GAC AION, the new energy vehicle (NEV) arm of GAC Group, put the AION Y Younger, onto the market with a guidance price of 119,800 yuan ($17,180). Its advent has further lowered the starting price of the AION Y PLUS lineup.

Changan Automobile achieves 38.27% YoY jump in Feb. 2023 sales

In February 2023, Chinese automaker Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd. (Changan Automobile) saw its monthly sales recover from the downturn in January with a double-digit year-on-year growth.

Second-generation Hongqi L4 Robotaxi kicks off road test in Beijing

China's major legacy automaker FAW Group saw its self-developed second-generation Hongqi L4 Robotaxi successfully obtained the autonomous driving licenses based on mass-produced sensors issued by Beijing's authority.

ECARXs chairman & CEO to additionally play same roles at Xingji Meizu

ECARX Holdings ("ECARX"), a mobility tech provider Geely Holding's Chairman Eric Li, announced on Mar. 7 that its Chairman and CEO, Shen Ziyu, will additionally assume the position of CEO and Chairman of Xingji Meizu Group (Xingji Meizu), while retaining his role in and his commitment to ECARX.

U Power to adopt Renesas chips for building of UP Super Chassis

At the UP DAY 2023, a significant tech event held on March 7, U Power, a Chinese skateboard chassis developer, announced its cooperation with the worlds leading semiconductor chip supplier Renesas Electronics (Renesas).
Perth Mint Explains Gold Doping Dispute

A supplied image obtained Friday, May 5, 2017 of Detective Senior Constable Jared Pragnell from the Gold Stealing Detection Unit holding a 1kg gold bar. (AAP Image/Western Australia Police)

Australias official bullion mint, Perth Mint, says there was no question about the gold value and purity of its gold bars sold to Chinese customers, which indisputably contained at least 99.99 percent gold at all times.

It comes in response to an investigation by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), which found the mint may need to recall almost $9 billion worth of gold bars after it was discovered they had been diluted with other metals and allegedly swept the issue under a rug.

Perth Mint is wholly owned by the Western Australian government and is the only mint in the world backed by a government guarantee.

ABCs Four Corners program said that in 2018, it began doping or diluting gold to lower the gold content.

Doping is an industry-wide accepted process due to the nature of the refining process and does not impact the 99.99 percent purity of gold.

A Perth Mint spokesperson told The Epoch Times in a statement that its 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) gold bars contain up to 0.01 percent of non-gold materials, including silver and copper.

These purity specifications are aligned with industry standards and akin with those set by the international market authority, the London Bullion Market Association, the spokesperson said.

In 2021, the Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) informed the mint that two of the tested gold bars exceeded its specifications of non-gold content.

The SGE specifications demand that the non-gold componentthat is, 0.01 percent of the bar or 100 parts per million (ppm)contains no more than 50 ppm silver, the Perth Mint spokesperson explained.

This means SGE standards exceed that set by the London Bullion Market Association, demanding no more than 0.005 percent silver content.

After SGE flagged the issue, Perth Mint immediately launched a review of its refining practice, including its doping process.

The Perth Mint spokesperson said that it now implements processes to ensure that its 1-kilogram gold bars have an average minimum gold purity content of 99.996 percent, above the industry standard of around 99.992 percent.

As a result of this new practice, which came into effect in December 2021, the maximum non-gold component in a 1-kilogram bar is 0.004 percentalso adhering to the SGEs non-gold specification standards, the spokesperson said.

Reputation on the Line

According to an internal document obtained by the ABC, Perth Mint realised that the entire batch sent to SGE was unlikely to meet its gold standards and noted the potential consequences the incident could have on its reputation.

If SGEGold Corporations pre-eminent exchange clienthad made public that they had issues with Gold Corporation bars  the impact of negative public statements on the business could be very significant, the report allegedly says.

Based on average understandings of volumes  it was possible for up to 100 tonnes of stock to be recalled from the Shanghai Gold Exchange for replacement.

Recalling the 100 tonnes of gold alone is estimated to cost about $8.7 billion, which would then need to be shipped back to Perth, melted, and recast without the extra impurities before reselling.

The internal report said the mint allegedly decided against sending SGE the failed gold purity tests, known as assays.

CEO [Richard Hayes] confirmed only the compliant assay would be provided to the customer, with the broader burden of proof to be left with the SGE to prove non-compliance, the report alleged.

A spokesperson for Perth Mint told the ABC that it had received a customer complaint but due to Chinese regulations on exporting gold out of China, the bars had not been returned and therefore the customers concerns could not be verified.

Premier Says He Was Unaware

Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan said he only became aware of the doping program after watching ABCs Four Corners.

McGowan held ministerial responsibility for Perth Mint until it was handed to Mines Minister Bill Johnston in April 2021.

Im advised mints all over the world  try to maximise value within the rules, he told reporters on March 8.

The Perth Mint tried to maximise value within the rules. For four of the worlds five gold exchanges, the content of silver was fine.

He also said it was extremely unlikely that a taxpayer-funded buyback for the 100 tonnes of gold will occur.

The advice I have is that is extremely unlikely, he said.

But we are working with the Shanghai Gold Exchange. We will make sure we have a continuing great relationship with them.

Since this issue was identified in 2021, tonnes and tonnes of gold have been bought by the Shanghai Gold Exchange from the Perth Mint.

McGowan added that the continued government ownership of the mint will be reviewed.
The more than 40,000 hours of footage from the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, initially withheld from the public, is now being released. Fox News host Tucker Carlson received the footage and has begun releasing clips on his show. And the footage presents a starkly different picture than what officials and legacy news outlets had claimed. We also speak to Epoch Times reporter Joseph M. Hanneman on his exclusive reporting on the new Jan. 6 tapes.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump is proposing new types of high-tech cities in the United States, which he calls Freedom Cities. The vision of free principles and high technologies such as flying cars would be his answer to compete with the Chinese Communist Party on cutting-edge developments, and against the vision of 15 Minute Cities being promoted by groups such as the World Economic Forum. Trump proposed this as part of his campaign for the 2024 presidential elections.

In this live Q&A with Crossroads host Joshua Philipp, well discuss these stories and others, and answer questions from the audience.

*Sponsor Special: Up to $2,500 of free silver with American Hartford Gold. Call 877-260-2764, text JOSHUA to 6-5-5-3-2, or visit: https://ept.ms/3rshean
Newly Released Surveillance Footage Challenges Official Jan. 6 Narrative

List of troubling questions from Jan. 6 keeps growing as more video is made public

Fox News host Tucker Carlson and former U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Tarik Johnson during taping in Florida of "Tucker Carlson Tonight" on March 3, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Tarik Johnson)

News Analysis

The unveiling of some of the 41,000 hours of video from Jan. 6, 2021, that was hidden from public view for more than two years has sparked a new national conversation about just how much still isnt known about the Capitol incursion.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson was given exclusive access by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to U.S. Capitol security videos and other footage, most of it hidden from public view.

If Carlsons first broadcast special on the footage that aired on March 6 is any indication, the prevailing Jan. 6 narrative is on life support, and the days legacy of troubling questions continues to deepen as a result.

Through the news media, the public has had limited access to the nearly 4.7 years worth of video captured by security cameras, police bodycams, and videos taken by tens of thousands of Jan. 6 protesters.

Much of it, however, has been hidden under a judicial protective order. Its unclear if Congress, as the custodian of Capitol Police security video, provided its entire collection of Jan. 6 video to the Department of Justice. Prosecutors have for more than a year referred to 14,000 hours of video used in the prosecution of alleged Jan. 6 crimes.

Police begin lobbing munitions into the huge crown on the west front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images)

Well before Carlson envisioned his highly watched March 67 specials, defense attorneys on Jan. 6 criminal cases complained that video and other evidence beneficial to their clients have not been disclosed by the government as required under Supreme Court rulings.

With Carlsons revelations about the QAnon Shaman, Jacob Chansley, and mysterious Jan. 6 figure Ray Epps, the cries from defense attorneys about exculpatory evidence will likely increase in the coming weeks and months.

Since Jan. 6 was arguably the most photographed and videoed event in recorded history, the truth about the day should be easy to discern.

But the massive digital evidence cache has been tightly controlledand even manipulatedto great effect on public opinion. Unfettered public access to all of the videoif it is grantedwill crack the legacy media narrative even more and widen the political divide in America.

What follows is an overview of the myriad issues that the 41,000 hours of video will most likely impact.

Failure of Leadership in Evacuation

The evacuation of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House on Jan. 6 provides perhaps the clearest case of how security video can define a critical story.

In Carlsons second Capitol videos special on March 7, he will tell the story of U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Tarik Johnson, who said he was left without direction on Jan. 6 by assistant Capitol Police chief Yogananda Pittman.

After taking to the radio to ask for permission to evacuate the Senate, Johnson got no response. Even after the USCP dispatcher repeated Johnsons call for direction, there was silence from the Command Center.

Police with guns drawn watch as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

Johnson forged ahead with the evacuation and went on to direct the evacuation of the House. He said on the radio that he would take any discipline for acting on his own.

The segment on Tucker Carlson Tonight will be based in part on investigative reporting by The Epoch Times, which told Johnsons story in January.

There was no response from anybody at the Command Center, Johnson told The Epoch Times. I say even before I initiated evacuation, I say specifically, Weve got to start thinking about getting the people out before we dont have a chance to.

I heard no response. Then I asked for permission to evacuate. I heard no response.

Johnson said the Command Centers silence caused the loss of precious time that might have prevented the shooting death of protester Ashli Babbitt at about 2:45 p.m. on Jan. 6.

Johnson became known to much of America as the Capitol Police lieutenant who wore a bright red Make America Great Again ball cap while he worked with a pair of Oath Keepers to rescue 16 USCP officers trapped in the foyer inside the massive Columbus Doors.

Johnson was suspended by USCP and later accused of rules violations, including conduct unbecoming, for wearing the Trump hat and working with the Oath Keepers on the officer rescue. He said he believes those charges were actually brought because the evacuations and other split-second leadership decisions he made embarrassed Pittman.

Police Actions Raise Questions

Carlson aired Capitol security video showing Capitol Police leading the QAnon Shaman around the building and letting him into the U.S. Senate, where he posed on the rostrum and made a speech.

Many other aspects of police presence and behavior on Jan. 6 have already drawn scrutiny and critique.

D.C. police officer Daniel Thau drops a protester with a taser at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Metropolitan Police Department/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Probably the most graphic example is that of Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel Thau, who was like a one-man Army on the west front of the Capitol during the mid-afternoon of Jan. 6.

Bodycam footage from several Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers shows Thau dropped at least four protesters with a taser, tossed uncounted explosive munitions into the tightly packed crowd, directed high-velocity pepper spray into a stiff headwind, and fired a 40mm shell from a munition launcher into the crowd.

His own bodycam shows him rushing up to another officer under the inauguration scaffolding and shouting, We need more [expletive] munitions!

After being possibly the most active officer in applying pain compliance to the crowds, Thau concluded that the strategy did not work. He told another officer the effort was like shooting zombies and declared, Were multiplying them by shooting them.

Police use of force became a hotly debated topic, at least in the public square. Metropolitan Police declared all of its uses of force on Jan. 6 to be justified.

Use-of-force expert Stan Kephart, commenting in the July 2022 Epoch Times documentary, The Real Story of Jan. 6, begged to differ. Kephart said crowd-control grenades, rubber bullets, crowd-dispersal shells, and chemicals were misused by police on Jan. 6.

A gas grenade launched by MPD Officer Rich Khoury at the urging of Thau misfired, landing amid a crowd of supervisors and officers. The resulting gas cloud sent police scurrying and weakened the nearby police line.

At nearly the same time, Officer Anthony Alioto tossed a CS gas canister into the crowd from above. A protester threw it back just in time for it to dislodge its payload of chemical irritant. That drove officers into the Capitol and led to the crowd surging up the stairs to the Lower West Terrace.

Mark Griffin of Canadensis, Pa., gets his drivers license from his wallet to show to police at the barricades on the west side of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Steve Baker/Special to The Epoch Times)

One man who knows it all too well is Mark Griffin of Canadensis, Pennsylvania, who was shot with a 37mm munition shell at nearly point-blank range on the afternoon of Jan. 6.

Griffin was standing at the police barricades on the west front, explaining to a young MPD officer why he and so many others came to Washington. Then he was blown to the ground by a shell that impacted above his left knee, splitting his femur and necessitating surgeries that he said cost $250,000.

I went down, and some people helped me up, Griffin told The Epoch Times. I had no idea how bad I got hurt.

Crowd-control shells are typically not for close-quarters use and should never be fired directly at a person, Kephart said. Firing the weapons close to people can lead to serious injury or death, according to manufacturers warnings.

Griffin said he hopes the release of CCTV security video from the Capitol exterior will pinpoint which police officer fired the shot that shattered his leg.

Derrick Vargo had climbed up the stone railing with balusters in an effort to hang his Donald Trump flag from the side of the Capitol staircase on Jan. 6. He ducked the baton swings from one police officer, but when he stood up, a U.S. Capitol Police motorcycle officers push sent him flailing to the ground below.

A police officer pushes protester Derrick Vargo off a landing at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Capitol Police/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

He knows exactly where he was on that Capitol building. You know, he works there, Vargo told The Epoch Times. Hes not just a citizen. He works there. He knows how high up he is. He shoved me not with just one arm but two. That means he wanted me off of it. It was very intentional.

Vargo suffered a fractured ankle and extensive mid-foot injuries that required multiple surgeries to repair. Surgeons used a screw to hold his fractured ankle together. Plates and screws were used to repair two toes and mid-foot bones that suffered a Lisfranc fracture and dislocation.

Were Federal Agents Involved?

For more than a year there has been growing speculation that undercover agents and police officers took active roles in the rioting while encouraging protesters to go into the Capitol.

Bobby Powell, then a radio journalist from Michigan, filmed a man he said was an undercover agent pulling a large sheet of tempered glass out of a window on the patio near the Columbus Doors.

The man had earlier approached Powell and asked him why he didnt take advantage of the already smashed window and enter the Capitol. When Powell turned away and spun back around, his camera caught the man pulling out the glass and dropping it in a heap on the ground.

A suspicious actor vandalized a Capitol window on Jan. 6, 2021. He has not been placed on the FBI wanted list nor arrested or charged. (Bobby Powell/Screenshot by The Epoch Times)

Powell also encountered another man, dressed in tactical gear, holding open the Columbus Doors with a long wooden dowel and shoving people into the foyer leading to the Great Rotunda.

Neither the glass man nor the doorman ever appeared on the FBIs Jan. 6 most-wanted website.

Powell spent a frustrating two years trying to get the FBI and the media to notice his video. The strain led to four heart attacks between Jan. 6, 2021, and Nov. 22, 2022. In the more than three months since, Powell suffered three more heart attacks.

January 6 defendant William Pope of Topeka, Kansas, discovered GoPro video of three MPD undercover officers on the exterior northwest stairs of the Capitol. One of the men climbed a barricade, pushed protesters up the stairs, and urged protesters to head toward the Capitol entrance, Pope reported in a court motion to unseal the video.

The other two officers walked behind the late Babbitt, and one stated his belief that someone would get shot that day. About an hour later, Babbitt was shot by USCP Lt. Michael Byrd as she climbed into a broken window leading into the Speakers Lobby. She was pronounced dead 30 minutes later.

Defense attorney Brad Geyer spent months investigating more than 100 suspicious actors who were at the Capitol. Geyer identified a core group that took part in the breaching of the Columbus Doors and incited a crowd on the east side to go into the Capitol.

Salt and Light Brigade member Jeff Cline urged protesters to move up the east Capitol steps on Jan. 6, 2021, attorney Brad Geyer alleged. Cline has not been arrested or charged. (Attorney Brad Geyer/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Many on Geyers suspicious actors list were tied to the Salt and Light Brigade, an Ohio-based Christian group. Geyer argued in court papers that some of the Salt and Light members engaged in a stunning conspiracy to attack the Capitol, but most have faced no charges. A few weeks after an article on the group appeared in The Epoch Times, an Ohio pastor tied to the groupWilliam Dunfeewas arrested by the FBI.

Other suspicious actors continue to draw interest. A man known only by the hashtag #RedOnRedGlasses, was seen on video launching a long 24 piece of lumber through a Capitol window, and later trying to kick in office doors inside the Capitol. RedOnRed was in the hallway outside the Speakers Lobby when Babbitt was shot. He is listed as No. 300 on the FBI most-wanted list, but has not been publicly identified.

Ray Epps, who was captured on a viral video from Jan. 5 urging protesters to go into the Capitol the next day, is again the subject of intense speculation after Carlsons March 6 special. Carlson claimed that Epps lied to Jan. 6 Select Committee investigators about what time he left the Capitol grounds.

Epps texted his nephew at 2:12 p.m. and said he orchestrated the protest. He told the committee he was no longer at the Capitol when the text was sent. Carlson said security video he found shows Epps on one of the west terraces a half-hour after that.

Epps was at the first breach of a police barricade just before 1 p.m. on Jan. 6. He stepped over a toppled barricade on the west front and was spotted numerous times in the crowd during the afternoon.

Epps was interviewed by the Select Committee and twice by the FBI, but he was never arrested or charged for his actions at the Capitol, despite admitting to the FBI that he was likely guilty of trespassing.

Epps told the FBI he showed his son how to use a tourniquet on Jan. 6 because he was expecting a bombing near the Capitol.

I was afraid they were going to set off an explosion on one of the side streets, Epps said, according to a recording of the interview obtained by The Epoch Times. So we tried to stay in the middle, tried to get there early, tried to stay away from the sides. And if something like that happened, I had a first-aid kit. I could help out.

A mysterious, well-dressed woman who wore a pink beret on Jan. 6 is being sought by one defense attorney to determine if she lured her client into the Capitol so he could be charged. Attorney Kira West, who represents Darrell Neely in his Jan. 6 criminal case, said she needs to identify Pink Beret in order to fully defend her client.

Mr. Neelys entry into the Capitol was directed by Pink Beret, West contended in a court filing. She had associates in the building that day and seemed to have information well beyond that of a normal citizen there to protest.

Mr. Neely needs to know who she is and why she was there, West said. He also needs to understand if he was targeted by her that day and for what purpose.

Withholding of Exculpatory Evidence

Numerous defense attorneys have complained that the Department of Justice has not provided all exculpatory evidence as required by law. Former sheriffs deputy Ronald Colton McAbee alleged in court filings that the DOJ presented bodycam video that had no audio.

When an investigator found the same video with the sound included, the file showed that McAbee was not assaulting an officer on the Lower West Terrace, he was shielding him and trying to help him to his feet, court papers say. Despite the discovery and McAbees motion to be released from pretrial detention, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled McAbee must stay in lockup.

Ronald Colton McAbee with his wife, Sarah, at a previous birthday dinner. (Photo courtesy of Sarah McAbee)

Sullivan had referred to McAbee and other Jan. 6 protesters as terrorists during a court hearing. Sullivan has since been removed from the case.

Exculpatory evidence became a major sticking point in the seditious-conspiracy trial, which ran from late September to late November 2022, of Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes III and four other individuals.

Judge Amit Mehta refused to allow defense attorneys to call a retired New York police sergeant and Oath Keepers member to describe how he and other Oath Keepers helped a U.S. Capitol Police lieutenant rescue 16 officers trapped in the foyer inside the Columbus Doors.

Michael Nichols of King Ferry, New York, approached Lt. Johnson near the east steps of the Capitol, where Johnson asked for help rescuing his colleagues. Nichols led Johnson and fellow Oath Keepers member Steve Clayton up the stairs, into the foyer, and led the group of officers down the steps to safety. The operation was captured on a viral video shot by Florida-based videographer Rico La Starza.
No Labels Political Party Qualifies for Arizona 2024 Election Ballot

The bipartisan group No Labels has qualified as a political party for the ballot in Arizona in 2024, according to Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes.

Fontes said in a statement on March 7 that following an extensive review by his office and by county elections officials across the state, the No Labels Party had surpassed the minimum requirement for signatures needed to be placed on a ballot and has therefore qualified as a new party for federal, statewide, and legislative races in the 2024 primaries and general elections in the state.

As Secretary of State, I am committed to supporting county election officials to ensure that they are prepared for this new addition to the states list of parties and any other changes to the 2024 ballot, Fontes said.

The No Labels party bills itself as an alternative to the status quo and is made up of Democrats, Republicans, and independents, describing itself as different from other parties, claiming to be intellectually open about solutions and spry and indefatigable.

We want to hear peoples ideas, particularly from those who feel iced out from the loudest and angriest voices in the Democratic and Republican parties, the group writes on its official website.

We believe that the most effective answers to the nations big challengesnational security, economic growth, energy security, crime, education, and morewill be born from bipartisanship, it continues. We may not have the institutional grounding that keeps the parties plodding alongbut were deeply connected to the growing swath of Americans who dont fit comfortably under either narrow tent.

Criticism Over Unity Ticket

The organization making it onto the ballot comes after it was criticized on March 6 by the Democrat think tank Third Way, which took aim at the No Labels plan for a unity ticket in the 2024 presidential election. Third Way says this will cost Democrats the presidency and see former President Donald Trump back in the White House.

No Labels says on its website that the unity ticket would be an insurance plan if both Democrats and Republicans choose unreasonably divisive presidential nominees.

Third Way said that No Labels is courting lawmakers in both parties as part of the plan. However, it warned in a memo that rather than producing a third-party ticket that would defy the overwhelming odds and win, No Labels is on track to field a spoiler who would re-elect Trump or a Trump-like Republican.

The memo notes that most of the states No Labels includes in its path to victory projections for the 2024 presidential election voted for Biden in 2020.

So, by their own admission, their prime targets are voters who would otherwise back the Democrat, the group said, adding that No Labels is on the ground seeking spots on the ballot in multiple states, including battlegrounds like Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, and Nevada, and claim they will compete in at least 23.

In January, No Labels made it to the ballot in Colorado.

Halperin Steps Down

In a statement to Politico, No Labels argued that its polling resolutely demonstrates that this ticket would draw voters from both sides equally.

The group added that it wouldnt put forward its own candidate but would ensure a launching pad is ready for a third-party candidate should Republicans and Democrats choose candidates that arent appealing.

No Labels was founded by political activist Nancy Jacobson and is co-chaired by Marylands Republican Gov. Larry Hogan and former Sen. Joe Lieberman, who served as a Democrat and later an independent from Connecticut.

The organization confirmed to Politico on March 7 that Mark Halperin, senior communications adviser, is leaving No Labels.

Halperin is a former political commentator for major TV networks. In 2017, multiple women came forward and accused him of sexual misconduct and harassment when he worked at ABC News.

In a statement he posted to Twitter in 2017, Halperin denied some allegations while acknowledging others. He apologized and said that his behavior was inappropriate and caused others pain.

According to Politico, Halperin had been No Labels highest-paid employee after joining the group in 2021. Its unclear why he stepped down from the role.

Mark has been a valued member of the No Labels team these last two years. As we enter a new phase, Mark will be leaving us to focus on his other projects, the group said in a statement to the publication. We will miss Mark, wish him well in whatever comes next, and appreciate the many contributions he has made to our movement.

No Labels didnt respond by press time to a request for comment.
Nord Stream Sabotage Story Another Red Herring, Russian Officials Say

Gas bubbles from the Nord Stream 2 leak are seen reaching surface of the Baltic Sea, near Bornholm, Denmark, on Sept. 27, 2022. (Danish Defence Command/Handout via Reuters)

A March 7 article in The New York Times suggesting that a shadowy pro-Ukrainian group was behind last years attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines is a red herring meant to distract the public, top Russian officials have said.

The New York Times article is another red herring aimed at diverting attention from the real culprits by blaming an obscure rebel group, said Leonid Slutsky, a leading member of Russias State Duma (Parliaments lower house).

Who would believe an operation of this scope  could be carried out by a previously unknown sabotage group? Slutsky, who leads the Dumas foreign affairs committee, said on the Telegram messaging app.

The New York Times story says that new intelligence seen by U.S. officials suggested that last years attack on the strategic gas pipelines had been carried out by a pro-Ukrainian group.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 16, 2023. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo)

The U.S. officials cited in the articleall of whom were unnamedwere also quick to assert there was no evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or any of his top aides were involved in the attack.

Nor, the unnamed officials claimed, had the perpetrators acted at the behest of any Ukrainian government officials.

The same officials, the article states, declined to disclose the nature of the intelligence, how it was obtained, or any details of the strength of the evidence it contains.

Immediately after the articles publication, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy, claimed Ukraine was absolutely not involved in the attack on the pipeline.

It does not make the slightest sense, Podolyak wrote on Twitter.

Issue of National Security

Running under the Baltic Sea, the 760-mile-long Nord Stream pipelines link Russian gas fields to energy terminals in Germany.

In September 2022, the pipelines were breached in Swedish and Danish territorial waters, leading to energy shortfalls across Western Europe.

Sweden and Denmark soon concluded the breaches were acts of sabotage. Nevertheless, joint investigations with Germany into the incident were abruptly halted, with the three governments citing concerns over national security.

Moscow, for its part, quickly deemed the pipeline breaches a terrorist act and has repeatedly called for further investigations.

At one point, Russian officials claimed to have evidence of British complicity in the attack. Moscow, however, has yet to make the alleged evidence public.

Pipes at the landfall facilities of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline are pictured in Lubmin, Germany, on March 8, 2022. (Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

For their part, the United States and NATO have also designated the attack as an intentional act of sabotage.

But in the five months following the incident, both the U.S. and European press largely downplayed the question of who stood behind the costliest act of sabotage in history.

In early February, veteran journalist Seymour Hersh published a report on the Substack newsletter platform suggesting the United States culpability in the disruption of the Nord Stream pipelines.

Citing an anonymous source, Hersh claimed the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden had planned the attack before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

To support his theory, Hersh cited Bidens assertionmade shortly before Moscows invasionthat if Russia invades  then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.

When asked about the claims made in Hershs article, a U.S. National Security Council (NSC) spokesman called them completely false.

Jumping to Conclusions

On March 8, Andrey Ledenev, minister-counselor at the Russian Embassy in Washington, said the claims made in the New York Times article were meant to obscure the identities of the real culprits.

Quoted by Russias TASS news agency, Ledenev said that they sought to shift blame from the statesmen who ordered and coordinated the attacks  to some abstract individuals.

We view anonymous leaks as nothing more than an attempt to confuse those who are sincerely trying to get to the bottom of this egregious crime, he said.

The German government, for its part, has acknowledged the articles claims while stressing that its own investigations remain ongoing.

The Federal Public Prosecutor has been investigating the matter since the beginning of October 2022, a government spokesman said. It thus has sovereignty over the procedure.

NSC spokesman John Kirby, for his part, said investigations by Germany, Sweden, and Denmark must be allowed to run their course.

We need to let these investigations conclude, he said. Only then should we be looking at what follow-on actions might or might not be appropriate.

Reports have since emerged in the German media claiming the attack on the pipelines was carried out by a six-person team on forged passports who rented a yacht in Germanys Baltic port city of Rostock.

German broadcaster ARD and the Zeit newspaper both reported that the yacht was rented by a Ukrainian company based in Poland, according to investigators who have yet to confirm the identities of those involved.

On March 8, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius addressed the reports, warning reporters against jumping to conclusions.

Pistorius had earlier claimed the attack could have been a false flag operation carried out with the aim of blaming Ukraine for the crime.

Reuters contributed to this report.
North Korea Could Soon Launch Solid-Fuel ICBM: South Korean Spy Agency

A test-fire of a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at an undisclosed location in North Korea on March 24, 2022. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korea may conduct large-scale military exercises and test its newly developed solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) as early as this month, South Koreas National Intelligence Service (NIS) told South Korean lawmakers on March 7, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The United States and South Korea have stepped up their joint drills as a defense measure.

The speculation comes as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that there were signs of activity detected at North Koreas Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site, which the regime previously had demolished in 2018 as a sign of its commitment to end nuclear testing.

The nuclear test site at Punggye-ri remains prepared to support a nuclear test, and we continue to see indications of activity near Adit 3 of the test site, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in a March 6 statement.

The reopening of the nuclear test site is deeply troubling. The conduct of a nuclear test would contravene U.N. Security Council resolutions and would be a cause for serious concern.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog has observed ongoing activity and construction work at the Yongbyon nuclear facility since November 2022. Grossi said there were indications that the reported centrifuge enrichment facility was in operation.

North Koreas Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility is shown in this DigitalGlobe satellite image in North Hamgyong Province, North Korea, on May 23, 2018. (Satellite image 2018 DigitalGlobe, a Maxar company/Handout via Reuters)

The IAEA hasnt had access to Yongbyon or other locations in North Korea since the country expelled its inspectors in 2009. It now monitors developments in North Koreas nuclear program from a distance, including through satellite imagery and open-source information.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to shut down the Yongbyon complex in exchange for sanctions relief following his denuclearization talks with then-President Donald Trump in 2019. But the talks eventually stalled.

North Korea conducted a series of missile launches last year, including one involving its largest ICBM, the Hwasong-17, all of which are banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions on North Koreas missile program.

The country adopted a new law last year allowing it to conduct a nuclear strike automatically against any hostile forces posing an imminent threat.

Kim Jong Uns Children

The NIS stated that it believes the North Korean leaders first child is a son who hasnt made a public appearance, unlike his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, whom Kim has brought to multiple public events.

The spy agency also claimed that Kim has a third child whose gender is unknown, according to Yonhap News Agency.

We do not have detailed evidence that his first child is a son. But we are convinced that the first child is certainly a son based on intelligence that has been shared with an external intelligence agency, lawmaker Yoo Sang-beom said of the NIS information.

Kim publicly took his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, to three events in the past few months: a missile launch site, a photo session with weapons scientists, and a tour of a missile facility.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter (R) walk to a photo session with those involved in the recent launch of what it says is a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile, at an unidentified location in North Korea in an undated photo provided on Nov. 27, 2022. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

State media called her Kims most beloved child, sparking outside debate over whether shes being groomed as his heir apparent, although shes believed to be about 9 or 10 years old.

In its earlier assessment after the daughters first appearance in November 2022, the NIS told lawmakers that her unveiling at the missile launch site appeared to reflect Kims intentions to protect the security of North Koreas future generations in the face of a standoff with the United States.

Mimi Nguyen Ly and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Lawmakers are reacting after Fox News host Tucker Carlson released surveillance footage from the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, on his primetime program Tucker Carlson Tonight. Carlson was given exclusive access to 41,000 hours of footage by Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy back in February.

Two of the four Americans kidnapped by armed gunmen in Mexico on Friday were found dead and two were found alive on March 7, U.S. and Mexican officials said. The survivors are now back in the United States and receiving treatment at a Texas hospital.

In his State of the State address, Gov. Ron DeSantis called Florida the number one state in the United States. He said Florida ranks number one in economic growth among large states, has the lowest per capita state tax, and ranks number one in the nation for education freedom.
One-Quarter of Canadians Do Not Feel Safe Riding Public Transit, Rising to 44 Percent for Toronto Residents: Survey

After a series of violent attacks on Torontos public transit system, a new poll by Ipsos finds 44 percent of Toronto residents do not feel safe taking a bus alone.

About one-quarter, or 27 percent, of Canadians responded that they feel unsafe taking public transit alone, according to the poll released March 6, with 19 percent reporting they feel somewhat unsafe and 8 percent saying they felt very unsafe. Of those who responded to the survey, 75 percent said they felt safe if they were accompanied by friends or family, 40 percent said they felt somewhat safe, and 33 percent said they felt very safe.

While 45 percent of those surveyed had not changed their behaviour despite recent attacks, roughly three in 10 Canadians said they feel wary riding the bus or public train and are more alert and aware of their surroundings. When it comes to Toronto residents, 49 percent said they are being more careful.

In fact, only 21 percent of Toronto residents havent changed their behavior at all when it comes to transit, underscoring the impact of recent news on their behavior, said an Ipsos news release.

There have been several violent incidents in Toronto in recent months, including stabbings, a swarming attack, and teens with BB guns shooting at passengers at a York University subway station.

Ontario residents overall are more likely to have taken extra safety precautions while using public transit, at 24 percent, which is seven points higher than the national average.

With recent news about transit safety in Toronto, residents living in Toronto proper responded to the survey indicating they are taking more action to ensure their own safety.

Residents of the 416 (44%) and the 905 (35%) are more likely than the average Canadian (27%) to say they feel unsafe taking public transit alone, said Ipsos. Residents of the 416 (25%) and 905 (18%) are more likely than the average Canadian (15%) to say they feel unsafe taking public transit even with friends or family present.

Another two in 10 people, (19 percent) surveyed say they have avoided travelling at night, and a similar proportion, 17 percent, said they were taking extra safety precautions (e.g., not turning their back to anyone or carrying pepper spray).

Among Canadians aged 18 to 34, 18 percent said they were more likely to have changed their habits and avoid travelling alone, 32 percent avoid travelling at night, and 29 percent are more likely to be taking safety precautions.

Over half of Canadians surveyed, 55 percent, responded that recent acts of violence are part of a wider trend in Canada, and are not just isolated incidents.

The poll took place between Feb. 15 and 17 on behalf of Global News, and included 1,350 Canadians over 18. Of those surveyed, 500 individuals resided in the greater Toronto area.
Online Streaming Act Back in House, Minister Intends to Reject Some Senate Amendments

Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez rises during question period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on May 31, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang)

The Liberal governments controversial Online Streaming Act is back in the House of Commons, where MPs are set to debate the Senates amendments.

Also known as Bill C-11, it would require big tech companies that offer online streaming services, such as YouTube, Netflix and Spotify, to contribute to Canadian content.

If passed, the bill will update broadcasting rules to include online streaming and require those companies make Canadian content accessible to users in Canadaor face steep penalties.

Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said his intent is to reject several Senate amendments that dont align with the spirit of the bill, including one that is aimed at protecting creators who upload videos on YouTube.

He said that proposed amendment would allow big tech companies a loophole to avoid paying into the media fund.

We recognize (the Senates) exhaustive work, and we will be accepting a large majority of the amendments they adopted, Rodriguez said Wednesday.

As promised, we are accepting amendments that ensure tech giants pay their fair share toward our culture, and we are declining the amendments that create loopholes. Thats what Canadian artists and creators have asked us to do.

YouTube, which pushed for the change, said it would have protected the livelihoods of digital creators.

It is inexplicable and deeply unsettling for tens of thousands of Canadian creators that the Senates efforts to add common sense clarity to this legislation could be rejected, said Jeanette Patell, head of Canada government affairs and public policy for YouTube, in a statement.

We hope that MPs listen to creator concerns, and we remain committed to advocating for our creators and users in Canada at every step in this process.

Digital First Canada, a group that advocates for millions of Canadian online content creators, also expressed dismay in Rodriguezs decision, saying its a slap in the face to creators who took part in the legislative process and to senators who recognized these creators as the future of Canadas digital economy.

Its shocking that the Senates sober second thought was dismissed, and that the government continues to act as though digital creators are not legitimate artists and entrepreneurs, said Scott Benzie, director of Digital First Canada, in a statement.

But the voices of creators and their communities will not be ignored. We arent going anywhereand this government and legacy media are just going to have to get used to it.

The bill is awaiting a final vote in the House of Commons, but government House leader Mark Holland suspects it will pass with the Senates support despite the rejected amendments.

Its also anticipated the Liberals will strike down a proposal that would have required companies to verify users ages before they access sexually-explicit material online.

Were dedicated to passing this legislation so I think youll see very broad support from the elected House on this legislation, Holland said Wednesday.

We will have a fulsome response to the Senates amendments and Im very confident that the Senate will accept our verdict.

Senate amendments the government plans to accept include the promotion of Indigenous languages and Black content creators, and ensuring that funds collected from tech giants go toward promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.

Rodriguez also agrees with Sen. Paula Simons, who passed an amendment to remove a clause in the bill that she described as giving extraordinary new powers to the government to make political decisions about things.

The Senate introduced that change after Ian Scott, the former chair of Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, told a committee that some provisions in the bill did move the balance point slightly closer to lessening the independence of the regulatorthough he insisted that it would remain independent.

If passed, the CRTC will be tasked with enforcing the bills provisions.
Optus CEO Says No Customers Were Harmed in Data Hack

An Optus service message is displayed on a phone outside an Optus store in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 5, 2022. (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

No Optus customer suffered financial harm as a result of the hack on the telecommunications provider, CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin says.

While Optus initially flagged 9.8 million customers could be potentially impacted in the September data breach, the details of 10,200 customers were actually exposed publicly, Bayer Rosmarin told the Australian Financial Review Business Summit in Sydney on Wednesday.

And more importantly, not a single customer has suffered any financial loss or fallen victim to a crime through misuse of this data, she said.

Most of the customer details in the 20 terabytes of stolen data werent particularly sensitiveof the type that people regularly publish on their Facebook pagesbut did include drivers licence numbers that could be combined with other data for use in phishing attacks, she said.

The most likely scenario was the hacker wanted to use the data for SIM card swaps or phishing attacks, which we shut down by going public so quickly and putting the whole nation on alert, Bayer Rosmarin said.

The data breach was the first of a wave of hacks last September and October that hit major Australian corporations, including Medibank Private, EnergyAustralia and Woolworths.

Bayer Rosmarin said Optus had done serious soul searching in the wake of the data breach and was truly sorry about it.

She said it might be reassuring for others to think Optus was an easy target or had under-invested in security, but that wasnt what happened.

We can confirm that this attack was premeditated and that it was undertaken by motivated, skilled cybercriminals who crafted the attack just for Optus, Bayer Rosmarin said.

She said she could not elaborate because the hack was under active criminal investigation.

The hacker posted the details of the 10,200 Optus customers on the dark web when the company declined to pay a $1 million ransom.

Everybody has a policy of not paying a ransom and as we know, a lot of companies do, she said.

Practising, rehearsing, whatever you want to do is not the same as being in the moment when youre trying to do the right thing.

So I think it is very absolutist to say never (pay a ransom).

Ms Bayer Rosmarin said in this case, Optus didnt pay one.

The CEO also faulted press coverage of the hack, saying it became very clear to her the media wasnt always focused on providing accurate, good reporting that was actually helping the public make sense of and responding to this incident.

Some reports focused instead on where I happened to be on a particular day or the name of my dog, she said.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- China's major legacy automaker FAW Group saw its self-developed second-generation Hongqi L4 Robotaxi successfully obtained the autonomous driving licenses based on mass-produced sensors issued by Beijing's authority.



Photo credit: Hongqi

With the license, FAW Groups Hongqi L4 Robotaxi simultaneously launched autonomous driving road test in Beijing.

Beijing, as the first region in the country to conduct autonomous driving road tests, released policies supporting the testing of autonomous driving vehicles and accompanying technical evaluation standards. The set of standards is the first in the world to use the complexity of traffic scenarios to divide the SAE's L3 and above autonomous driving capability levels, and it has been selected as one of the one hundred group standard application demonstration projects by Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which means that the Beijing-set standards will be promoted and applied nationwide.

The second-generation Hongqi L4 Robotaxi, which was entirely self-developed by FAW (Nanjing) Technology Development Co. Ltd., is a brand-new generation of autonomous driving vehicles built on mass-produced sensors.

Up to now, Hongqi has launched autonomous driving road tests in three cities, including Beijing, Nanjing of Jiangsu Province, and Changchun of Jilin Province, covering typical urban roads such as elevated roads, commercial areas, residential areas, and construction sections. The road tests have been conducted under complex road conditions and rich scenarios, with a total test distance exceeding 150,000 kilometers and over 200 intelligent driving patents obtained.
Oscars Petitioned to Drop John Wick Star Donnie Yen Over CCP Ties

Actor Donnie Yen Ji-dan, attending the March 4, 2023 opening of the first session of the Chinese Communist Partys annual political gathering known as the Two Sessions that will convene leaders and lawmakers to set the regimes agenda for the year. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Activists are calling on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to revoke the invitation of Hong Kong actor Donnie Yen to be a presenter at this months 2023 Academy Awards ceremony because of his ties to the Chinese communist regime and his stance against the Hong Kong democracy movement.

A Change.org petition for Yens removal from the Oscars presenter list amassed tens of thousands of signatures within days.

The petition states that Yen is a supporter of the Chinese Communist regime and has made several remarks in support of the Chinese governments policies, including supporting the implementation of the National Security Law in Hong Kong and accusing Hong Kong protesters of being rioters. Tang Weixiong, a Hong Kong resident who has immigrated to Taiwan, started the petition.

These remarks not only violate the spirit of freedom of speech but also deny the rights of the people of Hong Kong to fight for their freedom and democracy, the petition reads.

As of March 8, the number of signatures exceeded 75,000.

A petition on change.org calls for the removal of Hong Kong actor Donnie Yen as a presenter for the Oscars ceremony. (Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Charles Lam, a spokesperson of the Hong Kong Forum in Los Angeles, said the Oscars should invite other stars instead of Yen.

There are many famous Asian American actors, and there is no need to have Donnie Yen. It is better to find Asian American actors, which gives them more spotlight in the United States.

Wang Dan, a former student leader of the 1989 democracy movement at Tiananmen Square, joined the mounting opposition over Yens Oscars invitation, RFA reported.

Donnie Yens remarks  represent a challenge to mainstream civilization and universal values, Wang said.

He  may be able to make a fortune in an autocratic country like China, but it would be extremely inappropriate for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to have him present an award, he said.

GQ Hype Interview

Yen has repeatedly expressed support for the CCPs violent suppression of the Hong Kong human rights movements, including supporting the implementation of the regimes National Security Law in Hong Kong and accusing Hong Kong protesters of being rioters. Such remarks have drawn wide criticism.

In an interview with British magazine GQ Hype on Feb. 28, he said the anti-extradition law movement in Hong Kong in 2019 wasnt a protest but a riot.

From June 2019 until early 2020, millions of people in Hong Kong protested in the streets against Beijings introduction of the proposed anti-extradition law, which violated Hong Kongs judicial independence and Hong Kong citizens human rights.

Hong Kong police were criticized for responding to the protestors with disproportionate and unjustified force, such as using tear gas, pepper spray, water cannons, and rubber bullets and using truncheons to severely beat people.

Since then, many Hong Kong lawmakers, politicians, media professionals, and students who joined or support the protests have either been jailed by the regime or had to flee Hong Kong.

Member of Communist Committee

Yen is a new member of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) National Committee representing Hong Kong, which saw him attending the CCPs Two Sessions political meeting that started on March 4.

Actor Donnie Yen Ji-dan, (C) attends the opening of the first session of the 14th Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at The Great Hall of People in Beijing on March 4, 2023. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

During the Two Sessions meeting, Yen told the state-run Hong Kong China News Agency that he suggested that CCP use more and better policies to attract investment for action movies and use Chinese action movies to tell Chinese stories well.

Telling Chinese stories well is the communist regimes slogan for its foreign propaganda strategy.

The 95th Academy Awards ceremony will be held on March 12.

The Hollywood action film John Wick: Chapter 4, starring Keanu Reeves and Yen, will be released at the end of March. Yen plays a blind assassin in the movie.

Born in 1963 in Guangzhou, China, Yen moved to Hong Kong with his family when he was 2 years old and immigrated to the United States when he was 12.

Claiming to have renounced his U.S. citizenship, Yen said in the GQ Hype interview that Western media, such as BBC and CNN, focus only on negative news about China. The development of China and the real China are never reported by the Western media, he said.

Netizens commented that Yen grew up in the West, and now he only stays in China for a few days per year, so the China he sees may be different from ordinary Chinese people.

Xu Manyuan contributed to this report.
Plane Refuellers Strike Threatens to Disrupt Flights

A line of Qantas aircraft sits at Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 31, 2021. (James D. Morgan/Getty Images)

A 24-hour strike by workers who refuel Qantas and other international airline planes at Melbourne Airport is threatening to disrupt flights.

The industrial action from 4 a.m. on Wednesday to 4 a.m. on Thursday is a push for better pay and conditions for the workers employed by the Rivet Group, The Transport Workers Union said.

The company should respond to workers reasonable requests for recognition and sustainable pay and conditions to avoid disruptions to flights out of Melbourne, the unions Victorian assistant branch secretary Mem Suleyman said.

For a year, Rivet refuellers have tried to reach a fair agreement but have instead been faced with base wage freezes which impact their pay now and long into the future, Suleyman said.

In the current cost-of-living crisis, it is unacceptable to expect workers to pick up extra responsibilities and work harder, faster and longer to make ends meet.

The workers were in one of the most dangerous jobs in the airport, yet they were being pushed to the limits while pay and conditions failed to attract more people to share the load, Suleyman said.

Industrial action was the only option left to bring the company to a fair and sustainable agreement, he said.

Rivet Aviation was extremely disappointed it could not reach a conclusion to discussions, and it understood that would have a detrimental impact on travellers, it said in a statement.

However, it could not agree to claims put forward by the union and continue to operate viably, it said.

Our business has battled through COVID and struggles to be profitable today, let alone implementing the immediate 12 per cent increase in wages being demanded, Rivet said in the statement.

We are one of the highest paying companies in this space in terms of salaries, and like most companies, we are beholden to existing contracts with our customers who are large multi-national businesses.

The unions decision to strike would only ultimately see the business fail and put employees out of a job, the company said.

Rivet services major freight and passenger airlines, including Qantas, DHL, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Fiji Airways and Qatar Airways.

Qantas has a contract with ExxonMobil to provide fuel for flights out of Melbourne. The oil and gas company then subcontracts Rivet to refuel aircraft.

Qantas was not expecting any material impact to its flights on Wednesday after its operations team put in workarounds, a spokeswoman said.

The workarounds included flying a spare A380 from Sydney to Melbourne with the maximum amount of fuel it could carry and using it to fill up other aircraft.

The airline was also carrying extra fuel on flights into Melbourne to minimise the refuelling that needed to happen and make the most of the remaining refuelling capacity, including tapping into other providers.

We have also worked closely with Melbourne Airport and other industry partners to minimise any impact on customers, the spokeswoman said.

Customers are advised to proceed to the airport as they normally would.

A Melbourne Airport spokesperson said the airport would work with airlines to ensure minimal disruption to travellers.
Plastic Entering Oceans Could Nearly Triple By 2040 If Left Unchecked

Bottles and cans are part of the plastic waste that is polluting the oceans. (MonicaVolpin/Pixabay)

Plastics entering the worlds oceans may nearly triple by 2040 if the situation is left unchecked, according to a recent study.

The amount of seaborne plastic waste has surged dramatically since 2005, to an estimated 171 trillion plastic particles by 2019, according to research published on March 8 by the 5 Gyres Institute, a U.S.-based non-profit working to reduce plastic pollution.

The organization claims to have covered more than 50,000 nautical miles on 19 research expeditions over 10 years, combing the oceans for plastic and discovering 5.25 trillion particles of plastic smog, equaling 270,000 metric tons.

Experts say that over 300 million tonnes of plastic products are produced worldwide annually, while the amount of waste generated from the plastics gradually accumulates every year.

Although scientists have so far only discovered a few hundred thousand tonnes on the oceans surface, the study reported that the total amount of marine plastic pollution has been underestimated.

Experts estimate that around 3 percent of the plastic waste generated, or 8 million tonnes, enters the ocean every year, primarily via rivers, wastewater systems, fishing activities, and landfills.

Marine Plastic Waste NGO Sounds The Alarm

Pollution caused by marine-borne plastics is predicted to grow 260 percent in 17 years if legally enforceable global agreements are not introduced, according to 5 Gyres.

The researchers said they reviewed surface-level plastic pollution data from 1979 to 2019, which covered 11,777 ocean stations in six major marine regions.

Weve found an alarming trend of exponential growth in microplastics in the global ocean since the millennium, said Marcus Eriksen, co-founder of the 5 Gyres Group.

Waterborne plastics often fragment into smaller pieces called microplastics through photo-degradation, mechanical degradation, and thermal degradation.

Microplastics are considered to be a major threat to the worlds oceans, as they often damage the internal organs of marine animals once they get into the water, as the victims often mistake the plastic for food.

Filter feeders like baleen whales are more prone to ingest microplastics, as they swim continuously with their mouths wide open. Porpoises might ingest them too. We just dont know yet; because microplastics are so tiny, they are hard to detect. There is still a lot to discover about the toxicity and the health risks they might cause, said Lonneke IJsseldijk a biologist at Utrecht University.

Environmental Groups Call for UN Treaty to Restrict Plastics

Greenpeace said that a strong global treaty is needed or plastic production could double within the next 10 to 15 years, and triple by 2050.

We need a strong legally binding U.N. global treaty on plastic pollution that stops the problem at the source, said Eriksen.

The United Nations has been working on an agreement to tackle plastic pollution since November, in order to formulate a legally binding treaty to handle the marine pollution crisis by the end of 2024.

Meanwhile, members of the United Nations separately agreed to a deal for an international treaty on March 4, to help protect biodiversity throughout the seas.

The brokered ocean accord, also known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement, would classify 30 percent of the worlds oceans as protected areas.

That would require regular environmental impact assessments to help protect and restore the oceans biodiversity.

The new agreement gives a fundamental commitment to make sure that the global good can come together to manage the ocean area responsibly, Alan Evans, a technical advisor to the UK delegation, told Bloomberg.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Prime Minister Announces Fast Track Review Amid Claims of Extreme Sexualised Lessons

A teacher and her students in a class in England on Sept. 12, 2018. (Ben Birchall/PA)

The British government is to review how relationships and sex education are being taught in schools, following concerns from MPs that children are being exposed to extreme, sexualising content.

On Wednesday during Prime Ministers Questions, Rishi Sunak said he asked the Department for Education (DfE) to ensure that schools are not teaching inappropriate or contested content in Relationships, Sex, and Health Education (RSHE).

Our priority should always be the safety and wellbeing of children and schools should also make curriculum content and materials available to parents, he said.

As a result of all of this, we are bringing forward a review of RSHE statutory guidance and we will start our consultation as soon as possible, he added.

Graphic Lessons

Conservative MP Miriam Cates raised the issue and said that pupils were being subjected to relationships and sex education classes that are age inappropriate, extreme, sexualising, and inaccurate.

Cates called on Sunak to commission an independent inquiry to end inappropriate sex education.

Graphic lessons on oral sex, how to choke your partner safely, and 72 genders. This is what passes for relationships and sex education in British schools, she said.

Across the country, children are being subjected to lessons that are age inappropriate, extreme, sexualising and inaccurate, often using resources from unregulated organisations that are actively campaigning to undermine parents, she added.

This is not a victory for equality, it is a catastrophe for childhood, said Cates.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: We believe children should be supported to make informed decisions and those need to be factually based and age appropriate.

So the PM has asked for the Department of Education to look at some of the issues raised by the MPs in the letter to him to make sure all schools are compliant with existing guidance.

He stressed clear guidance already exists on external speakers and resources and thats something that we want the review to look at.

The DfE will also conduct a consultation later this year, he said.

Sex Education Providers

Cates, a former biology teacher, has for the past year been bringing up the issue that children as young as six are being introduced to indoctrinating, graphic, and extreme sexual material from sex education providers.

Last year, she named some of the providers. One said that sex is defined as, anything that makes you horny or aroused. Another tells children they fall into one of two groups menstruators or non-menstruators.

Another company had materials that involved the discussion of violent sexual acts.

Reacting to the review, James Bowen, director of policy for the school leaders union NAHT, said: It is hard to be anything other than deeply concerned by this announcement.

The overwhelming majority of schools are doing nothing more than following the Governments own statutory guidance when it comes to relationships and sex education.

It is worth remembering that the current curriculum was subject to extensive consultation before it was introduced.

We have seen no evidence to suggest there is a widespread problem with pupils being presented with age-inappropriate materials and if this were the situation, we would expect it to have been picked up on a case-by-case basis.

There is a real concern that this is a politically motivated review, rather than one based on the reality of what is happening in the vast majority of schools up and down the country.

Our appeal to Government is to ensure this review is now handled with the care, sensitivity, and impartiality it requires and to listen carefully to the most important voicesthose of education professionals and pupils.

Wales

In December, Welsh parent campaigners Public Child Protection Wales (PCPW) lost a judicial review to overturn Waless Labour-led administrations compulsory RSE lessons for pupils aged 316 years.

The Welsh government says that RSE is designed to safeguard all our children and young people, supporting them to develop knowledge, skills, and behaviours that will assist in protecting them throughout their lives and enhance their well-being, and that it is age and developmentally appropriate.

RSE has entirely removed the word sex from its curriculum along with the terms male, female, boys, and girls.

Children will also learn about relationships, rights, equity, sex, gender, sexuality, bodies, body image, sexual health, well-being as well as violence, safety, and support.

PCPW called RSE indoctrination and was concerned that the judgment did not take into account that the Welsh government sought RSE guidance from an academic inspired by feminist, queer, and new materialist posthumanist theory.

At the time, the ruling was welcomed by teaching unions and the NSPCC. Welsh education minister Jeremy Miles also welcomed the ruling and said RSE was intended to keep children safe and to promote respect and healthy relationships.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Police Issue Arrest Warrant for Newly Identified Suspect in Unsolved Kidnapping of Ontario Woman

Elnaz Hajtamari was abducted over a year ago by men pretending to be police officers

An Ontario Provincial Police cruiser sits outside of a press conference in Vaughan, Ont., on June 20, 2019. (The Canadian Press/Andrew Lahodynskyj)

An arrest warrant has been issued for an individual believed to be involved in the kidnapping of Toronto woman Elnaz Hajtamiri, who has been missing for over a year.

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said in a March 8 release that Deshawn Davis, 35, of Toronto, has been identified as a suspect in the abduction of Hajtamiri. Police say tips from the public helped to identify the man.

Ontario Provincial Police issued a warrant on March 8, 2023, for the arrest of Deshawn Davis, a suspect in the kidnapping of an Ontario woman in January 2022. (Photo Courtesy Ontario Provincial Police Handout)

Last month, on Feb. 16, OPP released photos of three suspects and a person of interest in connection with the crime. On March 8, the police announced they had issued a warrant for Daviss arrest.

Police are still looking to identify one, or potentially two individuals of interest who rented vehicles in December 2021. They are not suspects in the kidnapping, but police say they would like to speak with them as they may have information related to this case.

Elnaz Hajtamiri, 37, who also uses the last name Tamiri, has been missing since approximately 8:32 p.m. on Jan. 12, 2022, when police say the woman was forcibly dragged from a relatives home on Trailwood Place in Wasaga Beach, Ont., by three men posing as police officers.

The suspects were dressed in police gear, according to the OPP, but not legitimate uniforms. They drove away in what police believe to be a white Lexus RX sport utility vehicle.

Hajtamiri had been hiding with family members after she was repeatedly beaten with a frying pan in an underground parkade in a previous attack on December 2021, just a few weeks before her abduction. The woman reportedly suffered a head injury that required 40 stitches.

Hajtamiris sister, Aysa Hajtamiri, who lives in Melbourne, Australia, told CTV News Hajtamiri was hiding because her ex-boyfriend had allegedly begun making threats toward her.

Her former boyfriend, 35-year-old Mohamad Lilo, was charged with abduction in relation to the womans January 2022 disappearance, as well as attempted murder and attempted abduction charges stemming from the December 2021 assault.

Two other men were also charged in relation to the December parkade incident.

Ontario Provincial Police officers ask for the publics help on March 8, 2023, to identify individuals of interest who rented vehicles in December 2021, in the hopes it can lead to information relating to the abduction of Elnaz Hajtamiri. (Ontario Provincial Police Handout)

A $100,000 reward remains available to anyone with information that will lead to Hajtamiris whereabouts.

According to the OPP, Hajtamiri emigrated from Iran to Canada less than five years ago. She is 53 tall, and slim, with short black hair that was cut from a longer length before she went missing.
Pupils More Likely to Miss School on Fridays as Parents Work From Home, MPs Told

Year 8 students wear masks as they take part in an English class at Park Lane Academy in Halifax, northwest England, on Jan. 4, 2022. (Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)

More pupils have been missing school on Fridays since the COVID-19 pandemic because parents tend to work from home on those days, a parliamentary committee was told.

An analysis of attendance data from before and after the pandemic suggests some pupils are now not going in to school on Fridays, a trend which did not exist before the pandemic, said Dame Rachel de Souza, the childrens commissioner for England.

She told the Education Select Committee of the House of Commons on Tuesday: Were seeing a huge amount of Friday absence that wasnt there before. Parents are at home on Fridays. Weve had evidence from kids, Well, you know mum and dad are at home, stay at home.

De Souza said educators are seeing slightly different attitudes from parents following the COVID-19 lockdowns.

She called for more effort to boost attendance, saying it is everyones business.

All of us, particularly ministers, leaders of education, leaders of local authorities, MPs, are saying how important that contract between parents and schools is and how important school is for children.

Its not just about getting a great education. Its also safeguarding, good mental health, all the activities, the wider things we want. We need our children back to school and I just cant urge everyone enough to be singing that from the rooftops. Its a question of messaging.

Persistent Absence

The commissioner told MPs that levels of persistent absencewhere children miss 10 percent or more of school timeremain high following COVID-19.

She cited figures which estimate that 818,000 of the 1.6 million children who were persistently absent across the autumn and spring terms in 2021 and 2022 were off school for reasons other than illness.

De Souza said she is seriously worried about the number of children who are persistently absent, adding that it has become one of the issues of our age.

She told MPs that discussions with families have exposed a number of reasons why the pandemic is still having a negative impact on attendance.

One is, because of online learning in COVID-19, theres a little bit of Well, why cant we just have online learning and thats fine. So that attitude has come through a bit, she said.

She said the main reasons why children are off school is because their special educational needs are not being met, as well as anxiety and mental health issues.

But she added there is also a group of pupils who have just not come back since the pandemic.

Children in a school in the United Kingdom on Sept. 12, 2018. (PA)

Disengagement with Education

Alice Wilcock, head of education at the Centre for Social Justice think tank, told MPs that she is witnessing a great shift towards disengagement with education.

Local authorities said to us that the pandemic taught parents that sometimes school is important and sometimes its not, and that is really ingrained in our attendance patterns.

Wilcock also said problems with social media use have worsened during the lockdowns, which many parents are unprepared for.

She said: Especially post-lockdown, I think parents are facing social media that theyre not familiar with, that they dont necessarily know about the online world.

Bullying used to be in the classroom and quite visible. Now its online and parents dont feel equipped to tackle that. And also parents dont feel equipped to tackle the gaming addictions that started during the pandemic.

Social Contract Broken

This is not the first time educators have warned about low school attendance following the COVID-19 lockdowns.

Amanda Spielman, chief inspector of UK education watchdog Ofsted, said in December that pupil attendance was running persistently lower than before the pandemic, which had become a deep and concerning problem.

She said: For many years, I think theres been a very clear social contract. On the one side, the clear expectation is that parents should get their children to school every day, unless the child is too ill to go to school. And in return schools will do everything they can to give the child a good education and to prepare them really well for their futures, for their adult life.

The pandemic disruption, and the expectation that children should be kept at home, broke that. So for significant periods children were educated as best they could be remotely. And that broke down that structure, that routine of getting children up and to school every day.

She said the schools inspectorate has seen attendance running persistently somewhat lower than pre-pandemic, over and above anything that could be attributed to illness.

Spielman warned that some families appear to have lost sight of the expectation that children should be sent out every morning to be educated in person.

She added: For a minority of families, that expectation of consistent attendance has broken down. Schools are working really hard to reestablish that. I know that immense amounts of work are going into helping families and children.

PA Media contributed to this report.
GOP Lawmakers Ask Marine Corps to Address Recruitment Shortage Produced by Vaccine Mandate

Letter asks recruiters to reach out to expelled Marines

Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), along with House Veterans Affairs Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.) and Reps. Max Miller (R-Ohio) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), sent a letter to the Marine Corps Wednesday to address the service recruiting shortage produced in part by vaccine mandates.

We write to express our concerns over the unprecedented recruiting challenges your service and the entire Department of Defense is experiencing, the House Republicans wrote in the letter addressed to Commandant of the Marine Corps General David H. Berger. Adding to this problem, the U.S. Marine Corps dismissed many of its dedicated Marines because of their desire to not receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

In August 2021, The Department of Defense issued an order directing secretaries of military departments to fully vaccinate all members of the Armed Forces on active duty. By December 2022, the Marine Corps had expelled 3,717 Marines, the most of any military service, due to their refusal to accept the vaccine. As a result, the agency was forced to change its recruiting goal for fiscal year 2022.

I represent over 52,000 Marines and their families who sacrifice so much by their dedicated service to our beloved country, Murphy said in a press release. It is an utter shame that many of these selfless individuals have been stripped of their livelihoods simply because they made a conscious medical decision.

In January 2023, The Department of Defense rescinded the memorandum mandating members of the Armed Forces be vaccinated against COVID-19.

In the letter, the GOP members specifically request that recruiters reach out to expelled Marines and investigate who could fill the vacant positions, as many of them held positions in which their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) expertise is in critical need.

Congress ended the Department of Defense COVID-19 vaccine mandate when we passed the National Defense Authorization Act last year, Bost said. As the Marine Corps faces a recruitment crisis, it only makes sense to reinstate those who were discharged simply because of an outdated mandate. Theyve proven they are ready, willing, and able to serve our nation.

Miller, who served six years in the Marine Corps Reserves, said there are trained Marines who could fill critical jobs but were discharged for refusing the vaccine.

That is wrong, Miller said. The United States would be well-served by bringing these soldiers back into active duty.

Murphy represents over 52,000 Marines in North Carolinas 3rd District, according to the press release.

Our military cannot function as the strongest force in the world with such baseless and unscientific policies, said Murphy. Thats why I led this letter to the Marine Commandant to restore our service members livelihoods and ensure our militarys premier standing.

The United States Marine Corps did not respond to a request for comment.
Rep. Gooden Introduces Bill to Re-establish Trump-Era Program Targeting Chinese Espionage

Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) is pictured at the Protect Children's Innocence press event outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Sept. 20, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) introduced a bill on March 7 to re-establish the China Initiativea Trump-era program that aimed at countering economic espionage, intellectual property theft, and other threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The legislation (pdf)called the Protect Americas Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Actis intended to reinstate the China Initiative program, which was terminated by the Biden administrations Department of Justice (DOJ) in February 2022.

President Biden has once again put far-left activists ahead of our national security by canceling a DOJ program designed to prevent spying by the CCP on U.S. intellectual property and academic institutions, Gooden told The Epoch Times on Tuesday.

This soft-on-China approach is emboldening the CCP, and Congress can no longer stand by while President Biden behaves like a puppet of Beijing.

As envisioned by Goodens bill, the program would be reinstated under a new name, the CCP Initiative, and would be focused on identifying and prosecuting those engaged in trade secret theft, hacking, and economic espionage. It is also aimed at protecting the critical infrastructure in the United States against external threats through foreign direct investment and supply chain compromises.

The China Initiative program was launched during the administration of former President Donald Trump. In 2018, then-attorney general Jeff Sessions announced the initiative to combat the deliberate, systematic, and calculated threats posed, in particular, by the communist regime in China, which is notorious around the world for intellectual property theft.

Almost 80 percent of all economic espionage charges brought forward by U.S. federal prosecutors involve allegations of theft that benefit China, according to the DOJ. In 2021, Bidens first year in office, the DOJ filed charges on 15 China-related espionage cases under the initiative, including those involving Chinese intelligence officers, businesspeople, and researchers.

Last February, FBI director Christopher Wray said the bureau opened a new counterintelligence case against the Chinese regime every 12 hours, and was conducting more than 2,000 investigations into the regimes attempted theft of information and technology. There is just no country that presents a broader threat to our ideas, our innovation, and our economic security than China, Wray said at the time.

However, there have also been growing concerns from the civil rights community that the program was encouraging a narrative of intolerance and bias, Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen said last February. Olsen said the academic and scientific community had raised concerns over the departments prosecution of certain fraud cases involving research grants, alleging that the prosecutions could ultimately lead to a chilling atmosphere for scientists and scholars and threaten academic research and economic development in the United States long term.

The DOJ replaced the initiative with a new but broader strategy to tackle threats from a range of hostile nation-states, though the department will continue to prioritize threats from the CCP, Olsen said.

Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) speaks during a press conference at the US Capitol in Washington on March 25, 2020. (Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images)

Its not the first time that U.S. lawmakers rolled out measures to re-establish the China Initiative program. The most recent effort was made by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who last month announced five national security focused bills to hold Communist China accountable and better protect American families.

The package includes a bill (pdf) that would codify the China Initiative and reinstate its effort to prevent spying by the Chinese Communist Party on U.S. intellectual property and U.S. academic institutions. Senators Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) sponsored the legislation.

Mimi Nguyen Ly contributed to this report.
San Juan Capistrano Community Celebrates Librarys Reopening

A man walks through the San Juan Capistrano Library in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., on March 7, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif.Within the late morning shadows of the Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano, dozens of locals waited behind an orange-colored ribbon to celebrate the reopening of the San Juan Capistrano Public Library March 7 after being closed for nearly two years for updates and repairs.

Providing beautiful functional space is part of our mission to help our communities succeed, learn and explore, Orange County Head Librarian Julie Quillman told the crowd. We are so excited to share this remodeled library and our services with the San Juan Capistrano community.

Built and designed in 1983 by famed architect Michael Graves with a simplified art-deco exterior, locals can now take advantage of the $2 million in updates including increased access to laptop rentals, dedicated sections to Spanish language materials, and new community spaces for programming and book clubs.

We are excited to be back here. They have done a wonderful job with the library, local Lisa Weinhoff told The Epoch Times. It definitely has brighter [lighting] inside, and I enjoyed seeing the spacing for groups to meet in.

Orange County Supervisor Katina Foley (3rd L) prepares to cut the ceremonial ribbon for the reopening of the San Juan Capistrano Library in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., on March 7, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Like many library users over the past two years, Weinhoff and her husband have been traveling to the neighboring cities of Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, and even San Clemente to check out books.

My husband is an avid reader and reads up to four books a week, Weinhoff said. Its great to have our local library back.

Its reopening comes at a critical time for Orange County students whose literacy levels have dropped in recent years.

If you can read, you can do anything in this life, Orange County Supervisor Katina Foley told attendees before cutting the ribbon at the reopening ceremony.

Foley excitedly detailed whats now in store for the library including story times, reading programs, enrichment programs, book collections in multiple languages, and even computer databases for personal, academic, or professional exploration.

This library has everything, she said.

After cutting the ribbon, the crowdfrom stumbling toddlers to senior citizenspoured inside, filling its book-filled aisles.

This is a great opportunity to enhance our community and improve the literacy of our community, Foley said.
Scientists Discover How to Make Electricity out of Thin Air

Australian researchers have worked out how to make electricity out of thin air with the help of an enzyme that could leave batteries for dead.

The hero at the centre of the Monash University discovery is a hydrogen-munching enzyme from a common bacterium found in soil.

And it brings the holy grail of battery-free, air-powered personal devices a big step closer to reality.

The discovery began years ago with the work of Prof. Chris Greening, who worked out that some bacteria living in nutrient-poor environments use the small amounts of hydrogen in the atmosphere as an energy source.

But we didnt know how they did this until now, Greening said.

The how is an enzyme called Huc, which the researchers went looking for on the back of Greenings work.

The enzyme, from a soil bacterium called Mycobacterium smegmatis, was then isolated and extracted, and tests have since shown. Huc turns hydrogen gas into a current that can power a small electrical circuit.

The next step will be working out how to harness the natural battery to power devices.

Rhys Grinter, PhD, who leads the research team, says an obvious place to start is devices that need a sustained supply of low-voltage power.

For stuff that runs passively on air wed imagine its going to be devices like medical sensors, wearable exercise monitors or a clock  or perhaps a small computer circuit, he said.

There could also be industrial applications, such as powering implanted medical devices and remote sensing equipment.

Grinter doubts the enzyme will ever be a viable way to produce large amounts of electricity.

If youre talking about something like a power planttown or city scaleI think the amount of enzyme we could make would be too small, and there are other solutions that are more economically viable.

But its applications could still be vast with more research and development.

One of the biggest potential benefits is a move away from batteries that eat up precious resources, including rare earth elements.

Lab work by PhD student Ashleigh Kropp has also shown Huc has what it takes to endure tough conditions.

Its possible to freeze the enzyme or heat it to 80C, and it retains its power to generate energy  reflecting how it helps bacteria survive in the most extreme environments, she said.

The bacteria that produce enzymes, such as Huc, are common and can be grown in large quantities, meaning ready access to a sustainable source of the enzyme.

And moneynot timewill probably be the determining factor in how quickly the technology might appear in the market.

It comes down to the amount of resources we can get to do this research, Grinter said.

Theres been some federal government investment so far, but rapid development will mean finding a keen investor.

Once weve done a bit more work, thats definitely where we are looking  for an investor, or company, interested in the technology, Dr Grinter said.

If we could secure that, Id say within a decade, we could probably have something.

Grinter likes to imagine the likes of Apple could see the technologys applications for its wearable products.

Thats something I like to think about, he said.
SUITLAND, Md.Harts Desires erotic boutique will be making an appearance on reality program Love & Marriage: DC this Saturday, March 11.

To celebrate, a live watch party will take place from 7:00 p.m. until 10 p.m. (ET) at the Harts Desires Suitland, Maryland retail store. The viewing is open to locals in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia areas. Light refreshments will be served.

Owned by husband-wife team Mike and Shani Hart, the Suitland location is one of two Harts Desires brick-and-mortar boutiques, which the two describe as the place where grown-ups come to play.

Love & Marriage: DC follows three couples through their business and personal lives in D.C., Virginia and Maryland. In the episode, the Harts are seen assisting one of the couples as they peruse the upscale selection of premium sensual toys, lingerie and kink gear in the boutique.

Certified sex educator and store co-owner Shani Hart commented, We are so thrilled to make our appearance on Love & Marriage: DC! Our business is all about delivering a personal experience for our customers. It was a pleasure to provide product education while helping them select the ideal products for their experience level and personal needs. There may even be a couple of well-known brands that they purchase ... the industry should tune in this Saturday to find out!

Join the live watch party on Saturday at 3613 Saint Barnabas Road, Suitland-Silver Hill, Maryland, 20746. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP in advance on Eventbrite here.

Home viewers can watch Love & Marriage: DC on The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. (EST).

Preview a clip from the episode here.

To learn more about Harts Desires, visit hartsdesires.com.

Follow Harts Desires on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube for regular updates.

For any additional inquiries, contact [email protected].
Sen. Feinstein Recovering at Home After Hospital Treatment

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) leaves the Senate Democrats weekly policy lunch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on July 20, 2021. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

WASHINGTONSen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the oldest member of Congress, has been released from the hospital after being treated for shingles, she said on Tuesday, though she did not specify when she would be able to return to Washington.

Democrats control the Senate by a narrow 5149 margin, meaning that even one or two absences can impact whether contentious legislation can pass.

I continue receiving treatment and look forward to returning to the Senate as soon as possible, Feinstein, 89, said on Twitter.

Feinstein, the longest-serving female senator, recently said she would not seek reelection to the Senate seat she has held since 1992, triggering a race among Californian Democrats to replace her.

With her absence, along with that of Democratic Senator John Fetterman, who is currently being treated for clinical depression, both Democrats and Republicans have 49 votes in the Senate.

By Moira Warburton
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Votes to Repeal Iraq War Authorizations

Much delayed Garcetti nomination for ambassador to India also clears committee

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 8 voted to repeal the Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMF) in Iraq, as the 20th anniversary of the March 19, 2003, invasion approaches.

Both the 2002 and 1991 AUMFs were advanced in the committee by a vote of 138. The full Senate could vote on the legislation in the next few weeks.

The 2002 AUMF allowed the U.S. military to go into Iraq following reports that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. The United States captured him in 2003 and he was executed by Iraq in 2006. The 1991 AUMF allowed U.S. forces to enter the Gulf War, where Husseins forces were driven out of Kuwait.

The committees chairman, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.Y.), celebrated the vote.

AUMFs are the most solemn responsibility of this Committee, and our duty is not just to pass them, but to exercise vigilance as to how they are used and assess when it is time to declare them obsolete, he said in a statement.

Todays vote asserts the congressional prerogative to determine how administrationscurrent and future onesjustify the use of military force, he continued. These two AUMFs are outdated, do not address current threats to U.S. interests, and should not be used to justify large-scale use of military force. Their repeal is in the U.S. national interest, and in the interest of our strategic partnership with Iraq and the region.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) celebrated the advancement of the bill.

This Senate Foreign Relations Committee has reached an agreement to move forward on the repeal of the Iraq AUMF. We need to put the Iraq war behind us once and for all. And doing that means we should repeal the legal authority that initiated the war to begin with, Schumer posted on Twitter. He voted for the 2002 AUMF and against the 1991 AUMF.

The committee vote to repeal the AUMFs comes as the House of Representatives is set to vote on March 8 a resolution to withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria. U.S. troops are in Syria primarily to combat the Islamic State.

Additionally, the committee finally voted to advance Eric Garcettis nomination to be U.S. ambassador to India449 days after the former Los Angeles mayor appeared before the committee and more than 600 days since he was nominated. Garcettis nomination has been in limbo due to allegations he knew, but prevented to stop, a senior staffers sexual misconduct from his time as mayor. The tally was 138. Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) voted with the committees 11 Democrats.

Senator Hagerty believes that for more than two years, the Biden Administration and Senate Democrats have failed to get a Senate-confirmed Ambassador to Indiathe worlds largest democracy, a rising economic power, and one of our most important strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific. As a former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Senator Hagerty knows firsthand that this is a critical U.S. diplomatic position and believes the Senate should vote on it, a Hagerty spokesperson said in an email to The Epoch Times.

Despite backing from Hagerty and Young, it remains to be seen whether Garcetti can garner enough support in the full Senate, which the Democrats control 5149.

The Epoch Times also reached out to Youngs office to ask why he voted to advance Garcettis nomination.
Senators Mull Past Failures, Possible Solutions on Big Tech

Klobuchar says industry at every cocktail party in Washington, while Lee argues Big Tech runs on addiction business model

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 28: Senator Mike Lee speaks during #JusticReformNow Capitol Hill Advocacy Day at Russell Senate Office Building on April 28, 2016 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/Getty Images)

Members of a Senate antitrust subcommittee on March 7 voiced frustration over failed attempts by Democrats and Republicans alike to regulate tech giants like Google and Apple, as expert witnesses and lawmakers debated legislation that didnt get a full vote last Congress.

Neither the judiciary nor the executive branch can solve these problems aloneCongress must act, said Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), ranking member of the antitrust subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

At the same time, we also have a duty to ensure that the cure isnt something that turns out to be worse than the disease, he said, voicing concerns over legislation that could entrench new federal bureaucratic power and even additional consolidation in the sector.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who chairs the subcommittee, began the hearing with talk of Big Techs successful publicity campaigns against Congresss previous attempts to regulate the industry.

Klobuchar said techs lobbying targets have included her bipartisan Open App Markets Act, which would keep Google, Apple, and other app marketplaces from forcing app developers to use their proprietary payment systems.

That bill advanced through the Senate Judiciary Committee in Feb. 2022, with 20 Senators voting for it and just 2 voting against it.

Probably over $200 million was spent against this bill in states all over the country, with ads that had nothing to do with each other, for red states and blue states, she said, adding that she didnt have precise numbers.

Klobuchar offered a similar story on another bipartisan tech bill that passed through the same committee last year, the American Innovation and Choice Online Act, which she initially cosponsored with her Judiciary colleague Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

Despite making it to the Senate floor, neither bill received a vote last Congressan outcome Klobuchar attributed to Big Techs sustained lobbying activities.

Both of the bills Klobuchar mentioned became a major focus of March 7s hearing.

They are in every corner of this town, at every cocktail party, and all over this building, she told her colleagues.

She also drew attention to changes under Republicans in the House. The ranking member of that bodys antitrust subcommittee in the previous Congress, prominent Big Tech critic Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), isnt leading the body. Libertarian engineer Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has taken the helma change that Klobuchar seemed to characterize as problematic as Congress confronts the giants of Silicon Valley.

She said she had communicated with Buck earlier in the day.

To just close our eyes and do nothing and let another two years go by is a huge mistake, she said.

In addition to facing headwinds from some Republicans, would-be tech regulators have dealt with skepticism and scrutiny from Democrats in California, where Silicon Valley and many tech giants are headquartered.

Lee Warns of Addiction Business Model

Lee, a Twitter power user, expressed frustration too.

If it seems like weve had this hearing several times before, well, its because we have, he said.

Lee argued that Big Tech presented a unique challenge in the United States long history of antitrust.

Never before have we seen just a handful of trillion-dollar corporate bureaucracies exercising such pervasive control over how we stay in touch with friends and loved ones, how we shop to provide for our families, obtain news and other information [and] exercise our First Amendment rights, influence public debate, and even how we turn on our air conditioning and lock or unlock our doors, he said.

Big Techs business plans are built on an addiction business model, and our children are uniquely vulnerable.

Lee drew attention to the tech sectors coordination with the state in recent years to dictate Americans access to information and assist in monitoring citizens.

Yet, he stressed his opposition to bills that would empower the Federal Trade Commission, saying the agency had a radical agenda under President Joe Biden.

Lee introduced his own bipartisan tech bill, the Competition and Transparency in Digital Advertising Act, in May 2022.

Experts and Senators Debate Bills

The experts who testified offered divergent perspectives on the legislation Congress has considered so far.

Professor Daniel Francis, of New York University School of Law, voiced opposition to Klobuchars American Innovation and Choice Online Act.

He argued it would make certain common practices presumptively illegal and disincentivize consumer protection by tech companies. He also warned that its core concept, harm to competition, lacks a clear definition in the bill.

Its gonna drown in complaints the very same agencies that today barely have the resources to cover their antitrust docket, Francis said.

He said Klobuchars app payments bill, was a much more promising basis for discussion, but cautioned the legislations language on third-party app stores could endanger Americans.

The whole cybersecurity world, from the NSA [National Security Agency] and FBI to the FTC, tell consumers and users to stay away from third-party app stores, he said.

Klobuchar asked Professor Fiona Morton, of the Yale School of Management, to address some of the arguments Francis made against her bill.

I think the parade of horribles that was listed by Professor Francis really cant happen if theres a requirement to find injury to competition, Morton said.

The notion that courts will suddenly eliminate quality products because they have to evaluate a harm to competition is, I think, misplaced.

She argued that the harm to competition concept was vital to making the bill work.

The fact that new words are being used in this legislation is exactly to ensure that we get a new outcome. We cant use the same terminology and imagine that courts wont understand it the way they always have, Morton said. So, to get a different outcome, we have to use a new word, and say, Look, were worried about harm to competition.
Senior Intelligence Official Warns of TikToks Influence on US Citizens

National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul Nakasone testifies before a House (Select) Intelligence Committee hearing on diversity in the Intelligence Community on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 27, 2021. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)

U.S. National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone has said he is concerned about what data Chinese-owned TikTok may be collecting on users and how it could influence American children.

Nakasone expressed his concerns during testimony delivered before the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 7.

Asked by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) about any worries he has about TikToks influence on kids in America, Nakasone responded: TikTok concerns me for a number of different reasons. One is the data that they have.

Secondly is the algorithm and the control, who controls the algorithm. Third is the broad platform influence operations, as we talked about previously. Its not only a fact that you can influence something, but you can also turn off the message as well when you have such a large population of listeners, Nakasone said.

The NSA is part of the Defense Department and is responsible for U.S. cryptographic and communications intelligence and security.

TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, has soared in popularity over the years and is now used by more than 100 million Americans.

However, Washington has repeatedly raised concerns that the app poses a threat to national security, with American user data potentially being used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Expanding Government Power to Ban TikTok

There are also concerns that the recommendation algorithm on the app may be used to manipulate what users see as part of influence operations.

Last month, the White House ordered that TikTok be removed from all government devices and systems within 30 days, although there are exceptions in cases of national security, law enforcement, or security research activities.

Nakasones remarks came the same day that Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and John Thune (R-S.D.) led a group of 12 bipartisan senators in introducing legislation intended to expand the federal governments power in order to ban TikTok and other foreign-owned entities from operating in the United States.

The bill, also known as the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act, would increase the Commerce Departments power to review and prevent information communications and technology transactions from tech companies that are owned by six adversarial foreign nations: China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela.

Congress needs to stop taking a piecemeal approach when it comes to technology from adversarial nations that pose national security risks, said Thune in a statement on Tuesday. Our country needs a process in place to address these risks, which is why Im pleased to work with Senator Warner to establish a holistic, methodical approach to address the threats posed by technology platforms  like TikTok  from foreign adversaries. This bipartisan legislation would take a necessary step to ensure consumers information and our communications technology infrastructure is secure.

TikTok Responds to Concerns

TikTok denies that its user data and information can be accessed by the Chinese regime or that its content can be manipulated and says it stores U.S. user data on servers outside of China.

The company has also urged the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to finalize a national security agreement that would allow it to continue operating in the United States in exchange for solutions that would address national security concerns.

A TikTok spokeswoman told Reuters that the company had been working with the U.S. government to address national security concerns.

The swiftest and most thorough way to address any national security concerns about TikTok is for CFIUSof which the Department of Defense and the NSA are a partto adopt the proposed agreement that we worked with them on for nearly two years, said TikTok representative Brooke Oberwetter in a statement.

Oberwetter added that TikToks status has been debated in public in a way that is divorced from the facts of that agreement and what weve achieved already.

TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew is set to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23 about the apps privacy and data security practices as well as its impact on children.

The Epoch Times has contacted TikTok for comment.
Starbucks CEO Agrees to Testify Before Committee Led by Bernie Sanders

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) talks to reporters outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, July 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced on March 7 that Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has agreed to appear before his Senate committee.

Sanders, who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee announced that Schultz would appear before the committee on March 29.

Im happy to announce that Howard Schultz, the CEO and founder of Starbucks, has finally agreed to testify before the Senate HELP Committee, Sanders said, according to a press release from his office.

The HELP Committee was scheduled to vote tomorrow to subpoena him and I want to thank the members of the Committee who, in a bipartisan way, were prepared to do just that.

Starbucks has been accused of preventing its workers from organizing unions and engaging in collective bargaining by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Sanderss statement further highlighted that the NLRB had issued more than 80 complaints against Starbucks for violating federal labor laws.

Recently, an administrative law judge in New York ruled that Starbucks had engaged in egregious and widespread misconduct in a union organizing campaign that began in 2019.

Despite over 280 Starbucks coffee shops voting to form a union in the past year, Starbucks has allegedly refused to negotiate in good faith to sign a single first contract with its employees.

Lets be clear. In America, workers have the constitutional right to organize unions and engage in collective bargaining to improve their wages and working conditions, Sanders said. Unfortunately Starbucks, under Mr. Schultzs leadership, has done everything possible to prevent that from happening.

Schultzs compliance with requests to testify came after repeated letters sent by Sanders and the HELP committee.

Schultz previously declined an invitation to testify from Democrats on the committee. That invitation followed three letters from Sanders to Schultz calling on him to end egregious union-busting.

The senator assured reporters during his March 7 press briefing that the committee will conduct an investigation into Starbucks and other large companies actions, including hearing from union leaders on the subject.

The HELP Committee intends to make clear that in America we must not have a two-tiered justice system in which billionaires and large corporations can break the law with impunity, while working class people are held accountable for their actions, Sanders said in his recent press relase.

I look forward to hearing from Mr. Schultz as to when he intends to end his illegal anti-union activities and begin signing fair first contracts with the unions.
Stopping Illegal Immigration Is Priority for British People, Sunak Says

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during a press conference following the launch of new legislation on illegal Channel crossings, at Downing Street, central London, on March 7, 2023. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Preventing illegal immigrants from reaching Britains shores in small boats is a priority for the British people, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said as he defended the governments plan to crack down on illegal crossings in the English Channel.

The government on Tuesday unveiled the Illegal Migration Bill, which will ban anyone who arrives in the UK illegally from claiming asylum.

Under the new law, illegal entrants will be swiftly removed from the UK to their home country or a safe third country like Rwanda. They will also be banned from reentry.

An inflatable craft carrying illegal immigrants crosses the shipping lane in the English Channel off the coast of Dover, England, on Aug. 4, 2022. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

The main opposition Labour Party opposes the plan. A Labour spokesman confirmed to reporters in Westminster on Wednesday that the partys MPs would be instructed to vote against the bill.

During Prime Ministers Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Sunak said the government will implement the plan as soon as it passes through Parliament.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer criticised the government plan, accusing the government of delivering utter failures and warning the problem just gets worse with every new gimmick.

But Sunak said, Stopping the boats is not just my priority, it is the peoples priority.

He accused Starmer, a former director of public prosecutions, of being just another leftie lawyer standing in our way.

Stop the Boats

According to government figures, a record 45,755 illegal immigrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in 2022.

More than 3,000 have already made the journey this year. The latest Home Office figures show 197 made the crossing on Monday, taking the total to date to 3,150.

The prime minister has made stopping the boats one of his five priorities, and has said he is determined to deliver on his promise.

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman arrives in Downing Street, central London, on March 7, 2023. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Announcing the new bill on Tuesday, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said it would betray British voters not to tackle illegal Channel crossings.

She said that the new bill allows the detention of illegal arrivals without bail or judicial review within the first 28 days of detention, until they can be removed.

It places a duty on the home secretary to remove illegal entrants and it will radically narrow the number of challenges and appeals that can suspend removal.

The bill will also introduce an annual cap, to be decided by Parliament, on the number of refugees the UK will offer sanctuary to through safe and legal routes, Braverman said.

Sunak told a Downing Street press conference that illegal immigrants will be removed within weeks and that the bill will apply retrospectively if passed.

Detainees inside the Manston short-term holding centre for illegal immigrants wave to members of the media outside, near Ramsgate, Kent, southeast England, on Nov. 3, 2022. (Daniel Leal /AFP via Getty Images)

Numbers Will Fall Dramatically

Talking to the BBC on Wednesday, Braverman said the new plans will result in a dramatic fall in the number of illegal small boat crossings.

She said, We will see, based on other countries experiences, that, once were able to relocate people whove come here illegally from the United Kingdom to another safe country, like Rwanda, or back to their own home country, then, actually, the numbers of people making the journey in the first place will fall dramatically.

She added, I think it will be very clear by the time of the next election whether we have succeeded or not.

The home secretary told Sky News that the government will begin expanding its detention capacity very soon to meet the need.

She rejected criticisms that the new bill may be inconsistent with the law, saying: Were not breaking the law and no government representative has said that were breaking the law.

In fact, weve made it very clear that we believe were in compliance with all of our international obligations, for example the Refugee Convention, the European Convention on Human Rights, other conventions to which we are subject.

Irresponsible

Labour has described the governments new asylum policy as a con that is no more likely to succeed than the Conservative governments previous efforts.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC on Wednesday the Tories are being irresponsible in their immigration policy.

The United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR, said it is profoundly concerned by the bill and that, if passed, it will amount to an asylum ban.

Vicky Tennant, UNHCR representative to the UK, told BBC Newsnight: We believe its a clear breach of the Refugee Convention. And remember, even people with very compelling claims will simply not have the opportunity to put these forward.

But Downing Street has disputed the criticism from the UNHCR.

The prime ministers official spokesman said: Obviously we disagree. We recognise these are new approaches but we think they meet our international obligations. We stand ready to defend them in court.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Supreme Court Reverses Death Sentences of 6 in Arizona, Orders New Sentencings

The U.S. Supreme Court set aside the death sentences of six convicted murderers in Arizona after recently ruling that withholding certain information from the jury during the sentencing process was unlawful.

The court previously held it was illegal to prevent jurors from being informed that if a condemned person were given a life sentence it would be without the possibility of parole.

The ruling on March 6 does not set aside the murder convictions of Johnathan Ian Burns, Steve Boggs, Ruben Garza, Fabio Gomez, Steven Newell, and Stephen Reeves, but directs the lower courts to carry out new sentencing proceedings.

The decision follows the high courts 54 ruling on Feb. 22 that held that convicted cop killer John Montenegro Cruz, also in Arizona, was entitled to contest his sentence in federal court after a state courts procedural rule prevented him from doing so.

Appeals from prisoners under a death sentence rarely succeed at the high court but in this case, the conservatives Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh sided with the courts three liberals in Cruz v. Arizona. About 30 other persons in total in similar situations are now thought to be entitled to be resentenced.

In Simmons v. South Carolina (1994), the U.S. Supreme Court found that in cases where a capital defendant is thought to present a future danger to society, the defendant has a due-process-based right to let the jury know that he could never be paroled, even if spared the death penalty.

Years after the decision, the Supreme Court of the State of Arizona refused on several occasions to apply the ruling, but in 2016 in Lynch v. Arizona, the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed the ruling applies to the Grand Canyon State.

After the Lynch decision, Cruz applied in state court arguing he was entitled to post-conviction relief because of the Simmons decision but Arizonas supreme court found that Lynch was not a significant change in the law.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the high courts majority opinion, finding that the Arizona courts had adopted a novel interpretation that disregards the effect of Lynch on the law in Arizona.

While Lynch did not change this Courts interpretation of Simmons, it did change the operative (and mistaken) interpretation of Simmons by Arizona courts, Sotomayor wrote.

The U.S. Supreme Court summarily disposed of the case, known as Burns v. Arizona, court file 21-847, simultaneously granting the petitioners request seeking review while skipping over the oral argument phase, when the merits of the case would have been considered. Some lawyers call this process GVR, which stands for grant, vacate, and remand.

[T]he cases are remanded to the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County for further consideration in light of Cruz v. Arizona, the unsigned order states. No justices dissented from the ruling.

Lead petitioner Burns was convicted of the first-degree murder in 2007 of Jackie Hartman, 19. He was also convicted of sexual assault, kidnapping, and misconduct involving a weapon, according to a brief (pdf) filed by the state.

Weeks after Hartman met Burns for a date, her body was found in a remote area with two gunshot wounds to the head, several skull fractures from blunt force impact, and sperm matching Burnss DNA was found in the dead womans underwear. Hartmans blood and an earring were found in Burnss truck and cellphone records established that on the night of the victims disappearance, Burns drove to the area where Hartmans body was found and stayed there for several hours. Burnss handgunwhich police retrieved after Burns disposed of itwas determined to have fired a bullet found near the victims body.

The jury found two aggravating circumstances: that Burns had a prior or contemporaneous Arizona felony conviction, and that the murder was especially cruel, heinous, or depraved. After the penalty phase, the jury determined that Burns should be sentenced to death.

The fact that Burns was not allowed to argue at sentencing that the consecutive sentences on his non-capital convictions meant he would stay in prison for the rest of his life would not have made a difference, according to the Arizona Supreme Court.

Burns had no right to present evidence of his effective life sentence to the jury because it would have been irrelevant as a mitigating factor, the state said.

The Epoch Times reached out to attorneys for Burns and in the Arizona attorney generals office but did not receive a reply from any of them as of press time.
A tropical swell is no joke. Heeding warnings of 50-foot waves, your average beachgoer would probably give the boogie-boarding a rest and hunker down shoreside for a while. But not if youre Fred Pompermayer. Hes stowing his camera aboard his jet ski and launching off right into the danger zone.

His aim? To capture world-class surfers challenging ginormous walls of waterthe thrill of man against Mother Nature on the ocean frontier.

Yes, humans can die out there. Humans do die out there, Pompermayer assures us.

Yet the risks he takes on are calculated ones. You have to understand what the hazards are to avoid accidents, he tells The Epoch Times, adding that it boils down to risk management, taking in all the what-ifs. The key thing is making the right decision in the moment, he says, being in the right place at the right time.

A surfer barrels down a wave tunnel. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

Following that advice of being in the right place, Pompermayers moving to Southern California decades earlier was what led to his subsequent success in the surfing photography milieu.

Although he was born in Piracicaba, Brazil, where he studied to be an architect, after graduating from university and working for one year in his chosen field, he decided that wasnt enough. Pompermayer had always loved surfing and, having taken a photography course during his school years, he became enamored by a new prospect and opted to pursue a dream. He left everything behindhis friends, family, career, and definitely his comfort zone. But it was all worth it, he says.

I went to pursue my passions of surfing and photography, moving to California to be closer to the best surfing, he said.

He settled in Los Angeles, where the waves are bountiful.

Ive been a professional photographer for over two decades now, he said. In the beginning, I shot as much as I could in the water so I could improve my skills to get good quality photos to compete with the best photographers in the world.

A surfer catches a mega-sized wave. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

He learned the ropes: how to not get flipped over on his jet ski amid the monster-sized waves or get lost in the fog in unforgivingly dangerous conditions. Once comfortable handling a camera in the forever moving, sometimes ferocious ocean, Pompermayer uncovered some of the tricks of the tradehow to get the best shots of surfers as they barrelled down the pike.

Its all about anticipation for the shot, he said. First I have the vision and then I go hunting to turn it into reality. You have to understand your equipment for the specific photos.

His work soon earned him a full spread in a famous Brazilian surfing magazine and would eventually be featured in publications the world over, including on over 50 magazine covers.

A recent photo of Pierre Drollet surfing a giant wave at Jaws, Maui. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

Packing his camera for travel, Pompermayer has ventured to beaches as far abroad as Hawaii and Tahiti to snap some of the worlds top surfers, yielding exhilarating experiences and deeper insights into his craft.

Just weeks ago, he photographed famous surfer Pierre Drollet at Jaws, Maui, showcasing the scale of the waves and the power of the ocean that is seldom seen shoreside.

Nathan Florences training focuses on how to survive these kinds of situations. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

Capturing another notable surfer, Nathan Florence, on a practice run in his preferred training area, Pompermayer managed a shot he didnt think would yield much, but it showed him just how fruitful chance opportunities can be.

Portraying Koa Rothman surfing at Teahupoo, Tahiti, Pompermayer discovered his allegorical man versus nature shot.

A photo of Koa Rothman at Teahupoo, Tahiti, displays an allegory of man versus nature. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

A photo of Grant Twiggy Baker tackling a big wave. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

His photograph of Grant Twiggy Baker, Pompermayer says, reveals how [amazingly far] humans have come to push the limit in their endeavors to thrive amongst the waves.

Pompermayers shot of Kohl Christensen at Mavericks, California, taught him a key surfing photography concept: Perspective is everything. It was Pompermayers gaining an angle alone that allowed him to showcase the power of those waves, he said.

Kohl Christensen masters a mighty wave at Mavericks, California. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

Decades on, photographing countless surfers neck-deep in their element, hes arrived at a conclusion, that it takes years of experience to understand how the ocean works. Perhaps it is his mastery in one arena that has now led him to explore new territory, for Pompermayer has lately expanded his niche, setting one foot on dry landerr, rock.

He has taken up rock climbing photography, recently summitting El Cap in Yosemite National Park. But Pompermayer has also found that photographing waves aloneminus the surfercan be quite rewarding in its own right.

H2O becomes the solo star of the show.

Just capturing a giant wave crashing close to the shore after traveling thousands of miles, sometimes days, to get to that amazing point is amazing, he said, adding one caveat to carry him home, that capturing a human being challenging himself in these extreme conditions, showing skill and epic strength transcends the photo to something really special.

A surfer takes a tumble inside a wave tunnel. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

Photo of Fred Pompermayer enjoying a ride along the beach. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

Fred Pompermayer taking a photo on his jet ski. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

An aerial shot of swirling water movement. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

A still shot of a wave building up steam. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

Surfers paddle before a large, folding wave. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

A surfer sails down this powerful building wave. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

A massive, powerful wave folds over in this still shot. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

A crystal-like wave appears frozen in time in this photo. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

A photograph captures a perfect, curling wave. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

A surfer rockets down a huge collapsing wave. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

Surfers paddle over and ride down a massive, building wave. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

Surfers paddle over and sail under the tunnel of a wave, generating spray and plenty of action. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

A surfer glides down a big wave. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

A photo shows a climber scaling El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. (Courtesy of Fred Pompermayer)

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Tensions Rise in Virginia Schools Over Racial Issues

In January 2022, on his first day in office, Virginias Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, showed race antagonists the schoolhouse door. During the campaign, Youngkin had promised voters he would end what he called the Inherently Divisive Policies, Programs, Training, and Curricula centered on race. Conservative parents had been protesting ideologically charged antiracism training in schools across the state. A year later, the conflicts born of Critical Race Theory are still playing out in Virginia schools.

But it isnt just students and their parents who have complained about race-based curricula in the Commonwealth. Teachers, school staff, and administrators have been among those made anxious and uncomfortable by programs they perceive as racially divisive.

Emily Mais was an assistant principal at Agnor-Hurt Elementary School in Charlottesville. She is suing the Albemarle County school board in federal court for tolerating, if not creating, racial hostility in the workplace. The litigation is complicated by accusations that Mais herself contributed to the racially fraught atmosphere.

The Albemarle County school board voted in 2019 to establish an antiracism curriculum. In November 2020, local schools began to implement the policy by requiring all staff to undergo antiracist training. When the sessions began, a number of teachers at Agnor-Hurt Elementary complained to Mais that the program, rather than bringing about racial understanding, was creating racial antagonisms. They told her the course encouraged hurtful and pejorative comments and they felt they were being demonized for being white. Mais told the court that she passed those concerns on to Ashby Kindler, the administrator in charge of the training. Mais says Kindler refused to address the teachers complaints. Kindler referred interview requests from RealClearPolitics (RCP) to school board spokesman Phil Giaramita, who said, We simply are not at liberty to talk.

Many parents were also unhappy. Several spoke out against the antiracism curriculum at a May 27, 2021, school board meeting. One parent complained that the program was incubating a culture rooted in grievance, discord and victimhood. Several other parents spoke up in favor of the program.

Mais almost made it through the obligatory training without incident. But on the last day of the program, June 11, 2001, she participated, as instructed, in a conversation about how to address racial disparities in school board staff, including those involving people of color.

Except that Mais did not say people of color. She said colored people.

Mais recognized she had made a potentially problematic errorwhat her attorneys call a slip of the tongue. She apologized immediately and profusely to everyone who might have heard her. She repeated her apology to others. But according to claims in court documents, the apology wasnt good enough for a teachers aide named Sheila Avery. In front of the participants in the training seminar, Avery accused Mais of speaking like old racists who told people of color to go to the back of the bus.

In the days that followed, Mais says that she heard from other teachers that Avery, who is black, was denouncing her as a racist. Mais went to the schools principal for help, claiming she was being mistreated. Mais said the abuse was causing her severe mental and emotional distress that was keeping her from doing her job. Mais says the principal did nothing about it.

Mais was, however, contacted by a more senior administrator, one of the school boards assistant superintendents, Dr. Bernard Hairston. As he put it in a video for school employees, Hairston had been entrusted with developing the Albemarle County School Districts antiracism policy. In his video, Hairston declared, The school board must be serious about confronting this institutional system built on advancing whiteness!

Early in August 2021, Hairston called Mais to meet with him and Avery. In her 2022 court filing, Mais says that though she continuously apologized throughout the meeting, Avery refused to accept her apology. Instead, Hairston called on Mais to apologize to the entire school staff.

At the end of August, Mais gave notice that she would be resigning as of September 10, 2021. According to her filing with the District Court, the school board pressured her to deliver an apology in front of all the 2021-2022 Agnor-Hurt teachers. Mais claims the schools guidance counselor, Emily Holmstrom, rejected a draft apology in which Mais planned to express how distressing the incident had been for her. According to Mais, Holmstrom told her she was acting like a typical defensive white person. (Holmstrom did not respond to an email from RealClearPolitics.)

In a school-wide meeting of Agnor-Hurt teachers on September 9, 2021, Mais made a public apology. Avery used the meeting to denounce Mais as a racist, telling the assembled school employees that they could either be on her side or Mais side and that there was no in-between. (Avery did not respond to RCPs request for an interview.) Mais later decided to sue, alleging she had been subjected to a hostile work environment.

At the Virginia Attorney Generals Office of Civil Rights, Mais charged Albemarle schools with discrimination. She also took her complaint to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Neither was to any avail.

With the help of the legal nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom, Mais would eventually bring a raft of complaints against the school district. She accused the school board of violating her right to free speech under the Virginia constitution; claimed she had been wrongfully forced from her job; charged the schools with violating the Virginia Human Rights Act; and asserted that Albemarle County had run afoul of Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act. That provision prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.

At a hearing in December, the lawyer for the school district, Jeremy Capps, scoffed at the notion Mais faced a hostile work environment, notwithstanding Avery twice calling Mais a two-faced, white racist [expletive]. Mais, Capps said, just didnt like the fact that she was asked to apologize in front of the schools teachers and staff. But that, he said, doesnt make a hostile work environment.

U.S. District Court Judge Norman K. Moon disagreed, noting that even after she had apologized repeatedly to those who had heard her comment, the administration demanded Mais apologize again. Even after Mais had given notice she was resigning, school officials insisted that, on her last day, she go before a special assembly of teachers and staff to offer yet another apology: Its like putting someone in the pillory in a way, the judge said. He asked the school boards attorney: I mean, when are you going to let up? At what point will it be enough?

The judge also seemed to be troubled by the unusual nature of what Mais lawyer, Hal Frampton, calls her shaming. Normally, the judge asked, is the punishment of someone for wrongdoing a public punishment?

The school boards lawyer didnt answer the judges question directly. Instead, Capps said that what counted as appropriate discipline was at the employers discretion. RealClearPolitics asked Capps in writing whether the Albemarle school board could point to any other instances in which it meted out a public punishment. Capps did not reply.

Albemarle schools urged the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia to toss out all the complaints made by Mais. Last month, the Court dismissed a majority of her claims, primarily on questions of jurisdiction and states sovereign immunity.

But not those made under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: In a Memorandum Opinion, Judge Moon allowed Mais federal complaint to go forward, writing that the Plaintiff has alleged a plausible racial hostile work environment claim under Title VII.

Plaintiff has alleged enough facts to allow a jury to determine if the alleged harassment was severe or pervasive. Among the allegations made by Mais was that when she turned to her schools principal for help, no action was taken; when she complained to an assistant superintendent and HR employees that she was the target of racially charged mistreatment  the School Board took no action.

The Mais litigation may go some distance in addressing what counts as justification for accusing someone of racism. Complicating those contentions in the Virginia case is the abrupt resignation last week of state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow. She had led Youngkins effort to revise how schools in the state teach socially divisive issues, including those dealing with race and history. Will the governors charge against Critical Race Theory be blunted? The answer to that question will affect the way schools such as those in Albemarle County teach questions of race, as will the lawsuit brought by Emily Mais.
On the morning of March 7th, the Anhui delegation of the First Session of the 14th National People's Congress held a group meeting to review the draft amendment to the Legislation Law. Cai Dafeng, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, reviewed it together with the deputies. Zheng Shanjie, head of the Anhui delegation, and Wang Qingxian, Liu Haiquan, Fei Gaoyun, and Tao Minglun, deputy heads of the delegation, participated in the group review. The deputies unanimously stated that amending the Legislation Law is a comprehensive measure to strengthen the Party's leadership over legislative work in the new era, and to ensure the implementation of the Party's line, principles, policies, and decisions through the rule of law; it is a necessary requirement to uphold and develop whole-process peoples democracy, and to guarantee that the people are the masters of their country through the rule of law; it is an important step in promoting comprehensive law-based governance and constitutional governance, and building a socialist rule-of-law country in the new era; it is a summary of the practical experience of correctly handling the relationship between reform and the rule of law in the new era, and a realistic need to better adhere to the rule of law in promoting reform and improving the unity of the rule of law in the reform process. Deputies stated that the draft amendment comprehensively implements the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, adheres to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implements Xi Jinping's ideas on the rule of law and the important ideas of General Secretary Xi Jinping on adhering to and improving the system of people's congresses, implements the spirit of working session of the National People's Congress and the major decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee, summarizes and absorbs new experiences and achievements in legislative practice in the new era, promotes scientific, democratic, and law-based legislation, improves the guiding ideology and principles of legislation, improves the implementation and supervision system of the Constitution, and improves the legislative authority, procedures, and record review system. After being deliberated and passed by the Congress, it will further strengthen the Party's comprehensive leadership over legislative work, standardize the national legislative system and legislative activities, ensure that people's voices are heard in every aspect of legislative work, actively respond to the new requirements and expectations of the people, and play an important role of the rule of law in modernizing the national governance system and governance capacity.

Reported by Zhang Yipu Translated by Zheng Chen
NONFICTION: The times, if not the life, of the first Black American poet.

"The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley: A Poet's Journeys Through American Slavery and Independence" by David Waldstreicher; Farrar, Straus and Giroux (480 pages, $30)



Poet Phillis Wheatley achieved an astonishing number of breakthroughs  she published the first book in English by a person of African descent, and was the third North American woman to publish a book of poetry. A 19-year-old slave living in colonial Boston, Wheatley, hailed as a genius on both sides of the Atlantic, became a major inspiration for an emerging anti-slavery movement.

But Wheatley wrote little about herself, and the white people around her wrote nothing about her until she became famous. Many 18th-century whites disbelieved that a slave could have written such accomplished poetry and questioned whether she was really Black. People have been debating the merit and importance of Wheatley's work ever since.

In the 19th and 20th centuries she embodied learning and literacy in the Black struggle against Jim Crow, inspiring women's groups and community centers around the country (including one in Minneapolis). In the late 20th century her reputation took a drubbing from Black authors who judged her too accommodating to slavery. In the 21st, poets, authors and historians, recognizing her as a Black woman whose voice survived silencing both by men and the white establishment, have reclaimed her.

Historian David Waldstreicher knows Wheatley's world  he's the author of several books about early America, specializing in politics, culture and slavery. He places Wheatley squarely in her times and shows how she navigated them. In that he succeeds, but his limitation  and that of the book  is that despite his best efforts, Wheatley as a person remains a cipher. "The Odyssey of Phillis Wheatley" is not a cradle-to-grave biography, and a reader eager for details of this path-breaking writer's life will be frustrated. Students of American colonial history and literature, of slavery and of the emerging power of the abolition movement will be rewarded.

Waldstreicher vividly re-creates Wheatley's Boston. Slavery was integral to pre-revolutionary Boston, and many Bostonians grew wealthy off of the slave trade. His portrait of colonial-era slavery is chilling, and he makes expert use of documents to show its cruelty. Slavers sometimes "advertised to give away small children who got in the way of their mothers' work." One mother of two was offered for sale because she "breeds too fast." Though many Bostonians opposed slavery, others deemed slaves essential for providing both unskilled and skilled labor.

But as the colonists agitated for freedom from their colonial masters, their tolerance of slavery made them increasingly vulnerable to charges of hypocrisy by the British. Into this fraught moment, Wheatley, author of poems with both religious and neoclassical themes, offered up her work. How did she navigate this tinderbox situation? Waldstreicher shows that she was a brilliant and resourceful person, a canny political observer and an astute businesswoman.

She was an expert networker  she met or corresponded with British aristocracy and abolitionists and secured key support to have her book published in Britain. In America, both British colonial occupiers and future founding fathers inspired her encomiums and elegies. But as the revolution gathered steam, her poems increasingly agitated for freedom, both from the British and from slavery. Although Wheatley died young, and probably poor, she died free. Her work has become a symbol for freedom ever since.

In his conclusion, Waldstreicher writes of the "historian's paradox: to remember, to discover, to revise the past is also to realize, always, how much we do not know." We don't know Phillis Wheatley  who she loved, how she struggled, how she navigated the daunting tasks of the everyday. If only a world class novelist would fill in the blanks. Wheatley's life is a story crying to be told.



Mary Ann Gwinn is a Seattle-based book critic.
Texas Lawmaker Introduces TEXIT Bill Calling For Vote on Secession

A Texas Republican lawmaker has introduced a bill to allow Texans the opportunity to vote on secession from the United States.

On Monday, Texas state Rep. Bryan Slaton filed HB 3596, also known as the TEXIT Referendum Act. (pdf)

If passed, the referendum would be placed on the 2024 general election ballot for Texans to decide whether the state should investigate the possibility of secession, according to a press release.

The Texas Constitution is clear that all political power resides in the people, Slaton said. After decades of continuous abuse of our rights and liberties by the federal government, it is time to let the people of Texas make their voices heard.

Slaton filed the proposal on the anniversary of the fall of the Alamo.

On this 187th anniversary of the fall of the Alamo, Im proud to file this bill to let the people of Texas vote on the future of our State, Slaton said. Texas was born out of a desire for liberty and self-governance, and that desire continues to burn in the hearts of all Texans.

The Texan defenders of the Alamo fighting Mexican soldiers within the walls of the fortress. Davy Crockett (1786-1836), center right, with his rifle above his head, died in the siege. (MPI/Getty Images)

On March 6, 1836, the Alamo fell after a 13-day battle against Mexicos army led by President Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, according to The Alamo website. Four days earlier, the state had declared its independence from Mexico by signing the Texas Declaration of Independence and creating the Republic of Texas.

The United States annexed Texas in 1845, making it the 28th state in the union.

Secession Talk

The idea of Texas reclaiming its independence is not novel.

Last year, the Texas State Republican Convention urged the legislature to include a similar referendum on the November 2023 ballot.

Pursuant to Article 1, Section 1, of the Texas Constitution, the federal government has impaired our right of local self-government, the Platform and Resolutions Committee wrote on page six of its June 2022 report. (pdf)

Therefore, federally mandated legislation that infringes upon the 10th Amendment rights of Texas should be ignored, opposed, refused, and nullified. Texas retains the right to secede from the United States, and the Texas Legislature should be called upon to pass a referendum consistent thereto.

State Rep. Kyle Biedermann filed similar legislation during the 87th legislative session. The bill was referred to the State Affairs Committee, where it died.

In 2009, then-Gov. Rick Perry garnered national headlines when he joked that Texas might secede.

Texas Earlier Secession

In 1861, the state voted to secede from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America. It was the seventh state to secede and the last before the start of the Civil War.

After the war ended in 1865, Congress implemented a period of Reconstruction. The effort provided a means for Southern states to rejoin the Union.

President Ulysses S. Grant signed the act that readmitted Texas to the Union.

In 1869, before Texas was readmitted to the union, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that secession was never legal.

All the obligations of perpetual union, and all the guaranties of republican government in the Union, attached at once to the State, Chief Justice S. P. Chase wrote in his decision in the case of Texas v. White.

The act which consummate her admission into the union was more than a compact; it was the incorporation of a new member into the political body. And it was final. The union between Texas and the other States was as complete, as perpetual, and as indissoluble as the union between the original States.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been and continues to persecute religious minorities and commit countless atrocities. Even though the CCP tries to cover it up, evidence indicates that the regime is committing mass sterilizations, separating children from their families, and putting those who dare to practice their religion into labor camps.

What should America do in setting up its national security strategy regarding the CCPs atrocities?

Hudson Institute Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Religious Freedom Nina Shea and Media Fellow Jeremy Hunt will discuss this critical challenge at 10:00 a.m. ET on March 8.
The End of Oil in America: Biden May Reject Alaska Oil Project

Alaskas Republican senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola stand together before a contingent of Alaskans who traveled more than 4,000 miles to Washington, on March 1. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

Alaskas Republican governor Mike Dunleavy is not expecting the Biden administration to approve the Willow projectan oil and gas plan proposed by crude oil producer ConocoPhillips.

Were preparing for them to deny this, Gov. Dunleavy said on Fox News. And its sad to say that, but their idea of a compromise, apparently, is to allow only two drilling pads for this oil play called Willow, about 180,000 barrels per day at peak, instead of the three or more that really the investors, ConocoPhillips, need to have to make this thing work for everybody.

Its an unfortunate game thats being played between the White House, the extremists, and environmentalists that got him there and, unfortunately, the people of Alaska in this country, Dunleavy said. Were preparing, hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst.

The $8 billion Willow oil field development project was initially proposed in 2018. It is set within the 23 million-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA), the largest expanse of federal public lands in the country, located on Alaskas North Slope.

ConocoPhillips had initially proposed five pads as part of the project. In the oil industry, a pad refers to a temporary drilling site. Under the Trump administration, the Department of the Interior (DOI) had approved the proposal in October 2020.

But a lawsuit by multiple groups, including Earthjustice, forced the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to recommend scaling down the number of pads from five to three. The Biden administration is expected soon to announce its decision on the matter.

Opposition And Support

Environmental activists have vehemently opposed the project, citing pollution concerns. A petition at Change.org asking the Biden administration to not allow the Willow project has garnered more than three million signatures.

If this project were to be approved, Willow would emit more climate pollution annually than more than 99.7 percent of all single-point sources in the country. The first oil to be used from this project wouldnt be for years, the petition insists.

However, lawmakers and trade unions from Alaska are pushing for the Biden administration to approve the project that is expected to hire 2,500 construction workers in the state. Willow is projected to output 180,000 barrels of oil per day, or around 1.5 percent of total American oil production.

Over its 30-year lifespan, Willow is expected to produce over 600 million barrels of oil while contributing up to $17 billion in revenues for state and federal governments as well as local communities.

The Alaska House and Senate have passed a unanimous resolution supporting the Willow project.

The elected leaders who wrote and passed these resolutions recognize Willows economic significance, its national security benefits, its environmental advantages, and its ability to create needed opportunities all across the state, said Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, in a press release on Feb. 27.

The message from Alaska is crystal clear: we urge the Biden administration to listen to our voices, as well as BLM career scientists, and re-approve Willow to allow an economically viable project to advance.

Future of American Energy

The Willow project forces the Biden administration to choose between two sides: environmental groups and supporting Democrats that make up a key portion of the presidents support base, and Democrat-leaning constituencies in Alaska that are looking forward to the project.

There is speculation that the Biden administration may decide to approve the project, but reduce the number of pads from three to two, something that Dunleavy pointed to during the Fox interview. However, doing so could make the project economically unviable, pushing ConocoPhillips away from it.

The Alaska governor predicted that President Joe Biden would seek out help from other nations to meet its oil demand while shutting down the Willow project.

Alaska probably has more sanctions put against it by our own government than our government has against Venezuela, Dunleavy said. So, this is not the end of oil, its just the end of oil in America.
Trudeau Doesnt Answer When Asked Whether He Knew Before 2019 Election Beijing Was Funding Candidates

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked on March 8 to comment on the latest report on national security leaks suggesting he was aware before the 2019 election that the Chinese regime was funding federal candidates.

In a media scrum on Parliament Hill, reporters questioned Trudeau about what he knew, when he knew it, and what he did about it.

The prime minister didnt directly answer, and instead explained why he will appoint a special rapporteur to look into the issue of foreign interference as announced on March 6.

The process around this remains something that we have to make sure is looked at by parliamentarians and by experts who have proper security clearances, he said, adding that his government has always taken the issue seriously.

And to be quite honest, I know that no matter what I say Canadians continue to have questions about what we did and what we didnt.

Earlier that day, Global News published an article reportedly based on an unredacted 2019 report from the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP).

The NSICOP review says foreign states clandestinely direct contributions to Canadian politicians, according to Global.

The report given to the prime minister in August 2019 provides examples of foreign interference drawn from Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) information.

Examples that illustrate foreign interference activities directed at elected officials and their staff include the following: [redacted], says the public version of the report.

Global revealed some of the unredacted examples that spanned from 2015 to 2018.

A [Peoples Republic of China] Embassy interlocutor founded a group of community leaders called the tea party to hand-pick candidates that it would support and ultimately publicly endorse, said the article, quoting the report.

A former PRC Commercial Consul informed PRC businesses of the rules regarding Canadian political contributions and urged particular business leaders to donate through Canadian subsidiaries and acquisitions.

Global also reported on March 8 that a Special Report on interference by the Chinese Communist Party was published by the Privy Council Office (PCO) in January 2022, based on 100 CSIS intelligence reports. The PCO is tasked with advising the prime minister and other ministers.

Trudeau has resisted calls for a public inquiry into Beijings actions following a steady stream of national security leaks on the matter to Global News and the Globe and Mail.

Along with announcing he would appoint a rapporteur, Trudeau said he would task the NSICOP and the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency to conduct a review of election interference in the past two contests.

Given that these bodies work in a classified setting, the public will only be provided with generalities about the outcome.
Tuberville to Propose Bill Granting States Power to Sue DHS Over Border Security

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) speaks during a Senate Budget Committee hearing in the Hart Senate Office building in Washington on Feb. 17, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) plans to introduce a bill that would require Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to improve border security and allow state attorneys general to sue his department if it fails to do so.

Tubervilles office confirmed to The Epoch Times on March 8 that the lawmaker would be introducing the measure, called the Border Safety and Security Act.

Since President Biden took office, 4.8 million illegal immigrantsnearly equal to Alabamas entire populationhave entered our country, Tuberville said in a statement sent to The Epoch Times.

The Biden administration refuses to secure our southern border, despite record numbers of deadly drugs, terrorist watch-listers, and other bad actors pouring into the U.S. unobstructed. Americans are tired of feeling unsafe in their communities and losing loved ones to drug overdoses.

The introduction of the Border Safety and Security Act comes only two months before the expiration of Title 42, an order used by both the Biden and Trump administrations to deport some of the migrants at the southern border owing to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The proposed Border Safety and Security Act would grant the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary the authority to suspend the entry of illegal immigrants at the U.S. border.

This measure would be taken if the secretary deems it necessary in order to regain operational control of the border. Additionally, the act would require the secretary to suspend the entry of illegal immigrants during any period when DHS cannot detain such individuals or place them in Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), or a similar program.

The proposed act also empowers state attorneys general to take legal action against the DHS if the secretary fails to suspend entry without detention or use of MPP. The legal action can be used to obtain injunctive relief against the DHS in court.

By allowing state attorneys general to take legal action against the DHS, the proposed bill seeks to ensure that the department fulfills its responsibilities

According to Tubervilles office, the senator is deeply worried about the threat that an open southern border provides to national security, particularly due to the flow of illicit drugs and concerns about entry by would-be terrorists.

Republicans have sought to keep the border crisis at the forefront after taking control of the U.S. House in January. On March 8, the House oversight committee is scheduled to hold a hearing to examine the need for additional resources to address transnational crime at the border.

A delegation of House Republicans traveled to the border in Arizona last month. House Democrats have scheduled a trip of their own later this month.
Two-Thirds of Canadians Want Public Inquiry Into Foreign Election Interference, Stricter Regulations: Poll

People line up to enter a polling station on election day of the 2019 federal election, in Ottawa on Oct. 21, 2019. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang)

Close to two-thirds of Canadians support a public inquiry into foreign interference in elections, and 58 percent of Canadians believe foreign governments have successfully influenced voting in the country, according to a new poll.

In the Research Co. survey, one-third of Canadians, or 33 percent, responded that it was very likely that China has attempted to influence elections in Canada this century, a number which rises to 37 percent among British Columbia residents, and to 45 percent in Canadians aged 55 and over.

Reports in recent weeks have cited national security sources and information to suggest the Chinese regime has attempted to influence the last two federal elections by supporting some Liberal candidates or working against other, allegedly Conservative, candidates.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has ruled out the possibility of calling a public inquiry into the allegations, saying Canadas election processes have not been compromised. However, Trudeau announced on March 6 that his government would appoint an eminent Canadian as an independent special rapporteur on the issue of interference.

Research Co., an online polling firm, on March 6 released the results of its survey conducted from Feb. 26 to Feb. 28 among 1,000 adults. The survey is statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender, and region.

The poll asked, All things considered, do you support or oppose calling an independent inquiry into foreign interference on electoral processes in Canada?

The poll found that 64 percent of Canadians want an independent inquiry, with 21 percent opposed and 15 percent undecided. Among Canadians aged 55 and over, support for a public inquiry sits at 73 percent, while those aged 35 to 54 were 61 percent in favour. Even among a younger crowd, 59 percent of adults aged 18 to 34 wanted an independent inquiry.

When asked, from what they have seen, read, heard, or experienced, if foreign governments have successfully influenced federal elections in Canada in this century, 58 percent of Canadians believe this to be the case. Broken down by region, this was true for 63 percent of voting-age individuals in British Columbia, and 62 percent in Alberta.

Almost half of Canadians (49%) think foreign governments have targeted federal nomination contests. Fewer believe this type of interference has occurred in provincial elections (42%), provincial nomination contests (35%), municipal elections (33%) or municipal nomination contests (29%), said Research Co. in a news release.

One in five Canadians responded that they believe Russia (at 28 percent) and the United States (at 24 percent) are very likely to have attempted to influence elections in this century.

Fewer respondents feel the same way about other countries, with the United Kingdom suggested as a possible source of interference polled at 13 percent, France at 10 percent, and Germany at 9 percent.

Seventy-two percent said Canada should follow Australia, which recently enacted a suite of laws designed to criminalize or comprehensively limit foreign interference efforts, said the release.

These laws criminalize covert and deceptive or threatening activities by persons intending to interfere with Australias democratic systems and processes, or to support the intelligence activities of a foreign government, it said.

Canadians of all political stripes believe the country should enact tougher laws to shield against foreign interference, Mario Canseco, president of Research Co., said in a news release. Sizeable majorities of Canadians who supported the Liberals (80%), the New Democrats (75%) and the Conservatives (73%) in the 2021 federal election are in agreement.

Tara MacIsaac contributed to this report.
US Auto Safety Regulator Investigating Tesla After Two Steering Wheels Fell Off

Auto safety regulators have begun investigating Teslas Model Y SUVs after a pair of owners reported their steering wheels were not properly secured to the steering column and could come off.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) published a report (pdf) on Wednesday revealing the two Model Y SUVs were delivered to their owners without the retaining bolt that secures the steering wheel to the steering column. The ODI said the steering wheels were attached to the steering column with a friction fit, but that the friction fit eventually came loose while the vehicles were in use. The ODI said both recorded instances of steering wheel detachments occurred while the SUVs had low mileage.

The ODI is now investigating all Model Ys from the 2023 model year. The probe potentially impacts about 120,000 vehicles.

In one complaint filed with the NHTSA, an owner said he was driving with his family on Route 1 in Woodbridge, New Jersey, when the steering wheel suddenly came off on Jan. 29, five days after the vehicle was purchased. The owner wrote that there were no cars behind him, and he was able to pull toward a road divider while avoiding any injuries.

The owner of that vehicle shared photos and a video on Twitter, showing the detached steering wheel and the Model Y being towed away. In a subsequent tweet thread, the Tesla owner revealed that he initially received a $104 repair bill to reattach the steering wheel, but the service center later dismissed the charges for the owner.

The Tesla owner then said he lost trust in the electric car company and asked for a full refund. Tesla responded that it doesnt have a return policy, but agreed to replace his vehicle with a new one and the owner said he was given a loaner Model Y while he waited for the new vehicle to be delivered.

Detached steering wheels are rare in the auto industry, but not unprecedented. In February, for example, Nissan recalled about 1,000 Ariya electric vehicles because the wheels could come off of the steering column due to a loose bolt.

Tesla Safety Concerns

The NHTSA investigation for steering wheel-detachment issues on the 2023 Model Y is one of several recent safety concerns impacting the electric car company.

Since January 2022, Tesla has issued 20 recalls. Many of the recalls have focused on Teslas self-driving software. Tesla has fielded test versions of partial and fully self-driving software.

The NHTSA has sent investigators to 35 Tesla crashes in which automated systems are believed to have contributed to the accident. Nineteen people died in those crashes.

Last month, the NHTSA issued what it described as a recall, calling for a software update for about 362,000 Tesla vehicles programmed with beta self-driving software after determining the self-driving software allowed vehicles to exceed speed limits or travel through intersections in an unlawful or unpredictable manner that it said increases the risk of a crash.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk criticized the NHTSAs recall notice for the vehicle software update that could be done remotely, stating in a tweet: The word recall for an over-the-air software update is anachronistic and just flat wrong!

Tesla has a long-running argument with a safety advocacy group called the Dawn Project, which ran a series of videos of self-driving Tesla vehicles running into child-sized mannequins and appearing to commit other moving violations. The Dawn Project even spent about $600,000 to run a compilation of some of these videos as a Super Bowl commercial. Tesla has called into question the authenticity of these videos and issued a cease and desist letter to the Dawn Project last summer.

NTD News reached out to Tesla for comment, but the company did not respond before this article was published.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

From NTD News.
In the first study to systematically examine the public investments in mRNA vaccines, researchers have found that the U.S. government was substantially invested in mRNA vaccine technology before the COVID pandemic.

Published in the British Medical Journal on March 1, the study found that the government invested $31.9 billion in mRNA vaccines and technologies between 1985 and 2022, of which at least $337 million was invested pre-pandemic.

The government also paid $31.6 billion during the pandemic for vaccine research, production, and vaccines for all Americans, as well as for global donations.

The vast pool of funding has netted Moderna and Pfizer over $100 billion in revenue from sales of COVID-19 vaccines since their launch, an amount 20 times greater than the total budget of the World Health Organization (WHO) for 2020-21.

Pfizers headquarters in New York City in a file image. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

Altogether, the researchers identified 34 National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants that were directly related to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

They also identified contracts issued by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the Department of Defense.

[This is] the largest public investment for a disease ever, Hussain Lalani, a fellow at Harvard Medical School and lead author of the study said.

Since support from other countries, foundations, or companies was not included, the study likely underestimated the total pre-pandemic investment. Nevertheless, the researchers believe it provides a robust yet conservative estimate.

A sign for a COVID-19 vaccination clinic run by Vancouver Coastal Health in Richmond, B.C., on April 10, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward)

In a linked editorial, Yale School of Medicine sociologist and physician Dr. Victor Roy says the vaccine development serves as a cautionary tale of a system in which the risks of pursuing innovation were socialised, while the lions share of rewards became privatized to corporate shareholders.

He instead recommended alternative innovation strategies such as directionality, conditionality, and public options.

These alternatives would enable governments to translate public investments more fully in the service of public healtha fundamental priority as we examine our response to this pandemic and prepare for the next, he concludes.

Vaccine Questions

While the WHO has advised that mRNA vaccines have met the necessary criteria for safety and efficacy, questions have increasingly been raised about the technology used, adverse events, the gene therapy nature of the mRNA shots, and lingering spike protein.

Syringes and vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be administered at a drive-up vaccination site from Renown Health in Reno, Nev., on Dec. 17, 2020. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Investors such as Bill Gates have more recently withdrawn their support of companies behind mRNA vaccines for COVID-19.

In 2019, Bill Gates invested $55 million in BioNtech, which developed the COVID-19 vaccine for Pfizer. It is now worth $550 million. A significant proponent of mRNA technology, Gates called the mRNA shots game changers.

After his profits multiplied, Gates sold some of the stock at the end of 2021, while criticizing the COVID-19 jabs, stating they dont block infection, arent effective against variants, and have a very short duration.

The current vaccines are not infection-blocking, Gates told the Hill.

Theyre not broadso when new variants come up, you lose protectionand they have a very short duration, particularly in the people who matter, which are old people.
US Must Help Japan, Taiwan Boost War Preparedness To Counter Heightened China Threat: Experts

(LR) NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi wait to sign the U.S.Japan Space Cooperation Framework Agreement in Washington on Jan. 13, 2023. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

News Analysis

The Chinese threat has heightened the need for collective defense operations between the United States, Japan, and Taiwan.

However, the Taiwanese and Japanese armies are particularly ill-equipped for war, according to geo-strategists. Experts say the United States should support the two countries in order to resolve internal problems and establish competent joint operations.

The Japanese and Taiwanese militaries rank eighth and 23rd in global military strength, according to Global Fire Power, an analytical portal. While the United States leads the ranking, it is followed by Russia and Chinatwo strategic allies who have recently stepped up collaborative military exercises.

Expert: Money, Manpower, Respect for Military Needed

Grant Newsham is a senior fellow with the Center for Security Policy, and a research fellow at the Japan Forum for Strategic Studies. He spoke with The Epoch Times via email.

While Japan has a good military on paper, it is unprepared for war, Newsham said. Meanwhile, Taiwan has a Galapagos military, which has languished in isolation for decades.

The two militaries need more money, manpower, respect for military service, Newsham stressed.

Beginning this year, the United States has taken steps to boost military alliances in the Indo-pacific. Those steps include more U.S. troops on the island of Okinawa, enabling the allies to enhance anti-ship capabilities that would be needed in the event of a Chinese incursion into Taiwan.

On Feb. 28, the House select committee on China held its first hearing, in which lawmakers expressed concerns about a $19 billion backlog in State Department-approved arms sales to Taiwan.

Taiwan also awaits the delivery of 66 F-16 fighter jets. The Block 70 F-16s, manufactured by Lockheed Martin and equipped with capabilities that make them the most advanced 4th generation fighters available, are slated to be delivered by the end of 2026.

Meanwhile, however, the threats of war are getting louder, as Taiwans air force faces increasingly aggressive Chinese military flights.

Taiwans Foreign Ministry Department of North American Affairs Director-General Douglas Hsu (R) welcomes U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) at Songshan Airport in Taipei, Taiwan, on Aug. 14, 2022. (Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout via Reuters)

United States Must Lead

Both the United States and Japan have said they will defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack. However, they havent specified how they will address the immediate internal challenges facing the Taiwanese and Japanese militaries. Those challenges include policies, capacities, and war preparedness.

Despite the threat facing them, Japan and Taiwan have not yet made sufficient efforts to collectively reinforce deterrence and improve their ability to contribute to the common defense.

Geo-strategists believe the impending situation cannot be resolved without America taking the lead in this regard.

The U.S. needs to fight against China in the front line. If the U.S. stays at the back  and asks Japan and Taiwan to fight, theyll not fight, Dr. Satoru Nagao, a non-resident research fellow with the Washington-based Hudson Institute, told The Epoch Times. For leadership to be effective, the leader fights in the front, Nagao said.

According to the current plan, Nagao said, Japan will increase its defense budget by 56 percent over the next five years. However, China has increased [its budget] more, he said. Without cooperation with other countries, Japan alone cannot prepare enough budget to counter the Chinese threat.

That makes building joint operational capacity with the United States extremely important for Japan, Nagao said.

Newsham said it is important for the Americans to sit down with the JSDF [Japan self-defense forces] and TAF [Taiwan Armed Force] and systematically state what is needed  what the Americans will do and what the Japanese and the Taiwanese will do.

The Peoples Liberation Army comes ashore from landing crafts in an exercise on the Chinese coast near Taiwan, on Sept. 10, 1999. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Challenges for Taiwans Military

Taiwan is aware of the threat it faces. However, it has urgent issues to resolve, say experts.

Taiwan faces challenges due to a decreasing birth rate. The islands population fell for the first time in 2020 and its military intake in 2022 was the lowest in a decade, according to a December CNN report.

Abhishek Darbey, a research fellow with the New Delhi-based Center for China Analysis and Strategy, told The Epoch Times in an email that Taiwans military strength is weak compared to that of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA). Its compulsory military service is too short and the training for the reserve force is not rigorous, Darbey said.

On paper, Taiwan has over a million reserve forces, but reservists consider it something of a joke, according to Newsham. And civilian leaders dont consider it important enough to devote the requisite time and resources, he said.

A proper reserve can be a huge force multiplier and cause an invader all sorts of problemsand possibly even deter an invader from attacking. Part of the problem with Taiwan is that the active force is starved for funds and manpower, so it doesnt really have the time or resources to devote to a reserve force, said Newsham.

Newsham said the Taiwanese military also lacks imaginative defense concepts which will be critical in a fight with the PLA. In technical terms, this means Taiwan needs a mobile, hard to locate and hit force, equipped with long-range precision weapons, serious air-defense systems, smart marine mines, combat drones, and even the ability to take the fight to the Chinese mainland.

Darbey said that the Taiwanese army must further strengthen its military capabilities in terms of modern warfare, with informatized and intelligentized weapons systems.

The use of AI [artificial intelligence] and drones will play a key role in the future military operations and in the case of Taiwan, the PLA will use their intelligent weapons without the use of personnel. This will also help the PLA to ensure that there are not many casualties in any possible operation in Taiwan, which is a concern for the people on the mainland, said Darbey.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen visits army reservist troops during a training in Nanshipu, Taiwan, on March 12, 2022. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

Breaking Taiwans Isolation

Diplomatic ambiguity around Taiwans status as an independent nation has created many challenges for joint operations. Experts say this must be overcome.

Newsham alleged that Taiwan is facing the consequences of 40-plus years of isolation. He feels that the United States has not engaged meaningfully with Taiwans armed forces. As a result, they have not advanced as they should have.

Why have the Americans isolated Taiwan? [They were] afraid the PRC might complain. [Its] hard to win if thats your mind set. And demoralizing to our supposed friends, the Taiwanese, said Newsham.

Darbey said the United States should shun strategic ambiguity, instead adopting strategic clarity regarding its possible military intervention against any PLA operation in Taiwan. It should also increase its military presence in the Taiwan Strait.

However, Japan needs policy backing to help Taiwan, he said. Japan is still considering enacting its own version of the Taiwan Relations Act to legally guarantee its support for Taiwan.

The Taiwan Relations Act is a U.S. law that reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the preservation of the human rights of the Taiwanese people.

Soldiers takes part in the Han Kuang military drills simulating a Chinese military invasion, at Ching Chuan Kang Air Base, in Taichung, Taiwan, on June 7, 2018. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Japanese Military: Undermanned, Underfunded

Due to a low birth rate and aging population, the Japanese army is also facing low recruitment. This impedes its desired military buildup.

Japan has other problems that seek urgent solutions, say geo-strategists.

Newsham feels the JSDF are undermanned, underfunded, and have not seen warfighting as a real mission until recently. That also creates a huge psychological gap when a military isnt thinking about warfighting as it should, he said.

Service in the JSDF is not a respected profession in Japan because of low salaries, tiny pensions, few benefits, substandard housing, and little help for military families, he said.

Newsham complained that the JSDF services cannot even do joint operations in a planned, coordinated fashion involving the nations territorial army, air force, and navy. Japan also lacks war stocks, casualty planning, and the full range of logistics and support required to fight a war.

Nagao said that building up the internal resources of the Taiwanese and Japanese militaries, along with bolstering their joint operational capacity, is something none of these countriesincluding the United Statescan avoid in todays context.

In particular, to defend Taiwan, Japan is vital, he said.

U.S. Army Pacific Commanding General Charles A. Flynn shakes hands with Japans Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi in Tokyo, Japan, on Sept. 9, 2022. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Joint Operational Headquarters

Experts say the United States, Japan, and Taiwan should establish a joint operational headquarters.

Newsham believes the need is urgent, and should at least start with the United States and Japan. That [a joint operational headquarters] doesnt exist after 60-plus years of the defense alliance, is atrocious, he said.

However, Nagao said, a joint headquarters between the three is not easy to accomplish, given the One China policy of the United States. According to a Center for Strategic and International Studies explainer, the United States recognizes the PRC [Peoples Republic of China] as the sole legal government of China but only acknowledges the Chinese position that Taiwan is part of China.

The policy has held since 1979; however, the United States has not given in to Chinese demands that it recognize Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan: hence the term acknowledge as opposed to recognize.

Under such a situation, even if Japan and the U.S. know that Taiwan is an independent country, they cannot establish joint headquarters like [they could in] a sovereign nation, said Nagao.

Despite it being a challenging goal, a joint headquarters remains the best approach, said Nagao. Even if [a] joint headquarters is difficult to achieve, we should enhance [our] cooperation and create a similar solution, he said.
US Warns of Civil Unrest in South Africa; Business Leaders Predict Arab Spring

JOHANNESBURGPolitical analysts and diplomats in South Africa say that relations between the African National Congress (ANC) government and officials in Washington are deteriorating quickly.

A measure making its way through the U.S. House of Representatives seeks a review of the Biden administrations relations with South Africa, in light of its recent military drills with Russia and China.

Now, the United States is warning of the possibility of civil unrest in South Africa, further angering President Cyril Ramaphosas administration. Officials in Pretoria are engaging with Washington about the alert, Communications Minister Mondli Gungubele says.

We do not have any information to indicate theres going to be any kind of civil unrest in our country. We will talk to our American partners because such alerts have the potential to cause serious problems in the country, he told The Epoch Times.

Analysts, civil society groups, opposition parties, and business leaders say that South Africa doesnt need the United States to create serious problems in the country; its own government is doing that for them.

The ANC has put us in big trouble, said Zwelinzima Vavi, general secretary of the powerful Southern African Federation of Trade Unions, which has millions of affiliated workers.

We are now a failed state, he told The Epoch Times. There are few countries right now in a worse state than South Africa; only war zones, maybe.

Once a staunch supporter of the ANC, Vavi now says hes fed up with decades of ruling party corruption, mismanagement, and incompetence.

When you have 82 people dying in your country every single day through violence; 135 women raped every single day; when people are being held up in their homes and robbed in broad daylight, and your criminal justice systems no longer capable of responding because its dysfunctional; when police say only 11 percent of people accused of rape are ever convicted  then your states no longer capable of defending its own citizens.

It cant even perform the most basic functions.

As Vavi noted, South Africa has some of the worlds worst crime numbers. Gangsters rule many communities.

The cost of living is spiraling, yet the government continues to increase the prices of services it often cant deliver, at the same time as its officials are implicated in corruption and other crimes. Long, daily electricity and water breakdowns are common.

The state itself has noted that almost 11 million young people who should be working cant find jobs, amid one of the worlds highest official unemployment rates, at 35 percent.

These are the conditions creating the extreme tension in the country, said Vavi, not foreign governments or what the ANC has often claimed are Third Forces.

South Africas third-largest political party, the ultra-leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led by Julius Malema, will spearhead a national shutdown on March 20.

While police minister Bheki Cele has warned protesters to stay within the parameters of the law, or face the might of the state, Malema told The Epoch Times that he and his party are unfazed.

Were not scared of state power. Let the state come with its power; well come with mass power. There will be no school, no university, no factory, no bus, and no taxi unless theyre taking protesters to the picket lines. South Africa will come to a standstill.

Malema said he would lead a march of thousands of citizens to the governments seat of power, Pretorias Union Buildings.

Well do this peacefully. Its our right. Let them try to stop us. They will not. If they want to violate our rights, theyll find us ready. No ones going to intimidate us. If Ramaphosa doesnt resign on March 20, then what will happen will be announced on March 20.

But it isnt only the United States or political firebrands such as Malema who are warning of possible tumult in Africas second-largest and most industrialized economy.

Busisiwe Mavuso, CEO of Business Leadership South Africa, told a recent forum in Johannesburg that the country could face mass action similar to the Arab Spring demonstrations that toppled governments in Tunisia and Egypt in 2011.

She says she fears for the future unless the government begins delivering proper services, repairs broken infrastructure, ceases corruption, creates employment, and curbs crime.

Mavusos public criticism of the ANC is rare for South Africas business community, which usually meets behind closed doors to vent concerns with the ruling party. But with profits declining rapidly, mostly because of ongoing power outages and a stagnant economic climate fomented by failed policies, top businesspeople are ignoring protocol and breaking ranks.

One of Africas richest individuals, investment banker Rob Hersov, recently participated in a march to Luthuli House, the ANCs headquarters, in Johannesburg. The son of a mining magnate returned to South Africa six years ago, after establishing businesses across the globe, and partnering with media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, among others.

Im standing here today because Im not afraid of those criminals in Luthuli House, who have stolen your future! Hersov bellowed into a megaphone during the protest. All South Africans, stand together and rid this country of the biggest disgrace on the African continent, the ANC!

He then led the crowd in a chant: ANC voetsek! Voetsek! Voetsek! (Voetsek is a strong Afrikaans word that means Go away!)

Hersov told The Epoch Times that hes heartbroken by what the ANC is doing to his homeland, with services in cities and towns crumbling.

I love this country. I love South Africa; Im a patriot! he said. I spent 31 years overseas. My New Zealand wife and I have decided were not leaving; were going to stay and help fix this country. But to do that, we all have to rid ourselves of the ANC.

Hersov says criticism of Ramaphosa and the ANC is useful only when its backed by action and solutions. So, he said, hell be doing his best leading up to next years elections to convince people to vote according to what they see in front of them.

I think the next phase of my life is to focus on helping South Africans by saying and doing what other South Africans cant afford to say and do.

Hersov said exercising democratic rights is the only path to freedom from ANC hegemony.

Its very easy to say, as most businessmen do in this country: We do a lot of behind-the-scenes discussions, we work through councils and organizations. We have private meetings with Cyril Ramaphosa; he promises to do the right thing. Its a complete waste of time!

Instead of just talking and hoping for the best, Hersov said, hell be funding campaigns encouraging people to vote. Successive elections in South Africa have resulted in record-low voter turnouts.

Hersov is convinced that the ANC is panicking ahead of the 2024 elections because its corruption is obvious, and its the party that destroyed the national power regulator Eskom. An infrastructure meltdown means that Eskom is forced to ration electricity through a process it calls load-shedding, which leaves South Africans in the dark for 4 to 12 hours every day, and sometimes longer.

Hersov said hes sick of the ANCs failure to take any responsibility for the giant stuff-ups it creates.

So what the ANC governments trying to do is say, We must all get together to fix load-shedding. They created load-shedding! Jacob Zuma has the reputation of being the most corrupt, useless president weve ever had. But Cyril will be the president who let the lights go out in this country. Hes a huge failure.

Alan Pullinger, CEO of FirstRand, one of South Africas largest financial corporations, was next in line to criticize the administration.

Speaking to shareholders on March 2, he said the ANCs open support for Russia could have extremely negative consequences for the country, which benefits far more from trade with and investment from the USA, UK, and Europe than from Russia.

Pullinger said some of South Africas major trading partners are voicing increasing concern about the governments close relationship with Moscow.

He reminded the ANC that the countrys banking sector, and this includes our central bank, crucially relies on access to the US dollar, global clearing and settlement, which is a privilege and can be revoked at any time. For all of these reasons, FirstRand does not share [the] governments enthusiasm for Russia.

Meanwhile, Ramaphosas Cabinet reshuffle on March 6 would serve only to frustrate citizens further, said Sandile Swana, a governance and risk analysis expert.

The president retained ministers implicated in corruption and other financial crimes and added one more, a minister of electricity, tasked with ending the energy crisis, but whos a personal friend of Ramaphosas, and not the electricity generation expert hed promised earlier. Hes also accused of awarding irregular contracts when he was a city mayor.
A 31-year-old Williams man accused of sexually assaulting a woman while she was sleeping has been found guilty in Coconino County Superior Court  despite his claims that he was sleepwalking when the crime occurred.

Following New Years Eve festivities in the early morning hours of January 1, 2020  Robert Puga attempted to have oral sex with a 20-year-old woman who had fallen asleep on a friends couch.

Prior to that night Puga had expressed romantic interest in the victim  asking her out on two dates that she would testify were friendly but didnt result in so much as a kiss. The victim ultimately told Puga she did not want to pursue a romantic relationship with him.

Appearing in court to offer testimony, the victim described Pugas response to her initial rejection. She told the court he called her a tease and claimed she had wasted his time. She reacted by blocking his account on the instant messaging app the two used to communicate.

The next time the victim saw Puga, it was New Years Eve.

On the night of the assault, the victim had attended a house party themed to ring in the roaring '20s. At the partys conclusion, the victim, who was underage, snuck into the back entrance of a bar in Williams.

Puga spotted her and bought her a purple cocktail. The two talked, but left the bar separately  the victim had to work the next morning, and went back to her friends house to get some rest.

Later, Puga arrived at that same house, uninvited, and went upstairs.

A friend of the victims had burst into the room as the assault was occurring. She described what she saw to the jury, a story that lined up with the victims: Puga had his pants down, saying he was looking for his phone and that the victim was trippin'.

Another witness told the court Puga had expressed sexual interest in the victim earlier that same night.

One of the points brought up throughout the trial was the general "party atmosphere" that surrounded the night up until that point. People were playing beer pong, drinking from beer funnels, enjoying cocktails and generally engaging in celebratory behavior to toast the New Year.

Testimony, senior prosecutor Jonathan Mosher said, was occasionally fuzzy. On the night of the assault, the victim had been drinking. The defendant had been drinking. Many of the witnesses had been drinking.

Still, there was clarity in the victims voice and in her testimony as she described her horror in waking to the assault. She provided vivid detail in describing the things she saw and smelled and felt.

Puga, for his part, was absent from the courtroom. He was not present when the victim testified, nor was he present the day the verdict was delivered.

Still, Pugas attorney worked to establish that the defendant had not knowingly assaulted anyone. He had been completely asleep, they argued, and suffered from a condition called sexsomnia  meaning Puga engaged in sexual behaviors unconsciously, while asleep.

The prosecution brought a different possibility and an equally unusual term to the court. They presented a case that Puga might have somnophilia  meaning he experiences at least some degree of attraction to sleeping, and therefore non-consenting women.

Puga had pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a woman years prior to the New Years Eve incident. The woman had also been sleeping at the time.

She took the stand last week to tell her story, for the limited purpose of establishing a pattern of behavior on the part of the defendant.

The defenses case hinged on the testimony of clinical psychologist Dr. Richard Samuels. Samuels diagnosed Puga with the rare sleep arousal disorder sexsomnia.

Samuels is not an expert in sexsomnia, but the defense maintained such an expert would be hard to find given the conditions relatively recent entry into discussions of sleepwalking and parasomnias.

Sexsomnia did not appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) until 2013. That was the year Samuels testified as an expert witness in the Jodi Arias trial -- she was convicted of first-degree murder after she shot, stabbed and slashed the throat of her ex-boyfriend Travis Alexander at his home in Mesa.

Samuels was an important witness in Arias trial, after diagnosing her with amnesia brought on by trauma. Initially, Arias had told Samuels that masked men broke into her ex-boyfriends Valley home and murdered Alexander and that her presence during the crime had been the source of trauma.

Later, Samuels would testify that Arias had lied to him, but that her actions in murdering her former lover could have also accounted for her amnesia.

During the tumultuous and at times torrid Arias trial, Samuels was on the stand for several days.

Paid roughly $300 an hour for work as an expert witness this time, Samuels appeared in Coconino County Superior Court to offer shorter testimony, via Zoom.

On cross-examination, Mosher did not hesitate to bring up Samuels' testimony in the Arias trial  pointing out that he had been lied to by a patient before, and was perhaps susceptible to being lied to again.

Samuels testified that he arrived at the sexsomnia diagnosis based on two anecdotes from Pugas friends and family establishing a history of sleepwalking. Samuels maintained he couldnt confirm the diagnosis without a sleep study, which was not conducted. The psychologist told the jury it was possible Puga had sexsomnia not because it had been confirmed, but because the diagnosis hadnt been ruled out.

The prosecution made the case that Samuels was not an expert in sleep disorders or sleep science at all. What he is an expert in, psychology, allowed him to determine that Puga had alcohol abuse disorder and anti-social personality disorder  based on tests Samuels himself had administered.

It was those diagnoses, augmented by a PowerPoint presentation rehashing the poignant testimony of people who saw and heard Puga that night, that Mosher used to firmly assert Pugas guilt.

Puga was ultimately found guilty of sexual assault Friday. In Arizona, sexual assault is a class two felony  Puga could face anywhere from five years to a life sentence in prison.
Former Liberal Cabinet Minister Marc Garneau Resigning From House of Commons

Then Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau speaks during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland, on May 19, 2021. (Pool Photo via AP/Saul Loeb)

Liberal MP and former federal cabinet minister Marc Garneau will be resigning his seat in the House of Commons after spending 15 years in politics.

Garneau represents the Montreal constituency of Notre-Dame-de-GraceWestmount and was first elected to the House in 2008.

He served as the federal transport minister for about five years prior to briefly serving as the foreign affairs minister in 2021.

Garneau has not yet given a reason for his resignation but told reporters in Ottawa on March 8 that he will be making a speech about it in the House later in the day.

He also said he wanted to withhold details about his resignation from the press prior to speaking about it with his caucus colleagues out of respect.

Garneau also told reporters he would be available to the media following question period in the House on March 8.

Prior to serving in politics, Garneau was one of the first six Canadian astronauts and he became the first Canadian to ever fly to space in 1984.

He also led the Canadian Space Agency from 2001 to 2005.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
FTC Orchestrated Aggressive Campaign to Harass Twitter After Elon Musk Takeover: House Panel

Musk attends the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars in Gruenheide, Germany, on March 22, 2022. (Patrick Pleul/Pool via Reuters)

The House panel investigating the weaponization of the federal government said Tuesday the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has orchestrated an aggressive campaign to harass Twitter as part of its unusual response to Elon Musks acquisition of the social network.

The Committee on the Judiciary and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government released an interim report highlighting the FTCs apparent overreach in making more than 350 specific demands for information within a period of less than three months after Musk took the helm.

According to the report, the federal agency inundated Twitter with demands to reveal information about hiring and firing decisions and every internal communication relating to Elon Musk.

Particularly concerning for the panel, the FTC wanted the names of journalists who were granted access to internal Twitter files during their work to expose abuses by Big Tech and the federal government.

Among others, the FTC sent over 60 letters demanding information about Twitters subscription product alone. The agency also demanded to know if Twitter was selling its office equipment and all of the reasons why former FBI official Jim Baker was fired.

These demands have no basis in the FTCs statutory mission and appear to be the result of partisan pressure to target Twitter and silence Musk, the report states (pdf).

The committee said it recently obtained dozens of nonpublic FTC letters to Twitter, which it noted fall directly within its authority to investigate and report on instances of the federal governments authority being weaponized against U.S. citizens.

The U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 1, 2023. (Stefani Reynolds/ AFP via Getty Images)

Demands for Journalists Names Inappropriate

The House committees report criticizes the FTCs demand for information about journalists, calling it inappropriate in any setting.

The report emphasizes that the FTCs campaign to harass Twitter could have a chilling effect on the ability of journalists to report on matters of public interest and calls for greater protection of First Amendment rights.

After journalist Matt Taibbi published the first installment of the Twitter Files, exposing a government-Big Tech censorship machine, the FTC sent its first letter to Twitter.

The panels report notes it was telling that the FTCs first demand did not concern what private user information may have been at risk.

Instead, the FTC demanded that Twitter [i]dentify all journalists and other members of the media to whom Twitter has granted access to since Musk bought the company.

The FTC named the journalists involved in the initial disclosures, including Bari Weiss, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, and Abigail Shrier.

The agency also demanded to know any other members of the media to whom You have granted any type of access to the Companys internal communications for any reason whatsoever, according to the report.

There is no reason the FTC needs to know every journalist with whom Twitter was engaging. Even more troubling than the burden on the company, the FTCs demand represents a government inquiry into First Amendment-protected activity, the report states.

It is an agency of the federal government demanding that a private company reveal the names of the journalists who are engaged in reporting about matters of public interest, including potential government misconduct, the report continues. While the FTCs inquiry would be inappropriate in any setting, it is especially inappropriate in the context of journalists disclosing how social media companies helped the government to censor online speech.

Musk responded on Twitter regarding reports about the federal agencys request for the names of journalists.

This is a serious attack on the Constitution by a federal agency, Musk said.

A Twitter logo hangs outside the companys offices in San Francisco on Dec. 19, 2022. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)

Politically Motivated Left Wing Pressure

The FTC used its consent decree with Twitter as a pretext to harass the social network and received pressure from left-wing individuals and groups, according to the report. That consent agreement, which was later revised, acts as a safeguard of users personal information.

In 2022, before Musks takeover, FTC Chair Lina Khan assured the Judiciary Committee that the agency acts only in the public interest and is confined by its statutory authority, the report states.

However, the nonpublic information obtained by the House panel disputes this.

Citing its revised consent agreement, the FTC began its barrage of demands just two weeks after Musk became the CEO in October 2022.

The day it fired off its first letters, the agency said publicly that it was tracking recent developments at Twitter with deep concern and warned that the revised consent order gives us new tools to ensure compliance, and we are prepared to use them.

The report notes that the timing of the FTCs actions strongly suggests that its reliance on the consent decree is a pretext. The report notes that Musk became CEO of Twitter on Oct. 27, 2022, and that the FTC sent its first two letters with over a dozen demands on Nov. 10, 2022.

However, under the terms of the revised consent agreement, which formed the pretext of the FTCs actions, Twitter was not required to implement its new privacy and information security program until Nov. 22, 2022.

In other words, the FTC started this heavy-handed compliance monitoring two weeks after Musk acquired Twitter, but two weeks before there was even a program in place to monitor, the report states.

The report states that left-wing individuals and groups pressured the federal government to take action, citing their objections to Musks stated intentions to make Twitter a bastion of free speech on the internet.

Among the left-wing groups vocal in their objections to Musks purchase of Twitter was an organization called Open Markets Institute, where FTC Chair Khan once worked.

This organization, described in the report as a left-wing political advocacy group, wrote to the FTC specifically urging it to use its consent agreement as a vehicle to attempt to thwart Musks efforts to reorient the company toward his free speech goals, the report states.

The strong inference from these facts is that Twitters rediscovered focus on free speech is being met with politically motivated attempts to thwart Elon Musks goals, the report states.

The FTCs demands did not occur in a vacuum. They appear to be the result of loud voices on the leftincluding elected officialsurging the federal government to intervene in Musks acquisition and management of the company, the report continues. The FTCs harassment of Twitter is likely due to one fact: Musks self-described absolutist commitment to free expression in the digital town square.

In a statement to The Epoch Times, an FTC spokesperson defended its investigation into Twitters compliance with the consent decree.

Protecting consumers privacy is exactly what the FTC is supposed to do, the spokesperson said. It should come as no surprise that career staff at the commission are conducting a rigorous investigation into Twitters compliance with a consent order that came into effect long before Mr. Musk purchased the company.
White House Addresses Security Situation in Mexico After 2 of 4 Kidnapped Americans Killed

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on March 3, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

The Biden administration is continuing to work with the Mexican government after a group of four U.S. citizens were kidnapped in Matamoros, Mexico, last week, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Two of the four Americans were killed while the other two were safely recovered. The four Americans who were kidnapped last week were identified as Latavia Tay McGee, Shaeed Woodard, Zindell Brown, and Eric James Williams. During the press briefing, Jean-Pierre did not specify which of the four Americans were killed and which had been recovered alive. At least one of the two individuals who had survived the kidnapping had been injured.

The U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have all been working in collaboration with Mexican authorities following the kidnapping incident, the White House said.

Matamoros is just across the U.S.-Mexico border, in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The State Department has issued a Level 4 Do Not Travel advisory for the northern Mexican state, on account of the high prevalence of violent crimes and kidnappings. The department currently provides a state-by-state summary of the safety conditions in Mexico.

Heavily armed members of criminal groups often patrol areas of the state and operate with impunity particularly along the border region from Reynosa to Nuevo Laredo, the State Department travel advisory for Tamaulipas reads. In these areas, local law enforcement has limited capacity to respond to incidents of crime.

The U.S. warning also says U.S. government employees may only travel within a limited radius around and between the U.S. Consulates in Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros, their homes, the respective U.S. Ports of Entry, and limited downtown sites, subject to an overnight curfew.

Biden Admin Stance on Cartels

The White House said the Biden administration has been focused on combatting cartels like the one that likely kidnapped these four Americans.

Since day one of this administration, we have been focused on disrupting transnational criminal organizations, including Mexican drug cartels and human smugglers, Jean-Pierre said.

Former President Donald Trump previously indicated he would designate Mexican drug cartels as terror organizations and help the Mexican government wage war on them after three women and six children of dual U.S.-Mexican nationality were killed in an ambush in northern Mexico in November 2019. In January of this year, Trump said he would use the full force of the U.S. military against the cartels if he wins the presidency again in 2024.

From NTD News
White House Rules Out Designating Mexican Cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations

The Biden administration on Wednesday ruled out designating Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations following the kidnapping of four Americans that led to two deaths near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Designating these cartels as [foreign terrorist organizations] would not grant us any additional authorities that we dont really have at this time, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a news briefing with reporters. The United States has powerful sanctions authorities specifically designated to combat narcotics trafficking organizations and the individuals and entities that enable them. So, we have not been afraid to use them.

The White House is in touch with the families of American citizens who were kidnapped or killed in Mexico in a high-profile international incident that drew the response of the FBI and top Mexican law enforcement, said Jean-Pierre.

In a Wednesday briefing, Jean-Pierre said the administration has spoken with the families of the victims but did not offer many details. Its not clear if President Joe Biden personally spoke with the families.

We will do everything in our power to identify, find, and hold accountable the individuals responsible for this attack, and we continue to work in coordination with the Mexican government, she said. The U.S. Treasury Department, she added, has sanctioned Mexican firms and individuals in connection with the drug trade and cartels in recent months.

In October 2022 and last month, the agency sanctioned members of the powerful Sinaloa cartel who are allegedly part of the organizations fentanyl and methamphetamine trade. The agency last week targeted Mexican companies linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG, with fresh sanctions, according to a news release.

CJNG in some areas has become heavily engaged in timeshare fraud, which often targets U.S. citizens, the department said. This crime, which can defraud victims of their life savings, results in another significant revenue stream for the cartel and strengthens its overall criminal enterprise. Todays action exposes this CJNG scheme and also serves as a warning to potential victims, many of whom are elderly.

Jean-Pierres response about the Biden administrations strategies targeting cartels came in the wake of a violent incident that occurred in Matamoros, Mexico, which is located just south of Brownsville, Texas. Four Americans were kidnapped and two of them were killed after they crossed the border for reported medical treatment, according to U.S. and Mexican authorities.

A woman is carried to the back of a white pickup truck in this still image obtained from social media video that allegedly shows the kidnapping of Americans in Matamoros, Mexico, on March 3, 2023. (Video obtained by Reuters)

Several U.S. agencies, including the FBI and State Department, issued alerts after the four were kidnapped by armed individuals. The four Americans minivan crashed and was fired on shortly after they crossed into the border city of Matamoros last Friday as drug cartel factions tore through the streets, the regions governor said.

They were found Tuesday in a wooden shack, guarded by a man who was arrested, in a rural area east of Matamoros called Ejido Tecolote on the way to the gulf called Bagdad Beach, according to the states chief prosecutor, Irving Barrios.

The surviving Americans were whisked back to U.S. soil on Tuesday in Brownsville, the southernmost tip of Texas and just across the border from Matamoros. The convoy of ambulances and SUVs was escorted by Mexican military Humvees and National Guard trucks with mounted machine guns.

A relative of one of the victims said Monday that the four had traveled together from the Carolinas so one of them could get a tummy tuck surgery from a doctor in Matamoros.

The governor said the wounded American, Eric Williams, had been shot in the left leg and the injury was not life threatening. Its quite a relief, said Robert Williams, 38-year-old Erics brother. I look forward to seeing him again and actually being able to talk to him. Williams said he not sure if the other survivor, Latavia Burgess, was the one seeking the surgery.

A family member of one of the slain Americans, Zindell Brown, had expressed concerns about going to Mexico for the procedure. Brown repeatedly told the others that we shouldnt go down, his sister told news outlets.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
White House Strongly Disagrees With Calling Jan. 6 Protesters Peaceful Tourists

A large group of protesters stand on the East steps of the U.S. Capitol after breaching its grounds in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

New security footage of the Jan. 6 Capitol breach that aired Monday on Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight has left many, including Carlson himself, questioning the Biden administrations depiction of the incident as an insurrection.

But while Carlson felt most of the Capitol protesters would be more accurately described as reverent tourists, the White House put forth a different perspective on Tuesday.

Anybody who watched that video would strongly disagree, said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at a March 7 press briefing.

The president has been very clear. Jan. 6 was the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War, and we should be focused on making sure that never happens again.

Jean-Pierres comments tracked with those of Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was also asked by reporters for his reaction to the security footage on Tuesday.

So, I dont want to comment on any particular reports, Garland noted. I think all Americans saw what happened on Jan. 6, and most of us saw it as it was happening. It was a violent attack on a fundamental tenet of American democracythat power is peacefully transferred from one administration to another.

Over 100 officers were assaulted on that day, he added. Five officers died. We have charged more than 1,000 people with their crimes on that day and more than 500 have already been convicted. I think its very clear what happened on Jan. 6.

The footage in question challenged multiple prevailing narratives about Jan. 6, including the oft-repeated claim that U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Officer Brian Sicknick was slain by the mob of protesters.

The video we reviewed proves that is a lie, Carlson said in his Monday night report, showing footage of Sicknick walking around the Capitol, seemingly healthy, after the time he was reported to have been injured.

In April 2021, the Washington Medical Examiners Office ruled Sicknicks death to be due to natural causes from strokes he suffered on Jan. 7, 2021. No evidence of internal or external injuries was found, yet the examiners office told The Washington Post, All that transpired played a role in his condition.

Another topic Carlson homed in on was Jacob Chansley, the so-called QAnon Shaman who was sentenced to 41 months in prison for obstructing an official proceeding. According to the surveillance video, however, Chansley was peacefully escorted around the Capitol by police.

The footage shown was just a small excerpt of the thousands of hours of film to which the Fox News host was granted exclusive access by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). And while some have criticized the speakers decision to do so, former President Donald Trump did the opposite on Tuesday.

Great courage shown by Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy in releasing the surveillance footage to Tucker Carlson so that our Country, and indeed the World, can see what really went on during the January 6th events, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. A whole new, and completely opposite, picture has now been indelibly painted.

The Unselect Committee LIED, and should be prosecuted for their actions, he added. Nancy & Mitch were a disaster on Security. Thank you Kevin and Tucker. FREE AT LAST!!!
Why the Intel Leaks on Beijings Interference Are More Than Uncorroborated Reports

Senior government figures have attempted to downplay the significance of the leaks

News Analysis

Top federal officials have downplayed the quality of leaked intelligence on the Chinese regimes election interference in Canada, but a review of what has been reported shows that they are more than just uncorroborated sole-source observations.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Morrison told the Commons Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) on March 2 that there was no interference in recent elections and backed his position by saying disparate intelligence reports can be unreliable.

Attempts to downplay the validity of the leaked information have also been made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said on Feb. 23 that there are inaccuracies in those leaks.

During the PROC meeting, Trudeaus parliamentary secretary Greg Fergus called the leaks unverified or unconfirmed and asked the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) whether the leaks themselves constitute a form of foreign interference.

But the national security leaks reported in the media since November pertain to information collected from multiple sources, such as wiretaps, while some were in assessed form presented in briefings and memos to ministers.

Some of the information was reportedly solid enough that CSIS took the extraordinary step of warning Trudeaus team that a Liberal Party candidate was being supported by the Chinese regime in 2019.

Morrison, like other officials who testified, didnt comment on the leaks, but he described how information collected by security agencies rarely paints a full or concrete or actionable picture.

An example would be a report based on an uncorroborated source of unknown reliability. In laymans terms, I would call this a report based on rumour, he said.

Morrison was acting national security and intelligence adviser during the last election and hence sat on the panel of the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol (CEIPP), which was created by the Trudeau government in 2019 to look into issues of election integrity.

The panel is briefed by a task force of security agencies and has the duty to advise Canadians during a campaign if an incident threatens the integrity of the election. The panel issued no warning.

The Liberal government says it is cognizant of the issue of foreign interference but that it had no impact on the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.

How Reliable Are the Leaks?

In a Feb. 24 article, Global News identified Liberal MP Han Dong as a witting affiliate in Chinas election interference networks, an explosive revelation after months of news reports saying a number of federal candidates were supported by Beijing but without naming names.

Global reported that Trudeaus team chose to ignore the warning from CSIS and let Dong run as a candidate for the party in Torontos Don Valley North riding.

Trudeau has not directly commented on the allegations and instead suggested that concerns about Dong could be due to anti-Asian racism.

Dong, meanwhile, has called the reported leaks inaccurate and irresponsible. His statement doesnt include the words false or baseless, but he has said he rejects the insinuations in media reporting that allege I have played a role in offshore interference in these processes and will defend myself vigorously.

The MP hasnt responded to requests for comment by The Epoch Times.

The Global article said the allegations came from three sources with knowledge of the investigation into Dong. The investigation was conducted using surveillance, wiretaps, and reporting from human sources, which would improve the ability to corroborate the pieces of information coming in.

Dong also reportedly met with a senior official of the Chinese Communist Partys United Front Work Department (UFWD) in the state of New York in 2019.

If true, this could mean U.S. intelligence agencies such as the FBI and the CIA were likely aware of the activities. One possibility is that alleged CSIS investigations could have been launched after prompting by U.S. agencies.

However, CSIS could have been aware without receiving a tip from U.S. agencies, as sources told Global that Dong frequently called Chinese officials in Canada.

Such alleged strong links while being involved politically would raise red flags within the security apparatus, and a contact with the UFWDwhose fundamental purpose is to interfere in other countries affairswould increase the potential threat.

Other information leaked by Global News also did not pertain to single-source, uncorroborated, or unreliable reports.

The outlets first major piece on the issue of interference by the Chinese regime, published on Nov. 7, said the prime minister and cabinet members had been provided a series of briefings and memos on the issue beginning in January 2022.

The information being provided to high levels would typically be assessed beforehand, unless urgent, especially if provided months after the 2021 elections took place.

The briefing came from CSIS, Global reported, and related to Beijing providing money to federal candidates using intermediaries and placing agents in MPs offices.

Global News published another article on March 8, saying its aware of two intelligence reports from 2019 and 2022 that warn about the Chinese regime funnelling money to political candidates in Canada.

The article says one of them is a Special Report prepared by the Privy Council Office based on 100 CSIS intelligence reports and notes that it was finalized, suggesting that it was meant to be read by Trudeau and his senior staff.

The other one is said to be an unredacted report emanating from the security-cleared National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians. The committee reports to Trudeau and he announced on March 6 it would be tasked to again look into foreign interference in past elections.

Briefing Package

The Globe and Mail also published leaked information that came from the security apparatus.

In a Feb. 13 article, the outlet mentions a CSIS 2020 briefing package and that two national security sources said CSIS had warned Trudeaus team about dealings with former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister Michael Chan due to his alleged ties to Chinas consulate in Toronto.

Calling it a briefing package indicates the information was likely evaluated before being presented and was deemed reliable and serious enough to be provided to Trudeau.

Chan didnt respond to a previous Epoch Times request for comment, but he told the Globe that the allegations serve only to ignite xenophobia and cause continued, unwarranted and irreparable damage to my reputation and the safety of my family.

Other Globe reporting was said to have been drawn from classified CSIS documents that cover the period before and after the September 2021 election.

Drawn from a series of CSIS intelligence-gathering operations, the documents illustrate how an orchestrated machine was operating in Canada with two primary aims: to ensure that a minority Liberal government was returned in 2021, and that certain Conservative candidates identified by China were defeated, says a Feb. 17 article.
Will the Regulators Shut Down Twitter?

The sculpture "Man Controlling Trade" (1942) by New York sculptor Michael Lantz is seen outside of the Federal Trade Commission building in a file photo. (FTC.gov)

Commentary

How much affection does the ruling class have for the First Amendment? Not very much if any. Consider the mainstream medias response to Tucker Carlsons extended release of Jan. 6, 2021, footage that reveals that the simple-minded story told by the Democrats is false.

The picture we get is very different from what weve been told, but fits much better with my memory from that day when we were watching live streams. This wasnt a violent insurrection but a pro-Trump demonstration that took a very odd turn for reasons that are still unknown.

There was outrage in the Beltway and not at Carlsons opinions, but that he showed the frames that ended up on the cutting room floor. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer openly demanded that Carlson be silenced by Fox News. Why? The footage reveals that theyve been trying to manipulate the public for two solid years. Whatever the truth is about that day, it seems like the investigation conducted over two years wasnt about finding it but rather weaving an elaborate tale in order to crack down on dissent.

If that was the response to merely showing footage, what must they think about Twitter these days? Here we have the only major social media platform that tries to grant free-speech rights. Day after day, theres debate and information sharing. Contrary points of view arent throttled, and Twitter CEO Elon Musk apparently fired most of the FBI agents that were embedded there in the COVID years to push the government line.

It just so happens now that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has initiated an investigation. According to the Wall Street Journal:

The Federal Trade Commission has demanded Twitter Inc. turn over internal communications related to owner Elon Musk, as well as detailed information about layoffsciting concerns that staff reductions could compromise the companys ability to protect users, documents viewed by the Wall Street Journal show.

In 12 letters sent to Twitter and its lawyers since Mr. Musks Oct. 27 takeover, the FTC also asked the company to identify all journalists granted access to company records and to provide information about the launch of the revamped Twitter Blue subscription service, the documents show.

Identify all journalists? What in the world is going on? These people given access to old files were there to investigate the extent of the censorship and cooperation with federal authorities. What these Twitter files reveal is that every conspiracy theory turns out to be true.

For the FTC suddenly to launch this very aggressive probe smacks of open partisanship and intimidation, particularly of independent journalists, to say nothing of free enterprise.

What excuse do the regulators give?

We are concerned these staff reductions impact Twitters ability to protect consumers information, an FTC official wrote to Twitters lawyers on Nov. 10, 2022, following an initial wave of layoffs, according to a copy of the letter viewed by the Journal.

So there we have it: Any excuse will do. Its preposterous. The journalists were there to examine company operations, not customers. As journalist Matt Taibbi has said, This is particularly infuriating because while #TwitterFiles reporters neither asked for nor received access to private user data, the Files themselves are full of instances of government agencies improperly asking for the same.

As for the urgency of protecting consumers information, Facebook and Google put not protecting consumer information at the very core of their business models. Billions of users believed that they were signing on to share updates with friends, only to find as the years have gone on that the data we willingly provided them has been traded and shared globally and this happens daily.

The very idea that the FTC is looking to protect your data is preposterous. Whats really at issue is the regulators extreme annoyance that three-quarters of the employees were tossed out, and these firings, in particular, targeted employees who werent creating value for shareholders and customers.

Elon did this to save the company from bankruptcy. But the FTC would rather see a bankrupt company than one that the government doesnt control entirely.

Oh, yes, and speaking of customers here, anyone on the non-woke side of political discussions had their accounts throttled hard before Musk took over. Many of these accounts of various influencers depend on reach for their business models or branding. Where was the FTC then? How come the regulators didnt come to the rescue when peoples livelihoods were being ruined by policies dictated by government priorities?

The thing about this consumer protection excuse is that everyone knows its fake. They know its fake. We know they know its fake. But it continues anyway, which is typical of the operations of government these days. Its aggressive partisanship is out in the open and destructive.

Serious question: Are they trying to shut down the one major platform that permits a modicum of free speech? You dont have to be a tech genius to figure this one out.

And get this: The FTC is also seeking to depose Mr. Musk in connection with the probe.

This is the kind of thing thats designed to make Elon rue the day he bought Twitter. As he said, he was doing it for the principle of fairness, not profits. That should be obvious now. Maybe it will eventually turn a profit but it will be a long time. Meanwhile, regulators seem determined to make that as difficult as possible.

Every few nights, I like to hop on a Twitter Space and see what everyone is talking about. Its glorious. You almost cant believe how wonderful it is, just people speaking their minds freely about every topic. Clearly, people in D.C. absolutely dont like it this way.

Ive written variously that what happened over the past three years amounts to a kind of coup detat by the administrative state against elected representatives. Im ever more convinced of this.

The FTC is at the heart of this machinery. They arent acting for themselves. Theyre acting for their fellow junta members, who are determined to keep the power they have grabbed over the past several years.

It would be a ghastly tragedy if the slivers of light we get from Tucker Carlson and Twitter turn out to be like Maos thousand flowers, a brief moment in time to ferret out political enemies before the real crackdown occurs. If we are to prevent that, we need to shout from the rooftops about the principle of free speech. Without itand plenty of people hate itwere truly doomed.

Consider, too, that the FTC has never been a nonpartisan regulator of industry. It has always been captured by some or another industrial interest that uses government power to achieve its anticompetitive ends. The FTC claims to be protecting competition while shoring up industrial cartels. Thats a pretty good description of its whole history.

In this case, it could be acting on behalf of Big Tech that resents the heck out of what Musk has done. He freed the bird and became a hero to multitudes even while Mark Zuckerbergs Meta is a famous flop.

Nothing annoys Washington as much as an entrepreneur who makes the regulators and their captured industrial interests look like fools. Now, theyre determined to make him pay the price.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Northern Arizona Universitys (NAU) Department of Dental Hygiene will be holding a clinic Thursday, March 9 for families to receive free dental exams and cleanings for their kids.

The department holds these events, called Kiddie Clinic, once a semester, with NAU dental students providing the care, supervised by a licensed hygienist. This years appointments are completely free as the event is sponsored by Delta Dental of Arizona.

Half-hour appointments are available at 9 a.m, 10:30 a.m, 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m, in which time kids aged 16 and younger can receive a dental exam cleaning, x-rays and fluoride.

Families can learn more or schedule an appointment by calling 928-523-3500 or emailing dentalhygiene.clinic@nau.edu.

Heather Thomas, an assistant clinical professor in the department of dental hygiene, said between 60 and 70 kids receive preventative care at each Kiddie Clinic event, which has been running for over 25 years.

NAUs dental hygiene program is the only bachelors of its kind available in Arizona. Every semester of the two-year program (which requires two years of prerequisites), students take a clinical course, working in the on-campus clinic 12 to 16 hours a week.

The Kiddie Clinic will be in the same clinic, though it will be decorated for Thursday's event with balloons, music and prizes donated by local dentists and orthodontists.

As a requirement of their program, dental hygiene students must see patients of every age. The dental clinic offers low-cost appointments to all ages while school is in session, Thomas said, but this event is a special chance to work with a younger age group.

Working with kids isnt much different from adults in terms of procedure, Thomas said, noting that the main difference comes in making sure the kids are comfortable. This can be introducing them to some of the equipment, explaining the process or having a parent sit with them.

A common misconception about kids' dentistry, she said, is that kids teeth dont need to be cared for because they will fall out. This is not true, she said -- families need to start caring for childrens teeth as soon as they come in. Thomas said the clinic had seen patients as young as five months old.

As soon as they come into the mouth, [teeth] can decay, so thats when the education and the cleaning needs to start, she said.

...People dont think about coming to the dentist, but really the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends by the time their first tooth erupts or by their first birthday, they go in and see a dentist. It may not be the case that theres a bunch of decay yet, but it gives us the chance to show parents how to clean their teeth, tell them its important and show them how to do it early on. Its also a great introduction for the child.

As with adults, the recommendation is to get a cleaning and dental exam every six months to a year.

Your oral health is a really significant indicator of your overall health, mental health," Thomas said. "Baby teeth, if theyre decayed can cause pain, damage, poor speech, embarrassment, social isolation. ...They can also damage the incoming adult teeth and they serve as placeholders for those adult teeth, so sometimes if they lose a bunch of baby teeth, they dont have room for the adult teeth to erupt so it's really really important.

NAUs dental hygiene clinic also offers appointments for a flat fee. More about prices and scheduling is available at nau.edu/dental-hygiene/clinic. Appointments for this week's Kiddie Clinic can be made by calling 928-523-3500 or emailing dentalhygiene.clinic@nau.edu.
An Abuja based woman, Blessing Edet, has been arraigned before the Federal High Court for allegedly defaming the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel.

In course of the hearing, the 37-year-old woman pleaded not guilty to the six-count charge preferred against her by the Nigeria Police.

The charge read: That you, Blessing Edet, 37, of No. 18 Buchanan Crescent Wuse II, Abuja, on or before April 11, 2020, sent messages with the captioned names of married women/politicians wives sleeping with Governor Emmanuel through your Facebook page.

Also, she was accused of sending a message via her Facebook page with the caption So, we are going dirty. It is time to break the final table, stay tuned.

Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs and Agriculture, Dr Glory Edet, was the actual First Lady of Akwa Ibom, who has overthrown the real wife of the governor, the police alleged she posted.

The presiding judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, however granted Blessing bail in the sum of N500,000 with one surety in like sum.

The court also ordered Edet to deposit her passport with the court registry or be remanded at Suleja Correctional Centre pending the fulfilment of her bail terms.

Justice Ahmed, however adjourned the case till 10 of May for trial.
China lashes out at US, warns of conflict and confrontation

BEIJING: China lashed out at the United States yesterday (Mar 7), accusing Washington of stoking tensions between the two powers and warning of conflict and confrontation.

ChinesepoliticsRussianUkraine

By AFP

Wednesday 8 March 2023, 10:25AM

The opening ceremony of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Saturday (Mar 4). Photo: AFP

Beijings new Foreign Minister Qin Gang told a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing National Peoples Congress (NPC) there would be catastrophic consequences if the United States carried on in its current direction.

If the United States does not hit the brakes but continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailing, and there will surely be conflict and confrontation, Qin told journalists.

The foreign minister called American competition with China a reckless gamble, with the stakes being the fundamental interests of two peoples and even the future of humanity.

It was a zero-sum game of life and death, he added.

Competition, not conflict

In response Washington denied it is seeking conflict with Beijing and stressed the relationship was one of strategic competition.

With all due respect to the Chinese foreign minister, there is no change to the United States posture when it comes to this bilateral relationship, said White House national security spokesman John Kirby.

There is nothing about our approach to this most consequential bilateral relationship that should lead anybody to think that we want conflict, he said.

We aim to compete, and we aim to win that competition with China, but we absolutely want to keep it at that level, he said.

Encirclement and suppression

The worlds biggest economies have clashed in recent years over trade, human rights and other issues, but relations soured even further last month when the United States shot down a Chinese balloon it said was being used for surveillance - a claim strenuously denied by Beijing.

Qins comments came after President Xi Jinping slammed the United States for leading an effort of containment, encirclement and suppression of China, while urging his countrys private sector to boost innovation and become more self-reliant.

Chinas technology ambitions have been hit with a raft of restrictions by the United States and its Western allies, and Beijing has doubled down on the need to shift away from imports for sectors perceived as vital to national security, such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.

Washington has in recent months tightened sanctions on Chinese chipmakers, citing national security concerns and the risk of the technology being used by Chinas military.

Xi, who will be granted a third consecutive presidential term in the coming days at the highly choreographed NPC, said the past five years had been riddled with a new set of hurdles that threatened to weigh down Chinas economic rise.

According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, Xi said China must have the courage to fight as the country faces profound and complex changes in both the domestic and international landscape, in the address to delegates at the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which runs alongside the NPC.

The 69-year-old said private firms should take the initiative to pursue high-quality development, Xinhua reported late Monday.

Xi also vowed to bolster Chinas manufacturing capacity and said the country should be able to fend for itself.

Ive always said there are two critical areas for China: one is to safeguard our rice bowl, and the other is to build up a strong manufacturing sector, he said.

As a great nation of 1.4 billion people, we must rely on ourselves... We cant depend on international markets to save us.

Not a threat

Qin, the former Chinese ambassador in Washington, also dismissed warnings from Western countries to not supply arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

He said China would not accept blame-shifting, sanctions, suppression and threats targeting Beijing.

In an official position paper last month on the Ukraine war, China portrayed itself as neutral and urged the two sides to enter peace negotiations.

While Beijings claim to neutrality has been questioned by the United States and other Ukraine allies, Qin said China was neither a creator of the crisis nor a party to it, and it has not provided weapons to any party.

He added that peace talks should start as soon as possible and said Beijings relationship with Moscow is not a threat to any country in the world.

Qin also reiterated the official line that China would maintain the option of taking all necessary actions to take Taiwan.

He warned against underestimating the strong determination, firm will and powerful ability of the Chinese government and Chinese people to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Foreigners urged to join Rh-negative blood drive

PHUKET: Phuket Immigration is supporting a Phuket Red Cross blood-donation drive focussing on foreigners, particularly those with Rh-negative blood, to be held at Central Festival Phuket later this month.



By The Phuket News

Wednesday 8 March 2023, 11:51AM

The design of the passport cover to be handed out to donors on the day. Image: Phuket Immigration

Rh-negative blood remains in short supply on the island, Phuket Immigration Chief Col Thanet Sukchai told The Phuket News.

Rh-negative blood type is rare in Thailand, and the blood bank is now facing an Rh-negative shortage crisis, he said.

Foreigners from Western countries are more likely to have this blood type, about 15% more than Thai people, so we have launched this campaign, he added.

The donation drive will be held at Lan Lom (the outdoor area) on the first floor of Central Festival Phuket from 11am to 4pm on Mar 27.

Rh-negative blood reserves collected through the drive will be shared with other provinces nearby, as they also are suffering the same crisis, Col Thanet said.

The ongoing RH-negative crisis saw an urgent appeal made just last week for Philipp Vorontsov, who was struck by a car driven by an Australian man. Mr Vorontsov suffered serious injuries to one of his legs in the impact. He is at Vachira Phuket Hospital.

People with O- or B- blood were asked to present themselves at the blood bank at Vachira Phuket Hospital and explain that the donation is for Mr Vorontsov. Prospective donors can call or 098-5126093 orWhatsApp +79163801384 for assistance.

The shortage of Rh-negative blood reserves is widespread throughout the country.

Rh-Negative blood reserves in Thailand are alarmingly low, as only 0.3% of the Thai population have this blood type, compared to around 15% of Westerners, academics warned late last month.

The Phuket Red Cross outreach campaign schedule for blood donations in March was released on Feb 24, two days after the alarming announcement. The dates, times and locations for the Phuket Red Cross mobile blood donation centres in March are listed here.

Col Thanet is hoping the event on Mar 27 will be as successful as the previous Rh-negative blood-donation drive held in December.

The previous donation drive was held before the New Year, and fortunately there were a lot of donors with Rh-negative, he said.

We were lucky that there was a lot of Rh-negative blood donated last time, so we could even share our reserves with Chiang Mai, he added.

Phuket Immigration will be handing out special passport covers to donors as a souvenir of their generosity, Col Thanet noted.

Foreigners who donate blood on the day will receive a specially designed passport cover with the Immigration Bureau logo and the logo of the Rh-Negative Club of Phuket. When they use their passports at Immigration offices, officers will acknowledge that they did good things in Phuket, Col Thanet said.
Police probe death of Belgian tourist in tuk-tuk argument in Patong

PHUKET: Patong Police are trying to unravel what led to the death of a 31-year-old Belgian tourist allegedly slipped and fell while coming to the assistance of his friend who was in the middle of an argument with a tuk-tuk driver.

patongtourismtransportdeathpolice

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Wednesday 8 March 2023, 05:15PM

Police were informed of the Belgian mans death by staff at Patong Hospital at 5am today (Mar 8).

Police were informed that the man* had died as a result of an assault that occurred at Thammarat Apartment off Nanai Rd.

The man had been rushed to Patong Hospital, but later succumbed to his injuries.

However, according to Capt Nattawut Saraithong of the Patong Police, who questioned four witnesses to the incident, the Belgian man had slipped and hit his head on the ground.

The man was with a friend who was arguing with a tuk-tuk driver over a fare of B300.

The Belgian tried to intervene, but slipped and fell, and hit the back of his head on the ground, the witnesses told Capt Nattawut.

Another tuk-tuk driver, who happened to be at the scene  but not confirmed by Capt Nattawut as a party to the argument  rushed the Belgian man to hospital.

The argument was loud enough to wake people in the area, who came out to investigate what was going on, Capt Nattawut said.

Forensic officers and Tourist Police are now involved in the investigation, Capt Nattawut said.

Officers will check any CCTV camera footage available in the area, he added.

Doctors at Patong Hospital will perform a post-mortem examination in the hope of confirming the cause of death, Capt Nattawut said.

* The Phuket News is withholding the mans name until it has been confirmed that his next of kin have been notified of his death.
Thailand and Malaysia discuss peace process in deep south

BANGKOK: Negotiations to bring peace to Thailands southern border provinces have been making gradual progress, with the 4th Army chief and Malaysias chief negotiations facilitator engaging in further discussions last week.



By National News Bureau of Thailand

Wednesday 8 March 2023, 11:08AM

Photo: NNT

According to Army Area 4 Commanding-General, Lt Gen Santi Sakuntanak, the goal is to reach a Joint Comprehensive Plan towards Peace (JCPP) among the parties involved in the lead-up to full-panel talks in June.

Gen Tan Sri Zulkifli Zainal Abidin, the Malaysian chief facilitator for the peace dialogue process in southern Thailand, is currently visiting the kingdoms southern border provinces, reports NNT.

There, he is meeting with parties of interest in the peacebuilding effort from Feb 28 to Mar 3. The 4th army chief welcomed General Zulkifli and discussed cooperation to drive the talks on Thailands Deep South situation.

Peace talk delegates from Thailand and Malaysia, as well as representatives from the Barisan Revolusi Nasional group, aim to establish the JCPP in order to provide clear timelines and problem-solving guidelines for the Deep South peace process.

The focus will be on reducing violence in the area and holding discussion stages with locals to bring about lasting peace to the border provinces. The technical working committees of each participating party will unofficially exchange their ideas from March to May of this year so that the details of the JCPP can be settled before they are presented to the full-panel talks in June.

Lt Gen Santi said this weeks discussions will provide a starting point for the best way to "exit" the deep South unrest. He noted that Gen. Zulkifli is highly committed to facilitating the peacebuilding process for Thai authorities.

The technical working committees will also coordinate various agreements among the parties involved from this month onward, in a bid to end violent incidents as well as hold many more followup talks.
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Woman suffers serious injuries as motorbike slams into power pole

PHUKET: A 31-year-old woman yet to regain consciousness was rushed to hospital after the motorbike she was riding slammed into a roadside power pole in Koh Kaew in the early hours of this morning (Mar 8).

transportaccidentsSafety

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Wednesday 8 March 2023, 12:22PM

Lt Wichit Nokkaew of Phuket City Police was notified of the accident, in front of Baan Bang Khu School on Thepkrasattri Rd northbound, at 2:40am.

Police and rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation arrived to find a Kawasaki KSR motorbike registered in Sukhothai with heavy damage lying beside a lamppost, several metres from the power pole.

The driver, Supattra Samleepun, 31, a resident of Moo 4, Koh Kaew, was lying nearby with a heavy injury to her forehead. She had difficulty breathing and rushed to Mission Hospital Phuket.

Police said they were investigating the cause of the accident, which usually includes checking CCTV footage from the area.
Recent data show a snowy start to 2023 for the Colorado River basin, with heavy winter precipitation in the Rocky Mountains projected to boost spring spring runoff into Lake Powell to 117% of an average years flows.

But scientists say that while this winters snow may provide a temporary boost to major reservoirs, it will not provide enough water to fix the Southwests long-term supply-demand imbalance, as the beleaguered river continues to grapple with climate change and steady demand.

Snow in Colorado is an important factor in determining the amount of water that will flow into the Colorado River system each year. About two-thirds of annual flow starts as snow high in the mountains of Colorado. Across the state, snow totals are almost all above average, with most zones at 120 to 140% of normal for this time of year.

Northwest Wyoming and central Utah, which also contribute to the basins water supply, posted January snowfall totals that nearly broke precipitation records. Many parts of Utah are showing snow totals above 170% of average, boosting the odds of above-average runoff in the spring, and fostering memorable seasons for the areas ski resorts.

The new data come from the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, a branch of the National Weather Service that tracks water along a river which supplies 40 million people around the Southwest.

In the Colorado Rivers Upper Basin  which includes parts of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico  the strongest precipitation fell in southwestern Colorado, according to data last month. The Gunnison, Dolores and San Juan rivers all saw January precipitation that ranged from 160% to two times the average. Meanwhile, the lowest January precipitation totals were along the Eagle River in central Colorado, and the Green River above Fontenelle Reservoir in Wyoming.

The Lower Colorado River Basin  which includes parts of Nevada, Arizona, and California  also saw strong precipitation. The Virgin, Little Colorado and Verde rivers all saw January precipitation above 200% of normal. Rain and snow in the Lower Basin is typically less important for the Colorado Rivers flow, but is helpful for plants, farms and ranches, and wildfire mitigation.

Precipitation totals are exceeding expectations because La Nina conditions usually result in drier than average winter weather across the southwest U.S., said Cody Moser, a hydrologist with the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center.

La Nina is a weather phenomenon during which cold water in the Pacific Ocean alters temperature and precipitation patterns over the Western U.S. Its effects are not guaranteed, but typically mean a colder, wetter winter for the northwestern portion of the country, and a warmer, drier winter in the Southwest. The dividing line often falls in the middle of Colorado.

When it comes to predicting the amount of water in the Colorado River each year, snow totals dont tell the full story. Scientists look to soil moisture for a clearer picture of how much water will actually reach the places where humans divert and collect it.

This year, soil moisture in the mountains is well below average. That could prevent some melting snow from ever reaching the Colorado River. That soil acts like a sponge, soaking up water before it has a chance to flow downhill to streams and lakes. Scientists have recorded years with 90% of average snowpack, only to see 50% of average runoff into reservoirs.

Even the concept of average has changed due to warming temperatures. In spring 2021, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shifted how it calculates averages for all of its data.

Every 10 years, NOAA moves the three-decade window that it uses for averages. But the rapidly accelerating effects of climate change mean the current window from 1991 to 2020 sticks out from previous 30-year periods because it includes the hottest-ever period in recorded history.

Runoff season typically peaks around late May or early June. Those flows go on to replenish Lake Mead and Lake Powell  the largest and second-largest reservoirs in the U.S., respectively  which have both dipped to historic lows in recent years. Two decades of lower snow and drier soil have chipped away at water supplies, and the seven states that use the Colorado River have struggled to agree on a plan to reduce their demand.

Climate scientists stress the need to adapt demand in a way that works with current conditions and steels the region against a future that will likely bring even drier conditions. Brad Udall, a water and climate researcher at Colorado State University, said the region would need five or six years with 150% snowpack to refill Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

We need to continue to plan for the worst here, Udall told KUNC in January. Thats what weve seen the last 23 years. Thats what these warming temperatures continue to tell us.
Four states in the upper basin of the Colorado River have asked the federal government to pause water releases from the Flaming Gorge Reservoir that were aimed at propping up falling water levels downstream at Lake Powell.

Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico, citing heavy winter precipitation, voted to suspend additional releases starting March 1, two months earlier than planned by the Bureau of Reclamation.

The bureau has used releases from Flaming Gorge to help prop up Lake Powell, where record low levels are threatening hydropower production inside the Glen Canyon Dam. Under the 2019 Drought Response Operations Agreement, those states outlined plans for water releases that would be triggered by falling levels in Lake Powell. The current schedule of releases was set to finish by the end of April.

But Utahs top water negotiator, Gene Shawcroft, said the releases did their job and helped boost Lake Powell, and that this winters above-average snow totals will soon help refill the lake and decrease the need for water from Flaming Gorge. The reservoir, which straddles the Wyoming-Utah border, is the third largest in the Colorado River system, behind only Lake Mead and Lake Powell.

Suspending releases now preserves all of our future options, Shawcroft said.

I expect Reclamation to consider that, and recognize that we still have options if we need to reinstate the releases, he said. But at this point, I think its fairly obvious that water left in Flaming Gorge makes more sense than to release it where we can never get it back.

Discussions over how to share water between the seven states that use the Colorado River have grown increasingly tense in recent months. Demand is outstripping supply, as climate change shrinks the amount of water in the river.

The four Upper Basin states often claim they must adapt their water use each year in response to the ebb and flow of Mother Nature, while the Lower Basin states of California, Arizona and Nevada can rely on a legally obligated water delivery from the Upper Basin each year.

Pausing these extra releases from Flaming Gorge, Shawcroft said, helps to send a message.

The Upper Division states and Reclamation should be the ones that determine how and when that water gets released so that we dont simply have the Lower Basin believing that they can access Upper Division storage at whatever time they want, he said.

Analysts called the Upper Basin vote a way to jockey for position in larger water sharing negotiations. The Bureau of Reclamation is in the process of drawing up a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement  a document that could tweak the amount of water released from federally operated dams and reservoirs  and is considering state input on that plan.

In January, six states agreed on a plan to keep an additional 1.7 million acre-feet of water in Lake Mead, the nations largest reservoir. California released a counter proposal that would conserve less. Both fell short of a federal goal that called for conserving 2 million to 4 million acre-feet of water, but gave onlookers a clearer sense of states desires and willingness to sacrifice.

Kyle Roerink, executive director of Great Basin Water Network, an environmental group based in Nevada, said the Upper Basins request to pause releases from Flaming Gorge is another way to make its desires clear.

Reclamation is hearing the saber-rattling and theyre going to have to demonstrate that theyre hearing both sides, he said.

The harsh realities of climate change serve as a looming backdrop to all of this statecraft. Water availability has been shrinking because of a 23-year megadrought in which warmer temperatures have kept water away from the places where humans divert and collect it.

This winter has brought above-average precipitation to Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, where high-altitude snow melts to create the Colorado River. Climate scientists warn, however, that one strong winter will not be nearly enough to bring the river back to pre-megadrought levels.

The rules for divvying up the river are outlined in a century-old document that critics say cannot adequately meet the modern challenge posed by dwindling supplies. In response, the past few years have produced a patchwork of Band-Aid measures to stave off trouble at Lake Powell and Lake Mead, but have not substantively reworked water-sharing rules.

One major component of that patchwork, the Drought Contingency Plan, is set to expire in 2026, at which point states expect to come up with a more permanent rewrite of river-sharing guidelines.

Until then, Roerink said, Reclamation will remain caught in the middle of the standoff.

When nobody wants to give an inch, how do you get a foot? When nobody wants to give a drop, how do you get an acre-foot? he asked.
City_news

alert featured

"The English community has no allies": Housefather

Joel Goldenberg / B'nai Brith Canada Zoom Mount Royal MP Anthony Housefather addresses the B'nai Brith Canada Zoom event.

The English community has no allies, in terms of the new language law Bill 96 and potential changes to the Official Languages Act through federal Bill C-13, Mount Royal MP Anthony Housefather told a Bnai Brith Canada town hall March 1.

Numerous members of the Montreal community, and some from outside the province, participated in the Zoom event.

When Housefather finished speaking, host Marvin Rotrand of Bnai Briths League for Human Rights commented that the MPs presentation was chilling.

The language issues a real problem, the MP said. English-speaking Quebecers dont have allies right now. We are very much alone in this fight.

Housefather detailed some of what he called the more egregious aspects of Bill 96 and added that it takes rights and services away from a significant number of English-speaking Quebecers.

At the federal level, we look at an English-speaking Quebecer as someone who says their first official language is English rather than French. That, in Quebec, is 1.2 million people. Thats versus the number of people who speak English at home, which is about 900,000; and the number of people who speak English as their mother tongue, which is about 800,000. But the bill, when its counting who is an English speaker, uses none of these factors! It says English-speaking Quebecers are those who have a right to attend English schools in Quebec. Otherwise, those who are not in this group will not be able, for the most part, to receive services in English in Quebec.

Housefather added that this is subject to some exceptions, such as health care... but its not a clear exception as the government makes it out to be.

When you do talk about bilingual institutions, such as healthcare institutions where you are supposed to be able to continue to retain services in English for everyone, those institutions can no longer require employees to have knowledge of English when they hire them in the majority of cases. The new law makes it very difficult for even an English-speaking hospital like the Jewish General to require a new nurse or orderly or doctor being hired to have knowledge of English. So even though people will still theoretically be entitled to health and social services in English, even if you are not entitled to send your kids to English-speaking schools, you may well have bilingual institutions in 10-20 years that dont have enough people that can serve you in English.

And regarding Bill C-13, the amendment to the Official Languages Act, Housefather said Liberal members of the Official Languages committee are countering the Bloc Quebecois, Conservatives and at times the NDP in terms of proposed and future amendments referencing the Charter of the French Language in C-13, as well as requiring federal institutions in Quebec to be subject to the provinces language laws. Currently, the OLA treats the official language minorities in Quebec and in the rest of Canada equally.

What is much worse is the Bloc and Conservatives have proposed over 100 amendments that would integrate Law 96 into the OLA. This is obviously an attempt to court nationalist votes in Quebec, and its awful!.... These amendments are incredibly problematic and dangerous....For English-speaking Quebecers, you may be mildly dissatisfied with the Liberal Party position, but you will be 500 times more dissatisfied with the other parties positions on this issue, and its about to come to a head....In the end, I may well be left with a bill that I cannot possibly vote for, and some of my colleagues feel the same way. Its a real problem for the future of our community that we have reached this point where our voices are not being heard.

The entire Bnai Brith Canada Zoom video can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX8gbdTtuTM.
Saint-Laurent, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Mainly clear. Low near 55F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Low near 55F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph.
A construction worker was life flighted to a Lincoln hospital after being injured in Pickrell.

On Tuesday at approximately 9:12 a.m. the Gage County Sheriffs Office was dispatched to a workplace injury accident in Pickrell.

A press release from the department stated that a construction worker was injured when a piece of hydraulic equipment malfunctioned and injured the employee. The employee, who was working in a hole approximately seven feet deep, was retrieved from the hole by members of the Pickrell Fire Department Quick Response Team (QRT) and the Beatrice Fire and Rescue.

An investigator from the sheriffs office responded to the scene, and the injured worker in Pickrell was transported by StarCare air ambulance to Bryan West Hospital in Lincoln with a head injury.
Saint-Laurent, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 76F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 56F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
OXFORD  The Furnas County Sheriffs Office has opened an investigation of a communications tower that toppled south of Oxford.

The Sheriff's Office said preliminary findings indicated intentional damage to a guide wire anchor that resulted in structural failure of the tower, owned by Strayer Communications. Authorities were alerted to the damage Saturday.

The suspect or suspects caused an estimated $575,000 in damage. Oxford Fire and EMS, Southern Valley Schools, Verizon Wireless and the Sheriffs Office all had equipment on the tower that was destroyed, the office said.

Oxford is about 50 miles southwest of Kearney.

The Sheriffs Office requested a forensic evidence team from the Nebraska State Patrol to assist in the investigation. Deputies have also filed for and received a preservation of cellular data from the tower in hopes of identifying a suspect or suspects. Several items of evidence were seized and will be examined at the State Patrol crime lab.

Local authorities contacted the FBI, which is considering investigating the incident as an act of domestic terrorism.

Verizon has erected a temporary tower to provide limited cellphone coverage for the area.

The Sheriffs Office requested anyone with information contact them at 308-268-2245.
NED BRISTOL is a retired editor of The Sun Chronicle who writes occasional columns for the newspaper. Drop him a line at news@thesunchronicle.com .
Scranton, PA (18503)

Today

Showers this evening becoming a steady rain overnight. Low near 55F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Showers this evening becoming a steady rain overnight. Low near 55F. Winds SSE 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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Screening saves lives, which is why the recommendation for colorectal screenings was bumped up by five years not too long ago.

In 2018, the American Cancer Society (ACS) did this in response to rising rates of colorectal cancers among younger people. While there is no foolproof way to prevent cancer of any type, the ACS has put together a handy list of six ways to lower your risk of colorectal cancers.

In an effort to raise awareness among my neighbors and friends, Im going to summarize their list here. However, their website at cancer.org provides a wealth of information if you or a loved one would like to learn more. As ever, consult your trusted medical provider wherever your health is concerned.

1. Get screened. Screenings are tests that can detect cancer early, before signs or symptoms have a chance to appear. The earlier a colon or rectal cancer is detected, the more likely treatments are to be successful. The ACS now recommends that any person at average risk begin testing at age 45. Some colorectal screenings can actually find and remove precancerous growths, like polyps, before they become a health concern. While polyps themselves are not cancer, over time cancer can start therethat is why removing them can be so beneficial.

2. Focus on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Eating patterns with a happy helping of these foods have been linked with a decreased risk of both colon and rectal cancers. And while a healthy eating pattern can include red meatlike beef and porkand processed meatlike hotdogs and lunch meatits a good idea to enjoy these in moderation because they have been linked with an increased risk of both colon and rectal cancers. One rule of thumb is to vary your protein foods, by including things like nuts, seeds, fish, and leaner cuts of meat whenever possible.

3. Get moving. Being inactive may leave you at greater risk of developing colorectal cancers, while becoming more active may reduce your risk. The best way to approach physical activity is to make enjoyment the top priority. Walking or yard work both provide wonderful health benefits, but if your mobility prevents you from enjoying even these kinds of activities, chair exercises may be just the thing for you.

4. Find health at any size. While carrying extra body weight increases your risk of developing both colon and rectal cancers, its important to remember that better health can be achieved at any size or stage of life. By finding enjoyable ways to accomplish numbers 2 and 3 in this list, youll be well on your way to lowering your risk without fretting over a number on the scale.

5. Dont smoke. People who have smoked for an extended period of time are more likely than people who dont smoke to develop both colon and rectal cancers. The US Surgeon General has said, [Stopping smoking] represents the single most important step that people who smoke can take to enhance the length and quality of their lives. Quitting is hard, but if youre looking for help, the ACS has resources on their website at cancer.org and a helpline at 1-800-227-2345.

6. Limit alcohol. While its best not to drink alcohol, the ACS recommends no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women for those who do enjoy adult beverages. A single drink equals 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor.

Changes like these can be hard, but making them can lower your risk of developing colorectal cancers, as well as other types of cancer, and serious diseases like heart disease and diabetes.




Over the past 11 months, someone created thousands of fake, automated Twitter accounts  perhaps hundreds of thousands of them  to offer a stream of praise for Donald Trump.

Besides posting adoring words about the former president, the fake accounts ridiculed Trumps critics from both parties and attacked Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador who is challenging her onetime boss for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

When it came to Ron DeSantis, the bots aggressively suggested that the Florida governor couldnt beat Trump, but would be a great running mate.

As Republican voters size up their candidates for 2024, whoever created the bot network is seeking to put a thumb on the scale, using online manipulation techniques pioneered by the Kremlin to sway the digital platform conversation about candidates while exploiting Twitters algorithms to maximize their reach.

The sprawling bot network was uncovered by researchers at Cyabra, an Israeli tech firm that shared its findings with The Associated Press. While the identify of those behind the network of fake accounts is unknown, Cyabras analysts determined that it was likely created within the U.S.

One account will say, Biden is trying to take our guns; Trump was the best, and another will say, Jan. 6 was a lie and Trump was innocent, said Jules Gross, the Cyabra engineer who first discovered the network. Those voices are not people. For the sake of democracy I want people to know this is happening.

Bots, as they are commonly called, are fake, automated accounts that became notoriously well-known after Russia employed them in an effort to meddle in the 2016 election. While big tech companies have improved their detection of fake accounts, the network identified by Cyabra shows they remain a potent force in shaping online political discussion.

The new pro-Trump network is actually three different networks of Twitter accounts, all created in huge batches in April, October and November 2022. In all, researchers believe hundreds of thousands of accounts could be involved.

The accounts all feature personal photos of the alleged account holder as well as a name. Some of the accounts posted their own content, often in reply to real users, while others reposted content from real users, helping to amplify it further.

McConnell Traitor! wrote one of the accounts, in response to an article in a conservative publication about GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell, one of several Republican critics of Trump targeted by the network.

One way of gauging the impact of bots is to measure the percentage of posts about any given topic generated by accounts that appear to be fake. The percentage for typical online debates is often in the low single digits. Twitter itself has said that less than 5% of its active daily users are fake or spam accounts.

When Cyabra researchers examined negative posts about specific Trump critics, however, they found far higher levels of inauthenticity. Nearly three-fourths of the negative posts about Haley, for example, were traced back to fake accounts.

The network also helped popularize a call for DeSantis to join Trump as his vice presidential running mate  an outcome that would serve Trump well and allow him to avoid a potentially bitter matchup if DeSantis enters the race.

The same network of accounts shared overwhelmingly positive content about Trump and contributed to an overall false picture of his support online, researchers found.

Our understanding of what is mainstream Republican sentiment for 2024 is being manipulated by the prevalence of bots online, the Cyabra researchers concluded.

The triple network was discovered after Gross analyzed Tweets about different national political figures and noticed that many of the accounts posting the content were created on the same day. Most of the accounts remain active, though they have relatively modest numbers of followers.

A message left with a spokesman for Trumps campaign was not immediately returned.

Most bots arent designed to persuade people, but to amplify certain content so more people see it, according to Samuel Woolley, a professor and misinformation researcher at the University of Texas whose most recent book focuses on automated propaganda.

When a human user sees a hashtag or piece of content from a bot and reposts it, theyre doing the networks job for it, and also sending a signal to Twitters algorithms to boost the spread of the content further.

Bots can also succeed in convincing people that a candidate or idea is more or less popular than the reality, he said. More pro-Trump bots can lead to people overstating his popularity overall, for example.

Bots absolutely do impact the flow of information, Woolley said. Theyre built to manufacture the illusion of popularity. Repetition is the core weapon of propaganda and bots are really good at repetition. Theyre really good at getting information in front of peoples eyeballs.

Until recently, most bots were easily identified thanks to their clumsy writing or account names that included nonsensical words or long strings of random numbers. As social media platforms got better at detecting these accounts, the bots became more sophisticated.

So-called cyborg accounts are one example: a bot that is periodically taken over by a human user who can post original content and respond to users in human-like ways, making them much harder to sniff out.

Bots could soon get much sneakier thanks to advances in artificial intelligence. New AI programs can create lifelike profile photos and posts that sound much more authentic. Bots that sound like a real person and deploy deepfake video technology may challenge platforms and users alike in new ways, according to Katie Harbath, a fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center and a former Facebook public policy director.

The platforms have gotten so much better at combating bots since 2016, Harbath said. But the types that were starting to see now, with AI, they can create fake people. Fake videos.

These technological advances likely ensure that bots have a long future in American politics  as digital foot soldiers in online campaigns, and as potential problems for both voters and candidates trying to defend themselves against anonymous online attacks.

Theres never been more noise online, said Tyler Brown, a political consultant and former digital director for the Republican National Committee. How much of it is malicious or even unintentionally unfactual? Its easy to imagine people being able to manipulate that.

(AP)




If youre not told you are fired, are you really fired? At Twitter, probably. And then, sometimes, you get your job back  if you want it.

Haraldur Thorleifsson, who until recently was employed at Twitter, logged in to his computer last Sunday to do some work  only to find himself locked out, along with 200 others.

He might have figured, as others before him have in the chaotic months of layoffs and firings since Elon Musk took over the company, that he was out of a job.

Instead, after nine days of no answer from Twitter as to whether or not he was still employed, Thorleifsson decided to tweet at Musk to see if he could catch the billionaires attention and get an answer to his Schrodingers job situation.

Maybe if enough people retweet youll answer me here? he wrote on Monday.

Eventually, he got his answer after a surreal Twitter exchange with Musk, who proceeded to quiz him about his work, question his disability and need for accommodations (Thorleifsson, who goes by Halli, has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair) and tweet that Thorleifsson has a prominent, active Twitter account and is wealthy and the reason he confronted me in public was to get a big payout. While the exchange was going on, Thorleifsson said he received an email that he was no longer employed.

Late Tuesday afternoon, however, Musk had a change of heart.

I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation. It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful, he tweeted. He is considering remaining at Twitter.

Thorleifsson did not immediately respond to a message for comment following Musks tweet. In an earlier email, he called the experience surreal.

You had every right to lay me off. But it would have been nice to let me know! he tweeted to Musk.

Thorleifsson, who lives in Iceland, has about 151,000 Twitter followers (Musk has over 130 million). He joined Twitter in 2021, when the company, under the prior management, acquired his startup Ueno.

He was lauded in Icelandic media for choosing to receive the purchase price in wages rather than a lump sum payout. Thats because this way, he would pay higher taxes to Iceland in support of its social services and safety net.

Thorleifssons next move: Im opening a restaurant in downtown Reykjavik very soon, he tweeted. Its named after my mom.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a message for comment.

(AP)




About a month and a half ago, Yisrael Chofsheet, a liberal non-profit organization that advocates for religious freedom, sent a letter to the Kiryat Yearim (widely known as Telzstone) municipality.

In the letter, the organization requested information about gender-segregated activities and events that took place under the auspices or with the cooperation of the municipality and were held in public places in the last seven years, as well as advertisements regarding such activities and the public institutions where they took place.

The head of the council, Yitzchak Ravitz, chose to respond firmly to the letter and in the ruach of the month of Adar.

We received your patronizing letter in which you try to impose a secular lifestyle on us, contrary to our faith, he wrote. Unfortunately, you are dark and primitive people who hold outdated worldviews and in your opinion, you are entitled to impose a way of life on others.

Kiryat Yearim is a yishuv in which 100% of its residents are Chareidi. Events on the yishuv are held with complete segregation and this will continue in the future as well. Your liberal terror wont impress us. Were firmly attached to our faith and will continue to observe the mitzvot of the Torah without concern or fear.

We are proud of our conservative lifestyle and the fact that we fulfill Hashems commandments. Your attempts at intimidation will not help you. And in the spirit of this time, we will note:    . We will valiantly continue to preserve the way of the Torah.

Ravitz chose to end his letter by quoting the Prime Ministers words at the Knesset debate last week: A new generation of Israelis who are not afraid has arisen here. A new generation has arisen here that is not impressed by your displays of hypocrisy. This generation is determined to fight for the values that are important to them and for their place in the leadership of the country.

This generation is proud of who it is and Im proud of it. This generation is gaining its stature, and it will no longer put up with patronage and exclusion.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




IDF forces, Border Guard officers and Shin Bet operatives eliminated four terrorists in Jein on Tuesday, possibly including the terrorist who murdered the Yaniv brothers, hyd in the shooting attack in Huwara last week.

The identities of the slain terrorists have not yet been confirmed by the IDF.

According to Palestinian reports, undercover officers entered Jenin in a white civilian truck and surrounded the home where the terrorists were staying. The troops then engaged in the pressure cooker method by throwing a missile at the home.

Arabs began firing at Israeli security forces and a fierce gun battle ensued. According to Palestinian reports, the local Arabs downed an IDF drone.

Israeli security forces carried out a simultaneous operation in the Shechem area, arresting the relatives of the Huwara terrorist. Clashes broke out there as well.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis positioned himself as the architect of a new conservative vision for the nation during a State of the State address on Tuesday that championed his aggressive stances through the pandemic and culture wars as a blueprint for Republican leadership.

The address came at the outset of a 60-day legislative session that has added political significance because it is expected to serve as a platform for DeSantis highly expected presidential campaign.

We defied the experts. We bucked the elites. We ignored the chatter. We did it our way, the Florida way, DeSantis told lawmakers in Tallahassee. And the result is that we are the number one destination for our fellow Americans who are looking for a better life.

The Legislatures Republican supermajority is eager to promote DeSantis political prospects and is expected to rubber stamp virtually all of his agenda, which is packed with issues ranging from race to immigration to gender that could prove popular in a GOP presidential primary.

Instead of focusing on rising rents and cost of living, a property insurance market thats in distress and preparing for rising sea levels in a state vulnerable to climate change, DeSantis kicked off a session where the GOP will push issues like telling teachers which pronouns they can use for students, making guns more available to Floridians, keeping immigrants that are in the country illegally out of the state, and criminalizing some drag shows as Tennessee recently did.

In his speech, DeSantis ran through the conservative accomplishments of his tenure thus far and highlighted upcoming measures that will be popular with some Republican primary voters, such as a proposal to eliminate concealed firearms permits.

In a signal of the Republican policy schedule to come, a GOP lawmaker on Tuesday introduced a bill to ban abortions after six weeks, with Democrats denouncing the move not long after DeSantis finished his speech. DeSantis previously indicated that he would sign such legislation.

Though the governor is unlikely to formally announce a presidential campaign before the Legislature wraps up its work in May, hes already making big moves toward a White House bid. He participated in a high-profile donor retreat last week in Florida before traveling to California, where he delivered a broadside against what he argued were excesses of liberalism. Later this week, hell travel for the first time this year to Iowa, which will host the nations first Republican presidential caucus in 2024.

Even without an official campaign in place, DeSantis is emerging as a leading alternative to former President Donald Trump, a fellow Floridian who has already announced his third White House bid. DeSantis strength is fueled in part by commanding a nearly 20 percentage point reelection victory last year in a state thats often infamous for close elections.

Hes done so by limiting how issues such as race and sexuality can be taught in schools, banning transgender girls and women from school sports, rewriting the states political maps to favor Republicans and dismantle a congressional district that favored Black voters, attacking private businesses that disagree with his ideology and cracking down on Black Lives Matter protests.

Our governor is truly Americas governor. He has defended our conservative values, challenged the individuals and institutions who pose threats to others, and posed innovative solutions to better our state, Republican state Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said Tuesday. It is often said that states are laboratories for democracy. Under the leadership of Gov. DeSantis, Florida is more than a laboratory. We are a model.

DeSantis acknowledges that his decisions as governor are based on what he thinks is right and not necessarily whats popular in the mainstream. He said thats why he was able to turn a 32,000-vote, recount-confirmed victory in 2018 into a 1.5 million vote victory last year  the largest margin a Republican governor has ever won in the state.

Novembers election results represent a vindication of our joint efforts over these past four years. The results also vest in us the responsibility to lead and provide us the opportunity to shoot for the stars, DeSantis said Tuesday. Boldness be our friend in this endeavor, we have a lot we need to accomplish.

The governor has been the frequent target of jokes on late night shows such as Saturday Night Live and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, but the more critics mock DeSantis, especially those he calls the liberal elite, the more he galvanizes support among his base.

While most candidates who jump into a presidential race two years out spend early campaigning days raising money, traveling the country building support and boosting their name recognition, DeSantis still has $70 million in a political committee just four months after his reelection.

And hes already a star de jour at GOP events nationally.

You dont see the flag of Florida standing behind him anymore. Theyre all American flags, said Democratic state Sen. Jason Pizzo.

DeSantis released a book last week titled, The Courage to be Free, and its subtitle foreshadows his 2024 plans: Floridas Blueprint for Americas Revival. Instead of the Trump slogan of Make America Great Again, DeSantis is building the case to make the nation look more like Florida and less like states such as California and New York.

We have the opportunity, and indeed the responsibility, to swing for the fences so that we can ensure Florida remains number one, DeSantis said in his speech. Dont worry about the chattering class, ignore all the background noise, keep the compass set to true north. We will stand strong, we will hold the line, we wont back down, and I can promise you this: You aint seen nothing yet.

But Democrats see it as intolerance and misdirected priorities. They point to efforts to build off a new law that critics call Dont Say Gay that limits discussion of gender and sexuality in schools. A new GOP proposal would limit how schools can use gender pronouns, while another would criminalize some drag shows.

Democrats are not only resigned to the fact that the GOP supermajority will prevent them from voting down legislation they oppose, but theyre also concerned their Republican counterparts have abdicated responsibility to DeSantis.

Democratic House Leader Fentrice Driskell said that while Republicans have controlled the governors office and Legislature for 24 years, in that time shes never seen a governor wield so much power over lawmakers.

All of this being driven by his ambition. I think there are those in leadership who want to be close to this governor because they view him as rising in power, she said. But the people who pay the cost and the brunt of all of this is everyday Floridians. Every one of the governors culture wars has an economic cost built into it. Every single one of them.

(AP)




Chinas foreign minister has warned Washington of conflict and confrontation if it fails to change course in relations with Beijing, striking a combative tone amid conflicts over Taiwan, COVID-19 and Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Qin Gangs language appeared to defy hopes Chinas might abandon confrontational wolf warrior rhetoric. It followed an accusation by Chinese leader Xi Jinping that Western governments led by the United States were trying to encircle and suppress China.

Washingtons China policy has entirely deviated from the rational and sound track, Qin said at a news conference Tuesday during annual meeting of Chinas ceremonial legislature.

Chinas relations with Washington and Japan, India and other Asian neighbors have soured as Xis government has pursued assertive policies abroad.

If the United States does not hit the brake, but continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailing and there surely will be conflict and confrontation, Qin said in his first news conference since taking up his post last year. Such competition is a reckless gamble, with the stakes being the fundamental interests of the two peoples and even the future of humanity.

On Monday, Xi accused Washington of hurting Chinas development.

Western countries led by the United States have implemented all-round containment, encirclement and suppression of China, which has brought unprecedented grave challenges to our nations development, Xi was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.

In the face of that, China must remain calm, maintain concentration, strive for progress while maintaining stability, take active actions, unite as one and dare to fight, he said.

A State Department spokesman, Ned Price, said Washington wants to coexist responsibly in a global trade and political system and denied the U.S. government wants to suppress China.

This is not about containing China. This is not about suppressing China. This is not about holding China back, Price said in Washington. We want to have that constructive competition that is fair and doesnt veer into that conflict.

U.S. officials are increasingly worried about Chinas goals and the possibility of war over Taiwan, the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory. Many in Washington have called for the U.S. government to make a bigger effort to counter Chinese influence abroad.

Concerns about Chinese spying on the U.S. and Beijings influence campaigns there have drawn particular concern.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled a planned visit to Beijing after Washington shot down a Chinese balloon suspected of being used for spying on U.S. territory. Its electronics and optical equipment are being analyzed by the FBI.

Then last week, Beijing reacted with indignation when U.S. officials raised the issue again of whether the COVID-19 outbreak that first was detected in southern China in late 2019 began with a leak from a Chinese laboratory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the U.S. of politicizing the issue in an attempt to discredit China.

The two countries have traded angry words over Taiwan as Xis government tried to intimidate the island by firing missiles into the sea and flying fighter planes nearby.

Qin was ambassador to Washington until last year and in a previous stint as Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman was known for cutting condemnation of foreign critics.

On Tuesday, he criticized Washington for shooting down the balloon. He repeated claims that its appearance in U.S. skies was an accident.

In this case the United States perception and views of China are seriously distorted. It regards China as its primary rival and the most consequential geopolitical challenge, Qin said. This is like the first button in a shirt being put wrong and the result is that the U.S.-China policy has entirely deviated from the rational and sound track.

Qin called Taiwan the first red line that must not be crossed.

China and Taiwan split in 1949 after a civil war. The mainlands Communist Party says the island is obliged to unite with China, by force if necessary.

Washington doesnt public support either unification or formal independence for Taiwan but is obligated by federal law to see that the island has the means to defend itself.

The U.S. has unshakable responsibility for causing the Taiwan question, Qin said.

He accused the U.S. government of disrespecting Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity, by offering the island political backing and furnishing it with weapons in response to Beijings threat to use force to bring it under Chinese control.

Why does the U.S. ask China not to provide weapons to Russia, while it keeps selling arms to Taiwan? Qin asked.

In Taipei, Taiwans defense minister said the armed forces werent seeking outright conflict with Chinas military, but nor would they back away in the event of Chinese aircraft or ships entering Taiwanese coastal seas or airspace.

It is the nations armed forces duty to mount an appropriate response, Chiu Kuo-cheng told legislators.

Beijing has also accused the West of fanning the flames by providing Ukraine with weaponry to fend off the Russian invasion. China says it is neutral but said before the invasion that it had a )no-limits friendship with Russia. It has refused to criticize Moscows attack or to call it an invasion.

A Chinese call for a cease-fire in Ukraine that has drawn praise from Russia but dismissals from the West has done nothing to lessen tensions. U.S. officials accuse China of considering providing weapons to Moscow for use in the war.

Efforts for peace talks have been repeatedly undermined. There seems to be an invisible hand pushing for the protraction and escalation of the conflict and using the Ukraine crisis to serve a certain geopolitical agenda, Qin said.

The annual meeting of the National Peoples Congress is due to endorse the appointment of a new premier and government chosen by the Communist Party in a once-a-decade change.

The meeting also is expected to name Xi to a third term in the ceremonial post of Chinese president after he broke with tradition and awarded himself a third five-year term as ruling party leader in October, possibly preparing to make himself leader for life.

(AP)




A U.S. prosecutor displayed grisly crime-scene photos as he urged a jury Tuesday to impose the death penalty on a proud terrorist who killed eight people in a vehicle attack in New York City in 2017, while defense lawyers insisted death was not the answer.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Houle told jurors that defendant Sayfullo Saipov, 35, chose to violently smash and crush his victims, who were defenseless and included a child with his Halloween day truck attack.

She reminded jurors of the horror of the day by showing them gory pictures of the dead, some with clothing torn away, and by reminding them of the tearful testimony of their family members and some of the 18 individuals who suffered injuries but survived.

It is brutal to look at these photographs. But it is important, Houle said.

The images affected one man sitting among families of the victims so strongly that he appeared to lose consciousness, leading the judge to interrupt Houles closing long enough for an ambulance to be summoned. The man later walked into the ambulance.

A defense lawyer, David Patton, told jurors in closing statements in federal court that death was not the answer for his client, a Uzbekistan citizen.

In his closing to the same federal jury that convicted Saipov in January, defense lawyer Patton said a death sentence was not necessary, especially since a decision against death would mean his client would spend of the rest of life in extreme isolation at the nations most secure federal prison in Florence, Colorado.

I know he committed a horribly, horribly violent crime, Patton said.

Before the summation had resumed, Patton requested a mistrial over the prosecutors images, citing traumatic imagery so dramatic that it so affected a man, the husband of an FBI agent, who was sitting among victims families. Patton said a woman seated nearby also seemed to have been affected by the images.

The judge denied the request at a trial that has featured numerous days of testimony by emotional witnesses and gruesome images and videos from the killing scene.

Houle said the death penalty was appropriate because of choices made in planning the attack and carrying it out, choices of Sayfullo Saipov, a proud terrorist.

He chose to come to this country and then fight for an enemy, the prosecutor said. In our system of justice, the highest punishment is reserved for those who commit the most heinous crimes.

Prosecutors said at a trial that resulted in guilty verdicts against Saipov in late January that Saipov admitted to FBI agents that he carried out the attack on behalf of the Islamic State group and would have continued to the Brooklyn Bridge to kill others if he had not crashed his truck and been shot by a police officer.

Patton suggested that if left alive, Saipov may 10 years from now, maybe longer, question what he had done, just as his closest relatives said they hoped would happen if he lived.

Now maybe he wont, his lawyer said, If he doesnt, he will still die alone in prison.

(AP)
PwC has received a 5.6million fine from the UK's accounting regulator for failures regarding its work with defence and aerospace firm Babcock International.

The Financial Reporting Council said it had uncovered breaches in 'every area' it examined of PwC's auditing work on Babcock's 2017 financial results, and the 2018 accounts of Babcock and its Devonport Royal Dockyard subsidiary.

The regulator blasted the company for regularly failing to challenge Babcock's management, and for a 'lack of competence, care or diligence' over its inability to abide by basic auditing obligations.

Reprimanded: PwC has been fined 5.6million for failures regarding the auditing of defence firm Babcock International and its Devonport Royal Dockyard subsidiary

On one occasion, an audit team received a 640million (570 million) contract written in French but none of them possessed the required language skills to understand it or sought a translation of the agreement, according to the regulator.

In another instance, audit evidence regarding a sensitive government contract was falsified, while no evidence was found that auditors had received or read a 30-year contract worth a potential 3billion.

PwC was originally handed a 7.5million fine, but this was reduced by a quarter following the firm's admission of guilt.

Two other former audit partners, Nicholas Campbell Lambert and Heather Ancient, have been given severe reprimands and fines of 150,000 and 48,750, respectively.

PwC said in a statement: 'We're sorry that the work in question was not of the standard required and that we demand of ourselves.'

'In the years since, we have made significant and continuous investment in strengthening audit quality, which has been borne out through improved inspection results. We are focused on ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality audits.'

The latest fine represents the fourth time the FRC has penalised the 'Big Four' accounting group over its audits of London-listed companies in the past year.

In August, PwC was handed a 2.5million fine for not sufficiently challenging BT Group's 2017 results after a fraud was perpetrated at the telecoms giant's Italian division.

Two months previously, it was sanctioned twice in one day for failures while auditing the annual results of construction businesses Kier Group and Galliford Try.

Claudia Mortimore, the FRC's Deputy Executive Counsel, said the Babcock audits 'fell far short of the standards expected of statutory auditors'.

She added: 'Of particular concern is the lack of scepticism applied and the failures to follow some basic audit requirements.'

Mortimore also said that PwC had 'conducted effective self-reviews into four of the areas under investigation, and in this respect exhibited exceptional cooperation'.

'However, this has not attracted a further discount to sanctions, as it was countered by examples of errors, omissions and delays in providing material to the investigation, as well as the provision of some unclear or inaccurate responses.'

Probes are still ongoing into PwC's audits of Babcock's 2019 and 2020 financial statements and accounts belonging to collapsed shopping centre owner Intu Properties, Wyelands Bank, Eddie Stobart Logistics, and London Capital & Finance.
Billings School District 2 has created a new position in response to growing needs for safety and communication across its schools.

Former Billings Police officer Jeremy House is the districts first safety coordinator. He started Monday, marking the first full-time position of its kind in any Montana school district.

The development of the new position has been discussed by the board over the past year, with a safety committee forming last summer to explore school safety improvements.

Very excited to move forward with this and start talking with staff, the faculty and students and get a plan of action going on what direction we want to go with the safety, House told the board.

House retired last year after 30 years with the Billings Police in various positions including assistant police chief. Hes also served as a DNRC wildland firefighter over the past five summers and is currently a volunteer firefighter with the Fuego Volunteer Fire Company. His responsibilities with the school district will include creating and overseeing safety protocols and improving emergency preparedness.

The position is an entry-level administrative role and intended to be for 12 months per year due to the amount of training that will likely take place over the summer and with incoming new staff. The salary comes from the district's general fund, but multiple grant opportunities were identified to assist in funding when researching the feasibility of the position.

Prior to the coordinator position, school safety duties were assigned to the districts activities director that proved to be too much additional work. School resource officers are currently assigned to each of SD2s high schools and career center and its six middle schools. One officer serves for all its elementary schools.

In addition to any needed security and law enforcement at the schools, SROs work with students and faculty to provide counseling, mentoring and education to prevent potential incidents.

Along with supplementing this work, House will provide updates and maintain communication with school staff, police and administration during emergency situations. The hope expressed by the board is that he will also be able to meet with the public to answer any questions and work in collaboration with community volunteers.

Superintendent Greg Upham has said improvement for the district would be in effectively debriefing staff and faculty following emergency situations like a school lockdown.

Since SD2 is the largest district in the state and the first to hire a coordinator, they would need to establish a model for other districts to follow.

This position needs to be in the forefront in our stateWe need to be at the forefront of carrying the message forward about not only building safety, but social and emotional safety and what that means, Upham said.

House said one of the first things he would implement is a peer-support group model similar to what is used currently in the police department, citing the mental health benefits for those involved in an emergency incident.

"When they come out of there, they say, 'thank you' because it helps them so much," he said. "And I think we should implement that here...peer support training so if we go through lockdown or some type of incident, the teachers, the faculty or whomever have someone to go to and speak with."

The position comes following an increased need for public school safety across the country in recent decades. Similar positions have become popularized in other state school districts, university campuses and other organizations.

This year, the districts high schools have gone into lockdowns as precautionary measures in response to drug overdoses, shooting threats found by students and a statewide swatting call.

Following a fight that broke out at a Riverside Middle School dance last month, SRO Sgt. Matthew Chaney told the board there would be an increased police presence at all events going forward. Upham added that Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito has increased the number of charges filed against students behind the recent shooting threats, which impact the severity of the schools' punishment of the students.

Regarding the current procedure with charging or disciplining students, Upham explained that they are not allowed, by law, to publicly discuss specific student discipline and that multiple factors play into how each case is handled.

In the case of a student arrest linked to a shooting threat in November, Chaney explained it immediately qualified as a felony charge rather than a misdemeanor due to its direction against an entire school.

But when you make a smart comment on TikTok towards one person thats taken the wrong way, your intent wasnt to harass or intimidate an entire community, Chaney said.

With the addition of House, trustees also hope that he will relay these procedures and explanations to community members unaware of the current process. Board trustee Jennifer Hoffman thanked the officers for the discussion at the meeting, noting parents who have expressed concerns over a lack of information or response to recent events.

Its one I dont feel like we have often enough. Unfortunately, I feel like we need to have it more frequently because we have a lot of parents in the community who think nothing happens, she said.
H.E. Mr. Arthayudh Srisamoot, Thailand's ambassador to China by Lyu Hui BEIJING, March. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- The China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has grown from a concept to a key platform for a new era of international cooperation with concrete outcomes delivered since its inception in 2013, said Arthayudh Srisamoot, Thailand's Ambassador to China, in a recent written interview with Xinhuanet. Looking forward to the convening of the 3rd Belt and Road Forum on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, the ambassador highly commended BRI's principles of promoting win-win cooperation by strengthening policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people exchanges. The BRI has attracted the participation of over three-fourths of countries in the world and 32 international organizations. It has created some 420,000 jobs in countries along the routes and helped lift nearly 40 million people out of poverty over the past decade, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing first session of the 14th National People's Congress. The ambassador said both countries have expanded cooperation and synergies in various areas under the framework of BRI and the China-Thailand Railway is a flagship project of BRI cooperation to promote connectivity and economic prosperity in the region. The first section of the railway, linking the Thai capital of Bangkok with the Nakhon Ratchasima province, is expected to shorten the travel time from more than four hours to over one hour. He noted that the standard-gauge high-speed railway, once completed, will enhance two-way tourism and trade, strengthen connectivity between Southeast Asian countries and China, and bring tangible benefits and inject new momentum into regional development. On bilateral relations and exchanges, the ambassador spoke highly of the achievements made over the past year. Chinese President Xi Jinping paid his first visit to Thailand last year since assuming office, the ambassador said. The year 2022 marked the 10th anniversary of Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership between the two countries and also the commencement of building a Thailand-China community with a shared future for enhanced stability, prosperity and sustainability. What's more, China was Thailand's number one trade partner for 10 consecutive years since 2013 and also the Thailand's largest source of FDI applications through the Board of Investment (BOI) of Thailand in 2022, he added. Looking ahead, he expects increased two-way economic activities, especially in the tourism sector since China resumed outbound travel in early 2023 as part of optimized COVID-19 response. He also expressed the hope that potential Chinese companies could explore new business opportunities in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) and expand investment in the industries of the future by utilizing Thailand's developed supply chain, favorable investment policies, and strong domestic demand. Faced with impacts from COVID-19 and downward pressure in the global economy, China's economy maintained overall stability and its gross domestic product (GDP) grew 3 percent year on year in 2022. Sharing his opinion about China's hard-won economic performance, the ambassador pointed out that China's strong consumption, investment, and trade are major driving forces of China's economic growth, with high-quality development and innovation as important catalysts. China's consumption growth brings increased revenue for Thai exports, especially fruits and agriculture products, which are increasing popular with Chinese consumers, the ambassador further mentioned. Acknowledging that China's business environment has greatly improved in recent years and China's economic and trade policies have profound impact on the global and regional economy, the ambassador also expressed his hope that China would create a more stable, transparent and predictable investment environment for foreign investors. Meanwhile, the ambassador looks forward to seeing further expansion of China's opening up so as to bring greater opportunities to the world. Commenting on how to tackle global governance challenges posed by profound changes unseen in a century, the ambassador highly appreciated China's constructive role as a responsible major power in contributing to global peace, stability and sustainable development, adding that China-proposed Global Development Initiative (GDI) and Global Security Initiative (GSI) reflect China's endeavors to realize such goals. He said that Thailand's homegrown Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy model shares the same key concepts with the GDI with focus on people-centered prosperity as well as a balanced, sustainable and inclusive growth. Therefore, he expects that the two countries can collaborate to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) officially entered into force on Jan. 1, 2022, marking the launch of the world's largest free trade deal comprising 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, as well as China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Australia and New Zealand. Evaluating RCEP in the past year, the ambassador hailed the great role it played in reinforcing ASEAN centrality in the emerging regional economic architecture and the interests of ASEAN's FTA partners in enhancing economic integration and strengthening economic cooperation among the participating countries. Benefiting from RCEP, Thailand exported some 48,419 million US dollars worth of goods to China and other member countries during the first 11 months of 2022, according to the ambassador, who calls for increasing the diversity of the trade products and reaping more benefits. Looking into the future, he believed that RCEP will continue to provide a framework for the standardization of high-quality trade practices, lower trade barriers and improve market access for goods and services in the region. Talking about the ongoing "Two Sessions" held in Beijing, the ambassador stressed he had personally attended the event many times and was impressed by China's systematic, inclusive and people-centered approach to policy planning in a country of 1.4 billion people. He is confident that the targets and measures endorsed at the "Two Sessions" will help China to achieve its second centenary goal of building a modern socialist country in all respects.
A Mandan man has pleaded not guilty to murder in the October 2022 shooting death of a 39-year-old man in a Bismarck apartment parking lot.

Benjamin Williams, 28, could be sent to prison for life if hes convicted. He also pleaded not guilty at a Wednesday hearing to unlawful possession of a firearm by a violent felon.

The charges stem from the Oct. 4 death of Christopher Sebastian, who police said suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Officers found him in the drivers seat of a vehicle at 203 E. Arbor Ave.

Authorities say the two men knew each other, but they have not indicated a motive in the shooting. Investigation led police to Williams as a person of interest, Bismarck Police Lt. Luke Gardiner said at the time. Williams was the subject of a drug overdose call on Oct. 5 and was arrested for a parole violation.

Authorities identified Williams through witness accounts and surveillance video. He and Sebastian were seen getting into the car Sebastian was driving about 11 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the north Walmart. Location data from an account associated with Sebastian showed him traveling to the East Arbor Avenue area, police said. The shooting was reported about 11:30 p.m.

One witness told police the car Sebastian was in came to a stop, gunshots came from inside, and a man got out of the passenger door and ran away.

Police said they found spent ammunition casings, two loaded handguns, and a bag of ammunition in the car, according to an affidavit. They later found discarded clothing items matching the description given by witnesses, and a handgun matching the caliber of the casings found in the car, the document states.

Williams in an Oct. 6 interview allegedly admitted to being with Sebastian from 7-10 p.m. but said Sebastian dropped him off on North Washington about 10 p.m. Williams' hands tested "presumptively positive" for gunshot residue after the interview, police said.

Williams pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and evidence tampering in March 2017, court records show. He was sentenced to five years in prison.

He appeared at the Wednesday hearing by video from the North Dakota State Penitentiary, where he's housed for the parole violation. His attorney did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
ST. PAUL, Minn.  Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order Wednesday protecting the rights of LGBTQ people from Minnesota and other states to receive gender affirming health care, as he slammed the tide of other states rolling back transgender rights.

We want every Minnesotan to grow up feeling safe, valued, protected, celebrated, and free to exist as their authentic versions of themselves, Walz said. Protecting and supporting access to gender affirming health care is essential to being a welcoming and supportive state.

Advocates for LGBTQ rights say Republican-led states across the country are trying to erase the legal existence of people who are trans and to restrict the expression of those who are nonbinary, gender-fluid or who perform in drag. According to the Human Rights Campaign, more than 150 bills targeting trans rights have been introduced in other states. Walz singled out neighboring South Dakota, where Gov. Kristi Noem signed a ban on gender affirming care for minors last month.

I don't know what a group of people in Pierre who decide to make life miserable and more dangerous for people are thinking, but it's not going to happen in Minnesota, Walz said to applause from a room full of LGBTQ activists and their supporters.

The North Dakota House approved legislation to ban gender-affirming care for minors. It's now being considered by the Senate.

Walz's executive order parallels legislation awaiting a floor vote in the state House to make Minnesota a trans refuge state by protecting trans people, families and care providers from a range of legal repercussions for traveling to Minnesota for gender affirming care, which includes a wide range of social and medical interventions.

While sponsors said they're optimistic about passage in the coming weeks, the governor said the accelerating trends against trans rights in other states made it urgent for him to impose protections immediately.

The bill is authored by Democratic Rep. Leigh Finke, of St. Paul, Minnesotas first openly transgender legislator. It would prohibit the state from enforcing court orders or child protection laws from other states if they interfere with a persons right to seek gender affirming care in Minnesota.

The importance of the governor's order to LGBTQ people across the nation can't be overstated, she said.

The lives of trans and gender expansive people this nation are under attack," Finke said. "There is a full-scale movement in this nation against trans, nonbinary, two-spirit and gender expansive adults and children that seeks to make our community disappear.

A separate bill banning so-called conversion therapy for LGBTQ children and vulnerable adults won approval in the Minnesota House last month and is awaiting a floor vote in the Senate.

Conservatives said the governor's order will hurt vulnerable children instead of helping them.

People who struggle with their gender identity deserve compassionate care that will help them become comfortable in their bodies, not mutilate them," John Helmberger, CEO of the Minnesota Family Council, said in a statement.

Elsewhere, recent efforts in Oklahoma to prohibit gender affirming medical care for trans children and pass other anti-trans legislation have led to heated demonstrations. The Arkansas Senate on Tuesday gave initial approval to criminalizing transgender people who use restrooms that match their gender identity. Tennessees governor signed legislation last week that bans drag shows from taking place in public or in front of children.

All children deserve to thrive, we can agree on that, but for transgender youth, that thriving and access to lifesaving gender affirming care is under threat in statehouses around the country, Dr. Kelsey Leonardsmith said. It is under threat from bullies who hide behind junk science, and bullies who abuse their positions of power to hurt these precious children.

Leonardsmith runs clinics in Minneapolis and St. Paul that serve transgender youth, including families that have relocated from restrictive states. She said said they provide evidence-based care in line with international guidelines and work closely with families to ensure that children and adolescents receive appropriate care consistent with their stages of intellectual and physical development.

And there is no one else who belongs in that room making those decisions, she said.
Protesters in the small ex-Soviet state of Georgia threw petrol bombs and stones at police on Tuesday night after parliament gave its initial backing to a draft law on foreign agents which critics say represents an authoritarian shift.

Police in the centre of the capital Tbilisi used water cannon and tear gas in attempting to disperse thousands of demonstrators, who fear the draft law could hurt the South Caucasus countrys hopes of European Union membership.

The law, backed by the ruling Georgian Dream party, would require any organisations receiving more than 20% of their funding from overseas to register as foreign agents, or face substantial fines.

Critics have said it is reminiscent of a 2012 law in Russia that has since been used to crack down on dissent.

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, who wants to veto the law it if crosses her desk, said she was on the side of the protesters.

You represent a free Georgia, a Georgia which sees its future in the West, and wont let anyone to take this future away, she said in an address recorded in the United States, where she is on an official visit.

Nobody needs this law  everyone who has voted for this law has violated the constitution, she said. Parliament, though, can override her veto.

Protesters angrily remonstrated with police armed with riot shields who then used tear gas and watercannon. At least three petrol bombs, as well as stones, were thrown at police.

People suffering from the effects of tear gas were being treated on the steps outside the parliament building.

I came here because I know that my country belongs to Europe, but my government doesnt understand it, said 30 year old protestor Demetre Shanshiashvili.

We are here to protect our country because we dont want to be part of Russia again, he added, referring to the almost two centuries Georgia spent as part of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union.

PARLIAMENTARY READING

Earlier, the law had comfortably passed its first parliamentary reading, Georgian media outlets reported.

Some of the protesters gathered outside the parliament building carried Georgian, European Union and U.S. flags, and shouted: No to the Russian law, and You are Russian at politicians inside the legislature.

Russia is viewed as an enemy by many Georgians, after Moscow backed separatists in the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the 1990s. Hundreds of thousands of Georgians remain internally displaced within the country after several bouts of bloody ethnic conflict.

Speaking in Berlin earlier on Tuesday, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Garibashvili reaffirmed his support for the law, saying the proposed provisions on foreign agents met European and global standards.

The United States was closely following developments in Georgia, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters.

BRAWL

The ruling party, which says it wants Georgia to join the European Union, has accused critics of the bill of opposing the Georgian Orthodox Church, one of the countrys most respected and influential institutions.

On Monday, a committee hearing on the law ended in a physical brawl in parliament.

More than 60 civil society organisations and media outlets have said they will not comply with the bill if it is signed into law.

Georgias government has in recent years faced criticism from observers, who say the country is drifting towards authoritarianism. In June, the EU declined to grant Georgia candidate status alongside Moldova and Ukraine, citing stalled political and judicial reforms.

Source: Reuters
A record three thousand women across Ireland have registered as apprentices.

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, made the announcement today (March 8) on International Women's Day.

The important milestone was reached as Minister Harris launched a targeted campaign to engage with girls' schools across the country.

The campaign highlights the growing participation and leadership of women in apprenticeship, building exciting careers, womens participation and leadership across industry sectors, and how this opportunity is available to every girls school in Ireland.

Speaking at todays apprenticeship Q&A event to mark International Womens Day at Our Ladys School, in Terenure, Dublin, Minister Harris said, "Im delighted to announce that we have broken through the 3,000 milestone for apprenticeship registrations by women since 2016.

"It is encouraging that the rate of registrations is accelerating year on year. And the choice of programmes is growing each year, there are 66 apprenticeship programmes now available and later this year we are due to have up to 10 more programmes launched, for quantity surveyors, in horticulture, in farming and a further expansion of tech options.

"Everyone should have access to these opportunities, and know all the facts, not least all of our young women in school. I am delighted that the National Apprenticeship Office is proactively spreading the word with young women at second level.

Director of the National Apprenticeship Office Dr Mary-Liz Trant said, "It is an honour to be back in my old school as the first Director of Irelands National Apprenticeship Office. It is wonderful to be starting our Facts, Faces, Futures campaign this morning on International Womens Day 2023 in Our Ladys School.

"We are at a tipping point with the enterprise community in Ireland where it is no longer a choice between further or higher, male or female, it is just about talent and the quickest and most reliable way to access it. This is why we have so many new career routes on offer through apprenticeship and why it is more important than ever that girls and women have clear information and signposting."

As part of todays celebrations, Minister Harris addressed some of Irelands future female talent at the school, encouraging students to avail of the excellent opportunities that apprenticeships offer to build 21st-century skills for life, and support their career goals and aspirations.

The newly launched Facts, Faces, Futures campaign aims to give school communities, family groups, groups of friends and the whole of society a different way of thinking about apprenticeship.

According to the Department of Further and Higher Education, less than 30 women annually chose the apprenticeship route up until 2016.

However there has been a significant rise in the number of women building careers through apprenticeships, with 370 women apprentices registering in 2019 and 966 women apprentices registering in 2022.

Learn more about apprenticeships here.
Hundreds of people have marched across Dublin calling for Government action on a range of issues affecting women, including ensuring their safety.

Braving plummeting temperatures, the protesters set off from the Spire, carrying signs with slogans and trans flags.

Some held Iranian flags in solidarity with the Woman, Life, Freedom feminist movement in Iran, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in Tehran last September.

Chants included womens rights, migrant rights, same struggle, same fight, the women, united, will never be defeated, get your roseries off my ovaries, and two four six eight, separate church and state.

The crowd then gathered outside the Irish Parliament where speakers criticised the jailed social media influencer Andrew Tate and blasted the Governments controversial decision to end the eviction ban at the end of the month.

Activist Ailbhe Smyth told the crowd that at a time when feminist gains seem to be moving backwards, we dont celebrate, we protest.

She said: We protest every International Womens Day because the patriarchal control of women, our lives, our bodies, our freedom, is far from over, and in many parts of the world, even here in Ireland, for many, many women, that battle has barely begun.

I am very concerned, as other speakers have been, about this backlash, this sliding backwards of our rights, propelled by the far-right extremists, fascists and Andrew Tate and his hateful ilk, and we will not tolerate that for one moment, we will stand up against it.

I believe in particular, the future of young women and girls is at stake. We must not only hold on to the gains we made over decades and decades  it is up to us to keep fighting to advance those gains and to ensure womens freedom and equality.

Ms Smyth criticised the Governments decision to end the no-fault eviction ban from March 31, and said the Government had decided to hold a referendum on removing the dinosauric clause in the constitution referring to womens place in the home as a ploy to gain votes.

On International Womens Day, them inside behind me, many of them made very pious and sanctimonious speeches about women and their commitment to equality.

But at the same time, our Government  made up of three big political parties  is bitterly, cruelly and carelessly throwing thousands and thousands and thousands of people out on to the streets.

How dare they end the eviction ban, have they no shame of any kind?

A representative of Akidwa  a national network of migrant women living in Ireland  told the crowd that migrant women who are the victims of domestic violence are especially vulnerable due to the threat of homelessness, uncertainty on their legal status and discrimination.

The crowd was told of transphobic and homophobic hate in Ireland, and heard criticism of a trans-exclusionary brand of feminism.

A representative of Womens Collective Ireland called for public services to meet womens needs, an end to homelessness, an investment in womens health and for care work to be valued.
March 08, 2023





In January 2023, Polish distributor of electronical components Transfer Multisort Elektronik announced that it has strengthened cooperation with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (News - Alert) Company. It will bring significant benefits to TME clients worldwide, including shortening the lead time for the TSMC components and increasing the warehouse stock levels, which translates into faster shipping. With time, this cooperation will lead to the TME range being extended to include new diodes, rectifiers, ESD protections, transistors and integrated circuits such as voltage regulators, operational amplifiers and comparators.







Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company  the history of a semiconductor manufacturer

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is one of the largest semiconductor manufacturers worldwide. The company was founded in 1987 by Morris Chang, graduate of the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who went on to become the CEO of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (News - Alert) in Taiwan. Changs goal was to create a company specialised in the production of integrated circuits (ICs) for other companies and operating in the so called "foundry model".

TSMC began its activities by manufacturing integrated circuits using technological processes with a resolution of 1 micron, which was then gradually increased up to current processes of 5 nm and 7 nm. Throughout the following years, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company became one of the largest semiconductor manufacturers worldwide and one of the main suppliers for many well-known electronics manufacturers, such as AMD, Apple, Qualcomm (News - Alert), Nvidia or MediaTek. The company is also involved in the research and development of new technologies, such as smart integrated circuits, artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT).

Strong position of the Taiwanese manufacturer

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is also known for its strong market position and stable financial situation. In 2020, TSMC recorded top revenue and profits, and its shares are listed on stock exchanges in Taiwan and Hongkong. The company has demonstrated good performance for some time now  its net revenue has also been systematically growing year-to-year in 2021-2022.

Currently, TSMC is one of the most important suppliers of integrated circuits for consumer, industrial, medical, automotive and aviation electronics industries. The company invests much in the safety and protection of its processes and technologies, which allows to maintain high quality and reliability of its products. It is vitally important, especially for numerous clients from military and industrial sectors.

This Taiwanese manufacturer is also active in the area of social and environmental responsibility. TSMC is involved in various initiatives, such as environmental protection, community education and development and gender equality.

Taiwan Semiconductor products at TME

TME clients can order numerous TSMC integrated circuits, such as comparators, LED drivers and operational amplifiers, as well as LDO (low-dropout) voltage stabilisers. These components are designed for use in the manufacturing of circuits for devices from various fields of application, including consumer and industrial automation, communication, transport or audio/video equipment and white goods. The TME catalogue also includes basic electronic components manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, such as diodes and MOSFET transistors, rectifier bridges, as well as miniature SMD elements, perfect for consumer devices, for example power adapters and chargers.
[March 08, 2023] AITX's Subsidiary Robotic Assistance Devices Signs DK Security as New Dealer

Detroit, Michigan, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc., (the Company) (OTCPK:AITX), a global leader in AI-driven security and productivity solutions for enterprise clients along its wholly owned subsidiary, Robotic Assistance Devices, Inc. (RAD), today announced the signing of DK Security as a new authorized dealer.

Established in 1995, DK Security is a leading full-service security company which offers uniformed security and a wide-range of investigative services to more than 400 clients and 1,900 employees throughout Michigan. DK Security provides Unarmed Security, Armed Security, and Event Security, as well as Robotics, Investigations, Executive Protection, Audits & Training, Background Screening, Loss Prevention, Mobile Patrols, and anonymous tipline support. DK Security is a woman-owned and woman-led company with branch offices in Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Madison Heights, Michigan. By revenue, DK Security is the largest Michigan-based security guard company. RAD is attracting some amazing regional dealers, said Mark Folmer, Mark Folmer, CPP, FSyI and President of RAD. Dealers like DK Security understand, better than anyone, the issues that their clients are experiencing. Security dealers cant make all problems go away by adding more guards, the clients often dont have the budget or the patience. RAD helps the dealers in helping the clients navigate the solutions. In a press release dated March 7, 2023, DK Security announced their new partnership with the Company. Were in business to make organizations and communities a safer place, and security officers will always be a critical solution to accomplish that, said Johnny Kendall, Director of Marketing & Business Development at DK Security. We also know the power of artificial intelligence and how it can be used for good. Were excited to partner with an industry leader thats located right here in our home state. Their robotic devices are truly a game changer for what we can offer our clients. A robust dealer network is critical to achieving market success, said Steve Reinharz, CEO of AITX and RAD. RADs network of strong dealers provides access to new customers, helps expand the Company's reach, and increases product visibility. Im thrilled that the roster of RADs dealer network is comprised of influential regional dealers along with the most prominent players in the industry. RAD authorized dealers are required to obtain a demonstration device for presentations to their clients and prospects. RAD's unique 'security-in-a-box' approach is best demonstrated by new dealers through the use of a ROSA, which is known for its ease of installation and use, added Folmer. ROSA is a multiple award-winning, compact, self-contained, portable, security and communication solution that can be deployed in about 15 minutes. Like other RAD solutions, a stand-alone ROSA only requires power, which is provided when configured along with RIO, as it includes all necessary communications hardware. ROSAs AI-driven security analytics include human, firearm, vehicle detection, license plate recognition, responsive digital signage and audio messaging, and complete integration with RADs software suite notification and autonomous response library. Two-way communication is optimized for cellular, including live video from ROSAs dual high-resolution, full-color, always-on cameras. RAD has published three Case Studies detailing how ROSA has helped eliminate instances of theft, trespassing and loitering at car rental locations and construction sites across the country.



AITX through its subsidiary, Robotic Assistance Devices, Inc. (RAD), is redefining the $25 billion (US) security and guarding services industry through its broad lineup of innovative, AI-driven Solutions-as-a-Service business model. RAD solutions are specifically designed to provide a cost savings to businesses of between 35%-80% when compared to the industrys existing and costly manned security guarding and monitoring model. RAD delivers this tremendous costs savings via a suite of stationary and mobile robotic solutions that complement, and at times, directly replace the need for human personnel in environments better suited for machines. All RAD technologies, AI-based analytics and software platforms are developed in-house. RAD has a prospective sales pipeline of over 35 Fortune 500 companies and numerous other client opportunities. RAD expects to continue to attract new business as it converts its existing sales opportunities into deployed clients generating a recurring revenue stream. Each Fortune 500 client has the potential of making numerous reorders over time.

CAUTIONARY DISCLOSURE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The information contained in this publication does not constitute an offer to sell or solicit an offer to buy securities of Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc. (the "Company"). This publication contains forward-looking statements, which are not guarantees of future performance and may involve subjective judgment and analysis. The information provided herein is believed to be accurate and reliable, however the Company makes no representations or warranties, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy or completeness. The Company has no obligation to provide the recipient with additional updated information. No information in this publication should be interpreted as any indication whatsoever of the Company's future revenues, results of operations, or stock price. About Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions (AITX)

AITX is an innovator in the delivery of artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex challenges and fuel new business ideas. Through its next-generation robotic product offerings, AITXs RAD, RAD-M and RAD-G companies help organizations streamline operations, increase ROI, and strengthen business. AITX technology improves the simplicity and economics of patrolling and guard services and allows experienced personnel to focus on more strategic tasks. Customers augment the capabilities of existing staffs and gain higher levels of situational awareness, all at drastically reduced cost. AITX solutions are well suited for use in multiple industries such as enterprises, government, transportation, critical infrastructure, education, and healthcare. To learn more, visit www.aitx.ai, www.stevereinharz.com, www.radsecurity.com , www.radgroup.ai, and www.radlightmyway.com, or follow Steve Reinharz on Twitter @SteveReinharz . ### Steve Reinharz

949-636-7060

@SteveReinharz Attachment Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc.



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[March 07, 2023] CLAVE PARTNERS WITH SANTANDER CONSUMER ON DIGITAL LOAN ORIGINATION AND SERVICING

Collaboration supports Clave's 2023 growth plans and accelerates Santander Consumer's lending in Latin America. BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Clave Creditos S.A., an affiliate of Latin America focused fintech Clave, and Santander Consumer S.A., a Santander Group company, announce an agreement for Clave to digitally originate and service consumer loans in Argentina. The partnership pairs Clave's leading technology with Santander Consumer's access to capital and expansive network, with operations in 23 countries that serve over 25 million clients. Martin Solano, CEO of Santander Consumer in Argentina noted: "In 2021, Santander Consumer committed to providing Argentina with a comprehensive financial service platform. We believe Clave's digital ecosystem will support this mission." "Clave is thrilled to collaborate with Santander Consumer, a proven leader in credit throughout Europe and the Americas," said Clave's CEO Pablo Pizzimbono. "Their trust further validates Clave's offering." Clave combines two distinct competencies  technology and structured credit  to modernize Latin America's funding markets. After completing a seed investment round in 2022 of over $7 million USD, led by seasoned executives with decades of hands-on experience in finance, technology and Latin America, Clave is delivering on its 2023 growth plans. Pizzimbono added, "Our B2B partnerships with the likes of established private equity firm Kandeo - and its array of Latin America portfolio companies - and the innovative factoring enterprise Liquitech enable Clave to connect SMEs and consumers with global capital. Our work with Santander advances this strategy. Clave looks forward to its continued development in Colombia, Mexico, Argentina and beyond." About Clave Clave digitizes loan origination and servicing in Latin America, unleashing the power of new technologies to expand access to capital for businesses and consumers, while re-defining financial inclusion. The Clave ecosystem includes Clave DLP (digital lending platform) and ClaveApp, a digital wallet that provides simple and secure solutions for traditional financial services, including credit, payments, transfers and blockchain based products. Clave, headquartered in Greenwich, Conn., has offices in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Bogota, Colombia. Clave is a minority and veteran led business. About Santander Consumer S.A. Santander Consumer S.A. offers a broad portfolio of products, including commercial loans, equity financing loans to distributors and personal consumer loans. Santander Consumer S.A. is one of Banco Santander's consumer financing businesses, which as a whole are present in more than 23 countries in North America, South America and Europe, serving more than 25 million customers with more than 130,000 business alliances. For press inquiries, contact







Clave Neel Parekh Chief Strategy Officer [email protected] www.clave.com Santander Consumer S.A. Roberto Lucke Head Alliances & Consumer Business [email protected] www.santanderconsumer.com.ar Clave Creditos S.A. Hugo Martino Gerente General [email protected] www.clavecreditos.com



View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/clave-partners-with-santander-consumer-on-digital-loan-origination-and-servicing-301765081.html SOURCE Clave

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[March 08, 2023] Gaming App Install Ad Spend Reaches $26.7 Billion Globally Despite Slowing Growth in Installs According to New AppsFlyer Report

AppsFlyer today released its State of Gaming App Marketing for 2023, an in-depth report on key gaming trends for app developers, marketers and game studios to utilize as they navigate through a year of challenging macro trends, including the new age of data privacy. As the post-Covid era unfolds, a digital slowdown, or return to pre-Covid conditions, is taking place. While the effects are becoming increasingly apparent in metrics like overall app installs by consumers, the gaming app economy still showed resilience with nearly $27 billion invested in ad spend by gaming marketers and developers worldwide in 2022 to acquire new users. Overall, Android game app installs rose slightly, by 8% compared to 2021, whereas iOS game app installs showed a small decline, with a 5% drop. Based on advertising investment, the United States remains the largest target market for gaming app marketers by a significant margin, followed by Japan, South Korea, Germany and the United Kingdom. "If 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 was the golden age of gaming, the second half of 2022 and especially 2023 will be a time that marketers, developers and studios will need to overcome challenges to adopt highly-focused, efficient strategies for attracting and inspiring loyal, valuable players," said Shani Rosenfelder, Director of Market Insights at AppsFlyer. "Evolving marketing budgets coupled with drops in consumer spending across some genres mean game businesses are compelled to prioritize profits over growing the sheer size of their numbers of players. Despite the hurdles, however, mobile gaming remains a lucrative powerhouse nearing three billion players globally. Marketers will continue to succeed by putting more focus on modern measurement capabilities, utilizing techniques that deliver an engaging experience while respecting user privacy, and leveraging remarketing and owned media channels further in order to offset increases in their cost-per-installs (CPI). Additionally, they will need to dive deep into the complex yet promising SKAN 4.0 from Apple, and invest more in campaigns outside of the United States, as gaming is truly a global phenomenon." As for gaming app revenues, the State of Gaming report reveals that consumers spent the most on in-app purchases (IAP) in role playing and social casino (not real money) games. Purchases in these game categories declined mostly in the second half of 2022, leading to an oveall drop in IAP revenues by 7% compared to the first half of the year. The economic downturn appears to have impacted consumer behavior in high IAP genres of role playing and social casino more than other categories like match or puzzle games, which rely more on micropayments. In-app advertising (IAA) remained the strongest driver of revenues for hypercasual, match and simulation games, though IAA revenues also declined across most genres towards the second half of 2022.



Key Insights from the 2023 State of Gaming App Marketing: $26.7 Billion total gaming app install ad spend worldwide in 2022 . The US commands nearly half at $12.2B thanks to its high-volume and high-cost media landscape; Japan is a distant second with nearly $2B in spend.

. The US commands nearly half at $12.2B thanks to its high-volume and high-cost media landscape; Japan is a distant second with nearly $2B in spend. Worldwide, Android game app installs rose slightly in 2022, iOS game app installs showed a small decline. There was an 8% YoY growth in total app installs of Android games. A -5% YoY install drop on iOS reflects the continued challenges iOS app marketers are facing following Apple's privacy changes (despite the improvement vs. the previous 2022-2021 YoY figure of -13%). In the US, still considered the most important market for gaming app marketers, 2022 saw a 19% growth in Android app installs and -1% decline in installs of iOS gaming apps when compared to 2021.

There was an 8% YoY growth in total app installs of Android games. A -5% YoY install drop on iOS reflects the continued challenges iOS app marketers are facing following Apple's privacy changes (despite the improvement vs. the previous 2022-2021 YoY figure of -13%). In the US, still considered the most important market for gaming app marketers, 2022 saw a 19% growth in Android app installs and -1% decline in installs of iOS gaming apps when compared to 2021. The second half of 2022 in particular was a struggle for in-game purchases with the economic uncertainty in the market. There was a -7% overall drop in in-app purchase (IAP) revenue in H2 2022 compared to H1 2022, with iOS down -13% and Android down -6%. Overall, in-app purchases on Android gaming apps were down -14% year-over year (YoY), while iOS was down -1% YoY. This was driven largely by a decline in Role Playing and Casino game genres that typically have high rates of in-app purchases, and where the economic downturn appears to have impacted consumer spend.

There was a -7% overall drop in in-app purchase (IAP) revenue in H2 2022 compared to H1 2022, with iOS down -13% and Android down -6%. Overall, in-app purchases on Android gaming apps were down -14% year-over year (YoY), while iOS was down -1% YoY. This was driven largely by a decline in Role Playing and Casino game genres that typically have high rates of in-app purchases, and where the economic downturn appears to have impacted consumer spend. Categories that saw largest growth in 2022 vs. 2021: 48% growth rate for Android casino games, 3x more than second-place Hypercasual and 5x higher compared to the growth rate in puzzle and Role Playing games (RPG). Casino games led growth on the flagging iOS side, clocking an impressive 17%.

48% growth rate for Android casino games, 3x more than second-place Hypercasual and 5x higher compared to the growth rate in puzzle and Role Playing games (RPG). Casino games led growth on the flagging iOS side, clocking an impressive 17%. Cost-per-installs on iOS continue to climb: 88% is the increase in CPI on iOS from Q1 2021 to Q4 2022, shooting up $3.75 per install as iOS marketers continue to accept high prices to acquire valuable Apple users. YoY rates show a 35% jump.

88% is the increase in CPI on iOS from Q1 2021 to Q4 2022, shooting up $3.75 per install as iOS marketers continue to accept high prices to acquire valuable Apple users. YoY rates show a 35% jump. Marketers increasingly leveraging owned media channels: As marketers look to get more value out of their budgets, the use of owned media strategies such as push notifications, in-app messages and cross promotion is seeing a sustained rise. This has led to a significant YoY increase in the number of owned media conversions, with a 16% growth on iOS and a 34% surge on Android. "As gaming marketers continue to navigate their way through a shifting economic landscape along with privacy changes, particularly on iOS, they face fresh challenges and opportunities in regards to their app marketing efforts," said Adam Smart, Director of Product, Gaming. "Privacy restrictions on iOS limit the ability of marketers to leverage user-level data, which was previously the cornerstone of their ability to connect campaign performance to attracting new users. Yet despite a significant rise in media costs and measurement challenges, gaming apps are still investing heavily in capturing high-quality players on iOS, and are not shifting those resources to Android even if the approach results in attracting fewer users overall. This gives greater importance to the use of privacy-enhancing tech and data clean rooms in 2023 and beyond, and will also provide advantages to those able to leverage accurate and comprehensive data for making the timeliest decisions on where, when and how to optimally invest budgets in ways that attract and retain the most valuable players."

Methodology AppsFlyer's State of Gaming App Marketing, 2023 Edition is an anonymous aggregate of proprietary global data from 38 billion app installs from 18.6 thousand apps measured with 10 thousand quarterly installs and $13.9 billion in total ad spend measured from January 2021 to December 2022. The State of Gaming App Marketing is available at: https://www.appsflyer.com/resources/reports/gaming-app-marketing/ About AppsFlyer AppsFlyer helps brands make good choices for their business and their customers with its advanced measurement, data analytics, deep linking, engagement, fraud protection, data clean room and privacy preserving technologies. Built on the idea that brands can increase customer privacy while providing exceptional experiences, AppsFlyer empowers thousands of creators and 10,000+ technology partners to create better, more meaningful customer relationships. To learn more, visit www.appsflyer.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005067/en/

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[March 08, 2023] Kendra Scott Launches Foundation to Empower Women and Youth

Today, Kendra Scott announced the launch of the Kendra Scott Foundation, a component of the Austin Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, that's committed to empowering women and youth in the areas of health and wellness, education, and entrepreneurship. Kendra Scott started this brand with the intention of doing good first and selling jewelry second - this philanthropic mentality has been embedded into every facet of the company. The Foundation will allow Kendra Scott to do even more good and serve as an overarching platform to deepen the brand's investment in changing the lives of women and youth. The announcement coincides with International Women's Day, a global day celebrating the achievements of women and a moment that perfectly aligns with the Company's focus and the Foundation's mission and purpose. Kendra Scott has proudly donated more than $50 million to local, national, and international causes since 2010. The three pillars of health and wellness, education, and entrepreneurship are the driving forces behind Kendra Scott's long-standing programs and partnerships, which include (but not limited to): Yellow for Pink by Kendra Scott: Part of Kendra Scott's ongoing commitment to breast cancer research, resources, and remission organizations. The program supports the day-to-day lives of breast cancer patients, thrivers, and their families - the full lives they lead outside of the clinic and hospital - to help eliminate the financial, trauma, and situational challenges that are often overlooked. In 2022 alone, Yellow for Pink by Kendra Scott has funded 4,067 research hours dedicated to improving the lives of those undergoing treatment of metastatic breast cancer through a grant with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Part of Kendra Scott's ongoing commitment to breast cancer research, resources, and remission organizations. The program supports the day-to-day lives of breast cancer patients, thrivers, and their families - the full lives they lead outside of the clinic and hospital - to help eliminate the financial, trauma, and situational challenges that are often overlooked. In 2022 alone, Yellow for Pink by Kendra Scott has funded 4,067 research hours dedicated to improving the lives of those undergoing treatment of metastatic breast cancer through a grant with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Kendra Cares: A creative arts program that brings the magic and joy of Kendra Scott's Color Bar to pediatric hospitals across the country, Kendra Cares gives patients and their caregivers a break from their everyday to design their own piece of customized jewelry at no cost. To-date, Kendra Scott has brought the Kendra Cares program to over 40 top-ranked pediatric hospitals across the country, serving over 4,000 patients and their caregivers in 2022 alone.

A creative arts program that brings the magic and joy of Kendra Scott's Color Bar to pediatric hospitals across the country, Kendra Cares gives patients and their caregivers a break from their everyday to design their own piece of customized jewelry at no cost. To-date, Kendra Scott has brought the Kendra Cares program to over 40 top-ranked pediatric hospitals across the country, serving over 4,000 patients and their caregivers in 2022 alone. Education: Kendra Scott focuses on lifting up educators, underserved students, and families through scholarships, literacy, and library beautification - having surprised and delighted over 2,000 teachers and nurses in 2022 and provided nine educational scholarships to spouses and children of America's fallen and disabled service members through Folds of Honor.

Kendra Scott focuses on lifting up educators, underserved students, and families through scholarships, literacy, and library beautification - having surprised and delighted over 2,000 teachers and nurses in 2022 and provided nine educational scholarships to spouses and children of America's fallen and disabled service members through Folds of Honor. Women in Entrepreneurship: Under the women in entrepreneurship pillar, the Company founded the Kendra Scott Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership Intitute in partnership with The University of Texas at Austin, a long-standing program geared towards strengthening the next generation of courageous, creative women leaders who will change the world. Kendra Scott also created the Founders Market this year which will seed grants to diverse women business owners. As part of its commitment to helping women entrepreneurs, the Company directly and positively impacted over 2,000 women in 2022 by equipping them with the tools needed to be successful in the world, donated $60,000 in scholarships, and empowered over 80 women-led startups and founders.



In addition to the many programs now supported by the Kendra Scott Foundation, the Company also hosts "Kendra Gives Back" community events, where 20 percent of purchases made in-store and online will directly benefit a cause designated by the customer. Kendra Scott also supports community causes through in-kind product donations to countless local nonprofit organizations and donates a percentage of sales from the Shop for Good collection to causes close to the heart.

In 2021, Scott was named the Honorary Celebrity Chair for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas. She is also a member of the board of directors for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the Council of Fashion Designers of America, received Pink Agenda's Icon Award in 2022 in recognition of the Company's support of the fight against breast cancer and was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame in 2019, among others. For more information on the Kendra Scott Foundation, visit kendrascott.com/philanthropy, or donate directly at https://ken01.kimbia.com/donate. About the Kendra Scott Foundation Established in 2022, the Kendra Scott Foundation aims to empower women and youth in the areas of health and wellness, education, and entrepreneurship. Having donated more than $50 million to philanthropic organizations since 2010, the Kendra Scott company remains invested in changing the lives of women and youth through programs and strong partnerships with like-minded organizations. The Kendra Scott Foundation Fund is a component fund of the Austin Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity, and has exclusive legal control over the assets contributed to funds of the Foundation. To learn more about The Kendra Scott Foundation's work and how it transforms lives, please visit kendrascott.com/philanthropy. About Kendra Scott Kendra Scott LLC was founded in 2002 by Kendra Scott, who serves as Founder, Executive Chairwoman and Chief Creative Officer of her namesake brand. Known for its design and material innovation, use of color, and signature shapes, Kendra Scott offers Fashion, Demi-Fine and Fine Jewelry, watches, engagement rings, home accessories, and a men's collection, Scott Bros. by Kendra Scott. The company remains true to its founding philosophy of "Family, Fashion, and Philanthropy," and has donated over $50M to philanthropic organizations since 2010. Kendra Scott's customer-centric omni-channel approach includes a network of 130+ namesake experiential stores and pop-up locations, wholesale partners, including Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, Dillard's, and 850+ specialty boutiques. With over 2,500 employees, the Austin-based company was honored as one of Newsweek's Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces in 2022. Learn more at KendraScott.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005162/en/

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[March 08, 2023] Ryan Honored as One of the Best Workplaces for Women in Canada by Great Place to Work

Ryan, a leading global tax services and software provider, has recently been named to the 2023 list of Best Workplaces for Women in Canada by Great Place to Work. "It is an honor to be recognized as a best workplace for women in Canada," said Ryan President of Canadian Operations Garry Round. "This award further demonstrates our commitment to creating a work environment that empowers all team members to achieve the highest levels of professional and personal success." To be eligible for this list, organizations must be Great Place to Work Certified in the past year and have offices in Canada. Additionally, they must have a minimum of 15 female employees, and at least 90% of employees must agree that people are treated fairly, regardless of their gender. Winning companies were determined based on their overall Trust Index score from female employees. "Earning this nationwide recognition as a premier workplace for women supports our continued efforts to develop and maintain an industry-leading culture that attracts a diverse and highly driven workforce," said Ginny B. Kissling, Ryan Global President and Chief Operating Officer. "I'm proud that we've built an environment where women feel psychologically safe and that they have chosen to grow their careers at Ryan."



Ryan is leading the way for women through purposeful advancement and growth opportunities, generous family and personal leave policies, and promoting a healthy work-life balance through programs such as RyanTHRIVE, a wellness program that offers training modules focused on physical, career, emotional, and financial well-being, and myRyan, an innovative, results-based approach to working. The full list of the 2023 Best Workplaces for Women in Canada by Great Place to Work can be found here.

About Great Place to Work Great Place to Work is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. A global research and consulting firm, Great Place to Work provides the benchmarks and expertise needed to create, sustain, and recognize outstanding workplace cultures. In Canada, Great Place to Work produces both industry and demographic-specific Best Workplace lists and represents the voices of 500,000 employees across industry. This is part of the world's largest annual workplace study, recognizing the world's Best Workplaces in a series of national lists, including those published by The Globe & Mail (Canada) and FORTUNE magazine (USA). About Ryan Ryan, an award-winning global tax services and software provider, is the largest Firm in the world dedicated exclusively to business taxes. With global headquarters in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides an integrated suite of federal, state, local, and international tax services on a multijurisdictional basis, including tax recovery, consulting, advocacy, compliance, and technology services. Ryan is a 10-time recipient of the International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) for its commitment to world-class client service. Empowered by the dynamic myRyan work environment, which is widely recognized as the most innovative in the tax services industry, Ryan's multidisciplinary team of more than 3,600 professionals and associates serves over 20,000 clients in more than 60 countries, including many of the world's most prominent Global 5000 companies. More information about Ryan can be found at ryan.com. "Ryan" and "Firm" refer to the global organizational network and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ryan International, each of which is a separate legal entity. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005648/en/

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[March 07, 2023] Braya Renewable Fuels Issues Letter of Support to ABO Wind Following Green Hydrogen RFP

COME BY CHANCE, NL, March 7, 2023 /CNW/ - Braya Renewable Fuels is pleased to announce the issuance of an exclusive letter of support to ABO Wind for the joint development of green hydrogen production at its refinery in Come By Chance, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Canada. The non-binding letter of support promotes the project proposal ABO Wind intends to submit in the "Crown Land Call for Bids for Wind Energy Projects" launched by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. "Of the many strong proposals we received from around the world, we have selected ABO Wind for its demonstrated ability to manage large scale infrastructure developments, its significant experience in developing renewable energy projects, and our shared vision of producing green hydrogen and green ammonia to serve global markets," said Frank Almaraz, CEO, Braya Renewable Fuels. "We are confident that together with ABO Wind, we can build on the tremendous momentum at our Come By Chance refinery." In November 2022, Braya issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the provision of 35,000 metric tons per year of green hydrogen for its advanced bio-fuels refinery. Recognizing its need for a large quantity of hydrogen and unique access to deep water logistical assets, Braya also invited respondents to submit proposals to scale the prodction of green hydrogen and green ammonia to serve the needs of the global marketplace.



ABO Wind has proposed a multi-phased, integrated project which provides green hydrogen to meet Braya's needs as well as green ammonia for global export. Braya has issued a non-binding letter of support to ABO Wind for its submission of the Project in response to the Crown Land Call for Bids and believes the project will be successful in this competitive process. "The entire ABO team is enthusiastic about Braya's support," said Dr. Karsten Schlageter, ABO Wind Managing Director. "We developed a strong project proposal with a long-term vision for this region. Key components are our respectful relationships with First Nations and the local communities, Braya's existing infrastructure and knowledge, our global development experience and partnerships, and of course the extraordinary wind conditions in Newfoundland and Labrador. The project will not only support Braya's efforts, but also foster sustainable economic development and job creation in the Province as well as contribute to our joint global goal of carbon reduction and energy security."

Braya looks forward to participating in the Crown Land Call for Bids alongside ABO Wind, continuing community engagement related to the Project, and undertaking further development efforts towards a sustainable energy future. About Braya Renewable Fuels

Braya Renewable Fuels owns and operates the Come By Chance Refinery, located in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is converting it to renewable fuel operation. The refinery has been renamed Braya Renewable Fuels, after the rare and beautiful Newfoundland and Labrador Braya flower. The refinery is strategically located to deliver fuels to a variety of end markets and has a successful ~50-year operating history as a conventional fuels refinery. The refinery plans to produce renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel, which help decarbonize sectorsheavy road transport and aviationthat are key to economic activity and have few other near-term, executable decarbonization solutions. About ABO Wind

ABO Wind AG successfully develops and builds wind and solar farms as well as battery storage and hydrogen projects. Founded in 1996, the Germany-based company has realised more than 5,000 megawatts of capacity to date and has also constructed half of them. The company's annual investment amounts to 500 million euros. More than 1,000 employees in 16 countries work with enthusiasm on the planning, financing, construction, operational management, and maintenance of plants for a sustainable energy supply.

ABO Wind Canada Ltd. was founded in 2017 with an office in Calgary, Alberta and opened a second Canadian office in Halifax, Nova Scotia in June 2022. ABO Wind Canada is developing a pipeline of +1,400 MW of grid-connected wind, solar and storage projects and +11,000 MW of renewables for green hydrogen. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/braya-renewable-fuels-issues-letter-of-support-to-abo-wind-following-green-hydrogen-rfp-301765128.html SOURCE Braya Renewable Fuels

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North Dakota lawmakers are considering crafting new term limits for themselves and setting the same for all executive branch officials in a proposal that would override restrictions voters approved last fall.

The House Industry, Business and Labor Committee on Wednesday heard House Concurrent Resolution 3019 by Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo. The measure would have to pass the House of Representatives and the Senate and be approved by voters next year to take effect.

Lawmakers during the hearing extensively questioned the 2022 term limits committee chairman over the measure's provisions, and its campaign funding, spending and relationship to the national group, U.S. Term Limits, which seeks term limits on Congress. Lawmakers also asked about what they called misrepresentation of the measure to voters, as to whom the term limits would apply.

Last year, 63% of voters approved the term limits for eight cumulative years each in the House and the Senate. The governor cannot be elected to more than two four-year terms. Term limits are not retroactive, meaning the service of current officeholders does not count against them.

Notably, the measure's language also bars the Legislature from proposing amendments to alter or repeal the term limits; only citizens are able to do so. Kasper, who was first elected in 2000, said he "would love to have this in court," calling the 2022 measure flawed and unconstitutional.

The House panel amended the resolution to impose term limits of 12 consecutive years each in the House and Senate, with at least a four-year break before those lawmakers could run to serve again for another 12 consecutive years. Members who completed serving partial terms would be eligible to serve 12 more consecutive years.

The same limits would apply to all elected executive branch officials, such as the attorney general and secretary of state.

"The people of North Dakota have spoken. They said they want term limits, so this is a modification of the current term limit law. This is not a throwing out of term limits. It's just a modification," Kasper told the House panel.

The committee gave the amended resolution an 11-3 "do pass" recommendation, with a House vote likely next week.

Lawmakers opposed Measure 1 last year for reducing institutional knowledge in the Legislature. Gov. Doug Burgum supported the measure.

The measure also was mired in petition fraud allegations that reached the state Supreme Court, which ordered a public vote on the measure that the then-secretary of state had initially rejected.

Measure chairman

Measure Chairman Jared Hendrix opposes Kasper's resolution, calling it unconstitutional and saying a potential lawsuit would be a "frivolous expenditure of state funds."

He called Kasper's proposal "effectively not term limits," amounting to "48 years between both chambers."

Hendrix said the measure "could be worth supporting" if amended to bring the other statewide officeholders in line with the term limits voters approved for the governor and the Legislature.

He also said the Legislature could put to voters whether to abolish the prohibition on legislative proposals to change the term limits.

"You could come back if that were to pass by the people, and then you could tackle the term limits in the Legislature in two years," Hendrix told the House panel.

Committee Chair Scott Louser, R-Minot, commended Hendrix "for coming before the committee and standing for what you believe."

More days

Kasper also introduced House Concurrent Resolution 3020 for annual legislative sessions, which the House panel amended to give the Legislature 100 days for meeting every two years, with an additional 20 days if approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the House and Senate. Days to reconvene and reconsider a governor's veto wouldn't count.

Right now the Legislature can meet for up to 80 days every two years. Kasper said he brought 3020 to enable more experience for new lawmakers in the term limits era.

"Current law, without this bill, we could have annual sessions by just doing it," Kasper said. "But what this is saying is if we're going to go to annual sessions, we're going to need a little bit larger than potentially 40 days each year, so this is saying we can have biennial sessions or the leadership can decide we're going to have annual sessions."

The committee gave 3020 an 8-6 "do pass" recommendation.
[March 07, 2023] FIDELITY NATIONAL SHAREHOLDER ALERT by Former Louisiana Attorney General: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Reminds Investors of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit Against Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. - FIS

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors with losses in excess of $100,000 that they have until May 5, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE: FIS), if they purchased the Company's shares between February 9, 2021 and February 10, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. What You May Do If you purchased shares of Fidelity National 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].com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsl.com/cases/nyse-fis/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by May 5, 2023.



About the Lawsuit Fidelity National and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On July 31, 2019, the Company announced it had completed the acquisition of payments company Worldpay, Inc. for $43 billion, which became part of the Fidelity National Merchant Solutions business. The Company subsequently, assured investors that the integration of Worldpay was "ahead of schedule," achieved "success in revenue synergies," and ultimately was "successfully completed" throughout the Class Period. Then, on February 13, 2023, the Company disclosed that it would be spinning off Worldpay and recording a goodwill impairment charge of $17.6 billion related to its Merchants Solutions business, a write-down of more than 40% of the purchase price for Worldpay just a few years earlier. On this news, shares of Fidelity National fell more than 12%, from a closing price of $75.43 per share on the prior trading day of February 10, 2023 to a closing price of $66.00 per share on February 13, 2023. The case is Palm Bay Police and Firefighters' Pension Fund v. Fidelity National Information Services, Inc., No. 23-cv-252. 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/20230307006043/en/

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[March 07, 2023] Cyble Recognized by Forbes as One of America's Best Startup Employers 2023

Cyble, the Y Combinator-backed leader in AI-powered global cyber threat intelligence, today announced that it has been recognized as one of America's Best Startup Employers 2023 by Forbes in partnership with Statista, the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The prestigious list acknowledges the top startup employers in the US (founded between 2013 to 2020) based on employer reputation, employee satisfaction, and growth. Founded in 2019, the company has quickly scaled to a global team of highly skilled and driven cybersecurity experts and is backed by some of the best minds in the cybersecurity industry. Besides being deeply committed to positively impacting the cybersecurity fraternity, Cyble's efforts are directed at fostering a positive hybrid work environment and maintaining employee satisfaction and a positive culture. Since its inception, the company has maintained a culture of experimentation, innovation, and teamwork. This recognition closely follows the news of Cyble winning Gold in the categories - Best Threat Intelligence Platform 2023 and Fastest-growing Cybersecurity Companies in North America, as recognized by the prestigious Cybersecurity Excellence Awards! The company is well on its journey toward charting new territories in threat research and is constantly strengthening its AI/ML capabilities to meet the needs of a continually evolving and expanding threat landscape. During 2021 to 2022, Cyble has witnessed more than 3X growth, emerging as a trusted Threat Intelligence platform to industry-leading Fortune 500 companies. America's Best Startp Employers 2023 have been identified through an in-depth analysis of over 7 million data points collected from 2,600 qualified companies. Only companies headquartered in the US, founded between 2013 and 2020, employing at least 50 employees, and exhibiting a startup structure were considered for the evaluation. The detailed evaluation was based on three different criteria - Employer Reputation, Employee Satisfaction, and Company Growth.



"We are honored and humbled to be recognized by Forbes as one of America's Best Startup Employers in 2023," said Beenu Arora, Co-founder and CEO of Cyble. "This milestone is a testimony to the hard work and dedication of our workforce, who strive tirelessly to build a positive environment that encourages innovation, collaboration, and teamwork. At Cyble, we think putting our employees first is the key to our success, and we will keep working hard to create an environment where they feel supported, challenged, and inspired." Manish Chachada, Co-founder and COO of Cyble, added, "We recognize that our employees are our greatest strength and strive to offer them the resources, opportunities, and support they need. Cyblers take immense pride in what we have accomplished so far and are excited about the future. As we endeavor to create a better, more secure digital environment for everyone, we will continue investing in our team because our success is attributed to the sentiment and reviews of our employees."

Cyble upholds an inclusive workplace that supports its diverse team worldwide. This award from Forbes comes at an exciting time for Cyble, which has seen a year of significant development and success. The organization has expanded its global footprint, launched ground-breaking products, and secured clients with some of the greatest names in their respective industries. Mandar Patil, VP of International Markets and Customer Success at Cyble, added, "Cyble has quickly become one of the prominent leaders in the cybersecurity industry, offering its clients cutting-edge and latest AI-powered threat intelligence solutions to protect against imminent cyber threats. The company's success is largely due to its talented employees, who contribute immensely to developing new and innovative cybersecurity solutions. Cyble is committed to continually building an even greater place to work, and we look forward to another year of growth together!" About Cyble: Cyble is a global threat intelligence SaaS provider that helps enterprises protect themselves from cybercrimes and exposure in the Darkweb. Its prime focus is to provide organizations with real-time visibility into their digital risk footprint. Backed by Y Combinator as part of the 2021 winter cohort, Cyble has also been recognized by Forbes as one of the top 20 Best Cybersecurity Startups To Watch In 2020. Headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, and with offices in Australia, Singapore, and India, Cyble has a global presence. To learn more about Cyble, visit www.cyble.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230307005898/en/

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[March 07, 2023] Pow.re secures 100 MW of renewable power in Paraguay and welcomes two industry veterans to the advisory board.

HONG KONG, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pow.re Holdings Limited ("Pow.re" or the "Company"), a high-density computing ("HDC") and fintech enterprise, has entered into a binding agreement with a local partner to secure a 100 MW power allocation at a fixed rate for 5 years from ANDE's newly built Yguazu substation in Paraguay. This week, construction began on the power transformation and computation center infrastructure at Pow.re's 8.5 hectare site directly adjacent to ANDE's newly commissioned substation. On February 26th, 2023, ANDE, Paraguay's national public utility, energized the first of three 500 kV transmission lines between the Itaipu dam and Yguazu. ANDE President, Felix Sosa, announced on Twitter that Paraguay would "for the first time in history be able to withdraw 100% of the power corresponding to it in the ITAIPU Binacional, thus achieving our national energy sovereignty". The Itaipu dam is the third largest in the world with a 14 GW production capacity, the ITAIPU Binacional agreement entitles Paraguay and Brazil to consume 50% of this capacity each (historically, Paraguay has sold the bulk of its share of Itaipu power capacity to Brazil).



The project is a singular opportunity to generate emission-free computing power from a world-class hydroelectric power plant, made even more timely as the US energy sector has been plagued with soaring electricity prices due to regional reliance on natural gas. Pow.re Director of Engineering, Maxime Bisaillon stated, ''This is a unique opportunity to access a large amount of 100% renewable power at a competitive price. We believe this set of circumstances doesn't exist anywhere else in the world'' adding, "This further validates our position that stranded sustainable power can be put to use for the mutual benefit of green power producers like Paraguay and HDC enterprises like Pow.re'' When fully operational, the Yguazu site would allow Pow.re to produce an additional estimated 4.5 EH/s (exahash per second) of computing power.

In conjunction with deploying this project, the Company also welcomes Andres Romero and Matthew Carson as advisors. Mr. Romero has an extensive understanding of the South American business landscape and the digital asset mining sector, while Mr. Carson brings a wealth of experience deploying large-scale projects such as Project Spokane and Whinstone. Both advisors formerly held positions at Canaan Creative and Northern Data and are respected industry veterans that will help advance the Company's business development goals. About Pow.re Holdings Limited Pow.re is a high-density computing operator deploying data centers in proximity to sustainable stranded energy sources to produce computing power. Pow.re will leverage its growing production to commodify computing power markets for hedging and investment. Company Website: https://www.pow.re LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pow-re-holdings Twitter: @powremines SJ Oh

Cofounder/COO

[email protected] SOURCE Pow.re Holdings Limited

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[March 08, 2023] Digital Advertising & Publishing Industries' Annual Crossover Event

Launch Ceremony of The 5th "HK Digital Advertising Start-ups X Publishing (Writers) Promotion Support Scheme" Unveiling 12 Selected Teams of Local Digital Advertising Start-ups & Emerging Writers HONG KONG, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In the era of online media and e-commerce, digital advertising has become one of the most prominent promoting tools and is utilized in various industries. The publishing industry in Hong Kong is also embracing this trend, trying to use more digital advertising to promote printed books. Nowadays, the promotion of publications has gone beyond the traditional framework, as new ways are being explored to expand the readership and to promote the reading culture. The Hong Kong Digital Advertising Start-ups X Publishing (Writers) Promotion Support Scheme (the "Support Scheme"), organized by Hong Kong Association of Interactive Marketing ("HKAIM"), with support from Create Hong Kong ("CreateHK") of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ("HKSAR Government") as the lead sponsor, aims to nurture local digital advertising start-ups since its launch in 2019. The Support Scheme provides subsidy, training and supports to local digital advertising start-ups which will promote local emerging writers and their designated books through digital advertising. At the same time, more local emerging writers and their publishers will have the opportunity to explore and utilize digital advertising, so that there will be more cross-sectoral collaboration and development possibilities between the digital advertising industry and the publishing industry. Entering its 5th edition in 2023, the Support Scheme received overwhelming response to its call for applications which was ended in late 2022, with 71 digital advertising start-ups and 47 emerging writers. The HKAIM has selected among the applicants and paired up 12 teams, each comprises a digital advertising start-up and an emerging writer. The designated books of applied emerging writers cover a wide range of topics, which included music, fine arts, architecture, culture, popular science, history, picture book, working life, and more. The diversity would stimulate more creativities from the digital advertising start-ups as they plan the related campaigns. The HKAIM successfully kicked off the 5th Support Scheme with a Launch Ceremony at Seminar Hall, Xiqu Centre on 21 February. Mrs. Lowell Cho, Assistant Head of CreateHK, was invited to be the Guest of Honor. Along with her, Chairman of the HKAIM Mr. Ralph Szeto and Chairman of Hong Kong Publishing Federation Dr. Elvin Lee launched this year's Support Scheme by announcing the 12 participating teams. (Full list below) Mrs. Lowell Cho, Assistant Head of CreateHK, thanked the HKAIM in her speech for its effort on organizing the 5th Support Scheme and she congratulated all the selected digital advertising start-ups and emerging local writers. Each digital advertising start-up will receive a subsidy of up to HK$240,000 to design, plan and execute a digital advertising campaign for the designated book of the matched emerging writer over a three-month supporting period. In addition, the HKAIM will provide training by industry experts, helping them to improve the creative concept and execution of their digital advertising campaigns. The Support Scheme not only creates an opportunity for the digital advertising and publishing industries to collaborate, it also promotes Chinese books through viral digital campaigns and cultivates a more robust reading culture. In addition, the HKAIM will be promoting the participating digital advertising startups and emerging writers along with the selected books through a wide range of promotion channels including the Support Scheme's official website, internet, social media, etc. For the 12 digital advertising projects created under last year's (the 4th) Support Scheme, the campaigns reached nearly 10.14 million people, with nearly 1.64 million engagements, and nearly 8.35 million views, successfully bringing attention to the selected books by the emerging writers, and delivering accurate messages from the books to the target audience, creating more opportunities for readers and emerging writers to interact and communicate. The HKAIM is hopeful that this year's Support Scheme will achieve similarly stellar results. The HKAIM will also host a booth at Hong Kong Book Fair 2023 in July to exhibit the 12 digital advertising campaigns and the designated books. The Digital Advertising Design (for Publishing) Awards Competition and Presentation Ceremony is tentatively scheduled for July to recognize the best digital advertising campaign among the 12 as determined by industry experts. The "My Favourite Digital Advertising (for Publishing) Award" as determined by public voting will also be presented at the ceremony. The Presentation Ceremony will highlight the digital advertising campaigns as well as recognize the efforts of the participating teams. The HKAIM will post regular updates about the Support Scheme and the 12 teams on our official website and Facebook page. For more details about the Support Scheme, please visit: The Support Scheme's official website: www.digiad.hk The Support Scheme's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AdxPub The 12 selected pairs of digital advertising start-ups and emerging writers for the 5th Support Scheme are listed in alphabetical order (according to Start-up) as follows:









Local Digital Advertising Start-up (ENG) Local Digital Advertising Start-up (CHI) Publisher Local New and Emerging Writers (English Name) Designated Book (Chinese Title) Designated Book (English Title, if any) 1 ExTio n/a The Commercial Press (H.K.) Ltd Koi Ming Fai Joyce ???? -- ?????????? n/a 2 Impact Partners HK Ltd ???????? Chung Hwa Book Co., (H.K.) Ltd Yu Kwok Lit ?????? n/a 3 Jat1 Piu4 ?? Extraordinary Publishing Company [email protected]??? ???????????? Infinity of Melody, Beyond Cantonese Songs 4 Mediators Rock Limited ???????? Extraordinary Publishing Company Choi Ka Man, Thomas ?????????????? Seeing Hong Kong Comics: The Past and Future 5 Nine Nine Digital n/a Lokrazy Plus Design Kwan Wai Lok ??????? My Forbidden Room 6 One Marketing Solutions Co., Limited ????????? Joint Publishing (Hong Kong) Company Limited Suen Kwan Lok ????:????????? n/a 7 OUTOFOFFICE n/a The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press Tsui Chung Man Carmen ????:?????????? Everyday Architecture in Context: Public Markets in Hong Kong (18421981) 8 Plate Creations Limited n/a Enrich Publishing Limited Bing Chung (B.C.) Lo ?????????? n/a 9 Rebeltank Limited n/a CRYSTAL WINDOW BOOKS Ancient Hong Kong Stories ??????????????? n/a 10 SPARK LAB LIMITED ???????? MANUSCRIPT PUBLISHING LIMITED Lo Ka Man Claire ???2 My Journey with Books 2 11 StartChing Limited ?????? Joint Publishing (Hong Kong) Company Limited Wong Hor Yee ????:??????????? Cherry Blossom Tales under the Victoria Peak 12 THIS IS MY PRODUCTION HOUSE LIMITED ???????? The Chinese University of Hong Kong Press (1) Lau Tai Wai David (2) Li Man Ching (3) Wong Hiu Yan (4) Wong Tin Hang ???????? Botanical Illustrated Guide to Hong Kong Native Plants (Bilingual Edition)

Download Photos here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qN4o1XhkAeP5ueD6OcUnf1X209CyjHBb Organizer: The Hong Kong Association of Interactive Marketing Lead Sponsor: Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organizers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, Create Hong Kong, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee. SOURCE the HK Digital Advertising Start-ups X Publishing (Writers) Promotion Support Scheme

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[March 08, 2023] Juniper Networks Partners with Shaare Zedek Medical Center to Accelerate Digital Transformation with Automated Data Center

Juniper Networks, (NYSE: JNPR), a leader in secure, AI-driven networks, today announced that Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem's largest and fastest growing multi-disciplinary medical center, has embarked on total digital transformation of operations to provide superior experiences and exceptional care to its patients using Juniper's data center solutions. Shaare Zedek is a leading research and teaching hospital, running 30 departments and 70 outpatient clinics, which provide innovative treatments and therapies to one million patients per year. The hospital is also a model for large-scale emergency medicine and a leader in applying AI to patient care. Using Juniper technology, the hospital built state-of-the-art data centers on its two campuses to ensure the availability of life-critical systems and applications for uninterrupted patient care and robust data analysis to guide the best courses of treatment. News Highlights: Shaare Zedek uses the Juniper Apstra software to automate data center network operations, which leads to improved patient experiences. Apstra assures the network is running as intended and alerts the IT team if brownouts or deviations occur. The IT team also uses Apstra to manage changes, maintenance and updates.

With Juniper Apstra software, Shaare Zedek has been able to deploy its network fabric faster, guarantee data center uptime with network visibility and automation, streamline network operations, resolve issues more quickly and reduce total cost of ownership for its data center network.

The hospital operates 24x7 and cannot shut down the data center for maintenance to switches, clusters, etc. With Juniper Apstra, Shaare Zedek can fully automate changes in real time and assure continuous operations.

The Juniper Networks QFX5120 Switches form the data center network fabric, delivering 100-Gbps of capacity to support clinical and administrative applications and massive data stores.

Shaare Zedek worked with < rel="nofollow" rel="nofollow" href="https://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=https%3A%2F%2Foasis-tech.net%2Fpartners.html&esheet=53356767&newsitemid=20230307005125&lan=en-US&anchor=Oasis+Technologies&index=4&md5=f575028999a1a49788f57f54ee436a1c" shape="rect">Oasis Technologies, a Juniper Elite Plus partner, to create the optimal data center architecture, working on the design, validation and testing to ensure that the Juniper solutions met Shaare Zedek's strategic operational and technical goals.



Supporting Quotes: "Digital health is transforming patient care at Shaare Zedek. Our data center operations must ensure the continuous availability of our life-critical systems and applications. Juniper provides the foundation of our reliable data center with next-level automation that assures best practice and consistency, to intent from initial design to everyday operations."

- Shimi Ben Baruch, Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, Shaare Zedek Medical Center "The network plays a vital role in keeping a modern organization healthy. It allows organizations to scale and support new applications and technologies that can assist in driving better patient outcomes and experiences. Juniper Apstra provides high performance technologies for Shaare Zedek Medical Center to ensure that it is fully prepared for continued digital acceleration." - Gos Hein van de Wouw, Vice President, Enterprise, EMEA, Juniper Networks Additional Resources: Shaare Zedek Medical Center: Success Story

Follow Juniper Networks online: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

Juniper Blogs and Community: J-Net About Juniper Networks Juniper Networks is dedicated to dramatically simplifying network operations and driving superior experiences for end users. Our solutions deliver industry-leading insight, automation, security and AI to drive real business results. We believe that powering connections will bring us closer together while empowering us all to solve the world's greatest challenges of well-being, sustainability and equality. Additional information can be found at Juniper Networks (www.juniper.net) or connect with Juniper on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Juniper Networks, the Juniper Networks logo, Juniper, Junos, and other trademarks listed here are registered trademarks of Juniper Networks, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230307005125/en/

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[March 08, 2023] D-ID's Generative AI to Power Online Chatbot for Victims of Domestic Violence

Campaign initiated by D-ID and Spring ACT in collaboration with Microsoft and UN Women marks International Women's Day TEL AVIV, Israel and ZURICH, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- D-ID , a world leader in generative AI, and Spring ACT , an award-winning non-profit organization that leverages technology to eliminate global injustices, announced today a campaign to use Generative AI to strengthen global online support for victims of domestic violence. Leveraging D-ID's text-to-video technology, Spring ACT will bring its untraceable online domestic violence chatbot Sophia.chat , to life by animating the photorealistic avatar to make it more relatable and accessible. This will enable victims from anywhere in the world to interact with the talking chatbot in several languages including English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Swahili and Chinese Mandarin. Through its Philanthropies program, Microsoft is supporting the Sophia campaign, which leverages Microsoft Azure AI's text-to-speech capabilities and Azure AI cloud infrastructure. " One in three women worldwide, approximately 736 million people, are subjected to physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, with over 50,000 women killed annually by their partners or family members," said Adriana Quinones, Head, Human Rights and Development, UN Women, Geneva. "UN Women is inspired by this global collaboration/initiative created to combat the worldwide shortage of governmental and NGO resources and to rectify the lack of knowledge and trust on the part of the victim. We are confident that the Sophia chatbot will reach and help more survivors globally." The Sophia chatbot assists victims of domestic violence 24/7, no matter where they are located and in strict confidentiality to feel safe and confident enough to take the first seps to get help. The system uniquely enables complete anonymity by leaving no digital trace for abusers to discover. Based on their specific needs, 'Sophia' helps victims to gather potential evidence and seek help in every country in the world. Since its launch in December 2021, more than 15,000 people have chatted with Sophia.



"We developed Sophia to empower survivors of domestic violence to more easily reach out for help and take action," said Rhiana Spring , CEO at Spring ACT. "We are humbled to be able to now make this service more accessible for survivors no matter their literacy level by animating Sophia with D-ID." "We are proud to be collaborating with Spring ACT to help Sophia reach more victims of domestic violence more effectively," said Shiran Mlamdovsky Somech, social tech entrepreneur and leading Impact at D-ID. "Applying technology to improve life for vulnerable populations is at the core of D-ID's values. Sophia is an excellent example of how generative AI can massively impact society for the better."

"At Microsoft, we believe technology is a powerful force for good and everyone should have access to knowledge and benefit from its use," said Andrew Reid, Global Partner Solutions Director, Microsoft Switzerland. "Domestic violence is a global issue which crosses countries and languages. Leveraging our technology to empower and support survivors of domestic violence demonstrates the strength and power of collaboration and community. We are very pleased to be behind this important initiative together with Spring ACT and D-ID." For more information visit: https://sophia.chat/ and watch this video here About D-ID D-ID's generative AI technology elevates learning and development, sales, and marketing video content. Their platform uses deep learning models to enable creators to generate digital people and photorealistic digital presenters from text, dramatically reducing the cost and hassle of video production at scale. D-ID was established in 2017 as part of the Microsoft for Startups program, and is backed by tier 1 VCs. Over 110 million videos have been created using their technology. D-ID's solution is available through a self-service Creative Reality Studio , an online Chat service and an API , and plug-ins. D-ID unleashed the viral sensation Deep Nostalgia , the first generative AI tool to go viral, in 2020. It took over the internet for months, as millions of people used it to bring photos of ancestors and historic figures to life. Customers include Fortune 500 companies such as Warner Bros , Mondelez , leading e-learning platforms, social media platforms, and content creators of all sorts. D-ID's media kit can be found here . About Spring ACT Spring ACT is an international non-profit organization with headquarters in Switzerland and founded in December 2021. Its aim is to empower people through innovative technologies to take action and help eliminate global social injustices. The organization is active in the field of human rights and technology and is currently running two projects: Sophia and Dots, a legal aid app that will connect people in need with the right organizations to help them. Their work has been recognised with the Swiss Future Prize by the President of Switzerland, the Prize for Innovation in Global Security by GCSP, the Global Impact Award by Zendesk, the Female Founder Newcomer Award by Venturepole and was recognized by MIT as a semifinalist in their global challenge Solve. Spring ACT partners with both private and public entities, such as the Swiss Government, Microsoft, Zendesk, the London School of Economics and local domestic violence organizations. It is also supported by the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Social Affairs within the framework of the Swiss Conference on Victim Assistance (SVK - OHG) and by the umbrella organization of women's shelters Switzerland (DAO). For more information springact.org About Shiran Mlamdovsky Somech Shiran Mlamdovsky Somech is a social tech entrepreneur who develops strategic partnerships between start-ups, non-profits, governments, and multinational corporations. She is the founder of Listen to My Voice , an AI-based media campaign against domestic violence that was featured by the UN and NATO and achieved wide international recognition and multiple awards. Currently, she is leading new social tech projects and providing impact advisory services in the tech industry. Passionate about female entrepreneurship and gender equality, Shiran has years of experience helping women at risk and female entrepreneurs, creating dedicated initiatives to support their vocational success. She holds an EMBA from the Kellogg School of Management, NorthWestern University. Media Contact:

Gina Shaffer

Si14 Global Communications

Email: [email protected] Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov5dvygGdMk View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/d-ids-generative-ai-to-power-online-chatbot-for-victims-of-domestic-violence-301765295.html

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[March 08, 2023] Sosei Heptares Receives Approval for Change of Market Listing Segment to the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market

Tokyo, Japan and Cambridge, UK, 8 March 2023  Sosei Group Corporation (the Company; TSE: 4565), the world leader in G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) focused structure-based drug design (SBDD) and development, is pleased to announce it has received approval from the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc. (TSE) to change the market on which the Company's shares are listed from the Growth Market segment to the Prime Market segment, effective March 15, 2023.

We are deeply grateful to our shareholders and stakeholders for their continued support over many years. Sosei Heptares is engaged in drug discovery and development that requires a long term investment horizon, and therefore this long term support has been crucial in allowing us to create a solid company, able to move to the Prime Market. We will continue to focus on our goal to become one of Japans global biopharmaceutical champions pursuing our mission to develop life-changing medicines using world-leading science and technology and strive to further increasing the Companys corporate value over the long term. For further details regarding the change of our market segment listing to the TSE Prime Market, please see the Japan Exchange Groups website (https://www.jpx.co.jp/english/). -ENDS- About Sosei Heptares

We are an international biopharmaceutical group focused on the discovery and early development of new medicines originating from our proprietary GPCR-targeted StaR technology and structure-based drug design platform capabilities. We are advancing a broad and deep pipeline of novel mdicines across multiple therapeutic areas, including neurology, immunology, gastroenterology, and inflammatory diseases.



We have established partnerships with some of the worlds leading pharmaceutical companies and multiple emerging technology companies, including AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Genentech (Roche), GSK, Kallyope, Lilly, Neurocrine Biosciences, Novartis, Pfizer, Takeda and Verily. Sosei Heptares is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan with corporate and R&D facilities in Cambridge, UK. Sosei Heptares is the corporate brand and trademark of Sosei Group Corporation, which is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (ticker: 4565). Sosei, Heptares, the logo and StaR are trademarks of Sosei Group companies.

For more information, please visit https://soseiheptares.com/

LinkedIn: @soseiheptaresco | Twitter: @soseiheptaresco | YouTube: @soseiheptaresco Enquiries: Sosei Heptares  Media and Investor Relations



Hironoshin Nomura, Chief Financial Officer

Shinichiro Nishishita, VP Investor Relations, Head of Regulatory Disclosures

Candelle Chong, SVP Investor Relations and Corporate Strategy

Japan: +81 (0)3 5210 3399 | United Kingdom: +44 (0)1223 949390 | [email protected] MEDiSTRAVA Consulting (for International Media)

Mark Swallow, Frazer Hall, Eleanor Perkin

+44 (0)203 928 6900 | [email protected] Forward-looking statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the discovery, development, and commercialization of products. Various risks may cause Sosei Group Corporations actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including: adverse results in clinical development programs; failure to obtain patent protection for inventions; commercial limitations imposed by patents owned or controlled by third parties; dependence upon strategic alliance partners to develop and commercialize products and services; difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals to market products and services resulting from development efforts; the requirement for substantial funding to conduct research and development and to expand commercialization activities; and product initiatives by competitors. As a result of these factors, prospective investors are cautioned not to rely on any forward-looking statements. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.



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[March 08, 2023] Triarc Solutions Wins 2023 Gold Stevie Award for Customer Service in RightAngle Support

The Stevie Awards presented Triarc Solutions' Andy Munchinski with the coveted Gold Award for Excellence in RightAngle Support. Munchinski won the category of Front-Line Customer Service Professional of the Year - Technology Industries at the 17th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service. The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world's top honors for customer service, contact center, business development and sales professionals. The Stevie Awards organizes eight of the world's leading business awards programs, also including the prestigious American Business Awards and International Business Awards. Winners were announced during a gala event attended by more than 400 professionals from around the world at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, March 3. Munchinski, Triarc Senior Support Analyst, has built a career providing customers with world-class service. Solving over 1,250 technical tickets spanning 16 unique customer organizations over the past two years alone at Triarc, Munchinski has single-handedly reset the bar for outstanding customer service and earned a 100% customer satisfaction rate while doing it. "We could not be more excited for Andy. He is deserving of this honor and recognition," said Charles Eberhardt, Director of Support at Triarc Solutions and former two-time Stevie Award winner (2017, 2018). "It is a privilege having him on my team, and his dedication to others is what sets him apart."



Triarc Support provides functional and technical support to customers using the RightAngle ETRM platform. Eberhardt said that Munchinski's background and experience have been instrumental in delivering quality assistance to customers, while also mentoring other team members at Triarc. One of the Stevie Awards judges said it best, "Andy is about elevating the team to provide the best customer experience possible."

"The nominations we received for the 2023 competition illustrate that business development, customer service, and sales professionals worldwide have continued to innovate, thrive, and meet customer expectations," said Stevie Awards president Maggie Miller. "The judges have recognized and rewarded their achievements, and we join them in applauding the winners for their continued success." About Triarc Solutions Triarc Solutions helps customers conduct industry leading RightAngle implementations, upgrades, managed support, and process improvements. With customers ranging from the largest RightAngle client to the smallest, Triarc's mission is to help customers love RightAngle again. As the only consulting, support services, and staff augmentation organization solely focused on RightAngle, Triarc's services support all versions of RightAngle. Triarc is committed to continued innovation, business-specific expertise, and building relationships to better serve the industry for years to come. Learn more at https://www.triarcsolutions.com. About The Stevie Awards The Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at http://www.StevieAwards.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005324/en/

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[March 08, 2023] FPX Nickel Receives Funding from Government of Canada to Scale Up Production of Nickel and Cobalt for EV Battery Supply Chain

VANCOUVER, BC, March 8, 2023 /CNW/ - FPX Nickel Corp. (TSXV: FPX) (OTCQB: FPOCF) ("FPX" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received funding from the Government of Canada to accelerate demonstration of the technical and commercial viability to produce nickel sulphate and cobalt hydroxide for the electric vehicle ("EV") battery supply chain from the Company's Baptiste Nickel Project ("Baptiste" or the "Project") in central British Columbia. On completion of a competitive application process, FPX has been awarded $725,000 by Natural Resources Canada ("NRCan") under the Government of Canada's Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration ("CMRDD") program, designed to assist the development of critical minerals supply chains to contribute to Canada's goal of being a net-zero carbon emitter. Highlights Non-dilutive and non-repayable CMRDD funding of $725,000 marks one of the first instances of direct funding from the Government of Canada to a development-stage mining company under the government's new Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy

of the first instances of direct funding from the Government of to a development-stage mining company under the government's new Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy Funding will allow FPX to accelerate demonstration of the technical and economic viability to produce battery-grade nickel sulphate and cobalt hydroxide for the EV battery supply chain from Baptiste awaruite concentrate

Bench- and pilot-scale testwork funded by the CMRDD grant will build on previous successful testwork, validating Baptiste's robust and conventional hydrometallurgical flowsheet which is expected to be more environmentally sustainable than traditional production methods, including lower carbon emissions, power consumption, and waste generation "Canadian innovators are leading the way towards a cleaner future. Today's investment of more than $720,000 in FPX Nickel Corp. will help to advance the development of a dynamic and competitive critical minerals sector through the development and demonstration of innovative processing technologies. This means good jobs for workers, more investment in Canadian innovation, and lower emissions across the country  all part of our plan to build a cleaner Canada and a prosperous, sustainable economy that works for everyone." - The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources "We are grateful to receive this funding support from the federal government. FPX was honoured to be the only junior mining company inattendance at the December 2022 launch event for Canada's critical mineral strategy, and for NRCan's invitation to attend Minister Wilkinson's recent trade mission to Japan. We see tremendous opportunity for partnership and collaboration between industry and the federal government and First Nations on critical minerals projects such as Baptiste, and look forward to scaling up the production of battery-grade nickel sulphate and cobalt hydroxide from Baptiste and to demonstrating the technical and economic viability of producing battery materials in our upcoming preliminary feasibility study, expected in the third quarter of 2023."



- Martin Turenne, President and CEO of FPX Nickel Background

The Company commenced a bench-scale hydrometallurgical testing program in December 2022 to optimize previous leach testing of Baptiste awaruite concentrate, and to conduct purification and nickel sulphate crystallization testwork. These testwork results are expected to be reported in the second quarter of 2023 and will be integrated into the preliminary feasibility study ("PFS") to demonstrate the efficient supply of nickel sulphate and cobalt hydroxide products to the battery material supply chain. The additional testwork and engineering studies funded by the Government of Canada's CMRDD program will accelerate FPX's demonstration of the technical and commercial viability of producing nickel and cobalt products for the EV supply chain from Baptiste awaruite concentrate. The CMRDD-funded program will include larger pilot-scale testing of the mineral processing flowsheet for the production of awaruite concentrate, followed by bench- and pilot-scale testing of the hydrometallurgical flowsheet to convert awaruite concentrate to nickel sulphate and cobalt hydroxide. This scale of testwork will provide FPX with additional quantities of nickel and cobalt products to conduct a market validation program with downstream consumers in the EV battery supply chain, including large battery companies and automakers. The project partly funded by the CMRDD program is now underway and will be completed during the first quarter of 2024. The Company will provide further details regarding the scope and objectives of the project prior to the initiation of pilot-scale testwork in the third quarter. Andrew Osterloh, P.Eng., FPX Nickel's Qualified Person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release. About the Decar Nickel District The Company's Decar Nickel District represents a large-scale greenfield discovery of nickel mineralization in the form of a naturally occurring nickel-iron alloy called awaruite (Ni 3 Fe) hosted in an ultramafic/ophiolite complex. FPX's mineral claims cover an area of 245 km2 west of the Middle River and north of Trembleur Lake, in central British Columbia. Awaruite mineralization has been identified in several target areas within the ophiolite complex including the Baptiste Deposit and the Van Target, as confirmed by drilling, petrographic examination, electron probe analyses and outcrop sampling. Since 2010, approximately US $28 million has been spent on the exploration and development of Decar. Of the four targets in the Decar Nickel District, the Baptiste Deposit has been the focus of increasing resource definition (a total of 99 holes and 33,700 m of drilling completed), as well as environmental and engineering studies to evaluate its potential as a bulk-tonnage open pit mining project. The Baptiste Deposit is located within the Baptiste Creek watershed, on the traditional and unceded territory of Tl'azt'en Nation and Binche Whut'en First Nation, and within several Tl'azt'enne and Binche Whut'enne keyohs. FPX has conducted mineral exploration activities to date subject to the conditions of our agreements with the Nations and keyoh holders. About FPX Nickel Corp. FPX Nickel Corp. is focused on the exploration and development of the Decar Nickel District, located in central British Columbia, and other occurrences of the same unique style of naturally occurring nickel-iron alloy mineralization known as awaruite. For more information, please view the Company's website at www.fpxnickel.com or contact Martin Turenne, President and CEO, at (604) 681-8600 or [email protected]. On behalf of FPX Nickel Corp. "Martin Turenne"

Martin Turenne, President, CEO and Director Forward-Looking Statements Certain of the statements made and information contained herein is considered "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These statements address future events and conditions and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties, as disclosed in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Actual results could differ from those currently projected. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE FPX Nickel Corp.

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[March 08, 2023] Big Path Capital's 2023 MO 100 Ranking Recognizes the Top 100 Impact CEOs Accelerating an Inclusive Economy

Big Path Capital ("Big Path"), impact investing's investment bank, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 MO 100 Top Impact CEO Ranking, a list celebrating the 100 top executives catalyzing positive environmental and social impact through the high-growth companies they lead. This year's winners reflect the growing relevance of leaders who prioritize a broader set of stakeholders-including the environment, their employees, their customers, their shareholders, and their communities. The full 2023 MO 100 ranking, presented in partnership with BackBay Communications, can be viewed here. Differentiating the MO 100 from other CEO rankings, the MO 100 focuses on momentum-fueled executives who are driving one of the most dynamic segments of the economy. These agents of change are leveraging the engine of capitalism to create positive outcomes for all its stakeholders. As a group, the MO 100 awardees represent the most significant leaders in the rapidly scalng impact economy. The ranking is determined by a "Force for Good" score, which is calculated based on a formula accounting for the company's scale via its total revenue, its growth via its revenue growth rate, and its positive impact on people and planet via the B Impact Assessment (a standard developed by B Lab to assess a company's true impact) or other impact certifications.



The 2023 MO 100 ranking reveals the diverse landscape that the impact economy represents, including: climate infrastructure, compostable packaging, better-for-you and for-the-planet food and beverage, ethical banking, clean energy, Open Hiring employers, sustainable fashion, and green construction. "The 2023 MO 100 leaders are redefining capitalism by creating value for a broader set of stakeholders. They are charting a new path toward a more circular, just economy away from an extractive, exclusive economy," said Michael Whelchel, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Big Path, which assists purpose-driven companies and private equity funds in raising capital and company exits. "These leaders are demonstrating that every transaction has the potential for prosperity and positive impact."

The honorees will be recognized at the MO 100 Awards Gala at the 2023 MO CEO Summit, taking place from April 24-26, 2023 in Austin, Texas. The event will gather 200 purpose-driven CEOs and will include both panels and deep networking. About Big Path Capital Big Path Capital advises leading impact companies and funds in capital raises and in mergers and acquisitions. As the first certified B Corp investment bank over 14 years ago, Big Path Capital has worked with over 250 company and fund clients, connecting them to the largest network of impact investors in the world. www.bigpathcapital.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005128/en/

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Pelosi was publicly stunned: Why are there still homeless people in the United States after giving Ukraine $150 billion?

Last weekend, a video of "questioning Pelosi" went viral online. This American politician who firmly supports aid to Ukraine was publicly questioned by his own people.

According to a report by the Russian Satellite News Agency on the 26th, it is not clear when this video showing an American man publicly questioning former US House Speaker Pelosi was shot, but its content has sparked heated discussions. The Russian Satellite News Agency stated that the video was shot in San Francisco.

The video shows Pelosi sitting at a table with a drink when a man starts asking, "Nancy, can you tell me why we have $150 billion going to Ukraine , and there are homeless people in your own city?"

Screenshot of Pelosi being questioned

According to reports, the man who asked the question was immediately taken away from the scene. But as he left, he continued to question, referring to the Pelosi family's "stock trading skills." "Nancy, can I get some stock trading advice on how to buy semiconductors in Taiwan?" Next, he asked whether Pelosi's son was involved with Biden's son Hunter.

According to the media's previous introduction, Pelosi is considered to be one of the famous "traders" in the US Congress. According to public information, her husband traded stocks and other financial assets worth 25 million to 81 million US dollars from 2019 to 2021, and made a lot of profits. As the speaker, she has an important influence on the legislation proposed by the House of Representatives. The American media believes that her husband's financial transaction scale is constantly expanding and she has an inseparable relationship.

Regarding the man's above questioning, the satellite news agency stated that Pelosi's response seemed to be that he was not eager to answer these questions, nor was he eager to provide any meaningful answers.
[March 08, 2023] Open Source Software Leader the Eclipse Foundation Previews its Showcase at Embedded World 2023

BRUSSELS, Belgium, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Eclipse Foundation , one of the worlds largest open source software foundations, today announced a preview of what it will be showcasing at this years Embedded World Exhibition and Conference, taking place in Nuremberg, Germany from March 14-16. As one of the most highly anticipated technology events in all of Europe, Embedded World offers unprecedented insight into the world of embedded systems, from components and modules to operating systems, hardware and software design, M2M communication, services, and various issues related to complex system design.

This year, the Eclipse Foundation will be showcasing its Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) Working Group and its SDV strategy, a look at open source security for the software supply chain, a spotlight on European Commission research projects on the Cloud-to-Edge continuum, its Eclipse IoT and Edge Native Working Group projects, and an overall educational strategy on how organizations can succeed with open source. The Eclipse Foundation will also be joined in its booth by member company Zettascale, an innovative firm contributing to open source communication middleware (Eclipse Zenoh & Eclipse Cyclone DDS) that underpin next-generation robotics, transportation, and mission-critical applications. Were very excited to be back to this great event in person, said Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation. Embedded World is the ideal event for us, as it matches our growth markets and technical priorities perfectly. The Eclipse Foundation intends to provide Embedded World participants with deep insights into the following areas: Software Defined Vehicle: The SDV Working Groups mission is to foster collaboration across industries to create an open technology platform for the software defined vehicle of the future. The working group community has chosen a code first approach to facilitate more agile and faster time-to-market software development. Meet the thriving SDV community with projects from Bosch, Microsoft, Cariad, T-Systems and more. We will be presenting our projects, and our vision to build a first showcase SDV Distribution. Security Best Practices for Embedded Systems: The Eclipse Foundation is committed to ensuring the security of its projects' software supply chain. We have a dedicated security team that focuses on developing and implementing robust security policies and were bringing this expertise to Embedded World. Our team is actively involved in providing guidance and education to our projects on the best practices fo software security. You'll have the opportunity to learn about these best practices and how they can benefit your project and community. By promoting and implementing these best practices, we aim to create a secure environment that benefits both our projects and their communities. In addition to providing education and guidance on best practices, our security team also offers a range of services and resources to help our projects maintain the highest level of security.



Eclipse Research and our research projects on Cloud to Edge Continuum: The Eclipse Foundation has been a partner in publicly funded research projects since 2014. We help organizations to successfully create, publish, and sustain an open source software platform, making the results of research projects available for commercial and public exploitation. Visit us to learn more about five ongoing research projects shaping the future of the European Cloud to Edge Continuum: EuCloudEdgeIoT.eu: Building the European, Cloud, Edge & IoT Continuum for business and research

NEMO: Next Generation Meta Operating System

NEPHELE: A software stack and orchestration framework for the compute continuum

SPADE: Multi-purpose physical-cyber agri-forest drones ecosystem for governance and environmental observation

TRANSACT: Towards safe and secure distributed cyber-physical systems

IoT, Edge Native and Sparkplug: The Eclipse Foundation is the home of over 50 open source projects related to IoT and Edge Computing. From protocol implementations to comprehensive platforms for software updates and device connectivity, our toolkit is the most comprehensive in the industry. Drop by to get an overview or stop for a short demo of key components. We are particularly proud of our Sparkplug open specification, which brings out-of-the-box interoperability to MQTT infrastructure and is on its way to become an ISO/IEC international standard. You will also get to meet Frederic Desbiens, author of Building Enterprise IoT Solutions with Eclipse IoT Technologies, published by Apress in December 2022. Bring your copy and get it signed!

Learn How to Succeed with Open Source: We will present how open source best practices, and how, beyond open source, the Eclipse Foundation enables open collaborations between industry players. This presentation targets more specifically companies that are new to open source and want to understand how to better embrace open source as a strategic advantage. If your organization is interested in participating in these projects or would like to meet with us at Embedded World conference, please stop by our booth in Hall 4, Booth 4-554, or email us at [email protected] About the Eclipse Foundation

The Eclipse Foundation provides our global community of individuals and organizations with a mature, scalable, and business-friendly environment for open source software collaboration and innovation. The Foundation is home to the Eclipse IDE, Jakarta EE, and over 400 open source projects, including runtimes, tools, and frameworks for cloud and edge applications, IoT, AI, automotive, systems engineering, distributed ledger technologies, open processor designs, and many others. The Eclipse Foundation is an international non-profit association supported by over 330 members, including industry leaders who value open source as a key enabler for their business strategies. To learn more, follow us on Twitter @EclipseFdn , LinkedIn or visit eclipse.org . Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. About ZettaScale ZettaScale's mission is to bring to every connected human and machine the unconstrained freedom to communicate, compute and store  anywhere, at any scale, efficiently and securely. The company develops open source communication middleware (Eclipse Zenoh & Eclipse Cyclone DDS) that underpins next-generation robotics, transportation and mission critical applications. As devices in the physical world become connected, instrumented and interdependent, ZettaScale enables device creators to easily achieve robust, secure and scalable communication. Media contacts:

Schwartz Public Relations for the Eclipse Foundation, AISBL

Stephanie Bruls / Susanne Pawlik

Sendlinger Strae 42A

80331 Munich

[email protected]

+49 (89) 211 871  64 / -35 Nichols Communications for the Eclipse Foundation, AISBL

Jay Nichols

[email protected]

+1 408-772-1551



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[March 08, 2023] Voltus Exceeds Capacity Commitment to the PJM Interconnection During Winter Storm Elliott

SAN FRANCISCO and BOSTON, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Voltus, Inc. ("Voltus"), the leading distributed energy resource (DER) software platform and virtual power plant (VPP) operator, announces that its portfolio of PJM customers performed at 116% overall in PJMs Emergency Load Response Program (ELRP) dispatch during December 2022s Winter Storm Elliott. This performance represented additional critical demand relief to the grid beyond Voltuss market commitment, helping to keep the heat and holiday lights on for millions of homes.

The ELRP dispatch, the first since 2014, was an important step in helping to prevent rotating power outages across the entire PJM region. PJM was missing approximately 57,000 MW of generation by the morning peak on December 24th as many traditional power plants struggled to perform during the cold weather . The reliability of Voltuss VPP is supported by a scalable platform that can orchestrate millions of distributed energy resources of every type to quickly meet the needs of the grid, explains Voltus Senior Vice President of Operations and Customer Success, Stephanie Hendricks. In total, and with the support of our technology, our customers provided 11.6 GWh of load relief across the US and Canada during Winter Storm Elliott, delivering dependable generator-scale capacity. The economic and reliability benefits of our customers efforts ultimately trickle back down to the consumer in the form of lower energy costs and fewer power disruptions during these increasingly frequent severe weather events.



Despite these proven benefits, twelve states across the United States have banned VPP operators from directly participating in wholesale market programs. The Michigan Public Service Commission recently made its policies more inclusive, allowing aggregations of commercial and industrial customers with at least 1 MW of aggregated load to enroll, a decision that was fueled by Voltuss October filing , and an action that Voltus urges other states to follow Michigans lead, as the strain on the electric grid continues to rise . The Voltus platform currently integrates with all wholesale markets across the US and Canada, providing its customers and partners access to nearly sixty programs, including utility-level and peak management opportunities. These programs create revenue and savings for participating businesses while strengthening the impact of VPPs in these regions. To earn cash while supporting the reliability of the electric grid, email [email protected] .

About Voltus

Voltus is the leading software technology platform and virtual power plant operator connecting over 4 GW of distributed energy resources to electricity markets, delivering less expensive, more reliable, and more sustainable electricity. Our commercial and industrial customers and DER partners generate cash by allowing Voltus to maximize the value of their flexible load, distributed generation, energy storage, energy efficiency, and electric vehicle resources in these markets. To learn more, visit www.voltus.co . Media contact  Voltus

Mona Khaldi

[email protected]



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[March 08, 2023] ChatGPT Accelerates AI Discussions for Grocers; 59% Plan to Test an AI Solution in 2023

Grocery Doppio's survey of grocery industry executives, shoppers, and shopping data reveals state of AI in grocery, further digital basket size increase, and decline of third-party share of sales. NEW YORK and MIAMI, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Incisiv , a next-generation industry insights firm that helps retailers and brands navigate digital disruption, and Wynshop , the leading provider of digital commerce and fulfillment solutions for local store-based retailers, today revealed the findings from their State of Digital Grocery Performance Scorecard for February 2023 , reflecting the latest analysis of shopper orders, plus interviews of grocery shoppers and executives about their 2023 outlook on AI in grocery. Key findings from February's survey included: 67% of grocers say they have discussed ChatGPT at senior level meetings.

of grocers say they have at senior level meetings. 82% of grocers consider AI a necessity to remain competitive i n the future.

of grocers consider AI a necessity to n the future. 59% of grocers will test an AI solution in 2023, while 13% will spend non-budgeted funds to do so.

of grocers will in 2023, while will spend to do so. Grocers believe that AI will have the greatest impact on inventory forecasting, supply chain management, and pricing/promotions, while ChatGPT/large language models will affect customer service, product discovery, and store associate tools. These and other data insights are now available for download on Grocery Doppio , a free, independent source of grocery insights and data designed to help grocers jumpstart, accelerate, and sustain digital growth. Grocery Doppio's "State of Digital Grocery Performance Scorecard" for February 2023 The monthly State of Digital Grocery Performance Scorecads are one of many resources available on the Grocery Doppio website. The reports are built around data analysis of 1.7 million shopper orders and survey results from more than 27,000 shoppers and 2,600 U.S. grocery executives.



More key findings from the February 2023 Performance Scorecard include: Digital basket size grew, even as digital's share of market slipped Compared to February 2022, digital basket size grew 47.2%, representing an average of 5 items more.

Digital sales saw 2.1% growth from $9.6 to $9.8 billion between February 2022 and February 2023, but digital's share of the total grocery market slipped from November 2022's high of 17.1% to just 13.8% in February.

Third-party providers continue to lose market share Grocery sales through third parties fell to $1.8B in February 2023, down from $2.7 billion in February 2022 and $1.9B in January 2023.

The balance of digital grocery sales were taken by grocers' apps (5.9%), and grocers' websites (75.8%). Share of grocery pickup sales continues to rise Curbside/pickup sales grew by 8.3% from February 2022 to February 2023, rising from $4.8 billion to 5.2 billion, YOY. "ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, and grocers are no exception," said Gaurav Pant, Chief Insights Officer of both Incisiv and Grocery Doppio. "Grocers acknowledge they need advanced analytics and AI and are willing to experiment and invest in building those capabilities. Those that focus on high-impact use cases like inventory optimization or can figure out a better search and recommendation experience using LLMs have a chance to leapfrog their peers." "Grocers are no longer technology laggards," said Charlie Kaplan, Chief Revenue Officer of Wynshop. "AI is making an impact on grocers' digital operations in inventory planning, online search, product recommendations, substitutions, pricing, and promotions, every day." Each month, Grocery Doppio brings together rich, research-driven grocery content, fact-based observations, inspiring perspectives, and deep performance benchmarks that identify improvement opportunities for grocery retailers. The site is designed specifically to help grocery and food executives optimize their digital and in-store channels, and accelerate growth profitably. To download Grocery Doppio's "State of Digital Grocery Performance Scorecard: February 2023," click here . To learn more about Grocery Doppio visit www.grocerydoppio.com . About Incisiv Incisiv is a next-generation industry insights firm that helps retailers and brands navigate digital disruption in their industry. Incisiv offers consumer industry executives responsible for digital transformation a trusted platform to share and learn in a non-competitive setting, and the tools necessary to improve digital maturity, impact, and profitability. More information is available at www.incisiv.com . About Wynshop Wynshop is an ambitious team of digital innovators obsessed with a solitary missionhelping grocers and other local store-based retailers grow wildly successful online businesses. Its refreshingly easy-to-use digital commerce platform enables efficient in-house picking, reduces fulfillment costs, and gives retailers the ability to control every facet of their customers' digital shopping experience. This results in a more personalized customer journey and amplified shopper loyalty. Learn more at www.wynshop.com . View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chatgpt-accelerates-ai-discussions-for-grocers-59-plan-to-test-an-ai-solution-in-2023-301765098.html SOURCE Wynshop

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[March 08, 2023] Onit Incorporates Recent Acquisitions Into Comprehensive Portfolio of Solutions That Optimize Legal Operations by Enabling Smarter, Faster Business Decisions

Onit bolsters ELM offering with new product integrations that increase rate accuracy and drive efficiency across legal business operations HOUSTON, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Onit, the leading provider of legal workflow solutions, including enterprise legal management (ELM) and contract lifecycle management (CLM), today announced a set of integrations to its ELM solutions that further incorporate two of its recent acquisitions into its comprehensive portfolio for managing advanced legal workflows. The integrations, which stem from Onit's acquisitions of Bodhala in August 2021 and BusyLamp in September 2021, optimize legal operations in two key areas  financial benchmarking and localized support for Europe. The new integrations with Onit Spend Management and Onit Matter Management address three common industry challenges: lack of supporting industry insights at the point of decision, data silos and tool proliferation. Onit Spend Management leverages Bodhala's comprehensive benchmarks from data that includes more than $47B in legal billings. This provides a breadth of comparison for proposed changes to current timekeeper rates and evaluation of new rates. For European legal departments, the integration of Onit Matter Management and BusyLamp eBilling.Space offers a proven ELM solution with a configurable matter management workflow that eliminates the double entry of matter information. Collectively, these integrations enable sophisticated legal departments at large multinational corporations to make smarter, cost-efficient choices at the point of decision. Benchmarking for Smarter Spend Management Onit Spend Management's integraion with Bodhala's AI-enabled technology pulls data from 200,000+ timekeepers and nearly 9,000 law firms, improving the accuracy of benchmarks and providing germane data points so legal teams always understand the going rate for timekeepers against the context of an individual law firm, the company's entire panel of law firms and the market at large. By providing insights at the point of decision, legal departments eliminate the need for time-consuming and often costly ad-hoc rate analysis as they now have the unique ability to quickly approve new timekeeper rates resulting from outside counsel promotions, raises or additions to a firm.



A Complete European ELM Solution Onit Matter Management's integration with BusyLamp's legal spend management solution provides a single system of record with specific capabilities for European corporate legal departments. Matters can be created in Onit Matter Management and then synced with BusyLamp with the click of a button for matters where outside counsel is engaged. This offers a flexible and configurable matter approval workflow capability while also leveraging specific currency, regulatory and tax capabilities that Busylamp provides for the European market today, without having to manage legal matters in two different systems.

The integrations with Onit Spend Management and Onit Matter Management will be widely available to customers in July. "The transformation of legal operations begins with smart, integrated solutions that evolve with your business' unique needs," said Scott Wallingford, President of Onit's Enterprise Business. "These integrations are the first of many we have planned to ensure improved collaboration across Legal and greater access to actionable insights that help make smarter and faster business decisions. At Onit, we are tying together our corporate acquisition strategy and product portfolio's evolution to help customers optimize their legal operations." Learn more about the new Onit Spend Management integration here and Onit Matter Management integration here. Onit is also offering live demonstrations of all its ELM and CLM solutions at Legalweek New York 2023 on March 20  23. Additional Resources For the latest company and industry news, legal operations trends and best practices from corporate legal innovators, read the Onit blog and follow us on LinkedIn. About Onit Onit is the leading provider of legal workflow solutions for enterprise legal management (ELM) and contract lifecycle management (CLM). Onit's comprehensive product portfolio customizes AI-driven workflows for managing matters, spend, vendors and contracts. With Onit, companies can evolve the legal department's role as a business protector and transform it into a business driver that materially influences the enterprise by improving operational and cost efficiency while simultaneously contributing to faster revenue generation and business growth. The Onit portfolio of products includes SimpleLegal, AXDRAFT, Bodhala, BusyLamp and SecureDocs. Learn more at www.onit.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/onit-incorporates-recent-acquisitions-into-comprehensive-portfolio-of-solutions-that-optimize-legal-operations-by-enabling-smarter-faster-business-decisions-301765365.html SOURCE Onit, Inc.

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[March 08, 2023] ENVANA SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS SIGNS CONTRACT WITH AKER BP TO PROVIDE DIGITAL EMISSIONS MANAGEMENT

HOUSTON, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Envana Software Solutions, a joint venture between Halliburton and Siguler Guff, announced today that Aker BP, an independent E&P company with exploration, development and production activities on the Norwegian continental shelf, has contracted with Envana for its new EnvanaTM Catalyst product. Envana's product will help Aker BP forecast emissions related to well construction and production operations and track progress to reduce these emissions. As recently announced, Envana is the newly formed $50 million joint venture between Halliburton and Siguler Guff, organized to provide critical emissions management software as a service (SaaS) solutions to track greenhouse gas emissions in the oil and gas industry and beyond. The Aker BP contract marks Envana's second commercial agreement and is expected to further Aker BP's leading efforts related to the digitalization of field planning and well design workflows by including emissions forecasting. In doing so, costs and impacts relating to emissions can be proactively considered during planning, enabling better decisions. Envana will be integrated with Aker BP's ground-breaking deployment of its automated Field Development Planning and Digital Well Program. Envana Catalyst helps increase transparency of the environmental impact of drilling, completions, and production operations. It is designed to improve the visibility of greenhouse gas emissions tracking and forecasting companywide and can provide support for actionable recommendations throughout upstream asset life, from planning and design through execution. Envana Catalyst allows customers to choose the methodologies for modelling emissions and have available a library of emissions sources tailoed to the oil and gas industry. With its documented API, Envana Catalyst can integrate with existing customer software to automate emissions forecasting and tracking, or users can model emissions using the Envana Catalyst interface.



"We are thrilled to sign this important contract with Aker BP," said Nagaraj Srinivasan, board member of Envana. "Aker BP has been a valuable partner in the development of our product Catalyst and I am excited at the opportunities ahead for Envana Catalyst to help Aker BP achieve their emissions management goals." Tommy Sigmundstad, Senior Vice President Drilling and Wells at Aker BP, said, "Decarbonizing our business is a strategic priority in Aker BP and we continuously work to reduce our environmental footprint from our operations. Envana will bridge the gap between engineering, operations, and corporate, allowing the company to consider sustainability impact of the work while permitting us to maintain governance of the assumptions and methodologies used to model our emissions."

"Formalizing the commercial relationship with Aker BP is an important early accomplishment which demonstrates the value that Envana can provide for its customers. We're eager to provide this solution throughout the E&P industry and beyond," said PR Panigrahi, board member of Envana. For more information, please attend Envana's presentation at the CERAWeek Innovation Agora on Wednesday March 8th at 3:30pm CT in Pod 5. About Aker BP Aker BP is a company engaged in exploration, field development and production of oil and gas on the Norwegian continental shelf. The company operates six assets: Alvheim, Ivar Aasen, Skarv, Edvard Grieg, Ula and Valhall, and is a partner in the Johan Sverdrup field. About Envana: Envana provides critical emissions management software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions to track greenhouse gas emissions in the oil and gas industry and beyond. It is joint venture company formed by Halliburton and Siguler Guff, a leading multi-strategy private markets investment firm which has over $16 billion under management, estimated as of December 31, 2022. More information can be found at www.envana.com. Contacts for Envana: Jeffrey Taufield / Daniel Yunger

Kekst CNC

[email protected] / [email protected]

212-521-4800 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/envana-software-solutions-signs-contract-with-aker-bp-to-provide-digital-emissions-management-301765398.html SOURCE Envana Software Solutions; Siguler Guff; Aker BP; Halliburton

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[March 08, 2023] o9 Solutions Recognizes Microsoft In Its Inaugural Partner Awards Program

o9 Solutions, a leading enterprise AI software platform provider for transforming planning and decision-making, today announced that it is honoring Microsoft as o9's Technology Partner of the Year as part of o9's inaugural Partner Awards program. Microsoft will receive the Digital Brain Award for the successful integration of the o9 Digital Brain platform across all three of Microsoft's cloud infrastructures. In 2022, Microsoft's continued collaboration with o9 resulted in the integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365, which brings together o9's Digital Brain platform and the breadth of solutions offered by the Microsoft Supply Chain Platform. o9's AI-powered platform for integrated business planning and decision-making is also available, which allows joint customers to benefit from streamlined deployment and integration, as well as Azure's scalability, flexibility, and security. In addition, Azure Synapse Analytics meets o9's needs for processing very large datasets typical in market intelligence as an analytics service that brings together data integration, enterprise data warehousing, and big data analytics. Each integration showcases the commitment o9 and Microsoft have to help leading companies transform their supply chain, commercial, and integrated business planning capabilities to convert data into actionable insights and drive high-quality, business-critical decisions.



"We're pleased to recognize Microsoft as an outstanding technology partner with our first Digital Brain Award," says Igor Rikalo, President and Chief Operating Officer o9 Solutions. "Through our partnership and platform integrations on Microsoft's cloud services, we've been able to provide robust solutions to our joint clients. o9 looks forward to collaborating alongside Microsoft to continue enhancing our business and supply chain planning possibilities for current and future customers." "Microsoft is honored to accept o9's Technology Partner of the Year award," says Dominik Wee, CVP, Manufacturing and Mobility Industry at Microsoft. "Through our collaboration, we are proud to deliver powerful business outcomes on the Microsoft platform. We look forward to accelerating our rich co-innovation to deliver meaningful supply chain transformations for our valued customers worldwide."

In addition to the Digital Brain Award, o9's annual Partner Awards will highlight the outstanding contributions made by its partner organizations across four additional categories: The Digital Operating Model Award, for the largest transformation of the year

The Graph-Cube Award, for the most impactful innovation on the o9 platform

The 10x Partner Award for the fastest-growing partner of the year

The MVP Award for the best all-around player in sales and delivery Recipients of the o9 Partner Awards are selected based on their exceptional performance and collaboration within specific categories. The o9 Partner Awards will continue to be announced prior to the aim10x global conference, which will take place March 28-29, 2023. Microsoft is also a gold o9 partner sponsoring aim10x live in London, NYC, and Tokyo. Register for aim10x global here and visit the Microsoft booth at aim10x global to learn more. For more information, go to o9solutions.com. About o9 Solutions, Inc.

o9 Solutions is a leading AI-powered platform for integrated business planning and decision-making for the enterprise. Whether it is driving demand, aligning demand and supply, or optimizing commercial initiatives, any planning process can be made faster and smarter with o9's AI-powered digital solutions. Bringing together technology innovations-such as graph-based enterprise modeling, big data analytics, advanced algorithms for scenario planning, collaborative portals, easy-to-use interfaces and cloud-based delivery-into one platform. For more information, please visit www.o9solutions.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005045/en/

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[March 08, 2023] Silent Eight Engages Trevelino/Keller to Amplify Growth Marketing Strategy

Trevelino/Keller, a nationally ranked growth PR and marketing firm, today announces its partnership with Silent Eight, which offers an advanced AI and machine learning platform to identify and prevent financial crime. Trevelino/Keller will support Silent Eight with a comprehensive growth marketing approach that encompasses lead generation, sales enablement, content strategy and development, and executive visibility. Silent Eight is a Singapore-based company with global operations that supports financial institutions and insurance and payment partners. Silent Eight's Iris platform uses advanced machine learning algorithms to analyze customer data, assign risk scores, and generate alerts when potential suspicious activity is detected. The platform also includes tools for managing investigations and continuously learning from new data. Balancing AI technology with human expertise, Silent Eight stops bad actors from accessing the financial system and offers intelligence solutions for compliance challenges. "Silent Eight was founded to shift perspectives and use innovative technologies to help stop crime within the global financial system," says Matthew Leaney, CRO, Slent Eight. "We have great partners using our technology today but see enormous potential for our Iris platform to become the industry standard. We are excited to work with Trevelino/Keller to drive continued growth."



Silent Eight's AI-powered platform seamlessly integrates into its partners' compliance workflow to consistently reduce both cost and risk. Iris covers sanctions, Adverse News, PePs and transaction monitoring for more effective investigations and decisioning. "Silent Eight possesses the attributes to be a true disruptor in the RegTech industry," notes Dean Trevelino, principal at Trevelino/Keller. "They have a strong mission, with the tools and technology to emerge as a category leader. We look forward to supporting them with robust digital strategies that will amplify the brand and foster their sales goals."

Trevelino/Keller brings nearly 20 years of brand reputation, media strategy, digital expertise and creative services to its partnership with Silent Eight. According to the latest O'Dwyer's PR Rankings, the firm ranks #2 in Technology, #1 in Healthcare, and #2 in Professional Services in Atlanta. About Silent Eight Silent Eight is a pioneer in harnessing machine learning for adjudicating potential financial crime risks. Balancing the power of technology with the expertise of our clients, the Singapore-based firm has rapidly grown to become the industry leader in explained, AI adjudications. For more information, visit https://www.silenteight.com/ About Trevelino/Keller Trevelino/Keller is a Growth PR+Mkt firm focused on building, launching and scaling B2B and B2C companies. It leans into public relations, growth marketing and creative studios to develop measurable programming that leads to outcome-driven goals. It features eight nationally ranked practice areas -- technology, healthcare, financial services, franchising, environment, government, food & beverage and lifestyle. Its Creative Studios delivers brand identity, graphic design, web services and dynamic content. Headquartered in Atlanta, the firm holds the distinction of having the industry's best talent retention, is the 2022 third fastest growing and ranks second in Atlanta. For more information, visit www.trevelinokeller.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005099/en/

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[March 08, 2023] Outreach Introduces Outreach Data Sharing on the Snowflake Data Cloud

Customers can now leverage Outreach Data Sharing on the Snowflake Data Cloud to uncover efficiencies and identify new opportunities SEATTLE, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Outreach , the leading sales execution platform helping revenue organizations create and close more pipeline, today announced an expanded partnership with Snowflake , the Data Cloud company. As part of this expanded partnership, Outreach announced the launch of Outreach Data Sharing, a new offering that helps organizations to uncover efficiencies and identify new opportunities across the entire sales cycle by seamlessly connecting Outreach's datasets with other enterprise data. Outreach Data Sharing for Snowflake is in private beta. Outreach is leading the industry as the first company to deliver Data Sharing to the market "We're excited to help our joint customers unlock new insights and make better business decisions by combining Outreach's sales data with data from other enterprise applications on the Snowflake Data Cloud," said Chris Degnan, Chief Revenue Officer at Snowflake. "By enabling Outreach Data Sharing with Snowflake, companies like ours are able to realize the value of connected datasets and insights that were previously unattainable, leading to more efficient go-to-market teams and greater ROI of our tech stack," said Krish Mantripragada, Chief Product Officer at Seismic. "Additionally, this expanded partnership is an important moment in the evolution of the B2B data cloud, and Seismic having both Outreach and Snowflake as customers and partners makes this even more exciting." According to S&P Global Market Intelligence1, it's estimated that 39% of highly data driven organizations have more than 50 distinct data silos. For many enterprise sales organizations, that means sales data often ives in disparate point solutions, tools, and inflexible CRM systems. Those data silos create elongated data pipelines, and the added effort required for data management creates friction for sales teams to access critical data and insights.



Outreach provides active sales data that customers can extract for sophisticated analyses. With Outreach Data Sharing analysts can seamlessly query the raw data that's been created by customers' seller activities and interactions in Outreach, from prospecting and building pipeline, through managing deals to close. Additionally, extracting data is no longer only for data scientists and ML engineers. With Outreach Data Sharing, sales leaders can seamlessly conduct broader analyses by connecting Outreach data with other enterprise data in the customers' Snowflake instance, without requiring complex database objects or pipeline integrations.

Customers today are already using Outreach Data Sharing, and as a result, customers are able to identify which sequences create better outcomes, or find patterns that help identify the most promising opportunities that tend to closed-won - all that could be quickly sent as reports to stakeholders daily in order to help sales reps and leaders to create and close more pipeline, more efficiently. "Amidst a backdrop of a turbulent economy and a digital revolution in sales, today's CROs and sales leaders need the ability to conduct more sophisticated analyses to better understand the bespoke needs of their business," said Manny Medina, Outreach CEO and co-founder. "As the leading platform for creating and closing pipeline, Outreach is leading the industry as the first company to deliver Data Sharing to the market, allowing our customers to better manage their risk, gain insights about rapidly evolving buying behaviors, improve rep efficiency and productivity, and drive overall performance." Learn more about Outreach Data Sharing here . Register for Outreach's Explore+ on March 15, 2023 to hear about Outreach's newest product innovations here . About Outreach

Outreach is the leading sales execution platform that helps market-facing teams efficiently create and predictably close more pipeline. From prospecting to deal management to forecasting, our platform leverages automation and artificial intelligence to help revenue leaders increase efficiency and effectiveness of all go-to-market activities and personnel across the revenue cycle. Outreach is the only company to offer sales engagement, revenue intelligence, and revenue operations functionalities in a unified platform. More than 5,500 companies, including Zoom, Siemens, Okta, DocuSign, and McKesson depend on Outreach to power their revenue organizations. Outreach is a privately held company based in Seattle, Washington, with offices worldwide. To learn more, please visit www.outreach.io. 1 Data silos and IT complexity stifle business potential, Computer Weekly, 2020 Contact:

Haley Flanagan

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/outreach-introduces-outreach-data-sharing-on-the-snowflake-data-cloud-301765297.html SOURCE Outreach

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[March 08, 2023] Xytech Systems to Showcase Re-Energized Offering for End-to-End Media Operations at NAB Show 2023

At NAB Show 2023 (Las Vegas, April 15-19), Xytech Systems (#W2949), the leading provider of end-to-end media operations for the world's premier media and broadcast entities, will present the 'new Xytech' - its revitalized vision for a cloud-driven future. After a successful 2022, which saw new financial investment and significant leadership transitions spearheaded by the appointment of Keith Buckley as CEO, Xytech will demonstrate its continued commitment towards product innovation and operational excellence by showcasing its enhanced Media Operations Platform. Keith Buckley, Chief Executive Officer, Xytech Systems, said: "We're thrilled to reconnect with customers and partners at NAB Show 2023 to present our new Xytech Media Operations vision and focus on cloud-driven SaaS models that meet today's media production demands. While the pace of change in media has evolved faster in the last five years than in the past 50, the tools used to create, manage, and transmit media have failed to keep up. Our Media Operations platform stands out as the most deeply integrated and comprehensive end-to-end solution that can help production teams manage their entire media lifecycle in the cloud." The recently upgraded version of Xytech's Media Operations Platform will make its public debut at the NAB Show, showcasing the latest Granite software advances. These new updates ensure that Xytech can deliver the critical media operations resources that customers need to manage and deploy end-to-end video content lifecycles. In addition, customers looking to take advantage of workflows in the cloud can now make use of all the benefits that SaaS offers, thanks to the 400+ new features and 1000+ operational improvements implemented. This follows a staggering 14,000 hours spent researching and looking for ways to best optimize workflows and boost productivity, to deliver the best tools readily available today.



The latest enhancements and additions to APIs as well as integrations with OpenID, Azure AD, MS Exchange, Google Calendar, and MS SharePoint, also mean that production teams no longer need to switch programs while completing critical tasks. The solution enables them to work in a single platform to trigger workflows across the content lifecycle of production, from scheduling, crewing, asset management, billing, and accounts receivables, saving time while increasing productivity. Visitors to the stand will learn about the company's latest upgrades in the cloud that serve the largest customers operating in the media space today and producers of all sizes across any industry with video operations.

Meet Xytech Systems in West Hall (#W2949) for more information on the company's core solutions, its latest cloud-driven innovations, and to get hands-on with demos of Granite. Learn more about Xytech's solutions at https://www.xytechsystems.com/demo-request/ - ENDS - Notes to editors If you would like to arrange a 1-1 briefing or schedule a demo at NAB Show 2023, please contact [email protected] About Xytech Xytech Systems, LLC is the leading provider of end-to-end media operations for the world's premier media, and broadcast entities. Xytech's Media Operations Platform helps customers scale by efficiently managing people, resources, and assets on time, on budget, and on schedule. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Xytech combines deep expertise, with a comprehensive, and easy-to-use platform that features 100+ customizable integrations, enabling an end-to-end command center in one view. Over 400 global customers, from large-scale traditional broadcasters to innovative SMBs, rely on Xytech to run their businesses. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005458/en/

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[March 08, 2023] AiM Medical Robotics Announces Changes to Executive Team and Participation in LSI Emerging Medtech Summit

-- Gregory Fischer, Ph.D., Co-Founder of AiM Medical Robotics, Co-Inventor of MRI-compatible surgical robot, and former Chief Scientific Advisor, appointed as new CEO -- -- Former CEO, Bob Cathcart, appointed as Executive Chairman to Board of Directors -- -- AiM Medical Robotics to participate in panel discussion entitled "Beyond General Surgery: The Next Frontiers in Medical Robotics" at LSI Emerging Medtech Summit on March 22, 2023 at 12:45 PM PT -- WORCESTER, Mass., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AiM Medical Robotics (the "Company" or "AiM Medical Robotics" or "AiM"), a developer of MRI-compatible intraoperative robotics for neurosurgery and other applications, today announced changes to its executive team. Gregory Fischer, Ph.D., has been named the Company's new Chief Executive Officer, and the Company's former CEO, Robert (Bob) Cathcart, has been named Executive Chairman of the Company's Board of Directors. Dr. Fischer is a founder of AiM Medical Robotics and inventor of the unique technology used in the Company's MRI-compatible surgical robot. Since its founding, he has acted as AiM's Chief Scientific Advisor and has been actively involved in the development of the Company's technology. Dr. Fischer has been a pioneer in Medical Robotics for 20 years, and has extensive expertise in MRI-compatible components and systems with over 130 peer-reviewed publications, including more than 40 journal manuscripts and book chapters related to image-guided surgical robotics. Having received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2008, Dr. Fischer is a Professor of Robotics Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute ("WPI"). In addition, he is the Founder of the Massachusetts state-supported PracticePoint medtech accelerator, a state-of-the-art healthcare development and testing facility for surgical robotics, comprising a 3T MRI and operating room dedicated to engineering research and development. AiM is a Platinum member of PracticePoint giving the Company full access to these resources and is headquartered on-site. Dr. Fischer has been Head of the Automation and Interventional Medicine Robotics Research Laboratory at WPI since 2008. In this capacity, he has been a principal investigator on over $10 million in non-dilutive grant funding, including multiple peer-reviewed NIH grants upon which AiM's MRI-compatible neurosurgery robot and other development platforms are based. This technology is exclusively licensed by AiM Medical Robotics which is producing a surgical robot capable of robotically aligning, inserting, and manipulating neurosurgery instruments inside the bore of an MRI scanner while imaging. The portable system can be readily setup in any diagnostic or interventional MRI, or used as a robotic platform in a traditional OR-based neurosurgery setting. The unveiling of the working prototype was announced in August 2022, and a video demonstration can be viewed on the AiM Medical Robotics website.



"I am highly enthusiastic about kicking off fast and strong to ramp up our technical developments, and achieve substantial milestones this year, which is why I will be scaling back my role at WPI to work full-time as CEO of AiM Medical Robotics," said Dr. Fischer. "I am also thrilled to continue working with Bob Cathcart in his new role as Executive Chairman of our Board, where his expertise in business development will continue to play a vital role in the Company's success." "We look forward to leveraging Dr. Fischer's substantial experience in MRI-guided interventions to continue developing a unique and world-class system that pushes the limits for what can be achieved in neurosurgery," said Bob Cathcart. "I look forward to continuing to work with him and the rest of the team to improve outcomes for patients undergoing neurosurgery while focusing on other business development opportunities."

In addition, AiM Medical Robotics also announced today that it will be attending the Life Science Intelligence (LSI) Emerging Medtech Summit in Dana Point, California from March 20-23, 2023. Dr. Fischer will be participating in a panel discussion entitled "Beyond General Surgery: The Next Frontiers in Medical Robotics" on March 22, 2023 at 12:45 p.m. PT. A replay of the panel discussion will be archived on AiM's website in the "News and Media" section following the event. About AiM Medical Robotics AiM Medical Robotics is a privately held medical device company based in Worcester, MA. It is focused on the development of MRI-compatible advanced robotics that are precision-focused, portable, and can be readily used with any MRI scanner. Follow AiM at www.aimmedrobotics.com and on LinkedIn. Forward-Looking Statement This press release includes forward-looking statements based upon AiM's current expectations which may constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws, and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These statements concern AiM's business strategies; the timing of regulatory submissions; the ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals of AiM's products; market acceptance of AiM's products; AiM's intellectual property; AiM's reliance on third party organizations; AiM's competitive position; AiM's industry environment; AiM's anticipated financial and operating results, including anticipated sources of revenues; AiM's assumptions regarding the size of the available market, benefits of AiM's products, product pricing and timing of product launches; management's expectation with respect to future acquisitions; statements regarding AiM's goals, intentions, plans and expectations, including the introduction of new products and markets; and AiM's cash needs and financing plans. There are a number of factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which include words such as "could," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "may," "continue," "predict," "potential," "project" or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of those terms. Although AiM believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, AiM cannot guarantee such outcomes. AiM may not realize its expectations, and its beliefs may not prove correct. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. All such statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Consequently, forward-looking statements should be regarded solely as AiM's current plans, estimates, and beliefs. AiM cannot guarantee future results, events, levels of activity, performance or achievements. AiM does not undertake and specifically declines any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrences of unanticipated events, except as may be required by applicable law. Contacts: Gregory Fischer, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer

AiM Medical Robotics, Inc.

(617) 203-5560

[email protected] Investors: Doug Nissinoff

Investor Relations

Renegade BioConsulting, LLC

(954) 204-6745

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aim-medical-robotics-announces-changes-to-executive-team-and-participation-in-lsi-emerging-medtech-summit-301765274.html SOURCE AiM Medical Robotics

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US the most warlike nation in the history of the world: Carter

Apr 15, 2019,

https://en.mehrnews.com/news/144152/US-the-most-warlike-nation-in-the-history-of-the-world-Carter

TEHRAN, Apr. 15 (MNA) Former US President Jimi Carter says the US has been at war for all but 16 years of its 242-year history to force others to adopt American principles.

Earlier this year former President Carter sent President Trump a letter with some advice about managing the US-China relationship. Carter oversaw the normalization of diplomatic relations between the countries 40 years ago.

And on Saturday evening, Trump called Carter to talk about it. It was the first time theyd spoken, Carter said. He said Trump said the particularly concerned about how China is getting ahead of us.

Carter agreed thats true, according to www.wabe.org.

And do you know why? I normalized diplomatic relations with China in 1979. Since 1979 do you know how many times China has been at war with anybody? None. And we have stayed at war, he said.

The US, Carter said, has been at war for all but 16 years of its 242-year history.

He called the United States the most warlike nation in the history of the world, because of a tendency to try to force others to adopt our American principles.

Carter suggested that instead of war, China has been investing in its own infrastructure, mentioning that China has 18,000 miles of high-speed railroad.

How many miles of high-speed railroad do we have in this country?

Zero, the congregation answered.

We have wasted I think $3 trillion, Carter said of American military spending.  Its more than you can imagine. China has not wasted a single penny on war and thats why theyre ahead of us. In almost every way.

And I think the difference is if you take $3 trillion and put it in American infrastructure youd probably have $2 trillion leftover. Wed have high-speed railroad. Wed have bridges that arent collapsing, wed have roads that are maintained properly. Our education system would be as good as that of say South Korea or Hong Kong.

I wasnt comparing my country adversely to China, Carter qualified. I was just pointing that out because I happened to get a phone call last night.

He said he understood that Trump is worried about China surpassing the US as the worlds top economic superpower.

I dont really fear that time, but it bothers President Trump and I dont know why. Im not criticizing him  this morning, Carter said to laughs from the audience.

Much of Carters Palm Sunday lesson went beyond politics, to focus on the importance of bringing virtues like peace and kindness to todays world, and how, he said, God has given each person the freedom and the power to change their own life.

He spoke to a congregation of mostly visitors, many of whom had arrived overnight to get in line for the service. Thats become commonplace for his biweekly Sunday School lessons.

Last month Carter became the nations longest-living president.
[March 08, 2023] River and Bitcoin Magazine Announce Lightning Partnership to Drive the Adoption of Bitcoin

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- River Financial Inc. ( River.com ) is a leading Bitcoin technology company that offers Bitcoin brokerage accounts, Lightning, and mining. Today, River has announced a partnership with Bitcoin Magazinethe media publication behind the Bitcoin Conference in Miami. River and Bitcoin Magazine Announce Lightning Partnership to Drive the Adoption of Bitcoin River now has direct integration into the new Bitcoin Magazine app, which allows users to create an account on River and buy Bitcoin. Additionally, users will earn Bitcoin when they read an article on the Bitcoin Magazine app. This allows users to earn free satoshis for learning about the digital asset. These sats can be withdrawn using the Lightning Network to their River wallet, or another wallet of their choice. "Bitcoin Magazine does an incredible job spreading the message that Bitcoin stands for economic freedom and prosperity," says River CEO Alex Leishman. "River shares this mission and serves as a gateway for people who want to learn about and invest in Bitcoin." While the broader crypto industry has suffered from bad actors in recent months, there are still innovative,mission-focused companies like River and Bitcoin Magazine that are working to cultivate a more fair and just financial system. This starts by increasing knowledge.



"We see River as one of the best exchanges in the world and the strongest partners for the Bitcoin Magazine app," says Bitcoin Magazine CEO David Bailey. "This new partnership provides the onramp for millions of people to not only buy Bitcoin, but actually earn it by learning. It enables them to enjoy the educational content while stacking sats." This integration is now active on the Bitcoin Magazine app, with BTC purchases and Lightning transfers available at River through the River app, or at River.com .

About River Founded in 2019, River is a Bitcoin technology and financial services company. River offers the full suite of Bitcoin brokerage, custody, and mining services in one easy-to-use mobile app and on River.com . To learn more, please visit River.com or follow them on Twitter @River . About Bitcoin Magazine Since 2012 Bitcoin Magazine has been the most trusted source of news, information, and expert commentary on Bitcoin. Providing analysis, research, education, and thought leadership at the intersection of finance, technology, and culture. They are also the organizer of the cryptocurrency industry's largest annual event  The Bitcoin Conference . This annual global Bitcoin Conference has grown tremendously since it began in San Francisco in 2019. Last April in Miami the team hosted over 26,000 attendees and 400+ companies and went global in October of 2022 with Bitcoin Amsterdam  the largest European bitcoin conference. CONTACT: [email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/river-and-bitcoin-magazine-announce-lightning-partnership-to-drive-the-adoption-of-bitcoin-301765322.html SOURCE River Financial Inc.

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[March 08, 2023] GrubMarket Launches "Sustainable California" Initiative to Support Agricultural Sustainability and Promote Better Food Systems in California

Sustainable California demonstrates GrubMarket's commitment to preserving the sustainability of California farming environment, empowering farmers, and reinvigorating California's agricultural ecosystem. SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GrubMarket today announced the launch of its Sustainable California initiative, a commitment to promote and enhance agricultural sustainability in California by making meaningful investments from a portion of its net profits in the following endeavors: preserving the farming environment of the Central Valley and other areas of California through methods such as planting trees; promoting organic farming practices by financially supporting local farmers to obtain organic certifications; and developing innovative technologies that improve the sustainability of California's farming system in areas including farming and food procurement, sales, storage, and logistics. The Sustainable California initiative will address the numerous challenges facing California's agriculture industry today, including water scarcity, soil depletion, environmental preservation challenges, and climate change. GrubMarket is uniquely positioned to pioneer this movement due to its strong relationships with California farmers and producers and its fundamental mission to promote safer and healthier food practices and products. Through active tree planting efforts in geographically and biologically diverse areas throughout California, Sustainable California aims to create greener and more sustainable environments that will deliver countless benefits to the food ecosystem. Through this initiative, GrubMarket will contribute to the reforestation in California, which will help reduce our collective carbon footprint, mitigate the effects of climate change, preserve precious land that can be used to grow more fresh, organic produce, and retain our underground ater system which is essential for farming.



To further amplify the power of the Sustainable California initiative, GrubMarket will also provide funding and resources to farmers seeking organic certification in California. Right now, organic agriculture represents just 4-5% of cropland in California; nationally, this number is less than 1%, because organic certification is an expensive and rigorous process. However, California produces over 40% of the organic commodities sold in the U.S., including most of the country's organic vegetables. It is important to support California farmers by enabling them to produce more high margin and high quality organic products. By offering financial and resource support for obtaining organic certification, Sustainable California will encourage farmers to adopt organic farming practices, which are essential for long-term agricultural sustainability. This will help farmers increase their revenue, improve product quality, and promote the adoption of sustainable growing and harvesting practices. Organic is the future of food and farming in California. "California farmers, especially farmers in the Central Valley, are challenged every day as farming becomes harder and harder, due to an increasingly hot climate, depleted water supply, and deteriorating soil conditions from over-farming. The farm-grown produce available today in California's local farmers' markets are much less in richness, variety, and diversity, compared to several years ago. Moreover, the past few years have seen economic uncertainty and supply chain disruptions that have presented a unique opportunity for long-term innovation in food production and environmental protection. We are excited to launch the Sustainable California initiative to protect, support, and uplift California's fragile agricultural ecosystem," said Mike Xu, CEO of GrubMarket. "It can be easy to take food for granted, yet sustainable food production is one of our society's most critical needs. The Sustainable California initiative is not only our way of giving back to the local agricultural community, but also reflects our commitment to supporting sustainable agriculture, protecting the environment, and ensuring that future generations can continue to benefit from the bountiful resources of California."

As GrubMarket continues scaling its business and advancing its technologies, it will continue to reinforce its commitment to ensuring a more sustainable future for California's agricultural ecosystem. The Sustainable California initiative will be funded through a portion of GrubMarket's net profits. Any California farmers and growers, and technologists interested in learning more about or benefiting from this initiative, please send a message to [email protected] . About GrubMarket Founded in 2014, GrubMarket is a San Francisco-based food technology company operating in the space of food supply chain eCommerce for both business customers and end consumers, as well as providing related software-as-a-service solutions to digitally transform the American and global food supply chain. Currently, GrubMarket operates in all 50 U.S. States; Ontario and British Columbia (Canada); Argentina, Chile, and Colombia (South America); India, Mexico, South Africa, and Spain, with plans to expand to the rest of the U.S., Canada, South America, and other parts of the world. For Media Inquiries: GrubMarket Media Team

[email protected]

(415) 986-0523 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/grubmarket-launches-sustainable-california-initiative-to-support-agricultural-sustainability-and-promote-better-food-systems-in-california-301765426.html SOURCE GrubMarket

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[March 08, 2023] PTI receives the Proximo Latin American Deal of the Year award for 2022

BOCA RATON, Fla., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Phoenix Tower International ("PTI") was proud to accept the award for "Latin American Deal of the Year" for 2022 from Proximo, an energy and infrastructure news and analysis service, for PTI's acquisition of up to 3,800 telecommunications sites in Chile from WOM S.A. Phoenix Tower International CFO Michael Bremer, who accepted the award on behalf of PTI stated, "We are honored that Proximo has chosen to recognize this acquisitio, which positions PTI as the largest communications tower owner in Chile and underscores our commitment to providing world-class wireless infrastructure solutions. PTI is pleased to have partnered with WOM to complete this transaction and looks forward to continuing to support the growth and development of the telecommunications industry in Chile and beyond."



About Phoenix Tower International

PTI was founded in 2013 with a mission to be a premier site provider to wireless operators across the world in high-growth markets. PTI's investors include funds managed by Blackstone and various members of the management team and is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. For more information, please visit www.phoenixintnl.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pti-receives-the-proximo-latin-american-deal-of-the-year-award-for-2022-301765836.html SOURCE Phoenix Tower International

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[March 08, 2023] New Army brand redefines 'Be All You Can Be' for a new generation

The modern brand and accompanying campaign highlight the vast possibilities of Army service for today's youth WASHINGTON, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time since 2001, the U.S. Army has introduced a new brand that redefines what it means to "Be All You Can Be" for a new generation. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston made the announcement during a much-anticipated launch event at the National Press Club. The brand and its accompanying campaign spotlight the countless opportunities the Army provides youth to explore their passions, build community and become the best versions of themselves. "At a time when political, economic and social factors are changing how young Americans view the world, the new Army brand illustrates how service in the Army is grounded in passion and purpose," said Wormuth. "Serving our nation is a calling, and one that is fundamentally hopeful. We want a new generation of Americans to see the Army as a pathway to the lives and careers they want to achieve." The brand transformation was a multiyear, research-based process designed to reflect today's Army accurately and authentically, while addressing the needs of a new generation. The brand's new look and feel consists of a reengineered five-point star logo (the box has been removed to reflect the limitless possibilities in the Army) coupled with the return of the popular "Be All You Can Be" tagline. The logo and tagline are part of a full-brand ecosystem that helps tell the Army story visually and verbally, including a new custom font, an expanded color palette, new iconography, photography, motion graphics and more. "All good brands must evolve to reflect internal and external changes to ensure an accurate depiction of the organization that also meets audience needs," said Maj. Gen. Alex Fink, Chief of Army Enterprise Marketing. "We know youth seek purpose, passion, community and connection, but we also know many don't recognize the Army' ability to deliver on those needs. We need a brand that effectively communicates the possibilities of Army service."



"'Be All You Can Be' is a phrase that has inspired many generations of Soldiers, and its promise still rings true today," said McConville. "This is the message for the moment and for the future." At the center of the brand rollout are two films narrated by Emmy- and Critics' Choice Award nominated actor Jonathan Majors, star of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" and "Creed III." With a focus on the Army's 247 years of achievement, the two films  "Overcoming Obstacles" and "Pushing Tomorrow"  showcase Army service as a driver of possibilities and serve as a bridge between the past and the future to connect with and inspire the American public.

These films and the multifaceted, multichannel campaign bringing them to audiences nationwide will be coupled with a mix of bold, immersive promotional assets across television, print, digital billboards, streaming video, social and community platforms, and audio channels. The paid media campaign tips off at the highly anticipated 2023 NCAA March Madness tournament with on-site activations, broadcast showcases and digital campaign extensions. Starting in May, a first-of-its-kind co-branded partnership with NBCUniversal will leverage high-impact programming moments across the entire NBCU ecosystem from hit shows across NBC and Peacock to the critically acclaimed reality programs to popular film franchises to on-the-ground integrations at Universal Parks and Universal Studios and more. Additional partnerships will follow with Complex and IGN. A second phase of the campaign will be unveiled later this year, allowing "Be All You Can Be" to reveal a deeper, more personal look at the hopes, fears and dreams of today's youth. For more information on the Army's new brand and the possibilities to "Be All You Can Be," visit GoArmy.com. About the Army Enterprise Marketing Office: AEMO is the U.S. Army's national marketing, marketing research and analysis, and accessions analysis organization. AEMO develops innovative and effective ways to connect with the American public to make the Army more accessible and understood, increase awareness of both the benefits and value of Army service, and motivate the most qualified candidates to choose the Army as their service of first choice. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-army-brand-redefines-be-all-you-can-be-for-a-new-generation-301765816.html SOURCE U.S. Army

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[March 08, 2023] AVUITY Introduces Next-Generation Sensors for Improved Accuracy and Efficiency

AVUITY, a leading provider of innovative workplace technology and space utilization solutions, today announced the launch of its newest line of sensors designed to revolutionize the industry with their exceptional accuracy and efficiency. The new VuAI sensors feature state-of-the-art technology and advanced algorithms to deliver unparalleled precision in real-time data collection and analysis. These cutting-edge sensors are capable of detecting not only occupancy and utilization, but also measuring even the slightest variations in temperature, light, noise and humidity. The new VuAI sensors provide customers with the most holistic, accurate and reliable information of any sensor on the market. "We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new VuAI system," said Brad Johnson, CEO of AVUITY. "Our team has worked tirelessly to develop a product that sets a new standard in the industry, with up to three times the detection area of our previous sensors and twice the battery life. We believe these sensors will be a game-changer for clients who require the highest level of accuracy and efficiency." AVUITY's new sensors give enterprises a lower cost of entry to get the data they need to make informed decisions on their office space and real estate footprint quickly. The sensors are also easy to install and operate, providing customers with a seamless integration into their existing building management systems and processes. They evn have the ability to be converted to Power Over Ethernet (POE) and daisy-chained together, giving clients the ability to customize the system for their needs.



"We didn't stop at the sensor, we also worked to increase the abilities of our gateways," said Ian Iliff, Director of IoT & Artificial Intelligence. "We will be releasing the new gateway in the second quarter, and along with the new VuAI sensors we are confident that this technology will help our customers achieve their goal of optimizing their real estate footprint." With this upgrade, the VuAI sensor is capable of understanding real-time occupancy and utilization of over 1,000 sq. ft. when installed on a 9 ft. ceiling, independently monitoring the utilization of 20 individual desks with a single sensor, and reporting both active and passive occupancy (often referred to as "signs of life") all while maintaining a battery life of between 4 and 10 years. The expanded coverage area will allow for customers to reduce the number of sensors needed by greater than 30%, resulting in materially lower costs related to hardware and installation.

Commenting on how this will impact current and future customers, Brad Johnson said, "The wider coverage area will materially reduce the total sensor cost for customers. We are preparing by building out our international presence as current customers demand rolling out the new sensor across their entire global real estate portfolio." AVUITY will also offer customers the option of powering the VuAI with Power over Ethernet ("POE"). They expect customers to deploy the POE option in scenarios where changing batteries is impractical, such as ceiling heights of greater than 20 feet. Whether battery or POE powered, the VuAI provides the same great data with the full AI back end. The versatility of the new VuAI sensors will allow AVUITY to cover every office scenario. About AVUITY AVUITY has 11 years of experience serving the occupancy monitoring industry. Started as part of an architecture and design firm, the company now operates as an independent technology business dedicated to helping clients achieve their goals with precision, efficiency, and accuracy. With a focus on providing state-of-the-art technology and unparalleled customer support, AVUITY is committed to delivering the most holistic, accurate data to real estate teams around the world as part of our passion for improving design and operations. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005200/en/

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[March 08, 2023] reDesign Announces Third Annual Youth Advisory Council

Student-led Cohort Brings Fresh Solutions to K-12 Education's Biggest Issues AUSTIN, Texas, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- reDesign , an education design lab committed to building inclusive, learner-centered communities, today announced from the SXSW EDU conference, their student cohort for the 2023 Youth Advisory Council . An integral part of reDesign's commitment to elevate student voices, Youth Advisors contribute to the organization's decisions, designs, and practices. The third annual Youth Advisory Council cohort is comprised of 11 high-school students from across North America, and runs from February through December 2023. reDesign Announces Third Annual Youth Advisory Council, Brings Fresh Solutions to K-12 Education's Biggest Issues "reDesign welcomes and congratulates the student cohort for the 2023 Youth Advisory Council," said Rohan Menon, Learning Experience & Curriculum Designer who leads reDesign's Youth Advisory Council program. "reDesign is committed to keeping students at the center of our work, and the Youth Advisory Council is one of the most important ways that we live out that commitment. We're thilled to learn, create, and co-design with our Youth Advisors so that their perspectives can inform the work we do with district and state K-12 education partners."



This year's Youth Advisors hail from various parts of the U.S. including Idaho, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island and Texas, in addition to Canada, and are as follows: Donelle Nalder (ID)

(ID) Marbellyn Lopez (TX)

Sabbia Gale-Donnelly (NY)

(NY) Sonya Pholsiri (TX)

Hayden Hill (NC)

(NC) Pearson Mudhol (TX)

(TX) Bridger Fobes (ID)

(ID) Salome Murcia Gonzalez (B.C.)

(B.C.) Alexandra Dye (NC)

(NC) Ellah Wambach (TX)

(TX) Ayden Theroux (RI) As part of the application process, students shared their visions for reimagined learning communities, which include Salome Murcia Gonzalez's excitement for "projects that involve the community and real-life problems where we can put our learning to the test." Alexandra Dye explained that, "I believe that school should be a supportive environment and not a place where students feel like they need to compete with one another in their academicsif I was in a position of leadership for my district, I would do whatever I could to push for mental health days." Sabbia Gale-Donnelly is hopeful about the "multitude of small but meaningful ways we could affect the lives of those in school today, so that, by the time my brother reaches high school, he won't be dealing with the same challenges I've witnessed."

Youth Advisors, who receive a stipend for their work, are encouraged to bring their unique experiences as learners to provide insights into how schools can be improved. Student-driven investigations from past Youth Advisory Council cohorts focused on improving grading, final exams, and tracking systems; supporting active learning; flexible approaches to scheduling; and exploring teaching conditions and the broader societal structures that shape what school currently looks like. Founded in 2008, reDesign recently received a $10M grant from the JP Fletcher Foundation for their social impact and education design work with schools. For more information on the Youth Advisory Council program, and the work of reDesign to transform education, visit reDesignu.com or follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn . About reDesign: reDesign is an education design lab committed to meaningful, positive, joyful learning for all young people. We help build and support inclusive learner-centered communities so that education becomes a pathway to liberation. Learn more about the work of reDesign to transform education at reDesignu.com . View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/redesign-announces-third-annual-youth-advisory-council-301765888.html SOURCE reDesign

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[March 08, 2023] Impartner's Brenna Thornley Honored As A Woman Of The Year In Customer Service And For Being One Of Utah's 40 Under 40

Thornley, Senior Director of Customer Success, won a Stevie Award for Sales & Customer Service and was named in Utah Business' 2023 40 Under 40 list SALT LAKE CITY, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Impartner, the world's most complete, most highly rated, and most award-winning provider of channel management technologies, including its flagship Partner Relationship Management (PRM) and Partner Marketing Automation solutions, announced that Brenna Thornley, Senior Director of Customer Success, has been named a Silver winner in the 17th annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service in the Woman of the Year in Customer Service category and as a Utah Business 40 Under 40 honoree. Thornley was recognized for her success at Impartner for transforming every customer-facing organization by prioritizing customer experience and satisfactionshifting company culture completely. She has revamped two departments, improving customer ratings astronomically in each case. The Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service are the world's top honors for customer service, contact center, business development and sales professionals. The Stevie Awards organizes eight of the world's leading business awards programs, also including the prestigious American Business Awards and International Business Awards. More than 2,300 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry, in 49 nations and territories, were considered in this year's competition. The Utah Business 40 Under 40 honors Utah's most established rofessionals who are changing Utah's business landscape in significant ways. All honorees are under 40 years of age.



"Brenna possesses a rare skillsetshe understands the indirect channel sales industry, how to deliver SaaS software, how to perform analytics around that delivery, and she can educate on best practices," said Brad Pace, chief operating officer at Impartner. "She's extremely data-driven in her analysis, and as a result, she focuses on the most important thing because it will drive the biggest change for Impartner customers." Stevie winners were revealed during an awards banquet on Friday, March 3, in Las Vegas.

Details about the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service and the list of Stevie winners in all categories are available at www.StevieAwards.com/Sales. The complete list of Utah Business 40 Under 40 honorees is available at: https://www.utahbusiness.com/utah-business-2023-40-under-40/ To learn more about how Impartner helps corporations from the smallest to the largest enterprises like Honeywell, Qualtrics and Vertiv grow their channel revenue by an average of 32.3% in the first year of use alone, click here. About Impartner Impartner is the fastest-growing, most award-winning provider of channel management technologies, including its flagship Partner Relationship Management (PRM) and Partner Marketing Automation solutions, which help companies worldwide manage their partner relationships, drive demand through partners and accelerate revenue and profitability through indirect sales channels. For more information on Impartner, which is based in Utah's tech hotbed, the Silicon Slopes, visit impartner.com. Impartner Contact:

Chelsea Rider

Impartner

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/impartners-brenna-thornley-honored-as-a-woman-of-the-year-in-customer-service-and-for-being-one-of-utahs-40-under-40-301765905.html SOURCE Impartner

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[March 08, 2023] Key Data and Analytics Trends for 2023 Published in Info-Tech Research Group's Latest Report

Info-Tech's new trends report highlights the nine leading-edge data trends that tech leaders need to prepare for over the coming months. TORONTO, March 8, 2023 /CNW/ - To help tech leaders and their organizations stay on top of the latest trends, global IT research and advisory firm Info-Tech Research Group has released its Data and Analytics Trends 2023 report. The report covers a range of topics, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, data marketplaces and monetization, and identity authenticity. In today's data-driven world, organizations increasingly rely on data and analytics to drive decision making and gain a competitive edge. However, keeping up with key developments and new technologies in this rapidly evolving field can be challenging. By staying informed about these trends, technology leaders and organizations can better leverage their data assets to drive growth and innovation in the months ahead. "As we enter a new era of data and analytics, a data-driven culture and embracing emerging technologies are essential for organizations to remain competitive in the digital age," says Chris Dyck, advisory lead for the Data, Analytics, and Enterprise Architecture practice at Info-Tech Research Group. "The changing landscape can be overwhelming, but technology leaders that leverage these trends will be able to identify opportunities to optimize their data strategies, unlock the full potential of organization's data assets, and drive better business outcomes." Info-Tech's Data and Analytics Trends 2023 report will help teams tackle the challenges of identifying trends in data and analytics while modernizing their current capabilities. By examining nine data use cases for emerging technologies, the report aims to inform and educate data leaders, CXOs, and IT professionals on key trends and provide guidance on which ones to adopt, empowering them to enhance their organizational capabilities to remain competitive in a data-driven economy. The firm has identified the following nine trends for the coming months: Data Gravity  Data gravity is the tendency of data to attract applications, services, and other data. A growing number of cloud migration decisions will be made based on the data gravity concept. It will become increasingly important in data strategies, with failure potentially resultng in costly cloud repatriations. Democratizing Real-Time Data  Data democratization means data is widely accessible to all stakeholders without bottlenecks or barriers. Success in data democratization comes with ubiquitous real-time analytics. Augmented Data Management  Augmented data management will enhance or automate data management capabilities by leveraging AI and related advanced techniques. It's possible to leverage existing data management tools and techniques, but most experts have recognized that more work and advanced patterns are needed to solve many complex data problems. Identity Authenticity  Veracity is a concept deeply linked to identity. As the value of the data increases, a greater degree of veracity is required. For example, more proof is provided to open a bank account than to make friends on an online social platform. As a result, there is more trust in bank data than in social media data. Data Monetization  Data monetization is the transformation of data into financial value and demands an organization-wide strategy for value development. However, this does not imply selling data alone. Monetary value is produced by using data to improve and upgrade existing and new products and services. Adaptive Data Governance  Adaptive data governance encourages a flexible approach that allows an organization to employ multiple data governance strategies depending on changing business situations. The other aspect of adaptive data governance is moving away from manual and often slow data governance and toward aggressive automation. AI-Driven Storytelling and Augmented Analytics  AI and natural language processing will drive future visualization and data storytelling. These tools and techniques are improving rapidly and are now designed in a streamlined way to guide people in understanding what their data means and how to act on it instead of expecting them to do self-service analysis with dashboards and charts. Ultimately, understanding how to translate emotion, tropes, personal interpretation, and experience, as well as how to tell what's most relevant to each user, is the next frontier for augmented and automated analytics. Data Marketplace  The data marketplace can be defined as a dynamic marketplace where users decide what has the most value. Companies can gauge which data is most popular based on usage and choose where to invest. Users can shop for data products within the marketplace and then join these products with others they've created to launch truly powerful data-driven projects. DevOps > DataOps > XOps  The merger of development (Dev) and IT Operations (Ops) started in software development with the concept of DevOps. Since then, new Ops terms have formed rapidly, such as AIOps, SalesOps, SecOps, and more. All these methodologies come from Lean manufacturing principles, which seek to identify waste by focusing on eliminating errors, cycle time, collaboration, and measurement.



Data and Analytics Trends 2023 report to learn more about each of the trends for the year ahead. To learn more about Info-Tech Research Group, visit infotech.com and connect via?LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Info-Tech Research Group ? Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world's leading information technology research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals. The company produces unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For 25 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with IT teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.?? Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and over 200 IT and Industry analysts through the ITRG Media Insiders Program. To gain access, contact [email protected] . View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/key-data-and-analytics-trends-for-2023-published-in-info-tech-research-groups-latest-report-301765919.html SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group

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[March 08, 2023] Axiom Celebrates the Many Women in their Organization for International Women's Day!

TORONTO, March 08, 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 is celebrating the tremendous contributions of the many women in their organization on International Womens Day.

We live in a world that is filled with inequalities where women continue to face barriers to progress and move into leadership positions in the workplace. Axiom is a company with no bars on success but what you put in. An industry with no glass ceiling. Founded by Andrew Schachter in 2001, Axiom has empowered leading edge small and mid-sized life science organizations worldwide with their Fusion eClinical Suite. For over two decades, the ambition, expertise, and diverse perspective that women leaders have contributed play a key role in the companys incredible growth on a global scale. The immense work and dedication by the women who make up more than 80% of our leadership team and 60+% of our team members have been a driving force behind Axioms success. As a proud National Sponsor for the Women in Bio organization for man years, Axiom continuously celebrates the amazing women leaders and all that they have accomplished in the industry. Encouraging and inspiring future female leaders to enter the field of clinical research is essential for promoting gender diversity and equity in this industry. By promoting the achievements and contributions of current female leaders, and by providing opportunities for mentorship and networking, we can help to break down barriers and create pathways for the next generation of women to enter and succeed in this field.



"We live in a world where the desire to oppress womens rights continues to grow, not only in 3rd world countries, but 1st world as well. International Womens Day is not a single day on the calendar, but a cause and continuous drive to recognize the incredible work of so many individuals, and to ensure that companies create no artificial limitations on anyones success, regardless of gender, ethnicity or background. At Axiom, we live these principles every day. Im one of many fortunate people to be surrounded by the visionary female leadership and team members of this organization. We will never waiver from this fight for womens rights, says Andrew Schachter, Founder and CEO. For more information about Axiom Real-Time Metrics and to view a video from Axioms Leadership Team, please visit: Axioms LinkedIn

PR Contact

Nidhi Patel

[email protected]

+1 437.225.7676



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[March 08, 2023] Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP, a Leading Securities Fraud Law Firm, Announces Investigation of Tupperware Brands Corporation (TUP) on Behalf of Investors

Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM"), a leading national shareholder rights law firm, today announced that it has commenced an investigation on behalf of Tupperware Brands Corporation ("Tupperware" or the "Company") (NYSE: TUP) investors concerning the Company's possible violations of the federal securities laws. If you suffered a loss on your Tupperware investments or would like to inquire about potentially pursuing claims to recover your loss under the federal securities laws, you can submit your contact information at www.glancylaw.com/cases/Tupperware-Brands-Corporation-1/. You can also contact Charles H. Linehan, of GPM at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or via email at [email protected] to learn more about your rights. On March 1, 2023, Tupperware issued a press release disclosing that it "identified misstatements which originated in prior annual and unaudited interim periods" and that "there is the possibility that additional current and prior period misstatements could be identified." The Company futher disclosed that it "did not design and maintain effective internal controls related to the accounting for the completeness, occurrence, accuracy, and presentation of the income tax provision and related income tax assets and liabilities."



On this news, Tupperware's stock price fell $0.61, or nearly 15%, to close at $3.49 per share on March 1, 2023, thereby injuring investors. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

Whistleblower Notice: Persons with non-public information regarding Tupperware should consider their options to aid the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower Program. Under the program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Charles H. Linehan at 310-201-9150 or 888-773-9224 or email [email protected]. About GPM Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP is a premier law firm representing investors and consumers in securities litigation and other complex class action litigation. ISS Securities Class Action Services has consistently ranked GPM in its annual SCAS Top 50 Report. In 2018, GPM was ranked a top five law firm in number of securities class action settlements, and a top six law firm for total dollar size of settlements. With four offices across the country, GPM's nearly 40 attorneys have won groundbreaking rulings and recovered billions of dollars for investors and consumers in securities, antitrust, consumer, and employment class actions. GPM's lawyers have handled cases covering a wide spectrum of corporate misconduct including cases involving financial restatements, internal control weaknesses, earnings management, fraudulent earnings guidance and forward looking statements, auditor misconduct, insider trading, violations of FDA regulations, actions resulting in FDA and DOJ investigations, and many other forms of corporate misconduct. GPM's attorneys have worked on securities cases relating to nearly all industries and sectors in the financial markets, including, energy, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, real estate and REITs, financial, insurance, information technology, health care, biotech, cryptocurrency, medical devices, and many more. GPM's past successes have been widely covered by leading news and industry publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, Reuters, the Associated Press, Barron's, Investor's Business Daily, Forbes, and Money. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230308005293/en/

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In this edition of Author Talks, McKinsey Global Publishings Raju Narisetti chats with Dipo Faloyin, a senior editor at VICE, about his new book, Africa Is Not a Country: Notes on a Bright Continent (W. W. Norton & Company, September 2022). Faloyin reconstructs centuries of context from Africas history and disrupts popularized misperceptions about the continent, illuminating it for what it really is: a complex region bustling with culture and potential. An edited version of the conversation follows.

What is the meaning of the books title?

The books title, Africa Is Not a Country, is a phrase a lot of people across the continent have grown up thinking and having to express to people. Most people see Africa as this singular monolith of pain and devastation and poverty, and with that comes pictures of darkness.

When we think about darkness we think of suffering, and when we think about light we think of joy. Traditionally in literature and in popular culture, Africa is considered to be the dark continent. It was specifically called the dark continent around the 1890s, when colonialists decided it was their right to go to Africa to take control.

The aim of this book is to shed light on the context of this region that has been missing, and to give people a better understanding so that they can build a better relationship with Africa as it actually isnot as most people grew up understanding it. Thats why I call it Africa Is Not a Country with the subheading, Notes on a Bright Continent. Its about trying to shift peoples understanding of Africa from this vision of darkness toward one that is brighter.

Why did you write this book now?

Its the perfect time for a number of reasons. During the pandemic, we saw one of the biggest expressions of a movement toward equality in a really, really long time, through the George Floyd protests that started in the US and spread around the world. I felt like this was the time people would be most receptive to this idea of trying to better understand Africa.

For many of us who are from the continentmy family is from Nigeriaweve always had this understanding within us. Its something that Ive certainly carried within myself for most of my adult life. I go out into the world, and I try to explain to people the specificities of my particular culture and background.

Many people have not been receptive to discussions about racial equality or understanding of identities and cultures, but the Black Lives Matter movement shifted that. It made me realize that it was the perfect time to write this book.

What do you mean by engage with the continent as it actually exists ... not with an idea?

I ask people to engage with the continent as it is because most peoples picture of Africa doesnt exist in the way they think it exists. If you ask most people to close their eyes and picture Africa, theyll think only of two things: one is poverty, and the second is safaripoverty and safari with nothing in between.

This is a region of 1.4 billion people and over 2,000 languages. African countries can represent everything and anything, from stories of great triumph and success to stories of great pain, just like anywhere else in the world.

The aim of this book is to express to readers and to the world that Africa should be seen as every other region of the world is seenas complicated and complex, with variety, diversity of thought, achievement, and future outcomesand not as a monolith of predetermined destinies.

Unfortunately, most people have a fictionalized version of Africa in their heads, which they got from films and books, and from charity companies that have depicted Africa as a place where people sit around waiting for aid packages to get delivered from the Western world.

Unfortunately, most people have a fictionalized version of Africa in their heads, which they got from films and books, and from charity companies that have depicted Africa as a place where people sit around waiting for aid packages to get delivered from the Western world.

When you start to better understand the region, the history, and the context, you start to build a far more realistic reality of what it means to be Nigerian or Rwandan, or to be from Zimbabwe, South Africa, or Algeria.

Thats the connection I want to make for people through this book. I want people to understand the region for what it actually is and not for what it has been built up to be in peoples minds. From around the 1890s [when Africa started being referred to as the dark continent] to now, there has been a singular vision of Africa as a place where people dont hold their destinies in their own handssomewhere that is backward. That isnt the case, so I hope this book changes peoples minds and makes them more curious about the region.

What should people understand about African identity?

In the book, it was important for me to get across the concept of identity. People dont necessarily take the time to appreciate specific identities across the region. We talk about Africa in a way that we dont talk about Europe, Asia, or North America.

In articles about Africa, the media tends to focus on pain and suffering and how Africa is going to deal with COVID-19, for example. What I want people to do is to see things on an individual level, not hover a hundred miles in the air staring down on this region. I want people to understand my own family and the community that I was raised in. There are so many people, cultures, identities, and languages in Africa. Not everyones destinies align in the exact same way, and not everyones moral compasses align in the same way.

It was important for peoples individual identities to be at the core of this book. Throughout the book, I try to pin the discussion around individual people and small groups because its much easier to relate to a different culture when you can see yourself in it, when you can imagine raising your family in that culture. I try to explain broader concepts on an individual level, on a person-by-person basis, in order to build connections that are often missing from peoples understanding of Africa.

Its much easier to relate to a different culture when you can see yourself in it, when you can imagine raising your family in that culture. I try to explain broader concepts on an individual level, on a person-by-person basis, in order to build connections that are often missing from peoples understanding of Africa.

With those connections, people can start to realize that the future of this region is in the hands of people who are as determined as those living anywhere else in the worlddetermined to develop their nations, to build new cultures and identities, and to celebrate and represent those identities in other parts of the world.

Identity is an incredibly important thing for me because its a great way for people to build realistic relationships with the region. The other concept thats important for me to get across is context: adding context behind the formation of individual African countries. These are 54 countries with very short histories.

Why is restitution of artifacts a major open issue across Africa?

The fight to have the regions cultural artifacts returned is an incredibly frustrating, ongoing battle. About 90 percent of Africas material cultural legacy is being kept outside of the region. These artifacts were stolen. Theres no other way of phrasing it: they were stolen and looted from the region during the colonial era. The colonialists of the day knew that the artifacts were of great value, so during their raids of the region they stole them and brought them to museums across the Western world. It is in these museums that these artifacts remain.

From time to time an institution will say, Were returning two or three. Recently, a museum in London promised to return about 70 artifacts. The vast majority of them, thoughthousands and thousandsare in the British Museum and other museums in New York and in Paris. The British Museum holds around 900 Benin Bronzes from Nigeria alone, but they only display around 100 of them. Nigeria has been asking for these artifacts to be returned ever since they were taken.

One argument for not returning these artifacts is that Africans dont know how to look after them. Obviously, that is blatantly wrong and offensive. African countries have had museums and have displayed great works for as long as every other country in the world. Morally, its very simple: these items were stolen and should be returned.

At this stage, no one is doubting that the items were stolen and acquired by force. What a lot of African countries are asking for is to have ownership returned to them. The frustrating thing is that if ownership of the artifacts is returned to the African countries, the status quo wouldnt change, because African countries would be happy to lend these artifacts to museums across the world. The wider issue is how Africa has been treated ever since colonialists arrived.

There is this idea that Africa is a place where you come and you take artifacts, because the people are too weakened and impoverished to be cultured enough to care about them. One argument for not returning these artifacts is that Africans dont know how to look after them. Obviously, that is blatantly wrong and offensive. African countries have had museums and have displayed great works for as long as every other country in the world. Morally, its very simple: these items were stolen and should be returned.

Why is climate change a Pan-African challenge?

Climate change is a huge challenge and a huge concern for the region. African countries contribute very, very little to global warming, and yet, many African countries are facing some of its most dire consequences, like flooding and other natural disasters. This is despite the fact that many African countries are implementing renewable-energy sources and are trying to do their part.

Climate change is largely out of the hands of many African countries. Its one of the challenges facing the continent despite the fact that it isnt contributing to the warming of our planet anywhere near as much as large parts of the Western world. A lot of African countries are trying to work together. Its a huge concern for the future of the region. There is room for countries to share information, to work together to try and build solutions, and to put pressure on Europe, North America, and Asia to do their part in helping fight the warming of our planet.

When we have discussions about a modern version of Pan-Africanism, it always has to come down to what individual African countries believe would be best for their individual states. Many African countries have been through very similar experiences with colonialism and with the birth of their nations, so there are many great opportunities for these countries to work together and try to find solutions. At the end of the day, a modern version of Pan-Africanism has to be anchored in finding a way for individual states to build greater cohesion with other countries.

How is colonialism central to the story of contemporary Africa?

When you assess colonialism, its important to fully understand the context of what happened. Its important to remember that African countries were not built to be stable nationsthey were essentially built to fail. Their main purpose was to enrich the colonial powers of the day, and for the Western world to extract resources from each individual country.

[The colonizing countries] made the African countries incredibly big. They split up about 10 percent of ethnic groups. About 30 percent of borders are just straight lines. They did this to make countries where people struggle to communicate because they didnt speak the same languages, they didnt worship the same gods, and their moral compasses didnt align in the same way. We have to recognize that the instability of these countries was by design.

We also have to understand that they have had very little time to try and get it right since gaining independence. Nigeria as a country is younger than my parents. Understanding and appreciating that will help people better understand the context in which these countries were born.

African countries were not built to be stable nationsthey were essentially built to fail. Their main purpose was to enrich the colonial powers of the day, and for the Western world to extract resources from each individual country.

As for any positive elements of colonialism, theyre only positive because African countries took what they were given and turned it into a positive, like stronger ties with the Western world. African countries said, Here are the borders that weve been given. Lets see how we can make the most of it. Any positives that have come from that have been because people across the region have worked incredibly hard to turn what were very difficult origins into positives.

Hopefully these countries will continue to get stronger and stronger, as will this sense of national unity. I feel fairly confident about that. I think understanding the context of the births of so many African countries will certainly help people see and appreciate that instead of being a region of pain, suffering, and strife, Africa is actually a place where there have been many incredible success stories in a very short period of time.

Dipo Faloyin on how Africa is a complex region bustling with culture and potential
[March 08, 2023] The Maestro of eBay's Interactive Main Street, Chris White, Is CTI's AV Honoree

ST. LOUIS, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ask anyone in the AV industry to name their proudest career accomplishment, and you'll usually encounter some hesitation, some thinking. Not with Chris White. The Global Technology Manager for Digital Workplace Technology at eBay immediately says "Main Street." Main Street is the 20,000-square-foot welcome center at eBay's world headquarters in San Jose, Calif. It features an assembly area for 850 people, a cavernous main hall with a 55-foot-wide display, three executive conference rooms, an outside deck and patio, a coffee bar, and a shop where you can buy eBay-branded products. But what makes the space so amazing is that it's one big interactive hub with enough state-of-the-art AV experiences to awe even the most jaded among us. Overall, Main Street is an impressive and immersive AV temple where bits of data become stories of a global community. The lead deployment engineer for the project, which cost $30 million overall (including $5 million in tech), was White. Conference Technologies, Inc. (CTI), a leading custom audio-visual systems integration solutions specialist, announced today that it is recognizing White as part of a "Heroes" campaign that honors outstanding people in the AV industry. As you stroll along Main Street, you pass 10-foot-tall LED columns that supplement a 15-foot touchscreen wall. You can tap icons on this wall (or on your phone) representing the various merchandise categories sold on eBay and get real-time sales data. The latest eBay Earth technology enables an interactive demonstration of how the company connects its 147 million buyers with 17 million sellers in more than 190 marketsworldwide. (Watch it here: https://vimeo.com/689423726 .)



White is arguably one of the most inspirational characters in the AV industry. He never graduated from college, worked as a landscaper for six years, and spent nine more years as a deployment engineer for Arizona Alarm before being hired by eBay in 2014. His work at the alarm company involved installing complex tech systems, ranging from video surveillance to central vacuum, for high-end clients at their homes and businesses. He says he enjoyed this work because he'd always loved AV. In fact, he was that guy among his friends and neighbors. Whenever they couldn't get something technical to work, they'd call Chris, and he'd fix it.

When the owner of the alarm company decided to sell his business, White put his resume on LinkedIn and hoped for the best. A headhunter reached out and interviewed him virtually but was vague about the company he represented. Eventually, White got invited to an in-person interview and was given an address that he recognized as eBay/PayPal. (The two companies split in 2015.) "I was excited but also nervous," he admits, "because I was going into this massive company. I thought, These people are all smarter than me. Why would they want me? I'm probably not going to get this job." But he did, getting hired as an AV Project Deployment Engineer at the company's Scottsdale campus. One of the things that got him the job, he believes, was his unconventional background. "I didn't have a degree or lots of certifications," he explains. "My experience was in the field actually throwing the wires and hanging the TVs. Someone who sat in a classroom the last five years may not understand the full ins and outs." It didn't take long before White began questioning the status quo and offering alternatives. For example, he noticed vendors taking advantage of the company, designing and installing expensive systems that they wanted rather than what eBay needed. He eventually brought this work in-house and rewrote the AV standards for the entire company, both nationally and globally. "What that means is we buy the same product for every region and install it the exact same way, like one big production line," he explains. "I also renegotiated all the pricing with our manufacturers. When I first joined eBay, the average cost of a room was about $70,000. Now, after almost nine years here, a room costs about $12,000." And just to impress upon you the scope of what White deals with, he and his seven-member team typically oversee 800 to 1,000 rooms at any one time. White joined the Main Street Project when it was already well underway, and he didn't like what he saw. He eventually ended up convincing his boss to change consultants, and Main Street opened to much fanfare in 2017. He upped the wow factor even more recently by refreshing much of the technology (the interactive wall is now 8K resolution) and making it possible to control most of the interaction from your phone. What excites White the most right now, though, is digital canvas technology. "A lot of people say, 'Oh yeah, we already have that,' but they really don't," he says. "With digital canvas you should be able to walk into a room, start your video conference, and have a digital whiteboard that is fully interactive for the people at home and in the office. Having that type of hybrid experience will be unbelievable." About Conference Technologies Inc. Conference Technologies, Inc. (CTI) ( www.conferencetech.com ) is a leading custom audio-visual systems integration solutions specialist. The St. Louis-based company, founded in 1988, has more than 20 offices across the country and offers a wide variety of services to customers in various industries around the world. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-maestro-of-ebays-interactive-main-street-chris-white-is-ctis-av-honoree-301766124.html SOURCE Conference Technologies, Inc.

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[March 08, 2023] Women Applicants Reach Highest Peak in BairesDev's History at 52% in 2023

Mountain View, CA, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BairesDev, a nearshore software solutions unicorn, continues to report a growing trend of women applicants in 2023. In February alone, 52% of all BairesDev applicants were women, the highest application rate reported in company history. The increase in women applicants at BairesDev is consistent with the companys recently reported 400% increase in women applicants between 2015 and 2021. These findings were revealed in BairesDevs most recent "Women in Tech 2022" Report, a research study that shares findings from the more than 1 million applications received each year since 2015.







"The growing number of women applying to BairesDev shows a positive trend in terms of talent availability, but this is only the beginning," said Rocio Belfiore, Chief Innovation Officer at BairesDev. According to the World Economic Forum, it will take 132 years to reach gender parity. We will continue improving our recruitment models and invest more resources on initiatives that significantly impact diversity and inclusion, such as educational opportunities for potential applicants." Insights from BairesDevs applicant pool for 2022 and the beginning of 2023:

The most in-demand programming languages among women are QA Automation, UX/UI, Python, Java, and React. Women also have a growing interest in machine learning and deep learning.

93% of women candidates for technical and non-technical roles hail from Latin America, with the majority based in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.

Only in February 2023, BairesDev received more than 45,000 applications from women, representing 52% of total applications in that month. BairesDev is committed to building a more diverse and inclusive tech industry. As a fully remote company, it has a bias-free recruitment process based on artificial intelligence, which allows to select the best-qualified candidates regardless of background. The company also encourages professionals and the general public to recommend talented women through its referred talent program. Through the BairesDev Giveback program, the company helps to support professionals from underrepresented minorities interested in pursuing careers in tech. Since 2020, BairesDev has received eight awards from globally recognized institutions for its initiatives focused on diversity and inclusion, including the Best IT Workplace for Diversity award twice and the Best IT Workplace for Age, Race, Hiring, and Advancing Equality at the Globee Business Awards. About BairesDev BairesDev provides on-demand nearshore outsourced software development services through skilled technology teams to some of the world's largest and best-known companies, such as Abbott, Adobe, Coca-Cola, eBay, HP, and KKR. BairesDev's 4,000-plus professionals work remotely from over 50 countries worldwide to accelerate businesses in over 100 industries. Join BairesDev's team by applying to https://jobs.bairesdev.com/. Or, propose a candidate in the Talent Referral Program https://applicants.bairesdev.com/external-referral

BairesDev [email protected]

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[March 08, 2023]

Kathairos Solutions launches industry-leading Carbon Offsets App

The Kathairos App allows oil and gas producers to maximize the value of their emission reduction efforts, while simplifying carbon trading in Alberta and beyond

CALGARY, AB, March 8, 2023 /CNW/ - As oil and gas producers pursue ambitious decarbonization goals, accurate and robust emissions data is increasingly demanded by investors, governments and regulators alike.

The Kathairos App allows oil and gas producers to quantify abated emissions, while generating valuable carbon credits.

Likewise, today's leading energy organizations know the importance of tracking actual mitigated emissions to evaluate and optimize their investments and realize imperative economic and environmental targets.

Available for both Android and iOS, the Kathairos App tracks all of this and more, enabling the most accurate, accessible an seamless emissions abatement reporting and carbon accounting possible.







Carbon credits made simple.

Emission offsets, commonly referred to as carbon credits, are produced when greenhouse gas emissions are reduced beyond the regulatory requirement in a given jurisdiction.

One emission offset is generated for every tonne of CO2e ('carbon dioxide equivalent') avoided. These offsets can then be used or purchased for compliance purposes by emitters who exceed their regulated emissions allowance, making them highly valuable entities.

In Canada, the 2023 price on carbon is $65/tonne, rising $15 per year until it reaches $170/tonne in 2030. As the carbon price increases, so too does the value and demand for verified offsets.

Hardware meets software.

As a Calgary-based clean tech leader, Kathairos is honoured to provide the most effective and economical field-level technology, while also serving as a go-to carbon accounting firm.

When utilizing Kathairos' proprietary solution for eliminating methane venting from oil and gas well sites using nitrogen, producers can simultaneously translate their CO2 elimination efforts into serialized offset credits, to be sold or used in Alberta's compliance market.

Carbon credit calculation.

While Kathairos' in-house carbon accounting team manages the quantification and serialization of an offset-generating project, the Kathairos App grants immediate insight into the market value of offset credits in real time.

ABOUT KATHAIROS SOLUTIONS?

At?Kathairos, our name means 'clean air.' We are proud to champion imperative solutions that support today's evolving energy industry, and the people and producers working tirelessly toward a cleaner, greener barrel.?Through our revolutionary liquid nitrogen-powered field technologies and world-class carbon accounting and reporting tools, we're on a mission to?eliminate methane emissions from more than 400,000 remote well sites across Canada and the US.?Learn more at kathairos.com.

SOURCE Kathairos Solutions
Yes, the work world has gone hybrid. But people still need to collaborate with each other to get things done. So, how is office collaboration different in todays distributed world with its gone-virtual preferences?

Andy Abramson, CEO and founder of Comunicano, helmed a panel at ITEXPO (News - Alert) 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, FL that tackled this topic head on. Abramson, based in Las Vegas, helps MSPs sell or find partners. Hes conducted more than 500 exits in a little more than 20 years.

It used to be that I was working from home, Abramson said. Now, Im a hybrid worker.

Abramson began by asking whether or not we actually need to see each other when we meet on the internet. Do we need video for every single meeting?

Yes, in fact, we do, said speaker Jeff Kubick, Head of Global Voice Service Provider Marketing at Poly (News - Alert), now part of HPs portfolio of hybrid work solutions. His company markets headsets and audio/video conferencing services to businesses.

Kubick said audio-only conferences can pose the dangers of false engagement. Everybodys getting more comfortable with video, he said. You cant gain that full engagement if you cant see their eyes, was his opinion.

Right now, theres little consistency of platform use thats dictated from the corporate level. Whether you meet on Zoom or on Microsoft (News - Alert) Teams, it depends upon whos setting up the calls; thats who typically determines which platform is used, Kubick said.

Abramson shared how hes also concerned with data privacy issues surrounding video camera usage. He said people should be notified each time theyre being videoed over the web, because lots of times people dont know. There should be a light or some sort of notification that lets you know your camera is in use, he said. Some systems have this; more need it.

The imposition of data privacy rules had a big impact on the use of collaboration tools, according to speaker Iago Soto Mata, Chief Marketing Officer at QUOBIS, a telecomm-services software provided headquartered in Pontevedra, Spain. His company develops unified communications tools for niche markets, such as emergency services.

Since Mata is from Europe, the panel began with a discussion of how collaboration in Europe differs from collaboration in America. One word explains it:

Regulation.

In most of Europe, cross-border collaboration tools arent permitted, Mata explained. Each country  and sometimes each region  produces their own set of privacy regulations that impact the use of local collaboration tools.

In Europe, we have lots of regulations, Mata said. Tons. Its crazy.

Harboring data outside the European Union (EU) is forbidden. We have to make sure than all the data remains on the continent, Mata added.

Data privacy is still a big issue. In 2016, the EU published its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The goal of the edict was to provide individuals with greater control over how their data is deployed.

As a result, collaboration tools are limited to local branches within each country. Its a point-of-view completely different from the United States, Mata said.

While regulations may be easier to work with in America, data responsibility varies from vendor to vendor, Kubick said.

So, read the Terms & Conditions portions of your contracts these days, especially with a close eye on data privacy.

Edited by Alex Passett
Apt analysis from a friend of the blog and a local criminology expert . . .

Moreover . . .

He's not the only person who tells us that Clay Chastain could get more votes that insiders expect.



Check his latest column . . .



Dr. Ernest Evans: Lori Lightfoot's Defeat: Possible Lessons for Kansas City Mayor's Race



The US has been in the midst of a major crime surge since the last few months of 2019. In the first six months of 2019 homicides declined 6%--but in the last six months of the year they rose 6%. In 2020 there was a 30% increase in the number of homicides in the USthe largest one year increase in recorded history. In 2021 homicides rose an additional 5%; preliminary figures from 2022 indicate that the number of homicides declined slightlybut the totals were still well above what they had been in 2019.



Since in the US law enforcement is mostly a responsibility of local governments this surge in crime is impacting city elections. In NYC in 2021 the candidate of the Democratic Party was former police captain Eric Adams, and the Republican Party candidate was Curtis Sliwathe founder of the anti-crime group The Guardian Angels. And, in the just completed first round of the mayor's race in Chicago crime was the big issueincumbent mayor Lori Lightfoot finished third and will not be in the runoff; she was the first incumbent mayor in Chicago not to win re-election since 1983.



Crime in Chicago surged during Lightfoot's years as mayor. In 2019, her first year in office, there were 521 homicides in the cityin 2020 there were 798, in 2021 there were 845 and in 2022 there were 737. Now, as I noted above, crime has been increasing all over ther US since the last few months of 2019 so the surge of violence in Chicago after 2019 cannot be blamed exclusively on Mayor Lightfootbut the voters of the city felt that she was not up to the job of reducing crime in the city so they turned her out of office.



This brings us to the upcoming mayor's race in Kansas Cuty, Missouri on April 4, 2023. The incumbent mayor, Quentin Lucas, promised when he was first elected to soon have the city's homicide numbers down below 100 a year. He has not been able to keep this promise: There were 151 homicides in 2019, 179 in 2020, 157 in 2021 and 169 in 2022.



Now, as is the case in the surge of violence in Chicago in recent years, we are in the midst of a national crime wave and so the high levels of violence in KCMO are not soley Mayor Lucas' fault. However, when things are not going well the voters tend to vote those in power out of officeregardless of whether they are responsible for the problems that are occurring.



In the 2023 mayor's election in KCMO Mayor Lucas' opponent is the well-known local public figure Clay Chastain. The mayor has a big campaign chest and most of the city establishment is behind him; but the case of Mayor Lightfoot in Chicago shows that Chastain may be able to pull off an upset. Hold on to your hats!!

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You decide . . .


Let's try this again . . . These are nicer links that shouldn't be ignored BUT they're not supposed to be our lead story for the day.

We like our good news collection but it's essentially a place holder and a palate cleanser so that we don't get too caught up in the typical culture war poison that clouds the mind of lesser intellects . . . Also, cartoons work.

Still . . . We share these items tonight because they offer a nicer view of people in Kansas City doing the right thing and doing it well.



Check TKC news gathering . . .

Kindness overcoming hate: Local students honored by Seven Days program April marks the ninth year of the Seven Days program in Kansas City. Seven Days was founded after three people were shot and killed in hate crime shootings outside of the Jewish Community Center and Village Shalom, both in Overland Park.

Daniel D. Fox talks the power of parenting through D&D and the new YouTube series with his son Formerly an employee in advertising, Daniel D. Fox started creating tabletop RPG board games seven years ago with his game . He has now created several more tabletop games based on Zweihander 's lore and mechanics, and he is head of the gaming division of Andrews McMeel publishing in Kansas City.

Amid nursing shortage, Research College of Nursing receives a $34.5M investment KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - HCA Midwest Health just announced a $34.5 million investment into Research College of Nursing in an effort to address a critical shortage of nurses. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for registered nurses nationwide will hit more than 3.6 million by the year 2030.

Community members successfully raise funds to buy family an accessible van A year and a half ago, KMBC told you the story of a community coming together for a local family. They hosted a shoe donation drive where the money would go to a new van for a child with special needs.The mission was a success.Davina Noble is the perfect tour guide for her family's new all-inclusive van."A perfect hiding place," Davina said.

Breast cancer survivor inspires young women to create dance in her honor LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. - A grim statistic from the American Cancer Society: More than 40,000 women will die from breast cancer this year. The disease is the most common cancer in women , aside from skin cancer. A group of young women in Lee's Summit are honoring the stories of people fighting and surviving this disease, with a special focus on one survivor.

Don't Be Afraid to Be Amazing OPINION: EDITOR'S NOTE The owners of Troy, Kansas-based John's Market were interviewed by their local newspaper, the St. Joseph News-Press, a few days after the reception. "Personally, I was in shock," John Simpson, co-owner of John's Market, told the newspaper.

American Jazz Museum bringing awareness to the contributions of women in jazz The American Jazz Museum in Kansas City is celebrating Women's History Month. This month, the museum located in the historic 18th and Vine District is looking to bring awareness to the contributions of women in jazz."Jazz is an indispensable part of the cultural infrastructure and identity of Kansas City, and since its inception in the early 20th century, there have been exceptionally talented women in jazz," The museum said in a press release Tuesday.

WeCode KC founder earns women's achievement honor; adds national STEM figure to her org's leadership Only a few days into March, 2023 already is proving to be a big year for WeCode KC, noted Tammy Buckner. Amid other momentum news, the Kansas City STEM organization announced it's added Black Girls CODE founder Kimberly Bryant as interim board chair.

Wandering souls find Kansas City roots with help of Black History Project - Local Investment Commission She's in school now at Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley, finishing an associate's degree, prepping for a career in social media management or social work - or both. She's become a leader in the KC Tenants advocacy group and was appointed to the city's Housing Trust Fund board.

Catholic school enrollment on an upward trend - The Catholic Key By Bridget Locke Instability due to the pandemic. Decreasing test scores. Increasing violence. More than ever, challenges in K-12 education have prompted parents to look for alternative learning environments that will prepare their children for college and a competitive workforce, while developing their spiritual growth.

Kansas City business talks how having a corporate chaplain can help the workplace KANSAS CITY, Mo. - In the week leading up to the Super Bowl, a story on Twitter profiled the chaplain for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs organization is one of many local companies that have chaplains for their employees to turn to for help. One of them is family-owned Furniture Mall.

Three Husch Blackwell Attorneys Selected for Missouri Lawyer Media Women's Justice Awards Husch Blackwell is pleased to announce that partners Jenna Brofsky, Kelli Meilink, and JoAnn Sandifer are being honored by Missouri Lawyers Media at this year's Women's Justice Awards. St. Louis-based Sandifer will receive a 2023 Litigation Practitioner Award, which is given to litigators who "have made their careers in the courtroom - criminal or civil, representing plaintiff or defense."

Developing . . . We'll do our best of have more for the morning update . . . STAY TUNED!!!
Let's start with the good news . . . Bad weather typically keeps the crime down. And so we have a chance to catch up on police action, crime reporting, ALLEGED misdeeds, court cases & more.



Check TKC news gathering . . .

Thief steals $28K worth of bikes, equipment from BikeWalkKC KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Thieves have stolen thousands of dollars worth of equipment from a Kansas City organization. BikeWalkKC shared a picture of a black 7-by-12-foot trailer that it said was stolen between 5 p.m. Monday and 8 a.m. Tuesday. The group told police its fleet of 15 kids bicycles inside the trailer were also stolen.

How Kia owners can protect themselves from theft KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Reports of stolen Kias are popping up all over the Kansas City metro, something the Missouri State Highway Patrol says members of the community need to be aware of. "That's the whole goal of this: to try and warn the consumer you need to take some steps," Corporal Nate Bradley with MSHP said.

Second 15-year-old boy charged in Smithville teen's May 2022 murder KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A 15-year-old boy was sentenced Monday in the shooting death of a Smithville teenager in May 2022 at Black Bob Park in Olathe. He is one of seven teens charged in connection with Marco Cardino's murder. KSHB 41 News isn't naming the defendant, because he is a minor.

Missouri bill aims to cut down on expired temporary tags KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A new bill that passed the house resoundingly would change where and when sales taxes are paid on vehicle purchases. The premise is that it would cut down on the number of people who drive around on long-expired temporary tags, avoiding the tax, and help people afford to title their cars It's rare to find someone who says they like going to a motor vehicle licensing office.

Man dies after being hit by truck at QuikTrip in Independence KANSAS CITY, Mo. - An 84-year-old man died after being hit by a truck that was backing out of a parking spot at a QuikTrip on Monday, the Independence Police Department said. According to police, the incident happened at around 11:30 a.m. at the QuikTrip located at 4005 S.

Motorcyclists being treated for serious injuries after getting trapped under car in KC A motorcyclist is in the hospital after getting pinned under a vehicle in Kansas City. Police say one man has serious injuries following a two-vehicle collision mid-day Tuesday. The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department says a white Volkswagen Tiguan was traveling north on Davidson, turning onto 46th Street, when the driver of a black Honda motorcycle drove in front of the car.

Police asking for help in locating missing woman, 59 KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Police in Kansas City, Missouri, are asking for the public's help in locating a woman who was last seen Monday night. Carla Tackkett, 59, was last seen around 6:30 p.m. Monday in the area of Truman Road and Campbell Street.

Police: Young child dead following crash outside Harrisonville, 5 others injured The Missouri Highway Patrol, Cass County Sheriff's Office and the Harrisonville Police Department are responding to a single vehicle crash that has killed a young child. The Missouri Highway Patrol says a 3-year-old girl is dead. She died at the scene and was not buckled in, according to a spokesperson for the highway patrol.

More customers lose hundreds to Kansas City-area hot tub repairman GLADSTONE, Mo. - As Mike Costelow started up the hot tub in the backyard of his home, his voice was quickly drowned out by the noise. "It does still work, but the bearings are going out," said Costelow, referring to the hot tub's pump.

Kansas City, Kan., police say new 'real-time' technology will help fight crime Police in Kansas City, Kan., say a new strategy driven by technology will help them make the community safer and policing more effective. The Kansas City, Kan., Police Department announced late last month that they will start using a new, real-time intelligence crime center.

KCPD looking for missing, endangered woman KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas City, Missouri, police are looking for a missing and endangered 31-year-old woman who was last heard from on Monday. The police said Elecia Avenetti last spoke to her family on Monday at 11:53 a.m. It is unknown where she last was, but they think she is in the KCMO area.

Family, community continues search for missing 13-year-old Jayden Robker A Northland family is continuing to search for their missing 13-year-old.Jayden Robker left home on Feb. 2 to sell Pokemon cards. No one has seen him since.On Sunday, his family and dozens of community members canvassed the area he was last seen, near the QuikTrip on Northwest Englewood Road, looking for information about him.

Outdated KCPD salary caps removed Different versions of legislation to help the short-staffed Kansas City Police Department recruit and retain enough officers to adequately protect our spread out city by removing outdated salary caps in state law for officers of all ranks have now sailed through the Missouri House and Senate with negligible opposition.

Developing . . .
We put this in a compilation yesterday but it probably deserves another look when we consider legislation moving forward . . . Here's the word . . .



Its a good day for everyone across the political spectrum, to say that common sense has finally prevailed in Missouri, said Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.



Mayor Lucas did not hold back his appreciation for the federal judge who struck down the Second Amendment Preservation Act.



I dont know a Missourian out there-- If you explain what this law is. If you say, Hey, let me walk up to a police officer in Kansas City and take away your ability to work with those in the ATF, FBI or the DEA to keep drugs off our streets, to keep guns off our streets. I dont think theres a person that says, Thats a great idea! and I know theres not an officer that says, Thats a great idea! said Mayor Lucas.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
Today's slice of life and a reminder that local crooks are getting more desperate and brazen.



Check-it . . .



The ambulance was stolen from Research Medical Centers Emergency Room Ambulance Bay at around 2:57 p.m. on Tuesday.

Deets from the police report . . .

"AIS responded to meet MPD officers on a reported injury collision with serious injuries. Investigation revealed that a parked KCFD Ambulance was stolen from Research Medical Centers Emergency Room Ambulance Bay. The stolen ambulance was traveling at a high rate of speed westbound on Meyer approaching the exit ramp from southbound 71 Highway. The ambulance struck a gold Cadillac XTS, a silver Nissan Rogue, a white Nissan Sentra and a white Kia Optima. The ambulance went off the north side of the roadway, striking a tree, then traveled down the embankment before stopping in the northbound lanes of traffic on Prospect. The driver of the stolen ambulance was taken to a local hospital in stable condition. The drivers of the Cadillac and the Nissan Sentra were transported to local hospitals with serious injuries. The drivers of the Kia and Nissan Rogue refused medical treatment at the scene. All drivers that were transported are currently in stable condition and the investigation is ongoing."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Police: Stolen Kansas City ambulance involved in crash at 71 Highway, Meyer Police say a Kansas City Fire Department ambulance was stolen and was later involved in an injury crash on Tuesday. The ambulance was stolen from Research Medical Center's Emergency Room Ambulance Bay at around 2:57 p.m. on Tuesday.

Suspect in stolen ambulance causes multi-vehicle injury crash in Kansas City, police say KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A suspect in a stolen ambulance caused a multi-vehicle crash Tuesday afternoon, sending multiple people to the hospital with serious injuries. The Kansas City, Missouri Police Department responded to the crash just before 3 p.m. near E. Meyer Boulevard and 71 Highway.

Developing . . .
Tax season is upon us and with it comes the ever-present threat of fraud. Canadians should be wary of scammers posing as Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) employees who will trick their victims into sending them money or providing personal information that can be used to take over a bank account.
Brian Michael Bendis is one of the biggest names in comic books, having launched the original Ultimate Spider-Man run back in 2000, as well as revitalizing the Avengers franchise for the new millennium. Prior to that, Bendis had made his mark writing and illustrating crime comics. Right around the time that his mainstream superhero career was taking off, Bendis also created a Harvey Pekar-esque autobiographical comic called Fortune and Glory, detailing his own trials and tribulations with trying to break into Hollywood and escape from development hell.

Over on his Substack, Bendis has announced plans to revisit Fortune and Glory, but with a new, more modern twist: this time, it's a musical.

Okay it's still technically comic book. But Fortune and Glory: The Musical will tell the first-person tell of Bendis's experiences on the notorious Broadway musical flop Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. Here's how Bendis describes it:

I never thought I would have stories crazier than the ones I told in the original Fortune and Glory. Everything happening to me in comics was fun and fun to talk about, but was it autobiography-worthy? Then I got called to be the writer of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, a now notorious infamous Broadway musical that you can Google about right now. The story I'm about to tell you happened years before the show's debut. Only my closest pals knew any of this happened at the time. I've only hinted at parts of this in past interviews. Now, it gives me a GREAT excuse to go down memory lane and share my favorite moments of coming up in comics with you. A lot of the stories in this GN mean everything to me. They are the most defining moments in my life. A lot of them happened before the Internet, so there's not a lot of archive about this time in our lives and in comics. I know a lot of people reading these newsletters are creators and writers themselves. I hope my journey, and my pain, brings you some personal solace. If anyone reading this had anything to do with Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, I hope reading this brings you some peace knowing that someone somewhere was trying to stop it from happening years prior.

Glen Berger, the playwright who was ultimately credited as co-writer on the production, told his own behind-the-scene story about the musical in the 2013 book Song of Spider-Man: The Inside Story of the Most Controversial Musical in Broadway History. But I'm much more interested to hear Bendis's side of things  both because he was actually coming from the world of comics, and also because he had apparently been consulting on the show in its earliest, weirdest days, even before people like Berger were brought in to try and wrangle something out of the wreckage. (I also find it  curious  that Berger seemed to attach himself as a silent sidekick to writer/director Julie Taymor during the show's sloppy run, only to turn around and spill the beans for profit as soon as possible.)

Fortune and Glory: The Musical will be serialized on Bendis's Substack, before presumably being collected in book form. I believe the first chapter is free, but you'll have to pay for the rest of the weekly installments. Having followed the development of said musical since its earliest days, I know I'm eager to shell over the cash.
Sooner or later, the Marvel cinematic universe gets everyone. Prior to Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox, the idea of the X-Men and Fantastic Four making an appearance in the MCU seemed pretty unlikely. Cut to today, and Marvel is actively seeding the idea of mutants in the MCU and officially has a Fantastic Four movie in development. Before 2015, no one truly believed that Marvel and Sony could cooperate to bring Spider-Man into the MCU, but by the end of 2016, the impossible had become a reality. On a long enough timeline, everyone will end up joining the MCU.

Similar to the X-Men and Spider-Man, Marvel fans spent years hoping that the canceled Marvel/Netflix shows would become canon in the MCU. According to Comic Book Resources, Jon "The best Punisher of all-time, sorry, not sorry, Thomas Jane" Bernthal will reprise his role in Daredevil: Born Again. The word around the campfire is that the new Daredevil: Born Again series will serve as a soft reboot for the beloved Netflix Defenders continuity.
The Los Angeles City Council is considering accepting a gift from Boston Dynamics of one police robot for the LAPD. Critics worry the robot could be put to misuse, but the police insist it won't be used for spying or equipped with weaponry.

ABC7:

The Los Angeles City Council is considering whether to accept the donation of a dog-like robot for the LAPD, with critics concerned the devices could be misused.

The Boston Dynamics robot would be used by the SWAT team for surveillance and LAPD officials insist it would not be equipped with weapons and would not be used for spying.

Critics worry it could be misused to harm or spy on people.
For many of his loved ones, the death of Chaguanas Businessman Rishard Ali came as a shock. 
At a meeting of EU defense ministers in Sweden, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that a total of 9,000 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will undergo training in Germany by the end of the year.

"Defense Minister Pistorius announced the delivery of 18 German Leopard 2 to Ukraine by the end of this month and the training of about 9,000 Ukrainian soldiers by the end of the year," the German Federal Ministry of Defense wrote on Twitter.

It is noted that during an informal meeting in Stockholm, Pistorius met with "tank coalition" partners - representatives of Portugal and Sweden.

As reported, an informal meeting of EU defense ministers is taking place in Stockholm on March 7-8 under the auspices of Sweden, which presides over the European Union. The key issue at the meeting is the acceleration of military support to Ukraine.
The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption has put the Italian cement producer, Buzzi Unicem, on the list of international war sponsors for doing business in the Russian Federation.

Thats according to the NAPC press service, Ukrinform reports.

"NAPC included Buzzi Unicem on the list of international sponsors of war due to the fact that, despite their statement on the refusal of any operational participation in Russian business, Buzzi Russia continues to expand its business in the Russian Federation," the statement reads.

The company is now one of the five leaders of Russias cement industry, having the largest average capacity of a cement plant in the group. For the period from 2016 to 2021, the Russian unit of Buzzi Unicem paid EUR 62 million worth of taxes and other mandatory fees to the Russian budget.

"For comparison, this is the cost of 206 Tochka U missiles." These are exactly the missiles with which Russia struck the railway station in Kramatorsk on April 8, 2022," the statement reads.

Also, Buzzi Russia cooperates with the Russian defense ministry and supplies its products to the largest state-run enterprises, such as Rosneft, whose management is close to President Putin and has been sanctioned, as well as Rosatom, which has been involved in threatening the world with a potential nuclear incident at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, seized by the Russian forces.

According to available reports, the company expresses across social networks in Russia its gratitude to its employees drafted for war. Thus, its SLK Cement subsidiary sent supplies to the Russian artillery unit, where Buzzi employees serve.

Thus, Buzzi Unicem's continued business in Russia means direct support and sponsorship of terrorism in Russia, the statement reads.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, in February, the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption included Frances Auchan in the list of international sponsors of war.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis met on March 6 in Washington, D.C., underscoring the strength of the U.S.-Lithuania relationship as NATO Allies and close partners as well as deep cooperation on a broad range of topics, including on support for Ukraine.

Thats according to their joint statement, Ukrinform reports citing the State Departments press service.

Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Landsbergis confirmed the unwavering support of the United States and Lithuania for Ukraine as it defends its territory and democracy from Russias brutal and unprovoked invasion, the statement reads.

The two leaders committed to continue imposing strong economic costs on Russia through sanctions and pursuing accountability for those responsible for Russias attacks.

Read also: Lithuanian Defense Ministry preparing new aid package for Ukraine

They also pledged to continue to provide the support Ukraine needs to alleviate the suffering of its people and to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders until Ukraine prevails while encouraging Allies and partners to do the same, says the joint statement.

They reiterated their call for Russia to immediately stop its war of aggression against Ukraine and withdraw all its forces and military equipment from Ukraines territory.

Blinken and Landsbergis committed to work together to enhance NATOs deterrence and defense and to strengthen NATOs partnership with Ukraine to advance its Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

Blinken and Landsbergis also endorsed efforts by academia and civil society to increase resilience in the face of propaganda and false narratives.
The Swedish government has announced the allocation of almost EUR 11 million to support women and girls in Ukraine and Moldova.

This is said in a press release issued by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Ukrinform reports.

It is noted that this support is intended to strengthen the two countries efforts to meet the humanitarian needs of women and girls and promote their opportunities and rights in both the short and the long term.

In addition, it is also intended to help rebuild and reinforce Ukraines health care system and infrastructures that have been severely affected by Russias attacks.

In Moldova, the support will assist internally displaced women and girls. A total of almost EUR 9 million will go to Ukraine and Moldova through UNFPA, while about EUR 2 million will go to Ukraine through UN Women.

Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine and attacks on health and medical care facilities have life-threatening consequences for women and girls. These earmarked funds can be used for life-saving assistance through additional mobile health clinics, equipment to prevent maternal and infant mortality, and protection and support for victims of conflict-related sexual violence. This is fully in line with the Governments development assistance priorities  mitigating the effects of the war in Ukraine, says Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell.

As reported by Ukrinform, in February, Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson stated that Sweden has provided Ukraine with EUR 1.2 billion, including EUR 135 million in humanitarian aid.

Photo: picture-alliance/D. Kalker
Aisha Khurram addresses the opening day of the UN General Assembly's Transforming Education Summit in New York in September 2022.  UNESCO

On 15 August 2021, as the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, we were all stunned at the painful repeat of history, this time with two decades of progress for womens rights at risk of being reduced to ashes.

Indeed, it wasnt long before the new de facto authorities began tightening restrictions on the presence and role of women in society. Despite their early promises to preserve womens rights, I was witness to a completely different reality on the ground. It all began with a ban on girls access to secondary education and was followed by a gradual erosion of womens presence in all public spheres.

With that first decree promising nothing but a dark future for women and girls in Afghanistan, I felt I had no choice but to leave the country to continue and complete my education. On 28 August 2021, I bid farewell to my family and left my university on the brink of graduating with a law degree.

Setting out at night with a small backpack containing everything I could take from home, and hoping I wouldnt be stopped at a checkpoint, I embarked on a long and tedious road trip towards an uncertain future.

With my brother accompanying me, we travelled the length of Afghanistan, crossing through eight provinces before reaching the border with Iran. After months of travel, I eventually sought refuge in Germany where I would have to start my life from scratch.

Like most refugees arriving in their new host communities, I found it difficult to navigate a bewildering new system. My ultimate goal was to find my way back into the classroom, but my initial attempts to enrol in a Germany university ended in failure. Language proved to be one of the most significant roadblocks, as acquiring an acceptable proficiency would have taken at least three years, after which I would have had to start my degree all over again.

During those initial months of uncertainty, displacement and desperation, I turned over every stone and knocked on every door before eventually stumbling upon an unexpected opportunity. At the end of 2021, Bard College Berlin introduced a special scholarship programme for recently displaced Afghan students, and I was among those offered a chance to continue my education in the field of politics. The university also recognized two years of my former education.

Going back to the classroom was an exceptional privilege only a very few Afghan girls have today. My excitement at getting the opportunity to resume my studies was accompanied by a deep sense of survivor guilt as millions of Afghan girls were simultaneously being deprived of their basic right to education.

Girls in class at Lower Sheikh Mesri School in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. As girls above Year 6 cannot now go to school in Afghanistan, the premises are used for boys only in the afternoons.  UNHCR/Oxygen Film Studio

By mid-2022, the space for women and girls had shrunk even further, and women and girls in Afghanistan were taking to the streets chanting: Nan, Kar, Azadi! (Bread, Work, Freedom!). Meanwhile, more and more families were compelled to leave the country, primarily to ensure their daughters safety and future.

Driven by this injustice, I refused to be a passive bystander and, instead, raised my voice in support of my sisters back home. I embarked on a journey to explore solutions that could provide an alternative response to the educational crisis back home.

In February 2022, I started an initiative together with Lika Torikashvili, a peace activist from Georgia and a fellow former youth delegate to the UN. We organized a closed-door meeting to connect young female students from six different regions of Afghanistan with our respective universities in Berlin and New York.

Soon after the meeting, Bennington College in New York pledged to offer online scholarships to six female students. A trial phase that involved offering online courses with credits to the students proved the feasibility of an online education approach and raised our hopes of finding an innovative solution to the educational crisis in Afghanistan.

After a year of lobbying, we have launched a distance-learning initiative for women in Afghanistan and managed to provide online scholarships for female students with the help and academic support of universities in New York, Berlin, Kyrgyzstan and Arizona.

Ten female students in Kabul now have the chance to continue and complete their degrees through an online education model which, if successful, can be expanded to other provinces across the country.

"Education is as necessary as food and water."

Today, Afghanistan is the only country on earth where girls are banned from attending schools and universities. Their lives are riddled with uncertainty and isolation. Our distance learning response has one clear message: Afghan girls cannot and should not wait for the political and humanitarian crisis to be resolved to access an education. For them to survive the ongoing crisis, education is as necessary as food and water.

We are living in an age of conflicts, disasters and crises where, every two seconds, someone is forced to flee their home. Higher education is an essential pathway for refugees and people in war-stricken countries, especially young women, to reclaim their agency and stability, and yet our global education systems remain far from responsive.

Today, it is more urgent than ever to embrace the power of technology in order to mark a new era of education that goes beyond borders, an era that ensures young girls from refugee camps or those living in crisis situations can have equal access to education.

On International Womens Day, Im calling on the international community to put its faith in education and, more importantly, in young womens capacity for creativity and change, because these two forces when combined possess the power to illuminate the darkness and liberate humanity from the shackles of totalitarianism.

This article was written for UNHCR by Aisha Khurram who, after fleeing from Afghanistan to Germany, is now the regional leader of the Tertiary Refugee Student Network and is studying humanities at Bard College Berlin.


Desiree Nunez wakes up early in her small home in Guayaquil, the largest city in southwest Ecuador. She is getting ready to start her rounds of Juan Montalvo, the neighbourhood that opened its doors to her and her children four years ago, to let the community know the good news: there's a new and free internet service that can be used by everyone.

"This is very exciting. It's the first time we have internet in our neighbourhood," said Desiree.

According to assessments conducted by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in three main refugee-hosting neighbourhoods in the city, most people lacked a reliable internet connection due to high costs and poor infrastructure, posing barriers to digital inclusion and leaving a large population disconnected. "Not having internet means I cannot promote my business, my children cannot do their homework properly and I can't communicate with my family as much as I would like to," said Desiree.

"I am glad to do this for my community."

Thanks to a community-led initiative that makes use of blockchain technology, supported by UNHCR through local telecom startup Wayru and other partners, thousands of residents of Juan Montalvo will now be connected to a high-quality fiber network with Wi-Fi routers that have a 100 metre radius on each block.

As Desiree heads out, she checks the router and signal on her block, making sure everything is running smoothly. "I need to keep the service working for everyone," said the 32-year-old, who is one of 16 community leaders that have volunteered to become 'guardians' of the Wi-Fi routers, 13 of whom are women. "Having internet is very important and I must make sure nothing happens to it [the router]. I am glad to do this for the community. Most of us didn't have internet because we cannot afford it."

Desiree shows her neighbour, Maigualida, how to use the new internet service.  UNHCR/Santiago Arcos

Desiree in Juan Montalvo, the Guayaquil neighbourhood that opened its doors to her and her children four years ago.  UNHCR/Santiago Arcos

Desiree can now use a tablet at home with her youngest daughter Camila, 6, thanks to the new internet service in her community.  UNHCR/Santiago Arcos

A Wayru staff member installs a router in Juan Montalvo. Each router can deliver internet to a 100 metre radius.  UNHCR/Santiago Arcos

The community-led initiative uses blockchain technology to deliver internet via multiple routers installed on every block of the neighbourhood.  UNHCR/Santiago Arcos

Apart from supporting refugee and local community leaders with training on how to troubleshoot problems with the routers and spread the word about this free service, the programme provided the guardians, and dozens of youth, with digital economy courses to teach them how to use this technology to grow a small business or find jobs.

While advancements in digital technology offer opportunities to address development and humanitarian challenges, access remains a huge barrier. Nearly 30 per cent of the population in Ecuador does not have access to the internet. The figure is even lower in many countries in the region, where inequalities in accessing internet services mean millions of people  including refugees and other displaced people  are falling through the digital gap and are excluded from economic, education, employment, and other opportunities.

Women and girls are even less likely to have internet access. Globally, women are 8 per cent less likely than men to own a mobile phone. For those that do own a phone, they are 20 per cent less likely to use the internet on them. This digital gap is even more pronounced among forcibly displaced people, which further prevents refugee women and girls from becoming empowered and independent.

This years International Womens Day calls for the use of innovation and technology to help achieve greater gender equality and empowerment.

Referring to the initiative to install internet in Desirees neighbourhood, Giovanni Bassu, UNHCR Representative in Ecuador, describes it as: "The first time UNHCR is using a single base internet point from which the community can connect via multiple routers." He added that this technology provides a cheaper and more sustainable service. "Getting refugees and locals involved in all aspects related to digital inclusion means this becomes a project made by them, based on their needs."

The 20 routers being installed near homes, schools, and community centres can connect 200 people simultaneously, most of whom have never had internet at home.

"I can earn a living directly from home and reach people I couldn't before."

Desiree recalls how she used to have to go to a local cybercafe every time she or her children needed internet. "Each of my kids spent at least US$2 dollars on internet for each of the three or four pieces of homework they had each day. This was simply too expensive."

For families like Desirees, who often had to choose between education and food, accessing internet services was nearly impossible. Obtaining a regular status or even starting an asylum procedure was also difficult with procedures that are dependent on the availability and quality of internet.

Desiree had struggled to get her food business up and running to support her two children. She now hopes that the combination of free internet access with the digital education courses she received will help her expand her clientele and her capacity to earn a stable income.

"I didn't know how to use e-mail or even how to open an account. Spreadsheets were unimaginable for me," said Desiree. "I can now manage my accounts, keep my financial records and write to neighbours who live further away to offer my arepas and empanadas. I can earn a living directly from home and reach people I couldn't before."

She now dares to dream that she will one day save enough money to open her own shop.

This new community-led internet network in Guayaquil is possible thanks to the support of UNHCR's Digital Innovation programme, funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.


Newly appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Mary Maker pictured in October 2022 in Minnesota, USA, where she is pursuing a degree in Theatre and Literature.  UNHCR/Ashu Rai

South Sudanese refugee Mary Maker has been appointed as UNHCRs newest Goodwill Ambassador, pledging to amplify the voices of other forcibly displaced people and bring attention to their growing needs.

As a child, she fled conflict in South Sudan and found safety in Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. After overcoming obstacles to complete her high school studies in the country, she became a teacher to young refugees in Kakuma and a passionate advocate for their right to an education, especially for girls.

She is currently studying Theatre and Literature as part of a scholarship programme at a university in the United States. In conversation with UNHCR to mark her appointment, Mary Maker revealed what being a Goodwill Ambassador means to her and what she hopes to achieve in the years to come.

How do you feel about becoming a Goodwill Ambassador?

MM: Excited! Ive been supporting UNHCR since 2018 and, as a refugee myself, have valued the opportunity to represent and speak up for other displaced people around the world. Now, as a Goodwill Ambassador, I can continue to use my voice and my personal experience to help raise awareness about the increasing needs of those displaced. As an actor, writer and director  a storyteller  and as an education advocate, I am both excited and honoured to be part of UNCHRs Goodwill Ambassador family!

What were your first memories of UNHCR and why did you want to become an ambassador?

MM: I was forced to flee the civil war in Sudan when I was a child. It was when my family crossed into Kenya that I first saw UNHCRs logo on big white trucks. I was so full of fear that initially I was unsure of whether that was a good or bad sign, but my mother said to us I think help has come. Once I better understood UNHCRs role and their purpose, I knew that I wanted to support their work. I knew that I could help them  to help the millions of other refugees around the world who are in desperate need of support

What do you hope to achieve in your role as an Ambassador?

MM: To me, becoming a Goodwill Ambassador means ensuring that every refugee is seen, and we invest in their potential. I want displaced people to have a voice. I see myself as a storyteller and in my role as a Goodwill Ambassador, I aim to lift up those voices and help tell the stories of those who are unheard. I am passionate about education so I also want to support UNHCR in its efforts to ensure all displaced people can access a quality education.

Mary Maker

UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors and supporters are some of the most recognisable public faces of the organization, helping to bring its name and work to every corner of the world through their influence, dedication and hard work.

For more information about Mary Maker, visit her webpage: www.unhcr.org/mary-maker
During the 1980s and 1990s, when politicians of all stripes and political sects were trying to out "tough on crime" each other, thousands of new felony and misdemeanor laws were invented to control populations and give the appearance of policymakers working hard for public safety. The consequences were devastating for young people and communities of color. Mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws, more laws punishable by the death penalty, militarized policing, and the proliferation of prisons, all aspects of life  for some  were changed indefinitely. This tough-on-crime legislation also included what are called "no cruise zones."

California-based writer Jose Vadi explains in a new essay, "Legalize Lowriding," on Boom California, "Lowriders are motorized time capsules that command respectThese signs and subsequent 'no cruise zones' were part of a wave of legislation passed throughout California cities through the '80s and '90s. Though largely unenforced today, these laws are increasingly being written off the books, with Sacramento being the first city to repeal their cruising ban and removing such signage citywideCategorizing cruising as a gang activity or on par with the illegal assemblage of a psychedelic-fueled warehouse rave is ironic now considering how integral lowrider imagery is to the city of Los Angeles' brand identity. The traffic and pedestrian ribbon cutting of the newly camelbacked 6th Street bridge, connecting East and downtown Los Angeles over the LA River, was led by a local lowrider collective."

Repealing local ordinances is part of a state-wide push to change these laws. According to the Los Angeles Times, in July of 2022, the California legislature approved "Assembly Concurrent Resolution 176, introduced in April by Assemblymember Luz Rivas (D-North Hollywood) passed with zero opposition, with 71 lawmakers of the 80-member Assembly signing on." The resolution encourages local lawmakers to "overturn their cruising bans and embrace the lowrider culture."

Vadi goes on to briefly explain the political, social, and cultural context of cruising, "Lowriding's social undertones have been palpable since its wartime infancy into the Chicano movement of the '60s and '70s. Roberto Hernandez formed the San Francisco Lowrider Council to combat waves of police brutality, leading not just to legalized cruises but new parks, services, and the resignation of cops accused by Mission District residents of abuse. Victor Ochoa's recent mural in San Diego's Barrio Logan documents the history of the local Brown Image Car Club. Of the vignettes encompassing the pillars of a massive freeway underpass is a scene where some of the crew's members participated in the occupation of Chicano Park."

I sincerely enjoy Vadi's writing and learn so much about historical intricacies, not only in this essay, where the context of his thoughts and analysis is "driving my mom to her post-op appointment in Downey, south of downtown Los Angeles, from the east-of-east side in Pomona," but his book Interstate -which I inhaled in two days.

Inter State is available here from Soft Skull Press.

"California has been advertised as a destiny manifested for those ready to pull up their bootstraps and head west across to find wealth on the other side of the Sierra Nevada since the 19th century. Across the seven essays in the debut collection by Jose Vadi, we hear from the descendants of those not promised that prize. Inter State explores California through many lenses: an aging obsessed skateboarder; a self-appointed dive bar DJ; a laid-off San Francisco tech worker turned rehired contractor; a grandson of Mexican farmworkers pursuing the crops they tilled. Amidst wildfires, high-speed rail, housing crises, unprecedented wealth and its underlying decay, INTER STATE excavates and roots itself inside those necessary stories and places lost in the ever-changing definitions of a selectively golden state."

Vadi's prose is personal and close to home  in a universal manner, invoking images and geographies that are easy to visualize while engaging in political and historical discussion in his literary exegesis about California. Check out this PEN America interview with Vadi.
Sahar* with a group of girls at Lower Shiekh Mesri School in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, where she works as a volunteer teacher.  Talwasa Sakhizai/WADAN (UNHCR partner)

As a young girl, 23-year-old Sahar* spent her early years growing up in Bot refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan. Her father had been a teacher in Afghanistan and encouraged everyone in the family to study hard. Returning to Afghanistan in 2010, Sahar continued to learn, graduating from university with a degree in computer science.

Now, shes passionate about passing on the skills she has learnt to other girls. She currently works as a volunteer teacher at Lower Shiekh Mesri School in Nangarhar, built by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, where she teaches computer skills and English. Many students here are refugee returnees, like her, or were formerly displaced due to conflict. I want to serve as a role model, and motivate the girls to stay in school, Sahar explained. I continued my education [despite] a lot of financial problems and cultural challenges.

Launched in October 2022, UNHCRs Female Volunteering Initiative in the eastern Nangarhar region of Afghanistan aims to inspire and teach girls through volunteer female school graduates, university students and graduates. Currently, 24 female volunteers are taking part in the programme, helping with tutoring, peer mentorship and organizing extracurricular activities for female students.

Sahar is passionate about passing on the skills she has learnt to other girls. She teaches computer skills and English at Lower Shiekh Mesri School, which was built by UNHCR.  Talwasa Sakhizai/WADAN (UNHCR partner)

I feel what other girls at the school feel. I firmly believe that the computer skills and knowledge of English  can help the girls continue their education online, even at home, said Sahar.

She said that both disciplines could open new learning pathways for female students, many of whom are now forced to stay at home due to recent restrictions preventing girls from studying beyond grade six, as well as on their movement.

It will help them to access various education sources on the internet while pursuing their journey of getting educated. It will also help students to do their research and gain more knowledge on topics they are interested in.

Sahar described growing up as a refugee in Pakistan as difficult. My parents couldnt afford even the basic life essentials, including a further education for me and my siblings. Now we have returned, I am happy. We have a decent home, and I was able to get a higher education back in Afghanistan.

"I firmly believe that computer skills and knowledge of English  can help the girls continue their education online, even at home," said Sahar.  Talwasa Sakhizai/WADAN (UNHCR partner)

Her own journey has made her more determined to support others. Seeing young girls drop out of school or prevented from going to learn due to lack of female teachers makes me feel sad. The situation may worsen for girls and women and will also lead to early and forced marriages.

As well as becoming a volunteer herself, Sahar also reached out to her peers and fellow female graduates to encourage them to join the UNHCR initiative.

I dont receive a teaching salary, but the joy of seeing girls come to school every day is the source of my pride and satisfaction.

*Name changed for protection reasons

Talwasa Sakhizai coordinates women's projects for WADAN (the Welfare Association for the Development of Afghanistan), a partner of UNHCRs that is implementing the Female Volunteering Initiative.
Passengers of the Lane Xang EMU train arrive at Vientiane, Laos, July 31, 2022. (Photo by Yang Yongquan/Xinhua)

The number of passengers travelling on the China-Laos Railway is continuing to grow, posting an increase of 256.2 percent year on year in the first two months of 2023.

VIENTIANE, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The China-Laos Railway's Lao section made a new record of 10,197 passengers last Saturday, according to a report issued on Monday by the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. (LCRC).

The number of passengers travelling on the China-Laos Railway is continuing to grow. From January to February 2023, the railway carried a total of 417,400 passengers, an increase of 256.2 percent compared to the same period in 2022.

Aerial photo taken on Aug. 9, 2022 shows cross-border goods being transported at Vientiane South Station of China-Laos Railway in Laos.(Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

The railway also transported 647,700 tons of goods in the two months, an increase of 320 percent compared to the same period last year, according to the report.

In a bid to ensure the smooth operation of rail services, the LCRC is monitoring passenger volume and planning train journeys accordingly, as well as improving travel arrangements and allowing tickets to be purchased further in advance of travel.

Meanwhile, the LCRC has announced that its long-awaited ticket reservation mobile application will go live on March 15. The mobile application will make booking train tickets much more convenient for passengers.
On Monday, Elon Musk entered legal hot water by publically complaining on Twitter that one of his employees, Haraldur Thorleifsson, "did no actual work," and "claimed as his excuse that he had a disability that prevented him from typing, yet was simultaneously tweeting up a storm." Thorleifsson has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair, and it turns out that he did a lot of meaningful work for Twitter, and is a great humanitarian. He is, in other words, the opposite of Musk.

Once Musk realized that he was facing a potentially massive lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act, he issued a fake apology, blaming others for his callous, hateful post.

"I would like to apologize to Halli for my misunderstanding of his situation," tweeted Musk. "It was based on things I was told that were untrue or, in some cases, true, but not meaningful."

Of course, this isn't the first time that Musk has insulted someone on Twitter. He famously called the rescuer of trapped Thai schoolboys a "pedo guy." It seems that Musk will never stop insulting people who make him feel inferior.
In Cincinnati, Ohio, animal control officers responded to sightings of a "leopard" in a tree. The leopard turned out to be an African serval which isn't legal to own in the state. (It is permitted in neighboring states of Kentucky and Indiana.) For some reason, Cincinnati Animal Care decided to test the animal for narcotics and it was found to have been exposed to cocaine. Now, the catnamed Amiryis under care at the Cincinnati Zoo. From WLWT:

It's unclear what will happen to Amiry moving forward. The zoo has yet to announce if the animal will remain at their facility. Officials said that Amiry's owner has been cooperative with the investigation, and Hamilton County Dog Wardens are not pressing charges.
(@FahadShabbir)

DHAKA, Mar 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Mar, 2023 ) :"China and Bangladesh are natural cooperation partners," the newly-appointed Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen said here on Tuesday.

"The potential of China-Bangladesh relations is unlimited," he said at a welcome reception held in his honor at the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka Tuesday night.

"There are no unresolved disputes or historical burdens between us." Yao said the cooperation on economy, trade and mega projects serves as the pillar of the bilateral relations, he said, adding, "The China-Bangladesh cooperation improves well-being of our two peoples." A good number of roads, bridges, power plants, ports and other infrastructure projects have been completed, which have reshaped the landscape of Bangladesh, provided more than 1 million jobs, and promoted socio-economic development as well as people's livelihood in Bangladesh, he said.

China and Bangladesh would also closely cooperate and coordinate on regional and multilateral affairs, so as to inject more stability and certainty into this uncertain and unstable world, Yao noted.

"As close neighbors, the people of the two countries enjoy a natural sense of intimacy and similar ideas and values," he said, adding that he is confident that China-Bangladesh relations will set a good example for developing countries to understand, trust and support each other.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman, Chief of Army Staff General S M Shafiuddin Ahmed and Secretary (West) of Foreign Ministry Shabbir Ahmad Chowdhury, along with over 400 dignitaries attended the reception.
Tbilisi, March 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Mar, 2023 ) :Sixty-six demonstrators were detained in Georgia and dozens of police were injured after violent clashes broke out in the capital Tbilisi against the government's plans to introduce controversial "foreign agent" legislation, authorities said Wednesday.

The demonstrations broke out late Tuesday after lawmakers in the country gave initial backing for the draft law which is reminiscent of Russia's legislation used to crack down on dissent.

"Law enforcement officers arrested 66 people in accordance with articles... on minor hooliganism and disobeying legal requests of law enforcement officers," the interior ministry said in a statement.

"As a result of violent actions of the assembled citizens, up to 50 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were injured," the statement added, saying that several law enforcement officers remained in the hospital.

Georgian authorities have faced mounting international criticism over perceived backsliding on democratic reforms, including the jailing of ex-leader Mikheil Saakashvili.

The US embassy in Georgia said the legislation contradicted the country's aspirations to join the European Union.
Athens, March 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Mar, 2023 ) :More than 50,000 protesters took to streets across Greece on Wednesday and workers staged mass strikes, expressing anger over the country's worst rail tragedy and urging the prime minister to resign.

At least 57 people were killed, and 14 others remain in hospital after a freight train crashed head-on with a passenger train, carrying mostly students, on February 28.

Demonstrators in Athens waved signs reading "it's not an accident, it's a crime" and "it could have been any of us on that train".

By early afternoon, police said up to 53,000 demonstrators had taken to the streets across the country to protest the accident.

"I am here to pay tribute to the dead but also to express my anger and my frustration," Athens protester Niki Siouta, a 54-year-old civil engineer, told AFP.

"This government must go." There were about 30,000 protesters in Athens, 15,000 in Greece's second city Thessaloniki and 10,000 in the western port city of Patras, a police spokeswoman told AFP.

- Calls to resign - Fourteen people were detained for questioning in the capital on suspicion of offences including carrying flares, she added.

Alongside the protesters, Greek civil servants staged a 24-hour walkout while doctors, teachers, bus drivers and ferry crew members also went on strike.

Railways were paralysed as train workers extended strike action launched in the aftermath of the accident.

Last week protests triggered by the crash saw riot police clash repeatedly with demonstrators, including in Athens. The public order ministry has said talks were held with protest organisers to avert new violence.

Calls are growing louder for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to quit over the tragedy, which has shone a harsh spotlight on decades of government mismanagement of the rail network.

A station master, who admitted forgetting to reroute one of the trains, has been arrested and charged, but the government has been criticised for seeking to shift the blame mainly on him.

Greece's transport minister resigned on March 1 and Mitsotakis has apologised to victims' families, pledged to get to the root of what happened and embarked on a flurry of public appearances in an apparent bid to soothe anger.
Washington, March 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Mar, 2023 ) :Texas executed on Tuesday a prisoner convicted of murdering his wife and her daughter.

Gary Green, 51, received a lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, in the eastern part of the vast southern US state, and was pronounced dead at 7:07 pm (0107 GMT) on Wednesday.

He was sentenced to death in 2010 for having stabbed his wife and drowned her six-year-old daughter in a bathtub in Dallas the year before.

The morning of the murders, his wife had sent Green a letter saying she wanted to break up. He then wrote back that he planned to "take five lives" in response, according to local media.

His wife's two sons, ages nine and 12, survived murder attempts by Green, before he also attempted to kill himself by ingesting large doses of medications.

In the years since his conviction, Green's lawyers have unsuccessfully tried to appeal his death sentence, arguing that he has suffered from psychological problems and intellectual disabilities.

The US Supreme Court has effectively banned capital punishment for offenders who are unable to understand the verdict.

Green and his lawyers have also joined other Texas death row inmates to argue they should not be executed by lethal injection with drugs that may have passed their expiration dates.

Despite a favorable ruling by a judge, three of Green's fellow complainants have already been executed since the beginning of the year.

Arthur Brown, another Texas man convicted of four murders -- which he denies -- is scheduled to be executed on Thursday.
Washington, March 8 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Mar, 2023 ) :US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Tuesday he will meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in California, but did not rule out a possible visit to the self-governed island.

McCarthy confirmed plans to meet Tsai in the United States, but told reporters in Washington the meeting does not preclude a trip to Taiwan.

The United States is one of Taiwan's closest allies and biggest arms suppliers but also adopts a "One China" policy, recognizing Beijing diplomatically and opposing any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side.

Beijing was "gravely concerned" by the news of Tsai and McCarthy's planned meeting, said foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, at a daily press briefing.

"We have lodged stern representations with the US side and demanded clarification from them," he added.

"I want to stress that China firmly opposes any form of official contact between the US and Taiwan, firmly opposes the ringleaders of the Taiwan independence separatists scurrying off to the United States in any name and under any pretext, and firmly opposes the US violations of the One China principle and its engagement in any form of contact with Taiwan independence separatists."
I'm absolutely obsessed with learning about the so-called "Havana Syndrome." I know the U.S. intelligence community just released a report stating that Havana Syndrome was not caused by a foreign adversary or anything else nefarious, but that hasn't stopped me from wanting to learn more. Greg Myre at NPR reports:

Seven different U.S. intelligence agencies were involved in the investigation, and five found it was "highly unlikely" a foreign country was to blame. One said it was "unlikely," and one didn't take a position. The officials also said there was "no credible evidence" that a foreign adversary has a weapon capable of inflicting the kind of harm suffered by the U.S. officials.

This is the official word, but not everyone is satisfied with these findings. Again, Myre reports:

This findings in a new intelligence assessment come as a disappointment to U.S. diplomats and intelligence officials who believe they suffered attacks and are still dealing with serious health problems. The episodes were first reported by U.S. officials at the American Embassy in Havana, Cuba, in 2016. Some 1,500 cases among U.S. government staffers have now been reported worldwide. The vast majority of those cases have been resolved and were linked to causes such as existing medical conditions. However, about two dozen current and former officials are still suffering from chronic ailments that have defied explanation, according to some of those officials who remain afflicted. The assessment goes against what many people suspected, including many of the intelligence officers and diplomats who suffered these ailments.

I definitely recommend reading the rest of Myre's NPR piece to hear more from the intelligence officers and diplomats who aren't thrilled with the findings. And if you want to take a deep dive into Havana Syndrome, here are some more great resources, in the form of two new podcasts. The first, The Sound: Mystery of Havana Syndrome, explores the various theories folks have forwarded to try to explain what is causing the ailments people have been experiencing. The podcast was created by Project Brazen and Goat Rodeo in partnership with PRX, and is hosted by Nicky Woolf. PRX, writing on Medium, explains:

In this investigation, host Nicky Woolf peels back the layers of one of the most bizarre mysteries of the modern age. Listeners will hear about how the U.S. agencies failed to agree even on the basic premises. The U.S. Department of State said it was a "sonic device," then rolled that back. The CIA have hinted microwave radiation might be involved. The FBI also denied its existence and now they seem to be rolling that back as well. A story about spycraft, technology, and the brain, "The Sound" explores the wild and wide variety of theories that have been put forward. Listeners will also hear from diplomats and spies, neurologists, and physicists to help begin to piece the evidence together.

The second, Havana Syndrome, includes lots of interviews with people who have suffered from "Havana Syndrome"whatever that might actually beand provides insight into their experiences. Podcast Republic describes the podcast:

In 2016, a mysterious, debilitating illness begins to afflict American diplomats and spies working abroad  first in Cuba, and then around the world. Victims report crippling neurological symptoms. Some describe the feeling of being hit by an invisible, directed pressure while they were stationed on government property, or sometimes standing in their own homes or hotel rooms. Is this bizarre illness the result of a weapon? Is it mass psychosis? Or something else entirely? Award-winning journalists Jon Lee Anderson and Adam Entous take listeners to the heart of this saga in HAVANA SYNDROME, a new podcast from VICE World News. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

VICE reporter Jon Lee Anderson also recently published an article about his work on the Havana Syndrome podcast. He explains:

In late 2018, my colleague Adam Entous and I teamed up to find out exactly what happened to these spies and diplomats. The resulting New Yorker piece  "The Mystery of the Havana Syndrome"  uncovered many new details about incidents, as well as the timeline of events that led up to the initial reports in Cuba. But years later, we  along with the rest of the world  are still asking: what is Havana Syndrome? Is it real? And if it is real, who  or what  is causing it? And perhaps the most frustrating question of all: why is it taking the US government so long to solve it? In following the trail of clues, we uncovered some deeply-held secrets about the world of global espionage that could provide the key to finally solving the mystery. In our reporting, we traveled to Havana to visit the scene of several early incidents; we visited London where two White House staffers reported Havana Syndrome symptoms in a hotel located just blocks from Buckingham Palace; we paid a visit to Vienna, where the second largest outbreak of reported Havana Syndrome cases led to the dismissal of the local CIA station chief; and we retraced the steps of a national security official who reported an incident within shouting distance of the Oval Office.

I'm definitely NOT a conspiracy theorist, but I AM fascinated by the various narratives floating around about Havana Syndrome, and especially by the stories of people who have been affected by whatever might be happeningwhether that's environmental, something linked to preexisting health issues, something psychological, or something else entirely.
(@Abdulla99267510)

The latest reports say that the Punjab Home department has imposed Section 144 citing security reasons in the city on the day when Aurat March is also due to take place.

LAHORE: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-March 8th, 2023) The Police on Wednesday arrested several workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over alleged violation of Section 144 in the provincial capital.

The police took action against the workers in Zaman Park area where PTI Chief Imran Khan lives.

The development took place after the Punjab Home Department imposed Section 144 and banned public rallies ahead of the PTI's election rally and Aurat March due today.

According to the notification, the Home Department said that number of rallies and protests were held therein on daily basis at different places of Lahore but they posed serious security threats, isrupted traffic and cause inconvenience to public at large.

It also claimed that there had also been record of terrorist activities in the rallies/protests wherein, a number of police officials and civilians embraced shahadat.

Hence, in the context of the prevailing overall security situation in the wake of the recent wave of terrorism and latest threat alerts, it has been necessary to impose Section 144 of Cr.P.C, 1898 on holding of all kinds of assemblies, gatherings, sits-in, rallies, processions, demonstrations, jalsas, dharnas, protests and such like other activities across the district Lahore to avert any untoward incident, read the notification.

The notification also said that it was essential to ensure security of the people and installations/buildings against any potential terrorist or untoward activity due to the prevailing security situation, in the larger interest of public safety, security, peace and tranquility.
The White House on Tuesday welcomed a bill that would allow the United States to ban Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement

Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Mar, 2023 ):The White House on Tuesday welcomed a bill that would allow the United States to ban Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

The bill was backed by Mark Warner, a senior US senator from the Democratic party, and John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, in a rare act of political entente by US lawmakers.

"We applaud the bipartisan group of senators, led by Senators Warner and Thune, who today introduced the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act," Sullivan said.

The bipartisan bill "would empower the United States government to prevent certain foreign governments from exploiting technology services... in a way that poses risks to Americans' sensitive data and our national security," Sullivan said in a statement.

The Senate bill and the backing of the White House accelerated the political momentum against TikTok, which is also the target of a separate piece of legislation in the US House of Representatives.

"Today, the threat that everyone is talking about is TikTok, and how it could enable surveillance by the Chinese Communist Party, or facilitate the spread of malign influence campaigns in the US," Senator Warner said in a statement.

"Before TikTok, however, it was Huawei and ZTE, which threatened our nation's telecommunications networks. And before that, it was Russia's Kaspersky Lab, which threatened the security of government and corporate devices," said Warner.

Appearing tough on China is one of the rare issues with potential for bipartisan support in both the Republican-run House and the Senate, where Biden's Democratic Party holds a majority.

With Congress and the White House aligned on the idea that a law is necessary to curb the powers of TikTok, the chances of the legislation making it into law are greatly increased.

TikTok is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance and has more than a billion users worldwide including over 100 million in the US, where it has become a cultural force, especially for young people.

TikTok reacted by again pointing to its months of negotiations with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a government agency that assesses foreign investments' risks to US national security.

"The Biden Administration does not need additional authority from Congress to address national security concerns about TikTok: It can approve the deal negotiated with CFIUS over two years that it has spent the last six months reviewing," TikTok spokesperson Brooke Oberwetter told AFP.

Reflecting concerns voiced by free speech activists, she likened a US ban to a "ban on the export of American culture and values to the billion-plus people who use our service worldwide."The legislation comes after US government workers in January were banned from installing TikTok on their devices.

Civil servants in the European Union, as well as in Canada and Denmark are also barred from having TikTok on their phones.
TUNISIA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th March, 2023) Fourteen Myanmarese nationals, including 11 women and three children, have been killed as a result of a boat capsizing near Kamaran Island off the coast of Yemen's Al Hudaydah province in the Red Sea, the Yemeni news Agency (Saba) reported on Tuesday, citing sources in Yemen's fisheries authority.

According to the report, the fishing boat carrying a total of 25 people capsized on Monday evening. Sources told SABA that 11 people survived the accident, and six of them were taken to a hospital in the province for treatment.

Muhammad Al-Omeisy, the deputy head of the Yemeni General Authority for Fisheries in the Red Sea, and Aziz Attini, the director of ports and landing centers in the authority, visited those injured in the hospital to inspect their condition and treatment they were receiving, the report said.
BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th March, 2023) German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday that he had taken into account media reports of a possible Ukrainian footprint in the Nord Stream explosions but did not intend to comment on hypothetical assumptions.

"It is always interesting to read such inquiries, and I took notice of them with great attention. But we have to hold off hypothetical comments like 'what might happen if,'" Pistorius told German broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.

The defense minister also said that he would not comment on the assumptions made based on journalistic investigations and stressed that it was important that the NATO countries were "doing their best" to protect their critical underwater infrastructure.

On Tuesday, the New York Times reported, citing US officials, that a "pro-Ukrainian group" had carried out last year's attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines. A few hours later, German newspaper Zeit reported that the investigators had identified the vessel used to carry out the attack on the pipelines.

The Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, built to deliver gas under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, have been dysfunctional since they were hit by explosions last September. Nord Stream's operator, Nord Stream AG, said that the damage was unprecedented and it was impossible to estimate the time repairs might take.

Russia considers the explosions of the two pipelines an act of international terrorism. There are no official results of the investigation yet, but US journalist and Pulitzer prize winner Seymour Hersh alleged that the explosions were organized by the United States with the support of Norway. Following Hersh's report, Moscow has reiterated its calls for an impartial and thorough investigation. The US denies its involvement in the incident.
ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th March, 2023) A meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, Iran and Syria is being prepared; the Russian side offered a technical meeting next week in Moscow, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday.

"Preparations are underway for a meeting of foreign ministers. We are planning a quadripartite meeting.

The Russian side has offered holding a technical meeting next week as a preparation for the meeting of foreign ministers. Our deputy foreign minister will go to Moscow. The Iranian side will also take part in this meeting. At the next stage, at a convenient time for all of us, a meeting of foreign ministers will be held. Next week, a quadripartite meeting of technical delegations will be held in Moscow, we have received such an invitation, we will take part in it," Cavusoglu said at a press conference with his Iranian counterpart in Ankara.
BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th March, 2023) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who arrived in Stockholm to attend an informal meeting of EU defense ministers, said that it was still unknown who was behind the sabotage at Nord Stream, the investigation continues.

"There was an attack on Nord Stream pipelines an act of sabotage, but we have not been able to determine who was behind. There are ongoing national investigations, and I think its right to wait until those are finalized before we say anything more about who was behind," he said.
WARSAW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th March, 2023) The Polish military has identified some serious technical issues with Grot assault rifles supplied to the Ukrainian army, Polish media reported on Wednesday.

Poland has reportedly sent around 10,000 such assault rifles to Ukraine and ordered up to 200,000 units for its own armed forces.

After a joint exercise of Polish and Ukrainian special forces with Grot assault rifles, a report was sent to the special forces command, the Onet news outlet said. In this report, Polish soldiers made a list of very serious problems with these weapons. The Polish Defense Ministry handed over such rifles to Ukraine, for troops that are now fighting Russian forces, according to the media.

According to the soldiers' report, the assault rifles "constantly jammed, many units lacked bolts that attach the barrel, plastic lining of the reload lever after training, among other things.

" Besides, they were not satisfied with the accuracy of the weapons, which was compromised by large gaps near the barrel mount, problems with the sight and backlash on the butt, Onet specified.

The news outlet noted that each of the issues described referred to a Grot rifle with a specific serial number and was confirmed by photographs. The soldiers did not describe all the problems with the weapons, but only "the most common issues." However, there were so many defects that they prompted the Polish soldiers to declare that "the range of defects is so great that the weapons should undergo serious changes and modernization," according to the media outlet.

The Grot 5.56 mm caliber assault rifle is produced by the Lucznik company in the Polish city of Radom, and is intended to replace the Kalashnikov assault rifles.
All three shows that opened last weekend in Buffalo theaters broke the fourth wall, however briefly, by including their audiences in the performances. At D'Youville Kavinoky Theatre, the house lights were still up when a ticketholder was brought onstage and Trevor, a crew member, embarked on a mildly frantic search for a lost object in the seats.

In Sheas Smith Theatre, lets just say that the Second Generation audience for Every Brilliant Thing had several speaking roles, and you might want to watch where you sit.

Things were even more inclusive in Theatre of Youths new show, where audience members are sworn in, in a way, and get to vote on the outcome they would like to see.

(The critic's name follows each review.)

Theatre of Youth, "Secret Soldiers: Heroines in Disguise"

Saying something makes history come alive is a bit of a cliche. Even so, it describes what is going on in the Allendale Theatre with the latest production from Theatre of Youth.

Secret Soldiers is the theaters offering this season aimed at what could be considered the YA audience. While TOY suggests bringing children ages 8 and older, the plays take on U.S. history, womens rights and even the media could prompt thoughtful discussions for students all the way through high school.

Playwright Wendy Lement uses the true stories of women who disguised themselves as men to fight in the Civil War as the basis for her still-relevant drama. In a series of vignettes, she explores the motives of the hundreds, if not thousands, of women who hid their gender to become soldiers, either out of patriotism or desperation. If discovered they could face charges, loss of payment or pension, or, at the very least, public shaming.

The play opens on Donnie Woodards evocative set with actors reading off sensational newspaper headlines about women discovered in uniform, some of them seeing bravery in their actions, others blaming them for losses in battle. Soon, by golden lanternlight, we learn their stories, particularly that of real-life Pvt. Lyon Wakeman, aka Sarah Wakeman of New York (Hanna Lipkind).

In multiple roles, including the women soldiers, Avye Alexandres, Anika Pace and Rosa Fernandez join her in sharing stories left out of school textbooks. Their philosophies are heartfelt, if not always lofty. The war may pretend to have political notions of freeing the slaves or states rights, but in the end its all about the money, one of them says.

Though the setting is war, the play isnt violent. Just like boys playacting in the yard, the guns here are sticks and the attacks are for show. The main male characters are a doctor (Charles McGregor) and a slave looking for freedom (Roderick Garr), and the battleground is one of ideas.

Info: Secret Soldiers continues through March 19 in the Allendale Theatre, 203 Allen St. (theatreofyouth.org).

 Melinda Miller

Every Brilliant Thing is, on its surface, the uplifting story of a man who, as a 7-year-old, lovingly began a written list of everything that is wonderful about life. He did this as a gesture of encouragement for his mother, who suffered from suicidal depression.

The narrator of this one-person show (with active audience participation) is played in every brilliant way by Kevin Craig, whose uncommon adorableness funnels into the character perfectly. Originally set in England, Craig successfully makes the story American, under expert direction by Charmagne Chi, who makes very effective use of the Smith Theatre, which has been transformed into a theater in the round, for a lively and intimate production.

The script is by Duncan MacMillan, based on his short story, co-written with Jonny Donahoe, who played the role on stage and in an HBO documentary version for television.

As an adult, the narrator concedes that his childhood plan was naive. What he does not realize, is that he has carried his naivete about the wider impact of suicidal depression into adulthood. That is the true trajectory of a play that is simultaneously emotional, and comically aloof from that emotion.

This occurs both through the narrators acts of denial, and through the comic detachment of a script that finds a note of humor in every sad thing. At times, little clues are dropped for us. Did you know, for example, that it is common for the children of suicides to blame themselves? Did you know that the children of depressed mothers grow up with increased levels of stress?

In time, we realize that our narrator has come to understand, all too terrifyingly well, why someone might want to end her own life. This is the story of how he has survived that terror, his advice for anyone else with the same knowledge, and for everyone in the world, so we can protect each other from the contagion of suicide.

It is a powerful and life-affirming evening, expertly directed and performed. The audience participation was never painful or embarrassing. Very good sound design, stage arrangement and light, which I assume were done by somebody, but after searching the website for several minutes for the program as my deadline approached, I gave up. Let me just say, to whoever did those things: Good job! Youre brilliant!

Info: "Every Brilliant Thing" continues through March 19 at Shea's Smith Theatre, 654 Main St. (secondgenerationtheatre.com).

 Anthony Chase

Kavinoky, "The Play That Goes Wrong"

Loraine ODonnell, executive director at Kavinoky Theatre, was adamant that the ticketing glitch afflicting admissions on opening night for The Play That Goes Wrong was NOT part of the show. Still, it certainly would have fit. The British-born show is a play-within-a-play trainwreck of a comedy about a beleaguered community theater company struggling to present the mystery The Murder at Haversham Manor. But, as advertised in the title, everything that can go wrong does, indeed, go wrong.

Ironically, a spoof about a terrible acting company requires some top-notch performances to make the mayhem work, and the Kav cast, directed by Micael Galante and Adriano Gatto, is up to the task. Brian Mysliwy is splendidly stuffy as the theater director and inspector. Jacob Alberella rises to the occasion as the obsequious butler Perkins, and Buffalo newcomer Kodi James is practically vivacious as the corpse.

Alexandria Watts is a hoot as resourceful stagehand Annie while Kelly Meg Brennan proves to be both flirty and flexible as Florence, the victims fiance, and a femme nearly fatal-ed herself. Don Gervasi finds himself playing the hapless adult in the room, leaving it to a stage-struck Steve Copps to chew on the scenery while doing a doomed pas de deux with a support pillar.

Noel Coward this is not. Rather, this is theater for anyone who ever wondered what might have happened if Hercule Poirot ever teamed up with the Three Stooges  and the Stooges won.

Info: The Play That Goes Wrong continues at the Kavinoky on the DYouville University campus, 320 Porter Ave., through March 19 (kavinokytheatre.com).
Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown on Tuesday remembered a City of Buffalo employee who was one of two people killed Sunday in a stampede at a Rochester concert venue in which a third woman was severely injured.

Brown called Rhondesia Belton's death painful, especially since she is the second employee working for the City of Buffalo to die in a tragedy this month. Buffalo firefighter Jason Arno was killed in a major building fire last week. Belton, 33, worked in the city's Traffic Violations Bureau.

Rhondesia Belton was a fairly new employee, but her supervisor and co-worker said she had a tremendous attitude and was a breath of fresh air, Brown said. When employees that worked with her were told of her passing, they were absolutely devastated.

According to some sources, the deadly stampede happened just after 11 p.m. Sunday following a concert by Grammy Award-winning rapper GloRilla in Rochester's Main Street Armory. Some of the concertgoers heading for the exits thought they heard gunshots, and the departing crowd began to panic. However, no evidence of gunshots was confirmed, Rochester Police Chief David Smith said in a video from a news conference Monday posted by the Associated Press.

At the same news conference, Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said it was too early to say if appropriate actions were taken by the venue operators, but added that they will be held accountable once a thorough investigation of the incident is completed.

Meanwhile, Brown said Tuesday that it was appropriate for the concert venue to cancel its other concerts in light of the death and injuries.

You dont expect when you go to a concert to not come home, he said.

Brown said he spoke with Evans and Beltons mother.

Obviously, shes hurting," Brown said. "This is very painful to her, and I have offered to provide whatever city assistance to her that the family needs.
At United Nations meetings Wednesday to mark International Womens Day, there was much talk but no discernible action on advancing and protecting womens rights.

A meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Afghanistan offered verbal support to Afghan women, who are among the most oppressed in the world under Taliban rule. But no new measures were offered to pressure the Taliban to reverse more than 30 edicts banning women from public life since the group took power in August 2021.

"Outspoken international condemnation is critical, but its not enough," Afghan womens activist Zubaida Akbar of Freedom Now told council members.

She urged them to take meaningful action, including not granting exemptions from international travel bans to allow Taliban leaders to go abroad for meetings while Afghan women remain trapped in their homes or need a male chaperone to go out.

"If you do not defend womens rights here, you have no credibility to do so anywhere else," she warned.

'Our religion has largely been hijacked'

In another room, Pakistan organized a conference on Women in Islam: Understanding the Rights and Identity of Women in the Islamic World, aimed at highlighting the achievements of Muslim women and dispelling some stereotypes.

This caricature is painted on the perceptions based on ignorance of our history, ignorance of our cultural, historical norms and roles that women have played," said Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. "And this caricature is a result that the perception of our religion has largely been hijacked after 9/11 by extremists who do not represent our faith.

The conference offered solidarity and calls for doing more but no outcome.

VOA asked Zardari during a short news conference why there was no action.

"I understand the frustration obviously," he said, "but the point is, that's our job at this United Nations and at the OIC [Organization of the Islamic Cooperation] to hold meetings and to shine a light on the role of women, and particularly for us within the context of Islam."

He added that the need for action is not just limited to the Muslim countries but everywhere.

'Abused, threatened and violated'

In the General Assembly Hall, countries were participating at the Commission on the Status of Women. The CSW, as it is known, has drawn more than 4,000 government ministers, diplomats and civil society members to New York for the annual two-week conference to discuss how to empower women and improve the lives of women around the world.

When the session opened on Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that at the current pace, gender equality is projected to be 300 years away.

"Progress won over decades is vanishing before our eyes," he said, adding that womens rights "are being abused, threatened and violated around the world."

CSW members are working on an outcome document to be adopted at the end of the session. The theme of this years meeting is bridging the digital gender gap. That includes improving female access to the internet while protecting women and girls from online harassment and sexual violence.
An explosion in eastern Syria on Wednesday killed at least three people, according to reports. A war monitoring group said the blast was likely caused by a drone strike that targeted Iran-backed militiamen.

No group claimed responsibility for an attack in the area, and reports about what had happened were sketchy. A Britain-based opposition war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said four people died when the strike hit a building housing Iran-backed militiamen in the province of Deir el-Zour. It said eight people were wounded.

A local activist collective, Deir Ezzor 24, reported that the building was used as base for Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Syrian state media, however, said a mine "left by terrorists"  a term often used by the government for opposition forces battling Assad's side in the war  detonated in the area, killing three people and wounding seven. The state media reports showed photographs of a building with several collapsed floors, as well as a destroyed truck.

Syria's 12-year civil war has killed at least 300,000 people and displaced half the country's population of 23 million.

The militant Islamic State group once had a stronghold in much of northeastern Syria as part of its so-called caliphate. Today, several groups, including U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces as well as Syrian government troops with their Russian and Iranian allies, control the area. However, IS sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks there.

Past attacks on Iranian and Iranian-linked targets in eastern Syria have been attributed to either the United States or Israel, though the latter rarely acknowledges its involvement in such attacks.
As parts of southeastern Turkey struggle to recover from last months earthquake, many are questioning why so many relatively modern buildings collapsed in the 7.8 magnitude tremor, with some engineers pointing the finger at Turkish government policy.

'Liquefied' buildings

Piles of concrete and twisted metal tower over the roadsides in southeast Turkey's worst-hit towns and cities. Bodies are still buried inside. More than 45,000 people died in the earthquake in Turkey, while the death toll in Syria is estimated at more than 6,000 people.

The damage extends across 11 provinces in Turkey. Millions of metric tons of debris are slowly being removed. But questions over the level of devastation are not going away.

Survivors describe buildings liquefying as the tremors hit, each floor collapsing onto the next. Why did some buildings survive relatively unscathed  while others collapsed?

Construction failures

Hasan Aksungur, chairman of the Chamber of Civil Engineers in the city of Adana on the edge of the earthquake zone, told VOA key stages in the buildings construction  what he called interlocking rings  had failed.

The fact that the buildings next to those [collapsed] buildings, which were exposed to the same impact, were not destroyed shows that either the design, the implementation, or the control stages of these collapsed buildings were broken, Aksungur said.

Amnesties

Critics of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan say his government repeatedly offered amnesties for illegal buildings  what Erdogan called zoning peace  allowing builders to skip crucial safety regulations. Millions of buildings were certified in this way.

Since 1985, there have been consecutive zoning amnesties. In the last zoning peace (in 2018), these buildings were given a building registration certificate without being subject to any control  without being subject to anything  by paying certain fees, Aksungur said.

Arrests

Since the earthquake, more than 200 people have been arrested on suspicion of breaching building codes, with hundreds more arrest warrants issued.

However, before the earthquake hit, the government was mulling another building amnesty ahead of the May presidential election. President Erdogan boasted of these amnesties during the 2019 election campaign, including on a visit to the province of Hatay, now one of the worst-hit by the earthquake. We have solved the problems of 205,000 of the citizens of Hatay, with zoning peace, he told supporters in Antakya on February 24, 2019.

The Turkish government has not responded to VOA requests for comment.

Election

Turkeys justice minister has pointed out that opposition parties also supported the building amnesties. President Erdogan accused rivals of exploiting the earthquake for political gain. We know that some are rubbing their hands, waiting for the state and the government to fall under the ruins along with our people, Erdogan told lawmakers March 1.

Erdogan said the presidential election would be brought forward from June to May 14. Its not clear how the vote will go ahead in the regions affected by the earthquake.

The emergency response  and what caused more than 45,000 people to lose their lives  looks set to be a key issue as the incumbent president seeks a third term in office.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday assailed Russias year-long invasion of Ukraine as a violation of international law as he arrived in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on extending grain shipments from the war-torn country and securing the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

The sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine must be upheld, within its internationally recognized borders, Guterres said ahead of talks with Zelenskyy.

Our ultimate objective is equally clear: a just peace based on the U.N. Charter, international law and the recent General Assembly resolution marking one year since the start of the war, he said.

But with fighting raging on and no peace talks on the horizon, Guterres said the U.N. is trying to mitigate the impacts of the conflict, which has caused enormous suffering for the Ukrainian peoplewith profound global implications.

He called for the continuation of Ukrainian grain shipments through the Black Sea with Russian acquiescence. He said that since last July, 23 million tons of grain have been exported from Ukrainian ports, much of it shipped to impoverished countries. But absent a new agreement, the program is set to expire March 18.

Guterres said the grain exports have contributed to lowering the global cost of food and has offered critical relief to people, who are also paying a high price for this war, particularly in the developing world. Indeed, the Food and Agriculture Organizations Food Price Index has fallen by almost 20% over the last year.

Exports of Ukrainianas well as Russianfood and fertilizers are essential to global food security and food prices, he said.

Guterres also called for full demilitarization of the region around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europes largest, where nearby fighting has periodically shut down the plant and raised fears of a catastrophic nuclear meltdown.

Attempts for months to end fighting in the region have failed but Guterres said that safety and security near the power plant are vital so that the facility can return to normal operations.

EU foreign ministers

Meanwhile, European Union foreign ministers gathered Wednesday in Stockholm with a push to provide more ammunition to Ukrainian forces high on their agenda.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur advocated for EU countries to provide money to jointly procure ammunition for Ukraine, arguing that effort will boost the capacity of the industry and help EU security in the future.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters that in addition to a joint effort to expand defense industry capacity, EU members should also in the short term provide ammunition quickly to Ukraine from their existing stocks. Borrell said sending what is available now could be accomplished in a matter of weeks.

The issue is how to provide the ammunition Ukraine needs to continue defending, Borrell said.

Ukraine has asked in particular for allies to provide more 155-millimeter artillery rounds.

There is enormous demand out there, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday. The current rate of consumption compared to the current rate of production of ammunition is not sustainable and therefore we need to ramp up production.

Stoltenberg said the conflict is now a war of attrition.

Bakhmut fighting

The NATO chief also said he could not rule out the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut falling into Russian control in coming days.

Therefore, it is also important to highlight that this does not necessarily reflect any turning point of the war, and it just highlights that we should not underestimate Russia, Stoltenberg said. We must continue to provide support to Ukraine.

Hours earlier, the head of Russia's Wagner Group mercenaries, Yevgeni Prigozhin, said its units had taken control of the eastern part of Bakhmut.

Russia has been trying to seize the city in Donetsk province in eastern Ukraine for months.

Prighozin said Wagner forces controlled all districts east of the Bakhmutka River, which would represent about half of the city.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that seizing Bakhmut was important for launching further offensive operations in the region.

Ukrainian leaders have said in recent days they intend to keep fighting in Bakhmut.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
The European Union on Tuesday imposed sanctions on nine people, including two senior Taliban government members, Russian military officers and police, as well as an Iranian prison facility, accusing them all of links to rights violations and the sexual abuse of women.

"We are enhancing efforts to counter sexual and gender-based violence, to ensure that those responsible are fully accountable for their actions, and to combat impunity," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. The announcement comes on the eve of International Women's Day.

The EU move will see asset freezes and travel bans imposed on the nine, and an asset freeze on Qarchak Prison  one of the Iranian regime's detention facilities for women  as well as on Syria's Republican Guard and a Myanmar army institution.

Among those targeted are two acting Taliban government ministers accused of issuing decrees that restrict the rights of women and girls. The Taliban have imposed harsh measures since taking power in August 2021. They have banned women from public life and education for girls beyond the sixth grade.

The EU also took aim at the head of Moscow Police Station, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Georgievich Fedorinov, and one of his men. The commander is accused of authorizing "the arbitrary arrest and detention, as well as the subsequent torture, of female anti-war protesters."

Sanctions were also placed on two Russian military commanders whose troops are accused of committing rape and sexual violence in Ukraine.

As months of protests continue in Iran over the September death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the country's morality police  one of the most serious challenges to Iran's theocracy since its 1979 Islamic Revolution  the EU singled out the Qarchak prison in Teheran province.

The 27-nation bloc said that women held there "are subject to torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence. They are held in overcrowded cells, without access to clean drinking water, food and medical assistance, amounting to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment."
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VOA Persian managing editor on how Iranian authorities responded to public outrage over their inaction as poison attacks on Iranian school girls escalate. Atlantic Council analyst examines possible motives for the attacks. Exiled Venezuelan opposition figure on why West should worry about growing economic ties between Iran and autocratic Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The World Uyghur Congress, a Germany-based Uyghur rights group, has been nominated for the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize.

Canadian lawmakers and a leader of the Young Liberals in Norway, the youth wing of Norway's Venstre political party, nominated the organization. The rights group was cited for its work toward peace, democracy and the plight of the Uyghur and other Turkic people who live under what the nomination letter described as a "repressive regime in China."

"The World Uyghur Congress has the main purpose of promoting democracy, human rights, and freedom for the Uyghur People and supporting the use of peaceful, non-violent, and democratic means to help the Uyghurs achieve self-determination," stated the nomination letter. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, one of two Canadian members of parliament who nominated the group, shared the letter with VOA.

The committee that selects the eventual Nobel Peace laureate does not disclose the names of the nominees to the news media or to the candidates. Under its rules, such information must remain secret for 50 years. The awards ceremony takes place in December in Oslo.

The nomination letter noted the WUC has drawn global attention to China's treatment of Uyghurs with "the overwhelming campaign of physical, religious, linguistic, and cultural repression" by the Chinese government.

"To achieve this, the WUC has a wide range of activities, including campaigning for the rights of people being forcefully disappeared, advocating for the release of political prisoners, protecting the rights of asylum seekers to prevent forcible repatriation to China, and advocating at the UN, EU, and national level, where the WUC has successfully contributed to numerous achievements, which led to the international community developing policies and actions to help secure the rights of the Uyghurs," Brunelle-Duceppe said in the letter.

Beijing has repeatedly denied mistreating Uyghurs, with China's state news agency, Xinhua, describing the allegations as "lies" concocted by "anti-China forces in the West."

"Xinjiang-related issues are not about human rights, ethnicity or religion at all, but about combating violent terrorism and separatism," stated Xinhua in a 2021 article, as it pointed out the region has experienced economic and social development.

The Chinese embassy in Washington criticized the WUC's nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

"It is hoped that the prize will contribute to global peace and development, rather than falling into a political tool at the disposal of a few politicians," embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu told VOA in an email. "The so-called 'World Uyghur Congress' has close linkages with terrorist organizations. Nominating such an organization for the Nobel Peace Prize is highly detrimental to world peace and is a great irony of the Nobel Peace Prize."

Last August, the U.N. human rights office released a report on Xinjiang, stating that the Chinese government's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in so-called vocational education and training centers could constitute crimes against humanity. The United States and several other countries have classified human rights abuses in the region as genocide.

"The Chinese government has perpetrated the same lies for decades," Zumretay Arkin, advocacy manager of the WUC, told VOA.

"The fact that the WUC was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize is proof that the free and democratic world has recognized the WUC's work as valuable and important. Instead of defaming such organizations, the Chinese government should listen to the democratic world," Arkin said.

According to the group's website, the WUC was founded in 2004, in Munich, Germany, after the East Turkistan National Congress and the World Uyghur Youth Congress merged into one organization.

"The main objective of the WUC is to promote democracy, human rights, and freedom for the Uyghur people and to use peaceful, nonviolent, and democratic means to determine their political future," the group's website states in its mission statement. "By representing the sole legitimate organization of the Uyghur people both in East Turkistan and abroad, WUC endeavors to set out a course for the peaceful settlement of the East Turkistan Question through dialogue and negotiation."

East Turkistan is the name some Uyghurs prefer to use instead of Xinjiang, which means "new territory" in Chinese and is what China calls the Uyghur homeland.

"It makes me very proud to see that the World Uyghur Congress' hard work to end the Uyghur genocide has not gone unnoticed," Dolkun Isa, the president of the WUC, said in a press statement.

The nomination was also significant because it was "a show of support for the Uyghur people," Isa said.
Iranian missile attacks across the Iraqi border are unacceptable and put both civilians and regional stability at risk, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on a visit to the Iraqi capital nearly 20 years after the U.S.-led invasion.

"With its missile attacks, the Iranian regime shows not only that it recklessly and brutally suppresses its own people, it also puts human life and the stability of the whole region at risk to hold on to power," she said on Tuesday.

"It is unacceptable and dangerous for the whole region," she told a news conference with her Iraqi counterpart.

Last year, Tehran fired missiles at bases of Kurdish groups in northern Iraq it accuses of involvement in protests against its restrictions on women, displacing hundreds of Iranian Kurds and killing at least one person and wounding at least eight.

Iran has for years denied Western claims it is a destabilizing influence in the region. Tehran has accused Western countries of orchestrating unrest and has accused protesters in ethnic minority regions of working on behalf of separatist groups.

Baerbock, visiting Iraq on the same day as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, said she was sending a signal that Europe's biggest economy wanted deeper cooperation with Iraq.

She said she would discuss Iraq's security and stability, the question of Yazidis and cooperation on climate change.
Shraga Tichover is hanging up his fatigues. After more than three decades as a reservist in the Israeli military, the paratrooper says he will no longer put his life on the line for a country slipping toward autocracy.

Tichover is part of a wave of unprecedented opposition from within the ranks of the Israeli military to a contentious government plan to overhaul the judiciary. Like Tichover, some reservists are refusing to show up for duty and former commanders are defending their actions as a natural response to the impending change.

"The values of this country are going to change. I am not able to serve the military of a state that is not a democracy," said Tichover, a 53-year-old volunteer reservist who has served in southern Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The typically taboo talk of defying military orders underlines how deeply the overhaul has divided Israel and is now tearing at what Israeli Jews see as their most respected institution, the military. Concerns are growing that the protest could trickle down to young conscripts as well.

In a declaration that has sent shock waves through the country, three dozen reservist fighter pilots said they wouldn't show up for training on Wednesday in protest. The airmen are seen as the cream of the military's personnel and irreplaceable elements of many of Israel's battle plans.

After appeals from top officials, the pilots announced they would show up to their base  but only for a dialogue with their commanders, Israeli media reported. "We have full confidence in our commanders," the reports quoted the pilots as saying in a letter.

The military's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Herzl Halevi, reportedly warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week that the reservists' protest risks harming the military's capabilities. Halevi and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met late Tuesday with a group of senior reservists to discuss the crisis.

"The army cannot operate without the reservists," Halevi told them. But, he said, "insubordination is a red line."

For Israel's Jewish majority, most of whom must serve in the military, the army is a source of unity and a rite of passage. Military service is an important launching pad into civilian life and the workforce.

After completing three years of mandatory service, many men continue in the reserves until their 40s, when service becomes voluntary. Most of those threatening to halt their service are volunteers, protecting them from potential punishment.

Recognizing the threat to its stability, the military has pleaded to be kept out of the heated public discourse. But it's become central to the debate over what kind of Israel will emerge after the overhaul.

Netanyahu, a former soldier in an elite unit, and his government are pushing forward on a plan to weaken the Supreme Court and limit the independence of the judiciary. His allies say the changes are meant to streamline governance, while critics say the plan will upend Israel's system of checks and balances and slide the country toward authoritarianism. They also say Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, is motivated by a personal grudge and has a conflict of interest.

The overhaul, which is moving ahead in parliament, has sparked an outcry from business leaders and legal officials. Tens of thousands of protesters have been taking to the streets each week.

Not everyone identifies with the soldiers. Critics say the military, as the enforcer of Israel's rule over millions of Palestinians in an open-ended occupation, has subjugated another people and eroded the country's democratic ideals. The reserve units now protesting, including pilots and intelligence units, have been behind deadly strikes or surveillance against Palestinians.

Israel's own Palestinian minority has largely stayed on the sidelines of the anti-government protests, in part because of Israel's treatment of their Palestinian brethren in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

But Jewish Israelis see the military as a pillar of security in the face of myriad threats. Israel is mired in a bloody round of violence with Palestinians and archenemy Iran is blazing ahead with its nuclear program. Israel says Iran is developing a nuclear bomb  a charge that Tehran denies.

Those developments have not stopped the creeping challenge within the military. Israel's pool of reservists are the backbone of the force when security crises erupt.

Ehud Barak, a former military chief of staff, defense minister and prime minister, has said it would be acceptable to defy orders from what he calls a dictatorial regime. Dan Halutz, another former military chief, said soldiers won't agree to become "mercenaries for a dictator."

In addition to the protesting pilots, hundreds of reservists have signed letters promising not to serve if the overhaul passes.

"Hit the emergency brake now," reservists from the 8200 intelligence unit warned the government in a letter last week. Many 8200 graduates join the country's booming tech sector, also a fierce opponent of the overhaul.

A mass protest movement demonstrating against the overhaul has its own reservist contingent. A new group, "Do it Yourself," is calling on secular families to refuse to allow their children to serve in the occupied West Bank. A group of soldiers has asked permission to join the mass protests.

Activists warn that the overhaul is threatening to hurt future morale.

"The generations after us will not follow us," said Eyal Naveh, 47, a reservist from an elite unit and protest leader. "What will a person who halted his reserve duty tell his son? To go to the army or not?"

Naveh said reservists are also concerned the changes will leave soldiers exposed to war crimes charges at international courts. One of Israel's defenses against war crimes accusations is that it has an independent legal system capable of investigating any potential wrongdoing.

Debate has emerged in the past over whether soldiers ideologically opposed to an order should refuse to carry it out, particularly over the evacuation of Jews from settlements. But the mere suggestion of insubordination is rare.

Tichover, the volunteer reservist, said he struggled during his service with what he called "irrational" orders that harmed Palestinians, like being told to damage Palestinian cars. He said he found ways to skirt around such orders but never overtly defied them.

Late on Monday, Netanyahu met with members of the paramilitary border police force at a base in the occupied West Bank, telling them there was no room for politics in the military.

"There is no place for refusal now, and there won't be a place in the future," he said.

Reflecting the military's public standing, opposition leaders have also spoken out against the calls to defy orders.

"Do not lend a hand to insubordination," said Benny Gantz, an opposition leader and former military chief.

The looming threat to the military isn't the reservists' protest, said Idit Shafran Gittleman, an expert on the military at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think tank. She says the overhaul could lead to a constitutional crisis over who is in charge.

"There will be chaos," she said. "The military won't know who it must take orders from."
Voters go to the polls in 10 Erie County villages and three in Niagara County on March 21.

Most candidates are unopposed, but voters in Akron, Sloan and Wilson have contested races for trustee. Middleport residents will choose a between two candidates for mayor. And residents in two villages will be deciding whether to increase service awards for volunteer firefighters.

Erie County

Akron: Trustee Brian T. Perry is running for mayor. He is unopposed for the four-year term.

Three candidates are vying for two trustee seats with four-year terms. They are incumbent Michael R. Middaugh, Daren S. Schultz and Charles Roggen.

Voters also will decide whether to increase the service award for the Akron Fire Company from $480 to $650 per calendar year.

Alden: Mark Casell, who was appointed to fill a trustee vacancy, is running to serve the year remaining on the term. He is the only candidate running.

Angola: Incumbent trustees Valerie Stonitsch and John Dybowski are unopposed for re-election. Dennis Glascott is the only candidate seeking the village justice seat.

Blasdell: Mayor Rob Hefner is unopposed in seeking a four-year term.

Two four-year trustee positions will be filled. Incumbent Dennis Fox and Peter Murphy are running. Trustee Robert Pirowski is term limited and cannot seek re-election.

Depew: Mayor Kevin Peterson is running unopposed for a four-year term.

Candidates for trustee also are unopposed for four-year terms. They are incumbent Andrew Adolf and Janelle Kraft.

Residents also will vote on increasing the maximum years of service credit for the length of service award program for Depew firefighters from 30 to 50 years, and the maximum projected award from $600 to $1,000.

East Aurora: Incumbent trustees Kristin Cameron and Steve Lazickas and newcomer George Schoeneman are running unopposed for three four-year trustee positions.

Gowanda: Three incumbents are running without opposition for re-election to two-year terms. They are Mayor David L. Smith and trustees Carol A. Sheibley and Paul M. Zimmerman.

Lancaster: Two newcomers are running for two four-year trustee positions. They are Tammie E. Malone Schaefer and John Mikoley.

Orchard Park: Voters will pick three trustees. Two candidates, incumbent Matthew J. Hartung and David T. Even, are running for two four-year terms, while incumbent Dale T. Pyne is seeking a two-year term as trustee.

Incumbent Village Justice James C. Cosgrove is running for re-election to a four-year term.

Sloan: Three candidates are running for two four-year seats on the Village Board. Incumbent Linda Ostempowski is facing Michele Kramarsyck and Suzanne Tofthagen.

Niagara County

Barker: Trustee and deputy Mayor Seanna Corwin-Bradley is unopposed in her bid for the two-year term of mayor. Incumbent trustees Aaron M. Davis and Melanie Hirschman are running for re-election to two-year terms.

Middleport: The contest for the two-year term for mayor is between incumbent Mayor Richard J. Westcott and Daniel A. Dodge. Incumbent trustees Wayne B. Blumrick and Dorothy J. Barr are unopposed for re-election to two-year terms.

Wilson: Residents will choose two trustees from among four candidates. The person with the most votes will win the three-year term, and the second place finisher will win a one-year term. The candidates are Stephen Smith, Michael Moyer, incumbent Gary Darnell and Ellen M. Hibbard.
Add a top U.S. intelligence official to the list of Americans expressing concern about Chinese-made technology and Chinese social media platforms like TikTok.

General Paul Nakasone, who heads both the U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, told lawmakers Tuesday there are multiple reasons to be wary of Chinas rapid expansion in cyberspace, calling Beijing "a very formidable foe."

"TikTok concerns me for a number of different reasons," Nakasone said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. "One is that the data that they have. Secondly is the algorithm and the control. Who has the algorithm?"

Third, he said, "is the broad platform" both for unleashing potential influence operations but also for the ability to give China a way to "turn off the message."

Last month, the United States moved forward with plans to ban TikTok  a social media app used by more than 100 million Americans  from government devices. Some U.S. lawmakers have called for giving U.S. President Joe Biden the ability to ban use of the social media app nationwide.

Others, however, object to giving Biden the ability to issue a blanket nationwide ban, arguing TikTok is only a small part of a larger issue.

"The threat that everyone is talking about is TikTok, and how it could enable surveillance by the Chinese Communist Party or facilitate the spread of malign influence campaigns in the U.S," Democratic Senator Mark Warner told reporters."Before TikTok, however, it was Huawei and ZTE, which threatened our nations telecommunications networks. And before that, it was Russias Kaspersky Lab."

"We need a comprehensive, risk-based approach that proactively tackles sources of potentially dangerous technology before they gain a foothold in America," he said.

The Restrict Act, being pushed by Warner and others, would establish a rule-based process  informed by the U.S. intelligence community and directed by the Department of Commerce  to identify and address foreign technological threats.

For its part, TikToks parent company, ByteDance, has dismissed concerns it would improperly use user data as "political theater."

But concerns about Chinese companies and Chinese technology keep growing.

On Sunday, The Wall Street Journal reported U.S. defense officials are worried that Chinese-made ship-to-shore cranes used at many of Americas ports could be used to spy on materials being shipped in and out of the U.S.

Communist China has monopolized the port crane industry, and I will continue to spearhead efforts to decouple from the regime in Beijing and incentivize the near-shoring and reshoring of our strategic manufacturing capabilities, Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez told VOA when asked about the potential for Chinese espionage at U.S. ports. I will fight to protect our critical infrastructure from the CCPs espionage tactics."

Tensions also have been rising since the U.S. shot down what it identified as a Chinese spy balloon last month after it had traveled across much of the continental United States.

And Biden is expected to issue an executive order in the coming days that would tighten rules on the ability of U.S. companies to invest in China.

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang chastised the U.S. Tuesday, telling reporters in Beijing that Washingtons China policy has "entirely deviated from the rational.

But Nakasone told lawmakers that politicians and businesses alike would be smart to be careful about how they make use of Chinese-made platforms and technology.

"What I would do is ensure that the areas that are most sensitive to our operations are well-sensored, and I have the confidence that's whats being utilized there. I understand where that information may be going," the CYBERCOM commander said.

"I would take a very, very hard look at anything that would come from an adversarial nation," Nakasone said, though he acknowledged it would be "very difficult" to proceed with an all-out ban of Chinese products.

"So much of what we do is based upon international trade," he said, "and China has the corner on some things."
Analysts in Australia believe Chinas economy is in transition and is moving away from a focus on global trade to a model based more on consumer spending and internal investment.

The country has set an economic growth target of five per cent. Analysts believe this is a modest figure, but Australian exporters are hoping that China will soon lift trade restrictions and tariffs.

China accounts for about a third of Australias global trade in goods and services. Government figures show this was worth $186 million in 2021, up from $162 million in 2020.

But increased diplomatic tensions between the two countries led to the imposition of tariffs and other restrictions by China on some Australian exports, including coal, barley and wine.

The center-left government in Canberra has been working to ease political friction with Beijing, which has been caused by various disputes, including disagreements over the South China Sea and origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Associate Professor Angela Knox of the University of Sydneys Business School believes China understands that it needs to nurture ties with countries such as Australia to meet its economic growth targets.

In Australia we probably knew that we had a very heavy dependence on China, Knox told VOA. Diversification is always a good thing. We should not be putting all of our eggs in one basket. So, where there are opportunities to expand and diversify, we should certainly be taking those kinds of opportunities and building those opportunities.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said that his country must foster economic links with other countries including Indonesia and India.

Albanese visits India this week where he will focus on the South Asian nations rapid technological growth and expanding digital economy.

But Australia remains heavily dependent on demand from China.

Data from Australias Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has shown that in 2021 commerce with China was worth more than the combined value of its trade in goods and services with Japan, the United States and South Korea.
The Netherlands' government on Wednesday said it planned new restrictions on exports of semiconductor technology to protect national security, joining the United States effort to curb chip exports to China.

The U.S. in October imposed sweeping export restrictions on shipments of American chipmaking tools to China, but for the restrictions to be effective, they need other key suppliers in the Netherlands and Japan, who also oversee key chipmaking technology, to agree. The allied countries have been in talks on the matter for months.

Dutch Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher announced the decision in a letter to parliament, saying the restrictions would be introduced before the summer.

Her letter did not name China, a key Dutch trading partner, nor did it name ASML Holding NV, Europe's largest tech firm and a major supplier to semiconductor manufacturers, but both will be affected. It specified one technology that would be affected: "DUV" lithography, the second-most advanced machines that ASML sells to computer chip manufacturers.

"Because the Netherlands considers it necessary on national security grounds to get this technology into oversight with the greatest of speed, the Cabinet will introduce a national control list," the letter said.

ASML said in a response it expected to have to apply for licenses to export the most advanced segment among its DUV machines, but that would not affect its 2023 financial guidance.

ASML dominates the market for lithography systems, multimillion-dollar machines that use powerful lasers to create the minute circuitry of computer chips. The company expects sales in China to remain about flat at $2.3 billion in 2023 - implying relative shrinkage as the company expects overall sales to grow by 25%. Major ASML customers such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Intel are engaged in capacity expansion.

ASML has never sold its most advanced "EUV" machines to customers in China, and the bulk of its DUV sales in China go to relatively less advanced chipmakers. Its biggest South Korean customers, Samsung and SK Hynix, both have significant manufacturing capacity in China.

The Dutch announcement leaves major questions unanswered, including whether ASML will be able to service the more than $8 billion worth of DUV machines it has sold to customers in China since 2014.

Schreinemacher said the Dutch government had decided on measures "as carefully and precisely as possible ... to avoid unnecessary disruption of value chains."

"It is for companies of importance to know what they are facing and to have time to adjust to new rules," she wrote.

Japan is expected to issue an update on its chip equipment export policies as soon as this week.
The Philippine coast guard has launched a strategy of publicizing aggressive actions by China in the disputed South China Sea, which has countered Chinese propaganda and sparked international condemnation that has put Beijing under the spotlight, a Philippine official said Wednesday.

Manila's coast guard has intensified patrols in the disputed waters and taken extra efforts to document and publicize assertive Chinese behavior in the strategic waterway, including a Feb. 6 incident in which a Chinese coast guard ship aimed a military-grade laser that briefly blinded some crew members on a Philippine patrol boat off a disputed reef.

The coast guard protested and released a video of the incident, which sparked alarm in the Philippines, the United States and some other Western countries. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. summoned China's ambassador to Manila and later said the Philippine military has shifted its focus from fighting Muslim and communist insurgents and other internal threats to external defense amid long-seething South China Sea territorial disputes.

I'd like to emphasize that the best way to address Chinese gray zone activities in the West Philippine Sea is to expose it, coast guard Commodore Jay Tarriela said, referring to China's use of ostensibly civilian fishing and research vessels to perform military tasks to avoid a military response from rival claimant states.

Tarriela used the Philippine name for the stretch of the South China Sea close to its western coast. He spoke at a Manila forum about China's gray zone operations in the disputed sea.

The Philippine coast guard's role as a mouthpiece against Chinese aggression allows like-minded states to express condemnation and reproach which puts Beijing in a spotlight, he said. Chinese actions in the shadows are now checked, which also forced them to come out in the open or to publicly lie."

Tarriela said Manila's outrage over the laser-pointing incident prompted China, including its ambassador to Manila, to explain its position when asked about the incident at news conferences.

Chinese officials said the Philippine patrol vessel trespassed into Chinese territory and that the Chinese coast guard acted professionally and with restraint and used a harmless laser to track the Philippine boat's movement.

By making public unedited coast guard videos and photographs of such Chinese actions, we can once again reshape public opinion to weigh things objectively based on facts and not just propaganda, Tarriela said.

The U.S. State Department reacted to the incident by saying that China's dangerous operational behavior directly threatens regional peace and stability and "undermines the rules-based international order." It renewed a warning that it would defend the Philippines, a treaty ally, if Filipino forces, aircraft and ships come under attack in the South China Sea.

Raymond Powell, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel who has studied China's strategies, praised the Philippine coast guard's efforts to publicize China's actions in the South China Sea but warned that the Philippine government would come under Chinese pressure to "stop making so much trouble, stop releasing things.

China claims virtually all of the South China Sea, putting it on a collision course with other claimants such as the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia.

Despite friendly overtures to Beijing by former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and his successor, Marcos Jr., who visited Beijing and met President Xi Jinping in January, tensions have persisted, resulting in a strengthening of the military alliance between the Philippines and the U.S.
A Senegalese television journalist has been detained on charges of contempt of court and spreading false news, his lawyer told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday.

Pape Ndiaye, a commentator for the WalFadjri news channel, had recently questioned the independence of the judiciary after opposition politician Ousmane Sonko was referred to a criminal court in January over rape accusations.

The journalist, whose lawyer said he was jailed Tuesday night pending a possible trial, had said the majority of the judges of the public prosecutor's office had decided to dismiss the case against Sonko.

But he alleged the public prosecutor told them to fulfill the government's desire to put him on trial.

Ndiaye's lawyer, Moussa Sarr, confirmed the journalist's indictment and detention to AFP on Wednesday, after it was initially announced by the Coordination of Press Associations (CAP), a trade union confederation.

He said the charges include the "provocation of a crowd, contempt of court, intimidation and reprisals against a member of the judiciary, discrediting a judicial act, dissemination of false news [and] endangering the lives of others."

The Sonko case has been a source of tension for two years in Senegal.

The politician, who came in third in the last presidential election, was charged with rape and death threats and placed under judicial supervision in March 2021, based on a complaint by an employee at a beauty salon where he was getting a massage.

He claims the charges are part of a plot to destroy his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election.

Ndiaye is the second journalist to be imprisoned in recent months in Senegal.

Pape Ale Niang, a journalist from the news website Dakar Matin and a critic of the government, was arrested in November and again in December.

He has been accused, among other things, of "disclosing information likely to harm national defense" and "disseminating false news"  also in connection with the Sonko case.

He has since been placed under judicial supervision.

Senegal was ranked 73rd out of 180 countries on the 2022 World Press Freedom Index compiled by Reporters Without Borders, down 24 places from the previous year.
A military court in Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in Somalia, executed 13 militants Wednesday who were members of the al-Shabab and Islamic State terror groups.

The court said five Somali soldiers were also executed for killing civilians in Puntland.

The court gave no details on the killings.

A sixth soldier, who was also found guilty, was spared the death penalty after his family pledged to pay so-called blood money to the victim's family.

Somalia's courts allow for out-of-court settlements in murder cases through financial compensation. The compensation amount, usually in the form of camels, was said to be under negotiation.

Somali authorities have executed a number of militants in the past year as they wage an all-out war against al-Shabab.

Somali troops at times have been accused of using excessive force. Last month, a military court in Mogadishu executed two other Somali army soldiers, also for killing civilians.
U.S. President Joe Biden will host his South Korean counterpart, Yoon Suk Yeol, for an official state visit on April 26.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday President Yoons visit will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the security alliance between the United States and South Korea. The alliance was formed after the three-year long Korean War ended with an armistice in 1953, which left the Korean peninsula split between the communist-run North and democratic-run South.

The visit is part of President Bidens efforts to build and maintain relationships with regional partners as a means to counterbalance Chinas growing military and economic presence, as well as North Koreas continued nuclear and ballistic missile program despite numerous United Nations sanctions.

Yoons visit would be the first official state visit for a South Korean leader since 2011, when then-President Barack Obama hosted Lee Myung-bak. It would also be the second state visit for Biden, since hosting French President Emmanuel Macron last December.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
A hunger strike by two young activists has returned the issue of Thailands royal defamation law to the center of political debate as a general election draws near and pro-democracy parties try to avoid making the controversial law a campaign issue.

Thailand is ruled by a constitutional monarchy, but King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 70, wields sweeping political and economic influence.

Critics say those powers are beyond debate due to the royal defamation law - article 112 of the Thai criminal code  which carries a jail sentence of between three and 15 years for anyone deemed guilty of defaming, insulting or threatening key royals.

Scores of people, including teenagers, have been charged under the law since mass youth-driven protests erupted in 2020. Those rallies saw unprecedented public calls for monarchy reform and the repeal of article 112.

A 26-year-old was jailed for two years this week for selling a calendar depicting rubber ducks deemed by a criminal court to have insulted the Thai monarchy.

Two activists charged under 112, Tantawan Tuatulanont, 21, and Orawan Phupong, 23, have been on hunger strikes since January 18, demanding the courts release all political prisoners.

On February 24 they discharged themselves from a hospital to continue their strike in front of the Supreme Court in Bangkok.

People will walk by this entrance they can choose to look away but well be right here, the pair said in a statement on Facebook, through their lawyers.

Better known by their nicknames Tawan and Bam, they were charged for holding a poll in February 2022 on the impact of royal motorcades, which frequently disrupt Bangkok traffic.

They are currently refusing food, and drinking only small amounts of water, according to their lawyers, as their health visibly wanes on day 50 of their strike.

We knew there may only be two outcomes, the women added in their statement.

Kings country

Thailands monarchy is backed by the arch-royalist army, which has broken up efforts to build a full democracy with 13 successful coups since 1932.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the last coup in 2014 as army chief and then rebranded as a civilian leader, has indicated a general election will be held by May 7.

He is seeking to return as premier, with his clearest route back to power likely to be as head of a coalition of pro-army establishment parties.

But as elections creep closer the royal defamation law is coming under new scrutiny.

Bam and Tawans case has drawn the attention of celebrities, politicians and rights groups as well as from Clement Voule, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association and Peaceful Assembly, who tweeted (Feb. 10) that he was very concerned about the critical health conditions of the pair.

Their action has also pointed to a split on the pro-democracy side on the level of reform they are willing to demand.

Thailands biggest party  Pheu Thai  is hoping to win a landslide in the upcoming polls, banking on the loyalty of the poor north and northeast to the family of billionaire former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, whose own government was thrown out in a 2006 coup.

But the party has side-stepped calls for reform of the 112 law.

If Pheu Thai is in government I am confident we will not see this law being used every day, Thaksin said in a Facebook post late last month from overseas, where he lives to avoid jail in Thailand on corruption charges he insists are bogus.

Its easier to use international standards of the rule of law to solve this problem than to actually amend the law itself, he said.

Pheu Thai is putting up Thaksins daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 36, as a possible prime ministerial candidate, using the family name to get out the vote.

Experts say the partys position on the law is muted to avoid antagonizing Thailands highly interventionist courts  and the arch-royalist factions, who loathe Thaksin.

Court orders have struck down several Shinawatra-linked parties and governments in the past, before and just after elections.

Instead, the onus on reforming the law has fallen on Move Forward, a progressive, youth-focused party.

As a first step the party wants the punishment under the law to be reduced to a one-year maximum sentence, but party leaders say the house speaker has so far blocked the proposal from being debated in parliament.

As long as we still have this law, there is no way Thailand can be a democratic country, said Amornrat Chokepamitkul, a Move Forward member of parliament.

How can we call ourselves democratic when we have a law that bans people from speaking or expressing themselves freely?

Yet any changes to a law protecting Thailands most powerful institution, are a major gamble in a volatile country.

I expect most parties to be reluctant to campaign heavily on the issue of Article 112, since the downside risks may outweigh potential gains, said Napon Jatusripitak, a political scientist and researcher at The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Yusof-Ishak Institute in Singapore.

For Pheu Thai, the safest move is to voice support for human rights while relieving itself of any real responsibility in terms of amending or abolishing the law, he said.

Bam and Tawans hunger strike could change the calculation, especially if their health takes a turn for the worse in front of a watching public.

For many Generation Z voters, the 112 law is a dividing line from their elders, who rarely brought the monarchy into discussions on Thailands trenchant political and economic troubles.

Forget about amending it, 112 must be repealed, said Thayut Na Ayudhya, 21, a Thai rapper called Eleven Finger and a friend of the hunger striking pair.

It should never be used against anyone ever again. Im worried for Bam and Tawan. This law has to go so their sacrifice is not in vain.
A man in Thailand has been sentenced to two years in prison for violating the countrys law against insulting the royal family.

The man was arrested in 2020 for selling calendars with pictures of yellow ducks, which were a symbol of Thailands pro-democracy protest movement. Prosecutors say the calendars ridiculed King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Thailand has some of the world's harshest laws against insulting the monarchy, known as lese majeste, with a conviction carrying a sentence of up to 15 years in prison for each perceived insult. The law has been the focal point of Thailands youth-led pro-democracy movement since 2020, which has called for its abolishment.

The legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights says more than 200 people have been charged with violating the lese majeste law since 2020.

Two young pro-democracy activists have staged a hunger strike for the past six weeks against the lese majeste law.
Thousands remain in camps almost two years after a volcanic eruption in the Democratic Republic of the Congo forced their displacement. Renewed fighting between the military and rebels has pushed even more people into the camps. Ruth Omar Esther reports from Munigi, DRC. Camera: Esdras Tsongo.
While everyone is grateful for the outpouring of support for fallen firefighter Jason Arno, who was killed when a blaze tore through a Main Street building last week, Mayor Byron W. Brown warned Tuesday that only so many people will be able to squeeze into St. Joseph's Cathedral in downtown Buffalo for his funeral. Members of the public who are not firefighters or family members are unlikely to have in-person access, he said.

More details regarding the funeral will be released soon. However, during Brown's update on the fire investigation Tuesday, he said that with firefighters coming from around the country and the world to attend the funeral, local community members who want to pay their respects in person will not be permitted in the church.

"We are asking the public that wants to come downtown for the services to line the processional route from the funeral home to the church," Brown said.

More information will be shared on the processional route and and funeral arrangements, he said.

The family has consented to allowing the funeral to be televised so that anyone who wants to watch the service and participate remotely can do so, Brown said. The funeral will also be livestreamed.

Buffalo Fire Commissioner William Renaldo said 1,000 hotel rooms have been booked by those interested in attending the funeral.

"We're actually looking at the possibility of up to four or 5,000 out-of-town guests showing up, coming in on Thursday and Friday," he said.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars have poured in to support the Arno family.

Arno was 37. He was married to a nurse at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and leaves behind a 3-year-old daughter. He joined the Buffalo Fire Department three years ago.

Renaldo again praised Arno's dedication to public service. Both he and Brown said they are not surprised by the outpouring of support locally and nationally.

"Everything we know about, learned about him, tells you his life could have taken a lot of different directions," Renaldo said. "But he chose public service. He chose to work with the local fire department and serve the community."
The United Nations said Wednesday that Taliban restrictions on the rights of women and girls had "effectively trapped" most of them in their homes, turning Afghanistan into the "most repressive" country in the world for women.



The U.N. statement marking International Women's Day comes as female activists gathered in the street of the Afghan capital, Kabul, for a second day to protest the ruling Taliban's ban on girls' access to education and work.



"Afghanistan under the Taliban remains the most repressive country in the world regarding women's rights and it has been distressing to witness their methodical, deliberate, and systematic efforts to push Afghan women and girls out of the public sphere," said Roza Otunbayeva, the head of the U.N. mission in Kabul.



"Confining half of the country's population to their homes in one of the world's largest humanitarian and economic crises is a colossal act of national self-harm," she added, renewing her call on the Taliban to halt and reverse the "harsh restrictions."



Otunbayeva warned that the crackdown on women's rights would damage Afghanistan's prospects of recovering from decades of war and condemn all its citizens to poverty for generations. "It will further isolate Afghanistan from its citizens and the rest of the world," the U.N. envoy said.



The Taliban returned to power in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops withdrew from the country after two decades of war.



The hardline de facto leaders have since implemented a strict interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia, barring most Afghan women from workplaces and banning female education beyond grade six in the impoverished South Asian nation of about 40 million people.



"The time has come for the United Nations to take a decisive and serious decision concerning the fate of the [Afghan] people," one of the protesters at the Kabul rally read from a statement, according to AFP.



The U.N. says Afghan women's right to travel or work outside their homes and to access public spaces is largely restricted. They have also been excluded from all levels of public decision making.



The international community has not recognized the Taliban as legitimate rulers of Afghanistan. It calls on the hardline leadership to uphold human rights and cut ties with terrorist groups before it is willing to engage in diplomatic relations.



On Wednesday, Rina Amiri, the U.S. special envoy for Afghan women, girls, and human rights, voiced her solidarity with women in Afghanistan, saying she will continue to advocate for them with "every tool" at her disposal.



"The road ahead will be undeniably challenging, but you are not alone. We will continue working with you to remind the world that we cannot allow the normalization of policies that have made half of the population prisoners in their homes," Amiri wrote in an open letter to Afghan women.





Taliban leaders did not immediately respond to the renewed international criticism of their governance. The male-only Taliban administration has said its policies align with Afghan culture and Islamic law. Afghans and scholars in other Muslim-majority countries reject the claims, saying neither local culture nor Islam bans women's access to education and public life.

On Tuesday, Taliban Higher Education Minister Neda Mohammad Nadim, while addressing a gathering in Kabul, insisted they had not banned female education but suspended it temporarily. He asserted the Taliban are being "uselessly" and "unfairly" accused of being enemies of women.



"[But] we cannot act based on anyone's recommendations. The individuals should not make such demands on us that our tradition, customs, and Islamic religion do not allow," Nadim said, without naming anyone.
Weeks after U.S. Ambassador to Estonia George Kent took up his new post in the country, he spoke to VOA about the future of U.S.-Estonia relations, how Russias invasion of Ukraine has affected attitudes toward defense spending, and military cooperation, as well as NATO expansion.

Kent is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and previously served as deputy assistant secretary in the European and Eurasian bureau at the U.S. State Department. He was also the former deputy chief of mission in Kyiv, Ukraine. He joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1992.

Kent spoke this week with VOA Eastern Europe bureau chief Myroslava Gongadze in Tallinn, Estonia.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

VOA: You arrived in Estonia when the biggest war since World War II  Russia's war in Ukraine  started. And this country, in particular, has experienced Soviet occupation. How does the past occupation of Estonia change Estonians assessment or their view of this threat from Russia?

Kent: Well, you can see this is the Victims of Communism Memorial. It was built in 2018, and Estonians  who were about a million Estonians before the war  lost 75,000 people through being shot and killed in exile in Siberia. And another estimated 90,000 who were forced into refugee status. So, a country that's relatively small lost 20% of its population between roughly 1940 and 1955. So, I think that experience of Estonians ... experiencing Soviet oppression made them empathetic to what was happening to Ukrainians, particularly over the last year.

VOA: Clearly, the Eastern Europeans are more in tune with these threats, and it seems as if they understand them better. Why do you think it's such a big difference between Eastern and Western Europe?

Kent: I think Estonians have lived the threat. They are neighbors of Russia, and so I think it's not hypothetical for Estonians. So, for others who are further away, it's almost a clinical international relations challenge. And for Estonians, it's both the lived experience of their families, as well as the actual threat right on their borders. And so, for instance, I was given this Ukrainian-colored ribbon at the Estonian National Day [commemoration]. As we went in for the commemoration of Estonia's independence in 1918, everybody was given a Ukrainian ribbon, because for Estonians, they really see the events of today through the lens of their own past.

VOA: In your previous capacity, you were in charge of the U.S. policy toward the region. Had you foreseen that something like this could happen in this region?

Kent: I think many people heard but did not listen to the words of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Russians. They were talking about wanting to expand Russia's territory  the previous lands that were under the Russian empire  and I believe most Westerners thought we are in a different era, that we have a rules-based international order. There are commitments that both Soviet and Russian leaders signed up to, and perhaps we all should have been listening more closely to what Russians were actually saying.

VOA: The U.S. and Estonia have a close relationship, obviously, and Estonia is a front-line country. The U.S. and NATO are helping Estonia boost its military capability. How well is this process going?

Kent: Secretary of Defense [Lloyd] Austin was here three weeks ago, and his messages, I think, were direct and quite relevant to your question. First of all, Estonia has given more assistance per capita to Ukraine than any other country. Second of all, Secretary Austin said he promised the previous Estonian governments were Russia to invade Ukraine more broadly, we, the U.S., would be sending troops to Estonia the next day. And it was a small group, but they were dispatched the next day. Last December, we sent a  HIMARS unit and an infantry company here to Estonia. That was our implementation of the commitments made at the NATO Madrid Summit last year. And leading up to the Vilnius Summit in July, were in active discussions led by the NATO Supreme Commander Chris Cavoli about new regional plans. So, I think the events, Russia's wider invasion and war in Ukraine, are also driving considerations within NATO, as well as the discussions between the U.S. and Estonia bilaterally.

VOA: Ukrainian intelligence is assessing that Russia is running out of ammunition, and there is a possibility of China joining forces with Russia in its war in Ukraine. How dangerous can this be?

Kent: I think there's a lot of coverage around the Munich Security Conference. The U.S. clearly has been messaging to Chinese leaders that they should stay out, not support Russia materially in this war. And I think it's pretty clear that the U.S. has a willingness to sanction those who support Russia's war effort. And there were a series of announcements on February 24th, which was the anniversary of the wider invasion, both additional security and assistance, particularly financial assistance that Secretary of State [Antony] Blinken announced, but also a series of sanctions against Russia, against individuals involved in the war effort, involved in what we consider are crimes against humanity. But also sanctions against financial, military, technology and energy sector companies. So, I think that is a very firm signal that the U.S. will sanction those who are involved in supporting Russia's war effort, whether theyre Russians or other countries.

VOA: Russia is making threats of using its nuclear capabilities. Again, Ukrainian intelligence leadership say that nuclear has a more deterrent effect than real weapons and real threats. How would you, and American intelligence, assess the possibility of Russia using nuclear capabilities, and how could this affect the region?

Kent: The rhetoric of threats dates back to really the dawn of the nuclear age. Nuclear weapons have never been used, even though leaders of the Soviet Union, now Russia, threaten the potential use. So, I think people need to keep that in perspective. We have a long history of remaining calm, and that's the right approach. There were horrific pictures over the weekend of the latest town which Russia has completely destroyed  Marinka  and many people were comparing what Marinka looks now to [how] Hiroshima did after use of a nuclear weapon.

In essence, Russia has been using conventional means to achieve the same effect, and I think that's something also to consider, given the death of Ukrainian civilians in Mariupol, the total destruction of many cities by Russian artillery. I think Ukrainians have sent the signal that they are going to continue to fight for their country, for their survival, and the U.S. will remain calm and not respond to those sorts of verbal threats.
More than a year after he sent troops into Ukraine, Russian leader Vladimir Putin is beginning to accept his militarys shortcomings and adapt his strategies in hopes of eventually toppling Kyiv, according to top U.S. intelligence officials.

Testifying Wednesday at the Senate Intelligence Committees annual Worldwide Threats hearing, the countrys top intelligence officials said Russias military has been battered in what has become a grinding war of attrition with Ukraine and is being forced to focus on more modest objectives.

The Russians are making incremental progress in Bakhmut, which is not a particularly strategic objective, but are otherwise facing considerable constraints, including personnel and ammunition shortages, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told lawmakers.

"If Russia does not institute a mandatory mobilization and identify substantial third-party ammunition supplies, it will be increasingly challenging for them to sustain even the current level of offensive operations," Haines said. We don't see the Russian military recovering enough this year to make major territorial gains.  They may fully shift to holding and defending the territory they currently occupy.

Various estimates by the U.S. and its allies contend about 200,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or are missing as a result of the now yearlong war in Ukraine.

And the U.S. National Security Council said last month that even Russias preeminent paramilitary force, the Wagner Group, has been hit hard with about 30,000 casualties, including 9,000 deaths.

A weakened Russia

Haines, the top U.S. intelligence official, said only that Russia is suffering from high casualty rates on the battlefield, adding U.S. intelligence analysts don't see the Russian military recovering enough this year to make major territorial gains."

The declassified intelligence report, released as Haines and other officials testified, further portrayed Russias military as weakened, and in some ways, more dangerous.

Russias military will require years of rebuilding and leave them less capable of posing a conventional military threat to European security and operating as assertively in Eurasia and on the global stage, it said.

As a result, the report warned, Moscow will become even more reliant on nuclear, cyber, and space capabilities as it deals with the extensive damage to Russias ground forces.

Additionally, Putin may be increasingly tempted to make use of those capabilities.

The new U.S. intelligence assessment cautions that Russias military failures are increasingly difficult to hide, hurting Putins standing.

In turn, Putin could trigger additional escalatory actions  in an effort to win back public support, the report said.

But in the context of the war in Ukraine, Haines described Putins use of Russias nuclear posture as saber rattling, intended to deter the West from providing additional support to Kyiv, as he plays for time.

He probably will still remain confident that Russia can eventually militarily defeat Ukraine and wants to prevent Western support from tipping the balance and forcing a conflict with NATO, Haines told lawmakers.

Russias long game

Putin most likely calculates the time works in his favor and that prolonging the war, including with potential pauses in the fighting, may be his best remaining pathway to eventually securing Russias strategic interests in Ukraine, even if it takes years, she said.

Haines and other U.S. intelligence leaders also warned that Russia is leaning more heavily on China, assessing that the relationship between the two countries continues to deepen with some help coming already from Beijing.

"We do see them providing assistance to Russia in the context of the conflict, Haines said, declining to share details in a public setting, though she noted the type of assistance is making Chinese officials increasingly uncomfortable."

"There are some limitations on where we see they would go in the partnership, she added. We don't see them becoming allies the way we are with allies in NATO."

U.S. intelligence agencies also see signs of Russia and China working, though not necessarily together, to weaken democracies across the globe.

Officials warn that both Moscow and Beijing are providing support specifically for would-be autocrats as they rise to power.

Threat from China

But between Russia and China, it is Beijing that U.S. intelligence sees as the unparalleled priority.

[The] Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, under President Xi Jinping will continue efforts to achieve Xis vision of making China the preeminent power in east Asia and a major power on the world stage, Haines said. However, the CCP is increasingly convinced that it can only do so at the expense of U.S. power and influence.

According to the U.S. threat assessment, China will likely try to drive wedges between Washington and its allies and push for authoritarian norms that favor its interests.

Yet despite the increasingly harsh rhetoric coming from Chinese officials in recent weeks, and a growing pessimism inside Chinese political leadership about relations with Washington, U.S. intelligence agencies think China will try to tread carefully.

We assess that Beijing believes it benefits most from preventing a spiraling of tensions and by preserving stability in its relationship with the United States," Haines said.

President Xi wants a period of relative calm to give China the time and stability it needs to address growing domestic difficulties, she said, noting "China's long-term economic growth will continue to decelerate because China's era of rapid, catch-up growth is ending.

Rubio lashes out at TikTok

Lawmakers echoed concerns about Beijings tactics, voicing concerns that a combination of U.S. government policies and corporate attitudes are putting the U.S. at a disadvantage.

This is an ongoing challenge," said Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, a Democrat. Too many in our corporate world still believe that these collaborations inside of China are benign, even though when they turn a blind eye to the literally unprecedented amounts of intellectual property theft, too often because theyre making way too much money.

The committees top Republican, Marco Rubio, also lashed out at Chinas use of technology companies, focusing on ByteDance, the Chinese company behind the popular social media app, TikTok.

Its probably one of the most valuable surveillance tools on the planet," Rubio said during an exchange with FBI Director Christopher Wray. I don't understand why this company is allowed to operate.

If we went out and decided to build something like this of our own to influence or spy in another society, I'm not sure we could build something like this, or even better, Rubio warned. And we've invited them in and protected by our laws.

Its really a question of data collection, Wray said, after additional questioning about TikTok. It's the control of the software, which allows them to then have access to millions of devices.

'Dangerous dependency'

Other lawmakers voiced concerns about Beijings attempts to dominate the worlds supply chains, ranging from lithium-ion batteries to pharmaceutical ingredients.

It suggests to me that this issue of dependency is something that really has to have some serious policy examination, said Senator Angus King, warning of the dangerous dependency the U.S. has developed when it comes to materials that come from or pass through China.

That goes also about their actions in Africa and in South America where they're trying to corner the market, if you will, on various commodities, he noted.

It's not just simply about China trying to create indigenous supply chains but actually to control global supply chains, Haines, the intelligence director, said, warning Beijing has been tinkering with their export and import policies to pressure and shape global markets.

A push to reauthorize surveillance

U.S. intelligence officials also pushed lawmakers Wednesday to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

The program allows the FBI and the National Security Agency to gather electronic data of non-Americans without first obtaining a warrant

Those efforts have proved to be controversial since there have been multiple occasions when such surveillance activity has resulted in the incidental collection of messages and data from U.S. citizens.

But the intelligence chiefs told lawmakers those concerns are being addressed and that stripping the agencies of the existing authority would damage national security.

If you think about what we've been able to do with this authority since 2008  provide and shine a light on what our adversaries are doing, said the NSA director, General Paul Nakasone. What's Iran doing? What's China doing? What's Russia doing? What's North Korea doing? In all parts of the world.

Intelligence officials have previously said intelligence gained under FISA Section 702 helped the U.S. launch the strike that killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.

And CIA Director William Burns said Wednesday that the surveillance authority is also helping close to home in the fight against drug cartels sending fentanyl into the U.S.

FISA Section 702 has helped us in some successful actions recently, with which foreign intelligence collected by CIA has contributed to both recent successes that our Mexican partners have had against the Sinaloa cartel and also recent successes against fentanyl production and processing equipment in Mexico and in the United States, Burns said.
In March 1990, Lithuania became the first republic to break away from the Soviet Union by declaring itself an independent state, a decision the White House applauded.

Thirty-three years later, this Baltic country of around 2.7 million people is making bold moves to counter China, the centurys rising global power, and finding support from Washington as the Biden administration seeks to leverage transatlantic partnerships amid Western fears that Beijing is considering supplying Russia with weapons in its war on Ukraine.

High-level, bilateral consultations were held Tuesday in Washington between Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis and U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell. A statement said they discussed a shared commitment to democratic values, human rights and support for the international rules-based order and the importance of supply chain resiliency, diplomatic speak for policies aimed to counter Chinas influence.

We have long supported Lithuania in withstanding coercion by the PRC (Peoples Republic of China) and trying to turn that coercion into economic opportunity, John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, told reporters.

We're going to continue to work together to strengthen Lithuanias robust economic partnership with Taiwan, toward Taiwan's meaningful participation in international fora as well as developing and deepening those people-to-people ties, Kirby said, using language from a joint statement by Landsbergis and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Tensions have been brewing in recent years as Lithuania expands diplomatic and trade ties with Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing considers its breakaway province.

Days after the establishment in 2021 of the "Taiwanese Representative office in Lithuania," Taiwans de facto embassy, Beijing downgraded diplomatic relations and blocked most trade with Vilnius over what it calls a violation of the One China policy. The action prompted the European Union to sue China at the World Trade Organization over discriminatory trade practices against Lithuania that it said threatened the integrity of the EU single market. Beijing denies instructing Chinese companies to stop doing business with Lithuanian partners.

Lithuania had minimal trade with China, so Beijing's punitive trade actions had limited effect. Still, in November 2021 the U.S. provided $600 million in an export credit agreement to help the country withstand pressure from China and joined the WTO lawsuit in support of Vilnius.

Fears of China arming Russia

The consultation with Vilnius is happening amid a flurry of diplomatic activities in Washington. In recent and upcoming days, European NATO allies will decide whether to join Washington in imposing sanctions on China, should it decide to supply arms to Moscow.

President Joe Biden, who met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House last week, spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron Tuesday and will meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later this week to discuss the matter.

So far, there is no indication that China is providing more than rhetorical support as it continues to purchase cheap Russian oil.

Observers say Beijings interests are to ensure Western focus remains on pouring resources into Ukraine, distracting it from the Indo-Pacific region.

However, tensions are ramping up. In remarks during the annual session of parliament on Monday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping made a rare, explicit comment accusing the United States of leading an international coalition to contain China.

Western countries led by the U.S. have implemented comprehensive containment, encirclement and suppression against us, bringing unprecedented severe challenges to our country's development, Xi said.

Xis comments were followed by harsh criticisms from new Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who blamed the U.S. for deteriorating bilateral relations and for undermining peace efforts in Ukraine to extend the conflict for Washingtons benefit.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Bidens approach to China has not changed.

We've been very clear; we do not seek conflict and we do not want conflict. What we're seeking is competition, and we've been very clear about that these past two years, she said in a press briefing Tuesday.

Lithuania-Taiwan ties

Vilnius has emerged as one of Taipeis most unlikely yet outspoken allies in Europe, particularly after Lithuanias December 2020 election, in which the ruling coalition set out to pursue a values-based foreign policy to defend those fighting for freedom around the world, from Belarus to Taiwan.

The new foreign policy translated into steps that angered Beijing, including criticizing China for its handling of a World Health Organization study into the origins of COVID-19, accusing Chinese smartphone manufacturers of building censorship capabilities into their products and withdrawing from the 17+1 initiative established by Beijing to strengthen ties with Central and Eastern European countries.

Lithuanias history as a small country in a geopolitically volatile environment that is subject to foreign communist imperialist power is partly what drives its support for Taipei, said Konstantinas Andrijauskas, associate professor of Asian Studies and International Politics at Vilnius University.

It is only natural that there is a certain amount of skepticism within the Lithuanian society and among decision-makers towards all the communist, authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, Andrijauskas told VOA. At the same time, there is quite the support to the people who suffer from those respective regimes.

But there is also a realpolitik rational for the Baltic country to be vocal against Beijing, particularly as it gears up to host the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

Lithuania is a member of the Bucharest Nine, a grouping of NATOs newest members on the blocs easternmost flank. The group is wary that if Russian President Vladimir Putin succeeds in Ukraine, he would target these countries next.

The way that China has positioned itself in the war in Ukraine has definitely cemented feelings in Europe, that Russia and China are an axis, Viking Bohman, associate analyst at the Swedish National China Centre, told VOA. Lithuania is gaining some visibility from this, of being this principled.

Despite 10,000 kilometers of land and ocean between Vilnius and the Indo-Pacific, Lithuania is developing its strategy for the region, which was a key focus of high-level bilateral consultations with Vilnius in Washington Tuesday.
The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Iranian officials and companies over accusations of serious human rights abuses, stepping up pressure on Tehran over its crackdown on protests as Washington marks International Women's Day.

The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement said it imposed sanctions on two senior Iranian prison officials it accused of being responsible for serious human rights abuses against women and girls.

Washington also put sanctions on Iran's top army commander, a senior official in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and an official tied to the Iranian government's efforts to block internet access. Also hit with sanctions were three Iranian companies and their leaders who have enabled law enforcement repression, according to the statement.

The step marks the 10th round of such U.S. sanctions since Tehran's crackdown on protests that began after Mahsa Amini, a woman from Iran's Kurdistan region, died in September in the custody of the morality police who enforce strict dress codes.

The protests by Iranians from all walks of life mark one of the boldest challenges to the ruling theocracy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran accuses Western powers of fomenting the unrest, which security forces have met with deadly violence.

"The United States, along with our partners and allies, stand with the women of Iran, who advocate for fundamental freedoms in the face of a brutal regime that treats women as second-class citizens and attempts to suppress their voices by any means," U.S. Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in the statement.

"We will continue to take action against the regime, which perpetuates abuse and violence against its own citizens -especially women and girls," Nelson added.

The Treasury said it acted in concert with the European Union, Britain and Australia to mark International Women's Day.

Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wednesday's move freezes any U.S. assets of those targeted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.
Over 113,000 Ukrainians have temporarily resettled in the United States, thanks to the U.S. government program Uniting for Ukraine. But many of these refugees are finding themselves lost in a new country. A Virginia agency is helping them start their new lives. Ksenia Turkova has the story. (Camera: Alexey Zonov)
Zambia's government said it will not tolerate the promotion of LGBTQ rights, saying such rights are against the country's Christian values. The warning came a day after police arrested four activists from a feminist group for allegedly giving false information about a planned protest.

The group held an approved demonstration against gender-based violence Sunday ahead of International Women's Day, but authorities say it was a front to promote homosexuality.

Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister Jack Mwiimbu told VOA on Wednesday that his government does not promote LGBTQ rights and has made its stance known since it came into power almost two years ago.

He condemned the march organized by the Sistah Sistah Foundation, saying it was against Zambian values and the law.

"I wish to warn members of the public not to allow and to flout the law deliberately by taking advantage of the prevailing environment that allow for freedom of expression and assembly," Mwiimbu said.

Zambia Police Deputy Spokesperson Dan Mwale told VOA the protesters did not follow the permit regulations, which only allowed them to protest sexual and gender rights and not promote LGBTQ rights.

"Investigations have intensified, meanwhile police have instituted investigations into the programs and activities of Sistah Sistah Foundation," he said.

Sistah Sistah Foundation declined to comment but put out a statement on Twitter saying it is shocked that the march, which it says was meant to highlight sexual violence against women, has been turned into horrific waves of hatred in public discourse, especially online.

The group said the four suspects were released on police bond Wednesday and will soon appear in court. Three suspects have been charged with giving false information to a public officer and, if convicted, could face up to seven years in jail.

Group co-founder Mwangala Monde has also been charged with unlawful assembly, and if convicted could face an additional jail term of six months.

The statement further says that sexual violence against women and girls has been normalized, resulting in many people not paying attention to it. Recent police reports indicate that more than 20,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported in the last quarter of 2022 alone, most of them involving women and girls.

The weekend march, attended by about 300 people, has sparked debate in Zambia, with most people accusing the Sistah Sistah march of promoting LGBTQ rights, and calling for the organization to be banned.

Others said it's about time Zambians were allowed to discuss such issues so that they can decide the way forward.

In a statement after the march, chief government spokesperson Chushi Kasanda condemned the event, which she says was aimed at promoting LGBTQ rights in Zambia.

Same-sex sexual activity is prohibited under the country's penal code, which criminalizes acts of "carnal knowledge against the order of nature" and "gross indecency."

The law, which dates back to the British colonial period, carries a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment.
BLANTYRE, MALAWI  Russia's ambassador to Malawi has said he hopes African leaders will call for an end to the international sanctions against Moscow at an upcoming Russia-Africa summit.

Nikolai Krasilnikov made the comment Monday, as Russia made a donation of 20,000 tons of fertilizer to Malawi. An analyst says Russia is likely trying to win diplomatic support for its war in Ukraine.

The donation amounts to 3% of Malawis annual national fertilizer requirement of 600,000 tons.

Sam Kawale, Malawis minister of agriculture, said the fertilizer is a major boost for the country. Malawi is dealing with shortages in its Agriculture Inputs Program, which sells supplies like seeds and fertilizer to poor farmers at cheaper prices.

"The 20,000 tons of fertilizer, which we are receiving today, will help about 400,000 families," Kawale said. "We are estimating that 800,000 metric tons of maize will be harvested, either using the rain-fed or irrigation."

The donation is part of the U.N.-brokered Black Sea Grain initiative, designed to end the disruptions in Russian and Ukrainian food exports caused by Russias invasion of Ukraine last year.

The Associated Press quoted Krasilnikov Monday saying he hopes African leaders will help press to remove sanctions against Moscow at a July Russia-Africa summit. He said overall, Russia has given 260,000 tons of fertilizers to poor countries in Africa and other parts of the world.

"So, what we have now as the delivery to Malawi, is part of a big commitment of Russia being fulfilled by Uralchem-Uralkali, the main Russian manufacturer of fertilizer and one of the worlds leading producers and exporters of fertilizers," Krasilnikov said.

Malawian political analyst George Phiri said the donation may be driven by Russias desire to win more African support at the U.N. and against the sanctions that many Western countries placed on allies of President Vladimir Putin following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"In my view, it is possible that Russia would want to mobilize some African countries to be on her side, and Malawi could be one, looking at how many African countries are voting against Russia," Phiri said.

At the United Nations General Assembly last year, Malawi voted to censure Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, but more than 15 other African countries abstained from the vote.

Krasilnikov said Monday that Putin has invited Malawian officials to attend the Russia/Africa Summit slated for July in Moscow.

"We expect a delegation from Lilongwe to the summit," Krasilnikov said. "As well as we expect the Malawian business community from all over the country to come to the economic forum. And we encourage all interested to approach the Russian embassy in Zimbabwe where my residence is, to come and find all necessary requirements and details."

Malawi minister of agriculture Kawale told reporters that Malawi has welcomed the Russian invitation.

In August 2022, Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera had a phone conversation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and assured him of Malawis support as Ukraine continued to defend itself from Russias attack.

However, Russia has since pledged to assist Malawi to fight its worst cholera outbreak that has now killed over 1,600 since it started a year ago.

Phiri said it will be confusing if Malawi changes tune and begins to give support for Russia.

"Malawi seems to have a mixed position, Phiri said. I think it would be important for Malawi to decide whether for Russian or for Ukraine because now, Malawi shows that it has not decided on which team it supports in this case."

Phiri said Russia would only win support from African countries if it could make better economic deals than what the countries normally get from their Western development partners.
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA  South Africa's ruling ANC party has brushed aside criticism of a large donation it accepted from a mining company linked to a Russian oligarch under U.S. sanctions.

Viktor Vekselberg is an investor in United Manganese of Kalahari Ltd, which last year donated $826,000 to help fund the ANC's electoral conference. Critics say the donation undermines the party's claim to a "neutral stance" on the Ukraine war and its refusal to criticize Russia's invasion.

The donation, worth 15 million rand in the local currency, was made public recently when South Africas electoral commission released a statement detailing funds received by political parties in the third quarter of the 2022/23 financial year.

Asked by VOA whether a donation by a company linked to a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin affected the ruling partys stance on the war in Ukraine, spokeswoman Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri demurred.

The ANC receives both solicited and unsolicited financial support from various parties from all over the world, she said by text message. Some get accepted and others returned if found not to be aligned to the ANC's values and policies. This current support will be looked at in the same light.

The ANC's stance on Russia-Ukraine conflict will remain the same. We do not believe that anything progressive can come out of conflict and war. We still urge all parties to meet and find amicable solutions.

Solly Malatsi, national spokesman for the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, criticized the donation.

This explains what the ANC governments approach to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is because its on the receiving end of millions of rands in donations from Russian oligarchs, Malatsi said. It flies in the face of South Africas quest for and respect for human rights as the light that guides our foreign policy.

The money went toward the ANCs December electoral conference in which President Cyril Ramaphosa was given a second term. There had been problems in funding for the event, with the heavily indebted party battling to meet its costs.

United Manganese of Kalahari, Ltd., or UMK, is a South African company that mines the metal crucial to the production of iron ore.

One of the shareholders is the ANCs funding front Chancellor House, according to investigative reports in South African media, while a Vekselberg-linked company owns another share of less than 50%  effectively allowing UMK to avoid U.S. sanctions.

The Russian businessman, who is reportedly close to the Kremlin, was on U.S. sanctions lists even before the invasion of Ukraine last year. After the war started, his luxury yacht was seized by the U.S. government and his U.S. properties searched by the FBI.

South Africa, which has a history of close ties with Russia, has abstained from condemning Moscows invasion of Ukraine at the U.N.

The donation raises questions about Pretorias political stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, said Steven Gruzd, a Russia expert at the South African Institute of International Affairs.

Viktor Vekselberg has been linked to the ANC before; this is not the first time his name has come up, and this is a sizeable donation to a very cash-strapped political part, Gruzd said.

Theyre trying to spin it that this is a regular donation, a run of the mill contribution to a political party among many others, and that they will screen it to see that its in line with their values.

Last month, South Africa hosted the Chinese and Russian navies for joint military exercises off its east coast, despite the concerns of the United States and European Union.

In August, Putin is expected to visit South Africa for the annual summit of BRICS  a group of emerging economies made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday assailed Russias year-long invasion of Ukraine as a violation of international law as he arrived in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on extending grain shipments from the war-torn country and securing the safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

The sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine must be upheld, within its internationally recognized borders, Guterres said ahead of talks with Zelenskyy.

Our ultimate objective is equally clear: a just peace based on the U.N. Charter, international law and the recent General Assembly resolution marking one year since the start of the war, he said.

But with fighting raging on and no peace talks on the horizon, Guterres said the U.N. is trying to mitigate the impacts of the conflict, which has caused enormous suffering for the Ukrainian peoplewith profound global implications.

He called for the continuation of Ukrainian grain shipments through the Black Sea with Russian acquiescence. He said that since last July, 23 million tons of grain have been exported from Ukrainian ports, much of it shipped to impoverished countries. But absent a new agreement, the program is set to expire March 18.

Guterres said the grain exports have contributed to lowering the global cost of food and has offered critical relief to people, who are also paying a high price for this war, particularly in the developing world. Indeed, the Food and Agriculture Organizations Food Price Index has fallen by almost 20% over the last year.

Exports of Ukrainianas well as Russianfood and fertilizers are essential to global food security and food prices, he said.

Guterres also called for full demilitarization of the region around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europes largest, where nearby fighting has periodically shut down the plant and raised fears of a catastrophic nuclear meltdown.

Attempts for months to end fighting in the region have failed but Guterres said that safety and security near the power plant are vital so that the facility can return to normal operations.

EU foreign ministers

Meanwhile, European Union foreign ministers gathered Wednesday in Stockholm with a push to provide more ammunition to Ukrainian forces high on their agenda.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur advocated for EU countries to provide money to jointly procure ammunition for Ukraine, arguing that effort will boost the capacity of the industry and help EU security in the future.

SEE ALSO:

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters that in addition to a joint effort to expand defense industry capacity, EU members should also in the short term provide ammunition quickly to Ukraine from their existing stocks. Borrell said sending what is available now could be accomplished in a matter of weeks.

The issue is how to provide the ammunition Ukraine needs to continue defending, Borrell said.

Ukraine has asked in particular for allies to provide more 155-millimeter artillery rounds.

There is enormous demand out there, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Wednesday. The current rate of consumption compared to the current rate of production of ammunition is not sustainable and therefore we need to ramp up production.

Stoltenberg said the conflict is now a war of attrition.

Bakhmut fighting

The NATO chief also said he could not rule out the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut falling into Russian control in coming days.

Therefore, it is also important to highlight that this does not necessarily reflect any turning point of the war, and it just highlights that we should not underestimate Russia, Stoltenberg said. We must continue to provide support to Ukraine.

Hours earlier, the head of Russia's Wagner Group mercenaries, Yevgeni Prigozhin, said its units had taken control of the eastern part of Bakhmut.

SEE ALSO:

Russia has been trying to seize the city in Donetsk province in eastern Ukraine for months.

Prighozin said Wagner forces controlled all districts east of the Bakhmutka River, which would represent about half of the city.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that seizing Bakhmut was important for launching further offensive operations in the region.

SEE ALSO:

Ukrainian leaders have said in recent days they intend to keep fighting in Bakhmut.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
The Buffalo Common Council has voted to seize the properties at 110 and 118 South Park in Buffalo by eminent domain. The 19th-century buildings, owned by Darryl Carr, have been in and out of Housing Court for years and are the two most significant historic buildings left in the district. After years of inaction with the buildings, Housing Court Judge Patrick M. Carney five weeks ago issued an emergency demolition, which has been appealed by the city. Carr will appeal the Common Council's decision. Photos taken Tuesday, March 7, 2023.
Russias assault on Ukraine, now in its second year, has set off alarms in neighboring countries. Lithuania is redoubling efforts to prepare for a confrontation that many now see as more possible than ever. Jon Spier narrates this report by Ricardo Marquina in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.
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Its clear this society still has a long way to go when it cant address one race-based problem because another race-based problem gets in the way.

Thats where things stand when we have to stop and ask: Whats more perilous to Black people, cancer sticks or cops?

On the face of it, Gov. Kathy Hochuls plan to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes favored by Black smokers should be a no-brainer. With surveys showing that 85% of Black smokers prefer menthols  more than 2.5 times the white rate  a state ban on flavored cigarettes is one way of saying that Black lives matter.

In fact, some would even cheer the notion that government is addressing a problem that disproportionately harms African Americans. Usually, its the other way around: A problem  think drug addiction and opioids  doesnt become a health issue until it starts affecting white people, and then Black people get the peripheral benefits.

This time, the move to save lives would start by focusing on an aspect of the problem that disproportionately affects Black smokers rather than treating the disparate impact as an afterthought. In that light, its a strange twist on civil rights to argue, in effect, that Black people should be allowed to die of smoking-related cancer and heart disease at the same rate as white people as a matter of fairness.

Still, history tells us that the fears of selective enforcement raised by a group of Black ministers cannot be dismissed.

It is tempting to think that, given all of the other things on a police officers plate, stopping cars to look for contraband smokes would be right down there with jaywalking when it comes to setting priorities.

But that ignores the fact that we live in an era when pretextual traffic stops of Black drivers become the basis for responding to legitimate fears in high-crime neighborhoods. During their recent news conference, members of Concerned Clergy of Buffalo and Surrounding Communities talked about being stopped by police simply for being Black.

Thats no surprise. The lawsuit against Buffalos now-disbanded Strike Force unit alleges that the police detail extracted money from Black and Brown neighborhoods using targeted traffic stops that amounted to highway robbery.

Buffalo police captain accused in lawsuit of racist remarks suspended without pay A Buffalo police captain accused in a federal lawsuit of making racist remarks in front of two Black police officers and a Black mental health clinician has been suspended without pay, Buffalo police confirmed Saturday.

Similarly, documents uncovered in the lawsuit reveal widespread use by Buffalo police of this nations most vile racial slur, indicating a departmental culture that only adds to the concern about giving cops one more excuse for stopping Black motorists.

Against that backdrop, Concerned Clergys objections  which also include the loss of tax revenue, loss of personal freedom and the creation of a black market for menthol smokes  become far more understandable. So does its call for state officials to sit down with the groups members and other stakeholders first to try to come up with an educational effort that would dissuade Black smokers.

The group has yet to get a response, the Rev. Frank Bostic of Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church said this week. He thinks Hochul got bad advice and said we want to be a part of that advisement in crafting an alternative.

Other Black clergy  along with a host of health care institutions and organizations  just as adamantly back the proposed ban along with the hike in cigarette taxes Hochul has proposed. Both moves not only will save lives, including Black lives, but also reduce the costs of treating smoking-related illness, offsetting any loss in tax revenue.

In a more perfect union, it would be possible to achieve those goals without having to worry about giving police additional license to harass Black people. In a more perfect union, a proposal like this could be considered purely on its merits as health policy. In a more perfect union, race would not be the backdrop for nearly every significant policy discussion.

But we dont live in a more perfect union; we live in the union weve created.

In the average year, police in America kill some 225 Black people. At the same time, estimates are that smoking-related diseases kill 45,000 African Americans.

Its a sad commentary on the continuing state of Black life in America when taking a chance on cops becomes the lesser of two evils.
WASHINGTON  Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Tuesday that he's sent a letter to the major freight rail carriers that traverse the state, demanding that they take action so that dangerous derailments like the one that happened in Ohio last month never occur in New York.

"People are worried, as they should be," Schumer told reporters on a conference call. "Upstate is a hub for great rail activity. We have our tracks regularly carry trains with hazardous materials. That's a risk to our communities. And these major rail companies have a responsibility if they're going to carry this stuff to make sure New Yorkers are kept safe."

Schumer wrote his letter in response to the Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio. The train, nearly 2 miles long, was carrying toxic chemicals, and officials decided to burn the train's cargo  prompting fears that a toxic cloud could do long-term damage to nearby residents and the landscape.

The same thing could happen in upstate New York if freight railways are careless, Schumer said. He noted that a number of freight accidents have already occurred upstate in recent years, including a 2020 derailment of a freight train carrying hazardous petrochemicals in East Aurora.

"Now thankfully, none of these turned into the scale of East Palestine," Schumer said. "But with better safety measures, accidents like this could have been prevented."

In hopes of preventing future accidents, Schumer asked the top executives of Norfolk Southern, CSX and other freight lines to outline:

Their community outreach processes and policies regarding notifying state and local officials about trains carrying hazardous materials.

How they would ensure that communities along rail routes have access to appropriate resources in case of an accident.

Steps they are taking to prevent future accidents.

The number of rail car inspectors the companies have employed each year for the past 10 years, both nationwide and in New York, and to explain any decrease in inspectors.

How the rail companies are using "wayside detectors" to detect defects like the one in the train that derailed in Ohio.

If the companies will agree to future safety and response training for employees.

"New Yorkers should not have to live in fear that these trains running through their cities and dumping toxic hazardous material near their family homes might happen," Schumer said. "Our communities don't deserve to even have that fear hanging over their heads."
The misstatements are part of a pattern that has raised questions about how the justice views his obligation to report details about his finances to the public.
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About 10 years ago, I decided to let my hair go gray. The reason was very simple: I couldnt be bothered spending all those hours at the hairdresser every three months or so. I had two young children, and even with help at home  I was living in Hong Kong  that time felt wasted. And ultimately, who really cared? I didnt, my husband didnt. Its saved money and time, and Ive never looked back.

So, it was with frustration and some incredulity that I read about Lisa LaFlamme, the Canadian news anchor who let her hair go gray during the pandemic and then was let go (the owners of CTV denied that age, gender and gray hair were factors in terminating her contract). Here was an accomplished TV journalist, who had reported from war zones (going through the hassle of coloring her hair in the womens toilets at Kandahar airfield and in a Baghdad bunker, according to the New York Times), seemingly dismissed over her appearance.

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Age discrimination is one of the last frontiers of diversity and inclusion. It largely remains a taboo subject in workplaces. Stories like LaFlammes expose the entrenched prejudices women face as they hit middle age and show how much work there is still to be done.

The enduring fixation with how we age (and even that we age) detracts from what half of the population can bring to the table, and undermines womens achievements, contributions and expertise. Nobody would judge a middle-aged man with gray hair (search for a photograph of Lloyd Robertson, who LaFlamme, 58, replaced when he retired at 77).

Those recoiling from a female who allows herself to look her age are feeding the expectation that as women get older, they must strive to keep looking younger. It once again places the onus on women to change to fit societys ideal of what is acceptable. And it is exhausting. We already had to prove ourselves in our 20s, but come our 40s and 50s it feels like, once again, women need to show why they are worthy.

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Lookism is more pointedly directed at females, and especially women in the latter part of their careers. While it spans professions, it does seem more pervasive and overt in television. Broadcaster Libby Purves succinctly spoke about the pressure on women at the BBC to appear attractive and youthful, while men were allowed to age gracefully.

Television news is increasingly looking like an outlier. From central banking (Christine Lagarde, Janet Yellen) to fashion, even, women with silver tresses are holding positions of influence (Sarah Harris, the deputy editor and fashion features director at British Vogue found her first gray strand around 16 and never dyed her hair).

The mature model movement is thriving. Carolyn Doelling, a former American telecommunications and banking executive, became a model in her 70s and is now an Instagram sensation. And not to be outdone by her famous son, Maye Musk, yes, the mother of Elon, became a brand ambassador for CoverGirl at 69. And this list just gets longer.

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The latest awards season has also seen a celebration of female actors in their 50s and 60s: Michelle Yeoh, Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis.

These are small, but important wins in the fight against ageism. As women live and work longer  followed through their careers by a significant wage gap and watching their retirement savings trail mens  we must stop penalizing them for something out of their control. Try instead acknowledging their accomplishments and remunerating them accordingly. While companies with a higher proportion of women in management in Asia Pacific contribute to better stock performances than those with a lower representation, females still earn 83 cents to every dollar males earn, on average, according to a Bank of America Corp. March 6 report titled More Alpha, Less Pay. (Alpha refers to the excess return of an investment relative to a benchmark.)

Still, there is some progress. Increasing discussion around menopause is a step toward demystifying what it means to be a woman in midlife. But it does run the danger of defining women in the second half of their careers, and can feel like a grand gesture, overcompensating for years of silence.

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Women want to be included and accepted regardless of their stage in life or career. I shouldnt even have to state the obvious here. That is the visibility they are asking for when they talk about becoming invisible in middle age. Not drawing attention to signs of ageing. Not feeling like there is an expiry date. For that, attitudes must change and we must approach ageism (which affects men as well as women) like any other diversity and inclusion topics such as gender, culture, race and disability.

This International Womens Day, lets call out the double standards: A gray-haired man is considered distinguished. A gray-haired woman gets harangued. We all age. Just get over it.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Biden Is Old, But Age Isnt What It Used to Be: Julianna Goldman

 Frances Older Workers Need a Revolution: Lionel Laurent

 To Fill the Job Gap, Rehire Older Workers: Teresa Ghilarducci

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Andreea Papuc is a Bloomberg Opinion editor.

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South Korea is preparing a domestic rocket development program as part of an ambitious drive to carve out a larger slice of the global space economy following the implosion of its partnership with Russia.

Seoul last month revoked a contract with Moscow in favor of a European operator to launch a satellite into space. Having relied on Russia for years to send its probes into orbit, the move is a tangible impact of sanctions on the Kremlin over its invasion of Ukraine.

Our plans to launch a multipurpose satellite with Russia have entirely gone awry, Korean Vice Science Minister Oh Tae-Seog said in an interview. From the perspective of not only space industries but also national security, owning the ability to lift a satellite we want into space when we want is important.

South Koreas breakup with Moscow will be a harsh blow to Russias rocket program, one of the nations strongest post-Soviet industries outside oil, and highlights the impact of international pressure. Space is also a natural next step for South Koreas sophisticated economy, led by its high-tech sector.

Even if the war is over, it wont go back to the old times, said Lee Changjin, a professor of aerospace engineering at Konkuk University in Seoul. I am sure Moscow will try to reenter the market once the wars over given its large space industry cannot be sustained only with domestic demand.

South Korea paid Russia about 28.7 billion won ($22 million) of the 59.3 billion won planned under the canceled deal, according to lawmaker Park Wan-joos office.

It will likely be too late to regain Seoul as a customer if and when Russia ends the war and sanctions are eased. South Korea launched its first indigenously built rocket in June that successfully placed a test satellite into orbit and is looking into a next-generation vehicle that could carry heavier and more complex satellites without foreign help.

Its sense of urgency to possess a greater spectrum of space capabilities is also picking up after President Yoon Suk Yeol recently announced plans to land a craft on the moon by 2032 and Mars by 2045. That comes after a similar U.S. pledge and Chinas lunar plans.

Theres a business goal, too: to increase South Koreas share of the global space economy to 10% by 2045 from the current estimated 1%. That would require building an ecosystem of space developers from start-ups to bigger companies with industrial clusters spread across the nation, Oh said.

But South Korea is playing catchup in the rocket business, where its competing against the likes of programs in Russia and the U.S., which have been sending satellites into orbit for more than half a century. Neighbors China and Japan have far more experience and North Korea has sent missiles further into space than South Korea has sent its newest home-grown rocket.

South Korea has seen the number of jobs in space industries rise steadily from 6,708 in 2017 to 7,317 in 2021. The government plans to double its annual investment in research and development to 1.5 trillion won by 2027 to further boost the sector, which is currently estimated to be worth about $2.3 billion.

In comparison, the worldwide space industry generates roughly $350 billion in revenue and could potentially surpass $1 trillion in 2040, according to Morgan Stanley estimates. Satellite broadband will likely account for half of the projected growth, it says.

Koreas key investment areas will include satellite data, navigation, medicine, energy and resources associated with space, according to the science ministry.

The path for our companies could be different from the path for global companies like SpaceX, Oh said, referring to Elon Musks group. South Korea could differentiate itself by helping businesses find less costly ways to put high-performance satellites into low orbit, he said.

The global revival of space enthusiasm comes after the U.S. established the Artemis program in 2017 to return astronauts to the moon and eventually reach Mars. It has attracted partnerships from more than 20 nations, including South Korea.

China, with the second-largest space development funding, is also accelerating its efforts to put humans back on the moon and secure access to its resources. Both superpowers are spending billions of dollars as their rivalry moves beyond Earth. For South Korea, the U.S.  its top ally  is its key space partner.

The U.S. is the one were having the most important and active discussions with, Oh said. South Korea sees more concrete talks taking place between the two countries on ways to cooperate over space industries and exploration after their presidents agreed to do so last year, he said.

While ruling out rocket development for military purposes, Oh said Korean launch vehicles are vital to be able to monitor threats that could come from space.

In the latest case of hazards from space, remnants of a massive Chinese rocket fell over the Indian Ocean in July, sparking safety concerns.

The space industry is growing at an explosive pace, so from an industrial perspective, we cant ignore it, Oh said.

Its also important for national security as the competition for a share of the space is heating up among nations.

16 inventions brought to you by space exploration Intro Air purification Athletic shoes Artificial limbs Baby formula Camera phones CT scans and MRIs Cordless vacuums and power tools Deicing systems Ear thermometers GPS navigation Invisible braces Freeze-dried food Mylar Scratch-resistant lenses Solar panels Temper foam
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Its far too early for families to celebrate, but at least the issue of childcare has gained political salience in Britain. Its about time. The UK is one of the most expensive countries in the world to raise a child, with most families receiving no government help for children under the age of three. For many parents, provisions are unaffordable, inflexible and hard to access.

Childcare affordability has long been a burden for families in Britain, as in the US, but in the past it was largely seen as an equalities matter and got short shrift from governments. It is, of course, a gender issue: A new report from the consultancy PwC cites unaffordable childcare as partly responsible for Britain dropping five places to 14th among 38 advanced countries for women in work.

But the system imposes wider social and economic costs that have long been ignored. A lack of suitable care deprives kids of the positive benefits of early childhood education. It increases the financial stress on families and disproportionately takes women out of the workforce. The burden further disadvantages poorer children, widening inequality.

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The pandemic, followed by a cost-of-living squeeze, has helped push the issue up the political agenda. Both brought added pressure on families and especially mothers. Analysis last year from the Princes Responsible Business Network found that nursery costs are 65% of one parents weekly median take-home pay in England. And the affordability gap has been widening steadily, with the cost of childcare in the UK increasing at twice the rate of wages in the decade to 2022.

This rather large voter group has become more organized and noisier, with the help of campaign organizations such as Pregnant Then Screwed, who have cleverly highlighted the connection of economic growth. Indeed, there is no tackling Britains low-growth problem without addressing a major barrier to women in the workforce. Estimates of the number of mothers prevented from entering paid work because of childcare range from 540,000 to 1.7 million  not numbers any government can afford to ignore when there are some 9 million economically inactive adults in Britain.

A new report by the Centre for Progressive Policy estimates that mothers are missing out on 9.4 billion ($11.3 billion) in earnings due to lack of suitable childcare, while lost economic output is estimated at 27 billion, or 1% of GDP. Of the mothers surveyed, over half said they struggled to find suitable childcare and nearly half a million had quit their jobs due to childcare provisions.

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To her credit, former Prime Minister Liz Truss argued for both relaxing staff-to-child ratios to cut costs for nurseries and increasing childcare support for three- and four-year-olds during her brief time in office. Rishi Sunak has said little on the subject. While some Tories (Andrea Leadsom, for example) have supported that approach, deregulation appeals far more to fiscal conservatives than adding support.

Thats not likely to endear them to voters. Regulatory change is also unlikely to solve the problem on its own. Thousands of workers have left the childcare sector due to low pay and Brexit, among other reasons. Its unclear whether those left will take on more work for the same pay and whether nurseries cost savings will even benefit parents. (While some European countries have higher ratios, there are also more stringent demands on staffing qualifications, so parents are naturally wary of lowering standards with relaxed ratios.)

Sunak has reportedly considered extending the program of 30 hours of free childcare  currently available for three- and four-year-olds, subject to some work requirements  to all two- to four-year-olds. That is ironically what Labour pledged to do in its 2017 election campaign. Labour leader Keir Starmer is likely to raise that bet for the next election, and make childcare a major plank of its election campaign (a strategy that worked recently for Australias Labour Party). Labour MP Stella Creasy has already had success campaigning for it to be viewed as necessary infrastructure like GP services or schools.

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If the government is to factor in childcare in the March 15 budget, many would want support extended to one- and two-year-olds. That would certainly benefit low-income families, though Christine Farquharson, one of the authors of an Institute for Fiscal Studies report on childcare in Britain, cautions that preferences also play a role. The Department of Education found that two-thirds of parents not using childcare said that they would rather look after children themselves, versus 14% who cited the cost of care as a factor.

Extending funding to full-day care would likely have a greater impact on getting mothers back to work. A study published in the journal Labour Economics last year found that offering an entitlement for a full day of childcare significantly increased labor-force participation (by 3 percentage points) and employment, while half-day provision had little impact. The caveat is that it takes time for mothers to reenter the workforce and find a job. The observed employment impact was more than three times as high by the end of the first year of a full-time entitlement as it was after the first term of offering.

Britain also needs to simplify its patchwork of provisions and make them more accessible. Low-income families must pay for childcare up front and then claim their subsidy back, which is unreasonable for families living paycheck to paycheck or for mothers starting a new job. The rollout of tax-free childcare in place of employer-based programs has been hampered by complicated eligibility criteria and low levels of public awareness. Partial fixes and carve-outs for certain groups can also create market distortions. Subsidizing costs without addressing supply constraints is also likely to place an added burden on paying parents.

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The government may decide it cant offer meaningful childcare support in this budget. But ignoring the needs of young families adds to future economic costs, and builds resentment that may come back to haunt the Tories at the next election.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Rishi Sunaks Tough Talk Wont Stop Migrant Boats: Therese Raphael

 Europe Is Winning the Energy War, Only to Face Recession: Lionel Laurent

 Childcare Costs Are Orphaned in the US Tax Code: Alexis Leondis

--With assistance from Elaine He.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Therese Raphael is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion covering health care and British politics. Previously, she was editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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The significance of the war in Ukraine to the Western world lies largely in its geography: Its being fought in Europe, only a small distance away from some of the wealthiest and most avowedly peaceful nations of the world. Parallels with earlier European wars, most notably the Winter War unleashed by the Soviet Union on Finland, abounded in the conflicts early weeks. But the war that Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine is coming to resemble most was fought in distant Mesopotamia.

Every historical comparison is a stretch  history doesnt quite repeat itself. And yet, to a reader of the chapters of Saddam Hussein biographies that deal with the Iraq-Iran war, the parallels are unavoidable.

Ostensibly trying to prevent Irans Islamic Revolution from spreading to his countrys large Shiite community, Saddam Hussein first launched bombing raids on Irans military airfields and then sent tanks rolling into the neighboring country in late September 1980. Putin, too, has sought to portray his invasion as preemptive  to him, Ukraines neo-Nazi regime was creating an anti-Russia, a beachhead of the hostile West, next to Russias borders.We wish neither to destroy Iran nor to occupy it, Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz declared 11 days before the invasion began. Russian official statements matched this one almost verbatim  and as late as October 2022, Putin himself claimed: We have never set the goal of destroying Ukraine.Saddams military goals in 1980 were as vaguely defined as Putins in 2022: specifics drowned in nationalist rhetoric. While Putin has compared himself to Czar Peter the Great, who, according to him, won back much historically Russian land, Saddam styled himself another Sad Ibn Abi Waqqas, the Arab general who defeated a numerically superior Persian army in the year 636, or even another Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king who conquered Jerusalem in 587 B.C.

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Like Putin in February 2022, Saddam in 1980 saw his country winning a blitzkrieg (his vision stemmed, somewhat counterintuitively, from the Israeli victory in the Six-Day War of 1967).

By all accounts he expected the war to last only a few days  to end through mediation to the collapse of Iranian resistance, Said Aburish wrote in Saddam Hussein: The Politics of Revenge, published in 2000.

The Iraqi forces advanced along a broad front, taking some villages and towns and initially looking much stronger than their poorly armed Iranian adversaries. Yet, like Putins Russia, Iraq failed to destroy the Iranian air force on the ground and establish full air superiority, and it soon became clear that the frontline was too long for Iraqi troops to maintain the initial pressure. Like Putin 42 years later, Saddam had underestimated his enemys fighting spirit; young, often poorly trained Iranian volunteers proved a match for his professional military.

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Efraim Karsh and Inari Rautsi wrote in their 1991 political biography, Saddam Hussein:

Finding themselves entrenched for months in hastily prepared defensive positions and subjected to the hardships of the climate and the suicidal attacks of the Iranian militias, the Iraqi troops began to lose all sense of purpose. This loss of will, which was reflected in reports of discipline problems and a growing number of defections, as well as in the large numbers of Iraqi prisoners or war taken and weapons abandoned, was exploited to the fullest by the revolutionary regime in Tehran.

If this sounds familiar, thats because youve been reading reports of poor morale, duty avoidance and even rioting among the invading Russian troops.

The blitzkrieg failed in large part because Saddam attempted to command his invasion himself  down to platoon level action and the bombing of minor tactical targets, according to Aburish. Putins apparently heavy involvement in tactical decisions through the spring of 2022 is reminiscent of Saddams heavy-handedness  and neither Putin nor Saddam ever served in the military at any level.By the spring of 1981, Saddams forces were no longer advancing; moreover, in May of that year the Iranians won back the symbolically important city of Khorramshahr, which the Iraqi propaganda called Al-Muhammara (the practice of using different names for cities is widespread today, too  many pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, for example, use the Soviet name, Artyomovsk, for the town of Bakhmut, where the wars heaviest fighting currently rages). The setback prompted Saddam to fortify the border with Iran, fearing a counterattack, something Russia is doing today in the Belgorod and Kursk regions following the Ukrainian military successes of last fall.

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At the same time, like Moscow four decades later, Baghdad, with its bustling commerce and no visible shortages or defensive measures, didnt look or feel like the capital of a country at war.

Instead of concentrating most of Iraqs resources on the military effort and, like Iran, stressing the virtue of sacrifice, the Iraqi president sought to prove to his people that he could wage war and maintain a business-as-usual atmosphere at the same time, Karsh and Rautsi wrote.

Like Russians today, Iraqis acquiesced to the battlefield losses, not least because Saddams government provided the bereaved families with free cars, land plots and interest-free construction loans. Putins government, too, pays enough compensation to buy a new Russian-made car.

Both countries, it turned out, were able to sustain another seven years of off-again, on-again fighting that saw relatively small bits of territory lost and regained, the use of chemical weapons and Iranian cities bombed and attacked with missiles as Saddam  like Putin in the last two years  launched retaliation strikes against civilian infrastructure to make up for his inability to win decisively on the battlefield.This resilience on both sides was, in part, explained by the US attitude: The superpower didnt mind a long war between sworn enemy Ayatollah Khomeini and pan-Arabist dictator Saddam. The US mostly leaned in favor of Iraq, viewing Saddam, a secular ruler, as the lesser evil  but it did secretly sell weapons to Iran under the Iran-Contra deal. In the current conflict, of course, the US and its allies are firmly on the Ukrainian side  but they will not intervene directly, and Russia, with its vast reserves of both manpower and armaments, is not Iran in the 1980s, so the belligerents are more or less evenly balanced, just like Iran and Iraq back in the day.

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War, however, is exhausting. By 1987, the Iran-Iraq conflict was one of the longest regular conflicts of the 20th century, and Saddam was ready to pull back his troops in line with a United Nations resolution, but it wasnt enough for Iran, which, like Ukraine today, demanded extensive reparations. Only a year later, after a string of battlefield setbacks, did Iran accept the resolution  with Iraq still occupying some of its territory. This allowed Saddam to claim victory. Aburish wrote:

He gained weight, smiled a lot, walked with a swagger, gave speeches in praise of his fighting men, announced plans to build monuments, received Arab guests offering their congratulations and on one or two occasions spontaneously joined crowds in performing the chobbi native dance. That over 360,000 Iranians and Iraqis had died and over 700,000 had been injured, and that the war had cost an estimated $600 billion, were temporarily forgotten.

Putin may well celebrate in similar style (perhaps minus the dancing) if an eventual peace deal allows him to hold on to any conquered territory. When war goals are essentially undeclared, and especially years later, after initial goals have faded away, dictators have a lot of flexibility to play the victor. For the likes of Saddam and Putin, any outcome that ensures their continued ascendancy is a win.

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Putin, however, is unlikely to return any territory voluntarily, as Saddam did in 1990, when he was already focused on his invasion of Kuwait. That other adventure was the one that sealed his fate  but only after the US put boots on the ground, and even then, not immediately.

With his invasion of Ukraine, Putin removed himself from the ranks of European leaders and turned Russia toward Asia. Yet his behavior at Russias helm has often resembled that of a Middle Eastern oil dictator; Saddam, whose admitted role model was Joseph Stalin, is especially similar. Both came from humble origins and poverty, both have craved a historic role, both have embraced violence and suppression, and both built corrupt, nepotistic systems propped up by lavishly funded security agencies.

The uncomfortable truth built into this admittedly imperfect historical parallel is that even Saddam, whose regime never acquired nuclear weapons, would have survived as Iraqs authoritarian ruler and initiator of aggressive wars without a direct US military intervention. With a powerful suppressive apparatus keeping a fragmented, weakened opposition in check, Iraqis were willing to tolerate his less than brilliant military adventures even if they resulted in some loss of life and a less than catastrophic decline in living standards. What Saddam could achieve is not impossible for Putin, either  the US military marching into Moscow as it did into Baghdad is an image as unlikely as it may be desirable for many Ukrainians. And sadly, if the Iraq-Iran precedent is any indication, there is no imperative for a quick peace, either.

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More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Its Not Ukraines Peace-for-Our-Time Moment: Leonid Bershidsky

 After Ukraine, What Country Might Putin Target?: Andreas Kluth

 Dont Abandon Democracy to Save It in Ukraine: Pankaj Mishra

(Corrects two decades to four decades in 13th paragraph.)

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Leonid Bershidsky, formerly Bloomberg Opinions Europe columnist, is a member of the Bloomberg News Automation Team. He recently published Russian translations of George Orwells 1984 and Franz Kafkas The Trial.

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Two disturbing incidents roiled the cyber seas last week, one foreign and one domestic. They both strengthen the case  which was already convincing, and which I have been making for almost a decade now  for the creation of a US Cyber Force. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight The first incident was yet another cyberattack on a NATO member, Albania, by Iran. It was part of an ongoing Iranian campaign to attack Albania, a small Muslim nation of only about three million in the Balkans. The attacks have included zeroing out personal bank accounts, unmasking government and police informants, and degrading command-and-control networks. Iran conducts the attacks because Albania is not prosecuting an anti-Iranian group, the Mujahedeen Khaleq, that has a large presence in Albania.

The attack has raised the issue of whether to invoke NATOs Article 5, which says that an attack on one nation will be regarded as an attack on all. Because the NATO treaty was drafted many decades ago, it does not say whether a cyberattack activates Article 5. But given the evolution in warfare and expansion of cyber operations, such attacks should now fall into that category.

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The second incident involved a ransomware attack on the US Marshals Service. A huge amount of sensitive data was compromised, including information on fugitives, high-security individuals and law-enforcement operations. The attack has been designated a major incident requiring significant interagency investigation and remediation.

Ironically, last week was also when Jen Easterly, director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, released the National Cybersecurity Strategy, which has been in the works for many months.

When I was Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, the alliance created a small center of excellence in Tallin, Estonia, to coordinate NATO cyber capabilities. It has since grown in importance. As I watch the level of cyber threat continue to grow exponentially  matching the enormous surge of devices connected to the internet of things, which is topping 50 billion  I worry about how to protect Americas and Americans cyber assets.

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The US has very competent armed forces defending us 24/7  the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force within the Department of Defense, and the Coast Guard in the Department of Homeland Security. A US Cyber Force is now also necessary.

The successful creation of the US Space Force three years ago provides a good blueprint for a US Cyber Force. While the force is a tiny fraction of the rest of the Department of Defense, with less than 10,000 uniformed personnel, it operates nearly 100 spacecraft and a complex global network that supports US satellite systems.

A US Cyber Force would likely be even smaller than the Space Force, probably about 5,000 uniformed personnel. It could be lodged within either the Department of Defense or in the Department of Homeland Security (like the Space Force, it could be placed in an existing civilian-led agency or military department, reducing the need for newly created overhead). As a uniformed service, its members would be full-fledged members of the armed forces  with ranks, uniforms and a disciplined, patriotic ethos.

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Most important, the creation of a US Cyber Force would move America beyond the current pick-up team approach to cybersecurity, wherein each of the armed forces has a small number of cyber experts (most of whom rotate in and out of pure cyber jobs). The pay and benefits of many of the members of the Cyber Force would have to be at least somewhat competitive with the civilian sector, much as physicians and scientists on active duty in todays military receive bonuses and additional compensation benefits.

The creation just over a decade ago of the US Cyber Command has immensely improved Americas national security. Located at Fort Meade, Maryland, with the National Security Agency, it is led by a four-star uniformed officer. Many of the veterans of US Cyber Command would form the core of a new US Cyber Force. A Cyber Force would also allow for an independent voice in the councils of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, much as US Space Forces Chief of Space Operations provides.

As the US looks to a future that includes not only great-power cyber competition from Russia and China, but also mid-level cyberattacks from nations such as Iran and North Korea, the time is nigh. The nation should move forward with a dedicated US Cyber Force.

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More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Russias Cyber Campaign of Chaos Should Fail: Parmy Olson

 The Race Is On to Fight a Cyber Threat That Doesnt Exist: Tim Culpan

 The Next Suez Threat? A Big Hack: Victoria Coates and Robert Greenway

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

James Stavridis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A retired U.S. Navy admiral, former supreme allied commander of NATO, and dean emeritus of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, he is vice chairman of global affairs at the Carlyle Group. He is the author most recently of To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision.

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Mark Lee, a professional translator and former council candidate in Richmond, B.C., says he knows what it's like to walk the fine line faced by fellow Chinese Canadians entering the political arena amid scrutiny of alleged foreign interference.

He says he's not ignorant of the risks and considers potential political interference a serious issue that needs to be addressed.

"I've seen things that I think are maybe suspicious, or I feel like I don't agree with coming out of, for example, the (Chinese) consulate," said Lee, who ran unsuccessfully last year as part of the slate for the Richmond Citizens Association.

But he also worries about Chinese Canadians being tarred by association, and the potential for misunderstanding of "cultural dynamics" during a debate about political interference that has been going on for years within Chinese communities but has recently triggered broader scrutiny and calls for a public investigation.

There were some people in Richmond who were basically treating it like, if you have any connection with certain groups, then you must be a Chinese government spy or infiltrated or something like that, said Lee, who lives in the most ethnically Chinese city in Canada.

Lee's concerns are echoed by Chinese Canadian figures across the political spectrum who simultaneously worry, with varying emphasis, about interference by Chinese authorities, a lack of nuance, racism and the use of the debate to push wedges into ethnic Chinese communities.

The Globe and Mail newspaper reported last month that China had worked to help ensure a Liberal minority victory in the 2021 federal election, as well as defeat Conservative politicians considered unfriendly to Beijing, including Kenny Chiu, who lost his seat in Steveston-Richmond East.

Chiu says he's gravely concerned that possible foreign interference may have played a role in his election loss, but also worries about oversimplification, and a monolithic view that Canadians with Chinese links are more likely to be influenced.

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Doing so, he said, would play into the hands of foreign governments looking to shape the outcomes of Canadian elections while also putting Canada's multicultural society at risk.

The key, Chiu said, is to fight racism regardless of the victims' ethnicity or cultural background, reducing the chance of it being used to turn Canadians against each another.

"They know that this is a wedge that they can drive into Canadian society," Chiu said of potential Chinese meddling and accusations of racism.

He added that there was a lack of nuance in the debate and was "alarmed" by some of the comments he heard from people generalizing about ethnic origins that, for example, if you were from Taiwan, you must be pro-democracy and for freedom and justice, which isn't necessarily true.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh have called for a full public inquiry into foreign meddling in Canadian elections, something that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has resisted.

Poilievre said on March 1 that Chinese Canadian community members are "wonderful" and victims of foreign interference, and any inquiry should include ways to protect people from Beijing.

"Chinese Canadians are patriotic. They are faithful to our country. They deserve our protection," said Poilievre, calling it "absolutely unacceptable" that they should be harassed or intimidated by foreign powers.

Kenneth Tung, a former chair of Vancouver-based immigrant services group SUCCESS, hosts a news talk show on Chinese language radio AM1470.

Tung said that attributing any scrutiny of Chinese Canadian politicians to racism would be a mistake.

Canadians with ethnic, cultural, linguistic or other links to China shouldn't run into problems if their actions reflect Canadian values as a priority, he said.

"I think it's important to make it clear: As a Canadian Hong Konger or Canadian Chinese, we don't need to defend an issue, especially issues that will confuse (observers) if we are defending the Beijing regime," Tung said.

He added "if it's an issue related to the Beijing regime, if it's not our Canadian value, we should condemn it."

In 2016, then Vancouver city councillor Kerry Jang faced criticism when he and dignitaries including then Chinese consul-general Liu Fei wore red neckerchiefs as the Chinese flag was raised at City Hall to mark Chinese National Day.

Critics said the knotted scarves were a Communist symbol, while event organizer Ma Zaixin said a provider had "misunderstood" what type of scarves were required, according to documents released under a freedom of information request.

Jang, a third-generation Chinese Canadian, said he vividly remembered getting hate mails, death threats. I never was once influenced or told to do something," he said.

As a former politician, Jang said he had met diplomats from many countries, including China. That didn't automatically make him a spy from China, he said.

He said insinuation is no substitute for evidence. If there is proof that you should charge somebody, you should put them in jail for interfering in our elections," Jang said. "Or if it was a diplomat from whatever country, send them home. Have them expelled."

Lee says the debate isn't deterring him from the political scene, and he plans to run again at the next municipal election.

He sees Chinese Canadians' participation in politics important in the context of the foreign interference debate, because their interactions with Chinese authorities have given them "a pretty realistic understanding of the way they operate."

Lee sees a role for Chinese Canadians that transcends them being seen as victims or perpetrators of foreign interference. Instead, he wants them to play a bigger role interpreting the hazards.

Chinese Canadians like him, he says, "maybe have a little bit more cultural knowledge or a little bit more understanding of the way (this) type of interference can look."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2023.

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Chuck Chiang and Nono Shen, The Canadian Press
In amongst all the famous faces at the Academy Awards next week - Spielberg, Blanchett, Cruise, Luhrmann, Rihanna and the rest - will be a self-described wee Scottish lassie from a small town who has to be the most unlikely nominee in the theatre.

Lesley Paterson is a five-time world champion triathlete who decided way back in 2006 that she wanted to turn a German novel she fell in love with in high school, Erich Maria Remarques All Quiet On The Western Front, into a film.

Lesley Paterson, winner of the best film award for All Quiet on the Western Front at the BAFTA Awards in London last month. Credit: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP

She and her English writing partner Ian Stokell were surprised the rights were available so they bought them.

But it took 16 years of setbacks, starting with being told their first attempt at a script was worse than horrible, before a film was finally made.
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 The footage is from 1900. Sarah Bernhardt, aged 56, is dressed in a black doublet, tights and pantaloons. A short, dark wig covers her wild mane of hair. She carries a rapier, and faces off with a man who is a good foot taller than her. With their swords, they salute one another and the waiting court around them. They fight, this man and woman. This actor and actress. It is one of the greatest tragic showdowns in theatrical history  Hamlet versus Laertes. Bernhardt as Hamlet is clearly a master with a rapier. She is swift and precise with her movements. Nimble, light, sharp and steady. Feminine, yet so clearly inhabiting the body of a man. It is the most compelling of contradictions, and Laertes seems weirdly stiff by comparison  unaccustomed to this particular breed of parrier. Incredibly, Bernhardt works the film camera as well as her sword. She seems to already know how to move in front of this contraption that has existed for only 10 years. She plays her angles brilliantly  she is all form and fabulousness. And although we cannot hear her in the grainy black and white footage, her silent voice mouths Shakespeares words, in French. She says to Laertes, You do but dally! I pray you, pass with your best violence. I am afeard you make a wanton of me. Shes trash-talking him, gloriously. Do your worst, sir. I can take it. Im a woman. Im a man. Im Hamlet. Im Bernhardt. They battle on. Despite clearly being the inferior stage fighter, Laertes slays Hamlet and Bernhardt falls into the arms of the nearby court voyeurs. It is one of her famously magnificent stage deaths, finally captured on camera. She raises her hand in the grand gestured style of 19th-century theatre, gasps a last breath, and is carried away, her head bobbing, her physicality still startling, even as a corpse. She stares out at us, through the lens, through space, through time. Remember me, she seems to be saying, just like Hamlets ghost father. Remember me

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And then the 90-second film whirs to black. This footage, now more than 120 years old, is where I started my journey towards Sarah Bernhardt. Its a daunting introduction, to say the least I am playing the legendary actress in the new Melbourne Theatre Company production of Bernhardt/Hamlet by American playwright Theresa Rebeck. Kate Mulvany as Sarah Bernhardt: I wonder if, like me, stepping into another characters body offered her some respite. Credit:Scott McNaughton Based on real events, the comedy deals with Bernhardt  revered and reviled, depending on the latest Parisian gossip  deciding to play the Danish Prince. And she doesnt play him as a 30-year-old either, like her male contemporaries. Shes decided Hamlet is 19, despite everyone else insisting thats absolutely NOT what Shakespeare intended. Anyone who writes as much as Shakespeare is bound to slip up once in a while, she parries back. All of Europe is aghast. A woman? Playing Hamlet? A middle-aged woman? As a teenager?! And not just any middle-aged woman  that middle-aged woman? Sarah Bernhardt, who has had sexual relations with all the crown heads of Europe? Who sleeps in a coffin in her bedroom? The illegitimate daughter of a courtesan? Who became a single mother at 20? Who has a pet panther and a bevy of female lovers? THAT Sarah Bernhardt? Why shouldnt I play Hamlet? she asks playwright Edmond Rostand in Bernhardt/Hamlet. No one cares about his masculinity, so-called. They care about the magnificent nuance of his heart. Her critics do not agree. Shes wearing pants?! Will we see her legs? salivates the critic Louis Lemercier. Even her son, Maurice, is dismayed when he hears the gossip about his mother on the street. Youre playing Hamlet?! This is a disaster! he exclaims.

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And so Bernhardt finds herself trying to capture the notoriously difficult Dane as everyone watches on in abject horror Sarah Bernhardt with her son, Maurice, circa 1880. He described her decision to play Hamlet as a disaster. Credit:Getty Images Its important to remember, these people were often fellow artists who needed her to survive  she and her company members were only paid if the audience showed up. Her failure meant their failure. It was the difference between feeding a family or not. Surviving. So Bernhardts choice to buck the system had far-reaching consequences. Perhaps even more far-reaching than she realised, but Ill get to that later Luckily, Sarah Bernhardt was a naturally funny human who could court controversy and deflect it at the same time. Her autobiography, My Double Life, is filled with jaw-dropping campness. Her wit is wild and wicked, and she bubbles with brazen ideas and bold offers to her beloved fellow players. She is all action, movement, chutzpah  onstage and off. In Bernhardt/Hamlet, Rebeck has captured this element brilliantly, while also interrogating the deeper issues at heart  why not a woman? Why not anyone? Why do we balk at boldness, instead of welcoming in what someone else might bring to a character? Capturing Sarah Bernhardt is as tricky as capturing Hamlet. Perhaps more so  Hamlet is famous for the tragedy of his inaction. Bernhardt was famous for her large gesticulations and her resonant stage voice. The recordings that remain of her performances seem out of place to us now. They border on the comical, and yet  because she was a brilliant actress  they somehow still quiver with truth and meaning. Kate Mulvany: Capturing Sarah Bernhardt is as tricky as capturing Hamlet. Perhaps more so. Credit:Eugene Hyland I live with chronic pain from a spinal disability, so initially, the thought of emulating Bernhardts famous physicality scared the pantaloons off me. Add in a sword fight, as scripted by Rebeck, and the prospect of taking on The Divine Sarah seemed impossible. But somehow, embodying this woman has become almost restorative. Her gestures are so bold, so brave, so anchored in emotion, that my pain seems to dissipate in my time onstage. Wonderfully, my disability seems to actually lend itself to her theatrical shapes and her shifts I can bend to her every whim, and it feels fabulous.

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In reality, Bernhardt was also disabled. A stage accident when she was younger left her with a badly injured leg. Later in life, she had the leg amputated at the hip. By the end of her life, at age 78, she was functioning on one leg, one lung and one kidney. And she never stopped performing. She was often carried on by her fellow cast members, laid out elegantly on a chaise, and performed from there. Sometimes she even stood up and recited her enormous repertoire of theatrical monologues on one leg, using her incredible core strength to hit the back wall with her powerful voice. I wonder if, like me, stepping into another characters body offered her some respite. I wonder if the pain dissipated for her too, in that time onstage. I wonder if her pain waited in the wings for her to finish the show every night, as it often waits for me. I wish I could ask her. But instead, I try to find her physically through my own disabled body and my own bittersweet history of chronic pain. Despite her physical frailties, Bernhardt was often accused of being overpowering, tawdry and unrefined, despite her extensively honed technique. Enchantment smothered in artifice, complained Anton Chekhov. A worn-out hack! Flagrantly vulgar! decried George Bernard Shaw. Kate Mulvany during rehearsals for Bernhardt/Hamlet. Credit:Charlie Kinross But in fact, Bernhardt was an astonishingly generous and devoted artist and workmate. She strived to surround herself with creative minds she loved and respected, people who  like her  often came to a life in the theatre from a place of hardship. These were people who had nowhere else to go. Bernhardt never knew her father. She was passed from family member to family member as a child, then placed in a convent, despite being Jewish. She lived with a constant fear of abandonment. One day, one of her mothers lovers took her to the theatre  and her life changed forever. Theatre seemed to her a portal to another world  one of clear structure, yet wondrous escapism. She found an extended family in the theatre, and took on roles that are still so typical for a woman: ingenue to sex object; sex object to mother; mother to  retirement? No. Bernhardt refused this lineage, which is how we arrive at her taking on Hamlet. Its why we have the footage of that sword fight, where she takes on not just Laertes, but patriarchy itself. She had arrived at a point in her career where she was tired of playing the flower. No more Ophelias for her. And God forbid she should ever arrive at Gertrude. No. Bernhardt had her eyes on the prize. She wanted to be more than  not to be.

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Photo Illustration by Erin OFlynn/The Daily Beast/Netflix

At 1:19am on March 8, 2014, Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 (and its 227 passengers and 12 crew members) disappeared off the face of the Earth, thus begetting one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history. On the nine-year anniversary of this baffling incident, director Louise Malkinson searches for the truth with MH370: The Plane that Disappeared, a three-part Netflix docuseries (March 8) that proffers three theories about what happened to the still-missing Boeing 777. The possible explanations it dispenses, however, dont seem likely to bring this case to a closeand, in some instances, reveal the dangerous and depressing conspiratorial thinking that arises when concrete facts are in short supply.

There are things that can be definitively ascertained about MH370, and MH370: The Plane that Disappeared is strongest in its early going, when it focuses on the initial reaction to, and analysis of, the planes vanishing. A routine flight on a clear, calm night from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, MH370 took off shortly after midnight. As illustrated by recurring satellite-image maps, graphics and commentary from both relatives of passengers and aviation expertsmost notably American author Jeff Wisethere was nothing abnormal about the planes journey until it reached the edge of Malaysian airspace, where communication with the craft was handed over to Vietnamese air traffic controllers. MH370 captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah said good night to his Kuala Lumpur compatriots over the radio and then, poof, all of MH370s electronics simultaneously turned off, and it was gone.

A rapid-response effort to locate the plane ensued, turning up nothing. No one could detect its final course, determine a nearby airport where it might have landed, or locate debris in the South China Sea that would indicate a fatal crash. Families who gathered at a Malaysian hotel were naturally distraught, and as time went on and scant concrete clues turned up (or, at least, were handed over to the public), they became angry as well, demanding both greater transparency and more decisive and productive action.

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Hours turned to days turned to weeks turned to years, and MH370 was simply nowhere to be found, resulting in rampant speculation online and in the press (including by Courtney Love), as well as the emergence of amateur-sleuth collectives such as The Independent Group (which featured Wise and Mike Exner) that pored over available information in a desperate attempt to find this needle in a haystack.

Through a well-constructed combination of archival video, audio and still photos, CGI sequences, dramatic recreations and interviews with a wide array of voices, MH370: The Plane that Disappeared does a comprehensive job painting this picture. It then complicates it with the Malaysian governments subsequent revelation thatcourtesy of data from British company Inmarsatsatellite communications (i.e., pings) with the plane indicated that it had actually veered left shortly after it dropped off radar, passing back over Malaysia and into the Indian Ocean, where it headed either north toward Kazakhstan or south into the middle of the vast waters. In both these scenarios, the implication was clear: MH370s disappearance was deliberate.

Enter MH370: The Plane that Disappeareds rampant conjecture! The docuseries three installments forward a different, distinctive theory about what might have happened, each one more dubious than the last. In the first, the finger is pointed at Captain Shah, the most obvious suspect since he had control of the plane and, as investigators eventually learned, had charted a course on his home flight-training simulator that was eerily similar to the southward trajectory presented by Inmarsat. Colleagues diminish this, however, and theres little additional proof that the man wanted to commit such a murder-suicide.

The Atlantic Dusts Off Discredited Conspiracy Theory to Accuse MH370 Pilot of Hijacking

In the second episode, Wise goes out on a limb contending that Russian agents could have snuck into the planes electronic nerve center and taken control of the craft in order to manufacture a news story that would distract media attention away from Putins invasion of Crimeaa notion bolstered by the fact that, four months after MH370 vanished, the country shot down another Malaysian Airlines 777, MH17. In Wises theory, though, the plane would have turned north toward Kazakhstan, which became far less likely when debris (specifically, a flaperon that was identified as belonging to MH370) was discovered on La Reunion island in the southern Indian Ocean. Wises reputation took a hit in the press for this, as does his credibility here.

Craziest of all, however, is the theory posited by Le Monde journalist Florence de Changy and Ghyslain Wattrelos, whose wife and two children were aboard MH370. Using dubious data and intel from shadowy sources, they spin a far-fetched yarn in which the United States caused MH370 to go down in the South China Sea because the plane was supposedly carrying stolen surveillance tech headed to China. With almost no evidence to support this wild accusation, it resounds as the sort of America-as-global-boogeyman fantasy peddled by paranoid cinematic thrillers, and the fact that MH370: The Plane that Disappeared treats it seriously winds up bordering on the irresponsible, especially considering that it subsequently has Exner shrug it off as more loopy than legitimate.

Nonetheless, theres a reason MH370: The Plane that Disappeared wallows in murky and absurd waters. Director Malkinsons chats with passengers grieving relatives convey their unbearable frustration, sorrow and fury over this unresolved tragedy. In doing so, he provides illuminating context for why some chose to believe the unbelievable, be it de Changys cover-up tale or Blaine Gibson, an adventurer who had a peerless knack for finding MH370 debris. In the absence of conclusive truth, that vacuum is filled by all manner of make-believe designed to give comforting answers to outstanding questions. Theres pain in not knowing, and its that anguish  and the opportunistic desire to exploitatively capitalize off it  which appears to drive much of the guesswork surrounding MH370.

MH370: The Plane that Disappeared is therefore as much about how we process loss, and mysteries, as it is about reasonable suppositions. As Malkinsons docuseries makes plain, we may never figure out what happened to MH370, and such ignorance will continue to serve as the catalyst for fictional fantasies that keep false hope alive and create opportunities for profit. Even if, in the end, they offer little genuine solace.

Why Are We Still Searching for Amelia Earhart and Not MH370?

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More small investors are willing to back start-up businesses in the hope of striking it rich, taking advantage of changes to regulations that allow up to $10,000 to be invested through equity crowdfunding platforms.

Regulatory red tape was cut five years ago to make it easier for start-ups to raise money from small investors on the platforms. Crowdfunding has developed rapidly in the United Kingdom since it started there more than a decade ago, and has been slowly gaining popularity here.

Garry Williams invests his own money in start-ups and works for Tractor Ventures, a company that backs tech start-ups and maturing tech companies.

Revolut, the London-based neobank, was one of the beneficiaries of equity crowdfunding in the United Kingdom. It received millions of pounds from tens of thousands of investors in 2017. It is now valued at more than $US30 billion  one of Britains most valuable private companies  making colossal returns for early investors.

Local equity crowdfunding platform Equitise estimates about $73 million was invested by Australian investors in start-ups through equity crowdfunding platforms by the end of 2022, up from about $30 million two years earlier.
Minister for the Pacific Pat Conroy has been forced to withdraw unparliamentary language after he said the opposition had f---ed up the Pacific relationship on the floor of the parliament.

The fiery exchange came during a vote in the lower house on Labors proposed visa lottery scheme, which would allow 3000 people from the Pacific to move to Australia and apply for permanent residency.

The plan, unveiled in February, is similar to the United States green card system and is designed to strengthen ties between Australia and its Pacific island neighbours.

Conroys comments cannot be heard during the division but Nationals MP Michael McCormack, the shadow minister for the Pacific, can be heard and seen in footage from the chamber hopping to his feet to ask for the comment to be withdrawn.

Speaker Milton Dick explains he did not hear the comment, but Conroy quickly withdrew.

When approached by this masthead, Conroy confirmed he made the indelicate comments and that he was genuinely angry that the opposition opposed the proposed visa scheme.

I said something along the lines of You f----- up the Pacific relationship when you were in government, and now youre making it harder for us to fix it, he said.

There are strict rules around the language used in parliament and the manner in which MPs are supposed to address each other and Conroys comment falls well outside them.

The government had hoped the scheme will start on July 1, but following the Coalitions decision this week to oppose it, Labor will need to secure the support of the Greens and two votes from the crossbench.

Applicants would have to meet health, character and English proficiency tests and be aged between 18 and 45. They would also need to secure a job in Australia.

The scheme would be open to applicants from East Timor (Timor-Leste), as well as Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
News Corp and Network Ten have joined veteran journalist Lisa Wilkinson in indicating they will seek to prove former federal Liberal staffer Bruce Lehrmann raped his then-colleague Brittany Higgins in Parliament House as part of defences to his defamation claims against the news outlets.

The parties appeared in the Federal Court for the first time on Wednesday and Justice Michael Lee effectively ruled out requiring Lehrmann to appear in court before any trial to be cross-examined about why he should be granted an extension of a one-year limitation period to bring his claims.

Bruce Lehrmann outside the ACT Supreme Court last year. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Lee said he was concerned about Lehrmann potentially being exposed to multiple-cross examinations and suggested the issue could be considered alongside other defences in the trial, should barristers for the media outlets and Wilkinson seek to cross-examine him on the issue.

Lehrmann filed Federal Court defamation proceedings against Ten and News Corp last month over interviews with Higgins on news.com.au and The Project published on February 15, 2021.
Western Australias top private schools have raked in close to $70 million in donations and investment earnings over the past five years, but governments are failing to take the money into account when allocating public funds.

Figures obtained from the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission and compiled by Save Our Schools national convenor Trevor Cobbold shows 11 schools shared $69 million between 2017 and 2021.

There were 11 schools in WA which received more than $1 million in donations. Credit: Fairfax Media/ Supplied

Donations totalled more than $53 million and investment income hit close to $16 million. Christ Church Grammar School raked in over half this total  $25 million in donations and $11 million in investment income.

Cobbold said the 11 schools on the list also received a total of $98 million in funding by the state and federal governments in 2020 alone.
The Liberals and sections of the media are wailing in anguish about the tiny tax increases proposed for the 80,000 Australians with superannuation accounts worth more than $3 million. But their sympathy would be more appropriately directed at another similar-sized group: the 87,279 single mothers forced by the government to subsist on JobSeeker and try to raise their kids on $784.50 a fortnight.

Unemployed single mothers lose the Parenting Payment ($961.30 a fortnight) and must go onto the dole (JobSeeker) when their youngest child turns eight. Credit: Greg Newington

These women are victims of the policy-induced poverty initiated by John Howard in 2006 and accelerated by Julia Gillard in 2013 that requires single mothers be dumped from the Parenting Payment ($961.30 a fortnight) and onto the dole (JobSeeker) when their youngest child turns eight. They are currently paid $176.50 a fortnight less than they would receive if still on the Parenting Payment. This policy was intended to encourage single mothers off welfare and into employment, but a decade on there is no evidence this has succeeded.

Instead, these women and their children have sunk deeper into poverty every six months because not only is the rate of payment lower, it is indexed differently. For instance, those on the Parenting Payment received an extra $33.90 from the March indexation increase while the more than 80,000 women on the dole got just $26.60.

As a result of the policy changes, these women are no longer seen as single mothers once their youngest turns eight. Despite having as many as ten years of parenthood ahead of them, they are deemed to be unemployed economic units and are punished if they cant find employment.
London: The UK government says it is ready for legal challenges to a tough new law intended to stop tens of thousands of migrants a year reaching the country in small boats across the English Channel.

On Tuesday (UK time), Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the government had pushed the boundaries of international law with a bill that will bar asylum claims by anyone who reaches the UK by unauthorised means, and will compel the government to detain and then deport them to their home country or a safe third country. They would be banned from ever re-entering the country.

British Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced the Illegal Migration Bill on Tuesday. Credit: Getty

If you enter Britain illegally, you will be detained and swiftly removed, Braverman told lawmakers in the House of Commons as she introduced the governments Illegal Migration Bill.

The government says the new law, once approved by parliament, will deter migrants and hobble smuggling gangs who send desperate people on hazardous journeys across one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes.
Ciudad Victoria, Mexico: A road trip to Mexico for cosmetic surgery ended with two Americans dead  and two others found alive in a rural area near the Gulf coast  after a violent shootout and abduction that was captured on video, officials said on Tuesday.

The surviving Americans were back on US soil after being sped to the border near Brownsville, the southernmost tip of Texas, in a convoy of ambulances and SUVs escorted by Mexican military Humvees and National Guard trucks with mounted machine guns.

A member of the Mexican security forces stands next to a white minivan with North Carolina plates and several bullet holes at the crime scene. Credit: AP

A relative of one of the victims said Monday that the four had travelled together from the Carolinas so one of them could get a tummy tuck surgery from a doctor in the Mexican border city of Matamoros, where Fridays abduction took place.

Tamaulipas Governor Americo Villarreal said the four were found in a wooden shack, where they were being guarded by a man who was arrested. Villarreal said the captive Americans had been moved around by their captors, and at one point were taken to a medical clinic to create confusion and avoid efforts to rescue them.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa  A South Sioux City man has been found guilty of holding two women against their will in separate incidents where his accusers said he raped them.

At the conclusion of a five-day trial in U.S. District Court in Sioux City, a jury Friday found Arjune Ahmed, 26, guilty of two counts of kidnapping.

A sentencing date has not been set.

Ahmed met with a woman he had met on a dating site on Sept. 16, 2020. Instead of taking her to breakfast as the two had agreed, authorities said, Ahmed took the woman to Bacon Creek Park, where he forced the woman from his car, walked her to a secluded spot and raped her.

DNA evidence collected from the woman and a used condom left at the scene matched a sample collected from Ahmed, court documents said.

Ahmed also was charged with an August 2019 incident in which he picked up a woman at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Sioux City to give her a ride home, but instead drove to a remote location in South Sioux City, refused to let her out of the car and raped her, she said.
On 8 March, the World Customs Organization (WCO) joins the international community in celebrating International Womens Day 2023, focusing on the United Nations theme DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality, which highlights the importance of innovation and technological change, as well as of education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls.

In line with the digital transformation of Customs, which is one of the WCOs key priorities, Customs administrations are encouraged to digitalize services and automate procedures to facilitate trade across borders and ensure fairer and more transparent services. While digitalization can significantly improve equal access to services, Customs must also reflect on gender-specific imbalances and trends with regard to access to and use of these digital tools, for instance among women cross-border traders, and take these into account when engaging with stakeholders, and designing systems and training.

Bringing women and other groups that may risk marginalization into the technology fold has become all the more important as part of the ongoing digital transformation of Customs, further accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, WCO Secretary General. Against this background, the WCO aims to support Members in nurturing the next generation by promoting a culture of knowledge-sharing and professional pride in Customs, while emphasizing the importance of gender equality and inclusion in addressing an increasingly digitalized economy, he added.

On this day, the WCO is launching the second edition[1] of its Compendium on Gender Equality and Diversity in Customs, which was made possible thanks to the financial support of His Majestys Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of the United Kingdom, under the WCO Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme. It showcases the best practices of 12 Customs administrations around the world. These examples not only illustrate the diversity of the WCOs membership, but also the ways Customs administrations implement gender responsive and inclusive measures in line with their policy framework and based on their specific contexts.

As gender equality, diversity and inclusion remain high on the WCOs agenda, a range of tools are available to support Members in this area. Among them is the Gender Equality Organizational Assessment Tool (GEOAT), a key self-assessment tool to help Customs administrations conduct an analysis of the situation in different areas of Customs competence and develop adequate corrective measures.

In December 2020, the WCO also adopted a Declaration on Gender Equality and Diversity in Customs, through which gender equality and diversity (GED) are recognized as prerequisites for achieving sustainable development, growth and competitiveness.

A blended training package titled Advancing Gender Equality in Customs has also been made available to Members, comprising two dedicated e-learning modules which are available on the WCO CLiKC! platform.

These tools are used for conducting capacity-building activities with Members. In addition, to further support Members in implementing GED policies and practices, a pool of recognized GED Experts is being created to support global capacity-building efforts in this area.

This will continue building on existing initiatives to enhance this agenda and promote an exchange of experiences, including in the Virtual Working Group on Gender Equality and Diversity in Customs which was launched in 2017. This Working Group was complemented, in 2022, with the establishment of the Network for Gender Equality and Diversity in Customs, aimed at promoting champions to drive change.

[1] This follows the first edition, issued in 2021, which brought together 17 examples from Members and was also made possible with the financial support of the United Kingdom.
Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Flynn Restaurant Group LLC (FRG), Arbys largest franchisee, recently announced the completion of its $11.5 million-dollar year-long brand revitalization of 32 Arbys locations across the greater St. Louis area.

RB American Group, which owns and operates more than 360 Arbys restaurants throughout ten states, reinforced FRGs commitment to the western Illinois and eastern Missouri areas by adding more than 500 jobs to these respective local economies.

We are excited to announce the completion of our multi-million dollar Arbys renovation project across the greater St. Louis area, said Jerrod Mitchell, Vice President of Marketing, Flynn Restaurant Group. As a local partner, Flynn Restaurant Group is constantly looking for ways to positively impact and give back to the communities in which we serve. Through these remodels and resulting job opportunities, we hope to demonstrate our commitment to improve the Arbys dining experience to valued guests and employees across Illinois and Missouri.

Each newly remodeled Arbys restaurant features the brands upgraded Inspired aesthetics, featuring transformative exteriors, new authentic textures, multi-colored wood materials, modern lighting and chalkboard graphics. Construction of each remodel took a few weeks, with each drive-thru remaining open to guests and offering a construction deal  Buy One, Get One Free Classic Roast Beef Sandwiches. Enhancements were made without disrupting restaurant service or food quality.

Flynn Restaurant Groups revitalization project began in January 2022, bringing enhancements to Arbys restaurants in various Illinois and Missouri communities, including Farmington.
A state Senate committee debated Tuesday, Feb. 28, whether an expansion of charter schools would benefit Missouris students.

Sponsored by Sen. Bill Eigel, R-Weldon Spring, the legislation seeks to allow charter schools to open in municipalities with a population greater than 30,000 people or in a county with a charter form a government. His bill does not require a public school districts sponsorship of the charter school.

A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system. Currently, state law allows charter schools to open in St. Louis and Kansas City.

Eigel said introducing charters to new locations would encourage accountability because parents would have more choices.

But Sen. Elaine Gannon, a De Soto Republican and former public school teacher, questioned Eigels conclusion.

Do charter schools have more accountability than public schools? she asked.What about the charter schools that have been shut down because of, not just lost money, but because of theft?

She didnt pause long enough for him to answer.

Ive been up here for 11 years, and its just been, slam public schools. Slam public schools. Slam public schools, she said.

Eigel said he wanted to empower parents with more options.

Im looking at this through the lens of We dont want any competition for their government-run monopoly. Thats not a very efficient system, he said.

Gannon said Eigels proposal would take more money away from public education.

I dont think you can tie outcomes to dollars, Eigel said. I dont necessarily think that throwing more money at something leads to better outcomes.

Conservative lobbyists and groups that advocate for public funding of private schools tesified in support of Eigels bill.

Cathy Jo Loy, a commissioner for the Missouri Charter Public School Commision, compared schools to providing meal options to her grandchildren and told a story about going to two fast-food restaurants.

I think when were talking about choices, that were not necessarily disparaging the choices that are there, she said.

Those in opposition included Mike Wood, a lobbyist for the Missouri State Teachers Association.

If there is a charter school, it should be sponsored by the local school board so theres accountability and an election for tax dollars spent in that school, he said.

Sen. Doug Beck, D-Afton, estimated that over half of charter schools in the state have closed.

[Students] go back to the public school after the charter school fails, he said. The public school is still there after we bleed them dry.

Sen. Andrew Koenig, R-Manchester, asked what happens to failing public schools.

What happens when a charter school fails, and what happens when a public school fails? he asked.

Wood said the district becomes unaccredited.

So you tell me whats more accountable: If a school gets shut down thats failing kids or school stays open thats failing kids, Koenig said.

Lawmakers also asked Tammy Henderson, who works in community relations at the North Kansas City School District, about underperforming school districts.

She testified about watching the emergence of many high schools across the river from her district.

What is the reasoning why we even went down the road of charter schools? Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville, asked her.

She said Kansas City public schools were unaccredited.

How many kids have to fail, graduating not being able to read, before we do anything to figure this out? Brattin said.

Thats why we leave it in the areas that are struggling, Henderson said. Dont apply it to all of us.

Gannon said she agreed with Hendersons statement.

I dont think charter schools are going to solve the problem, Gannon said. I think it comes down to the family, and how are we going to fix the family?

The committee did not take action on the bill during its hearing Tuesday.
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- Air Products & Chemicals Inc. plans to invest a half-billion dollars to produce environmentally friendly hydrogen in New York state.

- The Trexlertown Chick-Fil-A plans to add a second drive-thru lane as part of a plan to reduce traffic congestion.

- The Harrisburg-based Mid Penn bank has opened its first full-service branch in the Lehigh Valley in South Whitehall.

- The Allentown Planning Commission put off a decision on a new Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen at the site of the former Nostos Greek restaurant.

- The former Star Crete concrete plant at the intersection of Farmersville Road and Easton Avenue has been sold for $1.58 million, and that may clear the way for a medical office building.

- The local business SuperSets Gym will open its third location in Allentown's South Mall, with no opening date set yet.

- The jewelry boutique Versant will close later this year, but the business will be consolidated at Gary Werkheiser's other location in Saucon Valley Square.

- The DSW Woodmill Commons has moved to Berkshire West, 1101 Woodland Road in Wyomissing.

- Trainer Michael Melendez has opened his new Reading Extreme Boxing Club where PacSun used to operate in the Berkshire Mall.

- Frackville NAPA Auto Parts held a grand opening with the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce and Frackville Business & Professional Association.

- Fyzical Therapy & Balance Centers in North Manheim Township held a grand opening, in conjunction with the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce and Pottsville Business Association.

- PDC Machines, a maker of hydrogen compressors, showed off a new plant in Lower Salford.

- Maya Capital Partners has acquired Amwell Valley Self Storage, a 265-unit storage business on Route 31 in Ringoes, New Jersey.

- Norwescap is buying the former Sullivan's on the Main restaurant in Phillipsburg to renovate the building and then use it for programs to help educate and feed people.
Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Clouds 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.
ABINGTON TWP., Pa.  A man wanted on robbery and kidnapping charges stemming from an incident at a convenience store in Berks County is in custody.

Rodney Moyer, 45, was arrested Tuesday in Abington Township, Montgomery County, on charges related to another incident there, according to the police.

Moyer was taken into custody by the Abington police after he allegedly tried to rob four people in the span of 10 minutes on March 7. The incidents happened within a one-block radius, and all involved Moyer stating he had a gun and then demanding money from the victim, police said.

Abington Det. Lt. Steve Fink said Moyer did not actually have a gun but kept a hand in his pocket as if to conceal a weapon. He's currently behind bars in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility on $75,000 bail.

Police have not said when Moyer will be returned to Berks County for arraignment on charges in the Colebrookdale robbery and kidnapping, which took place in Feb. 27.

"He was arrested on new charges with that department (Abington), and then, of course, our warrant will be dealt with as a result of that," said Eastern Berks Regional Police Chief Barry Leatherman.

In the Berks County incident, authorities said Moyer approached a 29-year-old man at the Circle K in the 1200 block of Montgomery Avenue in Colebrookdale Township in the early morning hours of Feb. 27.

Moyer threatened the victim, the police said, by claiming to have a gun, and forced him to withdraw money from an ATM. That's when the police said Moyer ordered the victim to drive him to the Philadelphia area, forcing the man to stop at another ATM along the way to withdraw more cash.

At one point during the drive, while stopped in traffic, the police said Moyer got out of the car and walked away. The victim contacted police soon after.

Police said they did not know if Moyer actually had a gun at that time.

"Our department was contacted, and our detective has been in contact with them (Abington police), and is working on arrangements to see him at Montgomery County prison regarding our investigation that's ongoing," Leatherman said.

Moyer is charged with robbery, terroristic threats and other offenses in Montgomery County, while he faces charges of robbery, kidnapping, false imprisonment and related offenses in Berks County.

Moyer's next court appearance is scheduled for March 21.
An area man faced felony charges last week after allegedly threatening to shoot a child and reportedly barricading himself inside an Iron Mountain Lake residence armed with a shotgun.

Jason Anthony Peck, 40, of Bismarck, has been charged in St. Francois County with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon (exhibiting and while intoxicated), and one count of resisting an arrest for a felony.

According to a probable cause statement from the St. Francois County Sheriffs Department, on Feb. 27, deputies were dispatched to Mallard Drive in Iron Mountain Lake in St. Francois County, responding to a call about shots fired.

The report states that after commanding the people in the residence to come out and after securing them, the deputies were told Peck had barricaded himself inside the home with the firearm. The deputies identified themselves and repeatedly demanded Peck come out of the house with his hands up.

As deputies entered the residence, Peck reportedly refused multiple commands to lie on his stomach. The man was ultimately helped to the ground by officers, according to the report. The man allegedly continued resisting by moving his arms to evade handcuffs and he repeatedly tried to stand up.

The report states police found a 12-gauge shotgun behind the couch where Peck had initially been hiding. A witness at the scene reportedly told police Peck was intoxicated and aggressive toward everyone in the residence. Police learned that Peck had allegedly said he was going to shoot a child at the home and reportedly pointed the shotgun in the juveniles direction.

Officers read Peck his Miranda rights before interviewing him. The man allegedly told authorities he had shot the firearm from the front door. A deputy noted in the report that Peck appeared drunk based on his slurred speech and use of incomplete sentences, drooling, belligerent attitude, and a strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath.

The report states a Passive Breath Test was performed with a result of 0.127 BAC.

Peck was booked at the St. Francois County Detention Center and a $25,000 bond was set in the case. If released on bail, Peck is ordered to comply with GPS and pre-trial monitoring. He is also prohibited from having contact with any alleged victims or witnesses in the case.

Peck appeared in court Thursday, waiving formal arraignment on the charges, entering pleas of not guilty on the four felony counts. The man has applied for a public defender and is due in court denied again on Thursday for a confined docket hearing, according to court docket entries.

Court records show Peck has three prior felony convictions. Most recently, the man pleaded guilty to one count of receiving stolen property in St. Francois County in July 2017. Filings show he received five years of supervised probation for the crime but violated the terms of that probation months later. He was given 120 days of shock incarceration for the violation and released in April 2018. Peck violated probation again in 2019 and received seven years to serve in the Missouri Department of Corrections. He was again released after serving a portion of the sentence.

Peck has other previous convictions for felony and misdemeanor offenses, including leaving the scene of an accident, possessing a controlled substance, careless and imprudent driving, and other traffic violations.
HARRISBURG, Pa.  Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro made his first budget address Tuesday in Harrisburg. It's one he says shares his vision for commonsense investments.

"Let's start by lowering costs for Pennsylvanians," Shapiro said in his address.

The governor called to eliminate the state cell phone tax, which he says would save Pennsylvania more than $120 million per year.

He also touched on Pennsylvania business taxes, which he says used to be the second-highest in the nation. Shapiro says those taxes make it too difficult for companies to grow and succeed, making it more difficult to sell Pennsylvania.

"This year, my administration is sending a different message: Pennsylvania is open for business," Shapiro promised.

He also says he wants to increase school funding. This comes after a Commonwealth Court judge recently ruled that Pennsylvania school districts are not being funded fairly.

"I think that speech and the work that he's done was targeted specifically to look at bipartisanship, to make sure that we address the needs of all Pennsylvanians," said Democratic state Sen. Judy Schwank, who represents part of Berks County.

Republican state Sen. Scott Martin, who represents parts of Berks and Lancaster counties, mentioned concerns about programs in the proposal that were started by the federal government.

"A lot of these he's now proposing that the state take up and pay for these things, that if the federal government wanted to continue, they could actually be funding," Martin said.

Shapiro said he would like to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour.

The governor also said he wants to create a fund that would send dollars directly to the Pennsylvania State Police.

A final budget is due by July 1.
HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro unveiled his first budget Tuesday and zeroed in on safety.

"I know that creating safe communities starts with ensuring police departments are well-staffed, well-funded and well-equipped," said Governor Shapiro.

The governor is proposing a public safety and protection fund. He said it would fund the State Police and will reduce the reliance on gas taxes by $100 million each year for the next five years.

Governor Shapiro said his budget proposes enough funding for four new cadet classes. The budget will add about 400 State Troopers. The State Police cover many rural communities.

"None of us want to walk away from public safety this budget year or in terms of anything that we do in the state government, so this makes a lot of sense," said State Senator Judy Schwank.

Senate Republicans said they will take a closer look at all of the governor's plans.

"Our appropriations team is going to spend the next 10 days getting into the very nooks and crannies of every single thing they're doing," said State Senator Scott Martin.

The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association said, in part: "Gov. Shapiro recognizes the first duty of government is the safety of its citizens. We would like to commend him for providing a dedicated funding stream for the Pennsylvania State Police."

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The ACLU says the Saucon Valley School District will stick to its decision to not allow the After School Satan Club to use the district's facilities.

The Saucon Valley School District informed the organization Tuesday about its decision.

The ACLU sent a letter to school officials last week asking them to reinstate the club's meeting dates. They argue preventing the After School Satan Club's meetings violates the First Amendment. It had asked the district to answer its request by noon Tuesday.

Its unfortunate that the school district is doubling down on its unconstitutional and discriminatory action against the club and The Satanic Temple. We are consulting with our clients as they carefully consider their next steps," said Sara Rose, deputy legal director for the ACLU of Pennsylvania.

The district superintendent had said the club had failed to meet all district requirements and therefore violates policy.

The district had initially granted approval to the club. It rescinded the approval days after a threat was made against the district by a man who referenced the After School Satan Club. Ceu Uk, of Charlotte, North Carolina, is accused of making the threat, and is now behind bars.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. - Advocates from the community gathered at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest Wednesday morning to deliver a letter to the health network asking it not to send a comatose patient - who's an undocumented immigrant - back to her home country.

Immigrant activists claim the woman's family is unable to pay the growing medical bills, and because of that, LVHN is considering flying the wife and mother of two back to her native Dominican Republic as early as Wednesday to receive care there instead.

The immigrant advocacy group CASA says the woman has been in a coma after suffering complications from aneurysm surgery in late December.

The letter delivered Wednesday outlines what family and advocates are asking the hospital to do: to commit in writing that the hospital would not send the patient back to her home country; continue to provide health care until she can be safely transferred to a long-term care facility; and work with the family, advocates, and attorneys, who have already begun the process to identify an appropriate care facility for the patient.

A delegation of five advocates that included representatives from Free Migration Project, the Pennsylvania Immigration and Citizenship Coalition, Make the Road Pennsylvania, and Allentown City Council member Ce-Ce Gerlach.

Administrator of Public Safety and Emergency Operations Ryan Hay said he would deliver the letter to the hospital's administration on behalf of the advocates. The letter is addressed to Cedar Crest Hospital President Stephen Zieniewicz and Lehigh Valley Health Network President Brian Nester.

Advocates say the patient requires a high level of care and they fear transporting her to a facility in the Dominican Republic - something they refer to as "medical deportation" - could put her life at risk.

LVHN had sent us a statement in response, but it did not specifically address any of the allegations made by the activists. The hospital said it would be illegal to discuss patient matters publicly.

The statement said in part that LVHN "works tirelessly with patients and their families to ensure they receive appropriate care."

LVHN said Wednesday afternoon it could not provide additional information beyond its original statement, citing patient confidentiality.
BETHLEHEM, Pa.  The City of Bethlehem held its second meeting about the housing market and affordable housing studies on Tuesday night at city hall.

The address, provided to Bethlehem City Council's Community Development Committee, focused on affordable housing strategies to address what the city says is a "housing crisis."

Priorities include maintaining existing affordable housing units, addressing housing for the most vulnerable, the building of more affordable housing units, addressing regional housing needs and building "capacity and momentum" for development.

"Our goal is to have a comprehensive and sophisticated and most effective plan come out of this," Laura Collins, director of community and economic development, said. "...There are really two considerations moving forward. One is what works here...and then also what are the tradeoffs we're making."

During Tuesday night's meeting, Sara Satullo, deputy director of community development, told the committee that everything they would see was for informational purposes.

"We haven't reached a point where we are prioritizing any strategies or gotten into the nitty-gritty of what is going to work best in Bethlehem," Satullo said. She added that the work was "difficult" if "you are trying to do it right," and that it was important at this stage for the city to consider various options to find the best result.

The city hired the firms of Reinvestment Fund, Atria Planning and COLLABO to produce a housing study. Rebecca Rothenberg, a consultant with Atria Planning, listed general strategies Tuesday night.

"We are trying to develop a set of tools for strategies that are based on the needs, and factor in political, social and economic factors that influence what can and can't be successful," Rothenberg said. "We also want to maximize the resources the city has by hopefully leveraging as much as possible."

Rothenberg noted potential public-private partnerships, such as the housing authority, major employers such as hospitals and universities or foundations. Those partnerships, she said, could be "soft," such as supportive services or neighborhood investment, or "direct," such as with developers.

Affordable housing ventures are typically done with housing authorities due to their access to government money. This includes Section 8 housing vouchers, although landlords often receive the agencies' fair market value rate which is less than a unit's market rate.

"There are hundreds of vouchers not being used because they can't find any landlords to rent at that rate," Rothenberg said.

Housing authorities could address this problem by building "directly," she said.

Another option is a subsidy voucher, which is attached to the unit itself.

"It's a way to finance new development," Rothenberg said.

She also suggested the city could have a fund to incentivize landlords and developers as a short-term solution.

A long-term strategy would provide incentives to attract developers to build affordable housing. The city would then have more control over the development itself.

"You can require more collaboration with the community, more design review," Rothenberg said. "You can also include requirements for parks and landscaping."

Other options included "tiny home communities" and the accessory dwelling unit model, which permits a small, secondary home to be added to a residential lot.

Tuesday night's meeting was the second on the topic. The first was held Feb. 8. City officials indicated they will finalize their affordable housing strategies by May, and present their plans in June.
BETHLEHEM, Pa.  The City of Bethlehem will not formally take part in the debate over the Bethlehem Landfill expansion in Lower Saucon Township, officials said Tuesday.

During his report at City Council's meeting, Mayor J. William Reynolds said Bethlehem would not officially obtain "party status" in the legal process reviewing Waste Connection Inc.'s proposed expansion of the landfill off Applebutter Road.

Entities or individuals who are granted party status can participate in public hearings about the landfill plan.

Reynolds said the decision was made based on the advice of legal counsel.

"It is a legal opinion that we are going to follow," the mayor said.

Residents urge Bethlehem City Council to take action against landfill in Lower Saucon Residents called upon Bethlehem City Council to take action to stop the proposed landfill expansion in adjacent Lower Saucon Township.

During a February meeting of City Council, residents called upon councilmembers to take action to stop the proposed landfill expansion. At that meeting, however, Solicitor John Spirk said the city had no control over the land adjacent to the landfill.

Reynolds had also said that even though he was "not happy" about the expansion, only Lower Saucon Township has the right to stop the development.

On Monday, the Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners passed a resolution stating its opposition to the expansion.

Bethlehem Township officially joins fight against landfill The Bethlehem Township Board of Commissioners on Monday officially opposed the proposed expansion of the Bethlehem Landfill.

Last week, Northampton County Council voted to seek party status, joining the ranks of the City of Easton, Hellertown Borough and St. Luke's Anderson Campus, among others, that have officially joined the fight against the landfill.
EASTON, Pa. - Easton's mayor is proposing a $500,000 boost for small businesses in the city.

Mayor Sal Panto announced his plan at a meeting Tuesday at city hall.

$30,000 will be used for marketing and promoting tourism. $70,000 will go to consulting at-risk businesses.

$400,000 will help small businesses pay their rents.

The mayor also had a message to business owners about being open at the right times.

"I know President Kennedy said 'Rising tides lift all boats,' but so does the rising economy. If you're not open - sorry, I have to say it - if you're not open when we're busy, if you're closed at 5 p.m., and the restaurants have 3,000 people coming down every weekend, and Thursday nights, you got to be open," Panto said.

Mayor Panto promises to give more information about his small business plan in the coming weeks.
EMMAUS, Pa. - The U.S. government is stepping in after a series of deadly and dangerous train derailments.

The National Transportation Safety Board launched an investigation into the safety culture of Norfolk Southern. That investigation includes the massive derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border where toxic materials were leaked into the environment.

Many towns in our area have freight trains running right through them, including Emmaus. Just steps away from the Triangle are the railroad tracks with dozens of train cars passing through each day.

"The railroad from an industry standpoint," business owner Wesley Barrett of Wesley Works Real Estate says. "It's been here forever and it's one of the reasons why Emmaus is here."

Barrett says the sounds are constant but expected. Other business owners in the area say they're used to them, especially their constant and loud horns.

"Almost any business owner can tell you the story of 'yeah, I was on the phone, but hold on one second,' then the train horn hits, and then you can continue your conversation," Barrett says.

His real estate office on Chestnut Street is just about a block from the tracks. He says in terms of safety, it's not much of a concern.

"Everyone kind of knows the stories of the train," he says. "Some real, some not."

But none he says are quite as catastrophic as the situation to our west.

A Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, right on the border of Pennsylvania, last month in early February caused a toxic chemical spill. The situation is still not sitting well with people that were impacted.

Now the National Transportation Safety Board is taking action. The federal agency says it will be investigating the safety culture of Norfolk Southern. The NTSB's announcement on Tuesday comes just hours after a conductor was hit and killed at an Ohio Steel Facility. The railway company says it's cooperating.

"We're cooperating with the NTSB," Senior Communications Manager at Norfolk Southern Connor Spielmaker said.

"We're cooperating with the local, state, federal resources to make sure that we investigate them fully, understand what could be done better, and make Norfolk Southern an even safer railroad."
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Lehigh University updated the community on the ongoing search for a missing student.

Daniel Lee's phone and credit cards have not been used since he went missing on Jan. 20, the school said in an email Tuesday.

Foul play is not suspected in the engineering student's disappearance, and there is no known danger to the community, officials said.

Lehigh said there is a concern that self-harm is involved. Authorities have not shared private details about concern for Lee's mental health, out of respect for his family, the message said.

"We know this is a difficult message to receive, and we continue to hope for Daniels safe return," university officials said in the email. "As police continue their search, please continue to keep Daniel and his family in your thoughts."

Police from Lee's hometown in New Jersey have been assisting Lehigh and Bethlehem police with the search, and they have been in regular contact with Lee's family.

The university is reminding students and staff that counselors and resources are available if you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or a mental health crisis. The University Counseling and Psychological Services (UCPS) office can be reached at 610-758-3880.
A Senate committee discussed a constitutional amendment last month that, if approved by the legislature and passed by voters, would secure the right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife in the state constitution.

Sen. Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg, is sponsoring Senate Joint Resolution 1 and has sponsored similar or identical legislation several times before.

Before the Senate Agriculture, Food Production and Outdoor Resources Committee, Hoskins argued that his bill would protect American heritage.

Anti-hunting organizations would lead the public to believe that hunting, fishing and harvesting of wildlife are only privileges subject to social pressures and prevailing public sentiments rather than an inherent right, Hoskins said. In order to establish in perpetuity what has been assumed for centuries, several states have sought amendments to state constitutions.

There are 23 states that guarantee the right to hunt and fish. Vermont enshrined the right in its constitution in 1777, and 22 more states have followed since the 1990s, Hoskins said. The language in Hoskins bill is similar to the model language that the National Rifle Association has provided for states to use.

Hoskins said the bills provision that protects traditional devices and methods of hunting includes firearms, bows and crossbows but does not include noodling, a practice of hunting catfish with ones bare hands and feet that is legal in 16 states but not Missouri. Hoskins added that the bill would preserve hunting seasons.

Sen. Barbara Washington, D-Kansas City, asked who would determine the meaning of unreasonable where the bill states no law shall unreasonably restrict hunting, fishing or using traditional methods.

Hoskins said the Missouri Department of Conservation would oversee enforcement. He said case law from other states that have adopted the amendment suggest that unreasonable refers to an arbitrary standard that would only restrict the most extreme regulations, meaning most agency regulations will likely pass muster in court.

Washington also asked what the bill would do to safeguard endangered animals that need protection from hunting. Hoskins said the bill does not legalize poaching, so hunting protected species would remain illegal.

Aaron Jeffries, deputy director of the Department of Conservation, said the department had concerns about the word unreasonable and the phrase traditional devices and methods but that he was willing to work with Hoskins on agreeable language.

Missouri has a unique system in which a conservation commission within the Department of Conservation, appointed by the governor, regulates wildlife, hunting and fishing, Jeffries said. He said other states that have passed the hunting amendment have faced litigation over how the wording of the bill applies to regulations.

For example, representatives from two Tennessee fishermens associations took the state Wildlife Resources Commission to court over its restrictions on harvesting American paddlefish, a vulnerable species prized for its eggs, which make caviar. A judge decided for the commission, arguing the states hunting amendment did not preclude the state from regulat(ing) commercial activity.

That is one of our concerns, Jeffries said. If were going to do this, lets get the language right to continue to protect the commissions authority, as well as avoid any unnecessary consequences.
Northampton County Council passed a tax-break plan for Upper Mount Bethel Township in 2018. At that time, Republican County Councilman John Cusick and Democrat Lamont McClure, the county executive, were in favor.



Since then, developer Lou Pektor has proposed River Pointe Logistics Park, an industrial plan covering hundreds of acres near the Delaware River. Pektor says RPL will create thousands of jobs and generate millions of dollars in taxes, while some residents claim it will wreck their rural way of life.



Pektor has said his goal is to bring in manufacturers and good jobs, not a lot of warehouses.



Times have changed, and with the future of the tax break from the county in question, Cusick and McClure both oppose renewing the so-called LERTA: Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance.

LERTAs provide a break on new construction that declines and disappears after 10 years. The township and Bangor Area School District have also granted LERTAs to River Pointe.



The issue of whether the LERTA needs to be renewed is being analyzed by Chris Spadoni, the lawyer for county council. It is a 10-year plan, but the language of the 2018 ordinance says it would expire at the end of 2022. During a council committee meeting last year, Lou Pektor's daughter Lisa raised the issue of an extension. No buildings are up at the site yet.



Cusick, whose title has changed from councilman to commissioner since the 2018 vote, mentioned the time lapse and public sentiment for his change of view.



"My recollection is that back in 2018, the UMBT Board of Supervisors were unanimously in favor of the designation and there was little or no opposition from the public," Cusick said in an email statement. "That is no longer the case. I also feel that 5 years was more than enough time to approve a suitable development plan."



County Executive McClure put out a statement Tuesday: "As the Department of Community and Economic Development is not recommending renewal of the UMBT LERTA at this time, Executive McClure sees no need to further incentivize this project with a tax break now."



The county Department of Community and Economic Development is led by Tina Smith, a McClure appointee. The county did not respond to a question about why DCED did not recommend the renewal.



River Pointe also did not respond to a request for comment.



McClure has vowed to oppose what he calls "warehouse proliferation." While acknowledging that the industry brings in jobs and tax revenue, he has said there are enough in the county and he opposes any tax breaks for their construction.



Lou Pektor has said the River Pointe land, with its proximity to Route 80 and the New York metro area, is too valuable to devote to warehouses.



The township has a limited tax base, according to UMBT Manager Ed Nelson. He has said 87% of the township's 44 square miles pay reduced or no property taxes. The land is preserved open space, farmland, institutional, or shielded in some other way.



"We need this," Nelson has said many times of River Pointe.



No timetable has been set for when the issue will come before the county, but the next full meeting of County Councill will be at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 16. The nine-member council needs five votes to pass an ordinance for a LERTA, and six votes to override a McClure veto.



At a raucous 2020 township meeting, held outside because of the crowd and the COVID-19 pandemic, Supervisor Martin Pinter pointed out to the River Pointe opposition that the land is zoned for industry, there are other industrial uses nearby, and Pektor owns the acreage. Pektor could have just put up warehouses, Pinter said, an approved use.



"The facts are, we can't stop Lou from building," Pinter said. A majority of the board worked with Pektor on the plan, which now includes a fee on buildings that would go toward township services.



At the 2018 meeting, Cusick voted in favor, along with three other county commissioners who remain on the board: Ron Heckman, Lori Vargo Heffner and Tara Zrinski.



Minutes of the meeting indicate there was no public comment.
L. MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. - Authorities are once again drawing attention to an unsolved assault case in the Lehigh Valley.

Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers said Wednesday that new information has been discovered in the July 30, 2022 attack at an apartment complex in Lower Macungie Township.

A $2,000 reward is still being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the two men who jumped a 41-year-old woman as she was getting out of her car in a parking stall at the Valley Ridge Apartments.

The men wore dark clothing and masks, and took off in a dark sedan after the attack around 11:20 p.m., police said.

The woman was taken to the hospital with injuries.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the state police in Fogelsville at 610-395-1438 or anonymously contact Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers at 1-800-4PA-TIPS (8477) or online.
U. MT. BETHEL TWP., Pa. - River Pointe Logistics Park, the industrial complex planned for Upper Mount Bethel Township, needs tax breaks to help bring in manufacturing companies, project manager Lisa Pektor said Wednesday.

Pektor, daughter of developer Lou Pektor, said in an email statement that the high cost of building manufacturing plants compared to warehouses makes government incentives important to drawing good companies and good jobs. She linked the local debate over tax breaks to the global competition for jobs.

Northampton County, the Bangor Area School District and Upper Mount Bethel have approved breaks on construction at River Pointe, but the county is considering not extending the program, known as LERTA: Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance. The township and school district LERTAs would not be affected by the county decision.

The Pektors have contended all along that River Pointe's land near Route 80, with access to the New York City metropolitan area, is too valuable to devote to warehouses. They are looking for value-added manufacturing companies.

"The LERTA is very important to the project's ability to attract manufacturers rather than logistics companies," according to Lisa Pektor's statement, which was provided by a public relations firm.

"Manufacturers spend a lot more money on their facilities and therefore are subject to higher taxes as there are more improvements with the greater assessed value attributed to them. As the U.S. is completing globally to retain manufacturing, incentives are a big factor in the decision-making process for these companies. Every RFP (request for proposal) we respond to has a section dedicated to incentives already on the site and most companies are in discussions with LVEDC (Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp.) and DCED (Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development) on other incentives offered by the Commonwealth," she said.

LERTAs provide a break on construction and site improvements that declines and then disappears after 10 years. The goal is to boost development and job creation, giving up some revenue now for a bigger future tax base. River Pointe (RPL) is planned for land that is zoned for industry and has other industrial uses nearby. Upper Mount Bethel's Board of Supervisors has voted in favor of RPL.

The County of Northampton is very glad to hear that River Pointe plans to host manufacturers in its industrial park. As manufacturing facilities are generally built to specification and not necessarily on spec, we will remain open-minded, while taking the position of 'trust but verify,' said Tina Smith, the county's Director of Community and Economic Development.

"We can't stop Lou from building," UMBT Supervisor Martin Pinter said at a 2020 meeting, pointing out the reality of zoning and land ownership. The land is zoned for industrial use, and that includes warehouses, and Pektor owns the land.

The township has negotiated with the Pektor team on the project, which includes an assessment on developed land that would provide money for Upper Mount Bethel.

The status of the county LERTA may be discussed at a meeting on Thursday, March 16. County Council attorney Chris Spadoni is reviewing the LERTA ordinance approved in 2018, a representative of council said Tuesday.

County Executive Lamont McClure and County Commissioner John Cusick (council members are known as commissioners) said Tuesday they would not support an extension. Cusick said five years have gone by since the 2018 vote and there is still no "suitable development plan." McClure cited the recommendation of the county Department of Community and Economic Development not to renew the LERTA.

McClure and Cusick both supported the LERTA in 2018. Since then, River Pointe has been proposed and a group of township residents and others have taken to attending public meetings to complain that RPL will ruin their rural lifestyles. The opposition has complained about traffic, noise and the potential for polluting the Delaware River, among other issues.

The River Pointe debate comes amid Lehigh Valley-wide opposition to warehouses. While the warehouse and trucking industry provides about 10% of local jobs, according to one study, the industry is unpopular in some quarters. McClure has said he opposes "warehouse proliferation."

The Pektors have said all along that their goal is to bring in manufacturers.

Northampton County Commissioner Thomas Giovanni, who represents much of the northern tier of the county, said residents see big-box buildings and assume they are warehouses. Manufacturing buildings also operate out of big boxes, he pointed out.

Cusick, who stated his opposition to extending the LERTA on Wednesday, is one of four council members left who voted on the tax break in 2018. The other three are Ron Heckman, Lori Vargo Heffner and Tara Zrinski. All voted in favor of the LERTA, and at that meeting, there was no public opposition.
HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Michelle A. Henry to serve as the state's Attorney General.

Wednesdays vote follows Mondays unanimous decision by the Senate Judiciary Committee to recommend and advance her nomination, according to a news release from the state attorney general's office.

This is a powerful vote of confidence in our work and I am humbled to lead the dedicated team in the Office of Attorney General on behalf of every Pennsylvanian, said Attorney General Henry. Consumers, victims, and our partners in law enforcement now rely on the Office in record numbers, and with this vote, we can continue to be the independent, fearless, and trusted voice Pennsylvanians have come to expect. There will be big challenges over the next two years, and, as your Attorney General, I promise we will step up and always have Pennsylvanians' backs.

The Attorney General is the state's top law enforcement officer and operates with a wide range of responsibilities to protect and serve the citizens and agencies of the Commonwealth.

The Attorney General leads a staff of several hundred prosecutors, attorneys, investigators, agents and support staff in offices across the state, divided into four divisions: the Criminal Law Division, the Public Protection Division, the Civil Division and the Operations Division, the attorney general's office said.

Michelle Henry has the experience, talent, and dedication to the pursuit of justice that Pennsylvania needs in the Attorney Generals office  and thats why I nominated her to serve out the remainder of my term, said Governor Josh Shapiro. By confirming her nomination, the Senate has guaranteed that Pennsylvanians have an Attorney General who will fight for them. I look forward to working with Attorney General Henry to build safer communities and protect the rights of Pennsylvanians.

A prosecutor for more than 26 years, Henry rose from intern in the Westmoreland County District Attorneys Office, according to the attorney general's office. She is a graduate of Allegheny College and the Widener University School of Law, worked for the Westmoreland County Legal Aid Office, and clerked for now retired Lancaster County President Judge Michael Georgelis.

Before serving as First Deputy Attorney General, Michelle worked in the Bucks County District Attorneys Office for more than 20 years, taking on critical jobs including Chief of Major Crimes, Chief of Child Abuse, and First Assistant.

She was appointed Bucks County District Attorney with a bipartisan vote in 2008. Michelle has advocated for children throughout her career, prosecuting major child abuse cases and launching Bucks Countys childrens advocacy center, the attorney general's office said. She has pushed major initiatives and took a leading role in educating junior prosecutors from across the Commonwealth.

As First Deputy Attorney General under former Attorney General Josh Shapiro, Henry was responsible for overseeing all of the Offices legal matters, including criminal cases to seek justice for victims, civil suits representing the Commonwealth and public protection cases fighting for the rights of Pennsylvania consumers. During her tenure, Henry was admitted to the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America; and received the Widener University Commonwealth Law Schools 2017 Excellence in Public Service Alumni Award for her extraordinary contributions to public service.
STROUDSBURG, Pa. - Police are investigating a double stabbing in the Poconos.

Police say it happened Monday night on Main Street in Stroudsburg, Monroe County, near the district attorney's office.

Officers found that two males had been stabbed and another had fled the scene, according to a news release from the Stroud Area Regional Police Department.

The males are expected to survive.

Police say the stabbings happened after the three males got into a fight.

They say this was not a random event, and that there's no threat to the public.
The Leadwood Board of Aldermen met recently and heard updates about the city's water system, including the results of EPA testing, pump replacements and filter maintenance.

Leadwood Water & Sewer Supervisor Kevin Brooks spoke to the board about recent test results received from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"DNR contacted me back in July, I believe it was, about some tests the EPA was going to be doing," he explained. "I did the tests, I believe, in October and sent the test kit in, and we got the results back on it."

Brooks said the tests were for detecting per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS). According to the EPA, the two compounds are classified within a large family of chemicals in use since the 1950s to make a wide variety of stain-resistant, water-resistant, and non-stick consumer products. PFOS and PFAS have been known to make their way into tap water systems, so the EPA recommends testing for the chemicals, which can be hazardous to humans in elevated concentrations.

The department supervisor said the test results were mostly good, with one figure showing a minimally elevated chemical. He noted that it was possible the number could be an inaccurate reading and may be tested again.

"There was one of the chemicals that we had a very, very slightly high result on, and they said they'd probably do another test later to see if that was just a false positive," said Brooks. "It wasn't bad at all."

Leadwood's water system is a groundwater source that serves about 1,247 area residents with about 437 service connections, according to DNR's 2023 Census of Missouri Public Water Systems.

During the meeting, Brooks updated the board about recent grinder pump replacements. The grinder pumps are used in the city's wastewater pumping stations to pump sewage from the stations to the treatment plant, grinding up solids as the wastewater heads to the plant.

"We were having a problem with our two-horse grinders," Brooks recalled. "There was a problem with them from the factory that we found out. We had some that had failed in the warranty period, and we got a warranty replacement on those."

Brooks also mentioned the labor-intensive work the city has been doing to locate a problem inside a water filter for the water tanks.

"We've been working on getting the filter emptied out, getting the sand out of it to try and find out what the internal problem with it was," Brooks said. "We have just been working on it; we don't have it completed yet."

Brooks said he would update the city's board of aldermen again at the next monthly meeting on March 27.
The charity event performance of At Last, It's Summer! takes place next month

Five of those set to appear

( Photos provided by production)

A concert staging of new musical At Last, It's Summer! will take place next month.

Penned by Clive Richard Davis, with direction by Ian Talbot, and choreography from Jordan Langford, the show is in aid of Parkinson's UK.

Telling a tale of 1920s English shires, the piece is set in a leafy country home thrown into disarray by dark revelations.

Davis explains today: The story idea laid fallow in my head for years; a plot to hang some earworm melodies around. That is where it would have stayed were it not for the gentle ribbing of chums who thought it more likely a donkey would win the Derby than that I would finish the thing, with its impossibly convoluted plot. The challenge was set and accepted. Sadly, one of the prime culprits is no longer with us, him having finally given up the battle with Parkinsons. Paul was struck down with the dreadful disease at far too early an age as was my wifes father. If the ticket proceeds can contribute to finding a cure for Parkinsons I could not wish for more.

Set to appear will be Louise Dearman as Lady Serina Stanwick, Rob Houchen as Count Orilov, Joanna Riding as Countess Orilov, Gary Wilmot as Mr Wellbeloved, Gerard Carey as Gerald, Steve Fortune as Sir Garfield Sykes, Kelly Mathieson as Lady Alice Stanwick, Shannon Rewcroft as Francesca with Alan Titchmarsh as the Narrator. Further cast is to be revealed.

Larry Blank orchestrates and will lead a 35-piece orchestra, alongside Jack Bennett as musical director. Casting is by Richard Johnston.

The show will run on 16 April at The London Palladium, with tickets on sale via the Palladium website.
The upcoming state budget could feature historic investments in the states healthcare system, which inevitably would cause a rippling effect in counties, municipalities, and medical facilities.

Wisconsins Department of Health Services (DHS) announced the potential healthcare investments in the budget on March 2. Areas covered include: Medicaid expansion, mental health, substance abuse, infant mortality prevention, crisis management, long-term care, and medical staffing.

Gov. Tony Evers referred to the upcoming state budget as a breakthrough budget, according to the DHS release.

Mile Bluff Medical Center, a Juneau County provider whose main hospital is in Mauston with a few clinics in other areas of the county and Lake Delton, offered insight on what potential budget initiatives could mean for its services.

The additional funding could potentially allow Mile Bluff to expand its services in certain areas, particularly those addressed in the budget, and provide more access to affordable healthcare for seniors and low-income individuals/families, said Mile Bluff CEO Dara Bartels in a statement.

Bartels added that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the increased need for mental health services. Mile Bluff may look to invest in mental health programs that it previously did not have the ability to do with increased state investment, according to Bartels.

This could help to address the limited resources that Mile Bluff currently has for mental health services, and increase access to these vital services, said Bartels in her statement.

She also addressed the potential long-term-care state investments, saying that Mile Bluff could benefit from the offsetting of higher costs for staffing and care with regard to seniors. However, she said staffing will remain a challenge for long-term senior care, as well as regulation.

Grant funding for healthcare staff education is a start, according to Bartels, but she said that more funds may be necessary to revitalize passion for work in the field. She advocated for more initiatives at the state level for medical training and education.

As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, there will be a growing need for skilled healthcare professionals, said Bartels in her statement.

Treemanisha Stewart, the health officer in Sauk County, described Everss budget proposal with regard to health as upstream thinking. She said that the investments in various areas will provide better outcomes in the community but also was uncertain what the proposals would mean with respect to the tax levy in the county.

Its hard to budget when you cant have an increase in your budget because of the tax levy rules and provisions, said Stewart. The plans that he has put in place, specifically to public health and the broader impacts are long overdue.

Mental health investments are crucial at the county level due to astronomical waiting lists for such care services, according to Stewart. She added that there is a shortage of mental health specialists, and health practitioners as a whole, in the area and the current staff is stretched to the max.

We need a right-now fix and we need a long-term fix, said Stewart about healthcare staffing.

Health department officials in Columbia, Dodge, and Juneau counties have not responded to requests for comment. The Wisconsin Hospital Association is scheduled to respond on March 8.
A prominent Juneau County social worker was honored at the state level for her work with youth and families on March 7.

Kelly Firlus, the Children, Youth and, Family Services Manager in the county, received one of six statewide Caring for Kids awards for 2023. The awards are presented by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families in conjunction with Gov. Tony Evers officially declaring March as Social Work Month.

I was surprised and humbled to be nominated, said Firlus in an email. Working in child welfare can be hard, really hard, and there are so many dedicated workers in our state doing that really hard work every day. To be chosen to be one of six recipients is truly an honor. I received the notification at the end of one of those really hard days and it really touched me to just be nominated.

Firlus added that she may have cried a bit and expressed her gratitude to county Director of Human Services Dawn Buchholz for nominating her.

We are very proud of Kelly and can assure you she definitely earned this great honor, said Buchholz.

Firlus has spent seven years in her current position as Children, Youth, and Family Services Manager, beginning the position in March of 2016. She began working for the county in 2007 as a children with disabilities worker and also worked with the Birth to 3 program and Childrens Long-Term Support Waiver program.

Her current duties involve supervising those previous two programs employees along with managing child protective services, youth justice, foster care, and kinship care coordination in the county.

Working in child welfare is not where I saw myself when I started in the social work field, said Firlus in her email. In fact, I believe I said there was no way I would be able to do such hard and often heart-breaking work. When you step in to the role of helper, especially with people when they are at their lowest, you really have to put yourself into the work.

She added that she continues to do work with the countys children because of its positive impact throughout the area and that her current department has a lot of people dedicated to doing the same.

As the manager for Juneau County CYF (Children, Youth, and Families) unit I have the opportunity to lead a group of workers like no other, said Firlus in her email. The individuals I have the honor to lead have heart, compassion, and dedication to children and to helping parents be the best parent and person they can be.

On Feb. 21, DCF Secretary Emilie Amundson sent the letter informing Firlus and the five other recipients of their honors. Amundson said in her letter that Firlus was chosen because of her extraordinary commitment to the children and families you serve. The letter added that her work has impacted many lives throughout the area.

This year is the 15th year in which the state has given out the Caring for Kids awards. The other winners include Chandra Cooper and Jean Northway in the Milwaukee area, as well as Teresa Kovach, Rhonda Rummel, and Mark Ryskoski in the human services departments in Portage, Kewaunee, and Trempealeau counties, respectively.
Three Beaver Dam wholesale dealers saw their licenses revoked for failing to meet requirements for a proper business facility, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced Monday.

Horsemen Motors and Your Experience, both located in the former Boston Store location, and On The Go Auto, inside the old Shopko building, were given 30 days to appeal the revocation. The dealers did not appeal, and the decision was finalized on March 4.

All three companies are registered under the name Diana Magana with US Office Leasing, Inc. The corporation helps individuals establish their own businesses, aiding in the process of applying, obtaining and maintaining licenses. US Office Leasing has branches in Montana, Florida and Georgia.

Once you are license, you can count on us to ensure your business remains compliant, the corporations site reads with grammatical errors.

A representative who answered the three dealers shared number said the owner would not be available to speak outside of business hours. Posted hours are Thursday only from noon till 5 p.m.

The DOT could not provide further details regarding the specific infractions the businesses made. Communications Manager Terry Walsh pointed to a short list of requirements associated with maintaining a facility, including a valid lease, outdoor vehicle display lot, $25,000 surety bond or irrevocable letter of credit and payment of all fees for a two-year wholesale dealer license.
As she saw her room at the new nursing home at Oakwood Village for the first time Tuesday, Betty Roberts said she liked how big it is and the large windows, which bring in a lot of natural light.

Therell be squirrels out there, said Roberts, 102, a retired kinesiology professor at UW-Madison.

Or a coyote, possibly, said Tom Roberts, her former husband and close friend, eyeing a landscaped hill and woods nearby.

Oakwood Village, the largest retirement care organization in Madison, will open the 60-bed nursing home, known as Hebron Oaks Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, next week at its University Woods campus on Madisons West Side.

The facility replaces a 70-bed nursing home built in 1963 and added on to in the 1980s. Its opening comes as the number of nursing homes in Wisconsin is declining.

Keith VanLanduyt, vice president of marketing at Oakwood, said the $34 million facility will improve care for Oakwoods independent or assisted living residents who need it while offering short-term rehabilitation services to others in the area. The cost includes an underground walkway and a central kitchen for all health care programs on the campus.

We felt we had a commitment to the residents who moved in, who wanted a full continuum of care, VanLanduyt said. This will continue to be a need in the community, with seniors needing rehab services, post-surgery or post-health event. We feel like we do it well.

Stan Payne, chairman of a group called Concerned Residents of Oakwood University Woods, said the new facility is impressive but could lead to higher fees for independent living residents if it doesnt make money.

The problem is that it is very hard to operate nursing homes in the black nowadays, and that will be a real challenge for Oakwood, Payne said.

Former CEO Reginald Hislop III departed in December amid criticism by Paynes group. Calvin Williams, who had been Oakwood board chairman, is interim CEO. A search committee is seeking a permanent leader, and Payne said the temporary leadership is beginning to deal with serious issues in a constructive way.

Wisconsin had 342 nursing homes as of January, down from 397 in 2016, with nearly two dozen closing since 2020. Owners often attribute the closures to staffing shortages, financial challenges and aging facilities.

Oakwood has 785 residences at two campuses. University Woods, off Mineral Point Road, has 375 units: 215 independent living apartments, 60 assisted living rooms, 40 memory care beds and the nursing home.

Prairie Ridge, off American Parkway on Madisons Far East Side, has 410 units, with 277 in independent living, 73 in assisted living, 20 in memory care and a 40-bed nursing home.

At University Woods, about 35 residents of Oakwoods old nursing home, also called Hebron Oaks, will move into the new facility starting March 15. Its 450-square-foot suites, double the size in the old building, have living rooms and kitchenettes separate from bedrooms equipped with oxygen hookups and bathrooms that have spacious showers.

In addition to a 12-bed hospice wing, 48 rooms are targeted primarily for short-term rehab. Along with dining rooms, a bistro, a salon, a massage therapy space, a serenity room and a therapy gym, the facility will feature an outdoor agility park. Gravel, wood chips, stairs and curves will let people in rehab practice walking on various surfaces.

Barbara Gessner, an Oakwood independent living resident, just completed a week in rehab at the old nursing home after hip replacement surgery.

There, patients had to go into the hallway to get from their beds to the bathroom and there was only one thermostat per wing. It was hot, said Gessner, 84, a retired UW-Madison nursing professor. Visiting the new facility Tuesday, Gessner said, Theres no comparison. This is really state of the art.
The U.S. Commerce Department would have additional powers to regulate and potentially ban social media platforms and apps like TikTok under a bipartisan bill unveiled Tuesday by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators, including Wisconsins Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, of Madison.

The bill, which has been dubbed the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act and was announced by a group of a dozen U.S. senators, is the latest proposed measure focused on what lawmakers and national security officials have described as the mounting threat posed by technology from foreign adversaries.

One of the apps to receive considerable attention is TikTok, an app owned by Chinese company ByteDance that is used by two-thirds of American teens. The social media app has become the target of bipartisan scrutiny due to potential national security risks if used by the Chinese government to influence American users or collect data from the millions of devices with the app.

We need to protect Americans data and keep our country safe against today and tomorrows threats, Baldwin said. While many of these foreign-owned technology products and social media platforms like TikTok are extremely popular, we also know these products can pose a grave danger to Wisconsins users and threaten our national security.

Baldwin added the bipartisan legislation will empower the country to respond to the fast-changing tech environment and give the U.S. the tools it needs to assess and act on current and future threats that foreign-owned technologies pose to Wisconsinites and our national security.

Other goals

Provisions in the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act, which go far beyond just TikTok, include:

Requiring the secretary of Commerce to create procedures to identify, deter, disrupt, prevent, prohibit and mitigate transactions involving information in which a foreign adversary has an interest and poses undue or unacceptable risk to national security.

Prioritizing evaluation of information communications used in critical infrastructure or telecommunications products, or related to a range of defined emerging, foundational, and disruptive technologies with serious national security implications.

Ensuring actions are taken to address risks of untrusted foreign information communications by requiring the Commerce secretary to consider concerning activity identified by other government agencies.

Educate the public and business community by requiring the Commerce secretary to coordinate with the director of National Intelligence to provide declassified information on actions taken to mitigate undue or unacceptable risk.

Gallaghers role

Earlier this year, U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Green Bay, was elected chair of the new Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

Gallagher, who has been a vocal critic of TikTok and has called for legislation to implement a nationwide ban of the app, said in January the new committee will focus on reclaiming U.S. economic independence in key areas and exposing the Chinese Communist Partys coordinated, whole-of-society strategy to undermine American leadership.

Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said in January he would ban the use of TikTok on state devices, joining a growing list of states to prohibit staffers from using the social media app on government devices.
A Charlottesville planning commissioners tweets targeting a local business owner have prompted an apology from the planning commissions head and a statement from the mayor calling the language used unfortunate.

But Tomas Rahal, the owner of the Quality Pie restaurant in the citys Belmont neighborhood, said he is still worried that a city official is trying to drive him out of business.

In a Feb. 16 tweet, Planning Commissioner Rory Stolzenberg responded to a Daily Progress story about the difficulties Rahals business has faced during the ongoing construction on the Belmont Bridge by his establishment.

Rahal has requested financial assistance from the city, as the work on the bridge often blocks access to Quality Pie.

If you sue to stop affordable housing for people with intellectual disabilities, you dont get city subsidies. Sorry, I dont make the rules, Stolzenberg tweeted, which attracted dozens of likes and elicited a call to boycott Quality Pie.

The tweet references a 2019 incident in which Rahal and a group of other Belmont residents opposed the rezoning of Hinton Avenue Methodist Church that allowed the construction of multifamily housing there. Plans called for affordable housing and several units reserved for people with intellectual disabilities to be constructed on church property.

Rahal was one of 31 people who requested a judge overturn City Councils Aug. 5 decision to unanimously approve the project, called Rachels Haven.

At the time, the group cited a lack of sufficient notice for public discussion and violations of the citys Comprehensive Plan.

The lawsuit was dropped in late 2020, and construction on Rachels Haven is slated to start in 2024.Rahal told The Daily Progress that he opposed the rezoning, not the project itself.

Nobody was objecting to building residences for people with intellectual handicaps. What we were against was making the neighborhood vulnerable to exploitation by unsavory developers, he said. Everyone dropped their objection to it, myself included.

Rahal said he thought the past matter was just that: in the past.

That was until he was contacted by an attorney who questioned the legality of Stolzenbergs tweets.

Rahal said he had not seen the tweets until the attorney brought them to his attention.

He basically asked people to help us go out of business, Rahal said.

Stolzenberg told The Daily Progress on Tuesday that the planning commission does not decide who receives money from the city and that his tweet expressed his personal opinion. He said he would not be commenting further.

The Charlottesville Planning Commission is a seven-member administrative entity established by City Council which recommends to the council land use policies in accordance with the citys Comprehensive Plan. The commission serves primarily in an advisory capacity, making recommendations on applications for special use permits, special exceptions, subdivisions, rezonings and development code amendments.

City Council appoints members to the commission. Stolzenberg has been a member of the commission since October 2018.

After speaking with the attorney, Rahal reached out to Planning Commission Chair Lyle Solla-Yates to bring the tweet to his attention.

This is news to me and bad news, Solla-Yates told Rahal in an email dated Feb. 24 obtained by The Daily Progress.

Rahal asked Solla-Yates whether the commissions bylaws allowed for Stolzenbergs tweets.

In response, Solla-Yates quoted from the planning commissions bylaws:

Any views expressed or actions taken by a member of the Commission in any other forum, or as a member of another board, commission or task force shall be for all purposes considered the views or action of such member as an individual, and should be identified as such by that member.

Stolzenbergs tweet did not identify his disagreement with Rahal as his personal view, yet Solla-Yates said Stolzenberg had a right to his opinion.

Any member is free to boycott your establishment if they wish, though I personally would not recommend this, Solla-Yates told Rahal. I hope you are well otherwise and am sorry to hear that you have been troubled by this.

Charlottesville Mayor Lloyd Snook took issue with the tweets language, saying the rules Stolzenberg referred to do not exist.

I think it is unfortunate that he made reference to the rules, when there arent any actual rules, Snook told The Daily Progress in an email on Monday.

As far as the rules that govern planning commissioners behavior, Snook said, they are largely toothless.

They are at most inspirational, not disqualifiers, Snook said.

Snook said the citys attorney had warned City Council in the past that punishing officials for exercising free speech could be a problem.

I dont really want to get the City Council in the business of monitoring the social media posts of the hundreds of people who are members of our boards and commissions, he said. We have intentionally tried to be pretty wide-open in terms of what we allow people to say. They will sometimes say some dumb things. That doesnt mean that we fire them.

In the meantime, between the online chatter and the ongoing construction, Rahal remains concerned that his business will not survive.

There is still at least one more year to go before construction on the Belmont Bridge is completed, according to the city. Rahal said hes lost 40% of the business he had before the work began, his staff has shrunk from 15 people to three and he hasnt paid himself in four years.
The Tuesday morning trial of 71-year-old Ann Moore Milnor revealed a deeper tragedy than the crime for which she was charged.

Cited for reckless driving after her vehicle ran into the Package Depot in Charlottesvilles Ivy Square Shopping Center in January, she was not present for trial.

May I approach? her husband and attorney Richard Milnor asked General District Court Judge Andrew Sneathern, who readily agreed.

Richard Milnor, a fixture in the local courts, has recently been heard in the circuit court arguing the citys side of the litigation over the fate of Charlottesvilles statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Tuesday was something altogether different.

The officer had to do his job, he said of the Class 1 misdemeanor his wife was facing.

Officer Rudy Burchardt recounted the scene he found on Jan. 30 at the Package Depot at 2125 Ivy Road. There, he said, a previously parked BMW had smashed through the plate glass facade of the store and injured a clerk working inside.

Richard Milnor told the judge that his wife, who he said has for several years been battling breast cancer, was recently found to be suffering from an inoperable brain tumor that demanded 24-hour care.

I take you at your word, said Sneathern.

Sneathern ruled that although there are facts sufficient to support a conviction, he would defer disposition of the case for six months before a likely dismissal.

Shes not going to make it that far, Richard Milnor said in a halting voice.

I am truly, truly sorry, Mr. Milnor, said the judge, as he concluded the hearing.

Tuesdays revelation appears to answer the question of why the highly contested trial over the fate of the Robert E. Lee statue was postponed last month. On the eve of trial set for Feb. 16, participants agreed to a delay, the second one that month, owing to a serious illness in the family of a lawyer.

The case pits a pair of would-be bidders for the equestrian statue of the Confederate general against the city. City Council had the statue removed from public view in the summer of 2021 and voted that December to give it to the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. The center wants to melt it down and create a new monument, but the would-be bidders contend that the city did not follow the law in making the gift.

That one-day trial is now slated for April 25.
Workers pack flowers at the Kunming Dounan Flower Market in southwest China's Yunnan Province, Jan. 31, 2023. [Xinhua/Chen Xinbo]

KUNMING, March 7 (Xinhua)  In the run-up to International Women's Day, a frenzy of flower-buying has swept the bustling Dounan Flower Market in the city of Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, thanks to the booming "she economy."

The expanding consumer power of women, based on China's historic progress on promoting gender equality and women's all-around development, has already garnered the attention of various sectors in a big way, including the flower industry.

As Asia's largest fresh-cut flower trading market with a yearly trade volume of 11 billion, the Dounan Flower Market is considered a reliable barometer of the performance of China's flower markets.

To embrace the buying bonanza in women-targeted categories, the market entered a preparation period on Feb. 22, with a stable and continuous increase in stock.

During the period, the market's highest average price for major flower categories on a single day was 4.54 yuan (about 66 U.S. cents) per unit, up 26 percent year on year. Meanwhile, the registered number of buyers and sellers in the market increased by 16 percent and 5 percent year on year, respectively.

According to Li Zhijun, with the Kunming International Flora Auction Trading Center, the flower trading index exceeded 1,000 points for two consecutive days last week, setting a recent trading record.

"The age range and coverage of the consumer group for the festive flower purchases are wide, with an increasing variety of popular flower types. Furthermore, with the abundance of seasonal spring flowers, consumers have a greater range of options to choose from," Li told Xinhua.

Between Jan. 1 and Monday, the trading center has logged a trade volume of nearly 200 million, with a year-on-year increase approaching 10 percent.

The flower consumption market has gradually recovered this year, and the diversification of sales channels and convenient logistics systems have contributed to a significant increase in sales volume, Li added.

(Source: Xinhua)
Fluvanna supervisors to discuss county attorney, budget today

The Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to discuss its future open county attorney position and the 2024 fiscal years budget on Wednesday.

The supervisors plan to discuss their county attorney position during a closed special meeting, according to a meeting agenda. The previous part-time county attorney Fred Payne has announced that he will retire this year. Supervisors unanimously approved hiring a full-time county attorney in December, with a plan for that person to hire an assistant attorney and a legal assistant.

Later, the board will hold a work session on Fluvannas 2024 budget. An initial budget from February proposes to spend roughly $99.8 million, which would be an increase from the previous fiscal years budget of roughly $99.1 million.

The supervisors plan to meet in the Morris Room in the Fluvanna County Administration Building at 132 Main St. in Palmyra. The closed meeting is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., and the budget work session is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
4 Americans missing in Mexico identified by family members as a South Carolina mother and her friends who were traveling for a medical procedure
MADRID (AP)  Millions of people around the world planned to demonstrate, attend conferences and enjoy artistic events Wednesday to mark International Women's Day, an annual observance established to recognize women and to demand equality for half of the planet's population.

While activists in some nations noted advances, repression in countries such as Afghanistan and Iran, and the large numbers of women and girls who experience sexual assaults and domestic violence worldwide highlighted the ongoing struggle to secure women's rights.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted this week that womens rights were abused, threatened and violated around the world and gender equality wont be achieved for 300 years given the current pace of change.

Taliban suspend university education for women in Afghanistan The Taliban government has suspended university education for all female students in Afghanistan, the latest step in its brutal clampdown on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women.

Progress won over decades is vanishing because the patriarchy is fighting back, Guterres said.

The United Nations recognized International Women's Day in 1977, but the occasion has its roots in labor movements of the early 20th century. The day is commemorated in different ways and to varying degrees in different countries.

Women gathered in Pakistans major cities to march amid tight security. Organizers said the demonstrations were aimed at seeking rights guaranteed by the constitution. Some conservative groups last year threatened to stop similar marches by force.

Womens rights activists in Japan held a small rally to renew their demand for the government to allow married couples to keep using different surnames. Under the 1898 civil code, a couple must adopt the surname of the husband or wife at the time of marriage.

The activists argued the law contributes to gender inequality because women experience strong pressure to take their husbands name. Surveys show majority support for both men and women keeping their own names.

In the Philippines, hundreds of protesters from various womens groups rallied in Manila for higher wages and decent jobs.

We are seeing the widest gender pay gap,protest leader Joms Salvador said. We are seeing an unprecedented increase in the number of women workers who are in informal work without any protection.

The United Nations identified Afghanistan as the most repressive in the world for women and girls since the Taliban takeover in 2021. The U.N. mission said Afghanistans new rulers were imposing rules that leave most women and girls effectively trapped in their homes.

They have banned girls education beyond sixth grade and barred women from public spaces such as parks and gyms. Women must cover themselves from head to toe and also barred from working at national and international nongovernmental organizations.

In Spain, more than 1 million people were expected to attend raucous evening demonstrations in Madrid, Barcelona and other cities. Big rallies were also organized are also expected in many other cities around the world, while in some countries only minor events are held.

More than 100 women murdered in Italy so far this year Job losses, government inaction, judicial backlogs and many other factors contributed to what the United Nations has called a "shadow pandemic of violence against women and girls."

Spain on Tuesday passed a new parity law requiring that women  and men  make up at least 40% of the boards of directors of listed companies and large private companies. The same will apply to the Spanish government Cabinet.

Political parties also must have to have gender equity on their electoral lists, with names of male and female candidates alternating.

Activists and left-wing governments in Spain have advanced women's rights in areas such as abortion access, menstrual leave and parental leave over the past two decades. Many European countries also have made strides toward gender equity.

This is the first International Women's Day since the U.S. Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion last year and many states adopted restrictions on abortion.
Is it safe to travel to Mexico? Here's what you need to know
If you happen to be shopping at the Albany Bi-Mart, you might smell something sweet in the parking lot.

Follow that scent and youll end up in front of Locals Donuts, a food cart filled with glazed donuts and salty pretzels.

But you better be quick, because before you know it, a long line will form as eager customers wait to indulge on the handmade treats made by Eric and Angie Troyer.

Dough in their DNA

Donuts have been a part of Angie Troyers life for years. Her family started making donuts as a side gig to earn some extra money, and eventually grew that into multiple food trucks.

Eric Troyer, Angies husband and owner of Locals, decided he wanted to get involved too.

Based in Halsey, the pair opened Locals in September.

Business has been good, Eric Troyer said. We had high hopes, but we wanted to keep our expectations low.

And the people of Albany have responded with excitement.

Locals sets up shop at 2272 Santiam Highway SE in Albany twice a week  Tuesdays and Fridays generally from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. In one day, the cart can make and sell between 500 and 900 donuts. The classic glazed is the most popular.

The donut dough rises three times before getting fried, Eric Troyer said, while the pretzel dough is a little simpler.

The (donuts) have a little bit more of a homemade taste, he said.

That homemade taste is what keeps the people of Albany coming back each week.

Bringing in youth

To keep up with demands, Locals employs a handful of staff members. Some of the Mennonite youth from the church the Troyers attend work in the cart. Eric Troyer said this is intentional.

We want to give the younger people something to do and work at, he said. Its a place where they can come together and connect with the community.

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These employees help make the doughs from scratch, take orders and offer up smiles to the people of Albany.

Building community

Eric Troyer said the name Locals represents a feeling he hopes to give the community.

We wanted a name that would reflect our goal and vision for the business, he said. We wanted it to be a place where people come together, and it feels like home.

It certainly feels like home for the people of Albany.

On a brisk Friday morning in March, around 15 people gathered in the Bi-Mart parking lot waiting for Eric Troyer to fling open the windows of the cart.

Theyre really good donuts and pretzels, Ayushi Purell said. And theyre (the Troyers) really nice.

Jamie Smith was waiting to get pretzels to share with his family. He said its a nice feeling anticipating getting a tasty treat on a Friday.

Theyre worth the wait, he added.

Eric Troyer said its been humbling seeing people wait in line for his products. He hopes to continue to grow the business and make connections with the community.

Were just common people trying to make a good product, he said.
US Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger, here in 2022, on Tuesday ripped into Fox News host Tucker Carlson over his commentary about the January 6 insurrection footage that he aired Monday night.
Linn County residents will have to wait one more week before learning the fate of the Millersburg land swap, which would allow a European tissue paper company to open a local wholesale and production facility.

The city is seeking to swap 167 acres, what some call swamp land, along the Willamette River inside city boundaries for 163 acres of high-quality farmland outside city limits with hopes of building it out as an industrial center.

The fate of the swap and annexation is in the hands of the Linn County Board of Commissioners, which met Tuesday, March 7 at the Linn County Fair and Expo Center for a public hearing on the issue and an expected decision.

Instead, the board delayed one more week. Tuesdays meeting itself had been continued from a Jan. 24 hearing, in which commissioners decided to receive public comments through Feb. 7.

The 167 acres currently within city boundaries is zoned industrial and was last used by the former paper mill, until 2009, as rapid infiltration ponds. Since then, no one has expressed an interest in building on the property, Millersburg Community Development Director Matt Straite said.

The former rapid infiltration ponds lands are unlikely to be independently developed with industrial uses given the development constraints imposed by floodplain and floodway restrictions, Straite said by email.

Many Millersburg and Linn County residents alike have taken issue with the swap, maintaining that the desired property  currently a hazelnut orchard on Conser Road  ought to remain prime farmland and not house an operation that could negatively impact the surrounding agricultural community.

On Feb. 16, Sofidel CEO Luigi Lazzareschi appeared at a packed house at the Expo Center to give a presentation about his company and plans for expansion into Millersburg. The sustainability-focused Italian company makes paper for hygienic and domestic use, including tissues, toilet paper, napkins and paper towels.

Because the Sofidel meeting was scheduled after the Feb. 7 deadline for public comment, the commissioners decided Tuesday it would be fair to extend public comments again, this time for a few days.

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While more than 100 Linn County residents attended the presentation, Commissioner Roger Nyquist said it did not provide an environment in which people could voice their concerns appropriately.

So now, Linn County residents have until 5 p.m. Friday, March 10 to provide additional written comments to the board regarding Sofidels impact on their community. The board will then give Millersburg officials three days to read and respond to the comments, with a deadline of noon Monday, March 13.

The board will reconvene 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 14 at the Linn County Fair and Expo Center in expectation of a final decision.

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On Tuesday, the UK government published details of a plan to immediately and permanently deny the right to asylum to almost all migrants who enter the UK on a small boat.

An Illegal Migration Bill will apply a rights brake, severely restricting their ability to appeal to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), to which the UK is a signatory, or to the UKs own modern slavery laws.

People thought to be migrants disembark from a British Border Force patrol boat after being picked up from a dingy in the English Channel in Dover harbour, England, Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. [AP Photo/Alastair Grant]

People who cross the English Channel on small boats will be immediately detained without bail or judicial review for 28 days. A duty will be placed on ministers to remove them as soon as reasonably practicable, with grounds for suspending removal limited to those under 18, medically unfit to fly, or at a real risk of serious and irreversible harm in the country they are being deported to. Home Secretary Suella Braverman pointedly referred to this legal bar in Parliament as exceedingly high. All other claims would have to be heard remotely after removal.

Those denied asylum after reaching the UK in this way would be permanently barred from entering the UK in the future.

This is the policy of a police state. It was introduced to parliament by Braverman using the fascistic, scaremongering language of Donald Trump, referring to waves of illegal migrants 100 million people around the world [the global number of refugees] They are coming.

If enacted, the law would deprive tens of thousands of people of their democratic rights every year and lead to the huge expansion of internment camps in Britain.

Roughly 28,000 people entered the UK on small boats in 2021, another 45,000 in 2022, and another 2,950 so far this yeargiving an annual projection of 65,000.

People make this dangerous crossingwhich is believed to have killed 52 people, including children, since 2018to flee war, persecution, hunger and poverty at home. Most will already have risked even more perilous journeysacross the Mediterranean Sea or by foot through Europeto make it to the French coast. Those drowned in the Channel include Iraqi and Iranian Kurds, Afghans, Ethiopians, Somalis, Vietnamese, Senegalese and Egyptians.

These are victims of British imperialism and its allies, whose wars abroad, backing of dictatorial regimes, economic exploitation of oppressed countries, and abandonment of their populations to the consequences of climate change have created the biggest refugee crisis in history.

The government has used a recent increase in the numbers of Albanians making the journey to try to pull the wool over workers eyes about what is happening, claiming the UK is being overwhelmed by purely economic migrants with no legal right to stay in the UK. This is a lie.

Albanians made up the largest proportion of any country of origin for small boat arrivals in 2022, but this was still just 28 percent of the total. Secondly, more than half the people from Albania applying for asylum receive it (55 percent in the first half of 2022), because being returned home would infringe their basic human rights.

Overall, fully two-thirds of those who crossed the Channel last year would be granted asylum, according to analysis by the Refugee Council, half of them from Afghanistan, Iran, Eritrea, Sudan or Syria.

These thousands of people use illegal routes because they have no other choice. Outside of specific schemes for some Afghans, Ukrainians, and Hong Kongers with British National (Overseas) status, the UK offers only extremely limited refugee resettlement and family reunion schemes as legal pathways to asylum. Barely more than 6,000 people were allowed into the country in this way in September 2021-22.

Under the proposed law, everyone else who arrives would be subjected to a de facto blanket policy of imprisonment. The UK government currently has no agreements in place to remove asylum seekers to passed-through European countries where they could previously have claimed for asylum, or to their home countries. Its barbaric plan to ship vulnerable people to Rwanda is not functional.

In these circumstances there is no reason to believe migrants will be detained for just 28 days. There are currently 160,000 people in the UK with pending asylum applications and the government is working night and day to dismantle the current system of housing them in hotels and sheltered accommodationthrough underfunding and xenophobic rhetoric. Braverman referred repeatedly on Tuesday to the costs of asylum accommodation and her efforts to end the farce of accommodating migrants in hotels.

Asylum seekers denied even a legal hearing will therefore increasingly be held indefinitely in a network of detention camps, holding tens of thousands more people every year.

Conditions in migrant detention and processing centres are already inhumane. Last October, a scandal broke out over the appalling treatment of migrants held in the overcrowded Manston holding centre. Designed to accommodate 1,000 people, the former Royal Air Force base was holding 4,000 in what were described as wretched conditions, with detainees suffering violent abuse and outbreaks of scabies, norovirus, diphtheria and MRSA. A coroners inquest is ongoing into the death of one migrant who had tested positive for diphtheria.

With state spending cut to the bone and given the explosive conditions which would prevail in dozens of camps of thousands of people, their expansion would depend on the police and armed forces. An army detachment was held on standby during the Manston events. In January 2022, the Navy was involved in policing the Channel through Operation Isotrope, along with 200 personnel mainly drawn from the army.

Given the scale of the operation required and the inevitable legal clashes in the European Court, there is a possibility that the governments new plans will flounder. Its announcements are an attempt to energise its far-right constituency and whip up xenophobic feeling in sections of the working class abandoned by the Labour Party and the trade unions. But in doing so, the Tories are running ahead of what the state apparatus can accomplish in such a short space of time.

But whatever its time frame or exact form, the extreme right-wing trajectory of the governments asylum policy is clear and will be facilitated by a complicit Labour Party.

Britains nominal opposition offers no defence of democratic rights whatsoever. Its criticisms of Tory policies amount to calls on the government to try harder.

Responding to Braverman in parliament Tuesday, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper began, The government has allowed criminal gangs to take hold along the Channel and along our border. At the same time, convictions of people smugglers have halved costly, inappropriate hotel use has soared, removals of unsuccessful asylum seekers are down 80 percent on the last Labour government.

Against previous Tory policies to crack down on migration which did not work and didnt deter anyone, Labour had put forward plans for a cross-border police unit, for fast-tracked decisions and returns, to clear the backlog and end hotel use.

Britains capitalist parties are conspiring to create a viciously right-wing, anti-migrant political climate. They are scapegoating a few tens of thousands of people to distract from the crimes committed by British imperialism in their home countries and to turn British citizens against their fellow workers from abroad, rather than the multi-hundred millionaires and billionaires who keep all workers impoverished.

This is done to prepare ever more authoritarian laws directed against the working class. A ruling class prepared to deny rights to tens of thousands of refugees and imprison them en masse is also preparing to deny millions of British workers the right to strike and protest. And the army has been mobilised to break strikes by health workers and to police migrants.

The worlds capitalist governments are shredding the living standards built up by workers over decades of struggle to fuel the bottomless appetites of the super-rich and a war against Russia in Ukraine threatening to spiral into a global conflict. This is incompatible with democratic rights, which are under assault on all fronts.

Waging a counteroffensive means uniting the international working class against the divide-and-rule strategies of the ruling class, in a struggle for socialism.
Last Friday the School Strike for Climate (SS4C) movement held protests in several Australian cities, including Sydney, the countrys most populous city, Canberra and Perth. The event in Sydney was attended by less than a thousand people, fewer than 200 of them high school students. Participation at the other demonstrations was in the dozens.

The rallies contrasted starkly with the protests held in 2018 and 2019. Those had been part of an international movement inspired by the call of Swedish student Greta Thunberg for students around the world to take mass action to fight climate change.

Climate change protest in Sydney during bush fire emergency in January 2020 [Photo: WSWS]

The protests internationally involved hundreds of thousands, even millions of young people. Those in Australia were some of the largest in the world on a per capita basis. In September 2019, as many as 350,000 students across Australia struck from school and participated in some of the biggest youth demonstrations in the countrys history.

Little over three years later and the movement has undeniably collapsed. The Sydney rally was dominated by adult supporters of the Greens and various middle-class non-government organisations that lobby governments. The handful of students who took part were largely affiliated with the Greens. They were overwhelmingly from high schools in the inner-city with its more middle-class populations and from wealthy private schools.

The shift is not the result of the climate crisis alleviating or being on the path to a progressive resolution. On the contrary, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned last year that many of the effects of climate change are on the verge of becoming irreversible if they are not already. At least 40 percent of the global population is immediately threatened. Extreme weather events, including disastrous flooding in Australia last year, are becoming more frequent.

Meanwhile, governments refuse to adhere to even the grossly inadequate emissions reductions targets set by one toothless international summit after another.

Nor is the fall in attendance the product of apathy among young people. A Mission Australia Youth Survey last year found that climate remains the overwhelming concern of youth. Of the 18,800 participants, 51 percent rated it as one of their biggest worries. The issue with the next highest level of concern, equity and discrimination, was nominated by 36 percent of respondents.

The real reason for the collapse of the movement is the bankrupt political perspective that was advanced by the SS4C organisers and the environmentalist organisations with which they were affiliated.

That perspectiveof appealing to capitalist governments to see reason and to address climate changehas manifestly failed. That highlights the need for students and young people to turn to a new, socialist perspective directed against the source of the climate crisis, the profit system itself.

At one SS4C rally after another, the organisers directed students to make impotent appeals to official politicians. The organisers, and their advisors, were also clearly fearful of and hostile to the mass attendance that their own events attracted.

After the rally in September 2019, the largest that SS4C held, the organisation liquidated almost all subsequent events into small lobbying efforts outside the offices of individual members of parliament.

Students were divided up. Discussion was restricted or outright suppressed. Representatives of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE), the youth wing of the Socialist Equality Party, were repeatedly denied the right to speak at the rallies. This censorship was conducted on the grounds that SS4C was not politically partisan. Yet climate change is an inherently political issue!

Moreover, for the last several years, SS4C ascribed Australias contribution to climate change entirely to then Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his Liberal-National Coalition government. In the lead up to the May 2022 federal election, SS4C openly campaigned for a Labor government as well as for the Greens.

What is the result? The Albanese Labor governments climate policies are virtually identical to those of the Coalition. It has a notional target of zero-emissions by 2050, decades after scientists say that benchmark must be achieved. But even that goal is merely aspirational. Instead, Labor is openly governing in the interests of the coal and gas companies as part of its broader pro-business agenda.

For their part, the Greens have demonstrated there is no red line they will not cross. Greens leader Adam Bandt has even said that his party will consider Labors program of opening new coal and gas mines. This reprises the Greens long record of collaborating with Labor governments as they have increased emissions, while pursuing policies of war abroad and social cuts against the working class at home.

The various solutions to climate change within the framework of capitalism, championed by the Greens and middle-class environmental organisations, have failed wherever they have been implemented. Carbon trading, for instance, did not reduce emissions in Europe but did create a lucrative new market for financial speculators.

Young people are politically inexperienced, but they are not stupid. They can see that the perspective advanced by SS4C has failed. Growing numbers recognise that the climate crisis is inextricably tied to the profit-making operations of the major corporations.

That is indisputable. A study by Oxfam last year, for instance, found that the worlds richest 125 billionaires are directly responsible for emitting about 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide on average per year, more than 1 million times the amount emitted by 90 percent of people.

Capitalism means the subordination of every aspect of social life, including the environment and human life, to the accumulation of private profit. Some 150 years ago, Karl Marx, the founder of scientific socialism, explained that capitalism disturbs the metabolic interaction between man and the earth, and inevitably leads to the degradation of the environment.

That insight, at the dawn of modern capitalist production, is self-evident today. And it is intensified by another key contradiction of contemporary society. We live in a globally-integrated world with an international economy. All problems require a worldwide solution. But society is still organised into antagonistic capitalist nation-states, each advancing the interests of their own capitalist ruling class.

These tendencies find expression not only in climate change, but in the other existential dangers that capitalism presents humanity. That includes pandemics, with capitalist governments around the world having responded to the COVID crisis by rejecting the necessary public health measures because of their impact on capitalist production and profits. The consequence is a continuous spread of the deadly virus and some 20 million deaths worldwide.

Similarly, the crisis of capitalism is fueling a world war, which could result in the nuclear annihilation of humanity. The US and NATO are waging a proxy war in Ukraine against Russia, a nuclear-armed power. And the US and its allies, including Australia, are actively preparing for war with China, which is viewed as the chief threat to the interests of American imperialism. Once again, capitalism is leading humanity into the abyss.

The alternative is the fight for socialism. Socialism means the reorganisation of society, from top to bottom, to meet social need, not private profit. It can only be established on an international scale, ending the irrational division of the world into antagonistic capitalist nation-states. In this way, societys resources could be consciously allocated and developed to tackle climate change, poverty and every other pressing social problem.

Socialism is necessary, but it must be fought for. The basis for such a struggle exists in the reemergence of mass working class struggles. All over the world, workers are engaging in strikes, protests and other actions against the soaring cost of living, poverty and austerity attacks waged by the same capitalist governments responsible for the climate disaster. These struggles are an expression of the fact that the working class is the revolutionary force in capitalist society. Its very social position places it in opposition to the rule of the banks and the corporations. Workers have no interest in a society ruled by profit, nor in the archaic nation-state system.

The critical issue, though, is to transform these emerging struggles into a conscious mass movement fighting for international socialism. That requires a political leadership and a party. It is to develop such a leadership that the Socialist Equality Party is standing in the current NSW election campaign. The IYSSE, the youth movement of the SEP, is likewise in the forefront of the struggle to mobilise students and youth in the struggle against war. We appeal to students and young people who want to fight against climate change and war, and for a decent future, to get involved with the IYSSE today and to take up the struggle for socialism!

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.
Chinas annual National Peoples Congress that formally appoints top government officials, endorses policy and enacts legislation opened in Beijing on Sunday and will run for more than a week.

The highly stage-managed affair takes place amid worsening crises confronting the government on all fronts: aggressive confrontation and threats of war by the US and its allies, a sharp slowdown in the economy and mounting social tensions, exacerbated by its criminal decision to lift all COVID-19 restrictions.

Chinese President Xi Jinping at a session of the National People's Congress in Beijing, Tuesday, March 7, 2023. [AP Photo/Ng Han Guan]

In these conditions, President Xi Jinping is expected to be appointed for a third presidential term and to consolidate his grip on power by installing his close supporters in top positions and leadership bodies. Li Keqiang will retire after two terms as premier and is mooted to be replaced by Li Qiang, Xis former chief of staff, who was party secretary in Shanghai during its pandemic lockdown last year.

Xis appointment to a third term as Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary last year broke the two-term rule that had been in place since the 1980s. He is now routinely referred to as the indispensable core of the party and his vague general thought is enshrined in the constitution as a guide to the CCP bureaucracy. Xis reappointment as head of state at the end of the congress is as good as certain.

The emergence of Xi as party strongman is not, however, a sign of the CCP regimes strength but rather of the need to hold the party together amid sharp internal divisions produced by the broader crisis of Chinese capitalism. The work report presented by Li Keqiang as premier on the first day of the congress and a speech by Xi to a closed-door meeting of private business representatives on Monday pointed to the huge problems confronting the government.

As reported by state-owned media, Xi dispensed with the usual oblique references and specifically accused the US of deliberately undermining the Chinese economy. [In the past five years,] Western countries led by the United States have contained and suppressed us in an all-round way, which has brought unprecedented severe challenges to our development, he declared.

The Biden administration has not only maintained the massive trade sanctions imposed on China under Trump but has introduced an escalating series of bans on the sale to Chinese companies of the most advanced computer chips and the machinery needed for their manufacture. US imperialism, which regards China as the chief threat to its global hegemony, is determined to cripple Chinas ability to compete in hi-tech sectors.

Xi said that to foster new growth drivers and new strengths in the face of fierce international competition, China should ultimately rely on scientific and technological innovation. He appealed for increased cooperation between private enterprise, academia and research institutes to support original and pioneering research.

Li also placed considerable emphasis on technological development, particularly the need for China to be able to manufacture advanced semiconductors. Government expenditure on research and development is to double over the next five years. The government has already pledged to invest an extra $US1.9 billion in the countrys biggest maker of memory chips, Yangtze Memory Technologies. Small and medium tech companies will be able to deduct their R&D spending from their taxable incomes.

Li said that the growth target for the Chinese economy for 2023 would be around 5 percent, down from the figure of around 5.5 percent set for last year. Unlike previous years when targets were met with implausible exactness, growth for 2022 was just 3 percent. The figure was the lowest since 1976, excluding the low of 2.2 percent in 2020 when the COVID pandemic first hit.

The CCP regime has long regarded 8 percent growth as essential for maintaining employment and social stability. According to Li, urban joblessness is stable at 5.5 percent and the government is seeking to create more than 12 million jobs. Youth unemployment, however, among 16-24 year olds hit 20 percent in 2022, declining only marginally to 16.7 percent in December. No figures are available for unemployment and underemployment in rural areas.

Clearly concerned by rising social tensions, Li announced that spending on public security will be increased by 6.4 per cent in 2023, up from 4.7 per cent last year. At the same time, Xi is reportedly intending to overhaul and exercise greater central control over the internal security apparatus.

Chinas zero-COVID policy, which the government dismantled in December under huge pressure from the major imperialist powers and international finance capital, was not mentioned in Lis work report. Instead he declared that China had secured victory over the pandemic but made no mention of the huge human cost of the governments ending of zero-COVID.

Like its counterparts around the world, the Chinese government has downplayed the massive wave of infections that swept China over the past three months after public health measures were abruptly ended. The death toll officially is about 87,000 but various estimates by epidemiologists put the real figure at a million or more. The homicidal let-it-rip policy created a crisis in the hospital system and has led to an unknown number of cases of long COVID.

The CCP has joined governments around the world in sacrificing lives to corporate profits in its efforts to boost the economy, which is heavily burdened by debt, built up by local governments in particular to the tune of $9 trillion. It is also plagued by the risks associated with a fragile real estate market grossly inflated by speculation.

In a bid to encourage foreign investors, Li foreshadowed changes to the foreign investment law reducing the number of areas that are off limits to overseas companies. However, the rapidly intensifying US confrontation with China undermines any incentives that Beijing might offer to encourage investment.

The US is not only imposing huge economic penalties on China but is rapidly boosting its military build-up and war preparations throughout the Indo-Pacific. Under Biden, the US has revived and elevated the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a quasi-military alliance with Japan, Australia and India, and established the AUKUS pact with Australia and Britain. The US Indo-Pacific Command, already the Pentagons largest, has been given additional funding and weaponry, and is consolidating basing arrangements throughout the region.

Following on from Trump, Biden has recklessly inflamed what is arguably the most explosive flashpoint in AsiaTaiwaneffectively tearing up the One China policy that has governed US-China relations since 1979. Washington had de facto acknowledged Beijing as the legitimate government of all China including Taiwan. Now Washington is engaged in high-level discussions with Taipei and has boosted arms sales to, and US military personnel on, Taiwan.

Beijing has responded on the one hand with attempts to end the stand-off, and on the other, by increasing its own military preparations. Washingtons latest provocationthe shooting down of what in all likelihood was a Chinese research balloon blown off coursedemonstrated again that it is on a path of confrontation and conflict, not an easing of tensions.

The US and Western media have seized on the latest figures for Chinese military spending to inflate the so-called threat from China. Li announced a 7.2 percent increase in the defense budgetvirtually the same as last year. Yet various pundits were quick to point out that it was higher than the overall increase in government spending and to speculate on new military hardware that China might be acquiring. In reality, Chinas military budget is dwarfed by US military spending both in absolute terms and as a percentage of GDP.

While the National Peoples Congress is carefully choreographed to project an image of strength and stability, the CCP bureaucracy is clearly fearful of the unprecedented dangers it confrontsboth external and internal.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Baghdad Tuesday for an official visit that amounted to a return to the scene of one of the greatest crimes carried out by US imperialism. The visit came on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, an act of unprovoked aggression launched on the basis of lies about weapons of mass destruction. The war and occupation that followed claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and laid to waste what had been one of the most advanced societies in the Middle East.

Austin, a retired US Army general, was the last commander of US troops in Iraq before their announced withdrawal in 2011 following eight years of bloody occupation. The US military intervened again, however, in 2014, on the pretext of combating ISIS, killing thousands more and decimating major cities such as Mosul. This Islamist militia was Washingtons own Frankensteins monster, the product of the massive amounts of money, weapons and foreign fighters poured into Syria in the CIA-orchestrated regime-change war against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Today, the Pentagon reports the continuing deployment of 2,500 US troops in Iraq and another 900 in Syria, not counting large numbers of military contractors and special operations units rotated in and out of the region.

US soldiers firing an M2 Browning machine gun in eastern Syria, December 31, 2022. [Photo: U.S. Army National Guard/Capt. David Kennedy]

Austins tour includes not only Iraq, but also Jordan, Israel and Egypt. It comes on the heels of the unannounced visit of the commander of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, to the region last weekend. Milley made a lightning secret trip into Syria, visiting US troops who are occupying the main Syrian oil and gas fields. Deployed on the pretext of assuring an enduring defeat of ISIS, their real purpose is to deny critically needed resources to the war-ravaged country, which has been starved by unilateral US sanctions and now confronts the further catastrophe of last months earthquake.

The US troops are also there to counter the influence of Iran and Russia.

The Syrian government denounced Milleys visit as an illegal visit to an illegal US military base, calling it a flagrant violation by the US military official of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. Damascus dismissed Milleys talk of a continuing battle against ISIS, declaring the Islamist militia an illegitimate offspring of US intelligence and charging Washington with deliberately fostering terrorism and separatist militias for the purpose of dismembering Syria.

In addition to its bases in Syrias northeastern oil and gas fields, the Pentagon maintains a base in Al Tanf in the countrys south, straddling the strategically important Baghdad-Damascus highway. Syria has charged that the base is being used to provide military training to Islamist fighters, some of whom are being prepared to fight against the Assad government, while others have allegedly been sent to fight alongside Ukrainian forces against Russia.

Milleys visit also provoked a reaction in Ankara, with the Turkish foreign ministry summoning the US ambassador to demand an explanation. Turkey regards Washingtons main proxy force in the region, the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, as a terrorist group and an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), against which the Turkish government has waged bloody repressive operations since the 1980s.

The main purpose of Milleys visit was to signal that the Biden administration plans to continue the occupation of Syria, a gross violation of international law, indefinitely. Milley squeezed in a side visit to Israel, where he solidarized himself with the Israeli military and the far-right regime headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Early on Tuesday, just days after Milleys talks with the Israeli high command, the Israel Defense Forces launched a missile attack from the Mediterranean, striking the airport in Aleppo that has served as the main conduit for international relief supplies for the victims of Februarys earthquake. Syrian officials reported that the strike had left the airports runway unusable and that relief flights have been diverted. Syrias foreign minister denounced the strike as a double crime that once again reflects barbarism and inhumanity. The earthquake has killed at least 6,000 people in Syria, left millions homeless and caused an estimated $5 billion in direct physical damage.

Last month, in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, Israel targeted a residential block in Damascus, killing five people and injuring 15 civilians. In recent years, Israel, with the US providing support and military intelligence, has carried out hundreds of strikes on allegedly Iranian-linked targets inside Syria, many of them directed at civilian infrastructure. Iran is a principal ally of the government in Damascus and a number of Iranian-backed militias joined government troops in fighting the Al Qaeda-linked militias employed as proxies in Washingtons war for regime change.

Speaking in Baghdad Wednesday after meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, Austin announced that US military forces would remain in Iraq, claiming that they are focused on the mission of defeating Daesh [ISIS], and we are here for no other purpose. He claimed that US troops in the country were limited to a non-combat advise, assist and enable role.

As in Syria, the US deployment in Iraq is directed first and foremost at countering the extensive influence of Iran in the country. Austins statement to the media was notable for the absence of any mention of Iran, while Prime Minister al-Sudani issued a statement after their meeting stressing his governments interest in maintaining balanced relations with regional and international powers. Since the US invasion and the downfall of the government of Saddam Hussein, a succession of Iraqi regimes have sought to balance between US imperialism and Iran. In 2020, pro-Iranian parties led the Iraqi parliament in passing a resolution calling for the expulsion of US and allied troops from the country. Successive governments have failed to act upon it.

In advance of Austins tour, the Pentagon released a statement saying that it would deal centrally with the full constellation of Iran-associated threats, including the risks to regional security resulting from increased military cooperation between Iran and Russia, which is now using weapons provided by Iran to kill Ukrainian civilians.

Austins Mideast tour was designed to reaffirm that were the most capable combat-credible military in the world, and we can walk and chew gum at the same time, a senior US defense official told the Financial Times of London. In other words, US imperialism is signaling that despite its vast expenditures on the proxy war that it and NATO are waging against Russia in Ukraine and the increasing buildup toward a military confrontation with China, it can still continue the murderous interventions it has waged for hegemony over the Middle East over the course of the last three decades.

In a press conference given on his plane en route to the Middle East, Austin touted the Pentagons continued deployment of 34,000 troops in the region, along with a naval fleet and major Air Force assets. Weve demonstrated over and over again that we can rapidly surge capability to any part of the globe that we need to, but especially here in the Middle East because we've operated here for, you know, 20-plus years, he added.

While the Pentagon has issued no itinerary for Austins tour, he is expected to visit both Israel and Egypt. His first stop was Jordan, where he met with King Abdullah II.

While Pentagon briefers claimed that Austin would raise concern about rising violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where troops aided and abetted fascistic Zionist settlers in carrying out a pogrom against the Palestinian village of Hawara, the main focus of his talks with the ultra-right government of Netanyahu will be Iran.

Having sabotaged any attempt to revive the JCPOA Iran nuclear accord that the Trump administration unilaterally abrogated in 2018, Washington has increasingly threatened the use of force to stop Tehran from gaining a nuclear weapon, something that the Iranian government has consistently insisted it has no intention of doing.

Asked on his plane trip about the alleged threat of an Iranian bomb, Austin replied that if things evolve, we need to take action to prevent that from happening, then, you know, my job as Secretary of Defense is to make sure that Im providing the President with the right options.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Netanyahu denounced a statement by International Atomic Energy Agency chairman Rafael Grossi that any military attack on nuclear facilities is outlawed.

Outside what law? Netanyahu asked. Is it permissible for Iran, which openly calls for our destruction, to organize the tools of slaughter for our destruction? Are we forbidden from defending ourselves? We are obviously permitted to do this.

In other words, Israel, wracked by the greatest political crisis and divisions in its history, is prepared to launch a preventive war on much the same basis as the war over weapons of mass destruction waged by Washington two decades ago.

The back-to-back Middle East trips by Milley and Austin, in addition to raising the specter of yet another US war in the region, provide a damning exposure of the hypocrisy of Washingtons claims to be supporting a war for democracy, human rights and territorial integrity in Ukraine.

Its principal allies consist of Israel, which has seized territory from all of its neighbors and enforces a system of apartheid oppression against the Palestinian population; Egypt, where the regime of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi rules by means of police state repression and keeps some 60,000 political prisoners behind bars; and Jordan, ruled by a hereditary monarchy. Meanwhile Washington continues to ride roughshod over the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, not to mention the human rights of a population reduced to poverty and hunger by US-orchestrated war and the draconian US sanctions regime.
As a series of severe winter storms have made their way across America, residents in San Bernardino Countythe largest county by area in California, 60 miles east of downtown Los Angelescontinue to face dire conditions as a flurry of cold weather and blizzards has brought monumental amounts of snow, trapping many residents in their homes and without road access for more than a week.

People from all over the mountain walked to Crestline in hopes of getting food being delivered by military plane [Photo: @JimiSavesWorld]

The late-winter onslaught of icy and snowy weather across North America has killed an estimated 22 people across the US and has displaced and endangered many, knocking out power for days on end in the Detroit Metro region.

The influx of several feet of snow within such a short period of time has led to power outages and gas explosions around the San Bernardino County area, leaving some residents with no means to heat their homes or cook food amid sub-freezing temperatures.

Residents have been forced to either bear the cold on their own, or spend a considerable amount of money to stay at a hotel.

Many have reported that the sheer weight of the snow itself is causing roofs to cave in, flattening vehicles, homes and property in the process, as well as causing trees to fall onto roads, power lines and houses.

The weight of the snow is very scary on the roofs, Carolyn Lehouillier, a Crestline resident, told KTLA 5 News. Theres a couple houses that trees have fallen into; they're just down, like the whole house is knocked down.

The influx of snow has also frozen pipes in the area, closing off one of the very few means of transporting potable water and sewer-waste materials to and from houses.

With the only roads available being inundated with snow, families are unable to travel to the store to buy necessities such as food, bottled water and medicine, and those who have been able to dig themselves out have found mostly empty store shelves.

Making matters worse, Goodwin and Sons Market, the town of Crestlines only grocery store, collapsed under the immense weight of the snow on its rooftop, destroying any food that may have aided a community of more than 10,000 people in dire need.

Where is the National Guard? Theyre supposed to come up here and help, Tamarin Knowland, a Lake Arrowhead resident, told KCAL News. They flew helicopters around here, thats all I ever saw. They said they were going to come in with snowmobiles and deliver stuff to people, medications and food. I havent seen any of that.

Knowland, who depends on medicine to keep one of her dogs alive, has not been able to receive her scheduled medicine delivery due to the weather.

Other residents, such as Lake Arrowhead resident Courtland Van Odin, are concerned for at-risk family members who may be too sick or too old to care for themselves or seek medical attention in the case of an emergency.

I have an 89-year-old mother-in-law who is my main concern, my primary concern, Van Odin told KTLA. If something were to happen, a tree falls down or something, theres just no way out.

So far, authorities claim it will take another week to get to all residents in need, but for some, help is urgently needed right now.

The danger that these residents face is growing more dire by the minute, and the news of more snow coming this week could push families to the brink of cold and starvation and possibly even death.

As the government response lags far behind in terms of progress preparedness, many residents are voicing frustration over the lack of information or direction.

Jaime Moreno, who lives in Crestline, also spoke with KTLA. Its just been madness. Its just been very frustrating, he said. No answers at all, and the California Highway Patrol has given no answers and not helping out and just saying that its all up to their supervisors.

Erica Elson, another resident of Crestline, told KTLA, People are absolutely scared. Were getting our news from walking down the street and just talking to each other. A lot of people havent been able to charge their phones, they dont have the internet, people are telling me that theyre just trying to get out any way that they can, she said. People feel like they have been abandoned.

Its dire up here. We are just waiting for people to die up here, Joe Weaver, a resident of Lake Arrowhead, told the San Bernardino Sun. We cant rely on the federal government, the state government, or the county. Its just the residents up here are banding together to help each other out.

As is usual, major news organizations have repeated the claim that this winter surge is unprecedented and historic, as if the massive snowfall in the San Bernardino Mountains had not been predicted by meteorologists days ahead of time. Little was done by government officials to evacuate residents or provide aid ahead of time.

Scientists have been warning for decades that human-caused climate change could create more severe weather events across the world and of the catastrophic consequences for people if the issue of climate change is not addressed or prepared for.

Scientists have warned about the sharpening of storms, resulting in higher precipitation in the center and less on the edges. As Ruby Leung, a climate scientist at the US Pacific Northwest National Lab, explained, The western United States and California, in particular, are expected to get higher increases in peak rain and snowfall compared to the South and Northwest regions.

California, which is home to 178 billionaires, has the capital and resources to effectively respond to the issues associated with climate change and assist those impacted. However, any and all considerations for human safety and well-being are subordinated to the interests of private profit. While hundreds of billions of dollars are allocated to military preparations for a world war, the claim is made that there is simply no money or resources to respond to the predictable increase of severe weather events.

It is notable that Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency in response to the influx of snow at around the same time that he ended the state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Similar to the COVID-19 state of emergency issued on March 4, 2020, the current state of emergency for the areas impacted by the storms came too late and offers only token assistance to those afflicted by the crisis.

Just as hospital systems came under immense strain and complete breakdown with the onset of the pandemic, Californias emergency response system along with key infrastructure such as energy and gas have been strained under the impact of the storm.

All across the country, the capitalist class has slashed social services to the point where social infrastructure and emergency preparedness have been stripped of any meaningful use. The onset of the pandemic in 2020 was seized upon by the ruling elite to provide trillions in bailout money to the corporations and banks.

Three years later, as tensions around the war in Ukraine continue to intensify, more cuts in social spending to keep up with wartime production and preparations for war with Russia and China are being demanded by capitalist governments and drafted into budgets for the next fiscal year.

The outcome of these economic decisions has been predictable. As climate disasters increase in size, frequency and severity, the ruling class will devote trillions to waging imperialist war and further enriching the wealthy while the working class is left to fend for itself.

The disaster unfolding in San Bernardino County is not an isolated phenomenon, but is a symptom of the global capitalist system in deep crisis.

The horrific disaster unfolding with the earthquake in Turkey and Syria is a case in point: Measures that would have saved tens of thousands of lives were not taken despite the warnings of scientists. Similarly, the train derailment in Greece and the environmental catastrophe in East Palestine, Ohio expose the capitalist system as indifferent to human life and suffering.

The snowstorm ravaging San Bernardino is a byproduct of the states reckless budget cutting, which has placed thousands of lives in danger. However, no local, regional or even national measure can resolve the climate crisis, which is a global phenomenon.

Only the working class, in a coordinated, international effort based on science, can create the conditions in which climate change can be addressed and human lives saved.
Hundreds of Proud Boys began their day on Jan. 6, 2021, at the Washington Monument receiving instructions from Ethan Nordean, a Seattle-based leader, to organize themselves by rank.

Leadership over here. General members over here, Nordean said while gesturing. Leadership means officers. Come on, guys, lets do this. Were gonna get organized real quick.

Video of Nordeans instructions, displayed Tuesday by prosecutors during the seditious conspiracy trial of five Proud Boys leaders for their Jan. 6 activities, preceded the groups fateful march, which would culminate with dozens of them overrunning police lines and entering the building.

Prosecutors spent the day walking jurors through footage of the groups approach to the Capitol  which they noted began hours before then-President Donald Trump began speaking to a crowd of supporters near the White House. Nordean is charged alongside Proud Boy Chairman Enrique Tarrio and leaders Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola with conspiring to derail the transfer of power from Trump to Joe Biden.



Tarrio was sidelined because of his Jan. 4 arrest for actions at a previous pro-Trump march in Washington, and prosecutors have described the groups subsequent scramble to keep members organized for Jan. 6. Ultimately, Nordean took charge, assembling hundreds of Proud Boys who had descended on the city near the monument early in the day. Biggs and Rehl also appeared to play leading roles.

What emerged was a picture of an organized advance, with hundreds of Proud Boys marching down Constitution Avenue, a spectacle that forced at least one road closure and alarmed law enforcement, which monitored their movements. Prosecutors have contended that the group intended to forcibly prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 election on Jan. 6 to help Trump remain in power, which the group viewed as key to their own future.

The Justice Department argued that the group had become increasingly disillusioned with police after several members were stabbed at a December 2020 pro-Trump march in Washington  a simmering fury that boiled over after Tarrios arrest. Jeremy Bertino, one of those stabbing victims, has pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and testified that he believed the Proud Boys leaders hungered for an all-out revolution by the time Jan. 6 arrived.

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Defense attorneys for the groups leaders say the Proud Boys are little more than a glorified drinking club that had no overarching plan on Jan. 6. Theyve argued that no evidence shows that the group explicitly planning to disrupt the Jan. 6 proceedings and that there was no organized effort or goal.

The evidence prosecutors displayed on Tuesday offered cryptic references to a plan. At one point, just after 11 a.m., Nordean brought the large group to a stop and said he intended to link up with Alex Jones, the far-right radio host who traffics in conspiracy theories. Shortly before 11:30 a.m., after the Proud Boys had marched past the thinly defended West Front of the Capitol, Nordean was recorded saying, We have a plan and they can adjust.



When one person recording the group mentioned that they should go check out the Capitol, a member who moments earlier was walking alongside Nordean turned around and asked her to leave. And when Proud Boy Daniel Milkshake Scott shouted, Lets take the fucking Capitol, another person replied, Lets not fucking yell that, all right?

The exchange prompted Nordean to reply, It was Milkshake, man, ya know  idiot. Another unidentified person near the group added, Dont yell it, do it. Scott pleaded guilty last month to obstructing Congress Jan. 6 proceeding and helping facilitate a breach of police lines.

When the Proud Boys arrived at the Capitol, the relatively staid crowd grew restive, prosecutors indicated. Then, after rioters began breaching the barricades, dozens of Proud Boys and their marching companions were among the first to cross the collapsed police line and drive up pressure on the outnumbered forces trying to keep the mob out of the Capitol.

Throughout the march, Nordean, Biggs and others repeatedly stoked the groups anger at police to rally the other men.

Enrique shows up and gets detained before he gets to D.C. and hes charged with two felonies, multiple felonies for what? Nordean said during a brief stop on the march. We put ourselves on the line every goddamn time we come out here. We put our lives and our safety and everything on the line, and these people put us in jail. Well, Im tired of it. Its time to just say no.

Later, Biggs would tell the same group: Were gonna let the motherfucking world know that we fucking exist and were not going any goddamn where. So lets fucking march through this fucking city thats our goddamn city and be loud and motherfucking Proud Boy proud, and lets go fucking kick some goddamn ass. Metaphorically speaking, but you know what I mean.

Shortly after 11 a.m., as the Proud Boys approached the Capitol, they passed a group of law enforcement officers putting on gear. Some members of the group began berating them.

Honor your oath. Pick a side. Dont make us go against you, shouted Christopher Worrell, a Proud Boy who was later seen in video footage deploying a canister of chemical spray in the direction of police officers at the Capitol.

Nordean rallied the group a second time by slamming police for arresting Tarrio and failing to charge anyone in the stabbing of a Proud Boy during a December 2020 pro-Trump march.

You took our boy in and you let the stabber go. You guys gotta prove your shit to us now.  Well do your goddamn job for you, he said. And dont forget, we dont owe you anything. We dont owe you anything. Your job is to protect and serve the people. Not property or bureaucrats.



Prosecutors also showed jurors how many members of the group that marched with Nordean, Biggs and Rehl to the Capitol would later help facilitate key breaches of police lines. Pezzola would ignite the breach of the building itself by using a stolen police riot shield to smash a Senate-wing window, which he reached after the first wave of the mob  lined with participants in the Proud Boys march  overran police lines.

Defense attorneys have described the Proud Boys march as largely consisting of protected First Amendment activity, and have said that efforts by the government to tag the five Proud Boys leaders with the actions of other group members amounts to guilt by association.
After conquering primetime, Anthony Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer have their sights on prime beef. (Not to mention chicken, pork and everything else.) The actors are partnering to launch their own barbecue label, AC Barbeque, and will document their quest to perfect the skill of the grill via the new A&E Network series Kings of BBQ.

The series, which is still being developed under that working title, will follow the pals as they travel the country looking for advice and techniques from barbeque experts. A&E announced the greenlight of the 10-episode unscripted series on Wednesday as part of a flurry of news tied to its upfront meetings with advertisers.

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Anthony and I are very excited to take our audience into the savory, smokehouse-filled, finger licking world of barbeque all across the United States, Cedric The Entertainer said in a statement. Added Anderson: The launch of AC Barbeque has been a lifelong dream for Cedric and I and we cannot wait to learn more about the craft and share our journey.

Propagate is producing Kings of BBQ along with Bird Bear and Just a Kid From Compton. Anderson (Black-ish) and Cedric (The Neighborhood) have been pals for years and also both grew up with a passion for barbeque.

Heres the logline: In each one-hour episode, Kings of BBQ will follow Cedric and Anthony as they meet with barbeque chefs, pitmasters and everyday experts who share their knowledge and secrets of the trade, highlighting Black Excellence in the industry along the way. From backyards to BBQ pits, the duo will go behind the scenes to master barbeque in all its glory and create a business of their own that honors its legacy and flavors. Along the way, celebrity friends and family will join in on the fun and help share how different cultures and experiences have influenced the delicious cooking technique.

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Executive producers for Propagate are Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Drew Buckley, Linh Le, and Rebecca Graham Forde. Executive producers for Bird Bear are Cedric The Entertainer and Eric Rhone. Executive producer for Just a Kid From Compton is Anthony Anderson. Elaine Frontain Bryant and Brad Holcman serve as executive producers for A&E Network. Artists Firsts E. Brian Dobbins is also an EP.

Also at A&E, the network has ordered five Biography specials examining hard rockers including Alice Cooper, Bret Michaels, Twisted Sisters Dee Snider, Sammy Hagar, and Skid Rows Sebastian Bach. The episodes will air in late 2023 and feature new interviews with the artists.

Banger Films is producing in association with Category 6 Media. Co-directors are Sam Dunn and Marc Ricciardelli. Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen are executive producers for Banger Films, Stephen Mintz is an executive producer for Category 6 Media, and executive producers for A&E Network are Elaine Frontain Bryant and Brad Abramson. Rick Krim is also an executive producer.

Meanwhile, just days after her long-running syndicated talk show was canceled, Rachael Ray is expanding her partnership with A+E Networks. As part of A&Es Home.Made.Nation programming block, Ray will launch new series including Rachael Ray Meals in Minutes (working title).

Also in that space, A+E Networks partnership with Buddy Valastro will include new food travel series Legends of the Fork, the reality entry Cake Dynasty and the competition series Cake Toppers. And comedian Michael Yo is behind 1,000 Ways to Dine, which looks at unique restaurants.

Premiering July 9 at 11 a.m. ET is Best in Chow, featuring comedian Matt Richards as he looks for the best fair and street food. And that day at noon ET is Deliciously Twisted Classics, featuring Aarti Sequeira, Gina Neely, Leah Cohen and Rocco DiSpirito, among others.

And A&E has renewed Zombie House Flipping, which returns for season six. This season saw the expansion of the series with new teams in Tampa, FL and Dallas, TX in addition to the O.G. team in Orlando, FL. The series follows teams who transform rotting abandoned properties left for dead, or zombie houses, into beautifully remade homes, flipping them for top dollar. Each episode shows the inner workings of this high-stakes world full of unexpected disasters, hidden costs, and quirky personalities.

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Three years ago, investigators said, a passenger in a small plane caused it to crash on takeoff during an aviation career day at the Grays Creek Airport, severely injuring himself, two other passengers and the pilot  who was a flight instructor showing the passengers how to fly.

The crash, which was about a 15-minute drive south of Fayetteville, led to a lawsuit by the passenger, Justin Emmanuel Elliott of Cumberland County. He sued flight school and aircraft maintenance company Cape Fear Aviation, which operated the plane, and Educational Data Systems Inc., a federal workforce contractor involved with the career day. The N.C. Court of Appeals on Tuesday issued a ruling that says Elliott may proceed with his lawsuit, overturning a lower court judge who dismissed it.

Elliot is seeking compensation for his injuries and medical expenses, plus says he continues to suffer aftereffects and has been disabled.

Emergency personnel at the site of a small plane that crashed at Gray's Creek Airport on Butler Nursery Road on Monday, Feb. 17, 2020. [Andrew Craft/The Fayetteville Observer]

The lawsuit was dismissed in Cumberland County Superior Court in January 2022. Judge Jack Hooks said Elliott carries some blame for the crash, so he isnt allowed to get compensation. Elliott appealed, and the appeals court ruling issued Tuesday morning said Hooks was wrong to dismiss the case.

The ruling by a three-judge panel said a jury should decide the degree of Elliotts responsibility in the crash. It sent the case back to Cumberland County for more consideration.

The key question to resolve: Since Elliott put his hands on the controls at the direction of flight instructor Jake Parsons, does responsibility for the crash lay with Elliott or Parsons  or both?

Under North Carolina law, if two people are involved in a crash or other incident that causes death, injury or damage neither can collect compensation from the other, even if one is 99% responsible and the other is only 1% responsible. This is a legal concept called contributory negligence.

Photos:4 taken to hospital after plane crashes in Grays Creek

Passengers got to handle controls during discovery flights

The aviation career day was presented by the Cumberland County Workforce Development Board, Fayetteville Technical Community College, and Cape Fear Aviation on Feb. 17, 2020, court documents say. Elliott and fellow passengers Vanessa Leal and Dominique Northcutt were clients of the NC Works Career Center in Fayetteville.

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They and others participated in activities at the airport to learn more about job opportunities in aviation, the lawsuit says. The flight was a discovery flight, an introductory flight lesson to provide participants a chance to fly in a plane and decide if they are interested in aviation, the ruling says.

In a discovery flight, a pilot may allow a passenger to feel the controls with their hands and feet, but passengers do not manipulate the controls themselves, the ruling says.

The ruling says Elliott did not want to participate in the discovery flight initially, but felt pressured into it by flight instructors and other participants. He sat in one of the two front seats, and both seats were equipped with the aircrafts controls.

Parsons asked Elliott to taxi the Cessna 172M to the runway, the ruling says, and Elliott reluctantly agreed to do it. Then Parsons took control of the plane for takeoff, it says.

According to a crash investigation report by the National Transportation Safety Board, Elliott said Parsons told him, as the plane was moving down the runway, to move the planes control yoke to take off, and to rotate the plane slowly.

More:Students hurt during career day flight in Gray's Creek

Learn more:NTSB releases preliminary report on Grays Creek plane crash

The report and court documents say Elliott pulled back too far on the yoke. This caused the plane to pitch up too steeply as it was taking off. Alarms started going off as the plane tilted back toward a vertical position, court documents say.

Parsons yelled for Elliott to let go of the controls, the ruling says, but Elliott said later he couldnt right away.

The plane stalled  it lost the aerodynamic lifting force needed to fly  and fell to the ground.

The ruling says Elliott suffered two broken ankles, a cracked sternum, lacerations to the head and injuries to his back. Parsons had broken bones in his face, back, ankle and collarbone, plus injuries to his kidneys and lungs. The pilot said he has no memory of the flight, the ruling says.

Leal and Northcutt were also hurt  Northcutt had brain damage and was in a coma for months, news reports have said.

Long recovery:Grays Creek plane crash victim remained in coma three months later.

Tuesdays Court of Appeals ruling was written by Judge Julee Flood. Judges Chris Dillon and Hunter Murphy concurred.

Senior North Carolina reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at 910-261-4710 and pwoolverton@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Court says plane crash lawsuit against Cape Fear Aviation can proceed
Arizonans live close to some of America's best scenic drives, according to a new study.

Auto financing company Chrysler Capital ranked Arizona as the best state for road trips in 2023 for its abundance of scenic roads, including its five federally designated National Scenic Byways. The company conducted its study using data and information from TripAdvisor.

What set Arizona apart was high accolades for its scenic routes. Arizona's scenic byways collectively received 7,024 five-star reviews from travelers on TripAdvisor, the most in the nation.

Arizona has 1,608 miles of byways, second only to Colorado, which has 2,291.

Here are the three Arizona road trips that Chrysler Capital singled out in its ranking of best scenic drives.

For even more getaway inspiration, read our guide to three of the most scenic drives in Arizona and how to do them.

Best places:Why these 2 iconic Arizona destinations are TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice picks for 2023

Red Rock Scenic Byway in Sedona

Coming in at No. 2 on Chrysler Capital's best list, this 8-mile stretch of State Route 179 is the gateway to Sedona's red rock country. Bell Rock Trailhead is accessible along this route, and turning from here onto Back O' Beyond Road will lead to the trailhead for another beloved landmark, Cathedral Rock.

Red Rock Scenic Byway is an All-American Road, a title that celebrates roads with the best natural and cultural features.

Chrysler Capital ranked Red Rock Scenic Byway the second-best scenic byway in the country behind only Blue Ridge Parkway, the 469-mile road through the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and Virginia. The Red Rock Scenic Byway has about 3,600 five-star ratings from travelers, most praising the scenic beauty and the spectacular views.

Sedona's Mii amo included:Biggest hotel openings and renovations in Arizona in 2023

Sky Island Parkway/Mount Lemmon Scenic Byway in Tucson

Sky islands are notable for their contrasts. These isolated mountain ranges surrounded by lowlands are notable for encompassing multiple microclimates and ecozones.

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People who drive the 27-mile Sky Island Parkway, popularly known as the Mount Lemmon Scenic Byway, will start at the desert landscape of Tanque Verde, about 16 miles east of Tucson, and end at the summit of Mount Lemmon, the highest point in the Catalina Mountains at more than 9,000 feet.

Mount Lemmon is popular for its scenic vistas, outdoor recreation opportunities and a cool climate year-round that's appealing to heat-weary desert dwellers, part of the allure that attracted many of the 2,600-plus travelers who gave it five-star ratings. It came in No. 6 on the best list.

Another Arizona sky island:Mount Graham observatory is about to reopen for tours

Historic Route 66

Route 66 was decommissioned from the U.S. Highway System in 1985, but its 1,409 miles in Arizona continue to inspire nostalgia.

There are so many historic towns and attractions along the route, including the old railroad hubs of Seligman and Kingman and the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, that it shouldn't be done in a day. Chrysler Capital recommends at least four or five days for a Route 66 getaway in Arizona. It comes in at the No. 3 longest scenic drive on the list.

Route 66 highlights:Get your kicks with this new Route 66 guide

Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salerno_phx.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Best Arizona road trips for summer 2023 per TripAdvisor users
Gabrielle "Gabby" Petito Moab Police Department via AP

Brian Laundrie's mother provided new details about the letter she wrote to her son that said burn after reading on the envelope, which has become the center of a dispute in the ongoing lawsuit between the Laundries and Gabby Petitos parents.

In a sworn affidavit filed on Monday, Roberta Laundrie said that the letter she wrote to her son had nothing to do with Petitos murder and should remain private. A lawyer representing Petitos parents previously called it a damning piece of potential evidence with references to burying a body.

"While I used words that seem to have a connection with Brian's actions and his taking of Gabby's life, I never would have fathomed the events that unfolded months later between Brian and Gabby would reflect the words in my letter, Roberta said in her affidavit.

Petitos parents, Joseph Petito and Nichole Schmidt, in March sued the Laundries for emotional distress, accusing them of hiding that they knew about the murder in the weeks before Petitos body was found near a Wyoming campground. After returning to his parents Florida home, Laundrie also disappeared and was found dead by suicide in a nature preserve after a weekslong search for him. A written confession to Petitos murder was found in his backpack.

In a December court hearing, Patrick Reilly, a lawyer representing the Petito family, said the letter written by Roberta could be evidence of the Laundrie familys involvement after the murder. The letter contained references to helping Laundrie get out of prison, getting a shovel, and helping bury the body, he said, according to CNN.

In her affidavit filed on Monday, Roberta said the contents of her letter were taken out of context and she had written it months before her son killed Gabby. (The letter is undated, and Reilly argued it should be up for a jury to decide if its relevant to the lawsuit.)

Roberta said her relationship with Brian was strained in the months leading up to the trip, and she wrote the letter with the purpose of reaching out to him during a difficult time.

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My words to Brian were meant to convey my love and support for my son through a light-hearted and quirky reminder that my love for him was not diminished and could not be shaken by miles of separation we would soon be faced with, she said.

She admitted to writing burn after reading on the envelope, but said that it was an inside joke referring to a book Gabby had given Brian called Burn After Writing, which instructs readers to answer questions and express themselves on the page, and then burn the book.

This is where my message to Brian came from and I wrote on the cover of the letter for Brian to Burn After Reading, Roberta said. In short, I was trying to connect with Brian and repair our relationship as he was planning to leave home  and I had hoped this letter would remind him how much I loved him.

Roberta also hit back against suggestions that she had given the letter to Brian after the murder.

"There has been some speculation that this letter was in Brian's possession or in his backpack when he died  insinuating that I gave it to him as he left my home on September 13, 2021  but that is not true because the FBI had the letter in their possession and questioned members of my family about it prior to October 20, 2021 when my husband and I found Brian's remains in the reserve," Roberta said.

Roberta said in her affidavit that she did not expect anyone to read the letter and argued that it should remain private. A judge has yet to rule on whether it may be submitted into evidence.

In some way, I did not want anyone else to read it as I know it is not the type of letter a mother writes to her adult son and I did not want to embarrass Brian, Roberta said. That is why I wrote Burn After Reading on the envelope and I knew that Brian would know what that meant. I am now appreciative that he actually kept it.

In a statement to BuzzFeed News, Reilly said Gabby's parents have waited a long time for the Laundries to address their daughter's death  and were offended to see Roberta's statements on Monday.

"Gabbys parents are extremely offended that Roberta Laundrie used Gabby to defend herself, yet she never spoke up while Gabby was missing," Reilly said.

Reilly said the letter remains relevant to the case and questioned Roberta's crediblity on when it was written. He emphasized that the letter was undated and said fully disclosing its contents could help determine when it was actually written.

"Curiously, since a portion of the letter has already been disclosed, and Roberta Laundrie chose in her affidavit to disclose other portions of the letter, she doesnt want Joe and Nichole to see the entirety of the letter," Reilly said.

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Orange signed a distribution agreement with satellite company OneWeb to enhance its connectivity in rural locations in Europe, Latin America, Africa and other global regions.

In a statement, the operator said it will integrate OneWeb low Earth orbit (LEO) technology to provide enhanced latency to enterprise customers and units across hard-to-reach areas. Orange claimed the partnership will aid it in increasing user satisfaction and enable new applications and OTT services.

The operator noted units will see increased resiliency and geographical reach for enterprise solutions and backhauling in remote locations.

Orange International networks infrastructures and services, EVP Jean-Louis Le Roux said satellite technology will accelerate the digital inclusion of populations within our subsidiaries in Africa and the Middle East.

OneWeb CEO Neil Masterson added: Oranges market-leading position across several continents, coupled with OneWebs unique network and LEO technology, will help bridge digital divides and ensure access to efficient, high-quality, and reliable broadband internet is available to customers in Europe, Latin America, Africa and other locations across the world.

Africa has proven to be a revenue-driving segment for the French operator group with consecutive year-on-year growth.
VCG - Getty Images

China is reportedly developing a futuristic helicopter that combines wings and rotors.

The mysterious new helicopter is already under construction, according to Wu Ximing, designer of the Chinese CAIC Z-10 attack helicopter. The new aircraft could add to Chinas rapidly expanding military forces.

When talking about helicopter products, we should not simply develop what foreign countries have. Instead, we should develop what fit our country the most, Wu said, according to the state-run Global Times newspaper. They must integrate with Chinas current and future development, together with technological development, so as to fit even the development in the 20 to 30 years in the future. We must accurately judge and find a position.

Wu did not reveal any details of the new helicopter, but a concept model shows a sleek mix of a helicopter and airplane. The image of the model shows two sets of rotors on top of the craft as well as propellers on the wings.

The U.S. is working on its own next-generation helicopter-plane hybrid and some pictures of the proposed Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) look a lot like the one from China. The FLRAA is a tiltrotor aircraft that offers the speed of a plan with the vertical landing ability of a helicopter. The FLRA would replace a portion of the UH-60 Black Hawk fleet which has served as the Armys utility and tactical transport helicopter since 1979.

Chinas Burgeoning Fleet

Chinas homegrown aircraft industry is growing as tensions heat up over Taiwan. The countrys leadership said that it plans to boost military spending by more than seven percent this year, while warning of "escalating" threats.

The U.S. Navy and Chinese aircraft have been involved in recent. tense encounters. A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance plane flying over the Taiwan Strait was intercepted by a heavily armed Chinese jet. The Chinese fighter escorted the U.S. plane for 15 minutes before turning away.

U.S. aircraft might soon have to contend with a new Chinese carrier-borne combat airplane. A recruiting video for the service arm featured a new type of stealth plane that some observers are calling the J-35. The aerodynamic design features folding wings of a type that are handy for fitting on the crowded deck of an aircraft carrier.

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Future Chinese fighters could sport sixth-generation capabilities including stealth. A recently spotted design for the fighter appears to lack a tail and might be able to wield energy weapons and hypersonic missiles.

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Creed IIIs immersive fight scenes have been spilling out into the audience in France and Germany, with reports of brawls at a number of screenings of Michael B Jordans Rocky spin-off over its opening week, beginning March 1.

French media reported around a dozen separate disturbances in cinemas in France over the weekend and a handful of independent venues have decided to take the film off their schedules.

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Police were called to an afternoon screening in a Megarama cinema in the central French city of Saint Etienne on Saturday (March 4) after fighting broke out and a security guard suffered a head injury when cans and bottles started to fly.

Later that day, the police forced 500 people to evacuate from a Kinepolis cinema in the northeastern French town of Thionville after a mass brawl broke out, leading to the cancellation of the screening. Footage of the disturbance went viral.

Contacted by Deadline, the cinema said it did not want to comment.

In other incidents, a screening in the Metropolis cinema in the northern town of Charleville-Mezieres was also abandoned after two individuals started fighting. They were arrested and temporarily placed in police custody.

Creed III is still on the program of all three cinemas.

CineCentre announcement on website

However, the nine-screen CineCentre complex in the northern town of Dreux announced on its website on Monday that it was de-programming the film following inappropriate behavior that ran contrary to its values.

There have also been reports of similar incidents in Germany, with screenings in the cities of Bremen, Hamburg and Essen cancelled after the police were called in to calm the situation when fighting broke out.

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German media questioned whether the brawls and related anti-social behavior could be due to some sort of social media campaign or challenge but this does not appear to be the case even if footage of some of the incidents has gone viral.

French exhibition professionals contacted by Deadline were wary about speaking on the record about the brawls saying further media coverage could encourage copycat acts.

One source batted back a suggestion the incidents amounted to a phenomenon noting that 600 cinemas were showing the film in France across more than 10,000 screenings in its first five days of release.

The disturbances were isolated incidents, they said.

France delivered Creed III its biggest opening weekend in Europe, with a gross of $7.7M, followed by $6.1M in the UK, $4.3M in Germany and $3.5M in Italy in what proved to be a record international opening for the franchise.

Deadline has contacted Warner Bros., which is handling the international release except in the Nordics, for comment on the disrupted screenings.

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jenna ortega

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Jenna Ortega handled a possible fashion mishap like the total pro that she is.

While attending the Scream VI premiere Monday night, Ortega (who plays Tara Carpenter in the slasher film) appeared to have a minor wardrobe malfunction with an ink stain on her dress.

Styled by her longtime collaborator Enrique Melendez, the 20-year-old Golden Globe nominee wore a Jean Paul Gaultier Couture tuxedo mini dress. However, what really caught the attention of fans was the blue ink smudged across the strapless neckline of the dress' white button-up bodice.

jenna ortega

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty



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Before hitting the carpet with her castmates, Ortega greeted fans outside of the New York City venue and autographed items for a few Scream devotees. The excited crowd caused quite the frenzy and seemed to have been the cause of the actress' blue ink stain.

Neither Melendez nor Ortega addressed the damage, but Twitter users took confident guesses at what was probably going through the star's head.

"I bet she's so damn mad," one tweeted while another wrote, "That damn pen," alongside a photo of Ortega surrounded by hands holding out uncapped pens.

RELATED: Jenna Ortega Channels Wednesday Addams in a Goth-Glam Gown at 2023 SAG Awards

jenna ortega

Jamie McCarthy/WireImage

Style blip or not, Ortega is going to serve a high-fashion moment on the carpet.

Last month, the Wednesday star stepped out for the SAG Awards dressed in a gothic glam Versace gown with a sculpted bodice and high-low hemline gathered at her waist. The dress, which was pulled from the label's 1994 collection, was accessorized with Tiffany & Co. jewelry.

"Thanks so much to @donatella_versace and team for opening this up for us. It truly is an honor and privilege to be granted access by such a legendary fashion icons," Melendez wrote on Instagram.

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Ortega previously wore a grunge-forward bridal gown and veil by the Italian fashion house for the premiere of the hit Netflix series in November.

RELATED: Jenna Ortega Is a Gucci Goddess on the 2023 Golden Globes Red Carpet

RELATED: Jenna Ortega Wows Paris Fashion Week in a Backless Hooded Saint Laurent Gown  See the Daring Look

She also kicked off 2023 at the Golden Globes, where she went down a different style route dressed in a contemporary Gucci design featuring floor-sweeping sleeps and an ethereal layered silhouette.

Melendez, who's outfitted the Ortega in many Wednesday Addams inspired looks, once called the rising style star as someone who "fully commits" to whatever look she wears. It's safe to say, Ortega deserves all the applause (and snaps!) for her jaw-dropping ensembles.
U.S. Senators are again taking a closer look at Bitcoin mining.

Senator Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) chaired a session of the Committee on Environment and Public Works yesterday, focusing on the energy usage of mining.

The mining industry, Markey said, deserves the spotlight.

Markey is the sponsor of a bill pushing for more transparency from miners regarding their environmental impact.

TeraWulfs Nuclear Bitcoin Plant Is Just One Piece of the Green Mining Puzzle

It has grown explosively in the United States over the past two years. It is extremely energy-intensive. And weve seen it harm the general public while enabling the creation of heavily-concentrated wealth in our country, he said.

He said the full extent of miners impact was not known, which is why his bill would require companies to disclose more information about their operations to the environmental regulator.

We need a federal approach just so we have the information out there as to what the climatic impacts are, he said in his closing statement.

When one year of U.S. Bitcoin mining creates as many carbon emissions as 7.5 million gas-powered carswe have a problem. Today's hearing made that even clearer. The crypto industry is growing, but so is the fight for climate justice. We will hold these companies accountable. pic.twitter.com/EA2vPrjcTy  Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) March 7, 2023

Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska) argued that mining is not the only industry that relies on large data server banks, and that Washington D.C. should not be allowed to pick winners and losers.

Ricketts home state of Nebraska has seen an economic boost from the crypto mining industry, thanks to the states low power costs.

Appearing on the expert panel for the hearing, Courtney Dentlinger, vice president of customer service and external Affairs for Nebraska Public Power District, said there had been a positive impact on the local power industry.

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Customers who have a steady demand for electricity, such as 24-7 miners, have historically made the most efficient use of electric infrastructure, she said in a testimony submitted ahead of the hearing.

Moreover, while crypto mining requires a lot of electricity, the load can be very flexible. They often seek interruptible rates and can quickly drop loads, which has proven to be helpful during local storm damage-related events, and even larger-scale grid events, she said.

Miners should work smarter, not harder

The other two members of the expert panel were Rob Altenburg, senior director for Energy and Climate at clean energy advocacy group PennFuture, and New York State Assemblymember Anna Kelles.

Kelles, a Democrat, voiced her support for Markeys bill. She drafted a bill in New York state that placed a two-year moratorium on new Bitcoin miners from opening up shop. The bill came into effect last November.

New York Signs Two-Year Crypto Mining Moratorium Into Law

In her opening remarks, Kelles said the demand for more power has led mining firms to bring old energy plants back online.

As one of the solutions for cheap energy, cryptocurrency mining companies have worked to reopen retired fossil fuel plants like the large-scale facility called Greenidge in New York on Seneca Lake, she said. An environment with moderate temperatures, clean air, and abundant fresh free water for cooling have made New York an ideal location for cryptocurrency mining companies.

Kelles said these have a negative impact on the quality of life in the surrounding areas, due to emissions, electrical waste, and noise pollution, as well as repercussions for local aquatic life.

Senators and witnesses also discussed the proof-of-work process, with several bringing up the reduction of energy usage achieved by Ethereums switch to proof-of-stake.

Senator Markey urged the crypto world to work smarter, not harder and consider less energy-intensive methods of producing assets.
Benjamin Hall

Lauren Fleishman Benjamin Hall at home in London, February 2023

Journalist Benjamin Hall had been reporting on international conflicts for 15 years, embedding himself in combat zones and telling locals' stories, when he suddenly found himself on the other end of headlines last spring: Fox News Correspondent Benjamin Hall Hospitalized with Injuries While Reporting in Ukraine. Those near-fatal injuries included losing a leg on one side and a foot on the other  and losing function of both a hand and an eye.

One year and about 30 surgeries later, the father of three is still adjusting to his new life  one with prosthetics and canes, but also more time with his wife and young daughters. Before releasing his new memoir, Saved: A War Reporter's Mission to Make It Home, on March 14, Hall opens up to PEOPLE about the difficult road to recovery and the unexpected lessons he's learned along the way.

Above all, Hall says, he feels lucky. "You know, I look at my injuries and I don't worry about them one bit, because I'm here with my family."

RELATED: Fox News' Benjamin Hall Will Tell the Story of Narrowly Surviving Deadly Ukraine Attack in New Memoir

Benjamin Hall's memoir Saved

'Saved: A War Reporter's Mission to Make It Home' by Benjamin Hall

Hall traveled to Ukraine in late February 2022 to cover Russia's unfolding invasion and the lives it was destroying. He knew the safety risks, but that was the nature of his career  "the only way you can really tell a good story is to be there," he says. Hall had been on assignment for little more than two weeks when, on March 14, 2022, he ventured out of Kyiv to get footage of a decimated town nearby. Heading back from the shoot after a successful day in the field, his vehicle was struck by a slew of Russian missiles.

News of the bombing quickly spread around the globe, with Fox News revealing that Hall had been injured and details were scarce. What people didn't know at the time, and what they would come to learn soon after, is that four others were in the vehicle with Hall  including beloved Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski, 55, and local journalist Sasha Kuvshynova, 24. Only Hall survived the blasts.

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"I lost limbs and I'm badly injured, but they lost everything," Hall tells PEOPLE, reflecting on the tragedy ahead of its one-year anniversary. He hopes that he can use his newly elevated platform to spread the values of Zakrzewski, a man who served as something of a mentor to him: "His love of life, his absolute generosity, his kindness and his adventure."

RELATED: Fox News Cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski Killed in Ukraine: 'His Talents Were Vast'

Benjamin Hall

Pierre Zakrzewski/Fox News Pierre Zakrzewski and Benjamin Hall in Afghanistan, December 2020

In the hour after the bombing left Hall stranded alongside an abandoned highway, he was fortunate enough to get noticed by a passerby who'd taken a wrong turn. He was brought to a hospital in Kyiv for emergency treatment, but needed a more permanent situation  out of harm's way  to begin a brutal, months-long process of recovering.

It was then, when Fox News learned of his condition, that executives began negotiating with contacts around the world to get him extracted from Ukraine in any way possible and admitted to a U.S. Army hospital.

RELATED: 'The Stuff of Movies': How Fox News Rushed to Help Its Journalists After They Came Under Fire in Invasion

Back home in London during all of this, Hall's wife, Alicia, had the difficult task of determining when  and how  to tell their daughters Honor, Iris and Hero what happened. At the time, they were just 6, 4 and 2 years old, respectively.

"I didn't want to tell the girls anything until we knew for sure that he would be okay," Alicia tells PEOPLE, "because I didn't want them to be worried that he'd had an accident and then not be able to give them any answers." In those first few weeks, she hid her stress as best she could and kept them as busy as she could  with school, ballet, theater, anything to keep their mind off the limited contact with their dad.

Hall and Alicia didn't want the girls to get any scarring visuals of Hall's injuries, so they communicated with him only by phone for a while as his face healed. Early on, while Hall was still a bit out of it, Alicia remembers, "He tried to turn the video camera on and speak to my little one because the other two had already gone to bed." It didn't go over too well. "I was like, 'You cannot speak to the kids like this! You need to turn this off.'"

Benjamin Hall

Lauren Fleishman Alicia Meller and Benjamin Hall

Experiencing what doctors call polytrauma, Hall needed the top specialists available  specialists he couldn't get at the U.S. Army hospital in Germany, where he was initially taken after escaping Ukraine. He was advised to transfer to the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, thousands of miles away from his family in London, for treatment that could take as long as two years. The question, then, became whether Alicia and their children would relocate to be with him.

"That was quite a big decision because there were two camps on that," Alicia recalls. "Some people were like, 'You should absolutely go be with him and bring the family and you should all get through this together.' And then the other view was, 'You know what? There's nothing that we can really do. This is a purely doctor scenario.'"

RELATED: Fox News' Benjamin Hall, Injured in Attack That Left 2 Colleagues Dead, Is Recovering in the U.S.

Wary of uprooting the girls at a time when they'd need stability more than ever, they decided to let Hall recover in Texas alone, where he would be free of distraction and even more motivated to shorten his stay. "We had to divide and conquer," Alicia says.

Looking back, they're content with that decision.

Benjamin Hall

Courtesy Benjamin Hall recovering far from home

In Texas, Hall convinced his doctors and physical therapists to push his limits so that he could get back to his family sooner. Faced with medication-induced hallucinations and occasional feelings of defeat, he kept focusing on the future.

"When I was really low, I just tried to find one little piece of goodness," he says, "one little thing to help me get through it." His mind always came back to the family waiting for him on the other end.

In August 2022, just in time for his eldest daughter's seventh birthday, he was released. Feeling immense excitement for the long-awaited reunion with his children  and "a bit of trepidation" over how they'd react to his prosthetic right leg and left foot  he returned to London for the first time in six months, ready for a lifetime of "absolutely normal day-to-day things."

"I get this real physical emotion in a way I never did before  an absolutely physical sense of love," he tells PEOPLE of spending time with his wife and daughters since the accident. "Every time I look at them, I feel that now."

For more on Benjamin Hall's life since surviving the attack in Ukraine, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday.

Benjamin Hall reads bedtime stories to his daughters

Lauren Fleishman Benjamin Hall reads bedtime stories to his daughters

Though he still has a ways to go  more surgeries, more physical therapy and more milestones in his recovery ("I look forward to running," he notes)  he couldn't be happier for the life he has today. Watching his daughters jump on the trampoline, sitting around the table with family for meals and reading bedtime stories are things he longed for from the moment he regained consciousness after the bombing.

"I look at the world now in a much more confident way," he says. "You could throw absolutely anything at me and I know that I'll get through it."

The same goes for his family. "It's a journey, isn't it? Life's a journey," Alicia says. "It would be selfish of Benji and I to wallow in self-pity when much worse has happened to many more people."
Technologist and successful entrepreneur Angela Benton was taken aback when she spotted her portrait online thanks to a Google alert. Fourth grader and Middlebrook Boys & Girls Club member Livvy Mount was the artist and entered it into the UScellular Black History Month art contest in East Tennessee.

Benton reached out and offered to travel to Knoxville and meet other members of the Middlebrook Boys & Girls Club and Regal Teen Center on Feb. 28.

The Boys & Girls Club members created original portraits representing influential Black icons of science, technology, engineering and math. The finalists were chosen for their creativity, quality, clarity of theme and overall impression. Voting for the $250 prize winner continued through March 1.

Benton, who was born in 1981, was surprised to be considered an icon, despite being a pioneer of diversity and one of the most important African Americans in the technology industry.

Entrepreneur Angela Benton speaks with kids at the Middlebrook Boys & Girls Club in West Knoxville on Feb. 28.

It is so heartwarming and satisfying speaking with children, she said. When I was in Atlanta yesterday the kids did a wax museum and someone was portraying me. It was weird in a good way.

As an entrepreneur, you start something, it is just an idea; you dont think beyond the business operation. Then in moments like these you know you have created something special. And that is all you can hope for. It is very humbling.

I knew I had a passion for technology, said Benton, during an informal Q&A session with the Boys and Girls club members. It is one of those things you have a gut feeling for. Many of the things I started in my career, even if I didnt know how it would work out, I just had that intuition to figure it out later.

Benton reminisced about attending Oak Ridge Elementary in Arlington, Virginia, and applying to attend the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.

I didnt get in, but I have made my own way, she told the preteens. I didnt give up; I kept trying to make my dreams come true.

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The students were particularly interested in hearing about Bentons travels, including a trip to Malawi. She established a micro-fund to help provide solar electricity to 10 villages in Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world. The DIY kits were distributed along with instructions on how to install and repair them.

The innovative entrepreneur also shared that she traveled to Paris to photograph artwork for her book, and in addition to visiting places like Tokyo, she has spent time in the Silicon Valley of China, Shenzhen.

Livvy Mount was sitting next to her after-school best friend, Bailey Helms, when she learned that Benton had seen her portrait and that she was a finalist in the contest.

Livvy Mount, 10, interviews entrepreneur Angela Benton at the Middlebrook Boys & Girls Club.

I felt really excited, surprised and nervous, said the young artist, who spent two days trying to get the nose and eyes right in the picture. I chose to draw her because she is an entrepreneur that provides opportunities for other people. I loved that she went to Africa; my friend Zeke just moved to South Africa. I was really nervous to meet her, but she is really nice.

In 2011, Benton founded NewMe, a startup accelerator that helped hundreds of minority entrepreneurs raise over $47 million in venture capital funding.

Prior to that, at 26, she was frustrated in her efforts to find information on what Black people were doing in technology and launched Black Web 2.0. The platform featured and discussed Black culture and technology and became a space for leading experts.

Benton is in demand as both a technology expert and a conversation-starter about diversity for both ethnic minorities and women in the industry.

It is so heartwarming and satisfying speaking with children, Benton said. When I was in Atlanta yesterday the kids did a wax museum and someone was portraying me. It was weird in a good way."

I look at everything in terms of impact, said Benton of her decision to sell NewME in December 2018. With all of the businesses I have started, when I know it is time to move on and hand it off, I have to be happy with the impact I have made and to be happy with someone else taking it further than I can.

After spending a year fighting cancer and intensely focusing on her health, the mother of three has launched another company, Streamlytics.

Aware of how fast technology changes, Benton is tackling data ownership and transforming how enterprises access and leverage cookie-less first-party consumer data, ultimately helping consumers control the data that the tech industry collects.

My children know that they have data, but if you grew up with the dawn of the internet, we didnt know that, said Benton. There has been a societal shift. The younger generations know we need to own our own data.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How a girl's drawing brought tech entrepreneur to Knoxville
Rochester Concert Stampede - Credit: Lauren Petracca/AP

On Sunday evening, thousands of fans poured into Rochester, New Yorks Main Street Armory for a concert set to be headlined by GloRilla, one of hip-hops fastest rising stars. Among them were 28-year-old Tamira De Jesus, who had heard mixed reviews about the venue in the past  claims that suggested that it should have been shut down long ago and more sinister accusations that it was a death trap. But once inside the venue, her experience at first clashed against rumors that had often popped up throughout the live music community in the area.

It was only after the show had ended around 11 p.m. and the buzzing audience made its way to the exits that De Jesus understood why the venue had its reputation. I didnt see anything but the whole crowd pushing everyone towards the bathroom like a wave pool, she tells Rolling Stone, recalling that multiple doors were blocked off by security and police following a rumored physical altercation outside of the venue. People [began] to fall over and get stepped on. With even fewer points of exit, the crowd erupted into hysteria.

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On Monday, Rochester Police Department reported that the crowd surge was believed to be the result of unfounded claims of gunfire inside the venue. The chaotic incident left two women  Brandy Miller, 35, and Rhondesia Belton, 33  dead, another hospitalized in critical condition, and seven additional people injured. Police Chief David M. Smith shared that no evidence was found to support the shooting claims. An investigation into several possible causes, including possibly crowd size, shots fired, pepper spray and other contributing factors, remains ongoing.

I was literally being suffocated while trying to help people on the ground stand up. I was terrified and all I could think is that they gotta let the crowd out into the street because they was not going to stop, De Jesus says. I Iiterally screamed to tell people to stop pushing and to help the people on the ground stand up. I heard a man literally say, Fuck them, Step on them. It was the most inhumane thing I have seen in my whole life and I am still having anxiety.

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Despite eight Rochester police officers being stationed directly outside, the venue was not prepared to handle an incident of this magnitude at all, De Jesus says. The panic of the crowd paired with the lack of direction and communication from venue employees proved to be a dangerous combination as thousands of bodies pressed against each other in search of an exit.

Online reviews for the venue often specifically call out a deficiency in proper security practices both at the door and inside of the venue. The staff from the Armory was pushing us back into the Armory, but we were yelling that they couldnt do that because everyone in the back would not stop pushing, De Jesus recalls. They were trying to keep a huge crowd inside somewhere that no one could hear them instead of trying to keep a crowd [out] that is pushing and having no regard or sense of community at all.

A rep for the venue did not respond to Rolling Stones request for comment. Its unclear which of the three security companies the venue uses was employed that night, but reps for the companies  Brown Brothers Security, Blackhawk Training Academy and Enterprise Security Consulting and Training  did not immediately respond to Rolling Stones request for comment. After the publication of this story, Blackhawk Training Academy told Rolling Stone they were not involved.

A number of patrons did attempt to assist one another, locking arms with others to maintain balance and moving towards safety together. I could not just step on nobody; I literally saved two people lives, one attendee, Bennie Redfield, wrote on Facebook. I pulled them up off that ground while trying to control the crowd around me. The one girl gave me the biggest hug ever and thanked me for saving her from the crowd of people stepping on her.

Still, there was only so much individual people could do while attempting to manage mayhem born from failings in security and management. There was one girl that was absolutely lifeless. I wasnt able to help her because she wasnt moving and I was too scared to touch her, Redfield wrote, adding: Last night was traumatizing. I just keep seeing all the people that were trampled.

Another Facebook user using a pseudonym described being in the middle of the crowd. I felt all the air leaving my lungs, my whole body hurt. To be screaming for help and have people step on you and climb over you was so fucking scary, she wrote. I just kept thinking about my kids and how I didnt want them to grow up without me. Among the two deceased victims was a fellow mother, Belton, who is survived by a young son.

De Jesus estimates that she was in the midst of the crush for no longer than 15 minutes, though it felt like forever. When she stepped outside, she was washed over with ease, but it was eerie. The moment of relief was as soon as I hit the stairs and seen people just standing around watching like nothing was happening and like they didnt see us being pushed back inside of a place with no exit and nowhere to run, she says.

This is a tragedy of epic proportions, Rochester Mayor Malik Evans said at a news conference on Monday. Its something that all of us who love concerts worry about. When you go to a concert you do not expect to be trampled. Your loved ones expect you to be able to come home and talk about the experience you had at that great concert.

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Winning an Oscar is the pinnacle of any actor's career, and these talented ladies have all taken home the golden statue. When they're not on set filming their next big project, they love to relax on the beach in bikinis. For some of the Academy Award winners, they need to maintain a body that is always toned and tight. Brie Larson was relatively unknown to mainstream audiences when she took home the 2016 Best Actress statuette for Room. In July of that year following her win, Brie was cast as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers for the Marvel Cinematic Universe films. The Avengers: Endgame star regularly posts her grueling workouts on Instagram, where fans have watched her master one-arm pull-ups and one arm push-ups thanks to her dedication to fitness. Brie even worked her way up to doing 400-pound hip thrusts. Next to one gym session photo she wrote, "Getting stronger is a process Im committed to showing up for every day." Gwyneth Paltrow is another Best Actress winner whose intense commitment to fitness came after her Oscar win. She took home the award in 1999 for Shakespeare in Love at the age of 26. "You know, to reach that kind of, like, the pinnacle at that age and have that much scrutiny and attention, and then it's like, no matter what you do after that, you can't really win, right? It's like you have a few years of it's, like, nothing's gonna live up to that. It's just a lot to hold," the Iron Man star told CBS in a 2022 interview. Gwyneth launched her own wellness and lifestyle brand, Goop, in 2008. As of 2022, the company was valued at a whopping $250 million. She also became a fitness fanatic after working with trainer Tracy Anderson to lose weight following the 2006 birth of her son, Moses Martin, whom she shares with ex-husband Chris Martin. At the 2013 opening of Tracy's flagship gym in Brentwood, California, Gwyneth said how she rigorously worked out every day, even when she had to force herself to do so. "I just got obsessed. When you see results like that, I started following everything she said and she completely transformed my body and I'm so grateful," Gwyneth gushed at the red carpet event. In 2021 at the age of 49, the blonde beauty was still posting bikini photos to Instagram, as her figure has remained so firm and toned thanks to her dedication to fitness. Scroll down to see photos of Oscar winning actresses rocking bikinis.
Republican presidential hopefuls are vowing to wage a war on "woke," but a new USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll finds a majority of Americans are inclined to see the word as a positive attribute, not a negative one.

Fifty-six percent of those surveyed say the term means "to be informed, educated on, and aware of social injustices." That includes not only three-fourths of Democrats but also more than a third of Republicans.

Overall, 39% say instead that the word reflects what has become the GOP political definition, "to be overly politically correct and police others' words." That's the view of 56% of Republicans.

The findings raise questions about whether Republican campaign promises to ban policies at schools and workplaces they denounce as "woke" could boost a contender in the party's primaries but put them at odds with broader public opinion in the general election.

Independents, by 51%-45%, say "woke" means being aware of social injustice, not being overly politically correct.

Most Americans understand that to be woke is to be tuned in to injustices around us, said Cliff Young of Ipsos. "But for a key segment of Republicans who make up the Trump-DeSantis base, 'woke' is a clear trigger for the worst of the politically correct, emerging multicultural majority."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reacts after publicly signing HB7, "individual freedom," also dubbed the "stop woke" bill during a news conference in April.

A new rallying cry in the culture wars

In the early 20th century, "woke" was generally used as a call for Black people around the world to "wake up" to racial oppression. After the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, the term gained wider usage to describe awareness of the continuing legacy of racial discrimination and systematic oppression.

Now conservatives have adopted the term as a rallying cry in the culture wars, signaling their opposition to everything from the teaching of the ongoing effects of slavery to the use of gender-neutral pronouns.

More: 'Woke mind virus'? 'Corporate wokeness'? Why red America has declared war on corporate America

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Opinion: Tired Trump fades at CPAC while DeSantis rises at Reagan Library

"We will never surrender to the woke mob," Ron DeSantis declared in his victory speech when he won a second term as Florida governor in November. Former President Donald Trump last week accused President Joe Biden of engineering "a woke takeover of the entire federal government."

Even South Carolina's Sen. Tim Scott, a Black man who discusses how racism has affected his life, has derided "woke corporations" and "woke prosecutors" as negative forces in American life.

Trump has announced his campaign for the 2024 Republican nomination, and DeSantis is seen as likely to be his leading challenger, although he hasn't formally announced his candidacy. Scott has also indicated he is considering a presidential bid.

Republicans, by 60%-14%, say being described as "woke" would be an insult, not a compliment. Independents  by 42%-32%  agree. Democrats, by 46%-25%, say it would be a compliment.

Across party lines, about 1 in 4 say they don't know enough about what the term means to judge whether it is a compliment or a slur.

The USA TODAY/Ipsos poll of 1,023 adults was taken Friday through Sunday using KnowledgePanel, Ipsos' online probability-based panel. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

'Critical race theory' and the power of words

On issues of race and gender, language matters.

Americans by close to 3-1, 72%-26%, support teaching "the ongoing effects of slavery and racism in the United States" in public schools, a question asked of half the sample. That includes overwhelming numbers of Democrats and independents and close to half of Republicans (46%).

But in response to a different question asked of the other half of the sample, those surveyed oppose by 53%-41% the teaching of "critical race theory," which holds that systemic racism is institutionalized in America to the advantage of white people.

The phrase particularly resonates among Republicans, who by 81%-15%, oppose the teaching of critical race theory in public schools.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks at a town hall campaign event, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2023, in Exeter, New Hampshire.

Americans overwhelmingly oppose, by 76%-21%, efforts by state governments to ban certain books from school classrooms and libraries. Last year the nonprofit group PEN America reported that school districts in 26 states had moved to ban some books, often ones that relate to race or gender identity.

The opposition to state bans crosses party lines, including 86% of Democrats, 78% of independents and 66% of Republicans.

On gender, a wide partisan divide

The partisan divide is gaping on matters involving gender.

Overall, those surveyed overwhelmingly oppose the use of gender-neutral pronouns to describe someone, 61%-36%.

But while almost all Republicans oppose gender-neutral pronouns, 87%-11%, Democrats support them by double-digits, 61%-37%.

The clashing views are similar over whether people should be able to identify as someone other than "man" or "woman" on government documents such as passports and birth certificates. Overall, Americans oppose the idea by 61%-36%.

While 88% of Republicans oppose it, however, 60% of Democrats support it.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A GOP war on 'woke'? Most Americans see term as positive: Ipsos Poll
EXCLUSIVE: The Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in Northern Greece will cancel its closing ceremony Sunday as the country continues to mourn following a fatal train crash that killed at least 57 people, Deadline can reveal.

The winners from the festivals competition strands will be announced virtually on Sunday afternoon through a press release. The competition winners will be photographed with their awards, but there will be no closing ceremony.

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Last week, festival organizers also canceled the opening ceremony following the train crash and said the festival would continue, but all festive events and concerts would be canceled.

In these hours of grief and pain, our thoughts are with the families of the victims, to whom we express our most sincere condolences, the festival said in a statement at the time.

The fatal crash took place in Tempe, north of Athens, and involved a packed commuter train colliding head-on with a freight train at high speed. The commuter train was traveling north from Athens to Thessaloniki.

The collision occurred just before midnight local time. The countrys transportation minister has since resigned, and the stationmaster at the trains last stop, Larissa, has been arrested and faces felony charges. At least 200 survivors were taken by bus to Thessaloniki, about 80 miles north after the crash. Many of the passengers on the train are believed to have been university students.

The deadly crash has sparked widespread protests across Greece over the past week about the governments responsibility for the disaster. Last week, more than 40,000 people marched in central Athens. Thousands also took to the streets in Thessaloniki, Greeces second-biggest city. The protests also coincided with a 24-hour workers strike.

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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has since issued a public apology for the crash and has promised to overhaul the countrys railway network.

As prime minister, I owe everyone, but above all the relatives of the victims, a big sorry, Mitsotakis said in the statement. In the Greece of 2023, it is not possible for two trains to run on opposite sides of the same track without anyone noticing.

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Click here to read the full article.
Jamaicas newest player Rock Mobile is reportedly on track to complete deployment of its 700MHz network by the end of this month.

Comments to this effect were made by Minister of Science, Energy and Technology Daryl Vaz in a Standing Finance Committee meeting of Jamaicas parliament, and reported by local news outlet Irie FM. Rock Mobile was granted additional time to deploy its network due to the pandemic, as well as ongoing complications with its supply chain.

TeleGeography reports that Rock mobile was awarded Jamaicas third mobile licence in May 2021, with the obligation to launch commercial services within a year of receiving the permit and to be fully operational after another year.

In January 2022 Rock tapped Nokia to build out its LTE-based fixed wireless access (FWA) network, but noted that it would not reach 95% population coverage until 2025. However, the operator now claims that its Rock Connect service will launch by mid-to-late 2023. The broadband service is aimed at areas where fibre is inaccessible, and is lining up a B2B offering from early 2024.
Keanu Reeves is thrilled to have a fungicide named after him: 'Thanks, scientist people!'

If you've taken a likin' to Keanu Reeves, there's something you should know about everyone's favorite Hollywood fun guy.

Researchers in Germany recently discovered and named three fungus-killing compounds after the Matrix and John Wick star, and he's thrilled about it. "That's pretty cooland surreal for me," Reeves wrote in a Reddit AMA over the weekend after someone broke the news to him about his namesake fungicides. "Thanks, scientist people! Good luck, and thank you for helping us."

As a Reddit user pointed out, the naturally occurring chemicals are produced by a type of bacteria, and they're so lethal to fungi that they've been deemed "keanumycins."

In addition to thanking the Redditor for the heads-up, Reeves suggested that the scientist people "should've called it John Wick," after his hitman alter ego.

Keanu Reeves

Jon Kopaloff/Getty Keanu Reeves

Like John Wick  who'll next be seen in John Wick: Chapter 4, opening March 24  fungi are having a bit of a moment, mostly thanks to the hit HBO series The Last of Us. But maybe all Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey need are some keanumycins to save the world.

Elsewhere in the AMA, Reeves took time to answer other questions, including which director he'd like to work with (David Fincher), the role he's always wanted to play (Wolverine from X-Men), and his favorite film to work on.

That last one gave him some trouble, if his response is any evidence. "Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!! F---, aaaaaahhhhhhhhh," he wrote. "I've been very fortunate to work on a few films that have changed my life. I can't pick just one. But here are a few- River's Edge, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Matrix trilogy, The Devil's Advocate, A Scanner Darkly, My Own Private Idaho, Point Break, John Wick."

Reeves also revealed that while he has never stolen a prop or costume from a set, there are items he was gifted and kept. Specifically, the watch and wedding ring from John Wick, a sword from 47 Ronin, and the first red pill that the Wachowskis ever gave him while he was making The Matrix.

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Read Reeves' full AMA on Reddit.

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(Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

ComingSoon Senior Editor Spencer Legacy spoke with Kiff star Kimiko Glenn about the upcoming Disney animated series. The actress spoke about playing an energetic character and taking part in huge franchises. Kiff premieres this Friday, March 10, on Disney Channel and Disney XD at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT, and on Disney+ shortly after.

Kiff follows the adventures of best friends Kiff and Barry, an optimistic squirrel and a mellow bunny, says the synopsis.

Spencer Legacy: To start on Kiff, you know, what really drew you to the series when you first read about it?

Kimiko Glenn: Honestly, I loved the script. I thought it was just so funny. Its just so witty and so quick and just I think like me and H. [Michael Croner]  we both infuse our own personalities into it, but also, the script is just funny, like flat-out. So I really love that aspect of it, but also, I was sent a little illustration as well and that always helps to get an idea of what the show is going to feel like and what the character is going to look like and feel like. I just love the world that they created and it brought me back to my childhood and the types of cartoons that I used to watch as a kid. And so anytime I feel that, its a definite plus.

Kiff is a really energetic character. How do you keep that energy up when youre recording lines?

You know  I guess coffee. She is energetic. I dont know, I pull it out of my butt. I think I just have a load of fun doing it. I think the fact that Im passionate about the project and the fact that I know that the scenes are hilarious and I have so much fun just trying to make it as funny as possible  that helps too. When you really believe in a project, it just makes it so much easier to find it within yourself.

You have a theater background and there are a lot of musical numbers in Kiff. What was performing those like?

Super fun! I love doing animation because I get to use my voice in that way. Often if theres a musical aspect, I feel really excited about the project because I do TV, I do film, and as much as I love to do a musical series somehow or movie, its harder to come across  its harder to come by. So this really just tickles that musical part of my brain. Then I get to use that when Im not on stage. So its fun.

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The show is really funny and it, it parodies and homages different things. Did you have a particular episode or joke that really stuck in your mind even after recording as a favorite?

I mean, all of them are so funny. Just the concept of a fifth bath is just  where did they get that from? [Laugh]. Did they experience  I know like its based off of their experiences in South Africa, but was that something they experienced? [Laugh]. Its just so funny and outlandish and yeah, that one obviously stands out to me because thats one of the first ones people are going to see. But there are plenty of others kind of in that vein.

Youve worked a lot with Disney before and you had an especially big role on DuckTales. How different was voicing Kiff from voicing Lena?

Well, you know, Kiff is really pure. Shes really earnest but energetic, you know? She has a strong backbone. Shes like very passionate. Shes so adventurous  shes down for anything. And then with Lena, shes definitely older. She was fighting good versus evil the whole time. She grew up in this darker setting and then became friends with someone who has that purity. And um, so I think there was a constant rub there and a maturity to her that is absolutely different. Also, I dont think I sang on DuckTales.

Youve done a lot of on-camera roles and voice roles. Do you find the two mediums really different to perform in and do you have a preference?

Yeah, theyre definitely different, and its hard to say preference because I think every one of them is an expression of some sort and expresses a certain aspect of myself. One thing that I just really appreciate about voiceover is that it doesnt rely on your looks or your physical appearance or what youre wearing or who youre wearing. Its very based off of what you have to offer and your energy and its very expressive vocally, which is my number one thing. So I find it really enjoyable in that way because you can be so massive with your choices on animation, and with TV or film, it sort of has to be justified in a way. But I think with cartoons and animation, you can justify it with the animation, you know? Theres a lot of justification  its already a wild thing, to be watching a drawn show, so I I love that distinction.

Another huge role of yours is Baby Shark  everybody either has a kid or knows someone with a kid who knows Baby Shark. Was it intimidating to accept such a globally huge role and what has that been like?

I didnt think about it until I had to do press for it and then the enormity of it kind of set in and I was like, Oh yeah, this is like a big thing. Oddly, when I auditioned for it, it was the most natural fit  which is funny since its a baby shark  but theres something about the spirit of Baby Shark that really came natural to me and was not at all a stretch and I didnt play around with too much crazy voices or anything. I just sort of felt like it fit my voice. It was an interesting process.

Another series that you had a role in was Star Wars: Visions, which was such a nice celebration of the franchise and its themes. It had people like Neil Patrick Harris, Simu Liu, David Harbour, and James Hong. What was it like to be such a part of such a huge project with so many icons?

It was pretty wild. What was really cool about that process was being able to see  because I was the American dub, so being able to see what it was. For me, as a kid growing up watching Japanese animation, I would always prefer the Japanese animation over the American dub because it had an expression. There was something about the way Japanese people speak  their tonality, the culture of animation somehow. Its so different than how we, as Americans, express ourselves. So I wanted to do right by it. I wanted to do it justice and obviously, its such a wildly big franchise. Its always just a total honor to be doing and they were all so welcoming. It was such a great experience.

Another big role is Peni Parker in the first Spider-Verse. What was it like to voice a Spider-Person?

Its so funny. When I auditioned, theyre lock and key about everything. Marvel doesnt provide you with much information until youre doing it. Even when I was doing it, I never read a script. But I didnt totally know what the character was when I auditioned. So I had some dummy sides, I read it, and then on my first day, they showed me like the animatic sequences and some of the illustrations and their concepts for Peni Parker. It really brought the entire vision to light. I had so much fun with them because it was like flying by the seat of your pants. I didnt have any script to go off of. I would just show up and they would give me some pages and they would play. The end product was just insanely cool.

One thing about Spider-Verse is there are so many Spider-People in it. Peni is only on screen for probably five minutes total, but there are cosplays, theres merchandise, theres all these huge fans. What has that meant to you to see that despite the shorter appearance?

I think its wonderful. Spider-Mans one of my favorite action heroes of all time. Of any of those big superhero movies, thats the franchise I look at. So I feel like really cool to say Ive been a part of it and also, I cant believe that anyone even noticed that I was in it, you know? [Laugh]. Anytime Im in anything, theres a bit of an imposter complex or syndrome or whatever where Im like, Oh, you even noticed me? I cant believe you noticed me. So Im just so thrilled that I got to be. I cant even believe my life sometimes.

Close Enough is such a fun series, and you played Bridgette in it. What was it like to be part of a J.G. Quintel cartoon?

It was so freaking fun. I love Bridgette so much. She was just the funniest character to me. J.G. Is great. That whole creative team is just so smart. Seeing the show actually come out  we actually worked for years prior to it coming out. I mean, animation is slow typically, but I think we were working on it for maybe four years or something wild prior to it. It switched a few networks or something. So Danielle Brooks and I also got to work together a little bit on that as well because she played a part on that too. That was really fun. The whole experience was  I was so proud of it.

The post Kiff Interview: Kimiko Glenn on Singing & Being a Part of the Spider-Verse appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Mon dieuin the Michelin Guides 2023 edition for France, two three-star restaurants have been downgraded.

Both Pariss Restaurant Guy Savoy and La Rochelles Christopher Coutanceau are now just Michelin two-star spots, Eater noted after this years stars were announced Monday night. Notably, Guy Savoy had held on to its three stars for two decades, first receiving them in 2002. In total, 25 restaurants were demoted this year.

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As weve previously written, the Michelin Guide has become more transparent in its decision-making process, telling chefs ahead of time when theyre about the lose a star. Gwendal Poullennec, the guides international director, even told the chefs Savoy and Coutanceau himself. We are fully aware of the impact of our decisions for the restaurants concerned, a spokesperson told The Washington Post, which first reported the news.

While those chefs who lost a star may be licking their wounds today, several others are celebrating: Across the list, 44 restaurants were promoted, either earning their first star or gaining additional ones. Most prominently, Noirmoutiers La Marine is the only new Michelin three-star restaurant. The inspectors complimented chef Alexandre Couillons ocean-focused cuisine, which spotlights seafood and edible coastal plants. In particular, they called out his braised artisanally-fished mackerel, beetroot and parsley foam and the crispy buckwheat dessert, caramel mousse, candied citrus fruit and sea lettuce sorbet.

Elsewhere, four restaurants were awarded a second Michelin star, while 39 won their first star, contributing to the 630 Michelin-starred restaurants in the guides home country. Most of those new additions are located outside the Paris metro area, demonstrating just how vast the world of French fine dining is.

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The 2023 selection confirms that excellence, creativity and commitment abound in the world of French gastronomy, Poullennec said in a statement. They are borne up by talentsoften young talentswho take initiatives and reveal their potential, and each restaurant fully reflects the terroir in which it is established. The chefs at their helm provide distinctive culinary experiences and foster economic, human and cultural connections.

That seems like reason enough to add a few extra pit stops to your next French vacation.

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Correction: This story has been updated to correct the local organizations that support a hotel-motel tax increase.

For Savannah and the efforts to increase the hotel-motel tax, the fourth time is likely going to be the charm.

Georgia House Rep. Edna Jackson (D-Savannah) says she will sponsor a local bill that will increase the current hotel/motel tax from 6% to 8%. She expects it pass this session, which will conclude in April.

The legislation hasn't been finalized or signed yet, but Jackson says she's confident it will be approved. The measure will be a local bill, meaning only members of the Chatham County legislative delegation need to approve it, not the entire Georgia General Assembly.

Local bills typically come up for consideration after Crossover Day, the last day for legislation to be approved by one chamber and still receive consideration - cross over - in the other. Crossover Day was Monday, March 6.

Tourism development product?Here's a look at the improvements the increased hotel-motel tax would fund

The River Street EAST development will add three new hotels, a parking garage, pedestrian bridge and public plaza on the undeveloped site at River Street's eastern end.

How much money does the City of Savannah get?

The hotel-motel tax is distributed to the city government, the Savannah Convention Center, the Savannah Civic Center and Visit Savannah, the area's marketing arm. The current 6% rate generated $34.6 million in 2022, according to a city report on the fee. The same report anticipated an 8% hotel/motel tax would have generated $46.2 million the same year.

But the division of revenue would also change with the 2% bump.

A new hotel-motel tax agreement would likely include changes to the distribution formula. Under the current structure, half of the taxes go to the cities, a third goes to Visit Savannah and the remaining 16.7% is directed to the Savannah Convention Center and the Savannah Civic Center.

But a resolution crafted by Savannah City Council in February 2021 refined how revenues generated by an expanded hotel-motel tax would be spent. The new formula calls for 37.5% going to the City of Savannah's general fund, 33.8% to Visit Savannah and 14% to the Savannah Convention Center. The remaining 14.7% would go toward tourism product development, a project list put together by local governments using state guidelines.

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Savannah's projects include the redevelopment of the River Street waterfront; expansion of the Tide to Town urban trail network; renovation of the Historic Waterworks building near the Enmarket Arena; trails, sidewalks and other connections between the Historic District, westside neighborhoods and the new arena; museum development; a new water-access facility on Savannah's southside; wayfinding signage; and West Bay Street gateway enhancements.

Slated to open on July 15, The Pavilions at Plant Riverside District will include four new food and beverage options and a riverfront area equipped with Bellagio-style fountain shows timed with music and lights as well as a kid-friendly dig area. The hotel portion of the District is expected to open July 29.

How do hotel owners feel about the tax increase?

The breakthrough in the hotel-motel tax saga, at least according to Georgia House Rep. and Chatham Delegation Chairman Ron Stephens (R-Savannah), was support for the increase from hoteliers. Last year, he said he wouldnt support the bill until hotel leadership was on board.

This year, with support from the Tourism Leadership Council and the hotel leaders they represent, Stephens is in full support, noting the measure might even pass unanimously.

For hotel owners, the incentive for taxing themselves at a higher rate is that money raised from the tax will be used to improve tourist destinations. Visitors dont come to Savannah for the citys hotels; they come for Savannah itself, Stephens noted.

Most of the buzz around the potential uses for the tax revenue points towards one of Savannah's most popular tourist destinations: River Street.

They're going to use that money to revitalize River Street by and large. And all of these massive investments like the Kessler Group (Plant Riverside), for example, everyone down there needs River Street to be fixed appropriately, and they're going to use some of this money. So the hoteliers are by and large for this, Stephens said. They get the infrastructure fixed to get the visitors down to their hotels.

The bill's sponsor, Jackson, said many travelers are drawn to the city for Savannah's historical value, and since River Street has such a strong pull in that area, it needs to be pristine.

If our River Street is in disarray, when you look at it, and you look at other areas where [visitors] are going  you want to have something that is representative of a city that is as old as ours, Jackson said.

A rendering of the AC Hotel planned for 600 River Street, which is the former site of the Savannah Electric Power Company and Novelty Iron Works of Rourke and Sons in the 19th Century.

After years, resolution

The road to the increase has been long, stymied by COVID-19, council division and lack of support from leadership in Savannahs hotel industry.

In February 2021, Savannah City Council Savannah City Council adopted a resolution to bump the levy from 6% to 8%. The measure went to the Georgia General Assembly for consideration and approval, but ultimately the efforts petered out due to lack of support from hoteliers.

In 2021, Savannah City Council adopted a resolution by a 6-3 vote for the increase, but ultimately legislators didn't see enough support from hoteliers, according to Stephens. In June 2020 council voted 8-1 to send the resolution to lawmakers but the Legislature failed to take up the measure after the session was suspended at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently more than 90 cities and counties in Georgia, including Atlanta, Vidalia, Dahlonega, Dublin and Macon-Bibb County, have an 8% hotel-motel tax. Just down the road, Tybee Island falls in the middle at a 7% hotel/motel tax. In 2021, Thunderbolt also passed a hotel-motel tax.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia lawmakers craft legislation increase Savannah hotel tax rate
Michael B. Jordan thinks Drake, not Jay-Z, is greatest rapper of all time

Michael B. Jordan, Drake. Getty/Jeff Spicer; Getty/Karwai Tang

Michael B. Jordan thinks Drake is greatest rapper of all time.

"Fight me," he told Complex.

Billboard recently ranked Jay-Z at No. 1 on its 50 greatest rappers of all time list.

Michael B. Jordan has shared his take on who he thinks is the greatest rapper of all time.

"Drake, fight me," Jordan told Complex during an episode of "GOAT Talk" on Tuesday.

Jordan was being interviewed alongside his "Creed III" costar Jonathan Majors, who was less than impressed with his answer.

"You said Drake?" Majors, who named Jay-Z as his rap GOAT, replied while laughing.

"Jay-Z, Drake, it's hard. Consistently for how long, across genres," added Jordan. "To have a rapper rap about things that I've been through, situations that I can relate to, the most, literally like, 'Oh I've thought that, I've been through that.'

"How it relates consistently, I gotta go there."

Jay-Z was recently named No. 1 on Billboard's 50 greatest rappers of all time list. Drake was ranked No. 8, just behind Lil Wayne and The Notorious B.I.G.

Wayne was one of a number of rappers who weren't happy with their placement on Billboard's list.

"Man, who the hell is before me? Was the list including all hip-hop, like before and after as well?" the "A Milli" rapper asked Zane Lowe during an interview on Lowe's Apple Music radio show last week.

Lowe explained to Wayne that Jay, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, 2Pac, Eminem, and Biggie had all been ranked ahead of him.

"I will tell you that I am a motherfucking one," replied the 40-year-old star. "Everybody whose names you named, they also know I'm number one. Go ask 'em. They know what it is."

Ice Cube, who was ranked 18th, also wasn't a fan of Billboard's list.

"I don't fuck with Billboard or the editor," the former N.W.A rapper told TMZ. "Billboard ain't hip-hop so their opinion don't matter. So who gives a fuck?"

"It's an irrelevant list," he added. "It's like assholes: everybody got one and they all stink."

Read the original article on Insider
Nakhane | Supplied

Nakhane has endured much trauma in life, as chronicled on 2018s sombre and stunning album You Will Not Die. Now, the South African pop trailblazer is exploring pleasure on their dance follow-up, Bastard Jargon.

Nakhane Mahlakahlaka, who identifies as non-binary, was raised by their aunt in a devout Christian home in Gqeberha on the Eastern Cape of South Africa. As a teenager, they moved to Johannesburg, where they were outed to their family and subjected to conversion therapy, causing them to leave the church in 2013.

Having spent some time on the Johannesburg folk circuit, Nakhane released their defiant debut album, Brave Confusion, in mid-2013. They also published a novel, Piggy Boys Blues, and ventured into acting. I got lured into it, they told Music Feeds. They appeared in the 2017 film Inxeba (The Wound) about a young gay Xhosa man  a quite intensive experience. It caused a furore in conservative South Africa, prompting Nakhane to head to the UK.

Nakhane  New Brighton (ft. ANOHNI)

It was here that they connected with British producer Ben Christophers for You Will Not Die. They duetted with ANOHNI and they were even courted by Madonna. But, after extensive touring, Nakhane questioned the creative process: I think, for a long time, white men have made it seem like, Its a thing that should be suffered!'

Now, Nakhane is seeking pleasure in dance music. Inspired by Kwaito and the rhythmic connection between techno and jazz, they released the EP, Leading Lines, in December 2022, and their third full-length album, Bastard Jargon, is due this month.

Described as a sexy sex album, they enlisted Chics Nile Rodgers  whos worked with David Bowie, Madonna, Sister Sledge and INXS  as executive producer. Others credited on the record include the cult UK electronic musician Matthew Herbert, Massive Attacks 3D, Raphael Saadiq and South African rapper (and Beyonce associate) Moonchild Sanelly.

Ahead of their Australian tour this month, Music Feeds spoke to Nakhane over Zoom from their new London pad  the musician theatrical, comical and digressive at 10pm: I just came out of the bath, they said.

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Nakhane  Do You Well (ft. Perfume Genius)

Music Feeds: Your last album, You Will Not Die, received an incredible response. How do you feel about that album now, especially since youre moving into the next era?

Nakhane: Well, whenever I listen to it, which is rare, I listen to it when I have to relearn the songs to play them because Ive forgotten the words. But, when I listen to it, Im still very proud of it. I mean, Im always having [thoughts like], Ah, I shouldnt have done that, thats kind of iffy, but thats with everything you do. Thats why you make the next thing, right? But Im still very proud of it.

I think its a very brave album. I can feel myself letting loose, you know? Not as much as I thought I was. I was still kind of conservative. But I can feel the leap from the first album, Brave Confusion, to the next one. I can sort of feel my form taking place, so to speak. I think thats where I was like, Okay, all right, so this is who I am.

MF: Youve described Bastard Jargon as an existential sex album. What can you say about this new music and where youre at as a person?

Nakhane: I dont know about anyone else, but I know that for me, mostly you create a reaction to the last thing. You Will Not Die was such [a raw album]  I mean, all my lyrics are emotional on some level, even if theyre not about me, but the music was also like a weeping, operatic, baroque thing  and I think for a number of reasons.

One, because it was about excavating the feelings from my childhood; my formative years. And that was how my life was so informed by classical music, and I wanted to honour that and I wanted to honour my mum and her sisters and the music that they loved and the music that they created, which was choral music. So thats why the albums so grand.

And so, for this one, of course, me being me, I had to sort of pivot, pull it back and just be about that moment in London when I arrived  which was all about pleasure. I lived quite close to this famous gay bar called Dalston Superstore and I used to go there a lot, but I used to go there during the week, which is when they played the best music. The weekend was fucking atrocious! But Tuesdays and Thursdays, they played amazing disco. And I was there with my phone, Shazamming.

Ive always promised myself that Id make a dance album, and I guess this is the one. I was like, Okay, fuck, man, you have to commit  you have to commit and actually do this thing. Otherwise, itll never happen, itll never be the right time.

Nakhane  Tell Me Your Politik (ft. Moonchild Sanelly & Nile Rodgers)

MF: How did you find working with Nile Rodgers? I hear that hes such a joyful person.

Nakhane: True. Nile loves life. [Hes] the best uncle who knows everyone that you love and admire and is so giving, but also serves the music. A lot of people say they serve the music, but actually, they serve themselves. But Nile, I think maybe he has lived so much that he actually does serve the music. And he kept on saying that to me  hes like, Im here to serve the music. I was like, Yeah, right. Ive heard this story and Ive seen this spiel before. But he actually does.

I remember when he finally said, Yeah, okay, Ill do this. I was still living in Brixton at the time and I was going for a walk when he called me. I think it was the first phone call we had. I was like, Oh God, should I ignore it and text him and say Im busy? But I was like, Fuck, get over yourself. So I said Yes and we talked for two-and-a-half hours.

MF: Youve got a common acquaintance in Madonna. Shes a big fan of yours. What did that mean to you? Is it validating? Does it prove your cultural impact?

Nakhane: Yes! Hmm Yes, I guess. Well, the truth is I dont actually think about it that much because its dangerous to think about that stuff too much, cause you start to have this idea about yourself. Or maybe Im just too wrapped up in my own fucking little world. Like, Im too in this room. Thats my problem and thats my blessing; Im too in this room.

But I love music, and shes made incredible music. Shes changed the culture of pop music. Initially, I didnt think it was her. She followed me on Instagram and I was like, its not her, come on. How would she know who I am, right? Then it was her. She was lovely.

MF: What can we look forward to on this tour?

Nakhane: A fucking party. Thats what I want this album for. I wanted to do a party. I wanted people to feel good. I wanted people to dance. I wanted people to flirt. And I wanted people to maybe fall in love with a stranger for like an hour, cause I believe in that, you know? I believe in that moment when you meet someone, somewhere and youre making out and its like the biggest moment of your life for that hour, but then you move on and you never see each other again. I wanted that.

Bastard Jargon is out Friday, 31st March.

Nakhane Australian Tour 2023

Friday, 10th  Monday, 13th March  WOMADelaide, Adelaide SA  Tickets

Wednesday, 15th March  Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne VIC  Tickets

Further Reading

Kimbra: If You Try To Annihilate Parts Of Yourself, They Just Get Stronger

Ms. Lauryn Hill to Headline the 2023 Promiseland Festival

The Best Australian Albums of 2022

The post Nakhane: Ive Always Promised Myself That Id Make a Dance Album appeared first on Music Feeds.
EXCLUSIVE: Pat Sharp, the British presenter known for his work on Top of the Pops and Fun House, has said he is truly sorry after making a lewd remark to a woman while hosting an events industry awards show.

The 61-year-old broadcaster, who shot to fame in the 1980s, was compering the Conference News Agency Awards last Friday when he made a joke that shocked a room of around 400 people, according to several sources.

More from Deadline

The incident has coincided with Greatest Hits Radio announcing today that Sharp is leaving the Bauer Media Group station to explore other opportunities. It is understood that Bauer made a decision some time ago not to renew Sharps contract, which expires at the end of March. However, having been made aware of the incident, Bauer said Sharp will not return to the station with immediate effect.

People in attendance at the Conference News Agency Awards said Sharp handed a female guest a T-shirt adorned with an image of his face. The picture was a throwback to his famous 1980s mullet and, according to one guest, featured the phrase: Looking Sharp since 1982.

The woman, who is in her 30s, later joined Sharp onstage wearing the T-shirt, when he is said to have made a comment about his image being on her chest.

There is more than one recollection of the precise words Sharp used, but a representative for the presenter said he told the woman: Thats the only way Im going to get on your t*ts. The representative said it was intended as a double entendre for get on your nerves.

The woman concerned was visibly upset by the remark, witnesses said. She removed the T-shirt and left the room in tears. Sharps joke was criticized onstage by at least one other woman, who was presenting an award on the night.

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For the day and age we live in, it was completely unacceptable, said one guest who was in the room during the incident. It was inappropriate and disgusting  it was the talk of the evening and completely ruined the atmosphere.

Sharps representative said that the presenter apologized to the audience for the joke, though this was disputed by two attendees, who did not recall him saying sorry. Sharp has since apologized to the individual concerned.

He said: Last Friday, I made a joke on stage which was not well received. I upset one individual in particular and for that I am truly sorry. I apologised at the event to anyone who was offended and I have apologised to the individual personally too.

Deadline is not naming the woman, though she has published a statement about her experience on LinkedIn. Without identifying Sharp or being specific about the incident, she said she felt humiliated by the presenter. I was belittled, sexualised and objectified in front of hundreds of people I respect, she wrote. It is understood that she has not accepted Sharps apology.

Mash Media, the company that organized the Conference News Agency Awards, released a statement over the weekend describing it as an appalling incident. It did not name Sharp, but said it had contacted his team to voice its disgust.

The company said it received complaints from guests, who said Sharp should have been removed as a speaker at the event. Looking back, we accept we did not take appropriate action at the time and will be putting safeguards in place to ensure we do better in future, it said.

In a statement to Deadline, Mash Media added: Conference News disavows the statement made by Pat Sharp, it was unscripted and does not represent the ideals that we want to promote as a business. Were doing our part to support the affected delegate in the aftermath and have requested both a public and private apology from Sharp.

Greatest Hits Radio

Greatest Hits Radio said Wednesday that Sharp was leaving his weekend show and will effectively be replaced by Mark Goodier from April 8. Sharp has presented for Greatest Hits since 2019.

Pat Sharp presenting Fun House

Gary Stein, group program director of Hits Radio, said: We will be saying goodbye to Pat Sharp who is leaving us to explore other opportunities and we wish him well.

A Bauer spokesperson added: Due to the introduction of new weekend programming, a decision had already been made not to renew Pats contract which comes to an end later this month. However with this issue now having been brought to our attention, we have agreed with Pat that he will not return to the station with immediate effect.

Sharp has presented radio shows since the start of his career, but is perhaps best known for hosting Fun House, the anarchic ITV kids show that was based on the Fox show of the same name. He also hosted the BBCs iconic chart show Top of the Pops.

He has regularly been booked as a guest for major primetime shows, appearing on BBC1s Michael McIntyres The Wheel in 2021. He finished 10th in the 2011 season of ITVs Im a CelebrityGet Me Out of Here!

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Pennsylvania State Police are asking for assistance locating a juvenile missing from Carbon County.

According to a release from PSP Troop N, officers from the Lehighton barracks are investigating a missing 15-year-old by the name of Alexis Gibb. Gibb was last seen entering an unidentified vehicle around 4 p.m. on Monday, March 6 in Palmerton Borough.

Pennsylvania State Police are asking for assistance locating 15-year-old Alexis Gibb, last seen entering an unknown vehicle in Carbon County on Monday.

Gibb was last seen wearing a black Nike jacket, a black shirt, gray sweatpants, and carrying a blue Palmerton Area backpack.

Gibb is described as 5-foot 6 inches tall, 85 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information concerning her whereabouts is encouraged to call 911 immediately.

'Don't wait':Here's how to file a missing persons report in the Poconos, northeast PA

Learn moreK-9 searches, Amber Alerts: How police handle missing person cases in the Pocono Mountains

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: State police ask for help locating missing Poconos girl
With Frogmore Cottage out of the picture now for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the couple is reportedly eyeing their next real estate move. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex might buy a place in another country, and it just might satisfy even their toughest critics.

A Sussex insider revealed that Harry and Meghan want a place where they can escape from it all  in total privacy  like a private island. The situation is rapidly becoming uncomfortable to the point of untenable, a source told Heat (via the Mirror). There are talks of keeping base in LA and heading somewhere new like Canada, South Africa or one of the other countries where they have more popularity and public sympathy.

More from SheKnows

The lip-gloss moment was the first sign that Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle weren't going to be close in-laws. https://t.co/IbCyt6FoH0  SheKnows (@SheKnows) March 8, 2023

If the Sussexes make this big move, they wouldnt be the only public figures to own an island that affords them the utmost privacy. Beyonce and Jay-Z, George and Amal Clooney, and Julia Roberts are just some of the A-listers who count private islands as a part of their real estate portfolio. It would also fit into Harry and Meghans long-term vision of global success. The insider added, Harry loved the idea of living in a natural and eco-friendly environment- hes pushing hard to go down the private island route.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex has often been criticized for exiting their senior roles within the royal family and asking for privacy (it seems like security is really what they need). However, their global press secretary, Ashley Hansen, debunked this rumor during the avalanche of press for their Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan. Their statement announcing their decision to step back mentions nothing of privacy and reiterates their desire to continue their roles and public duties, she told The New York Times last year. Any suggestion otherwise speaks to a key point of this series.

Story continues

Click here to read the full article.

Before you go, click here to see more of Meghan Markle & Prince Harrys milestones since leaving the royal family.

Launch Gallery: Every Single Time the Royal Family Has Subtly Shaded Meghan Markle & Prince Harry After Leaving the Firm

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queen rania of jordan, Princess Iman of jordan

queen rania of jordan/instagram; RABIH MOGHRABI/AFP via Getty

The countdown is on to Princess Iman of Jordan's royal wedding!

On Tuesday, the 26-year-old royal was celebrated at a henna party ahead of her wedding this weekend. The eldest daughter of Queen Rania and King Abdullah II is set to wed Jameel Alexander Thermiotis on Sunday, and the royal stylishly recycled the belt her mom wore when she got married in 1993.

"So much love in one room! With friends and family at Iman's Henna party yesterday," proud mom Rania, 52, captioned an Instagram carousel. Giving a glimpse into the festivities, the photos showed Iman and Rania sharing a hug, inhaling incense and smiling with loved ones.

Rajwa Al-Saif, who is engaged to Queen Rania and King Abdullah's eldest son Crown Prince Hussein, was also photographed walking into the party with her future mother-in-law. The couple's wedding date is set for June 1.

queen rania of jordan, Princess Iman of Jordan

queen rania of jordan/instagram

RELATED: Princess Iman Wears Her First Tiara (from Mom Queen Rania!) Before Her Royal Wedding Next Week

The Arab Weekly reports that the pre-wedding henna party tradition has evolved in Jordan in recent years. What used to be a "sad occasion as the bride prepared to leave her family home" has been reimagined as a shower-like festivity, Jordanian henna artist Naqa' Gharaibeh told the outlet.

Already embracing bridal white, Princess Iman wore a delicately embellished long-sleeve white gown by Jordanian designer Reema Dahbour, cinched with the beaded belt Queen Rania wore on her own wedding day. Rania Al-Yassin and then-Prince Abdullah tied the knot on June 10, 1993, and will celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary this year.

Soon before the henna celebration, the Queen of Jordan posted a photo of herself buckling the belt, captioning the snap: "Finishing touches."

The royal accessory isn't the only one Princess Iman has recently borrowed from her mom's closet. Over the weekend, Queen Rania posted a video montage honoring Iman and revealing her March 12 wedding date, which closed with a photo of the princess wearing her first tiara! Iman was all smiles in Rania's triangular Diamond Tiara  perhaps foreshadowing her bridal style.

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Iman's henna party dress was reminiscent of the one she wore for her official engagement portrait that accompanied the announcement she was getting married.

"The Royal Hashemite Court is pleased to announce the engagement of Her Royal Highness Princess Iman bint Abdullah II to Mr. Jameel Alexander Thermiotis, on Tuesday, 5 July 2022," wrote the Court, "in the presence of Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah, as well as Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, Prince Hashem bin Abdullah II, and Princess Salma bint Abdullah II, in addition to members of Mr. Thermiotis' family."

RELATED: Queen Rania of Jordan's Daughter Princess Iman Is Engaged  See Her Dazzling Ring!

Princess Iman; Queen Rania

Queen Rania Al Abdullah Instagram; Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty Images Princess Iman; Queen Rania

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"The Royal Hashemite Court extends its sincere congratulations to Her Royal Highness Princess Iman and Mr. Thermiotis on this occasion and wishes them a lifetime of happiness," the announcement continued.

Princess Iman bint Abdullah II and Mr. Jameel Alexander Thermiotis engaged in Amman, on July 05, 2022, in the presence of King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah, Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, Prince Hashem bin Abdullah II, and Princess Salma bint Abdullah II

Royal Hashemite Court/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images

It remains unclear how the couple met and how long they had been together before getting engaged.

Thermiotis was born in Venezuela in 1994 and works in finance in New York, The National reported. Princess Iman studied at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., following in the footsteps of her older brother.
Top Gun: Maverick

A non-government-affiliated organization called Ukrainian World Congress that represents various Ukrainian communities around the world is asking the Motion Picture Academy not to support Top Gun: Maverick during Sundays Academy Awards, but it has nothing to do with, say, the apparent glorification of war or any other arguments you could make about the content of the film. Its actually because production company New Republic Pictureswhich made a deal with Paramount during the pandemic to fund a big chunk of 10 movies, including Maverick and the new Mission: Impossible movieshas allegedly been quietly controlled by a Russian oligarch named Dmitry Rybolovlev.

That information came out a few months ago when Rybolovlev was sued by Bradley Fischer, New Republics now-former president, who claims he was terminated without cause after Rybolovlev pulled his money out of the company when Russia invaded Ukraine and governments around the world started imposing sanctions on Russian oligarchs. Thats not really relevant here, but what matters is that Rybolovlev has allegedly been a silent partner in New Republic this whole time, meaning Top Gun: Maverick may have been partially funded with Russian oligarch money.

Read more

The Los Angeles Times now says that the Ukrainian World Congress is speaking out about its serious concerns over Russias influence on the Hollywood film industry, specifically the nomination of Top Gun: Maverick for six prizes at the 95th Academy Awards. The UWC argues that, since nobody knew Rybolovlev was apparently involved, it may have led to censorship on behalf of the Kremlin. The organization even has an interesting argument for that: Unlike the original film, Top Gun: Maverick makes no direct or indirect reference to Russia. This is hardly a coincidence. Maverick, of course, notably does not name its enemy combatants at all.

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It seems unlikely that anything will come of this, since the Oscars are only a couple of days away, but also Rybolovlev was not included on the list of Russian oligarchs sanctioned by the U.S. government (though he was included on a similar list by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky), and it seems a little weird for the Motion Picture Academywhich allowed a slap to happen last year, gasp!to operate on different standards than the federal government.

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Click here to read the full article.
Michael and Ann Winger have both earned the Re/Max Hall of Fame award for outstanding performance.

Michael and Ann Winger have joined Re/Max Platinum Realty in the downtown Sarasota office. Both have two decades of local real estate experience, specializing in luxury and waterfront homes, second homes and investment properties.

Michael Winger, a broker-associate, has earned designation as a Certified Distressed Property Expert, and Short Sales and Foreclosure Resource and e-PRO certifications.

His performance and customer service have earned him the Re/Max Hall of Fame award and the Five Star Real Estate Agent Award for nine of the past 10 years.

He has a background as a mortgage broker and salesman, including technological sales for IBM, Arrow Electronics and Seiko Epson. He also owned a computer hardware and software business in Burlington, Vermont.

Winger has a bachelors from Union College in Schenectady, New York.

Ann Winger holds the Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist designation and Transnational Referral Certification. She is also a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame for outstanding performance.

A home staging specialist, Ann has a background in office administration and sales.

A native of Dublin, Ireland, she attended Dominican College in Dublin and Katherine Gibbs Business College in Boston.

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EXIT Realty affiliated offices have added the following individuals to their teams of real estate professionals.Alicia Harris, Dianna Koukoutchos, Lin Lim and Madeleine November have joined EXIT King Realty at 8728 E. State Road 70, Bradenton.Kris Claywell has joined EXIT King Realty, at 3900 Clark Road, Unit H3-H4, Sarasota.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: New Re/Max agents have two decades each of experience
Mr. Big | Credit: Official Website

Mr. Big, the LA rock band responsible for the acoustic love ballad To Be With You, are hanging up their guitars after one final lap around the globe.

Theyve just announced their final world tour, with a bunch of international dates locked in for 2023 in Japan, Korea, China, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. No Australian dates have been announced at this time.

We are announcing our world tour, The Big Finish

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

We are announcing our world tour, The Big Finish ???

The Asian tour will kick off in Japan on July 20th 2023, with shows in South America, Europe, U.K, and the U.S starting in the new year! pic.twitter.com/f8CGRhRU0F  Mr. Big (@mrbigmusic) March 6, 2023

The band has promised The Big Finish tour will also travel to South America, Europe, UK and the US in 2024, but theres been no mention of Australia.

If we were in the movie business, wed just put it all up in lights and say, Welcome to The BIG Finish,' lead vocalist Eric Martin said in a statement, shared by Consequence Of Sound. Seriously, Im glad were getting a chance to do it all onstage together as Mr. Big again and raise a flag to everything weve done as a band over the years.

The veteran rock supergroup formed in 1988 and features Martin on vocals, Billy Sheehan (Steve Vai, David Lee Roth) on bass and Paul Gilbert on guitar. The 1991 single To Be With You, from their second album, Lean Into It, went to number one in Australia and the US.

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To Be With You was the fourth highest selling single in Australia in 1992, behind Boyz II Mens End of the Road (#3), Guns N Roses November Rain (#2) and Billy Ray Cyrus Achy Breaky Heart (#1).

Mr. Big have just announced a new drummer in the form of Nick DVirgilio of Spocks Beard, wholl be joining them for the tour. Hes filling the place of the late Pat Torpey, who died in 2018 after a battle with Parkinsons disease.

We found a wonderful drummer in Nick, and hes got a great voice too, Sheehan said of DVirgilio. Nick has a vocal range similar to Pats, and hell be able to do the parts Pat did with a similar finesse. Its a big relief because Mr. Big has always been heavy on the harmonies.

You can find more info about the tour here and well keep you posted with any updates.

Further Reading

Extreme & Mr. Big Announce 2018 Australian Tour

Tommy Lee Posts Full Blown Dick Pic On Insta, Sends Internet Into Meltdown

Guns N Roses Axl Rose Wont Throw Microphone Into Crowd Anymore After Injuring Adelaide Fan

The post To Be With You Rockers Mr. Big Announce International Farewell Tour appeared first on Music Feeds.
Photo Illustrations by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Courtesy of Lenox Hill Hospital

Svitlana Zinko never imagined that a simple fumble down the stairs would eventually land her in a New York City hospital bed 5,000 miles away from her home in Ukrainewith her life in the hands of a Russian surgeon.

The 53-year-old schoolteacher was at home with her husband and two cats in Ivano-Frankivsk, a western Ukrainian town near Lviv, when an air raid siren started blasting around midnight. In a rush to get to the basement shelter, she tripped down the stairs and broke her claviclean injury that would ultimately lead a painful, life-threatening infection to spread through her body.

We both were shocked, Svitlana told The Daily Beast in an interview through a translator, recalling that night on June 17. My husband called an ambulance, but they told us that this fracture is not important because they have many other calls. We were waiting until 6 a.m. to be taken to the hospital.

When she finally reached the hospital, Ukrainian doctors scheduled Svitlana for a surgery that included implanting a plate to stabilize her collarbone. It wasnt long after the operation when Svitlana realized something was seriously wrong: the site of the incision began oozing out puss, and she developed severe back pain that persisted even after a second surgery was done to remove the plate in her collarbone.

Major Russian Victory Feared as Soldier Delivers Grim Message

After months of mixed diagnoses, MRI tests, and excruciating pain, Zinkos daughter Liliiawho lives in New York Cityfinally succeeded in making arrangements for her parents to be relocated to the U.S., in hopes that her mother could find a solution to her dire medical crisis in an American hospital.

She never wanted to leave Ukraine, Liliia told The Daily Beast, but she decided after the 7th MRI, that if the diagnosis was bad, we need to move now so on Sept. 28, I ordered a ticket for her and my father, and on Oct. 13, they left for the U.S.with the cats too.

Photo Illustrations by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Courtesy of Lenox Hill Hospital

By the time Svitlana reached the office of Dr. Garrett Leonard, an orthopedic surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, the infection from her clavicle surgery had spread to her spine, and she was in terrible shape.

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I saw X-rays that showed significant destruction to one of the bones in her spine we saw the infection was extremely aggressive, Leonard told The Daily Beast. That put her at great risk of paralysis. With an untreated infection too, that could potentially be a cause for death. At any moment, she could have been paralyzed, and at any moment, she could have become septic from her infection.

Just days after her first appointment at Lenox Hill on Dec. 2, Svitlana was scheduled for a two-part surgery led by Leonard, with the goals of clearing as much of the infection in her back as possible, taking pressure off of her spinal cord, and stabilizing her spine. Leonard, however, needed help to access the damaged parts of Svitlanas spine in the safest way possible.

Thats where Russian general surgeon Dr. Sergei Dolgopolov came in.

Dr. Leonard contacted me and asked me for help in a difficult case, said Dolgopolov, who trained in a military hospital in Moscow before moving to the U.S in 1993. Obviously, Im an opponent of the war, and an opponent of this aggression and all that it does to Ukraine. Thats the normal reactionto help contribute a little bit. I felt like at least I could do something.

Dolgopolov became part of a multinational team of doctorsincluding a Ukrainian surgical techwho treated Svitlana.

The Russian surgeon was tasked with creating an incision in between Svitlanas ribs, moving her organs out of the way to provide Leonard with access to Svitlanas spinewhich would require the general surgeon to deflate, and later inflate, one of her lungsall while making sure her organs arent injured in the process. Leonard would then scrape out the infection by removing the damaged tissue and bones, and stabilize the spine with metal reinforcements. Hed then perform a separate, second surgery to further support her spine with a metal rod and screws.

Both surgeries were performed flawlessly, to the gratitude of Svitlana, who has since regained her mobility and is now living her life pain-free thanks to efforts of Leonard and Dolgopolov. I really appreciate all the doctors in New York that helped me, because the situation in Ukraine is still severe and complicated, she said.

Photo Illustrations by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Courtesy of Lenox Hill Hospital

Vicious Cycle

For Dolgopolov, who worked in Moscow during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, the experience of treating Svitlana was a reminder that history goes in circles. He recalled leaving Moscow all those years ago after having to to tell patients to bring their own material, like gauze. You have no idea, thats how bad it was I felt like the country was completely falling apart and that it would never recover or get better.

The surgeon, who still has family in Russia, told The Daily Beast that the invasion of Ukraine made him feel like I didnt know my country, I didnt know my people. That was my feeling after a year of the war especially being raised on this myth of Soviet liberators, unfortunately this myth completely disappears when you hear about all this horrifying acts of raping and murdering civilians.

I hope that this misery stops soon, he added. This is probably the only thing I want, that the war could be stopped and people stop from being killed and dying. Thats the only thing I think of.

For Leonard, however, Svitlanas story offers some glimmer of hope. When I was in the operating room, it struck me how remarkable it was, he said. Theres this terrible war going on between Russia and Ukraine, but in that operating room there are individuals from those countries who are working to cure a life-threatening infection. We had Dr. Dolgopolov, we had a Ukrainian surgical tech there. Im very lucky to work with such individuals at the hospital.

Putins Nightmare Insurrection Could Hang on This One Vegetable

Despite the trauma of the war, Svitlana and her family have nothing but gratitude for the doctors in New York who gave her her life backincluding Dolgopolov, who was always positive and smiling, the schoolteacher said.

She was already trying to look for a dress for her funeral. So were really thankful, Svitlanas son-in-law, Vitali Tryhubenko, told The Daily Beast.

Vitaliwho left Ukraine in the early months of the war, a few days after his wife and daughter fledexplained that a Russian friend of his had actually picked his family up from the airport when they first arrived in the U.S., and even gave them money to get by.

For now, Svitlana is far away from the terrors of war. Shes been enjoying walks in Central Park, visiting historic churches around the city, and spending time with her 5-year-old granddaughter, Alice.

Still, the family has Ukraine in their minds everyday when we wake up. I dont have any friends that arent on the frontlines, Vitali said. Each family has lost something there: a house, a neighbor, a mother. Its been a whole year. Everyone has sacrificed a lot. So in the end, we have to win. Weve already lost so many people. We cant lose.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Ghostface has arrived in New York City for the latest installment in the Scream franchise  and so have the first critical reactions for Scream VI!

The new sequel in the franchise, co-directed again by Scream (2022)'s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and starring Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Courteney Cox and Hayden Panettiere in her return to movies, sees the survivors of the last film's Ghostface murders move to New York City to start a new life together  only for a new masked killer to emerge over Halloween.

Critics have shared their initial reactions to the movie on social media in recent days, with many praising how its filmmakers upped the ante with Ghostface's attacks throughout the movie and overall praise for returning stars Barrera, Ortega and Panettiere.

Scream cast rollout

Paramount Pictures

As of Wednesday morning, Scream VI's Rotten Tomatoes critical score stands at 80% approval from 44 critic ratings.

RELATED: Scream Creator Recalls Phone Call with Hayden Panettiere That Got Her to Return: 'It All Worked Out'

Collider's Perri Nemiroff called the film "another win for the series" in a Twitter thread posted last Friday, writing that the film's Ghostface attacks are "especially vicious" and that Barrera's performance as Sam Carpenter "in particular is a FORCE in this movie."

"She takes everything they set up in 5 and just soars with it," Nemiroff wrote. "What an exceptional balance of heart and ferocity."

Hayden Panettiere (Kirby Reed) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group's "Scream VI."

Philippe Bosse/PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Rotten Tomatoes critic Tessa Smith praised the movie's action and sequences, though she wrote that its twists came across "a TAD predictable."

"Love seeing Hayden Panettiere back.. she's amazing," Smith wrote on Twitter early Wednesday. "Jenna Ortega crushes it, of course. Perfectly meta & FUN! Dang, I love this franchise!"

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.

Daily Dead managing editor Heather Wixson wrote on Twitter last Saturday that the movie is "slashtastic" and praised the overall performance of the series' "Core Four" of Barrera, Ortega, Savoy-Brown and Gooding.

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"Pacing's great, the Core Four rule hard, some truly inventive set pieces & you can just feel Radio Silence's love for horror & this franchise from start to finish," Wixson wrote. "As a 26+ year fan of this franchise, I'm happy. Very happy."

Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers) stars in Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group's "Scream VI."

Philippe Bosse/PARAMOUNT PICTURES Courteney Cox in Scream VI (2023)

RELATED: Skeet Ulrich Says Neve Campbell 'Misses' Being in Scream VI but 'She Loves What We've Done'

Podcast host and Rotten Tomatoes presenter Roxy Striar wrote on Twitter Wednesday that she "can't believe they can still come up with new ways for Ghostface to freak me out."

"Checking under my bed tonight for sure," Striar wrote after seeing the new movie. "Jenna Ortega & Melissa Barrera are magic. Courteney Cox forever."

In a review for IGN, critic Amelia Emberwing wrote that Scream VI is "the best sequel in the franchise," though she noted that the movie "does ultimately fumble" its in-universe reasoning for why the series' lead character Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) does not return.

Scream VI is in theaters March 10.
Start spreading the news: Ghostface is loose in New York City and leaving a bloody trail of bodies, pop-culture riffs and slasher tropes.

Scream VI" moves the buzzy young cast of 2022's fifth chapter from the usual haunts of Woodsboro to the big city. With a pedal to the metal when it comes to nasty kills, VI is an improvement overall on the last installment. However, the new film struggles to mine clever new ground: A great spin on the usual signature opening  the best since Drew Barrymore met the business end of Ghostfaces blade  eventually leads to an underwhelming, familiar finale.

For Jenna Ortega and Co., Stab fans still are kind of the worst

Sam (Melissa Barrera, left) and Tara (Jenna Ortega) move across the country but can't escape Ghostface in "Scream VI."

The popular horror franchise's latest whodunit ( out of four; rated R; in theaters y) catches up with the survivors of the latest Woodsboro massacre less than a year after their ordeal with Ghostface. (In the last film, the "killer" was revealed as a pair of psychopathic fans wanting a redo on a below-average movie-within-the-movie Stab film.)

Sam (Melissa Barrera) and her younger sister Tara (Jenna Ortega) have relocated to New York alongside their friends, twin siblings Chad (Mason Gooding) and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown). Sam stays mostly to herself since corners of the internet blame her as the real villain of the recent slaughter, but she fosters an overprotective streak with Tara, who attends fictional Blackmore University and desperately wants to move on from whats happened.

Former Scream queen Hayden Panettiere reenters the fray

Hayden Panettiere is back in her "Scream 4" role as Kirby Reed, who's now an FBI agent on the hunt for a killer.

Suffice it to say, this is a Scream movie, so the story turns dark quickly. Murder victims begin popping up connected to the youngsters, with aged Ghostface masks being left at the scene, and Sam, Tara and their friends  old and new  are targeted by the villain yet again. Local cop Bailey (Dermot Mulroney) is on the case as is FBI agent Kirby Reed (Hayden Panettiere), a survivor from the 2011 Ghostface killings (see: Scream 4), and their investigation eventually leads to a museum of old artifacts from previous massacres.

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Our heroes get ambushed at a bodega (where Ghostface makes excellent use of a shotgun) and at home, with a harrowing sequence involving neighboring apartment building windows and a ladder that's not for the acrophobic. The meta aspects also return, including cinephile Mindy explaining to her pals how theyre not just in a sequel, theyre in a franchise now, so different rules are at play. (For example, legacy characters are cannon fodder.)

Familiar faces blend with new blood (though sadly, no Neve Campbell)

Original "Scream" star Courteney Cox reprises her role as Gale Weathers in the sixth installment.

Lets be honest, its weird watching a Scream movie without original star Neve Campbell (who turned down a role in a pay dispute). Courteney Coxs punchable newswoman Gale Weathers is back in a supporting role, though Panettiere is the most welcome return, taking over authority-figure duties from David Arquette. (RIP, Dewey Riley!)

The debuting friend group  including Sam and Taras roommate Quinn (Liana Liberato), Chads buddy Ethan (Jack Champion), Mindys girlfriend Anika (Devyn Nekoda) and Sams secret beau Danny (Josh Segarra)  is a mixed bag of victims/suspects with not a lot of personality. And of the assorted cameos it's best not to talk too much about, Samara Weaving is a scene-stealing gem.

But really, 'Scream VI' is all about the returning youngsters

The Core Four  the pet name Chad gives the Woodsboro crew  are all a joy to watch amid the gory carnage and make Campbells noticeable absence a little easier to manage. Ortega was on the cusp of her stardom when the last movie came out, and she gets a lot more to do here.

As Sam, who gets eerie pep talks from her dead serial killing dad Billy Loomis (Skeet Ulrich), Barrera balances sisterly love with a dark unpredictability. Browns Mindy is a snarky wonder with the best lines, while Goodings Chad is a good-hearted take on decades of the jerky movie jock.

Manhattan is an A-plus choice to be slasher central in a 'Scream' flick

Ghostface runs amok in New York City in "Scream VI."

By setting Scream VI in New York City, returning directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (Ready or Not) tap into a realism the franchise has never had before. Constant sirens around our protagonists could mean Ghostface is at large or it's just a normal violent crime, which gives the movie an extra bit of edge to go alongside the impressive brutality. Those positives make the dubious narrative choices and underwhelming final act that much more frustrating.

This Scream is neither king of the hill nor top of the heap, but you cant to be too mad at a picture that makes a cathartic treat out of a plunged knife in the eye.

Read more movie reviews:

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Scream 6' review: Ghostface chases Jenna Ortega, new cast in NYC
An estimated 60 Ukrainian aircraft have been downed since Russia's invasion began a year ago, but Moscow has lost more than 70, the top U.S. Air Force commander in Europe said.

Gen. James Hecker, speaking at the Air and Space Forces Association's Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado, said that Russias larger air force failed to establish air superiority in the early days of the war and that a virtual stalemate now exists in the skies, Air and Space Forces Magazine reports.

Russian, as well as the Ukrainian, success in integrated air and missile defense have made much of those aircraft worthless, Hecker said. "Both of their integrated air and missile defense, especially when youre talking about going against aircraft, theyve been very effective. And thats why theyre not flying over one anothers country.

Russian air defenses are located in Russia, Belarus and parts of occupied Ukraine, he said. That will make it difficult for Ukraine to use air power in a counteroffensive the Ukrainians are planning for spring and summer. Hecker said the U.S. is providing AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles, jerry-rigged to work with the countrys Soviet-designed fighters.

Obviously, theyre not as integrated with the airplane as it would be if theyre on the U.S. aircraft, so they do have limitations, Hecker said. But theyre doing a pretty good job.

'WE WILL FIND THE KILLERS': Outrage over video showing Ukrainian soldier's apparent execution; military wants to defend Bakhmut

Developing:

130 Ukrainian prisoners, most of them with serious injuries, were returned by the Russians, Ukraine presidential spokesman Andriy Yermak said. Russia announced that 90 of its soldiers had been released.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Baszczak said 10 more German-made Leopard 2 tanks will be delivered to Ukraine in the coming days. Four of the first 14 tanks promised by Poland already have been delivered; Poland says it will send 60 more in coming months. More than 300 tanks have been promised to Ukraine from Western allies.

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Drones have been banned in 28 Russian regions since a spate of what appeared to be Ukrainian drone attacks last month across much of the country  including within 60 miles of Moscow.

Fewer than 4,000 civilians remain in the embattled city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Tuesday. The industrial city was home to more than 70,000 before the war.

Ukrainian ambassador says country will 'defend every inch' of its territory

With the Russian military refusing to relent in its assault on Bakhmut, Ukraines ambassador to the United States reiterated Tuesday that the embattled nation is committed to protecting all of its land.

We will defend every inch of our territory because defending our territory and actually liberating it is a priority. Because we need to not only restore the territorial integrity but we need to save lives, Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova told USA TODAY.

Markarova said the Ukrainian military has demonstrated it is very capable and effective, and that while it sometimes makes tactical movements on the ground, the goal is to liberate all of Ukraines citizens from occupied areas.

We are in awe of how our brave defenders are defending everything, we are at awe (of) how the fortress Bakhmut, as we call it, stands for such a long time, she said. We trust our military commanders and the president as our supreme commander in this war.

-- Francesca Chambers

Ukrainian military tentatively identifies soldier shot in grisly video

The unarmed man seen apparently getting shot to death by Russian speakers in an unverified video that has sparked outrage was tentatively identified Tuesday as a missing Ukrainian soldier.

The Ukrainian militarys general staff said his name was Tymofii Shadura but added the identification is based on preliminary information. Shadura had been missing for just over a month, since disappearing during fighting in the Bakhmut area of the eastern Donetsk province, the 30th Mechanized Brigade said on a Facebook post.

Ukrainian officials have denounced the killing as a war crime, and the countrys top prosecutor announced a criminal investigation.

In the unauthenticated 12-second clip, which has been circulating widely on social media, the uniformed soldier is seen standing in a wooded area and smoking a cigarette.

Someone off-camera is heard speaking in Russian. The man then says, Glory to Ukraine and is hit by gunshots, falling into a shallow hole in the ground. A voice then says, Die and an expletive in Russian.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among those expressing indignation over the video, saying Monday, I want us all together, in unity, to respond to (the soldiers) words: 'Glory to the hero! Glory to heroes! Glory to Ukraine!' And we will find the killers.

The Russian military did not immediately reply to questions about the video from The Associated Press.

Russian defense minister: Bakhmut is crucial for control of Donbas

Taking control of Bakhmut  known as Artemovsk in Russia  would allow Russian forces to advance deep inside the Donbas region of Ukraine that President Vladimir Putin covets, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday. Shoigu was explaining why Russia was fighting so long and hard for the relatively small city. Russia has lost thousands of soldiers and extensive military hardware trying to seize Bakhmut but has failed to encircle the city.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday night that his military commanders were unwilling to retreat from the city, adding that he and other top Ukrainian leaders "unanimously supported this position."

Russian protester sentenced to more than 8 years in prison for 'fake news'

A Moscow court sentenced a student activist to 8 years in prison for social media posts criticizing Russia's war in Ukraine as the Kremlin stepped up its crackdown on dissent fueled by the invasion. Dmitry Ivanov, 23, was convicted of spreading false information about the Russian army, a criminal offense under a new law.

Prosecutors described as "fake news" Ivanov's posts accusing the military of murdering Ukrainian civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure. Ivanov also refused to use Putin's term  special military operation  instead of "war."

The case drew added interest because the judge approved a defense request to issue summons for Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whose words Ivanov contradicted. They never appeared in court, however.

Priests walk to the cemetery during the funeral of Vladyslav Bondarenko 26, in Kozyntsi, near Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 6, 2023.

US providing Ukraine with bombs that extend strike capability

The U.S. has begun supplying Ukraine with JDAM precision-guided bombs that have extended the Ukrainians strike capability, Hecker said. He said that allows Ukraine to hit targets beyond the range rockets fired by the HIMARS launchers that have drawn rave reviews from military experts. The bombs have a range of nearly 50 miles; the U.S. has declined to provide Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles, which have a range of nearly 200 miles.

Weve just got them some precision munitions that had some extended range and can go a little bit further, Hecker said. Thats a recent capability that we were able to give them probably in the last three weeks.

Ukraine has asked for U.S. fighter jets such as F-16s, but the Biden administration has declined to provide them.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine live updates: Ukraine has shot down 70 Russian jets during war
Since And Just Like That catapulted her to fame, Nicole Ari Parker has been a fixture on the New York fashion scene, just as her AJLT character Lisa Todd Wexley would have it (after all, she did describe her as really rich and really fashionable prior to season one). Parker has been everywhere from dinners for Tods and Sezane and luncheons for Manolo Blahnik to galas for Dior and De Beers.

This week, Parker headed abroad to Paris to attend Valentinos latest show during Paris Fashion Week.

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I love Valentino because theres always a luxurious feeling of being put together exceptionally wellone feels very suited,' she says of the brand. However, with one detail, the boundaries are pushed beyond those limits and one feels like theyre on the cutting edge of something extraordinary.

She was joined in the front row of the fall 2023 show by Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Emma Roberts, Brooklyn Peltz Beckham and Nicola Peltz Beckham, Turkish actor Burak Deniz, Chinese actress Guan Xiaotong and more.

The show was beautifulevery piece had its own breathtaking moment, Parker says. Its impossible to choose a favorite look but the flowing capes and deconstructed suits were spectacular. Black Tie will never be the same.

We can expect to see Parker in Valentino during the soon-to-come season 2 of And Just Like That, as shes already been spotted shooting in the brand.

As for what Lisa would wear from the latest collection show this week? LTW definitely would wear the black and white cape coat, Parker says. Nicole would wear it all.

Launch Gallery: Attending the Valentino Show with Nicole Ari Parker

Best of WWD

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Theres often a reason why a high-quality cotton duvet costs $500 or hand-loomed cashmere scarf upward of $2,750.

For sustainable brands like home brand Coyuchi, or Me & K (which does some private label for The Row) and Latina-founded brand Zenigo, in fashion, quality centers squarely on the labor behind the labels. And for this International Womens Day on Wednesday, these slow home and fashion brands are sharing how their women-led, farmer-first designs speak to lasting social change past a one-off holiday collection.

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Bedding, Could Be Better

Cotton represents 22 percent of global fiber production, per Textile Exchange, but as situations such as the Xinjiang cotton crisis show, not all cotton is the same.

California-based home brand Coyuchi looks to keep cotton farmers at the center of its business. The home goods retailer is a founding member of the California Cotton & Climate Coalition, or C4 Coalition, which launched in 2020. Its first Climate Beneficial cotton release dropped Wednesday and spans duvets and sheet sets made with 100 percent California-grown cotton sourced via C4. The collection retails for $98 for the pillowcases to $548 for the duvet, online.

Continually committed to the planet, Coyuchi was founded on the principle that we can build a supply chain that is better for all, said Eileen Mockus, chief executive officer of Coyuchi. This is an opportunity for us to provide the highest quality cotton that California is known for to our customers.

C4 started as a way for farmers, together with other stakeholders, including nonprofits, brands and mills, to work together to make regenerative cotton more accessible and productive. Brand partners include Reformation, Mate the Label, Outerknown and Trace, among other on-the-ground partners. Coalitions such as C4, as with initiatives like the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, aim to champion both the social and environmental impact of sourcing C4 cotton.

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Brands pay a premium on Climate Beneficial cotton, for example, anywhere from 20 to 100 percent higher than commodity cotton pricing, which allows farmers to incorporate best soil practices meant to help keep carbon in the ground.

More Mindful Clothing

A close-up of Zenigo design process.

If theres an antithesis to fast fashion, its artisan-made goods.

Zenigo is a Latina-owned lifestyle label whose motto is mindfulness  fitting as the New York-based founder Eganie Gonzalez Zaga is also a certified meditation teacher.

We aim to raise this consciousness through our sustainable processes and by honoring the wise skillful art-craft of artisans among indigenous tribes we collaborate with, Zaga told WWD. Our closet is natural wear, we use natural fabrics and fibers in its most raw state and we implement handmade pre-Hispanic techniques of interweaving and hand embroidery, all thoroughly thought to not endanger our Earth with microplastic pollution or harmful processes.

The brand is a direct trade brand, working directly with artisans from Indigenous tribes in Mexico such as the Nahua community in Sierra Negra or Mazahua community in Valle de Bravo. Working with anywhere from five to 20 artisans at a time, Zenigo pays ahead for the work in an effort to provide financial stability for artisans. Brand styles span traditional baby tops (or huipil in the Mexican tradition), shawls, skirts, dresses, jumpsuits, capes and pants. The styles range from $55 to $320 and are available on Zenigospace.com. Most fabric is sourced in Mexico, and Zenigo operates small-scale workshops in Tulum and Mexico City.

Artisans around indigenous tribes in Mexico have been facing a life threat due to fast fashion imitation of their crafts around the globe, stressed Zaga. Supporting them, not only in their craft, but in protecting their lifestyle and traditions, as well as attempting to raise consciousness into handmade clothing, has been our mission for the past decade.

Since the brands beginnings in 2011, Zenigo has grown  exhibiting its textile creations in Europe and Tulum, as recently as 2020.

Nowadays our mission keeps evolving with the collective consciousness and the world. We are a platform, a space, a dojo not only of slow fashion but of slow living promoting care for the people and the Earth, said Zaga.

Photos taken during Zagas community visits. Here, the children of one of Zenigos artisans.

The Row-Worthy Accessories

Similarly, Me & K is another brand celebrating artisans at its  albeit, high-end  core.

Started by Kashmiri cousins Mujtaba Kadri and Rauf Shaw in 2008, Me & K advocates for the enduring story, quality and craft of authentic pashmina. The brands range of scarves and the like are handwoven by skilled artisans in the Valley of Kashmir in the Indian Himalayas. (And the brands handloom quality speaks for itself, as they do some private label offerings for The Row).

In its fall 2024 look book, Me & Ks small-batch, colorful designs span Piet Mondrian-like color blocking, neutral gradients and bold checks, in a careful edit of fern green, burnt orange, slate, olive and ice gray, among others.

Me & K Home, a line of cashmere throws, recently launched and its general product range spans everything from elaborate neckerchiefs for $95 to caftan-like shawls for $7,500.

Pre-pandemic stockists included a range of retailers such as Bloomingdales, Harvey Nichols, Le Bon Marche, Lane Crawford, Takashimaya and United Arrows. But when the pandemic hit, the brand was forced to reconsider its mission amid canceled orders, which was the reality for many smaller brands.

Me & K collaborates with various womens cooperatives to enhance their hand-spinning abilities by providing them with two to four weeks of training. Upon completing the training, the cooperatives are gifted with pedal-driven spinning mills, which have helped to double their productivity and income. On average, Me & K have been able to train 200 women every year since 2021, Kadri told WWD.

Through the Feed the Loom program, Me & K ensures year-round work for the weavers, without any strict timelines, providing them with much-needed flexibility. Payments are sent weekly to the women, who in turn, can consult year-round.

A model wearing a Me & K label.

Why Artisan-Made Matters

The benefits of established artisan models, worker-owned cooperatives and sourcing coalitions are multifold.

Esha Chhabra, a journalist and author of the upcoming book Working to Restore (slated for March 21) spoke to WWD on the importance of long-term social change  past a one-off Womens Day collection.

In the world of international development, its understood now that women are often the gateway to creating social change in a community. If a woman is financially empowered, she then makes better choices for her family, her children, and the health of everyone around her. Thus, to support the work of a woman has a ripple effect that can be meaningful for her community.

As Chhabra highlights in her book, small-to-midsize enterprises such as French footwear brand Veja or ethical jeweler Soko are going straight to the source to develop mutually beneficial relationships.

Whether youre working with farmers, artisans or other small-scale manufacturers, its always more impactful to create a long-term relationship because thats how you create lasting change in communities, whether its economic or social, reiterated Chhabra. If you just come in, buy from them once, or do a special collection based on their skillset, but then leave, then what have you achieved?

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Intelligence chiefs from across the U.S. government faced a grilling on Wednesday from members of the Senate Intelligence Committee on the origins of COVID-19 and China's influence in the world, along with other topics.

The annual hearing on worldwide threats included testimony from, among others, the Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director William Burns, FBI Director Christopher Wray and National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul Nakasone.

"The People's Republic of China, which is increasingly challenging the United States economically, technologically, politically and militarily around the world, remains our unparalleled priority," Haines said.

She said Chinese President Xi Jinping, embarking on an unprecedented third term as his country's leader, will continue to work toward a goal of making China "the preeminent power in East Asia and a major power on the world stage."

China's ruling Community Party, Haines said, "is increasingly convinced that it can only do so at the expense of U.S. power and influence and by using coordinated whole-of-government tools to demonstrate strength and compel neighbors to acquiesce to its preferences, including its land, sea and air claims in the region and its assertions of sovereignty over Taiwan."

Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier said China's military capabilities "are advancing very, very rapidly in every ... warfighting domain that exists."

"The Defense Intelligence Agency is taking note of that and watching very carefully," Berrier said.

PHOTO: Intelligence chiefs prepare to testify before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats, in Washington, D.C., March 8, 2023. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

On COVID-19, Wray reaffirmed that his bureau's assessment that the origin of the pandemic was likely a lab leak incident in Wuhan, China, a position he also voiced recently on Fox News.

But Haines, speaking next, said there is not yet agreement across the intelligence community on the virus' origins.

"There's a broad consensus in the intelligence community that the outbreak is not the result of a bio weapon or genetic engineering," she said. "What there isn't a consensus on is whether or not it's a lab leak, essentially as Director Wray indicated, or natural exposure to an infected animal."

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Pressed on the matter by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Haines detailed some of the conflicting views.

MORE: 'Potential lab incident': FBI director Wray speaks publicly for 1st time on COVID-19 origin

"There are four elements plus our National Intelligence Council that assess with low confidence that the infection was most likely caused by natural exposure to an infected animal," she said, adding, "We have the FBI, as you noted, that sees it as more likely that it's a lab leak, and has done that with moderate confidence. And the Department of Energy has changed its view slightly with low confidence. It says that a lab leak is most likely, but they do so for different reasons than the FBI does. And their assessments are not identical."

"So you can see how challenging this has been across the community," Haines said.

On TikTok -- the immensely popular video-sharing app owned by the Chinese company Byte Dance -- Wray reiterated the concern among some lawmakers and intelligence officials that the platform could be used to exploit the data of millions of American users.

"So if you were to ask Americans, 'Would you like to turn over your data, all your data control of your devices ,control of your information to the [Chinese Communist Party]?' -- most Americans would say, 'I'm not down with that,' as my kids would say," Wray testified.

PHOTO: Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats, in Washington, D.C., March 8, 2023. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

In recent weeks, Congress' intelligence committee leaders have been briefed by officials on a multitude of issues, including the suspected Chinese spy balloon that flew over the U.S. before being shot down off the coast of South Carolina in February and classified documents found at the homes and offices of former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said at Wednesday's hearing that he wasn't satisfied with the lack of information the panel has gotten on the classified documents issue. He asked Haines and Wray why they haven't personally reviewed all of the classified documents found at the residences of Trump, Pence and Biden to assess what risk their apparent mishandling could have posed to national security.

Both Wray and Haines said they've reviewed some of the classified materials but not all.

"When we get documents that have been compromised in the context of a leak investigation or other things like that, I don't personally review them generally, even when they have significant consequences. There are the subject-matter experts within the institutions that do that. They provide their views and then they typically will summarize or otherwise indicate issues that have to be addressed as a consequence, if there are any," Haines said.

MORE: China hasn't yet provided weapons to Russia, which would be 'real mistake': Sullivan

On Tuesday, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat, unveiled a bill that would empower the president to ban TikTok and maybe other Chinese technology in the United States -- a measure with White House and bipartisan congressional support.

Other topics covered at Wednesday's hearing included Russia's strategy in Ukraine, Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, North Korea and more.

In one barbed moment, Cotton took exception to a passage in an annual assessment report released by Haines' office on Wednesday: "Transnational [Racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists] continue to pose the most lethal threat to U.S. persons and interests, and a significant threat to a number of U.S. allies and partners through attacks and propaganda that espouses violence."

"Are you serious? You seriously think that racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists are the most lethal threat that Americans face?" he asked.

"Yes, sir, in terms of the number of people killed or wounded as a consequence," Haines replied. She could not offer a number of victims off-hand when asked.

PHOTO: FBI Director Christopher Wray shakes hands with Senator and Senate Intelligence Committee Chair, Mark Warner, before a hearing on worldwide threats, in Washington, D.C., on March 8, 2023. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Cotton then brought up the high number of U.S. fentanyl deaths, asking, "Isn't that a more lethal threat?"

Haines said, "Absolutely," and clarified the context of the quote from the report -- that it was in comparison to terror threats.

An FBI spokesperson, when asked about the hearing ahead of Wednesday, said Wray would face a number of topics but declined to share anything specific about what the focus would be.

MORE: What the 'lab leak' theory report about COVID's origins does and doesn't mean

"The hearing will have multiple speakers and cover a variety of topics," FBI spokesperson Christina Pullen told ABC News in an e-mail.

GOP senators on Monday also sent a letter to Haines demanding they receive an intelligence briefing on the origins of COVID-19.

"We write to request that you immediately deliver to Congress each IC assessment used and relied upon by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) for its consensus publications," Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Susan Collins of Maine and Roger Marshall of Kansas wrote.

"Congress should be able to review the independent evaluations without filters, ambiguity or interpretations of the intelligence. There is clear bipartisan support in Congress to make these assessments available immediately in full as evidenced by the unanimous March 1, 2023 Senate passage of the COVID-19 Origin Act to declassify information related to the origin of COVID-19," they said.

US intelligence chiefs testify on China's influence and challenges of investigating COVID-19 originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Last week marked the beginning of International Womens Month -- a 31 day celebration of women everywhere and the monumental impact theyve had all over the world.

The specific holiday in honour of womens societal and economical accomplishments always falls on 8 March, known as International Womens Day (IWD).

The event was first recognized by the United Nations in 1975 and has since been celebrated by more than 80 countries worldwide. The day has also been a major part of the womens rights movement and helped create conversations about gender biases.

This year, the International Womens Day website and the UN have set a theme which focuses on gender equity and equality.

Heres everything you need to know about IWD, from how it started to how to celebrate this years theme.

How did International Womens Day begin?

The origin of the holiday dates back to 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York City to demand for change within their society, as noted on IWDs official website. They demanded shorter working hours, better pay and voting rights.

On 28 February 1909, the first National Womens Day was observed. One year later, a woman named Clara Zetkin, a member of the Social Democratic Party in Germany, suggested the idea of a Womens Day that would be held every year in every country on the same day to press for their demands.

After an agreement was made in Denmark in 1911, International Women's Day was honored for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March. It later got moved to 8 March in 1914 and has stayed the same since.

IWD was officially recognised by the United Nations in 1975.

What is this years theme?

The International Womens Day website announced that this years theme is #EmbraceEquity. The organisation notes that a focus on gender equity needs to be part of every societys DNA.

They also highlight the difference between equity and equality, explaining that the former means creating an inclusive world, through acts like challenging gender stereotypes, calling out discrimination, drawing attention to bias, and embracing diversity.

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Another goal of the campaign is to get the world talking about Why equal opportunities arent enough.

People start from different places, so true inclusion and belonging require equitable action, the site reads.

The UNs theme is DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality. It is focused on the untold contributions to the digital world that women have made and continue to make. The organisation also noted that women make up only 22 per cent of artificial intelligence workers globally.

Today, a persistent gender gap in digital access keeps women from unlocking technologys full potential, the UNs site reads. Their underrepresentation in STEM education and careers remains a major barrier to their participation in tech design and governance. And the pervasive threat of online gender-based violencecoupled with a lack of legal recoursetoo often forces them out of the digital spaces they do occupy.

The UN says that on this years IWD, they are calling on governments, activists and the private sector alike to power on in their efforts to make the digital world safer, more inclusive and more equitable.

How can you take part in IWD this year?

IWDs official website says that one way that people can embrace equity is through reflect on how we can all be part of the solution, not the problem. This can be done through talking to your friends, family or colleagues about ways to work collectively to impact positive change

The organisation also encourages social media users to share a picture of themselves doing the IWD #EmbraceEquity pose, in which you wrap your arms around your shoulders as if youre giving yourself a hug. People are also urged to submit their photos to the International Womens Day 2023 gallery.

Additionally, the IWD website explains how you can find some worldwide events, from community gatherings to concert performances, going on near you. On the website, you can specify what country and city youre located in to find your local or virtual IWD event.

Another way to take part in the campaign is by sharing visuals from their IWD social media package on social media. The organisation will also be broadcasting an event in observance of the holiday at 10 am ET on 8 March, with the theme of: DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality

The broadcast will celebrate the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education and curtailing the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities.

It will also include  technologists, innovators, entrepreneurs, and gender equality activists in order to provide an opportunity to highlight the role of all stakeholders in improving access to digital tools.
Kansas Animal Shelter Implements 'Name Your Price' Adoptions

(Picture Credit: Foto Zlatko / Getty Images)

Many dog owners find out through trial and error that, in some ways, having a dog is much like having a kid. There are always unexpected costs, new cool toys to buy, and a surprising number of household items that can injure your furry kid. Having a dog is expensive, bottom line.

For many, adopting a pet post-pandemic became financially unachievable. One Kansas animal shelter is trying to work around financial holdups. Helping Hands Humane Society is now offering Name Your Price Adoptions. As opposed to a usual set fee, theyll accept any contribution above $20.

Name Your Price Adoptions Are An Effort To Send Dogs Home

Helping Hands Humane Society experienced an unexpected wave of intakes come early March. This is common for many animal shelters. Why? Early spring months sadly bring owner surrenders. Puppies bought as holiday gifts are now getting big and becoming potentially destructive. Many of these once-cherished gifts end up with a stay at a local shelter. The shelter stated they have little to no room for new intakes. Shelter staff hope that reduced-fee adoptions will send many longtime residents to new families.

If you come in and you see a dog that youd like to take home, you just name your price and let the adoption counselors know, Director of Philanthropy Grace Clinton said. Our hope in having a creative special in this way is really to promote adoptions. Were really, really imploring our community; if youve been considering adopting, please come in and adopt at this time.

Helping Hands is located at 5720 SW 21st St, Topeka, KS 66604. You can view their adoptable pets here.

Helping Overwhelmed Shelters in Your Community

Of course, even with a reduced adoption fee, not everyone can make room for a new family pet. If youre not willing to make a lifetime commitment but you can share your home, consider fostering. And dont overlook your own communitys pets in need.

Although this Kansas shelter needs urgent help, many small shelters & rescues nationwide are certainly just as deserving. Moreover, if you cant adopt from Helping Hands, consider fostering for, volunteering with, or donating to any shelter.

The post Kansas Animal Shelter Implements Name Your Price Adoptions appeared first on DogTime.
Ed Anderson



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Does the idea of cheese-stuffed fried dough from Sardinia sound good to you? I'm talking about a dish called seadas, and its one of my favorite recipes in Katie Parlas stunning new cookbook, Food of the Italian Islands . Seadas are like fried ravioli, and they might be the most underrated Italian dish in the U.S.

This is one I cannot believe has not blown up because its so good, Parla told me. Its basically a raviolo, a big one. The dough is not like a pasta dough. Theres lard in the doughbecause Sardinia.

Parla said that if you ask an Italian what they know of Sardinian cuisine, they might only name a few dishes, and seadas would be one of them. But its not something thats really traveled outside of Italy, shockingly, she said. It feels very right for a viral moment. Because its a cheesy, lardy, fried, soft, tender, cheese pull, honey-drenched delicious thing.

To make seadas, cheese is typically melted together, hardened, cut, and placed in the center of the rolled circular dough. The cheese is a sheep's milk cheese, and the sheep's milk cheese in Sardinia tends to be real tangy, Parla said. If you cant find tangy sheeps milk cheese, she said to go with a sharp provoloneor something else that melts well. The cheese mixture is then covered with a top layer of dough, cut with a special cutter for seadas , then fried. And then you drown it in honey, she said.

Speaking of cheese pulls, another must-try recipe in the book is Gatto di Patate, a.k.a. potato, ham, and cheese casserole. Its really so good, Parla said. Next level. Its insane. It says it serves six, but you can really just eat the whole thing at one time.

Ed Anderson

Born in New Jersey and now living in Rome, Parla is an author, television host, entrepreneur, podcaster , and Italian food expert. She co-wrote the popular cookbook Tasting Rome: Fresh Flavors and Forgotten Recipes From an Ancient City with Kristina Gill and recently launched her own publishing company. Food of the Italian Islands, the first cookbook from Parla Publishing, came out on March 7. The cookbook highlights cuisines from Sicily, Sardinia, and all of the islands in betweenLe Isole Pontine, L Arcipelago Toscano, Le Isole Tremiti, La Laguna Veneziana, and L Arcipelago Napoletano.

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The books vibrant colors make you want to jump in its pages and sample all the treats: live sea urchin, grilled meats, legendary su filindeu, lesser known pestos, cheesy carbs, and cozy minestra. I feel like 2023 is the year of the minestra, she said. One of my favorite things is Minestra Ventotenese, a very brothy chard and bean soup from Ventotene, a tiny island off the coast of Lazio. One of the joys of the book is how it takes the reader through the lesser known Italian island cultures that are tucked away in the Mediterranean. Buy the book now so you can get ahead of the seadas and minestra trends!

Get her recipe for seadas.

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When it comes to giving birth, many people assume that having a baby in the hospital is the best or only option. And while hospital births are extremely common, they may not be right for everyone.

Enter birth centers and other delivery alternatives. While hospitals might be the obvious choice for some parents-to-be, others may want a more intimate setting for their delivery. Birthing centers tend to be led by trained midwives, who take fewer patients than typically found in hospitals. As a result, birth centers can feel more like a home. Some even allow other family members to be present for labor and delivery. For those who truly prefer to be in their place of residence, an assisted home birth with a licensed and experienced midwife is also a feasible option in cases of low-risk pregnancies.

Ahead, learn more about what alternatives are available to hospital births, and how to decide which one might be right for you.



Related:What Is the Difference Between an OB/GYN, Midwife, and Doula?

Why Not a Hospital?

Some people might view hospitals as cold and unfamiliar, while others might associate them with past medical traumas or sad experiences. For parents who want more control over their birthing experience, hospitals may not be an ideal choice.

The infant and maternal mortality rates in the USA top the list among high-income countries. The Centers for Diseases Control (CDC) reports that a disproportionately high number of pregnancy-related deaths are among Black and Native American women. As a result, many pregnant people of color have opted out of hospital births. A 2021 New York Times article outlined one Black mother's decision to deliver in a birth center in New Jersey, a state in which "A Black woman is seven times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as a white one."

Pandemic restrictions on guests and visitors may also have encouraged some families to find alternatives to hospitals. Kim Pekin, owner of two nationally-accredited freestanding birth centers in Virginia, explains that her patients seek out birth centers for personalized care and a deeper relationship with the providers. "They want someone to care for them who believes in them and in the normalcy of birth," Pekin adds. Birth centers implement a model of care that sees birth as a family-centered event and a normal physiological experience for healthy parents and their babies.

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If you're considering an alternative to a hospital for your own birth, be sure to consult with your healthcare team for medical advice. Every pregnancy is different, and birth centers and other locations are not necessarily the right choice for everyone.

What Are Alternative Delivery Locations?

In the United States, hospitals are sometimes seen as a default labor and delivery choice for many modern families. But all around the world, people give birth safely in locations that are not hospitals. Birth centers are a common alternative delivery location because they still have an institutional structure that feels like hospital processes, whereas a home birth may be ideal for healthy birthing parents who do not want medicine to manage pain and who want their entire family around during the birth.

Birth Centers

Birth center care is appropriate for low-risk people with low-risk babies. This means someone with preeclampsia, medication-dependent diabetes, or other medical concerns may be ineligible for care at an accredited birth center. Accredited birth centers typically serve people with single, vertex (head down), full-term babies, and no more than one previous cesarean section. In situations that fall outside of these parameters, the best outcomes generally are achieved in a hospital setting.

These maternity health centers aim to provide the comforts of home, like comfortable beds with linen sheets, warm water baths, yoga mats, and exercise balls. Many birth centers offer different labor and delivery methods, like water births or acupuncture births. They offer prenatal care that is more personalized than hospitals. Some are even attached to hospitals, making a transfer easy in case of emergency. Pekin says that most birth-center families are "educated about their options and know that some things are a challenge to get in a hospital-based birth setting, such as freedom of movement, intermittent monitoring, water birth, continuous hands-on support, and a reverence for the sacred nature of birth."

Many parents like that they can create a personalized birthing space with candles, aromatherapy, or soothing music. Most centers let birthing people respond to the needs of their bodies; they can eat, drink, shower, and move around to change positions. The staff is usually comprised of midwives and doulas on hand. Some may even have OB/GYNs on site too.

Related:Home Births Are On the RiseHere's What You Need to Know

Home Births

A birth at home can be the best option for many parents and their families. While an unassisted home birth is not advised, one attended by a midwife is safe for parents without a history of serious health conditions. The major distinction is that pain management is different in a home setting. Michelle Brady, a DC-based birth doula and childbirth educator, says some birthing people will take classes where they will learn "comfort measures and techniques that help the pregnant person handle labor contractions."

Doulas and midwives will aim for a physiologic birth. A 2013 research paper in the Journal of Perinatal Education explained, A normal physiologic labor and birth is one that is powered by the innate human capacity of the woman and fetus." This birth is more likely to be safe and healthy because there is no unnecessary intervention that disrupts normal physiologic processes. "A lot of people choose to give birth at home because they believe in their bodys ability to birth a baby. And they are afraid of interventions, such as Pitocin, rupturing of membranes, releasing the amniotic sac, etc., that can be common at a lot of hospitals," Brady describes.

Home birth workers can bring a pool for a water birth, or simply use your regular tub and shower to help soothe. Last, they will prepare your home for easy cleanup by strategically placing mattress protectors, towels, and disposable cloths wherever needed.

Expecting parents who have older children may find home birth more convenient and inclusive for the whole family. Doulas, photographers, grandparents, and extended family can be part of the birth process without requesting outside permission. Last, it can be comforting to know that home birth workers are focused on just one family at a time, rather than juggling multiple labors, as might be the case in a hospital.

Is an Alternative Birth Location Right for You?

"Birth center care is appropriate for low-risk people with low-risk babies," Pekin says. "In situations that fall outside of these parameters, the best outcomes generally are achieved in a hospital setting." Not only do hospitals have personnel and resources available to tackle any medical emergency, but also hospitals offer the most medical intervention for pain relief. Epidurals and other pain medications can only be administered legally in a hospital. However, parents who do not want pain medication may find a birth center and home birth to be sound options.

Although birth centers and home births usually need to be paid upfront or out-of-pocket (and later may be reimbursed by health insurance coverage), the overall cost of labor and delivery in these settings is typically much more affordable. A 2021 study found that the average cost of a home birth in the United States is $4,650, which is significantly below existing cost for an uncomplicated delivery at a hospital or birth center. The study found that even a 1% shift of births from a hospital to a home represents $321 million in savings. "Costs depend on the area and can usually range between $3,000-$7,000," Brady reiterates from experience.

Non-hospital births are not for people with a history of high-risk pregnancies or those who need medical support for chronic conditions. While some midwives are experienced enough to deliver multiples at home, parents may prefer to deliver in a hospital instead. Those who want an epidural or a cesarean birth must plan for a hospital birth. Last, both home births and birth centers are largely paid out of pocket, so birthing people who cannot afford those upfront costs should rely on a hospital birth, where insurance is more likely to cover many of the expenses.

A Word From Verywell

There are a variety of reasons why alternative birth locations are becoming more popular across the United States, but people in each state may experience different barriers to accessing these alternatives. The number of licensed midwives in each state varies and health insuranceespecially Medicaiddiffers when it comes to coverage for midwives, birth centers, and labor expenses outside of a hospital. It is important to confirm how payment and reimbursement will work between your birth team and your insurance company. Last, remember that some pregnancy conditions are best treated in a hospital setting, so please be sure to consult with your OB/GYN, midwife, or healthcare provider when deciding what's right for you and your birthing experience.

Read Next:What Is the Difference Between an OB/GYN, Midwife, and Doula?
The "ultimate event for LEGO lovers" is coming to downtown Louisville this summer.

The LEGO Brick Convention will be held at the Kentucky International Convention Center at 221 S. 4th St. from July 15 to July 16, according to the event webpage, in a showcase of the popular toy brand.

The Brick Convention is an event where professional LEGO artists gather to display their "amazing LEGO creations and to meet with fans," event spokesperson Greyson Riley Beights said in a release. The showcase will also include LEGO celeb meet-and-greets, including the cast from LEGO Masters, a game show where teams compete to complete challenges for a cash prize.

LEGO fans will have the opportunity to "get creative in the Construction Zone," with thousands of bricks. They can also engage with live builds or check out the life-size LEGO creations on display at the convention's galleries, the release said.

More:Kentucky's teacher shortage is still at 'crisis' levels. What will lawmakers do?

Other attractions include a Star Wars Zone with creations from the movie universe, a castle build zone where fans can work on a medieval-style LEGO build and plenty of opportunities to get at some LEGO merch, according to Beights.

The convention will support Creations for Charity, a nonprofit that gifts LEGOS to "underprivileged children around the world during the holidays," Beights said.

How do I get tickets for the LEGO Brick Convention?

Tickets for the Brick Convention are $14.99 and available for July 15 and 16, available to purchase on the event's website. Tickets will be $18 at the door.

Tickets are exclusively available for the date and time chosen at booking.

Early booking is suggested as tickets are expected to sell out quickly, the group said.

Local: A silent disco shows how kids at a Louisville school advocate for peers with disabilities

Contact reporter Rae Johnson at RNJohnson@gannett.com. Follow them on Twitter at @RaeJ_33.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: LEGO Brick Convention coming to Louisville in 2023. How to get tickets
Michael Kors is all heart about American fashion, New York City, Broadway, Hollywood and glamour.

During a Fashion Icons talk at the 92NY Tuesday night with Fern Mallis, the designer laid bare lesser-known devotions that have shaped his life and career  seismic world events and charity causes that strengthen the impoverished. Eleven years had passed since the last time the two fashion insiders sat down for a public chat. Speculating about what another Q&A would center on 10 years from now, Kors predicted that would be climate change.

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And how it effects everyones life on a regular basis and how the fashion industry needs to address it. A good thing that I hope we talk about. I dont want to seem like Mr. Crazy Pants, but I think we are going to start seeing things out of this planet.

UFOs? Mallis asked.

No, like going to the moon.Id go absolutely. I think we are also going to start making clothes differently. Were still using a sewing machine, seams, all of these things. Think about some of the things that people like Issey Miyake does, knitting things circularly. Listen, 3D printing is the coolest department in our company. Im like, Wow! You could literally carry the paper [prototype] as a bag.

For Kors-aholics, there were such tidbits as he is deadly serious about 11 being his lucky number; Ruffles potato chips topped with caviar; his grandfathers Bronx, New York, roots; the Galapagos Islands, Namibia and New Zealand leading his travel bucket list; having children is not in his future; disdain for Zoom, and love for impromptu hallway run-ins in the office that can lead to ideas. Of course, designing clothes that women will wear confidently and repeatedly is always on his agenda, as evidenced by singling out Gloria Steinem, Yoko Ono and others as the inspiration for his fall 2023 collection.

My job is in service of making people feel like their best selves. If the clothes and shoes dont get worn or the handbags arent carried.I dont understand [the idea] that its just for a museum piece, Kors said.

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Mallis and Kors also reminisced about how the CFDAs first attempt to organize New York fashion shows was prompted after a section of a ceiling crumbled during one of Kors off-site runway shows and landed on Suzy Mendes head. Before there was New York Fashion Week, Kors and five other designers banded together in Hotel Macklowe in what was billed as the Comfort Zone. Through a deal with the Jumbotron, video footage of the models was beamed onto the huge screen in Times Square. Mallis recalled, Half the girls were half-naked that season. People were driving down Broadway, looking up at this. I was sure there were going to be horrible accidents.

Kors credited Mallis with putting fashion out there at a time when it was very insular. Fashion was only for the insiders. Now you can be sitting on a train and watching a show, he said.

The designer plugged entertainer Rufus Wainwright, who had performed at a few of his runway shows, and is headed for a May run at the Cafe Carlyle, a setting that Kors has said he is worthy of. He also talked up his commitment to the Bette Midler-founded New York Restoration Project.

Kors spoke of the three traumatic events that he has lived through: the COVID-19 pandemic, the AIDS epidemic, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York. Referring to the AIDS crisis, Kors said to have experienced the onset of that in his early 20s led to dealing with illness and death on a constant basis. There was a loss of generations of gifted people [including peers], who disappeared. It was a war and the shock of war doesnt ever wear off.

Eager to help in some way, Kors discovered the nonprofit Gods Love We Deliver as a result. Regarding the 2001 terrorist attacks, Kors recalled dropping to his knees after seeing an airplane strike the second tower from his downtown apartment and then urging a gym-bound neighbor that she needed to head uptown with him.

The [coronavirus] pandemic, the AIDS pandemic and 9/11 will stay with me forever. I dont want to lose all of it. I want to hold on and hopefully learn something from each of them. But also [show] resilience.

On a lighter note recalling his creative director days at Celine in Paris, Kors mused about disregarding the advice that forbade wearing sneakers, drinkling Coca-Cola or carrying the International Herald Tribune  all of which he did daily. You know what? Me, Marc Jacobs and Narciso Rodriguez did pretty well in Paris. Youve got to be proud of yourself.

Kors also enthused about his Watch Hunger Stop initiative which, like Gods Love We Deliver, shows how something so simple as food and nutrition can alter the course of someones life. In so many of these countries, if there were not school meals programs, people would not send their daughters to school. They would keep them at home. Youre just flipping that and changing the trajectory. To me, thats everything.

The most exciting thing is that weve taken our social media following [18.6 million on Instagram alone] and have gotten people involved in philanthropy  including $5 donations that equate to a months worth of meals, he said.

Stonewall Visitor Center is also benefiting from the generosity of Kors, who passed by the historic location to reflect after marrying Lance LePere in New York in 2011. The designer said, Unfortunately, we know with everything going on in the world today, weve got to remind people not to slide backward. We just keep sliding backward. Its amazing to me that we can make progress but still be sliding backward.

Still an advocate for trunk shows after 42 years in business, Kors compared social media to being akin to a worldwide trunk show, as in people are keen to share. Hate the pink bag. Love the red bag. Its very New York. Every woman here knows that you walk down the street and a stranger says, I love your coat. Whered you get it. How much was it?

Michael Kors and Thom Browne

Social media allows a swath of people from all over the globe to chime in. As for influencers, Kors does not consider them editors. I still think a professional is a professional, he said, adding that once in a while someone has remarkable talent and fashion influence like Rihanna and Zendaya.

Explaining why the brand is not sold in the metaverse, the designer said he prefers fashions tactileness. I still get a thrill from the rustle of tissue paper in a shopping bag. I dont want just a box arriving, he said.

Asked about what he misses about his Project Runway days, Kors described the on-set laughter with this whole other work family. In hindsight, though, he said, When I think about what I used to say on-air, I would be cancelled today. There would be no chance. I say to Nina Garcia, God, now you have to be really careful.

His off-the-cuff critiques, like looking like a pole dancer in Dubai would not fly and some fans might retort that they fit that description.

Being around the shows young talent was refreshing, Kors said. As for the current scene of young designers, Kors praised Peter Do, LaQuan Smith and Khaites Catherine Holstein.

Kors is not eyeing slowing down and theres no succession in place. The big thing is the minute you feel you have no curiosety or joy it will show in your work. As long as I feel like that, and I have my health, Im going to keep going, adding that at 88, Giorgio Armani had five fashion shows in January and February.

Four decades in fashion means he is allowed to say, Thats very Kors or very Kors-y. Hes earned it.

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NCT Dream announced Tuesday (March 7) that theyre heading Stateside for their first headlining tour of the U.S.

The seven-date U.S. leg of The Dream Show2: In A DREAM Tour is slated to begin April 5 with a show at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., followed by stops in Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and Dallas. From there, the K-pop idols will head to the West Coast, where theyll play the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., before finishing up the tour April 21 at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.

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NCTzens will be able to purchase tickets for all seven dates starting this Friday (March 10) at 4 p.m. local time via either Ticketmaster or AXS.

The group is currently in Jakarta, Indonesia, where they played three back-to-back shows at the Indonesia Convention Center as part of the tours Asia leg. Next theyre set to make stops in Bangkok, Thailand and Hong Kong before jetting to Europe to add London, Paris and Berlin to the itinerary.

In December, the NCT subgroup released their holiday single Candy, updating H.O.T.s classic 1996 K-pop track for the 21st century. (The 90s act is largely credited with establishing the boy-band blueprint as South Koreas first idol group.)

Along with the single, NCT Dream dropped their special winter album of the same name featuring tracks like Graduation, Tangerine Love (Forever) and Take My Breath. The release served as the septets follow-up to their 2022 album Glitch Mode, which was repackaged and reissued last May as Beatbox.

Check out NCT Dreams complete list of U.S. dates below.

NCT DREAM

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The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday it is opening a special investigation into Norfolk Southern Railway's safety practices and culture in the wake of a hazardous train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, and other recent incidents involving the rail operator.

The last time the agency opened such an investigation was in 2014 for Metro-North following several significant accidents.

PHOTO: A view of the scene in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 24, 2023, as cleanup continues at the site of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment that happened on Feb. 3. (Matt Freed/AP)

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration also announced Tuesday that it will conduct a safety assessment of Norfolk Southern's railway safety operations "following multiple safety incidents."

The scrutiny comes after a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed on Feb. 3 near East Palestine, Ohio, sending toxic chemicals into the air, soil and creeks in the area. NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy called the derailment "100% preventable" and said it was "no accident."

Most recently, a Norfolk Southern train derailed Saturday near Springfield, Ohio. The railroad company told authorities that this incident did not involve hazardous materials. But officials acknowledged Monday that cars on the train that did not derail did have hazardous contents.

MORE: NTSB on East Palestine toxic train derailment: '100% preventable'

A Norfolk Southern train conductor was killed in a collision with a dump truck at a rail crossing at the property of steel producer Cleveland-Cliffs, in Cleveland, Ohio, early Tuesday.

DOT said information collected in its supplemental assessment will "[provide] a more expansive look at Norfolk Southern's overall safety culture and operations." The probe will review the findings and recommendations of the 2022 Norfolk Southern system audit and revisit FRA's recommendations and the scope of the railroad's responses.

"After a series of derailments and the death of one of its workers, we are initiating this further supplemental safety review of Norfolk Southern, while also calling on Norfolk Southern to act urgently to improve its focus on safety so the company can begin earning back the trust of the public and its employees," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a press release.

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Following the announcement of the NTSB investigation into their safety and culture, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw told ABC News that "moving forward, we are going to rebuild our safety culture from the ground up."

"We are going to invest more in safety," Shaw said in a statement. "This is not who we are, it is not acceptable, and it will not continue."

PHOTO: Chair of the NTSB, Jennifer Homendy, listens as Robert Hall, Director of the NTSB's Office of Railroad, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials, speaks on the East Palestine train derailment, Feb. 23, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images, FILE)

Shaw is set to testify before the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee during a hearing on Wednesday amid calls for reform.

A bipartisan group of senators, led by Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown and Ohio Republican J.D. Vance, introduced legislation last week looking to regulate the railroad industry in the wake of the East Palestine disaster.

"It shouldn't take a rail disaster to get us working together like that. And that's what we're going to be doing," Brown told ABC "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos on Sunday.

NTSB's preliminary report into the East Palestine incident found that a wheel bearing appeared to overheat moments before the derailment. A final report with recommendations might not be finished for up to two years, officials said.

Representatives from NTSB were on site Monday investigating the wreck near Springfield.

The cause of the accident is not yet known, Shaw said.

"In some ways, the cause does not matter," he said in his statement Tuesday, adding that he "called together every member of our management team this afternoon to emphasize the urgency of finding new solutions."

The company plans to hold "safety stand-down briefings reaching every employee across our network" on Wednesday, Shaw said.

ABC News' Amanda Maile contributed to this report.

NTSB to open special investigation into Norfolk Southern following recent derailments originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A woman describes her experience with a 20-pound ovarian cyst. (Photo: Getty Images)

Kenya Smith thought her postpartum recovery was "normal"  until it wasn't.

"The first symptom was that it was hard to lay on my stomach," the Utah-based content creator and mom of three recalls, of the moment she knew something wasn't right with her body. "I wasn't having a lot of other symptoms. And then, after a couple of months, I was having trouble using the restroom. My stomach was always bloated  it felt constantly bloated, and it never shrank back down."

Smith, 27, wasn't just bloated. Months after giving birth to her third child in March 2022, she looked pregnant. But it wasn't a baby: It was a 20-pound ovarian cyst. At the time, however, Smith had no idea what was going on with her health, and she struggled to find doctors who could give her a straight answer.

No real answers

Smith, who chronicled her scary experience on TikTok, tells Yahoo Life that she initially went to her ob-gyn to get answers. Doctors told her she was "inflamed" following her pregnancy, and she was sent home with laxatives.

Yet while the laxatives helped relieve some of the "pressure" she felt, her body had not returned to anywhere close to its shape before she gave birth. Smith looked for answers elsewhere, and found a clue as to what might be going on with her after seeing a post on social media about a woman with fibroids. The woman, Smith says, had a stomach that looked a lot like hers  and so, Smith called her ob-gyn to ask if something of the kind could be causing her issues.

Yet despite only having a baby a few months earlier with the doctor, Smith was told she was no longer a priority  she would have to wait two and a half months for a visit.

Rather than waiting, Smith took her health care into her own hands. She went to an allergist to see if food allergies could be causing the problem. She saw a naturalist for a hair test. She even took a pregnancy test to make sure she wasn't pregnant again. No test provided tangible results, and with a stomach that kept expanding, Smith knew time was of the essence. At this point, she wasn't sleeping from the intense pressure and pain, and eating was a challenge, she said, because she "didn't have room for food."

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After much back-and-forth with insurance and doctors' offices, Smith was able to persuade a different physician to do a stomach ultrasound.

"That's not a baby," a distressed Smith remembers telling the ultrasound technician. "What do you think that is, if not a baby?"

Scary possibilities

When the ultrasound technician did take a look at Smith's stomach, Smith says "her face dropped." There was a huge mass in her ovary.

The technician (who, Smith believes, was trying to help) told Smith that "things that grow this fast are [often] cancer." As someone with a history of cancer in her family, that potential news led Smith to call her husband, "sobbing."

Kenya Smith in November 2022, before her cyst was removed. (Photo: Kenya Smith)

The next step was to get a CT scan to provide further details about the mass. Following a scan  which included plenty of discussion with doctors about referrals and insurance company questions  Smith was connected to Dr. Jessica Hunn, a board-certified ob-gyn and gynecologic oncologist. That's when she finally received some useful answers.

A solution

Hunn came highly recommended, not just for her skills as a doctor, but also for her passion for advocating for women's health. Smith knew she had found the right doctor after she was able to schedule an appointment quickly, finally making her situation feel as urgent as Smith knew it was.

Hunn tells Yahoo Life she was "so impressed" that Smith actively pursued her own care, especially after so many professionals had dismissed her pain.

"I think there is a shortage of physicians taking care of nonpregnant women patients," Hunn explains. "Ob-gyns are quite busy with pregnant women who have acute needs, and there are a lot of pregnant women in Utah and in the U.S. Gynecologists who only take care of women's nonpregnant needs are much harder to get in to see. Some women have to wait six months to see a gynecologist for a biopsy or an ultrasound, for a basic work-up."

She continues: "Getting in for surgery with a skilled and trained gynecologist can be equally as difficult. I don't think that is acceptable, and women need to have better access to care. This is a problem in Utah, but I see it across the country as well."

Smith's CT scan, revealing an ovarian cyst. (Photo: Kenya Smith)

Hunn recommended surgery. So she first drained the cyst  almost 10 liters of liquid  and then removed it, along with Smith's ovary and Fallopian tube.

No cancer was found in the mass  "not even pre-cancer, which was a miracle," says Smith, who was left with just a few "small scars." Hunn told Smith that her fertility would probably not be affected by the surgery, because her other working ovary was healthy.

"Going from a pregnancy into that, I didn't even know my body. A lot of people are like, 'How did you let it go that long?' But being postpartum, your body is so hard to predict anyway. I just didn't know what was going on," Smith explains. "I shared it on TikTok because I wanted to spread awareness. I saw the fibroid thing, with a girl sharing her experience, and I'm so glad she shared that, because I needed an ultrasound  I wanted to repay that experience."

How common is Smith's story?

Dr. Jennifer Wider, an expert on women's health, explains that ovarian cysts are "fluid-filled sacs, found inside the ovary or on its surface."

"Each egg that forms inside the ovary is contained inside a follicle," she tells Yahoo Life. "The follicle is filled with fluid, as a way to protect the egg as it grows. During ovulation, the follicle releases the egg, the fluid gets discharged, and the follicle shrinks. If the follicle does not release an egg or dispel the fluid, it can become swollen, forming a cyst. This is known as a functional cyst and is related to the menstrual cycle. Another type of cyst that is not related to menstruation is called a pathologic cyst and is formed by abnormal cell growth  most pathologic cysts are benign, but in rare cases, they can be cancerous."

Exactly why Smith's cyst grew so large is not known. Wider says that there are "no real predictor factors" to explain why a cyst may become massive. One possibility is PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), as it can lead to multiple ovarian cysts, with some increasing in size. Another potential risk factor is endometriosis, a disorder in which tissue similar to the tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus grows outside your uterus.

In general, Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a Yale Medicine ob-gyn and the founder of a women's health website, Madame Ovary, says that ovarian cysts are "very common." Small cysts often resolve on their own and do not need removal. Larger ones, like Smiths cyst, are much more rare.

"Most of the time women will feel some discomfort; a sense of fullness in the abdomen, or some pain, which would prompt a visit to her health care provider," Minkin explains. "Some women really don't feel a lot of pressure or discomfort. The best way to evaluate for an ovarian cyst is usually an ultrasound of the pelvis."

Dr. Staci Tanouye, a board-certified ob-gyn, agrees, saying that most ovarian cysts don't cause symptoms. Cysts that grow abnormally large, as Smith's did, can cause "pressure or pain"  and can lead to other complications, because they can bleed or rupture, exacerbating the pain.

"These cysts can also increase the risk of the ovary twisting on itself and cutting off its blood supply, called an ovarian torsion," she explains. "Ovarian torsion can cause severe pain and require emergency surgery."

If you feel this kind of pain and suspect a cyst, Tanouye says, "It's always a good idea to talk with your doctor. If someone ever has acute or severe pain, a visit to the ER may be necessary."

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Ludovic de Saint Sernin's and Harris Reed's debuts at Ann Demeulemeester and Nina Ricci, respectively, brought a new vitality to the legacy brands.

Razor-sharp silhouettes. Shivers of silk. Models' hands crossed over the chest, obscuring bare breasts. The leitmotif quill beloved by the house's founder, fashioned anew as leather bandeaus in black and ivory.

Ludovic de Saint Sernin's first collection as creative director of Ann Demeulemeester  shown during Paris Fashion Week  is an exquisite and masterfully conceived debut that sees him take ownership of the brand's legacy with abandon.

"I wanted to create a feeling," he said backstage after the show on Saturday. "It was about telling your story, putting your entire heart in to it and giving it this emotion. I wanted you to feel something strong, something unique and something that's kind of like magic."

Photo: Imaxtree

While the collection is, as he put it, "a love letter to Ann," his objective is "to carry on that legacy and put myself into it." But when you review the Ann Demeulemeester archive, there are more surprising parallels between the two creatives.

In 2007, Demeulemeester drew inspiration from Virginia Woolf's gender switching satire "Orlando," which has been fundamental to de Saint Sernin's own oeuvre. Meanwhile, the Swarovski-logoed tanks and lace-up leather pants that are signatures of his own namesake brand recall her Spring 1998 and Fall 2011 collections. On a purely technical level, both designers favor bias cuts.

"I can relate to her on so many levels," de Saint Sernin said.

Harris Reed's debut for Nina Ricci exhibits many of his hallmarks: that attenuated, androgynous suiting, the ultra-wide-brim screen-siren millinery. However, it also captures the essence of the Nina Ricci brand in its heyday.

"People think a lot of the time that [Nina Ricci] was quite poetic and soft, but it's not," Reed said following the show on Friday. "The most surprising thing I got from the archives was how much color, how much silhouette, how much drama there was, because a lot of it was very undocumented."

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Nina Ricci Fall 2023. Photo: Imaxtree

De Saint Sernin and Reed are the two latest examples of young designers that have gained traction in the industry for their own talked-about fashion endeavors, and are now tasked with resurrecting luxury heritage houses that, while remaining operational, haven't had, say, a Bottega Veneta-level reinvention.

Charles de Vilmorin is another, having released his first collection for Rochas for Spring 2022 at just 24 years old. He had a promising start at the brand, not least for the prints derived from the illustration work at which he excels. However, he failed to find his feet in subsequent outings. Fall 2023, though, marks a turning point: With a concise 21-look offering shown via presentation rather than a full show, it feels like he regained his momentum with fluid, elevated daywear and sculptural evening attire.

It goes to show that a longterm strategy pays off when nurturing emerging creative talent.

Rochas Fall 2023. Photo: Imaxtree

The archives proved pivotal to both de Saint Sernin and Reed ahead of their debuts this season. They announced their respective appointments last year via professional portraits of themselves, each wearing archival pieces from their new employers' houses  Reed choosing a pair of tulle gloves from a 1992 haute couture collection, de Saint Sernin picking six different looks (after having tried on 89) styled by Olivier Rizzo.

Having cut his teeth on the design team at Balmain, 32-year-old de Saint Sernin launched his eponymous brand in 2017, and was nominated for the LVMH Prize the following year. (Ida Petersson, Browns Fashion's buying director of, describes his aesthetic as "in-your-face subtle  very subversive, very sexy, yet elevated.") Meanwhile, Reed had created exuberant stage costumes for Harry Styles and interned with Alessandro Michele at Gucci before he even graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2020.

In the run-up to their Paris Fashion Week debuts, each drummed up anticipation for their new chapters with key celebrity moments. First stop for Reed involved Adele in a custom Nina Ricci dress on stage in Las Vegas, followed by Styles in a velvet tuxedo at the BRIT Awards in London, and Florence Pugh in a dramatic tulle gown at the BAFTAs. (The latter two featured on his Fall 2023 runway for the brand.)

Photo: Imaxtree

Photo: Dominic Lipinski/Getty Images

"We've been praying for new designers to get into these positions," Pierre A. M'Pele, GQ France head of editorial content, said leaving the Ann Demeulemeester show. "Finally, we have new blood."

M'Pele thought de Saint Sernin "brought something super sharp and sexy" to Ann Demeulemeester with this first collection, "and also explored the relationship between the feminine and the masculine, and how the definition of a man can evolve. I think that's super important, as Ann has always been somebody who's breaking boundaries and barriers. Ludovic has done this in his own right."

The buzz surrounding a new designer  especially two as talked-about as de Saint Sernin and Reed  is also a major draw for these heritage houses.

"It just makes them so current," said Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council. "Nina Ricci is a beautiful brand, but probably not front of mind for dressing the most exciting music stars in the world. Reed brings youth and heritage together with his sense of playfulness and exquisite style."

Browns Fashion's Petersson argues that both designers bring "a wonderful no-limits way of thinking," as they "haven't gotten jaded," noting, "Sometimes, if you've been around for a while, you have so much feedback that it starts to impact on how you design."

Ann Demeulemeester Fall 2023. Photo: Imaxtree

Behind the creativity and celebrity currency, there's also a solid business strategy: You can see the looks that stomped the Ann Demeulemeester Fall 2023 runway translating immediately, the longline skirts especially assimilating effortlessly into wardrobes for both day and night. Nina Ricci is more couture-centric, but a commercial collection was actually shown and sold earlier this year  well in advance of Paris Fashion Week.

"The sales went over all of our targets," Reed said. "I really played on how femininity can work in a day-to day-wardrobe." (Look out for the denim, he teases.)

While she acknowledged that the pressure to make an immediate impact is more intense than ever, Petersson applauds these designers for their ability to split their time so successfully. She likened this ability that of the more seasoned Jonathan Anderson, noting that a lot of it comes down to having the support of executives.

And, hopefully, the domino effect brings increased exposure  and sales  to both de Saint Sernin and Reed's own namesake labels. As M'Pele pointed out, "Having the platform of a heritage brand can only help their career and creative visions."

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[Source]

Adeline Rudolph has been cast in the upcoming Hellboy reboot The Crooked Man.

The 28-year-old Hong Kong-born actor, who is of German and Korean descent, is best known for her work in TV series such as "Resident Evil," "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" and Riverdale. She has been cast as the character Bobbie Jo Song in "The Crooked Man."

The film features Deadpool 2 star Jack Kesy as Hellboy and Yellowstone actor Jefferson White as Tom Ferrell, a rookie agent working for the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense.

"The Crooked Man" is set in rural Appalachia in the 1950s and features Hellboy and Ferrell investigating a community haunted by witches. The Crooked Man, a devilish entity who has a connection to Hellboy's past, leads the coven.

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Filmmaker Brian Taylor, best known for his work on the 2011 film Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, will direct the reboot, with filming set to begin in Bulgaria in the coming weeks. Chris Golden and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola penned the script.

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A Southwest Airlines flight was diverted after turbulence that was so bad it caused passengers to vomit and the plane to shake like crazy.

Southwest flight 3094 had its landing at Raleigh in North Carolina aborted at the last moment at a height of around 1,350ft and was diverted to Myrtle Beach in South Carolina because of the bad weather.

The conditions were so poor on the Friday evening flight that one passenger even reportedly passed out as the plane came in for a landing at around 9pm.

And once diverted to Myrtle Beach, the passengers, who had got on the plane in Baltimore, Maryland, say they were stranded for hours overnight in a closed airport until a replacement plane and crew could be sent for them.

It was quite a horrifying experience. We go to land in Raleigh and the plane starts shaking like crazy. Then they decide to tell us 15 minutes later we are going to Myrtle Beach, Nicholas Reed told WNCN.

Once the full Boeing 737 arrived safely in Myrtle Beach the passengers were held onboard for two hours before being allowed off to sit in a deserted terminal for a further four hours.

We couldnt go anywhere because they wouldnt give us our luggage, Mr Reed said. One group of guys found a bar and went behind it and just started pouring themselves drinks  because there was no security.

And he added: Coming into Raleigh they started landing like normal. We had the window open in our seat so we could actually see the ground.

Two people were vomiting pretty close to us. But everyone was pretty silent. I guess they were just in suspense like this could be it, Mr Reed said.

An empty plane eventually reached the group at around 1am on Saturday and they finally reached Raleigh at 4am.

We made the decision to safely divert Southwest flight 3094 (BWI  RDU) to MYR due to weather conditions at RDU. We brought in another crew and aircraft to transport the passengers to their final destination as soon as we were able to safely do so, Southwest said in a statement.
[Source]

On Tuesday, the Taling Chan Criminal Court sentenced a man to two years in jail for the distribution of calendars containing cartoon ducks that allegedly mock Thailands King Maha Vajiralongkorn, also known as Rama X.

The 26-year-old, whom the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) identified as "Ton Mai," sold the Yellow Duck Calendar 2021 through a Facebook page that shared the same name as Thai anti-establishment group Ratsadorn.

While the ducks themselves did not look like the monarch, accompanying phrases and the ducks attire could be interpreted as satirizing the king and his family members, a prosecutor reported.

In one image, a duck can be seen wearing a sash with medallions along with the text No.10, allegedly to represent Rama X. In another, a duck was pictured wearing a black crop top that was similar to one worn by the king in a tabloid photo. In total, the court ruled that six of the calendars photos were made to imitate the king.

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(1/2) BREAKING: Criminal Court on Tues sentenced a man to 2 yrs in jail for defaming king by selling calendars on FB with photos of yellow ducks interpreted as mocking the king. The duck wore a sash with medallians & the word No.10 interpreted as Rama X, said TLHR. #Thailand  Khaosod English (@KhaosodEnglish) March 7, 2023

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Ton Mai was charged under Thailands lese-majeste law, which punishes those convicted of insulting or threatening monarchy members with three to 15 years in prison.

Though he was initially sentenced to three years in jail, the court later reduced it to two years without parole for his cooperation with the courts orders.

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TLHR reported that 233 people have been prosecuted for royal defamation under lese-majeste laws since November 2020.

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Get ready for an all-new look for Toblerone.

Valera Golovniov / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images

Toblerone is moving part of its production facility to Slovakia later this year. And that means, according to Swiss law, its famed Matterhorn logo has got to go.



The Swiss chocolate, infused with honey and chewy bits of almond nougat, has been a Swiss staple for more than 100 years and has proudly displayed the nation's most famous mountain peak on its packaging. However, Mondelez, the owner of the brand, announced it's moving part of its production to Slovakia to cut costs, Quartz reported. And, because it will technically no longer be made in Switzerland, it has to drop its iconic logo.

That's because, the majestic mountain that became a part of the brand in 1970, is a crucial landmark in Switzerland. And as such, coming in direct violation of the Swissness Act.

Related:17 Types of Chocolate Chefs Always Have in Their Pantry

The Swissness legislation was enacted in 2017 to curb imposters from selling counterfeit products. Furthermore, with globalization increasing, Switzerland wanted to preserve products central to its geographic region.

"For legal reasons, the changes we're making to our manufacturing mean we need to adjust our packaging to comply with Swissness legislation," a Mondelez spokesperson told CNN. The spokesperson noted, the brand has removed the mountain and will also change the wording on the label from "Swiss chocolate" to "Established in Switzerland in 1908."

But really, Toblerone is bigger than its Swiss roots anyway. Created by Theodor Tobler in Bern, Switzerland in 1908, the product quickly grew a worldwide fan base. And by 2018, the brand was raking in nearly $400 million in net revenue.

While the taste of the historic chocolate will stay the same, a Mondelez spokesperson told CNN the packaging will include "a distinctive new Toblerone typeface and logo."

Though the brand isn't abandoning Switzerland altogether. A spokesperson shared with USA Today, the product will still partially be made in Bern, adding the company has "invested significantly in Berne over the last five years to modernize the factory, increase productivity and competitiveness, and meet changing consumer needs smarter and faster." Oh, and don't worry. The spokesperson added that the brand will still keep the hidden bear.



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So while Toblerone's current packaging will turn vintage, its Swiss roots and chocolatey pyramids will remain the same.



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Read the original article on Food & Wine.
The 'Today Show' co-anchor is the cover star of 'Southern Living's' annual 'South's Best' issue.

Hoda Kotb has a lot of hopes and dreams for her daughters, and one of them involves the Big Easy, otherwise known as the city of New Orleans.

After living in the famous Louisiana city for six years, the Today Show anchor has a special connection to New Orleans, and she hopes her children feel the same someday.

Kotb, the cover star Southern Magazine's annual "South's Best'" issue, explains in a special double issue why she loves New Orleans so much, and why she wants it to be a part of the lives of her two daughters, Haley, 5, and Hope, 3.

New Orleans has a heartbeat. It is alive. When the city celebrates, we celebrate, and when the city hurts, we hurt. It has a soul. Thats how I would describe New Orleans, the TV personality said in a special video for the feature. "I want Haley and Hope to know that they have another place to call home."

She continued, "I want them to understand that when they get off the plane and they walk into the city, theyre going to get a warm embrace. I want so badly for this to be part of their lives because its such an important part of mine."

View the original article to see embedded media.

The mother-of-two, 58, worked as a local news reporter in New Orleans from 1992 to 1998, before joining NBC News as a correspondent.

But it doesn't matter how much time she spends away, because Kotb always feels at home when she returns to the lively, historical city.

"I want them to have the feeling of eating a warm croissant or a warm beignet, Kotb added. "I want them to know the feeling of a random jazz band popping up in the middle of nowhere and music and people dancing and people not caring what people think. I want them to know that life so [that] they will [come] here their whole lives. And I think its going to end up being a place that they feel like is home.

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Kotb shares her two daughters with ex-fiance Joel Schiffman, who she spent eight years with prior to announcing their split in January 2022.

Kotb has already brought along her girls to explore the magic of New Orleans, including a visit on St. Patrick's Day last year, during which one of her daughters caught an unexpected item while watching the parade: a pair of green satin underwear.

"My children caught underwear. Underwear!" she recalled to the publication, noting that the experience was lighthearted and joyous, nevertheless. "Everything is light in New Orleans. 'Normal' is being free, and dressing the way you want, dancing in the street even if youre the only one, New Orleans celebrates the individual. Its full of characters, and I want my kids to meet them."

Southern Living's "South's Best" issue hits newsstands Friday, March 17.

Next: Hoda Kotb Details Daughter Hope's 'Really Scary' Hospitalization
From left: Arkansas Sens. John Payton and Joshua Bryant

Arkansas is advancing a bill that would criminalize transgender peoples restroom use in certain circumstances, making it the most extreme bathroom bill in the nation.

Senate Bill 270, approved by senators Tuesday and sent to the states House of Representatives, would make it possible to charge a person with misdemeanor sexual indecency with a child if the person enters into and remains in a public changing facility that is assigned to persons of the opposite sex while knowing a minor of the opposite sex is present in the public changing facility, as the bills text states. The charge would be a Class C misdemeanor, punishable with up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $500.

The bill defines sex as a persons immutable biological sex as objectively determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth and public changing facility as without limitation a restroom, bathroom, locker room, or shower room.

There are some exceptions, such as for parents accompanying very young children, emergency responders, and health inspectors.

The Republican-majority Senate voted 19-7 in favor of the bill, with six members not voting and one voting present.

Sen. John Payton, the bills sponsor, called the measure narrowly crafted, the Associated Press reports. I just dont see this as being the bill that stops people from going into the wrong bathroom, he told fellow senators, according to the AP. Hopefully it just limits it to when children are present.

However, Sen. Joshua Bryant, the only Republican voting against the bill, said it doesnt take intent into account. He compared it to charging someone with armed robbery if they took a concealed handgun into a building where its not allowed, the AP reports.

He also pointed out that it would apply even to trans people whove undergone gender-confirmation surgery. I may not understand why they did it, I may not agree with why they did it, but it was their decision as an adult, he said.

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The measure goes much further than the law that North Carolina adopted in 2016, barring trans people from using restrooms matching their gender identity only if the restrooms were on government property. There were no criminal penalties attached. North Carolina received much criticism over that legislation and was subjected to economic boycotts. The law has now been repealed.

Another bathroom bill is advancing in Arkansas. In February, the House approved a bill that would bar trans students at public schools and open-enrollment public charter schools from using the school restrooms and changing rooms corresponding to their gender identity. It awaits action in the Senate.

LGBTQ+ activists objected strongly to the states moves to restrict restroom usage. Miss Major Griffin-Gracy and her partner, Beck Major, both trans, live in Little Rock and have a 2-year-old son. In a few years, they will have to either send him into public restrooms alone or risk charges, if the Senate bill becomes law. Those are two horrible choices for a parent to make, Beck Major told the AP.

Arkansas resident Kathy Brown-Nichols, a self-described butch lesbian, said shes often harassed in restrooms because of her appearance and fears the Senate bill would make it increase. Legislators are putting a big bulls-eye on people that are different, she said.

Cathryn Oakley, state legislative director and senior counsel at the Human Rights Campaign, called the bill an attack on the continued existence in public of transgender people and the criminalization of being transgender in public. At least 17 bills on restroom use have been introduced in 11 states this year.
Washington  A bipartisan group of senators unveiled a bill Tuesday that would give the executive branch new powers to take action against tech companies with ties to foreign adversaries and cut them off from the U.S. market, a measure that would allow the Biden administration to eventually ban Chinese-owned TikTok and other tech products in the name of protecting national security.

The legislation  titled the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act  would apply to technology tied to China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Venezuela that "poses an undue or unacceptable risk" to national security.

"Today everybody is talking about TikTok. But before there was TiKTok, there was Huawei and ZTE. Before that, there was Russia's Kaspersky Labs," Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and one of the bill's lead sponsors, said at the Capitol, referencing previous action to block technology from other Chinese and Russian firms.

"Instead of playing Whac-A-Mole on Huawei one day, ZTE the next, Kaspersky, TikTok, we need a more comprehensive approach to evaluating and mitigating these threats posed by these foreign technologies from these adversarial nations," he added.

TikTok, the massively popular social video platform, has come under fire in recent years from U.S. lawmakers and regulators who have expressed increasingly dire concerns about its Beijing-based parent company ByteDance, and the potential for the Chinese Communist Party to gain access the app's vast trove of user data.

Sen. Mark Warner speaks during news conference with other lawmakers to introduce the RESTRICT Act in the Capitol on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. / Credit: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

The RESTRICT Act would give the Commerce Department tools to mitigate threats from foreign technology companies, including banning them, and create a "rules-based process" aimed at withstanding potential legal challenges, Warner said. It would also encourage the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to declassify some information on why the technology companies posed an unacceptable risk.

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"We've got to have our intelligence community be forward-leaning at being willing to declassify the information about why some of these foreign-based technologies pose national security risks, so we're not just asking the public to trust us," Warner said.

The group, led by Warner and Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, also includes Democratic Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, and Republican Sens. Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Mitt Romney of Utah.

"There are a lot of us that are concerned about privacy," Romney said. "We say, 'Gosh, we don't want the government to know everything we're doing. We want to protect our personal privacy.' Well, one thing a lot worse than having our government infringe on our privacy is having the Chinese Communist Party infringe on our privacy and be able to track us and follow us."

The White House said it backed the legislation, the first time it has formally endorsed a plan that could lead to a ban on TikTok.

"This legislation would empower the United States government to prevent certain foreign governments from exploiting technology services operating in the United States in a way that poses risks to Americans' sensitive data and our national security," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement.

Brooke Oberwetter, a spokesperson for TikTok said in a statement that "the swiftest and most thorough way to address any national security concerns about TikTok is for [the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States] to adopt the proposed agreement that we worked with them on for nearly two years."

"We have been waiting for CFIUS to finalize our agreement for over six months now, while our status has been debated in public in a way that is divorced from the facts of that agreement and what we've achieved already," Oberwetter said. "We will continue to do our part to deliver a comprehensive national security plan for the American people."

Last week, the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted along party lines on a separate bill that would allow President Biden to ban TikTok. House Democrats on the committee voted against it, citing concerns about unintended consequences and the legislation's scope.

The Senate and House voted last year to ban the app from government devices, and the White House recently gave agencies 30 days to implement the ban.

TikTok has defended its handling of user data and said it does not share data with the Chinese government. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is set to testify to Congress later this month.

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CHILLICOTHE  Two Chillicothe men recently met with the Ohio House Civil Justice Committee to tell their individual stories of sexual assault by Boy Scout leaders in hopes of changing the rules for victim compensation.

On Feb. 28, Chillicothe natives Seth Porter and Eric Palmer urged lawmakers to remove Ohio's civil statute of limitations in these cases.

"My story, unfortunately, is not unique at all. In fact, it's far too common," Porter said. "Several Ohio men with similar stories have banded together to support each other and help drive meaningful changes to the restrictive laws that serve to protect the pedophiles and perpetrators of child sex crimes."

Last year marked the ending of the largest sexual abuse case against a single organization in American history, with the Boy Scouts of America granting $2.46 billion to survivors, nearly 2,000 of which are from Ohio.

However, the amount of money victims are eligible for depends on multiple factors, including where they live. Survivors in Ohio can only recover a percentage of what's owed to them. Per the settlement rules, Ohio's current law would limit survivors to 30% to 45% of what they're eligible for.

House Bill 35, also known as the Scout's Honor Law, would scrap Ohio's civil statute of limitations for child sex abuse in bankruptcy cases, allowing survivors to recoup the total amount owed to them.

"For many of us, we feel like we're being abused again," Porter said. "You have the ability to change the law and put Ohio's victims on the same level as other states. That window to change the law is closing. I urge you to support House Bill 35."

The settlement gave Ohio lawmakers until September to enact changes.

Victims in Chillicothe

In 2017, former Westerville teacher Dan Burris was sentenced to 14 years in prison for raping and molesting boys he met at Boy Scout camp. Porter said he was one of Burris' victims and the assault happened while under the supervision of Bill McKell.

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In 2020, the Chillicothe Police Department was released a 13-page report concerning McKell, a former Ohio Boy Scout leader and pastor, who was facing allegations of sexual abuse from multiple minor victims in the 1980s and '90s. The report came about after Palmer came forward.

"My experience was in line with what a majority of studies of child sexual abuse show," said Palmer to the Gazette in 2020. "For a lot of reasons - fear, self-blame, doubt, all of those are reasons I didn't come forward as a kid."

McKell admitted to being a child molester in a since-deleted Facebook post. However, he was never charged.

Megan Becker is a reporter for the Chillicothe Gazette. Call her at 740-349-1106, email her at mbecker@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter @BeckerReporting

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Former Chillicothe Boy Scouts advocate for Scout's Honor Law
The former leader of the Salvation Army in Alexandria is back in jail after being extradited from Alabama. He faces felony charges of home invasion and out-of-state bail jumping in relation to his February 2020 arrest by the Pineville Police Department.

The former head of the Salvation Army in Alexandria is back in jail, and prosecutors want to keep him there.

Glenn Lee Riggs was arrested by the Pineville Police Department on a charge of home invasion on Feb. 16, 2020. He was formally charged with the felony on June 30, 2020.

He allegedly broke into the home of a woman he had been sexually harassing at work, according to claims in a lawsuit the victim filed against him and the organization in August 2020.

The lawsuit details abuse that began with inappropriate nicknames and texts that escalated to unwanted touching. The lawsuit claims Riggs threatened the woman with knives and a handgun.

It states he went to her home on two days in February 2020 and, on the second day, pushed past her mother to confront her and ask her why she hadn't returned his calls. It also alleges he threatened to take her outside and shoot her.

The lawsuit initially was filed in the 9th Judicial District Court but was transferred to federal court. The case was settled out of court by April 2021.

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Riggs, 66, was to have been arraigned on the criminal charge in November 2020, but he didn't show for his arraignment in district court. A warrant was issued for his arrest, but the case was dormant until early this year when Riggs was found living in Alabama, according to online court documents.

Jail records show Riggs' address as being in Athens, Alabama, a community outside Huntsville and not far from Tennessee.

A motion filed by the Rapides Parish District Attorney's Office that seeks to increase or revoke Riggs' bond states he waived extradition back to Alexandria after he was found in Alabama. Riggs was booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center #1 on Jan. 10.

His current bond on those charges, including a contempt of court charge, is $21,500.

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The next day, he was arrested on a warrant charging him with one felony count of out-of-state bail jumping.

Riggs was in court Wednesday for a pretrial conference and the motion to increase or revoke bond filed by Rapides Parish Assistant District Attorney Gerald Weeks, but those were continued until April 10.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Ex-Salvation Army head accused in Pineville home invasion back in jail
State police officers keep watch at the scene where authorities found the bodies of two of four Americans kidnapped by gunmen, in Matamoros, Mexico, March 7, 2023 (REUTERS)

"Ma, Ill be okay." That was what 33-year-old Latavia "Tay" Washington McGee told her mother on Wednesday 1 March before setting off on the roughly 1,500 mile journey to Mexico to visit a medical clinic.

Two days later, Washington McGee and the three friends accompanying her were ambushed and kidnapped in the border town of Matamoros by gunmen believed to be part of a Mexican criminal cartel.

The trip ended in tragedy, with one Mexican bystander and two of the Americans killed while Washington McGee and the other survivor were returned safely to the US. Mexican police have arrested at least one suspect who allegedly surveilled the victims before the attack.

It is a stark warning to the early one million Americans who are estimated to visit Mexico for medical care every year, often in border towns where violence between rival cartels is particularly dire.

"There has been increased violence in the last several months," Ken Bombace, a former US military intelligence officer who now provides bodyguards for travellers, tells The Independent.

"The unstable situation with migration and fentanyl transport at the border has created a very dangerous environment... I would avoid travel to Mexico right now if it can in any way be avoided  especially in the north."

The kidnappings come after a string of other incidents in which foreign travellers were killed or tangled up in conflict between rival gangs, as well as a far greater number of murders and "disappearances" targeting Mexican civilians.

Experts say that specific areas of Mexico remain broadly safe for tourists, with popular travel spots such as Yucatan state, Mexico City, and the city of Monterey posing little danger while states with a heavy cartel presence such as Sinaloa and Jalisco are best avoided.

The US State Department currently warns Americans not to travel to Matamoros and its surrounding state of Tamaulipas due to "crime and kidnapping", with all but one other border state classified as "reconsider travel".

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But that may not be so easy for travellers visiting a specific medical clinic, especially if their reason for doing so in the first place is because they can't afford healthcare in the US.

"It's economics," University of Texas immigration professor Nestor Rodriguez told BBC News. "Medicines and services are cheaper in Mexico, especially dental procedures. You can get your teeth cleaned or an implant for a fraction of the cost of what you get in the US."

So how safe is Mexico today for tourists, including so-called medical tourists?

A formerly calm border city consumed by cartel civil wars

Shortly after crossing the border on Friday 3 March, Washington McGee called her mother Barbara Burgess to say she and her friends were 15 minutes away from her clinic.

Burgess, 54, told ABC News that her daughter had travelled from their home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to get a tummy tuck in Mexico, her second such trip. She was joined by her cousin Shaeed Woodard and friends Zindell Brown and Eric Williams.

What happened next is unclear, but a family friend told CNN that the group had got lost and contacted their clinic asking for directions. Not long afterwards, a gunman opened fire on their vehicle, and they were subsequently removed and loaded into a truck by armed men in body armour.

US investigators reportedly believe that gangsters mistook Washington McGee and her friends, who are Black, for Haitian drug smugglers.

Such incidents are all too common in Tamaulipas, where the US State Department says criminal gangs often stop cars and buses to capture the passengers and demand ransom payments.

"Heavily armed members of criminal groups often patrol areas of the state and operate with impunity particularly along the border region from Reynosa to Nuevo Laredo," says the State Department. "In these areas, local law enforcement has limited capacity to respond to incidents of crime."

According to Jose Andres Sumano Rodriguez, a Mexican professor specialising in border violence at the College of the Northern Border, these latest attackers are thought to be members of a criminal group known as the Scorpions, linked to the powerful but now splintered Gulf Cartel.

Once upon a time, Matamoros was relatively peaceful due to its domination by the Gulf Cartel, which allegedly infiltrated the Tamaulipas state government at a high level. Texan students would often visit the city for spring break blowouts, according to the Associated Press.

But the death of drug lord Samuel Flores Borrego in 2011 set off a power struggle between rival factions that continues to this day. More than 6,000 people have disappeared in the state of Tamaulipas, and mass graves have reportedly been found near a local beach called the Playa Bagdad.

Hence, the Scorpions regularly clash with two other Gulf splinter gangs, the Northeast Cartel and Los Metros, Andres Sumano says. The main criminal industries are drug trafficking, human trafficking, and extortion.

"In Tamaulipas, you have an important fragmentation in organised crime groups... with a new government that seems like it's still a little bit confused and doesn't know exactly how to respond to this type of situation," he tells The Independent.

"Usually, more criminal competition with low state capacity will [lead to] higher violence and high crime, and this is what has happened in Tamaulipas."

Worse, Andres Sumano says the election of a new state governor last year, which dislodged the existing protection agreements and other relationships between criminal gangs and local officials. The previous governor is in a long-running constitutional dispute with federal authorities over allegations of corruption.

Meanwhile, Bombace says that the arrest of Sinaloa Cartel capo Ovidio "The Mouse" Guzman Lopez, the son of notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, has set off violent reprisals throughout the state of Sinaloa, with gunmen even opening fire on a passenger airliner at Culiacan International Airport.

A previous attempt at arresting Guzman Lopez failed in 2019 when when government troops were besieged and forced to flee by a massive cartel force. One of the officers involved was reportedly murdered the following month.

How safe are other parts of Mexico?

Ask Mexico's president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and he would tell you that Mexico is very much open for business. In 2021, responding to a series of attacks on foreign travellers, he formed a new "Tourist Security Battalion" comprising 1,445 officers from the National Guard military police force he created two years earlier.

In a televised phone call with Tamaulipas's new governor on Tuesday, Lopez Obrador said this latest tragedy will be seized by the American media to portray Mexico as a dangerous country, in stark contrast with their "silence when Mexicans are killed in the US".

During a press conference, he added: "We continue to work every day towards peace, and are very sorry that this has happened in our country."

Experts consulted by The Independent say that the danger to tourists differs sharply between Mexico's 32 states and federal jurisdictions.

"It's not everywhere. It's in very specific areas," Alejandro Hope, a security analyst and former member of Mexico's National Intelligence Centre, told The Independent last August after a recent week of violence along the US border.

"It's really highly unlikely that any tourist will face something like this, but still, the risk is there and will be there for a while."

Brad Bonnell, a forensic consultant and former head of global security for the Intercontinental Hotels Group, which owns the Intercontinental and Crown Plaza chains, likewise said last year that "lot of the fear is unreasonable fear, and a lot of the risks can be mitigated through intelligence".

Even Dan Howell, a travel agent in Cincinnati, Ohio who was forced to take shelter during a 2021 trip to Cancun when gunfire broke out between rival drug dealers, said he does not plan to stop visiting Mexico and that bookings for the so-called "Mayan Riviera" had not slowed down.

Bombace, who provides travel protection services through his company Global Threat Solutions, was more pessimistic, saying last year: "Until recently, my advice has been that I definitely wouldnt cancel my trip to Mexico because of reports of violence.

"However, it seems that the violence between cartels has been increasingly spilling into the areas most often visited by tourists... and tourists have even fallen victim to feuding gang members in areas that were often thought to be off limits to the cartels, such as hotels, resorts and restaurants."

What about visiting medical clinics in border states?

The situation is murkier for those visiting one of the many Mexican medical clinics that specialise in catering to foreigners, which are often located near the US border.

The Mexican Council for the Medical Tourism Industry estimates that almost one million Americans visit Mexico for healthcare every year. The advocacy group Patients Beyond Borders likewise said in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, that about 800,000 to a million Americans made such trips, with roughly 75 per cent seeking dental or cosmetic care.

The reason is simple: a dental procedure that costs $25,000 in Florida can be reduced to just $7,000 in Mexico, with similar price reductions for cosmetic treatments, according to The New York Times.

Other Americans have crossed the border in search of insulin  an essential drug for people with type 1 diabetes that is sometimes unaffordable in the US even with health insurance. One such traveller told Kaiser Health News in 2019 that they had paid $600 in the border city of Tijuana for a supply that would have been $3,700 in Los Angeles.

In Tamaulipas, the roads leading south from the state's two main border crossings are lined with dentistry offices and hotels. For some border towns, foreign healthcare is a major industry.

Andres Sumano says criminals in Mexico rarely target tourists deliberately because the risks far outweigh the benefits. "Usually, when [gangsters] see someone that isn't recognisable, or from other areas, or something strange, they stop the car and ask questions, trying to find out who they are and what they're doing there. It's not the natural thing to go and attack," he says.

"If by some accident they happen to kidnap an American citizen, the most probable thing is that they will take him to banks, have him take money out of his account, and let him free. They know the implications of doing more than that."

Even so, some US travellers now change their vehicle's licence plate to a Mexican one after they enter the country so as to avoid the kind of attention that Washington McGee and her friends inadvertently attracted.

"If you cross the border, you know to go directly to your destination," Nestor Rodriguez, the immigration professor, told BBC News. "I stopped going."

The State Department says those who do travel in unsafe areas should keep their family or friends back home informed at all times; share their GPS location and photos of any taxi licence plates if they travel alone; use toll roads where possible; avoid driving at night; be cautious in bars, nightclubs, and casinos; and display no signs of wealth such as expensive watches or jewelry.

Another option would be to choose a clinic in a major city in one of Mexico's safer states and to fly there rather than drive, if you can afford to do so.

Brad Bonnell also advises US citizens to register with the State Department's Smart Traveller Enrollment Programme (STEP), which sends out regular bulletins about safety risks in the area you're visiting and helps US embassies and consulates track and search for citizens who run into trouble.

"There is an unbelievable amount of information available to you about the risks, whether it's from disease, crime, threat of civil disturbances," he told The Independent last year. "You can have your own personal intelligence-led security strategy...

"It's incumbent upon us take some responsibility not to put ourselves in harm's way. Or if we have to go someplace where know there might be an element of risk, to take reasonable precautions to mitigate those risks."
Fox News host Geraldo Rivera joked that some of his colleagues on The Five were using cocaine while the group laughed over a chyron that read "brutal cartel kidnapping."

During Fox News' The Five, the hosts were discussing the recent kidnapping of four Americans who crossed into Mexico. Shortly after the group drove across the Texas border they were attacked and stopped by gunmen, who then took them hostage.

Two of the Americans were found dead by Mexican authorities. LaTavia Washington McGee, Eric Williams, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown were visiting Mexico from South Carolina so that Ms Washington McGee could receive a medical procedure.

Mr Woodard and Mr Brown had been killed.

The kidnapping is believed to have been a case of mistaken identity. A US official told CNN the gunmen mistook the friends for a group of Haitian drug smugglers.

The surviving members of the group, including the mother of six who was seeking the medical procedure, were found at a home in Mexico and have been returned to the US.

On The Five, the hosts discussed Mexican drug cartels. This eventually led Mr Rivera to insisting he was "never into cocaine," adding it was "unlike some sitting at this table."

He then appears to realise what he has just said on live television and awkwardly motions in a way suggesting he wants to walk back the comment or that it was just a joke.

Host Jesse Watters then diffused the situation by saying "yeah Dana," and calling her "Snow White," playing on Mr Rivera's accusations and jokingly accusing another host, Dana Perino, of using cocaine. Mr Rivera laughs throughout the exchange as Ms Perino plays along, claiming she "never got caught."

This all occurred while a chyron reading Brutal Cartel Kidnapping and 2 Americans abducted in Mexico found dead, 2 rescued covered the lower third of the screen.

It's not the first time Mr Rivera has been associated with cocaine. In 1987, he testified to working with the Broward County Sheriff's Office in a sting operation to catch suspected drug dealers. The operation led to the arrests and convictions of three individuals who tried to sell him cocaine.

Hidden camera footage of the exchange was used in special report produced by Mr Rivera, leading defense attorneys for the drug dealers to claim the production element of the sting  like Mr Rivera allegedly pressuring police to rush through the arrest process due to a dying battery in the hidden camera  infringed on the defendants' rights, according to the Associated Press.
Darren Ellwein, the school principal at South Middle School in Harrisburg, was named the Middle School Principal of the Year by the South Dakota Association of Secondary School Principals this year.

Ellwein previously taught special education and social studies before working in administration in the Lennox School District for seven years and at South Middle School for the past 10 years.

In college, he first studied pharmacy, then nursing, thinking he would follow in his mothers footsteps, as she served as a nurse in the Yankton area for more than 40 years.

More:Sioux Falls School District names George Hawkins as Teacher of the Year

But one day on campus at Augustana University, Ellwein saw an advertisement for an opportunity to serve as a lunch and playground supervisor at Laura Wilder Elementary School.

Darren Ellwein, principal at South Middle School, poses for portraits on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Harrisburg.

All of a sudden I started realizing, I love working with kids, and kids were kind of gravitating toward me at times as they got to know me, he said of the experience. I was just really good with those connections, which is probably why Im in middle school, because middle schoolers need relationships more than anything else.

A day in the life of a principal is very varied, he explains. Some days include conflict management with parents, students and staff; building trust; representing the school; and, sometimes, hectic mornings.

In his role as principal, hes been able to oversee the introduction of a maker space into the school building within the last nine years, implementation of a flexible schedule in the last six or seven years, and transition to more technology-based learning.

That last transition recently earned the school the title of being an Apple Distinguished School, meaning they demonstrated Apples vision for learning with the use of Apple technology. Its the only Apple Distinguished School in the state.

More:'I prayed for that cat every night': How a 14-year-old cat connected two South Dakotans

South Middle School features flexible schedules for students, who are able to pick the offerings and classes they need each morning and sign up for them on their iPads.

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Darren Ellwein, principal at South Middle School, checks in on eighth graders Connor Albers and Caleb Bachmeier as they fly drones on Friday, March 1, 2023, in Harrisburg.

We really base it a lot on just empowering the kids to make decisions for themselves with an adult structure, he said.

The maker space, for example, resonated with a thread of students at SMS and allowed some students to showcase their unique skills, Ellwein said.

But the best part of Ellweins day is when he can be with kids, see their creativity and visit with them. For that, lunch might be his favorite part of the day.

I want (people) to understand, we really do have the best intentions of every kid at heart, he said of school principals. We dont let one bad experience cloud how we feel about someone. Theres always a second chance.

He said the job can also be emotionally taxing, as theres a lot of pressure on education now, even with crazy bot calls or other types of crises.

More:School board finalizes 2 boundary changes: one at Renberg, one at Rosa Parks

Youre constantly having to think about yourself and trying to be prepared for something thats going to come up right away, he said. There are some really hard days. Unfortunately you see some very difficult things that families go through, and thats reflected in how the kids are in school. That can be really hard to try not to take it with you, but yet thats why youre in this job.

Darren Ellwein, principal at South Middle School, chats with students in the hallway between classes on Friday, March 3, 2023, in Harrisburg.

Ellweins main focuses as principal are school culture, personal relationships with student and staff, and professional development, according to a press release announcing Ellweins achievement.

He says the most rewarding part of his job is getting to see kids smiles, and see them grow to be empowered.

I think we get the best feedback from our kids, Ellwein said. I try to do that quite often. At the end of the year, just asking them, Do you feel like youre a part of a family? I think thats the ultimate goal you can get from kids, when they feel like theyre in the family.

Ellwein will be honored for his accomplishment at the South Dakota Principals Conference in June at the Deadwood Lodge and at the National Association of Secondary School Principals Conference in Denver, Colorado in July.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Why this Harrisburg educator was named Middle School Principal of the Year
In 2021, Harry Styles unveiled the Banana Song onstage in Nashville, Tenn., warping the lyrics to Watermelon Sugar to shout out a fan in the audience dressed as, you guess it, a banana.

The sweet moment turned into a hilarious inside joke among Styles fans, affectionately known as Harries, who since then, often go to his shows dressed as various produce to catch the Grammy winners attention.

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On Tuesday (Mar. 7), it worked. While performing at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand, Styles broke out into the Banana Song once again after spotting a few fans dressed as the yellow fruit. Shes dressed as a banana / Shes dressed as a banana / Aye, aye aye, hes seen singing joyfully in a viral video posted by a fan to TikTok. Styles then sees a few more banana-dressed attendees and sings, Theres two more bananas / Aye, aye, aye / One, two, three, four bananas / I can see a fifth banana.

The Banana Song soon got an extended remix, thanks to some veggies in the audience. Theres two people dressed up as peas / Theres two people dressed up as peas, he sings, pointing to fans. Is there anyone dressed as an aubergine? / Is there anyone dressed as an aubergine? / No, no, no, theres not, theres not an aubergine.

Styles has just recently wrapped his Love on Tour dates in Australia and New Zealand, and will be heading to Asia in the next few weeks, stopping in Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea, Japan and more.

Watch the 2023 edition of the Banana Song below.

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A group poses at Nocterra Brewing to celebrate All Places, a beer collaboration for International Womens Day.

Women from 18 Ohio breweries came together at Nocterra Brewing Co. in Powell to brew a beer in honor of International Women's Day on Wednesday.

The beer, a strawberry rhubarb Berliner Weisse, is named "All Places," inspired by a quote from the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:

"Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn't be that women are the exception."

Representing some of Ohio's most popular breweries, including Seventh Son Brewing Co., Great Lakes Brewing Co., Rhinegeist Brewery and Wolf's Ridge Brewery, the group also included Hocking College and the Ohio Craft Brewers Association.

The beer will be available on draft at Nocterra and several of the participating breweries, with 6-packs available for carryout at Nocterra. A portion of beer sales will benefit the Women's City Club of Delaware.

Nocterra Brewing:Powell beer-maker planning taproom and restaurant in Brewery District

Women from multiple Columbus area breweries have collaborated for International Women's Day since 2016 as part of a larger annual initiative that encourages women all over the world to create a special beer on or near the holiday.

The initiative was driven by a desire to recognize the contributions of women in the beer industry and to highlight the importance of women's participation in decision-making roles.

The All Places collaboration isn't the only brew to be released on International Women's Day, as several Ohio craft breweries are planning beer releases this year.

Ill Mannered Brewing in Powell has released Who Run the World Vol. 5 hazy IPA and a special fruited variant, sold on draft and in 4-packs with some proceeds to benefit the nonprofit POEM, or Perinatal Outreach and Encouragement for Moms and birthing parents.

Combustion Brewery will release Little Boots session IPA, the first of their two International Womens Day beers, on Wednesday at their taprooms in Pickerington and Clintonville. The second, Big Boots double IPA, will be released on March 30.

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The beers feature the Yakima Chief Pink Boots hop blend. Boots Society partners with Yakima for the annual fundraiser, which benefits Pink Boots Society's mission to support the advancement of women in the brewery industry.

And breweries across the state, including Columbus Brewing Company, will hold staff women's brew days on Wednesday. The beer CBC brews that day will be released on draft in late March or early April.

A non-comprehensive list can be found on the Ohio Craft Brewers Association's website.

Women's History Month:Meet the YWCA Columbus Women on the Rise

tmoorman@dispatch.com

@taijuannichole

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio breweries to release International Women's Day beers
Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes and Ismael Zambada Garcia. If you dont know their names, you should. They should be as recognizable as Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein or Pablo Escobar.

These men and the cartels they command are responsible for killing tens of thousands of Americans every year. They live and operate right in our backyard and have more control and influence over the security of our border with Mexico than the U.S. government.

These men lead two of the most dangerous Mexican drug cartels  the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Sinaloa Cartel. The cartels are well-armed and well-funded. They are not street gangs. In fact, they act more like the Islamic State terrorist organization than the mob.

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In January, the Mexican military arrested Ovidio Guzman  son of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel leader known as El Chapo. The arrest played out like the battles we saw for years in the Middle East between government armed forces and terrorist groups.

The Sinaloa Cartel, equipped with .50 caliber machine guns and armored vehicles, killed 10 Mexican soldiers and injured dozens. Thousands of Mexican soldiers were involved, and the operation was finally completed after days of intense warfare in the streets of Culiacan, Mexico.

A truck burns on a street in Culiacan, Mexico, on Jan. 5, 2023. Mexican security forces captured Ovidio Guzman, son of the infamous Sinaloa drug lord known as "El Chapo," in a predawn operation.

But unlike the battles with ISIS and al-Qaida, this did not happen in a distant land. It happened just south of our border.

The cartel-fueled violence can easily spill into the United States and threaten American lives, and thats exactly what has happened.

Cartels overwhelm communities on the border

Border communities are increasingly overwhelmed by the influx of migrants who must pay a toll to the cartels to facilitate their crossing. Cartel members wearing camouflage and carrying long guns are regularly spotted on both sides of the border.

What's the endgame?: White House is fine with the chaos it created at the border

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Inaptitude and indecision: Biden's new immigration policy has something for everyone to hate

On Tuesday, two of the four Americans kidnapped last week in the border city of Matamoros were found dead and two others were rescued. Mexican authorities say the Americans, reportedly visiting Mexico for a medical procedure, were caught in a fight between rival cartels.

Earlier this year, six people, including a baby, were murdered in California because of cartel-related activity.

But the greatest threat to American lives is the newest product from these cartels: fentanyl. Using chemical precursors from China, the cartels manufacture this narcotic that is up to 100 times more powerful than morphine.

They take advantage of and facilitate the chaos at our border so they can traffic fentanyl into America with ease.

Fentanyl kills thousands of Americans each year

Due to its highly addictive properties, it is laced into street drugs like oxycontin, cocaine, heroin and even Adderall or Xanax. The result is deadly, killing more than 70,000 Americans a year.

This isnt a traditional drug problem that can be solved with addiction treatment. This is a deliberate poisoning of Americans.

We must fight back: Fentanyl crisis is an international attack on America

Fentanyl kills more young Americans than COVID: The underlying causes should worry us all

Every day, we read horrific stories of young people who  without their knowledge  took a fentanyl-laced drug and died. We see the faces of innocent children targeted by fentanyl dealers on apps like Snapchat.

Last year, the Drug Enforcement Administration seized enough fentanyl to kill every single American  379 million doses. This isnt isolated to border states like Texas. Its turning up in the deepest pockets of the country.

We need to target these narco-terrorists on all fronts  financially, with increased criminal penalties and even militarily. Ive proposed several pieces of legislation that would do just that, including an Authorization for the Use of Military Force against the cartels, which I introduced with Rep. Mike Waltz.

We also need to hit their wallets. Thats why I introduced the Declaring War on the Cartels Act, which would seize the cartels assets. My bill would also sanction and deny aid to foreign governments that coordinate with cartels or do not take the necessary action to stop cartel activity in their own countries  Mexico is an obvious example.

It would also authorize increased punishment for anyone convicted of aiding cartel-related crimes by adding up to 20 years to their sentence, and naturalized citizens could lose their citizenship if they are convicted.

Fight against cartels should be bipartisan effort

This is an enemy every American should want to defeat. Every policymaker, regardless of their political affiliation, should be joining legislation like mine. Unlike the border crisis or immigration reform, taking on this common enemy is not inherently partisan.

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In a closely divided Congress, opportunities for bipartisan cooperation are rare. We should seize them whenever possible. Stopping the Mexican drug cartels from killing Americans offers a unique opportunity for immediate bipartisanship.

We should not let this chance to save American lives pass us by.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, is a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

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: How US can fight Mexican drug cartels killing Americans with fentanyl
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Thats Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to you.

News broke on Wednesday that Prince Harry and Meghan Markles two childrensixth and seventh in line to the British throne, respectivelyare using their royal titles.

A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed that Princess Lilibet Diana was christened on March 3 by the archbishop of Los Angeles. People reported that King Charles III, Queen Camilla, as well as Prince William and Princess Kate, both of Wales, all received invites to the event but did not attend.

An unnamed source told the magazine there were between 20 and 30 guests at Fridays ceremony. They included Lilibets godfather, Tyler Perry, and maternal grandmother, Doria Ragland.

Why Is This Significant?

Technically, Archie and Lilibet became prince and princess upon the September 2022 death of Queen Elizabeth II and their grandfather King Charles immediate ascent to the throne. However, before Wednesday, it was unknown if Harry and Meghan would choose to use the titles for their children.

The couple notably stepped down as working members of the royal family in January 2020 and moved to the United States. In a March 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, they detailed the lack of support and lack of understanding they felt within the family. Meghan also revealed she contemplated suicide while pregnant with Archie. And earlier this month, Harry and Meghan were asked to vacate their Frogmore Cottage home in Britain, suggesting a further divide between the couple and the monarchy.

It is still unknown whether Harry and Meghan will attend King Charles coronation on May 6, which is Archies fourth birthday.

Who Are Archie and Lilibet?

Prince Archie

Getty Images

Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor is the first child of Harry and Meghan and was born on May 6, 2019, at the private Portland Hospital in Westminster. The 3-year-old is the first member of the British royal family to be born with Black ancestry and to an American mother.

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Archie is a less formal variation of Archibald, which means genuine or bold. In a BBC article from 2019, the managing editor of Majesty royal magazine, Joe Little, said he was unaware of any British royal connections with the name. However, it was No. 18 on the list of the top 100 boys names in England and Wales in 2017, according to Time, and the choice was an apparent attempt to make the royal family sound more relatable.

Harrison comes from an English surname that means son of Harry.



At his birth, Archie was seventh in the line of succession to the British crown but moved up to sixth upon Queen Elizabeths death and Charles ascension.

Princess Lilibet

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born on June 6, 2021, at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California.

She is named after Queen Elizabeth, who was called Lilibet during childhood, and the late Princess Diana of Wales, Harrys mother who was killed in an automobile accident in Paris in 1997.

Similar to her brother, Lili moved up in line for the throne, from eighth to seventh, following the queens death.
[Source]

Theodore "Ted" Shigeru Kanamine, the U.S. Armys first-ever Japanese American general, died on Thursday at 93.

According to Kanamines daughter Linda, the former active duty general died of lung cancer at Linda's home in Naples, Florida.

Kanamine, who spent almost 27 years serving the Army, was born on Aug. 29, 1929, to Japanese immigrants and was sent to an incarceration camp in Jerome, Arkansas, with his parents and younger sister at the age of 12, according to The Washington Post.

Although he was forced to leave his home in California behind, Kanamine joined the Army and became the most patriotic human being you could imagine, Linda told The Post. She also shared that her father never complained and never disparaged his country or the government.

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Throughout his decades-long career, Kanamine notably received several honors, including two awards of the Legion of Merit, two awards of the Meritorious Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal and the Bronze Star Medal.

Despite his numerous accolades, Kanamine considered commanding soldiers in war to be the highlight of his career, as told to his family. He reflected on being given command of the 716th MP Battalion, which provided security to Saigon, as well as serving as an aide-de-camp to Gen. Creighton W. Abrams during the Vietnam War in the late 1960s.

He notably moved 21 times while in the Army, ultimately becoming a brigadier general in 1976. That year, he made history by becoming the Army's first Japanese American general.

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Kanamine's Army career began after he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Military Police Corps (MP) in 1955.

The year prior, he had graduated from the University of Nebraskas law school and married Mary Stuben, a fellow graduate. At the time, Nebraska barred interracial marriage, so the pair got married in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

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Following his time in the Army, Kanamine and Mary retired to Florida in 1981. He joined the American Red Cross in St. Lucie County, serving as its disaster chairperson.

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In addition to his wife, Kanamine leaves behind their two daughters Linda and Laura; their three sons Ted, Michael, and David; their 12 grandchildren and their 12 great-grandchildren.

Kanamine is currently in the care of Hodges Funeral Home at Naples Memorial Gardens.

A viewing will take place at the funeral home from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, while a funeral mass at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church will occur in Naples at 11 a.m. on Monday. Kanamine will be buried with full military honors at Sarasota Veterans National Cemetery on March 14 at 2 p.m.

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State Rep. Mauree Turner, D-Oklahoma City, speaks to a transgender rights rally inside the state Capitol in early February.

The Oklahoma House of Representatives censured Oklahoma City state Rep. Mauree Turner on Tuesday, a week after a transgender rights protester sought refuge in Turner's Capitol office following an altercation with state troopers.

According to statements made on the House floor and media reports about the incident last week, a protester threw water on Tahlequah Republican state Rep. Bob Ed Culver after the House passed legislation that would ban insurance coverage of trans health care and prohibit gender-affirming care for minors.

That individual was arrested on suspicion of assault, and troopers with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol tried to locate another person who allegedly interfered with the arrest. Troopers discovered the second person had gone into Turner's office, said state Rep. Anthony Moore, R-Clinton.

Moore, who presented the censure motion, said that Turner refused to let the troopers see their suspect. Only after House leadership intervened did Turner unlock the door and let the troopers inside the office.

"The actions willfully taken by Rep. Turner, without question, rise to the level of criminal. We are not made better by protecting those that assault our troopers," Moore said, drawing immediate rebuke from Turner's Democratic colleagues.

House Speaker Charles McCall also indicated in a news release issued immediately after the party-line vote that Turner may have committed a crime.

"This member knowingly, and willfully, impeded a law enforcement investigation, harboring a fugitive and repeatedly lying to officers, and used their official office and position to thwart attempts by law enforcement to make contact with a suspect of the investigation," McCall wrote in the news release.

State Rep. Mauree Turner, D-Oklahoma City, speaks to a transgender rights rally inside the state Capitol in early February.

Turner, however, has not been charged with a crime. Trooper Eric Foster, a spokesman for the highway patrol, said the agency hasn't recommended charges to the district attorney and only sent information about the incident to the district attorney.

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Turner and members of the House Democratic Caucus said Tuesday's censure motion came as a surprise, since no one, not even law enforcement, had followed up with Turner about the incident.

"What happened last week in my office was the same thing that happens all the time," Turner said during debate on the censure motion. "People do not feel represented or protected by the people in this (Legislature). They come to find refuge in my office. They come to decompress from the most stressful times."

State Rep. Mauree Turner, D-Oklahoma City, speaks with an assistant inside her office in this 2021 file photo.

Along with being publicly reprimanded with a censure, Turner will be stripped of all committee assignments unless they apologize.

"For me personally, I think an apology for loving the people of Oklahoma is something that I cannot do. It's something I actively refuse to do," Turner said at a news conference after the censure vote. "I'll never apologize for showing up fully and freely as myself. I will never apologize for allowing the people of Oklahoma to show up fully and freely as themselves. Because that is the work that they elected me to do."

Turner has served as a state representative in House District 88 since 2021. The district encompasses part of northwest Oklahoma City west of the state Capitol building. As the Oklahoma Legislature's first openly nonbinary member, Turner has been an outspoken voice for the LGBTQ+ community.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: After transgender protest incident, state House censures OKC lawmaker
Since the 2020 elections, Arizona has been ground zero for wild conspiracy theories about supposed voter fraud leading to Joe Bidens victory. The claims gripped state Republicans to the point that nearly the entire slate of GOP midterm candidates for statewide office last year consisted of election deniers. To this day, Kari Lake, who lost the governors race, maintains that she is actually Arizonas governor now.

Even after getting washed out in the midterms, state Republicans cant quit these outlandish theories  and now, it has thrown the party into chaos. For the past two weeks, Republicans have faced wild accusations of bribery, money laundering and election fixing  from their own supporters. Their conspiracy theories involve a cast of bad guys ranging from a Mexican drug cartel to the Mormon mafia.

The allegations are all thanks to John Thaler and Jacqueline Breger. He is a lawyer with a suspended license; she is a Farmers Insurance agency owner and Thalers girlfriend and investigative partner. State Rep. Liz Harris invited the largely unknown couple to give a half-hour of unsworn testimony before a joint hearing of the state House and Senates election committees on Feb. 23, which, as Harris said during the hearing, was meant to figure out what it is we need to do to ensure that the voters of Arizona are confident for all future elections.

Instead, during her testimony, Breger accused everyone from state officeholders to judges, prosecutors and court-appointed medical health care advisers of accepting bribes from a criminal enterprise.

Given that Arizona is a border state and that drug smuggling and human trafficking is a billion-dollar business, it would appear that having our elected and appointed officials ensure that the cartel enterprise remains open for business would be paramount, she said, setting off a firestorm that is still burning weeks later. The cartel will invest substantially to ensure that the right people are in key positions so as to further their objectives.

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Following Bregers appearance  Thaler left the state months earlier due to fears about his safety, he says  the two became instant celebrities among election conspiracy theorists, and Republican politicians now find themselves, some for the first time, on the wrong end of unfounded conspiracy theories and angry right-wing social media mobs.

In short, Breger and Thaler allege, based on no reasonable evidence, that Thalers ex-wife and ex-mother-in-law have spent decades forging thousands of signatures, all part of a scheme to launder bribes to politicians and others in the form of single-family-home sales. (It just so happens that Thaler has been in a bitter custody battle with his ex for years, though Breger didnt mention that during the explosive hearing.) Their evidence is their opinion that signatures on scores of housing deeds and other public records resemble Thalers exs handwriting.

During Bregers testimony, she used examples of Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signature to baselessly allege that Hobbs had, for years, taken ownership of property deeds that really were signed by Thalers ex-wife, Brittany Thaler. Needless to say, the governor wasnt pleased, calling the hearing a circus show.

But thats not all: Breger alleged that dozens of public officials were on the take, from judges to state officeholders and everyone in between.

The City of Mesa is a racketeering organization, she said at one point, later claiming that nonexistent phantoms were employed as attorneys and election officials. According to an 80-page packet accompanying Bregers presentation, Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma (R) was just one of many state legislators with documents evidencing the acceptance of bribes through the phony mortgage scheme.

And after the hearing, Thaler told The Arizona Republic that public records linked to the chair and vice chair of the state Senate Committee on Elections  Republican state Sens. Wendy Rogers and Ken Bennett  meet the characteristics of those documents used in the money laundering and bribery schemes.

Republican politicians now find themselves, some for the first time, on the wrong end of unfounded conspiracy theories and angry right-wing social media mobs.

Those accusations against Rogers and Bennett seemed to be a breaking point, even for some longtime conspiracy theorists.

Rogers, a hard-right Republican who in the past has allied herself with a white nationalist and called for the construction of more gallows  released a statement noting that no one Breger had named actually faced any criminal charges, adding, this was not the appropriate venue to discuss what could potentially be criminal activity.

Toma called the hearing disgraceful fringe theater and said Harris had invited unsubstantiated and defamatory allegations into the legislature. And state Senate President Warren Petersen (R) said that while state Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borrelli (R) had asked to review witness material before the hearing, Bregers 80-page report hadnt been included in the documents  and that Borelli wouldnt have allowed it if hed seen it.

After a Democratic state representative filed an ethics complaint against Harris on Monday, Toma told The Arizona Republic, when Im ready to take action, I will take action.

Harris, a freshman lawmaker who, in the past, has pushed wild election conspiracy theories and shared QAnon memes, took heat for inviting Breger. In an interview, Breger told HuffPost that she had met with Harris and spent a few hours with her ahead of her public testimony. Harris, she recalled, described the duos work as very enlightening and pertinent to her own election integrity work.

And in the days immediately after Bregers testimony, Harris seemed to stand by Breger and Thaler. The Saturday following the hearing, Harris wrote that the strength of Thalers investigation is not rooted in theory, equations or statistical deviations, but rather thousands of documented falsified transactions.

Then, she deleted the post, the Arizona Republic reported. And after the outcry from her fellow Republicans, she put out a statement saying that what was presented at Thursdays hearing was not sufficient to substantiate these extraordinary claims.

If these were normal political times, this might have been the end of the episode: A lawmaker invited an unvetted witness to testify, faced bipartisan backlash, then walked back her support of that witness. The Republic, flagging the unified political response to the allegations, noted, The hearing seemingly gives Hobbs, Toma and Petersen something to agree on after the first months of Hobbs administration that were marked by partisan power plays.

The situation is made more complicated by Republicans ultra-thin majority: Toma needs every Republican vote, including Harris, to make a 31-29 majority in the state House. The state Senate is divided 16-14 Republican.

But that wasnt the end. Breger and Thaler were amplified by a network of right-wing web interview shows where their claims were welcomed with open arms  most prominently by the website Frank Speech, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindells platform, which today hosts nearly two dozen videos featuring Thaler, including a half-hour appearance with Lindell.

Lake, The states most prominent Republican, also backed the bribery claims, retweetingmultipleposts from her campaign account amplifying the allegations, including a message from Donald Trumps former national security adviser and presidential pardon recipient, Michael Flynn: This level of deep seated corruption cannot stand.

The hate rolled in from Arizonans who felt betrayed by Republican lawmakers  even by Harris, who had invited Breger and Thaler in the first place.

Whos paying you to throw water on this already, one user on Harris Telegram page wrote.

U turned ur back so shall I, tootles Liz, commented another.

On Rogers page, users said she sounded complicit and that she must be compromised.

Im done putting any faith in you, the person wrote of Rogers, who in the past has called for imprisoning county officials and election vendors. All talk, no action. You are a fraud.

Pete Santilli, the popular far-right internet radio host and Bundy Ranch defendant, wrote, Wendy, in case you are not already aware, the public was repulsed by your dismissive public statement.

Santilli called for a comprehensive forensic audit  not of election results, but rather, Rogers real estate holdings. An anonymous email sent to state legislators stated, We the People will no longer tolerate having the truth hidden.

If these were normal political times, this might have been the end of the episode: A lawmaker invited an unvetted witness to testify, faced bipartisan backlash, then walked back her support of that witness. ... But that wasnt the end.

Jeremy Duda, an Axios reporter in the state, observed: Now that GOP lawmakers have given Breger a platform to air her conspiracy theories, theres no putting the genie back in the bottle.

There were, however, also plenty of voices among conspiracy-theory-minded right-wingers who smelled something fishy about Breger and Thalers claims.

Revolver News, a key site behind the theory that the Jan. 6 Capitol attack was a false flag event, warned readers against uncritically repeating an explosive story before we see any evidence to back it up. Tyler Bowyer, a higher-up at the influential Trump-aligned group Turning Point USA, tweeted, It doesnt help the good guys to expose corruption by muddying the waters with inaccurate or false claims.

Other right-wing media figures expressed deep sadness at the turn their audiences had taken.

There is a very large group on social media who arent interested in anything that doesnt feed their wishes and hopes for whatever topic, wrote Tracy Beanz Diaz, a QAnon influencer whoasserts that both the 2020 and 2022 elections were stolen. Its probably the most depressing thing Ive ever witnessed in this role.

Indeed, at the heart of Thaler and Bregers claims is a series of assumptions and missing evidence that renders them incredible.

For example, in several different forums, the pair have alternatively alleged that in October 2020, witnesses, our investigators and Thalers ex-wife herself discovered either 25,000 or 100,000 filled-in ballots  and either $3 million, $6 million or $13 million in cash  stored in rental cars parked at Thalers former mother-in-laws house. Breger told HuffPost that she either couldnt explain the huge discrepancies between the claims or that they were the result of guesstimating. The $13 million figure, she said, was a typo she read into the legislative record.

Separately, Thaler insisted to HuffPost that a court had found his teams signature forgery claims to be credible when it came to judicial corruption. But when HuffPost asked for a court docket number to review that claim, he refused and said, I cant tell you why I wont tell you what it is.

There is a very large group on social media who arent interested in anything that doesnt feed their wishes and hopes for whatever topic ... Its probably the most depressing thing Ive ever witnessed in this role.QAnon influencer Tracy Beanz Diaz, on bribery allegations against Arizona politicians

Meanwhile, at least one federal judge has spoken quite clearly about his view of Thalers work. Douglas L. Rayes, a federal district judge in Arizona, referred to a complaint Thaler had filed against his ex-wife as a delusional and fantastical narrative. In those proceedings, which Thaler eventually dropped, he accused his ex of forging another judges signature on multiple orders, including divorce paperwork.

The Judges orders speak for themselves, Brittany Thaler told HuffPost in an email.

Former state officials have also called John Thaler out: After the lawyer claimed that, at one point, he was contacting and communicating with Jen Wright, who was then leading the attorney generals offices Election Integrity Unit, Wright denied that story outright, and Thaler walked back his claim.

And despite Bregers claim during her testimony that we have verified all our findings with a qualified forensic document expert, the duos handwriting analyst of choice, Linda Mitchell, has not publicly confirmed their claim that politicians in Arizona have benefited from deeds with fraudulent signatures.

Thaler and Breger claimed to HuffPost that Mitchell had privately reviewed and discussed the claims about politicians with them. As far as Im concerned, Ms. Mitchell verified the findings, Thaler said.

But Mitchell disagreed. In a brief phone call with HuffPost, the handwriting analyst said she had laryngitis and didnt typically speak to the press. Asked if her work supported the claims Breger had made in her testimony, Mitchell responded, I dont know, because her claims are a lot more than  I just dont know. I think she overshot the claims.

Breger defended her testimony. In all fairness to me  she didnt return my calls, and she didnt really know what I was claiming, she said, referring to Mitchell. Ill leave it at that.

Finally, the pair has shown a shocking carelessness when it comes to sensitive documents, even though document analysis is supposedly their bread and butter. After HuffPost alerted Thaler that his ex-wifes Social Security card was publicly visible on documents hosted on his website, he said he would address the issue immediately  which ended up being more than two days later.

Given the alarming credibility issues with Thaler and Bregers claims and the near-civil war theyve created within the Arizona GOP, one question hovers above all else: Why did Rep. Liz Harris invite them to testify?

Harris, for her part, hasnt responded to requests for comment from HuffPost or other outlets. During Bregers testimony, however, she did make an ominous motion at her throat after Breger disclosed that it was Harris whod invited her to speak.

OUTTAKE Rep. Liz Harris' 'cut' sign to her witness was a moment. Comes after Sen. Ken Bennett asked who invited her. pic.twitter.com/gubURsEIFE  Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) February 28, 2023

Thaler said he didnt know how Harris became aware of his work and that we were given only a couple days to prepare for this because we had no idea the committee was going on.

But Thaler and Bregers work was floating around Arizona political circles months before Bregers testimony.

During an appearance on Lindells Frank Speech alongside Thaler last month, Mark Finchem, a far-right former member of the legislature who was the unsuccessful Republican candidate for Arizona secretary of state last year, said he first met Thaler months ago.

Everything that Ive seen and heard up to this date supports what the man has done, Finchem said. Hes got solid work product. Hes got an auditor that is meticulously following the money. So when we look at, what $7 million that came into Arizona against me for secretary of state, and against Kari Lake, and against [Republican attorney general candidate] Abe [Hamadeh], its like, OK, where did this money come from?

An organization called the Election Fairness Institute, reportedly run by Finchem, published a blog post last month on Bregers shocking allegations, which, if true, exposed absolutely bombshell information regarding massive corruption and collusion between American politicians, appointed government officials, and the Sinaloa Cartels.

Cochise County Recorder David Stevens, who recently assumed all election administration responsibility for his county, is a director of the Election Fairness Institute, Votebeat reported. Stevens did not respond to a request for comment.

And in the days following the 2022 election, Thaler discussed his work with a Republican Party precinct committeeman  a local party volunteer  who, at one point, asked Thaler for any information he had about an election worker that several voters had complained about.

The committeeman, Dom Caglioti, told HuffPost that after Election Day, Republican Party higher-ups and candidates teams were tasking committeemen with following up on reports of complaints and potential tips. Thaler was likely one of those tickets, he said.

Thaler shared a text message  from a number purportedly belonging to Caglioti  in which the sender identified as a friend of Kari and Jeff, seemingly referring to gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake and her husband.

However, Caglioti said he couldnt find any evidence that hed sent the message from his phone  and noted he was not friends with Lake or her husband. But he did confirm asking Thaler about the election worker.

Soon after he began talking to Thaler, Caglioti recalled, a pattern emerged: Any person you said to him, its just like, oh, he has all their home deeds, and miraculously, his ex-wife always signed whatever fake document he said was there. They were all on the take. It was just crazy. You just couldnt wrap your head around it.

When he found out Breger had testified before the joint elections hearing about her and Thalers findings, Caglioti was shocked.

The fact that it went to a legislature  I think youd want to be 100% confident, or at least 99%, before you took that step, he said, adding separately: It still shocks me that anyone gave him a microphone without flushing out with 100% accuracy what hes accusing.

Clarification: This story has been updated to add context about Tracy Beanz Diazs work.

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RFA/Health Care Access Reporter

Santiago Ochoa is a bilingual journalist covering health care access at the Yakima Herald-Republic in Yakima, Washington. Before joining the Herald, Ochoa reported for Flint Beat in Flint, Michigan, covering the citys Latino populationhealth care, education, community building and more, and winning top honors in the Michigan Press Associations feature category. He served as photographer and later editor for his college newspaper, The Michigan Times. When hes not working, Ochoa enjoys cross-country trips on his motorcycle, going to the movies, reading and skiing.
Crime and Courts Reporter

Donald W. Meyers is a multimedia journalist at the Yakima Herald-Republic covering crime and courts. He is also the writer behind It Happened Here, a weekly history column. Before coming to Yakima, Meyers covered a wide variety of beats at The Salt Lake Tribune, Daily Herald, and daily and weekly newspapers across New Jersey. He is also a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, serving as a regional officer in the organization as well as on the national Freedom of Information Committee.
Education Reporter

Vanessa Ontiveros is the education reporter at the Yakima Herald-Republic. She grew up near Los Angeles but has happily made Yakima her new home. She is passionate about reporting stories that serve the community and highlight various aspects of the educational system.She also hosts a podcast that discusses local arts education, Yakima Arts Talk, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The daughter of two longtime public school teachers, she is always looking to include community voices in her work.
Business Reporter

Joel Donofrio is the business reporter for the Yakima Herald. He was born and raised in the Chicago area, but he and his wife, Cathy, fell in love with the beauty (and low humidity) of the West and moved here in 2009, eventually relocating to Yakima in September 2021. They have two young adult children, Anthony and Joanna, and a dog, Molly. When he is not taking photos of construction sites, tracking down new and relocating businesses or catching up on agricultural trends, Joel enjoys playing guitar, singing, listening to music and playing and watching sports.
Late Monday, the state House passed the so-called middle housing bill, which is intended to increase density in neighborhoods such as Queen Anne as a way to address the housing crisis. (Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)
Two associations have proposed that auto registration fees be cut by half for cars manufactured and assembled locally to boost sales.

The Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) and the Vietnam Association of Mechanical Industry (VAMI) also jointly proposed to the government that the special consumption tax on cars be delayed this year.

Both policies should be imposed in the first quarter or early second quarter, they added.

The registration fees are calculated based on car prices in each locality. The rates are 12% in Hanoi and Hai Phong, and 10% in HCMC.

VAMA said that the tightened credit policy and rising loan interest have slowed down sales, with many of its members sitting on high inventories.

Auto sales of the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA) plunged 54% year-on-year in January to 17,852 units. Sales of the TC Group, which assembles Hyundai cars, dropped 52% to 3,496 units. And VinFasts sales of 358 units was down 83%.

Although car manufacturers are giving discounts to boost sales of domestically assembled cars, they still need a boost from policies to help the market recover.

VAMI said that the supporting industry has been receiving less orders this year, and that if sales do not bounce back, factories will have to reduce staff, which will hurt the economy.

In 2021 and 2022 Vietnam had cut auto registration fees by half to boost sales amid plunging demand. The fee returned to normal earlier this year.

TC Motor has forecast that Vietnams auto industry will see a 17.5% drop in sales this year compared to last year, which is equivalent to 85,500 unsold cars.
Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business.
Getting a work permit for foreign workers in Vietnam is too arduous and takes months, European firms have complained.

At a meeting between the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) and the Ho Chi Minh City administration on Tuesday the business group said since the governments Decree 152 took effect in 2020 it has become difficult to obtain work permits.

Alain Cany, EuroChams chairman, said: "This is an important issue for foreign investors, especially after the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the 27 EU member states [was signed]."

Alain Cany, EuroChams chairman, speaks at a conference in Ho Chi Minh City, March 7, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Dy Tung

Decree 152 requires foreign workers or their representatives to apply for a work permit at least 15 days before they expect to start working.

"However, in reality, EuroCham members have reported that it takes as long as 2.5 months to complete the procedures, and in some cases, it drags on for up to four months," Trung Khuat, co-chair of EuroChams human resources and training committee, said.

EuroCham also complained that the online portal to apply for work permits is not reliable, and documents uploaded on it go missing.

Processing documents takes long because of stringent requirements from officers, which entail making many adjustments to applications.

But Nguyen Van Lam, deputy director of the city Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, rejected claims that it sometimes takes businesses four months to get a work permit, suggesting they were including the time it took for tasks like gathering employees' documents.

He conceded though that sometimes his department staff do not instruct applicants suitably, which then causes the need for making multiple changes to their applications.

He also admitted the Internet infrastructure needs to be upgraded.

Another complaint was about improving the educational and work experience requirements of foreign workers.

Decree 152 defines a "foreign expert" as a person with a bachelors degree or higher and at least three years experience in the relevant field.

Khuat pointed out that many experts have worked in Vietnam for many years but no longer have their university degrees or could not get experience certification since their former companies no longer exist.

The labor department promised to apprise the central government about EuroChams concerns.

Its deputy director, Nguyen Van Lam, said to get work permits easily businesses should prepare correct and complete documents, and accurately describe the nature of business and need to recruit foreign workers.

For instance, if a representative office is not a profit center for a company, getting a work permit for a sales and marketing director would be difficult, he pointed out.

Businesses must make recruitment information transparent, describe in detail why only foreigners could be recruited and not Vietnamese workers, he added.

In 2022 the department had received more than 15,400 applications, and issued 10,800 new work permits and extended 1,126 existing ones.
Chris Dinsdale, the CEO of Budapest Airport, will leave the company at the end of July. From August, he will take up a position as president and CEO of the Calgary Airport Authority, the operator of Calgary International Airport in Canada.

Chris Dinsdale informed the shareholders of Budapest Airport at the beginning of the year that after more than seven years in senior management and almost two decades in Hungary, he will be taking up a new challenge in his native Canada. The shareholders of Budapest Airport respect the CEOs decision and wish him all the best.



Chris Dinsdale has worked as CFO since 2015 and later also as deputy CEO, while finally as CEO since 2021 at the company operating Ferenc Liszt International Airport. He has played a major role in the airport winning the Skytrax Best Airport in Eastern Europe award several times and the Best Airport in Europe Award, announced by Airports Council International (ACI) today.



Chris Dinsdales work has contributed greatly to the development of the airport as a flagship of Hungarian tourism and a worthy gateway to Hungary.



He created and implemented Budapest Airports corporate strategy and launched and implemented projects related to quality and sustainability, which have elevated the position of the company at an international level.



Gerhard Schroeder, the chairman of the Board of Directors of Budapest Airport said: The shareholders and the entire management and staff of Budapest Airport are grateful for Chris Dinsdales commitment and leadership in the past years. Especially his dedication, ensuring the companys stability during the pandemic and preparing the airport for the restart of aviation after COVID was outstanding. We wish him all the best and great success for his future work in Canada.



The shareholders of Budapest Airport will announce the new CEO shortly, and remain committed to the continuity and excellence of the management and day-to-day operation of Budapest Airport.



Source: bud.hu
More than 126,000 secondary school-leavers have applied to study at Hungarian colleges and universities from September, Janos Csak, the minister of culture and innovation, told a press conference.

The number has increased from 99,000 last year, he said, adding that the rising number of applicants indicated that Hungarys higher education system has become more attractive.



He said the government implemented many changes in the past 5 years with the aim of developing a nation of economically strong, culturally confident, self-sufficient families here and in the Carpathian Basin.



Csak welcomed that more students than ever applied from disadvantaged regions, and that many indicated a desire to become school and kindergarten teachers.



State Secretary Balazs Hanko attributed the increase in the number of applicants to a revamped entrance system, noting that 20% of applicants chose majors in engineering, science, maths and computer technology.



Hanko also noted that 11 Hungarian universities were among the worlds top 5%.
The majority of Hungarians, 66%, support the use of nuclear energy as a way to provide safe and uninterrupted energy for households, up from 53% in 2020, according to a survey conducted by Tarsadalomkutato published in the daily Magyar Nemzet.

Comparing the results of the 2023 survey to one conducted in 2020, Tarsadalomkutato said Hungarians original support for nuclear energy strengthened over time, probably due to the war in Ukraine and the subsequent energy crisis.



In 2020, 53% of respondents supported increasing the role of nuclear plants in Hungarys energy mix, while that ratio was 62% in 2023, the pollster said. Some 40% of respondents see nuclear energy as key in safe energy supplies in 20-50 years, Tarsadalomkutato said.



Regarding their effect on the environment, 43% of respondents said weather-dependent sustainable energy was the least damaging, while 23% named nuclear energy as the cleanest.



At the same time, 70% (up from 61% in 2020) said the Paks nuclear plant produced the cheapest energy in the country, while 59% (up from 50%) said nuclear plants were generally the cheapest energy producers. In 2020, 64% were aware that there was a nuclear plant operating in Hungary.



That number went up to 70% by 2023, Tarsadalomkutato said. Fully 62% also supports the construction of new blocks, up from 51% in 2020, it said.



Fully 57% of respondents agreed that they should be built using cutting-edge Russian technology, against 53% in 2020, it said.





MTI Photo: Tamas Soki
Bird flu has been detected again at a goose farm in Bekes County, in southeast Hungary, and in birds in captivity in Komarom-Esztergom County in the north of the country, the food safety authority Nebih said.

The H5N1 version of bird flu was diagnosed at a farm keeping 7,400 geese in Bekes, and the culling of the animals has already started, Nebih said.



The sick birds in Komarom-Esztergom County, also suffering from H5N1, will also be slaughtered, it said.
A record 2.2 million women in Hungary had a job last year, even more than when employment was mandatory during the Communist era, according to a think-tank. Prior to 2010, governments focused on reducing the jobless number, while after 2010 the government has worked on boosting employment while supporting families, according to a report by the Szent Istvan Institute.

The employment rate of women aged 20-64 was 59% 13 years ago; last year it was 75.3%, the study examining the position of women in the labour market between 1900-2022 found.



The increase is the second largest, after Malta, in the European Union, according to the report published on Tuesday.



Joblessness among women was 207,000 in 2010, now it is 80,000, while the number of inactive at 627,000 is also at a record low, the think-tank said.



Also the employment rate of mothers with children below the age of 6 has grown apace in recent years, reaching 73% by 2021  ranking 9th in the European Union.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban will deliver his speech marking the anniversary of Hungarys anti-Habsburg revolution of 1848-49 on March 15 at the birth house of 19th century poet and revolutionary Sandor Petofi, the state secretary for international communication and relations said.

The operative board overseeing the safety aspects of the March 15 celebrations has concluded that the scheduled events can go ahead as planned, Zoltan Kovacs said on Facebook.



The traditional award ceremony for handing over the Kossuth and Szechenyi Prizes will be held on Tuesday, the eve of the holiday, Kovacs said. The state commemorations on March 15 will, as always, begin with the hoisting of the national flag in front of Parliament, he said.



Commemorations will also take place in the southern Hungarian town of Kiskoros, where Petofi was born 200 years ago, with the prime minister delivering his speech at the revolutionary poets birth house at 3pm, Kovacs said.



Detailed program in Hungarian available here.
Elko County Sheriffs Office deputies and Search and Rescue team continue to provide assistance to citizens stranded in outlying areas of Elko County as winter weather conditions persist.

On March 1, they worked with Med-Ex to transport a patient from a snowbound residence to an awaiting ambulance.

On March 4, deputies worked with Search and Rescue members to transport six adults and four children from the west side of Murdock Mountain, west of Montello.

On March 6, deputies transported a person who was stranded in a residence several miles out Boyd-Kennedy Road to the Spring Creek area.

Also on March 6, Search and Rescue members assisted two adults and one child who had become stuck in the snow on the West side of Murdock Mountain.

And later on March 6, deputies assisted four adults who had become stuck on Harrison Pass in a U-Haul truck.

These reports followed five similar incidents in February, and more snowy and cold weather lies ahead, according to the National Weather Service.

Snow is expected Wednesday night and snow mixed with rain arrives Thursday. Rainy conditions are forecast for Friday, followed by another mix of rain and snow through the weekend and into next week.

The Elko County Sheriffs Office urges the public to use caution when traveling in Elko County.

Please be proactive in being prepared by carrying extra clothing, food and water, said a statement from Sgt. Ana Bribiesca. If you are going to be in the hills, please make certain you have a device which can send your GPS location in case of an emergency.

Time continues to be a significant factor in Search and Rescue operations and greatly affects outcome.

The Elko County Sheriffs Office wishes to thank our Search and Rescue members for assisting in these challenging situations, Bribiesca continued. If you have interest in becoming a member of our Search and Rescue team, please contact Lieutenant Doug Fisher or Undersheriff Justin Ames.

The sheriffs office can be reached at 775-738-3421.
OMAHA -- A year after it launched, nearly 700 people have downloaded a Nebraska app designed to help young people cope with mental health issues and prevent youth suicide.

Now, the Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Coalition and its partners are seeking to spread the word about the My Companion app and get it into the hands  and the phones  of more young people.

The app has a variety of features and is divided into four main areas: reflections, connections, resources and emergency. With it, users can log daily reflections, input contacts who they can reach out to for help and support if theyre having a difficult time and tap into a variety of resources. They can click and directly access the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Thats the whole idea behind the app, is it provides connectedness, said Dr. Dave Miers, the coalitions founder and senior director of behavioral health services at Bryan Medical Center. The research shows the more connected youth are, the less likely they are to hurt themselves or use substances.

Miers said the idea for the app came from a police officer who had learned about a similar app in Utah released under the name SafeUT. Work on a Nebraska app, which is modeled on the Utah tool, began in summer 2018 and was created in collaboration with Dont Panic Labs and Boys Town National Hotline. The Kim Foundation, a statewide organization focused on suicide prevention, provided an initial grant.

Once the software developers had created a skeleton app, the coalition held a youth suicide prevention summit. Some 40 youths from across the state tried the app and provided feedback.

Overwhelmingly, we had great feedback that we were going in the right direction, Miers said. The app was released last February.

Utah officials, he said, have reported that that states app and other interventions have resulted in a reduction in the number of youths who were expressing suicidal thoughts.

In Nebraska, suicide is the leading cause of death among people between ages 15 and 24. Overall, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the state.

Miers said the app is among the interventions outlined in the states newly updated suicide prevention plan, which will be implemented over the next three years.

The Kim Foundation created the 47-page document with the coalition and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to provide guidelines for individuals, businesses, schools, medical professionals, communities and other agencies to prevent suicide. It replaces another statewide strategic plan that was created in 2016.

Miers said the app is loaded with resources for the Omaha and Lincoln areas. But the coalitions goal is to add resources for communities that want to localize it.

While the app is geared toward youths, who are used to connecting with others via technology, it can be used by people of any age.

Its encouraging them to communicate their feelings by reaching out to others through technology, he said.

To download My Companion from the Apple App Store, visit apps.apple.com/us/app/my-companion-journal/id1558734264.

To get it from Google Play, go to play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nsp.companion.

Top Journal Star photos for March 2023
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Two of four Americans were killed in Mexico when their van was caught in the crossfire of rival cartel groups last week, a top Mexican official said Tuesday. The two others are alive, with one wounded.

Tamaulipas Gov. Americo Villarreal confirmed the deaths by phone during a morning news conference by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, saying details about the four abducted Americans had been confirmed by prosecutors.

The FBI had reported Sunday that it was searching with Mexican authorities for the missing Americans, who were kidnapped Friday. A relative of one of them said Monday that they had traveled together from South Carolina so one of them could get a tummy tuck from a Matamoros doctor.

Shortly after entering Mexico on Friday they were in the crossfire of rival cartel groups. A video showed them being loaded into the back of a pickup truck by gunmen.

Of the four, two of them are dead, one person is wounded and the other is alive and right now the ambulances and the rest of the security personnel are going for them for give the corresponding support," Villarreal said

The governor did not share any additional details about where or how they were found. He was expected to share more information at his own daily news conference scheduled for later Tuesday morning.

The U.S. citizens were found in a rural area east of Matamoros called Ejido Longoreno on the way to the local beach known as Playa Baghdad, according to a state authority who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the case. Word of their location came to authorities before dawn Tuesday.

Mexican officials said a Mexican woman also had died in Fridays' crossfire.

The incident illustrates the terror that has prevailed for years in Matamoros, a city dominated by factions of the powerful Gulf drug cartel who often fight among themselves. Amid the violence, thousands of Mexicans have disappeared in Tamaulipas state alone.

Read the latest updates:
An Iowa man turned himself in to Lincoln authorities Monday morning after he allegedly stole more than $340,000 from a Lincoln trucking company as an employee there from 2019 to 2022, according to police.

Bradley Brown, 43, was arrested Monday on suspicion of felony theft by unlawful taking and felony theft by deception, Lincoln Police Sgt. Chris Vollmer said.

Brown's arrest comes months after the owners of M & D Trucking told police in September that they discovered irregularities in the company's payroll and fuel purchases.

The suspected fraudulent transactions totaled $340,825.58, Vollmer said.

Brown, of Ackworth, Iowa, turned himself in at the Lancaster County Jail at about 12:30 a.m. Monday.
The Nebraska State Patrol on Monday identified a 31-year-old Michigan man as the victim of last week's fatal shooting near Hartington.

The investigation began after the Cedar County Sheriffs Office received a 911 call regarding a shooting March 1. They responded to a tower construction site 2 miles north of Hartington and found Israel Matos-Colon of Fowlerville, Michigan, with multiple gunshot wounds, according to a news release from the State Patrol.

Several crew members working on the tower were present at the time of the shooting and were attempting life-saving measures when law enforcement arrived.

Matos-Colon was transported to a hospital in Yankton, South Dakota, where he later died from his injuries.

Investigators said they believe the shooting occurred during a workplace argument between Matos-Colon and 20-year-old David Phillips, of Kenner, Louisiana.

Phillips was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, possession of a stolen firearm and use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony. He was lodged in the Cedar County Jail.

The sheriffs office requested that the State Patrol conduct the homicide investigation.

Top Journal Star photos for March 2023
YORK  Charles Joseph, 54, of York, was charged late last year with two counts of terroristic threats and resisting arrest after repeatedly calling 911, threatening dispatchers and officers. Now he is accused of six new counts, unrelated to the first case, involving the alleged assault of officers, more terroristic threats, abuse of a vulnerable adult, resisting arrest, criminal trespassing and obstructing a police officer.

Josephs trial in the first case had already been set for late spring. In this case, he is accused of non-stop calling the emergency communications center, reporting that his cell phone would not work and he demanded law enforcement fix his phone. He also allegedly told dispatchers he was going to kick her a** and if he did not get what he wanted, he was going to kill people, according to court documents.

Officers went to his apartment in the 200 Block of North Lincoln Avenue with the intention of arresting him for terroristic threats. It is alleged Joseph began pushing back from the cruiser, refusing to go inside and struggling with officers. It is also alleged that while at the York County Jail, Joseph continued to make threats against the officers and jail staff, saying he had family in Hells Angels and was going to have them take (the officers) out.

In the first case, Joseph has pleaded not guilty.

In the second case, he is charged with six counts  three felonies and three misdemeanors. It is alleged he assaulted two police officers. No other details about this new case are yet available in court records.

This past week, Joseph asked for and was granted permission to be transported from the jail by sheriffs deputies for a medical procedure during which he will be guarded at all times.

Also this past week, in York County District Court, he asked for and was granted court-appointed counsel.
In one of the biggest aviation mysteries which has never been resolved, a Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on this day. 9 years ago. The flight disappeared from the face of the Earth on March 8, 2014, and hasn't been found ever since. The airline operated a Boeing 777-200ER registered as 9M-MRO with 227 passengers and 12 crew aboard. The flight disappeared on March 8, 2014 while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing, but went off the course, never to be found again. Although debris was located few years later, there's no conclusive evidence on the vanishing of the plane as big as the B777.

The Malaysian Govt, in January 2015, declared all 239 onboard to be presumed dead after months of search operations. This made it the most mysterious and deadliest incident involving a Boeing 777 in the history of Aviation. The event also raises significant questions on the flight safety in the modern time, as the advanced technology of our times couldn't help in locating the plane.

What Happened?

The air carrier from Malaysia was operating Flight MH370 with a Boeing 777-200ER registered as 9M-MRO, and was flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, China. The crew from the plane last communicated with air traffic control (ATC) around 38 minutes after takeoff when the flight was over the South China Sea. The aircraft was lost from ATC radar screens minutes later, but was tracked by military radar for another hour, deviating westward from its planned flight path, crossing the Malay Peninsula and Andaman Sea.

After years of searching, debris was found, confirmed or believed to be from the MH370 aircraft washed up along the African coast and on islands in the Indian Ocean. Malaysian investigators previously drew no conclusion about what happened aboard the flight, but did not rule out the possibility that the aircraft had been deliberately taken off course. Multiple theories blame the Captain of the flight to deliberately sabotage the plane.

#OTD in 2014: Malaysian Airlines MH 370, a B-777 with 239 aboard, disappears off Penang (Malaysia). Contact was lost some 40 mins after take-off, on the Thailand Gulf. Jet was never found; light debris later surfaced in the Indian Ocean. Cause officially undetermined. pic.twitter.com/6WlLI1ORPF  Air Safety #OTD by Francisco Cunha (@OnDisasters) March 8, 2023

Families Demand Justice

As per a report on IANS, the families of those on board the Malaysia Airlines MH370 plane have urged the government in Kuala Lumpur to begin a new search for the aircraft. In 2018, the Malaysian government had engaged US seabed exploration firm Ocean Infinity to search for the aircraft in the southern Indian Ocean, offering to pay up to $70 million if it found the plane, reports CNN, but its operation came up short.

The firm was deployed came after Malaysia, China and Australia ended a fruitless two-year $135 million underwater hunt in January 2017 after finding no trace of the plane. Voice370 -- a grouping of relatives of those aboard the plane -- said Ocean Infinity hoped to embark on a new search as early as this summer and urged the Malaysian government to accept any proposals from the firm on a conditional fee basis, such that the firm would only be paid if successful.



"Ocean Infinity, over the last 12 months have made real progress working with many people to further understand... The events in 2014," CNN quoted Voice370 as saying in a statement, following a memorial event to mark the ninth year since MH370`s disappearance. "Ultimately, this has greatly improved their chances of conducting a successful search."

One of the biggest streaming platforms globally, Netflix, has announced a three-part documentary series exploring the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. The series is expected to shed light on the mysterious disappearance of flight MH370, that went missing in 2014. Titled "MH370: The Plane That Disappeared", the docu-series has been released on March 8, 2023, on the ninth anniversary of the plane's disappearance.
Indian Navy Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) made an emergency landing today. The helicopter had to land off the Mumbai Coast after an incident occurred during the routine sortie performed by the aircraft. The Indian Navy shared the news on Twitter and informed that all three crew members onboard ALH were rescued by naval patrol craft.

The announcement from Indian Navy said, "Indian Navy ALH on a routine sortie off Mumbai ditched close to the coast. Immediate Search and Rescue ensured safe recovery of crew of three by naval patrol craft."

Also read: US Plane Collision: Two Aircraft Get In Mid-Air Accident Over Lake In Florida, One Dead

It is to be noted that the term 'ditching' is commonly used for an emergency landing. Furthermore, an investigation has been ordered to look into the details of the incident.

Indian Navy ALH on a routine sortie off Mumbai ditched close to the coast.

Immediate Search and Rescue ensured safe recovery of crew of three by naval patrol craft.

An inquiry to investigate the incident has been ordered.  SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) March 8, 2023

The chopper in the incident is ALH Dhruv. It is one of the prominent multi-role helicopter of the Navy and comes with a twin-engine setup in the 5.5-ton weight class, and is type Certified for Military operations by the Centre for Military Airworthiness Certification.

More Details Awaited
While American Airlines has put a ban on Aryan Vohra - a student who urinated on a fellow passenger, the 21-year-old can still fly in other foreign and domestic air carriers, as Indian civil aviation norms cannot be enforced in foreign air carriers, experts reveal. Yes, he can fly with other foreign and domestic airlines because foreign airlines are not regulated by Indian civil aviation norms, said Arun Kumar, who has just retired as director general, of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Aviation expert Amit Singh, who runs NGO Safety Matters Foundation, said Vohra cannot be put on the No Fly List'.

Unless DGCA in India issues some special direction, Vohra cannot be put in the No Fly List' and this enables him to enjoy flying with any airline other than American Airlines, Singh said.

He further said, This incident has thrown open an interesting scenario. The existing law operates differently for two sets of unruly passengers. It imposes a ban on the person who has urinated on a passenger on an Indian aircraft whereas no such action can be taken against another person for a similar offence on a foreign-registered plane.

According to the DGCA's Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) related to unruly passengers, whenever a person shows unruly behaviour on board a flight, the airline concerned will immediately inform DGCA within 12 hours and impose a flying ban on him/her for 30 days pending investigation.

The airline will then constitute an internal committee (comprising a retired district judge and two aviation experts) which will examine the level of offence for the purpose of deciding the duration of the flying ban. Once the internal committee finalises its report and decides on the ban period, the airline will communicate the same to the DGCA.

Also read - 9 Years And Counting: On This Day In 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 Disappeared

The DGCA will put the person on the No Fly List' and it is communicated to all the airlines in India so that they cannot allow the unruly passenger to fly during the ban period.

American Airlines is under no obligation to constitute an internal committee and follow due process. Unless due process is followed, the question is how will Vohra's name be included in the No Fly List Will the DGCA do suo moto on the basis of the FIR lodged? It is an important question, advocate Akshat Bajpai, who represents Shankar Mishra in an Air India urination case, said.

According to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the State of registration of the aircraft is competent to exercise its jurisdiction over offences and acts committed on board.

This might have helped Vohra to evade legal action in India because American Airlines is registered with the US.

However, Section 188 of the CrPC allows Indian law enforcement agencies to prosecute an Indian citizen for offences committed on an aircraft registered with a foreign country.

Aviation expert Singh said the shortcomings of the current regulations which prevent the regulators from enforcing unruly passenger rules on foreign carriers have been covered by the ICAO Montreal Protocol 2014. This protocol enables States other than the State of registration of aircraft to exercise jurisdiction over unruly passengers.

Also read - International Women's Day: India Has The Highest Number Of Women Pilots Globally

A number of countries have either not signed the amendment or not ratified it. India is the latter case. It is now incumbent on ICAO to ensure that all countries ratify the amendment since an unruly passenger on board is a global concern and the numbers are rising by the day, Singh said.

The experts also said that besides the issue of unruly passengers, there are several aviation safety-related issues where the ratification of the Montreal Protocol 2014 by all countries can be extremely helpful.
Italian Air Force aircraft got into a mid-air collision close to the capital of Italy, After the accident, the pilots of the aircraft were reported to be dead in the incident. Government and military representatives from the nation have acknowledged the collision occurred on Tuesday. According to media sources, the Air Force and the prosecutor's office in the adjacent town of Tivoli will both launch investigations into the collision's causes.

According to official accounts, the two U-208 light propeller aircraft were on a training mission from the Guidonia Military Airport, located around 25 kilometers northeast of Rome. There were no immediate signs of distress from either pilot, and there were no reported injuries on the ground, though news sources said some wreckage fell into a roadside parking area, causing property damage.

Also read: Reduction In Deadly Aviation Accidents Observed, Bringing Down Fatality Risk: IATA Safety Report

The crash was visible from the ground, and its aftermath was recorded by several local residents, with images and videos published in the Italian media. Media reports quoted witnesses as saying that the planes were flying in formation before veering off course and making contact.

Circulating footage of the crash site near Rome, Italy, where two training Air Force aircrafts collided and both pilots are reportedly killed. #Italy pic.twitter.com/Y4sWF1OipS  AlAudhli  (@AAudhli) March 7, 2023

The pilots, part of the 60th Wing, a unit of the Italian Air Force based at the Guidonia Military Airport, were reportedly carrying out exercises ahead of celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Italian Air Force later this month. It is unclear how the accident and the pilots' deaths will impact the celebrations.

According to Air Force data, the U-208 is a lightweight, single-prop aircraft capable of maximum speeds of 285 kilometers per hour. The aircraft, which is not used for combat, can carry up to five passengers, including the pilot.

The events on Tuesday sparked messages of condolences, including from Italy`s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who said she was "devastated to hear about the deaths of two Air Force pilots during a training accident near Guidonia."

With IANS Inputs
On Tuesday afternoon, two tiny planes crashed in midair over a lake in central Florida, leaving at least one person dead, according to police. Chief of Staff of the Polk County Sheriff's Office Steve Lester stated during a news conference that rescuers were still searching Lake Hartridge in Winter Haven on Tuesday night for potential survivors. Rescuers attempted CPR on one victim, who was later declared dead, he added. Southwest of Orlando, about 65 kilometres away, is where you'll find Winter Haven.

The Federal Aviation Administration identified one of the planes as a Piper J-3 floatplane, but the make of the other aircraft wasn't immediately known.

Also read: Italy: Two Air Force Aircrafts Collide Mid-Air, Both Pilots Killed

Deputies said they didn't immediately know how many people were in the planes, where they had taken off, or what caused the crash. The lake where the planes went down is located immediately to the southeast of the Winter Haven Regional Airport.

Witnesses recalled the planes crashing into each other and then immediately falling into the water, Lester said. The wing of one plane was sticking out of the water, while the other aircraft had settled about 7 metres below the surface, officials said. Lester said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

With PTI Inputs
ELKO  The U.S. Air Force plans to begin low-level flights over a wide portion of Mountain Home Air Force Bases training area in northern Nevada  from McDermitt to the Jarbidge Mountains  following approval expected this spring.

Air Force officials announced the plan in 2019. Jet flights currently restricted to 3,000 or 10,000 feet will be allowed to fly down to 100 feet above ground level under the preferred action outlined in an Environmental Impact Statement released March 3.

A record of decision is expected to be signed April 3, pending the final comment period.

Air Force officials say the flights are needed to ensure aircrew readiness and survivability in real-world combat situations in order to counter and defeat technologically advanced air and ground threats. Aircrew need to be proficient at low-altitude and supersonic operations for threat avoidance and proficient in masking their aircraft by using mountainous terrain.

Expanding the bases low-level flight zones will make them consistent with neighboring zones and will allow sorties to be more evenly distributed in the training area, the Air Force stated.

The plan, which includes southeastern Oregon and a sliver of southwestern Idaho, is opposed by the WildLands Defense organization based in Idaho. Director Katie Fite said sonic booms are terrifyingly loud and dangerous. They should not be taking place anywhere over public lands.

The group says noise levels will reach up to 139 decibels, enough to damage human hearing and cause reflexive fear in people and animals.

This will lead to new declines in sage-grouse and harm many other animals that the public cherishes, and that federal agencies have promised to protect. It will destroy any sense of a wilderness experience, Fite said.

Air Force officials said the preferred alternative for supersonic flight is at or above 10,000 feet, so there would be no supersonic flights below this threshold.

If conducted, low level flights would only take place during a small portion of the overall training time. In each of the Military Operating Areas where floors would be lowered, less than seven hours of training per year would occur between 100-300 feet above ground level, and these would not be supersonic flights.

For additional context, the Air Force said jets already fly at 100 feet above ground level over much of this area in linear military training routes. The proposed changes as indicated in the EIS would remove artificial barriers that inhibit flying operations to make the training more realistic and practical.

The Air Forces environmental summary says potential impacts would be limited to an increased likelihood of annoyance due to more frequent low-altitude and/or sudden onset overflight noise. The people residing within the area of interest (less than 1 person per square mile on average) would experience noise levels compatible with residential land uses in accordance with Department of Defense and FAA guidelines.

WildLands Defense says the environmental report relies on outdated noise analysis based on averaging of noise levels.

Canyons are home to bighorn sheep herds, rare bats and nesting raptors like golden eagles. Uplands are home to pronghorn, mule deer and many migratory songbirds. Multiple wild horse herd management areas are impacted, the group stated.

The environmental study says although individual animals may be affected by aircraft noise, there would not be any population- or community-level impacts on species.

Short-term startle effects to wildlife, livestock, and federally listed species could occur from low-level flights. Animals under the portions of the four MOAs with a reduced subsonic floor would be expected to be temporarily more sensitive to aircraft noise due to lower previous exposure.

Air Force officials pointed out that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concurred with the determinations of effect. Therefore, the proposed alternatives would not result in significant impacts to biological resources.

Final comments on the plan may be sent to https://www.mountainhomeafbairspaceeis.com.
Happy Women's Day: International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8 across the world. The day celebrates the achievements of women and their presence in general. International Women's Day is celebrated as a public holiday all across the world, and it is more than simply a time for stores and salons to offer discounts for women.

We are all aware that women will lead the world in the future, and that March is marked as Women's History Month worldwide, with International Women's Day commemorating the cultural, political, and socioeconomic accomplishments of women. The day serves as a means of advocating for a world where gender equality existsone that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive, where differences are acknowledged and celebratedand a world where living on your terms comes free of prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination.

International Womens Day 2023: Date

Every year Women's Day is celebrated on 8th March throughout the world.

International Womens Day 2023: History

The Socialist Party of America established National Women's Day in New York on February 28, 1909. Theresa Malkiel, a labour activist, suggested this as a way to remember the city-wide demonstrations against garment workers. Later that year, German delegates supported the notion of a women's day, though no particular date was specified, drawing inspiration from American socialists.

On the last Sunday in February of 1917, women in Russia decided it was time to protest and go on strike under the banner "Bread and Peace" (which fell on 8 March as per the Gregorian calendar). In the end, their movement led Russia to enact legislation granting women the right to vote- Russian suffrage.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization claims that the labour movements' activities around the beginning of the twentieth century in North America and Europe were the origin of International Women's Day.

In 1977, the UN General Assembly declared March 8 as International Women's Day in recognition of women's rights and world peace. The United Nations first observed International Women's Day in 1975. Since then, the United Nations has marked the day by establishing a theme each year.

Also Read: Happy Women's Day 2023: Best Wishes, Greetings, Messages, Images, Quotes, Status, Wishes Photos To Share With The All The Women In Your Life

International Womens Day 2023: Significance

"International Women's Day is an opportunity to celebrate the strides made towards gender equality and women's empowerment, but it is also a time to critically evaluate those strides and work towards a greater momentum towards gender equality around the world. On this day, women are celebrated for their remarkable deeds and for joining forces to advance gender equality globally," says UNESCO.

International Womens Day 2023: Theme

"DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality" is this year's Women's Day theme. The key theme for the upcoming 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-67), "Innovation and technological transformation, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls," is in accordance with this.

Happy Women's Day to all women!
New Delhi: The much-talked-about Netflix docu-series The Romantics, which is a tribute to the legacy of Yash Chopra, YRF and its the cultural impact on India and Indians for the past 50 years, released on Feb 14 to unanimous acclaim and love.

The national over-pouring of love for Yash Chopra and YRF was evident as The Romantics became the Number 1 trending title on Netflix within 48 hours of its drop, a rare feat for a documentary! Shah Rukh Khan, who shared an incredible relationship with Yash Chopra and called him a father figure in his life, reveals how he said no to Aditya Chopra to sign Jab Tak Hai Jaan, directed by Adis father Yash Chopra!

SRK, who collaborated with Yash Chopra on cult blockbusters like Darr, Dil Toh Pagal Hai, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Jab Tak Hai Jaan says, I remember he had started speaking a lot more. 'I am not doing a film. This is my last picture' Yash ji used to say. Jab Tak Hain Jaan was actually a film that I chose over a film Adi had offered me. I said no (to Adi)! if Yashji is making a film, Ill be a part of that.

SRK recounts how Yash Chopra became emotional during the shoot of Jab Tak Hai Jaan, his last directorial. He says, We were shooting in Ladakh and in really difficult conditions. He was the coolest of us all. I was shivering to death. I was doing a shot in Kashmir, but then he came and said yaar teri picture khatam ho gayi. I said kya bol rahein ho aap? He said last shot hain, bas. Ab toh kuch raha nahi. Picture khatam.

SRK adds, And he (Yash Chopra) became very emotional. Then he kind of started crying. He said this could be our last shot. I said why last shot? So, he said no there are no more shots left of you. I said yeah, but well make the next one. He said yeah last hain yaar. Last shot hain.

From Aamir Khan to Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan to Ranbir Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan to Ranveer Singh, Rani Mukerji to Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif to Anushka Sharma, the mega-stars and icons of Hindi cinema have come together and spoken about Yash Chopra and YRFs contribution to Indian cinema in The Romantics.

The Romantics has been directed by Oscar & Emmy-nominated filmmaker Smriti Mundhra, who returns to Netflix after the phenomenal success of Indian Matchmaking and the Never Have I Ever franchise.

Netflix, in this four-part docu-series, will also feature 35 leading personalities from the film industry, who have closely worked with YRF through its 50 year glorious existence.
New Delhi: BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on Wednesday claimed that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was `conspiring` against his former deputy Manish Sisodia at Tihar jail, which comes within the functional ambit of the Delhi government. Sisodia, who stepped down as the deputy CM in the wake of his arrest in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case, is currently lodged at Tihar jail.Claiming he "knows a lot of secrets", Tiwari dubbed Kejriwal as the "master of conspiracies" while stressing repeatedly that all prisons in Delhi comes within the administrative ambit of the present AAP government. The BJP MP`s remark came barely hours after the AAP alleged that the central government was "conspiring to kill" its leaders ."Why is PM Modi silent on the matter? Unable to dent or weaken the AAP politically, you are throwing our leaders behind the bars. Now, they are even plotting to kill our leaders," AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj said earlier on Wednesday.

Hitting back at Bhardwaj, Tiwari questioned how an AAP leader`s life could be at risk in a jail which is run by its own government.

Delhi jails come under Delhi govt, that means Arvind Kejriwal. Manish Sisodia knows a lot of secrets of Arvind Kejriwal. How can his own aide Manish Sisodia have a threat to life inside jail? Is Arvind Kejriwal conspiring against Manish Sisodia?: Manoj Tiwari, BJP MP pic.twitter.com/w2uuVlPsLd  ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2023

"On hearing that the AAP has said there is a threat to Manish Sisodia`s life in jail, I smelt a rat. I am surprised and shocked at the consporacies of the AAP. Not just in Delhi, people across the country now know that Arvind Kejriwal is master of lies and conspiracies. All Delhi jails come under the AAP government, or under Kejriwal. Manish Sisodia holds a lot of secrets about Kejriwal. I fear that Kejriwal could be conspiring against Sisodia. How can his (Sisodia`s) life be under threat in a jail which comes under the AAP government?" Tiwari said.

Also Read: 'Manish Sisodia's Ward Has Minimum Inmates, No Gangsters...': Jail Authorities Reject AAP's 'Murder' Charges

Invoking viral videos of jailed AAP leader Satyendar Jain purportedly receiving personalised body massage inside Tihar jail, Tiwari said the reason why the former minister received privileged treatment behind bars was because the jail comes under the Kejriwal government. Jain, who is also lodged at Tihar in connection with a money laundering case, tendered his resignation as minister along with Sisodia.

"Is Kejriwal conspiring to kill or harm Sisodia in a bid to stop him from disclosing his (CM`s) secrets? They are deliberately peddling a false narrative that Sisodia is under threat from the BJP. Though Satyendar Jain claimed to have suffered memory loss in court, there were videos of him being administered body massage in jail. As was seen in the videos, key documents had been shared and discussed with him inside jail. So, how can there by a threat to Sisodia`s life in a jail that comes under the Delhi government. A conspiracy to eliminate someone in a bid to stop him from disclosing secrets is a matter of concern," the BJP MP said.

Tiwari said the Tihar authorities should beef up security for Sisodia. "I urge the jail authorities to provide tighter security to Sisodia and ensure that his security needs are taken care of properly behind bars," he said. Earlier, on Wednesday, Tihar officials said Sisodia has been assigned a separate ward in the interest of his personal security, adding that fellow inmates in his new ward are not gangsters or hardened criminals and are known to have maintained "good conduct".

Earlier on Wednesday, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj claimed Sisodia lodged in cell No.1 at Tihar, which he alleged houses some of the most dreaded criminals and murderers. Responding to the allegations, a prison official said, "Manish Sisodia has been assigned a segregated ward keeping in mind his personal security. The ward CJ-1, where he is lodged currently, has a few inmates who are not gangsters and have been maintaining good conduct. "They further said that the allocation of a separate cell to the AAP leader would also enable him to meditate or do other activities without any disturbance. "All arrangements, as per Jail Rules, are in place to ensure his safety and security. Any aspersions cast about his cell are unfounded," the prison official said.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26 in the case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD).The Special Judge MK Nagpal on March 6 remanded Sisodia to 14 days in judicial custody.
GUWAHATI: Five people were arrested from Nagaon and Morigaon districts of Assam for allegedly supplying SIM cards to Pakistani agents, a police spokesperson said on Wednesday. Several mobile phones, SIM cards and other incriminating materials, including a handset used to share defence information with a foreign embassy, were seized, he said.

Assam Police spokesperson Prasanta Bhuyan said the arrests were made during an operation carried out on Tuesday night, based on inputs from a central agency and other sources.

"There were inputs that around 10 people from the two districts were involved in fraudulently procuring SIM cards from different service providers and supplying those to some Pakistani agents, thus working against the integrity and sovereignty of the nation," he said.

Five of the accused were arrested on Tuesday night, he added.

Those arrested were identified as Ashiqul Islam, Bodor Uddin, Mijanur Rahman and Wahiduz Zaman, all from Nagaon, and Baharul Islam from Morigaon.

Among the items recovered from the arrested people and houses of the five absconding accused are 18 mobile phones, 136 SIM cards suspected to have been procured for fraudulent purposes, one fingerprint scanner, one high-tech CPU and some documents such as birth certificates, passbooks and photographs.

Bhuyan said that during interrogation, it was revealed that Ashiqul Islam was using a mobile handset with two IMEI numbers from which a WhatsApp call was made, sharing defence information with a foreign embassy.

"That specific mobile phone was found in his possession. Other nabbed people were also found technically involved in this connection. A thorough interrogation is underway," the spokesperson added.

Nagaon Superintendent of Police Leena Doley told PTI that operations to apprehend the absconding five accused are underway and whether more people were involved in the racket will be known later.

Doley refused to identify the central agency involved in the case and maintained that various agencies of Assam Police were working together with Nagaon Police and the central agency.

On the possibility of the involvement of more people in the racket, the SP said, "Things will be clearer when we arrest the remaining five accused. Operations to nab them are on."

"What they were up to, who were financing them and other details will be clear after a thorough interrogation," Doley added.
BENGALURU: A day after claiming that surveys indicated that the Congress is projected to win over 140 out of the total 224 seats in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly polls, its state President D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said BJP's numbers would not cross beyond 65, and may even come down to 40 seats. He claimed that people from all walks of life across the state were angry against this BJP government.

"We have a guarantee about our numbers, we also have a guarantee that BJP's numbers will not go beyond 65. What the BJP is doing or saying is their internal matter, Yediyurappa has said something (about winning over 140 seats) based on their calculation, I don't want to interfere with their party," Shivakumar said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, let the BJP do whatever they want, but their numbers won't cross beyond 60-65.

"This is definite, but according to me it will not be surprising if their number comes down to 40, like they had got 40 seats (in 2013 Assembly polls), after the first term of the BJP government in the state (from 2008-13). So, it will not be surprising if the '40 per cent commission BJP government' comes down to 40 seats, people are that angry, you ask whomever you want, anywhere," he added.

The KPCC chief on Tuesday had claimed that while its earlier survey had projected Congress' seat tally at 136, the recent survey predicted a tally of over 140 seats.

In the 2018 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 104 seats in the 224 member Assembly, emerging as the single largest party, while Congress and JD(S)' tally stood at 80 and 37 respectively. However, BJP's tally increased in the later days giving it a majority in the Assembly, as several Congress and JD(S) MLAs defected to join the saffron party.

To a question on Congress' screening committee meeting as part of the party's process to select candidates, Shivakumar said, "today too there is a meeting, we have reached a stage, completing almost 75 per cent of the process, today we will complete it fully, after this it will be sent to the national level (AICC)."

"We will do the process (to choose candidates) and intimate those concerned," he said, when asked whether the process was getting too long.

Shivakumar also called Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai "Sullina Saradaara" (lord of lies) , as he hit out at the latter for terming Congress 200 units of free power promise as "bogus", stating that the CM himself was making false promises to people or not keeping up the promises made earlier.
Haridwar: On the occasion of Holi, Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev appealed to people not to consume `bhaang`, and to celebrate the festival with togetherness and brotherhood. Baba Ramdev celebrated the festival at the Namami Gange Ghat by playing the Holi with flowers. Talking to the media, he said, "Those who create a ruckus by getting intoxicated, I would like to appeal to them to celebrate the festival of Holi with peace and harmony and wish each other with colors full of love.

"The Yoga Guru said that consuming `bhaang` on Holi and then creating mischief by applying chemical colors is not the tradition of Holi."Flowers are blooming all around in nature. Similarly, the colors of nature came into our lives too. Holi is not a festival of any kind of pollution and intoxication.

People of all religions should celebrate the Holi festival together and maintain brotherhood among themselves," Ramdev Baba said. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also wished the citizens of the country on occasion.

Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said, "Best wishes for Holi. May the colors of joy and enthusiasm always shower in your life. Wishing you all a happy and colourful Holi!."The festival of Holi which celebrates the spirit of inclusiveness and humanity heralds the onset of spring after winter in the Indian subcontinent.

The festival marks the victory of good over evil and is celebrated on two days - Holika Dahan and Holi Milan. On Tuesday, Delhi Police deployed drone cameras to monitor Old Delhi`s Jama Masjid and tightened security on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat and Holika Dahan.

Elaborate security arrangements were made near Jama Masjid in the national capital as both festivals were celebrated together. Shab-e-Barat and Holika Dahan are celebrated with great fanfare across India.
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's daughter K Kavitha in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, officials said on Wednesday (March 8, 2023). Kavitha, who is a Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party MLC, has been asked to depose on March 9 before the federal agency in Delhi. She has reportedly been called so that she can be confronted with Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Ramchandra Pillai, an alleged frontman of the 'south group', who was arrested by the ED on Monday.

The law enforcement agency had earlier said that Pillai "represented the south group", an alleged liquor cartel linked to Kavitha and others. The said "south group", according to ED, "comprises" Sarath Reddy (promoter of Aurobindo Pharma), Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy (YSR Congress MP from Ongole Lok Sabha seat), Kavitha and others.

She has also been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in this case earlier.

Meanwhile, Kavitha released an official statement and said that "as a law-abiding citizen", she will "fully cooperate" with investigation agencies.

"...I have been summoned by ED to appear on March 9th in Delhi. As a law-abiding citizen, I'll fully cooperate with investigation agencies. However, due to the Dharna & prefixed appointments, I'll see legal opinions on the date of attending it," says BRS MLC K Kavitha https://t.co/U7PyXtInsV pic.twitter.com/u8Jan7eQZS  ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2023

It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers, who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The policy was later scrapped and the Delhi Lt Governor had recommended a CBI probe following which the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Delhi Excise policy case: ED questions Manish Sisodia in Tihar Jail

The ED on Tuesday also questioned former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia inside Tihar jail as part of its money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy.

It was for the first time that the senior AAP leader was quizzed by the ED in the excise policy case.

The questioning reportedly lasted for about five hours.

The questioning is likely to continue over the next few days even as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi again over the arrest of Sisodia and another party colleague Satyendra Jain.

Sisodia is currently lodged in Tihar jail after a CBI court on Monday remanded him to 14-day judicial custody in the same case.
Mathura: Twenty quintals of 'tesu' flowers and 50 quintals of 'gulal' of varied hues are stocked at Dauji temple in Baldeo region of Uttar Pradesh to celebrate a unique Holi played by 'bhabhis' and 'devars' -- sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law. In the celebration, womenfolk representing 'bhabhis' and 'brothers-in-law' play what is locally called 'Huranga'. The women lash the men with wet cotton cloth.

"This unique Holi will be played inside the Dauji temple on Thursday. Lord Krishna used to play this Holi with Revati (wife of Krishna's brother Baldeo), temple priest Govind Pandey told PTI.

"The men drench the women with tesu colour, while the women try to save their new clothes from getting spoiled. In the spirit of the festival, the women also tear the clothes of the men and use them as whips," he said.

A man dressed up as Lord Krishna and another as his elder brother sit on a raised platform in the temple and watch the celebrations unfold as the folk song 'Aaj Biraj Me Holi Re Rasiya' plays in the background.

Before 'Huranga' begins, devotional music is played before the deity for an hour to seek permission to carry on with the festival, the priest said. Twenty quintals of 'tesu' flowers, 50 quintals of 'gulal' (color powder) of different hues, five quintals of alum, 10 quintals of lime, and five quintals of saffron color have been purchased,? Pandey said.

Twenty quintals of rose and marigold petals were also ordered. District Magistrate Pulkit Khare said all security arrangements have been made for the day. Police personnel will be posted in plainclothes to check hooliganism and any misbehavior with women, he said.
New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manik Saha on Wednesday (March 8, 2023) took oath as chief minister of Tripura for a second term. Eight more ministers, including Ratan Lal Nath, Pranajit Singha Roy, Santana Chakma, Tinku Roy and Bikash Debbarma, were also sworn in by Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma were among the dignitaries who attended the oath-taking ceremony.

In all, eight ministers from the BJP and one from its ally IPFT were inducted into the cabinet. Of these, five were new faces, while four ministers who were in the earlier cabinet found a place in the new line-up.

Under the guidance of Hon'ble PM, our govt will continue to serve the people of Tripura with renewed dedication to fulfill their aspirations & ensure overall development & prosperity of the state.



We are committed to building 'Unnata Tripura, Shrestha Tripura'. pic.twitter.com/nuDow83ZC2  Prof.(Dr.) Manik Saha (@DrManikSaha2) March 8, 2023

Swearing-in ceremony of new Tripura government in Agartala.https://t.co/dn4540kj6X  BJP Tripura (@BJP4Tripura) March 8, 2023

The BJP won 32 seats in the 60-member House in the recently held Tripura Assembly elections, while its ally IPFT managed to secure one seat.

This was reportedly the first time that any anti-Left government has retained power in Tripura in the past three decades.

In 1988, the Congress-TUJS defeated the Left in the border state and formed the government, but it lost to the Communists in 1993.

Manik Saha had been made chief minister earlier in 2022, replacing Biplab Kumar Deb, in a brand renewal exercise after it was found that his popularity rating was plummeting on account of the poor law and order situation in Tripura's hinterland.

Manik Saha, former Congress leader, won 2023 Tripura Assembly Election by 1,257 votes

Manik Saha, the former Congress leader who joined the BJP half-a-dozen years back, defeated his former party's veteran leader Ashish Kumar Saha, by a margin of 1,257 votes from Town Bardowali in the 2023 Tripura Assembly Election.

He had only 10 months as the chief minister of the northeastern state after replacing Deb but managed to lift the state government's image before the February 16 assembly polls.

Before joining politics, Saha used to teach at Tripura Medical College located in Hapania.

From Saha joining the saffron party in 2016 to being made a chief minister in a brand renewal exercise last year, it has been a short but upward journey for the 70-year-old dental surgeon-turned-politician.
Agartala: Manik Saha, a dentist-turned-politician who steered the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to come to power in Tripura for a consecutive term, is all set to become the Chief Minister of the northeast state for the second time. Prior to becoming the Chief Minister, Saha was a Rajya Sabha MP and chief of the party in the state. The change of guard took place last year when Saha replaced Biplab Kumar Deb to steer the party in the Assembly polls amid a multi-cornered contest in the northeast state.

Saha, a dental surgeon, joined the BJP in 2016 after quitting Congress. He was made party chief in 2020 and elected to Rajya Sabha in March 2022. After BJP`s victory in the recently-held Tripura Assembly polls, Manik Saha will take oath as the Chief Minister of the northeast state for the second time on Wednesday.

Manik Saha to take oath as CM of Tripura for the second consecutive term at Swami Vivekananda Maidan in Agartala today



PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda will attend the swearing-in ceremony.



(file pic) pic.twitter.com/5PWvyeDano  ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP chief JP Nadda will attend the swearing-in ceremony tomorrow. The mega event will be held at Swami Vivekananda Maidan in Agartala.

Amit Shah and Nadda already arrived in Agartala on Tuesday. They were received at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport by Manik Saha. Chief Minister-designate Manik Saha on Monday called on Governor Satyadeo Narain Arya to stake claim to form the government in the Northeast state. Earlier on Monday, there was a general meeting of all the newly elected BJP MLAs who unanimously proposed the name of Manik Saha for the leader of the legislature party.

"My sincere gratitude to all for electing me as the leader of the legislature party. Under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi ji, we shall work together to build `Unnata Tripura, Shrestha Tripura` and ensure the welfare of all sections of people," tweeted Saha after the meeting. Manik Saha on Friday submitted his resignation to Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya at Raj Bhavan in Agartala.

The Governor asked him to continue until the new government is sworn in. Speaking to the media, Saha said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also attend the event on March 8."Last time, the oath-taking ceremony took place at Assam Rifles Ground and this time it will take place at the Swami Vivekananda Maidan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will remain present in the ceremony," Saha told reporters.

He further said that BJP president JP Nadda will also visit the state to take part in the oath-taking ceremony. "Union Home Minister Amit Shah will also be there during the Oath taking ceremony along with various other leaders of the party," he added.

He said several chief ministers of BJP-ruled states will also join the event.BJP returned to power in the state by winning an absolute majority. According to the Election Commission of India, BJP won 32 seats with a vote share of around 39 per cent.

Tipra Motha Party came second by winning 13 seats. Communist Party of India (Marxist) got 11 seats while Congress bagged three seats. The Indigenous People`s Front of Tripura (IPFT) managed to open its account by winning one seat. The CPI(M) and the Congress, arch rivals in Kerala, came together in the Northeast this time in a bid to oust the BJP from power.

The combined vote share of CPI(M) and Congress remained around 33 percent. Chief Minister Saha defeated Congress` Asish Kumar Saha from the Town Bordowali seat by a margin of 1,257 votes. In the 60-member Tripura assembly, the majority mark is 31. The BJP, which had never won a single seat in Tripura before 2018, stormed to power in the last election in alliance with IPFT and ousted the Left Front which had been in power in the border state for 35 years since 1978.

The BJP contested 55 seats and its ally, IPFT, on six seats. But both allies had fielded candidates in the Ampinagar constituency in the Gomati district. The Left contested 47 and Congress on 13 seats, respectively.

Of the total 47 seats, the CPM contested 43 seats while the Forward Bloc, Communist Party of India (CPI) and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) contested one seat each. The CPI(M)-led Left Front ruled the state for nearly four decades, with a gap between 1988 and 1993 when the Congress was in power but now both parties joined hands with the intention to oust BJP from power.
ELKO  Spring Creek High School is now on track for a food science laboratory and more classroom space under the latest $2.5 million proposal that has Elko County School District Board of Trustees approval.

The plan calls for construction of a 4,800-square-foot building and five new modulars with two classrooms each to allow for a career and technical education food science program that would include a meat lab and 10 additional classrooms to address an expected surge in enrollment.

Heather Steele, the school districts career and technical education coordinator, said in her March 6 presentation to trustees that the eighth-grade bubble is huge, so enrollment will be increasing at Spring Creek High School next year and more space will be needed.

Its not just a food science lab being proposed here, she said.

The 4,800-square-foot building would include two classrooms, two labs, two restrooms, one office, and expansion capabilities, according to Steele, who showed concepts of the project that still has to be designed.

The four current older modulars will be removed from behind the vocational building to make room for the new facility and new modulars, and the school district stated that the older modular classrooms will be repurposed, if possible.

Steeles graphic presentation states that we are working on implementing a food science technology pathway, where students will learn many other skills related to food production, handling, and processing, which are transferable skills to multiple industries, while increasing space for all SCHS students.

Originally, school officials considered construction of a larger building for a meat lab and classrooms that surged in estimated costs from roughly $4 million to $8 million. Last June, trustees asked staff to come back with alternatives.

The idea proposed in late July  similar to the latest plan  failed to gain traction at that time because of worries about capital spending and a desire to see what the consulting firm MGT would find in their assessment of needs for all the schools in the district. That study has since been completed.

Im the self-proclaimed fiscal conservative, but I see a lot of value in this, Trustee Jeff Durham said of the latest plan for the science lab and new classrooms. It directly affects student outcomes and it sounds like we need the space, too.

Trustee Matt McCarty said the district cannot afford a new $10 million building for Northside Elementary School, but he said the science lab project had earlier approval and construction costs keep rising, so the money remaining in the capital improvement fund will have less value over time.

ECSD is looking at an estimated $16 million in the capital improvement account for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, after pending reimbursements and active projects, Chief Financial Officer Julie Davis said this week.

Voters refused to renew the 75-cent pay-as-you-go tax a couple years ago but tax collections were still coming until after the cut-off of June 30, 2022, and McCarty said the food science lab wont wipe out the pay-as-you-go account but it will put a dent in it.

Trustee Susan Neal said my concern is the money part, because there are other schools within the district with trailers that are way old, and other needs identified in the recent MGT study.

Trustee Brooke Ballard cited the MGT study while urging the board to prioritize school projects throughout the district as mentioned in the report before committing to the Spring Creek lab and classroom expansion project.

She said she felt the delay was needed to gain and keep the trust of the community.

Ballard also said other schools in the district think Elko and Spring Creek schools get everything, and there are modulars in poor condition elsewhere in the district. She also questioned whether new modulars would be the way to go.

I am not ready to move forward on this, she said, later commenting that she does think the project would be a fantastic addition for Spring Creek but first should come a committee to prioritize things.

Ballard cast the lone dissenting vote on the project.

Superintendent Clayton Anderson said later in the discussion that the school district is addressing immediate needs at other schools already, including seeking multiple grants for safety and security upgrades.

Trustee Dr. Joshua Byers said CTE is the future, and the meat lab program has the potential to feed back into the community. He argued that the Spring Creek project was already on the books. They scaled it back.

Teresa Dashrup, the boards president, also favored the project, stating that this is a way to excite students into coming to school.

As far as Im concerned, this is a great opportunity for Spring Creek students ... this is a go in my mind.

Public comments read on March 6 included endorsement of the science lab project from Nevada Department of Agriculture Director J.J. Goicoechea and the Elko County Farm Bureau. Trustee Byers said the Nevada Cattlemens Association endorsed the project last year. There was also in-person public comment favoring the project.

In her presentation, Steele provided statistics supporting the food science program and the space crunch expected at Spring Creek High School, such as a chart showing the occupations in the food science field that for the most part require only on-the-job training.

Additionally, the presentation points out that skills learned in food science transfer to other occupations, such as operating machines that crush, grind or polish materials; and inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers and weighers in mining, defense, manufacturing and aerospace.

Steele also showed that the MGT study puts programmatic capacity at Spring Creek High School at 871 student and full capacity at 1,025 students, while enrollment is at 898 this school year, expected to jump to 942 next school year and to 1,008 in the 2024-2025 school year.

The study says SCHS is approaching inadequate space, but Steele said if you ask anybody at Spring Creek High School they would say they surpassed inadequate space a long time ago.

The high school was built in 1992, and there have been no significant additions since that time, she said.

In answer to a question from McCarty on the net gain in classroom space, Steele said it would be eight classrooms after rearrangements with the move of the four current modulars, two of which are single classroom, and the addition of the new modulars and the science lab building.

Steele also reminded the board that the school already has $100,000 in equipment purchased for the meat lab with grant money  a large cooler and a large freezer. The purchase took place when SCHS expected to build the lab before costs skyrocketed.

If we dont use the equipment we have to ship them somewhere else, she said, adding that not being able to use the equipment could affect grants going forward.

Ty Smith, an agriculture teacher and Future Farmers of America adviser at Spring Creek High School, said the idea of the meat lab started in 2019, and there is definitely a prevalent industry that students can most definitely go into with skills they would learn.

He estimated roughly 315 students at SCHS go through the current agriculture program each year.

In public comment, former CTE coordinator Shane Sutton said Smith is the perfect person to pull this off at this time.

Wells already has a meat lab, and Smith said much of the Spring Creek proposal was derived from the Wells program.
New Delhi: Hours after AAP leaders alleged a threat to Manish Sisodia's life in Tihar jail, the Delhi Prison authorities rejected the Aam Aadmi Party's allegations as "unfounded". The leaders of the Arvind Kejriwal-led party had claimed that they are afraid that former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia could be murdered because he is being lodged in the Tihar Jail with "dreaded criminals". Sisodia was arrested for his alleged involvement in the excise policy scam. Reacting to the allegation, the Delhi Prison said former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has been lodged in a ward of Central Jail No. 1 of Tihar where there are a minimum number of inmates and no gangsters.

The response was issued by the jail administration after statements were made by AAP MP Sanjay Singh and MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj.

AAP Chief Spokesperson Shri @Saurabh_MLAgk Addressing an Important Press Conference | LIVE https://t.co/A7ckDQWpJ3  AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 8, 2023

According to Saurabh Bharadwaj, national spokesperson for the AAP, Sisodia is being held in a cell with other convicts and has not been given a "Vipassana" cell.

"There was a request for Manish Sisodia to be kept in the vipassana cell of the jail and the same was approved by the court. Despite the court's approval, Sisodia has been kept with criminals in jail number 1. The Centre must give an answer," Bharadwaj said.

Also Read: Manish Sisodia Can Be 'Murdered': AAP Says He Is Kept In Tihar Jail With 'Dreaded Criminals'

In its response, the prison authorities issued a statement saying "Manish Sisodia has been assigned to a segregated ward keeping his security in mind. The ward...Has minimum number of inmates who are not gangsters and are maintaining good conduct inside the jail."

According to jail officials, a separate cell makes it possible for him to meditate or do such other activities without any disturbance. "All the arrangements, as per jail rules, are in place to ensure his safety and security. Any aspersions cast about his lodgings is unfounded," an official added.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in the excise policy scam case. He is currently in judicial custody.

The court had allowed the senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to carry the Bhagavad Gita, spectacles and medicines to jail, and directed the Tihar authorities to consider his request to be allowed to do vipassana meditation.
New Delhi: In the midst of an ugly dispute between the Congress and the BJP over Rahul Gandhi's comments in London, Nagaland minister Temjen Imna Along commented on a post made by the Congress' official handle. 'Stand up for what you believe in, even if it means you stand alone' -- says photo of Rahul gandhi in the post. Rahul Gandhi is seen in a suit with his hands in his pockets, smiling for the photograph while attending an interactive session at Chatham House in London.

 ,

Photo   



Confidence  Pose  Next Level   Temjen Imna Along (@AlongImna) March 7, 2023

"One has to accept that the photo is nice. confidence and pose are next level." Temjen is well-known for his witty comments on social media. Many social media users found it hilarious when the BJP politician made a remark about Rahul Gandhi that was not offensive.

Rahul Gandhi's visit to the United Kingdom has sparked controversy, with the BJP accusing the Congress leader of insulting India and democracy on foreign land. Rahul Gandhi spoke about India, the RSS, the India-China dispute, and other topics during his remarks in London.

The Congress said that the BJP distorted, twisted, and defamed Rahul Gandhi's words about India's democracy, Parliament, and judiciary.

In response to Rahul Gandhi's claim that opposition politicians' microphones are turned off in Parliament, the BJP cited Rahul Gandhi's Parliament attendance data, claiming that his attendance is far lower than the national and Kerala averages.

Rahul Gandhi's comparison of the RSS to the Muslim Brotherhood has sparked outrage. Union Minister Anurag Thakur said that Rahul Gandhi attend RSS camps to better understand the organisation.
MUMBAI: Bowing to the wishes of its elected legislators, Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Wednesday announced support to Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphu Rio, but stopped short of saying whether it would be part of the government. After a meeting with Pawar and Baramati Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule on Tuesday, NCP general secretary Narendra Verma said the NCP chief had decided to accept the leadership of Chief Minister Rio "in the larger interest of the state of Nagaland".

An NCP statement on Wednesday made no mention of the BJP, which is also a coalition partner of Rio's Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).

"On Tuesday morning, after listening to the North East in-charge he took the decision to accept the leadership of Mr N. Rio, Chief Minister of Nagaland, in the larger interest of the state of Nagaland," Verma said in the statement.

The NCP had the best performance among the opposition parties, winning seven of the 12 seats it contested in the recently held assembly elections.

At the first meeting of NCP's Nagaland legislature party on March 4 in Kohima, there was a discussion on whether the party should be a part of the government or it will play the role of main opposition.

The NCP said the newly-elected MLAs and its local unit were of the opinion the party must be a part of the government in the larger interest of the state and the good relationship that its MLAs share with Rio.

Pawar also approved the proposal to appoint NCP MLA Picto Shohe as the leader of the NCP Legislature Party in Nagaland.

Shohe was elected as MLA in 2018 on the Naga Peoples Front ticket. He later joined Rio's NDPP, but crossed over to NCP after being denied ticket to contest elections.

Nagaland appeared headed towards a government supported by all political parties as NPP, NPF, LJP (Ram Vilas), RPI (Athawale), JD (United) and Independents have backed Rio.
Jaipur: The deadlock between the Rajasthan government and four widows of Pulwama martyrs turned murkier on Wednesday with one of them, Manju Jat, writing to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot alleging that the police beat her up, stripped her clothes and even pricked her with a pin. Manju, the wife of Pulwama martyr Rohitash Lamba, alleged that the police threw her as if she was a gunny bag when she was going to meet the Chief minister. "Unable to bear the torurtue by the police, I am on an infinite hunger strike since March 4 and the Chief Minister will be responsible if something happens to me," she said.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra has also written to Gehlot, asking him to look into the matter. Mishra said that the four war widows have sent a letter to him seeking permission for euthanasia, as he urged the Chief Minister to ensure that the right action is taken.

Jaipur, Rajasthan | Widows of jawans who lost their lives in Pulwama attack continue to protest



When my husband died, ministers told us we'll get jobs but they backed off...want written confirmation of our demands being fulfilled, incl suspension of police officers: Manju Jaat pic.twitter.com/kNJ8ALpqBk  ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) March 8, 2023

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has shared a video of CRPF jawan Rohitash Lamba`s widow Manju, saying that Gehlot should stop this `dictator-like` behaviour.

Refering to Manju`s allegations of police brutality, Shekhawat said that instead of taking the necessary action, the Chief Minister is issuing statements on Twitter to blame her.

"The government should break the fast of the widows of Pulwama martyrs. Gehlot ji, this dictatorship will not work," Shekhawat said.

Meanwhile, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena, who is also protesting with the widows, said, "On Tuesday, two ministers -- Pratap Singh Khachariawas and Shankuntala Rawat -- came to meet the protesting women. Both listened to their demands and assured to solve the issue. It was expected that there would be an announcement from the state government on Wednesday accepting their demands, but nothing happened. Instead, the Chief Minister is raising questions over the demands of these widows despite two of his own ministers assuring to solve the matter."
HYDERABAD: BRS MLC in Telangana K Kavitha, who has been summoned by the ED, on Wednesday said she would fully cooperate with the investigation agency but would seek legal opinion on the date of deposition in view of her proposed dharna in support of the women's reservation bill in Delhi on March 10. Kavitha said "these tactics of intimidation" against the fight of her father and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the BRS would not deter them.

In a statement here, she claimed that she has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to depose on March 9 "in light of" her proposed hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in Delhi in support of the women's reservation bill on March 10.

"As a law-abiding citizen, I will fully cooperate with the investigation agencies. However, due to the dharna and prefixed appointments, I'll seek legal opinions on the date of attending it," she said.

"I would also like the ruling party at the Centre to know that these tactics of intimidation against the fight and voice of our leader, CM Shri KCR, and against the entire BRS Party will not deter us," Kavitha said.

Under the leadership of Chief Minister KCR, the BRS will continue to fight to expose the BJP's failures and raise voice for a brighter and better future for India, she said.

Telangana would "never bow before" the anti-people regime in Delhi, she claimed.

"Let me also remind the power mongers in Delhi that Telangana has never and will never bow before the oppressive anti-people regime. We will fearlessly and fiercely fight for the rights of the people," she said.

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Kavitha in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy. Kavitha, 44, has been asked to depose on March 9 before the federal agency in the national capital.

Kavitha had decided to hold a one-day hunger strike in New Delhi on March 10 seeking the introduction of Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament.

Meanwhile, the ruling BRS attacked the NDA government at the Centre over the ED summoning Kavitha, alleging that it is a misuse of the investigation agencies.

Telangana Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy alleged that the cases against Kavitha is a vindictive action as the BJP is unable to take on KCR.

Why the Centre is silent on the "Adani issue" and why the ED, CBI and Income Tax do not probe it, he said in a release.

State Women and Child Welfare Minister Satyavati Rathod alleged that the ED action is an attempt to muzzle the voice of Kavitha who proposed to undertake a protest in Delhi in support of women's reservation bill. The BJP is jittery after CM KCR has transformed the TRS into BRS, she claimed.

State BJP president and MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar took exception to Kavitha's comments that Telangana would never bow before the "oppressive anti-people regime" in Delhi.

He wondered how the people of Telangana are concerned with the allegations against Kavitha.

"Is Kavitha indulging in illegal liquor deal for the sake of Telangana people," he said, adding that the BRS MLC can prove her honesty in courts.

What is the link between the investigating agencies and BJP, he asked.

The probe agencies have not come into existence after the BJP government was formed at the Centre. They had functioned and investigated cases even when Congress and other parties were in power in Delhi. The same thing is happening now, Sanjay Kumar said.
New Delhi: US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo attended Holi festivities at the residence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Wednesday. Raimondo may be seen dancing to Holi songs in videos shared by ANI. Rajnath Singh was also spotted inviting Raimondo to join a dancer who was present during the festivities. "It's an honour for me to be here on such a holiday. I felt so welcomed by the Minister, it's fantastic. Happy Holi!, said the US Secretary of Commerce.

#WATCH | Delhi: US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo participates in #Holi celebrations at the residence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. pic.twitter.com/Q4og4ypUfl  ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2023

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and EAM Dr S Jaishankar also attend the #Holi festivities at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's residence.

Delhi | Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and EAM Dr S Jaishankar also attend the #Holi festivities at Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's residence. US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo also participated in the celebrations.



(Pic: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's residence) pic.twitter.com/WmZcXHqNf1  ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2023

US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo has arrived here, she is a stalwart politician there. She wanted to enjoy #Holi celebrations. So, I invited her here, said Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.

Union minister Piyush Goyal was visiting Singh's house and was spotted caressing the latter's feet to seek blessings on the occasion of Holi, one of Hinduism's most popular and significant holidays.

US & India are natural allies. We have a lot of good partnerships & coalitions that we are creating. The agenda is full of possibilities&we're working together for a safe, secure Indo-Pacific: Union Minister Piyush Goyal at #Holi festivities where US Secy of Commerce also present pic.twitter.com/05NcPEpwOp March 8, 2023

We're working together to secure resilient supply chains, to ensure critical minerals and semiconductors are available for countries who are trusted partners of each other. US-India are strategic allies. We're expanding our relationship as 2 friends, trusted partners, said Piyush Goel as quoted by ANI. US & India are natural allies. We have a lot of good partnerships & coalitions that we are creating. The agenda is full of possibilities&we're working together for a safe, secure Indo-Pacific, he added.

Gina Raimondo on Monday said that, "This is an optimistic time for US-India relations, and I am excited to visit India during such a special time of year, the celebration of Holi."
Gorakhpur: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday participated in Holi celebrations at Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur district and said that everyone is celebrating the festival of colors together and there is neither a caste nor a class or regional divide."I wish everyone a very Happy Holi. Holi always inspires to not to keep any kind of hatred, or jealousy towards anyone in our mind. There are occasions when everything is dedicated to the nation - these festivals are giving us that inspiration.

There is neither a caste nor a class or regional divide. Everyone is celebrating Holi together. What can be a bigger occasion to give a message of unity?" said CM Yogi. The festival of Holi which celebrates the spirit of inclusiveness and humanity heralds the onset of spring after winter in the Indian subcontinent. The festival marks the victory of good over evil and is celebrated on two days - Holika Dahan and Holi Milan.

Meanwhile, keeping the traditional fervor and essence of the festival alive, devotees thronged at the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan of Mathura district on Wednesday to offer prayers on the occasion of Holi. Devotees in large numbers were seen at the temple with sweets and colors in their hands.

Mathura holds a long history and significance of the festival of Holi. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna visited his beloved Radha`s town Barsana from Nandgaon in Mathura to celebrate the festival with her. Earlier on March 7, devotees celebrated Holi enthusiastically at the famous Priyakant Ju Temple in Uttar Pradesh`s Vrindavan.

However, Barsana, a small town situated approximately 42 km from Mathura is famous for its Lathmar Holi celebration. Women run after men with `lathis` or sticks and playfully hit them during this celebration. The men, on the other hand, come prepared with a `dhal` or shield.

In Barsana, Mathura, and Vrindavan areas, respectively known as the towns of Radha and Krishna, Holi begins from Basant Panchami and continues for more than a month. Thousands of devotees and tourists visit Mathura and Vrindavan to witness this frenzied version of Holi.

The festival of colours is celebrated across India with zeal. People throw "gulaal" or dried color on each other and sing and dance to mark the festival. On this day people celebrate the victory of good over evil and officially welcome the spring season.
New Delhi: Actress Shraddha Kapoor, whose latest film 'Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar' released on Holi, said that she has lied while dating so that her partner does not feel bad. However, now she feels being honest is the best.





Shraddha said: "I have been that person who does not make someone feel bad... with the intention that that person doesn't feel bad I have lied but now I feel you should say the honest thing but with love.""I feel that the more honest you are in a relationship the better that is. Honesty is the best policy."'Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar' is directed by Luv Ranjan. It stars Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor in their first film together, with Anubhav Singh Bassi, Dimple Kapadia and Boney Kapoor in pivotal supporting roles. The film was shot extensively in Delhi, Mumbai, Spain and Mauritius.Does she relate to her character Tinni?"Some things I do and some things I don't. I am not saying it's a bad or a good quality but my character in the film is very vocal and says whatever comes to her mind. She is almost able to keep her emotions separate from herself. I can't do that, maybe I should do that sometimes."
New Delhi: Hollywood actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are reportedly looking at buying an eight-bedroom mansion worth $64 million.

The couple are thought to be in escrow for the Pacific Palisades home after pulling out of purchasing a cheaper property worth $34.5 million in the same area, reports 'Mirror.co.uk'.

The prestigious location is part of an elite neighbourhood where only the richest in society can afford to live. The new mansion comes with a massive eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. It features an 800-square foot gym, professional media room, and game room.

As per 'Mirror.co.uk', JLo and Ben will be able to relax in a sprawling pool spa which offers canyon-side views, before warming up at their very own firepit area. The property also comes with a separate guest house for visitors to stay in, which contains a Japanese-style soaking tub.

Jennifer and Ben have been spotted visiting the property on multiple occasions.

A source told TMZ the pair have been making frequent visits to the home to look for any changes they might want to make once the sale is finalised. They're also said to have given the previous property the same scrutinising treatment. The insider added that the couple will have no trouble affording the $64 million mansion after Ben sold his Pacific Palisades mansion for around $30 million.

JLo is also in the process of selling her Bel-Air home which is currently in escrow with a possible buyer for $39 million.
Mumbai: Nawazuddin Siddiqui's wife Aaliya on Wednesday said the actor was "an irresponsible father" and alleged that he had sent away their minor daughter alone with his "male manager" who hugged her "multiple times in an inappropriate manner". In an eight-page letter shared on her unverified Instagram account, Aaliya claimed Siddiqui had sent their 12-year-old daughter to another country with his male manager without her "knowledge and consent".

"The fact is that as an irresponsible father, you sent my minor daughter to another country with your male manager and made them stay in (one hotel unit) without my knowledge and consent. "Your male manager, during this period, hugged my minor daughter multiple times in an inappropriate manner and all of this was done despite her expressed objections. You cannot deny that those acts were done by your manager when neither me nor you were around," she wrote in the letter.

Aaliya, who also shares a seven-year-old son with Siddiqui, further accused the actor of threatening her after she expressed her displeasure over the undated incident. "You still claimed to trust him blindly and when, as a biological mother, I objected to what happened, you threw your weight around and threatened to take over us today, she added.

Aaliya's counter allegations come days after Siddiqui posted an open letter in response to her previous claims and described them as "manipulated" and "one-sided". His wife had earlier accused the actor of abandoning their children.

Siddiqui had alleged that his wife was the one who had abandoned their children in Dubai four months ago and had now called them back on the pretext of "demanding money". He further claimed that his children had already missed out on their schooling for 45 days. Aaliya, in her new post, asked the actor to "prove your case with evidence in court" and also went on to call him a "dangerous" father.

Later, she posted a 4.30 minute-long audio clip on Instagram, which she claimed to be a conversation between her and Siddiqui. "This is Nawaz reality (sic)", she captioned the purported audio, in which the couple appears to be allegedly arguing over the actor sending their daughter with his aide. As per the sound clip, Siddiqui asked her to file a complaint with police and court.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the oragnisation in charge of running the Delhi Metro, has announced modified train timetables in honour of Holi 2023. According to DMRC authorities, the metro services would begin on the day of Holi at 2:30 pm. The festival of colours will be observed on March 8, 2023.

"On the day of the 'Holi' festival, i.e., March 8, 2023 (Wednesday), metro services will not be available till 14.30 hrs (2:30 PM) on all lines of Delhi Metro including Rapid Metro/Airport Express Line," the DMRC said in a statement.

Also read: Holi 2023: Lucknow Metro Revises Timings, Train Services To Begin Late on March 8

Metro train services will start at 2:30 pm from terminal stations on all lines on that day and will continue normally thereafter, it said. "Metro train services will thus start at 14.30 Hrs (2:30 PM) from terminal stations on all lines on 08th March and will continue normally thereafter," DMRC mentioned in another tweet.

Metro feeder bus services will also resume after 2.30 pm on March 8, officials said. "In addition, Metro Feeder bus services will also resume."

Meanwhile, metro corporations in other states are also preparing for Holi. The Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) officials stated on Tuesday that metro train service will start in Uttar Pradesh capital at 2.30 p.m. on the day of Holi. On Wednesday, the service will start at 2.30 p.m. from both hubs, CCS Airport and Munshipulia metro stations, and run as usual until 10 p.m. The celebration of colours will be held on Wednesday.
TANCET 2023: Anna University will release TANCET 2023 Hall Tickets on March 11, 2023, as per reports. Applicants can obtain their Tamil Nadu Common Entrance Test admission cards from the TANCET website at tancet.annauniv.edu.The TANCET examination for M.C.A. and M.B.A. will be held on March 25, 2023. The hall ticket must be provided during the Entrance Examination, as well as during Counseling and Admission.

If the hall ticket is lost after the Entrance Exam, a duplicate Hall Ticket can be obtained by sending a written request to The Secretary (TANCET/CEETA-PG), Anna University, Chennai - 600 025, indicating the Registration No. / Application No. and the Name of the Examination Centre for a fee of 300/- in the form of a Demand Draft.

TANCET 2023: Here's how to download

Visit the official site of TANCET at tancet.annauniv.edu.

Click on TANCET 2023 Hall Tickets link available on the home page.

Enter the login details and click on submit.

Your admit card will be displayed on the screen.

Check the hall tickets and download the page.

Keep a hard copy of the same for further need.

The application period began on February 1, 2023. Applicants who did not submit the form or who submitted an incorrect application form will not be awarded a TANCET hall ticket.
New Delhi: British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak presented a controversial new proposal today to stop the influx of illegal migrants into the country. Sunak issued a warning, saying that people who enter the UK unlawfully will not be allowed to claim modern slavery system. "If you come here illegally, you can't claim asylum. You can't benefit from our modern slavery protections. You can't make spurious human rights claims and you can't stay," Rishi Sunak said in a tweet.

If you come to the UK illegally:



You cant claim asylum



You cant benefit from our modern slavery protections



You cant make spurious human rights claims



You cant stay pic.twitter.com/026oSvKoJZ  Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) March 7, 2023

Today we are introducing new laws that mean if you come to the UK illegally you will be banned from ever re-entering our country. This is how we will break the business model of the people smugglers; this is how we will take back control of our borders, said Rishi Sunak in Tweet.

Today we are introducing new laws that mean if you come to the UK illegally you will be banned from ever re-entering our country.



This is how we will break the business model of the people smugglers; this is how we will take back control of our borders. pic.twitter.com/kx8ZC0AlEp  Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) March 7, 2023

He further added, If you come to the UK illegally you will be stopped from making late claims and attempts to frustrate your removal. You will be removed in weeks, either to your own country if it is safe to do so, or to a safe third country like Rwanda.

The proposed legislation, called the "illegal migration bill," will crack down on people who cross the English Channel in small boats.

Interior Minister Suella Braverman will be given a new legal responsibility to expel all migrants entering unlawfully, such as across the Channel, under the proposed law, bypassing their other rights under UK and European human rights law.

Last year, almost 45,000 migrants arrived on the shores of southeast England on small boats, a 60 percent rise on a dangerous route that has grown in popularity every year since 2018. Rights groups and opposition parties have slammed the new law, claiming that it is unworkable and unfairly targets vulnerable refugees.

The United Kingdom has previously attempted to execute expulsions, launching a programme last year to move some asylum applicants to Rwanda. Nevertheless, no planes have left the UK since the plan was halted in June last year by an injunction issued by the European Court of Human Rights.
New Delhi: India on Tuesday (March 7, 2023) announced to deliver humanitarian assistance consisting of wheat to Afghanistan via the Chabahar port in Iran. This is the first time since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2020 that the India-built Chabahar port will be used to send assistance to the landlocked country.

According to an official statement, the Indian side has announced its partnership with United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) for the delivery of 20,000 MTs of wheat for "Afghan people" through the Chabahar Port to address the "current humanitarian situation".

In 2020, India had utilized the Chabahar port to ship 75,000 MTs of wheat as humanitarian food assistance to Afghanistan.

Taliban welcome India's assistance

Taliban welcomed the development and said that they "greatly appreciate" the delivery of 20,000 MTs of wheat.

Speaking to Zee News, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen said, "We greatly appreciate the delivery of 20,000 MTs of wheat for Afghan people through Chabahar Port. Such humanitarian steps boost trust between the two countries which will lead to mutual positive relations."

The humanitarian assistance comes even as India hasn't recognized the Taliban regime in Kabul but continues to have a conversation with it.

ALSO READ | Budget 2023: India Announces Rs 200 Cr Aid For Afghanistan; Taliban Responds

The announcement came on the day when India-Central Asia working group met in Afghanistan.

The group includes all five countries of Central Asia -- Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan -- and this was the first time that the group has met.

After the meeting, a joint statement was also issued that called for an inclusive government in Kabul among other issues.
International Women's Day 2023: On the occasion of International Women's Day 2023, Google on Wednesday (March 8, 2023) celebrated the many ways in which "women support women" with a special Doodle. The vignettes within each 'GOOGLE' letter in the special Doodle highlight just a few of the many areas in which women around the world support each other to progress and improve each other's quality of life.

Google's special Doodle is for women in positions of influence who advocate for progress across issues central to the lives of women everywhere.

It is also for women who come together to explore, learn, and rally for their rights and for women who are primary caregivers to people from all walks of life.

Celebrating women who grow and build together, and support each other; today, tomorrow, and everyday #GoogleDoodle #IWD2023 pic.twitter.com/FmCP09Shz6  Google India (@GoogleIndia) March 7, 2023

The Doodle, which was illustrated by Alyssa Winans, was also for women who are critical support systems for each other in motherhood.

ALSO READ | Happy Women's Day 2023: Best Wishes, Greetings, Messages To Share With Women In Your Life

International Womens Day is celebrated annually on March 8

International Womens Day is celebrated annually on March 8 to honor the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women.

Women's day is being observed since the early 1900s and has become a global movement that transcends borders, cultures, and ideologies.

History of Women's Day

In the early 1900s, women across the world were fighting for their rights, including the right to vote, better working conditions, and an end to gender discrimination.

In 1908, around 15,000 women had marched through the streets of New York City in the US, demanding better pay, shorter hours, and the right to vote.

The following year, the first National Womens Day was celebrated in the United States on February 28.

Subsequently, in 1910, Clara Zetkin, a German activist, tabled the idea of an International Women's Day to honor women's achievements and advocate for their rights at the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. She proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day - a Women's Day - to press for their demands.

The proposal was unanimously accepted, and the first International Womens Day was celebrated on March 19, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland.

Later, on the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on February 23, the last Sunday in February.

Following discussions, International Women's Day was agreed to be marked annually on March 8 and this day has remained the global date for International Women's Day ever since.

International Women's Day 2023 campaign theme is #EmbraceEquity

The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2023 is #EmbraceEquity.

The aim of the International Women's Day 2023 #EmbraceEquity campaign theme is to get the world talking about "Why equal opportunities aren't enough".
Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai receives Mr. Nicolai Prytz, Ambassador of Denmark to Vietnam. (Photo: SGGP)

Expressing his delight at the well-developed relations between the two countries, especially at the Government level, Chairman Mai assessed that green and renewable energy strategies are not only suitable with the world's trend, but also very much needed for countries like Vietnam. From a local perspective, Ho Chi Minh City is committed to implementing the cooperation agreement signed between the two countries in the potential fields of green growth, renewable energy and efficient use of energy. He added he realized that between Denmark and Ho Chi Minh City there is still a lot of room for development cooperation, especially in the field of commerce. Therefore, the city hopes that the Danish Ambassador will pay attention to organizing trade and investment promotion and strengthen the introduction of investment cooperation, leading to specific cooperation between the two sides.

He also expressed his hope that Denmark will focus on cooperating with the city in the field of training and technology transfer, areas where Denmark has strengths. For its part, the city is committed to cooperation and is ready for cooperation programs, while the city also focuses on connecting traffic in the region to facilitate trade and the city also has many channels to solve difficulties for businesses and is always ready to create favorable conditions for Danish businesses to invest in Ho Chi Minh City.

Danish Ambassador Nicolai Prytz affirmed that in the coming time, he will do his best to contribute to further promoting the comprehensive partnership between Vietnam and Denmark in the fields of Denmark's strengths and Vietnam's needs, especially renewable energy, green growth and marine economy. He confirmed that Denmark will coordinate with Vietnam to expand cooperation opportunities in potential fields such as education - training, and science - technology.

He highly appreciated the position and role of the city, and said many Danish businesses are also satisfied when investing in Ho Chi Minh City. However, some businesses hope to have a channel for quick reflection when facing difficulties and problems. He also emphasized the two countries' strong commitment to sustainable development, building a circular economy and green growth, responding to climate change, as the basis for promoting the establishment of the green partnership strategy to create a new framework and direction for bilateral cooperation in the future.

In addition, in terms of trade, it is necessary to attract more Danish investors to the city, focusing on the fields of attracting high-quality labor, green energy, and renewable energy. Regarding the areas of cooperation Ho Chi Minh City is interested in, the Ambassador said he is ready to create conditions and call on investors for the two sides to strengthen exchange and trade promotion cooperation./.
Zeren Zhima, chief designer of the application system for China's first seismo-electromagnetic satellite, the Zhangheng 1, speaks in an interview with Xinhua at the National Institute of Nature Hazards in Beijing, China, Feb. 25, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Yanan)

by Xinhua writers Yuan Quan, Jia Zhao

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Many people, when asked to picture a Tibetan woman, will think of a weaver, a shepherdess or someone who performs folk dancing in music videos. However, Zeren Zhima does not conform to any of these stereotypes.

This slender woman is often spotted carrying a heavy laptop with complicated diagrams and curves displayed on the screen. She spends hours every day typing computer code and processing mass data received from a satellite 500 km away. Despite her origins in a remote area of the Tibetan countryside, Zeren now works at the cutting edge of modern science, specializing in the physics of the Earth and space.

Working at the National Institute of Nature Hazards, Zeren is the chief designer of the application system for China's first seismo-electromagnetic satellite, the Zhangheng 1. In service for five years, the satellite, which was named after an ancient Chinese seismograph inventor, has provided a large amount of scientific data on earthquakes around the globe.

Before a quake, movements of rocks deep below ground generate electromagnetic waves, which can travel through the air and even space. The Zhangheng 1 satellite was designed to capture the electromagnetic signals and send them back to Earth. By analyzing the data, scientists can trace the electromagnetic circumstances of previous shaking events and identify natural laws that will eventually help forecast impending quakes.

While using a space satellite to measure the shaking of the Earth's surface sounds cool, it can also be challenging. Many countries have launched similar satellites before, but they have all been retired from service. Zeren says it may take years before scientists can realize the goal of predicting earthquakes, but she doesn't regret undertaking such a task, as the work could save many people from disaster.

The desire to perform good deeds was nurtured in Zeren's mind from an early age. She was born into a rural family in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Sichuan Province, in 1976. At that time, local women were destined to do farm work. But Zeren's parents did not want her to be reconciled to such a life. Her father, a voluntary school teacher, made sure his two daughters studied hard so that they could leave the countryside.

Zeren did not let her parents down. In her county's school graduation exams, she scored the highest marks, and was admitted to a college of disaster prevention technology in Beijing.

Her hometown is located in a zone prone to natural disasters, such as quakes, forest fires and landslides. She witnessed some terrible catastrophes in her youth.

"My parents always taught me to give a helping hand when people are in trouble," Zeren said. "I think that pursuing studies in disaster prevention means putting this idea into practice, which can benefit a lot of people."

However, coming from a simple rural environment, it took her some time to adapt to modern urban life. "I didn't know how to use a telephone or how to take the subway," Zeren said, recalling her early years in Beijing.

Added to which, she could not speak Mandarin very well and suffered from dyslexia. She had to work extra hard to overcome her various difficulties.

She practiced Mandarin pronunciation by reading newspapers out loud for hours, and immersed herself in piles of tapes and books to train in English listening and speaking skills. With two years of hard work, she became a straight-A student at the disaster prevention college.

In 1999, Zeren took her next step, pursuing a bachelor's degree at Guizhou Normal University in southwest China. She majored in computer science, a popular subject back then due to the rise of the internet in China. She was good at math and got offers of web engineering jobs from several foreign companies. But Zeren turned them down and chose instead to study geophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

At the country's highest academic institution in natural sciences, the workload was heavy, and she suffered from depression as a result. However, what kept her going was her original aspiration to devote her life to the welfare of others.

She received her master's degree in 2005 and found a job at the Institute of Earthquake Forecasting of the China Earthquake Administration. Three years later, an 8.0-magnitude earthquake hit Wenchuan County, causing widespread devastation. The "Zhangheng 1" project was raised on the agenda.

In 2009, Zeren took on two challenging responsibilities, becoming a key member of the research project while giving birth to a baby girl. She was able to balance the duties of mother and scientist largely due to the support of her family, with the mother-in-law taking on some childcare tasks.

Aware of the need for an interdisciplinary background, Zeren began to apply for doctoral studies in space physics. Juggling motherhood with in-depth research, she finally obtained a Ph.D. from Beihang University in 2014 after two failed attempts.

In her senior thesis, she thanked her parents-in-law, husband and daughter, saying that her family had provided the strong support necessary for her career.

The Zhangheng 1 satellite was launched in February 2018. Over the past five years, it has racked up numerous achievements, including obtaining global space electromagnetic field data, strengthening the monitoring of space weather events, and offering support for research into earthquake forecasting.

Zeren's team is now planning the second Zhangheng 1 satellite, followed by others that will eventually form a constellation of satellites.

She stressed that scientific research needs to be practical and realistic. Forecasting earthquakes is fundamental research requiring patience and persistence.

"We would rather spend decades on the research than rush ahead seeking quick results," she said.

The Wenchuan earthquake occurred on May 12, 2008. Since then, the National Disaster Prevention and Reduction Day has been observed each year on May 12. The room number of Zeren's office is 512. She said it acted as a reminder of her mission to help predict earthquakes and prevent such disasters in the future.

In the run-up to International Women's Day on March 8, Zeren's story has come under the spotlight, providing an example of the varied and important work women are doing in the modern world.

In pondering the reasons for her success, she said she kept her sights on "surpassing my previous self and fulfilling my potential."

She is also mindful of her parents' priceless guidance on the value of doing things for the well-being of others.

"I am glad of having a science career that can protect people's lives and safety," Zeren said.

Editor: WJH
Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Ni Hong gives an interview after the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Ni Hong gives an interview after the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yuguo)

Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Ni Hong gives an interview after the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yuguo)

Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Ni Hong gives an interview after the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Jinhai)

Minister of Emergency Management Wang Xiangxi gives an interview after the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yuguo)

A journalist with Xinhua News Agency asks a question during an interview with ministers after the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Minister of Emergency Management Wang Xiangxi gives an interview after the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan)

Minister of Emergency Management Wang Xiangxi gives an interview after the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yuguo)

Head of the State Administration for Market Regulation Luo Wen gives an interview after the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yuguo)

Head of the State Administration for Market Regulation Luo Wen gives an interview after the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yuguo)

Head of the State Administration for Market Regulation Luo Wen gives an interview after the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Editor: WJH
Hong Kong: TST building site fire probed

The Fire Services Department (FSD) today said it will conduct inspections at a Tsim Sha Tsui construction site where a fire broke out on March 2, to ensure that fire protection measures are complied with.

The department made the remarks in response to media enquiries about the No. 4 alarm fire that broke out at the construction site at 11 Middle Road in Tsim Sha Tsui last week.

In accordance with the construction progress of construction sites, FSD officers will conduct inspections and provide appropriate advice based on the Fire Services Ordinance to ensure that the responsible people comply with the requirements in the department's circular letter Fire Protection Measures in Construction Sites, and that the facilities are in efficient working order at all times.

When the facilities are damaged or require a temporary shutdown or alteration, the responsible people should notify the local fire station as soon as possible and put in place appropriate alternative measures.

The circular letter stipulates that construction sites are required to provide water relaying facilities to facilitate the department to speedily fight fires that have broken out in high-rise buildings.

If the requirements are not properly met, the department will issue a fire hazard abatement notice to the responsible people in accordance with the Fire Services (Fire Hazard Abatement) Regulation requiring them to abate the fire hazard within a specified time. Non-compliance may lead to prosecution.

According to the circular letter, a construction site should provide water relaying facilities depending on the height of the building under construction, which requires water relaying facilities if it is 30m or above.

If the design height of the building is between 30m and 80m, the contractor should install a closed-circuit type water relaying system or put in place fire pumps on the appropriate floors.

The contractor should install a closed-circuit type water relaying system to ensure the safety of the construction site if the design height of the building exceeds 80m.

The FSD noted that during a firefighting operation, the water supply source comes from fire hydrants on the street. At the Tsim Sha Tsui site, fire personnel found that the fire pump on the ground floor did not function properly.

The department has already issued a fire hazard abatement notice to the site contractor according to the regulation.

During its last inspection of the site in August last year, FSD officers conducted tests on the water relaying facilities to ensure that they were functioning properly and provided fire safety advice to the site's responsible person.

While the fire is still being probed by the department's Fire Investigation Group, evidence at this stage indicates that the cause of the blaze was not suspicious.

This story has been published on: 2023-03-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) held a plenary meeting Tuesday to hear work reports of the Standing Committee of the 13th NPC, the Supreme People's Court (SPC) and the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), as well as an explanation on a reform plan of the State Council institutions.

Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Han Zheng, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang and Li Xi attended the meeting.

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the 13th NPC Standing Committee, delivered a report on the work of the 13th NPC Standing Committee to the meeting.

Chief Justice Zhou Qiang delivered the work report of the SPC and Procurator-general Zhang Jun delivered the work report of the SPP.

State Councilor Xiao Jie explained the plan on reforming the State Council institutions to the lawmakers.

Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), delivers a report on the work of the 13th NPC Standing Committee at the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

Li Hongzhong presides over the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), delivers a work report of the SPC at the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

Zhang Jun, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP), delivers a work report of the SPP at the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

Chinese State Councilor and Secretary-General of the State Council Xiao Jie explains a plan on reforming the State Council institutions to national lawmakers at the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

The second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan)

The second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

Deputies to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) walk towards the Great Hall of the People for the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

Deputies to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) walk towards the Great Hall of the People for the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

Deputies to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

The second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

Deputies to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) sit in on the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) as non-voting participants at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

The second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Jin Haoyuan)

Deputies to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Fei Maohua)

Deputies to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Jinhai)

Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) sit in on the second plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) as non-voting participants at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

Editor: WJH
By: Xu Tan, Guangming Daily

During a blustering storm on the first day of the year, Chen Guanghui made her way through the frost and fog towards flocks of black-necked cranes (Grus nigricollis).

Every year between November and April, flocks of the elegant and graceful cranes travel to the vast plateau wetlands in Dashanbao, a state-level nature reserve located in Zhaotong, Yunnan Province, China.

Guanghui rescue feeding in the Dashanbao Black-necked Crane National Nature Reserve during the extreme frost weather. Photo: Xu Tan/Guangming Daily

Plateau wetlands have been termed an indispensable habitat for these cranes, as they are highly productive in terms of water resources. These wetlands host a diverse food supply that significantly boosts flock sizes and breeding success.

But this uniquely important high-altitude habitat  host to numerous types of rare flora and fauna  is also extremely fragile, at risk from the expansion of agriculture, climate change, and overgrazing. In turn, the black-necked crane has been declared Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, denoting the vulnerability of both the animal and its habitat.

Black-necked Cranes, Yunnan Province, China. Photo: Xu Tan/Guangming Daily

For Guanghui, the new year is perennially a busy period in her work. Dressed in a bright pink headscarf and carrying a basket of corn kernels, the mother of three is among a group of crane guardians who assist Dashanbao National Nature Reserve staff to rescue cranes that struggle to find food during extreme weather such as frost, rain and snow. Guardians also assist by monitoring bird numbers and ecosystem health.

Guanghui rescue feeding in the Dashanbao Black-necked Crane National Nature Reserve. Photo: XuTan/Guangming Daily

Over the past 20 years, Guanghui has participated in rescue feeding operations for more than 90 black-necked cranes. Sometimes the cranes have rescued her too: one day she fainted as she struggled to rescue a black-necked crane frozen in the ice, only to be awakened by the cry of others nearby, allowing her to escape from the ice.

A cold day in the Dashanbao Black-necked Crane National Nature Reserve. Photo: Xu Tan/Guangming Daily

Her love for the cranes makes the bitingly cold patrols easier, she explains. Residents in Dashanbao have a long history of awe and love for the animals, calling them divine birds in the local vernacular. During the 1990s, Chen Guanghui's mother-in-law become the first crane guardian in Dashanbao, and served as a volunteer for many years.

The Dashanbao Black-necked Crane National Nature Reserve is one of the selected sites in the Global Environment Facility-financed, UNDP-supported project Strengthening the protected area network for migratory bird conservation along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway in China. This East Asian-Australasian flyway project is supporting the migratory path of more than 50 million migratory waterbirds, including 36 globally threatened species and 19 near-threatened species.

Editor: JYZ
Tourists visit the Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan, South Korea, March 7, 2023. Located on the foothills of a coastal mountain in Busan, Gamcheon Culture Village is famous for houses built in staircase-fashion and alleys decorated with wall paintings and sculptures. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

A tourist takes photos at Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan, South Korea, March 7, 2023. Located on the foothills of a coastal mountain in Busan, Gamcheon Culture Village is famous for houses built in staircase-fashion and alleys decorated with wall paintings and sculptures. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

A tourist poses for a photo with a Little Prince sculpture at Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan, South Korea, March 7, 2023. Located on the foothills of a coastal mountain in Busan, Gamcheon Culture Village is famous for houses built in staircase-fashion and alleys decorated with wall paintings and sculptures. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

Tourists try traditional clothing at a hanbok rental store at Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan, South Korea, March 7, 2023. Located on the foothills of a coastal mountain in Busan, Gamcheon Culture Village is famous for houses built in staircase-fashion and alleys decorated with wall paintings and sculptures. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

A kid poses for a photo with a wall painting at Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan, South Korea, March 7, 2023. Located on the foothills of a coastal mountain in Busan, Gamcheon Culture Village is famous for houses built in staircase-fashion and alleys decorated with wall paintings and sculptures. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

A bakery and its decorations are pictured at Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan, South Korea, March 7, 2023. Located on the foothills of a coastal mountain in Busan, Gamcheon Culture Village is famous for houses built in staircase-fashion and alleys decorated with wall paintings and sculptures. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

Tourists visit the Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan, South Korea, March 7, 2023. Located on the foothills of a coastal mountain in Busan, Gamcheon Culture Village is famous for houses built in staircase-fashion and alleys decorated with wall paintings and sculptures. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

A tourist poses for a photo with decorations on a wall at Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan, South Korea, March 7, 2023. Located on the foothills of a coastal mountain in Busan, Gamcheon Culture Village is famous for houses built in staircase-fashion and alleys decorated with wall paintings and sculptures. (Xinhua/Wang Yiliang)

Editor: JYZ
On Wednesday, the mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) starts discussions with representatives of Ukraine on a new full-fledged Fund-supported program.

"An IMF mission, led by Gavin Gray, starts policy discussions today with the Ukrainian authorities on a potential Fund-supported program," Resident Representative to Ukraine Vahram Stepanyan said in a statement.

"Representatives of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, the National Bank of Ukraine, as well as other bodies responsible for the economy, energy policies, the struggle and prevention of corruption, the rule of law, take part from the Ukrainian side in the discussions. Meetings are held in the city of Warsaw, Poland, as well as online," the Ministry of Finance said.

Governor of the National Bank Andriy Pyshnyy said on Facebook that his deputies Serhiy Nikolaychuk, Yuriy Heletiy and Dmytro Oliynik are already working in Warsaw, and he will join them a few days later.

"We begin the discussion already with a certain vision of the program parameters and have arguments for each of them. Our team has been well prepared for discussions and is charged to the result that will strengthen Ukraine," the governor of the NBU said.

Earlier, Minister of Finance of Ukraine Serhiy Marchenko announced the work of the IMF mission from March 8 to March 15 in Warsaw. "There we will agree on the conditions, the content, volumes, and so on. Now, it is too early to talk about specific details because there are many issues of the Fund's internal discussion," the Minister of Finance said on March 1.

"I think we will find the necessary solutions so that, starting from April, we have a full-fledged program with the Fund," Marchenko said.

According to him, Ukraine and the Fund discuss a four-year program, the task of which is to carry out the necessary correction of policies so that Ukraine, which today spends 50% of the budget on the military, and the other 50% is financed through the help of partners after the war reached the level of "more than less" self-sustaining.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that the size of the program could be $15 billion, of which Ukraine would like to receive $5 billion this year.

As reported, Ukraine, in the face of the IMF's unwillingness to immediately provide significant funding in the autumn of last year, requested a four-month Program Monitoring with Board Involvement (PMB), which the Fund approved on December 20.

On February 17, the IMF mission completed its work in Warsaw, following which a statement on reaching a staff-level agreement (SLA) on the early termination of this program and the transition to the preparation of a new Extended Fund Facility (EFF) was made.

Kyiv hopes that the PMB will be replaced by a multi-year EFF of about $15 billion at the beginning of the second quarter of 2023, which can cover the gap to cover the $38 billion deficit of the 2023 state budget, which now is about $5-10 billion.
At the facilities of the modern RGC Metering metrological center in Ivano-Frankivsk, the production of industrial gas meters has begun, and at least 300 units are planned to manufacture in 2023.

"Ukraine has started production of rotary and turbine meters for industry. The RGM and TGM models are capable of accurate gas metering with a nominal throughput from 0.5 to 6,500 cubic meters per hour under operating conditions," Regional Gas Company LLC said in a press release on Wednesday.

As stated in the release, the metering devices are certified on the territory of Ukraine and meet all international standards.

According to the head of RGC Metering, Andriy Lashko, the company's meters use components from the leading European manufacturer Pietro Fiorentini.

"We have unified the connecting dimensions of the meters in accordance with the standards of European meters manufacturers such as Itron, Elster, FMG. Both types of the meters have a unified reading device. It has simplified their production and maintenance. We also provide our own service and repair base for our products. We guarantee originality of spare parts," Lashko said.

According to RGC, one of the advantages of Ukrainian-made meters is a shorter period of time required for their manufacture, compared to foreign analogs. It is up to 10 weeks  from the order and delivery of components, to their calibration, sealing, document preparation, packaging and shipment.

"If you order similar meters from abroad, then the waiting period is 14-16 weeks," the company said.

As explained in the RGC, industrial gas meters are installed at all large enterprises using gas in production processes. They differ from household ones in their bandwidth and lower measurement error. If household can pass through themselves up to 16 cubic meters of gas per hour, then industrial  up to several thousand cubic meters per hour. At the same time, due to the smaller measurement error, industrial meters have a smaller error when measuring large volumes of gas, as a result of which its metrological losses are reduced.

According to the RGC, Ukraine needs to replace between 500 and 1,000 industrial meters annually.
The Georgian opposition is planning another protest on the square in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi on Wednesday afternoon.

"The special forces and the police used disproportionate force against a peaceful demonstration today. Numerous protesters, among them leader of the Girchi opposition party Zurab Japaridze, were detained. Even more people than yesterday will gather on the square in front of the parliament several hours from now," leader of the Strategy Aghmashenebeli opposition party Giorgi Vashadze told reporters.

"The international community will definitely condemn the incumbent Georgian authorities for dispersing a peaceful demonstration," he said.

The standoff between the opposition and the police is continuing.

"The police and special forces are in full control of the square in front of the parliament building. Several dozen opposition members are standing on Rustaveli Avenue next to the police cordon. From time to time, police officers detain protesters who come close to them," an Interfax correspondent said in a report.

As the foreign agent bill passed the first reading in the Georgian parliament on Tuesday, opposition leaders called their supporters to a protest and a series of clashes with the police followed.
Russian troops would have an "open road" to capture key cities in eastern Ukraine if they seize control of Bakhmut, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in an interview with CNN, as he defended his decision to keep Ukrainian forces in the besieged city.

"This is tactical for us," Zelenskyy said, insisting that Kyiv's military brass is united in prolonging its defense of the city after weeks of Russian attacks left it on the cusp of falling to Moscow's forces.

"We understand that after Bakhmut they could go further. They could go to Kramatorsk, they could go to Sloviansk, it would be open road for the Russians after Bakhmut to other towns in Ukraine, in Donetsk direction," he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in an exclusive interview from Kyiv.

The TV channel said "a weeks-long assault from Wagner mercenary troops, which has picked up pace in recent days, has forced thousands from the city and decimated its infrastructure. But Ukrainian troops have also mounted a dogged defense of the area, stalling Russia's progress."

Zelenskyy said his motivations to keep the city are "so different" to Russia's objectives. "We understand what Russia wants to achieve there. Russia needs at least some victory  a small victory  even by ruining everything in Bakhmut, just killing every civilian there," Zelenskyy said.

He said that if Russia is able to "put their little flag" on top of Bakhmut, it would help "mobilize their society in order to create this idea they're such a powerful army."
U.S. Presidents Joseph Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed assistance to Ukraine during a phone conversation, the White House has said.

"The two leaders discussed their support for Ukraine... including their commitment to continue providing Ukraine with security assistance and imposing costs on Russia for its aggression," according to the statement.

It is noted that during the conversation, Biden and Macron also discussed the cooperation between the United States and France in the Indo-Pacific region "as well as shared efforts to address challenges posed by the People's Republic of China to the rules-based international order."

"The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to coordinate closely on accelerating the transition to clean energy economies," the presidents said in the statement.
The Minister of Defense of Ukraine is taking part in an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Stockholm.

"The meeting of EU defense ministers started in Sweden. I'm happy to be here. We will talk about weapons, speed in decisions and solidarity. Thank you to Paul Jonsson and Josep Borrell for organization the meeting with our EU colleagues," Reznikov said on Twitter on Wednesday.

"Support is strong. Our partners are with us until victory," the Defense Minister said.
Head of the President's Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak had a phone call with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

"Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak had a phone call today with National Security Advisor to the President of the United States Jake Sullivan as part of the ongoing dialogue with allies," according to the presidential official website.

"Yermak informed of the current situation at the front and the decisions made by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the military leadership regarding the course of the defense operation in Bakhmut sector," the office said.

Separately, the interlocutors discussed ongoing international efforts to provide defense and financial support to Ukraine, as it fights to liberate its lands from Russian occupation.

Yermak also spoke about the crimes committed by Russia against Ukrainians, including the abduction, deportation and forced adoption of Ukrainian children from the occupied territories. He emphasized that these crimes against the Ukrainian people must face a fair punishment under the law.

In addition, the Head of the Presidential Office informed about the large-scale damage to Ukraine's environment caused by Russian aggression. He noted that the consequences of this damage will affect ecosystems across Europe. Therefore, Yermak said the world must make every effort to stop the destructive impact of aggression on the environment and bring Russia to justice, as provided for in the Ukrainian Peace Formula.

The Head of the President's Office expressed gratitude to the President of the United States, both houses of Congress and the American people as a whole for their unwavering and strong support of Ukraine in its ongoing struggle for territorial integrity, freedom, and European democratic value, according to the statement.
URCS mobile medical teams come to help residents of mountain villages in Chernivtsi region

Mobile medical teams of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) provide assistance to residents of mountain villages in Chernivtsi region.

"Mobile medical teams: work in the mountain villages of Bukovyna. The medical workers of the brigade examine patients for free, give out medicines, referrals to see secondary care specialists and can take them to a hospital. First of all, they help pensioners, people with disabilities and internally displaced persons... Doctors also walk to homes of people with limited mobility," the URCS wrote on its Facebook page.

As Deputy Chairperson of the Chernivtsi regional organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society Natalia Vozniuk said, three medical mobile teams are working in Vyzhnytsia district of the region.

"It's a hard-to-reach area and there is a great need for medical care," she said.
Ukraine needs a million artillery shells, which is likely to require about EUR 4 billion, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said at an informal meeting with EU defense ministers in Sweden.

"I will discuss our priorities with my partners, the EU defense ministers. And again, the number one priority is air defense systems, as well as ammunition, ammunition and once again ammunition. Therefore, I support the initiative of the Minister of Defense of Estonia Hanno Pevkur on 1 million 155mm caliber shells. Also infantry fighting vehicles for the 'iron fist,' more tanks like Leopard, and we will be ready for a counteroffensive," Reznikov said upon arrival at an informal meeting of defense ministers in Stockholm.

He said "time saves lives," so decisions should be made as soon as possible.

"We need a million artillery shells. This will probably require about EUR 4 billion," the minister said, answering journalists' questions.
Leopard 2 main battle tanks from Germany and Portugal will be delivered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces by the end of March, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday in Stockholm, where a meeting of European Union defense ministers is taking place.

"I can tell you that I just found out that 18 German Leopard 2A6 tanks and three Portuguese tanks can be sent to Ukraine this month," Pistorius said, according to RND news agency.

He said the tanks will arrive with trained crews, which will allow them to immediately go to the combat zone.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine shares the EU's position that the Georgian draft law on "foreign agents" in its current version contradicts European values and expresses solidarity with the Georgian people in their desire to continue the development of Georgia's European future.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is closely following the situation in Tbilisi. As a state aspiring to become a member of the European Union, Georgia must consistently guarantee its citizens the fundamental rights and freedoms, including the right to peaceful protest, the ministrys comment says.

The Ukrainian MFA also took into account the intention of Ms. Salome Zourabichvili, President of Georgia, to veto the law on the so-called foreign agents, which undermines the activity of civil society.

We share the position of the EU that the draft law in its current version is not in line with the European values and standards. We express solidarity with the Georgian people in their desire to continue building the European future of Georgia, the MFA noted.
Germany provides Ukraine with two more Gepard guns

Germany has delivered another batch of military assistance to Ukraine, including two Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, according to the information published on the website of the German government.

Germany also sent to Ukraine circa 6.000 rounds of ammunition. The latest supply rises the total number of Gepard guns delivered to Ukraine to 34.

The package of assistance also includes two border protection vehicles (total: 122) and six mobile antenna mast systems (total: 30).

In addition, 13 bridge-laying tanks Beaver (total: 20) and 500 pistols SFP9 are being prepared for transportation or have been transferred to Ukraine.
UN Secretary General: Video of death of Ukrainian military proves that laws of war must be observed

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Kyiv on Wednesday commented on a video of the execution of a Ukrainian serviceman.

He said at a briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that terrible footage in which a Ukrainian serviceman was obviously killed is also a reminder that the laws of warfare must be respected.
EU ambassadors approve additional EUR 2 bln to European Peace Fund, through which assistance provided to Ukraine

The EU ambassadors have approved an additional EUR 2 billion to the European Peace Fund (EPF), which is a clear signal of the EU's continued commitment to military support for Ukraine and other partners, the Swedish delegation to the EU reports.

Today, EU Ambassadors approved an additional EUR 2 billion to the European Peace Facility. This decision sends a clear signal of the EUs enduring commitment to military support for Ukraine and other partners, Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU said on Twitter.

The European Peace Fund is designed to assist Member States in their arms supplies to Ukraine.
Detectives from the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine (BES), together with SBU officers, exposed a criminal scheme involving officials of IBOX BANK, more than 20 business entities controlled by it, and gambling business operators.

According to the BES press service, the banking institution probably contributed to the gambling business in tax evasion on an especially large scale. The amount of unpaid taxes by the enterprises is UAH 400 million.

"The tax evasion scheme was set up due to controlled unlicensed mirror web resources of Internet casinos and betting. They were set up to accept payments using "miscoding" and broken money transfers," the report says.

It clarifies that in order to replenish accounts, cash was deposited through self-service terminals to the accounts of gambling business operators, even in cases of excess turnover. These companies are on a simplified taxation system and are not registered as VAT payers.

"The investigation found that the amount of funds transferred through the bank totaled about UAH 20 billion, of which approximately UAH 400 million were not paid in taxes," the bureau emphasizes.

They add that in order to obtain an evidence base, the BES, together with the SBU and the National Bank, are conducting large-scale searches in the bank's premises, offices, and places of residence of the defendants.

Employees of the SBU, together with BES detectives, are conducting searches in the offices of the bank and companies controlled by it. These actions take place within the framework of criminal proceedings initiated under Part 3 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (evasion of taxes, fees (mandatory payments) and Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (abuse of power or official position).
As of March 8, there are nine enemy ships on combat duty in the Black Sea, one in the Azov Sea, of which there are no carriers of Kalibr cruise missiles, according to the page of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook.

There are seven enemy ships in the Mediterranean Sea, including three carriers of Caliber with a total salvo of up to 20 missiles.

During the day, 24 vessels passed through the occupied Kerch-Yenikal Strait towards the Sea of Azov, 12 of them were coming from the Bosphorus, and 26 vessels were heading towards the Black Sea, six of them continued to move in the direction of the Bosphorus.

As reported, on February 25 and February 27, there was one enemy carrier of Calibers in the Black Sea, and on February 26  none.

On Tuesday, February 28, the Russian naval grouping was significantly increased: 17 ships of the Russian occupiers went on combat duty at sea, including five carriers of Kalibr cruise missiles with a total salvo of 32 missiles. The same number of Caliber carriers in the Black Sea remained on Wednesday, March 1.

On March 2, 4, 5 and 7, four carriers of Kalibr cruise missiles with a total salvo of 24 missiles were on combat duty in the Black Sea. On March 3, the grouping was reduced to two carriers of Calibers, on March 6  to three.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that it is still unclear who carried out the attack on the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines in September last year, and it is necessary to wait for the completion of national investigations.

We do know is that there was an attack against the Nord Stream pipelines, an act of sabotage, but we have not been able to determine who was behind. There are ongoing national investigations, and I think it is right to wait until those are finalized before we say anything more about who was behind, Stoltenberg told reporters before a meeting of EU defense ministers in Stockholm.

The New York Times published an article on Tuesday linking last year's Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions to pro-Ukrainian forces. However, the article says they "have no evidence that the leadership of Ukraine was involved in the operation, or that the perpetrators acted on the instructions of any Ukrainian officials."

At the same time, it is reported that it is only known that the perpetrators of the explosion were allegedly opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin. A review of recently collected intelligence suggests that they were opponents of Russian president, but does not indicate the members of the group, nor who led or paid for the operation.

In September 2022, as a result of an explosion, two lines of Nord Stream 1 and one of Nord Stream 2 were depressurized near the Danish island of Bornholm.
The European Commission (EC) has announced the possibility of a further extension until 2025 of the EU directive on temporary protection for the reception of Ukrainian refugees.

The Temporary Protection Directive has proven to be an essential instrument to provide immediate protection in the EU and it should remain part of the toolbox available to the European Union in the future, according to the EC communique published in Brussels on Wednesday.

It states that the European Union is ready to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. Protection has already been extended until March 2024 and can be further extended until 2025. The Commission is ready to take the necessary steps for further prolongation if needed.

The document notes that the directive was first put into effect on March 4, 2022. Since then, about 4 million people have received immediate protection in the EU, of which more than 3 million in the first half of 2022.

All those registered had the right to access the labour market, education, healthcare, and accommodation, they said in Brussels.
The Administrative Judiciary Court of the State Council issued a ruling on Sunday obliging the Ministry of Youth and Sports to dismiss Mortada Mansour from the presidency of Zamalek SC after having been previously convicted on charges of defamation.
Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed in a phone call on Sunday the ongoing developments in Sudan with the Chairman of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki , according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
Two people were killed and 16 others injured as a train crashed into the platform before derailing at Qalyoub train station in Qalyoubiya governorate in the Nile Delta north of Cairo on Tuesday evening, according to a preliminary toll by the Ministry of Health and population.

In a statement, the health ministry said three of the injured received aid at the site of the crash and three others left the Emergency Department of Qalyoub Specialised Hospital.

The ministry added that the rest of the injured who do not have life-threatening injuries are receiving treatment at the same hospital.

The ministry noted that 20 ambulances were dispatched to the scene of the the crash of the train.

The prosecution is investigating the incident.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine El-Qabbaj announced disbursing an EGP 100,000 in compensation to each of the families of those killed in the crash.

El-Qabbaj added that those who would suffer from permanent disability as a result of the crash will also receive EGP 100,000 each in compensation.

Train semaphore signal not heeded

In a statement on Tuesday evening, the Egyptian National Railways (ENR) said that passenger train 557/3027 on the Shubra El-Kheima - Kafr El-Zayat line crashed in the Qalyoub train station at 7:20 pm.

The train failed to heed the semaphore signal and crashed into the buffer stopper at 7:20 pm, which caused the locomotive and the front car to derail, the ENR said.

The injuries took place among passengers who were riding in the cars between the locomotive and the front car, the ENR explained.

Minister of Transport Kamel El-Wazir ordered the immediate formation of a committee to determine the cause of the crash and identify responsible individuals as well as assess the damage.

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Casualties in the Egyptian Nile Delta train accident have increased to four deaths and 23 injuries, the Ministry of Health and Population announced on Wednesday.

On Tuesday evening, a train crashed into the platform before derailing at a railway station in Qalioubiya governorate in the Nile Delta, north of Cairo.

The ministry added that 11 of the 23 individuals injured were discharged from the hospital after receiving medical treatment.

Until Tuesday, two deaths and 16 injuries had been declared.

A committee was formed to investigate the incident while another has been tasked with determining the cause of the crash, identifying the people responsible for the collision, and assessing damages.

Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine El-Qabbaj announced on Tuesday that the government will compensate the families of the deceased, with each family set to receive EGP 100,000. Injured victims who sustain permanent disability from the crash will receive the same amount.

El-Qabbaj noted that all the injured and their families will receive the necessary social services. However, she made no mention of a monetary compensation for the injured who did not suffer from permanent disability.

The Egyptian National Railways (ENR) said on Tuesday that passenger train 557/3027 on the Shubra El-Kheima - Kafr El-Zayat line crashed at Qalioub train station at 7:20 pm.

The train failed to heed the semaphore signal and crashed into the buffer stopper, which caused the locomotive and the front car to derail, the ENR added.

The injuries took place among passengers who were riding in the cars between the locomotive and the front car, the ENR explained.

The accident occurred amid the development plan the ministry has been executing over the past few years. The Transport Ministry previously announced that the plan to upgrade the railway network includes improving locomotives and carriages at an estimated total of EGP 48.2 billion.

Egypts railway sector, the second-oldest in the world with 9,570 km of track running across the country and transporting around 500 million passengers annually, is in need of radical upgrade.

The dilapidated railway network frequently made the headlines until mid-2021 due to major accidents. The latest major one was the tragic train collision that occurred in Sohag governorate in April 2021, which led to 18 deaths and 200 injuries.

In a statement issued last summer, the Transport Ministry said that 110 out of 260 new locomotives were received, while 45 locomotives were renovated. It added that 658 new carriages were supplied out of a total of 1,300. The plan is to raise the efficiency of 1,273 carriages, of which 1,235 have been renewed.

Some 580 railway level crossings out of 1,120 have been built, the ministry noted.

Nevertheless, the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) said last year that injuries from railway accidents reached 769 in 2021 with a 46.5 increase from 525 in 2020.

There were 978 railway accidents in 2021, up from 898 in 2020, an increase of 8.9 percent, according to Egypts official statistics agency.

CAPMAS said that railway-related deaths nationwide increased by 36.8 percent, with 405 fatalities recorded in 2021, up from 296 in 2020, as a result of railway mishaps.

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The UN Middle East peace envoy urged Israel and the Palestinians Wednesday to calm surging violence in the occupied West Bank, a day after the latest Israeli raid killed at least six people and and wounded two dozen others.

"We are in the midst of a cycle of violence that must be stopped immediately," Tor Wennesland said in a statement.

Wennesland said he was "alarmed" at the violence, which Israeli army said included soldiers launching shoulder-fired rockets amid ferocious gunfire.

"The Security Council has spoken with one voice, calling on the parties to observe calm and restraint, and to refrain from provocative actions, incitement and inflammatory rhetoric."

The call came a day after Israeli troops entered the Jenin refugee camp.

Witnesses said rockets had been fired at a building housing a group of militants, and reported gunfire in the streets elsewhere in the northern West Bank camp.

Thick plumes of smoke were seen rising from buildings, as Israeli armoured vehicles moved through the streets, according to an AFP photographer.

The Palestinian health ministry said in a statement that six men had been killed, one aged 49, and the rest in their 20s.

Sixteen others were wounded, the statement added, two of them with serious injuries.

Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, called the use of rockets in Jenin refugee camp on Tuesday an act of "all-out war", Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

The Jenin raid was the latest in a string of deadly military operations in the Palestinian territory, which Israel has occupied since the 1967 war.

"I am deeply disturbed by the continuing violence," Wennesland said, condemning both Israeli settler violence against Palestinians and Palestinian attacks against Israelis.

"Israel, as the occupying power, must ensure that the civilian population is protected and perpetrators are held to account," he said.

Commitments made by the two sides in Jordan last month, when they agreed to "commit to de-escalation", must be implemented if "we are to find a way forward", Wennesland said.

Washington, a staunch ally of Israel, was quick to denounce comments by an Israeli minister for a flashpoint Palestinian town to be "wiped out", but US State Department spokesman Ned Price adopted a more apologetic tone in a more recent statement.

"Israel, as we have made the point before, has the legitimate right to defend its people and its territory against all forms of aggression, including, of course, those from terrorist groups," Price told reporters.

The American spokesman did not express concern regarding civilian Palestinian casualties or even urge Israel to act with restraint. "Weve said this many times before, but we continue to believe that Israelis and Palestinians deserve equal measures of freedom, of security, of prosperity. That remains our goal," he added.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online

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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin tweeted on Wednesday that Americas defence partnership with Egypt is an essential pillar of Washingtons commitment to the Middle East.

Austin posted the tweet following his arrival in Cairo, the third stop in his Middle East tour which included Jordan and Iraq. At Cairo International Airport, Austin was received by a host of senior Egyptian military officials.

He said his visit is meant to strengthen coordination on key issues and to pursue opportunities to deepen the "long-standing" partnership with Egypt.

The U.S.-Egypt defense partnership is an essential pillar of our commitment to this region. Im here to strengthen our coordination on key issues and to pursue opportunities to deepen our long-standing bilateral partnership with Egypt. pic.twitter.com/BCRtammA0d  Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) March 8, 2023

Austin is expected to hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and other high-ranking officials before departing later on Wednesday for Israel, according to AP.

This comes a few days after the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milleys unannounced visit to Israel on Friday to discuss regional security challenges'' at a time of heightened tensions with Iran and its allies across the Middle East, where he met with senior Israeli military and intelligence leaders at an air base in southern Israel and held a video conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israels visit was a day ahead of Milleys snap visit to Syria on Saturday, where he met US troops stationed in areas of war-torn Syria under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Austin's visit comes amid growing clashes between the Israeli forces and Palestinians over Israels repeated deadly raids in the West Bank and its continued demolition of Palestinian homes there.

The latest raid was carried out on Tuesday on the Jenin refugee camp, which left a number of Palestinians killed and wounded.

Egypt has brokered ceasefire agreements in the past two years between the Israeli and Palestinian sides, a role that was praised by several international players, including the US.

The recent confrontation was further triggered by the January storming of Al-Aqsa by a group of Israeli settlers led by Israel's extreme-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, under the protection of Israeli police.

Last week, Ben-Gvir drew widespread local and international condemnation after he called for the wiping out of the Palestinian village of Huwara near Nablus in the West Bank following the killing of two settlers by a Palestinian man in a nearby Israeli settlement.

Cairo has condemned the call as a dangerous and unacceptable incitement to violence. It also condemned the storming of the Jenin refugee camp.

Egypt, Jordan, and the US brought together Palestinian and Israeli officials in a meeting in the Jordanian city of Aqaba last week in the hope of ending violence in the occupied Palestinian territories. A second meeting is expected in Egypt in March.

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Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry has reiterated Egypts keenness to foster joint Arab action so as to rise to the level of demands and challenges facing Arab peoples.

Shoukry's remarks came as he addressed the 159th regular session of the Council of Arab Foreign Ministers at the Arab League HQ in Cairo on Wednesday.

He called for developing a common vision to better deal with challenges facing Arabs on the global level, citing the Ukrainian crisis, nuclear armament and climate change.

Shoukry said that developing such a vision requires first having a joint Arab vision for collective Arab national security.

At the core of collective Arab national security, he said, is the preservation of the national state and the total rejection of any interference in its domestic affairs or any infringement of its sovereignty.

According to Shoukry, facing terrorism and powers that seek to spread chaos during conflicts , as well as showing firmness in confronting sectarian, ethnic and racial divisions are also crucial for collective Arab national security.

The Egyptian foreign minister reasserted Cairos long-standing position to support peace on the basis of the two-state solution whereby a Palestinian state will be established on the borders of 4 June 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Shoukry also reasserted Egypts condemnation of Israeli practices, especially the expansion of settlements and the storming of holy sites and Palestinian cities, describing them as damaging the prospects for peace and escalating the situation in occupied Palestine.

We will keep contacting all regional and international parties to support the peace course and rights of the Palestinian people, Shoukry told his Arab counterparts.

Syria, Libya and Yemen

Shoukry also extended condolences to Turkey and Syria over the devastating quake that hit the two countries in February.

The top Egyptian diplomat asserted Egypts keenness to settle the crisis in Syria as soon as possible in line with relevant international resolutions.

He also asserted that Egypt is keen on maintaining the unity of the Syrian state and on supporting its institutions as well as eliminating terrorism and ending foreign interference in Syria.

Moving on to Libya, Shourky said that the endorsement of the 13 constitutional amendments paves the way for presidential and parliamentary elections there.

Egypt, he said, fully supports a Libyan-Libyan solution that should be reached without any outside dictates.



Shoukry added that any attempts to create new mechanisms are only meant to confuse the situation in order to maintain the status quo in Libya.

He stressed the need for all foreign troops, fighters and mercenaries to withdraw from the Arab country within a defined period of time.

Shoukry called on all Arab countries to support the Libyan people and the Libyan institutions.

The foreign minister also welcomed the UN sponsored truce in Yemen in April of last year.

Flights between Cairo and Sanaa re-operated in support of that truce, he said.

Shoukry regretted, however, that the truce has not been renewed.

He called for reviving the truce for Yemenis to be able to reach a comprehensive solution to their crisis as soon as possible.

Speaking of climate change, Shoukry said that Arab countries are among the most harmed by climate change

He urged his counterparts to act to join initiatives launched by Egypt during its presidency of the international climate summit in Sharm El-Sheikh last year.

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Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry - the head of the 159th session of the Arab League Council meeting for Arab foreign ministers - approved a decision to place the issue of the Ethiopian dam as a permanent topic on the Arab League Council agenda.

The decision, Shoukry said, underlines Arab commitment to protecting the rights of Egypt and Sudan.

His remarks came on Wednesday during a joint press conference with AL Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit at the end of the 159th session of the AL Council meeting of foreign ministers.

Shoukry said that Egypt has raised the issue of the Ethiopian dam over the years at the AL and consultancy meetings and that it was important to issue an Arab decision backing Egyptian and Sudanese water rights.

The issue of the Ethiopian dam will be on the Arab summit's agenda as it affects 140 million Arab citizens, he said.

He added that the decision is meant to show that there is a joint Arab vision in this regard and that Ethiopia must take this into consideration.

Shoukry added that the decision urged Ethiopia to be more flexible as the issue of the dam is one of Arab national security.



He referred to Ethiopia's relations with Arab countries.

In his speech earlier Wednesday, Shoukry said that GERD was a top priority issue as it had repercussions on Egypts national security.

Unfortunately, Ethiopia remains adamant about building ,filling, and operating the dam without reaching any binding legal agreement with Egypt and Sudan, the foreign minister said.

This violates international law and the presidential statement issued by the UN Security Council in September 2021, he added.

Shoukry said that Egypt counts on Arab countries to oblige Ethiopia to relinquish unilateral practices and to make compromises at the negotiating table.

The Arab League has been supporting Egypt and Sudan in their plea to reach a legally-binding agreement with Ethiopia that safeguards the rights of each country in development as well as historical water rights.

Last year, the United Arab Emirates attempted to mediate between the three countries by hosting rounds of technical talks but failed to achieve any breakthrough.

Egypt and Sudan managed in the fall of 2021 to pass a resolution in the security council through Tunisia, the only Arab non-elected member in the UNSC, calling on Ethiopia to cease its second-year filling of the GERD and to begin talks under the auspices of the African Union to reach a legally-binding agreement.

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Egypts Prosecution issued orders to detain the driver of the train that crashed into the platform before derailing at a railway station in Qalioubiya governorate killing four people and injuring 23 others on Tuesday.

The prosecution issued orders to detain the train driver and the workers at Qalyoub train station pending investigations into the reasons for the crash.

According to the prosecutions early investigations, the train was derailed as a result of colliding against the concrete buffer stopper at the station.

The prosecution added that witnesses at the station said that the train driver ignored the semaphore signal and was driving at high speed.

The investigations also revealed that the train driver disconnected the automatic train control ATC and brakes which led to the train collision.

The drivers assistant said that the driver disconnected the ATC because it broke down.

He said that the driver wanted to stop at Qalyoub station because it was the first stop during the trip and that the train driver wanted to ask for support and assistance there.

The Egyptian National Railways (ENR) said on Tuesday that passenger train 557/3027 on the Shubra El-Kheima - Kafr El-Zayat line crashed at Qalyoub train station at 7:20 pm.

The train failed to heed the semaphore signal and crashed into the buffer stopper, which caused the locomotive and the front car to derail, the ENR added.

There were injuries among the passengers who were riding in the cars between the locomotive and the front car, the ENR noted.

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Al-Azhar warned on Tuesday that the recent statements of the Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir calling for the continuation of the demolition of Palestinian homes in east Jerusalem could lead to a flare up in confrontations between the two sides during the holy month of Ramadan.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism (AOCE) warned that "Despite the suspension of demolitions of unlicensed buildings of Palestinians in occupied Jerusalem during the month of Ramadan in fear of flaring up of the situation and a possible third Palestinian intifada, still, the statements made by the security minister could ignite confrontations in the city."

The observatory stressed that the statements of the extremist Zionist Ben-security minister Gvir's remarks in which he called for continuing to demolish Palestinian homes comes in the same context of what Jerusalem faces in terms of a systematic Zionist plan to force a new reality on the city and its sacred sites and ignores the sanctity of the holy month.

The statement cited a report in the Israeli paper Yedioth Ahronoth which indicated that the occupation forces plan to evict six Palestinian families from their homes in the neighbourhoods of Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah during the month of March under the pretext that the land belongs to a settlement association and settlers families.

This is an unprecedented number of evictions in one month, the statement warned.

In recent months, repeated deadly Israeli raids in the West Bank and the continued demolition of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and east Jerusalem have led to major confrontations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.

The statement also cited a leaked audio recording in which Ben-Gvir can be heard rejecting the closure of Al-Aqsa Mosque to Israeli settlers during the last ten days of Ramadan - which is set to start on 23 March - claiming that such closure amounts to a surrender to terrorism.

The far-right government of PM Benjamin Netanyahu has triggered widespread anger in the occupied territories and beyond after it announced to build thousands of new settlement units in the West Bank.

However, under pressure from Arab and world leaders, Netanyahu agreed in late February to put the construction of new settlement units in the West Bank on hold for six months.

In January, Ben-Gvir led a group of Israeli settlers in storming Al-Aqsa under the protection of Israeli police.

Last week, Ben-Gvir drew widespread local and international condemnation after he called for the wiping out of the Palestinian village of Huwara near Nablus in the West Bank following the killing of two settlers by a Palestinian man in a nearby Israeli settlement.

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Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed with Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi in Cairo on Wednesday the deteriorating conditions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Along with the developments of the Palestinian cause, the two officials addressed several regional issues  including the situation in Syria and Libya  which are on the agenda of the 159th session of the Arab League (AL) Council at the level of Foreign Ministers. The session, set to kick off on Wednesday, will be held at the ALs general secretariat headquarters in Cairo, under the presidency of Egypt.

The meeting comes amid surging violence in the occupied West Bank as an Israeli raid on Tuesday killed at least six people and wounded two dozen, with the UN Middle East Peace Envoy Tor Wennesland calling for calm as the cycle of violence must be stopped immediately.

Egypt condemned in a statement by the foreign ministry on Tuesday the Israeli forces storming of the Palestinian camp of Jenin, reiterating its categorical rejection of the policy of repeated Israeli incursions which results in civilian casualties among the Palestinian people, with the ensuing destruction of property, demolition of homes, and loss of lives.

This, the ministry statement says, is a flagrant violation of the rules of international law, which warns of grave deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as regional destabilisation.

Egypt appealed to international stakeholders to try to put an end to the ongoing escalatory unilateral measures, and to create the atmosphere conducive for achieving de-escalation and peaceful settlement.

The incident in Jenin comes following a long series of attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank since January following the re-election of right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Egypt and Jordan, both bound by a peace treaty with Israel, are mediating Palestinian-Israeli talks to stop escalation in the Occupied Territories.

In a meeting on 26 February in the Jordanian city of Aqaba, the political-security talks attended by officials from the United States, Jordan, and Egypt agreed to de-escalate tensions following a heightened period of violence. Israel has also agreed to temporarily halt approvals of settlement building projects in the West Bank, as both sides said they would work closely to prevent further violence.

The violence, however, erupted shortly after the end of the talks, seemingly causing difficulty for the parties to convene again in a planned follow-up meeting.

The follow-up meeting is scheduled to take place in March -- at an unspecified date -- in Sharm El-Sheikh as part of the five-party talks that were held in Aqaba, according to a joint statement at the time.

However, Palestinian sources told Ahram Online that Netanyahu does not even take seriously the commitments that have been agreed upon during the Aqaba meeting, which makes holding the follow-up [Sharm El-Sheikh] meeting uncertain.

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Egypt's Ministry of Health and Population signed on Wednesday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with international medical company PerkinElmer via its local agent HVD to develop new capabilities to conduct medical examinations for genetic diseases.

Under the deal, PerkinElmer will cooperate with the health ministry and Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement (UPA) to establish a state-of-the-art laboratory to conduct beta-thalassemia tests for pre-marriage tests in the country.

PerkinElmer will also cooperate with the health ministry and the UPA in a pilot study to detect and treat spinal muscular atrophy (SMA); a disease which constitutes 19 percent of all neuromuscular diseases in Egypt, according to a cabinet statement.

The deal was signed by Egyptian Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, Chairman of the UPA Bahaa El-Din Zidan on the one hand and PerkinElmer CEO Prahlad Singh and General Manager of HVD Egypt Mohamed Abul Naga on the other.

The signing ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.

In 2008, Egypt mandated would-be couples to undergo compulsory medical examinations to screen genetic and infectious diseases.

In February, the government mandated new for would-be couples, including tests for Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, AIDS, Thalassemia, Sickle Cell Disease, RH factor blood test, Hemoglobin, Blood Sugar level and Blood Type.

Egypt and PerkinElmer will also develop screening for newborns and next-generation screening capabilities.

PerkinElmer will also provide plans to develop the central laboratories of the health ministry, including the genome laboratory, added the statement.

The agreement comes in line with the country's plan to establish a genome centre to identify the genetic characteristics of various diseases.

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President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stressed to US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin Egypt's keeness on strengthening the strategic partnership with the US.



The president's remarks came during a meeting with Austin and an accompanying delegation in Cairo on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Defence and Military Production General Mohamed Zaki and US Charge dAffaires in Egypt Daniel Rubinstein.

According to a statement by the Spokesman for the Presidency Ahmed Fahmy, El-Sisi emphasised to Austin Egypts commitment to further intensifying cooperation and coordination between the two countries in an array of areas, particularly in the military and security fields, given their importance in reinforcing efforts to restore security and stability and consolidate peace in the Middle East region.

From his side, Austin reaffirmed to El-Sisi that his country holds the Egyptian leadership in high esteem and highly appreciates Egypts key role in the Middle East as a rational and responsible stabilising force.

He stressed the US commitment to further advancing and strengthening cooperation and the strategic partnership with Egypt, particularly their defence cooperation, which constitutes a fundamental cornerstone in the two countries relations.

The meeting focused on a number of regional and international issues.

President El-Sisi reiterated the need to exert intensive international efforts so as to achieve calm in the Palestinian territories and halt unilateral measures and escalation.

El-Sisi stressed that a two-state solution, according to the relevant references of international legitimacy, is considered the pathway toward achieving just and comprehensive peace for the benefit of the peoples of the region.

The meeting also touched on efforts to reinforce peace and stability at the international level, in light of the successive global crises, which cast shadow on the various countries around the world.

Austin's Cairo visit on Wednesday is the third stop in his Middle East tour which included Jordan and Iraq before departing for Israel, according to AP.

It also comes a few days after the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milleys unannounced visit to Israel on Friday to discuss regional security challenges'' at a time of heightened tensions with Iran and its allies across the Middle East, where he met with senior Israeli military and intelligence leaders at an air base in southern Israel and held a video conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israels visit was a day ahead of Milleys snap visit to Syria on Saturday, where he met US troops stationed in areas of war-torn Syria under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Austin's visit comes amid growing clashes between the Israeli forces and Palestinians over Israels repeated deadly raids in the West Bank and its continued demolition of Palestinian homes there.

The latest raid was carried out on Tuesday on the Jenin refugee camp, which left a number of Palestinians killed and wounded.

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The owner of Russia's Wagner Group military contractor claimed Wednesday that his troops have extended their gains in the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut, but it remained unclear how long the grinding fight might go on.

Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Kyiv for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on extending an agreement that allows Ukraine to ship grain from its Black Sea ports and permits Russia to export food and fertilizers.

The battle for the city the Ukrainians have dubbed fortress Bakhmut has become emblematic of the way each side has tried to wear down the other. Russian forces must go through Bakhmut to push deeper into parts of the Donetsk province they do not yet control, though Western officials say that capture of the city is unlikely to change the course of the war.

The battle for Bakhmut has lasted six months and reduced the city with a prewar population of more than 70,000 to a smoldering wasteland. Its not clear which side has paid a higher price.

Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose troops have spearheaded the fight in Bakhmut, said they have taken full control of all districts east of the Bakhmutka River that crosses the city. The city's center lies west of the river.

Neither Russian nor Ukrainian officials commented on Prigozhin's claim. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank that closely monitors the fighting, said Russian forces were likely in control in the areas cited by Prigozhin following a Ukrainian withdrawal.

Russian troops have enveloped the city from three sides, leaving only a narrow corridor leading west. The only highway west has been targeted by Russian artillery fire, forcing Ukrainian defenders to rely increasingly on country roads, which are hard to use before the muddy ground dries.

Zelenskyy vowed Monday not to retreat from Bakhmut after chairing a meeting with his top generals.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday that seizing the city would allow Russia to press its offensive farther into the Donetsk region, one of the four Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed in September.

In a blustery video statement recorded near a World War II monument in Bakhmut, Prigozhin echoed that rationale, saying the prospective Russian push would make the entire world shudder.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg acknowledged that the Russians could seize the city soon.

What we see is that Russia is throwing in more troops, more forces, and what Russia lacks in quality they try to make up in quantity," he told reporters on the sidelines of an EU defense ministers meeting in Stockholm. "They have suffered big losses, but at the same time we cannot rule out that Bakhmut may eventually fall in the coming days.

But like other Western officials, he played down the significance of Bakhmut's potential capture, arguing that this does not necessarily reflect any turning point of the war, and it just highlights that we should not underestimate Russia.

The Ukrainian military has already strengthened defensive lines west of Bakhmut to block the Russian advance, including in the nearby town of Chasiv Yar that sits on a hill. Farther west are the heavily fortified Ukrainian strongholds of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.

The ISW observed that Russia was also likely short of the mechanized forces it would need to push on from Bakhmut.

On Wednesday, Russian forces shelled scores of towns and villages in the Donetsk region and other areas in Ukraines east and south, Ukraines presidential office said.

In Kyiv, U.N. chief Guterres was discussing the possibility of extending the agreement that has kept at least some of the country's exports flowing.

Ukraine and Russia are leading global suppliers of wheat, sunflower oil and other agricultural products, and Moscows Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine drove food prices higher across the world.

The current 120-day agreement expires on March 18, and Guterres said extending it for a second time is of critical importance.

Exports of Ukrainian  as well as Russian  food and fertilizers are essential to global food security and food prices, Guterres said.

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A drone strike killed four people in government-held eastern Syria on Wednesday in an area theoretically under Syrian government control, a war monitor said.

"Four people were killed and eight wounded in a drone strike near a weapons factory band near a truck loaded with weapons," Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP.

The Observatory, which is based in the UK , could not immediately clarify who carried out the strike in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor.

It targeted a part of the city that controlled by Iran-backed factions and is home to residences of top Iranian commanders and senior officers of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement as well as an Iranian hospital to treat cholera patients, Abdel Rahman said.

Pro-Iran factions aligned with the Syrian government are heavily deployed south and west of the Euphrates River which runs through Deir Ezzor province.

A landmine exploded in the same neighbourhood, causing casualties, the official Syrian agency SANA reported.

"A number of citizens were killed and wounded when a landmine planted by terrorists exploded in the Al-Hamidiya neighbourhood of Deir Ezzor," SANA said.

Deir Ezzor is an important border crossings connecting Iraq to Syria .

In January, eleven people were killed in this region during a series of airstrikes.

Wednesday's attack followed a series of unclaimed drone strikes on January 30 that targeted a suspected convoy in the province and killed 11 people, including a pro-Iranian commander, the Observatory said at the time.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, including attacks on the Damascus and Aleppo airports, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations.

The latest, attributed to Israel by Syria, dated Tuesday, when warplanes struck Aleppo airport, in the north of the country, causing significant damage that halted flights to and from Syria's war- and quake-battered second city, the defence ministry said.

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The post-earthquake goodwill that helped unblock aid deliveries in Syria should be applied at the political level to help advance efforts to end the country's 12-year conflict, the UN said Wednesday.

"The status quo cannot be acceptable," Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy to Syria, told reporters in Geneva.

The catastrophic 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria last month, killing more than 50,000 people, provided a "wake-up call to the world that the Syrian tragedy is far from over," he said.

The quake came nearly 12 years into Syria's civil war which has devastated swathes of the country, killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions more.

In northwest Syria, where nearly 6,000 people were killed by the February tremor, the immensity of the earthquake tragedy helped shift long-stuck positions to facilitate getting aid into rebel-held areas in the northwest of the country.

More border crossings were opened to facilitate aid shipments from Turkey, and efforts were made to crank up aid deliveries from government-held areas into the rebel-held northwest.

The United States and the European Union have also eased sanctions to ensure the aid could flow in unencumbered.

Pedersen hailed that "in the aftermath of the earthquakes, humanitarian steps from all sides have moved beyond previous positions, even if temporarily."

"A month ago, there was no prospect of the opening of more border crossings nor of moves to ease sanctions in a concrete way. We have seen both moves now," he pointed out.

What is desperately needed now, he said, is for "the same logic that was applied on the humanitarian front to now be applied on the political level."

"The earthquake in itself has shown that positive steps are possible if there is a political will."

Pedersen, who has for years been trying to make progress with a so-called constitutional committee for Syria with little success, warned though that the current geopolitical situation was not ideal for moving forward.

Last July, he had to indefinitely postpone a meeting of the committee after Moscow balked at it being held in Switzerland, which had imposed sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine.

"The international climate today may make a comprehensive solution impossible," Pedersen acknowledged.

"As long as the Russians don't want to come to Geneva, the Syrian government does not want to come to Geneva," he said, adding that he had had "months of discussions" with both and hoped "we will be able also to see progress on this file."

Pedersen insisted that "we can make progress".

"But then we need to see from all sides a willingness to compromise and to move forward in a more serious manner."

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Women were beginning to hit the streets en masse across the globe on Wednesday to defend rights that are coming under increasing attack.

To mark International Women's Day, capitals across the world are hosting marches, rallies and demonstrations, including Madrid, where broad tree-lined boulevards are regularly packed with a sea of purple, a colour often associated with women's rights.

Marches took place on Wednesday in Thailand and Indonesia, where a few dozen women gathered in front of the country's parliament to urge lawmakers to pass a long-awaited bill to protect domestic workers and some chanted "long live Indonesian women".

With the Taliban government's banning of women from universities in Afghanistan, Iran's repression of the Mahsa Amini protests, new US restrictions on abortion rights and the Ukraine war's impact on women, there are many reasons to protest.

Global progress on women's rights is "vanishing before our eyes," UN chief Antonio Guterres warned on Monday, saying gender equality would take another three centuries to achieve.

"Women's rights are being abused, threatened, and violated around the world," he added, pointing to Afghanistan, where "women and girls have been erased from public life".

Afghan universities reopened on Monday after a winter break, but only men returned to classes with the Taliban authorities' ban on women in higher education still in force some 18 months after they seized power.

On the eve of International Women's Day, the European Union imposed sanctions on individuals and entities deemed to be responsible for violence and rights abuses against women.

The Taliban's higher education minister Neda Mohammad Nadeem was sanctioned for depriving women from university learning.

The sanctions also targeted officials from five other countries -- Iran, Russia, South Sudan, Myanmar and Syria.

Mobilising over abortion rights

In Europe, marches will take place in many countries to demand "equality both at work and in life".

In London, the Madame Tussauds museum will mark the day by unveiling a new waxwork of suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst, who began an intense struggle 120 years ago that won women's right to vote.

Elsewhere, demonstrations have been banned.

In Pakistan, where marches are criticised for promoting liberal Western values and for not respecting religious and cultural sensitivities, organisers have had to fight multiple court challenges to press ahead with demonstrations.

And in Cuba, activists seeking permission to demonstrate were arrested earlier this year, with feminist organisations instead urging people to join a "virtual march" on social media to raise awareness about gender violence and femicides.

Wednesday will see feminists mobilising in particular over abortion rights following the US Supreme Court's decision in June to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that had guaranteed a woman's constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy.

In Europe, that right has also been undermined recently in Hungary and Poland.

"We are fighting against a patriarchy... that fights ad nauseam against rights -- such as the right to abortion -- that we have won through struggle," read the manifesto of the Madrid march, which is set to begin at 1800 GMT.

Leading womens rights campaigners at the United Nations and the African Union and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate criticized male-dominated governments Tuesday for excluding women from peace negotiations.

They complained that governments are ignoring a U.N. resolution adopted in 2000 demanding equal participation for women in talks to end conflicts.

Sima Bahous, head of the U.N. agency promoting gender equality, lamented the regression in womens rights. She told the Security Council that we have neither significantly changed the composition of peace tables, nor the impunity enjoyed by those who commit atrocities against women and girls.

Bahous, executive director of UN Women, called for a radical change of direction.

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The UN rights chief criticised Wednesday a British draft law that would outlaw asylum claims by anyone arriving in the country illegally, warning it would violate international law.

"I am deeply concerned at this legislation," Volker Turk said in a statement.

Britain's Conservative government intends to outlaw asylum claims by all illegal arrivals and transfer them elsewhere, such as Rwanda, in a bid to stop thousands of migrants from crossing the Channel on small boats.

Turk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, joined the chorus of concerns voiced by the UN refugee agency and a string of rights groups.

The draft law "would allow the UK authorities to detain and remove all those who enter the UK using small boats to cross the Channel, ban their future re-entry to the UK and prohibit them from applying for UK citizenship", he said.

"Such a wholesale ban preventing people from seeking asylum and other forms of international protection in the UK would be at variance with the UK's obligations under international human rights and refugee law," he warned.

Turk said the legislation also raised a number of rights concerns, for example by violating the right to an individual assessment, as well as bans on arbitrary immigration detention.

It could also run afoul of bans on collective expulsions and so-called refoulement, or returning someone to a country where they could face torture, cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment, he said.

"All people compelled to leave their country of origin to seek safety and dignity abroad are entitled to the full respect of their human rights, regardless of their migration status or mode of arrival," he said.

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Boosting agricultural exports was the main theme of last weeks Food Summit in Cairo.

Investment in order to improve the efficiency and sustainability of agriculture and growth catalysts in the food industries was discussed during the Food Summit held in Cairo last week that brought together government officials, the private sector, and NGOs.

Food security has become an increasing challenge along with issues related to supply chains, higher costs, and increasing climate impacts, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation Al-Sayed Al-Quseir told summit participants.

He said the ministry was working on achieving food security, strengthening the export capacity of agricultural products, and improving the livelihoods of farmers. The government was working on the expansion and reclamation of desert land to increase the countrys arable land area, he said.

Egypts agricultural land now stands at around nine million acres, the minister said. Among the efforts to boost the amount of land that can be used for agriculture is the giant New Delta Project on an area of 2.2 million acres, making Egypt a pioneer in such projects, and the Toshka Al-Khair project with an area of 1.1 million acres.

There is also the development of North and Central Sinai, in addition to multiple projects in the New Valley governorate. The minister also stressed the governments support for increasing agricultural exports to the 160 markets worldwide to which more than 400 agricultural products are currently being exported.

New markets are being opened, such as the Japanese, Chinese and New Zealand markets, with exports worth $7.5 billion over the past year, the minister added.

There is a clear political will to support the export sector, said Karim Abu Ghali, a member of the Food Export Council. Abu Ghali, who founded one of Egypts major pasta producers, said his company exports to Africa but delays in receiving export subsidies had affected the size of the exports.

If the date of the reimbursement of the subsidies was known, this could increase exports by at least 30 per cent in the food sector, Abu Ghali said. Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait said in December that some LE42.5 billion in export support has been provided to 2,500 exporting companies since 2019.

Abu Ghali also stressed the need for a vision and programmes on the ground to help exporters expand their exports.

Chairman of the Haya Association Mohsen Al-Beltagi said that the association, which supports agricultural exports, was working on transferring technology to farmers. This had improved quality as shipments of strawberries were no longer being returned after being exported due to their increased quality, he added.

The association also focuses on training engineers and technicians on pollination, fertilisation, and harvesting operations.

Ali Al-Gemayel, the managing director of an agricultural production company, said that the target of $100 billion in exports was the goal the country was trying to reach. But before looking at the numbers, the government needed to look at what the world wants, as there may be even greater opportunities.

The country needed to develop new varieties of crops and consider factors like the services that can be provided to export these products, whether in shipping or in packaging materials, Al-Beltagi said.

It is important that Egyptian products are marketed properly abroad, he added.

Deputy head of the agricultural crop sector at the ministry Tarek Abu Bakr said that exporters should keep in touch with their clients to ensure that they are catering for their needs and that their export products reach the highest international standards.

This would help to ensure customer satisfaction and increase exports, he added.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 9 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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A breakthrough may be in sight in the truce negotiations in Yemen as talks between Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni Houthi Movement continue.

Omani-brokered truce negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni Ansarullah (Houthi) Movement were still in progress this week, meaning that a breakthrough may be in sight in the negotiations between the Houthis and the internationally recognised government of Yemen.

The Saudi-Houthi truce concluded in spring last year expired in October and has not been renewed, and this has led to the new round of negotiations building on efforts made by UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg and US Special Envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking.

According to Yemeni sources, there is a possibility of a return to the Geneva-sponsored political process. Although the upcoming talks on 10 March in Geneva are expected to cover POW swaps, the sources believe that other issues will be added to the agenda in order to prepare the ground for a convergence of the Saudi Arabia-Houthi and Yemeni government-Houthi tracks.

The chances for a return to the political process seem greater now than ever before. The belligerents have come to realise that military victory is impossible and tacitly acknowledge what most observers recognise, which is that both sides will have to accept the realities on the ground.

The Yemeni government and the Saudi-led Arab Coalition that backs it understand that it is no longer possible to defeat the Houthi Movement and eliminate it from domestic politics in Yemen, while the Houthis no longer have the ability to expand their area of military control. The parties have essentially reached a stalemate and have exhausted themselves after eight years of civil and proxy warfare.

Important political developments might also enhance the prospects for peace, among them recent steps taken by Russia. In late February, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov travelled to Muscat to discuss bilateral cooperation as well as the question of Ukraine with his Omani counterpart.

He also took the opportunity to meet with the head of the Houthi negotiating delegation, Mohamed Abdel-Salam, and to discuss mediating efforts between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis with Omani officials. Moscow is close to Iran, which backs the Houthis, but it also has good relations with other Yemeni parties as well as with Riyadh.

Shortly after Bogdanovs trip to Oman, a high-ranking Saudi delegation headed by Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohamed Al-Jaber flew to Moscow to meet with Bogdanov and tour a number of Russian think tanks. In the course of these visits, he and the members of the delegation discussed the Saudi vision for a peaceful settlement to the Yemeni crisis and the development efforts that Riyadh has undertaken in Yemen.

Yemeni observers believe that the Saudi-Russian talks could help to facilitate the UN Security Councils management of the Yemeni crisis and avert a Russian veto.

With the Russian-US rivalry projecting itself onto the Yemeni crisis, as it has in Syria, Libya and other ongoing crises in the Middle East, Washington could soon pick up the pace of its mediating efforts in Yemen. Meanwhile, the US, together with Britain and France, have stepped up their clampdown on weapons smuggling in the region.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has intensified its manned and unmanned aerial and maritime surveillance network and intercepted at least eight smuggling operations in the Gulf of Oman. The French and British navies have contributed to intelligence-gathering and surveillance operations and have also intercepted some smuggling operations.

According to statements from all three parties, the seized shipments contained advanced weaponry including missiles, missile fuel components, anti-tank artillery, and individual weapons. Iran has denied responsibility for the smuggled weapons, and the Houthis this week denied having received weapons from Iran. This contradicts a report by UN experts in Yemen that found evidence that the weapons came from Iran and were destined for Yemen.

In Yemen itself, two main challenges now intersect with the revival of the Yemeni government-Houthi political process. One is the rivalry between the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which originated as an umbrella body in the framework of the secessionist Southern Movement, and the Saudi-backed Presidential Council headed by Rashad Al-Alami.

In recent remarks, Al-Alami has suggested that a settlement of the southern question in Yemen could not be addressed until after the government had re-established control over the capital Sanaa. The remarks infuriated the STC, which saw them as a deliberate ploy to procrastinate on having to deal with the Southern demands.

It is commonly accepted that all tracks of the Yemeni crisis, whether related to the Houthis in the north or the Southern Movement in the south, should be dealt with simultaneously in a single comprehensive process. Among the frames of reference for this are the outputs of the Riyadh Agreements, the last of which was the April agreement to restructure the Yemeni government so as to include the STC as a key partner.

However, the relationship between the STC and the Al-Alami faction remains fraught, and if that friction escalates it could rupture the Presidential Council.

The second challenge centres around the Yemeni city of Taiz, which has been under Houthi siege for years in defiance of the provisions of the Stockholm Agreement of 2019. Last week, Tarek Saleh, a nephew of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, visited Taiz and declared his intention to liberate it from the Houthis.

While the new headquarters he set up for the new West Coast Resistance group was then shuttered by the Houthis, his action still adds a new dimension to the already complicated question of Taiz, long a base for the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood and its political facade the Yemeni Congregation for Reform, commonly called the Islah Party.

In fact, some believe that the Houthis have surrounded the city not so much to take it over as to contain the Muslim Brotherhood influence. Tarek Saleh is the adversary of both the Houthis and the Yemeni Muslim Brotherhood. The latter was the dominant political force in the revolution that overthrew the Saleh regime in 2011. The Houthis, who had briefly allied with Ali Saleh after taking control of Sanaa, assassinated him in December 2017.

Another important challenge resides in the approach of the belligerents to the political process in Yemen itself. The Houthis see this as a gateway to an economic peace with the promise of material advantages, formal recognition, and political empowerment. To the government, it is a way to turn the clock back to the period before the Houthi putsch in September 2014 when the government at the time proposed a power-sharing formula that would have included the Houthis.

But these perspectives are both influenced by the regional dimension of the Yemeni conflict as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. This in turn interweaves with the question of the Iranian nuclear programme, US and international sanctions against Iran, and the negotiations over a return to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement.

In other words, any Iranian willingness to help advance the Yemeni political process will hinge on both Tehrans regional agenda and its stance towards the Western powers. Ultimately, the main challenge to the peacemaking efforts now is the complex, multifaceted, and multitiered nature of the Yemeni crisis itself.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 9 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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France is trying hard to erase its dark colonial history in Africa, but in some countries its efforts may not be welcome.

French President Emmanuel Macron wrapped up his 18th tour of Africa on Sunday, after visiting Gabon, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Congo-Brazzaville. Macron made headlines at the outset declaring that the era of intervention in African affairs is well over and that France has become a neutral interlocutor. With this four-nation tour, Macron has now visited a total of 12 African countries once, eight twice and Tunisia thrice.

Opponents of Gabonese President Ali Bongo and his Congolese counterpart Felix Tshisekedi criticised Macrons visit, saying it gives the two heads of state the legitimacy and popularity they need the year of the elections.

In Kinshasa, Tshisekedi wants Macrons support to take on the Rwanda-backed M23 group, an accusation Kigali denies. Macron vowed to defend Kinshasa, indicating that Frances role as a neutral interlocutor was a message for Rwanda and Congo to come to the negotiating table in the hope of a political solution.

Macron ordered the formation of two committees to write about the war (liberation) in Algeria and the 1994 Rwanda and Burundi massacres to uncover two of Frances greatest historical mistakes on the continent.

Algerians have been demanding an apology and compensation for the victims, with a complete condemnation of the period of French colonialism, which exceeded 130 years.

Meanwhile, Rwanda accuses France of negligence that amounts to conspiracy, which resulted in massacres claiming the lives of 800,000 people in 100 days, rendering the incident one of the most horrible tragedies of the last century.

Macron also pushed forward a French programme to return looted African treasures. Paris returned a historic Senegalese sword belonging to Hajj Omar Talal, a prominent leader of the resistance against French colonialism in the 19th century, as well as part of the Malagasy royal throne to Madagascar, several items to Benin, and a historical drum to the Ivory Coast. These are all symbolic gestures that Africans hope will be followed by other more significant steps.

Before flying to Libreville, the Gabonese capital, to attend the One Forest Summit, meant to curb the repercussions of climate change on the forests of the Congo River on 1-2 March, Macron announced Frances new strategy in Africa, which was reminiscent of his speech in November 2017 at the University of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The Congo Basin, which includes 220 million hectares of forest, is the worlds second largest forest after the Amazon. The basin runs through several countries, including Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, and Gabon. Forests, from Africa to Brazil and Southeast Asia, are threatened by over-exploitation for agriculture, industry and oil production.

Macron said during his latest African tour that the remaining French bases in Senegal, the Ivory Coast, and Gabon will now be co-managed with the forces of the host nations. However, the base in Djibouti will remain exclusively French, he added.

After decreasing the number of French troops in Africa, France now has around 10,000 soldiers in the continent, the majority of whom are concentrated in west and central Africa. Macron added the base in the Ivory Coast ready to train troops from different West African states.

Many observers feel it is late for these French measures, especially after the Malian ruling military council expelled French forces taking part in the anti-terrorist Barkhane operation on the African coast. Such observers opine that French efforts to combat terrorism in the Sahel countries  Chad, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania  did not yield tangible results.

Announcing his strategy to fix relations with Africa, Macron emphasised the importance of civil society, culture and trade, and declared the beginning of the reform of the CFA Franc, a currency used in 14 West African countries and tied to the euro.

If the new African eco replaces the CFA Franc  currently a subject of discussion by the Economic Community of West African States  many African countries will disengage from France by 2027. However, doubts about the ability of those African countries to take this step persist.

The countries that use the CFA Franc are in two minds. One group believes the currency is one form of colonialism, having to pay 50 per cent of their foreign exchange reserves to the French treasury. The other group supports the CFA Franc, believing it is a guarantor of financial stability.

Thousands of French companies operate in Africa. Paris is the third largest investor in the continent after the US and the UK. All are facing challenges from China and Russia.

China has been welcome in tens of African countries since the 1990s, especially with its economic formula based on constructing a solid infrastructure in populous capitals and offering loans at low interest in return for African raw materials and resources.

China has not put pressure on its African partners regarding human rights, democracy, and corruption, which are all thorny issues the West insists on discussing with African leaders.

Nonetheless, 23 African countries are heavily in debt, particularly to China, and they may not be able to pay their dues, according to a United Nations Development Program report released on Saturday. The debts are hindering development efforts, the report added.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which the majority of Africans consider of no concern to them, has revealed Russias ability to provide relatively cheap food to almost all developing countries. Its abundant energy production has affected global oil and gas prices, which has severely exhausted the fragile African countries.

In addition, Moscow exports arms at relatively affordable prices to African countries that face security challenges, such as terrorism in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, Libya, and northern Mozambique, and political threats, including rebellions and separatist movements.

The Russian presence in Africa takes more than one form, such as military cooperation, which takes a formal tone. According to Western reports there are also private military companies, the most famous of which is Wagner, active in Mali, Sudan and Burkina Faso, among other countries. However, both Russia and the African countries consistently deny those reports.

Despite the Sino-Russian challenge, France is still more appealing to African elites in education, culture  such as facilitating visas to complete postgraduate studies  and the economy. However, France needs to exert more effort to erase its dark colonial history in Africa.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 9 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Many years hence and when historians are debating who was mainly responsible for scuttling the two-state solution in Israel and Palestine, I suspect that the consensus among them will be that one Israeli politician was the culprit. They will likely point the finger at present Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

From his first mandate as Israels prime minister back in 1996, Netanyahu has done irreparable harm to the chances of peace and reconciliation between the Palestinians and Israelis. His latest government is considered to be one of the most extreme as far as peace with the Palestinians is concerned since the creation of the Israeli state in 1948.

The political game that he has been playing after taking the reins of power in Israel has been to portray his cabinet as being divided between those who advocate the annexation of the Occupied West Bank and those who do not object to a peace deal with the Palestinians but on Israeli terms. He has been claiming that he is doing his best to maintain the political balance between the hawks and the less-hawkish members of his cabinet.

Nothing could be further from the truth, however. In fact, Netanyahu is supportive of the hawks, very much in line with the example of his mentor former Israeli prime Minister Menachem Begin, but is trying to convince the international community, and particularly the US administration, that the Palestinians are the ones responsible for the rising tensions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The last few weeks have witnessed a flare up in the West Bank at the hands of Israeli settler vigilantes who went on a rampage in a Palestinian village called Hawara. Netanyahus minister of finance, himself drawn from the settlers ranks, Bezalel Smotrich, demanded that the village be wiped out.

In order to contain the rising armed violence in the West Bank, Jordan called for an emergency meeting between the Palestinians and the Israelis. This took place on 26 February at Aqaba in Jordan and was also attended by Jordanian, US, and Egyptian officials.

After the hastily arranged Aqaba meeting, a joint communique was released in which the Palestinians and Israelis committed themselves to all previous agreements and to work towards a just and lasting peace.

The two sides confirmed, according to the communique, their joint readiness and commitment to end unilateral measures for a period of three to six months. They also recognised the importance of upholding the historic status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem while stressing the Hashemite custodianship of these sites and the special role of Jordan.

The participants agreed to meet again at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt in March to go over the progress achieved in carrying out the objectives laid down in the communique.

Fewer than 24 hours after the Aqaba meeting ended, the extremists in the Israeli cabinet announced that the Israeli settlement activities in the West Bank would continue regardless of the Aqaba communique. The Israeli prime minister himself sounded the retreat from the commitments that the Israeli team at the Aqaba meeting had signed on to, especially by legalising outposts built by the settlers and building new settlements.

This retreat on the part of the Israeli government raises questions about the scheduled follow-up meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, all the more so since Israeli soldiers are now killing Palestinians almost every day. Over the last two months alone, the Israeli military has killed 61 Palestinians. The question is what benefit will the delegations to the planned Sharm El-Sheikh meeting get from it other than the Israelis?

The US reaction has been forceful in public, but we should not expect more than that from Washington. The high level coordination between the US and Israel is concentrated now on Iran and how to prevent it from manufacturing a nuclear bomb. Both the Americans and the Israelis have said that they will go the extra mile to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin is scheduled to visit Israel, Egypt, and Jordan in the period from 6 to 8 March.

Meanwhile, some US Congressmen known for their support for Israel have prepared a letter to US President Joe Biden urging him to use all the diplomatic tools available to prevent Israels far right government from further damaging the nations [Israels] democratic institutions and undermining the potential for two states for two peoples.

They added that in the present fragile situation, consistent and sustained US diplomatic leadership is critical to prevent counterproductive unilateral actions and prevent violent escalations.

The letter, prepared by Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Jane Schakowsky, and Jim McGovern, all strong supporters of Israel, further stated that in the event that the Israeli Knesset votes to strip Israels judiciary of the capacity to hold its far right government in check, the president should make clear that the US will firmly oppose any moves towards annexation that the Israeli government may pursue as a result.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the main lobbying group for Israel in the US, has been trying to convince the Congressmen that sending the letter would be ineffective and counterproductive, insisting instead that the present strategy of the Biden administration is working. Of course, the overall security and political environment in the Occupied West Bank tells a different story.

If for one reason or another the three US Congressmen change their minds, another letter, this time from a US Senator, was already delivered to Biden last week.

Senator Peter Welch (Democrat - Vermont) wrote that it is time to acknowledge what is painfully apparent, as far as Netanyahus government is concerned, that the two state solution is dead. He added that Netanyahus government dismisses the long term security threat his governments policy of de facto annexation poses to Israel.

Quoted in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Welch said that if this policy continues, the US advocacy of the two state solution will be meaningless.

He spoke the truth. The Arab governments should listen to him and act accordingly. There must be no normalisation with Netanyahus government. Postponing the Sharm El-Sheikh meeting will perhaps send a credible message to the Israeli government that the time for more serious efforts to negotiate peace and security has come.

* The writer is former assistant foreign minister.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 9 March, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Japan's new medium-lift rocket failed on its debut flight in space on Tuesday after the launcher's second-stage engine did not ignite as planned, in a blow to its efforts to cut the cost of accessing space and compete against Elon Musk's SpaceX.

The 57-metre tall H3 rocket lifted off without a hitch from the Tanegashima space port, a live-streamed broadcast by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) showed. But upon reaching space, the rocket's second-stage engine failed to ignite, forcing mission officials to manually destroy the vehicle.

"It was decided the rocket could not complete its mission, so the destruct command was sent," a launch broadcast commentator from JAXA said. "So what happened? It's something we will have to investigate looking at all the data."

The failed attempt followed an aborted launch last month.

"Unlike the previous cancellation and postponement, this time it was a complete failure," said Hirotaka Watanabe, a professor at Osaka University with expertise in space policy. "This will have a serious impact on Japan's future space policy, space business and technological competitiveness," he added.
Britain's government will set out details for a new law barring the entry of asylum seekers to the UK in small boats, a proposal that some refugee charities say could be impractical and criminalize the efforts of thousands of genuine refugees.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping boat arrivals one of his five key priorities after the number of migrants arriving on the south coast of England soared to more than 45,000 last year, with around 90 percent applying for asylum.

The new legislation will mean anyone who arrives on small boats will be prevented from claiming asylum and deported to so-called safe third countries, Sunak wrote in an article in the Sun tabloid newspaper on Tuesday.

The Refugee Council charity said tens of thousands of genuine refugees who would previously have been granted asylum would be "locked up like criminals" under the plans, which would "shatter" Britain's commitments under the UN refugee convention. The convention provides an avenue for a fair hearing for asylum seekers, no matter how they arrived in a country.

Anger over immigration in some areas has played a defining role in British politics over the last decade and was deployed successfully by campaigners as a tool to fuel support for Brexit ahead of the 2016 referendum.

"Those arriving on small boats aren't directly fleeing a war-torn country or facing an imminent threat to life. Instead, they have travelled through safe, European countries before crossing the Channel," Sunak said in the article. "The fact that they can do so is unfair on those who come here legally and enough is enough."

Just under two-thirds of those who arrive on small boats are granted asylum or another form of humanitarian protection, Home Office figures show. While the number of applications for asylum in the U.K. hit a 20-year high of nearly 75,000 in 2022, it is still below the European Union average. Germany received more than 240,000 asylum applications last year.
Hyundai on Tuesday offered a sneak preview of the latest electric version of its Kona small SUV with a teaser video on YouTube.

The carmaker boasted that the new SUV, which is set for release after undergoing its first full revamp in five years, can travel up to 410 km on a single charge.

It also claimed that the SUV, which comes with improved safety and convenience features, has a longer range on a single charge than its predecessor and is "the best among vehicles in its class."
Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman and the desert country's Chief of General Staff Fayyadh Al Ruwaili paid a courtesy call on President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday and met with Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup.

Saudi Arabia is the world's most enthusiastic arms buyer and has lately been looking for weaponry from suppliers other than the U.S.

It is reportedly considering buying Korea's Cheongung II surface-to-air missiles, which are similar to the U.S.' Patriot missiles. Riyadh wants to be able to intercept ballistic missiles fired by Iran-backed Houthi insurgents in Yemen, where Riyadh has been fighting a deadly proxy war.
KYODO NEWS - Mar 8, 2023 - 18:16 | Feature, All, Japan

Five people have been arrested and four referred to prosecutors for their alleged involvement in the unauthorized cultivation of Japanese killifish genetically modified to glow in red, police said Wednesday, with the fish originating from eggs taken from a Tokyo Institute of Technology lab by a student.

The arrests are the first in Japan for an alleged violation of the Cartagena law, which came into force in 2004 to regulate the use of genetically modified living organisms, according to the Tokyo police. Dubbed "swimming jewels," Japanese killifish of different colors and shapes have become popular as aquarium fish.

The police have seized around 1,400 genetically modified Japanese killifish from related sites and confirmed that in one case, two fish had been sold for as much as 100,000 yen ($726). Although some had already been disposed of, police said there appeared to be no danger to biodiversity.

All nine suspects, including a 35-year-old former student at the university who was referred to prosecutors, have admitted to the charges, they said.

Among the five arrested Monday, Naoji Aoki, a 60-year-old company employee is suspected of transporting and breeding genetically modified Japanese killifish for sale between March and June 2022 without obtaining required authorization from the government.

Another suspect, Toshikazu Furukawa, 68, allegedly disposed of some of the fish in an irrigation channel in Chiba Prefecture between July and August 2022.

The police launched an investigation after receiving a tip in 2022 that genetically modified Japanese killifish had been put on sale at an exhibition in Tokyo.

The Cartagena law requires parties seeking to keep and sell modified living organisms to obtain government authorization after proving that the organisms will not negatively affect biodiversity. The law is based on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said the modified killifish were traced to eggs taken from the Tokyo Institute of Technology by a student more than 10 years ago.

The ministry said it reprimanded the university and urged it to take preventive steps in a letter, adding that it has also requested public and private universities and research entities to ensure they have implemented proper controls for modified living organisms.

The Tokyo Institute of Technology said in its investigative report that the former student belonged to a lab dealing with genetically modified freshwater fish between April 2009 and March 2012 and was involved in breeding and keeping the organisms.

He allegedly handed over some eggs to the mother of a fellow student at the university, which resulted in the dispersal of the genetically modified organisms.

Japanese killifish have increasingly attracted fans as they are easy to keep. They are the third most popular pets following dogs and cats, according to a 2022 survey conducted by the Japan Pet Food Association.
KYODO NEWS - Mar 8, 2023 - 18:46 | All, Japan

A Japanese district court on Wednesday sentenced a woman to three-and-a-half years in prison for causing her two toddlers' deaths from heat exposure after abandoning them in a car in July in Kanagawa Prefecture, southwest of Tokyo.

In handing down the ruling on Reina Nagasawa, 22, Presiding Judge Noburo Kiyama said the case was "heart-wrenching" as the mother left her 1-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter in a scorching hot vehicle for more than two hours and 40 minutes so she could spend time with her date.

Prosecutors had demanded an eight-year sentence, claiming the mother's actions were malicious. Nagasawa's defense team sought a three-year term, arguing that she had planned to return after a short time.

Kiyama of the Yokohama District Court's Odawara branch said Nagasawa should be accused of prioritizing her partner but also noted that she had usually cared about her children and the car's air conditioner did not function even though it was turned on.

He said what was ultimately behind the incident was the mother's "immaturity."

According to the ruling, Nagasawa's son Koga and her daughter Hina were left in a car on July 29 last year in Atsugi. Koga died the same day, and Hina died on Aug. 2. Nagasawa was indicted for abandoning her responsibility as a parent, which led to the death of the children.
KYODO NEWS - Mar 8, 2023 - 19:07 | World, All

The estranged younger brother of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said he has effectively self-exiled in Europe and is "unlikely to return to Singapore" due to fear of political persecution.

Lee Hsien Yang said during a phone interview with Kyodo News Tuesday he has been considering running in the presidential election that is to take place by September.

But the younger son of Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew alluded to being close to giving up on contesting the upcoming election due to the latest wave of verbal attacks against him.

"I left Singapore in June last year. I'm in Europe. I prefer not to identify more clearly where I am," he said in the 45-minute interview.

The 65-year-old has been urged to run in the election by "many people, some I know very well, some who I don't know," adding that he takes those voices into account.

But he said the attacks make the situation surrounding his potential candidacy "complicated."

"I would put myself at risk if I were to return to Singapore at this time," he said.

Singapore's Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean said last week that Lee Hsien Yang left Singapore in June last year amid police investigations relating to judicial proceedings over his father's will.

Teo said in a written answer to a question in parliament about the accuracy of an e-book focusing on the first premier's will that the premier's brother and his wife, a lawyer, "had lied under oath" and police had opened an investigation into the couple "for potential offenses of giving false evidence in judicial proceedings."

In recent days, local media reported the probe is likely to disqualify him from the stringent character integrity criteria imposed on presidential candidates. He has rejected the accusations.

"What's sad is I think as a result of this, I'm unlikely to return to Singapore, at least for the foreseeable future," he said. "I believe that in Europe, there's rule of law and it's not so straightforward for the Singapore authorities to attack me and there are many ways to defend myself."

The Lee siblings have been embroiled in a bitter feud over the fate of their family home in a prime district of the city-state. The disagreement erupted soon after the death in 2015 of their father who had served as prime minister for some three decades and is revered and credited for the role he played in the Singapore success story.

The family spat later spilled over into the political domain.

The younger Lee brother was a corporate high-flyer who shunned politics but he became one of his brother's harshest critics on social media and even joined the fledgling opposition Progress Singapore Party just before the 2020 general election, although he did not run in the contest.

During the interview, he also commented on the leadership succession in Singapore and fragmentation within the ruling party.

He said any Lee family members should not take a future political leadership role but "the presidential election is slightly different" as "it's apolitical, theoretically."

"Part of the problem with the presidential election is they made the rules so tight (that) actually very few people are qualified to run," he said. "I was one of the few people qualified, and as far as I could see that seems to be the case, though some experts now say I don't qualify."

Singapore's presidential post is largely ceremonial but the role has been expanded to have the power to veto government budgets to safeguard accumulated reserves and appointments of senior officers for key public services.

The bar has been set very high for candidates to qualify as they are required to have at least served as a Cabinet minister or in an equally high-profile post in the public sector or helmed a large private company with at least S$500 million (US$369 million) in shareholder equity.

Leadership succession is currently an important issue in Singapore as Prime Minister Lee, 71, had said he planned to step down by age 70.

Last year, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who was once Prime Minister Lee's principal private secretary, was chosen to be the leader of the ruling party's fourth generation, or 4G team, and his future successor.

Prime Minister Lee has served as premier for nearly two decades, having taken the reins in 2004 from his predecessor Goh Chok Tong who assumed the premiership in 1990 when Lee's father stepped down as part of a planned leadership succession.
By Mina Nagao, KYODO NEWS - Mar 8, 2023 - 11:48 | Feature, All, Japan

A former middle school teacher in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, has published a book challenging what he sees as the prevailing tendency to glorify Japanese suicide pilots in World War II.

Taking issue with narratives that focus only on inspiring accounts of valor, Kenji Yamamoto's book, loosely translated as "How to Teach Children about Kamikaze Attacks," draws heavily on testimonies from former suicide pilots who survived.

Yamamoto, a 58-year-old Kagoshima native, has faced criticism for his views, but he is convinced that teaching children about "the shadows of history" will help them to think critically.

After graduating from Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Yamamoto returned to Kagoshima, where he became a social studies teacher at a public school. In his fourth year, on a school trip to the Chiran Peace Museum for kamikaze pilots in Minamikyushu, Yamamoto says he was caught off guard when a museum guide said the kamikaze pilots "were all happy to head off to attack."

"Saying 'all' was going too far," Yamamoto told Kyodo News in an interview, adding that he was also troubled by what he called the overly dramatic tone of the guide's narrative.

He wanted his students to have "the ability to see things from multiple perspectives," but for this to happen, he thought, "first I needed to know for myself." He read related books and conducted fieldwork, visiting kamikaze attack locations.

Yamamoto interviewed surviving former members of the kamikaze unit and the female students who cared for the men before they flew off to battle in the closing months of the war. Yamamoto says that some of them attested that, with censorship in place, "there were no actual motives written in the wills" that the pilots left.

He also showed his students testimonies from some "enraged" ex-pilots who said they had "wanted to kill the superior officers" who had proposed the suicide attacks.

Yamamoto wrote a play about kamikaze attacks to better understand the feelings of those sent off to die. It was performed by the students at a cultural festival.

When he discussed with students the circumstances of wartime Japan during a special lesson opened to colleagues, he experienced a backlash from some teachers and education critics.

Some said he did not fully explain why Japan had needed to adopt the kamikaze strategy while others said he was airing issues that junior high school students were unable to understand.

"I asked, 'Then how should I teach them?' In the absence of any answer, saying it is 'impossible' is to cease thought. The role of a teacher is to not run away from the task of continuing to think."

Yamamoto left his job before retirement and turned to academic research to reevaluate the state of education, hoping to contribute to nurturing a new generation of teachers. In April 2022, he became an associate professor at Hokkaido University of Education on the Kushiro campus.

When he published his book last November, he said he felt "the responsibility of someone who was born and raised" in Kagoshima Prefecture, where many kamikaze pilots launched their attacks. Yamamoto hails from Tanegashima, the second largest of the Osumi Islands in the prefecture.

He also hopes to show that the story of the kamikaze pilots still has resonance today. He is torn by mixed emotions when he sees Ukrainian citizens whose country has been invaded by Russia talk about "fighting for their homeland."

"A situation where a person can give their life for their country can happen anywhere, anytime. I want people to learn history as if it were their own."

He has also written extensively on human rights issues and looked into the history of forced labor by Koreans during World War II in the coal mines of Hokkaido and into the issues facing the indigenous Ainu people in Japan's northernmost prefecture. He has also studied the history of how leprosy patients were treated in Japan.

"I want to do research on any topic that can connect to how we teach children and that can contribute to the field of education," Yamamoto said.
KYODO NEWS - Mar 8, 2023 - 08:28 | All, World

U.S. President Joe Biden will host South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for a state visit on April 26 to mark the 70th anniversary of the alliance between their countries, the White House said Tuesday.

The itinerary, which includes a state dinner on that day, comes as the Biden administration steps up efforts to boost ties with South Korea and Japan, its most important security allies in Asia, against the backdrop of North Korea's flurry of missile tests and China's rising military and economic power.

As part of preparations for the summit, Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, held talks with his South Korean counterpart Kim Sung Han in Washington on Tuesday, with the White House saying their discussions covered issues such as North Korea and economic security.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that Washington's longtime alliance with Seoul is "critical to advancing peace, stability, and prosperity for our two countries, the Indo-Pacific, and around the world."

She said that the presidents, to be accompanied by their first ladies during the visit, will "highlight the importance and enduring strength of the ironclad U.S.-ROK alliance as well as the United States' unwavering commitment to the ROK," referring to South Korea by the acronym of its official name, the Republic of Korea.

Yoon's trip will mark the second state visit by a foreign leader to the United States since Biden took office in early 2021, according to the spokeswoman. In December last year, Biden welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron as his first state guest at the White House.

The visit was announced two days after Biden voiced strong support for a South Korean government plan to settle a long-standing dispute with Japan over wartime labor.

In a statement issued late Sunday, Biden said the South Korean proposal will pave the way for a "groundbreaking new chapter of cooperation and partnership between two of the United States' closest allies."

Expressing his aim to further strengthen trilateral relations with the allies, Biden said, "Our countries are stronger -- and the world is safer and more prosperous -- when we stand together."

The alliance between Washington and Seoul dates back to October 1953, when they signed a mutual defense treaty following the conclusion of the Korean War with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

It will be Yoon's first visit to the United States since he took office in May last year. The last time a South Korean president made a state visit to the United States was October 2011, when Lee Myung Bak was hosted by Barack Obama.

During a press briefing later in the day, Jean-Pierre said the relationship between the two countries has been taken to "unprecedented heights" under the Biden administration in a manner that "benefits our economies and our people and strengthens deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region."

She also praised South Korean companies for having invested tens of billions of dollars in the United States, while noting that the countries' partnership, together with trilateral cooperation involving Japan, has grown into a "truly global and future-oriented alliance" that goes beyond dealing with traditional security issues.

Related coverage:

U.S. backs South Korea's plan to end wartime labor dispute with Japan
Zhao Leji, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, joins deputies from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in a group deliberation at the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Senior Chinese leaders Zhao Leji, Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Tuesday attended deliberations at the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's national legislature.

When taking part in two separate deliberations with deputies from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs), Zhao said reality has proven that the policy of "one country, two systems" is a great innovation of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The policy has proven to be the best institutional arrangement for ensuring sustained prosperity and stability in Hong Kong and Macao after their return to the motherland, said Zhao, adding that it must be adhered to over the long term.

He called on the two SARs to better integrate themselves into China's overall development, break new ground in pursuing their own prosperity and development, and play a greater role in realizing national rejuvenation.

Cai, also a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, attended a deliberation with his fellow deputies from the delegation of Qinghai Province and urged making new achievements in promoting ecological conservation and high-quality development for the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

He called on the province to shoulder its mission of protecting the Sanjiangyuan area, which contains the headwaters of the Yangtze, Yellow and Lancang rivers and is known as China's "water tower."

He also demanded efforts to foster a strong sense of community for the Chinese nation and promote interactions, exchanges and integration among all ethnic groups.

Ding, also director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, stressed efforts to fully implement the CPC Central Committee's decisions and plans and make solid progress in advancing Chinese modernization in a deliberation with NPC deputies from the delegation of Liaoning Province.

He urged efforts to deepen reform and opening up, promote both an efficient market and a well-functioning government, and accelerate the establishment of a new pattern of development that is focused on the domestic economy and features positive interplay between domestic and international economic flows.

Liaoning should take concrete steps to unswervingly consolidate and develop the public sector and unswervingly encourage, support and guide the development of the non-public sector, so as to unleash fresh impetus and vitality of development, Ding added. 

Zhao Leji, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, joins deputies from the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) in a group deliberation at the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Jie)

Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, joins deputies from Qinghai Province in a group deliberation at the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

Ding Xuexiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, joins deputies from Liaoning Province in a group deliberation at the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)
A visitor poses with a cartoon character at the Children's Book Fair in Bologna, Italy, on March 7, 2023. The 60th Bologna Children's Book Fair is held here from March 6 to March 9. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)

People view artworks at the Children's Book Fair in Bologna, Italy, on March 7, 2023. The 60th Bologna Children's Book Fair is held here from March 6 to March 9. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)

People visit the Children's Book Fair in Bologna, Italy, on March 7, 2023. The 60th Bologna Children's Book Fair is held here from March 6 to March 9. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)

People talk at the Children's Book Fair in Bologna, Italy, on March 7, 2023. The 60th Bologna Children's Book Fair is held here from March 6 to March 9. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)

People visit the Children's Book Fair in Bologna, Italy, on March 7, 2023. The 60th Bologna Children's Book Fair is held here from March 6 to March 9. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)
TEHRAN, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Interior Ministry said on Tuesday its investigation revealed that the diffusion of certain "stimulant substances" among students led to their poisoning symptoms in some schools over the past weeks.

In a statement published on its website, the ministry said Iranian intelligence and security forces have identified and arrested a number of individuals for procuring the substances and exposing the students to them in six provinces, including Khuzestan, West Azarbaijan, Fars, Kermanshah, Khorasan and Alborz.

It said that among the arrestees is a four-member team, of whom three had criminal records including involvement in the recent riots. These individuals also have relations and contacts with hostile foreign media, which played a prominent role in the riots and "the hybrid warfare against Iran."

The statement said the motive behind the poisonings was to cause fear and anxiety among the students to force the closure of schools.

More than 700 students in over 30 schools across Iran have fallen victim to mysterious poisoning cases since Nov. 30, 2022 when the first case was reported in the Qom province, though most of them were soon released from the hospital after receiving treatment, according to the official news agency IRNA.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday urged law enforcement to pursue anyone responsible, vowing to give maximum punishment to the perpetrators. 
On the International Women's Day, a frenzy of flower-buying has swept the bustling Dounan Flower Market in China's Kunming, thanks to the booming "she economy."





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
URUMQI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region had built 50.03 million mu (about 3.34 million hectares) of high-standard farmland by the end of 2022, accounting for 47.39 percent of its arable land, local authorities said.

Last year, Xinjiang allocated 2.07 billion yuan (about 297.88 million U.S. dollars) to subsidize the construction of high-standard farmland and built 7.15 million mu of high-standard farmland. It significantly improved the quality of cultivated land and increased grain production capacity by 10 to 20 percent, said the regional department of agriculture and rural affairs.

The region will build 4.15 million mu, upgrade 1.35 million mu of high-standard farmland, and gradually turn all its permanent basic farmland into high-quality farmland in 2023.

In 2022, Xinjiang's total grain output increased for seven consecutive years. Its per capita share of grain reached 700 kg, 44 percentage points higher than the national average, according to the regional department of agriculture and rural affairs. 
SANAA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- A local official said on Tuesday that 21 people, mostly women and children, were killed after a boat carrying 27 passengers capsized in the Red Sea off the coast of northwest Yemen.

The accident occurred on Tuesday afternoon off the Alluheyah district in the northern part of Hodeidah port city, Akram al-Ahdal, an official from the district's council, told Xinhua.

The passengers, all local villagers, were on their way from Alluheyah to Kamaran Island, the largest Yemeni island in the Red Sea, to attend a wedding ceremony of a relative, the official said, adding that the fatalities included 12 women, seven children and two men.

"Six people survived the accident and were taken to the Al-Thawra Hospital in the city of Hodeidah to receive first aid," he revealed, noting the accident was probably caused by a strong wind.

Kamaran Island and Hodeidah port have been under the control of the Houthi rebels since October 2014. 
Staff members operate on potato seedlings at a potato cultivation center in Xiji County, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, March 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)

YINCHUAN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- As the potato-planting season approaches, baby potatoes from northwest China's Xiji County are making their way to the fields of farmers across the country's major potato-producing area.

The county, sometimes referred to as China's "potato land," recently saw a bumper potato crop, thanks in part to the success of the soilless farming technologies patented by a local potato cultivation center.

He Jiandong, the center's general manager, has been busy promoting baby potatoes among the farmers in the area.

"The baby potatoes we cultivate here are free from any diseases or poisonous substances found in soil. This is because they are initially grown in a clean indoor environment," He said. "The best seedlings are selected and placed on shelves, their roots are hung in boxes, and they are sprayed with water to allow them to grow fast."

He's cultivation center and two other similar baby potato producers in Xiji produce 60 million baby potatoes each year, providing seedlings for the county's farmers, who in turn produce quality potatoes across a total area of 666.67 hectares.

"By adopting the new technology, we have raised the potato productivity rate by 30 percent, while reducing the production costs of farmers by 40 percent and cutting the soil pollution rate to below 2 percent," He said.

The baby potatoes, which are the size of walnuts and light in weight, are easy to transport and are sold to a variety of locations, especially to those with similar natural conditions to Xiji.

"Farmers can simply bury them in the soil and wait for them to grow, and urban households can also plant them in pots," He said.

Situated in Xihaigu, a region crossing the central and southern parts of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region that was once deemed uninhabitable, Xiji was lifted from poverty two years ago and has built itself into one of China's most famous potato-producing counties.

"We have plenty of good-quality potato products and plan to build a whole potato production chain, with products ranging from noodles to chips and crisps. We are now introducing a production line from Fujian Province," said Bai Xuegui, the Party chief of Xiji County.

The production of Xiji potato noodles could date back nearly 90 years. When the CPC-led Red Army arrived in Xiji as early as in 1935, they taught local farmers to make potato noodles. The noodles now have the trademark "Red Army Noodles" and are being manufactured in several local factories. 

A staff member patrols at a potato cultivation center in Xiji County, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, March 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)

A staff member checks the growth of potato seedlings at a potato cultivation center in Xiji County, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, March 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)

A staff member operates on potato seedlings at a potato cultivation center in Xiji County, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, March 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)

Staff members sort out potatoes at a potato cultivation center in Xiji County, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, March 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Peng)
Combo photo of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. (Xinhua)

Guterres and Zelensky will discuss the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in all its aspects, said the statement.

UNITED NATIONS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on Wednesday, a UN spokesman said.

"The secretary-general has just arrived in Poland on his way to Ukraine," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Guterres and Zelensky will discuss the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in all its aspects, said the statement.

On July 22, 2022, Russia and Ukraine separately signed a document in Istanbul with Turkiye and the United Nations on grain and fertilizer exports from Ukraine and Russia to ensure supplies to global markets amid the Russia-Ukraine armed conflict.

The deal, due to expire on Nov. 19, 2022, was extended for another 120 days. Guterres has repeatedly called for the deal's further extension.

While in Kiev, Guterres will also talk with Zelensky about "other pertinent issues," Dujarric said in the statement, noting that it is the UN chief's third visit to Ukraine in the last year.

Guterres will be back to the United Nations headquarters in New York Thursday, according to the statement. 
HEFEI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese automaker Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (JAC) has reported a year-on-year increase of 41.57 percent in sales for the month of February.

Last month, JAC sold a total of 49,700 vehicles, among which 15,700 were exported, marking a staggering increase of over 171 percent year on year, according to the company.

JAC's booming business was highlighted by a major delivery ceremony held on Feb. 27, with a shipment of 3,000 vehicles exported to the United Arab Emirates. By September, a total of 10,000 vehicles will be delivered to the United Arab Emirates, according to the contract.

JAC had exported more than 800,000 vehicles to over 130 countries and regions by the end of 2022. About 80 percent of JAC's exports went to Belt and Road countries. 
AMMAN, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Jordan's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned "the continuous Israeli incursions" into occupied Palestinian cities after Israeli troops killed at least six Palestinians in a raid on the West Bank city of Jenin.

Jordanian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Sinan Majali reiterated Jordan's call to stop the escalation and halt Israeli attacks against Palestinians.

He warned that continuing these attacks will lead to further deterioration, escalate the "whirlpool of violence" and undermine efforts aimed at achieving calm.

Majali stressed the need for immediate action to stop "illegal unilateral" Israeli measures and safeguard the two-state solution, which promotes an independent Palestinian state, on the June 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

At least six Palestinians were killed in Jenin on Tuesday in an Israeli raid aimed at arresting a suspect involved in the killing of two Israeli settlers the previous week. 
HEFEI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Inside a busy workshop in an eastern Chinese town, embroidery machines hummed in unison, each with 48 needles dancing on snow-white wedding dresses to create various floral motifs.

"The pattern being embroidered requires a total of 81,376 stitches. The machines start to work automatically after the pattern has been input into the computer, which is quite efficient," said a worker on-site with the New Era Wedding Dress Company in Dingji Town of Lu'an City, Anhui Province.

Despite being situated in a mountainous region, Dingji is the place to go for trendy bridal gowns in China. Over 500 relevant manufacturing companies and more than 600 online shops are based in the small town, with nearly half of its 33,000 residents working in the industrial chain.

In 2022, the wedding dress industry generated an annual output value of 2.4 billion yuan (about 345.2 million U.S. dollars) for Dingji, with the total export value hitting 100 million yuan.

Aided by a logistics system on par with those in big cities, Dingji was able to send out nearly 5 million wedding dresses around the country and beyond last year, or 13,000 pieces per day on average, according to Huang Min, an official with the town.

The peak season of wedding dresses began after the Spring Festival, which, according to Huang, will last till May. A significant rebound in the market is expected this year, as companies are working at full capacity to meet their deadlines," said Huang, adding that roughly 400,000 wedding dresses made in Dingji have been shipped elsewhere since the beginning of this year.

For instance, the New Era Wedding Dress Company has received an influx of orders from both domestic and international markets, with delivery dates scheduled till the end of March, according to the company.

Dingji's wedding dress manufacturing started blossoming over ten years ago. Many natives of Dingji who had worked in Huqiu, another major wedding dress manufacturing base in Suzhou City, east China's Jiangsu Province, were attracted by the hometown's favorable policies and returned to start their own businesses.

Xu Changying, the owner of New Era, came back in 2010. He said that a whole industrial chain covering design, embroidery, sewing and customization of wedding dresses has been formed in Dingji over the years.

In response to the ever-changing market, manufacturers are constantly striving to keep up with the latest fashion trends. "Changes happen almost every month in terms of popular styles, materials and patterns, among others," said Jiang Houhui, owner of a wedding dress store in Dingji. "Over the past three years, we have updated the designs of hundreds of dresses."

In Jiang's store, traditional Chinese red wedding gowns, which have been in vogue in China in recent years, are displayed alongside western-style white wedding dresses.

She has noticed a new opportunity to expand her business. "More brides tend to buy a wedding dress nowadays as a souvenir instead of renting one, and the dress can also be worn for wedding registration, travel photography and anniversaries," said Jiang.

Building on its established fame, Dingji has launched a "wedding dress town" project that integrates production, marketing, photography, and runway shows in a planned area of 3.15 square km. The first phase of this project has already attracted about 220 shops, including Jiang's store.

"In the future, we will dig deeper into developing cultural tourism by designing travel routes, displaying the culture of wedding dresses as well as different wedding customs, so as to make our pillar industry even more diversified," said Huang, the Dingji Town official. 
SEOUL, March 8 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's opposition political parties and civic groups have raised their voice against the government's push to resolve Japan's wartime forced labor issue through a private foundation as it dismissed the victims' demand for sincere apology from the Japanese government and firms that should be held accountable.

Lee Jae-myung, chief of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, said on Wednesday that the so-called third-party reimbursement solution was a "de facto surrender document to Japan."

He noted that people flared up in anger over the government's "humiliating" compensation plan, saying it was the biggest victory for Japan and the worst humiliation and shame for South Korea.

The government announced a plan Monday to compensate the victims, who were forced by the Imperial Japan into heavy labor without pay during World War II, through a foundation, funded by voluntary donations from the South Korean private sector, rather than direct payment by responsible Japanese companies.

An association of 611 civic groups issued a statement on Tuesday, saying that the South Korean government itself undermined the fundamental order of the country's constitution stipulating that the colonial rule was illegal.

Some of far-right Japanese politicians denied the existence of wartime atrocities, such as the forced labor and sexual slavery, sponsored by the Japanese government during its colonization of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945, while insisting that its colonial rule was legal.

The association noted that if Japan truly reflects on its imperial history, it should apologize and follow the ruling of the South Korean top court.

In 2018, the South Korean Supreme Court ordered Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Nippon Steel to pay reparations to the forced labor victims, paving a way to sell assets of the accused Japanese companies in South Korea to get compensation.

Japan claimed that all colonial-era issues were settled through the 1965 treaty that normalized diplomatic relations between Seoul and Tokyo, but the South Korean court ruled that the state-to-state treaty did not involve individuals' right to reparation.

Yang Geum-deok, one of the forced labor victims, told a press conference with foreign media last month that all she wanted was a "sincere apology" from Japanese offenders.

"I'll have no other wish if I die after being apologized by Japan," the 95-year-old said. 
TEHRAN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Nour News said on Wednesday that Iran welcomes further negotiations with Saudi Arabia to normalize their bilateral ties after Riyadh sent a positive signal on the rapprochement talks on Tuesday.

Nour News, which is affiliated with Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), said in a tweet that Iran "welcomes the continuation of talks and is ready to reach an agreement," adding the "existence of political will is necessary for progress."

"Saudi Arabia's FM has again announced readiness for talks with Iran ... 5 rounds of negotiations have made issues of interest completely clear," the Iranian news outlet pointed out.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud told reporters in London that the kingdom is "open to dialogue with Iran."

Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in early 2016 in response to the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran after the kingdom executed a Shiite cleric.

To improve bilateral relations and ease regional tensions, Iraq hosted four rounds of direct talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in 2021 and the fifth round in April last year. 
Jiang Peng (back) talks with a colleague at the control room of the FAST during its maintenance period in Pingtang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 25, 2022. China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, is located in Pingtang County of southwest China's Guizhou Province. Jiang Peng, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) and chief engineer of the FAST, fulfilled the adjusting mission of the telescope with his team members and made its comprehensive capability reach the world's leading level. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

Jiang Peng walks past the FAST during its maintenance period in Pingtang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 13, 2023. China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, is located in Pingtang County of southwest China's Guizhou Province. Jiang Peng, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) and chief engineer of the FAST, fulfilled the adjusting mission of the telescope with his team members and made its comprehensive capability reach the world's leading level. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

Jiang Peng (L) talks with a colleague under the reflection panels of the FAST during its maintenance period in Pingtang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 13, 2023. China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, is located in Pingtang County of southwest China's Guizhou Province. Jiang Peng, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) and chief engineer of the FAST, fulfilled the adjusting mission of the telescope with his team members and made its comprehensive capability reach the world's leading level. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

Jiang Peng is seen at the control room of FAST during its maintenance period in Pingtang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Aug. 25, 2022. China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, is located in Pingtang County of southwest China's Guizhou Province. Jiang Peng, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) and chief engineer of the FAST, fulfilled the adjusting mission of the telescope with his team members and made its comprehensive capability reach the world's leading level. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)

Jiang Peng is seen on the ring beam of the FAST during its maintenance period in Pingtang County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 13, 2023. China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, is located in Pingtang County of southwest China's Guizhou Province. Jiang Peng, a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) and chief engineer of the FAST, fulfilled the adjusting mission of the telescope with his team members and made its comprehensive capability reach the world's leading level. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu)
Delegates attend the Tanzania Women and Technology Conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, held ahead of International Women's Day on March 7, 2023. The government of Tanzania and the World Bank on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to supporting women in accessing and using digital technologies.(Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

DAR ES SALAAM, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The government of Tanzania and the World Bank on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to supporting women in accessing and using digital technologies.

"Together, we can break down barriers and build a more inclusive and equitable future for women in technology in Tanzania," said Nape Nnauye, the minister of Information, Communication and Information Technology, at a one-day Tanzania Women and Technology Conference in Dar es Salaam held ahead of International Women's Day.

International Women's Day is marked globally on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women.

Nnauye said his ministry has, starting the 2023/2024 financial year, planned to start the provision of short- and long-term training of up to master's degree level to 450 ICT professionals employed in government, mostly women.

He disclosed the ministry is in the final stages of developing a National Digital Economy Strategy that sets out strategies for a period of 10 years to ensure a digital society while fully thriving to eliminate ICT-related gender inequalities.

Nnauye said the tech industry still has a significant gender gap, with women underrepresented in leadership roles and the workforce as a whole despite the fact that females in Tanzania are the majority of citizens as was revealed in the 2022 population census.

He said that statistics by the Tanzania ICT Commission showed that there were 1,011 male registered ICT professionals and only 170 female registered ICT professionals. "Despite the increase in the use of ICT in many countries of the globe, women and youth participation remain low, especially in developing countries like Tanzania," said Nnauye.

Nathan Belete, the World Bank's country director for Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, said the bank was financing the Digital Tanzania Project, which it hoped to be an important driver for ensuring that more Tanzanian women are engaged in the digital ecosystem.

Belete said it is noteworthy that there is currently a good deal of activity and efforts underway to improve the participation of women in ICT in Tanzania. "Equally, however, there is much that could and should be done." 

Nape Nnauye, minister of information, communication and information technology, speaks at a one-day Tanzania Women and Technology Conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, held ahead of International Women's Day on March 7, 2023. The government of Tanzania and the World Bank on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to supporting women in accessing and using digital technologies.(Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

Nathan Belete, World Bank's country director for Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, speaks at a one-day Tanzania Women and Technology Conference in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, held ahead of International Women's Day on March 7, 2023. The government of Tanzania and the World Bank on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to supporting women in accessing and using digital technologies.(Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)
BEIRUT, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon on Wednesday signed an agreement with a Jordan-based global organization for cooperation in intellectual property rights protection, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.

The Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG), a global organization for professional services and education, and Lebanon's economy ministry will cooperate to protect intellectual property rights, fight against counterfeiting, and support small and medium enterprises, according to the agreement signed between Lebanese Economy Minister Amin Salam and Talal Abu Ghazaleh, TAG chairman.

Salam stressed the need to activate Lebanon's Directorate of Intellectual Property Protection given the impact of intellectual property on the economy, according to the NNA report.

Companies will not be encouraged to invest in research and development in an environment that does not protect their intellectual property rights and the outcome of their investments, the minister said.

Over the years, TAG has closely coordinated with governments in the Middle East in drafting laws and regulations for enforcing intellectual property rights. 
UNITED NATIONS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on Wednesday, a UN spokesman said.

"The secretary-general has just arrived in Poland on his way to Ukraine," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Guterres and Zelensky will discuss the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in all its aspects, said the statement.

On July 22, 2022, Russia and Ukraine separately signed a document in Istanbul with Turkiye and the United Nations on grain and fertilizer exports from Ukraine and Russia to ensure supplies to global markets amid the Russia-Ukraine armed conflict.

The deal, due to expire on Nov. 19, 2022, was extended for another 120 days. Guterres has repeatedly called for the deal's further extension.

While in Kiev, Guterres will also talk with Zelensky about "other pertinent issues," Dujarric said in the statement, noting that it is the UN chief's third visit to Ukraine in the past year.

Guterres will be back to the United Nations headquarters in New York on Thursday, according to the statement.

Later at a noon press briefing Tuesday, Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the UN chief "is currently in Ukraine," making his way to Kiev.

There's no visit to Moscow planned, Haq said, pointing out that prior to leaving New York, Guterres had a conversation with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin.

"And from the secretary-general's standpoint, he's willing to go wherever he's needed and whenever it's useful. But, of course, we'll see how that develops," he said.

A delegation from Russia is expected to be in Geneva next week for further discussions, said Haq, adding that "so those will be conducted at a high level there concerning the Black Sea Grain Initiative."

"I think we are engaged in serious discussions and we'll continue to do so," he said. "And I think it should be clear to all participants the advantages, the very real advantages in continuing this initiative."

Under the initiative, more than 20 million metric tons of foodstuffs have been safely reconnected to global supply chains on more than 700 ships, helping to bring down prices around the world, Guterres told a UN Security Council high-level meeting on Ukraine on Feb. 24.

"I want to underscore the importance of all parties remaining engaged in this initiative, and reiterate our call for it to be extended beyond March 2023," he then said. 
People participate in a demonstration against the government's controversial pension reform plan in Lille, northern France, on Jan. 31, 2023. (Photo by Sebastien Courdji/Xinhua)

French unions have called on workers to "bring France to a halt in all sectors on March 7" in order to protest against the long-disputed pension reform.

PARIS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Fuel shipments are suspended in all refineries across France on Tuesday as a nationwide strike was mobilized against the government pension reform plan, but fuel suppliers excluded severe impact on service stations.

"The strike started everywhere ... with shipments blocked at the exit of all the refineries this morning," France's largest union the General Confederation of Labour was cited by the French daily Le Figaro on Tuesday.

However, Frederic Plan, general delegate of the French Federation of Fuels and Heating, told the French radio FranceInfo in the morning that the block of fuel deliveries from refineries would not have a severe impact on service stations.

He said the energy management had prepared for this kind of situation with strategic stocks.

A temporarily closed Total Energies gas station is seen in Paris, France, Oct. 6, 2022. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

"We confirm that there is no lack of fuel in our stations. In addition, stocks in depots and service stations are at a high level," France's largest fuel company Total Energies also said on Tuesday, assuring that its teams were mobilized to meet an as-usual or even surplus demand.

Main French unions have called on workers to "bring France to a halt in all sectors on March 7" in order to protest against the long-disputed pension reform.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne laid out details of the pension reform plan in January, which would progressively raise the legal retirement age by three months a year from 62 to 64 by 2030, and introduce a guaranteed minimum pension.

Under the plan, it would require at least 43 years of work to be eligible for a full pension starting in 2027.

A man participates in a protest against the government's proposed pension reforms in Paris, France, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)
Workers slice ripe mangoes at the Zhong Bao (Cambodia) Food Science & Technology Co., Ltd. in Kampong Speu province, Cambodia on March 7, 2023. Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina said Cambodia and China have solid agricultural cooperation and that Cambodia has exported rice, mangoes, bananas, and longan fruit, among others to China.

He noted the RCEP and the CCFTA have injected a new impetus into the development of Cambodia's agriculture. (Photo by Van Pov/Xinhua)

KAMPONG SPEU, Cambodia, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Lay Mengleang, a mango slicer at the Zhong Bao (Cambodia) Food Science & Technology Co., Ltd. here enjoyed a better pay after the factory has received a significant rise in purchase orders from China.

Mengleang, who has worked at the factory for three years, has noticed the rise in purchase orders from China since 2022, the year that both the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade pact and the Cambodia-China Free Trade Agreement (CCFTA) entered into force.

The 21-year-old female worker said in the first two years, she earned a monthly wage of about 200 U.S. dollars only because there was not much work to do, but after entering the third year in 2022, she made a monthly salary of around 350 U.S. dollars because the increasing workload required her to work overtime.

"I'm happy to see more Cambodian mangoes to be exported to China," she told Xinhua on Tuesday. "Chinese consumers' support for our mangoes has directly benefited our workers and farmers."

Mengleang said that with a better wage, she could afford to save roughly 180 U.S. dollars a month.

"China's support for our agricultural products has not only helped boost our economy, but also contributed to improving the livelihoods of our workers and farmers," she said.

Hean Vily, a 21-year-old mango quality controller at the mango products factory, said that he likes his job as it is easy to do and earns a good income.

"With overtime work, I make between 300 and almost 400 U.S. dollars per month," he told Xinhua. "It's good that Chinese consumers help buy Cambodian products because their purchase has created jobs for Cambodian people, reducing migration for jobs outside the country."

Reth Songheng, chief administrative officer of the Zhong Bao (Cambodia) Food Science & Technology Co., Ltd., said the mango products factory provides jobs for more than 800 locals, producing dried mangoes for the Chinese market.

"Our products are high in quality and are very popular in China," he told Xinhua, adding that the factory purchased high-quality ripe mangoes from brokers and farmers for processing them into dried mangoes.

Songheng said the factory exported a total of 2,800 tons of dried mangoes to China in 2022, a year-on-year increase of between 10 and 20 percent.

"For 2023, the factory has planned to produce a total of 4,200 tons because there is a sharp increase in purchase orders from Chinese buyers," he said.

Songheng attributed the export growth to the RCEP and the CCFTA, saying that both FTAs helped reduce tariff costs, giving the factory a greater possibility to expand its production to meet the demand in the Chinese market.

"These FTAs, I think, will give a boost to Cambodia-China economic cooperation," he said.

Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina said Cambodia and China have solid agricultural cooperation and that Cambodia has exported rice, mangoes, bananas, and longan fruit, among others to China.

He noted the RCEP and the CCFTA have injected a new impetus into the development of Cambodia's agriculture.

"Both FTAs will contribute not only to the agriculture sector's growth, but also to the farmers' welfare and prosperity," he told Xinhua. 

Workers slice ripe mangoes at the Zhong Bao (Cambodia) Food Science & Technology Co., Ltd. in Kampong Speu province, Cambodia on March 7, 2023. Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina said Cambodia and China have solid agricultural cooperation and that Cambodia has exported rice, mangoes, bananas, and longan fruit, among others to China.

He noted the RCEP and the CCFTA have injected a new impetus into the development of Cambodia's agriculture. (Photo by Van Pov/Xinhua)

Workers slice ripe mangoes at the Zhong Bao (Cambodia) Food Science & Technology Co., Ltd. in Kampong Speu province, Cambodia on March 7, 2023. Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina said Cambodia and China have solid agricultural cooperation and that Cambodia has exported rice, mangoes, bananas, and longan fruit, among others to China.

He noted the RCEP and the CCFTA have injected a new impetus into the development of Cambodia's agriculture. (Photo by Van Pov/Xinhua)

Workers prepare ripe mango slices at the Zhong Bao (Cambodia) Food Science & Technology Co., Ltd. in Kampong Speu province, Cambodia on March 7, 2023. Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina said Cambodia and China have solid agricultural cooperation and that Cambodia has exported rice, mangoes, bananas, and longan fruit, among others to China.

He noted the RCEP and the CCFTA have injected a new impetus into the development of Cambodia's agriculture. (Photo by Van Pov/Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on March 7, 2023 shows a view of the Zhong Bao (Cambodia) Food Science & Technology Co, Ltd in Kampong Speu province, Cambodia. Cambodian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina said Cambodia and China have solid agricultural cooperation and that Cambodia has exported rice, mangoes, bananas, and longan fruit, among others to China.

He noted the RCEP and the CCFTA have injected a new impetus into the development of Cambodia's agriculture. (Photo by Van Pov/Xinhua)
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous (Front) speaks during a Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, on Feb. 22, 2023. (Loey Felipe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

Women's rights continue to be seriously violated and they continue to be marginalized and excluded from decision-making in matters of peace and security, said a document.

UNITED NATIONS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The head of the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality said on Tuesday that the status of women is "under siege," more than 20 years after the UN Security Council passed a milestone resolution on women, peace and security.

Addressing a Security Council high-level open debate on women, peace and security, UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous cited examples in Afghanistan and other conflict-affected countries where the status of women is being threatened.

The debate is on the theme "towards the 25th anniversary of resolution 1325." The resolution was adopted by the Security Council in October 2000, recognizing that women have a right to full, equal and meaningful participation in peace processes, conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

A concept note on the open debate, prepared by Mozambique which now holds the Security Council presidency, pointed to the fact that "women continue to be, to this day, the segment of society most affected by armed conflicts around the world."

Women's rights continue to be seriously violated and they continue to be marginalized and excluded from decision-making in matters of peace and security, said the document.

"It is obvious that we need a radical change of direction," Bahous told the Security Council debate.

She called for mandating women's participation in every meeting and decision-making process "in which we have authority."

"We need to broaden our reach to get resources to those who most need them -- and don't have them," added Bahous. 
This photo taken on March 1, 2023 shows a homestay at Muguashan Village in Jingle County, north China's Shanxi Province. (Xinhua/Wang Hao)

TAIYUAN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Yao Yanmei, a thin woman with slightly dark skin, is busy sorting goods in her sesame oil workshop in a farmyard in north China's Shanxi Province. In her early thirties, she is already a well-known figure in her village.

From growing rice and processing agricultural products to live-streaming marketing and opening a homestay, Yao's entrepreneurship in her hometown has benefitted more than 600 people from about 300 households.

Yao is one of many women in China's rural areas who use their innovation and hard work to bring about changes and is part of a larger trend towards greater involvement of women in rural vitalization.

Yao grew up in a small mountain village in Duanjiazhai Township in Shanxi. After graduating from the university and working for a few years, she returned to her hometown and led the effort to create rice paddy art, drawing inspiration from local paper-cutting.

She also sells agricultural products from the mountains to customers across China through livestreaming and hosts a homestay that receives urbanites looking to experience life in the countryside.

"Rural communities need such young people with local attachments and innovative spirit to play a leading role in driving rural economic development and improving farmers' employment and income," said Yang Fang, a local official in Duanjiazhai Township.

The gradual improvement of China's digital economy infrastructure increased female entrepreneurship and employment opportunities under digitalization. The increased level of employment of women with lower education levels has expanded the space for women's employment in China, according to the BRICS Women's Development Report 2022.

In recent years, with the deepening of China's rural vitalization and policies to increase female engagement in the workforce, women are playing an increasingly prominent role in the process.

In the mountainous village of Paimo in southwest China's Guizhou Province, Zhang Yiping, 29, led women to set up a batik cooperative. Their products, made with distinct ethnic minority features, have been sold to many domestic and overseas markets.

Zhang learned batik from her mother at an early age. As the local government pushes for rural vitalization and cultivation of local talents, she took the initiative to set up the cooperative, which helped boost the income of nearly 200 women.

"The cooperative is close to home and has steady orders. I can earn more than 3,000 yuan (about 431 U.S. dollars) a month," said Wang Jianhou, a local woman who has worked in the cooperative for six years.

China Women's Development Foundation has introduced a project for empowering women to contribute to the cause of rural vitalization. The project provides inclusive training for women in e-commerce and video creation and offers venture capital support and other resources for female entrepreneurs.

In Yao's case, she received financial support from the foundation and traffic support from livestreaming platforms.

"I see an increasingly broad prospect for distinct rural industries, live-streaming marketing, and e-commerce in rural areas. I have more confidence and passion to lead our rural sisters to prosperity," Yao said. 

Zhang Yiping (C) and other members of a batik cooperative check a batik skirt at Paimo Village of Yangwu Township in Danzhai County, southwest China's Guizhou Province, Oct. 16, 2019. (Xinhua)

This photo taken on March 1, 2023 shows samples of products that Yao Yanmei promotes via live-streaming at Muguashan Village in Jingle County, north China's Shanxi Province. (Xinhua/Wang Hao)
* China is committed to an independent foreign policy of peace and a mutually beneficial strategy of opening-up.

* China firmly opposes hegemony and the Cold War mentality.

* China champions an open and inclusive world economy and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity.

BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday pledged its commitment to global peace and development, as well as its readiness to confront "jackals or wolves" head on to defend its sovereignty, security and development interests.



Foreign Minister Qin Gang stated China's commitment to an independent foreign policy of peace and a mutually beneficial strategy of opening-up at a press conference held on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress.

Qin emphasized China's opposition to decoupling, the severing of industrial and supply chains, and unilateral sanctions, saying the country firmly opposes hegemony and the Cold War mentality.

China champions an open and inclusive world economy and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity, offering more Chinese insight and solutions to help meet humanity's common challenges, he said.

NEW TYPE OF INT'L RELATIONS

Qin said China pursues coordination and sound interactions among major countries and promotes a new type of international relations.

In terms of major-country relations, Qin stated that China-Russia ties are characterized by strategic mutual trust and good neighborliness, and they serve as a model for a new type of international relations.

The China-Russia relationship "is not a threat to any country, nor is it subject to any interference or discord sown by any third party," Qin said.

"The more unstable the world becomes, the more imperative it is for China and Russia to steadily advance their relations," he said.

Regarding China's relations with the United States, Qin said China "pursues a sound and stable relationship with the United States."

The China-U.S. relationship should be determined by common interests and shared responsibilities of the two countries, and by friendship between the Chinese and American people, rather than by U.S. domestic politics or hysterical neo-McCarthyism, he said.

"The U.S. claims that it seeks to out-compete China but does not seek conflict. Yet in reality, its so-called competition means to contain and suppress China in all respects, and get the two countries locked in a zero-sum game," Qin said.

He said the U.S. rhetoric of "establishing guardrails" and "not seeking conflict" simply means China should not respond in words or action when slandered or attacked. "That is just impossible."

"If the U.S. does not hit the brake but continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails could prevent derailing and there will surely be conflict and confrontation," Qin said.

In response to a question about the Ukraine crisis, Qin said China chooses peace over war, dialogue over sanctions, and cooling down the situation over fueling the flames, calling for calm, reason and dialogue among the parties involved.

China has not provided any weapons to either side of the Ukraine conflict and it always makes its judgments independently, based on the merits of the issue, he said.

"There seems to be an invisible hand pushing for the protraction and escalation of the conflict," using the Ukraine crisis to serve certain geopolitical agenda, Qin said.

Qin expressed China's hope that Europe will achieve true strategic autonomy as well as lasting security and stability, saying China is willing to work with Europe to uphold "true multilateralism" and deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership.

Concerning the United States' "Indo-Pacific Strategy," Qin said its real purpose is to "encircle China," warning that such an attempt will only disrupt the ASEAN-centered open and inclusive regional cooperation architecture, and undermine the overall and long-term interests of countries in the region.

Qin said that China always treats Japan with goodwill and hopes for friendship and good-neighborliness. "Yet, should some people from the Japanese side choose a beggar-thy-neighbor approach rather than pursue partnership, and even take part in a new Cold War to contain China, bilateral relations would only suffer new wounds when the old ones are yet to be healed," he said.

Also during Tuesday's press conference, Qin noted that developing countries account for more than 80 percent of the global population and more than 70 percent of global economic growth. "People in developing countries are entitled to better lives, and developing countries are entitled to greater representation and a louder voice in international affairs," he said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (2nd L, rear) attends a press conference on China's foreign policy and foreign relations on the sidelines of the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Yuguo)

CHINESE PATH TO MODERNIZATION

According to Qin, Chinese modernization serves as an important source of inspiration for the rest of the world, particularly for developing countries.

Qin said the Chinese path to modernization fits in well with China's national conditions, and its success "proves that every country has the right and ability to choose its own path and hold its future firmly in its own hands."

Chinese modernization is characterized by peaceful development and "is not pursued through war, colonization or plunder," he said, calling it "a new path different from Western modernization."

Qin said the right of every country to pursue a modernization path tailored to its national reality should be respected.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a high-quality public good initiated by China, has benefited the world.

Over the past decade, the BRI has brought nearly a trillion U.S. dollars of investment, established over 3,000 cooperation projects, created approximately 420,000 jobs in countries along the routes, and helped lift nearly 40 million people out of poverty.

In response to allegations that the BRI can lead to debt traps, Qin said it is never China that should be accused of creating so-called debt traps, and that multilateral financial institutions and commercial creditors account for over 80 percent of sovereign debt in developing countries.

Qin expressed his belief that, as China accelerates high-quality development, promotes high-standard opening-up and fosters a new development paradigm, it will surely bring new opportunities to all countries in the world.

CONFRONTING "JACKALS, WOLVES" HEAD ON

At the very heart of China's core interests, the Taiwan question is the bedrock of the political foundation of China-U.S. relations, and "the first red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations," Qin said.

Qin urged the United States to cease containing China by exploiting the Taiwan question, and to return to the fundamentals of the one-China principle.

The real threats to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are the separatist forces seeking "Taiwan independence," he said, noting that the one-China principle serves as a solid anchor and the three China-U.S. joint communiques serve as genuine guardrails.

"Mishandling of the Taiwan question will shake the very foundation of China-U.S. relations," he warned.

No country has the right to interfere in Taiwan affairs, as resolving the Taiwan question is China's own business, he said, emphasizing that "one should never underestimate the firm resolve, strong will and great capability of the Chinese government and people to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Responding to another question, Qin said that so-called "wolf warrior" diplomacy is just a narrative trap fabricated by those who either know little about China or its diplomacy, or have a hidden agenda that disregards the facts.

"There is no shortage of kindness and goodwill in China's diplomacy, but in the face of 'jackals or wolves,' Chinese diplomats have no choice but to confront them head on to protect the motherland," Qin said. 
LANZHOU, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have explored a new cancer-treating strategy that uses fluorescent functional materials, according to Lanzhou University Second Hospital.

Researchers from Lanzhou University Second Hospital and Nanchang Hangkong University jointly carried out the study, which proposes a new, cost-effective and efficient therapy for cancer.

The rapid development of advanced optical technologies, such as cancer diagnosis and treatment, fluorescent sensors and bio-imaging, requires abundant highly efficient fluorescent materials, said Liu Tao, researcher with Lanzhou University Second Hospital.

The study team designed and synthesized a series of cyanostyrene-based aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) by coupling different electronic donors and fluorescent quenching groups.

The researchers also demonstrated the excellent performance of AIEgens in fluorescence sensing, organelle imaging, and photodynamic therapy.

This study provides a new approach for developing more sensitive, stable and adjustable fluorescent materials. It will contribute to the organelle targeted imaging and photodynamic therapy of cancer cells, said Liu.

The study results have been published in the Chemical Engineering Journal. 
BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The following are the schedules for the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) and the first session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on Thursday.

-- NPC deputies will hold group meetings to deliberate the work reports of the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

-- NPC delegations will hold meetings to deliberate the draft decision on the plan on the reform of State Council institutions. They will hold discussions and consultations on candidates for the president and vice president of the People's Republic of China (PRC), chairperson of the Central Military Commission of the PRC, as well as chairperson, vice chairpersons, and secretary-general of the NPC Standing Committee.

-- The CPPCC session will hold group meetings to deliberate draft resolutions and reports, draft election methods and draft candidate lists. They will recommend and elect scrutineers and prepare for the elections. -- The executive chairpersons of the presidium will hold their second meeting.

-- The CPPCC session will hold a video conference, during which some political advisors will deliver speeches.

-- The presidium of the CPPCC session will hold its third meeting. 
Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, presides over the second meeting of the presidium of the first session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BEIJING, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The presidium of the first session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body, on Wednesday adopted a recommended name list of candidates for its new leadership.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, presided over the meeting of the presidium.

The list included nominees of the chairperson, vice chairpersons, secretary-general, and standing committee members of the 14th CPPCC National Committee.

A draft method of election of the CPPCC session was reviewed and adopted in principle at the meeting.

Participants also deliberated a draft resolution on the work report of the Standing Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, a draft resolution on the report on the work of proposals from political advisors, a draft resolution on an amendment to the CPPCC charter, a draft report on proposal examination, and a draft political resolution of the first session of 14th CPPCC National Committee.

It was decided at the meeting that the recommended name list and all the drafts would be submitted to CPPCC members for discussion and consultation.

The CPPCC serves as an important organ for multiparty cooperation and political consultation led by the CPC.

Its annual session this year opened on March 4 and will run until March 11. 

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, presides over the first meeting of executive chairpersons of the presidium of the first session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing, capital of China, March 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)
TEHRAN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Intelligence Ministry said its forces seized 4 tons of narcotics, "dealing a powerful blow" to the country's biggest cross-border drug trafficking network, IRIB news agency reported Wednesday.

Quoting an anonymous source of the ministry, the IRIB said the operation, which was conducted in the north-central province of Semnan, is one of the largest narcotics busts in the country's history.

The source added the confiscated narcotics are worth over 3.3 million U.S. dollars. 
Women weave Ndop design with raffia fibers at a shop in Bafoussam, Cameroon, on March 3, 2023. In Cameroon, crafts such as sewing, quilting, embroidery, and knitting have always been an outlet for women to utilize their creativity. Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women.(Xinhua/Kepseu)

YAOUNDE, March 8 (Xinhua) -- In an unassuming building in Bafoussam, chief town of Cameroon's West Region, Therese Yommo carefully decorates a fabric with patterns.

The 64-year-old is a specialist in the fabrication of Ndop, a remarkable Cameroonian cloth that embodies fashion, heritage, and national pride.

Growing up, Yommo didn't think she would amount to much. She traditionally spent her days doing household chores - collecting water from the borehole, making meals, cleaning, and looking after younger siblings.

But that changed when her mother taught her how to embroider Ndop fabric.

"We didn't have much. (But today) I take care of my children and grandchildren and send them to school. I also take care of myself (thanks to Ndop)," said the widower and mother of six.

In Cameroon, crafts such as sewing, quilting, embroidery, and knitting have always been an outlet for women to utilize their creativity. Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women.

The traditional textile is helping to tackle poverty and empower women in the garment manufacturing industry by creating an ecosystem of hundreds of self-employed female micro-entrepreneurs.

Yommo said she's already trained over 40 women in the business and fabrication of Ndop fabric.

When Xinhua visited Yommo's shop called Magni Yom's Shopping, two women sat demurely with a fabric unrolled on their laps, practicing their newly-acquired embroidery skills.

One of them was Sylvie Mebeyi. "Ndop is fashionable here, everybody wears it. That's why I was interested (to learn about the profession)," said the 54-year-old mother of three.

Mebeyi used to run a small cafe business but as she aged, she could no longer get up every morning at 4:00 to prepare and sell until the opportunity to learn about Ndop came.

"I wanted to learn a trade that I can teach my children and grandchildren," she said, adding that even after two years of learning she is still a novice because the production process is labor-intensive, involving several stages that sometimes run up to six months.

But such a long period of production is worthwhile, given the durability and traditional significance of the fabric, said 58-year-old Helen Youte who was practicing with Mebeyi.

Youte switched from her restaurant business to Ndop fabric. With just three years of practice, she is already earning a living.

"My children eat. I have sent them to school and I take care of my small needs. It has changed my life," said the mother of six.

In Baham, about 20 km away from Bafoussam, 48-year-old Philippe Guy Kammogne has made it a point of duty to empower women through Ndop fabric.

His father, Simo Kamwa, now 116 years old, is a respected Ndop producer: he trained all his 94 children on how to embroider Ndop and now his son, Kammogne, has trained over 80 women, including his wife.

"We have trained women not to always wait for men to provide daily bread," said Kammogne.

When Xinhua visited his modest workshop in the Lagweu neighborhood of Baham, he was busy training his wife, Flore Amedite Kammogne.

"If I am the only one providing for my family and if tomorrow I am not there, she will suffer. But if I teach her, she could make that a profession which can help her take care of herself and children even in my absence," Kammogne said.

"The future is bright for all women who have the courage to fabricate Ndop," added his wife.

Used in traditional ceremonies, weddings, and funerals, the demand for Ndop is increasing, said Rostanie Djifack who sells the fabric at Marche B in Bafoussam.

"We can make a lot of things out of Ndop fabric including caps, shoes, bracelets, and so on," said the 20-year-old who said selling Ndop fabric has improved her standard of living. "At first young people were not interested in the fabric, but today lots of young people buy."

An item of Ndop can cost up to about 150 US dollars depending on the size, design, and quality.

Since 2020, Ndop has been classified as a Cameroonian national heritage by the Ministry of Arts and Culture.

A local association called Save Ndop wants the traditional textile to be added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. 

Flore Amedite Kammogne, assisted by her husband, draws patterns on a fabric to make the traditional Ndop at her workshop in Baham, Cameroon, on March 3, 2023. In Cameroon, crafts such as sewing, quilting, embroidery, and knitting have always been an outlet for women to utilize their creativity. Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women.(Xinhua/Kepseu)

Flore Amedite Kammogne weaves Ndop designs with raffia fibers at her workshop in Baham, Cameroon, on March 3, 2023. In Cameroon, crafts such as sewing, quilting, embroidery, and knitting have always been an outlet for women to utilize their creativity. Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women.(Xinhua/Kepseu)

A woman sells Ndop products at a market place in Bafoussam, Cameroon, March 3, 2023. In Cameroon, crafts such as sewing, quilting, embroidery, and knitting have always been an outlet for women to utilize their creativity. Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women.(Xinhua/Kepseu)

People visit a shop selling Ndop products at a market place in Bafoussam, Cameroon, March 3, 2023. In Cameroon, crafts such as sewing, quilting, embroidery, and knitting have always been an outlet for women to utilize their creativity. Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women.(Xinhua/Kepseu)

A trader arranges Ndop products at a market place in Bafoussam, Cameroon, March 3, 2023. In Cameroon, crafts such as sewing, quilting, embroidery, and knitting have always been an outlet for women to utilize their creativity. Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women.(Xinhua/Kepseu)

A seller arranges necklaces made with Ndop at a market place in Bafoussam, Cameroon, March 3, 2023. In Cameroon, crafts such as sewing, quilting, embroidery, and knitting have always been an outlet for women to utilize their creativity. Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women.(Xinhua/Kepseu)

A trader arranges Ndop products at a market place in Bafoussam, Cameroon, March 3, 2023. In Cameroon, crafts such as sewing, quilting, embroidery, and knitting have always been an outlet for women to utilize their creativity. Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women.(Xinhua/Kepseu)

Flore Amedite Kammogne removes raffia fibers from the dyed fabric to obtain the traditional Ndop at her workshop in Baham, Cameroon, on March 3, 2023. In Cameroon, crafts such as sewing, quilting, embroidery, and knitting have always been an outlet for women to utilize their creativity. Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women.(Xinhua/Kepseu)

Therese Yommo, maker and seller of Ndop products, speaks during an interview with Xinhua at her shop in Bafoussam, Cameroon, March 3, 2023. In Cameroon, crafts such as sewing, quilting, embroidery, and knitting have always been an outlet for women to utilize their creativity. Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women.(Xinhua/Kepseu)

Flore Amedite Kammogne and her husband display a traditional Ndop fabric that she has just made in her workshop in Baham, Cameroon, on March 3, 2023. In Cameroon, crafts such as sewing, quilting, embroidery, and knitting have always been an outlet for women to utilize their creativity. Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women.(Xinhua/Kepseu)

Flore Amedite Kammogne draws patterns on a fabric to make the traditional Ndop at her workshop in Baham, Cameroon, on March 3, 2023. In Cameroon, crafts such as sewing, quilting, embroidery, and knitting have always been an outlet for women to utilize their creativity. Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women.(Xinhua/Kepseu)

An apprentice weaves the designs of Ndop with raffia fibers at a shop in Bafoussam, Cameroon, on March 3, 2023. In Cameroon, crafts such as sewing, quilting, embroidery, and knitting have always been an outlet for women to utilize their creativity. Ndop fabric was originally made by women and was an important symbol of social status and cultural heritage but today - in a different way - it is enhancing the lives of women.(Xinhua/Kepseu)
ADDIS ABABA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat on Wednesday called for increased women and girls' participation in the technology space.

Faki made the remarks on the occasion of this year's International Women's Day (IWD) celebrations. The AU commemorates the day under the theme "DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality - 20 Years of Maputo Protocol."

He said the theme is aligned with several AU priorities to maximize electronic and information technology dividends for women as a means to contribute to women's sustainable development, through increased women and girls' equal and effective participation in the technology space.

"Women, especially young women, should be at the core of this digital transformation," Faki said.

He underscored that "unless we zoom in on the contributions of women in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM), in a world where innovation is currency, our development agenda will be compromised."

He said this year's edition of the IWD came as the African continent marks the 20th anniversary of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, popularly known as the Maputo Protocol.

"But the road remains long and much remains to be done," Faki said.

He said the phenomenon made it clear that innovation and technology are key accelerators for development on the African continent, and more particularly through the pioneering contributions past and present, made by women in this field.

"It is therefore my wish that we look at critical ways to bridge the gender digital divide and make women, particularly young women and girls, as a priority constituency in this developmental sector of the future to achieve gender equality in Africa and beyond," Faki said. 
UNITED NATIONS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The M23 rebel group is ignoring the ceasefire starting on Tuesday in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a UN spokesman said.

"Our peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, indicated that fighting between the Congolese army and the M23 armed group continues in North Kivu province, despite the ceasefire," said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Haq said that the ceasefire complies with recent decisions of the African Union Peace and Security Council in Addis Ababa. Clashes were also reported Monday in parts of Rutshuru and Masisi territories and in the town of Sake.

"The secretary-general reiterates his call on the M23 to respect the ceasefire to create conditions for its full and effective withdrawal from all occupied areas in eastern DRC," the spokesman said, recalling the UN chief's appeal on Monday. "He condemns all violence against civilians and renews his call on all Congolese and foreign armed groups to lay down their weapons and disarm unconditionally."

The role of peacekeepers assigned to the UN mission is to support the Congolese army and protect civilians, MONUSCO chief Bintou Keita has said. 
People work at the scene of a train derailment in Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt, on March 7, 2023. At least two people were killed and 16 others injured after a train derailed on Tuesday in Qalyub, a city in the Qalyubia Governorate about 23 km north of Egypt's capital Cairo. (Photo by Mohamed Asad/Xinhua)

CAIRO, March 7 (Xinhua) -- At least two people were killed and 16 others injured after a train derailed on Tuesday in Qalyub, a city in the Qalyubia Governorate about 23 km north of Egypt's capital Cairo.

Egypt's Health Ministry said that 10 of the 16 injured people were receiving medical treatment at the Qalyub Specialist Hospital, adding that their injuries were not life-threatening.

The other six injured people were released after suffering minor injuries and bruises.

Meanwhile, Egyptian National Railways said in a statement that the train went through the "closed semaphore" at the Qalyub Train Station and headed toward a blocked railway before colliding with the protection at the end of the railway.

As a result, the locomotive and the first carriage were derailed, the statement said, adding the Egyptian Transportation Ministry formed a committee to investigate the accident.

Meanwhile, Egypt's Public Prosecutor also ordered an investigation into the Qalyub train collision.

Egypt's railway system has long been troubled by poorly maintained equipment and poor administration, which frequently results in train derailments and crashes. At least 32 people were killed in a train collision in 2021 in Tahta, a city in southern Egypt. Later that year, a train derailed in Qalyubia, killing 11 people. 

People work at the scene of a train derailment in Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt, on March 7, 2023. At least two people were killed and 16 others injured after a train derailed on Tuesday in Qalyub, a city in the Qalyubia Governorate about 23 km north of Egypt's capital Cairo. (Photo by Mohamed Asad/Xinhua)

People work at the scene of a train derailment in Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt, on March 7, 2023. At least two people were killed and 16 others injured after a train derailed on Tuesday in Qalyub, a city in the Qalyubia Governorate about 23 km north of Egypt's capital Cairo. (Photo by Mohamed Asad/Xinhua)

People work at the scene of a train derailment in Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt, on March 7, 2023. At least two people were killed and 16 others injured after a train derailed on Tuesday in Qalyub, a city in the Qalyubia Governorate about 23 km north of Egypt's capital Cairo. (Photo by Mohamed Asad/Xinhua)

People work at the scene of a train derailment in Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt, on March 7, 2023. At least two people were killed and 16 others injured after a train derailed on Tuesday in Qalyub, a city in the Qalyubia Governorate about 23 km north of Egypt's capital Cairo. (Photo by Mohamed Asad/Xinhua)

People work at the scene of a train derailment in Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt, on March 7, 2023. At least two people were killed and 16 others injured after a train derailed on Tuesday in Qalyub, a city in the Qalyubia Governorate about 23 km north of Egypt's capital Cairo. (Photo by Mohamed Asad/Xinhua)
NAIROBI, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Imagine sitting in a cozy living room somewhere in the Netherlands, snacking on a handful of delicious macadamia nuts. As you crack open the hard shell and savor the buttery flavor, it is easy to forget that these tasty treats were grown thousands of miles away in the lush hills of central Kenya.

As for Eunice Wambui, a small-scale macadamia farmer in central Kenya's county of Kirinyaga, her hard work and dedication to her crop have allowed her to share the flavors of her land with the world, including a cozy home in the Netherlands.

It is a true testament to the global reach of food production and the interconnectedness of the world.

However, this was not always the case for Wambui, who for years struggled to earn a decent income from her macadamia crop as she relied solely on middlemen to access the market.

These middlemen would take a significant portion of her earnings, leaving her with little to reinvest in her farm or provide for her family. Like many smallholder farmers in Kenya, Wambui was at the mercy of middlemen who offered low prices for her harvest and controlled access to the market.

Despite her hard work, it felt like a constant battle just to make ends meet. Wambui knew that there had to be a better way to access the global market and secure a fair price for her produce.

Everything changed when she joined One Acre Fund, a social enterprise that works with smallholder farmers to improve their livelihoods.

With One Acre Fund's support, Wambui was able to access the lucrative European market for macadamia and earn significantly higher prices for her produce.

"Before One Acre Fund, we had to sell our macadamia to middlemen at a very low price," Wambui said. "But now we have direct access to the market, and we can negotiate prices with the buyers. We are now earning good cash from macadamia."

According to Martin Kanja, One Acre Fund's quality assurance specialist at the organization's macadamia processing plant in the central Kenyan town of Sagana, macadamia farming is lucrative, but many farmers shun it because of the poor earnings.

Despite their unwavering dedication and hard work, many farmers across Kenya have never been able to escape the cycle of poverty that has plagued them for so long.

They work tirelessly to feed the nation, yet often go unnoticed and unrewarded, he added.

Kanja noted that to ensure the quality of macadamia nuts is maintained and fit for the international market, One Acre Fund walks with the farmers through the production process from planting to harvesting.

"Our approach is to work with farmers from the farm to the market. We provide training and support to farmers on how to produce high-quality macadamia nuts that meet the standards of the European market," he said.

According to Kanja, One Acre Fund provides farmers with training on best practices for harvesting, drying, and storing macadamia nuts, as well as on how to avoid contamination by pests and diseases.

The organization also provides farmers with equipment and materials to help them maintain the quality of their crops, added Kanja.

Once the macadamia nuts are harvested, One Acre Fund helps farmers transport the nuts to the processing plant in Sagana, where they are sorted, shelled, and processed for export.

The organization works closely with buyers to ensure that the macadamia nuts meet their quality standards and are delivered on time.

In its third year working with macadamia farmers in central Kenya, One Acre Fund is now eyeing the United States and Asia as the next marketing frontier for Kenyan macadamia.

Thanks to One Acre Fund's support, Wambui and her fellow farmers are now able to earn significantly higher prices for their macadamia crops. This has improved not only their economic security but also their overall quality of life.

"We can now afford to pay school fees for our children, buy food, and even build houses. Our lives have really changed for the better," Wambui said.

One Acre Fund's success in helping smallholder farmers access the international market for macadamia is a promising example of how social enterprises can disrupt traditional models and empower communities to achieve sustainable development.

So far, the organization is working with over 20,000 macadamia farmers in central Kenya. By bypassing the middlemen and connecting directly with buyers in Europe, the organization is empowering farmers to earn a fair price for their macadamia nuts.

This is a huge step forward in creating a sustainable and equitable agricultural industry. Farmers no longer have to rely on middlemen who often take a large cut of the profits and leave the farmers with peanuts. 
KINSHASA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) on Tuesday accused the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels of violating the latest ceasefire agreement scheduled for March 7.

Via a statement, the FARDC affirmed that the fighting "is ongoing" between the army and the M23, though the latter is supposed to respect the latest ceasefire agreement taking effect at noon on March 7.

The Congolese army alleged that M23 rebels attacked several FARDC positions in eastern North Kivu province, where tensions have been escalating for several months.

In addition, the FARDC accused the M23 rebels of firing Monday, which left three people dead and six more injured in the city of Sake, located 27 km from Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province.

After several aborted ceasefires, on March 3, the Angolan presidency, designated by the African Union as a mediator for this crisis, announced this new ceasefire taking effect at noon Tuesday, when the M23 should stop all military activities.

Despite local media reports of M23 advancements early Tuesday, the M23 declared a cease-fire to pave the way for dialogue with the Democratic Republic of the Congo government.

"The M23 hereby declares a cease-fire effective from this Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at 12:00 noon to pave way for the political process," the rebels' spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said in a statement.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the M23 Monday to respect this latest ceasefire, in order to create the conditions necessary for its total and effective withdrawal from all occupied areas in the east of the country.

Since the beginning of this year, fighting has intensified between the M23 and the army in several areas north of Goma. Fighting has forced thousands of people to flee their homes to find refuge.

Apart from the mediation by the Angolan presidency, member countries of the East African Community (EAC), a regional bloc, set up a regional force last year to intervene in the ongoing situation in eastern DRC, in particular, to counter the M23.

The first contingent of Burundian soldiers was on the ground in Goma Sunday under the mandate of the EAC regional force. Since last November, a contingent of the Kenyan army has been on the ground around Goma for military intervention.

Additional troops, including those from South Sudan and Uganda, are also expected on the same mission.

The M23 emerged from the rebel group National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), which laid down arms in March 2009, following a peace agreement stipulating that its soldiers would be integrated into the Congolese police and army, while the CNDP's political wing would become an officially acknowledged party.

A faction within the CNDP, however, subsequently denounced the poor implementation of the agreement and developed into a new rebel group that came to the force as M23 in 2012. It later occupied the provincial capital of Goma in 2012.

After its military defeat in 2013 and barring some minor incidents, the M23 lay dormant for almost a decade until late 2021 when it ramped up attacks again. In addition, the M23 took control of vast parts of Rutshuru territory, in particular, the capture of the Bunagana border town in June. 
TOKYO, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Five people have been arrested in relation to the suspected illegal breeding and sales of Japanese killifish genetically modified to glow in red, Tokyo police said Wednesday.

The police said that the five people suspected of illegally breeding and selling the genetically modified fluorescent fish from 2021 through last year include Tomio Masuda, the owner of a killifish shop in Kasukabe in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo.

The arrests marked the first in Japan for an alleged violation of the Cartagena Law, which came into force in 2004 to regulate the use of genetically modified living organisms to prevent adverse effects on biological diversity and the environment.

All of the suspects have admitted to the charges and no negative effects have been confirmed on the ecosystem, according to the Tokyo police.

The police said about 50 people had been in possession of such killifish, including the five who were arrested, and that about 1,400 fish were confiscated in the latest search.

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said the modified killifish in question were traced to eggs taken from the Tokyo Institute of Technology by a student more than 10 years ago.

The ministry said it reprimanded the university and has also requested public and private universities and research entities to ensure they have implemented proper controls for modified living organisms. 
MANILA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government will sustain its annual infrastructure spending at 5 percent to 6 percent of the country's gross domestic product, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said on Wednesday.

"I think the essence of what makes our goal ambitious is the fact that we have limited fiscal space, but there is so much space in other areas that can be utilized, which is why it is so important for us to really create that enabling environment and encourage private sector participation in our projects," Balisacan told an ASEAN conference.

Given the country's limited fiscal space, the administration of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos has reiterated its firm and solid commitment to prioritizing public-private partnerships (PPPs) in supporting and complementing its infrastructure drive.

"Pursuing PPPs will allow the government to harness the private sector's financial and technological resources and ability to respond to market risks and opportunities in an agile manner, and capacity to manage large-scale projects," Balisacan added.

Balisacan expressed confidence in the country's position as a viable option for the investment community as it continues progressing with its economic agenda for infrastructure development. According to him, the Philippines plans to transform the economy and achieve rapid and sustained economic growth through strategic programs, including infrastructure development.

Balisacan assured the private investors that the government is actively pushing for critical reforms to regulatory frameworks to encourage greater private-sector participation in infrastructure development. "There has never been a better time to invest in the Philippines than now, the country welcomes all and is indeed open for business," he added. 
Students are to sit for the matriculation exam for the academic year of 2022-23 in Yangon, Myanmar, March 8, 2023. A total of 161,851 students on Wednesday sat for the matriculation examination, according to the country's Ministry of Education. (Photo by Myo Kyaw Soe/ Xinhua)

YANGON, March 8 (Xinhua) -- A total of 161,851 students on Wednesday sat for the nationwide matriculation examination of Myanmar for the academic year of 2022-23, according to the country's Ministry of Education.

"It is 90 percent of the students who had registered for the nationwide matric exam," Thin Nu Nu Sein, an official from the Ministry of Education, told Xinhua.

The figure is compared to 281,751 students sitting for the same exam of last academic year of 2021-22, official data showed.

The nationwide matriculation exam for this academic year, which began on Wednesday, will be held until March 18. There was a total of 863 exam centers, including five overseas exam centers, set up for the matric exam of this academic year, according to the ministry. 

Students enter a high school for the matriculation exam for the academic year of 2022-23 in Yangon, Myanmar, March 8, 2023. A total of 161,851 students on Wednesday sat for the matriculation examination, according to the country's Ministry of Education. (Photo by Myo Kyaw Soe/ Xinhua)
People participate in a demonstration against the government's pension reform plan in Paris, France, on March 7, 2023. Some 1.28 million people protested across France on Tuesday against the government's pension reform plan, the French Ministry of the Interior said. (Photo by Glenn Gervot/Xinhua)

PARIS, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Some 1.28 million people protested across France on Tuesday against the government's pension reform plan, the French Ministry of the Interior said. This represented a record number since the nationwide mobilization began.

However, according to France's largest union the General Confederation of Labor (CGT in French), the estimated number of people marching nationally against the reforms stood much higher: at 3.5 million.

On Tuesday, the French national railway company SNCF only ran one in five high-speed trains, with other train services also heavily disrupted.

In the Greater Paris region, only one in three trains were running on most metro lines during morning and evening peak hours.

Fuel shipments were also suspended in all refineries across France on Tuesday, but fuel suppliers said there would not be a severe impact on service stations.

"The strike started everywhere ... with shipments blocked at the exits of all the refineries this morning," the French daily newspaper Le Figaro reported on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, about half of the employees at French electric giant EDF downed tools on Tuesday in solidarity with the protests, the company's management said Tuesday evening.

The CGT's energy and mine sector said that some 80,000 people working in the energy and gas industries went on strike on Tuesday.

All public service sectors have already announced an extension of the strikes on Wednesday.

Major French unions held an emergency meeting in Paris Tuesday evening, where they agreed on two fresh demonstrations on March 11 and 15.

They also requested a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. "Six huge mobilizations have received no response, it cannot go on," the unions said.

During questioning of French labor minister Olivier Dussopt in the National Assembly on Tuesday, he defended the government's pension reform plan as "necessary."

The French pension system is "heavily and structurally" in debt, he said, and the deficit could reach as much as 13.5 billion euros (14.2 billion U.S. dollars) by 2030.

Therefore, a reform that requires people to work two extra years is necessary to preserve the whole French pension system, he said.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne laid out details of the pension reform plan in January, under which the legal retirement age will be progressively raised by three months a year from 62 to 64 by 2030, and a guaranteed minimum pension will be introduced.

Under the plan, as from 2027 at least 43 years of work would be required to be eligible for a full pension. 

People participate in a demonstration against the government's pension reform plan in Paris, France, on March 7, 2023. Some 1.28 million people protested across France on Tuesday against the government's pension reform plan, the French Ministry of the Interior said. (Photo by Glenn Gervot/Xinhua)

People participate in a demonstration against the government's pension reform plan in Paris, France, on March 7, 2023. Some 1.28 million people protested across France on Tuesday against the government's pension reform plan, the French Ministry of the Interior said. (Photo by Glenn Gervot/Xinhua)

People participate in a demonstration against the government's pension reform plan in Paris, France, on March 7, 2023. Some 1.28 million people protested across France on Tuesday against the government's pension reform plan, the French Ministry of the Interior said. (Photo by Glenn Gervot/Xinhua)
People shout slogans during a demonstration in Athens, Greece, on March 8, 2023. Greek government announced a set of measures aimed to improve the safety of railway system on Wednesday, in the wake of the train collision last week in central Greece that resulted in 57 deaths. Also on Wednesday, thousands of protesters hit the streets of Athens and other cities across the country as labor unions called a 24-hour nationwide strike over the tragedy. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

ATHENS, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Greek government announced a set of measures aimed to improve the safety of railway system on Wednesday, in the wake of the train collision last week in central Greece that resulted in 57 deaths.

Also on Wednesday, thousands of protesters hit the streets of Athens and other cities across the country as labor unions called a 24-hour nationwide strike over the tragedy.

"Suffering must be followed by catharsis," Giorgos Gerapetritis, state minister responsible for infrastructure and transport, told a press briefing. He also apologized for the worst railway tragedy in Greece, pledging swift steps to complete all necessary works to upgrade the system and prevent such accidents in the future.

Gerapetritis announced an increase in the state budget to address understaffing and shortage of railway equipment. He said the government would step up procedures to fill in the gaps in the signaling network and upgrade the safety system.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also publicly acknowledged the state's chronic mistakes for the state of the railways system.

According to police estimates, approximately 30,000 people took to the streets in central Athens on Wednesday, calling for "justice" and "modern and safe public transport." Similar protests were held in several other cities, including Thessaloniki in northern Greece.

They were organized by the umbrella union of civil servants ADEDY, labor unions of mass transportation, and students' and teachers' associations among others. Many of the crash victims were university students returning to class after short holidays.

"Me and my friends would take this train route very often. If it was someone I knew (among the victims), if it were me, obviously I would want someone to come here and shout for me," Lefteris, a student of physiotherapy told Xinhua during a protest in Thessaloniki.

"As a mother, what happened hurt me a lot. I feel huge disappointment, tremendous rage," said Fotini, another protester. 

Musicians perform during a demonstration in Athens, Greece, on March 8, 2023. Greek government announced a set of measures aimed to improve the safety of railway system on Wednesday, in the wake of the train collision last week in central Greece that resulted in 57 deaths. Also on Wednesday, thousands of protesters hit the streets of Athens and other cities across the country as labor unions called a 24-hour nationwide strike over the tragedy. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

Protesters clash with riot police during a demonstration in front of the Greek Parliament in Athens, Greece, on March 8, 2023. Greek government announced a set of measures aimed to improve the safety of railway system on Wednesday, in the wake of the train collision last week in central Greece that resulted in 57 deaths. Also on Wednesday, thousands of protesters hit the streets of Athens and other cities across the country as labor unions called a 24-hour nationwide strike over the tragedy. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

A protester clashes with riot police during a demonstration in front of the Greek Parliament in Athens, Greece, on March 8, 2023. Greek government announced a set of measures aimed to improve the safety of railway system on Wednesday, in the wake of the train collision last week in central Greece that resulted in 57 deaths. Also on Wednesday, thousands of protesters hit the streets of Athens and other cities across the country as labor unions called a 24-hour nationwide strike over the tragedy. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

Protesters clash with riot police during a demonstration in Athens, Greece, on March 8, 2023. Greek government announced a set of measures aimed to improve the safety of railway system on Wednesday, in the wake of the train collision last week in central Greece that resulted in 57 deaths. Also on Wednesday, thousands of protesters hit the streets of Athens and other cities across the country as labor unions called a 24-hour nationwide strike over the tragedy. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
Captain Fedor Volkonogov is part of the law enforcement system. He is appreciated by the commander and respected by colleagues. But the moment comes for Captain's life to take the abrupt turn - he is criminally charged. Captain manages to escape prior to the arrest turning in a split of the seco

Captain Fedor Volkonogov is part of the law enforcement system. He is appreciated by the commander and respected by colleagues. But the moment comes for Captain's life to take the abrupt turn - he is criminally charged. Captain manages to escape prior to the arrest turning in a split of the second into prey hunted down by ex-colleagues. At night Fedor receives the warning from ...
by Yosley Carrero

HAVANA, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Rachel Dominguez on Tuesday was overjoyed to start learning Chinese as her optional subject.

She is among 47 university students from Cuba's Higher Institute of International Relations "Raul Roa Garcia" (ISRI) to attend Chinese language classes from this semester.

"China is playing a fundamental role in global politics," she said. "The bilateral relations between China and Latin American countries continue to strengthen."

According to the syllabus, students will learn writing and speaking skills in Chinese. And they will also have a chance to study Chinese calligraphy.

"This is a new chapter in the history of cooperation between China and Cuba," Chinese Ambassador to Cuba Ma Hui told students during the opening ceremony of the course.

"If you study hard with the support of Chinese language professors, you will be able to make it," he said.

Over the past few years, learning the Chinese language and culture has become increasingly popular across the island country, thanks to the efforts by social organizations and cultural institutions. One of them is Havana's Confucius Institute, from which thousands of students have graduated since it was founded in 2009.

"I want to learn about Chinese culture," second-year student Silvio Javier Jimenez told Xinhua. "I would like to work as a diplomat in Asia."

ISRI rector Rogelio Sierra said that the Chinese language is increasingly being spoken around the world as China's influence is growing in the international arena.

"This course has a special meaning and extraordinary importance for us," he said. "China is a great country, and we have long received solidarity gestures from the Chinese people."

The course comes one year after the Cuban Ministry of Education first introduced the Chinese language course into secondary education for 130 seventh graders from Havana's Fructuoso Rodriguez secondary school.

Chinese language classes at ISRI will be taught by professors from Havana's Confucius Institute, one of whom is 28-year-old Chang Xiaoyu.

"I have been in Cuba for over a year," she said. "I strongly believe this initiative will help spread knowledge of the Chinese language among university students and population." 
LONDON, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Following the biggest methane leak in Pennsylvania's history -- and one of the worst ever detected in the United States, the local community has been living in shock and fear, The Guardian has reported.

Over the few weeks after the leak happened in November last year, more than a billion cubic feet of methane and other toxins were spewed into the atmosphere from a failed storage well at an ageing fossil-fuel facility run by Equitrans Midstream Corporation on Rager Mountain in Jackson Township, it said on Monday.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that warms the Earth's atmosphere much faster than carbon dioxide (CO2), and today is responsible for about 25 percent of the heat trapped by all greenhouse gases, it said.

According to some calculations, the Jackson Township leak was equivalent to planet-warming emissions from burning more than 1,080 rail cars of coal or from running 360,000 cars for a year, it said.

The Guardian said the relentless racket and stench caused the local people to suffer severe headaches, lightheadedness, sore throat, burning nose, nausea and sleep deprivation as the company struggled to plug the leak.

"We have major gas infrastructure built out all over the place but don't have the powers or resources to regulate everything that's going on; this is the wild west. It was just a matter of time before something like the huge Rager Mountain leak happened, and it's just a matter of time before the next big one," The Guardian quoted David Hess, former head of the state's department of environmental protection, as saying. 
WASHINGTON, March 8 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a report on Wednesday, accusing the police department of Louisville, Kentucky, of depriving people of their rights under certain laws.

The report alleged that the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (Louisville Metro) and the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) "engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law."

The DOJ said the LMPD uses excessive force; conducts searches based on invalid warrants; unlawfully executes search warrants without knocking and announcing; and unlawfully discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities, etc.

The Louisville Metro and the LMPD are also said to have discriminated against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to them in crisis.

LMPD officers shot and killed Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, in her own home while executing a search warrant on the night of March 13, 2020, but there was no evidence of any crime.

Thousands of people marched in protest and gathered in downtown Louisville, the largest city in Kentucky, for months that year. 
Russian A-50 AWACS plane damaged in Belarus is beyond repair, Ukrainian official says 8 March, 12:51 AM Oleksii Danilov (Photo:REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)

The Russian A-50 Airborne Warning And Control System (AWACS) plane, which was damaged by Belarusian partisans at an airfield in Machulishchy, is currently out of order, Ukraines National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) secretary, Oleksiy Danilov, told Ukrainian TV broadcasters on March 7.

In Machulishchy, a thing happened to a Russian plane that helped guide missiles at our cities, Danilov said.

Thanks to this aircraft, they attacked the civilian population. According to our information, Belarusian partisans have seriously damaged the aircraft.

While Danilov asserts the plane is currently out of order, Russia claims they damage can be quickly repaired.

Video of day

But given that Russia is under sanctions, we dont think they will succeed (in repairing the aircraft), the secretary added.

That caused such an inadequate reaction from Lukashenko (the dictator of Belarus). His behavior is startling. We'll observe how events unfold. We are ready for any development of the situation.

Read also: Belarusian partisans release video of their drone landing on Russian AWACS plane

The Russian Air Force A-50U 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.

Alexander Azarov, head of Belarusian opposition initiative BYPOL, said that the attack was carried out by Belarusian partisans.

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$1 million will support scholarships for deserving accounting or finance students. The other million will enhance the collections of the Sawyer Library.

Bobby Duron Teaching Accounting

Webber donated $1 million to create the John M. Webber Husson University Business Scholarship Fund. This fund will provide financial support to deserving Husson University College of Business students, with a preference given to those majoring in accounting or finance.

Sawyer Library Study Room

Webber donated another million dollars to to create an endowment called the John M. Webber Husson University Library Endowment Fund. This fund will help support purchases that enhance the W. Tom and Bonnie Sawyer Librarys collections.

BANGOR, MAINE, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Husson University announced today that it has received $2 million in gifts from the estate of philanthropist John M. Webber. The first $1 million-dollar gift will be used to create the John M. Webber Husson University Business Scholarship Fund. This fund will provide financial support to deserving Husson University College of Business students, with a preference given to those majoring in accounting or finance.

Well be forever grateful to Mr. Webber for creating this endowment. His support will help keep education affordable for the next generation of financial talent here at Husson, said Dr. Robert Bobby Duron, an associate professor and the director of the Universitys School of Accounting. His endowment will also benefit members of Maines business community. The knowledge and expertise they receive from the financial professionals produced by Hussons College of Business will continue to provide benefits to our regions non-profit and for-profit organizations, thanks to Johns generosity.

The second $1 million gift is being used to create an endowment called the John M. Webber Husson University Library Endowment Fund. This fund will help support purchases that enhance the Sawyer Librarys collections.

The Sawyer Library plays a vital role in supporting the wide array of intellectual pursuits here at Husson, said Shelly Davis, MLIS, the Universitys head librarian. Mr. Webbers magnanimous gift will help ensure that Husson students continue to have access to high-quality information resources, which is key to their development as both knowledgeable professionals and engaged citizens.

John M. Webber was no stranger to philanthropy. His family has a long history of supporting education at Husson and other institutions. His father, G. Peirce Webber, was the lead donor responsible for creating the G. Peirce Webber Campus Center and the G. Peirce and Florence (Pitts) Webber Scholarship at the University. Webbers father also donated the initial research equipment for Husson's marine science and research and education center. In addition, he established the Acorn Fund which was instrumental in the institution's success in the late 1980s.

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G. Peirce Webber, Johns father, became the fourth generation to take over Webber Timberlands, the largest private owner of commercial woodland in the state. He donated significant funds to Husson, the YMCA, and the University of Maine. In addition, G. Peirce Webber was a member of the Board of Trustees at the YMCA, Husson University, Eastern Maine Charities, the Good Samaritan Agency, UMaine, and the Katahdin Area Council. His name can be found on buildings at Husson University and Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, as well as the YMCAs G. Peirce Webber camp.

"From an early age, my Uncle John appreciated the positive impact a university education and experience could have on engaged students, said Steve Spetnagel, Webbers nephew. He loved nothing more than interacting with students and administrators both on and off campus throughout his life. Stimulating conversations gave Uncle John an opportunity to share his insights and take in the opinions of others. Making sure that college resources at quality schools like Husson remain robust, plentiful and current was always a John Webber priority."

The past gifts my uncle made to Husson University show how important scholarship assistance was to him. These two new million-dollar gifts from his estate will make sure Uncle Johns passion for assisting students and desire to provide aspiring scholars with top-notch educational resources will continue well into the future."

Dr. Marie Hansen, dean of the College of Business at Husson University shares John Webbers passion for education. A college education not only opens doors to career opportunities in the business world, it also makes personal growth possible. Education helps students think critically and consider issues from multiple perspectives.

Thats why the John M. Webber Husson University Business Scholarship Fund is so important, continued Hansen. It will help students pay for a college education that can open their minds to new possibilities. Our university remains one of the most affordable colleges and universities in New England because of what donors like John Webber make possible.

Husson President Robert A. Clark, PhD, CFA, feels that bequests from family and friends of the University play an important role in supporting the institution and students education. Besides helping us to further our mission, bequests allow donors to create a legacy that lasts in perpetuity, said Clark. Donors often make large gifts through a bequests that further their legacy through the charitable organizations that mean the most to them. John Webber was one such person and the endowments he created will benefit Husson students for generations to come.

For nearly 125 years, Husson University has shown its adaptability and strength in delivering educational programs that prepare future leaders to handle the challenges of tomorrow through innovative undergraduate and graduate degrees. With a commitment to delivering affordable classroom, online and experiential learning opportunities, Husson University has come to represent a superior value in higher education. The hallmarks of a Husson education include advanced knowledge delivered through quality educational programs in business; health and education; pharmacy studies; science and humanities; as well as communication. According to an analysis of tuition and fees by U.S. News & World Report, Husson University is one of the most affordable private colleges in New England. For more information about educational opportunities that can lead to personal and professional success, visit Husson.edu.

Attachments

CONTACT: Eric B. Gordon Husson University 207.649.4647 gordoner@husson.edu




XCMG Brazil hosts breast health training and "Listen to Her" workshop, and launches language and professional skill training programs to empower women's career development

POUSO ALEGRE, Brazil, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- To mark the 2023 International Women's Day, XCMG Machinery (SHE:000425, "XCMG") has hosted the first "Listening to Her" workshop in Pouso Alegre, Minas Gerais, Brazil. About 20 female employees of XCMG Brazil, who come from different backgrounds, shared their experiences of work and life, and offered advice and suggestions to the company's management and development.

2023 IWD: Promoting Gender Equity, XCMG Machinery Supports Women to Broaden Career Development Opportunities in Construction Machinery Industry.

XCMG Brazil is committed to support women in the construction machinery industry through a series of events and programs. Every October, the company organizes breast health training sessions for the female employees. Also, its language and professional skills training programs have supported many female employees to achieve greater career success.

Laura Lopes, who works in sales, has taken training sessions to not only learn about the products and functions, but also operating the machinery equipment.

"During my three years at XCMG Brazil, I always have a sense of achievement when I communicate with the customers. I've been learning how to operate the machineries so I can demonstrate to the customers in a more engaging way, and I believe that through working at XCMG Brazil and growing in an industry that I love, I will achieve greater success," said Laura.

Priscila Nogueira who works in finance and accounting at XCMG Brazil, has been learning and upskilling herself, and she has achieved the CRCMG (Conselho Regional de Contabilidade de Minas Gerais) regional accounting council qualification. Nogueira said that the XCMG Brazil has provided a platform for growth and development, and that she will continue to reach for the stars in her career.

Yu Ziqiao is a teacher from XCMG Technicians College who has been working in Libreville, Gabon to carry out training sessions and courses to the local technicians, college teachers and government staff. Yu customizes courses that not only provide the students with a solid theoretical foundation, but also equip them with practical skills that suit each person's skill level. She has compiled the college's first bilingual textbook, "Construction Machinery English," and teaches the specialty English course.

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Yu has served as the lecturer in national teacher trainings for assembly, commissioning and maintenance twice. Together with her team, Yu has visited manufacturing bases to learn in-depth the operation and maintenance technologies of 22 products from nine series, with the goal of better serving their customers.

"The XCMG spirit encourages me to keep progressing and support more students who will make significant contributions in the construction machinery industry," said Yu.

For more inspiring story from XCMG sheroes, please visit XCMG and its pages on Meta, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.

Cision

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SOURCE XCMG Machinery
SkyQuest Technology Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

SkyQuest's web 3.0 blockchain market report is a crucial asset for investors and businesses who want to thoroughly understand the industry's dynamics. This study utilizes advanced methodologies, such as technology assessment, SWAT analysis, economic evaluation, product benchmarking, player positioning, and innovative developments, to comprehensively analyze the market. It also highlights recent developments, collaborations, mergers, and acquisitions, providing investors and businesses with valuable insights into the current market.

Westford USA, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Web 3.0 blockchain market is set to witness North America take a leading position, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific, primarily driven by the increasing demand for data privacy through decentralized identity and the advancement of internet technology. With the rise in digital assets such as cryptocurrencies and the deployment of 5G and 6G technologies, the industry's growth is projected to accelerate. As a result, data privacy has become a crucial concern, with users seeking secure and reliable means to safeguard their information. Web 3.0's decentralized identity mechanism has emerged as a feasible solution, attracting many users.

According to a recent report by SkyQuest, DeFi transactions have seen significant growth in North America from 2020 to 2021. The report suggests that these transactions accounted for 34.5% of all transactions in the region, indicating a growing interest in decentralized finance. Furthermore, the report highlights that the inhabitants of North America contributed around USD 265 billion in cryptocurrency to DeFi platforms during the same period. This shows a clear trend toward adopting Web 3.0 blockchain technology, which is expected to continue in the future.

Browse in-depth TOC on the "Web 3.0 Blockchain Market"

Pages - 273

Tables - 96

Figures - 74

Web 3.0 is the next revolution of the internet that promises to be decentralized and more secure. One of the main technologies that power Web 3.0 is blockchain, a distributed ledger that enables secure and transparent transactions. Blockchain technology allows for creation of decentralized applications (dApps) that run on a peer-to-peer network without intermediaries. In addition, using blockchain technology in Web 3.0 allows for a new level of transparency and security previously impossible with traditional centralized systems.

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Prominent Players in the Web 3.0 Blockchain Market

Web3 Foundation

Livepeer, Inc.

Ocean Protocol Foundation Ltd.

Kusama

Helium Systems Inc.

Zel Technologies Ltd.

Binance

Antier Solutions

Polyogn Technology

Filecoin

Terra

Ripple

Alchemy Insights, Inc.

Coinbase

Decentraland

Kadena LLC

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Cryptocurrency Segment to Witness Higher Traction Thanks to Increasing Use of Cryptocurrencies for Decentralized Finance (DeFi)

According to market research, the cryptocurrency segment is predicted to dominate the web 3.0 blockchain market from 2022 to 2030. This segment is predicted to capture the largest share of the market due to the increasing adoption of cryptocurrencies and the growing demand for decentralized financial systems. Telecom fraud has emerged as a significant issue for law enforcement agencies, costing around USD 30 billion annually, according to research by SkyQuest. With the emergence of blockchain technology, there is a potential solution that could significantly impact fraud detection and prevention. The increasing use of blockchain technology in various industries, such as healthcare, supply chain management, and gaming, is also expected to contribute to the market's growth.

As per the projections by SkyQuest, the North American region is poised to become the dominant player in the web 3.0 blockchain market by 2030. The growth of blockchain technology is set to revolutionize how we conduct transactions and manage data, and North America is in a prime position to lead this charge. One of the reasons for this predicted dominance is the sheer number of blockchain-based startups that are emerging in North America. These startups are backed by venture capital firms and are working on creating cutting-edge solutions for industries like finance, healthcare, and logistics.

Browse summary of the report and Complete Table of Contents (ToC):

https://skyquestt.com/report/web-3-0-blockchain-market

Government Service Segment to Drive Major Growth as Blockchain Technology Streamline Government Processes and Reduce Costs of Manual Processes

According to market research, the government service segment is expected to experience the highest CAGR in the web 3.0 blockchain market from 2022 to 2030. The increasing adoption of blockchain technology in various government services, such as identity management, voting systems, land registration, and supply chain management, drives this growth. Similarly, blockchain-based identity management systems can eliminate the need for intermediaries and enhance data privacy by allowing individuals to control their data. This can lead to more efficient and secure government services, improving citizen trust and confidence.

As per the latest research, the Asia Pacific region is predicted to experience significant expansion in the web 3.0 blockchain market between the years 2022 to 2030. This region includes countries such as China, Japan, India, and Australia. The high population density and rapidly growing economies in the Asia Pacific region offer a massive market for blockchain-based solutions. Furthermore, with the increasing demand for faster and more efficient transactions, web 3.0 blockchain technology is expected to benefit businesses and consumers.

The web 3.0 blockchain market is highly competitive, and businesses operating in this industry must stay updated on the latest trends and opportunities to maintain a competitive edge. SkyQuest's report provides valuable insights to companies seeking to expand and grow their operations, empowering them to make informed decisions that drive success in this rapidly evolving market. With the aid of this report, companies can gain a deeper understanding of the industry and make strategic choices that allow them to take a significant lead in the market.

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Key Developments in the Web 3.0 Blockchain Market

Tatum, a company specializing in simplifying blockchain application development, has recently partnered with StartupYard to support early-stage fintech and Web 3.0 startups. The partnership aims to accelerate business success and reduce time-to-market for startups in digital finance through the Tatum Blockchain Accelerator program. By leveraging Tatum's expertise in blockchain technology and StartupYard's experience in supporting early-stage startups, the program aims to provide startups with the resources and support they need to succeed in their respective industries.

Radian Arc, a prominent investment firm, has recently announced its investment in brandXchange, a leading consultancy specializing in Web 3.0 technologies. The investment is a strategic move by Radian Arc to tap into the rapidly growing Web 3.0 market, poised to revolutionize the digital landscape. The investment from Radian Arc is also significant for the Web 3.0 market, as it highlights the growing interest and demand for Web 3.0 technologies from the investment community.

ShellBoxes is a leading company that has taken innovative measures to fortify the Web3 ecosystem and empower emerging builders. With the rise of Web3 technologies, building secure and reliable infrastructure that can support the growing number of decentralized applications has become more important than ever. One of the key features of ShellBoxes is its focus on security. With the increasing number of cyber threats facing the Web3 ecosystem, it is essential that developers have access to secure infrastructure that can protect their applications and data.

Key Questions Answered in Web 3.0 Blockchain Market Report

How can hindering factors in the global market be mitigated to ensure growth in specific industries?

What are the driving factors that contribute to the success of top companies in overcoming challenges and capitalizing on opportunities within the global market?

Which sectors within the global market are projected to experience the highest growth rates in revenue and sales in specific geographic regions?

What strategies and tactics can vendors employ to overcome obstacles and exploit opportunities within specific global market segments?

Related Reports in SkyQuests Library:

Global Wireless Microphone Market

Global Business Intelligence (Bi) Market

Global Telecom Generator Market

Global Network Automation Market

Global Data Center Market

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Poulsbo, March 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Poulsbo, Washington -

Ferdinand Mehlinger SEO Expert is using his decades of digital marketing experience to help Web 3 companies rise above their competition and dominate the decentralized internet of the future.

Web 3 is regarded by many industry experts and technology evangelists to be the next step in the evolution of the internet. The biggest way in which it differs from the internet today is the decentralization of the data and infrastructure that forms its backbone. Web 3 will also bring with it a host of technological innovations.

Ferdinand Mehlinger Founder of Bluoo Digital Inc

The blockchain is the fundamental technology on which Web 3 will be built. The exchange of value between creators, platforms, and users will be transacted using cryptocurrencies. Artificial intelligence is expected to bring transparency in the way content is recommended to users. Web 3 may also popularize interactive audio-visual experiences in the metaverse.

Ferdinand Mehlinger believes that the early mover advantage is going to be key for Web 3 businesses. As adoption increases, entrepreneurs who had the foresight to build communities before the gold rush will thrive, Ferdinand says, whereas companies that are still waiting to make their move are going to be at a disadvantage. You might feel intimidated to start building an audience for your Web 3 community because of the fractured landscape that is akin to the wild west right now. However, I look at these nascent days of Web 3 as an opportunity to be one of the first to claim your stake. You dont have to wait for Web 3 to become relevant or mature. It is already here.

Since Web 3 is a paradigm shift in how the internet works on a fundamental level, the rules of SEO that are in use right now may or may not be applicable. The internet today is centrally controlled by a few companies which dictate the terms of how businesses can market themselves. Since Web 3 is about dismantling the hold that they have over data and giving it back to the people, business owners working on Web 3 products need SEO strategies that recognize the needs of those who will pioneer its adoption.

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When asked about how businesses should approach SEO in Web 3, Ferdinand says, A lot of the early adopters of Web 3 are smart and savvy users who are disillusioned with the current state of the internet. They are also vehemently protective of their privacy. They want their data and content to work for them instead of being monetized by giant corporations. So, youre going to need smart SEO strategies that respect your target audiences intelligence and desire for autonomy. To reach out to them, you must go where they are  forums, Discords, influencers, and more. Web 3 marketing is a whole different beast that requires a deep understanding of how these communities form and spread their message. I and my team of Web 3 SEO Experts at Bluoo Digital can help you tame it.

Ferdinand Mehlinger is an experienced SEO expert and keynote speaker. He was part of the original team that developed the precursor to Google, the most visited website in the world today. His involvement in the industry from its inception gives him a unique insight into how to drive organic traffic and conversions for his clients. Ferdinands work encompasses a wide range of industries including E-waste and biotech companies, fitness influencers, social media apps, and digital marketing agencies.

Bluoo Digital, the company that Ferdinand founded in 2010, specializes in SEO while also offering services such as programming, development, web design, graphics, and business automation. The SEO agencys client list includes big names such as the U.S. Military, JIT Enterprises, Jeunesse Global, The MLS, Redfin, and Warner Brothers. The company is now leading the Web 3 SEO transitioning phase by building relationships with Web 3 platforms like Pinata.cloud and Submarine.me.

Readers can reach out to Ferdinand Mehlinger at (619) 500-8088 or ferdinand@bluoo.digital. More information about his work history and industry accolades can be found at LinkedIn SEO Expert.

###

For more information about Web 3 SEO Expert Ferdinand Mehlinger, contact the company here:



Web 3 SEO Expert Ferdinand Mehlinger

Ferdinand Mehlinger

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ferdinand@bluoo.digital

19225 8th Ave NE Ste 201-4

Poulsbo, WA 98370

CONTACT: Ferdinand Mehlinger




Fortune Business Insights

Companies covered in the Frozen Food Market are McCain Foods, Wawona Frozen Foods, ConAgra Foods, Inc., General Mills, Inc., Bellisio Foods, and Nestle S.A. and more players profiled.

Pune, India, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global frozen food market size was USD 231.38 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow from USD 256.46 billion in 2021 to USD 385.04 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 5.98% during the 2021-2028 period. This information is provided by Fortune Business Insights, in its report, titled, Frozen Food Market, 2021-2028.

As per the research conducted by our expert analysts, the market is observing advanced growth owing to the growing demand for easily accessible food products such as ready-to-eat meals and cold cuts.

Decreased Manpower in Production Units amid COVID-19 to Obstruct Market Growth



This market witnessed an exponential rise in sales owing to the fright buying documented among consumers with the fear of global lockdown being imposed amid COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, frozen items pooled with other fundamental items were the instantaneous food products being sold in the primary days of lockdown owing to their elongated shelf life.

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List of Key Players Mentioned in this Market Report:

General Mills Inc. (Minnesota, U.S.)

Nestle SA (Vevey, Switzerland)

Conagra Brands Inc. (Illinois, U.S.)

The Kellogg Company (Michigan, U.S.)

Grupo Bimbo S.A.B. DE C.V. (Mexico City, Mexico)

Lantmannen Unibake International (Copenhagen, Denmark)

The Kraft Heinz Company (Illinois, U.S.)

Unilever PLC (London, U.K.)

Wawona Frozen Food (California, U.S.)

Tyson Foods, Inc. (Arizona, U.S.)

Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2021-2028 Forecast CAGR 5.98% 2028 Value Projection USD 385.04 Billion Base Year 2020 Frozen Food Market Market Size in 2021 USD 231.38 Billion Historical Data 2017-2019 No. of Pages 162 Segments Covered By Type, By Distribution Channel, By Region Frozen Food Market Growth Drivers Rising Demand for Convenience Food to Bolster Market

Report Coverage:

We provide our reports which are directed with a comprehensive examination approach that mainly accentuates on supplying detailed material. Our scholars have applied a data triangulation technique, which further assists us to offer dependable assessments and test the general market circumstances precisely. Further, our analysts have attained admission to various global as well as locally financed records for providing the updated material in order for the sponsors and business professionals to invest only in indispensable zones.

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Browse In-depth Summary of This Research Insight:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/frozen-food-market-104138

Segmentation:

By Type

Frozen Ready Mealss

Frozen Seafood & Meat Products

Frozen Snacks & Bakery Products

Others

By Distribution Channel

Supermarket/Hypermarkets

Convenience Stores

Specialty Stores

Online Retail

By Geography

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

South America

Middle East & Africa

Drivers and Restraints:

Rising Demand for Convenience Food to Bolster Market

The processed food industry is preliminarily powered by the convenience provided by packaged foods, which entice consumers from all age groups. Consumer inclination towards convenience food and RTE foods has triggered a prompt change in the global market. Frozen Food need less effort as well as less time in comparison with cooking a complete meal from scratch, which is the prime aspect empowering the Frozen Food market growth.

Regional Insights:

Europe is projected to dominate the Frozen Food market share owing to the growing adoption of vegan lifestyle in the region, which is forecasted to navigate the sales of frozen veggies. The prime growth aspects in the region involve high consumer purchasing power, financial sturdiness, and change in food likings.

Asia Pacific documented a considerable growth in the global market owing to consumer acceptance of digital retailing platforms. The rising number of cold chain amenities in numerous developing nations is further aiding regional market growth.

North America is anticipated to hold the third-largest market share owing to high consumer consciousness concerning the profits of Frozen Food.

Competitive Landscape:

Ground-breaking Product Presentation by Crucial Players to Direct Market Growth

The vital players in the market deploy numerous approaches to strengthen their position in the market as pioneering companies. One such considerable plan is attaining companies to upsurge the brand value between consumers. Another key strategy is persistently launching radical products with comprehensive assessment of the market and its target audience.

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Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Overview of the Parent/Related Markets Industry SWOT Analysis Supply Chain Analysis Recent Industry Developments - Policies, Partnerships, and Mergers & Acquisitions Qualitative Analysis Related to COVID-19 Impact of COVID-19 on the Market Supply Chain Challenges amidst Pandemic



TOC Continued!

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Industry Developments:

June 2021: Pilgrims Pride Corporation acquired the Meats and Meals business possessed by Kerry Consumer Foods in the U.K. and Ireland. This procurement is anticipated to fortify PPCs portfolio by including renowned brands such as Richmond, Denny, and Fridge Raiders to its brand collection.

Read Related Insights:

Frozen Yogurt Market to Reach USD 2.14 Billion in 2028; Emergence of New Stores Based on Self-serve Model Worldwide to Boost Growth, says Fortune Business Insights

Nutraceuticals Market to Worth USD 658.11 Billion by 2028 | Fortune Business Insights

Plant Based Protein Supplements Market Size Forecast 2028; Evolving Consumer Tastes & Preferences in Emerging Economies to Bolster Product Sales, Says Fortune Business Insights

About Us:

Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them to address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in.

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Hong Kong: Choi Yuk-lin visits Guangdong

Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin today started her visit to Dongguan and Guangzhou where she met Hong Kong youngsters studying in the Mainland.

Ms Choi first called on the Affiliated School of JNU for Hong Kong & Macao Students in Dongguan and the Affiliated School of JNU for Hong Kong & Macao Students in Guangzhou. She toured the campus facilities, and observed classes and school activities. She also spoke to the principals, teachers and students to understand more about the study situation of Hong Kong pupils in the Mainland.

The education chief was pleased to know that the two schools, tying in with the development of the Greater Bay Area, offer a through-train curriculum for 15-year pre-primary to upper secondary education that helps children of Hong Kong people pursue studies in the bay area cities.

Ms Choi also visited the Support & Development Centre for Hong Kong & Macao Youths in Mainland China. Through a dialogue with Hong Kong students and graduates of Mainland higher education institutions, she learnt about their academic and career development, and encouraged them to work hard as well as build up networks both in the Mainland and in Hong Kong, with a view to seizing the opportunities brought by the National 14th Five-Year Plan and bay area development, and integrating into the countrys overall development.

Over the next couple of days, Ms Choi will lead a delegation to visit Qianhai and Nansha to inspect the arrangements for Mainland study tours of the citizenship and social development senior secondary subject.

This story has been published on: 2023-03-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / Aclara Resources Inc. ("Aclara" or the "Company") (TSX:ARA) is pleased to provide an update on its exploration activities in Brazil. The Company has made significant progress in respect of its previously announced exploration plan for ionic clay deposits outside of Chile, which aims to strengthen the Company's existing exploration projects portfolio, diversify country risk and pursue growth.

Highlights

The Company has made significant progress since the start of its exploration activities in Brazil, the highlights of which include, but are not limited to, the following:

Formed a specialized team of geologists to ramp-up on-site activities

Conducted superficial mapping and sampling in different regions of Brazil

Staked an aggregate of 369,410hectares ("Ha") of mining concessions

Signed an earn-in agreement with a Brazilian mining company to acquire additional concessions

Identified seven high-priority exploration drilling targets and initiated an auger drilling campaign in respect of one of the high-priority targets

Ramon Barua, CEO, commented:

"Following the Company's previous announcement in respect of our pursuit of exploration efforts outside of Chile, we are pleased to announce that a comprehensive exploration plan is underway in Brazil. Although development of the Penco Module continues to be our first priority, we believe that a diversified portfolio of ionic clays projects would improve the risk profile of the Company while offering compelling growth opportunities. We have developed innovative exploration techniques that allow for a low cost, phased approach to exploration that we believe can yield attractive results with a low budget. We are exploring in several Brazilian states that have a strong experience with mining operations and consequently have been able to move quickly to obtain technical support and permits for this initial campaign. We look forward to the results of our exploration plan and to provide updates as they become available."

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Prospectivity Works

During the second half of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, the Company deployed an internal exploration team and prospected several thousands of Ha in Brazil for ionic clays containing heavy rare earths. The prospectivity targets were principally guided by the Company's in-house ionic clays exploration model as well as by public information regarding the occurrence of rare earths. Initial on-site works consisted of superficial mapping and sampling in several regions of Brazil.

Based on initial positive results obtained from the surface mapping campaign, the Company staked approximately 369,410 Ha of mining concessions and defined five high-priority targets for further exploration work. In addition, pursuant to the earn-in agreement described below, the Company has the right to acquire an additional 8,490 Ha of mining concessions, where two additional high-priority exploration targets were defined.

On February 27, 2023, the Company began its first auger drilling campaign in one high-priority target area and intends to continue such auger drilling campaigns in the other targets throughout the course of 2023. Auger drilling is suitable and a quick method to explore shallow deposits such as the ionic clays, although it typically only drills to a maximum depth of ten meters. The Company's auger drilling campaigns are focused on three objectives: (i) understanding the potential superficial footprint and grade of rare earth element mineralization; (ii) guiding future reverse circulation drilling campaigns; and (iii) providing information for an initial inferred resource calculation.

Earn-in Agreement and historic drillhole information

On February 27, 2023, the Company entered into an earn-in agreement with a Brazilian mining company ("the Seller") that provides the Company the right to acquire up to 100% of an additional 8,490 Ha of mining concessions. Within the concessions of the earn-in agreement, the Company has outlined two high-priority targets based on superficial mapping and sampling, as well as 13 historic diamond drill holes previously completed by the Seller.

Historic drillhole information will be reviewed by a qualified person within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, and taken into consideration as part of future work to be carried out by the Company.

Drilling Campaigns

Earn-in agreement high-priority targets

The Company has designed drilling campaigns for two high-priority targets in respect of the concessions subject to the earn-in agreement.

The first target will have a Phase 1 drilling campaign of 640 metres comprised of 54 auger drillholes. On February 27, 2023 the Phase 1 drilling campaign started and 120 metres comprised of ten auger drillholes have been completed so far. The Company intends to commence a Phase 2 drilling campaign comprised of approximately 8,280 metres over 276 reverse circulation drillholes, conditional on receiving positive results from the Phase 1 work.

The second target will also have a Phase 1 drilling campaign of 460 metres comprised of 46 auger drillholes. Drilling work is expected to start in March of this year and be completed by the end of April. A second phase conditioned to positive results in Phase 1 has also been planned with 5,100 metres comprised of 200 reverse circulation drillholes.

Five high priority targets in Company's Concessions

The Company is in the process of designing drilling campaigns for five additional high priority targets within its concession's areas. Drilling work will follow the same methodology of a Phase 1 drilling campaign with an auger drilling machine followed by a Phase 2 drilling campaign with a reverse circulation drilling machine. The Company expects to start drilling these targets during the second quarter of 2023.

The Company will update the market accordingly once the drilling works have been completed.

About Aclara

Aclara Resources Inc. (TSX:ARA) is a development-stage rare earth mineral resources company with its principal project located in Chile. The Company is focused on the development of its mineral resources through a project called the Penco Module, which covers a surface area of approximately 600 hectares and hosts ionic clays rich in rare earth elements. Aclara is currently focused on the development and future construction and operation of the Penco Module, which will aim to produce a rare earth concentrate through a processing plant that will be fed by clays from nearby deposits. Aclara's extraction process offers several environmentally positive attributes such as: no blasting, crushing, or milling; no tailings facility; minimal water consumption due to a high level of water recirculation; is amenable to leaching with a fertilizer; and contains no radioactivity. In parallel with the development of the Penco Module, the Company intends to define additional opportunities to increase potential future rare earth element production via intensive greenfield exploration programmes and the development of additional project "modules" within the Company's concessions.

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: the Company's exploration plan and activities in Brazil and the expectations of the Company's management as to the results of such exploration works and drilling activities; timing, cost and scope in respect of the Company's contemplated exploration activities in Brazil; and the Company's plans and objectives pursuant to and in connection with the earn-in agreement entered not with the Seller.. 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, timing, performance, achievements or future events or developments could differ materially from those expressed or implied 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.

For further information, please contact:

Ramon Barua

Chief Executive Officer

investorrelations@aclara-re.com

SOURCE: Aclara Resources Inc.





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/742500/Aclara-Provides-Exploration-Update-in-Brazil




ADM Endeavors, Inc.

ADM Endeavors, Inc.

ADMQ- OTCQB

FORT WORTH, TX, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  Just Right Products, the wholly owned subsidiary of ADM Endeavors, was awarded a new contract for the City of Blue Mound. It's also great to announce that the City of Burleson has decided to join the Tarrant County contract. This will likely provide new opportunities for Just Right Products to expand its business and reach new customers.

We have launched our all Spanish FW Promo web site www.fwpromosp.com. Spanish has become more prevalent and there are a large number of potential customers that are more comfortable using their first language.

The custom liquor bottle web site was also launched https://admendeavors.com/bottles-labels/. This will allow potential customers to find us on the web and enhance our plan to focus on stable customers in any economic environment.

Lower margins and supply change issues are going to be a continuing issue for the foreseeable future in our opinion. To combat this nagging problem, we have launched our own brand of school uniforms. We have started with polos and fleece jackets and only produced items for existing customers under contract. By doing this we will increase margins on these items by at least 20% and ensure we have adequate stock. Once the new building is complete we will evaluate expanding this program to pants and other work wear items.

Within the next two weeks we will begin to lay forms for our new building in preparation of laying our foundation and installing underground utilities.

On an economic note, we are seeing our influencer sales substantially reduced. They are just not selling as many items and struggle to turn their inventory. We feel this trend will continue until consumers have a more confident opinion on the economy allowing them not to worry about spending their disposable income on these types of items. Our influencers are still widely popular with 10s of millions of followers. ADM Endeavors as a whole will continue to focus on new business that is stable in most economic environments.

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About ADMQ:

Since 2010, our wholly owned subsidiary, Just Right Products, Inc., has been consistently increasing sales, with sales topping $6.44 million for the last reported 12 months. The Company sells Anything With A Logo on its website, www.JustRightProducts.com, developing products ranging from unique business cards to coffee cups, T-shirts to boots, with tens of thousands of other unique products from which to select. Just Right Products, Inc. operates a diverse vertical integrated business in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, consisting of a retail sales division, screen print production, embroidery production, digital production, import wholesale sourcing, and uniforms.

Forward Looking Statement:

This press release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Any statements that are not historical facts contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements" that involve a number of risks and uncertainties and are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as strategy, expects, continues, plans, anticipates, believes, would, will, estimates, intends, projects, goals, targets and other words of similar meaning are intended to identify forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means of identifying these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, involve known and unknown risks, a reliance on third parties for information, transactions that may be cancelled, and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or developments in our industry, to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results include risks and uncertainties related to the fluctuation of global economic conditions or economic conditions with respect to the retail industry, the COVID-19 pandemic, the performance of management, actions of government regulators, vendors, and suppliers, our cash flows and ability to obtain financing, competition, general economic conditions and other factors that are detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We intend that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe -harbor provisions. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts

ADM Endeavors, Inc. | info@admendeavors.com | 817.840.6271





Attachment




China paves Sri Lanka's way to IMF funds, but debt talks remain uncertain FILE PHOTO: A mobile bakery driver loads buns into his three-wheeler at Wish bakers shop, in Colombo

By Jorgelina do Rosario

LONDON (Reuters) -China's pledge to support Sri Lanka's debt reorganization, a major step for the island nation in securing an IMF lifeline, provides little clarity on how negotiations will unfold or whether this could herald progress for other heavily indebted nations.

Analysts remain cautious on how significant China's new commitment will be for the country, whose 22 million people urgently need funds from the $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund programme amid shortages of food, fuel and medicines.

Cash-strapped nations such as Zambia and Ghana are also facing talks on reworking debt with Chinese lenders, and Sri Lanka's negotiations showed that international efforts to standardize some debt rework parameters are failing. China is the biggest bilateral creditor to Sri Lanka, which defaulted on its international debt last year.

The Export-Import Bank of China (EXIM) told Sri Lanka in a letter that it will try to expedite debt talks in the months ahead, in addition to a two-year moratorium secured previously.

The bank also clarified that financial negotiations should remain "between our two sides."

"It is hard to see whether this is a change in Chinese (or Indian, for that matter) policy towards sovereign restructuring deals going forward or a one-off for this case. My guess: the latter," said Mitu Gulati, a law professor at Duke University in the U.S.

While Sri Lanka is not part of the Group of 20's Common Framework debt platform due to its middle-income status, this approach could jeopardize bilateral creditors' efforts to restructure debt in comparable terms. The Paris Club of creditor nations and India have previously provided financing assurances.

Sri Lanka owed China's EXIM $4.1 billion, or 11% of the country's foreign currency debt, at the end of 2022, according to government data.

BOARD APPROVAL VS DEBT DEAL

An executive board approval unlocks IMF financing, though it doesn't necessarily mean it will expedite debt talks.

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"The next step for Sri Lanka will be to turn these financing assurances into a concrete restructuring deal, ideally before the first or second program review, which is something that has proven difficult so far in other country cases," said Theo Maret, senior research analyst at Global Sovereign Advisory, in Paris.

Zambia's debt rework is far from over after board approval for a $1.3 billion programme in September, as both bilateral and commercial creditors challenge the IMF's debt sustainability analysis, a document addressing the debt relief the country needs. The country's Finance Minister Situmbeko Musokotwane said that progress has been slow, and the outcome is uncertain.

Once the executive board approval is secured, the IMF will publish Sri Lanka's debt sustainability analysis.

"All eyes will be on the conditionalities imposed under the programme, particularly on the debt restructuring that's required," JPMorgan analysts wrote in a note.

Sri Lanka "is significant as an example that not every case is turning into a Zambia-style stalemate but I'd still be cautious in general," said Sergi Lanau, deputy chief economist at the Institute of International Finance.

"It looks like negotiations will continue to be case by case, without much success at beefing up the common framework to the point that it is a set procedure the next few cases follow," Lanau added.

(Reporting by Jorgelina do Rosario, editing by Karin Strohecker and Toby Chopra)
The Insight Partners

The global animal health market growth is fuelled by increasing incidences of zoonotic diseases, rise in the demand for proteinaceous food, and initiatives by governments and animal welfare associations, while North America accounted for a major share of the global market in 2022.

New York, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to The Insight Partners,  Animal Health Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Global Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis by Product (Prescription and Non-Prescription) and Animal Type (Production Animal and Companion Animal) the global animal health market size is expected to grow from USD 87.54 billion in 2022 to USD 126.50 billion by 2028; it is estimated to register a CAGR 6.2% during 20222028.





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Global Animal Health Market  Report Scope:

Market Size Value in USD 87.54 Billion in 2022 Market Size Value by USD 126.50 Billion by 2028 Growth rate CAGR of 6.2% from 2022 to 2028 Forecast Period 2022-2028 Base Year 2022 No. of Pages 194 No. of Tables 95 No. of Charts & Figures 69 Historical data available Yes Segments covered Product, and Animal Type





Global Animal Health Market: Competitive Landscape and Key Developments

Merck & Co., Inc; Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH; Ceva Sante Animale; Cargill, Incorporated; Zoetis Inc.; Bayer AG; Vetoquinol SA; Nutreco N.V; Virbac; and Elanco are among the key companies operating in the animal health market. Leading players are adopting strategies such as the expansion and diversification of their market presence, as well as focusing on acquisition of new customer base for tapping prevailing business opportunities.

In February 2020 , Vetoquinol SA announced the acquisition of Profender and Drontal product families from Elanco Animal Health. It will also acquire intellectual property, registrations, and other rights currently owned by Bayer AGs animal health business

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In January 2020 , Nutreco N.V announced investment in a Dutch company Kingfish Zeeland. The company aims to bring supplies of yellowtail kingfish to the US and European markets. The distribution will be done through a proprietary recirculating aquaculture system.

In November 2019 , Merck announced receiving FDA approval for BRAVECTO PLUS, an extended-duration, a broad-spectrum combination used for both external and internal parasite infestations, e.g., ticks and fleas, heartworm, intestinal roundworm, and hookworm in cats.





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Increasing Incidences of Zoonotic Diseases to Drive the Global Animal Health Market Growth:

The clinical effect of zoonotic illnesses may range from mild to severe, and they might sometimes lead to death. As per the estimates of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), more than 6 out of every 10 known infectious diseases in people can spread through animals, and 3 out of every 4 new or upcoming infectious diseases in people would come from animals. In 2016, at least 55,000 people died of rabies in Asia and Africa.

In the past decades, many previously unknown infectious human diseases, such as Ebola virus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Nipah virus, West Nile virus, and Hantavirus infections, emerged from animal reservoirs. Outbreaks such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and avian influenza have reminded of the potential of microorganisms from animal reservoirs to adapt to human hosts. More than three-quarters of the human diseases that are new, emerging, or re-emerging at the beginning of the 21st century are caused by pathogens that originated from animals or products of animal origin. According to the WHO, ~60% of emerging infectious diseases reported globally are zoonoses, and every year, about 1 billion cases of illness and millions of death occur from zoonoses. Based on above factors, the market is likely to grow in the coming years.





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Global Animal Health Market  Segmentation Overview:

Based on product , the animal health market is segmented into prescription and non-prescription. The prescription segment held a larger share of the market in 2022. The non-prescription segment is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 7.0% in the market during the forecast period. The prescription segment is further divided into vaccines, pharmaceuticals, feed additives, and diagnostics. The non-prescription segmented is further categorized into parasiticides, grooming products, and nutrition/supplements. Over-the-counter (OTC) veterinary products are expected to witness a significant growth owing to the standard shift from Rx to OTC by most of the pharmaceutical manufacturers. Moreover, increasing concern of pet owners toward the health of their companion animals, along with the massive cost savings with non-prescription products, further boosts the demand for OTC veterinary products, in turn, driving the non-prescription product segment revenue.

Based on animal type , the animal health market is segmented into production animal and companion animal. The production animal segment held a larger share of the market in 2022. The companion animal segment is estimated to register a higher CAGR of 6.8% in the market during the forecast period. The rising adoption of companion animals is likely to influence market growth during the forecast period. For instance, according to Shelter Animals Count data for 20152018, nearly 3.2 million companion animals are adopted every year in the US. The data represents ~1.6 million dogs and 1.6 million cats are adopted each year.





Global Animal Health Market - Strategic Insights:

The market players are focusing on partnerships, collaborations, and acquisitions to develop genetically modified breeds and maintain their market share. In March 2020, Bayer AG announced the launch of Care4Pigs initiative; this was launched in collaboration with the Farm Animal Welfare Education Centre (FAWEC) and the Korean Association of Swine Veterinarians (KASV). Under the collaboration, EUR 10,000 were granted to support innovation aimed at enhancing swine well-being.

In November 2019, Cargill, Incorporated expanded its Animal Nutrition & Health facility in Temple, Texas. It invested US$ 34 Mn to build the manufacturing, packaging, warehousing, and shipping capabilities center. The facility centers will serve Cargills farm and ranch feed store owners and beef feed customers. It will serve through reduced transportation costs for local customers and also has increased manufacturing capabilities.





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North America accounted for a major share of the global animal health market in 2022. The growth of the market in North America is attributed due to a wide range of effective measures adopted by government animal welfare organizations along with technological advancements, rising incidence of zoonotic diseases, and increasing number of pet owners in the region. Besides, the increase in the number of pet owners and rising concern to maintain the health of pets will help in the growth of the market. For instance, as per Animal Health Institute (AHI), more than 67% of American households own pets, totaling nearly 400 million pets, including dogs, cats, horses, birds, and fish. In addition, Americans spent over US$ 75.5 billion on their pets in 2016, with an average total household expenditure of US$ 892 on pet food, veterinary services, supplies, and other services.

The presence of strong players, with continuous development in the region, is further augmenting the market growth. In August 2019, Elanco Animal Health Incorporated, headquartered in the US, agreed with Bayer AG to acquire its animal health business in a transaction valued at US$7.6 billion.









Browse other research published by The Insight Partners:

Global Animal Genetics Market Size Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis by Products (Poultry, Porcine, Bovine, Canine, and Others); Genetic Material (Semen and Embryo); and Service (DNA Typing, Genetic Trait Tests, Genetic Disease Tests, and Others)

Global Animal Disinfectant Market Size Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Form (Liquid, Powder); Application (Dairy, Swine, Poultry, Equine, Others) and Geography

Global Animal Vaccination Market Size Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Product Type (Attenuated Vaccines, Inactivated Vaccines, Subunit Vaccines, Toxoid Vaccines, Conjugate Vaccines, Recombinant Vaccines, DNA Vaccines); Animal Type (Livestock animal, Companion Animals); Route of Administration (Oral, Parenteral, Others); Distribution Channel (Veterinary Hospitals, Veterinary Clinics, Pharmacies and Drug Stores, Others) and Geography

Global Veterinary Healthcare for Companion Animals Market Size Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Product (Feed Additives, Pharmaceuticals, Vaccines, Diagnostics, Others); Animal Type (Dogs, Cats, Others); End User (Veterinary Hospitals, Veterinary Clinics, Animal Research Institutes, Others) and Geography

Global Veterinary Medicine Market Size Forecast to 2028 - Covid-19 Impact and Global Analysis - by Product (Drugs, Vaccines, Medicated Feed Additives); Route of administration (Oral, Parenteral, Topical); Animal Type (Companion Animals, Livestock Animals); End-user (Veterinary Hospitals, Veterinary Clinics, Pharmacies and Drug Stores), and Geography

Global Farm Animal Drugs Market Size Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Product Type (Anti-Infective, Parasiticides, Anti-Inflammatory, Anesthetics, Analgesics, Hormones and Related Product, and Others), Animal Type (Livestock Animal and Equine), Route of Administration (Oral, Parenteral, Topical, and Others), and Distribution Channel (Veterinary Hospitals, Veterinary Clinics, Pharmacies and Drug Stores, and Others), and Geography

Global Animal Prescription Drugs Market Size Forecast to 2028 - Covid-19 Impact and Global Analysis - By Type (Anti-Infective, Anti-Inflammatory, Parasiticides) ; End-User (Companion Animal, Livestock Animal) and Geography

Global Animal Therapeutics and Diagnostics Market Size Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Global Analysis By Product Type(Animal Diagnostic Products and Animal Therapeutics product.); Animal Type(Companion animals, Cattle, Pigs, Poultry and Sheep)

Global Animal Wound Care Market Size Forecast to 2028 - Covid-19 Impact and Global Analysis - by Product (Surgical Wound Care Products, Advanced Wound Care Products, Traditional Wound Care Products, Therapy Devices); Animal Type (Companion Animals, Livestock Animals); End User (Hospitals and Clinics, Home Care) and Geography

Global Animal Anti Rabies Vaccine Market Size Forecast to 2028 - Covid-19 Impact and Global Analysis - By Vaccine Type ( Vero Cell Rabies Vaccine, Baby Hamster Kidney (BHK) Rabies Vaccine, Chick Embryo Cell Rabies Vaccine, Other Vaccine Types ); Application ( Pre-exposure Prophylaxis, Post-exposure Prophylaxis ), and Geography









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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Contact Person: Sameer Joshi

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Press Release: https://www.theinsightpartners.com/pr/animal-health-market




Visiongain Reports Ltd

Visiongain has published a new report entitled Anti-Aircraft Defence System 2023-2033. It includes profiles of Anti-Aircraft Defence System and Forecasts Market Segment by Platform, (Airborne, Land, Naval) Market Segment by Range, (Short Range Air Defense (ShoRAD) System, Medium Range Air Defense (MRAD) System, Long Range Air Defense (LRAD) System, Other Range) Market Segment by Component, (Weapon System, Fire Control System, Air Defense Radar, Electro Optic Sensor and Laser Range Finder, Command and Control System, Other Components) plus COVID-19 Impact Analysis and Recovery Pattern Analysis (V-shaped, W-shaped, U-shaped, L-shaped), Profiles of Leading Companies, Region and Country.



The global anti-aircraft defence system market was valued at US$32.3 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.1% during the forecast period 2023-2033.

The major factors that are anticipated to propel the growth of the global air defence system market during the forecast period include rising geopolitical instabilities, changing nature of warfare, and rising defence expenditure in various developed and emerging countries for the development of various missile and air defence systems. With the development of more stealthy, quick, and lethal autonomous weapons, the nature of air combat has evolved. The goal of every nation is to protect its borders from prospective enemies. The increased use of planes and missiles in modern warfare has drawn major funding for the creation and installation of cutting-edge air defence systems along international boundaries.

Download Exclusive Sample of Report

https://www.visiongain.com/report/anti-aircraft-defence-systems-market-2023/#download_sampe_div

How has COVID-19 had a significant negative impact on the Anti-Aircraft Defence System Market?

The COVID-19 has a significant impact on the military industry as a whole, and it also has an impact on air defence systems. The process of purchase and deployment has stalled since the majority of the nation's financial and non-financial resources are being devoted to managing the pandemic. Additionally, the delivery cycle has been slowed down by the global closure of trade, logistics, and component manufacture as well as the paucity of raw materials. The sudden start of the war between Russia and Ukraine has, nevertheless, allowed countries to strengthen their focus on military systems, promoting business potential within the sector.

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How will this Report Benefit you?

Visiongains 311-page report provides 147 tables and 149 charts/graphs. Our new study is suitable for anyone requiring commercial, in-depth analyses for the global anti-aircraft defence system market, along with detailed segment analysis in the market. Our new study will help you evaluate the overall global and regional market for Anti-Aircraft Defence System. Get financial analysis of the overall market and different segments including platform, component, range and company size and capture higher market share. We believe that there are strong opportunities in this fast-growing anti-aircraft defence system market. See how to use the existing and upcoming opportunities in this market to gain revenue benefits in the near future. Moreover, the report will help you to improve your strategic decision-making, allowing you to frame growth strategies, reinforce the analysis of other market players, and maximise the productivity of the company.

What are the Current Market Drivers?

Need of Upgrading Outdated Air Defence Systems

The United States Army delivered the first four operational Stryker anti-aircraft vehicles in an effort to modernise and enhance its air defence systems. The first battalion in the Army to test, receive, and deploy the Mobile Short-Range Air Defence (M-SHORAD) system is the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defence Artillery Regiment (5-4 ADA), which is a part of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defence Command. Shipton Kaserne in Ansbach, Germany serves the home base for the 5-4 ADA. The M-SHORAD is mounted atop the 88 Stryker vehicles, which have minimal armour.

Increased Air Attacks Need Airborne Weapons Against a Variety of Targets

Russia launched a large barrage of airborne weapons against a variety of targets in Ukraine. The types of weapons involved in the attack included short-range ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. Ballistic missiles are accelerated by rockets from the ground or from aircraft, tend to follow a predictable path and are somewhat easier to track. Cruise missiles carry a propulsion system that allows them to maintain speed and fly more unpredictable flight paths, including trajectories that are close to the ground. They are much more difficult to detect, track and shoot down. Russia launched a barrage of explosive drones at Ukraine's capital city, Kyiv. Explosive drones, known as loitering munitions, tend to be small weapons that are difficult to defend against. By circling overhead, they are able to surveil a region of interest, gathering information before identifying a specific target to attack. Russia has acquired explosive drones from Iran, according to U.S. officials.

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Where are the Market Opportunities?

Rising Defence Budgets Can Also Increase Number Game

the effectiveness of air defense by launching salvos of multiple weapons simultaneously. Therefore, an attacker can always overwhelm a defender if the attacker has more attack missiles than the defender has defensive missiles. Conversely, a sufficient number of defensive systems may cause an attacker to stop firing altogether. It becomes a war of attrition, with the winner being the side with the most missiles. Ukraine likely has sufficient air defenses to protect strategic military targets such as command and control centers and ammunition dumps. They do not have coverage of many other key assets such as transportation hubs and power and water facilities, the types of targets Russian forces have been targeting in recent days. Should the West agree to provide significant numbers of air defense systems to Ukraine, it could significantly change the course of the conflict. At some point, Russia will have to confront the finite depth of its missile stockpile. The number of remaining Russian high-precision missiles is already reported to be running low.

Advantage of Boost Phase Intercept Is Its Ability to Defend Entire Regions of Friendly Territory

Advantage of boost phase intercept is its ability to defend entire regions of friendly territory. The Airborne Laser has a wide weapon element field of regard that, coupled with its weapon range, provides a defensive capability against vast areas of an enemys territory. This provides a capability that is complementary to, but different than, the ground-based theater missile defense systems. A ground based Theater High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) or Patriot system is able to defend against theater ballistic missiles that enter its field of regard which covers a specific area over the defended country. Because the Airborne Laser intercepts in the boost phase, it can defend against missiles launched within its weapon envelope to any area in the defended country.

Competitive Landscape

The major players operating in the anti-aircraft defence system market are Saab AB, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Leonardo S.P.A., BAE Systems Plc, Rheinmetall AG, Raytheon Technologies Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Boeing Company, Kongsberg Gruppen, . These major players operating in this market have adopted various strategies comprising M&A, investment in R&D, collaborations, partnerships, regional business expansion, and new product launch.

Recent Developments

16 Dec 2022, Saab and the Swedish Armed Forces signed a contract and Saab has received an order for Gripen support and maintenance services. The order is worth approximately SEK 3.4 billion and is valid from 2023 to 2025. The contract also includes the Swedish Armed Forces' ability to place additional orders for support and maintenance services until 2027.

05 Sept 2022, An Asian country has awarded Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) a contract to supply DroneGuard ComJam systems for the long-range detection and disruption of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Several dozens of mobile systems are included in the contract. UAS use has increased dramatically in recent years, and they have become a potential threat to borders, sensitive facilities, manoeuvring forces, and major events.

To access the data contained in this document please email oliver.davison@visiongain.com

To find more Visiongain research reports on the defence sector, click on the following links:

Do you have any custom requirements we can help you with? Any need for a specific country, geo region, market segment or specific company information? Contact us today, we can discuss your needs and see how we can help: oliver.davison@visiongain.com

About Visiongain

Visiongain is one of the fastest-growing and most innovative independent market intelligence providers around, the company publishes hundreds of market research reports which it adds to its extensive portfolio each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis across 18 industries worldwide. The reports, which cover 10-year forecasts, are hundreds of pages long, with in-depth market analysis and valuable competitive intelligence data. Visiongain works across a range of vertical markets with a lot of synergies. These markets include automotive, aviation, chemicals, cyber, defence, energy, food & drink, materials, packaging, pharmaceutical and utilities sectors. Our customised and syndicated market research reports offer a bespoke piece of market intelligence customised to your very own business needs.

Contact:

Oliver Davison

Visiongain Reports Limited

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7336 6100

Email: oliver.davison@visiongain.com

Web: www.visiongain.com




CALGARY, AB, March 8, 2023 /CNW/ - ATCO Ltd. (TSX: ACO.X) (TSX: ACO.Y)

ATCO LTD. NORMAL COURSE ISSUER BID (CNW Group/ATCO Ltd.)

The Toronto Stock Exchange (the "Exchange") has accepted ATCO Ltd.'s (the "Company") Notice of Intention to make a Normal Course Issuer Bid (the "Notice") pursuant to which the Company intends to make a Normal Course Issuer Bid ("NCIB") for certain of its outstanding Class I Non-Voting Shares ("Class I Shares") on the terms set forth in the Notice. The Company believes that, from time to time, the market price of its Class I Shares may not fully reflect the value of its business, and that purchasing its own Class I Shares represents an attractive investment opportunity and desirable use of available funds. The purchase of Class I Shares, at appropriate prices, will also minimize any dilution resulting from the exercise of stock options.

On February 28, 2023, 101,488,182 Class I Shares were issued and outstanding. Under the terms of the Notice and the rules of the Exchange, the Company may acquire up to 1,014,881 Class I Shares (being 1 per cent of the Class I Shares issued and outstanding as at February 28, 2023, excluding any Class I Shares held by or on behalf of the Company on such date), during the period commencing on March 13, 2023 and ending on March 12, 2024 or such earlier date on which the Company completes its purchases of Class I Shares under the NCIB or terminates the NCIB at its option.

The aggregate number of Class I Shares that the Company may purchase under the NCIB during any trading day is subject to a maximum daily purchase limit of 60,948 Class I Shares (being 25 per cent of the average daily trading volume for the six calendar months preceding the date of the acceptance of the Notice, which was equal to 243,792 Class I Shares). Exceptions may be made to this daily purchase limit in accordance with the "block purchase" exemptions of the Exchange policy.

Any Class I Shares purchased pursuant to the Notice will be cancelled. Class I Shares will be purchased at the market price of the Class I Shares at the time of purchase and will be purchased on behalf of the Company by a registered investment dealer. Purchases will be made on the open market through the facilities of TSX, other designated exchanges and/or alternative Canadian trading systems or by such other means as may be permitted by the applicable securities regulator. Any purchase of Class I Shares pursuant to the NCIB will be financed out of cash and working capital of the Company.

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The Company purchased 486,400 Class I Shares at an average trading price of $47.28 during the most recent 12-month period preceding the date hereof pursuant to a normal course issuer bid, which commenced on March 9, 2022, and expired on March 8, 2023, and permitted the Company to purchase up to a maximum of 1,011,907 Class I Shares. All such purchases were made by means of open market transactions at the market price as at the time of purchase.

In connection with the NCIB, the Company will also enter into an automatic securities purchase plan ("ASPP") with a designated broker (the "Broker") on or about the commencement date of the NCIB. The ASPP has been reviewed by the Exchange and will facilitate the Company's repurchase of Class I Shares under the NCIB through the facilities of the Exchange, subject to certain trading parameters. At its own discretion, the Broker may repurchase Class I Shares, without the control or influence of the Company. During the term of the ASPP, the Company will not communicate any material undisclosed or non-public information to the trading staff of the Broker; accordingly, the Broker may make purchases under the ASPP at any time, including during self-imposed trading blackouts and regardless of whether there is material undisclosed or non-public information about the Company at the time of purchase. The Company may otherwise vary, suspend or terminate the ASPP only if it does not have material undisclosed or non-public information, the decision to vary, suspend or terminate the ASPP is not taken during a self-imposed trading blackout and any variation, suspension or termination is made in accordance with the terms of the ASPP.

Outside of these periods, the Class I Shares will be repurchased by the Company at its discretion under the NCIB.

With approximately 7,600 employees and assets of $24 billion, ATCO Ltd. is a diversified global corporation with investments in the essential services of Structures & Logistics (workforce and residential housing, innovative modular facilities, construction, site support services, workforce lodging services, facility operations and maintenance, defence operations services, and disaster and emergency management services); Utilities (electricity and natural gas transmission and distribution, and international operations); Energy Infrastructure (energy storage, renewable energy generation, industrial water solutions, and clean fuels); Retail Energy (electricity and natural gas retail sales, and whole-home solutions); Transportation (ports and transportation logistics); and Commercial Real Estate. More information can be found at www.ATCO.com.

Investor Inquiries:

Colin Jackson

Senior Vice President, Finance, Treasury, Risk & Sustainability

(403) 808 2636

colin.jackson@atco.com

Media Inquiries:

Kurt Kadatz

Director, Corporate Communications

(587) 228 4571

kurt.kadatz@atco.com

Forward-Looking Information:

Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "intend", "should", and similar expressions.

Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking information.

The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of regulatory decisions, competitive factors in the industries in which the Company operates, prevailing economic conditions, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company.

The Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking information should not be unduly relied upon.

Any forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the Company's expectations as of the date hereof, and is subject to change after such date. 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, except as required by applicable securities legislation.

SOURCE ATCO Ltd.

Cision

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Allied Market Research

Advancement in compressor design, which result in lower size and power consumption, serves as a potential opportunity for the expansion of the global automotive AC compressor market. Based on compressor type, the variable displacement segment held the highest share in 2021. Based on region, Asia-Pacific held the largest share in 2021, contributing to nearly half of the global automotive AC compressor market share.

Portland, OR, March 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global automotive AC compressor market garnered $8.1 billion in 2021, and is estimated to generate $11.8 billion by 2031, manifesting a CAGR of 4.0% 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 competitive edge in the market.

Download Free Sample of Research Report - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/10690

Report Coverage & Details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20222031 Base Year 2021 Market Size in 2021 $8.1 billion Market Size in 2031 $11.8 billion CAGR 4.0% No. of Pages in Report 342 Segments covered compressor type, vehicle type, drive type, sales channel, and region Drivers The lack of capacity in passenger cars



Advancements in compressor design, which result in lower size and power consumption Opportunities Governments of various countries across the world have legislated rules to decrease the pollution generated by refrigerants Restraints COVID-19 pandemic

Covid-19 Scenario:

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the growth of the global automotive AC compressor market.

The automobile sector had a considerable drop in vehicle production and sales throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, impeding the economy's progress. As automotive AC compressors are widely employed in the automobile industry, there has been a major decrease in worldwide demand for automotive AC compressors.

China is the main producer of electric and raw material, but all industrial operations had been halted, majorly hampering the production of automotive AC compressor.

Moreover, the overall requirement for AC compressors in the automobile sector had been substantially impacted by import-export restrictions, restricted borders, and supply chain delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The research provides detailed segmentation of the global automotive AC compressor market based on compressor type, vehicle type, drive type, sales channel, 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.

Based on compressor type, the variable displacement segment held the highest share in 2021, accounting for more than half of the global automotive AC compressor market, and is expected to continue its leadership status during the forecast period. However, the electric compressor segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 4.5% from 2022 to 2031.

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Based on vehicle type, the passenger cars segment accounted for the highest share in 2021, contributing to more than two-thirds of the global automotive AC compressor market, and is expected to maintain its lead in terms of revenue during the forecast period. This segment is expected to manifest the highest CAGR of 4.3% from 2022 to 2031.

Based on drive type, the conventional segment accounted for the highest share in 2021, holding more than half of the global automotive AC compressor market, and is expected to continue its leadership status during the forecast period. However, the electric segment is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period.

Based on region, Asia-Pacific held the largest share in 2021, contributing to nearly half of the global automotive AC compressor market share, and is projected to maintain its dominant share in terms of revenue in 2031. In addition, the same region is expected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 4.6% during the forecast period.

Leading market players of the global automotive AC compressor market analyzed in the research include Toyota Industries Corporation, DENSO CORPORATION, MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES THERMAL SYSTEMS, LTD., Subros, Nissens, Hanon Systems, Sanden Corporation, MAHLE GmbH, VALEO, BorgWarner Inc.

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The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players of the global automotive AC compressor 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.

Similar Reports We Have on Automotive Industry:

Aircraft Air Conditioning Unit Market Research Report 2023-2035

Automotive Air Conditioning Market Research Report 2023-2035

Automotive Electric Compressor Market Research Report 2023-2035

About Us

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of " Market Research Reports " and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

CONTACT: Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/reports-store/automotive-and-transportation Follow Our Blog: www.theinnovativereport.com




NEW YORK, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AXA XL Insurance welcomes John Liantonio as Head of Mid-Market Private Equity, ahead of the targeted launch of its U.S. Mid-Market insurance business. Based in New York, and reporting to AXA XL's Head of U.S. Mid-Market Matt Waters, Mr. Liantonio will build the underwriting unit providing multi-line property/casualty insurance for mid-sized portfolio companies managed by Private Equity firms.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Waters, said, "In the U.S., we're taking a targeted approach in launching our Mid-Market capabilities. By focusing on a specific market segment, we can thoughtfully ramp up our underwriting capabilities and operations and extend to other business segments as we grow.

"Addressing the insurance needs of Private Equity portfolio companies gives us an extraordinary opportunity to address diverse risks while meeting the demand for efficiency and responsiveness. We are very fortunate to get John to facilitate the launch of this business and build out his team," he added.

Mr. Liantonio joins AXA XL from CNA where he headed Commercial Private Equity underwriting for the East region. He previously held positions with Travelers, also focused on the Private Equity as well as Merger & Acquisitions, and Zurich North America. He started his underwriting career at Greater New York Insurance Companies.

The team plans to officially launch its underwriting operations in July 2023. At launch, AXA XL's U.S. Mid-Market team will offer Workers Compensation, Commercial Auto, General Liability, Property and Umbrella.

AXA XL's Mid-Market team is actively building out AXA XL's target mid-market client offering in the U.S., leveraging its strength in underwriting, data, claims handling and global capabilities.

Follow AXA XL on LinkedIn.

ABOUT AXA XL

AXA XL provides insurance and risk management products and services for mid-sized companies through to large multinationals, and reinsurance solutions to insurance companies globally. We partner with those who move the world forward. To learn more, visit www.axaxl.com

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ABOUT AXA XL INSURANCE

AXA XL Insurance offers property, casualty, professional, financial lines and specialty insurance solutions to mid-sized companies through to large multinationals globally. We partner with those who move the world forward. To learn more, visit www.axaxl.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/795347/AXA_XL_Logo.jpg

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SOURCE AXA XL
BetterLife Pharma Inc.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BetterLife Pharma Inc. (BetterLife or the Company) (CSE: BETR / OTCQB : BETRF / FRA: NPAU) , an emerging biotech company focused on the development and commercialization of cutting-edge treatments for mental disorders, is pleased to announce that it has priced its previously announced private placement offering (the Offering) of units of the Company (Units). Pursuant to the Offering, the Company will issue Units at a price of $0.10 per Unit for total minimum aggregate gross proceeds of $1,500,000 and maximum gross proceeds of $5,000,000. Each Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company (a Common Share) and one Common Share purchase warrant of the Company (each whole Common Share purchase warrant, a Warrant). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share for a period of 60 months from the date of issuance of such Warrant, at an exercise price of $0.15, subject to and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the warrant indenture to be entered into between the Company and Endeavor Trust Corporation (the Warrant Indenture).

The Units offered will be offered to purchasers resident in the provinces set forth in the Offering Document (as defined below), pursuant to the listed issuer financing exemption under Part 5A of National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions and will not be subject to a hold period pursuant to applicable Canadian securities laws.

The Offering will be led by Bloom Burton Securities Inc. (Bloom Burton) as lead placement agent and Research Capital Corp. (collectively, the Agents) on a best efforts agency basis. In connection with the Offering, the Company will pay the Agents a cash fee equal to 7% of the gross proceeds raised under the Offering and grant the Agents broker warrants of the Company (Broker Warrants) equal to 7% of the number of Units issued under the Offering. Each Broker Warrant shall entitle an Agent to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.10 per Common Share for a period of twenty-four (24) months following the Closing Date. The Broker Warrants will be subject to a four month hold period pursuant to Canadian securities laws.

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There is an amended offering document (the Offering Document) related to the Offering that can be accessed under the Companys profile at www.sedar.com and on the Companys website at https://abetterlifepharma.com/. Prospective investors should read this Offering Document before making an investment decision. The Company intends to use the net proceeds for general working capital purposes, as more particularly described in the Offering Document.

The Offering is anticipated to close on or about March 14, 2023, or such later date as the Company and Bloom Burton may determine. The Offering is subject to the Company and the Agents entering into a definitive agency agreement and subject to customary closing conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange of the listing of the common shares of the Company issuable pursuant to the Offering.

About BetterLife Pharma

BetterLife Pharma Inc. is an emerging biotechnology company primarily focused on developing and commercializing two compounds, BETR-001 and BETR-002, to treat neuro-psychiatric and neurological disorders.

BETR-001, which is in preclinical and IND-enabling studies, is a non-hallucinogenic and non-controlled LSD derivative in development and it is unique in that it is unregulated and therefore can be self-administered. BetterLifes synthesis patent for BETR-001 eliminates regulatory hurdles and its pending patent, for composition and method of use, covers treatment of major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder and neuropathic pain and other neuro-psychiatric and neurological disorders.

BETR-002, which is in preclinical and IND-enabling studies, is based on honokiol, the active anxiolytic ingredient of magnolia bark. BetterLifes pending method of use and formulations patent covers treatment of anxiety related disorders including benzodiazepine dependency.

BetterLife also owns a drug candidate for the treatment of viral infections such as COVID-19 and is in the process of seeking strategic alternatives for further development.

For further information, please visit BetterLife Pharma.

Contact Information

David Melles, Investor Relations Manager

Email: David.Melles@blifepharma.com

Phone: 1-778-887-1928

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

No securities exchange has reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws regarding the Company and its business, which may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the anticipated terms of the Offering, securities offered under the Offering, the timing of the Offering, regulatory and exchange approvals, and the listing of the common shares offered pursuant to the Offering on the Canadian Securities Exchange. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as will, may, should, anticipate, expects and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Companys expectations include the failure to satisfy the conditions of the relevant securities exchange(s) and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations, including without limitation, those listed in the Risk Factors section of the Companys most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed on June 17, 2022 under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable law.




Sumaq Alpaca Rugs

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After more than a decade of selling high-quality handwoven alpaca rugs in North America, Canadian company Sumaq opens brand new factory in Lima, Peru. We have been working with independent weavers from all over Peru for the past 12 years, explains Sumaq cofounder Collis Verdicchio, and we just felt it was time to consolidate all our activities under one roof, to be run entirely by our team. This will help us streamline production and reduce lead times.



After hiring a full-time production manager in August 2021, who was tasked with travelling to remote parts of Peru to oversee and standardize production with various local artisans, Sumaq opened its new facility and showroom in 2022. The Lima workshop employs local weavers, many of whom have moved to the capital city to work with Sumaq, some from deep within the Andes.

Opening the factory just made sense from a business and production point of view, explains co-founder Derek Beech. But really it was also a way for us to promote the work of these local artisans on the international stage while ensuring proper working conditions and pay. In a sense, creating these jobs is our way of giving back to this country we love so much and to the people we have worked with for many years now.

From the start, Sumaqs vision has always been to support local industry in Peru and South America. The company has prided itself on promoting ethical manufacturing practices every step of the way. No alpacas are harmed in the making of the rugs. With this new plant, Verdicchio and Beech hope to expand their business to Europe, the Middle East, and eventually Asia. And in turn, help build a better future for the next generation of Peruvian weavers.

About Sumaq

Sumaq Alpaca Rugs was founded by Derek Beech and Collis Verdicchio in 2010. After years of travelling through South America, the pair saw a way to combine their interest for design and travel with their passion for business. Rooted in ancient Peruvian traditions that date back to the Inca Civilization, Sumaq rugs are handmade by local artisans. Sumaq Alpaca Rugs is based out of Montreal and Vancouver.

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Contact:

Derek Beech

+1 514-827-7780

derek@sumaqalpacarugs.com




Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

Investment in Advanced Technology by Leading Firms to Pump Up Future Market Expansion; Carrier Screening Market to Grow at a CAGR of 12.4% through 2033. Increasing prevalence of genetic disorders worldwide, rising adoption of next-generation sequencing technology in carrier screening, and growing awareness about early diagnosis and detection are some key factors expected to drive global Carrier Screening market growth.

NEWARK, Del, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global carrier screening market is expected to record a CAGR of 12.4% between 2023 and 2033, with a size estimated in 2023 at US$ 1,343.40 million. The market's value is expected to rise to US$ 4,323.84 million by 2033.



As a result of increased funding from the public and commercial sectors in response to the rising demand for genetic tests, the market is predicted to expand. The adoption of accessible technologies is recognized as a key component in carrier screening.

The introduction of innovative tests for better diagnosis and treatment is having an increasing impact on the global carrier screening industry. The sector is growing as a result of the increase in genetic defects and chronic diseases.

Get a Sample Copy of the Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-16633

Dynamics of the Global Carrier Screening Market

Throughout the projected period, market participants are anticipated to increase their mergers, agreements, and acquisitions. For instance, to sell the extended carrier screening (ECS) test in Hong Kong, Counsyl, Inc. expanded its cooperation with Angsana Molecular & Diagnostics Laboratory in July 2017. Furthermore, Myriad Genetics, Inc. purchased Counsyl, Inc. in July 2018. The acquisition is anticipated to improve Myriad Genetics, Inc.'s portfolio of genetic tests.

Several launches and approvals of new carrier screening tests are probably going to fuel market expansion during the anticipated time.

Regional Insights for the Global Carrier Screening Market

Due to product approvals and the introduction of novel carrier screening tests, North America held the leading market share through 2033. For instance, in October 2019, Sema4 announced the availability of the Expanded Carrier Screen, a test that estimates the likelihood that a kid may inherit a genetic condition.

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Due to the introduction and acceptance of new screening tests in the region, Europe is also experiencing profitable growth in the carrier screening industry.

For instance, the QIAseq Expanded Carrier Screening Panel was introduced by the German company QIAGEN in June 2019. For molecular diagnostics, QIAGEN delivers sample and assay technology. The targets and genes responsible for 200 illness indications are disclosed by the QIAseq.

Contact our Market Research Specialist: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-16633

Key Takeaways

With a 12.9% CAGR between 2023 and 2033, the expanded carrier screening (ECS) segment is anticipated to be the key revenue-generating market.

Through 2033, the DNA sequencing market sector held a 39.9% revenue share, dominating the carrier screening market.

With a 47.1% carrier screening market share throughout the projection period, the laboratory segment dominated the global market.

With a share of 40.19% through 2033, the North American market is anticipated to hold a leading position in the carrier screening market.

Competitive Landscape

There are several significant participants in the fragmented and competitive carrier screening market. A small number of significant businesses control a large portion of the market.

The market's overall competitive rivalry is growing as a result of the existence of significant players including Abbott, Myriad Genetics, Inc, Cepheid, Illumina, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., F.Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Otogenetics, MedGenome, GeneTech and Centogene N.V.

Recent Development

Collaboration  To Co-develop



Illumina and Kartos Therapeutics, Inc. announced a collaboration to co-develop a TP53 companion diagnostic (CDx) in April 2021. This CDx is based on the information provided by Illumina's comprehensive genomic profile assay, TruSight Oncology.

Partnership - Utilizing the Skills of Both Parties



Fulgent and Precision Genomics Laboratory (PGL) partnered in January 2019 to offer Columbia patients on-site performed, expanded carrier screening.

Acquisition  For Expansion



Fulgent purchased CSI Laboratories (CSI) in August 2021 to increase its exposure to somatic molecular diagnostics and cancer testing. CSI provides molecular genetics, immunohistochemistry, fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), and cytogenetic studies.

Buy This Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/16633

Key Segments

By Type:

Expanded Carrier Screening

Targeted Disease Carrier Screening

By Medical Condition:

Cystic Fibrosis

Tay-Sachs

Gaucher Disease

Sickle Cell Disease

Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Other

By Technology:

DNA Sequencing

Polymerase Chain Reaction

Microarrays

Other

By End User:

Hospitals

Laboratories

Physician Offices & Clinics

Other

By Region:

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

The Middle East & Africa

Complete TOC with Report Preview: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/carrier-screening-market

Have a Look at Related Research Reports of the Healthcare Domain:

Viral Vector Development Market Size - The global market is expected to enjoy a valuation of US$ 730.7 Million by the end of the year 2023, and further expand at a CAGR of 18.7% to reach a valuation of ~US$ 4.1 Billion by the year 2033.

Sleep Apnea Devices Market Share - The sleep apnea devices market is set to thrive at a steady CAGR of 9.5% during the forecast period. The market holds a share of US$ 8.2 billion in 2023 while it is anticipated to cross a value of US$ 20.4 billion by 2033.

Fiducial Markers Market Growth - The global market is expected to enjoy a valuation of US$ 153.6 Million by the end of the year 2023, and further expand at a CAGR of 10.3% to reach a valuation of ~US$ 408.3 Million by the year 2033.

Uterine Manipulation Devices Market Trends - The Uterine Manipulation Devices Market was valued at US$ 297.7 Million in 2022, and now it is expected to grow with a CAGR of 6.1% from 2023 to 2033.

Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Treatment Market Demand - The global autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease treatment market is anticipated to attain a valuation of US$ 1,197.3 million in 2023 and is projected to reach US$ 2,140 million by 2033, trailing at a CAGR of 5.97% during the forecast period.

About Future Market Insights, Inc.

Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in Dubai, and has delivery centers in the UK, U.S., and India. FMI's latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and make critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. A team of expert-led analysts at FMI continuously tracks emerging trends and events in a broad range of industries to ensure that our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.

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Combined entity would create a mid tier market capitalization company once all assets are in operation

Acquisition follows strong production growth at MDN and a very robust Feasibility Study at MDC expected by end of May

Sprott Streaming and Royalty US$10 million Equalization Stream Financing Closed

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / March 7, 2023 / Cerrado Gold Inc. [TSXV:CERT] [OTCQX:CRDOF] ("Cerrado" or the "Company") has entered into a definitive agreement (the "Arrangement Agreement") with Voyager Metals Inc. (TSXV: VONE) ("Voyager") pursuant to which Cerrado will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Voyager (each, a "Voyager Share") not already owned by Cerrado by way of a plan of arrangement under Business Corporations Act (Ontario) (the "Arrangement"). Upon completion of the Arrangement, Cerrado will, indirectly through a wholly-owned subsidiary, own a 100% interest in the Mont Sorcier Iron and Vanadium project located near Chibougamou, Quebec ("Mont Sorcier").

Mont Sorcier is a well advanced, large, long-life and economically robust Project in a tier one mining jurisdiction. In September 2022, Voyager completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment (the "PEA") on Mont Sorcier, which outlined a project with an after-tax NPV of US$1.6 Billion and IRR of 43% producing 5.0MM tpa of iron concentrates over a mine life of 21 years with annual free cash flow of US$235 million. The project is currently advancing towards completion of a bankable Feasibility Study expected by the end of 2023.

Under the terms of the Arrangement Agreement, Voyager shareholders would receive one (1) common share of Cerrado ("Cerrado Share") for every six (6) common shares of Voyager (the "Exchange Ratio"). The Exchange Ratio implies consideration of C$0.1523 per Voyager Share (the "Transaction Price"), based on the 20 day volume weighted average price (VWAP") of the closing price of Cerrado common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") on March 3, 2023, representing a 16.8% premium to 20-day VWAP of Voyager on the TSXV on March 3, 2023. Upon closing, the Arrangement would result in Voyager shareholders owning approximately 18% of the Cerrado Shares outstanding upon closing of the Arrangement.

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Holders of Voyager options will receive equivalent securities of Cerrado adjusted in accordance with the Exchange Ratio. Securityholders of Voyager are expected to receive an aggregate of approximately 15,496,022 Cerrado Shares and 1,266,666 Cerrado options. Outstanding Voyager warrants will remain outstanding and in accordance with their terms will be exercisable for up to 2,140,452 Cerrado Shares based on the Exchange Ratio following the closing of the Arrangement.

Transaction Rationale

The Arrangement is expected to offer a number of significant benefits to Cerrado including:Attractive valuation for Cerrado to gain access to a robust, well defined, long-life project well known to the Cerrado operating team.

Financing and cash flow synergies could reduce the dilution for project development and significantly reduce dilution for Cerrado's and Voyager's current respective shareholders. (See Figure 1. Below)

Addition of a low cost, capital efficient and economically robust project to the portfolio in a low risk jurisdiction

Mont Sorcier is expectd to generate in excess of US$235m per annum in free cash flow over its 21-year life, which is expected to begin production in 2028 (with the potential for expansion & extension).

Mont Sorcie's PEA demonstrated anNPV of US$1.6B based on Indicated Resources only, representing 25% of total defined resource leaving room for optimization and expansion potential.

Combined company would create a mid tier market capitalization once all assets are in operation.

For additional information please see Cerrado's corporate presentation on the company's website at

https://www.cerradogold.com/assets/Cerrado-Voyager.pdf

Figure 1. Pro forma Finacials for Operating Assets

Cerrado Gold Inc., Tuesday, March 7, 2023, Press release picture

In connection with the Arrangement, Cerrado has entered into a subscription agreement (the "Subscription Agreement") with Voyager pursuant to which Cerrado has agreed to subscribe for and purchase Voyager Shares at a price per Voyager Share equal to the Transaction Price, as part of a larger non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of Voyager for gross proceeds of up to $4.725 million to be completed prior to the closing of the Arrangement. Assuming the Private Placement is fully subscribed, it is anticipated that Cerrado will subscribe for and purchase $3.7 million of Voyager Shares and will own approximately 19.9% of the issued and outstanding Voyager Shares (on a non-diluted basis) prior to the completion of the Arrangement. If the Private Placement is not fully subscribed, Cerrado will subscribe for no more than that numer of Voyager Shares as will result in Cerrado owning 19.9% of the outstanding Voyager Shares upon completion of the Private Placement and prior to completion of the Arrangement.

Mark Brennan, CEO & Co-Chairman of the Company, commented, "We continue to see strong production growth at our MDN operation and we are very confident in delivering a strong Feasibility Study by the end of May for MDC. The addition of the Mont Sorcier project represents a significant opportunity to increase Cerrado's long term cash generation, asset life and relevance to the mineral sector. Mont Sorcier is expected to be a very high margin, high return project similar to our very robust Monte Do Carmo project. In addition, we see tremendous synergies to reduce future equity requirements to develop the Company's assets and this will add significant value to all shareholders of the combined company."

He continued, "It is our belief that there is a clear path to develop a very significant market capitalized entity within a very modest timeframe, while limiting dilution to shareholders."

US$10 million Stream Financing Closed

The Company is also pleased to announced that has closed its previously announced Sprott Private Resources Streaming and Royalty Corp. $10 million Equation Stream Financing in connection with the amended and restated metals purchase and sale agreement announced on March 2, 2023.

Arrangement Summary

The Arrangement will be implemented by way of a court-approved plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario). At closing, existing Cerrado and Voyager shareholders will own approximately 82% and 18% of the combined company, respectively, on a fully-diluted basis. The combined company will continue trading under the name Cerrado Gold Inc. and the ticker symbol TSX.V:CERT.

All options and warrants of Voyager outstanding as at the effective date of the Arrangement will be exchanged for equivaluent securities of Cerrado, adjusted for the Exchange Ratio and in accordance with the Arrangement Agreement. Closing of the Arrangement, as contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, is subject to the satisfaction of a number of conditions, including: the approval of the Voyager shareholders for the Arrangement at special meeting of Voyager shareholders (the "Voyager Meeting"), court approval, and the receipt of all applicable regulatory approvals (including the acceptance of the TSXV), and the satisfaction of certain other closing conditions customary in transactions of this nature. The Arrangement Agreement provides for termination rights, including in the event the Arrangement is not completed by July 30, 2023. There can be no assurance that the Arrangement or the Private Placement will be completed as proposed or at all.

Holders representing 28% of the issued and outstanding Voyager Shares and options as of the date of the Arrangement Agreement have entered into voting support agreements, pursuant to which they have agreed to vote their common shares and options held in favor of the Arrangement, subject to certain conditions.

Futher details regarding the terms of the Arrangement are set out in the Arrangement Agreement, a copy of which will be filed under each of Cerrado's and Voyager's SEDAR profiles at www.sedar .com. Additional information in respect of the Arrangement will be provided in the management information circular to be prepare by Voyager in connection with the Voyager Meeting which will be mailed to Voyager securityholders and also available on Voyager's website at www.voyagermetals.com And filed under Voyager's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

None of the securities to be issued by Cerrado pursuant to the Arrangement have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws, and any securities issued pursuant to the Arrangement are anticipated to be issued in reliance upon available exemptions from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities.

Board Approvals and Recommendations

The entry into of the Arrangement Agreement and Subscription Agreement and the completion of the Arrangement and Private Placement have been unanimously approved by the members of the respective boards of directors of Cerrado and Voyager eligible to vote thereon.

In the case of Voyager, the board of directors approved the Arrangement and Private Placement upon receipt of the unanimous recommendation of a special committee composed exclusively of independent directors of Voyager (the "Special Committee"). In connection with the recommendation, Echelon Capital Markets provided an independent opinion to the Special Committee, stating that, and based upon and subject to the assumptions, limitations, and qualifications set forth therein, the consideration offered pursuant to the Arrangement is fair, from a financial point of view, to the Voyager shareholders.

Cerrado and Voyager are Non-Arm's Parties (as defined in the policies of the TSXV) as certain directors and officers of Cerrado occupy officers and/or director positions with Voyager. Such individuals, as a group, collectively hold 13.0% of the issued and outstanding Voyager Shares and options. Mr. Mark Brennan recused himself from voting in respect of the Arrangement, and the remaining arm's length directors of Cerrado unanimously approved the Arrangement.

About Voyager

Voyager is a mineral exploration company headquartered in Toronto, Canada. The Company is focused on advancing its Mont Sorcier, Vanadium-rich, Magnetite Iron Ore Project, located just outside of Chibougamau, Quebec.

Mont Sorcier currently has Indicated Resources of 679M tonnes grading 27.8% magnetite and 0.20% V2O5, with the potential to produce 195M tonnes of magnetite concentrate grading at least 65% Fe and 0.52% vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) and a further Inferred Resource estimated at 547M tonnes grading 26.1% magnetite and 0.17% V2O5, with the potential to produce 148M tonnes of magnetite concentrate grading at least 65% Fe and 0.52% vanadium pentoxide (V2O5).

The PEA in respect of the Mount Sorcier project dated effective September 8, 2022, entitled "NI 43-101 Technical Report - Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the Mont Sorcier Project - Quebec, Canada" was prepared by Simon Boudreau, P.Eng., Tim Fletcher, P.Eng., Daniel Gagnon, P.Eng., Mathieu Girard, P.Eng., Marina Iund, p.Geo. and Carl Pelletier, P.Geo., of DRA Americas Inc., InnovExplo Inc. and SOutex Inc. and is filed under Voyager's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. The PEA is preliminary in nature, it 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, and, as such, there is no certainty that the PEA results will be realized. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability as there is no certainty that all or any part of the resources will be converted into reserves. To the best of Cerrado's knowledge, information and believe, there is no new material scientific or technical information that would make the disclosure of the mineral resources, mineral reserves or results of this preliminary economic assessment inaccurate or misleading.

Qualified Person

The technical information contained in this news release with respect to the Mont Sorcier Project has been reviewed and approved on behalf of Voyager by Clinton Swemmer, who is a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

The scientific and technical information in this press release has been reviewed and approved by Sergio Gelcich, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration for Cerrado Gold Inc., who is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101.

For further information, please contact

Mark Brennan

CEO and Co Chairman

Tel: +1-647-796-0023

mbrennan@cerradogold.com

David Ball

Vice President, Corporate Development

Tel: +1-647-796-0068

dball@cerradogold.com

About Cerrado

Cerrado is a Toronto based gold production, development and exploration company focused on gold projects in the Americas. The Company is the 100% owner of both the producing Minera Don Nicolas mine in Santa Cruz province, Argentina, and the highly prospective development project, Monte Do Carmo located in Tocantins State, Brazil.

At Minera Don Nicolas, Cerrado is maximising asset value through further operation optimization and continued production growth. An extensive campaign of exploration is ongoing to further unlock potential resources in our highly prospective land package.

At its Monte Do Carmo project ("Monte Do Carmo"), Cerrado is rapidly advancing the Serra Alta deposit through Feasibility and production. A preliminary economic assessment in respect of the Monte Do Carmo project entitled "Independent Technical Report - Update Preliminary Economic Assessment for Serra Alta Deposit, Monte do Carmo Project, Tocantins State, Brazil"dated September 30, 2021 with an effective date of July 21, 2021 was prepared by Porfirio Cabaleiro Rodriguez, FAIG, B. Terrence Hennessey, P. Geo., Fabio Valerio Xavier, MAIG, and Rooniel Hirose, MAIG, of GE21 LTDA (the "Monte Do Carmo PEA") and filed on SEDAR under Cerrado's issuer profile at www.SEDAR.com. The Serra Alta deposit demonstrated Indicated Resources of 541 kozs of contained gold and Inferred Resources of 780 kozs of contained gold. The Monte Do Carmo PEA demonstrates robust economics as well as the potential to be one of the industry's lowest cost producers. Cerrado also holds an extensive and highly prospective 82,542 ha land package at Monte Do Carmo.

For more information about Cerrado please visit our website at: www.cerradogold.com.

Disclaimer

This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation, all statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, without limitation, statements regarding the business and operations of Cerrado. In making the forward- looking statements contained in this press release, Cerrado has made certain assumptions, including, but not limited to the potential market capitalization of the resulting issuer once all assets in operation, the attractive valuation of the acquisition, assumptions and estimates included in Voyager's PEA and potential synergies of Cerrado and Voyager. Although Cerrado believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. 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. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, Cerrado disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking statements or otherwise.

SOURCE: Cerrado Gold Inc.





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/742558/Cerrado-Gold-To-Acquire-Voyager-Metals




Company Logo

Dublin, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Chile Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics Databook - 50+ KPIs on Social Commerce Trends by End-Use Sectors, Operational KPIs, Retail Product Dynamics, and Consumer Demographics - Q1 2023 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



According to the publisher, social commerce industry in Chile is expected to grow by 28.4% on annual basis to reach US$1057.0 million in 2023.



The social commerce industry is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period, recording a CAGR of 17.6% during 2022-2028. The social commerce GMV in the country will increase from US$1057.0 million in 2023 to reach US$2800.5 million by 2028.



This report provides a detailed data centric analysis of social commerce industry, covering market opportunities and risks. With over 50+ KPIs at country level, this report provides a comprehensive understanding of social commerce market dynamics, market size and forecast, and market share statistics.



The research methodology is based on industry best practices. Its unbiased analysis leverages a proprietary analytics platform to offer a detailed view on emerging business and investment market opportunities.



Scope



This report provides in-depth, data-centric analysis of social commerce in Chile. Below is a summary of key market segments:



Chile Ecommerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Retail Product Categories, 2019-2028

Clothing & Footwear

Beauty and Personal Care

Food & Grocery

Appliances and Electronics

Home Improvement

Travel

Hospitality

Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Segment, 2019-2028

B2B

B2C

C2C

Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Device, 2019-2028

Mobile

Desktop

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Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

Domestic

Cross Border

Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

Tier-1 Cities

Tier-2 Cities

Tier-3 Cities

Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Payment Method, 2019-2028

Credit Card

Debit Card

Bank Transfer

Prepaid Card

Digital & Mobile Wallet

Other Digital Payment

Cash

Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Platforms

Video Commerce

Social Network-Led Commerce

Social Reselling

Group Buying

Product Review Platforms

Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Consumer Demographics & Behaviour,2022

By Age

By Income Level

By Gender

Reasons to buy

In-depth Understanding of Social Commerce Market Dynamics: Understand market opportunities and key trends along with forecast (2019-2028).

Insights into Opportunity by end-use sectors - Get market dynamics by end-use sectors to assess emerging opportunity across various end-use sectors.

Develop Market Specific Strategies: Identify growth segments and target specific opportunities to formulate social commerce strategy; assess market specific key trends, drivers, and risks in the industry.

Key Topics Covered:



1. About this Report.



2. Chile Ecommerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators



3. Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators



4. Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Retail Product Categories



5. Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Segment



6. Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Device



7. Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location

8. Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Cities



9. Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Payment Method



10. Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Platforms



11. Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Contents



12. Chile Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Consumer Demographics & Behaviour



13. Further Reading





For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/kaolvx

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




MCLEAN, Va. and ELKINS, W.V., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 22nd Century Technologies Inc. (TSCTI) is pleased to announce the opening of a new secured Managed Services Facility in Elkins, WV to support their government customers.

(PRNewsfoto/22nd Century Technologies, Inc,)

22nd Century's WV Center, has been designed to support their Federal, State & Local government contracts throughout the United States in providing Cyber Security, Business Operations, Contact Center, Managed IT Services and other backend support services. Starting with Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Elkins Center will leverage 22nd Century's proven Cyber Security domain and IT Expertise, and deploy state-of-the-art technology to create high quality, 24 x 7 services that do not strain budgets. TSCTI is hiring and plans to kick start operations with 20 locally sourced employees, ramping up to 40+ in the next 12-18 months with additional positions as anticipated contracts are awarded. The center will train employees on latest tools, technologies, and processes, and provide the Elkins Community a new set of growth opportunities.

22nd Century Technologies started hiring local workforce for one of their recent contracts with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and has plans to provide employment to many others in the City's communities, as they expand their customer base in Federal, State, Local and Education (SLED) markets.

The Mayor of Elkins, Honorable Jerry Marco has been instrumental in positioning West Virginia and in particular, the City of Elkins as "Open for Business". Under the leadership of Governor Jim Justice, Mayor Marco along with Director Robbie Morris of the Randolph County Development Authority, Mitch Carmichael, Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, helped fast track 22nd Century's Elkins Center.

22nd Century Technologies, Inc.(www.tscti.com) is one of the fastest growing public sector focused company head quartered in McLean, VA. With 6000+ FTE nationwide, 22nd Century is currently supporting many of nation's mission-critical programs including Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Cloud Migration, Application Modernization, IT Infrastructure, O&M, and Workforce Solutions. 22nd Century holds 400+ government contracts with Federal, State, Local and Educational entities in all the 50 States. 22nd Century and it's leadership has been recognized by Newsweek and Forbes, for their focus on diversity, inclusion and employee development.

Story continues

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/city-of-elkins-and-22nd-century-technologies-partner-to-establish-a-managed-services-facility-in-elkins-wv-301765728.html

SOURCE 22nd Century Technologies, Inc,
Market Research Future

Increasing adoption in social media to boost clickstream analytics market growth.

New York, US, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Market Analysis

According to a comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR),  Clickstream Analytics Market By Type, By Applications, By End-User - Forecast 2030, the market is predicted to thrive substantially during the assessment era from 2021 to 2030 at a healthy CAGR of approximately 11% to attain a valuation of around USD 1.3 Billion by the end of 2030.

Clickstream Analytics Market Competitive Landscape

Eminent industry players profiled in the global clickstream analytics market report include:

Oracle Corporation (US)

Splunk (US)

Talend (US)

Adobe Systems (US)

Verto Analytics (Finland)

SAP SE (Germany)

AT Internet (US)

Google (US)

IBM Corporation (US)

Webtrends Corporation (US)

Vlocity Inc (US)

Connexity (US)

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (US),

Jumpshot (US)

Microsoft Corporation (US).

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https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/3113



Clickstream Analytics Market Report Scope:

Report Metrics Details Clickstream Analytics Market Size by 2030 USD 1.3 Billion (2030) Clickstream Analytics Market CAGR during 2021-2030 11% Base Year 2020 Forecast 2021-2030 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Key Market Drivers Growing need for convenient navigation tools

Drivers

Increasing Adoption in Social Media to Boost Market Growth

The demand for clickstream analytics is growing rapidly as a result of the rise in illusive clickstream data brought on by diverse platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, & Google. By processing, cleaning, & translating raw data into a useful structure, clickstream analytics may refine data and make it easier and more accurate to analyze. Key social media players like Facebook and Google have adopted clickstream analytics as a result of this capability.

Story continues

Browse In-depth Market Research Report (100 Pages) on Clickstream Analytics Market:

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/clickstream-analytics-market-3113



Opportunities

Increasing Use of Mobile Technology to offer Robust Opportunities

The widespread use of mobile devices, which produce enormous amounts of data of various kinds, is anticipated to propel market expansion. This can be attributable to mobile technology, which offers detailed insights into consumer behavior through its online activities. Also, people all over the world are increasingly utilizing smartphones because of their convenience, which is one of the elements supporting the expansion of the market for clickstream analytics.

Market Restraints and Challenges

High Software Cost to act as Market Restraint

The high software cost coupled with strict data privacy laws & regulations imposed via the government may act as market restraints in the forecast period.

Market Segmentation

The global clickstream analytics market is bifurcated based on end user, applications, and type.

By type, software will lead the market over the forecast period.

By application, customer analysis will domineer the market over the forecast period.

By end user, retail will spearhead the market over the forecast period.

COVID-19 Analysis

The IT and communications industries have not been impacted by the worldwide lockdown. And as a result, clickstream usage in the industry has persisted during the coronavirus pandemic. The clickstream, is a collection of procedures that aid in data analysis and collection in order to produce visually appealing results. The main applications of clickstream analytics are in the IT and telecom sectors, and they were frequently used during the coronavirus outbreak. Because people had to stay inside, internet usage was considerably increased. Many e-commerce companies relied on clickstream analytics to take advantage of the rise in internet usage and assess client sentiment to formulate long-term plans.

Ask To Expert:

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/ask_for_schedule_call/3113



Regional Analysis

APAC to Lead Clickstream Analytics Market

As a result of the boom in e-commerce startups, Asia Pacific is a significant player in the evolving retail scene. Alibaba, which just opened a pop-up shop in Australia and reflects the "phygital" trend of digitally enhancing offline experiences, is the market leader in China for e-commerce. The success of such activities can be measured with the aid of clickstream analytics. The APAC region is diverse and distinctive, consisting of many different cultures, traditions, and languages as well as a sophisticated digital environment. Brands must be aware of these variances in order to successfully modify their marketing strategy. In order to help brands personalize their services for each customer, clickstream technologies will evaluate consumer behavior.

The APAC region's market is predicted to develop at the highest rate in the entire world industry. The region's rise is linked to a number of government efforts, like smart cities all over the APAC countries, including China and India, as well as the rising adoption of smart technology and eCommerce. The Asian-Pacific region, in contrast, is anticipated to grow significantly in the forecast period as a result of increased e-commerce and smart technology adoption as well as numerous government initiatives, such as the creation of smart cities throughout APAC nations, including China and India. Because of the increase in expenditures in big data technology during the forecast, it is projected that the market will be achieved at a rapid rate in the near future.

Ask To Customization:

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/ask_for_customize/3113



North America to Have Admirable Growth in Clickstream Analytics Market

Due to its ongoing propensity to adopt emerging technology, North America is anticipated to hold a sizeable position. Industry growth is being complemented by the strong emphasis on innovations in research and development being placed by businesses across various industries. Also, the region's industry growth is being supported by the presence of numerous firms who provide services in the area. The market here is being driven by the rising investments in e-commerce and digital payments. The area has quickly embraced innovative and cutting-edge technologies. The market in North America is being driven by a high use of cloud computing, the internet of things, big data, artificial intelligence, & machine learning, among other factors. Furthermore, the area serves as a hub for major industry players who are continually introducing new items to the market. Major clickstream analytics firms' presence in the region is attributed with contributing to North America's supremacy. The regional players too are making significant investments in the technology's research and development for clickstream analytics. The market here is being driven by the rising investments in e-commerce and digital payments. At a relatively young age, the region has embraced innovative and cutting-edge technologies.

Related Reports:

Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) Market By Type, By Application, By Region  Market Forecast Till 2030

Analytics as a Service Market By Component, By Analytics Type, By Deployment, by Organization Size, By End-User  Forecast till 2030

Corporate E-learning Market By Technology, By Training Type, By Region  Market Forecast Till 2030.

About Market Research Future:

Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis 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.

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Kbenhavns Lufthavne A/S

Today, Copenhagen Airports A/S issues the Group Annual Report for the financial year 2022, including Remuneration Report. The reporting suite is now available and attached to this announcement.

The Group Annual Report shows a pre-tax profit of DKK 257 million for 2022.

COPENHAGEN AIRPORTS A/S

P.O. Box 74

Lufthavnsboulevarden 6

DK-2770 Kastrup

Contact:

Rasmus Lund

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Copiers Market Major Manufacturers Covered in The Market Report Include: Xerox, Ricoh, HP, Lexmark, Canon Inc., Kyocera, Sharp, Konica Minolta, Brother International, Samsung Electronics, Dell

Pune, India, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

The global copiers market size is estimated to expand on account of the transition from analog technologies to digital copying technologies, shares Fortune Business Insights, in its report, titled, Copiers Market, 2023-2030. The most recent operation technology of copiers is known as xerography, which is a dry system that utilizes heat infused techniques.

Copiers use other low-end technologies such as inkjets, suitable for residential and office purposes. The increasing usage of electronic devices, such as laptops, computers, mobile phones, and others has demanded an upgradation in technology from copiers to create a photocopy or to print. The rising demand for high-technology printers would boost the copiers market growth.

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Market Drivers & Restraints:

Affordable Rates of Printer Models to Fuel the Demand of Copiers

The increasing number of government organizations and expansion of the corporate world is set to fuel the demand for copiers as printing is a basic need for paperwork. A surge in the number of educational establishments, specifically in emerging economies is expected to demand the innovation of modern technology printers. Other factors contributing to the growth of the market are the easy availability of affordable photocopy printers and models. For instance, in 2018, Hewlett Packard Inc. dominated the Indian printer market holding around 47% of the shares.

Whereas, the available alternative methods such as digitalization of paperwork, conscious usage of paper, and the method to reprint instead of photocopying originals are likely to hamper the market growth.

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COVID-19 Impact:

Lockdown Restrictions to Hamper Market Growth

The global pandemic of COVID-19 impacted the copiers market all over the world. During the unfortunate series of lockdowns, governments of numerous regions implemented stringent rules and norms to help curb the spread of the virus. One such condition was ceasing borders. Due to the closure of international borders, transportation and supply chain processes were disrupted. All this concludes down to the budget freeze and struggles with cash flow in the first quarter of 2020.

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Segmentation of Market:

The copiers market can be segmented by type, color, and application.

By type, the market can be divided into wide format copy machines, digital copy machines, and all-in-one copy machines. Wide format copy machines are used for printing larger documents such as blueprints and architectural drawings. Digital copy machines use digital technology to make copies and offer advanced features such as network connectivity and document management. All-in-one copy machines combine printing, scanning, copying, and sometimes faxing capabilities into a single device.

By color, the market can be categorized into monochrome copiers and color copiers. Monochrome copiers use black and white toner to create copies, while color copiers use colored toner to produce color copies.

By application, the market can be segmented into government and commercial. Government applications include printing documents such as reports, letters, and contracts. Commercial applications include printing marketing materials, business documents, and other professional materials

With a geographical stand-point, the market is separated into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East & Africa, and Latin America.



Regional Insights

Asia Pacific to Lead Owing to High Investments by Reputed Companies

Asia Pacific is anticipated to hold major copiers market share and dominate globally. This is due to the heavy investments done by key players in emerging economies, such as China, Japan, India, and South Korea as they are yet to be unexploited and have major scope for business.

The Middle East & Africa and Latin America would showcase considerable progress at a rapid pace owing to the increased development in the infrastructural activity and cheaper labor costs.

North America and Europe are set to exhibit decent growth on account of the lack of scope for further innovations and minimal scope for development.

Report Scope & Segmentation:



By Type

Wide Format Copy Machines

Digital Copy Machines

All-In-One Copy Machines

By Colour

Monochrome Copiers

Colour Copiers

By Application

Government

Commercial

Others (Offices, etc.)

By Region

North America (U.S. and Canada)

Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and Rest of Europe)

Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, Southeast Asia and Rest of Asia Pacific)

Middle East & Africa (GCC, South Africa and Rest of Middle East & Africa)

Latin America (Brazil, Mexico and Rest of Latin America)

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List of Key Players Covered In the Copiers Market Report



Xerox

Ricoh

HP

Lexmark

Canon Inc.

Kyocera

Sharp

Konica Minolta

Brother International

Samsung Electronics

Dell

Competitive Landscape



New Product Launches by Prominent Players to Boost the Market Growth

Prominent players in this market are showcasing their innovative potentials by designing, developing, and launching modern technology infused copiers. The acutely competitive environment created by key players is also encouraging other market participants to introduce innovative products, thereby augmenting the potential of this market in the process. One such strategy is to acquire other potential companies to mark the presence of the parent company in the market.

For example, in March 2020, a Dutch printer maker company named Oce was acquired by the leading player Canon Inc. to enhance its presence in the regional, as well as the global market.

Industry Development

December 2020: A leading player in the printing market, Konica Minolta Business Solutions launched a professional digital printer, AccurioPress C14000/C12000 to strengthen its build in the print portfolio. It has introduced two machines: 140-ppm AccurioPress C14000 and 120-ppm AccurioPress C12000.

Highlights of the Report

The report offers an in-depth analysis of the railway wiring harness market. It shares a thorough evaluation of the market trends, drivers, restraints, and opportunities to help the businesses and investors. Further, the report supplies tangible insights about the competitors and their strategies to maintain their leading positions in the market. The report also offers an integrated study about the impacts of the pandemic on the various segments of the market.

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DUBLIN, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Debt Collection (European) - Industry Report" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Research and Markets Logo



The Debt Collection (European) Analysis provides a detailed overview of the Debt Collection (European) market and delivers a comprehensive individual analysis on the top 240 companies, including Accountor Credit As, Argus Kreditt As and Axactor Capital As.



This report covers areas such as debt, finance, collection, collect, repayment and includes a wealth of information on the financial trends over the past four years.



The publisher's latest Debt Collection (European) analysis is ideal for anyone wanting to:

See the market leaders

Identify companies heading for failure

Seek out the most attractive acquisition

Analyse industry trends

Benchmark their own financial performance

Using the publisher's exclusive methodology, a quick glance of this Debt Collection (European) report will tell you that 36 companies have a declining financial rating, while 51 have shown good sales growth.



Each of the largest 240 companies is meticulously scrutinised in an individual assessment and analysed using the most up-to-date and current financial data.



Every business is examined on the following features:

The Publisher's Chart: A graphical assessment of a company's financial performance

Four year assessment of the profit/loss and balance sheet

A written summary highlighting key performance issues

Subsequently, you will receive a thorough 100-page market analysis highlighting the latest changes in the Debt Collection (European) market.



This section includes:

Best Trading Partners

Sales Growth Analysis

Profit Analysis

Market Size

Rankings

The publisher provides busy managers with a set of tools to monitor the financial welfare of their company, their rivals, or those they wish to acquire. The reports are used to assess the attractiveness of potential acquisitions, gain better understanding of a market and identify sound companies with whom to trade.





Key Topics Covered:



The Debt Collection (European) analysis is the most definitive and accurate study of the Debt Collection (European) sector in 2021.



The report is split into two sections and uses both a written and graphical analysis - analysing the 240 largest Debt Collection (European) companies.



The Debt Collection (European) report contains the most-up-to-date financial data and the publisher applies these figures to create their unique and authoritative analysis.



Indeed, the first section thoroughly scrutinises the market and this section includes the following:

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Best Trading Partners: These are companies that are winning in both sales and financial strength - for example Kruk ESPANA Sl. has been ranked as a best trading partner in the industry.

Sales Growth Analysis: This section reviews the fastest growing and fastest shrinking company - for example FINANS2 As is among the fastest growing.

Profit Analysis - Analysis of gross profit and pre-tax profit over the last ten years and a profitability summary comparing profits in the industry against small, medium and large companies.

Market Size: Based on the largest 240 companies, this is a comparison between last year's market size and the most current figure.

Rankings: The top 50 companies ranked by: Market Share, Sales Growth, Gross Profit and Pre-tax Profit.

The next section focuses on company analysis and provides an in-depth analysis of the largest companies within the Debt Collection (European) industry.



Each business is analysed using the publisher's unequivocal model and culminates in the production of The Publisher's Chart. The Publisher's Model uses a series of charts to graphically analyse an individual company and measure its ability to achieve sales growth while maintaining financial strength.



The Publisher's Chart is a quick and dependable method of analysing a company's financial well-being. It's simple to understand: a rising line is good news and a falling line is bad news.



Therefore, this company analysis will tell you if a company is:

Strong or heading for failure

Utilising their investments

Becoming burdened by debt

Getting the most from their resources

The Debt Collection (European) analysis also provides you with full business name and address, name and ages of directors and registration address.



A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

Accountor Credit AS

Argus Kreditt AS

Axactor Capital AS

Subject to change on a month-by-month basis.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8vp8ow

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

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Fortune Business Insights

Dental Infection Control Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Product Type (Consumables, Equipment), By End-user (Dental Hospitals and Clinics, Dental Academic and Research Institutes, Dental Laboratories) And Regional Forecast 2023-2030

Pune, India, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Dental infections begin in the tooth or its supporting structures and can spread to the surrounding tissue. The overall route for the spread of dental infections involves direct contact with infected body fluids such as saliva or blood or it can also be transmitted through indirect contact with contaminated dental equipment or instruments. Fortunately, due to improved dental hygiene and modern dentistry (a study that includes the overall wellness of your entire body as it is related to your mouth) dental infections are rarely life-threatening nowadays. The key factors responsible for the growth of this market include the growing geriatric population and change in lifestyle, rising incidences of dental caries and other periodontal diseases.

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The growth of modern dental practices by employing new technologies such as Digital x-rays, digital radiology, computerized clinic management systems, and computer-controlled local anaesthetic systems is benefiting the market. Additionally, the implementation of infection control programs to prevent infection transmissions with the growing prevalence of dental conditions and the rising old age population are some of the major factors driving the growth of the market. Also, modernization in the equipment used and an upsurge in research and development activities are likely to create new opportunities for the dental infection control market.

This information is given by Fortune Business Insights in an upcoming report, titled, Dental Infection Control Market 2023-2030.

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Industry Developments-



In 2019 Young Innovations, Inc., a major player in the industry announced the acquisition of three global companies, namely Germiphene Corporation, Crystal Tips, and PuraGraft, LLC.

Founded in 1954, and headquartered at Bavaria, Germany; MMM Group provides a wide range of products for sterilization and disinfection. The key subsidiaries of Group are BMT Medical Technology, MMM Munchener Medizin Mechanik GmbH, and MMM Medcenter

The report covers the following key insights:

Technological Advancements in the Dental Infection Control Market

Key Industry Developments  Merger, Acquisitions, and Partnerships

Key Product Launches

Overview of Regulatory Scenario  Key Countries/Region

COVID-19 Impact on the Dental Infection Control 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/dental-infection-control-market-105588





The report consists of the profiles of key players, which include several players, including :

3M Company (U.S.)

DENTSPLY Sirona Inc. (U.S.)

Danaher Corporation (U.S.)

GC Corporation (Japan)

Hu-friedy Mfg. Co. LLC (U.S.)

Henry Schein Inc.

Bio Hygiene International Pty. Ltd

The global dental infection control market is driven by several factors, including:

Growing Awareness: There has been an increase in awareness among people about the importance of maintaining oral hygiene and preventing dental infections. This has resulted in the growing demand for dental infection control products and services.

Rise in Dental Diseases: The prevalence of dental diseases, such as dental caries and periodontal disease, is increasing globally. This has led to a surge in demand for infection control measures and products in dental clinics and hospitals.

Technological Advancements: Advancements in technology have resulted in the development of more advanced dental infection control products and equipment, which offer better efficiency and ease of use.

Stringent Regulations: Governments across the world have implemented stringent regulations to ensure the safety and efficacy of dental infection control products. This has resulted in an increase in demand for high-quality products that meet regulatory standards.

Increase in Dental Procedures: The rise in the number of dental procedures being performed globally has led to an increase in the demand for infection control products and services. Dental clinics and hospitals are required to adhere to strict infection control protocols to prevent the spread of infections and diseases.

Overall, the global dental infection control market is expected to continue to grow due to these driving factors and the increasing demand for better infection control measures in the dental industry.





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Dental Infection Control Market Segmentation :

By Product Type

Consumables

Hand Care

Personal Protective Care/Accessories

Dental Unit Water-line Cleaning Solutions

Instrument Cleaning Solutions

Sterilization Accessories

Others

Equipment

Cleaning Monitors

Ultrasonic Cleaning Units

Others

By End-user

Dental Hospitals and Clinics

Dental Academic and Research Institutes

Dental Laboratories

By Geography

North America (USA, Canada)

Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, and the Rest of Europe)

Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Rest of Asia Pacific)

Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, the Rest of Latin America)

Middle East & Africa (South Africa, GCC, and the Rest of the Middle East & Africa)

The dental infection control market can be analyzed based on the regional distribution of the market. The market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.

North America: The North American market is the largest market for dental infection control, with the United States being the major contributor to the market growth. The presence of major market players, high healthcare spending, and stringent regulations favoring the use of infection control products have contributed to the growth of the market in this region.

Europe: Europe is the second-largest market for dental infection control, with countries such as Germany, France, and the United Kingdom being the major contributors. The market is driven by the increasing prevalence of dental diseases, growing awareness about oral hygiene, and the presence of key market players.

Asia-Pacific: The Asia-Pacific region is the fastest-growing market for dental infection control, with countries such as China, India, and Japan being the major contributors. The growth of the market in this region is attributed to the increasing healthcare spending, growing dental tourism, and the rising prevalence of dental diseases.

Latin America: The dental infection control market in Latin America is growing at a moderate rate, with Brazil and Mexico being the major contributors. The market growth is driven by the increasing adoption of advanced infection control products and equipment in dental clinics and hospitals.

Middle East and Africa: The Middle East and Africa region is a small but growing market for dental infection control, with countries such as South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates being the major contributors. The market growth is driven by the increasing awareness about oral hygiene, growing dental tourism, and the rising prevalence of dental diseases.

Overall, the dental infection control market is expected to witness significant growth in the coming years, driven by the increasing demand for infection control products and services in the dental industry. The growth of the market will be highest in the Asia-Pacific region, followed by North America and Europe.





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Table Of Contents :

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities

Key Insights Global Statistics  Key Countries New Product Launches Pipeline Analysis Regulatory Scenario  Key Countries Recent Industry Developments  Partnerships, Mergers and Acquisitions

Global Analysis, Insights and Forecast Key Findings/ Summary Market Analysis  By Product Type Market Analysis  By Distribution Channel Market Analysis  By Countries/Sub-regions

Competitive Analysis Key Industry Developments Global Market Share Analysis Competition Dashboard Comparative Analysis  Major Players

Company Profiles Overview Products and Services SWOT Analysis Recent developments Major Investments Regional Market Size and Demand

Strategic Recommendations

TOC Continued!

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SkyQuest Technology Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

SkyQuest, a reputed research firm, has released a comprehensive report on the digital therapeutics market that provides crucial insights into the major trends and significant developments in the industry worldwide. This report is a must-read for decision-makers who want to make informed strategic decisions, as it features case studies of well-known companies operating in the market. Furthermore, it evaluates the competitive landscape, growth opportunities, and effective strategies for achieving growth. This information is crucial for businesses looking to expand their presence in the market.

Westford, USA, March 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asia Pacific emerged as the key growth contributor to the digital therapeutics market due to the increasing demand for treating chronic medical conditions in the Asia Pacific region. Conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and mental health disorders are prevalent in the region, leading to a greater need for efficient treatment alternatives. In addition, the rising smartphone penetration in developed and developing countries is also contributing to the market's growth, as digital therapeutics solutions are increasingly being delivered through mobile applications. Another key factor driving the market's growth is the increasing demand for patient-centered care and integrated healthcare systems.

SkyQuest's global research indicates that cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of NCD deaths, with approximately 17 million people dying yearly. Following closely behind are cancers, responsible for the death of 9 million individuals annually, and diabetes, responsible for 1.8 million deaths, including kidney disease caused by diabetes. While the figures are certainly concerning, the report's positive outlook for digital therapeutics offers hope. They have the potential to provide affordable and accessible solutions to address NCDs, especially in low-income regions where access to traditional healthcare may be limited.

Story continues

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Browse in-depth TOC on "Digital Therapeutics Market"

Pages - 274

Tables - 119

Figures - 74

Digital therapeutics is a rapidly emerging field that offers evidence-based therapeutic interventions to prevent, manage, or treat various physical, mental, and behavioral conditions. This innovative approach utilizes high-quality software programs and devices to support patients in self-managing their symptoms. Digital therapeutics programs are developed based on scientific research and clinical studies, ensuring they effectively address various health conditions.

Prominent Players in Digital Therapeutics Market

Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. (Japan)

CureApp (Japan)

Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd. (Japan)

Samsung Healthcare (South Korea)

Wellthy Therapeutics Pvt. Ltd. (India)

Welldoc (India)

Novartis AG (Switzerland)

Akili Interactive Labs, Inc. (US)

2MORROW, Inc. (US)

Voluntis (France)

Click Therapeutics (US)

Siemens Healthineers (Germany)

Fitbit, Inc.(US)

Medtronic Plc. (US)

Lark Health (US)

Diabetes Application Segment to Register Strong Growth Thanks to Adoption of Mobile Technology and Digital Health Solutions to Manage Diabetes

The digital therapeutics market is gaining momentum due to the rising cases of chronic diseases such as diabetes. In 2021, the diabetes application segment accounted for the largest market share and was expected to grow in the coming years. The reason behind this growth is the effectiveness of digital therapeutics in assisting healthcare providers in assessing patients' health and customizing treatment plans based on their individual therapeutic needs. In addition, with the advent of digital therapeutics, healthcare providers can now offer remote patient care and monitor their patients' progress without physical consultations.

The digital therapeutics market is a vital component of the global healthcare industry, and the Asia Pacific region has emerged as a major player in this field. In 2021, the Asia Pacific region captured a significant share of the global therapeutics market, and this trend is expected to continue from 2022 to 2030. According to recent statistics from SkyQuest, an estimated 72 million people in India are over 60 and suffering from a chronic disease. This highlights the urgent need for digital therapeutics to help manage and treat these conditions.

Browse summary of the report and Complete Table of Contents (ToC):

https://skyquestt.com/report/digital-therapeutics-market

Patient End-User Segment to Drive Remarkable Sales Growth owing to Rising Demand for Personalized and Convenient Healthcare Solutions

The digital therapeutics market has been experiencing significant growth, and the patient end-user segment has played a crucial role in this development. In 2021, the patient end-user segment held the largest market share, and it is projected to continue its dominance from 2022 to 2030. This is due to the increasing adoption of digital therapeutic solutions by patients. Digital therapeutics provide a personalized approach to disease management, where patients can track their symptoms, receive feedback, and learn skills to manage their conditions. These solutions offer several benefits, including improved patient engagement, better health outcomes, and reduced healthcare costs.

In 2021, North America emerged as a dominant player in the digital therapeutics market, with a significant global market share. Such significant growth can be attributed to several factors that have fueled the region's adoption of digital health products. With the advent of modern technologies such as smartphones, wearable devices, and telemedicine, patients and healthcare providers are increasingly turning to digital tools to improve patient outcomes and enhance the quality of care. Healthcare systems in the region are increasingly focused on improving the quality of life for patients, and this has led to the development of policies that encourage the use of digital tools for tracking, monitoring, and diagnostics.

SkyQuest has conducted an extensive report on the digital therapeutics market, which offers a comprehensive overview of the industry's current and future technical and financial aspects. The report aims to identify emerging trends and market patterns and provides a thorough analysis of the essential dynamics of the global market. The research study also provides new market entrants with a detailed understanding of the current state of the digital therapeutics industry, along with all necessary market statistics.

Key Developments in Digital Therapeutics Market

South Korean company, LifeSemantics (COPD), has recently launched a digital therapeutics (DTx) product named Redpill Breath, aimed at aiding patients who require pulmonary rehabilitation, particularly those suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In addition, the company strives to expand the usage of Redpill Breath across multiple countries, understand the current global trends in DTx technology, and assess the level of demand for the product worldwide.

Lapsi Health, a Netherlands-based company that produces audio-driven medical technology and remote healthcare tools, has recently announced the successful closure of an oversubscribed seed round that secured $3.7 million in funding. The company's innovative technology allows physicians to remotely assess, monitor, and treat patients by utilizing a library of clinical stethoscope auscultator sounds, such as breathing sounds in the lungs.

Swing Therapeutics, a company focused on developing evidence-based treatments for autoimmune and chronic pain illnesses, has recently shared promising results from a clinical trial. The trial, called REACT-FM, explored Swing's digital therapeutic for managing chronic pain disorder fibromyalgia. According to Swing Therapeutics, their digital therapeutic involving behavioral therapy has shown potential as an effective treatment option for fibromyalgia.

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Key Questions Answered in Digital Therapeutics Market Report

What are the main drivers and challenges currently affecting the growth of the global market, and how do they impact its development prospects?

Can you provide a historical overview of the market's performance and what factors are expected to drive its future growth potential?

Who are the key players operating in the global market, and how intense is the competition in the current market environment?

What emerging trends are shaping the market, and how are they likely to impact future growth and innovation in the industry?

Related Reports in SkyQuests Library:

Global Health Information Exchange (HIE) Market

Global Hi-Tech Medical Devices Market

Global Spinal Implants and Devices Market

Global 3D Ultrasound Market

Global Behavioral Mental Healthcare Software Market

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Press Release

March 8, 2023 Sponsorship Speech of Senator Risa Hontiveros on the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Magandang hapon po. Happy International Women's Day to my female colleagues, and to all Filipino women and allies of women. Today I rise to sponsor Senate Bill number 1979 under Committee Report No. 41 or the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancies Bill. I thank my co-authors, Senators Imee Marcos and Bong Revilla who filed similar bills, and Senators Sonny Angara and Sherwin Gatchalian who have filed resolutions that the Committee considered in the deliberations for this Committee Report. Mr. President, there are thousands of adolescent Filipinos who have already began childbearing and are about to face the hard realities that come with the entry to parenthood. Among these pregnant girls and young fathers, many of them will have come from rural areas, will not have finished their education, or will have come from families who live in the lower wealth quintile. While teen pregnancy in the country has been declining - data that some experts still question since we were in lockdowns for more than a year -- a worrying trend among very young girls has emerged. There was a recorded increase in cases of pregnancies in the 10-14 year old age group. Some of them are elementary school children - elementary school children! -- who will now be carrying a child while still just in the cusp of their own childhoods. These are thousands of students whose education will be disrupted at the very least and ended at the worst. Teachers like Neme Guanco of Aklan have seen these stories firsthand: he had to babysit the child of his Grade 9 student who had to be brought to school every day. Pasalamat at may ganitong kababait na mga guro, pero di maramihan ito at hindi dapat pasanin ito ng mga guro sa dami ng mga pasan nila. For some students, however, pregnancies spell the abrupt end of their education, such as the case of 16-year-old Christine and her 19 year old husband who had to drop out of school due to adolescent pregnancy. Teen pregnancy costs a young mother as high as ?83,000 a year, with NEDA estimating that the Philippine economy loses as much as ?42 billion in lifetime income. These macrolevel numbers are easy to quantify, but for our young parents, their losses may be incalculable in terms of lost opportunities or missed chances. Ito po ang dahilan kung bakit sinusulong ko ngayon ang panukalang batas na ito. SB Number 1979 seeks to address the issue of adolescent pregnancy through various methods, such as the faithful implementation of comprehensive sexuality education and the delivery of necessary sexual and reproductive information and services to young Filipinos when they need it, when they ask for it, and when they seek it. Para din po sa kaalaman ng lahat, ang SRH services po ay para sa mga teens lagpas sa edad na 15 years old, the recommended age by the UN, DOH and non-government organizations based on the evolving capacities of adolescents. Pag mas bata sa 15, kailangan pa din ang pahintulot ng magulang or responsible adults designated by the State. In all cases, may mandatory counselling po by accredited social workers. The bill also seeks to provide social protection to our young parents, such as maternal health care services, post-natal family planning, parenting workshops, and psycho-social support for the young parents, among others. In addition, the bill also seeks to strengthen the referral pathways in cases of sexual violence against adolescents by instituting mandated reportorial requirements when there are observed and identified signs of abuse. Ito ay alinsunod sa mga batas natin gaya ng Raising the Age of Sexual Consent na pinasa natin at kampeyon ang ating Senate President at ating Majority leader. Nais ko din ibahagi na tiniyak ng panukalang batas na ito na maging culturally-sensitive. Kasama sa TWG ang National Commission on Indigenous Peoples at ang National Commission for Muslim Filipinos. Gusto ko pang ibahagi sa inyo, lalo na po sa aking colleague na si Senator Robinhood Padilla, na tinanggap po namin ang lahat ng mga proposed amendments ng NCIP at NCMF. We cannot afford to have children having children, Mr. President. It is our duty as legislators and as parents to provide the next generation of Filipinos the knowledge they need to empower them to make informed decisions as they grow into adulthood. By doing so, we will be allowing more young Filipinos to choose the timing and the manner of how they enter parenthood, if or when they choose to do so. Maraming Salamat po. Muli po, happy International Women's Day.
The Brainy Insights

The increasing demand for high-energy and power-efficient gadgets and the increase in demand for green energy power generation drives are expected to be the most significant factor driving growth in discrete semiconductor market. North America emerged as the largest market for the global discrete semiconductor market, with a 39.8% market revenue share in 2022.

Newark, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Brainy Insights estimates that the USD 23.4 billion discrete semiconductors market will reach USD 41.9 billion by 2032. The rise in demand in the automotive sector, particularly in the electric vehicles segment, is driving the discrete semiconductor market. The rapid increase in EVs and electrification has resulted in a surge in sales of discrete semiconductors for developing autonomous vehicle technologies. Discrete semiconductors have also proven helpful for components that withstand high voltages and harsh weather conditions.



For Right Perspective and Competitive Insights, Get Sample Report at: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/enquiry/sample-request/13332



Key Insight of the discrete semiconductor



North America to account for the largest market size during the forecast period.



North America is expected to have the largest discrete semiconductor share. Smartphones, tablets, and AI-assisted devices are increasing throughout the region. This is projected to have an impact on the region's market growth. According to the Consumer Technology Association's (CTA) US Consumer Technology Sales and Forecast study, smartphone revenue in 2018 and 2019 were assessed at USD 79.1 billion and USD 77.5 billion, respectively. In addition, according to Apple, the business collected USD 28.96 billion in revenue from iPhone sales in the second quarter of its 2020 fiscal year.



The transistors segment accounted for the largest share of the market, with a market revenue of USD 9.46 billion.



The transistors segment accounted for the largest share of the market, with a market revenue of USD 9.46 billion. According to Semiconductor Industry Association research issued in 2021, semiconductors can be packed with tens of billions of transistors due to the excessive use of transistors in semiconductors' rising market growth.



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The memory devices segment dominated the market with the largest revenue of USD 9.07 billion.



The memory devices segment dominated the market with the largest revenue of USD 9.07 billion. Discrete semiconductor memory devices are utilized in various consumer electronics, including high-demand desktop PCs, tablets, laptops, and smartphones.



The automotive segment accounted for the largest share of the market, with a market revenue of USD 4.84 billion.



The automotive segment accounted for the largest share of the market, with a market revenue of USD 4.84 billion. Infineon Technologies introduced the 650 V CoolSiC Hybrid Discrete for automotive applications in March 2021, which includes a 50 A TRENCHSTOP 5 fast-switching IGBT and a CoolSiC Schottky diode for cost-effective performance boost and exceptional reliability. In addition to bi-directional charging, the combination creates a cost-performance trade-off for hard-switching topologies and maintains high system integrity. Because of this, it is well-suited for quick-switching automotive applications such as onboard chargers (OBC), power factor correction (PFC), DC-DC, and DC-AC converters.



Custom Requirements can be requested for this Report at: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/enquiry/request-customization/13332



Advancement in Market



 In September 2021, Under the slogan "Ready for Mission Future," Infineon Technologies AG opened its high-tech chip production for power electronics on 300-millimetre thin wafers at its Villach site in Austria. The semiconductor group's investment, valued at EUR 1.6 billion, is one of the most significant in Europe's microelectronics sector.



 In September 2020, Infineon Technologies AG will debut its industry-leading 'TRENCHSTOP IGBT7 technology', which is excellent for industrial motor drives, photovoltaics, power factor correction, and uninterruptible power supplies.



 In July 2020, STMicroelectronics will release 26 new Schottky diodes with current ratings of 1-5 A and 25-200 V voltage ratings in low-profile SBM and SMA flat packages.



Market Dynamics



Drivers: Rise in Demand for MOSFETs and IGBT



The discrete semiconductor market is increasing due to increased demand for high-energy, low-power devices. Furthermore, the market is expanding due to increased demand for MOSFETs and IGBTs in electronics and automobiles. As a result, increased demand for discrete semiconductors from the consumer electronics and automotive industries is a significant driver of market growth.



Restraint: Rise of Integrated Circuits



Product manufacturers are using integrated circuits which hinders industry growth. The increasing emphasis on integrated circuits and a lack of technological innovation and development are among the significant issues the discrete semiconductor sector will face over the forecast period.



Opportunity: Rise in Demand for Current



Discrete semiconductors are discrete components used in amplifiers and other electrical devices that demand large amounts of current, such as diodes, transistors, and modules. On a circuit board, these semiconductors are mixed in with the chips. Almost every electrical product contains at least one or two discrete resistors or capacitors.



Challenge: Lack of Technological Advancement



A lack of technological advancement and development in discrete semiconductors is expected to challenge the market's growth.



Some of the major players operating in the discrete semiconductor are:



 ABB Limited

 Diodes Incorporated

 ON Semiconductor

 Toshiba Corporation

 Eaton Corporation

 Infineon Technologies

 STMicroelectronics NV

 Fuji Electric Corporation

 NXP Semiconductors

 Nexperia

 D3 Semiconductor

 Vishay Intertechnology Inc.

 Hitachi Ltd

 Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd.



Key Segments cover in the market:



By Type:



 Diodes

 Thyristors

 Transistors

 Modules

 Others



By Component:



 Memory Devices

 Discrete Power Devices

 Logic Devices

 Others



By Application:



 Networking and Communication

 Industrial

 Consumer Electronics

 Automotive

 Others



About the report:



The global discrete semiconductor is analyzed based on value (USD Billion). All the segments have been analyzed on a worldwide, regional, and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each part. The report offers an in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining critical insight into the market. The study includes porter's five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, supply, demand analysis, competitor position grid analysis, distribution, and marketing channels analysis.



Have a question? Speak to Research Analyst: https://www.thebrainyinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/13332



About The Brainy Insights:



The Brainy Insights is a market research company aimed at providing actionable insights through data analytics to companies to improve their business acumen. We have a robust forecasting and estimation model to meet the clients' objectives of high-quality output within a short span of time. We provide both customized (clients' specific) and syndicate reports. Our repository of syndicate reports is diverse across all the categories and sub-categories across domains. Our customized solutions are tailored to meet the clients' requirements, whether they are looking to expand or planning to launch a new product in the global market.



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Drive Capital

The firm will invest $500,000 in up to 160 founders

Andy Jenks headshot

Andy Jenks headshot

Landon Campbell Headshot

Landon Campbell Headshot

Avoilan Bingham Headshot

Avoilan Bingham Headshot

Matt Zwiebel Headshot

Matt Zwiebel Headshot

Alanna Souza Headshot

Alanna Souza Headshot

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Drive Capital , a multi-strategy venture firm investing in market-defining startups located in the Driveway, the still underinvested region in North America between the Hudson River and the Rocky Mountains, today announced an $80 million seed program. With its first iteration of the new program, Drive will invest $500,000 in pre-seed and seed companies located in Chicago, Atlanta, Columbus, Denver, and Toronto. Each market is supported by a dedicated General Manager.



Drives Seed Program further supports the firms mission of investing in the overlooked outliers building world defining companies across North America. The program will allow Drive to support the next generation of early-stage founders from idea until IPO.

"For early-stage startup companies, access to capital is critical," said Chris Olsen, Co-Founder and Partner at Drive Capital. "Were excited that this new program will help entrepreneurs get their first investment right where they live within these five cities inside the Driveway.

Even companies that are a household name now, started out as just an idea. Thats why were targeting promising founders to ensure that their important ideas become a reality.

The General Managers for each city include - Andy Jenks (Drive General Partner and Columbus GM), Landon Campbell (Chicago General Manager), Avoilan Bingham (Atlanta General Manager), Matt Zwiebel (Denver General Manager), and Alanna Souza (Toronto General Manager).

In order to find the best and brightest founders, Drive is eager to be part of each city's startup community, and thats accomplished by having our boots on the ground, said Landon Campbell, Chicagos General Manager for the Drive Seed Program. This new program will help strengthen Drives role as a long-term partner for seed-stage startups.

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Drives notable successes in seed investing include Forge Biologics (Gene Therapy Manufacturing), Beam Benefits (digital employee benefits), and Root Inc. (auto insurance). The firm now manages more than $2.2 billion in total assets and continues to build its portfolio and investment team whose expertise will untap billions of dollars of value in North America.

To learn more, visit Drive Capitals Seed Program site and follow the company on Twitter , LinkedIn , and YouTube .

About Drive Capital

Drive Capital is the most established venture capital firm at the intersection of industry and modern technology. Drive unlocks returns for limited partners by investing in market-defining companies anywhere in North America. Over the last decade, Drive grew to manage more than $2B in total assets. From insurance and manufacturing to energy, healthcare, finance and more, Drives portfolio is full of real businesses that create real value in the real world. The result is world-class returns from the greatest emerging market in the world  America. Drive is proudly headquartered in Columbus, Ohio  the geographic center of mass of Western GDP, but Drive also has boots on the ground in a dozen North American cities, with more to come.

Appendix - General Manager Bios

Andy Jenks





Andy Jenks, Drive General Partner and Columbus GM

Andy Jenks is a General Partner at Drive Capital who has invested in 70 pre-seed and seed companies. Andy has worn multiple hats throughout his career; engineer, founder, CEO, angel investor, and has sat on multiple boards. Prior to Drive Capital, Andy founded three companies in San Francisco and was an entrepreneur in residence at both Khosla Ventures (2012).

Landon Campbell





Landon Campbell, Chicago General Manager

Landon Campbell is the Chicago General Manager at Drive Capital. Prior to Drive, Landon spent time at Cameo, Motorola, and Inside.com. Landon is also the founder and host of inTheir20s, a podcast that interviews successful individuals, highlighting their journey and experiences during their 20s. Landon explores the frameworks and routines used by some of the most influential people and notable podcast guests have included Steve Wozniak and investors Jason Calacanis and David Sacks.

Avoilan Bingham





Avoilan Bingham, Atlanta General Manager

Avoilan Bingham is the Atlanta General Manager at Drive Capital. Prior to this position, Avoilan was Head of Sales for The Labz, a B2B metaverse as a solution platform. He was also an early-stage portfolio manager for Goodie Nation, an Atlanta-based accelerator focused on closing the relationship gap that exists for diverse founders around the world. By 2020, Avoilan accepted the role as Managing Partner at Vertical404, an Atlanta-based early-stage VC fund investing in Black, Latinx, and Female entrepreneurs of venture scalable B2B SaaS companies.

Matt Zwiebel





Matt Zwiebel, Denver General Manager

Matt Zwiebel is the Denver General Manager at Drive Capital. Prior to this role, Matt ran Pledge 1% Colorado, a non-profit which supports startups in setting aside equity in support of their community. From 2018-2021, Matt was also the Director of Seed Angel Forum, a quarterly dinner that connects startups raising capital with early stage funds and angels.

Alanna Souza





Alanna Souza, Toronto General Manager

Alanna Souza is the Toronto General Manager at Drive Capital. Prior to Drive, Alanna worked at a Series B startup, Plum Guide, for 4 years in a variety of roles - most recently leading sales & account management. In 2017, Alanna was Chief of Staff to the CEO of SSENSE, followed by becoming Head of Brand Development. Before SSENSE, she was a consultant at McKinsey and did investment banking at Scotiabank.

Media Contact:

Crystal Hermond

crystal@propllr.com

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DT Midstream, Inc.

DETROIT, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The DT Midstream, Inc. Board of Directors announced the appointment of Angela Archon to its Board of Directors, effective March 7, 2023. Ms. Archon, who qualifies as an independent director, will serve as a Class III Director of DT Midstream until the companys 2024 annual meeting of stockholders or until her earlier resignation or removal.



Ms. Archons career includes over 30 years at International Business Machines (IBM) where she held various global executive leadership roles in strategy, operations, customer relations, IT systems, business development and supply chain management. Ms. Archon also has significant independent public board experience. She currently serves on the board of Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc, which is a world leading thermal energy management and niche pumping specialist, and previously served on the boards of Switch, Inc. and H&R Block. Ms. Archon also serves on the board of Stewardship Trustees of CommonSpirit Health, the nations largest Catholic healthcare system.

We are excited to welcome Angela to the DT Midstream Board of Directors and feel that her depth of experience in diverse operating functions will greatly contribute to our strategic and corporate governance initiatives, said David Slater, President and CEO of DT Midstream. Ms. Archon will become the Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee and will also serve on the Boards Organization and Compensation and Environmental, Social and Governance Committees.

Coinciding with the appointment of Ms. Archon, Wright Lassiter III, DT Midstreams Lead Independent Director and Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee, has resigned. Mr. Lassiter has served on DT Midstreams Board of Directors since July 2021. Wrights leadership contributed to the successful transition of DT Midstream into an independent public company. I appreciate his guidance while serving on the Board and wish him continued success, said Robert Skaggs, Executive Chairman of DT Midstream.

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Additionally, Stephen Baker has been appointed Lead Independent Director, effective March 7, 2023. Mr. Baker, who is also the Chair of the Finance Committee, succeeds Mr. Lassiter. Mr. Baker is a highly respected business leader and has significant business and financial expertise in the energy industry. He has served as a member of the Board of Directors of DT Midstream since July 2021 and helped guide the company through its successful spin-off from DTE Energy. Steve has a breadth of experience in the pipeline sector, and I am confident that he will provide exceptional guidance and oversight to the Board and the Executive Leadership Team, said Mr. Skaggs.

About DT Midstream

DT Midstream (NYSE: DTM) is an owner, operator and developer of natural gas interstate and intrastate pipelines, storage and gathering systems, compression, treatment and surface facilities. The company transports clean natural gas for utilities, power plants, marketers, large industrial customers and energy producers across the Southern, Northeastern and Midwestern United States and Canada. The Detroit-based company offers a comprehensive, wellhead-to-market array of services, including natural gas transportation, storage and gathering. DT Midstream is transitioning towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, including a plan of achieving 30% of its carbon emissions reduction in the next decade. For more information, please visit the DT Midstream website at www.dtmidstream.com.

Investor Relations

Todd Lohrmann, DT Midstream, 313.774.2424

i nvestor_relations@dtmidstream.com




DVCon U.S.

GAINESVILLE, Fla., March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2023 Design and Verification Conference and Exhibition U.S. (DVCon U.S.), sponsored by Accellera Systems Initiative (Accellera), concluded its 35th annual event in San Jose, CA last week. The 2023 Best Paper and Poster winners, as voted on by attendees, were announced during a reception in the exhibit hall on March 1.



Participants came from 35 countries and represented approximately 275 companies, with 323 attending the conference and exhibition for the first time. Overall attendance for DVCon U.S. 2023 was approximately 850.

We were thrilled to be back in person this year, stated Vanessa Cooper, DVCon U.S. 2023 General Chair. "The energy and excitement from attendees was evident throughout the conference, especially during the new Poster Ninja Warrior Session. We had the top four poster presenters competing in front of a standing room only crowd with lively audience participation, creating an exciting and fun atmosphere for attendees. The exhibit hall was also bustling during receptions with many colleagues connecting face-to-face for the first time since 2020. Our technical sessions were also very well-attended with many topics to choose from for attendees. We are very proud that DVCon continues to be an important resource for the practicing design and verification engineer and that what they learn will help them be successful in their current and future projects.

The award for the Stuart Sutherland Best Paper Presentation, as voted by conference attendees, went to Chuck McClish, Microchip Technology Inc. for Take AIM! Introducing the Analog Information Model. Second place winners Jun Yan and Josh Baylor, Renesas Electronics, presented Automated Modeling Testbench Methodology Tested with four Types of PLL Models. Rob Donnelly and Josh Geden, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory took third place for their paper, Regvue: Modern Register Documentation.

Top honors for best poster went to Robert Martin, Alan Curtis and Qingwei Zhou, Intel and Gopinath Narasimhan, Synopsys for Improvement of UVM Scenario Generation, Control and Reproducibility using Portable Stimulus for IP Validation. Eldhose PM, Suraj Shetty, Sagar Jayakrishnan, Kuntal Pandya, and Parag S. Lonkar, Samsung were awarded second place for, An Enhanced DV Approach for Effectively Verifying High Speed, Low Power MIPI-MPHY5.0 Designs. Woojoo Kim, Kunhyuk Kang and Seonil Brian Choi, Samsung took third place for, A Study on Virtual Prototyping based Design Verification Methodology.

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Highlights of the Week:

The conference kicked off on Monday with Accellera Day featuring a morning tutorial on user experiences with the Portable Test and Stimulus Standard (PSS), as well as nine workshops throughout the day.



Bob Smith, Director of SEMI/ESD Alliance presented, The CHIPs Act and its Impact on the Design and Verification Industry, during Mondays luncheon.



More than 200 attended the keynote on Tuesday, What do farming, steel and space have in common? presented by Dirk Didascalou, CTO Siemens Digital Industries. Dirk focused on the digital transformation taking place in the electronics industry and the need for companies to move away from an ego system and work together toward an ecosystem.



There were two panels on Wednesday: Systems are Evolving. Is Verification Keeping Up? moderated by Bernard Murphy, SemiWiki. and AI-ML Algorithms are Transforming Verification: Separating Hype from Reality, moderated by Shankar Hemmady, CEO, Blue Horizons. Both sessions were well-attended and gave the audience an opportunity to ask questions of the panelists.



The Accellera-sponsored luncheon on Wednesday had the presentation of the Accellera 2023 Technical Excellence Award posthumously awarded to Phil Moorby, the inventor of Verilog HDL. Some of his close colleagues shared stories and photos of their time with Phil, giving attendees a glimpse into the significant impact he made on the industry. The lunch concluded with Mark Himelstein, CTO of RISC-V International, giving a talk focused on RISC-V Everywhere.



New to the program this year was the Poster Ninja Warrior Session to determine the Stuart Sutherland Best Poster Award winners. The top four posters went to battle in front of a standing room only crowd to see who would take top honors. Audience participation helped to decide the winners.

The DVCon Steering Committee values all feedback regarding the conference. DVCon U.S. attendees have been given a survey and are asked to provide input and feedback on how we can improve and continue to make DVCon the industrys must-attend conference for design and verification engineers.

Save the date: DVCon U.S. 2024 will be held March 4-7 at the DoubleTree Hotel in San Jose, California. Tom Fitzpatrick is appointed General Chair for DVCon U.S. 2024.

About DVCon

DVCon is the premier conference for discussion of the functional design and verification of electronic systems. DVCon is sponsored by Accellera Systems Initiative, an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating design and verification standards required by systems, semiconductor, intellectual property (IP) and electronic design automation (EDA) companies. For more information about Accellera, please visit www.accellera.org. For more information about DVCon U.S., please visit here. Follow DVCon on Facebook, LinkedIn or @dvcon_us on Twitter or to comment, please use #dvcon_us.

For more information, please contact:

Laura LeBlanc Barbara Benjamin Conference Catalysts, LLC HighPointe Communications 352-872-5544 Ext. 115 503-209-2323 lleblanc@conferencecatalysts.com barbara@hipcom.com




Elon Musk arrives on the red carpet for the Axel Springer media award in Berlin - Hannibal Hanschke/Pool Photo via AP, File

Elon Musk has publicly questioned the work ethic of a disabled Twitter director who was forced to contact the billionaire personally to ask if hed been sacked.

Haraldur Thorliefsson, an Iceland-based Twitter designer, made contact with the Twitter owner after he was locked out of his account without being told if he still had a job.

Mr Thorliefsson, who uses a wheelchair, sent a Tweet to Mr Musk asking: [Nine] days ago the access to my work computer was cut, along with about 200 other Twitter employees.

However, your head of HR is not able to confirm if I am an employee or not. You've not answered my emails.

Mr Musk responded on Twitter by asking Mr Thorliefsson: What work have you been doing.

When Mr Thorliefsson responded he had been leading all active design work at Twitter, Mr Musk responded with laughing emojis.

What work have you been doing?  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 7, 2023

After the exchange, Mr Thorliefsson said he had been contacted by Twitter's human resources chief, confirming he no longer had a job.

Mr Musk then went on to raise questions over Mr Thorliefsson's disability. Mr Thorliefsson, who joined Twitter in 2021 after it acquired his company, is wheelchair bound and has muscular dystrophy, a condition that causes muscle mass loss and weakness.

The world's richest man claimed Mr Thorliefsson did no actual work, claimed as his excuse that he had a disability that prevented him from typing, yet was simultaneously tweeting up a storm.

You can't be fired if you weren't working in the first place!

On his personal website, Mr Thorliefsson says he uses a wheelchair and is slowly but surely losing strength in my upper body and arms.

He said on Tuesday he still did not know if he would be paid money he is still owed by Twitter.

But ok, fair enough, I've been laid off and I'm ok with that.



Next up though is finding out if Twitter will pay me what they owe me per my contract.



Or, will @elonmusk , one of the richest people in the world, try to avoid paying?



Stay tuned!!  Halli (@iamharaldur) March 7, 2023

Mr Musk has summarily sacked thousands of Twitter's workers since buying the business last October. The social network now has fewer than 2,000 employees, down from more than 7,500 last year.

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A further 200 employees, largely engineers, were sacked last week. Most Twitter employees have been given little notice when losing their jobs, simply finding themselves locked out of work laptops.

Mr Musk has demanded the remaining employees adopt a hardcore work ethic, with many working weekends or overnight. Some staff have slept in sleeping bags on the floor or in beds installed in meeting rooms.

A skeleton team of Twitter engineers has been forced to enact sweeping changes at the social network. On Monday, a change enacted by the company's engineers meant no links posted to the site worked for several hours.

Mr Thorliefsson responded to Mr Musk's comments saying he had told human resources he was unable to do manual work including typing for extended periods of time because of his condition.

He is able to use one finger to type on a phone keyboard. This wasn't a problem before Mr Musk took over, Mr Thorliefsson added.

He said Mr Musk had shared confidential health information and asked the billionaire are you going to pay what you owe me?
Market Research Future

Increased Use in Maritime Industry to Boost Enterprise VSAT Market Growth

New York, US, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a comprehensive research report by Market Research Future (MRFR),  Enterprise VSAT Market : By Type, By Organization Size, By Region - Forecast till 2030, the market is predicted to thrive substantially during the assessment era from 2020 to 2030 at a healthy CAGR of approximately 9.24% to attain a valuation of around USD 13.61 Billion by the end of 2030.

Market Competitive Analysis

Eminent industry players profiled in the global enterprise VSAT market report include:

Omniaccess (Spain)

Skycaster LLC (US)

Gigasat (US)

Comtech Telecommunications Corporation (US)

Global Eagle (US)

Viasat Inc (US)

Newtec (Belgium)

VT iDirect (US)

Gilat Satellite Networks (Israel)

Singtel (Singapore),

Hughes Network Systems LLC (US)

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Enterprise VSAT Market Report Scope:

Report Metrics Details Enterprise VSAT Market Size by 2030 USD 13.61 Billion (2030) Enterprise VSAT Market CAGR during 2022-2030 9.24% Base Year 2019 Forecast 2020-2030 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Key Market Drivers Increased Adoption in Maritime Industry to Bolster Market Growth

Drivers

Increased Use in Maritime Industry to Boost Market Growth

VSAT systems are frequently installed in ships to provide quick broadband connections for both commercial and personal communications. It is utilized in video conferencing & ERP for business purposes, while email, streaming, and video calling are used for personal communications. Enterprise VSAT are utilized in surveillance apps as well, helping the military protect coastal areas and support naval operations that need for portable, lightweight, and tiny technology. Long-distance ships should have strong connections to the outside world so that passengers and crew may stay in touch with loved ones and receive port & weather information. VSAT systems are useful in this situation. This will support the market within the anticipated time frame.

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Opportunities

Growing Need for Broadband Data Connections to offer Robust Opportunities

The growing need for broadband data connections especially from business sectors and government will offer robust opportunities for the market in the forecast period.

Browse In-depth Market Research Report (111 Pages) on Enterprise VSAT Market:

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/enterprise-vsat-market-8146

Restraints and Challenges

Sea Connectivity Issues to act as Market Restraint

Sea connectivity issues, high cost to replace satellites, high VSAT equipment installation cost, and complex installation process may act as market restraints over the forecast period.

Market Segmentation

The global enterprise VSAT market has been bifurcated based on organization size and type.

By type, services will lead the market over the forecast period.

By organization size, large enterprises will dominate the market over the forecast period.

COVID-19 Analysis

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has spread a shadow over the entire planet, making victims out of a wide range of industries in various sectors, including the worldwide enterprise VSAT market. The spread of this fatal virus in the APAC area, the US, and Europe has resulted in a decline in the demand for enterprise VSAT solutions globally, with a corresponding decline in revenue for various service providers and the suppliers of VSAT. The global enterprise VSAT market's expansion has been negatively impacted by equipment shortages, staffing shortages in manufacturing facilities, the manufacturing shutdowns, and late deliveries brought on by social isolation and global lockdown. But by 2022, it's anticipated to be back to normal.

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Regional Analysis

North America to Head Enterprise VSAT Market

Over the course of the forecast period, North America will control the majority of the market. The region is home to well-known market players like Skycaster LLC, VT iDirect, Gigasat, and Hughes Network Systems LLC. Satellite services are widely used for a variety of purposes, including disaster management, monitoring of volcanoes during hurricanes and storms, identifying vegetation, and inspecting historical sites. Expanding mobile broadband use, technical advancements, and rising adoption in the aerospace and defense industries are some factors boosting the market growth within this area. The United States possesses the largest market share.

APAC to Have Admirable Growth in Enterprise VSAT Market

The global market is anticipated to hold the second-largest share in the APAC region during the projected period. The presence of major market players like Shanghai VSAT Network Systems Co., Ltd, Nelco, ABS, Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd, Inmarsat PLC, & Syntelix Avances Tecnologicos SL is increasing the region's global enterprise VSAT share along with the growth of SMEs and advancements in digital technology like IoT and Machine-to-Machine (M2M). Additional enterprise VSAT market growth factors include the expanding use in the marine sector, positive government measures to encourage the use of VSAT services and connect colleges and universities in Australia, China, & India, and shifting political environments.

The market will be dominated by China, with the next-largest shares going to South Korea, Japan, South-East Asia, and India. As other regional markets see slowing growth, the market is firmly within its growth stage & is anticipated to become the new battleground for major global VSAT operators. The continued rise of corporate VSAT networks, which also heralds the next phase of growth for the satellite services, has increased SME acceptance of VSAT services. The expansion of remote healthcare, telemedicine, and distant learning initiatives is anticipated to fuel the region's development. The majority of governments in the area have universal access initiatives, which are anticipated to set aside money and provide subsidies to address the region's lack of access to modern telecommunications. The developmental subsidies are supporting to offset the initial capital cost, which is essential to establish wireless & satellite infrastructures.

The enterprise VSAT market is fragmented and competitive as a result of the presence of numerous national and international industry players. These players have used a range of innovative strategies, including agreements, partnerships, joint ventures, collaborations, the launch of new products, geographic expansions, and more, in order to accommodate the growing client need while still being on the cutting edge. They also support numerous research and development initiatives.

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Industry Update

February 2023- Through close collaboration on the ground systems infrastructure for Kacific's fleet of satellites, Kacific Broadband Satellites Group (Kacific) & ST Engineering iDirect, the largest TDMA enterprise VSAT manufacturer in the world, have reinforced their long-term technology alliance.

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European Hemodynamic Monitoring System Market

European Hemodynamic Monitoring System Market

Dublin, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Europe Hemodynamic Monitoring System Market Forecast to 2028 - COVID-19 Impact and Regional Analysis - by Type, Product, and End User" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Europe hemodynamic monitoring system market is expected to grow from US$ 434.63 million in 2022 to US$ 616.34 million by 2028. It is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.0% from 2022 to 2028.



Growing Geriatric Population Drives Hemodynamic Monitoring System Market in Europe



Higher cases of CVDs occur among geriatric people. According to the Eurostat, over one fifth, i.e.,20.8% of the European Union population was aged 65 or more in 2021. As per the report 'The UK's ageing population' by the House of Commons (UK Parliament), the UK's population is witnessing a massive age shift. In 2019, there were more than 12.3 million people aged 65 or more in the region and the figure is projected to reach 17.4 million, i.e., around 24% of the entire population by 2043.

The rising geriatric population is expected to lead to various chronic health conditions, such as high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes, the primary causes of cardiovascular diseases. The monitoring services for the geriatric population are widely provided in home care settings. Therefore, the demand for hemodynamic monitoring systems in these settings is growing, thereby fostering the growth of Europe hemodynamic monitoring system market.



Europe Hemodynamic Monitoring System Market Overview



The Europe hemodynamic monitoring system market is segmented into Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and the Rest of Europe. The region holds a significant market share in the hemodynamic monitoring system market. Europe occupies a significant position in the hemodynamic monitoring system market and is estimated to register a robust growth rate over the forecast period.

The Europe hemodynamic monitoring system market is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period due to factors such as the significant growth in elderly population, growing cardiovascular diseases along with increasing diabetes and hypertension in the region.



EuropeHemodynamic Monitoring System Market Revenue and Forecast to 2028 (US$ Million)

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Europe Hemodynamic Monitoring System Market Segmentation



The Europe hemodynamic monitoring system market is segmented into type, product, end user, and country.

Based on type, the Europe hemodynamic monitoring system market is segmented into non-invasive hemodynamic monitoring systems, minimally invasive hemodynamic monitoring systems, and invasive hemodynamic monitoring systems. The invasive hemodynamic monitoring systems segment held the largest Europe hemodynamic monitoring system market share in 2022.

Based on product, the Europe hemodynamic monitoring system market is segmented into monitors and disposables. The disposables segment held the larger Europe hemodynamic monitoring system market share in 2022.

Based on end user, the Europe hemodynamic monitoring system market is segmented into hospitals, home care, cath labs, and ambulatory care center. The hospitals segment held the largest Europe hemodynamic monitoring system market share in 2022

Based on country, the Europe hemodynamic monitoring system market is segmented into Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and the Rest of Europe. Germany dominated the Europe hemodynamic monitoring system market share in 2022.

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 172 Forecast Period 2022 - 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $434.63 Million Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $616.34 Million Compound Annual Growth Rate 6.0% Regions Covered Europe

Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction



2. Europe Hemodynamic Monitoring System Market - Key Takeaways



3. Research Methodology



4. Europe Hemodynamic Monitoring System Market - Market Landscape



5. Europe Hemodynamic Monitoring System Market - Key Market Dynamics



6. Hemodynamic Monitoring System Market - Europe Analysis



7. Europe Hemodynamic Monitoring System Market Analysis - By Type



8. Europe Hemodynamic Monitoring System Market Analysis by Product



9. Europe Hemodynamic Monitoring System Market Analysis by End User



10. Europe Hemodynamic Monitoring System Market Revenue and Forecasts to 2028 - Country Analysis



11. Europe Hemodynamic Monitoring System Market-Industry Landscape



12. Company Profiles



13. Appendix



A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

Baxter International Inc

Change Healthcare

DELTEX MEDICAL

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation

General Electric Co

Getinge Group

ICU MEDICAL INC.

International Business Machines Corp

Koninklijke Philips NV

Masimo

Osypka Medical GmbH

Schwarzer Cardiotek

Siemens Healthineers AG

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3zg3ly

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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Exclusive-China promises Sri Lanka deal on debt treatment in coming months -letter FILE PHOTO: Sri Lankan rupees are seen in a bowl at a vegetable vendor's shop amid the rampant food inflation, amid Sri Lanka's economic crisis, in Colombo

By Devjyot Ghoshal and Uditha Jayasinghe

COLOMBO (Reuters) -The Export-Import Bank of China has told Sri Lanka it will try to finalise in the months ahead how it treats debt owed by the crisis-hit nation, according to a letter seen by Reuters which also reiterated a moratorium for debt due in 2022 and 2023.

The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday that Sri Lanka had secured financing assurances from China, India and all its major bilateral creditors, setting the stage for final approval of the IMF's $2.9 billion, four-year bailout for the island nation on March 20.

Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis in more than seven decades and a shortage of dollars has disrupted imports of essentials, though the situation has improved this year from last year when protesters ousted its president.

China has extended its "firm support to Sri Lanka through a debt treatment", EXIM Bank wrote in the letter to the Sri Lankan government on March 6.

The bank's Vice President, Zhang Wencai, said in the letter that the island nation would not have to immediately repay the principal and interest due on its loans for the two years, "so as to help relieve your short-term debt repayment pressure".

"Meanwhile, we would like to expedite the negotiation process with your side regarding medium- and long-term debt treatment in this window period, with a view to finalising the specifics of a debt treatment in the coming months. We will make our best efforts to contribute to the debt sustainability of Sri Lanka."

The letter mirrors what EXIM Bank sent to Sri Lanka in January, except for the target of finalising debt-treatment specifics in the coming months.

By end-2020, Sri Lanka owed EXIM $2.83 billion, or nearly 9% of external central government debt, according to IMF data.

The letter added that China would call on "commercial creditors to provide debt treatment in an equally comparable manner, and encourage multilateral creditors to do their utmost to make contributions to help you better respond to the crisis and emerge from it".

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A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed the contents of the letter.

"It fully reflects our sincerity and efforts to support Sri Lanka in achieving debt sustainability, and we hope that relevant parties will respond positively to Sri Lanka's loan application as soon as possible, Mao Ning told a regular news conference.

LONG TALKS WITH CHINA

Sri Lanka's international bonds slipped on Wednesday with most issues down around 1 cent on the dollar, though that only partially offset stellar gains in the previous session, Tradeweb data showed.

Winning the support of China, the world's and Sri Lanka's biggest sovereign creditor, was crucial for the IMF deal to go ahead.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe told parliament on Tuesday that the government received the China letter on Monday night and soon after, he and the central bank governor sent a letter of intent to the IMF.

A source at Wickremesinghe's office said the president had been expecting the letter from EXIM Bank from Thursday.

"Sri Lanka has been talking, discussing and negotiating with China EXIM Bank for weeks, mostly virtually, because that was what we were tasked with doing," said the source, declining to be identified as he was not authorised to talk to the media.

He said the support from the international community, especially Japan and the United States talking to the Chinese government, helped Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka's case was also boosted by a G20 meeting in India last month, said the source.

Sri Lanka cabinet spokesperson and transport minister, Bandula Gunawardena, told a weekly news briefing that the possible final IMF approval was a "great achievement".

"Sri Lanka has worked hard and spent months to fulfill requirements for the IMF programme, at certain times the president engaged at personal level to get support," he said.

"Without the IMF programme, Sri Lanka cannot turn around its economy."

(Reporting by Devjyot Ghoshal and Uditha Jayasinghe; Additional reporting by Liz Lee in Beijing and Karin Strohecker in London; Writing by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Kim Coghill, Muralikumar Anantharaman and Sharon Singleton)
WASHINGTON, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) finds that, as of 2022, American taxpayers shell out at least $151 billion each year to cover the cost of illegal immigration. Broken down, the data reveals that taxpayers pay $182 billion annually to provide services and benefits to illegal aliens and their dependents. These costs are offset by about $31 billion in taxes that are collected from the estimated 15.5 million illegal aliens living in the United States, bringing the net cost to $150.7 billion annually.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is a national, nonprofit, public-interest, membership organization of concerned citizens who share a common belief that our nation's immigration policies must be reformed to serve the national interest. Visit FAIR's website at www.fairus.org . (PRNewsFoto/FAIR)

The 2022 costs represent a 30 percent increase to taxpayers in just five years. A former version of this study, conducted in 2017 by FAIR, placed the annual net cost of illegal immigration at $116 billion. Most of the additional costs have been added in the past two years, as the Biden administration's de facto open borders policies have triggered a historic surge of new illegal migrants pouring across our borders. Moreover, the updated price tag of $151 billion is a conservative estimate as there are additional costs incurred from illegal immigration, but there is currently insufficient data to provide reliable cost estimates.

FAIR's comprehensive analysis looks at available federal, state, and local programs and services that are directly accessible to illegal aliens, or indirectly, through their U.S.-born children who qualify for all means-tested programs. In addition to the surge of illegal immigration since 2021, state and local governments have offered a variety of new benefits and services to illegal aliens, which have exacerbated the situation for struggling taxpayers.

Among the key findings in FAIR's report, The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on United States Taxpayers:

The gross annual cost of illegal immigration (the total amount before taxes paid by illegal aliens are factored in) is now $182 billion, annually.

Taxes paid by illegal aliens only cover around 17.2 percent of the costs they create for American citizens, bringing the net cost to $150.7 billion a year.

The largest component of the cost is K-12 education, which must be provided under a 1982 Supreme Court ruling. The annual K-12 education cost for illegal aliens (and their U.S.-born children) is $78 billion, of which $70.4 billion is borne by states and localities.

Health care for illegal aliens costs taxpayers about $42.7 billion annually.

A variety of food assistance and nutritional programs used by illegal aliens and their children cost taxpayers about $13.5 billion annually.

Combined federal, state, and local criminal justice costs associated with illegal immigration run about $47 billion annually  not including the cost of damages to victims.

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"As America struggles to meet countless societal needs while facing the realities of our staggering $31 trillion national debt, the costs of providing for millions of people who have no legal right to be in the United States continues to grow at an alarming rate," commented Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "To be clear, most of this enormous financial burden has been inflicted on taxpayers by the open borders advocates at every level of government. Not only is the Biden administration refusing to rein-in illegal immigration or remove the people who are breaking our laws, they are promulgating policies that actually encourage more of it while offering new protections and benefits to those who settle here illegally. Likewise, a growing number of states and localities create their own costly magnets for illegal aliens by declaring themselves sanctuaries and offering new benefits and services. This has to stop."

"The American people viscerally understand that no nation can flourish without controlling its borders and enforcing its immigration laws. The purpose of this report is to provide them with the true costs of these ruinous policies -- $150.7 billion a year and growing with no inclination on the part of the current administration to address the problem," Stein concluded.

Contact: Ron Kovach, 202-328-7004 or rkovach@fairus.org.

ABOUT FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country's largest immigration reform group. With over 3 million members and supporters nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

Cision

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SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)
Poe panel urges upgrade of equipment, technical capacity at airports to avoid glitches

The Senate committee on public services headed by Senator Grace Poe raised the urgent need to improve the technical capacity of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and upgrade critical equipment to avert future glitches at the country's airports.

These should be complemented with the roll out of sufficient engineering guidelines and training of accredited engineers who will man the system, Poe said when she endorsed the Senate committee report on the New Year's Day air traffic shutdown.

"The January 1 'systems failure' was indeed a confluence of factors and errors. Experts likened it to the planets aligning albeit with an unfortunate consequence. Bihira pero alam nating posibleng mangyari ito, at patuloy na mangyayari kung wala tayong gagawin sa mga problema ng air traffic system sa bansa," Poe said.

"There is much work needed for a better system. It is my earnest hope that through our investigative work, Congress will be able to assist CAAP in providing a system where travel in our airspace is no longer shut down by causes which could have been avoided," she added.

Poe reiterated the panel will not adopt a punitive direction on its findings, stressing public safety as its primary goal.

"Accountability will follow after we've laid down safety measures for our air passengers," she said.

Among the committee's other recommendations are:

-Setting up of another Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) in an independent location

-Fast-tracking of feasibility studies on the proposed Ninoy Aquino International Airport privatization

-Immediate compliance by CAAP to the recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization

-Amendment of CAAP charter to improve efficiency and transparency

-Passage of relevant bills such as Philippine Transportation Safety Board, Philippine Airports Authority Act and Air Passengers Bill of Rights
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China's government could use TikTok to control data on millions of American users, FBI Director Christopher Wray told a U.S. Senate hearing on Wednesday, saying the Chinese-owned video app "screams" of security concerns.

Wray told a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats to U.S. security that the Chinese government could also use TikTok to control software on millions of devices and drive narratives to divide Americans over Taiwan or other issues.

"Yes, and I would make the point on that last one, in particular, that we're not sure that we would see many of the outward signs of it happening if it was happening," Wray said of concerns China could feed misinformation to users.

"This is a tool that is ultimately within the control of the Chinese government - and it, to me, it screams out with national security concerns," Wray said.

The White House backed legislation introduced on Tuesday by a dozen senators to give President Joe Biden's administration new powers to ban TikTok and other foreign-based technologies if they pose national security threats. The endorsement boosted efforts by a number of lawmakers to ban the popular app, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance and used by more than 100 million Americans.

Other top U.S. intelligence officials including Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, CIA Director William Burns and National Security Agency Director Paul Nakasone agreed at the hearing that TikTok posed a threat to U.S. national security.

Nakasone on Tuesday expressed concern during Senate testimony about TikTok's data collection and potential to facilitate broad influence operations.

(Reporting by Michael Martina and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Will Dunham)
VANCOUVER, BC, March 8, 2023 /CNW/ - FPX Nickel Corp. (TSXV: FPX) (OTCQB: FPOCF) ("FPX" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received funding from the Government of Canada to accelerate demonstration of the technical and commercial viability to produce nickel sulphate and cobalt hydroxide for the electric vehicle ("EV") battery supply chain from the Company's Baptiste Nickel Project ("Baptiste" or the "Project") in central British Columbia. On completion of a competitive application process, FPX has been awarded $725,000 by Natural Resources Canada ("NRCan") under the Government of Canada's Critical Minerals Research, Development and Demonstration ("CMRDD") program, designed to assist the development of critical minerals supply chains to contribute to Canada's goal of being a net-zero carbon emitter.

FPX Nickel Corp. Logo (CNW Group/FPX Nickel Corp.)

Highlights

Non-dilutive and non-repayable CMRDD funding of $725,000 marks one of the first instances of direct funding from the Government of Canada to a development-stage mining company under the government's new Canadian Critical Minerals Strategy

Funding will allow FPX to accelerate demonstration of the technical and economic viability to produce battery-grade nickel sulphate and cobalt hydroxide for the EV battery supply chain from Baptiste awaruite concentrate

Bench- and pilot-scale testwork funded by the CMRDD grant will build on previous successful testwork, validating Baptiste's robust and conventional hydrometallurgical flowsheet which is expected to be more environmentally sustainable than traditional production methods, including lower carbon emissions, power consumption, and waste generation

"Canadian innovators are leading the way towards a cleaner future. Today's investment of more than $720,000 in FPX Nickel Corp. will help to advance the development of a dynamic and competitive critical minerals sector through the development and demonstration of innovative processing technologies. This means good jobs for workers, more investment in Canadian innovation, and lower emissions across the country  all part of our plan to build a cleaner Canada and a prosperous, sustainable economy that works for everyone."

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- The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources

"We are grateful to receive this funding support from the federal government. FPX was honoured to be the only junior mining company in attendance at the December 2022 launch event for Canada's critical mineral strategy, and for NRCan's invitation to attend Minister Wilkinson's recent trade mission to Japan. We see tremendous opportunity for partnership and collaboration between industry and the federal government and First Nations on critical minerals projects such as Baptiste, and look forward to scaling up the production of battery-grade nickel sulphate and cobalt hydroxide from Baptiste and to demonstrating the technical and economic viability of producing battery materials in our upcoming preliminary feasibility study, expected in the third quarter of 2023."

- Martin Turenne, President and CEO of FPX Nickel

Background

The Company commenced a bench-scale hydrometallurgical testing program in December 2022 to optimize previous leach testing of Baptiste awaruite concentrate, and to conduct purification and nickel sulphate crystallization testwork. These testwork results are expected to be reported in the second quarter of 2023 and will be integrated into the preliminary feasibility study ("PFS") to demonstrate the efficient supply of nickel sulphate and cobalt hydroxide products to the battery material supply chain.

The additional testwork and engineering studies funded by the Government of Canada's CMRDD program will accelerate FPX's demonstration of the technical and commercial viability of producing nickel and cobalt products for the EV supply chain from Baptiste awaruite concentrate. The CMRDD-funded program will include larger pilot-scale testing of the mineral processing flowsheet for the production of awaruite concentrate, followed by bench- and pilot-scale testing of the hydrometallurgical flowsheet to convert awaruite concentrate to nickel sulphate and cobalt hydroxide. This scale of testwork will provide FPX with additional quantities of nickel and cobalt products to conduct a market validation program with downstream consumers in the EV battery supply chain, including large battery companies and automakers.

The project partly funded by the CMRDD program is now underway and will be completed during the first quarter of 2024. The Company will provide further details regarding the scope and objectives of the project prior to the initiation of pilot-scale testwork in the third quarter.

Andrew Osterloh, P.Eng., FPX Nickel's Qualified Person under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release.

About the Decar Nickel District

The Company's Decar Nickel District represents a large-scale greenfield discovery of nickel mineralization in the form of a naturally occurring nickel-iron alloy called awaruite (Ni 3 Fe) hosted in an ultramafic/ophiolite complex. FPX's mineral claims cover an area of 245 km2 west of the Middle River and north of Trembleur Lake, in central British Columbia. Awaruite mineralization has been identified in several target areas within the ophiolite complex including the Baptiste Deposit and the Van Target, as confirmed by drilling, petrographic examination, electron probe analyses and outcrop sampling. Since 2010, approximately US $28 million has been spent on the exploration and development of Decar.

Of the four targets in the Decar Nickel District, the Baptiste Deposit has been the focus of increasing resource definition (a total of 99 holes and 33,700 m of drilling completed), as well as environmental and engineering studies to evaluate its potential as a bulk-tonnage open pit mining project. The Baptiste Deposit is located within the Baptiste Creek watershed, on the traditional and unceded territory of Tl'azt'en Nation and Binche Whut'en First Nation, and within several Tl'azt'enne and Binche Whut'enne keyohs. FPX has conducted mineral exploration activities to date subject to the conditions of our agreements with the Nations and keyoh holders.

About FPX Nickel Corp.

FPX Nickel Corp. is focused on the exploration and development of the Decar Nickel District, located in central British Columbia, and other occurrences of the same unique style of naturally occurring nickel-iron alloy mineralization known as awaruite. For more information, please view the Company's website at www.fpxnickel.com or contact Martin Turenne, President and CEO, at (604) 681-8600 or ceo@fpxnickel.com.

On behalf of FPX Nickel Corp.

"Martin Turenne"

Martin Turenne, President, CEO and Director

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain of the statements made and information contained herein is considered "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These statements address future events and conditions and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties, as disclosed in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Actual results could differ from those currently projected. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE FPX Nickel Corp.

Cision

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Tokyo, Japan--(Newsfile Corp. - March 7, 2023) - NEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) has been recognized by Frost & Sullivan as the leader in the Frost Radar: Biometrics Authentication Solutions, 2022 benchmarking system, announced by NEC on February 17.





FROST RADAR: Biometric Authentication Solutions, 2022

This is the second time in a row that NEC maintains its position as the market leader, reflecting NEC's pivot toward biometric solutions, which are providing the company with significant growth opportunities.

Frost & Sullivan indicated that NEC achieved overall Growth and Innovation Leadership on the Frost Radar as the result of its ongoing innovations to its extensive portfolio.

In addition, the analyst firm appraised initiatives such as the NEC Group's AI and Human Rights Principles, as well as the company's thought leadership on decentralized identity and self-sovereign ID.

"With its ongoing leadership throughout the biometric solutions industry, NEC's robust biometric authentication solution emphasizes how NEC's ability to meet existing and new customer demands, empower end users to take control over their biometric data, and steer the biometric industry into the next phase of growth," said Danielle VanZandt, Industry Manager, Commercial & Public Security Research, Frost & Sullivan.

"NEC's biometrics solutions are known for their top-level accuracy, and based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) benchmark test* held in 2022, NEC's iris and face recognition technologies were both ranked first in the world," said Masato Yoshikawa, Senior Director, Biometrics & Video Analytics Platform Department, NEC Corporation. "During 2023, NEC will take full advantage of these results and launch a scalable and expandable multimodal biometric solution that uses face and iris recognition technology, which will fully contribute to improving security and convenience simultaneously."

Installed in more than 70 countries and regions worldwide, NEC is a global leader in the field of biometric authentication. Recently, NEC's biometric technology has been selected for major national projects in Malaysia and Vietnam, contributing to the digitalization of existing government services.

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Going forward, NEC will focus on utilizing its biometric authentication technology in new areas such as web3 and more.

Download the full report here:

https://www.nec.com/en/global/analyst-relations/2022biometricsaward/index.html

*NIST benchmark test results do not constitute endorsement of any particular product by the U.S. Government.

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of "Orchestrating a brighter world." NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness, and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.

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Company to Showcase its Innovate Gene Therapy Programs in Oncology and Diabetes

AUSTIN, Texas, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Genprex, Inc. ("Genprex" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: GNPX), a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on developing life-changing therapies for patients with cancer and diabetes, today announced the Company's participation in the following upcoming investor and industry conferences to be held in March 2023.

Genprex, Inc. is a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on developing life-changing therapies for patients with cancer and diabetes. (PRNewsfoto/Genprex, Inc.)

Event: 35th Annual Roth Conference

Conference Date: March 12-14, 2023

Location: The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, California

In attendance at the Roth Conference will be Genprex's Chief Financial Officer, Ryan Confer. For those interested in meeting Mr. Confer during the Roth Conference, please request a meeting through the conference portal or reach out to investor relations at investors@genprex.com.

Event: BIO-Europe Spring

Conference Date: March 20 - 22, 2023

Location: Messe Basel, Basel, Switzerland

In attendance at BIO-Europe Spring will be several members of Genprex's executive leadership team. For those interested in meeting Genprex management during BIO Europe Spring, please request a meeting through the conference portal or reach out to investor relations at investors@genprex.com.

"We are pleased to have members of our Senior Leadership Team participate in these upcoming conferences as they offer an excellent opportunity to highlight the significant potential for our novel gene therapies to address unmet medical needs in oncology and diabetes," said Rodney Varner, Chief Executive Officer of Genprex. "We look forward to providing an overview and update on our clinical development programs, including our Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the Acclaim-1 Phase 1/2 clinical trial of REQORSA (quaratusugene ozeplasmid) in combination with Tagrisso (osimertinib) to treat late-stage non-small cell lung cancer and our recent groundbreaking data from a non-human primate study evaluating our innovative gene therapy to treat Type 1 diabetes presented at a global medical meeting."

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About Genprex, Inc.

Genprex, Inc. is a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on developing life-changing therapies for patients with cancer and diabetes. Genprex's technologies are designed to administer disease-fighting genes to provide new therapies for large patient populations with cancer and diabetes who currently have limited treatment options. Genprex works with world-class institutions and collaborators to develop drug candidates to further its pipeline of gene therapies in order to provide novel treatment approaches. Genprex's oncology program utilizes its proprietary, non-viral ONCOPREX Nanoparticle Delivery System, which the Company believes is the first systemic gene therapy delivery platform used for cancer in humans. ONCOPREX encapsulates the gene-expressing plasmids using lipid nanoparticles. The resultant product is administered intravenously, where it is then taken up by tumor cells that express tumor suppressor proteins that are deficient in the body. The Company's lead product candidate, REQORSA (quaratusugene ozeplasmid), is being evaluated in three clinical trials as a treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Both NSCLC clinical programs received a Fast Track Designation from the Food and Drug Administration. Genprex's diabetes gene therapy approach is comprised of a novel infusion process that uses an endoscope and an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector to deliver Pdx1 and MafA genes directly to the pancreas. In models of Type 1 diabetes, GPX-002 transforms alpha cells in the pancreas into functional beta-like cells, which can produce insulin but are distinct enough from beta cells to evade the body's immune system. In a similar approach, GPX-003 for Type 2 diabetes, where autoimmunity is not at play, is believed to rejuvenate and replenish exhausted beta cells.

For more information, please visit the Company's web site at www.genprex.com or follow Genprex on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and assumptions of management, are not guarantees of performance and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. These forward-looking statements should, therefore, be considered in light of various important factors, including those set forth in Genprex's reports that it files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission and which you should review, including those statements under "Item 1A  Risk Factors" in Genprex's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.

Because forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the timing and success of Genprex's clinical trials and regulatory approvals, including the extent and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; the effect of Genprex's product candidates, alone and in combination with other therapies, on cancer and diabetes; Genprex's future growth and financial status; Genprex's commercial and strategic partnerships, including those with its third party manufacturers and their ability to successfully perform and scale up the manufacture of its product candidates; and Genprex's intellectual property and licenses.

These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as predictions of future events and Genprex cannot assure you that the events or circumstances discussed or reflected in these statements will be achieved or will occur. If such forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. You should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by Genprex or any other person that Genprex will achieve its objectives and plans in any specified timeframe, or at all. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Genprex disclaims any obligation to publicly update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

Genprex, Inc.

(877) 774-GNPX (4679)

GNPX Investor Relations

investors@genprex.com

GNPX Media Contact

Kalyn Dabbs

media@genprex.com

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SOURCE Genprex, Inc.
DUBLIN, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Anti-Jamming GPS Market - Forecasts from 2022 to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

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The global anti-jamming GPS market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 14.99% over the forecast period to reach a market size of US$9.193 billion in 2027, from US$3.459 billion in 2020.

The market growth is attributed to the growing demand for GPS technology in various military and civilian applications. Rising investments and funding for the development of novel GPS anti-jamming technologies for different applications are expected to drcive market growth during the forecast period.

Major key players and institutions have been investing a considerable amount of capital in the development of novel and advanced anti-jamming solutions. Global tension among various nations that have some of the largest defense budgets is driving the demand for anti-jamming equipment across various developed countries.

Tension between countries such as China, India, Russia, and Ukraine will increase the demand for advanced surveillance and other capabilities, thus, pushing the market growth. Moreover, the high military and defense expenditure is another key factor that is anticipated to drive the market growth during the forecast period.



Players in the market are introducing innovative products which will further contribute to overall market growth. For instance, NovAtel has announced the launch of new GPS Anti-Jam Technology (GAJT) solution which has applications in commercial and defense marine markets. The GAJT-410MS is a low size and weight unit that protects unmanned surface vessels from interference and jamming.



One of the prime reasons supporting the market growth is the rising defense expenditure, worldwide. Various countries around the globe are adopting innovative and advanced solutions to strengthen their anti-jamming equipment capabilities. Many developed economies spend more than 5% of GDP on their military and defense sector (Source: Our World in Data). According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the total world military expenditure in 2020 was $1,981 billion which is 2.6% higher than 2019 and 9.3% higher than 2011.

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The United States is considered as one of the biggest spenders, with total spending of around US$778 billion in the year 2020. The US department of defense is also planning to invest a large sum of capital in military modernization and technologies like AI, 5G communication, GPS technology and quantum computing which will significantly contribute to the overall market growth in the coming years. Moreover, the current ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine and planned procurements of advanced military equipment for the replacement of old and aging equipment are projected to accelerate the market's growth during the forecast period.



From dismounted troops' point-to-point navigation to precise weapon guidance, leading nations around the world have grown almost entirely reliant on GPS in military operations. This has led to a surge in the instances of GPS jamming cases throughout the world. GPS technology is often used to run weapons systems, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), troop radios, and other applications. The expansion of satellite navigation, as well as the demand for improved military navigation systems, is encouraging GPS technological innovations, which are expected to expand the market.



In 2021, overall global military spending increased by 0.7 percent, reaching US$2113 billion. The United States, China, India, the United Kingdom, and Russia accounted for more than 60% of global military spending in 2021, according to new estimates released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). It would be the seventh year in a row that expenditure climbed. The United Kingdom recently announced an extra UK1.3 billion (US$1.63 billion) for military support to Ukraine. The UK has already supplied anti-tank and anti-ship missiles, air defense systems, and other equipment systems to support Ukraine in the war against Russia. These instances of increased government expenditure on defense systems are expected to increase the anti-jamming GPS market.



Market Developments:

October 2020: Mayflower Communications was granted a US$56 million contract for a GPS navigation antenna system. The technology will be used by the United States military and will be phased out in September 2024.

December 2021: The Pentagon signed a US$315 million contract with BAE Systems for new anti-jamming GPS chips bringing the total deal worth US$640 million. The procurement is expected to help with the provision of more competent common GPS units to troops.

March 2022: The Biden-Harris Administration filed a planned FY 2023 Budget request to Congress, totaling US$813.3 billion for national security, with US$773.0 billion for the Department of Defense. The FY 2023 Budget strives to develop the military workforce and strengthen resilience and preparedness. Space and Space-Based Systems are among the investments, which include two GPS Enterprises for US$1.8 billion. Furthermore, for the next three years, the United States Space Force has planned for allies to borrow and test navigation system that uses a new GPS signal that is difficult to block. Allies can borrow receiver cards for military GPS user equipment technology for lab and field testing as per the new deal, according to the Space and Missile Systems Center.

Market Segmentation:

By Receiver Type

Commercial and Transportation Grade

Military and Government Grade

By Technology

Beam Steering Technique

Civilian Technique

Nulling Technique

By Application

Surveillance and Reconnaissance

Flight Control

Position, Navigation, and Timing

Others

By End-User

Military

Civilian

By Geography

North America

United States

Canada

Mexico

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Others

Europe

UK

Germany

France

Italy

Others

Middle East and Africa

UAE

Israel

Saudi Arabia

Others

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

Australia

South Korea

Taiwan

Thailand

Indonesia

Others

Companies Mentioned

Hexagon

Raytheon Company

NovAtel Inc.

Orolia

Furuno Electric Co. Ltd.

Harris Corporation

BAE Systems

InfiniDome, Ltd.

Cobham Ltd.

Chelton Ltd.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/nos91w

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SOURCE Research and Markets
AstuteAnalytica India Pvt. Ltd.

The global linear vibration motor market is experiencing a robust growth trajectory, with estimated revenue projected to increase from US$ 1,590.4 million in 2022 to US$ 3,511.6 million by 2031. This represents a significant growth rate, with the market expected to expand at a CAGR of 9.2% during the forecast period of 2023-2031.

New Delhi, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The growth in the linear vibration motor market is largely attributed to the increasing demand for haptic feedback in consumer electronics, including smartphones, wearables, and gaming controllers, as well as the emerging applications in the automotive industry. As such, the market presents significant opportunities for manufacturers to expand their market reach and offer innovative solutions that cater to the evolving demands of the consumer electronics industry.

The Asia Pacific region is expected to dominate the global linear vibration motor market due to the presence of several manufacturing facilities in countries like China, Japan, and South Korea. The region's rapid industrialization and rising consumer electronics market are also contributing to market growth. The demand for linear vibration motors is also increasing in the automotive industry due to their use in haptic feedback systems, which provide tactile feedback to drivers and passengers. The increasing demand for electric vehicles is expected to further drive market growth.

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Exploring the Technology Landscape of Linear Vibration Motor Market

The market has witnessed significant technological advancements in recent years. These advancements have resulted in the development of high-performance linear vibration motors that offer improved efficiency, reliability, and accuracy.

Miniaturization: One of the major trends in the linear vibration motor market is miniaturization. Manufacturers are developing smaller linear vibration motors that can be used in a wide range of applications, including smartphones, fitness trackers, and other wearables. This trend is driven by the demand for compact and lightweight devices that offer high performance.

Haptic Feedback: Haptic feedback is an emerging trend in the linear vibration motor market. It involves the use of linear vibration motors to provide tactile feedback to users. Haptic feedback is widely used in gaming controllers, smartphones, and other consumer electronics devices. With the growing demand for more immersive user experiences, haptic feedback is expected to become an essential feature in a wide range of applications.

Piezoelectric Linear Vibration Motors: Piezoelectric linear vibration motors are a type of linear vibration motor that uses the piezoelectric effect to generate vibration. These motors offer several advantages over traditional linear vibration motors, including faster response times, higher efficiency, and longer lifetimes. Piezoelectric linear vibration motors are widely used in medical equipment, automotive applications, and other high-performance applications.

Magnetic Levitation Linear Vibration Motors: Magnetic levitation linear vibration motors are a type of linear vibration motor that uses magnetic levitation to generate vibration. These motors offer several advantages over traditional linear vibration motors, including reduced friction, higher efficiency, and longer lifetimes. Magnetic levitation linear vibration motors are widely used in high-precision applications, such as semiconductor manufacturing equipment and precision instruments across global linear vibration motor market.

Smart Linear Vibration Motors: Smart linear vibration motors are a new generation of linear vibration motors that are equipped with sensors and control systems that enable them to provide precise and customized vibration patterns. These motors are widely used in industrial automation, robotics, and other high-performance applications that require precise control of vibration.

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Cellphones Contribute Over 60% Revenue to Global Linear Vibration Motor Market

The report attributes the growth of the linear vibration motor market to the increasing demand for haptic feedback in cellphones. In terms of production, China is the largest producer of linear vibration motors, accounting for over 80% of global production. Japan and Taiwan also play significant roles in the production of these motors.

According to a report by Astute Analytica, the global smartphone market saw a total of 1.57 billion units shipped in 2021 and the global smartphone shipments will reach 1.7 billion units in 2027. The sales of linear vibration motors are directly linked to the sales of cellphones, as these motors are a key component of smartphones. As the global sales of smartphones continue to rise, so too does the demand for linear vibration motors. In fact, according to our report, the consumer electronics segment (which includes smartphones) is expected to hold the largest share of the linear vibration motor market during the forecast period. This highlights the significant influence of the cellphone industry on the demand for linear vibration motors.

In addition to smartphones, the growing popularity of wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers is also contributing to the demand for linear vibration motors. These devices often use vibration motors for notifications and alerts, similar to smartphones. The increasing adoption of these devices is expected to further drive the growth of the linear vibration motor market in the coming years.

However, the consumption of linear vibration motors is not limited to the cellphone industry alone. These motors are also used in other consumer electronics like wearables, gaming controllers, and automotive infotainment systems. In fact, the automotive industry is expected to be a major growth driver for the market in the coming years. This represents a significant opportunity for linear vibration motor manufacturers to expand their market reach beyond the cellphone industry.

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Unveiling the Driving Forces Behind Asia Pacific's Dominance with More Than 66% Revenue Share in the Global Linear Vibration Motor Market

The Asia Pacific is the largest contributor to the global market, generating more than 66% of its revenue. This trend is expected to continue over the forecast period due to the rapid growth in the region's manufacturing sector and the increasing demand for consumer electronics and industrial automation equipment.

One of the key factors driving the growth in Asia Pacific is the increasing adoption of mobile devices and wearables. With a growing middle-class population and increasing disposable income, there has been a surge in demand for smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches, which are equipped with linear vibration motors for haptic feedback. Moreover, the popularity of gaming and virtual reality (VR) applications has further increased the demand for high-quality vibration motors in Asia Pacific.

Another significant driver of the linear vibration motor market in Asia Pacific is the rise in industrial automation. The region is witnessing rapid growth in the manufacturing sector, which is driving demand for linear vibration motors in various applications such as conveyor systems, packaging equipment, and automated assembly lines. The adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things (IoT) is further fueling the growth of the linear vibration motor market in the region.

China is the largest market for linear vibration motors in Asia Pacific due to its massive manufacturing industry, followed by Japan, South Korea, and India. The Chinese market is driven by the country's significant investments in manufacturing automation and consumer electronics production. Japan is another major market for linear vibration motors, owing to its highly advanced automotive and consumer electronics industries.

Wearables are Emerging As New Revenue Pockets in Linear Vibration Motor Market

Wearables have emerged as a new revenue pocket for the linear vibration motor industry. Wearable devices such as smartwatches, fitness trackers, and other wearable electronics require small, compact, and reliable linear vibration motors to provide haptic feedback and alerts to users.

Linear vibration motors are preferred over traditional rotating motors in wearable devices because they are more efficient, consume less power, and provide better control over the intensity and frequency of vibration. This makes them ideal for providing subtle haptic feedback for notifications, calls, and other alerts, as well as for providing more intense vibrations for fitness tracking and gaming applications in the global linear vibration motor market.

Some of the Top Market Players Are:

Samsung

Nidec Corporation

DMEGC

Sanyo

AAC Technologies

KOTL - Jinlong Machinery & Electronics Co., Ltd

NPF Motor

Baolong Electronic Groups

JAHWA

Other Prominent Players

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About Astute Analytica

Astute Analytica is a global analytics and advisory company which has built a solid reputation in a short period, thanks to the tangible outcomes we have delivered to our clients. We pride ourselves in generating unparalleled, in depth and uncannily accurate estimates and projections for our very demanding clients spread across different verticals. We have a long list of satisfied and repeat clients from a wide spectrum including technology, healthcare, chemicals, semiconductors, FMCG, and many more. These happy customers come to us from all across the Globe. They are able to make well calibrated decisions and leverage highly lucrative opportunities while surmounting the fierce challenges all because we analyze for them the complex business environment, segment wise existing and emerging possibilities, technology formations, growth estimates, and even the strategic choices available. In short, a complete package. All this is possible because we have a highly qualified, competent, and experienced team of professionals comprising of business analysts, economists, consultants, and technology experts. In our list of priorities, you-our patron-come at the top. You can be sure of best cost-effective, value-added package from us, should you decide to engage with us.

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CONTACT: Contact us: Aamir Beg BSI Business Park, H-15,Sector-63, Noida- 201301- India Phone: +1-888 429 6757 (US Toll Free); +91-0120- 4483891 (Rest of the World) Email: sales@astuteanalytica.com Website: www.astuteanalytica.com




MarketsandMarkets Research Pvt. Ltd.

As consumers increasingly prioritize natural and sustainable products, the natural vanillin market is poised for continued growth, driven by the rising demand for naturally-derived flavors and ingredients.

Chicago, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global natural vanillin market is projected to reach USD 706 million by 2027 growing at a CAGR of 8.4% from 2022 to 2027. Due to rising health consciousness, consumer spending power, and instances of food adulteration, the demand for food with natural ingredients and clear labeling is rising in almost all countries. Nearly 75% of consumers are reportedly willing to pay premium costs for clean-label products, according to the Clean Label Alliance. The demand for natural and clean-label products is driven by customers' rising health consciousness, which also drives the need for natural vanillin.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Natural Vanillin Market"

207  Tables

51  Figures

212  Pages

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=175654225

Scope of the Report:

Report Metric Details Market size estimation 20222027 Base year considered 2021 Forecast period considered 20222027 Units considered Value (USD) Segments covered By Source, Application, and Region Regions covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World Companies studied Givaudan (Switzerland)

Firmenich SA (Switzerland)

Symrise (Germany)

Kerry Group Plc (Ireland)

Sensient Technologies Corporation (US)

MANE (France)

PROVA (US)

McCormick & Company, Inc. (US)

International Flavors and Fragrances (US)

SOLVAY (Belgium)

Lesaffre (France)

Aurochemicals (US)

Advanced Biotech (US)

Oamic Biotech Co., Ltd. (China)

Axxence Aromatic Gmbh (Germany)

Moellhausen Spa (Italy)

Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, Inc. (US)

Apple Flavor and Fragrance Group Co., Ltd. (China)

Fujian Yongan Zhiyuan Biochemical Co., Ltd. (China)

Comax Flavors (US)

















































































Based on Applications:



The market is segmented into food & beverages, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics & personal care; the food & beverage applications considered are bakery & confectionery products, beverages, dairy, and other food & beverages application.

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Based on Regions:

The market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World.

Based on Source Type:

The natural vanillin market is segmented into vanilla bean extract, ferulic acid synthesis, eugenol synthesis, and other sources. The ferulic acid synthesis subsegment dominated the natural vanillin market in 2021. Among these, North America was the largest market for ferulic acid. The eugenol synthesis source segment is the fastest-growing segment, followed by vanilla bean extract.

Leading players profiled in this report:

Givaudan (Switzerland)

Firmenich SA (Switzerland)

Symrise (Germany)

Kerry Group Plc (Ireland)

Sensient Technologies Corporation (US)

MANE (France)

PROVA (US)

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There has been a shift in consumer demand towards healthier foods (containing less fat, sugar, and artificial additives) and more sustainable, made from ingredients that do not deplete the planets resources. That is why, natural vanillin is witnessing high demand due to increasing consumer preferences towards natural, sustainably sourced, and premium quality products. Major players in the natural vanillin market have adopted strategies, such as collaborations, and product launches, to achieve growth in the market. For instance, in August 2021, Oamic Ingredients USA is a subsidiary of Oamic Biotech Co., Ltd. launched Ex-clove vanillin, which is produced by fermentation from eugenol synthesis (Ex-clove). This product is launched to meet the customers looking for environmentally friendly produced products. In September 2022, Axxence Aromatic GmbH collaborated with Wageningen Plant Research, the Dutch research institute, to drive research in natural flavor substances. Customers use these substances to develop natural flavors for the food & beverage industry and natural fragrances for the perfume and cosmetics industry.

Browse Adjacent Reports @ Food and Beverage Market Research Reports & Consulting

Related Reports:

Food Flavors Market

Natural Food Colors & Flavors Market

CONTACT: About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets is a blue ocean alternative in growth consulting and program management, leveraging a man-machine offering to drive supernormal growth for progressive organizations in the B2B space. We have the widest lens on emerging technologies, making us proficient in co-creating supernormal growth for clients. The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing. Built on the 'GIVE Growth' principle, we work with several Forbes Global 2000 B2B companies - helping them stay relevant in a disruptive ecosystem. Our insights and strategies are molded by our industry experts, cutting-edge AI-powered Market Intelligence Cloud, and years of research. The KnowledgeStore (our Market Intelligence Cloud) integrates our research, facilitates an analysis of interconnections through a set of applications, helping clients look at the entire ecosystem and understand the revenue shifts happening in their industry. To find out more, visit www.MarketsandMarkets.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com




Zion Market Research

The Pharmaceutical Filtration Market was valued at USD 10.5 billion in 2022 and is predicted to reach $41.5 billion by 2030, increasing at a CAGR of about 16.5%. This research report focuses on the demand analysis of the worldwide Pharmaceutical Filtration Market. In the report, prominent market players and their respective strategies, as well as market trends, drivers, challenges, and opportunities, are dissected. Professionals in the business, investors, and anybody else interested in the pharmaceutical filtration market will find this publication to be an invaluable resource. The key market players are listed in the report with their sales, revenues and strategies are Danaher, GE Healthcare, GEA Group, Graver Technologies, Merck Millipore, Parker Hannifin Corporation, Repligen Corporation, Sartorius Stedim Biotech, Thermo Fisher Scientific, 3M, Eaton, Antylia Scientific (Cole-Parme).

Washington, DC, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zion Market Research has published a new research report titled Pharmaceutical Filtration Market By Product (Membrane Filters, Prefilters & Depth Media, Single-Use Systems, Cartridges & Capsules, Filter Holders, Filtration Accessories, And Others), By System (Single-Use And Reusable), By Type (Sterile And Non-Sterile), By Technique (Microfiltration, Ultrafiltration, Crossflow Filtration, Nanofiltration, And Others), By Application (Final Product Processing, Raw Material Filtration, Cell Separation, Water Purification, And Air Purification), By Scale Of Operation (Manufacturing Scale, Pilot-Scale, And Research & Development Scale), And By Region  Global And Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, And Forecasts 2022  2030 in its research database.

What is Pharmaceutical Filtration? How big is the Pharmaceutical Filtration Industry?



According to the latest research study, the demand of global Pharmaceutical Filtration Market size & share in terms of revenue was valued at USD 10.5 billion in 2022 and it is expected to surpass around USD 41.5 billion mark by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 16.5% during the forecast period 2023 to 2030.

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Report Overview:

The global pharmaceutical filtration market size was worth around USD 10.5 Billion in 2021 and is predicted to grow to around USD 41.5 Billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 16.5% between 2022 and 2030.

Filters, which are also known as active pharmaceutical components, are used at numerous phases of the production process of small molecule pharmaceuticals (APIs). They aid in the removal or reduction of microorganisms and particulates in process components. The filters are mostly used to keep the process solutions clean while they are kept in tanks. Pharmaceutical filtration can be found in a variety of applications, including final product processing, cell separation, water purification, raw material filtering, and air purification.

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(A free sample of this report is available upon request; please contact us for more information.)

Our Free Sample Report Consists of the Following:

Introduction, Overview, and in-depth industry analysis are all included in the 2023 updated report.

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About 201+ Pages Research Report (Including Recent Research)

Provide detailed chapter-by-chapter guidance on Request

Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share, and Trends for the Year 2023

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The most recent version of the report includes the Top Market Players, their Business Strategies, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis

Zion Market Research research methodology

(Please note that the sample of this report has been modified to include the COVID-19 impact study prior to delivery.)

Global Pharmaceutical Filtration Market: Growth Factors

The key factors that are augmenting the global market for pharmaceutical filtration are the growing production of large molecules and biologics, proliferation in the generics market, technological progress in nanofibers, and regulatory protocols for cleanrooms in the production of pharmaceuticals.

Other reasons for the increase in the global pharmaceutical filtration industry demand are development in biopharmaceutical companies and a rise in the expenditure on activities of research. There are various challenges that the global pharmaceutical filtration market is facing. Among them, one is the cost control pressures. For cost efficiency, the companies need to collaborate with committed suppliers owing to the several filters that are used during the production of APIs to increase revenue. Other factors that are hampering the market are the strict regulations that are implemented to validate the filtration process and the massive capital that is required to set up the new production facilities.

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Report Scope

Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2022 USD 10.5 billion Projected Market Size in 2030 USD 41.5 billion CAGR Growth Rate 16.5% CAGR Base Year 2022 Forecast Years 2023-2030 Key Market Players Danaher, GE Healthcare, GEA Group, Graver Technologies, Merck Millipore, Parker Hannifin Corporation, Repligen Corporation, Sartorius Stedim Biotech, Thermo Fisher Scientific, 3M, Eaton, Antylia Scientific (Cole-Parmer), among others. Key Segment By Product, By System, By Type, By Technique, By Application, By Scale of Operation, and By Region Major Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East &, Africa Purchase Options Request customized purchase options to meet your research needs. Explore purchase options

Segmentation Analysis: Segmentation Analysis

The global pharmaceutical filtration market is segmented based on product, system, type, technique, application, scale of operation, and region.

Based on the product, the global market is bifurcated into membrane filters, prefilters & depth media, single-use systems, cartridges & capsules, filter holders, filtration accessories, and others. The membrane filters segment is expected to hold the largest market share over the forecast period due to the fast expansion of the pharmaceutical and biologics industries.

To increase their market share as much as possible, these companies are engaging in partnerships and collaborations. For instance, Novartis and Xencor Inc. collaborated strategically in June 2016 to provide Novartis with the right to create T-cell-engaging, bispecific antibodies for the treatment of B-cell and acute myeloid leukemia.

The production and development procedures, including sterile filtration and end-stage operations, frequently employ membrane filters. Thus, the need for cutting-edge medications and vaccinations is anticipated to expand significantly soon due to the rise in the occurrence of viral and chronic diseases including anthrax, measles, influenza, TB, and chickenpox. The CDC estimates that between 5 and 20 percent of Americans get the flu each year.

Based on the system, the market is segmented into single-use and reusable.

Based on the type, the market is segmented into sterile and non-sterile.

Based on the technique, the market is bifurcated into microfiltration, ultrafiltration, crossflow filtration, nanofiltration, and others. Microfiltration holds the largest revenue share over the forecast period. Macromolecules, colloids, and suspended particles can all be concentrated, purified, or separated from the solution using the pressure-driven separation technique known as microfiltration (MF). It is often employed to cold sterilize medications.

It has been demonstrated that adding heat reduces the efficacy of medications. To sterilize liquids without using heat, MF membranes are used in a process known as "cold sterilization" to eliminate bacteria and other undesirable substances. As pharmaceutical research and drug development have risen in recent decades, so has the utilization of microfiltration technology. As a result, microfiltration has taken center stage in pharmaceutical research and development, and demand for the technology is only going to grow in the coming years.

Based on the application, global pharmaceutical filtration is divided into final product processing, raw material filtration, cell separation, water purification, and air purification.

Based on the scale of operation, the global market is segmented into manufacturing scale, pilot-scale, and research & development scale. The manufacturing scale of operations retained the highest market share in 2021 as a result of the rise in the manufacture of biopharmaceuticals, generic medications, and vaccines that are used to treat a variety of ailments.

Due to the rising need for innovative biologics and therapeutic proteins for the treatment of chronic diseases, the manufacturing scale of operations is anticipated to flourish over the forecast period as well. The segment's expansion is anticipated to be aided by the increased prevalence of chronic disorders including cancer, arthritis, and diabetes.

The CDC reports that there are around 54 million arthritis patients in the United States. As a result, there is a significant need for downstream processing products that are effective and productive, which is expected to promote growth.

The global Pharmaceutical Filtration market is segmented as follows:

By Product

Membrane Filters

Prefilters & Depth Media

Single-use Systems

Cartridges & Capsules

Filter Holders

Filtration Accessories

Others

By System

Single Use

Reusable

By Type

Sterile

Non Sterile

By Technique

Microfiltration

Ultrafiltration

Crossflow Filtration

Nanofiltration

Others

By Application

Final Product Processing

Raw Material Filtration

Cell Separation

Water Purification

Air Purification

By Scale of Operation

Manufacturing Scale

Pilot-scale

Research & Development Scale

Browse the full Pharmaceutical Filtration Market By Product (Membrane Filters, Prefilters & Depth Media, Single-use Systems, Cartridges & Capsules, Filter Holders, Filtration Accessories, and Others), By System (Single-Use and Reusable), By Type (Sterile and Non-Sterile), By Technique (Microfiltration, Ultrafiltration, Crossflow Filtration, Nanofiltration, and Others), By Application (Final Product Processing, Raw Material Filtration, Cell Separation, Water Purification, and Air Purification), By Scale of Operation (Manufacturing Scale, Pilot-scale, and Research & Development Scale), and By Region  Global and Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, and Forecasts 2022  2030.- Report at https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/pharmaceutical-filtration-market

Competitive Landscape

Some of the main competitors dominating the global Pharmaceutical Filtration market include -

Danaher

GE Healthcare

GEA Group

Graver Technologies

Merck Millipore

Parker Hannifin Corporation

Repligen Corporation

Sartorius Stedim Biotech

Thermo Fisher Scientific

3M

Eaton

Antylia Scientific (Cole-Parmer)

Key Insights from Primary Research:

According to the analysis shared by our research forecaster, the Pharmaceutical Filtration market is likely to expand at a CAGR of around 16.5% during the forecast period (2023-2030).

In terms of revenue, the Pharmaceutical Filtration market size was valued at around US$ 10.5 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach US$ 41.5 billion by 2030.

Based on type segmentation, The membrane filters segment is expected to hold the largest market share over the forecast period due to the fast expansion of the pharmaceutical and biologics industries 2021

Based on application segmentation, global pharmaceutical filtration is divided into final product processing, raw material filtration, cell separation, water purification, and air purification 2021

On the basis of geography/region, The North American region contributed the most in 2021

Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/inquiry/pharmaceutical-filtration-market

Key questions answered in this report:

What is the market size and growth rate forecast for Pharmaceutical Filtration industry?

What are the main driving factors propelling the Pharmaceutical Filtration Market forward?

What are the leading companies in the Pharmaceutical Filtration Industry?

What segments does the Pharmaceutical Filtration Market cover?

How can I receive a free copy of the Pharmaceutical Filtration Market sample report and company profiles?

Key Offerings:

Market Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20232030

Market Dynamics  Leading Trends, Growth Drivers, Restraints, and Investment Opportunities

Market Segmentation  A detailed analysis By Product, By System, By Type, By Technique, By Application, By Scale of Operation, and By Region

Competitive Landscape  Top Key Vendors and Other Prominent Vendors

Request for Customization on this Report as per your requirements - https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/1565

(We tailor your report to meet your specific research requirements. Inquire with our sales team about customising your report.)

Regional Analysis:

Throughout the time period covered by this estimate, North America is anticipated to have the majority share of the worldwide pharmaceutical filtration market. Both the United States and Canada have built and refined healthcare systems that are also quite well organized. Some countries also invest heavily in pharmaceutical research and development, which is another factor contributing to the high cost of healthcare in those countries.

The restrictions in this area attract a large number of enterprises from all over the world to set up shop in this area. Many of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies have their corporate headquarters and research facilities located in the United States. Research in the pharmaceutical industry requires the use of membrane chromatography; hence, there is a substantial demand in North America for the relevant technology and procedures.

Both the rising demand for biopharmaceuticals and the increased spending that biopharmaceutical companies in North America are doing on research and development (R&D) are likely contributing factors to this sizeable percentage increase.

On the other hand, due to the unrealized potential of the pharmaceutical filtration business in Asia Pacific, it is anticipated that this region will experience the greatest CAGR growth rate over the projection period. Because of the proliferation of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, this area has experienced extraordinary economic expansion. In the manufacturing of medicines and biologics, contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) and contract research organizations (CROs) have to make significant investments; however, regulatory requirements are becoming less stringent, which works in these organizations' favour and propels the expansion of the market.

The expansion of the industry is being driven in large part by major variables such as the development of healthcare infrastructure and the availability of enormous genetic pools.

By Region

North America U.S. Canada Rest of North America

Europe France UK Spain Germany Italy Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea Rest of Asia Pacific

The Middle East & Africa Saudi Arabia South Africa Rest of the Middle East & Africa

Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America



Recent Developments

In January 2021, the 3M Petrifilm Plate Reader Advanced was unveiled by 3M Food Safety to speed up production and free up lab testing time. According to the company, food safety specialists may quickly and accurately visualize, count, and record microbial colonies on 3M Petrifilm Plates indication tests using automated technology.

To know an additional revised 2023 list of market players, request a brochure of the report: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/requestbrochure/pharmaceutical-filtration-market

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Which key factors will influence the pharmaceutical filtration market growth over 2022-2030?

What will be the value of the pharmaceutical filtration market during 2022-2030?

Which region will contribute notably towards the pharmaceutical filtration market value?

Which are the major players leveraging the pharmaceutical filtration market growth?

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Zion Market Research

[210 + Pages Research Study] According to a market research study published by Zion Market Research, the demand analysis of Global Terrazzo Flooring Market size & share revenue was valued at around USD 26.37 billion in 2022 and is estimated to grow about USD 41.08 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of approximately 5.62% between 2023 and 2030. The key market players are listed in the report with their sales, revenues and strategies are The Stonhard Group, Heritage Glass, Inc., Surface Technology, Inc., Key Resin Co., H.B. Fuller, Terrazzo Master, 4m Group, Diespeker & Co., RBC Industries Inc., Universal Marble & Granite Group Ltd., The Venice Art Terrazzo Co., Inc., Quiligotti Terrazzo Tiles Limited, Kingspan Group Plc., Doyle Dickerson Terrazzo, Inc, and Concord Terrazzo Company, Inc., and others.

Miami, FL, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zion Market Research has published a new research report titled Terrazzo Flooring Market By Type (Epoxy Terrazzo And Cement-Based Terrazzo), By Application (Educational Institutions, Commercial Buildings, Government Buildings, And Transport Infrastructure), And By Region - Global And Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, And Forecasts 2022  2030 in its research database.

According to the latest research study, the demand of global Terrazzo Flooring Market size & share in terms of revenue was valued at USD 26.37 billion in 2022 and it is expected to surpass around USD 41.08 billion mark by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.62% during the forecast period 2023 to 2030.

What is Terrazzo Flooring? How big is the Terrazzo Flooring Industry?

Terrazzo Flooring Market Coverage & Overview:

Terrazzo flooring is a particular type of hard and robust flooring, in which marble shards are fabricated together with cement in various proportions, with durable epoxy matrix composites and aggregates, along with added color. Terrazzo is essentially used to bind various aggregates such as glass pieces, marble pieces, or various other suitable materials. Terrazzo flooring has increased its popularity over the last couple of years over conventional carpets and woods in modern interiors in residential and commercial spaces.

Story continues

In addition, terrazzo flooring falls are also widely accepted in universities and educational institutes due to their aesthetic appearance and wide availability of colors and patterns in terrazzo flooring. In households, they are used in kitchen surfaces like backsplashes, countertops, and other base layering as terrazzo flooring provides necessary resistance against chemical spillages, fire damage, stain risks, and water damage.

Get a Free Sample PDF of this Research Report for more Insights with a Table of Content, Research Methodology, and Graphs - https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/sample/terrazzo-flooring-market

(A free sample of this report is available upon request; please contact us for more information.)

Our Free Sample Report Consists of the Following:

Introduction, Overview, and in-depth industry analysis are all included in the 2023 updated report.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak Impact Analysis is included in the package

About 210+ Pages Research Report (Including Recent Research)

Provide detailed chapter-by-chapter guidance on Request

Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share, and Trends for the Year 2023

Includes Tables and figures have been updated

The most recent version of the report includes the Top Market Players, their Business Strategies, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis

Zion Market Research research methodology

(Please note that the sample of this report has been modified to include the COVID-19 impact study prior to delivery.)

Global Terrazzo Flooring Market: Growth Factors

The global terrazzo flooring market is expected to surge exponentially due to a significant surge in construction activities across the globe. There has been a remarkable boost in investment in interior designing and retrofitting activities, and hence more and more people are adopting terrazzo flooring as they are considerably economical and adds significant value to the interiors of in-home setups be it rooms or kitchen. Thus, various perks of terrazzo flooring such as increased durability, longevity, aesthetic look, and low cost of maintenance drive the growth of the market.

In addition, a rise in the standard of living, change in lifestyle, rise in disposable income, growth of the construction industry, and rapid expansion of the hospitality and tourism sector across the globe are expected to drive the growth of the terrazzo flooring market during the forecast period. Furthermore, an increase in initiatives from the government to use green building materials for infrastructures and a rise in inclination towards eco-friendly floorings among people are expected to create ample opportunities for the growth of the market. However, the prevalence of traditional substitutes might restrict the growth of the global terrazzo flooring market during the forecast period.

Directly Purchase a copy of the report with TOC @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/buynow/su/terrazzo-flooring-market

Report Scope

Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2022 USD 26.37 billion Projected Market Size in 2030 USD 41.08 billion CAGR Growth Rate 5.62% CAGR Base Year 2022 Forecast Years 2023-2030 Key Market Players The Stonhard Group, Heritage Glass, Inc., Surface Technology, Inc., Key Resin Co., H.B. Fuller, Terrazzo Master, 4m Group, Diespeker & Co., RBC Industries Inc., Universal Marble & Granite Group Ltd., The Venice Art Terrazzo Co., Inc., Quiligotti Terrazzo Tiles Limited, Kingspan Group Plc., Doyle Dickerson Terrazzo, Inc, and Concord Terrazzo Company, Inc. Key Segment By Type, By Application, and By Region Major Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East &, Africa Purchase Options Request customized purchase options to meet your research needs. Explore purchase options

Terrazzo Flooring Market: Segmentation Analysis

The global terrazzo flooring market is segmented based on type, application, and region.

Based on type, the market is segmented into cement paste and epoxy terrazzo. The epoxy terrazzo segment held an approving market share in 2021 and is further predicted to grow rapidly at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The major reason for the growth of this segment is its minimal maintenance and increased shelf life. Besides, epoxy terrazzo provides necessary abrasion resistance. Furthermore, its improved environmentally friendly characteristics compared to cement-based terrazzo flooring make it an ideal option for sustainable designs of flooring. These factors are expected to drive the growth of the segment during the forecast period.

Based on application, the market is segmented based on transport infrastructure, government buildings, commercial, educational institutes, and others. The educational institution segment held the largest market share in 2021 and is further predicted to grow exponentially at a promising CAGR during the forecast period. The growth of this segment is mainly attributed to the increase in the number of educational universities, colleges, and institutions and a notable rise in the number of renovation and refurbishment projects among them so as to appreciably upgrade their infrastructure as well as the quality of education to appeal and draw more students. Thus, extensive use of custom-made designs and environmental-friendly structures among various universities across the globe are predicted to drive the growth of the segment during the forecast period.

The global Terrazzo Flooring market is segmented as follows:

By Type

Epoxy Terrazzo

Cement-based Terrazzo

By Application

Educational Institutions

Commercial

Government Buildings

Transport Infrastructure

Others

Browse the full Terrazzo Flooring Market By Type (Epoxy Terrazzo and Cement-based Terrazzo), By Application (Educational Institutions, Commercial Buildings, Government Buildings, and Transport Infrastructure), and By Region - Global and Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, and Forecasts 2022  2030.- Report at https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/terrazzo-flooring-market

Competitive Landscape



Some of the main competitors dominating the global Terrazzo Flooring market include -

The Stonhard Group

Heritage Glass Inc.

Surface Technology Inc.

Key Resin Co.

H.B. Fuller

Terrazzo Master

4m Group

Diespeker & Co.

RBC Industries Inc.

Universal Marble & Granite Group Ltd.

The Venice Art Terrazzo Co. Inc.

Quiligotti Terrazzo Tiles Limited

Kingspan Group Plc.

Doyle Dickerson Terrazzo Inc

Concord Terrazzo Company Inc.

Key Insights from Primary Research:

According to the analysis shared by our research forecaster, the Terrazzo Flooring market is likely to expand at a CAGR of around 5.62% during the forecast period (2023-2030).

In terms of revenue, the Terrazzo Flooring market size was valued at around US$ 26.37 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach US$ 41.08 billion by 2030.

The rapid expansion of the hospitality and tourism sector has led to a rise in construction activities in recent years. There are massive renovation activities undergoing in the market, which is propelling the demand for terrazzo flooring.

Based on type, the epoxy terrazzo segment held the largest market share in 2021.

Based on application, the educational institution segment held the dominating market share in 2021.

Based on region, the North American region held the largest market share in 2021.

Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/inquiry/terrazzo-flooring-market

Key questions answered in this report:

What is the market size and growth rate forecast for Terrazzo Flooring industry?

What are the main driving factors propelling the Terrazzo Flooring Market forward?

What are the leading companies in the Terrazzo Flooring Industry?

What segments does the Terrazzo Flooring Market cover?

How can I receive a free copy of the Terrazzo Flooring Market sample report and company profiles?

Key Offerings:

Market Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20232030

Market Dynamics  Leading Trends, Growth Drivers, Restraints, and Investment Opportunities

Market Segmentation  A detailed analysis By Type, By Application, And By Region

Competitive Landscape  Top Key Vendors and Other Prominent Vendors

Request for Customization on this Report as per your requirements - https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/custom/6968

(We tailor your report to meet your specific research requirements. Inquire with our sales team about customising your report.)

Regional Analysis:

Due to the region's high demand for terrazzo flooring, North America holds the largest share of the worldwide terrazzo flooring market. In addition to this, the availability of sufficient skilled workers in the region will also make a contribution to the expansion of the market in the region. The major players in this market are devoting a significant portion of their resources to the expansion of their research and development bases in order to produce novel designs and patterns.

It is anticipated that Asia-Pacific will be the region with the highest growth rate in the worldwide market for terrazzo flooring due to the growing disposable income of the population in the region in conjunction with the rise in standards. In addition, the expanding initiatives of the regional government to completely revamp the public buildings into green construction frameworks will also contribute to the growth of the regional market. This will be an important factor in the expansion of the regional market.

By Region

North America U.S. Canada Rest of North America

Europe France UK Spain Germany Italy Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea Rest of Asia Pacific

The Middle East & Africa Saudi Arabia South Africa Rest of the Middle East & Africa

Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America



Recent Developments

In January 2022, Tempesta, dominant India-based supplies of luxury tiles, announced that they have launched a new range of sustainable and eco-friendly Terrazzo Tile styles. The top layer of each tile of this collection comprises of stone or glass chips, white cement, and color pigment. This innovative Terrazzo Collection from the company encompasses 27 designs that are ideal for both commercial and residential areas.

In August 2022, Antica Ceramica, an eminent company in the tile manufacturing industry, announced the launch of its Terrazzo Tiles Collection. This collection has a seemingly thicker layer of tiles which makes it resistant to water, stains, dirt or bacteria. The durable tile collection is specially designed with non-slip textures that reflect an adequate balance of aesthetics and functionality.

To know an additional revised 2023 list of market players, request a brochure of the report: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/requestbrochure/terrazzo-flooring-market

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is terrazzo flooring?

Terrazzo flooring is a particular type of hard and robust flooring, in which marble shards are fabricated together with cement in various proportions, with durable epoxy matrix composites and aggregates, along with added color.

Which key factors will influence terrazzo flooring market growth over 2022-2030?

The rapid expansion of the hospitality and tourism sector has led to a rise in construction activities in recent years. There are massive renovation activities undergoing in the market, which is propelling the demand for terrazzo flooring.

What will be the value of the terrazzo flooring market during 2022-2030?

The global terrazzo flooring market was valued at around $26.372 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $41.0897 billion by 2030

What will be the CAGR value of the terrazzo flooring market during 2022-2030?

The global terrazzo flooring market is projected to grow with a healthy CAGR of 5.62% over the forecast years.

Which are the key major players in terrazzo flooring market growth?

Some of the significant players in the global terrazzo flooring market include The Stonhard Group, Heritage Glass, Inc., Surface Technology, Inc., Key Resin Co., H.B. Fuller, Terrazzo Master, 4m Group, Diespeker & Co., RBC Industries Inc., Universal Marble & Granite Group Ltd., The Venice Art Terrazzo Co., Inc., Quiligotti Terrazzo Tiles Limited, Kingspan Group Plc., Doyle Dickerson Terrazzo, Inc, and Concord Terrazzo Company, Inc.

Which region will contribute notably towards the terrazzo flooring market value?

North America accounts for the largest share in the global terrazzo flooring market due to the high demand for terrazzo flooring in the region. Furthermore, the presence of enough skilled labor in the region will also contribute to the growth of the regional market.

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At 6% CAGR, Global Biomass Boiler Market Size & Share to Surpass USD 11 Billion by 2028 | Industry Trends, Growth, Value, Opportunities, Statistics, Analysis & Forecast Report by Zion Market Research: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/at-6-cagr-global-biomass-boiler-market-size--share-to-surpass-usd-11-billion-by-2028--industry-trends-growth-value-opportunities-statistics-analysis--forecast-report-by-zion-market-research-301569531.html

At 22.8% CAGR, Smart Retail Market Size & Share to Hit USD 72.9 Billion, Globally by 2028, Says Zion Market Research | Smart Retail Industry Trends, Growth, Value, Analysis & Forecast Report: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/at-22-8-cagr-smart-retail-market-size--share-to-hit-usd-72-9-billion-globally-by-2028--says-zion-market-research--smart-retail-industry-trends-growth-value-analysis--forecast-report-301572019.html

At 7.1% CAGR, Hematology Analyzers and Reagents Market Size to Surpass USD 19.5 Billion by 2028 | Global Industry Trends, Share, Growth, Value, Analysis & Forecast by Zion Market Research: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/at-7-1-cagr-hematology-analyzers-and-reagents-market-size-to-surpass-usd-19-5-billion-by-2028--global-industry-trends-share-growth-value-analysis--forecast-by-zion-market-research-301571940.html

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Google is looking to slow the pace at which middle management can climb the ranks in an effort to reduce employee salaries considered generous even by Silicon Valley standards.

A darkening macroeconomic outlook and rising pressure from shareholders has prompted CEO Sundar Pichai to apply the brakes in a move to prevent its staffing and cost base from becoming any more bloated than it already is.

With our slower pace of hiring, we are planning for fewer promotionsthan when Google was growing quickly, the company said in an email obtained by Insider.

The decision affects management layers starting with the so-called L6 level and above, which typically includes staff with a decade of experience or more.

The email went on to say that the decision would ensure the number of managers in more senior leadership roles grows in proportion to the growth of the company.

If the past quarter is anything to go by, they can expect a very meager increase indeed.

Revenue at parent holding Alphabet inched up by just 1% during the final three months of last year, compared with 32% in the previous years quarter.

The strong dollar canceled out business improvements outside the U.S., which accounts for just over half of the groups turnover. Adjusted for currency effects, however, the performance still disappointed.

Even as the annual pace of sales growth fell to 10% in 2022, Alphabets workforce grew at twice the rate.

Employee count rose to just over 190,000 employees by the end of December, according to company figures.

Investors are demanding Google take action to mitigate excessive pay and staffing levels

The news over slowing promotions for senior managers follows recent pressure from investors that want Google to follow other peers like Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, and Salesforce and trim staff.

In November, U.K. hedge fund manager Chris Hohn of TCI accused Pichai of exercising poor financial discipline; urged him to take aggressive action to tackle his excessively high cost base; and run the business using significantly fewer employees.

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The company has too many employees, and the cost per employee is too high, the activist investor said in an open letter, arguing Alphabet pays some of the highest salaries even when compared with the ultracompetitive pay landscape in Silicon Valley.

The tech giant is facing perhaps its greatest competitive challenge in the 25 years since it was founded, as Microsofts partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI threatens to build its search engine Bing into a serious rival.

A week after Hohn published his comments, news broke that Google was revamping its system for evaluating staff performance, asking managers to identify 6% of their teams that brought the least amount of value to the company.

Pichai subsequently announced in January a headcount reduction of 12,000, claiming to take full responsibility for the decisions that brought Google into its current difficulties.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

More from Fortune:






Press Release

March 8, 2023 Senate expresses sympathies, donates funds to Turkish, Syrian earthquake victims The Senate on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 adopted a resolution expressing its profound sympathies to the casualties of the recent earthquakes in Turkey and India. Senate Resolution No. 49 was introduced by Sen. Raffy Tulfo, Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, Senators Imee Marcos, Francis "Tol" Tolentino and Manuel "Lito" Lapid. All other senators were made co-sponsors of the resolution. Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri, who sponsored the resolution together with Tulfo, said each senator donated P100,000 from their personal funds. Zubiri said he donated P200,000 and the total amount of P2.5 million will be donated to the Red Crescent society of Turkey through the Philippine Red Cross headed by former Sen. Richard Gordon. "We are happy to help the people of Turkey and Syria. Inshallah, the day will come when you will rise from all these devastations....will rise from the ashes and will create an even stronger society in Turkey," Zubiri said. Tulfo urged fellow senators to stand in solidarity with the victims and their families who were affected by the devastating calamities. "The people of Turkey and Syria are our friends and allies, and we stand with them in their time of need. We may not have the intensive physical capacity to provide aid but nonetheless, we must extend our support in every possible way we can, no matter how big or small," he said. "Let us demonstrate our commitment to the values of compassion, empathy and friendship that bind us together as a global community," he added. Tolentino also expressed his deepest sympathies and condolences to the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. He said Turkey was one of the first responders who came to the aid of the Philippines in 2013 when the country was struck by Super Typhoon Yolanda. He said a Turkish organization was one of the first organizations to render and offer humanitarian aid, psycho-social support and educational assistance to survivors and helped in the rebuilding of homes. Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., for his part, said his heart and prayers go out to the almost 50,000 earthquake victims. He said he joins his brothers and sisters in praying that they will rise from the rubbles and start anew. As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Works, Revilla vowed to ensure that government agencies and instrumentalities would be the solid foundation on which Filipinos could depend on when disasters would strike. According to Tulfo, death toll from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria has reached 47,244 while hundreds of thousands of people are in dire need of adequate shelter, food and sanitation. He said Alvaro Rodriguez, the U.N. Resident Coordinator in Turkey, has appealed for $397.6 million to help Syrian victims and $1 billion for Turkey to cover emergency needs such as food, medicine, water, clothing and shelter. Sadly, Tulfo said, only 10 percent has been funded. "Our embassies continue with their efforts in addressing the needs of the 77 affected Filipinos. We have brought the remains of our kababayan who died from the earthquake, and as of February 27, 2023, we welcomed nine families from Turkey, the first batch of our repatriated kababayans who were displaced by the massive earthquakes. I commend the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Migrant Workers for their unwavering and continued efforts in giving aid to our sheltered and repatriated Filipinos," Tulfo said. A copy of the resolution would be transmitted to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Embassies of the Philippines in Turkey and Syria to be disseminated to the families and loved ones of the victims.
GPS Capital Markets

SALT LAKE CITY, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GPS Capital Markets, LLC, a leading fintech firm offering corporate foreign exchange services, today announced the establishment of the GPS  Women in Business Employee Resource Group (ERG). The implementation on the holiday of International Womens Day was felt to be a monumental time for the ERG to begin.

The GPS  Women in Business Employee Resource Group (ERG) has been created to provide an inclusive and supportive community to discuss and create awareness around issues women face in the workplace. The goal is to strengthen relationships, and to support personal and professional development through mentorship, networking, and philanthropic opportunities. This inclusive, global group, supports workforce diversity goals and business objectives by providing an environment where group members can connect, share ideas, and have an important voice in GPS success.

I am proud to announce the launch of our Women in Business Employee Resource Group. GPS recognizes the importance of supporting and empowering all employees, however in connection with International Women's Day we would like to specifically celebrate and support our female employees to reach their full potential, said Brandon Parke, President of GPS Capital Markets. By creating a space for them to connect, learn, and grow, we are not only investing in their individual success, but also the success of our company as a whole. I look forward to seeing the positive impact this group will have on our workplace culture and the amazing things our women in business will achieve.

HR Manager at GPS Capital Markets, Liesa Wilson stated, At GPS Capital Markets we understand the importance of everyone feeling like they belong and that their unique contributions matter. I'm really excited to help launch the GPS Women in Business group as a platform to build relationships, to learn from one another and support the personal and professional development of our wonderful employees.

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GPS Capital Markets is eager about what the GPS  Women in Business ERG will accomplish and expand in the culture at the company. Some of the objectives of the ERG include:

Support global diversity and inclusion and serve as a resource when needed

Share knowledge, raise cultural awareness and act as a bridge across cultural issues

Work as an employee support system providing education, personal growth, information, and idea sharing

Help with recruitment and retention efforts when possible

Support managerial effectiveness, leadership development, and communication with employees

Collaborate to bring new ideas to management which support overall company goals

Work to strengthen GPS Capital Markets community relationships and image through philanthropic contributions

All GPS employees are welcome to have membership in the GPS  Women in Business ERG, regardless of gender. All are welcome to participate, and all voices are encouraged.

For more information about GPS Capital Markets LLC, go to: www.gpsfx.com

ABOUT GPS CAPITAL MARKETS, LLC:

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, GPS Capital Markets, LLC provides corporate foreign exchange services that help companies manage their foreign currency risk and execute foreign currency transactions. Founded in 2002, GPS brings together a senior management team rich in international banking experience from the world's leading financial institutions. GPS has several offices throughout the United States, as well as in Australia, Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom. It combines competitive exchange rates with a host of tailored international financial solutions for its clients.



PRESS CONTACT:

GPS Capital Markets

Lindsey Wing

801-979-6114

lwing@gpsfx.com




Sustainable California demonstrates GrubMarket's commitment to preserving the sustainability of California farming environment, empowering farmers, and reinvigorating California's agricultural ecosystem.

SAN FRANCISCO, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GrubMarket today announced the launch of its Sustainable California initiative, a commitment to promote and enhance agricultural sustainability in California by making meaningful investments from a portion of its net profits in the following endeavors: preserving the farming environment of the Central Valley and other areas of California through methods such as planting trees; promoting organic farming practices by financially supporting local farmers to obtain organic certifications; and developing innovative technologies that improve the sustainability of California's farming system in areas including farming and food procurement, sales, storage, and logistics. The Sustainable California initiative will address the numerous challenges facing California's agriculture industry today, including water scarcity, soil depletion, environmental preservation challenges, and climate change. GrubMarket is uniquely positioned to pioneer this movement due to its strong relationships with California farmers and producers and its fundamental mission to promote safer and healthier food practices and products.

GrubMarket Logo (PRNewsfoto/GrubMarket)

Through active tree planting efforts in geographically and biologically diverse areas throughout California, Sustainable California aims to create greener and more sustainable environments that will deliver countless benefits to the food ecosystem. Through this initiative, GrubMarket will contribute to the reforestation in California, which will help reduce our collective carbon footprint, mitigate the effects of climate change, preserve precious land that can be used to grow more fresh, organic produce, and retain our underground water system which is essential for farming.

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To further amplify the power of the Sustainable California initiative, GrubMarket will also provide funding and resources to farmers seeking organic certification in California. Right now, organic agriculture represents just 4-5% of cropland in California; nationally, this number is less than 1%, because organic certification is an expensive and rigorous process. However, California produces over 40% of the organic commodities sold in the U.S., including most of the country's organic vegetables. It is important to support California farmers by enabling them to produce more high margin and high quality organic products. By offering financial and resource support for obtaining organic certification, Sustainable California will encourage farmers to adopt organic farming practices, which are essential for long-term agricultural sustainability. This will help farmers increase their revenue, improve product quality, and promote the adoption of sustainable growing and harvesting practices. Organic is the future of food and farming in California.

"California farmers, especially farmers in the Central Valley, are challenged every day as farming becomes harder and harder, due to an increasingly hot climate, depleted water supply, and deteriorating soil conditions from over-farming. The farm-grown produce available today in California's local farmers' markets are much less in richness, variety, and diversity, compared to several years ago. Moreover, the past few years have seen economic uncertainty and supply chain disruptions that have presented a unique opportunity for long-term innovation in food production and environmental protection. We are excited to launch the Sustainable California initiative to protect, support, and uplift California's fragile agricultural ecosystem," said Mike Xu, CEO of GrubMarket. "It can be easy to take food for granted, yet sustainable food production is one of our society's most critical needs. The Sustainable California initiative is not only our way of giving back to the local agricultural community, but also reflects our commitment to supporting sustainable agriculture, protecting the environment, and ensuring that future generations can continue to benefit from the bountiful resources of California."

As GrubMarket continues scaling its business and advancing its technologies, it will continue to reinforce its commitment to ensuring a more sustainable future for California's agricultural ecosystem. The Sustainable California initiative will be funded through a portion of GrubMarket's net profits.

Any California farmers and growers, and technologists interested in learning more about or benefiting from this initiative, please send a message to SustainableCA@grubmarket.com .

About GrubMarket

Founded in 2014, GrubMarket is a San Francisco-based food technology company operating in the space of food supply chain eCommerce for both business customers and end consumers, as well as providing related software-as-a-service solutions to digitally transform the American and global food supply chain. Currently, GrubMarket operates in all 50 U.S. States; Ontario and British Columbia (Canada); Argentina, Chile, and Colombia (South America); India, Mexico, South Africa, and Spain, with plans to expand to the rest of the U.S., Canada, South America, and other parts of the world.

For Media Inquiries:

GrubMarket Media Team

media@grubmarket.com

(415) 986-0523

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SOURCE GrubMarket
With the support of Women in Aerospace Canada, 30 of De Havilland Canada's women leaders will be the first cohort to participate in a six-month development program

International Women's Day is a globally recognized movement to celebrate the social, economic, and cultural achievements of women

CALGARY, AB, March 8, 2023 /CNW/ - De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited ("De Havilland Canada") has launched a new program with the not-for-profit organization Women in Aerospace Canada ("WIA-Canada") to advance career development opportunities for women across the company and Canada's aerospace sector. The program, Women in Aerospace at De Havilland Canada, is a six-month development initiative that will see its first participants undertake leadership, mentorship, and skills-development activities.

De Havilland Canada's Women in Aerospace emerging leaders. (CNW Group/De Havilland Aircraft of Canada)

"WIA-Canada is the perfect partner to help us launch this initiative. The program aligns where we want to go as a company with our increased focus on upskilling and diversifying our workforce," said Brenda Allen, Chief People Officer, De Havilland Canada. "De Havilland Canada wants to help shape the future of aerospace in Canada, and that means building programs like this that push the sector forward."

"WIA-Canada is dedicated to supporting aerospace companies in their efforts to expand career opportunities for women," said Nancy Barber, President of WIA Canada and De Havilland Canada executive member. "Our industry has so many talented women professionals who are making a difference, and Canadian aerospace will be better when more are in leadership positions. We are thrilled to be partnering with De Havilland Canada and commend them on their strong commitment to the WIA Program."

Under the new program, an initial cohort of women from across De Havilland Canada's Calgary, Victoria, and Toronto offices will participate in training and ongoing mentorship with executive team members. In addition, the program features in-person events, exposure to experts, and dedicated funding for each participant to engage in self-directed learning.

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"This is an exciting opportunity for us to cultivate future leaders and, with the support of WIA-Canada, we look forward to welcoming more women into the program down the road," said Brian Chafe, Chief Executive Officer, De Havilland Canada. "De Havilland Canada is committed to diversity and inclusion in our workplace. The creation of this program is something that all of us at De Havilland Canada can be very proud of."

About De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited

With more than 5,000 aircraft delivered, De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (De Havilland Canada) is well-established across the globe and our talented team of aviation professionals is dedicated to advancing our near-100-year reputation for excellence in innovation, production, and customer support. Our aircraft operate reliably in some of the world's harshest climates and provide vital connections between rural communities and urban centres  transporting essential cargo and millions of passengers annually. Our aircraft also support a wide variety of special mission operations, including aerial firefighting, search and rescue, medical evacuation, reconnaissance, and coastal surveillance. https://dehavilland.com

WATCH NOW: DHC - Women in Aerospace

For additional media assets, visit: https://dehavilland.com/en/media

For further information, contact:

John Paul Fraser

De Havilland Canada

johnpaul.fraser@dehavilland.com

SOURCE De Havilland Aircraft of Canada

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InvestorBrandNetwork (IBN)

NEW YORK, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via CryptoCurrencyWire -- IBN (InvestorBrandNetwork), a multifaceted communications organization engaged in connecting companies to the investment community through 50+ brands, today announces the continuation of its longstanding collaboration with the National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA) for the upcoming 8th Annual Fintech & Financing Conference and Expo, FFCON23: REGEN (FFCON23) event.



The conference is to be hosted every Tuesday afternoon from March 14 to April 4, 2023. The hybrid conference will conclude with an in-person event scheduled for May 31, 2023, in Toronto. IBN has been named the official media sponsor for the event.

In its capacity as the media sponsor for the event, IBN will leverage its array of extensive corporate communications solutions to heighten the visibility of the conference via an array of influential digital channels to an audience of investors, journalists, consumers and the general public.

FFCON23 will build upon the success of its earlier iterations and drive growth across Canadian fintech businesses while strengthening the national and cross-border fintech ecosystem and offering a platform for knowledge-exchange to debate the trends of the future. Renowned thought leaders and industry experts will be in attendance from the fintech industry and a variety of associated sectors, including open banking, blockchain, digital assets, web3, metaverse, decentralized finance, virtual commerce, capital markets innovation, payments, wealthtech, regtech, crypto, emerging tech, alternative finance, embedded finance, AI/ML, ReFi, DeFi, GreenFi, GameFi, crypto and DAOs.

The event will boast 30+ sessions with 50+ renowned speakers during the once-a-week but closely interconnected sessions. The sessions will offer attendees invaluable opportunities to launch new ventures, fine-tune their business strategies and participate in high visibility exhibitions with dedicated e-booths while forging lasting relationships with specialist investors, key influencers, well-established industry networks, exciting startup founders, leading regulatory bodies and influential economic development agencies.

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We are very pleased to renew our long-standing collaboration with IBN for FFCON23: REGEN, a landmark event series in regenerative finance and thinking, stated Craig Asano, Founder and CEO of the National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association. Over recent years, we are proud to have played our role in driving the adoption of fintech in Canada, as well as promoting the development of a robust ecosystem. With a lasting change being ushered into the national and global financial system, as well as the growing representation of individual consumers, we are well on our way to offering tailored products and services directly to consumers and traditionally overlooked smaller businesses. At the same time, the power of AI/ML, growing cybersecurity concerns and swiftly changing financial regulation necessitates greater dialogue between all stakeholders to determine a safe and effective framework in the future.

NCFA has been a key part of the development of the fintech ecosystem in Canada for several years. We are pleased to continue our collaboration, which dates back to 2018, stated Jonathan Keim, Director of Communications for IBN. Craig and his team have been instrumental in the launching of several successful enterprises and unique business models. We are glad to be part of the mission that continues to drive innovation in the Canadian fintech space.

To register and explore different ticket options, visit https://fintechandfunding.com/tickets/

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.

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HSINCHU, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ICP DAS - BMP (Biomedical Polymers), a Taiwan medical TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) supplier, will have its first showcase in KIMES 2023, Korea. Exhibit highlights include TPU pellets with radiopacifiers of 50% tungsten (W50) and 40% Barium Sulfate (B40), respectively. The Medical & Hospital Equipment Show takes place in Seoul from 23 to 26 March.

ICP DAS - BMP to partake in KIMES 2023

ICP DAS - BMP will display three series of highly stable medical-grade TPU pellets, namely, Alithane (ALP series), Durathane (ALC series), and Arothane (ARP series). All TPU pellets are 100% made in Taiwan and have passed USP Class VI test and/or ISO 10993 biocompatibility test.

To differentiate itself from the compounding process, ICP DAS  BMP developed a unique one-step polymerization process to produce TPU pellets containing color masterbatch and radiopaque fillers to elevate the performance properties of our materials for various medical applications, including medical catheters, cancer treatment devices, and guidewire coatings.

We also perform thorough quality inspections for each batch produced to guarantee lot-to-lot consistency of our medical TPU pellets, fulfilling clients' requirements, i.e., mechanical & physical properties and processability.

Expert team, rigorous testing, superior properties, shorter lead times - all these have earned the trust and confidence of worldwide manufacturers. We expect a boost to our TPU sales in China, India, Europe, and the USA this year, and we are poised to stand out in this field globally.

Come & meet our professionals at Hall D, Booth DL130, from 23 to 26 March @ COEX Exhibition Venue.

About ICP DAS - BMP

Amid soaring worldwide demand for TPU from the medical industry, ICP DAS established a new business unit ICP DAS - BMP in 2018 to develop and produce medical-grade TPU. We have obtained ISO 13485 manufacturing certification for our TPU to ensure product safety and quality.

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ICP DAS - BMP has its own laboratories for polymerization, physical & chemical properties analysis, mechanical testing, and cytotoxicity testing. In addition, TPUs that we manufacture are USP Class VI and ISO 10993 certified: ISO 10993-4 for hemocompatibility testing, ISO 10993-5 for cytotoxicity testing, ISO 10993-10 for irritation and skin sensitization testing, ISO 10993-11 for systemic toxicity testing, and ISO 10993-23 for irritation testing. Our product series also comply with REACH and RoHS.

For more details, please visit our website: https://bmp.icpdas.com/

(PRNewsfoto/ICP DAS Co., Ltd.)

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SOURCE ICP DAS Co., Ltd.
IDT Corporation

High Growth, High Margin Businesses Drive Substantial EPS Increase

NEWARK, NJ, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT), a global provider of fintech, cloud communications, and traditional communications services, today reported results for the second quarter of its fiscal year 2023, the three months ended January 31, 2023.

HIGHLIGHTS

(Throughout this release, unless otherwise noted, results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2023 (2Q23) are compared to the second quarter of fiscal year 2022 (2Q22). All earnings per share (EPS) and other per share results are per diluted share.)

National Retail Solutions (NRS) increased recurring revenue * 103% to $18.3 million. Active point-of-sale (POS) terminals increased by approximately 1,600 during 2Q23, a record quarterly increase, to approximately 22,400 at the end of the quarter;

BOSS Money remittance revenue increased 47% to $17.6 million. Transaction volume increased by 39% to 3.06 million;

net2phone subscription revenue * increased 30% to $16.3 million and net2phone achieved positive Adjusted EBITDA for the second consecutive quarter. Seats served increased by approximately 18,000 sequentially to end 2Q23 at approximately 327,000;

Consolidated revenue decreased 7% to $314 million while the consolidated direct cost of revenue decreased 14% to $222 million;

Consolidated income from operations increased 32% to $18.2 million;

Net income attributable to IDT increased to $14.6 million from $7.5 million;

Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA increased 25% to $23.4 million; and

EPS increased to $0.57 from $0.28. Non-GAAP EPS increased to $0.62 from $0.30.

Adjusted EBITDA and Non-GAAP EPS are Non-GAAP measures intended to provide useful information that supplements IDTs or the relevant segments results in accordance with GAAP. Please refer to the Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures later in this release for an explanation of these terms and their respective reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP measure. Please see the final page of this release for the explanation of asterisked key performance metrics.

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REMARKS B Y SHMUEL JONAS, CEO

NRS, BOSS Money and net2phone, our three primary high-growth businesses, again performed very well this quarter. Their formula is simple  delivering better value and superior customer experiences. Im pleased that they continued on their growth trajectories while remaining very focused on improving their bottom lines.

Each of these businesses grew robustly in the second quarter. In addition to adding a record number of net new terminals this quarter, NRS once again more than doubled its recurring revenue led by a year over year jump in advertising and data revenue. net2phone achieved 30% year over year subscription revenue growth with a 35% increase in our Latin American markets and a 23% increase in US-based revenue. At BOSS Money, transaction volumes through both our retail and direct-to-consumer sales channels increased by 39% year over year, as we continued to leverage the synergies between the two channels.

Led by their contributions, IDT delivered significant year over year increases in Adjusted EBITDA, income from operations, and EPS.

RE SULTS BY SEGMENT

NRS

National Retail Solutions (NRS) is an operator of a nationwide point-of-sale (POS) network providing independent retailers with store management software, and with credit, debit, and other electronic payment processing as well as with other ancillary merchant services. NRS POS platform provides marketers with digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising and transaction data.

In 2Q23 and 2Q22, NRS contributed 6.3% and 3.2% of IDTs consolidated revenue, respectively.

NRS Results

($ in millions. Terminals and accounts at end of period)

2Q23 1Q23 2Q22 2Q23-2Q22 change % Terminals and payment processing accounts Active POS terminals 22,400 20,800 16,500 +35 % Payment processing accounts 12,500 11,300 8,000 +55 % Recurring revenue Advertising & Data $ 9.0 $ 9.7 $ 3.9 +130 % Merchant Services and other $ 7.4 $ 6.4 $ 3.8 +95 % SaaS fees $ 1.9 $ 1.8 $ 1.3 +47 % Total recurring revenue $ 18.3 $ 17.8 $ 9.0 +103 % POS terminal sales $ 1.5 $ 1.5 $ 1.6 (7 )% Total revenue $ 19.8 $ 19.3 $ 10.6 +87 % Monthly average recurring revenue per terminal* $ 283 $ 296 $ 190 +49 % Income from operations $ 5.4 $ 5.2 $ 2.1 +161 % Adjusted EBITDA $ 6.0 $ 5.7 $ 2.2 +166 %



Take-Aways:



Sequentially, NRS added approximately 1,600 net active terminals -- the largest quarter-over-quarter gain in its history.

Despite advertising industry-wide headwinds, Advertising & Data revenue increased 130% year over year, driving a 103% increase in total recurring revenue. Income from operations increased 161% year over year to $5.4 million.

Fintech

The Fintech segment is comprised of BOSS Money - an international money remittance provider, as well as other, significantly smaller financial services offerings.

In 2Q23 and 2Q22, the Fintech segment contributed 6.5% and 4.3% of IDTs consolidated revenue, respectively.

Fintech Results

($ in millions. Transactions in thousands)

2Q23 1Q23 2Q22 2Q23-2Q22

Change % BOSS Money Transactions 3,061 2,871 2,204 +39 % Fintech Revenue BOSS Money $ 17.6 $ 17.6 $ 12.0 +47 % Other $ 2.7 $ 2.3 $ 2.6 +4 % Total Revenue $ 20.3 $ 19.9 $ 14.6 +39 % (Loss) Income from operations $ (0.8 ) $ 1.5 $ (2.3 ) +$1.5 Adjusted EBITDA $ (0.5 ) $ 0.5 $ (1.7 ) +$1.2

Take-Aways:

BOSS Money transaction volumes increased 39% in 2Q23 with strong contributions from both retail and digital channels.

BOSS Money average revenue per transaction* increased 5.7% in 2Q23 to $5.77 from $5.46 in 2Q22. The increase was driven by unusually favorable economics on certain high-volume African corridors that dissipated late in the quarter and by the development and introduction of new platform functionalities enabling more flexible and granular pricing strategies.

net2phone

In 2Q23 and 2Q22, the net2phone segment accounted for 5.7% and 4.0% of IDTs consolidated revenue, respectively.

net2phone Results

($ in millions. Seats in thousands)

2Q23 1Q23 2Q22 2Q23-2Q22

Change % Seats 327 309 258 +27 % Revenue Subscription revenue $ 16.3 $ 15.5 $ 12.5 +30 % Other revenue $ 1.5 $ 1.4 $ 1.0 +45 % Total Revenue $ 17.8 $ 17.0 $ 13.5 +31 % Loss from operations $ (0.6 ) $ (1.1 ) $ (2.9 ) +$2.3 Adjusted EBITDA $ 0.8 $ 0.3 $ (1.9 ) +$2.7



Take-Aways:

Total seats as of January 31, 2023 increased by 27% to approximately 327,000 from 258,000 a year earlier, led by growth in net2phones Latin American markets.

The continued improvements in loss from operations and Adjusted EBITDA reflect multiple factors: the strengthening of unit economics as the business scales and revenue increases; the acquisition of a CCaaS provider in 3Q22 and subsequent increases in higher ARPU, higher margin CCaaS seats; a continued focus on cost control; and, investment in customer acquisition within geographic markets and verticals that yield higher returns on investment.

Traditional Communications

In 2Q23 and 2Q22, the Traditional Communications segment accounted for 81.5% and 88.5% of IDTs consolidated revenue, respectively.

Traditional Communications Results

($ in millions)

2Q23 1Q23 2Q22 2Q23-2Q22

Change % Revenue IDT Digital Payments $ 106.1 $ 109.0 $ 116.2 (9 )% BOSS Revolution Calling $ 82.8 $ 86.3 $ 100.0 (17 )% IDT Global $ 58.6 $ 61.6 $ 73.1 (20 )% Total Revenue $ 256.0 $ 265.7 $ 298.3 (14 )% Income from operations $ 17.0 $ 17.3 $ 19.9 $ (2.9 ) Adjusted EBITDA $ 19.6 $ 19.7 $ 22.3 $ (2.7 )



Take-Aways:



The year-over-year decrease in IDT Digital Payments revenue reflects the deterioration of a key corridor that was particularly impactful to sales in the lower margin wholesale and retail channels and so had a limited impact on margin profitability. Revenue in the higher margin direct to consumer channel increased 6% over the same period.

BOSS Revolution Calling revenue decreased 17% in 2Q23 to $82.8 million from $100.0 million in 2Q22. IDT Globals carrier services revenue decreased 20% in 2Q23 to $58.6 million from $73.1 million in 2Q22. These decreases continue to reflect the long-standing industry-wide decline in the paid minute calling markets and are in line with expectations.

In February, IDT Digital Payments launched Zendit, a cloud-based, prepaid-as-a-service platform enabling businesses to easily add a curated menu of airtime top-ups and other cross-border prepaid offerings to their apps and websites.



NOTES ON FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Consolidated results for all periods presented include corporate overhead. Corporate G&A expense in 2Q23 increased to $2.5 million from $2.3 million in 2Q22.

As of January 31, 2023, IDT held $156.8 million in cash, cash equivalents, debt securities, and current equity investments. Current assets totaled $373.5 million and current liabilities totaled $287.9 million. IDT had no outstanding debt at quarter end.

Net cash provided by operating activities during 2Q23 was $17.4 million compared to $17.5 million during 2Q22. Exclusive of changes in customer deposit balances at our Gibraltar-based bank, net cash provided by operating activities during 2Q23 was $20.3 million compared to $6.3 million during 2Q22.

Capital expenditures increased to $5.4 million in 2Q23 from $4.6 million in 2Q22.

IDT EARNINGS ANNOUNCEMENT & SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

This release is available for download in the Investors & Media section of the IDT Corporation website ( https://www.idt.net/investors-and-media ) and has been filed on a current report (Form 8-K) with the SEC.

IDT will host an earnings conference call beginning at 5:30 PM Eastern with managements discussion of results, outlook, and strategy followed by Q&A with investors. To listen to the call and participate in the Q&A, dial 1-888-506-0062 (toll-free from the US) or 1-973-528-0011 (international) and request the IDT Corporation call (participant access code: 151514).

A replay of the conference call will be available approximately three hours after the call concludes through March 22, 2023. To access the call replay, dial 1-877-481-4010 (toll-free from the US) or 1-919-882-2331 (international) and provide this replay number: 47574. The replay will also be accessible via streaming audio at the IDT investor relations website.

ABOUT ID T :

IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT) is a global provider of fintech, cloud communications, and traditional communications services. We make it easy for families to contact and support each other across international borders. We also enable businesses to transact and communicate with their customers with enhanced intelligence and insight.

Our BOSS Money international remittance, IDT Digital Payments and BOSS Revolution international calling services make sending money, paying for products and services, and speaking with friends and family around the world convenient and reliable. National Retail Solutions  (NRS) point-of-sale retail network enables independent retailers to operate and process transactions more effectively while providing advertisers and consumer marketers with unprecedented reach into underserved consumer markets. net2phone s communications-as-a-service solutions provide businesses with intelligently integrated cloud communications and collaboration tools across channels and devices. Our IDT Global and IDT Express wholesale offerings enable communications service enterprises to provision and manage international voice and SMS services.

All statements above that are not purely about historical facts, including, but not limited to, those in which we use the words believe, anticipate, expect, plan, intend, estimate, target and similar expressions, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. While these forward-looking statements represent our current judgment of what may happen in the future, actual results may differ materially from the results expressed or implied by these statements due to numerous important factors. Our filings with the SEC provide detailed information on such statements and risks and should be consulted along with this release. To the extent permitted under applicable law, IDT assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

CONTACT:

IDT Corporation Investor Relations

Bill Ulrey

william.ulrey@idt.net

973-438-3838

IDT CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

January 31, 2023 July 31, 2022 (Unaudited) (in thousands) Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 117,811 $ 98,352 Restricted cash and cash equivalents 89,867 91,210 Debt securities 29,777 22,303 Equity investments 9,213 17,091 Trade accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $6,255 at January 31, 2023 and $5,882 at July 31, 2022 47,605 64,315 Disbursement prefunding 28,098 21,057 Prepaid expenses 14,611 17,526 Other current assets 36,559 30,773 Total current assets 373,541 362,627 Property, plant, and equipment, net 38,303 36,866 Goodwill 26,547 26,380 Other intangibles, net 8,985 9,609 Equity investments 6,687 7,426 Operating lease right-of-use assets 6,894 7,210 Deferred income tax assets, net 28,913 36,701 Other assets 10,641 10,275 Total assets $ 500,511 $ 497,094 Liabilities and equity Current liabilities: Trade accounts payable $ 23,229 $ 29,080 Accrued expenses 110,580 117,109 Deferred revenue 34,998 36,531 Customer deposits 86,899 85,764 Other current liabilities 32,215 36,588 Total current liabilities 287,921 305,072 Operating lease liabilities 4,243 4,606 Other liabilities 4,944 6,588 Total liabilities 297,108 316,266 Commitments and contingencies Redeemable noncontrolling interest 10,389 10,191 Equity: IDT Corporation stockholders equity: Preferred stock, $.01 par value; authorized shares10,000; no shares issued   Class A common stock, $.01 par value; authorized shares35,000; 3,272 shares issued and 1,574 shares outstanding at January 31, 2023 and July 31, 2022 33 33 Class B common stock, $.01 par value; authorized shares200,000; 27,782 and 27,725 shares issued and 23,952and 24,112 shares outstanding at January 31, 2023 and July 31, 2022, respectively 278 277 Additional paid-in capital 298,649 296,005 Treasury stock, at cost, consisting of 1,698 and 1,698 shares of Class A common stock and 3,830 and 3,613 shares of Class B common stock at January 31, 2023 and July 31, 2022, respectively (106,906 ) (101,565 ) Accumulated other comprehensive loss (13,711 ) (11,305 ) Retained earnings (accumulated deficit) 9,795 (15,830 ) Total IDT Corporation stockholders equity 188,138 167,615 Noncontrolling interests 4,876 3,022 Total equity 193,014 170,637 Total liabilities and equity $ 500,511 $ 497,094



IDT CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(Unaudited)



Three Months Ended

January 31, Six Months Ended

January 31, 2023 2022 2023 2022 (in thousands, except per share data) Revenues $ 313,936 $ 337,058 $ 635,752 $ 707,141 Costs and expenses: Direct cost of revenues (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) 222,394 257,325 454,031 548,950 Selling, general and administrative (i) 68,153 61,070 134,017 121,177 Depreciation and amortization 5,012 4,378 9,801 8,825 Severance 213 29 312 67 Total costs and expenses 295,772 322,802 598,161 679,019 Other operating gain (expense), net 17 (442 ) 816 (530 ) Income from operations 18,181 13,814 38,407 27,592 Interest income, net 810 119 1,320 132 Other income (expense), net 1,613 (2,949 ) (2,229 ) (19,165 ) Income before income taxes 20,604 10,984 37,498 8,559 Provision for income taxes (5,295 ) (2,734 ) (9,634 ) (2,648 ) Net income 15,309 8,250 27,864 5,911 Net (income) attributable to noncontrolling interests (686 ) (763 ) (2,239 ) (896 ) Net income attributable to IDT Corporation $ 14,623 $ 7,487 $ 25,625 $ 5,015 Earnings per share attributable to IDT Corporation common stockholders: Basic $ 0.57 $ 0.29 $ 1.00 $ 0.20 Diluted $ 0.57 $ 0.28 $ 1.00 $ 0.19 Weighted-average number of shares used in calculation of earnings per share: Basic 25,510 25,652 25,556 25,609 Diluted 25,538 26,542 25,577 26,580 (i) Stock-based compensation included in selling, general and administrative expenses $ 1,286 $ 310 $ 1,858 $ 595





IDT CORPORATION

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

Six Months Ended January 31, 2023 2022 (in thousands) Operating activities Net income $ 27,864 $ 5,911 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 9,801 8,825 Deferred income taxes 7,788 1,683 Provision for doubtful accounts receivable 915 1,289 Net unrealized loss from marketable securities 2,349 16,242 Stock-based compensation 1,858 595 Other 1,359 2,850 Change in assets and liabilities: Trade accounts receivable 16,298 (8,045 ) Disbursement prefunding, prepaid expenses, other current assets, and other assets (11,492 ) (8,551 ) Trade accounts payable, accrued expenses, other current liabilities, and other liabilities (19,344 ) (6,313 ) Customer deposits at IDT Financial Services Limited (Gibraltar-based bank) 15 (1,862 ) Deferred revenue (1,795 ) (960 ) Net cash provided by operating activities 35,616 11,664 Investing activities Capital expenditures (10,578 ) (8,991 ) Purchase of convertible preferred stock in equity method investment  (1,051 ) Payments for acquisitions, net of cash acquired  (100 ) Purchases of debt securities and equity investments (28,129 ) (10,825 ) Proceeds from maturities and sales of debt securities and redemptions of equity investments 27,531 6,068 Net cash used in investing activities (11,176 ) (14,899 ) Financing activities Distributions to noncontrolling interests (187 ) (198 ) Proceeds from other liabilities 300 2,301 Repayment of other liabilities. (2,014 ) (1,291 ) Proceeds from borrowings under revolving credit facility 2,383 2,488 Repayment of borrowings under revolving credit facility. (2,383 ) (2,488 ) Proceeds from sale of redeemable equity in subsidiary  10,000 Proceeds from exercise of stock options 172  Repurchases of Class B common stock (5,341 ) (8,974 ) Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities (7,070 ) 1,838 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents 746 (4,967 ) Net increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents 18,116 (6,364 ) Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 189,562 226,916 Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 207,678 $ 220,552 Supplemental schedule of non-cash financing activities Stock issued to certain executive officers for bonus payments $ 615 $ 



Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures for the

Second Quarter Fiscal 2023 and 2022

In addition to disclosing financial results that are determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (GAAP), IDT also disclosed for 2Q23, 1Q23, and 2Q22, Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share (EPS), both of which are non-GAAP measures.

Generally, a non-GAAP measure is a numerical measure of a companys performance, financial position, or cash flows that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP.

IDTs measure of non-GAAP EPS is calculated by dividing non-GAAP net income by the diluted weighted-average shares. IDTs measure of non-GAAP net income starts with net income attributable to IDT in accordance with GAAP and adds severance expense, stock-based compensation, and other operating expense, and deducts other operating gains. These additions and subtractions are non-cash and/or non-routine items in the relevant fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022 periods.

Management believes that IDTs Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP EPS are measures which provide useful information to both management and investors by excluding certain expenses and non-routine gains and losses that may not be indicative of IDTs or the relevant segments core operating results. Management uses Adjusted EBITDA, among other measures, as a relevant indicator of core operational strengths in its financial and operational decision making. In addition, management uses Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP EPS to evaluate operating performance in relation to IDTs competitors. Disclosure of these financial measures may be useful to investors in evaluating performance and allows for greater transparency to the underlying supplemental information used by management in its financial and operational decision-making. In addition, IDT has historically reported similar financial measures and believes such measures are commonly used by readers of financial information in assessing performance, therefore the inclusion of comparative numbers provides consistency in financial reporting.

Management refers to Adjusted EBITDA, as well as the GAAP measures income (loss) from operations and net income, on a segment and/or consolidated level to facilitate internal and external comparisons to the segments and IDT's historical operating results, in making operating decisions, for budget and planning purposes, and to form the basis upon which management is compensated.

While depreciation and amortization are considered operating costs under GAAP, these expenses primarily represent the non-cash current period allocation of costs associated with long-lived assets acquired or capitalized in prior periods. IDTs Adjusted EBITDA, which is exclusive of depreciation and amortization, is a useful indicator of its current performance.

Severance expense is excluded from the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP EPS. Severance expense is reflective of decisions made by management in each period regarding the aspects of IDTs and its segments businesses to be focused on in light of changing market realities and other factors. While there may be similar charges in other periods, the nature and magnitude of these charges can fluctuate markedly and do not reflect the performance of IDTs core and continuing operations.

Other operating gain (expense), net, which is a component of income (loss) from operations, is excluded from the calculation of Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP EPS. Other operating gain (expense), net primarily includes gains from the write-off of a contingent consideration liabilities, legal fees net of insurance claims related to Straight Path Communications Inc.s stockholders putative class action and derivative complaint, and expense for the indemnification of a net2phone cable telephony customer related to patent infringement claims brought against the customer. From time-to-time, IDT may have gains or incur costs related to non-routine legal and other matters, however, these various items generally do not occur each quarter. IDT believes the gain and losses from these non-routine matters are not components of IDTs or the relevant segments core operating results.

Stock-based compensation recognized by IDT and other companies may not be comparable because of the variety of types of awards as well as the various valuation methodologies and subjective assumptions that are permitted under GAAP. Stock-based compensation is excluded from IDTs calculation of non-GAAP EPS because management believes this allows investors to make more meaningful comparisons of the operating results per share of IDTs core business with the results of other companies. However, stock-based compensation will continue to be a significant expense for IDT for the foreseeable future and an important part of employees compensation that impacts their performance.

Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP EPS should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, or superior to, income (loss) from operations, cash flow from operating activities, net income, basic and diluted earnings per share or other measures of liquidity and financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. In addition, IDTs measurements of Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP EPS may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

Following are reconciliations of Adjusted EBITDA and non-GAAP EPS to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, which are, (a) for Adjusted EBITDA, income (loss) from operations for IDTs reportable segments and net income for IDT on a consolidated basis, and (b) for non-GAAP EPS, diluted earnings per share.

IDT Corporation

Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA

(unaudited) in millions. Figures may not foot or cross-foot due to rounding to millions

Total IDT Corporation Traditional Communications net2phone NRS Fintech Corporate Three Months Ended January 31, 2023 (2Q23) Net income attributable to IDT Corporation $ 14.6 Adjustments: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 0.7 Net income 15.3 Provision for income taxes 5.3 Income before income taxes 20.6 Interest income, net (0.8 ) Other income, net (1.6 ) Income (loss) from operations 18.2 $ 17.0 $ (0.6 ) $ 5.4 $ (0.8 ) $ (2.8 ) Depreciation and amortization 5.0 2.4 1.4 0.6 0.7 - Severance 0.2 0.2 - - - - Other operating (gain) expense, net - - - - (0.3 ) 0.3 Adjusted EBITDA $ 23.4 $ 19.6 $ 0.8 $ 6.0 $ (0.5 ) $ (2.5 )





Total IDT Corporation Traditional Communications net2phone NRS Fintech Corporate Three Months Ended October 31, 2022 (1Q23) Net income attributable to IDT Corporation $ 11.0 Adjustments: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 1.6 Net income 12.6 Provision for income taxes 4.3 Income before income taxes 16.9 Interest income, net (0.5 ) Other expense, net 3.8 Income (loss) from operations 20.2 $ 17.3 $ (1.1 ) $ 5.2 $ 1.5 $ (2.7 ) Depreciation and amortization 4.8 2.3 1.4 0.5 0.6 - Severance 0.1 0.1 - - - - Other operating gain, net (0.8 ) - - - (1.6 ) 0.8 Adjusted EBITDA $ 24.3 $ 19.7 $ 0.3 $ 5.7 $ 0.5 $ (1.9 )



IDT Corporation

Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA

(unaudited) in millions. Figures may not foot or cross-foot due to rounding to millions.

Total IDT Corporation Traditional Communications net2phone NRS Fintech Corporate Three Months Ended January 31, 2022 (2Q22) Net income attributable to IDT Corporation $ 7.5 Adjustments: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests 0.8 Net income 8.3 Provision for income taxes 2.7 Income before income taxes 11.0 Interest income, net (0.1 ) Other expense, net 2.9 Income (loss) from operations 13.8 $ 19.9 $ (2.9 ) $ 2.1 $ (2.3 ) $ (3.0 ) Depreciation and amortization 4.4 2.4 1.3 0.2 0.5 - Other operating expense (gain), net 0.4 - (0.3 ) - - 0.7 Adjusted EBITDA $ 18.7 $ 22.3 $ (1.9 ) $ 2.2 $ (1.7 ) $ (2.3 )



IDT Corporation

Reconciliation of Earnings per share to Non-GAAP EPS

(unaudited) in millions, except per share data. Figures may not foot due to rounding to millions.

2Q23 1Q23 2Q22 Net income attributable to IDT Corporation $ 14.6 $ 11.0 $ 7.5 Adjustments (add) subtract: Stock-based compensation (1.3 ) (0.6 ) (0.3 ) Severance expense (0.2 ) (0.1 ) - Other operating gain (expense), net - 0.8 (0.4 ) Total adjustments (1.5 ) 0.1 (0.8 ) Income tax effect of total adjustments (0.4 ) - (0.2 ) 1.1 (0.1 ) 0.6 Non-GAAP net income $ 15.7 $ 10.9 $ 8.1 Earnings per share: Basic $ 0.57 $ 0.43 $ 0.29 Total adjustments 0.05 - 0.02 Non-GAAP - basic $ 0.62 $ 0.43 $ 0.31 Weighted-average number of shares used in calculation of basic earnings per share 25.5 25.6 25.7 Diluted $ 0.57 $ 0.43 $ 0.28 Total adjustments 0.05 - 0.02 Non-GAAP - diluted $ 0.62 $ 0.43 $ 0.30 Weighted-average number of shares used in calculation of diluted earnings per share 25.5 25.6 26.5



*Explanation of Key Performance Metrics



NRS recurring revenue is NRS revenue in accordance with GAAP excluding revenue from POS terminal sales.

NRS Monthly Average Recurring Revenue per Terminal is a financial metric. Monthly Average Recurring Revenue per Terminal is calculated by dividing NRS recurring revenue by the average number of active POS terminals during the period. The average number of active POS terminals is calculated by adding the beginning and ending number of active POS terminals during the period and dividing by two. NRS recurring revenue divided by the average number of active POS terminals is divided by three when the period is a fiscal quarter. Monthly Average Recurring Revenue per Terminal is useful for comparisons of NRS revenue per customer to prior periods and to competitors and others in the market, as well as for forecasting future revenue from the customer base.

BOSS Moneys Average Revenue per Transaction is also a financial metric. Average Revenue per Transaction is calculated by dividing BOSS Moneys revenue in accordance with GAAP by the number of transactions during the period. Average Revenue per Transaction is useful for comparisons of BOSS Moneys revenue per transaction to prior periods and to competitors and others in the market, as well as for forecasting future revenue based on transaction trends.

net2phones subscription revenue is its revenue in accordance with GAAP excluding its equipment revenue and revenue generated by a legacy SIP trunking offering in Brazil. net2phones cloud communications offerings are priced on a per-seat basis, with customers paying based on the number of users in their organization. The number of seats served and subscription revenue trends and comparisons between periods are used in the analysis of net2phones revenues and direct cost of revenues are strong indications of the top-line growth and performance of the business.

# # #




A community created specifically for founders, Inc. Founders House provides inspiration, insight, and boldly honest truths from business ownerswhether on stage or across the bar.

AUSTIN, Texas, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. announced today it will host its third annual Inc. Founders House at SXSW , March 1013, at Foxy's Proper Pub (201 Brazos Street).

Inc. Founders House at SXSW

A crossroads of intellect, guts, strategy and excitement, this year's Inc. Founders House headliners include Deepak Chopra, founder of The Chopra Foundation; Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani; Beatrice Dixon, co-founder and CEO of The Honey Pot Company; and Nicolas Jammet, co-founder and chief concept officer of Sweetgreen; among others.

This one-of-a-kind event brings together those starting, running, and growing businesses at a four-day exclusive hub. Inc. Founders House invites founders to refuel, recharge, and connect with peers in an intimate setting curated exclusively for entrepreneurs. More than 3,000+ invite-only attendees are expected to visit the hub during the four days.

Complimentary lunch and drinks will be served daily, including classic cookies with a twist from Cookie Rich that will be showcased on the edible cookie wall. Join Waterboy co-founder, Connor Saeli on Sunday, March 12, for cocktails as he guest-bartends and supplies complimentary hydration sticks for attendees.

Inc. Founders House Headliners:

Deepak Chopra , Founder, The Chopra Foundation

Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO, Chobani

Chip Conley , Founder and CEO, Modern Elder Academy

Nicolas Jammet, Co-Founder and Chief Concept Officer, Sweetgreen

Beatrice Dixon, Co-Founder and CEO, The Honey Pot Company

Tina Wells, Business Strategist, Advisor, Author, and Founder, RLVNT Media

Jim McKelvey, Founder, Block (Formerly Square) and Invisibly

Angela Benton, Founder, CEO, and Board Director, Streamlytics

Riana Lynn, Founder and CEO, Journey Foods

Cassey Ho, CEO and Head Designer, POPFLEX/Blogilates

Story continues

Inc. Founders House Meetups:

Friday, March 10: Black Founders Meetup, co-hosted by Brian Brackeen , general partner, Lightship Capital

Saturday, March 11: CPG Founders Meetup, co-hosted by Michael Walters , founder, studio503 and Colin McGuire , co-founder and CEO, BOOMN

Monday, March 12: Female Founders Meetup, co-hosted by Female Founders Collective

Inc. is honored to collaborate with Inc. Founders House sponsors on a fascinating lineup of sessions, networking opportunities, and spaces during SXSW 2023. From thought-leadership sessions to on-site activations, founders will find valuable opportunities to learn and connect.

SPONSOR HIGHLIGHTS:

TRINET TriNet PeopleForceX brings its incredible talent to Inc. Founders House where Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, and Chief Communications Officer Michael Mendenhall will lead a powerful session on helping businesses identify and understand the importance of purpose, culture, and brand promise. A lively happy hour, perfect for networking, will immediately follow the session. TriNet will also host a unique activation featuring coffee, espresso martinis, and oatmeal coffee stout ale where you can have a selfie printed right onto your cup.

CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen) will explore the emotional aspects of selling a business, and help founders learn how to deal with this important part of the exit strategy. In this session, an owner transition advisory professional will provide tips on how to help reduce anxiety around leaving a company in the hands of someone else as well as preparing for their own financial security.

DWEN (Dell Women's Entrepreneur Network) will deliver insight into the best cities for women entrepreneurs and its WE Cities Index. Women business owners and other experts will share how the five critical pillarsmarkets, talent, capital, culture, and technologymeasured by the WE Cities Index can fuel growth for female founders and their companies. A female founders' happy hour will immediately follow the panel.

GS1 US will revisit the supply chain issues that became a daily challenge for so many businesses over the past few years. In a timely and informative panel, an expert from GS1 US joins business owners to offer solutions that businesses can use to optimize supply chains and keep customers happy.

PITCHBOOK will examine the variables affecting the venture capital (VC) sector, and what they mean for founders seeking funding. In addition to covering the market conditions, regulatory changes, and technological advancements that have shaken up the VC industry during the past three years, this vital panel will also track new trends and developments for 2023. PitchBook will offer a complimentary breakfast, a custom gift station, and an exclusive preview to upcoming product features.

XSOLLA will host a forward-thinking panel on the future of digital payments and how businesses need to prepare now for a cashless future. Expert voices from Xsolla and Mastercard will share the challenges and solutions, as well as how to deliver a seamless, secure, and rewarding experience for customers.

Inc. Founders House in Austin is open to invited guests and credentialed members of the media only. To request press credentials or for media requests, please contact: incpress@kivvit.com events.inc.com/inc-founders-house-2023 | #IFH | @Inc.

Inc. Founders House is growing!

Thanks to overwhelming interest in opportunities for founders to connect with each other, Inc. Founders House is opening its doors in Atlanta, GA, in May, for National Small Business Week, and in Cincinnati, OH, in July, for Black Tech Week.

ABOUT INC.

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 every 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. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/inc-to-host-third-annual-inc-founders-house-at-sxsw-301766204.html

SOURCE Inc.
A community of founders by founders, the Inc. Founders House provides inspiration, insight, and boldly honest truths from founders  whether on stage or across the bar.

AUSTIN, Texas, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine announced today it will host its 13th annual Founders House at SXSW from March 10th-March 13th, located at Foxy's Proper Pub (201 Brazos Street).

Inc. Founders House at SXSW

A crossroads of intellect, guts, strategy and excitement, this year's Inc. headliners include Deepak Chopra, Founder of The Chopra Foundation; Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani; Beatrice Dixon, Co-Founder, CEO of The Honey Pot Company, and Nicolas Jammet, Co-Founder and Chief Concept Officer, Sweetgreen, among others.

This one-of-a-kind event brings those starting, running, and growing businesses together in one space at a four-day exclusive hub. Inc. Founders House invites founders to refuel, recharge, and connect with peers in an intimate setting curated exclusively for entrepreneurs. More than 3,000+ invite-only attendees are expected to visit the hub over four days.

Complimentary lunch and drinks will be served daily, including classic cookies with a twist from Cookie Rich that will be showcased on the edible cookie wall. Join Waterboy co-founder, Connor Saeli on Sunday, March 12th for cocktails as he guest bartends and will be supplying complimentary hydration sticks for attendees.

Complete List of SXSW Founders House Headliners:

Deepak Chopra , Founder of The Chopra Foundation

Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani

Chip Conley , Founder and CEO of Modern Elder Academy

Nicolas Jammet, Co-Founder and Chief Concept Officer, Sweetgreen

Beatrice Dixon, Co-Founder and CEO of The Honey Pot Company

Tina Wells, Business Strategist, Adviser, Author and Founder of RLVNT Media

Jim Mckelvey, Founder of Block (Formerly Square) and Invisibly

Angela Benton, Founder, CEO, and Board Director at Streamlytics

Riana Lynn, Founder and CEO of Journey Foods

Cassey Ho, CEO and Head Designer of POPFLEX/Blogilates

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Complete List of Meetups:

Friday, March 10: Black Founders Meetup, co-hosted by Brian Brackeen , general partner, Lightship Capital

Saturday, March 11: CPG Founders Meetup, co-hosted by Michael Walters, founder, studio503 and Colin McGuire, co-founder and CEO, BOOMN

Monday, March 12: Female Founders Meetup, co-hosted by Female Founders Collective

Inc. is honored to collaborate with the Inc. Founders House sponsors on a fascinating lineup of sessions, networking opportunities, and spaces during SXSW 2023. From thought-leadership sessions to on-site activations, founders will find valuable opportunities to learn and connect.

Inc. Founders House is expanding!

Due to the overwhelming demand for opportunities for founders to connect, Inc. Founders House is coming to Atlanta, GA in May for National Small Business Week and Cincinnati, OH in July for Black Tech Week.

SPONSOR HIGHLIGHTS:

TRINET: TriNet PeopleForceX brings its incredible talent to Inc. Founders House where its SVP, CMO and CCO Michael Mendenhall will lead a powerful session on helping businesses identify and understand the importance of purpose, culture and brand promise. A lively happy hour will immediately follow the session, perfect for networking. TriNet will also host a unique activation featuring coffee, espresso martinis and oatmeal coffee stout ales where you can have a selfie printed right onto your cup.

DWEN (Dell Women's Entrepreneur Network): Tapping into the right resources can be the key to turning your business idea into a successful venture. Women business owners and other experts will share how the five critical pillars - markets, talent, capital, culture and technology  that the WE Cities Index measures can fuel growth for female founders and their companies. A female founder's happy hour will immediately follow the panel.

CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen): Founders are generally taught how to financially prepare for selling their companies. But they often find themselves less prepared for the emotional impact of the separation. In this session, an owner transition advisory professional provides tips for founders on how to help reduce anxiety around leaving a company in the hands of someone else while preparing for their own financial security.

GS1 US: Hear how to optimize your supply chain for success and keep your customers happy with Reid Jackson, vice president of business development at GS1 US. Joining in the discussion are the CEO of Crafted Brands Co. and the founder and CEO of Stimulus, Inc., where they will share how to overcome supply chain challenges.

PITCHBOOK: Examine the variables impacting the venture capital (VC) sector, and what they mean for founders seeking funding. In addition to covering the market conditions, regulatory changes, and technological advancements that have shaken up the VC industry over the past three years, this vital panel will also track new trends and developments for 2023. PitchBook will offer complimentary breakfast, a custom gifting station, and an exclusive preview to upcoming product features.

Inc. Founders House is open to invited guests and credentialed members of the media only. To request press credentials or for media requests, please contact: incpress@kivvit.com events.inc.com/inc-founders-house-2023 | #IFH| @Inc.

ABOUT INC.

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. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

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SOURCE Inc.
DUBLIN, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Innovations in Concentrated Solar Power, Lithium-ion Batteries, Saltwater Electrolysis, Perovskite Solar Cells & Hydrogen Storage" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Research and Markets Logo

This edition of the Energy & Power Systems (EPS) TOE features information about the use of paraboidal and solar tower based concentrated solar power technologies integrated with thermal energy storage systems for uninterrupted renewable energy generation. The TOE covers innovations based on the use of membrane-free saltwater electrolysis for hydrogen generation and ballast water treatment in ships. The TOE provides latest innovations in utilizing floating systems for the generation of cost-effective and reliable wave energy. The TOE provides the latest insights in the use of silicon-based anodes for enhancing performance characteristics of lithium-ion batteries. Finally, the TOE also provides insights about the use of silicon-based nanoparticles to increase the performance efficiency of perovskite solar cells and the use of micrometer sized metal hydrides for hydrogen storage.

The Energy and Power Systems TOE provides insights on the latest advances in the broad range of technology related to the energy industry. The topics regularly presented range from energy storage technologies (solid-state batteries, solar chemical storage and other advanced energy storage devices) to non-renewable energy such as oil and gas. Special emphasis is given to emerging areas in the renewable sector such as photovoltaics, wind energy, and geothermal energy, and emerging alternative fuels such as hydrogen, syngas, ethanol and biofuels. The EPS TOE keeps clients abreast of the latest R&D developments at major corporate and academic research centers, provides competitor intelligence and helps create strategic alliances.

The Energy and Environment cluster provides global insights and intelligence on a wide variety of disruptive emerging technologies and platforms ranging from energy storage, advanced batteries, solar and wind energy, to unconventional oil, bioenergy, geothermal energy, and energy transmission.

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Key Topics Covered:





1. Innovations in Concentrated Solar Power, Lithium-ion Batteries, Saltwater Electrolysis, Perovskite Solar Cells & Hydrogen Storage

Paraboidal Solar Collectors Integrated With Superheated Steam-based Molten Salts (SUMO) for Uninterrupted Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Generation

Sunrise CSP - Value Proposition

Sunrise CSP - Investor Dashboard

Solar Tower-based CSP Plants for Continuous On-demand Power Generation

Aalborg CSP - Value Proposition

Aalborg CSP - Investor Dashboard

Saltwater Electrolysis using a Membrane-free Electrolyzer for Hydrogen Generation

sHYp BV Ltd - Value Proposition

sHYp BV Ltd - Investor Dashboard

Innovative Design Enhances the Cost-efficiency and Reliability of Wave Power Generation

EcoWave Power - Value Proposition

Eco Wave Power - Investor Dashboard

Silicon-based Anode for Enhancing Performance Characteristics of Lithium-ion Batteries

Group14 Technologies' Value Proposition

Group14 Technologies - Investor Dashboard

Use of Silicon-based Nanoparticle Paste to increase Perovskite Solar Cell Efficiency

ITMO University's Value Proposition

Microgrid to Replace Conventional Power Production for Off-grid Consumers

Enernet Global's Value Proposition

Enernet Global - Investor Dashboard

Specially Tailored Micrometer-sized Metal Hydrides For Hydrogen Storage

Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon's Value Proposition

2. Key Contacts

3. Appendix

Criteria for Rating of Innovations - Explanation

A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

Aalborg CSP

Eco Wave Power

EcoWave Power

Enernet Global

Group14 Technologies

Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon

ITMO University

sHYp BV Ltd

Sunrise CSP

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qvh0ua

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

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SOURCE Research and Markets
By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -JetBlue Chief Executive Robin Hayes strongly defended the airlines $3.8 billion plan to buy ultra-low cost carrier Spirit Airlines despite the Justice Department's lawsuit Tuesday challenging the deal.

"Of course were going to continue to offer low fares, Hayes told Reuters in an interview. "This argument that we'll take seats outs and fares are going to go up. Were going to put capacity back," by doing things such as using larger planes on existing routes and by flying planes more often.

He said that JetBlue will still serve Spirit customers buying very low-cost tickets after a merger and rejected the idea that fares will go up.

"I fully recognize that very price-conscious customer and it's very important that the larger JetBlue continues to cater and provide a service to that customer and we absolutely will," Hayes said. "We will not be successful here if we just do not have a product to offer to those customers."

The Justice Department said the deal would eliminate half of the ultra-low-cost capacity in the United States, resulting in higher fares and 10%-15% fewer seats to airplanes and "harming millions of consumers on hundreds of routes." If the merger was completed "JetBlue would likely increase prices on every route where Spirit flies today," it said.

Hayes noted the Federal Aviation Administration is studying whether to set minimum seat requirements and President Joe Biden has criticized so-called "junk fees" like some airline costs.

"The government needs to be clear about what the priorities are," Hayes said. "JetBlue is the gold standard of leg room and then we don't like junk fees but we're thinking an airline that has more ancillary fees is innovative," referring to the Justice Department's praise of Spirit.

JetBlue reached a deal with the Florida Attorney General Monday to boost seats on flights to the state by 50% over seven years. "A bigger JetBlue now in Florida means all the airlines flying to Florida to compete with us are going to lower their fares," Hayes said.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Stephen Coates)
Xinhua News Agency: A few days ago, the Government of Zambia presented the Medal of Foreign Cooperation to members of the 25th Chinese Military Medical Expert Team to Zambia and thanked China for sending senior medical experts to Zambia over the years. What is your comment?

Mao Ning: The Chinese Military Medical Expert Team have delivered quality medical services in Zambia and fulfilled their medical aid mission in an outstanding manner. They are not only angels in white who save lives, but also envoys of friendship who pass on love. Besides treating patients, they also trained local practitioners based on each trainees aptitude, cultivating for the local people a medical team of their own.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of China dispatching its first medical aid team abroad. Over the past six decades, a total of 30,000 medical personnel have treated 290 million local patients in 76 countries and regions across five continents, winning extensive recognition worldwide. Chinese medical aid teams are now working at 115 sites in 56 countries, of which many are in remote areas with harsh conditions.

As General Secretary Xi Jinping noted in his reply letter to the Chinese medical team dispatched to the Central African Republic, the Chinese people love peace and cherish lives, which is illustrated by their efforts in international medical assistance. China will continue to actively carry out international cooperation on health care, including medical aid, to build bridges of health among countries and contribute more to the betterment of health and well-being of people around the world.

CCTV: Ambassador Li Song, Permanent Representative of China to the UN and other International Organizations in Vienna, announced at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting on March 6 that China will contribute 200,000 euros in support of efforts to address the issue of safety and security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine. Could you offer more information on that?

Mao Ning: China attaches high importance to nuclear safety and actively participates in international cooperation in this field. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China recently released the Global Security Initiative Concept Paper, which identifies efforts to promote international cooperation on nuclear security as one of the priorities of cooperation. In the recently-released Chinas Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis, it is also clearly stated that China opposes armed attacks against peaceful nuclear facilities and supports the IAEA in playing a constructive role in promoting the safety and security of peaceful nuclear facilities.

We always do what we say. The decision to contribute 200,000 euros through the IAEA to technical assistance to Ukraine on nuclear safety and security is just one concrete step China has taken to support the IAEAs efforts to strengthen nuclear safety in Ukraine.

China will continue to work with the rest of the world to build a fair, collaborative and mutually beneficial international nuclear security system. We will also continue to promote talks for peace and support efforts towards a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, so as to remove the source of nuclear safety risks and keep Ukrainian nuclear facilities safe.

Kyodo News: Recent reports say that the leader of Taiwan Tsai Ing-wen will make a transit stop in the US in April, during which she will meet with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California. Reports say that by persuading McCarthy to meet in California instead of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen is trying to avoid angering the Chinese mainland. What is your comment?

Mao Ning: We are gravely concerned over this and have made serious demarches to the US side demanding clarification.

As Foreign Minister Qin Gang made clear at yesterdays press conference held on the margins of the two sessions, Taiwan is part of the sacred territory of the Peoples Republic of China. It is the inviolable duty of all Chinese people, including our compatriots in Taiwan, to accomplish the great task of reunifying the motherland. The Taiwan question is the core of the core interests of China, the bedrock of the political foundation of China-US relations, and the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations. Separatism for Taiwan independence is as incompatible with peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait as fire with water. For peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, its real threat is the separatist forces for Taiwan independence, its solid anchor is the one-China principle, and its genuine guardrails are the three China-US joint communiques.

I need to stress that China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the US and the Taiwan region, firmly opposes any visit by Taiwan independence separatist leaders to the US in any name under whatever pretext, and firmly opposes the US having any form of contact with Taiwan independence separatist elements in violation of the one-China principle.

We urge the US to abide by the three China-US joint communiques, deliver on US leaders commitment of not supporting Taiwan independence or two Chinas or one China, one Taiwan, stop all forms of official interaction with Taiwan, stop upgrading its substantive exchanges with the region, and stop obscuring and hollowing out the one-China principle. No individual shall ever underestimate the firm resolve, staunch will and strong capability of the Chinese government and people to defend sovereignty and territorial integrity.

China Daily: Vanuatu has declared a state of emergency after being hit back-to-back by strong tropical cyclones. Will China provide disaster assistance for Vanuatu?

Mao Ning: We express our sincere sympathies to Vanuatu for the back-to-back cyclones and other disasters that have hammered the nation over the past few days and the serious financial loss it has endured. Foreign Minister Qin Gang sent a message of sympathies to Foreign Minister Jotham Napat soon after the disasters struck. The Red Cross Society of China has provided 100,000 US dollars of emergency humanitarian cash assistance for Vanuatu.

China and Vanuatu are good friends, good brothers and good partners supporting each other and sharing weal and woe. China will continue to do what we can to help Vanuatus relief and reconstruction efforts in light of the severity of the aftermath and Vanuatus need. We believe that the people of Vanuatu will pull through the difficulties and rebuild their home soon.

RIA Novosti: News surfaced on social media yesterday that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia. Can the Foreign Ministry confirm or deny this information?

Mao Ning: China and Russia maintain communication and exchange at all levels. I have nothing to offer on whether or not there will be such a visit.

AFP: A question about Sri Lankas debt. The President of Sri Lanka said China has agreed to restructure its loans, clearing the way for a bailout from the IMF. Can the Chinese side confirm if thats the case and do you have any more comment on this at this time?

Mao Ning: As far as I know, on March 6, the Export-Import Bank of China, as the official bilateral creditor, provided a financing support document to Sri Lanka.

I would like to reiterate that China supports relevant financial institution in having active consultations with Sri Lanka on debt treatment. In the meantime, we also see the necessity of fair burden-sharing and believe that both commercial and multilateral creditors should take part in Sri Lankas debt restructuring. China is ready to 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.

MBC: A South Korean official said in Washington that he sympathized with South Koreas participation in the US-led Quad working group. I heard that China is concerned about South Koreas participation in the Quad. It seems that South Koreas participation in the Quad is getting closer. What does China think?

Mao Ning: China has made clear its position on the Quad on many occasions. We believe that state-to-state cooperation needs to be consistent with the trend of peace and development, rather than be about putting up exclusionary blocs. We hope certain countries can do more things that contribute to security and mutual trust between regional countries and that help to maintain regional peace and stability.

Bloomberg: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed a special investigator to look into allegations that China interfered in Canadas elections. Some media reports in recent weeks have said that Trudeau received intelligence briefings alleging that China meddled in both the 2019 and 2021 votes that returned him to power. How does the foreign ministry respond to this?

Mao Ning: China always opposes interference in other countries internal affairs. We have no interest in and will not interfere in Canadas internal affairs. Its absurd that some in Canada are making an issue about China based on disinformation and lies.

Bloomberg: We saw a report that the US is set to lift COVID-19 testing restrictions for travelers coming from China. That could happen as soon as this week. Does China have any response and will it respond in kind?

Mao Ning: China believes that for all countries, COVID response measures need to be science-based and proportionate. We hope countries concerned will work with China to do more to facilitate cross-border travel.

Reuters: The EXIM Bank of China has told Sri Lanka it will not seek immediate repayment of debt for 2022 and 2023 and expedite the negotiations on medium and long term debt treatment to finalize specifics in the coming months. Could we seek any comment from the foreign ministry?

Mao Ning: I just shared information about Sri Lankas debt issue. The EXIM Bank of China had provided Sri Lanka with a letter expressing support for its debt sustainability, saying the Bank is going to provide an extension on the debt service due in 2022 and 2023. On March 6, it provided the country with another financing support document. This fully speaks to Chinas sincerity and action to support Sri Lankas effort to achieve debt sustainability.

****************************************

Today is the International Womens Day. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my festive greetings to all female friends. Hope we will all realize our dreams and live a splendid life and that through our efforts, the world will become a better place.
London, UK --News Direct-- Kavango Resources PLC

Kavango Resources PLC (LSE:KAV, OTC:KVGOF) CEO Ben Turney speaks to Proactive's Thomas Warner after announcing the findings from a review of the mineral exploration potential of its Ditau project in Botswana.

Turney says that the banded iron formation identified by the review "has the potential to be transformational for our business".

Contact Details

Proactive UK Ltd

+44 20 7989 0813

uk@proactiveinvestors.com

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Leverages data for personalization and enhances business banking to a single system

PLANO, Texas, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Alkami Technology Inc. (Nasdaq: ALKT) ("Alkami"), a leading cloud-based digital banking solutions provider for banks and credit unions in the U.S., announced today that Maine-based Kennebec Savings Bank (Kennebec) has launched the Alkami Digital Banking Platform. Alkami's integrated solution and single platform for business, retail and mobile banking enables Kennebec to provide a seamless digital banking experience across its customer base.

Alkami Logo (PRNewsfoto/Alkami Technology, Inc.)

"We needed a flexible and reliable solution that would deliver the functionality our customers want now while also being able to evolve to meet their long-term needs," said Kevin Dono, senior vice president and chief information officer of Kennebec. "One of our key goals is to expand support for local businesses. Alkami's platform enables us to provide a seamless and consistent user experience for our business customers by giving them access to all accounts through a common user interface within a single system. Self-service capabilities help them manage multiple accounts and enable functionality options for individuals through permission settings."

In addition to providing customers with self-service banking capabilities through mobile and desktop applications, the Alkami Platform enables Kennebec to leverage data to enhance the customer experience through a more personalized communication channel.

"We are excited to support Kennebec's efforts to go beyond the traditional banking footprint and further empower and engage with customers," said Alex Shootman, Alkami's chief executive officer. "The Alkami Platform, combined with Kennebec's outstanding service, will position them to deliver even greater value and service benefits to both current and future customers."

About Alkami

Alkami Technology, Inc. is a leading cloud-based digital banking solutions provider for financial institutions in the United States that enables clients to grow confidently, adapt quickly and build thriving digital communities. Alkami helps clients transform through retail and business banking, digital account opening and digital loan origination, payment security, and data analytics and marketing solutions. To learn more, visit www.alkami.com .

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About Kennebec Savings Bank

Kennebec Savings Bank is a $1.6 billion state-chartered community bank, part of a mutual organization, operating in the state of Maine for 153 years, with a team of nearly 200 employees and offices in Augusta, Farmingdale, Freeport, Waterville and Winthrop, and coming soon to Portland, as well as "KSB Anytime" 24-hour electronic banking centers in Augusta, Farmingdale, Freeport and Manchester. The Bank is proud that its involvement in the community as an employer, a business and as a contributor has led to many other successes besides its own. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.

Media Relations Contact

Marla Pieton

marla.pieton@alkami.com

Katie Schimmel

katie@outlookmarketingsrv.com

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SOURCE Alkami Technology, Inc.
SkyQuest Technology Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

SkyQuest has recently published an exhaustive report on the large molecule drug substance CDMO market. The report utilizes a rigorous methodology that includes a SWOT analysis, technology assessment, economic evaluation, product benchmarking, recent developments, and accurate forecasting. As a result, it provides reliable and precise insights into the market, making it an indispensable resource for understanding the current market scenario, identifying key players, and analyzing their market share, strategies, and key developments.

Westford, USA, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Asia Pacific retained its leading position in the large molecule drug substance CDMO market . This has been attributed to several factors, including the growing number of approvals for large molecule drugs and the region's increasing prevalence of infectious diseases. In addition, the high demand for novel therapeutics has led to increased investment by pharmaceutical and biotech companies in advanced technologies. These investments have enabled these companies to establish partnerships with CDMOs, which can help to streamline the drug development and manufacturing process. As the demand for novel therapeutics grows, the industry will likely see even greater investment and innovation in the coming years.

As per the statistics provided by SkyQuest, Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are the main reason for death on a global scale, claiming an estimated 17 million lives annually. This highlights the critical importance of having reliable and efficient solutions for manufacturing large molecule drug substances, which are instrumental in treating and managing various CVDs.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Large Molecule Drug Substance CDMO Market"

Pages - 278

Tables - 61

Figures - 65

A large molecule drug substance CDMOs (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations) are companies that specialize in the development and manufacturing of complex biologic drugs. These drugs typically comprise large, complex molecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, or antibodies, which require specialized manufacturing processes and facilities. Large molecule drug substances are becoming increasingly important in the pharmaceutical industry as they offer a range of advantages over traditional small molecule drugs, including greater specificity and fewer side effects.

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Get a sample copy of this report:

https://skyquestt.com/sample-request/large-molecule-drug-substance-cdmo-market

Prominent Players in Large Molecule Drug Substance CDMO Market

Eurofins Scientific

Catalent, Inc.

Racipharm AB

Boehringer Ingelheim

Jubilant Pharmova Ltd

FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies

WuXi Biologistcs

AGC Biologics

Siegfried Holding AG

Samsung Biologics

Rentschler Biopharma SE

Contract Manufacturing Segment to Attain Swift Growth as Biopharmaceutical Companies Increased Outsourcing Production of Drug Substances to CDMOs

The contract manufacturing segment of the large molecule drug substance CDMO market significantly contributed to the overall revenue in 2021. This segment offers services to pharmaceutical companies that outsource the production of their large molecule drugs. These services include process development, manufacturing, and testing of drug substances. The advantages of outsourcing drug manufacturing to contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) include cost savings, reduced capital expenditure, and access to specialized expertise and technology. Additionally, using CMOs allows pharmaceutical companies to focus on their core competencies, such as drug discovery and marketing.

The Asia Pacific region has contributed as a major player in the large molecule drug substance CDMO market, holding the largest revenue share in 2021. The region is expected to maintain this dominance and register the fastest CAGR by 2030. According to SkyQuest, there are over 175 million elderly individuals in China who are currently struggling with chronic illnesses, with 72% of them having more than one disease. One area showing particular promise in this regard is the Large Molecule Drug Substance CDMO market. Large molecule drugs are often used to treat complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune disorders, and chronic inflammatory conditions.

Browse summary of the report and Complete Table of Contents (ToC):

https://skyquestt.com/report/large-molecule-drug-substance-cdmo-market

Mammalian Source Segment to Grow Substantially as New technologies Enable the Production of More Complex and Specialized Biologic Drugs

According to the latest market research report, the mammalian source segment in the large molecule drug substance CDMO market recorded the highest growth rate in 2021. This segment is expected to continue dominating the market from 2022 to 2030. This is a significant development in the pharmaceutical industry, as mammalian source-based drug development has shown immense potential in recent years. The growing demand for large molecule drugs and biologics, along with advancements in biotechnology and cell culture techniques, has fueled the growth of the mammalian source segment in the CDMO market.

The large molecule drug substance CDMO market in North America is set to experience substantial growth from 2022 to 2030, fueled by significant research and development investments in the United States. Key players in the industry are adopting various strategies to maintain their market share, including mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships. As the demand for large molecule drugs continues to rise, the North American CDMO market is expected to witness a significant uptick in growth.

A new research report has been released that focuses on the global large molecule drug substance CDMO market. This report offers detailed insights into the market's size, share, and major players operating within the industry, along with a comprehensive evaluation of the present market scenario and the impact of significant events and market conditions in various regions. The report's findings will help stakeholders understand the factors driving the market's growth and make informed decisions about investment opportunities in this industry.

Key Developments in Large Molecule Drug Substance CDMO Market

Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services (Aji Bio-Pharma) has made a significant breakthrough in developing a new enzyme to form double-strand oligonucleotides. Aji Bio-Pharma is a renowned provider of biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing services. They have collaborated with researchers from the University of Shizuoka to develop a highly functional artificial RNA ligase using the ancestral design method. The newly developed enzyme has high productivity and efficiency, making it an essential tool for biopharmaceutical research and development.

Pfizer, a renowned pharmaceutical company, plans to acquire a drug substance facility in Sanford, North Carolina, from Abzena. This acquisition aims to expand Pfizer's production capacity and support its CentreOne clients. The newly acquired facility is expected to provide Pfizer with additional capabilities to manufacture highly potent compounds essential for developing innovative medicines for patients. Furthermore, the acquisition will enhance Pfizer's ability to provide its customers with high-quality services through CentreOne, Pfizer's contract manufacturing organization (CMO).

WuXi Biologics, a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), has announced plans to invest $1.4 billion over the next ten years in expanding its research, development, and manufacturing capabilities in Singapore. The investment will focus on increasing the company's capacity for large-scale drug substance and drug product manufacturing and enhancing its overall capabilities in the region. This move is expected to bolster WuXi Biologics' presence in Asia, with a significant manufacturing footprint.

Speak to Analyst for your custom requirements:

https://skyquestt.com/speak-with-analyst/large-molecule-drug-substance-cdmo-market

Key Questions Answered in Large Molecule Drug Substance CDMO Market Report

What are the primary factors hindering or propelling the progress of the target market, and how are these factors influencing the overall market performance?

Which sub-segments of the target market are projected to exhibit better growth than the overall market, and what are the key drivers of their growth?

In what ways do the demand and supply vary across various regions within the target market, and how does this affect revenue growth in each region?

What are the latest trends and developments in the target market, and how are they impacting the growth of the market and the players operating within it?

Related Reports in SkyQuests Library:

Global Sodium Hydroxide Market

Global Psychedelic Drugs Market

Global Pharmaceutical Excipients Market

Global Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Market

Global Anti-Aging Market

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SEONG-NAM, South Korea, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- JOYCITY, a leading developer and publisher of world-class mobile titles, brings in the heavy hitters with an all-new Survival Brawler to their award winning game lineup with The King of Fighters: Survival City.

Legendary Fighters Meet Strategy! KOF: Survival City

Straight out of pocket and right into your hand:

K', Kula, and Maxima bring Survival, Strategy and Strength to kick off the fight against the diabolical NESTS and stop them from overtaking the world!

Experience KOF in a way you never imagined with The King of Fighters: Survival City.

The King of Fighters: Survival City is a mobile title that breaks the mold of the classically fast-paced, fan-favorite fighting genre by bringing strategy to the fore, and with a lineup of over 40 popular fighters from the original game series, King of Fighters officially steps into the Massively Multiplayer, Strategy arena, on a Global Scale.

The King of Fighters: Survival City breathes life into an expansive, comprehensive world with an exclusive story that immediately dives deep into the mysterious story of K'. KOF fans will immediately recognize the dark storytelling as the work of the NESTS, and from that point on, the world comes to life as players take control of iconic characters from SNK's fight franchise roster.

Players can not only Summon and Upgrade over 40 iconic KOF fighters by using a variety of methods like the character merging system, earning experience and items. The facilities and buildings within your base allow players to train, negotiate with other bases, and go either Head-to-Head in savage PVP, or work cooperatively with players from around the world to form the strategies necessary to shut down the pandemonium brought about by the NESTS, Cyborgs, and rogue Fighters!

Going beyond the good ol' 3-round brawls, players of The King of Fighters: Survival City can keep it casual and unlock content with puzzle-based mini games that provide fighters, accessories, and special pieces, or they can go all out team up, and claim absolute dominance in the City Takeover!

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It's time to remember who you are - and save the World!

The King of Fighters: Survival City is available to download on Google Play and the App Store and launches with support for English, Korean, Japanese, German, Thai languages with more to come.

SNK CORPORATION 2023 JOYCITY CORP. & NDREAM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Contact Info: JOYCITY Marketing | marketing@joycity.com

SOURCE JOYCITY
Lleida.net

Sisco Sapena, CEO and Founder of Lleida.net

Sisco Sapena, CEO of Lleida.net, a Spanish company listed in New York, Paris, and Madrid, which just reported its best earnings results since its 1995 foundation.

MADRID, Spain, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The technology services company Lleida.net (BME:LLN) (EPA:ALLLN) (OTCQX:LLEIF) increased its sales by 15 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year, and closed the year with 20.67 million euros in turnover.

This more than 20 million represents a growth in sales of 2.7 million.

This is the record turnover figure in the company's history and the result of an increase in the results of all business lines, with the exception of recruitment, which has been affected by the economic cycle.

The company, a European leader in the certified electronic signature, notification, and contracting industry, recorded a rise in its gross margin also of 15 percent over the previous year, or 1.42 million over 2021. The figure stood at 10.78 million as of December 31. The gross margin stood at 59 percent of sales in the last quarter.

International sales now account for 57% of the group's cumulative overall sales, focusing mainly on Europe and Latin America.

During the year, the company's EBITDA decreased by 16 percent, or 368,000 euros, due to a significant increase in personnel and the accelerated recruitment of technical and commercial talent both outside and inside Spain.

The company's workforce now exceeds 170 people.

"Our medium-term strategic plan involves incorporating more qualified personnel to strengthen our innovation and development areas and accelerate the company's international sales. This strategy will yield results in the future that will benefit investors, shareholders, and the company's team," added Sisco Sapena, CEO of the company.

The investment in team growth resulted in an increase in personnel expenses of 1.95 million to 6.34 million.

"We grew significantly when we bought InDenova, and now more than ever we are going to bet on more and better professionals," Sapena added.

During 2022, the company's net financial debt increased by four percent over the previous year to 8.62 million euros, part of which corresponds to the loans that were signed for the acquisition of the InDenova technology company.

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During the year, however, both long-term and short-term debt were reduced, representing a reduction in total debt of 17 percent, or 1.91 million euros.

Lleida.net has 18 offices worldwide and received 223 patents from authorities in more than 64 countries. These include the European Union, the United States, China, Russia, India, Mexico, Japan, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, South Africa, Nigeria, Australia, and New Zealand.

Two days ago, the company announced the granting of three new patents for its method for the electronic signing of contracts in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

A recent study by Coller IP, a Mathys Squire company, valued Lleida.net's SaaS intellectual property portfolio at no less than 14.1 million euros.

Lleida.net has been listed on the OTCQX index in New York since 2020, Euronext Growth in Paris since 2018, and BME Growth in Madrid.

Since the start of the year, the company has traded more than 11 million in shares, and the company's stock has already appreciated by 20 percent.

Earnings Presentation: https://www.bmegrowth.es/docs/documentos/InfPrivilegiada/2023/03/05089_InfPriv_20230307.pdf?GguyKw!!

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/808c4681-3193-483d-93b1-86077843e25b

CONTACT: Pedrosa IR ir@pedrosa.uk




The brand's signature philanthropic program, which honours extraordinary women who selflessly serve their communities, is set to evolve, and expand in 2024.

TORONTO, March 8, 2023 /CNW/ - In honour of International Women's Day, L'Oreal Paris Canada announced today that the brand will be taking an exciting new approach to their beloved Women of Worth program in 2024. Since the program launch in 2017, this philanthropic initiative honoured an exceptional group of strong, diverse, and passionate women leaders, who continue to work tirelessly to implement local and global change, while bringing hope to Canadians. These courageous leaders devote their time, resources, heart,and soul into finding innovative programs, inspiring solutions, and providing crucial support to their communities and beyond.

LOreal Paris Logo (CNW Group/L'Oreal Paris)

As the number one beauty brand in the world, L'Oreal Paris Canada is committed to doing better and going bigger with the Women of Worth program in 2024. For 2023, the brand will be leaning into a year of celebrating all the amazing women who have participated in the program so far by acknowledging their actions and commitment to the program, and ultimately, their success. During this period, the brand will also be working hard behind the scenes to further develop the Women of Worth Program for 2024, by massifying and making it more inclusive to invite more Canadian women to participate than ever before.

In previous years, the annual Women of Worth program highlighted 10 remarkable women who redefined generosity, lived with extraordinary purpose and worked hard to heal and grow their communities, each receiving a $10,000 grant for their non-profit cause as well as a national platform to share their stories. Over the past 6 years, L'Oreal Paris Canada has bestowed over $660,000 dollars across 60 Canadian organizations, which often included the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse, food insecurity, support of marginalized communities and underserved youth, environmental sustainability, the development of platforms for BIPOC communities, and many more.

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"The L'Oreal Paris Women of Worth program is near and dear to our hearts. Each year, honouring women who selflessly advocate for change, strengthening their communities and bringing people together." said Edouard Hottebart, General Manager, L'Oreal Paris Canada. "But, as the world's number 1 beauty brand, we need to go beyond the program from being exclusive, to a much larger scale program that can honour all Canadian women and allow us to connect deeper with our consumers."

This year, L'Oreal Paris will continue to celebrate and invest in women who find beauty and strength in their communities every day. As a brand who is heavily involved and committed to make a change for women's rights, L'Oreal Paris will continue their efforts through the Stand Up Against Street Harassment Program , a partnership with Right To Be, an NGO expert in the fight against harassment of all forms. Stand Up is a training program designed to help prevent street harassment and build safe, inclusive spaces for all. The program introduces the 5D's methodology, a proven set of tools to help people safely intervene when they are a victim or witness to harassment in public spaces. To date, L'Oreal Paris and Right to have trained 1.5 million people across 42 countries. In 2023, L'Oreal Paris Canada plans to train 150,000 Canadians, helping L'Oreal Paris globally hit their objective of 2 million people trained by the end of 2023.

About L'Oreal Paris

L'Oreal Paris, the world's number one beauty brand, is dedicated to empowering women and men by offering the most luxurious and innovative products and services available in the mass market. For most, the name "L'Oreal" is immediately evocative of the brand's signature phrase, "Because I'm Worth It" - the tagline behind the legendary advertising campaign for the Superior Preference hair colour launch in 1973. Today, it represents the essence of the L'Oreal Paris brand as a whole, a spirit which is about helping every woman and man embrace their unique beauty while reinforcing their inner sense of self-worth. For more than 100 years, L'Oreal Paris has held an unparalleled commitment to advancement in technology, innovation, and research, providing ground-breaking, high-quality products for women, men, and children of all ages and ethnicities in five major beauty categories: cosmetics, skincare, hair colour, haircare, and men's grooming.

Instagram: @lorealparis | Facebook: facebook.com/lorealpariscanada | Hashtag: #womenofworthCAN

SOURCE L'Oreal Paris

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2023/08/c1725.html
Magna International Inc.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES



AURORA, Ontario, March 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Magna International Inc. (TSX: MG; NYSE: MGA) today announced that it has entered into an agency agreement providing for the issuance, by way of private placement in each of the provinces of Canada, of CAD$350 million aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2031. The notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 4.95% and will mature on January 31, 2031. The offering is expected to close on March 10, 2023, subject to customary closing conditions.

Magna intends to use the net proceeds from this offering to finance a portion of the cost of its proposed acquisition of the Veoneer Active Safety business (the Veoneer Acquisition) and to pay related fees and expenses, and for general corporate purposes, which may include the repayment of its existing indebtedness. However, the completion of this offering is not contingent upon the completion of the Veoneer Acquisition. In the event that (x) the Veoneer Acquisition is not consummated on or prior to December 19, 2023 or such later date as the parties to the agreement (the Equity Purchase Agreement) governing the Veoneer Acquisition may agree as the End Date thereunder (the End Date) or (y) the Equity Purchase Agreement is terminated, Magna will be required to redeem all of the notes then outstanding at a redemption price equal to 101% of the principal amount of the notes plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date.

RBC Capital Markets, Scotiabank and TD Securities are acting as joint bookrunners for the offering.

This release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities, in any province or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The notes have not been and will not be qualified for distribution to the public by prospectus under the securities laws of any province or territory of Canada and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws and will not be offered or sold in the United States, nor will they be offered or sold in any country other than Canada. The notes will be offered on a private placement basis in Canada to accredited investors who are not individuals, unless such individuals are also permitted clients under applicable Canadian securities laws.

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INVESTOR CONTACT

Louis Tonelli, Vice-President, Investor Relations

louis.tonelli@magna.com  905.726.7035

MEDIA CONTACT

Tracy Fuerst, Vice-President, Corporate Communications & PR

tracy.fuerst@magna.com  248.761.7004

OUR BUSINESS1

Magna is more than one of the worlds largest suppliers in the automotive space. We are a mobility technology company with a global, entrepreneurial-minded team of over 168,0002 employees and an organizational structure designed to innovate like a startup. With 65+ years of expertise, and a systems approach to design, engineering and manufacturing that touches nearly every aspect of the vehicle, we are positioned to support advancing mobility in a transforming industry. Our global network includes 343 manufacturing operations and 88 product development, engineering and sales centres spanning 29 countries.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively, forward-looking statements). Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, the expected closing date of the offering, the intended use of the net proceeds from the offering, the consummation of the Veoneer Acquisition and any redemption of the notes and are subject to, and expressly qualified by, the cautionary disclaimers that are set out in Magnas regulatory filings. Please refer to the confidential offering memorandum relating to the offering of the notes, as well as Magnas most current Managements Discussion and Analysis of Results of Operations and Financial Position, Annual Information Form and Annual Report on Form 40-F, as replaced or updated by any of Magnas subsequent regulatory filings, which set out the cautionary disclaimers, including the risk factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements.

_________________________________

1 Manufacturing operations, product development, engineering and sales centres include certain operations accounted for under the equity method.

2 Number of employees includes approximately 158,000 employees at our wholly owned or controlled entities and over 10,000 employees at certain operations accounted for under the equity method.




 CELLEX ECP is now available for reimbursement in Japan for patients who are steroid-resistant or -intolerant and suffering from cGvHD 

DUBLIN, March 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc, (NYSE American: MNK) ("Mallinckrodt" or the "Company"), a global specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that Japan's National Health Insurance (NHI) system has approved reimbursement for the CELLEX extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) system for the treatment of steroid-resistant or -intolerant chronic graft versus host disease (cGvHD).

Mallinckrodt logo

"We are very pleased that we have received approval for reimbursement in Japan for the CELLEX ECP System. As a pharmaceutical company focused on improving outcomes for under-served patients with severe and critical conditions, we strive to develop treatment options that address unmet medical needs," said Masatoyo Gunji, Mallinckrodt General Manager of Japan.

Following the approval of the CELLEX ECP System in Japan in late 2020, with the reimbursement approval, healthcare providers in Japan can now begin to prescribe the CELLEX ECP System and treat patients suffering from cGvHD who are steroid-resistant or -intolerant.

The approved uses for the CELLEX ECP System differ depending upon the country. Please refer to each country's Operator's Manuals and labeling for approved uses.

"Chronic graft versus host disease is a highly debilitating disease with a significant impact to the health of these patients with limited treatment options in Japan. The reimbursement approval and subsequent launch of the CELLEX ECP System in Japan represents a crucial milestone that will provide these patients, and their care providers, access to an important therapeutic option where there has been a high unmet medical need," said Lisa French, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.

About Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease (cGvHD)

Graft versus host-disease is a common complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) resulting in significant morbidity and mortality.1 It can be classified as acute or chronic based on the clinical presentation and the time of occurrence after the transplantation. Signs and symptoms of cGvHD nearly always occur within the first year post transplantation but can occasionally happen several years later.2 In cGvHD, the skin is the most frequently affected organ with manifestations of itchy rash, hyper or hypopigmentation and changes in texture2. However, the disease can affect multiple sites, which may have a major impact upon a patient's quality of life.2,3 Chronic GvHD can lead to debilitating consequences, such as joint contractures, loss of sight, end-stage lung disease, or mortality resulting from profound chronic immune suppression leading to recurrent or life-threatening infections.1

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IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION FOR JAPAN

Intended Use or Efficacy

This system is used as extracorporeal photopheresis therapy in steroid-resistant or -intolerant, chronic graft versus host disease.

Warnings

Directions for Use:

1. When conducting extracorporeal photopheresis therapy for patients receiving other therapy, exercise caution when changing treatment schedules to avoid increased disease activity that may be caused by abrupt withdrawal of previous therapy.

2. Taking into account the condition of the patient, administer an appropriate amount of anticoagulant through the CELLEX device, as thromboembolic events may occur.

Contraindications / Prohibitions

Directions for Use:

1. Do not re-use (Procedural Kit and Methoxsalen Solution).

2. Do not operate the instrument in the presence of flammable anesthetic gases, external radio or electromagnetic disturbances that may interfere with proper performance of the device. There is the risk of ignition and malfunction.

Applicable subject (patient)

Do not use for the following population.

Patients who cannot tolerate extracorporeal volume loss as the patient has possibility of hypotension and shock disease.

Patients exhibiting idiosyncratic reactions to psoralen compounds including methoxsalen, or possessing a specific history of a light-sensitive disease state.

Patients with aphakia because of the significantly increased risk of retinal damage due to the absence of a lens.

Patients possessing a specific history of a disordered coagulation or patients who have had previous splenectomy as anticoagulants is used during therapy.

Patients during pregnancy and lactation as it is likely to cause harm to the unborn child or suckling infant.

Patients who have white blood cell counts greater than 25,000/mm3.

ABOUT THE THERAKOS CELLEX ECP SYSTEM FOR JAPAN

The CELLEX System delivers extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP), and consists of an instrument, procedural kit, methoxsalen solution and a UVA lamp. ECP was initially developed as a therapy for patients with skin symptoms of Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL).

The CELLEX System was designated as a medical device to be introduced early in Japan by the 15th Study Panel on Early Introduction of Highly Needed Medical Devices. This meeting was organized by the MHLW and held on February 17, 2011.

CELLEX was also designated as an orphan medical device by the MHLW on January 18, 2017.

APPROVED USES FOR THE THERAKOS CELLEX ECP SYSTEM

The approved uses for CELLEX ECP differ depending upon the country. Please refer to each country's Operator's manuals and labeling for approved uses.

ABOUT MALLINCKRODT

Mallinckrodt is a global business consisting of multiple wholly owned subsidiaries that develop, manufacture, market and distribute specialty pharmaceutical products and therapies. The company's Specialty Brands reportable segment's areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, hepatology, nephrology, pulmonology, ophthalmology, and oncology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; analgesics; cultured skin substitutes and gastrointestinal products. Its Specialty Generics reportable segment includes specialty generic drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com.

Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELATED TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release contains forward-looking statements, including concerning the use of the CELLEX System including potential benefits associated with its use. The statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: satisfaction of regulatory and other requirements; actions of regulatory bodies and other governmental authorities; changes in laws and regulations; issues with product quality, manufacturing or supply, or patient safety issues; and other risks identified and described in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of Mallinckrodt's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC, all of which are available on its website. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date hereof and Mallinckrodt does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

CONTACT

Media Inquiries

Heather Guzzi

Green Room Communications

+1 973-524-4112

hguzzi@greenroompr.com

Investor Relations

Daniel J. Speciale, CPA

Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations Officer

+1 314-654-3638

daniel.speciale@mnk.com

Mallinckrodt Pharma K.K.

Junichi Yoshimura

Sales & Marketing, Product Manager

+81 3 6441 3604

junichi.yoshimura@mnk.com

Mallinckrodt, the "M" brand mark and the Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals logo are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company. Other brands are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company or their respective owners.

 2023 Mallinckrodt. JP-2300001 3/23

References

1 Filipovich. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2005; 11:945956.

2 Jagasia. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2015; 21(3): 389401.

3 Pavletic, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2006;12:25266.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/167103/mallinckrodt_plc_logo.jpg

SOURCE Mallinckrodt plc
Extrapolate

Medical robots are assisting doctors in performing surgeries with improved accuracy and mitigate unforeseen errors whereas packaging robots are emerging as cost-effective solutions to enhance productivity and mitigate packaging waste. Medical Robots Market and Packaging Robots Market is projected to generate a staggering CAGR of 14.4% & 12.3% Resp. by the end of 2030.

Dubai, UAE, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medical Robots Market Report Forecast 2023-2030:

As per the recent market analysis by Extrapolate has anticipated that the global Medical Robots Market previously valued at USD 10.11 billion in 2021 is estimated to reach USD 22.89 billion by 2030 at a healthy CAGR of 14.4% during the forecast period.

The demand for medical robots is increasing rapidly due to their ability to improve precision and accuracy in surgeries, reduce physical demands on healthcare professionals, simplify routine tasks, and aid in assistive and rehabilitation processes. Moreover, the growing need for medical robots is driven by their potential to improve patient outcomes, enhance the efficiency of healthcare delivery, and reduce healthcare costs. For instance, according to a report from the International Federation of Robotics, there are currently 2.7 million medical robots in use around the globe. This number has more than doubled from the 1.2 million robots that were in use in 2014. Additionally, the report notes that in 2022, the total number of medical robots sold was 57,000 units.

With the advent of advanced technology, the global medical robots market is witnessing significant adoption among consumers and end-users. Today, robotic exoskeletons are allowing people with physical disabilities to regain mobility, while nanorobotics is being used to deliver drugs to specific cells in the body.

Medical robots assisting in surgeries at PBGMC produce better outcomes. Their recoveries are quicker," said Orthopedic Surgeon Robert J. Avino while articulating the advantages of medical robots while performing hip and knee replacement surgeries. "We have to do less soft tissue releases, which equates to less pain, so because we do less of that, they are taking less narcotic medications."

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Download a FREE Sample of This Strategic Report: https://www.extrapolate.com/sample/Healthcare-Medical-Devices-Biotechnology/medical-robots-market/26044

Key Insights

Medical procedures witness a surge in the surgical robots segment due to advanced medical care services.

Nanorobotics is Increasingly being used to deliver drugs to specific cells in the body.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are enabling robots to perform tasks such as diagnosing diseases and providing medical advice.

Hospitals segment to augment exponential growth owing to the rising number of surgical procedures and improved healthcare services.

North America to capture the largest market share during the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape of the Medical Robots Market

The competitive landscape of medical robots market is relatively competitive. Most of the leading players making use of innovative strategies and investing heavily in developing innovative solutions in medical robots. For instance, in June 2022, Accuray Incorporated collaborated with Limbus AI Inc. for improving the brands adaptive radiotherapy solutions with the assistance of Limbuss state-of-the-art AI-driven technology.

Key Players:

Accuray Incorporated

ARxIUM

Ascensus Surgical Inc.

BD

Capsa Healthcare

Ekso Bionics

Hocoma

Intuitive Surgical

Medtronic

Omnicell, Inc.

Smith & Nephew

Stryker

Zimmer Biomet

Others

Have an Enquiry? Talk to our Analyst @ https://www.extrapolate.com/enquire/Healthcare-Medical-Devices-Biotechnology/medical-robots-market/26044

Global Medical Robots Market Segmentation:

By Offering

Robotic Systems Surgical Robots Rehabilitation Robots Telemedicine Robots Pharma Robots Medical Service Robots Others

Instrument & Accessories

Surgical Robots to Keep Generating Highest Revenue in Global Medical Robots Market

Surgical robots have emerged as a game-changing technology in the field of surgery, offering numerous benefits over traditional surgical methods. With each passing year, the use of surgical robots is increasingly becoming common for performing and assisting minimally invasive surgeries. These robots provide surgeons with greater precision, accuracy, and control, resulting in smaller incisions, reduced blood loss, and faster recovery times. This is particularly beneficial for complex surgeries, such as cardiac or neurological procedures, where precision and accuracy are critical for successful outcomes.

The demand for surgical robots is further supported by the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases with the high rate of complex and time-consuming surgeries.

Recent advancements in technology have also led to the development of new surgical robots that offer improved capabilities and increased functionality. For example, the da Vinci surgical system, one of the most widely used surgical robots, has undergone several upgrades, including the addition of haptic feedback, which allows surgeons to feel the tissue they are operating on.

By Application

Cardiology

Neurology

Laparoscopic

Orthopedic

Others

Purchase This Comprehensive Research Report for Valuable Market Insights: https://www.extrapolate.com/complete-checkout-buy/26044

By End User

Hospitals

Ambulatory Surgery Centers

Rehabilitation Centers

Others

Hospitals Segment to Lead Medical Robotics Market with Improved Health Infrastructure

Medical robots have become a vital tool for hospitals as they offer numerous benefits that lead to improved patient outcomes, reduced costs, and shorter hospital stays. Hospitals are the primary consumers of medical robots due to the precision and accuracy that they provide, which is a major attraction for surgeons. For instance, Intuitive Surgicals da Vinci Surgical System gained FDA clearance for utilizing robotic surgery devices and is currently being utilized in over 8.5 million surgical procedures. In addition, robots can streamline clinical workflow and hospital logistics, enhance patient care, and improve workplace safety. In line with this, hospitals can afford to pay heavily on purchasing them and improve the overall ROI of the establishments and reduce post-surgery complications.

The adoption of robots in hospitals is also being driven by the increasing use of AI and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) in consumer health applications. Patients are demanding better healthcare services, and robots are playing a critical role in delivering on this demand. Furthermore, medical robots are now being utilized to provide care outside of traditional hospital settings, making it possible for healthcare providers to offer more personalized and comprehensive services.

Browse the Complete Report Here: https://www.extrapolate.com/Healthcare-Medical-Devices-Biotechnology/medical-robots-market/26044

North America to Capture Largest Market Share with Rising Demand for Robotic Procedures

Research analysts at Extrapolate have predicted that North America is expected to dominate the global medical robots market owing to the surge in robotic surgeries in the United States. For instance, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, in 2021 there were 1,822,913 robotic surgeries performed in the US. This was a significant increase from the 1,521,722 robotic surgeries performed in 2017 and represents a growth rate of nearly 13%. The rising number of medical procedures driven by innovative technology is likely to boost the demand for medical robots.

Furthermore, the increasing investment in private and public sources is also fueling the growth of the market. The United States Department of Health and Human Services has projected that the demand for nursing robots will witness a surge as the need for registered nurses is expected to reach 3.6 million by the end of 2030.

Europe is also anticipated to grow substantially over the forecast period owing to the increasing demand for robotic devices in medical procedures, the rising geriatric population with weak bone density levels, and also increasing awareness about robotic surgeries.

Browse Complete TOC: https://www.extrapolate.com/toc/Healthcare-Medical-Devices-Biotechnology/medical-robots-market/26044

Global Packaging Robots Market Forecast 2030:

A recent market analysis by Extrapolate has stated that the global Packaging Robots Market is projected to reach USD 14.4 billion by 2030 from USD 4.3 billion in 2021 at a healthy CAGR of 12.3% during the forecast period.

Over the last few years, the packaging industry has witnessed a significant shift towards automation due to the increased demand for speed, accuracy, and efficiency. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the total number of packaging robots sold around the world in 2020 was approximately 230,000 units. This represents a growth of 11% compared to 2019. This growth is expected to continue in the coming years, with a total of 354,500 units expected to be shipped in 2025. The use of packaging robots has become a necessity in industries such as e-commerce, food & beverage, automotive, and healthcare, where the volume of products being shipped and delivered has increased manifold. This trend is expected to continue in the future, as businesses seek to optimize their processes and remain competitive in the global market.

A large number of end users are deploying packing robots at their facilities as they were more precise and accurate than manual methods, allowing for consistent and high-quality packaging. They are also faster and more efficient, reducing the amount of time and labor required for the task. Moreover, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms has enabled packaging robots to adapt to new products and packaging materials quickly, thereby reducing downtime and increasing productivity.

Our customers are looking to robotic automation to make their processes more flexible, efficient, and resilient, helping to counter labor shortages by enabling their employees to perform more value-added work, said Andrea Cassoni, managing director for Global General Industry Robotics at ABB.

Get a Sample PDF of the Report: https://www.extrapolate.com/sample/machinery-equipment/packaging-robots-market/25809

Key Insights

North America to lead global packaging robots market with rising focus on automation across end-user industries.

Demand for vacuum grippers is projected to surge with the high penetration of automated packaging service providers in developed regions.

Pharmaceuticals industry to augment packaging robots market growth with the need for optimum preservation, protection, and delivery of pharmaceutical drugs.

Automated manufacturing and distribution processes to drive the growth of the packaging robots market.

Vacuum Segment in Grippers to Augment Growth of Packaging Robots Market

The vacuum segment in grippers held a dominant position with its increasing applications in packaging services across various end-user industries. Vacuum grippers are increasingly being used in packaging robots due to their ability to handle a wide variety of objects of different shapes, sizes, and weights. They can easily pick up and manipulate objects without the need for physical contact. One of the key factors driving the demand for vacuum grippers is their versatility. They can be used to handle a wide range of products, including food items, consumer goods, and industrial products. It has been found that end users are also making use of picking up objects that are irregularly shaped, fragile, or difficult to grip using other types of grippers.

By immediately grabbing a variety of products through pull covers, vacuum grippers are being widely utilized to handle large items such as big cartons, boxes, jars, and containers, among others owing to the extensive usage of packaging robots in multiple industries. For instance, Robotic, an automated packaging service provider headquartered in Quebec, Canada, provides vacuum grippers for a wide range of applications to assist local manufacturers in optimizing their processes.

Inquire Before Buying This Report: https://www.extrapolate.com/enquire/machinery-equipment/packaging-robots-market/25809

Pharmaceuticals Segment to Witness Staggering Growth During Forecast Period

The pharmaceutical is one of the largest manufacturing sectors globally. In 2021, the global pharmaceutical packaging market was valued at around $100.3 billion. Wherein, high volume production is a key aspect of pharmaceutical manufacturing, with some facilities producing up to 2 million doses of a single product per day. Automated packaging systems with robots can handle this volume of production and achieve high-efficiency levels. For example, a single packaging robot can handle up to 300 products per minute, which is significantly faster than manual labor.

Apart from this, pharmaceutical companies have to follow stringent regulations and complex packaging requirements to ensure product safety and efficacy. Packaging robots can handle these requirements with precision, reducing the risk of errors and ensuring product integrity. For instance, some robots can detect and reject products that do not meet the required standards.

The high level of penetration of pharmaceutical packaging robots has been witnessed in Germany to enable improved production and distribution of pharmaceuticals by avoiding human contact.

Buy this Research Report: https://www.extrapolate.com/complete-checkout-buy/25809

Prevalence of Packaging Robots in North America to Boost Revenue Streams

The US and Canada have well-established manufacturing industries, which include the pharmaceutical sector that requires high-quality and precise packaging. According to a report by the International Federation of Robotics, the North American market for industrial robots reached a total of 44,000 units sold in 2020 with packaging robots accounting for a significant portion of the market. This has led to increased adoption of packaging robots in manufacturing facilities in these countries, with an estimated 3,000 packaging robots installed in North America in 2020.

As per Extrapolate, the US and Canada are among the top five countries in the world in terms of the number of robots in use. Wherein, higher labor costs in the US and Canada compared to some other regions, such as Asia, have contributed to the increased adoption of automation and packaging robots. It is estimated that by 2030, automation and robotics could reduce labor costs in the US manufacturing industry by up to 22%.

Governments in both countries have implemented policies that support the adoption of automation and robotics in manufacturing. For example, in Canada, the Strategic Innovation Fund provides financial support to companies for investments in advanced manufacturing technologies. In the US, the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) was launched to promote the development of advanced manufacturing technologies, including robotics and automation.

However, Europe has emerged as the largest market for packaging robots owing to the rapid adoption of innovative technologies by the players in the market, as well as the presence of several manufacturing industries and packaging automation providers in the region. With the implementation of the productivity and sustainability model, mainly players from the FMCG industry are witnessing a high level of integration of robotic packaging systems.

Browse the Complete Report Here: https://www.extrapolate.com/machinery-equipment/packaging-robots-market/25809

Competitive Landscape of the Packaging Robots Market:

The competitive landscape of the packaging robots market is competitive. The existing key players in the market are adopting multiple growth strategies such as joint venture, product innovation and optimization to boost revenue growth and capture more market share.

For instance,

ABB Ltd. announced its plan to acquire EV charging infrastructure solutions for strengthening the customer base. The packaging robots market is projected to experience growth over the forecast period due to the heavy reliance on pick-and-place operations in smart factories.

For instance, GEA Food Solutions, an innovative food packaging firm in the Netherlands, has contributed to the development of food processing and packaging technologies for higher productivity, lower cost, and enhanced sustainability across packaging lines. In an attempt to maximize energy efficiency and mitigate packaging waste, the firm utilizes digitization and automation to optimize processes, which ultimately boosts the growth of the packaging robots market during the forecast period.

Key Players:

ABB

Krones AG

FANUC AUTOMATION d.o.o.

Schneider Electric

Yaskawa America Inc.

Mitsubishi Electric Automation Inc.

Robert Bosch GmbH

Brenton LLC.

KUKA AG

Remtec Automation LLC.

Browse Complete TOC: https://www.extrapolate.com/toc/machinery-equipment/packaging-robots-market/25809

About Us:

Extrapolate is a Global Market Research, Advisory, and Consulting firm that works closely with Industry experts from various industries to bring the latest and most accurate research reports.

In an era of breakneck change and a low tolerance for missed or misread opportunities, businesses need astute guidance to shape markets - not merely respond to them. Extrapolate helps clients develop market perspectives that drive success.

CONTACT: Extrapolate Phone: (+1) 888 328 2189 E-mail: talk@extrapolate.com Website: https://www.extrapolate.com Blog: https://www.extrapolate.com/blog




SAW's BBQ is the most popular barbecue joint in Alabama.

Saw's BBQ

History of SAW's BBQ

In 2009, Mike Wilson made an unlikely move for a classically-trained chef. After nearly a decade working in the test kitchen for Cooking Light magazine, he learned that the owner of Broadway BBQ, a small hole-in-the-wall joint in Homewood, Alabama, was looking to sell.

I found out about it on a Thursday, he told Bob Carlton of AL.com, and bought it on a Tuesday."

Though he held a degree from the prestigious Johnson & Wales culinary program, Wilson was no stranger to the barbecue pit. He started smoking meats in the backyard as a teenager in Charlotte, North Carolina. After moving to Birmingham for the Test Kitchen position, he started barbecuing for friends on the weekends and then began bottling and selling his sweet vinegar-based sauce, which is called SAWs Sauce. (Thats an acronym for Stupid A** Wilson, a nickname he picked up in high school.)

And then a barbecue joint fell into his lap. The chefs original idea was to have employees run the place during the day until he got off from his Test Kitchen job, but from day one there was a line out the door. A few weeks in, Wilson tendered notice at the magazine and became a full-time pitmaster and restaurateur.

Wilson passed away in September 2020 at the much-too-young age of 46, but he left as his legacy one of Alabamas most popular and beloved barbecue operations, which now has six locations in and around Birmingham.

What Makes SAW's BBQ So Popular?

As soon as you step in the front door of the original Homewood restaurant, its clear why SAWs was an immediate hit. Theres nothing fancy about it. Old soft drink signs and framed newspaper clippings line the walls above battered metal wainscoting. You order at the counter in the back, grab a canned beer from the reach-in cooler, and wait for hefty portions of slow-smoked meats, which arrive on white styrofoam trays with plastic forks and knives.

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Those trays are piled high with smoked chicken quarters drizzled with a sweet version of Alabamas signature white barbecue sauce. Meaty pork ribs have an excellent char beneath a thick, sticky red glaze, and long strands of pulled pork deliver a smoky punch from their dark brown bark.

You can also get those smoked meats piled inside ginormous stuffed taters, which overflow with pulled pork or chicken, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and bacon. The sides stick to time-tested Southern staples like creamy potato salad, gooey mac n cheese, and deviled eggs.

At the other five SAWs locations the menus vary a bit, with some offering burgers and cocktails alongside the smoked meats. A long-running customer favorite is the hearty creation known as goodness & greens: a base of creamy yellow cheese grits piled high with tender turnip greens, smoky pork or chicken, and a mound of crisp-fried onion rings.

Top all that off with a cup of banana pudding, and its little wonder that Southern Livings readers have declared SAWs the best barbecue spot in the state of Alabama.



Menu Highlights

Since SAW's bbq is located in Southern Living's hometown, we asked the editors to share their go-to orders. (Note that menus vary at different locations.)

"If you've never had the Pork N' Greens, you must order it next time you go. A bed of cheese grits, collard greens, pulled pork, and topped with onion rings." - Andy Estill, Production Director

"Don't miss the Pork N' Greens or Sweet Tea Fried Chicken. And be sure to try the Fried Okra appetizer."  Tara Massouleh McCay, Travel & Culture Editor

"Order the Chicken Baker with white sauce instead of the regular BBQ sauce. And don't forget the Bushwacker." - Ivy Odom, Editorial Producer

"I love their Fried Shrimp Sandwich, and always order the Fried Okra when it's in season." - Daniel Boone, Associate Art Director

"I know barbecue is their specialty, but their burger is one of my favorites in town. And the Banana Pudding is out of this world." - Betsy Cribb, Homes & Features Editor

"The Smoked Chicken Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries, and Deviled Eggs. Plus, order plenty of white sauce for dipping! - Jenna Sims, Digital Editor

Senior Digital Food Editor Kimberly Holland declares their Ribs the best around, while Photo Assistant Turner Spottswood claims you can never go wrong with the Chicken. Ivy Odom agrees that the Chicken Wings should not be overlooked. Associate Digital Editor Mary Shannon Hodes recommends the Frozen Pink Lemonade and Fried Pickles. Finally, Photo Director Jeanne Clayton says: "their Sauce is the star."



How to Visit SAW's Barbecue Joint

SAW's BBQ, Homewood, AL: 1008 Oxmoor Road, Homewood, AL; (205) 879-1937

SAW's Soul Kitchen, Avondale, AL: 215 41st Street S, Birmingham, AL; (205) 591-1409

SAW's Juke Joint, Crestline, AL: 115 Dunston Ave, Birmingham, AL; (205) 745-3920

SAW's BBQ, Hoover, AL: 3780 Riverchase Village, Hoover, AL; (205) 315-4637

SAW's BBQ, Leeds, AL: 6200 Grand River Blvd. E. Suite 510; (205) 352-9180

SAW's BBQ, Southside, AL: 1154 11th Ave S, Birmingham, AL; (205) 224-4408



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Read the original article on Southern Living.
Investors from Uzbekistan and Arab countries want to create an agro park in Azerbaijan, Azernews reports, citing Zamir Dibirov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Economic Zones Development Agency under the Ministry of Economy, telling on this.

"These investors have applied to the Agency for this purpose. Uzbek investors want to invest in cotton growing in Azerbaijan and create cotton growing clusters here. Arab investors are still considering certain areas in agricultural parks. Besides, some local businessmen want to invest in agricultural parks", he said.

Z.Dibirov added that the projects of investors looking to create an agro park are rivewed, and if they are suitable for the purpose, they are registered.
Company Logo

Dublin, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Netherlands Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics Databook - 50+ KPIs on Social Commerce Trends by End-Use Sectors, Operational KPIs, Retail Product Dynamics, and Consumer Demographics - Q1 2023 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



According to the publisher, social commerce industry in Netherlands is expected to grow by 20.3% on annual basis to reach US$3689.5 million in 2023.



The social commerce industry is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period, recording a CAGR of 14.8% during 2022-2028. The social commerce GMV in the country will increase from US$3689.5 million in 2023 to reach US$8442.3 million by 2028.



This report provides a detailed data centric analysis of social commerce industry, covering market opportunities and risks. With over 50+ KPIs at country level, this report provides a comprehensive understanding of social commerce market dynamics, market size and forecast, and market share statistics.



The research methodology is based on industry best practices. Its unbiased analysis leverages a proprietary analytics platform to offer a detailed view on emerging business and investment market opportunities.



Scope



This report provides in-depth, data-centric analysis of social commerce in Netherlands. Below is a summary of key market segments:



Netherlands Ecommerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Retail Product Categories, 2019-2028

Clothing & Footwear

Beauty and Personal Care

Food & Grocery

Appliances and Electronics

Home Improvement

Travel

Hospitality

Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Segment, 2019-2028

B2B

B2C

C2C

Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Device, 2019-2028

Mobile

Desktop

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Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

Domestic

Cross Border

Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

Tier-1 Cities

Tier-2 Cities

Tier-3 Cities

Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Payment Method, 2019-2028

Credit Card

Debit Card

Bank Transfer

Prepaid Card

Digital & Mobile Wallet

Other Digital Payment

Cash

Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Platforms

Video Commerce

Social Network-Led Commerce

Social Reselling

Group Buying

Product Review Platforms

Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Consumer Demographics & Behaviour,2022

By Age

By Income Level

By Gender

Reasons to buy

In-depth Understanding of Social Commerce Market Dynamics: Understand market opportunities and key trends along with forecast (2019-2028).

Insights into Opportunity by end-use sectors - Get market dynamics by end-use sectors to assess emerging opportunity across various end-use sectors.

Develop Market Specific Strategies: Identify growth segments and target specific opportunities to formulate social commerce strategy; assess market specific key trends, drivers, and risks in the industry.





Key Topics Covered:



1. About this Report.

2. Netherlands Ecommerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators



3. Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators



4. Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Retail Product Categories



5. Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Segment



6. Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Device



7. Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location



8. Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Cities



9. Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Payment Method



10. Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Platforms



11. Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Contents



12. Netherlands Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Consumer Demographics & Behaviour



13. Further Reading



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/h76q2r

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




Nationally Expanding Coworking Franchise Continues Growth in the Sunshine State

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As more Florida-based companies and entrepreneurs look for new ways to maintain productivity, innovation, and connection, Office Evolution has the perfect solution. The coworking provider is continuing to address demand and help small businesses and entrepreneurs by offering convenient and affordable coworking spaces in some of the region's busiest suburban markets. In response to the state's growth, Office Evolution's Franchisee Michael Wielgus recently opened a third location in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida, located at 245 Riverside Avenue.

The state of Florida is becoming a hub for many different small and medium-sized businesses. According to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the state welcomed 300,000 new residents last year. Entrepreneurs continue to relocate to Florida as the state attracts individuals from around the country.

"As the business landscape continues to evolve, we are looking for very intentional growth into new markets like Boca Raton as well as markets where we know Office Evolution has already been successful like Jacksonville," said Jason Anderson, President of Office Evolution. "Florida is a state with a growing business presence, and we are thrilled to expand our footprint to businesses looking for workspaces on their terms."

Michael Wielgus, Franchise Owner and Area developer in Jacksonville opened his first location in 2018 and has seen tremendous success in the area. He had been eyeing the Brooklyn neighborhood and noted that this expansion offered additional geographic reach to his existing members. This 14,420-square foot facility is just 10 miles north of his Town Center space and 20 miles north of the Bartram Park location.

With the recent openings, Office Evolution will have eight total locations across the state with approximately 80,000 square feet. Every Office Evolution workspace includes private offices, meeting rooms, virtual offices and business services, so medium-sized businesses and entrepreneurs have the space to work and run their businesses effectively.

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"We are excited about our third location in Jacksonville," said Wielgus. "This Class-A, riverfront location is easily accessible for new members that reside in the Riverside, San Marco, Avondale, Ortega and downtown communities. Our goal is to bring great flexible workspaces close to where our members live. The new way people work today aligns perfectly with our workplace offerings."

The center will serve more than 300 members and feature 55 private offices, multiple coworking areas, phone booths, three conference rooms and a lounge.

Members of Office Evolution benefit from being part of the brand's nationwide network of coworking locations, where they have access to over 80 other business locations in 25 states when traveling. Office Evolution is a member of the Starpoint Brands family, the franchise division of United Franchise Group (UFG).

For more information about Office Evolution, please visit: https://www.officeevolution.com/.

About Office Evolution

Office Evolution (OE), a shared workspace  coworking environment, founded in 2003 and cultivated on the principles of 'Ohana', the Hawaiian tradition that references family working toward a common goal. Office Evolution is among the Starpoint Brands constellation of trusted companies representing the very best in their industries. Office Evolution is serious about supporting small business owners  the Dreamers, Risk-Takers and Doers who dare to chase their passions. For more information about Office Evolution visit www.officeevolution.com and for information about franchise opportunities visit www.officeevolutionfranchise.com .

About Starpoint Brands

A family of trusted brands representing the very best in their industries, including retail, food & beverage and professional services, Starpoint Brands is the mark of quality for customers. It brings together a constellation of brands within United Franchise Group  (UFG), including Signarama, Fully Promoted, Transworld Business Advisors, Venture X, Office Evolution, Network Lead Exchange, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill and Graze Craze. A brand under the Starpoint Brands division is one that business-to-consumer and business-to-business customers can be sure will provide the ultimate in service, reliability and value.

About Coworks

Coworks specializes in franchising within the coworking industry, offering solutions, expertise, and shared service options within the flexible workspace franchise community. Part of the United Franchise Group  (UFG) family of affiliated brands and consultants, Coworks was founded in 2021 by Ray Titus, founder and CEO of United Franchise Group, with the express intention of building a framework to connect a variety of coworking brands, services, and amenities within the coworking industry, providing the largest privately owned affiliated franchise network of flexible, professional, and shared office space options on the planet. For more information about Coworks, visit www.coworksllc.com .

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/office-evolution-continues-florida-expansion-with-new-jacksonville-opening-301766301.html

SOURCE Office Evolution
(Bloomberg) -- After months of wrangling over how to limit TikTok in the US, legislation that stops short of an outright ban of the Chinese-owned app seems to be gaining the most momentum  even as key questions remain.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Senator Mark Warner, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and an outspoken critic of TikTok, plans to introduce the bill Tuesday thats expected to give the Biden administration the power to prohibit foreign technologies or companies when necessary.

Who likes this bill?

The bill doesnt mention TikTok, the popular short-video app, by name, which may be part of its appeal.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in interview last month that its dangerous business to pass a law to outlaw a particular company. I think its probably more thoughtful to say, These are the kinds of risks were worried about, from these categories of companies and were going to enable some department to run a process to assess the risk and take action.

Weve worked extraordinarily closely with the administration, Warner told reporters Tuesday, ahead of a 3 p.m. press conference where he was set to unveil his legislation. I would be disappointed if they didnt support it, having taken as much input as we took from them.

Warners approach also has bipartisan support: a cosponsor is Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the chambers No. 2 Republican.

Investors seem to like the bills chances. Snapchat owner Snap Inc. surged almost 9.5% on Monday on anticipation of the bills release by Warner. Pinterest Inc., which competes with Snap for digital advertisements, and Youtube owner Alphabet Inc. rose 1.6% in the same trading session.

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A bill like Warners could solve a major dilemma for the Biden administration. For months, the administration has been trying to come to a national-security deal with TikTok that would limit Chinas ability to access US user data. But that process has stalled, in part because the administration is wary of the blowback from Republicans who argue any deal that allows TikTok to keep operating is too risky.

Whats the likeliest outcome?

Lawmakers have two main concerns with TikTok, which has about 100 million users in the US. First, TikToks opponents in Congress have rejected the companys assurances that its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance Inc., doesnt have access to US user data, including viewing patterns and geolocation. Second, reports that TikTok promotes or hides certain content has raised questions about whether Chinese authorities could influence what content American users see.

One possibility is that passage of legislation would force Bytedance to sell TikTok. That would solve some problems for the US in defusing any political tension over the apps ownership.

We have certainly made clear some of our national security concerns with respect with respect to the TikTok application, which is why its not authorized for use on government devices, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday.

How soon?

The bill would still need to go through a Senate committee, and its unclear where the measure ranks among Chuck Schumers priorities. As Senate majority leader, he determines whether it would come to the floor for a vote.

Also unknown is whether the House of Representatives, where hawkish Republicans are in control, will take up Warners bill.

There are several other, more drastic TikTok bills in the House. A Republican-only bill from House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul would give the president authority to sanction any app. Another GOP bill, from Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, would limit TikToks operations in the US.

Congress has already banned TikTok on government devices, and the Biden administration recently issued guidance giving federal employees 30 days to remove it.

Whats TikToks response?

The growing backlash has had TikTok waging an all-out charm offensive globally for months. To drum up goodwill and defend its data protection and content moderation policies in Washington, executives have enlisted a star-studded group of lobbyists to engage with more than 100 congressional offices. In the second quarter of last year, TikTok spent $2.1 million on lobbying on issues including childrens privacy, content moderation and antitrust  the most to date.

TikTok has presented a security plan called Project Texas that pledges to insulate the companys US operation from Chinese influence. The plan includes an independent board of directors to oversee data security, third-party vetting and a partnership with Oracle Corp. to store user data and audit the platforms algorithms.

The goal here is to have a massive amount of oversight, Will Farrell, who leads TikToks US Data Security team, said at a conference in Washington Monday. So you dont have to take our word for it.

--With assistance from Jenny Leonard, Daniel Flatley and Laura Litvan.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Pax8

RIGA, Latvia, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pax8, the leading cloud commerce marketplace, has today announced that Adobe will be available to purchase on the Pax8 platform across Europe, including the UK. Adobe is the worlds leading software company for providing digital marketing and media solutions. Pax8s partners in the region will now have access to a portfolio of first-class cloud products, which will ultimately drive growth and transform business performance for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).



This is a hugely significant moment for Pax8 in the EMEA region, said Harald Nuij, Chief Executive Officer at Pax8 EMEA. Adobes solutions are the best in the world for empowering creativity and driving brand identity. Adobes game-changing innovations will truly diversify what our Managed Service Providers (MSPs) can offer their customers, making them more competitive and allowing them to target new markets.

With Deloitte forecasting that the global creative economy will grow by up to 40% by 2030, Pax8s partners will now be able to connect their customers with industry-leading solutions that breathe new life into projects while simplifying complexities.

At Adobe, we are excited to elevate our business with Pax8 to a new level and bring the cloud horsepower and capabilities of Pax8s marketplace to our partners and customers in Europe, said Brian Green, Vice President GTM & Sales, EMEA at Adobe. Pax8 will play an important role in the Adobe channel ecosystem and will offer advanced technologies that allow MSPs to buy, sell, and manage Adobe products and solutions easily.

MSPs in Europe will now be able to purchase two Adobe solutions through Pax8s world-class cloud marketplace: Adobe Creative Cloud, which delivers the worlds best creative apps and services in a single, secure, integrated platform and Adobe Document Cloud, which enables complete, reliable and automated digital document and signature workflows that drive business productivity.

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One of Pax8s partners in Latvia recently spoke about the benefits of offering both solutions to their customers. Adobes suite of products, paired with Pax8s easy-to-use marketplace, have truly opened up new doors for us as an MSP, said Martins Jurjans, Country Manager at Primand SIA in Latvia. With so many of our end-users wanting to take control of their brand identity and ensure smoother workflows, offering both of these products through the platform made total sense and the results are shown in our growth.

As well as the unique product offering, partners will also be able to take advantage of Pax8s in-house Adobe expertise to maximise results for their business and their end users.

About Pax8

Pax8 is the worlds favourite cloud marketplace for IT professionals to buy, sell, and manage best-in-class technology solutions. Pioneering the future of modern business, Pax8 has cloud-enabled more than 400,000 enterprises through its channel partners and processes one million monthly transactions. Pax8s award-winning technology enables managed service providers (MSPs) to accelerate growth, increase efficiency and reduce risk so their businesses can thrive. The innovative company has ranked in the Inc. 5000 for five years in a row. Join the revolution at pax8.com.

Follow Pax8 on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

Media Contact: Daniel Skipp, PR Manager at Pax8 EMEA, email: dskipp@pax8.com

About Adobe

Adobe is changing the world through digital experiences. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

 2023 Adobe. All rights reserved. Adobe and the Adobe logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.




Vantage Market Research, The North Star for the Working World

WASHINGTON, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vantage Market Research analyses that the Phosphate Fertilizers Market was valued at $63.5 Billion in 2021 and is expected to reach the value of $90.25 Billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 5% during the forecast period of 2022-2028.



Phosphate Fertilizers Market Overview

The global phosphate fertilizers market is a rapidly growing industry that is driven by the increasing demand for food, rising population, and the need to improve crop yields. Phosphate fertilizers are an essential component of modern agriculture and are used to replenish the soil with essential nutrients such as phosphorus.

The major types of phosphate fertilizers include diammonium phosphate (DAP), monoammonium phosphate (MAP), triple superphosphate (TSP), and single superphosphate (SSP). DAP and MAP are the most commonly used phosphate fertilizers, as they are highly effective and provide a balanced ratio of nitrogen and phosphorus.

The demand for phosphate fertilizers is primarily driven by the agriculture industry, which uses these fertilizers to improve crop yields and meet the increasing demand for food. Other factors contributing to the growth of the phosphate fertilizers market include the increasing global population, rising urbanization, and the need to improve the quality of crops.

However, the phosphate fertilizers market faces several challenges, such as increasing environmental concerns over the use of chemical fertilizers, high production costs, and limited availability of raw materials. Additionally, the market is highly competitive, with numerous players vying for market share.

Get Access to the In-depth Free Sample Report @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/phosphate-fertilizers-market-1140/request-sample

Scope of the Report:

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2021 USD 63.5 Billion Revenue Forecast by 2028 USD 90.25 Billion CAGR 5% from 2022 to 2028 Base Year 2021 Forecast Year 2022 to 2028 Key Players EuroChem Group AG, Coromandel International Ltd., Israel Chemicals Ltd., Hubei Xingfa Chemicals Group Co. Ltd., Jordan Phosphate Mines Co. PLC, Nutrien Ltd., Maaden - Saudi Arabian Mining Co., OCP SA, The Mosaic Co, PhosAgro AG. Customization Options Customized purchase options are available to meet any research needs. Explore customized purchase options

Key Highlights

The global phosphate fertilizers market is a rapidly growing industry driven by the increasing demand for food, rising population, and the need to improve crop yields.

Diammonium phosphate (DAP) and monoammonium phosphate (MAP) are the most commonly used phosphate fertilizers, providing a balanced ratio of nitrogen and phosphorus.

The demand for phosphate fertilizers is primarily driven by the agriculture industry, which uses these fertilizers to improve crop yields and meet the increasing demand for food.

Asia Pacific is the largest market for phosphate fertilizers, followed by North America and Europe.

The major players in the global phosphate fertilizers market include PotashCorp, Mosaic Company, OCP Group, EuroChem, and Yara International.

The phosphate fertilizers market faces challenges such as increasing environmental concerns over the use of chemical fertilizers, high production costs, and limited availability of raw materials.

The market is highly competitive, with numerous players vying for market share.

The phosphate fertilizers market is expected to continue to grow in the coming years, driven by the increasing demand for food, rising population, and the need to improve crop yields.

Story continues

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Regional Overview

Asia Pacific: The Asia Pacific region is the largest market for phosphate fertilizers, with increasing demand driven by the growing population and increasing urbanization. Countries such as India and China are the largest consumers of phosphate fertilizers in the region.

North America: The North American market for phosphate fertilizers is driven by the demand for high crop yields, and the presence of large agricultural producers such as the United States and Canada. The region is also a major exporter of phosphate fertilizers.

Europe: The European market for phosphate fertilizers is driven by the need to improve crop yields and increase food production. The region is also investing in sustainable agriculture and organic farming practices, which may impact the use of chemical fertilizers.

Latin America: The Latin American market for phosphate fertilizers is driven by the growth of the agriculture industry in countries such as Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. The region is also investing in improving infrastructure for agriculture and increasing food security.

Middle East & Africa: The Middle East & Africa region is a significant producer of phosphate rock, which is a key raw material for phosphate fertilizers. The region is investing in expanding production capacity and exploring new markets for phosphate fertilizers.



Top Players in the Phosphate Fertilizers Market:

EuroChem Group AG

Coromandel International Ltd.

Israel Chemicals Ltd.

Hubei Xingfa Chemicals Group Co. Ltd.

Jordan Phosphate Mines Co. PLC

Nutrien Ltd.

Maaden - Saudi Arabian Mining Co.

OCP SA

The Mosaic Co

PhosAgro AG.

For Additional Information on Flat Glass Coatings Market Players and Detail List, Download a Report PDF Brochure@ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/phosphate-fertilizers-market-1140/request-sample

Drivers

Increasing demand for food: The growing global population and rising demand for food are major drivers of the phosphate fertilizers market. As food demand increases, farmers need to use fertilizers to improve crop yields and maintain soil fertility.

Need to improve crop yields: Phosphate fertilizers are essential for improving crop yields and ensuring food security. They help replenish the soil with essential nutrients, such as phosphorus, that are necessary for plant growth.

Limited availability of arable land: The world has limited arable land, and farmers need to produce more food from the same amount of land. The use of phosphate fertilizers is necessary to improve crop yields and increase food production.

Technological advancements: The development of new fertilizers, such as slow-release fertilizers and precision fertilizers, is driving the growth of the phosphate fertilizers market. These fertilizers offer better nutrient management and higher crop yields, which is driving demand.

Government support: Many governments are supporting the agriculture industry by providing subsidies and incentives for fertilizer use. This is driving the growth of the phosphate fertilizers market, as farmers are encouraged to use fertilizers to improve crop yields.



Restraint

Environmental concerns: The use of chemical fertilizers such as phosphate fertilizers has raised environmental concerns, particularly related to water pollution and soil degradation. These concerns are leading to regulations and restrictions on the use of chemical fertilizers, which may limit market growth.

High production costs: The production of phosphate fertilizers involves the mining and processing of phosphate rock, which is a finite resource. The cost of mining, processing, and transporting phosphate rock can be high, which may limit market growth.

Limited availability of raw materials: The availability of phosphate rock, the key raw material for phosphate fertilizers, is limited in some regions. This can lead to supply chain disruptions and price volatility, which may impact market growth.

Competition from alternative fertilizers: Alternative fertilizers, such as organic and bio-based fertilizers, are gaining popularity due to their lower environmental impact. This may limit the growth of the phosphate fertilizers market in the future.

Volatility in commodity prices: The price of phosphate rock can be volatile, which can impact the profitability of phosphate fertilizer producers. In addition, fluctuations in the prices of other commodities such as natural gas and sulfur, which are used in fertilizer production, can also impact the market.

Opportunities

Sustainable agriculture: The growing demand for sustainable agriculture practices presents an opportunity for the phosphate fertilizers market. There is a need for fertilizers that are environmentally friendly, promote soil health, and improve crop yields.

Emerging markets: Emerging markets such as Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Africa offer significant growth opportunities for the phosphate fertilizers market. These regions have growing populations and increasing demand for food, which is driving demand for fertilizers.

Precision agriculture: The use of precision agriculture technologies presents an opportunity for the phosphate fertilizers market. These technologies allow farmers to apply fertilizers more efficiently and accurately, which can reduce the amount of fertilizer used and improve crop yields.

Product innovation: The development of new fertilizers, such as slow-release fertilizers and micronutrient fertilizers, presents an opportunity for the phosphate fertilizers market. These fertilizers offer better nutrient management and higher crop yields.

Government initiatives: Government initiatives, such as subsidies for fertilizer use and investments in agriculture infrastructure, can drive demand for phosphate fertilizers. These initiatives can help increase the adoption of fertilizers and improve crop yields.

Browse Market Data Tables and Figures spread through 180 Pages and in-depth TOC on Phosphate Fertilizers Market Forecast Report (2022-2028).

Key Questions Answered in the Report:

What is the current size of the phosphate fertilizers market, and what is its expected growth rate over the next few years?

What are the key drivers, restraints, and opportunities for the phosphate fertilizers market?

What are the different types of phosphate fertilizers available in the market, and what are their respective market shares?

What are the various applications of phosphate fertilizers, and which application segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period?

What are the different distribution channels used for the sale of phosphate fertilizers, and which channel is expected to dominate the market in the coming years?

What are the key geographic regions for the phosphate fertilizers market, and which region is expected to have the highest growth rate during the forecast period?

Who are the key players operating in the phosphate fertilizers market, and what are their market shares, product offerings, and strategies?

What are the recent developments, mergers and acquisitions, and partnerships in the phosphate fertilizers market?

What are the key challenges facing the phosphate fertilizers market, and how can they be addressed?

What is the competitive landscape of the phosphate fertilizers market, and what are the growth strategies adopted by the leading players in the market?

Phosphate Fertilizers Market Segmentation

By Type

Diammonium phosphate

Monoammonium phosphate

Superphosphate

Others

By Crop types

Grain & oilseed

Fruit & vegetable

Other



By Regions

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa

Latin America



Read Full Report @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/phosphate-fertilizers-market-1140

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Plexus Worldwide (Plexus), a leading health and wellness company based in Scottsdale, released impressive numbers and milestones following a successful year for the company, its Brand Ambassadors, and nonprofit partners.

Plexus Worldwide employees held a walk to raise funds for local children's charities in March 2022

In 2022, the company shipped more than 3.2 million orders to customers worldwide and generated more than $454 million in total gross sales. This success was fueled in part by the launch of 12 new products, including Plexus Reset, a 3-day nutritionally supported fast that is designed to help revitalize, restore, and reset the body's metabolism and provide optimal nutrition.

More than 7,500 Brand Ambassadors attended the company's signature event in Columbus, Ohio this past June at the 2022 Ignite convention. The 3-day celebration was centered around recognizing top sellers, learning best business practices from industry experts, and discovering new products in gut health, weight management, skincare, and nutrition.

Plexus also hosted the 2022 Evolucion Convention in Mexico City with more than 460 Plexus Brand Ambassadors. Leaders from Plexus Mexico gave inspiring presentations and unveiled a brand refresh that embraces Mexican culture and highlights vibrant concept art created by artist Asero Rodriguez.

The wellness company also celebrated 45 long-standing team members who reached their five-year anniversaries by awarding them free vacations to Orlando, Florida. Plexus has created a strong culture of recognizing employees for performance and tenure by providing stellar benefits that include learning and development opportunities and 16 paid volunteer hours every year to give back to the community.

Plexus's dedication to supporting important causes resulted in donations of over $949,000 to various nonprofits, including Feeding America, Mary's Meals, The Salvation Army, Phoenix Children's, Arizona Helping Hands, and more. The company provided over $4.7 million worth of in-kind donations to nonprofits across the United States and Mexico. In addition, Plexus team members continued to give of their time generously, donating over 1,900 hours to volunteer at over 35 different events and organizations.

Story continues

"Throughout the year, our team members demonstrated the talent and commitment of our 'One Plexus' culture, working together to impact lives within our community," said Gene Tipps, CEO of Plexus Worldwide. "It is incredible to see the shared commitment between our staff, Brand Ambassadors, and leadership to carry out our mission to promote hope, health, and happiness initiatives year after year."

In an effort to help end hunger globally, Plexus launched the Nourish One campaign in 2018. Through this initiative, the company has helped provide over 35 million meals* to people experiencing hunger, with 34 million meals* to children and families in the U.S., in partnership with Feeding America, and over 1 million meals through our international partner, Mary's Meals.

In September, Tipps was named CEO to allow founders Tarl Robinson and Alec Clark to begin their new roles as Chair and Vice-Chair of Plexus' Strategic Council. As former President of Global Operations for Plexus, Tipps was the driving force behind the delivery of dozens of new products and oversaw operations and information technology in domestic and international markets.

In 2022, Plexus ranked #25 in revenue on the Direct Selling News (DSN) Global 100 list of top direct-selling companies and was selected for the DSN Bravo Impact Award for its unwavering commitment to giving back to the community. Plexus was also recognized among the Best Places to Work in Direct Selling for the 5th time.

About Plexus Worldwide:

Plexus Worldwide, LLC, is a leading health and wellness company featuring products that enable people to improve their lives and well-being. With hundreds of thousands of independent business owners ("Brand Ambassadors") worldwide, Plexus is among the top 25 largest direct sales companies globally, according to Direct Selling News. Plexus products and opportunities help individuals meet their health and financial goals. For more information about the company, visit www.plexusworldwide.com

*Every Plexus Lean sold contributes a donation equivalent to 10 meals and every Plexus Reset sold contributes a donation equivalent to 3 meals to Feeding America, helping to provide at least 1.5 million meals annually. $1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks.

For more information, contact:

Joanne Sgro-Killworth

10 to 1 Public Relations

480-363-0403

joanne@10to1pr.com

Cision

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SOURCE Plexus Worldwide
PMI

PTFE Membrane Market, By Type (Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic), By Application (Industrial Filtration, Medical & Pharmaceutical, Textiles, Water & Wastewater Treatment, and Architecture), and By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa) - Market Trends, Analysis, and Forecast till 2029

Covina, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A CAGR of 6.2% is projected for the PTFE Membrane Market , which is expected to grow from US$ 1.8 billion in 2020 to US$ 3.09 billion by 2030. PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) membrane is a type of high-performance membrane that is widely used in various industries, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, electronics, and water treatment. PTFE membrane has excellent chemical resistance, thermal stability, and durability, making it ideal for use in demanding applications where other materials may not be suitable.

Key Development:

In July 2020 - Merck Millipore announced an investment of USD 21.23 million to build a laboratory facility in Buchs, Switzerland, to support its rapidly growing material business. This will help to continue to drive innovation and expand the R&D of analytical standards.

In January 2020 - Cytiva has announced to build a new 7,360 square meter facility in Grens, Switzerland for the manufacturing of single-use kits. This facility will meet global regulatory requirements and is expected to be fully operational in 2022.





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Report Overview:

PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) Membrane is a type of synthetic polymer membrane made from PTFE resin. PTFE membrane is widely used in various applications due to its excellent chemical resistance, thermal stability, and non-stick properties. It is commonly used in filtration applications where high chemical and temperature resistance is required.

The PTFE membrane market is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, driven by factors such as increasing demand from various end-use industries such as pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and chemical processing. The rise in demand for water and wastewater treatment is also expected to contribute to the growth of the market.

Based on application, the PTFE membrane market can be segmented into filtration, medical & pharmaceuticals, textiles, water & wastewater treatment, architecture, and others. Filtration application dominates the market due to its wide range of applications such as air filtration, water filtration, and gas filtration.

Story continues

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Key Industry Development:

Technological Advancements: PTFE membrane manufacturers are focusing on developing advanced technologies to improve the performance of PTFE membranes. For instance, some companies are developing Nano fiber PTFE membranes that offer better filtration efficiency and durability.

Strategic Collaborations: Key players in the market are entering into strategic collaborations and partnerships to expand their market presence and strengthen their product portfolio. For example, in 2021, Merck KGaA announced a strategic partnership with SoftIron Ltd. to develop innovative solutions for the life science industry using PTFE membranes.

Acquisitions: Major players in the market are acquiring smaller players to expand their market share and product offerings. In 2019, Donaldson Company, Inc. acquired an industrial air filtration business from an Italian company called BOFA International Ltd.

Increasing Demand from End-Use Industries: The demand for PTFE membranes is growing across various end-use industries, such as pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and water and wastewater treatment. This is driving the growth of the market as manufacturers are expanding their production capacities to meet the rising demand.

Scope of the Report:

Report Highlights Details



Segments covered By Type- hydrophobic and hydrophilic

By Application industrial filtration, medical & pharmaceutical, textiles, water & wastewater treatment, and architecture No. of Pages 168







Growth Drivers The demand for PTFE membranes is growing across various end-use industries such as pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and water and wastewater treatment.









The PTFE membrane market is expected to grow significantly in emerging economies such as China, India, and Brazil. This is driven by factors such as increasing population, urbanization, and industrialization in these countries.



Drivers and Restraints:



Increasing demand from end-use industries

The demand for PTFE membranes is growing across various end-use industries such as pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and water and wastewater treatment. This is driven by factors such as increasing population, urbanization, and industrialization.

The cost of PTFE membranes is relatively high compared to other types of membranes. This may limit their adoption in some industries, particularly in developing countries where cost is a major concern.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had both positive and negative impacts on the PTFE membrane market.

Positive impacts: Increase in demand for PTFE membranes for medical applications, the pandemic has led to an increase in demand for PTFE membranes for medical applications such as filtration of air and fluids, which has driven the growth of the market.

Negative impacts: The pandemic has led to disruptions in the supply chain, which has impacted the availability of raw materials and production of PTFE membranes. The slowdown in industrial activities due to the pandemic has led to a decrease in demand for PTFE membranes in industries such as food and beverage, and water and wastewater treatment.

PTFE Membrane Report Coverage:

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the significant trends that are expected to propel industry growth over the forthcoming years. It further delves into the prominent factors favoring market expansion through the estimated period. Some of the other aspects comprise the key steps taken by leading industry participants for the consolidation of their industry position.

Regional Insights:

Regionally, Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing market for PTFE membranes due to the increasing demand from end-use industries and the presence of a large population in countries such as China and India. North America and Europe are also significant markets due to the presence of major players in the region and the growing demand for sustainable solutions.

Competitive Landscape:



The competitive landscape of the PTFE membrane market is highly fragmented, with the presence of several players operating in the market. The market players are focusing on various strategies such as mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, collaborations, and new product launches to expand their market presence.

Key Players Mentioned in the Report:

Pall

Cytiva

JP Air Tech

W.L. Gore

Corning

Donaldson

Merck Millipore

Saint Gobain

Markel

Sartorius

Hindustan Polymer

KOMPASS

Hyundai Micro

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Chr. Hansen Holding A/S

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY (IN WHOLE OR IN PART), IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, SOUTH AFRICA, JAPAN OR AUSTRALIA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE SUCH ACTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.



March 8, 2023  Company announcement no. 3





On December 12, 2022, Novozymes A/S ("Novozymes") and Chr. Hansen Holding A/S ("Chr. Hansen") announced that Novozymes and Chr. Hansen had entered into a merger agreement to combine by way of a statutory merger of the two companies (the "Combination") and thereby create a leading global biosolutions partner, with Novozymes as the continuing company for which Novozymes and Chr. Hansen jointly will develop a new name and brand (the "Combined Company"). Reference is made to Chr. Hansen's company announcement no. 13 of December 12, 2022.

Novozymes and Chr. Hansen will today through separate company announcements publish notices to convene their respective extraordinary general meetings to vote on the Combination.

As stated in Chr. Hansen's company announcement no. 13, 2022, each of the Novozymes Board of Directors and the Chr. Hansen Board of Directors support the Combination and unanimously recommend their respective shareholders to vote in favor of and adopt the Combination and the other proposals to be put forward by the Novozymes Board of Directors and the Chr. Hansen Board of Directors, respectively, in relation to the Combination.

Please see attachment.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Investor Relations

Anders Mohr Christensen

+45 2515 2364

dkamc@chr-hansen.com

Press Relations

Sanne Seyer-Hansen

+45 6038 6207

dksash@chr-hansen.com

Attachment




VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 8, 2023 / Q Battery Metals Corp. ("Q Battery Metals" or the "Company) is pleased to provide an update on the exploration targeting on their mineral claims located north of Val d'Or, Quebec. In particular, the potential for lithium mineralization has recently become a new focus for the claims.

Preliminary review of the rock sampling results from the 2021 Q Battery Metals work program indicates elevated lithium in the area of the Boily-Berube mineral showing. Table 1 summarizes rock samples that returned elevated lithium. The samples were obtained to test for VMS potential and were not targeted on rocks that might better return lithium results.

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 (GM49151). Several coarse quartz veins were exposed in the area of the showing, with some returning elevated molybdenum and bismuth values (GM16255).

The Lac Fiedmont South mineral showing, on the eastern margin of the Q Battery Metals claims, has similar geology to the Boily-Berube, including molybdenite hosted in pegmatite.

Table 1 - Summary of 2021 Rock Sampling, elevated lithium

SampleID Lithology Code Lithology Summary UTM_E UTM_N SampType Li B0116756 I4 (AM) GG Ultramafic, coarse grained 298678 5353828 Grab 468 B0116786 V3B Basalt 298676 5353877 Grab 374 B0116758 I3A GM Gabbro 298679 5353848 Grab 203 B0116769 I3A PO AM Gabbro with pyrrhotite 298893 5353864 Grab 153 B0116771 V3B Basalt 298743 5353654 Grab 103 B0116763 V3B Basalt 298682 5353906 Grab 94

Initial review of historic drilling on the La Corne South indicates that pegmatitic rocks were intersected in drilling undertaken by Noranda Inc. in 2004, while they were exploring base metal targets. Not all of the core was sampled for lithium, but one hole (FIE-15-04-01, report GM62134) where sampling for lithium was undertaken, returned up to 333 ppm lithium (186.1-187.6 metres depth). This drill hole was collared one kilometre northwest of the Boily-Berube showing. A summary of lithium results from this 2004 drill hole is provided on table 2. The drill hole was oriented at a -45 degree angle toward azimuth 054, intersecting komatiite with interstitial coarse grained granite. The drill hole also returned elevated copper and molybdenum values.

Story continues

Table 2 - Summary of lithium results from drill hole FIE-15-04-01 (Noranda, 2004)

Hole id From (m) To (m) Sample id Length Li (ppm)

(PPm) FIE 15-04-01 171.9 173.4 502575 1.5 106 FIE 15-04-01 174 175.5 502577 1.5 120 FIE 15-04-01 186.1 187.6 502580 1.5 333

The reader is cautioned that historic trenching and drilling results reported by various operators have not been verified by Q Battery Metals.

Q Battery Metal's La Corne South Project contact the La Corne Batholith within the northern section of the claim block. The La Corne Batholith and the volcanic rocks on the margin of the batholith host several well-documented lithium deposits. Of particular significance, approximately 10 kilometres to the north, 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% Li 2 O and probable reserve of 28 million tonnes of 0.96% Li 2 O (https://www.mining.com/sayona-raises-136m-for-quebec-lithium-projects-restart-in-2023/). The reader is cautioned that potential lithium resources that exist on properties outside of the Q Battery Metals claims are not direct indicators of lithium mineralization on the claims.

The La Corne lithium mineralization is hosted in a series of pegmatitic bodies that cut the hornblende granodiorite of the La Corne Batholite and the mafic volcanic group rocks. The NAL mineralization consists of spodumene, beryl, tantalite, molybdenite, bismithinite and lepidolite contained in granitic pegmatites (Sigeom).

Q Battery Metals is currently planning 2023 exploration programs on their lithium projects as well as continuing to test the best VMS targets outlined on the Mogold and PG Highway claims. The company is pleased with the indications of lithium mineralization documented in the historic work, with exploration designed to test the best targets. Lithium exploration will also be undertaken on the newly acquired Pegalith Project located north of Gatineau (see News Release dated February 6, 2023).

Q Battery Metals exploration programs undertaken in Quebec are supervised by Dr. Mathieu Piche, OGQ, with office located north of Val d'Or. He is also a Q Battery Metals company director. The company has 100% interest in mineral claims within Quebec and British Columbia, with exploration targeting strategic metals and precious metals.

Perry Grunenberg, P.Geo, a "Qualified Person" as that term defined under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release.

Q Battery Metals Corp., Wednesday, March 8, 2023, Press release picture

Figure 1 - La Corne Batholith Lithium Projects and Q Battery Metals - Mogold and PG Highway Claims

Cautionary Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on assumptions as of that date. 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 exploration and development; the ability of the Company to obtain additional financing; the Company's limited operating history; the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations; fluctuations in the prices of commodities; operating hazards and risks; competition and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's Prospectus dated September 8, 2017 available on www.sedar.com. 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.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Richard Penn

CEO

(778) 384-8923

SOURCE: Q Battery Metals Corp.





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https://www.accesswire.com/742613/Q-Battery-Metals-Corporation-La-Corne-South-Lithium-Project-Quebec




Channeling the theme for 2023's International Women's Day, Equite Association shares some of the ways we demonstrate our ongoing commitment to equity every day

TORONTO, March 8, 2023 /CNW/ - This International Women's Day, Equite Association celebrates embracing equity by empowering women to grow personally and professionally through professional development, mentoring, and leadership development opportunities.

Equite Association Logo (CNW Group/Equite Association)

Equity and equality are two words often used interchangeably, but there are key differences. Equity acknowledges that people do not begin life in the same place and that circumstances can make it more difficult for certain people to achieve the same goals. Inequity affects many people, but most commonly and historically, it has impacted marginalized communities and groups, such as women, people of color, disabled people, the economically disadvantaged, and those from the LGBTQ+ community.

Equite Association was born out of social purpose, understanding that insurance crimes disproportionately affect the most disenfranchised and marginalized groups in our society. Organizationally, the following demonstrate Equite's ongoing commitment to embracing equity:

Achieving gender parity at the senior leadership level (directors) and above;

Operating as a 'remote-first' organization that encourages employees to check in with themselves for health, learning, and work/life integration;

Offering bespoke professional development and mentoring opportunities for all employees;

Offering women at the management level and above the opportunity to enroll in the ISC Group "Aspire" or "Executive" membership programs, which includes webinars, workshops and mentoring opportunities geared toward and for women.

Enrolment in the Equite Leadership Development Program offered to all senior leadership.

"It is critically important to me to have diversity of thought at every level across our organization, and particularly at the senior leadership level", says Terri O'Brien, President and CEO of Equite Association. "Having diverse perspectives, experiences and voices at the decision-making table leads to innovation, greater productivity and true equality, which is the goal. Collectively we can all embrace equity."

Story continues

About Equite Association

As a not-for-profit, national organization, Equite Association supports Canadian insurers to fight fraud by using advanced analytics, intelligence best practices, and coordinated investigations. By leveraging relationships with law enforcement, partners and industry organizations, Equite delivers improved service and fraud analytics for vehicle, property, and cargo recovery. Equite also serves as a centre point for insurance crime across all property and casualty insurers. While keenly focused on eradicating insurance fraud and crime, Equite is invested in diminishing organized crime in Canada and protecting all Canadians against exploitation.

Learn more about Equite Association at https://www.equiteassociation.com/.

SOURCE Equite Association

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2023/08/c2181.html
Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijani artist Nigar Narimanbayova has left an indelible mark in the art field. With her unique art style, she achieved recognition on an unprecedented scale among modern artists. Full of heart-touching moments, her life story is equally enthralling as her art.

In her interview with AZERNEWS, Nigar Narimanbayova talks about the role of Shusha city in her life and the history of her family.

Q: In February, you represented Azerbaijan at Art En Capital 2023. Could you tell us a little about the event?

A: On February 14-19, Grand Palais Ephemere hosted Art En Capital 2023, a major international exhibition in the heart of Paris. The exhibition featured the Salon of French Artists, formerly known as the Paris Salon. With a history spanning over 400 years, this is the most important exhibition event since the time of King Louis XIV. The paintings for the Salon of French Artists have been carefully selected by a grand jury, which included secret academics. I am very proud that my painting was once again selected for the Salon of French Artists as part of Stella Art International Association. I have been a member of the association for many years. The Paris Salon gave us a catalog with paintings. I would like to note that Art En Capital was previously held under the patronage of the French kings and now it is under the patronage of French president Emmanuel Macron. The French Academy of Fine Arts highly appreciated my art work. Previously, the National Federation Of French Culture awarded me TOILE D'OR for my diptych Adagio. Four of my art works were also showcased in the Salon of Independent Artists. At the same time, Stella Art International Association hosted my solo exhibitions. For me, the Salon of French Artists is the pinnacle of achievements. Like Everest peak, not everyone can reach it. I am extremely pleased that I could get to the top.

Q: Please, tell us a little bit about the painting that you presented at Art En Capital 2023.

A: Within Art En Capital 2023, I presented my painting WhatsApp made in a complex technique of acrylic and oil paints. The art work is included into my series of art pieces inspired by the young generation, which are very bright and creative. The 13-15 years old teenagers inspired me to create this series of art works. As you know, not many artists depict teenagers and I was very glad to be the first one who drew attention to this rare art theme. I am very proud to take this niche, demonstrating the rising generation. My painting aroused great public interest. I am planning to show a cycle of this works in near future. The art series include graphic, pastel pencil, watercolor and oil paintings. The art works will be shown in Baku and Paris.

Q: How was your art work appreciated by the Parisian public?

A: Art En Capital 2023 started with a private exhibition for the French elite and creative community, where they saw the paintings for the first time. My painting was warmly received by the art lovers. Nobody expected that there would be such an interesting series. My paintings have long been loved by the Parisian public. The new series devoted to the young generation was also a great success. I am so proud that the painting by an Azerbaijani artist enjoys such great interest in Europe.

Q: Your artistic activity is inextricably linked with Stella Art International Association. What projects did you take part in being a member of the association?

A: I have been a member of Stella Art International Association for many years. I have been close friends with the association's president Stella Kalinina, for a very long time. Being a member of the association, I hosted two solo exhibitions in Paris. I am very proud to have been also involved in large-scale art projects like Salon Business Art 2014 held at Pierre Cardin Center and the exhibition themed Artists of the World held in Monaco and Cannes, where I presented a series of art works inspired by theater and ballet. The art works aroused great public interest. I would also like to note the exhibitions in the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Center at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Paris as well as the exhibition titled "Russian Diary in Paris".

My diptych Adagio was named best as a result of online voting. The art work awarded the diploma of the Russian Academy of Arts, signed by the famous sculptor and academy's president Zurab Tsereteli. At Salon Business Art, I was awarded a diploma For Creating a Magical Enchanting Universe. Moreover, acclaimed art historian Jean-Charles Ache awarded the artists of Stella Art International Association with Grand-Prix. Also, the paintings of the association's artists were on display at Tauride Palace in Saint Petersburg. The 10th Anniversary International Festival of Fine Arts "Traditions and Modernity" held at Manege Central Exhibition Hall is also of special interest. Together with Stella Kalinina, I always come up with something new. She is a very creative, fashionable, modern and wonderful gallerist and does a great job for the association.

Q: A series of paintings of Shusha's beauties caused delight among art lovers. How did this art series come about?

A: I visited Baku when my country was fighting for the liberation of its lands. I came from Paris to Baku to be close to my people at that time. That's how the art series "Shusha's beauties" was born. The painting "Shusha's Beauty. Kharibulbul" personifies a young green-eyed lady, holding a Kharibulbul flower in her hand as a symbol of freedom and love for her homeland. It turned out that this painting became a harbinger of Azerbaijan's long-awaited victory. Known as Azerbaijan's cultural center, Shusha returned to its native harbor. The city has a special place in my life. My grandfathers and great-grandfathers were born in Shusha. In 1918, my grandfather Farman Yagub Narimanbayov was among 100 students, who were sent to study in Europe. While studying in the French city of Toulouse, he met with my grandmother Irma Larude. In France, my grandfather studied power engineering, while my grandmother studied to become a couturier. In 1924, they finally married and two years later my father Vidadi Narimanbayov was born in the city of Caen. Furthermore, my parents moved to Shusha, where my grandmother was often called the Karabakh Frenchwoman. She never ceases to amaze at the breathtaking beauty of Shush city. Next, they moved to Baku and grandfather started working as chief engineer at the Mingechevir hydroelectric power station. Meanwhile, my grandmother made costumes during the first decade of the Azerbaijani culture in Moscow and in the 30s. Furthermore, the grandfather was arrested during Stalinist repressions, only because he was born in a noble family and was married to a foreign woman. So, he was exiled to Kolyma (Russia), while my grandmother was exiled to Kazakhstan. Their children Vidadi Narimanbayov and Togrul Narimanbayov were put in the care of a nanny. They promised their mother to become artists. Only in 1961, my grandparents could return to Baku. Being a heroic woman, grandmother was able to overcome the exile and continued to sew beautiful costumes for the Baku public. Meanwhile, my grandfather also went back to his work. The green-eyed lady in my painting is a symbol of a strong unbroken woman who will overcome everything and will sit happy against the backdrop of free Shusha with Kharibulbul in her hands.

Q: Shusha has a special place in your life. What feelings did you experience visiting the city? Could you share with readers details about your participation in Kharibulbul Festival?

A: As I earlier mentioned. My family is a native of Shusha city. In a word, I am connected with Shusha by threads of love. I always believed that Shusha would be liberated. When I came back to Baku, I was among 13 artists who were invited to take part in the Kharibulbul Festival. I represented Azerbaijan at the festival. I am very proud that Leyla Aliyeva also demonstrated her amazing art work together with us. At the festival, we painted the plaster sculpture of Kharibulbul. Each of us painted the statue in an original way. I depicted the Shusha's beauty, the city's mosques, angels singing freedom, and a phoenix bird. I am eternally glad that our art works were also shown in Aghdam and on Jidir Plain. Our art works have personified the fact that art has returned to Shusha. Of course, when my foot hit the ground in Shusha, I couldn't believe my luck. I took a handful of earth with me to Baku, because this is the land of our ancestors, our cultural capital.

Q: What projects will you be involved in the near future?

A: There are so many projects that I want to work on. First, I will continue my series dedicated to teenagers. I also plan to hold my personal exhibitions in Baku and Paris. As for now, I am illustrating the books of Azerbaijani writer Lala Umid. Furthermore, I will share with you the upcoming art projects to be held in Paris.
TORONTO, March 8, 2023 /CNW/ - RBC iShares today announced the expansion of its exchange traded fund ("ETF") lineup with the launch of an initial suite of eight ETF Series of RBC Funds ("ETF Series"). The ETF Series adds to the existing lineup of actively managed ETF solutions offered by RBC iShares by leveraging RBC Global Asset Management Inc.'s ("RBC GAM Inc.") long-standing investment management expertise. The eight new ETF Series begin trading on the NEO Exchange today.

RBC Logo (CNW Group/RBC Global Asset Management Inc.)

The ETF Series represents a new series of select RBC Funds, which will trade in the same way as other ETFs on the exchange. With this series, advisors and investors who prefer to invest using ETFs can now access actively managed RBC Funds to construct their portfolios.

Fund RBC ETF

Series Ticker Symbol RBC ETF Series Management Fee RBC Canadian Equity Income Fund  ETF Series RCEI 0.60 % RBC North American Value Fund  ETF Series RNAV 0.60 % RBC North American Growth Fund  ETF Series RNAG 0.60 % RBC International Equity Fund  ETF Series RINT 0.75 % RBC Emerging Markets Dividend Fund  ETF Series REMD 0.85 % RBC Global Energy Fund  ETF Series RENG 0.75 % RBC Global Precious Metals Fund  ETF Series RGPM 0.75 % RBC Global Technology Fund  ETF Series RTEC 0.75 %



"In response to changing markets and the evolution in thinking around portfolio construction, investors are increasingly looking to add actively managed ETFs into their portfolio mix," said Doug Coulter, President, RBC Global Asset Management Inc. "With the launch of this initial suite of ETF Series of RBC Funds, we are excited to expand the lineup of actively managed solutions available within the RBC iShares suite. This ETF Series provides expanded access to RBC Global Asset Management Inc.'s well-established track record in active management to advisors and investors who prefer to use ETFs in building their portfolios."

More information on the ETF Series of RBC Funds can be found here.

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RBC iShares ETFs are comprised of RBC ETFs and ETF Series of RBC Funds managed by RBC Global Asset Management Inc. and iShares ETFs managed by BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited ("BlackRock Canada"). Please consult your advisor and read the prospectus and/or Fund Facts or ETF Facts document before investing. There may be commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses associated with investments in mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs). Mutual funds and ETFs are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. ETF Series units of RBC Funds are bought and sold at market price on a stock exchange and brokerage commissions will reduce returns. RBC Funds are offered by RBC Global Asset Management Inc. and distributed through authorized dealers in Canada.

About RBC

Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 97,000+ employees who leverage their imaginations and insights to bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank, and one of the largest in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our 17 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 27 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com.

We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/community-social-impact.

About RBC Global Asset Management

RBC Global Asset Management (RBC GAM) is the asset management division of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and includes money managers BlueBay Asset Management and Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management. RBC GAM is a provider of global investment management services and solutions to institutional, high-net-worth and individual investors through separate accounts, pooled funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, exchange-traded funds and specialty investment strategies. The RBC GAM group of companies manage approximately $525 billion in assets and have approximately 1,500 employees located across Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia.

About BlackRock

BlackRock's purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, we help millions of people build savings that serve them throughout their lives by making investing easier and more affordable. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/corporate.

About iShares

iShares unlocks opportunity across markets to meet the evolving needs of investors. With more than twenty years of experience, a global line-up of 1300+ exchange traded funds (ETFs) and US$2.91 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2022, iShares continues to drive progress for the financial industry. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock.

SOURCE RBC Global Asset Management Inc.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2023/08/c9588.html
FILE PHOTO: A participant stands near a logo of World Bank at the International Monetary Fund - World Bank Annual Meeting 2018 in Nusa Dua

By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia is consulting with its allies about challenging the U.S. nominee to head the World Bank, Moscow's top representative at the bank said on Tuesday, a move that could complicate what was expected to be a smooth succession process.

Russia remains a voting member of the World Bank, although the bank halted all programs in Russia and Belarus last March, citing what it called "hostilities against the people of Ukraine" following Russia's invasion.

Roman Marshavin, the World Bank executive director who represents Russia and Syria, told Reuters the "listing of potential candidates and consultations are still ongoing," but gave no details. He said the decision would be made in Moscow.

Russia's plans were first reported by Russia's state-owned TASS news agency.

It quoted Marshavin as saying he was in discussions with other countries about possible candidates including Russian financiers and foreign economists, former heads of international organizations, as well as several ex-ministers of finance and heads of central banks.

Marshavin declined to comment on the specifics of the TASS report or which other countries were involved.

U.S. President Joe Biden last month nominated ex-Mastercard Chief Executive Officer Ajay Banga, 63, to replace David Malpass at the helm of the World Bank, which oversees billions of dollars in funding for developing countries.

Banga, who is traveling in Africa this week, last week said he had already won support from India, Ghana and Kenya. He also got positive reviews from France and Germany at last month's meeting of Group of 20 finance officials, and on Tuesday won the endorsement of Bangladesh.

Treasury declined comment on the possible Russian challenge.

While the bank will accept nominations from other countries until March 29, Biden's nomination all but assures that Banga will fill the role.

The World Bank has been headed by someone from the United States, the lender's dominant shareholder, since its founding at the end of World War Two.

A challenge from Russia or an allied country is unlikely to change the outcome, given the shareholding structure, but it could expose simmering tensions between the U.S. and Western nations and China - the bank's third largest shareholder - over the Bank and other global financial institutions.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; additional reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
Fortune Business Insights

Companies Profiled in School Management System Market are Skolaro, Oracle, Ellucian Company L.P, Foradian Technologies, HOBSONS, Jenzabar, Inc, PowerSchool, Capita ESS Limited, SGRG Core Solutions Pvt Ltd, Classter, Instructure, Inc, McGraw Hill, OpenEduCat, Cornerstone, EduWonka, Campus 365, EDRP, Schoology and Knewton, Inc. And others.

Pune,India, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global school management system market size is expected to rise during the forecast period due to the rising adoption of virtual learning and focus on developing education quality and Adopting E-Learning Technology to Propel Market Growth.

Fortune Business Insights provides this information in an upcoming report titled, "School Management System Market Forecast, 2023-2030".

The growing demand for cloud drives owing to enormous data collection is expected to foster the growth of the market.

Industry Developments:

Jenzabar, Inc. has introduced its Jenzabar One suite, which will enable competency-based education (CBE) programs.

Ellucian collaborated with OnePLM to enable digital transformation for higher education specialists.

Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/school-management-system-market-105994

Key Takeaways

The largest market growth attributes to the growing adoption of school management system solutions & services and the early adoption of technologies such as cloud computing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence.

Growing emphasis on improving the quality of education to augment the market growth.

Increasing technological developments, along with rising R&D efforts for new services introduced by companies and rising government efforts

Increasing investments by schools in deploying modern student & staff management and financial management solutions escalate the market growth.

Asia Pacific has emerged as a profitable market for school management solutions globally.

Lack of skilled work force and financial limitations to impede the market growth

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Drivers & Restraints:

Adoption of E-Learning Platforms to Stimulate Market Growth

The school management system is attributed to dominating the education industry during the forecast period due to the increasing e-learning concept adoption.

Technological advancements in the industry and the availability of services are expected to fuel market growth.

Rising government initiatives and investments in R&D are likely to propel market growth and increase the demand for these management systems.

However, lack of skilled professionals and financial limitations may hinder the market growth.

Browse Complete Report Details:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/school-management-system-market-105994

Segments:

By component, the market is divided into software and services. The services are further categorized into consulting, implementation, support, and maintenance.

Based on deployment, the market is bifurcated into the cloud and on premise.

On the basis of application, the market is segregated into student management, academic management, human resource management, finance & accounting management, store & procurement management, and other applications.

Geographically, the market is categorized into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

Segmentation By Component Software

Services By Deployment Cloud

On-premise By User Private Schools

Public Schools By Application Student Management

Academic Management

Human Resource Management

Finance and Accounting Management

Stores and Procurement Management By Geography North America

South America

Europe

Middle East & Africa

Asia Pacific

Regional Insights:

North America Dominates Global Market Due to Adoption of Emerging Technologies

North America is expected to hold the highest global school management system market share during the forecast period. The regional market dominance is attributed to the increasing utilization of advanced technologies and the rising adoption of cloud-based learning management systems. Also, prominent market players in the market are expected to drive market growth.

Asia Pacific is expected to grow rapidly during the projected period due to the growing student population in the region. The region is anticipated to witness significant school management system market growth during the forecast period.

Pre Book  School Management System Market Research Report

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/105994

Competitive Landscape:

New Product Launch Enable Key Players to Enhance their Product Portfolio

The key market players focus on expanding their business by implementing various business development strategies such as mergers, partnerships, acquisitions, and alliances. Furthermore, the companies consider incorporating innovative product development and designing ideas to enhance their product portfolio and attract global customers.

List of Key Players Profiled in the Market Report for School Management System:

Blackboard Inc. (U.S.)

Skolaro (India)

Oracle (U.S.)

Ellucian Company L.P (U.S.)

Foradian Technologies (India)

HOBSONS (U.S.)

Jenzabar Inc. (U.S.)

PowerSchool (U.S.)

Capita ESS Limited (U.K.)

SGRG Core Solutions Pvt Ltd (India)

Classter (Greece)

Instructure Inc (U.S.)

McGraw Hill (U.S.)

OpenEduCat (U.S.)

Cornerstone (U.S.)

EduWonka (Singapore)

Campus 365 (India)

EDRP (India)

Schoology and Knewton Inc. (U.S.)

About Us:

Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them to address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in.

Contact Us:

Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd.

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Sernova Corp.

Third patient now implanted with higher capacity, 10-chamber Cell Pouch



Company anticipates first interim data from second cohort in Q4 2023

LONDON, Ontario, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sernova Corp. (TSX:SVA) (OTCQB:SEOVF) (FSE/XETRA:PSH), a clinical-stage company and leader in cell therapeutics, announced today that the first two patients in the second cohort of its active U.S. Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and hypoglycemia unawareness (the T1D Study) received their first islet transplant into the higher capacity 10-channel Cell Pouch. These patients will be monitored for safety and efficacy for three months after which a second dose of islets is anticipated to be transplanted in accordance with the protocol. Additionally, a third enrolled patient has now been implanted with the higher capacity Cell Pouch and awaits islet transplant in the coming weeks.

In November 2022, the Company announced the addition of a second cohort and protocol amendment for its T1D Study. The amended protocol includes a second cohort of up to seven patients for the transplant of islets into Sernovas higher-capacity Cell Pouch. Enrollment for the new second cohort has occurred rapidly with approximately half of the patients already completed.

The amended protocol to use the 10-channel Cell Pouch enables optimized dosing and shorter efficacy evaluation periods to ultimately decrease time to key efficacy endpoints. These endpoints include survival of transplanted islet cells, reduction of severe hypoglycemic episodes, and changes in HbA1c, serum C-peptide production, and insulin requirements. The higher capacity 10-channel Cell Pouch provides greater than 50% more capacity relative to the Cell Pouches used for the T1D Studys first cohort.

I am excited to apply the learnings from the first patient cohort, including implementation of the higher capacity Cell Pouch, which enables us to optimize the dose and concentration of islets to achieve our clinical objectives with these patients, said Dr. Piotr Witkowski, Clinical Trial Principal Investigator and Director of the Pancreatic Islet Transplant Program at the University of Chicago. I look forward to reporting the first interim results of the second patient cohort.

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Dr. Philip Toleikis, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sernova, added, With the first two patients transplanted and a third patient now implanted with the higher capacity Cell Pouch, we are pleased to see the successful results of our patient enrollment acceleration strategy and are driving to complete full enrollment as expeditiously as possible. We look forward to presenting our next readout of interim results.

ABOUT SERNOVA CORP. AND THE CELL POUCH SYSTEM PLATFORM FOR CELL THERAPY

Sernova Corp. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that is developing therapeutic cell technologies for chronic diseases, including insulin-dependent diabetes, thyroid disease, and blood disorders that include hemophilia A. Sernova is currently focused on developing a functional cure for insulin-dependent diabetes with its lead asset, the Cell Pouch System, a novel implantable and scalable medical device with immune protected therapeutic cells. On implantation, the Cell Pouch forms a natural vascularized tissue environment in the body for long-term survival and function of therapeutic cells that release essential factors that are absent or deficient in the bodies of patients with certain chronic diseases. Sernovas Cell Pouch System has demonstrated its potential to be a functional cure for people with T1D in an ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical study at the University of Chicago. Sernova is also advancing a proprietary technology in collaboration with the University of Miami to shield therapeutic cells from immune system attack with the goal to eliminate the need for chronic, systemic immunosuppression. In May 2022, Sernova and Evotec SE entered into a global strategic partnership to develop an implantable off-the-shelf iPSC (induced pluripotent stem cells) based islet replacement therapy. This partnership provides Sernova a potentially unlimited supply of insulin-producing cells to treat millions of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes (type 1 and type 2). Sernova continues to progress two additional development programs that utilize its Cell Pouch System: a cell therapy for hypothyroid disease resulting from thyroid gland removal and an ex vivo lentiviral factor VIII gene therapy for hemophilia A.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Corporate Investors Media Christopher Barnes

VP, Investor Relations

Sernova Corp.

christopher.barnes@sernova.com

Tel: 519-902-7923

www.sernova.com Corey Davis, Ph.D.

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

cdavis@lifesciadvisors.com

Tel: 212-915-2577



Elizabeth Miller, M.D.

LifeSci Communications

emiller@lifescicomms.com

Tel: 646-791-9705





FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This release contains statements that, to the extent they are not recitations of historical facts, may constitute forward-looking statements that involve various risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including, without limitation, statements regarding the prospects, plans, and objectives of the company. Wherever possible, but not always, words such as "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential for" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur are used to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect managements beliefs with respect to future events and are based on information currently available to management on the date such statements were made. Many factors could cause Sernovas actual results, performances or achievements to not be as anticipated, estimated or intended or to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Such factors could include, but are not limited to, the companys ability to secure additional financing and licensing arrangements on reasonable terms, or at all; ability to conduct all required preclinical and clinical studies for the companys Cell Pouch System and or related technologies, including the timing and results of those trials; ability to obtain all necessary regulatory approvals, or on a timely basis; ability to in-license additional complementary technologies; ability to execute its business strategy and successfully compete in the market; and the inherent risks associated with the development of biotechnology combination products generally. Many of the factors are beyond our control, including those caused by, related to, or impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Investors should consult the companys quarterly and annual filings available on www.sedar.com for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to the forward-looking statements. Sernova 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.




Technicolor Creative Studios

CORPORATE PRESS RELEASE





SHAPING THE FUTURE FOR TECHNICOLOR CREATIVE STUDIOS

FOLLOWING AGREEMENT ON ITS REFINANCING

Technicolor Creative Studios reaches an agreement in principle on a 170m new money injection, including recapitalization

Refinancing fully underwritten by a large majority of its shareholders and lenders

Paris (France), March 8, 2023  Technicolor Creative Studios is pleased to announce an agreement in principle that provides a framework for rebound of the Company to the benefit of its studios, talents, customers and suppliers.

The Company has reached an agreement in principle on a new financing structure which includes a c.170 million new money injection. The refinancing would also reduce the financial liabilities of the business by reducing cash interest across all instruments as well as by subordinating 170 million and converting 30 million of existing debt into equity. This would enable Technicolor Creative Studios to address its liquidity needs from Q2 2023 and allows operating cash flow to be focused on operational needs.

A large majority of shareholders (holding above 80% of the capital) and lenders (which represent more than 75% of the debt) are supporting the Company in this refinancing, indicating their financial commitment to, and support for the business and its mission to deliver high quality projects to its customers.

The Agreement in Principle has been approved unanimously by the members of the Board of Directors of the Company1 and will be submitted for approval to the Commercial Court of Paris by the end of March.

Anne Bouverot, Chairperson, and Caroline Parot, CEO: This new favorable framework reaffirms the strong commitment of all our stakeholders, in particular our shareholders and lenders, and demonstrates their renewed confidence in the long-term prospects of Technicolor Creative Studios. In conjunction with the improvement actions initiated through the Re*imagined Program, this will improve the Companys balance sheet and profitability, re-establishing its market leading position.

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Christian Roberton, Deputy CEO: Thrilled about this significant milestone, marking a fresh start for Technicolor Creative Studios. This is going to ensure our studios will be fully dedicated to project delivery and continue to be recognized as a world leader of our industry. I would like to thank our teams for their dedication and continuous commitment to our clients in these challenging times.

DETAILS OF THE AGREEMENT IN PRINCIPLE

A part of this new money financing would be made by end of March / beginning of April 2023, subject to finalization of the relevant documentation and satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set out therein. The remaining part of the c.170 million new money financing is expected to be made available by the end of Q2 2023.

This agreement has been agreed in principle by TCS, certain of its main shareholders holding in the aggregate in excess of 80% of the share capital and voting rights including Vantiva, Angelo Gordon, Bpifrance (the Main Shareholders) and a group of lenders which represent in aggregate more than 75% of the debt outstanding2 (the Lender Group) within the framework of an amicable conciliation procedure opened earlier in 2023.

The agreement in principle sets forth the following key principles:

New money financing in aggregate principal amount, net of Original Issue Discount and underwriting fees, equal to c . 170 million :



upon approval by the General Meeting (expected to be held by the end of Q2 2023), the issuance of 60 million of convertible notes (the  Convertible Notes ) fully backstopped by certain funds managed and/or advised (directly or indirectly) by Angelo, Gordon & Co., L.P.. Conversion of 100% of the convertible bonds 3 will give holders of those notes an aggregate amount of 33% of the share capital of the Company on a fully diluted basis pro forma for: (i) such conversion and (ii) the issuance of certain warrants to be granted to New Money Lenders and existing senior secured lenders of the Company, in each case, as described in this announcement 4 ;



a super senior credit facility fully underwritten by the Lender Group (the  New Money Lenders ) for an amount of c. 110 million (the  New Money Credit Facility ). In addition, warrants (bons de souscription dactions) giving right to 11% of the PF Fully Diluted Share Capital to be, upon approval by the General Meeting, allocated to the New Money Lenders pro rata to their exposure to the New Money Credit Facility and in consideration for their commitment to the same;



the final closing of the Convertible Notes and the New Money Credit Facility is expected to take place by the end of Q2 2023 5 , provided that, among others, the New Money Lenders and Angelo Gordon are expected to provide a bridge financing in an amount of 85 million by end of March 2023 / early April 2023.





Existing indebtedness would be reinstated and capitalized as follows:



the multicurrency Revolving Credit Facility would be reinstated for its total amount of 40 million (the  RCF );



the c.621 million first lien facility (the  First Lien Facility ) would be reinstated for a total amount of approximatively c.421 million over September 2026;



the conversion into equity by the First Lien Facility lenders of 30 million of the First Lien Facility by means of capital increases by way of set-off of claims, upon approval by the General Meeting; and



the conversion of a portion of the First Lien facility into a subordinated instrument stapled with the reinstated First Lien Facility for a total amount of c.170 million.



The transactions described above would have the following impact on the share capital of the Company 6 :



debt-to-equity conversion through a share capital increase would lead the existing First Lien Facility lenders to hold 65.7% of the share capital on the Closing Date and 44% of the PF Fully Diluted Share Capital;



New Money Lenders participating to the New Money Credit Facility would receive 11% of the PF Fully Diluted Share Capital through the issuance of warrants;



upon conversion of 100% of the Convertible Notes according to its terms and conditions, the Convertibles Notes holders would hold 33% of the PF Fully Diluted Share Capital;



the current shareholders of the Company would retain 12% of the PF Fully Diluted Share Capital.







The Agreement in Principle would be combined with an evolution of the Companys governance to be further detailed upon finalization of the conciliation protocol. This new governance will reflect the new capital structure of the Company and will comply with the AFEP MEDEF code. The Agreement in Principle provides that the main lenders in their capacity as shareholders will not transfer their shares in the Company (subject to standard exceptions and limited exceptions) for a period of 12 months.

The parties to the Agreement in Principle and any acceding party will also commit not to transfer their shares in, and / or debt exposure with, the Company until the execution of the conciliation protocol.

The Company would also benefit from a right of first offer in case of sale by its main shareholders of shares to competitors.

The Company will undertake a strategic review within the next 24 months in order to explore options for maximising value for all stakeholders. The Company will also review its options for a potential delisting of TCS in the short term.

The Agreement in Principle provides that both the Main Shareholders and the Lender Group are not and will not be acting in concert vis-a-vis the Company.

The implementation of the Agreement in Principle will be subject to certain conditions precedent including the following key items:

final due diligence, approval of investment committees and other internal approvals, execution of a satisfactory long-form legal and contractual documentation;

approval by all other First Lien lenders of the Company;

approval by the beneficiary of the fiducie under the Fiducie agreement existing on Vantivas 35% holding in TCS;

judgement from the Commercial Court approving (jugement dhomologation) a conciliation protocol and granting the new money privilege to the relevant stakeholders;

customary regulatory authorizations as may be required;

approval of the required resolutions by the General Meeting expected to be held in the course of Q2 2023.

The Company intends to cleanse the information provided to the various stakeholders having led to this press release and aims to do so within the framework of the announcement of the 2022 full year results which will be postponed to March 10, 2023.

The Company has requested from Euronext Paris the suspension of the listing of its shares from today until the market opening on March 10, 2023.

Financial Calendar

2022 Full Year Results March 10, 2023

***

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements that constitute forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements that are predictions of or indicate future events, trends, plans or objectives, based on certain assumptions or which do not directly relate to historical or current facts. Such forward-looking statements are based on the Companys current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed, forecasted, or implied by such forward-looking statements. For a more complete list and description of such risks and uncertainties, refer to the prospectus prepared in connection with the admission of the Companys shares to trading on the regulated market of Euronext in Paris approved by the AMF on August 1, 2022 under number 22-331, available on the Companys website and on the Autorite des Marches Financiers website (www.amf-france.org).

This press release does not contain or constitute an offer of securities for sale or an invitation to invest in securities in France, the United States or any other jurisdiction.

***

ABOUT TECHNICOLOR CREATIVE STUDIOS

Technicolor Creative Studios shares are admitted to trading on the regulated market of Euronext Paris (TCHCS)

Technicolor Creative Studios is a creative technology company providing world-class production expertise driven by one purpose: The realization of ambitious and extraordinary ideas. Home to a network of award-winning studios, MPC, The Mill, Mikros Animation and Technicolor Games, we inspire creative companies across the world to produce their most iconic work.



Our global teams of artists and technologists partner with the creative community across film, television, animation, gaming, brand experience and advertising to bring the universal art of storytelling to audiences everywhere.

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APPENDIX  ILLUSTRATIVE PRO-FORMA EQUITY OWNERSHIP

The transactions would have the following impacts on the share capital:

Pro Forma shareholding Current At the Closing Date Post conversion of 100% of the Convertible Notes, being the PF Fully Diluted Share Capital Existing shareholders 100.0% 17.9% 12.0% Existing First Lien Lenders 65.7% 44.0% New Money providers 16.4% 44.0% o/w New Money Credit Facility 16.4% 11.0% o/w Convertible Notes 33.0% Total shareholding 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%





1 It is being specified that interested board members have not taken part to the deliberations and vote.

2 Agreement of certain of these stakeholders remain formally subject to approval of their respective investment committees.

3 Such conversion may occur on a voluntary basis at any time or on a mandatory basis, with mandatory conversion occurring if the enterprise value of the Company exceeds 1.2 billion or the EBITDA exceeds a level to be agreed, in each case, based on valuation methodology and mechanics to be agreed.

4 The PF Fully Diluted Share Capital.

5 The Closing Date.

6 A pro forma share capital table is set forth in appendix.

Attachment




Market Research Future

Siding Market Information by Material (Vinyl, Fibre Cement, Wood, Concrete and others), Application (Residential, Commercial and Industrial) and Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa and South America) - Forecast till 2030

New York, US, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Siding Market Overview

According to a Comprehensive Report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Siding Market Information by Material, Application, and Region - Forecast till 2030", By 2030, the siding market is expected to be worth between USD 101.7 billion and USD 126.3 billion. The siding market is estimated to grow at a 4.3% CAGR from 2022 to 2030.

Siding Market Synopsis

Siding is a material used to clothe, cover, and protect the outer walls of a building. Fiber cement, vinyl, bricks, stucco, aluminum, asphalt, and other composite materials are examples of prevalent siding materials. According on the user's needs, they are applied to the roof and walls in a variety of shapes and styles such as clapboard, shingles, shakes, verticals, and panels. Siding enhances a structure's visual appeal while protecting it from extreme weather conditions and fire threats, as well as offering thermal efficiency to keep the temperature inside the building stable.

The increasing number of residential and commercial construction projects around the world is the primary factor driving market expansion. In the building business, there is an increasing demand for long-lasting siding materials that can survive weathering as well as chemical exposure and deterioration. Furthermore, the trend of combining siding materials is gaining pace, in which multiple siding materials with varying textures and qualities are used to offer a distinctive visual value to the building.

Furthermore, improved distribution channels and the availability of a diverse variety of alternatives have enabled vendors to extend their consumer base and cater to diverse requirements. Additional reasons, including government measures to expand public infrastructure and the introduction of green siding materials, are projected to propel the market even further.

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Market Competitive Landscape:

The top companies in the siding market are

Saint-Gobain (France)

James Hardie Industries Plc (Ireland)

Westlake Chemical (US)

Boral Limited (Australia)

Etex Group (Belgium)

Kingspan Group (Ireland)

Georgia-Pacific (US)

Louisiana Pacific Corporation (US)

Cornerstone Building Brands (US)

Nichiha Corporation (Japan)

Among others.





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Report Attribute Details Market Size USD 126.3 Billion CAGR 4.3% 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 Material, By Application & Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers Growing population, rapid urbanization, government funding for housing projects, and strong economic growth,

To address expanding construction demand, major organizations are consolidating the global market by investing in the development of technologically advanced and cost-effective machines. Furthermore, other major rivals are employing aggressive strategies such as mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and facility development, which will boost market growth in the coming years.

February 2022

Westlake Royal Building Products, a leading manufacturer and distributor of exterior and interior building products in North America, is happy to announce the addition of six new, on-trend colors to its Royal Haven Insulated Siding and Exterior Portfolio's CraneBoard Solid Core Siding lines.

Royal Haven Insulated Siding will introduce three deep, dark colours to its Board & Batten profile, inspired by popular exterior house design trends: Ironstone, Marine Blue, and Urban Bronze. CraneBoard Solid Core Siding from Exterior Portfolio will also get three new dark colors for its Board & Batten profile: Carbon, Indigo, and Peppercorn.



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Market USP Covered:

Market Drivers:

Because of the enormous rise in residential buildings around the world, the use of siding in the external walls of these structures is thought to be the primary growth engine for the siding sector. The siding market is being propelled forward by rising infrastructure development in a number of countries. The growing population and need for residential and commercial building construction are driving the market for siding, particularly wood and fiber siding. Increasing demand in the construction industry for siding materials that can withstand chemical exposure and can be used as weatherproofing materials to withstand variations in weather.

The key reason driving the growth of the tower crane renting industry is increased construction activity owing to urbanization. More than 4 billion people reside in urban regions, and it is estimated that by 2050, two-thirds of the population would live in urban areas, contributing to the expansion of this industry. Another reason driving the growth of the tower crane rental market is the increasing tendency of people to move from rural to urban regions due to higher money, which leads to increased demand for compressed work schedules and safety at plant sites.

The Associated General Contractors of America says that the demand for siding in the United States is surging every year by a whopping 12%. Y-o-y expansion due to increasing building quality and new material adhesion material that can withstand change People's rising affluence, combined with the expanding trend of using siding material to improve the appearance of buildings, could be a major growth factor for the siding sector. Furthermore, the wide variety of siding materials available, such as wood, fiber, plastic, and others, provides a number of options and alternatives on the market. As a result, these solutions also act as a growth driver for the siding market.



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Market Restraints:

It is a huge challenge to correctly install the siding market material. If it is not properly installed, the siding product's nature may be lost. The cost of installing siding material is highly expensive, which has become a significant barrier for the market. Because of the labor shortage during the pandemic, moving materials and bringing raw supplies was difficult. As a result, the manufacturing firm is working hard to reclaim its position by increasing production value.

COVID 19 Analysis

COVID-19's impact is expected to persist for a long time. The unexpected lockdown halted major construction and industry sectors. It caused significant disruptions in global production. According to a United Nations (UN) study, the global economy may decrease by up to 1% in 2020, compared to the 2.5% growth previously forecast. Construction and construction are among the most affected industries worldwide by the COVID-19 outbreak. It is related to labor shortages on construction sites, despite the fact that the majority of contractors have completed their work. The inability of workers to complete ongoing residential and commercial construction projects has an impact on the expected percentage of worldwide revenue.

Global governments are collaborating on a worldwide scale, followed by significant market participants. This effort is producing global market investment and financing, which will help to increase the product variety and offset market losses during the pandemic's outbreak in 2020.

Market Segmentation

By Material

The global industry is divided into material segments: vinyl, fiber cement, wood, concrete, and others. The siding market is projected to be dominated by fiber cement. Fiber cement siding is the most popular siding material among consumers because of its inexpensive installation cost and long service life.

By Application

The siding market can be classified into three applications: residential, commercial, and industrial. The commercial sector is further subdivided into hospitality, healthcare, shopping malls and centers, educational centers, office spaces, and others. The residential sector is expected to account for the majority of the market share in the global siding industry. Furthermore, the growing number of home improvement items is likely to raise the global demand for siding.



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Regional Insights

North America's market growth was strong in 2018, and it led the world. This is due to the early initiatives made by the government to promote industry demand. As a result, people in North America began to use siding products for their construction projects.

Nonetheless, there was an increase in population and urbanization in Asia Pacific later in 2019. As a result, the siding market grew steadily. This increase was due to an increase in the food & beverage and healthcare industries. Residential development is expected to rise gradually across Asia Pacific and South America.

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Fiberglass Flooring Market Information, By Application (Residential, Commercial, Industrial) and Region -Forecast 2022- 2030

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About Market Research Future:

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Market Research Future

Smart Elevator Market Research Report, by Type (Passenger, Freight and Fire-proof), by Component (Maintenance, Control, and Communication), by Service (Installation, Modernization and Maintenance), by Speed and by Application - Forecast till 2030

New York, US, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Smart Elevator Market Overview

The MRFR analysis reports predict that the "Smart Elevator Market Research Report, by Type, Application, Component, Speed, Region, and Services- Forecast Till 2030", the global market for smart elevators is predicted to showcase considerable development over the assessment timeframe from 2022 to 2030 with a strong development rate of approximately 13.54%. The reports further anticipate the market to acquire a valuation of around USD 38.91 billion by the end of 2030.

Market Scope: The smart elevator market has expanded immensely in recent years. The main parameter catalyzing the development of the market is the recent exponential rise in construction activities across the globe.

Competitive Analysis

The leading participants across the global market for smart elevators includes players such as:

Motion Control Engineering (U.S.)

Hyundai Elevator Co. Ltd (Iran)

ThyssenKrupp AG (Germany)

Mitsubishi Electric (Japan)

Otis Elevator Company (U.S.)

Hyundai Elevator (South Korea)

Schindler Group (Switzerland)

Hitachi (Japan)

KONE Corporation (Finland)

Fujitec (Japan)

Johnson Controls Inc. (U.S.)

Among others.





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Report Scope:

Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2030 USD 38.91 Billion CAGR 13.54% (2022-2030) Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 20222030 Historical Data 2020 Forecast Units Value (USD Million) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Type, By Component, By Service and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers North America and Europe are presumed to have steady growth in the smart elevator market.

Market USP Covered

Market Drivers

The smart elevator market has expanded immensely in recent years. The main parameter catalyzing the development of the market is the recent exponential rise in construction activities across the globe. Furthermore, adopting advanced technologies across emerging economies in recent years is another crucial parameter backing market expansion. In addition, several benefits offered by these advanced elevators, along with the rapidly transforming technological advancements, are also projected to impact the market's development over the coming years positively.

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Market Restraints

However, several aspects may restrict the development of the market's performance. The field has several safety concerns associated with it, which is considered the primary challenge for the market's growth. In addition, some laser levels are predicted to release harmful rays, which can negatively impact health in the long run, particularly during the assessment era from 2022 to 2030. Furthermore, factors such as large-scale needs for massive investment and the lack of awareness regarding smart solutions are also predicted to impact the markets development over the coming years negatively.



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COVID-19 Impact

The global industrial activities and business operations experienced a major setback given to the rise of global health crisis in the form of COVID-19. Along with all the industry operations, the pandemic also affected public health nearly across 225 countries around the world. All of these situations led to the imposition of full or partial lockdowns across majority regions worldwide. Subsequently, the industry operations were halted, and some businesses shut down. Given the sudden fall in demand for construction activities during the pandemic and the halt of the majority of industrial operations, the smart elevator market faced several unexpected challenges during the pandemic. On the other hand, with the rapid vaccination rates and all the global industrial operations returning to normal, the market is anticipated to experience substantial development over the forecasted timeframe.

Segment Analysis

Among all the solutions, the elevator automation segment is predicted to ensure the leasing spot across the global market for smart elevators over the review era. Various advantages the deployment method offers are considered the main parameter boosting the demand for the global segments. The benefits include efficient passenger transportation, time-saving, and energy-saving. On the other hand, the maintenance segment will likely display the maximum growth rate over the coming years. the main parameter catalyzing the demand for the segment is the increase in the maintenance activities of already installed products in mature European and North American regions.

Among all the application areas, the residential segment is predicted to secure the top spot across the global market for smart elevators over the assessment era. The increase in disposable income across emerging nations worldwide and the rising migration of people from rural to urban areas are considered the prime aspects supporting the development of the segment over the coming years. On the other hand, the industrial segment is predicted to display the maximum growth rate over the coming years, given mainly to the escalating demand for energy-efficient solutions resulting in rising adoption.



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Regional Analysis

The MRFR research document suggests that the North American region is ensured to hold the top spot across the global market for smart elevators over the assessment era. The main parameter supporting the development of the regional market is the modern infrastructure across the region along with the rising demand for an energy-efficient solution to switch to advanced Smart Elevator technologies from the conventional ones.

The smart elevator market for the European region is anticipated to showcase substantial development over the forecasted timeframe. The rapidly growing construction sector across the region is the main aspect causing a rise in the regional market's performance.

The reports further anticipate that the Asia-Pacific region is predicted to showcase the maximum expansion across the global market for smart elevators over the coming years. the prime aspect supporting the expansion across the regional market's performance is that several countries across the region, such as Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam are consistently improving the living standards leading to growth in construction activities coupled with the urbanization of building. Furthermore, the factors such as the rapidly growing population, product developments, and increase in the transformation of the infrastructure are also projected to catalyze the growth of the regional market over eth coming years.



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Discover more research Reports on Construction Industry , by Market Research Future:

Elevators Market Information by Types (Passenger elevator, Good elevators, Capsule elevators, Automobile elevators, stretcher elevators, Hydraulic elevators) and by application (residential and commercial) - Forecast to 2030

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Water Treatment Systems Market Information By Technology (Filtration, Reverse Osmosis, Water Softener, Distillation, Sedimentation, and Others), By Application (Commercial, Industrial, and Infrastructure), and Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)Forecast till 2030

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Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions.

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Fortune Business Insights

Smoke Detector Market to Reach USD 3,380.8 million by 2026; Rising Demand for Smart Fire Alarms in Industrial Plants to Bolster Market Opportunities: Fortune Business Insights

Pune, India, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global smoke detector market size was USD 1,904.4 million in 2018. The market is expected to hit USD 3,380.8 million by 2026 at a CAGR of 7.5% in the 2019-2026 period. This information is provided by Fortune Business Insights, in its report titled, Smoke Detector Market, 2019-2026. Rising number of fire accident cases across the globe will be a major growth-driving factor for this market.

According to a study conducted by Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, fire-related accidents caused nearly 9 million injuries and were responsible for over 120,000 deaths worldwide in 2017. The injuries were highest in the 5 to 30 years age group and burns affecting less than 20% of the body emerged as the leading cause of disability among the heat-associated accident victims. The study further notes that majority of fire injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries. These findings are evidence that greater and more efficient measures need to be implemented to prevent such accidents and this factor is expected to lead the smoke detectors market trends in the coming years.

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The emergence of COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill. We understand that this health crisis has brought an unprecedented impact on businesses across industries. However, this too shall pass. Rising support from governments and several companies can help in the fight against this highly contagious disease. There are some industries that are struggling and some are thriving. Overall, almost every sector is anticipated to be impacted by the pandemic.

Story continues

Segmentation Of Repot:

The smoke detector market can be segmented by technology type and application.

By technology type, the market can be divided into photoelectric, dual sensor, ionization, and others. Photoelectric smoke detectors use a light source to detect smoke particles, while ionization smoke detectors use ionization chambers to detect smoke particles. Dual sensor smoke detectors combine both photoelectric and ionization technologies for increased accuracy. Other types of smoke detectors include air sampling smoke detectors and aspirating smoke detectors.

By application, the market can be segmented into commercial, industrial, and residential. Commercial applications include buildings such as offices, hotels, and hospitals, where smoke detectors are required by law. Industrial applications include factories, warehouses, and other manufacturing facilities where smoke detectors are used to protect equipment and employees. Residential applications include homes and apartments, where smoke detectors are used to protect residents and property.

The smoke detector market is expected to grow as more governments and organizations implement regulations requiring smoke detectors. Additionally, advancements in technology are expected to drive demand for more accurate and reliable smoke detectors. The market for smart smoke detectors, which are connected to the internet and can be controlled remotely, is also expected to grow as more consumers adopt smart home technology.

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Market Drivers:

Accelerated Pace of Construction Activities Globally to Fuel the Market

One of the key factors fueling the smoke detectors market growth is the heightened pace at which construction activities around the world are being carried out. Data analysis by Oxford Economics and GCP Global forecasts that by 2030 world construction output will hit USD 15.5 trillion, surging at a rate of 85%. Majority of this rise, around 57%, will be accounted for by China, India, and the US, the analysis suggests. To ensure safety of buildings and its inhabitants, adequate fire prevention measures are required and smoke detectors play a vital role in this regard. Not only do they provide a psychological comfort to people within a building, but they also aid in early evacuation in case of fires, thus saving lives and mitigating the possibility of severe injuries. Thus, rising rate of construction across the globe will augur well for this market.

Regional Analysis:

Increasing Investment in Infrastructure to Propel North America to a Leading Position

In terms of revenue, North America generated USD 588.5 million in 2018 and the region is anticipated to lead the smoke detectors market share during the forecast period. This is mainly attributable to the heavy investments made in the infrastructure sector, strongly backed by the US government. Other than this, spreading awareness about fire safety measures and higher spending capacity of citizens will further propel the market in the region Increasing number of residential and commercial projects in India and China will enable Asia-Pacific to grow at a considerable rate, while the market in Africa will be driven by the rapid pace of urbanization and industrialization.

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Competitive Landscape:

Introduction of Products with Superior Capabilities to Stimulate Intense Competition

The smoke detectors market forecast predicts a highly dynamic period for the market as key players develop and launch advanced products with superior capabilities. Through these launches, companies are aiming at entrenching their position in this market and expanding their global presence.

Industry Developments:

Bosch, the German engineering giant, launched the Smart Home Twinguard, the companys newest smart fire protection system. The system can be linked to smoke alarm devices and has embedded within it alarm siren for burglaries and an air quality sensor. In case of fire, the device will activate all cameras in the house and can be integrated with Bosch Smart Home System.

The American MNC Honeywell International unveiled the VESDA-E VES Smoke Detectors, its advanced smoke detection system featuring zoning capabilities. The aspirating fire detectors enable division of the concerned areas into four zones that will ensure early detection of threats and send out early warning signals to the residents. Moreover, the system also is designed to reduce overall cost of ownership.

List of Companies Covered in the Smoke Detectors Market Report:

Nest

United Technology Corporation

Huawei

Robert Bosch

Honeywell International Inc.

Hochiki Corp.

ABB

Schneider Electric

Siemens

Johnson Controls

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Table of Content:

Introduction Definition, By Segment Research Approach Sources

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Drivers, Restraints and Opportunities Emerging Trends of Market

Key Insights Macro and Micro Economic Factors Consolidated SWOT Analysis of Key Players Porters Five Forces Analysis

Global Smoke Detector Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings / Summary Market Sizing Estimations and Forecasts  By Technology Type (Value) Photoelectric Dual Sensor Ionization Others (ASD, etc.) Market Sizing Estimations and Forecasts  By Application (Value) Commercial Industrial Residential Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Geography (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa Latin America

North America Smoke Detector Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings / Summary Market Sizing Estimations and Forecasts  By Technology Type (Value) Photoelectric Dual Sensor Ionization Others (ASD, etc.) Market Sizing Estimations and Forecasts  By Application (Value) Commercial Industrial Residential Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Country (Value) U.S Canada

Europe Smoke Detector Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings / Summary Market Sizing Estimations and Forecasts  By Technology Type (Value) Photoelectric Dual Sensor Ionization Others (ASD, etc.) Market Sizing Estimations and Forecasts  By Application (Value) Commercial Industrial Residential Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Country (Value) U.K. Germany France Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific Smoke Detector Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2015-2026 Key Findings / Summary Market Sizing Estimations and Forecasts  By Technology Type (Value) Photoelectric Dual Sensor Ionization Others (ASD, etc.) Market Sizing Estimations and Forecasts  By Application (Value) Commercial Industrial Residential Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Country (Value) Japan China India Southeast Asia Rest of Asia Pacific



TOC Continued.

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By David Shepardson and Valerie Insinna

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Southwest Airlines Chief Executive Bob Jordan said on Wednesday the carrier is not counting on deploying the Boeing MAX 7 plane this year, which is still awaiting certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

"We're dependent on Boeing. And there's progress. It's about six months between when it's certified and we can put it into service," Jordan told reporters at an Aero Club event in Washington. "We're not counting on it to be in service here in 2023."

Jordan said his "best guess" is it will be in service by Southwest in early 2024.

Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen earlier on Wednesday declined to comment on the timeline of when the agency might approve the MAX 7.

Boeing said it continues to work with the FAA to meet the requirements for MAX 7 and MAX 10 certification. "As always, we will follow global regulators' lead in the steps ahead on all certification matters," a company spokesman said.

Boeing, which has faced supply chain issues, delivered 69 planes to Southwest in 2022, down 45 jets from the 114 the company planned to deliver, Jordan said, adding Boeing has agreed to boost deliveries this year.

Boeing has unfilled orders of 388 737 MAXs for Southwest and 271 of those are for MAX 7s.

"Boeing is committed to 100 this year, so that's going to push aircraft into '24. The good thing is, it's really not having an impact on our capacity because right now the constraint is pilots," Jordan said. "The constraint is not aircraft. So until you get to early '24, it really doesn't change our capacity plan."

Jordan added that, if MAX 7 entry into service is delayed, Boeing will deliver additional MAX 8s to Southwest this year in lieu of MAX 7s. Boeing deferred to Southwest on its delivery plans for the company.

Congress late last year granted Boeing a waiver lifting a December deadline imposing a new safety standard for modern cockpit alerts for the MAX 7 and MAX 10, the new versions of the U.S. planemaker's best-selling 737 MAX aircraft.

Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun said in January the planemaker thinks the first delivery for the 7 "will be this year and probably for the 10 the next year."

(Reporting by David Shepardson and Valerie Insinna; Editing by Chris Reese and Diane Craft)
(Bloomberg) -- Southwest Airlines Co. will use Amazon.com Inc. servers to help process fare searches, crew scheduling and other software tasks, a modernization of its technology that comes months after a meltdown stranded thousands of the airlines passengers.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Amazon Web Services will become Southwests preferred cloud provider, the e-commerce giant said on Wednesday, calling the move a large-scale migration of the airlines digital infrastructure to the cloud. Southwest will use AWS to power elements of its website and mobile app, store data and run internal analytics. The companies declined to discuss financial terms of the multiyear deal.

Southwest already runs some software on AWS, including gate management and departure control programs, said Lauren Woods, the low-cost airlines chief information officer. We definitely have plans to do other critical-for-operations and future required-to-fly applications, bringing those into AWS, Woods said.

Southwest faced widespread criticism from customers and industry regulators and was called before a congressional committee after it scrubbed more than 16,700 flights in the final 10 days of December. At the time, the Dallas-based airline was contending with a powerful winter storm that moved across the northern US, grounding flights and causing Southwest to lose track of its aircraft and flight crews.

The situation became so bad that the airline canceled the majority of its schedule over several days to reset its flight network, affecting more than 2 million passengers. The meltdown will cost the airline at least $1.15 billion over two quarters due to scrapped reservations, reduced bookings and higher costs.

Story continues

Amazon and Southwest were having talks to expand their relationship before the scheduling fiasco, said Matt Garman, AWSs senior vice president of sales and marketing. Its not like this stuff happened in December and they jumped with us, he said. Its really kind of a full modernization of a lot of their flight operations.

AWS is the worlds largest cloud provider, selling rented computing power, data storage and software services to businesses  including some that have decommissioned their own data centers in favor of Amazons server farms. The company often touts deals with marquee customers like airlines. United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. also named AWS their preferred cloud partner in recent years.

Southwest has said that its existing technology didnt fail during the December disruptions, but that cancellations built so rapidly that crew scheduling software from GE Digital, a unit of General Electric Co., was overwhelmed. That software was upgraded in February to correct the deficiency. Woods was named Southwests CIO on Feb. 1.

Southwest is the target of a federal probe into whether the carriers scheduling violated rules forbidding unfair and deceptive practices when it left millions stranded. The airline is awaiting the results of a report it commissioned from consultant Oliver Wyman on what went wrong.

Woods said Southwest plans to maintain its own data center, in part to keep its options open to run some of the applications from its wide range of software vendors.

The footprint may get smaller, she said. I just dont see it going to zero.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
The Azerbaijani film won 3 awards in France, Azernews reports.

The awarding ceremony of the 29th International Festival of Asian Films (Festival International des Cinemas d'Asie) was held in Vesoul, France.

The full-length feature film M?rm?r soyu?u (marble cold), co-produced by Azerbaijanfilm film studio, Public Television, Baku Media Center, and French Arizona Films with the support of the Ministry of culture, was awarded 3 prizes of the festival (Grand International Jury Prize, NETPAC Jury Prize, and Marc Haaz Jury Prize).

The film, directed by Asif Rustamov, is about the troubled relationship between an unsuccessful artist and his lover. So, the father returning home from prison tries to intervene in his son's life.

The main producer of the film is Arzu Aliyeva, the screenwriters are Asif Rustamov and his Dutch colleague Roelof Jan Minneboo, the director is Asif Rustamov, the production operators are Oktay Namazov and Adil Abbasov, and the production designer is Rafig Nasirov. The producers are Fariz Ahmadov, Orman Aliyev, and Guillaume de Seille, and the creative producer is Irada Bagirzade. Elshan Asgarov, Natavan Abbasli, and People's Artist Gurban Ismayilov starred in the main roles.

It should be noted that the festival route of the film will continue throughout March. "Marble Cold" will compete in the international competition program of the 27th Sofia International Film Festival, which will be held in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, on March 16-31.

The film "Marble Cold" had its world premiere in November 2022 at the POFF Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. In the main competition program of the festival, he was awarded the "Best actor" award (Gurban Ismayilov). In 2022, "Marble Cold" took part in the main program of the 53rd Indian International Film Festival in Goa, India, and the 16th Eurasian International Film Festival. At the last festival, the film was awarded "Best Director" (Asif Rustamov).




(Adds Minerva Amorgos) March 8 (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 Marvel Crane 178,000 March 7 (A) United States Milford Haven Kool Boreas 167,000 March 7 (A) Egypt Dragon Lobito 158,000 March 8 Angola Isle of Grain Gaslog March 10 United Galveston 174,000 States South Hook Global Sea Spirit 170,000 March 10 United States South Hook Minerva March 11 United Amorgos 170,000 States South Hook LNG Sokoto 134,000 March 12 Ghana Isle of Grain BW Cassia 171,000 March 14 United States Isle of Grain LNG Imo 145,000 March 15 Nigeria Isle of Grain Hellas Athina 173,000 March 15 United States South Hook Corcovado LNG 157,000 March 18 United States Isle of Grain Castillo De Merida 176,000 March 20 United States South Hook La Seine 174,000 March 22 United States Isle of Grain BELGIUM Vladimir Rusanov 169,000 March 7^ (A) Russia Zeebrugge Ejnan 144,000 March 7 (A) Qatar Zeebrugge Al Kharaitiyat 212,000 March 9 Qatar Zeebrugge Boris Vilkitsky 170,000 March 10 Russia Zeebrugge NETHERLANDS Dorado LNG 156,000 March 9 United States Gate Rioja Knutsen 174,000 March 14 United States Gate Gaslog Glasgow 174,000 March 16 United States Eemshaven Sonangol Etosha 158,000 March 17 Angola Gate Mesaimeer 212,000 March 23 Qatar Gate Marvel Pelican 155,000 March 24 United States Eemshaven GERMANY Seapeak Meridian 163,000 March 1 (A) United States Lubmin Sources: Ports, AIS Live ship tracking, Refinitiv Eikon data. (^) Partial unload (*) Arrival date estimated based on flows data (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin)
MELBOURNE, Australia, March 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited (ASX: TLX, Telix, the Company) today announces presentations from the Company's carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) targeting kidney and bladder cancer programs at the 38th Annual European Association of Urology (EAU) Congress to be held in Milan from 10  13 March 2023.

(PRNewsfoto/Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited)

Further data from Telix's completed pivotal Phase III ZIRCON study of TLX250-CDx (89Zr-DFO-girentuximab) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03849118) will be presented in a "Game Changing" oral session.

Game Changing sessions are reserved for Phase III trials or other developments that the EAU's Scientific Congress Office believes will have a large impact on daily practice.

In addition, presentations will report on the potential utility of TLX250-CDx in urothelial carcinoma or bladder cancer (ZiPUP study, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05046665); and a preclinical evaluation of a Telix targeted radionuclide therapy candidate in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor.

Dr Colin Hayward, Telix Chief Medical Officer, said, "In support of Telix's vision to drive innovation in urologic oncology, we are pleased that our programs in renal and bladder cancer will be presented at EAU 2023, the largest urological event in Europe. Notably, Professor Peter Mulders from Radboud UMC will be presenting further data from the Phase III ZIRCON study of TLX250-CDx, our investigational renal cancer imaging agent, which is generating significant interest in the medical community, following a highly positive result. We are also excited to announce two additional presentations on Telix's CAIX-targeting candidates further exploring potential theranostic applications beyond ccRCC."

EAU presentation details are as follows:

Session: Game Changing Session

Title: 89Zr-DFO-girentuximab for PET/CT imaging of clear cell renal cell carcinoma  results from phase 3 ZIRCON study

Date and Time: 11-Mar-2023, 10:00 AM-10:15 AM

Presenter: Prof. P.F.A. Mulders, Radboud UMC, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

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Session: Clinical Trials in Progress

Title: 89Zirconium-labelled girentuximab (89Zr-TLX250) PET in Urothelial Cancer Patients (ZiPUP)  A phase I trial of a novel staging modality for urothelial carcinoma

Date and Time: 12-Mar-2023, 10:45 AM-12:15 PM

Presenter: Dr. D. Hayne, University of Western Australia, Australia

Abstract ID: A0520

Session: Cell biology and novel biomarkers in kidney cancer

Title: Preclinical evaluation of targeted radionuclide therapy combined with immune checkpoint inhibition

Date and Time: 13-Mar-2023, 10:45 AM-12:15 PM

Presenter: Ass. Prof. E. Oosterwijk, Radboud UMC, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Abstract ID: A1032

About Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited

Telix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialisation of diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Telix is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with international operations in the United States, Europe (Belgium and Switzerland), and Japan. Telix is developing a portfolio of clinical-stage products that aims to address significant unmet medical need in oncology and rare diseases. Telix is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: TLX). For more information visit www.telixpharma.com and follow Telix on Twitter (@TelixPharma) and LinkedIn.

TLX250-CDx has not received a marketing authorisation in any jurisdiction. Telix's lead product, gallium-68 (68Ga) gozetotide (also known as 68Ga PSMA-11) injection, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),[1] and by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA),[2] and by Health Canada.[3]

Telix Investor Relations

Ms. Kyahn Williamson

Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited

SVP Corporate Communications and Investor Relations

Email: kyahn.williamson@telixpharma.com

Legal Notices

This announcement is not intended as promotion or advertising directed to any healthcare professional or other audience in any country worldwide (including Australia, United States and the United Kingdom). This announcement may include forward-looking statements that relate to anticipated future events, financial performance, plans, strategies or business developments. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of words such as "may", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "anticipate", "outlook", "forecast" and "guidance", or other similar words. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the Company's good-faith assumptions as to the financial, market, regulatory and other risks and considerations that exist and affect the Company's business and operations in the future and there can be no assurance that any of the assumptions will prove to be correct. In the context of Telix's business, forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about: the initiation, timing, progress and results of Telix's preclinical and clinical studies, and Telix's research and development programs; Telix's ability to advance product candidates into, enrol and successfully complete, clinical studies, including multi-national clinical trials; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, manufacturing activities and product marketing activities; the commercialisation of Telix's product candidates, if or when they have been approved; estimates of Telix's expenses, future revenues and capital requirements; Telix's financial performance; developments relating to Telix's competitors and industry; and the pricing and reimbursement of Telix's product candidates, if and after they have been approved. Telix's actual results, performance or achievements may be materially different from those which may be expressed or implied by such statements, and the differences may be adverse. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Except as required by applicable laws or regulations, Telix does not undertake to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements. Past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance. Readers should read this announcement together with our material risks, as disclosed in our most recently filed reports with the ASX and on our website.

2023 Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited. The Telix Pharmaceuticals and Illuccix name and logo are trademarks of Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited and its affiliates (all rights reserved).

[1] ASX disclosure 20 December 2021. [2] ASX disclosure 2 November 2021. [3] ASX disclosure 14 October 2022.

SOURCE Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited
The donation will support academic and enrichment opportunities to students in traditionally under-resourced communities throughout the state of California.

SANTA ANA, Calif., March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Think Together, California's leading nonprofits serving K-12 schools, is thrilled to announce a new philanthropic partnership with Loop Neighborhood Market, commemorated by a $50,000 donation for afterschool and expanded learning programs in traditionally under-resourced communities throughout California.

Think Together, California leading provider of afterschool and expanded learning programs, celebrates a new philanthropic partnership with Loop Neighborhood Market, commemorated by a $50,000 donation.

The donation will help Think Together continue its mission of providing students with access to high-quality educational resources and experiences outside of the traditional school day. With the support of partners like Loop Neighborhood Market, Think Together is able to make a lasting impact on the lives of nearly 200,000 students throughout the state annually.

"We are proud to partner with Loop Neighborhood Market to support our mission of providing students with the opportunities they need to succeed," said Think Together Founder and CEO Randy Barth. "This generous donation will help us reach even more students and make a positive impact in their lives."

Loop Neighborhood Market has a long history of serving philanthropic endeavors. In addition to educational causes, organizations that benefit from their fundraising efforts include San Francisco Pride, the California Fire Foundation, Bay Area Deputy Sheriff's Association and its Annual Christmas Shopping event, Bay Area food banks, and RotoCare Bay Area. Over the last three years, over $400,000 went back to organizations making a positive impact in Bay Area communities.

"At Loop Neighborhood Market, we believe in giving back to the communities we serve," said President and CEO of Loop Neighborhood Market Varish Goyal. "We are proud to support Think Together and their efforts to provide students with the tools and resources they need to succeed."

The contribution comes after the conclusion of Loop, Au Energy and Shell USA's three-month initiative "The Giving Pump" that used proceeds from a colorful, specially designated pump at over 100 gas stations in the Bay Area to assist the non-profit organization. Loop and Au Energy are a joint venture between Vintners Distributors and Shell USA (Shell).

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About Think Together

For 25 years Think Together has partnered with schools to pursue educational equity and excellence for all kids. Think Together's program areas include early learning, afterschool, school support services and leadership development for educators. For more about Think Together, visit thinktogether.org.

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SOURCE Think Together
Three More Flying Objects Have Been Shot Down by Military Since the Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon

The United States military shot down additional unidentified flying objects over North America this weekend, bringing the tally to four aerial objects downed over the U.S. and Canada this month  including the suspected Chinese spy balloon.

On Sunday afternoon, an F-16 aircraft successfully shot down an unidentified airborne object flying at approximately 20,000 feet in the airspace over Lake Huron in Michigan, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced in a news release.

Detailing that the "path and altitude" of the object "raised concerns, including that it could be a hazard to civil aviation," the DOD said they were given the go-ahead to remove it from the air through direction from President Joe Biden and based on the recommendations from both Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and military leadership.

"The location chosen for this shoot down afforded us the opportunity to avoid impact to people on the ground while improving chances for debris recovery," the DOD said in its news release. "There are no indications of any civilians hurt or otherwise affected."

Turnip Rock on Lake Huron in Port Austin Michigan. An underwater view shows rocks under the clear surface of the water

Getty Images/iStockphoto Lake Huron, where the fourth unidentified aerial object spotted over North America in February was downed

The organization added that it "did not assess [the unidentified object] to be a kinetic military threat to anything on the ground," but that it was rather "a safety flight hazard and a threat due to its potential surveillance capabilities."

RELATED: U.S. Military Shoots Down Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon Off Carolina Coast

This picture taken 26 December 2011 shows the Pentagon building in Washington, DC. The Pentagon, which is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense (DOD), is the world's largest office building by floor area, with about 6,500,000 sq ft (600,000 m2), of which 3,700,000 sq ft (340,000 m2) are used as offices. Approximately 23,000 military and civilian employees and about 3,000 non-defense support personnel work in the Pentagon. AFP PHOTO (Photo by STAFF / AFP) (Photo by STAFF/AFP via Getty Images)

STAFF/AFP via Getty

In a statement shared on Twitter Sunday, Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin said the object was removed from its location over Lake Huron by pilots from the U.S. Air Force and the National Guard.

"Great work by all who carried out this mission both in the air and back at headquarters. We're all interested in exactly what this object was and it's [sic] purpose," she wrote.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer added in her own social media statement she's been in contact with the federal government after the object's takedown.

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"Our national security and safety is always a top priority. I've been in contact with the federal government and our partners who were tracking an object near our airspace. I'm glad to report it has been swiftly, safely, and securely taken down," she tweeted. "The @MINationalGuard stands ready."

RELATED VIDEO: Suspected Chinese Spy Balloon 'the Size of 3 Buses' Is Spotted Flying Over United States

Sunday's event marked the third time an unidentified object was shot down over North American airspace in three days  and the fourth overall this month.

Previously on Saturday, an unidentified object was shot down over Canada, and on Friday, another was shot down in Alaska airspace, CBS News reported.

Prior to those occurrences, a Chinese balloon, which was described by officials as a spy aircraft, was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4.

A defense official said at a media briefing Sunday, per NBC News, that there was "no indication of aliens or extraterrestrial activity with these recent takedowns."

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.

Gen. Glen VanHerck, the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), would not rule the option out when he was asked about the objects being connected to extraterrestrials.

"I'll let the intel community and the counterintelligence community figure that out," he said, per the outlet.
(Bloomberg) -- FBI Director Christopher Wray said TikTok could be used to control data and software on millions of devices in the US and drive narratives to divide Americans while even intelligence agencies might miss manipulation by the Chinese-owned video app.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Were not sure that we would see many of the outward signs of it happening if it was happening, Wray said Wednesday. This is a tool that is ultimately within the control of the Chinese government and to me it screams out with national security concerns.

Wray responded to questions from Republican Senator Marco Rubio during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on the annual report on worldwide threats from US intelligence agencies. Rubio called TikTok, the popular app owned by Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., one of the most valuable surveillance tools on the planet.

The Biden administration threw its support Tuesday behind a bipartisan bill that could give the president authority to ban or force a sale of TikTok, which could hasten passage and break a deadlock over how to address privacy concerns around the popular app.

Read more: White House Endorses TikTok Bill, Calls for Swift Passage

They can collect our data, manipulate information, poison the minds and feed garbage into the minds of millions of people, Rubio said. This is a substantial national security threat for the country, of a kind that we didnt face in the past.

The platform has been under a national security review by the governments Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, or Cfius, and is set to be banned on federal devices.

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, TikTok spokeswoman Brooke Oberwetter said in a statement Tuesday.

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Critics such as the American Civil Liberties Union oppose the bill endorsed by the White House, saying it would ban an entire communications platform.

The bill would significantly expand the executive branchs power to control what apps and technologies Americans can access, while limiting Americans ability to challenge those actions in court, the ACLU said in a statement Wednesday.

--With assistance from Anna Edgerton.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Having previously invested in Tesla, Coinbase, Ethereum, Polygon and SpaceX, Draper has a proven track record in backing bonafide industry disruptors. Draper also joins EtherMail's Advisory Board to provide strategic counsel to leadership team as company gears up for expansive growth pipeline.

SCHAAN, Liechtenstein, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EtherMail , the first Web3 Email Solution setting the standard for anonymous and encrypted wallet-to-wallet communication, has successfully raised $4 million USD in a pre-Series A funding round led by Tim Draper and Draper Associates , a global venture capital firm investing in industry transforming companies. The round also included participation from MS&AD Ventures .

Tim Draper Leads $4 Million Pre-Series A Round for EtherMail, the Web3 Email Leader

The funding will be leveraged to drive recruitment and ongoing market expansion while expediting the roll out of the EtherMail SSO (Single Sign-on Solution) and the AMS (Advertising Marketplace Solution) together with a personalized protective layer for email users to filter spam and earn rewards for receiving inbound advertising emails.

Since closing a $3.3 million seed round in August 2022, EtherMail has experienced rapid growth in terms of user onboarding with more than 500,000 users and established partnerships with popular NFT projects such as Probably Nothing, Toxic Skulls Club, inBetweeners and Prime Planet. EtherMail's Web3 email solution also facilitated Web3 voting for Decrypt Studios' inaugural Crypties Awards 2022 with more than 10,000 participants  the crypto industry's preeminent annual awards initiative. Most recently, EtherMail announced its integration with ENS (Ethereum Name Service) and Draper-backed Unstoppable Domains, extending the reach of its Web3 email solution to millions of registered UD and ENS users.

With four generations of investing expertise, Draper Associates has underscored its credentials as a leader in early-stage venture capital, having invested in a range of household name brands such as Hotmail, EtherScan, Skype, Coinbase, Baidu, Tesla, SpaceX and Twitch.

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MS&AD Ventures invests in startups at the cutting edge of A.I., Big Data, Cybersecurity, Fintech, Insurtech, SaaS, Infrastructure and Digital Health, with a penchant for deploying 'smart money' towards next-gen solutions that tie in with evolving market trends and access to asian markets. MS&AD Ventures is backed by MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, the fifth largest insurance conglomerate in the world and the leading player in Asia.

Shant Kevonian, CEO and Founder of EtherMail said: "Today's announcement represents a significant seal of approval for our Web3 email solution from one of the world's foremost tech investment visionaries. Draper Associates has an unrivaled track record when it comes to backing early-stage industry disruptors, and we're proud to join the likes of Tesla, SpaceX and our partners Unstoppable Domains as Draper-backed innovators. Additionally, the support of MS&AD will be invaluable as we continue our Asian expansion, setting the standard for anonymous and encrypted wallet-to-wallet communication."

Gerald Heydenreich, Founder of EtherMail said: "Securing funding from investors the caliber of Draper Associates and MS&AD is a huge moment for EtherMail, and follows a rich phase of early market validation from our growing list of top-tier industry partners. As our development roadmap switches into high gear, we will have ample financial runway to execute and expedite our global expansion prior to our planned token launch."

Tim Draper, Founding Partner of Draper Associates said: "The EtherMail team has quickly established a dominant market position at the forefront of Web3 email innovation, underpinned by a firm understanding of evolving Web3 market dynamics. With an expanding partnership network, exciting set of integrations with prominent Web3 platforms, and comprehensive product roadmap on the horizon, the company is gearing up for a massive growth trajectory in 2023 and beyond."

Jon Soberg, Managing Partner at MS&AD Ventures said: "EtherMail has developed a category-leading solution that is already providing significant value to Web3 companies across the industry spectrum. We are firmly aligned with the EtherMail vision to redefine the dynamics of email economics with its native utility token EMT, and see EtherMail playing an integral role in incentivizing Web2 users to join the Web3 space. We look forward to helping the team with its ongoing Asian expansion in the months ahead."

Join the official EtherMail Telegram channel here: https://t.me/ethermail_official and follow the latest developments on twitter: https://twitter.com/ethermail_io

For more information on how EtherMail can help your project maintain a direct and secure line of communication with your asset holders, visit: https://ethermail.io/daos

About EtherMail

EtherMail is the first Web 3.0 Email Solution setting the standard for anonymous and encrypted wallet-to-wallet communication. With EtherMail, companies can send rich, relevant content directly to their asset holders based on blockchain-synced real time information. EtherMail also allows fully anonymous P2P communication and rewards its users for reading relevant content in their inbox.

About Draper Associates:

Founded in 1985 by Tim Draper, Draper Associates is the leader in early-stage venture capital that continues to invest in technology companies that show exceptional promise. The firm's investments have included Coinbase, Baidu, Tesla, Skype, SpaceX, Twitch, Hotmail, Focus Media, Robinhood, Carta, and other industry unicorns at the early stage. Draper Associates has built a reputation for encouraging entrepreneurs to drive their businesses to greatness, to transform industries with new technologies, and to build platforms for extraordinary growth, jobs and wealth creation. Send plans to plans@draper.vc. To learn more, visit www.draper.vc .

MS&AD Ventures, Inc.

Founded in 2018, MS&AD Ventures is a corporate venture capital firm of MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings based in Menlo Park, California. The firm invests in start-up companies worldwide, operating in the information technology sector such as A.I., big data, cybersecurity, fintech, insurtech, SaaS, mobility, and life and health. The CEO, Jon Soberg, and President, Takashi Sato, have been named to the "Top 100 Powerlist" of investors in the GCV Powerlist Award 2020, which is an award given by Global Corporate Venturing, a global media company related to corporate venture capital (CVC).

Media contact:

lorcan@forewordventure.com or press@ethersuite.io

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2018532/EtherMail.jpg

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SOURCE EtherMail
Market Research Future

Tower Crane Rental Market Research Report Information By Product Type (Hammer Head Tower Cranes, Self-erecting Tower Cranes, and Flat Top Tower Cranes,), End-use (Residential, Commercial, and Infrastructure), And By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest Of The World)  Market Forecast Till 2030.

New York, US , March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tower Crane Rental Market Overview

According to a Comprehensive Report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Tower Crane Rental Market Information by Product Type, End-Use, and Region - Forecast till 2030", During the market prediction 2023-2030, the tower crane rental market will garner a CAGR of approximately 6.00% and reach USD 26 Billion.

Tower Crane Rental Market Synopsis

Tower cranes are among the most important pieces of equipment used in the construction of high-rise buildings. Every crane is designed and built to perform efficiently in a specific site context. Tower cranes are also safer and more reliable than other crane kinds, as well as more user-friendly. As a result, tower cranes are in high demand across the building industry.

Furthermore, rental services in the construction industry are now gaining popularity and are projected to continue over the forecast period. Rental services save dealers and contractors money because they provide access to modern equipment as well as operational flexibility (what you need, when you need it) and can reduce complexity in organizations for reducing fleet size impacts on activities such as procurement, maintenance, logistics, and asset disposals. Furthermore, tower crane rental firms are emphasizing the provision of tower cranes developed with the latest technology as well as safety criteria. This would ultimately benefit end users because the rental would meet their needs with minimal capital investment. As a result, the demand for tower crane leasing is likely to increase significantly over the predicted period.

Market Competitive Landscape:

The top companies in the tower crane rental market include

Bigge Crane and Rigging Co. (US)

Action Construction Equipment Ltd. (India)

Titan Cranes & Rigging (Australia)

Leavitt Cranes (Canada)

Zoomlion ElectroMech India Pvt. Ltd. (India)

WASEL GmbH (Germany)

ALL Crane (US)

United Crane and Rigging (Baltimore, Maryland)

Falcon Tower Crane Services (UK)

Rapicon Inc. (Canada)

Skycrane (Canada)

NFT Group (UAE)

Maxim Crane Works L.P (US)

Among others.





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Report Attribute Details Market Size USD 26 Billion CAGR 6% Base Year 2022 Forecast Period 2023-2030 Historical Data 2020 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Product Type, By End-use & Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers Growing urbanization Growth of construction industry

The worldwide market is being consolidated by notable businesses that are investing in the creation of technologically advanced and cost-effective machines to meet rising construction demand. Furthermore, other important competitors are implementing aggressive tactics such as merger & acquisition, alliances, and facility expansion, which will support market growth in the next years.



Browse In-depth Market Research Report (107 Pages) on Tower Crane Rental: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/tower-crane-rental-market-7651



Market USP Covered:

Market Drivers:

Throughout the projected period, the worldwide tower crane rental market is expected to develop due to increased demand for modern construction equipment. Furthermore, manufacturers' leasing services allow the freedom to use the equipment as needed, greatly reducing capital investment. Furthermore, large investments by government agencies in the building sector are likely to drive demand in the following year.

The key reason driving the growth of the tower crane renting industry is increased construction activity owing to urbanization. More than 4 billion people reside in urban regions, and it is estimated that by 2050, two-thirds of the population would live in urban areas, contributing to the expansion of this industry. Another reason driving the growth of the tower crane rental market is the increasing tendency of people to move from rural to urban regions due to higher money, which leads to increased demand for compressed work schedules and safety at plant sites.



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Market Restraints:

The most difficult aspect of market growth is properly training crane operators. To address this difficulty, rental companies must concentrate on routine programs. Accidents and incidents in the workplace are reduced when they are operated by educated specialists. The increase in purchasing costs associated with new equipment is a significant aspect for the sector. Another major challenge is the crane's high maintenance and repair costs. Another significant challenge is that it requires frequent repair, and the rental crane is expensive.

COVID 19 Analysis

COVID-19's impact is predicted to last for an extended period of time. The sudden lockdown brought major building and manufacturing centers to a halt. It caused significant disruptions in global production. According to United Nations (UN) study, the global economy may contract by up to 1% in 2020, compared to the 2.5% growth previously predicted. Building and construction is one of the most afflicted sectors worldwide in the COVID-19 epidemic. It is linked to labor unavailability on building sites, despite the fact that most contractors have completed their job. The inability of workers to complete ongoing residential and commercial construction projects affects the predicted percentage of global revenue.

World governments are collaborating on a global scale, followed by key market participants. This activity is generating global market investment and financing, which will help to expand the product range and counter market losses during the pandemic's outbreak in 2020.

According to the Association General Contractors of America, the COVID-19 epidemic has caused a 28% delay in construction projects due to a lack of subordinates. This, however, may stifle the expansion of the tower crane rental business.



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CHICAGO and LONDON, March 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Trading Technologies International, Inc. (TT), a global capital markets technology platform provider, announced that the firm has acquired London-based AxeTrading, a leading global provider of fixed income trading solutions. The acquisition marks a significant broadening of TT's multi-asset capabilities with an expansion into full coverage of corporate, government, municipal and emerging market bonds as well as over-the-counter (OTC) interest rate swaps, strengthening TT's leading position in fixed income derivatives and U.S. Treasuries. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Trading Technologies (PRNewsfoto/Trading Technologies)

For more than a decade, AxeTrading has serviced a wide range of global customers with its award-winning platform. In addition to providing connectivity to all major fixed income trading venues, AxeTrading also offers a highly sophisticated, customizable pricing and quote management engine, and automated workflow management tools, delivering substantial benefits to market participants faced with the complexity of pricing, quoting and trading fixed income products across multiple venues and protocols.

Keith Todd, CEO of TT, said: "The fixed income market represents a major opportunity for TT given its size, considerable growth and ongoing adoption of electronic trading. This acquisition is a key element of our strategy to expand beyond listed derivatives and cryptocurrencies, giving us an extensive offering in the fixed income space. AxeTrading and Trading Technologies are both recognized as technology leaders in our respective markets. We are excited to welcome the talented AxeTrading team to TT and to implement our shared vision for the delivery of core fixed income functionality via the industry's leading Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform."

AxeTrading CEO Greville Lucking said: "This acquisition represents a significant game changer. The combination of AxeTrading's leading expertise in fixed income markets technology, together with TT's already established position in listed derivatives and U.S. Treasuries, will provide a comprehensive offering to customers globally. Leveraging the TT SaaS platform to deliver and distribute a true multi-asset offering is exactly what our customers are seeking. We have been extremely impressed with the ambition of the TT team in the fixed income market space, and we are confident that our aligned vision and culture will drive a highly successful future for our customers, partners and employees."

Story continues

During 2022, TT acquired RCM-X, a technology provider of algorithmic execution strategies and quantitative trading products, and entered into strategic partnerships with KRM22 plc to expand its risk management product portfolio, Talos to broaden its cryptocurrency offering, ATEO Finance to deliver post-trade allocation services and Bantix Technologies to provide the QuikStrike options analysis software application through the TT platform. TT will further expand its product portfolio and asset class coverage through new strategic initiatives in 2023.

About Trading Technologies

Trading Technologies ( www.tradingtechnologies.com ) is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) technology platform provider to the global capital markets industry. The company's award-winning TT platform connects to the world's major international exchanges and liquidity venues in listed derivatives alongside a growing number of asset classes, including fixed income and cryptocurrencies. The TT platform delivers advanced tools for trade execution and order management, market data solutions, analytics, trade surveillance, risk management and infrastructure services to the world's leading sell-side institutions, buy-side firms and exchanges. The company's blue-chip client base includes the Tier 1 banks as well as brokers, money managers, hedge funds, proprietary traders, Commodity Trading Advisors (CTAs), commercial hedgers and risk managers. These firms rely on the TT ecosystem to manage their end-to-end trading operations. In addition, exchanges utilize TT's technology to deliver innovative solutions to their market participants. TT also strategically partners with technology companies to make their complementary offerings available to Trading Technologies' global client base through the TT ecosystem.

About AxeTrading

Founded in 2009, AxeTrading is headquartered in London with sales offices in Sydney and Singapore. The multi-award winning global fixed income trading software company enables unique market making, quoting, bond pricing, order execution and market intelligence across the full range of fixed income market participants. The AxeTrader Quoting and Execution Management System (QEMS) workflow gives access to the industry's most flexible, personalized and user-configurable fixed income quoting and pricing engine. The firm frees traders to make the best use of their existing systems to interact seamlessly across execution venues and connect to leading market data sources.

Cision

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SOURCE Trading Technologies
Market Research Future

Truck Crane Market Information Report, By Type (Mounted Cranes, Sidelift Crane, Boom Truck Crane, and Others), By Application (Construction, Industries, Utilities and Others), and By Region - Forecast To 2030

New York, US, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Truck Cranes Market Overview

According to a Comprehensive Report by MRFR/Market Research Future (MRFR), Truck Cranes Market Information by Type, and Application, and Region - Forecast till 2030", Truck Cranes Market is anticipated to attain a valuation of USD 11,869.40 million by 2030, at a CAGR of 4.80% between 2022 and 2030.

Market Synopsis

A truck-mounted crane is a self-propelled crane that is mounted on the body of a vehicle. It is used in civil engineering projects and heavy equipment manufacturing for material handling. They are frequently used to lift and lower materials from a predetermined height. Depending on the project and job site constraints, cranes of various sizes and types can be installed on these vehicles.

Increased expenditures in energy transmission and distribution (T&D) networks are driving the demand for truck-mounted cranes. Furthermore, the business is pushed by the need to establish, improve, and expand existing networks, which provides future opportunities. The truck-mounted crane sector, on the other hand, is hampered by expensive installation and maintenance costs.

Market Competitive Landscape:

The affluent firms in the truck crane market are

Manitowoc Company Inc. (U.S.)

Liebherr Group (Switzerland)

Terex Corporation (U.S.)

Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Co. Ltd. (China)

Tadano Ltd. (Japan)

Kato Works Co. Ltd (Japan)

Manitex International Inc. (U.S.)

Elliott Equipment Company (U.S.)

Sany Group (China)

Bocker Maschinenwerke GmbH (Germany)

Altec Industries (U.S.)

Among others.





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The worldwide market is oligopolistic by definition, on account of the presence of both global and local enterprises. The bulk of the players invests extensively in the research and development of a diverse variety of high-performance and high-quality items that reinforce and extend the structure's life. To capitalize on the expanding development potential, businesses are establishing manufacturing operations in other nations, particularly in Asia.

Story continues

February 2023

During Bauma Conexpo 2023, Greater Noida, Action Construction Equipment (ACE) revealed India's first fully electric mobile crane, India's largest indigenous crane with 180 tons lifting capability, and India's first self-propelled aerial work platforms, among other innovative offers.

The ACE F150-ev 4X4 is specifically intended for both road travel and pick-and-carry use. The electric crane has been carefully built to give optimum power and productivity while keeping the equipment's adaptability for Indian circumstances as part of the commitment to promote sustainable technologies.



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Report Scope:

Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2030 USD 11,869.40 Million CAGR 4.80% (2022-2030) Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 20222030 Historical Data 2020 Forecast Units Value (USD Million) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Type, By Application and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers Increasing redevelopment & repair activities

The existing infrastructure and power grids & distribution networks



Market USP Covered:

Market Drivers:

Government and property developer initiatives to establish smart cities can considerably fuel market demand. Many countries' infrastructure projects for beautification, as well as the construction of flyovers and bridges for citizen convenience, can bode well for the market. Crushing, pulverizing, material breaking, and drilling are labor-intensive tasks that can raise building expenses. But, the convenience of technology in mounted cranes, as well as the assistance provided to reach unprecedented heights, will entice building enterprises. Due to its sturdy design and smooth digital display, truck drivers can appreciate the comfort of its seats as well as its function.

Surge in upgradation, as well as repair and rehabilitation of existing infrastructure, electricity grids, and distribution networks, are driving market expansion in Europe. Europe's two largest markets are Germany and the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, both the public and private sectors' construction values are steadily rising. This will create a large demand for the market in the approaching years. North America is another significant market region. The United States is a significant market in North America. Substantial development in commercial and residential constructions in the United States is predicted to stimulate the region's market demand.



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Market Restraints:

The truck crane sector is hampered by expensive installation and maintenance costs. A scarcity of trained crane operators may also be a market barrier.

COVID 19 Analysis

COVID-19 has affected people's health all across the world. The aftermath has had a massive social and economic impact on people all around the world. Humans are suffering from a series of mental traumas as powerful governments implement new frameworks and industries embrace advanced forms of expansion in order to remain relevant.

Increasing cases have increased emotional and economic issues around the world, especially among the elderly. Likewise, the younger generation is dealing with the implications of employment loss by relying on family care. The emphasis is primarily on COVID-19 therapy and vaccine research, which is detracting attention from other markets. This has had an effect on the market for truck cranes.

Market Segmentation

By Type

The market is divided into four types: mounted cranes, side lift cranes, boom truck cranes, and others. Mounted cranes are expected to expand at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. Cranes installed on a rubber tire truck give excellent mobility. A side lifter crane is a vehicle or semi-trailer that can hoist and deliver containers. Container lifts are performed using parallel crane-like hoists that may lift a container from the ground or from a railway vehicle.



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By Application

The market has been classified into four applications: construction, industries, utilities, and others. The construction industry has the biggest market share. Because of rising population and urbanization, there has been a population shift to metropolitan regions, particularly in emerging countries. This transformation increases demand for homes and residential complexes. This drives market demand from this sector. Also, rising investment in new commercial structures and infrastructure projects boosts demand for this market. Another significant market application is utility. Increased investments in electricity transmission and distribution (T&D) networks are propelling the truck crane market.

Regional Insights

In 2016, Asia Pacific had the biggest market share of any region, followed by Europe. During the forecast period, Asia Pacific is expected to develop at the fastest CAGR. Increased construction activity in Asia Pacific countries such as China, Japan, India, and Indonesia is a prominent driver driving market expansion. Furthermore, increased industrialization, expanding urbanization, and rising purchasing power fuel market expansion in the Asia Pacific area. China is one of the region's most important marketplaces. The Chinese government implemented various beneficial regulations, including cutting the share of the down payment for second home loans and exempting ordinary housing from sales tax, which spurred commercial housing recovery.



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Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions.

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Azerbaijan`s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cultural Cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy.

According to Azernews, the meeting discussed the issues of cooperation between the two countries in the humanitarian and cultural spheres and regional humanitarian projects.

Azerbaijani minister emphasized Azerbaijans peace-building efforts in the post-conflict period and the reconstruction works in the region. He underscored that Armenian increasing provocations, the difficulties it poses to the negotiations on a peace treaty, and the steps aimed at aggravating the situation in the region impede peace.

Shvydkoy noted that Azerbaijan is a place of multiculturalism. He stressed the importance of international forums held in Azerbaijan and expressed readiness to implement joint programs in the cultural and humanitarian spheres.

The sides also exchanged views on other bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest.




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Dublin, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "United Arab Emirates Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics Databook - 50+ KPIs on Social Commerce Trends by End-Use Sectors, Operational KPIs, Retail Product Dynamics, and Consumer Demographics - Q1 2023 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Social commerce industry in United Arab Emirates is expected to grow by 21.6% on annual basis to reach US$975.2 million in 2023.



The social commerce industry is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period, recording a CAGR of 19.9% during 2022-2028. The social commerce GMV in the country will increase from US$975.2 million in 2023 to reach US$2898.7 million by 2028.



In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), consumers are spending an increasing amount of time on social media platforms. The affinity with these mobile applications is driving an upsurge in social commerce. Social media channels, such as Facebook and Instagram, have made it easier for brands to interact with their consumers and drive their sales leveraging the massive outreach among consumers in the Emirates.



The trend is projected to further continue from the short to medium-term perspective, and as a result, more and more global players are entering the Emirati market to capitalize on the growth potential in the UAE. The resulting investment from global and domestic firms, amid the rising competition, will keep supporting the growth of the social commerce industry from the short to medium-term perspective.



Global players are expanding their footprint in the Emirati social commerce market to accelerate growth



Retailers in the Emirati nation are increasingly turning to social media channels to drive their sales while seeking to build a long-term loyal customer base. To capitalize on the trend, global players are expanding and scaling their businesses in the country.

In October 2022, respond.io, the Malaysian social commerce startup, announced that the firm is planning to increase its investment in the Emirates social commerce market to further accelerate its growth. The firm had already achieved strong growth in the UAE over the last 12 months.

Story continues

Being one of the largest revenue growth drivers for the firm, respond.io recorded revenue growth of 236% in the country. With the increasing investment in the UAE market, respond.io will enable more retailers to integrate social channels into their existing customer relationship management.

The announcement to increase the investment in the Emirates comes after the firm raised US$7 million in its Series A funding round. From the short to medium-term perspective, more such firms are expected to boost their investment in the space, as small retailers and brands seek to diversify their sales channels in the region.



Beauty and personal care segment to lead the growth in the Emirati social commerce industry



Brands and retailers across industry verticals are driving sales and revenue through social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Leveraging an increasing amount of time spent by consumers online, many brands are reaching customers through social channels. However, over the next three to four years, the beauty and personal care segment is expected to lead the growth in the Emirati social commerce industry.



While family and friend sources are largely driving social commerce shopping trends, celebrity-influenced purchases are also catching up in the Emirates. The increasing trust towards content creators is projected to further grow, thereby resulting in an upsurge in social commerce activities. Consequently, the publisher expects more retailers to partner with influencers in the region to further drive their sales and revenue growth in the region from the short to medium-term perspective.



TikTok has gained widespread popularity among consumers and brands in the Emirates



The UAE has a strong population of young generation consumers. With this consumer demographic inclined more towards video content, like the one offered by TikTok, the social media platform has gained widespread popularity among shoppers and brands over the last two years.

Many Gen Z consumers are using social channels to discover products and make purchases online. Furthermore, brands are also using the channel to converse with their audiences in the UAE. Alshaya, the retail group based in the Emirati country, leveraged the live streaming capabilities offered by the social channel to create its online shopping event, targeted towards Gen Z consumers.



The group ran the live stream campaign for eight days, with eight brands under the group offering the best deals one day after the other for the Black Friday event. From the short to medium-term perspective, the publisher expects more brands and retailers to launch such campaigns in the Emirates.



This report provides a detailed data centric analysis of social commerce industry, covering market opportunities and risks. With over 50+ KPIs at country level, this report provides a comprehensive understanding of social commerce market dynamics, market size and forecast, and market share statistics.



The research methodology is based on industry best practices. Its unbiased analysis leverages a proprietary analytics platform to offer a detailed view on emerging business and investment market opportunities.



Scope



United Arab Emirates Ecommerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

United Arab Emirates Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

United Arab Emirates Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Retail Product Categories, 2019-2028

Clothing & Footwear

Beauty and Personal Care

Food & Grocery

Appliances and Electronics

Home Improvement

Travel

Hospitality

United Arab Emirates Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Segment, 2019-2028

B2B

B2C

C2C

United Arab Emirates Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Device, 2019-2028

Mobile

Desktop

United Arab Emirates Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

Domestic

Cross Border

United Arab Emirates Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

Tier-1 Cities

Tier-2 Cities

Tier-3 Cities

United Arab Emirates Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Payment Method, 2019-2028

Credit Card

Debit Card

Bank Transfer

Prepaid Card

Digital & Mobile Wallet

Other Digital Payment

Cash

United Arab Emirates Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Platforms

Video Commerce

Social Network-Led Commerce

Social Reselling

Group Buying

Product Review Platforms

United Arab Emirates Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Consumer Demographics & Behaviour,2022

By Age

By Income Level

By Gender

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ibjknp

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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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Growth Plus Reports

Singapore, March 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the deep-dive market assessment study by Growth Plus Reports, the global vagus nerve stimulation market was valued at US$ 428.6 million in 2021 and is expected to register a revenue CAGR of 10.5% to reach US$ 1,050.12 million by 2030.

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Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is a medical therapy that involves the use of a small device implanted under the skin to stimulate the vagus nerve, which is one of the major nerves in the body that plays a crucial role in regulating various bodily functions, including heart rate, breathing, digestion, and immune response. Regulatory agencies have approved VNS for treating various conditions, including epilepsy, depression, and migraines.

The global market for vagus nerve stimulation has been growing steadily in recent years, driven by an increasing number of patients suffering from conditions that can be treated with VNS therapy and the growing demand for non-invasive and more effective treatments for these conditions.

The market is highly competitive, with a number of major players, including Cyberonics Inc., LivaNova PLC, and ElectroCore LLC, dominating the industry. These companies are constantly innovating and developing new technologies to improve the effectiveness of VNS therapy and expand its applications to new areas.

The increasing adoption of VNS therapy in developing countries, as well as the rising awareness about the benefits of VNS therapy among patients and healthcare professionals, is expected to further drive the growth of the VNS market in the coming years.

Market Drivers

The increased prevalence of neurological and lifestyle-related illnesses such as migraine, epilepsy, and depression owing to an aging population and bad lifestyles is contributed to the market's growth. Furthermore, increased acceptance of targeted therapy due to adverse pharmacological effects, rising demand for add-on therapy, and rising need for less invasive operations contribute to market growth. Furthermore, rising innovative product approvals as technology advances and increased spending for R&D efforts by leading market players are driving market expansion. Furthermore, increased government initiatives for neurological illnesses as a result of unmet demands for these conditions boost the market growth.

Story continues

The global vagus nerve stimulation market has been analyzed from five perspectives: Product, Application, Biomaterial Type, End-user, and Region.

Excerpts from By Product Segmentation

Based on product types, the global vagus nerve stimulation market has been segmented into:

Implantable

External Vagus Nerve Stimulators

With the biggest market revenue share, implantable vagus nerve stimulation dominates the global market. Growing numbers of patients suffering from epilepsy, migraine, and depression are important reasons driving the expansion of implanted VNS, propelling the market growth. Implantable vagus nerve stimulators are frequently used to treat serious instances, such as when a patient stops responding to medications, severe seizures, and intensive depression. This has increased the demand for implantable vagus nerve stimulators and encouraged market growth. Furthermore, the constant acceptance of breakthrough technologies and products by leading market competitors helps to market development.

The external vagus nerve stimulation devices segment is expected to rise significantly with a higher revenue CAGR throughout the projection period because of rising rates of epilepsy and depression. Furthermore, the increased demand for non-invasive therapy propels the growth of this segment.

Excerpts from By Region Segmentation

The global vagus nerve stimulation market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World.

North America holds the largest revenue share in the global vagus nerve stimulation market. The market expansion is attributed to increased government funding and regional actions to improve awareness of epilepsy and difficult-to-treat depression. Rapid technical advancements, important manufacturers in this area, higher R&D expenditures, and a rise in government financing and initiatives are all expected to contribute to the regional market's substantial expansion.

Asia Pacific is predicted to grow into a significant market for vagus nerve stimulation. The rising frequency of neurological diseases is one of the key factors driving demand for vagus nerve stimulators. Governments in the region's expanding economies increasingly support contemporary healthcare approaches, driving the regional market growth.

Excerpts from Competitive Landscape

Some of the prominent players operating in the global vagus nerve stimulation market are:

LivaNova LLC

Cerebral Rx

MicroTransponder Inc.

electroCore Inc.

Parasym

Boston Scientific Corporation

Medtronic Plc.

NeuroPace Inc.

BioControl Medical Ltd.

Nevro Corp. among others.

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Vagus Nerve Stimulation Market Scope

Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2021 US$ 428.6 million Revenue forecast in 2030 US$ 1,050.12 million Growth Rate CAGR of 10.5% from 2022 to 2030 Base year for estimation 2021 Forecast period 2022-2030 Historical Year 2020 Segments covered Product, Application, Biomaterial Type, End-user, and Region Regional scope North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World (ROW)

Table of Content

INTRODUCTION Market Ecosystem Timeline Under Consideration Historical Years  2020 Base Year  2021 Forecast Years  2022 to 2030 Currency Used in the Report RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Approach Data Collection Methodology Data Sources Secondary Sources Primary Sources Market Estimation Approach Bottom Up Top Down Market Forecasting Model Limitations and Assumptions PREMIUM INSIGHTS Current Market Trends (COVID-19 Perspective) Key Players & Competitive Positioning (2021) MARKET DYNAMICS Drivers Restraints Opportunities GLOBAL VAGUS NERVE STIMULATION MARKET- ANALYSIS & FORECAST, BY PRODUCT Implantable External GLOBAL VAGUS NERVE STIMULATION MARKET- ANALYSIS & FORECAST, BY APPLICATION Migraine Depression Epilepsy Others GLOBAL VAGUS NERVE STIMULATION MARKET- ANALYSIS & FORECAST, BY BIOMATERIALS TYPE Polymer Metallic Ceramic

TOC Continued

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Granular insights at global/regional/country level

Deep-rooted insights on market dynamics (drivers, restraints, opportunities) and business environment

Blanket coverage on competitive landscape

Winning imperatives

Exhaustive coverage on 'Strategic Developments' registered by leading players of the market

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Distributor Landscape Assessment

Pricing Intelligence

Customer Base Assessment

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'Business Profile' of Key Players

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Newark, New Castle, USA, March 07, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a new market research report titled,  Varicose Veins Treatment Market by Product Type (Compression Devices/ Garments, Ablation Devices), Treatment Type (Sclerotherapy, Ligation/Stripping),) - Global Outlook & Forecast 2022-2030" published by Growth Plus Reports, the Varicose Veins Treatment market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.2% from 2021 to reach US$ 2.06 billion by 2030. Owing to increased incidence of varicose veins in adults and rising innovations in therapies.

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Growth Drivers

The increasing number of cosmetic surgeries performed globally is expected to drive the growth in the global varicose veins treatment market. Varicose vein surgery is performed for medical or cosmetic purposes, improving a patient's overall physical appearance. Recent years have seen an unheard-of increase in demand for the operations because of improved access to medical care and rising public awareness of the issue. The emergence of easy-to-use and patient-friendly choices for the treatment of varicose veins could be advantageous for the global industry.

Considerable risk groups include pregnant women and the elderly population. Aging is known to make varicose veins more noticeable, and according to data from the Cleveland Clinic, between 30% to 50% of adults have the problem. The likelihood that someone may develop the disease will increase as the number of elderly individuals rises, driving up demand on the global varicose veins treatment market. The increasing strategic actions of market participants may present greater growth prospects, but the difficulty in accessing healthcare may prove to be a significant obstacle.

The global varicose veins treatment market has been analyzed from three perspectives: product type, treatment type, and region.

Story continues

Excerpts from By Product Type Segmentation

The global varicose veins treatment market, by product type is segmented into:

Compression Devices/ Garment

Ablation Devices

Catheter Kits for Sclerotherapy & Adhesion Injection

Others

The ablation devices are further sub segmented into laser ablation devices, radiofrequency ablation devices, and ultrasound ablation devices.

During the projection period, it is predicted that the laser ablation segment will grow significantly. This is because the procedure doesn't require difficult recuperation periods or prolonged hospital stays, which has several significant benefits for people receiving treatment for varicose veins. Because of launch of new technology and advancements in research activities by the leading firms in the industry under study, the use of lasers for the treatment of varicose veins has increased. Tiny varicose and spider veins can be completely sealed off by doctors using laser ablation technology. During this procedure, intense light bursts are used to make the damaged veins disappear or fade. The use of laser therapy is growing in industrialized countries due to rising healthcare expenditures and a growing desire for minimally intrusive procedures. The compression devices/garments segment holds a very small market share. This is because of their failure to address the root problem. However, if a person with varicose veins wears them frequently, they can help with itchy skin and worn-out, aching legs. But the problems recur when the patient stops using them.

Varicose Veins Treatment Market Scope

Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2021 US$ 1.25 billion Revenue forecast in 2030 US$ 2.06 billion Growth Rate CAGR of 6.2% from 2022 to 2030 Base year for estimation 2021 Forecast period 2022-2030 Historical Year 2020 Segments covered Product type, Treatment type, and Region. Regional scope North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World (ROW)

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Excerpts from By Treatment Type Segmentation

The global varicose veins treatment market has been divided into:

Sclerotherapy

Ligation/Stripping

Endovenous Ablation

Supportive Treatment

The sclerotherapy segment dominates the global varicose veins treatment market. This domination is ascribed to the treatment's advantages, which include fewer bruises and scars, the reduced use of anesthetic, shorter hospital stays, simple post-operative treatments, and helpful insurance reimbursement policies. The most popular technique for quickly and painlessly removing tiny varicose veins is cosmetic sclerotherapy. The outpatient operation takes between 30 and 45 minutes, and the patient may have a brief period of mild burning thereafter.

Excerpts from By Region Segmentation

Based on region, the global varicose veins treatment market has been segmented into:

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Rest of the World

North America dominates the varicose veins treatment market and is expected to showcase a significant CAGR in the forecast period. The presence of global brands and rising R&D investments are attributed to this. In industrialized countries, where up to 35.0% of people have varicose veins and telangiectasias, more than 33.0% of women and about 17.0% of men have sought medical attention for these conditions, according to the Society of Vascular Surgery. More than 40.0 million Americans have varicose veins, and about 50.0% have a family history of the condition. The market share in the region has been driven by elements such as rising technological developments in venous disorders, a high geriatric population with varicose veins, and the minimally invasive nature of the treatment. Due to the rising geriatric population and sedentary lifestyle in developing nations like India and China, the market in the Asia Pacific region is anticipated to see the highest CAGR over the forecast period. NewsGram reports that 7.0% of young people in India have varicose veins due to a sedentary lifestyle. In nations like China, 40% of the 100.0 million people with varicosities also have varicose veins in their lower limbs. These elements are anticipated to propel the market in the area during the anticipated time frame.

Excerpts from Competitive Landscape

The prominent players operating in the global varicose veins treatment market are:

AngioDynamics Inc.

Medtronic Plc

Biolitec AG

Dornier MedTech Inc.

Alma Lasers Ltd.

Boston Scientific Corporation

Teleflex Incorporated

Sciton Inc.

Lumenis Ltd.

Syneron Medical Ltd.

Eufoton s.r.l.

Table of Content

INTRODUCTION Market Ecosystem Timeline Under Consideration Historical Years  2020 Base Year  2021 Forecast Years  2022 to 2030 Currency Used in the Report RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Approach Data Collection Methodology Data Sources Secondary Sources Primary Sources Market Estimation Approach Bottom Up Top Down Market Forecasting Model Limitations and Assumptions PREMIUM INSIGHTS Current Market Trends (COVID-19 Perspective) Key Players & Competitive Positioning (2021) MARKET DYNAMICS Drivers Restraints/Challenges Opportunities

TOC Continued

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Deep-rooted insights on market dynamics (drivers, restraints, opportunities) and business environment

Blanket coverage on competitive landscape

Winning imperatives

Exhaustive coverage on 'Strategic Developments' registered by leading players of the market

CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS:

Distributor Landscape Assessment

Pricing Intelligence

Customer Base Assessment

Investment & Initiatives Analysis

'Business Profile' of Key Players

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FILE PHOTO: The logo of German carmaker Volkswagen is seen on a rim cap in a showroom of a Volkswagen car dealer in Brussels

(Reuters) - Volkswagen needs to focus on productivity at its mass-market brands to cope with a step up in competition this year as supply chains improve, car production rises and consumers remain under pressure, executives said on Wednesday.

"2023 must be the year of productivity," finance chief Arno Antlitz told staff newspaper 360 Grad (360 Degrees).

Antlitz and VW brand chief Thomas Schaeffer said supply chain snags would continue to affect output this year, but Antlitz said chip supply was improving.

Volkswagen said last week it expected sales to rise by up to 331 billion euros ($350 billion) this year and forecast a 14% increase in vehicle deliveries from 2022.

($1 = 0.9454 euros)

(Reporting by Jan Schwartz and Victoria Waldersee; Editing by Riham Alkousaa and Mark Potter)
Voyageur Mineral Explorers Corp.

TORONTO, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Voyageur Mineral Explorers Corp. (Voyageur or the Company) (CSE: VOY) announces that it will extend the expiry date by two years of a total of 1,386,682 common share purchase warrants (collectively, the Warrants) which were issued pursuant to a warrant incentive program of the Company which closed on March 17, 2021 and April 8, 2021, respectively. The terms of the Warrants are as follows:



Issue Date Number of Warrants Exercise Price Original Expiry Date



New Expiry Date March 17, 2021 10,000 $0.50 per share March 23, 2023 March 21, 2025 April 8, 2021 1,376,682 $0.50 per share April 10, 2023 April 10, 2025

The Warrants are subject to an accelerated expiry provision where, if the Companys daily weighted average share price is greater than $0.75 for 15 consecutive trading days, the Company may, by notice to the Warrantholders, reduce the expiry date to not less than 30 days from the date of such notice.

All other terms of the Warrants remain the same.

Pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101), the extension of the term of the Warrants held by insiders constitute a related party transaction. The transaction is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements in Sections 5.4 and 5.6 of MI 61-101, respectively, pursuant to the exemptions in Subsection 5.5(a) and Paragraph 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, respectively, as neither the fair market value of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the transaction, insofar as it involves interested parties, exceeds 25% of the Companys market capitalization. The transaction is also exempt from the formal valuation requirement in Subsection 5.4 of MI 61-101 pursuant to the exemption in Subsection 5.5(b) of MI 61-101.

This release is being filed less than 21 days before the effective date of the amendments to the Warrants. This shorter period is reasonable and necessary in the circumstances as the Company wishes to carry out the amendments as expeditiously as possible given current market conditions. Furthermore, the CSE policy requires that amendments to warrant terms must be completed sufficiently in advance of their expiry date, and the Company is concerned that delay may preclude the holders of the Warrants expiring in October from enjoying the benefit of the Warrant extension alongside the other Warrantholders.

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ABOUT VOYAGEUR MINERAL EXPLORERS CORP.

Voyageur is a Canadian junior mineral exploration company with a specific focus on mineral properties in Northwest Manitoba and Northeast Saskatchewan, Canada. The Company owns a valuable package of royalties in the prolific Flin Flon greenstone belt, and has assembled a portfolio of base metal and precious metal prospects in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

For further information please contact:

Fraser Laschinger

President and CEO

Voyageur Mineral Explorers Corp.

Tel: 647-242-5511

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, information with respect to the Option. 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 based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the information is made, and is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Voyageur to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including risks associated with the exploration, development and mining such as economic factors as they effect exploration, future commodity prices, changes in foreign exchange and interest rates, actual results of current production, development and exploration activities, government regulation, political or economic developments, environmental risks, permitting timelines, capital expenditures, operating or technical difficulties in connection with development activities, employee relations, the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, including the risks of diminishing quantities of grades of resources, contests over title to properties, and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as those risk factors discussed in Voyageurs public disclosure documents which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although Voyageur 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 information. 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.




CNH Industrial N.V.

CNH Industrial employees representing the CASE Construction Equipment brand while volunteering with Habitat for Humanity

CNH Industrial employees representing the CASE Construction Equipment brand while volunteering with Habitat for Humanity

Read the full story on cnhindustrial.com



London, March 8, 2023

Find out what happened when volunteers representing CNH Industrials brand CASE Construction Equipment joined forces with non-profit housing charity Habitat for Humanity in Racine, Wisconsin, USA.

At the charitys inaugural Women Build event held in the city, 20 of our female employees volunteered to help construct new, safe, and affordable homes for single mothers in Racine.

It was especially powerful because we created a strong, sister-like bond while also helping other women, said Jessica Klein, Marketing & Communications Manager at CASE in Racine.

This was a great example of how we empower the women in our workforce to make a difference.

Learn more about this project at bit.ly/BreakingNewGround_en and discover how CNH Industrial is dedicated to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment.

CNH Industrial (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI) is a world-class equipment and services company. Driven by its purpose of Breaking New Ground, which centers on Innovation, Sustainability and Productivity, the Company provides the strategic direction, R&D capabilities, and investments that enable the success of its global and regional Brands. Globally, Case IH and New Holland Agriculture supply 360 agriculture applications from machines to implements and the digital technologies that enhance them; and CASE and New Holland Construction Equipment deliver a full lineup of construction products that make the industry more productive. The Companys regionally focused Brands include: STEYR, for agricultural tractors; Raven, a leader in digital agriculture, precision technology and the development of autonomous systems; Flexi-Coil, specializing in tillage and seeding systems; Miller, manufacturing application equipment; Kongskilde, providing tillage, seeding and hay & forage implements; and Eurocomach, producing a wide range of mini and midi excavators for the construction sector, including electric solutions.

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Across a history spanning over two centuries, CNH Industrial has always been a pioneer in its sectors and continues to passionately innovate and drive customer efficiency and success. As a truly global company, CNH Industrials 37,000+ employees form part of a diverse and inclusive workplace, focused on empowering customers to grow, and build, a better world.

For more information and the latest financial and sustainability reports visit: cnhindustrial.com

For news from CNH Industrial and its Brands visit: media.cnhindustrial.com

Media contacts:

Rebecca Fabian Anna Angelini North America United Kingdom Tel. +1 312 515 2249 Tel. +44 (0)7725 826 007

mediarelations@cnhind.com

Attachments




Market Research Future

Wood Flooring Market Research Report Information By Product (Solid Wood, Engineered Wood), By Application (Residential, Commercial, and Industrial), And By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest Of The World)  Market Forecast Till 2030

New York, US, March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wood Flooring Market Overview:

The MRFR analysis reports predict that the Wood Flooring Market Research Report, by Application, Region, and Product- Forecast Till 2030, the global market for wood flooring is predicted to showcase considerable development over the assessment timeframe from 2022 to 2030 with a strong development rate of approximately 6.80%. The reports further anticipate the market to acquire a valuation of around USD 80.90 billion by the end of 2030. As per the research reports, the market was valued at around USD 47.8 billion in 2020.

Wood Flooring Market Scope:

The global market for wood flooring has expanded immensely in the last few years. The main parameter supporting the expansion of the market is the rapidly growing construction activities across the globe, especially across emerging economies. Wood floorings are known to provide numerous benefits, which in turn is a major selling point for the market. Furthermore, factors such as rising demand for highly durable & aesthetically superior flooring, rising expenditure on renovation, high-end residential housing structures, and growing preference for single-family housing structures are also predicted to positively influence the expansion of the global market over the coming years.

Competitive Analysis

The catalog for the leading participants across the global market for wood flooring includes companies such as:

Doma Flooring (Germany)

Beaulieu International Group (Belgium)

Classen (Germany)

Armstrong Flooring, Inc. (US)

Kahrs Group (Sweden)

Somerset (US)

Tarkett (France)

Cali Bamboo, LLC (US)

Gerflor Group (France)

Shaw Industries Group, Inc (US)

Formica (UK)

K. D. Woods Company, Inc. (US)

Balterio Laminate Flooring

Bruce Flooring (US)

Egger (Austria)

Mannington Mills, Inc (US)

Barlinek SA (Poland)

Mohawk Industries (US)

Among others.





Story continues

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Report Attribute Details Market Size USD 80.90 Billion CAGR 6.80% 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 Product, By Application & Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers Rising construction activities throughout the world Key players are developing the attracting designs to the customers

Market USP Covered

Market Drivers

The main parameter supporting the expansion of the market is the rapidly growing construction activities across the globe, especially across emerging economies. Wood floorings are known to provide numerous benefits, which in turn is a major selling point for the market.

Market Restraints

However, several aspects may restrict the development of the market's performance. The field has several environmental impacts, considered the primary challenge for the market's growth. Furthermore, the rapid fluctuation in the price of the raw materials causing volatility in the prices of the products is also predicted to restrict the market growth over the review era. In addition, the non-availability of laborers with the required skills is another major challenge the decorative tiles market faces worldwide. The market in recent years has witnessed a sudden escalation in demand for these tiles, which has put massive pressure on manufacturing companies to boost production. Moreover, the market has also witnessed a significant setback due to the arrival of the pandemic in 2019, given the shortage of labor, lack of raw materials, and lack of financial support.



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COVID-19 Impact

Global industrial activities and business operations experienced a major setback given to the rise of the global health crisis in the form of COVID-19. Along with all the industry operations, the pandemic affected public health across nearly 225 countries worldwide. All these situations led to the imposition of full or partial lockdowns across a majority of regions worldwide. Subsequently, the industry operations were halted, and some businesses shut down. Given the sudden fall in demand for construction activities during the pandemic and the halt of the majority of industrial operations, the wood flooring market experienced a bunch of sudden & unexpected issues throughout the pandemic. On the contrary, now that the majority of the globe is being rapidly vaccinated and industrial operations are returning to normal, the market is predicted to witness a considerable expansion and recovery in revenue generation over the assessment period.

Segment Analysis

Among all the products, the engineered wood segment secured the top place across the global wood flooring market in 2021, with the largest contribution of approximately 60-70 percent. The number of advantages the segment offers, such as low susceptibility to swelling and contracting, is considered the prime aspect causing an upsurge in the segment's performance. Furthermore, it is within the price range for a considerable residential customer base and contributes visual appeal wherever deployed.

Among all the application areas, the residential segment held the top spot across the global wood flooring market in 2021. The flooring is the aspect of interiors interacting with inhabitants the most and taking up the majority of the space.



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Regional Analysis

The global market for wood floorings is studied across five major geographies: Asia-Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East & Africa.

The MRFR research documents imply that the North American region held the leading position across the global wood flooring market in 2021, with the largest contribution of approximately USD 20.64 billion. The reports anticipate the regional market showcasing a CAGR of around 43.20% during the review era. The rapidly expanding residential construction activities and the adoption of wood flooring are believed to be the major driving force for the regional market.

The Asia-Pacific regional market for wood flooring is anticipated to demonstrate maximum development over the coming years. the growth of the regional market is ascribed to the aspects such as expanding projects in developing economies, increased population, and growing disposable income.



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Xeriant, Inc.

Established U.S. manufacturer of plastic industrial products to contribute material integration expertise

BOCA RATON, Fla., March 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xeriant, Inc. (OTCQB: XERI) (Xeriant or the Company), a Company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of advanced materials and aerospace technologies, announces a manufacturing partnership to facilitate the production of eco-friendly, flame retardant-infused recycled plastic used in NEXBOARD panels. NEXBOARD is a flame-, water-, mold- and insect-resistant building panel set to replace products such as drywall, plywood, OSB, MDF and MgO board for new and retrofit construction.



As an experienced manufacturer of FM Approved plastic products, we are thrilled to be supporting Xeriants new product development. The feedstock required for the production of NEXBOARD fits right into our wheelhouse and were proud to be associated with a product that could have such far-reaching impact on the global environment, stated Tom Fitzgerald, Sr., CEO of TMF Corporation.

The Xeriant team has been researching methods to streamline the production process and enhance the characteristics and quality of NEXBOARD using different eco-friendly flame-retardants. To help accomplish this mission, Xeriant has formed a partnership with TMF Corporation, a 35-year-old manufacturer of FM Approved plastic industrial products. TMF Corporation will agglomerate post-industrial plastic waste and densify it along with four different eco-friendly flame-retardants to produce pellets used in the manufacturing of NEXBOARD panels for testing purposes.

TMF Corporation is one of our valued strategic investors and were excited to finally collaborate to unlock their capabilities as we set out to begin the manufacturing of NEXBOARD, said Keith Duffy, CEO of Xeriant.

About TMF Corporation

Since 1988, TMF Corporation has been manufacturing and distributing high quality plastic containers and pallets for commercial and government clients. TMF prides itself on providing quality products and responsive support to its customers which have included major manufacturers in the auto, food, and pharmaceutical industries, as well as all levels of government. In 2004, TMF was one of the first manufacturers to have a FM Approved nontoxic fire-retardant product. In 2016, TMF started utilizing a nonhalogenated compound and received FM 4996 approval for its plastic fire-retardant pallets, delivering fire protection as good or better than its wood counterpart. Now, some of the largest pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, depend on TMF Corporation to meet their compliance requirements.

Story continues

For more information, please go to www.tmfcorporation.com

About Xeriant, Inc.

Xeriant, Inc. is a holding and operating company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of advanced materials and technology related to next generation air and spacecraft, which can be successfully integrated and commercialized for deployment across multiple industrial sectors. We seek to partner with and acquire strategic interests in visionary companies that accelerate this mission. Xeriant is located at the Research Park at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida adjacent to the Boca Raton Airport.

For more information, please go to www.xeriant.com

SAFE HARBOR FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

In connection with the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Xeriant, Inc. is hereby providing cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements (as defined in such act). Any statements that are not historical facts and that express, or involve discussions as to, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, indicated through the use of words or phrases such as will likely result, are expected to, will continue, is anticipated, estimated, intends, plans, believes and projects) may be forward-looking and may involve estimates and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, our expectations concerning our ability to attract investors.

We caution that the factors described herein could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements we make, and investors should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all such factors. Further, we cannot assess the impact of each such factor on our results of operations or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

This press release does not constitute an offer of any securities for sale.

Xeriant, Inc.

Investor Relations Dept.:

(561) 491-9595

IR@xeriant.com

www.xeriant.com




The Spotsylvania School Board will hold a special meeting on Thursday after canceling Mondays regular meeting.

The posted agenda for the special meeting is identical to the agenda for Mondays meeting, except there will be no public or board member comments.

Two board members, Dawn Shelley and Nicole Cole, have requested multiple times that Chair Lisa Phelps add public comments back to the agenda.

According to School Board policy BDDC, any member of the school board shall submit items for inclusion on a proposed agenda to the chair.

Three members of the public also emailed Phelps, copying The Free LanceStar, to request that public comments be added to the agenda for Thursdays meeting.

The cancelation of the March 6, 2023, School Board meeting due to not having a quorum, was disappointing. [It] is also hard to believe that that many School Board Members could not be in attendance when this meeting has been scheduled for weeks, wrote Tom Eichenberg, a retired administrator with Spotsylvania schools.

We are requesting that public comments be added back onto the agenda for Thursday, March 9, 2023. This is not a special meeting as we believe that the same agenda will be followed ... except for the public comments.

Phelps did not respond Wednesday to a question from The Free LanceStar about whether she planned to add public comments.

Thursdays meeting will be the first since School Board member and former Chairman Kirk Twigg was arrested and charged with felony forgery of a public record.
Officials with FurEver Home, Inc., are hoping a second visit from renowned animal lover Kris Rotunda and his charity Jordans Way will raise more funds for the animal shelter than his first visit to the city in 2021.

The fundraising event is set from 5:30-9 p.m., Monday, March 20, at FurEver Home, 925 W. Sixth St., in Fremont. It will also be broadcast live on Facebook Live.

Martha Bang, president of FurEver Home, Inc., said Rotunda became active in animal shelter fundraising after his own dog died, a pooch which he had gotten from a local shelter. Now, he travels the nation helping raise money for animal shelters in all 50 states.

He started this (Jordans Way) as a way to give back. He is a super high-energy guy and a fun person, Bang said of Rotunda. The last time he came, it was a little over two years ago. He travels around and will do a bunch of fun contests.

Bang also said the event will feature a list of yet-to-be determined local celebrities.

Weve invited a bunch of fun celebrities to do the contests, Bang added. We do a lot of pies in faces, shaving of heads for money donations. The list is not finalized yet, but we expect some fun people to attend.

This years event comes as the animal shelter battles for its future. The City of Fremont recently issued a request for proposals for new animal sheltering services, with bids due in mid-March. In the meantime, the Fremont City Council on Feb. 28 voted to extend the citys contract with FurEver Home, Inc., by three months while Request For Proposal submissions are received.

For the March 20 event, Bang said FurEver home officials hope to raise $30,000.

We are pounding the pavement to find businesses to donate or match funds, she added.

On Feb. 28, Bang said FurEver Home, Inc., will submit a proposal to remain as the citys official animal shelter, but if the organization does not get awarded the contract, the facility will most likely close its physical location and revert back to a non-landed adoption and foster services.

We hope that we are awarded (the new contract), Bang said on Feb. 28. We operated as a foster-based rescue before we had a facility. But, our rent there was $1,200. (In current location) our rent is $3,200 a month and we had $1,500 in utilities last month. So, its a bit of a kick in the pants.

The March 20 event will include pledge recruiting and fundraising challenges along with the seeking year-long donation pledges from donors; one-day donations of funds or pet food; and donations of other items, such as pet kennels or cages.

There will also be numerous fundraising games and events, including donors shaving hair off their bodies for donations; assorted contests that feature dogs licking peanut butter or whip cream off the faces of donors; being locked inside a kennel until friends raise enough funds to be released; and other fun antics designed to raise money.

Anyone who wants to register for the assorted games must apply by March 15 via email at fetchingfureverhomes@gmail.com.

In March 2021, Rotunda was in town and hosted a four-hour livestream with games, treats and buckets of ice, leading to the raising of more than $12,000 for its operations. Rotonda, a resident of Tampa, Florida, founded Jordans Way in 2018 after the death of his dog, the namesake of the nonprofit, from cancer.

Because she was in a shelter for three years, I said I was going to make the unnoticed noticed by being a little bit more out-of-the-box, Rotunda said in 2021. So I like coming to these shelters, seeing the longer-term dogs, the senior dogs, the ones that have been here a long time.

Jordans Way has more than 770,000 followers on Facebook, and provides community outreach, advocacy and fundraising for animal shelters. In 2021, Rotonda embarked on a 50-state journey, visiting 300 shelters, including eight in Nebraska.
Hong Kong: Deputy SJ meets UN officers

Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan continued his Europe trip on March 7 by calling on the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) in Vienna, Austria.

The visit aimed to strengthen co-operation with UNCITRAL, in particular the promotion of online dispute resolution under the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the nurturing of Hong Kong talent in the practice of foreign-related legal affairs, with a view to contributing to Chinas relevant work and consolidating Hong Kongs status as the centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region, the Department of Justice (DoJ) explained.

During the meeting, Mr Cheung and UNCITRAL Secretary Anna Joubin-Bret discussed further collaboration between the two sides. Consequently, it was agreed that the 5th Asia Pacific Judicial Summit will be held in Hong Kong on November 6 and 7.

As a highlight of this years Hong Kong Legal Week, the summit will enable judges and legal practitioners from different places to gather and exchange views on topics such as dispute resolution on investment, the department added.

Mr Cheung also thanked UNCITRAL for its support in its secondment programme with the DoJ, which enables the departments officers to take part in UNCITRALs work and enhance their knowledge of international legal matters, strengthening Hong Kongs capacity in foreign-related legal affairs.

Learning that the seconded officers from Hong Kong with common law expertise have played a positive role in UNCITRALs work, he highlighted that this is a vivid example of Hong Kongs unique strengths under one country, two systems.

Separately, Mr Cheung called on Li Song, who is Permanent Representative & Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the Peoples Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Vienna and Other International Organizations in Vienna; and Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the Peoples Republic of China to the Republic of Austria Qi Mei. He updated them of the latest legal developments in Hong Kong, and took the opportunity to learn about the recent situation in various aspects of the United Nations and Austria.

After a days stay in Vienna, Mr Cheung departed for Geneva, Switzerland.

This story has been published on: 2023-03-08. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Mary Loftis, longtime Nebraska SHIP counselor, will be presenting educational Medicare workshops at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 30, at 935 Schneider St., in Fremont. Anyone is welcome to attend these workshops.

Nebraska SHIP educates people about Medicare and detecting Medicare fraud, empowering Nebraskans with Medicare to make informed decision about health insurance while protecting themselves from fraud.

Nothing will be marketed or sold, and personal questions are welcome during or after the meeting.

Call the Dodge County Extension Office at 402-727-2775 to register and for directions to the meeting location, or call 402-380-9554 and leave a voicemail with your name and phone number.
Nebraska education officials are one step closer to axing the basic skills test that keeps some new teachers out of classrooms.

During a Friday meeting, the State Board of Education unanimously repealed Rule 23, a state rule that requires new teachers to pass a basic skills test before they can get their teaching certificate.

Nebraska has been using the Praxis Core by ETS of Princeton, New Jersey, as its basic skills test. Incoming educators have to pass each section of the exam  including reading, writing and math  to meet the requirement.

But board members now say that basic skills tests like the Praxis aren't the best way to ensure that a would-be teacher is qualified.

Board member Elizabeth Tegtmeier said such tests for years have been a barrier for people wanting to get into the education field. Recently, it has become a substantial obstacle to relieving the state's teacher shortage, which has been worsening since the pandemic.

The state reported in a fall 2022 survey that 769 teaching positions remained unfilled or were staffed by an underqualified teacher at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year. That was an increase from 482 a year earlier.

"We know that basic skills are assessed multiple times throughout our teachers' careers, plus they have to apply for (college) admission, have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 and are required to pass many of their classes," Tegtmeier said. "They are also observed in the classrooms by their practicum advisers and cooperating teachers."

The Praxis exam is expensive to take, particularly for people who have to take it multiple times, according to a 2020 recommendation from Johns Hopkins School of Education to Nebraska education officials. The report also said basic skills tests like the Praxis have not been shown to correlate with teaching effectiveness.

The state board repealed Rule 23 to help with the teacher shortage, which is a short-term goal of the board, said Patti Gubbels, board president. A public hearing in February included testimony about how removing the requirement would benefit educators.

"We have heard evidence that there are a number of teacher candidates who do not enter the profession because they can't pass that basic skills test," Gubbels said. "We are keeping some people out of the profession because of one required test."

The repeal of Rule 23 is only the first step in the process to change the basic skills test requirement. Nebraska education officials said that before the requirement can be completely removed, the state board has to repeal both Rule 20 and 21, which set out more guidelines around the basic skills test for colleges and school districts.

The board was scheduled to discuss the repeal of both Rule 20 and 21 but ran out of time Friday. Members moved the discussion to April's board meeting.

Gov. Jim Pillen also will have to sign off on all repeals and he can take as long as he wants to make a decision, Gubbels said.

"The governor can send (the repeal) back, the governor can not sign it  there is no timeframe we can count on," Gubbels said. "We hope that the governor agrees with our position and that it is signed."

The state board considered ending the test in 2019, but didn't go through with the repeal after then-Gov. Pete Ricketts said it would lower standards for teachers.

Kirk Penner, board vice president, said the board wants to streamline the process to become a teacher and it's not "dumbing down anything."

While the repeal process might be drawn out, officials said decisions still could be made in time to remove the basic skills test requirement for the 2023-24 school year. Board member Sherry Jones said she knows May graduates who are "waiting in the wings" for the repeals to go through.

"My ask is for people who support this  especially those who may know the governor  to share their concerns about this," said board member Lisa Fricke. "If you are serious about making a difference for kids, they need qualified teachers in the classroom and this is a way to open the door for more teachers. Talk to the governor. It is his decision."

Top Journal Star photos for February 2023
Jay Schroeders boss was trying to make a point.

It was 1985 and Schroeder was assistant county supervisor for whats now called the Farm Service Agency.

Schroeder was driving his then-supervisor Gene Sims, a big man who disliked the seatbelt law coming into effect that year. When they stopped, Sims described a hypothetical situation to show why he was against the law.

Weve just been in an accident and the car is upside down, Sims said. Were in the water and the car is on fire. Ill bet this seatbelt wont unbuckle and were going to burn to death.

Sims pushed out his belly to tighten the belt.

Then he pushed the belts release button. But instead of proving his point, the seatbelt worked. The belt flew free.

That belt hit like a hammer against the windshield and I thought we broke it, but we didnt, Schroeder said. He never talked about seatbelts again.

Decades later, Schroeder smiles at the memory, but sees an analogy between the seatbelt story and farmers under financial stress due to economic conditions.

To them, their world is upside down and theyre drowning and we work with people to get the financing they need to stay on the farm, Schroeder said.

Schroeder is a farm loan manager for the FSA, serving people in Dodge, Douglas, Saunders and Washington counties. A proclamation from Fremont Mayor Joey Spellerberg states that Schroeder has helped countless farmers with opportunities to own land, expand their operations and persevere through financial hardships.

Now, the Fremont man is retiring after 38 years, 25 of which hes spent as a farm loan manager.

The public is invited to a retirement open house for Schroeder from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 31 in the Dodge County Farm Service Agency office, 2450 Business Park Drive in Fremont.

Schroeder grew up on a family farm southeast of West Point. It was a diversified operation with cattle, hogs and row crops. He was in 4-H from age 8 to 18 and graduated with a degree in animal science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

After college, Schroeder went home to farm, but his father encouraged him to get a job. There wasnt enough income from the farm to support three families: Schroeder, his parents, Jim and Marlys, and his older brother, Tim.

Jay Schroeder got a job at the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) on March 31, 1985, and began working in Pender. Schroeder was assistant county supervisor there for nine months, before coming to work in Fremont in January 1986, where Richard Kirch was FmHA supervisor.

Schroeder remembers the 1980s Farm Crisis. Farmers werent getting adequate prices for their products.

When I came in 85, all commodity prices were poor  whether it be corn, soybeans, hogs, cattle  and (farmers) couldnt pay the bills for farm expenses and the mortgage payments, he said.

Many foreclosures occurred. Many people had to leave the farm.

And the analogy of the upside car on fire and in water could have been an analogy for that time period, he said.

But the FmHA helped many farmers through its programs.

Back then, many small farms had diverse operations with dairy and stock cows, farrow to finish hogs and row crops and Schroeder appreciated having grown up on a diverse farming operation.

I had a very good background in animal production that helped (me) understand the job a great deal and work with producers, Schroeder said.

At the same time, FmHA was involved in a rural housing program for towns with populations under 25,000. From the 1970s through the mid-1990s, many houses were built in small towns through this program. Fremont didnt qualify, but Columbus, Blair and the town of Elkhorn did.

We built hundreds of homes that were 1,000 square feet or less that helped families get their first starter home, he said.

Schroeder enjoyed being part of that process from 1985-1995.

Ive run into two people in the last couple of years who thanked me for the loans I processed for them to get a house, he said.

In 1995, the FmHA name was changed to Farm Service Agency. Kirch was farm loan manager and Schroeder was a farm loan officer.

Kirch retired in 1997 and Schroeder became farm loan manager in 1998.

Schroeder knows going to a government entity can seem intimidating, but thats where his office can help.

We visit with clients, he said. We work with them. We get the information and we have some very good loan programs to help beginning farmers get started and for the farmers, who are in distress, to help restructure their loans.

He knows each client has a unique situation. Some may have faced a drought or tornado. They may have lost their farm home due to a fire.

You need to be very compassionate and very understanding and patient, he said.

Nebraska has 45,000 farmers. The FSA based in Fremont serves 400 clients. The FSA and banks work together to serve the clients.

Schroeder has enjoyed helping people purchase a farm or restructure their operations so they have a feasible cash flow and can meet all their family living and farm expenses and pay all their payments.

It has been a very satisfying and fulfilling job when you help people finance what they didnt think was possible and they go on to be successful, he said.

Hes enjoyed asking farmers how they met their spouses or talk about their kids or grandchildren.

Schroeder remembers one farmer who said he couldnt go into the military, because his arches were too high.

To prove his point, the farmer took off his boot and flopped his foot on Schroeders desk.

See how high that arch is, the farmer said. They said I could not be a foot soldier so I could not get into the Army or Marines!

Schroeder processed the loan and still remembers the man.

Its a memory that brings a smile to your face, he said.

Schroeder said he has a very good staff. He appreciated the support he received from other FSA offices when his late wife, Rhonda, battled cancer from 2002 to 2007.

The support I got from other offices to help me get the work done was unfailing, he said.

He marvels at how technology has changed throughout the years. When Schroeder started, he worked with pencils, paper and a calculator.

If you had an electric typewriter, you were uptown (fancy), he said.

Schroeder said his office got computers in 1985. He remembers Kirch telling workers not to waste their time on computers, because they werent going to stay around for long.

Since then, Schroeders seen the increased computer use and, more recently, the ability for employees to work remotely. He foresees a time when workers wont use paper at all.

He will miss his co-workers and the farmers. He looks forward to helping his brother, Tim, on the farm and hopes to spend more time with family who live in other cities and states.

Schroeder has three daughters, Hannah Davis and husband, Ryan of Lincoln; Kalli Schroeder, a traveling nurse whos working in North Carolina; and Paige Schroeder who lives in South Falls, South Dakota, and works for a Lincoln company.

He looks forward to traveling.

And, of course, hell wear his seatbelt.
CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AP)  A road trip to Mexico for cosmetic surgery ended with two Americans dead  and two others found alive in a rural area near the Gulf coast  after a violent shootout and abduction that was captured on video, officials said Tuesday.

The surviving Americans were back on U.S. soil after being sped to the border near Brownsville, the southernmost tip of Texas, in a convoy of ambulances and SUVs escorted by Mexican military Humvees and National Guard trucks with mounted machine guns.

A relative of one of the victims said Monday that the four had traveled together from the Carolinas so one of them could get a tummy tuck surgery from a doctor in the Mexican border city of Matamoros, where Friday's abduction took place.

Tamaulipas Gov. Americo Villarreal said the four were found in a wooden shack, where they were being guarded by a man who was arrested. Villarreal said the captive Americans had been moved around by their captors, and at one point were taken to a medical clinic "to create confusion and avoid efforts to rescue them."

The two dead were to be turned over to U.S. authorities following forensic work at the Matamoros morgue, the governor said.

Villareal said the wounded American, Eric Williams, had been shot in the left leg and the wound was not life threatening. The survivors were taken to Valley Regional Medical Center with an FBI escort, the Brownsville Herald reported. A spokesperson for the hospital referred all inquiries to the FBI.

"It's quite a relief," said Robert Williams, Eric's brother, reached by phone in North Carolina. "I look forward to seeing him again and actually being able to talk to him."

The U.S. citizens were found in a shack in a rural area east of Matamoros called Ejido Tecolote on the way to the Gulf coast known as "Bagdad Beach," according to Tamaulipas state chief prosecutor Irving Barrios.

Shortly after entering Mexico on Friday, the four were caught amid fighting between rival cartel groups in the city. Barrios said the hypothesis is "that it was confusion, not a direct attack."

Video and photographs taken during and immediately after the abduction show the Americans' white minivan sitting beside another vehicle, with at least one bullet hole in the driver's side window. A witness said the two vehicles had collided. Almost immediately, several men in tactical vests and toting assault rifles arrived in another vehicle to surround the scene.

The gunmen walked one of the Americans into the bed of a white pickup, then dragged and loaded the three others. Terrified civilian motorists sat silently in their cars, hoping not to draw their attention. Two of the victims appeared to be motionless.

Officials said a Mexican woman a block and a half away from the scene also died in Friday's crossfire.

The shootings illustrate the terror that has prevailed for years in Matamoros, a city dominated by factions of the powerful Gulf drug cartel who often fight among themselves. Amid the violence, thousands of Mexicans have disappeared in Tamaulipas state alone.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the people responsible would be punished. He referenced arrests made in the 2019 killings of nine U.S.-Mexican dual citizens in Sonora near the U.S. border.

He complained about the U.S. media's coverage of the missing Americans, accusing them of sensationalism. "It's not like that when they kill Mexicans in the United States, they (the media) go quiet like mummies."

"It's very unfortunate, they (the U.S. government) have the right to protest like they have," Lopez Obrador said. "We really regret that this happens in our country."

"The cartels are responsible for the deaths of Americans," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said. "The DEA and the FBI are doing everything possible to dismantle and disrupt and ultimately prosecute the leaders of the cartels and the entire networks that they depend on."

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. is working with Mexican officials to learn more about the circumstances surrounding the killings.

The FBI had offered a $50,000 reward for the victims' return and the arrest of the abductors.

Robert Williams said in a telephone interview that he and his brother, 38-year-old Eric Williams, are from South Carolina but now live in the Winston-Salem area of North Carolina.

Williams described his brother as "easygoing" and "fun-spirited."

He didn't know his brother was traveling to Mexico until after the abduction hit the news. But from looking at his brother's Facebook posts, he thinks his brother did not consider the trip dangerous.

"He thought it would be fun," Williams said. He hadn't heard anything about his brother's whereabouts, he said.

Told that his brother was among the survivors Tuesday, Robert Williams said that when they meet, "I'll just tell him how happy I am to see him, and how glad I am that he made it through, and that I love him."

Photos: Biden visits the border for the first time
While Denver Public Schools is struggling to present a coherent response to the fatal shooting of an East High School student a block from the schools front door last month, the school board continues to focus on issues that seem tangential by comparison.

To be fair, individual board members have been vocal and visible in support of East students. And responsibility for developing a response, and a safety plan, rests on the shoulders of Superintendent Alex Marrero and his team. That plan has been slow to emerge.

Word to the wise: Pointing out repeatedly, as Marrero and his team have done, that the shooting did not happen on school grounds is neither a plan nor reassuring.

While many school principals have been outspoken in their opposition to the 2020 school board decision that removed Denver Police Department School Resource Officers from district schools, board members continue to defend the move.

Some students, and particularly students of color, did not feel safe having uniformed cops in their schools. Id argue that more students today feel unsafe in their schools than before the officers were removed.

This issue is just beginning to percolate, and will likely become an issue in the bizarro world mayoral election thats just heating up.

Meanwhile, board members have been working on ways to make Denver schools less accountable to the public.

Board members discussed late last month an amendment to an executive limitation titled, in the best Orwellian tradition, Commitment to Accomplishment and Accountability. The amendment  not yet approved  directs the superintendent to create an informational dashboard on schools that does NOT include:

Standardized tests scores

School rankings

A summative color, star rating, number, or grade.

Board member Scott Esserman said that in his conversations with community members, he has heard a desire for information and data about whats going on in the schoolso that parents can get involved with how do I work with the school to improve disproportionate discipline of disproportionate numbers of students enrolled in gifted and talented, honors, advanced coursework, that we know is essential to all students succeeding.

Stressing repeatedly that the dashboard components (and exclusions) are not final, Esserman said they represent the initial statements of value that the board is making about what we think are important.

He said the board wants to hear from unique and individual organic community voices, rather than organized groups staging letter-writing campaigns, or the usual loud voices.

Fair enough. And of course the dashboard should include the kind of information Esserman was promoting, as well as survey-based data on climate and culture.

But excluding test score data amounts to deliberately withholding relevant information from the public. Board member Michelle Quattlebaum said that information is available elsewhere. Thats true, but ludicrous nonetheless. Try negotiating the Colorado Department of Education website and see what you come away with. Sure, the information is there. Its not exactly a user-friendly interface.

The truth of the matter came from board member Scott Baldermann, who, to his credit, speaks his truth in plain language, leaving no doubt about where hes coming from. Baldermann said his primary concern about a dashboard is that it would be a tool used for competitive purposes.

Removing test scores, ranking, and color-coding would make it more difficult to use the dashboard for those competitive purposes.

Heres where Baldermann and the rest of the board gets it wrong. Its not about competition. Its about comparison.

If these exclusions are adopted, what the Denver school board is telling Denver parents is that they dont want you comparing schools as you try to choose which one is best for your child.

Of course there are complex, nuanced and multifaceted reasons why some schools have higher test scores than others. But give parents some credit. They can do their own analyses.

Withholding information is an attempt to limit choice, plain and simple. Its also just the latest example of how this board does not value transparency, despite much lip-service to the contrary.

Also, I dont want to fail to mention this tidbit. At that same meeting, board members placed on the agenda and then indefinitely postponed a resolution that could have dramatically boosted board member pay. School boards never received pay in Colorado until a 2021 law made it permissible.

DPS adopted a limited pay structure late in 2021 that would have allowed board members to receive no more than $750 per month  $150 per day for a maximum of five days per month.

The now-delayed resolution would have lifted that cap and allowed board members to be paid as much as $33,000 per year. That could potentially cost the district $231,000 per year.

Anderson, who championed this resolution, said its aim was to make board service accessible to people of limited means, who cant afford to take on a volunteer commitment that can become full-time. Thats a legitimate point and merits extensive public conversation.

Heres the silver lining. Wiser heads prevailed and a vote on the resolution was postponed. Someone, its not clear who, appears to have tried to sneak the resolution through without an opportunity for the public to comment on it. At a time when the DPS debt clock continues to tick, that would have been a bad look indeed.

Alan Gottlieb is editor of Denver-based public education watchdog boardhawk.org. Gottlieb covered Denver Public Schools as a newspaper reporter in the mid-1990s, worked as an education program officer for The Piton Foundation and co-founded Education News Colorado and Chalkbeat.
A report recently published by a publication called 'Overheard on Conference Calls' points to Denver, Colorado, as one of the top spots for female business owners.

According to the publication, 21.4% of US businesses are primarily women-owned, compared to 61% of businesses being primarily owned by men and 14% of which have ownership split between genders. This gap exists despite women making up about 46.6% of the workforce.

That being said, the gender split in ownership isn't the same everywhere.

In Asheville, 25% of businesses are owned by women  the highest share among major metros around the country. While the share of women-owned businesses in St. Louis is 24.8%, ranking this city second, Denver isn't far behind.

The Mile High City ranks as having the third-highest share of women-owned businesses in the country, with 24.8% of businesses in Denver having a female owner.

This compares to Mobile, Alabama, which has the lowest share of female business owners  11.9%.

Find the full report here.
While most Coloradans opt for the standard license plate with white mountains and green sky, more than 50 other plate options exist.

Heres a look at 7 plates that are rarely seen, but pretty cool:

1. The Support Pollinators plate:

This one requires a donation to the People and Pollinators Action Network. Find out more information here.

2. The Mesa Verde National Park plate:

This one requires a donation to the Mesa Verde Foundation. Find out more information here.

3. The Support the 10th Mountain Division plate:

This commemorative plate recognizes those of the 10th Mountain Division that fought in the Italian Campaign of 1945. A donation of $45 to the 10th Mountain Division Foundation is the requirement for this one.

4. The Raptor plate:

This one requires membership dues paid to the Raptor Education Foundation.

5. The Aviation plate:

There are no special requirements to qualify to get this plate.

6. The Pikes Peak Hill Climb plate:

There are no special requirements to qualify to get this plate.

7. The Pueblo Chile plate:

There are no special requirements to qualify to get this plate.

8. The Greyhound Lovers plate

There are no special requirements to qualify to get this plate.

9. The Electric Vehicle plate

People must have a plug-in electric vehicle for this one.

10. The Pioneer plate

There are no special requirements for this plate.

11. The Ski Country USA plate:

Alright  youve probably seen this one before, but its too cool not to include. No special requirements to get this one.

Interested in creating a specialty plate for your non-profit organization? According to the DMV, requirements include, but may not be limited to, petitions of 3,000 Colorado registered vehicle owners, proof of nonprofit tax exempt status, design prepayments and others that the Department will discuss with you prior to providing the application.
A Colorado Springs man could spend up to three years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court this week to illegal possession of firearms and explosives, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

In May, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was notified that Dakota Ryan Halley, 28, and co-defendant Dalton Turner were in possession of two hand grenades, according to a news release.

Undercover ATF agents arranged a meeting with Halley on May 12, and they bought a grenade and a shotgun from the defendants, the release states. A second purchase was arranged two weeks later where an ATF agent purchased six grenades from the defendants.

Authorities arrested Halley and Turner on June 8 and executed a federal search warrant on their apartment. During the search, ATF found "32 explosive devices, numerous firearms and more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition," according to the release.

None of the weapons or explosive devices had been registered with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, according to the release.

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Halley pleaded guilty Monday to possession of unregistered firearms. Court records show that Turner pleaded guilty to the same charge on Jan. 26.

The plea agreement recommends a sentencing range of 30-37 months in prison and a fine between $15,000 and $150,000.

Court records show that Turner's recommended sentence as part of his plea agreement is the same as Halley's.

Halley is scheduled to be sentenced May 30, while Turner is expected to be sentenced April 19.
As reported by Azernews, Azerbaijani Ambassador to the US, Khazar Ibrahim, participated in the 41st annual session of the "CERAWeek" Energy conference, which is held annually in Houston, Texas.

Azerbaijani envoy gave a speech at the plenary session "Changing perspectives on energy supply sources and transport routes" organized within the framework of the Energy conference and attended by high-level public and private sector representatives from the USA and many other countries.

The diplomat informed the participants about Azerbaijan's energy policy, oil, gas, and potential in the fields of alternative energy sources, large-scale energy infrastructure projects implemented by our country, and Azerbaijan's role in ensuring Europe's energy security, and answered their questions about the mentioned fields.
Attorneys representing the Fountain woman accused of allowing her 4-year-old daughter to ingest fentanyl and die are discussing a potential plea deal, but must come to a resolution within five weeks, according to an El Paso County judge.

Emma Staton, 25, was expected to enter a plea Wednesday, but both the prosecution and defense requested a 30-day continuance to allow for more time to negotiate a plea deal.

Staton faces three charges  the most serious of which is child abuse knowingly or recklessly causing death  in the death of her daughter Acelynn Staton-Contreras, who fatally overdosed on fentanyl in July.

Prosecuting attorney Rachael Powell told Judge Chad Miller that the prosecution and defense had only been able to meet for the first time last week to discuss a plea deal, and that prosecutors haven't had adequate time to have a conversation with the victim's family regarding a plea deal.

Staton's defense attorney David Lipka did not object to the request for a continuance, saying it was essentially a joint request from both parties.

Miller moved Staton's next court date to April 12, and said if a plea deal isn't reached by then, Staton will be required to plead not guilty, and a trial date will be set.

Staton's case was bound over for trial by Miller at a preliminary hearing in October after the prosecution presented testimony showing that there was sufficient evidence to continue pursuing charges against Staton.

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At that hearing Miller lowered Staton's bond from $500,000 to $150,000 despite significant objections from some attending the hearing.

"This is (expletive)," one woman could be heard yelling before she was removed from the virtual courtroom.

"She deserves to remain behind bars," another woman said.

Staton is out of custody after posting bond in November, according to court records.

The trial for Joenny Manuel Astacio Ottenwalder, 36, and Kira Lee Davison, 29  the Colorado Springs couple accused of allowing their 15-month-old child, Cairo Astacio, to die of fentanyl ingestion in 2021  began Monday after the first trial was declared a mistrial last month.
The controversial Healthy Kids Colorado Survey could see even less participation among El Paso County public school students, if Colorado Springs School District 11s Board of Education approves a proposal that would change its parental consent model.

Some people think that would be a shame and decrease what they believe is valuable information from students, they said during Wednesday nights board meeting. Others said they believe its appropriate, since third-party surveys students take in school are too intrusive and constitute an invasion of privacy.

The seven-member board is considering moving from passive consent to active consent for surveys, analyses and evaluations that are administered to students during the school day.

The policy change would mean parents would have to give written consent for their child to opt in  instead of giving written consent for their child to opt out  of the questionnaires that ask about students personal thoughts, feelings, experiences and behaviors.

Currently in D-11, the region's third-largest school district, unless parents give permission for their child to opt out, the child automatically is administered the forms and solicited feedback.

In 2021, approximately 98% of participating school districts in the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey chose passive consent procedures, meaning parents and guardians had to opt their students out of taking the survey by returning to school a signed form denying permission, said Vanessa Bernal, bilingual media specialist for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, administered statewide in the fall of odd years, contains more than 100 questions for middle and high school students regarding a host of topics, including their sexual behavior, drug and alcohol use, thoughts of self-harm and suicide, eating and sleeping habits, bullying, access to guns at home and other personal lifestyle and health information that some parents think goes too far.

Any survey done on my child needs to be approved to me, parent Jennifer Bertram told the board during the public comment portion of the meeting.

She favors requiring parents to opt in to have their students take the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey rather than opt out.

Bertram said she finds the questions insulting, after she read some of them aloud, including asking children if theyve ever carried a weapon, how easy would it be for them to do that, how often did a parent swear at them or put them down, or kick, hit or physically hurt them in any way.

It has absolutely nothing to do with how my child is doing in school, she said. Thats what this survey is about  an agenda.

Students deserve their needs be known by adults, said Rhonda Heschel, a pediatric nurse practitioner and parent of a Coronado High School student.

Its a needs assessment, she said to board members. The entire purpose of the assessment is to determine what students needs are, and as a healthcare provider, the survey helps inform my practice.

The Healthy Kids Colorado Survey is billed as confidential and anonymous. Its administered by the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.

In the 2021 go-round, El Paso County was one of six regions in the state that did not have enough student participation to provide statistically significant data, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported.

That was the second time low participation among the county's 15 public school districts led to results not being released; the first was in 2015.

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Public health officials say low participation is unfortunate because the data is useful in tracking behaviors, health indicators and trends. Agencies also use the information to obtain funding for programs to address identified problems, such as smoking or vaping.

El Paso County Coroner Dr. Leon Kelly is among those who oppose modifying the D-11 policy.

Due to smart phones, social media and decreasing human connectedness, this generation is growing up in a world unlike any that preceded it, Kelly wrote in a letter he sent to the D-11 superintendent and board of education members Wednesday.

Our only hope to offer help is to understand what they are going through and what they need, he said, adding that thats what the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey does.

Other surveys mentioned in the tentative policy revisions are 5 Essentials and Panorama Education, the latter of which is for elementary through high school students and is not anonymous.

According to the proposal, the new model would apply to surveys, analyses and evaluations that ask students about:

 Political or religious affiliations

 Mental and psychological problems potentially embarrassing to the student or his family

 Sex behavior and attitudes or topics that infringe on student privacy

 Illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating and demeaning behavior

 Critical appraisals of other individuals with whom respondents have close family relationships

 Legally recognized privileged and analogous relationships such as those of lawyers, physicians and ministers

 Income other than that required by law to determine eligibility for participation in a program or for receiving financial assistance under such program.

El Paso County was one of 13 counties to have results of the 2021 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey suppressed, with results from 51 counties made public.

Statewide findings from 2021 showed students continued to have feelings of depression, anxiety and stress from the COVID-19 pandemic, and substance use decreased among teens because of their inability to access substances during the pandemic.

The D-11 board likely will vote on the item at its March 22 meeting.
Gov. Jared Polis unveiled proposed legislation Tuesday for a new $28 million initiative to improve student math scores over the next two years.

The governor also highlighted the work of 12 schools  including Roosevelt Charter Academy and Chipeta Elementary in Colorado Springs  with a Math Bright Spot Award and $50,000 from the federal Governors Emergency Education Relief funds.

These schools, the Polis administration said, demonstrated exceptional growth in math achievement since 2019.

The funds will be used for tutoring, expanding student resources and faculty development  among other things.

We are meeting students, teachers, and families where they are, providing flexibility through meaningful and high-impact out-of-school opportunities that focus on evidence-based math achievement, Senate Minority Leader Paul Lundeen, R-Monument, said in a statement.

Colorado math scores are down across the board, according to the 2022 Colorado Measures of Academic Success data for grades three to eight. Roughly 40% of students, or fewer, in each grade level met or exceeded expectations in math testing.

Compared to 2019 scores, all grades had fewer students who met or exceeded expectations.

Polis was joined at a news conference Tuesday by lawmakers, educators and parents.

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The proposed bill is designed to provide math instruction for students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade to bolster math proficiency.

The Gazette requested, but did not receive, a draft copy of the proposed legislation, which was expected to be introduced Tuesday evening.

The Polis administration trumpeted the announcement as Polis' latest education partnership with the Legislature that includes full-day kindergarten and universal preschool.

Kate Boyce, principal of Roosevelt Charter Academy, said the District 11 school cited with the Math Bright Spot Award has concentrated on developing math intervention plans, including specific goal setting, timelines, strategies for monitoring progress and innovative approaches to student growth.

But I think (our success) really boils down to our amazing teachers, Boyce said. We have teachers who have been in this building for 26+ years. They continue to push themselves, to grow in their profession, and ensure that kids always come first.

The average teacher tenure at Roosevelt is about 10 years, and staff members are heavily invested in student success, according to Boyce. Students can tell when teachers truly care, she said, and they respond in kind.

Sarah Scott, principal of Chipeta Elementary School in District 11, said the schools focus on the whole child  one in which teachers understand their students as people and as learners  fosters the best environment for academic success.

Teachers use math score data in conjunction with individual student performance to craft their education plans. Sometimes, that means straying from typical instruction of the whole classroom in order to break students into small groups based off of their individualized needs.

The teachers are really making sure that theyre able to move the kid from their entry point to that next level, Scott said. Our community is really strong and inclusive and welcoming. Kids love to come to school.

Gazette reporters Nick Sullivan and O'Dell Isaac contributed to this report.
A previously incarcerated woman has been arrested in the death of another female inmate at the El Paso County jail after investigators determined she supplied the victim with fentanyl while in custody, according to a news release Tuesday from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.

The office said on Jan. 20 a deputy discovered 44-year-old Renee Lowrance unresponsive in her cell. Officials said the deputy began life-saving measures alongside jail medical staff until responders from American Medical Response and Colorado Springs Fire Department arrived. Lowrance ultimately died of a fentanyl overdose, officials said.

Metro Narcotics and the Sheriff's Office Criminal Intelligence Unit launched an investigation into Lowrances death to determine who supplied her with fentanyl.

Authorities arrested Katariina Gibson, 27, and booked her into the El Paso County jail on March 3 on felony charges of proximate cause of death by unlawful distribution and introducing contraband in the second degree. Her bond is set at $100,000, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Authorities said Gibson was previously incarcerated at the jail for a separate incident. Court records show she has a history of drug-related charges in El Paso County.

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Gibson was found guilty of controlled substance possession in December 2020 and April 2019 and of controlled substance distribution in January 2020. She faced contraband introduction, controlled substance possession and drug paraphernalia possession charges in February 2020, which were dismissed.

Gibson has also been convicted in El Paso County of knowing or reckless child abuse causing injury in 2019 and driving while ability impaired in 2018.

Sheriff Joseph Roybal said he has a zero-tolerance policy for illicit drugs in his jail and will continue to enforce the policy strongly.
A hearing Thursday afternoon is expected to be Letecia Stauch's final court appearance before the start of her trial later this month.

Stauch, 39, is accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson Gannon in January 2020. Attorneys at the hearing will be asked by Judge Gregory Werner to declare ready for trial, and if both the prosecution and defense declare ready Stauch's trial will go ahead as scheduled.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin March 20, and opening statements are expected to begin no earlier than April 3, even if jury selection is completed before then.

Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen has said he anticipates Stauch's trial to last six weeks.

Werner said during Stauch's last appearance in court in early February that the jury selection process may take up to 14 days because of the likelihood of many potential jurors being unable to be present for all six weeks of the trial.

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Stauch faces 13 charges including first-degree murder, child abuse and tampering with evidence.

At Stauch's most recent court date her attorneys said her second mental health evaluation had been completed, but defense attorney Josh Tolini declined to discuss the findings of the evaluation.

The first mental health evaluation conducted by the psychiatric hospital in Pueblo found Stauch to be sane, Werner said at a hearing in August.

In addition to the first-degree murder case, Stauch also faces a second case in which she is accused of attempting to escape from the El Paso County jail in May 2020.

Stauch was arrested in South Carolina in March 2020 and has been in jail since then after being extradited to Colorado. She faces life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder.
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Latvia Egils Levits have held an expanded meeting during the official lunch.






After a four-week trial in 2017, a Denver judge issued a 160-page order detailing the numerous ways a now-shuttered technical school violated Colorado's consumer protection laws by deceiving students into thinking they would make substantially more money or find jobs in their field  when the opposite was often true.

But in 2021, the state's Court of Appeals wiped away the $3 million penalty against CollegeAmerica after concluding a legal error by the judge required a new trial entirely. Now, the Supreme Court is considering whether the massive trove of evidence in the case might eliminate the need for a total redo.

Last week, the justices held oral arguments in the case. No one disputed that former District Court Judge Ross B.H. Buchanan made a mistake when he failed to analyze whether the government had proven CollegeAmerica's deception had a significant public impact. However, the Colorado Attorney General's Office argued no further evidence was necessary to decide whether a significant impact existed, something even CollegeAmerica appeared to agree with prior to the appeal.

"Your position is that given those findings, fairly extensive factual findings, that its essentially a foregone conclusion that there was significant public impact here," said Justice Carlos A. Samour Jr.

However, even if the court agrees with the government that the impact of CollegeAmerica's duplicitous behavior could be discerned by looking at the existing evidence, there is another hurdle facing the attorney general's office: A possibility the justices will find that a jury, not a judge, should have decided whether CollegeAmerica was liable to begin with.

In 2014, Colorado sued CollegeAmerica, two of its executives and the related nonprofit Center for Higher Education, Inc., alleging they violated the Colorado Consumer Protection Act through deceptive advertising about their offerings and outcomes. The state also claimed CollegeAmerica offered "unconscionable" loans to students who, for the most part, were never able to pay them back.

At a four-week trial before Buchanan, the judge heard about the massive disconnect between the rosy portrayal of CollegeAmerica from its advertising and its admissions officers versus the actual experiences of students. Even though CollegeAmerica boasted about students making "more money sooner" and earning "up to $1 million more" with a degree, they obscured actual data showing graduates were hardly better off for attending CollegeAmerica.

Admissions officers enrolled students who they believed would "really struggle in school," including a man with a learning disability who ended up getting his blood drawn for extra credit and returned to his restaurant job after working on his bachelor's degree. CollegeAmerica classified a graduate of its business management program as employed in her field of study, even though she worked as a cashier at Panda Express. The school also lured students into its radiology program, then disclosed the courses would not even enable students to sit for a certification exam.

Further, CollegeAmerica dramatically overstated its successful outcomes to its accreditor, when upwards of two-thirds of its students actually did not graduate and roughly one quarter were unemployed. Half of graduates surveyed reported being worse off financially for attending CollegeAmerica, and some even declared bankruptcy.

"The Court finds and concludes that Defendants engaged in a deceptive trade practice by knowingly making false and misleading representations about the potential wages and types of employment that a consumer can expect to obtain after completing a CollegeAmerica degree program," wrote Buchanan in a lengthy order issued in August 2020.

He also found CollegeAmerica made unconscionable loans to some of its students. Buchanan imposed the maximum penalty under the consumer protection law, $3 million, and ordered CollegeAmerica to change its illegal practices. The judge declined to award more than $200 million in restitution, equivalent to the tuition paid across all Colorado campuses.

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Then in August 2021, a three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals ordered a new trial. Although Buchanan believed the attorney general's office did not need to prove CollegeAmerica's deception had a significant public impact, the panel found the law did require such proof at the time.

Under that mistaken ruling, "the parties lacked the incentive to present evidence, rebut evidence, and develop a record on this issue," wrote then-Chief Judge Steve Bernard, directing a new trial for all of the consumer protection claims.

All parties then appealed to the Supreme Court. The government criticized the Court of Appeals for assuming CollegeAmerica lacked the "incentive" to show its actions did not have a significant public impact. The attorney general's office cited CollegeAmerica's own argument to Buchanan following the trial, in which it explained that the parties' previous submissions "included findings and conclusions on the significant public impact issue" and "no supplementation is needed."

"This is actually fairly straightforward because CollegeAmerica itself said to the district court after trial, 'We have presented all of our evidence. Please rule on the record'," attorney Abigail M. Hinchcliff told the Supreme Court.

Her argument found some sympathy with the court, as Justice Melissa Hart observed that it was the government's responsibility to prove significant public impact, not necessarily the defendants' obligation to refute it. But other members of the court were skeptical.

"You keep saying this is a simple case. This is not a simple case," said Justice Richard L. Gabriel. Given that Buchanan appeared to take significant public impact off the table, "it seems to me the first question is whether CollegeAmerica was given a full and fair opportunity to litigate this issue."

The defendants, meanwhile, argued Buchanan erred by not holding a jury trial on the government's allegations. Legal claims, which implicate monetary damages, are typically for juries. Equitable claims, which involve the court's coercive power to make a defendant do something, are tried before judges. The parties disputed whether the "thrust" of the government's case was equitable, as Buchanan's order contained both directives and monetary penalties.

"This case was always about the money," said attorney Sean Connelly for the defendants. He also noted the unusual action the Court of Appeals had taken, prior to Buchanan's retirement, of reassigning the case to a new judge because Buchanan had taken two years and nine months to issue his ruling, for which the state's judicial discipline commission privately reprimanded him.

"Obviously this was an incredibly unfortunate circumstance," Hart acknowledged. "However, that doesn't necessarily answer the legal questions we have to deal with here and whether a whole new trial is necessary."

Justice Maria E. Berkenkotter is not participating in the case. Justice William W. Hood III did not attend oral arguments, but is still involved in the decision.

The case is Colorado v. Center for Excellence in Higher Education, Inc. et al.
The ranks of Colorado Republicans vying to chair the state GOP have grown to seven with the addition of Kevin McCarney, a former Mesa County Republican chair who says he's the only candidate with "actual hands-on experience" running a party organization.

McCarney launches his bid less than a week before the state GOP's leadership election, joining former state lawmakers Kevin Lundberg and Dave Williams, former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, former congressional nominees Casper Stockham and Erik Aadland and grassroots organizer Aaron Wood. The Republican state central committee is set to meet Saturday in Loveland to pick a chair, vice chair and secretary, part of the biennial reorganization process both of the state's major party's began last month.

The Republicans' incumbent state chair, Kristi Burton Brown, announced in December that she wouldn't seek a second two-year term, meaning the Colorado GOP will name its sixth chair in as many terms.

McCarney said he decided to jump in the state chair race at the 11th hour after several Republicans told him they couldn't get behind any of the other candidates.

The state GOP is charting a course forward in the wake of last year's election losses, when Democrats swept every statewide race, won Colorado's new congressional seat and expanded majorities in the Legislature, leaving Republicans with less power than at any time since at least the 1930s.

McCarney, an insurance agent and campaign veteran  he ran former President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign in Mesa County  says Republicans of all stripes need to set aside their differences and get on the same page.

"If were going to win in Colorado, were going to need everybody in line, pulling the same way," he told Colorado Politics.

Referring to a scene from the 1960 Kirk Douglas movie "Spartacus," McCarney said in an email announcing his candidacy that it's time for Republicans to stop trying to outdo each other by boasting that they're more conservative than their fellow partisans.

"I strongly argued for the need to rid ourselves of the Spartacus syndrome of who is more conservative," he said. "Unfortunately, we have become even more divided. Some folks think that they have (the) right to judge who is a 'Real Republican.' We can not go down that road anymore. If we are going to change Colorado, we are going to need every single Republican to be involved. Moderate, Conservative, Rural and Urban."

Added McCarney, who is fond of capitalizing words in his written communications: "We either lift every Republican Voice, or we doom ourselves to Failure."

He maintains the party's internal divisions spelled disaster in last year's midterms.

"We were our own worst enemies," McCarney said. "A lot of it was our own infighting, which cost us a lot of votes. A lot of it was the Tina Peters effect, which cost us a lot of votes. We did our own damage to our own selves. Who wants to be involved with a group if the people cant even get along with one another?"

Last summer, McCarney urged Peters to resign as Mesa County's top election official when she pursued a statewide recount after losing the GOP primary for secretary of state by more than 86,000 votes, or nearly 15 percentage points.

"Tina, all on your own you have created a new Wing of the Republican Party, the Delusional Sore Loser Wing," McCarney wrote in a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, adding that he was "embarrassed to ever have been a supporter."

Peters is facing a trial in Grand Junction in August on seven felony charges related to allegations she helped breach her county's secure voting system as part of a scheme to prove unfounded claims that the election equipment was rigged.

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Peters, who denies she broke the law and insists the charges against her are politically motivated, was convicted last week on a misdemeanor obstruction charge for trying to prevent local prosecutors from obtaining a tablet computer she used to record court proceedings in an unrelated case, in defiance of the judge's prohibition.

In last week's testimony, it emerged that Peters had help creating an email account for a pseudonym she sometimes used, in an effort to perpetuate the fiction that the tablet computer sought under a search warrant belonged to someone else.

McCarney said Peters' habit of blaming "the machines" and political rivals for her difficulties runs contrary to Republican values.

"Were supposed to be the party of accountability, and 'its not my fault' doesnt work," he said.

Distinguishing himself from the other six Republican state chair candidates, McCarney says there's no question Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, though he suggested in an interview that social media companies helped tip the scales to Biden by blocking conservative voices.

"I think people going after the machines are going down a hole we dont need to go down," McCarney said. "The result was, Joe Biden won, and its pretty clear. We need to look forward. If we keep fighting 2020 over and over again, we're going to lose over and over again."

Three of his rivals  Peters, Williams and Wood  stated flatly at a recent state chair debate that they believe Trump won the 2020 election. At the same debate, Lundberg said he thinks Trump won but can't be sure. Aadland said the party needs to quit rehashing the last presidential election and conceded that Biden won "by hook or by crook," adding, "Whether fraud dictated a role in the outcome of 2020, well, sadly, we'll never know folks." Stockham said he agreed with Aadland.

Instead of fighting old battles, McCarney said, Republicans need to "be much sharper" and focus on turnout, including encouraging campaigns to "harvest" mail ballots up to the legal limit.

McCarney told Colorado Politics that he supported the state party's decision to impose outside supervision on last month's El Paso County GOP leadership election.

He volunteered that as a member of the state Republicans' executive committee he voted to censure El Paso County chair Vickie Tonkins after she reprimanded local Republican candidates just days before the November election.

"Your job as county chairman is to support the candidates brought before you in the primary, and she didnt," he said, adding, "If I had pulled what Vickie did (as county chair), my butt wouldve been bouncing on I-70  they wouldve thrown me out so fast."

It's the second time McCarney has sought the state GOP's top job. In 2017, McCarney campaigned for state chair for about a month before switching to the race for vice chair but lost to Colorado Springs activist Sherrie Gibson by a wide margin. At the same time, Republicans elected former El Paso County GOP chair Jeff Hays as party chair in a two-way race.

During the 2017 party race, McCarney turned heads when he declared that Mesa County would break away from the state if a Republican wasn't elected governor in 2018.

If we lose the governors race, youre going to see me and other western counties in Colorado leave Colorado  we will secede, McCarney said at a state chair debate, adding, We feel like the left-out children.

Democrat Jared Polis won the governor's race in 2018  and was reelected to a second four-year term last year  but Mesa County has remained one of Colorado's 64 counties.
A new King Soopers grocery will anchor a 21-acre shopping center to be developed in Fountain, which the citys leaders and the projects developer say will provide more shopping and dining options for the fast-growing, but retail-starved Fountain Valley area south of Colorado Springs.

The store will be built southeast of Mesa Ridge Parkway and Syracuse Street on a site to be developed by Evergreen Devco, a real estate company with offices in Denver, Phoenix, California and Utah. The company, which has several existing residential, retail and commercial projects in the Colorado Springs area, will partner with the propertys current owner on the new Fountain development.

Evergreen Devco hopes to start construction on the project this fall, while the King Soopers is targeted to open in 2025, said Russ Perkins, a principal in the real estate companys Phoenix office.

King Soopers spokeswoman Jessica Trowbridge said via email she didnt have additional details about the supermarkets newest store at this time; in a news release, she said King Soopers was excited to join the Fountain community and to serve the residents of the Fountain Valley.

Evergreen Devcos shopping center in Fountain will mirror two other company projects in the Colorado Springs area.

In 2017, it opened the Claremont Ranch Marketplace, southeast of Constitution Avenue and Marksheffel Road in unincorporated El Paso County on Colorado Springs east edge. Evergreen Devco also is developing Falcon Marketplace, northwest of Woodmen and Meridian roads in unincorporated Falcon, northeast of the Springs.

Both shopping centers are anchored by a 123,000-square-foot King Soopers Marketplace  a store about twice the size of the chains traditional supermarkets. In addition to full lines of groceries, produce, meat and the like, marketplace stores sell clothing, shoes, dinnerware, small kitchen appliances and other items.

Evergreen Devcos shopping centers also are home to free-standing buildings for restaurants, coffee shops, auto part stores and service-oriented businesses, and both have multitenant, retail buildings.

The King Soopers at the new Fountain shopping center also will be a marketplace store, Perkins said. It will be joined by a half-dozen, standalone buildings; the real estate company is talking with three potential users, two of which are restaurants, he said.

For Fountain and the larger Fountain Valley, which includes unincorporated Security-Widefield, Fort Carson to the west and residential areas to the east, the new King Soopers and the larger retail center will broaden shopping for homeowners and residents in the region, said Kimberly Bailey, Fountains economic development and urban renewal director.

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The Fountain Valley has a population of about 109,000, she said; for grocery shoppers, the city of Fountain is home to two Walmart Supercenters and a Safeway store.

But Bailey said a city consultant has estimated the area loses $42 million a year in retail activity because residents still choose to shop in Colorado Springs and elsewhere, where there are more stores, restaurants and service-oriented businesses.

We are significantly underserved from a valley perspective, and thats what retailers look at, is the trade area, Bailey said.

King Soopers will offer more than just a place for groceries, she added.

The store also will have a pharmacy, lifestyle products and other services, Bailey said. At the same time, UC Health plans to build a 23,000-square-foot medical facility across the street, on the west side of Syracuse; the health care systems decision to locate its facility at the site was contingent on a large anchor committing to the shopping center, she said.

Once you have such a respectful anchor, brand that comes in, it in a way is a magnet for additional retailers to start considering the community for additional expansion, Bailey said.

Meanwhile, Fountain Municipal Transit, the citys mass transit system, will have a stop at the shopping center, which will provide an important link for King Soopers and other shoppers to connect to Colorado Springs via its Mountain Metro system, she said.

Perkins, of Evergreen Devco, says King Soopers decision to locate at the companys shopping center underscores the growth of Fountain and the Fountain Valley. Up to now, some real estate developers and retailers have overlooked that growth, he said.

We have been trying to fill the retail void in Fountain for probably the better part of eight years, he said. We, Evergreen, have believed there was enough demand and a growth story here to attract the caliber of a King Soopers.

Fountain has wrongfully been characterized for too long as a small town, Perkins added. Its not. ... I prefer to think of it as just an underserved neighborhood. There is a great shopping center up the hill with Safeway. But plain and simple, theres just more demand than has been met historically.
With the final location of U.S. Space Command still undecided after more than two years of debate, dozens of Colorado leaders renewed their plea for the headquarters to remain in the state.

In a letter sent to President Joe Biden on Wednesday, 94 local politicians, business leaders and military personnel argued that the command should stay in its provisional home in Colorado Springs. Those who signed the letter include Gov. Jared Polis, both of the state's U.S. senators, seven of the state's eight U.S. representatives, all leadership members of the state Legislature and Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers.

"Colorado is the best and only home for U.S. Space Command," the letter read. "Two years later, USSPACECOM has continued to prove its ability to ensure our national security in the space domain from Peterson Space Force Base."

This latest move follows years of heated discussion and debate that began in January 2021 when the Trump administration made the surprise announcement that headquarters would be moved from Colorado to Huntsville, Ala.

Military leaders had recommended that the command remain in Colorado Springs, leading critics on both sides of the aisle to argue that the decision was more political than strategic  an outgoing presidents last-ditch effort to reward a state that supported him, and to punish a state that didnt vote for him. Donald Trump has said the decision to move Space Command to Alabama was his alone.

Last year, two federal watchdog investigations  from the Government Accountability Office and the Pentagons Office of Inspector General  found Trumps decision to be fundamentally flawed but stopped short of recommending that it be reversed.

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"The reports identified Colorado Springs as the preferred location based on the best military judgment of our nations most senior national security space leaders," the letter read. "In fact, the USSPACECOM Commander expected Colorado Springs to achieve (full operational capacity) approximately four to six years sooner than other candidates."

The letter pointed to Colorado's status as a hub for the aerospace industry and the existing infrastructure already in place in Colorado Springs as making the state the best option for the Space Command headquarters. A 2021 paper, drafted by retired Air Force Gen. Ed Eberhart and retired Army Lt. Gen. Ed Anderson, found that allowing Space Command to remain in Colorado Springs would save taxpayers $1.24 billion.

The letter further agued that the cost-prohibitive and time-consuming process of moving the headquarters to Alabama could leave the U.S. vulnerable to Russian aggression or allow China to narrow the gap in the space race.

"We face an immediate and existential threat in the space domain," the letter read. "We cannot allow a flawed and costly political decision to threaten our national security and military readiness.
Konya Food and Agriculture University and Azerbaijans State Agrarian University signed a memorandum, Azernews reports.

The delegation of the Konya Food and Agriculture University visited the educational farm of the higher educational institution of the Azerbaijan State Agrarian University (ADAU) within the framework of the visit to Azerbaijan.

The guests got acquainted with the modern animal husbandry complex, intensive orchards, butcher shops, and indoor and outdoor educational auditoriums and were informed about specialist training in farm veterinary and zootechnical fields.

Then a meeting was held between the delegation led by Mehmet K?l?c and Zafar Gurbanov, acting as rector of ADAU.

The meeting discussed prospect of joint cooperation in seed production, plant breeding, plant diseases, greenhouse area, and other directions were discussed at the meeting.

The issues of joint scientific research, preparation of publications, and teacher-student exchange were also touched upon.

In the end, a memorandum on joint cooperation was signed between Azerbaijan State Agrarian University and Konya Food and Agriculture University.
The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday took the unusual step of modifying its recent ruling in a child neglect case, explicitly rejecting a mother's claim that her procedural rights were violated in the welfare proceedings.

In January, the court decided that when the government proves a child suffers a single serious bodily injury, even if the parent did not cause it, judges may find that no treatment plan would address the parent's deficiencies. Such a finding in dependency and neglect cases, as child welfare proceedings are formally known, could eventually lead to the termination of a parent's legal relationship with their child.

Initially, the mother's attorney decried the decision in People in the Interest of L.S. for placing parents on a path to termination without any proof they caused a serious injury to their child.

"The Supreme Court's far-reaching decision has taken off any due process or procedural brakes for parents who find themselves in a nightmare scenario where their children are seriously injured," said Ruchi Kapoor, who represents the mother of the child identified as L.S.

The Office of Respondent Parents' Counsel, which represents indigent parents, also labeled the decision "unacceptable and unconstitutional."

Now, the Supreme Court has pushed back against that criticism.

"Furthermore, contrary to Mothers assertions, our interpretation does not violate her right to procedural due process," wrote Justice William W. Hood III in a new section of the opinion, added in response to a request for reconsideration. The mother "has been provided, and will continue to receive, notice and an opportunity to be heard."

In the underlying case, 1-year-old L.S. went to the hospital for bruising and fractured bones, prompting Arapahoe County to initiate child neglect proceedings. The mother claimed the government failed to prove by "clear and convincing evidence" that L.S. had a serious bodily injury, and disputed whether such an injury alone could lead a judge to conclude a treatment plan did not exist to make the mother fit.

District Court Judge Don J. Toussaint ruled that although L.S. had a serious bodily injury, the injury by itself "is not evidence that no treatment plan can be devised."

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The Supreme Court reversed Toussaint's decision, noting the law allows judges to decide a serious bodily injury may indicate a parent will not become fit with a treatment plan. In its revised opinion on March 6, the justices elaborated that it makes no difference the law does not require proof L.S.'s mother caused his serious bodily injury.

"The statute contains no language regarding causation, and we cannot add words to the statute that arent there," Hood wrote.

The court also emphasized that its decision did not ensure the mother would have her relationship with L.S. terminated, as Toussaint has the discretion to decide an appropriate treatment plan exists after all.

"Mother is entitled to cross-examine the states witnesses and put on witnesses of her own, including an expert, paid for by the state," Hood wrote about a potential termination hearing. "After considering the states and Mothers evidence, the court may terminate parental rights if it finds that all statutory requirements have been established by clear and convincing evidence."

Kapoor, the attorney for the mother, declined to comment on the court's added reasoning and conclusions.

Executive director Chris Henderson of the Office of the Child's Representative, which provides legal representation to children, pointed out that Hood had inserted references to prior cases that require judges to consider a child's "physical, mental and emotional needs" in their decisions.

"The modified opinion does not change the outcome of this case and makes even more clear that the Courts decision is not creating new law," Henderson said. "At OCR, we believe that this continued emphasis on childrens needs is imperative and are glad the Court included that."
When the Episcopal Church Womens Thrift House opened nearly 65 years ago in Colorado Springs, the idea of reselling clothes and other goods that had taken a few trips around the block but were still spiffy enough for someone elses use was novel.

It was one of the few in town, said Penny Bever, a volunteer of more than 30 years. Now theyre a dime a dozen.

But the ranks of local charitable thrift shops are being depleted by two.

The Episcopal Womens Thrift House is preparing to close its doors likely in April, said Diana Wieger, board president. Itll take that long to get through this months 75% off sale and move the spring merchandise next month, she says.

Wieger cites rising costs of doing business and not getting enough business to cover the costs.

Beyond that, Episcopal Church Women leaders mention unsavory neighborhood activity as another key reason.

Homeless people are keeping customers away from the store and threatening staff and volunteers, Wieger said.

Its ironically a population that has benefited from sales from the social enterprise.

The thrift house opened in April of 1958 at 2812 W. Colorado Ave., on the citys west side, land now occupied by a small office building.

In 1963, the nonprofit operation affiliated with area Episcopal churches relocated to 1027 S. Tejon St., where its been for the past 60 years. Churches helped the organization buy the property in 1984, Bever said.

Today, just down the street there's a six-block campus that contains the citys largest homeless shelter and related services.

The homeless population camping on the corner and sleeping on the sidewalks has made a lot of our regular customers literally afraid to come to the store anymore, Wieger said.

Homeless people have climbed on the stores roof to hang out and use drugs, she said, which necessitated installing razor wire to keep them off the property.

On top of that, One guy held an employee hostage in her office, Wieger said. Its been adding up; that and utilities are killing us.

Also shutting down is the Academy Spouses Club Thrift Shop, which dates to at least the early 1970s, according to former employee Patty Landon.

Sandwiched between Academy Federal Credit Union, the bases post office and the pharmacy inside the Air Force Academys community center, the thrift shop has been a reliable part of our military community, offering affordable clothing and household items for sale and on consignment, said Landon, who had worked as the stores assistant manager.

News of the impending closure came as an abrupt blow to workers and volunteers, she said.

It isnt based on business being bad  we were raising money for the community and had no issues with the shop itself, Landon said. This is a political situation.

Tenth Air Base Wing Cmdr. Col. Christopher Leonard announced a few weeks ago that the Academy Spouses Club Thrift Shop would be going out of business.

As installation commander, Leonard has authority under Air Force policy to authorize and revoke authorization for private organizations to operate on the federal property, said Academy spokesman Dean Miller.

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After evaluating emerging USAFA (United States Air Force Academy) mission and space requirements and upon review of a request by the Academy Spouses Club to pause operations at their thrift shop, the installation commander exercised his authority to cease thrift shop operations in order to best serve USAFA mission needs, Miller said in an email.

The Academy Spouses Club executive board would not provide an interview to The Gazette, instead providing a statement about the situation.

In revising and updating its bylaws and constitution this year  which is required every two years by all private organizations that operate on any military base  the groups all-volunteer board discovered that the policies being used to govern ASC Thrift Shop operations were no longer fully compliant with changes made to Colorado and other relevant laws since 2021, the statement reads.

After speaking with lawyers, members of the executive board requested from Leonard a pause in thrift shop operations, the statement said, to allow time to remedy the unnamed problems.

Leonard told the club that a pause was not possible, and that the ASC Thrift Shop would need to be fully shutdown instead, according to the clubs statement.

This response was a surprise to the Academy Spouses Club executive board, members said, adding, However, the board understands the installation commander's decision.

Landon said the thrift store raised about $20,000 annually to fund the clubs dependent scholarship awards for military families and provide welfare grants to organization such as the Academys fire department, Douglas Valley Elementary School, Operation Homefront and others.

The spouses club will continue fundraising efforts, the executive board said, and try new adventures and look for ways to expand.

The thrift shop is returning all consignment items to owners, club members said. Donated stock will either be sold or donated to other charitable organizations, with the date of a final sale still to be determined.

The space it occupies will be returned to the 10th Air Base Wing on March 31, club members said.

A facility-use board evaluates requests for space on the Academy grounds through a formal process in support of mission requirements, Miller said.

That will determine how the thrift store space will be used, he said.

A change.org petition calling for the store to be saved has accumulated more than 150 signatures.

It was quite a shock and seems completely unnecessary, Landon said.

The decision has drawn a mixture of comments, Miller said.

Shuttering the Episcopal Church Women Thrift House also will be difficult, say those affiliated with the longstanding nonprofit.

In prosperous times, the store raised more than a quarter million dollars yearly, said Bever.

The money was donated to a long list of nonprofits that help domestic violence victims, pregnant women, homeless and low-income residents, people needing affordable housing, families of sick children, juvenile offenders, senior citizens, military households, cancer survivors, foster kids and others in need.

In the early days, the Thrift House held creative promotions to boost sales, Bever said. The most popular was the Snob Sale, which began in 1963 and occurred every October. Recycled riches were hauled out for the event, which was so in demand that police helped with traffic control because of crowd congestion.

It was always considered one of the boutique, upscale thrift stores in town, Bever said.

I think its going to leave a hole, yet I understand everything has a cycle, she said. Its just kind of sad overall.
Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ali Asadov, met with the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Jose Ramos Horta, who was visiting our country, Azernews reports citing the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers.

At the meeting, the importance of the 10th Global Baku Forum to be held in the capital of Azerbaijan was emphasized at the meeting.

Hope was expressed that the first visit of the President of Timor-Leste to Azerbaijan will have a positive effect on the development of relations between the two countries.

During the meeting of President Jose Ramos Horta with the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, views were exchanged on the issues discussed, as well as the perspectives of bilateral cooperation in various fields.
Del. Matt Fariss, R-Campbell, faces three charges after state police said he was the driver in a hit-and-run incident that injured a woman in Campbell County.

Fariss, 54, turned himself in on Friday and was charged with one count each of malicious wounding, hit and run, and reckless driving, according to Virginia State Police. The malicious wounding and hit-and-run charges are felonies.

In an email Tuesday to The News & Advance, Fariss said, "While I may have made some mistakes in my life, these charges are false. I look forward to clearing them in a court of law."

Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert said in a statement he is aware of the charges against Fariss.

I am certain that Virginia's legal system will ascertain all the facts and adjudicate the matter in a timely and just fashion," Gilbert said.

Fariss, a Republican, was first elected in 2011 to represent the Virginia House of Delegates' 59th District, which covers Appomattox and Buckingham counties, plus parts of Albemarle, Campbell and Nelson counties.

The malicious wounding charge, a Class 3 felony in Virginia, is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $100,000 fine, according to court records.

Fariss is scheduled for arraignment at 11 a.m. March 17 in Campbell General District Court.

According to state police, on Thursday afternoon a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe was traveling south on U.S. 501 when it crossed the center line and hit a pedestrian. The Tahoe left the scene, and the adult female pedestrian suffered minor injuries.

An investigation led state police to identify Fariss as the Tahoe's driver.

According to court documents, Fariss was released on a $7,500 secured bond.

According to a written complaint attached to court documents filed Friday, a woman wrote she was riding in the car with Fariss on Thursday, heading to Halifax from Evington.

The woman said Fariss was "tailgating someone" and she "told him to cut it out," leading Fariss to pass the car at an "excessive speed," causing a tire to "blow out."

The written complaint said Fariss then pulled into a church parking lot, where he called his son in search of a jack for the vehicle.

After an argument over the jack with his son, Fariss called him a "liar" and made "several more calls to his son," according to the woman's complaint.

After the woman told Fariss' son not to come, Fariss became "angry" with her, to the point where the woman told him, "I don't have to listen to this, I am not doing this with you," according to the complaint.

The woman wrote she grabbed her belongings to "walk up 501 to my cousin's home in Winfall," which she said was maybe about half a mile away.

It was then, she said, Fariss began yelling at her, and as she continued to walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic, Fariss was in the right lane yelling at her to "get in the truck."

The woman wrote she said a "firm no" and kept walking.

At this point, according to the complaint, Fariss turned the vehicle "to the left at a 90-degree turn and hit me [with] the Tahoe" from her left, spinning her to the ground.

"This could have easily killed, paralyzed, maimed me," the woman wrote.

According to the complaint, Fariss told the woman, "You should have gotten in the 'g-- d----- car,'" as she was "scampering away on the ground fearing at this point he may shoot me."

The complaint goes on to say a man "saw all of this" from across the street and came out yelling. Once Fariss saw this man, the complaint said, "he got in his car and fled the scene."

Fariss is married with three children. He has operated a country store, managed real estate and farms and raised cattle, among other businesses, according to his website. He currently co-owns and is vice president of the Lynchburg Livestock Market.

In 2016, Fariss pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor hit-and-run charge in Campbell County in connection with a July 2015 incident that damaged fencing, a highway sign and a mailbox.

According to facts agreed to in court in 2016, Fariss was driving a Dodge Ram pickup on Red House Red on July 29 when the vehicle struck a tree, went in and out of a ditch and went airborne. The truck stopped but left the scene before police arrived. No one was injured in the crash.

Fariss' attorney said he had reached down to retrieve a soda that had fallen into the floorboard when the crash occurred.
Wisconsin-based cable and internet service provider TDS officially opened its Helena warehouse Tuesday afternoon following a previous announcement that the company is now hiring more than 20 local employees.

Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras was on hand to help in the ribbon cutting ceremony at 920 E. Lyndale Ave.

"Montana is open for business," Juras said in an interview following the event. "This administration is working hard to create an environment where employers and employees can thrive."

Juras, who is leading Gov. Greg Gianforte's red tape relief task force, took the opportunity to tout that work, asserting more than 186 related bills to cut what officials said are unnecessary or excessive regulations are either working their way through the state Legislature or waiting to be signed by Gianforte.

TDS Vice President of Corporate Affairs Drew Petersen called his company "data rich" and said it used extensive research on communities across America to determine which were both growing and underserved by current internet service providers.

"In Montana, we see tremendous demographics, great growth, and these markets are underserved," Petersen said.

He noted Juras' attendance Tuesday and Gianforte's scheduled appearance at a similar promotional event in Missoula later in the week.

"We're making significant investments that causes them to take notice," he said. "They want to stimulate development and job growth, and we're the kind of company they welcome with open arms."

TDS hosted a legislator meet-and-greet Tuesday evening at Lewis and Clark Brewing Co. in Helena as well.

In a news release last week, TDS announced it is hiring 25 people to positions within Montana in addition to the 45 already employed in the state.

"At TDS, we invest not only in the communities we serve, but also in the people we hire," Petersen said in the news release. "We've been impressed with the quality of individuals who now work for TDS in Montana and we look forward to hiring even more Montanans."

More striking is the company's financial investments.

TDS expects to spend more than $30 million installing fiber optic cables in the Helena area alone.

Petersen also noted during Tuesday's promotional event that TDS also contributes financially to philanthropic efforts in the markets it serves.

Within its first 18 months operating in Montana, the company asserts it has spent tens of thousands of dollars in local sponsorships and donations to local charities. Much of that has been spent in Billings, where the company got its first foothold in the state.

On Tuesday, the company presented Montana Learning Center with a $5,000 donation.

Ryan Hannahoe, Montana Learning Center executive director, thanked Petersen and TDS for the funds.

"This is an outstanding donation for our organization," Hannahoe said. "It's huge for us to be able to connect with a local company. We're big on developing jobs in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workforce, and we're happy to partner with TDS."

It is an effective strategy to ingratiate a new company to a community.

"I always say we try to out local the locals," Petersen said. "That's the kind of community partner people want to do business with."

The company has already secured nonexclusive franchise rights with the city of Helena and Lewis and Clark County.

The company also states it has begun construction of its fiber network in Helena and hopes to deliver internet service to more than 25,000 homes and businesses in the area within the coming years.
DECATUR  Macon County is facing allegations it violated state and federal wage laws by failing to properly pay employees for overtime work.

In a federal civil lawsuit filed this week, two county employees who also worked part-time as intake clerks at the Macon County Jail say they were underpaid for overtime hours accrued in part-time positions they held since the mid-2000s.

Further, they allege that county leaders knew after an audit in 2021 that all employees working in secondary positions had not been paid properly, yet officials failed to recover the lost wages.

Macon County States Attorney Scott Rueter said the county is aware of the lawsuit and is working to review the arguments within. This is something we take seriously, he said.

He also said county officials will not be responding to the lawsuit through the news media. Thats what courtrooms are for, he said.

County Chairman Kevin Greenfield and Sheriff Jim Root both declined to comment, citing the ongoing litigation.

Complaint origins

Both plaintiffs, Jacque Hymes and Yvonne Taylor, said they work full-time in other county roles: Hymes as a deputy clerk at the Macon County Circuit Clerks Office and Taylor as an unspecified employee at the Macon County Sheriffs Office. Both earn around $18 per hour in their primary roles.

They said county officials decided in 2005 or 2006 to have them work part-time in the secondary roles and told them that the pay for all overtime hours would be 1 times their regular rate. Instead, the lawsuit says, Macon County paid them $12.50 per hour in their secondary roles.

The plaintiffs  represented by the Chicago law firm Vaziri Law, LLC  say they averaged 10 to 20 hours per week in those jobs.

The secondary jobs came to an end after the Macon County sheriff called a meeting of part-time secondary position employees in August 2021, according to the lawsuit. During the meeting, the sheriff reportedly told employees that they had not been paid properly and that their positions would be eliminated by the end of September 2021.

The lawsuit does not identify the sheriff who reportedly made the statements, though Root officially took on his role in June 2021.

The following year, Root told the Herald & Review overtime costs had been costing the corrections division around $54,000 a month.

Some people are under the philosophy that you can pay overtime instead of paying benefits to save money, but when your overtime becomes so very large because of a staff shortage, you are not saving any money, Root said at the time.

Damages sought

The lawsuit also alleges that the Macon County Board sought an audit of county payroll practices around November 2021. The results ultimately "revealed any employees working in a second position were not paid properly," it said.

The plaintiffs said they attempted to resolve their claims with the county prior to filing suit but the county stopped communicating with them.

The complaint charges the county with three counts of alleged violations of state and federal laws. Count One alleges a violation of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which established the time and a half guideline for overtime pay. Counts Two and Three allege violations of the Illinois Minimum Wage Law and the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act, respectively.

The plaintiffs are seeking all back payments they believe they are owed because of the overtime they worked, as well as interest on those wages and other monetary damages.
Azerbaijan has great potential in the development of alternative energy sources as a green energy hub, Azernews reports, citing the Chairman of the Board of the Global Fund for the Eradication of Modern Forms of Slavery, former vice-president of Exxon Mobile, member of the Board of Directors of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center Jean Badershneider telling at a press conference held on March 8 in connection with the 10th Global Baku Forum.

Jean Badershneider spoke about Azerbaijan's contribution to ensuring Europe's energy security as the most important country in the region, and about the relevance of alternative energy sources and emphasized that there is an acute need for renewable energy sources.

It is significant to note that the Southern Gas Corridor makes an important contribution to Europe's energy security, Jean Badershneider also added that the South Caucasus region currently plays an incredibly important role in the world.
DECATUR  Derrius L. Gaddy, the Decatur man who made a desperate and failed attempt to escape the police officers pursuing him, has been sent to prison for 18 months.

Gaddy, 35, had been running on foot from Decatur Police at 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 16, dashing down the middle of West Eldorado Street near its intersection with North Main Street, police said.

Sworn affidavits describe him trying unsuccessfully to jump into two different vehicles as their drivers waited in traffic.

Both vehicles denied him entry and sped off, said Officer Sean Bowsher, who signed the affidavit. The chase went on for three blocks before Gaddys escape attempts failed and he was arrested.

Bowsher said he first encountered the defendant in the 200 block of East Cerro Gordo Street and tried to arrest him there because he knew Gaddy was wanted on a warrant for criminal trespass.

I advised Derrius that he had a warrant, he was under arrest and to put his hands behind his back, Bowsher said in the affidavit.

At that time Derrius took off running from me and two other Decatur Police officers. I was able to chase Derrius for approximately three blocks, telling him numerous times to stop running, which he ignored.

And while in foot pursuit of Derrius, Officer Cline fell down in gravel and sustained numerous bloody cuts, scrapes and abrasions to his hands, elbow and knees, which required medical attention at Decatur Memorial Hospital.

Gaddy previously pleaded not guilty to a charge of resisting police and he was due to face trial in Macon County Circuit Court on Monday. But he changed his mind at the last minute and switched his plea to guilty.

The defendants 18-month sentence is subject to day for day credit and he also gets credit for time served in custody from the date of his arrest through March 5.

Updated mugshots from the Herald & Review Joseph A. Williams William A. Hosea Randolph Hayes Byron D. Theus Jetrevius O. Jarrett Phillip Gehrken Emmanuel White Aaron L. Hand
SPRINGFIELD  When I lived in Chicago, not a day went by that I didn't see the city's iconic flag waving somewhere.

Whether it was hanging on the living room wall of a friend's apartment, on flagpoles outside the neat homes in the city's bungalow belt or outside the towering skyscrapers of the Loop, the flag, with its four six-pointed red stars sandwiched between two blue bars on a field of white, is a symbol of civic pride across the whole city and is recognized far beyond its borders.

"You can't walk down the street in Chicago on a summer day without coming across somebody with a Chicago flag tattoo or item of clothing," said statehouse lobbyist John Amdor. "It's (a) way to personalize your expression of the place that you call home."

This stands in stark contrast with the flag of the state of Illinois, which is not so easy on the eyes. Sure, it can be recognized, too. But that's almost entirely because the name of the state is literally emblazoned on it.

State Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, wants to change that, filing legislation that would create a commission to develop new flag designs and, ultimately, make a recommendation on whether the current flag should be replaced.

"If you live in Illinois, probably the last time you even thought about the state flag was when you were in junior high," Turner told me in an interview Tuesday morning. "And then the next time you thought about anything on state government was when you were a senior and you had to pass the Constitution test in order to graduate. And that was it."

"But this will kind of get people involved and have them take more interest in state government, hopefully, and get people energized about Illinois," she said.

The legislation has been appropriately numbered Senate Bill 1818, a nod to the year Illinois became a state. And perhaps it's just a coincidence, but the commission would have 21 members. Illinois was the 21st state admitted to the union.

But the state flag is a more recent phenomenon, first being adopted by the state legislature in 1915 at the behest of Ellen Park Lawrence, an Illinois member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The current flag features the state seal, which dates to 1868, on a white field. It depicts an eagle with a banner in its beak with the state motto, State Sovereignty, National Union. The bird is also carrying a shield in its talons, with 13 stars and strips representing the original colonies.

It also features the prairie with the sun rising over water in the background. The flag was amended in 1970 to include the state's name below the seal.

Hannah Higgins, a professor of art history at the University of Illinois at Chicago, said the adoption of state flags took off between the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and World War I as a means of individual states carving out identities from the rest of the country. However, some states, particularly in the South, had flags predating the 20th century.

"If you think about the flag of the state of Texas, the Lone Star State has the Lone Star flag. Like, it makes sense," Higgins said. "The California flag with its weird bear, the California Republic, like it says something about how California sees itself. And I don't think that the Illinois state flag does that really at all."

Higgins said there is "nothing unique" about Illinois' flag, calling it "incredibly boring."

Vexillologists  people who study the history, symbolism and usage of flags  agree. In a 2001 poll of its members, the North American Vexillological Association ranked Illinois' flag 49th out of 72 U.S. state and Canadian provincial flags.

"I agree that it's time to at least address the question of a flag redesign, because it's so generic and nonspecific that when one looks at it, it doesn't particularly mean Illinois  which is why they had to, in 1970, put the word 'Illinois' on it," Higgins said. "That tells you that there's a problem with that design."

And it's not a problem that's gone unnoticed over the years.

Former state Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, now president of the Illinois Railroad Association, has long been an advocate for changing the state flag.

Butler, who is known to wave all kinds of flags outside of his Springfield home, said he's in favor of "a clean flag that's easily recognizable."

"I think the current state flag has some attributes that I like, but also I think we can do something that's more iconic," Butler said. "And when you look at the states that you really recognize for the state flags  Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, South Carolina, Alaska  flags that are iconic and, largely, a lot of times, simple in their design."

Both Amdor and Butler say it doesn't have to be difficult. They have suggested replacing the current flag with the 1918 centennial flag.

Designed by the same person who designed Chicago's flag, the flag features a middle blue stripe on a field of white. There are 10 blue stars on each the upper and lower white bands  representing the northern and southern states at the time Illinois was admitted to the union  and a large white star on the middle blue stripe for the state itself.

Happy Illinois Statehood Day!

202 years ago today we became #21.



In honor of this birthday, how about a gift for our 13 million people?



Let's change our state flag to something more iconic than our state seal on white.



I'm a fan of our 1918 Centennial Flag fitting that role. pic.twitter.com/FwodPmiCIE  Tim Butler (@TimButlerIL) December 3, 2020

If Turner's legislation passes, the commission would establish goals and guiding principles for the redesign and a process for submitting proposals.

It would also create a website to provide historical information about the flag and an online suggestion box so state residents can offer their ideas. Residents would also be able to vote on potential flag designs.

This would all be done in concert with a public awareness campaign.

By September 2024, the commission would need to select 10 flag designs and, finally, submit a report to the legislature by Dec. 3, 2024, offering a recommendation for a revised or new state flag.

The process is modeled loosely after Utah, which established a task force last year to explore a new state flag. After more than 7,000 flag designs were submitted and 44,000 comments received, the state settled on a redesign, which was approved by the legislature earlier this month and takes effect March 9 next year.

"I'm thinking that we can outdo Utah," Turner said.

Turner said she views the effort as "a great opportunity to get people throughout the state energized and involved in state government."

Amdor, a native of Nebraska, said that "as an adopted Illinoisan that kind of embraced the state with the zeal of a convert, I think a state flag is a really great vehicle for expression of state pride and our shared identity."

Butler said he would "love to get a flag where I see people flying it from porches all the time like they do when I go to other states."

There's a common thread here: a desire to stitch together a diverse state often defined and divided by regional differences. This is about more than just a flag. It's about what the flag represents.

"Illinois needs an infusion of pride," Butler said. "We'll never get away from our regionalism The southern part of the state is farther south than Richmond, Virginia, the northern part of the state is farther north than Boston."

"But, at the end of the day, there's a lot of things to be proud of as Illinoisans," he said. "And I think that should be reflected in the flag and something that people want to take pride in."

I'm skeptical Illinoisans will ever share the same cohesive identity or pride that Texans or Californians have for their states.

But a little effort at generating civic pride never hurt anyone. And yes, count me among those who think the state's flag needs a glow-up.

License plate redesign?

Speaking of a redesign, I asked Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias earlier this week if one was in store anytime soon for the state's license plates.

The current plates, featuring red numbers and letters along with a blue-white background including half of President Abraham Lincoln's head and an outline of the Chicago skyline, a farm and the Illinois Capitol, has been in circulation since 2017.

The plates were met with less-than-stellar reviews when they were rolled out, with former Chicago Tribune architecture critic Blair Kamin labeling them "busy" and "banal" and an "'all things to all people' melange."

Well, they appear here to stay for the time being.

"I don't think that's the first thing on my priority list," Giannoulias said. "And I also have zero creative ability, so I'm the I'm the wrong guy to ask on what the new plate would look like."

Spokesman Henry Haupt later added the office is "reviewing the timeline for a new license plate design."

"The current license plate design was introduced in 2017 with an approximate 10-year replating period to follow before a new redesign would occur," Haupt said. "Any changes in the design would occur with input from law enforcement and the public."

How many state flags do you know? How many state flags do you know? Flag #1 Flag #1: Alabama Flag #2 Flag #2: Alaska Flag #3 Flag #3: Arizona Flag #4 Flag #4: Arkansas Flag #5 Flag #5: California Flag #6 Flag #6: Colorado Flag #7 Flag #7: Connecticut Flag #8 Flag #8: Delaware Flag #9 Flag #9: Florida Flag #10 Flag #10: Georgia Flag #11 Flag #11: Hawaii Flag #12 Flag #12: Idaho Flag #13 Flag #13: Illinois Flag #14 Flag #14: Indiana Flag #15 Flag #15: Iowa Flag #16 Flag #16: Kansas Flag #17 Flag #17: Kentucky Flag #18 Flag #18: Louisiana Flag #19 Flag #19: Maine Flag #20 Flag #20: Maryland Flag #21 Flag #21: Massachusetts Flag #22 Flag #22: Michigan Flag #23 Flag #23: Minnesota Flag #24 Flag #24: Mississippi Flag #25 Flag #25: Missouri Flag #26 Flag #26: Montana Flag #27 Flag #27: Nebraska Flag #28 Flag #28: Nevada Flag #29 Flag #29: New Hampshire Flag #30 Flag #30: New Jersey Flag #31 Flag #31: New Mexico Flag #32 Flag #32: New York Flag #33 Flag #33: North Carolina Flag #34 Flag #34: North Dakota Flag #35 Flag #35: Ohio Flag #36 Flag #36: Oklahoma Flag #37 Flag #37: Oregon Flag #38 Flag #38: Pennsylvania Flag #39 Flag #39: Rhode Island Flag #40 Flag #40: South Carolina Flag #41 Flag #41: South Dakota Flag #42 Flag #42: Tennessee Flag #43 Flag #43: Texas Flag #44 Flag #44: Utah Flag #45 Flag #45: Vermont Flag #46 Flag #46: Virginia Flag #47 Flag #47: Washington Flag #48 Flag #48: West Virginia Flag #49 Flag #49: Wisconsin Flag #50 Flag #50: Wyoming
Pete Buttigieg, a hatchet man? That doesnt seem to fit his style, or personality. Besides, doesnt that unofficial task typically go to a vice president or another high-ranking official? As Transportation Secretary, I guess Buttigieg would qualify. After President Bidens recent State of the Union speech, maybe Buttigieg could create a new hatchet man template.

Id welcome a kinder, gentler version of that traditional lightning rod role. But after hearing the Transportation Secretary dismantle some of his detractors  Fox News comes to mind  Im not sure Id describe his technique as kind or gentle. A civil, dignified velvet glove approach might be more accurate.

In government, hatchet men have played a convenient role for U.S. presidents longing to preserve whatever air of decency they have  or think they have.

Affable Ronald Reagan had Treasury Secretary, and later Chief of Staff Donald Regan to deliver unfriendly news to the press; Gerald Ford used Kansas Senator and 1976 VP running mate Robert Dole to perform the same function; and George H.W. Bush, another confrontation-averse leader, leaned on Lee Atwater to waylay potential Bush rivals, particularly Massachusetts Governor and 1988 presidential rival Michael Dukakis; and perhaps the mother of all modern-day hatchet men, Spiro Agnew, Richard Nixons first vice president.

President Biden wants to restore a sense of unity and calm in America. Is it prudent to suggest that Pete Buttigieg can help him do that? We know spite is contagious. Maybe civility is too. Lets find out.

Jim Newton, Itasca
Vote now until noon on April 20th to support the businesses that you think are the best in the New Braunfels area.
BCS Wealth Management celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2023.

It began in 1998 as a separate company and financial planning practice created by the partners of the Blackburn, Childers & Steagall CPA firm in Johnson City. Charles Steagall, Jeff Blackburn, Karen McMurray, Tommy Greer, Jim Wilson, and Mike Alread formed BCS Financial, LLC in February 1998.

Wealth management went hand in hand with the other services we offered, including tax and financial strategies. We knew being a fee-based firm was unique at the time. More times than not, our clients were asking us if we could provide this service for them because it put us on the same side of the table with our clients, former managing partner Tommy Greer said in the statement.

The firm offers financial planning, investment management, insurance, group benefits for businesses, and family office services. The companys offices are in Johnson City and Kingsport, with satellite offices available in Greeneville, Tenn. and Boone, N.C.

In celebration of its anniversary, the company established an annual scholarship fund at the ETSU College of Business and the William B. Green, Jr. School of Business at Milligan University.

The firm will provide an annual $2,500 scholarship to a deserving finance student at each university.
Farm and Fun Time with Sam Bush

Pyromaniac notes flame regularly from the white-hot strings of Sam Bushs mandolin and fiddle.

Bush leads the lineup for Farm and Fun Times return to Paramount Bristol. Attend the good-natured riot on Thursday, March 16. Bristols Annabelles Curse and Johnson Citys Bill and the Belles open Farm and Fun Time, which doubles as a live radio show broadcast on Radio Bristol.

Bush co-founded progressive bluegrass pioneers New Grass Revival. He was well established as a boundaries-obliterating whiz kid musician. Bush established pathways of music for himself that wound elements of jazz improvisation with bluegrass acumen and reggae rhythms within blitzing streams of rock n roll freedom. Bush became and remains quite the dynamo.

If You Go

 What: Farm and Fun Time Show

 Who: Sam Bush, Annabelles Curse, and Bill and the Belles

 When: Thursday, March 16 at 7 p.m.

 Where: Paramount Bristol, 518 State St., Bristol, Tenn.

 Admission: $47-$93

 Info: 423-274-8920

 Web, audio and video: www.sambush.com

BoDeans

From Wisconsins indelible world of beer, cheese, and the Green Bay Packers come 40-year rockers BoDeans.

Heartland rockers whose hooks-laden beat bleeds pure American rock n roll, BoDeans makes its Bristol debut at The Cameo Theater on Friday, March 10. Superb tickets remain. Led by co-founder Kurt Neumann, look for BoDeans to liberally sample from their steady-beating career.

BoDeans enjoyed hits straight out of the chute. Introduced to America with its debut album, Love & Hope & Sex & Dreams in 1986, BoDeans quickly became college and alternative rock favorites. Laden with infectious grooves in tracks from Shes a Runaway to Fadeaway and Still the Night, BoDeans laid foundations of style that continues through last years album, 4 the Last Time.

If You Go

 Who: BoDeans

 When: Friday, March 10 at 8 p.m.

 Where: The Cameo Theater, 703 State St., Bristol, Va.

 Admission: $36-$52.50

 Info: 276-296-1234

 Web, audio and video: https://bodeans.com

Free Fallin

Tom Petty never performed in Bristol. However, songs that made Petty a legend in the ranks of rock n roll history, will make their rounds this week.

Paramount Bristol welcomes Free Fallin: The Tom Petty Concert Experience back to its storied locale on the Tennessee side of State Street on Saturday, March 11. Plentiful tickets remain.

Pettys signature sound helped provide backbone to Americas rock n roll scene during the late 1970s and 80s. Disco danced, but Petty rocked. Free Fallin step into Pettys sizable footprints to perform the jangly rockers lifetime of songs including 1977s Breakdown and 1989s Free Fallin as best they can. Obviously, theyre not Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. For those who never saw Petty and band, perhaps Free Fallin will suffice in their absence.

If You Go

 Who: Free Fallin: The Tom Petty Concert Experience

 When: Saturday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m.

 Where: Paramount Bristol, 518 State St., Bristol, Tenn.

 Admission: $25.04-$58.50

 Info: 423-274-8920

 Web, audio and video: www.freefallin.us

Music Notes

When the skies grow dark and the lights go up, downtown Bristol thrives. Particularly on weekend nights, music spreads along State Street from the speakers placed along the sidewalks to the venues along the routeway.

Last Saturday night was no exception. A trio of local musicians prepared to infuse their talents into Moose in the Round at Machiavellis on 5th Street. But first, around the corner and a few strides along State Street, The Diary of Anne Frank unfurled in memorable fashion to its second sell-out audience of the weekend. Across the street, Gene Simmons peered from a window of Cheap Thrills Records, seemingly amped to step on stage as rocks god of thunder.

A block away, strains of The Beatles I Want to Hold Your Hand and A Hard Days Night emanated from the gorgeous Cameo Theater. They reminded a near-capacity crowd that The Beatles music just may possess as much if not more power than during the 1960s.

Then meanwhile at Machiavellis, Bristols Moose Roberts proclaimed it was time for the music to play. Long and bushy of beard, Roberts boundless voice recalled his The Fury  Heat! days with an exuberant Sidewalk Cities.

Roberts anchored one end of the stage. Abingdons Logan Fritz, the other. Prodigious Scotty Melton balanced the middle. Roberts ranged through a catalog that bulges to the tunes of nearly 50 albums. Melton peeled back the skin on wounds past and perhaps present, too. Fritz, young enough to be Roberts and Meltons son, proved no slouch whatever in terms of revelatory songs.

Melton displayed his John Prine roots with I Aint Up to Feeling Down Today. Fritz pulled the tab on a new song, So it Seems. Roberts echoed rock n roll gospel with the call and response Wade in the Water.

Boxers in the ring, Fritz floated, Melton stung, and Roberts hammered. Haymakers all, each offered varying approaches in the process of delivering knockout punches to an expectant audience. They sang of lonely streets and lonelier times, heartaches delivered and heartbreaks received.

Fritz Rude Awakening opened lanes for Roberts harrowing The Tomb is Empty and Meltons lovelorn I Dont Want to be a Romeo. Like preachers in the pulpit, they rendered two hours of have mercies.

David Grisman Quintet mesmerize during this weeks free MP3 download. Culled from their Acoustic Disc album, Live at Jazz Alley, embrace the spirited track Janice at https://acousticdisc.com/product/david-grisman-quintet-live-at-jazz-alley-download. Ripe in musical calisthenics, Grismans mandolin jump-starts the songs exercise in instrumental prowess that canvasses jazz wildness and touches of bluegrass wonder.
Lenoir-Rhyne University is revising its engineering physics program and expanding its faculty with two new members, a news release from the university stated.

The goal is to align the program with regional industry needs, giving graduates an edge in the job market, the release said.

Courtney McGahee and Ben Madison will join as full-time faculty in July to help expand the automation technology area in the department. Expanding that area will enable graduates to meet growing demand in industries throughout western North Carolina, while entering a career path with opportunities for advancement, the release said.

Theres so much opportunity in this field. People think about automation in manufacturing first, but the industries in this area are just one part of the demand for automation. Weve worked with companies that are automating processes for utilities and internet services, setting up systems and redundancies because the loss of time is so expensive if the servers go down or the water stops running, Madison, who has a masters degree in engineering physics with a concentration in instrumentation and laboratory automation from Appalachian State, said in the release.

For example, Catawba and its surrounding counties are home to half a dozen data centers, including centers for Apple, Facebook and Google, which house servers that have become essential for business and everyday life, the release said. These companies contract with automation experts for HVAC systems, lighting, energy efficiency and other supports that keep the servers online.

McGahee, who completed her masters degree in engineering physics at Appalachian State University and earned a doctorates in physics at Clemson University, said in the release, Both of us were trained in a very specific way that is oriented toward a focus on industry. The strength of the current program is that its very hands-on. With LRs smaller class sizes, undergraduates can take on the unique problem-solving approaches that you cant in a larger setting.

Prior to LR, McGahee served as the graduate program director for engineering physics at Appalachian State.

Courtney and Ben will be amazing additions to our program. Their years of experience and expertise will help move the Lenoir-Rhyne engineering physics program to the forefront of the field in our area and provide our students with the skills necessary to achieve their dreams, said Shaun Williams, dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics.
A farm transition is a serious investment into the future of the business. It must also be an investment into the future of both the outgoing and incoming generations.

Balancing those needs on a personal basis and a financial basis is tricky and laden with emotion. To guide the process, financial adviser Lamar King recommends considering an intentional path for each dollar. What do you want to be remembered for? asked King during a presentation at the Pennsylvania Dairy Summit. With that in mind, think about how you are learning and saving to make that a reality.

When one generation retires from the farm, the financial agreement must be structured so it is affordable for the new generation while still providing enough for the older generation to live on. Most people consider the affordability of the younger generation but give less thought to the expenses of the older generation, King said. This is especially complicated as people continue to live longer and the cost of living rises. Just because theres a cushion now doesnt mean there will be one later, he cautioned.

To help strike this balance, he advised having retirement financing options outside of the business. The most flexibility for farms is assets off the farm, King described. Retirement plans are a great example of this strategy, as they will help create less debt in the future for an incoming generation, can offer tax benefits, and may provide flexibility in estate plans to support non-farming heirs.



It may be hard to prioritize retirement savings at some points of the business, but King recommended viewing it as a debt paid to your future self. Creating that structure will help you and your heirs be better prepared for whats to come.

The foundation

Of course, investing in outgoing and incoming generations requires communication of the goals and plan between both parties. Only about one-third of farms have a succession plan, King stated. Preparing for the future means being truthful and stepping into conversations that may be difficult.



The younger generation may want to ask if the older generation has an estate plan and what it looks like. Likewise, the older generation will need to reflect on if they are living long-term or day-to-day and if their actions are lining up with their beliefs.

Always consider what the farm is unified around  why does the business exist and why do you want to move it forward? What is happening (or not happening) each day to reach those goals? Its not just about moving the stuff. Its the conversations and relationships that come out of that, King said. Transferring wisdom and knowledge must be done before wealth is transferred, he reminded.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2023

March 2, 2023
As part of Womens History Month, we share the story of Lillian Lewis. This article was originally published March 10, 1998.

Lillian Lewis once called education the most precious gift she had ever received.

Lewis was born in 1904 on a small farm in eastern Mississippi, the ninth of 13 children. Her father owned the land he worked, but little else. He didnt have enough money to educate his children past the public schools.

An older sister stepped in and sent Lillian to Tougaloo College, and from there she won scholarships to Howard University, supplementing these awards with summer jobs. She taught at South Carolina State College and earned a masters degree from the University of Chicago, then taught at other mostly Black colleges in the South. In 1945, she became the first Black woman to receive a doctorate degree from the University of Chicago.

Lewis came to Winston-Salem in 1947 to teach biology at what was then Winston-Salem Teachers College. Her husband, John, was a Winston-Salem native and also took a job with the faculty there.

In 1960, Lewis ran for the county board of education. Although the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled six years earlier that segregated schools were unconstitutional, true integration was years away.

In essence, there were four school systems when Lewis arrived in Winston-Salemwhite and Black city schools, and white and Black county schools.

Most Black people lived in the city, but the county school board was still elected countywide.

Racial tensions were far less than they would be when court-ordered busing came to the county in 1971.

Still, it was a gamble. C.B. Hauser, who was Lewis campaign manager, put it this way: I had noticed that Blacks who ran for office would emphasize controversial issues. They always lost. Dr. Lewis and I did not concentrate on controversial issues. I told her that `If you will keep your . . . mouth shut, we can get you elected. She followed those instructions.

On Nov. 8, 1960, she was elected to the county school board, coming in fifth among the five Democrats, but still 3,500 votes ahead of the closest Republican.

She once said, I know those people felt uncomfortable with me sitting here, but I knew more about education than any of them, and I was there to work with them, not to make them feel uncomfortable.

As a board member, Lewis pushed for full and fair desegregation of the schools. She was also a champion of poor children of all races, whom she thought were often short-changed by teachers and administrators.

Lewis was easily re-elected in 1962. The next year, voters in the city and county approved consolidating the two school systems. Lewis served as a member of the consolidated board, whose members were appointed by the county commissioners.

That system changed in 1967, when voters approved making the seats elective offices.

Republicans captured a board majority in 1968, and Lewis decided not to run in 1970.

Lewis died in 1987.
Uzbekistan and Turkiye plan to increase the number of bilateral passenger flights, as well as to expand flights within the countries, Azernews reports via Uzbek Ministry Investment, Industry, and Trade.

The matter was discussed at the recent meeting between Uzbekistans Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade Laziz Kudratov, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkiye to Uzbekistan Olgan Bekar.

Uzbekistan Airways carries out flights to various destinations in Turkiye daily. The Uzbek air carrier operates flights to international airports in Turkish cities such as Ankara, Antalya, Istanbul (all airports), Dalaman, Milas, Kayseri, etc.

According to the latest data from the Uzbek State Statistics Committee, some 6,700 tourists from Turkiye visited Uzbekistan during the first month of this year. In 2022, some 75,600 tourists from Turkiye came to Uzbekistan.

At the same time, Turkiye was the most visited country among tourists from Uzbekistan from January through November 2022. During the reporting period, some 220,000 citizens of Uzbekistan came to Turkiye.
Winston-Salem police have made an arrest in a shooting that occurred Friday on Leona Street when a man was fired on while he was sitting in a car.

Jason Caleb Wishon, 20, of Mocksville, turned himself in to authorities in Davie County on Monday to answer to the charge of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious bodily injury. Wishon was detained with bond set at $45,000, but he was no longer in jail Tuesday afternoon.

Wishon is charged with shooting Bernardo Rodriguez Ramirez, also 20 years old, while Ramirez was sitting in a car in the 1100 block of Leona Street.

Ramirez was taken to a local hospital for treatment of multiple gunshot wounds he received in the attack, and was initially described as being in critical condition with wounds to his upper body. At the crime scene, investigators found spent handgun shell casings in and around the car he had been sitting in.

A suspect in the shooting was seen running south toward Charles Street, where he got into a red Chevrolet four-door passenger vehicle and fled the area.

Police said investigators identified the suspect as Wishon and obtained a warrant for his arrest.

Anyone with information on the case should call police at 336-773-7700 or Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800.
New COVID-19 cases in Forsyth County continued on a downward trend last week, while there were no additional deaths disclosed, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported Wednesday.

There were 264 cases listed for Forsyth, down from a revised 329 in the previous report.

The most recent time the weekly case count was lower was 259 for the week that ended Nov. 26.

DHHS cautions its weekly totals are subject to revision, including factoring in cases and deaths that occurred weeks or months ago, but were only recently confirmed as related to COVID-19.

About 23%, or 62, of the new cases were listed as reinfections by DHHS.

Altogether, Forsyth has had 125,590 confirmed cases and 969 COVID-related deaths since the pandemic began in mid-March 2020.

Forsyth health director Joshua Swift and Novant Health Inc. infectious diseases expert Dr. David Priest have stressed that the DHHS weekly case totals include only laboratory confirmed cases, and dont include most people who determine they are positive with an at-home test.

Forsyth, along with five other Triad and Northwest North Carolina counties, were reported last week back in the medium category for COVID-19 community spread, as measured by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Forsyth has been in the medium category five of the previous six reports, but was listed at low for the week that ended Feb. 25.

The COVID-19 community level is determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions and the total number of new cases in an area.

The latest number of new cases per 100,000 people is 60 in Forsyth, compared with 109 and 115 in the previous two reports.

The rate of new COVID-related hospital admissions per 100,000 people was at 11.2, compared with 8.8 and 10.2 in the previous two reports.

Also, 2.4% of staffed inpatient beds are being used by COVID-19 patients, compared with 2.6% and 2.7% in the previous two weeks.

Long-term care centers

The number of Forsyth long-term care facilities with current COVID-19 outbreaks was unchanged at the latest dashboard report.

Although the weekly count remains at its lowest weekly count since the COVID-19 subvariant outbreak began in April, it reflects two new outbreaks and two outbreaks declared as over.

The number of infected residents linked to current outbreaks is at 50, down 27 from the previous report, while infected staff members are at 36, down seven.

At least 14 long-term care residents have died since early April from a COVID-related illness, including at least two in the latest report.

An outbreak is considered over if there is no evidence of continued transmission within the facility, according to DHHS. If new positive COVID-19 cases occur after an outbreak is considered as ended, it is listed as a separate outbreak.

DHHS spokeswoman Bailey Pennington Allison has said it is important to remember that the number of cases associated with an ongoing outbreak are the cumulative total for that outbreak, not the number of people currently positive for COVID-19.

Current outbreaks of at least 20 COVID-19 cases in Forsyth long-term care centers are:

Willow Valley Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, with 21 residents (down two from previous report) and eight staff (unchanged).

Arbor Acres United Methodist Retirement Community Inc., with 19 staff and six residents (both unchanged).

The following long-term care facilities were removed from the dashboard: Oak Forest Health and Rehabilitation (24 residents, including two deaths, and six staff); Clemmons Village II (three residents, including one death).

COVID-19 statewide

DHHS reported the statewide count for last week was 5,245, compared with a revised 7,481 in the previous report.

The latest weekly count is the lowest since 4,936 for the week that ended April 9.

Of those North Carolinians with a positive test result in the latest weekly report, 1,192, or 22.3% were considered re-infected.

North Carolinas total confirmed case count since the onset of the pandemic is 3.47 million.

There were 14 COVID-related deaths reported statewide last week, along with another 29 confirmed from previous weeks, for a total of 28,432.

Last week, the number of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals in North Carolina was at 686, compared with 778 for the week that ended Feb. 25.

Hospitals in a 17-county version of the Triad region averaged 152 COVID-19 patients, down from 167 for the week that ended Feb. 18.

The current dominant omicron subvariants have proven to be more contagious, contributing to the surge in hospitalizations. DHHS lists seven active subvariants, unchanged from the previous report.

The XBB 1.5 subvariant made up 80.3% of new cases from Feb. 12 to Feb. 25, along with 8,9% the BQ 1.1 subvariant.
Three deputies stood in a tight circle outside their patrol cars late Monday morning.

Theyd backed into parking spots at the new Tractor Supply in Clemmons  in case they needed to leave in a hurry  and were talking among themselves while paying attention to their radios.

Two looked to be nearer their starting dates than filing retirement papers; the third, older with flecks of gray in his hair, wore stripes on his sleeves.

After the day local law enforcement had experienced, itd be understandable  laudable, even  if they were taking a moment to breathe, feel warm sunshine on their faces and decompress little.

The reminders of the job theyd taken  hours of tedium interrupted by sudden spikes of adrenaline and occasional life-and-death, split-second decisions  had been plainly laid out for all to see.

Questions remain

Just hours before, shortly after 2 a.m., one of their colleagues had suffered cuts to his face caused by bullets fired at him by a 29-year-old Alexander Parks Holland at the end of an intense car chase on nearby U.S. 421.

The injured deputy, two others with the Forsyth County Sheriffs Office and two patrol officers with the Winston-Salem Police Department had all been placed on routine administrative duty after Holland was killed in a fusillade  their only recourse after a distressed young man crawled out of a wrecked Toyota Tacoma with an upraised rifle.

It all began when a deputy sheriff, still unnamed, pulled in behind the Tacoma shortly after 2 a.m. and hit the blue lights as the pickups driver was pulling onto U.S. 421 South from Lewisville-Clemmons Road.

But instead of pulling over, Holland hit the gas.

The chase took all of about 9 minutes to reach its conclusion as other deputies, Winston-Salem police and state troopers responded. The driver, authorities said later, shot at his pursuers.

Using what law-enforcement euphemistically calls a pursuit intervention technique  others might call it a calculated crash  a deputy flipped the Tacoma before Holland was killed.

Questions, obviously, remain.

What caused the deputy to initiate the stop? What was going through Hollands head? What kind of rifle did he fire and where did he get it?

Some have easy answers that need to come out sooner rather than later. Other answers will take longer to find or may be known only to a dead man.

In the aftermath, the sheriffs office issued a statement which mentioned that other than a deputy who was treated for cuts, all other law-enforcement officers were physically unharmed.

The key phrase being physically unharmed. Only those directly involved, their families, a few close friends and commanders will know about other potential injuries including post-traumatic stress.

Different pressures

One suspects the events of the day  and the aftermath  were a leading topic of conversation among the scrum of deputies taking a moment Monday morning.

Its why I felt the urge to turn into the Tractor Supply parking lot  to see and offer a word of support.

You guys OK? That was a hell of a thing this morning, I asked, not expecting much by way of an answer.

Generally speaking, on-duty cops are professional and polite, but guarded.

Yes, sir, Were good, the deputy with the stripes answered. Another flashed a thumbs up in confirming that his colleagues involved in the mornings incident were OK, too.

Theirs is a difficult job, and as much as some might still think cops are two-dimensional automatons, theyre not.

One set of stressors were on public display early Monday morning on U.S. 421. Another less visible sort manifested itself in the form of a trial date in a federal civil lawsuit filed by the mother of 18-year-old man Fred Cox against a Davidson County deputy who shot him to death in November 2020.

In the aftermath, authorities said that rival gangs had been shooting at each other after a funeral. Cox, investigators said, was seen with a gun and killed by deputy Michael Shane Hill.

An autopsy showed that Cox had no gunshot residue on his hands. Hill attended the funeral in plain clothes in an attempt to find witnesses to an earlier shooting.

Prosecutors reviewed the findings and declined to file criminal charges. The civil lawsuit is scheduled to begin in early December.

The takeaway from all of this is that police work is dangerous and snap decisions are subject to second-guessing and civil liability.

Debate policy  the need for more community mental-health resources, treating drug addiction as a disease rather than a cause for war, and holding to account officers who step outside laws theyve sworn to uphold  all you wish. Its fair.

But no matter how you feel about police and policing, remember that the working cops, ones in uniform sweating under heavy body armor and detectives crawling out of bed to investigate murder, feel the pressure more personally than the brass or those who make policy.

Is it any wonder that so many law-enforcement jobs are unfilled?
Family members of Winston-Salem resident Eric Williams were shocked when they found out that he was among four Americans kidnapped in a violent attack on Friday in the Mexican border city of Matamoros, and relieved that he was among the two who survived and were rescued on Tuesday.

Two of the Americans died in the attack, which was captured on video. All four were natives of the tight-knit community of Lake City, S.C., so many people thankful for the survivors are also mourning the dead.

Williams, who is 38, was shot twice in one leg and once in the other during the attack, his wife Michele said. He is in a hospital in Texas.

All four Americans were said to have driven to Mexico so that the woman in the group, Latavia Tay McGee, could undergo a tummy tuck cosmetic surgery. The four were said to have driven to Mexico from Lake City and took turns driving.

Michele Williams said her husband is expected to fully recover from his wounds, at least the physical ones:

He lost two friends that he thought of as family, she said.

Eric Williams was staying in Lake City when he and the three others left for Mexico. The Williamses divide their time between Winston-Salem and Lake City because Michele Williams takes care of her ailing mother, who lives here. She didnt even know that her husband had gone to Mexico, but she did receive a text from him on Friday. She responded to the text, but never got a reply. Now, she figures that he did not reply because the abduction had taken place.

Williams said she didnt see the news report that some Americas had been caught in gunfire in Mexico. Then, on Sunday morning, FBI agents knocked on the door, and she and her two sons found out what had happened.

Since then, she said, life has been surreal. She said she still doesnt know when her husband will be released from the hospital, and hasnt had a chance to hear any details about his experiences in captivity.

Officials believe that the four Americans were mistakenly targeted by members of a drug cartel after they drove into Matamoros on Friday in a white van with a North Carolina license plate, the Associated Press reported. The four were fired on, then put into a pickup truck at gunpoint.

McGee and Eric Williams were rescued on Tuesday from a wooden shack, but two men, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown, did not survive.

Caronia Cooper, Williams aunt, also lives in Winston-Salem and was visiting her sister, Williams mother, in Lake City when the kidnapping and rescue occurred. The sisters learned on Sunday that Williams was in the group of Americans.

It was quite a shock, Cooper said. His mother was all shocked. She did not know anything about what was going on. She was really distraught about what happened.

My heart goes out to anybody who has to go through anything like that, Cooper said. Then when I found out it was my family, it hit hard. Even if someone is shot it is better that they are alive than if you have to go make funeral arrangements.

Cooper said her nephew is a friendly person who gets along well with other people.

He enjoys doing different things like any normal person his age would, she said. Cooper said Williams mother, Sylvia Williams, spoke with her son on the telephone Tuesday night.

Lake City is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone else, a family member said.

Williams stepson Joel said he and his family are still trying to adjust to everything that has happened.

We are just glad that he is coming home, he said, adding that everyones been praying for a good outcome. He is coming back and will be here with us.

Lake City Mayor Yamekia Robinson released a statement that reflected the impact the abduction and shootings have had on her city.

We all are saddened and have heavy hearts for them and their families, Robinson said. We send our deepest sympathy out to each family. We ask each of you, your friends, your family, your churches, and your communities across the nation to keep us all lifted in your thoughts & prayers as we the City of Lake City and the families grieve the loss and get through this tragic incident together. We also ask that you respect the privacy of each family during this difficult time.
Dropping out of public school would not be an option in North Carolina until age 18 if a bipartisan N.C. House bill becomes law.

House Bill 206, titled Increase dropout age/completion indicator, has Rep. Jeffery Elmore, R-Wilkes, as primary sponsor and Reps. Ashton Clemmons, D-Guilford, and Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth, as co-primary sponsors.

The bill was placed Feb. 28 in the House Education K-12 committee.

The current dropout age is age 16.

HB206 would raise the dropout age by six months  starting with the 2023-24 school year  for five consecutive school years until reaching age 18 before the start of the 2027-28 school year.

The bills main focuses are raising the compulsory school attendance age to 18 and establishing a completion rate indicator for school performance grades.

I see education as one of those areas, as well as health care, where we have a number of common goals, Lambeth said.

We are looking for creative ways to meet the workforce challenges, as well as help prepare students to be better prepared for the work force.

With each of our backgrounds and roles in K-12 education, the three of us share a number of common goals, and we are looking to provide the best opportunity for students to excel.

Clemmons said that requiring students to reach adulthood before being allowed to drop out offers them to have fuller, more productive lives, which strengthens our workforce for the demands of NCs growing economy.

Tricia McManus, superintendent of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, said she supports the bill because we need our students to stay with us, in school, as long as possible.

I am in support of increasing the age by which a student is allowed to drop out.

Local dropout rates

The Forsyth County Board of Education was told in March 2022 that the WS/FCS dropout rate had decreased from 2019-2020 to 2020-21, but still remains among the highest of the states urban school districts.

The N.C. Department of Public Instruction typically releases school-year dropout data from districts across the state in March.

The state defines a dropout as someone who was previously enrolled in school during the reporting year  in this case 2020-21  but was not enrolled on Day 20 of the current year and cannot be accounted for.

It does not include someone who transferred, suspended or ill.

According to the data, the 2019-20 dropout rate in the local system was 3.06 per 100 students, the highest rate among the following school districts: Guilford, Cumberland, Wake, Durham and Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

That number dropped to 2.66 in 2020-21, which was second behind Durhams rate of 3.20.

In all, 443 students dropped out of the local system in 2020-21 compared with 524 the previous year. The school with the highest number of dropouts was Glenn with 75, followed by Parkland with 67 and East Forsyth with 66.

North Forsyth had the biggest improvement, going from 56 dropouts in 2019-20 to 27 in 2020-21.

Hispanic students dropped out at the highest rate. Of the 443 who dropped out in 2020-21, 172 were Hispanic, 129 were Black and 111 were white. More males (265) dropped out than females (178).

Most students drop out because of chronic absenteeism that makes it difficult to catch up with their schoolwork. That absenteeism tends to be a pattern that starts in elementary school.

The school district is asking each school to come up with a dropout prevention plan to address chronic absenteeism.

It also wants schools to develop a support plan for students who have dropped out this year and want to return for the 2023-24 school year.

School rate indicator

In the completion rate indicator for school performance grades component of SB206, the bill would amend state law by adding a section that gives schools a half-point for each percent of students who meet one of three educational metrics after their fifth year of entering high school.

The key metrics are: graduate from high school; earn an adult high school diploma; or earn an adult high school equivalency diploma.

According to EdNC.org, theres been a state-level emphasis on re-evaluating and reforming school performance grades led by state Superintendent Catherine Truitt.

House Bill 26, titled Education Omnibus Bill, cleared the House by a 75-42 vote on Feb. 8. It has not been addressed by the Senate.

EdNC reported that the bill would would require the state superintendent to study school achievement, growth, achievement scores and grades, as well as school performance indicators for compliance with federal law.

School grades are based on each schools achievement score (weighted 80%) and each schools students academic growth (weighted 20%), according to the states 2021-22 accountability framework.

The other proposed indicators are:

* Improving student group performance year over year;

* Number of graduating high school students who are either employed, enrolled in higher education or enlist in the military; and

* Postsecondary preparation inputs, ranging from: number of elementary students participating in career exploration; middle schoolers determining career development plans; and high school students who earn credits in post-secondary coursework or in work-based learning.
Local COVID-19 cases continue to climb as the latest variant appears to have taken hold.

The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department reported 258 confirmed COVID-19 cases last week, up slightly from the previous week. It was the second-highest weekly case total so far this year.

The Health Department said the local COVID-19 risk dial will remain in the low-yellow range for the seventh week in a row.

Most of the cases are now being caused by the highly contagious XBB 1.5 variant, according to officials.

Health Department spokeswoman Leah Bucco-White said 63% of cases that have been genetically sequenced over the past 30 days in Lancaster County were caused by the variant. That's similar to conditions across Nebraska, with the state Department of Health and Human Services reporting that 55% of cases were caused by XBB 1.5 as of Feb. 25.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,573 cases statewide last week, up from 1,333 the previous week. Just a few weeks ago, there were only 800 cases. About 40% of the state's counties are now considered to have medium or high levels of COVID-19 activity, although Lancaster County is still in the low category.

Locally, hospitalization numbers increased slightly, to an average of 43 COVID-19 patients daily last week, compared with 40 the previous week.

The county also recorded two COVID-19 deaths last week, a woman in her 90s and a man in his 60s. Both were hospitalized and unvaccinated.

New data from the Department of Health and Human Services continues to show that the new bivalent booster offers strong protection against dying from COVID-19. According to the data, people fully vaccinated with the newest booster were 17 times less likely to die from the disease than people who are unvaccinated.

8 statistics that explain the rural doctor shortage 8 statistics that explain the rural doctor shortage Nearly 4 in 5 rural U.S. communities are short on medical staff There are fewer health care providers per capita in nonmetropolitan areas 1 in 4 rural teensand 1 in 5 rural adultsdon't have a primary care doctor who they see regularly Compared to metropolitan areas, there are more than twice as many rural counties in health professional shortage areas Medical practices in the most rural locations treat four times as many Medicare patients as metropolitan practices 142 rural hospitals have closed since 2010 1 in 5 medical schools ran a formal rural program in 2019 Hundreds of millions of dollars are going toward mitigation efforts and solutions for this shortage
The crowds of people fighting health education standards proposed by the State Board of Education helped motivate Sen. Joni Albrecht to introduce a measure abolishing the board.

But none of those people showed up Tuesday to support her resolution (LR24CA) or three other proposals aimed at reducing the elected board's powers.

Instead, opponents dominated a public hearing in front of the Legislature's Education Committee. Opponents far outnumbered supporters in online comments about the measures as well.

Albrecht's proposed constitutional amendment would eliminate the State Ed Board and give the governor the authority to appoint an education commissioner, who would oversee the Department of Education. The duties of the board would be distributed among department staff, she said.

Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn proposed LR28CA, which would preserve the State Board of Education but have members appointed by the governor instead of being elected. She also offered LR29CA, which would limit the elected board members to two consecutive terms in office, and LB690, which would transfer power from the Ed Board to the commissioner of education.

Among the opponents to Albrecht's proposal was Elizabeth Tegtmeier, who represents western Nebraska on the Ed Board. She was one of three conservative Republicans elected last year after campaigning for a "back-to-basics" approach and for giving parents more voice in education.

Tegtmeier said the election outcome showed that the current process of electing board members works. She said citizens remain engaged in the board's work but are not packing meetings any more because they have a sense of hope.

"Give our new board time to work," she urged. "Confidence and trust is being restored."

State Ed Board President Patti Gubbels opposed all three proposed constitutional amendments. She said an elected board is right for Nebraska because it provides citizen representation, avoids political whiplash when governors change, and allows for checks and balances in government.

Jenni Benson, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, said the Ed Board is probably the least partisan part of state government, which she called a good thing. She said having governors appoint board members could lead to less diverse and representative members.

She described her experience with former Govs. Dave Heineman and Pete Ricketts to illustrate the possibilities.

She said both sought recommendations from NSEA, a union representing teachers, of people to serve on the Professional Practices Commission, which oversees teacher discipline. While Heineman appointed some of the people recommended by NSEA, Ricketts did not appoint a single one during his eight years in office.

Despite the lack of proponent testifiers, Albrecht said she believes the Ed Board was so far out of line in considering health education standards that she will keep pushing for changes.

Currently, the Ed Board has eight elected members who appoint the education commissioner and carry out a long list other duties determined by the Legislature. Those duties include setting rules and regulations for schools and teacher education programs and approving academic standards.

While state law does not specifically direct the board to set health education standards it gives the body broad leeway to take on duties "necessary for the proper and legal exercise of its obligations."

The board came under fire in 2021 because its proposed health education standards included sex education that was both comprehensive in scope and inclusive of diverse genders and sexual orientations. Following the backlash, the department halted work on the standards, but critics remain wary of the department and the board.

Meet the Nebraska state senators making laws in 2023
Margaret Reist Local government reporter Margaret Reist is a recovering education reporter now writing about local and county government and the people who live in the city where she was born and raised. Follow Margaret Reist Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

If theres one issue that could dominate Lincolns mayoral race, it just might be money.

For starters, this is already the most expensive mayoral race in the citys history, and the Peed family and its publishing company Sandhills Global, along with the Ricketts family, are dominating the campaign landscape as major Republican donors.

In the mayors race, Republican state Sen. Suzanne Geist has raised $1.1 million in cash and in-kind contributions, and has spent nearly $742,000 in cash and in-kind gifts, according to Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure records.

Incumbent Leirion Gaylor Baird, a Democrat, has raised $820,000 and has spent about $189,500.

Stan Parker, a Republican who runs the Christian ministry MyBridge, has raised about $49,300 in cash and in-kind contributions and spent a little more than $30,000 thus far.

In more recent mayoral campaigns, contributions topped out in the $600,000 range. This year's city primary, set for April 4, is still a month away.

More than $900,000 of the early contributions to Geists campaign have come from essentially two donors: Pete Ricketts, the former governor and now U.S. senator, who donated $100,000, and Tom Peed, who donated $100,000 alongside his family company Sandhills Global, which gave more than $705,000.

Much of the Sandhills Global donations were in-kind contributions that paid for advertising services, including $379,157 to Lamar Advertising, which likely accounts for the Geist billboards along arterial streets across Lincoln. Her campaign has also conducted push polls.

Together Nebraska, a conservative PAC that spent well more than $300,000 to oppose Adam Morfeld in his race against Lancaster County Attorney Pat Condon, has raised $660,000 for the city election, according to accountability and disclosure records.

Several members of the Peed family and Ricketts donated a total of $635,000 to the PAC. Tonn Ostergard, CEO of Crete Carrier, donated another $25,000.

So far, the PAC has spent $40,000 to oppose Gaylor Baird.

The mayor, whose fundraising appeals have repeatedly made a point of the large donations to her opponents campaign, has gotten many donations above $1,000 from numerous well-known names in Democratic politics and others.

The largest single donation has been a $30,000 contribution from John Woollam, who owns J.A. Woollam Co., a high-tech company in the Haymarket that recently announced expansion plans using tax-increment financing.

Gaylor Baird has also gotten donations totaling $14,000 from several labor unions or their political action committees, as well as $1,000 from an Omaha-based PAC called Women Who Run Nebraska and $1,000 from the national Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund. Emilys List, a national PAC that works to elect women supporting abortion rights to local, state and national office, endorsed Gaylor Baird.

Geists contributors include numerous smaller donations, including some from other business owners, such as Union Bank & Trust President and CEO Angie Muhleisen, who donated $5,000, and Hampton Enterprises, which gave an in-kind contribution of $21,000.

Don Wesely, a lobbyist and former Lincoln mayor whos been in politics for many years, said the amount of money being spent on the race is unprecedented, and having so much money coming from one source is unheard of in Lincoln politics. That raises questions that havent been a factor in previous city races, he said.

The question has to be asked, 'Are they trying to buy the election?' he said. Is that contributor intent on trying to control an office and through that office, broad policy in the city?

Geist said she has a broad base of support and, while she appreciates large donations, is not beholden to any one donor.

I have the support of lots of businesses and business owners, who may not have the wherewithal to contribute to the same degree, none of whom Im beholden to other than listening to their concerns.

Its expensive to get a message out and let voters know who she is, Geist said, and while she's overwhelmed by the support, she said she would represent everyone, not just campaign donors.

Two City Council races have been bolstered by contributions from Sandhills Global.

Republican Taylor Wyatt, who is challenging incumbent James Michael Bowers for the District 1 seat in northeast Lincoln, got a $25,000 contribution from the publishing company, bringing his total contributions to date to more than $41,000. Bowers has about $26,000 in his coffers.

Wayne Reinwald, a Republican and one of four candidates for the District 4 seat in northwest Lincoln, got a $10,000 donation from Sandhills Global, bringing his total contributions to $12,500.

So far, those are the largest war chests of the 12 candidates vying for the four council seats on the ballot.
I have been a consistent supporter of school choice because I believe every child, regardless of income level or adverse situation, should have access to the educational setting that best fits them.

While that principle is enough, as a fiscal conservative, I am also sensitive to financial impacts. As you will see, a scholarship tax credit program like LB753 is a wise fiscal approach to achieving educational opportunity.

Opponents of LB753 claim that this bill takes money away from the public schools and reduces the state's budget. As the budget shrinks public schools might suffer, their argument goes.

Yet, Nebraska currently has over 30 tax credit programs and most of those are not opposed by these same groups. Most importantly, the data just doesnt support the opponents claims. As a matter of fact, it refutes it.

According to EdChoice, there have been 73 separate fiscal analyses conducted on private school choice programs in the United States. Of those, 68 found the programs generated net savings for the state and four of them found the programs were cost neutral.

Editor's note This column and the one below were submitted independently and not intended as a point-counterpoint. They are running on the same day because of the possibility of legislative action on related to them.

Tax credit scholarship programs currently exist in 21 other states, have a long track record and the data is clear. Numerous independent studies confirm the net savings these programs produce. For instance, Florida's Tax Credit Scholarship Program is one of the nations most established and studied. This program saved $1.44 in state revenue for every dollar of tax credit.

Furthermore, the average cost to educate one student in Nebraskas public schools is now over $14,000. When one considers that the average tax credit scholarship nationally is just over $4,000 we are talking about a $10,000 cost savings per student.

Another way to look at this is to consider that the state spends over $1 billion on education. While LB753 Opportunity Scholarships is not a part of our public school funding, it does provide a tax incentive that is less than 2.5% of what we invest in public education. LB753 could grow over time, but as it does the cost savings to the state increases. Those dollars could be used to support public education.

Ultimately, the concern that this is going to cut state revenues and/or hurt public schools has been proven false. As a matter of fact, EdChoice also reports that 25 of 28 studies show that students in school choice states who remain in public schools improve their academic performance.

Speaking of public school funding, I have made a commitment to support Gov. Jim Pillens education plan by introducing LB681, which would appropriate $1.75 billion to a new K-12 Education Future Fund over the next four years. This incredible amount of additional money for public schools makes their opposition to the educational choice for vulnerable students all the more unreasonable.

Educational opportunity is a right families deserve. Our state supports the premise financially at the early childhood and college levels. LB753 extends that right to the K-12 level and it does so responsibly. I was happy to co-sponsor the bill and look forward to seeing Nebraska catch up with nearly every other state in the country by providing more school choice.
It's almost spring in an odd-numbered year, so the latest crop of campaign yard signs are poking up in yards, along busy streets and around intersections.

Friday was the deadline for candidates filing for the spring election  the primary on April 4 and the general election May 2.

Lincoln will pick a mayor, City Council members in the four districts, two members for the Airport Authority board and Lincoln Public School Board of Education members for three districts.

Twenty-eight Lincoln residents have filed to run, investing their time, effort and, in some cases, money for the opportunity to serve the public and shape policy. They should be commended. And treated with respect  by voters and each other.

Our wishes for this campaign season  as always  are for civil discourse, substantive debate and a high turnout of informed voters.

Our city, its schools and its airport are in the midst of critical decisions.

Now is the moment for Lincoln and its airport to lay plans for future development, to lead the state in its fight against brain drain, the loss of our next generation of business and government leaders, and to lure diverse new businesses.

Education has become a flashpoint for cultural conflict, and at times teaching our young has taken a back seat to scoring political points.

This city election cycle needs to be about substance, ideas, priorities and direction. It doesn't need to be about attack ads. We need candidates and supporters to say why voters should be for someone, not why voters should be against someone else.

Continuing in its longstanding tradition, the Journal Star newsroom will produce candidate profiles and a voters' guide with candidate answers to each race's most critical questions.

And the Journal Star editorial board will interview each candidate and publish  with much debate and deliberation  endorsements in each race.

Readers often ask why our board endorses candidates. The answer has been the same for the century or more that it's gone on. The editorial board opines on important issues year-round, and few issues matter more than the selection of those setting our public policy.

Our endorsements reflect a consensus of the board  not a unanimous opinion  and are intended to be the start of a community discussion, not the final word.

Writers of letters to the editor will have plenty to say  and civilly we hope. But the real final word will belong to each voter. It is a special trust we place in our elected officials and special obligation we all have in selecting them.
Russias COVID-19 case tally rose by 12,320 over the past day to 22,376,060, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Wednesday, Azernews reports with reference to TASS.

As many as 1,636 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Russia over the past day. The number of hospitalized patients declined in 42 regions, while in 35 other regions the figure increased. A day earlier, 1,801 people were rushed to hospitals.

Moscows COVID-19 cases surged by 2,368 over the past day against 1,148 a day earlier, reaching 3,436,844, according to the anti-coronavirus crisis center. St. Petersburgs COVID-19 cases increased by 1,241 over the past day against 1,460 a day earlier, reaching 1,888,811.

Russias COVID-19 death toll increased by 45 over the past day and reached 396,423, the crisis center announced. A day earlier 42 COVID-19 deaths were registered.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 recoveries in Russia rose by 16,437 over the past day, reaching 21,717,232, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters. A day earlier 14,373 patients recovered.
Dozens of local community activists and concerned citizens spoke out against Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman's recent appointees to county volunteer commissions.

Attendees gathered in front of the Kenosha County Administration Building ahead of Tuesday night's County Board meeting.

The demonstration was organized by Leaders of Kenosha, Black Leaders Organizing Communities (BLOC) and Congregations United to Save Humanity (CUSH). Tanya McLean, executive director of Leaders of Kenosha, and City of Kenosha Ald. Anthony Kennedy addressed the crowd and reporters.

Items on Tuesday's County Board meeting agenda include: referring to committee appointments including Mark Melotick and Kevin Mathewson to the Local Emergency Planning Committee, and A. Brian Gonzales and Xavier Solis to the Racial and Ethnic Equity Commission.

This is a developing story. A Kenosha News reporter is covering the demonstration and tonight's meeting.
The mother of the missing Kenosha man who investigators believe was killed inside of his north-side apartment in May 2020 testified in the trial of the Mequon man charged in her sons disappearance and death.

Selia Patterson, mother of the late Rosalio Gutierrez Jr., testified Monday evening and Tuesday morning in the high-profile homicide jury trial of Zachariah Anderson, 42, in Kenosha County Circuit Court.

Anderson is accused of killing Gutierrez 40, inside his first-floor Wood Creek apartment with blunt force trauma on May 17, 2020, and then hiding or disposing of the body. Gutierrezs body has never been recovered.

Anderson is charged with first-degree intentional homicide, a Class A felony that carries a sentence of life in prison if convicted. Anderson is also charged with felonies of hiding a corpse and stalking.

Prosecutors allege he did so because he was upset Gutierrez began having a romantic relationship with Sadie Beacham, his ex-girlfriend and mother to his three children.

Gutierrez, a father of two young children, was reported missing May 19, 2020, after Beacham, who had been unable to reach him, went to his first-floor apartment in the 3700 block of 15th Street, found the patio door open with blood stains on the floor and furniture.

Police focused on Anderson after Beacham reported that Anderson  her former partner  had been stalking and harassing her in the weeks after she began developing a relationship with Gutierrez.

Patterson said Gutierrez was an unapologetic mamas boy.

He was my only child, Patterson said, adding they were very close.

Patterson said she always kept in very close contact with her son and that he enjoyed chatting about his life and children with her.

He would always keep in communication with me. He would always respond to my phone calls, and if he couldnt hed say Cant talk now mom I'll call later, he would text me, Patterson said. My boy was definitely a mamas boy and he made no qualms about it. He was very quick to say so himself when he was teased during high school. ... There was no shame in it. His display of his affection for me, his mom, he would give me a hug no matter where he was or who was in front. He would kiss me. We were very, very, very close.

In May 2020 Patterson was living in Colorado and traveled back to Kenosha often to visit. She last saw in him in person in February 2020 when she brought him a truck he could use to go back-and-forth from work. She last spoke with him on the phone on May 16, 2020.

My boy is gone, Patterson said through tears Monday evening. Patterson was notified of her sons disappearance the afternoon of May 19, 2020 by phone.

After receiving the news Patterson and her husband traveled to Kenosha and arrived May 20, 2020. The truck she purchased for him remained in the Wood Creek parking lot.

Brandon Hendrickson, a longtime friend of Gutierrez since high school, also testified Tuesday. He used to see Gutierrez in person once of twice a month and often talked by phone. He also hasnt seen or heard from him since May 2020.

Hendrickson said he was in Kenosha getting a tattoo when he learned of Gutierrezs disappearance after reading a Facebook post about it on May 19, 2020.

Hendrickson said he left the tattoo parlor and went to meet with a mutual friend, Michael Campbell, at his house.

Hendrickson and Campbell then got up and left and headed to Andersons residence to get some answers or maybe even see Junior.

Hendrickson said he and Campbell confronted Anderson at his residence and asked him who he was. Hendrickson said Anderson denied being himself and instead said he was his brother and asked why they were looking for him. Hendrickson said they informed Anderson that their friend who had been dating his ex-girlfriend had gone missing.

Hendrickson said he and Campbell walked back to their vehicle and Anderson began speaking to them from inside the residence in an aggressive tone and asked them why they were looking for his brother.

Hendrickson said they then left and Campbell alerted law enforcement about Anderson.

Blood spatter found

Earlier this week, a Kenosha Police officer testified about the blood spatter found both inside and outside of Gutierrezs apartment.

Officer Jeffrey Van Wie, a veteran of the force who serves as a forensic examiner, said he was dispatched to the apartment on May 19, 2020, to help investigate the matter.

I walked inside the hallway and on apartment 1B I saw dried red fluid stains on the door itself and around the door, Van Wie said. There appeared to be blood on the exterior door and door frame and the walls around the door.

Van Wie said only blunt force trauma or gun shots could cause the impact spatter he observed.

Blunt force trauma would be somebody getting struck with some kind of object like a bat or a hammer or some sort, Van Wie said.

He also testified about similar impact spatter found on the interior side of the door, on walls and on other items found throughout the apartment that likely came from different blows.

Nicole Muller, one of Andersons defense attorneys, maintains the police investigation was deeply flawed from the start and detectives failed to look in places that shouldve been looked into and instead zeroed in Anderson based on Beachams claims.

District Attorney Michael Graveley has argued Anderson killed Gutierrez because he was jealous and irrational and also wanted to feel as if he was still in control of Beacham.

Kenosha County Circuit Court Judge Bruce Schroeder is presiding over the trial with a jury of eight women and five men, including on alternate.

Anderson is being held on a $750,000 cash bond at the Kenosha County Jail. He has been in custody since shortly after Gutierrezs disappearance, initially charged with stalking.

The homicide charge was added in December 2020 after an investigations found evidence that indicated Anderson may have moved Gutierrezs body in his van.
We knew this was bound to happen. Its about time.

When a public furor erupted last spring over the Wisconsin Parole Commissions decision to release Douglas Balsewicz from prison after he had served 25 years of his 80-year sentence for the brutal stabbing of his wife, Johanna Balsewicz in 1997, we knew it was just a matter of time before state legislators took up their pens and crafted legislation to change state laws.

State Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, and Rep. John Spiros, R-Marshfield, have put together a bill that would mandate the commission follow the states open meetings laws and post notices of their meetings. Currently, the commission is exempt from the open meetings law.

Wanggaard and Spiros also want the commission to post the names of individuals granted or denied parole as well as monthly and annual totals. Commission agendas currently dont list parole applicants names.

For too long, the parole commission has made its decisions in relative darkness and in many cases the victims or relatives of vicious crimes have not even known that someone convicted and sentenced for a crime was even up for parole  or had already been paroled.

This legislation would remedy that.

Balsewicz had been convicted of breaking in to his estranged wifes West Allis home and stabbing her more than 40 times in front of their children, a 4-year-old boy and his 2-year-old sister. The slaying was discovered the next day when a neighbor saw the children wandering outside their home with blood on their hands and feet.

He was denied parole once, but it was granted last year and the family was not notified until six days before Balsewicz was scheduled to be released from prison.

Public outrage ensued after the family pressed Gov. Tony Evers to block the release  which he had no power to do. But Evers did pressure Parole Board chairman John Tate, of Racine, to reconsider the parole given that the family was not able to contest the release. Tate did so and the commission rescinded the parole.

The furor carried into last falls elections where Republicans made it an issue in the governors race.

The problem is that the Balsewicz case is not alone. The conservative news publication Wisconsin Right Now last fall detailed multiple cases of victims or families of victims not being notified of parole hearings and not being allowed to weigh in with the commission before a parole is granted, even though state law requires the commission to make an effort to make those notifications.

To be clear, this is not a growing problem because the state Legislature adopted the Truth in Sentencing law in 1999 which requires someone who is convicted of a crime to serve their full sentence. Under the old parole system an individual is eligible for parole after serving 25 percent of his or her sentence and the commission makes a decision based their behavior while incarcerated, their plans for housing and employment, proof theyve reduced their risk to the public and other factors.

Currently, only about 10 percent of the states prison population of 20,000  or 2,000 inmates  fall under the old parole system and those numbers will decline with time.

Some Democrats voiced opposition to the new bill at a hearing two weeks ago saying they were concerned it would strip parole applicants of their privacy and subject them to harassment.

Im a strong believer in if you have done your time the constitution gives you the right to be released (and) live without hassle or intimidation, said Rep. Christine Sinicki.

We disagree. As Sen. Wanggaard noted, parole applicants havent finished their sentences and dont have their full slate of rights. The commission would still be allowed to discuss parole applicants histories and medical issues in private, he said.

The proposed legislation would underscore the rights of victims to contest parole decisions before they are made and would bring needed transparency to the states parole system. A legislative committee decision on the bill could come this week and it would then go to the full Assembly, where we urge its approval.

In Gov. Evers budget bill, he calls for clarifying the responsibilities of the commission to notify victims families when a convict applies for parole and upon release. Thats a little mushy, but given Evers experience with the Balsewicz case, we would expect that he would sign this bill when it reaches his desk, as well he should.
1. Yes. Switching back and forth every spring and fall is cumbersome and annoying.

2. Yes. It makes sense, although it would take a bit of getting used to at first.

3. No. The bill isnt enforceable. The federal government would have to approve the switch.

4. No. If other states dont follow suit, it could make long-distance travel problematic.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say without knowing all the impacts of the proposed change.

Vote

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HOLDREGE  The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation Districts Board of Directors has approved water service agreements with several irrigation districts for the 2023 irrigation season.

The one-year agreements were signed with Licso Irrigation District located upstream of Lake McConaughy and four districts downstream of the lake, including Keith and Lincoln Counties Irrigation District, Paxton-Hershey Water Co., Platte Valley Irrigation District and Suburban Irrigation District, collectively referred to as the Glendo Canals.

These agreements provide the Glendo Canals the opportunity to accrue supplemental storage water from Lake McConaughy to be released after the Glendo Canals have exhausted all their natural flow and Glendo storage water sources.

Lake McConaughys lower water levels have resulted in Central not offering supplemental storage water to these canals for the upcoming irrigation season, but the canals will be able to accrue supplemental storage water by limiting canal diversions during the early 2023 irrigation season.

The accrual and release of the accrued supplemental storage water will not impact Centrals irrigation customers or water supply, according to a CNPPID press release.

Also at Mondays meeting:

The board approved the purchase of a 125VDC battery bank for $37,985. The battery bank supplies uninterrupted electrical service for the 24-hour operations center in Gothenburg.

The board voted to approve the purchase of a river land tract near the Johnson No. 2 river return in the amount of $115,400.

It was approved by the board to change the time and location of the April board meeting. On April 3, the board will hold its regular monthly business meeting at 10 a.m. CST at the Lake McConaughy Visitor Center near Ogallala.

Civil Engineer Tyler Thulin reported that Lake McConaughys elevation was at 3229.3 feet on Monday (49.5% of capacity), which is up 2.1 feet since the February board meeting. Inflows are around 975 cubic feet per second (cfs) and releases are about 250 cfs. Snowpack in the North Platte basin is currently at 124% of median average and 104% of median average in the South Platte basin.
KEARNEY  The Nebraska Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution will dedicate a plaque commemorating this nations upcoming 250th anniversary at 2 p.m. Saturday at The Archway at 3060 E. First St.

The public is invited. The presentation is part of the 121st conference of the Nebraska DAR being held in Kearney this weekend.

The marker is the result of a DAR collaboration with the United States Semiquincentennial Commission, which was created by Congress in 2016.

The marker reads, in part, This marker commemorates the men and women who achieved American independence. These Patriots, believing in the noble cause of liberty, fought valiantly to found a new nation. 1775-1783.

The Nebraska DAR is also placing plaques in Omaha, Lincoln, Alliance and Elwood to thank the people whose sacrifices won Americas independence. DAR societies in all 50 states are placing markers within their states prior to 2026.

DAR officials from New Hampshire, Kansas and South Dakota will be present Saturday, along with more than 100 convention attendees. The Sons of the American Revolution and Kearney Boy Scouts will also participate.
The prospects of deepening cooperation between Georgia and Saudi Arabia were discussed on Tuesday between Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Ahmed Al Khatib, the Tourism Minister of Saudi Arabia, at the meeting in Germany, Azernews reports with reference to Agenda.

The officials emphasised the fruitful and successful partnership in various directions between the countries and discussed the future perspectives of bilateral cooperation and relations, the Government Administration said.

The potential of cooperation between Georgia and Saudi Arabia in the field of tourism was highlighted, and as it was pointed out, owing to the correct policy of the Georgian Government, the direct flights between the two states had contributed to the development of trade and tourism.

The parties discussed the free trade agreement between the two countries and stressed its implementation would promote business and trade in the future. Garibashvili noted the development of business-friendly relations would result in more investors from Saudi Arabia to Georgia.

At the invitation of Ahmed Al Khatib, the Georgian PM and the countrys delegation visited the stand of Saudi Arabia at the ITB Berlin.
KEARNEY  Bombs. No heat. No electricity.

Hiding with a three-year-old daughter in a bomb shelter was no life for Lena and Misha Rudenko of Zhytomyr, a city in Ukraine about 60 miles north of Kiev.

Some 7,000 miles away, in Kearney, Dan and Sandy Fong, both educators, had a good life. As the Fongs raised their two children, now grown, We told them that we have it very good here, and our job now is to help others. Weve tried to live that way. Were very blessed, Dan said.

Today, thanks to the Fongs, Lena and Misha and little Zlata have started a new life here. Their second daughter, Milena, is due at the end of March.

Before the war, life was good for Lena and Misha. Born in Ukraine, they had lived in Israel for a time to earn good money. They returned to Ukraine, bought a house and, in 2019, had Zlata.

That life crashed a year ago when the Russians attacked Ukraine. Lena fled with Zlata to Germany for three months, but Misha did not because Ukrainian men were prohibited from leaving the country. Last June, with attacks near Zhytomyr subsiding, Lena and Zlata returned home.

We were home all summer, but at the beginning of autumn, bombing resumed throughout the region, Lena, by then pregnant with her second child, said.

It was a cold autumn. They depended on electricity for heat, but We were without electricity one day, two days, half a day. With winter coming, nights spent in bomb shelters and a baby on the way, the couple and Mishas mother Vira, who lived with them, decided to leave.

They considered returning long-term to Germany, but Lena does not speak German, so she began to look for other options.

A friend told her about an international online resettlement program for Ukrainians, but the family would need a sponsor before they could move to another country. Hoping for a sponsor, Lena posted a picture of the family, wrote a brief biography and crossed her fingers.

Concern in Kearney

Meanwhile, in Kearney, Dan and Sandy Fong were troubled by the upheaval in Ukraine. It was heartbreaking, Sandy said. We have so much here. If this happened to me, I would hope somebody in the world would take me in.

She began researching ways to help online and found a program called Uniting for Ukraine. With Dans support, she filled out a brief form offering to take a family.

Then she learned about a program called the MG Global Support Foundation run by a North Carolina man in whom she called a modern day Schindler, referring to the man who rescued Jewish families as World War II broke out.

When the war started in Ukraine last year, the man, once an immigrant himself, used his frequent-flier airline miles to get 1,200 people out of Ukraine. Now, he was seeking sponsors for Ukrainian refugees.

On his website were the names and brief stories of 300 Ukrainian families who wanted to leave their war-battered country. Last October, as she sipped coffee on a Sunday morning, Sandy began reading those names. As soon as she read the first few sentences of Lenas post  I want my daughter to be born in peace. I dont want the first thing she hears to be bombs and sirens  she knew she wanted to sponsor that family.

She then asked Dan to study the names. She didnt tell him about Lenas post, but once he read it, We agreed. That was the family we wanted to sponsor, he said. I told Sandy, Im with you on this.

The Fongs emailed the organization. Zoom meetings were set up between them and Lena, whose English is excellent. They talked. We decided it was a good fit, Sandy said.

MGGSF posted the match on its website. That very day, a man stepped up and paid for the familys first-class flight to America.

Four sleepless days

That journey began with a 16-hour bus ride over icy roads in a snowstorm to Warsaw, Poland. Lena barely slept. Zlata had been sick several days earlier and was not fully recovered.

They traveled alone because Misha was delayed by health problems, but those woes were a hidden blessing because he got a waiver from the military service required of all Ukrainian men. His mother Vira would come a few weeks later.

In Warsaw, Lena and Zlata had a few hours in a hotel before their 18-hour air journey to Amsterdam via Chicago to Kansas City. Lena put a few sweaters into a larger suitcase (somebody said winter was cold here) and had a smaller suitcase with a few toys for Zlata. They brought nothing more.

On the day after Thanksgiving, the Fongs drove to the Kansas City airport to pick up Lena and Zlata. They were the last two passengers off the plane, but once they all met, conversation took off.

I was so stressed my mouth wouldnt close, Lena said. I hadnt slept for four days. I spent hours on the bus, then hours in the air. I felt like, I am a little drunk.

Dan stopped at a convenience store on their drive home. Lena sampled a corn dog. It was late. I had been traveling for four days. I didnt know if I was hungry or not, she said.

They arrived in Kearney at 11 p.m., but Lena woke up at 2 a.m. and wondered if she was dreaming. She decided to take a shower. By 3 a.m., the Fongs got up, too. They made Zlata macaroni and cheese.

Sandy was on sabbatical from teaching graduate level classes in social work for the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Her teaching is done on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She was home to help as the newcomers got adjusted.

A new life

Arriving at the start of the Christmas season, Lena and Zlata admired the lights in Yanney Park. They have received gifts, clothing and toys from the Fongs friends and neighbors.

But as grateful as Lena was, something was missing: Misha. She talked to him on her phone every morning. Finally, at 8 p.m. last Thursday, he stepped off the plane at the Kearney Regional Airport. Zlata ran to him when she saw him.

Next week, Misha will begin assisting with deliveries at Nelsons Furniture, where Fong, a retired high school English teacher, works part time. Vira is working at Younes Hospitality.

The Rudenkos humanitarian parole visa lasts for two years. They cannot plan beyond that. They would like to return home to Ukraine by then, but they know that may not be possible.

This weekend, the family will move into an apartment not far from the Fongs. I couldnt let them go very far, Sandy said. In just three weeks, Lena expects to deliver their new daughter at Kearney Regional Medical Center.

Meanwhile, she cleans for the Fongs and cooks them delicious meals. Misha is fascinated with big American cars. They are attending eFree church with the Fongs and learning to like American food.

I couldnt ask for anybody better, Sandy said. This has been so worthwhile. We cant imagine a better family in our home.

The Fongs remember the call they got last fall from Lena. She was in a bomb shelter. She had no power. Bombs were exploding nearby. Suddenly, the Fongs could hear first-hand the horrors they saw in nightly newscasts. That was a tough day, Sandy said.

The Fongs are careful to say that they didnt resettle the Rudenko family alone. A lot of people have been part of this journey, Dan said.

Lena got teary as she heard those words. I want to say thank you for this country, for all these people, for this family, she said.

Not long after Lena arrived, Sandy told her how brave she was. No, you were brave, Lena told her. You had no idea who we were. We both gambled, but you were our neighbor 7,000 miles away. You are forever our family now.
Danny O'Brien, executive vice president and head of corporate affairs at Qcells North America

By Park Jae-hyuk







Hanwha Solutions Qcells Division decided recently to hire Fox's executive vice president and head of government relations, Danny O'Brien, a top aide to President Joe Biden during his time in the Senate and his penultimate presidential campaign in 2008.







The solar module manufacturing unit of Hanwha Group said earlier this month that O'Brien will serve as an executive vice president and head of corporate affairs at Qcells North America.







"We are thrilled to welcome Danny to Qcells," Hanwha Solutions Q Cells Division CEO Lee Koo-yung said. "Danny is an exceptionally respected professional with decades of geopolitical and public policy experience. We look forward to benefitting from his leadership as we help lead the global energy transition."







The company said that the new executive vice president, who previously worked as chief of staff to Biden and two other senators, will lead the policy, communications and sustainability teams as Hanwha expands across the clean energy value chain in the U.S.







"There is no industry more exciting or more important right now than clean energy, and Qcells is a leading player with a proven commitment to renewable energy in the U.S.," O'Brien said in a press release. "I am honored to join this company at a time when it is creating jobs and building a domestic supply chain that delivers clean energy solutions to communities across the country."







Earlier this year, Hanwha Solutions announced its plan to invest $2.5 billion to build North America's largest solar module manufacturing complex in the U.S. state of Georgia and the expansion of its Dalton module factory in the southeastern state.







Biden also hailed the Korean firm's plan, describing the largest solar investment in U.S. history as a "big deal" for Georgia's working families and the American economy.







"Hanwha's Qcells investment will create thousands of good-paying jobs in Georgia, many of which won't require a four-year degree," the U.S. president said in a statement at that time.







Since Biden's inauguration in January 2021, Korean firms have vied to hire former senior-level U.S. federal government officials, in order to reinforce their government relations teams in North America.







In February last year, Samsung Electronics hired former U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert as an executive vice president and head of corporate affairs for the company's North American subsidiary. At that time, LG Group appointed former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin as head of its Washington office.







In addition, POSCO hired Stephen Biegun, former U.S. deputy secretary of state, as an adviser for its American business in 2021. Coupang also appointed Alex Wong, former deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, as its head of public affairs in June 2021.


A nasal COVID-19 vaccine undergoing a clinical trial could be a game changer for fighting the virus, with early results showing superior levels of efficacy.

Blue Lake Biotechnology Inc. last month shared preliminary results of its 72-person phase 1 study, with the spray inoculant reducing the risk of symptomatic coronavirus infections by 86% for three months when used as a booster. Current intramuscular COVID boosters offer around 43% protection for a term of four to eight weeks post shot, when used in adults younger than 50.

Testing on the nasal vaccine began in August 2021, with participants ranging in age from 18 to 55 and including both those unvaccinated and those who had completed the primary series (two doses) of an mRNA COVID vaccine. In addition to its promising efficacy, the spray also resulted in milder side effects, such as runny nose rather than the muscle aches, chills and fever some experience with the shot version.

We were pleasantly surprised to see indications of a protective effect in this phase 1 trial ... said Dr. Biao He, founder and CEO of Blue Lake Biotechnology, in a press release. We have submitted a protocol to FDA for a randomized controlled phase 2 trial in which we look forward to more fully evaluating the immunogenicity of the vaccine and to better understanding its protective efficacy.

Mucosal immunity may prove superior due to its targeting of the virus at its point of entry  previous research conducted on animals found a nasal vaccine produced a greater immune response in the upper airway. With the Blue Lake vaccine, virus particles replicate inside the nasal cavity and secretory IgA (SIgA) antibodies are produced. When used as a booster dose, the nasal vaccine can trigger a quicker immune response.

Ideally, having the vaccine enter the nose directly will also help block infection, key to preventing spread as asymptomatic COVID patients are still infectious.

If the theory about the nasal vaccine holds up that would be a huge advantage, says Raj Naik, vaccine expert with Gundersen Health System.

Nasal COVID vaccines have already been approved in China, India, Iran and Russia. However, Naik notes that little data has been shared regarding the real-world efficacy.

Stateside, only Blue Lake and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have reached the human trial stage. Blue Lakes version uses CVXGA1, with parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5) vectors that contain the genetic code for the COVID spike protein, while the Mount Sinai incarnation, NDV-HXP-S, contains a recombinant Newcastle disease virus that expresses the spike protein.

If favorable results continue as Blue Lakes trial progresses into phases 2 through 4  data collection will continue through December 2023  the nasal vaccine could not only prove more beneficial than existing COVID vaccines but also encourage more individuals to receive it, particularly those who have been hesitant due to a fear of needles or unpleasant side effects. The vaccine, Blue Lake says, would be well-suited to serve as a booster for previously vaccinated and/or infected people, as well as to serve as a primary vaccine to countries that are struggling to deliver vaccine to their populations.

While Naik doesnt expect a spray vaccine will influence those who distrust or refuse an injectable version, the method will likely increase demand among those with needle phobia, which Naik says is A really significant concern  anywhere from 3 to 10% of the population has some form of needle fear, and it poses a potential barrier for those individuals receiving a vaccine.

How soon a nasal vaccine will reach pharmacies is unknown, and Naik has concerns the path to approval and production will be slow. While huge investments were made in the initial COVID vaccine rollout, the funding for the spray version may not be enough to cover the full course of necessary trials and data presentation to secure regulatory approval. Then comes the cost of manufacturing.

I dont know when the science will not only be completed but when that science will turn into actual vaccine that can be used, says Naik.

As with the COVID shot, studies and approvals will need to be done in stages, moving down to progressively younger age groups. Though crucial for safety, it further delays the timeline for all ages to be eligible.

Says Naik, The regulatory process will not move ahead of the science.

Naik is hopeful at least one of the nasal vaccines being studied and developed will really prove to be safe, effective, and, from the logistical standpoint, easily made. In order to have the biggest impact they are going to need to be mass produced, and the nasal vaccines could potentially be more difficult to make.

All individuals 6 months and older are eligible for the Pfizer or Moderna intramuscular vaccines and boosters, including the bivalent shot. COVID vaccines are available at Gundersen, Mayo Clinic Health System, Walgreens and other local health care entities and pharmacies. To find a location, visit https://www.vaccines.gov/
KYIV, Ukraine  Bound for the battlefield, sounding harried and anxious, the Russian soldier placed a hasty phone call  to a Ukrainian military hotline.

"They say you can help me surrender voluntarily, is that right?" asked the serviceman, explaining that he was soon to be deployed near the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson.

"When Ukrainian soldiers come, do I just kneel down, or what? Do you promise not to film me while this is happening?"

In fluent Russian, the hotline operator calmly assured him he'd be given detailed instructions on how to safely lay down his weapon and turn himself in.

"When you get to the front lines, just call us right away," she said.

At a crucial juncture in an extraordinarily bloody war, Ukraine's military is focused on one task: removing Russian soldiers from the battlefield. But faced with a foe whose ranks are known to be riddled with unwilling fighters, Ukrainian military strategists realized there might be more than one means to that end.

With that, the "I Want to Live" outreach was born, aimed at providing invading forces with step-by-step information on how to abandon the ranks. Initially run by Ukrainian police, the program has had a ramped-up, military-operated version in place since mid-September.

On Russian-language social media, Ukrainians have spread the word about the program's website, intended as a portal for the surrender-curious or their loved ones. It has attracted more than 13.3 million visits  7.6 million of those from Russian territory, organizers said.

Russian soldiers also provide personal data through a chatbot on the encrypted messaging app Telegram  information Ukrainian authorities use to winnow down those who are serious about turning themselves in. The chatbot, together with the hotline, has drawn nearly 10,000 contacts, according to organizers.

Citing security reasons, Ukrainian officials declined to disclose how many surrenders have been brokered via the program. But hotline operators field calls around the clock from Russians who are soon to be mobilized, are in the midst of being deployed or are already on the battlefield. Callers might be jittery or stoic, defensive or remorseful, coolly businesslike or floridly emotional  sometimes all of those in a single conversation.

"So, this is not fake?" one Russian soldier asked.

"It is not fake," the Ukrainian operator replied.

The 10-member hotline team, all active-duty service personnel with backgrounds in psychology, is tasked with providing callers with clear, concise instructions, while being alert to signs that the outreach might be a "probe" by Russian intelligence, meant to elicit information about Ukrainian methods and intentions.

However tense the backdrop, those dealing directly with would-be surrenderers try to "calm them down," said Vitaly Matvienko, a junior lieutenant who serves as spokesman for the program, which is run by the department for prisoners of war.

"Hi, I'm listening," goes a typically low-key operator salutation in an audio sampling of recent calls provided by the Ukrainian military. In the recordings made public, callers' voices are distorted to shield their identities.

Hotline operators initially worked out of military headquarters in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, but were later moved to a secret location because they are now seen as a high-profile potential target, Matvienko said. The military refused to make any operators available for interviews but said they are male and female, a range of ages and all able to chat easily in colloquial Russian.

When it comes to surrenders in the field, both sides are aware that the moment carries enormous risk for all involved, he said.

"In general, it's a very dangerous process," said Matvienko. But strict protocols, clearly laid out in advance, improve the odds of everyone staying alive.

Russians who want to turn themselves in are told to wave a white cloth, remove the magazines from their guns, point the barrels to the ground and eschew body armor and helmets. They are assured that in the event they want to be sent home in a prisoner swap, their paperwork will reflect that they were captured, not that they gave up voluntarily.

If it's a bring-your-own-tank surrender, which happens not infrequently, the turret is to be turned in the opposite direction. If it's a group surrender  also a fairly common occurrence, with a Russian squad often fearing retribution from commanders but agreeing to act jointly and surreptitiously  the highest-ranking soldier must identify himself.

If a surrendering soldier runs out of options for separating himself from his unit, the hotline offers help.

"We can coordinate with special units that will extract you safe and sound," one operator told a worried caller.

Like so much in this conflict, the "I Want to Live" program employs both high-tech methods and simple communication tools.

Russians facing deployment can communicate with the Ukrainian side using the Telegram chatbot, and before leaving for the front, they're urged to procure and hide a basic flip phone  not a smartphone  and use that to call the hotline.

Ukrainians say they've heard from Russian soldiers already on the battlefield who learned of the hotline by word-of-mouth or from a scrawled-on slip of paper passed from hand to hand.

In Russia's battle to subdue Ukraine, now in its second year, one of Moscow's greatest advantages is the sheer number of troops it can throw into the fight, Western military analysts say  which is why Ukraine is willing to try novel tactics to reduce those numbers.

In addition to the 190,000 Russian soldiers who took part in the initial multipronged invasion that began in February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin last year ordered the mobilization of 300,000 more, many of whom are now in Ukraine. And another major mobilization is expected as Russia seeks to mount a spring offensive.

But despite a more than 2-to-1 Russian advantage in its standing military, Moscow's faltering performance has been blamed on troop quality, which has deteriorated as the war goes on. Western military observers consistently cite poor morale, substandard training and shambolic supply practices as key factors in a string of Russian battlefield routs last autumn.

"In order to snatch a victory of sorts from the jaws of defeat, Putin must now rely on the overwhelming numbers provided by mass mobilization," analyst Peter Dickinson wrote in a report last month for the Atlantic Council. "This is a tried and tested Russian tactic, but it also carries considerable risks."

Deploying thousands of untrained soldiers "to fight against battle-hardened and highly motivated Ukrainian troops could result in the kind of carnage that breaks armies," he wrote.

At the start of the invasion, some Russian troops apparently believed they would be welcomed by Ukrainians as liberators. But fierce military resistance, coupled with widespread shows of disdain and defiance from civilians, soon disabused them of that notion.

Last autumn's mobilization by Putin prompted a huge exodus of fighting-age men from Russia, with hundreds of thousands settling in Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan and other nearby countries to avoid being conscripted.

Western analysts say it has become more widely known within Russia that Moscow's commanders have scant regard for the lives and welfare of their own troops.

January and February saw an uptick in Russian-language social media postings about harrowing field conditions and chaotic leadership  accounts widely echoed in months of intercepted calls home from deployed Russian troops.

In mid-February, a British military intelligence assessment said Russian forces were suffering what appeared to be the highest casualty rates since the early weeks of the war  many occurring near the hotly contested town of Bakhmut. While Ukraine has suffered heavy attrition as well, Russia lost exceptionally large numbers of troops and armored vehicles in a failed attempt last month to storm the Ukrainian-held eastern town of Vuhledar  an apparently bungled opening volley in a much-vaunted Russian spring offensive.

Ukrainian officials hope that such setbacks will serve a dual purpose: inflicting a costly defeat, and prompting Russian soldiers to recognize the sometimes suicidal role they are expected to play in human-wave attacks on fortified Ukrainian positions, which have been a recurring feature of recent fighting.

"With their own eyes, they see they are nothing more than cannon fodder," Matvienko said. "They see one of their comrades being ordered to walk into a minefield to find a path, and he gets blown up, and another is told to go next, and he's blown up too, and on it goes."

Episodes like this, he said, can galvanize a desperate sense of self-preservation.

"They realize this is real and not some war movie," he said. "And the thought has to occur to them: 'How do I save myself?'"

One caller, sounding angry and despairing, used an expletive to describe the prospect of sudden death in battle.

"A single mortar shell, and it's done," he said. "Who needs this war?"

___

Photos: In Ukraine, searing images capture a year of war
Germany is considering banning certain components from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in its telecoms networks, a government source said, in a potentially significant move to address security concerns, Azernews reports citing Reuters.

An interior ministry spokesperson on Tuesday confirmed that the German government was carrying out a general review of telecoms tech suppliers, but said that this was not directed at specific manufacturers.

The German government, which is in the midst of a broader re-evaluation of its relationship with top trade partner China, has been wary of expressly singling out Huawei, even while pursuing legislation enabling it to crack down on the firm.

An interior ministry paper on the review obtained by Reuters said that a specific supplier could be banned from providing critical components if it were deemed to be directly or indirectly controlled by the government of another state.

"We cannot be reliant on components of individual suppliers," Finance Minister Christian Lindner told Welt TV.

The review could lead to Germany asking operators to remove and replace components already built into networks, the interior ministry spokesperson said, adding that current legislation did not foresee compensation for them.
Ponomarev Deploys Sabotage, Arson, Terror and Murder To Overthrow and Dismantle Russia

March 7, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)After Western intelligence agencies succeeded in a violent coup in Ukraine in 2014, one confirmed by then-Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland to have included U.S. State Department funding of $5 billion, theres been an escalation of the narrative that the Russian Federation must be dismantled, broken into pieces. The so-called Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum (FNPRF), which ran four major conferences in 2022, beginning on May 8, 2022 in Warsaw, is one of the most notorious such operations. It was founded by Ilya Ponomarev, who fled Russia after being charged with embezzlement in 2014, and in 2019 was granted Ukrainian citizenship.

Ponomarev created FNPRF in the spring of 2022 as an escalation over Garry Kasparovs semi-annual Free Russia Forum (FRF), active since 2016. The FNPRF criticized the FRF as being dominated by centralist thinking, not being aggressive enough. Ponomarev, in the hours after the Aug. 20, 2022 car-bombing execution in Moscow of Russian journalist Darya Dugina, claimed credit for the assassination on behalf of his National Republican Army. He immediately published the NRA manifesto that day, calling for, among other things, a Russian military mutiny against President Putin.

Within a day and a half, after Russias FSB had named Natalya Vovk as the prime suspect, showing video of her stalking Dugina, Ponomarev explained that his NRA contacts inside Russia asserted that Vovk had had no direct role in the attack. Nevertheless, Ponomarev claims he contributed to Vovks escape.

A brief sketch of Ponomarev shows that he made a lot of money as an officer at Schlumberger Oilfield Services and at Yukos Oil, before becoming elected to the Russian State Duma in 2007. In 2012, he was a leader of the street protests in the attempt to overthrow Putin. His aide, Leonid Razvozzhayev, was accused of arranging a meeting between a Georgian official, Givi Targamadze, and a Russian opposition leader, Sergei Udattsov of the Left Front, in order to overthrow Putin. In August 2014, Razvozzhayev was accused of plotting mass riots, and sentenced to four and half years in prison. At that time, Ponomarev was under investigation and his bank accounts were frozen. He had taken up residence in San Jose, California, and in 2016 he sought residency in Kiev. On the last day of his presidency, May 17, 2019, Petro Poroshenko granted Ponomarev Ukrainian citizenship.

Currently, Ponomarev says that he is part of Ukraines Territorial Defense Forces and that he endorses acts of sabotage and arson in Russia. Eleven days after he claimed credit for the Aug. 20, 2022 assassination of Darya Dugina, he held a joint press conference with another Territorial Defense Forces operative, Denis Nikitin (aka Denis Kapustin) and Nikitins Russian Volunteer Corps, on organizing the revolutionary overthrow of the Russian government, and dismantling the Russian Federation. They are both committed to the immediate violent overthrow of Russia, though Ponomarevs members reside inside Russia, and Nikitins are Russian exiles in Ukraine. Whatever Ponomarevs involvement in the murder of Dugina proves to be, Nikitin is presently suspected in the similar, attempted car-bombing on March 6 of Konstantin Malofeev, CEO of Tsargrad TV. Malofeev was fortunately unhurt. And although no charges have yet been filed, his Russian Volunteer Corps took credit for the vicious March 2 attack on civilians in Bryansk Region, killing two adults and wounding one boy.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR WEDNESDAY MARCH 8, 2023

Make the U.S. Great AgainBy Becoming Good Again

March 7, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)A general strike took place across France today. Police authorities estimate 1.3 million participants. The governments attempt to grab back pensions initiated the protests, but governments in Europe are widely seen to have sacrificed their populations welfare. A second round has been called by the CGT confederation and other unions for Saturday, March 11.

In Greece, mass rallies verging on a general strike are scheduled for mid-day on March 8. The genuine anger over the austerity conditions and privatizations leading up to the Feb. 28 horrible train tragedy in Tempi has grown into demands for more than an honest investigation of the head-on crash, killing at least 57. The public sector union has focused their mass rally in downtown Athens upon the privatization mania. They are joined by the Primary Teachers Federation and others.

The Schiller Institutes Helga Zepp-LaRouche appeared again today on Chinas CGTN in a panel broadcast, making the connection between the Wests war drive and the financial cancer driving West into breaking down and looting nation-states. Meanwhile, Beijings new Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in his anticipated press conference on the margins of the National Peoples Congress today, laid out a clear strategic perspective:

The United States claims that it seeks to out-compete China but does not seek conflict. Yet, in reality, its so-called competition means to contain and suppress China in all respects and get the two countries locked in a zero-sum game. The United States talks a lot about following rules. But imagine two athletes competing in an Olympic race. If one athlete, instead of focusing on giving his best, always tries to trip or even injure the other, that is not fair competition, but malicious confrontation and a foul! Such competition is a reckless gamble with the stakes being the fundamental interests of the two peoples and even the future of humanity.... If the United States has the ambition to make itself great again, it should also have a broad mind for the development of other countries. Containment and suppression will not make America great, and it will not stop the rejuvenation of China.

Meanwhile, Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has refused to save any of his forces in Bakhmut, calling for a last ditch fight to the deathapparently because of the fear of a political blowback from allowing even a tactical retreat. Zelenskyy muscled his Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi into signing on to the military insanity, despite weeks of signals from Zaluzhnyi that it would be disastrous. And, in general, theres a severe emergence of the neo-Nazi element in Kiev these days, exemplified by the Kraken paramilitary unit of Ukraines Military Intelligence invading Russia, including the Bryansk Region, last week, in tandem with neo-Nazi Denis Nikitins Russian Volunteer Corps, shooting Russian citizens and students in carsall supposedly to inspire Russians to begin shooting their neighbors and triggering a violent coup against Moscow.

Nikitin is also the prime suspect in the attempted car-bombing of Konstantin Malofeev, the CEO of Russias nationalist Tsargrad TV. The modus operandi is similar to that carried out in Moscow on Aug. 20, 2022 that killed journalist Darya Dugina. And Nikitins sometime colleague Ilya Ponomarev, besides holding conferences in Europe on breaking up the Russian Federation into pieces, is the same individual who claimed credit on behalf of the questionable National Republican Army for the assassination of Dugina. The Kiev regime, if it ever had plans of standing up a regular army, is turning more and more to their neo-Nazi roots, employing terror and assassinations. President Zelenskyy vowed on his nightly show that retribution would be had, by legal means or otherwise.

In the United States, on March 8 at 5:30 p.m. EST, it is expected that the House will vote on the Syrian War Powers Resolution (H.Con.Res.21) of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to force the President to remove U.S. troops occupying Syria. Gaetz began on Feb. 21 with the simple mission of forcing his colleagues to take a position and stand on it. It is now reported that the Congressional Progressive Caucus has finally come out urging all of its 100 members to support Gaetzs resolution. It is just this refusal to be pigeon-holed into left and right small-minded identitiesor worse, identity politicsthat holds the potential for breaking the mental and moral logjam in the country.

Then, with a possible outbreak of public sanity, what is to stop the United States from becoming great again? One step in the direction of becoming good again is a happy start.
Colombia is proposing to send at least 70 hippopotamuses to India and Mexico as part of a plan to control the hippo population.

The hippos live near the former farm of the crime group leader Pablo Escobar, who died in 1993. He had illegally imported four hippos from Africa in the 1980s. The animals mated and their numbers increased.

The hippos are territorial in behavior and weigh up to three tons. They have spread far beyond the Hacienda Napoles property, which is about 200 kilometers from Bogota along the Magdalena River. Environmental officials estimate there are about 130 hippos in the area in Antioquia province. The experts said the hippo population there could reach 400 in eight years.

Escobars Hacienda Napoles and the hippos have become a tourist attraction in the years since Escobar was killed by police.

Scientists warn the hippos do not have a natural predator in Colombia. The animals also could be a problem for biodiversity as the waste they produce changes the composition of the rivers. The environmental changes could threaten native animals including manatees and capybaras. Last year, Colombias government declared the hippos a harmful invasive species.

The plan to take the animals to India and Mexico has been forming for more than a year, said Lina Marcela de los Rios Morales, director of animal protection and welfare at Antioquias environment ministry.

Animal caretakers would use food to trick the hippos into getting into large, iron containers. Then, trucks would transport the animals to the international airport in the city of Rionegro, 150 kilometers away. From there, the hippos would be flown to India and Mexico, where there are animal shelters and zoos to house the animals.

It is possible to do, we already have experience relocating hippos in zoos nationwide, said David Echeverri Lopez, a spokesman for Cornare, the local environmental agency that would oversee the operation.

The plan is to send 60 hippos to the Greens Zoological Rescue & Rehabilitation Kingdom in Gujarat, India. De los Rios Morales said the center would pay for the cost of the containers and airlift. Another 10 hippos would go to zoos and protected areas in Mexico such as the Ostok Sanctuary, in Sinaloa state.

The plan aims to catch the hippos living in the rivers surrounding the Hacienda Napoles property. The ones on the property are not a concern. Officials said those hippos are in a controlled environment and do not threaten the local environment.

Ecuador, the Philippines and Botswana have also expressed their willingness to take the Colombian hippos, the Antioquia Governors Office says.

Im Caty Weaver.

The Associated Press reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted the story for Learning English.

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Words in This Story

tourist attraction n. a place of interest to visitors

predator n. an animal that obtains food mostly by killing and eating other animals

biodiversity n. biological variety in an environment as indicated by numbers of different species of plants and animals

composition n. the elements of a substance

species n. a group of living things of the same kind and with the same name

relocate v. to move to a new location

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Saudi oil giant Aramco has agreed to a $6 billion framework deal with Export-Import Bank of Korea, a move that could help South Korean companies win lucrative contracts in the kingdom's giga projects such as the $500 billion futuristic city Neom, reported Yonhap News Agency.

Of the $6 billion, $1 billion has been set aside for hydrogen and renewable energy deals, it stated.

The three-year deal -- which was inked between Eximbank Chairman Yoon Hee Sung and Saudi Aramco Chief Financial Officer Ziad Al Murshed in Seoul - is a follow-up measure to support a "second Middle East boom," said a Exim bank spokesman.

Under the framework agreement, the Exim Bank can lend up to $6 billion to Saudi Aramco, which in turn pays South Korean companies involved in projects whose orders were placed by the Saudi oil giant, he stated.

The deal comes amid expectations of key business opportunities in the kingdom and the Middle East following the November visit to Seoul by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

"The deal could give a big boost to South Korean companies in winning contracts in the Middle East," said Yoon Hee Sung.

South Korean companies are seeking to win construction deals in Saudi Arabia's $500 billion project to develop eco-friendly and smart cities in the kingdom's northwestern Tabuk Province.
The war in Tigray is over, but the trauma remains.

Tsega Fitsum is a volunteer teacher at the Mai Weyni school in the Tigray capital, Mekelle. She said, when school started soon after the November peace deal of last year, her students' minds were still on the conflict.

"They used to be inclined to draw guns instead of writing alphabets and numbers," she told VOA. "But now, we say 'The war has stopped. There is peace and there is no fear, and they should work freely.'"

The effects of the war are likely to continue for years. The Mai Weyni school is home to more than 8,500 people who were displaced by the war. About 5,100 are children under the age of 18. Most have been outside of the education system for more than two years. A 2022 report by the United Nations said that 1.39 million children in Tigray do not attend school.

The war between Ethiopia's federal government and Tigrayan forces left many children without parents or separated from families. The effect of those emotional wounds last a long time for children, experts say.

Etsedingel Hadera is a psychiatrist in Mekelle's Ayder Hospital. He said it is important for parents to help ease the hidden scars the children carry.

"When parents see behavioral changes, they should give their children hope and let them know it's okay and that it will all pass," he told VOA. "If they are not comforted that way, they listen to everything around them, even when we think they are not paying attention.

Fitsum said the top goal must be healing the children at the school and reuniting them with their families.

"Many children were hurt and some were forced to live parentlessBut if there is peace, they want to go back to school and return to their families. We need to make an effort, especially for the children," she said.

Meresu Gebru is a mother who sought shelter on the school grounds after fleeing Mai-Kadra. She said: "Education is a solution for all. I want education, stability.

Gebru fled with one of her five children from the town where some of the war's worst violence took place. Her four other children, along with her husband, fled to Sudan.

People who live around the school said life is far from normal for the children. Mekelle was bombed by government warplanes several times.

"During the war, children were psychologically traumatized," said Gebregziabher Hadush, who lives Mekelle.

Now that there is a peace deal, experts say mental health services should be offered to children as they reenter the classrooms. Psychiatrist Etsedingel said the problems from the war will continue to effect the next generation.

"Some of my patients under 18 say they have lost hope, he said. They are thinking about committing suicide. Some ask, 'What is our hope? School has stopped and we are suffering.' They need psychosocial support."

Im Dan Novak.

Mulugeta Atsbeha reported this story for Voice of America. Dan Novak adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

trauma  n. a painful or difficult experience or a physical injury

(to be) inclined  adj. likely to do something or to behave in a certain way

psychiatrist  n. a medical doctor who treats people for mental or emotional disorders

scar  n. the mark that remains after a wound heals

comfort  n. the act of making someone who is suffering feel better

stability  n. the state of being in good emotional or mental health

psychosocial  adj. combining things that affect mental health with social considerations or efforts
Japans space agency had to destroy a rocket after a launch Tuesday because its second stage engine failed to start.

The 60-meter-tall rocket is called the H3. It is Japans first new rocket in more than 20 years.

The misfire was the second rocket problem for the agency in the last three weeks.

The H3 rocket blasted off from a launch area at the Tanegashima Space Center on an island in southern Japan. However, a problem happened in the rockets second stage. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency explained that the ignition for the second stage failed, and the rocket would not have made it into orbit.

The agency, known as JAXA, said it destroyed the rocket 14 minutes into its flight because it could not continue.

Yasuhiro Funo is the JAXA launch director. He said the rocket was unsafe at that point and had to be destroyed. It fell into the sea off the eastern coast of the Philippines.

The rocket carried an Earth observation satellite called ALOS-3. It included a special infrared sensor that could follow military activity such as missile launches.

JAXA also had a problem six months ago with a different kind of rocket.

The H3 rocket launch had a two-year delay because of an engine problem. JAXA leaders said more study is needed to prevent future problems.

Hiroshi Yamakawa is JAXAs President. He said his agency needs to figure out what we should do to successfully achieve the next launch.

JAXA spent over $1 billion on the H3, the agencys first new rocket in 22 years. It follows the H-2A, which will no longer be used after its upcoming 50th launch. The H3 rocket is smaller but can carry larger loads and is less costly per launch.

Hirotaka Watanabe is a professor at Osaka University. He studies space policy. He spoke with Reuters about the future.

"This will have a serious impact on Japan's future space policy, space business and technological competitiveness," he said.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.

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Words in This Story

stage n. a section of a rocket that has its own fuel and engine

ignition n. the electrical system that causes a fuel to burn

sensor n. a device that identifies the presences of force or electromagnetic radiation and reacts to it in a defined way

achieve v. to do something, to make something happen

figure out v. to find something out by thinking

_____________________________________________________________________

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It is widely known that students test scores decreased across the United States because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But many parents do not know that their own child or children are among those whose scores have suffered.

In Boston, Massachusetts, Evena Joseph did not fully understand how much her 10-year-old son was struggling in school. She found out only with help from somebody who knows the Boston school system better than she does.

Joseph is a Haitian immigrant. Her son, J. Ryan Mathurin, was in the 30th percentile in reading. That means 70 percent of students had stronger reading scores than him. But Joseph did not know how far behind her son was until a hospital where he was receiving treatment connected her with a bilingual aid.

Its only because I was assigned an educational advocate that I know this about my son, Joseph said.

Schools have long faced criticism for failing to inform some parents about their kids' progress in school. But after COVID-19 school closures, the importance of keeping parents informed has in many ways never been greater.

There are many chances to catch up, thanks to federal COVID aid. But it will take better communication with parents to help students get the support they need, experts say.

Parents cant solve a problem that they dont know they have, said Cindi Williams. She is co-founder of Learning Heroes, a nonprofit working to improve communication between public schools and parents about student progress.

In 2022, Learning Heroes questioned 1,400 public school parents around the country. The group found that 92 percent believed their children were performing at grade level. But in a federal survey, school officials said half of all U.S. students started this school year behind grade level in at least one subject.

The struggles that brought J. Ryan to the hospital for mental health treatment began in third grade. That was when he returned to in-person school after nearly a year of learning online. J. Ryan was getting angry in class, disrupting lessons and leaving the classroom.

J. Ryan showed these behaviors during English and other classes, including Mandarin and gym. He did better in math class, one of his stronger subjects. But Joseph said teachers never told her about her sons problems with reading.

Last spring, she sought treatment for her sons depression. She was helped at the hospital with the parent advocate who speaks English and Haitian Creole.

The advocate pushed to get J. Ryans scores from the tests given each fall to measure student learning. She explained to Joseph what it meant for J. Ryan to be in the 30th percentile in reading.

Before this year, schools in the Boston system could decide whether to share test scores with parents. But it is not clear how many were doing it. In the fall, Boston schools started a communications program to help teachers explain testing results to parents as many as three times a year.

Research shows there are many reasons teachers might not talk to parents about a students academic progress, especially when the news is bad.

Historically, teachers did not get a lot of training to talk to parents, said Tyler Smith. He is a school psychology professor at the University of Missouri. School leadership and support for teachers also make a difference, he added.

Teachers might also think that poorer parents do not care about their childs progress, said Williams, the co-founder of Learning Heroes.

Without these discussions, parents only look at report cards. But report cards are considered to be subjective. They may not be the best signs of overall student success.

Many school systems have used their federal pandemic recovery money for summer school, tutoring programs and other actions to help students recover from the pandemic. But students have not used the extra help as much as educators had hoped. If more parents knew their children were behind academically, they might seek help.

After J. Ryan moved to a new school, Joseph stopped getting phone calls from the teacher complaining about his behavior. Joseph said her son is getting good treatment for his depression. But Joseph said she has not received a report card this year or the test scores that the district claims it is now sending to families.

She said, Im still concerned about his reading.

Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press.

Quiz - Some Parents Do Not Know Their Children Struggle in School Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

advocate  n. a person who argues for or supports a cause or policy

survey  n. an activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something

disrupt  v. to cause to be unable to continue in the normal way

depression  n. a serious medical condition in which a person feels very sad, hopeless, and unimportant and often is unable to live in a normal way

psychology  n. the science or study of the mind and behavior

subjective  adj. based on feelings or opinions rather than facts

district  n. an area established by a government for official government business

tutor  v. a teacher who works with one student
An island group belonging to Taiwan has been without internet for the past month. Taiwanese officials blame two Chinese ships for cutting cables that caused the outage.

The Matsu islands have a population of about 14,000. The people living there depend on two undersea cables that bring internet service to the community from Taiwans main island.

Taiwans National Communication Commission said it had found evidence that a Chinese ship cut the first internet cable about 50 kilometers off the Chinese coast in early February. About a week later, another ship cut the second cable, the commission said.

Taiwans government stopped short of accusing the Chinese government of cutting the cables on purpose. There has been no direct evidence to prove that the Chinese ships were responsible, The Associated Press reported.

People living on the islands have since been using a microwave radio signal system to receive limited internet. That system uses older technology and has resulted in long delays for basic internet services.

Internet cables are covered in steel armor when placed in less deep waters. But even with such protection, cables can easily get cut by equipment used by ships and fishing boats.

The cables had been cut a total of 27 times during the past five years, data from Taiwans largest telecommunications company showed.

We cant rule out that China destroyed these on purpose, said Su Tzu-yun. He is a defense expert at the Taiwan government-run National Defense and Security Research group. He added, Taiwan needs to invest more resources in repairing and protecting the cables.

Taiwan's coast guard chased the fishing boat that cut the first cable on February 2. But the boat fled back to Chinese waters, a Taiwanese government official told the AP. Officials said they had found two Chinese ships in the area where the cables were cut.

Wang Chung Ming is the head of Lienchiang County, the official name for the Matsu islands. He said he traveled to Taiwan with a legislator from Matsu shortly after the internet broke down to ask for help. He was promised the area would get priority in any future internet backup plans.

Taiwans National Communications Commission said it would put in place a data gathering system in an effort to prevent future cable cutting incidents.

Some Pacific island nations still depend on satellites as a backup for internet services, said Jonathan Brewer, a telecommunications consultant from New Zealand who works across Asia.

Im Ashley Thompson.

The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

cable  n. a wire covered by plastic that carries electricity, telephone signals, etc.

priority  n. something that is very important and that must be dealt with before other things

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Countries around the world are celebrating International Women's Day (IWD) on Wednesday, March 8.

The United Nations says the theme it is celebrating this year is DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.

The U.N. says that from the earliest days of computing, women have contributed to information technology. But, it says those contributions have been little recognized or valued.

The international organization says 37 percent of women do not use the internet. It also says 259 million fewer women than men have access to the internet. Yet, women account for very close to half the worlds population. The U.N. says women are largely underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers.

"Bringing women into technology results in more creative solutions and has greater potential for innovations that meet womens needs and promote gender equality," says the U.N.'s website.

For this years International Womens Day, U.S. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement, Let us work together  across governments, the private sector and civil society  to build a more inclusive, just, and prosperous world for women, girls, men, and boys everywhere.

What Is International Womens Day?

The IWD has its roots in the social and labor movement in the United States.

It began in New York City on March 8, 1857, when female workers marched in protest of unfair working conditions and unequal rights in clothing factories. The workers called for a shorter workday and better pay, the National Archives says.

On March 8 of 1908, women workers again marched through New York City to protest child labor and poor working conditions, and demand women's right to vote.

The first recorded celebration internationally was on March 19, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. At that time, over a million people came out to support women's rights.

After World War II, several countries started to celebrate womens day on March 8. Two years later, the U.N. officially declared that date as International Womens Day in 1977. Some countries, including China, Russia and Uganda, also recognize it as a public holiday.

Past U.N. celebrations have included the issues of climate change, rural women and HIV/AIDS.

And, since 2007, the U.S. State Department has presented the International Women of Courage Award to more than 180 women in 80 countries.

Im Jill Robbins.

Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English with information from the United Nations and the National Archives.

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Words in This Story

theme - n. the main subject that is being discussed

contribute - v. to help cause something to happen

access - n. a way of getting near or at something

sector - n. an area of the economy

prosperous - adj. having success
FURNAS COUNTY  The Furnas County Sheriffs Office has opened an investigation as a communications tower south of Oxford was intentionally destroyed.

The sheriffs office said the tower, owned by Strayer Communications, was toppled and completely destroyed. Preliminary findings indicated intentional damage to a guide wire anchor that resulted in complete structural failure of the tower, causing it to fall to the east. Authorities were alerted about the damage on Saturday.

The office requested a forensic evidence team from the Nebraska State Patrol, in order to collect as much evidence as possible in the investigation. Deputies have also filed for and received a preservation of cellular data from the tower in hopes of identifying a suspect or suspects. Several items of evidence were seized and will be examined at the Nebraska State Patrol crime lab, the office said.

Local authorities contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is considering investigating the incident as an act of domestic terrorism.

The suspect or suspects caused an estimated $575,000 in damage to the tower. Also, the Oxford Fire and EMS, Southern Valley Schools, Verizon Wireless and the Furnas County Sheriffs Office all had equipment on the tower that was destroyed, the sheriffs office said.

Verizon was able to erect a temporary tower to provide limited cell phone coverage for the area. Furnas County was able to relocate the Fire and EMS channels for Oxford to a temporary location. Southern Valley and the FCSO are still trying to find a suitable location for their equipment.

Oxford is about 53 miles southwest of Kearney.

The Furnas County Sheriffs Office requested anyone with information on the incident, even if they just heard something, contact authorities. The office can be reached at 308-268-2245.
UAE-based Deyaar Development has awarded the main contract for Tria, a 32-storey luxury residential tower located in the heart of Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), a free zone technology park which is also a member of the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ).

The latest addition to Deyaars luxury project portfolio, Tria offers a wide range of residential options including studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, townhouses, duplexes, and stylish penthouses, said the developer.

With a built-up area of over 1 million sq ft, the luxury tower is served by excellent transport links that provide fast access to major highways, including Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Al Ain Road, it stated.

The AED 515 million ($140.2 million) project also provides exceptional features, such as smart-home automation, energy-efficient solutions, brand-new appliances, elegant interiors and floor to ceiling windows presenting panoramic views of Dubais skyline.

According to Deyaar, the tower takes suburban living to the next level with best-in-class wellness, fitness and resort-style amenities, including swimming pools, clubhouse, state-of-the-art gymnasium, yoga pavilion, steam and sauna rooms, squash and paddle courts, outdoor cinema, and plenty of lush, landscaped greenery.

Work on the project has already been initiated and is set for completion in 2025 as scheduled.

Announcing the contract award, Engineer Ayman A. Al Hammadi, Senior Vice President  Projects & Commercial at Deyaar, said: "The selection of the main contractor for a project of this magnitude is never an easy task, as we always seek to engage reputed parties with a proven track record in delivering projects on time and to the highest quality, health and safety standards."

"This vital step reflects our steadfast commitment to delivering world-class quality and on-time completion for our luxury development in Dubai Silicon Oasis," noted Al Hammadi.

Ever since commencement of sales last year, Deyaar said it has witnessed exceptional demand for Tria from customers, who are attracted by its elevated lifestyle and unique design that puts residents wellbeing at the forefront.

"We look forward to making swift progress on this extraordinary project, building an outstanding community at the heart of Dubai, stated the top official.

"As with all our projects, we will provide our investors with construction updates and keep them posted on the progress of Tria," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
A judge ordered a competency evaluation for a Madison man accused of robbing the same credit union location twice within a week earlier this year.

The evaluation for Reo L. Covington, 48, was requested by Covingtons attorney, Jacob Idlas, before Covington was scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing Tuesday before Dane County Circuit Judge Frank Remington.

A competency hearing, to determine whether Covington is capable currently of assisting in his defense, will be held on March 22.

Covington was charged on Feb. 24 with the Jan. 26 and Feb. 2 robberies of UW Credit Union, 1422 Northport Dr., on Madisons North Side.

According to a criminal complaint, during the first robbery a man later determined to be Covington walked up to a teller and handed over a note demanding money and warning no dye. No bait money. No tricks. No weapon was shown or implied. The teller carried out the order so nobody would be hurt but later described to police being pretty (expletive) freaked out.

A teller during the second robbery told police the robber put a note on the counter but said nothing. At one point, the robber pulled down a gaiter mask and told the teller to hurry up, then pulled the mask back up. The teller told police the robber left on a bicycle, according to the complaint.

A man later identified as Covington was seen on city street cameras with a bicycle that had distinctive spoked wheels pushing the bike toward a home in the 600 block of Vera Court.

Police later went to that address and arrested Covington. A state probation agent who had been supervising Covington, who is on probation for prior felony convictions, was able to identify Covington from surveillance images taken at the credit union during the robberies, the complaint states.
The city of Madison is gearing up to sue carmakers Kia and Hyundai for creating a public nuisance by failing to equip their vehicles with anti-theft software, which it says led to a sharp uptick in the theft of the companies vehicles last year.

The City Council on Tuesday passed a resolution authorizing the city to hire outside legal counsel to file a federal lawsuit against Kia and Hyundai for what the city in a statement called their role in creating a public nuisance.

Car thefts dropped by 5% in Madison last summer, compared to the prior year, but thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles increased by 270%, making up 45% of all stolen auto cases in July and August. Rates of Kia and Hyundai thefts are even higher in Milwaukee, where the two brands comprise 60% of all stolen autos.

The two brands are especially susceptible to theft because of a manufacturing flaw in less-expensive models that allows vehicles to be stolen without a key. Viral TikTok challenges spearheaded by the Milwaukee-based Kia Boys show people how to start a vehicles engine with a USB cable and a screwdriver.

Madison residents deserve better, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said in a statement. These corporations cut corners and put people at risk. In their search for profits, they pushed the costs of keeping people safe off to cities like Madison. Thats unacceptable.

Madison police responded last summer by assigning burglary detectives to stolen auto cases and giving out 150 steering wheel locks to Kia and Hyundai owners.

Kia and Hyundai last month started offering free software upgrades for some model owners, but not before major insurance companies Progressive and State Farm announced they would not issue new insurance policies for their vehicles.

Three Milwaukee County residents have filed two class-action lawsuits against the manufacturers in the last six months. Cities such as Cincinnati also have filed class-action lawsuits to recover damages for their residents.

Stolen autos can lead to other public safety concerns. In the statement, the city pointed to an incident in which a stolen Kia Soul was found on fire after having crashed into a tree on the citys Southeast Side after being stolen out of a parking garage the day before.

This real-world example is one of many that have taxed city resources, while putting city staff, residents and infrastructure in danger because of the manufacturers failure to install industry standard anti-theft technology in their vehicles, Rhodes-Conway said.
Two teen boys wanted for multiple burglaries, thefts and stolen vehicle cases were arrested Tuesday morning  one with a loaded handgun in his waistband, Madison police said.

At around 11 a.m. Tuesday, members of the Gang and Neighborhood Crime Abatement Team received information that boys, 15 and 13, were at an apartment in the 6800 block of Milwaukee Street. Coincidently, an officer also was sent to the unit on a property damage complaint, and the teens were spotted inside during that call, police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said in a statement.

When the boys were arrested, a loaded handgun was found in the waistband of the 13-year-old, Fryer said.

The 15-year-old male was arrested on tentative charges of operating a motor vehicle without consent, operating a motor vehicle without consent (passenger), criminal damage to property and theft from auto, as well as a Department of Corrections hold, Fryer said.

The 15-year-old previously was arrested on stolen auto charges, including an incident last summer in which a stolen vehicle crashed on the Beltline and the occupants ran into a nearby movie theater, Fryer said.

The 13-year-old was arrested on tentative charges of operating a motor vehicle without an owners consent and possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under 18, Fryer said.

Detectives in the departments Burglary Crime Unit have been working on multiple cases involving the teens and more charges are possible as the investigation continues, Fryer said.

A runaway teen also was located in the apartment, Fryer said.

The teens were taken to the juvenile jail for an initial assessment. Authorities did not indicate whether they were placed in detention or released.

The cities with the most break-ins and burglaries Cities With the Most Break-Ins / Burglaries Over the past decade burglary and larceny rates have declined Daytime break-ins of homes are most common Southern states experience the most property crime Small and midsize cities with the most burglaries 15. Dallas, TX 14. Houston, TX 13. Las Vegas, NV 12. Columbus, OH 11. Minneapolis, MN 10. Milwaukee, WI 9. Wichita, KS 8. Kansas City, MO 7. Oklahoma City, OK 6. Bakersfield, CA 5. Seattle, WA 4. Baltimore, MD 3. Detroit, MI 2. Tulsa, OK 1. Memphis, TN
A man was sentenced to five years in federal prison Tuesday for possessing and intending to sell 106 grams of methamphetamine and almost 5 pounds of marijuana, the U.S. District Attorney's office said.

Martell Mitchum, 36, of Chicago, pleaded guilty in November after first being arrested by the Wisconsin State Patrol after a traffic crash in June 2020, authorities say.

Mitchum had crashed in a construction zone on Interstate 90 in Madison, and troopers at the scene searched his car after reportedly smelling marijuana. They also found a loaded handgun, authorities said.
Legislative Republicans seemed poised Tuesday to block a recently implemented state policy requiring students to get the meningitis vaccine and medical providers to document a history of chickenpox in order for children to skip a vaccine against that disease.

Sen. Steve Nass, who co-chairs the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules, has alleged that parts of the policy that the state Department of Health Services announced for K-12 schools in early February do not comply with state law because they are arbitrary and capricious and impose an undue hardship.

Nass, R-Whitewater, said the committee could vote to suspend the rule within days of Tuesdays hearing in an email to citizens provided to the Wisconsin State Journal last week. The committee blocked a similar vaccine policy in 2020.

Under the new policy, the meningitis vaccine, which protects against meningococcal disease types A, C, W and Y, is required at seventh grade, with a booster dose required at 12th grade. The vaccine wasnt required before.

Parents who want their children to avoid the chickenpox vaccine have to provide documentation of prior chickenpox infection from a medical professional. Previously, parents could get exceptions by saying their children had had chickenpox.

While Tuesdays meeting in the Capitol was focused on the states recently implemented rules for chickenpox and meningitis vaccines, the topic often shifted back to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Calling Dr. Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer for communicable diseases at DHS, Wisconsins Dr. Fauci, Nass asked how lawmakers can trust the department.

Westergaard said that trust is built through conversations, discourse and becoming familiar with the benefits of immunization.

We want to make our community spaces as safe as they can be, Westergaard said.

Tara Czachor, co-founder of Wisconsin United for Freedom, a group that advocates against vaccine mandates, pushed back against the rule Tuesday, asking committee members, How many is too many and who gets to decide?

The state has messed with my kids, all our kids, enough, Czachor said. We want more options, not less. We want less mandates, not more.

The new rule also includes chickenpox and meningitis, or meningococcal disease, in the definition of an outbreak, which can trigger actions to stem the spread of disease. Five or more related cases of chickenpox are considered an outbreak, as are three or more related cases of meningococcal disease and three or more cases of mumps.

The new policy doesnt change existing exemption options for medical, religious or philosophical reasons. It requires a whooping cough shot  known as tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis vaccine, or Tdap  by seventh grade instead of sixth grade.

Dr. Stephanie Schauer, the DHS immunization program manager, said meningitis vaccines have been recommended for students by the Advisory Council on Immunization Practices, which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since 2005.

Wisconsins most recent vaccination rates in child care centers and schools show a decline, as parents and providers put vaccinations on hold during the pandemic. Thats the case in other states, too.

In the 2021-22 school year, 88.7% of students met the minimum immunization requirements, a 3.2% decrease from the previous year. Some 3.3% of students were behind schedule on their vaccinations, a 0.4% increase from the previous year. Data from this school year wont be available for a month or two, officials said.
BURLEY  Its not unusual for helicopter pilots to commute hundreds of miles to work  but a new emergency medical services helicopter in town has two pilots who grew up in Mini-Cassia  and now live and work here.

Intermountain Healths Classic Air Medical, purchased in September by the hospital, enticed one former Mini-Cassia resident to return to Heyburn  and allowed a second Burley pilot who was commuting to work in Winnemucca, Nevada  to work here.

Its rare for pilots to live where they work, Classic Air Medical pilot Nick Soto of Heyburn said.

Soto, 36, graduated from Minico High School, and Kaci Carpenter, 26, graduated from Burley High School.

Soto, who is married with three children, previously lived in Cedar City, Utah, and spent time as a wildfire helicopter pilot, as an EMS pilot in Arizona near Lake Powell and as a Nevada tour pilot. All the jobs took him away from his wife and kids  sometimes for as long as three months at a time.

I wanted to be home every night and when I heard through the grapevine in February 2022 that Intermountain bought Classic Air Medical, I was the first one to put my hand up. Im, like, thats my hometown, Soto said. It was a no-brainer.

Moving back to Mini-Cassia though, was a little bitter-sweet, he said.

Although the move meant being able to see his mom, dad and sisters often, the couple also enjoyed their Utah home  and that made it tough to leave.

Honestly, when I graduated from high school and went into the Marine Corps, I never wanted to move back to Burley, Soto said. But, the move gives me the opportunity to be home every night and thats worth everything.

Sotos father agrees.

We were ecstatic when he moved back here, Dan Soto said. Now my whole family is here. Nick was gone for a long time.

When Carpenter was working as a Las Vegas, Nevada, tour pilot and the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the company put its pilots on a seven-day-on, seven-day-off schedule  and she started returning to Idaho on her days off.

When she took a job in Winnemucca, where she worked 14 days and then had 14 days off, she continued coming back to Idaho during her downtime.

Shed worked there about a year when she heard a rumor that Classic Air Medical was coming to Burley.

I was in disbelief and never thought it would happen, Carpenter said. Then I was nervous that I wouldnt get the position.

Taking the Classic Air Medical job in Burley, meant no more traveling back and forth, she said.

The switch also made her family members in the Burley area happy.

They like me flying and they like to hear my stories, Carpenter said. Sometimes they are outside when Im flying over and they wave to me.

Carpenter recalls wanting to be a pilot as a child as she watched crop dusters fly over her home, and, at about age 11 during a visit to the hospital, she asked an EMS helicopter pilot a lot of questions.

But as a child, she never dreamed shed actually become a pilot.

Also, there are not many women helicopter pilots.

Its still a very male-dominated field, Carpenter said.

The percentage of female helicopter pilots is low, she said, hovering at 3 percent, but as time moves on more women are becoming involved in aviation.

Soto also always had a passion for flying and a particular interest in helicopters.

I always wanted to fly a helicopter, he said. I just liked the way they hover and fly low. They can carry extended loads and land anywhere, like on a mountain ridge.

After high school graduation, he went into the U.S. Marine Corps and worked as an aircraft mechanic. After discharge, he learned the GI Bill would cover his training as a pilot.

Both pilots worked as flight instructors after certification, before moving on to other jobs.

They first met while working for the Las Vegas tour company, which duties included flying over the city and the Grand Canyon.

While flying is inherently safe, Soto said, its also unforgiving when something goes wrong.

Learning not to push the weather minimums is one of the top skills that keep helicopter pilots safe, he said.

Weather plays such a big part in safely flying, Carpenter said. And you have to make that split-second go or no-go decision when someone is waiting on you and it can be stressful.

One of the best parts of the job, both say, is no two days are alike.

You never know when the call is coming or where youll be going, Carpenter said.

Some of their calls involve transporting patients from one hospital to another, including some out-of-state hospitals, but, on other calls, they pick up trauma or medical patients just about anywhere southern Idaho has to offer.

Interstate landings are my favorite, Carpenter said. If I get the chance to shut down the freeway, thats an exciting day for me.
TWIN FALLS  A Magic Valley lender has been ordered to stop doing business due to what the Idaho Department of Finance has called illegal lending practices.

The Twin Falls Fifth Judicial District Court issued the judgment Tuesday against Velasquez Enterprises Inc., doing business as Speedy Loans and Cash Now & Auto Sales, 430 Blue Lakes Blvd. N., Suite D, in Twin Falls, to comply with the Department of Finances Default Order to Cease and Desist.

The Department of Finance alleges the business had been participating in unlicensed payday, title, and short-term installment lending since May 31, 2021, in violation of the Idaho Credit Code.

Erin Van Engelen, consumer finance bureau chief, said the department has not been able to contact owner Antonio Velasquez, and is reaching out to people who received loans from the business since May 31, 2021, to give them advice on how to deal with their individual loans.

She said the department doesnt know the number of loans issued by the business in the time frame, and that criminal charges have not been filed against Velasquez.

If you received a loan from Speedy Loans or Cash Now & Auto Sales between May 31, 2021, and present day, you may contact Supervising Examiner Tom Nate at 208-332-8086 for further information.

Information online shows that Velasquez Enterprises was founded in 1999, and claims annual revenue of more than $1 million per year. The Speedy Loans website was not operational Tuesday afternoon.
By the end of 2023, 39% of global knowledge workers will work hybrid, up from 37% in 2022, according to Gartner, a technological research and consulting firm.

Hybrid is no longer just an employee perk but an employee expectation, said Ranjit Atwal, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner. Many employees started to partially return to the office in 2022, but the hybrid workstyle will remain prominent in 2023 and beyond. To adapt, employers have been implementing a human-centric work design  including flexibility, intentional collaboration and empathy-based management  which suits hybrid employees.

For example, IT workers are more inclined to quit their jobs than employees in other functions as they look for greater flexibility, improved work-life balance and better career opportunities. CIOs can maximise retention and attraction of talent by resetting their employee value proposition with a more human deal.

Hybrid workers

Gartner defines hybrid workers as workers who work in the office at least one day a week. Fully remote workers are those working from home all the time. On-site workers are those who work on-site full time, not working at home at any time.

The number of remote workers is expected to continue to fall year over year. Gartner estimates that remote workers will represent only 9% of all employees worldwide by the end of 2023.

In the US, the hybrid work trend will be more pronounced than the rest of the world with 51% of knowledge workers projected to work hybrid and 20% to work fully remote in 2023.

Human-centric design requires a new set of principles, norms and thinking. Successful virtual workspaces will increase the ability to hire and bring together employees regardless of geographic location. Virtual workspaces provide potentially disruptive new alternatives to in-person meetings (and the associated travel) and to existing, virtual meeting solutions. Gartner predicts that by 2025, 10% of workers will use virtual spaces for activities such as sales, onboarding and working remotely.

Fully mature virtual workspaces

For remote-first or hybrid organisations, fully mature virtual workspaces may replace the office as the embodiment of company culture and become the center of the digital employee experience, said Christopher Trueman, Senior Principal Analyst at Gartner. However, employees should not be expected to engage in the virtual workspace for their entire workday. Virtual workspaces should only be used for meetings and interactions that will be enhanced by them, such as brainstorming, product reviews, or social gatherings.

While all countries have increased their proportion of hybrid and fully remote work since 2019, the allure of fully remote and hybrid work varies significantly by country.

Japan employers are focused more on employees returning to the office full time compared with other employers around the globe. In Japan, the number of fully remote and hybrid knowledge workers will total 29% of its workforce in 2023.

Europe follows

In Europe, where face-to-face interaction remains a preference, the hybrid style of work is projected to increase in 2023. In Germany, fully remote and hybrid knowledge workers will account for 49% of the German workforce in 2023. Given their cultural and vertical industry mix, the number of fully remote and hybrid knowledge workers in the UK will be on the rise over the same period.

The US number of fully and remote and hybrid knowledge workers will account for 71% of the US workforce in 2023. In the UK, fully remote and hybrid knowledge workers will represent 67% of its workforce in 2023.-- TradeArabia News Service
Patrick County administrator Geri Hazelwood resigned from her position on Monday with an effective date of March 1.

Word of Hazelwood stepping aside had spread through offices and hallways in Stuart on Tuesday where the office of the administrator is located on Rucker Street.

Employees in the administrators office confirmed to the Bulletin that Hazelwood had left, but referred all questions to Patrick County Board Chair Clayton Kendrick for comment.

We have not made a lot of decisions yet. We have received a resignation letter from our county administrator and temporarily our assistant county administrator will fill in until we make the decisions we need to make, said Kendrick by email. We are working with our county attorney on the matter.

Im so saddened that Patrick County is losing a 15-year employee with a wealth of knowledge, wrote Vice Chair Denise Stirewalt by email. Geri has been an excellent employee dedicated to the citizens of the County. Im confident she will be successful in her next position.

Hazelwood was hired by the Patrick County Board of Supervisors in August 2020 and began serving as the county administrator on Sept. 1 of that year.

Stirewalt, along with Kendrick, Smith River District Supervisor Clyde DeLoach, and Crystal Harris, former vice chairman, voted to offer Hazelwood a contract in 2020 while Jane Fulk, former chairman, cast the only dissenting vote.

Geri Hazelwood was hard-working and personable, wrote DeLoach by email. She pushed through some difficult times for Patrick County and always gave her best. We will miss her very much.

The Bulletin attempted to contact Hazelwood Tuesday afternoon, but the phone number the Bulletin had for her had been disconnected.

She said she wants to reevaluate her career and other opportunities, DeLoach wrote.

Hazelwoods LinkedIn account states she has worked in the public sector for the past 15 years for Patrick County administration in roles of assistant county administrator and clerk to the Patrick County Board of Supervisors. It states that she had achieved a status of certified municipal clerk, an internationally recognized designation.

Hazelwood graduated from Liberty University with a bachelors degree in business administration, the LinkedIn account states.

Dan River District Supervisor Brandon Simmons and Smith River District Supervisor Doug Perry did not respond to a request for comment from the Bulletin by the end of the day on Tuesday.

The process for hiring a replacement for Hazelwood has not been decided, but DeLoach confirmed an interim administrator had not been named and the County would probably work with the Berkeley Group, which works with the Virginia Association of Counties, to acquire one.

They also offer services to aid in securing another administrator and we think that we will avail ourselves of their expertise, DeLoach wrote. It depends on [the] cost.

Although she declined to speak to the Bulletin, Assistant County Administrator and Human Resources Director Donna Shough appeared to be in charge of the administrators office on Tuesday.

The Patrick County Board of Supervisors have a regular meeting scheduled for Monday, March 13 at 6 p.m. in the Patrick County Administration Building on Rucker Street.
ROANOKE  The Blacksburg community has rallied in support of a Jewish congregation after the sign on their community center was defaced with graffiti late last week.

Eric Hallerman, president of the Blacksburg Jewish Community Center, or BJCC, said haters gonna hate. But at the end of the day, love wins.

Were part of a community here, and we feel supported by the community, Hallerman said Tuesday. Were going to change the sign. Were going to go on doing what we do. And were not going to let hate stop us from doing anything.

Blacksburg Mayor Leslie Hager-Smith said the town police department is investigating the incident.

This is not reflective of our communitys values. Its offensive, and we will address it, the mayor said Tuesday. This is the kind of behavior we dont put up with.

Lt. Kale Craver of the Blacksburg Police Department said in email Tuesday that the agencys investigation of the incident is active and cannot be commented on at this time.

It would seem that perhaps Thursday night, but were not sure when, somebody marked up the sign in front of our building, Hallerman said. It says Blacksburg Jewish Community Center, and the kinds of marks were very suggestive of anti-Semitic and racist coding.

Hallerman said an eyeball was drawn inside the Jewish star, suggesting the so-called international Jewish conspiracy to run everything.

Additionally, the sburg of Blacksburg was crossed out, as was the ish of Jewish, so that the sign read A Black Iz A Jew.

Hallerman became aware of the graffiti on Friday, when someone sent a photo of the damaged sign to the BJCCs email address. The community center president went to see the sign in person that afternoon and then reported it to the police.

We were pretty alarmed, but what can you do? Its done, Hallerman said. So, we decided, first things first, try and scrub it off.

But when he collected some cleaning supplies and went outside, Hallerman found a woman there, already scrubbing away.

It ends up that she is the wife of the pastor of the church across the street, Hallerman said. And she says, I find this offensive and I was going to take care of it myself.

As the pair began working together, passers-by noticed, and soon thereafter a photo of the sign was shared on Facebook. As of Monday morning, Hallerman said, there were already over 100 comments in support at the congregation.

As he spoke with members of the press outside the community center Monday afternoon, Hallerman said he noticed more graffiti across the street on a traffic sign.

I was pointing out the church that had helped us, and Wait a minute. Look at that sign over there. There are anti-Semitic symbols on it, too, Hallerman recalled. The person signed it. Its like a graffiti signature. Its almost impossible to read. But, alright, we have your mark. Well find you. If you did other things, well tie it to that. And if youre on camera for anything else, well, youre going to be in trouble for malicious mischief, possibly also for a hate crime. Now were talking serious business.

Since 11 people were killed by a gunman inside a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, Hallerman said Jewish congregations across America have hardened their buildings.

We used to have our doors wide open, if the weather was nice, when we had services, he said. We dont do that anymore. We have two doors, and theyre locked, and you knock, and we look through a webcam to determine whether we want to let you in. It didnt used to be like that in America.

Hallerman said the BJCCs board is in the process of accepting bids for the installation of better lighting and security cameras around the building.

I wish we had the cameras going. If we had had that, wed have more solid leads, he said. We have very little other than that this graffiti guy seems to have gone through downtown and marked up other places.

Hallerman said he mentioned the graffiti incident during services on Saturday, and the congregation was shaken up a little bit.

Were a small community. Were 40 families. A number of us have in our recent past the trauma of the Holocaust. Im the son of a Holocaust survivor. What happened in Europe is that neighbors didnt stand up for each other, didnt speak up, Hallerman said. But, okay, people are stepping up.

Hallerman said Kevin Altizer, owner of Christiansburg-based signage company Signarama, offered to replace the sign for free.

He basically said, This is an outrage in our town and I wont have it. Im going to do all that I can to make this break for the good. Come by with the sign. Ill make a new one on the house. And they did it, Hallerman said.

He picked up the new, graffiti-resistant sign Tuesday morning. It may be installed as early as Wednesday.
CHRISTIANSBURG  Roanoke County police officers noticed something odd in 2021  many of the vehicles they pulled over had false temporary tags. And the tags all seemed to track back to Car Plug, a used-car dealer in Christiansburg.

What investigators eventually discovered, a prosecutor said Tuesday in Montgomery County Circuit Court, was that from April to October 2021, Car Plug reported selling 98 vehicles  but printed out more than 800 temporary tags.

Gerald Maurice Carper Jr., the 39-year-old Roanoke man who owned and operated Car Plug, entered a string of guilty pleas at Tuesdays hearing and was convicted of 17 felonies and 38 misdemeanors. All involved improper use of temporary license plates, creating false inspection stickers, or otherwise falsifying or failing to keep required records.

Judge Robert Turk imposed a sentence recommended in a plea agreement: a total prison term of five years plus a 12-month jail term, all to be suspended for five years as long as Carper avoided further trouble. There also was a $100 fine.

Carpers license to sell vehicles had already been stripped by the state, Chief Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Patrick Jensen said.

Carper said little in court besides answering the judges standard questions and repeating the word guilty. His attorney, Gregory Phillips of Salem, told Turk that Jensen had accurately summarized the case against his client.

According to Jensen, a state licensing board inspection triggered by the Roanoke County officers reports found that Carper, who said he mostly sold vehicles he purchased through auctions, could not produce the records that dealers are mandated to keep.

Investigators found that when Carper issued temporary tags, the Vehicle Identification Numbers that he listed could not be found in state or national databases of vehicle information, Jensen said.

Investigators were told by a witness that Carper offered to sell temporary tags to anyone who wanted them  though he said that since he mostly sold to other vehicle sellers, he was just trying to help them make money, Jensen said.

A buyers complaint to the Virginia State Police led to the discovery of a false inspection sticker on a vehicle that came from Car Plug, then more false inspection stickers on vehicles on the Car Plug lot. Carper told an officer that he did not know anything was wrong with the inspection stickers, Jensen said.

Carper was said to have claimed that he made the inspection stickers himself. An officer reported that he thought he saw a stack of blank inspection stickers on Carpers desk, Jensen said.

Carpers felony convictions were all for falsifying vehicle registration information. Misdemeanor convictions included 17 charges involving missing records, 17 counts of misusing temporary plates, three counts related to imitation inspection stickers, and one of failing to have a vehicle inspected.
Carolina Public Press is publishing a three-part series focusing on the Mountain Mist Mine and concerns from the community regarding the permitting process for the mine to operate. In part two, reporter Jack Igelman explains the permitting process, its timeline and the communitys specific concerns. CPP reached out again to the mine owner and representing firm and will include their perspective, if they choose to comment, in the last part of this series. The Mountain Mist Mine is one of a handful of open pit mines clustered along U.S. 221 several miles north of Marion, the McDowell County seat. Commonly called quarries, an open pit mine extracts rocks and minerals from the grounds surface.

Along the edges of the highway are several open pit quarries and rock sellers who pack rock in 1-ton wire baskets. Among the many varieties of stones, according to the once-active website of Carolina Graystone Quarries which operates nearby, is Mountain Mist, a grayish-blue rock with rusty streaks.

The corridor of mining activity is hemmed by Pisgah National Forest and dotted with a handful of rural residential communities, including the one where Tim Burnette, 54, lives.

At best, the quarries provide jobs, income and building stone for commercial and residential projects throughout the region. At worst, the open mines are a source of mud, dust, noise, sediment and, to some, an eyesore. On windy days, dust settles on furniture when windows are open.

Burnette said he can live with the dust and mud, but concerns about his familys water supply is another story.

Do I want a mine in my backyard? No. But I have quite a few friends who work in this business. They have a job. They are contributing to the community, he said.

Burnette isnt opposed to mining as long as the mine owners obey state mining laws and control sedimentation.

Burnettes main complaint is the lack of transparency in the permitting process and a lack of regard for his neighbors concerns about the mine. Some of those concerns include protecting the community water sources, noise, blasting, dust, runoff and the fear that a larger mining operation could magnify some of the inconveniences of living next to a quarry.

We feel as if the [N.C. Department of Environmental Quality] has said, If youre a small landowner, you have no political pull. You have no political connections. So we have no interest in you, Burnette said. Collectively, the folks who have spoken out feel that we have been stonewalled at each turn. [DEQ] has not been at all transparent.

The state Mining Act requires the permit applicant, in this case Mountain Mist Mine mining permit No. 5646, to notify property owners within 1,000 feet of the mine during the permit application. In response to Mountain Mists permit application, several neighbors sent letters in protest to make regulators aware of their concerns, specifically asking for an opportunity to address the mining operator and state regulators.

Josh Kastrinsky, public information officer for the N.C. Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources, said the agency reviews all comments, emails and letters sent to the state in regard to a permit application. He declined to comment on specifics of the Mountain Mist Mine permit since the contested case remains active.

Burnette thinks DEMLR has not adequately addressed the potential risk to the areas water source and the future costs of replacing it if mining does damage it. Some of the previous operators of the mine had little regard for adjoining residential properties, said Burnette. For example, runoff from the mine has been consistent during heavy rains for over a decade.

CPP reached out to the mine applicant, Kenneth Waycaster, in 2021 and he chose not to comment. More recently, CPP has left messages for Waycaster requesting comment on this story.

Public hearings are one method to survey citizen opinion about an application before a government body. Public meetings are useful for sharing information to raise awareness about a proposed project and serve as a starting point for further public involvement, states the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in its public participation guide.

In lieu of a public meeting, Burnette and his neighbors have succeeded in gathering information using email or wading through the states permit file server. In some cases, Burnettes emails with questions are answered by state mining experts. In other cases, his questions have been channeled through a state attorney since the case is in litigation. Those obstacles, perhaps, have made it more challenging for Burnette and neighbors to share experiences, such as the persistent flow of mud and silt during heavy rain events, with the mines operators and regulators.

I feel like the state is strongly biased toward the premise of issuing a permit rather than freely providing information to citizens that may be affected, Burnette told CPP on Feb. 26.

History of the Mountain Mist Mine

Twenty years have passed since the Mountain Mist, under a previous operator, initially applied for a permit. The following timeline highlights the regulatory oversight of the Mountain Mist leading up to the state permitting the mine in 2022.

Burnette recalls using the forested land now part of the Mountain Mist Mine as a place to ride bicycles, hunt and explore. If kids wanted to play there, they were welcome to play, said Burnette. Hes unsure of the exact year but said there was a small amount of mining on the property in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

Based on records from the NCDEQ, the neighborhood was established before mining activity began next to Burnettes neighborhood.

In 2003, previous mining operators Ronnie Stevens and Kevin Washburn applied for a permit to mine 4 acres on the present site. That application was withdrawn. Records indicate the mine was inspected in 2008 and 2009. The 2008 inspection appeared to be triggered by a 2005 request to the operator by the state referred to in the inspection as an Additional Information Letter, wrote the inspector. The inspections were sent to CPP in response to a public records request. The state did not share the additional information letter. They were either unable to find it or it was never delivered.

The 2008 inspection report identified the potential for off-site damage, identifying the need for sediment and erosion control measures; the report also stated that the operator must obtain a mining permit. In 2009, an inspection listed the size of the mine as 0.6 acres. Burnette said that several neighbors had spoken out by writing letters to state regulators expressing concerns about the mine, but he doesnt fault neighbors who havent.

Permit violation

In April 2021, other people contacted by CPP in the neighborhood, as well as public comments during the permitting process, confirmed similar issues, such as runoff, with the Mountain Mist Mine. For example, one neighbor contacted several local and statewide environmental organizations to better understand the short- and long-term impacts, such as the effect on water and air quality, of mining near their home and on the environment. The neighbors were unable to find adequate information about the mine or its requirements to reclaim the land once the mining operation closes.

At the time, the neighbor contacted CPP with questions about requirements for mines to reclaim their land and questions about other mining regulations. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality digital map of mining permits showed that the mine property had a pending permit.

After a CPP inquiry about why the permit was still pending, state officials inspected the mine on May 19, 2021, and discovered a second quarry adjoined by a common access road. Despite the 2008 inspection suggesting the mine needed a permit, the quarry was not inspected for more than a decade. The lack of oversight may demonstrate the challenge of regulating small mines that operate at the threshold of requiring a permit.

The May 2021 inspection showed that both quarries on the Mountain Mist site exceeded 1 acre and required a mining permit to continue their operations. The acreage of the active mine areas at the time of inspection in 2021 were 1.5 acres and 1.36 acres. The agency cited owners of the two rock quarries for failure to obtain proper permits, forcing the operations to cease.

Even small mines can have a measurable impact on the environment. Land management and reclamation practices often depend on the operators standards, UNC Asheville geologist Brittani McNamee told CPP in 2021. There are plenty of good, environmentally conscious businesses in the state, but not all, she said. It really falls on the priorities of the company. McNamee is referring to the level of stewardship practiced by industries that have an environmental impact and demonstrated through continuous improvement of environmental impact.

Leftover topsoil and subsurface removed to extract rock are prone to erosion and become a source of runoff and sedimentation, potentially flowing into the watershed and disrupting ecosystems. Additionally, small clearings disturbed by mining are ripe for infestation by nonnative invasive plants that can gain a foothold and spread into adjacent forests.

The permit specifies the conditions of restoration once a mine closes. The owner or operator of the mine must either restore the land or apply for a permit to continue mining. In this case, the operator chose to apply for a permit.

On Aug. 18, 2021, Freeman Environmental Consulting Inc. of Spruce Pine submitted a permit application on behalf of Waycaster Stone Co. Inc. to extract crushed stone. The application proposed impacting a total of 5.94 acres within a 26.3-acre area adjacent to the Hicks Chapel community.

According to the N.C. Mining Act of 1971, notices are delivered to all adjoining property owners within 1,000 feet of the boundary.

Community concerns

Several members of the community sent letters to the state expressing concerns with the Mountain Mist, requesting a public hearing to address concerns about the mines impact, the quality and volume of the spring, the impact of blasting, runoff, dust and the potential loss of their propertys value.

CPP contacted residents who sent letters to NC DEQ for interviews. Those residents chose not to respond to requests, not to speak to CPP, or did not speak on the record.

Regardless of our protest letters, we didnt get a public hearing. We were blown off by the agency, and our concerns were trivialized, said Burnette. We only got updates when we specifically asked,

There is no legal requirement that the agency hold a public hearing. It is at the discretion of the mining agency if significant public interest exists, according to the Mining Act, within 60 days of the end of the 30-day comment period. The mining act does not provide guidance on the threshold for public interest.

According to the states mining inventory, the state has convened 40 hearings since 1980. Over 2,300 mines are listed in the database. The N.C. Mine Inventory is a spreadsheet which provides a range of data, including the size of the mine, its location by county, the commodity mined and its inspection history.

Seldom has DEMLR denied a permit application. According to the agencys mine inventory, 10 mining permits have been denied. Recently, a permit application from Wake Stone Co. was rejected because of its impact on the popular William B. Umstead State Park in Wake County.

According to a memo from Brian Wrenn, DEMLR division director, the significantly adverse effects of a quarry were articulated by thousands of comments from the general public regarding the impact on the park.

Other states, such as Pennsylvania, have policies whereby residents of environmental justice areas receive engagement opportunities during the permitting process for projects in their neighborhoods, such as landfills or mining operations. The Environmental Justice Public Participation Policy was created to ensure communities have the opportunity to participate in the permitting process of new or existing facilities that wish to expand.

Environmental justice areas are communities characterized by low incomes and a high number of minorities in which 20% of residents live below the federal poverty line or 30% are nonwhite; 13.8% of McDowell Countys population live below the federal poverty line. Environmental justice is the notion that communities should not be disproportionately exposed to adverse environmental impacts.

Currently, the N.C. Mining Commission, the authority for mining rules, is seeking public comment on its existing mining rules. Laws, such as the Mining Act, are made by the N.C. General Assembly and can only be amended by legislative action. The N.C. Administrative Code contains the administrative rules of state agencies. The rules are created to interpret the law and govern state agencies and commissions.

State law requires each agency, such as NCDEQ, to review each decade existing rules that are used to interpret and enforce laws, such as the N.C. Mining Act. For example, the rules stipulate what must be included in a permit application; the standards for denying an application; conditions for holding a public hearing, among others. Citizens may object to the rule by submitting a written comment to NCDENR by April 4. The N.C. Mining Commission will draft a new set of rules based on comments later this year.

After review and input by a range of federal and state agencies, such as U.S. Fish and Wildlife, DEQ issued a mining permit to the Mountain Mist in June 2022. A month later, residents, uneasy about the potential impact of the permitted mine on a natural spring, filed petitions objecting to the permits details. Instead of a public hearing, residents of Hicks Chapel will have an opportunity to defend their position in a North Carolina courtroom on April 4.
Mission Health is accepting applications from throughout the community for the Kesha Young Health Careers Scholarship, with the aim of supporting the education goals for high school seniors and college students of color from western North Carolina who are pursuing careers in health care.

For more than 25 years, Mission Health has been awarding the Kesha Young Health Careers Scholarship, with more than $1 million given to make college more affordable for high school seniors and college students of color from western North Carolina who are pursuing careers in health care. The scholarship is named in honor of Kesha Young, a 22-year-old biracial woman who was born with mental and physical disabilities and underwent multiple surgeries at Mission Hospital. Kesha died just months before she was scheduled to earn her high school diploma. Despite her health struggles, Kesha was described by her adoptive parents as embodying the characteristics that are vital to how health care team members engage with patients, families and visitors, with a strong spirit, warm smile and positive encouragement.

At Mission Health, we recognize that having a diverse workforce, especially in health care, is very important to provide the best possible care to our patients and communities. This is integral to who we are as a company. Our mission statement is based around recognizing and affirming the unique and intrinsic worth of each individual: Above all else, we are committed to the care and improvement of human life.

The completed application, along with all additional materials, must be received by 5 p.m. Friday, April 14, for consideration. Recipients will be notified in early May and invited to a reception at Mission Hospital on Wednesday, June 7.
McDowell Technical Community College (MTCC) and McDowell Arts Council Association (MACA) recently opened the first ever MACA gallery exhibit that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

An official reception for the shows artists is scheduled this Thursday, March 9 from 5 to 7 pm. The reception is free and open to the public.

This is a first step for us, said Susan Pyatt-Baker, executive director at MACA, who recently attended a Kennedy Center LEAD Conference where she learned best practices for creating more accessible arts programming for disabled patrons. The Kennedy Center LEAD program, which stands for Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability, is the nations premiere program for cultural arts administrators seeking to engage all members of a community in a celebration of arts and culture, regardless of handicap or disability.

I knew that Jay would work hard to make things work right, she said, referring to Jay Perry, MTCC graphic design instructor. Weve looked at our calendar for the rest of this year and have started to plan for other gallery shows to be ADA-compliant, especially our quilt show, shows from McDowell Tech, our K-12 schools, and folks like artist Kelly Solesby, who used to work here at MACA and is teaching a class at McDowell Tech this spring. But we had to work out the kinks with someone like Jay, and McDowell Techs new Webmaster, Bill Teale. Well see what works and what doesnt and refine things as we go along.

This show will be the first of two shows this spring by MTCC art students. Graphics students will display work through the end of March, followed by a month-long Photography exhibit in MACAs gallery space.

The purpose of the show, of course, is to showcase the diverse talents of our students in the advertising and graphic design curriculum, said Perry. Each year our show varies just a little, depending on the talents and diverse interests of our students. For this show, we will have several styles of artwork to share with the community, including screen-printed posters, acrylic paintings and digital art.

According to Perry, a total of 10 students have artwork on display: Rhianna Bibb, Nina Cline, Maggie Hammond, Alvis Jackson, Steven Kendrick, Estela Mejia Mendoza, Jackson Mills, Charla Parks, Jake Robinson, and James Young. These students are a combination of traditional, online, and Career and College Promise high school students.

To make the show ADA compliant, each piece of art in the MACA gallery is accompanied by not only a written description, but also a QR code. Patrons who scan the QR code with their smartphone or other ADA-compliant device, will be directed to a specially designed page on McDowell Techs Website where the patron can listen to audio recordings of all written image descriptions in both English and Spanish. The Website is also accessible to home-bound residents who arent able to visit the gallery in person.

Bill Teale, the colleges webmaster, is well-versed in working with disabled populations. He is member of the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) hall of fame for his previous work pioneering online broadcasting for blind sport. Additionally, in 2002, he was nominated for a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) award for his design of a website that needed no screen for viewing.

Jay also worked with the colleges new Latinx director, Silvia Martin del Campo Vargas, to translate all written image descriptions into Spanish for Hispanic-speaking students from the regions growing population of Latinx students, who hail from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and a host of other countries.

We are delighted that Susan chose our staff to partner with MACA to bring arts accessibility to McDowell County and the surrounding region, said Dr. Brian S. Merritt, MTCC president. Jay, Silvia and Bill are each stalwart MTCC employees who are committed to the colleges mission of making education accessible to everyone, which obviously includes handicapped and disabled students and patrons of the arts. We encourage our friends and neighbors to support this new venture and join us on Thursday to honor the students who created the artwork now on display.

MACA is located at 50 S. Main St. in Marion. For those unable to join MACA and McDowell Tech in person, the ADA-compliant Website can be found online at https://artshow.web-mtcc.com/.
One of the four Americans abducted last week in Mexico lives in Winston-Salem, his brother told The Associated Press.

Robert Williams said that his brother, Eric Williams, 38, is among the four people who traveled together from the Carolinas so one of them could get a tummy tuck in Matamoros.

Tamaulipas Gov. Americo Villarreal said Eric Williams had been shot in the left leg and the injury was not life threatening, the AP reported.

Its quite a relief, Robert Williams told the AP Tuesday. I look forward to seeing him again and actually being able to talk to him.

Eric Williams was traveling with three other people on road trip to Mexico for cosmetic surgery when the group was caught in a drug cartel shootout, leaving two dead and two held captive for days in a remote region of the Gulf coast before they were rescued from a wooden shack, officials said Tuesday.

Their minivan crashed and was fired on shortly after they crossed into the border city of Matamoros last Friday as drug cartel factions tore through the streets, Villarreal said. A stray bullet also killed a Mexican woman.

Eric Williams' wife, Michelle Williams, told The Daily Mail that she didn't know her husband was going to Mexico.

"I didn't know that he was traveling to Mexico," she said. "I just knew he was going somewhere to help two friends."

Michelle Williams said she had not heard from her husband since a text on Friday, the Mail reported.

"He didn't respond," Michelle Williams said. "He didn't respond to our son either, so I'm going to assume that's when they were ambushed."

She added: "I highly doubt they thought this could have happened to them."

The four Americans were hauled off in a pickup truck, and Mexican authorities frantically searched as the cartel moved them around  even taking them to a medical clinic  to create confusion and avoid efforts to rescue them, Villarreal told the Associated Press.

They were found Tuesday in a wooden shack, guarded by a man who was arrested, in a rural area east of Matamoros called Ejido Tecolote on the way to the Gulf called Bagdad Beach, according to the states chief prosecutor, Irving Barrios.

The surviving Americans were whisked back to U.S. soil on Tuesday to Brownsville, the southernmost tip of Texas and just across the border from Matamoros. The convoy of ambulances and SUVs was escorted by Mexican military Humvees and National Guard trucks with mounted machine guns.

Robert Williams was not sure if the other survivor, Latavia Burgess, was the one seeking the surgery.

The survivors were taken to Valley Regional Medical Center with an FBI escort, the Brownsville Herald reported. A spokesperson for the hospital referred all inquiries to the FBI.

The two dead  Shaeed Woodard, 33, and Zindell Brown, in his mid-20s  will be turned over to U.S. authorities following forensic work at the Matamoros morgue, the governor said.

Video and photographs taken during and immediately after Fridays abduction show the Americans white minivan sitting beside another vehicle, with at least one bullet hole in the drivers side window.

A witness said the two vehicles had collided. Almost immediately, several men with tactical vests and assault rifles arrived in another vehicle to surround the scene.

The Mexican authorities hypothesis is that it was confusion, not a direct attack, the state prosecutor said.

The gunmen walked one of the Americans into the bed of a white pickup, then dragged and loaded up the three others. Terrified civilian motorists sat silently in their cars, hoping not to draw attention. Two of the victims appeared to be motionless.

The shootings illustrate the terror that has prevailed for years in Matamoros, a city dominated by factions of the powerful Gulf drug cartel who often fight among themselves. Amid the violence, thousands of Mexicans have disappeared in Tamaulipas state alone.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the people responsible would be punished. He referenced arrests in the 2019 killings of nine U.S.-Mexican dual citizens in Sonora near the U.S. border.

Lopez Obrador complained about the U.S. medias coverage of the missing Americans, accusing them of sensationalism. He said that when Mexicans are killed, the media go quiet like mummies.

We really regret that this happens in our country, he said, adding that the U.S. government has every right to be upset by the violence.
Several Somali soldiers were killed Tuesday in an attack on a military base claimed by the Al-Shebab in a town recaptured from the radical Islamists in January, about 480 kilometers (480 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu, military sources said.

The terrorists attacked the military base early this morning (Tuesday) in Janay Abdale in the south, Mohamed Rashed, a military commander based in the town, told the media. They tried to storm the base after using trucks loaded with explosives to launch the attack, but security forces repelled them. We lost seven soldiers in the fighting.

Authorities had announced in January the recapture of the town Janay Abdale, held by the Al-Shebab Islamists.

The fighting was very intense and the terrorists were hundreds when they attacked with vehicles loaded with explosives, but we had the upper hand and they lost many of their fighters, said Captain Sugow Abdi who was sent to the scene of the attack, continuing that fifteen soldiers were wounded and several died as martyrs, without giving further details.

The attack was claimed by al-Shebab, an al-Qaeda affiliated group. The al-Shebab have been fighting the internationally-backed federal government since 2007. Driven out of the countrys main cities in 2011-2012, they remain firmly entrenched in large rural areas.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud, who returned to power in May 2022, has promised them an all-out war and recently referred to their members as bedbugs. In September, he sent the army, including special forces, to support local militias, known as macawisley, who have rebelled against the Al-Shebab.

This offensive, supported by the African Union force in Somalia (Atmis) and U.S. airstrikes, has resulted in the recapture of large areas of two central states, Hirshabelle and Galmudug.
The Mozambican Federation of Road Carriers (Fematro) has suspended passenger transport between Maputo and Durban, in South Africa, due to insecurity on the route, the president of that organization announced on Tuesday.

We have suspended our activities and a meeting with South African operators is awaited, Castigo Nhamane said.

A South African passenger van bound for Durban was set on fire on Monday by unknown people who ordered the passengers out shortly after Maputo.

The incident came after more than a dozen Mozambican vehicles were similarly set on fire in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, earlier this year. Nhamane said that Mozambican carriers are taking passengers to the border at Ponta de Ouro without entering South Africa, and that South African carriers have also stopped entering Mozambique, leaving passengers at the crossing.

A meeting between the parties should be held in the coming days to coordinate the transport to the border crossing, he said.

The president of Fematro said that the measure will last until the governments of the two countries find a definitive solution to the insecurity. Nhamane repudiated the fire that destroyed a South African van near Maputo on Monday, ruling out the possibility that it was caused by transporters. The spokesman of the Maputo province police command, Juarce Martins, said that a man was arrested in Maputo city on suspicion of involvement in the case. Martins said that more people involved in the case are being sought.
Angola is preparing to create a real estate investment fund, of US$5 billion, to manage assets received in the fight against corruption, the Finance minister announced Tuesday.

The cases identified represent $15 billion [14.1 billion euros] in total, including assets, real estate, stakes, cars and cash. Of these 15 billion dollars identified, 5 billion dollars [4.7 billion euros] are already solved, and the bulk of this 5 billion [recovered in the fight against corruption] is not money, its real estate, cars and assets that we put in the ministries or give to public entities that allow us to dispense with acquiring facilities for them, said Vera Daves de Sousa on LAC radios Cafe da Manha program.

We are even thinking of creating a real estate investment fund, put the properties there and hire, through a public tender, a management company and receive the participation units, so that we dont have to manage all these assets ourselves, having the human and time limitations that we have, said the governor, when asked about the process of recovering assets as part of the fight against corruption.

In 2022 the financing needs were 13% of GDP, this year they will be 11.3%, of which 10.9% will come from debt revenues, resources to international and local banks or bond issues to get liquidity to cover part of the General State Budget; this weight of debt revenues in the total cake is also reducing, said the ruler.

Considering that the issue of the removal of fuel subsidies is the elephant in the middle of the room, and with ballerina shoes, Vera Daves de Sousa emphasized that the political decision is taken and explained that whats left is to find the mechanism that has the least impact on the most disadvantaged.

It is a blind subsidy, which everyone can access, and with this revenue we could have a more targeted policy instead of subsidizing those who dont need it, said the Minister of Finance, pointing out as arguments for the elimination of this measure the fuel leaks to neighboring countries, the lack of participation in the market and the consequent loss of tax revenue, in addition to the issue of unequal treatment.

These are several distortions to the market, but we are aware that the impact, mainly via transport, is considerable, he said, also recognizing the negative impact on municipalities, industries and farms, and on the price of freight to transport food.

We have everything mapped out, now the challenge is in taking the shoe off the ballerina by thinking of measures that can mitigate the removal of this subsidy that costs between $3 billion and $4 billion, about 2.8 billion to 3.7 billion, per year. Its a considerable amount, considering that the Program for Integration and Intervention in Municipalities (PIIM) has 2 billion, so it would be two PIIMs, she exemplified.
Serco, an international public services company, has officially launched its Middle East Space division, during its participation at the SpaceOps conference in the UAE.

In conjunction with this, the company has announced the appointment of Amar Vora, transferring from the UK Space division, as the leader of the regional space team.

Internationally, Serco is a leading name within the space industry, with over 2,000 specialists currently employed in the sector across the globe. For more than 40 years, Serco has supported both civil and military space programmes including for the European Space Agency (since its inception), the UK Ministry of Defence and the US Space Command.

This wealth of knowledge and expertise will be brought to the region with the establishment of Serco Middle Easts Space division to support the ambitious Vision 2030 goals of both the Saudi Space Commission and the KSA government, as well as activity in other local markets, bringing national visions to life.

An international team from Serco is at the 17th SpaceOps event, including Vora. SpaceOps is hosted by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre at Dubai World Trade Centre from March 6 to 10.

With more than a decade of experience in the industry, Vora has worked closely with several government space agencies  including the European Space Agency, leading on solution development in space sustainability, earth observation, space data services and more.

In addition to building on Sercos long-standing international experience, Vora and his team will prioritise local hires and capacity building, offering training and robust career development programmes. This is reflective of the strong skills agenda that Serco offers in other markets, which includes the training of engineers across Europe and the UK to support government programmes.

Serco plans to establish local capabilities across the full range of advisory, consultancy and operational space services they currently offer globally, which span the full lifecycle of a mission, from spacecraft and mission design through to data management, operations and decommissioning, including spacecraft control, ground segment operations and engineering.

Phil Malem, CEO at Serco Middle East, said: In establishing our Middle East Space division, Serco will be bringing decades of experience and expertise to a region where capabilities might still be relatively new, but there is very much the potential and resources to quickly become one of the leading countries worldwide in the space industry.

Amar Vora is a highly skilled member of our international space division and under his guidance we will be building a local division, with locally trained team members, that will support both the goals of the Saudi government and Saudi Space Commission within Vision 2030, as well as providing extensive space services for the benefit of local governments and the private sector across the region.

Daniel MacGregor, Corporate Development Director at Serco, who is overseeing the strategy that has brought the Space division to the region, said: Sercos Space division is both adaptable and agile in the work we currently do globally  which is well-suited for the new, emerging space market in the Middle East. Our approach is going to push boundaries, with a wide scope for innovative, experimental work to reach the big, but achievable ambitions of the Saudi government, Vision 2030 and beyond.

Vora added: It is an honour to be asked to lead the charge in such an exciting region, that we truly believe is going to be breaking new ground in what we can do in space. As a team, we are also very much looking forward to harnessing the capabilities and skillsets of local talents on the ground to achieve great things together. The opportunities for Saudi in space, and indeed the region, are literally infinite. - TradeArabia News Service
About 100,000 people fleeing fighting in Somaliland, Somalias self-declared independent region, have taken refuge in a month in a remote area of Ethiopia already suffering from severe drought, the UN and Ethiopian refugee agencies announced Tuesday.

Citing authorities in the Doolo administrative zone, part of Ethiopias Somali region and located at the southeastern tip of the country, more than 1,300 km off the bad road from Addis Ababa, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that 98,000 people have arrived in three woredas (districts) bordering Somaliland since February 6.

We are going to corroborate these figures through the registration that has started, said Tesfahun Gobezay, director general of the Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS), an Ethiopian government agency, at a press conference in Addis Ababa with Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR representative in Ethiopia.

The latest figures available on Monday show that 29,000 refugees have already been registered and the numbers are increasing, he said, adding that the refugees were mainly women and children.

If their number is confirmed, the arrival of these refugees will swell by 40% the population of the three woredas concerned, about 236,000 people who are already suffering severely from the drought affecting their region and more widely part of the Horn of Africa.
France 24, a French state-owned TV network, has recently aired a controversial program on the Sahara, continuing thus its hostile campaign against Morocco and its territorial integrity.

In its program in Spanish In 5 minutos, destined essentially to a Latin American audience, Natalia Plazas broadcast a false report that unfairly accused the North African Kingdom of exploiting the Sahara resources, reproducing thus the lies of the Algeria-backed polisario separatist group which claims that Morocco exploits these resources and grants licenses to companies to finance its occupation of the region.

Several countries have expressed their support for Morocco, the channel recognizes, but assumes that many of these countries companies are established in the region and exploit its resources, in particular Spain, France and Germany.

For the French channel, Spain supported the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara in exchange for increased monitoring by Rabat of migrants seeking to reach Spain via the cities of Ceuta and Melilla.

As another evidence of its biased reporting, the French channel mentions the sufferings of the Sahrawi population sequestered in the Polisario-controlled Tindouf camps, without drawing a parallel with the well-being and comfortable living conditions enjoyed by the Sahrawis living in the Moroccan Sahara which is witnessing major social and economic development as confirmed by several international NGOs and foreign officials.
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Multivariate-adjusted logistic regression analysis (odds ratio [(95% CI]) of the association between presence and number of persistent symptoms related to COVID-19 (i.e., none, 14 and  5 symptoms) with physical inactivity (< 150 min/week of moderate-to-vigorous activity). *indicates P < 0.05;. Credit: Scientific Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26888-3

The link between symptoms of COVID-19 and physical inactivity is increasingly evident. An article recently published in the journal Scientific Reports by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) in Brazil describes a study in which COVID-19 survivors with at least one persistent symptom of the disease were 57% more likely to be sedentary, and the presence of five or more post-acute sequelae of infection by SARS-CoV-2 increased the odds of physical inactivity by 138%.

"Although this was a cross-sectional study, the findings underscore the importance of discussing and encouraging physical activity at all times, including during the pandemic," said Hamilton Roschel, last author of the study and one of the coordinators of USP's Applied Physiology and Nutrition Research Group.

The study was one of the first to assess the effects of physical activity in the context of long COVID, usually characterized as a syndrome involving symptoms that persist for at least two months after the coronavirus infection has resolved, and that cannot be explained by other health problems.

According to a December 2020 editorial in Nature Medicine, early reports indicated that around three out of every four patients hospitalized because of COVID-19 had at least one persistent symptom six months after discharge.

In the current study, the researchers analyzed data collected by the HCFMUSP COVID-19 Study Group at Hospital das Clinicas (HC), the hospital complex run by USP's Medical School (FM-USP). A total of 614 survivors of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 with an average age of 56 were included in the investigation.

The patients were hospitalized between March and August 2020, and a follow-up protocol was implemented between October 2020 and April 2021 (6-11 months after discharge). They were examined and interviewed to find out how physically active they were and to assess other lifestyle items. They were also asked to report whether they had ten symptoms associated with long COVID, such as fatigue, breathlessness, severe muscle pain, taste and smell loss, and memory impairment, among others.

Participants were classified as physically inactive if they reported less than 150 minutes of at least moderately intense exercise per week, in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. "In our case, exercise included housework and walking, as well as sports," Roschel said.

The more symptoms, the more sedentarism

The researchers performed a number of statistical analyses in search of correlations between symptoms of long COVID and physical inactivity.

Sixty percent of the participants were considered physically inactive, a higher proportion than those found for most regions by the Brazilian Health Ministry in a nationwide survey conducted in 2020.

Comorbidities were also significant: 37% were smokers, 58% had high blood pressure, 35% had diabetes and 17% were obese. "These are risk factors for severe COVID-19. They were expected to be frequent in the study because all the participants had been hospitalized," Roschel said, adding that 55% had required intensive care and 37% had been intubated.

When they adjusted the results for confounding factors (variables that may affect others in a way that produces spurious or distorted associations), the researchers still found that the presence of at least one persistent symptom was associated with 57% higher odds of sedentarism. "The more symptoms, the higher the likelihood of physical inactivity," Roschel said. When five or more symptoms were reported, the odds of physical activity rose 138%.

Certain sequelae associated with long COVID correlated very closely with physical inactivity, he added. In the adjusted statistical models, the highest correlations were with breathlessness (132%) and fatigue (101%).

"It makes sense to assume that people with this condition experience more difficulty to maintain an active routine," he said. "But it's also plausible that people with a sedentary lifestyle are more subject to these long-term symptoms after recovering from an acute infection. Our study doesn't allow us to infer causality."

Associations and hypotheses

In the article, the authors say physical inactivity "itself may be considered a persistent symptom among COVID-19 survivors." This hypothesis has also been raised by other research groups. A Dutch paper cited in the article describes a study in which 239 recovering patients reported walking significantly less six months after the onset of symptoms than before they contracted the disease.

Roschel also believes, based on other research, that sedentarism may theoretically heighten the risk of long COVID. A study conducted in 2021 and also led by him found that hospitalized COVID-19 patients with more muscle strength and mass (hence probably less sedentary) tended to stay in hospital for less time.

In a later study, the same researchers found that patients who lost more muscle mass during hospitalization for COVID-19 were more likely to develop persistent symptoms of the disease, while also pointing to a probable correlation with higher post-acute COVID healthcare costs.

A study conducted in the United States in 2020 analyzed the prior history of physical activity for 48,440 COVID-19 patients and found the risk of hospitalization, admission to the ICU and death to be highest among those who were consistently inactive.

"Our latest study added information by describing specific correlations between physical inactivity and persistent symptoms of COVID-19. Future research should investigate this association in order to understand the underlying causes," Roschel said.

The connection may be a two-way street in which sedentarism favors long COVID and people with long COVID tend to avoid exercise.

"From a practical standpoint, the importance of physical activity during the pandemic is clearly demonstrated," Roschel said. There are cases in which people who have recovered from the disease should follow medical advice as to the precautions required when undertaking physical exercise, but an active lifestyle should be encouraged as a matter of public health, he stressed. Sedentarism accounts for 9% of all-cause deaths worldwide.

More information: Saulo Gil et al, Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 associates with physical inactivity in a cohort of COVID-19 survivors, Scientific Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26888-3 Journal information: Scientific Reports , Nature Medicine
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Treatments for peripheral artery disease (PAD) were largely developed in men and are less effective in women, according to a review published today in European Heart JournalQuality of Care and Clinical Outcomes. The paper highlights the biological, clinical and societal reasons that the condition may be missed in women, who respond less well to treatment and have worse clinical outcomes.

"Greater understanding is needed about why we are failing to address the health outcome gap between genders," said study author Mary Kavurma, an associate professor at the Heart Research Institute, Australia. "This review encompasses not just biological reasons but also how healthcare services and women's part in society may play a role. All of these elements should be taken into account so that more effective methods of diagnosis and treatment can be targeted at women with PAD."

More than 200 million people worldwide have PAD, where arteries in the legs are clogged, restricting blood flow and raising the risk of heart attack and stroke. PAD is the leading cause of lower limb amputation. Evidence suggests that equal or greater numbers of women have the condition, and that they have worse outcomes. This review was conducted to identify the reasons for gender inequalities in PAD. The researchers compiled the best available evidence and used the World Health Organization model for analysis of gender-related needs in healthcare.

The document starts with a summary of gender inequalities in the diagnosis and treatment of PAD. It then outlines the biological, clinical, and societal variables responsible for these gender-related disparities. Regarding diagnosis, PAD is classified into three phases: asymptomatic; typical symptoms of pain and cramping in the legs when walking that are relieved at rest (called intermittent claudication); and chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI), which is the most severe stage and can include gangrene or ulcers.

Women often have no symptoms or atypical ones such as minor pain or discomfort while walking or at rest. They are less likely than men to have intermittent claudication and twice as likely to present with CLTI. Hormones appear to play a role, as women tend to show typical symptoms (intermittent claudication) post-menopause. The ankle brachial index, which compares blood pressure in the upper and lower limbs, is used for diagnosis but is less accurate in those with no symptoms or smaller calf muscles.

Treatment of PAD includes medication, exercise and surgery. It aims to manage symptoms and reduce the risks of ulceration, amputation, heart attack and stroke. Women are less likely to receive recommended medications than men and respond less well to supervised exercise therapy. Women have lower rates of surgery and are more likely to die after amputation or open surgery than men.

As for the reasons for the above-mentioned inequalities, biological factors may contribute to sex differences in disease presentation, progression and response to treatment. For example, women have a higher risk of blood clots (a cause of PAD) and smaller blood vessels, while oral contraceptives and pregnancy complications have been linked with higher PAD rates.

Clinical factors refer to how patients engage with healthcare services, their relationships with physicians, and the processes in place to diagnose and treat PAD. The paper cites low awareness of the risk of PAD in females among healthcare providers and women themselves. Health staff are less likely to recognize PAD in women than in men, and women are more likely than men to be misdiagnosed with other conditions including musculoskeletal disorders.

Women also tend to minimize their symptoms and are less likely to discuss PAD with their clinician. In the last 10 years, just one-third of participants in clinical trials of PAD treatment were women. One reason may be inclusion criteria requiring the presence of intermittent claudication, which is less common in females.

The review identified a number of societal variables that may contribute to gender inequalities in PAD. Lower socioeconomic status is associated with an increased likelihood of PAD and hospitalization with PAD. In addition, the incidence of PAD is greater in low- and middle-income countries, rising most rapidly in women.

The authors note that women have a lower socioeconomic standing than men in most nations in part due to reduced income and education levels, and caring responsibilities. "The higher poverty and socioeconomic disparities experienced by women globally may contribute to increased rates of PAD in women," states the paper.

The authors point to the low proportion of female vascular surgeons and their underrepresentation in leadership roles and PAD guideline writing teams. There is also some evidence that female patients have better outcomes when treated by female clinicians.

Co-author Associate Professor Sarah Aitken, a vascular surgeon and Head of Surgery at the University of Sydney, commented, "Whilst we are working on encouraging women to train as vascular surgeons, the current shortfall means that female patients are unlikely to see a surgeon of the same gender, and research, publications and policies may not fully represent the perspectives of women."

Associate Professor Kavurma urged women not to ignore symptoms: "Pay attention to aches and pains in your calves when walking or at rest. Ask your GP how likely it is that you have PAD. Women tend to keep going and attribute sore legs to having a busy life. They need to stop and listen to their bodies."

She concluded, "As a vascular biologist, my top research questions about PAD are: Why are women asymptomatic? Is the disease different between men and women, particularly before menopause? And why do women have worse responses to treatment? Answers to these questions are essentialhow can physicians diagnose and treat PAD patients without understanding how the disease develops and whether it's different between the sexes? To improve treatments, we also need clinical trials to be more inclusive of women."

The ESC has been calling for awareness of gender differences in cardiovascular disease since 2008 with a Women in ESC campaign. Numerous activities have followed, including a focus on women and cardiovascular disease at ESC Congress 2011. The ESC hosts the only registry of pregnancy and cardiac disease (ROPAC). In 2022, the ESC Gender Policy was launched, providing targets for inclusion of female cardiologists and cardiovascular scientists in leadership positions and outlining measures to improve gender equality including promoting mentorship and career advancement.

More information: Mary M Kavurma et al, A hidden problem: peripheral artery disease in women, European Heart Journal (2023). DOI: 10.1093/ehjqcco/qcad011 Journal information: European Heart Journal
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A common method of detecting prostate cancer may not be accurate enough as a reliable screening tool by itself, scientists have warned.

The digital rectal exam (DRE) is widely used by medical professionals to check the prostate gland with a finger for unusual swelling or lumps in the rectum as an initial check for the signs of prostate cancer in men.

In some countries, such as Germany, it is the sole method used in a national screening program for the disease.

But new research by scientists of the PROBASE trial coordinated at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) in Heidelberg, suggests the technique may be missing many cancers in their early stages.

The findings, which are presented today at the European Association of Urology Annual Congress in Milan, could have implications for the early detection of prostate cancer, say the researchers. They are calling for other testing methods to be used in routine screening instead.

"One of the main reasons for screening for prostate cancer is to detect it in patients as early as possible as this can lead to better outcomes from treatment," said Dr. Agne Krilaviciute, a researcher at DKFZ and lead author of the study. "But our study suggests that the DRE is simply not sensitive enough to detect those early stage cancers."

The PROBASE trial is a multicenter German prostate cancer screening study across four university sites (TU Munich, Hannover, Heidelberg, Dusseldorf) and involves 46,495 men aged 45 years who were enrolled between 2014 and 2019.

The men have since had follow-ups to assess their health in the years after the screening. Half of the participants in the trial were offered prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test immediately at age 45 while the other half were initially offered DRE with delayed PSA screening at age 50.

Ultimately, 6,537 men in the delayed screening group underwent DRE and only 57 of these men were referred for a follow-up biopsy due to suspicious findings. Only three were found to have cancer.

When compared to the detection rate using other methods, such as a PSA test, the rate of detection using DRE was substantially lower, says Dr. Krilaviciute.

"The DRE was giving a negative result in 99% of cases and even those that were deemed to be suspicious had a low detection rate," says Dr. Krilaviciute. "Results we've seen from the PROBASE trial show that PSA testing at the age of 45 detected four times more prostate cancers."

The researchers believe one of the reasons why the DRE might be failing to detect cancers, particularly in younger men, is because the changes in the tissue in the prostate may be too slight to detect with a finger. In addition, some cancers occur in a part of the prostate that cannot be easily reached by a finger.

"Early-stage cancer may not have the size and stiffness to be palpable," said Professor Peter Albers, a urologist at Dusseldorf University who was the senior author of the study. "Separate analysis that used MRI scans before biopsies to locate cancers in the prostate showed that about 80% of these are in an area that should be easy to reach with a finger and still cancers were not detectable by DRE."

The researchers are now calling for widespread use of PSA testing and MRI scans as part of screening programs instead of DRE.

"If the aim of a screening program is to pick up cancers as early as possible and the current screening tool isn't doing that job, then that is a fundamental failure of that approach," said Professor Albers.

"We speculate in our paper that not only is the DRE not useful for detecting cancer, but it may also be one reason why people don't come to screening visitsthe examination probably puts a lot of men off. In Germany, for example, the participation rate is less than 20% in the screening program for men 45 to 50 years. If we were to offer PSA testing instead, more of them might be willing to come."
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Research from the University of Cincinnati finds a lack of federal funding for incarceration-related research. The study looked at data from the Department of Justice, National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation, some of which dated back to 1985.

The study was published recently in the journal JAMA Network Open.

"We have very little evidence-based research on how and when to intervene with children and families when someone is removed from the home due to incarceration, especially on how to assist people who are released from prison and jail with continuity of care. I think all of this relates," says Samantha Boch, Ph.D., of the UC College of Nursing and lead investigator on the study.

"What's funded at our federal level dictates what our evidence base is, dictates priorities, and this lack of federal focus on incarceration reflects, at best, a large oversight."

Boch says the research found that any project involving keywords such as "justice," "prison" or "jail" was funded at less than half a percent since 1985. That pales in comparison to funded projects involving other systems such as education and the military.

"We lead the world in incarceration and, yet, we're not studying it from a public health lens or from a scientific research standpoint," says Boch, who says there are several possible reasons for that. "I think it relates to structural racism, the business of incarceration, a lack of awareness, a lack of training among health professions and even a lack of justice-health data linkages to adequately analyze."

One of the focuses of Boch's research is the impact parental incarceration has on child health. She says this study found just 21 projects out of 3.2 million across the three agencies have been funded related to children who have incarcerated parents and which she describes as a shockingly low amount for such a massive system.

Boch says another challenge facing incarceration-related research is how isolated the NIH is, with 27 different institutes or centers that focus on diseases, aging or cancer, and few institutes acknowledge incarcerated population care settings in their strategic plans.

Boch's interest in incarceration-related research started when she worked as a staff nurse at several correctional facilities in Ohio, including the Ohio Reformatory for Women, Madison Correctional Institution and Franklin Medical Center from 2012 to 2017.

She theorizes that if the United States continues to lead the world in incarceration rates, the country will continue to see racial and economic disparities in health and poor health outcomes. unless we start integrating, thinking, and researching how this relates.

"It's frustrating for me in a different way because I used to work in prisons. I still think about those patients and experiences I had and how poor the care was inside. It's deeply frustrating," says Boch. "But I think every little study matters, and I hope that there is more awareness but also change in my lifetime, because it's been such a long-standing problem."

Boch is grateful for the multidisciplinary team on this study.

"We had Jordan 'J.P.' Pollard, UC doctoral student, as a social worker and Aaron Murnan, Ph.D., a marriage and family therapist in the UC College of Nursing, plus a nurse, epidemiologist, developmental psychologist/policy expert and health services researcher," many of whom have worked with justice-involved populations.

More information: Samantha J. Boch et al, Assessment of US Federal Funding of Incarceration-Related Research, 1985 to 2022, JAMA Network Open (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.0803 Journal information: JAMA Network Open
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Published today in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, a new study by Dr. Nikhil Chaudhary, an evolutionary anthropologist at the University of Cambridge, and Dr. Annie Swanepoel, a child psychiatrist, calls for new research into child mental health in hunter-gatherer societies. They explore the possibility that some common aspects of hunter-gatherer childhoods could help families in economically developed countries. Eventually, hunter-gatherer behaviors could inform "experimental intervention trials" in homes, schools and nurseries.

The authors acknowledge that children living in hunter-gatherer societies live in very different environments and circumstances than those in developed countries. They also stress that hunter-gatherer children invariably face many difficulties that are not experienced in developed countries, and therefore, caution that these childhoods should not be idealized.

Drawing on his own observations of the BaYaka people in Congo and the extensive research of anthropologists studying other hunter-gatherer societies, Dr. Chaudhary highlights major differences in the ways in which hunter-gatherer children are cared for compared to their peers in developed countries. He stresses that "contemporary hunter-gatherers must not be thought of as 'living fossils,' and while their ways of life may offer some clues about our prehistory, they are still very much modern populations, each with a unique cultural and demographic history."

Physical contact and attentiveness

Despite increasing uptake of baby carriers and baby massage in developed countries, levels of physical contact with infants remain far higher in hunter-gatherer societies. In Botswana, for instance, 10-20 week old !Kung infants are in physical contact with someone for around 90% of daylight hours, and almost 100% of crying bouts are responded to, almost always with comforting or nursingscolding is extremely rare.

The study points out that this exceptionally attentive childcare is made possible because of the major role played by non-parental caregivers, or "alloparents," which is far rarer in developed countries.

Non-parental caregivers

In many hunter-gatherer societies, alloparents provide almost half of a child's care. A previous study found that in the DRC, Efe infants have 14 alloparents a day by the time they are 18 weeks old, and are passed between caregivers eight times an hour.

Dr. Chaudhary said, "Parents now have much less childcare support from their familial and social networks than would likely have been the case during most of our evolutionary history. Such differences seem likely to create the kind of evolutionary mismatches that could be harmful to both caregivers and children."

"The availability of other caregivers can reduce the negative impacts of stress within the nuclear family, and the risk of maternal depression, which has knock-on effects for child well-being and cognitive development."

The study emphasizes that alloparenting is a core human adaptation, contradicting "intensive mothering" narratives, which emphasize that mothers should use their maternal instincts to manage childcare alone. Dr. Chaudhary and Dr. Swanepoel write that "such narratives can lead to maternal exhaustion and have dangerous consequences."

Caregiving ratios

The study points out that communal living in hunter-gatherer societies results in a very high ratio of available caregivers to infants/toddlers, which can even exceed 10:1.

This contrasts starkly with the nuclear family unit, and even more so with nursery settings, in developed countries. According to the UK's Department of Education regulations, nurseries require ratios of 1 caregiver to 3 children aged under 2 years, or 1 caregiver to 4 children aged 2-3.

Dr. Chaudhary said, "Almost all day, hunter-gatherer infants and toddlers have a capable caregiver within a couple of meters of them. From the infant's perspective, that proximity and responsiveness, is very different from what is experienced in many nursery settings in the UK. If that ratio is stretched even thinner, we need to consider the possibility that this could have impacts on children's well-being."

Children providing care and mixed-age active learning

In hunter-gatherer societies, children play a significantly bigger role in providing care to infants and toddlers than is the case in developed countries. In some communities they begin providing some childcare from the age of four and are capable of sensitive caregiving; and it is common to see older but still pre-adolescent children looking after infants.

By contrast, the NSPCC in the UK recommends that when leaving pre-adolescent children at home, babysitters should be in their late teens at least.

Dr. Chaudhary said, "In developed countries, children are busy with schooling and may have less opportunity to develop caregiving competence. However, we should at least explore the possibility that older siblings could play a greater role in supporting their parents, which might also enhance their own social development."

The study also points out that instructive teaching is rare in hunter-gatherer societies and that infants primarily learn via observation and imitation. From around the age of 2, hunter-gatherer children spend large portions of the day in mixed-age (2-16) "playgroups" without adult supervision. There, they learn from one another, acquiring skills and knowledge collaboratively via highly active play practice and exploration.

Learning and play are two sides of the same coin, which contrasts with the lesson time/playtime dichotomy of schooling in the UK and other developed countries.

Dr. Chaudhary and Dr. Swanepoel note that "classroom schooling is often at odds with the modes of learning typical of human evolutionary history." The study acknowledges that children living in hunter-gather societies live in very different environments and circumstances than those in developed countries:

The researchers explain, "Foraging skills are very different to those required to make a living in market-economies, and classroom teaching is certainly necessary to learn the latter. But children may possess certain psychological learning adaptations that can be practically harnessed in some aspects of their schooling. When peer and active learning can be incorporated, they have been shown to improve motivation and performance, and reduce stress." The authors also highlight that physical activity interventions have been shown to aid performance among students diagnosed with ADHD.

The study calls for more research into children's mental health in hunter-gatherer societies to test whether the hypothesized evolutionary mismatches actually exist. If they do, such insights could then be used to direct experimental intervention trials in developed countries.

Working with a team from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Dr. Chaudhary and Dr. Swanepoel hope that greater collaboration between evolutionary anthropologists and child psychiatrists/psychologists can help to advance our understanding of the conditions that children need to thrive.

More information: Hunter-gatherer childhoods may offer clues to improving education and wellbeing in developed countries, Cambridge study argues, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (2023). DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13773 Journal information: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
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Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.017

Mass General researchers have discovered a novel molecular mechanism responsible for the most common forms of acquired hydrocephalus, potentially opening the door to the first-ever nonsurgical treatment for a life-threatening disease that affects about a million Americans.

As reported in the journal Cell, the team uncovered in animal models the pathway through which infection or bleeding in the brain triggers a massive neuroinflammatory response that results in increased production of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by tissue known as the choroid plexus, leading to swelling of the brain ventricles.

"Finding a nonsurgical treatment for hydrocephalus, given the fact neurosurgery is fraught with tremendous morbidity and complications, has been the holy grail for our field," says Kristopher Kahle, MD, Ph.D., a pediatric neurosurgeon at MGH and senior author of the study.

"We've identified through a genome-wide analytical approach the mechanism that underlies the swelling of the ventricles which occurs after a brain bleed or brain infection in acquired hydrocephalus. We're hopeful these findings will pave the way for approval of an anti-inflammatory drug to treat hydrocephalus, which could be a game-changer for populations in the U.S. and around the world that don't have access to surgery."

Acquired hydrocephalus occurs in about one of every 500 births globally. It is the most common cause of brain surgery in children, though it can affect people at any age. In underdeveloped parts of the world where bacterial infection is the most prevalent form of the disease, hydrocephalus is often deadly for children due to the lack of surgical intervention.

Indeed, the only known treatment for acquired hydrocephalus is brain surgery, which involves implantation of a catheter-like shunt to drain fluid from the brain. But about half of all shunts in pediatric patients fail within two years of placement, according to the Hydrocephalus Association, requiring repeat neurosurgical operations and a lifetime of brain surgeries.

By deciphering the unique cellular and molecular biology that occurs within the brain after infection or severe hemorrhage, the MGH-led research team has taken a major step toward nonsurgical, pharmacologic treatment for humans. Pivotal to the process is the choroid plexus, the brain structure that routinely pumps cerebrospinal fluid into the four ventricles of the brain to keep the organ buoyant and injury-free within the skull.

An infection or brain bleed, however, can create a dangerous neuroinflammatory response where the choroid plexus floods the ventricles with cerebral spinal fluid and immune cells from the periphery of the braina so-called "cytokine storm," or immune system overreaction, so often seen in COVID-19 infectionsswelling the brain ventricles.

"Scientists in the past thought that entirely different mechanisms were involved in hydrocephalus from infection and from hemorrhage in the brain," explains co-author Bob Carter, MD, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at MGH. "Dr. Kahle's lab found that the same pathway was involved in both types and that it can be targeted with immunomodulators like rapamycin, a drug that's been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for transplant patients who need to suppress their immune system to prevent organ rejection."

MGH researchers are continuing to explore how rapamycin and other repurposed drugs which quell the inflammation seen in acquired hydrocephalus could be turned into an effective drug treatment for patients. "What has me most excited is that this noninvasive therapy could provide a way to help young patients who don't have access to neurosurgeons or shunts," emphasizes Kahle. "No longer would a diagnosis of hydrocephalus be fatal for these children."

More information: Stephanie M. Robert et al, The choroid plexus links innate immunity to CSF dysregulation in hydrocephalus, Cell (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.01.017 Journal information: Cell
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Graphical abstract. Credit: Molecular & Cellular Proteomics (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2023.100503

A team of researchers has discovered a potential therapeutic that can synergize with existing drugs to more effectively kill certain leukemia cells. The authors published their results in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.

Acute myeloid leukemia is a cancer of developing immune cells. It can manifest in all individuals, including the elderly and children. Only 30% of patients survive beyond five years of diagnosis

Unlike cancers of solid organs, AML is found in bodily fluids, such as blood. Like passengers traveling to places all over the world on a high-speed train, AML cancer cells have access to every corner of the body via the blood.

To make things more difficult, "no two leukemias are alike," Heather Murray, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Newcastle and lead author of the study, said.

A patient's prognosis can vary widely depending on genetic mutations found in AML cells. "Gene mutations present in a patient's cancer have been used to predict aggressiveness of the disease and inform which treatment the patient should receive," Murray explained.

Since the breakthroughs of the Human Genome Project, many cancer researchers have been focused on finding the cause of cancer inside patients' DNA. However, because a cure for cancer remains elusive, Murray and her colleagues are diving deeper into tumor cell abnormalities that go beyond DNA.

"Our team has been working to develop precision therapies for AML," Murray said. "This involves first identifying the specific features of different AML cells that drive them to grow and spread. We then use this information to try and tailor therapies that target these specific features."

Murray continued, "A growing collection of studies are showing that analyzing the makeup of the cancer cells and how they communicate, such as proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses, combined with the study of gene mutations, reveals much more."

Phosphoproteomics is a technique that allows researchers to look at the modifications of proteins inside a cell. Specifically, this technique examines the phosphorylation status of a protein. Phosphorylation is known as a "cellular on-off switch." Combined with other methods, phosphoproteomics takes cancer research to the next level, Nicole Verrills, an associate professor at University of Newcastle who oversaw the study, said.

The researchers used mouse cells that were engineered to have a mutation in a gene called KIT, which is found in approximately 1 in 20 AML patients.

Murray and her colleagues found that a protein called DNA-dependent protein kinase, known as DNA-PK for short, is always turned on in leukemia cells with the KIT mutation. So, they decided to try inhibiting both mutant KIT and DNA-PK to stop leukemia cell growth.

The researchers found that using a combination of the standard-of-care drugs and a DNA-PK inhibitor decimated the leukemia cells while having minimal impact on healthy cells. Murray said the team is optimistic that, by limiting side effects early on in the drug-discovery process, their approach will translate to a tolerable therapeutic.

The team previously found that the DNA-PK inhibitor also slows cancer growth in leukemia cells with a mutation in the gene FLT3. They hope a DNA-PK inhibitor could have broad therapeutic effects in many different kinds of leukemia and other cancers as well.

"These results mean that we can potentially treat more patients with similar types of therapy," Verrills said. "It also expands the potential number of patients we could enroll in a clinical trial for this particular type of therapy."

Clinical trials testing compounds similar to those used in this study in cancer patients have begun and are showing promising results.

Verrills and Murray have a vision of future precision therapy efforts that incorporates rapid genomic and phosphoproteomic studies as well as a large drug screen on an AML patient's cancer cells before they receive any treatment. Verrills said this kind of testing would allow clinicians to predict the therapeutics to which an individual patient will or will not respond.

"This exciting study provides insight into different subtypes of AML," Murray said "We have identified a potential new treatment approach for this devastating disease, which we hope to soon test in clinical trials."

More information: Heather C. Murray et al, Synergistic Targeting of DNA-PK and KIT Signaling Pathways in KIT Mutant Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Molecular & Cellular Proteomics (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2023.100503 Journal information: Molecular & Cellular Proteomics
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Brownsville Fire Department EMS Ambulances with two surviving U.S. citizens arrive at Valley Regional Medical Center, Tuesday, March 7, 2023, in Brownsville, Texas, after having been kidnapped and shot at by gunmen in Matamoros, Mexico. The March 3 shooting left two other Americans dead. Credit: Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald via AP

The recent kidnapping of four Americans in Mexico highlights a common practice for many people in the U.S.: traveling to other countries for medical care that either is not available at home or costs a lot less.

The four were abductedleading to the deaths of twoduring a trip to Mexico that one relative said was for cosmetic surgery.

People leave the U.S. for dental procedures, plastic surgery, cancer treatments and prescription drugs, experts say. Besides Mexico, other common destinations include Canada, India and Thailand.

Here's a closer look at the practice.

MEDICAL TOURISM GROWING

Medical tourism has been growing in popularity for years, according to Lydia Gan, an economist at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke who studies the practice.

This travel is popular with people who have no health insurance or plans that make them pay thousands of dollars before coverage begins.

Big employers also sometimes send people covered by their insurance to other countries for hip or knee replacements or bariatric surgery. Some also send people to Mexico for expensive prescription drugs.

Cost is a huge factor. Care in countries like Mexico can be more than 50% cheaper than it is in the United States, according to Jonathan Edelheit, CEO of the non-profit Medical Tourism Association, an industry trade group.

And cosmetic surgeries, like tummy tucks that cost thousands of dollars, are largely uncovered by U.S. health insurers.

Patients also sometimes travel because they can get quicker access to some care outside the U.S. They also may want to seek treatment from a doctor who speaks their language or comes from the same culture.

MILLIONS OF TRIPS

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says millions of U.S. residents travel abroad for care annually.

Researcher Arturo Bustamante estimates that roughly 400,000 people traveled from the U.S. to Mexico each year for care before COVID-19 hit. The University of California, Los Angeles health policy professor said the number dropped under pandemic stay-at-home orders but then quickly rebounded.

Most of the people visiting Mexico for care are Mexican or Latino immigrants living in the United States, he said.

Non-Latino patients mainly cross the border for dental work, to buy prescription drugs or receive care like plastic surgery or some cancer treatments not covered in the U.S.

WEIGHING RISKS

Patients can take steps to lessen risks of receiving care in another country.

They should heed U.S. government travel alerts about their intended destinations, Edelheit said.

Trip safety also can be enhanced if a medical tourism agent works with the patient, Gan noted. Hospitals or care providers often will have someone pick patients up at the airport and take them to their doctor appointment or hotel.

Patients also should do research on care quality before looking at prices, Edelheit said. They should learn where their potential doctor received training and look for any accreditations or certifications.

"They really need to make sure they are going with the best of the best," he said.

The risk for patients may not end after the procedure. If someone has complications after returning home, it may be hard for their U.S. doctor to learn the details about the care received during a trip.

Patients also may find it difficult to sue their doctor or hospital in Mexico, Bustamante said.

"Navigating the system is usually complicated," he said.

Cosmetic surgery prices in US vs. Mexico

Many Americans travel to Mexico because medical care can be cheaper than in the U.S. Some examples:

Cosmetic surgery prices at South Carolina clinics

Tummy tuck: $7,000$9,000

Face lift: $8,000$14,000

Sculptural liposuction: $4,000$6,000

Breast augmentation: $4,500$6,500

___

Cosmetic surgery prices at Matamoros, Mexico, clinics

Tummy Tuck: $2,500$4,500

Face lift: $5,000

Sculptural Liposuction: $3,500

Breast augmentation: $4,000

___

Source: Associated Press reporting from advertisements and interviews with clinic staff.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Saudi Arabia has kicked off its first participation at ITB Berlin, the worlds biggest travel show and convention, celebrating key milestones for Saudis tourism growth and showcasing the kingdoms destination offering.



In the run up to the event, Saudi hosted members of media at the press conference session Unexpected Arabia: Discover Saudi, giving a preview of Saudis diverse offerings and developments.



During the week there will be interactive on-stand experiences, bringing to life the rich culture and heritage of one of the worlds last frontiers of tourism. Visitors will have an opportunity to immerse themselves in the authentic home of Arabia, to feel the unparalleled hospitality for which the country is known.



As the largest exhibitor at this years edition of ITB Berlin, a record number of partners for Saudi are on the stand showcasing a record number of bookable products for the destination (200+) spanning experiences, packages, hotels, and cruises for trade partners.



This presence reflects the incredible growth the country is witnessing. Since opening to tourism in 2019, Saudi has been recognized as the worlds fastest-growing tourism destination in the G20. With an extraordinary +121% increase from pre-pandemic international tourism levels, Saudi achieved 93.5 million visits in 2022 and is outpacing global tourism sector recovery as recognized by the UNWTO. As the worlds biggest investor in tourism, Saudi has committed $550 billion to new destinations by 2030.



Preserving heritage and history, a $50.6 billion masterplan will transform Diriyah, a 300-year-old city and birthplace of Saudi, into one of the worlds most exciting cultural sites. In 2023, Red Sea Global, the world's most ambitious luxury tourism development, will debut its first hotel openings: Six Senses, St. Regis, and Nujama - a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, a monumental development in Saudis sun and sea offering.



Saudis participation at ITB Berlin is a commitment to the European market as Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) increases its presence to facilitate trade development. There are unparalleled opportunities in the German market for initiatives like Nusuk, an integrated digital platform to facilitate seamless Umrah journeys. At the Saudi stand, visitors will hear from the STA CEO during Saudi Talks, in conversation with the worlds largest independent travel agency, Lufthansa City Center, and will be able to experience a taste of authentic Saudi hospitality, or hafawah, at a Saudi coffee and date pairing session.



Fahd Hamidaddin, CEO and Member of the Board of Saudi Tourism Authority said: Saudi is growing at the speed of light, transforming at a scale and pace the world has never witnessed before. Last year, we recorded 93.5 million domestic and international visits and in January this year achieved a record number of inbound overnight visitors.



We continue to gain momentum on this growth journey and it is critical that we inspire and engage our partners to join us as we reinforce our commitment to the sector globally. Our first participation at ITB Berlin is our biggest presence at an international event to date, bringing the best of our dynamic tourism offering to showcase what is unexpected about Saudi while also highlighting the diversity, beauty, hospitality and energy of the destination.



Saudi is reimagining tourism to welcome 100 million visits by 2030. Driving forward ambitious tourism goals, the destination has already celebrated key milestones including the official opening of Bujairi Terrace and At-Turaif late last year.



Saudi aims to increase international air connectivity from 140+ cities to 250+ cities by 2030. Through exceptional partnerships, Saudi is creating increased travel options and competitiveness to expand consumer choice and drive down costs. An exceptional partnership with Wizz Air launched 24 new routes from Europe to Saudi, and in January 2023, the first-ever free 96-hour stopover visa was launched through national carriers SAUDIA and flynas.



In 2022, Saudi extended eVisa regulations to GCC countries and visas on arrival to holders of valid US, UK, and Schengen visas.  TradeArabia News Service
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Each year, more than 3 million people ages 65 and older are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries. According to the 2016 National Trauma Database annual report, females account for 58 percent of these falls. Credit: Florida Atlantic University

Each year, more than 3 million people ages 65 and older are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries. Head trauma is the leading cause of serious injury with skull fractures being reported as a serious outcome. According to the 2016 National Trauma Database annual report, females account for 58 percent of these falls.

Because geriatric females have an increased rate of falls and facial fractures, determining if they also are at an increased risk of skull fractures is crucial. Currently, research is sparse on the prevalence of skull fracture due to head injury in this population. Moreover, there is an overall lack of research concerning head injury management guidelines among the geriatric population.

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University's Schmidt College of Medicine conducted a study to assess and compare the risk of skull fracture secondary to head trauma in female and male patients ages 65 and older. They prospectively evaluated all patients with head trauma at two level-one trauma centers in southeast Florida serving a population of more than 360,000 geriatric patients.

For the study, researchers examined skull fracture due to acute trauma and compared them by sex as well as patient race/ethnicity and mechanism of injury. Among the 5,402 patients enrolled, 56 percent were female, 44 percent were male. Eighty-five percent of the head injuries sustained were due to falls, and this trend also was seen across race/ethnicity and mechanism of injury. Both females and males had a similar mean age, 82.8 and 81.1 years, respectively.

Results of the study, published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, showed that when comparing geriatric males and females, males had a significantly increased incidence of skull fracture secondary to head trauma, due mostly to falls. This outcome was unexpected, as previous research has indicated females are more susceptible to facial fractures. This trend also was seen across race/ethnicity, though results were only statistically significant for whites.

"The high incidence of head injury and subsequent skull fractures due to falls is a cause for concern as our aging population continues living active lifestyles," said Scott M. Alter, M.D., first author, associate professor of emergence medicine, and assistant dean for clinical research, FAU Schmidt College of Medicine.

"As falls caused the greatest number of head injuries and subsequent skull fractures, fall prevention may be an important intervention to consider in reducing morbidity. Although fall prevention education can be addressed in the primary care setting or at assisted living facilities, the emergency department could also represent an opportunity to educate patients and to prevent future death and disability from falls in this population."

More information: Scott M. Alter et al, Comparing rates of skull fractures in female versus male geriatric patients who sustain head injuries, The American Journal of Emergency Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2022.12.044 Journal information: American Journal of Emergency Medicine
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A pilot trial by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham health care system, tested the nasal administration of the drug Foralumab, an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody. Investigators found evidence that the drug dampened the inflammatory T cell response and decreased lung inflammation in patients with COVID-19. Further analysis showed the same gene expression modulation in patients with multiple sclerosis, who experienced decreased brain inflammation, suggesting that Foralumab could be used to treat other diseases. Their results are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"We discovered a way to shut down inflammation not only seen in COVID-19, but also in a patient with multiple sclerosis as well as in healthy patients," said lead author Thais Moreira, Ph.D., an assistant scientist at the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at BWH and an instructor in Neurology at Harvard Medical School. "This is very exciting because not only does our study suggest that this new monoclonal antibody drug is safe and can modulate the immune system without major side effects, but it can also decrease inflammation in multiple realms, so it may be useful for treating other diseases."

"Inflammation is a major cause of many diseases," said senior author Howard Weiner, MD, founder and director of the Brigham Multiple Sclerosis Center and co-director of the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases. "Our center has spent decades looking for novel ways to treat disease where there is abnormal inflammation in a way that is safe and effective."

In both COVID-19 and multiple sclerosis, the immune system is overactive. Foralumab, manufactured by Tiziana Life Sciences, is a drug that stimulates regulatory T cells of the immune system, or anti-inflammatory cells, resulting in decreased inflammation. This contrasts with other monoclonal antibodies previously given to treat or prevent symptoms of COVID-19 (such as Evusheld) that target the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, which only had activity against specific variants and subvariants.

In 2020, Moreira traveled to Brazil to carry out this study of Foralumab, which was given nasally to 39 patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 infections. Blood analysis showed signs that the patients who received 100ug of Foralumab each day for 10 days experienced less lung inflammation than their counterparts who did not.

These findings led the team to carry out a sophisticated gene expression analysis to see how Foralumab was working to modulate the immune response in order to reduce inflammation. This revealed a pattern of three specific genes (NKG7, TGF beB1, and GIMAP7) involved with the anti-inflammatory effects of the drug, not only in the COVID-19 patients from the 2020 study, but also in a patient with multiple sclerosis at Brigham and Women's Hospital and in healthy volunteers as well.

"This is the first nasal monoclonal antibodyother monoclonal antibody treatments were delivered intravenously and are no longer given as treatment because they are not effective against currently circulating viral variants," said Weiner. "Based on our studies, we expect that Foralumab may work on all variants as it acts on immune effects. This is promising for other diseases because it works on inflammation which is a major driver of many diseases."

Given the limitations of the small sample sizes studied, the team is moving ahead with a placebo-controlled double-blind trial in progressive multiple sclerosis as well as planning a new trial to study long COVID.

"Moreira's discovery of a common pathway and mechanism by which Foralumab modulates the immune system gives us a biomarker that we can use to monitor treatment," said Weiner. "Next, we are going to look at studying the use of Foralumab in long COVID, larger studies of multiple sclerosis, and other diseases such as Alzheimer's disease."

More information: Thais G. Moreira et al, Nasal administration of anti-CD3 mAb (Foralumab) downregulates NKG7 and increases TGFB1 and GIMAP7 expression in T cells in subjects with COVID-19, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2220272120 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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Oregon State Penitentiary. Credit: Oregon Department of Corrections

People recently released from prison in Oregon face a risk for opioid overdose 10 times greater than the general public, according to a new study led by an Oregon State University College of Pharmacy scientist.

The research by Dan Hartung of OSU, Elizabeth Needham Waddell of the Oregon Health & Science University-Portland State University School of Public Health and Katherine A. Kempany of the Oregon Department of Corrections underscores the need to help adults formerly in custody stay safeespecially during the first two weeks after release from incarceration when their opioid overdose risk is double that of any other time period.

Drug overdose, particularly opioid overdose, is a leading cause of death among people who have recently been in prison, not just in the U.S. but around the world. The new study is one of the few that takes into account not just fatal overdoses but also non-fatal ones, which often are accompanied by burns, seizures, neuropathy, infections and fall-related injuries, the authors note.

Findings, which showed women were more at risk of opioid overdose than men, were published in the Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment.

Hartung, Waddell and Kempany analyzed a dataset that combined Oregon death statistics from 2014 to 2018 with corrections, Medicaid, and hospital admission and discharge information.

"We used Medicaid claims data as our main way of detecting overdose events identified in the emergency department or through a hospitalization," Hartung said. "Nearly 90% of people released from the Oregon Department of Corrections are enrolled in Medicaid."

Medicaid is a state-administered health insurance program for low-income and disabled individuals, and the Oregon Department of Corrections submits Medicaid enrollment applications for almost all adults in custody prior to their release, Kempany said.

The integrated data enabled the scientists to estimate the number of opioid overdoses among people recently released from prison, and the researchers found the frequency of overdose was "exceedingly high" 1,086 overdoses per 100,000 "person years," a statistical metric for describing rate of incidence within a population.

The rate of 1,086 per 100,000 person years far exceeded that of the general public in Oregon93 overdoses per 100,000 person yearsand also a Medicaid population of new prescription opioid users, whose rate was 247 per 100,000 person years.

"And taking everything into account, the risk estimates we developed for the recently incarcerated are likely conservative," Hartung said. "Many people with substance use disorders end up in the criminal justice system, and prisons and jails have historically not been equipped to manage the health care needs of high-risk individuals."

Nearly two-thirds of all adults in custody in the United States have a documented substance use disorder, Kempany said. According to data from 2019 cited in this research, roughly 1.4 million people in the United States are housed in state and federal prisons, and more than 600,000 are released from custody each year.

"There is a lot of research that provides insights into specific factors that might modify overdose risk, but much of it is based on vital statistics datai.e., fatalitiesand those make up a minority of all overdoses," Waddell said. "The objective of our study was to estimate risk of both fatal and non-fatal opioid overdose, and also to examine differences in the risk profile by sex."

In Oregon, more than 18,000 individuals left prison from 2014 through 2017. More than 80% of those people were males in the 26-64 age range, two-thirds had a documented substance use disorder treatment need, and one in five demonstrated the need for mental health treatment.

The adults released during that span experienced a total of 579 opioid overdoses, including 65 that were fatal.

"The overdose risk was highest in the first two weeks2,286.7 per 100,000 person years," Waddell said. "The risk was highest among women and those with mental health or substance use disorder treatment needs."

Women who had been incarcerated suffered opioid overdose at a rate of 1,582.9 per 100,000 person years, and the rates for those with mental illness and substance use disorder were 1,624.3 and 1,382.6, respectively. Among women released from prison, the higher rate is related to a greater mental health burden, Waddell said.

"There is wide consensus that medications for opioid use disorder are highly effective at reducing the risk of overdose and other addiction-related negative health outcomes," she said. "However, providing those medications for individuals in prison is still fairly uncommon nationally."

In recent years, Kempany said, the Oregon Department of Corrections has significantly expanded its medication program to include continuing established treatment upon incarceration and offering eligible patients a medication protocol when they are within 13 months of their predicted release date.

"Studies indicate that type of medication program contributes to improved outcomes," Kempany said. "Evidence from several randomized clinical trials suggests that people treated with medications for opioid use disorder while in prison are substantially more likely after release to engage with treatment in the community."

The heightened risk of opioid overdose among people recently released from prison highlights the need to develop, implement and expand strategies and interventions to protect those individuals when they are at their most vulnerable, the researchers say.

"Prisons and jails need to do more to ensure incarcerated individuals have access to lifesaving medications for opioid use disorder, and other harm-reduction interventions such as Narcan, during and after their release into their community," Kempany said.

Also participating in the study were Caitlin McCracken of the OSU College of Pharmacy and Thuan Nguyen of the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health.

More information: Daniel M. Hartung et al, Fatal and nonfatal opioid overdose risk following release from prison: A retrospective cohort study using linked administrative data, Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.josat.2023.208971
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Newborn drug testing incidence over time, by birthing parent race and ethnicity. Newborn drug testing incidence was significantly higher for Black newborns compared with White and Asian newborns in all years, newborns in the combined group (those self-reporting as American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and other race) for all years except 2014 and 2019, and Hispanic newborns in all years except 2014. Testing prevalence was significantly higher for White newborns compared with Asian newborns in all years, the combined group in 2020, multiracial newborns in 2014 and 2015, and Hispanic newborns in 2015. Multiracial includes patients self-reporting as 2 or more race options. Hispanic includes patients self-reporting as Hispanic ethnicity, regardless of race selection. Credit: JAMA Network Open (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.2058

If a newborn tests positive for certain drugs after birth, mandated reporters in many statesincluding health care professionals and social workersare required to report it to Child Protective Services.

But guidelines on what should trigger these tests are often unclear and inconsistent, which studies have shown may contribute to racial inequities in who gets tested.

Residents, faculty, medical students and researchers at Michigan Medicine's Department of Family Medicine and Antiracism and Health Equity Program wanted to determine rates of newborn drug testing and if these rates varied by race and ethnicity of birth parents.

The team also wanted to explore if newborn drug testing patterns changed after recreational cannabis was legalized in Michigan in 2018.

Their findings, which appear in JAMA Network Open, expand on previous research suggesting that Black newborns are more likely to be screened for prenatal drug exposure compared to other racial and ethnic groups, even in the absence of risk factors for substance use disorders.

Racial inequities in newborn drug testing rates persisted during the seven-year study period before and after the cannabis law change. Among tests that did detect newborn drug exposure, the most commonly identified substance was tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active chemical in cannabis.

"In the absence of a newborn drug screening policy, we saw inconsistencies in how and when clinicians ordered drug tests for newborns at low risk of prenatal drug exposure," said senior author Lauren Oshman, M.D. M.P.H, associate professor of family medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School.

"We measured drug testing rates before and after cannabis legalization to see if the change in law improved or worsened these inequities and found it didn't appear to make any difference."

Researchers analyzed data from 26,366 births between 2014-2020 at University of Michigan Health, comparing drug testing rates by racial and ethnic groups and test results before and after recreational marijuana use became legal in the state in 2018.

Newborns born to white parents were 24% less likely to receive a drug test than those in Black families, according to the study, but were more likely to have a drug test positive for opioids.

This suggests undertesting of white newborns and potentially missed opportunities to detect and treat opioid use disorder, authors say. Michigan Medicine has since implemented a new policy to help clinicians determine whether a drug test is warranted. New criteria include a baby showing symptoms of withdrawal or, if at the time of birth, a birthing person answers "yes" to the question of whether they'd used drugs during pregnancy.

Previously, the decision to order a newborn drug test was left up to the judgment of clinicians. Implementing a standardized policy is just the first step, authors say, noting that the hospital will be tracking data every month to gauge whether the changes are having a positive impact.

"It is incumbent upon medical institutions to identify racial inequities that occur as a result of their policies, or lack thereof, and processes. We can't change what we don't measure," said study co-author Justine Wu, M.D., M,P.H., an assistant professor of family medicine at the U-M Medical School.

"We can't move forward without self-reflection to stop practices that perpetuate structural and obstetrical racism, followed by thoughtful, community-engaged solutions to promote health equity."

Positive newborn drug tests for THC increased across all racial and ethnic groups after its legalization, the study suggests, up from 50% to 69%. About two in five newborn drug tests were positive only for THC, with Black newborns more likely to have a positive test than white newborns.

This rise, Oshman says, reflects national trends in cannabis use increasing in pregnancy, with up to 12% of people reporting use in the first trimester in 2016 to 2017.

Despite a lack of studies demonstrating that cannabis use in pregnancy increases the risk of child abuse or neglect, authors note, state law mandates a CPS report for a newborn drug test positive for THC because recreational cannabis remains a federally controlled substance.

Meanwhile, the same isn't true for prenatal exposure to nicotine, they point out, which has been shown to contribute to poorer health outcomes in babies.

"Punitive policies that link prenatal substance exposure to newborn drug testing may lead to disproportionate criminalization and policing of Black parents and families," Oshman said.

"We need policy changes at state, community and hospital levels to reduce health inequity and improve measures focused on the health, well-being, and dignity of Black birthing people and their newborns."

Less than 6% of newborns overall tested positive for amphetamine, cocaine, methamphetamine, and phencyclidine, researchers found.

The policy change at Michigan Medicine dovetails with other institutional efforts to address inequities, including medical teams devoted to ongoing implicit bias training and anti-racism research. The Partnering for the Future clinic at U-M Health Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital, also focuses on treating substance use disorders during pregnancy.

Michigan researchers have partnered with other stakeholders as well, including advocacy and community groups, to address statewide policy improvements.

"Our leaders, doctors, researchers, nurses and staff are all committed to reducing biases in the health system that may lead to inequitable applications of laws and negatively impact treatment and care," Oshman said.

"We hope this type of research helps other health systems explore how their policies or state policies may influence inequities affecting patient care and outcomes."

More information: Sebastian Schoneich et al, Incidence of Newborn Drug Testing and Variations by Birthing Parent Race and Ethnicity Before and After Recreational Cannabis Legalization, JAMA Network Open (2023). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.2058 Journal information: JAMA Network Open
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Contracting a lower respiratory tract infection in early childhood is associated with a higher risk of dying from respiratory disease as an adult, according to new research.

A study, led by researchers from Imperial College London and published in The Lancet, has found that children who had had a lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI)such as bronchitis or pneumoniaby age 2 were almost twice as likely to die prematurely in adulthood from respiratory diseases. The research showed the rate of premature death from respiratory disease was about 2% for those who had a LRTI in early childhood, compared to around 1% for those who did not. The findings remained after adjusting for socioeconomic factors and smoking status.

Chronic respiratory diseases are a major public health problem, accounting for an estimated 3.9 million deaths, or 7 percent of all deaths worldwide, in 2017. Most of these deaths were caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties, such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Previous research has linked infant LRTIs to the development of adult lung function impairments, asthma, and COPD, but it has been unclear if there is also a link to premature death in adulthood. This first-of-its-kind study spans more than 73 years and provides the best evidence to date that early respiratory health has an impact on mortality later in life.

The findings challenge the misconception that adult deaths from respiratory diseases are determined only by behavior in adulthood, such as smoking. The researchers say that this highlights the need to prevent childhood respiratory infection and improve the health of children, through targeted public health measures and health service interventions, such as vaccination, improving living conditions, and better diagnosis and treatment of underlying health conditions.

The study was carried out in collaboration with researchers from University College London, Loughborough University, and Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust (now part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust).

Dr. James Allinson, lead author for the study, from the National Heart & Lung Institute at Imperial College London, said, "Current preventative measures for adult respiratory disease mainly focus on adult lifestyle risk factors such as smoking. Linking one in five adult respiratory deaths to common infections many decades earlier in childhood shows the need to target risk well before adulthood.

"To prevent the perpetuation of existing adult health inequalities, we need to optimize childhood health, not least by tackling childhood poverty. Evidence suggesting the early life origins of adult chronic diseases also helps challenge the stigma that all deaths from diseases such as COPD are related to lifestyle factors."

Professor Rebecca Hardy, co-author for the study, from University College London and Loughborough University, noted, "The results of our study suggest that efforts to reduce childhood respiratory infections could have an impact on tackling premature mortality from respiratory disease later in life. We hope that this study will help guide the strategies of international health organizations in tackling this issue."

The study uses data from a nationwide British cohort study called The National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD), which recruited individuals at birth in 1946, to look at health and death records for 3,589 people up until 2019. Of the 3,589 study participants, 913 suffered a lower respiratory infection before age 2.

Professor Nish Chaturvedi, co-author for the study and PI of NSHD, from University College London, said, "This study highlights the importance of whole of life studies. As the UK's longest running nationally representative cohort studythe MRC NSHD, 1946 British Birth Cohort, is uniquely placed to investigate early life factors that can lead to premature mortality from respiratory disease in later life."

As the results show the childhood origins of health inequalities among adults who were born in the 1940s, improvements in childhood health and healthcare since this time may have led to better outcomes for children born today. However, evidence of the potentially lifelong consequences of poor childhood health highlights the need for renewed efforts to prevent LRTIs among children.

The researchers used a statistical model to estimate the association between a respiratory infection in early childhood and premature death from respiratory diseases in adulthood, while adjusting for different factors that can influence risk.

Analysis adjusting for socioeconomic background during childhood and smoking status suggested that children who had a LRTI by the age of two were 93% more likely to die prematurely from respiratory disease as adults, compared to children who had not had a LRTI by age two. This equated to a 2.1% rate of premature adult death from respiratory disease among those who had a LRTI in early childhood, compared to 1.1% among those who did not report a LRTI before the age of two.

The researchers say this increased risk potentially accounts for 179,188 premature deaths in England and Wales between 1972 and 2019, or one in five deaths from respiratory disease.

In comparison, adult respiratory deaths linked to smoking account for three in five deaths from respiratory disease, or 507,223 excess deaths in England and Wales over the same period.

The researchers note that despite their adjustments, there may have been other risk factors which were unreported, such as parental smoking and being born prematurely. They also note that societal changes during the life-spanning study may have driven changes in lung function of subsequent cohorts and altered outcomes.

More information: Early childhood lower respiratory tract infection and premature adult death from respiratory disease in Great Britain: a national birth cohort study, The Lancet (2023). www.thelancet.com/journals/lan  (23)00131-9/fulltext Journal information: The Lancet
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A team of researchers from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS), co-led by Professor Daniel G. Tenen and Associate Professor Polly Chen Leilei, made an unprecedented discovery of a hitherto unappreciated mechanism leading to ADAR2 (adenosine deaminases acting on RNA) dysregulation in core binding factor acute myelogenous leukemias (CBF-AML), and highlighted the functional relevance of the role of ADAR2 role in leukemogenesis. The research was published in the journal Blood on Feb. 16, 2023.

Adenosine to inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing, catalyzed by the ADAR family of enzymes ADAR1 and ADAR2, has been shown to contribute to multiple cancers. However, little is known about their roles in hematological malignancies. Here, the team comprehensively profiled the ADAR expression (ADAR13) in different subtypes of AML and found that ADAR2, but not ADAR1 and ADAR3, was differentially expressed in CBF-AML patients. CBF-AML is characterized by the presence of either t(8;21) or inv(16) translocations, which affect the RUNX transcription factor heterodimer.

The team also discovered a previously undescribed regulatory mechanism leading to ADAR2 downregulation in AMLs, in which the formation of the AML1-ETO fusion gene and its truncated form AE9a halts the transcription of the ADAR2 gene. To further support their hypothesis that the loss of ADAR2 and RNA editing may specifically contribute to the development of CBF-AML, they re-expressed ADAR2 in CBF-AML and non-CBF-AML and found that leukemogenesis was suppressed in the CBF-AML cells. In addition, the team also discovered for the first time that the RNA editing capability of ADAR2 was essential for suppressing leukemogenesis in an AE9a-driven AML mouse model.

"Understanding the role of ADAR2 and ADAR2-mediated RNA editing in cancer has long been neglected, with researchers in this field being more focused on the role of ADAR1 and RNA editing in cancers, including hematological malignancies. Our motivation is to systematically investigate the potential role of ADAR-mediated RNA editing in AML," said Assoc. Prof. Chen, the co-lead author of this paper and an internationally-known expert in the role of RNA editing in cancer.

This work propels the team to delve deeper into the causes and functional consequences of ADAR2 dysregulation in multiple diseases, including cancer, as well as the underlying mechanisms (editing-dependent or independent) leading to pathogenesis. CBF-AML accounts for up to 20% of AML cases.

While it has a relatively good prognosis, approximately half of AML patients will eventually relapse with subsequent poor survival rates. Therefore, the ability to modulate the level of ADAR2 and editing frequency of its RNA substrates may hold great potential for developing RNA therapeutics against CBF-AMLs, leading to improved treatment outcomes.

More information: Mingrui Guo et al, Core binding factor fusion downregulation of ADAR2 RNA editing contributes to AML leukemogenesis, Blood (2023). DOI: 10.1182/blood.2022015830 Journal information: Blood
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March 11 marks three years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. As the virus spread, a pattern emerged: communities with a lower socioeconomic status tended to be disproportionately impacted.

"COVID is not just a medical outbreak, it is actually a health disparity problem," said geographer Ming-Hsiang Tsou, director of the San Diego State University Center for Human Dynamics in the Mobile Age. "Before, we knew there was a disparity, but COVID exaggerated the disparity patterns. It actually helped us reveal how vulnerable our communities are."

For example, San Diego's South Bay area has a high poverty rate and its residents experience inequitable access to health care. It was a COVID-19 hot spot throughout the pandemic, in part because it is home to many essential workers who provide for entire families.

"They are not like other, high-income people that can work from home," said Tsou. "They don't have a choice."

To better understand social determinants of health during the pandemic, Tsou formed an interdisciplinary team including geography graduate students and social work, statistics and sociology faculty. The researchers conducted three case studies analyzing the spatial dynamics of the disease and how they changed during five phases from April 2020 through March 2021. The first compared COVID-19 infection rates by ZIP code across San Diego County. The second extended the analysis to six large cities across the country. The third compared San Diego County data to that of other California counties.

"COVID-19 is probably the first time in human history we can monitor a disease outbreak in real-time, with data updated every single day," said Tsou. "A lot of the previous studies only took one snapshot at a time and they didn't consider that in every different wave the impact to our societythe social determinants of healthis different."

Tsou's team found that while San Diego's South Bay region was a consistent COVID-19 hot spot throughout all phases of the pandemicreflecting persistent health disparities faced by the populationin the later phases, rural East County and Escondido became hot spots as well. In contrast, northern coastal areas such as Del Mar and Carlsbad maintained consistently low case rates. Tsou believes these spatial dynamics have implications for public health policy.

"If we can move more prevention health care resources to the South Bay area, we can resolve the COVID cases more quickly and more effectively," he said.

In San Diego County, being Hispanic, uninsured, low-income, or part of a Spanish-speaking household were all associated with higher COVID-19 rates, as were low educational attainment and living in a high-density household. These patterns held true for the most part when San Diego was compared to other counties in California, as well as all six metropolitan areas studiedfrom Phoenix to New York Cityeven though every city also had some unique factors associated with COVID-19 infections.

Tailoring policy to the needs of vulnerable groups could decrease the impact of the disease, said Tsou. That could include providing compensation for time away from work to essential workers, culturally appropriate health education around vaccines to non-English speakers, and information about free treatment options for uninsured patients.

The researchers found other important differences in COVID impacts at different stages of the pandemic. For example, the relationship between household size and infection rates grew stronger during the first four stages of the pandemic, while the proportion of teenagers and young adults infected decreased over time.

Tsou believes policymakers should take note of these temporal disease dynamics, modifying policy to align with new findings.

He said a spatiotemporal approach to data analysis could have applications beyond COVID-19.

"The future will come with a different variety of disease outbreaks, but my hope is we can build a long-term monitoring system that can analyze data every single day," he said. "If we can catch those diseases at the very early stage, public health officers can make better decisions more quickly and prevent severe illness and death in vulnerable communities."

The study is published in the Annals of the American Association of Geographers.

"While we are slowly phasing out of a public health emergency, 500 Americans are still dying each day from COVID-19," said the director of SDSU's School of Public Health, Eyal Oren, who collaborated with Tsou on another COVID-19 paper, but was not involved in this study. "The recently published paper by Tsou et al. is particularly timely in showing the degree to which social determinants of health influence the variability in COVID-19 infections."

More information: Ming-Hsiang Tsou et al, Analyzing Spatial-Temporal Impacts of Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status Variables on COVID-19 Outbreaks as Potential Social Determinants of Health, Annals of the American Association of Geographers (2023). DOI: 10.1080/24694452.2022.2149460
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X-ray of a human spinal column with spinal cord stimulator implant. Credit: Mconnell, CC BY 3.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anterior_thoracic_SCS.jpg

Spinal cord stimulation, a medical technology suggested to treat people with chronic back pain, does not provide long-term relief and may cause harm, according to a Cochrane Review released today.

Spinal cord stimulation is thought to work by implanting a device that sends electrical pulses to the spinal cord to interrupt nerve signals before they get to the brain.

The study reviewed published clinical data on spinal cord stimulation. This included randomized controlled trials, considered to be the most robust method to measure effectiveness of a treatment in medical research.

The researchers analyzed the results of 13 clinical trials, looking at data from 699 participants, comparing spinal cord stimulation treatment with placebo or no treatment for low back pain.

Cochrane reviews are trusted by researchers, medical professionals and policymakers because they use robust methodologies to combine evidence from multiple sources, reducing the impact of bias and random error that can make individual studies less reliable.

The review concluded that spinal cord stimulation is no better than a placebo for treating low back pain, with probably little to no benefit for people with low back pain or improvement in their quality of life.

There was little to no clinical data regarding the long-term effectiveness of spinal cord stimulation.

The researchers also found that adverse side effects to the surgery were poorly documented overall, preventing them from concluding the level of risk involved. Harms from spinal cord stimulation could include nerve damage, infection, and the electrical leads moving, all of which may need repeated surgeries.

The review findings have been submitted to the Federal Department of Health and Aged Care prosthesis list review taskforce. The taskforce is reviewing the eligibility of current prostheses subsidized by Medicare.

In Australia, the devices' long-term safety and performance are also being re-assessed by The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the country's regulatory authority for therapeutic goods.

"Spinal cord stimulation is invasive and has a great financial cost to people who choose surgery as a last resort to alleviate their pain. Our review found that the long-term benefits and harms are essentially unknown," said lead researcher Dr. Adrian Traeger from Sydney Musculoskeletal Health, an initiative of the University of Sydney, Sydney Local Health District and Northern Sydney Local Health District.

"Our review of the clinical data suggests no sustained benefits to the surgery outweigh the costs and risks.

"Low back pain is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Our findings further emphasize the urgent need to review funding arrangements for chronic pain care to help patients in their search for relief. There are evidence-based physical and psychological therapies for back pain; ensuring access to these is essential."

The review team found multiple gaps in clinical data.

There were no studies that investigated the long-term (more than 12 months) impact of spinal cord stimulation on low back pain. The longest was a single six-month trial.

The majority of clinical trials only looked at the immediate impact of the device, which is a time frame of less than a month.

The review team provided a list of recommendations, including that future spinal cord stimulation clinical trials be at least 12 months, clearly document the number of people who experience adverse events and make comparisons with other pain treatment options.

Professor Chris Maher, Co-Director of Sydney Musculoskeletal Health, said, "Our review found that the clinical benefit of adding spinal cord stimulation to treat low back pain remains unknown. When coupled with the reality that these devices are very expensive and often break down there is clearly a problem here that should be of concern to regulators."

A separate Cochrane review, in which the researchers were not involved, examined the effect of spinal cord stimulation versus placebo in people with chronic pain. Similar to this review, it concluded there was a lack of evidence to suggest long-term benefits in treating chronic pain.

More information: Spinal cord stimulation for low back pain, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2023). DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD014789.pub2 Journal information: Cochrane Library
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Findings and recommendations from the largest study on abortion in Britain were presented to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Sexual and Reproductive Health in the House of Commons on 7 March 2023.

The Shaping Abortion for Change (SACHA) study, led by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), charts significant changes in abortion health care practice.

The study's recommendations are based on evidence from around the world as well as, in Britain, a survey of 772 health care professionals, interviews with 48 women with recent experience of abortion, and consultations with 15 key stakeholders.

The researchers found that medical abortions, in which patients typically take abortion medication at home, now account for 87% of abortions in England and Wales.

Increasingly, nurses are supervising medical abortions but under the 1967 Abortion Act two doctors are still required to authorize an abortion. As the Act is currently interpreted, nurses are not allowed to perform Vacuum Aspirations (VA) for abortion even though they can conduct the same procedures for miscarriages with patients who are up to 14 weeks pregnant.

Health professionals and patients alike took the view that nurses and midwives should be able to sign authorizing an abortion as they are the ones in contact with the patient. The study recommends that appropriately trained nurses and midwives should be allowed to prescribe abortion medication and perform VA.

Women said they valued the convenience, ease and comfort, and privacy and confidentiality of medical abortion at home while also wanting a choice of options, including surgical abortion. Health professionals were concerned that an over-reliance on medical abortion could lead to loss of crucial skills and stressed the need to ensure sufficient numbers of staff were trained in surgical abortion so that this could be offered if preferred.

Current law also states that abortions can only be performed in an NHS hospital or a place approved by the Secretary of State. The study suggests that, if adequately resourced, abortion provision could beneficially be integrated into community sexual and reproductive health services.

Kaye Wellings, SACHA co-lead and Professor of Sexual and Reproductive Health Research at LSHTM, said, "Ultimately, it seems likely that Britain will follow other countriesIreland, Northern Ireland, Sweden, Australia and Canadain decriminalizing abortion entirely and having it subject to the professional and regulatory, rather than criminal, sanctions that apply to other aspects of health care. In the meantime, as abortion provision is increasingly nurse-led, it makes sense for nurses and midwives to be able to sign off abortions instead of having to pass their paperwork to two doctors, who usually have no contact with the patient.

"There is also merit in permitting nurses and midwives to prescribe abortion medications and also to carry out vacuum aspiration which they perform anyway in the management of miscarriage This would ensure that sufficient cadres of professionals have the skills needed to offer women a choice and address the current risk of valuable skills being lost. Evidence from NICE has already shown that women prefer nurse-delivered services, and our research has confirmed the current law that compels abortions to be performed by doctors is preventing best practice, compassionate care in the U.K."

Dr. Rebecca French, SACHA co-lead and Associate Professor of Reproductive and Sexual Health at LSHTM, said, "Abortion is one of the most common health procedures, likely to be experienced by one in three women in their lifetime. Yet, in our study nearly nine out of 10 health care professionals working outside of specialist abortion services said lack of training was a barrier to providing care. Abortion is a health issue and should be covered in health professional training."

"The ability for patients to have early medical abortion at home via telemedicine has transformed abortion care. Home medical abortion is safe, effective and acceptable to patients. However, some patients prefer to have their medical abortion at a clinic or to have a surgical abortion. Choice is important. We need to make sure options for patients are available, timely and accessible."

The Shaping Abortion for Change recommendations:

Authorization/certification of abortion: Health care professionals other than doctors should be permitted to sign off abortions for patients they are caring for.

Integration of abortion provision into routine health care: Abortion provision could beneficially be integrated intogiven levels of support revealed in the studyin community sexual and reproductive health services with adequate resources and appropriate commissioning.

Extension of roles: Appropriately trained nurses and midwives should be allowed to prescribe abortion medication and perform vacuum aspiration in the context of abortion provision as they already do in miscarriage care which needs identical procedures and treatments.

Provision of training: attention is needed to provision of both undergraduate training and professional education to increase knowledge and awareness and to equip new cadres of health care professionals to contribute to abortion care and support.

Patient choice: Women seeking abortion should, where possible, be offered options in terms of where they have their abortion, which procedure to have, and how they receive care and support (eg. remotely by telemedicine or in person in the case of medical abortion), and choice of surgical procedure if preferred).

Patient support: Interventions to improve abortion care should be clearly positioned across the patient journey, e.g. to support decision-making about where and how, to manage expectations and pain relief, and to facilitate contraceptive care.
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Results from a trial published in the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics support the benefit of 3D virtual reality lessons to improve medical students' knowledge and understanding of complex topics in obstetrics and gynecology.

For the study, 21 students took part in a 15-minute virtual reality learning environment (VRLE) experience on the stages of fetal development, and 20 students received a PowerPoint tutorial on the same topic.

Knowledge increased after both learning experiences, but it was only retained in the VRLE group at one-week follow up. Questionnaires completed by participants reflected a high degree of satisfaction with the VRLE tool compared with the traditional tutorial.

"Virtual reality learning tools hold potential to enhance student learning and are very well received by students," said corresponding author Fionnuala McAuliffe, MD, of University College Dublin National Maternity Hospital, in Ireland.

More information: Virtual reality learning: A randomized controlled trial assessing medical student knowledge of fetal development, International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics (2023). DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.14684
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has launched the Hotel Sustainability Basics (Basics) verification scheme, which will enable tourist accommodation providers from around the world begin their sustainability journey.



Basics, an industry-wide supported initiative, first launched at WTTCs Global Summit in Manilla last year, is a globally recognised and coordinated set of criteria that all hotels should implement as a minimum to drive responsible and sustainable Travel & Tourism.



Basics emerged as a result of a clear demand from a group of influential global hotel brands and whilst there a great number of sustainability initiatives, Basics focuses on an achievable starting point. It will encourage all hospitality businesses to begin their sustainability journeys and redefine the non-negotiables of sustainability in the industry.



Made up of 12 key criteria, the Basics are achievable for all hotels to implement as a bare minimum. They serve as a stepping-stone to more complex sustainability schemes and even greater sustainability.



Basics has also been recognised by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance as the starting point for a net positive industry, who announced the latest version of the Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality.



Verification Scheme

In order to ensure the validity of the programme WTTC partnered with Green Key and SGS to develop a simple online verification system to allow hotels to provide evidence and ensure they are following the Basics.



The verification scheme enables hotels and other tourist accommodation to be officially verified for meeting eight of the 12 criteria in the first year and demonstrate their commitment to working toward all 12 of the criteria by year three.



Together, the criteria ensure the sector is eco resilient and adaptive to the changing needs of the planet.



Hotel partners

Six major international hotel groups, collectively representing tens of thousands of sites from around the world have now joined Basics as inaugural partners. The first hotel groups include well-known brands such as Accor, Jin Jiang International, Louvre Hotels Group, Melia Hotels International, Meininger, and Radisson Hotel Group.



Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said We are incredibly proud to have launched the verification scheme for Hotel Sustainability Basics. The initiative is a response to the sectors need for a baseline for hotels and other tourist lodgings to start their sustainability journeys.



Our research shows that most business owners are aware of their responsibility to the environment but many sustainability practices such as efficient water use initiatives are patchy. Basics fills the gap by creating that level playing field for the sector.



It is testament to the need for such a scheme that already thousands of hotels from around the world have already signed up to Basics and are beginning their verification processes from today.



Green Lodgings Trend Report

WTTC carried out an extensive international benchmarking exercise through the Green Lodgings Trends Report, learning from 27,000 accommodation providers on how they are currently fairing against the 12 criteria.



Crucially, this benchmark will allow WTTC to track the progress of Basics over time. Almost 100% of accommodation providers implement at least one initiative to reduce inequality and 96% have adopted linen reuse programmes.



The report also showed many hoteliers are establishing sustainable practices but there is still a way to go for these to become common across the sector.



Two-thirds of those surveyed have already begun to eliminate the use of certain single-use plastics such as straws and implementing other waste reduction initiatives.



Destination partners

A number of global tourism destinations have already recognised the strength of Hotel Sustainability Basics and demonstrated their commitment to ensure their hotels implement the Basics.



Azerbaijan was the first Destination Partner to support the Basics, followed by other sup-porters such as Belize, Colombia, and Mauritius.



Florian Sengstschmid, CEO of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board said: The Basics are an important add-on to Azerbaijans sustainable tourism development strategy. We are commit-ted to prioritize sustainability throughout the entire value chain and customer journey.



We take pride in being a country partner of this initiative and pledge to continue our efforts in promoting responsible tourism practices. Our mission is to care for the country's intangible and tangible resources for future generations to enjoy, and a tourism industry, that benefits both visitors and hosts alike.  TradeArabia News Service
WEDNESDAY, March 8, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- An artificial intelligence (AI) tool has very high sensitivity for abnormal chest radiographs, according to a study published online March 7 in Radiology.

Louis L. Plesner, M.D., from Herlev and Gentofte Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues conducted a retrospective study involving consecutive posteroanterior chest radiographs from adult patients in four hospitals obtained in January 2020. The radiographs were labeled by three thoracic radiologists as critical, other remarkable, unremarkable, or normal. Chest radiographs were classified using an AI tool as high confidence normal or not high confidence normal (abnormal).

A total of 1,529 patients were included for analysis: 1,100 (72 percent) were classified as having abnormal radiographs (including 617 [40 percent] classified as having critical abnormal radiographs) and 429 (28 percent) were classified as having normal radiographs. The researchers found that the sensitivity of AI was 99.1 and 99.8 percent, respectively, for abnormal radiographs and critical radiographs compared with sensitivities of 72.3 and 93.5 percent, respectively, for radiologist reports. The specificity, representing the potential autonomous reporting rate, of AI was 28.0 percent for all normal posteroanterior chest radiographs or 7.8 percent of all posteroanterior chest radiographs.

"The most surprising finding was just how sensitive this AI tool was for all kinds of chest disease," Plesner said in a statement. "In fact, we could not find a single chest X-ray in our database where the algorithm made a major mistake. Furthermore, the AI tool had a sensitivity overall better than the clinical board-certified radiologists."

Two authors disclosed financial ties to the medical device industry.
Jimmy Carter took great pride in pointing out that the United States didnt start any new wars during his term as president. But after he left office, he launched a war against neglected diseases  diseases in far-off lands that most Americans will never suffer from and may not have even heard of. Diseases like lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, river blindness, schistosomiasis  and a disease caused by a nasty little bug called a Guinea worm.

Guinea worms are spread through contaminated drinking water and eating undercooked fish. The female worms, which can be up to 3 feet long once mature, cause incredibly painful, open blisters usually on the infected persons lower legs and feet  through which the worms emerge. It can take a toll for weeks or months, and sometimes permanently, leaving some people unable to support a family.

If someone with Guinea worm has contact with water  perhaps to cool the burning pain caused by a worms emergence  the worm may release tens of thousands of baby worms, contaminating the whole body of water.

The effort to end this disease did not rely on high-tech methods. Guinea worm disease has no cure, no vaccination, basically the entire eradication effort is built on behavior change, said Kelly Callahan, a public health worker who spent years fighting Guinea worm disease in southern Sudan with the Carter Center, the charity the ex-president and his wife created in partnership with Emory University.

That has meant teaching people in vulnerable areas to filter their water and giving them the low-cost tools to do so.

Other strategies include providing access to safe water supplies, better detection of human and animal cases, cleaning and bandaging wounds, preventing infected people and animals from wading into water, and using larvicide to kill the worms.

Because of Carter, the world has come incredibly close to wiping out Guinea worm.

I would like to see Guinea worm completely eradicated before I die, Carter said at a press conference in 2015. Id like for the last Guinea worm to die before I do. I think right now we have 11 cases. We started out with 3.6 million cases.

It did look as if the last Guinea worm was going to die before the 39th U.S. president. Then, a few years ago, scientists discovered that the parasite was spreading among stray dogs in Chad  and that baboons in Ethiopia were also carrying the parasite. This long-overlooked reservoir of the worms was a setback for the global eradication program and showed that killing the last Guinea worm would be harder than previously thought.

Whats more, as the number of cases has dwindled, new challenges have emerged. In 2018, Guinea worm disease was found in Angola, a country not known to have had cases in the past.

As a result, in 2019 the World Health Organization pushed back its expected eradication date for the disease a full decade  from 2020 to 2030.

Researchers are now looking for a treatment for infected dogs, and public health workers have turned to new interventions, like paying people to report infected animals. Nonetheless, Carters campaign has been remarkably successful.

In an interview with NPR in 2015, Carter recalled the origins of his crusade. Carters former drug czar, Peter Borne, was working on a U.N. initiative called the Freshwater Decade. Borne came to the Carter Center to talk about overlooked diseases spread by drinking bad water. One of them was Guinea worm.

The main reason [Borne] came to the Carter Center was because he couldnt get anyone else to tackle this problem, Carter recalled. Its a despicable disease. And it was in such remote villages that no one wanted to take on the task. So, we decided to take it on. That was in 1986.

Dr. Paul Farmer, the founder of Partners in Health and a champion of global health causes who died last year, spoke to NPR in 2019 about Carters efforts. Farmer said the former president deserves much of the credit for pushing Guinea worm to the brink of extinction.

Smallpox, Farmer said, is the only human disease [thats] ever been eradicated. And if  Guinea worm is right behind, thats going to be thanks to Carter. I mean, there were millions of cases when he got involved  after his presidency in the mid-80s. And now we are down to fewer than a hundred last year. In 2022, the Carter Center reported, there were only 13 recorded human cases of the disease, a provisional number that will be officially confirmed, likely this month.

When you take on a problem like this, like Guinea worm, you have to sweet-talk the ministry officials, the political figures, the nurses, the doctors, the community activists, the farmers, the people who are  most at risk. Carters had to sweet-talk all those people. And thats something thats been very inspiring to many of us, Farmer said.

Christopher Plowe, adjunct professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, agrees that Carters advocacy has helped governments and public health agencies around the world stay focused on eradicating Guinea worm disease. The Carter Center has pitched in, too, investing about $500 million since 1986.

I think we should be optimistic that it is achievable, said Plowe. I think we shouldnt be overly optimistic about how quick its gonna be.

Guinea worm was just one of the targets of Carters war. Onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, has been eliminated from most of the Americas and dramatically reduced in Africa due to the work of Carter and the Carter Center. Major inroads have also been made against other neglected diseases including lymphatic filariasis, which causes horrific swelling of the legs and genitals.

Those who know Carter well said it was his upbringing in an impoverished part of the South that left him with a strong sense of self-reliance and self-sacrifice, and a duty to help others.

Born in Plains, Georgia, in 1924, he stayed close to his roots, returning home after his Navy career to run the familys peanut farm. Church was a central part of his life in Plains  he taught Sunday school there into his 90s  and friends said his Christian faith drove him.

He did what he did out of a love for mankind, said Linda Fuller Degelmann, a co-founder of Habitat for Humanity, which has counted Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter among their many volunteers, hammering nails by day and sleeping in bunk beds by night. The Carters worked on Habitat projects in 14 countries.

In February, Carter entered hospice care, forgoing additional medical treatment to extend his life. But his death will not mean the end of his work. In a statement, the Carter Center has pledged to continue the fight to wipe out Guinea worm.

When the disease does come to an end, it will become one of Carters signature achievements  an extraordinary accomplishment that reflects a simple yet profound tenet of his personal philosophy: to try to help one another instead of being willing to go to war with one another.

This article is from a partnership that includes NPR and KHN.

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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Mineral County citizens are outraged at their county commissioners after sexually inappropriate remarks made by two county commissioners surfaced last month.

In between gavels during a public meeting on Jan. 20, Commissioners Roman Zylawy and Duane Simons appeared to make a series of comments about a female colleagues body. When the pair realized their conversation was being recorded, they ended the conversation and Zylawy said, Im just saying what I heard on the news.

Amid laughter, the commissioners administrative assistant then stood up and worked on the recording device sitting on the commissioners desk.

A video recording of the incident captured by a meeting attendee is available on the Mineral Co MT unedited YouTube channel.

Woody Woodford, a Mineral County citizen leading the coalition of residents angry about the commissioners conversation, said he was offended when he watched the video.

Why should it be OK to make those kind of derogatory comments about anybody, especially by public officials in a public meeting? asked Woodford, who served as a Montana school principal for 10 years and a superintendent for 20.

Seeking accountability, Woodford requested an action item to review the recording during another public meeting on Feb. 24. The commissioners met behind closed doors due to privacy reasons and returned with the determination that there was no sexual harassment intent or criminal intent against the alleged victim.

Mineral Countys third commissioner, Dawn Terrill, who was absent during the Jan. 20 meeting, said she was satisfied with the outcome. She told the Missoulian she felt attacked by members of the public, like Woodford, who addressed the issue on Feb. 24.

As a Mineral County citizen, I am compelled to address comments made at a commissioners meeting at the podium and from the sidelines on Friday, February 24, 2023, Terrill wrote in a statement to the Missoulian. To all of you who tried, in vain, to bully an alleged victim to your will, Id like you to know that a womans advocate NEVER dictates decisions, NEVER shames, NEVER makes judgements and certainly NEVER outs alleged victims. Alleged victims are treated with respect and encouraged to define what is best for them.

But Woodford and his coalition were disappointed there was no recognition of wrongdoing or apology for the Jan. 20 statements. Woodford pointed out the comments not only target the woman in question, but rather, they represent a deeper disrespect for female colleagues and constituents writ large.

Another Mineral County public commenter on Feb. 24, Julie Prater added the unprofessional discussion during the Jan. 20 public meeting underscores a deeper trend of troubling behavior from the Mineral County government. Poor investments, mold in the county jail and out-of-date meeting minutes are among the concerns shared by Prater, Woodford and others in their group.

In October 2022, a judge also ordered the county to audit all cases and defendants affected by the county attorneys office not disclosing relevant information to defendants in criminal cases.

The writ of mandamus followed months of litigation by 125 plaintiffs alleging misconduct in the Mineral County Attorneys Office and Mineral County Sheriffs Office.
A Nevada mining company claims to have discovered the highest-quality deposit of rare-earth elements in the nation at the far south end of the Bitterroot National Forest.

U.S. Critical Materials Corp. bills its Sheep Creek holdings as "one of the highest-grade light rare earth projects in the U.S.," containing "at least 12 of the critical risk elements as defined by the U.S. Geological Survey." Key elements at the site are neodymium and praseodymium, according to the company. Both elements have a wide variety of uses, sometimes together, including in electric vehicles and in making exceptionally strong, tiny magnets inside electronics.

Sheep Creek is about 13 miles south of Painted Rocks State Park and about 36 miles south of Darby, immediately north of the Montana-Idaho border. The company holds mining rights on 223 claims around Sheep Creek. The claims total more than 4,500 acres, or about 7 square miles, of U.S. Forest Service land, according to the company. The creek drains north into the West Fork Bitterroot River.

The deposit also contains lanthanum, cerium, europium, gallium, niobium, yttrium, scandium, dysprosium, strontium and gadolinium, according to the company. The elements are often found in conjunction with thorium, a radioactive element. U.S. Critical Materials states that there's not enough thorium at Sheep Creek to require permitting from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

"The high-grade rare-earth indications together with the low thorium readings are a unique combination," James Hedrick, the company's president, said in a statement. "I believe that U.S. Critical Materials Corp. has the potential to be a top U.S. rare-earth producer."

The companys exploration so far has been conducted under a 2022 exploratory permit from the U.S. Forest Service. Ed Cowle, director of U.S. Critical Materials Corp, said in an interview Wednesday that he hopes a project on the site would be operational in four to five years. A mine at the site could be open-pit, underground or a combination of both, he said, adding that the company hadnt yet made that determination. Ore would be processed nearby, he said.

The company's origins stretch back about 20 years to prior ventures between Cowle and CEO Geoffrey Williams. The pair originally staked thorium claims around the West and found rare-earth elements alongside thorium deposits. But things went bad with rare earth in the U.S. around 2013, Cowle said, when "China flooded the market, the prices crashed and we basically got out of it."

With growing demand for rare-earth elements and a push from the U.S. government to produce renewable energy and electric vehicles using domestic materials, they revisited their rare-earth claims and determined Sheep Creek was the most promising. They founded U.S. Critical Materials two years ago to hold the claims, and amassed more claims.

"We just got as many claims as we could so we would not have competition at the heart of the property, Cowle said. That heart features multiple historic adits  tunnels into a hillside  that extend 400 feet and reach a depth of 125 feet below the surface. Miners opened two of them in October. Inside, they found carbonatite formations holding rare-earth elements. Sample testing showed unusually high percentages of rare-earth elements and unusually low amounts of thorium, he said.

Rare earth mining typically involves excavation of ore-bearing earth followed by chemical leaching in on-site ponds, or by pumping leaching chemicals through pipes directly into the ore beds.

"Both methods produce mountains of toxic waste, with high risk of environmental and health hazards," according to a Harvard International Review report. "For every ton of rare earth produced, the mining process yields 13kg of dust, 9,600-12,000 cubic meters of waste gas, 75 cubic meters of wastewater, and one ton of radioactive residue. This stems from the fact that rare earth element ores have metals that, when mixed with leaching pond chemicals, contaminate air, water, and soil."

Cowle acknowledged there are environmental concerns surrounding mining, particularly for rare-earth metals. He highlighted the Sheep Creek deposits lack of thorium as one reason an operation there could be less harmful than other rare-earth mines.

"I think were far enough from the river, I think were far enough from people, he said. Montana is mining-friendly, and I think theyre going to see rare earths mined as environmentally friendly as they can be. Theres always going to be opposition. People can come from California, from New York, from any place, to oppose it.

But, he added: "Theres a lot of government necessity for the elements at Sheep Creek, and government support for extracting domestic deposits of the elements. And, he stressed, "Were just so convinced, especially Jim Hedrick  he is just convinced that this is the leading deposit in the United States, actually North America.

In a Jan. 31 news release, the company stated that the average 9% total rare-earth oxide composition of the Sheep Creek deposit far exceeds the percentage of rare-earth elements found anywhere else in the U.S.

"We have confirmed that Sheep Creek is the highest-grade rare-earth deposit in the United States, with a multibillion-dollar resource value," Hedrick stated in the release. The company stated that the elements found at the site are "needed for the worlds evolution toward electrification and a 'green economy.'"

U.S. Critical Materials holds its mining claims with a sister company, U.S. Rare Elements Corp. U.S. Critical Materials was registered in Nevada on April 20, 2021, according to the Nevada Secretary of State. U.S. Rare Elements was registered in Nevada on July 26, 2022. Hedrick, a former rare-earth commodity specialist for the U.S. Geological Survey, is listed as president of both companies. Geoffrey Williams is the CEO and principal investor in U.S. Critical Materials, according to the company's website.

The website describes U.S. Critical Materials as being based in Salt Lake City, Utah. But the company isn't registered to do business in the state; it is based in Nevada. U.S. Rare Elements is registered in Utah as an out-of-state corporation based in Nevada. U.S. Critical Materials states that a third company, U.S. Critical Metals, is a minority partner. U.S. Critical Metals is not registered in Utah or Nevada, according to each state's secretary of state.

Cowle said that "80% of corporations in the country are (registered in) either Nevada or Delaware. Its formed in Nevada and we follow Nevada corporate law. We have our physical operations in Montana and we have our offices in Salt Lake City. Were Salt Lake-based and were on the ground in Montana, and were about to spend a lot more money in Montana this spring and summer.

It is too early to speculate how many people a future mine might employ at full production, he said, or for how long a mine could be in production. But, he noted, at least 10 to 15 people will be employed this summer between drilling, mapping and staking.

"We will be submitting a plan of operation shortly for drilling this year, he said. "We have Montana politicians and public servants saying theyll be able to help us with the Forest Service. But the Forest Service's job is to make sure things are done right, make sure the land stays as pristine as possible. Weve had a very good relationship so far, but I cant predict the future.

Theyre not looking to stand in someones way, but they want to see it done right. And we will cooperate 200% with the Forest Service to make sure our goals and objectives are the same.

Dan Pliley, the West Fork District ranger for the Bitterroot National Forest, was not available for comment on the project. Tod McKay, the forest's public affairs officer, did not return a voicemail seeking comment Wednesday.
A lawsuit filed by a Montana State University student against some university administrators has been dismissed after both parties agreed to settle.

Student Daria Danley filed the suit in U.S. District Court in January, claiming she was barred from participating in a sororitys activities because she questioned its use of preferred pronouns when referring to members after a no-contact order was issued against her.

Montanas Commissioner of Higher Education Clayton Christian, MSU President Waded Cruzado and Kyleen Breslin, director of MSUs Office of Institutional Equity, were named as defendants in the lawsuit.

To settle, the defendants agreed to dissolve the no-contact order issued against Danley. In return, Danley agreed to vacate the evidentiary hearing scheduled in April and dismiss the suit with prejudice, meaning the matter has been dismissed permanently and cannot be filed in court.

Danleys unopposed motion to vacate the hearing and have the suit dismissed was granted on March 6 by U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon.

Bozeman-based attorney Matthew G. Monforton represented Danley in the suit.

Danley started her college career at MSU in fall 2020 and began the process to join the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. When another student made remarks to Danley that made her uncomfortable, she reported them to the chapters leadership, according to the original filing.

She also reportedly challenged the groups use of preferred pronouns when identifying themselves. In September 2021, the chapter leadership told Danley that her remarks could be defined as hate speech. Shortly thereafter, she was dismissed from the chapter and MSUs Office of Institutional Equity informed her the a no-contact order had been issued against her and the other student who allegedly made unwanted advances toward her.

Danley was evicted from the sorority house in Bozeman as a result of the no-contact order.

Eventually, Breslin signed an administrative complaint against Danley, which would have been dismissed if she agreed to undergo sensitivity training. The complaint against Danley was later dismissed, but the no-contact order remained in place.

In spring 2022, the Alpha Gamma Delta chapter at MSU dissolved.
The bridge to nowhere on Flathead Lake is coming down.

Deconstruction started last week on a structure that has caused controversy in the Flathead Valley since 2014.

Nine years ago, Northshore property owner Roger Sortino made a plan to build a private bridge from his daughters property to nearby Dockstader Island.

On its face, it was just illegal, said Dave Hadden with the Community Association for North Shore Conservation. Montanas Lakeshore Protection Act and Flathead Countys own protections prohibit such a construction project.

Nonetheless, Flathead County approved Sortinos permit, which launched a legal battle involving the county, the permit holder and Haddens resident group.

The CANSC sued the county in 2016 for wrongfully issuing Sortinos permit, and District Judge Robert Allison sided with the group. The controversy then went to the Montana Supreme Court, which again ruled in favor of the citizens group and ordered Sortino to demolish the bridge.

Years passed before Sortino finally posted the $300,000 required for demolition in 2022.

The court then asked the CANSC to find an engineer to take care of the bridge removal, and Haddens organization went with Mitch Stelling from Great West Engineering out of Great Falls.

Ever since Mr. Stelling was appointed, things are moving much more quickly, said Hadden. Right now, the bridge is coming down and rather quickly.

The contract for removal requires the bridge to be dismantled by April 24, and Hadden expects the crew will meet that deadline.

Progress is going pretty good, he said. Hadden attributed the developments to Stelling, who worked a miracle, and the attorney who has stayed with the case over the years, Kalispells Don Murray.

We could not have succeeded without his (Murrays) real generous help, said Hadden.

He was also grateful for the Lakeshore Protection Act for its contribution to protecting the visual, economic and environmental benefits from Flathead and other lakes.

Flathead Lake is really the crown jewel of our lakes, Hadden pointed out.

The future of the Northshore property, however, remains uncertain. According to Hadden, Sortino has been in talks with the Flathead Land Trust, but the issue is unresolved.
In one of the deadliest winters for Yellowstone National Park bison, state and federal officials cooperated last week to clean up carrion left behind by tribal and state hunters.

A 14-foot trailer and three dumpsters  one 30-yard and two 20-yard containers  filled with bison entrails, hides and bones were hauled from the Gardiner Basin to the Gallatin County landfill near Logan last week.

The cooperative effort involved the Montana Department of Livestock, Custer Gallatin National Forest, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribe and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Workers used equipment like a backhoe and skid-steer to haul the heaviest remains, utilizing shovels to pick up smaller parts.

The main reason to do a cleanup this year is just the heavy concentration of carcasses on the landscape, said Mike Thom, Gardiner District ranger, in an email. When I say carcasses, Im meaning gut piles, spines, ribs and hides.

Hunts

The waste comes from bison shot mainly by tribal hunters just north of the Yellowstone National Park border. Thats where the animals migrate onto Forest Service land where they can be killed. Hunting is not allowed inside Yellowstone.

As of March 3, about 900 park bison had been killed by hunters, or agency officials who euthanized wounded animals. Seventy-five bison were killed by state-licensed hunters. Tribes with treaty rights police their own hunters and set limits. So far, eight tribes have taken part in this years bison hunts. The Nez Perce Tribe has killed more bison than any other, reporting the killing of 98 adult bulls, 101 adult females and 123 calves for a total of 322 bison.

The majority were killed or captured near the parks northern boundary close to the community of Gardiner. Thirty-nine were taken on the west side of the park, closer to West Yellowstone.

The Park Service has captured and corralled 276 bison for inclusion in its live bison quarantine and transfer program. Another 350 were captured and will be released back into the park once the hunting season is over, said Cam Sholly, Yellowstone superintendent.

Going into the year, the park's bison biologists did not want bison removals to exceed 25%, Sholly added, which would have been 1,500 animals. Altogether, 1,675 bison have been removed so far. When the 350 corralled bison are returned to the park that number will drop to 1,325, although tribal hunts are continuing. No more bison will be shipped to slaughter, Sholly said.

Critics

James Holt, executive director of the conservation group Buffalo Field Campaign and a member of the Nez Perce Tribe, criticized the Park Service, state of Montana and tribes in a recent online post for the number of bison killed and the firing line situation.

Today, the goal continues to be slaughter as an acceptable management tool, with every sovereign entity participating in the demise of the only continuously wild herd of buffalo in the contiguous United States, Holt wrote. This is an abject failure by every Decision-Maker.

Stephany Seay, cofounder of the bison advocacy group Roam Free Nation, said in a statement that Bison mismanagement is growing out of control. She called the state and tribal hunts a killing frenzy and pointed to natural winterkill deaths as compounding the dire consequences for the bison population.

Bonnie Lynn, who lives across from Beattie Gulch where a large percentage of the hunting occurs, is the executive director of Yellowstone Voices, a group formed to advocate for ethical bison management. She questioned the safety of transporting bison entrails from the fields to the Gallatin County landfill.

The Department of Environmental Quality has no requirements for such waste, a spokesperson said. The Gallatin County solid waste director said the remains were buried in lined cells at the landfill, as required by DEQ.

Deceased animals and animal carcasses are not regulated as bio-hazardous waste in Montana, he wrote in an email.

Dichotomy

The disposal and transfer of dead bison doesnt raise the states concern like live animals do. Live Yellowstone bison cannot be trailered across the state unless they have repeatedly tested negative for brucellosis. The disease is spread from contact with birthing material from an infected female bison. Elk also carry the disease, which can cause pregnant cattle to abort. In humans the disease can cause undulant fever and other ailments.

Lynn shot photos and video of the cleanup effort. Workers wore no protective clothing and the trailers loaded with bison entrails, hide and bones were not covered. Thom, the Gardiner District ranger, said workers took appropriate precautions. Montana veterinarian Marty Zaluski said any risk of spreading or contracting brucellosis during the cleanup effort was low.

Aesthetics

Thom said the cleanup was organized to improve the visuals and aesthetics of the area.

Photos prior to the cleanup show mounds of bison parts scattered across a field close to the Old Yellowstone Trail, a gravel road on the west side of the Yellowstone River.

We all know people come to the area to check out the scenery, so lets help improve that, he said. Ancillary purposes are to mitigate the risk of human wildlife conflict as the spring approaches. Bears could be coming out of hibernation shortly. Wolves may come down, you never know. We havent seen any predators just yet on the landscape.

He added, Each tribe is offering support in different ways and exploring how they can help the situation.

Not new

In 2019, Lynn sued the Forest Service and National Park Service to halt the hunting across from her home. One of the documents submitted supporting her arguments was from Peter Nara, a veterinarian specializing in immunology. Nara was part of a national panel of scientists engaged by the federal government in 2013 to study brucellosis transmission in the park and surrounding areas.

In his statement to the court, Nara said, The small, quarter-mile acre area in Beattie Gulch in which hundreds of bison are killed by hunters in only a few weeks to months each season, creates an unstable and unpredictable environmental setting year to year for potential infectious spread of brucellosis to other wild/domestic animal species, including wild cervids such as elk, and people in the area.

Sholly agreed the concentration of carrion in such a small area is a concern, especially if grizzly bears move into the area to dine. He applauded the cleanup and said work needs to continue to deal with the issue of bison hunting outside Yellowstone in the future.

"I get it, this is not a super popular thing," he said, but noted the Park Service is shifting the paradigm from shipping the animals to slaughter to allowing tribal hunters to kill the bison. He also praised tribes and landowners for "making the best of a difficult circumstance.

"There needs to continue to be discussions about what that hunt looks like in the future," Sholly said.

This winters Yellowstone bison migration into the Gardiner Basin is the largest in about a decade  more than 1,200 animals as of this week. The animals leave the park only when food becomes difficult to acquire.

Heavy snow and cold arrived early last year. On Monday, Wyoming Game and Fish issued a press release highlighting the challenging conditions for wildlife across the state. Some mule deer populations were seeing greater than 50% fawn mortality due to malnutrition.

Large losses

This isnt the first time the parks bison population has taken a hit. In 2008 more than 1,600 were shot by hunters or sent to slaughter by the Park Service, with another 700 dying within the park due to a harsh winter. Two years ago and then four years ago, 1,200 bison were killed each winter.

Unlike those years, however, the Park Service is shipping fewer bison to slaughter plants this winter  88 so far, 107 in the last three years. That's down from 3,100 bison shipped to slaughter between 2013-19. The Park Services plan is to keep bison transfers to slaughter low in the future and instead rely on live bison transfers to tribes and tribal hunter harvest to keep the park population in check. Since 2019, the park has transferred almost 300 bison to tribal partners, a slow process because the quarantine protocol is lengthy and the available quarantine space is limited.

Last week, the Department of Interior announced the creation of a Bison Working Group to develop a Bison Shared Stewardship Plan to establish a framework for bison restoration. In addition, the department committed more than $25 million to promote bison conservation. Of that amount, more than $7.5 million will be dedicated to advancing bison and grasslands restoration at national wildlife refuges.
Shaza Hotels, a leading hotel management company, has entered in to a brand-wide agreement with WebBeds, a global travel trade partner, on brand wide pricing and distribution globally for all Shaza & Mysk Hotels through their distribution networks, connecting travel agents and trave trade suppliers.



The deal came about at the final event of Shaza Hotels annual Partner Meet in Dubai. The event brought together industry players and major stakeholders to pave a stronger relationship and bonding for the coming years. Shaza & Mysk brand's 10 properties, which comprise Shaza Doha, Shaza Riyadh, Shaza Makkah, Mysk Al Mouj Muscat, Mysk Touch Al Madinah, and the Sharjah Collection Retreats by Mysk, recently took part in GCC Partners meetups held in major GCC cities.



Riyam Darkazally, COO Hotel Division - WebBeds, and his entire team was present at the event to conclude the master agreement and to celebrate the partnership. This partnership will strengthen Shaza Hotels' distribution network and expand its reach in the global travel market.



Shaji Abu Salih, Corporate Director of Business Development at Shaza Hotels, said, "We are delighted with the success of our annual Partner Meet 2023, which was a valuable opportunity for us to meet and engage with our key partners after the pandemic. It was important for us to rekindle these relationships and show our appreciation for their support over the past year and to enhance our future bond with our trade partners and stake holders. We are also extremely happy for concluding the master agreement with WebBeds at this occasion, which definitely would enhance our reach and presence in global markets.



The attendees at the event included travel trade partners, key bookers, government officials, potential investors, and media. The hotel team members were able to discuss and engage with their key stakeholders strategic partnerships ahead, and thank their support for a successful financial year in 2022.



During the event, the company also announced its ambitious expansion plans in the region, including the upcoming hotels including Mysk The Palm Jumeirah, Mysk Jeddah, Mysk Madinah, enhancing the Mysk Retreats Portfolio including Mysk Nomads and Mysk Najd Al Meqsar Village (both under Sharjah Collection by Shurooq), Mysk Muttrah Collection in Muscat etc. The group is also aiming to develop its Shaza & Mysk portfolio outside the GCC region, including United States, Turkey, Egypt and Levant.



Shaza & Mysk Hotels are also members of Global Hotel Alliance and its Discovery Loyalty program, which has above 15 million members connected across 500+ hotels around the world.



Shaza Hotels is intending to continue implementing partner engagement initiatives regularly in several other source markets and cities to sustain brand engagement and affiliation within its significant B2B networks, a company statement said.  TradeArabia News Service
Thanks to recent snowstorms, mountain snowpack in the upper Missouri River Basin is accumulating at near average rates.

The March 1 mountain snowpack in the Fort Peck reach was 104% of average, while the mountain snowpack in the Fort Peck to Garrison reach was 101% of average, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. By March 1, about 80% of the total mountain snowfall has typically accumulated. Mountain snow normally peaks near April 17.

Montana's heaviest snowpack accumulated so far, compared to normal, has been in the Smith, Judith and Musselshell rivers' headwaters where there is 118% of normal. That region is followed by the Madison and Gallatin basins with 116% and 110% of normal, respectively.

The Bitterroot and Kootenai river drainages have the lowest snowpacks compared to average at 83%.

Given the current amount of snow in the mountains, the Corps is predicting spring runoff into Fort Peck and other Missouri River reservoirs above Sioux City, Iowa, at 21.5 million acre feet, 84% of average. February runoff in the basin was 1.0 MAF, 86% of average.

Despite some improvement in basin conditions, we expect 2023 runoff to remain below average, said John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Missouri River Basin Water Management Division. Soil moisture has improved slightly in some areas, but drought conditions still exist across most of the basin.

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows much of Montana abnormally to extremely dry. The long-range forecast for the month of March shows the western half of the state suffering through below-normal temperatures with precipitation predicted to be 30% to 40% above normal for all but the northwestern corner of the state.

The same holds true over much of Wyoming, with mountains feeding the Bighorn River averaging about 106% of average snowpack.

Releases out of Fort Peck Dam were cut earlier this month to 5,000 cubic feet per second. The water elevation on the lake is sitting near 2,218.6 feet with the level expected to rise slightly by the end of the month. The bottom level of the boat ramp at Hell Creek Recreational Area sits an at elevation of 2,229 feet, according to the Corps.

The Northwestern Division, Missouri River Basin Water Management Division will host a series of public meetings the week of April 3. The Montana meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Fort Peck Community College in Poplar.
A Yellowstone County district judge will be stepping down from the bench this summer, and a search is underway to fill the upcoming vacancy.

Judge Michael Moses will retire July 1 after serving as district judge for the 13th Judicial District for nine years, his office confirmed Tuesday. On Monday, the Governors Office announced it is accepting application and nominations for Mosess replacement.

Moses was sworn in as a judge in May 2014 following his appointment by then-Gov. Steve Bullock. Prior to that, he had practiced law in Billings since 1978. He was the principal in the firm Moses and Lansing P.C., the Gazette previously reported.

As a district judge, Moses has overseen criminal, civil and juvenile cases. In the past year, Moses struck down four voting laws passed by the majority-GOP Legislature in 2021, according to reporting from the Montana State News Bureau. Moses found the laws that imposed more voter ID requirements, moved the voter registration deadline back a day from Election Day and outlawed paid ballot collection to be unconstitutional. His ruling followed a nine-day bench trial in the summer of 2022. Moses previously struck down a law that barred anyone from getting a ballot before their 18th birthday.

In April 2022, Moses temporarily blocked a law that required transgendered people to undergo gender affirming surgery and obtain a court order before they could change the sex on their birth certificate. Moses ruled the law was too vague.

Montana Supreme Court Chief Justice alerted Gov. Greg Gianforte of Mosess retirement in a letter dated Feb. 24 asking the governor to begin accepting applications for a new district judge as soon as possible. The Governors Office will accept applications and nominations through April 5. The public will be able to comment on applicants from April 6 through May 5.

In December 2021, Gianforte appointed former Yellowstone County Prosecutor Brett Linnewber to replace retiring District Judge Gregory Todd. Following his appointment, county voters elected to retain Linneweber as district judge in 2022.
The process of developing a management plan for the 45,000-acre Fish Creek Wildlife Management Area (WMA) west of Missoula is emblematic of an alarming trend for designated fish and wildlife areas. It seems Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is joining the push for more recreation use in lands designated for fish and wildlife. At a recent meeting the plan coordinator said its a recreation strategy. It should be a fish and wildlife management plan.

Heres what happened in WMAs in Utah after they gave into the demands of recreationists. According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources notable habitat damage is occurring in WMAs from e-bike use which has prompted restrictions.

While we would like to provide recreational opportunities on our WMAs, these properties were purchased for the benefit of wildlife and wildlife habitat, a spokesperson said. With the increased use of e-bikes, we are seeing these properties damaged, ultimately limiting our ability to manage them for their intended purpose.

Fish Creek WMA was also purchased with public funds to protect sensitive fish and wildlife habitats. It should not and must not be managed as a play area for off-road motorized vehicles and mountain bikes with expanded campgrounds.

Dividing the Fish Creek drainage into sections of differing intensity of use wont work. More people will be attracted, the lower end of the drainage will fill up and people will keep moving up the drainage, increasing use of undesignated areas and damage to fish and wildlife habitat. This use will expand onto adjacent Forest Service land.

Who would enforce regulations when the crowds increase? Dont count on state and federal land management agencies. They increase use but without commensurate increases in enforcement and management personnel.

The Fish Creek planners are relying on a model called the Interagency Visitor Use Framework, the product of six federal agencies. It is not a management plan. As with most interagency documents, each agency interprets it according to their own management desires.

For example, the Flathead National Forest Supervisor stated at the most recent NCDE grizzly bear subcommittee meeting that the Forest Service is not comfortable with placing limits on recreation use and feels obligated to meet increasing demand. Even when it conflicts with the Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy which the Forest Service is a major party to and within threatened endangered fish and wildlife recovery areas designated for those species.

Mimicking the Forest Service, the Fish Creek planners indicate there will be limited monitoring of conditions when there isnt much of a baseline. Really? Fish Creek and its tributaries are designated Bull Trout Critical Habitat and are the major spawning grounds for bull trout in that section of the Clark Fork River. Bull trout are sensitive to reductions in water quality and quality habitat.

The Fish Creek WMA also includes lands designated in the Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy (which FWP is a party to) as the Ninemile Demographic Connectivity Area. Its purpose is to facilitate natural movements of grizzly bears from the NCDE to the Bitterroot Ecosystem and Recovery Area. From the Ninemile the most direct and secure route includes the Fish Creek WMA which is adjacent to the Great Burn Proposed Wilderness. Grizzly bear presence has been documented here and in adjacent areas.

The Fish Creek WMA and Park need more supporters not more users. The people of Montana bought it to protect fish and wildlife habitat. Dont let it be turned into an overcrowded recreational playground. To share your comments email fwprg22@mt.gov.
Felicia Rangel-Samponaro, an immigrant advocate who works in Matamoros, was stunned to hear about a violent attack in the Mexican border town last week.

The attack itself wasn't shocking. What surprised her were the victims: four people from the United States.

"This is a common occurrence. It happens all the time," she said as she crossed into Mexico from Brownsville, Texas, which she does each day to run a nonprofit for migrant aid.

"But it's usually aimed at asylum-seekers," she said, "not anyone else."

The attack and Tuesday's announcement that two Americans had been found and two others were dead  all of them missing since an apparently brazen daylight attack on Friday  have stunned the region despite its deep history of smuggling and cartel violence.

At the same time, the attacks highlight the way similar abductions, killings or other violence can plague the community but draw little public outcry when they involve Mexicans or migrants. And with details about the Americans' deadly venture still scarce, it was unclear how either law enforcement or regular travel could be affected by the case going forward.

Mexican National Guard members prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens in Matamoros, Mexico, Monday, March 6, 2023. By Tuesday, officials confirmed two people had been killed; two others had been found and returned to the U.S.

Brendon Tucker lived and worked in Matamoros in 2019 helping asylum-seekers through an advocacy agency. When a cartel group disapproved of his activities, he said, he was warned twice through a third person to cease his interactions with migrants. He later left Matamoros and today works as a project manager for Global Response Medicine in Reynosa, across the border from McAllen, Texas.

To have cartel gunmen shoot and kidnap Americans without provocation seems like a departure from their modus operandi, Tucker said. More likely scenario: The cartels mistook the four Americans for other people, he said.

"I would be absolutely blown away if they were targeted on purpose," Tucker said. Cartels "are going to do everything in their power not to put their foot in the ant pile that is the United States government. ... There is no way for a cartel to have done this for it to be beneficial to them."

Story continues

Federal investigators believe the group was mistakenly targeted and there was nothing to indicate they were in Mexico for any other purpose than a medical procedure, a person familiar with the investigation said. An official statement called the case only "an ongoing criminal investigation."

Zalandria Brown of Florence, South Carolina, said authorities told her her younger brother, Zindell Brown, 28, was among the four Americans in the case.

This is like a bad dream you wish you could wake up from, Brown told The Associated Press. To see a member of your family thrown in the back of a truck and dragged, it is just unbelievable."

Four Americans in Mexico

A member of the Mexican security forces stands next to a white minivan with North Carolina plates and several bullet holes, at the crime scene where gunmen kidnapped four U.S. citizens who crossed into Mexico from Texas, Friday, March 3, 2023. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the four Americans were going to buy medicine and were caught in the crossfire between two armed groups after they had entered Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, on Friday.

Video posted to social media Friday showed men with assault rifles and tan body armor loading four people into the bed of a white pickup in broad daylight. News photos from the scene showed Mexican security forces around a white minivan with North Carolina plates.

But it was this week that the apparent identities of the people involved became clear.

Brown said the four had traveled together from South Carolina so one of them could get a tummy tuck from a doctor in Matamoros.

Mexican officials said Friday's attack and abduction happened just 2 hours after the group crossed the border for a medical appointment.

Tamaulipas state Attorney General Irving Barrios Mojica said the victims were found Tuesday around 8 a.m. in a house outside Matamoros.

One of the surviving U.S. citizens was found wounded and the other was unharmed, Tamaulipas Gov. Americo Villarreal said after confirming two Americans died. A suspect who was standing guard over them has been arrested.

Barrios Mojica said no ransom had been demanded.

Both survivors were returned to the United States on Tuesday, in a convoy of ambulances and SUVs that was escorted by Mexican military Humvees and National Guard trucks with mounted machine guns.

Many Americans visit

The State Department lists Tamaulipas as a Level 4, Do Not Travel destination. But Americans still cross the border overland  to visit extended families that straddle or for less expensive medical care.

Charlene DCruz, an immigration attorney in Brownsville who works with asylum-seekers and travels frequently to Matamoros, said it's not uncommon for U.S. citizens to travel to Matamoros for medical procedures ranging from dental work to cancer treatment to cosmetic surgery and cheaper prescriptions. The treatments are often offered at a fraction of U.S. costs, she said.

One place in particular, the Centro Medico Internacional, houses doctors specializing in an array of specialties, said D'Cruz, who traveled there last year for a respiratory exam. The new case has made her and others postpone future trips, she said.

"This is brutal," D'Cruz said. "It's horrible."

Mexican army soldiers prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen at Matamoros, Mexico, Monday, March 6, 2023. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the four Americans were going to buy medicine and were caught in the crossfire between two armed groups after they had entered Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, on Friday.

For people who live on the Mexican side of the border, the situation may be different.

Advocates have been warning for years that migrants were being kidnapped, extorted and killed in north Mexican border towns such as Matamoros, Reynosa and Nueva Laredo as they waited their turn to seek asylum in the United States. But rarely did that violence extend to U.S. citizens, they said. Cartels would prefer not to draw U.S. attention to their illicit activities.

People working with migrants in Tamaulipas, though, say migrants must pay the cartel to transit the state and for permission to attempt crossings of the Rio Grande into the United States. Some say migrants in Matamoros are extorted by the cartel to be allowed free movement.

You pay a fee, and they give you a code  and then they check your code, said Abraham Barberi, a U.S.-citizen pastor operating a migrant shelter in Matamoros. Its a one-time deal.

Kidnappings difficult to quantify

Duncan Wood, vice president of the Wilson Center, a Washington-based think tank, and senior adviser to the Mexico Institute, said cartels and criminal groups may target migrants or wealthy people but tend to avoid everyday U.S. citizens because of the attention such cases carry.

Even though Matamoros is in Tamaulipas, which the U.S. State Department says travelers should avoid because of the danger of kidnapping and other crimes, he said it was possible the Americans were mistaken for rivals or migrants.

If they were, in fact, going over for medical tourism, which happens all the time, then generally they would have been left alone by Mexican organized crime, he said.

Wood, who spent 17 years living in Mexico and has studied the country for nearly three decades, said he knows the pain such incidents can cause. When he was a professor, he said, several of his students were kidnapped for ransom.

The overall prevalence of kidnappings is difficult to accurately quantify, he said. Many arent reported including when families believe police cant effectively investigate or kept quiet when a kidnapped wealthy executive is freed after paying a private ransom.

Along with high-profile cases, there are what's known as express kidnappings in Mexico, he said, when assailants hold a person in a car until they can withdraw cash from an ATM over two days before they are dropped off.

Today, partly because of clashes among rival cartels over disputed territory in Tamaulipas and criminals who prey on migrants trying to cross the border, its a place he avoids.

I would not go into Matamoros, he said. It's just not safe.

Wood said the abductions probably will add fuel to the combustible U.S. political debate over border security and how to address Mexican drug cartels.

Already this week, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called on the Biden administration to ramp up pressure on Mexican drug cartels.

Is Mexico safe overall?

Security analysts say many parts of the country are safe for tourists, such as Mexico City and major beach destinations such as Los Cabos and Cancun. But large swaths of Mexico fall under the control of cartels.

Mexican army soldiers prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen at Matamoros, Mexico, Monday, March 6, 2023. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the four Americans were going to buy medicine and were caught in the crossfire between two armed groups after they had entered Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas, on Friday.

There are many Mexicos, said Falko Ernst, senior Mexico analyst for the International Crisis Group. You have to pay attention to which one youre going to.

Last August, the State Department issued an updated travel advisory for Americans visiting Mexico, including new state-level advice and information on "kidnapping risk," and cited an "increased risk of crime and kidnapping" in certain areas of Mexico.

Laura Calderon, program director of Justice in Mexico, a research initiative at the University of San Diego, said kidnappings in Mexico dipped during the COVID-19 pandemic in part because cartels had to spend more time finding ways to transport drugs.

But conflict has flared in Tamaulipas over the past 15 years as the incumbent Gulf Cartel  founded in Matamoros  fragmented, starting with its notoriously violent armed wing, Los Zetas. Analysts say factions of the Gulf Cartel are fighting over the crime territory in Matamoros, which is coveted as a corridor for drug smuggling.

Wrong place, wrong time

American visitors who experience violence in Mexico, whether its cartel crossfire near a resort or crime along the U.S. border, are most often in the wrong place at the wrong time, said Adam Gonzales, CEO of security consultants Hyperion Services, which has worked on kidnapping cases in Mexico.

Across the globe, an estimated 200 to 300 Americans are kidnapped overseas each year, according to the nonprofit group Hostage U.S., which aids families of kidnapping victims.

Lorenzo Ortiz, a pastor based in Laredo, Texas, has been sheltering migrants in Nuevo Laredo for years. He has an unspoken agreement with the area's cartels, whose leaders allow him to shuttle and shelter asylum-seekers so long as it doesn't interfere with their criminal activities, he said.

Last year, armed men kidnapped Ortiz, a U.S. citizen, at gunpoint and held him in a safe house for 24 hours. He was abruptly released the next day. He later learned that several other criminal groups had pressured his captors to release him because they didn't want the U.S. government targeting them.

"Cartels don't usually target U.S. citizens," he said. "Something weird happened there."

Contributing: David Agren

Chris Kenning and Rick Jervis are national correspondents. Reach them at ckenning@usatoday.com and rjervis@usatoday.com, and on Twitter @chris_kenning, @MrRJervis.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Americans kidnapped, killed in Matamoros, Mexico: What comes next?
The life of a local nonprofit leader is a living example of following through on a commitment to serve the community.

Nancy Taylor, executive director of the Community Foundation of Burke County, has served in a variety of volunteer positions with organizations meeting needs in the area, but actually began life studying music. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she started playing piano at age 5 and organ at age 12, according to a previous News Herald article.

My parents, Edna and Bill Taylor, were my greatest supporters, Taylor said. I guess the fact that Mom and Dad bought a piano for my older brother to start taking piano lessons, then got a bit tired of my banging the keys and signed me up for piano lessons at age 5, says it all. My aunt, Linda Carter, was a musician and also one of my strongest supporters, as well as being a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music. My parents saw that I had piano lessons, organ lessons and voice lessons so I could experience the many career paths available to me.

She earned a bachelors degree in music from the Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University in 1974, majoring in vocal performance, and was a featured soloist in many Baltimore churches and synagogues, the article reads. She also attended the Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria.

(I) was able to study music with extraordinary professionals, Taylor said. Its also where I was able to test out my German language skills. In the town where we stayed, the community would only speak the German language, and it was a super way to become comfortable with the language.

While attending college in the 70s, she worked for an investment banking firm called Alex. Brown and Sons, then in 1981, she joined a subsidiary of the firm, Alex. Brown Real Estate Group, where she was involved in real estate negotiations and permanent financings for public pension funds across the country.

Her work with another business brought her to Morganton in 1990.

I worked for Coventry Resources, who at the time represented the lender on the Mountain House facility, now known as Grace Ridge, Taylor said. My company was hired to negotiate and manage the turn-around of the Mountain House continuing care facility. I was hired by Grace Hospital Inc. in 1991 as vice president of administration to oversee the Grace Ridge Retirement Community, as well as being responsible for the development of Phifer Wellness Center, strategic planning, physician recruitment and oversight of their two long-term care facilities.

She quickly became involved in the community through many volunteer positions, including leadership roles. Her previous nonprofit positions include:

Chair of the board of directors for Burke Hospice and Palliative Care

Supervisor for the Burke Soil and Water Conservation District

Advisory board member for the Burke County Department of Social Services

Steering committee member of the Burke Womens Fund

Board member for the Burke County Endowment for the Arts

Board member and executive committee member of the Burke County United Way

Board member of Burke Charitable Properties

She also is a former member of the city of Morgantons Human Relations Commission and the Rotary Club of Morganton, and previously served as choirmaster at Grace Episcopal Church of Morganton, which she described as one of the most important experiences of my life while living in Burke County.

I was so impressed with the commitment of the choir members to weekly rehearsals (and) extra services and their willingness to always try new music that would stretch them as musicians, Taylor said. And, of course, the music I was able to do with the young people in the church and the sweet GK Choir members (was) total joy! It also helped to have a rector, the Rev. Dr. Marshall Jolly, who was a musician himself and completely supportive of the music program at Grace.

She said her parents inspired her early on to serve the community.

My parents expected my brothers and I to always be engaged in our community and give back, Taylor said. Whether it was Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, church choirs, church bazaars or delivering newspapers, we participated, and thats where I began to understand the importance of volunteering and supporting the community I lived in.

She took on her current position as executive director of the Community Foundation of Burke County in 2013, according to another News Herald article. The organization manages and disburses a wide variety of local grant funds and also oversees the work of the Burke Womens Fund and the Burke Youth Organized Philanthropists.

The opportunity provided me with the ability to utilize multiple skillsi.e., nonprofit management, strategic and financial planning, etc., and it also provided me with the opportunity to assist in addressing the concerns of those in our community who are in the greatest of need.

So many things inspire me every day in this job: a committed board of directors who are focused on growing our asset base so we can identify and work to address those systemic issues that impact our community; generous donors who are committed to supporting the needs of this community long term; the young people in our Burke Youth Organized Philanthropists group that challenge me every year with new ideas and ways to think differently about issues impacting children; the women from across our county who are members of the Burke Womens Fund and provide financial support annually for women and their families; and the nonprofit agencies in Burke County that work tirelessly for the betterment of our community and its residents.

She encouraged people to consider making a difference in Burke County through volunteer service.

I have always felt that volunteering in your community makes you feel more invested in your community, Taylor said. There are so many needs, and volunteering is a wonderful way to get young people engaged in the community; a way to become aware of the many issues that impact our community and its residents, and its simply a way to give back when you have been blessed with so much in your own life.
Muscatine Against Human Trafficking, in partnership with the Muscatine Rotary Club and Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, announced a new opportunity for local youth who are interested in helping spread both awareness and education regarding one of the countrys most prevalent crimes.

From now until April 1, 2023, Muscatine Against Human Trafficking is opening up submissions for its youth poster competition. Open to 16-22 years olds in the Muscatine County area, participants are invited to design and submit posters that can help bring awareness and teach people, specifically the youth, about human trafficking.

In a public statement, Rotary Action Group Against Slavery member Naomi DeWinter explained, Our group in Muscatine is unique in its focus on youth involvement. Hearing the perspective of college students has helped us understand where there are gaps in educational materials. Even the term human trafficking is not widely understood by teens, and yet they are largely targeted by traffickers. We need their help in developing tools that will be engaging, youth-centered and creative.

Although the design of the posters is up to the participant, one major requirement is that information on the posters must be written in English as well as at least one other language that is represented in Muscatine, such as Spanish.

Additionally, those who are selected as one of the competitions three winners will have the chance to win a prize, with first place earning $300, second place $200 and third place $100.

We look forward to receiving many entrants, DeWinter said.

For more information and rules about the competition, residents can visit https://www.muscatinerotary.org/. Those wishing to submit posters can do so by emailing them to rotaryclubmuscatine@gmail.com.
Take a look at trending news from today, March 7:

Champions League

Maybe this will be the turning point for under fire Chelsea manager Graham Potter.

He went into Tuesdays game against Borussia Dortmund with questions hanging over his future. Now he has the Champions League quarterfinals to look forward to.

Kai Havertz twice-taken penalty secured a 2-0 win in front co-owner Todd Boehly at Stamford Bridge to ease the pressure on Potter and spark celebrations inside the stadium rarely seen during such a troubled campaign.

Chelsea advanced 2-1 on aggregate after having trailed 1-0 from the round-of-16 first leg in Dortmund last month.

We have been through a tough period and this competition means a lot for us, Potter said. We wanted to progress and get into the last eight and it sets us up for the next few weeks.

Get more here:

Joe Mixon

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixons home was swarmed by cops and surrounded by crime scene tape Monday night after a juvenile was shot.

The wounded teenager suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a nearby hospital, police said Tuesday.

No arrests have been made. Mixons connection to the incident remains unclear. His sister, Shalonda, said Mixon was not involved in any way, local NBC affiliate WLWT reported.

The Hamilton County sheriffs office said only that part of the crime scene involves a home connected to Bengals player Joe Mixon.

Cops responded to a shots fired report on the 7900 block of Ayers Rd. in Cincinnati around 8:30 p.m. Monday.

Find out more details here:

Mexico kidnapping

Two of four Americans were killed in Mexico when their van was caught in the crossfire of rival cartel groups last week, a top Mexican official said Tuesday. The two others are alive, with one wounded.

Tamaulipas Gov. Americo Villarreal confirmed the deaths by phone during a morning news conference by Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, saying details about the four abducted Americans had been confirmed by prosecutors.

The FBI had reported Sunday that it was searching with Mexican authorities for the missing Americans, who were kidnapped Friday. A relative of one of them said Monday that they had traveled together from South Carolina so one of them could get a tummy tuck from a Matamoros doctor.

Shortly after entering Mexico on Friday they were in the crossfire of rival cartel groups.

Get the rest of the story here:

***

Get more of today's trending topics here:

Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith

Tucker Carlson

This morning's top headlines: Tuesday, March 7
Officials in California are imploring residents to prepare for a powerful storm set to lash the region with torrential rain later this week as the state continues to recover from colossal amounts of snow that trapped mountain communities.

About 16 million people across central and Northern California, including the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento, were under flood watches early Wednesday ahead of a storm set to drench the region Thursday with dangerous amounts of rain -- in some places on existing layers of heavy snow.

"The combination of heavy rain and snowmelt may lead to flooding," the Weather Prediction Center said. "Creeks and streams in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada will be most vulnerable to flooding from rain and snowmelt."

The ominous forecast comes as much of California has been hit with several back-to-back rounds of heavy snow that have trapped mountain residents in their homes, made roads impassable for days and knocked out power for thousands of residents as temperatures dropped.

In addition to the heavy snow that overwhelmed the state last week, more than a foot of additional snow has already fallen this week in some mountainous parts of Northern California. And Wednesday is expected to bring more to that region, where lower elevations could see between 1 and 6 inches of snow with isolated totals surpassing a foot of snow across highest elevations of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Closer to the coast, officials in Marin and Monterey counties have begun preparations days ahead of the looming storm, which is expected to strike the area as a strong atmospheric river event.

For the Big Sur community in Monterey County, the emergency services office went as far as advising residents and businesses to stock up on essentials that would supply them at least two weeks. The county has also made sandbags available for residents who need them to protect their properties.

Marin County's fire department will have staff prepared for rescues in anticipation of possible flooding, county Fire Chief Jason Weber said.

"Our reservoirs are all full from storms earlier this year. With reservoirs full, we expect our creeks will rise more rapidly with most of the rain becoming runoff," Weber told CNN.

Marin County, where a flood watch is in effect beginning Thursday, is home to one of California's urban search and rescue task forces, and it will make its resources available for other counties as needed, Weber said.

This week's anticipated atmospheric river event won't be the first this year to lash California. Late last year and into the new year, multiple rounds of heavy rains from atmospheric rivers devastated much of the state -- soaking entire neighborhoods and unleashing mudslides while killing at least 18 people.

Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow bands of moisture in the atmosphere that transport warm air and water vapor from the tropics. They can extend for thousands of miles and dump rain and snow when they make landfall.

The danger of rainfall on top of existing snow

Much of California stands to be impacted by this week's expected atmospheric river.

The Weather Prediction Center says parts of the state have a level 3 of 4 risk -- the second-highest on the center's scale -- of excessive rain Thursday into Friday.

The storm is expected to drop some significant rainfall on top of some heavy snowpacks. The National Weather Service is expecting widespread rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches, with isolated amounts up to 8 inches.

"The uncertainty lies in how much rainfall will be absorbed by the snowpack before there is significant release of that water into the rivers," the Weather Prediction Center said. "It's likely some of the (precipitation) will simply be absorbed into the many feet of snow at the highest elevations, but lower elevations, generally below 5,000 ft, appear most likely to not have the snowpack necessary to absorb the multiple inches of rainfall expected."

Additionally, the threat of heavy rain seeping into deep snowpack could lead to the snow's weight to increase, which can cause roofs to collapse, the prediction center noted. "Affected communities are urged to remove the existing snow from their roofs to mitigate this," the weather agency added.

The-CNN-Wire

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MARION  A Marion teen is accused of beating up his girlfriend and then asking a friend to help dispose of her body, thinking he had killed her.

Trevor Ray Dean, 17, is charged as an adult with willful injury resulting in serious injury, a felony.

According to a criminal complaint, Dean believed his girlfriend, who is a juvenile, was cheating on him. He invited her to his apartment, in the 1300 block of Meadowview Drive on Friday, telling her he had a surprise for her.

When she arrived, Dean started punching her in the face and body, breaking her teeth, nose and orbital bone, the complaint states.

Dean, according to the complaint, had been texting a friend before the assault, saying things like, "Somethings Finna go down wait till you see my knuckles after" and "I'm Finna let all my anger out."

She stopped gasping, and Dean texted his friend that she was "gone." He then asked for help disposing of her body, according to the complaint.

According to the Marion Police Department, a relative of the girl learned of the beating and called the police. The girl was taken to the hospital with serious injuries and is recovering.

Dean had his initial appearance in court Tuesday. He is being held on a $25,000 cash-only bond.

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IHG Hotels & Resorts emerging brand voco hotels has reached the milestone of 100 properties signed and opened globally in just five years of its first-ever hotel opening.



Launched in 2018, voco hotels has quickly become the fastest-growing brand within IHG Hotels & Resorts Premium collection with properties in 18 countries and new-to-market hotels opening in Japan, Kenya, Spain and India. With 46 open hotels and 55 hotels in the pipeline, voco continues to be a key driver of IHGs overall growth in the conversion space.



The rapid expansion of the upscale conversion brand reflects the strength of IHGs enterprise platform through which hotel owners can grow their business by being part of IHGs distribution channels, relaunched app and transformed loyalty programme, IHG One Rewards, with more than 115 million members.



With a design and operational framework conducive to conversion, the brand empowers owners to carry through their own unique vision for each property, ensuring its legacy and historical connections to the surrounding community, remain strong.



Three quarters of voco signings are conversions and the brand requires a lower capital outlay and has a flexible brand identity to ensure a speedy and seamless conversion process.



The brands three hallmarks  come on in, me time, and voco life  are woven into the hotels DNA. From a swift check-in and a locally inspired welcome treat upon arrival to big, comfy beds, and vibrant bar and restaurants spaces, voco brings a distinctive charm to every stay.



The hotels have 100 percent recycled pillow and duvet fillings and refillable, plant-based bathroom amenities. They also support local sustainability initiatives at individual hotels such as estate-grown vegetables at Australias voco Kirkton Park Hunter Valley or the Hotels for Trees programme at voco The Hague, where a tree is planted for every night a guest chooses not to have their room cleaned.



Julie Cheesman, Head of voco hotels at IHG Hotels & Resorts, said: The voco brand has grown at a phenomenal pace over the last five years and is an integral part of IHGs growing family of 18 brands comprising over 6,000 global hotels, and supported by the industry-leading IHG One Rewards loyalty programme.



voco is popular with hotel owners around the world as they can get fast access to our enterprise platform and benefit from the brands high levels of guest satisfaction globally. As the global expansion of voco continues, we are excited to remain on track to grow to 200 voco hotels around the world within 10 years since launch.



Last year, voco expanded into new markets including Southeast Asia with voco Orchard Singapore; Africa with voco Johannesburg Rosebank and Latin America with voco Guadalajara Neruda in Mexico. The brand was also recognised as the Worlds Leading Premium Hotel Brand due to its top guest satisfaction scores at the World Travel Awards and shows no signs of slowing down.



Since then, the brand has continued to grow in key markets with its eighth hotel in Greater China with voco Hefei Binhu; sixth hotel in the US with voco Chicago Downtown, its fourth in Australasia with voco Brisbane City Centre and its third in Dubai with voco Dubai The Palm.



Notable voco openings in 2023 include:

Set on the borders of Surrey, Hampshire and West Sussex in the UK, Lythe Hill Hotel in Surrey, will complete its rebrand to voco Lythe Hill Hotel and Spa in 2023. The elegant Tudor property will feature 99 stylish bedrooms plus an oak-beamed restaurant, gym and spa.



Opening in early summer, voco Osaka Central will be the first voco property to open in Japan. Conveniently situated in central Osaka, the hotel will provide warmly hosted service, inspired design, superb dining and sustainable touches like aerated shower heads, indulgent eco bedding and filtered water.



The first voco in Vietnam will open later this year with voco Ma Belle Danang. The hotel is located close to My Khe Beach and just 20 minutes drive from Danang International Airport.



In New York, voco Fiorello - La Guardia East is set to open in Flushing, NY this summer. The hotel is due to have 116 rooms and is the third voco signing by the same owner.



Located in northern Paris, voco Paris Porte De Clichy is due to open this summer after its conversion from a Holiday Inn property. The hotel will be one of vocos flagship properties, with particular attention being paid to the use of sustainable materials. TradeArabia News Service
The Illinois Department of Human Services plans to dramatically reduce the number of patients with developmental disabilities who live at the embattled state-run Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center.

About the series This article was produced by the Lee Enterprises Midwest Public Service Team in partnership with Capitol News Illinois and ProPublica; Lee Enterprises is a member of the ProPublica Local Reporting Network.

In an exclusive interview before an expected Wednesday announcement, IDHS Secretary Grace Hou outlined a repurposing and restructuring of Choate, located in rural Anna, about 120 miles southeast of St. Louis. That process will start with the relocation of 123 residents with developmental disabilities who entered the facility voluntarily  roughly half the current population.

In a separate interview with reporters, Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker said that IDHS has been working on improvements at Choate since he first took office in January 2019. But he said it became clear, I would say certainly over the last year  and, in part, because of your reporting  that there were more significant changes that needed to be made.

The announcement  which the governors office billed as a transformational behavioral health initiative in southern Illinois  comes after months of reporting by Capitol News Illinois, Lee Enterprises and ProPublica that detailed the beatings of patients, a concerted effort by some staff members to cover up abuse and serious neglect, the intimidation of employees who reported it and the attempt to coerce new employees into participating in the abuse or being silent about it. Local prosecutors have filed felony charges against at least 49 people, both residents and employees, since 2015, a review of court records by reporters showed.

Hou also said the reporting played into the timing of the announcement because it has brought a lot of this to light and I think forced the conversation into the public discourse.

The agency will help residents relocate from Choate, and it will give them two to three years to move, Hou said. She said some will likely move into state-supported centers and others will go to community settings.

IDHS will also develop a plan for an additional 112 residents with developmental disabilities who currently live in its so-called specialty units, Hou said. The group includes some people who were sent to Choate by a criminal court judge after they were found unfit to stand trial or not guilty by reason of insanity. Hou said that the state is likely to move a significant portion of those residents, but that the agency does not want to rush the decision before it is able to determine what capacity we have to serve those individuals in a different setting.

In the interviews and news release, Hou, IDHS and the governors office did not label their plans for Choate as a closure, and no layoffs were included in the announcement. The facilitys 49-bed psychiatric hospital will remain open and may expand, Hou said. Theyve tapped the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine to determine the best path forward for the institution.

The restructuring of Choate, she said, is part of a broader goal for Illinois to expand services for people with developmental disabilities who are receiving state funding and want to live in the community; the aim is ultimately to reduce the number of people living at its seven developmental centers.

Advocacy and legal organizations that represent people with disabilities have long criticized the state for its heavy reliance on large public and private institutions to house people with disabilities, and for its lack of adequate funding for community-based options such as group homes or supports to keep people at home with loved ones.

Spurred by a slew of lawsuits across the country, states have reduced the number of people with developmental disabilities in state-operated institutions by more than 90% over the past half century, according to a 2022 study by the University of Minnesota. As of 2018, only four states  Illinois, Texas, North Carolina and New Jersey  had 1,000 or more state-operated beds open, the Minnesota study found.

Closures of large institutions accelerated with the U.S. Supreme Courts 1999 Olmstead decision, which found it unconstitutional to segregate people with disabilities from the rest of society. Seventeen states no longer operate developmental centers at all, and others have dramatically reduced the number of beds they operate.

Illinois has shuttered some of its large institutions over the past two decades, but it has been slow to transition compared with other states. It houses more people with developmental disabilities in large institutions and spends more to operate those institutions relative to statewide personal income than almost every other state in the nation, according to a review of data compiled by researchers with the University of Kansas. The number of people, nearly 15,000, on its waitlist for community-based services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is one of the largest in the country.

In addition, a 2005 lawsuit brought on behalf of residents living in large privately operated state-funded centers argued the state had failed to live up to the mandates of Olmstead. As a result, Illinois currently operates under the terms of a federal consent decree to ensure that people with developmental disabilities get sufficient support from the state in their homes and community settings.

Hou said this week that when Pritzker appointed her to lead IDHS after he took office in 2019, the states poor record was common knowledge. I think all of us leaders knew that Illinois was a laggard as it relates to prioritizing community-based care, she said.

But Hou said that back then, the provider network that serves people in the community was not in a place to handle a large influx of people. Then COVID-19 hit the following year, putting significant changes on hold. Weve taken the opportunity over the course of the past four years to build up the community-based system, she said, including increasing pay for direct service professionals, the front-line caretakers.

Hou said the state has made significant new investments in its community-based system since Pritzker took office, but it has so far failed to make the improvements needed to bring the consent decree to a close.

Pritzker, who just won a second term, has faced numerous challenges with the large state agencies that provide social and human services. Advocates for people with disabilities have praised the administrations expansion of services, but they argued it hasnt been enough to correct decades-old problems. Pritzker said the budget crisis under his predecessor hollowed out social service agencies; the pandemic further caused a labor shortage, he said.

Rebuilding takes time, and were proud of the progress that weve made so far, he said.

The plan Hou put forth also signaled changes for all state-operated developmental centers, including safety enhancements, and expanding support for community-based living.

The agency also created a new position of chief resident safety officer to oversee security at all residential centers. Ryan Thomas, a former compliance officer for a Chicago community health organization, will fill that role. In addition, the agency announced it would be adding 10 investigators to its Office of Inspector General, which investigates allegations of patient maltreatment.

This weeks decision to repurpose Choate advances the States commitment to equity and the civil rights of people with disabilities, IDHS said in its news release about its planned announcement. It also reflects the States legal duty to ensure residents with disabilities have a full opportunity to live in the least restrictive environment of their choosing.

In its news release, IDHS noted that Choate had been heavily scrutinized by state and federal overseers, as well as Equip for Equality, a legal advocacy organization appointed to monitor conditions inside Choate, for at least the past 20 years.

In a 2005 report, Equip for Equality detailed cases of patient abuse and neglect, poor medical and mental health care and an excessive use of restraints; it said that an archaic system had resulted in tragic consequences for people with disabilities. A U.S. Justice Department investigation had similar findings in a report four years later. At the time, IDHS promised to improve conditions, but the news organizations reporting uncovered that strikingly similar patient mistreatment and poor care persisted long after the Justice Department closed its case in 2013.

Past governors have closed facilities, but Illinois has a poor record when it comes to ensuring that the community-based system has the proper oversight and staffing to provide safe care for those who move. In 2011, then-Gov. Pat Quinn, a Democrat, announced plans to close several state-operated facilities under a plan he called a rebalancing initiative. Those included Jacksonville Developmental Center, about 35 miles southwest of the capital, Springfield, and the Warren G. Murray Developmental Center in the southern Illinois city of Centralia.

Some residents moved out of Murray, but ultimately it was not closed after parents, the union and local leaders opposed the plan and Quinn lost his reelection bid. Jacksonville was. Four years later, a Chicago Tribune investigation documented the states botched transition efforts, resulting in horrifying mistreatment and tragic deaths across the state.

Hou, in the interview, acknowledged the difficulty of closing facilities. The one thing that is common throughout those closures is that it tears communities apart. And it pits people against each other, she said, adding that it was her hope to avoid past mistakes.

Hou also said there would be no change in the administration at Choate. Bryant Davis, the facility manager, and Gary Goins, the quality manager, were both indicted by a Union County grand jury in 2021 on charges of felony official misconduct in connection with a patient abuse case. After the charges were issued, they were relieved of their duties at the facility. They pleaded not guilty, the charges were later dismissed and they returned to work.

Weve weighed a lot of different perspectives, but I think we need a leader who knows Choate inside and out, who has relationships with the residents and the parents and the staff to lead us through this challenging transition. I think to put someone new in there, I think would be very disruptive and even further unsettling, Hou said.

Timeline of Choate employees' arrests and outcomes 2017: Cheryl Muckley 2017: Victor Metzger 2017-2018: John Lingle, Cody Barger 2018: Stacy Thomas 2019: Greg Johnson, Ruth Massie and Paris Ferguson 2020: Kevin Jackson, three others 2020: Charles Mills 2021: Brad Cross
Dont approve Bettendorf school bonds

As a property taxpayer the last 20 years in Bettendorf, I have seen our property taxes rise throughout that period. Not to say the citys residents did not benefit from those increases, but enough is enough.

The bond fund will raise property taxes (rate) 21.1% if this bond goes through ($2.70 increase/12.80 rate/$1,000 today).

If I look at the Bettendorf city website for 2021-22, page 65, and look at the pie-shaped graph the city published for this 2021-22 year, 39.1% of the general fund goes to retiring debt. (Editors Note: This debt is not connected to the school district debt.)

This bond issue should not pass now as the golden goose, the taxpayer, is dying slowly as the economy is in rather poor shape. Bettendorf has bought land and has dumped lots of our money into the TBK area and now wants to develop north of I-80. Also, a 5 to 6 figure (cost) for an elevator for the I-74 bridge, and a park under the bridge where grass will not grow, will be dark and a haven for crime. Bettendorf, start spending wisely and this bond proposal should be DOA.

Steve Sachtleben

Bettendorf

State, DNR need to address taking of mountain lions

I recently read the letter to the editor Upset with hunter who killed a bobcat. I believe she was referring to a female mountain lion weighing approximately 110 lbs.

There is a trapping and hunting season for bobcats, despite these animals being fairly limited. The earlier piece describing the incident involving the mountain lion indicated that the DNR had been keeping track of the animal and it was not presenting a problem.

While one can wonder whether this area is suitable for these animals, occasionally they wander into the state. Rather than discharge them by shooting them with an AR 15 through a night scope the DNR can address their presence when necessary.

At some point the DNR and state will need to address the taking of these unique animals and address whether they deserve limited protection. Im not sure why they have not done so. Anyone who has had the opportunity to observe a mountain lion in its natural setting will be profoundly influenced by what this animal adds to our natural world.

Robert J. McGee

Fulton, Ill.

Facts of history should be taught

Two recent articles in the QC Times offer up an interesting contrast: Feb. 5 Reynolds: If one school ...  and Feb. 7 Diverse voices ... . As a history buff, I do not understand the efforts by many people in Iowa to squelch the access to history books because they feel the books are divisive or indoctrination.

History is facts and data that may, or may not, show a rosy picture. Different people can interpret the facts and data differently and discuss their views. I believe our public school systems need to provide more programs that discuss the contributions to society made by minorities and immigrants. If Reynolds has her way, any small group in Iowa can prevent the every public school system in Iowa from accessing some books.

If a community in Iowa with a strong German heritage, like Scott County, decides that books about World War II are divisive and makes them look bad, can they ban books about the war and the Holocaust and thus prevent all the public school children in Iowa from accessing those books?

I would rather have my children check out a library book on a particular subject instead of searching on the internet and finding materials that are not factual or are plain garbage. It appears that the Moms for Liberty are not so concerned about the First Amendment. How long before our governor decides that letters to the editor are divisive and should be banned?

Kent Turner

Davenport
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Rabu, 08 Maret 2023 21:51

Kapanlagi.com - Ditulis oleh : Adhwa Medisanda Cinta Adzana

Owl City merupakan projek musik elektronik yang diproduksi dan dioperasikan oleh seorang musisi asal Amerika Serikat, yaitu Adam Young. Pada 3 Maret 2023 Owl City merilis lagu terbaru yang berjudul Vitamin Sea. Mari simak liriknya di bawah ini.

Do-do-do, ooh-ooh



I think highly of Hawaii

Got a cheap flight and a plan

So heads up, Nancy, don't get antsy

While I'm working on my tan

'Cause it's crystal clear to me

A weekend in Waikiki is what I need

Yeah, I could use a sip of island serenity

'Cause when I need a vacation

I need some vitamin sea



Aloha, let the good tides roll

Aloha and mahalo

When I walk on the beach

I never wanna leave

'Cause when I get kinda salty

I need some vitamin sea

Yeah, I gotta go now

'Cause I'm a little worn down

And I'm a little burned out

And I need a vacation

Aloha, let the good tides roll

'Cause when I get kinda salty

I need some vitamin sea



Do-do-do, ooh-ooh

Sitting calmly by a palm tree

With a lemonade in my hand

I ain't concerned if I sunburn

I'll catch all the rays I can

'Cause when my gusto gets low

Then that's when I know

I have a tropical deficiency

And a little sand between my toes is the remedy

'Cause when I need a vacation

I need some vitamin sea



Aloha, let the good tides roll

Aloha and mahalo

When I walk on the beach

I never wanna leave

'Cause when I get kinda salty

I need some vitamin sea

Yeah, I gotta go now

'Cause I'm a little worn down

And I'm a little burned out

And I need a vacation

Aloha, let the good tides roll

'Cause when I get kinda salty

I need some vitamin sea



So BRB



I've gone coastal

'Cause when I feel a bit blue

I head for Honolulu

And I am happy as a clam

Do-do-do, ooh-ooh



So I'll put up my feet and tell all my troubles to the ocean breeze

'Cause sitting on a beach is cheaper than therapy

And when I need a vacation

I think you'll know where I'll be



Aloha, let the good tides roll

Yeah, the voice of the ocean

It speaks to my soul

And where my worries went

Well, I guess I don't know

So let the good tides roll



(I need a vacation

'Cause I'm kinda low

(Need a vacation)



Yeah, I gotta go now

'Cause I'm a little worn down

And I'm a little burned out

And I need a vacation

Aloha, let the good tides roll

Aloha, let's go!

'Cause when I get kinda salty

I need some vitamin sea



Yeah (I need a vacation)

I need some vitamin sea

I need a vacation

Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

I'm on vacation

Da-da-da-da-da-da-da da

And I think I'm gonna stay forever

Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

Yeah, I'm on vacation

Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

And I think I'm gonna stay forever
The California Department of Housing and Community Development decided last week that Calistoga's second draft housing element, adopted by the City Council in November, does not comply with state housing law.

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As a result, the city will need to make more changes to the long-term housing plan document, largely consisting of adding more analysis to various aspects of the plan, according to an HCD letter. Then, the city will need to go through another round of adoption hearings, to receive input from Calistogas planning commission and receive council approval, before sending the document back to the state housing department for another attempt at certification.

Due to the states affordable housing shortage, the state government has recently ratcheted up pressure on local governments to produce more thorough housing elements, which are essentially long-term housing plans local governments are required to file with the state every eight years.

As such, local governments have also generally been required to show in these plans that they can add many more units than they did in past cycles. The Bay Area, for example, is being required to approve more than 441,000 new units for all income levels, which represents a 15% increase to the existing housing stock.

Napa's local jurisdictions have also been under the pressure of those changes; all missed a Jan. 31 HCD deadline to finish up the multi-year housing element development and submission process and are therefore all technically out of compliance with state housing law, according to HCD. (As of Tuesday, HCD had found only seven of 109 Bay Area cities to be in compliance, according to a regularly updated HCD compliance report.)

HCD spokesperson Alicia Murillo said in an email that the department considers local governments to be out of compliance with housing element law until the state agency certifies their plans, according to previous Register reporting.

If a jurisdictions adopted housing element is not found substantially compliant by HCD as of the jurisdictions statutory deadline (in this case Jan. 31, 2023), they are considered to be out of compliance with Housing Element Law until HCD finds their adopted housing element in substantial compliance with law, wrote Murillo.

Noncompliance could open cities and counties to losing out on certain state funding as well as the "builder's remedy," a provision of state housing law that may allow developers to override local zoning rules to build housing developments where either 20% of the units are affordable to lower-income tenants, or all units are within reach of those with moderate incomes.

Regarding Calistoga possibly being forced to approve housing projects so long as they meet the requirements of the builders remedy, Calistoga Mayor Donald Williams said, Its a concern.

Williams, who had not seen the state's latest response to the city as of Saturday afternoon, expressed discontent with state lawmakers.

The so-called 'builder's remedy' is the hammer that wasnt there before to pound the cities into compliance," said Williams. Its a threat. And I dont know who appreciates being threatened. Thats not a part of a healthy dialogue. We know the circumstances of our locality better than the state does  I think its more appropriate to let cities govern themselves.

Im pleased with what the city of Calistoga has done so far," the mayor added. " We thought we satisfied the mandates and the wishes  Were trying to work with (HCD).

Plans from most Napa County jurisdictions are currently under HCD review. Like Calistoga, American Canyon, Yountville and Napa County have adopted housing elements that haven't been certified by HCD, and could potentially also need to go through another round of hearings should HCD not certify those plans.

St. Helena hasn't yet adopted a housing element, but the city submitted their second draft for comments to HCD. That was because the city knew that many jurisdictions had received a second round of requested changes from HCD after that second review and didn't want to lose time by having to re-adopt the housing element, according to St. Helena community development director Maya DeRosa.

Now that Calistogas housing proposal has been turned down for a second time, the planning commission will head back to the drawing board.

"The short answer is it's not as bad as it could have been," Calistoga's planning and building director Jeff Mitchem said of the rejection the city received Thursday. "The comments are relatively minor."

HCD feedback suggested that overall, the element lacked detail and thorough analysis and in areas, lacked consistency or had not been revised based on the notes from the first round of comments the agency provided the city in August.

For example, to meet fair housing requirements, the HCD document states that Calistoga's second submitted element included "minor revisions" regarding the city's possible displacement risks. The element still needs to explain "a complete analysis" that evaluates local and regional trends and patterns and needs to "analyze and coincidences across other fair housing components," according to the letter.

Mitchem said city staff and consultants have begun to revise their draft based on state feedback, but that the city still needs to evaluate and analyze the extent of the changes that need to be made.

The planning director said the housing element process this time around, for all local governments, involves determining where the new bar is for HCD to certify a plan. Its called into question many of the baseline assumptions that go into the drafting of the plan, he said, and the degree of analysis involved in substantiating the findings.

What they told us is it wasnt enough, said Mitchem.

Mitchem added that its up to the city council to determine how far Calistoga's draft housing element will be altered to meet the minimum baseline requirements.
Appellation St. Helenas 12th annual bASH wine and food event will take place Saturday, April 1 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Culinary Institute of America Greystone, 2555 St. Helena Highway (Highway 29/128) in St. Helena.

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bASH is an annual wine and food pairing competition where the wines from 20 ASH member wineries will be paired with savory bites prepared by teams of rising star students at the CIA and professional chefs. Tickets are $175 per person and must be purchased in advance at Eventbrite.

The event will be held in the historic barrel room at the CIA. Guests will visit tasting stations where Appellation St. Helena wines will be paired with savory bites prepared by CIA students, as well as by chefs from area wineries and restaurants.

Attendees will vote with tokens and ASH will be awarding the Peoples Choice Best Pairing to the top three student teams and a professional team.

Each year bASH is a sell-out event. Its a ton of fun and many attendees promise to come back the following year, said ASH board president Katie Simpson.

With purchase of an event ticket, guests are automatically entered to win a six-pack case of wine from participating ASH wineries at the event. At the end of the evening there will be a drawing to choose three raffle winners.

ASH is partnering with the Culinary Institute of America and the St. Helena Chamber of Commerce. ASH thanks Sunshine Market and Le Creuset for their generous donations and support. Proceeds from the evening go to Appellation St. Helena and the scholarship fund of the CIA.

Attendance is limited to 300 people and all guests must be 21 or older.

For more about the event, visit https://appellationsthelena.com/events
The St. Helena Cooperative Nursery Schools sixth annual Ol School Dance Party will be held on Saturday, March 11 at the Native Sons Hall, 1313 Spring St. in St Helena.

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The event features music by The Stone Foxes. The group's style is infused with country, rock, soul, blues and shout-along moments of musical joy.

All food and beverages are included in the ticket price.

Tickets for those 21 and older are $65 each and are available at www.sthelenacoop.org.
The St. Helena Historical Societys lecture series continues with a look at the Napa Valley's "Pioneer Women of Diversity and Influence" at 7 p.m. March 16, in the Heritage Center Museums Community Room at 1255 Oak Ave.

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Rebecca Yerger will discuss some of the pioneer women of St. Helena beginning with the Wappo, whose history dates back some 10,000 years. In addition to the Latino immigrants who came to the Napa Valley and shared their dynamic culture, there were African Americans and the Chinese, a labor force that worked in vineyards, quicksilver mines, hop farms, leather tanneries and laundries and helped build the railroads  before they were ultimately driven out by discrimination.

Yerger will discuss the influence of Laura Somersall, a famous Wappo-Pomo basket maker, teacher, lecturer and linguist. She will also talk about Eva Jennings, a Black woman who was St. Helenas 1975 Citizen of the Year.

Emma Eels, another of these remarkable women, was an owner of Callustro Corp. Callustro manufactured household cleaning products made from a refined, sand-based native stone. In the 1880s the widowed Eels purchased 108 acres of Upvalley property and the company planned to take on rival brand cleansers Old Dutch and Sapolio.

In the 1800s, Electa Burnell Hartson was a trailblazing Napa County feminist and activist. While she dedicated her life to improving society, she balanced the roles of activist with the more traditional roles of mother and wife.

Yerger is a Napa County native who focuses on the history and cultural heritage of the county. She has authored the Napa Valley Register history column Memory Lane for more than 27 years and is recognized as a professional historic preservation consultant.

Influential Indigenous Americans you might not know about A closer look at Indigenous history Tecumseh Red Cloud Edmonia Lewis Susan La Flesche Picotte Allan Houser Charlie Parker Maria Tallchief Mildred Loving Ben Nighthorse Campbell Wilma Mankiller Joy Harjo Charlene Teters Louise Erdrich John Herrington Deb Haaland Kent Monkman Lila Downs Sharice Davids Tommy Orange
For five of the past six years, heavy smoke from nearby wildfires has engulfed vineyards full of grapes that Ashley Egelhoff depends on to produce her wine.

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While some wine drinkers may enjoy a little smokiness in their Zinfandel, too much can render a bottle kaput. When grapes are exposed to wildfire smoke, they soak it up like a sponge. That creates a condition known as smoke taint, which can make a glass of wine taste like its been burnt  or worse, served directly from an ashtray, according to vintners and researchers.

Egelhoff, the winemaker at Honig Vineyard & Winery in Rutherford, has been forced to forfeit entire vintages and sell wine in bulk rather than bottle it, curtailing the companys overall inventory and earnings. To limit the fallout, Egelhoff is using her own process to gauge the smoke exposure in her grapes.

Egelhoffs team ferments a small sample of grapes in a mason jar for three days and then performs a taste test. Depending on the level of smokiness, theyll decide whether or not the grapes are too damaged to meet the brands standards.

It gives us as winemakers a comfort level, but the problem is that we dont have a common language to communicate that to a grower and you can run into issues with insurance and contracts, she said. What we really need is a better screening method that allows everyone to be in agreement.

As catastrophic wildfires become a norm across an extremely parched Golden State, vintners seek answers to help the Californias famed grape and wine industry endure the effects of climate change. Specifically, theyre asking the state to invest in research to answer some of the industrys most pressing questions, including how to know which grapes have suffered damage, what level of harmful compounds can the grapes sustain before they become tainted, and whether there are any ways to prevent smoke taint ahead of a wildfire.

The industry is in urgent need of these answers, said Noelle Cremers, director of environmental and regulatory affairs for the Wine Institute. Helping maintain the viability of the industry and not having these significant losses from wildfires is important for the state.

Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, is hoping to help California vintners gain that clarity.

Aguiar-Curry has introduced Assembly Bill 54, which would require the states Department of Food and Agriculture to fund research on smoke taint in wine, including methods to alleviate and prevent damage to grapes and finished wine. The bill requests that the Legislature set aside $5 million in the budget to create a new funding source for this research.

The bill marks Aguiar-Currys second attempt at such legislation. Last year, her proposal died in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Were seeing those losses repeated with every new destructive wildfire, Aguiar-Curry said. Our grape growers need to know how to prepare and mitigate. If we have more data tools and research, it helps us get in front of the problem.

Research examines wildfire smoke impact on wine grapes

Some of this research is already taking place.

In 2021, a coalition of researchers at Oregon State University, Washington State University and UC Davis received a four-year, $7.65 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study the impact of smoke exposure on grapes.

Anita Oberholster, one of the lead researchers, is training students to help examine grapes in Napa and Sonoma counties and analyze how much exposure to harmful compounds renders the grapes tainted. Although the federal grant may help answer some of the vintners questions, its not enough, she said, to cover them with the urgency deserved.

When you divide (the grant) across three states and four years, then suddenly its not that much money anymore, Oberholster said. It limits the amount of progress you can make.

With more funding, Oberholster said they could expand their trials beyond the Napa and Sonoma region  and likely speed up the time it will take to find solutions for vintners.

I know that there are a lot of very important issues out there but the wine and grape industry is an important one for California, she said. I think they deserve more attention.

The economic impact of Californias wine industry

California produces more than 80% of the wine made in the U.S. The states wine and grape sector contributes $73 billion annually to Californias economy, according to a 2022 report commissioned by the Wine Institute and the California Association of Winegrape Growers.

But the states wine regions, known for their ideal grape-growing climates, are now routinely facing threats of wildfires.

Damage caused by fires in 2020  when an unprecedented burst of August lightning strikes sparked catastrophic wildfires across the state  cost Californias wine industry as much as $3.7 billion, according to an estimate from former wine industry executive Jon Moramarco, owner of the market research firm bw166.

The re-introduction of Aguiar-Currys bill comes as the state is eyeing a projected $22.5 billion budget deficit, which means any new funding request will be scrutinized closely. Even so, the Assembly member said she will be working hard to educate her colleagues on the industrys value and the importance of additional research.

This industry employs thousands of people  the growers, producers, those trucking and shipping the products, she said. We want to help keep these people employed and give people the best-quality products.
A committee helping to set prices for St. Helena water over the next five years will recommend a new model that is expected to shift more of the burden to commercial customers that consume the most.

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By a 4-2 vote, the city Water and Wastewater Rate Study Advisory Committee on Tuesday endorsed a water rate model that would charge all users the same tiered rates, doing away with separate classes for homes, hotels, wineries and other businesses. The change is aimed at pushing commercial, high-volume water users into higher-priced tiers while lowering rates for many homeowners and renters.

The recommendation is scheduled to go to the City Council for approval as early as May 23, following a public notification campaign required by Californias Proposition 218 before raising certain local fees and charges.

The water rate committee has worked toward overhauling rates amid concerns from some residents that the current pricing, which began in 2016, places an unfair burden on residential customers and doesnt sufficiently reward them for saving water, even during three years of historic drought.

Committee members have had to weigh the merits and risks of increasing the base rate to stabilize revenue against boosting usage charges to prod customers to conserve more. Some ratepayers also have criticized what they call onerous baseline fees that squash the potential rewards of using less.

How does that encourage water conservation when youre saving every single drop and your bill is seven times your usage? Susan McWilliams said last month about her water bill, of which the usage fee is only one-seventh of the total.

St. Helena faces hard decisions on water rates The committee helping to set St. Helenas water rates for the next five years is facing hard decisions as it gets closer to recommending a rate structure to the City Council.

During 2  hours of debate at their Tuesday meeting, a majority of committee members chose a one-class pricing model over two alternatives. One proposal would expand the price tiers to let residential customers use more water without crossing into a more expensive level, while another would sought to adjust the ratio between base fees and the charges based on water-use levels.

Instead of charging customers by their type of property residential, commercial or industrial  the new plan would assign them into three tiers based on their water consumption.

St. Helena would charge the lowest fees to those in the first tier who go through less than 11 gallons per capita per day. Customers using 11 to 15 GPCD would pay a higher rate, and the city would charge the highest price to those above 15 GPCD.

Under the new rate chart, customers using less than 1,100 cubic feet of water would see their bimonthly bill fall from $6.87 to $6.01 per 100 cubic feet, according to a city staff report. However, those consuming up to 1,500 cubic feet would see an increase from $7.63 to $11.80 bimonthly, and customers using even more would pay $12.97 per 100 cubic feet, up from $7.63.

(According to city staff, the tiers also are based on the citys own water costs for drawing on its three sources  cheapest for water from the Bell Canyon reservoir, costlier for groundwater from Stonebridge Wells, and most expensive when bought from the city of Napa to make up local shortfalls.)

Tying water rates closer to usage level will create a motive to conserve that has so far been lacking, committee member Mark Smithers said in support of the new plan.

For 50% of our water use, theres absolutely no promotion of conservation, he said. When you need them to conserve water, theres no incentive.

However, the committees chair Mario Trinchero dissented, describing a plan to charge based mainly on consumption as akin to residents declaring a proxy war on businesses through their water rates.

Putting the bulk of responsibility for conservation on wineries and other large-scale water users, he predicted, could backfire over time and lose St. Helena money in the long run. For example, a large winery moving quickly to recycle more of its water could eventually scale back its purchases as to lower city revenue by as much as $100,000 annually, said Trinchero, who cast one of the two dissenting votes Tuesday.

Smithers disagreed, saying such cutbacks would take several years to put in place and pose no immediate threat to water revenues for the city. If consumption does eventually go down thus, he added, well, thats great, because it frees up water for housing.

Shifting some of the fee burden off residential water users also will be crucial for lower-income St. Helenans, added committee member Arlene Corsetti, who said such burdens often get lost in the citys reputation as a tourist haven.

We have some people in St. Helena who cannot afford higher rates  and that gets overshadowed by the fact that we have incredible wealth, said Corsetti, who earlier criticized another proposal as incredibly punitive for putting some residents into its highest-priced tier even when staying within reduced limits in a water emergency.
With attention focused on the Oscars this week, Laura Rafaty, executive director at the Napa Valley Museum Yountville, wants to remind the community that the museum has its own show by an Academy Award-winning actor.

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"Jeff Bridges: Pictures," explores the photography of the Oscar-winner Bridges, who received his award for "Crazy Heart" in 2009. A companion show of works by his wife, "Susan Bridges: Inside Heaven's Gate," is also on display.

Brdiges' other Oscar-nominated roles include "The Last Picture Show" (1971), "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" (1974), "Starman" (1984), "The Contender" (2000), "True Grit" (2010), and "Hell or High Water" (2016).

In addition to being a giant of American cinema, Bridges is also a renowned photographer who, for more than 30 years, has captured the world of moviemaking using his specialized Widelux F8 panoramic camera. The result is a fascinating, surprisingly candid body of photographic work offering a unique vision of Hollywood.

The museum is proud to present the first joint exhibition of the works of these two photographers, who bring a lifetime of shared experience  yet distinctly different viewpoints  to their photographic works," Rafaty said.

"I found out about Jeffs photography in 2014 when he appeared at an event I was producing for the Lincoln Theatre," Rafaty said. "He headlined their Cabfest as well as the Cigars and Guitars after-party. I met Jeff, Susan, his daughter Jessie (his opening act for the concert) and some of his team that night and got to spend a bit of time with him.

"It was an extraordinary night because it was the worst rainstorm wed had in recent memory, and all the airports were shut down in LA and SF. Rather than cancel on us, he put his band in a van and they drove themselves up to Yountville, while he flew a private plane with Susan, landing at the airport in Angwin.

"He was so gracious to everyone that night, meeting every sponsor personally and talking with all his fans. My job was deliver him back to his publicist at the appointed hour, which I did, despite everyone stuffing his pockets with high-end cigars and filling his glass to the brim with the valleys best Cabernets," Rafaty concluded.

"When I thought about a photography exhibit, I remembered Jeff" she added. "The good news is that these have been popular exhibitions, and people seem to really enjoy this behind-the-scenes glimpse at the art of filmmaking."

The exhibition spotlights Bridges artistic process and photographic techniques, informed by a collection of his private film shoot books, proof sheets and camera, plus quotes from Bridges himself, providing insight into the exceptional work of this multifaceted, talented artist.

For this exhibition, these wide format photographs have been enlarged to allow the visitor to fully appreciate the vast scope and meticulous detail of these movies within a movie, providing behind the scenes access to the process of filmmaking, as well as evidencing the potential of the Widelux format in the hands of a skilled photographer.

In the Spotlight and History Galleries, "Susan Bridges: Inside Heavens Gate," is a collection of photos she made during the filming of the epic 1980 western "Heavens Gate."

Susan Bridges' behind-the-scenes photos of the actors, sets, and scenery capture never-before-seen glimpses from the directors chair and portraits shot on location near Glacier National Park in 1979.

We are thrilled that our first joint photography exhibit is in Yountville at the Napa Valley Museum," Jeff and Susan Bridges wrote in an statement for the Register. "Although we live and work primarily in Southern California, Northern California is a special place to our family. Jeffs dad, Lloyd Bridges, was from Petaluma in Sonoma County, and we have family who live in the San Francisco Bay Area. We enjoy our frequent visits to the Napa Valley.

These exhibitions are presented with support from Bank of America, the Napa County Board of Supervisors, NVTID Yountville, and the members and supporters of the Napa Valley Museum.

Both shows are scheduled to close April 30.

The museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 55 Presidents Circle in Yountville. For more information and ticket pricing, visit napavalleymuseum.org.
Napa police have made three arrests in connection with a gang-related shooting into a residence.

The incident happened at about 2:55 a.m. Friday, March 3 in the area of Rexford Mobile Estates at the 1300 block of Pueblo Avenue. Neighbors reported hearing five to six gunshots near the entrance to the estates. Rounds were shot toward an occupied residence, a police press release said.

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Police observed parked vehicles that had been struck by gunfire.

Video surveillance showed the subjects returned to the area at about 4 a.m. on Saturday, March 4. They flashed gang signs and displayed a gun to an unrelated family, the press release said.

On Sunday, March 6, at 3:20 p.m., the Napa Police Special Enforcement Unit located the suspects and arrested them with the help of the Napa SWAT team. Police later executed search warrants at three residences in connection with the shooting at the estates, the press release said.

Police arrested Michael Raymond Rivera, 22, Heriberto Rodriguez, 19 and Eric James Miller, 23, on suspicion of a number of offenses. These in each instance included attempted murder, shooting into an inhabited dwelling, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal street gang participation and gang conspiracy, according to the press release and booking log.

On Saturday, March 4, around midnight, a shooting took place on the 2500 block of Laurel Street, which police believe may be related. People who witnessed either incident, and have not yet been interviewed by Napa police, can contact police Special Enforcement Unit Detective Andy Oros at aoros@cityofnapa.org.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the Senior Advisr for the Caucasus negotiations, US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Louis Bono.

The Prime Minister drew attention of the American Co-chair to the sabotage attack carried out by Azerbaijani armed forces in Nagorno-Karabakh on March 5. Nikol Pashinyan added that Azerbaijan announces about the readiness for dialogue with the NK representatives on the one hand, and on the other hand, carries out terrorist acts, as a result of which three police officers of the Passport and Visa Department of the Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Nagorno-Karabakh were killed three days ago.

The interlocutors touched upon the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulted by the blockade of the Lachin corridor. Prime Minister Pashinyan stressed the need for Azerbaijan to immediately fulfill the ruling of the International Court of Justice on unblocking the corridor.

Issues related to the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the Nagorno-Karabakh issue were also discussed.
Sudan army agrees to open passage for urgent humanitarian cases

130 Ukrainian servicemen back as part of prisoner exchange

Finland launches Europe's most powerful nuclear reactor

Over 6,000 British to play role in Charles III and Camilla Coronation

9 patients transported from Artsakh to Armenia thanks to ICRC

Washington forces Yerevan to join anti-Russian sanctions

Gyumri - Yerevan train crashes into truck and derails

Group brawl due to traffic accident

SK military prevent North Korean patrol chasing boat

Russian peacekeepers celebrate Easter in Artsakh

Traffic on Getap-Martuni road one-way due to risk of bridge collapse

RA Ministry of Finance delegation visits Washington

$230 million damage to Artsakh economy due to blockade

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?

Premier: Armenia ready for reopening of transport links, delimitation of borders

Pashinyan: We are ready to withdraw troops to safe distance along Armenia-Azerbaijan 1991 border

Armenia to have trade attache in Germany

Azerbaijan MFA accuses France foreign ministry of smear campaign and unfair position

Armenia PM: It failed to deploy border guards without escalation of tension

Newly elected Armenia ombudsperson announces her priority objective in this capacity

Armenia deputy PM, US Deputy Secretary of Treasury acknowledge high level of cooperation between both countries
Hraparak daily of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: The consistent steps by the RA authorities toward changing the foreign political vector [of Armenia] have caused concern among the Russian authorities in recent times.

Various emissaries are being sent to Armenia, we were told us that they are trying to form a new, more viable opposition unit, which they will use against [Armenian PM] Nikol Pashinyan's power if necessary.

The Russian factor's activeness is also evidenced by yesterday's meeting of the RF [(Russian Federation)] Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia, Sergey Kopyrkin, with the principals of Yerevan schools named after famous Russian people.

Sergey Kopyrkin informed the principals that the matter of opening new Russian schools in Armenia is being discussed.

A working group has already been set up that is deal with matters related to assisting in education [in Armenia] in the Russian language.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia issued a congratulatory message on the occasion of International Women's Day. The message reads as follows:

Dear women,

I heartily congratulate each and every one of you on the occasion of International Women's Day. This holiday has always been important for us, but now we attach special importance to it.

Today, we first bow to our numerous mothers, whose sons gave their lives for the sake of the motherland. Many of them give new life and hope to all of us, overcoming grief by again enjoying the joy of motherhood and thus resurrecting their martyred children.

We bow to our women widowed as a result of the war, who bear the burden of caring for bereaved families and call on their children to live, learn, overcome all difficulties and win the battles that fate brings.

Today we bow to those women who are a strong support and trust to their husbands serving in the armed forces who are responsible for the security of the country, the state.

Today, we bow to the women who serve in the Armed Forces themselves, while also highlighting the expansion of women's roles in the life of our country that is happening before our very eyes. And this is not an ideological, political, or even worldview issue.

For quite a long time now, women have been the majority of our country's population and understandably need to take on more responsibility. And it is logical that today in our country more and more often women assume roles, responsibilities and positions that are unprecedented in the history of our country and our society should encourage this process.

Women are increasingly involved in economic activities, state administration and local self-government, judicial and law enforcement systems, and, as mentioned above, in the armed forces. And this is the guaranty of our country's development, because not using the huge potential of women to the full means being short-sighted.

Many are pessimistic about the expansion of the role of women in all spheres of public and state life, stressing that the woman is the pillar of the traditional Armenian family. This is certainly true and unequivocal. But the man is also the pillar of the traditional Armenian family and no one is worried when the man serves in the army, the police, engages in economic activities, or leads an active public-political life. On the other hand, of course, the state should make motherhood an issue of special care, which we do consistently.

On March 8, 2023, I considered it important to outline this context, because the International Women's Day is not about women being fragile and vulnerable. International Women's Day is about women being more capable.

Dear women, I congratulate each and every one of you on March 8. Thank you for going above and beyond and always willing to go above and beyond.

And therefore,

Long Live Freedom

Long live the Republic of Armenia

Long live our children who will live in Free and Happy Armenia.
In Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, the police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protestors against the controversial law on "foreign agents."

The Ministry of Internal Affairs noted that the demonstration "took a violent nature."

In the footage shown by Georgian television, it is seen how the crowd is blocking Rustaveli Avenue, and the police are using a water cannon. The protesters are holding the flags of Georgia and the European Union.

Clashes continued until late at night. Later, the police pushed the protesters back from near the parliament building.

In the statement of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, it was noted that there are injured among both the police and the protesters, but their number was not mentioned.

Also, the police arrested protesters, the number of which was not mentioned either. But according to Mtavari television, their number reaches dozens.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia announced that the protest "took a violent nature, the participants of the demonstration tried to block one of the entrances to the parliament, violent actions took place against the employees of the ministry."

The opposition, however, claims that the demonstration was peaceful.

The protest outside the Georgian parliament started after a controversial bill similar to the Russian law on "foreign agents" was passed in the first reading by the legislature.

President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili, who is on an official visit to the US, addressed the protesters on Rustaveli Avenue with a speech of supportand against the backdrop of the Statue of Liberty in New York.

"I have said from the first day that I will veto that law, and I will. I am not worried about its article discussion, I am not concerned about its similarity to some old American law, which, as we know very well, serves completely different purposes," Zourabichvili said.

But the powers of the President of Georgia are very limited, and in any case the ruling party will have enough votes in the parliament to overcome the presidential veto.
The European Union (EU) remains concerned that the continuing disruption to freedom of movement through the Lachin corridor is affecting human rights in Nagorno-Karabakh, including rights to health, education, and food, the EU noted in a statement.

The EU calls on the Azerbaijani authorities and all responsible to guarantee freedom and security of movement along the corridor, in line with the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020, and to abide by the order of the International Court of Justice of 22 February 2023. The EU urges Azerbaijan and Armenia to continue to engage in dialogue, including at the leaders level. We look forward to continuation of President of the European Council Michel facilitated peace process, the statement adds, in particular.

UN International Court of Justice had partially granted Armenia's claim against Azerbaijan and unanimously denied Azerbaijan's claim against Armenia.
A number of residents of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) are protesting at the main entrance of the deployment of the Russian peacekeepers.

These Artsakh residents demand that the Russian peacekeepers fully fulfill their obligations.

According to them, this is not an initiative against the Russian peacekeepers, but a demand that they fulfill their obligations.

Earlier, Armenian News-NEWS.am reported that at around 10am on March 5, a sabotage group of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces targeted and opened fire on a staff shift vehicle of the Passport and Visa Department of the Artsakh Police. Three Artsakh policemen were killed and one was injured as a result.
President of the European Council, Charles Michel, is very much keen on having the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan come to Brussels again. Toivo Klaar, the European Union (EU) Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia, stated this in an interview with APA news agency of Azerbaijan.

I think it would be surprising if only two years after the latest big-scale war we would have everything being normal between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This takes time. The important thing is that there is political will from the leaderships in Yerevan and in Baku to overcome this history of conflict and we believe that there is this commitment by President Aliyev and there is also a commitment by Prime Minister Pashinyan. But again, it takes time, it is not easy, Klaar said.

The EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus assured that it has never really been about the Brussels process versus any other process for the EU.

We just wanted to support peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. And in that regard, our position has always been that whoever as an outside actor is willing and interested in supporting this, we are happy to work with them and we are happy to coordinate with them. And in that sense, we have never wanted to have any kind of competition of processes or anything like that, because that is simply not the objective. The objective is to help Armenia and Azerbaijan overcome the history of conflict. So, indeed, we have not had meetings in Brussels for some time. The understanding of President Charles Michel is that it will certainly be important to get the two leaders back to Brussels because it is not only about Brussels but there has not really been any meeting between leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan for quite a few months. And we believe that it is very important for them to meet on a regular basis and to really work on the substance of the outstanding issues, of which there are quite a few, and which will simply not be resolved without the leaders engaging and meeting in a substantive way as we have seen in Brussels. So, in that sense, President Michel is very much keen on having the leaders come to Brussels again. He met with the leaders in Munich a couple of weeks ago, I am here in Baku and I was in Yerevan last week to follow up on these meetings and now our open expectation will be that we can have the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Brussels in the very near future again, Klaar said.

Commenting on the statement by the spokesperson of the US State Department, Ned Price, that the meeting of the leaders of the two countries is expected in the near future, Klaar said that it was a bit premature to say that this is going to happen, I think he even said not "in the near future", but "in the coming days", and that was a bit premature to say that. But, this having been said, in the near future is certainly a realistic aim from our perspective. We do have Nowruz coming up, so, in that sense, I believe that this will certainly also play into this. So, I do not see this happening before Nowruz, but in the end, of course, we can bring, we can provide the platform and President Michel can invite the leaders, can put his time at the disposal, in the end, what of course matters is the willingness of the leaders, of President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan, to get together and to strike deals and to make peace possible between Armenia and Azerbaijan and in the South Caucasus, more generally.

Asked whether he means that in Munich Azerbaijani President Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan agreed to meet in the future, Klaar said: What President Michel discussed with both leaders was the process of how we get from here to have a meeting. These are the discussions that I have been having in Yerevan and now in Baku today.

On the political level, it is important to have this engagement on the societal level, it is important for leadership to be shown in both countries that the era of hostilities, the era of conflict is over and we want to build a new era of partnership and friendship. This will not be easy, I mean, if you also look at Europe and the relationship between France and Germany at the end of WWII it would have seemed impossible to have the kind of relationship that you have now between French and Germans. And how there are exchanges between students, and how governments meet on a regular basis between France and Germany. But this has required a lot of work and above all by the leaderships in Paris and in Bonn, in Berlin. This is something that has to happen here as well, he said.

As for the "competition" with Moscow, Klaar suggested asking the Russians.

We have made every effort to emphasize to the Russians that, for the EU, this is not some kind of geopolitical game, as Mrs Zakharova likes to say at times. For the EU, this is about helping Armenia and Azerbaijan, our two neighbours, to overcome the legacy of conflict. That is our sole interest. The South Caucasus is our neighbourhood, the EU's neighbourhood, as well, and for us, it is absolutely in our interest to have peace, stability and prosperity in this region, because if our neighbours are better off, then we are better off, it is as simple as that, and I would be happy if also in Moscow there were the understanding that, actually, if we had the same aim, then we can complement each other's efforts rather than seeing this as some kind of competition, which it certainly is not from our perspective, he said.

I just had a phone call with Deputy Minister Galuzin, a couple of weeks ago. I have also met with Russian Special Representative Igor Khovaev, I was even in Moscow in September [2022] to also discuss this. So, there are contacts, they are not very close, very intense and very frequent but there are contacts. I have their phone numbers, they have mine. And, again, for us this is not some kind of geopolitical game, this is about wanting to help these two countries and that is above all our focus. I think that should also be the focus of Russia rather than worrying too much about the EU's involvement, added.

We believe that this conflict can be overcome, the issues can be resolved, and we can have sustained, lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and also a settlement between Baku and the Karabakh Armenians in a way that does away with the legacy of the conflict. And that is what we are working towards. Management is something that you can do in a situation where there is no immediate perspective of resolution but I believe that here we really do have a perspective, I think there is a sense, both in Baku and in Yerevan that there is potential for resolving and overcoming the conflict and that is what we certainly want to work towards, said the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus.
The role of the EU mission on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan is to support the peace process. Toivo Klaar, the European Union (EU) Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia, stated this in an interview with APA news agency of Azerbaijan.

Regarding the mission in Armenia, we have absolutely been informing the Azerbaijani authorities, we have been transparent with the Azerbaijani authorities. We have not agreed on this with the Azerbaijani authorities because it is after all on the territory of Armenia. But we have been absolutely transparent about what it is that we are doing, what the purpose of this mission is, and about the activities of the mission. We see the purpose of the mission as building confidence both regarding the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, but also in the Armenian communities along the international border and as contributing to the peace process. That is a very important element because in our view the role of the mission is to support the peace process, it is not an alternative; it is certainly not a substitute. It is something that in our view needs to serve as an accelerator of the peace process and to also help the Armenians who are feeling somewhat insecure, to more actively engage in the peace process, and to work towards good outcomes. So, that is the purpose we have this mission and again, not with the agreement of the Azerbaijani authorities, but with full transparency with Azerbaijani authorities, Klaar said.
Miami Law's tax teams recently placed first and second in their divisions in the American Bar Association Tax Section's Law Student Tax Challenge, a national competition held in San Diego.

The Tax LL.M. team, consisting of Margo Bahno and Andrii Buznytskyi, won first place, and the J.D. team of Ivan Rudd and Isaac Fuhrman Borgman came in second place and won the award for Best Written submission in their division.

"We were so excited when we won, yet surprised," said Buznytskyi. "Winning in the final oral rounds meant a lot for us because English is not our native language. It was a great experience to defend our memorandum before judges who are tax partners at major U.S. law firms."

The Section's Young Lawyers Form organizes the Law Student Tax Challenge as an alternative to traditional moot court competitions. The LSTC asks two-person teams of students to solve a complex business problem that might arise in everyday tax practice. Teams are initially evaluated on two criteria: a memorandum to a senior partner and a letter to a client explaining the result. Based on the written work product, six teams from the J.D. Division and four teams from the LL.M. Division receive a free trip to the section's midyear meeting, where each team presents its submission before a panel of judges consisting of the country's top tax practitioners and government officials, including tax court judges.

"The Tax LL.M. program's courses gave us very good technical skills to research and prepare the memorandum," said Buznytskyi. "After we were selected for the final round, Professor Rosenberg organized for us practices with professors and alumni of the tax LL.M. program. Maybe it was us who won the competition, but the whole tax LL.M. program contributed to it."

Winners of the Best Written submission award, the J.D. team also came second in the competition.

"I was completely surprised when we won Best Written Submission," said Rudd. "I can remember Isaac and I looking at each other for a split second after hearing our names. It was a look of complete disbelief mixed with a sensation of pride. Not only did our team do well, but both teams were incredibly successful. This is a competition where it is a success just to compete."

For the written submission, competitors receive a hypothetical scenario with questions. The questions are from a partner related to a client at the firm. The written submission must answer the questions in a technical memo for the partner and a letter to the client. The 15-page submission, 10 pages to the partner and five to the client, is what each team submits to place as a semi-finalist or finalist, depending on the J.D. or LL.M. division.

The prompts of the writing submission dealt with three tax-related issues  a gift loan transaction, an original issue discount transaction, and a procedural issue.

"The J.D. division, which Isaac and I competed in, focused on submarket lending and emerging federal tax procedure surrounding non-jurisdictional statutes," said Rudd.

"I would add that the experience was very relevant because it forced Ivan and me to learn how to communicate technical issues to a hypothetical client," said Fuhrman Borgman. "The judges in the competition really emphasized the importance of being able to translate the tax code so that a client can understand the implications and options moving forward. That is a skill that is rarely taught in the academic setting but a very important one for future practitioners."

In addition to Rosenberg, several adjunct faculty members and an alumnus helped the teams practice for this competition, including adjuncts Karen Lapekas, Matthew Berman, Jeffrey Rubinger, Joseph Schimmel, and LL.M. Tax alumnus J. Rubens Scharlack.

"It was very, very good for our students," said Rosenberg. "This will look great on their resumes forever - it shows that they can write and that they can handle complex tax work."

Read more about Miami Laws Tax Law Program
The incident happened in the provincial capital of Peshawar where the factory's roof partially collapsed following the explosion, trapping the two laborers under the rubbles, Asif Khan, director of operations at the Edhi rescue service in the city, told Xinhua news agency.

He said that the rescuers recovered the duo and shifted them to a nearby hospital where they succumbed to their injuries.

The area has been cordoned off by the police to determine the cause of the explosion.

--IANS int/arm

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2023-03-08-20:56:02 (IANS)